washington   stellar pitching kept the mets afloat in the first half of last season despite their offensive woes but they cannot produce an encore of their pennant winning season if their lineup keeps floundering while their pitching is nicked bruised and stretched thin
we were going to ride our pitching manager terry collins said before wednesdays game but were not riding it right now weve got as many problems with our pitching as we do anything
wednesdays 4 2 loss to the washington nationals was cruel for the already limping mets pitching in steven matzs place the spot starter logan verrett allowed two runs over five innings but even that was too large a deficit for the mets lineup to overcome against max scherzer the nationals starter
were not even giving ourselves chances collins said adding later we just cant give our pitchers any room to work
the mets did not score until the ninth inning when a last gasp two run homer by james loney off nationals reliever shawn kelley snapped a streak of 23 scoreless innings for the team
the mets were swept in the three game series and fell six games behind the nationals in the national league east of late the mets have looked worse than their 40 37 record
i dont think weve played half our games yet this year right fielder curtis granderson said theres still a lot of things left that can and hopefully will happen
scherzer toyed with the mets who were initially without granderson after he was scratched from the lineup with lingering calf tightness even though granderson has been inconsistent this season he had hit well against scherzer in the past alejandro de aza who entered the game with a 165 average started in right field instead because collins said the team had few options
after scherzer gave up a single to asdrubal cabrera and walked loney in the second inning he retired the next 18 batters until an eighth inning single by brandon nimmo
the mets struggled again with runners on base after nimmo and the pinch hitting granderson singled in the eighth pinch hitter travis darnaud grounded out and de aza struck out
if they keep adding pressure on themselves theyre going to continue to struggle collins said thats one of the things we try to make sure they have to understand they have to be themselves
general manager sandy alderson collins and the coaching staff have met about the offense and discussed the odd dynamics some players are performing at or better than their career averages but the lineup as a whole has struggled immensely especially with runners in scoring position
were just not driving in any runs collins said thats been the frustrating part its not that were striking out were popping up or a double play ball
the mets have a power hitting team so asking players to bunt or hit and run would go against their strengths
when you start to change a team thats built one way and start to make them do something different youre going to get your butt beat collins said
earlier in the season the mets appeared like an all or nothing home run driven team although they hit only 211 as a team in may they smashed 40 home runs they have a higher average in june but they have hit only 24 homers and the inconsistent offense has put a strain on the pitching staff
in the second inning verrett gave up a solo home run to the ex met daniel murphy collins wanted to limit the workloads of addison reed and jeurys familia so he turned to reliever sean gilmartin in the eighth gilmartin gave up a two run homer to murphy who has hit 429 15 for 35 with four home runs against the mets this season his first since leaving the team
i felt like i kept us in the game and gave us a chance to come back and win it verrett said i wish that i wouldnt have given up the two runs
verrett was put in this position because of the effects of bone spurs on the mets rotation the team asked verrett to start wednesday and gave matz an extra day of rest after he received anti inflammatory medication for the large bone spur in his left elbow he will try to pitch through it
noah syndergaard has a smaller and less intrusive bone spur in the back of his right elbow
as long as im staying on my anti inflammatories and my mechanics are on point im able to go out there every five days and compete syndergaard said
for the mets the immediate road ahead will be even tougher matz was expected to pitch thursday against the chicago cubs one of the best teams in baseball this season


mayor bill de blasios counsel and chief legal adviser maya wiley is resigning next month from her city hall position to become the chairwoman of the civilian complaint review board new york citys independent oversight agency for the police department
the move represents the latest shake up for the de blasio administration amid continuing state and federal investigations into the mayors fund raising and fills a two month vacancy at the police review board created by the resignation of its chairman richard d emery in april
a civil rights lawyer and advocate for racial and social justice ms wiley joined the de blasio administration in early 2014 to focus on legal issues as well as on the mayors efforts to address issues of inequality but over time ms wiley became discouraged over not being part of mr de blasios inner circle and felt cut out of both legal questions and advocacy according to a person familiar with her thinking on the former mr de blasio often relied instead on the citys corporation counsel and henry berger the mayors special counsel on the latter he favored his top political aides the person requested anonymity to discuss private conversations
more recently ms wiley was assigned to help craft the administrations legal response to the state and federal inquiries as well as to requests for the public disclosure of documents notably emails between mr de blasio and trusted advisers outside the administration
it was in response to a question from reporters about the withholding of those emails with advisers that ms wiley defending the practice described the advisers as agents of the city   a designation that appeared novel and resulted in days of unfavorable press coverage
in a statement on wednesday mr de blasio thanked ms wiley for her service and congratulated her on her new role
the review board investigates allegations of misconduct by officers and makes recommendations for discipline to the police department its data on the number of complaints and its investigations of officers provide an important barometer of police behavior and a politically important one for mr de blasio a democrat who campaigned on improving police community relations
mr wiley will also take a position at the new school in manhattan her moves were reported by the wall street journal
the announcement of ms wileys departure from city hall followed that of a recently hired director of social media scott kleinberg who resigned on saturday just eight weeks after being hired to bring greater personality to the twitter facebook and other online accounts associated with the mayors office his resignation was reported by dna info
in a facebook post that was later removed mr kleinberg complained of long hours and micromanagement and described his experience with the administration as working with political hacks plus a boss who just couldnt get it adding it was a bad combination for sure mr kleinberg declined to comment
the departures came less than two months after karen hinton the mayors top spokeswoman announced her resignation from the administration she stayed in the position until mid june


in the early morning hours of labor day last year a group of gunmen from the 8 trey street gang made their way through a crowd of revelers gathered near a brooklyn public housing project to celebrate jouvert a pre dawn party that precedes the annual west indian american day parade the housing project was enemy territory the authorities said the stronghold of a rival gang the folk nation
as hundreds of people drank and danced in costume the warring factions spotted each other and a gunfight broke out in the darkness caught in the crossfire was an up and coming lawyer in the administration of gov andrew m cuomo carey gabay who was at the festivities with his brother mr gabay 43 who was of jamaican heritage died a week later from his wounds
for some in government and law enforcement circles the death of mr gabay who had risen from a childhood in bronx public housing to harvard law school and then to public service was emblematic of the havoc that street gangs have inflicted on new york city residents
on wednesday as part of a continuing investigation the authorities announced that three men had been indicted in the killing
one of the men micah alleyne 24 was already in custody having been indicted last month the other two   tyshawn crawford 21 and keith luncheon 24   were named along with mr alleyne in a new indictment on wednesday which holds all three equally responsible for mr gabays murder each of the men is charged with second degree murder
these defendants are charged with creating a killing field in a crowd of innocent people showing depraved indifference to human life and causing the death of carey gabay ken thompson the brooklyn district attorney said in a statement about the case
at a news conference at his office mr thompson said that 20 gang members armed with as many as 27 guns had taken part in the gunfight in which dozens of shots were fired he promised to seek indictments against the others involved in the episode this is just the beginning he said
at the time of his death mr gabay was first deputy counsel for the empire state development corporation and lived with his wife in the clinton hill section of brooklyn he was shot in the head while trying to escape the gunfire by ducking between two cars in a parking lot at the ebbets field houses on bedford avenue in crown heights
the housing complex had long been folk nation turf mr thompson said and several of the gangs members were among the crowd on an outdoor patio there during the jouvert celebration most of the shots fired that morning came from the direction of the patio mr thompson added members of both the folk nation and the 8 treys had standing orders he said to open fire at each other on sight
when these two gangs see each other mr thompson said there is no talking just shooting
surveillance camera footage taken that morning which mr thompson played at the news conference showed people frantically fleeing the patio and scurrying for cover as shots rang out investigators also discovered footage that mr thompson said shows mr alleyne firing a gun into the crowd then running into a building at the ebbets field houses
mr alleyne who was living in a homeless shelter in jamaica queens when he was arrested in may was a folk nation member mr thompson said he added that mr crawford who lives in east new york belonged to the hoodstarz gang which is allied with the folk nation mr thompson described mr luncheon who lives in crown heights as a member of the 8 trey gang a faction of the crips
a fourth defendant stanley elianor 25 was indicted in october on weapons charges in connection with mr gabays murder for carrying a mac 10 machine pistol during the melee
police commissioner william j bratton appearing with mr thompson at the news conference said his department was targeting street gangs across the city adding that officers had arrested gang members in three separate operations in manhattan on wednesday morning mr bratton also said that this year for the first time jouvert organizers would have to secure a permit for their event which has traditionally taken place without official city approval the police the commissioner said would increase their presence at the festivities in september to ensure there was no violence
if so much as a sneeze is made by these gangs in the run up to the festival we will be there mr bratton said and not to say gesundheit 


it was the apple store in new york city before there was such a thing as an apple store
before ipods and ipads and iphones before apple started selling and servicing its devices out of a glass cube on fifth avenue the eclectic tekserve store on west 23rd street in manhattan was where customers went for upgrades to their powerbook laptops or to have their computers fixed
but times have changed tekserves managers said and on wednesday they announced that the company was closing its retail and customer service operation the service center will remain open until july 31 and the retail store will close on aug 15 about 70 employees will lose their jobs the company said
this is a cultural shift the companys chief executive jerry gepner said in an interview in his office above the store its not a failure of the business its like this giant wave finally crashed down upon us
tekserve found its niche in an era when apple had a much smaller slice of the computer market among many of tekserves customers then apple computers had a devoted following it was the cult of mac said mr gepner who before running tekserve was a regular customer
he said that customers had gravitated to tekserve to buy apple computers have them serviced or have questions about them answered at a time when computers were more cumbersome to use and help was not simply a google search away it was also a gathering place mr gepner said where knowledge was shared
tekserve opened in 1987 focusing exclusively on repairs at first and has always operated out of spaces on 23rd street between sixth and seventh avenues more than 15 years ago it moved into its current home with 10000 square feet of retail and service space and grew into something of a new york city fixture on sex and the city for instance when carrie bradshaws laptop crashed she rushed to tekserve
while apples own stores are sleek and modern in appearance tekserve had the feel of a throwback its shelves lined with old fashioned radios and a soda machine where customers could grab a chilled coca cola in a glass bottle there was also a museum of apple computers with models dating back more than three decades including a macintosh 128k   the original apple macintosh personal computer   signed by stephen wozniak the companys co founder
these days though apple has six stores in manhattan including one in chelsea not far from tekserve there is also a best buy store just on the other side of sixth avenue from tekserve and then there are the options online
resellers like tekserve once among the few places where customers could get apple products have been the victims of the technology companys growth but also tekserve said in a statement swiftly rising rent has not helped
mr gepner said that when he joined tekserve in 2014 the owners asked him to see whether the diminishing retail operation could be saved but he said the owners realized that a turnaround seemed unlikely for us he said the trend wasnt going to reverse
talk of the stores closing had circulated for weeks among neighbors and regular customers employees were officially told on wednesday that the end was imminent
we love our customers and we love what we do mr gepner said but there comes a point where that doesnt make sense anymore as much as we love it
the company will continue with its corporate sales and professional services as well as with an operation focused on small  and medium size businesses an area that has experienced growth mr gepner said
outside the store on wednesday afternoon word had not yet reached many customers who said they were disappointed alan wolk said he had been coming to tekserve for about 15 years including once to repair a keyboard damaged by spilled coffee
its been here forever he said these guys they know their stuff you can trust them
kerry elson said she first came to tekserve about a decade ago when she was still working as an intern and trying to figure out how to use a new computer she kept coming because she trusted those who worked there
i feel like this is my go to she said it seemed like they were on your side


omaha   the united states olympic swimming trials are the spectacle that michael phelps built if he had not strapped the sport to his broad back and climbed to the olympic summit six times in athens in 2004 and eight times in eight nights in beijing in 2008 there would be no pre finals light show at centurylink center no ticket scalpers the crowds would be far smaller than 14000 and fewer athletes would be extending their careers past college with the help of corporate endorsements
and there would have been at least one fewer entrant in the 200 meter butterfly
phelpss influence on the sport he set out to make more prominent more professional goes well beyond the eyeballs and the excitement he has brought to swimming since he appeared in his first united states trials a much more subdued affair in indianapolis in 2000 phelps has inspired a generation to swim including a few world caliber athletes who crafted competitive schedules in phelpss image
nobody was phelpss equal in the 200 meter butterfly final on wednesday he qualified for his fifth olympic team by winning in 1 minute 5484 seconds ahead of tom shields 15581 those in his wake included chase kalisz 22 who finished fifth having already earned a berth to the rio games with a victory in the 400 meter individual medley on sunday
kaliszs best leg in the im is the breaststroke and he could probably be world class in that strokes events if he put his mind and his training to it but kalisz grew up in the baltimore suburbs and his second home was meadowbrook aquatic  fitness center which phelps had made famous as the most illustrious in a long line of star swimmers produced by north baltimore aquatic club
kalisz wanted to be like mike so he made himself into a world class butterfly swimmer me doing butterfly is a testament to me wanting to swim the same event as michael kalisz said butterfly didnt come natural to me
he added butterfly was something i had to work at and i just loved racing next to michael and i did that enough that ultimately i would say the 200 butterfly is probably my second best event so i think me just wanting to emulate michael so much is why my 2 fly is the way it is
the phelps effect knows no geographical boundaries at the 2012 olympics the south african chad le clos swam the same four individual events as phelps the 100 and 200 butterfly and the 200 and 400 im after handing phelps his first international defeat in 10 years in the 200 butterfly le clos explained that he had added more events to his program including the one that gave him a gold medal after watching phelps win a record eight golds in beijing
he was the reason i swam the butterfly le clos said its not a joke
he added thats why i swim the 200 freestyle both the ims i dont swim it for any other reason than just because michael does
le clos took it personally when phelps said last year that the mens butterfly times around the world had been slow after the london games a factor that nudged phelps out of retirement after winning the 100 butterfly in 5056 seconds at last summers world championships in russia   a competition from which phelps was absent   le clos crowed that his idol could keep quiet now
phelps who competed at the united states senior nationals last summer after being removed from the american squad for the world championships following a drunken driving arrest responded hours later with a 5045 to win the 100 butterfly
chad liked me and then he didnt like me phelps said recently with a laugh he said i was his hero and then he was calling me out
in the winter of his career phelps finds himself in a position similar to that of tiger woods the children he inspired have grown up to provide some of his fiercest competition
at the 2014 pan pacific championships in australia daiya seto of japan shyly approached phelps and showed him a photograph taken at the 2001 edition of the meet in japan it was of a 7 year old seto now one of the top individual medley swimmers in the world posing with phelps it was unbelievable phelps said its insane
the australian mitch larkin had not yet become a worldbeater in the backstroke events when he had a memorable encounter with phelps it was in 2012 at an olympic tuneup meet in the united states larkin said he had been walking on the pool deck after racing in the 200 im when phelps called him by name praised his effort and said keep doing what youre doing
larkin said that was a massive moment for me
he said he had called his parents back in australia the time difference be damned to tell them about the encouragement it just brings tears to my eyes remembering how excited mitch was said larkins mother judy it was a lovely moment for him that hell always treasure
four years later larkin 22 is the reigning world champion and the world no 1 in the 100 and 200 backstrokes phelpss magnanimous gesture however indirectly could end up spelling the end to the united states dominance in the stroke the american men have won the last five olympic gold medals awarded in the backstroke events
the loss to le clos notwithstanding phelps has owned the 200 butterfly since placing fifth in the event at the 2000 olympics at age 15 he has held the world record continuously since 2001 lowering it by 341 seconds in that span to 15151
between 2007 and 2009 his peak performance years phelps posted the four fastest times in history in the event his 15294 at last summers senior nationals led the world rankings in 2015
the world has closed the gap but phelps remains the gold standard


omaha   in the first three races of her third olympic trials   two heats of the 100 meter backstroke and the 200 meter freestyle preliminaries   missy franklin swam scared she put together a more composed race in the semifinals of the 200 and then a day later in wednesdays final franklin broke free of the chains of anxiety that had constrained her
franklin 21 finished second to katie ledecky in a time of 1 minute 5618 seconds to earn a berth in the individual event and the 4x200 freestyle relay at the summer games in rio de janeiro ledecky was clocked in 15488
people say theres nothing like making your first olympic team franklin said but theres nothing like making your second olympic team
allison schmitt the reigning olympic champion in the 200 freestyle will not defend her title but the tears she shed after the race were not from disappointment i dont know the last time i had happy tears said schmitt who finished fourth to secure her passage to rio as a relay team member
franklin and schmitt embraced after the race few people could understand schmitts emotions better than franklin who finished seventh in the 100 meter backstroke on tuesday she needed to finish in the top two to be able to defend her olympic title in the event
last night was really hard franklin said adding that she had struggled to handle the expectations and pressure that she felt to match or exceed her 2012 performances she was thinking about making the olympic team she said and that was the wrong mind set its just to swim well she said
and swim well franklin did earning the admiration of the 19 year old ledecky in the process i told her after the race shes one tough cookie ledecky said she got the job done tonight
melanie margalis also showed her toughness by working an overtime shift after finishing sixth in the 200 freestyle which put her on the olympic relay she came back less than an hour later and somehow found a closing kick to out touch caitlin leverenz the bronze medalist in the event in 2012 by five hundredths of a second with a 21111 maya dirado the winner of the 400 im completed the double by touching first in 20954
i cant believe that just happened said margalis adding that 200 was one of the most painful ive had recently so at first i was kind of like oh know i have another event to do but it worked out ok


lionsgate is near a deal to buy starz uniting the film studio behind the hunger games with the premium cable home of the outlander television series a person briefed on the matter said on wednesday
any takeover would come at a premium to starzs wednesday closing stock price of 2825 which valued the channel operator at about 28 billion lionsgate closed on wednesday with a market value of 3 billion
a deal could be announced as soon as thursday according to the person who was not authorized to speak publicly many details were being ironed out and the talks could still falter
if an agreement is reached it would be the end of a long road for starz which has been the subject of merger speculation for three years since being spun off from the liberty media empire controlled by the billionaire john c malone
it also would be the latest instance of consolidation in the media industry
starz run by the former hbo executive chris albrecht has become one of the countrys top premium tv networks with hits like outlander and power
the channel has surpassed showtime to become the second biggest premium cable tv network in the country with an estimated 236 million subscribers according to snl kagan it is topped only by the longtime king of premium cable hbo
earlier this year starz rolled out a stand alone app for apple and google devices part of a trend of channels looking beyond traditional cable bundles
for lionsgate buying the cable channel would help give it scale as media and telecommunications rapidly consolidate starz could help lock in an outlet for lionsgates tv productions providing ballast for a sometimes volatile movie business
analysts have discussed a potential tie up of lionsgate and starz for some time last year lionsgate disclosed that it had acquired a stake in starz through a complicated stock swap organized by mr malone earlier this year lionsgate said that it was exploring a potential takeover of the cable channel
starz fielded multiple takeover bids according to the person briefed on the matter but lionsgate has been considered a front runner for some time in part because the companies had worked together on projects like the tv shows boss and crash
and then there is mr malone who sits on lionsgates board and has long been known as a savvy deal maker
his counterpart at lionsgate is mark rachesky the investor who is chairman of the studio and has a reputation for hard nosed negotiating
representatives for lionsgate and starz declined to comment or were not available for comment on the talks which were reported earlier by bloomberg news


under slate colored light slanting from the skylights the women entered the city pool on wednesday morning its oxidized copper ceiling lending a mint green cast to the waters surface their swimming outfits would have been considered prudish even by the standards of 1922 when the pool was built they swam in dresses some with long sleeves one paddled in thick black tights inside the locker room wigs sat upside down on window ledges and benches while their owners swam with heads under ruffled swimming caps or knotted silk scarves
the swimmers were hasidic women who abide by strict codes of modesty and who go to the metropolitan recreation center in williamsburg brooklyn for an unusual feature it is one of two city swimming pools with gender segregated hours the other is the st johns recreation center in crown heights brooklyn
although wednesday was the urbanites summer solstice   the day that new york citys 55 outdoor pools opened for the season and children could at last carom into the chlorine   the swimming season at the placid indoor pool in williamsburg lasts all year but a tempest has been threatening it and the women who have long seen the lap pool as a sanctuary are awaiting a decision that city officials now say is imminent about the future of the segregated swimming sessions
for 20 years the center has blocked off female only hours to accommodate the areas large hasidic population the pool has no male only hours and some hasidic men swim during the hours that are open to all genders an anonymous complaint was lodged recently with the citys human rights commission which sent a notice to the parks department this spring saying that the policy might violate a city law barring gender discrimination in public accommodations
a public furor soon ensued
for critics the pools segregated hours inappropriately create a religious exemption at a public facility a violation of the separation of church and state but defenders of the hours contend it is a fair accommodation for a minority group akin to wheelchair ramps that truly makes the pool a municipal space for all   at least at their appointed hour
the human rights commission and the parks department said the agencies had been in talks and planned to announce their decision as early as this week
womens hours are held three times a week during the summer months at 10 am on wednesday a lifeguards whistle squealed everybody out she said
in fact the message was just for the men the womens hours would begin at 1030 am there was a half hour break in between swimming freestyle in the lane marked slow tim main stopped and gripped the pool ladder peeling off his goggles he turned to the nearest pool goer and threw up his hands i hope this goes all the way to the supreme court he said before climbing out and shaking off
the idea of being kicked out from swimming time isnt really the issue mr main 56 said later now dry and standing on bedford avenue in front of the brick pool house its the creeping of religious stricture into public space
behind him inside the recreation complex a lifeguard pulled closed the thick plastic curtains to obscure the swimmers from the lobby during the womens hours
here in new york where we have people from so many different backgrounds the idea of being culturally sensitive is something that everybody talks about said state assemblyman dov hikind a democrat who represents the heavily hasidic area of borough park and has opposed ending the sessions you might think wow why should the city have to bend over to do this but there is a lot of argument that this is all part of reasonable accommodation
but donna lieberman executive director of the new york civil liberties union took the opposite view
people who have a religious objection to men and women boys and girls swimming in the same pool at the same time have every right to their beliefs and to limit their swimming in accordance with those religious beliefs she said but they have no right to impose a regime of gender discrimination on a public pool
what we have here is the imposition of a religious dogma to the detriment to the rest of the city she added
gripping a yellow pool noodle miriam kahn 77 treaded water in a pink dress and a pink ruffled swimming cap on wednesday morning in our religion women dont go to no beach dont go to no movies nothing she said in a thick israeli accent cant we have this something
other cities have accommodated religious preferences for single sex swimming in toronto a similar program at a public pool that catered to muslim women drew praise for offering that population a rare chance to learn to swim there are similar programs elsewhere in the united states
only 45 swimmers at a time are permitted at the pool in williamsburg most days ms kahn said there is a line of women waiting their turn including the occasional muslim woman on wednesday the lanes were full of women in calf length denim colored dresses with three quarter sleeves the only thing that vaguely identified the outfits as seaworthy was a palm tree or a beach ball embroidered on the chest
in a black frock tzurtie kahan 66 swam up hasidic men she explained go to synagogue to torah study to work women like her have few opportunities to socialize she said this is a freedom country she said in english inflected with a yiddish patois cant we practice our religion cant there be space for us
she too had a complaint about the womens hours at the pool they are too brief


winter garden fla   jeff hornacek the new knicks coach delivered some truth wednesday afternoon after his teams first summer league practice
we have a lot of roster spots right now he said
the knicks are set for a summer of change with just five players under contract for next season that means opportunities for the youngsters who have assembled here for summer league ognjen kuzmic ron baker dajuan summers some of these players may turn out to be more than mere footnotes moving forward if only because the knicks need bodies
then again the knicks hope to make their biggest splash in free agency an annual mad dash for dollars that will commence friday when players can begin meeting with interested teams the knicks are expected to have more than 30 million to spend under the salary cap but that does not make them unique
a lot of teams have money to spend hornacek said we have a pretty good amount it sounds like hopefully we can get a player or two that will help us
having traded robin lopez to the chicago bulls last week as a part of a deal that sent derrick rose to new york the knicks will make a priority of landing a defense minded center hornacek said the team also needs a starting shooting guard but that seems to be second on the list
i definitely think we need an experienced big in there hornacek said with the two guard we probably should be able to find someone we have enough scorers we need a guy at the two spot who can help run the offense maybe get some kick out 3s but maybe the five man might be a little more important of a position
hornacek did not name possibilities but the knicks could target pau gasol or joakim noah both of whom played alongside rose with the bulls as for the biggest name in free agency it remains to be seen if the knicks will be included in the kevin durant sweepstakes
phil jackson the knicks president was here wednesday to watch practice from the bleachers afterward he made his way down to the court to speak with hornacek and the coaching staff appearing animated as he mimicked a cut to the basket hornacek was asked about jacksons operating as a hands on executive
i think thats great hornacek said how many gms have that many championships and ran the offense i dont think its weird at all its basketball all coaches want to have different thoughts nobody can expect to know everything with phils expertise in seeing this run for years and years any little hints he can give us have been helpful
the knicks are doing things differently this summer a longtime mainstay at the las vegas summer league which is typically staged later in july well after the start of free agency the knicks are participating in the orlando summer league for the first time instead their first game is scheduled for saturday against the detroit pistons
kristaps porzingis the knicks presumed cornerstone will not participate he has been working out at home in latvia
cleanthony early a second round draft pick in 2014 who missed most of last season after he was shot in the knee during a late night robbery said he was looking forward to his stint with the team in orlando while hornacek has made it clear that he plans to use parts of the triangle offense a scheme favored by jackson early said the team was looking to push the ball more
were not looking so much to force it into the triangle said early a small forward being athletic and fast we want to get the easiest and quickest baskets we can
while no official announcements have been made hornacek has filled out his staff on wednesday he was joined by a mix of holdovers kurt rambis joshua longstaff and david bliss and newcomers howard eisley jerry sichting and corey gaines sichting and gaines were on hornaceks staff when he coached the phoenix suns
youve got to develop some continuity hornacek said
along those lines hornacek recently visited carmelo anthony at one of his private workouts in new york hornacek wanted to talk with anthony about last season he said to get a sense of what had worked and what changes anthony hoped to see
hornacek also said he had studied game film before visiting anthony so he could share some insights about his positioning on the court
simple stuff hornacek said nothing new but i just told him just from watching tape a couple of things that i thought could help him the guy knows how to play hes a great player theres not a lot of things but i think veteran players   theyre trying to learn from year to year pick one or two things up


as washington heights rejoiced on wednesday over the apparent victory of adriano d espaillat in the democratic primary to choose a successor to representative charles b rangel the scene and tone could not have been more different a few dozen blocks to the south
there in harlem black political leaders and residents began to grapple with the end of a run of more than seven decades during which the neighborhood was represented in congress by one of its own the primary results also draw the curtain on an era   already a long time in passing   in which harlem was the center of black political power in new york city and beyond
its the end of a culture said rudy williams 63 a substance abuse counselor who was sitting with friends in folding chairs on a sidewalk on malcolm x boulevard wearing a bright yellow newsboy hat and matching pants he worried about what mr espaillats win would mean for the neighborhood harlem is a far cry from washington heights he said
reginald jones 51 chimed in we have no more face its a perpetual loss of ground a loss of the black community having identity
mr espaillat a state senator was seeking to become the first dominican immigrant to win election to congress he held a lead of 1236 votes over the closest competitor state assemblyman keith lt wright an african american like mr rangel who endorsed him
mr wright refused to concede suggesting on tuesday night that there had been voting irregularities and insisting that all absentee ballots and affidavit ballots be counted but mr espaillats lead equal to nearly three percentage points appeared insurmountable
if that lead does hold up mr espaillat is almost assured victory in the general election in november since the district covering upper manhattan and parts of the bronx is overwhelmingly democratic
just as assuredly mr espaillats ascension led political insiders to debate what it meant for the shifting terrain of new york city politics
this is an amazing transition for two communities said george arzt a political consultant its historic for the dominican community to have its first congressperson it is a blow to the african american community to lose a congressman who has long represented the dreams of african americans in harlem
mr rangel has served in congress for 45 years before him there was adam clayton powell jr a giant of 20th century black politics
mr rangel was part of what was known as the gang of four a group of harlem politicians whose influence dominated the city and state and reached to washington two of the groups members percy e sutton and basil a paterson have died another former mayor david n dinkins is retired and mr rangel 86 is about to follow him
while harlems grip on political power may have faded the influence of other parts of the city has increased in particular brooklyn and southeast queens where there are three black members of congress and prominent black local officials including letitia james the citys public advocate and the brooklyn borough president eric l adams
the passage out of office of rangel and the failure of his protege to win the nomination is the exclamation point in a sentence that weve been reading for a while said john mollenkopf who directs the center for urban research at the city university of new york graduate center
much of what has happened is a response to the citys changing demographics upper manhattan has lost black and puerto rican residents   partly because of rising rents caused by gentrification   while gaining white and dominican residents
and the boundaries of mr rangels district were redrawn several years ago to include parts of the bronx which meant the district over all had more hispanic than black residents
so for many mr espaillats victory or that of another hispanic was just a matter of time
that suggests a broader trend of increased hispanic political power in the city although there are many challenges for hispanic politicians to mobilize a fractured electorate hispanics tend to identify by nationality first so colombian dominican ecuadorean mexican and puerto rican voters may support politicians from their own national groups but may not necessarily see shared interests with those from other groups
that could mean that while mr espaillats apparent victory justifiably sparked proud celebration in washington heights a dominican enclave it may not say much about hispanic influence beyond upper manhattan and the bronx
melissa mark viverito the city council speaker who is puerto rican supported mr espaillat the bronx borough president ruben diaz jr supported mr wright but mr espaillat still performed much better in the bronx
others cautioned not to read too much into mr espaillats victory
theres no seismic shift said geoffrey l garfield a political consultant who worked with another candidate in the crowded primary adam clayton powell iv who finished far back in the nine person field of the nine candidates in the primary four were black together they received more than 50 percent of the vote that suggests mr espaillat could face a strong challenge in future primaries from a single african american opponent
the next cycle hell be challenged again mr garfield said i think hell lose in a one on one
that sentiment was not widely shared in washington heights rosanna crisostomo dominican resident of the neighborhood who works in a home care agency praised mr espaillats support for the area as she bought fruit from a stand on the corner of 182nd street and st nicholas avenue
he went for it and he got it she said now we hope that every step he takes he thinks about his people
mr espaillat for his part was clearly sensitive to accusations that he had played too heavily to his dominican base and would not represent harlem with the same vigor as mr rangel
to those who voted for one of my worthy opponents i pledge to work my heart out to represent you knowing that our district is not a latino or black or asian district mr espaillat said in a statement on wednesday its a district that belongs to all of us and we simply cannot succeed unless all of us are moving forward together


surt libya   perched on a doorstep the teenage juma brothers whiled away the afternoon with a lazy game of checkers pushing pebbles around a board chalked in the dust seemingly oblivious to the crackle of gunfire and boom of artillery a few miles away
they had fled their home in surt the islamic states libyan stronghold three weeks earlier as a libyan fighting force quietly supported by american and british special operations troops swept toward the coastal city from the desert now as the siege intensified the juma brothers were sitting out the battle at this farmhouse on the southern edge of surt their apprehension tempered by a wave of sheer relief
life was hell said hammad a lanky 16 year old with a shock of unkempt hair describing the islamic states brutal 18 month rule cafes were closed schools renamed and girls flogged for not covering their faces he said he watched in horror as a hooded figure chopped off the hand of a thief   a desperate man who had stolen medicine nightmares came after the islamists crucified people accused of crimes at a major traffic junction then left their bodies to rot
i would wake in a panic thinking i was suffocating he said his brother mohammed 19 nodded in agreement the islamists had executed his friend abdullah by pushing him from a tall building accusing him of blasphemy abdullah was 15 years old mohammed said
the assault on surt now in its third week has put the islamic state in libya under crushing pressure threatening to rob the group of its largest base outside iraq and syria the attack force led by militias from the nearby city of misurata and organized under the auspices of the united nations backed unity government has corralled the islamists into the city center where they are pummeled with bombs and gunfire and cut off from their main escape route by sea
the siege coincides with the islamic states recent eviction from the iraqi city of falluja and combined they are a heavy blow to the groups territorial ambitions   even as it retaliates with devastating attacks against civilians turkish officials say they suspect the islamic state of being responsible for the suicide bombings at the istanbul airport on tuesday that killed at least 41 people
the surt offensive moved with breathtaking speed at first shrinking the territory controlled by the islamic state also known as isis or isil from 150 miles of coastline to barely four miles but since the battle reached the densely defended streets of surt progress has been measured in yards and the price in blood has risen sharply
i arrived last week with a photographer and a libyan journalist who has worked for the new york times since 2011 the first hurdle was bureaucratic negotiating the maze of official permissions required to work in a country with three rival governments and split by byzantine rivalries
after acquiring the paperwork and a commander willing to take us into the battle zone we set off at night speeding down a highway strewn with the charred remains of vehicles destroyed in suicide bombings
surt crackled with tension we had arrived after the bloodiest day of fighting yet in which 36 libyan fighters had died and over 150 were injured in the latest push toward islamic state lines in all over 800 men had been wounded since the fighting started medics at the nearby field hospital said
on the beach road where artillery cases littered the empty street fighters crouched under a berm of sand occasionally they leapt to their feet spraying bullets toward islamic state fighters in buildings more than 200 yards down the street
the reply came in the form of a sharp crack then the soft zip of a snipers bullet whistling overhead
their commander was mohammed ahmed a preternaturally calm man who in t shirt and flip flops seemed dressed more for the beach than a front line he called orders into a walkie talkie then pointed behind us to a cluster of holiday villas where libyas longtime dictator col muammar el qaddafi once housed visiting foreign dignitaries now it was raked with bullet holes and smeared with graffiti
capturing the villas and a few hundred yards of road cost the lives of four men he said
circling drones overhead signaled the presence of small teams of american and british special operations forces that according to libyan officials are using surveillance technology to provide targeting information to libyan artillery spotters and their handful of aging warplanes
they tell the ground forces where to push and where to hold and they coordinate the airstrikes said mohamed benrasali a senior politician from misurata
that so far has been the extent of direct western help on the battlefield even as libyan commanders appeal for more muscular assistance   ammunition airstrikes and medical supplies
here we are fighting the wests war against terrorism said ibrahim mustafa 29 a commander in a widely held view but although the west promises help it never comes
the american officials and their allies counter that they must proceed cautiously worried that such help could upset the precarious balance between libyas many factions and potentially inflaming a knotty civil conflict involving an array of outside countries
below the drones the ground fight is a decidedly analogue affair many of the libyan militiamen are part time fighters armed with decades old weapons their commanders scoff at pentagon estimates of 6500 islamic state fighters in libya   or a figure of 8000 given by john brennan the director of the cia in testimony to congress on june 20 the libyans estimate that no more than 600 fighters are left in the city but few doubt that the islamic state fighters cornered in central surt   mostly from tunisia egypt and sudan according to anecdotal accounts as well as a smaller number of libyans   make a determined enemy
at the beach front a handful of fighters walked toward the sea only to halt in their tracks a barely visible line was pulled tautly across the sand a mark of land mines laid in the night the fighters retraced their steps slowly to the road
despite the fighting the islamic state radio station still broadcasts across surt offering a mixture of stuffy religious sermons and red blooded threats against the groups enemies but predictions that surt could become raqqa on the mediterranean in a reference to the islamic state headquarters in syria now look highly unlikely
as the libyan fighters push deeper into surt the infrastructure of fear that helped the islamic state exert a viselike grip is being dismantled at the zafran roundabout the scaffolding where men in orange jumpsuits were once executed has been pulled down and the islamic state flag has been replaced by the libyan national standard
retreating fighters have mustered at the ouagadougou center a cavernous marble walled conference hall turned religious pulpit and weapons store their families cluster in an area called dollar with no water or electricity former residents say
for decades surt was a byword for tribal cronyism in libya colonel qaddafi who was born in a tent 10 miles south of the town devised a series of vainglorious schemes intended to catapult the obscure city to global prominence at one point he promoted it as the headquarters of a notional united states of africa
today those ideas have gone from ridiculous to tragic as the follies of the era   the luxury hotels and villas the conference hall and the great man made river a multibillion dollar water project that colonel qaddafi hailed as the eighth wonder of the world   form a crumbling backdrop to libyas latest violent drama
colonel qaddafis more enduring legacy is the paranoid factionalism that has pitted libyas politicians fighters and towns so viciously against one another since 2011 and that could yet endanger battlefield gains against the islamic state
a few miles behind the front lines the commander leading the assault on surt sat in a cramped room before a radio transmitter and a large screen with a google earth map detailing the battlefield it was the holy month of ramadan so most of his fighters were not eating during daylight hours in the darkness of evening after the fast had been broken the commander lounged in the courtyard of his small compound sucking on a water pipe as he welcomed subordinates who huddled over maps sipped sweet coffee and plotted the next days actions
the commander agreed to be interviewed on the condition of anonymity citing fears that his family could be targeted in islamic state attacks he was at once welcoming and guarded   loudly echoing popular complaints about lack of western support but also making it clear that he considered western intentions in libya to be cynical
were sending our youth to die against terrorists and europe is playing football matches he said referring to the soccer championship underway
surprisingly he did not see the islamic state as the greatest danger to libya instead he expounded at length about the perfidy of khalifa hifter   the dominant military commander in eastern libya and a man widely viewed by many misuratans as an enemy the commander suggested that mr hifter in concert with a relative of colonel qaddafis based in cairo was secretly supporting the islamic state   a theory given little credence by western officials but one that points to the deep suspicions that undergird every aspect of the libyan society
mr hifter for his part also holds himself out as a warrior against islamist extremists in the eastern cities of benghazi and derna last week he traveled to moscow requesting that the kremlin provide him with weapons russian news media reported
such jostling has plagued efforts to bring libya to peace since 2011 and helped the islamic state move into surt in 2014 local clashes in recent weeks between rival groups near tripoli and in ajdabia east of surt provide ominous signals of rising political as well as military tensions
although the unity government enjoys strong backing from the united nations the united states and many european countries it has weak political authority and on the ground in surt little respect instead most fighters claimed to be fighting in the name of their town their brigade or their blood
on the eastern front line near the city port mohammed haima peered down a pair of old military binoculars one lens broken toward the islamic state lines a few hundred yards away
the extremists had captured his brother a fighter named faisal last summer he said he later learned from a former prisoner that faisal had been tortured and had his fingernails pulled out
two months ago islamists phoned mr haima offering to trade his brother for another prisoner no deal was made so now mr haima said he was fighting to find his brother or to avenge his death
those terrorists are a cancer that needs to be wiped out he said they made my brother call me to prove he was alive im going to find him for his sake   and for that of our mother


farmington conn   as a pastor sam saylor knows how draining the fight against gun violence can be for years he attended vigils and comforted families until he could not take it anymore he could not find the words for the grieving parents
then mr saylors son shane was killed shot in the back as he tried to run from his assailant less than two months later the shootings at nearby sandy hook elementary school that killed 26 people including 20 children put the grimmest possible national spotlight on gun violence
but minutes after speaking alongside gov dannel p malloy and two members of the house of representatives on wednesday morning mr saylor could not conceal his impatience with congress
truthful he said we said did it take orlando for them to grow courage
house democrats hosted 40 events across the country on wednesday with more than 60 members participating trying to maintain the momentum created by their more than 25 hour sit in on the chamber floor last week after the june 12 shooting at a nightclub in orlando fla
scattered across their districts the handful of committed but often wary activists who greeted them wednesday served as a reminder of how difficult it can be to keep people energized when they have been disappointed for so long
just an hours drive from the site of the 2012 massacre at sandy hook in newtown conn mr saylor and a few dozen others who favor gun restrictions joined representatives elizabeth esty and rosa delauro democrats of connecticut at a news conference at the university of connecticuts health center
this state has become an emotional center of the gun control debate   and an example to those sick of waiting for congress to act in 2013 after congress failed to restrict access to firearms connecticut enacted its own ban on many semiautomatic rifles
it is a matter of identity for mary ellen thibodeau of west hartford as she waited for ms esty and ms delauros event to begin ms thibodeau 66 described a trip to costa rica after the shooting in newtown where she was asked where she was from
we said oh connecticut she said and they said oh newtown it was like oh thats what were known for now and that was really disappointing
ms delauro dismissed the idea that they were fighting a losing battle because of the nearly unanimous opposition from republicans who hold majorities in congress
a vote ultimately may be unlikely but im not going to concede that that is the point she said the fact of the matter is that we do have an opportunity
democrats are hopeful that the confluence of terrorism and guns in the recent orlando shooting has been enough to draw a few more republicans to their side last week eight senate republicans joined democrats in keeping alive a no fly no buy bill introduced by senator susan collins republican of maine
ms esty who represents newtown argued that holding a vote would be to their advantage
if we were allowed a vote in the house of representatives on comprehensive background checks that would pass she said we have nearly 190 listed co sponsors bipartisan and from conversations in back rooms there are many republicans who would vote for it if we were allowed a vote
house democrats saw similar crowds at their events across the country after organizers of the sit in called last week for a national day of action to be held on wednesday in baltimore several dozen people turned out for an event with four democratic members of marylands delegation including representatives elijah cummings and chris van hollen according to mr van hollens office at a larger event in chicago several hundred people showed up for a rally with six house democrats representative jan schakowsky of illinois office said
not every event was so public though representative hank johnson of georgia met with activists at his lithonia ga office on wednesday representative ruben gallego of arizona held a conference call with reporters and local arizona activists
mr van hollen said democrats are keeping all of their options open about what they will do when they return from the july fourth recess next week
we have lots of options for making sure we do not return to business as usual until we have a vote on these common sense gun safety measures he said in a phone interview
the protest in many ways started two weeks ago when senator chris murphy democrat of connecticut took to the floor in a 15 hour talk athon with senator richard blumenthal his fellow connecticut democrat among others
and house democrats reminded republicans of their continued commitment to disruption on tuesday when a small group of lawmakers took to the floor during a pro forma session and a largely symbolic protest
speaker paul d ryan republican of wisconsin cautioned monday that he would not allow the disruptions to continue
we will not tolerate this he said in an interview with the website wispoliticscom
despite the wariness of many supporters the latest push feels like a breakthrough to others brandon mcgee a state representative in connecticut stood before several dozen people at a forum in hartford hosted by representative john larson one of the organizers of the sit in gesturing enthusiastically as he described what last weeks protest meant to him
that was monumental mr mcgee said i think it started the new civil rights movement
but it also became clear that in many ways there is still a gulf among those who support more gun restrictions rev henry brown who was at both events in connecticut on wednesday said he was dismayed that the organizers at the morning news conference in farmington focused on mass shootings without discussing the violence their neighbors in hartford grapple with daily
they didnt even mention the violence that goes on in hartford he said
if we are on the battlefield together dont you think there should have been some mention of what was going on in urban communities he continued its good that were talking about long guns but the majority of our children are being killed by handguns
our babies die every day said steve harris a retired firefighter and former member of the hartford city council who was moderating the forum we have our sandy hook moment every day


a political operative with ties to gov andrew m cuomo is expected to be charged on thursday in connection with a bribery scheme that involved a state supreme court justice in buffalo who has already pleaded guilty in the case
the operative g steven pigeon is accused in a criminal complaint of bribing the justice john a michalek with help for a promotion favors for two close relatives buffalo sabres hockey tickets and a seat at one of mr cuomos fund raisers in return the complaint says mr pigeon received favorable treatment in court cases in which he and his acquaintances had an interest
mr michalek who had served as a justice since 1995 pleaded guilty in state supreme court on wednesday to a felony count of receiving a bribe he also admitted to filing a public document with false information also a felony
the case stemmed from a joint state and federal investigation led by the state attorney general eric t schneiderman into mr pigeons fund raising activities
as part of his plea agreement mr michalek who resigned from the bench has agreed to cooperate with the investigation mr pigeon is expected to appear in court on thursday on unspecified charges according to matt mittenthal a spokesman for mr schneiderman
according to the complaint mr michalek repeatedly asked for mr pigeons assistance in moving up to the appellate division of the court where there was a vacancy for an associate judgeship
normally i wouldnt mention it to you the justice wrote in an email to mr pigeon in december 2012 beginning what the complaint said was a quest for the appointment that lasted two and a half years wonder if you could help
mr pigeon apparently went straight to the top
unc steve howd you do with the gov mr michalek wrote to mr pigeon on jan 8 2013
bunch happening in albany now gov went well talked u up mr pigeon replied lets have coffee soon
public schedules for mr cuomo a democrat on and around that date when he was preparing for his annual state of the state address do not show mr pigeons name but the schedules do not always cover every detail of the governors day
if the meeting did occur nothing seemed to come of it havent heard a peep about the appp div mr michalek wrote to mr pigeon the next month
john kelly a spokesman for the governor said appointees for any state appellate court must first be reviewed and approved by the judicial screening committee mr michaleks name was never advanced by the committee to the governor for consideration for any appointment
mr pigeon and various political action committees with which he was involved were the subject of multiple inquiries into possible campaign finance improprieties in 2008 the next year he and his sometime boss the rochester billionaire tom golisano brokered a republican coup in the state senate that threw the capitol into disarray for a month
yet mr pigeon a former chairman of the erie county democratic organization later re emerged as a key contact in western new york for mr cuomos office as he worked to gather local support during the governors 2014 re election campaign
mr pigeons lawyer paul cambria declined to comment on wednesday
if mr michalek never managed to rise to the appellate division his relatives prospered under mr pigeons guidance according to the complaint mr pigeon found a contact to help one of those relatives get a job on a political campaign mr michalek and mr pigeon also repeatedly discussed different options for a second relative including appointments to a government task force or an education committee
through mr pigeon the relative also got a 1000 seat at a fund raiser in november 2013 for mr cuomos re election campaign
we will continue to root out public corruption wherever we find it mr schneiderman said
the arrangement had benefits for mr pigeon too the emails about job prospects were often interspersed with discussions about several lawsuits that companies he was consulting for had pending before the justice who was handling commercial civil cases in erie county supreme court
mr pigeon was receiving money from a party to one of the lawsuits while his colleagues or acquaintances had a financial stake in others
mr michalek often emailed updates on the lawsuits to mr pigeon who replied with his own input gave mr pigeon advice about the direction of the cases and handed down rulings that benefited mr pigeon his clients and his business associates according to the complaint in one instance mr pigeon argued that the justice should deny a motion for a protective order against a subpoena he complied
in may 2012 when mr michalek was looking for a lawyer to handle a receivership he took mr pigeons recommendation of a local lawyer whom mr pigeon referred to as my guy
the lawyer did not appear on the courts list of qualified receivers but mr michalek cleared that hurdle by signing a special form that said he had required the expertise of mr pigeons pick
have to give them a spec reason etc mr michalek wrote to mr pigeon will figure it out


paris   fathi bayoudh was a respected officer and doctor in the tunisian military but on tuesday night at istanbuls main airport he was a father worried about his wayward son
dr bayoudh 58 had arrived in istanbul weeks earlier to find his son anouar 26 who had run off to join the islamic state group in syria when he got word through the tunisian embassy in turkey that the turkish authorities had detained anouar in a town near the border with syria he called his wife in tunisia they arranged to meet at ataturk airport before heading to the town where anouar was being held
the two doctors were hoping to take their only son home
but shortly before 10 pm on tuesday as he waited at the airport for his wife to arrive three suicide attackers opened fire and then blew themselves up killing at least 41 people including dr bayoudh his death was confirmed wednesday by tunisias ministry of foreign affairs his wife was not hurt in the attack
dr bayoudh was a very generous man lively and always very active said leyla njim 32 a close friend of the family
during his mandatory military service he rose to the rank of colonel major and then took charge of the pediatrics department at the military hospital in tunis the capital he also worked for several nongovernmental organizations that provided aid in war torn countries
when their son left home earlier this year for what he said was an internship in switzerland they had no idea that he planned to join the islamic state when they learned the truth they were devastated family and friends reached by phone said
according to a family member who asked not to be named because of concerns about his job anouar never went to switzerland but traveled to france and then turkey from there he went to iraq where he joined the islamic state group and then to syria
the trip took about three months but when he arrived in syria things were not as he expected he called his father a month later telling him he wanted to return home and asking him for help anouar then turned himself over to the turkish authorities at the border
tunisias recent history has been particularly turbulent since the 2011 ousting of president zine el abidine ben ali followed by an economic crisis and the countrys embrace of democracy
it has also been the target of several terrorist attacks in the past two years carried out by fighters from the islamic state and al qaeda in the islamic magreb
many of the north african countrys young people are adrift jobless and embittered by unfulfilled promises as many as 3000 tunisians have joined islamist groups to fight in syria in recent years the soufan group a new york based organization that conducts security analysis said in a report released in 2014
anouar dr bayoudhs son had trouble settling on a career he studied medicine in mauritania then he studied to be a pilot at a school in tunis he was studying for a business degree when he left for syria
dr bayoudh was known as a rather severe man but also very kind by the medical interns who worked closely with him combining a concern for others with the rigor of a soldier said yossra sdiri 30 a medical student
he had a fatherly side and he would say i am the only one who criticizes you but then would defend us to other professors ms sdiri recalled
mrs njim the family friend said dr bayoudh was shocked by his sons turn to radicalism but hopeful that he could be reunited with his family he loved his son so much she said he would have done anything for him he went there to bring him back


san francisco   with more start ups and venture firms working harder to raise capital there has been talk of a silicon valley slowdown but investors in several venture funds are bucking that notion
on wednesday the venture firm kleiner perkins caufield  byers disclosed in a filing with the securities and exchange commission that it had raised a total of 14 billion across two investment funds over the last couple of months
kleiner perkins joins a list of venture firms that have recently raised more than a billion dollars
in the first quarter of this year founders fund raised 13 billion while accel and norwest venture partners each raised 12 billion according to national venture capital association data over all the american venture industry raised 12 billion in the first quarter a 59 percent increase by dollar commitments from the previous year but a 17 percent decrease in total number of funds the data shows
a spokeswoman for kleiner perkins said the firm was in a quiet period and could not discuss the filings
kleiner perkins has raised 1 billion for its kpcb digital growth fund iii according to the filings growth funds tend to be large because they are used to fund older late stage private companies that need more money to grow
late stage investments have grabbed headlines over the last few years for producing more than 160 private companies valued at more than 1 billion including uber airbnb dropbox and snapchat
kleiner perkins raised its first late stage investment fund in 2010 and this is the firms third such vehicle
partners mary meeker ted schlein mood rowghani and noah knauf will lead the growth fund this year mr knauf joined kleiner perkins from warburg pincus where he was known for his investments in health care related companies
kleiner perkins also raised 400 million for its seventh venture fund which makes smaller earlier stage investments
that fund will be led by partners ted schlein beth seidenberg mike abbott wen hsieh and eric feng mr feng recently joined the firm from flipboard he also worked at kleiner perkins six years before in an investing role
john doerr the firms longtime leader said in march that he was stepping back from day to day management


huma abedin hillary clintons longtime aide and confidante acknowledged that mrs clintons use of a private email server while secretary of state created frustration at times because of computer glitches but said she did not raise concerns about the unusual arrangement according to a transcript of a deposition made public on wednesday
ms abedin who served as mrs clintons deputy chief of staff at the state department and is now the vice chairwoman of her presidential campaign said her bosss use of the private server was never intended to sidestep federal record keeping laws mrs clinton she said wanted to protect her personal information just like anybody who has personal email would want to keep their personal email private
the exchange focused on a 2010 email first disclosed by the state departments inspector general in a scathing report last month in which mrs clinton raised concerns about accepting a new blackberry because she did not want any risk of the personal being accessible mrs clinton has previously said that using a single private email address on a private server was simply a matter of convenience
ms abedin is the seventh of eight aides and department officials who have now given sworn testimony in a legal proceeding brought by judicial watch a conservative government watchdog organization the organizations case began with an inquiry into ms abedins special employment status at the end of mrs clintons tenure at the state department the groups initial request for documents under the freedom of information act turned up little but the matter was reopened last year after mrs clintons exclusive use of a private email for official state department business became known
the depositions have drawn attention to mrs clintons use of the server at a time the fbi is completing its investigation into the emails and mrs clinton has tried to keep the focus on her election campaign against donald j trump
patrick f kennedy a career foreign service officer who is an under secretary of state for management and operations testified in the same proceedings on wednesday his testimony is expected to be released on thursday
ms abedins testimony which lasted five hours provided few new details about mrs clintons use of the private server she decided to use it when she began the move from the senate to the state department after president obama nominated her to be secretary of state a position she held from january 2009 to february 2013
ms abedin herself had an address on the private server which aides to bill clinton maintained at the couples home in suburban new york as well as an official address with the state departments system at stategov
while she testified that she did most of her email work on the official account she said that she and mrs clinton used the private server for some government business as well especially while traveling abroad
ms abedin said repeatedly that she gave no thought during her time at the state department as to how the use of the private email server might affect requests for records under the freedom of information act she said she did not remember the preservation of records ever being discussed with mrs clinton or with other state department officials even after public requests came in
she said that because most of those emails were state department related issues forwarded from her government account she assumed there was already a record of the exchange in the government account
honestly i wish i thought about it at the time she said as i said i wasnt perfect i tried to do all of my work on stategov and i do believe i did the majority of my work on stategov
quizzed about the concerns mrs clinton expressed in 2010 about her personal emails being made public ms abedin explained that at the time she and others in the department were trying to figure out why mrs clinton had not received an email about a telephone call with bernard kouchner who was then the foreign minister of france
ms abedin suggested to mrs clinton that she should have a separate blackberry for work or post her personal address so that others in the department beyond her inner circle would know how to reach her in the future in the end both alternatives were rejected
that exchange with mrs clinton ms abedin said was an occasion when the email arrangement disrupted official business one of several glitches described in the depositions or the inspector generals report
just reading the exchange she seems frustrated because shes not able to do her job ms abedin said referring to mrs clinton i seem frustrated back because im not
ms abedin said repeatedly that she could not recall specific details about mrs clintons email practices and said she was unaware of most of the technical matters involved she also acknowledged that she refused to speak with the inspector general for its investigation - on the advice of my attorneys
ms abedin like mrs clinton and others said she assumed that the use of a private email was allowed even though the inspector generals report concluded that no permission was ever sought and it would have been turned down if it had
asked why neither she nor other aides to mrs clinton mentioned the private server to state department officials in charge of preserving documents she described it as an oversight it is not anything that occurred to us she said we all wish we could go back and that not be the case


paris   when the bodies of islamic state fighters are recovered on the syrian battlefield the passports found on them have often been stamped in turkey which thousands of recruits pass through on their way to join the terror group
fighters who call relatives abroad often do so using turkish cellphone numbers and when they need cash they head to western union offices in southern turkey according to court and intelligence documents
from the start of the islamic states rise through the chaos of the syrian war turkey has played a central if complicated role in the groups story for years it served as a rear base transit hub and shopping bazaar for the islamic state and at first that may have protected turkey from the violence the group has inflicted elsewhere
now the turkish government and western officials say the suicide bombings at istanbuls main airport on tuesday bore the hallmarks of an islamic state attack and they have added them to a growing roll call of assaults attributed to the group in turkey in recent months
analysts said turkey was paying the price for intensifying its action against the islamic state also known as isis isil or daesh under mounting international pressure the country began sealing its border last year as well as arresting and deporting suspected militants and last summer turkey allowed the united states to use incirlik air base to fly sorties over the groups territory in syria and iraq
turkey has been cracking down on some of the transit of foreign fighters who are flowing into as well as out of turkey and they are part of the coalition providing support allowing their territory to be used by coalition aircraft the director of the central intelligence agency john o brennan said in an interview this week with yahoo news so there are a lot of reasons why daesh would want to strike back
soon after the governments decision to allow airstrikes to be carried out from the base in southern turkey the islamic state began naming turkey as a target according to michael s smith ii an analyst who closely tracks the groups messaging last fall the cover of the groups dabiq magazine ominously featured a photo of turkeys president recep tayyip erdogan standing alongside president obama
the attacks attributed to the islamic state began around then too including devastating bombings in the southern city of suruc in july 2015 and in ankara the capital in october this year two suicide bombings targeted tourists in istanbul
the islamic state was blamed for all of those attacks yet none of them were claimed by the group despite its habit of reveling in its violence elsewhere in the world while officials blamed it for the attack on the istanbul airport the groups daily news bulletins for tuesday and wednesday made no mention of the bombing its main english language channel on the telegram encrypted messaging app instead posted a photo essay of fighters in fatigues posing with automatic weapons on a hill in deir al zour syria
some analysts saw this as the islamic state trying to have it both ways punishing turkey for starting to act against it but leaving enough of a gray area that it avoids a full on clash with a country that has been valuable to its operations
still there has clearly been a shift
since mid 2015 a significant rise in pejorative references to the erdogan government in islamic state propaganda has indicated turkey is now in its cross hairs mr smith said adding that this kind of rhetoric also preceded attacks in western europe and beyond an increase in terrorist attacks in europe in north africa in bangladesh and in the caucasus region were all preceded by increased focus on these areas in islamic state propaganda materials
the groups long honeymoon with turkey started with the countrys aid to rebel groups that were fighting the government of bashar al assad of syria often with the blessing of western intelligence agencies according to analysts at the start the islamic state fit into that category though it then began focusing more on eliminating competitors than fighting mr assad
among the competitors the group was killing were turkeys avowed enemies kurdish separatists sheltering in syria and iraq turkeys western allies began accusing it of clinging to ambivalence toward the islamic state even when it began strikes against the group last summer its actions against the kurds were more numerous and intense
the centrality of turkey for foreign volunteers flocking to the islamic state is evident in court documents and intelligence records dozens of young men and women were arrested by the fbi in the united states and by officials in western europe after they booked flights to istanbul because so many of the groups foreign fighters passed through istanbuls ataturk airport the destination itself became synonymous with intent to join isis
by 2015 the group was advising recruits to book round trip tickets to beach resorts in southern turkey instead and to be sure to spend a few days pretending to be a tourist as a ruse
that was the technique used by reda hame a 29 year old parisian recruit he explained to interrogators last summer after he was arrested upon returning to france to carry out an attack that he had made sure to buy a package stay at a beach resort in southern turkey specifically because he wanted to throw off investigators who knew to look for suspects heading to istanbul i bought an all inclusive holiday so that i could pass myself off as a tourist he said according to a transcript of his interrogation by frances domestic intelligence agency in august
thousands of pages of investigative documents from the agency recently obtained by the new york times show that nearly all of the recruits arrested by officials in europe had passed through turkey on their way to join the islamic state as well as on their way back
seamus hughes the deputy director of george washington universitys program on extremism said that turkey also figured heavily in the travel patterns of american adherents trying to join the group
the vast majority of american isis recruits used or considered using turkey as their route said mr hughes who provided a breakdown showing that of the 91 people charged with isis related offenses in the united states 18 purchased tickets through istanbul and 15 others either traveled through turkey or considered doing so
when islamic state fighters communicated with worried family members it was often with turkish sim cards and investigation records reviewed by the times show that two fighters who were arrested in austria late last year and who the police believed were supposed to take part in the paris attacks on nov 13 had been sent money from their isis handler through a western union office in turkey
in his fortified office in northern syria redur khalil   the spokesman for the ypg the main syrian kurdish group fighting the islamic state   keeps a stack of passports found on the bodies of the fighters his group has killed he brings them out for reporters and turns the pages to show the turkish entry stamps they all bear proof he said in an interview last summer that the terrorist groups foot soldiers are passing through turkey
islamic state prisoners being held by the kurds whom the times interviewed in the presence of a ypg minder all said that they had moved freely across the turkish border into syria
bulent aliriza director of the turkey project at the center for strategic and international studies said turkey and its western allies had not been quick enough to recognize the threat the islamic state would pose
he said that when the rebel groups in syria began to gain strength turkey had nods of approval from the cia and mi6 the british intelligence agency to allow arms and volunteers across its border and into rebel camps
where turkey can be accused of negligence is failing to understand just as pakistan did with the taliban that these radicals who crossed turkey to get into syria would morph into an organization that not only threatened the west but ultimately itself mr aliriza said the threat assessment simply did not happen fast enough


when the new york city education department put a new success academy charter school in a building housing a troubled brooklyn middle school in 2012 many believed the middle school was on its way to closing
the school junior high school 50 known as john d wells had struggled for years in 2014 mayor bill de blasio a democrat included it on a list of 94 chronically low performing schools that the city was infusing with money and social services only 49 students were admitted last year
but instead of dying jhs 50 in the williamsburg neighborhood is showing signs of revival
a new principal has added programs and activities the school is hopeful about its performance on this years standardized tests and for the first time in many years enrollment is expected to increase   112 sixth graders are registered for september   a sign that parents like what they see happening there
now in a twist even as it grows jhs 50 will have to give up five classrooms next year because the success academy school is expanding to fifth grade
supporters of jhs 50 are accusing the education department of betting against a turnaround last year when it approved success expansion the department drew up a plan assuming that jhs 50s enrollment would continue to decline to as few as 165 students next year the department is now projecting that the school will have around 230 students the principal benjamin honoroff believes that enrollment could be as high as 270 given transfers and so called over the counter students   often new immigrants who arrive in the middle of the year and are assigned to jhs 50 because of its transitional bilingual program
we doubled our incoming sixth grade class mr honoroff said so i think that an equitable allocation would mean reconsidering some of those decisions
city councilman antonio reynoso who graduated from jhs 50 in 1996 when it had close to 1100 students said that when the department made the plan it promised to adjust it if enrollment increased
they said yes that they would do that and now were facing that issue right now and theyre saying no mr reynoso a democrat whose district includes williamsburg said in an interview
they assumed that that wasnt going to happen he added
success academy through a spokesman disputed the idea that space was unfairly allocated the spokesman stefan friedman said that the charter school expected to add 110 students next year and that even if jhs 50 reached an enrollment of 270 the two schools would have roughly the same number of students per classroom he said that the departments space allocations generally disfavored charter schools and that several other success schools in the city had many more students per classroom than traditional public schools in the same buildings
over the past two decades as the surrounding area evolved from a neighborhood of bodegas and discount stores where half the residents received public assistance into one of multimillion dollar apartments and popular restaurants jhs 50 was largely left behind
its students are mostly hispanic and poor thirty one percent have disabilities and 29 percent do not speak english proficiently in 2015 soon after jhs 50 became part of mr de blasios school improvement effort which the administration calls renewal schools only 10 percent of the students passed the state reading tests and only 7 percent passed the math test
while the renewal program as a whole has had mixed results there are signs of progress at jhs 50 the school was paired with a community organization called el puente which brought in new staff members to work on improving attendance increasing parent engagement training students in conflict mediation and using art to help students in the bilingual program learn english
mr honoroff who became principal last year after working as a literacy coach at the school instituted new math and english curriculums added small group reading interventions for all students four times a week and made room in the schedule for teachers to meet in teams several times a week to examine students work while scores from this springs state tests are not back yet students made substantial improvement on internal reading tests during the year mr honoroff has also made debate a major focus and the schools debate team recently won a citywide competition
to tackle its low attendance rate jhs 50 has paired frequently absent students with staff mentors who call students or visit them at home when they do not show up and offer positive reinforcement when they do the rate of chronic absenteeism   the share of students whose attendance is below 90 percent   declined to 31 percent in 2015 16 from 40 percent in 2014 15
jhs 50 is also using the extra hour that all the schools in the renewal program have added to their day to make going to school more appealing students can choose from a wide variety of extracurricular activities including robotics video game design dance mural painting rock band and sports like soccer baseball and basketball
mr honoroff is worried about losing dedicated space for some of those activities as the school struggles to fit into a smaller footprint next year jhs 50 will probably have to turn its dance studio into a regular classroom it is likely to lose a new computer lab mr reynoso financed and several rooms will need to do double duty as both a classroom and a music room for instance
to be sure many schools in the city both public and charter struggle with space constraints and the elementary school to which jhs 50 is losing space success academy williamsburg performs much better on state tests last year 80 percent of its third graders   then its top grade   passed the reading tests and 99 percent passed the math tests the charter school has more white students and middle class students and fewer disabled students and students not proficient in english than jhs 50
one morning last week mr honoroff pointed out five classrooms assigned to success this past year that he said went unused and three others that he said were used only sporadically for occupational therapy
a spokeswoman for the education department devora kaye said that the department was committed to supporting jhs 50s growth and that it would review space requirements after enrollment numbers were confirmed in october in the meantime she said the department would help the principal with renovations and room conversions to make the space work this year
but mr reynoso said that having to squeeze into fewer classrooms could hurt the schools ability to increase enrollment further
were about to take away space that they were using to attract parents he said


washington   the lusty applause that greeted his return to the capitol is behind him now as are the pecks on the cheek he received as he sat at his desk on the senate floor looking vaguely glum receiving good wishes like a warrior returned to civilization injured but intact
senator bernie sanders of vermont is back to giving floor speeches deriding the rich and defending those in misery writing op ed pieces against trade and giving television interviews during which he declines to fully support hillary clinton for president he spent much of wednesday vigorously denouncing a rescue bill for puerto rico that had the support of two thirds of his fellow senators
let us be clear mr sanders said on the senate floor wednesday reviving his familiar brooklyn inflected pedagogy this issue is a significant part of what the entire debate regarding puerto rico is about billionaire hedge fund managers who purchase puerto rican bonds for pennies on the dollar now want a 100 percent return on their investment while schools are being shut down in puerto rico while pensions are being threatened with cuts while children on the island go hungry that is morally unacceptable
mr sanders who has not withdrawn from the presidential race has not really left the democratic primary battlefield apparently defeated but decidedly unbowed he has brought his campaign to capitol hill most visibly in the large security detail that surrounds him as he moves about he is very secure noted senator tim scott republican of south carolina but also in his comportment with his colleagues
eager to expand the left leaning coalition he has built during his campaign mr sanders has been pushing his colleagues to take on policy fights that helped propel his bases passion and gave him new gravitas among democrats
in addition to opposing the measure to aid puerto rico he is working hard to kill trade agreements he is threatening a bill that would govern the labeling of genetically modified food
everyone knows the fervency of his opinions on different things said senator harry reid the minority leader who like most senators was eager to get on with business and out of town for the fourth of july
the democrats with whom the independent mr sanders caucuses have been tolerant of his not quite campaign in no small part because they do not wish to emulate republicans whose wounds have been oozing openly but many democratic colleagues especially the women are growing weary of his progressive lectures that seem more fit for a dais than a lunchroom encounter and his unwillingness to energetically back mrs clinton
he feels he has a duty to his followers to raise the flag on the issues they care about said senator claire mccaskill democrat of missouri we are all being patient and were all hopeful hell be on the campaign for mrs clinton
for now mr sanders seems to be adjusting   if slightly mournfully   at the fork in the road between kind of former candidate and definitely current senator he walks through the halls at times emulating senator elizabeth warren of massachusetts whose shoulder he gave a squeeze as he bounded through the basement of the capitol on wednesday brushing off reporters with a wave at other times he becomes chatty again talking about legislation he despises im sure its really hard on him said senator barbara boxer democrat of california losing is awful
he has his eyes on the senior democratic slot on the senates high profile committee on health education labor and pensions   as of late very bipartisan   to the dismay of republicans who prefer senator patty murray of washington the senior democrat on the committee and even some democrats who fret that mr sanders might try to push the committee to the left on several issues
if the opportunity were to arise said michael briggs a spokesman for mr sanders he would be proud to chair that committee which deals with so many issues of vital importance to the american people the decision is ms murrays to make
others said they can already see mr sanderss influence on democrats he has made a big splash mr scott said so his influence can be seen on hillary clintons campaign and over the last few months up here especially on the banking committee he has moved people to the left
mr sanders clearly wants to work with democrats to put together legislation that reflects his priorities   like affordable college   while still working to get much of his agenda in the platform of the party to which he does not belong for its convention next month
as he has said many times however he does not believe real change is going to take place until a political revolution occurs and millions of people stand up and fight for their rights mr briggs said
for now mr sanderss campaign has given him newfound clout among democrats but he risks losing some if he does not endorse mrs clinton soon and he is still working to figure out how to spend his capital in a caucus where he lacks many close friends
bernie is going to do what bernies going to do said senator dianne feinstein democrat of california and the only thing i think is that it should be something constructive and helpful to the ticket
senator chuck schumer democrat of new york recognizes that mr sanderss appeal is valuable to the party and will try to harness it while attempting to convince him that uniting around mrs clinton is the best way to defeat donald j trump in november in our caucus mr schumer said the general view is that bernie is a constructive force


the yankees find themselves at a precarious moment facing a crossroads just up ahead with a short winning streak   just a tick above mediocre   they could feel like contenders with a long patch of losing they could be forced to confront a harsh new reality
their victory on wednesday   a 9 7 comeback thriller over the texas rangers   might have been their biggest of the season alex rodriguez said it was didi gregorius who ended the game with a line drive over the right field fence would not go there
the biggest is yet to come gregorius said were playing better a lot of stuff is going to happen and were going to play better baseball from now on
the yankees can only hope so because they still must reveal their true identity before the aug 1 trading deadline they are 38 39 and leave for a 10 game road trip after thursdays matinee they trail by three and a half games for a wild card berth
every team below the yankees   oakland tampa bay the angels and minnesota   is hopelessly out of it but a victory like wednesdays when they trailed by five runs in the eighth validates the yankees belief in their progress
we havent been playing our best baseball this year said brian mccann who homered in the eighth and ninth but at the same time we dug ourselves a hole early in april and were getting out of it right now weve just got to continue to play good baseball
they can also cling to the math the last two times the yankees had a losing record at this point in 1995 and in 2007 they rallied to reach the playoffs two summers ago the kansas city royals were two games under 500 on july 21 three months later they hosted game 1 of the world series
the yankees constructed this team with a late game bullpen that could mimic those royals protecting leads after six innings with an overpowering trio of relievers getting leads of course has been the problem the yankees aging and fragile lineup has rarely shown that it can handle good pitching
like the mets whose persistent story line is the health and workload of their young rotation the yankees tackle the same tiresome topic every day how do they deal with this or that veteran who is injured or slumping or both
carlos beltran was out of the lineup wednesday with a sore right hamstring which had forced him from tuesdays game and will probably sideline him thursday too rodriguez who is hitting 213 got a rare start against a right handed pitcher and went 0 for 5 mark teixeira who is recovering from a cartilage tear in his right knee had a scheduled day off
if i overdo it im going to be on an operating table teixeira said im going to need a day here and there its a little sore were just going to keep managing it
a dash of hope it seems could come from outfielder aaron judge who is hitting 395 with seven homers in his last 10 games for class aaa scrantonwilkes barre but the yankees said judge 24 was not quite ready
the minor league people are trying to finish this kid off manager joe girardi said wednesday afternoon so when and if he gets here hes here to stay
the yankees held tight to judge and their other prospects last july and the aggressive blue jays raced past them to win the al east the rangers used their deep prospect pool to trade for an ace cole hamels and bullpen help they also sprinted to a division crown and were the first al team to 50 victories this season
we have a tremendous front office that is always looking for talented players and theyre not afraid to take some risk along the way rangers manager jeff banister said theyre not afraid to really push some of the younger talented players theyve been bold
the rangers like the yankees have several players with nine figure contracts but they also have a wave of productive young position players   nomar mazara rougned odor and jurickson profar who are all younger than judge   and made the bargain signing of the winter by getting ian desmond for one year and 8 million
the lack of dynamic inexpensive talent is by far the yankees biggest problem and the one that in theory could be helped by trading a reliever   andrew miller aroldis chapman or both five division leaders   san francisco washington the cubs texas and cleveland   all have glaring bullpen needs
but miller is signed for two more years chapman could return as a free agent or bring back a high draft pick if he rejects a qualifying offer the yankees would need to exceed the value of that pick to trade chapman   and to do it they would also have to sink deep enough in the standings to make the rest of this season worth punting
the yankees are not there yet but time is running out for the rally that would save their season wednesday was a start but it might just be prolonging an illusion


washington   a self described conservative north carolina businessman has promised to spend at least 5 million through his political action committee to back five republican congressional candidates who have supported taking action to curb climate change
even as his partys presumptive presidential nominee denies the existence of global warming the businessman jay faison and his clearpath action fund will spend at least 2 million on digital media campaigns to defend senate incumbents running in two of the tightest races in the country rob portman in ohio and kelly ayotte in new hampshire a recognition of the senators support for clean energy mr faison said wednesday the advertisements are expected to start running this week
clearpath is also spending several hundred thousand dollars on digital advertising campaigns to support representatives carlos curbelo of florida and tom reed and elise stefanik of new york all republicans running for re election in similarly tight races
what were trying to do is prove to the party through these races that clean energy wins races to build a political safe space for the republican party to talk about this mr faison said in an interview it is difficult for a politician to consistently act in an area with no reward we have their back he added were also making that case to the trump campaign
the spending comes as republican leaders have questioned or denied the established science of human caused climate change and attacked president obamas climate change policies donald j trump the presumptive nominee has mocked climate science and vowed to cancel the paris agreement the 2015 global accord committing nearly every country on earth to taking action to fight climate change
senator mitch mcconnell republican of kentucky and the majority leader calls mr obamas climate policies a war on coal but some republican members of congress who hope to carve out careers that could outlast mr trumps have begun to quietly consider how to address climate change which they believe resonates with a growing segment of voters particularly young people
political strategists are paying attention to polls that show americans expressing record  or near record high belief that global warming is happening a march gallup poll found that 64 percent of american adults worry a great deal or a fair amount about global warming the highest number since 2008 and it found that a record 65 percent of americans attribute global warming to human activity
however most polls asking voters to rank the importance of issues find that environmental concerns trail far behind concerns about jobs and the economy
still in many campaigns democrats are attacking republicans as climate deniers
some moderate republicans hope to use their views on climate change to draw a contrast with mr trump
all of them need to demonstrate a level of independence from the national party in order to survive said nathan gonzales editor of the nonpartisan rothenberg  gonzales political report speaking of the five lawmakers backed by mr faisons group theyll need to declare independence from donald trump
in 2015 ms ayotte broke with her party to vote against a measure written by mr mcconnell that would have blocked mr obamas climate change rules she also voted for a program to establish grants to schools for climate change education against a proposal to block the obama administration from signing on to the paris climate change accord and in favor of a federal fund to respond to the threat of climate change
mr portman voted with his party on most of those measures but also voted in favor of the fund to respond to climate threats he has worked for years with senator jeanne shaheen democrat of new hampshire on a bill to improve energy efficiency in buildings he is a former board member of the nature conservancy and is a co author of legislation to support cleanup of the great lakes
the three house members backed by mr faisons group are among just 13 republicans who have signed on to a resolution offered by representative chris gibson republican of new york the resolution was a vehicle to find out which republicans were willing to step up and take some action said steve valk a spokesman for citizens climate lobby
but while those five republicans environmental records stand out from many in their party they have voted more times against environmental regulations than in favor the league of conservation voters which tracks lawmakers environmental records on a scale of 1 to 100 have given lifetime scores to ms ayotte of 35 percent mr portman of 20 percent mr curbelo of 23 percent mr reed of 6 percent and ms stefanik of 9 percent to give house republicans like elise stefanik tom reed or carlos curbelo credit for acknowledging that climate change is real is a very low bar said meredith kelly a spokeswoman for the democratic congressional campaign committee
in miami mr curbelos opponent annette tadeo a democrat has slammed his climate positions as hypocritical big oil and gas lobbyists have been filling his campaign coffers with thousands of dollars in cash in exchange for his advocacy for offshore drilling she said in a statement
in ohio mr portman is fighting to keep his seat against a former governor ted strickland who notes his support of mr obamas climate plan and slams mr portman for voting against it
in upstate new york a local newspaper the post star noted that ms stefaniks support for the climate change resolution was paired with votes against mr obamas climate change plan we were especially interested in how she could acknowledge climate change in one stand yet vote to delay implementation of the clean power plan new standards for coal burning power plants especially while representing a region that was devastated by acid rain from those plants in the midwest the papers editorial board wrote
some political observers have drawn comparisons between mr faison and tom steyer the billionaire environmentalist and democratic donor whose political action committee nextgen climate action has spent heavily to push candidates who champion climate change issues mr steyer emerged as the single biggest political donor of the 2014 cycle spending 74 million to influence voters far more than the 5 million pledged by mr faisons group mr steyer whose group has already laid out plans to spend at least 25 million in 2016 disavowed the comparison to mr faison
from what we can tell by the people he is supporting he is grading republicans on the curve mr steyer said in an interview we have fairly objective standards for grading people and none of the them come close to meeting our standards mr steyer said his group planned to support the democratic senate candidates in ohio and new hampshire
and while the ads run by mr faisons group note the candidates support of clean energy showing lush green fields and sparkling blue skies they never explicitly mention the term climate change mr faison acknowledges that while he supports republicans who have supported climate change policy it is still too politically divisive to actually use the phrase
climate change is a divisive term on the hill and its a divisive term among the electorate said mr faison but clean energy tells a voter you care about the environment and deflects attacks about climate change


washington   does the european union have a democracy deficit
leaders of the campaign for britain to leave the european union have proclaimed last weeks historic vote as a victory for democracy the union they often argue is elitist and undemocratic the only way for member states to regain full control is to quit outright
the reality is more complicated scratch the surface and it becomes clear that neither the european unions very real problems nor the criticisms of the bloc are really about anything as straightforward as elections or representation this is a debate about democracy but in a way that is both more meaningful and harder to define than how we usually think of it
technically the european union has quite a lot of democracy going on
the european parliament often referred to as the lower house of the unions legislature is directly elected via free and fair elections in the 28 member countries every five years every european union citizen of voting age is entitled to cast a ballot to select a representative the legislatures 751 seats are apportioned by the blocs treaties
the council of the european union or upper house consists of representatives sent by the governments of member states they are not directly elected but the governments that send them are likewise the members of the european council which sets the european unions policy agenda are the elected leaders of member states
these bodies in turn appoint and confirm a number of civil servants as well as members of groups such as the european commission while these officials are both powerful and unelected the process is not different from many democracies the united states for example does not directly elect its secretary of state or for that matter any state department functionary
so while defenders of the european union have evidence to show that the bloc is democratic this misses the point democracy after all is about more than elections its also about accountability whether the government is responsive to the citizenry
yes the european union has elections and yes like the united states participation has been less than 50 percent for many cycles but in a functioning democracy popular will is also expressed through mechanisms other than marking ballots
the european union perhaps in part because it was designed by technocrats rather than developing organically does not account for or often even allow those mechanisms and this is why for many europeans the body does not feel democratic
some of this is by design although its legislature is elected the union is in many ways a technocracy first it was designed to be an institution that allows experts to make the best decisions possible simultaneously rising above and defusing nationalist politics
the ultimate goal of the project has always been a peaceful united europe protection from politics was supposed to help achieve that nationalist rage after all once allowed the rise of fascists and nazis the european union was designed to prevent that from happening again
but politics has its benefits its an avenue by which people can express their will and institutions can respond this in some ways is what real democracy is all about
day to day politicking is often treated as an unseemly distraction from the real work of legislating but while politics isnt always a pretty process it is an essential one
in democracies when there is a contested issue elected officials and interest groups from all sides argue it out in public view in the media on the floor of the legislature or both
even if your side loses you have seen the process play out and maybe even participated in it by signing a petition or attending a protest you feel included because your representative argued for your interests if your lawmaker didnt do that you can vote him or her out but you dont need to throw out the whole system
the european union doesnt work like that so it doesnt feel as democratic its decisions seem remote its leaders unreachable so when people are unhappy with europes decisions it is easy for them to believe that its because europe   some vague amorphous body   did not listen to them and perhaps does not even care about them
that sentiment has led to euromyths a genre of urban legends about european regulations that gained traction during the british referendum campaign one claimed that londons beloved double decker buses were to be banned another that fish and chips would have to be written in latin on menus another that bananas would be required to be straight
the subtext of those stories was that the european union was not only threatening british culture but doing so carelessly   that the brussels bureaucrats imposing those regulations didnt care or maybe even understand that their decisions would take away something culturally important and that there was no way for ordinary citizens to reach or influence them
those feelings apply to more important decisions too migration and financial bailouts for troubled member states to name a couple people in britain and other countries feeling that the european union is blithely ignoring their political will have responded by expressing that will more forcefully than ever
the union was designed to overcome national politics but has actually fostered more of it   much as the historian tony judt predicted in a 1996 essay that now seems chillingly prescient
we may wake up one day to find that far from solving the problems of our continent mr judt wrote back then the myth of europe has become an impediment to recognizing them
the thing that makes this problem so severe is not that the european union is too strong but that it is too weak
consider the unfolding migrant crisis
because the union lacks institutions muscular enough to either design or implement a europe wide policy its officials have resorted to begging and cajoling member states to voluntarily resettle more refugees   and those states have largely refused the resulting compromises havent made anyone happy and have left certain states particularly greece and italy bearing the brunt on their own
such compromises compound the sense that the bloc does not represent actual europeans negotiations that attempt to balance the interests of more than two dozen distinct societies often yield unsatisfying solutions
this feels undemocratic because someone in say france sees that european union policy differs from the french national will
that feels like french democracy is being overridden by a remote unresponsive entity and there is nothing the french can do about it
so member states end up inevitably thwarting one anothers democratic desires the people of greece want something different than do the people of germany but greece is affected by germanys policies and vice versa
as long as the european union is strong enough to put them in conflict but too weak to create a solution it will feel in some sense undemocratic


headed out east for the long weekend fendi is kicking off fendiroadtrip a traveling retail concept in which a customized ape   a version of the distinctive three wheeled italian truck created in the late 1940s   loaded with accessories like dotcom bags 2400 and abc fur charms 600 will roll into the surf lodge on thursday through monday as its first stop on a tour of the united states and canada at 183 edgemere street montauk
the los angeles based designers jenni kayne and marysia have teamed up on a swimwear capsule available at ms kaynes hamptons pop up that includes chic black styles with just the right amount of coverage like a crisscross back maillot 339 at 2 main street southampton
sticking in the city a festive lightweight jersey nautical stripe tee 83 originally 115 is among the select styles saint james is offering for 30 percent off at 319 bleecker street
on saturday ralph lauren will open a fragrance salon at the brands uptown flagship to coincide with the debut of ralph lauren collection fragrances a range of 10 eaux de parfums including a portrait of new york a legacy of english elegance and treasures of safari each 240 for 100 ml informed by the spirit of travel and the destinations that have most influenced mr lauren at 888 madison avenue
on tuesday the italian fine jewelry brand vhernier will open a madison avenue flagship   featuring a grand 18 foot entrance theatrical coral curtains and leather upholstered walls   following in quick succession its first new york outpost an intimate downtown boutique adjacent to cipriani that opened this week both carry stunning pieces like a woven 18 karat rose gold bracelet 13400 and earrings 9800 at 783 madison avenue and 55 wall street
on thursday the cfda fashion incubator will host a sample sale featuring discounts of up to 75 percent on past season styles like a ji oh silk jacket 250 originally 990 and alix ribbed micro modal jersey 60 originally 126 from the current designer class at 209 west 38th street third floor
the met store is hosting a summer clearance event featuring discounts of up to 70 percent on accessories including a javanese circles cuff 150 originally 300 an abstract paint scarf 5950 originally 85 and more at 1000 fifth avenue


tejay van garderen was in third place over all in the tour de france a year ago with just a handful of stages between him and a podium place in paris when he pulled to the side of the road and climbed into his team car
a respiratory infection he had been fighting for days had forced him out of the race
it was a bitter disappointment not only for van garderen who has twice finished fifth in the tour cyclings marquee race but also for american fans waiting for someone to step into the void left by lance armstrong
perhaps this is the year that will finally happen
van garderen will join four other americans on the start line saturday in mont st michel all of them with the ability to stir things up in fact van garderen and the australian richie porte were picked as leaders of the bmc racing team which means that van garderen a 27 year old from tacoma wash will have plenty of support
ive already raced the tour de france a couple of times with most of these guys so i couldnt be happier to line up with them once again van garderen said im in great shape im really motivated
van garderen withdrew his name from consideration for the olympics in rio de janeiro citing concerns about the zika virus with his wife due to give birth in october that means the tour is his sole priority
he will be joined at the tour by his bmc teammate brent bookwalter who will be part of the two man united states squad in rio cannondale pro cycling also has two americans lawson craddock and alex howes while their teammate andrew talansky is skipping the race because of family concerns and a chronic sinus infection
peter stetina with trek segafredo rounds out the american contingent stetina who sustained career threatening injuries in a crash in the tour of the basque country last year may have the best feel good story in the peloton
there are two more americans than there were a year ago when the fewest in nearly two decades made it to the start but the total down from 10 just five years ago
for various reasons several of americas brightest stars are joining talansky on the sideline
taylor phinney is not part of bmcs roster setting his sights instead on the olympics where he has a chance to win a medal in the time trial tyler farrar a stage winner in 2011 was passed over by his dimension data team and ben king was skipped over by cannondale despite a strong performance in the tour of california
still those on the start list for the tour have enough ability to make good on their aspirations
van garderen is a legitimate podium threat especially after his recent stage win in the tour of switzerland bookwalter has a chance to win from a breakaway stetina will focus on helping his dutch teammate bauke mollema in the hills but proved at the tour of california that he could pull a surprise on any uphill stage
craddock a bright eyed texan and howes who like stetina grew up in the cycling hotbed near boulder colo are intriguing youngsters who believe they have something to prove
with it being my first tour its hard to place certain expectations on myself craddock said just lining up on the start line of the tour is a dream come true so if i were able to wear a jersey there then i think my mind would just explode that being said im a born and bred bike racer and i line up to every race i do with dreams of winning im not just going to the tour to be pack fodder
jonathan vaughters who founded the united states based cannondale team said that the french veteran pierre rolland would be the pivot point of his squad but he did not dismiss craddock 24 or howes 28 especially given their charmingly cavalier attitudes
the anticipation of this race is huge craddock said i imagine the few days leading up to the start ill have a few more nerves than normal but at the end of the day its just another bike race the neutral flag goes down on the first stage im sure those nerves will be replaced with pure adrenaline


clairefontaine france   like a theater audience demanding to be entertained french soccer fans can be a fickle lot
the team will be hoping that the mercurial tradition does not re emerge on sunday when it takes on iceland in the quarterfinals of the european championships iceland after all is extremely popular among neutral fans after its 2 1 victory over england in the round of 16
les bleus as the french team is known have often endured a fractious relationship with their fans relations are better but still precarious
last weekend in lyon the players were jeered off at halftime while trailing ireland by 1 0 in the group game against albania in marseille the vocal frustration was evident until antoine griezmanns 90th minute goal
any frayed nerves among the french contingent on sunday at the stade de france just north of paris will surely contrast with those of icelands devoted fans who will be shouting their traditional viking chant and cranking up the pressure on frances players
ideally for france a quick goal or two would help settle their nerves
frances failure to score during the first half in games at the tournament may not be just a coincidence players start games nervously as if trying to avoid mistakes chances are snatched at the body language is tense and cagey the fans rarely indulgent
i think we should be a bit more supportive ahmed kchikech a french fan said after the team held a public training session on wednesday were fed up with things only happening in the second half he added french fans are like this we dont forgive the slightest mistake
kchikech said he envied the way ireland and iceland supported their teams at the euros with prolonged chants and heartwarming songs
its magnificent but thats not the french way he said
over the years games have often mapped out the same way at the national stadium a flag waving rendition of la marseillaise is followed by some hearty early encouragement and then a tense watchful silence if france fails to impress jeers and boos ring out from the stands
the french players have often spoken about being upset during games when the fans turn speaking after a 2 0 defeat to argentina in 2009 left back patrice evra berated french fans for sarcastically supporting argentina
all the matches we play in france feel like theyre away from home evra said
theres little doubt that the french team has not always helped itself   notably at the world cup in south africa in 2010 when the players went on strike
things have improved especially in november 2013 when france overturned a 2 0 first leg deficit against ukraine to win 3 0 at the stade de france and qualify for the world cup
since didier deschamps took charge as coach after the euros in 2012 he has opened up more training sessions to the public
on wednesday about 500 fans attended a training session at frances base at leafy clairefontaine on the outskirts of paris deschamps and the players happily signed autographs and chatted with fans before training
on sunday they are likely to be hoping that they remain supportive


the most serious charges against the violinist stefan arzberger who had been accused of trying to strangle a fellow guest in a midtown hotel were dismissed wednesday in new york state supreme court in manhattan
mr arzberger who had faced a charge of attempted murder instead pleaded guilty to a less serious charge of reckless assault in the third degree and was given an unconditional discharge he faces no jail time or fine
the decision leaves mr arzberger a violinist for the leipzig string quartet whose passport was confiscated free to return home to germany after a 15 month ordeal
mr arzberger 43 had been accused of barging naked into the room of a 64 year old woman at the hudson hotel where he was staying while on tour in march 2015 and trying to strangle her
but his lawyers said he had been drugged by a prostitute who mr arzberger had brought to his room earlier the same night and who they later learned was a man
assistant district attorney joshua steinglass told the court that his office had agreed to drop the most serious charges for a number of reasons including a lack of discernible motive for the alleged attack and the wishes of the victim who prosecutors said had not objected to the decision
mr arzberger who lives in germany was forced to stay in the united states while the charges were pending his lawyer nicholas kaizer could not say what his immediate plans were mr arzberger still faces a civil suit brought by the woman pamela robinson of asheville nc
in a statement mr arzbergers publicist said that the musician is very pleased with the outcome of this case and looks forward to moving forward with his life


mexico city   judges here have temporarily halted the extradition of joaquin guzman loera the mexican drug kingpin known as el chapo pending the outcome of appeals filed this week by mr guzmans lawyers
the appeals argue that the statute of limitations has run out on some of the crimes that mr guzman is accused of committing his lead lawyer jose refugio rodriguez told the associated press they also argue that some of the accusations are based on hearsay rather than direct evidence the lawyer said
two district appellate judges ruled that the appeals which were filed in two courts on monday and seek to block extradition requests by prosecutors in california and texas could go forward stays in mexican extradition cases are nearly automatic a courts official said and the appeals process could take months if not years to run its course the judges decisions were published tuesday
mr guzman faces various criminal charges in several american jurisdictions including murder drug trafficking money laundering and arms possession he is currently imprisoned in the mexican border city of ciudad juarez but american officials would like to see him in custody in the united states as soon as possible to ensure that he can be prosecuted and they say to significantly lower the chances of his escape a skill he has ably demonstrated
after a 2001 escape from mexican custody he remained on the run until his capture in 2014 he fled again a year later bolting through a mile long tunnel that led from his prison cell to a warehouse after his recapture in january the mexican government finally decided to accede to a longstanding american request for extradition
mexicos ministry of foreign relations approved the extradition in may after receiving guarantees from the united states that mr guzman would not face the death penalty mexico which has abolished capital punishment refuses to extradite its citizens if they would face possible execution in the receiving country


residents of kansas georgia and alabama will have to prove they are citizens when registering to vote for federal elections using a national form a judge ruled wednesday judge richard leon of federal district court sided against voting rights groups that sued a federal elections official who changed the proof of citizenship requirements on the federal registration form at the request of the three states and without public notice residents of other states need only to swear that they are citizens the judge refused to issue a temporary injunction sought by voting rights advocates to overturn the move by brian newby executive director of the united states election assistance commission until the case can be decided at trial the groups said mr newbys february action contradicts the commissions mission to provide an easy form to encourage voter registration they argue the proof of citizenship requirements hurt their ability to conduct registration drives and deprive eligible voters of the right to vote ap
kaya henderson announced wednesday that she is stepping down oct 1 after more than five years as chancellor of the district of columbias public schools ending a tenure that included improvements in standardized test scores but a stubborn achievement gap between black and white students ms henderson 45 succeeded the polarizing michelle rhee and she continued her predecessors aggressive education reform policies but she had a more low key style and better relationships with parents teachers and elected officials ms henderson has fired hundreds of teachers under a system that evaluates them in part based on their students test scores city students have improved their performances on federal standardized tests but the achievement gap between white students and non asian minorities has remained persistently high ms henderson said she was ready to take on new challenges ap
two people were found dead wednesday in a fire stricken area near san diego the authorities said the unidentified man and woman were found near a boulder in potrero about 45 miles east of san diego jan caldwell a spokeswoman for the san diego county sheriffs department said the property had been under evacuation orders after a fire began on june 19 and has since spread to nearly 12 square miles the medical examiner will determine the cause of death ap


united nations   saudi arabia should be ousted from the united nations human rights council for its unlawful killings of civilians in yemen human rights watch and amnesty international said jointly on wednesday an unusual demand meant to draw attention to one of the worlds most powerful countries embroiled in one of the worlds most brutal wars
the chances of that happening are slim to none the suspension of any country from an elected body of the united nations is extraordinary and it would be all the more so for a country with powerful friends like the united states the proposal would need a two thirds majority vote in the 193 member general assembly
libya was the last country suspended from the council which is responsible for promoting and protecting human rights the general assembly approved its ouster in 2011 after protesters were met with violent reprisals by the government of col muammar el qaddafi
saudi arabia is another matter it was elected to the 47 member human rights council in 2013 since then it has beat back efforts at the council to create an independent commission of inquiry to look into human rights abuses in yemen
earlier this month saudi arabia persuaded the united nations secretary general ban ki moon to remove the military coalition it leads in yemen from a list of armies that kill and maim children mr ban had included the coalition for its attacks on schools and hospitals in yemen but agreed to remove it from the list temporarily mr ban told reporters that he had been coerced   a charge the saudis flatly denied
there was no immediate comment from the saudi mission in response to the call by the human rights groups its three year term on the council concludes at the end of 2016 it remains to be seen whether it will seek a second term and how other countries will react
the coalition began intervening in the yemeni civil war last year after shiite rebels known as houthis drove president abdu rabbu mansour hadi into exile the houthis are said to be supported by iran saudi arabias bitter rival in the persian gulf
at a news conference at united nations headquarters researchers with human rights watch and amnesty international said the saudi led coalition had broken international law with at least 69 airstrikes targeting civilians some of which could amount to war crimes and accused it of using banned cluster munitions
the two groups called for credible investigations that meet international standards or an agreement by saudi arabia to cooperate with an independent international inquiry
the groups also say that the united states which provides refueling and targeting assistance to the saudi led coalition could be liable for war crimes in yemen they also cited saudi arabias treatment of its own citizens including sentencing people to death for crimes that are not punishable by death under international law
saudi arabia is not the only country on the human rights council with a questionable human rights record venezuela also has a seat on the body
but philippe bolopion the deputy advocacy director of human rights watch said saudi arabia is really in a league of its own because of the crimes it has committed


name noa santos
age 27
hometown haleiwa hawaii
now lives in a two bedroom loft near gramercy park with his fiance ross matsubara
claim to fame mr santos is a founder of homepolish a two year old start up that offers personalized interior design services by the hour through its network of 500 designers the idea is to make interior design more accessible and affordable a three hour single day session is 349 homepolish recently raised 20 million in funding led by andy hunt a founder of warby parker clients have included the goop offices and web savvy tastemakers including leandra medine patrick janelle and danielle snyder they have enough money but they dont have enough time mr santos said of his clients they want to be engaged in design but they dont want to execute it themselves
big break after quitting an interior design firm in 2011 mr santos who studied business and architecture at stanford started a one man firm called 50 for fifty which offered 50 minute design consultations for 50 the new york magazine design editor wendy goodman heard about it and featured his two bedroom apartment in murray hill as a space of the week in 2012 his future business partner will nathan saw the article and hired mr santos to redo his one bedroom apartment in chelsea they started homepolish soon after
latest project mr santos recently designed the soho loft for the sweetgreen founders nathaniel ru and jon neman the two bedroom bachelor pad has lots of plants daybeds midcentury modern furniture and open spaces for parties he is also working on his own two bedroom apartment near gramercy park which he moved to last october
next thing the firm is moving to a 12000 square foot office in the flatiron district in september and recently started a shopping list feature that allows them to take advantage of trade discounts at west elm restoration hardware and other retailers
home makeovers mr santos wants his clients to look at their homes as they do their wardrobes as a constant reflection of where you are in life he said its always evolving as your personal style and tastes evolve and is never completely finished it should reflect who you are and how you want to live at all points in your life


bangor me   pressing his staunch opposition to trade deals donald j trump escalated his attacks on the us chamber of commerce on wednesday saying it was totally controlled by the special interest groups
theyre a special interest that wants to have the deals that they want to have he told a packed arena at a rally here to whoops and cheers they want to have tpp the trans pacific partnership one of the worst deals and itll be the worst deal since nafta
the remarks criticizing the chamber were yet another manifestation of the divide between the republican economic orthodoxy that embraces all trade and the nationalistic anti trade policies mr trump laid out in a major speech tuesday in a pittsburgh suburb
the us chamber of commerce is often a strong ally of republican candidates spending more than 35 million in the 2014 midterms in support of them but it has also been sharply critical of mr trumps views on trade and has frequently posted articles critical of him on its blog including one tuesday night on its website titled the 2013 trump was a lot better on trade than the 2016 version
mr trump first responded to the group on twitter wednesday morning but he escalated the attacks at his rally here saying the chamber was controlled totally by various groups of people that dont care about you whatsoever
a spokeswoman for the chamber blair latoff holmes defended its position on trade
the us chamber represents american businesses of all sizes from across the country who recognize that free trade agreements like the tpp are an important way to accelerate economic growth and spur job creation in the us she said
this is not personal ms holmes added its not election politics its smart policy
mr trumps remarks on the chamber were the latest in a string of comments that have further divided those in the republican ranks as he seeks to rally the party behind his campaign after a particularly contentious nominating fight
that bruising battle was still on mr trumps mind wednesday he spent several minutes riffing on the pledge that republican candidates all signed early in the primary contest to ultimately rally behind the partys nominee whoever was chosen
they broke their word in my opinion he said they should never be allowed to run for public office again because what they did is disgraceful
but while he spent the majority of his speech highlighting his trade policies and themes from his economic speech on tuesday he largely shied away from talking about the terrorist attacks in istanbul later that day although he noted how they seemed to overtake the news of his speech
i gave a speech in pittsburgh in pennsylvania yesterday and it was very well received mr trump said then you had the tragedy in turkey and that was the end of that speech which was fine
thats the way its supposed to be because that tragedy is a disgrace that we can allow that to continue to go on whether its turkey or anywhere else thats a disgrace
but while he pledged to fight the islamic state and terrorism he also professed a dovish foreign policy in an attempt to contrast himself with hillary clinton
they say oh can we trust donald with a button  mr trump said adding i would be the slowest with the button but i would be the one that doesnt have to use it because theyre going to respect us again


the scoring starved devils acquired a former no 1 overall draft pick two all star defensemen switched places and one of the nhls most prolific scorers indicated he had decided to stay put on a busy wednesday two days before the start of the free agent signing period
the devils acquired taylor hall the top pick in the 2010 draft from the edmonton oilers for defenseman adam larsson montreal sent defenseman p k subban to nashville for shea weber and steven stamkos signed an eight year contract extension with tampa bay
hall who had 132 goals and 196 assists in 381 career games with the oilers will provide much needed scoring punch for the devils last season he had 26 goals and 39 assists and represented the oilers in the all star game
larsson had three goals and 15 assists while playing in all 82 games last season as part of the devils top defensive pairing
the biggest trade of the day however involved the canadiens and the predators
subban who won the norris trophy as the nhls top defenseman in 2013 had six goals and 45 assists last season before sustaining a neck injury in march
montreal general manager marc bergevin said trading subban was one of the most difficult decisions he had had to make
we completed today an important transaction which i am convinced will make the canadiens a better team bergevin said
a clause in subbans contract that would have allowed him to block any trade was set to kick in on friday
nashville general manager david poile praised subbans tremendous skill and contagious energy and said he would make the predators a better team now and into the future
superstar defensemen of his caliber are a rare commodity and we are thrilled to add him to the organization poile said
weber a three time norris trophy finalist was a team captain and had 20 goals and 31 assists last season for nashville he had signed a 14 year 110 million offer sheet with philadelphia as a restricted free agent in 2012 but nashville matched it and kept him
bergevin said weber would improve montreals power play and play a leadership role for the canadiens
he is a complete rear guard with impressive size and a powerful shot bergevin said
stamkos a two time nhl scoring champion for the lightning who would have been able to test free agency starting on friday wrote on twitter that he was excited to be back for 8 more years
the deal worth 68 million was reached two days before stamkos would have been able to gauge his worth on the open market stamkos a four time all star with 312 goals was expected to command far more lucrative offers from numerous bidders including his hometown toronto maple leafs the buffalo sabres and the detroit red wings
its not often that a player gets the chance to spend his career in one organization and i am hopeful that this agreement sets me on that path stamkos said
the agreement was something of a surprise after stamkos and the lightning had been unable to negotiate a contract extension during the season
his status even loomed over the nhl draft last weekend in buffalo where several team executives expressed their interest in making a bid to sign stamkos sabres general manager tim murray was among them and referred to stamkos as the big fish
but lightning general manager steve yzerman remained hopeful that a deal could be reached saying as recently as saturday that he had not closed the door on re signing stamkos
the lightning had a slight edge over other teams however under nhl rules they were allowed to sign stamkos to an eight year contract while other teams were limited to making seven year offers
stamkos has topped 40 goals four times he has won the nhls regular season scoring title twice including the 2011 12 season in which he had a career high 60 goals
stamkos is coming off a year in which he had 36 goals and 64 points in 77 games before having surgery on april 4 to treat a blood clot near his right collarbone stamkos did not return until he saw limited ice time in tampa bays 2 1 loss to pittsburgh in game 7 of the eastern conference finals
in other moves the sabres signed defenseman casey nelson to a two year contract extension st louis signed forward kyle brodziak to a two year extension minnesota re signed left wing jason zucker to a two year 4 million contract and columbus signed defenseman seth jones to a six year 324 million contract


for decades the southwest corner of 57th street and fifth avenue was bill cunninghams main perch
over the years he had gone everywhere in the city one of his 30 bicycles would take him up to the botanical garden down to the christopher street piers and over to tompkins square park
but fifth avenue remained for him the greatest place in the world an intersection where east met west uptown met downtown publishing types in pencil skirts met chanel clad socialites and black met white
mr cunningham loved himself a parade the bulk of which seemed to take place there thats where puerto ricans headed the second week in june decked out in red white blue and everything in between a few weeks later hed head back for the gay pride parade
he never seemed to miss st patricks day when he could be spotted amid the sea of white and green wearing his trademark uniform   a blue french workers jacket his khaki colored pants and black sneakers
so when mr cunningham died saturday after becoming an actual living landmark it made sense that this was where mourners headed right by the windows at bergdorf goodman where the store installed a special display in his honor showcasing a bicycle a black nikon camera and a background painted what the stores longtime style maven linda fargo described as bill cunningham blue on the curb some put up white flowers others left notes
during his later years people told him how much they admired him and how they read his columns religiously and devoured the documentary about him i think it embarrassed him his friend cecilia dean said he was unbelievably gracious but you could tell how uncomfortable he was with it
now he is gone and they are still paying tribute
theres a petition at changeorg to designate the location bill cunningham corner its already received more than 3200 signatures according to wwd the designer jeffrey banks has started another campaign to get a sculpture of mr cunningham placed on the corner
on thursday a private funeral will be held with a memorial expected in the coming weeks this sunday the new york times styles section will pay tribute to a man who never would have asked for it but whom so many want to honor nevertheless


sydney   political donations by mining companies preceded legislative approval for several australian mining operations including plans to develop the countrys biggest coal mine according to a report by an independent australian policy institute released on thursday
the report by the australia institute examined six cases where mining companies made donations to australias major political parties and received favorable legislation for mining projects in the state of queensland
the report contends that the donations from the mining industry bought access to queensland state officials giving the industry an undue influence on our democratic processes and resulting in decisions that have poor outcomes for our environment economy and our communities
taking money from mining companies undermines the integrity of political decision making mark ogge the reports co author said in an interview it should be illegal it is a conflict of interest
the report written with the australian conservation foundation was released two days before australias national elections which are saturday while the timing appears intended to highlight the influence of the mining industry in politics   australias campaign finance laws do not require disclosure of donations to major parties until months after the fact   the report does not refer to any contributions in the current election
the reports primary focus is on the liberal national party led by campbell newman which governed queensland from 2012 to 2015 and his successor annastacia palaszczuk of the labor party who took office there in 2015
queensland is home to several large and contentious mining projects including in the galilee basin in central queensland two new mines there could add an additional 120 million tons a year to australias thermal coal exports
one of the mines would be australias largest and environmentalists say will damage the great barrier reef
the projects developer the adani group a conglomerate based in india donated 52139 to the queensland liberal national party and to the federal liberal party of australia from 2012 to 2015 the report said
the report said adani officials met with anthony lynham the states minister for natural resources and mines at least seven times and had 12 other meetings with state ministers in 2013 and 2014
in late 2014 the government of queensland agreed to invest up to 220 million in rail and port projects to support the new mine it also changed the legislation to remove the right of the community to object to mining projects the report said
the adani project was approved by ms palaszczuks government and included a plan approved by the federal environment minister greg hunt a liberal party member to allow bigger coal ships to dock at the port of abbot point within the great barrier reef on queenslands northeast coast the plan called for the dredging of the port to accommodate larger ships with the spoils dumped near the reef
after an outcry from scientists and legal action by conservationists the dredging decision was reversed the dredge spoils will now be dumped on land
but the report said adanis donations had influenced the approval process encouraging successive governments to ignore concerns regarding their suitability to operate
ms palaszczuk defended her governments actions saying it had lowered the reporting requirement for political donations to 738 from 9458 making government more transparent and in a written statement a spokesman for the queensland government said it had restored laws to allow communities to weigh in on proposed mining projects
the spokesman said the approval process for mining projects was extensive and transparent it includes public consultation environmental impact studies and strict conditions to protect the environment mine lease applications must also meet public interest requirements
the mines minister for queensland anthony lynham was on vacation and was not available for comment adnani officials did not respond to a request for comment
the adani case was just one example cited in the report
two oil companies beach energy and linc energy and the mining companies karreman quarries and new hope coal also made donations according to the report which says the companies received favorable treatment in return another company sibelco spent money campaigning to support its sand mining operations ahead of the state election
a spokeswoman for sibelco helen stanley said the company had made no direct donations to political parties but had funded an electorate campaign in support of its sand mining operations on north stradbroke island she said the campaign was run in 2013 in 2015 the palaszczuk government said it would end sand mining on the island by 2019
beach energy karreman quarries and new hope coal did not respond to questions linc energy is in receivership a company spokeswoman said adding she could not answer questions about the companys political donations policy
over all the report said the queensland liberal national party received more than 700000 in donations from mining companies from 2011 to 2015 the mining industry also donated nearly 22 million to the federal liberal party of australia which now leads the national government in the five years since july 2011 the queensland liberal national party and the liberal party of australia are not one and the same
the queensland labor party received 68000 and the federal labor party received 890000 from donors connected to the mining industry over the same period
a spokesman for the liberal party said in a written reply on wednesday that he would not comment on a report he had not read but pointed out that the australia institute a research center employed former greens party supporters in important roles
large mining projects often require state and federal government approval especially if threatened species and their habitats are placed under duress by the proposed operation
the report demonstrates that money doesnt just buy access it buys outcomes said lindy edwards a political scientist from the university of new south wales she said state laws around political donations should be overhauled at the federal level the secrecy is so bad it is almost impossible to uncover corruption
donations to any political party higher than 9774 must be declared on the australian electoral commissions public register but those declarations are made months after the money changes hands funds donated to the federal liberal coalition labor party or greens party leading up to national elections on saturday will not be made public until february 2017
also it can be difficult to track how much money and when a donor made a contribution
the report cited the meetings that mining company executives had with senior politicians based on minutes from ministers diaries which are publicly available
a farmer whose ground water is about to be drawn down or whose land is about to be polluted rarely has the money to secure that sort of access mr ogge said
ms edwards said many factors determined whether a mine gained approval royalties from the mine to the state government jobs the states economic welfare are all factors she said but there is an issue around ensuring that everyones voice is heard mining companies should not get better access to government decision makers than people in the community who are concerned about the environment


tarantulas know how to fight many of these arachnids defend themselves by launching javelin like hairs from their abdomens at potential attackers but a newly discovered member of this family prefers to settle its confrontations up close
this is kankuamo marquezi and it jabs its butt bristles or urticating hairs straight into its foes
urticating hairs are used as defense against natural enemies carlos perafan a biologist from the university of the republic in uruguay said in an email these hairs are different from hairs covering the body of tarantulas because they have a penetrating tip which allows the hair to embed in the skin or mucous membranes and cause irritation
scientists had previously identified six types of urticating hairs on tarantulas kankuamo marquezi adds a seventh its hairs are the second example of a defensive hair that is released on contact while most are projected when a tarantula flicks its legs against its rear sending a flurry of barbs into the air
kankuamo marquezis derriere defenses are different enough that they not only classify the spider as a new species of tarantula but also a new genus as well which is the next classification up in taxonomy mr perafan said the discovery raises questions about the evolutionary pressures that caused the spiders to develop their rear end spikes
he and his colleagues found the new arachnid while exploring the sierra nevada de santa marta mountain range in colombia they described it in a paper published wednesday in the journal zookeys
they named the species after gabriel garcia marquez the nobel prize winning author of the book one hundred years of solitude who lived in colombia and its genus after the kankuamo which are indigenous people who inhabited the eastern slopes of the mountain range where the tarantula was found


less than a year since he stepped down as the chairman of carnegie hall after clashing with its staff ronald o perelman the billionaire businessman announced wednesday that he was donating 75 million to revive plans to build a performing arts center at the world trade center site
his donation immediately catapulted the long stalled performing arts center one of the last major pieces of unfinished business at the world trade center site from aspirational to achievable and places him among a new generation of power brokers and billionaires who are reshaping   and renaming   the cultural infrastructure of new york in recognition of his gift the new theater complex which will sit on one of the most emotionally resonant and most visited spots in the city will be named for mr perelman
i think that this is a project that must happen mr perelman said in an interview adding that he had been drawn to it by the vision of the role that art could play at the site of the sept 11 2001 attacks and in the continuing rebuilding of the area it is more than just a pure artistic center to serve a community it is that but at the same time its much more than that
in the last few years the citys wealthy elite have chiseled their names into some of the citys most iconic cultural institutions   or sought to build their own the new york public librarys main branch on fifth avenue has been renamed for stephen a schwarzman the old new york state theater for david h koch and avery fisher nee philharmonic hall at lincoln center for david geffen
the new perelman center is also joining several other projects that are being planned including culture shed a performance space at the hudson yards on the west side and a new park on pier 55 near 14th street with three outdoor spaces underwritten by the billionaire barry diller some arts executives have questioned whether the city had the audiences and donor base to sustain so many new cultural spaces
but culture has long been envisioned as a key part of the rebuilt world trade center and was an important feature of the architect daniel libeskinds 2003 master plan for the site the performing arts center was placed on the back burner though as officials wrangled over the many other thorny issues involved in redevelopment groups including the old new york city opera the signature theater company and the joyce theater all explored anchoring the new complex but nothing came of it the architect frank gehry was hired to design it then his design was shelved the project which was championed by the bloomberg administration and eagerly sought by downtown residents was kept alive through the administrations of four governors and two mayors
the seeds of mr perelmans involvement were planted a decade ago when michael r bloomberg who was the mayor became the chairman of the national september 11 memorial and museum to restore confidence in the project which had gone off track mr bloomberg recalled in an interview that one of the first donors he turned to was mr perelman who quickly agreed to donate 5 million to the museum project mr perelman stayed involved expressing enthusiasm for the idea of a performing arts center at the site and as the project finally took shape recently he agreed to make the lead gift
perelmans a funny guy   if hes interested in the institution and its mission hes a very easy sell mr bloomberg said there have been times i had to sell him when he didnt care very much and that took a little more work
the backers of the new perelman center downtown see it as filling an important niche for a midsize theater that can accommodate the kinds of multidisciplinary works many artists experiment with today the complex which is being designed by rex a brooklyn based architecture firm is to include three flexible technologically advanced theaters that can individually seat 499 people 299 people and 100 people and which can be combined into one space that can accommodate 1200 the plan calls for the center to present or produce dance concerts new or early chamber opera and theater and to become the main venue of the tribeca film festival each april
the performance plans have yet to come fully into focus david lan the artistic director at the young vic in london did a stint as its temporary artistic director and jenny gersten a former executive director of friends of the high line and artistic director of the williamstown theater festival in massachusetts is a producing consultant but the presence of mr perelman a hard charging businessman who is known to favor a hands on approach with groups that he supports suggests that there will be a powerful wealthy patron pushing for it to succeed
mr perelman left carnegie after spending less than a year as its chairman after clashing with its staff and other board members   and before making an additional donation to the hall that had been expected to be in the 30 million range he said in the interview that his support of the new performing arts center was unrelated to his departure from carnegie and that he probably would have made the donation to support the new complex in any case
with mr perelmans donation the project is now well on its way to covering its estimated 240 million price tag said maggie boepple the centers president and director the lower manhattan development corporation committed 100 million in federal funds awarded after the sept 11 attacks for the projects design construction and administrative costs
ronalds gift is going to open the doors ms boepple said we have some other donors in the wings
mr perelman who raised eyebrows with his call to stage more pop music at carnegie hall said that he envisioned attracting a wide variety of artists i would hope it is the first venue of choice for the bruce springsteens and the bon jovis and the yo yo mas and the lang langs and at the same time its a place where we could have produced a hamilton project or where we could produce a new ballet he said he added that he was excited by the technological possibilities of the plans which call for adding cutting edge streaming capabilities that will allow the center to capture and disseminate performances in a much more immersive sophisticated way than is done at most theaters
mr perelman said that he had been particularly taken by the designs of the architect joshua prince ramus who was formerly a partner of rem koolhaas and recalled a recent meeting in which they went over the renderings of the complex which have not yet been publicly released and then discussed the technological possibilities with nicholas negroponte a founder of the mit media lab who had been visiting mr perelman on other business
the news that the performing arts center finally had a lead gift and was likely to get built is sure to cheer downtown residents who have long seen it as a priority said catherine mcvay hughes the chairwoman of community board 1 the community that stayed was steadfast in supporting a cultural component she said it was important that something alive gets created here right here at the world trade center site


miss teen usa is getting rid of swimsuits and swapping bikinis for athletic wear starting with the next pageant on july 30
the switch is aimed at highlighting a healthy lifestyle for younger viewers said michael antinoro the head of original content at img a talent agency that last year bought the miss universe organization including miss teen usa a contest for 14  to 19 year old girls from donald j trump
but there are no plans to remove the controversial skin baring display from the organizations competitions for adult women miss usa and miss universe he said in a telephone interview
for miss universe and miss usa thats a very important part of the competition and will continue to be an important part of the competition mr antinoro said
replacing the teenagers swimsuits with athletic wear   which he defined as clothes the contestants might wear to the gym or yoga class   should not be seen as anti swimsuit he said whether through swimsuits or athletic wear the aim is to celebrate being healthy and being in shape and being comfortable in your own skin he added
its part of a continuing effort to distance the pageants from their roots a competition based entirely on the contestants appearance in recent years organizers have sought to focus on the offstage lives of the women and girls pushing their accomplishments and charity work but criticism remains steady
although pageant officials and contestants emphasize scholarships talents and platform issues and repackage the swimsuit competition as the lifestyle and fitness category their rhetoric rings hollow blain roberts a historian wrote in 2013
beauty pageants should go the way of the corset courtney e martin an author wrote the same year theyre outdated and restrictive and perpetuate a damaging link between real world success and a womans capacity to cultivate a very specific stereotypical definition of beauty
paula shugart the president of the miss universe organization said in a letter to state directors this week that the pageant was committed to continuing to evolve in ways that celebrate womens strength confidence and beauty for years to come
this decision reflects an important cultural shift were all celebrating that empowers women who lead active purposeful lives and encourage those in their communities to do the same she wrote
our hope is that this decision will help all of miss teen usas fans recognize these young women for the strong inspiring individuals they are
julianne hough a host of miss usa 2016 told usa today that she understood the resistance to the swimsuit portion of the pageant but defended the segment as being similar to going to the beach
there is the whole thing of being confident in the fact you worked hard to get that body and you go to the gym and you eat healthy and do certain things she said but she added in the next few years we may grow from that
the miss world pageant ended its swimsuit competition in 2014
its not just a beauty contest its beauty with a purpose  chris wilmer the national director of miss world america and miss united states told abc news there didnt seem to be a purpose to have the swimsuit
mr trump sold the miss universe organization to wme img in september after two television partners dropped the competition in response to his comments about illegal immigrants


environmental attack free radical assault noxious gas from some dire beauty headlines of late youd think the very air was contriving if not to kill us then to make us look older
scientists are just beginning to uncover how toxic air affects the skins aging process a study done this year on data from subjects in germany and china appeared to link increased air pollution to brown spots on the skin
and not surprisingly the big beauty players are stepping in with new skin care products   pollution protection as its called
so what exactly are we protecting ourselves against
ozone the toxic gas formed when uv light hits mono nitrogen oxides basically combustion exhaust is suspected by some to be one of the primary causes of pollution related skin damage ozone in the stratosphere absorbs uv rays and so is protective against skin cancer but ground level ozone has been linked to respiratory problems
we are continuously exposed to ozone said dr giuseppe valacchi an associate professor in physiology at the department of life sciences and biotechnology at the university of ferrara in italy who is known for his expertise on pollutions effect on the body its as if ozone were designed specifically to injure our skin
the outer layer of our skin contains lipids   that is fats that bind skin cells together ozone oxidizes those lipids dr valacchi said causing inflammation breaking down the barrier function of the skin and activating a cascade of dna damaging events what to do
you can protect yourself from uv damage with sunscreen but sunscreens arent effective for pollution said dr gilly munavalli medical director of dermatology laser  vein specialists of the carolinas in charlotte nc the best thing we can do now is apply antioxidants vitamins c and e
so beneficial antioxidants may already be part of your skin care routine
moreover subverting air toxins can be as simple washing your face with the right cleanser particulate matter the tiny harmful particles in the air attaches to the skin as you go about your day but it isnt immediately damaging
dr carl thornfeldt the founder of the epionce skin care line who has studied skin barrier function for more than 20 years said use cleansers that will wash off all the bad molecules but not strip key oils aveeno ultra calming foaming cleanser 799 at ultacom and vanicream gentle facial cleanser for sensitive skin 799 at drugstorecom produce minimal damage to lipids dr thornfeldt said
doctors say that a routine of antioxidants cleansing and barrier repair is the best defense against air pollution
people forget that the main goal of our skin is to be an immune barrier said dr anne chapas of union square laser dermatology in manhattan so the main goal is to keep things out of the body if you have a compromised skin barrier its letting things in
among the skin care ingredients to consider are glycerin lanolin niacinamide and beeswax
the pollutants we encounter every day may be largely inescapable but theres ample reason to be defensive in our skin care routine here are eight products that may help
dr jart plus every sun day sun fluid
sunscreen alone wont protect the skin from all pollution damage this formula 34 at sephoracom from the korean brand dr jart claims to have the same electrical charge as dust particles in the air therefore repelling them and creating a protective field bonus points for a quick absorbing moisturizing finish
coola sport spf50 sunscreen spray
skin on the body is less susceptible to pollution than skin on the face is we mainly have sebum oils in our faces   not too much in other parts of the body dr valacchi said and since its the ozone sebum interaction that makes toxic molecules damage is less likely there but that doesnt mean one should skimp on protection this sunscreen from coola 36 at coolasuncarecom contains antioxidants we say apply sunscreen every 80 minutes especially if youre out in the sun dr chapas said this way when you reapply sun protection you get a boost of antioxidants as well
kayo daily vitamin boost
kayo a new brand based in malibu calif makes what it calls face grade premium body care use its body antioxidant formula 56 at kayobetterbodycarecom as you would a face serum add several drops to your sunscreen or moisturizer vitamins c and e are the main antipollution ingredients in this mix of hydrators and collagen boosters
dr andrew weil for origins mega defense spf 45 advanced uv defender
containing extracts from a brazilian cactus this mineral sunscreen is said to create a physical barrier that protects skin from airborne particles 41 at originscom it also claims to trigger the production of hornerin a protein that aides epidermal function
elizabeth arden prevage city smart
this tinted cream 68 at elizabethardencom in july is a good cosmetic choice too light diffusers blur blemishes and its dewy texture makes it a good base layer for fresh faced makeup
restorsea pro intensivetreatment 10x
aa2g a stabilized form of vitamin c is one of the main ingredients in this skin smoothing anti aging treatment 195 at restorseacom for doctors restorsea says it has a proprietary enzyme that digests only dead skin cells for exfoliation without irritation
epionce renewal facial cream
this moisturizer 94 at epioncecom has ingredients said to be both barrier repairing and anti inflammatory like meadowfoam apple and avocado extract when the barrier is compromised it causes inflammation too dr thornfeldt said youve got to control that
skinceuticals triplelipid restore 242
formulated specifically to repair barrier function this cream 125 at skinceuticalscom replenishes cholesterol ceramides and fatty acids all of which are depleted as the skin barrier is compromised


when glasslands gallery the influential independent club on the williamsburg waterfront in brooklyn closed at the end of 2014 its owners had already been thinking about what was next
the partners   rami haykal 28 and jake rosenthal 29   had booked shows and worked at the ragtag diy space since college taking over the lease in 2011 along with their friend dhruv chopra 29 who had advised at glasslands they were plotting an expansion to a larger room with the same grass roots ethos when glasslands fell victim to the williamsburg real estate trends it helped catalyze vice media which outgrew the same punk spirit took over the building
so the young events entrepreneurs broadened their ambitions and embarked on a much more daring project a new music and arts space measuring 24000 square feet it will include two performance rooms of different sizes an art gallery a loft bar and cafe with daytime service and an open rooftop for dj sets and film screenings
dubbed elsewhere   it sounds like what we want the place to be an alternative mr rosenthal said of the name   the arts compound is in industrial bushwick deeper into brooklyn on the l train and is largely being built from the ground up in a converted warehouse at a cost of 3 million its opening is planned for the fall
such an undertaking with its angel investors and adherence to building codes may seem at odds with the do it yourself principles that pervade the world of semi underground clubs in new york known for their shaky floors and questionable legality but those scrappy places are also fleeting prone to sudden closure   the independent clubs santos party house and palisades are the latest to fizzle   precisely the fate elsewhere is preparing to avoid
why did glasslands disappear because a lot of the fundamentals of what it means to be a business in new york city werent really planned mr rosenthal said thats a good thing   it gave us the experience that we had there but its gone now and theres a reason were trying to build a space that artists and audiences can enjoy for a longer period of time
mr chopra who has a background in investment management added the whole scene is realizing that now this city is just naturally forcing people to evolve if you want to be sustainable
with the new york events scene increasingly dominated by megaconcert promoters like live nation the founders of elsewhere are hoping to fill a local void as a spacious professionally run indie venue with plans to book a majority of shows there through their own production company popgun presents
this week a construction crew was noisily at work on the still skeletal building pouring cement and transporting mounds of dirt and rocks amid exposed wires and laid out blueprints but the shape of the labyrinth like complex was beginning to reveal itself as a potential playground for emerging artists across mediums and the parade of brooklyn showgoers hoping to get sweaty and dance
on a tour of the space its owners enthusiastically pointed out the planned amenities that will separate elsewhere from its diy predecessors industrial air conditioning a sizable coat check area multiple bars   and plentiful bathrooms a necessary corrective to the dispiriting toilet scene at glasslands
part of the mandate of the project is to try to keep the spirit but fix the problems and operational headaches mr rosenthal said adding that the owners are thinking about simple ways to make it a better experience and reducing the little frustrations of being at a crowded music venue in new york city
still the look of the place will be minimal the owners said because they chose to invest more in creative infrastructure   lights stages sound systems artist green rooms   than interior design
programming will be crucial glasslands was known for its early support of rising indie acts like grimes fka twigs disclosure and frankie cosmos elsewhere hopes to expand its genre boundaries embracing more hip hop folk house and techno its owners said
above all they hope the new venue will be a reliable community gathering place for those invested in alternative culture   but in a more grown up package
this place isnt going to fall apart mr rosenthal said recalling the sense of chaos and impending doom that came with running a space like glasslands its not necessarily that it needed to be bigger and have better finishing or nicer wallpaper its mostly that we wanted to set up a thing that could last
but the extra bathrooms dont hurt


seoul south korea   north koreas leader kim jong un put himself in charge of a new governing agency created during a meeting of his countrys rubber stamp parliament the supreme peoples assembly on wednesday
the assembly revised north koreas constitution to create what the state media called a commission on state affairs with mr kim as its chairman it replaces the national defense commission the most powerful governing organ under mr kims father kim jong il who ruled north korea until his death in 2011
mr kims new title was the latest in a series of top leadership roles in the military party and government that he has acquired to establish his one man rule
before his death kim jong il ruled north korea as chairman of the national defense commission although the commission was originally created to oversee military affairs he used it as his primary governing agency under his military first policy which focused on the development of nuclear weapons and promoted the priorities of the korean peoples army in economic and other policy decisions
since taking power kim jong un has engineered a series of purges and filled the top posts in the party and military with loyalists regaining influence over the military
compared with the military oriented national defense commission the newly created commission is broader including key party and cabinet figures as members
in the congress of the workers party in may mr kim was appointed chairman a new post created to replace the title of general secretary that his father had held when he was the party boss
the congress also adopted as a key national strategy mr kims byungjin policy which seeks economic development while continuing to expand the countrys nuclear weapons and missile capacities


nairobi kenya   the day started like any other for willie kimani a nairobi lawyer he put on his gray trousers jungle green jacket and black shoes he said goodbye to his wife and two young sons and he walked out the door
but what came next was like something out of a thriller movie   one with an unsettling end   and has mobilized kenyas lawyers roped in several western embassies and set off loud alarm bells in kenyas human rights community
last thursday mr kimani who has worked as a human rights defender since he graduated from law school five years ago accompanied a client to trial in a case involving a police officer
after a couple of witnesses testified the case was adjourned a little before noon mr kimani and his client left the courthouse on the outskirts of nairobi in a taxi
then they disappeared
mr kimani an investigator with an american legal aid group had been working on the case of a young motorcycle taxi driver who had been shot in the arm apparently accidentally by a police officer last year
the driver josephat mwenda filed a complaint against the officer who has not been publicly identified the officer and his colleagues retaliated by pursuing false charges against mr mwenda including drug counts and accusations of petty crimes like riding a motorcycle without a helmet according to human rights activists
still mr mwenda was reluctant to drop his complaint and human rights advocates urged him to resist what appeared to be a pattern of police intimidation and harassment
around 430 pm thursday after the men had left the courtroom and no one had been able to reach them mr mwendas wife received a strange phone call colleagues say
a passer by happened to see two men maybe more locked in a metal container on a police base yelling through a barred window for help
the men threw out a note scribbled on toilet paper the note was from mr mwenda it said call my wife im in danger
that is the last anyone has seen or heard from mr kimani mr mwenda or the taxi driver human rights advocates say their phones abruptly went dead on thursday night police officers at the base where the toilet paper note was reportedly thrown out the window denied ever seeing the three
early the next morning the taxi was found more than 30 miles away parked on a road in a deserted misty tea plantation with the doors locked
many of mr kimanis colleagues now fear that police officers may have killed the three and while kenya is widely known as corrupt and violent and is dogged by a long history of impunity the brazen disappearing of a witness a taxi driver and a well known human rights defender is considered far beyond the norm in this country
that could have been me said jeremy chabari a young kenyan lawyer
kenya is no rwanda ethiopia or democratic republic of congo places where dissidents are routinely locked up or worse kenya is considered one of the most progressive and open democracies in africa but this case is seen as a chilling setback in the battle to clean up the kenyan police services
its astonishing that a lawyer with international human rights connections can be disappeared in a country which enjoys strong international support and is subject to close western scrutiny said salim lone a former official in kenyas leading opposition party who now lives in new jersey
on wednesday several dozen young lawyers immaculately dressed in suits and equipped with the latest smartphones stood on the steps of kenyas supreme court to deliver a set of demands the lawyers called on the government to immediately open an independent investigation and make a full report public by next week
charles kanjama the chairman of the lawyers group said that the case had caused great great concern to the entire legal fraternity and that the circumstances were very suspicious
kenyan police officials have said little except that the investigation is being handled by an elite unit known as the flying squad which is widely suspected of engaging in extrajudicial killings in the past
the flying squad has been checking phone records and looking at footage from roadside surveillance cameras to identify where the three might have been taken human rights activists predicted that several officers including the one involved in the original shooting would soon be arrested
the international justice mission the american legal aid group that employed mr kimani and has been representing mr mwenda in his court cases is a well connected christian organization within hours of the three men vanishing the american embassy in nairobi received several messages from washington asking diplomats to look into the case
we are heartbroken by this horrific targeting of our staff and are doing everything we can to locate these men said claire wilkinson the groups director in kenya
american law enforcement agents based in nairobi are assisting in the investigation and american diplomats along with counterparts from britain and several other western nations are pressuring high levels of the kenyan government to take the case seriously the american government provides millions of dollars of security assistance to kenya each year including training and equipment to police officers
one american official said the kenyan police clearly still had problems and that continued cooperation would be influenced by how much improvement the kenyans actually make


have you ever been hit a man named john asks his caregiver in cost of living a new play by martyna majok thats what its like he continues like people hitting me from beneath my skin
john a phd candidate in political science has cerebral palsy so does gregg mozgala who portrays him in this williamstown theater festival production running through july 10 ani another character is played by katy sullivan a professional actress who is a paralympic medalist their casting   in a high profile production that will end up at the manhattan theater club   is a visible sign of change when it comes to performers with disabilities who rarely appear onstage even as stories of disability offer rich and yes prize generating material for actors
ms sullivan who was born without lower legs doesnt believe that able bodied performers should be prevented from playing the disabled she sees acting as putting on someone elses soul putting on someone elses life experiences and trying to be truthful about them whether youre disabled or not still she noted using performers with disabilities brings a layer of authenticity that you dont have to go searching for
the deaf west theater production of spring awakening which earned enthusiastic reviews when it played on broadway last season may have excited new interest in casting actors with disabilities the recently announced broadway revival of the glass menagerie will co star madison ferris an actress who uses a wheelchair as laura wingfield i was most alive with you which just ran at the huntington theater company in boston was written by craig lucas expressly for the deaf actor russell harvard
this is not exactly business as usual the past several broadway seasons have included shows like the cripple of inishmaan richard iii of mice and men the elephant man side show and the curious incident of the dog in the night time in these plays and musicals able bodied actors played characters with physical or cognitive disabilities other recent glass menagerie revivals have cast actresses who can leave lauras limp at the stage door representatives for the coming production declined to comment on its casting
recent conversations around this issue in film and television as well as in theater have become more contentious with comparisons often drawn to traditions of blackface as the journalist frances ryan wrote in an opinion piece for the guardian last year perhaps it is time to think before we next applaud cripping up disabled peoples lives are more than something for non disabled actors to play at
or as howard sherman the interim director of the alliance for inclusion in the arts put it playing someone with a disability should not be considered a talent or a skill for nondisabled actors it should be considered taking a job away from someone with the unique life experiences to portray that role
the language around these issues is also fraught if disabled remains the standard term some artists and activists resist its connotation of impairment many who are deaf would argue against deafness being construed as a disability for example the term differently abled is a common alternative though some prefer more individual vocabulary
ali stroker the spring awakening performer who was said to be the first actress in a wheelchair to appear on broadway occasionally heard discouraging words
ms stroker who said she was also the first actor in a wheelchair to graduate from new york universitys rigorous theater training program recalled a casting director telling her this is going to be very hard for you
perfect ms stroker said my life has been hard i dont like easy things
she added my experience of having a disability my entire life was perfect training for this industry im used to hearing no im used to being creative when someone has closed a door
but how many doors are open even now with the exception of theaters like deaf west theater breaking through barriers and the apothetae founded by mr mozgala   created in part to provide opportunities for artists with disabilities   and companies like the oregon shakespeare festival which has committed to integrating disabled actors most able bodied roles go to able bodied actors
and many disabled roles still go to able bodied actors too sometimes this is necessary as in roles that show gradual deterioration or unexpected recovery or roles that call for a rare physical type like the conjoined twins of side show sometimes it isnt
there has been controversy for example regarding the casting of christopher in curious incident a young man whose behavior places him on the autism spectrum some have used social media to pressure the producers to make auditions more accessible and welcoming to autistic actors as the actor mickey rowe wrote in an email all too often we learn about autism from non autistic people instead of going straight to the source
mr harvard a deaf actor often cast in deaf roles appears the exception in addition to his theater work which included a starring part in nina raines widely produced tribes he has significant film credits and was prominently featured in the first season of the fargo tv series but even he has had difficulty finding parts
how many roles are there out there that incorporate asl he wrote in an email message the opportunities are rare the idea that hearing actors might be cast in deaf roles affronts him if someone were to make a movie about my life and cast a hearing actor to play me ... he couldnt complete the sentence
when the roles are available producers directors and casting directors may have to search harder for disabled actors mandy greenfield the artistic director at williamstown agreed that it took extra work to assemble a pool of possible stars for cost of living
ms majoks script stipulates that john and ani be played by disabled performers mr mozgala who helped ms majok develop the play the description of cerebral palsy as an internal fistfight is his configuration was a sure thing but williamstown had to do a rigorous search to find ani
our intense process yielded absolutely magical results ms greenfield said manhattan theater club has yet to confirm casting for the spring production but producers said they would honor ms majoks stipulation
unlike her character ms sullivan is not paralyzed but rather runs record setting sprints on prosthetic limbs conveying paralysis requires acting maneuvering without prosthetics contributed to her understanding of the character
it helps me get to a place of vulnerability because thats not how i live my life she said i tend to wear my prosthetics wherever i go and they make me feel a certain confidence taking those off in some ways is like being naked
it remains to be seen whether the recent casting of disabled actors marks a temporary uptick or a more lasting trend though d j kurs the artistic director of deaf west believes that spring awakening showed audiences the evocative language and gestures of deaf actors my cynical side however reminds me that the collective memory is short he wrote by email
mr mozgala hopes that artists themselves will create opportunities his company the apothetae has commissioned playwrights with this aim my community and the history of disabled people is fascinating he said me just walking across the street   theres something dramatic going on


san francisco   in its three years of existence google capital has been known for its investments in privately held start ups like surveymonkey and credit karma
now it is expanding into investing in publicly traded companies   starting with carecom a specialist in helping connect families and caregivers of all stripes
google capital said on wednesday that it had invested 4635 million in the 278 million company making it the single biggest shareholder
the transaction represents a new step for google capital one of the investment arms of the technology conglomerate alphabet unlike alphabets gv which is better known for investing in early stage companies google capital tends to invest in older growth stage businesses that are looking to expand
but google capital has not previously invested in publicly traded companies now it is following in the footsteps of investment firms like silver lake that have bought preferred shares in publicly traded companies
carecom was founded in 2007 and went public in early 2014 the company offers customers a range of services that include babysitting senior care housekeeping and pet sitting as well as options to manage taxes for nannies through its homepay service
to carecoms founder and chief executive sheila lirio marcelo bringing in google capital provides money to help the business expand   and gain access to what she said were the resources on tap at google and its parent alphabet
its a huge opportunity for carecom she said in a telephone interview through google capital we can get access to google and alphabets experts
carecom first became known to google when the technology company signed up as a customer five years ago that eventually prompted laela sturdy a partner at google capital who was looking to use carecoms services to inquire into investing in the company
carecom exemplifies the kind of company that we want to invest in ms sturdy said in an interview weve been focused on growth stage companies and really our only criteria is their having google sized aspirations
under the terms of the deal google capital will buy convertible preferred stock in carecom at a conversion price of 1050 a share or 24 percent above wednesdays closing price for its common stock the preferred shares pay an annual interest rate of 55 percent
also ms sturdy will receive a seat on the board
connected to wednesdays deal carecom said that it would buy back 37 million shares owned by an early backer matrix partners ms marcelo said the move limited the dilution of the google capital transaction to roughly 2 percent
morgan stanley and the law firm latham  watkins advised carecom


the force that gives one couture house or one fashion designer the power to shape the tastes of women has always verged on the magical   sometimes literally
when the french couturier christian dior was a teenager in normandy a fortuneteller told him you will be poor but you will achieve success through women
he was apparently mystified by the prediction or so it is revealed in couture confessions a collection of posthumous conversations between the author pamela golbin the chief curator of fashion and textiles at the musee des arts decoratifs in paris and 11 fashion eminences of the 20th century including paul poiret jeanne lanvin madeleine vionnet dior coco chanel yves saint laurent and alexander mcqueen
but ms golbin did not need to consult a fortuneteller or a ouija board to channel her subjects the couturiers may no longer be living but each left behind hundreds of opinionated character filled interviews and in some cases autobiographies making it possible for her to invent tailor made questions about their challenges and creative processes and then provide answers in their recorded words
while this may sound a mite peculiar it works convincingly rather like an extended seance in which the dressmakers visit ms golbin one after another and share their secrets the book is enhanced with black and white drawings by the illustrator yann legendre and as you read it you feel like a boulevardier in present day paris sitting at a cafe and leafing through a magazine chock full of revelations
the most charming of ms goldins subjects is probably poiret the king of fashion in the belle epoque who is quoted speaking with entertaining false humility about his renown some have been good enough to say that i exercised a powerful influence over my age and inspired an entire generation he said while it would be presumptuous to agree if memory serves when i started out all color was absent from fashion he added
a more modest contemporary of poirets jeanne lanvin acknowledged her expertise at the robe de style the favorite of brides and prom queens everywhere a clinging bodice rising above a billowing skirt of rich or dainty fabric but she said i very much prefer that my work shall speak for me
the british designer alexander mcqueen characterized his double duty life running his own house in london and givenchy in paris as a kind of madness saying im not tortured im schizophrenic i express the collision of my contradictions romanticism encased in sadomasochism for example
all my work is biographical in some sense the collection quotes mcqueen who committed suicide in february 2010 as saying it has to be otherwise there is no soul to it
coco chanel frank and combative as always attacked the miniskirt as an exhibition of meat but upheld the primacy of the spirit of paris as fashions supreme instigator
the genius of the french in matters of fashion has always been to be its wellspring she said draw as much water as you want but you cant walk off with the fountain this may be why she didnt mind when people copied her designs every imitation has its basis in love for the original she said
pierre balmain liked to say that a couturier should let his work speak for itself but like lanvin he could not resist the temptation to verbally embellish his fashions and neither could the rest of them   with the exception of the notoriously closemouthed cristobal balenciaga whose chapter ms golbin fills with admiring commentary by cecil beaton john fairchild diana vreeland coco chanel and other tastemakers
she hit upon the idea for the book in 2009 after curating a retrospective in paris on madeleine vionnet inventor of the bias cut which gave a supple easy and promising fluidity to fabric freeing women from the armature of pre world war i designs for the exhibition catalog ms golbin explained to hamish bowles european editor at large for american vogue that she devised a conversation with vionnet   the lively chatty dressmaker who died in 1976   folding in the couturieres previously published comments readers felt such a connection they sent her letters addressed to vionnet assuming she was still alive
hearing them speak creates a dialogue a conversation ms golbin said i wanted to give the reader access into the private studio of each of these designers to learn more about them and what makes them tick
yves saint laurent once said couture is a multitude of whispered secrets few have the privilege of transmitting them in couture confessions ms golbin removes the barrier making visible the secrets that lurk in the dresses we once wore


all but one of the nations largest banks earned an unconditional passing grade from federal regulators on their annual stress tests which measure their preparedness to weather a financial crisis
the one american based institution that did not pass unconditionally was morgan stanley a wall street bank that has been struggling to regain its footing after the financial crisis of 2008 regulators raised concerns over the companys internal controls and processes
the federal reserve gave failing grades to the american subsidiaries of two european banks deutsche bank and santander which both failed in previous years
the banking stress tests   which measure whether banks have enough capital and liquidity management controls and other necessary safeguards to survive various worst case situations   have been required of banks with more than 50 billion in assets since the passage of the dodd frank act which took effect in 2010
the passing grades mean that all of the big banks   even morgan stanley   will be able to pay dividends and buy back stock from shareholders
the results announced by the fed on wednesday afternoon are the second part of the annual stress tests which compel each institution to run a simulation of how it would bear up under various catastrophic conditions like an abrupt rise in interest rates or unemployment or a big crash in equity markets last week the fed said that all the big banks would be able to make it through a recession and still maintain adequate financial buffers
on wednesday a fed official said that even with the concerns raised the stress test results suggest that banks would be able to withstand an event like britains exit from the european union which has rocked bank stocks over the last week
since the financial crisis banks have been required to create large capital barriers to cushion against losses from a recession or market shock while the financial system has not encountered any problems close to the mortgage losses of 2008 banks have been able to withstand more recent challenges like the steep drop in oil prices and the turmoil in europe
while tougher capital requirements may be helping to stabilize the banks they are hampering profitability the stock prices of many large banks have languished as investors question whether these companies can increase their profits substantially in such a stringent new regulatory environment
the stress test results announced wednesday are no doubt a welcome relief in particular to bank of america and citigroup which have had difficulty passing the test unconditionally in past years both banks have spent tens of millions of dollars and assigned some of their top executives to the task of ensuring that they gain the feds approval
shortly after the results were made public citigroup announced that it would more than triple its dividend to 16 cents from 5 cents and buy back as much as 86 billion of stock bank of america said it would increase its dividend to 75 cents from 5 cents and purchase 5 billion in shares
even morgan stanley came forward to say that it planned to raise its dividend to 20 cents from 15 cents and increase its share buyback program to 35 billion for the four quarters beginning july 1 from 25 billion in the previous period
the three banks that were called out by the fed on wednesday all had big enough financial buffers the regulators said rather the criticism was with more qualitative aspects of the way the three banks operate internally
at morgan stanley the fed said the problems include shortcomings in the firms scenario design practices which do not adequately reflect risks and vulnerabilities specific to the firm weaknesses in some aspects of the firms modeling practices and weaknesses in governance and controls around both scenario design and modeling practices
morgan stanley will be able to return money to shareholders as planned but it will need to improve its internal processes by the end of the year if the bank does not make those improvements the fed could halt the banks payouts
the results are an unhappy hiccup for morgan stanley which has been struggling to raise its profits to the level of its competitors and is in the middle of a significant cost cutting campaign
in a statement the chief executive of morgan stanley james p gorman said we are committed to addressing the feds concerns about our capital planning process and fully expect to meet their requirements within the established time frame
for deutsche bank and santander the failing grades raise bigger concerns about their ability to satisfy american regulators the deutsche bank unit in the united states has failed twice in a row and santander three times
in this and previous years the fed has applied its tests only to parts of santander and deutsche bank these two banks as well as other foreign banks like barclays ubs and credit suisse have large operations in the united states that have not undergone stress tests but that will soon change the large foreign banks now have to organize their american operations into a single intermediate holding company
next year the fed will do a trial test of these entities and keep the results private but in 2018 these large holding companies will be subjected to full fledged tests and the results will be made public failing those stress tests would be much more of a blow to deutsche bank and santander than the hit they took on wednesday
a fed official said on wednesday that all the big banks had been making progress but that deutsche bank and santander still needed to make significant improvements
in a statement scott powell the chief executive of santander holdings usa said we are financially sound these results do not affect our ability to serve our customers
deutsche bank also emphasized that even though its american unit had failed the test it still had adequate capital
we appreciate the federal reserves recognition of our progress and we will implement the lessons learned this year in order to strengthen our capital planning process bill woodley deputy chief executive of deutsche bank americas said in a statement


los angeles   the academy of motion picture arts and sciences invited many more minorities and women to join on wednesday as the first major step in reshaping its membership after the oscarssowhite controversy this year
the announcement of the unusually large new class   more than twice last years number   followed a january pledge by the academy to double its female and minority membership by 2020 after it failed to nominate any minority actors for an oscar for the second year in a row
by the academys count 46 percent of this years 683 invitees are women and 41 percent are minorities included were many of the stars and filmmakers who some felt were snubbed when the oscar nominations were announced this year including the director ryan coogler creed and actors like idris elba beasts of no nation
but the academy still has a long way to go to reach its goals and the pace of new membership could be hard to sustain even if all of the new invitees join minority membership would rise to 11 percent from 8 percent and the percentage of women would increase to 27 percent from 25 percent
many observers have said the root problem lies not with the academy but with the film industry at large and the lack of opportunities it provides for women and minorities in reaching for a more diverse membership the academy moved well outside the united states tapping new members from a total of 59 countries the academy which provided detailed statistics about its effort said 283 of those invited were from outside the united states
still the producer stephanie allain dear white people hustle  flow who was critical of the academy after this years nominations and is currently a candidate for the academys board of governors said she was excited by the list because it opens the door to deserving artists across disciplines proving that diversity and excellence are not mutually exclusive
speaking by telephone on wednesday the academys president cheryl boone isaacs said she expected to see the expansive approach to membership continue until its stated aim of doubling the number of female and minority members is achieved adding theres no limit here
we have a goal here and are going to continue to work as hard as we can to meet that goal ms isaacs said
should all those invited on wednesday join the academy this years 6262 voters would climb to nearly 7000 the prospective total voting membership appears to represent a new high for the academy though it had more oscar voters when nonmembers were permitted to cast ballots that practice ended by the late 1950s
the sudden broadening of the film academy is just one step in a process that must accelerate if the group is to meet its goals an analysis by the new york times of the academys acting branch showed that unit which had about 1100 members last year would have to admit about 80 actors a year and three women for every man to reach approximate gender parity by 2020
about 70 actors were invited this year roughly half of them women virtually everyone invited to join the academy in past years has accepted but exact membership rolls are not made public
once considered a strictly internal affair academy membership has become the stuff of public debate and even public policy
on wednesday in new york for instance the mayors office of media and entertainment announced an unusual initiative under which it intends to gather credentials of female and minority filmmakers from the new york area then offer them as possible candidates for the academys next class of new members
new york area filmmakers can post their qualifications or those of others on a web portal that will carry the name and social media hashtag nominatenyc and will be available through nov 15 and various hollywood guilds and other professional organizations will be asked to consider recruiting from the pool academy officials were consulted about but did not directly collaborate in creating the new york outreach program said julie menin the citys media and entertainment commissioner
whether academy members   generally protective of their right to say who qualifies for admission to the group   will respond to such pressure from the outside remains to be seen
but wednesdays announcement suggested an abandoning of a sense of reserve   some would say clubbiness   that distinguished membership invitations in past years
less than a decade ago academy officials were slashing annual invitations to as few as 115 in an attempt to raise the professional tone of the membership and to trim a group that was deemed too large when it hit 5810 voters and about 6500 members including those with nonvoting emeritus status in 2008
much larger numbers cast oscar votes in the 1930s when the academy sent ballots not just to its members but to others in hollywoods guilds as well
whether this years nearly 700 invitees represent a record number is unclear in its 1947 annual report the academy said it had doubled membership to 1600 from 800 in a year but those new members were not all invited at once
but the new list appears likely to yield record high membership even allowing for the typical levels of attrition through death or voluntary election of emeritus status and the impact   expected to be minimal   of a mandated purge of inactive members
the academy branches which represent various crafts   including writers actors and costume designers   are expected to complete reviews of member activity later this summer some branches have indicated an intention to cut few or no members according to people briefed on the plans who spoke on condition of anonymity because of confidentiality strictures
famous black actors who were invited included chadwick boseman john boyega and vivica a fox the white actors andrew garfield and brie larson who won the oscar for best actress for room this year were also invited as were the asian actors daniel dae kim and byung hun lee and luis guzman who is hispanic
ice cube a founding member of the rap group nwa whose rise to fame was dramatized in the film straight outta compton   which was praised by critics and audiences but failed to gain a nomination for best picture this year   was another invitee
the academys directors branch appears to be poised for some of the biggest changes the branch which consisted of fewer than 400 filmmakers last year invited about 90 new members including ana lily amirpour a girl walks home alone at night mary harron the notorious bettie page taika waititi what we do in the shadows and lana and lilly wachowski the matrix trilogy cloud atlas
notable invitees to the executives branch were james and lachlan murdoch who have assumed increased authority over 20th century fox from their father rupert murdoch
in the decade preceding those back to back snubs academy members had nominated and given awards to a number of black actors including jamie foxx who won the best actor oscar for his performance in ray and lupita nyongo who won best supporting actress in 2014 for her role in 12 years a slave which was that years best picture
but within days of the nominations being announced academy officials facing intense public criticism promised to restructure their group with an eye toward creating a more diverse voting pool and governing board
at the same time ms isaacs the academys president and dawn hudson its chief executive urged members to find a diverse field of new recruits many of whom appeared on wednesdays list of invitees


laramie wyo   when the debate over allowing transgender students to use the bathrooms of their choice rolled into town like a high plains thunderstorm laramies school board took its own multiple choice test
it faced two competing proposals the first would let transgender students use the bathrooms matching their gender identity aligning laramie with the obama administration and liberal activists under the second option anatomy would dictate appeasing conservative parents and religious groups
it was a tough call in a community that is one part liberal college town and one part conservative wyoming range where some church signs cite scripture while others quote the musician prince people still visit a memorial to matthew shepard the gay university of wyoming student who was murdered nearby in 1998
the transgender debate here brought dozens of parents students and residents to speak at school board meetings advocates on both sides gathered petition signatures emails poured in to the superintendent some advocating equality and others warning of predators in the bathrooms
ultimately the school district chose none of the above
there was an expectation from the public pick one said jubal c yennie superintendent of albany county district 1 in southern wyoming we dont need to make a case one way or the other that draws a distinction
more than a month after the obama administration issued sweeping guidelines telling schools how to accommodate transgender students battle lines are hardening after emotional public meetings schools in places like highland park nj and fairfax county va have expanded protections for transgender students but in 11 states conservative governors and attorneys general are suing the administration trying to block what they call a massive social experiment in school bathrooms and locker rooms across the country
caught in the middle are ambivalent school systems like laramies hesitant to pass new policies that could ignite outrage or lawsuits from either side
do we need to be writing federal law no dr yennie asked the answer is lets have a conversation
he said the district was happy to call transgender students by their preferred names and pronouns he also said school administrators would talk with transgender students individually to find a bathroom or locker room that fit in the wake of the debate the district was adding more gender neutral bathrooms to a new 90 million high school it is building
many schools dont actually want to put a policy in place said john knight who directs litigation surrounding sexual orientation and gender identity issues in the midwest for the american civil liberties union of illinois but for individual students they are treating them with respect and allowing them access to restrooms
rihanna kelver a recent laramie high school graduate with teal streaked hair and newfound political ambition spent the last six months putting out petitions and speaking at board meetings to urge laramies schools to adopt a policy that would formally allow students like her to use the school facilities where they felt comfortable
she began living as a girl in her junior year in high school and after conversations with her school principal she used a single restroom designated for women at a far corner of the high school eventually she just started using the girls bathrooms
i was a female in the restroom she said that was it
she said she never encountered opposition for using the bathroom she wanted but when the school board started to weigh formal policies last september a monthslong debate erupted the district set up a committee to study the issue and so many parents began coming to once sedate school board meetings that the district had to set up an overflow room
this has turned into a hot potato said ken cramer a school board member who supports extending equal protections to transgender students
wyoming nicknamed the equality state embraced the right to vote for women decades before the 19th amendment passed so far it has not joined conservative states in suing the obama administration nor has it adhered to liberal states in passing antidiscrimination laws that encompass gender identity and sexual orientation at the same time its streak of western independence resists federal involvement
jillian balow the states superintendent of public instruction criticized the obama administrations guidelines as a sweeping federal mandate that brushed aside efforts by local schools to address what she called a sensitive topic in a letter to schools she criticized the guidelines as a sweeping edict
some parents said they were just starting to learn about transgender issues and resented washingtons intervention
in wyoming were just having the community start a discussion said suzanne spiker miller the mother of an incoming seventh grader and a high school senior it feels like they dont have any faith in the communities to come up with something it was like were just going to tell you what to do
ms spiker millers older daughter rio said she and her friends first started discussing the topic of gender identity and public restrooms on a volleyball team trip she said that she wanted transgender classmates to feel safe and comfortable but that she would be uncomfortable changing in the same locker room as someone with male private parts
locker rooms are awkward anyways she said its scary for me as a girl having that potential for a perverted guy to come in you get those guys especially in high school there would always be that potential
parents and other residents who supported the anatomy centered policy urged the board to set aside gender neutral restrooms some said that the needs of a tiny minority of students   experts estimate that 03 percent of the population is transgender   should not reshape policy for the entire district others wondered why the issue was commanding so much attention
i feel like the school board has a lot more important issues than where people are going to the bathroom said heather larson the mother of four boys and two girls we tell kids no all the time no you cant spit on the lockers no you cant use your phones kids are used to following rules in a school and i dont think telling people where they have to go to the bathroom is heartbreaking
the school districts decision to punt on the issue disappointed students and parents who had been pushing for equal protections to become a written policy ms kelver the recent high school graduate has announced she is running for school board and said she would make gender issues a central focus of her campaign
its a tough situation she said people want to say were the aggressors that were the ones who want to do harm unto people that were just pushing our agenda its just me wanting to survive


beijing   the trouble with committing political suicide is that you live to regret it christopher f patten the last british colonial governor of hong kong wrote about britains vote to leave the european union attributing the aphorism to winston churchill
to continue the motif like any suicide a brexit would hurt others too there may be special meaning for hong kong which returned to chinese rule on july 1 1997 after 156 years of rule from london
attention in hong kong has mostly focused on the economic impact on the territory hong kongs richest man li ka shing has substantial investments in britain and hsbc the bank that was founded in hong kong in 1865 is headquartered in london
yet could a shrunken economy and greater political isolation possible outcomes if britain withdrew from the european union also cause britains voice in hong kong affairs to slip
britain has a right to speak out on hong kong affairs until 2047 when the sino british joint declaration governing the terms of its return to china expires johannes chan a law professor at hong kong university said in an interview
in the joint declaration china agreed that hong kong would retain a high degree of autonomy and its capitalist financial and legal systems for 50 years the current social and economic systems in hong kong will remain unchanged and so will the lifestyle the joint declaration says
because of the joint declaration the british government has a legitimate interest in hong kong for example in its democratic development mr chan said
the joint declaration was the basis of the basic law hong kongs mini constitution which promised hong kong gradual and orderly progress toward greater democracy though in vague terms
so while china can   and does   tell the united states not to interfere in hong kongs internal affairs a common chinese complaint against nations that press for greater human rights in china it cannot tell the british mr chan said
recent episodes such as the alleged abduction by mainland security agents of hong kong booksellers who published gossipy tomes on chinese politics raise doubts as to whether china is honoring its agreements especially on hong kongs right to retain its civil liberties
yet albert ho a hong kong lawmaker said britains defense of hong kong was already so weak that the prospect of a diminishing voice in hong kong affairs may not matter
much depends on how committed is the uk to upholding the joint declaration and how fast it can move and hard it can work to pressurize beijing mr ho said in an interview
now i dont think the uk has in the past been working very hard in the sense that it would be very strongly committed to upholding the joint declaration even at the expense of its relationship with china he said
i always think the british always put its economic interest with china above its obligation to hong kong he said
a front page commentary in the overseas edition of peoples daily the communist party newspaper tried to quell speculation that relations between beijing and london might be affected by last weeks vote on european union membership
the chinese british golden age wont change because of britain leaving the european union the commentary said referring to the close ties that prime minister david cameron has built with china but it warned at the same time the voices defaming chinese british relations are stirring ready to make trouble
but this week also brought a new tone to those ties with conservative members of parliament releasing a report saying that britain should reconsider its relationship with china because of a sharp deterioration in human rights there
either way mr ho doubts britains commitment to protecting hong kongs freedoms
after all they are just making comments in the parliament he said nothing more no actual measures including exercising diplomatic pressure on china
whereas the us can always flex its muscles in readjusting the trade relationship with hong kong he said the uk has no such instrument nor is it committed


before the iphone arrived in 2007 no one really thought typing on touch screen keyboards was a good idea since then we have become expert at tapping on the glass of our phones and tablets
while the built in keyboards from apple google and other device makers are much better than they used to be they are not the only options available
one of the most surprising third party keyboard apps for apple devices comes from apples archrival google the new gboard app works just as any sort of touch screen keyboard does it has a clean and simple design that doesnt distract you as you tap away it also offers all the usual punctuation and emoji via obvious controls it even looks good appearing superficially similar to apples own keyboard
gboard though has some very nice extras the space bar doubles as a track pad that lets you scroll the cursor around in text you have already typed
also google has incorporated search features directly into the keyboard
hit the google button as you type a message and you are typing in a search box all of googles search results are then accessible ready to be copied and pasted into the text   useful in looking up a word definition checking a street address or finding a gif or a youtube video you can even search for emoji which saves you the trouble of hunting manually
gboard also offers the option to glide type   swiping between consecutive letters instead of tapping on the screen   and many of the apps features are customizable through settings
if you are worried that google will log what you type google says it will not record your messages be they love letters or musings on the latest news or gossip gboard is free
while gboard has much to like my favorite third party keyboard app is swiftkey it deals with one of the biggest problems with typing on a touch screen mistakes swiftkey autocorrects them
but thats just the start as any smartphone user knows autocorrect can mangle what you are trying to type even further swiftkey uses artificial intelligence to learn about your writing style over time building up an understanding of the words you like to use so when you are typing a long message the app can usually do a good job of correcting typos you make because it can guess the word you intended to use
swiftkey also suggests the words you may want to type next so they can be entered with a single keystroke swiftkey can even learn your slang and emoji habits
the app does a good job of detecting which language you are using automatically switching its correction of typos even if you switch languages midmessage a common weak point of other keyboards autocorrect systems as bilingual typists like me know well
the app supports glide typing and it is quite customizable so that its layout can be changed to a split keyboard for example or the background color can be changed swiftkey is free for both ios and android but some of the colorful themes cost 1 to 2
if swiftkey doesnt polish your typing skills fleksy is a similar third party keyboard app free for both ios and android that has many of the same features fleksys keyboard layout is customizable in color and size and the app is good at autocorrecting typos
as with gboard the space bar doubles as a track pad and fleksy has a one handed typing mode which is handy if you are carrying something in your other hand
the apps main feature is that it has customizable keyboard rows so that particular words or keys can always be available
then there is the old but still good standby swype swype helped popularize the gesture based glide to type text entry system
swype is still a very good app it offers many of the same features as its rivals like predicting the next words to be typed and lets gestures perform tricks like scrolling back through text that has already been entered it also has different themes so its look and feel can be changed but swype has not advanced as quickly as its peers in adapting to new trends and offering new features
its also 1 on ios and android and some of its colorful themes cost upward of 1
finally for another surprising keyboard app check out microsofts word flow which is free on ios
all the standard keyboard tricks are there   predictive text smart autocorrection and glide typing but word flow is one of the best looking keyboard apps and its customization options let you place an image behind the keyboard instead of simply colorful themes
there is also a one handed typing mode that rearranges the keys into an arc around one corner of the screen so you just have to swivel your thumb to hit the right key this curved keyboard is very clever and could be very useful though it does take a bit of getting used to word flow is free but for now sadly it is ios only
nasas mobile apps have always been popular for people interested in space technology and astronomy because of the vast amount of information archive images video and live news they offer
now the nasa app for apple tv has arrived and safe to say the latest mars panoramas look much more impressive on your living rooms big screen than on your phone there is also the option to view live high resolution video from the international space station making your tv a window into space the app is free through the apple tv app store


london   be brave jussi pylkkanen christies global president urged the crowd at wednesday evenings postwar and contemporary art sale as he began taking bids for one of two works by jean michel basquiat
at least one seller clearly wasnt feeling intrepid withdrawing the sales top lot gerhard richters abstraktes bild 811 2 a 1994 painting estimated at about 19 million just before the auction or perhaps christies was unable to generate enough interest in that piece which did not have a guarantee
still the cautious sense of brexit proof resilience in the art market that surfaced at sothebys auction on tuesday and at phillipss sale on monday was also clear at christies 39 lot auction the sale brought a total of 396 million pounds or 528 million compared with a presale estimate of 351 million to 50 million
wednesday nights mood was particularly buoyed by the flurry of bidding for the basquiats
eight works by the urban artist who died in 1988 had been consigned to christies by the actor johnny depp six will be auctioned at christies day sale on thursday the first of the group a 1981 self portrait made of paint and paper on three hinged wooden panels sold wednesday after heated bidding for 35 million pounds or 47 million to acquavella galleries well exceeding its high estimate of 19 million
and the artists pork from the same year painted on a door sold for PS51 million or 68 million to a telephone bidder competing with an unidentified woman at the back of the room this price the highest of the evening surpassed the high estimate of 44 million
william acquavella who said he purchased the basquiat self portrait to sell at his gallery added that caution persists in the market there just isnt that much quality   pickings are slim   but its been like this for a while he said the auction houses arent offering as many guarantees and dealers are doing more privately sellers dont want to take the risk its a volatile time and people need the assurance of getting the price they want
the auction started out strong with adrian ghenies dr mengele a 2011 oil on canvas that is part of a series by the painter depicting the notorious nazi doctor at auschwitz it sold for PS398500 or about 530300
final prices include the buyers premium 25 percent of the first PS100000 20 percent of the next PS100000 to PS2 million and 12 percent of the rest the presale estimates do not reflect commissions
other high points included sean scullys eve an oil on three attached canvases that sold for PS902500 or 12 million
christies said at a postsale news conference that the auction drew bidders from 39 countries across four continents including many participants from asia ten of the lots sold to buyers in britain which has been buffeted by last weeks referendum result calling for the nation to exit from the european union the response was very global said brett gorvy christies worldwide chairman for postwar and contemporary art
asian bidding was across the scale on artists like basquiat ghenie and scully he said we havent seen that up to now
there were surprises francis outred christies european head of postwar and contemporary art said he had anticipated that andy warhols two dollar bills would sell to an american because of the cheap dollar instead it went to a british based buyer for 59 million


oslo   a norwegian court on wednesday cleared the way for the extradition of an iraqi kurdish imam to italy to face terrorism related charges
the cleric najmuddin faraj ahmad commonly known as mullah krekar arrived in norway as a refugee in 1991 but is not a citizen he has been imprisoned for making death threats against numerous people including prime minister erna solberg
mr ahmad has also praised the militants who attacked the offices of the french satirical newspaper charlie hebdo last year killing 12 people and in november the italian authorities named him in a multinational terrorism investigation
fifteen people in four countries were arrested as part of that investigation which focused on rawti shax a group that mr ahmad is accused of leading and that grew out of ansar al islam a terrorist network with ties to al qaeda rawti shax plotted to overthrow the kurdish government in northern iraq and to recruit militants to fight in iraq and syria officials said
on wednesday the oslo district court ruled that there were no legal obstacles to extraditing mr ahmad to italy
it is the opinion of the norwegian authorities that krekar should not be in norway ms solberg the prime minister told the newspaper aftenposten on wednesday we have no need to have him here but the extradition process is a legal one not a political one
this was not the first time the norwegian government tried to extradite mr ahmad in 2003 when ms solberg was the minister for local government responsible for the integration of immigrants she began proceedings to return mr ahmad to iraq because he was considered a threat to national security the extradition was blocked on human rights grounds because iraq has the death penalty
in a phone interview on wednesday brynjar meling mr ahmads defense lawyer said his client would appeal
whether or not italy might extradite my client to iraq will be a vital question when we appeal this decision mr meling said he argued that mr ahmad should instead be tried in norway where he also faces terrorism charges the norwegian authorities have said they would prefer to expel mr ahmad
mr meling said that mr ahmad had been in prison for making death threats against ms solberg and three kurdish men during the time the italian authorities say he was directing rawti shax after his release last year mr ahmad was closely monitored by the norwegian police security service which is responsible for domestic security mr meling said
in october before the italians announced their charges mr ahmad was again convicted in norway of making death threats and he has been in jail since
the government is boiling soup on the same old nail mr meling said using a norwegian idiom for making something out of nothing
another iraqi citizen in norway kamil jalal fatah also faces extradition to italy under wednesdays ruling
both men have three days to appeal any appeal would go first to a regional court and then to the countrys supreme court if those courts side with the district court it is likely that mr ahmad will be extradited though the final decision will rest with the countrys justice ministry and the government the justice minister anders anundsen said in an interview in november that he had no second thoughts about extraditing a person who is not a citizen of norway to italy and described mr krekar as a threat to national security
mr anundsens spokesman declined to comment on the case on wednesday saying he could not discuss an active legal proceeding


a 1109 carat uncut diamond offered in an unusual public auction is still waiting for a buyer
offered for sale at a public auction on wednesday evening at sothebys in london the stone   believed to be the largest still uncut diamond in the world   failed to sell when it did not meet the minimum reserve a price that was not specified
the bidding stopped at 61 million a fee of about 12 percent known as the buyers premium would have been added to that price which would have brought the total cost to about 68 million
if you divide it by 1109 carats it is about 62000 a carat said henri barguirdjian president and chief executive of graff diamonds that is a very high price for a rough diamond so obviously the reserve was too high
the stone was discovered last fall in the lucara mine in botswana selling it at auction was an uncommon move such stones are normally offered to a handful of sophisticated dealers
the auction was a gamble for both lucara and sothebys on the desire among the ultra wealthy for such a totem of luxury britains vote last week to leave the european union may have affected the bidding interest
potential bidders had a chance to examine the stone in advance evidently they did not think that the diamond which would probably have been cut into smaller stones justified a higher price
the record price for a rough stone was set in may when lucara sold an 813 carat diamond at a private auction for 63 million or about 77500 a carat


shakespeare biography has long circled a set of tantalizing mysteries was he protestant or secretly catholic gay or straight loving toward his wife or coldly dismissive
that the man left no surviving letters or autobiographical testimony has hardly helped ensuring that accounts of his life have often relied on one halfpenny worth of fact to an intolerable deal of supposition as the scholar c w scott giles once lamented
only a few scraps of new material relating to shakespeare in his lifetime have surfaced over the past century but now a researcher has uncovered nearly a dozen previously unknown records that shed clearer light on another much discussed side of the man the social climber
the documents discovered by heather wolfe the curator of manuscripts at the folger shakespeare library in washington relate to a coat of arms that was granted to shakespeares father in 1596 attesting to his and his sons status as gentlemen
considered with previously known records ms wolfe argues the documents suggest both how deeply invested shakespeare was in gaining that recognition   a rarity for a man from the theater   and how directly he may have been drawn into colorful bureaucratic infighting that threatened to strip it away
the new evidence really helps us get a little bit closer to the man himself ms wolfe said it shows him shaping himself and building his reputation in a very intentional way
james shapiro a shakespeare scholar at columbia university who has seen ms wolfes research said her discoveries help illuminate what mattered to shakespeare its all about trying to figure out what was he like mr shapiro said anytime we can substitute something solid for speculation thats significant
the new documents mr shapiro added also come with a nice bonus they clearly refute skeptics who continue to argue   to the deep exasperation of most scholars   that william shakespeare of stratford upon avon was not actually the author of the works attributed to him
its always been clear that shakespeare of stratford and shakespeare the player were one and the same mr shapiro said but if you hold the documents heather has discovered together that is the smoking gun
ms wolfes discoveries began in the archives of the college of arms in london home to 10 heralds who are still charged with researching and granting coats of arms   arcane territory where many literary scholars might fear to tread
looking through the minutiae of the college of arms is even for shakespeare scholars almost unbearable mr shapiro said we really owe heather a debt of gratitude for wading in
ms wolfe said she began wondering if there wasnt fresh material to find there when she looked through a book edited by nigel ramsay a historian at university college london with whom she curated an exhibition on heraldry at the folger in 2014 on one page she was startled by something she had never seen before a sketch of the arms with the words shakespeare the player or actor dated to around 1600
a similar image with the same text   a copy dating from around 1700   has long been known to shakespeare scholars as well as to authorship skeptics who generally dismiss as unreliable any evidence dated after 1616 the year of shakespeares death but this earlier one from the college of arms seemed to have gone unremarked on
ms wolfe started digging there and in other archives and so far has gathered a dozen unknown or forgotten depictions of the arms in heraldic reference works called alphabets and ordinaries i just started finding them everywhere she said
scholars have long known that shakespeares father john a businessman and justice of the peace in stratford had first made inquiries about a coat of arms around 1575 they have speculated that it was william who renewed the effort in 1596 on his fathers behalf
the new depictions ms wolfe has gathered are all from the 17th century more than half associate the arms with shakespeare the player or with william not john
this material not only proves that shakespeare was shakespeare as ms wolfe wryly put it it also she argues underlines the degree to which contemporaries saw the coat of arms as in effect being for william
it makes it abundantly clear that while shakespeare was obtaining the arms on behalf of his father it was really for his own status she said
mr shapiro said he agreed all evidence suggests this was not about the father he said but about how shakespeare wanted to be seen
alan h nelson a retired professor at university of california berkeley who has contributed to shakespeare documented an online project curated by ms wolfe said he also found her case persuasive
the new material he added helps to confirm everything we know about the arc of shakespeares career and the way he understood himself in the context of his society he said
but not all of shakespeares contemporaries took his newly minted status at face value ben jonson mocked his arms in his 1598 play every man out of his humour in which a country bumpkin is advised to purchase arms with the motto not without mustard a dig at shakespeares motto not without right shakespeares arms were yellow
a more threatening attack came in 1602 from ralph brooke a herald in the college of arms who had long been at war with his archrival william dethick who held the title garter king of arms at one point brooke reportedly warned dethick himself a notoriously violent man that the star chamber would punish him by cutting off his ears
that year brooke drew up for submission to the queen a list of 23 mean persons who had wrongfully been granted arms by dethick including shakespeare the player as brooke put it disparagingly shakespeare was not the only one given a lowly job description a man derided by brooke as a mere bookbinder ms wolfe noted was actually master of the stationers company the prestigious body that regulated the publishing industry
among dethicks records ms wolfe found letters from outraged people whose arms had come under attack as well as notes indicating that some had withdrawn their claims
while no record of shakespeares response survives ms wolfe argues that the others intense reactions suggest that he must have known about the controversy and likely took action to defend his status
some whose letters survive lived outside london she noted they couldnt just approach dethick as shakespeare could have
shakespeare may have held onto his arms but the glory didnt last his son hamnet had died in 1596 his last direct descendant a granddaughter named elizabeth barnard died in 1670
ms wolfe said that a colleague at the folger recently pointed out something she has not seen any scholar discuss the wax seal on elizabeths last will shows a fragment of the shakespeare arms just barely visible
shes dying shes the last in the direct line and the arms have faded ms wolfe said it just seems touchingly symbolic


more than half of those who have tested positive for the zika virus in new york city had traveled in recent months to the dominican republic the citys health department said on wednesday releasing data from its latest round of testing
the results were a stark reminder that as the summer travel season begins many of the most popular destinations for new yorkers in the caribbean and latin america pose a serious health risk especially for pregnant women
the new and more detailed data   which broke down cases by borough and by travel history   was issued in a health alert to doctors and health care providers across the city
dr mary t bassett the citys health commissioner said that of the 233 people who have tested positive 140 had reported recently arriving from the dominican republic
after the dominican republic the places most frequently visited by patients who tested positive for the virus were puerto rico with 20 cases and guyana the small south american nation with 14
dr bassett said the results should not be used to stigmatize any group but to raise awareness it wont serve new yorkers well if we create the impression that zika is a dominican problem or a puerto rico problem or a guyana problem she said
a vast majority of people who contract the virus spread most commonly by mosquitoes have no symptoms and those who do become sick generally experience only mild illness pregnant women however face a different set of dangers
zika poses the greatest risk to a developing fetus and has been linked to a number of birth defects including microcephaly a condition that causes children to be born with abnormally small heads and brain damage
various studies have found the risk that a baby will have microcephaly to be 1 percent to 29 percent
in rare cases the virus has been associated with guillain barre syndrome a disorder in which the bodys immune system attacks part of the peripheral nervous system which can lead to paralysis usually temporary in new york city two people who tested positive for zika had guillain barre they have both since recovered dr bassett said
there is also a growing concern about the risk of sexual transmission while all the cases in the city are believed to be travel related at least two other cases in new york state are thought to be the result of sexual transmission health officials said
under guidelines issued in february all women who are pregnant or trying to become pregnant and who have also traveled to zika affected countries should be tested even those with no symptoms
during the first few months after the guidelines changed however many of the women considered most at risk were not being tested dr bassett said that once the city recognized the problem health officials moved aggressively to inform communities with close ties to the affected areas
we are seeing the disparity close she said on wednesday
several explanations have been offered for why such a large percentage of positive tests involve travel to the dominican republic health officials said
in recent years dominicans have overtaken puerto ricans as the largest latino community in the city with 747473 dominicans living in the five boroughs in 2013 compared with 719444 puerto ricans according to the most recent census data
and as recent immigrants dominicans have a greater inclination to travel between their home country and new york than other immigrant groups do
dr bassett said that the numbers might also reflect better access to care or information in the dominican community
the city separated positive cases by borough for the first time from jan 19 to june 24 3906 people were tested of the 233 who were found to have zika 95 were residents of the bronx 52 of manhattan 47 of queens and 39 of brooklyn
of these 162 were female and 24 were pregnant at the time of the diagnosis the patients ranged in age from 1 to 74 with a median age of 40
as the summer travel season picks up health officials fully expect the number of cases to increase especially as the virus continues to spread swiftly in south america and the caribbean
there are hundreds of pregnant women with zika in the dominican republic and with each week hundreds of new cases are discovered in puerto rico the situation is just as dire
in the coming months its possible that thousands of pregnant women in puerto rico could become infected dr tom frieden director of the centers for disease control and prevention said during a conference call in june


angry over a six year cholera epidemic in haiti traced to infected united nations peacekeepers 158 members of congress asked secretary of state john kerry on wednesday to pressure the united nations for a more effective response including reparations to victims
by official estimates the epidemic has killed roughly 10000 people and sickened more than 800000 in haiti the western hemispheres poorest country some research has suggested that the death toll could be far higher
in a letter sent to mr kerry by representative john conyers jr a michigan democrat who is the longest serving house member and representative mia love a utah republican the lawmakers expressed exasperation with what they described as the united nations failure to comply with its legal and moral obligations to provide cholera victims with access to an effective remedy
the letter also chided the obama administration for the state departments failure to take more leadership in the diplomatic realm saying this could be perceived as a limited american commitment to an accountable and credible un
while most of the signers were democrats the letter was extraordinary partly because of its bipartisanship in a climate of polarized politics in washington
cholera an infection that spreads through water contaminated by human waste had been absent in haiti for a century until the arrival of a united nations peacekeeping force in 2010 after the countrys devastating earthquake medical studies have shown that the disease was reintroduced via infected members of the peacekeeping contingent and their faulty sanitation practices which leached latrine sewage into the water supply
while the united nations has helped in the effort to combat the epidemic it has not acknowledged any responsibility for causing it or provided a way for victims to seek compensation it has also refused to recognize the validity of lawsuits by victims arguing that diplomatic treaties insulate the united nations from such actions
lawyers for the victims have filed at least three suits in the united states the host country of the united nations which justice department lawyers have argued are invalid but in march a federal appeals panel in new york agreed to consider whether one of those lawsuits could proceed the panels decision has not been announced
in the meantime cholera remains embedded in haiti and appeared to worsen last year killing roughly three dozen people a month
the un continues to refuse to even discuss providing compensation for the losses incurred by those killed and sickened by the cholera it brought to haiti and there is no notable progress in its proclaimed efforts to provide the water and sanitation infrastructure necessary to control the cholera epidemic the congressional letter to mr kerry said
it urged the state department to immediately and unreservedly exercise its leadership to ensure that the united nations take concrete steps to eliminate the cholera epidemic
john kirby the state department spokesman said we have received representative conyerss letter and are currently preparing a response
a united nations spokesman farhan haq said in an email that the organization was committed to ensuring best environmental practices throughout all un peace operations and that it took urgent action when risks were identified
mr haq also said that while the humanitarian response in haiti was underfunded the united nations is also doing its utmost to rally the resources necessary to support the governments longer term efforts to eliminate cholera and improve water and sanitation throughout the country
his statement did not address who was responsible for the epidemic or compensation for its victims
mr conyers said in a statement that the epidemic was a darkening stain on the worlds conscience and was damaging the united nations credibility
the us government cannot watch this crisis unfold from the sidelines he said we need to exercise our leadership to make sure that cholera is eliminated and that the un provides due process and remedies to the victims
ms love citing the role of the united states as the largest financial supporter of the united nations said it is critical that we use our influence to ensure the un takes responsibility for this outbreak and works to protect the people of haiti
advocates for cholera victims said they were encouraged by the letter which they said sent a strong message
this letter is a remarkable showing of bipartisanship and consensus that the uns stonewalling on cholera accountability and the us governments acquiescence to it are unacceptable said brian concannon jr director of the institute for justice and democracy in haiti a boston based legal advocacy group


little falls nj   in a private interview after a news conference in which only baseball related questions were requested higinio velez was asked one that veered well outside the preapproved lines
he did not scowl or storm off he smiled and said that was a great question for the public the one i was waiting for
then velez the president of the cuban baseball federation and a former manager of cubas national team gave an answer that was as paradoxical as it was political
the federation he said welcomes the thawing of cubas relationship with the united states hopes for more visits like the national teams swing through the independent can am league this month and does not fear his countrys fertile developmental system will be infiltrated by major league baseball
the cuban players he said through an interpreter are living their dream   they are in cuba because they want to be there he added we dont worry about them wanting to come here
he said that even as the countrys best players continue to land in the united states shedding government and federation constraints however they can
at that moment here was the yogi berra museum and learning center on the campus of montclair state university where a monday news conference preceded a three game series between the cuban team and the new jersey jackals at the adjacent stadium also named for berra in the opener on tuesday night the cubans won a rain shortened seven inning contest 9 4 before a sparse crowd
the jackals series is the conclusion of a 19 game swing in which the cubans have faced the six can am league teams   three in canada where the tour was conceived and three in northern new jersey and rockland county ny
along the way despite many cuban pronouncements regarding the warmth and hospitality they have encountered there has been evidence of old world stubbornness of the status quo with a touch of tortured sportsmanship
on wednesday night back at berra stadium an international incident was avoided after the cuban manager roger machado pulled his team off the field in protest of a grand slam hit down the left field line by the jackals adam martin although the ball appeared to be foul the umpires reversed the call without the benefit of a replay
the jackals won anyway 3 1 with the cubans left furious by a close call at first base on the last out the good will tour will end perhaps mercifully on thursday night
while the cubans   who said they had brought about half their front line national team players   were losing seven of 10 games in canada before reeling off seven straight victories south of the border the star infielder yulieski gourriel 32 was auditioning for major league clubs having defected in february
and during a shopping trip last week after a series in new jersey against the sussex county miners lazaro ramirez a 24 year old outfielder slipped away from the cuban team he had not returned
the apparent defection led to a tense weekend in rockland county where the cuban players snubbed orlando hernandez the cuban pitcher with the high leg kick whose harrowing 1997 exit by boat led to a flamboyantly productive run with the yankees
no one say hi to me no one shake my hand a deflated hernandez told reporters after throwing out the first pitch to the former yankees catcher john flaherty who is now a limited partner of the rockland boulders
the team had invited hernandez known as el duque to kick off the weekend series on friday night with 75 year old luis tiant a cuban legend and hernandezs stylistic ancestor tapped for the sunday series closer
shawn reilly the boulders executive vice president and general manager said cuban officials had expressed their displeasure over hernandezs presence especially because the game was being televised by espn deportes
they sat down in my office and were adamant that el duques first pitch was not to be broadcast back to cuba reilly said he added that while the weekend was a box office success and wed love to play them again it was a headache high maintenance
the boulders reilly said had to pick up the costs for heightened security after ramirezs disappearance the cubans per diem demands were much higher than can am league norms and in contrast to the relaxed conventions of independent baseball the cuban players were marched from one place to the next by delegation officials with little time for mixing with fans many of whom reilly said were cubans
when the cuban team arrived in new jersey on monday a trip to union city long identified with cuban americans was canceled because of security concerns the cuban team also rejected a planned boat tour around manhattan before later agreeing to go
michel laplante the president of the can am leagues quebec capitales who provided the inspiration for the cuban tour said it was wrong to interpret the national teams behavior as standoffish across the political and cultural divide from his canadian perspective it seemed more complicated than that
when you sit down with them and they explain their position sometimes youll say oh that makes sense laplante said
for instance there was a brief uproar in cuba when the team lost three of four games in quebec city there was little tolerance back home for news of tourist events by the cuban team when competitive national pride was at stake
laplante who spent most of a nine year minor league career in the pittsburgh pirates organization forged a relationship with the cuban federation several years ago shepherding a group of canadian boys to the island to learn the game in a less pampered environment he approached the cubans with a more radical idea in 2014 telling them i am the president of a team in quebec city   why not send someone to play for us
soon after yuniesky gourriel the older and less talented brother of the most recent star defector became the first cuban ballplayer in more than half a century to play professionally in north america with the cuban governments permission
three more cubans arrived in quebec city last season heriberto suarez cubas baseball commissioner told the globe and mail a canadian newspaper we have set a precedent with the contracts we have done
was he suggesting that cuba might soon allow its players free movement to the united states there was no way to know but that would end the stream of embarrassing defections that have resulted   both countries agree   in potentially dangerous human trafficking
from the cuban perspective laplante said there is also a belief that many of the countrys players are promised eventual riches   yoenis cespedes money he said   that they will never earn when they wind up maxing out in the minor leagues
a cuban defection was nothing new for reilly of the boulders who was with the niagara falls rapids in 1993 when the team hosted the baseball tournament for the world university games in buffalo one of their players climbed over a fence got into a car and that was that he said
the player was rey ordonez who signed with the mets twenty years later ordonez returned to cuba to a heros welcome which made the recent treatment of hernandez all the more bewildering to reilly who thought he had scored a promotional coup
when he picked up tiant at the airport for sundays game reilly mentioned what had happened with hernandez tiant who did not have to defect to sign with cleveland in 1961 was treated royally by the cubans when reilly took him to their clubhouse he told reilly that there often were ulterior motives with the cubans hidden agendas
they dont want to open it up reilly said tiant told him suggesting that the federation officials did fear becoming another dominican republic where major league teams mine talent with their own in country academies
concurring on this point was roberto gonzalez echevarria an expert in latino literature and culture a yale professor and a keen observer of his native cubas baseball program since the can am league tour began he has been scouring cuban blogs trying to figure out why the federation agreed to compete in a league that is considered on a par with high level class a ball
on monday suarez the cuba commissioner said the national team had no major tournament this summer and desired an international trip before next springs world baseball classic echevarria a longtime critic of the cuban government was not convinced
maybe its to keep the players happy because they are not really getting paid he said to me it shows theres a great deal of confusion even dissension within the cuban baseball establishment because the opening with the us is really going to affect it to the core
while cuban government detractors hope that the countrys baseball federation will ultimately have to accept the tide of change and that cuban defectors might eventually play for their country in the world baseball classic velezs immediate plan   more good will barnstorming   sounded much less ambitious
its an issue with the government he said if it were up to me wed be here traveling every weekend
asked about ramirez and more potential defections he said if we were afraid of that at all we wouldnt even be here
one cuban player spoke at mondays news conference yorbi borroto the team captain a talented shortstop some think could someday play in the majors asked about the cubans who have struck it rich in america he said they all come from the same school of hard knocks from the same plan
he claimed not to have much information on how they were doing or how much they were earning but he wished them long careers his personal ambition was simply to continue traveling and playing with other countries he said the plan was vague enough that the two cuban officials standing nearby velez and suarez could listen in and approve


european officials are expected to approve a new agreement with the united states aimed at helping companies like general electric and google among others move online data between the two regions despite concerns about how the digital information of europeans may be retrieved by the american government
the decision according to a draft of the agreement obtained by the new york times is based on renewed assurances by united states officials that europeans data will be sufficiently protected when it is transferred outside the 28 member bloc
many of europes national privacy regulators had raised concerns that the new agreement known as the eu us privacy shield did not go far enough to protect europeans fundamental rights they said the bulk collection of europeans data by united states and european intelligence agencies failed to comply with the regions data protection rules
but in the lengthy document with several letters from american officials including new explanations of united states privacy safeguards by robert litt general counsel of the united states office of the director of national intelligence the european commission said it was satisfied that europeans data would not be unfairly used or retrieved by american intelligence agencies
the draft document still requires approval from europes member states which are expected to meet as early as next monday to approve the data transfer pact the final agreement though may be postponed until the week of july 11 when penny pritzker the united states commerce secretary who helped to negotiate the privacy shield is expected to visit brussels
this new framework for trans atlantic data flows protects the fundamental rights of europeans and ensures legal certainty for businesses christian wigand a european commission spokesman said in a statement we are now in the process toward formal adoption
a representative for the commerce department was not immediately available to comment
the completion of the new trans atlantic data agreement would put an end to months of wrangling between american and european policy makers over how the worlds largest companies transfer digital information about peoples social media posts and online search queries among other data across the atlantic
europes highest court ruled last october that a previous agreement did not sufficiently protect europeans privacy rights which are viewed on par with other fundamental rights like freedom of speech
european officials forced their american counterparts to offer europeans more control over how their data was collected when transferred to the united states a new position called the privacy shield ombudsman also was created in the state department to review european data protection complaints
in the draft agreement the european commission said it had been reassured that this position would remain independent of american intelligence agencies and that united states officials had offered further commitments to limit the bulk collection of europeans online data
on the basis of all the above the commission concludes that the united states ensures effective legal protection against interferences by its intelligence authorities with the fundamental rights of the persons whose data are transferred from the union to the united states under the eu us privacy shield the document said
the agreement may be short lived many national regulators remain concerned about how it will be put into effect and several data protection campaigners have said they will probably file legal cases against the new pact these legal challenges expert say are likely to be heard by the european court of justice the regions highest court


being on the lower end of the wage scale can mean paying much more for car insurance even for good drivers
factors like renting rather than owning a home holding just a high school diploma and working an hourly wage job can mean substantially higher costs for car insurance according to a new analysis of online auto insurance quotes by the consumer federation of america
insurers dont explicitly use income as a factor in setting rates but companies often consider social and economic factors like education and occupation that serve as surrogates for income j robert hunter the federations director of insurance said in a phone interview with reporters this week to discuss the findings
as a result he said a blue collar worker with a clean driving record pays an average of 59 percent more or 681 a year than a white collar worker with a similar record in some markets the federations analysis found the difference in rates is even larger
the current situation for low income drivers is intolerable mr hunter said
the study sought online quotes for basic liability insurance for four hypothetical drivers in 15 cities from the websites of five major insurers geico progressive allstate farmers and state farm liability insurance which covers drivers if they cause damage to other cars and people is required by all states except new hampshire the study sought quotes for both a male and a female driver who were married held masters degrees and who worked white collar jobs the man was assigned the job of a manufacturing executive while the woman was a bank executive each owned a car and carried insurance during the previous six months
then keeping constant information like the applicants driving record address and zip code the same address was used in each city the study sought quotes for drivers who were single held high school diplomas and rented their homes the mans occupation was changed to a factory worker and the womans was changed to bank teller the researchers also indicated that the hypothetical applicants had not owned a car for the previous six months and so they had not carried car insurance
the analysis found that the average premium for all drivers with indicators of high socioeconomic status was just over 1140 while the average quote for the low economic status drivers was 1825
two insurers geico and progressive charged the largest average percentage increases to lower economic status drivers geico charged a 92 percent increase and progressive 80 percent allstate and farmers charged the largest average dollar increase allstates was 915 and farmers was 900
state farm charged smaller average increases 13 percent or 217 a year
the largest increases because of the change in socioeconomic data occurred in atlanta boston houston jacksonville fla jersey city minneapolis and the borough of queens in new york city all averaged more than 700 a year
in some cases the online system declined to give a quote to the low status driver the analysis found or it offered a quote   but from the insurers high risk affiliate which generally handles customers with blemished driving records
david snyder vice president of policy development and research at the property casualty insurers association of america an industry group said the federations study distorted the way auto insurance works for consumers all factors used in setting rates are proven to increase the accuracy of predicting the likelihood of a loss he said so that riskier drivers pay more insurance companies rate on the basis of risk he said subject to insurance regulatory approval
mr snyder said the association would prefer to focus attention on reducing risky behavior like distracted driving that is causing a sharp rise in severe traffic accidents and driving up insurance costs
the consumer federation is urging state legislators to adopt rules that would force insurers to emphasize driving related factors like tickets and accidents when setting premiums
here are some questions and answers about auto insurance
how can i get the best rate on car insurance
mr hunter advises consumers to get quotes from different companies since rates can vary markedly from one insurer to another in minneapolis for example the quote from state farm for a low economic status male driver was 994 a year compared with 3626 from farmers make sure you are dealing with the insurers standard insurance division he said and not its high risk affiliate with the high risk division he said if youre a good driver youll pay too much
but birny birnbaum executive director of the center for economic justice said there were limits to the benefits of shopping around it is often difficult for consumers to obtain information to help evaluate which insurer offer is best overall mr birnbaum said most states offered limited data about how quickly insurers resolve claims or on the proportion of claims that end up in litigation state insurance regulators he said must become more assertive in collecting such information the national association of insurance commissioners offers some complaint data on its website as well as links to state insurance websites
q do insurers offer any discounts
the insurance information institute an industry group recommends asking about discounts available for having multiple lines of insurance with the same company like auto and homeowners for driving limited distances or for taking a safe driving course members of the military also may be eligible for discounts
its also possible to lower your premium by raising your deductible   the amount you will owe out of pocket for a claim   or dropping some kinds of coverage from an older car
where can i find information about shopping for auto insurance
the national association of insurance commissioners representing state insurance regulators offers a consumer guide on its website


as earth rotates in the summer fireflies whisper sweet nothings to each other in the most beautiful language never heard for millions of years the insects have called to one another secretly using flashes of light like a romantic morse code with some rather simple technology   a light and a battery   scientists have been decoding their love notes for years but recently i learned that you dont have to be an entomologist to try to talk to fireflies
about 2000 known species of fireflies inhabit temperate and tropical forests around the world all of them as larvae produce bioluminescent light through a chemical reaction inside their abdomens but only some continue to flash as grown up beetles that we know as fireflies most species developed their own flash pattern or language that they use to attract potential mates warn predators about their toxicity advertise a nutritious dowry or for some cannibalistic fireflies called femme fatales mimic other firefly species and lure them in for dinner a couple of species even flash in synchrony
two weeks ago i took a new gadget with me to north carolina and attempted a heart to heart with a firefly i wanted to test out the firefly communicator which was developed by joey stein a nature enthusiast and technologist the device is a hand held battery operated plastic thing a ma jig with two buttons that control an led light by design it looks a lot like a lightning bug scientists have been using contraptions of their own making to attract fireflies identify their sex and species and learn about their flash patterns for years but this one and the app that allows you to program it with your smartphone requires far less background knowledge
i went looking for a bioluminescent connection down by a river at the edge of a forest on a warm humid evening just as the sun was setting within minutes thousands of fireflies arrived and began performing a silent symphony of light that twinkled from the grass to the tree line it was time for romance
given this was my first time as a firefly i kept it simple when i saw a flash i chose between a freestyle button to copy a presumably male species or another preprogrammed button to respond as a female photinus pyralis the most common species of firefly in north america
i first looked for any flash moving around then hit the automatic female button to flash back a sweet hello in the wild females are selective meaning they get their pick of the males so they stay stationary i did too i didnt have to worry about my timing because the button was programmed to wait the species specific amount of time about two seconds before blinking back i hit the button again when i saw another flash and watched as the bug approached it landed on my sister who was standing beside me and started crawling around on her neck flashing hysterically
id caught a sex starved male said fredric vencl an evolutionary biologist who studies fireflies at stony brook university and consulted with mr stein imagine flying around in the middle of the night looking for sex and all you need is a response to your pattern that has the correct timing features he said he just thinks hes hit the jackpot
but when i tried to attract a female it wasnt as easy according to dr vencl male fireflies are generally more mobile and have somewhat fancier flash patterns to mimic a male i walked briskly through the yard using the freestyle button to copy what i presumed was a male flashing five times in a row i looked around for single flashes near the grass and approached them hey ladies hey ladies i flashed back but my presumed female flew away
the key to speaking firefly kathrin stanger hall who studies firefly signals at the university of georgia wrote in an email is to find out the right time interval between male flashes and the female response
perhaps i did something wrong   males tend to dim their lights as they draw closer to females as a caution against the predatorial femme fatales so the theory goes perhaps i gave my true identity away when i didnt dim my light or miscalculated the timing between flashes
i turned off a few more fireflies that night and went home alone but at least i tried
to test out your own firefly conversation skills take a walk at twilight preferably after a thunderstorm just about anywhere in north america except the west coast where only the larvae light up even new yorkers can find them if you dont want to buy a firefly communicator you can make like a biologist and try to build your own by attaching an led light to a battery and clicking it on and off dr stanger hall said one of the greatest firefly hunters james lloyd fishes for them he dangles light diodes from fishing rods wired to a push button
mr stein will be demonstrating his device on july 9 at the duke farms annual firefly festival in new jersey which attracts thousands of visitors each year and starts july 8 other festivals take place across the united states during this week and through july and august you can find them on firefly watchs website


paris   on the sunday that france bested ireland to advance to the quarterfinals the mens fashion shows were winding down but soccers european championships were ramping up it was a bright and breezy afternoon a happy respite from days of stifling heat and a gang of male models was settling down in front of an outdoor screen at au grand turenne a bar in the marais to watch the germany slovakia match
they had come from all over europe   the assembled crew represented germany poland england and france   to walk the runways or haunt the showrooms in paris they had spent the week and some the week before that in milan and before that in london hopping from casting audition to fitting fitting to show show to showroom in between when they could they caught the games
france is the host country for the 2016 uefa european championships and the games and mens fashion week collided in paris soccer fans on their way to the wales northern ireland game on saturday found themselves sharing a metro train car with fashion fans heading for the dior homme show the two groups arrived at the same stop in the 16th arrondissement eyeing each other with wary amusement   the green haired and the pochette clutching   before going their separate directions victor wales
the young men who had gathered at au grand turenne were brothers in arms of tomorrow is another day a modeling agency based in cologne germany some were veterans others were in their first season timi babasola are 19 of london who appeared in shows including wales bonner in london and christian dada in paris had been scouted buying a tube ticket in the stratford station
i was surprised surprised as hell he said i dont think of myself as a model
he was in paris for the first time
its nice   a nice little holiday is all mr babasola are said i havent got too much work so with all the walking around you still get to see things i saw the eiffel tower and some football
even for those not especially interested the soccer had been hard to ignore the streets filled regularly with screaming fans most ear splittingly when france overcame ireland earlier that afternoon revelry has been unavoidable and has made fans of the usually apathetic at the very least it makes for a break from the pressures of the fashion week grind
everyone in the hotels been watching it said gaby sahhar 23 a londoner with a shaved head and an alien look that earned him appearances at shows including hood by air and palm angels in paris to be fair i feel like this week has made me a big fan just because its been on ive become hooked on it in a weird way i know whats going on   with the cheering in the street you kind of have to know whats going on you become part of it
morgan doughty 20 of cornwall england whod just come from the paul smith show added you learn whats going on by whos happy
within minutes the germans at the table were happy when the defender jerome boateng scored the first goal benno bulang 18 from dresden who appeared on the runway for prada in milan and balenciaga valentino and louis vuitton in paris looked especially pleased mr boateng who is black has been a major force on the german team it was a teachable victory for a touchy moment in european history
he was criticized in germany by some racists because of the refugee crisis we have a massive growth of radical parties mr bulang told a fellow model amin djoneidi 18 from outside paris one of these members was saying its not ok that a black guy plays for the german team
he recalled an earlier game saved by mr boateng if he wouldnt have been there they would have lost he said its changing the minds
in france its the same replied mr djoneidi who had friendly wagers on every game and paused from time to time to banter with the parisian locals at au grand turenne at one point a few parisians serenaded him with a drinking song that translated to amin buy us a round he had faded tricolor flags painted on his wrist and hand from the french game earlier in the day
mr bulang explained that he preferred to play soccer than to watch it though his real sport is hacky sack
im a hacky sack master he told mr djoneidi i lost it in milan or i would show you
mr djoneidi looked confused and a french translation of hacky sack being unavailable the two returned to the screen
rabid enthusiasm for the game was shared by only a few of the models present lukas marschall 18 of berlin was watching quietly and intently as the others bantered among themselves with the score at 2 0 for germany he predicted a german win and possibly a showdown with spain or italy germany did win 3 0
mr marschall had spent the week in the paris showroom of the designer stephan schneider where he checked updates on his phone between looks
the designer said to me if i wanted to leave earlier to watch the game i can he said its quite nice
sam howard 25 of london is another devoted fan though he is a favorite of the american designer rick owens who often uses tomorrow is another day to find the kind of grim faced skulkers he prefers to cast on sunday he was wearing an arsenal jersey
the slovakian team could be rick owens models they look really angry mr howard said genuinely ive thought this before
but they all paled beside jan piasecki 22 of warsaw who had watched every game modeling obligations be damned his actual phrasing of this sentiment was somewhat more colorful
i dont care about castings and fittings he said gruffly i came here to watch matches football is my life without football i couldnt live
he predicted a polish victory
were going to win this tournament he said then referred to polands next opponent and two of that teams top players cristiano ronaldo and pepe were playing with portugal next and ronaldo is garbage pepe is crazy
he had walked in shows for dries van noten and 224 hommes in paris a relatively light schedule
i told the agency he said im not doing the shows during football


on a fund raising swing to the west coast last weekend bill clinton had a casual dinner with mark cuban the outspoken businessman and tv star who has inserted himself into the 2016 campaign criticizing donald j trump and even offering himself as a potential vice presidential candidate for hillary clinton
the dinner took place at the los angeles home of michael kives a hollywood agent and a top bundler for mrs clinton and comes amid one of the more unusual political courtships unfolding in the 2016 campaign
mr cuban the often fined owner of the dallas mavericks basketball team for his outlandish comments and berating of nba officials and a star of abcs shark tank had previously said he planned to sit down with mrs clinton
in the meantime he enjoyed an extended conversation about politics business and philanthropy with the former president said three people with firsthand knowledge of the gathering who could not discuss a private event for attribution
an aide said mr clinton regularly tacks on social events with friends while traveling the country to help his wifes campaign the small but eclectic dinner party in los angeles also included the musician stevie wonder the actors bryan cranston and ted danson john dauer the vocalist in the band the ruse and a friend of chelsea clinton and gene sperling an economic adviser to both mr clinton and president obama
mr clinton has known mr cuban for several years the billionaire has attended clinton global initiative conferences watched basketball with the 42nd president and spoke at a clinton foundation related event in dallas last year that also featured former president george w bush
while the dinner was not a fund raiser it did further immerse mr cuban whose incendiary statements and pro business positions could turn off some democrats in the inner circle of mrs clintons west coast supporters should he decide to give to the clinton campaign or super pac supporting such efforts
mr cuban did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment a spokesman for mr clinton declined to comment
last month mr cuban told nbcs meet the press he would absolutely entertain the idea of being mrs clintons running mate but that she would have to go more to the center
asked about mr cubans comments mrs clinton said i appreciate his openness to it adding i think we should look widely and broadly its not just people in elective office it is successful business people
while a clinton cuban ticket is extremely unlikely and there is no sign the businessman is being vetted in mrs clintons running mate search the banter has put mr cuban in the position of being an outspoken tv personality and billionaire who could potentially be a useful weapon against a republican nominee with a similar resume
mr cuban has grown increasingly critical of mr trump the nevertrump movement had tried to get mr cuban to consider a third party run but last month he told msnbc theres not enough time and it just wouldnt work
he did credit mr trump for opening up a pathway for nontraditional candidates you dont have to be the perfect stepford candidate like you wouldve been in the past mr cuban said
as mrs clinton seeks to appeal to the liberal wing of the democratic party and voters who supported senator bernie sanders her campaign is simultaneously and delicately seeking the endorsements of republican and republican leaning business leaders mr cuban has said he would like to vote republican on fiscal issues and a smaller government but disagrees with the party on most social issues
last week just before mrs clinton delivered a populist economic pitch alongside senator elizabeth warren her campaign released a list of business leaders including several republicans who had endorsed her including daniel f akerson the former chairman and chief executive of general motors and richard anderson the delta air lines executive
on friday henry m paulson jr the treasury secretary under mr bush during the 2008 financial crisis and a former goldman sachs chief executive expressed his support for mrs clinton in the washington post mr paulson wrote that a trump presidency would be unthinkable


london   he kept his cool as foul mouthed hooligans taunted him on a crowded tram in manchester england one of them demanding that he get back to africa he became the face of the resolve shown by migrants who have endured xenophobic insults in the tense days since britain voted last week to leave the european union a local newspaper praised him as superjuan
juan jasso the victim of a racist tirade that was captured on video and drew international attention on social media is not of african middle eastern or eastern european origin   the ancestry of many migrants who have faced recent hostility he is a 38 year old mexican american from brownsville tex who has lived in england for 18 years and it turns out that he supports britains withdrawal from the european bloc
i am not eligible to vote but if done right i think an exit could be positive mr jasso said in a phone interview on wednesday from the manchester college a vocational school where he teaches in the sports science department now the government has to abide by eu rules that may not be in britains interest and with an exit they can take back control like any decision you have people for and against i would vote to leave
he added the xenophobia that has followed the attack hasnt changed my view he stressed however that he was deeply concerned that the vote was being used as a pretext to attack immigrants
mr jassos newfound fame was only one small effect of a referendum that exposed profound divisions across britain cities versus countryside pro european scotland and northern ireland versus euroskeptic england and wales young versus old cosmopolitan elites versus the more traditionally minded
his stance on brexit is partly influenced by his background in the military where he said the ideal of national sovereignty is drummed into young recruits
his opinion may come as a surprise to the many britons who have rallied around him to defend the countrys outward looking traditions
the anti immigrant backlash has raised alarms at the highest levels of government and even elicited concerns from officials in poland and the czech republic the homelands of many recent migrants to britain
in parliament on wednesday prime minister david cameron announced an action plan on tackling hate crime including new guidance for prosecutors on investigating crimes that appear to be racially motivated new funding for potentially vulnerable institutions that serve migrants and assistance for community groups to help them tackle hate crimes
we should do everything we can to safeguard britains reputation as a multiethnic and multifaith democracy mr cameron said whatever we can do we will do to drive these appalling hate crimes out of our country
on wednesday the police said they had arrested a 41 year old man in north london on suspicion of inciting racial hatred citing social media postings of an extreme right wing islamophobic and anti semitic nature
on monday a man entered a halal butchers shop in walsall in the west midlands of england and ignited a bottle of accelerant badly damaging it the police said an employee had sustained bruises
over the weekend a polish cultural center in london was vandalized and protesters unfurled a banner saying rapefugees not welcome at a mosque in birmingham england
during the brexit campaign leaders of the leave camp stoked fears over immigration warning that an invasion of refugees threatened to undermine the countrys economy and security
perhaps no episode captured the disturbing rise in intolerance as much as the verbal abuse heaped on mr jasso
he was commuting to work about 745 am on tuesday when he noticed several youths swearing at the back of his tram he walked toward them and asked them to watch their language   since there were women and children on board he explained in the interview they unleashed a stream of invective one young man shouted get back to africa and youre not even from england
ive been here longer than you have mr jasso coolly replied
as the young men eventually retreated after tossing beer on mr jasso at least one commuter came to his defense you are an absolute disgrace she said a disgrace to england
on tuesday the greater manchester police arrested two men 20 and 18 and a 16 year old boy on suspicion of disturbing the peace
mr jasso said he was stunned that social media had transformed the abuse he faced into an emblem of intolerance during his nearly two decades in britain   including in harrogate leeds eastbourne and manchester   he said he had encountered racism only twice once he recalled a man in harrogate a spa town in north yorkshire shouted at him go back to india
mr jasso   whose parents a security officer and a care worker emigrated from mexico to the united states   was a star athlete at his high school after enlisting in the military at 18 he was stationed in germany and britain he worked as a signals intelligence analyst for the army and the national security agency an avid rugby player he said it took some self control for him not to kung fu his tormentors
he called the attack against him an aberration by a tiny group of troublemakers the people who attacked me probably had the same mentality before the brexit vote he said my impression is that they were uneducated and ignorant he also said that manchester was a multicultural and tolerant city and that it was important to keep a sense of perspective
i was visibly upset that these kids had thrown beer on me but i dont think it should be exaggerated he said what happened is not the britain i know and that i have come to call home


a comedic drama about a young gay man yearning for love is the first new american play planned for the current broadway season
the producer jeffrey richards said he would bring the play significant other by joshua harmon to broadway next winter at a shubert theater to be announced he said the production scheduled to begin performances in february and to open in march would be directed by trip cullman making his broadway debut and that it is the intention of the producers to assemble the original cast which included gideon glick barbara barrie and lindsay mendez
the play had its premiere off broadway under mr cullmans direction at the roundabout theater company in spring 2015 when the new york times critic charles isherwood called it entirely delightful
mr harmon 33 is also the author of bad jews which after premiering at roundabout underground and then transferring to roundabouts larger off broadway stage rapidly became one of the most produced plays in the country and roundabout has been workshopping a third play it has commissioned from mr harmon
significant other would be the second broadway play in a year written by an artist championed by roundabout underground the nonprofits program for emerging artists the humans which won the tony award for best new play this year had a previous run at roundabout and that plays author stephen karam first attracted notice with speech  debate at roundabout underground


what is the cost of being labeled a systemically important financial institution in the case of general electric the magic number looks to be about 50 billion
the american industrial conglomerate led by jeffrey r immelt officially shook off the designation on wednesday that had been applied by the financial stability oversight council to its ge capital finance unit the market capitalization benefits of reduced financial significance have been accruing for some time
the council americas top financial watchdog made the designation three years ago and the company decided to break the shackles in april last year in what will go down as a swift exercise in dismantling a lending business ge has jettisoned 200 billion of assets it seems to have achieved the fire sale pace while avoiding singeing shareholders with low prices
since ge announced its plans to offload almost all of ge capitals assets - it is keeping a few operations involved in financing big ticket items like energy turbines - the companys stock has added about 525 a share or roughly 50 billion in overall market capitalization ges stock is up more than 20 percent but the standard  poors 500 stock index has gone nowhere shares of united technologies with which ge competes in aerospace are around 15 percent less valuable there are other factors involved in ges performance but escaping the too big to fail label is the biggest
as ge has rebounded morgan stanley citigroup and goldman sachs have all lost more than 20 percent of their former value shedding the label would be harder for these institutions without breaking themselves up but ges example offers 50 billion reasons their shareholders should do the arithmetic


washington   just two days before puerto rico plans to default on a large debt payment the senate on wednesday passed and sent to the white house a relief measure to help the financially desperate island surmount its fiscal crisis ending a grueling monthslong effort to rescue the commonwealth
the senate eager to follow the house out of town for a long fourth of july weekend voted 68 to 30 for the legislation on wednesday evening after a test vote that morning showed by a wide margin that critics in both parties did not have the numbers to block passage president obama will sign the measure which his treasury secretary jacob j lew had negotiated and lobbied for since december
i could write a bill that i think would be a better bill but i dont know that anyone could write a better bill that would pass the congress that also solves the problem mr lew said in an interview
the rescue package will not prevent puerto rico from missing the payment due on friday on a 2 billion debt and republican congressional leaders labored to the end to reassure conservatives that the bill is not a bailout instead the legislation would allow the islands government to restructure its 72 billion total debt so it can manage payments and create a bipartisan oversight board mostly of outsiders to guide what is sure to be a painful recovery process
crucially given the imminent missed debt payment the bill also would bar lawsuits by creditors for nonpayment retroactive to december   to provide puerto rico the breathing room as mr lew put it for its government and the control board to restructure the crippling debt and devise a new budget plan
the senate majority leader senator mitch mcconnell republican of kentucky opened the days debate by describing what he saw as the high stakes the us territory of puerto rico is in crisis it owes billions of dollars in debt and it could be forced to leave residents without essential services like hospitals and public safety resources without prompt congressional action he said
this bill wont cost the taxpayers a dime mr mcconnell added what it will do is help puerto rico restructure its financial obligations and provide much needed oversight to put into place reforms
final senate approval was thrown into some doubt in recent days because the house passed the bill last week and then left for its holiday that meant that any changes the senate made would force the bills return to the house extending the legislative process and delaying action until house members return next week
yet a number of senators were demanding changes coal state senators from ohio and west virginia wanted an unrelated amendment to protect coal miners pensions and health benefits which are threatened by the industrys economic travails
senator robert menendez democrat of new jersey opposed much of the puerto rico bill and other democrats found fault with various provisions the seven member oversight board which at least initially will include four republican and three democratic appointees was criticized as undemocratic for giving too little representation to the 35 million puerto rican americans senator bernie sanders democrat of vermont compared the board to a colonial master for the island
democrats also objected to republican sponsored provisions setting a lower minimum wage for young workers and limiting overtime pay on the island attacking them as counterproductive to a stronger economy the senate voted down opponents motions against the bill
if the senate had failed to clear the measure for mr obamas signature it would have been the second time in two days that crisis related legislation was blocked in the polarized congress on tuesday democrats blocked a house passed measure to finance efforts against the zika virus   another crisis facing puerto rico   because republican congressional leaders had made changes to the bill in final negotiations from which democrats were excluded
in the case of the puerto rico relief bill the compromise was worked out between republicans and the obama administration led by mr lew yet as the bill hung in the balance on tuesday both mr lew and puerto ricos governor alejandro garcia padilla lobbied senators to urge their support
mr lew said the bills loss would mean descent into chaos top democratic leaders announced publicly late tuesday that they would support the legislation
on the final vote dissenters included both liberal and conservative senators what made the issue problematic in both parties was the deep unpopularity of perceived federal bailouts after the 2008 financial crisis and the disconnect of most americans from puerto ricans
ive been having town hall meetings in oregon recently no one has asked a question about puerto rico and we have a very small population of puerto ricans said senator ron wyden of oregon the senior democrat on the senate finance committee but i also think that congress has a responsibility to back american citizens thats what this is about backing american citizens and thats important wherever they live


in 1967 the austrian artist waltraud hollinger jettisoned her family name and the last name her husband had given her and became valie export a nom de guerre inspired by a popular brand of cigarettes but late last week at a hotel in the west village where she was supposed to be staying the front desk could find no record of a valie export having checked in
marieluise hessel the art collector and benefactor of the hessel museum of art at bard college in annandale on hudson ny   which has just opened a show built around ms exports highly influential work   stared worriedly into the screen on her phone i checked her wikipedia page she said i asked under her maiden name and her married name she must be somewhere else
but just then ms export wearing a long translucent white jacket and fashionable tennis shoes her hair dyed copper red emerged from the elevator explaining her spectral existence at least as far as hotel registers were concerned she rolled her eyes i used to have valie export on my passport   for years she said now i have to use my name with my second husband something about security i guess can you believe it
the comedy of the situation was not lost on her ms exports performances and films were among the most radical feminist statements in europe in the 1960s and 1970s and her work through feminism delved deeply into systems of control that have become omnipresent in the 21st century surveillance information as power unseen political machinations
lots of things have changed for the better since i was young   but some things havent changed so much said ms export 76 one of three daughters raised by a widowed mother in the city of linz where she became aware at an early age of the social stultification of postwar austria and also she said my own clear sense that something else was really not right that boys were allowed to do so much more than girls
the things she did as an artist in her first years   under the heading of what she called expanded cinema   shocked even those who knew her well in tap and touch cinema in 1968 she fashioned a small theater with curtains and wore it over her chest inviting people in public to reach inside and touch her bare breasts   an act that remained unseen experienced only by her and the participant though the expression on her face and on the faces of those who took part formed its own street theater in her best known work action pants genital panic she stalked around a munich art film theater in 1968 wearing a leather jacket and pants with the crotch cut out challenging the audience to look at a real woman instead of just images of women
the exhibition at bard invisible adversaries is structured around ms exports 1977 feature film of the same name a horrorsci fi story of a woman who comes to believe that space aliens are taking over the minds of her fellow citizens particularly men the shows curators tom eccles the executive director of the center for curatorial studies at bard and lauren cornell a curator at the new museum use the films paranoia to bring in work by generations of artists   some of them ms exports contemporaries like bruce nauman and ida applebroog but mostly younger artists many of them women for whom her work blew open doors lorna simpson k8 hardy hito steyerl trisha donnelly and emily jacir among others
students and other artists are really drawn to her because of the courage and intensity of her work said ms cornell a self described valie export superfan who felt that ms exports most important film and her performances were really apt for our present moment
ms export has never had the art world presence of many of her peers who were also pursuing boundary busting tough to take performance beginning in the 1960s chris burden who had himself shot and crucified carolee schneemann who pulled a scroll from her vagina in a performance or marina abramovic ms exports friend who has transformed into a kind of pop star after years of provocative physically grueling performance
in part this was because the commercial art world frustrated ms export who continues to live and work in vienna and has spent little time in art circles in the united states my art is my identity she said during an interview over coffee mostly in english with ms hessel and ms hessels sister christina lockwood both born and raised in munich present to handle the rare german phrase its my self and my consciousness and my children and a gallery always takes more than it gives back its not a very good system
ms export she prefers her name rendered in all capitals like a brand supported herself mostly by teaching raising her daughter from her first marriage who now lives in los angeles her second husband died recently mostly in my life i have lived very poorly she said thats how i got by she added i guess i have been a little jealous of some of the people from my time   that i lived in vienna and people just didnt know me as well as the americans
but that has been changing the museum of modern art acquired a large body of ms exports work in 2012 after organizing a film retrospective in 2007 ms hessels collection at bard has extensive holdings of her work which mr eccles said was almost criminally undervalued when ms hessel began buying them
they were as cheap as hell and you can quote me on it he said about a third of the cost of something made by a recent graduate from columbia art school and its still pretty true her prime photographic documentations tend to cost less than 50000 he added shes a very modest self effacing person she knows where she stands in the world but shes not a self promoter shes not a performer in that sense
at a talk at bard on saturday the standing room only crowd seemed a bit stunned given ms exports aura of legend by the presence of a rather professorial kindly elderly lady mr eccles added i think people were expecting some fierce proto amazonian
in the interview ms export winking and smiling coyly said to be a legend   its really very difficult reputation wise she said she was happiest that her hometown linz had acquired her archive and planned to open a center devoted to her work its a kind of homecoming i guess for a daughter of the city that no one really ever knew what to do with


as the television news business   the programs that report it and those that mock it   braces for the presidential conventions next month one correspondent at the daily show has determined that this is as good a time as any to exit the series
jessica williams who has been an on air personality at that comedy central news satire show since 2012 said on wednesday that she would be departing the series after this week when she was hired at the daily show during the tenure of then host jon stewart ms williams now 26 was its first black female correspondent and when mr stewart announced last year that he was stepping down from the show some fans hoped that ms williams would be in the running to replace him though she herself nixed that suggestion writing on twitter that she was extremely underqualified for the job mr stewart was succeeded by trevor noah
ms williams said in an interview in entertainment weekly that she would focus on a scripted tv series she is working on for comedy central under a development deal there adding i feel like im growing up and graduating she also continues to host 2 dope queens a comedy show and storytelling podcast with phoebe robinson
comedy central said in a post on its twitter feed that it couldnt be more excited that jessica remains in the comedy central family as we collaborate on her upcoming pilot


when three suicide bombers attacked istanbuls main airport on tuesday killing at least 41 people turkey began a ritual that it has refined with so many recent bombings looking for hints as to which of the countrys two major terrorism threats was responsible
over the past year turkey has endured at least 14 major terrorist attacks killing more than 200 people the turkish government blamed the islamic state for tuesdays an assessment many analysts share but while that group also called isis and isil has been accused in some of the attacks others have been attributed to kurdish groups
these two threats are different in many important ways and the islamic state and the kurds are themselves enemies even if their beginnings were separate their violence has become part of a larger and overlapping set of problems sharing roots in syrias civil war what follows is a guide to these two threats what they have to do with each other and what they dont
this conflict began in the 1980s when a group called the kurdistan workers party or pkk started an insurgency turkey had long oppressed its minority kurds even banning their language the pkk sought kurdish independence a goal later softened to political autonomy
geography is important here kurds live primarily in southeastern turkey and in nearby parts of syria iran and iraq they are an ethnic group distinct from both turks and arabs but they largely observe the same sunni islam as their neighbors
turkeys kurdish conflict raged throughout much of the 1980s and 1990s but cooled in the 2000s in 2012 and 2013 turkey and kurdish groups negotiated a cease fire
but something else was happening at the same time the civil war in syria that country also has a long disadvantaged kurdish minority which exploited the chaos to carve out its own de facto ministate some turkish kurds crossed the border to help making syrias now self run kurdish region both a haven and an inspiration
when turkey cracked down to stifle turkish kurds growing ambitions it helped begin a cycle of violence that is worsening rapidly parts of southeastern turkey resemble a war zone with entire towns under siege by the turkish military and police stations firebombed by kurdish groups
elsewhere in turkey kurdish groups have carried out bombings and other attacks mainly against military targets but sometimes hitting civilians earlier in june a group called the kurdistan freedom falcons claimed responsibility for a car bombing in istanbuls tourist district that killed 11 people
when syrias popular uprising began in 2011 recep tayyip erdogan then turkeys prime minister was one of the first foreign leaders who called on president bashar al assad of syria to step down his government began sheltering anti assad rebel groups that year
turkey also tolerated the foreign fighters who crossed its territory en route to syria filling border towns with smugglers fixers and a growing number of long bearded men intent on joining a fight imbued with extremism
as the islamic state began coalescing in syria and iraq western governments pressured turkey to crack down on these fighters but the country was slow to comply which many western analysts and officials took as proof that turkey was more concerned with helping to topple mr assad
i think turkey has other priorities and other interests james r clapper jr the director of national intelligence said last year when asked whether he thought turkey would do more against isis
turkey has taken some steps against the group such as allowing the united states to use its air bases to launch strikes in syria and iraq
when the islamic state began losing territory in 2015 it responded with terrorist attacks against its enemies abroad that appears to have included turkey with attacks mainly targeting political rallies or foreign tourists
curiously the normally publicity hungry isis has rarely claimed credit for attacks in turkey analysts disagree about why some suggest the group fears angering the turkish government and setting off a broader crackdown on smuggling networks it relies upon others speculate that isis is hoping to create confusion that could sow political instability
if these two threats both gained momentum through the syrian war they overlapped fully during one of that conflicts most dramatic moments the siege of kobani a syrian kurdish town on the border with turkeys own kurdish region
in 2014 as the islamic state spread across iraq and syria it arrived at the outskirts of kobani the group had massacred yazidi civilians in iraq and syrian kurds feared they were next
though the united states launched airstrikes to help syrian kurds defend kobani turkey refused to act in the crisis unfolding right on its border   and even closed a crossing as kurdish civilians tried to flee
for turkish leaders aiding kobani risked strengthening turkeys own kurdish insurgency the syrian kurds defending kobani in turkeys view were allies of the turkish kurds wreaking havoc in their own country why should turkey help its enemy create a safe haven on its own border
but if turkeys inaction was born of skepticism many kurds took it as proof that the country actively sought their destruction at the islamic states hands
turkey and kurdish groups emerged from kobani where the islamic state eventually lost seeing each other as even greater threats than before the fighting between them has increased including some militants use of terrorist attacks
kobani was also part of the beginning of the islamic states territorial decline and its subsequent turn to international terrorism
with no party strong enough to win syrias five year old war outright all sides are taking international action to try to break the stalemate that action often involves pressuring cajoling leveraging or outright attacking turkey which is central to the war both because it is so close and because of the assertive role it has taken in syria since the conflicts first months
these parties include the islamic state and kurdish groups but also western backed rebels who rely on turkish smuggling routes and the countrys policy allowing the united states to carry out airstrikes from its bases and they include mr assad whose most powerful ally russia set off a major geopolitical clash in november by sending warplanes over turkeys border with syria one of which turkish forces shot down
turkeys dual terrorism crises reflect the inescapable complexity of syria but they also reflect turkeys contradictory policy aims of opposing both mr assad and the syrian kurdish groups that have broken with him
or maybe its something simpler a result perhaps inevitable of living next door to the most intractable violent conflict of the 21st century


sara and erin foster know what you probably think of them
they grew up in los angeles the daughters of david foster a multi grammy winning music producer who has worked with the likes of whitney houston and celine dion
one of their former stepmothers linda thompson their father has had four wives was previously married to bruce jenner now caitlyn making them quasi related to the kardashians another former stepmother yolanda hadid just ended her run as a real housewife of beverly hills and is the mother of the models gigi and bella hadid
sara 35 is an actress slash model erin 33 is an actress slash writer both are blond well connected and attractive even by hollywood standards
all signs point to the foster sisters being insufferable fame monsters in fact they are a sly comedic duo who play their worst possible selves on the vh1 sitcom barely famous a mock reality show that lampoons reality shows los angeles swag bag culture and the celebutantes they might have been
theyre the girls that we could have turned into if wed grown up the wrong way erin said recently scrunched next to her sister with a bowl of oatmeal at her house in beverly hills
on the show which began its second season this week sara is a d list actress obsessed with furthering her brand with as little effort as possible im now open to selling a piece of my soul
erin is the ostensibly normal one who just wants to find a nice boyfriend when she isnt desperately booty calling james franco both characters insist they would never stoop to reality tv this is a documentary even as sara stages a paparazzi run in at the gas station
by now reality show parodies are nearly as inescapable as reality shows themselves and barely famous owes a debt to comedies like the comeback and curb your enthusiasm but what distinguishes this show is the vanishing distance between the real life fosters and the world they aim to ridicule
they started developing the idea a few years ago erin had been a writer on the short lived nbc sitcom the new normal and sara had a recurring role on the rebooted 90210 their managers started getting calls from e asking when they were going to do a reality show it was kind of this joke erin said everyones trying to get a reality show and were just trying to avoid accidentally being on a reality show
instead they channeled the industrys assumptions about them into a scripted comedy drawn from their firsthand observations of hollywood status mongering
in one episode sara name drops herself at a beverly grove boutique expecting a free birkin bag only to be denied moments before kate hudson swoops in and nabs one it happens every day in some capacity sara said recalling how she and her husband the tennis player tommy haas once showed up at a favorite restaurant and were asked to sit at the bar cut to five minutes later leo walks in with 10 of his friends without a reservation and they just happened to have a table for 10
it may be hard to buy the foster sisters as outsiders but that is to some extent how they see themselves i always took myself really seriously in my 20s and needed everyone to know that i wasnt a spoiled blond actress erin said to which sara slipping into character interjected well you werent blond growing up
their parents divorced when they were young and they lived in calabasas calif with their mother rebecca foster mostly removed from their fathers industry connections
they say there was never any parental pressure to become entertainers erin took piano lessons when she was 9 and after a recital her father told her ok you can quit piano you dont have it
we didnt have parents who let us get away with anything erin said we grew up here with privilege and we never got a dui we never went to rehab we never got pregnant
sara laughed and said its just so sad we turned out great no dui
still its not as if either of them bucked convention and became a potato farmer their other full sister jordan foster works in fashion in new york both went into the entertainment industry and they now star on their own tv show where the guest stars have included friends like nicole richie courteney cox rachel zoe and jessica alba all playing themselves
if it were up to them their characters would have been even further removed from reality originally they wanted to use fictional names it was a fight with the network sara said we didnt want to play ourselves the network note was probably wise the fact that they play sara and erin gives the show an edginess it might not have otherwise akin to larry david playing a borderline sociopathic character named larry david
in a sign that their work apart from their milieu is gaining a following the shows second season features celebrity guests outside their social circle kate upton reached out through her managers because they wanted her to show how funny she is erin said chelsea handler shot a cameo after running into sara at a barbecue and mentioning that she was interested
and they may have already snagged a guest star for season 3
i ran into jen aniston at this birthday party a month ago erin said half aware that most peoples stories dont start like this id met her maybe twice she was like when are you going to ask me to be on your show i love making fun of myself


wimbledon england   there was an extended roar from the collective heart and a standing ovation
honestly less fuss has been made over some men when they won titles on centre court but all this ado on wednesday was reserved for the british qualifier marcus willis as he finally won a game in the second round against roger federer
disproportionate it did not seem so as you sat there taking it all in under a closed roof that had not succeeded in blocking out any of the sunshine in williss back story and if the crowd was not in federers corner for a change it was because willis was playing not just for them but as one of them
with a world ranking of 772 willis 25 was the closest thing this wimbledon had to an everyman and he had come very close to quitting professional tennis this year he has been supplementing his modest income by playing club team tennis in france and by giving tennis lessons to youngsters for 30 pounds an hour at an english yacht club
but he has found both love and a fine patch of tennis form in the past few months and he managed to reach the main draw at wimbledon for the first time after getting through the imposing gantlet of prequalifying and qualifying
on paper this was one of the biggest mismatches at this stage of a grand slam tournament and though federers winning score of 6 0 6 3 6 4 would indicate that it was a mismatch on grass as well it was full of engaging rallies entertainment value and human interest
not my standard wednesday that willis said with a poorly suppressed grin next wednesday might be quite different i have to check my diary and see who ive got on wednesday but its not playing roger federer on centre court
what made this wednesday special was the way both of the participants approached it willis communicating his wide eyed enthusiasm to the crowd federer striking just the right empathetic tone before during and after the match
this story is gold federer said after advancing to the third round i just hope the press respects his situation its easy now to just use it chew it up and then throw it all away hes got a life after this hes got a career after this he definitely made the most of it he enjoyed it must have been so much going on its not been simple for him as well to handle it but i thought he handled it great on the court i wish him the best
there was quite a buildup to the match on bbc there were feature pieces and interviews with williss family his girlfriend and his nascent fan club the will bombs which already has a twitter account and which guaranteed big trouble for federer the seven time wimbledon champion who is seeded third this year
federer was one of those enjoying the coverage i watched it all because it interested me too he said i was fascinated by his run
federer had already reached out to willis before the match congratulating him in the player restaurant after williss first round victory over ricardas berankis that was williss first tour level match and it made him the lowest ranked british man to win a singles match at wimbledon
on wednesday federer said when it came time to walk out of the tunnel onto centre court he gave willis the choice of going first or second willis went out first and raised his right arm in triumph as he arrived in the closest thing tennis has to a temple he then shook his head in something resembling disbelief all the way to his chair amid the loud applause
the photos that soon appeared on the electronic scoreboard next to each players biography seemed like a fine reflection of the situation federer smiling subtly in his mug shot willis appearing on the verge of major laughter in his
federer usually the crowd favorite worldwide would get to keep playing the straight man when the match began as willis pumped up the fans windmilling his arms and looking fully prepared to enjoy every minute even if he did not win a game until he held serve at 0 1 in the second set
i did look up twice as i bounced the ball and saw roger federer and thought oh i havent seen this before willis said yeah it was surreal yeah he got on me quick i had to get used to it and play
a left hander he plays an unconventional style often slicing forehands and favoring extreme changes in pace he also has a deft touch around the net which is traditionally federers department some of the best play came with both men trying to find solutions in the forecourt willis made federer lunge and leap plenty and even   with his probing lobs over federers left shoulder   allowed him the chance to show off his too rarely used backhand smash
but willis won a few of those aerial duels too
i can say i lobbed roger federer he answered when asked what memento he might take from the match
federer at 34 is no longer at the summit of his art but he is still a force to be reckoned with on grass and for a man who has had to overcome knee surgery and back problems this season wednesday was a useful exercise
it was a great test for me because marcus played a lot of drops and lobs and slices so my footwork had to be up to it federer told the bbc
his concentration had to be up to it as well because while this match often felt like an exhibition it was not willis even had two break point opportunities in the final two sets both of which federer swatted away
at 4 4 in the third set it even appeared that willis might have a chance to extend his feel extremely good story into a fourth set
this is your time a fan called out from the crowd as willis prepared to serve
the fan was no oracle all in a rush federer broke willis at love and then served out the match before delivering a hug and some more supportive words to willis at the net
willis sat down wearily in his chair as the crowd rose to give him another ovation and he was soon back on his feet to salute them in return
as he walked off court alongside federer it was hard not to wonder if he would ever be back on this same historic patch of grass again and if so how
a wimbledon wild card in 2017 hardly seems out of the question but then he was such a compelling qualifier one to whom everyone even federer could relate


cleveland   the city of cleveland agreed wednesday to allow protests closer to the site of the republican national convention next month approving rule changes that increase the amount of space demonstrators can occupy and extend the amount of time that demonstrations will be permitted
thousands of protesters are expected in the city when the republican party holds its convention here from july 18 21 groups opposed to the presumptive republican presidential nominee donald j trump and those supporting him are planning big rallies city officials cited security concerns in arguing for restrictions on the demonstrators
the changes agreed to by city officials will most likely increase the visibility of the demonstrations and other activities along the citys parade route said stephen david a spokesman for the american civil liberties union of ohio which sued the city over its original rules the changes also extend the deadline to apply for permits to hold an event mr david said
a federal judge ruled last week that clevelands original regulations for demonstrations and marches during the convention infringed on the right of free expression and ordered city officials and the aclu to negotiate new rules
the new rules completed wednesday by the cleveland board of control extend the parade route which is the area where demonstrators are permitted to march they allow protests to go through parts of downtown cleveland to give some larger groups more time to demonstrate he said
people will have more opportunities to be seen by delegates especially with the new parade route mr david said these regulations are a significant improvement from what we had seen before
despite the rules changes the demonstrators will not pass directly by the quicken loans arena which is where the nominating convention will take place but they will now be able to march through areas around the arena that were previously off limits including some public parks
the changes also added buffer times between demonstrations after some feared that groups supporting mr trump might clash with those opposing him
the rnc offers a unique stage to groups from all sides of the political spectrum to lift their voices to a national audience christine link executive director for the aclu of ohio said in a statement the new rules ensure that people have meaningful opportunities to express themselves on some of our most important national issues
law enforcement officials said they expected thousands of protesters to show up on the first day of the convention a monday with dozens of groups ranging from black lives matter to citizens for trump likely to turn out
the rule changes were welcomed by judge ronald b adrine of clevelands municipal court he will be one of several judges working during the convention on cases involving people arrested at demonstrations he said the new parade route and expanded duration of the protests would make it less likely that people will get into confrontations with the authorities
i think that the more people are able to do what they want to do or say what they want to say the better he said since they dont necessarily have to take issue with the police he said
to the degree that the police can just stand back and let them throw their tantrum   all good as far as im concerned he added
the legal skirmishing recalls past battles over convention demonstrations like one in st paul in 2008 when protest groups sued before the republican convention over a parade route and strict rules for permits


united airlines and leaders of its flight attendants union have agreed to a new labor contract that will unify the cabin crews for the first time since uniteds merger with continental airlines more than five years ago
the deal which still requires a vote by the unions full membership would also raise united flight attendants pay to a level that the union claims is the highest in the industry
with the increase for example united flight attendants entering their 13th year of service would earn a base rate of 62 an hour that would be slightly above the current comparable levels for attendants at delta air lines and american airlines
uniteds elected leaders of the association of flight attendants unanimously approved the agreement on tuesday and will submit the contract in july to the unions full membership for final approval
although other parts of the combined airlines have been integrated since united merged with continental in october 2010 the companys 25000 flight attendants had been operating as if they still worked for two separate airlines
premerger united flight attendants work only on legacy united airplanes and premerger continental flight attendants work exclusively on continental planes rebranded as united planes even new hires and new planes were assigned to one team or the other
that division created challenges for the company in scheduling flights and crews and in some cases it led to flight delays
this is a long time coming said thomas kochan a professor at the massachusetts institute of technologys sloan school of management
mr kochan said that when the merger was announced six years ago he hoped continentals high quality customer service and good labor relations would carry over and improve united over all
the reverse happened he said this is an opportunity for them to really turn united around and realize the promise that merger held in the first place
flight attendants are generally paid hourly rates for in flight time which averages 80 to 85 hours a month flight attendants who fly international routes or work more than 200 hours in a quarter can earn additional pay
the union said the new contract for united attendants would translate to a pay raise of 18 to 31 percent for the most senior flight attendants the previous wage scales varied depending on whether attendants worked for the continental or united side of the business
the contract would run for five years
the flight attendants struggled to negotiate a deal under the leadership of the former united airlines chief executive jeffery a smisek who resigned last september during a federal investigation into his dealings with the port authority of new york and new jersey
labor negotiations improved significantly once his successor oscar munoz took the top job said sara nelson the international president of the association of flight attendants and a united flight attendant for 20 years
mr munoz made a priority of resolving labor issues and improving the airlines operations but shortly after taking the job he had a heart attack and took a leave of absence during which he received a heart transplant
since mr munoz returned to the company in march he has spoken repeatedly of earning back the trust of uniteds employees and customers this year united also negotiated new contracts with the unions representing its pilots and dispatchers
mr munoz will have to weigh wage increases against efforts to cut costs and increase revenue last week he announced an initiative to find 31 billion in savings and extra revenue by 2018
because uniteds largest competitors   delta air lines and american airlines   both have wider profit margins mr munoz is under pressure from investors to close the gap
uniteds new deal with its flight attendants would have implications for their counterparts at american airlines americans 25000 flight attendants received a 6 percent pay raise this year but a clause in that contract says american will adjust its pay scale further once united comes to a deal
deltas flight attendants are not unionized but the airline gave them a 145 percent pay raise in december the hourly base is now 6128 at 12 years of experience
for united one last labor deal remains elusive the airline has yet to reach an agreement with its 9000 mechanics who are represented by the international brotherhood of teamsters that group is scheduled to meet with uniteds management this week but no immediate deal is expected


denver   file this under how not to roll out a high profile digital education platform
one day after amazon announced that it would introduce amazon inspire a free instructional resources site where teachers could share lesson plans the company said it had removed three items from the site after educators complained that the products were copyrighted materials
in a related blunder amazon had included two of the items it has since taken down in a screen shot of the site that was sent to journalists and published in news outlets including the new york times
more embarrassing still two items   a collection of first grade math lessons and english literature activity lessons   in the amazon screen shot were created by authors on teacherspayteacherscom a rival instructional resources site where educators offer lesson plans they have created
although the complaints about the amazon site have been few the copyright issue that emerged on tuesday suggested that amazon inspire did not have an effective procedure to independently vet the copyright status of materials that teachers uploaded and shared by contrast established sites like youtube have sophisticated processes to monitor user generated content
rohit agarwal the general manager of amazon k 12 education the companys education unit said the company was looking into how the materials in question came to be uploaded on the site
our team is doubling down and investigating what the root cause is mr agarwal said in an interview on tuesday evening at the annual conference of the international society for technology in education attended by about 16000 educators in denver we will do what is appropriate to respond to the results of the investigation
amazon inspire is a major step by the company to gain market share in an education tech landscape where rivals like apple google and microsoft have already established footholds mr agarwal said the site which had been available to a limited number of teachers and school districts during the beta test phase was scheduled to go live at the start of the school year this fall
but amazon inspires early stumble has raised some concerns among educators its intended audience
amazon designed the site to enable teachers to post and freely share lesson plans quizzes and curriculums of their own design as well as open educational resources created by others mr agarwal said that users were not supposed to upload copyrighted materials and that the site had a process in place to quickly take down items that were the subjects of such complaints
but it may be more difficult than amazon executives realized for the sites users to distinguish between open educational resources and copyrighted works
even with all the safeguards in place you have the ability to have someone upload a resource that violates a copyright mr agarwal conceded
more complaints may be in the works on tuesday night a reader emailed me a screen shot indicating that amazon inspire also offered resources by one of the best selling authors on teacherspayteacherscom a site with more than two million active users
it takes tremendous work to create engaging and rigorous educational resources said adam freed the chief executive of teacher synergy the company behind teacherspayteacherscom so we understand the concerns from our teacherspayteachers community


sydney australia   australia has burned through six prime ministers in the last nine years a pattern that its current leader malcolm turnbull hoped to break by dissolving parliament and calling an election for this weekend
but his plan to win a stronger mandate has collided with forces not unlike the anger that prompted britains vote to leave the european union and has fueled populist movements on the continent and in the united states
australian voters hold the leaders of both establishment parties in disdain with polls showing mr turnbull leader of the right wing liberal party and bill shorten leader of the opposition labor party heading into the election on saturday with historically low support
mr turnbulls support has tumbled in june it was 48 percent down from a high of 69 percent soon after he took office 10 months ago a fairfax ipsos poll shows mr shortens approval rating is even worse at 34 percent but is better than the 18 percent he had in november
discontent appears to be driving voters to the fringes with smaller parties gaining support at the expense of the two major parties but australias anti establishment mood unlike the one buoyed by nationalist and anti immigration sentiments that has upended politics in the united states and europe is diffuse and its beneficiaries span the political map
the liberal greens party which has 10 senators and one lawmaker in the lower house expects to win more seats
there has been a groundswell of support for a new party led by senator nick xenophon from south australia who was first elected to state office in 1997 on a single issue banning poker machines   still a major concern for his party
on the far right pauline hansons anti immigrant one nation party looks likely to win a seat in queensland the one thing i have been fighting about is muslim takeover she said in a campaign video it is not good for us as australians
another minor party the liberal democrats is fielding 47 candidates who believe in more guns and less government there is a tendency worldwide for a plague on both their houses or all their houses and a tendency to look for an alternative looking for somebody else the liberal democrats one member of parliament david leyonhjelm told abc radio national on tuesday
senator bob day of the family first party speaking on the same program said there is no doubt the electorate has lost faith in basically the political classes ability to address the nations and the worlds problems like we have seen in europe family first is a conservative party rooted in christian evangelical movements
the smaller parties are predicted to gain seats but their platforms are so diverse that the major parties cannot easily absorb them and the major parties have little hope of winning over voters whose support for a minor party stems from their dissatisfaction with mainstream politicians
at the same time the major parties are losing a grip on their core constituencies
in the past voters could identify with elements of a partys policies based around their own education wealth occupation even where they live said rodney smith a professor of political science at the university of sydney but people now have a whole range of identities that are important to them it is a very tricky time to try to win seats if you are part of a major party
these trends have left the major party candidates flailing and as the vote nears resorting to more desperate attacks
mr turnbull recently accused the labor party of lacking the willpower to turn back boats of asylum seekers imagine the chaos he warned if labor were elected
mr shorten accused the turnbull government of having secret plans to privatize australias universal health care a vote for the conservatives he said will send australia down the path of an americanized health care system where how much you earn will determine the quality of your health care
however mr shortens labor party has the same policy on turning back migrant boats as the current government and mr turnbull has vowed he will never privatize health care although some of his partys policies appear to be chipping away at the edges
the parties do have real differences on climate change for instance
mr shorten has promised significantly stricter limits on carbon emissions than mr turnbull has he says 50 percent of australias electricity will come from renewable energy sources by 2030 compared with mr turnbulls 23 percent by 2020
the candidates have also sparred over same sex marriage even though they both support it
mr turnbull says that he favors repealing a ban on same sex marriage but that after taking office said he would honor his predecessors plan to hold a plebiscite on the issue a vote critics say would quickly descend into a divisive campaign of hatred and gay bashing
mr shorten who once favored a plebiscite wants parliament to vote on the issue which he says has wide support among australians
while both men have changed positions mr turnbulls shift is seen as an example of how he has been hobbled by his partys right wing eroding hopes that he would be a bold leader that disappointment along with some flat footed campaigning was a major factor in his tumble in the polls
polls not elections killed off the last three prime ministers the last the gaffe prone tony abbott did not survive his first term mr turnbull challenged him and the party threw him out
mr turnbulls gamble on a new election now looks dicey analysts say he is likely to win but with a reduced majority in the lower house and a fractured senate a slim margin could be fatal for his leadership
mr turnbulls performance during the campaign really puts his leadership on the line said peter chen a political analyst at sydney university
it does not help that the campaign has been unusually long by australian standards australias election campaigns typically run about four weeks this one announced may 8 will last eight
voters are tired of the campaign professor smith said and both party leaders are finding it difficult to sustain


your household wi fi router has a hidden power it is also a cellphone service provider in fact most mobile data traffic travels through smaller networks like wi fi routers not those hulking cell towers outside
the internet companies google and bandwidthcom have turned that little known fact into a business opportunity their mobile phone services rely on cell networks that they lease from traditional carriers but if a wi fi network has a better connection they shift phone calls and data over to wi fi instead
more often your wi fi is going to have a stronger data connection so in tech industry parlance these phone services are sometimes called wi fi first
less work on cell towers leads to lower costs for consumers so google and bandwidth offer service prices that are less than half of what a traditional carrier would charge bandwidths phone service called republic wireless offers a range of plans including one for 25 a month for unlimited minutes and messages and 1 gigabyte of cellular data googles service project fi costs at least 30 a month for the same package and you are reimbursed for the cellular data you dont use
in contrast atts cheapest phone plan starts at 45 a month for a bucket including only 300 megabytes of data and verizon charges 50 a month for its plan including one gigabyte of cellular data
based on numbers alone you might wonder how could one resist going with a wi fi first phone plan but there are several other factors to consider including the reliability and ease of using the phone services customer service quality and the phones that work with the networks for example the iphone is out of the picture
after testing project fi and republic wireless for a few weeks and comparing their performance with traditional carriers i concluded that they are ideal for budget conscious consumers who dont need to have the latest and greatest devices
project fi and republic wireless share a lot in common though there are differences both services work only with phones running googles android system in the united states both primarily rely on sprint and t mobile networks for cellular coverage but project fis plans also include cell coverage from us cellular a smaller carrier as well as foreign networks in more than 120 countries
unlike traditional carriers which sell phones in physical retail stores and online both project fi and republic wireless primarily sell their phones and services online google sells only two nexus devices that work with project fi republic wireless also sells its compatible phones and plans through its website and amazon but starting next month customers will be able to bring their own devices including some samsung motorola and nexus phones to its service
when you receive a project fi phone you insert the sim card and activate it through the project fi app similarly with republic wireless when you receive the phone you activate it through the republic app downloaded through googles app store
the technologies for both services work seamlessly   if you start a phone call over a wi fi connection and move out of its range for example the call is handed off to a nearby cell tower
i tested project fi and republic wireless in two cities where getting a good cell signal can be challenging   san francisco and south lake tahoe calif   and compared their performance with a smartphone on atts network both project fi and republic wireless worked reliably and turned in impressive results
to assess data performance i ran network tests with the app speed test on the phones multiple times in each location atts cell network was faster over all its download speeds peaked at 28 megabits a second republic wireless reached 17 megabits a second for downloads and project fis fastest download speed was 92 megabits a second all those speeds are fast enough to smoothly stream music or video
both project fi and republic wireless were better at handling wi fi calls than att i tried starting phone calls in an area with a strong wi fi connection and then walked out of range of the wi fi att dropped the call when i left the wi fi zone but project fi and republic wireless hung on as for audio quality calls on both project fi and republic wireless sounded similar i could not discern a meaningful difference between a call placed over wi fi or cellular
for a stress test i tried using all the phone services while riding in a car through mountains around lake tahoe not surprisingly all the services struggled to place calls or browse the web
traditional phone carriers are not well known for quality customer service so its important to know how quickly and capably project fi and republic wireless can solve customer problems both had customer service operations that felt more modern than traditional carriers
project fi lets customers reach out via phone web chat or email i experienced a hiccup with project fi   after activating my account and choosing a phone number project fi gobbled my existing google voice phone number
after i contacted a service representative over web chat in the evening google restored my google voice number the following morning   not ideal google said it would revise its sign up process to clarify that customers will lose their existing google voice numbers if they choose a new number for project fi
however in another test i emailed google asking why my coverage was spotty in lake tahoe and after about three hours a service representative responded explaining that reliable service in that area was not guaranteed and issued me a 5 refund
republic wireless has a number of interesting approaches to customer service you can open a support ticket through the republic app or website and get a response via email or ask someone to call you you can also use web chat or send a text message to a chat bot which spits out a list of options for how you can get help and connect with a service representative
i used both the chat bot and app to pose the same question about why coverage was spotty in lake tahoe within minutes two representatives looked into it and said there were no outages in the area so performance should have been fine
because republic wireless and project fi are similar the trade offs will guide you
project fi costs a little more than republic wireless but you will also have the benefit of being able to use the service overseas at the same rates without swapping out a sim card
but a major downside is that you have only two phone options huaweis 57 inch nexus 6p and lgs 52 inch nexus 5x so if you are frugal travel often and dont mind having few options for phone models go with project fi
republic wireless service is cheaper and available on more devices including samsungs galaxy phones which are the best android devices on the market the cell service is not available on networks overseas but the company says it plans to expand internationally in the next year so if you are on a tight budget want more options for handsets and have no near term plans to use a phone abroad go with republic wireless
then there is the option of sticking with a traditional carrier the big carriers tend to get the latest and coolest phones right when they are released in addition att and verizon generally have faster and more reliable coverage throughout the country early adopters of new gear and professionals who value a zippy cell connection will probably want to stick with a big carrier


london   european competition regulators will closely review a potential takeover of monsanto by the german chemical maker bayer if a deal were to be consummated according to a letter released on wednesday
the chief executive of monsanto said on wednesday that he had been personally in discussions with bayers management over the last several weeks
bayer offered to pay 122 a share in cash or about 62 billion for monsanto in may to create a new titan in the world of farming monsanto the top producer of genetically modified crop seeds rejected that offer as too low but has said it is open to continuing talks about a potential deal
the developments on wednesday indicate that a merger remains a possibility
in a letter to two german members of european parliament margrethe vestager the commissioner in charge of european competition policy said that the european commission would consider concerns they had raised about the potential impact that a merger between bayer and monsanto might have on prices on the availability of seed products and on research and innovation
she said competition authorities would carefully examine other deals in the seed and agrochemical sector including china national chemical corporations takeover of syngenta and a plan to merge dow chemical and dupont then split the combined company into three
the letter to the german lawmakers martin hausling and sven giegold was dated june 20 and released publicly on wednesday
united states regulators would also examine any merger of the two companies
bayer is hoping to combine monsanto with its own pesticide operations forming a one stop shop for farmers the combined company would have 67 billion in annual sales and would produce an array of products including pain medication gmo seeds and pesticides
on wednesday hugh grant monsantos chairman and chief executive said that he did not have a formal update on the talks but he had discussions with bayers management over the last several weeks along with others regarding alternative strategic options
we continue to recognize the potential value these types of combinations can create as they accelerate innovation and increase choice for farmers across a broader set of crops geographies and production practices while improving the sustainability of agriculture around the world mr grant said in a news release as monsanto reported its third quarter results
that is why we remain open and will continue to actively engage in constructive dialogue to pursue value enhancing strategic options
monsanto abandoned its own pursuit of the swiss agricultural chemical manufacturer syngenta last year
on wednesday monsanto reported a third quarter profit of 717 million on sales of 42 billion that compared with a profit of 114 billion on sales of 46 billion in the same period in 2015


actors often go through a mourning period when a show ends and they have to say goodbye to the character they have embodied for months or years onstage but alexandra silber took the grieving process to new extremes
after she spent two years performing as hodel in a production of fiddler on the roof in england ms silber had immersed herself so thoroughly in the character that she couldnt stop thinking about her so she started writing about what happens to hodel one of tevyes five daughters after she boards a train to siberia
when it was over i was grieving this character ms silber said in an interview as if she were a real person who suddenly stopped calling
she was so deeply in my bone marrow she continued i had to know what happens to this 18 year old girl who gets on a train and goes to siberia in the name of love
what began as a personal thought experiment morphed into a full blown novel ms silber recently sold the book after anatevka to pegasus which plans to publish it next summer
after anatevka picks up hodels story where fiddler drops off in fiddler which is set in the russian shtetl anatevka at the turn of the 20th century hodel stuns her father the dairyman tevye when she announces that she has decided to marry perchik a tutor to her younger sisters after perchik leaves for kiev and is later exiled to siberia hodel follows him
ms silbers book opens in a siberian prison where hodel is being held after she arouses suspicions as a young unmarried woman traveling alone in her cell hodel remembers life in the shtetl with her family and exchanges letters with her older sister tzeitel the second act of the novel centers on perchik who is in a labor camp through flashbacks the narrative covers familiar ground from fiddler on the roof and from the original 19th century yiddish stories by sholom aleichem on which the musical is based
ms silber spent three years writing the book and traveled to siberia to research it my ancestors are russian shtetl jews so there was this incredible sense of homecoming in multiple dimensions ms silber said
after she finished writing the novel in 2013 she set it aside and had little expectation of ever publishing it she threw herself into other roles starring in the off broadway musical arlington and playing eliza doolittle in my fair lady in st louis
but last year she was cast in the current broadway revival of fiddler on the roof this time as the oldest daughter tzeitel she revisited the novel and decided that maybe it was worth publishing after all iris blasi an editor at pegasus bought it in a two book deal along with white hot grief parade ms silbers memoir about losing her father to cancer when she was 18
 read charles isherwoods review of the broadway revival of fiddler on the roof 
now ms silber is playing tzeitel eight times a week in her performance she has drawn on the letters that she wrote in tzeitels voice in the novel what began as me bringing work from the theater into the book has now become me bringing work from the book into the theater she said i have a little rewriting to do because now i understand tzeitel in a different way


in 2005 as he was making a transition from developing real estate to capitalizing on his fame through ventures like a reality show and product licensing deals donald j trump hit upon a two pronged strategy for entering the field of for profit education
he poured his own money into trump university which began as a distance learning business advising customers on how to make money in real estate but left a long trail of customers alleging they were defrauded their lawsuits have cast a shadow over mr trumps presidential campaign
but mr trump also lent his name and his credibility to a seminar business he did not own which was branded the trump institute its operators rented out hotel ballrooms across the country and invited people to pay up to 2000 to come hear mr trumps wealth creating secrets and strategies
and its customers had ample reason to ask whether they too had been deceived
as with trump university the trump institute promised falsely that its teachers would be handpicked by mr trump mr trump did little interviews show besides appear in an infomercial   one that promised customers access to his vast accumulated knowledge i put all of my concepts that have worked so well for me new and old into our seminar he said in the 2005 video adding im teaching what ive learned
reality fell far short in fact the institute was run by a couple who had run afoul of regulators in dozens of states and had been dogged by accusations of deceptive business practices and fraud for decades similar complaints soon emerged about the trump institute
yet there was an even more fundamental deceit to the business unreported until now extensive portions of the materials that students received after paying their seminar fees supposedly containing mr trumps special wisdom had been plagiarized from an obscure real estate manual published a decade earlier
together the exaggerated claims about his own role the checkered pasts of the people with whom he went into business and the theft of intellectual property at the ventures heart all illustrate the fiction underpinning so many of mr trumps licensing businesses putting his name on products and services   and collecting fees   was often where his actual involvement began and ended
that trump institute what criminals they are said carol minto of west haven conn a retired court reporter who attended one seminar in 2009 and agreed to spend 199794 to attend another before having second thoughts she wound up requiring the help of two states attorneys general in getting a refund they wanted to steal my money she said
the institute was another example of the trump brands being accused of luring vulnerable customers with false promises of profit and success others besides trump university include multilevel marketing ventures that sold vitamins and telecommunications services and a vanity publisher that faced hundreds of consumer complaints
mr trumps infomercial performance suggested he was closely overseeing the trump institute people are loving it he said in the program titled the donald trump way to wealth and staged like a talk show in front of a wildly enthusiastic audience people are really doing well with it and theyre loving it his name picture and aphorisms like i am the american dream supersized version were all over the course materials
yet while he owned 93 percent of trump university the trump institute was owned and operated by irene and mike milin a couple who had been marketing get rich quick courses since the 1980s
a trump executive michael sexton told the sacramento bee in 2006 that there was a simple reason for going into business with the milins their company was the best in the business
yet the milins reputation was actually pockmarked with lawsuits and regulatory actions   a dismal track record that mr trump and his aides could have unearthed with a modicum of due diligence
the milins were known for running full page ads that screamed free money and offered tutorials on how to obtain government grants and loans they were also notorious for being frequent targets of state regulators
in 1993 the texas attorney general accused their company then called information seminars international of taking customers money and running people who bought a 499 milin method package were promised financing to resell real estate purchased at government auctions officials said but when customers sought to follow up with the company the milins had vanished
in 2001 operating as national grants conference the milins settled with florida authorities after being accused of violating the states deceptive and unfair trade practices act and in 2006 the vermont attorney general sued the milins for consumer fraud ultimately fining them 65000 and allowing customers to seek more than 325000 in refunds
the regulatory woes continued after the milins rebranded their seminar business with the name of the countrys best known real estate developer in 2007 33 state attorneys general signed a letter to the federal trade commission accusing the milins of deceptive trade practices a year later their company sought bankruptcy protection owing 21 million to creditors the venture continued for a few years
alan garten mr trumps in house counsel said that executives were unaware of the milins history when their business relationship began but that he could not recall when they became aware of the couples run ins with regulators
operating as the trump institute the milins pursued familiar tactics   and attracted familiar complaints eventually earning an f from the better business bureau
seminar attendees who later sought assistance from supposed experts over a trump institute toll free phone line complained of being told to ignore what they had been taught in the seminars because it was outdated or useless advice the advisers refused to listen to us when we referred to the methods taught in the seminars fred and zofia besel a retired couple from new york wrote in 2009 seeking a refund in a letter that wound up with the florida attorney generals office
unbeknownst to customers at the time though even the printed materials handed out to seminar attendees were based on a lie the trump institute copyrighted its publication each page emblazoned with billionaires road map to success and it distributed the materials to those who attended the seminars
yet much of the handbooks contents were lifted without attribution from an obscure how to guide published by success magazine in 1995 called real estate mastery system
at least 20 pages of the trump institute book were copied entirely or in large part from real estate mastery system even some of its hypothetical scenarios   seller a is asking 80000 for a single family residence   were repeated verbatim
asked about the plagiarism which was discovered by the democratic super pac american bridge the editor of the trump institute publication susan g parker denied responsibility and suggested that a lawyer for the milins who provided her with background material for the book might have been to blame
the lawyer peter hoppenfeld who no longer represents the milins said ms parker was most likely at fault but acknowledged forwarding her information from the milins office reached at her home in boca raton fla irene milin told a reporter im very busy and hung up she did not answer subsequent calls or respond to a voice mail message
mr garten said mr trump was obviously not aware of the plagiarism but even while playing down mr trumps link to the trump institute calling it a short term licensing deal mr garten expressed pride in the venture i stand by the curriculum that was taught at both trump university and trump institute he said
ms parker a lawyer and legal writer in briarcliff manor ny said that far from being handpicked by mr trump she had been hired to write the book after responding to a craigslist ad she said she never spoke to mr trump let alone received guidance from him on what to write she said she drew on her own knowledge of real estate and a speed reading of mr trumps books
ms parker said she did venture to one of the trump institute seminars   and was appalled the speakers came off like used car salesmen she said and their advice was nothing but banalities it was like i was in sleaze america she said it was all smoke and mirrors


wimbledon england   on wednesday wimbledon picked up where it left off the day before   with outside courts covered in tarps and a steady drizzle falling
as a brisk and windy summer day dragged on with only small pockets of tennis being played the most distinctive sounds were the singing chants by the friends and fans of the 772nd ranked british qualifier marcus willis who later lost to third seeded roger federer on centre court
spectators officials and the players could at least be confident that that match would be played centre court with its retractable roof was the one place guaranteed to be filled with the sounds of a racket hitting a tennis ball
willis was even spotted in a courtside seat watching top seeded novak djokovic play adrian mannarino a few hours before his match he saw a good show
mannarino with his strong left handed serve and crafty net play stayed close to djokovic until he was broken at 5 4 of the first set playing on his 28th birthday mannarino was broken again in the second game of the second set and djokovic was well on his way to a 6 4 6 3 7 6 5 victory
it was a challenge to play mannarino on grass because he has a very good game for this surface djokovic said the shots that he comes up with are very flat and they bounce very low he picks up the ball very early has a very good variety on his serve slice that fades away from you
he added it was a very good challenge for me at the right time i think i came up with the best game when it was most needed in all three sets
the win gave djokovic his 30th consecutive grand slam match victory a record for the open era which began in 1968 he holds all four grand slam singles titles and is trying to become the first man since rod laver in 1969 to win a seasons first three majors djokovic defeated andy murray in both the australian open and the french open this year
the record that i managed to break today yes is one of the better ones because obviously as a professional tennis player you always aim to play your best in grand slams djokovic said you want to be consistent and win as many matches in these tournaments that matter the most in our sport
knowing that i won 30 in a row its very pleasing obviously i want to keep on going lets see where it takes me
also on centre court for the women third seeded agnieszka radwanska beat kateryna kozlova 6 2 6 1 and seventh seeded belinda bencic defeated tsvetana pironkova 6 2 6 3 in first round matches postponed from tuesday
the match between eugenie bouchard and magdalena rybarikova started on court no 12 but it ended on centre court with bouchard winning 6 3 6 4
not many players on outside courts completed their matches on wednesday
in first round matches that did finish during brief breaks in the rain no 8 dominic thiem beat florian mayer 7 5 6 4 6 4 no 10 tomas berdych defeated ivan dodig 7 6 5 5 7 6 1 7 6 2 and no 24 alexander zverev ousted paul henri mathieu 6 3 6 4 6 2
in the womens draw no 10 petra kvitova a two time wimbledon champion defeated sorana cirstea 6 0 6 4 no 16 johanna konta the highest ranked british woman topped monica puig 6 1 7 5 and no 21 anastasia pavlyuchenkova and no 32 andrea petkovic closed out victories
the schedule disruptions at wimbledon have come after a rainy french open during which nearly two full days of play in the second week were washed out
but rain at wimbledon is as much a tradition as the all white outfits and strawberries and cream
with all the years on the tour i mean you get used to it berdych said
he added no matter if you have to finish for a few points or a set or more its just the same thing you just have to stay focused and be ready for it as a new match
for now wimbledon has only one covered stadium however a retractable roof is expected to be completed on court no 1 in time for the 2019 tournament
i was really lucky to play on the centre today thats for sure radwanska said
the french open does not yet have a covered stadium a retractable roof on arthur ashe stadium will be functional for this years united states open the australian open has three stadiums with roofs
i know its big thing to build a roof radwanska said its not easy but of course more roofs better
kvitova watched radwanska from the locker room where she was hanging out with other players
sometimes its good to catch up when you cant play she said then added using a nickname for radwanska we were watching aga playing on centre court we were very jealous that she can play and not us
by the end of the day 30 second round matches including those involving no 2 garbine muguruza no 4 angelique kerber and no 8 venus williams were suspended or postponed many first round matches were still half finished or not yet started
djokovic and federer by virtue of playing on centre court were already into the third round twelve men including no 18 john isner of the united states and 16 women had not even made it through the first round
with the schedule so backed up tournament officials announced that the first round of the mens doubles event would be best of three sets not best of five


president obama will appear next week with hillary clinton the 2016 campaigning debut for the figure expected to be mrs clintons most potent surrogate in the fall
the two are scheduled to be in charlotte nc on tuesday for what the clinton campaign described as a discussion of building on the progress weve made
mr obama had been scheduled to campaign with the presumptive democratic nominee in wisconsin two weeks ago but the event was canceled after the nightclub massacre in orlando fla
in a video this month endorsing mrs clinton his former democratic presidential rival and secretary of state mr obama said he did not think a candidate had ever been so qualified for the office
i know how hard this job can be he said thats why i know hillary will be so good at it
the location of the rally is notable clinton aides view north carolina as a potential opportunity to expand on mr obamas 2012 electoral map he lost the state four years ago after winning it in 2008


sometimes local politicians can be an awfully unpredictable bunch
this month airbnb appeared to be surprised when the once friendly san francisco board of supervisors turned hostile unanimously voting to fine airbnb 1000 a day for every unregistered host who uses the service in a new law that is expected to go into effect in july
airbnb is suing to stop it arguing that the supervisors are violating a federal law that protects websites from being responsible for what people post on them
whats more the supervisors vote was a rare setback for airbnb which often cited san francisco as a city that understood how to support innovation innovation of course being a code word for agreeing to do what the tech industry wants
has san francisco lost its zeal for the tech industry unlikely uber appears to be getting along just fine with local officials tech buses are still using municipal bus stops with the citys blessing and a very small fee and tech luminaries like the angel investor ron conway continue to have an outsize influence in local politics
that could change housing activists say they will continue to press their case that airbnb is limiting affordable housing and they have indicated theyll take a second swing at a ballot measure to place tight restrictions on the service their first attempt failed last year
now there are indications that voters may be asked to change the rules of engagement for tax breaks that lured companies like twitter to the citys mid market neighborhood according to the san francisco examiner the citys voters may be asked to approve a 15 percent surtax on tech company payrolls advocates say it could raise 120 million a year
in a city struggling with soaring housing prices blamed on an influx of moneyed tech workers it should surprise no one that local officials are starting to look at those companies as a source of tax revenue that has yet to live up to its potential


hong kong   for asia the bad news this week was not that donald j trump detailed a seven point plan to toughen american trade policy especially toward china it was that hillary clintons campaign accused mr trump a few hours later of purloining her ideas noting that she favored similar action on those issues
a strong dose of economic populism with an occasional sprinkling of geopolitics has suffused the trade plans of the leading american presidential candidates this year vying for votes mr trump and mrs clinton are each promising to do more to preserve american jobs at a time of slowing global economic growth and china   with its vast trade rising international influence and authoritarian government   is a natural target
presidential candidates vow every four years to do more to help american workers facing competition from abroad after taking office they have consistently pursued more conciliatory trade policies toward china seeing a strategic benefit to warm relations with beijing
but broad political distress this year over the loss of well paid working class jobs to global competition coupled with mounting concern about chinas increasingly assertive military posture suggest that the next president could actually follow through on the pledges if they do the policies could pose a real predicament for china and for other asian countries that depend on its economy
millions of jobs in china and across the region require the continued willingness of the united states to rely overwhelmingly on imports to supply american families with everything from the clothes they wear to the smartphones they carry
rapid economic growth in china and the development of a strong consumer market had seemed to reduce the countrys need for huge exports to the american market but chinas economy has recently slowed hurting domestic players from small exporters to large steel makers
weaker growth at home has made it all the more important for china to maintain a large trade surplus with the united states selling more to consumers and businesses there than it buys for years china has exported four times as much to the united states as it imports and it continues to do so
if there are tougher trade policies from the united states said shen jianguang an economist at mizuho securities asia that will dampen chinese exports
the candidates plan to take direct aim at the two countries trade gap
they want to label china as a currency manipulator that undervalues the renminbi to help its exporters win sales in overseas markets they want to file more trade cases against china and impose more tariffs they want to investigate how the chinese government subsidizes businesses they also want to rethink big trade deals
mr trump wants to scrap the trans pacific partnership a free trade agreement between the united states and a group of countries mostly in asia mrs clintons campaign took a subtly different position saying that she opposed the agreement in its current form
the asian countries involved in the trade pact notably vietnam and japan made significant concessions to american negotiators because they felt threatened by chinas rise now the presidential candidates are lumping them together with china holding them responsible for killing american jobs
with few exceptions chinese officials have tried to steer clear of commenting on the american candidates even chinese academics the usual pipeline to beijings thinking have been wary of doing so to avoid being accused of violating chinas policy of not interfering publicly in other countries politics to the extent that chinese experts say anything it is to express hope that this years talk of getting tough on trade will not be a harbinger of policy shifts ahead
there is no big difference from previous presidential campaigns only more emphasis due to the poor world trade performances and weak global economic prospects said he weiwen a co director of the china us eu study center at the china association of international trade in beijing
the uncertainty for china and much of asia is whether the candidates will sing the same trade tunes once in office mr trumps confrontational approach would seem to indicate some follow through mrs clinton seems less likely to change american policies given that she supported president obamas free trade efforts during his first term of office when she was secretary of state
former presidents bill clinton and george w bush and mr obama at least initially all tried to help china become more involved in the world economy they hoped that more enmeshed trade and financial relationships would mean a more democratic china with closer diplomatic ties to the west
it seemed to work for a while but in the last three years china under president xi jinping has shifted toward more authoritarian rule
china has embarked on a wide ranging military buildup constructed artificial islands with military grade runways in the south china sea and challenged japans control of a cluster of islands north of taiwan and a combination of strict censorship and comprehensive propaganda has fanned the already strong nationalism of the chinese public
those geopolitics have left american policy makers with two choices neither of them appetizing further trade with china and additional investments there by western multinationals could strengthen the chinese economy and help beijing afford even more ambitious territorial and military policies discouraging trade and investment could cause lower economic growth that might slow chinas military rise but also might feed anti western sentiment and foster public demands for more assertive foreign policy
if the candidates ideas became policy china would almost certainly retaliate in some fashion american exports while sharply smaller than those china sends in the other direction are a potential focus beijing has proved especially adept in the past at targeting american exports from swing states in presidential elections and closely fought congressional districts maximizing its leverage in the political process even if the economic effects were limited
the biggest immediate casualty of tougher trade policies could be the obama administrations effort to strengthen relations with countries like japan singapore and vietnam as a way to balance chinas growing muscle in east asia the economic centerpiece of the administrations so called pivot to asia has been the negotiation of the trans pacific partnership that agreement calls for dismantling barriers to american trade with many of the countries that find themselves increasingly uneasy about chinas growing dominance
mr trump denounced the pact again on tuesday saying that it would force american workers to compete with low paid vietnamese workers mrs clinton after supporting the early negotiations as secretary of state has come out against the pact since the fall saying that the deal does not go far enough to address issues like currency manipulation
yet canceling the trade pact could actually cause more problems by pushing american allies in the region into chinas arms and preventing american companies from developing in emerging asian markets
if america kills the tpp said kishore mahbubani the dean of the lee kuan yew school of public policy in singapore then china becomes the main center of economic gravity


houston   brexit meet texit
the stunning vote by britain to exit the european union has inspired a flurry of chatter on social media about what it might mean for texas that former nation where a devoted fringe element has long advocated for secession from the united states
many of the states residents may have flirted with the idea but the news out of britain revived the debate inspired a texit hashtag and raised the hopes of the texas secession movement
on twitter there were texas less maps of america videos of head shaking jedis and calls for gov greg abbott to take action oddly the texan who staked his name on the cause   the former larry scott kilgore who legally changed his name to larry secede kilgore and plans to run for governor in 2018   has not tweeted a word
reached on his cellphone last week mr kilgore 51 said britains vote had uplifted the texas movement
it was a form of secession he said i think the people of texas will look at that and say man we can have freedom we can make our own decisions we dont have to have the us empire tell us what to do 
and its not just texas brexit has given a nudge to modest pre existing secession movements in new england as well on sunday a small group of demonstrators gathered in manchester nh to support nhexit
and in vermont a secession movement the second vermont republic wrote that it had received a surge of inquiries in the days after the brexit referendum
daniel miller the president of the texas nationalist movement an organization that says it has gathered more than 250000 pledged votes in favor of secession by that state has been tirelessly tweeting on behalf of the idea directing many of his posts at mr abbott
jesse kelly who ran for congress in arizona in 2010 and 2012 has also been an enthusiastic proponent
some outside the states borders have expressed enthusiasm for the idea
but others were less interested
and one twitter user pushed the movement to take a different name
all of this of course could be tied back to donald j trump by none other than mr trump himself who told reporters in scotland on saturday that the state would never secede because texas loves me
despite the excitement online there is no formal legal means under federal law that would allow texas to secede in 2013 the director of the white house office of public engagement jon carson said as much in a written response to an online secession petition
our founding fathers established the constitution of the united states in order to form a more perfect union through the hard and frustrating but necessary work of self government mr carson wrote
they enshrined in that document the right to change our national government through the power of the ballot   a right that generations of americans have fought to secure for all but they did not provide a right to walk away from it


when the cleveland cavaliers won the nba championship last week the citys 52 year major championship drought ended cleveland had never won an nba title the browns last won the nfl championship in 1964 and the indians have been without a world series title since 1948
but the cavaliers win may have not only broken a jinx but also ushered in a glorious new era with cleveland atop the sports world the evidence is looking good so far
when the cavaliers lifted their trophy the indians were riding a modest three game winning streak they have not lost since their streak stands at 12 consecutive wins and entering wednesday night they were six games ahead of the second place team in the american league central the kansas city royals
behind a solid starting pitching staff that includes josh tomlin 9 1 danny salazar 10 3 corey kluber and trevor bauer the indians could be on track for their first division title in nine years
the third game of the indians streak was one of the most dramatic with jose ramirez hitting a game ending single in the 10th inning to beat the visiting chicago white sox later that night in oakland calif the cavaliers won game 7 of the nba finals to end clevelands major title drought
things had started looking up for cleveland sports fans even before the cavaliers title
stipe miocic who grew up in the area and attended cleveland state won the ultimate fighting championship heavyweight title in may with a surprise knockout of fabricio werdum in brazil
the lake erie monsters   a minor league hockey team that plays in the cavaliers quicken loans arena and is owned by the cavaliers owner dan gilbert   won their first american hockey league title on june 11 when they swept the hershey bears it was the citys first calder cup since the now defunct cleveland barons swept the quebec aces in 1964
that brings us to the browns the team that has seemed to embody the cleveland jinx more than any other the browns have not been to the playoffs since 2002 and have not won a playoff game since 1994 last season they were 3 13
the browns onetime quarterback of the future johnny manziel was released after two seasons of poor performance off the field partying and domestic abuse allegations his lawyer recently accidentally sent the associated press a text message expressing doubt his client could stay off drugs now the browns seem ready to give robert griffin iii who flamed out in washington a shot at quarterback
at 150 1 betting odds the browns are considered the least likely team to win the super bowl
should the browns improbably open their season with a few wins the jinx may be buried forever


general electrics lending arm is no longer too big to fail
the conglomerate said on wednesday that its ge capital unit had shed a government designation for the countrys biggest finance companies one that imposes additional regulations and capital constraints
with the declaration that ge capital was no longer a threat to the nations financial stability   or what regulators call a systemically important financial institution   ge has completed a roughly yearlong quest to sell nearly 200 billion of assets and shrink what had been the engine of its profit for decades
beginning under general electrics former chief executive john f welch jr ge capital swelled into one of the countrys biggest lenders becoming as big a business as ges traditional divisions such as jet engines and medical equipment
but the 2008 financial crisis laid bare the burdens of ge capital and by last year ge announced it would get out of most of its finance activities and refocus on industry becoming one of dozens of companies that had concluded being smaller is better for shareholders
that meant shrinking its lending arm   and in the process slipping out from under a welter of regulations that required supervision by the federal reserve
investors approved sending ge shares up 2 percent on wednesday to 3055
ges new status signaled a success for the obama administration as well ever since the so called sifi designation was created by the 2010 dodd frank financial overhaul the countrys biggest financial institutions have faced tougher regulations aimed at making sure they were less likely to collapse ruinously
in addition to the largest american banks four nonbank financial institutions received the designation ge capital and the insurance giants american international group metlife and prudential financial
some designees notably metlife complained bitterly about the status arguing that the process behind being named a sifi was opaque metlife ultimately won a court case that removed it from sifi status the treasury department is appealing that ruling
ge instead worked to shrink enough so that the label no longer applied it says it consulted closely with regulators during the planning and execution of its asset sales and was told in march that the financial stability oversight council which controls the designation would weigh removing that label
for some time now people have been arguing that theres no exit ramp jacob j lew the treasury secretary said in a telephone interview today shows thats incorrect
it was a noteworthy turnaround for ge whose lending business had long been one of its signature divisions mr welch viewed finance as a way to diversify the conglomerate and rapidly and powerfully increase the companys earnings
ges current chief executive jeffrey r immelt initially backed the growth of ge capital when he took over in 2001 increasing its business in commercial real estate loans and subprime lending
but the financial crisis ushered in market upheaval that hurt ge capitals ability to borrow by the time the too big to fail label came into effect owning a giant lending arm had become widely viewed as a liability
the objective of the sell off of ge capital assets which began in spring 2015 was to reduce the financial divisions size to much more manageable levels   and eliminate the heavy capital requirements and other regulations that the label imposed
this decision is a result of the transformation of ge capital into a smaller safer financial services company that meaningfully contributes to the success of ges industrial businesses keith s sherin ge capitals chairman and chief executive said in a statement
mr lew said that ges shedding of the sifi label was unique to the conglomerate other designees primarily financial institutions cannot easily shed enough assets to escape the status
ge will still maintain some lending capabilities   only now they will support the conglomerates divisions by providing loans to customers
going forward ge capital will continue to be part of the ge store supporting the growth of our industrial businesses mr immelt said in a statement


brussels   with britains prime minister omitted for the first time european union leaders at a summit meeting wrestled on wednesday with an existential question how to salvage a venture that has provided peace and relative prosperity to 500 million people but has lost public support
we all need to wake up and smell the coffee president dalia grybauskaite of lithuania said at the start of private talks in brussels on how to relaunch the european union after the shock of britains vote last week to leave
in the absence of prime minister david cameron of britain who was already back in london after attending an initial day of talks the groups remaining 27 leaders all agreed that the european union needs to change the way it works if it is to curb a rising tide of populism driven in large part by hostility toward brussels
presenting the leaders with his own analysis of why 52 percent of britons had voted to withdraw from the european union mr cameron at a somber dinner late tuesday said the main reason was immigration polls in other countries show deep opposition to an influx of foreigners
but reducing immigration or at least the right of european union citizens to move wherever they want in the bloc is currently impossible because the free movement of citizens is an inviolable principle of the whole european project
at the same time slowing the flow of migrants from outside europe is something that officials in brussels consider a notable success it took a long time and many meetings but under a controversial deal with turkey last years flood of nearly a million people into europe through greek islands has slowed to a trickle
migrants are still arriving in europe after hazardous journeys across the mediterranean from north africa but they are far fewer than the number who arrived last year through greece   the people used by campaigners in britain to rally opposition to the european union
with no easy fixes to europes public image and no consensus on what a reformed union might look like the main agreement reached on wednesday was familiar to hold another meeting in bratislava slovakia in september
in a final statement the leaders acknowledged that the british referendum creates a new situation for the european union and that many people express dissatisfaction with the current state of affairs europeans they added expect us to do better when it comes to providing security jobs and growth as well as hope for a better future
changing a complicated system that has three presidents two seats of parliament in cities hundreds of miles apart and at least until britain formally departs 28 member countries was never going to be decided in a few hours
the response to this new challenge for europe will take time to find frans timmermans a former foreign minister of the netherlands and the first vice president of the unions executive arm the european commission cautioned earlier this week we must be brutally honest with ourselves as we debate the path forward today there are more questions than answers
francois lafond a professor of european integration at sciences po the paris university said the task of finding answers was so big that it should be entrusted to a special convention of experts and officials who would be given at least six months to create a new approach otherwise the populists will continue to grow he said we have to give a clear signal of change
a critical issue mr lafond said is which functions should be returned to individual nations and which should fall within the powers of the union arguments over this division of labor have dogged the so called european project since it began more than six decades ago in response to world war ii and have caused numerous crises
one of the most serious came in 1965 when president charles de gaulle of france objected to proposals from brussels that he saw as weakening national sovereignty and pushing europe toward becoming a giant state infuriated by what he viewed as an intolerable infringement he pulled french officials from the brussels institutions of what was then the european economic community
their departure a narrow bureaucratic version of britains became known as the empty chair crisis
it was resolved as most european crises have been through back room haggling and an elaborate compromise ensuring that france would retain its national decision making prerogatives on major issues
the crisis unleashed by the british vote however offers no bureaucratic fix as it involves what have long been the european projects most vulnerable points its remoteness from ordinary people and lack of democratic legitimacy the european parliament elected by popular vote since 1979 was meant to fill this gap but given no power to actually introduce legislation it is mostly seen as a noisy expensive forum that merely approves measures proposed by the commission
perhaps the most significant role played by the european parliament has been to provide a megaphone for some of the unions most impassioned enemies notably politicians from the uk independence party or ukip the party   whose leader nigel farage and 23 followers hold seats in the assembly   campaigned fervently for britains exit from the european union
they and allies like boris johnson the former mayor of london call the european union a meddling and alien force a message that has resounded elsewhere particularly france marine le pen the leader of frances right wing national front party wants the nation to hold its own referendum
frances deeply unpopular socialist president francois hollande who is struggling to rescue his own political future as well as europes said on wednesday that drastic change was needed keeping the status quo would be the worst he said because populists would continue to challenge europe
but many of the things mr hollande and like minded european politicians want to see such as more pooling of resources from shared european funds   are anathema to germany the dominant power on the continent which wants to enforce fiscal prudence but resists moving toward a federal state
speaking to reporters wednesday chancellor angela merkel of germany shut the door on any overhaul involving the revision of european treaties a laborious process that requires referendums and has often stoked anti european sentiment
ms merkel said europe needed to recover its elan and inspire ordinary citizens with an ambitious vision as the united states did with its space program
when russia many years ago sent the first people into space america said now we have to send someone to the moon ms merkel said citing an observation she said a fellow leader had made in private discussions so we have to set a positive agenda positive goals and try to show we have an ambition an aspiration to produce prosperity for our people


flip flops on issues can be kryptonite to presidential candidates in 2004 president george w bush tagged the democratic nominee senator john kerry as an equivocator with no core principles after mr kerry inexplicably but accurately noted that he had actually voted for an iraq war appropriation before i voted against it one particularly devastating ad showed mr kerry windsurfing reversing course with the breeze he never recovered
donald j trumps own proposals have often been vague his prepared statements often contradicted by his own off the cuff remarks in speeches and interviews yet he has so far avoided much harm despite reversing himself   sometimes within hours   on hot button campaign issues like immigration abortion and economic policy
here we count some of the ways mr trump has vacillated
mr trump said in september that he was willing to let some syrian refugees enter the united states despite the security risks something has to be done he said its an unbelievable humanitarian problem
in december after the islamic state inspired attack in san bernardino calif mr trump shocked even many republicans by proposing a religious test donald j trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of muslims entering the united states until our countrys representatives can figure out what the hell is going on he read aloud from a written statement a day later he elaborated saying that customs agents would be directed to ask incoming travelers if they are muslim and that those who said yes would be turned away
in may with the republican nomination his mr trump retreated slightly now calling the ban merely an idea not a proposal its a temporary ban it hasnt been called for yet he said adding this is just a suggestion until we find out whats going on
on june 13 mr trump offered a slightly new formulation the ban would be geographical not religious applying to areas of the world where there is a proven history of terrorism against the united states europe or our allies but not just any kind of terrorism he clarified on twitter two hours later the ban was only for nations tied to islamic terror then in scotland last weekend mr trump said he would allow muslims from allies like the united kingdom to enter the united states
mr trump who supported abortion rights until 2011 has struggled to articulate his evolution to the anti abortion camp and has shown a lack of fluency on the details pressed by msnbcs chris matthews in march he said that abortion should be banned and then said that women violating the ban should face some sort of punishment he recanted within hours saying that doctors who perform abortions should be held legally responsible women he said were the victims
on monday when the supreme court overturned a texas law that would have restricted access to abortions many republicans said the ruling was further evidence that a republican president was needed to restore the courts conservative majority but mr trump perhaps out of caution remained silent
at a republican presidential debate in november mr trump said that wages are too high and that american workers will need to work really hard if they want their incomes to rise i hate to say it but we have to leave it where it is he said
interviewed on cnn in may mr trump said he was open to raising the minimum wage though he remained concerned about the ability of american companies to compete globally im very different from most republicans he said acknowledging that the federal minimum wage of 725 was too low you have to have something that you can live on
mr trump was long known for his warmth toward gays including elton john whose civil union he publicly applauded but since he became a candidate his views have meandered he has consistently opposed same sex marriage speaking out last year against the supreme court decision that legalized it and pledging to work to overturn that ruling
in april he thrilled some gay rights supporters when he weighed in on a transgender bathroom bill in north carolina saying that people should be allowed to use whatever restroom they felt comfortable in but hours later he said that states should make their own decisions
then after the june 12 massacre at a gay nightclub in orlando fla mr trump railed against the gunman for trying to hinder peoples ability to love who they want and express their identity   language lifted right out of the gay marriage movement
mr trump rose to prominence by describing the united states response to terrorism as flaccid during a debate in february he inched toward endorsing torture as a way to counteract the islamic states barbarism not since medieval times have people seen whats going on mr trump said of hostages decapitated by the islamic state i would bring back waterboarding and id bring back a hell of a lot worse than waterboarding
later he declared that torture works and called for killing the families of terrorists a violation of international law in march he released a statement acknowledging the limitations imposed by laws and treaties and saying that he would not order our military or other officials to violate those laws
but just a day later he told a crowd that he would seek to change the laws barring torture were like a bunch of babies   but were going to stay within the laws he said but you know what were going to do were going to have those laws broadened because were playing with two sets of rules   their rules and our rules


banks and other financial companies led another broad surge in united states stocks on wednesday turning the dow jones industrial average and the standard  poors 500 stock index slightly positive for the year
it was a second day of gains for the market which had been rattled since friday by investor concerns over britains vote to leave the european union
those worries appeared to ease on wednesday the advance made over tuesday and wednesday erased more than half of the losses the american market absorbed in the two day slide that started on friday
britains stock market has recouped all its losses in the same stretch but other major markets in europe and asia have yet to bounce back
the worries around brexit are now moving from short term worries to long term worries and thats why were seeing this dramatic rebound in the market said erik davidson chief investment officer for wells fargo private bank
the sp 500 index rose 3468 points or 17 percent to 2070 the nasdaq composite added 8738 points or 19 percent to 477925 the dow gained 28496 points or 16 percent to 1769468
the vix a gauge of expectation of future stock volatility fell 113 percent on wednesday to 166 it had hit 258 on friday
the vix is literally where it was two weeks ago said tom siomades head of hartford funds investment consulting group he said that it appeared investors had realized its going to take a long time to unwind this thing
britains benchmark stock index the ftse 100 gained 36 percent while the dax in germany rose 18 percent the cac 40 in france added 26 percent
earlier stock markets in asia closed broadly higher japans nikkei 225 index rose 16 percent and the south korean kospi gained 1 percent in hong kong the hang seng index added 13 percent while the australian spasx 200 rose 08 percent stocks in taiwan singapore and indonesia also were higher
in currency markets the british pound recovered some of its losses this week but remained near its 31 year low it rose to 13452 from 13343 on tuesday
the yen which strengthened sharply after the british referendum bounced back after an early slide the dollar fell to 10256 yen from 10279 yen the euro rose to 11124 from 11049
on wall street financial companies which had taken the brunt of the selling after the british leave vote rose 23 percent the sector is still down 56 percent for the year
citigroup jumped 42 percent adding 168 to 4212 while american express rose 202 or 35 percent to 5963 jpmorgan chase gained 168 or 28 percent to 6120
several oil and gas production and transportation companies also notched gains as the price of crude oil rose sharply murphy oil climbed 193 or 64 percent to 3201 kinder morgan rose 82 cents or 46 percent to 1853
the market also got a boost from new data on consumer spending and the latest batch of company deal news
the commerce department said that consumer spending increased 04 percent in may on top of a 11 percent surge in april the data underscores that consumer spending which accounts for about 70 percent of united states economic activity picked up in the spring after getting off to a slow start in 2016
the canadian imperial bank of commerce agreed to buy bank holding company privatebancorp for 47 a share in cash and stock or 373 billion news of the deal sent privatebancorp shares up 233 percent the stock added 836 to 4429
tesaro more than doubled after the drug developer said its targeted pill for recurrent ovarian cancer prevented the disease from worsening for many months after chemotherapy ended there is no approved maintenance treatment to keep ovarian cancer at bay after chemotherapy the stock gained 4019 to 7740
in energy futures trading benchmark american crude surged 203 or 42 percent to close at 4988 a barrel in new york brent crude used to price international oils also rose 203 or 42 percent to close at 5061 a barrel in london
among metals gold rose 9 to 132690 an ounce silver gained 52 cents to 1841 an ounce and copper added 1 cent to 219 a pound
bond prices fell the yield on the 10 year treasury note jumped to 151 percent from 147 percent


ottawa   for president obama foreign trips these days have increasingly become an exercise in explaining the inflamed politics of his country to nervous foreigners
so it was here on wednesday when mr obama joined the leaders of canada and mexico at a summit meeting that began as a show of north american solidarity and ended up as an attempt to repudiate the nativist and isolationist currents that are agitating politics in the united states as well as in europe
with the gothic spires of canadas parliament as a backdrop mr obama prime minister justin trudeau of canada and president enrique pena nieto of mexico announced a landmark agreement on climate change and extolled the benefits of a pacific rim trade agreement but it was the charged words in the american election and britains departure from the european union that seized most of the attention
mr obama deplored the anti immigrant remarks of donald j trump the presumptive republican nominee particularly his statements about mexican immigrants though he never mentioned mr trump by name mr obama said the next american president would have a strong interest in having a solid relationship with our good neighbor to the south
speaking at a news conference with the canadian and mexican leaders after their meeting the president said that anti immigrant appeals had a long history in the united states but that they had never permanently curtailed the flow of people into the country
we should take some of this rhetoric seriously and answer it boldly and clearly mr obama said answering a question from a mexican journalist but you shouldnt think it is representative of how the american people think
mr obama said he rejected the argument that the harsh tone in the american presidential campaign or in britains recent referendum on leaving the european union was populist he ridiculed the notion that a candidate who worked to preserve the interests of wealthy people could be a populist
they dont suddenly become populist because they say something controversial in order to win votes mr obama said thats not the measure of populism thats nativism or xenophobia or worse or its just cynicism
mr pena nieto for his part put mr trump in a line of populist demagogues including hitler and mussolini though he like mr obama did not use the candidates name those political actors by using populism and demagoguery they choose the easiest way to solve the challenges of todays world he said
their comments lent urgency to the north american leaders summit meeting a diplomatic ritual that usually goes unnoticed by the public this meeting in fact slipped from being an annual gathering during the administration of george w bush to once every few years during mr obamas presidency
for mr trudeau who has inherited mr obamas mantle as a change agent the meeting was a sort of debut on the global stage he presented the deal under which canada the united states and mexico pledged to generate half their power through clean energy sources by 2025 to achieve that goal they will seek to harmonize energy regulations increase energy efficiency and reduce emissions of methane a greenhouse gas
under mr trudeaus conservative predecessor stephen harper canada pulled out of its commitments to the first global climate pact the kyoto protocol and clashed with the united states over mr obamas opposition to the keystone xl oil pipeline but mr trudeau has recommitted canada to legislative efforts to combat climate change much as mr obama did when he succeeded mr bush in 2009
for mr obama the visit was a chance to galvanize three major economies behind the advances made in the paris climate change accord at a time when britains vote to leave the european union has clouded the prospects for multilateral cooperation and the durability of international agreements
mr obama said he worried that britains exit from the european union would freeze investment in the country and in europe the leaders also discussed the impact of britains vote on trade agreements mexico and canada are signatories to the trans pacific partnership the mammoth asia pacific deal that has stalled in the united states with hillary clinton the presumptive democratic nominee and mr trump both coming out against it
appearing with mr pena nieto on tuesday a day before mr obamas arrival mr trudeau said weve seen around the world many examples of protectionism of stepping away from trade agreements and engagements like were showcasing today
in a speech to the canadian parliament later in the day mr obama acknowledged that globalization had unleashed deeply disruptive forces
while the circumstances of brexit may be unique to the united kingdom he said the frustrations that people feel are not but an interconnected world he argued was irreversible the remedy was to pursue policies like the trans pacific partnership which would level the playing field
mr obamas relations with mr harper were tense and the president had not visited canada since 2010 with mr trudeaus election however the chill has given way to an affectionate big brother relationship in march mr obama celebrated mr trudeau during a state visit to washington that felt at times like a passing of the torch
he campaigned on a message of hope and of change his positive and optimistic vision is inspiring young people mr obama said on the world stage his country is leading on climate change and cares deeply about development so from my perspective whats not to like
this summit meeting is being marketed as a meeting of three amigos but mr obama is spending less time in ottawa than mr trudeau did in washington after his speech to the parliament at which he received a rapturous reception mr obama flew home not spending a single night in the canadian capital
like most countries with a larger and more powerful neighbor canada has a general wariness toward the united states and its political leaders as a result canadian prime ministers have generally been careful to be seen as friendly but not too cozy with american presidents
however there appears to be little danger of that for mr trudeau when it comes to mr obama throughout mr obamas presidency he has not only been canadians favorite american politician he has also enjoyed higher ratings than canadian politicians one poll released on wednesday found him more popular even than the charismatic mr trudeau
perhaps more surprisingly the fondness of canadians for mr obama transcends party lines
christine campbell and her husband rob woke up at 5 am on wednesday to travel from perth ontario into ottawa to wait along mr obamas motorcade route while she voted for mr harpers conservatives during canadas election last october she said that she had always admired mr obama and that she hoped mr trudeau took some tips from the american president
trudeau is just starting out hes learning the ropes ms campbell said as she stood at an intersection where the motorcade would soon turn possibly mr obama will be a good mentor for him


beijing   the outspoken gatekeeper of chinas internet who led a global push for the countrys growing state surveillance and online censorship is relinquishing his post state news media reported on wednesday
the move by lu wei best known as chinas internet czar came as a surprise to analysts but it is unlikely to lead to any significant pullback from restrictive domestic internet controls and aggressive policies meant to wean the country off its reliance on western technology firms
given the opacity of the chinese government it was not clear whether mr lu was in trouble or in line for a promotion
in recent years he has become emblematic of chinas assertive stance on blocking websites censoring content and tracking users within its borders
in speeches at home and abroad he publicly lectured american internet companies and politicians alike during visits to the united states he was celebrated by some of its best known technology executives including tim cook of apple and jeff bezos of amazon in welcoming him to facebooks campus mark zuckerberg showed off his copy of the speeches of chinas president xi jinping
mr lus public appearances and travels made him stand out at home in a political scene dominated by muted bureaucrats his frequent flamboyance also made him controversial since he was put in charge of the government internet information department in 2013 rumors about his fall from power have occasionally swirled even amid what other observers pointed to as signs that he was a rising star
one indication of his influence is that he has been the director of a powerful chinese communist party committee set up to form internet policy he has also headed the cyberspace administration of china since it was created by mr xi in 2014
mr lu will hand over his position as head of the cyberspace administration to its deputy director xu lin who worked directly under mr xi when the president was made the shanghai party secretary in 2007 after a corruption scandal a number of officials who worked with mr xi during his seven months in shanghai have been promoted in recent years
at that time xinhua called mr xu a political star in the same report mr xi praised mr xu pointing out that he was the youngest member of the citys standing committee and also had experience working in tibet
if his new appointment undoubtedly makes mr xu a figure to watch mr lus fate is less clear willy wo lap lam a professor at the chinese university of hong kong said the fact that mr lu had retained his title as the deputy head of chinas propaganda department meant it was not clear whether his departure from the cyberspace administration was a demotion
its too early to draw the conclusion that hes out mr lam said
he might end up getting a promotion in another area of the bureaucracy he said its not uncommon for these important positions to be moved around frequently
as head of the cyberspace administration mr lu personally led the charge to rein in some of chinas most outspoken social media stars he also helped create laws dealing with technology and worked to bring chinas largest internet companies all of them private into closer cooperation with beijing
abroad he vocally supported chinas right to block foreign websites and censor the internet so confrontational was he with some foreign technology companies that they complained to top government officials like vice premier wang yang about his heavy hand according to an adviser to several western technology companies who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak officially
lu wei is not exactly welcomed overseas in his attitude this could be interpreted as a sort of conciliatory note said mr lam adding that it would nonetheless be unlikely to reduce the pressure western companies are under in the chinese market it doesnt look as though xi jinping will take a softer line
still others expressed skepticism that such complaints would have any major impact on chinese government personnel moves rogier creemers a researcher in chinese law and governance at leiden university in the netherlands said he believed the next move for mr lu would most likely be a promotion in the propaganda department or perhaps a position running a chinese province
i think we would have seen different signs if he had been taken out mr creemers said generally there would be more rumors about it pretty much every senior leader who has been taken out has been preceded by rumors and we havent really seen anything big about lu wei
citing a recent decline in the influence of chinas propaganda arm mr creemers said mr lu might well be given the task of reinvigorating it especially given how quickly he was able to establish the cyberspace administrations control of the internet in the country
lu weis biggest victory was he took the government from a place where they feared technology and were behind to one where they were in control of it he said he nailed jell o to the wall


when allegations surfaced last month that facebook routinely suppressed conservative points of view in its trending topics news section the company worked aggressively to convince the public that it wasnt intentionally tilting to the left of the political spectrum
mark zuckerberg the companys co founder and chief executive invited conservative luminaries to facebooks silicon valley headquarters and over some fancy snacks they seemed to make peace the issue blew over yet it also seemed to raise deeper questions about facebooks power to influence how we understand whats going on in the world
measured by web traffic ad revenue and influence over the way the rest of the media makes money facebook has grown into the most powerful force in the news industry but the social network has never quite labeled itself as something analogous to a news organization and it has been both uncomfortable with and unprepared to answer questions about whether it strives to adhere to journalistic ethics
should we be thinking of facebook as a news site is that how facebook thinks of itself
no not primarily facebook now says in a document posted on wednesday the company explained for the first time the values that govern its news feed the scrolling list of posts that facebook presents to its 165 billion users every time they log on
though it is couched in the anodyne language of a corporate news release the documents message should come as a shock to everyone in the media business according to these values facebook has a single overriding purpose and it isnt news facebook is mainly for telling you whats up with your friends and family
adam mosseri the facebook manager in charge of the news feed said in a recent interview that informing and entertaining users was also part of the companys mission but he made clear that news and entertainment were secondary pursuits
we think more spend more time and work on more projects that try to help people express themselves with their friends or learn about their friends or have conversations with their friends he said
as if to underscore the point the company is making a tweak to its news feed ranking system to increase the prominence of content from your friends and family over posts by news companies and other organizations it is also warning news companies that their traffic might decline as a result of the change
these moves highlight a truth that tends to get lost in commentary about the social networks influence over the news at facebook informing users about the world will always take a back seat to cute pictures of babies not that theres anything wrong with that
because facebook does not think of itself primarily as a news company it seems to want us to stop expecting it to act like one whether we should though is a more complicated matter
the company has long been hounded by journalists and activists over its power to shape the news through its algorithms or the code that determines which stories you see in the news feed
the question of how to think about facebooks role in the news   and whether we should demand the same standards of accuracy objectivity transparency and fairness that we expect from traditional outlets   may be the primary puzzle of our new media age
according to facebook the values outlined in the document have been the informal governing philosophy of its news feed since it was started a decade ago and mr zuckerberg and chris cox facebooks chief product officer were deeply involved in drafting the new document
mr mosseri says facebook uses a variety of tools to make sure that the feed is delivering what users want one of the main ones he said is user surveys which give facebook a rich trove of data these surveys and the fact that about 200 people are involved in building the news feed act as a bulwark against any one persons bias infecting it mr mosseri said peoples preferences and how facebook adjusts to them also mean that the feature will constantly change we view our work as only 1 percent finished the post says
but in another way facebooks values only further complicate our picture of the network if facebook does not think of its main mission as news what should we make of all its recent overtures to news companies
last year it started instant articles a feature that allows news companies including the new york times to host their stories on facebook more recently it signed contracts with lots of news companies to produce live streaming videos the times is among the companies that are receiving payments from facebook to create live videos
also how should we react to the fact that for millions of americans facebook has become the most important source of news about the world the pew research center found that for adults in their 20s and 30s facebook is far and away the most popular source of news about government and politics
and how should news companies think about ever deeper partnerships with facebook in some instances relying on the company as a primary part of their business models if facebook is disclaiming news as its main mission   and is also promising to keep changing the news feed as it sees fit
this is a funny kind of transparency said robyn caplan an analyst at the research group data  society even though they appear to have been making a bet that news is where they want their business to go theyre now indicating that their first priority is to maintain that environment that theyve been known for which is information from friends and family
ms caplan pointed out that even when facebooks values do superficially align with those of the news business at a deeper level the two sides seem to see things in very different ways
for instance facebooks document takes no stand on what kind of content it considers informative instead informative content is in the eye of the user
something that one person finds informative or interesting may be different from what another person finds informative or interesting   this could be a post about a current event a story about your favorite celebrity a piece of local news or a recipe the document says
facebook also steps back from any responsibility for choosing certain ideas over others its news feed it says is instead about giving you more of what you want our aim is to deliver the types of stories weve gotten feedback that an individual person most wants to see
that kind of relativism is likely to strike an odd chord among old schoolers in the media many of whom have worried about the possibility that algorithmic news selection could reinforce peoples long held beliefs
in a newsroom news isnt just what people want to see and ideas worth promoting arent just those that people click on news is supposed to exist outside those desires its supposed to be an objective good
so while its good that facebook is telling us how it thinks about the news its hard not to see a turbulent future as the views of facebook and the news industry collide
facebook isnt primarily a news site and it doesnt see itself as a news site except that for many users it functions as the worlds biggest news site   and its sway partnerships and money are now consuming the news industry uh oh


san francisco   for years facebook has courted publishers of all sizes asking them to depend more and more on the social media giant to expand their audiences now facebook has a new message for publishers tamp down your expectations
facebook said on wednesday that it planned to make a series of changes to its news feed algorithm so that it will more favorably promote content posted by the friends and family of users
the side effect of those changes the company said is that content posted by publishers will show up less prominently in news feeds resulting in significantly less traffic to the hundreds of news media sites that have come to rely on facebook
the move underscores the never ending algorithm tweaking that facebook undertakes to maintain interest in its news feed the companys marquee feature that is seen by more than 165 billion users every month
it is also a reminder that while facebook is vastly important to the long term growth of news media companies from older outlets like the new york times and the washington post to upstarts like buzzfeed vice and vox media publishers rank lower on facebooks list of priorities
there is now an expectation in general on the part of publishers that platforms will change and that they wont necessarily be informed how they will change said emily bell director at the tow center for digital journalism at columbia university this completely highlights how ownership of the user is a central tension between news producers and platforms
the changes will affect all types of content posted by publishers including links videos live videos and photos facebook said it expected a drop in reach and referral traffic for publishers whose audience comes primarily to content posted by the publishers official facebook page facebook plans to start making the changes as soon as this week
it will have less of an impact however if most of a publishers traffic comes from individual users sharing and commenting on their stories and videos as has long been the case publisher content that your friends interact with will appear higher in the feed compared to posts shared directly by a publisher
over the last few years publishers struggling to attract readership and draw online advertising dollars have come to view facebook and its users as a good way to gain new audiences and lucrative revenue streams that has resulted in closer partnerships between facebook and publishers experimenting with new media products tailored specifically for the social media site
last year for example facebook debuted instant articles a product that allowed publishers to post articles directly to the social media site both facebook and publishers described the move as a better faster reading experience for users facebook is also paying a number of publishers including the times to create broadcasts for facebook live the companys new live streaming video product
those features will also be affected by the algorithm change
publishers have little choice but to deal with the changes that facebook makes given the dependent relationship news media companies have with the social network some 44 percent of adults in the united states regularly read news content on the site according to a 2016 study by the pew research center and more than 40 percent of referral traffic to news sites comes from facebook according to data from parsely a digital publishing analytics company
publishers value the referral traffic they get from facebook but they increasingly fear that readers will remain on the social media site for news content rather than visit the publishers own properties there is also concern that some of facebooks products allow it to control not just the user experience but also own much of the revenue and user data
at a time when the relationship between publishers and facebook is already tense any change that de emphasizes news content is likely to deepen concern and facebooks move will be just another reminder that publishers do not have direct access to their online audiences on social platforms
many publishers were hesitant to talk about what facebooks latest algorithm change might mean for them
melissa bell vice president of growth at vox media said facebooks decision was not surprising
i think its a characteristic of facebook that weve always understood she said facebook at the end of the day is a place where people want to share things that matter to them whether its a news story or their child walking
she said vox media still expected to continue experimenting with facebooks different tools
other news media executives were waiting to see how the changes played out
i think well simply have to watch it said kinsey wilson executive vice president for product and technology at the new york times he added that he did not expect the move would result in a big strategy shift for the times
but facebooks news feed tweaks could be more damaging to smaller publishers that rely on the site to help raise their profile rob toledo editor and co founder of exstreamistcom a site about streaming services that he said gets roughly 500000 monthly page views has already started looking to other platforms like twitter because his sites facebook page is not adding to his audience in a significant way
still mr toledo said the algorithm change was frustrating and could halve the number of facebook users his site reached
its almost not worth it for small publishers he said
facebook has a history of unilaterally changing how material from its partners is posted on its service
zynga a once powerful online game developer and former close partner of facebook saw a sharp downturn after facebook made a set of changes on how its gaming related content appeared on the social network zynga was also hurt by other shifts in computing as users moved en masse from desktop computers to mobile devices
in 2011 in one of facebooks earliest experiences with media publishers the washington post among others created so called social reader tools a way to more easily read and share stories on facebook but when the products began aggressively sending facebook users updates on what their friends had read facebook made a series of changes that effectively killed the apps
last year the company announced that it would adjust the news feed in response to users who were worried about missing important updates from the friends they care about   a change that some publishers believed resulted in decreased readership
this time in a set of values the company made public in a post on wednesday facebook made clear that showcasing content posted by friends and family was its top priority
the growth and competition in the publisher ecosystem is really really strong adam mosseri vice president of product management for the news feed at facebook said in a recent interview with reporters were worried that a lot of people using facebook are not able to connect to friends and family as well because of that


dan alberts farm is far from traditional there are no picturesque rolling fields no tractors tilling soil there is no white farmhouse or red barn for that matter there is no soil or sunlight
the farm farmbox greens is inside a two car garage behind mr alberts seattle home it consists of 600 square feet of microgreens grown in vertically stacked trays beneath led lights
the ability to grow in such a small space is the result of hydroponics a system in which a plants roots sit in nutrient rich water instead of soil
microgreens   the first tiny greens on plants like arugula radishes and bok choy   can go from seed to harvest in less than two weeks that enables farmbox greens to compete on price against produce delivered from far away
we are fresher and our greens last 20 to 30 percent longer than those grown outside the area said mr albert who co owns the farm with his wife lindsay sidlauskas
it has revenue of under 500000 but was profitable enough in 2014 that mr albert quit his day job as a landscape architect to farm full time he now has three employees and sells his greens to about 50 restaurants in the seattle area a local grocery chain and four weekly farmers markets
consumer demand for locally grown food and the decreasing price and improved efficiency of led lighting are driving the creation of more so called vertical farm start ups said chris higgins editor of urban ag news which follows this segment of farming
energy costs are still a significant barrier to success making few vertical farms in the united states profitable those that are tend to be smaller ones
they include city hydro a farm built in a spare bedroom on the second floor of larry and zhanna hountzs three story rowhouse in baltimore mr hountz came to urban farming out of necessity after a serious car accident he was unable to leave his house for two years and had trouble concentrating he couldnt go back to his previous job as a digital security consultant
zhanna had gone to the grocery store and bought some heirloom tomatoes they were about 7 a pound he said i thought i could grow those
he converted a 10 foot by 15 foot bedroom in their house into a vertical farm he raises 80 different varieties of microgreens that are sold to about a dozen local restaurants
mr hountz said the farm generated about 120000 in income and he did not plan to expand we want to keep it a mom and pop operation he said
vertical farming uses no chemical pesticides and far less water and fertilizer than traditional farms but energy costs can be high even the best led lights have only a 50 percent efficiency rate said bruce bugbee a professor of crop physiology at utah state university who studies controlled environment agriculture that means half the electricity is converted to heat not light
transportation costs account for about 4 percent of the energy in the food system professor bugbee said the energy for electric lights is much greater than that
the upshot is that indoor farming can produce as much as 20 times the amount of food per unit area as conventional outdoor farming said gene giacomelli the director of the controlled environment agriculture center and a professor in agricultural and biosystems engineering at the university of arizona in tucson as these farms scale up however they will need more electricity not just for lighting but to run equipment like pumps and fans mr giacomelli said
green spirit farms in new buffalo mich is one operation that has found a way to be profitable on a slightly bigger scale the farm produces leafy greens like lettuce and kale in half of a 42000 square foot former plastics factory
greens are grown hydroponically in columns of stackable trays six levels high under frequency specific induction lights the light frequency used dictates what nutrient mix the plant gets said milan kluko green spirits co founder and chief executive
green spirit runs its system mostly on off peak energy from 701 pm to 659 am when rates are 30 percent lower the frequency specific led lights allowed the company to cut energy use 45 percent in the last six months while crop yields have increased by about 40 percent
thats been a huge breakthrough for us mr kluko said the farms electric bill is about 7000 a month now and will most likely drop to 5000 a month by years end he said
the farm employs 11 people and produces about 5000 pounds of mixed greens a month 7000 pounds a month in the summer selling to restaurants and retailers within a 100 mile radius it has raised 15 million from investors and its annual sales are more than 1 million
such successes are prompting other vertical farming operations to grow and grow big
investment in food and agriculture technology start ups was 46 billion in 2015 nearly double what it was in 2014 according to agfunder an online investment platform for the agricultural technology industry and local foods generated 117 billion in sales in 2014 which is predicted to increase to 202 billion by 2019 according to the consumer market research firm packaged facts
edenworks in the bushwick section of brooklyn uses an aquaponic system which allows both plants and fish to be farmed at the same time creating a self regulating indoor ecosystem tilapia are grown in tanks and their wastewater is pumped through a bioreactor where composting bacteria turn waste into fertilizer plants use the fertilized water to grow and then the water is returned   minus the fertilizer   to the fish tanks
when the cost of led lighting decreased the company changed the greenhouse into a vertical indoor stacked system using shade cloth to block light and mimic a warehouse environment said jason green a co founder and chief executive
edenworks which is not profitable has received 15 million in funding and intends to build a 10000 square foot vertical farm in a vacant brooklyn warehouse which is expected to open before years end mr green said it should produce 130000 pounds of leafy greens and 50000 pounds of fish annually
yet profitability can be elusive for aquaponic farming according to a 2015 department of agriculture study on the economics of aquaponics raising fish indoors is two to three times as expensive as raising fish in open ponds
such setups are also labor intensive with multiple systems requiring constant monitoring in addition to harvesting and packing a peer reviewed survey of commercial aquaponics operations conducted in 2013 found that fewer than one third of farms were profitable in the previous year
still mr green and his competitors are optimistic about the future of vertical farming david rosenberg the co founder and chief executive of aerofarms in newark said although his business was not profitable he believed that would change when it got larger you really need economies of scale for this to work to address a host of complexities he said
aerofarms plans to build large vertical farms worldwide and has raised more than 70 million to fulfill its ambitions the company grows leafy greens aeroponically   by misting the roots with a cocktail of water nutrients and oxygen mr rosenberg said his farm was 75 times as productive per square foot as a commercial field farm
the company is building its next farm and global headquarters in a 70000 square foot former steel mill in newark it will be the largest indoor farm in the world mr rosenberg said


maiduguri nigeria   her hometown the birthplace of boko haram is filled with sad stories
fati abubakar roams the streets to find the happy ones
it is not always easy
with a camera slung over her shoulder ms abubakar 30 documents the people of maiduguri a busy capital in northeastern nigeria determined to show the world that life continues despite years of violence that has killed thousands of people many in the city limits
inspired by instagram accounts like humansofny which captures the lives of new yorkers one story at a time ms abubakar snaps portraits of vendors refugees and students posting them to instagram at bitsofborno with quotations or captions that describe them
boko haram has affected nearly all of her subjects in some way
when they say theres an insurgency here people assume its nothing but death and despair ms abubakar said i want to change the image you can see everyday life continues
in maiduguri she has become somewhat of a celebrity civilian vigilante militia members posted in the city to guard against boko haram look out for her beating back children who flock to her as she goes about her work
bits of borno bits of borno a group of boys who follow her instagram account shouted to her this month as she walked past the pool table where they were gathered fans of having their photos taken they were happily indulged by her
ms abubakar gracefully wove through the crowded chaotic monday market in the middle of the city as though she had wheels instead of feet under her long orange and yellow dress carts overflowed with onions watermelons peanuts bars of soap and popcorn
she stopped to snap a photo of a man selling flour from a wheelbarrow white streaks across his face and hands we never get anything from the government he complained no water no electricity the wind picked up and blew away some of his flour ms abubakar moved on
one subject rhoda yusuf a stone faced woman with gold hoop earrings told ms abubakar that she had moved to the city after fleeing boko haram fighters who were closing in on her village she works as a housekeeper from time to time but does not earn enough to survive
ms abubakar chatted with the woman and walked away i asked her if there was anything else to say outside of her problems she said no nothing else
she photographed two boys both named abba wearing giant straw hats then she squatted to speak with a beggar an older man in a satiny white robe sitting on a bridge over a dry riverbed covered with garbage
she takes down all their stories in curlicue handwriting in her square notebook after asking the same simple question how is life in maiduguri
everything is expensive said zanab abubakar no relation to ms abubakar a market shopper who came to buy food and resell it elsewhere
ms abubakar took her picture and sighed putting down her notebook thats the general theme you hear she said even if youre looking for happy stories
usually the happiest stories come from children and so bitsofborno named because maiduguri is the capital of borno state is rife with photos of children playing in a swing beaming in newly donated clothing and standing alongside a friend with arms slung around each other
ms abubakar a slender woman with a soft voice and sharp points of view remembers the maiduguri of her youth as a happy place where she went to school weddings and parties with neighbors
it was a very peaceful quaint small town she said
but in the mid  to late 2000s when she was in her 20s the insurgency began to seize maiduguri a firebrand named mohammed yusuf had been preaching in one of the neighborhoods his speeches denouncing western education becoming more and more radical ms abubakar recalls women starting to dress more conservatively with gowns that stretched to the ground mr yusufs cultlike teachings formed the genesis of boko haram
neighbors killed neighbors sons ran off to join the militants while other sons were killed by the group gunshots and explosions were common throughout the city
nigerian soldiers responded with heavy force blasting away at the group and eventually routing much of the movement in 2009 mr yusuf the groups founder was killed in police custody it seemed that boko haram had been defeated
but the insurgency was far from over boko haram members fled to the countryside from maiduguri which back then had about two million inhabitants villagers seeking safety from the group began pouring in by some estimates doubling the citys population the desperate newcomers camped out in large groups in hospitals or college campuses where they remain living in squalor the city would never be the same
now yellow motorized tricycles zip across lanes of traffic motorcycles were banned here after being used in numerous suicide bombings rifts have grown in what was once a tolerant community a man sipping beer on a recent warm night at the lake chad club a private bar and tennis club declared all muslims were members of boko haram residents and even some aid workers denounce hostages taken by boko haram as willing participants in the insurgency
and the threat of violence is all around on monday two men blew themselves up after being denied entrance to a mosque which they apparently wanted to bomb earlier this month two men wearing suicide vests were gunned down before they could detonate their bombs outside the citys central bank and not long ago a bomber succeeded in a deadly explosion in front of a government building
during the most violent parts of the insurgency in maiduguri ms abubakars parents   her mother is a civil servant her father a businessman   sent her to london for schooling while there she obsessively tracked the news hearing what people were saying about her hometown was depressing
everyone focused on the trauma she said they were labeling us as post traumatic stress civilians but when i came home i saw people were bouncing back
ms abubakar wanted to show the humanity in maiduguri when she returned her photos tell stories of residents hard journeys to safety from their home villages and the difficulties of living in crowded maiduguri where there are few jobs
but many posts are hopeful
ive been living in maiduguri for 30 years i love the town because of how peaceful it was before the insurgency but because of the attacks it has lost some of its peaceful nature so many were killed reads the lengthy caption under a photo of a woman listed only as mrs chidinma pictured slouching in her shiny dress but still forget the insurgency issue for a minute we love this place we love the people
some residents are confused by ms abubakar for starters she is not married in a region where girls marry as teenagers and she often walks around town by herself a risk in an area where out of place women are suspected of being suicide bombers
older women who see her roaming the city often tsk tsk her thinking she has no job or ambition they think i should be married and have kids that im wandering aimless said ms abubakar who has a day job at an aid group she has an undergraduate degree in nursing and a graduate degree in public health from london south bank university
but most of all people are baffled by the young muslim daughter of maiduguri who takes photographs local journalists said they could recall no other female nigerian photographer in borno state and few in the entire nation
as it picks up a following ms abubakars work is starting to lead to help for the people she photographs some of her followers in recent weeks have sent donations of cash and clothing to subjects whose stories she tells
you can see some good coming from this she said


sungevity one of the leading national providers of rooftop solar panels plans to merge with an asset management firm to become a publicly traded company executives said wednesday
the merger with easterly acquisition which is expected to be approved later this year would give sungevity easier access to financing to help expand its business with a goal of bringing solar panels to every house said andrew birch the solar companys co founder and chief executive
since its founding in 2007 the company has rapidly expanded but its market share has lagged behind publicly traded competitors like solarcity and sunrun according to data compiled by gtm research which tracks the solar industry the deal with easterly which is putting about 200 million into sungevity is intended to bring more mutual funds and global institutional investors into the mix
solars now an economic proposition for tens of millions of homes across the markets that we serve so the challenge for the industry now is how do we scale mr birch said the easterly plan he added gives us access to the public market and it gives us access to investors who are looking for exposure to that adoption curve
executives from both companies expressed optimism about the deal despite turmoil for renewable energy companies and wall street skepticism about the financial viability of similar rooftop solar ventures at sunedison now in bankruptcy the companys plan to spend 22 billion to buy the rooftop system provider vivint solar shattered investor confidence and sent its stock price on a steep downward path from which it never returned both solarcity and sunruns stocks are trading at less than half of their peak values and investors and analysts have expressed doubts over elon musks plan to absorb solarcity into tesla sending the carmakers stock price down more than 10 percent the day after the announcement
but sungevitys business model is simpler requires less capital and should prove more appealing said darrell crate chairman of easterly which in a similar transaction created a publicly traded real estate investment trust that acquires develops and manages government leased properties
sungevity   which operates in 13 states washington dc and europe   focuses on using software to assess sites for solar and then to design monitor and manage the systems and customer relationships it relies on a network of partners to handle financing and installation rather than using its own employees and equipment
public shareholders appreciate simplicity transparency and clarity mr crate said the wisdom of making this a software based technology enabled company allows them to scale and capture the revenue growth without having to grow head count at an equal rate
executives said they expected the merger to go through by the end of the year when mr birch said he anticipated his company would break even on approval sungevitys outstanding equity and convertible debt will become shares of easterly common stock and easterly will change its name to sungevity holdings


london   conservative party candidates to succeed david cameron as prime minister started putting themselves forward on wednesday the labour party was descending further into civil war over whether its leader jeremy corbyn can keep his job while most labour legislators want him to quit
given the chaos there is growing talk that the endgame for britains political crisis could be another general election perhaps as soon as this fall in an effort to bring some clarity to the nations leadership and direction after the vote last week to leave the european union
the current parliament elected in may 2015 still has nearly four years of its five year term to run but once the conservatives settle on a successor to mr cameron a process that is likely to play out by september the new prime minister may well want to secure his or her own electoral mandate especially given the sharp turn britain has taken and the conflicts over how and whether to proceed with the process of decoupling from europe
but even the question of an early general election is proving divisive
boris johnson the former mayor of london and a leader of the leave campaign has been canvassing fellow conservative members of parliament seeking support for his candidacy and getting their views on the advantages of an early general election but his main rival theresa may the home secretary who supported staying in the european union is considered more of a continuity candidate and may not want to go back to voters so soon a view shared by conservatives who were elected to their seats for the first time 13 months ago
but it is the prospect of a quick election that has motivated labour members in parliament to try to oust their party leader mr corbyn voting overwhelmingly on tuesday for a motion of no confidence in him that is a necessary prelude to a leadership contest
the rebels fear that under mr corbyn 67 a leftist who has repudiated what remained of the centrist new labour movement of the tony blair era the party will be crushed and they will lose their seats with an even worse showing than in last years general election when the conservatives won an outright majority
about three quarters of labours shadow cabinet made up of senior legislators who speak on policy for the party have resigned this week trying to force mr corbyn to step down
mr corbyn has refused he has said he will seek another mandate from the grass roots members and supporters of labour who elected him by a substantial margin in the first place but it is unclear whether he remains as popular among the rank and file after leading a halfhearted campaign to keep britain in the european union when many traditional labour voters chose to stay home or vote against the partys position
the outcome of any contest would also depend on whom the more centrist labour legislators find to run against mr corbyn that may be angela eagle a senior figure of the softer left and the daughter of a printworker or a more centrist figure like tom watson who was elected deputy leader last year other possible contenders include dan jarvis and chuka umunna both of whom decided not to run against mr corbyn last year or yvette cooper who did and lost
mr corbyn has no plan for a looming general election ms cooper said on tuesday urging him to resign quickly
jeremy would be letting down labour voters and communities across the country who badly need a strong labour voice right now and who badly need a labour government if he drags this out any longer ms cooper said i hope he does the right thing in the party and stands down swiftly because we cannot drift and leave the conservatives to shape britains future
in parliament on wednesday mr cameron got in on the act calling on mr corbyn to quit and attributing to him some of the blame for the outcome of the referendum
it might be in my partys interest for him to sit there mr cameron said its not in the national interest and i would say for heavens sake man go 
for the conservatives there is at least a clear path toward a new leader and mr johnson and ms may are clear favorites but party history suggests that favorites sometimes founder stephen crabb 43 who was recently appointed work and pensions secretary and is an up and coming politician with a working class background has also announced his candidacy backed by the business secretary sajid javid 46 the son of a bus driver from pakistan
others are likely to declare including jeremy hunt the health secretary
under the british system the naming of a new prime minister from the governing party does not require a new general election the prime minister after all is just the first among equals a legislator chosen by colleagues to lead them parliaments sovereignty is supreme
but in practice the british system has become a great deal more presidential and personality driven so individual mandates have come to seem more important nearly four years without one would be a long time especially given all the uncertainties attached to leaving the european union and the hard choices ahead
some say they believe that no new leader would enjoy legitimacy without an early election
it surely cannot be right as a matter of democratic principle that only members of the conservative party constituting 0003 percent of the total electorate should have a say in electing a new prime minister said nick clegg of the liberal democrats who served as deputy prime minister to mr cameron in a coalition government until last years general election
others argue that britain is in a special situation having voted against membership of the european union yet having little notion of what would replace it before any new election they say the new prime minister should first negotiate a deal extracting britain from the bloc and then seek endorsement of it from the voters
graham brady chairman of the influential 1922 committee of conservative lawmakers said that these are difficult judgments to make but he added we have a big and complicated task to accomplish i think that its entirely reasonable to expect that we the government should embark on that get on with it seek to negotiate as good an outcome as we can before the people are asked then to approve or reject that at a general election
but that is a high risk option for an incoming prime minister who is likely to find that he or she cannot deliver what many of those who voted for a british exit or brexit were promised or expected
even more if a damaged mr corbyn survives the coup attempt against him the temptation among conservatives to rush to the polls while labour is so weak will be almost irresistible
but a bigger lesson has been drawn from the transfer of power in june 2007 when gordon brown succeeded tony blair as prime minister with so much support in the labour party that there was no internal vote
in the fall of that year mr brown appeared set to call a general election to win his own democratic mandate only to pull back when his lead in the opinion polls began to shrink
that moment of indecision was seen as a fatal error from which his premiership never recovered his authority diminished and he lost an election in 2010
while those leaders effectively had freedom to call general elections when they wanted the situation changed with new legislation that came into being in 2011 this law lays down a five year parliamentary term
early elections can be held if agreed to by at least two thirds of all lawmakers there is an alternative provision that allows for an election if a motion of no confidence is passed in parliament and no new government is installed within two weeks
these rules have never been tested but the conservatives could decide to bring themselves down in a vote of no confidence and labour would be unable to command a majority so new elections would be held
alternatively a two thirds majority would probably be attainable opposition lawmakers would be unlikely to block an early election because that would mean insisting that a prime minister without a popular mandate stay in power and make them look like they were afraid of the voters
parliament ultimately has the power to overturn these rules and pass a new law altering or abrogating the old one that would be time consuming but if an incoming prime minister wants to call an election badly enough it could happen


each week nate cohn the upshots elections analyst based in washington and toni monkovic an upshot editor based in new york discuss the 2016 race and post a lightly edited transcript of their written exchange this week we start with what is with all the conspiracy theories
toni one thing ive learned at the upshot in the last year people from the right and the left believe in conspiracies more than i would have thought and elections bring out the worst of it
the political scientists joseph uscinski and joseph parent have written that near equal numbers of republicans and democrats between 40 percent and 50 percent are predisposed to believe in the possibility of voter fraud if their preferred presidential candidate does not win
each side believes that if they lose cheating is to blame and they believe it about equally nobody likes losing but it appears hard for about half the country to accept that they lost fair and square
nate yeah well ive met them
theres a weird rhythm to it
they dominate my twitter feed and email when i go to bed and when im waking up because thats when other people stop tweeting   leaving only the conspiracists
or perhaps they all live out west
toni speaking of the west when will california election officials declare that bernie sanders has won the state
nate as far as i can tell about half of the bernie conspiracy types think sanders has won california and the media is covering it up the other half think hillary clinton stole california i assume theyll get on the same page once the california results become official clinton is up by around 420000 votes right now with 587000 votes left to be counted   including gop ballots he eroded her edge in the late count a bit   her edge peaked somewhere around 475000 ballots   but obviously hes coming nowhere close to winning
oh i just got a new email
lisa writes agree that exit polling is not the be all and end all but how about millions of registered dem voters in state after state being dropped from the rolls how about all those provisional ballots those people cast which were never counted if you look at all the evidence there is way too much smoke for there not to be a fire
note the reader was responding to nates article on monday about the conspiracy theory around exit polls
this is actually one of the more thoughtful emails ive gotten in a while and it does highlight one fair complaint a lot of things about our election system dont look good or dont work well even when they work as intended
the gradual purging of voters who havent voted in several elections and havent returned a postcard to verify their address for instance always raises eyebrows   even though theres virtually no effect on election results since most of those people have died or moved
the provisional system is a mess though its better than not being able to vote at all there are plenty of good reasons for people to think the us election system doesnt work even if there are basically zero reasons to think its rigged or that theres multistate election fraud
toni donald trump may be the most conspiracy minded major candidate in modern american history starting with the birther movement if he loses to clinton how will he and his supporters take it
nate oh thats a great question do you think hed concede
toni its traditional for the loser to congratulate the winner on election night if he lost i could see him taking his sweet time
and then we may hear some interesting theories
nate clinton could go down as the first candidate to win both the nomination and the presidency   perhaps even decisively   without a proper concession
toni thats an amazing thought do you think sanders will concede by nov 8
nate haha i assume so but hey maybe not
toni shortly after our conversation about pennsylvania last week   trump wasnt campaigning there and clinton wasnt advertising there   a few things happened
trump didnt go to scranton he went to scotland
priorities usa a super pac supporting clinton put in a big advertising buy for pennsylvania
but then trump scheduled an economic speech in western pennsylvania in a former steel mill town monessen and hes speaking there today tuesday
nate i think monessen is a great place for trump to stop its a town that voted 2 to 1 for obama and its at the northern tip of this old industrial area along the monongahela that still votes for democrats its exactly the sort of place where trump can make additional gains among white working class voters and there are a lot of them   even in a part of the state where the gop has made big gains in recent cycles
toni and then its on to maine for trump in bangor an interesting parallel trump could win an electoral vote in blue maine and clinton could win one in red nebraska
nate i think me 2 the 2nd congressional district in maine is a good target for him too its extremely white and it voted for obama by only eight points
toni after the british referendum on thursday you wrote on twitter winners polls taken over the final few weeks losers betting markets the who will win question focusing only on the very last polls
theres a lot of ground to cover there but maybe we can touch on the polling which for all the criticism it has received has acquitted itself pretty well in the last year or so particularly with regards to trump
nate well i dont know if id say its done well it hasnt been great
toni better than betting markets
nate i dont know i havent looked at it carefully yet
toni every system has flaws but how else are we going to analyze things
nate i think the key is to appreciate the amount of uncertainty there were a lot of people   apparently the entire financial markets   who really didnt think this was a serious possibility despite what the polls said
toni lets turn to the uncertainty over state polling the battleground state polls have generally been pretty close with the exception of florida which is an extremely important state for republicans its hard to plot a path for republicans to win without it
harry enten of fivethirtyeight gave an example on twitter i see 3 florida polls taken since clinton won the nomination clinton 3 yougov clinton 13 st leo clinton 8 q pac and if clinton won floridavirginia she could lose oh pa nh 1 electoral vote in maine iowa and colorado so long as she won nevadanm
nate before getting into florida i just want to note that the battleground state polls have generally been of fairly low quality a lot of the better ones are from yougov which also shows a fairly close race nationally the one live interview survey that is fairly comparable to the national polls is from marquette and it shows clinton up nine points in wisconsin
that said im not surprised that florida looks so bad for the republicans theres been a lot of demographic change there over the last decade and the only reason it stayed close is because obama did particularly poorly with white voters in florida it was a bad fit for him a mix of older voters southern voters jewish voters
now the gop nominates trump who has alienated latino voters in the state where the republicans are most dependent on them and the democrats nominate clinton who is relatively strong among older jewish and southern white voters you can imagine this getting out of hand pretty quickly
toni i would think clinton would do better with jewish voters she was a senator from new york for one thing and has worked to earn their support there she knows them they know her
nate well she definitely beat obama in the 08 primary among jewish voters
clinton basically swept everywhere in south florida in the 2016 primary including relatively jewish areas it was really one of her best regions of the entire country she won 70 percent of the vote in all of the major counties there along floridas gold coast
toni i encourage readers to play with this interactive website to see how hard it is for the gop to win without florida but theres another terrifying map for republicans
nate silver of fivethirtyeight wrote i buy arizona as a swing state this year it opens up some winning maps for clinton she wouldnt have otherwise
the betting markets give democrats a 25 percent chance to win arizona significantly better odds than the democrats have of flipping other long shot states like georgia or missouri or indiana
nate i do think arizona could be competitive im not sure i agree that it opens up too many maps for clinton since i think if she wins there it means that she would be carrying florida by a wide margin
toni right its not really meaningful for this election but if i were a republican strategist looking at the long term this map would scare me if democrats win arizona in the future  this is where the potential brand damage inflicted by trump with latinos could truly sting   if arizona goes the way of california for example
nate floridas the state that should scare them
toni regarding the autopsy report after republicans lost in 2012   you and sean trende of realclearpolitics and others have rightly pointed out that the importance of latino voters was overstated for that election and even overstated for this november there are plenty of white voters enough for trump to win but for the long term if republicans cant turn it around with latinos theyre walking into a demographic death trap
nate im honestly not sure whether i agree right now i dont think we know how much upside a populist conservative party might have among white voters
toni ok thats really interesting looking at say 2024 and 2028 a populist conservative party might make big inroads in the midwestrust belt but that party might have a difficult time in states like florida and nevada and colorado and perhaps by then arizona and then you see who comes out ahead
nate i think right now the future of both parties is pretty unclear whats clear to me is that a new set of issues and messages could replace the ones weve gotten very used to hearing about im not sure that the 2028 presidential election will be fought over tax cuts gay marriage abortion or whatever else was argued about in the last decade four years ago i wasnt really sure what the key issues would be today now i think we can all agree that some issues like immigration and trade are very potent
toni but if florida is such an important state then you cant alienate hispanics or so one would think
nate i think its hard for republicans to get to 50 percent of the vote without gains across the board white hispanic even black if they had a big breakthrough among any one group especially whites that could obviate the need to gain among the others for the foreseeable future
right now id guess that the next republican who wins the presidency will do so without doing far better among hispanic voters
toni hmm to be continued on that topic
in recent weeks nate and toni wondered why donald trump wasnt campaigning in swing states looked at the potential terms of surrender for bernie sanders and discussed whether the superdelegate system should survive


istanbul   one man worked as a turkish translator and was escorting tourists back to the airport one woman an airport worker was looking forward to her wedding in 10 days there were taxi drivers and a customs officer and there was a turkish couple who worked together and died together in the suicide attack tuesday night at istanbul ataturk airport that killed dozens of people and wounded more than 200
as officials said on wednesday that the death toll from the attack had risen to 41 details about the victims began trickling out at least 23 of them were from turkey according to a turkish official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the attack publicly
the victims reflected the cosmopolitan and international character of istanbul whose airport is among the worlds busiest a hub for tens of millions of passengers connecting to europe the middle east africa and beyond each year among the victims were five saudis two iraqis and one citizen each from china iran jordan tunisia ukraine and uzbekistan the turkish official said
hours after the attack   which has not been claimed by any group although turkish officials said they suspected it was the work of the islamic state   a limited number of flights resumed and workers continued clearing debris and replacing shattered windows at the airport
unlike brussels where a terrorist attack in march closed the airport for days istanbul appeared determined to get back to business as usual under a sunny sky on wednesday morning cars streamed into the airports international terminal where the attack occurred almost like on a normal weekday
but traces of the blasts lingered police tape marked off the site of one of the explosions on the lower arrivals area and workers in yellow vests pounded long support bars into the concrete sidewalk erecting a seven foot high metal fence dividing the road from the airport entrance
an elderly woman who said she was a refugee from afghanistan sat on gravel in the shade near a pile of her belongings and watched them
even as the airport reopened scenes of grief played out at a nearby hospital a young woman wearing a brown and pink head scarf rocked softly back and forth as an older woman embraced her sobbing the young womans husband was among the injured and doctors had told her to prepare for the worst
my god why did you take him from me she said her voice breaking
those who survived spoke of panic and confusion and of gunfire aimed directly at them
a young man said he was going through a metal detector on tuesday night when he heard shooting he said he came under fire as the assailants advanced shooting he saw one person fall to the ground and dove under the x ray machine
adnan ersoy a 56 year old cabdriver at the hospital said that three of his friends had been killed and that eight had been wounded
they were just taxi drivers he said good people people who were trying to survive and earn their money
passengers making their way through the first airport security checkpoint on wednesday seemed shaken
it was only gods grace that separated us from the tragedies that happened here said tanika golota 26 a school counselor from chicago who was holding her 1 year old mila the golotas on their way home from a vacation in portugal with a layover in istanbul had left the airport just 40 minutes before the explosion on tuesday night
you see it on tv and you know it happens but we are naive to the fact that it could happen to us she said
a majority of the victims appeared to be muslims either turks or visitors from muslim countries if the bombings are confirmed to be the work of the islamic state it will show once again that the group which portrays itself as defending islam and fighting western powers kills far more muslims than non muslims on the battlefields of iraq and syria or in terrorist attacks in the region
the attack cast a pall over a city that until recently was brimming with self confidence projecting itself as a rambunctious multicultural hub for the arts with great cuisine and a dazzling history as a former imperial capital
but a series of terrorist attacks over the last year some attributed to the islamic state and others to kurdish militants have destroyed turkeys image as a haven in a dangerous region and they have damaged its once thriving tourism industry
the chaos enveloping turkey   including the attacks and an enormous influx of refugees that has strained resources   vividly illustrates how the civil war in syria has rippled outward and destabilized neighboring countries
turkey is grappling with growing domestic strains as well with deep divisions between islamists who support president recep tayyip erdogan and secular and nationalist turks who oppose what they regard as his increasingly authoritarian grip on power making matters worse a war that turkey had fought for more than three decades against kurdish militants resumed last year turning cities in the southeast into war zones
on wednesday morning prime minister binali yildirim said that early indications suggested that the islamic state also known as isis and isil was behind the latest attack although officials had not released any information about the assailants by the afternoon
after other attacks turkish officials have equivocated citing as potential culprits either the islamic state or kurdish militants this critics have said provided the government with the pretext to crack down further on kurdish militants which has been a greater priority for turkey than fighting the islamic state
however some analysts said the airport attack might be a game changer for turkeys approach to the islamic state the united states and other allies have accused turkey of not doing enough to fight the militant group and even of contributing to its rise by allowing fighters and weapons to pass through turkish territory as part of a policy of supporting syrian rebels
i was impressed with the rapidity with which the government said it was daesh said soli ozel a turkish columnist and professor at kadir has university in istanbul using the arabic acronym for the islamic state it suggests to me that finally maybe they have learned what the hell they have done
john o brennan the director of the central intelligence agency said on wednesday that the attack bears the hallmark of isils depravity but he did not confirm that the group was responsible
speaking at the council on foreign relations in washington mr brennan added that the islamic state typically does not claim responsibility for attacks in turkey in order to send the turkish government a grim warning but not alienate sympathizers and potential recruits in the country
the attack came days after turkey which has suffered ruptures in relations with many of its neighbors in recent years took steps to reconcile with israel and russia turkeys relationship with israel fell apart six years ago after israel commandos stormed an aid flotilla bound for the gaza strip in violation of a blockade killing several turkish activists
in november turkey shot down a russian fighter jet that strayed into its airspace across the syrian border raising tensions to a boil but mr erdogan sent a letter to the russian president vladimir v putin this week expressing remorse for shooting down the jet and on wednesday the two leaders spoke by telephone
at least part of the reason for patching up relations with israel and russia was to help improve turkeys beleaguered tourism industry and it bore quick results on wednesday russia announced that it would lift a ban on travel to turkey and was moving toward normalizing economic relations
more than four million russians went to turkey in 2014 second only to germans but millions of russian tourists stayed home this year moscow also banned most imports of fruits vegetables and other agricultural goods from turkey but that ban is due to be lifted as well
president obama telephoned president erdogan from air force one on wednesday to express his condolences for the loss of life and offer americas help the white house did not confirm that the islamic state was responsible for the attack but the press secretary josh earnest said the assault illustrated the challenge that turkey faces because of its shared border with syria
subways and streets in istanbul were quiet on wednesday with tourists who had come despite previous violence   the airport bombings were the fourth suicide attack in istanbul alone this year   trying to enjoy themselves
its really sad said alex afridi 50 from sacramento who was visiting turkey with his family and staying in a hotel in the beyoglu neighborhood of istanbul this city was already hurting its an amazing city
turks said they felt stunned at the dismal turn their country had taken
i was in a crying mood this morning looking at the news said osman serim 60 a businessman drinking coffee in beyoglu what is going to happen what is the hope what is the future for young people


the novelist neil gaiman has been fascinated by norse mythology since he was a boy when he was about 7 he read jack kirbys comic the mighty thor about the hammer wielding nordic god he moved on to roger lancelyn greens myths of the norsemen which he read it over and over until the book fell apart
so when an editor from w w norton asked if he would be interested in writing a book about norse mythology mr gaiman was wildly enthusiastic
to get the opportunity to retell the myths and poems we have inherited from the norse was almost too good to be true mr gaiman said in a statement released by his publisher i hope the scholarship is good but much more than that i hope that i have retold stories that read like the real thing sometimes profound sometimes funny sometimes heroic sometimes dark and always inevitable
mr gaimans forthcoming book norse mythology which norton will publish next february is an almost novelistic retelling of famous myths about the gods of asgard the book will explore the nine norse worlds which are populated by elves fire demons the vanir gods humans dwarves giants and the dead there are ice giants and elves familiar deities like thor odin the wise and occasionally vengeful highest god and loki the giant trickster and a frightening doomsday scenario ragnarok where the gods fight a fire giant with a flaming sword in an apocalyptic world ending battle
mr gaiman has often drawn on the norse myths in his own fantasy writing his hallucinatory fantasy novel american gods features a character based on odin in his childrens book odd and the frost giants a young boy encounters a fox an eagle and a bear who turn out to be loki odin and thor
those norse tales have accompanied me through pretty much everything ive done he said they ran like a vein of silver through sandman they were the bedrock of american gods


hong kong   the film directors guild of china raised concerns on wednesday about the health of a prominent tibetan director who was hospitalized this week after he was detained by the police in northwestern china
the director pema tseden whose work includes the film tharlo was detained by the police on saturday at the airport in xining where he had flown from beijing during his detention mr tseden displayed health problems that required hospitalization on monday the guild said in a statement
sonam a producer who works with mr tseden said that security officers had used force in detaining the director but did not think that he was beaten in custody they grabbed him by the hair handcuffed him behind his back and dragged him to the station he said
mr tseden had returned to the baggage claim area to retrieve a forgotten bag when he was confronted by airport employees who said he should not have re entered said mr sonam who like some tibetans uses one name the staff called the police who later ordered mr tseden to serve five days of administrative detention for disturbing public order
the xining airport police said in a statement that mr tseden was detained because he had refused repeated orders to leave the baggage claim area however mr sonam said that the director had tried to leave once he realized he could not take his bag but was blocked
the police said that because of his refusal to cooperate when taken from the baggage claim area he had three cuts from handcuffs digging into his skin
in detention mr tseden experienced high blood sugar high blood pressure headaches and chest pain that required he be sent to a hospital on monday mr sonam said
the film directors association demanded that the police answer questions about mr tsedens detention
we call on the related departments to quickly respond to societys concerns and make the whole case public including the reason for the enforcement methods used by the police and whether their procedures were within the rules whether there are questions of the use of violence or excessive enforcement the statement read
mr tseden is known for films that strive to depict the reality of modern life for tibetans and cut through the exoticism and mysticism of many portrayals of the region in china and abroad
filmmakers are starting to more accurately capture the essence of life in tibet he told the new york times this month they are starting to let go of the old stereotypes


european leaders met in brussels on wednesday but prime minister david cameron of britain was sent home early
heres what is happening today in brexit news
 the leaders of 27 european union countries are meeting in brussels to discuss the british exit mr cameron showed up only briefly for a somber dinner on tuesday at which he told his fellow leaders that immigration was the main reason his compatriots had decided to leave the bloc
european leaders expressed alarm chancellor angela merkel of germany said there would be economic consequences to an exit dalia grybauskaite the president of lithuania said we all need to wake up and smell the coffee and prime minister charles michel of belgium called britains vote to withdraw a wake up alarm
britain will have to negotiate the terms of its divorce but only after it formally files the separation papers   a task mr cameron has left to his successor
 lawmakers from britains governing party are jockeying to replace mr cameron with the process for choosing a new conservative party leader opening today nominations close at noon on thursday
boris johnson the former london mayor and a leader of the campaign to leave the european union is the favorite but other possible candidates include home secretary theresa may and health secretary jeremy hunt rank and file members will choose between finalists selected by conservative legislators
 the opposition labour party is in turmoil jeremy corbyn the party leader lost a no confidence vote by his fellow lawmakers on tuesday
and during the weekly grilling of the prime minister mr cameron angrily called on mr corbyn to quit handing him some of the blame for the leave campaigns victory
it might be in my partys interest for him to sit there its not in the national interest mr cameron thundered and i would say for heavens sake man go
mr camerons comment seems to be a nod to remarks by oliver cromwell in april 1653 when having lost patience with parliament he said you have sat too long here for any good you have been doing depart i say and let us have done with you in the name of god go
 secretary of state john kerry like many observers has noted that a british exit might not even happen a position that gideon rachman writing in the financial times also took my colleague max fisher has laid out some of the options if britain wants to exit brexit the london school of economics has a blog post on how britain could maneuver its way to a second referendum
 if boris johnson   the bookies favorite   does take over as conservative leader and by extension prime minister what should he do martin wolf offers advice in the financial times tina brown though is no fan of mr johnson and sarah vine a journalist and the wife of a leave campaign leader describes the hours after the referendum result became clear
 in the timess opinion pages paul anderson writes that mr cameron may have held the referendum to heal rifts in the conservative party yet the result caused a schism in labour thomas l friedman says the vote is not the end of the world   but it does show us how we can get there and sarfraz manzoor notes that london and the rest of england are very different places
 thousands gathered in trafalgar square on tuesday evening to protest the results of the referendum
most london voters favored staying in the european union at the protest the mood was one of frustration will hudson a 30 year old management consultant said he felt he had to be out on the streets dominic boyce a 25 year old drummer said he felt let down by humanity and stephen lock a 64 year old business consultant described it as a total tragedy
 the markets look to be recovering   or is it a dead cat bounce
the ftse 100 index appears to have recovered all of its brexit related losses after falling sharply in the wake of the referendum result announcement friday morning the london exchange closed at 636006 on wednesday and the pound is up after falling to three decade lows on monday


in his most expansive speech to date donald j trump laid out a case on tuesday for tearing up trade pacts and confronting china as he stood at a recycling plant near pittsburgh
mr trumps speech was perhaps the most forceful case he has made for the crux of his candidacy not just that he is a businessman with a well established personal brand but that the days of globalism have passed and that a new approach is necessary
he did not suggest change in tiny increments instead he forcefully challenged the decades old shibboleths of republican economic orthodoxy as yoked closely to pro business interests mr trump did not expressly describe his views as nationalist but he did call for an era of economic americanism
the speech was well delivered by a candidate who is still adjusting to the use of teleprompters and it was the opening shot of a general election effort that is focused on winning states with large numbers of working class white voters
mr trump came under attack over the speech from the united states chamber of commerce and from democrats but such criticisms are unlikely to hinder a candidate who has already positioned himself as an outsider and a flamethrower the question for mr trump will be whether he can maintain the tone and focus of the speech going forward


the political arm of the center for american progress a leading progressive group that is aligned with hillary clinton is bringing together major democratic figures in national security to focus attention on the stakes of the election and to highlight what they see as the damaging potential of a trump presidency
the project called the national security leadership alliance will be funded by cap action it will feature a roster of major members of the foreign policy and national security community including two retired four star generals leon e panetta the former cia director madeleine k albright the former secretary of state eric h holder jr the former attorney general and carl levin the former michigan senator all have endorsed mrs clinton
there will be an effort to highlight precisely what in the military arsenal donald j trump would have access to as president mr trump has been criticized for his views on foreign policy criticisms that have been central to the case that mrs clinton has made against him in an effort to describe the stakes of the 2016 presidential election the center for american progress is led by a top outside adviser to mrs clinton neera tanden and the new project seeks to put a spotlight on what officials are calling a progressive foreign policy vision
i think what brought us together is obviously a lot of concern about some of the division and polarization that were seeing in the world mr panetta said in an interview we know were living in a time of great change and uncertainty
but he added the concern we have is we see these forces of division that are prepared to throw out the fundamental principles of foreign policy in the united states over many decades
what were learning from brexit is that theres a price to be paid in terms of letting out emotion dictate policy instead of responsible leadership he said referring to britains vote to leave the european union we shouldnt throw the baby out with the bath water
mrs clinton and president obama in whose administration mr panetta and mr holder served supported those who wanted britain to remain in the european union
that vote has plunged europe into uncertainty and has created tremors for the united states relationship with britain but mr trump exalted in the vote in a trip to scotland a day after the ballots were cast last week and he drew parallels between the nationalist forces that drove it and the presidential race in the united states
in a statement of principles officials with the project will say they reject the reckless use of american power and the folly of basing national security policy on ideology rather than on fact and critical thinking
while the project will be aimed at mr trump mr panetta studiously avoided invoking his name saying he hoped to keep the debate focused on issues and less on personalities
the retired gen john r allen who will also be part of the project echoed that sentiment while he said he had a view of the presidential race he was not ready to share which candidate he would support


congressional republicans have largely been quiet about one of their signature economic issues   free trade   since donald j trumps ascent this spring but britains vote to leave the european union has given them a new if narrow opening
even as mr trump was back to criticizing free trade deals in a speech in pennsylvania on tuesday republicans were dipping their toes back in the topic
in a radio interview in his home state of wisconsin the house speaker paul d ryan a longtime and vocal proponent of free trade suggested that the united states and england needed to make a bilateral trade agreement once the country formally separated from the european union
we would probably want to put together our own trade agreement with great britain which would be easier to do actually mr ryan said i think we should make sure that our trading relationship is stable so that our respective economies are not affected but actually improved
when the house returns from its recess next week representative charlie dent republican of pennsylvania will introduce a resolution to call on the obama administration to immediately begin the process of initiating discussions for just such a deal
the brexit referendum for better or for worse is behind us mr dent said in a statement this was a decision for the british people to make and they chose to leave we must respect that decision whether we agree with it or not now congress has a responsibility and interest to work with the united kingdom particularly when it comes to strengthening economic ties between our two great nations
congressional republicans have largely been careful not to weigh in on whether the referendum results were good policy but to vocally emphasize the importance of britain as an american ally the trade notions which will most likely gain steam next week are a way of reiterating that point while also getting back to trade talk in a relatively noncontroversial way


hillary clinton and donald j trump are deadlocked less than a month before the democratic and republican presidential conventions according to a new national poll of registered voters that shows the american electorate feeling disappointed in each candidate
a quinnipiac university survey released on wednesday found that 42 percent supported mrs clinton while 40 percent backed mr trump the poll represents a slight improvement for mr trump who trailed by four points at the beginning of the month and has a margin of error of plus or minus two percentage points
the numbers come as mr trump has rebooted his campaign after a series of missteps appointing a new campaign manager and sharpening his rapid response operation mrs clinton has been aggressively taking on mr trump with a series of speeches questioning his temperament and picking apart his policies
but the contentious tenor of the campaign is turning off voters and most of them blame mr trump quinnipiacs poll found that 61 percent think that the campaign is increasing hatred and prejudice in the united states and 67 percent of those who think that attribute it to the presumptive republican nominee
it would be difficult to imagine a less flattering from the gut reaction to donald trump and hillary clinton said tim malloy assistant director of the quinnipiac university poll voters find themselves in the middle of a meanspirited scorched earth campaign between two candidates they dont like
mrs clinton is the heavy favorite among women black voters hispanics and younger voters mr trump leads with men white voters and those who are over the age of 65
voters view mr trump as being stronger on the economy and better suited to handle terrorism while mrs clinton is seen as more trusted by voters on immigration and handling international crises mrs clinton also gets higher marks when it comes to being prepared to be president and for her intelligence but mr trump beats her on leadership and honesty


washington   a widely publicized sit in by house democrats a bipartisan compromise proposal in the senate neither is very likely to lead to any legislative action in congress on gun safety this year election day is too close and most of the republican opposition is too dug in
but the fact that a legislative response remains elusive does not mean there has been no movement on the issue members of both parties say they sensed a shift in the gun debate after the mass killing in orlando fla a notable difference in attitude from the reaction on capitol hill after previous horrific shootings
eight senate republicans joined with 44 democrats on a republican proposed compromise that would deny people on two different federal watch lists the ability to buy weapons unless they could successfully appeal that decision several other republican senators showed some willingness to accept new restrictions on gun purchases if they could be structured in an acceptable way a bipartisan companion measure also was introduced in the house
these are incremental steps but in the gridlocked world of gun control politics they count for something
one explanation for the change is that omar mateen the orlando killer used his legally purchased firearms in the commission of a terrorist act some republicans say they are willing to challenge the mind set of no new gun control   and the national rifle association   in the interest of trying to prevent similar terrorist attacks
republicans find it much easier to explain enacting gun restrictions to constituents devoted to the second amendment if they can frame their position as an act against terrorism
the constitutions a sacred document but it is not a suicide pact said senator lindsey graham republican of south carolina and a gun owner this is not hard for me due process is important but at the end of the day we are at war
to democrats any hint of daylight between some republicans and the nra is welcome
for the first time in quite a while youre seeing some republicans buck the nra said senator chuck schumer of new york the no 3 democrat in the senate who is likely to be the democratic leader next year
after watching democrats tie up the senate with a 15 hour filibuster and democrats occupy the house floor with a 25 hour sit in that exploded on social media senator mitch mcconnell of kentucky the republican leader is eager to take up other issues
clearly we have got to move on mr mcconnell said sunday on abcs this week though he added this is an issue obviously well be revisiting again in the future
whether people like it or not there is a constitutional right in our country to own and possess a firearm he said
mr mcconnell was heavily invested in making sure the compromise plan offered by senator susan collins republican of maine and opposed by the nra ended up short of the filibuster proof level of 60 votes he does not want to be remembered as the leader of a republican controlled senate that defied the gun rights group one of the most powerful allies of his party
and he allowed a competing alternative by senator ron johnson republican of wisconsin that probably siphoned republican votes from the collins plan but the votes exposed a small universe of republican senators who might eventually be willing to support gun restrictions in the interest of preventing terrorism perhaps enough to eventually push a compromise proposal to the hallowed 60 vote level
the fact that terrorism has become intertwined with the gun issue puts greater pressure on republican senators and senator mcconnell to get something done mr schumer said
mr schumer and his fellow democrats acknowledge the latest round of debate on gun control is good politics for them particularly in swing states like new hampshire pennsylvania and ohio that will be crucial to deciding control of the senate in november polls show an overwhelming majority of americans would deny those on terrorism watch lists the ability to buy guns which the collins bill proposed
as the collins proposal gained steam after the defeat of other more partisan proposals democrats discussed opposing it they worried that strong democratic backing would allow a handful of embattled republicans the opportunity to cast a politically helpful gun safety vote even though no legislation would pass   an opportunity to get well on guns as it is known
democrats said they decided to give the plan their full support to show they were serious about moving ahead with gun control even though the compromise fell short of their legislative goals and could benefit some republicans senators kelly ayotte of new hampshire and patrick j toomey of pennsylvania top democratic targets were among those voting for the collins plan
though the immediate legislative prospects look dim the gun control debate is not going to quiet down anytime soon
energized by the attention to their sit in house democrats branded wednesday a national day of action on guns and held news conferences and protests around the country while lawmakers were home for the fourth of july recess representative nancy pelosi the house democratic leader on monday urged democrats to hold family sit ins to keep the drumbeat for action growing democrats expect to return to their guerrilla tactics when the house convenes next week backers of the collins proposal say they will continue to press for added support as well
perceiving a shift in congressional sentiment and a distinct political advantage gun control advocates are not about to give up now


the original danish version of the fairy tale the little mermaid is hardly the stuff of hollywood it ends bitterly with the mermaid unable to bear life as a human but once the tale was massaged by walt disney who gets a pass despite the periodic french skepticism of imports from america the animated version became a runaway hit in france
now a french synchronized swimmer is trying to translate another aspect of the american mermaid obsession mermaiding schools it turns out that preadolescent and adolescent girls on both sides of the atlantic dream of being mermaids
julia sardella who spent four years in las vegas performing in a show that combines water ballet and aerial gymnastics teaches the girls and some of their mothers how to swim gracefully after pulling on colorful leggings that end in a monofin the classes appeal to the french love of fashion with students donning elegant tops and tails and are a good workout
its great for your abdominals said ms sardella who also practices pilates one of the first things i teach is a mermaids movements how it feels to swim with a tail
if the english word mermaid connotes a chaste creature the french sirene brings to mind the deadly seductresses of the odyssey the sirens who sang so beautifully that they enticed sailors to steer their ships onto the rocks and perish
graduates of ms sardellas classes may aspire to become miss mermaid france this years competition had seven entrants who wearing elegantly colored tails cavorted in a large pool the winner will compete in the international mermaiding contest in the autumn at a resort on the red sea
ms sardella said that about 500 people took her introductory courses at a hotel in marseille with some returning for more advanced instruction she plans to expand to monaco and paris
some people come for curiosity she said some because they have a dream of being a mermaid


we know the provision by nondescript names early entry one and done
i call it the spencer haywood rule
the 29 underclassmen who walked across the stage during the nba draft last week at barclays center and shook hands with commissioner adam silver should have also shaken hands with haywood and said thank you
from kobe bryant to lebron james every player who has gone from high school to the pros or who has left college before completing a four year tour of duty owes a debt of gratitude to haywood at 20 he took on the nba and forced open the doors for generations of young players including ben simmons and brandon ingram the top two overall picks this year
haywoods 1971 lawsuit haywood v national basketball association invalidated nba rules that said a player was ineligible for the draft until four years after his high school graduation or the graduation of his class in the case of a dropout
haywood challenged the cozy arrangement between the ncaa and the nba that essentially compelled athletes to play four years in college it was an arrangement that benefited colleges and the nba but not necessarily the players
i visited with haywood over the last few days he was in brooklyn for the draft and the national basketball players association this week screened the powerful new documentary about his life full court
haywood 67 said he had never attended the draft before
im walking through the hallways looking at players he said their agents are saying thats that old spencer haywood guy they say early entry but they really dont know what theyre talking about
haywood is pushing for the union to make the spencer haywood rule the official name of the provision that allows underclassmen into the nba he wants the haywood rule elevated to the mount rushmore of fights against the system
it would make a world of difference to all of the players because theyll know that theres a person who made that sacrifice he said they have got to know that somebody did this you cant leave it out in space
the problem with continuing to refer to this game changing provision as early entry or one and done is that those labels fail to assign ownership to the rule and leave questions unanswered how did it begin who pushed for it was it always like this was it easy to accomplish
early entry implies easy entry that the right for young players to enter the league without waiting four years was bequeathed by the nba out of a sense of benevolence in fact the nba fought haywood tooth and nail as if the leagues survival depended on it caretakers of the league felt it did
the nba argued that the influx of young players would destroy the league that the siphoning of talent from college basketball teams would destroy college basketball and would ruin the nbas pool of talent
the documentary illustrates the extent to which the nba used its muscle to keep haywood off the court and even out of arenas as it fought him and the seattle supersonics owner sam schulman who broke ranks in march 1970 when he signed haywood
the commissioner of the nba at the time walter kennedy invalidated that contract arguing that haywood was not eligible because he was not yet four years out of high school haywood would have been eligible to play that june
haywood joined by the supersonics sued the nba claiming that the leagues threatened penalties against him and schulman for not following the draft rules violated antitrust law
haywood had been playing in the rival american basketball association for the denver rockets who had drafted haywood under a hardship exemption after his second year at the university of detroit
in 1971 after a blizzard of appeals and injunctions the supreme court ruled by 7 to 2 in haywoods favor haywood was a sonic   and in the nba
the nba and schulman settled out of court schulman paid a fine and legal costs but haywood won
haywoods move for officially changing the name of the rule might be misinterpreted as the egotism of a former player who wants to remain relevant
in fact haywoods stance is the legitimate argument of a hall of fame player whose legacy changed the course of a league and many of its players   for the better
haywoods triumph was a victory for the nba as well the leagues argument about the potential harm arising from a flood of young players was laughable
the spencer haywood rule allowed the nba to expand the league gained access to an ever deepening pool of supple young bodies over the next 15 years some of the greatest players in history left college early   thanks to haywood
bernard king michael jordan magic johnson isiah thomas allen iverson james worthy dominique wilkins hakeem olajuwon charles barkley karl malone
they won even though they lost haywood said of the league
a result of the haywood lawsuit was that the nba instituted an exception for players who could demonstrate economic hardship if they were made to wait four years after high school in 1976 the hardship requirement was scrapped in favor of what appeared to be a completely noneconomic standard which was early entry in exchange for ineligibility to play college basketball
but the age of the leagues labor pool remains an issue
the league may push a proposal that would compel players who accept scholarships to play two seasons in college before being eligible for the draft
when we spoke after sundays screening haywood said he was disappointed that none of the players had stayed to watch the film
i was really hurt he said
after the screening the unions executive director michele a roberts perhaps sensing haywoods disappointment assured haywood that the players did appreciate what he had done even if none of them stayed to watch the film
in any event if i were haywood i would not care whether the players watched the movie id rather they showed their gratitude by voting to change the name of the rule under which many of them gained entry into the nba
haywood took on the nba   and won
call it what it is the spencer haywood rule


just in time for the couture shows next week   couture being perhaps the original customization art in fashion the one in which a customer goes to the atelier chooses her dress and then because it is being made for her only has it altered as she so desires   jimmy choo is planning to unveil its latest innovation not a new heel height or shape but a collection of crystal clip ons buttons and bracelets that can decorate pumps and clutches and peep toe ankle laced stilettos even slip on skater shoes the better to luxe up an otherwise simple pair of shoes according to individual desire
people really want to show their personality and have something a little different said sandra choi jimmy choos creative director
this follows the introduction of gucci diy stage 2 a service in the brands flagship store in milan that allows customization of jackets tuxedos coats and shoes then theres opening ceremonys new embroidery station a sewing machine tucked away in the soho store where customers can personalize shirts and jackets with patches and graphics the service will soon expand to hand painting airbrushing and hand embroidery
we are entering an era of fashion diy not do it yourself weve all been there got the tie dyed t shirt but design it yourself
if personalization has been a growing phenomenon for a while now with brands from ralph lauren to burberry to nike and fendi offering products for the tweaking these programs take the practice to another level empowering customers to make their mark on their clothing in a more elemental and idiosyncratic way
many industry insiders think it is just the beginning ask about the future of fashion and the answer that is likely to come back along with the importance of instagram and the transformation of shows into entertainment is personalization after all if you have one pair of sneakers from a designer you dont necessarily need another but if you can take that pair and make it special by designing it yourself in a way that theoretically at least no one else would do   well then theres a reason to buy another pair isnt there
we live in a world where individuals are increasingly encouraged to take charge of their own fate and challenge the authority of the institution medically educationally and now sartorially the age of designer dictates is over this is the dawn of designer humility
consider alessandro micheles rationale for his gucci service the way you dress is really the way you feel the way you live what you read your choices thats what i want to put into gucci and thats why i decided to give our customers the possibility of customizing and creating their own gucci products
but there is a fine line between giving consumers a voice and facilitating cacophony
before everyone gets carried away and rushes down to seize power for themselves and start decorating it is worth pausing and acknowledging that there is a risk to all this not just in making a bad color choice   after all there is a reason designers are designers and the rest of us are not they have an understanding of fabrics and colors and what works and what does not that has been honed over time   but in revealing your own lapses in taste or judgment
we all have embarrassing clothing choices hidden away in our closet diy simply ups the ante
this was brought home to me a few years ago when i designed my own fendi peekaboo bag for an article i have rarely experienced as much anxiety as i did when faced with all those leathers and hardware options and i didnt even have to live with the results of my choices   someone else did it was auctioned for charity
nevertheless i was racked with self doubt what if i messed up seeing little squares of suede and nappa and trying to imagine them supersized on a tote bag was almost impossible i spent hours hemming and hawing and even with the advice of the extraordinarily patient fendi made to order expert was unconvinced it would all be ok in the end
maybe that simply reveals my own lack of imagination   those who cant do critique   but i doubt i am alone here its one thing to do what my friends and i did in high school take your old jeans chop them off at the knees slice them up the seams and make them into new denim skirts by inserting assorted fabrics into the middle
its an entirely different thing to do something similar with an investment garment you will have for years what you love today   what expresses your attitudes and obsessions at this political and social moment   you may find excruciatingly embarrassing tomorrow this is especially true of things such as the patches available on gucci and oc jackets for example it could seem completely apropos to decorate your bomber with say bees and snakes or emojis hamburgers and pizza at the moment but in two years might just seem laughable
a young friend likened the personalization project to tattoos only safer and less painful but if that is the comparable then we might consider the lesson of johnny depp and the seemingly painful laser transformation of his winona forever ink into wino forever to wit think twice or three times about what you choose for posterity lest you become one of those marked literally by regret or clad in it
theoretically there are protections built in to the customization process in that the options have been approved by the designer and there are advisers on hand though how they might steer a would be buyer away from a mistake in a world where the mantra is the customer is always right i wonder at least when it comes to the jimmy choo offering nothing is irrevocable since everything is removable the buttons come with coverings in the same fabric as the shoe or bag so they look more like three dimensional polka dots though it is more than possible to go over the top with attaching the sparkles
anya hindmarch the designer who helped restart the craze with her bag stickers   permanent decals you attach to your handbags   said she sees the safety net as the fact that she still designs the bag the canvas it is only the adornment that is optional
gucci has preselected the places where diyers can choose to put their desired patch or initials or embroidery and carol lim of opening ceremony said she and her co founder humberto leon believed that their varsity jacket was recognizable enough on its own no matter the decoration still she mused if someone wanted to go really crazy and embellish everywhere would we say you cant do that we havent so far
there is a lot of upside to individual expression but do not forget the mistakes you make will be your own


for decades republicans argued for lower taxes fewer regulations and a smaller welfare state democrats took up the opposite view and voters split along familiar lines
whatever you think of donald trump it is clear that this election has the potential to reshape the allegiances of many white working class voters who have traditionally sided with the democrats and many well educated voters who have sided with the republicans
mr trump on tuesday laid out a radically different economic message than republicans have advanced and it holds considerable appeal to white working class democrats he supported renegotiating or withdrawing from nafta cracking down on chinese currency manipulation and using united states steel for domestic infrastructure   which he promises to rebuild
along with his departures on immigration and the welfare state mr trump is moving away from the labor fights and culture wars that defined 20th century politics and toward the new divide over globalization and multiculturalism that might define 21st century politics
mr trump currently trails in most polls but according to a 2014 study by pew research on political polarization positions like those held by mr trump on trade immigration guns and the environment have considerable support from white working class democrats
around 40 percent of white democrats without a college degree agree that free trade has done more harm than good exit polls showed the same thing in the democratic primary or think the united states should get tougher with china on economic issues similar numbers agree with mr trump on guns and immigration all of mr trumps stances are more popular than traditional republican views on the welfare state or culture war issues like abortion or same sex marriage
the potential for mr trump to break through among white working class voters isnt merely theoretical recent public opinion surveys   even those showing mr trump trailing mrs clinton by a wide margin   all show him leading mrs clinton by a wider margin among white voters without a college degree than the margin by which mitt romney led president obama in 2012 over all mr trump leads among white voters without a college degree by a 57 to 31 margin in the last six national polls mr romney led by a 55 to 37 percent margin with those voters in a compilation of the final polls in 2012
these gains have not been enough to give mr trump an overall lead he trails by an average of five points in the same surveys
but the extent to which mr trump is doing well among white working class voters is important to democrats there are more white working class voters than is generally believed and mr obama was stronger among these voters than typically assumed
mr trumps speech on tuesday was delivered in monessen pa the sort of place that typifies the overlooked democratic resilience among white working class voters and that mr trump needs in november the area was once one of the most reliably democratic parts of the country and even today democrats still fare fairly well among white working class voters president obama won monessen by a 66 33 percent margin and the town is at the tip of a region along the monongahela river where mr obama won among white working class voters
there are places like this   traditionally democratic white working class areas where mr obama still showed important strength   across the northern united states in pennsylvania alone there are similar regions along the beaver river   north of pittsburgh   or in the scranton wilkes barre area in northeast pennsylvania theres youngstown and warren ohio   or a whole strip of towns along lake erie from toledo ohio back to erie pa many of these same areas broke heavily for mr trump in the republican primary
we will not know until november whether mr trump will attract these traditionally democratic voters even if he does he might fall far short of winning the presidency as current polls suggest his gains among less educated white voters have been neatly canceled by losses among well educated voters
this could prevent mr trump from winning in states with a large white working class a recent marquette university poll showed mr trump winning by seven points among white working class voters in wisconsin yet mrs clinton was leading by a huge 22 point margin among well educated white voters even though four years ago they split almost evenly between parties the same dynamic could doom mr trump in pennsylvania
but if you want to know why mr trump is still in striking distance   why mrs clinton is generally well beneath 50 percent and not faring too much better among registered voters than mr obama was in the fall of 2012   this is why mr trump has made big gains among less educated white voters he has adopted a platform to do it


the pipeline giant energy transfer equity said on wednesday that it had called off a contentious deal with the williams companies after a delaware judge ruled last week that the transaction could be terminated
energy transfer based in dallas had sought for months to kill the deal as a sharp decline in the energy markets last year made the cash and stock transaction untenable
williams and energy transfer had accused each other of breaching the terms of the agreement and the deals value declined as a fall in oil prices hurt the financial prospects of their customers and weighed on the stock prices of both companies the deal was valued around 38 billion including debt when it was reached in september
energy transfer cited the inability of its lawyers to deliver the required tax opinion as a reason for terminating the agreement last week sam glasscock iii the vice chancellor of the court of chancery in delaware sided with energy transfer which had argued in part that the transaction may not ultimately be deemed tax free   a condition for the deal to close
despite energy transfers announcement early wednesday the fight over the deal is far from over
shareholders of williams which is based in tulsa okla voted at a special meeting on monday to approve the transaction and the company filed papers to begin the appeal process in the delaware supreme court
in september after months of trying to negotiate a deal energy transfer agreed to acquire its rival in a transaction that valued williams at 4350 a share energy transfer had tried to buy williams a year ago but its earlier offer   worth about 48 billion   was rejected
but energy transfer appeared to have a bit of buyers remorse as commodity prices continued to fall last year and its investors raised concerns about the 6 billion in cash portion of the deal
shares of energy transfer closed up 6 percent at 1441 on tuesday while shares of williams were up 3 percent at 2064


public concern about faulty automobile airbags spread to a second major supplier on wednesday after toyota recalled 143 million prius and lexus models equipped with bags made by autoliv a big swedish american manufacturer
although no injuries have been reported from the problem there have been incidents in which the autoliv bags deployed spontaneously in parked vehicles sending metal pieces of the inflater into the cars cabins
the problem sounded ominously similar to issues with faulty airbags made by another major supplier takata which have been linked to 14 known deaths and more than 100 injuries takatas airbags have been the target of the largest safety recall in automotive history
fourteen automakers have recalled more than 60 million takata airbags in the united states and millions more worldwide
autoliv based in stockholm provides airbags to most of the major auto companies and is supplying many of the replacement inflaters being fitted in cars affected by the takata recalls autoliv and takata together with the american supplier trw and the japanese maker daicel provide four fifths of the global supply of airbag inflaters
inflaters are one of the most complex automotive components to manufacture said scott upham chief executive of the automotive consulting firm valient market research airbag makers need to have extensive experience in chemistry explosives as well as quality control he said
this is the reason why there are so few inflater suppliers in the industry he said
autolivs problem also underscored the challenges of overseeing the work of subcontractors in the making of crucial auto safety equipment the company on wednesday said substandard welds on inflaters made by a subcontractor from 2010 to 2012 were responsible for the problems leading to toyotas recall on wednesday
the recall covered two models of toyota hybrid vehicles the prius and the lexus ct200h from 2010 to 2012 they were equipped with autoliv side curtain airbags which are fitted in the cars side roof rails and meant to protect occupants in side impact crashes
toyota did not name the airbag supplier when it announced the recall in tokyo on wednesday but autoliv later identified itself and said it was cooperating with the recall
autoliv stressed that its airbag defect had caused no known injuries or deaths and it was quick to distance itself from takatas woes which have involved driver and front seat passenger airbags
they are extremely different cases thomas jonsson a spokesman for autoliv said wednesday
still the defect in the autoliv airbag inflaters share some similarities with the fault in takatas raising concerns about possible wider manufacturing and design issues in both cases the airbag inflater can break apart when the bag engages sending metal parts into the cars cabin
and in both cases high temperatures appear to play a role all seven incidents known to autoliv had occurred in parked cars in hot weather mr jonsson said echoing language initially used by takata autoliv was still investigating the root cause of the defect he said
at the heart of takatas defect is its propellant the explosive that helps inflate the airbag in a tiny fraction of a second takatas propellant is based on a solid compound called ammonium nitrate which can break down over time when exposed to moisture or high temperatures and in its broken down state the compound can burn violently causing the inflater to overpressurize and explode
in one recent incident a texas teenager was killed when an inflater fragment severed an artery in her neck
autoliv does not use ammonium nitrate in its airbags mr jonsson said instead its side curtain inflaters use stored compressed gas and a different solid propellant to inflate the airbag
a welding problem in metal tubing made by an autoliv subcontractor was causing a crack to appear in the inflater mr jonsson said and in hot conditions the gas could overpressurize causing the inflater to break in two
he said the subcontractor deviated from approved manufacturing processes between 2010 and 2012 resulting in the defect but that process has since been fixed he said
mr jonsson disputed toyotas description of the defect in its filing with japanese regulators which warned that inflater fragments could burst into the cars cabin mr jonsson said that in six of the seven incidents the broken parts of the inflater had stayed put or had simply dropped out in one case there was more movement
autoliv supplied the inflater in question to four other automakers mr jonsson refused to name those automakers however saying autoliv was not aware of any airbag incidents in their cars those automakers are not conducting recalls
autoliv said in a regulatory filing in april that it was investigating six incidents related to its airbags and possible recall costs of 10 million to 40 million but the details of its airbag defect had not been known
toyota on wednesday issued a second recall in japan to fix a possible fault with a mechanism in vehicles fuel tanks that releases evaporated fuel


it was just after 2 am when julieanna goddard 26 went crowd surfing at kinfolk 94 a nightclub in williamsburg brooklyn
the room was thick with marijuana smoke and the 20 something crowd clad in supreme nike and yeezy boosts went wild as ms goddard floated overhead like a rubber duck bobbing in a bathtub
this is for all my ladies who care about checks not texts said ms goddard who giggled self consciously at her ad libbed catchphrase she wore a black and white knit bodysuit her bleached hair in braided pigtails yeah im corny she said so what
as the crowd cheered ms goddard raised her iphone and filmed them her hand making wobbly figure 8s over their heads before she turned the lens onto herself twisting her face into a silly grimace before the moment passed she posted the video to snapchat revelers in the crowd in turn filmed her filming them and posted their videos to snapchat too
for ms goddard known to her social media followers as yesjulz it was just another day at the office
while few in their 30s and older may know of ms goddard her digital native followers are enthralled by her jet setting party lifestyle which often places her alongside celebrities at events like the nba all star game and the grammys
in doing so she has accrued a social media fan base including more than 365000 followers on instagram 111000 on twitter and 8800 on facebook but it is her snapchat figure that has set her apart as the latest iteration of the social media star unlike the other three platforms snapchat does not post the number of followers on a users page according to her publicist she has 300000 viewers a figure that snapchat would neither confirm nor deny
the huffington post has called her the queen of snapchat while the online lifestyle magazine highsnobiety credits her with changing the way brands use snapchat elite daily which bills itself as the voice of generation y calls her a snapchat it girl who is living the millennial dream
she even gets name checked in rap songs including lil uzi verts 2015 song wit my crew x 1987 thick white girl right on my side she kinda look like um yesjulz
which is fine but what exactly does she do
this is what you see if you follow yesjulz on snapchat ms goddard in paris in june celebrating the 34th birthday of her friend ronnie fieg the sneaker impresario who was starting a collaboration between his brand kith and colette after checking in to a luxe hotel keeping it swaggy she wrote and attending a moodily lit dinner with chris stamp of the streetwear label stampd and joe la puma of complex she hosted a party at the nightclub le baron wow look at this read a caption posted over a shaky shot of a gyrating crowd bathed in purple light
the next morning ms goddard addressed the camera directly from her hotel bed bleary eyed and wearing a sleeping mask on her forehead im on a journey of self awareness she said while receiving a chakra cleansing of crystal therapy if i want to win more i have to take care of myself
there are lots of shots from inside airplanes and uber taxis this is where she tends to talk directly to the camera this has been one of the best days ever in a husky tone and with her makeup smudged
if instagram popularized the static selfie ms goddard uses snapchat to bring it to life giving us a snippet by snippet account of the daily chaos that surrounds her if her life looks like a never ending party its difficult to tell if ms goddard follows the party or if the party follows her
in person ms goddard is pretty and warm a street slang slinging chatterbox with disney princess eyes theres something cartoonish about her energy thats sensual and comical in equal parts like an entrepreneurial jessica rabbit
what am i ms goddard said over coffee at la colombe in tribeca on a cold tuesday earlier this year clad in a gray mock turtleneck sweater hip hugging black pants and a downy fur coat well im an influencer for brands im an events producer im an ar im a publicist im a billion things in one im a host im talent myself
we are literally living in a time when you can say youre something on the internet and become that thing she said
that thing it turns out is a user of snapchat to promote herself and her clientele which currently includes the rapper 070 shake muzik headphones and the instant messaging app viber what im really good at she said is if you have a tv show or movie or song or anything youre trying to promote i have a great way of making a couple hundred thousand people want to know about it
talent agencies have taken notice daniel saynt a founder of socialyte an agency that specializes in influencer casting said id be surprised if she isnt already talking to people about a reality show because of how well her content would fit with mtv or e entertainment
but she already is the star of her own reality show one that she extemporaneously films directs and produces and her teenage and 20 something fans are of a generation that prefers social media celebrities over traditional ones
reality tv became so fake that people wanted real reality ms goddard said trying to explain her appeal not from someone whos a multimillionaire from somebody they feel they can almost touch
snapchats raw charmingly lo fi style means that it still seems undiscovered by prying grown ups despite its raising 18 billion recently and surpassing twitter in the number of active users and while global brands have already colonized facebook and instagram snapchat still seems on the fringe
on instagram you can be fake ms goddard said you take a picture filter it photoshop it put it up and let people think thats your life snapchat is the complete opposite
raised in tampa fla ms goddard made her mark in miami by promoting parties at the south beach clubs liv and story where she would chaperone celebrities like dwyane wade and david beckham
her energetic personality often made her the life of the party so she started the yesjulz agency in 2014 to capitalize on the nebulous intersection of night life social media and marketing
though she was active on instagram and twitter her game changing moment came when snapchat introduced the story feature in 2013 allowing users to string together short video clips to create a narrative it seemed tailor made for her staccato celebrity filled life
she trained the camera on herself and tapped record an early boost came when ryan seacrest named her one of the best snapchat users to follow in 2014 brands started calling
working with someone like julz it gives us insight into how to stay relevant said adam petrick the global director of marketing at puma which hired ms goddard this year as its brand ambassador shes very multifaceted and outgoing in her interests she perfectly represents our consumer
in addition to wearing puma products on snapchat ms goddard recently shared a 40 percent discount code with her followers and often tags posts of herself in athleisure outfits with the hashtag pumagal
while mr petrick declined to get into specifics of the deal industry insiders like mr saynt from socialyte estimate that ms goddard can earn anywhere from 25000 to 1 million for a campaign he said that his company recently booked two influencer campaigns for 200000 each
if the party never ends neither does the work rather than complain ms goddard has turned the always on mentality into a brand able moment with the hashtag nevernotworking
her work ethos was on display during new york fashion week in february when she was in the city to introduce her client 070 shake to record label executives at rca and to fellow hip hop artists
ms goddard slid into a booth at the midtown italian restaurant serafina on a cold wednesday she ordered a salad and tempted fate by pairing it with a glass of red wine despite wearing a white stella mccartney blazer while talking she was lit from below as she toggled between her two phones both of which were constantly lighting up with snapchat alerts and one of which was getting juice from an external battery pack
dinner like everything else in ms goddards life was quick she had another dinner scheduled that night along with a concert at webster hall and a party after that after settling the tab she scrolled through her phones scanning for anything important then she put it away and sighed she had places to be
things are moving so fast she said its hard for people not of this world to keep up the people in the industry who were here before us didnt grow up with a phone in their hands they didnt even grow up in the myspace era they were already famous


ever since the mid 1980s thirstin howl the 3rd had been saving everything every photo of him and his friends dressed in head to toe polo every last mention of his gang the lo lifes in a media publication large or small the clothes the accessories the ephemera over the years his life became a museum
ive been documenting this story without even knowing i was documenting he said recently discussing the impending release of bury me with the lo on a thick ostentatious and loving coffee table book that captures the history of a certain subculture of polo obsession beginning with the lo lifes the brooklyn gang that he helped found that terrorized department stores from the mid 1980s to the early 1990s
all of the blueprints for hip hops current obsession with fashion are contained herein the laserlike focus on brand the lifestyle aspiration the subversion today the genres stars collaborate with high fashion houses or create their own clothing lines none of that would have been possible without the lo life blueprint
the lo lifes formed in 1988 from the union of two shoplifting crews from brooklyn ralphies kids from crown heights and polo usa from brownsville
thirstin howl the 3rd   or as he was known back then big vic lo his real name is victor dejesus   became later in life one of the most visible members thanks to his rapping career in which he always kept his dedication to polo at the tip of his tongue the book takes its title from his song the polo rican but its not only a lyrical euphemism in the back of the book is a picture of one lo life member in his coffin wearing a polo ski sweater
bury me is made up of vintage photos largely from the thirstin howl archive and regal current day portraits of lo lifes and polo obsessives shot by tom gould a young photographer from auckland new zealand who moved to new york in 2009 with an interest in hip hop and graffiti and an urge to document the culture he had studied only from afar he met mr dejesus the following year
the result of this cross generational collaboration is a lavishly designed book about lavish garments worn lavishly that was the goal mr gould said we wanted this book to be cherished and protected by the same people that love this culture and love these clothes
indeed one of the most striking aspects of this book is in mr goulds portraits of lo life founders how good the clothes themselves look still department store crisp despite two plus decades of wear each members portrait is paired with vintage photos as well as a first person account of his relationship to the brand often relating wild stories of teenage shoplifting
and the books vintage photos are consistently thrilling from the ones capturing parties where dozens of teenagers wore stolen polo head to toe to one lo life members grinning 1988 bloomingdales security mug shot which he stole from the store
all together it makes for a potent folk history of capitalist sedition in a time when polo was being made for and marketed to the aspirational white middle class some of the most rigorously sourced collections were sitting in closets in brooklyn housing projects given the lo lifes fraught history with the ralph lauren company the book comes with no official support from ralph lauren
the first generation it was straight hood mr dejesus said it was criminal youd get robbed youd have to rob but by the mid 90s things were beginning to change polo had gained a foothold in hip hop and many lo lifes had died or were in prison after completing the last of several prison stints in 1994 he went straight and brought his crew with him
once we made that positive transition he said shoplifting was no longer a requirement in lo lifes
by then a new generation of fanatics was emerging though not stealing i started meeting people who were living the lo life culture mr dejesus said they had so much more to offer than being gangster from the hood they had talent skill resources things the founders lacked things we couldnt acquire
initially there were tensions between the generations but those have largely been quelled nowadays the community comes together at polo clothing conventions or annual events like the lo life bbq in brooklyn or lo goose on the deuce a gathering in times square
mr dejesus isnt the polo obsessive he once was i have children so they ransacked my collection he said but he recently released a lo life clothing line riffing on vintage polo motifs
bury me ends up as a vibrant capstone to a devoted life though it unites all the demographics the boosters the rappers the collectors you have to respect the new generation and embrace them mr dejesus said without the new generation you would just be a story of the past


paris   anything could happen on the street the photographer bill cunningham said in what would turn out to be one of the final videos he recorded before his death it was one in which with customary enthusiasm he noted a gale force explosion in the vogue for tattered jeans
observing that one gentleman he had photographed   kanye west whom bill didnt identify   attended the 2016 met gala dressed in laboriously raggedy trousers and a bejeweled balmain jacket the seasoned octogenarian took this latest turning in the evolution of costume in stride
its just clothing bill said whats the big deal
his was a wonderful perspective by taking the long view bill maintained not just a journalists necessary detachment but something rarer an ability to experience with perennial wonder the passing parade
one thought of bill a great deal during the past weeks   he died saturday after being hospitalized this month as a result of a stroke   and the pleasure it would be to share with him afterward both laughter and a sense of pleasure afforded by the rich and varied and not infrequently wacko things designers sent onto the mens wear runways this season
bill would have loved as did this observer the sheer improbable beauty of a comme des garcons homme plus show that took some of the themes and gestures that have preoccupied the japanese designer rei kawakubo over the decades transparency the vulnerability of an exposed body the formality of frock coats contrasted with the inherent intimacy of outer garments made to look like underwear the use of signifying patterns like those she deployed saturday afternoon of the mute classical mouths and the blankly unseeing eyes created by the italian artist piero fornasetti
rendering many of the clothes in peekaboo shower curtain pvc ms kawakubo bundled the entire enterprise into one of the protest statements she has increasingly made part of her otherwise often gnomic brief for once ms kawakubos thoughts required little translation
in response to the information barrage so defining of contemporary culture she referenced hans christian andersens 1837 parable of the emperors new clothes it was a child who in innocence pointed out what was clear to everyone in the throngs assembled to greet an emperor in his new raiment his nakedness
bill cunningham was no childlike naif not only was he impossible to hoodwink he stubbornly declined to be party to his own burgeoning myth for him heaps of random facts are not equivalent to knowledge work is the only verifiable truth in this he had a lot in common with ms kawakubo an artist of similarly ornery stripe
but bill was neither a grouch nor the ascetic people liked to imagine fashions own st teresa on her bed of logs true he slept for years on a cot in his studio surrounded by file cabinets
yet simultaneously he was living a life that for someone by nature voyeuristic was of the greatest indulgence there is categorically no one in new york city who attended as many diverse parties as he did in a given night often bicycling from one to another and sometimes back again
once at a party given at the plaza hotel to benefit the american academy in rome bill waited futile hours for the socialite daphne guinness to rise from her table in order to capture her walking in a pair of heelless cantilevered nina ricci shoes eventually he gave up and rode home to have a sandwich
then determined to get his shot he bicycled back again to the hotel at 11 pm by which time the call of nature had finally forced ms guinness to stand up
bill loved to laugh loved night life loved the group of creative new yorkers through whom i first met him many decades ago for those people   the illustrator antonio lopez a show of whose work is on view at el museo del barrio and the assorted madcap beings they attracted like the warhol superstar donna jordan the model pat cleveland or any of the characters that populated the multiethnic fun house that was 1970s new york   bill was a boon companion always up to follow the party wherever it went
one thought again of that bill at the kenzo show last saturday morning a fantasy of a new york night life largely improvised by gay people over the decades and now effectively kaput
night life is the soul of any city carol lim and humberto leon the impresarios behind opening ceremony and the kenzo designers said in their press notes the collection pays homage to the club lore that narrates our past and paves the way for tomorrow long live the venues and parties that will create and incubate the legends to come
whether a label that was acquired by lvmh moet hennessey louis vuitton can generate anything resembling the euphoric experience of a night at flamingo paradise garage the tenth floor the sound factory twilo boy bar the pyramid club click  drag jackie 60 and other clubs with names too raunchy to record here remains to be seen
yet bill would have been   i certainly was   persuaded by the sincerity of the effort the dance trousers the blue and lime tracksuits the slightly cheesy ribbed knits the trousers slung low enough to reveal printed boxers hiked bellybutton high zip up boots the pop printed hoodies emblazoned brilliant the shorts cut to embarrassing gym class lengths the performance artist john sex rocked that look for a minute madonna soon adapted it from him
and the old school house music brilliantly remixed by todd terry helped even on a bright and sunny saturday morning at an hour when club kids are still staggering home tunes like the jungle brothers ill house you had guests like chloe sevigny and the dancer choreographer justin peck bobbing their heads as if the party were just getting started
held in the long waning light of a northern summer evening the music for riccardo tiscis fine givenchy show had a similar drum and bass vibe reminiscent of late nights at the disco and you could almost read into his decision to add dresses to a mens wear show parallels to a specific club demographic of the 65 looks 13 roughly 20 percent were clothes from the womens haute couture that is about the same proportion of women to men you might find on the floor of a typical gay dance club
mr tisci called his men happy warriors and said the show was about power and money as what is not anymore power here took the obvious form of military references on nylon sportswear with zippered panels at the hips and canted at kidney level money was signified mostly through computer generated graphic camouflage pattered from dollar bills
the slicked down hair on the models brought to mind the street toughs of mr tiscis southern italian background as did a casting that skewed in a traditionally masculine direction and well away from the northern climes and the representative pale ephebes favored now by many designers mirror discs on the clothes glinted from hems and peplums though these were allegedly references to couture techniques they had more of the diy look of the sparkly stuff favored by a druggie glow stick crowd
it was the essence of a bill cunningham photo essay one of those image surveys that though they sometimes seemed serendipitous and offhand had been harvested as assiduously as any field study conducted by trained anthropologists
bill operated that way his memory for fashion was the mainframe algorithms organized themselves organically in his head he had seen the yohji yamamoto show before many times over
too modest to make much of his knowledge base he would have found something wholesomely cheering to say about a collection of squared off jackets wide and high trousers tunics and pugilist head wraps it was a grouping that found its best expression in a phrase scrawled ungrammatically on the back of a jacket yohjis for hire less charitably translated that might be rendered as yohjis sold out it hardly matters which
this has been an odd season for some of the more reliable talents people like junya watanabe whose sneering bad boy collection   featuring models heavily inked and adorned with gnarly tufted theatrical beards that suggested someone had gone bonkers with some yak and a bottle of ben nye spirit gum   was rife with references to mob henchmen darkly humorous eastern european movies and russian prisoners
the result was a fairly banal commercial collection of biker jackets with quilted arms tweed tailored coats paisley and flash tattoo patterns tropical prints
another reliable reflex in fashion is to reference rebellion sedition the smoke screen for one of the most conformist of cultural undertakings kris van assche erected a funfair for his dior homme show roller coaster tracks illuminated with multicolored flashing lights he used it as a backdrop for a collection of wide trousers and tidy suits that alluded to 80s punk and new wave as though adding grommets and d rings metallic staples or frankenstein lacing to a garment automatically renders the wearer as cool as arto lindsay of dna say or the 80s filmmaker amos poe or james white the lead singer of james white and the blacks
it doesnt really work like that posturing is doomed to fall on its face and that too is a bill cunningham lesson whenever the poseurs featuring so prominently in much contemporary street style photography started prancing in front of bill he inevitably chose the moment to change the film in his camera far better and more honest from his standpoint and that of this critic to stick to ones knitting
despite her ruritanian title does the artistic director of hermes mens universe appear in the almanac de gotha veronique nichanian produces honestly commercial collections fully consistent with her corporate remit something bill would have appreciated and even honored
the clothes ms nichanian designs for this emblematic french carriage trade label alter little from season to season the plutocrats who wear hermes probably own some version of her bomber jackets narrow trousers goatskin t shirts coveralls sweaters with abstracted argyle patterns or the drifty overcoats to guard against drafts on ones gulfstream v but do they have them in citrus yellow chartreuse or cacao
in the lives of the rich desire long ago supplanted need something a keen social observer like bill cunningham well understood never fall into the traps of the rich he often told me and while bill may have made his own austere personal ethics a brand of ostentation he usually demurred when society hostesses proffered him a glass of water the point he was making still holds
the notion of creative people consenting to their own bondage was a deeply held anathema to bill in his life his practice his person his work he argued for the marginal the nut job visionaries kindred spirits of a man who endured his familys disapprobation to ditch a scholarship to harvard in order to pursue a deep interest in fashion who refused to become a salaried wage slave until he was hit by a truck and finally needed insurance who was the standard bearer for those with no choice but go their own way
and so it seemed particularly appropriate that thom brownes inspired and eccentric mens wear show which ended the current fashion cycle began with the designer asking the assembled to pause for a moment of silence in honor of the incomparable bill cunningham and then proceeded to show the magic that can be conjured using ordinary means the shrewd bill cunningham who said of fashion its just clothes understood better than anyone that fashion is far more than that
one can imagine him sitting in the front row of mr brownes show as models in white face and wearing outsized boiler suits paraded onto a set resembling a beach of black sand centered on a palm tree that looked post apocalypse and   to the ominous opening bars of john williamss score from jaws   shimmied out of those suits revealing themselves to be wearing say a trompe loeil all in one wet suit with a red nylon slicker high armhole chesterfield overcoat a white dyed mohair jacket and white pin cord low rise skinny trousers
bills glee when the models then stripped further to be seen clad in bathing singlets accessorized finally with floral thom browne surfboards can only be imagined sadly this wonderful man is no more


among all the anxieties that britains decision to leave the european union has provoked heres another one are big banks going to be in trouble
taxpayers in europe and the united state might want to know
the brexit vote could very well be a test of whether governments have since the financial crisis of 2008 limited the threat that large banks pose to the wider economy
in 2008 governments around the world decided to spend huge sums bailing out their nations banks underscoring that they were too big to fail brexit will go a long way toward telling us whether they still are
today banks are stronger they have more capital meaning they borrow less money to finance their loans and trading lower borrowing makes them more stable the banks also have higher reserves of liquid cash they can tap into if it becomes hard to borrow money in the markets
so how are they doing here are some ways to assess the stress in the financial system
watch the bank stock prices the brexit crisis has pushed bank shares down a lot particularly in europe shares in barclays a large british lender that has a big presence on wall street are down 24 percent since the day before the brexit vote on june 23 deutsche bank germanys largest lender is off nearly 16 percent since then
the valuations on bank stocks also look awful particularly a yardstick called the price to book ratio this effectively compares a banks market value with its net worth as stated in its balance sheet if that ratio is below one it suggests investors are skeptical about the bank deutsche bank is trading at around 30 percent of its net worth a big discount in the united states bank of america is trading at just under 60 percent of its book value a ratio even lower than in 2009 when losses from the financial crisis were still piling up
but it can be a mistake to think that a bank is in dire trouble because its stock is slumping or its valuation looks sickly the declines might reflect investors belief that it will be harder for the banks to make profits in the future particularly if brexit leads to a recession or it may be a signal that the market believes the bank will have to break itself up or sell operations to become more streamlined but this is something a bank can do without help from the taxpayer
there is however a situation in which a steep decline in a banks stock can matter when it wants to issue new stock to shore up its balance sheet the further a banks stock falls the more it has to sell to raise the same amount of money and that can lead to a downward spiral in the stock price that prevents the bank from selling any stock in such circumstances the government may step in and provide the new funds in a bailout this may be a reason italys government is reportedly considering a rescue for its banks if that happens it would indicate that too big to fail is still a problem in europes fourth largest economy
credit default swaps credit default swaps were a big deal in the financial crisis the financial instruments are bets on the creditworthiness of a company or country that borrows money right now investors are particularly interested in credit default swaps tied to the creditworthiness of european banks
lets look at the swaps on unicredit a large italian bank an investor on one side of the credit default swap makes a payment to an investor on the other side of the swap the investor making the payment stands to receive a big payout if unicredit defaults that probably wont happen of course but if the cost of that insurance against default rises because of fears stirred up by an event like the brexit crisis the investor who bought the insurance against default before the crisis when it was cheaper can now sell the swap for a profit
and what is this swaps market telling us now about the banks the good news the costs of insuring against defaults by large banks is still far lower than it was during the financial crisis and when european debt markets were plunging
the not so good news the cost of the swaps has jumped since the day before the brexit vote by as much 30 percent in the case of many european banks according to data from markit public data on credit default swap prices for individual banks is patchy to nonexistent but standard  poors provides a useful index for swaps on large european banks here remember though unlike with a stock index higher is not better
parse central bank actions when markets panic banks may find it hard to borrow money in the markets one of the main ways they finance their operations in such cases central banks make emergency loans until the markets work again the bank of england has said it can make 250 billion pounds available
but if the brexit crisis pushes european banks to use such loans it may be hard to track how much they are borrowing one of the ways in which greek banks were helped last year during the countrys debt crisis was through a loan facility called the emergency liquidity assistance but the european central bank and some national central banks typically do not break out exactly how much each country is borrowing under that loan program which added to the confusion last year
why do these loans matter in assessing what the brexit crisis tells us about too big to fail
these emergency loans can be like bailouts because they rescue banks that were allowed to be overly reliant on short term borrowing defenders of the practice say it is fine for a central bank to lend in times of trouble as long as it charges a sufficiently high interest rate and lends only to solvent institutions in that case the loans would not be bailouts if the central banks of europe lend to banks in the coming days it will be important to know how strict or how generous the loan terms are to assess whats really happening
so far those who contend that the post recession banking overhaul has significantly strengthened the system are winning the debate further evidence for their position the federal reserve on wednesday said that all but one of the united states largest banks had unconditionally passed annual stress tests and were thus allowed to distribute money to their shareholders but its too early to see if the overhaul has succeeded the real test would be whether a major european country that uses the euro   britain does not   voted to follow britain out of the european union
its a frightening prospect but it might take that to really test whether the too big to fail banks can fail


paris   the rain began around 8 pm as crowds massed in a furious bottleneck at the entrance to the palais galliera for haider ackermanns show the attendees were not pleased the sky was a moody haider ackermann gray dense and melancholic which might have suited mr ackermann the dense and melancholic colombian born designer were it not the evening of his mens show held in the courtyard of the paris fashion museum
guests were beckoned inside in twos and threes to huddle behind the balustrades of the covered arcade sipping chilled white wine and looking doubtfully at their tarp coveted seats in the open air from the backstage entrance mr ackermann peered through his round glasses no less perturbed
by 20 minutes after the hour the drizzle had tapered off and the show could begin the models slouched their circular course in a parrot feather palette of pink purple orange and green   some in low slung droopy trousers some in higher tighter pants their blotchily patterned shirts and scarves hanging loosely about them the few female models interspersed among them wore mostly black for mr ackermann the male wears the radiant plumage
it was an exuberant over the top collection and all the stronger for its fabulous intensity with the flashing spotlights and grinding music of a disco alfresco in the front row abe chabon 13 pronounced it a hit
it was incredible he said
abe was attending his first fashion shows in paris in the company of his father the pulitzer prize winning novelist michael chabon abe is a dedicated follower of fashion   he saves chore wages and his recent bar mitzvah money to buy clothes and attended the show wearing raf simons acne studios and gosha rubchinskiy mr chabon who confessed no more than a passing interest in fashion had pitched to gq the idea of writing about a father son fashion week trip the better to understand his sons fascination
little hypebeast thats his nickname mr chabon said i compare it to   remember that movie little buddha with keanu reeves in that film a clutch of tibetan monks show up on the doorstep of an ordinary american couple convinced their young son is a reincarnated lama
mr chabon was wearing a pair of margiela boots that his son had insisted upon   not abe but his brother we spent like an hour convincing him abe said i wanted him to get ysl boots and my brother was like no you need to get these my brother won
the model luka sabbat another front row attendee wandered over and the two exchanged reviews both plan to attend more shows in the coming days
backstage mr ackermann was slowly processing a line of well wishers who were lined up in a bottleneck after the show as bad as the one they had been in before it
the collection had been inspired he said by the young guys around him carefree hedonists for whom partying is a calling and a duty they dance in the club and they sweat and they enjoy mr ackermann said i just wanted to have all this happiness all this embrace of joy
the blotchy prints that might have been maps or ink blots suddenly came into focus they were sweat stains imaginatively transformed
the joy mr ackermann channeled was he agreed all the more valuable in uncertain unhappy days like these very true very true he said its colorful its so poetic against this melancholic sky
he paused for a moment
i would have loved to have it raining he said with a glance upward
not on you he added quickly looking back at the long line of journalists and guests who had come from the outdoor seating to congratulate him raining on all the guys


times insider shares insights into how we work at the new york times in this article adam liptak the timess supreme court correspondent describes taking preparation to an extreme
the supreme courts term starts in october and for the nine months that follow it proceeds at a stately pace but its end in late june always feels like an anxiety dream in which you have forgotten to turn in the college thesis that stands between you and graduation
the justices are to blame for reasons that have long puzzled scholars they routinely save their biggest decisions for the last days of the term creating a news pileup that was demanding enough in the print era and creates fresh and scary challenges given the insistent needs of the digital age
the key then and now is preparation i mean this in two senses first of all reporters who cover the court spend the entire term preparing for its end by reading briefs attending arguments consulting law professors going to conferences and interviewing lawyers and litigants we know the cases intimately understand the dynamics among the justices and have a good sense of the likely outcomes and consequences
these days i also prepare in a more pedestrian way writing up advance versions of articles that can be posted immediately after big decisions land for the four blockbusters that arrived on thursday and monday   on affirmative action immigration public corruption and abortion   we had a total of 12 versions ready to go
that was partly a consequence of the death of justice antonin scalia his absence meant we had to be ready for 4 4 deadlocks in several cases in addition to wins and losses in the abortion case i also prepared a version in which the court sent the case back to the lower courts for more proceedings a prospect raised during oral arguments in march by justice anthony m kennedy
starting just before 10 oclock both mornings perhaps 30 reporters crammed into the courts public information office we were handed paper copies of decisions as soon as the justice who wrote the majority opinion started to summarize it from the bench in the courtroom upstairs i raced to my cubicle in the press room satisfied myself that i understood the basic message of the decision and called jill agostino an editor and my indispensable collaborator at the timess washington bureau
i told her which version to use and tweaked the occasional verb minutes later we delivered the news to our readers news that had been written weeks before
this is no great innovation wire services have long prepared multiple versions of their news alerts and i cant say this is the way i would choose to do the job my predecessors went to the courtroom to hear the decisions announced and they did not write a word until they had read the written decisions with care their deadlines were in the early evening and they wrote for the next days paper
but we are a news organization and we have an obligation to deliver the news after the first version of each article was posted i promptly added a vote count a telling quotation or two and a link to the decision my colleagues michael d shear and julie hirschfeld davis who had been in the courtroom soon added a sense of what had happened there focusing especially on the rare oral dissents delivered by justice samuel a alito jr
then i spent perhaps an hour reading and another 90 minutes writing a full article that was posted in the early afternoon these were more satisfying to write and added i hope the analysis that readers of the times expect a second editor bill hamilton helped me sharpen and expand these middle game versions of the articles into what aspired to be the authoritative ones for our legacy product the printed newspaper
the justices did us one small favor this term their decisions were clear and conclusive and they lacked the overlapping partial concurrences and dissents that can make discerning the governing principle elusive that meant reality turned out to match one of the versions of it i had written ahead of time


this weekend the haute couture shows start in paris   and a handful of new names will be welcomed to the fold the members of pariss chambre syndicale de la haute couture have picked five guest designers to join the calendar for the season and stage shows also of note giles deacon who set aside his ready to wear line for fall 2016 will be holding a series of presentations heres a rundown of the upcoming crop of participants at couture which runs july 3 to 7
the dutch designer was previously invited to show at couture week in 2011 and the otherworldly garments that she sends down the runway on the ready to wear schedule are arguably more at home under the auspices of the chambre syndicale for this collection i have been exploring the study of cymatics which visualizes sound waves as evolving geometric patterns she says the collection shows a variation of organic and three dimensional structures new materials and techniques and biomorphic volumes she identifies a dewdrop dress which consists of thousands of crystals embedded in a transparent silicone liquid as a particular challenge getting the material to have the right stretch thickness and drapiness was a process of continuous experiments and fine tuning
the fashion collective founded by demna gvasalia in 2014 who last october was appointed the creative director of balenciaga will be presenting the vetements version of couture its reportedly a series of designer collaborations with brands like hanes reebok and levis for women and men and is being billed as a springsummer 2017 collection though it wont be on a see nowbuy now timeline but a regular delivery schedule
the pompeii born designers already ornate and skillfully tailored dresses lend themselves nicely to the french notion of haute couture he opened his own atelier in 1998 at the age of 23 and regularly shows at milan fashion week   and his garments have reached the music sphere madonna rihanna and lady gaga to be precise but his main source of inspiration continues to be naples he calls his forthcoming couture collection which will show on july 3 a trip around his roots its like playing a piano scale you start on a lower note and then you arrive to the top one scognamiglio says of his progression couture will help me balance my other collections and bring harmony to my entire world
a graduate of the royal academy of fine arts antwerp nakazato started his fashion label in 2009 and opened tokyo fashion week in 2012 his couture debut which he says was informed by a recent visit to iceland and its natural phenomena is based on the theme of imaginary plants and living organisms from unknown stars he says the garments will use an evolved version of his signature hologram material and incorporate japanese craftsmanship through both traditional means and technological processes the methods and material developed in this couture collection will be made available right away in stores he notes i am currently planning a new system of combining made to order and ready to wear this i believe will be the future of fashion in couture
showing a couture collection in paris is really a homecoming for me says the houses creative director and paris raised gilles mendel not to mention an obvious fit for the red carpet and wedding aisle favorite so for his return to the french capital mendel created a collection inspired by my past by all the things that informed my taste and sense of style he adds you can definitely expect to see the most luxurious furs including russian barguzin sable ermine and natural white chinchilla used in ways they never have been along with handworked gowns all inspired by the formal plan of the tuileries gardens and by my late friend the artist keith haring mendel adds that hes excited to show the public what the house has been doing privately for some time now


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1 funerals began for some of the 41 victims of a suicide bombing at istanbuls main airport on tuesday the airport also reopened and the city appeared determined to get back to business as usual
turkey which faces terrorist threats from both islamic state militants and kurdish groups has endured 14 major attacks in the past year
the government blames the islamic state for this one although it has not claimed responsibility

2 prime minister david cameron of britain returned to london from a european union summit meeting leaving the leaders of the other 27 member countries to discuss britains decision to exit
candidates to replace mr cameron when he steps down this fall have begun to come forward and talk of an early general election is growing
juan jasso above a mexican american who drew attention after video captured him enduring xenophobic insults in manchester said he was actually in favor of britains leaving the eu

3 theres one thing hillary clinton and donald j trump seem to agree on toughening trade policies to protect american jobs the two presidential contenders are deadlocked according to a new poll and each has the potential to draw voters from the opposite party
we look at how mr trump has shifted his stances on hot button issues usually with few political consequences

4 accusations surfaced on wednesday that the trump institute a for profit education business to which mr trump lent his name and likeness plagiarized materials from an obscure real estate manual in 2005 the institutes owners were a couple accused of fraud
the complaint comes as lawsuits from another of mr trumps forays into for profit education trump university cast a shadow over his presidential campaign

5 mexico canada and the united states will use clean energy sources to generate half their electric power by 2025 their leaders announced at a summit meeting in canada
marketed as a gathering of the three amigos the meeting of president obama prime minister justin trudeau of canada and president enrique pena nieto of mexico also served as a farewell of sorts for mr obama and a debut for mr trudeau

6 the extradition of the mexican drug kingpin known as el chapo has stalled
a lawyer for the drug lord joaquin guzman loera who escaped from prison twice in mexico said two appeals filed this week could take years to resolve
the decision to extradite mr guzman to the united states where he faces charges in multiple jurisdictions was made shortly after he was recaptured in january

7 changes are coming to your facebook news feed and they arent good for publishers ahem
expect more updates from your friends and family members and fewer links posted by news media sites
facebook says its concerned that the growth of publisher posts is making it harder for users to connect with people they know

8 wimbledon served up a david versus goliath match on wednesday pitting marcus willis who is ranked 772nd against the third seeded roger federer above right federer won
but willis who teaches tennis at a boat club in england captured the hearts of fans and received a standing ovation from the crowd
it was a pleasure to play against him federer said

9 william shakespeare was a social climber previously unknown records shed new light on the playwrights pursuit of a coat of arms on behalf of his father which would have cemented his own status as a gentleman
they also rebut the idea that shakespeare wasnt the author of the works attributed to him

10 mermaid schools which have been teaching girls in the united states how to swim with a tail for quite some time are spreading to france
the teacher who began classes in that country said 500 people took her introductory course in marseille and she has plans to expand swim on mermaids

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for his bookshop and website one grand books the editor aaron hicklin asked people to name the 10 books theyd take with them if they were marooned on a desert island every friday for the last year weve run one of those lists on tmagazinecom so many books have been recommended   by everyone from james franco to alice waters   that it might feel like you need a lifetime and then another one to read them all so in honor of the july 4th weekend were giving you that time to catch up   or at least pick a good book to bring along to the beach here excerpts from 10 of the individuals who have recommended titles over the last several months click the link beneath each name to read their whole list enjoy
the better angels of our nature steven pinker
proof that the world is becoming more peaceful its not just a question for historians but a profound statement about human nature and the possibility for a better future this book may have shaped my outlook more than any other
see more of bill gatess favorite books
the color purple alice walker
because she makes the invisible visible and redeems people who seem irredeemable she makes every reader feel visible and redeemable too
see more of gloria steinems favorite books
youve got to read this contemporary american writers introduce stories that held them in awe ron hansen
this anthology is like one of those fateful 20 something nights where you met a boyfriend a best friend and got a lead on a job it introduced me to jim shepard and donald barthelme i often think of amy tans introduction of molly giless story pie dance tan writes that upon hearing giles read the story she felt she didnt yet have what it took to be a writer but she also knew   as deeply as you can know something about yourself   that it would be worth a lifetime to try thats one of the most genuine things ive ever heard a writer say about another writer
see more of sloane crosleys favorite books
a pattern language towns buildings construction christopher alexander sara ishikawa and murray silverstein
who needs a big place to live in you need a front porch you need a busy street you need neighbors to say hello and good night to and you need a bedroom to restore yourself this is a book you can open on any page you might find a drawing of the narrow streets of ethiopia or a chapter titled dancing in the streets which is something people have done forever
see more of alice waterss favorite books
what maisie knew henry james
a brilliant social comedy seen wholly from a childs point of view this is a dazzling technical feat that as always with james deepens as it develops   like the life of the child herself an exhilarating prelude to the great novels of his famous late phase
see more of alan hollinghursts favorite books
the fire next time james baldwin
basically the finest essay ive ever read its technically two essays but it feels like one baldwin refused to hold anyones hand he was both direct and beautiful all at once he did not seem to write to convince you he wrote beyond you
see more of ta nehisi coatess favorite books
women chloe caldwell
sexy sexy novelmemoir hybrid that could turn anyone into a lesbian at least for a summer
see more of lena dunhams favorite books
birds of america lorrie moore
long before i started to write in earnest lorrie moore taught me you could have a woman narrator who was funny and complex and even wrongheaded she opened up a lot of space that me and a million other women rushed into
see more of miranda julys favorite books
the autumn of the patriarch gabriel garcia marquez
picking a marquez novel is a near impossible task its too easy to just go with the obvious choices but this is his most daring novel and the labyrinthine twists and turns of each sentence demands undivided attention   so perfect for a desert island then
see more of marlon james favorite books
miles the autobiography miles davis and quincy troupe
if i could have a meal with anyone it would be miles davis it would be so cool to hear his stories and sit back and talk about jazz miles moved to new york around the same age as i did and he was a transformative player in the evolution of jazz music as we know it this autobiography was his chance to tell all
see more of marcus samuelssons favorite books


in this episode of modern love the podcast the actor and producer lance reddick fringe the wire reads the essay in the waiting room of estranged spouses about a former soldier rocked by infidelity who finds hope in a chance meeting with a mother and her young son
you can also hear the episode on itunes and google play music
the essay from march 2016 was written by benjamin hertwig a writer and poet who lives in western canada you can follow him on twitter and instagram
afterward hear a conversation between modern love editor dan jones and mr hertwig
mr reddick is on twitter the baltimore native is best known for playing lt cedric daniels on the wire he also appeared on the fox drama fringe as phillip broyles and in the movie white house down as general caulfield mr reddick is currently in the amazon original series bosch


summer isnt the busiest time for buzzy hotel openings according to kristen korey pike who owns the atlanta travel consultancy kk travels worldwide many splashy properties tend to debut in the fall that said there are some noteworthy lodgings that will be open for business as of this summer below is a list of five weve gathered from hotel industry experts
mercer hotel sevilla seville spain
opening early september
from a barcelona based hotelier pedro molina the mercer hotel sevilla is aiming to offer the most luxe accommodations in seville a city with a dearth of upscale hotels situated in an early 19th century building in the heart of town in the lively arenal neighborhood and near the cathedral and royal alcazar palace the property has just 12 rooms all with sleek contemporary furnishings theres also a rooftop terrace a pool a cocktail bar and a light filled courtyard where guests can enjoy breakfast in the morning and drinks throughout the day seville is challenging when it comes to finding upscale lodgings so this hotel has the potential to really change the game said jean pickard a travel consultant at smartflyer in atlanta prices from 500 euros
anantara al jabal al akhdar resort al jabal al akhdar oman
opening late august
this hotel according to ms pike will open up an area of oman that travelers know little about its in the green mountain which is an absolutely gorgeous part of the middle east and because its in the mountains it enjoys a cooler climate than the rest of the region she said
the 115 room resort from the bangkok based hospitality brand anantara is perched more than 6500 feet above sea level and has three pools including one for children a cooking school spice spoon that specializes in omani and thai food a spa with a hammam and eight different dining options including the omani restaurant al qalaa cultural sights such as the ancient city of nizwa often called the pearl of islam are nearby
prices from 500
w goa goa india
opening sept 1
surrounded by dramatic red cliffs and overlooking the arabian sea the hotel   ws first in india   is spread over 21 acres and situated on the hip vagator beach in north goa it has 151 rooms a 12000 square foot spa and three food and beverage venues including spice traders a restaurant offering a fun take on southeast asian street food bobby zur who owns travel artistry a consultancy in franklin lakes nj says the property is a refreshing addition to the exotic jungle meets beach setting i am intrigued by the striking contrast between ws chic design and the centuries old fishing village community in which it will be set staying here will be an interesting add on to traditional indian itineraries he said
prices from 208
andbeyond matetsi private game reserve zambezi river zimbabwe
opening july 15
located on a 123000 acre wildlife concession on the zambezi river and 25 miles upstream from victoria falls this lodge consists of two camps with nine suites each and has more amenities than most safari getaways including a state of the art gym a massage room an 82 foot long pool stretched along the riverbank and a wine cellar also unlike many other african safari lodges kids are welcome and entertained with andbeyonds wildchild program where they participate in activities such as making and using their own fishing rods and making plaster casts out of animal tracks the biggest perk of a stay however may be the wildlife viewing guests can expect to see herds of elephants and the rare sable antelope among other animals this property is a game changer in the luxury lodge sector on the zimbabwe side of the falls for its contemporary aesthetic and wow factor rarely seen on this stretch of the zambezi mr zur said
prices from 675 per person per night
nickelodeon hotels  resorts punta cana punta cana dominican republic
now open
in a partnership between karisma hotels  resorts and viacom international media networks nickelodeon the popular television channel for children is getting its own hotel the upscale beachfront property has 208 generously sized suites with jacuzzis and private patios and also four villas including the pineapple villa inspired by spongebob squarepantss home in bikini bottom amenities at the resort include a water playground a clubhouse for kids a sports and entertainment center 10 restaurants and a spa also families with children can look forward to a slew of complementary perks like baby food stroller loans kids spa robes and baby bottle warmers ms pickard says that punta cana with its several high end resorts for couples is a popular choice for honeymooners so the nickelodeon brings in a different character to the destination my guess is that the property will be an instant hit with families she said
prices from 345 per person per night inclusive of all meals premium alcohol and 24 hour room service children under 13 are free guests who book a stay before july 31 get a 45 percent discount off the room rate


a suicide attack tuesday night at istanbul ataturk airport killed dozens of people and wounded more than 200 heres what travelers should know about the terrorist threat in turkey including updates on flights and areas to avoid
yes the united states department of state updated its existing travel warning regarding turkey on june 27 one day before the attack warning tourists of increased threats throughout the country and that many attacks have taken place in recent months
foreign and us tourists have been explicitly targeted by international and indigenous terrorist organizations the state department stated
on june 7 kurdish militants set off a car bomb near a central tourist district in istanbul that killed 11 people
in january isis claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing in istanbuls historic sultanahmet district that killed 10 foreign tourists
in total there have been 14 terrorist attacks in turkey since june of last year
the state department is advising caution throughout the country but there is a particular emphasis on southeastern turkey especially near the syrian border
britains foreign office advises against all travel within six miles of the syrian border and all but essential travel to the remaining areas of sirnak mardin sanlurfa gaziantep kilis and hatay provinces
no matter the region the state department advises staying away from large crowds and popular tourist destinations political gatherings and rallies and to monitor local media
istanbul ataturk airport europes third busiest airport has reopened but airlines are suggesting travelers check with them regarding possible delays
the federal aviation administration has also lifted its ban on flights between istanbul and the united states
turkish airlines is allowing passengers booked on its flights to or from either ataturk or sabiha gokcen airports from tuesday through july 5 to rebook or reroute their flights without penalties until july 31 refunds were also being offered for unused tickets passengers should also allow for extra time prior to check in and boarding
but other airlines have canceled flights air france canceled all but one of its wednesday flights to and from istanbul ataturk airport but planned to operate its normal schedule on thursday it also was offering to let passengers postpone their trip until july 12 at no extra cost in the same ticketed cabin after that date passengers who no longer wish to travel can get a nonrefundable voucher valid for a year on air france or klm or hop
british airways canceled its wednesday flights to istanbul and offered what it called a more flexible rebooking policy for ticketholders heading to or from istanbul through sunday allowing them to rebook for a later date or apply their ticket cost to an alternative destination
delta which stopped service to the airport last month because of security concerns is offering a travel waiver through its joint venture partners to help those affected change their travel plans
while there was an increased police presence at ataturk airport on wednesday other areas of the city had already seen an expanded police presence following the earlier attacks
security measures at ataturk were already considered stronger than at many other airports as travelers must go through two security screenings and there is a vehicle checkpoint near the international terminal though only suspicious vehicles are stopped tuesdays attackers arrived in a taxi according to turkeys prime minister binali yildirim
the attacks inside the airport took place before a security screening could happen according to turkish government officials the police fired on two attackers at the entryway to ataturks international terminal in an attempt to stop them from reaching the security checkpoint the two attackers then blew themselves up a third attacker detonated explosives in the parking lot
elsewhere in the city some events have been canceled but not all because of security concerns
a concert by the eurovision winning sertab erener at the zorlu center was canceled on wednesday night out of respect for the victims of the attack the jockey club of turkey also canceled horse races for the day some smaller galleries postponed openings but major art centers like the sabanci museum and istanbul modern remained open
not surprisingly the continuing violence has hurt the countrys once thriving tourism industry
according to turkeys ministry of culture and tourism the number of visiting tourists in may dropped 347 percent to 248 million compared with the previous year it was the biggest decline in 22 years according to trading economics may also marked the 10th consecutive month of declining tourist arrivals
the state departments website will have the latest information regarding the travel warning to turkey
you can contact the united states embassy in ankara at 90 312 455 5555 830 am to 530 pm monday through friday the us consulate general in istanbul at 90 212 335 9000 and the us consulate in adana at 90 322 455 4100


on fine afternoons in the mid 1970s and early 80s the photographer al vandenberg spent hours walking through london with his camera after years in the music and advertising industries he had become bored with feeding the egos of famous people   instead he aimed to seek out anonymous subjects on the city streets so he photographed everyone from rockabillies and teenagers in their customized school uniforms to shop workers and proto punks art students to so called sloane rangers together his images   many of them unpublished and unseen for decades   offer a rich portrait of the citys interwoven subcultures
vandenberg who was born in the us to dutch parents but raised by an english foster family in boston served in the korean war from the age of 17 on his return he enrolled in art school in boston and new york before becoming an art director for the doyle dane bernbach advertising agency   and taking photography classes under the guidance of alexey brodovitch and richard avedon he moved to london in 1965 and immersed himself in the citys music scene working on the design of the beatles sgt peppers lonely hearts club band album with the artist peter blake by the end of the 1960s vandenberg was traveling alongside hippie communities around the us and canada living in squats and informal shelters he settled again briefly in the early 1970s taking portraits for album covers for united artists before moving back to london and away from commercial photography for good in 1974
from young children in battered sneakers to rockers in bullet belts vandenbergs subjects exude confidence and self possession he had a great eye for idiosyncratic style too   be it a homemade knit worn under a canteen workers tabard or a diy pvc top while most of his subjects remain anonymous a few have endured as definitive cultural figures we see lemmy the hard living frontman of the rock band motorhead standing outside a notting hill pub as a comparatively fresh faced young man jordan a star of londons subculture whose fearless personal style came to define the female punk look appears posed outside vivienne westwood and malcolm mclarens sex boutique on the kings road
in 2006 the art dealer and collector anthony stokes who had been a friend of vandenbergs since the 1970s showed a box of vandenbergs photographs to martin barnes the senior curator at londons victoria and albert museum barnes purchased a number for the permanent collection and exhibited them the following year before his death in 2012 vandenberg himself visited the museum a number of times to see his work on display he and barnes discussed putting together a book of the london street photographs it finally debuts this summer on a good day al vandenberg takes its title from the photographers simple formula for capturing a good shot as he put it i photograph on a good day when i feel good and the subject feels good


a classier chronograph that merges a sporty tachymeter for clocking distance and speed with a dressy profile


last friday night inside an industrial building on west 22nd street guests slumped into white sofas sipped beers and chatted some studied the foliage that had been installed in the space with a web of cords the berlin based artist isabel lewis took the mic lowered the volume of the music and thanked the crowd for coming she named a few of the people shed already met then she asked a man who identified himself as doug from around the corner if he thought he had a soul
this seamlessly glided into a group discussion and later kizomba a type of dance that originated in angola in lieu of a formal waitstaff passing hors doeuvres a casually dressed woman holding a platter asked do you want some food it was all part of the first segment of lewiss dia commission occasions and other occurrences which runs on the weekends through mid july lewis introduced occasions at the manchester international festival in 2013 and has brought them to frieze london and the centre dart contemporain geneve among other places she describes them as experiences that address all five senses this one begins at the art foundations chelsea location continues on the mta metro north railroad with a downloadable mixtape and ends in beacon at long dock park
here lewis fields ts questions in the form of a mini occasion
how did you approach the dia commission
i was compelled by dias relation to both nyc and beacon i understood early in my process of developing the new occasions that i wanted to bring out the strength and specificity of both of these locations in the city there is this density of human interrelations and activities contained by the architecture and the urban plan in the hudson valley the quietness and the landscape are just as powerful as the intensity of the city but in a completely different way
how does it all unfold
the friday evenings in chelsea focus on our inter human relations and the intertwining of the organic and the technological visitors enter into a decorated space with furniture elements that ive designed and that organize bodies in space in a specific way the five senses are addressed and as the host i weave together contemporary angolan music a partner dance style called kizomba and conversation
the train ride sets the mood for the saturday and sunday occasions in beacon when visitors enter long dock park they are surrounded by music coming from a sound system thats integrated into the landscape and they can relax on the wooden furniture that ive created and placed throughout the park there i am joined by dancers and the choreography is intimately related to the features of the park and is happening everywhere at once so there is no single viewpoint for experiencing it
youve said youre dealing with the relationship between inner spaces and outer spaces what does that mean
it started with me a contemporary human being looking at my surroundings and noticing that today when we speak about the soul or the spirit it sounds esoteric or that it isnt to be taken seriously it doesnt feel comfortable to talk about these things you have to give a disclaimer like im not a religious person or im not crazy or maybe its my intuition but... i became curious about the notion of the soul before we adopted a scientific worldview around the time of the enlightenment and there was this transition the only things we could understand as real or relevant were that which we could see or prove
from ancient greece and through the middle ages there are many different versions and articulations of this soul spirit body connection and that disappears after a while its interesting to me to reconsider how the contemporary enlightened individual can reapproach this idea of the soul or of the inner space
what is your role as the artist and as the host
traditionally the artist creates a work be it an object a piece of orchestral music a stage work which will then often be placed before the visitor and this produces a kind of confrontation between the subject and the object as a host i blur these distinctions because i find myself and the visitors in the midst of a social situation while hosting i am shaping this situation and also being responsive to how it develops similar to a gardener and her garden
what sort of preparation does this entail
theres a level of craft that a person develops over time with these live situations and ive had a lot of experience guiding and steering live situations but it absolutely takes a lot of preparation a lot of thinking through multiple scenarios and always seeing 360 degrees around any particular element then for weeks i had been going to kizomba parties and meeting people from this community and also inviting them to my space as it was being built to meet and dance together so they would feel comfortable there its a many layered process and a lot of fine tuning and practice to arrive at a result that feels spontaneous and the composition is actually emerging in real time but you have to prepare the right conditions for this emergence
why does this belong in an art space
jerry saltz has this term post art which is not an uninteresting term in relation to what im doing my occasions exist between different genres and as such they can be housed in an art space they can be housed at a music venue they could happen in a private home or in a garden or as part of a theater or dance festival   but they dont belong to any one such place
this interview has been edited and condensed


in 1977 the photographer john stewart was commissioned by muhammad ali to take his portrait two franchisers of muhammad ali came to see me he recalls they had seen a show of my work in new york and had suggested to ali he should have me photograph him i was summoned to chicago to meet the greatest the late boxer gave stewart now 96 worldwide exclusivity of his portrait for one year   rights that stewart eventually sold to his friend andy warhol
below are stewarts images of ali which have been shown and sold in galleries in limited edition and his memory of their time together
on a beautiful spring day in 1977 i ring the door at alis mansion situated at the edge of a mixed black and white neighborhood a giant in a white robe and a yellow turban bids me to enter i pass in front of a throng of men   standing sitting on the floor or on the stairway waiting for an audience after half an hour alone in a vast cream and gold room lined with armchairs i am shown the way downstairs i pass through a tall chinese portico flanked on one side by a stuffed lion and on the other by a tiger in the exercise room beyond the portico dressed in a blue sports outfit ali is sitting on a low stool wiping his face with a towel
i didnt have to introduce myself ali had been told he didnt even look up i carried a large portfolio which i set down against a wall
its ramadan ali said im tired and hungry
i explained why i was there
show me
i pulled out portraits all of them in black and white printed by means of a 19th century method where the photographs are often mistaken for charcoal drawings
those are great drawings
i explained they were in fact photographs
we worked steadily for three days mornings only in a film studio i had rented ali always arrived on time accompanied by friends handlers and helpers he was a real trouper and lent himself to all the demands tricks and manipulations that a photographer pulls out of his bag you had to be fast however because his attention span was very short   a matter of a minute after which he got bored and restless
the only instance ali interfered was when the nbc television crew from new york arrived to record the sitting and the producer tried to impose her directives ali warned her its johns shoot if you dont behave yourself you and your crew are out
the following day we had lunch together not at home but in a restaurant when a couple of weeks later i returned to chicago with the prints he inscribed the one i liked best of his arm extended and his beautiful fist with its well shaped nails to john stewart muhammad ali may 13 77 love always


sam sifton emails readers of cooking seven days a week to talk about food and suggest recipes that email also appears here to receive it in your inbox register here
good morning summer fridays arent really a thing in the newspaper world maybe theyre not a part of your work experience either but if you can take a slide at the end of this week or maybe better yet can clear a little time on saturday set yourself up to make melissa clarks new recipe for a buckwheat berry cake which shes prettily designed to celebrate our nations independence itd be pretty great to bring to a cookout over the weekend before the fireworks
as for tonight traditionally we cook without proper recipes on wednesdays at cooking improvising off written cues the dream is pascal wintz the reality is often a little closer to ryan stiles and colin mochrie
so how about we riff off the cooking of the los angeles chef suzanne goin and slowly pan roast some chicken thighs in olive oil and butter scented with lots of fresh thyme leaves and a couple of crumbled chiles de arbol if its not too hot in the kitchen heat the broiler at the end and crisp the finished chicken beneath a thin smear of mustard and a shower of buttered bread crumbs serve alongside or on top of a pile of baby greens lightly dressed in lemon juice and olive oil with some bread to mop up the juices thats fine
if you want an actual recipe we have plenty of those as well have you tried florence fabricants recipe for korean spaghetti and meatballs yet or mine for soy sauce pickled eggs on rice kim seversons recipe for southern style shrimp scampi julia moskins recipe for lemon garlic kale salad or pierre franeys recipe for linguine with lemon sauce
save the ones that interest you to your recipe box so you can cook them later and please when youve finished cooking let us know how everything turned out you can rate the recipes on a scale of one to five stars you can leave notes on them as well and you can - and please do - share them with friends via email and social media
well be standing by if you run into problems cookingcarenytimescom
finally some programming notes its pretty cool that broadways she loves me will be livestreamed on thursday night for 999 were really into this chefs table episode about the new zealand chef ben shewry heres an article i wrote about one of his line cooks at attica in melbourne australia did you read stephanie strom in the times on perdue trying to make life better for its chickens do so and hey its summer time to get the new alan furst novel and read it in the gloaming in bare feet see you soon


good morning
were trying something new this week california today a morning update for our california readers tell us what youd like to see catodaynytimescom
we like to think of california as the center of the tech universe but apparently all that know how has not helped us figure out how to run more efficient elections
three weeks after the states democratic presidential primary half a million votes remain uncounted
the final tallies whenever they come in are not expected to change the result
hillary clinton declared victory the night of the june 7 primary when she was up by more than 10 points
in videos in blog posts and on social media some supporters of bernie sanders are pointing to the uncounted ballots as evidence that mr sanders was robbed
long waits for final totals are not rare in california
most of the 25 million votes that were not counted by june 7 were mail in ballots that were not returned until election day or even a few days after
but the vote also exposed mechanical problems in the electoral system said paul mitchell vice president of political data a consulting firm based in norwalk calif
a flood of voters registered right before the election many did not receive mail in ballots until after election day when they were useless
independents voting by mail also had a hard time getting the right ballots
both groups were more likely to support mr sanders many cast provisional ballots which take a long time to count because each has to be verified
since june 7 mr sanders has slightly cut into ms clintons lead she was ahead by roughly 440000 votes on election night now its 414500 or about eight percentage points
still its a sizable margin
the bernie folks have legitimate gripes mr mitchell said but theyre all going to be resolved when these provisional ballots are counted
 hillary clinton released her technology policy initiative which targets young entrepreneurs it reflects a view that tech should be an engine of equality
 facebook announced that it will be shifting your news feed away from well news and toward posts by friends our tech columnist writes that the company will always prioritize baby pictures over keeping users informed
 american drivers are regaining their appetite for gas guzzlers unloading hybrid and electric vehicles in favor of bigger cars pickups and suvs
 airbnb is now in disputes with both san francisco and new york that could end up pushing thousands of illegal listings off the site the company is in talks for a new round of investment that could value it at about 30 billion
 an irresistible and indispensable 360 degree guide to the new technology establishment thats our book reviewers take on chaos monkeys obscene fortune and random failure in silicon valley
 visitors to the united states may be asked to voluntarily disclose their social media accounts a step that is intended to help in screening for ties to terrorism
 zoolander 2 independence day resurgence why are so many sequels arriving many years after the original we look at the trend
 paul draper the winemaker at ridge vineyards is retiring over 47 years at the vineyards in the santa cruz mountains and sonoma county he has been lionized as a leading light in american wine
 an initiative to legalize recreational marijuana use has qualified for the november ballot just about everyone expects it to pass los angeles times
 more than 70 bay area news organizations have teamed up to force local attention onto the regions homelessness crisis coverage includes profiles of homeless people a look at causes and suggested solutions sf homeless project
 in washington the national rifle association is an all powerful force not so much in sacramento sacramento bee
 scientists have found a bonanza of water beneath the states central valley but it still wont end the drought science
 koreatown little tokyo the byzantine latino corridor los angeles has more ethnic corridors than you can easily count but one writer has done his best to map them by hand boom
mission dolores in san francisco is turning 240 years old today
the mission is older than our republic itself the first mass was held on june 29 1776 a few days before the declaration of independence was signed and nearly 75 years before california statehood
the adobe church which the congregation moved into in 1791 is the oldest building still standing in san francisco
it survived the 1906 earthquake and the fires that followed of the nine missions founded under the rev junipero serra in california it is the only one whose original chapel is intact
so what is mission dolores   as it has long been known though the official name is mision san francisco de asis   doing to celebrate its anniversary not much
though the missions website proudly proclaims its founding in june anniversary ceremonies will not be held until october the date when official paperwork was sent from mexico said gustavo torres the missions director of development
in the meantime if youre in the area you can still visit the old mission its cemetery and its gardens as roughly 300000 people do each year
california today is a weekday roundup that stays live from 6 am pacific time until late morning
what would you like to see here to start your day tell us at catodaynytimescom or reach us via twitter using catoday
follow the california today columnist ian lovett on twitter


at a moment when communication seems to have been taken over by all things digital alphabet books are holding strong in fact they just keep getting more sophisticated sara gillinghams alpha bravo charlie to take one innovative example packs quite a pleasurable wallop its a big well organized compendium of how messages are sent and received at sea working through the phonetic alphabet   the alpha bravo charlie system of the title   as well as morse code signal flags and the extremely old school semaphore system in which letters are represented by a person holding two flags in specific positions each page contains a wealth of clearly explained information that ties together all the nautical communication systems adding for good measure other useful maritime facts the page for i for example shows the flag india which means i am turning left we also learn that boats can use morse code to send the same message by giving two blasts and we get a trick for remembering left port from right starboard a ship that is sailing out to the ocean has left port 
gillingham the author and illustrator of picture books including how to grow a friend and many interactive books for toddlers brings a stylish and simple graphic style to the pages with bright colors and sharp shapes along with print like textures that give the solid colors a vintage feel for ship loving children  and those of any age who revel in cracking codes and learning how symbol systems work   alpha bravo charlie will be an absolute treasure
daytime visions from the argentine musician and authorillustrator isol the menino is another glorious example of how much can be done by playing around with letters each one gets a little story of sorts accompanied by one of isols artfully layered collaged illustrations black crayon like lines and cut paper that covers or dips under the lines to create an energetic improvisational flow in her dream logic world people and animals mix freely and even basic words bear a heavy weight of suggestion
some of the stories contain simply one word with the evocative illustration worth another 999 or so insomniac the entry for i for example shows a big duck with beak pointed down and eyes closed floating on water with two little ones also asleep tucked under its wings another duckling glides nearby its black rimmed eyes round and awake its head slightly downturned but not resting what could have happened to the poor sleepless thing r shows a big bird with flamboyant blue hair dramatically scolding a smaller bird with wings held sheepishly behind its back never meant to be rude the words say another story you long to know more about


maria gugging austria   by choice or by chance the visionary autodidacts whose works fall into the related categories of art brut and outsider art find themselves on the margins of conventional culture and society even if their creations sometimes draw on ideas from the popular mainstream
unlike their academically trained counterparts these artists often employing found or castoff materials tend to work primarily for themselves unconcerned with the canon or the latest critical positions the term art brut was first coined by the french artist jean dubuffet in the 1940s and since then an alternative world of specialized publications galleries museums and fairs has developed to support the genre
in recent years the establishment has begun to embrace outsider art with its unusual aesthetic and spirit of authenticity the british artist grayson perry has found inspiration in collages by the american outsider henry darger the gallerist david zwirner has shown the works of self taught artists and at the 2013 venice biennale such works were displayed alongside those of contemporary luminaries
at the same time the field of self taught art has developed significant outposts of its own one of them is art brut center gugging a cultural complex in this village north of vienna that focuses on the intersection of art and psychiatric treatment the centers museum gugging is commemorating its 10th anniversary with the recently opened exhibition johann hauser... im the artist on view through jan 8 which showcases the work of the austrian art brut master johann hauser 1926 1996 a longtime resident of the facility
a celebration of explosive color and draftsmanship this survey of more than 200 of hausers drawings and etchings offers an illuminating introduction to the kinds of deeply personal themes and the inventive handling of materials that characterize his oeuvre and in general the work of the most original self taught artists
the show and its substantive and encyclopedic catalog include many of hausers emblematic works which he usually made with little more than graphite or colored pencil and wax crayons on paper his subjects include nude or fabric draped women rockets and flying machines and semiabstract moons and lunar eclipses
hausers female subjects make for some of his most powerful images voluptuous clouds of hair elongated breasts and other highlighted body parts give the gestural sturm und drang of willem de koonings oil painted women a run for their expressionistic vigor hausers art delivers a punch time and time again from a modest palette of mainly primary and secondary colors he once remarked that just black is nothing
born in bratislava in what was then czechoslovakia hauser was sent to a psychiatric institution when he was still a teenager and he never learned to read or write in 1949 he was transferred to a psychiatric hospital on the outskirts of vienna and later became a resident of the hospital from which art brut center gugging emerged
johann feilacher a psychiatrist and working artist himself is museum guggings director in a building near maria gugging he uses chain saws to make large scale wooden sculptures
as much as we appreciate the self taught status of the artists who have been associated with this place and whose works we have shown we try to present their art in a broader context he said at the hauser exhibitions opening their work is special but they should not be isolated
in recent decades dr feilacher has played a large role in guiding the evolution of the gugging art complex the institution grew out of an earlier psychiatric hospital where starting in the mid 1950s for diagnostic purposes the psychiatrist leo navratil 1921 2006 asked his patients to make drawings the character and quality of their handiwork and imagery caught his attention and he began focusing more specifically on what would now be called art psychotherapy
later dr navratil corresponded with dubuffet who in the 1940s had begun researching and promoting the hard to classify works of self taught artists dubuffet described their output as art brut french for raw art referring to the sense of unfettered creative energy they conveyed
dr navratil introduced dubuffet to hausers drawings which the artist considered definitive examples of art brut in 1965 the psychiatrist published the book schizophrenia and art in which he examined the relationship between schizophrenia and artistic expression noting that making art could play a role in the healing process
he went on to establish a center for art and psychotherapy at the hospital where 18 male patients resided and made art among them were hauser franz kernbeis born in 1935 and oswald tschirtner 1920 2007 later august walla 1936 2001 who became known for text and image paintings and murals that expressed a polytheistic outlook also moved in
in time dr feilacher became dr navratils assistant and then his successor transforming the still clinically oriented center for art and psychotherapy into an artists community renaming it the house of artists and placing a new emphasis on the artistic creativity of its residents rather than on their mental illnesses
taking a socio therapeutic approach the reborn facility stopped using the word patients in the mid 1980s to describe its programs participants in 1994 gallery gugging was established as a venue for the presentation and sale of the gugging artists works
the gallerys director nina katschnig said it has working relationships with other galleries including riccomaresca gallery in new york which has exhibited works by such gugging artists as leopold strobl and gunther schutzenhofer at a sold out show there this spring mr strobls pencil drawings on paper sold for 4000 or more
along with the museum the gallery the artists house and a gift shop art brut center gugging is home to atelier gugging a studio in which some of its associated artists work the studio is also open for use by visitors
you dont necessarily have to come make paintings or drawings as long as you come to explore your creative potential and make something artistic dr feilacher said thats what this atelier   and this entire art center   is all about


a team of archaeologists and mapmakers say they have uncovered a forgotten tunnel that 80 jews dug largely by hand as they tried to escape from a nazi extermination site in lithuania about 70 years ago
the lithuanian site ponar holds mass burial pits and graves where up to 100000 people were killed and their bodies dumped or burned during the holocaust
using radar and radio waves to scan beneath the ground the researchers found the tunnel a 100 foot passageway between five and nine feet below the surface the team announced on wednesday
a previous attempt made by a different team in 2004 to find the underground structure had only located its mouth which was subsequently left unmarked the new finding traces the tunnel from entrance to exit and provides evidence to support survivor accounts of the harrowing effort to escape the holding pit
what we were able to do was not only solve one of the greatest mysteries and escape stories of the holocaust said richard freund an archaeologist from the university of hartford in connecticut and one of the team leaders we were also able to unravel one of the biggest problems they have with a site like this how many burial pits are there
dr freund and his colleagues working with the pbs science series nova for a documentary that will be broadcast next year also uncovered another burial pit containing the ashes of perhaps 7000 people that would be the 12th burial pit identified in ponar officially known today as paneriai
from 1941 until 1944 tens of thousands of jews from the nearby city of vilnius known as the jerusalem of lithuania were brought to ponar and shot at close range their bodies were dumped into the pits and buried
i call ponar ground zero for the holocaust dr freund said for the first time we have systematic murder being done by the nazis and their assistants according to dr freund the events at the site took place about six months before the nazis started using gas chambers elsewhere for their extermination plans
an estimated 100000 people including 70000 jews died at ponar over four years about 150 lithuanian collaborators killed the prisoners   usually in groups of about 10 in 1943 when it became clear the soviets were going to take over lithuania the nazis began to cover up the evidence of the mass killings they forced a group of 80 jews to exhume the bodies burn them and bury the ashes at the time they were called the leichenkommando or corpse unit but in the years that followed they were known as the burning brigade
for months the jewish prisoners dug up and burned bodies one account tells of a man who identified his wife and two sisters among the corpses the group knew that once their job was finished they too would be executed so they developed an escape plan
about half of the group spent 76 days digging a tunnel in their holding pit by hand and with spoons they found among the bodies on april 15 1944   the last night of passover when they knew the night would be darkest   the brigade crawled through the two foot square tunnel entrance and through to the forest
the noise alerted the guards who pursued the prisoners with guns and dogs of the 80 12 managed to escape 11 of them survived the war and went on to tell their stories according to the researchers
dr freund and his team used the information from survivors accounts to search for the tunnel
rather then excavate and disturb the remains he and his team used two noninvasive tools   electrical resistivity tomography and ground penetrating radar
electrical resistivity tomography is like an mri for the ground it provides a clear picture of the subsurface it uses electricity to identify stones metal and clay as well as soil disturbances like those made by digging
we used the tool to pinpoint the locations where people most likely tunneled through said paul bauman a geophysicist with worleyparsons an australian engineering company who handled the tomography tool were highly confident weve identified exactly where the tunnel is
with the tool they also found a previously unknown pit which they think is the largest ever discovered in the area they estimate that it might have contained as many as 10000 bodies
the other tool the ground penetrating radar uses fm radio waves to scan about 10 feet under the surface
what we are doing is using those fm radio waves that people listen to in their car and were putting them into the ground said harry jol professor of geology and anthropology at the university of wisconsin eau claire were getting reflections off the archaeological features or landscapes in the subsurface so we can image whats happening
the team also used the ground penetrating radar to search for the great synagogue of vilnius which was destroyed by the nazis
the holocaust is so overwhelming that we only really look at the end of the story   and that isnt the whole story said jon seligman an archaeologist with the israel antiquities authority who also led the team the whole story is the history of jews who lived in this area for many many centuries
before world war ii vilnius was a bustling jewish center with more than 100000 people when the soviets took over lithuania they erected an elementary school over the rubble of the citys great synagogue using the radar the team uncovered artifacts from the synagogue including its ritual bath house
if we had never discovered the tunnel people would have thought in another 20 years it was a myth and they would have questioned - what do we really know happened said dr freund this is a great story about the way that people overcame the worst possible condition and still had this hope that they could get out


washington   despite the inconsistencies of his season the mets needed matt harvey to be his old self tuesday against their division rival washington nationals the mets had lost two straight games the starting rotation the backbone of the team was dinged up like other parts of the team
then the rain came
while an improved harvey was facing danny espinosa in the bottom of the fourth inning of a one run game umpires sent both teams into their clubhouses because of a heavy thunderstorm once the hour and 25 minute delay was over the mets were forced to cobble together the rest of the game with the bullpen which stumbled in a 5 0 loss
im sure hell say it this is the best hes felt all year manager terry collins said of harvey thats why its a really tough night not to be able to stay out there and pitch a little bit
previously stellar this season jerry blevins allowed a two run home run to bryce harper in the fifth inning blevins mistakenly fired a fastball over the middle of the strike zone and harper smashed it into the home bullpen in right field it was the first home run that blevins had surrendered to a left handed batter since 2013 and it gave the nationals a 3 0 lead
the game started an hour late because of rain after the delay in the fourth the mets finished the game piecemeal with four relievers that wasnt harveys fault the weather simply had other plans the game also started an hour late because of rain
harveys season has been a battle to find steadiness he has said after starts that his mechanics have not been right and then thinking about them during games hasnt helped either
harvey looked better at times on tuesday his slider sharper than before he allowed one run on four hits and walked three batters in three and two thirds innings but he looked more comfortable
anytime is a good time harvey said obviously didnt want to keep going the way i was but its nice to be a little better
because of the long delay in the fourth inning harvey could not return to the mound he wound up charged with the loss leaving him 4 10 with a 455 earned run average
you work so hard all year to finally figure some stuff out and mother nature takes over there harvey said
the nationals too lost their starter after the rain lucas giolito one of the top pitching prospects in baseball made his major league debut on tuesday a 21 year old hard thrower he allowed only one hit and two walks
mets right fielder curtis granderson reached base twice against giolito but even he could not escape the rash of injuries that have destabilized the mets
granderson did not return after the second rain delay because he could not loosen his right calf which first felt tight over the weekend he was replaced by alejandro de aza
in the seventh inning the mets were dealt another injury scare a line drive by ryan zimmerman measured at 110 miles per hour struck mets reliever hansel robless right leg he crumpled to the ground but walked off the field under his own power
before a ball hit his leg robles coughed up two runs giving the nationals a five run lead too large for the mets stagnant offense to overcome
the mets advanced a runner to third base only once in the sixth inning when asdrubal cabrera doubled and yoenis cespedes followed with a single neil walkers walk loaded the bases but the nationals reliever oliver perez once a met was brought in to escape the jam which he did with a strikeout and a flyout
the rain soaked game ended after midnight and the nationals could wrap up a sweep on wednesday the mets are five games behind washington in the national league east
inside pitch
general manager sandy alderson said the mets were impressed by yulieski gourriel the free agent third baseman from cuba who worked out for the mets in port st lucie fla on monday gourriel took batting practice ran the bases and took grounders at second and third he will continue to hold showcases for other interested teams and could be ready for the majors in a month  first baseman lucas duda who has been out since may 21 with a stress fracture in his lower back is still two weeks away from resuming baseball activities


state senator adriano d espaillat was poised on tuesday to take a historic step toward becoming the first dominican american elected to congress holding what appeared to be an insurmountable lead in the democratic primary to replace representative charles b rangel
mr espaillat declared victory with a lead of more than 1000 votes with 97 percent of the scanners reported but state assemblyman keith lt wright who was running second refused to concede and demanded that absentee and affidavit ballots be counted mr wright who was endorsed by mr rangel also claimed that there had been irregularities in the voting although he did not give specifics
if mr espaillat who led mr wright 367 percent to 338 percent wins the primary he would be virtually assured of winning the seat representing upper manhattan and parts of the bronx in the general election in november because of the districts overwhelmingly democratic registration
a victory by mr espaillat would realize a long sought goal of the so called dominican diaspora which began to take root here in large numbers after the united states invaded the caribbean nation in 1965 many landed in washington heights where the streets became outposts of the towns left behind
the outcome could also be a turning point for harlem at the heart of the 13th district once the center of black political power in new york should mr espaillat be elected it would be the first time in more than seven decades that the neighborhood would not be represented in washington by an african american
voters from throughout the 13th congressional district elected a country boy from santiago de los caballeros in the dominican republic to be the nominee of the democratic party mr espaillat said to a raucous crowd so from harlem to east harlem from washington heights from inwood to the northwest bronx i want to thank all the voters that cast their votes in support of this historic candidacy
addressing his fellow immigrants and their offspring he said we are washington heights and we stand on a hill and on any given day on a bad day we can see that lady in the harbor we can see her with a torch in her hand he added this is an american story
mr wright at a gathering in harlem was defiant suffice it to say this campaign aint over he added no candidate can declare victory tonight not until every vote is counted this race is further complicated by the real possibility of a lot of camp irregularities and voter suppression
a win by mr espaillat would be a sharp disappointment for mr rangel 86 who is retiring after nearly half a century in congress mr rangel is no fan of mr espaillat who ran against him in primaries in 2012 and 2014
in interviews before the election mr rangel resisted discussing the possibility that the district he had represented for so long might no longer be represented by an african american
can you tell the people in boston that some day you wont have an irish congressman he said i dont want to talk about it and it cant happen now thats for damn sure
mr espaillats apparent victory came even though another well known dominican american politician was on the ballot threatening to split the vote in the dominican community that candidate state assemblyman guillermo linares is a longstanding rival of mr espaillats and is allied with mr rangel and mr wright
in the end mr linares received only about 5 percent of the vote not enough to keep mr espaillat from crossing the finish line first
instead mr wright likely was hurt by a fragmenting of the black vote the three other black candidates in the race received more than 20 percent among them clyde williams a former democratic national committee official ran third with 10 percent adam clayton powell iv the son of mr rangels predecessor adam clayton powell jr who was expected to benefit from his famous name synonymous with postwar harlem got about 6 percent
cheering espaillat supporters took to the streets of washington heights much as they might when celebrating an election in the dominican republic
outside the 809 bar  grill where mr espaillats supporters gathered drivers honked car horns and a crowd cheered we made it the crowd chanted in spanish
it was time to take washington heights to washington dc said michelle minguez this is history in the making
the close race echoed the last two primaries in the district when mr espaillat lost to mr rangel in 2012 mr espaillat took two weeks to concede after initially going to court to block the results over reports that some spanish speaking voters encountered difficulties at voting stations in 2014 he waited two days to concede saying the contest was too close to call
in the general election mr espaillat would run against the republican candidate tony evans an african american lawyer based in harlem
the congressional district held by mr rangel was originally drawn up in the 1940s to make it possible for harlems black population to choose a representative to send to congress


international
an article on may 29 about the conviction and sentencing of former military officers for their roles in operation condor in which south american military governments hunted down and eliminated leftist dissidents across national borders misstated in some editions the number of officers convicted for their roles in killing kidnapping and torturing more than 100 victims as part of the operation fourteen were convicted not 15 one other defendant was convicted on separate charges involving a different set of victims because of an editing error the article misstated in some editions the nationality of one defendant he is from uruguay not argentina the article also misstated the decade during which argentina passed amnesty laws whose loopholes prosecutors exploited to proceed with the operation condor cases it was the 1980s not the 1990s and also because of an editing error an accompanying picture caption misidentified in some editions the site where victims and their relatives watched the sentencing they were shown at the argentine embassy in montevideo uruguay watching a live feed   not at the sentencing itself which was in a buenos aires courtroom
business day
an upshot article on tuesday about the effect britains decision to leave the european union could have on the global economy referred incorrectly to the dollars performance against the yen between thursday and monday it dropped against the yen it did not rise
sports
the sports of the times column on tuesday about the american gymnast simone biles referred incorrectly to the coming rio games in some copies they are in august not next month

an article in some editions on tuesday about the mets 11 4 loss to the washington nationals referred incorrectly to mets pitcher noah syndergaards walks in recent starts his total of three walks on monday equaled his total from his previous seven starts combined it did not exceed it

the on swimming column on saturday about the transformation of the united states olympic swimming trials from a small qualifying event into a spectacle referred incorrectly to the 2012 olympic relay for which conor dwyer qualified it was the 4x200 or 800 meter freestyle relay   not the 4x800 relay there is no such relay
obituaries
an obituary on tuesday about the track coach sam bell misspelled the surname of one of his daughters she is beth ahearn not ahern

an obituary on saturday about the keyboardist bernie worrell misspelled the name of his 2007 solo album it is improvisczario not improviscario
food
a brief report in the front burner column last wednesday about a 100 percent rye whisky from canadian club misstated the whiskys proof it is 80 not 40
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carlos santana hit a tiebreaking single in clevelands three run ninth inning corey kluber allowed three hits in eight innings and the indians beat the host atlanta braves 5 3 for their 11th straight win
the winning streak is clevelands longest in 34 years
arodys vizcaino walked tyler naquin to open the ninth and then walked juan uribe on four pitches with pinch runner rajai davis at first base pinch hitter michael martinez struck out
vizcaino was in danger of issuing another walk when santana lined a 3 1 pitch to right field driving naquin in from second base
braves shortstop erick aybar mishandled francisco lindors grounder for an error allowing davis to score jose ramirez added a run scoring single up the middle
shaws five rbi pace red sox travis shaw homered and drove in five runs for the third time this season rick porcello pitched six strong innings and the visiting boston red sox beat the tampa bay rays 8 2 to end a three game skid
twins blank white sox brian dozier homered twice and drove in four runs kyle gibson pitched seven innings of five hit ball for his first victory of the season and the minnesota twins defeated the white sox 4 0 in chicago
the scot colin montgomerie will play at the british open for the first time since 2010 after qualifying for golfs oldest major
montgomerie 53 shot rounds of 66 and 71 to secure one of three places available in final qualifying at gailes links in irvine scotland
three other british courses   hillside royal cinque ports and woburn   were also hosting final qualifying for the british open at royal troon which begins july 14
montgomerie widely regarded as one of the best golfers never to win a major made 21 straight british open appearances through the 2010 tournament at st andrews
the australian sally pearson reportedly withdrew from the olympics in rio de janeiro because of a hamstring injury
the herald sun newspaper and other australian media reported wednesday that pearson the 100 meter hurdles olympic gold medalist in london four years ago and the silver medalist in beijing in 2008 injured her hamstring while training on australias gold coast
pearson returned to competition this month after breaking her wrist in a racing accident a year ago
unai emery who last month guided the spanish club sevilla to its third straight europa league title was named the new coach of the french champion paris st germain
psg said in a statement that emery has signed a two year deal with the option for an extra year
emery a 44 year old spaniard replaces laurent blanc who was fired on monday months after he signed a new two year contract
despite leading psg to back to back domestic titles blanc fell short in europe failing to get beyond the quarterfinals of the champions league during his three seasons in charge
the seattle seahawks and wide receiver doug baldwin agreed to a four year contract extension that runs through the 2020 season
baldwin is coming off a career season tying for the nfl lead in touchdown receptions with 14 and setting career highs in touchdowns receptions 78 and receiving yards 1069 it was the second extension baldwin has signed with the seahawks after he agreed to a three year deal following the 2013 season
the nhl fined the vancouver canucks 50000 for tampering after general manager jim benning mentioned specific players the team might be interested in leading to the draft in buffalo
benning noted the canucks interest in montreal canadiens defenseman p k subban and the tampa bay lightning captain steven stamkos last week during a radio interview
nhl rules bar teams from discussing their interest in players who are under contract the exception is a window that opened saturday when teams are allowed to contact pending free agents but are not allowed to sign them until july 1
bennings comments came last thursday


buenos aires   the president of argentina mauricio macri said tuesday that he hoped to meet lionel messi next week and to persuade him to return to the national team
macri said he had spoken by telephone with messi who announced his shock retirement from the argentine national team after the loss sunday to chile on penalty kicks in the copa america final at metlife stadium in east rutherford nj
messi returned to argentina on monday but has not spoken publicly
macri said he told messi to ignore some of the nonsense because argentines were happy with how messi has played
messi who moved to barcelona when he was 13 has often faced tough criticism in argentina because he has failed to deliver a major title   in contrast to his repeated success for the club barcelona
messi is often compared unfavorably with diego maradona who led argentina to the 1986 world cup title
macri said he did not understand the criticism of messi
the truth is that its good fortune a joy a gift from god to have the best player in the world in a country like ours that is so football crazy said macri a former president of the argentine club boca juniors
macris lobbying could be helped by a gathering planned for saturday at the obelisk in central buenos aires the citys most famous landmark
support for messi has been overwhelming on social media as sports figures artists and politicians urged him to return billboards and signs also had messages supporting messi
in the midst of the turmoil a statue of messi was unveiled at buenos aires city hall   with a soccer ball at his foot   alongside other national sports stars
in another show of support some members of argentinas 1986 world cup team posed for a photograph with the caption dont go lio
maradona the biggest star on that team was not in the photo
television commentators have speculated that messi spoke out in frustration after sundays 4 2 loss on penalties to chile after a scoreless draw
the national team is over for me messi told the argentine network tyc sports its been four finals its not meant for me i tried it was the thing i wanted the most but i couldnt get it so i think its over
it did not help that messi himself lifted argentinas first penalty kick over the crossbar setting the stage for another final defeat messi and argentina lost to brazil in the 2007 copa final and to germany in extra time in the 2014 world cup final in brazil they also lost last years copa final to host chile on penalty kicks after a 0 0 draw


wimbledon england   no matter what players say in front of a microphone there is no shortage of schadenfreude in professional tennis
in a sport where the big spoils do not trickle down far one fewer competitor at the top means more trophies and goodies for those who remain
but if you mention juan martin del potro to most of the games leading men their expressions do not lie there is usually a slight wince sometimes even a full shake of the head there is genuine unmistakable sympathy and the feeling that no champion   not even the one who once crushed all those groundstroke winners past them   deserves to have to deal with this
in the mens game del potro is the great lost talent of this bright and shiny tennis decade he is the consistent and huge hitter from tandil argentina who could have made the big four into the big five or   who knows   maybe even reshaped the big one in this novak djokovic moment into the big two
and so it was yet another bittersweet experience to watch del potro back on court on tuesday when he made his return to wimbledon after a three year absence and three operations on his left wrist
the gentle giant has been sorely missed said patrick mcenroe the former united states davis cup captain
but this first round match   his first in a grand slam tournament since january 2014   turned out to be more sweet than sour in the end del potro still crushing forehands and serves though no longer crushing backhands took out stephane robert of france 6 1 7 5 6 0
now comes the giant and not so gentle step up a match with the fourth seeded stan wawrinka who has matured into a two time grand slam singles champion
del potro beat the best of the moment to win his only grand slam title defeating rafael nadal and roger federer back to back to win the 2009 united states open at age 20 but the next year del potro required an operation on his right wrist and he has needed three more on the left in the last 27 months the most recent in june 2015
he had the game to take it to all the big four mcenroe said
del potro took it to djokovic in his last wimbledon appearance losing a five set classic in the 2013 semifinals that was long on baseline acrobatics and mutual respect and it would come as no surprise if he gave wawrinka quite a scare
a second round duel between grand slam singles champions is rare in the age of 32 seeds and prize hoarding among a small ruling class although there have been high profile clashes at this early stage jimmy connors lost to ivan lendl in the second round of the 1992 united states open in what turned out to be the 40 year old connorss last match
i couldnt be more proud of juan martin said dr richard berger del potros surgeon at the mayo clinic in rochester minn
berger called del potro a poster child for an unbreakable faith in his recovery and a dogged determination to come back including modifying his swing one of the most difficult things for a champion to do
del potro working at wimbledon on a trial basis with andy murrays former coach dani vallverdu has been near his breaking point nonetheless he considered retirement at the end of last season but he chose to keep fighting through the pain and the mental blocks
there is a lot of apprehension that the pain is going to come back even if its not there berger said tuesday in a telephone interview its the fear that oh if i mis hit or i overhit im going to end up with the same thing again and bless his heart juan was faced with that
now 27 years old in a period when hyper fit players over 30 abound del potro still has time to make an impact and has already left a legacy with the 18 year old american taylor fritz citing him as a prime inspiration but del potro has much less time than he once did and for now one fewer major weapon
he used to be a flat hitting force of nature off both wings but he has had to adjust his two handed backhand and slice many more backhands with one hand
one of the things that he and i have talked about a lot was that there were some aspects of his swing that put a tremendous amount of pressure on his wrist berger said and when he would prepare for a backhand especially a topspin shot he would dip his left upper extremity down and basically hyperextend his wrist to come up and actually make contact with the ball and it was at that precise moment he had the pain and for the longest time it was a challenge first of all to figure out what was causing it it took a couple of operations
after another round of immobilization rehabilitation and then a gradual return to competition it ended up taking a third operation as well
the consequence was there on the statistics sheet on tuesday del potro had 20 forehand winners and zero backhand winners
that is an imbalance that men like wawrinka   sympathy or no sympathy   will continue to exploit del potro believes he simply needs more big pressure matches and thinks he might not be back on the full attack until next season
im not having all my confidence on my backhands yet he said and thats tough when you play against the top guys because they are such good players and they are strong enough to play in the fifth set matches this is my comeback after three years im expecting to be better in the future
berger urges the younger generation to take precautions in a sport that is increasingly stressful on so many joints nadal who is missing wimbledon with a wrist injury is the latest example
its so much more of a contact sport than people think it is berger said the more we can do to cut down on the vibration is probably going to be helpful but in reality i think its so much about the demands of play with the extreme positions and the forces they are putting on the wrist i dont think equipment modifications or rule changes are going to do the trick because obviously a lot of good tennis is being played with the equipment as it stands
but i think as far as the athletes are concerned we are beginning to understand the importance of reflexive and proprioceptive training he added thats an attempt to bring the muscles that cross the joint into more of a role of stabilizing the joint not just moving it so we dont depend just on the ligaments
berger recommends training with exercise balls that contain internal gyroscopes or with long flexible carbon fiber blades that oscillate
del potro travels with such tools but there is no doubt that it would have been better for him if he had known way back when what he knows now
better for his sport too


omaha   in the warm down area before his 200 meter butterfly semifinal on tuesday michael phelps spotted a trend it has been out with the old and in with the new at these olympic trials in eight of the first 10 finals the winner has been a first time olympian
phelps who turns 31 on thursday was the oldest competitor in the 200 butterfly and he carried the old guard by posting the fastest time in the semifinals his time of 1 minute 5517 seconds gave him a comfortable margin over pace clark 15627 and tom shields 15635 heading into wednesdays final a two time gold medalist in the event phelps owns the four fastest swims in its history with times ranging from 15151 to 15220
my stroke didnt feel that good phelps said honestly i didnt feel that good in the whole race
he felt better than many of his national team members missy franklin and matt grevers the reigning olympic gold medalists in the womens and mens 100 meter backstrokes both failed to make the team in those events
the average age of the four winners tuesday - townley haas in the mens 200 freestyle olivia smoliga in the womens 100 backstroke ryan murphy in the mens 100 backstroke and lilly king in the womens 100 breaststroke   was 198
i was like i see a lot of new faces on this team phelps said he added i think its interesting and also exciting just to have new faces people who are really pumped to come up in the sport i think thats something that for me is a good thing to see as im on my way out


across new york on tuesday night incumbents in the states congressional primaries appeared to be on track to keep their seats while the aftereffects of the presidential primary season rippled through other contests setting up unpredictable clashes over the balance of power in the house of representatives in the fall
breezing past their challengers representative gregory w meeks of the fifth district which covers a large chunk of queens and parts of nassau county representative nydia m velazquez of the seventh which includes parts of northern brooklyn and queens representative jerrold l nadler of the 10th which runs down the west side of manhattan and into southern brooklyn representative carolyn b maloney of the 12th which straddles the east river to cover eastern manhattan waterfront queens and northern brooklyn and representative jose e serrano of the 15th in the bronx
all five who are democrats will have an even easier time of it in the general election given that their districts are deep blue
but in other cases tuesdays matchups were but a prelude to novembers in which every seat not safely in partisan territory will be buffeted by the uncertain effects of having donald j trump at the top of the republican ticket
democrats are hoping that an aversion to mr trump will help them pick up more seats in the republican controlled house of representatives than they otherwise would in the fall though the presumptive republican presidential nominee is popular in parts of upstate new york and long island
the ramifications of trumps candidacy will be tested in districts like the first on long island where the republican incumbent lee zeldin is a stout trump supporter two democrats   anna throne holst a former southampton town supervisor and dave calone a venture capitalist and a former federal prosecutor   were battling for the chance to challenge him with ms throne holst holding on to a very slim lead around 11 pm on tuesday
one high profile contest centered on the 19th district in the hudson valley where zephyr teachout a law professor who made her political name with an unexpectedly rugged challenge to gov andrew m cuomo in the 2014 primary blew past will yandik an environmentalist and farmer in the democratic primary ms teachout who was backed by senator bernie sanders is running to replace representative chris gibson a republican who had considered running for governor in 2018 but decided instead to retire from politics
the republican results in the 19th on tuesday night began as more of a muddle in large part because of an unexplained error on the ballots sent to more than 50 columbia county polling sites
only two candidates were running   john faso a former state assemblyman who also made an unsuccessful bid for the governors office and andrew heaney a businessman but a third candidate bob bishop was mistakenly included on the ballot even though he dropped out several weeks ago
with optical scanning machines prepared for only two candidates votes for mr faso who was listed third were coming up as blanks though the county board of elections had distributed corrected ballots by midafternoon tuesday any ballots cast before then had to be counted by hand said greg fingar the chairman of the county republicans
it made little if any difference mr faso the favorite going in was declared the winner
in the 13th district nine candidates were vying to replace representative charles b rangel with adriano d espaillat and keith l t wright considered the front runners
in long islands third district tom suozzi a former nassau county executive defeated four other democrats for the nomination to replace representative steve israel a former democratic congressional campaign committee chairman who is leaving congress after 16 years
mr suozzi will face state senator jack m martins a republican in the fall
representative sean patrick maloney a democrat will try to hold his seat in the northern suburbs of westchester and the lower hudson valley against phil oliva an adviser to rob astorino the westchester county executive who won the republican primary over kenneth del vecchio a filmmaker and trump supporter
the democratic primary in the 24th district which includes syracuse was seen as a test for the clout of mr sanders who had endorsed eric kingson a social security expert mr kingson lost to the democratic congressional campaign committee backed colleen deacon a former aide to senator kirsten e gillibrand who will go on to challenge representative john katko the republican incumbent
another republican incumbent in central new york representative richard hanna of the 22nd district is retiring the republican nominee to replace him will be claudia tenney a state assemblywoman who defeated george k phillips who has twice unsuccessfully run for the seat and steven m wells a businessman on tuesday night
the democratic candidate kim myers a businesswoman from binghamton was unopposed


after carlos beltran left tuesday nights game against the texas rangers with tightness in his right hamstring a pack of reporters circled around his locker following the yankees 7 1 loss awaiting an update
alex rodriguez suddenly walked past his locker next to beltrans his hands folded in front of his body smiling the members of the news media at yankee stadium did not flinch after a few silent moments rodriguez walked off without attracting a crowd
it could have been cunning timing but it was also indicative of the yankees offensive hierarchy without beltran who at 39 has surprisingly led the team in virtually every major offensive category the yankees season would precipitously spiral downward rodriguez has been mired in a long slump
its not major beltran said of his hamstring im happy about that
still because of his age there was concern that beltran had limped off the field after a seemingly innocuous play
in his first at bat beltran lined a ball toward the left field wall as rangers left fielder ryan rua misread the carom fans began booing beltran when he did not stretch the sharp hit into a double
moments later the misplaced ire dissipated as beltran took off his batting gloves and walked off the field replaced by pinch runner rob refsnyder
beltran said that he felt a pull and a knot in his hamstring which was still sore after the game a magnetic resonance imaging exam was negative and he was listed as day to day
i was concerned said beltran whose treatment over the next few days could include massage and acupuncture what i felt i have never had issues with my hamstring the way i felt it today
while the yankees may have averted a disaster their confidence was not any higher tuesday nights loss was their third straight and it came after their defeat in the first game of the series which ended at nearly 3 am on tuesday morning
without beltrans punch   he is batting 297 with 19 home runs and 53 rbi   the remainder of the yankees lineup was flattened by starter cole hamels and the rangers who lead the majors in wins with 51
hamels who earned his ninth win of the season shut out the yankees for seven innings while the rangers notched six runs off c c sabathia in seven plus innings adrian beltre who won mondays marathon game with a ninth inning single again hurt the yankees with three hits and three rbi including a two run homer in the first
were running out of time to prove were a team to contend said third baseman chase headley who missed a ground ball that extended a five run eighth inning for the rangers headley also went 2 for 4 he was the only yankee with more than one hit
while the yankees have struggled all season to contend beltran has been the lone dependable slugger in the heart of the lineup with his fellow veterans rodriguez and mark teixeira struggling
rodriguez was 0 for 3 on tuesday with two strikeouts dropping his average to 219 trailing by 7 0 rodriguez hit a sacrifice fly in the eighth inning to drive in the yankees only run
after watching his offense sputter again yankees manager joe girardi was clearly relieved to learn that beltrans injury does not appear severe
thats a big relief girardi said because when he stopped i said uh oh is he hurt that was my first reaction
inside pitch
james kaprielian the yankees 2015 first round pick visited the team physician dr christopher ahmad on tuesday and a magnetic resonance imaging exam revealed a flexor tendon strain of the right elbow kaprielian who has been on the minor league disabled list since april 25 will be evaluated by an orthopedic sports surgeon ... the yankees recalled conor mullee and optioned kirby yates to class aaa scrantonwilkes barre


new haven   three men have been arrested amid an investigation into what caused 17 people in and around this city to overdose last week three fatally and four who remain hospitalized officials said on tuesday
initial testing of the drugs involved in the overdoses indicated that the victims had consumed pure fentanyl a powerful opioid painkiller when they thought they were taking cocaine officials said
all of the overdoses happened on thursday and officials here declared a public health emergency the next day
the three men arrested on federal drug charges were frank pina 57 jerome clay sr 55 and steven whaley 48 the three all of whom are from new haven had supplied drugs to at least 12 of the people who overdosed including at least two of those who died federal and new haven authorities said
a public defender for mr pina declined to comment mr clays lawyer robert golger said his client maintained his innocence a lawyer for mr whaley did not immediately return a message seeking comment


omaha   for the best swimmers in the united states the road to rio de janeiro goes through centurylink center but where it goes from there is difficult to map in 2012 missy franklin came to the olympic trials and treated every final she made as a reason to dance and she gamboled her way to berths in the london games in four individual events and three relays
franklin 21 is a self described people pleaser but in the aftermath of her five olympic medal performance in london she faced the impossible task of trying to satisfy the competing interests vying for her time and attention she followed her heart maintaining her amateur status long enough to finish high school and swim two years at the university of california and last year she followed her head and turned pro to cash in on her high profile
at these trials franklin is everywhere her likeness is plastered on the doors to the arena entrance a promotional ad for minute maid one of her sponsors in which she tearfully thanks her parents for their support in a poignant letter she reads aloud played on tuesday before the start of the preliminaries on the giant video and timing board that hangs over the competition pool
franklin is everywhere but on the 2016 united states olympic team so far in the final of the 100 meter backstroke   one of the two individual events in which she hoped to defend her 2012 title in the rio games   she finished seventh in the final beating only natalie coughlin 33 a 12 time olympic medalist who is attempting to make her fourth summer games olivia smoliga 21 placed first with a time of 5902 seconds kathleen baker 19 was second with 5929
franklin who posted a 5885 to win the event at the 2012 trials swam the backstroke less than 25 minutes after she advanced to the final of the 200 freestyle with a time of 1 minute 024 of a second the fourth fastest time in the semifinals
ryan lochte 31 an 11 time olympic medalist who on sunday missed making the team in one of his gold medal events the 400 meter individual medley finished fourth tuesday in the 200 freestyle won by townley haas 19 to qualify for the team in a relay
franklins best event is the 200 meter backstroke which will be contested friday with the finals taking place saturday she owns the two fastest times in history and is the top ranked american in this years world rankings at no 6 franklin is also entered in the 100 freestyle which begins thursday she finished fifth in that event in london but her competition if she chooses to swim it will be formidable
i think its just a matter of trying too hard thinking a little too much franklin said referring to her disappointing swims in the backstroke now its just about trusting myself and letting it happen
but how does she lock into the cruise control that was her natural state as a teenager from what i remember in 2012 i was kind of oblivious to everything that was going on franklin said so im kind of trying to channel that a little bit
after the 2012 olympics michael phelpss coach bob bowman gave franklin a piece of advice that has stuck with her he told her that she would face heightened expectations she could view them one of two ways as added pressure or additional support
but for a people pleaser thats a double edged sword support can be its own burden having that practice of looking at those expectations as support of people really believing that i can do what i did in 2012 again franklin said thats something that makes me feel so appreciated and so grateful and makes me want to go out there and make those people proud for believing in me
the eight day competition is shaping up as a drawn out retirement ceremony for the old guard eight of the first 10 finals produced winners that will be olympic rookies aside from lochte and franklin the veterans toppled included matt grevers the reigning olympic champion in the 100 backstroke who finished third behind ryan murphy 20 and david plummer 30 and jessica hardy 29 who finished sixth in the 100 breaststroke 253 seconds behind the winner 19 year old lilly king
once upon a time the new crop of stars included kate ziegler who broke janet evanss 19 year old world record in the 1500 meter free at age 17 and graced the 2008 and 2012 olympic teams ziegler 28 came out of retirement less than two years ago and finished 86th in the preliminaries of the 200 meter freestyle nearly nine seconds behind katie ledeckys pace setting 15560
ziegler said she is happier now than she was during her peak years when she made herself miserable by always looking for the next thing
ziegler added part of this journey is re evaluating where swimming belongs in my life it no longer defines me i know who i am and i dont need to be validated through my swimming
neither it would appear does maya dirado 23 who qualified sunday for her first olympics in the 400 individual medley and placed first tuesday night in the 200 im semifinals in 21009 dirado who graduated from stanford in 2014 insists that her first olympics will also be her last she is scheduled to start a job with a management consulting firm in atlanta in the fall
some people see it as oh youre swimming so well so why not keep going dirado said but i think part of the reason why i am swimming so well is knowing that i have a hard stop date
dan greaves who coached dirado when she was an age grouper in santa rosa in northern california said he would not be surprised if she returned to swimming at some point why its hard to leave this sport greaves said it gets in your soul
sometimes it takes a shove from a hungry youngster to break the spell


a new haven woman who was mauled by two dogs last week died on monday according to the police in connecticut who said the dogs would be euthanized
the woman jocelyn g winfrey 53 was attacked by the dogs in a fenced in area after walking onto the property of an acquaintance hamilton h hicks on ella t grasso boulevard on june 20 according to a news release issued on tuesday by the new haven police department
ms winfrey lost an arm a leg and her eyesight as a result of the attack according to local reports which described the dogs as bulldog mixes
a neighbor told the hartford courant that mr hicks who the police said was bitten by the dogs several times had tried to help ms winfrey by lying on top of her
he was trying to protect her the neighbor brian wingate told the courant
mr hicks 36 faces a drug charge after the police said they found three bags of crack cocaine in his possession no one was charged in connection with the mauling the dogs that attacked were lawfully owned and on private property the police release said
ms winfrey is survived by a son according to a gofundme page created to raise money for her funeral
at this time the family is in mourning and trying to cope with the tragedy and loss of my sister jocelyn ms winfreys brother charles minchenko said in a statement we appreciate the outpouring of love and support


two reputed members of the latin kings gang in the bronx have pleaded guilty to manslaughter charges for gunning down a 17 year old boy who was singled out by former mayor michael r bloomberg as a victim of too many guns on our streets
one of the gang members raul pacheco pleaded guilty on tuesday in state supreme court in the bronx to first degree manslaughter prosecutors said and the other eric landron pleaded guilty to the same charge last week
mr pacheco 25 faces up to 18 years in prison and five years of post release supervision and mr landron 26 could be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison and five years of post release supervision prosecutors said both men will be sentenced in july information on their lawyers was not immediately available
on the night of april 22 2013 the authorities said the teenager alphonza bryant iii was hanging out with friends on fox street in the morrisania neighborhood when mr pacheco and mr landron fired 10 shots at alphonza hitting him in the chest the shooting was meant to send a message to rival gang members on the block prosecutors said but alphonza was targeted by mistake
the teenager known by friends as beejay was killed just four blocks from where his father had also been fatally shot two weeks before alphonzas fourth birthday after alphonzas death his mother jenaii van doten said she had been strict with him ordering her son who was weeks from his high school graduation to be home every night by 10 oclock yet he was shot just after 8 pm it wasnt even curfew time his mother said in 2013
mr bloomberg seized upon alphonzas killing as an example of the toll gun violence was having on the streets of new york and the role the police departments stop and frisk tactics had in stemming the violence
ms van doten responded in an essay in the daily news that alphonza had been stopped and frisked she argued the contentious policy was not working the way they intended but that she ultimately supported it some people are saying stop and frisks are terrorizing our kids ms van doten wrote maybe my son wouldnt have been shot if the right kids were terrorized


washington   c c sabathia pitched with a bone spur for four years until it was surgically removed in 2012 his yankees rotation mate masahiro tanaka had a bone spur that dated to his pitching career in japan it was extracted with arthroscopic surgery before this season in baseball bone spurs are a prevalent consequence of the sheer force of repeated throwing
just because somebody has a spur doesnt mean that its something that needs to be taken out said keith meister an orthopedic surgeon who serves as the texas rangers doctor you dont touch any of this stuff for the most part until it becomes a problem
now the mets are dealing with two high profile cases of bone spurs the mets best starter this season noah syndergaard has a minor bone spur in the back of his right elbow which has caused recent minor discomfort mets general manager sandy alderson said before tuesdays game
steven matz has a larger bone spur in his left elbow which is causing more discomfort alderson said but matz and syndergaard will try to pitch through the pain with the help of anti inflammatory medication while matz attempts to avoids what could be season ending surgery
i dont think anxiety is the proper response in syndergaards case alderson said and in the case of steven matz its pretty clear cut as well hell either be able to pitch and tolerate the discomfort or he wont the good thing is we know theres no structural damage and theres nothing he can do to cause additional damage
a bone spur is a growth of bone in the back of the elbow because of the friction between the ulna forearm bone and the humerus the upper arm bone during throwing said wiemi douoguih an orthopedic surgeon and former washington nationals team physician who is the director of sports medicine for medstar washington hospital center and when bone is pressured or damaged it reforms
traction between tendons or ligaments where they are attached to the bone can cause this meister said bone spurs can also be formed because the back side of the elbow and cartilage are constantly compressed when the arm is extended during throwing
if a bone spur becomes too large or is in a bad spot it can cause pain during throwing imagine a doorstop wedged in a door hinge
some people pitch through the pain as long as your mechanics arent disturbed and the pain is minor and you can get through it douoguih said in some cases thatll be fine with treatment but in other cases itll get to the point that you cant throw and you clean it out
in rarer cases meister said bone spurs can be caused by the loosening of the ulnar collateral ligament which can lead to more compression in the back of the elbow during throwing and sometimes spurs can break off and become loose bodies floating around the elbow
if surgery is warranted the procedure is minor meister said a simple bone spur operation involved drilling two small holes in the back of the elbow and could take up to 15 minutes some pitchers can return to throwing within six weeks but meister often warns patients that it may take about 12 weeks before they return to pitching in games
for now the mets and matz want to avoid surgery the foundation of the team is starting pitching and its depth would be strained without matz if he had surgery which alderson estimated would keep the pitcher out until oct 1
mets officials said matz who had tommy john surgery in 2010 would continue taking anti inflammatory medication they will push back his originally scheduled start to thursday and use logan verrett for a spot start on wednesday instead
as long as they feel comfortable with me being out there with the way im pitching then id think im going to battle through it matz said thats the mind set just get it all behind me and go out there and pitch
the issue is if matzs pitching will be affected because he cant throw normally and if he needs regular extra rest alderson said the mets would consider a six man rotation later in the season
matz said the bone spur was spotted in his magnetic resonance imaging exam in early may mets manager terry collins said matz felt the most discomfort during his rough start against the atlanta braves on friday in which he could not finish his pitches
matz pitched well in may but has struggled in june he said adrenaline took over during games so he could not tell when the discomfort was worse collins said he the pitching coach dan warthen and others would watch matz carefully to see if his mechanics changed which could lead to other problems
if im claiming to be able to pitch then i have no excuses matz said i expect myself to go out and pitch like i can
matzs bone spur will need to be removed at some point perhaps after the season alderson said ill cross that bridge when we get there matz said
alderson said doctors assured him that neither pitcher whose elbows are considered structurally sound will be compromised by pitching with the spurs
while matz will be monitored from start to start alderson said he did not expect the same issues with syndergaard collins said syndergaards rough pitching in mondays loss to the nationals was because of overthrowing to prove he was healthy and not because of the spur syndergaard who denied monday he had a spur has said his elbow feels strong
its a very small spur that may exist with 90 percent of the pitchers throwing in major league baseball today alderson said its not significant


the state supreme court has signed off on a new education funding law that increases state aid to poor school districts the justices issued a brief order tuesday saying that the legislature has currently satisfied the courts orders on education funding by approving the measure last week the decision ends a threat that public schools would be shut down after thursday gov sam brownback a republican signed the school finance measure into law on monday lawyers for the state and lawyers for four school districts that had sued the state submitted a joint statement saying that the measure complied with the courts dictates the justices ruled last month that the funding system remained unfair to poor school districts ap
lawyers for an air force officer charged with rape adultery and other crimes are making the novel argument that the military ban on extramarital sex discriminates against heterosexuals because it does not specifically include same sex couples lawyers for col eugene caughey of the air force challenged the adultery provision monday in a military court at peterson air force base they argued that the half dozen adultery charges against colonel caughey should be thrown out because they violate his constitutional rights military prosecutors argued the adultery ban does apply to same sex couples the judge has not ruled on the argument colonel caughey is charged with raping a woman at schriever air force base also in colorado in late 2014 or early 2015 he is also accused of committing adultery several times photographing his exposed genitals while in uniform and groping women his court martial is scheduled in august he is a 24 year air force veteran and was formerly second in charge of the 50th space wing at schriever ap
voters will decide in november whether to legalize recreational marijuana in california secretary of state alex padilla said tuesday that proponents of the initiative had turned in more than the 366000 signatures needed to qualify for the ballot the measure asks voters to approve allowing people 21 and older to buy an ounce of marijuana and marijuana infused products at licensed retail outlets and grow up to six marijuana plants for personal recreational use ap


washington   the federal government has proposed adding a line to forms filled out by visitors to the united states that would ask them to voluntarily disclose their social media accounts a step that it said would help in screening for ties to terrorism
visitors entering the country under the visa waiver program which allows citizens of some countries to visit up to 90 days without a visa would not be required to list their social media accounts and the forms would not ask for passwords but customs and border protection which announced the proposal last week in the federal register said the social media information would give it extra investigative tools
collecting social media data will enhance the existing investigative process and provide dhs greater clarity and visibility to possible nefarious activity the border agency said referring to the department of homeland security its parent organization
the proposal comes after congress passed legislation last year to add restrictions to the visa waiver program the legislation was a response to the november terrorist attacks in paris which led to fears that european born or naturalized citizens with terrorist ties could enter the united states without being properly vetted
legislation pending in congress would require the department of homeland security to collect social media information from foreign visitors the bills were spurred by the terrorist attack in san bernardino calif in december the couple who carried out the assault had exchanged private messages online discussing their commitment to jihad and martyrdom law enforcement officials said but they did not post any public messages about their plans
representative vern buchanan republican of florida who has introduced one of the bills requiring social media information called the customs and border protection proposal lame
voluntary disclosure wont keep anyone safe mr buchanan said if we want to win on the digital battlefield mandatory screening is required
mr buchanans bill would direct the department of homeland security to review all public records including facebook and other forms of social media before admitting foreign travelers
the department said that while it does not consistently examine social media accounts of applicants for visas or immigration it has a list of nearly three dozen situations in which social media can be examined to screen applicants
four pilot projects are underway in the department to examine the use of social media among applicants for immigration benefits one of the projects which began in december and runs through this month screens the social media accounts of applicants for so called fiance visas the program under which one of the san bernardino attackers entered the united states


in china practitioners of the falun gong spiritual movement have long complained of propaganda campaigns imprisonment and torture at the hands of the chinese government
in flushing queens which has perhaps the largest falun gong following in the united states members say their adversaries are a handful of spirited chinese immigrants who tend a small folding table set up every day in front of a chinese restaurant on a stretch of main street that is bustling with chinese immigrants
the opposition group distributes materials denouncing falun gong as an evil cult an epithet that the organization incorporates into its name the chinese anti cult world alliance
having staked out their turf in flushing the two factions have long waged a bitter ideological battle
now a new battle front has opened   in a brooklyn courthouse
members of the falun gong have filed a federal lawsuit against the anti cult group seeking relief from what they call an ongoing campaign of violent assaults threats intimidation and other abuses
the lawsuit accuses the alliance of collaborating with the chinese government by persecuting falun gong in the united states and seeking to purge flushing of falun gong the suit which details more than 20 assaults against and confrontations with the plaintiffs is asking the court for an order that would keep the anti falun gong group away it also claims that falun gong members have been subjected to mob violence from the opposition group
tom fini a lawyer representing the alliance called the lawsuit baseless and said the plaintiffs main complaint against his clients was their labeling falun gong a cult mr fini added that the plaintiffs are trying to intimidate my clients punishing them with a federal lawsuit to quash their right to free speech
he said the falun gong members were suing over a handful of confrontations that they initiated and were citing a few scuffles where there has not been one serious injury or hospital visit
not so said terri marsh a lawyer for the plaintiffs
that it hasnt risen to the level of a beheading is beside the point ms marsh said adding that the anti cult groups regimen of attacks and intimidation   even if it is yelling and shoving   interferes with her clients religious freedom
she said her clients are not trying to stop their right to free speech   they really just want the violence to stop
the feud in flushing dates back to 2008 when members of the alliance accused falun gong members of disrupting fund raising efforts on main street for victims of a deadly earthquake in china partly to prevent funds from potentially winding up in the hands of the chinese government the opposition group charged
the anti cult groups table soon appeared on main street offering literature criticizing the falun gong ideology as extremist and an embarrassment to chinese immigrants
not far from the alliances table is a falun gong spiritual center with its own sidewalk tables where volunteers distribute fliers protesting their groups treatment by the chinese government and describing the ruthless methods it uses to try to eliminate the spiritual practice in china
to hear falun gong members in flushing tell it they are meek practitioners who follow a moral philosophy based on truth tolerance and compassion they say they are preyed upon by the anti cult group simply because of their beliefs
the alliance scoffs at this saying the falun gong members pose as victims while being just as complicit in the altercations
one of the defendants michael chu a leader of the anti cult group said the confrontations usually involved both groups pointing cameras at each other and sometimes calling the police he characterized them as typical new york city street arguments   standoffs or scuffles sometimes but hardly attacks
they manufactured these incidents into political clashes said mr chu who runs a travel agency a neighborhood watch and other community organizations
inside his office he pulled out dozens of signs that he and members typically use in demonstrations against falun gong they criticized the spiritual group for among other things according to mr chu believing in paranormal activity eschewing modern medicine and distorting chinese culture
mr chus outspokenness has made him a target in the epoch times a free daily newspaper that supports the falun gong he has been portrayed as a puppet for the chinese communist party as part of a campaign to expand its influence in the united states
ms marsh said that mr chu recruited   sometimes using free meals as an incentive   members of his neighborhood watch group to participate in protests against the falun gong
but mr fini called the suit an attempt to silence my clients first amendment right to express their opinion that many of the beliefs of falun gong are irrational and dangerous
to better illustrate those beliefs mr fini said he wants to call as a witness the falun gongs venerated founder and leader li hongzhi
although falun gong is known as a system that combines elements of buddhism mysticism and traditional exercise regimen some followers also ascribe to the more unconventional teachings of mr li including alien visitation ethnic separation and other beliefs that might clarify why my clients have the constitutional right to call them a cult mr fini said
mr fini said one plaintiff had already admitted in a deposition to sharing mr lis ideas about extraterrestrial visitors and the existence of different heavens for different races
my clients call these beliefs bizarre and dangerous mr fini said if they follow a leader who teaches about aliens and segregated heavens my clients get to call those ideas cultlike bizarre and dangerous thats how freedom of speech works
but ms marsh said these doctrines that he characterizes as bizarre are part of virtually every eastern religion including tibetan buddhism buddhism and taoism and just because he thinks its strange doesnt mean its not a religion
ms marsh said mr fini was threatening to depose mr li as a way to intimidate her clients into dropping their case to avoid exposing their leader
she said her clients considered mr li an enlightened transcendent figure and that mr finis desire to depose him would be a deliberate form of disrespect geared to harass them and denigrate their religion
deposing mr li could also elicit personal information that could endanger him said ms marsh whose request to have the court block the subpoena to have mr li deposed and to seal the case from public record was denied
mr fini has been unable to find the reclusive mr li who moved to the united states in the late 1990s and whose whereabouts is unclear
ms marsh said she did not know the whereabouts of the leader and neither did her clients
mr li does appear sporadically at falun gong events and the presumption is that he lives in the sprawling dragon springs center that falun gong operates in upstate new york
mr fini said his process server was turned away at the gate and told that mr li did not live there
ms marsh he said does not want the falun gong leader to be questioned because the plaintiffs dont want the truth about his many bizarre teachings to come out


kabul afghanistan   with their wraparound sunglasses and easy smiles the nepalese contractors who guarded the canadian embassy had become respected fixtures in kabul part of a larger community of south asian security guards who stood sentry at foreign missions all around the capital
driven to work in afghanistan by collapsed economic prospects back home the contractors were able to send desperately needed money back to their families but nothing here is without risk
last week a taliban suicide bomber killed 15 men 13 nepalese and two indian contractors who helped secure the embassy striking the guards commuter bus just after it had picked them up at their residence compound it was one of the deadliest attacks on foreign workers in the capital   and another example of how the south asian contractors who have become mainstays in places like afghanistan and iraq are vulnerable in ways that many of their western counterparts are not
many of the nepalese guards had worked for months just to recover the thousands of dollars in broker fees they had paid to secure jobs in afghanistan one of the guards prem bahadur tamang 38 said that they enjoyed fewer privileges in their barracks than their white brothers he added that among other restrictions for instance they were prevented from leaving their compound to go to a store
and they were shuttled around kabul in ordinary minibuses not in the armored cars that protect many western contractors
the bodies of the latest victims arrived in nepal last wednesday the prime minister kp sharma oli laid garlands of marigold on the white and red coffins one by one around him relatives of the security guards sobbed or collapsed
at least 24 security guards who had worked at the canadian embassy in kabul accompanied the bodies home shaken by the deaths and angered that their entreaties for better protection on the roads had been ignored
i lost longtime friends said one of the guards mani ram khanal a 17 year veteran of the nepalese army who returned to nepal and called the bombing the most shocking incident of my life
he said fewer of his colleagues would have died if safer vehicles were used to transport security guards from one place to another adding that the guards had complained about the buses
they did not take it seriously he said
in response to questions about the canadian embassys use of the minibuses a spokeswoman for global affairs canada said in an email message that she could not comment on specific security measures at the mission she said the agency took the safety of its personnel seriously and did continuous rigorous reviews of risk
sabre international a private security firm contracted by the canadian embassy to provide security at the mission did not return messages and phone calls seeking comment other foreign missions including the british embassy also used minibuses rather than armored vehicles to transport nepalese contractors several guards said a spokesman for the british embassy declined to comment citing security concerns
about 150 nepalese guards worked for sabre in afghanistan before the bombing mr tamang said thousands of other contractors including veterans of british indian or nepalese gurkha units are working around the country for similar firms
mr tamang said he had worked for the company for five years but abruptly returned home after the attack last week   with barely any of his clothes saying he was still owed 20 days of wages other colleagues in kabul were also considering going back to nepal he added
it was not an easy choice he said after desperation had driven many of them to afghanistan in the first place we have no job opportunities in nepal mr tamang said adding that he had paid a broker the equivalent of about 3300 to get to kabul where he was paid 950 a month   a fraction of the salaries paid to western security contractors
some of the nepalese guards hoped to build a house others like mr tamang were trying to rebuild their lives after nepals devastating earthquake last year one of the security guards killed in the kabul attack had lost a son and a daughter in the earthquake according to nepalese media reports
the family of lil bahadur gurung another victim of the bombing had been forced to live in a makeshift shelter after their home was destroyed and was waiting for mr gurung to send money home so they could rebuild according to his daughter anita gurung our family lost our breadwinner she said
beyond need there is also the allure of tradition for some who go abroad
nepalese gurkhas renowned for their fearlessness have served in the british army since the 19th century in todays war zones the willingness of the gurkhas to serve long hours in the most dangerous posts is a source of pride for the soldiers and it has kept them in high demand
but the reality of security jobs is often different from the dream
in kabul the contractors had lived together in the fortified compound behind a gas station on jalalabad street and they were all but sequestered when they were not at work in the embassy spending their time playing volleyball or skyping their families according to mr tamang
the nepalese guards had separate facilities from the 25 or so western contractors who also lived at the camp as well as separate rules the nepalese guards were not allowed to leave the compound relying on local afghan guards to fetch essentials from a nearby store and they were not allowed to drink alcohol in their leisure time
three days after the attack the nepalese government announced that it would restrict the travel of its citizens to afghanistan and facilitate trips for those who wanted to return but the regulations are seen as easy to circumvent and conditions in nepal are only becoming more desperate said laxman basnet the nepal based general secretary of the south asian regional trade union council
the attack might deter people for a few weeks and give others second thoughts but there are no job opportunities in nepal he said
with thousands of nepalis working abroad the latest deaths have added to a grim procession of bodies returning to nepal several at a time every day mr basnet said people have become inured to deaths from violence or after years of toiling abroad it has sunk into our psyche he said
it was only by luck that the toll from the bombing last week was not higher judging from the shrapnel that had torn the metal surrounding shops nearby the bomber struck early as the nepalese guards headed out at 6 am to relieve their colleagues on the night shift at the embassy
mr tamang said he had been on duty that morning waiting for the men on the bus to relieve him hours later after telling the guards about the attack canadian officials sent the men home in an armored vehicle


the united states anti doping agency has filed a court action in houston seeking to compel a deposition from an endocrinologist being investigated for possibly providing banned substances to track and field athletes
the activities of the endocrinologist jeffrey s brown are being examined as part of a continuing investigation by usada of the prominent nike oregon project coach alberto salazar a person familiar with the investigation said tuesday on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly
while we dont comment on the specifics of any investigation as always usadas actions are solely focused on the pursuit of the truth and doing what is best to protect the rights of clean athletes and the integrity of competition ryan madden a usada spokesman said in a statement
dr brown could not be reached tuesday evening in an email mr salazar denied any wrongdoing
i believe in a clean sport and a methodical dedicated approach to training mr salazar wrote the oregon project will never permit doping
mr salazar said that he had not heard from the antidoping agency despite voluntarily meeting with officials more than six months ago
i look forward to this unfair and protracted process reaching the conclusion i know to be true he wrote
the court filing by usada was made on june 23 a week before the united states olympic track and field trials in eugene ore the event will determine which athletes compete for the united states at the rio games in august
the filing made in district court in harris county tex said usada had information that individuals - presumed to be athletes   had traveled long distances to be treated by dr brown in an attempt to enhance athletic performance which raises questions about whether some of these treatments may have violated sport anti doping rules
court documents indicated that a hearing would be held on july 11
usada has received consent from many individuals including patients of dr browns to interview him about his treatment of them concerning whether his treatments have been in compliance with sport anti doping rules the filing said
despite written permission from athletes for dr brown to discuss his treatment of them the filing said he has declined usada said it believed it had exhausted all reasonable efforts to obtain voluntary compliance from dr brown and is now seeking legal redress to force him to give a videotaped deposition
dr brown is known in the track world for a distinctive practice of diagnosing hypothyroidism in distance runners - and at least one famous sprinter the former olympic champion carl lewis the condition is an underactive thyroid that can lead to weight gain and fatigue but is considered relatively rare among athletes
in a 2013 article in the wall street journal dr brown said that athletes he had treated had won 15 olympic gold medals he told the newspaper that treating athletes for hypothyroidism can give them an advantage over their competitors who have not had the condition diagnosed those rivals think if they work harder the persistent fatigue and weakness will subside dr brown told the journal they think they can train through it
some experts say that thyroid hormone can serve as a stimulant lead to weight loss and improve alertness among athletes but the world anti doping agency did not include thyroid medication on its 2016 list of banned substances
usada and britains antidoping agency wanted the use of thyroid hormone barred but wada said that its experts had concluded that there is no way to believe that thyroid hormone could be performance enhancing
in denying that he was doping athletes with banned substances dr brown told the journal the general public seems to think that if you have a medical problem and then you get better that youre on something that is prohibited
last june after investigation by propublica and the bbc reported that mr salazar operated in a gray area of what is permitted among athletes to increase their performance mr salazar wrote an open letter denying any wrongdoing
he did not reference dr brown by name with regard to hypothyroidism and a salazar coached athlete galen rupp a silver medalist in the 10000 meters at the 2012 london olympics but mr rupp said publicly in 2006 that dr brown had diagnosed the condition according to the journal
mr rupp has severe allergies breathing issues and hypothyroidism mr salazar wrote last year and those conditions had been treated by two endocrinologists
mr rupp has emphatically denied taking prohibited substances
galen takes asthma medication so he can breathe normally - not so he can run better wrote mr salazar who coaches the nike oregon project which includes mo farah of britain who won gold in the 5000 and 10000 meters at the london games mr salazar added galen takes his thyroid medication so that his body can function normally - not for any competitive advantage
mr salazar also wrote that dr brown had helped him conduct an experiment amid heightened concern in the track world that athletes could be sabotaged by someone rubbing a tainted substance on them
they rubbed androgel a synthetic form of testosterone on the test subjects   mr salazars sons   to determine whether a small amount might set off a positive drug test they ultimately determined that it was extremely unlikely that such a sabotage could happen
in its court filing usada said it wanted to get from dr brown information about the substances he used in treating athletes the methods and personnel involved why the treatments were initiated and communications involving dr brown that would assist the antidoping agency in its ongoing efforts to investigate whether dr brown andor others may have violated sport anti doping rules


wimbledon england   for the female tennis players wearing nike at wimbledon one style did not fit all
instead of the typical outfits nike offers most players who are paid to wear its apparel the company issued a loosely hanging short dress it was white in accordance with wimbledons dress code but it was not exactly ideal for competitive tennis according to several players wardrobe changes have ensued
when i was serving it was coming up and i felt like the dress was just everywhere rebecca peterson of sweden said in general its quite simple the dress but it was flying everywhere
peterson played with a long sleeved shirt over her dress to hold the dress somewhat in place
katie boulter improvised by tying a headband around her waist to serve as a belt which held the fabric somewhat more in place lucie hradecka wore leggings underneath the dress effectively turning it into a shirt
hradeckas coach jiri fencl said hradecka had felt cold in the cool english summer with only the light dress on and had expressed some concerns about playing in the dress instead of her normal more form fitting competition apparel especially given her two handed groundstrokes and the crouching she does in doubles
that was the first dress she ever tried on in practice fencl said she saw it was very short and that it flies so she was trying it sometimes with two hands you can grab the dress if it flies a lot i think every player was like hmm thats short she was worried about it in doubles too because when you get up from i formation you can grab it
this was not what nike had in mind in a news release distributed before the tournament the company touted the dress nikecourt female team athletes will compete in the one piece nikecourt premier slam dress which represents a departure from the skirt top combinations worn in previous grand slams the release said despite the traditional aesthetic the dress features modern design elements such as power pleats and racerback construction which work in tandem to enable the athletes movement
but once put to the test during qualifying last week the dress quickly proved problematic it was largely shapeless with long fabric hanging freely in the front and back it most resembled the babydoll style developed in 1942 by the new york designer sylvia pedlar to cope with wartime fabric shortages   and is more commonly associated with lingerie and sleepwear than athletic performance
before qualifying had ended the daily mail reported that nike had sent its players a message marked very important asking players to bring their dresses in for a small change to your dresses per wimbledon rules
while the dresses were not lengthened the slits on each side were sewn up by a nike tailor making the light fabric of the dress somewhat steadier and less prone to flying up as far during play
nike disputed the directive being characterized as a recall the product has not been recalled and we often customize products and make alterations for athletes as they compete a nike spokesman said we work closely with our athletes to provide them with product that helps them perform and feel their best on the court
the all england club said the dress had been approved for wear at wimbledon before its last minute alterations because it passed both the tournaments strict criteria for complete whiteness as well as a decency test to check that it wasnt too revealing
aside from the mandatory fixes made to the dress nike also offered its players the option of wearing a more traditional skirt and top combination there were several takers
it was too short i think and now we have a skirt and normal shirt said roberta vinci a veteran player who said she had never had such a last minute change from an apparel maker nice and comfortable and everything is now going to be ok for the players i think
daria kasatkina quickly opted for the switch as well
im really happy that i have this opportunity because if you feel good on the court you can play better kasatkina said if something is bothering you all the time no i tried the dress during a practice and i didnt like it so much it was always going up so you can see the stomach everything its not very nice
sabine lisicki a 2013 wimbledon finalist also switched to the skirt and top echoing that comfort on court was most important
i didnt feel comfortable showing that much lisicki said laughing
samantha crawford who is 6 feet 2 inches also made the switch saying she had not worn tennis dresses on court in several years because she thinks they rarely suit a player of her height
it looks cute on a lot of the girls   i saw lauren davis wearing it and it looks really cute crawford said of davis who is 5 feet 2 but im really tall so i have that problem with every dress i try on
some players raved about the dress maria sakkari wore it unaltered for her first two qualifying matches and has since worn it with the additional tailoring in two wins she said it was one of her favorite tennis outfits
i think its a very pretty dress and i think that its very feminine sakkari said its very comfortable
eugenie bouchard a 2014 wimbledon finalist was the player used to model the dress in nike promotional materials she defended the design
for me i love it bouchard told the network tsn its nice and short so you can move around and be free with your movements yeah i dont know its funny that people paid a lot of attention to it but i really think its really nice
one nike sponsored player not affected by the dress design was serena williams nike provides unique outfits for her


vienna va   paul simon says he is ready to give up making and playing music 61 years after he started as a 13 year old youre coming towards the end he said in an interview this week discussing the mysterious epiphanies that delivered some of his greatest songs the toxic qualities of fame and his yearning to explore questions of spirituality and neuroscience
showbiz doesnt hold any interest for me mr simon said none
here is why you might consider believing him
at 74 he often needs 15 hours of sleep at a stretch the other day performing in philadelphia he looked out from the stage and was surprised to see four mountains on the horizon when he put on his glasses he realized the mountains were actually big white tents his voice has held up far longer than he had any right to expect but needs frequent days of rest
while most stars of his generation unsurprisingly are playing greatest hits concerts if anything mr simons new album is competing with those of drake and beyonce on pop music charts and with radiohead and deerhoof for college radio airtime
so mr simon could leave the public stage with one last hit record and final memories of high energy performances by his touring band a collection of masterful musicians rooted in latin america africa and the united states who are taking frisky joyful turns with the simon canon and his newest songs his north american tour comes to an end on thursday and friday in forest hills queens where he grew up went to school and met a boy named art garfunkel
for his audience at least finishing the american chapter of his career in queens where he began would be punctuation ripe with history and emotion mr simon insists that the place holds no sentimental power over him but he did note that it was the last venue where he played with mr garfunkel from whom he is estranged as he has sporadically been since they became adults
its an act of courage to let go mr simon said i am going to see what happens if i let go then im going to see who am i or am i just this person that was defined by what i did and if thats gone if you have to make up yourself who are you
maybe he said such inquiries are a waste
yet nothing   not a moment   about a day with paul simon suggests a man ready to withdraw from the pursuits that have absorbed his life ahead of a concert on monday evening at the filene center at wolf trap here he kept his band on stage for two hours in the swampy afternoon heat checking the sound and fine tuning songs
the claves joel mr simon called to joel guzman dont need them there horns and woodwinds needed to be less timid in spirit voices he instructed he told jamey haddad a percussionist to lay off the tambourines during a noirish piano section of one mans ceiling a rarely performed song about city life that mr simons 23 year old son adrian had asked his father to have ready for the new york shows
youre right mr haddad an old touring partner said
right again mr simon replied it happens
on stage were scores of homemade percussion instruments a kind of woodwind hacked from pvc plumbing pipe accordions electric mandolin tricked up washboard guitars and bass and keyboard and french horns and trumpets no one had a precise census of the instruments but the soundboard receives 110 channels for microphone feeds each capturing musical hues from separate sources
this routine has been followed for virtually all the 36 dates so far on the bands tour performance grinding refinement performance
mr simon cautions that this fastidiousness is no rebuttal to his declaration that hes ready to let it all go that doesnt mean i dont want my band to sound great he said
his new album stranger to stranger was released this spring into a shower of laudatory reviews the performances by his touring group surge with moments of delight and revelry as mark stewart a guitarist and cellist and player of the pvc pipe described it the album and a single wristband have been among the top songs played on college radio he has a detailed genesis for each tune lyrically and musically
i was having dinner with paul muldoon the poet and i said i had this title i dont know whether i want to keep it wristband mr simon said he said its a good title you could go a lot of places with that title you should keep it
sometime later he got stuck while working on a lyric that involved a musician who steps into an alley behind a club and finds himself locked out unable to regain entry without a wristband he wasnt sure what would happen in the song
from out of nowhere i said wristband its just a metaphor for you cant get in you dont have whats required mr simon said and thats whats going on that battle is being fought right now the haves and have nots 
his successes in popular music cover six decades giving him rare late inning creative triumph in 1957 when he was 15 he and mr garfunkel playing as tom and jerry had a minor hit with hey schoolgirl in 2016 stranger to stranger reached no 1 on billboards lists for both best selling rock and americanafolk albums it could put him in the running yet again for a grammy among musicians 40 years his junior he has already won three grammys for album of the year
he labors at music and lyrics he said unwilling to accept what would have been satisfactory to him a few years earlier feeling stalled then the songs will move ahead in leaps
i was 21 maybe 22 when i wrote the sound of silence which seems to me like quite a big jump from where i was before that he said and why or where i have no idea i thought the same thing when i wrote bridge over troubled water  whoa that song is better than what ive been doing different chords and something special about it the same feeling with graceland and still crazy after all these years
the successes mystify him he said all of a sudden youre there and youre surprised this happened to me at times where some line comes out where im the audience and its real and i have to stop because im crying i didnt know i was going to say that didnt know that i felt that didnt know that was really true i have to stop and catch my breath
he paused then added it doesnt happen too often
with that gift came popularity a bewildering force in anyones life he said
ive seen fame turn into absolute poison when i was a kid in the 60s he said it killed presley it killed lennon it killed michael jackson ive never known anyone to have gotten an enormous amount of fame who wasnt at a minimum confused by it and had a very hard time making decisions
he has a european tour scheduled for the fall when he will turn 75 then his vague plans are to drift and travel for a year he said perhaps with his wife the musician and composer edie brickell if her work permits
for now he has started rehearsing songs for the last moments at forest hills including an elvis tune thats alright mama
and if that turns out to be a finale thats all right by him
i dont have any fear of it he said


washington   the house select committee on benghazi released its report on tuesday detailing the attacks in libya on sept 11 2012 that resulted in the deaths of four americans including ambassador j christopher stevens the republican led committee found no evidence of culpability or wrongdoing by hillary clinton then the secretary of state here is a selection of summarized findings in the report with fact checks
this criticism is not particularly new senior pentagon officials have consistently said that they were constrained by the tyranny of time and distance   that is that the military could not have sent troops or planes in time to have made a difference the report and republican critics have always countered that had the white house and pentagon acted more swiftly they might have mitigated the later attack on the compounds cia annex but it is unclear what forces might have made a difference there

this sounds like dithering that might have cost american lives but the uniform swaps reflect the chaos and confusion in sorting out what was going on in benghazi and whether american forces should arrive identifiable as united states military personnel or be less noticeable in civilian clothes even the report acknowledges the challenges facing the so called fast teams these troops did not have their own planes which meant delays waiting for flights did not travel with their own vehicles they would need to find some in benghazi when they landed and were designed to deploy before a crisis hit not during hostilities

this suggests that the obama administration was not treating the crisis seriously but the vice chairman of the joint chiefs of staff adm james a winnefeld jr was not a critical player in the drama he was only one of many senior officials involved in managing the crisis and was briefed after his dinner there were many other senior white house state department and pentagon officials both in washington and overseas dealing with the crisis throughout the night
an independent inquiry in december 2012 among others came to a similar conclusion that report faulted state department officials in washington for ignoring requests from the american embassy in tripoli libya for more guards at the benghazi mission and for failing to make sufficient safety upgrades as security in libya worsened in the summer of 2012 the state department remained committed to a security strategy to deploy a modest american security force and then increasingly rely on trained libyan personnel to protect american diplomats that strategy which had been set a year earlier after the fall of col muammar el qaddafis government failed
warning signs were indeed flashing red for months before the attack the obama administration received intelligence reports that islamic extremist groups were operating training camps in the mountains near benghazi by june the city had experienced a string of assassinations as well as attacks on the red cross and on a british envoys motorcade mr stevens emailed his superiors in washington in august alerting them to a security vacuum in the city


hillary clintons technology policy initiative released on tuesday is a list makers dream a parade of specific proposals covering a spectrum of issues but its overriding theme is that technology should be an engine of equality rather than elitism
the goal the summary document declares is to create the jobs of the future on main street
mrs clintons agenda includes having the federal government step in to help fill a finance gap as banks have cut their loans to small businesses and venture capital funding is concentrated in a few regions led by silicon valley
her plan calls for supporting incubators accelerators mentoring and training for 50000 entrepreneurs in underserved areas and increasing funding for several existing programs that offer tax credits and financing for community development and small businesses
this is a pragmatic plan that could help leverage what happens in silicon valley so that theres innovation and job growth throughout the country said karen kornbluh former united states ambassador to the organization for economic cooperation and development who is an adviser to the clinton campaign
the clinton program also links start ups with the student loan crisis under her plan young entrepreneurs could defer payments on their federal student loans for up to three years the relief might also apply to the early employees of start ups like the first 10 or 20 workers according to the plan
the deferred payment plan the campaign document states could mean that millions of young americans would not have to pay interest or principal on their loans as they work through the critical start up phase of new enterprises
it is clearly a nod to young voters who overwhelmingly supported bernie sanders in the primaries
the clinton plan offers a liberal immigration initiative that has long been a favorite of technology executives and venture capitalists automatically issuing permanent resident status to people who earn graduate degrees in science engineering and mathematics from accredited universities
the clinton program also would dedicate additional funding and resources to obama administration policies in areas like building broadband networks in rural areas encouraging computer science education for elementary and high school students and job training in technology fields
skeptics questioned spending to double down on programs that have not yet proved effective
no one seems to be evaluating these programs said thomas lenard president of the technology policy institute a nonprofit research foundation
jeffrey eisenach a visiting scholar at the american enterprise institute a right leaning policy research group said this isnt a technology plan its a government spending plan
but other technology policy experts were impressed by the clinton campaign document as a whole
shes got a technology and innovation agenda and this suggests it would be a strong focus in a clinton presidency said robert atkinson president of the information technology and innovation foundation a nonprofit policy research group that in itself is a message


san francisco   pinterest announced on tuesday new shopping focused features that will make it easier for users to buy things they find on the site
the updates are part of pinterests attempt to distance itself from comparisons to social media sites like facebook and twitter pinterest wants to be known as a network for inspiration in topics like travel cooking and crafts as well as for shopping both on and offline
at bottom the site sees itself more as a competitor to google   a way to search discover and ultimately buy
shopping with pinterest is meant to be that bridge between getting inspiration and actually making it a part of your life ben silbermann the chief executive said at an event at the companys san francisco headquarters on tuesday
among the features are buyable pins or buttons in browsers that users can click to purchase items on the site as well as a digital shopping bag that follows users from their desktops to their smartphones or tablets
perhaps most interesting is pinterests object detection software a type of product search and discovery that companies like amazon have tried the software analyzes a photo of an object such as a stuffed animal recognizes it and highlights the item   or something like it   in a pop up window users can then buy the item through pinterest
the commerce focused updates come as pinterest six years old and valued at roughly 11 billion faces pressure to prove it can live up to the high expectations of investors
as other social networks like facebook and twitter have scaled back efforts to build e commerce businesses pinterest has long said it will dedicate resources to make shopping on the site a regular activity


washington   under fire from senators in both parties a senior federal health official told congress on tuesday that the obama administration would adjust its plan to reduce medicare payments for many prescription drugs but those assurances did not fully allay deep concerns
the official dr patrick h conway a deputy administrator of the centers for medicare and medicaid services indicated to the senate finance committee that the administration would probably go ahead with its proposal in some form and he promised that officials would try to prevent any harm to patients
that did little to calm bipartisan fears senator charles e grassley republican of iowa called the administration plan an ill conceived experiment and suggested that it was a form of human subjects research for which the government needed the consent of patients
senator ron wyden of oregon the committees senior democrat said he worried that the proposal could unintentionally drive seniors toward hospitals where treatment is typically more costly and less convenient
that left senator tim scott republican of south carolina to quip that the administration had done a good job bringing republicans and democrats together with both parties hearing from constituents who fear that the cuts in medicare payments could limit access to treatments
the concerns may be understandable with drug prices rising and seniors growing anxious but dr conway said the status quo was unsatisfactory patients are often responsible for 20 percent of the cost of extremely expensive medicines under part b of medicare which covers outpatient services in these cases he said patients may face significant out of pocket expenses
in its proposal the administration wants to change reimbursement formulas to try to encourage doctors to choose lower cost therapies the administration said it wanted to require mandatory participation for doctors and hospitals that provide part b drugs to medicare beneficiaries in three fourths of the nations 7000 primary care service areas using reimbursement formulas different from those in the federal medicare law
for a test said senator patrick j toomey republican of pennsylvania that seems almost universal senator debbie stabenow democrat of michigan agreed
the scope of the current proposal seems broader than is typical of demonstration projects she said
the test is to be conducted under a section of the affordable care act that allows the secretary of health and human services to waive requirements of the medicare law when trying out new payment models for a specific defined population
the administration plan goes far beyond such a demonstration project mr toomey said
under the proposal medicare might set a standard payment rate for a group of therapeutically similar drug products or pay less for an expensive drug where a less costly alternative was available
however cancer specialists say that for some treatments no low cost alternatives are available
the administration could address some of the concerns by reducing the scope of its test or by making it easier for doctors and patients to obtain exceptions to medicares value pricing policy
while dr conway said the administration would make adjustments in the final rule he refused to be pinned down on specifics when asked by a democrat why the administration had proposed such a large expansive demonstration dr conway said you have to have a sufficiently large sample so that you can evaluate the model
part b drugs are often administered in doctors offices or hospital outpatient departments
senator orrin g hatch republican of utah and chairman of the finance committee said that many doctors especially those in rural areas and small medical groups could lose money buying drugs under the administrations proposal if they no longer provide the drugs he said patients might have to travel to hospital clinics to get the infusions and injections
in a separate action the obama administration on tuesday unveiled a pilot program to speed the review of patent applications for drugs that mobilize the bodys immune system to fight cancer such immunotherapies are among the most expensive medicines approved for sale in recent years with annual costs exceeding 100000 in some cases but they have also shown great promise scientists say
in a notice to be published wednesday in the federal register michelle k lee the director of the united states patent and trademark office said her agency would expedite the review of immunotherapies that destroy cancerous cells or prevent their growth to qualify for this special status drug makers must be conducting clinical trials of the new treatments
ms lee who is also an under secretary of commerce said the pilot program was meant to advance the cancer moonshot initiative led by vice president joseph r biden jr
in the last year dozens of cancer specialists have complained of exorbitant prices for drugs including some that seem miraculous and others that extend lives by only a few months many of the drugs are covered under part b of medicare


197 million
517 stagg street at stewart avenue
east williamsburg brooklyn
a private investment company has bought this 9500 square foot vacant warehouse with six drive in doors a dry sprinkler system and heavy power it has 19080 buildable square feet the buyer plans to add a floor with 9500 square feet for offices or rented out as small commercial spaces the previous tenant was along products a maker of restaurant booths
buyer 10 holdings llc
seller varick planing mill
brokers jacques wadler vincent lopez joel kohn and avrum lieber kalmon dolgin affiliates
64sq ft
310208 approximate annual rent
1350 broadway at west 36th street
manhattan
a wholesale insurance firm has taken a seven year lease for a 4847 square foot office on the sixth floor of this 25 story building the space includes nine offices a conference room and a pantry
tenant jencap holdings llc
tenants broker brett maslin adams  company
landlord empire state realty trust
landlords representatives lindsay godard and keith cody empire state realty trust
2195 million
450 west 31st street between 10th and dyer avenues
manhattan
two office co ops in hudson yards each with 10775 square feet will be available nov 1 in this 12 story loft building the spaces can also be bought separately   the sixth floor for 995 million and the seventh floor for 12 million ten year leases are also being considered for dividable spaces at 48 a square foot
owner aac realty llc
brokers todd korren jonata dayan and christopher hagerup the evo real estate group


even before britain voted to cut ties with the rest of europe large european banks with global ambitions and sprawling operations in london were struggling
now as banks scramble to assess the impact of a british exit from the european union deutsche bank credit suisse barclays and others face increased pressure from investors
while they recovered some ground on tuesday the stock prices of these banks have fallen sharply after the british vote on increased fears that they will be unable to sell the billions of dollars of derivatives securitized mortgages and other hard to value and sell securities that they so desperately need to get rid of
mike mayo a banking analyst with clsa refers to what he calls the 5 cs in describing what ails the big european banks   a number of which he has worked for during his peripatetic career
these are costs complexity capital markets currency risks and central banks which engineered the superlow interest rates that are squeezing margins
the pain is not going away anytime soon he said
britains decision however also raises more existential questions about the futures of these entities which over the decades became rooted in the notion that london was   and would always be   the financial locus of europe
while it is not expected that european banks will immediately resettle their london based bankers and traders in zurich hong kong frankfurt or new york the vote   and its political consequences   certainly challenges the view that london will continue to be the spiritual and financial hub of these institutions
it was precisely this mind set that led deutsche bank barclays and credit suisse to hire many thousands of investment bankers and traders to staff fast growing london offices in the 20 years leading up to the financial crisis
the wisdom at the time was that destinies were being driven by high risk high return trading businesses tapping into a global finance boom centered largely in london
during the heyday in fact all three banks were led by executives who rose through the ranks on the strength of their expertise in peddling bonds and derivatives to global investors
anshu jain of deutsche bank and robert e diamond at barclays were based in london while brady dougan at credit suisse made constant trips to the firms office there from new york and zurich
as regulators forced banks worldwide to cut back on risky businesses in recent years worried boardrooms unceremoniously replaced the old guard with new leaders who were ordered to exit chancy areas that consumed the cash needed to fund new strategies in areas like wealth management
by any measure it has not been an easy job
in a global financial environment that is both risk averse and lacking enough ready buyers and sellers offloading billions of dollars of mortgage securities interest rate derivatives and leveraged loans has been a herculean task
making the job harder is that the traders and investment bankers at these large banks are highly compensated have big egos and are generally resistant to change
the new head at credit suisse tidjane thiam has had more of a problem in this regard than his peers the result has been a bank more or less in open revolt
perhaps the best way to assess a banks broad risk profile is to look at its exposure to level 3 securities which it is required to disclose regularly level 3 assets are securities that because they are so opaque and complex trade very rarely if at all
so instead of seeing where a stock bond or more complicated item is trading now or even a few weeks ago and then using this information to determine how much the investment is worth valuing a level 3 asset requires risk managers to quite literally make a guess
the process has come to be known on trading desks as mark to myth as opposed to the official vernacular of mark to model
according to their 2015 annual reports barclays deutsche bank and credit suisse are sitting on the largest piles of level 3 assets 36 billion pounds for barclays 32 billion euros for deutsche bank and 315 billion swiss francs for credit suisse
in june 2013 financial analysts at berenberg a german bank highlighted the level 3 exposures at these three banks in particular in warning of their investment prospects
at credit suisse for example berenberg said that level 3 assets were 133 percent of the firms core capital cushion the percentage for deutsche bank was 96 percent and for barclays 49 percent
the banks advice to investors sell
since then deutsche banks shares have fallen by 64 percent credit suisses by 65 percent and barclays by 53 percent reflecting concerns among investors with regard to the risky assets they own the three banks trade at steep discounts to their book value deutsche bank leads the way at 70 percent
and there are few signs that the selling will let up soon as a growing number of hedge funds have increased their bets against european banks
george soros who became known as the man who broke the bank of england with a bet against the british pound in 1992 made a multimillion dollar wager against deutsche bank after the british vote to leave the european union
his soros fund management took a short position of 051 percent of the banks stock on friday when the referendum results were announced
marshall wace a london based hedge fund took a similar position that day
both moves were disclosed in regulatory filings in germany where investors are required to disclose their short positions once they hit a threshold
this month mr thiam sent an email to employees attributing credit suisses low stock price to short positions taken by hedge funds
in a similar vein a team of german academics published a study last year in which they concluded that the higher a banks exposure to these types of assets the greater the chances that it might default at some point
in an interview on tuesday one of the papers three authors jan riepe a finance professor at the university of tubingen argued that the uncertainty surrounding britains future in europe made these banks an even riskier bet as it will be all the harder to get rid of these securities in such an environment
all this brexit uncertainty is drying up the markets mr riepe said and because many of these assets are traded over the counter in london it is even more difficult to value them its very dangerous for the banks


donald j trump went to a suburb of pittsburgh called monessen on tuesday to talk about the steel industry and talk about trade the mix of location and topic was uniquely appropriate for a major economic speech though probably not in the way mr trump apparently intended
today i am going to talk about how to make america wealthy again he said we are going to put american produced steel back into the backbone of our country this alone will create massive numbers of jobs
hes right that the number of steel industry jobs   more precisely iron and steel mills and ferroalloy manufacturing in government data speak   is down by 44 percent in the pittsburgh area since 1990 a span in which the united states entered the north american free trade agreement and engaged in much more extensive trade with china
but two things are worth knowing before nafta was even a gleam in a trade negotiators eye pittsburgh had already lost the biggest chunk of its steelworking jobs the culprit in that era was both international competition and the introduction of mini mills which allowed the production of steel with far fewer man hours because of that and other technological innovations that improved productivity total american steel output is about the same now as it was in 1990 even with far fewer workers
that steep contraction in steel production jobs has been more than counterbalanced by a rise in other types of work the 5100 steel production jobs lost in pittsburgh are dwarfed by the 66000 health care jobs gained in the same time span pittsburgh has often been viewed as the very model of a city moving beyond its heavy industrial history to find new prosperity in areas like health care banking and professional services
and that shows the fundamental challenge mr trump faces in seeking   as he did in tuesdays speech   to put opposition to trade deals at the center of his economic agenda in the presidential race the economics of nostalgia may capture the hearts of a certain portion of voters but it is disconnected from the decades long direction of the united states economy and the interests of the businesses that are historically a crucial part of the republican coalition
that shift has been one of the more remarkable turns in what has been a remarkable race the us chamber of commerce and the national association of manufacturers rapidly took to twitter to blast mr trumps plans as likely to lead to higher prices fewer jobs and a weaker economy as the chambers official account put it
there are very real questions about the ways trade deals have sped up a decline in american manufacturing pumped up trade deficits and pressured wages down across the board these complaints have been a staple of labor unions and politicians on the left for ages hillary clinton has pledged to renegotiate deals to be more favorable to american workers if elected
thats what makes it striking that   rather than temper his primary season language criticizing trade deals   mr trump is if anything running to mrs clintons left on the subject he even cited the work of the economic policy institute a liberal think tank in the speech notably these were not off the cuff comments but rather an enumerated platform scripted and read from a teleprompter
but in making the utter rejection of nafta and normalized trade relations with china central to his campaign mr trump is evoking a different united states since peaking in world war ii at 38 percent of all jobs manufacturing employment has been on a steady downward trajectory almost continuously ever since
currently 85 percent of american jobs are in manufacturing anyone younger than 35 has never lived in a world where more than one in five jobs were in factories
some of that is surely because of more open trade with places where wages are lower but it is also because of remarkable advances in technology that mean a huge gleaming factory making airplane parts or industrial fasteners might need only a dozen workers to keep it running rather than a hundred americas economy has kept growing because factory output has risen even as manufacturing employment has fallen
as mr trump faces a general election the question is how much his message of economic nostalgia will resonate particularly beyond the older americans who mourn a lost age
in other words its easy to see why the people who used to work in those 5100 no longer existent steel jobs in the pittsburgh area might vote for mr trump but how will he fare with those additional 66000 health care workers the answer may well determine the election and the course of the united statess economic relationship with the rest of the world


washington   the supreme court on tuesday let stand appeals court decisions that had blocked abortion restrictions in mississippi and wisconsin
the orders part of a final set from the court before the justices left for their summer break underscored the sweeping nature of mondays abortion rights decision striking down similar restrictions in texas
in the mississippi case currier v jackson womens health organization no 14 997 a divided panel of the united states court of appeals for the fifth circuit in new orleans had said the challenged law would have shut down the states only abortion clinic
officials in mississippi said women could obtain abortions in neighboring states but judge e grady jolly writing for the majority said mississippi may not shift its obligation to respect the established constitutional rights of its citizens to another state
in the wisconsin case schimel v planned parenthood of wisconsin no 15 1200 judge richard a posner of the seventh circuit in chicago had written an opinion that anticipated the majoritys approach in mondays supreme court decision he said courts must balance the supposed health benefits of abortion restrictions against the burdens they impose on access to abortion
soon after the supreme court ruled on monday alabamas attorney general luther strange announced that he would drop an appeal from a trial court ruling that had blocked his own states law restricting abortions there is no good faith argument that alabamas law remains constitutional in light of the supreme court ruling mr strange said in a statement
the supreme court on tuesday also denied a request that it rehear a case on public unions that had ended in a 4 to 4 deadlock the plaintiffs had asked the court to reconsider the case once it was back to full strength
the courts orders in the abortion and union cases were just a few words long and gave no reasons
the court also did not explain why it had turned down appeals in cases on pharmacists who objected to dispensing some kinds of birth control and on compelled disclosures in connection with elections but those orders drew dissent from conservative justices who said the court had erred in refusing to hear the appeals
the case on birth control stormans inc v wiesman no 15 862 concerned regulations in washington state that required pharmacies to dispense all prescription medicines sought by patients even if their owners objected on religious grounds the regulations allowed pharmacists with religious objections not to dispense the medicines but only if another pharmacist was available to step in
the owners of ralphs thriftway a grocery store and pharmacy in olympia wash and two pharmacists challenged the regulations saying they objected to dispensing emergency contraceptives like plan b because they believed them to be tantamount to abortion the regulations the plaintiffs said violated the first amendments protection of religious liberty
the ninth circuit in san francisco rejected that argument saying the regulations were neutral were generally applicable and promoted patient safety
dissenting from the supreme courts decision to deny review justice samuel a alito jr joined by chief justice john g roberts jr and justice clarence thomas wrote that there was a strong case that the regulations had been improperly designed to stamp out religious objectors
justice alito added that the regulations are likely to make a pharmacist unemployable if he or she objects on religious grounds to dispensing certain prescription medications
if a pharmacy wishes to employ a pharmacist who objects to dispensing a drug for religious reasons the pharmacy must keep on duty at all times a second pharmacist who can dispense those drugs he said adding that according to a supporting brief few pharmacies are likely to be willing to bear this expense
the bottom line is clear washington would rather have no pharmacy than one that doesnt toe the line on abortifacient emergency contraceptives justice alito wrote
louise melling a lawyer with the american civil liberties union said the supreme court had been right to turn down the appeal when a woman walks into a pharmacy she should not fear being turned away because of the religious beliefs of the owner or the person behind the counter she said in a statement open for business means open for all
the election case delaware strong families v denn no 15 1234 concerned a delaware law that requires groups that support or oppose candidates in advertisements or other communications issued close to elections to disclose their donors
even as it has been skeptical of other forms of campaign finance regulation the supreme court has generally endorsed disclosure laws a part of the citizens united decision on campaign finance that is often overlooked had upheld the disclosure requirements at issue in the case saying that transparency enables the electorate to make informed decisions and give proper weight to different speakers and messages
only justice clarence thomas had dissented from that part of the citizens united decision and he dissented again in the delaware case in my view justice thomas wrote it is time for the court to reconsider whether a states interest in an informed electorate can ever justify the disclosure of otherwise anonymous donor rolls
justice alito said that he would have agreed to hear the case but he did not join justice thomass dissent
the court also agreed to hear eight new cases during its next term which starts in october the cases included involve fair housing disabilities antitrust bankruptcy and immigration


cleveland   just before the republican national convention begins this city is making good this week on its longtime plan to renovate a 10 acre public green space following a trend in major american cities to link park construction with economic redevelopment goals
on thursday cleveland will reopen public square after a 50 million 15 month renovation more than eight years in planning the restoration of public square turns it into a place that is again green enough for its original 18th century purpose   as a pasture for sheep and cattle it has also helped unleash a strong surge in residential and commercial construction in center city cleveland
the city on the shore of lake erie and the states second largest by population has been basking in a spotlight this year as residents savor the long awaited championship of their national basketball association team the cavaliers led by lebron james who grew up in nearby akron now they are preparing for more attention as the republican convention comes to the city in mid july
public square where ontario street had met superior avenue in a black basin of asphalt has been completely redesigned by james corner and his colleagues at field operations the same firm that created the high line elevated park in new york city
mr corner closed ontario street made superior avenue eligible solely for buses and replaced wide areas of hard pavement and the sharp right angles of street intersections with acres of green lawn flowing promenades shade trees and gardens a fountain near the parks center invites summertime visitors to wade and cool off in the winter the fountain will be converted to a skating rink
the improvements echo projects in places like new york washington and chicago where public green spaces have been incorporated with economic development plans boston in one example replaced a downtown freeway with the rose kennedy greenway a 15 mile linear park and promenade with landscaped gardens
last year cleveland issued construction permits for projects valued at 15 billion much of it in the city center said edward w rybka the citys chief of regional development that is twice the value of projects permitted in 2012
in all 29 projects with more than 35 billion in investment have opened or are scheduled to open in the city center from 2016 to 2018 according to the downtown cleveland alliance a civic economic development group the projects are adding 1500 hotel rooms converting 1 million square feet of commercial space into about 3300 residential units and adding 350000 square feet of office space
cleveland is emerging as one of the countrys principal centers of biomedical innovation and development centered on the cleveland clinic and case western reserve university the city counts 25000 jobs and 700 companies   400 more than a decade ago   that are involved in health and medical research biomedical device design information technology and other related activities
from a biomedical standpoint there is so much talent moving to cleveland said aram nerpouni the chief executive of bioenterprise the sectors nonprofit development group we just want to keep that rolling
as the changes come the citys three term democratic mayor frank g jackson is contending with deep differences inside and outside cleveland about how to link the economic opportunities in the prospering downtown with the citys poor neighborhoods clevelands nearly 37 percent poverty rate is one of the highest of any major american city according to the census
in an interview mr jackson expressed dismay at a new state labor law signed on may 30 by the republican governor john kasich that nullifies a 12 year city ordinance directing contractors working on most city projects to hire cleveland residents for 20 percent of their labor force the ohio contractors association and the republican controlled legislature asserted that such local quotas which also were in effect in akron made it harder for contractors to hire the best people
the provision according to figures from cleveland generated 4200 jobs from 2011 to 2015 almost all of them minority workers that local labor provision helped people get jobs in this city said mr jackson who is also warily watching an initiative supported by unions that could make cleveland the only city in ohio that requires employers to pay a 15 an hour minimum wage
the stakes are high after decades of decline clevelands population reached nearly 397000 last year about 1000 more residents than in 2010 according to the census the increase in apartment construction corresponds with a spurt in residents living in center city cleveland who now number 14000 up from 6000 in 2002 city demographers project that the number of downtown residents could climb to 20000 by 2020
just weeks ago a few blocks from public square the newest downtown project opened the 600 room 32 story hilton cleveland downtown hotel financed by cuyahoga county the 275 million hotel is on lakeside avenue alongside the cleveland convention center which will host the news media during the republican convention from july 18 to 21 the new hilton is the first major hotel built in the city since 1991 and the largest
two more hotels   the 40 million 180 room drury hotel and the 50 million 122 room kimpton schofield hotel   opened earlier this year both were constructed from renovated historic office buildings
a few blocks northwest of public square where the cuyahoga river empties into lake erie the wolstein group and fairmount properties developed the 395 million flats east bank project which was completed in two phases the first phase opened in 2014 includes a 150 room aloft hotel a 480000 square foot 18 story office tower opened for the accounting firm ernst  young which was founded in cleveland restaurants and a fitness center the second phase opened last year is anchored by a rental apartment building with about 240 units and ground floor restaurants and businesses
closer to public square several renovation projects are under construction the weston group is renovating the 21 story standard building on ontario street which opened in 1925 into 250 residences on the other side of public square skyline international development a toronto developer is undertaking a 22 million renovation of the 98 year old nearly million square foot renaissance cleveland hotel with close to 500 rooms
next door to the hotel is terminal tower the 52 story office building that has been a signature of clevelands skyline since it opened in 1930 the kd group one of northeast ohios largest apartment owners is converting the building into 300 apartments
and six blocks away is the metropolitan at the 9 a 275 million mixed use project that converted an empty 45 year old office building on ninth street into a 155 room marriott metropolitan hotel 150 rental apartments and retail space and restaurants just around the corner heinens fine foods last year opened a 33000 square foot grocery store the first such supermarket in downtown cleveland
few projects in downtown cleveland were as complex as the rebuilding of public square much of the design construction and financing of the project was overseen by two civic groups the land studio and the group plan commission below ground engineers reconstructed water electric and communications infrastructure at a cost of 13 million paid for by the utilities above ground   after 37 million more in construction costs most of it privately financed   the public squares vehicular traffic patterns were replaced by a splendid and safe pedestrian corridor between new neighborhoods on the downtowns west and east sides
its the connector that we always needed said ari maron a former land studio board member and developer of several downtown projects every great city has a central downtown park a green space to gather now we have ours


since his early days as a chicago beat maker kanye west has been a master of sampling   only the scale and the canvases have changed
in the new music video for famous which depicts a row of nude celebrities including taylor swift and donald j trump asleep in bed with the rapper and his wife kim kardashian the references are to contemporary art the video was inspired most directly by vincent desiderios painting sleep a fact the artist did not learn until friday the morning of the videos premiere
the evening before mr desiderio 60 was told cryptically that he was wanted in los angeles immediately i couldnt hear properly when my gallery called and when they said kanye west i thought they said conde nast he said
despite not being told exactly why and though he had only a passing familiarity with mr wests music mr desiderio made the trip from new york   the flight was paid for   and without even stopping at his hotel was whisked to meet the rapper
it was almost as if they were throwing a small surprise party for me he said of mr west and his team they were all smiling like the cat who ate the canary then they sat me down and asked if id like to see what theyd been working on
what followed was a voyeurs view of some of the most recognizable and notorious figures in american pop culture and politics   bill cosby george w bush chris brown and others   arranged in a tableau borrowed from mr desiderios work itself inspired by a jackson pollock mural commissioned for peggy guggenheim he was elated
i was almost in tears mr desiderio said we just hugged each other
back at his studio in sleepy hollow ny the artist who is also a senior critic at the new york academy of art discussed his impressions of mr west and the bridge between the art world and hip hop below are edited excerpts from the conversation
what was your initial reaction to the video
as im watching the thing theyre smiling and filming my response and all of a sudden i realized that it is my sleep painting holy expletive oh my god i was really speechless kanye saw things in it that i dont know how he couldve seen kanye is truly an artist talking to him was like speaking to any of my peers in the art world   actually more like talking to the brightest art students that have their eyes wide open
were you familiar with his work
my children would talk about him the craziest thing thats happened so far is that all of a sudden ive achieved the status of a demigod among them and their friends
did you give legal permission for kanye to refer to your painting
as far as im concerned it has nothing to do with copyright a work of art goes out there and theres a stream that activates and widens the communal imagination it was an honor that i was being quoted there was no money involved at all
did he offer
it wasnt offered but i wouldnt have taken it that wouldve cheapened the whole thing   this building of an amazing bridge between aesthetic realms that are feeding off of the same information
recently weve seen rap interact with contemporary art more as in drakes using james turrell inspired visuals for hotline bling and jay z working with marina abramovic for picasso baby is there any part of you that feels icky for being sucked into this world of celebrity
first of all a lot of art that makes the crossover into hip hop is not interesting to me in the least   and not so interesting to kanye at this point for kanye who lives in this world of celebrity and fame the way i understand him now is that hes much more like andy warhol he said one time i am warhol out of frustration but hes like an exploded internet version of warhol allowing these celebs to hang themselves with their own words while he sits there and says thats fabulous warhol was a mirror for the times when kanye goes through all these shenanigans hes mirroring the times he said it himself its performance art his whole life is performance art
did you recognize everyone portrayed in the video
i did except for some of the hip hop people that seems to be the thing people are focusing on more   im sure he did it to be incendiary   but the real subject of the video is that many of these people in the bed are repulsive but everything about the video kept me at bay in regard to making a judgment on them every time i would think a thought like that i would see them sleeping and vulnerable like babies were all the same theyre just famous
lena dunham wrote that the video feels informed and inspired by the aspects of our culture that make women feel unsafe even in their own beds in their own bodies what do you make of that
artists are not saints theyre not people whose first obligation is moral correctness
as much as i like dunham and appreciate her art goes to dangerous places and this is not to sound like donald trump whom i loathe but if you want to make it amenable to a certain political class or agenda what a disaster that would be its like saying hitchcock that guy mustve really loved killing women or dostoyevsky   i dont like that guy very much its horrible to look at horrible to hear but theres also the kernel of salvation that tension between those two things is where art functions


haarlem the netherlands   when the syrian army tried to forcibly recruit him omar nabhan 27 faced a terrible choice become a soldier in a war he did not want to join or face imprisonment he and his wife decided to flee their home in aleppo instead
so it is a cruel twist that   after crossing the aegean sea in a boat that nearly capsized and trekking through the balkans and then up to the netherlands   they have ended up living in a prison anyway
they are two of more than 300 asylum seekers who have been placed in de koepel one of 13 former prisons and jails that the netherlands is using to house migrants and refugees while their applications are processed
never ideal the repurposing of empty prisons as shelters was initially accepted as an emergency response to the sudden influx of migrants and refugees from syria iran eritrea afghanistan and other countries late last year
but it has become increasingly controversial as wait times for housing and the processing of asylum applications stretch out for months for critics and some of those housed in the former jails a stopgap solution has taken on an air of permanence and the feeling of actual incarceration
prisons obviously dont provide the sense of privacy and independence to prepare for integration into dutch society or for their return and reintegration into their own societies said jasper kuipers deputy director of the dutch council for refugees an advocacy group partly funded by the government theyre not suited for that
when about 58000 migrants poured into the netherlands last year the country did not have enough shelters for everyone klaas dijkhoff the state secretary for security and justice said in an interview he looked at various options including empty office space and tent camps
but exceptionally for almost any country the netherlands had a surplus of unoccupied jail cells because of plunging crime rates and had even been renting out cells to other countries like belgium and norway
when the asylum seekers arrived part of a tide of more than a million migrants who entered europe last year the empty detention centers seemed like a practical option mr dijkhoff said
at the time we did it the influx was so high that if at the end of the day we had enough beds for the people who were coming in we were proud he said
while the prisons are not five star facilities mr dijkhoff added they do have some clear benefits including kitchens and private rooms
at many you even have a gym or you have an outside court to play football or other sports which you dont have in a repurposed office building for example he said and most times you have more space
on a recent day mr nabhan formerly an engineer at a security company and his wife chena kabane 26 sat on their bunk beds punching their thumbs into their smartphones while the heavy steel door that offers them a measure of privacy was left open so they could use the wireless internet
for the last five months when ms kabane has needed to bathe mr nabhan has stood guard so men do not walk in on her the couple cannot cook their own food but receive microwaved portions they have not been able to sleep in the same bed instead he puts his mattress on the floor next to her bottom bunk
still they have tried to remain appreciative and optimistic
at the start it felt like a prison even though we are free to come and go mr nabhan said but when we look at people who are staying in tents we know we have good luck
others are less sanguine
pooria bazhian 26 and his mother nahid mikaeilidiba 52   former muslims who converted to christianity in iran where apostasy is punishable by death   have also been housed there for five months
this place was built for criminals not for free humans who didnt commit any wrong acts mr bazhian said you dont have any good feeling here there isnt any fresh air there isnt green space for walking
as the time lengthens complaints have grown along with concerns that a quick and imperfect fix has become the norm
when we were consulted on this we said ok given that this is an emergency we can accept it said mr kuipers of the advocacy group
but now its been there for a half a year and i dont see them going away he said im very concerned that former prisons are not temporary but the new standard
the governments central agency for the reception of asylum seekers   known by its dutch initials coa   ran 40 reception centers with room for about 30000 people in january 2015 before the crisis began it now runs 121 facilities
about 16000 people currently housed in the agencys facilities have received their residency permits but they cannot move out until they find permanent places to live and there is a backlog mr dijkhoff said
the wait time before asylum seekers can expect a decision on their applications which used to be six months at most now typically begins after seven months and can take as long as 15
we didnt have any large complaints on the grounds that they dont want to stay in a prison said a coa spokesman jan willem anholts we hardly get complaints about the facilities we get complaints about the length of the procedure
some of the sites have been adapted in such a way that they might not be recognizable as former prisons mr anholts said but at the 400 cell de koepel one of three pentagonal prisons built in the early 1900s there is little disguising that it is a correctional facility
its a prison mr anholts said you cant change to make it look otherwise
mr kuipers said he was particularly concerned about the psychological impact on people fleeing persecution and imprisonment in their home countries the biggest groups of migrants who arrived in the netherlands in 2015 were syrians and eritreans he said
the eritreans fled a regime in their country where imprisonment was a huge problem mr kuipers said many of the eritreans have been imprisoned i would guess about half of them
he added referring to president bashar al assad of syria for people who have been in prisons and have been victims of torture   by the assad regime for example   it can trigger certain memories
still many of the asylum seekers are trying to make the best of it
on a recent day dawlat derbas 34 sat outside making a collage in the womens garden a former prison yard where some have planted boxes with flowers
the granddaughter of a palestinian refugee ms derbas has always been officially stateless even though she was born in syria in aleppo a city in the north she had a house a car and a job as a teacher and she was working toward a masters degree in sociology she said
in syria i had everything she said but i didnt have freedom and thats very important here i am not free not yet


like so many others who beat the odds to make it to broadway they arrived with personal stories to tell
muhammad yunus 18 who was born in indonesia was a rapper with no connection to musical theater until six months ago when he played the lead in a student production of lin manuel mirandas in the heights marnie quick 17 didnt think shed get to the big stage because she was still recovering from a concussion and a dislocated pubic bone at the time of auditions deimoni brewington 17 is taunted at his las vegas high school and even by some relatives for choosing musical theater over macho pursuits like football
yeah i cried a lot he said of the teasing but when i go into rehearsal i put away all the mess and drama of my life and have fun musical theater gave me my identity
these three teenagers and 59 others from around the country performed onstage at the minskoff theater on monday night at the national high school musical theater awards now in their eighth year the evening was part prize ceremony part bake off with eight finalists performing one song each
at the end two graduating seniors walked off with the top honors amina faye from the central academy of technology and arts in monroe nc and josh strobl from john burroughs high school in burbank calif accepting her award ms faye told the other performers i love you all and i cant wait to see where the future takes us all
the ceremony capped a 10 day theatrical boot camp for the students with early wake up calls and all day coaching from six broadway performers the teenagers stayed in new york university dorm rooms did yoga ate together in a common area and received both individual and group instruction from the coaches and kiesha lalama a choreographer with the pittsburgh clo theater organization which is a founder of the awards
the winners received 10000 toward their college educations and a chance to audition for acceptance and a scholarship to the tisch school of the arts at nyu finalists and other award winners got 2500 scholarship grants
to make the cut each student first won a competition as the best male or female high school performer in one of 31 regions more than 1000 schools and 50000 students competed for honors the prizes are known as the jimmy awards in honor of the broadway producer and theater owner james m nederlander 94
for four students the trip was their first time in an airplane but for ms quick who began taking music classes at 10 weeks the show was familiar it was her third time performing at the awards and her second time as a finalist singing safer from first date in this years competition
its pretty crazy she said of the past year which was upended when she smashed her cheek and hip on a concrete floor while acting in a student film a concussion left her muddy for months afterward setting her behind in school and hurting her auditions for colleges
i was talking to my mom about how different i am since 2014 she said im more open not afraid to try new things getting through the concussion and dislocation is a big deal when i get home im going straight into physical therapy
the two winners arrived by different paths ms faye who sang your daddys son from ragtime in a group medley and then a new life from jekyll  hyde for her solo has pursued musical theater seriously since ninth grade and plans to major in it at penn state next year
she said to me a year and a half ago i love musical theater but im going into law her high schools music director marty gregory said and i said to her yeah right lets not get carried away here with reality dream the dream
mr strobl by contrast was more interested in singing in alternative rock bands until an audience member at a show encouraged him to give musical theater a shot i hadnt gotten into acting until this year he said
this years upbeat awards in which the students were repeatedly hailed as broadways future came during a season in which seven of the 11 new musicals on broadway have closed or are closing the opening number included snippets from some of the successes including waitress and hamilton the awards mc zachary levi noted that his own show the tony nominated musical she loves me was closing in two weeks and encouraged the audience to buy tickets time is money folks he said
besides solo performances many of the students performed in costume in small group medleys one wednesday and two gomezes from the addams family musical turned up for example watching a group of boys van kaplan a co founder of the awards program and the shows director said it was often hard to remember that the performers were high school students i have to stop and say some of them are just 16
many parents also came to new york for the event but they were kept away from their children until after the final ceremony until then the students were in the care of chaperones
i text my mom but i havent seen her sarah chico 17 a junior from tucson ariz said on saturday the last day of coaching before the students performed for judges behind closed doors on sunday ms chico said the group had formed close bonds during the week
i dont look at it as competition she said echoing others its being with a group of people who are not just from my little town we talk about our favorite food our favorite app
as part of the weeks program the students received an hour of media training from the broadway publicist chris boneau who told them among other things that journalists werent their friends and that if they wanted to look vulnerable while answering a tough question to take off their glasses in the middle also to smile   and to be careful about their facebook posts
ms chico who aspires to be an animator for disney said she was not viewing the monday night performance as a springboard for a broadway career
my hopes are to be confident and walk down the street and know i can do anything she said musical theater gives my personality a place to go so im not just being loud in some inappropriate place like a library
on monday morning the students took their first steps on the minskoff stage which is normally home to the lion king some like mark mitrano 16 a sophomore from greece athena high school in rochester cried when they looked out at the house it was unbelievable that they could make this happen he said
ms lalama the choreographer squeezed mr brewingtons face with her thumbs and kissed him on the cheek hes my baby squinchy she said i wish i could take him home
cellphones were not permitted onstage but the teenagers did not seem to mind during downtime they talked in small groups sprawled over one another or gave back rubs
j r heckman 15 a freshman from cleveland and the youngest boy in the group was unabashedly star struck both by his fellow students and his coach the broadway performer howard mcgillin to get personal feedback from the phantom of the opera is amazing he said
after the ceremony ms faye reunited with her high school teachers and family members and tried to catch her breath
expectations were really high she said i found myself thinking oh my goodness i cant do this the hardest part was the perseverance to just keep going when you havent gotten any sleep


you may not know much about helium except that it fills birthday balloons and blimps and can make even the most stentorian voice sound a bit like donald duck
but helium is an important gas for science and medicine among other things in liquid form a few degrees above absolute zero it is used to keep superconducting electromagnets cold in equipment like mri machines and the large hadron collider at cern the european organization for nuclear research which uses 265000 pounds of it to help keep particles in line as they zip around
heliums role in superconductivity and other applications has grown so much that there have been occasional shortages the gas forms in nature through radioactive decay of uranium and thorium but exceedingly slowly in practical terms all the helium we will ever have already exists and because it does not react with anything and is light it can easily escape to the atmosphere
until now it has been discovered only as a byproduct of oil and gas exploration as the natural gas in some reservoirs contains a small but commercially valuable proportion of helium the first detection of helium in a gas field occurred in the early 1900s when scientists analyzed natural gas from a well in dexter kan that had a peculiar property it would not burn
but now scientists have figured out a way to explore specifically for helium using their techniques they say they have found a significant reserve of the gas in tanzania that could help ease concerns about supplies
were essentially replicating the strategy for exploring for oil and gas for helium said jonathan gluyas a professor of geoenergy at the durham university in england one of his graduate students diveena danabalan presented research on the subject on tuesday in yokohama japan at the goldschmidt conference a gathering of geochemists
one key to developing the technique dr gluyas said is understanding how helium is released from the rock in which it forms ordinarily a helium atom stays within the rocks crystal lattice you need a heating event to kick it out he said volcanoes or other regions of magma in the earth can be enough to release the gas he said
once released the helium has to be trapped by underground formations   generally the same kind of formations that can trap natural gas and that can be found using the same kind of seismic studies that are undertaken for oil and gas exploration the helium which is mixed with other gases can be recovered the same way natural gas is by drilling a well
working with scientists from the university of oxford and a small norwegian start up company called helium one the researchers prospected in a part of tanzania where studies from the 1960s suggested helium might be seeping from the ground the area is within the east african rift a region where one of earths tectonic plates is splitting the rifting has created many volcanoes
dr gluyas said the gas discovered in tanzania may be as much as 10 percent helium a huge proportion compared with most other sources the researchers say the reservoir might contain as much as 54 billion cubic feet of the gas or more than twice the amount currently in the federal helium reserve near amarillo tex which supplies about 40 percent of the helium used in the united states and is being drawn down
the next step would be for helium one or one of the major helium suppliers around the world to exploit the find but for dr gluyas the research opens up the possibility of finding the gas in new places
were in the position where we could map the whole world and say these are the sorts of areas where youd find high helium he said


officials were working to locate and rescue three burlington northern santa fe railway employees after two freight trains collided in the panhandle of texas causing a black smoke cloud so noxious that residents from a nearby town were forced to evacuate
according to a statement from the railroad the lead locomotives on the two trains collided near panhandle tex around 840 am tuesday rescuers quickly located one employee who was sent to a hospital for treatment but officials were still working to locate and rescue the other three
photos of the incident showed a black smoke cloud rising into the sky and flames engulfing a pile of burning train cars
joseph faust the director of public affairs for bnsf railway said it was unclear why the trains were on the same track he described the situation as fluid in an email he said that a full investigation was under way to determine the cause of the incident
in addition to evacuations residents of panhandle were also asked to cut back on their water use as crews worked to put out fires caused by the wreck according to roni willburn the city secretary
the town of panhandle sees frequent train traffic   about one train every 15 minutes according to ms willburn the area is about 25 miles northeast of amarillo and five hours north of fort worth where bnsf railway is headquartered


britains political leadership has frayed at the top and stunned european union leaders are anxiously responding to british voters decision to leave the bloc
here is the latest
jeremy corbyn loses labour party vote
the head of the opposition labour party lost a leadership vote of party lawmakers tuesday 172 to 40 the no confidence vote does not change mr corbyns status but it opens him up to a leadership challenge at a time when the party must prepare for a possible general election
mr corbyn was never as popular among labour lawmakers as he was with the partys membership the so called brexit vote further undermined his authority much as it cost prime minister david cameron his job
the vote last week to leave the european union   creating more questions about britains future than answers   has created a chain reaction that has left the country with a lame duck government and no viable opposition
an emotional response in brussels
leaders across europe responded tuesday with a mix of anxiety and defiance even as the blocs bureaucratic apparatus in brussels puttered on
donald tusk the president of the european council said tuesday that he felt sad over the decision by british voters
i felt as if someone very close to me had left our home and in the same second i felt also how dear and precious this home was to me
chancellor angela merkel of germany said she would use all her strength to preserve the european union and quashed any idea of exploring special arrangements for britain
whoever wants to leave this family cannot expect to have no more obligations but to keep the privileges she said tuesday
in the european parliament one of the leading brexit advocates nigel farage the leader of the uk independence party chastised his continental colleagues for never having done a proper job in your lives
jean claude juncker the european commission president confronted mr farage a longtime member of the european parliament despite his antipathy for the bloc
why are you here mr juncker demanded
the pound shows resilience
uncertainty after the brexit vote has shaken financial markets worldwide but the pound which declined to a 30 year low against the dollar on monday gained back some of its losses on tuesday and londons main stock market index rose
it remains to be seen if the markets will regain sufficient confidence before a map for britains relationship with europe is sketched out the apparent lack of preparation by leaders of the brexit movement has added to the economic anxiety
what others have to say
 boris johnson a leader of the brexit movement wrote an op ed for the telegraph saying despite voting to leave the eu britain is part of europe and always will be writing in the new york timess op ed section marine le pen the leader of frances far right national front party lauded the vote to leave the european union as an act of courage and said the promise of a democratic europe was based on a lie
 an essay in foreign policy by david francis looks at the possibilities that brexit will not happen alex barker of the financial times considers what a divorce from the european union would look like if it does
 and tv comedians including samantha bee john oliver and trevor noah tried to provide leavening explanations as to what happened why and how can we laugh it off


detroit   for the public faces of volkswagen in the united states   the dealers   the companys sweeping settlement actually settles very little
the documents filed in federal court on tuesday explain in great detail how volkswagen plans to financially compensate the owners of the diesel cars it equipped with emissions cheating software many of which it will end up buying back the deal is meant to pay owners the full market value of their cars before volkswagen publicly admitted its cheating in september and to give them up to 10000 in compensatory money on top of that
but for the 600 volkswagen dealerships around the country stuck for months with tainted new and used passats and jettas on their lots that few people wanted the company plans in some cases to pay compensation of only a fraction of their prescandal value   about 40 percent according to dealers the company briefed on tuesday after that the dealers can choose to fix and try to sell them but they have not been told whether they will also have the option of having volkswagen buy them back
and the dealers service departments will be obliged to fix any of the fume spewing cars brought in by owners rather than sell them back to volkswagen trouble is the precise nature of the fix has still not been determined by volkswagen or approved by the environmental protection agency
and none of this will necessarily reduce the damage to the volkswagen brand in coming model years
i think volkswagen will take care of the customer but dealers are in this too rick mastria the owner of a volkswagen dealership in raynham mass said on tuesday
he had the bad luck of buying the dealership last year only weeks before volkswagen admitted the lie behind its clean diesel technology and because of the scandal the government has not allowed any 2016 volkswagen diesels to be sold in the united states
you get numb after a while mr mastria said we just try to stay upbeat and sell used cars
volkswagen briefed a small group of dealers on the settlement on monday a company spokeswoman jeannine ginivan on tuesday declined to comment on volkswagens confidential discussions with its dealers
volkswagen brand sales have slumped since the cheating was disclosed in the first five months of this year its sales in the united states totaled 125205 cars and sport utility vehicles a 13 percent drop from the comparable period in 2015
some dealers are choosing to see the bright side hoping the settlement can help them and volkswagen turn a corner
were encouraged to get started said alan brown owner of a volkwagen dealership in lewisville tex who participated in the dealer call with volkswagen officials i think volkswagen did a good job on a very big emotional topic
others are less upbeat
jeff williams who has a volkswagen dealership in lansing mich and has 17 unsold diesel models in inventory said he welcomed the settlement for consumers but he is frustrated by how long the issue has dragged out   and that there is still no specific fix for the vehicles
mr williams is also unhappy that fixing the 2015 diesels cars now in inventory could take months   assuming anyone would want to buy them any changes that might bring them into air quality compliance would probably reduce engine performance and fuel mileage
in settlement documents the company said it expected to submit proposed fixes for certain models as soon as july 29 but remedies for other cars might not come until early next year
so we might be selling these things in the spring when they are more than two years old he said
the german company is still facing a federal lawsuit filed by the owner of three volkswagen dealerships it seeks compensation for total economic losses suffered by all 600 dealers in the united states both in terms of slumping vehicle sales and the decline in the value of their franchises
the case filed in april in federal district court for the northern district of illinois complicates an effort by a group of dealers who have been trying to work cooperatively with volkswagen to win financial support
jason kuhn owner of two volkswagen dealerships in tampa fla and a third in marietta ga who has been involved in those dealer talks with the company said the discussions had been robust and a better settlement offer could be offered to dealers soon
but the key he said is for volkswagen to present a way of fixing the diesel models that franchisees have on their lots mr kuhn estimated that he owns 80 diesel models that cannot be sold without a fix
that will determine what the impact is on dealers mr kuhn said


it took just 16 minutes
emergency calls from inside the pulse nightclub poured into the orlando police in the early morning of june 12 from panicked and wounded revelers reporting the bloody scene as it played out dispatchers noted that they too could hear gunshots in the background according to a police log that was among hundreds of pages of documents about the massacre released by the city on tuesday
the incident log gives a staccato narration based on entries made in real time and time stamped down to the minute and the second   the most detailed account yet of what happened after omar mateen 29 armed with an assault rifle and a handgun walked into a bustling club with a mostly gay and latino clientele and opened fire
it shows the confusion as police officials tried to figure out what was happening the horror of some victims reporting on their own gunshot wounds and the abject fear of dozens of people trapped in pockets throughout the club whispering into their phones pleading for rescue and hoping that the gunman would not come for them next
other documents released on tuesday raised questions about whether one of pulses exits might have been blocked
at the end of a three hour standoff for which some have criticized the polices delayed response 49 people had been killed and 53 wounded but nearly all the slaughter took place in just those first 16 minutes
the first report of shots fired came just before 203 am and that awful message was repeated no fewer than 30 times as caller after caller described the massacre sometimes in english sometimes in spanish and sometimes just by picking up the horror in the background on their cellphones often the entries say simply still shooting or that people could be heard screaming at one point a dispatcher noted having open line hearing 20 30 gunshots
the gunfire paused for 30 seconds or so until at 208 am the first police officers on the scene attempted to enter the building and engaged in a shootout with mr mateen who then retreated to a bathroom where people were hiding just before 219 am about the time the citys swat team was called out the shooting stopped as suddenly as it had begun and the killer hunkered down for almost three hours with his hostages
but while the barrage was still underway evidence of the grim toll began rolling in noted by dispatchers in entries sprinkled with abbreviations like c for caller and cadv for caller advises
multiple down someone is screaming im shot my caller is no longer responding just an open line with moaning c is shot in the stomach c is shot in the leg and knee cadv his friend redacted has been shot in the chest cadv sister has been shot twice cadv vic is losing a lot of blood cadv vic is no longer responding to him
hours after the shooting the citys fire marshal tammy hughes sent a text message to the fire chief roderick williams saying that a code enforcement official showed me a picture where the club owner had blocked the exit with a coke machine fire department officials said tuesday that the photo was taken on the day of the shooting but that no exits had been blocked a lawyer for the club gus r benitez also insisted that all public exits had been clear
ms hughes and mr williams also traded emails on the day of the shooting about a may 27 inspection showing that an exit was blocked but on tuesday officials refuted information contained in city records and said that there had been no blocked exit doors and that the only infractions were minor nothing more serious than a nonworking light bulb in an exit sign
ms hughes wrote on june 12 that the fire department had planned another inspection to make sure the problem was corrected but it had not yet taken place at the time of the shooting
during the nightclub siege officers went into pulse several times to bring out stranded survivors while callers reported that they were still hiding or trapped in various bathrooms an attic an office a dressing room the incident log shows that they called repeatedly to report casualties and gunfire warn that their phone batteries were dying and express their dread at sounds indicating that the gunman may have been approaching some even called from the bathroom where the gunman was holed up to tell police what he had said and what he looked like
subj in restroom whispering please help a dispatcher wrote a few times callers went silent or their calls went dead leaving dispatchers no way of knowing if they were still alive
at 235 am mr mateen called 911 himself to claim responsibility for the attack and declared allegiance to the islamic state the fbi has said
the incident logs show the police trying to pin down the number and location of people still trapped inside pulse figure out which bathroom the gunman was in and determine how serious a threat they were facing near the beginning a caller reported correctly that the gunman had an assault rifle while another reported incorrectly that there might be multiple shooters
at 251 am when mr mateen was on the phone with a police negotiator the fbi has said word came that took the potential danger to another level shooter saying poss explosives in the parking lot and a few minutes later in the same call subj is saying that he is a terrorist and has several bombs strapped to him in the downstairs female restroom
in addition to the gunmans own statements several entries show the people trapped inside confirming that he appeared to have bombs which turned out to be untrue
at 421 am the police rescued the people in a dressing room by pulling an air conditioning unit out of an exterior wall and some of those people warned that the gunman planned to strap explosive vests to four hostages it was that information officials said that had persuaded them to make the final assault on the club using explosives and an armored vehicle to punch through a wall
swat breached the log says at 502 am at 515 as the officers traded gunfire with mr mateen it notes shots fired north bathroom and less than a minute later subj down
an entry just before 518 am using a police term for armed states bad guy down strapped


in todays on your own economy workers are urged to be entrepreneurial job hoppers constantly adapting and searching for the next opportunity
but an estimated 30 million americans   nearly one fifth of the nations work force   are hobbled by so called noncompete agreements fine print in their employment contracts that keeps them from working for corporate rivals in their next job
now a number of states are looking to untangle workers from these agreements the massachusetts house of representatives is scheduled to vote this week on a noncompete reform bill the state is also the location of a union organizing campaign on the noncompete practices of the emc corporation a large technology company based in hopkinton mass that is known for its aggressive application of these employment contracts
other states are also taking steps as noncompete agreements have spread to summer interns and sandwich shop employees hawaii banned noncompete agreements for technology jobs last year while new mexico passed a law prohibiting noncompetes for health care workers and oregon and utah have limited the duration of noncompete arrangements
at the federal level the white house published a report on noncompete contracts in may that concluded noncompetes can impose substantial costs on workers consumers and the economy more generally the treasury department also issued a report this year criticizing the excessive use of the contracts
the issue hits massachusetts with particular force because of its technology heritage and failure to keep up with silicon valley in the early 1980s the route 128 corridor outside boston birthplace of the minicomputer industry and long gone tech giants like the digital equipment corporation was seen as the silicon valley of the east
noncompete pacts were only one ingredient in the recipe that worked against massachusetts and to the advantage of silicon valley where employees can depart and start their own companies mostly without fear of a lawsuit but they mattered in california companies are generally prohibited from enforcing noncompete agreements because of a worker friendly statute from the 19th century
its hurt our economy in the past and its a statement of values about entrepreneurship and mobility that massachusetts has noncompetes and california does not said stephen kraus a partner at bessemer venture partners and president of the new england venture capital association
noncompete arrangements proponents say can protect valuable trade secrets and motivate employers to invest in worker training because employees are less likely to leave
but recent research underlines the effects of noncompete agreements on engineers and scientists in technology businesses where more than one third of the employees are covered by them technical workers in massachusetts would be paid about 7 percent more if the states noncompete practices mirrored californias said evan starr an economist at the university of marylands robert h smith school of business
job mobility is reduced according to other research and workers are more likely to detour from their original career paths sometimes companies sue departing employees but those cases are the exception
its not about the lawsuit but about the far larger chilling effect said matthew marx a professor at the massachusetts institute of technology sloan school of management
in 2008 brian connolly an engineer with years of experience writing software for medical devices joined a start up developing diagnostic technology to identify biohazards first light biosciences after the financial crisis hit the start up laid off 12 of its 14 employees including mr connolly
shortly after meeting with a new company mr connolly got a call from his previous employer telling him the noncompete prohibited him from joining any company in diagnostic devices even if the application and the technology were different
i understood noncompetes were common practice but i didnt think they would enforce it and that broadly after a layoff he said
while the one year noncompete was in force mr connolly worked for a consultant doing software quality testing
today two jobs later mr connolly says he is finally getting back to his previous income level he signed a noncompete with his current employer and he understands they have their uses but he says he thinks they should give workers more freedom and companies less control
they should allow the engineer or scientist to stay current in the field mr connolly said thats so important in technology
kevin johnson holds a graduate degree in engineering and a harvard mba he is veteran of big tech companies and start ups and hes an ardent opponent of noncompete contracts
he spotted an opportunity to go after the noncompetes at emc an aggressive practitioner because it is being acquired by another old line computer company dell the buyout mr johnson said promises to create turmoil and cuts in the work force
so mr johnson has started a single issue union organizing campaign earn for employee association to renegotiate noncompetes and is collecting signatures at a website noncompetesorg
the goal mr johnson said is to create a pop up union that would force emc to abandon the use of most noncompete pacts
in a statement paul dacier emcs general counsel said to the best of my knowledge emc has not been contacted by anyone representing this group
mr johnson said he sent an email to an emc executive and to a lawyer representing denali holding dells parent company both in mid may informing them of the organizing effort
in massachusetts noncompete reform bills were introduced as far back as 2009 but previous legislative efforts stalled in the face of strong opposition from emc and other companies in the associated industries of massachusetts a trade group
this time a bill has emerged from a house committee and the massachusetts speaker robert a deleo has pledged to bring reform legislation to a vote soon
lori a ehrlich a massachusetts representative who has sought to curb noncompete agreements said were trying to balance a situation where workers have so much less power than the corporations that employ them
if a bill passes the house approval in the state senate is likely gov charlie baker a republican is taking a wait and see stance
this year emc and the trade group have said they are willing to compromise to a point
the house bill as it emerged from the legislative committee would require companies to explain noncompete agreements clearly and limit them to one year it would also prohibit noncompetes for certain categories of employees like hourly workers summer interns and college students and it would require companies to pay former employees 50 percent of their salary during the period of the noncompete contract if both sides agree they could negotiate higher or lower rates
christopher p geehern an executive vice president of associated industries of massachusetts said his group would support legislation but only if the compensation provision was removed
but the compensation requirement proponents say is what gives companies a market incentive to prune their noncompete practices it was one of the principal recommendations in the treasury department report this year
the compensation requirement is the linchpin in the legislation for the emc union organizing campaign and for venture capitalists
its crucial because it will stop most noncompetes from being enforced said rich miner a general partner for google ventures in cambridge mass


istanbul   three suicide attackers killed at least 41 people and wounded dozens more at istanbuls main airport on tuesday night in the latest in a string of terrorist attacks in turkey a nato ally once seen as a bastion of stability but now increasingly consumed by the chaos of the middle east
hours after the assault prime minister binali yildirim of turkey said that early indications pointed to an operation carried out by the islamic state but as of early wednesday the group had not claimed responsibility for the attack
the attack began shortly before 10 pm tuesday turkish officials said when two gunmen opened fire with automatic weapons at a security checkpoint outside istanbuls ataturk airport one of europes busiest they then detonated their explosives setting off two fireballs a third attacker set off explosives in the parking lot
turkey has faced a string of terrorist attacks over the past year including several in istanbul as it confronts threats from both the islamic state and kurdish militants fighting a war with the turkish state in the southeast
the istanbul governors office said on wednesday morning that 41 people had died justice minister bekir bozdag said on tuesday that 147 people were wounded
most of the dead were turks although some were foreigners mr yildirim said the three attackers were killed when they detonated their explosives he said
outside the terminal on tuesday night as calls went out on local news channels for blood donors and the turkish authorities imposed a ban on publishing images of the scene of the attack ambulances streamed in while hundreds of dazed and scared travelers sat on the sidewalk waiting for information and more travelers many in tears were streaming out of the airport
there were blood splatters everywhere said eylul kaya 37 sitting outside with her 1 year old son i covered my boys eyes and we ran out
as turkey has faced several deadly terrorist attacks over the past year ms kaya said she never thought she would find herself in the middle of one weve watched these attacks on tv for months but i never imagined it would happen with so much security in an airport she said
president recep tayyip erdogan noted that the bombing came during the muslim holy month of ramadan and he called for global unity in the fight against terrorism
despite paying a heavy price turkey has the power determination and capacity to continue the fight against terrorism until the end mr erdogan said in a statement
mr erdogan added the bombs that exploded in istanbul today could have gone off at any airport in any city around the world make no mistake for terrorist organizations there is no difference between istanbul and london ankara and berlin izmir and chicago or antalya and rome
turkey has held itself up as an exemplar of a muslim democracy and has sought to influence the region by reaching out to its muslim neighbors early on when syria slipped into civil war in 2011 turkey pushed for the ouster of president bashar al assad and began helping syrian rebel groups allowing the transit of fighters and weapons across its territory
turkeys western allies including the united states blamed the countrys open border policy for allowing extremist groups like the islamic state to become powerful inside syria and the chaos has increasingly spilled over into turkey with terrorist attacks and waves of refugees
turkey a nato member has often been at odds with its western allies over its approach to the region the united states and others believe that turkeys early policy on syria enabled the growth of the islamic state and they have long felt that turkey was a reluctant partner in fighting the terrorist group turkey in turn has grown angry over american support for syrian kurdish rebels that it sees as terrorists because of links to kurdish militants inside turkey
some of the recent terrorist attacks in turkey   including a car bombing in ankara the capital in february   have been attributed to kurdish militants which has heightened tensions between ankara and washington over the support the united states has given to syrian kurdish militants fighting the islamic state
the attack on tuesday evoked the bombing of the brussels airport several months ago and highlighted the conundrum security officials face in minimizing casualties from terrorist attacks in brussels the attackers managed to get inside the terminal and detonate their explosives but at the istanbul airport the first security check is in a vestibule at the entrance to the terminal which theoretically adds a layer of security but even so people have to line up there and as the attack demonstrated it is an easy target for terrorists
judith favish a south african who was heading home said she was at the counter checking in for her flight when she heard gunfire and then an explosion
so i jumped across and hid under the counter and then someone told us to run so i ran and hid in a cafeteria she said standing outside the terminal we waited there for an hour and then we were told to get out but no one has given us any information i have no clothes phone money nothing havent called my family no one is telling me anything
she paused and then said that she had seen blood everywhere near the entranceway
flights out of istanbul were immediately canceled tuesday night and ones on their way were diverted the airport the third busiest in europe and the 11th busiest in the world was closed after the attack but mr yildirim the prime minister said early wednesday that it had reopened the federal aviation administration grounded flights between the united states and ataturk airport after the attack but lifted the order late tuesday
although no group claimed responsibility for the attack initial speculation centered on turkeys two main enemies the islamic state also known as isis or isil and kurdish militants linked to the kurdistan workers party or pkk which has waged war with turkey for more than three decades last year peace talks with the pkk broke down and the two sides have been at war since but hours after the attack turkish officials turned their attention toward the islamic state
the terrorists arrived at the airport in a taxi mr yildirim said we will share more details about the attack later there was no security lapse at the airport
turkey has been rocked by a series of bombings since 2014 and the attacks have been increasing in frequency in some cases kurdish militants have claimed responsibility but in others including ones this year in istanbuls old city and on its main pedestrian boulevard turkish officials have blamed the islamic state
michael s smith ii an analyst who closely tracks the islamic states propaganda online said on tuesday that there had been a noticeable uptick in the groups statements regarding turkey especially after the announcement last year that the united states had gained access to the incirlik air base
official claims of responsibility for most attacks the islamic state has been accused of executing in turkey have been notable by their absence mr smith said in an email however during the past year a significant increase in focus on the erdogan governments policies within islamic state propaganda has been used to build expectations the group will expand its terrorism operations into turkey
almost immediately after the attack on tuesday there was speculation that it might have been a response by the islamic state to the recent reconciliation between turkey and israel which announced a wide ranging deal this week to restore diplomatic relations the two countries had been estranged for six years after an episode in 2010 in which israeli commandos stormed a flotilla carrying humanitarian aid for the gaza strip in defiance of an israeli blockade several turkish activists were killed
mustafa akyol a prominent turkish columnist wrote on twitter on tuesday evening the fact that the attack came right after the turkish israeli deal might be not an accident   if isis is that fast in response
other analysts though noted that attacks involving multiple suicide bombers take time to prepare and are not typically attempted on very short notice
unfortunately we see the side effects of a disastrous syria policy that has brought terrorism into the heart of istanbul and ankara said suat kiniklioglu a former lawmaker who is now chairman of the center for strategic communication a research organization in ankara this is obviously intended to create an atmosphere of chaos and hit the economy and tourism
when the attack happened asli aydintasbas an analyst and writer on turkish affairs was on a plane bound for istanbul but was rerouted to ankara where the airport was filled with stranded and confused tourists double checking with airport workers that they had in fact landed elsewhere
our world is turned upside down said ms aydintasbas who has chronicled turkeys descent in to chaos in recent years in her columns
referring to istanbul and the stature it attained in recent years as a global tourist destination she said it was a happening town cutting edge in arts and culture its the kind of place that conde nast would write about now this is a middle eastern country where these things happen


american cooks have frequent affairs with spiralizers dry fryers and other shiny new toys but they also have a deep lasting relationship with one of the oldest cooking tools in the kitchen the cast iron skillet
there arent many things in modern life that are passed down through generations and remain both beautiful and useful said ronni lundy a historian of the food and agriculture of appalachia where cooking in a well seasoned heirloom skillet is a touchstone of heritage
its true that my grandmothers china is gathering dust your great grandfathers gold watch admit it lies unused in a drawer but my parents 50 year old cast iron pans with their glassine black cooking surfaces are the inheritance i crave
i have two that are just coming along now ms lundy said in the nurturing tone usually reserved for children sourdough starters and rosebushes
well seasoned cast iron pans are the new broken in jeans proof of both good taste and hard use in just the last five years three new companies promising to make improved cast iron skillets with a combination of traditional handwork and modern technology have begun production
and cast iron collecting has taken off buyers seek rare skillets like the erie spider the griswold slant and the wapak chickenfoot an elusive sidney no 8 is listed on ebay for 1500
with cast irons mystique comes mystery the responsibility of seasoning a pan can be daunting the idea of a pan that is never washed with soap can be alarming
but it is worth overcoming these obstacles because a well used well seasoned cast iron skillet is truly an all purpose pan nonstick enough to cook eggs hot enough to sear anything and completely functional for roasting stewing simmering and baking
you can caramelize a crust in cast iron in a way that would never happen in a sheet pan said charlotte druckman who has just written a book on cast iron baking
the nonstick surface of a cast iron pan is achieved with natural ingredients like flaxseed oil lard and time not with synthetic coatings like teflon or thermolon
for all these reasons even cooks without a tradition of cooking in cast iron now want to start one finex in portland ore borough furnace in syracuse and the not yet settled field company all got initial funding on kickstarter from hundreds of small backers who eventually receive pans in return for their sponsorship
the field company run by chris and stephen muscarella neither of whom is trained in metallurgy casting or cooking raised more than 16 million their first pans will ship soon from a foundry they adapted in the midwest finex is making 200 skillets a day and barely keeping up with demand from the united states and abroad according to mike whitehead a founder
the finex 10 inch skillet sells for 165 the borough furnace equivalent for 280 the field skillet for about 100
why would anyone pay nearly 300 for a modern artisanal cast iron skillet when a perfectly functional equivalent made in south pittsburg tenn by the venerable lodge company costs 16 at walmart
the answer lies in the craftsmanship of the past the cast iron pots   skillets spiders which sit in the embers of a fire and dutch ovens   made in the united states from the 18th century through the first half of the 20th were different from todays lighter thinner and with a smoother cooking surface
the muscarella brothers grew up cooking with their mothers old cast iron pans   far from being collectors items rusty skillets used to be offered two for a quarter at barn sales   and wondered why the pans they bought when they went out on their own were so comparatively unwieldy
to find out why we went down a rabbit hole said chris muscarella and came out determined to produce new pans in the old style modern all machine casting he said cannot produce pans that are as thin and smooth
those pans were cast by now famous makers like griswold wagner sidney   and by dozens of now anonymous foundries located in every sizable american town that also usually produced farm tools and weapons each pan was poured and polished by hand a process that required hours of human labor but yielded a noticeable difference
i fell in love with that smoothness said mr whitehead of finex but now that i make them i realize why it went away labor is just so expensive
most of the new pans have smooth interiors and are sold preseasoned which also explains their appeal to modern consumers there is a wealth of confusing and often contradictory information about seasoning online each of the new makers has its own preferred system of cleaning and reseasoning described on its website
but the basic principle is simple treat the pan as if you were a 19th century cook because the way people back then cooked and cleaned automatically seasoned their pans instead of plastic polymers their skillets had natural coatings formed by cooking with fat and bonding fat molecules to the metal surface
so use the pan often especially for projects like shallow frying or cooking bacon or browning chicken scrape the cooking surface clean with a stiff brush a bench scraper or salt rinse with very hot water and if needed a drop of soap put it back on the stove over low heat until completely dry
it is not necessary to make a science project of creating the patina under these circumstances it will simply happen if the pan is long unused however even the loveliest patina will become sticky rusty or both store dry skillets in a cupboard or the oven to protect them from dust with paper towels between them if stacked
nostalgia for old ways of cooking is powerful but in this case it is also practical
cast iron is not responsive but it is relentless said nathan myhrvold the food scientist no common cooking material has such a high thermal mass or ability to absorb and store heat mr myhrvold who runs a research center in bellevue wash called the cooking lab which also produces the modernist cuisine books said the common notion that cast iron is a good conductor of heat is a myth in fact the opposite is true cast iron grabs heat and holds on to it
after you put the steak in contact with it theres a lot of spare heat left to cook with he said cast iron doesnt drop in temperature as much as thinner pans with better conductivity like aluminum and stainless steel
thick bottomed cast iron pans evolved for use in charcoal embers and on wood stoves when maximizing limited heat was the priority in appalachia cast iron survived when many modern cooks switched to lighter pans which heat up quickly on gas and electric stoves ms lundy said
that skillet became part of the imagery of the appalachian woman said ms lundy who identifies herself as a member of the hillbilly diaspora and has just published a cookbook called victuals she grew up in louisville ky and lives in north carolina her family lived for at least four generations in corbin ky making everything from pork chops to cornbread cobblers and even biscuits in cast iron the first thing any mountain cook will tell you is the history of her skillets she said
soon the same may be true of all cooks mr whitehead said a customer had recently come in to buy a finex skillet after his first son was born the dad wants to start using it now he said so it will be ready for the boy when he turns 18
recipes flattened chicken thighs with roasted lemon slices  crisp toffee bars


tehran   irans supreme leader in an unexpected move replaced the general in charge of the iranian armed forces on tuesday with the generals deputy a member of the islamic revolutionary guards corps
the replaced general hassan firouzabadi had held the position of chief of staff since 1989 and is known to have been a confidant of both the supreme leader ayatollah ali khamenei and president hassan rouhani
he was an exception among leading iranian generals who are usually changed every six years his successor gen mohammad bagheri had been serving as deputy chief of staff
there were no advance hints of the shake up and a terse announcement carried by state media gave no reason for it
on june 16 general firouzabadi appointed a set of new advisers he had been struggling with obesity and was rumored to have undergone at least one operation to lose weight health issues could be a reason for his dismissal analysts said general firouzabadi will now serve as a senior adviser to his successor state television reported
general firouzabadi was one of the few military supporters of mr rouhani elected three years ago and was among the first to speak out in favor of the nuclear agreement reached with world powers
in his regular speeches the general often echoed statements of ayatollah khamenei who frequently warned against trusting the nuclear agreements western partners most notably the united states
in 2012 the general verbally attacked israels right to exist saying that the iranian nation stands for its cause which is the full annihilation of israel
his successor general bagheri once served as the deputy of intelligence and operations of the revolutionary guards the elite powerful security and military organization that is separate from the regular armed forces


in a deal with federal regulators ikea announced tuesday that it would recall 29 million chests and dressers in the united states after at least six toddlers were crushed to death in tip over accidents
the move by the swedish company the worlds largest furniture seller represented a crucial victory for consumer advocates in a yearslong effort to hold it accountable for a growing death toll of young children dating to 1989
the head of the consumer product safety commission issued a stark warning to owners of furniture included in the recall
if you have or think you have one of these products act immediately the commissions chairman elliot f kaye said in a statement it is simply too dangerous to have the recalled furniture in your home unanchored especially if you have young children
alan m feldman a philadelphia lawyer who is representing three of the families of toddlers in lawsuits against ikea said he welcomed the recall but wished it had been issued much sooner he also said that the commission on tuesday failed to note the death of a 3 year old girl that was blamed on ikea furniture in 2005 raising the toll to at least seven
i dont think that we should forget that it took seven deaths and more than 70 injuries and an untold number of near misses before ikea was shamed into taking action mr feldman said
lars petersson the president and chief executive of ikea usa said the recalled furniture was never intended to be free standing but rather secured to walls with provided straps a step he called an integral part of the assembly instructions
if you are assembling correctly the product is actually a very safe product he said in an interview on tuesday
mr petersson declined to comment on the lawsuits brought by families which accuse the company of knowing about the deadly risks of its furniture and failing to do anything about it
the death of a child is an incredible loss he said it should never happen so our hearts go out to the families that have to go through this
a child dies on average once every two weeks in accidents that involve the toppling of furniture or bulky television sets according to the safety commission every year about 38000 people visit emergency rooms for injuries related to tip over accidents a majority involving children under 5
in many cases the children slide drawers out from a dresser and then try to climb them like stairs in a moment an everyday item becomes lethal
the commission said all six of the children crushed to death by ikea furniture were 3 years old or younger it also received reports of 36 injuries to children it said
ikeas recall applies to eight million chests and drawers in the companys popular malm line the style involved in each of the last three deaths from 2014 to 2016
the latest case in february added new urgency to the recall campaign according to police records obtained by phillycom a woman in minnesota went into her toddlers bedroom to check on him during a nap and found him crushed beneath a six drawer malm dresser emergency medical workers were unable to revive him
most american furniture manufacturers adhere to voluntary safety standards which ensure that a unit will not tip over when a drawer is extended and 50 pounds of weight is applied the recall on tuesday applies to all ikea furniture that fails that test the commission said
last summer ikea offered free wall anchor kits to owners of its furniture a step that consumer advocates dismissed as inadequate given that many consumers were unaware of the dangers posed by unsecured furniture
as part of the agreement on tuesday ikea agreed to pick up the recalled furniture from customers homes and issue a refund or to install an anchor that secures them to the wall it also applies to customers in canada where a 66 million units of the recalled furniture was sold
mr kaye the safety commission chairman said on tuesday that he was encouraged by ikeas willingness make changes adding that doesnt exonerate them from the past but it is from a consumer safety standpoint a positive announcement
asked whether any other retailers were selling furniture that posed risks to children he said the best i can say at this point is our investigation continues but that ikea is not alone


paris   among the many populist movements in europe encouraged by britains vote to leave the european union none was more energized than frances far right national front whose leader marine le pen exulted soon after the results were announced that it was a day of joy
for nearly 30 years the national front has been vilifying the european union while striking the same anti immigration themes that animated the campaign in britain now with britain having demonstrated the breadth and depth of opposition to the concentration of powers in brussels and europes open borders policy ms le pen is seizing the opportunity to build support for herself and her party heading into next years presidential election
this gives us additional legitimacy to carry forward this same debate in france she told journalists on friday calling for a frexit referendum
the far right party took particular heart that support for cutting ties with the european union came from places and voters in britain that are very similar to the national fronts base of support in france working people who see themselves as losers from globalization rural areas and small and medium size cities that feel left behind
with president francois hollande of the governing socialist party lagging badly in the polls and the main center right party wounded by internal problems ms le pen is widely expected to do well enough in the initial round of presidential voting next spring to make it to the final round against a candidate from one of the mainstream parties
actually winning the presidency remains a more remote prospect but the issues raised by the british vote   sovereignty national identity immigration and a popular backlash against what is perceived as an out of touch elite   provide ms le pen with a powerful platform
in an op ed in the new york times on tuesday ms le pen wrote that the british vote was about one fundamental question do we want an undemocratic authority ruling our lives or would we rather regain control over our destiny
the idea of a referendum in france on membership in the european union was curtly dismissed by mr hollande in a meeting with ms le pen at the elysee palace on saturday the national front is not backing down though
ms le pens niece marion marechal le pen a rising star in the party said in a television interview on monday that the so called brexit vote would inaugurate a europe where one doesnt give up ones sovereignty as a nation for the benefit of stateless bureaucrats in brussels
for all the differences between france a founding member of the bloc and a consistent force in seeking greater unity on the continent and britain which joined late and rejected membership in initiatives like the common european currency there are enough similarities in their economies and electorates to give hope to the national front for a breakthrough
there are the gleaming stores and corporate headquarters of paris and wealth creating successful cities like toulouse and lyon but then there is the france of abandoned villages and small towns from which the last baker and butcher have fled and the france of medium size cities whose empty storefronts line main streets   what the newspaper le monde on monday called ashfield sur garonne and thurrock sur loire
in france youve got to recognize the gulf between dynamic metropolises and a rural area that feels looked down on and abandoned alain juppe a former prime minister and likely presidential candidate for the center right republicans said in le monde on monday
sixty percent of the population lives in peripheral france as the french geographer and sociologist christophe guilluy calls it   those who are no longer useful to the economy who live in the rural areas and the small towns he said in an interview
no establishment party represents these areas mr guilluy said thats why youve got trump brexit and the national front he added referring to donald j trump the presumptive republican presidential nominee
anti establishment anger is increasingly evident among the working class left in france mirroring a phenomenon in britain in which disaffected labour party voters abandoned their partys traditional pro european stance to register their displeasure with policies and political leaders they felt had left them behind
theyve been governing for years against their own program said jean marc sanglier a printing worker who attended an anti hollande demonstration in paris last week he was doggedly participating in the seasons 10th straight march against a proposed overhaul of the countrys labor laws by mr hollandes increasingly market oriented socialists   a betrayal in the eyes of mr sanglier and his thousands of fellow marchers
brexit is exactly the same as the national front its a vote based on the same sociology and demographics said mr guilluy whose work has earned him the anger of the french left and much attention in the news media partly because it stresses working class cultural anxieties in the face of immigration
the themes that defined the referendum in britain have also resonated in france because of the terrorist attacks of the past year and a half and the longstanding problems france has had assimilating muslim immigrants
when mr hollande reacted to the british vote in a televised address on friday the first priority he cited was the security and defense of our continent to protect our frontiers
nicolas sarkozy the former president who is running again as a center right republican called france a christian country in its culture and its mores in a much remarked on speech this month at saint andre lez lille that called attention to the countrys cultural moral and even spiritual identity
emmanuelle reungoat a national front specialist at the university of montpellier said the british vote was centralized around finding migrants a risk
in france this could serve the national front she said its an adaptation to the agenda of the national front
the british vote was also seized on to varying degrees by other far right parties around europe geert wilders of the party for freedom in the netherlands joined ms le pen in quickly calling for a referendum on membership in the bloc although the anti immigrant alternative for germany stopped short of doing the same that party has called for a europe of nations   a new emphasis on national sovereignty   while avoiding the question of an exit from the bloc
in austria the far right freedom party suggested making a vote contingent on whether the european union continued with its migration madness as its leader put it italys five star movement the second most popular party there called for a nonbinding referendum on leaving the euro currency
in france the british vote has accentuated the split between the mainstream parties in france none of whom are calling for an exit and the national front its almost as though i used a curse word ms le pen said acidly as she left the elysee after her fruitless pitch to mr hollande for a referendum
given the array of other issues facing france including a near stagnant economy and high unemployment it remains to be seen how central an issue membership in the bloc might be in the presidential race but the national front appears intent on using the moment
i am european by civilization and i am french by nationality ms marechal le pen said on monday i wouldnt defend this cold monster that saps european identity


paris   the bioacoustician and musician bernie krause has been recording soundscapes of the natural world since 1968 from coral reefs to elephant stamping grounds to the amazonian rain forest
now mr krauses recordings have become part of an immersive new exhibition at the cartier foundation here called the great animal orchestra named after mr krauses 2012 book of the same title the show opens on saturday and runs through jan 8
at its heart is a work by the london based collective united visual artists who have transformed mr krauses recordings of the natural world into 3 d renderings imagine stepping into a soundproofed black box theater whose walls spring to life with what look like overlapping electrocardiograms representing different species sounds
its way cool mr krause 77 said last week opening his laptop to show the sounds and spectrographs on which united visual artists based the sound and light installation higher pitched sounds from animals like bats and insects appeared at the top of the screen then below them frogs and other amphibians and finally lower pitched mammals toward the bottom each with a distinctive yawp
the installation includes recordings mr krause made in algonquin park in ontario where he found himself caught between two packs of wolves in the yukon delta a subarctic area in alaska where birds from different continents converge and in the central african republic where he heard monkeys he also captured the cacophony of the amazon and whales off alaska and hawaii
theyre very jazzlike actually he said of the whales
but the animal calls also carry a message mr krause estimates that of the sounds in his vast archive   more than 5000 hours of recordings from 2000 habitats encompassing some 15000 species   50 percent come from habitats that no longer exist
a lot of these habitats in this exhibit are in danger he said in the forest where he recorded in the central african republic all the elephants are gone now he said
wolves in north america are always under great stress he added in the yukon delta with the birds the tundra is melting and global warming is beginning to take over
mr krause is a polymathic musician who performed with the folk group the weavers and helped introduce the moog synthesizer to pop music   including songs by the doors and van morrison   and film scores he hears natural sounds with a studio producers ear and is dismissive of scientists who focus on only one species at a time
singling out one bird in a habitat is like trying to understand the magnificence of beethovens fifth symphony by abstracting the sound of a single violin player out of the orchestra and hearing just that one part he said youve got to hear the whole thing
in 2014 at the cheltenham festival in england mr krause and the composer richard blackford presented the debut of a symphony composed for orchestra and mr krauses recordings from the natural world last year that music was used for biophony a ballet performed at jacobs pillow
the paris exhibition curated by herve chandes the general director of the cartier foundation is the most extensive visual response to mr krauses work yet for the show the foundation commissioned an original work by the new york based chinese artist cai guo qiang who works with gunpowder on paper
mr cai made a 60 foot long mural of horses at a watering hole by lighting the gunpowder until the images were burned into the paper
its so amazing to me mr krause said it looks like the caves at lascaux
there are also black and white photographs of dioramas at the american museum of natural history in new york taken by hiroshi sugimoto and photographs of birds by the japanese photographer manabu miyazaki who uses robotic cameras
mr krause who lives in northern california began to study bioacoustics after working on the soundtrack to the 1979 film apocalypse now like many involved with that movie he said he was hired and fired by the director francis ford coppola multiple times a lot of people were kind of destroyed by that process mr krause said i got tired of that whole hollywood scene and i decided i didnt want to do it anymore
he also finds the natural world therapeutic
i have a terrible case of adhd mr krause said forget medication forget therapy   the only thing that works for me is going out into a field and putting on a pair of earphones and listening to natural sound


there is plenty not to like in antonio garcia martinezs silicon valley tell all chaos monkeys obscene fortune and random failure in silicon valley harper an author whose biography boasts that he lives on a 40 foot sailboat on the san francisco bay is not well positioned to lampoon the social mores of the west coast tech culture
the books dedication to all my enemies who made the oeuvre possible confirms the impression that the blizzard of score settling that follows is less than balanced the aphorisms are sometimes lazy the facts can be sloppy and the studied cool - all the while insisting that i am the uncoolest person you will ever meet - can be grating i also could definitely have done without learning about mr garcias weakness for strenuous fornication and drunken romps in the facebook broom closet
and yet somehow chaos monkeys manages to be an irresistible and indispensable 360 degree guide to the new technology establishment
hiding underneath the braggadocio and evisceration of professional nemeses lies the beating heart of a formidable teacher chaos monkeys is likely to attract headlines and interest because of the prominent names and institutions mercilessly described this is unfortunate mr garcia may apologize for his pedagogical asides but these actually form the true core of what is a remarkably learned book
he schools us in three domains worthy of close study
the first half of chaos monkeys takes us inside the world of venture capital after leaving - and litigating with - one early stage tech company to start another mr garcia sells out to twitter only to immediately abandon his co founders for facebook along the way we meet the lawyers angel investors venture firms and associated institutions - notably the y combinator which plays an outsize role in securing financing from the most prestigious investors - that drive this ecosystem
the second half of chaos monkeys takes place at facebook and it concerns the handful of dominant companies that have emerged from this start up culture these companies in addition to facebook notably google and amazon whose market values start at more than 300 billion are approaching or in the case of apple and microsoft managing middle age in addition to contrasting their collective ethos with that of the start up world chaos monkeys touches on the also rans like twitter who failed to break into this rarefied plane
beyond the authors personal story what connects the two distinct halves of the book is his area of actual domain expertise advertising mr garcia was a phd student in physics at berkeley before joining goldman sachs to model prices for credit derivatives he moved to silicon valley to perform the same magic in valuing the attention of internet users and it is the explosion of digital advertising that has fed the emergence of the most recent crop of internet giants in the course of describing his path from ad tech start ups to ad targeting product manager at facebook mr garcia provides fascinating insights into the nature of the online and offline advertising worlds - both regarding what has changed and what has stayed stubbornly the same
two aspects in these central lessons make chaos monkeys a particularly compelling read despite its faults first mr garcia is not just a keen observer of corporate and social culture but a thoughtful business and policy analyst armed with a highly refined detector for pretentious nonsense well before the investor peter thiel was revealed as the secret backer of the lawsuit that put gawker into bankruptcy mr garcia was writing that the tech start up scene for all its pretensions of transparency principled innovation and a counterculture renouncement of pressed shirts and staid social convention is actually a surprisingly reactionary crowd
even where mr garcia completely mangles the facts - as he does for instance in describing the mechanics of the facebook initial public offering - he manages to draw multiple fresh insights that somehow feel directionally correct and in contrast to the self serving verdicts rendered on his allies and enemies his broader conclusions seem well balanced the world he inhabited mr garcia reflects is no worse than traditional industry and politics but certainly no better either
which brings us to the second reason chaos monkeys is a must read it matters mr garcia is providing tools to honestly deconstruct a corner of the world that has amassed breathtaking cultural economic and political influence and not always for the good fully 60 percent of harvard business school graduates now go to work at companies with fewer than 500 employees a fuller conversation is required before we rejoice that the invidious hegemony of goldman sachs mckinsey  company and hedge funds as the resting place for our best and brightest graduates has been replaced with early stage tech companies
at the least readers of chaos monkeys will think twice before taking at face value tech leaders high minded arguments for refusing to assist our national security apparatus in fighting terrorist threats even in the area of advertising important social and public policy questions are implicated
the greatest danger of chaos monkeys is that it could suffer the same fate as many equally prescient cautionary tales it is appreciated less as trenchant social criticism and more as a how to manual such is the irresistible pull of silicon valley that i fear the manuscript will be pored over mainly for clues to getting a job at facebook or having a venture selected by the y combinator if that is the case we all may want to join mr garcia on his boat and just sail away


a monthlong celebration of the work of the choreographer william forsythe will be hosted by the university of southern californias glorya kaufman school of dance the music center and the los angeles county museum of art from sept 29 to oct 23
called fall for forsythe the events include focus forsythe the choreographers process in which mr forsythe   who took on the role of professor of dance at the glorya kaufman school after stepping down from directing his own troupe   will show his creative process with students and discuss it with jill johnson and christopher roman two former dancers with his companies
two installation works by mr forsythe who has long created choreographic pieces for museum and site specific settings in addition to formal theatrical pieces will be shown at the los angeles county museum
mr forsythe whose blake works 1 is to have its premiere at the paris opera ballet on monday july 4 has long been recognized as one of the important figures working in dance today his influence has extended into the fields of lighting and costumes explored in forsythe designed a costume exhibition presented by the music center
the center will also host a final event at the dorothy chandler pavilion three companies performing three important forsythe ballets the houston ballet will show artifact suite 2004 pacific northwest ballet will dance the vertiginous thrill of exactitude 1996 and san francisco ballet will perform pasparts 2016 recently reworked for that company


juliet said the voice on the other end of the line in an unmistakable tennessee accent this is coach pat summitt
i nearly dropped the phone
back then in january 1997 i was a journalism school student and i had called summitts office at the university of tennessee to request an interview it was one of a dozen calls i made to top college coaches for my masters project which focused on the american basketball league a new womens professional league
the only coach to return my call was pat summitt
summitt wasnt just any coach she and her lady vols had just won their fourth national championship and were on their way to winning a fifth we spoke for more than an hour when i thanked her for calling she said that she always had time for young women trying to make their way in sports
summitt died tuesday at 64 after years of struggling with alzheimers type dementia in her 38 years as a head college coach she won 1098 games more than any other division i coach man or woman and led tennessee to eight national championships
you can talk about her toughness she once dislocated her shoulder while chasing an aggressive raccoon off her porch in an attempt to protect her labrador retriever and spent two hours trying to pop her shoulder back into place before calling for medical help and you can talk about what a leader she was for her players and for womens sports when she was offered a job coaching the men at tennessee she said why is that considered a step up
but its also important to remember how summitt dealt with dementia and what a perfect reflection it was of her personality
like muhammad ali in his long fight with parkinsons disease summitt faced a progressive malady for which there is no known cure   a disease that works to steal a persons dignity and tempts those with it to retreat from the public eye
everyone chooses to deal with those diseases in a different way no one effort more courageous than another summitt and alis way was to use their fame and bring the world along on their journey as they became the public faces of diseases that were once taboo to even acknowledge
their efforts to shed light on their vulnerabilities just added to their legacies but in a totally different   and arguably more important   way
when summitt learned she had dementia in 2011 she was only 59 theres not going to be any pity party and ill make sure of that she told the knoxville news sentinel
she told abc what i want to do is to get people to understand that if you have dementia dont be afraid of it
if you know anything about dementia or parkinsons you know that in fact there is plenty to be afraid of
dementia slowly robs you of your cognitive abilities eats away at your brain parkinsons is another cruel thief it steals facial expressions voices movement the ability to swallow and eventually to breathe it can also cause dementia
when ali was told he had parkinsons it must have been a blow that stung him harder than any in his life he cherished the sound of his own voice and loved the way his body moved and of course he always talked about how pretty he looked
yet he didnt disappear from sight he showed up   body stiff face frozen and left hand shaking out of control   to light the caldron at the 1996 atlanta games the once invincible man wasnt shy about showing that he wasnt invincible after all
i know how hard that must have been for him because my father zbigniew was entering the final stage of parkinsons when he died in november
i always considered my father the toughest man i knew but never more than when i saw him   razor blade in one hand one parkinsons pill in another   as he sliced the pill into wafer thin segments my dad knew that over time his body wouldnt respond to the medicine especially as the doses increased so he had tried to take control of what was happening by limiting himself to what would barely get him through his rough days even though it would make his current days much rougher he never stopped fighting
for summitt having dementia could be embarrassing especially for a woman whose sharp thinking helped her win games but that didnt seem to matter to her she still looked for the spotlight unafraid to describe what dementia had done to her and how she was coping with the changes
summitt was in a battle she could never win but she still could make a difference for others by educating them about the disease she spoke about her dementia in interviews and also in her 2013 book sum it up in which she also talked about another issue that is often taboo to speak about   the six miscarriages she had before giving birth to her son tyler she accepted the arthur ashe courage award at the 2012 espys where she gave a short speech saying its time to fight
soon after her diagnosis she started the pat summitt foundation and its mission was to find a cure for alzheimers
at the end of our telephone conversation nearly 20 years ago summitt spoke about the importance of women in sports she told me she was glad i was training to be a sports reporter because there needed to be more women writing about sports
i wondered why she had taken the time for me
now i know
summitt wanted to make a difference in this world both on and off the basketball court thats exactly what she did


bank stress exams may test investor patience
on wednesday the federal reserve is scheduled to report how 33 financial institutions fared in a simulated bad economic downturn countercyclical factors included this year could mean that even those banks that ace the tests will have to hang on to additional profit rather than return more money to shareholders
the federal reserve has emphasized the improving resilience of the financial sector in the first round of results released last week all banks proved tough enough from a capital perspective to keep lending despite a situation in which gross domestic product fell 75 percent thats because banks have added more than 700 billion of common equity cushioning since 2009
as lenders have become better at passing the exams their payouts have improved in 2015 for example every american bank was cleared to declare a dividend after failing twice citigroup last year was able to increase its own to 5 cents a share from a penny
the national economy is also healthier unemployment has halved since may 2009 when the first exam results were released then the jobless figure was 94 percent when stress test outcomes were reported last year unemployment was at 55 percent it is now 47 percent
even as conditions improve however the fed is raising the bar this year included situations worse than what the united states experienced during the 2008 crisis that includes an even faster rise in unemployment to 10 percent and negative interest rates for short term treasury bonds
that might require more capital for a passing grade as a group banks had a common equity capital ratio of 84 percent the fed reported last week exceeding the minimum requirement of 45 percent and last years level of 76 percent in this years dire imagined situations citigroups common tier 1 equity ratio would fall to 92 percent and goldman sachss to 84 percent considered another way if jpmorgan chases capital ratio tumbled to the 65 percent of last years stress test it would still have 90 billion
most banks probably will be able to make payouts again this year but not as much as might be suggested by the improved economic conditions britains looming exit from the european union adds another layer of caution bank shareholders may be expected to wait longer


set in stone is supposed to mean immutable but luigi del biancos determined descendants just now appear to be winning the official affirmation that the italian american from westchester county deserved long ago for shaping one of the nations most famous monuments
if being the chief carver at mount rushmore is not the american dream for an immigrant to these lands what is said douglas gladstone the author of the 2014 book carving a niche for himself the untold story of luigi del bianco
hundreds of workers finished sculpting the faces of four american presidents washington jefferson theodore roosevelt and lincoln into rushmores granite southeast slope in the black hills of south dakota 75 years ago they toiled under the direction of gutzon borglum the designer and chief engineer and his son lincoln and their names are listed at the monument as part of a team effort
but last month the national park service finally recognized the singular contribution that gutzon borglum had long ago attributed to del bianco who came from naples italy when he was 17 and eventually settled in port chester ny
on facebook the national park service posted this biography which officially mentioned del biancos title for the first time artist luigi del bianco came to work at mount rushmore at the request of gutzon borglum the designer and engineer of the stone sculpture luigi del bianco worked for mr borglum during the seasons of 1933 1935 1936 and 1940 he was a senior driller until the end of july in 1935 when mr borglum designated him chief carver
cameron sholly the director of the midwest region for the national park service which includes south dakota said that when he assumed the position last year he began reassessing del biancos role at the request of the carvers 53 year old grandson lou
correspondence provided by lou del bianco who lives in port chester and research by park service historians convinced mr sholly that for whatever reason luigi del biancos contribution had been overlooked
he is worth any three men i could find in america for this particular type of work borglum wrote in documents that lou del bianco and an uncle caesar del bianco discovered at the library of congress he is the only intelligent efficient stone carver on the work who understands the language of the sculptor
del bianco was born in 1892 aboard a ship near le havre france as his parents were returning to italy from the united states raised in meduno northeast of venice he studied stone carving in vienna and venice starting when he was 11 he immigrated to vermont when a cousin wrote that skilled carvers were in demand there
he returned to fight for italy in world war i went back to vermont in 1920 and finally settled in port chester where a fellow carver introduced him to borglum who hired him to work at his studio in north stamford conn as well as to his future wife nicoletta cardarelli
del bianco and borglum worked together briefly on the confederate memorial on stone mountain in georgia and on the wars of america memorial in newark del bianco was a model for a number of the figures in 1933 del bianco was recruited to mount rushmore eventually as chief carver at 150 an hour or 72 a week he quit twice when financing ran out
as chief carver his priority was refining the facial expressions on the presidents 60 foot high heads he fixed a foot deep crack in jeffersons lip with a patch and he sculpted lincolns eyes highlighting the pupils with wedge shaped granite stones to reflect the light
i know every line and ridge each small bump and all the details of that head so well he told the herald statesman of yonkers in 1966
in 1941 the elder borglum died financing dried up plans to carve the torsos of the presidents to the waist were abandoned and del bianco returned to port chester where his company carved hundreds of tombstones he died in 1969 at 78 of silicosis which is caused by inhaling dust from crushed stone
the doctors were amazed that he lived as long as he lived his daughter gloria told national public radio in 2012 because the dust in his lungs was like a rock
a campaign by luigis son caesar to rectify the official oversight began in the late 1980s after he read rex allen smiths the carving of mount rushmore in which his fathers role was ignored caesar who died in 2009 enlisted his nephew lou
mr gladstone the author of carving a niche for himself said that was like writing about the yankees without mentioning joe dimaggio
after years of being dismissive to the family the agency at last did the right thing mr gladstone said
the recognition on facebook was also welcomed by joseph scelsa the founder and president of the italian american museum in manhattan
after 25 years the national park service has finally acknowledged that luigi del bianco was in fact the chief carver lou del bianco said permanent recognition at the mountain is what we are really after but this is a breakthrough and a start in the right direction


jerusalem   the israeli military has canceled a contentious directive known as the hannibal procedure which calls for the use of maximum force to prevent the capture of israeli soldiers even at the risk of harming them
a military official speaking on the condition of anonymity in accordance with army rules said on tuesday that the chief of staff lt gen gadi eisenkot had given instructions several weeks ago to revoke the decades old directive the official said the chief of staff had established a team to formulate a new procedure for such situations
the hannibal procedure was last invoked with devastating consequences during the war in gaza in 2014 palestinian militants ambushed israeli soldiers soon after a truce took effect on the outskirts of rafah in southern gaza and dragged one of them second lt hadar goldin into a tunnel
at least 135 palestinians were said to have been killed as israeli forces unleashed a barrage of artillery and airstrikes meant to prevent the militants from taking lieutenant goldin deeper into the gaza strip the episode became a focus of international scrutiny and condemnation amnesty international said there was strong evidence that israel had carried out war crimes by bombarding residential areas of rafah
it is unlikely that lieutenant goldin was killed in the israeli bombardment based on evidence found in the tunnel the israeli authorities determined that he would not have survived the initial palestinian attack hamas the islamic militant group that controls gaza is believed to be holding his remains
the israeli military official would not elaborate on what led to the revocation of the hannibal procedure the newspaper haaretz which reported the change on tuesday said that a draft of a coming report by israels state comptroller had recommended that the army abolish the procedure because different ranks and units interpreted it differently and its use might have violated international law
but both haaretz and the military official said the chief of staff had ordered the revocation of the hannibal procedure before the draft report was distributed to officials
senior officers drew up the original hannibal procedure in the 1980s after two israeli soldiers were captured by hezbollah in lebanon it has since been revised
the procedure does not allow for the intentional killing of soldiers to prevent their capture or for action that would lead to the certain death of captive soldiers although many soldiers and commanders are said to have interpreted it that way
the israeli government has taken extraordinary measures not only to insulate soldiers from capture by militants but also to free them sometimes through exchanges of many militant prisoners for a few captive israelis
but there has been an increasing reluctance in israel to continue these lopsided prisoner exchanges like one in 2011 in which israel traded more than 1000 palestinian prisoners for the return of a single soldier
prof asa kasher a philosopher and one of the authors of the israeli militarys ethics code told israel radio for 20 years i have been speaking against the way commanders mistakenly understand the hannibal procedure as if it allows them to kill the soldier he added if there are so many soldiers that understand the order that way including high ranking commanders then it is right to cancel it erase it to throw it out and to write a new order that will be unequivocal
the origins of the procedures name remain a mystery israeli military officials have been quoted as saying that a computer generated the name at random but others have suggested that it was named for the carthaginian general who poisoned himself when facing capture by the romans in 183 bc


paul draper who as winemaker and chief executive has led ridge vineyards for more than 45 years as it became one of the worlds most celebrated wine producers is retiring ridge will announce on wednesday
mr draper who turned 80 this year will hand over responsibilities to a team of executives who have been with ridge for decades mr draper will continue as chairman of the board to oversee the transition the executives who will succeed him   mark vernon eric baugher john olney and david gates   have already been running day to day operations at ridge for some time
the wines of the last 10 years are theirs not mine mr draper said in a statement so you already know the quality and style of the vintages to come
ridge is best known for its excellent zinfandel based wines primarily from two sonoma county sources lytton springs and geyserville which have always emphasized the characteristics of their sites over power and intensity but its greatest wine is monte bello a cabernet sauvignon based blend produced in the historic monte bello vineyard high on a ridge in the santa cruz mountains
since mr draper took charge of the winemaking at ridge in 1969 the quality and style of monte bello has been remarkably consistent even as prevailing wine styles shifted radically in the 1990s
back then the critical spotlight focused on a handful of new napa valley producers who charged exorbitant prices for their tiny production they made wines that blended the bordeaux grapes primarily cabernet sauvignon in a new and different style emphasizing power and fruity impact over finesse
but under mr draper ridge did not deviate from its course vintage after vintage monte bellos reflected both the vineyard site and the ridge style of making wines that were intended to age develop complexity and accompany food
the remarkable consistency and beauty of these wines make monte bello americas greatest cabernet sauvignon in my judgment as the timess wine critic
over its history ridge has taken an almost singular path to greatness it was founded by three scientists from the stanford research institute who in 1959 purchased 80 acres on monte bello ridge including an old vineyard and a winery that dated back to the 19th century but had largely been abandoned
in 1969 they hired mr draper who had grown up on a farm outside chicago graduated from stanford and most recently had been making wine in chile
mr drapers winemaking philosophy centered on what he called preindustrial techniques developed from 19th century european and american texts like these older winemakers he relied on natural yeasts for fermentation used minimal amounts of sulfur dioxide as a stabilizer and otherwise did as little as possible beyond gently guiding the transformation of grape juice into wine
he applied this philosophy not just to monte bello but also to the zinfandels many of which were made at ridges sonoma facility at lytton springs
mr vernon who joined ridge in 1998 and has been the president and chief operating officer the last seven years will take over as chief executive mr baugher who has made wine at monte bello since 2001 will also become monte bellos chief operating officer while mr olney who has been winemaker at lytton springs since 2001 will continue and become chief operating officer there mr gates the ridge vineyard manager will continue as senior vice president for vineyard operations
i feel i am passing on our vineyards and estate to members of my own family mr draper said


washington   economic growth in the united states slowed in the first quarter but not as sharply as previously estimated with gains in exports and software investment partly offsetting weak consumer spending
gross domestic product increased at a 11 percent annual rate rather than the 08 percent pace reported last month the commerce department said on tuesday in its final estimate
first quarter gdp growth has been revised higher by 06 percentage point since the first estimate was published in april the economy grew at a rate of 14 percent in the fourth quarter the first quarter revision was broadly in line with economists expectations
there are signs the economy has regained momentum in the second quarter with retail sales and home sales rising in april and may even though business spending continues to struggle and job growth has slowed
but uncertainty stoked by britains surprising vote to leave the european union poses a risk to growth for the rest of year
the federal reserve chairwoman janet yellen told lawmakers last week that data pointed to a noticeable step up in gdp growth in the second quarter the federal reserve bank of atlanta is estimating that second quarter gdp will rise at a 26 percent rate
economic growth in the first quarter was constrained by a strong dollar and sluggish global demand output was also hampered by businesses efforts to reduce an inventory overhang with a further drag coming from lower oil prices which have set off deep spending cuts on capital goods like equipment
economists also say they think the model used by the government to strip out seasonal patterns from data is not fully accomplishing its goal the economy has underperformed in the first quarter in five of the last six years
first quarter business spending on software research and development was revised to show it rising at a 44 percent rate instead of falling at a 01 percent rate business spending on equipment fell at an 87 percent pace as opposed to the 9 percent rate reported last month
over all business spending sliced off 058 percentage point from first quarter gdp instead of the previously reported 081 percentage point
export growth was revised to show a 03 percent rate of increase instead of the previously reported 2 percent pace of contraction with imports weak that resulted in a smaller trade deficit
growth in consumer spending which accounts for more than two thirds of economic activity in the united states was revised down to a 15 percent rate the slowest pace in two years consumer spending was previously reported to have increased at a 19 percent rate
the downward revision reflected weak spending on services like transportation and recreation but april and may retail sales reports suggest that consumer spending has rebounded
also on tuesday a report from the conference board showed that consumer confidence increased to an eight month high in june the survey was however conducted before last weeks referendum in britain
near term market volatility may give households reason for pause but consumer spending should remain a key support for the economy in the coming quarters said jim baird chief investment officer at plante moran financial advisors in kalamazoo mich
separately data released on tuesday showed that house prices rose 54 percent in april from a year ago


washington   conservatives thought this supreme court term would be different
still reeling from losses last year in major cases on health care and same sex marriage they welcomed a new docket in october studded with cases that seemed poised to move the law to the right
but then came two unexpected turns of events justice antonin scalia the longest serving member of the courts five justice conservative wing died and justice anthony m kennedy veered left in two of the terms biggest cases joining the courts liberals in significant decisions favoring affirmative action and abortion rights
for the second term in a row the court led by chief justice john g roberts jr delivered liberal decisions at a rate not seen since the famously liberal court led by chief justice earl warren in the 1950s and 1960s
yet the court which ended its term on monday remains in a period of great transition with one vacant seat and the possibility of more to come it is almost certainly entering a new era the shape of which will depend on the outcome of the presidential election
for now justice scalias absence has handed chief justice roberts the difficult task of steering his colleagues toward consensus in big cases over the past term when he succeeded the resulting decisions were sometimes so narrow that they barely qualified as rulings when he failed the court either deadlocked or left him in dissent
before justice scalia died the court had agreed to hear cases that conservative advocacy groups hoped would help business interests and republican politicians while dealing setbacks to public unions colleges with racial admissions preferences and abortion providers just four days before his death the court seemed to send an assertive signal blocking the obama administrations effort to combat global warming by regulating emissions from coal fired power plants the vote was 5 to 4 with the courts conservatives in the majority
things soon changed justice scalias death left the courts eight remaining members evenly divided along ideological lines and a case that had threatened to cripple public unions friedrichs v california teachers association no 14 915 illustrates the impact of his absence
when it was argued in january a month before justice scalia died the courts conservatives seemed ready to say that forcing public workers to support unions they have declined to join violates the first amendment soon after the argument the publicly available evidence indicates chief justice roberts assigned the majority opinion to justice samuel a alito jr who in two earlier opinions had made clear that he was ready to overturn a 1977 decision allowing such unions to require the payments
but in march the month after justice scalia died the court announced that it had deadlocked in the case as is the custom the brief order gave no reasons and did not say how the justices had voted the decision left the 1977 precedent in place
a second deadlock in united states v texas no 15 674 effectively destroyed president obamas plan to shield as many as five million immigrants from deportation but it could have been worse for the president while the tie vote left in place an appeals court decision blocking the effort justice scalia if he had been alive would almost certainly have provided the fifth vote for a comprehensive rebuke to what republicans say is a pattern of unconstitutional overreach by mr obama
the alternative to a deadlock was sometimes a muddle in may the court unanimously returned a major case on access to contraception zubik v burwell no 14 1418 to the lower courts for further consideration in the hope that the two sides could somehow settle their differences the court expresses no view on the merits of the case the unsigned opinion said
if an eight member court was deadlocked or toothless it turned out that a seven member court was prepared to take a major step in fisher v university of texas no 14 981 a long running challenge to a race conscious admission program at the university of texas austin the court was missing both justice scalia and justice elena kagan who had recused herself because she worked on the case as solicitor general
the case had generally been viewed as a threat to affirmative action particularly after the court agreed to take a second look at it last june instead justice kennedy abandoning his earlier hostility to race conscious programs joined the courts remaining liberals to endorse the texas program by a 4 to 3 vote if justice scalia had been alive the case would almost certainly have ended in a deadlock
justice scalia was a dominant presence on the court and his influence could exceed the power of his single vote but it is also possible that justice scalia played a role in pushing justice kennedy to the left when the fisher case was argued in december justice scalias comments from the bench brought aspects of it into vivid relief he said that some minority students may be better off at a less advanced school a slower track school where they do well
i dont think it stands to reason justice scalia said that its a good thing for the university of texas to admit as many blacks as possible
vikram amar dean of the university of illinois college of law said there had been a change in tone at the court since justice scalia died in fisher dean amar said even though the dissent justice alito read from the bench was frank it was not as barbed and incendiary as justice scalias likely would have been
justice kennedy also joined the courts liberals in a 5 to 3 decision on monday striking down parts of a restrictive texas abortion law and strengthening the undue burden standard that the court announced in 1992
the silencing of justice scalias voice seemed to help other justices find theirs two weeks after justice scalia died justice clarence thomas broke a decade long silence by asking questions from the bench
justice sonia sotomayor already a major presence at arguments took on an even larger role this month she wrote a lashing dissent rooted in the concerns of the black lives matter movement in a case on police stops
justice thomas remained the most conservative member of the court based on voting patterns this term while justice sotomayor overtook justice ruth bader ginsburg as the most liberal one according to an analysis by lee epstein a law professor and political scientist at washington university in st louis and kevin quinn a political scientist at the university of california berkeley
justice sotomayors votes in criminal cases also make her one of the most liberal justices since 1937 while justice alito is among the most conservative to the right of even justice thomas
in all though the justices are doing what they can to find common ground professor epstein said
without scalia its still the kennedy court but kagan and breyer had a very good term she said both were in the majority in divided cases over 80 percent of the time and the democratic side of the court yet again won victories in some of the terms biggest cases
there have been five versions of the roberts court since the chief justice took charge in 2005 justice sandra day oconnor left not long after followed by justices david h souter and john paul stevens but the court was nonetheless ideologically stable for a decade from the arrival of justice alito in 2006 to the death of justice scalia this year
the courts new volatility is likely to continue for some time even after justice scalia is replaced other openings could be on the horizon by the time the next president is inaugurated justice stephen g breyer will be 78 justice kennedy will be 80 and justice ginsburg will be 83
republican senators have vowed to block mr obamas supreme court nominee judge merrick b garland meaning that the court will remain short handed for some time even if hillary clinton wins the presidency and democrats make gains in the senate it may be spring before a new justice is confirmed
the odds are more likely than not that there will be an entire next term with eight justices said one leading supreme court advocate andrew j pincus of mayer brown
the term that ended on monday included a half dozen potential blockbusters but all of them had been put on the docket before justice scalia died since then the court has been accepting cases in uncontroversial areas notably intellectual property
i dont think it wants to take on more cases in which its going to be closely divided and that could end up 4 4 mr pincus said unless there is some very compelling reason to do that


is this another lehman brothers moment
that question has been sometimes whispered and sometimes shouted in the aftermath of britains vote to leave the european union it has been a turbulent few days on global financial markets but is this like the lehman brothers bankruptcy announced on sept 14 2008 the trigger of much bigger financial calamities to come
the short answer is no
the long answer is no but
lehman was a financial event with long lasting geopolitical consequences brexit is a geopolitical event that may or may not turn out to have long lasting financial consequences
the most fundamental similarity between britains vote and the lehman failure is that both were deep shocks to markets and upended the understanding that investors banks and policy makers had about the way the world worked
in 2008 the widespread view was that the united states government would not allow a large interconnected financial firm to go bankrupt and that lehman would be bailed out just as bear stearns and fannie mae were in 2016 the assumption was that while britain might threaten to leave the european union its voters would never actually choose such a disruptive path
so in both cases an event prompted a reordering of what we thought was plausible in 2008 it went like this if the united states would let lehman fail could goldman sachs and citigroup be the next dominoes to fall if an investment bank like lehman could default could any financial firm really be trusted
and lehman brothers had 619 billion in liabilities which by definition were somebody elses assets who knew for sure what other banks were sitting on huge losses from lehmans bankruptcy that would make them insolvent
against that backdrop banks globally hoarded cash and became highly reluctant to lend to anyone it was a modern version of a bank run
there are few signs any of that is happening in response to brexit european bank stocks have fallen sharply since the june 23 vote theyve actually fallen by a larger percentage than during the first three trading days after the lehman declaration but nothing in the bank lending markets suggests widespread panic
in the three trading days after the lehman bankruptcy announcement the premium banks charged to lend to one another in dollars rose by about half a percentage point a comparable measure of the health of the british banking system has risen only 008 percent since brexit and actually was down tuesday the spread has risen even less in euro denominated bank lending
thats good news it suggests investors think that profits by banks will get hammered by brexit   but not that this will endanger their very solvency
banks may be facing huge costs as they weigh whether to relocate operations from london to continental europe investors will find uncertainty around their businesses and leaner profits as central banks potentially cut interest rates further but collectively it appears that investors believe that banks will weather the storm or at least that governments wont let them fail
so the mechanisms of financial contagion that turned the collapse of the fourth largest american investment bank into a global crisis just dont seem to be gearing up and that is reflected even in the most widely followed markets yes the british pound is down sharply on currency markets but the standard  poors 500 stock index is down only 45 percent and is still above its levels from as recently as march
but if financial contagion doesnt appear to be a grave threat political contagion does
the modern global economy is built on the notion of a free flow of trade capital and people among the major advanced nations of europe north america and asia the european union has been a key vehicle through which that modern order has evolved
britains eu exit wont by itself change that and even british advocates of leaving the trading bloc say that they want continued good relations trade and otherwise with europe things might work out just fine with perhaps a more inward focused britain but no other major changes to this global financial and economic order
but if this is just a first step toward raising much higher walls between the major powers of europe   if countries like france spain italy and even germany retreat inward and build distrust that rips at that order
it will make lehman seem like a historical asterisk
in september 2008 no one predicted that the lehman bankruptcy could lead to a greek sovereign debt crisis that would halt half a century of progress toward european unity the risk with brexit is similarly not in the consequences we know but in the ones that we dont know


aska fredrik berseliuss decision to use the name of his last restaurant for his next one came late in the game and it was one of the few easy parts of building and opening the new place the tall lanky swedish chef who closed his much lauded new nordic restaurant two years ago went through months of searching for space then ran into complications with construction now almost a year late the square black room one corner of which is taken up with an open kitchen is ready i did not want one of those long narrow dining rooms mr berselius said the restaurant has a spacious garden and a downstairs white brick bar and lounge the dining room has no bar like a growing number of restaurants for his 12  to 15 course tasting menus which change daily he is considering dishes like hake smoked in hay and dry aged beef with cured beef fat and salted gooseberries mr berselius is planning to find as many ingredients as possible in the northeast caviar from finland will be one of his few imports opens tuesday 47 south fifth street wythe avenue williamsburg brooklyn 929 337 6792 askanyccom
fumo white and gold lend elegance to this italian restaurant in the heart of harlem designed by karen gallo the menu by the chef and an owner steven gallo is mostly traditional italian american and includes chicken parmesan penne with vodka sauce and neapolitan style pizza from a wood burning oven 1600 amsterdam avenue 139th street 646 692 6675 fumorestaurantcom
latin beet kitchen until dinnertime the peruvian restaurant raymi largely sits idle rather than letting the space go to waste the partners have opened a fast casual spot in the front serving south american accented bowls with choices of ingredients and topping despite the name there is no connection with franklin beckers little beet chain opens tuesday 43 west 24th street 212 929 1200 latinbeetcom
osaka grub okonomiyaki rice pancakes are the latest category of japanese food to gain traction in new york at this newcomer to the essex street market they are sold with meat or vegetarian toppings sandwiching a meat filling for sliders fried chicken is also served 120 essex street delancey street osakagrubcom
meat hook sandwich shop this lunch only subsidiary of the meat hook will close july 10 some of the sandwiches will be served at the meat hook butcher shop that moved to graham avenue this year the sandwich shop outpost at the bergn food hall in crown heights brooklyn will also close 495 lorimer street grand street williamsburg brooklyn 719 302 4665 meathooksandwichcom
yunnan bbq this lower east side chinese restaurant will end its run after dinner service on thursday
gabriel israel a native of tel aviv is now the executive chef at green fig and social drink  food both in the yotel on west 42nd street the chef who was at boulud sud created riffs on the israeli dish shakshuka with his shuka truck now out of business his food combines israeli north african and mediterranean influences
eckart witzigmann a german chef with three michelin stars was the mentor of markus glocker the chef at batard restaurant in tribeca mr glocker is preparing a 75 prix fixe menu in honor of the chefs 75th birthday wednesday to saturday and july 5 to 7 batard 239 west broadway white street 212 219 2777 batardtribecacom
bourdain market anthony bourdain has pushed back the opening of his ambitious international food market on pier 57 on the hudson river to 2019 from the previous target date of late 2017 everything is taking long mr bourdain wrote in an email he said the original schedule had been overly optimistic
megu the area just north of the meatpacking district has become a magnet for asian behemoths like tao and buddakan and now megu this japanese fusion restaurant which disappeared from new york two years ago is coming back now that jon bakhshi of beautique has taken over the global chain it will open in a few weeks in the space that was cherry dream downtown hotel 355 west 16th street
joel robuchon the esteemed french chef is back on track to open a restaurant in manhattan latelier de joel robuchon his counter restaurant in the four seasons hotel closed four years ago mr robuchon planned to reopen it along with a patisserie in battery park city but that fell through now he has signed a lease for two floors in a condominium tower under construction at 100 east 53rd street he plans a fine dining restaurant similar to the ones he has in las vegas tokyo macao and singapore the building is owned by the developer aby rosen and his partners and is being designed by norman fosters london based company foster  partners the restaurant to be designed by joseph dirand a french architect and designer will occupy the second floor of the 15000 square foot space which will have a lexington avenue entrance on the ground floor will be a french market curated by mr robuchon and a pastry shop


beijing   young women who have sex before marriage are degenerates a girl who gives her body for love will make the boy who conquers her love her less premarital sex has a tremendous negative psychological and physical impact on girls
these are some of the assertions in a sex education textbook approved by a provincial education department in china that has led to an outcry on social media
outraged by the text senior middle school student scientific sex education a teacher posted photos from the book on weibo chinas equivalent of twitter on friday unleashing a firestorm of comments
i was so angry when i read the textbook zhong guangquan the teacher from guangdong province in southern china whose post started the online debate told a chinese website sixth tone the concepts are backward and all the negative comments are directed toward girls
this makes me sick   as a man i cant stand this one weibo user said since you want women not to have premarital sex then please tell all boys to do the same
the publisher should name itself the 18th century publishing group another online user said
in addition to fears about the harm such attitudes inflict on girls the online reaction reflected concern about the lack of sex education in china teenagers often talk about how their parents explained to them as children that they emerged from armpits or even from trash cans
anatomy is commonly taught as a substitute for sex education in schools with rudimentary sex education the message for girls is often abstinence womens rights campaigners say
the textbook first issued to high school seniors in jiangxi province in 2004 is old and seems to have had a limited circulation apparently embarrassed by the outcry the publisher 21st century publishing group told sixth tone the book would be revised
in a broader sense the antiquated attitude of the school system is not keeping up with the sexual revolution in china a 2012 survey published by a magazine of the central government showed 70 percent of chinese had had premarital sex up from just 15 percent of those surveyed in 1989
a womens rights advocate xiao meili 27 said the text reflected a common idea among the chinese public she added it is the same in western countries in ancient times to solve sexual problems try abstinence
for contemporary chinese girls the story line is dangerous she said these words will hurt the young girls they objectify women they treat a woman as a thing an asset
ms xiao who walked 1600 miles from beijing to guangzhou in 2014 to raise awareness of sexual abuse said her generation had received basically zero sex education
xiong jing 28 the editor of the website gender watch said there was an upside to the debate because it showed that values were changing many chinese now wont accept these biases anymore because they receive more education and more information from the internet she said


for many new yorkers the mango dessert being served this summer at indian accent the chef manish mehrotras restaurant in midtown is likely to come as a revelation think of it as a study in mango a series of poetic variations that pay tribute to the fruits versatility
to put it together mr mehrotra and his team arrange slices of ripe orange fruit in a bowl the chef is using prime kesar mangoes meltingly sweet and soft the slices rise like a ridged island out of a saffron hued puddle of mango puree theyre surrounded by tiny boats of contrasting texture air dried light as meringue puffs and gummy cubes
astride the mango atoll stands a creamy scoop of shrikhand a thick strained yogurt mixed with sugar almond powder and a pinch of cardamom
mr mehrotra said the shrikhand is a nod to gujarat in western india and so is the pureed mango part of the dessert a popular treat there is aamras a simple treat of pure mango pulp served with dunking bread
usually these are two different things from the same region mr mehrotra said in a phone call from kerala in southern india i have combined them to make one dessert
but by tossing in the chewy cubes he is also winking at a third sweet thats familiar to children in india aam papad a candylike fruit leather made by drying sheets of mango in the sunshine
for customers with roots in india the complete dish is meant to act as a gentle array of nostalgic reminders these things are very much part of our tradition mr mehrotra said everyone misses their childhood
and for anyone who tries it the dessert is intended to serve as a light simple fruit and candy counterpoint to the complexity of modern dining   and life
i think we are becoming too modern and we are forgetting these things the chef went on i really want to revive all these things


in this series for t the writer and author of worn stories emily spivack interviews creative types about their most prized possessions
as the co creator of marcel the shell   a tiny creature with a big heart   it may come as no surprise that jenny slate has a thing for small animals here the comedian and actress and voice in the upcoming animated film the secret life of pets discusses the great pleasure she takes in them and one diminutive wooden rabbit she holds dear
for my whole life i have been interested in small animals that are doing their own thing in a big world   animals that are unaware of whether theyre big or small i started to collect wooden animals like these rabbits because the objects were so peaceful to me i have this habit of giving myself little treats either when i am happy or when i am sad and i have about 10 of them the animals are painted with colors that arent really part of the color palette for toys today   they are the color of vegetables and sesame street in the 1980s
i love rabbits i love them so much theyre wise and gentle and they are very very quiet i love watership down and the velveteen rabbit when i was little my mom would say quick like a bunny whenever it was time to get ready for bed and that made me want to do it sometimes ill keep one of these rabbits in my bag ill keep it there to calm myself down and nobody knows its there i love having a little secret that doesnt hurt anybody and thats a reassertion of myself i tend to be calm and happy when im looking at things like this rabbit which remind me of when i was younger and only knew how to be myself
when i was little i felt that there was something alive in my stuffed animals and in this madame alexander doll i slept with every night named pudding i slept with 36 stuffed animals and they were in a specific rotation so that each could get a night sleeping next to me i didnt want to hurt their feelings i wanted them to understand that there was a system and that they would have to be patient what i was doing was self soothing as a child   just telling myself the world works this way dont worry about it youre going to get everything you need
notions of wonder and the inner life of smaller things is integral to what i do   not just to my work but to how i live within something really small can be something that is complete and that doesnt need to be sized up in any way i love little beating hearts i love that they beat just as strongly as big ones i am fascinated by things that could be crushed but continue to keep on going because i feel like that as well as a standup comedian when i go onstage im very honest about the fact that my feelings are easily hurt that i care about being looked at and that im putting it on the line
i keep my field of vision small during the day and i try to be kind obviously i mess up all the time like a lot of comedians and performers i can be anxious and lonely and im usually a chatterbox in an effort to hide the fact that i feel shy but i am calm at the end of the night when i go to bed and know that ive kept it small
theres a whole thing about ladies who have too many cats and i understand that but we dont examine the women and men who have houses filled with figurines that to me is much more of a concern and i dont want to be that but i do like creating tableaus all over my house with plants or little animals i like the idea that even though my house is mine there are little things living peacefully all over it they are not aware of me not just because they are inanimate but because theyre their own thing its the weirdest thing to feel so strongly that you love a small wooden rabbit but it doesnt respond to you at all it cant validate my feelings   i just feel the way i feel and its exciting to trust in that process
this interview has been edited and condensed


as regulators prepare to strengthen rules for prepaid cards lawmakers are pressing walmart mastercard and green dot to explain what went wrong last month when shoppers using walmart prepaid debit cards were unable to get access to their accounts
for several days in may some users of the walmart moneycard were not able to view their account balances or activate new cards customers also reported that their cards had been declined for purchases the cards use mastercards network and are issued by green dot one of the largest prepaid card providers in the united states
the failure echoed a technical breakdown last year that cut off thousands of customers from funds they had loaded on rushcard another popular prepaid card last month rushcard agreed to pay 19 million to settle a lawsuit with cardholders over the problems
prepaid cards can be a financial lifeline for their users many of whom are lower income workers or for a variety of reasons do not have bank accounts some cardholders have their paychecks automatically deposited to their cards and use the accounts to pay rent utilities and other essential expenses when the cards fail financially vulnerable customers can be left stranded
in letters sent tuesday to the chief executives of green dot walmart and mastercard two senators who are members of the senate banking committee asked how many people were affected by the problems last month how long the problems lasted and whether the companies planned to compensate those who incurred late fees or other charges
these service interruptions are a clear indication that more oversight and consumer protection is needed in the prepaid card market said the letters signed by senator sherrod brown of ohio and senator robert menendez of new jersey both democrats
more stringent rules for the market are in the works prepaid cards currently lack some of the consumer protections that apply to bank accounts and credit cards but the consumer financial protection bureau released a set of proposed rules in november 2014 that would help to close this gap
the new rules would require card issuers to standardized their fee disclosures limit customers financial responsibility for fraudulent charges and investigate errors and resolve them quickly the consumer bureau has broad power to issues such rules which do not require congressional approval a final version of the regulations is expected within the next few months
in their letter the senators also asked what information the companies had reported to the consumer bureau about the malfunctions urging the watchdog agency to take a closer look at the prepaid card market
mastercard has acknowledged a slowdown last month that created problems for some walmart cardholders
we caught it right away and worked closely with green dot to address the issues the company said
green dot said that during the affected period it had maintained ongoing and real time communication with our regulators and will provide any information related to this inquiry as appropriate
walmart did not immediately respond to requests for comment
after last months problems green dot executives acknowledged technical issues and apologized to those affected we are taking steps to make sure this never happens again they wrote in a statement
the consumer bureau began accepting consumer complaints about prepaid cards in july 2014 it has received more than 5000 so far averaging around 215 a month according to the agencys latest complaint report


wimbledon england   andy murray is the only british man to win the wimbledon singles title since 1936 last year he led britain to its first davis cup championship since 1936 he has been figurehead and head cheerleader for british tennis for most of his career
before tuesday murray had never faced another british player at wimbledon in fact he had not played a fellow briton in a tour level match until he defeated aljaz bedene and kyle edmund this month on his way to winning the tournament at queens club
his opponent tuesday was liam broady a 22 year old ranked 235th whom murray knows well and with whom he has practiced but friendship and patriotic camaraderie only go so far after the first ball is hit
murray the no 2 seed was ruthless once the match began he won the first three games and 14 of the first 15 points on his way to a 6 2 6 3 6 4 victory
as much as i was saying its just another guy on the other side of the court in the run up to the match that im just going to focus on hitting the tennis ball youre still playing andy murray on centre court wimbledon broady said its very hard to get your head around that
still broady said he thought he would be a lot more nervous than he was i felt at home from the start he said i didnt play like i was at home from the start but i certainly felt like it
fifteen british players many given wild cards were in the singles draws including nine men the most since 2006 four have advanced to the second round with the highest ranked british women johanna konta and heather watson yet to complete their first round matches after play was suspended in the afternoon because of rain
tara moore a 23 year old british wild card ranked 227th won her first main draw match at a grand slam tournament defeating alison van uytvanck 6 3 6 2
moore was born in hong kong and grew up in the united states training at nick bollettieris tennis academy but she has lived in england in recent years and said she feels very british
that includes cheering for her countrymen and women
i want every british player to do well moore said theyre all my friends i want them to do the best
at his match murray was back in cheerleader mode too broady said murray asked him if he enjoyed it
yeah of course i did broady said i played andy murray on centre court what cant i enjoy obviously i didnt enjoy the losing part but it was a great experience
enjoy it has been murrays advice to many fellow britons he said it about james ward before he played no 1 novak djokovic on monday and murray said it again tuesday when asked about marcus willis the 772nd ranked qualifier who has an appointment with roger federer on centre court on wednesday in the second round
willis who teaches tennis lessons at warwick boat club may be the only active coach in the main singles draws but amra sadikovic was a tennis coach not long ago two years ago she retired because it was no longer fun to toil in the lower levels of pro tennis she found a job at a tennis club in basel switzerland
sadikovic spent more than a year away but was inspired to come back by another swiss player 11th ranked timea bacsinszky who has been successful since returning to the tour after a hiatus
on tuesday sadikovics comeback reached centre court where she played serena williams the defending champion
sadikovic 27 had never played a main draw match at wimbledon or any other grand slam tournament and her ranking of 148th is a career high
but she won the first two points of the match and even had two break point opportunities in the first game before williams settled into a groove on her way to a 6 2 6 4 victory it was williamss first match since losing the final at the french open earlier this month
it was a good start for me said the top seeded williams who has not won a grand slam title since last years wimbledon i felt like it was a solid start to go in the right direction
williams said she was well prepared for sadikovics old school grass court game
i felt i was where i needed to be williams added i needed to be pumped for the match i needed to be intense i needed to show a lot and feel a lot on the court
sadikovic listed williams among the players she admired most and said it was an honor to play her in the final points of the match both players were smiling as each hit backhand winners that clipped the baseline
sadikovic was used to watching williams on television but broady said such a viewpoint can make the top players seem superhuman
after 1 hour 43 minutes of being 80 feet away from murray on centre court broady said that he felt as if he belonged and that murray seemed like just another guy
i dont feel like i was completely outplayed today broady said i dont feel like i was completely overawed i felt like i was a man playing against another man
among the mens matches completed before play was suspended on the outside courts no 4 stan wawrinka ousted the american teenager taylor fritz 7 6 4 6 1 6 7 2 6 4 no 7 richard gasquet topped bedene 6 3 6 4 6 3 and no 15 nick kyrgios outlasted radek stepanek 6 4 6 3 6 7 9 6 1
in the womens draw no 6 roberta vinci defeated alison riske of the united states 6 2 5 7 6 3 and no 13 svetlana kuznetsova beat caroline wozniacki 7 5 6 4 wozniacki returned this month after being out since march with injuries ranked 45th she was unseeded at a grand slam event for the first time since the 2008 australian open


london   britains opposition labour party already reeling after voters defied its advice and chose to leave the european union was plunged further into crisis on tuesday when its leader jeremy corbyn overwhelmingly lost a no confidence motion among his fellow lawmakers
the measure which passed by a vote of 172 to 40 opens the way for a challenge to mr corbyns leadership it technically changes nothing as mr corbyn has refused to step down though it underscores his loss of authority among colleagues in parliament
i was democratically elected leader of our party for a new kind of politics by 60 percent of labour members and supporters and i will not betray them by resigning mr corbyn said after the vote by labour members of parliament todays vote by mps has no constitutional legitimacy
he added we are a democratic party with a clear constitution our people need labour party members trade unionists and mps to unite behind my leadership at a critical time for our country
in the aftermath of britains vote to leave the european union mr corbyn has been hit by the mass resignation of most of his leadership team
about three quarters of parliament members opposed leaving the union including the overwhelming majority of labour members and a smaller majority of members from the governing conservative party
prime minister david cameron announced on friday the day after the referendum that he would resign and a power struggle has begun within the conservative party over who will succeed him
given the disarray in british politics many labour lawmakers are worried that a general election may be held soon and they fear that with mr corbyn at the partys helm they will face even bigger losses than they did in the may 2015 election
a left winger mr corbyn was elected last year by an overwhelming majority of party members and supporters but his support was very shallow among lawmakers
discontent at mr corbyns performance was crystallized by his campaign in the referendum on european union membership in which the partys policy was to remain within the bloc
while mr corbyn a lifelong euroskeptic did urge labour supporters to vote to remain critics regarded his campaign as lackluster and his message as lukewarm
mr corbyns staunch ally john mcdonnell the shadow chancellor of the exchequer and the partys top spokesman on economic issues has said that mr corbyn is not going anywhere and even vowed to run mr corbyns campaign if there were a new election among labour party members
supporters of mr corbyn have called on his critics to either shut up or challenge him in a formal leadership contest under the labour party system the final choice lies with party members and supporters and mr corbyns allies who include influential labor union activists are confident that he would win re election despite some indications that support for him is weakening


days after suspending the laboratory that was supposed to handle drug testing at the summer olympics in rio de janeiro the world anti doping agency the global regulator of drugs in sports announced tuesday that it had suspended kazakhstans antidoping lab as well
it was the sixth suspension announced by wada in the past three months a period of unprecedented disciplinary action taken by the agency against antidoping facilities the agency attributed the sudden uptick to stricter review processes and an attitude of heightened vigilance in the wake of dramatic allegations of widespread doping in russia
as with the rio lab and others wada did not specify why kazakhstans antidoping facility had been suspended the lab has 21 days to contest wadas decision by filing an appeal with the court of arbitration for sport in switzerland
in the interim the lab is prohibited from analyzing urine and blood samples athletes samples from the region will be rerouted to other wada accredited testing facilities some 28 of which are in good standing
in recent months wada has disciplined more labs than it has in the past several years combined in addition to the rio lab suspension   which complicates the logistics of certifying that this years olympians are clean   facilities from beijing to bloemfontein south africa have been forbidden to conduct testing
last fall wada published a report detailing a government run doping program in russia that had operated with the cooperation of russias wada approved antidoping lab wada has been criticized for taking years to respond to whistle blower tips about russia and for allowing russias lab to lead testing at the 2014 olympics in spite of suspicious test results documenting urine with the clear presence of steroids as clean
the decision to suspend the laboratory is a direct result of the more stringent quality assessment procedures wada said tuesday in a statement about the kazakhstan lab


with the spread of the zika virus the threat posed by the tiny mosquito has been magnified into shark size proportions
but among the more than 3000 species of the insect worldwide only two in the americas are known carriers of the virus the yellow fever mosquito aedes aegypti and the asian tiger mosquito aedes albopictus
the potential range of the two species in the united states helps explain where zika could be a threat the yellow fever mosquito for instance prefers the hot and humid climate in florida and the southeastern part of the country but it has colonized states as far west as california and hawaii and has the potential to live as far north as connecticut in warmer weather according to the centers for disease control and prevention the asian tiger mosquito meanwhile also favors tropical and subtropical locales but can withstand cooler temperatures so it can range farther in summertime the insect can sometimes even be found in northern states like maine and minnesota
maps showing where the species might survive notably exempt the northwest the mountain west and northern parts of the midwest
but zika is not the only disease that mosquitoes can carry other threats include west nile virus dengue fever and various types of encephalitis
in all there are about 174 species of mosquitoes in the united states according to joseph m conlon a retired navy entomologist who is a technical adviser to the nonprofit american mosquito control association texas has the most species with about 85 and west virginia has the least with roughly 24 new york city alone has more than 50 species
a vast majority of these species in the united states mr conlon said do not transmit any disease
whether they do depends in part on their physiology most viruses and other microorganisms are simply digested in the mosquito gut along with the blood but other viruses have evolved to penetrate the mosquitos body cavity and migrate to the salivary glands from which they are injected with salivary fluid when the mosquito feeds those are the diseases that mosquitoes can transmit certain bacteria like wolbachia have also been shown to interfere with transmission other factors that affect their disease spreading potential include feeding habits where they lay eggs and the density of the infected population compared with the human population
and only female mosquitoes bite
here are six of the most common disease spreading offenders endemic to the united states
an intensely black mosquito distinguishable by its pointed abdomen and two white stripes in the shape of a lyre on its back the dorsal thorax and white bands on its legs
they primarily bite humans rather than other animals and they like to feed indoors the combination makes them particularly dangerous when it comes to spreading disease
they are also fidgety they will eat several partial meals on multiple victims called sip feeding it is one way they pass pathogens
females draw blood to nourish their eggs they prefer to lay them in clean water including birdbaths clogged gutters pet bowls bottle caps and even shower drains the eggs stick to the sides of containers and can survive drying out
most cases of zika which can cause debilitating birth defects including microcephaly have been transmitted through this aggressive insect it can also carry the viruses that cause dengue fever chikungunya and yellow fever
the species rarely flies more than a block in its lifetime it is mostly found in the south and the southwest but it has been found in new jersey southern connecticut and new york city though not necessarily in large populations
experts theorize that the areas at greatest risk for a zika outbreak are poor urban areas along the gulf coast but the cdc is focusing its mosquito control efforts more broadly in areas of california texas florida hawaii arizona and louisiana which have high population densities and a high number of travelers coming in from areas with zika two factors that increase the likelihood of local transmission
while no one has yet contracted the zika virus from a mosquito in the continental united states experts expect it to happen this summer
the insect is usually larger and more intensely black than aedes aegypti but with the same pointed abdomen it has striking white stripes including one white stripe down the middle of its back
the mosquitoes have a nasty habit of feeding on the lower extremities so they can be difficult to spot and their bites are barely perceptible
they are most likely to come out during the day and they feed on pets and wild animals as well as humans
theyre ambush predators mr conlon said whenever you invade their territory youre on the menu
they lay eggs in potted plants buckets tires tin cans or wherever there is a small pool of standing water
the asian tiger mosquito is known for spreading the dengue and chikungunya viruses it has also tested positive for zika west nile eastern equine encephalitis and japanese encephalitis but it is not clear how efficiently it transmits the zika virus
the species first hitchhiked to the southern united states in the 1980s probably in shipments of used tires and since then it has colonized the entire eastern seaboard up to maine in all it has been sighted in about 30 states including hawaii
a nondescript brownish insect with a rounded abdomen
this is usually the one you will hear buzzing in your ear at night it will overwinter in your attic if it can
this species feeds on humans other mammals and many types of birds which are the main carriers of west nile virus the mosquitoes typically lay their eggs in dirty water ditches and shallow ruts
dozens of species have been known to carry west nile but the culex pipiens is the primary culprit
most healthy people do not even know they have been infected but west nile can cause flulike symptoms and in rare cases permanent neurological damage or death the virus first arrived in new york city in 1999 and spread slowly west three years later the united states experienced one of the largest outbreaks of a mosquito borne virus ever recorded the virus is now endemic in the lower 48 states and has killed more than 1700 people the greatest numbers of incidents per capita are in north and south dakota and colorado mr conlon said
the species is found in urban areas across the country
distinguishable by its rounded abdomen and light colored band around its proboscis
they breed in enormous numbers mr conlon said typically in agricultural runoff and in ditches
in western states this species is the primary carrier in rural areas for west nile virus the mosquitoes have also been associated with western equine encephalitis st louis encephalitis and california encephalitis
the species is abundant in california utah and the western half of north america
the dark brown insects are recognizable by long palpi or tasting organs which are almost the same length as its proboscis or mouthparts it rests on surfaces diagonally with its head down and abdomen jutting into the air
females feed on humans and other mammals usually in the evening they prefer to lay eggs in freshwater ponds streams and lakes
only the anopheles genus carries malaria in africa anopheles gambiae is the primary offender in the eastern united states it is the anopheles quadrimaculatus
although malaria was eradicated decades ago in the united states about 1500 cases are still reported a year primarily on the east coast from travelers who were infected outside the country last year 438000 people died worldwide from malaria mostly in africa and southeast asia according to the world health organization
the common malaria mosquito is found in large numbers in the southeastern states but it inhabits a wide swath of the east from mexico to southern canada
these straw color insects are noted for the way their abdomens lift into the air when they sit their wings are dotted with dark spots the females clear belly will turn red and swell when full of blood
females usually come out at dusk and fly farther than other species they will travel from rural areas into homes or barnyards to feed they prefer to lay eggs in leafy sunlit pools and drains rice fields and ponds
they were once the primary carriers of malaria in agricultural areas on the west coast especially california while malaria is gone health officials worry that local mosquitoes could pick it up again from an infected human and set off an outbreak
in new york city low flying helicopters have sprayed larvicide over nonresidential areas of staten island brooklyn queens and the bronx to stop the west nile virus but the tactic is not considered particularly effective against the yellow fever mosquito the primary carrier of zika because it breeds in gardens and homes
there have not been any instances of mosquitoes in new york city transmitting the zika virus in the area according to the citys health department but west nile virus was detected in the northern house mosquito on staten island this month
health officials offer some advice make sure gutters or any containers that could collect water are emptied or turned upside down check for holes or tears in window screens too
mr conlon recommends using repellents registered with the environmental protection agency ones that contain deet picaridin ir3535 and oil of lemon eucalyptus and para menthane diol
dont listen to your aunt ethel who puts toad pee on her arm he said
wristbands and ultrasonic devices are worthless against mosquitoes too mr conlon said and despite all of the testimonials on the internet for repellents made of natural organic or essential oils he said the epa has not deemed them effective
its an important consideration mr conlon said it could be a matter of life and death


palantir technologies 225 million offer to repurchase its employees privately held shares hints that silicon valley is starting to make some fundamental changes in the way it compensates its workers
palantir a data analytics firm is one of the largest start ups around with a valuation reaching more than 20 billion last year it is offering 740 a share to buy back up to 125 percent of an employees shares and in some cases those of former employees or 500000 worth of shares whichever is lower
the offer has some interesting characteristics to say the least palantirs worth measured by the price at which its stock trades in the private share market has been deflated the price palantir is offering is above the private market price and the value assigned to the stock by some prominent mutual funds
a critical story by buzzfeed last month reported that the company was struggling to keep employees and collect on bookings with the negative news and the general decline in valuations there is a sentiment that palantir is no longer the 20 billion behemoth it once was morgan stanley recently marked down the value of palantirs shares to 592 each from a high of over 11 no one knows if this valuation is right by the way because prices in the private market are largely guesses
palantirs offer though is at least a cheap way to tell the market that palantir thinks it is still worth a lot
the repurchase comes with conditions as buzzfeed reported earlier palantir is requiring that current and former employees who sell their shares agree that they will not compete with palantir for 12 months or solicit any palantir employees during that time it also makes them agree to a nondisclosure arrangement that forbids them from even talking about the repurchase and waive any claims they might have against the company and the offer extends to some but not all former employees
palantir has said the offer is intended to increase the morale of employees by offering them liquidity some employees have been with the company since its founding 11 years ago and are still waiting for that pinnacle event in the life of a hot tech start up the initial public offering of stock
unlike them the former employees can already sell their shares in the private market they might take this offer because it is a higher amount palantirs motives for including them in the buyback are unclear palantir gets all of the benefits of the nondisclosure and other agreements but any employee who takes the offer is not likely to be doing those things anyway perhaps palantir is doing this out of the goodness of its heart
whatever the reason palantirs offer comes at a time of great debate in silicon valley over employee compensation traditionally workers received options on a four year vesting schedule when they left a company they would have 90 days to exercise those options or forfeit them
in earlier times this was not much of a problem because companies backed by venture capital went public rather quickly in some cases before employee shares even vested but now the average venture backed company waits about eight years to go public creating a headache for employees
scott kupor a managing partner at andreessen horowitz highlights the issue in a recent blog post basically employees who leave their jobs now must exercise their options almost immediately but to do that they need cash - cash they might not have once the former employees exercise their options the stock they receive is often illiquid and not sellable a private secondary market for these types of shares grew up around pre ipo facebook stock but many venture backed companies place restrictions on the ability of employees to sell the stock they receive in an option exercise until there is a liquidity event like an initial offering or sale
palantir did not impose restrictions on employees or stockholders selling shares in the private market perhaps as a way to get current and former employees to participate palantirs repurchase offer threatened to make it harder to resell the companys stock in the private market
employees need to consider another headache - taxes not only must employees put up cash to exercise their options they must pay taxes which can be an extraordinary amount if the private company has a high valuation but because the company is not public yet one cannot even be sure that valuations will materialize particularly in the era of the overvalued start up this was a problem in the day of the tech bubble employees exercised options worth millions of dollars but found that when taxes were due their companies and stock were worthless
mr kupor recommends extending the vesting period to conform with the longer time it takes for a company to go public he also suggests a longer period for employees to exercise options after they leave up to 10 years that figure is endorsed by y combinator in an argument that any lesser period is unfair to employees palantir gives departing employees three years to exercise their options other companies have adopted the 10 year period for employees leaving after two years the downside is that this solution can lead to a mass exodus after two years as employees race to their next start up options safely in hand
mr kupor notes that extending the exercise time for former employees makes their options more valuable at the expense of employees and investors it does so because former employees have a longer time to exercise their options and dilute the other shareholders mr kupor has no solution other than to allow companies to extend the time at their discretion but as we see in the palantir case companies can pick and choose favorites or even refuse to accommodate former employees
the palantir repurchase and andreessen horowitzs ruminations highlight a more fundamental point compensation at venture backed companies needs to be rethought in an age when many of these companies are staying private longer
in this new world employees face sale restrictions that only their companies can lift this forces these companies to provide periodic liquidity events for instance airbnb the short term rental site is making annual stock repurchases in the public realm where companies are steadily profitable stock buybacks are a familiar occurrence more than half a trillion dollars was spent on stock buybacks in the public markets in 2015 but as the value of private venture backed companies deflates they will struggle to give liquidity to their employees
there may be other ways to change compensation although options are the lifeblood of silicon valley palantir raised salaries 20 percent to stem employee attrition but cash will not solve the problem either
and so we await the great revamping in the meantime former employees of hot start ups will be faced with choices like the one palantir is offering take our money whatever we offer or be stuck


the season 6 finale for game of thrones drew the largest audience in the history of the series with 89 million viewers tuning into hbo on sunday night according to nielsen
that breaks the record for the series that was previously held by the fifth season finale last year of 81 million viewers
in the coming week those numbers are expected to only rise as more people watch it on demand or on hbos stand alone app hbo now
the premium cable channel said that the total audience for game of thrones this season   when factoring in original telecasts encores on demand and streaming data   is averaging 233 million viewers per week a 15 percent bump versus last year according to usa today
the thrones ratings news comes a week after hbo announced that it was canceling vinyl after one season a decision that underscored the networks recent difficulties in landing another hit drama
hbo has not confirmed how many more seasons or episodes are left for game of thrones but the shows creators have said that there would be two slightly shorter seasons amounting to perhaps 13 additional episodes
the seriess sixth season was the first time the show moved almost entirely past the source material from george rr martins books the finale and the season overall got strong reviews from critics including the new york timess james poniewozik who wrote if this was not the seriess best season it was its most flat out entertaining


last week the magazine science published a thought provoking article about what sort of morality people would like their self driving cars to have
in theory people want machines that would try to save the greatest number of people in an accident in practice however that noble sentiment might take a back seat to self preservation respondents to a series of surveys seemed to indicate
if you are the programmer of the software that runs autonomous vehicles do you have to make the decision about who lives or dies
now a commentary in the new york timess sunday review asks a related and provocative question does artificial intelligence have a white guy problem the piece written by kate crawford a principal researcher at microsoft and co chairwoman of a white house symposium on society and ai points out a number of embarrassing instances in which ai programs have made mistakes that if they were made by humans would be obvious examples of racism
it is not clear why these mistakes have happened but they do serve as a warning that the tech industry will need to scrutinize the digital brains it is creating as ms crawford writes inclusivity matters   from who designs it to who sits on the company boards and which ethical perspectives are included otherwise we risk constructing machine intelligence that mirrors a narrow and privileged vision of society with its old familiar biases and stereotypes


us stock indexes mounted a comeback tuesday as investors seemed to set aside anxiety over britains vote to leave the european union after a two day rout
encouraging data on the us economy and housing market helped put traders in a buying mood the rally followed even bigger gains in europe
oil and gas companies led the rally as energy prices rose banks and other financial companies which took the heaviest losses in the sell off also surged health care consumer and technology stocks also notched gains bond prices fell sending yields higher
we were due for a bounce heading into the morning we had a couple of tough days there said sean lynch co head of global equity strategy at wells fargo investment institute investors are stepping up and seeing some areas that may have been oversold the past couple of days and redeploying some of their cash
the standard  poors 500 stock index rose 3555 points or 18 percent to 203609 the nasdaq composite added 9742 points or 21 percent to 469187
the dow jones industrial average gained 26948 points or 16 percent to 1740972
despite the rebound the three indexes remain on track to end june in the red theyre also down for the year
european benchmarks had an even better day than us indexes britains ftse 100 and frances cac 40 each gained 26 percent germanys dax added 19 percent
the euro and the british pound recovered somewhat though the pound remained near 30 year lows
uncertainty and anxiety over the potential economic fallout from britains vote to leave the european union had roiled global markets since friday but investors appeared to shake off some of their jitters tuesday prime minister david cameron of britain signaled he might not trigger a clause setting in motion the exit before october
in the us investors got a batch of encouraging economic data to consider the commerce department raised its estimate of us economic growth in the first three months of the year
separately a key gauge of home values showed us home prices climbed in april hitting record highs in several cities in addition the conference board said its measure of us consumer confidence increased this month to the highest level since october
obviously the market isnt very receptive to uncertainty but in some ways this uncertainty is providing the possibility and the consideration that what happened in the uk isnt necessarily reflective of or an indicator of a recession especially here in the us as well as globally said w janet dougherty a global investment specialist at jp morgan private bank
pharmaceutical company endo international surged 183 percent the biggest gainer in the sp 500 index the stock added 250 to 1619
xencor vaulted 321 percent after the drugmaker announced a partnership with novartis to develop two cancer drugs the stock rose 402 to 1656
several energy companies also notched gains southwestern energy climbed 147 or 118 percent to 1389 while devon energy added 224 or 66 percent to 3599 cabot oil  gas gained 193 or 8 percent to 2599
earlier in asia markets bounced back from early losses as leaders signaled they were ready to step in with support policies japans benchmark nikkei 225 index climbed 01 percent while south koreas kospi added 05 percent
hong kongs hang seng index was a laggard losing 03 percent it was dragged down by companies with high exposure to europe such as billionaire tycoons li ka shings ck hutchison holdings which has british retail ports and telecom investments and fell 17 percent
in currency markets the pound recovered to 13343 from 13176 on monday the yen eased slightly against the dollar though it was still hovering near its strongest level in two years the dollar rose to 10279 yen from 10197 yen the euro strengthened to 11049 from 11005
benchmark us crude rose 152 or 33 percent to close at 4785 a barrel in new york brent crude used to price international oils gained 142 or 3 percent to close at 4858 a barrel in london
in other energy trading wholesale gasoline rose 3 cents to 151 a gallon heating oil added 4 cents to 147 a gallon natural gas gained 20 cents or 74 percent to 292 per 1000 cubic feet
bond prices fell the yield on the 10 year treasury note rose to 146 percent from 144 late monday
in metals trading gold fell 680 to 131790 an ounce silver rose 10 cents to 1789 an ounce and copper added 5 cents to 218 a pound


twenty years after they created the music for the animated film anastasia the composers stephen flaherty and lynn ahrens will see their songs reach their usual haunt   broadway   with the opening of the stage musical of the same name which producers announced on tuesday
anastasia the romantic mystery of a girl who may be a 20th century russian princess will open april 24 2017 at the broadhurst theater following its recent world premiere at hartford stage all the key members of the creative team are tony winners the songwriters the book writer terrence mcnally and the director darko tresnjak who returns to broadway after his success with the 2014 best musical a gentlemans guide to love  murder
according to the producers announcement the new show is inspired by the 1997 animated film and features several songs from its score and many new ones and the 1956 live action film that starred ingrid bergman and yul brynner
up and coming actors will take the two principal roles on broadway christy altomare mamma mia will be anya the young girl unsure of her identity and derek klena dogfight is dmitry john bolton and caroline oconnor who co starred in a christmas story the musical are in the cast as well


chongqing china   after shouldering loads up and down steep hills here for 35 years niu dancheng knows the exact number of stairs to the yangtze river docks where he often finds work as a porter there are 128 to dock 8 at chaotianmen port he said which he had just descended with 90 pounds of roasted duck for a cruise ship
mr niu 62 may belong to the last generation of itinerant porters known as bang bang who have become a symbol of chongqing a city that clings to the towering hills where the jialing river flows into the mighty yangtze in southwest china
the streets here once teemed with a bang bang army as residents call the porters now they are disappearing
the next generation will never carry one of these mr niu said tapping his sturdy bamboo shoulder pole or bangzi whose name inspired the popular nickname for the porters our work is vanishing
the decline of the porters is in miniature the story of social and population shifts reshaping chinas economy the economy is slowing but the flow of rural migrants seeking work in cities is also slowing and those migrants are aging younger better educated migrants often reject such poorly paid harsh work and modern transportation has cut demand for the backbreaking job of hauling loads up and down chongqings hills
these changes have left the bang bang army shrinking aging and struggling economically
its tough being a bang bang now said hu zuhua 50 who has worked as a porter for a decade sometimes you dont even make enough to pay for meals the couriers are taking all our business
he changlin a filmmaker who recorded the world of the porters in a documentary and book called the last bang bang estimated that their numbers have shrunk from as many as 300000 in the 1990s to no more than 10000 in urban chongqing today most are in their 50s or older
this is a business that is destined to disappear and it wont be long before it does mr he said its a business steadily being made obsolete by a combination of economic development and the laws of nature as the chinese economy rapidly develops and forms of transportation diversify they no longer have a role to play
for decades residents never had to go far to find porters who for a dollar or two heaved food clothes and other loads from door to door
there were so many bang bang theyd worry that wed fall into the river and drown mr niu said drawing on a cigarette as he rested between jobs they dont have to worry about that now
chongqing a sprawling industrial metropolis grew from trade up and down the yangtze river and long relied on brute human strength to haul loads
but demand for the porters took off in the 1980s when deng xiaopings market reforms gave urban chinese residents more spending power and let farmers enter cities to find work unleashing a wave of migrants desperate for jobs at a time when the working age population was bulging
villagers from the steep hill country around chongqing found a living using their stamina to carry loads in the city and the streets and docks teemed with men in faded blue coats and canvas shoes clutching poles and bundles of rope
porters popped up in many cities but it was only in chongqing and other nearby towns that they grew so numerous that they became part of the fabric of daily life at their peak they became a symbol of the city celebrated as humble salt of the earth workers in songs and even in a popular television comedy drama in 1997
youre tremendous premier li keqiang said when he met a group of porters in chongqing in 2014 each penny is earned with sweat a symbol of the hard working chinese people
but many porters said the sentimental images belied their hard lives even after decades working in the city few felt it was their home and middle class residents often winced at the sight of the ragged men waiting for work
they look down on us only a few people show us respect said tang zhengqu who has worked as a porter for 20 years if you ask for five yuan for a job theyll say one yuan as if youre a beggar not a worker five yuan is about 75 cents
in recent years chongqings economy has steamed ahead while other parts of china have slowed a complex of malls and apartments is rising on the hill where mr niu works nearby the iconic liberation square is crowded with shops for foreign luxury brands chongqing has become one of the fastest growing parts of the country officially its gross domestic product grew by 11 percent last year propelled by industries such as motor vehicle manufacturing and electronics
even so porters said business has fallen off many said they now made 300 to 450 a month about half of what they could earn a few years ago many residents now have cars courier vans and bikes have also cut into the porters business as have online shopping and neighborhood supermarkets close to residents homes
i couldnt carry loads like that not ever said peng xiaohua a 35 year old courier with an electric three wheel scooter parked near the garment markets where porters gather he said he quit his job as a cook because he saw more promise in e commerce and its demand for fast couriers
those old guys can only carry things up and down the hills he said  couriers are doing well because we can deliver parcels anywhere
the porters often start work at dawn when they gather at markets and docks hoping for jobs making deliveries much of their day involves waiting for customers to yell or phone for help
as shops close in the afternoon the porters drift back to their hot cramped dormitories and rooms which they often share with dozens of other porters saving money to send to their families in their home villages
this is the job you take when there is no other said tan wancheng a 51 year old porter waiting for work outside a garment market in chaotianmen a raucous shopping neighborhood near the citys main docks
he shares a dormitory with 20 or more other men and often subsists on rice and pumpkin porridge he said now the youngsters go out to become security guards or couriers or construction workers anything but a bang bang he said i want to change jobs too but i cant
in boastful moments mr niu has said he would work until he was 70 like many porters he is about five feet tall with exceedingly brawny limbs even so he appeared drained after hauling two loads to the dock for which he had made the equivalent of 3
its not enough not even for the days meals he said if i cant go on ill go back to my village and live in an old age home i wont miss this life


based on evidence from the last three decades polarization in american politics has eliminated landslide presidential victories
but could donald j trump trigger one again
his extraordinary white house bid has raised the question for hillary clinton now leading solidly in the polls it looms over strategic choices ranging from selection of a running mate to how she contrasts herself with the presumptive republican nominee
in theory mr trumps message of change iconoclastic background and stances on issues from taxes to trade create the possibility of appealing broadly across a divided electorate
in practice his tempestuous persona harsh rhetoric and thin preparation have repelled important segments of his own republican party as well as democratic constituencies
in a washington postabc news poll last week nearly one third of republicans and republican leaning independents and two thirds of voters over all characterized mr trump as unqualified
mrs clinton led by 12 percentage points larger than any election day margin in the past seven presidential contests in the new york times polling average she leads mr trump 45 percent to 39 percent
for more than three decades after world war ii lopsided presidential victories occurred regularly in the 1950s dwight eisenhower twice reached 55 percent or more of the popular vote
lyndon johnson in 1964 and richard nixon in 1972 topped 60 percent ronald reagan won in 1984 with 59 percent matching mr nixon by carrying 49 states while harvesting a record 525 electoral votes
election outcomes have narrowed since information age realignment hardened party lines making republicans and democrats more ideologically distinct and reducing the ability of nominees to lure crossover votes
no one since mr reagan has reached 54 percent no one since george h w bush in 1988 has reached 400 electoral votes
party lines are very rigid said alan abramowitz an emory university expert on presidential voting it precludes anyone from getting close to 60 percent of the vote
that comforts republicans desperate to keep control of congress but disheartened by mr trumps uneven performance modest staff and paltry campaign treasury
even with donald trump running a campaign out of the cave man era this still has the potential to be a competitive race said scott reed who ran bob doles 1996 presidential bid and now directs the us chamber of commerces efforts to maintain the senate republican majority
the strength of mrs clintons showing in november will be directly linked to her chances of lifting fellow democrats
in recent economic and national security speeches she has cast the broadest possible net by attacking mr trump on personal rather than ideological grounds
he is not just unprepared he is temperamentally unfit mrs clinton said subsequent endorsements of mrs clinton by brent scowcroft national security adviser for the elder president bush and henry paulson treasury secretary for the younger buttressed her argument
the choice of a running mate represents another strategic landmark
some clinton allies favor elizabeth warren reasoning that the fiery massachusetts senator would stoke enthusiasm among liberals drawn to bernie sanders in democratic primaries cultural and demographic changes they argue make the partys base wide enough to win
those who are hoping for a larger victory talk of a more muted choice with broader appeal like senator tim kaine of virginia more improbably she could aim big by selecting a compatible republican   say robert m gates who served as defense secretary under presidents george w bush and obama
big in 2016 wont be big by historical standards in any case mrs clinton seeking to become americas first female president carries more political baggage than mr obama did in running to become the first african american one
the strategist david axelrod recalls his 2008 victory as a magic carpet ride with an outgoing republican incumbent bogged down by war financial crisis and approval ratings below 30 percent mr obama won by seven percentage points with 365 electoral votes
can you do the 49 state kind of thing mr axelrod asked i think the answer to that is no


washington   ending one of the longest costliest and most bitterly partisan congressional investigations in history the house select committee on benghazi issued its final report on tuesday finding no new evidence of culpability or wrongdoing by hillary clinton in the 2012 attacks in libya that left four americans dead
the 800 page report delivered a broad rebuke of the defense department the central intelligence agency and the state department   and the officials who led them   for failing to grasp the acute security risks in benghazi and especially for maintaining outposts there that they could not protect
the committee led by representative trey gowdy republican of south carolina also harshly criticized an internal state department investigation that it said had allowed officials like mrs clinton then the secretary of state to effectively choose who would examine their actions in addition it included some new details and context about the night of the attacks on the american diplomatic compound and reiterated republicans complaints that the obama administration had sought to thwart the investigation by withholding witnesses and evidence
the report which included perhaps the most exhaustive chronology of the attacks to date did not dispute that united states military forces stationed in europe could not have reached benghazi in time to rescue the personnel who died   a central finding of previous inquiries
still it issued stinging criticism of the overall delay in response and the lack of preparedness on the part of the government
the assets ultimately deployed by the defense department in response to the benghazi attacks were not positioned to arrive before the final lethal attack the committee wrote the fact that this is true does not mitigate the question of why the worlds most powerful military was not positioned to respond
but the lack of any clear finding of professional misconduct or dereliction of duty was certain to fuel further criticism of the length of the investigation   more than two years   and the expense estimated at more than 7 million it also bolstered democrats allegations that the inquiry was specifically intended to damage mrs clintons presidential prospects
after a campaign stop in denver mrs clinton said that the investigation had uncovered nothing to contradict past findings and that the house committees work had assumed a partisan tinge
ill leave it to others to characterize this report she said but i think its pretty clear its time to move on
yet even as mrs clinton seemed eager to press forward she must still contend with the fallout from the committees most significant if inadvertent discovery that she exclusively used a private email server during her four years as secretary of state that revelation has spurred separate investigations into whether classified material was mishandled including a continuing inquiry by the fbi
in a sign that mr gowdy was also facing pressure from the right two of the committees conservative members representatives jim jordan of ohio and mike pompeo of kansas wrote a 48 page addendum including somewhat harsher criticism of mrs clinton and the obama administration
after the attack with the presidential election just 56 days away rather than tell the american people the truth and increase the risk of losing an election the administration told one story privately and a different story publicly mr jordan and mr pompeo wrote
technically the report is not final until the full committee formally votes to accept it which it is scheduled to do july 8
among the committees chief findings
# despite authorization from president obama no american military forces were deployed to benghazi on the night of the attacks and marines stationed in spain repeatedly received conflicting orders
# the libyan forces that helped evacuate americans from a cia annex to the benghazi airport were not part of militias allied with the united states but were fighters previously loyal to col muammar el qaddafi of libya
# susan e rice then the united states ambassador to the united nations made numerous false statements about the benghazi attack on television that one state department press officer described in an email as off the reservation on five networks
# senior state department officials   including mrs clintons chief of staff cheryl d mills   exerted too much influence over the accountability review board that conducted the departments own inquiry casting doubt on its independence and findings
# the obama administration repeatedly sought to obstruct the select committees investigation by delaying or refusing to respond to requests for documents and testimony
the committee made scant mention of procedures put in place since the benghazi attacks which fundamentally changed the way american embassies and consulates operate
the state department has taken a maximalist approach to security that some diplomats now say makes it difficult for them to carry out their responsibilities the defense department has increased the number of marine guards at diplomatic posts and created new crisis response teams
democrats on the committee complained that they had been excluded from decisions on the report and noted that the benghazi investigation had dragged on longer than the inquiries into the sept 11 2001 terrorist attacks the assassination of president john f kennedy the attack on pearl harbor and the response to hurricane katrina
in the most dramatic confrontation over the two years of the investigation mrs clinton testified before the committee for more than eight hours in october the hearing was widely perceived to have backfired on republicans as she answered their questions and coolly deflected their attacks
by the time of her testimony mrs clinton had already taken responsibility for the state departments handling of the attacks
previous investigations concluded that state department officials had erred in not better securing the diplomatic compound amid reports of a deteriorating security situation but they also determined that the attacks had come with little warning and that it would have been difficult to intervene once they had begun
the investigations generally concluded that after the attack the obama administrations talking points were flawed but not deliberately misleading
the pentagon had no forces that could be readily sent to benghazi when the crisis began the closest ac 130 gunship was in afghanistan there were no armed drones within range of libya there was no marine expeditionary unit a large seaborne force with its own helicopters in the mediterranean sea
the africa command also did not have on hand a force able to respond rapidly to emergencies every other regional command had one at the time the pentagon was caught unprepared for this type of crisis
on the night of the attacks the pentagon was able to divert an unarmed predator drone operating 90 miles away to benghazi and the cia later used it to help plan an escape route for the surviving americans but other military forces were too far away or could not be mobilized in time military commanders have said
the unclassified version of an independent 2012 report headed by thomas r pickering a former diplomat concluded that there simply was not enough time given the speed of the attacks for armed us military assets to have made a difference
but that report did not address whether it would have been prudent to station quick reaction forces in the region a step the pentagon has since taken
at a news conference at the capitol on tuesday mr gowdy praised as heroes the americans who died in the attacks on sept 11 2012 they included ambassador j christopher stevens and sean smith a state department information officer who were killed at the main american diplomatic compound in benghazi by a mob of militia fighters who had been incited by an american made video deriding the prophet muhammad the fighters were apparently further inflamed by news of an assault on the american embassy in cairo
two other americans tyrone s woods and glen a doherty who were contractors for the cia died later when a separate annex run by the agency was hit by mortars the attacks spanned about eight hours
at the time the select committee was created there had been at least seven congressional inquiries into the benghazi attacks in addition to the state departments review with all of them reaching much the same conclusion
mr gowdy urged americans to read all 800 pages of the report you can read this report from pillar to post in less time than our fellow americans were under attack in benghazi he said


volkswagen solved one big problem stemming from its diesel emissions deception agreeing on tuesday to pay up to 147 billion to settle claims in the united states
but the final financial toll   once the company deals with a long list of fines lawsuits and criminal investigations around the world   may well be far higher the continuing fallout could leave volkswagen vulnerable to billions of dollars more in expenses at a time when profit is already under pressure
so far volkswagen has set aside 162 billion euros or about 179 billion for costs related to its public admission last september that its supposed clean diesel cars had been deliberately designed to cheat on air quality tests matthias muller volkswagens chief executive said less than two weeks ago that the amount was adequate
but the american settlement with the government and car owners will consume a big chunk of that money and volkswagen faces even more scrutiny in the united states and around the world most notably as authorities pursue criminal investigations
the volkswagen scandal is one of the most flagrant violations of environmental and consumer laws sally q yates deputy attorney general of the united states said at a news conference in washington on tuesday
we cant suck the nitrous oxide out of the air ms yates said but the settlement she said would help repair some of the damage
the deal in which volkswagen did not admit to wrongdoing includes 1003 billion to buy back affected cars at their prescandal values and pay additional cash compensation to owners additionally the company has agreed to put 27 billion into a government fund to compensate for the environmental impact of the cars and to spend 2 billion on cleaner vehicle projects
this is by no means the last step ms yates cautioned the settlements do not address any potential criminal liability she said the united states was aggressively pursuing a criminal investigation of the company and individuals
volkswagen said the settlement was covered by the money already set aside though it did not rule out the possibility of allocating more todays announcement is within the scope of our provisions frank witter volkswagens chief financial officer said in a statement we are in a position to manage the consequences
one big risk to the carmaker is in europe
the american deal focuses on nearly 500000 volkswagen vehicles but the carmaker admitted to installing the cheating device on more than 11 million cars worldwide with 85 million in europe
european legal systems do not favor consumers as much as those in the united states do and the emissions rules in the region are more lenient than in the united states which will make it harder for european owners to pursue claims
still volkswagen may have to pay up there is an increasing outcry from european owners and politicians for compensation
now that this is done attention should turn to europe said michael hausfeld a lawyer whose firm represents aggrieved owners and shareholders on both sides of the atlantic the settlement is a strong foundation for what volkswagen needs to do for european owners as well as for the environment
in addition it may not be clear for many months how much volkswagen will ultimately have to pay to american car owners
a maximum of around 10 billion has been allocated in the settlement the actual cost to volkswagen will depend on how many owners exercise their option to sell their cars back to the company at the prescandal value which will vary according to the age and mileage of the cars
the federal trade commission said consumers could expect to get from roughly 12500 for an older model jetta to as much as 44000 for a 2014 audi the settlement works out to about 21000 a car
if volkswagen is lucky the total paid to car owners could turn out to be less than 10 billion analysts at kelley blue book estimate that the cost of buying back all the offending diesels would be 73 billion volkswagen also owes owners additional compensation of 5100 to 10000 or at least another 24 billion
another big uncertainty is volkswagens fix for the problem vw owners can have the company retool the emissions systems but the company has not yet come up with solutions that pass regulatory muster   and it is unclear what they will cost volkswagen
while they would improve emissions any fixes might not also make the cars fully compliant with american rules and could create more challenges for already frustrated car owners
george farquar a plaintiff named in the consumers suit said he was interested in getting his 2010 volkswagen jetta tdi fixed mr farquar said he had reluctantly continued to drive his jetta even though he thinks he gets nasty looks from every prius car that passes
but he said he worried that the eventual fix would require him to drive to the dealer more frequently for maintenance defeating the purpose of a cleaner car even now he said many things arent clear
then there is the issue of what volkswagen will do with all the cars it buys back from owners in the united states the settlement bars volkswagen from simply exporting the cars without fixes to countries with less stringent emissions standards
we are not shipping the air pollution elsewhere gina mccarthy the environmental protection agency administrator said on tuesday noting that volkswagen was required to fix the cars that it bought back or scrap them
volkswagen representatives portrayed the settlement as a good deal for the company under the circumstances it would have been counterproductive for volkswagen to engage in a multiyear grind it out litigation with the us government 50 states and private plaintiffs said robert j giuffra jr a lawyer with the firm sullivan  cromwell who represented volkswagen
but the swell of scrutiny worldwide will only add to the financial pressure
german prosecutors are looking into whether volkswagen and top executives including the former chief executive martin winterkorn waited too long to inform shareholders about the looming scandal investors are also suing volkswagen over similar disclosure issues
volkswagen faces an inquiry by attorneys general in 42 states the district of columbia and puerto rico eric t schneiderman the attorney general of new york one of the states leading the investigation announced on tuesday the states own settlement with volkswagen for 500 million in penalties for defrauding consumers a separate investigation by the state attorneys general into possible environmental misconduct by volkswagen is continuing
in addition the criminal investigation of volkswagen in the united states looms large senators edward j markey of massachusetts and richard blumenthal of connecticut both democrats and members of the senate commerce science and transportation committee pressed authorities for further action
we continue to call on the department of justice to vigorously pursue its criminal investigation they said in a joint statement all the facts point to criminal culpability and officials should be held accountable as appropriate
volkswagens credibility with investors already strained could deteriorate further if the company is forced to increase the money it has set aside for diesel related costs shares of volkswagen are down more than 20 percent since the scandal erupted late last year
and the deception itself has been a major drag on sales never fabulously profitable the company reported a record loss in 2015 while earnings and sales declined in the first quarter of 2016
volkswagen is also trying to quell a potential backlash by dealers in the united states
the carmaker is facing a lawsuit filed by the owner of three dealerships seeking compensation for lost sales suffered by the more than 600 dealers in the united states separately a group of dealers has been trying to work with volkswagen to win financial support
as dealers we are very anxious to get a settlement said wade walker owner of a volkswagen dealership in montpelier vt were customers too   of volkswagen   and weve been hurt in this process tremendously


seattle   for years amazon has been chiseling away at the irritants that keep many people from switching to e readers the company has improved the legibility of the text on kindle screens to make it nearly indistinguishable from print and fiddled with the ergonomics of the new kindle oasis to make using it feel more like holding a book
on tuesday amazon will make a small change to its kindle software that could solve a vexing issue for people who prefer the intuitiveness of navigating a print book the update to the software for amazons own kindle devices as well as apps that run on ios and android will include a feature called page flip that effectively mimics the near universal habit of using a thumb to temporarily mark the page of a printed book where the reader left off
the update will be available free on tuesday
page flip is designed for those moments when youre reading and need to quickly glance at another section of a book with photographs maps or family trees this is especially useful for nonfiction but also comes in handy for books like a game of thrones that feature large casts of characters who inhabit a bewildering array of fictional lands
in a recent demonstration of page flip jeff kunins vice president for kindle reader at amazon says the company regularly surveys people with kindle devices and software to find out how to improve them readers of nonfiction have been clear about where theyd like to see changes
the no 1 thing theyve been telling us to get better at is navigation mr kunins said
in the past someone using a kindle device or app who wanted to save their place could bookmark a page which works well enough but can get disorienting if you have digitally dog eared a lot of pages
with page flip kindle automatically saves the page youre reading when you tap the screen of your device pinning it to the side of the screen you can also easily shift the book to what amazon calls a birds eye view which shows thumbnail images of a handful of pages at once so you can skim quickly to find the reference page youre looking for
heres an amazon promotional video of how it will work
there has been much chatter in the publishing industry about slowing e book sales and the unexpected vitality of print book sales amazon is notoriously stingy with data about many of its businesses but it is eager to convey that the kindle business is still growing
mr kunins said that 2015 was a record year for the kindle business at amazon customers bought more kindle books and read more of their pages than ever before he said the company had paid more than 160 million in royalties over the last 12 months to independent authors who participated in kindle unlimited a 10 a month digital reading service the company didnt provide comparable data for the year before
kindle keeps growing year after year he said


jason day the no 1 ranked golfer in the world became the latest player to pull out of the olympics because of concern over the zika virus
the reason for my decision is my concerns about the possible transmission of the zika virus and the potential risks that it may present to my wifes future pregnancies and to future members of our family he said in a statement
day 28 of australia won last years pga championship for his first major title
golf is in the olympics this year for the first time since 1904 but with a large number of key players pulling out its future may be in doubt
barry maister an international olympic committee member from new zealand this week blasted the golfers who have dropped out of the games i think it is appalling he told the radio station newstalk zb i dont like it and i dont think the sport should be allowed to continue in the games under that scenario
maister added just getting in with your name and then putting up some second  or third rate players is so far from the olympic ideal or the expectation of the olympic movement
with day out the top three golfers from australia day adam scott and marc leishman have decided not to go to the olympics and the top three golfers from south africa are all not going branden grace louis oosthuizen and charl schwartzel
shane lowry also pulled out of the olympics on tuesday citing zika meaning the top three golfers who could represent ireland are also out lowry rory mcilroy ranked no 4 who also cited the virus and graeme mcdowell who said he wanted to be with his wife kristin during her pregnancy vijay singh of fiji has also pulled out
gary player the 80 year old captain of the south african team joked last week that he was ready to step in and play if needed
in addition to zika fears golfers have cited a busy schedule as a concern the british open and the pga are both being held in late july just before the games
golf has been the hardest hit sport but the american cyclist tejay van garderen also withdrew from the games over the virus some athletes and coaches have said they will preserve sperm for possible future pregnancies before traveling to rio
zika is a mosquito borne virus linked to severe birth defects hundreds of thousands are infected in brazil and the virus has been tied to thousands of cases of microcephaly which causes unusually small heads and brain damage in newborns the virus can be sexually transmitted
some scientists have called for postponement or cancellation of the games because of the health emergency olympic officials say the risk is minimal
the top ranked american jordan spieth no 2 in the world is still expected to compete
none of the worlds top female golfers have backed out of the olympics even though they ostensibly face a greater health risk
since the decision to add golf to the summer olympics program the reaction of the top players has been lukewarm with many major events on the annual calendar the value of an olympic medal is not the same as it is for athletes for whom the olympics is the pinnacle of their sport
plenty of athletes in those sports are still eager to compete everyone keeps dropping off one by one said the 18 time gold medalist michael phelps who is competing in the united states swimming trials in indianapolis nobody wants to go but hopefully i get to go soon
serena williams speaking at wimbledon acknowledged that its difficult for someone thats in a sport like golf because their main goal like tennis is to win slams but said of playing at the olympics it is really one of the best experiences that ive ever had


beijing   for decades the five heroes of langya mountain have been presented as courageous examples of how the communist led eighth route army fought for the chinese people against the japanese invaders in world war ii
the tale of how the five men fended off japanese troops atop a mountain peak in hebei province choosing to smash their weapons and leap   three of them to their deaths   rather than surrender has been memorialized in museums school textbooks paintings plays and movies they were celebrated across china until a historian hong zhenkuai challenged the official narrative in two articles published three years ago
but his questioning of what actually happened in 1941 landed him in a lawsuit and on monday a court in beijing ruled against him
the beijing xicheng district peoples court said that mr hong a former executive editor of the history journal yanhuang chunqiu had defamed the heroes and that he should apologize publicly on websites and news outlets to the sons of two of the five men who sued mr hong last august
in its verdict the court wrote that mr hongs articles failed to portray the five men positively and based on insufficient evidence cast doubt on the communist partys narrative of events among the issues mr hong raised were whether the men jumped from the peak of langya mountain or a lower level whether they leapt voluntarily or slipped off the mountain and the number of casualties
the national sentiments historical memories and the national spirit reflected in the five heroes of langya mountain and their story are important sources and components of modern chinas socialist core values the verdict reads thus it also damages the chinese nations spiritual values
but mr hong said he disagreed and planned to appeal
this result was not unexpected he said in a telephone interview on tuesday weve been seeing the political winds shifting to the left and leftists want to safeguard so called red culture
mr hong said his account on sina weibo a microblogging site had been disabled preventing him from publicly expressing his thoughts and opinions
im stripped of my rights to defend myself and chinese media doesnt quote me either he said
the verdict failed to mention any place where i might have falsified or vilified the five heroes mr hong said my articles were to question the textbook version i discovered some elements in this narrative run counter to historic facts
i did not defame the five men he said in fact he added he drew on published accounts by the two survivors who appeared in my articles as witnesses   i quoted what they said
in one of the two articles which was published on caijingcom a news website mr hong wrote that while it was important for people to respect war heroes who resisted the japanese invasion historic truth should be respected too
although it is understandable that propaganda might have been exaggerated back then for the sake of encouraging the military and the public to resist japans invasion by now people want to know the historic truth he wrote
one of the four lawyers who defended mr hong wang xing said that from a purely legal perspective mr hong should not have lost the case
the courts verdict has obvious flaws because the plaintiffs never detailed which parts of mr hongs articles were incorrect mr wang said in an interview
still he said he did not expect the appeal to be heard by the beijing second intermediate court to be decided in mr hongs favor either
this is clearly a political trial carried out under political pressure said mr wang a partner at zebo a law firm in beijing this is about freedom of speech and academia but the court ruled against it it shows the authorities lack of confidence
mr wang also said that his own comments on the case on weibo could not be reposted and that another one of mr hongs lawyers zhou ze had been unable to post comments about the case on his weibo account
mr hong is not the only historian who has challenged the enshrined narrative of the langya mountain heroes jiang keshi a chinese professor at okayama university in japan who studies modern japanese history says the official chinese version has major flaws based on multiple records that mr jiang found in japan he said no japanese soldier died in the fighting with the five at the mountain
there were dozens who fought mr jiang said but no deaths just injuries
however the chinese version which first appeared in 1941 in a communist party newspaper asserted that many japanese died and in 2005 an article in peoples daily the party newspaper commemorating the 60th anniversary of the japanese surrender said that the five langya heroes shot and killed or wounded at least 90 japanese soldiers
this verdict means that scholarship is being suppressed mr jiang said in a telephone interview china seals off its historic documents and doesnt study them
academic freedom in china means you cant interfere with the states and the partys propaganda interests he added if you do you end up like mr hong


after the mass shooting at a gay nightclub in orlando fla on june 12 twitter brimmed with news reports of the carnage but some posts on the massacre that claimed 49 lives also included a curious phrase false flag
it was a code used by conspiracy theorists to signal their belief that the government had staged the massacre and the information the public was reading and hearing from the mainstream media was untrue
the victims in the shooting they were crisis actors hired to promote the story as a pretext to impose tighter gun restrictions the theory goes
it is easy to dismiss such beliefs as preposterous and to think of them as coming from a paranoid fringe of society that deeply distrusts the government but such theories are pervasive it is difficult to gauge how many people believe these stories but a general search of youtube for false flag videos brought up more than 700000 results
the term false flag relates to naval warfare when a ship would fly a flag that would conceal its true identity as a way to lure an enemy closer today it is commonly a shorthand for an act of deception
conspiracy theorists have applied the label to high profile attacks including the shootings by a husband and wife last year in san bernardino calif that killed 14 the massacre at sandy hook elementary school in newtown conn in 2012 that left 26 dead and the attack at virginia tech in blacksburg va in 2007 that killed 33
the phrase has even been used to doubt the sept 11 terrorist attacks
jesse walker the author of the united states of paranoia a conspiracy theory said fear the human need to find patterns and tell stories and the recognition that conspiracies are not impossible help fuel such theories the stories   no matter how outlandish   can bring meaning and a measure of comfort in a world that can make no sense he said
false flag theories have long been around one focused on the assassination attempt in 1835 of president andrew jackson during which the president fought off a gunman whose two weapons misfired conspiracy theorists at the time believed jackson had hired the gunman as a way to drum up sympathy for himself mr walker said
unlike the 1800s stories today benefit from instant delivery through the internet and social media one of the better known purveyors is alex jones who hosts an internet show at the website infowarscom the day of the orlando shooting he posted a video in which he asserted that the government had let the massacre happen so it could pass hate laws to deal with right wingers and to disarm gun owners he did not respond to an email seeking comment 
mike rothschild of pasadena calif who has researched and written about conspiracy theories described the world of false flag believers as a bank of awakened internet sleuths that has got it all figured out they see it as their duty to warn others about secret elites in government who are plotting against citizens he said
if overwhelming concrete evidence debunks the theorists notions it only reinforces their ideas said chip berlet a researcher of radical right movements and retired analyst at political research associates a left leaning think tank in somerville mass for conspiracy believers explaining it away shows how smart the enemy really is he said
rob brotherton a psychologist and science journalist who wrote suspicious minds why we believe conspiracy theories said it is not just false flaggers who seek connections and hidden meanings in world events
everybody loves a story with a good plot twist which is basically what conspiracy theories are he wrote in an email conspiracy theories arguably just have slightly different logic and standards of evidence
but does paying attention to such theories give them legitimacy mr rothschild said it was better for the public to be knowledgeable about rather than blindsided by such stories
another conspiracy researcher joseph e uscinski a political science professor at the university of miami has noted that such theories rarely go unchallenged and are frequently debunked on the internet mr brotherton said
still trying to quash conspiracists can be a no win proposition
for someone who believes in a conspiracy you cant go wrong derek arnold who teaches communications at villanova university in pennsylvania wrote in an email
if the powers that be give you information that is against your theory its a lie if it supports your theory you are even more vindicated and if they stay silent its because youve got something to hide


all the question marks surrounding britains vote to leave the european union and what it means for british businesses not to mention the confusion about the future of the mens wear season which ended in europe on sunday new york mens wear begins july 11 has not stopped a growing group of british womens wear designers from deciding that now is a good time to get in on the mens market
after stella mccartneys announcement that she would debut a full mens wear line in november the leather goods doyenne anya hindmarch is adding a for him collection
anya hindmarch mens a capsule collection of three bag styles a backpack a tote and a quasi briefcase in relatively classic leather along with small leather goods and sneakers featuring the designers signature subversive embellishments googly eyes smiley faces men at work signs and pixelated space invaders style icons will be introduced starting next month
ms hindmarch said she felt the timing was right because the collection pretty much launched itself
men were coming in and buying pieces that were part of our womens collection she said as well as ordering pieces from our bespoke shop where customers are pretty much split 50 50 between the sexes so we thought we might as well do it in a more organized way
and she said the move to designing for men from designing for women did not require a great leap of either imagination or resources
we didnt need masses of differentiation she said mens hands are bigger so we had to change the size of some handles and proportions and women tend to wear more cross body bags but thats about it
still her mens line will not be joining the roster for the next london fashion week mens due in january like ms mccartney who will show her mens wear with her womens pre spring in november ms hindmarch who is one of the few accessory designers to show on the catwalk schedule is hedging her bets she will show her mens line with her womens line during the london womens ready to wear season in september
the collection also signals the second recent expansion for mayhoola for investments the qatar based sovereign wealth vehicle that owns a majority stake in the hindmarch business as well as valentino and pal zileri last week it revealed it had added the paris fashion house of balmain whose mens wear show was held on saturday to its stable
if it looks like a global conglomerate and quacks like a global conglomerate


donald j trump and boris johnson is this how the era ushered in by ronald reagan and margaret thatcher finally ends
it once looked as though the financial crisis of 2008 might even bring about the end of laissez faire economics the idea of an all powerful market which is always right is finished declared nicolas sarkozy then the president of france and peer steinbruck germanys finance minister at the time predicted that the us will lose its status as the superpower of the world financial system
even alan greenspan the former fed chairman once known as the maestro of capitalism declared himself in a state of shocked disbelief at the collapse wrought by the unfettered markets he had championed throughout his life ive found a flaw he said ive been very distressed by that fact
but i suspect few would have guessed that the economic order built on reagans and thatchers common faith in unfettered global markets and largely accepted by their more liberal successors bill clinton and tony blair would be brought down by right wing populists riding the anger of a working class that has been cast aside in the globalized economy that the two leaders trumpeted 40 years ago
britons vote last week to exit the european union was not simply about their idiosyncratic distaste for all things european   an aversion shared by thatcher who saw brussels as the kind of meddlesome big government she loathed brussels was merely a stand in for something deeper the very globalization that thatcher as britains prime minister so enthusiastically promoted
the so called brexit vote was driven by an inchoate sense among older white workers with modest education that they have been passed over condemned by forces beyond their control to an uncertain job for little pay in a world where their livelihoods are challenged not just by cheap asian workers halfway around the world but closer to home by waves of immigrants of different faiths and skin tones
it is the same frustration that has buoyed proto fascist political parties across europe it is the same anger fueling the candidacy of mr trump in the united states
across europe   in struggling spain and affluent sweden even in europes champion competitor germany   more citizens would like to see powers returned from brussels to their national governments than would like to see more powers go the other way according to a poll conducted last spring by the pew research center
older people throughout the european union express nearly as much dissatisfaction as those in britains aging industrial heartland who defied the will of the young and voted to leave by a wide margin even at the very center of the european project only 31 percent of the french 50 years old and up have a favorable view of the european union
their frustration is turning traditional ideological labels on their heads mr trump a bombastic businessman whos never held office and mr johnson the former journalist turned mayor of london might not put it this way since they continue to cling to a conservative mantle but they are riding a revolt of the working class against a 40 year long project of the political right and its corporate backers that has dominated policy making in the english speaking world for a generation
as the conservative magazine national review gleefully noted the big leave victories came deep in the labour heartland
so where does capitalism go now what can replace a consensus built by a charismatic american president and a bull in a china shop british prime minister in favor of small governments and unrestrained markets around the world
the british political scientist andrew gamble at the university of cambridge has argued that western capitalism has experienced two transformational crises since the end of the 19th century the first brought about by the depression of the 1930s ended an era in which governments bowed to the gospel of the gold standard and were expected to butt out of the battles between labor and capital letting markets function on their own whatever the consequences
in his 2010 book capitalism 40 the london based economic commentator anatole kaletsky refers to a document in the archive of the british treasury that shows the reaction of the permanent secretary to a proposal by the great economist john maynard keynes to use government spending to spur britains economy it has three words extravagance inflation bankruptcy
mr keyness views ultimately prevailed though providing the basis for a new post world war ii orthodoxy favoring active government intervention in the economy and a robust welfare state but that era ended when skyrocketing oil prices and economic mismanagement in the 1970s brought about a combination of inflation and unemployment that fatally undermined peoples trust in the state
even the former president of france francois mitterrand   a socialist who nationalized the banking system increased government employment and raised public sector pay after being elected in 1981   was forced into a u turn in 1983 he froze the budget and brought about la rigueur the austerity
the keynesian era ended when thatcher and reagan rode onto the scene with a version of capitalism based on tax cuts privatization and deregulation that helped revive their engines of growth but led the workers of the world to the deeply frustrating increasingly unequal economy of today
there are potentially constructive approaches to set the world economy on a more promising path for starters what about taking advantage of rock bottom interest rates to tap the worlds excess funds to build and repair a fraying public infrastructure that would employ legions of blue collar workers and help increase economic growth which has been only inching ahead across much of the industrialized world
after the brexit vote lawrence summers former treasury secretary under president clinton and one of president obamas top economic advisers at the nadir of the great recession laid out an argument for what he called responsible nationalism which focused squarely on the interests of domestic workers
instead of negotiating more agreements to ease business across borders governments would focus on deals to improve labor and environmental standards internationally they might cut deals to prevent cross border tax evasion
there is however little evidence that the worlds leaders will go down that path despite the case for economic stimulus austerity still rules across much of the west in europe most governments have imposed stringent budget cuts   ensuring that all but the strongest economies would stall in the united states political polarization has brought fiscal policy   spending and taxes   to a standstill
the cost of inaction could be enormous mr johnsons campaign to reject british membership of the european union is already producing political and economic shock waves around the world mr trump   whose solutions include punishing china with high tariffs and building a wall with mexico   is trying to ride workers angst into the most powerful job in the world
there are less catastrophic ways to put an end to an era


brussels   shaken by britains vote to quit the european union the blocs leaders met on tuesday in brussels and sent a blunt message to britain and others tempted to follow its example bolting will carry a heavy price
while softening demands that britain formally file for divorce swiftly following last thursdays shocking referendum result leaders of the european unions 27 other nations made it clear to prime minister david cameron that his country would not enjoy the benefits of membership   like access to europes single market   while sloughing off its burdens
chancellor angela merkel of germany speaking at a late night news conference took a hard position saying that her country would defend its economic priorities and that britain must use an agreed legal procedure to leave the european union
the discussion today reflected very clearly that everyone felt this was a sea change a watershed moment a historic moment mrs merkel said the goal was to reshape the relationship with britain as a relationship of friendship she said but we will also be guided by our own interests
referring to the terrorist attack on tuesday at istanbuls ataturk airport she said a world characterized by turmoil and turbulences was not waiting for the european union to make up its mind an apparent reference to uncertainty over its relations with britain and the future direction of what began as a peace project after world war ii and has since grown into the worlds biggest economic bloc
mark rutte the prime minister of the netherlands historically one of britains closest allies in pushing europe to focus on strengthening market forces and protecting sovereign rights said the economic and political mayhem caused by britains vote to leave should deter others
to everybody thinking of leaving the single market this is what happens he said
the turmoil has stirred hope in some quarters that britain might in the end never take the next formal step to leave the european union ms merkel however dismissed this as impossible
as to whether britain could hold another referendum with a different outcome she said that was highly unlikely as of tonight i do not see any possibility to reverse this decision she said it is not the hour for wishful thinking
mr cameron attending what will probably be his last european summit meeting in brussels also stressed that there was no turning back from last weeks vote in favor of brexit as britains withdrawal from the union is known
i am sorry we lost the referendum but you have to accept the result of the british people you have to accept the verdict he told reporters im a democrat
while calling for the closest possible relationship with europe in the future he acknowledged that it is impossible to have all of the benefits of membership without some of the costs of membership
mr cameron who has said he will resign by october has left the task of setting the terms of the departure settlement to his successor who will be responsible for invoking an exit clause article 50 in a european treaty and starting negotiations with brussels on disentangling a formal relationship that began in 1973
france and other countries have complained that this would only create months of uncertainty and stoke unease for financial markets but there seemed to be more sympathy on tuesday for britains hesitant pace if they need more time we have to wait this is the only legal way we have donald tusk the president of the european council which represents european governments told reporters
beyond dealing with the mechanics of britains exit however european union members face an even tougher challenge in trying to dampen rising populist sentiment elsewhere while somehow rebuilding the cornerstone of europes peace and relative prosperity for more than 60 years
how to do this will be the focus of the second day of the summit meeting on wednesday   from which mr cameron is excluded
the shock vote in britain has done more than embolden populists who denounce the european union as a distant and meddling force it has resurfaced deep bitterness and anger left by earlier crises notably a grinding economic slowdown and an uncontrolled influx of migrants across europes open borders
instead of dealing with just the crisis of confidence set off by the vote for brexit leaders are effectively confronting all the crises of recent years at one time still unresolved are arguments over austerity the german led prescription for a financial crisis that began in greece in 2008 and whether the european union should be merely a free trade zone or the locomotive of a more ambitious program of ever closer union a cause enshrined in the 1957 treaty of rome
arriving for the summit meeting prime minister alexis tsipras of greece   whose country voted in a referendum last year to reject a financial bailout offered by brussels only to accept even harsher terms to avoid expulsion from europes common currency   described the british referendum result as a sad wake up call that should force the european union to abandon policies of austerity and endless negotiations behind closed doors
at the european parliament early on tuesday a debate on britains referendum result produced raucous scenes as nigel farage a british member of the assembly and a driving force behind the brexit campaign traded insults and mockery with fellow legislators and the president of the european commission the blocs executive arm jean claude juncker who demanded to know why are you here
mindful that europes identity crisis is unlikely to be settled anytime soon the leaders of the czech republic hungary poland and slovakia urged the european union to get back to basics and focus on reinforcing freedoms and building a single market
instead of endless theoretical debates on more europe or less europe we need to focus on better europe the leaders of the four countries all formerly communist said in a statement
what this better europe   a popular slogan now used by politicians who agree on little else   would look like exactly is unclear what is clear however is that skepticism over the european union as it works now is on the rise
a spring survey by the pew research center found that while support for the bloc remains strong in poland and hungary which have benefited greatly from infusions of funds from brussels just 27 percent of greek 38 percent of french and 47 percent of spanish citizens hold a favorable view
positive views of the european union fell often substantially in five of the six countries surveyed by pew in both 2015 and 2016 even germany where strong support for the so called european project had been an unwavering feature of postwar politics euroskepticism is on the rise with 48 percent of those polled saying they had an unfavorable view of the bloc
speaking as he arrived for the summit meeting president francois hollande of france said the situation today in the united kingdom with political turmoil a plunging currency and credit rating downgrades should alert other europeans of the need to stick together many people today are asking the same question he said what do we do if confronted by the same choice british voters faced
the question of when britain will invoke article 50 opening negotiations has dominated discussion in london and some other capitals but has left some leaders cold
i think its utterly disappointing that when we are faced with the biggest political crisis in the history of the european union whats grabbing the headlines is the obscure article 50 joseph muscat the prime minister of malta said in brussels the far more important issue he said is that this is a europe that people are feeling increasingly estranged from and that it is our duty that we take action


monessen pa   donald j trump vowed on tuesday to rip up international trade deals and start an unrelenting offensive against chinese economic practices framing his contest with hillary clinton as a choice between hard edge nationalism and the policies of a leadership class that worships globalism
speaking in western pennsylvania mr trump sought to turn the page on weeks of campaign turmoil by returning to a core set of economic grievances that have animated his candidacy from the start he threatened to withdraw from the north american free trade agreement and pledged to label china a currency manipulator and impose punitive tariffs on chinese goods
he attacked mrs clinton on her past support for the trans pacific partnership a trade pact negotiated by the obama administration and challenged her to pledge that she would void the agreement in its entirety noting that mrs clinton had backed free trade agreements like nafta in the past mr trump warned she will betray you again
at a rally later in the day in eastern ohio mr trump attacked the trans pacific partnership in more provocative terms saying it was a rape of our country
as a policy manifesto mr trumps pennsylvania speech was an attack on the economic orthodoxy that has dominated the republican party since world war ii it is an article of faith among establishment republicans and allied groups like the us chamber of commerce which represents the interests of large corporations that trade is good and more trade is better
mr trump by contrast has made blistering attacks on trade his primary economic theme in his address he rejected the standard view that countries benefit by importing goods arguing that globalization helped the financial elite while leaving millions of our workers with nothing but poverty and heartache
it is a critique that has been leveled for years mainly by a small group of liberal economists who have gained little traction even on the democratic side on tuesday mr trump not only embraced their views but also cited the work of the liberal economic policy institute by name
mr trump as president would have significant authority to raise trade barriers and his speech tuesday included his most detailed account to date of his plans to do so saying that he would pull the united states from nafta if mexico and canada did not agree to renegotiate it
but it is far from clear that any president has the power to reverse globalization under existing law mr trump could impose tariffs only on specific imports the most likely effect would be to shift production to other low cost nations
mr trumps address opened his first swing state tour of the general election race after he muddled around the political map since his last republican rivals withdrew and veered away from the campaign last week for a trip to scotland mr trumps tour this week through pennsylvania and ohio was the start of a concerted effort to carve a path to 270 electoral votes on daunting political terrain
the language and location of mr trumps speech encapsulated his aspirational strategy for the general election his greatest source of support has been white working class men and his campaign hopes to compete in traditionally democratic leaning states like pennsylvania and michigan to offset his deep unpopularity with hispanic voters and women which may put swing states like florida and colorado out of reach
mr trump delivered his address at a steel plant in the heart of coal country on a stage flanked by blocks of compressed steel wiring aluminum cans and other metals and for the second time in two weeks he spoke carefully from a script aides to mr trump who has faced criticism throughout the race for factual exaggerations and outright falsehoods circulated a copy of the speech with 128 footnotes documenting its claims
still mr trump could not resist the occasional ad libbed line to skewer mrs clinton or boast of his own achievements he said for example that he had forced her to use the term radical islamic terrorism
and he took credit for pressuring mrs clinton to oppose the trans pacific partnership trade deal though at the time she faced far greater pressure from a primary challenge on the left from senator bernie sanders of vermont
mr trumps speech drew rebukes from two sides the clinton campaign attacked his credibility as a critic of free trade and deployed senator sherrod brown of ohio a populist democrat who is viewed as a potential running mate for mrs clinton to accuse mr trump of hypocrisy
with all of his personal experience profiting from making products overseas trumps the perfect expert to talk about outsourcing mr brown said reciting a list of trump products from suits to picture frames that he said were made in other countries we know just in my state alone where donald trump could have gone to make these things he added
mr trump also drew a cold response from traditionally republican leaning interests for his heated attacks on international trade agreements the us chamber of commerce which spends millions of dollars in federal elections almost entirely in support of republican candidates criticized mr trumps speech on twitter and claimed that his policies would hurt the economy
even under best case scenario trumps tariffs would strip us of at least 35 million jobs the group wrote in one twitter message
for mr trump who has shifted and doubled back on high profile policy pronouncements trade has been a rare area of consistency in the 2016 race
at nearly every campaign rally mr trump has knocked trade deals with china as unfair to the american worker so frequently as to make his percussive pronunciation of china a hallmark of impersonators
mr trump appeared in his speech to pre empt criticism from economists and business groups that have argued his policy proposals would lead to a damaging trade war with china and perhaps other countries
we already have a trade war mr trump told the crowd departing from his prepared remarks and were losing badly
mr trump who has struggled for months to win support from the conservative business community also attended a fund raiser in west virginia on tuesday hosted by a coal executive robert e murray
it remains to be seen if mr trump will stick closely to the trade focused message he delivered in pennsylvania at an evening rally in eastern ohio he returned to a familiar set of red meat themes calling for a wall on the mexican border and reiterating his vow to waterboard islamic state terrorists
but to win that state in november mr trump hopes to outflank mrs clinton with economically distressed voters who may have voted democratic in the past and trade remains an issue that stirs up voters across party lines
in a nod to potential crossover voters mr trump at one point on tuesday quoted mr sanders by name in criticizing mrs clinton
though he dwelled at greatest length in pennsylvania on what he described as the damaging economic consequences of globalization mr trump also laced his remarks with broader nationalist language arguing that the united states would lose its sovereignty and national pride by negotiating too freely with the world
they get the expansion we get the joblessness mr trump said of trade deals with foreign countries thats the way it works   not going to happen anymore


washington   senate democrats on tuesday blocked a federal spending bill that would have provided 11 billion to fight the mosquito borne zika virus saying republicans had sabotaged the legislation with politically charged provisions the move raised the possibility that no new money would be available soon to fight the disease as southern states brace for a summer outbreak
the stalemate accompanied by a sharp war of words on the senate floor raised the prospect that the partisan divide in congress was hindering the governments ability to respond effectively to a pressing public health emergency
democrats said they blocked the bill because republicans were using the must pass legislation to score political points jam through unpalatable policy changes and cut money from other programs including provisions that would hinder access to contraception for women and weaken environmental restrictions on pesticide use
republicans in turn accused democrats of manufacturing excuses for blocking the bill but they did not dispute that some of the provisions favored republican policy positions
democrats and the white house have been pushing since february for the republican majorities in congress to approve 19 billion in emergency financing to fight zika which can cause brain damage and other serious defects in infants born to infected mothers
the democrats reacted with disbelief on tuesday as republicans tried to turn the tables and blame democrats for delaying the money because they had blocked the legislation
we have a public health crisis descending on our country senator mitch mcconnell republican of kentucky and the majority leader said after the vote pregnant women all across america are looking at this with dismay utter dismay as we sit here in a partisan gridlock manufactured by the other side
the senate democratic leader harry reid of nevada was incensed i dont know what universe my friend is living in mr reid said referring to mr mcconnell what does he think does he think were all stupid the american people are dumb
the sniping continued as senator john cornyn of texas the no 2 republican declared our democratic friends block it because they are sore losers
public health officials reacted with their own dismay at the breakdown on capitol hill
if we dont get new money we wont be able to do things at a pace that is necessary and appropriate to the urgency of this threat said dr anthony s fauci director of the national institute of allergy and infectious diseases which is working on three potential vaccines against the zika virus and overseeing a study of thousands of pregnant women infected with the virus
in may the senate approved 11 billion in funding after months of partisan brinkmanship during which the obama administration ultimately redirected nearly 600 million previously approved to fight the ebola virus so that federal health agencies could get a start on working against the zika virus
house republicans in turn adopted legislation providing 622 million with most of the money cut and redirected from other federal programs   a move opposed by democrats who said the money for zika should be treated as an emergency expenditure
ultimately democrats were willing to go along with the senate version but in talks controlled strictly by republicans house and senate negotiators agreed last week to provide 11 billion with 750 million in cuts and policy changes
democrats charged that republicans had booby trapped the legislation by adding provisions that would restrict the role of planned parenthood the womens health organization and similar clinics in providing contraceptive services related to fighting the zika virus which can be transmitted sexually
the democrats also said that republicans had inserted a provision cutting 540 million in financing from the affordable care act president obamas signature health care law and that they had stripped a house provision that would ban the flying of the confederate battle flag in federal cemeteries
another provision of the bill that democrats disliked was a further reallocation of money from ebola programs totaling 107 million democrats have long maintained that money previously appropriated to fight ebola is vitally needed
even as officials brace for the arrival in the continental united states of mosquitoes carrying zika the obama administration does have some flexibility in reapportioning funds among different health programs   in addition to the nearly 600 million already taken from ebola programs   while waiting for congress to act
the white house has been reluctant to specify how much money it might be able to temporarily redirect to fight zika   or how long it would be able to make do   because that could ease pressure on congress to approve the new money
whichever side is more to blame it was clear that no new government funds would be approved to fight the zika virus until after congress returned from a recess for the fourth of july holiday and even then the prospects of an agreement are uncertain
with southern states expected to be hit hardest by zika lawmakers representing florida have been among those pushing hardest for bipartisan action but even floridians were divided on tuesday
senator bill nelson democrat of florida said republicans had poisoned the chances for moving ahead by blocking money for planned parenthood knowing democrats would never agree
theyre just not living in the real world and theyre just not facing the fact that this is an emergency mr nelson said he noted that at least five babies had been born with microcephaly in the united states   the most recent one in florida   but said he expected the disagreements to continue
we go until enough of these horrible cases are born that it is finally beginning to penetrate their hard heads he said
senator marco rubio mr nelsons republican counterpart from florida blamed democrats political motives for sinking the bill its a talking point that they want to take into the july fourth recess unfortunately mr rubio said
democrats on tuesday morning urged renewed negotiations but mr cornyn speaking to reporters off the floor said matter of factly theres not going to be another opportunity to deal with this for the near future
the vote on tuesday morning was 52 to 48 with republicans falling short of the 60 votes needed to overcome a democratic filibuster and advance the bill to a final vote
the debate was so sharp that senator john barrasso republican of wyoming accused democrats of favoring insects over people in their opposition to easing the pesticide restrictions
the democrats are more focused on protecting the mosquito than they are protecting people he said


tokyo   the chief executive of takata said on tuesday that he would step down as the embattled car parts supplier looks to attract much needed financial support to deal with the fallout from the largest automotive safety recall in history
the decision by the chief executive shigehisa takada reflects the financial pressure on takata which lost nearly 130 million last year the company is in danger of buckling under the cost of the recall without a lifeline
his departure is the inevitable price of a cash infusion from new investors who would most likely want a clean management slate and any financial rescue would most likely mean shrinking the influence of the takada family which founded company in the 1930s and remains the largest shareholder the resignation of mr takada the grandson of the founder has been assumed for a while but never publicly discussed
in the more than two years after takata was engulfed in a crisis over dangerously defective airbags automakers have recalled 60 million vehicles in the united states and tens of millions more worldwide to fix the problem the faulty equipment has been linked to 14 deaths and more than 100 injuries
mr takada has been criticized for his leadership during the crisis he has stayed largely in the background as the companys reputation and cash reserves have plummeted leaving it to subordinates to explain takatas response to regulators politicians and the news media the company did not make any public statements until nearly a year after the defect came to light
mr takada did not say when he would resign or what role if any he would retain inside the company which is publicly traded but has been controlled by his family for more than 80 years
i dont intend to hold on to my position he said at the companys annual shareholder meeting on tuesday once ive delivered this company to a place where its not at risk of faltering i want to pass the baton
mr takada has rarely addressed the crisis in public but shareholder meetings where investors can grill executives on a range of issues have been an unavoidable exception at takatas annual meeting last year mr takada apologized to victims but defended his companys airbags as fundamentally safe
the meeting on tuesday was the first time mr takada had said publicly that he would resign takata has been seeking emergency capital to keep it from falling into bankruptcy because of mounting recall costs once a rescuer is found the company will probably be drastically restructured including changes in its top management
nobody wants to see anybody from the takada family in charge at this point said koji endo an auto industry analyst at advanced research japan the takada family practically speaking is being kicked out
until 2014 mr takada served in a more ceremonial role as takatas chairman but he took over responsibility for day to day operations that year as the companys problems escalated and its board named him to succeed a swiss executive stefan stocker who was then its president
few seem to believe that takata can weather the recall crisis on its own the company lost 13 billion yen last year or about 127 million and had just Y=54 billion in cash reserves as of the end of march against recall costs that specialists say may ultimately exceed Y=1 trillion a committee of lawyers and other corporate restructuring advisers appointed by the company this year said it risked bankruptcy if it did not find a rescue and last month takata hired the american investment bank lazard to lead the search
takata and its bankers have held discussions with a range of potential white knights according to news reports including the american buyout fund kkr  company formerly kohlberg kravis roberts and a chinese car parts maker ningbo joyson japanese automakers and banks as well as the japanese government are also seen as potential contributors to a bailout
the most crucial question for takata specialists say is how much of the recall costs will ultimately be borne by its automaker customers rather than by the company itself
fourteen carmakers have been affected by the airbag problem in which the devices inflaters can explode with too much force sending shrapnel flying into a vehicles cabin the latest deadly incident a crash on saturday in malaysia that killed a 44 year old woman involved a 2005 honda city the model had been recalled but the vehicle had not been taken in to have the airbag component replaced according to a spokesman for honda motor
in the most recent report on the airbag problem last month safety regulators in the united states said prolonged exposure to environmental moisture and wide temperature fluctuations could degrade the propellant that takata used in its inflaters making it unstable and prone to unexpectedly exploding
based on the finding which was consistent with theories put forward by engineers and other specialists the national highway traffic safety administration ordered takata to work with automakers to recall an additional 35 million to 40 million airbags bringing the number recalled in the united states to nearly 64 million
carmakers have paid most of the bills for repairing defective airbags so far they can try to recoup costs from takata but the amount is negotiable and subject to complicated calculations
forcing takata to repay the full cost would almost certainly bankrupt the company depriving carmakers of a supplier that for all its problems is crucial to keeping their assembly lines running takata is one of just three major airbag manufacturers worldwide and controls 25 percent to 30 percent of the market according to industry researchers
and cost sharing is vital to finding a savior for takata the more the recall costs are absorbed by carmakers the more attractive takata will look to potential investors
the intricate negotiations over cost sharing which involve takata carmakers potential investors and japanese banks that have lent takata money are expected to take months
theres kkr other funds companies from china japan american maybe india   20 or 30 companies are interested mr endo said it all depends on the cost split were likely to see a very complex structure that limits any one partys responsibility


detroit   on the face of it ana rivera could have had almost any choice when it came to educating her two sons for all the abandoned buildings and burned down houses in her neighborhood in the southwest part of this city national charter school companies had seen a market and were setting up shop within blocks of each other making it easier to find a charter school than to buy a carton of milk
but hers became the story of public education in a city grasping for its comeback lots of choice with no good choice
she enrolled her older son damian at the charter school across from her house where she could watch him walk into the building he got all as and said he wanted to be an engineer but the summer before seventh grade he found himself in the back of a classroom at a science program at the university of michigan struggling to keep up with students from detroit public schools known as the worst urban district in the nation they knew the human body is made up of many cells he had never learned that
when his school stopped assigning homework ms rivera tried enrolling damian at other charters but the deadlines were past the applications onerous finally she found him a scholarship at a catholic school where he struggled to rise above ds all year he doesnt want to hear the word engineering she said
michigan leapt at the promise of charter schools 23 years ago betting big that choice and competition would improve public schools it got competition and chaos
detroit schools have long been in decline academically and financially but over the past five years divisive politics and educational ideology and a scramble for money have combined to produced a public education fiasco that is perhaps unparalleled in the united states
while the idea was to foster academic competition the unchecked growth of charters has created a glut of schools competing for some of the nations poorest students enticing them to enroll with cash bonuses laptops raffle tickets for ipads and bicycles leaders of charter and traditional schools alike say they are being cannibalized fighting so hard over students and the limited public dollars that follow them that no one thrives
detroit now has a bigger share of students in charters than any american city except new orleans which turned almost all its schools into charters after hurricane katrina but half the charters perform only as well or worse than detroits traditional public schools
the point was to raise all schools said scott romney a lawyer and board member of new detroit a civic group formed after the 1967 race riots here instead weve had a total and complete collapse of education in this city
the city has emerged almost miraculously fast from the largest municipal bankruptcy in american history downtown detroit hums with development   a maze of detours around construction sites with luxury apartments a new nike store along a stretch of prime but empty storefronts even where blight resumes a few blocks out farm to table restaurants and modern design stores sprout hopefully last year the city had its smallest population decline since the 1950s
but the citys residents   many of them stranded here after whites and middle class blacks fled in waves   will not share in any renaissance as long as only 10 percent of rising high school seniors score college ready on reading tests
well either invest in our own children and prepare them to fill these jobs or i suppose maybe people will migrate from other places in the country to fill them said thomas f stallworth iii a former state representative who steered the passage of the 2014 legislation that paved detroits way out of bankruptcy if thats the case we are still left with this underbelly of generational poverty with no clear path out
the 1993 state law permitting charter schools was not brought on by academic or financial crisis in detroit   those would come later   but by a free market inclined governor john engler an early warrior against public employee unions he embraced the idea of creating schools that were publicly financed but independently run to force public schools to innovate
to throw the competition wide open michigan allowed an unusually large number of institutions more than any other state to create charters public school districts community colleges and universities it gave those institutions a financial incentive a 3 percent share of the dollars that go to the charter schools and only they   not the governor not the state commissioner or board of education   could shut down failing schools
for profit companies seized on the opportunity they now operate about 80 percent of charters in michigan far more than in any other state the companies and those who grant the charters became major lobbying forces for unfettered growth of the schools as did some of the states biggest republican donors
sometimes they were one and the same as with j c huizenga a grand rapids entrepreneur who founded michigans largest charter school operator the for profit national heritage academies two of the biggest players in michigan politics betsy and dick devos   she the former head of the state republican party he the heir to the amway fortune and a 2006 candidate for governor   established the great lakes education project which became the states most pugnacious protector of the charter school prerogative
even as michigan and detroit continued to hemorrhage residents the number of schools grew the state has nearly 220000 fewer students than it did in 2003 but more than 100 new charter schools
as elsewhere across the country charters concentrated in urban areas particularly detroit where the public schools had been put under state control in 1999 in 2009 it was found to be the lowest performing urban school district on national tests
operators were lining up to get into the city and in 2011 after a conservative wave returned the governors office and the legislature to republican control for the first time in eight years the legislature abolished a cap that had limited the number of charter schools that universities could create to 150
some charter school backers pushed for a so called smart cap that would allow only successful charters to expand but they could not agree on what success should look like and ultimately settled for assurances from lawmakers that they could add quality controls after the cap was lifted
in fact the law repealed a longstanding requirement that the state department of education issue yearly reports monitoring charter school performance
at the same time the law included a provision that seemed to benefit mr huizenga whose company profits from buying buildings and renting them back to the charters it operates earlier that year he had lost a tax appeal in which he argued that a for profit company should not have to pay taxes on properties leased to schools the new law granted for profit charter companies the exemption he had sought
just as universities were allowed to charter more schools gov rick snyder created a state run district with new charters to try to turn around the citys worst schools detroit was soon awash in choice but not quality
twenty four charter schools have opened in the city since the cap was lifted in 2011 eighteen charters whose existing schools were at or below the districts dismal performance expanded or opened new schools
the charter school where ana rivera sent her two sons cesar chavez academy added a second elementary school even though its existing one fell below 98 percent of schools on the most recent state rankings in 2014 the leona group the arizona based for profit operator that runs it also runs some of the worst performing schools in detroit stanford universitys center for research on education outcomes considered the gold standard of measurement by charter school supporters across the country found that students in the companys schools grew less academically than students in the neighboring traditional public schools
ms rivera herself the product of a failing detroit public high school knew none of that when she chose the school for her sons i had no idea of the education system she said she presumed it was better because it was a charter it did not get the bad press the public schools do about gangs and violence
saginaw valley state university which chartered cesar chavez academy defended its decision to allow the school to expand arguing that many of the students come in without english as a first language and do better as they move into high school
they trend positively academically throughout that system david lewis the director of the universitys charter school office said the stanford data is national and is not reflective he said of cesar chavez
with about 11 billion in state tax dollars going to charter schools those that grant the charters get about 33 million those institutions are often far from the schools one bay mills community college is in michigans upper peninsula nearly 350 miles away   as far from detroit as portland me is from new york city
nationally some charter school groups praise michigan for allowing so many institutions to grant charters but the practice has also allowed bad schools to languish when universities have threatened to close them other universities have granted another charter
by 2015 a federal review of a grant application for michigan charter schools found an unreasonably high number of charters among the worst performing 5 percent of public schools statewide the number of charters on the list had doubled from 2010 to 2014
people here had so much confidence in choice and choice alone to close the achievement gap said amber arellano the executive director of the education trust midwest which advocates higher academic standards instead were replicating failure
dawn wilsons four oldest children have attended between five and seven schools each   not uncommon in detroit   moving among charter schools traditional schools private religious schools and suburban districts that take detroit students and the dollars that follow them
she drives her children 130 miles a week to school   down from 200 last year now that one daughter lives with another family in a suburb to attend private school in between she works as an entertainer for childrens parties kuddles the klown she answers her cellphone
who else has time to take their kids to all these places to try to find quality education she asked
conflict with a teacher she found disrespectful prompted her to pull her children from one charter one daughter spent six months at another but returned to the christian school she had attended earlier because there were so many fights
then at a bus stop for the private school her daughter was recruited for a charter that promised college seminars and dual enrollment at local colleges   and rewarded her for enrolling with a raffle ticket for a 50 gift card
with all the new schools detroit has roughly 30000 more seats charter and traditional public than it needs the competition to get students to school on count day   the days in october and february when the head count determines how much money the state sends each school   can resemble a political campaign schools buy radio ads and billboards sponsor count day pizza parties and carnivals they plant rows of lawn signs along city streets to recruit students only to have other schools pull those up and stake their own
a few weeks before the february count day two years ago detroit public schools sent a letter to families at a school in the state run district claiming falsely that their children had been reassigned to a public school the state district cried foul   then copied the trick before the next count day
it can be a forbidding landscape for families trying to enroll their children particularly in a city where historically federal statistics show that nearly half the adults are not literate enough to function effectively in everyday life
there are high performing elite public schools that require entrance exams a step below are some that require applications then come the neighborhood schools
then there are charter schools which are supposed to accept students by lottery but the most selective often have lengthy applications requiring students to submit test results and official documents or give their history of disciplinary problems or special education
some schedule enrollment periods in january even though most parents do not think about where to send their children until may in a report commissioned by excellent schools detroit a nonprofit that has pushed for all schools to join a universal enrollment system the director of one charter management company explained that his school published the required advertisement for its enrollment period in newspapers it knew would not be read by most detroit families
the more successful schools are those   charter or public   that are more selective detroit public schools meanwhile educates most of the citys special education students including ms wilsons youngest son the only one of her children who has not changed schools several times
charter schools are concentrated downtown with its boom in renovation and wealthier residents with only 1894 high school age students there are 11 high schools meanwhile northwest detroit   where it seems every other house is boarded up burned or abandoned   has nearly twice the number of high school age students 3742 and just three high schools the northeastern part of the city is even more of an education desert 6018 high school age students and two high schools
in a city of 140 square miles transportation adds another layer to school selection few schools offer busing and detroit long defined by the auto industry never invested much in public transportation
a mile and a half to school can become an hour and a half journey as it is for deniqua robinson and her three youngest children
morning is often still dark when they catch a 610 am bus around the corner from their housing project near the motorcity casino hotel they wake by 530 am because if they miss the 610 the next bus will not come for an hour and the catholic school her son attends fines him for being late some days her youngest daughter is lugging her cello its like another person ms robinson said
they change buses once waiting at a weedy lot across the street from the old kronk gym once a training ground for boxers like thomas hearns   a hall of famer known as the hitman   and now a concrete shell covered in graffiti in a safer neighborhood they could walk the last distance but two years ago ms robinsons two middle children watched a dog maul a teacher after it ran out of an abandoned house across from the charter they attended nearby
i can identify the engines of whats behind me because im so on guard ms robinson said i have to know whats going on around me so nobodys behind me trying to hit me upside the head and rob us
two mondays a month her sons school requires him to participate in a work study program after school   or pay 100 for every session he misses he has been working at the citys tourism bureau and loves the experience but getting him there has disrupted the familys bus routine so ms robinson has him on a waiting list for a charter school downtown that would not require him to work
she estimates that her children miss 10 to 15 days a year because the buses do not come on time or it is too cold to wait some days she cannot afford the fare a single mother she supplements her child support payments by redeeming bottles for 10 cents each
i often describe this whole environment as the hunger games for schools said tonya allen president of the skillman foundation which invests 17 million a year to try to improve the lives of detroits poorest children you get these kids who are moving three or four times in the elementary school years i did that but it was because my mother couldnt keep her rent together here its being incentivized
that transience can prevent schools that want to be good from getting there when there is always another option families are inclined to take it
many left a state run school after new paradigm for education one of the citys most successful charter school companies took it over and raised academic demands imposing requirements that are standard in suburban districts like a parents signature on a nightly reading log
parents have been victims for generations of failing schools said machion jackson the companys president and chief executive if you dont know what high expectations look like you become frustrated
after about 150 students left one of the charter schools that dawn wilsons children attended angry that the management company had changed the school cut teacher salaries by 20 percent and combined grades in classrooms even then it did not meet its budget
renee burgess the president of the new management company equity education said that every year about 35 percent of students in the companys three schools do not come back
imagine if gm had to hire 35 percent of its work force again every year she said
she employs a full time recruiter and expects principals to spend most of their time from april to october raising enrollment every staff member must make at least one personal contact a week with students over the summer to encourage them to return
in a system that is more stable you wouldnt need to invest in that ms burgess said you could invest those resources in another instructional coach in more development and training for first year teachers
like others elsewhere charter schools receive roughly the same per pupil state dollars as public schools but in detroit it is about 7300 a year   roughly half what new york or boston schools get and about 3500 less than charters in denver or milwaukee
were spreading the money across more and more schools its no wonder that every school struggles said dan varner the chief executive of excellent schools detroit theyre all under resourced
the hardest places to improve are the large urban public high schools like frank cody high school
just off the retail starved stretch of joy road that gangs call the skudd zone where the mcdonalds is known as the murder mac cody defines big city high schools in the worst way its concrete fortress occupies four square blocks with metal detectors and security guards at the entrance and inside employees wearing boots in hot weather to keep mice from their ankles
for a time it seemed competition might work as it was intended at cody
administrators visited charters in new york and chicago to learn best practices and broke down the school into three smaller academies each with about 100 students per grade
the academy of public leadership on the second floor copied practices many charters use to create what they call a college going culture college pennants line classroom walls signs in hallways tally scholarship money students have won
the academys principal johnathon matthews eliminated security guards in the hallways in favor of cultural facilitators more like parents or older siblings every student he pledged would be able to identify three caring adults at the school and have a teachers cellphone number to call if the bus did not come or the electricity was turned off
graffiti stopped gang activity calmed down so much that the owner of the gas station next to the murder mac asked mr matthews if the school had closed act scores nudged up and mr matthews started thinking about adding counselors who would not just get students into college but follow them through to completion
then came this years senior class
students needed 23 credits to graduate in june but many had just 13 or 14 by january one had just one and a half credits
at age 19 they join the ranks of overage undercredited students and have to transfer to alternative schools the graduating class started in september with 87 students but just 52 received diplomas
theirs was the class of students that started high school in the years of heavy churn   after the legislature lifted the charter cap the state created its new district and the city closed other public high schools as students fled to charters by the time they arrived as sophomores or juniors many students had three or four high schools on their transcripts and often gaps in their education with no central record system it takes time for schools or parents to track down the forms they need to re enroll
in the six weeks between february count day and the end of march this year the school had 34 new students some pushed from charter schools some from suburban choice districts
teachers at the academy of public leadership argue with mr matthews about taking all comers complaining that the school is judged for the performance of students who show up just weeks before state exams
we have the savior of detroit here as our principal said tracey penick the college counselor as admirable as it is its very stressful when you get a child at this stage in the game its because theyre a problem
lately mr matthews has been talking to a large bank about bringing a job training program to the school the bank expressed concern about the low performance of students and asked whether cody might become an application school it is hard for him not to be tempted
the hidden ways to control who you get thats where i really frown upon competition he said its created a caste system and cody has the untouchables its separate and unequal
this winter as detroit public schools ran out of money mayor mike duggan a pro charter democrat now in his third year argued that the traditional schools needed a solution that would address the problems posed and faced by charter schools
he proposed an appointed detroit education commission to determine which neighborhoods most needed new schools and set standards to close failing schools and ensure that only high performing or promising ones could replicate
political conditions seemed promising
backed by a coalition of philanthropies and civic leaders the teachers union and some charter school operators the mayor got a republican senator from western michigan to sponsor legislation including the commission governor snyder distracted and shamed by the scandal over the lead poisoning in the water supply of the mostly black and state controlled city of flint was in no position to defend the state control of majority black detroit public schools and supported the proposal
in february four prominent detroit republican business executives including two sons of former governors testified in support of the plan before the legislature arguing that 20 years had proved that the free market alone is not enough to improve schools one of them mr romney likened schools to a public utility
this is a public service this isnt just a business he said in a recent interview i dont believe in the free market for police or fire
but the great lakes education project and other charter school lobbying groups warned that the commission would favor public schools over charters and argued instead to kill off the detroit public schools
in the waning days of the legislative session house republicans offered a deal 617 million to pay off the debt of the detroit public schools but no commission lawmakers were forced to take it to prevent the city school system from going bankrupt
for parents the search remains for good schools   charter or public
after her experience with the failing charter school in southwest detroit ms rivera moved her younger son omar to another charter nearby it has had three principals in the three years since it opened nearly 20 teachers have left and in january the wisconsin based company that operates the school announced it was leaving
so for fifth grade she has enrolled him in a detroit public school where instruction will be split between spanish and english im a little fed up with the charters she said
if this doesnt work she said she will send him to a school outside the city sometimes she thinks of moving the whole family to the suburbs following her husbands landscaping business but like many in this striving city she is rooting for its comeback we can still be part of this new detroit
and omar though he made honor roll this year fears a move the teachers teach good there he said id be so far behind


san francisco   airbnb has charmed and strong armed lawmakers around the world to allow it to operate in their communities but two cities airbnbs hometown san francisco and new york the services largest united states market have not been so compliant
on monday airbnb sued san francisco over a unanimous decision on june 7 by the citys board of supervisors to fine the company 1000 a day for every unregistered host on its service if airbnb does not comply it could face misdemeanor charges
the suit follows a bipartisan move by new york lawmakers who voted this month to heavily fine anyone who uses airbnb to rent a whole apartment for fewer than 30 days a practice that has been illegal in the state since 2010
the actions show how airbnb despite aggressive lobbying efforts has not been able to persuade some local legislators to play ball and in the case of new york the company has demonstrated a surprisingly tin ear for local politics
were not afraid of money in new york said micah lasher a state senate candidate and airbnb critic who worked for eric t schneiderman new yorks attorney general there are more competing interests in new york city and its harder to push people around its harder to disrupt
a showdown in the two cities could push thousands of illegal listings off airbnb   a rare speed bump for a company that has shown few signs of slowing down airbnb is in talks for a new round of investment that would peg the companys worth at about 30 billion tripling its value in two years
airbnb is in a real bind said bradley tusk the campaign manager for michael r bloombergs 2009 mayoral campaign who has helped start ups like uber navigate new yorks political landscape it must choose between making their markets dramatically less valuable and getting rid of a cloud of regulatory uncertainty
airbnb executives once promoted san francisco as a city it could work with after affordable housing advocates expressed fear that the service worsened the citys housing crunch airbnb agreed to cap short term rentals for entire homes and required hosts of such listings to register with the city that law which became known as the airbnb law for its friendliness to the company took effect in february 2015
but only 20 percent of the 7000 or so hosts required to register have done so and airbnb has not removed lawbreakers according to david campos a member of the board of supervisors and a longtime opponent of airbnb the board hopes that fines will push airbnb to help enforce the law it helped create
airbnb is proving that it wants to play by its own rules that it believes that it is entitled to something no business has absolute freedom to operate free of responsibility and oversight mr campos said its their way or the highway
in its lawsuit airbnb claims that the board has violated the communications decency act a federal law that prohibits the government from holding websites accountable for the content that is published by their users just as a website may not be held liable for comments posted in its chat rooms the argument goes airbnb may not be held accountable for illegal rental listings
in new york which has an unusually broad anti airbnb coalition of democrats and republicans landlords and tenants affordable housing advocates real estate developers and unions the fight has been a long time coming
and it has escalated as other tech start ups reconciled with local power brokers the state senate has voted to legalize fantasy sports paving the way for the companies draftkings and fanduel to operate
new york city is now airbnbs largest united states market hosts in new york generated about 1 billion in revenue last year airbnb takes a cut of that but 55 percent of the new york city listings were illegal according to a study commissioned by affordable housing advocates
in 2013 the company received a subpoena from mr schneiderman for statistics about who used the platform and what they used it for airbnb initially resisted but agreed to provide an anonymized version of the data a year later
during the public fight with mr schneiderman airbnb also tried unsuccessfully to negotiate a behind the scenes deal with the attorney general and the citys power brokers and it made influential enemies along the way
the company alienated the powerful hotel trades council an influential hotel union by offering a deal to a service workers union that held out the possibility that airbnb hosts would use unionized apartment cleaners according to two people with knowledge of the offer who spoke on condition of anonymity
the silicon valley venture capitalist and airbnb investor ron conway made matters worse when after donating to bill de blasios mayoral campaign he flew to new york and told mr deblasio and business leaders to follow san franciscos example or fall behind in innovation and growth according to people who attended one of the meetings that message was not well received
in response mr conway said in an email that new york city wont even entertain a real conversation about innovation and the city in the process has become its own worse enemy
airbnb has since tried to appease the city with millions of dollars in hotel taxes but the tax payments which are paid by hosts not airbnb would essentially legitimize the hosts illegal rentals argued liz krueger a new york state senator who has pushed to remove illegal airbnb listings
airbnb released more data in december in a bridge building effort but it required lawmakers to make appointments to read a physical copy of the information at a location in new york chosen by airbnb it was a bit like making a library appointment to inspect a rare book
people could stay for as long as they wanted said chris lehane airbnbs head of public policy lawmakers said they thought it was an insult mr lehane said it was a privacy measure though the data was anonymous
political leaders unions landlords and housing activists devised a way to deter illegal rentals on airbnb cognizant of the communications decency act that airbnb is citing in its san francisco lawsuit lawmakers drafted the recently approved bill to fine the hosts up to 7500 if they are caught listing an illegal rental
we had to become the enforcers because airbnb would not do it said state assemblywoman linda b rosenthal an architect of the legislation mr lehane counters that the bill is an attack on the heart of airbnbs core business
the bill has not yet been sent to gov andrew m cuomo and a time frame for that is not clear once he receives it he has 10 days to veto it or let it become law
now new york and airbnb are at an impasse airbnb rejects new yorks housing laws and will not compromise unless it can help rewrite them politicians say they will come to the table after airbnb removes all illegal listings
in airbnbs defense mr lehane said that new york is the only major american city that has not worked with airbnb to create friendlier laws and airbnb could someday strike a working relationship with new york lawmakers and power brokers
we havent been perfect and weve learned a lot mr lehane said


san francisco   the city of oakland calif on monday banned the transport and storage of large coal shipments a blow to a developers plans to use a former army base as an export terminal to ship coal to china and other overseas markets
the terminal would have been the largest coal shipment facility on the west coast with a planned capacity to increase coal exports in the united states by 19 percent according to the sierra club the environmental group
weeks of feisty debate over the ban which the oakland city council unanimously passed late monday night and which will become law after a second reading next month covered familiar ground the trade offs between jobs and environmental concerns
but the debate also raised the larger and more unusual question of how much a city should weigh the global environmental impacts of the commodities that flow through its ports a report prepared by the city argued for a coal ban partly because the coal once it was burned overseas would contribute to climate change and rising sea levels
oakland cannot afford to ignore the scientific evidence that clearly show the harmful effects and risk associated with coal said dan kalb a city council member who proposed the ban along with the mayor libby schaaf with this new law were taking the steps needed to protect our community our workers and our planet
the citys report calculated that exporting millions of tons of coal annually through the port of oakland would release significantly more greenhouse gases than produced each year by all five oil refineries in the san francisco bay area and the report noted that oakland was especially vulnerable to rising sea levels
the ban is the second blow for the coal industry on the west coast in recent weeks in may the united states army corps of engineers denied a permit for a coal terminal planned 90 miles north of seattle on the grounds that it would endanger wildlife
the oakland report which was prepared by claudia cappio an assistant city administrator warned of the risks of cancer heart and lung ailments and childhood developmental problems resulting from exposure to what it called fugitive dust emissions   the airborne particles generated from handling transporting and loading coal onto ships
the coal would have been shipped from utah and other western states to the oakland bulk and oversized terminal which is on an abandoned army base across the bay from san francisco
the lead investor in the project phil tagami the chief executive and president of the california capital and investment group warned in an email of legal consequences from the decision
exactly how much of the citys limited resources and how many jobs for west oaklanders are this council willing to sacrifice on this crusade he asked
mr tagami is one of the most prominent developers in oakland and is a friend and political supporter of californias governor jerry brown a former mayor of the city
a lawyer for mr tagami david smith of the firm stice  block wrote in a letter to the council before the vote that a ban would be a pronouncement to the world that oakland is not a trustworthy or reliable place to invest or do business
mr smith called the argument that coal exported from oakland would increase the emissions of greenhouse gases nonsensical and absurd because power plants overseas would burn coal from somewhere else if they did not get coal from the oakland port
mr smith also asked whether the concern over the global consequences of coal would apply to other goods that move through the city and its ports under this approach the city would have to hold gas station owners responsible for greenhouse gas emissions from cars that refuel at their facility he said
the vote comes at a time when oakland is increasingly shifting toward technology jobs   and away from the citys blue collar heritage pandora the streaming music service is based in oakland and uber is moving its headquarters there next year


brussels   less than 24 hours after britain threw europes postwar order into disarray last thursday by voting to leave the european union dozens of officials from the blocs 28 member countries and its executive arm met behind closed doors in a drab brussels office block to discuss the urgent issues at hand
the meeting ended without a decision however and was followed on monday by more inconclusive and confidential wrangling in the albert borschette congress center in brussels
the main issue under discussion was not brexit as britains departure from the bloc is called but another divisive cause embraced by british foes of the european union the freedom to use certain types of weed killer
while berlin europes de facto capital has hosted crisis meetings in recent days to discuss how to respond to britains vote brussels the putative capital of europe has stuck doggedly to its own stately rhythms on friday and monday it plowed ahead with arcane debates about weeds fish organic farming and other subjects that have come to form the substance of the so called european project
this scrutiny of technical minutiae has turned the european union into a regulatory superpower allowing it to help set norms and standards used around the world but that tight focus has crippled its ability to grapple with big issues or to engage with many ordinary people as the british vote showed many people feel no connection with what began as an idealistic peace project after world war ii but is now widely viewed as a meddling and undemocratic bureaucratic machine
one thing many in brussels now agree on is that something has to change in the way the european union works but deciding what that is exactly will not happen swiftly frans timmermans the dutch first vice president of the blocs executive body the european commission cautioned monday in a post on facebook
the brexit vote is not an isolated incident and is not just about europe mr timmermans wrote it is also about a broad sentiment in western societies that we have lost control of our destinies
the search for some sort of answer will start on tuesday at a previously scheduled two day summit meeting of european leaders it will be the first full gathering of the leaders including the british prime minister david cameron since last thursdays referendum the group will consider for the first time how to respond to the british vote
but the leaders will do so only after sticking to the original agenda focused on migration investment and other matters the all important discussion will be squeezed into a dinner attended by mr cameron and other leaders on tuesday the british leader will then be excluded from the second day of the summit meeting when leaders of the 27 remaining countries will begin assessing the future direction of the bloc without britain
founded on the premise that countries including former enemies can and must work in harmony the european union with its elaborate machinery of consensus driven decision making instinctively recoils from any public airing of the blocs anxieties and deep divisions
the eu was not set up as a crisis management organization but now it obviously has to become one said paul adamson a longtime british lobbyist based in brussels and founder of esharp an online magazine devoted to european affairs
like nearly all britons in brussels mr adamson said he was stunned and angered by the victory for opponents of the european union we are all in shock and trying to come with terms with what happened he said
he added that there is still a lot to play for including the possibility that britain might decide not to quit after all or opt for a close association agreement that would be tantamount to staying
about the only britons celebrating in brussels are the 24 members of the european parliament from the uk independence party or ukip a driving force behind the brexit campaign i have been campaigning for years to lose my job stuart agnew a ukip member of parliament said of his position in brussels
confronted with the biggest crisis to hit europes six decade push for greater integration the european commission has sought to present a face of implacable calm despite anguish over brexit among its officials
asked on monday at a news briefing what conclusions the commission might draw from the british vote its chief spokesman margaritis schinas said that this was a matter for britain the commission didnt call the referendum he said the ones who did are the ones who have to draw conclusions
behind the scenes most britons working in the commission and other european institutions in brussels are in a state of barely disguised despair
catherine bearder a british member of the european parliament for the liberal democrats said she felt gutted on monday
i think there is a feeling across the board of what on earth is britain doing  she said
mr cameron has said he will resign by october suggesting that london might wait until then to formally start the withdrawal process but officials in brussels want the pace sped up chancellor angela merkel of germany by contrast has shown some sympathy for britains play for time
waiting until october to start negotiating on the terms of britains exit and its future relationship with the bloc might give time for britain to perhaps change its mind but this would also slow any efforts to reshape a union that even the most stalwart fans of european integration acknowledge is far from perfect
those who support the idea of turning europe into a federal state are even hoping that the crisis set off by the british vote will invigorate their sagging cause a prospect that is unlikely to fly
british opponents of the bloc campaigned on the idea that the constant meddling of unelected officials in brussels was holding their country down and destroying its way of life by banning weed killers in one example
now eu fat cats want to ban our weed killer read a headline in april in the daily express a british tabloid that supported the brexit campaign
in reality officials in the european commission have been pushing for months to extend an approval first granted in 2002 and now set to expire on friday for the use in europe of popular weed killers like roundup
but they had problems getting member states to agree in the standing committee on plants animals food and feeds delays by france germany and other governments meant that the issue like many others in the european union continued to be kicked down the road
the idea that we wanted a ban was just one of the false myths spread by british tabloids said enricio brivio a spokesman for the european commissions department that deals with health and food safety what could we do i do not know
mr agnew the ukip member of the european parliament acknowledged that the officials had actually tried to do the right thing he nonetheless derided their fruitless efforts as a symptom of the eus shambolic decision making
as debates on weed killer and other matters continue in brussels the european commission is trying to avoid a breakdown of its bureaucratic system in the event that the hundreds of british citizens working in the organization suddenly decide to leave it has assured them that their jobs are safe despite their countrys vote to withdraw
the most senior briton in the apparatus the commissioner of financial services jonathan hill resigned over the weekend in response to the referendum result
some lower officials are hanging tight for the moment saying they did not come to brussels just to work for britain it remains to be seen many cautioned whether brussels gets the message that there needs to be fundamental reform of the european project


kean university home of the nascent michael graves college for architecture and design has received permission from its board of trustees to purchase three of gravess properties in princeton nj   including his residence and studio the warehouse   for 20
graves a prolific architect a standard bearer of postmodernism in the 1980s and a popularizer of designer versions of teakettles and other everyday objects died last year through his will he donated the properties to princeton university his neighbor and longtime employer
but princeton rejected the gift
we were grateful to be able to consider the possibility of accepting michael gravess properties but concluded that we could not meet the terms and conditions associated with the gift the university said in a statement
among those terms and conditions were preserving the houses and making them fit for educational purposes   a cost that kean said it was willing to take on dawood farahi keans president said that annual maintenance was estimated at 30000 to 40000 and retrofitting the buildings for student use would cost about 300000 the three properties were appraised for a total value of nearly 32 million
gravess firm first approached kean which is between princeton and new york city in union nj about purchasing the properties this year his will stated that if princeton did not accept the gift it would be offered to another nonprofit kean was a logical choice graves spent the last years of his life working with the university to create its new architecture program which admitted its inaugural class last fall
the warehouse is a microcosm of gravess design ethos a postmodern with a nod toward classicism holistic treatment of interior and exterior spaces it is a perfect expression of michaels humanistic design philosophy with its thoughtful integration of architecture interiors furniture artifacts artwork and landscape linda kinsey a principal at michael graves architecture  design said in a statement
under keans ownership little is expected to change about the warehouse graves used the space as a residence and art studio but he also treated the house as a museum and gathering place for seminars and salons we would use the house the way michael did david mohney dean of the michael graves college said and the scale of use would be consistent
for students the house will be a resource center for learning about one of the most influential architects of the past half century as well as a space for lectures and studio work mr mohney said it would also be open to princeton students the warehouse is adjacent to princetons campus and about a half mile from its school of architecture
this will be an opportunity for students to see firsthand what life was like for a major architect mr mohney said he added that the other properties   a two story stone house and a small residence   would be used for a variety of functions including as lodging for visiting lecturers
graves was paralyzed from the waist down in 2003 as a result of a spinal cord infection and spent years relearning how to live and work renovating the warehouse to accommodate his needs its furnishings were not included in the will which was not explicit about whether the house and its contents should be kept together purchasing the fixtures from the graves estate to keep them from becoming separated is under discussion mr mohney said
it was certainly michaels intention he added


sometimes the pleasures of food arent packed in remarkable tastes but in textures and when it comes to mochi the japanese rice dough much of its appeal can be attributed to a glorious bounce or a gelatinous squish or a comforting kind of gloop
one of the most popular ways to eat mochi is in the sweet packages known as daifuku the dough is stretched around a filling of red bean paste or creams in flavors like green tea chocolate or strawberries
this dumpling like sweet is one of many japanese confections developed over hundreds of years that transform rice and beans into exquisite little mouthfuls traditionally to accompany tea
its easy to grab plastic wrapped daifuku at japanese grocery stores in new york and to spot boxes of mochi ice cream in supermarket freezer aisles frozen mochi have the same basic structure as daifuku but swap the fillings out for scoops of ice cream like dairy free coconut or chocolate mint chip
fresh handmade mochi is harder to find but tomoko kato cooks a batch three times a week at patisserie tomoko in williamsburg brooklyn and a visit to her kitchen showed that despite the confections pedigree sweet mochi dough can be simple to make with just three ingredients that come together in minutes
the payoff is rich ms kato serves big tender daifuku that are almost slippery with dough as smooth and soft to the touch as a kittens paw pad
ms kato 38 was born in hokkaido japan and has worked as a pastry chef in french and japanese restaurants she has been making mochi for a decade ever since a customer requested that she serve more traditional japanese sweets
ms kato went down a rabbit hole reading books about mochi varieties and techniques and testing ratios of flour to sugar along with many brands of rice flours until she found her own style of dough
street vendors in japan can be seen using long wooden mallets to make mochi dough sometimes taking turns smashing the rice like two blacksmiths across an anvil doubling their power and speed for sweet mochi specialty rice flours can provide a shortcut and require way less muscle
behind the counter at her shop with her hair tucked behind a brightly colored bandanna ms kato measured out sugar water and shiratamako flour which she likes for the smooth elastic quality it lends the finished dough mochiko flour more commonly available and sometimes called sweet rice flour or glutinous rice flour will also get the job done
after ms kato whisked the gritty looking shiratamako with water the tiny pellets dissolved completely she poured the slurry through a strainer just in case then added the sugar
this basic mixture could be steamed in a double boiler or even blasted for a few minutes in the microwave but ms kato stirred the ghostly white liquid in a pan on the stove until it thickened first into a sticky lumpy paste and then into a heavier tighter mass it was nearly there
she slapped the smooth dough around the pan with a wooden spoon to discourage catching and browning and to allow some excess water to evaporate the dough was finished in just five or six minutes when it became very shiny ms kato coaxed the blob out onto a generous dusting of potato starch which prevents the dough from sticking but doesnt alter the flavor
after it cooled a bit ms kato folded pieces of the dough around fillings anko a traditional red bean paste made from adzuki beans and sugar and a chocolate ganache that ms kato had infused with just enough earl grey tea to give it a delicate whiff of bergamot making anko from scratch takes some time but the filling is available ready made in cans for those who want to use it ms kato suggests popping it into a pan to dry it out a little first
the mochi dough hardened as it cooled but not much it was still comically sticky home cooks can use a rolling pin a lot of potato starch and a positive attitude to get the dough around fillings ms kato used her fingers holding the dough in the air and spreading it across the bean paste so evenly that it was nearly translucent
shaping neat symmetrical daifuku is the trickiest part of the process to master but the beginner can easily repair holes or pinch off excess dough and hide a seam on the bottom ugly daifuku are still delicious and a joy to eat the mochi yielding so easily that it feels as if it wants to be consumed
but the fresh dough deteriorates quickly turning dry and stiff within just two days and losing its lovely tender chewiness mochi enthusiasts know how to deal with this setback eat it all as soon as you can
mochi ice cream has started to give the dough a much higher profile in the united states mikawaya based in los angeles started selling the product locally in the early 1990s and pushed it into major supermarket chains by 2014 trader joes was advertising a fully americanized pumpkin pie mochi ice cream just in time for thanksgiving
mochi is right where the macaron was 10 years ago said ken gordon who founded the new york mochi ice cream company mochidoki
at patisserie tomoko ms kato also serves fresh mochi with ice cream she cuts the dough into small pieces and scatters these on a plate with smudges of creamy white bean paste she scoops a grassy barely sweet green tea sorbet onto white chocolate ganache and garnishes it with coin size meringues that break easily then strings syrupy candied yuzu zest across it all
its a fantastic clutter of textures sure it tastes great too but thats almost beside the point
recipe sweet mochi with red bean filling


a cocktail at the ritz paris is more compelling than ever a renovation has given the hotel three bars instead of two first choice is still the wood paneled memorabilia filled bar hemingway in the back there colin field mixes drinks like the mach2 four parts scotch and two parts green chartreuse with a good splash of ginger syrup served on the rocks and light and refreshing enough for summer opposite is the new ritz bar bistro style with food all day and a deep wine list and then there is bar vendome steps from the hotels main entrance and a magnet for fashionistas ritz paris 15 place vendome paris 011 33 1 43 16 30 30


just for the fourth of july yankee red hots sausages are being sold to take home from pig beach a seasonal mostly outdoor restaurant serving smoked meat overlooking the gowanus canal in brooklyn the links are made in house from pork riddled with bits of provolone and pickled hot cherry peppers the restaurant smokes them before grilling home cooks should roast them at 250 degrees for 20 minutes then brown them on the grill or in a skillet as they cook they ooze cheese yankee red hots 20 for four to pick up at pig beach 480 union street bond street gowanus brooklyn 718 737 7181 pigbeachnyccom to order in advance at infopigbeachnyccom


among the many thousands of books and artifacts at the center for jewish history are cookbooks and manuscripts a small but well curated selection of them is on display bonnie slotnick who owns the vintage cookbook store in the east village will talk about the books june 29 in a lecture starting at 6 pm the cookbooks come from the collections of the five partner organizations of the jewish history center including the yeshiva university museum and the yivo institute for jewish research nourishing tradition jewish cookbooks and the stories they tell through sept 9 center for jewish history 15 west 16th street 212 868 4444 cjhorg admission to the talk and a reception afterward is free with reservations cjhorgevent2895


the vision behind this collection of nordic accented food stands in the stately landmark vanderbilt hall at grand central terminal belongs to claus meyer the danish food entrepreneur a partner in noma who is juggling several projects in new york as a food hall not a market it is all about prepared food to eat in or take out the bakery stand meyers bageri has breads pastries sandwiches and whole grain flatbreads with various toppings including richly burnished cauliflower open rye specializes in smorrebrod open faced sandwiches and the grain bar starts the day with granolas then segues into a beer bar after 4 pm almanak specializes in salads and smoothies and will soon offer small plates a seating area with waiter service is adjacent as is a liquor bar the great northern food hall vanderbilt hall grand central terminal greatnorthernfoodcom


scampi in italy are not shrimp theyre langoustine tails and fresh wild ones from iceland   very large sweet and moist but firm   are available at freshdirect extract the meat to toss in a saute pan with good olive oil garlic parsley and a splash of white wine or boil them in very salty water for about six minutes to serve chilled with a sauce wild langoustines 599 each 18 for four three to four a pound freshdirectcom


the undeniable practicality of plastic glassware for outdoors is combined with attractive design in these glasses from pubware theres a stemless wine glass heavy in the hand and thin at the drinking edge while still thick enough to insulate so the rose stays cool the same thoughtful design applies to the 16 ounce beer glass as well as a 20 ounce version a rocks glass and a cordial all are dishwasher safe and bpa free and claim resistance to clouding and cracking pubware 2499 to 5499 for four glasses 1799 each with monogram or other lettering pubwarecom


there are very few sad moments when it comes to baking butter cakes with ripe summer berries
true there could be some fretting when it comes to waiting for the cake to cool and theres always the resigned sigh when the last piece is devoured and all the crumbs licked off the plate
but for the most part a soft moist cake dotted with juicy berries that explode into tart jammy pockets in the ovens heat should yield nothing but pleasure
unless that is youve got your heart set on a cake in which the berries remain on top in a colorful design instead of sinking into the batter
this was my goal and it seemed like a modest one but as i witnessed cake after cake emerge from the oven with the pretty berries id arranged on top sunken beneath the golden crumb i realized it would take some finessing
i could have tinkered with the structure of the cake so it could physically support the berries but i didnt want to muck with its melt in the mouth lusciousness rich with butter and almond flour for tenderness and speckled tan with buckwheat flour for a nutty grainy depth the crumb had the taste and texture i wanted
so instead i changed pans
part of the reason berries sink in a butter cake is because there is plenty of room underneath them in a standard cake pan in a shallower pan theres no place to fall
a 10 inch tart pan worked perfectly the berries stayed on top of the batter collapsing only minimally and retaining their color and shape and the cake surrounding them was still soft and velvety
because id envisioned this cake as the finale to a fourth of july barbecue i formed the berries into patriotic strawberry raspberry and blueberry stripes adding a sprinkle of confectioners sugar and a dollop of whipped cream the white to go with all that red and blue
but feel free to lay your berries in any shape you like   stars smiley faces rhombuses other fruit works well too if youve got plums or nectarines instead of berries
then be sure to serve this cake on the same day that its baked leftovers will make for a rather soggy breakfast the next day and that is a sad cake moment you ought to avoid
recipes buckwheat berry striped cake  fourth of july


my introduction to the holy month of ramadan during which observant muslims fast from dawn to sunset was a bowl of harira soup it was served to me one evening in an antiques shop in southern morocco the hospitable owner of the shop knew that most of his customers had been fasting all day so he passed little bowls of cinnamon scented harira
harira is what happens to dried legumes   lentils chickpeas fava beans   when they are simmered slowly with onion tomato and saffron until the various components collapse into a delightfully spiced velvet textured whole the soup is traditionally the first thing one eats to break the fast every night along with a few dates and beghrir  sweet semolina pancakes a large dinner follows and then a large morning meal is eaten before sunrise when fasting begins again
i have been making versions of that soup at home for years now it is endlessly appealing and variations even in morocco are the norm from house to house and region to region
harira has a lot of things going for it the soup tastes best a few hours or even a day after it is made so cooking it in advance is ideal and its perfect for a crowd so making a big pot of it makes sense last but not least everyone loves it
recipes for harira typically call for lamb in some cases chicken but usually in rather minuscule quantities say a half pound for an entire pot cut into small pieces it is added more as a flavoring than to have meat in the soup some cooks add a lamb shank to the simmering pot or a meaty lamb bone or some use broth instead of water 
this however is a vegetarian harira and no less satisfying
a combination of dried legumes gives this humble soup complexity i used two types of lentil red and brown i sometimes use chickpeas as well but because my spice man always stocks peeled dried fava beans which disintegrate beautifully i chose those
the whole point of harira is a creamy smoothness so you want the lentils and favas completely soft you can puree a jarful in a blender and add it back to the pot to help achieve the proper consistency thick enough to eat with a spoon yet thin enough to sip if you refrigerate the soup overnight it may thicken significantly thin it with a bit of water when reheating and dont forget to adjust the salt
the end of ramadan and of fasting is celebrated with eid al fitr a three day festival of prayer charity and elaborate family feasting that begins in the americas this year on july 6 though savory foods are served harira during this period gives way to sweets and pastries of many kinds
but moroccan cooks make harira throughout the year as well often as a handy one pot meal consider yourself free to do so too
recipes harira soup  celebrating ramadan


in the span of a decade the egg   embellished as the farm egg on many menus   has become an easy and cost effective way for chefs to telegraph a connection to a local farm whether real or imagined
eggs show up simmered in pools of cream to be eaten with toast floating in bowls of hipster ramen and sliding off cheeseburgers made with grass fed beef
i started to feel like bernie sanders when i saw one on a menu enough with the farm egg already
then i found myself staring down at a sophisticated bowl of smoky soupy grits with an egg on top at the barn the premier restaurant here at blackberry farm 30 miles south of knoxville tenn
cassidee dabney the executive chef invented the dish last summer when she had a sous chef smoke some chicken wings for a fourth of july barbecue contest among the staff at the same time she was trying to brew a superrich chicken stock fortified with extra bones and chicken feet
things happened and i completely forgot about those wings she said they were too smoky for the contest so she threw some into the stock it was a happy little accident she said now we steep them in broth almost like tea
her dish starts with a strain of corn called bloody butcher she grinds it fresh and simmers the grits in three parts water to one part milk an egg   preferably gathered from nearby fields during the late spring and summer when the chickens have lots of bugs to eat and the yolks turn deep orange   gets a sous vide bath and then goes into the bowl
next comes a ladle or two of smoky chicken stock punched up with a little lemon juice she spoons on chicken skin cracklings chopped peanuts that have been candied in syrup and black pepper and grits that she has frozen into a block and then shaved into a deep fat fryer fritos style
a little sliced radish and some chives offer contrast
its such a sneaker dish she said you get this bowl of brown stuff with an egg and youre like this looks terrible but then you taste it and you cant believe how good it is
i will never make fun of a farm egg again


there have long been apps for making cocktails but now theres one thats as nice looking as it is authoritative thanks to its founding partners a cfda award winning instagrammer and a james beard award winning bartender the liquor cabinet available on itunes beginning today offers classic recipes tested and refined by maxwell britten who slung drinks at williamsburgs maison premiere when it was recognized for its outstanding bar program at the beard awards earlier this year
patrick janelle who won the cfdas first fashion instagrammer of the year award two years ago aguynamedpatrick started the liquor cabinet with his brothers as a creative agency centered around cocktails before bringing on britten one of their first projects was to reimagine the minibars at the roxy hotel in tribeca patrick and i travel a lot and stay in so many different hotels and there was always the urge to hack these minibars and make them more usable and versatile says britten together they curated a set of spirits designed to accommodate a broad range of tastes   and create a diverse set of drinks the new app includes a section devoted to bottles of spirits researched and reviewed by britten
for a recent backyard cocktail party in brooklyn britten put a twist on a summer classic the paloma cocktail using an unusual ingredient gordys fine cocktail brine the resulting drink   named after the palomas birthplace la capilla in jalisco   melds the stuff with mezcal curacao watermelon and grapefruit according to janelle the strong heavy acid flavor of the brine seems very of the moment as food and cocktails are not so even and well balanced right now but are tending toward stronger bolder flavors britten served the drink with slices of watermelon balanced on each glass he handed them out zested some lime on top and sprinkled over maldon salt below he shares the recipe for the new concoction and the original on which it was based as it appears in the app
1  1/2  ounces mezcal amaras  3/4  ounce pierre ferrand curacao  1/2  ounce gordys cocktail pickle brine 1 ounce watermelon juice  1/2  ounce fresh grapefruit juice  1/2  ounce fresh lime juice 1 small watermelon wedge for garnish lime for garnish maldon sea salt for garnish
1 pour the first six ingredients in a shaker tin add ice and shake well
2 fine strain the drink into a double rocks glass filled with ice
3 balance the watermelon triangle on top of the glass grate fresh lime zest on top using a microplane and then sprinkle with maldon salt enjoy
1  3/4  ounces herradura silver tequila  1/2  ounce fresh lime juice grapefruit soda salt for garnish
1 add the tequila and lime juice to a shaker shake without ice
2 line the rim of a collins or double rocks glass with salt and add ice traditionally this would be served in a collins glass but ours doesnt fit the large wheel of grapefruit we like to garnish the drink with
3 pour the contents of the shaker into the glass and top with the soda enjoy


in alice waeses fort greene home and studio alongside a bookcase piled high with others adventures are shelves filled with objects that illustrate her own story as a jewelry designer meteorite like silver rings among the first pieces she made six years ago lie near sleek double finger rings that resemble mini richard serra sculptures she points to a solid gold bobby pin and turns over a new unfinished bracelet lined with silver pistachios that open and close i have a bit more of a commercial sensibility at this point but its an evolution of what ive always done says waese a former design assistant to maria cornejo who began selling pieces in 2010 while in art school at the london shop hostem its still stream of consciousness i start somewhere and end up someplace else
her fallwinter 2016 collection due in stores like if boutique tokyos arts  science and of course hostem next month is rooted in a series of fantastical drawings from her imagination some of the items a gold swan ring with emerald eyes and a necklace bearing a spoon pendant appear to be reproduced directly from waeses sketches and all have a naivete about them i used these mushy childlike textures she says explaining that she did the first ones herself in wax and then developed molds using lost wax casting for production in manhattans jewelry district for the stones i carved out holes and set them in there and melted around them   i didnt use any prongs so each piece ends up being a little different
waese champions a season less approach so the pieces can be passed on for generations and they pick up a persons energy she says although she shows her jewelry alongside the pair of clothing collections she designs per year and three clothing seasons in she considers herself a part of the fashion world about as much as she does the jewelry world which is to say not very much waese maintains that its possible to be a niche brand and to grow slowly and respectfully getting lots of attention isnt the goal she continues the goal is well conceived orders that dont compromise on quality thats satisfying for me   and magical


in paris a growing appetite for italian food has encouraged chefs to offer pizzas and pastas at reasonable prices   in handsome settings
it comes as little surprise that daroco the new design forward italian eatery in what was once jean paul gaultiers first store attracted a star studded crowd in its opening week with much of the spaces original footprint left untouched the same hulking door exposed brick and stone and expansive windows it was transformed into a chic trattoria with mirrored ceilings sleek velour banquettes and an open kitchen from the mezzanine diners can watch the servers in their breton stripes some in tops designed by le slip francais some in saint james both a nod to monsieur gaultier maneuver the dining room below carrying well dressed plates of antipasti and pizza and past the tables at the back at the end of a dark corridor craft cocktails designed by the french mixologist nico de soto co owner of new york citys mace bar are available at the 45 seat corner bar
6 rue vivienne 75002 011 33 1 42 21 93 71
the roman chef giovanni passerini cultivated a following at the helm of the beloved gastronomic restaurant rino in the 12th arrondissement since it closed in march 2014 his fans have anxiously awaited his next move until earlier this year when he opened a fresh pasta boutique and in may he debuted a namesake restaurant next door eschewing the ubiquitous fixed menu format in favor of casual a la carte plates made with humble italian staples dishes include white asparagus with sage and parmesan fava bean ravioli with fresh peas and pecorino and fish served whole for sharing
65 rue traversiere 75012 passeriniparis
fueled by his own childhood love for the pizza trucks so common in his native southern france fabien lombardi transitioned from mixologist to pizzeria owner last fall his restaurant faggio   located only 10 minutes from lentree des artistes one of south pigalles leading cocktail and small plates bars that lombardi previously co owned   features fresh antipasti and 10 kinds of wood oven pizza in a space that checks many brooklyn design boxes from edison bulbs and white tiling to exposed brick guests linger over pies from classic margherita to the more exotic salmoriglio a white pizza with persillade and stracciatella and glasses of natural wines
72 rue de rouchechouart 75009 faggiofr
less than a year after closing the doors to roseval a modest neo bistro in the 20th arrondissement and chef simone tondos first restaurant the 28 year old sardinian chef has made a spirited return to the food scene with an elegant space formerly la gazetta where he worked under the tutelage of chef petter nilsson and a product driven menu the 60 euro prix fixe dinner offers five to six courses with dishes that pay homage to his favorite terroirs in france and italy like pigeon with zucchini and cherries and tuna tonnato with a heartwarming fresh pasta plate tucked in between
29 rue de cotte 75012 tondo pariscom
from fine dining to pastry japanese chefs have been commanding attention in the paris food scene for years but akira sugiura head chef at the lumen hotel is arguably the first to do so for his riffs on italian cuisine his experience cooking in kitchens from tokyo and sydney to genoa and paris where he was previously second in command at youlin lys one michelin star restaurant sola comes to light in his italian fusion cuisine at lumen which is also overseen by youlin ly he dresses up italian bases with japanese condiments
15 rue des pyramides 75001 hotel lumenpariscom


times insider delivers behind the scenes insights from the new york times majd al waheidi is a gaza based stringer a freelance reporter who regularly contributes to the times in this piece she describes a recent   and for her a rare   trip to israel
as a reporter i have come to know the gazan borders very intimately i once made several reporting trips to a village near the fence for a story about illegal crossings
but though i live so close to israel it is a world away for me
last month i crossed the border and left gaza for only the third time in my life i was traveling to israel to obtain a visa for a summer fellowship in washington dc
security on the gazan side of the border consists of two separate checkpoints the first which gazans call 44 is controlled by hamas and the second 55 is controlled by the palestinian authority
44 and 55 are within half a mile of each other but the two checkpoints represent a lingering division among palestinians   one that i reported on in 2015
the passageway between israel and gaza is a long tunnel enclosed by wires and metal after passing through 44 and 55 i was ferried through the tunnel in a tuk tuk a small motorized cart with room for two or four people my luggage was carried in a separate van
when crossing here at erez gazans often post photos of the tunnel on social media to confirm that theyve made it this far i took a picture but chose not to share it it felt unfair to the gazans who are unable to leave
next came the israeli terminal which resembles a large glass box
after the last war israel eased some of their restrictions and hundreds of gazans crossed every day most of the people who obtained permits were either businessmen or local staff members of international organizations
fewer than 10 people were sitting on the chairs waiting for the soldier in the glass enclosure to call each name many of them were mothers with their children most i assumed were patients in need of medical treatment
they called me a few minutes after i arrived an israeli soldier sitting on a tall chair behind the glass gave me my permit and my id
it is rare that i see an israeli in person israel withdrew from gaza in 2005 and i was too young then to remember their presence however i witnessed three wars in less than six years the last one was devastating i remember the warplanes and f 16s and artillery shells
at erez i saw members of the israeli defense forces but not the same ones who fought in wars that left people dead and homes destroyed i saw israeli soldiers working administrative jobs soldiers who help people wanting to leave i used english with them because i felt they wouldnt understand me otherwise   though they speak arabic very well
everyone who has passed through the tunnel has told me the same thing the moment we leave gaza the air changes it becomes clean i noticed it too
after a two hour cab ride i arrived at the american consulate in jerusalem completed my interview and received my visa i then had several days to sightsee
i toured jerusalems old city and prayed in the al aqsa mosque   a site of frequent conflict i visited the western wall and watched as people prayed
jerusalem was bubbling with life music spices perfumes the people were of many colors and faiths and there were many pilgrims in the old city all three faiths   christianity judaism islam   commingled with sacred sites sometimes just a few feet away from one another
the next day i visited haifa it appeared less tense than jerusalem and in some places the mixing of different people was beautifully manifest there you could use shalom and as salamu alaykum interchangeably
i also visited the bahai gardens at the heart of which stands the golden domed shrine of the bab the resting place of the prophet herald of the bahai faith the gardens were immensely beautiful but i was reminded that gaza has only one public garden the unknown soldiers square where jobless and poor people sit and watch each other
then came my most poignant experience a friend drove me to tiberias a small city on the shores of the sea of galilee starving after many hours without food i ate dinner at a nearby kibbutzs restaurant for tourists when i asked why the streets were empty i was reminded that it was the jewish sabbath
i entered the restaurant and found people eating and laughing together i was nervous earlier in the day there had been tensions at the border between hamas and israel
but my curiosity kept me from leaving i ate salmon and drank pepsi i worried about what everyone would do if they discovered i was a palestinian but nobody seemed suspicious
i also thought about what palestinians would say if they knew i entered and ate in such a place like a normal tourist some palestinians i thought might see this as a crime of treason a normalization with the enemy
i exchanged smiles with several people maybe they thought i was korean as sometimes happens in gaza
what i noticed during my meal was a sense of harmony love and unity it was overwhelming i saw maybe one or two tables of big families children doing their homework women chatting with each other
around this time my friends and colleagues called to say that three babies had burned to death in their home at a refugee camp in gaza the fire was started by a candle that was being used during a power outage i cried the next morning it felt too normal
i visited israels border with jordan and syria i saw ruins   of houses and of a mosque   that reminded me of gaza the buildings were left destroyed after the war between israel and syria there was graffiti on the walls in hebrew arabic and english a big pink heart with bff written inside dedications and love letters a sentence in arabic declaring that isis had arrived here allahu akbar and the word gaza
i interviewed one family who was visiting the place it was empty and calm the walls were black as if theyd been set on fire i wondered what had happened to the people who used to live and pray here
two days after i returned to gaza i visited the mobile home of a displaced family whose previous home had been destroyed during the last war
it was close to the border fence
the moment i entered i thought of the israeli kibbutz there was a similar sense of harmony
but here in the caravan quarter of beit hanoun in northern gaza there were no restaurants no schools no nature


good morning
were trying something new this week california today a morning update for our california readers tell us what youd like to see catodaynytimescom
across california public transit agencies are pushing ballot measures in search of money for just about everything related to transit new rail lines highway widening and even pothole filling
santa clara county will vote in november on a half cent sales tax to finance transportation projects
similar measures will be on the ballot in sacramento county and very likely san diego county possibly several other bay area counties as well
los angeles county decided last week to put a half cent tax on the ballot for the third time in just eight years
these small sales tax increases have become perhaps the only realistic way to pay for ambitious transportation projects said brian d taylor a professor of urban planning at ucla
voters and elected officials have become very hostile to increases in fuel taxes he said
in 2008 voters in los angeles approved a half cent sales tax increase for 30 years that has financed projects like the long awaited rail line connecting downtown to the beach which just opened
never mind that the trip is often still faster by car
four years later voters rejected a plan to extend that los angeles county sales tax another 30 years
now were headed to the ballot box again   only this time the sales tax hike would be permanent
 with concerns about climate change growing oakland banned the transport and storage of large coal shipments halting a plan to a use a former army base to ship coal to china and other overseas markets
 after last weeks supreme court ruling will undocumented immigrants in california and around the country go back to avoiding the authorities many vow to keep living in the open
 the tragedy is that more of them didnt die remarks by extremist pastors celebrating the massacre in orlando fla including one in sacramento have brought attention to anti gay congregations
 the ad industry is confronting the rise of facebook our media columnist offers a report from cannes france
 the drone craze may be heading to the water openrov a start up in berkeley is building submarine drone kits
 a new battlefront for tech giants amazon is going up against apple google and microsoft in the education technology market for primary and secondary schools
 airbnb which helped craft a rental law in san francisco is now suing the city to block the laws enforcement
 gov jerry brown signed a 171 billion state budget for the next fiscal year including 2 billion for a rainy day fund he invoked the fable of the ant and the grasshopper to explain why sacramento bee
 in a community scorched by wildfire residents believed their homes were left to burn because firefighters were protecting wealthier areas los angeles times
 the oceanside police said a woman suspected of drunken driving struck and killed a pedestrian then drove for a mile with the victims body lodged in the front seat nbc san diego
 how crazy is the san francisco rental market one tenant had his rent hiked to 8000 from 1800 sfgate
 a former top los angeles sheriffs department official was sentenced to five years in prison prosecutors said he tried to block a federal investigation into the abuse of inmates at county jails los angeles times
 the artificial turf fields at san diego schools save lots of water but parents are worried that the fields made in part of crushed old car tires are harming their childrens health voice of san diego
 now that lebron james has brought an nba title to cleveland san diego sports fans have been ranked the most miserable and title deprived in the country on the bright side they still get to live in san diego espn
you know this bear
it flies on the state flag and dances on the sideline at ucla football games
but how well exactly do you want to know this bear especially if youve seen the scene of leonardo dicaprio attacked by one in the revenant
in fact the last california grizzly bear was killed nearly 100 years ago
now the center for biological diversity wants to bring the bears back to the california
grizzly bears are endangered in the continental united states they live only in yellowstone national park and a few other remote locations
the bears the group said would not be running around downtown san francisco
they could be safely reintroduced in the remote sierra nevada
on its website the group describes grizzlies as eating mostly nuts berries fish and small animals and only the occasional person who pokes a camera in their face
not exactly reassuring
this past week a black bear known as a skittish animal clawed its way into a tent and scratched a man who was camping about 30 miles from los angeles
grizzlies are far larger and more aggressive than black bears
for now federal and state officials convinced that a 1100 pound grizzly bear would eventually end up in a campground have not yet shown interest in bringing them back
california today is a weekday roundup that stays live from 6 am pacific time until late morning
what would you like to see here to start your day email us at catodaynytimescom or reach us via twitter using catoday
follow the california today columnist ian lovett on twitter


before the start of the ninth inning of the yankees game against the texas rangers on monday night aroldis chapman warmed up in the bullpen preparing to help the yankees escape with a one run victory in what had become a rain soaked affair
chapman trudged his way through the wet grass of the outfield while the grounds crew worked furiously to sprinkle bags of infield conditioner along the dirt trying to absorb excess moisture on a surface with a consistency that had begun to resemble porridge when chapman finished his warm up tosses and rangers catcher robinson chirinos the ninth hitter in the order stepped into the box workers were still raking over soft patches creating a diamond that mimicked the pattern of a marbled rye with new and dampened dirt mixing together
through earlier innings and an uninterrupted rain that had never deviated much in force yankees manager joe girardi had not publicly displayed concern
once the grounds crew exited the field perhaps girardi began noticing the muddy puddles that had incrementally increased in depth along the borders of the dugouts or maybe the indicator that conditions might no longer be conducive to baseball came when chapman did not display the usual zip on his fastball falling short of the 100 mile per hour mark that he has frequently touched this season
chirinos a 178 hitter watched the ball repeatedly sail wide of the zone for a 3 0 count two pitches later chirinos walked
shin soo choo drew a 3 1 count with that girardi stepped out of the yankees dugout suddenly enlightened or perhaps aware of the effect the weather was having on his closers grip of the baseball
girardi held a discussion with the umpiring crew after which stadium workers were summoned to begin unrolling the tarp bringing rangers manager jeff banister onto the field
in an animated meeting with umpires banister appeared to be question why now after multiple hours of rain   and chapmans control problems   the game was being halted
banister appealed in vain at 1040 pm with the yankees leading 6 5 the game entered into a rain delay that lasted 3 hours 35 minutes coincidentally the game had begun 21 minutes late in anticipation of rain that did not come then had the game started on time there might have been no controversial stop in the ninth inning
crew chief paul nauert said at no time up until the ninth did he feel the field condition or heaviness of the rain affected the game he also said that neither manager complained to that point
after the game though which the rangers came back to win 9 6 at 244 am girardi was lost as to why the game even reached the ninth inning claiming that he thought the game could have been stopped in the seventh
frustrating girardi bluntly replied when asked to describe the loss
nauert said that his crews intention was to try to finish the game to give both teams an equal fair opportunity and that they were going to wait as long as we could
the rangers had good reason to wait out the weather by major league rules had the game been called it would have reverted to the end of the eighth inning and the yankees would have won
instead about 50 fans lingered impatiently through a storm that grew in intensity as tuesday morning arrived police officers guarding the field without jackets or umbrellas stood in uniforms glued to their bodies from the precipitation after they had remained in place for three hours
at 140 am three hours to the minute after the game was paused the tarp was turned over in left field ready to be rerolled girardi having removed his jersey examined the infield as banister trailed close behind and yankees general manager brian cashman strolled around the perimeter brett gardner stayed in the yankees dugout arms folded looking agitated
eventually the outlines of the batters boxes were repainted white and the yankees fielders began tossing along the first base line while barry manilows i made it through the rain played through the stadiums sound system
when play resumed at 215 am tuesday the details of the early innings were all but forgotten the yankees had overcome a rocky start by ivan nova who had allowed four runs in five innings rangers starter chi chi gonzalez had fared no better though and the yankees had tagged him for five runs and 10 hits in five innings
leading the charge were carlos beltran and mark teixeira hours after the yankees announced that alex rodriguez would sit against a right handed starter for the second straight day beltran moved into the designated hitter slot and picked up three hits scoring two runs teixeira homered for the second consecutive game among his three hits and he too scored twice
when the ninth inning resumed as cleaning crews were already well into their work collecting debris in the upper level the rangers could be heard cheering on choo their spirits had been lifted after hours of idleness and uncertainty once they were informed that the game would be resumed
i wanted to win so bad today because i dont think it was fair for where they called it the game rangers third baseman adrian beltre said we were playing the whole game in the rain and to stop it right there in the ninth inning when we were trying to cook something i didnt think it was fair
the encouragement for choo was ultimately to no avail kirby yates replaced chapman and threw two strikes past choo for the first out
yates however failed to remain sharp he proceeded to hit three batters in a four run inning for the rangers beltres bases loaded single drove in two runs putting texas ahead to stay 7 6 among those few still standing in the crowd were beltres children
in the bottom of the inning the yankees starlin castro beat out a throw by elvis andrus at shortstop for an infield single or so it appeared the rangers challenged the call delaying the game another minute and 14 seconds as with most stops in the game this one was questionable   castro was ruled safe
four batters later with runners on the corners and two outs jacoby ellsbury flied out to left field ending a contest that officially lasted 3 hours 43 minutes at last 7 hours 39 minutes after the scheduled start time this game had a final score like the 10 others that had long ago earned their fs on the yankee stadium scoreboard rangers 9 yankees 6


after traveling for five years and nearly 18 billion miles nasas juno spacecraft will announce its arrival at jupiter with the simplest of radio signals a three second beep
nasa expects the beep marking the end of a 35 minute engine burn to slow the spacecraft down and allow it to be captured by jupiters gravity to arrive at earth at 1153 pm eastern time next monday
i can tell you when that completes youre going to see a lot of celebration said rick nybakken junos project manager because that means well be in orbit around jupiter and thatll be really cool
junos mission is to explore the enigmas beneath the cloud tops of jupiter how far down does the big red spot storm that has swirled for centuries extend what is inside the solar systems largest planet
we still have questions and juno is poised to begin answering them diane brown junos program executive said during a news conference this month
juno will be the first craft to orbit jupiter in more than a decade nasas earlier robotic explorer galileo spent eight years there and sent back astounding images of the planet and its many moons it revealed features like a large ocean under the icy crust of the moon europa now considered one of the most promising places to look for life elsewhere in the solar system
this time the focus will be on jupiter itself and in particular what cannot be seen beneath its colorful cloud stripes
one of the primary goals of juno is to learn the recipe for solar systems said scott bolton a scientist at the southwest research institute in san antonio who is the principal investigator for the 11 billion mission how do you make the solar system how do you make the planets in our solar system
jupiter is the titan among planets called the gas giants with more than three times the mass of saturn the next largest but it is far more than a bland ball of hydrogen and helium
what particularly piques scientists interest are the small amounts of heavier elements like lithium carbon and nitrogen
jupiter is enriched with these elements compared to the sun dr bolton said we dont know exactly how that happened but we know its really important and the reason its important is the stuff that jupiter has more of is what were all made out of its what the earth is made out of it is what life comes from
on july 4 as the main engine on the spacecraft fires in the control room at nasas jet propulsion laboratory in pasadena calif there will be nothing to control and all anyone there will be able to do is wait and watch
if anything goes wrong there is no way for anyone to intercede the radio signals take 48 minutes to travel from jupiter to earth by the time engineers receive word the engine firing has begun the engine should have already switched off with the spacecraft in orbit
if the engine shuts off prematurely juno might still end up in orbit albeit in the wrong orbit if the engine fails we dont end up in a very exciting spot mr nybakken said
we havent studied that too much in terms of where we end up because were focused on success and not failure
in other words juno would zip right past jupiter and end up in a useless orbit around the sun
through the evening of july 4 mission control will receive only a series of radio tones   three second bursts at different frequencies   telling the sequence of operations the spacecraft is performing to point the engine in the correct direction the main antenna will not be pointed at earth preventing more detailed telemetry the spacecraft will also not send back any photographs or data from the instruments which will be shut down on wednesday five days before its arrival and will not be turned back on until a couple of days after its arrival nasa is holding back a series of photographs taken during the approach that it plans to release as a movie on july 4
juno is to make a series of 37 highly elliptical orbits passing over jupiters north and south poles over 20 months
at its farthest it will be about two million miles from jupiter for each orbit it will accelerate inward reaching 128000 miles per hour and pass within 3100 miles of jupiters cloud tops the slight fluctuations in jupiters gravitational pull measured by shifts in the frequency of junos radio signals will tell the density of the planets interior and whether there is a rocky core within where pressures might reach half a billion pounds per square inch
we dont really know if there is a core in the middle of jupiter dr bolton said if there is it tells you sort of when and how and a little bit of where jupiter must have formed
junos science instruments include one to measure jupiters powerful magnetic fields and an infrared camera to observe the glowing auroras around the poles at depth increasing pressures transform hydrogen from a gas into a liquid at even greater depths the hydrogen issqueezed so tightly that the electrons squirt out changing it into a metal it is probably the churning of liquid metallic hydrogen that generates the magnetic fields
juno also carries a camera for taking the usual kind of photographs not as part of its prime science mission but as a way to attract public participation anyone can sign in to the southwest research institutes mission juno website and suggest where the camera should be pointed and then vote on the choices
its really a public camera dr bolton said they can engage in the debate of which things are most important to photograph
also on board juno are three lego custom minifigures made of spacecraft grade aluminum one is jupiter the king of the roman gods the second is juno wife and sister of jupiter in roman mythology and the third is galileo galilei the italian astronomer who discovered the four large moons of jupiter through a telescope he made
we put these lego minifigures on juno in order to inspire and motivate and engage children to help them share the excitement of space exploration dr bolton said
after the first two orbits during which engineers will check if the spacecraft and instruments are working properly juno is to fire its engine again to move into the orbit for making its scientific measurements
although the craft are very different in appearance much of junos electronics and programming are based on the design of mars reconnaissance orbiter an earlier spacecraft also built by lockheed martin its just configured in a different format guy beutelschies the director of interplanetary missions at lockheed martin said in an interview
instead of developing electronic circuits that could operate in jupiters intense radiation lockheed martin used the same circuitry as mars reconnaissance orbiter but shielded it within the half inch thick walls of a 400 pound titanium vault measuring about one yard on each side
unlike earlier missions to the outer solar system juno is powered by sunlight not plutonium three solar panels 30 feet long with a total of 18698 solar cells gather the dim sunlight to produce about 500 watts
even if everything goes better than planned the mission will not last much beyond the planned 20 months despite the titanium armoring we know the radiation is going to kill us mr beutelschies said
juno is expected to receive a radiation dose equivalent to more than 100 million dental x rays
one planet farther out at saturn nasas cassini spacecraft is being readied for what its managers have called the grand finale almost 12 years after it arrived cassini is through some slingshots past the moon titan swinging its orbit out of the plane of the moons and rings
beginning next april cassini will begin a series of 22 close flybys of saturn threading a narrow gap between the planet and its innermost ring measuring saturns gravitational and magnetic fields saturn is thought to have a rocky core perhaps as massive as earth or perhaps several earths cassini will also take stunning close up images of the rings its like having a brand new mission said linda spilker cassinis project scientist
then on sept 15 next year with its maneuvering fuel almost used up it will shift its trajectory and end its 20 year mission with a death dive straight into saturn sending back data about the atmosphere until it is torn apart
five months later juno is scheduled to be similarly disposed at jupiter then for the first time in more than two decades no nasa spacecraft will be orbiting any of the outer planets the next mission to jupiter still on the drawing board is to take a closer look at europa if it is built it may not get there for a decade


international
a q and a article on may 28 about the venezuelan economic crisis misstated one consequence of a devaluation of the bolivar the venezuelan currency it would make debts denominated in dollars   not bolivars   more expensive to repay
national
because of an editing error an article on monday about the reaction of undocumented immigrants to the recent supreme court ruling on president obamas immigration policies misstated the requirements for young immigrants to live and work legally in the united states under a policy established by the president in 2012 they had to meet certain age requirements and had to have lived in the country for at least five years when the program took effect they did not need to have graduated from college or completed two years of military service
weekend
an art review on friday about an exhibition of photographs by lucas samaras at the craig f starr gallery in manhattan misstated mr samarass age at the time he acquired a polaroid 360 camera in 1969 he was 33 not 23
sunday styles
the byline for an article on sunday about hope hicks the 27 year old press secretary for donald j trump was omitted in some editions the article was by michael m grynbaum
new york
because of an editing error an article on saturday about the extension of a state program for low income hiv patients paraphrased incorrectly from comments by alphonso david gov andrew m cuomos counsel about what the governor had to do in order to expand services in new york city mr david said mr cuomo had to find a way to work around a reluctant state legislature not find a way to work with it

because of an editing error an article on saturday about the race to fill the congressional seat currently held by charles b rangel referred incompletely in one instance to the area included in new yorks 13th congressional district as correctly noted elsewhere in the article it covers upper manhattan and part of the bronx not just upper manhattan
obituaries
an obituary on monday about jim hickman who played for the mets in their early years erroneously attributed a distinction to him rod kanehl not hickman was the first met to hit a grand slam the error was repeated in a subheading
the times welcomes comments and suggestions or complaints about errors that warrant correction messages on news coverage can be e mailed to nytnewsnytimescom or left toll free at 1 844 nyt news 1 844 698 6397 comments on editorials may be e mailed to lettersnytimescom or faxed to 212 556 3622
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washington   in the midst of a third inning meltdown monday mets starter noah syndergaard summoned catcher travis darnaud to the mound something was not right with syndergaard his command had oddly disappeared moments later syndergaard called for darnaud again and boos rained down from washington nationals fans
a pedestrian mets offense had staked syndergaard to an early four run lead but even syndergaard their best pitcher wilted delivering by far his worst start of the season a head shaking 11 4 loss monday to a division rival capped a miserable day for the mets
just frustrating and kind of embarrassing outing because of the standards i put underneath myself to go out there and achieve syndergaard said
two of the mets young starters have dealt with elbow problems in recent starts and neither offered encouraging progress monday the mets acknowledged that steven matzs recurring elbow discomfort was because of a bone spur they have not decided if he will continue pitching with it this season
syndergaard shot down a report that he was also dealing with a bone spur but mets manager terry collins did not want to tempt fate with syndergaards elbow so he pulled him after three laborious innings and only 71 pitches
i can understand that especially coming off a little elbow scare syndergaard said i know that theres a bigger picture involved theres still a lot of season left and id like to be able to go out there and compete the rest of the season injury free
in a key late june matchup against the national league east leading nationals syndergaard was overpowered in every aspect of the game he gave up a season high five runs he walked a season high three batters equaling his total from his previous seven starts combined
the nationals also had five stolen bases against syndergaard pushing his season total to a major league leading 28 allowed three runs were scored after stolen bases monday
just focusing too much on attacking the hitter and neglecting the running game syndergaard said
the outing could easily have been brushed aside as a bad game in an otherwise stellar season for syndergaard but he had left his previous start because of elbow discomfort and required a visit to the team doctor for anti inflammatory medication and an examination
and before mondays game collins acknowledged that the team might have to manage syndergaard and matz through their respective elbow problems
nothing structurally with my elbow at all syndergaard said sometimes a little wear and tear will do that to you my arm feels really good ive just got to be ready to go in five days
the game began with promise for the mets in the first inning a struggling offense produced two singles and a run but syndergaard pitched into a jam in the bottom of the frame although his velocity still crackled at 100 miles per hour syndergaard walked two and gave up a single he vacillated between pitches in and outside the strike zone
it was only the second time all season that syndergaard had pitched with the bases loaded he escaped thanks to a forceout at home and a double play but his pitching was foreboding
just didnt have his command like he normally does today darnaud said it was a little weird for me to see
the mets took a 4 0 lead in the third inning when wilmer flores singled in two runs off the shaky nationals starter joe ross the advantage was fleeting
the nationals used their speed to their benefit after each hit or walk the final tally for syndergaard in the inning was gory five singles four stolen bases one walk and a wild pitch the mets 4 0 lead evaporated becoming a 5 4 deficit
syndergaard did not take the mound again after that collins sent in the left handed reliever sean gilmartin and the mets hole deepened by the sixth inning they trailed by 11 4
the mets did little else against ross who settled into a groove with a comfortable lead against a struggling lineup the mets compiled 14 hits   only three fewer than the nationals but with a big difference in runs
the glum result overshadowed the first major league hit by the mets outfield prospect brandon nimmo who lined a ball to right field in the second for a single
i was really ecstatic and happy nimmo said obviously i wish the outcome of the game wouldve been different i wish we couldve won i thought we were going to do it there for the first few innings
for one night the mets concerns centered less on their offense than on the health of their pitching staff and a wretched collapse by syndergaard
inside pitch
the mets worked out the free agent infielder yulieski gourriel a cuban defector at their spring training complex in port st lucie fla mets general manager sandy alderson the special assistant j p ricciardi and other top scouts were in attendance the assistant general manager john ricco said ... jose reyes signed to a minor league deal saturday will continue his tuneup with class aa binghamton on tuesday after playing his second game with short season class a brooklyn on monday juan lagares will join reyes at binghamton to begin a rehabilitation assignment for his injured left thumb this will help the mets determine if lagares can manage the sprained thumb ligament or will eventually need surgery ricco said


kakata liberia   michelle obama began a visit to africa on monday with a stop at a leadership camp for girls in liberia where she urged teenagers in one of the worlds poorest countries to keep fighting to stay in school
with her own teenage daughters joining her mrs obama told the girls in the camp that she was just so thrilled to be here with you
im here to shine a big bright light on you she said
education for girls is the central theme of the first ladys trip which also includes stops in morocco and spain she was welcomed on her arrival in liberia with a red carpet and traditional dancers
in connection with the visit the united states agency for international development announced up to 27 million in funding in liberia for let girls learn an initiative introduced by mrs obama and president obama last year
the first lady is traveling with her mother and daughters malia 17 who recently graduated from high school and sasha 15
liberia was battered by civil wars between 1989 and 2003 ebola swept the country in 2014 killing more than 4800 people and forcing schools to be closed for months
the country founded as part of an effort to resettle freed american slaves has deep ties to the united states the countrys oldest vocational high school in kakata is named for the civil rights activist booker t washington
the school suspended midterm exams which had been scheduled to start on monday to allow the students to give mrs obama a rousing welcome to appreciate what the united states has done for us said harris tarnue the principal
she will be a real inspiration to the young girls around here he said
as first lady mrs obama has previously visited botswana ghana senegal south africa and tanzania


wimbledon england   for amra sadikovic a 27 year old swiss player who is facing serena williams in the first round tuesday playing at wimbledon has been a dream 18 years in the making   except for a 14 month stretch in which she gave up on it entirely
sadikovic 27 began playing tennis at age 9 but fell out of love with the game two years ago as the strain and pressure of life on the lower rungs became too much
i stopped and i didnt think about coming back to be honest sadikovic said the last few months i was playing i was standing on court and i didnt enjoy it at all i didnt have fun any more on court and also during practice i was like ugh what am i doing here it didnt feel right anymore
sadikovics ranking had stalled well outside the top 200 and the meager pay weighed on her
thats why i took the decision to stop   and i dont regret it she said
when she stopped playing sadikovic found work as a tennis coach and fell in love with the sport again
it was so much fun and definitely something i want to do again she said but during this time i realized that i hadnt enjoyed the time i was playing as a pro i had been worrying about everything instead of just playing and enjoying it because its such a big privilege and i see that now
after 14 months away from the sport sadikovic returned to the tour but all of her ranking points had expired
i had to start from zero and i was asking myself do you really want to do this   because i had such a great job and i had a nice life she said i was well paid i didnt have to worry about everything everyone was like why would you risk that at this age but i didnt feel like i was too old
sadikovic drew inspiration from another swiss player the 11th ranked timea bacsinszky who returned to the tour reinvigorated after her own long hiatus and achieved new career heights
with a similarly newfound appreciation for the game sadikovic is achieving her best results so far her ranking reached a career high of 148th and she stormed through the wimbledon qualifying draw without dropping a set to earn her first spot in a grand slam main draw
im more relaxed and i see everything clearer she said my game didnt change much but im more calm on court now and not stressed at all
she added i look differently at life now before i thought everything always has to be secure i was afraid to take any risk and that has changed so much now
sadikovic also draws strength from her parents bosnians who fled war torn sarajevo for switzerland and initially struggled to make ends meet while her father worked as a stonemason the family was forced into crowded accommodations while settling into a life in switzerland
i know from the stories what my parents went through sadikovic said when they moved to switzerland   they didnt go through the war im happy about that   but they had one room and 15 people were sleeping in that room and my mom had to take care of everyone she had to cook for everyone there were hard times and that helps me to push through my hard times
williams whom sadikovic has watched on television for years poses a new and different challenge
when i saw her at first of course i was impressed sadikovic said to me she was like   i dont mean it in a bad way   like a monster shes there and so confident thats how it is shes the greatest player ever so its an honor to play her
patrick mouratoglou williamss coach said he had never seen sadikovic play and would rely on youtube videos to scout her after he and the rest of the tennis world get their first good look at her tuesday sadikovic said she hoped there was much more to come especially after she soaked in the ambience of centre court where she and williams will play
this is the first time im here on site and when you get to see this you tell yourself its worth fighting for she said this is a dream coming true when i go back home after this tournament im going to put myself to work work work work   because its so worth it


eric lindros was elected to the hockey hall of fame on monday as part of the class of 2016 which also included the soviet star sergei makarov and goaltender rogie vachon the player and coach pat quinn who died in 2014 made it as well
because concussions and other injuries shortened his career lindros was passed over for the hall six previous times but his hart memorial trophy season as the nhls most valuable player with the philadelphia flyers in 1995 and his 865 points in 760 games proved too much to keep him out
makarov scored more than a point a game for the soviet national team and he won the calder trophy as the rookie of the year with the calgary flames in 1991
vachon won the vezina trophy as the leagues top goalie and won two stanley cups with the montreal canadiens
quinn led lindros and canada to the gold medal at the 2002 salt lake olympics and coached the 1979 80 flyers who went a record 35 consecutive games without a loss
signings the nashville predators signed forward filip forsberg to a six year 36 million contract locking up one of their brightest young stars for the long term forsberg will make 6 million each of the next six seasons the arizona coyotes signed goaltender louis domingue to a two year deal the terms of the contract were not released the detroit red wings re signed forward drew miller to a one year deal miller 32 will make 1025 million plus as much as 350000 in bonuses
lonnie chisenhall hit a three run homer trevor bauer gave up two runs in six innings and the visiting cleveland indians beat the atlanta braves 8 3 for their 10th straight win
the indians who lead the american league central extended the major leagues longest winning streak of the season the streak is clevelands longest since the indians closed the 2013 regular season with 10 straight victories
big night for cubs bryant kris bryant became the first major league player to hit three home runs and two doubles in a game jake arrieta added a solo shot in the ballpark where he threw a no hitter in april and the chicago cubs outlasted the host cincinnati reds 11 8
arrieta a right hander struggled in his return to cincinnati giving up a season high five runs in five innings but bryant drove in six runs to help him pull through bryants 16 total bases were a cubs record and his five hits were a career high
dodgers rally to edge pirates a j ellis hit a tiebreaking two out infield single that capped a four run fifth inning and the visiting los angeles dodgers rallied to beat the pittsburgh pirates 5 4 and salvage the finale of a four game series
scott kazmir 6 3 who entered the game with an 1117 era at pnc park won despite allowing four runs on four hits with four walks in five innings
rays halt 11 game skid nick franklin homered and drove in a career high five runs as tampa bay ended an 11 game skid with a 13 7 victory over the boston red sox in st petersburg fla
arizona takes game 1 at cws finals j c cloney pitched a four hitter and ryan aguilar drove in two runs leading arizona to a 3 0 victory over coastal carolina in game 1 of the college world series finals in omaha
the wildcats 49 22 can wrap up their second national championship in five years with a win tuesday
cloney 8 4 a junior left hander allowed four singles walked three and struck out six in the second complete game of his career he extended his scoreless innings streak at the cws to 16
denise michaels a spokeswoman for quarterback johnny manziel said a lawyer who accidentally sent the associated press a text message with details related to manziels domestic violence case has resigned from the defense team
michaels confirmed that bob hinton had withdrawn from the case which is being led by the lawyer jim darnell of el paso
the ap reported last week that hintons inadvertent text indicated he had doubts about manziels ability to stay clean and that hinton was given a receipt that indicated manziel may have spent more than 1000 at a dallas drug paraphernalia store the day after a hit and run crash
manziel 23 a heisman trophy winner faces a misdemeanor assault charge involving his former girlfriend colleen crowley in january
thermal cameras will be used at the tour de france to help eradicate the threat of mechanical doping said thierry braillard frances junior minister for sports
a leading french science and technology research organization into atomic energy called cea will provide the technology at the request of the sports ministry
thermal cameras help to detect heat produced by a small hidden motor inside a bicycle
the international cycling union said that it has enough resources to carry out up to 4000 tests for technological fraud at the tour which begins saturday


alex rodriguez emerged from the yankees clubhouse two hours before the game against the texas rangers on monday at yankee stadium he hunched over on the dugout steps looking meditatively out at the field
rodriguez then walked toward the batting cage helmet in his right hand and two bats in his left kneeling down rodriguez began massaging his bats and meticulously patting them down with a rosin bag ready to go to work
only rodriguez was not in the starting lineup benched against a right handed starting pitcher for the second straight game
general manager brian cashman said that he met with manager joe girardi and the yankees staff a few days ago and decided the best short term plan was to make carlos beltran the designated hitter against right handed pitching aaron hicks started in right field
carlos has been so hot to keep him going we want to play him every day cashman said if we take advantage of some time to dh him here play him in the outfield in san diego while were in the national league ballpark where we lose the dh its going to come at the expense of alex thats it none of these things are easy decisions
cashman cited rodriguezs 584 on base plus slugging percentage against right handed pitchers alex has struggled mightily against right handed pitching this year and again were almost hitting july he said adding its the winds of change and its blowing us certain directions
neither girardi nor cashman labeled the move a platoon
entering monday the yankees were 37 37 seven and a half games behind the first place baltimore orioles in the american league east they have shown little ability to move above the 500 mark all season
times of the essence cashman said as rodriguez took batting practice a few steps away we cant keep treading water and i want to be a contender not a pretender thats why the last two weeks we were like this teams going to have to show us sooner than later that what we had last year was real and can happen again i believe the team on paper is better than it was last year it just hasnt played that way at some point you are what your record says
cashman said the yankees had not discussed releasing rodriguez who will be 41 in july and is due to make 21 million per year through 2017
girardi said that it was a hard decision to sit rodriguez who is batting 223 with eight home runs entering monday beltran led the team in hits 74 home runs 19 and rbi 53
rodriguez said that he felt healthy and that he was a little surprised by the decision after a short session with the news media he collected his gear and headed toward the field to continue his regular pregame routine as if he were starting
ive always enjoyed proving people wrong and ill be ready to play rodriguez said ill be ready when my numbers called


omaha   katie ledecky was answering questions from reporters after winning the 400 meter freestyle monday night at the united states olympic swimming trials when a roar from the warm down area drowned out her voice the explosion of noise was for leah smith the second place finisher who had arrived to cool down after giving ledecky a roof raising race at centurylink center
ledecky 19 had been two seconds ahead of her world record pace at 200 meters but could not shake smith a rising senior at virginia ledeckys winning time of 3 minutes 5898 seconds was the third fastest time in history her best in two years and 061 of a second off her two year old mark and still she never pulled away from smith who clocked a 40065
it was smiths best time by almost three seconds only two women in the events history ledecky and federica pellegrini of italy had swum the 400 faster
im probably more pumped about her race than mine ledecky said of smiths performance she pushed me i need that
smith 21 who has won the 500 yard and 1650 yard freestyles at the ncaa division i championships the past two years looked shocked when she glanced at the giant video board and saw her time her teammates tease smith about being miss morning because she usually produces her fastest swims in the qualifying heats the 40314 that she swam monday morning which was the second fastest time in the world this year merely gave them more ammunition but she showed them   showed everybody really   what she was capable of
i felt like i had never been able to see her feet before smith said referring to ledecky so that was pretty exciting
so was her time
its my ultimate ultimate goal to break four minutes ever since i saw federica do it when i was little said smith who was 14 in 2009 when pellegrini became the first woman to clock under four minutes in the event while wearing the buoyant suits that were banned shortly thereafter
ledeckys surprise inclusion on the 2012 olympic team and her upset of rebecca adlington of britain the defending champion at the london games gave smith then 17 more motivation
once katie popped that 800 in london and took womens distance swimming to the next level that it hadnt been in a couple years that just made everybody inspired she said she just showed how many barriers you could break
at the 2012 trials her first ledecky finished third in the 400 freestyle before making the team in the 800 she missed a berth on the olympic team in the shorter race by less than a second her time was a 40500 ledecky said she thought back to that final while resting before she took on smith and the others monday
it just shows how far ive come and how much experience ive gained and how much faster ive gotten really she said
smiths improvement over the past four years has also been striking she finished 14th in the 400 meters in 2012 with a time of 41193 i was nowhere near making the team she said adding been making steady progress
after her torrid start ledecky said i could tell i was tightening up just a little bit at the 150 meter mark she was 039 of a second under her world record pace with smith in dogged pursuit the last 50 meters ledecky said she kept chanting to herself rio rio
her goal of making a second olympic team prompted her to defer her freshman year at stanford her race with smith on monday was like a preview of the coming attraction that will be next years ncaa championships but before they become rivals they will be teammates at the rio games
i think were really going to represent the us well in that event ledecky said adding just to look up at the board and see how great a swim she had too its just really inspiring


beirut lebanon   eight suicide bombers launched two waves of attacks on the christian town of al qaa in northeastern lebanon on monday killing at least five people and raising fears that violence from the civil war in neighboring syria will further destabilize lebanon its fragile neighbor
four attackers blew themselves up in the town before dawn killing five people and wounding a dozen others according to local officials four more attacks took place at night as residents prepared for funerals to be held on tuesday morning wounding 11 more people according to the state run national news agency
lebanon has so far managed to avoid large scale violence but the country has extensive political and sectarian ties with syria and has struggled to insulate itself from the civil war some lebanese have joined the fight across the border hezbollah the powerful shiite militia is backing president bashar al assad of syria and some sunni muslims have joined the rebels seeking to topple him
the country has also taken in about 15 million syrian refugees whose presence has stressed government services and put pressure on the economy
while bombings have hit beirut and elsewhere during the syrian war such elaborate attacks have been rare near al qaa a small christian town a few miles from the syrian border in northeastern lebanon hezbollah is the areas primary military force and has played a vital role in pushing syrian rebels away from the border
residents of al qaa reached on monday night said they had been pinned down in their homes without power as the lebanese army searched the area
people are stuck in their houses not daring to go out and fearing more suicide bombers the rev elian nasrallah the priest of the towns mar elias church said by telephone
he had been in his home at night preparing his message for the funerals of those killed that morning when he heard an explosion and saw a ball of fire erupt outside the church
were living in terror in this town he said
no group immediately claimed responsibility for the attacks both the nusra front which is affiliated with al qaeda and the islamic state are active on the syrian side of the border nor was it clear why the town had been targeted as lebanons christians have not played a role in syrias civil war
towns in eastern lebanon have absorbed large numbers of syrian refugees sometimes doubling or tripling their population and mondays attacks threatened to further inflame tensions between them and the lebanese after the attacks a number of towns near al qaa announced curfews for syrian refugees out of fear that militants could hide among them


as president of the yankees randy levine can be a feisty defender of his team and he seemed in a particularly combative mood monday when asked about the yankees struggles to get above 500 and whether the team would end up a buyer or a seller as the july 31 trading deadline approached
it is a question that general manger brian cashman is often asked these days but is not the kind of query levine usually fields and in this instance it was posed during a news conference to announce a business matter   the yankees new ticket deal with stubhub
still having been asked levine jumped right in he said that he was not frustrated with the teams performance and that there was a lot of baseball still to be played
and then in reference to the reporters present he added when we decide to become sellers   if we decide to become sellers   or if we decide to become buyers youll know about it but i guess the difference is most of you guys have never run anything and we have a lot of history here of knowing what were doing a lot of confidence in our baseball operations people so well see what happens all the rest of it right now is just noise
seth berkman


the board that sets rents for more than one million rent stabilized apartments in new york city voted on monday to freeze rents for one year leases for the second year in a row
by a vote of 7 to 0 with two abstentions the new york city rent guidelines board also decided to raise rents by 2 percent for two year leases a modest rise that mirrors last years the vote which came during a typically emotional board meeting was in keeping with the historically low rent increases that the board had previously approved during the administration of mayor bill de blasio a democrat who appointed the full board
board members said their decisions reflected the fact that most tenants in regulated units continue to struggle with housing costs keeping rents low also helps preserve the existing stock of housing that is below the market rate which mr de blasio has made a signature issue along with building new affordable housing
in the great hall at cooper union in manhattan on monday night hundreds of tenants filling the meeting did not cheer the vote because it came with an increase for two year leases at public hearings over the last month tenants had asked for a continuation of the freeze on one year leases and even a rent reduction
two percent is two much the crowd chanted after the vote
im very disappointed said jean covington 68 who said she retired last year and was worried about her finances at this point we need a rollback people are struggling
landlords seemed even more disappointed with the vote
patrick siconolfi executive director of the community housing improvement program a landlord group said this is the third year in a row with either zero or near zero increases the money has to come from somewhere the question is what is the best for the long term interest of housing
mr de blasio said the boards decision was warranted more than a million people will now have more security and a better shot at making ends meet he said in a statement and the financial health of our buildings will remain protected because declining fuel costs have offset other expenses in short tonights decision by the rent guidelines board reflects whats actually happening in our neighborhoods
rent regulation movements have been popping up in other high cost areas such as san francisco seattle and portland ore after years of punishing increases tenant groups are putting forth rent control proposals that could lead to the largest expansion of tenant laws since the 1970s
mondays decision affects nearly half of the citys rental housing stock and it will take effect for the year starting oct 1
the rent guidelines board froze rents last year for the first time since it was established in 1969 and also imposed the lowest increases on two year leases in its history before the de blasio administration rent increases had been considerably higher over the last decade ranging between 2 percent and 4 percent for one year leases and up to about 8 percent for leases of two years
this year research by the boards staff found positive economic signs for tenants with rising employment and wages and fewer evictions last year but most tenants in stabilized units still paid more than one third of their income   364 percent   for rent and utilities that makes their homes too costly under the federal affordable housing standard which is 30 percent of household income
in arriving at their decision board members also looked at landlords operating costs and net operating income for the 10th straight year the most recent data showed income outpaced expenses for rent stabilized properties and in 2014 their net operating income grew by 35 percent
while enjoying steep drops in fuel costs landlords said that the data did not capture all their expenses and that aging buildings need constant maintenance they said the rent freezes were politically motivated helping mr de blasio fulfill his electoral promises while hurting small landlords the most
a landlord group the rent stabilization association recently sued the administration over water rate increases that it deemed unjustified j scott walsh a vice president with forest city ratner companies who represents landlords on the board proposed increases of 3 percent to 5 percent along with the other owner representative mary serafy
in a written statement accompanying that proposal mr walsh praised the mayor for his efforts to address the need for affordable housing but suggested steps other than rent freezes to deal with the concerns that both tenants and landlords presented to the board in testimony
among the suggestions the city should subsidized rent burdened tenants with up to 300 a month in rent credits and freeze water and tax rates for stabilized buildings
this is just trying to look at this problem holistically from both points of view mr walsh said in an interview


a former indiana university student who was charged with rape in two separate cases in september accepted a plea deal last week in which both felony charges were dismissed and he was sentenced to a years probation with no prison time for a misdemeanor
that the former student john p enochs 22 spent only a night in jail last fall before posting bail was met with outrage on social media it also drew comparisons to a recent case in which a stanford university student brock turner was sentenced to six months in jail by a judge after being convicted of sexual assault
the case reflected the complexities that often arise in campus sexual assault cases when alcohol blurs memories and evidence becomes too ambiguous to prove rape mr enochs pleaded guilty to one count of battery with moderate bodily injury prosecutors had sought a felony charge but because of mr enochss age and lack of prior criminal convictions a judge reduced the charge to a misdemeanor
the most frustrating aspect of this case is the fact that there were two unrelated complaints against the defendant but neither was sufficient to prove rape said robert t miller chief deputy prosecuting attorney for monroe county ind
the more recent episode took place on april 11 2015 at a party hosted by mr enochss fraternity delta tau delta a woman told the police that while she was drinking at the party she went into the house to look for a bathroom she said she had later found herself in a room with an unknown male having sex with her despite her telling him no repeatedly and trying to push him away
video surveillance tapes showed her entering and exiting the room with mr enochs and dna evidence showed that they had had sex according to court records a nurse said that she had observed a laceration in the womans genital area according to court documents
after learning of the 2015 allegations against mr enochs a second woman pursued criminal charges against him the woman said that she had blacked out while drinking with mr enochs in her sorority house in october 2013 and was later told by friends that he had had sex with her she had pain in her genital area for several days and was treated in a hospital soon after she said according to a police affidavit
in a statement on monday mr miller said the 2013 case was difficult to prove because the woman had no specific recollection of that night because of her consumption of alcohol
he said video and dna evidence that emerged during the investigation of the 2015 case had made it difficult to prove that mr enochs committed rape
mr enochs had been scheduled to stand trial on july 5 ultimately mr miller said prosecutors determined that they did not have strong enough evidence in either case that there were two cases had been an important consideration in charging mr enochs mr miller said but prosecutors were required by law to have the cases heard by separate juries
the woman in the 2013 case is also pursuing a civil complaint against the indiana university chapter of delta tau delta after the 2015 rape allegation the university placed the fraternity chapter on social restrictions for six months
students and campus organizations at indiana university voiced shock that the rape charges had been dropped likening the plea deal to the light sentence in the stanford case
to have it happen again in the town that i live in is extremely discouraging and frightening said emma riedley an incoming senior and member of the independent council for women at indiana university it makes me angry and afraid as a woman and a human being to see this crime not be punished as harshly as it needs to be
mr enochss lawyer katharine c liell dismissed the allegations against her client as false hes not brock turner she said


wimbledon england   roger federer tenniss perennial sentimental favorite will have to surrender that crown on wednesday
his opponent will be 772nd ranked marcus willis one of the most improbable men to play a second round match at wimbledon in many a full moon
i think its one of the best stories in a long time in our sport said federer who at 34 has been around long enough to know
it was quite a monday all around for rank outsiders as iceland eliminated england to reach the quarterfinals of the european soccer championships at least the english who relish their underdogs if perhaps not at the expense of their national honor can take some small consolation from the 25 year old willis he was charging 30 pounds an hour for private lessons and pondering a trans atlantic move to coach in philadelphia this year before a new romance changed his mind and his story arc
its gotten out of hand a little bit out of hand willis said of the hoopla im enjoying it keep it rolling
after winning three matches in prequalifying to earn a wild card into the qualifying tournament at wimbledon willis won three more matches to earn a spot in the granddaddy of all tennis tournaments
on monday he beat 53rd ranked ricardas berankis 6 3 6 3 6 4 in the first round as plenty of his compatriots were getting barmy in the wimbledon hinterlands of court 17
one suspects he will now get to play on an actual show court when he faces federer but first willis needs to reconfirm his hotel reservation
i check out every single morning he said i mean im not a heavy favorite for any match ive been playing
federer and willis   two men on extreme ends of the tennis food chain   have yet to meet
i dont think he was at tunisia f1 this year so no i havent willis said referring to the futures circuit which is the lowest level of mens professional tennis as a junior i walked past him he was friendly polite but ive never had a conversation with him
but federer who likes to keep a wide angle view of his sport and its emerging figures even in the midst of grand slam mania certainly knows plenty about him now
i have followed it actually even before i even saw him in my section of the draw federer said this is the kind of stories we need in our sport
it is hard to argue considering what pro tennis has had to absorb in 2016 from corruption and match fixing concerns to maria sharapovas two year doping suspension
a lowly ranked player competing at wimbledon is nothing new the tournament has been handing out wild cards to promising and less promising britons with rankings in the high triple digits for decades
but winning a round is another matter particularly when you are juggling teaching duties with playing duties
willis is the lowest ranked mens qualifier to reach the second round of a grand slam since the american jared palmer who was ranked no 923 when he played at the 1988 united states open
it should come as no surprise then that williss favorite player is goran ivanisevic the big serving unpredictable croat who in 2001 became the only man ever to win wimbledon as a wild card
i was at school my mum wouldnt tell me who won willis said of the 2001 final i watched the video when i got home that was kind of cruel of her
he continued i was watching the whole fifth set couldnt keep my eyes off it it was a nervy nervy last game i was with him every step of the way
guess who popped by to shake his hand in congratulations on monday
hes my hero willis said of ivanisevic im a bit yeah
there was no need to finish the sentence to grasp what all this means to willis but at the risk of seeming as cruel as his mum it seems very very safe to say that there will be no repeat in 2016 ivanisevic after all had already reached three wimbledon finals before finally winning the big one
unless there is another slip near a bathtub from federer it is exceedingly difficult to see the crafty left handed willis extending his run into the third round
but what did get a bit lost on this day of the uber underdog was the fact that federer was far from the federer of yore or even of last year on centre court although he defeated guido pella of argentina in straight sets federer had to navigate tiebreakers in the first two sets to win 7 6 5 7 6 3 6 3
he also had to weather plenty of his own patchy play there were missed targets and missed opportunities aplenty while pella not looking the least bit overawed was often the more athletic and spectacular shot maker on the court in the first two sets
but while pella is a solidly constructed spanish speaking left hander with a whipping topspin forehand there is no confusing him with rafael nadal the federer nemesis missing this wimbledon with a wrist injury
pella is a 26 year old with a world ranking of 51 whose career record on grass is now 0 4 quite a contrast with federers 148 22
federer a seven time wimbledon champion will have to be a great deal sharper than this if he is to send any chills down novak djokovics spine in the top half of the draw
djokovic the world no 1 and two time defending wimbledon champion has assumed federers once traditional role playing the opening match on the pristine grass of centre court he swept the first nine games before closing out james ward of england 6 0 7 6 3 6 4
by the time federer arrived on the grass shortly after 6 pm there were already visible patches of wear but at least he was there
when i woke up from the operation in february my first goal was to be in shape for wimbledon he said
it has been a most trying year by his standards beginning with that slip near the bathtub in australia that left him with a torn meniscus in his knee and the need to have surgery for the first time in his career one stupid move the seasons been completely different than what i expected it to be he said
he has played little and has yet to win a title not even on grass after skipping the french open to maximize his chances and restore himself to full health for wimbledon and the rest of the years major challenges
roger still has to get a lot better on movement and shot selection said brad gilbert a former top coach who is now an espn analyst but he has a good draw to get more confidence going into the second week
his next chance to build momentum comes against willis who will surely feel like a winner at this stage whatever the outcome
asked to describe the difference between federers game and his willis started to give it a go but then suddenly realized what he was doing
i didnt think id be answering these questions in a million years he said


donald j trump has hired a veteran political strategist and former adviser to senator ted cruz as his de facto communications director a significant move as mr trump shifts toward a more traditional campaign structure
mr trump the presumptive republican presidential nominee has brought on jason miller of jamestown associates to oversee his campaigns interactions with the news media according to a news release from the campaign until now those interactions have been done through a lone spokeswoman
mr millers hire was first reported by bloomberg politics it signals a new phase of mr trumps campaign after a major shake up that included the ouster of his campaign manager corey lewandowski
an aide to mr trump did not respond immediately to a request for comment but the people briefed on the hiring said it was the first in a series of coming changes to beef up the team
mr miller worked for the presidential campaign of mr cruz the last standing potentially serious challenger to mr trump in the primaries mr cruz withdrew from the race after losing the indiana primary on may 3 mr trumps description of mr cruz as lyin ted helped sink his candidacy
mr miller is a veteran of a number of campaigns including rudolph w giulianis presidential effort in 2008 he has a deep reservoir of relationships with national reporters
his firm jamestown associates used to employ ken kurson the editor of the new york observer which is owned by mr trumps son in law jared kushner
the firm earned notoriety in the 2014 midterm elections when it was banned from work by the national republican senatorial committee because it represented insurgent challengers to republican senators in primaries that outsider approach dovetails with mr trumps own message in the presidential race
when in 2011 mr trump considered running for president one of his advisers put together a theoretical plan for a campaign that included mr miller as the campaign manager in that race the person imagined as the new hampshire state director was mr lewandowski
the campaign is also adding michael abboud as a communications coordinator helping with a newly formed rapid response operation and alan cobb who was a close ally of mr lewandowski has been reassigned as the director of coalition groups
mr trump said in a news release that he was constantly building a superior political team for the fall general election against hillary clinton


washington   pitching is the bedrock of the mets championship hopes the ground shook below them before mondays game then crumbled during it more nights like this will swallow up the season
maybe it wont be as bad as all that but the mets began a pivotal stretch of their schedule in about the most discouraging way possible a young starter who did not pitch steven matz was found to have a bone spur in his tight left elbow a young starter who did noah syndergaard lasted just three innings allowed five stolen bases and blew a four run lead
the washington nationals kept on punching in an 11 4 victory that dropped the mets to third place in their division the mets who face winning teams in 22 of their next 25 games had their pick of which pitchers plight was more troubling
syndergaard said his elbow felt fine   he denied reports of his own bone spur   but it was concerning to manager terry collins he pulled syndergaard after watching him slog through two of his innings with poor command
i dont need that thing to flare back up collins said
a serious elbow problem for syndergaard would be devastating for the mets of course but it would also be the least surprising injury in the major leagues
syndergaard is the hardest throwing starter in the game with the most violent slider since j r richards four other young mets starters   matt harvey jacob degrom matz and the still recovering zack wheeler   have already undergone tommy john surgery syndergaard believes he can be the exception
i feel like i do a really good job of making sure my body is in top shape to perform every five days he said
matz said his elbow felt fine when he pitched here last month spinning eight shutout innings for a victory now the mets must decide if he can pitch through the pain of his bone spur or if he has to have it removed matz who underwent a magnetic resonance imaging exam in new york on monday emphasized the positive
no major structural damage he said that peace of mind is good
matz said he was not finishing his pitches properly in his last start on friday in atlanta resisting that final bit of arm extension that makes a pitch crackle the braves attacked the lifeless stuff for eight hits and six runs in the fifth inning
matz shelved his new slider to see if that was the cause but the tightness persisted he played catch on monday and seemed fine but playing catch is not pitching
the topic exasperates collins understandably there is only so much a manager can do only so much attention he can give to the fragile and vulnerable ligaments the season depends on
every time he hangs a curveball you cant run to the mound you know collins said and thats what it ends up being youre checking on him every inning youve got to have confidence when you send him out there and say hey look hes going to pitch a good game and hopefully he does otherwise i mean cripes you cant pay attention to other parts of the game because youre always worried about whats wrong its legitimate but thats a lot of work a lot of pressure on him
at 23 syndergaards unscarred arm seems to be an anomaly these days pitchers are like the house robin williamss character wants to buy in the world according to garp when he sees a small plane crash into a bedroom he is convinced this is the place for him
its been pre disastered williams says well be safe here
the nationals will start lucas giolito on tuesday the second time this month the mets will have faced an elite pitching prospect making his debut after having tommy john surgery the other was jameson taillon of the pittsburgh pirates who nearly pitched a no hitter against the mets when he faced them a second time
giolito will replace stephen strasburg who had tommy john surgery as a rookie in 2010 and now is out with an upper back strain he will face harvey who had the surgery in 2013 in his first full major league season degrom and matz had their operations in 2010 long before they pitched in the majors
itd be nice just to worry about the pitchers getting guys out and not anything else collins said but thats not going to be the case our conversations are always going to be about are they hurt 
as he left nationals park on monday collins asked a club official for an update on jose reyes who went 0 for 2 and played seven innings at third base for class a brooklyn it was a reminder that mets still need offense but if matz or syndergaard needs rest pitching depth becomes a problem too impact deals are rarely painless two starters the mets dealt last summer michael fulmer of detroit and john gant of atlanta have already graduated to the majors
the nationals have resisted all offers for giolito a 6 foot 6 255 pound right hander who has consistently ranked among the games best prospects they drafted him 16th over all in 2012 knowing he had a damaged ulnar collateral ligament giolito rewarded their faith with a 274 era in the minors and more strikeouts than innings
hes a big physical kid that comes from a really tough angle to hit nationals general manager mike rizzo said hes got great velocity hes got good spin on the breaking ball hes got good poise and demeanor on the mound he keeps the ball around the strike zone and he can throw strikes with three pitches its a good pitching package
the nationals can dream on giolito another pre disastered ace but matz was the same way his immediate future is in doubt   and that might not have even been the worst news monday for the mets bruised rotation


omaha   at her first olympic trials dana vollmer was upset because she did not win never mind that she was 12 years old the youngest competitor striving to qualify for the united states team in 2000 after she tied for 43rd in the 100 meter butterfly vollmer stomped off the pool deck scowling
i remember my dad reminding me of the other 54 grown women that a 12 year old just beat vollmer said with a laugh and that made me feel a little better
vollmer 28 is all grown up now with a child of her own but when she stepped to the blocks monday for the 100 meter butterfly final at the trials vollmer channeled her precocious preteenage self
im kind of tapping into that little girl she said the one who doesnt care whos next to her who just loves to race
already at these trials one reigning olympic champion ryan lochte had failed to make the united states team in his gold medal event the 400 individual medley finishing third in sundays final
on monday two other olympians matt grevers and missy franklin faced fierce challenges in the mens and womens 100 meter backstroke which they won at the london games grevers posted the third fastest time in the semifinals while franklin squeezed into the top eight placing seventh one hundredth of a second ahead of natalie coughlin a three time olympian
against that backdrop vollmer staked her claim to a third olympic berth finishing second to kelsi worrell the gold medalist in the 100 butterfly at last summers pan american games worrell 21 finished in 5648 seconds the second fastest performance this year behind the 5568 of sarah sjostrom of sweden vollmer touched in 5721 as her husband andy grant and their 15 month old son arlen looked on from the stands at centurylink center
sixteen years ago vollmers goal was to qualify for five olympics i remember when i was 12 i was like im going to get the olympic rings tattoo and have an olympic date in each circle she said
in 2004 she made the united states team that competed at the athens games finishing sixth in the 200 meter freestyle and winning gold as a member of the 4x200 meter relay in 2012 vollmer added two more relay golds to her individual gold in the 100 butterfly
vollmer stopped swimming after the 2013 world championships but she never signed the papers to opt out of the drug testing program an act that would have made her retirement official there was definitely just some gut feeling that i wasnt ready vollmer said
she continued i wanted everyone to think i was done that allowed me kind of the freedom to let go of anybody expecting me to swim and stay in the sport especially after having arlen nobody expected me to come back then it just felt really like taking ownership of my swimming career
vollmer got the itch to return while on bed rest late in her pregnancy she had added more than 50 pounds to her 6 foot frame tipping the scale at 200 it was like whoa cool vollmer said i always felt like if i wanted to i know how to get back in shape and eat well and lose it
over the next several months her weight dropped and her 100 butterfly times followed suit vollmer entered mondays final with the sixth fastest 100 butterfly of the 2015 16 season
vollmer was not the only mother to race in the 100 butterfly erika erndl 38 who is married with a 20 month old son did not make the final but won her heat which consisted of 10 swimmers and included two 15 year olds and only two other competitors older than 19 erndl seventh at the halfway point reeled in the youngsters on the final 50 meters the way she felt in the final 25 thats the old me she said
erndl who taught first grade until her son was born and is now a swim instructor said she had so much respect for vollmer i completely underestimated how hard it would be to take care of a little boy and swim at this level erndl said
the night before her race she said her son picked up on her nervous energy he wouldnt go to sleep erndl said i told him come on honey mom has to swim fast tomorrow
erndl and vollmer are in select company this week they are among the eight participants who competed at the 2000 trials the others are grevers coughlin michael phelps anthony ervin kim vandenberg and amanda weir
vandenberg 32 who made the 2008 united states olympic team was in the locker room the day before the 100 butterfly heats when she ran into vollmer we saw each other and laughed vandenberg said who would have thought wed still be doing this
they have known each other since a conversation in the stands during the 2000 trials we were so very young vandenberg said we were children
four of the eight holdovers from 2000 have children or are soon to become parents greverss wife annie is pregnant with their first child a girl due around thanksgiving and phelps became a first time father in may
its a really neat journey grevers said the eight of us that have been around that long were all great friends
he added its fun to kind of grow up with those people trying to become parents its crazy
less than a month before the birth of his son boomer phelps ran into vollmer after she had won the 100 butterfly at a trials tuneup outside phoenix good racing mama he said and then they briefly compared notes on what to expect when you are expecting
i feel a bond with michael vollmer said going from where we both were as young kids to the place where we are now


in the race to replace representative charles b rangel the buzz around two of the candidates adriano espaillat and guillermo linares has been heightened by their chance to make history each is seeking to become the first person born in the dominican republic to be elected to congress
that much would be true
both men have long laid claim to being the first from what is known as the dominican diaspora to have been elected to various lesser offices from the new york city council to the state legislature
but exactly who was first at what is a question that hinges on the ingredients of ethnic identity and how they apply to immigrants and their children
nine candidates are running in the democratic primary on tuesday in upper manhattan and the bronx for the chance to replace mr rangel a powerful harlem politician who is retiring after what will be 46 years in congress the candidates include keith lt wright a state assemblyman who has mr rangels endorsement and adam clayton powell iv whose father adam clayton powell jr previously occupied the seat held by mr rangel mr espaillat a state senator ran twice before in primaries against mr rangel
mr linares a state assemblyman has long been considered a pathbreaker among dominican politicians here he was elected to the city council in 1991 and a biography posted on his assembly webpage says that he has the historic distinction of being the first dominican born elected to public office in the united states
mr espaillats senate webpage says senator espaillat made history in 1996 when he became the first dominican american elected to a state legislature   a reference to his election that year to a seat in the state assembly
mr linares claim may be true narrowly defined but mr espaillats appears to be a bit of a stretch according to research by nestor montilla the chairman of the dominican american national roundtable an advocacy group who researches immigrant history
the same day that mr linares was elected in 1991 kay palacios was elected to the city council of englewood cliffs in new jersey mr montilla said
ms palacios was born in the united states but her parents were immigrants from the dominican republic she grew up speaking spanish and identifies herself as a dominican american while she goes by kay the given name on her birth certificate is quisqueya an indian word for the island of hispaniola where the dominican republic is
while it is true that mr linares was the first dominican immigrant elected mr montilla said that both the assemblyman and ms palacios should be considered dominican americans   putting them in a tie
but long before they were elected   and long before mr espaillat joined the state legislature   an african american politician named arthur o eve was elected to the state assembly from buffalo that was in 1966 the same year that mr rangel was first elected to the assembly from harlem
mr eve went on to serve a long career in the assembly
what was seldom noted was that mr eves father was an immigrant from the dominican republic mr eve said in an interview that his mother was born either in the united states or the bahamas
that makes mr eve half dominican
and that is enough for mr montilla who has interviewed mr eve about his background based on his research a group called the institute for latino studies will present mr eve with an award later this year acknowledging him as the first dominican american elected to public office in the united states
in an interview mr eve said his parents split when he was young and he rarely saw his father afterward he never learned to speak spanish hardly gave a thought to his dominican roots and has never visited his fathers native country
after mr eve and mr rangel entered the assembly they became some of the earliest members of what was then known as the black and puerto rican legislative caucus
mr eve said it never occurred to him to emphasize his dominican heritage with puerto rican colleagues as a point of shared latino heritage
but mr eve was pleased to learn that he was now considered a dominican american pioneer saying im honored by that


the united nations said monday that its global development goals for 2030 were at risk of failure estimating that if current trends continue nearly 70 million children will die from mostly preventable causes and that 750 million girls will be married while still children
the organization also projected that more than 60 million primary school aged children will be out of school more than half in sub saharan africa
the annual united nations childrens fund report the state of the worlds children 2016 reflected what unicef officials said were widening disparities between rich and poor areas with some of the poorest increasingly at risk
the officials said the 172 page report was an emphatic warning that the so called sustainable development goals created by the united nations in 2015 might not be achieved by the 2030 target date
the goals are a set of 17 objectives for the eradication of poverty hunger illiteracy gender discrimination and other afflictions
the case thats being made is that we wont hit the goals that weve now set which we only agreed on a few months ago based on progress unless we focus on the most disadvantaged justin forsyth the deputy executive director of unicef said at a news briefing at the agencys new york headquarters
the report acknowledged success in reducing some symptoms of deprivation since the 1990s including an overall drop in infant mortality rates and extreme poverty
the report noted that the poorest children in the study were about twice as likely to die before their fifth birthday as the richest
in parts of south asia and sub saharan africa children born to mothers with no education were found to be almost three times as likely to die before age 5 as those born to mothers with a secondary education
girls from the poorest households included in the report were twice as likely to marry in childhood as girls from the wealthiest
anthony lake the executive director of unicef said in a written foreword to the report that such inequities perpetuate intergenerational cycles of disadvantage and inequality that undermine the stability of societies and even the security of nations everywhere
the report recommended an enormous increase in how much money governments invest in education it estimated that attaining the 2030 goal in universal education would cost 340 billion each year
the report was issued against a backdrop of rising nativism and xenophobia among countries of the west to an influx of migrants and refugees fleeing conflict and poverty mostly in the middle east and africa mr forsyth said that the trend was a new challenge to unicef and other aid organizations
we are broadcasting our message into a world thats more hostile he said
he added that the migration trend was driven by poverty and inequality and inequity and unless you deal with those root causes youre not going to stop that huge flow of people


washington   after dean g skelos the once powerful new york state senator was sentenced last month on federal corruption charges one of his lawyers asked the judge to allow mr skelos to remain free on bail while he appealed his conviction
her argument a case pending in the united states supreme court challenging the conviction of former gov bob mcdonnell of virginia could help undermine the criminal charges against mr skelos
it is extremely likely that the court will reverse the conviction in governor mcdonnells case alexandra a e shapiro the lawyer told the judge
her prediction proved accurate and within moments after the supreme court reversed mr mcdonnells conviction on monday defense lawyers from illinois to new york were citing the unanimous ruling as grounds to challenge past and pending criminal corruption cases brought by the justice department
this is a sign of the court saying to prosecutors you are overreaching said leonard goodman a lawyer for former gov rod r blagojevich of illinois who was convicted on corruption charges in 2011 and is scheduled to be resentenced in august they think they have unfettered discretion to take down any elected officials
current and former prosecutors strongly disagreed
in manhattan a spokesman for preet bharara the united states attorney there said in a statement on monday while we are reviewing the mcdonnell decision the official actions that led to the convictions of sheldon silver and dean skelos fall squarely within the definition set forth by the supreme court today
mr bharara has repeatedly said he remains committed to ending a pattern of corrupt acts by elected officials and most recently his office won the convictions of mr skelos and mr silver a former state assembly leader
still there was agreement among legal experts on monday that the ruling would make it harder for the government to win corruption convictions for the second time since 2010 the court narrowed the avenues that prosecutors have to file such charges the decision could even discourage some cases from being brought in the first place
the bar is now higher in terms of what you have to prove said randall d eliason a former chief of the public corruption section at the united states attorneys office in washington this will leave a lot of unsavory conduct unpunished
mr mcdonnell was accused of accepting gifts loans and vacations from an affluent virginia businessman who wanted the governors help dealing with state officials
our concern is not with tawdry tales of ferraris rolexes and ball gowns chief justice john g roberts jr wrote for the court adding that setting up a meeting talking to another official or organizing an event or agreeing to do so   without more   does not fit the definition of an official act
in 2010 in a decision also involving so called honest services fraud the supreme court set aside the conviction of jeffrey k skilling   the former chief executive of enron the bankrupt energy company   ruling that the law could be used to prosecute only bribery or kickbacks not more limited actions like self dealing in which an official secretly takes an action for personal gain
noah bookbinder the executive director of citizens for responsibility and ethics in washington a liberal nonprofit group said the combination of rulings was likely to have a major impact because elected officials involved in wrongdoing often did not have the power to personally deliver the favor that had been requested
mr bookbinder said examples of cases that might now be harder to prosecute included those of representative randy cunningham republican of california who pushed the defense department to select a particular contractor after receiving gifts and pleaded guilty in 2005 and representative william j jefferson democrat of louisiana who was convicted in 2009 of taking bribes from a company that asked him to press executive branch officials to buy its products
the supreme court seems to be giving people a way to go ahead with corrupt conduct with kind of a wink and a nod mr bookbinder said
joel bertocchi a former federal prosecutor in chicago cautioned against overstating the impact of mondays ruling having the same set of facts they may be able to file different charges he said
but defense lawyers and some conservative legal groups that have been critical of the justice department said they hoped the ruling would bring real change they argued that the government had in its zeal to win headlines filed charges in recent years for activities that did not meet the standard for federal corruption
once again it has taken the us supreme court to remind prosecutors that they do not have a blank check to read all kinds of unintended and overly broad criminality into vaguely worded statutes passed by congress said e g morris a lawyer in austin tex and the president of the national association of criminal defense lawyers
the precise impact of the mcdonnell ruling on the skelos and silver cases was not immediately clear lawyers for mr skelos the former state senate majority leader and a republican had no comment on the decision
but at mr skeloss sentencing last month rahul mukhi a prosecutor in mr bhararas office argued that mr skeloss corrupt acts had gone far beyond those taken by mr mcdonnell and that the cases were not factually analogous
mcdonnell involved only meetings mr mukhi said this case involved overwhelmingly legislation
mr bhararas office had said for example that mr skelos supported legislation in albany to benefit companies that arranged payments to his son adam b skelos who was convicted along with his father the elder mr skelos received a five year prison term his son was sentenced to six and a half years
lawyers for mr silver a democrat who received a 12 year sentence said monday that the mcdonnell decision will be central to their clients appeal
the lawyers steven f molo and joel cohen said the decision makes clear that the federal government has gone too far in prosecuting state officials for conduct that is part of the everyday functioning of those in elected office
noel j francisco who argued mr mcdonnells case before the supreme court said that he hoped the ruling would be the end of his clients prosecution and that the charges would be dropped entirely
they brought the case they brought he said because that was the most they could get a conviction on that theory has been squarely rejected


the supreme court declined on monday to hear a case that could undermine the ability of some lenders to charge high interest rates
the decision not to review a ruling by the united states court of appeals for the second circuit keeps intact a decision that directly affects only a narrow slice of the finance industry namely debt collectors
but banking lawyers and lobbyists say the case if applied more broadly could wreak havoc on credit cards student loans and other types of consumer lending
the case involves the national bank act that exempts national banks from various state laws limiting the interest rates lenders can charge the federal law allows banks to follow the usury laws of whichever state they are in and then export that rate to borrowers living in other states unsurprisingly many banks have located their lending operations in states that permit lenders to charge the highest rates
in this case the second circuit ruled in may 2015 that when the debt collector midland funding bought soured loans from bank of america it was not exempt from state interest rate caps known as usury laws
because midland is not a bank the company does not qualify for exemption from various state usury laws the appeals court ruled
the borrower in the case saliha madden argued that midland could not collect the 27 percent interest rate on her credit card because it exceeded the rate caps in her home state new york
the ruling was a blow to the debt buying industry where companies like midland buy up tens of millions of dollars of overdue debt from banks for pennies on the dollar the debt buyers then seek to recover   often through aggressive legal maneuvers   a portion of the delinquent debt that the bank had essentially given up collecting on
at the same time the ruling is a victory for consumers looking to fend off debt collectors in states with strict limits on interest rates and it could embolden more challenges to the industry in other parts of the country
some industry officials have warned that the appeals court ruling could upset the securitization market where billions of dollars of credit cards and auto loan debt is originated by national banks but then sold to nonbanks they ostensibly would have to honor each of the 50 states usury laws
but lawyers who have studied the ruling say its reach is limited it would probably not apply for instance to credit cards because even when this debt is bundled and sold to nonbank investors as part of securitizations the bank still maintains a relationship with the borrower
because of this continuing relationship financial lawyers interpret the ruling to mean that the original interest rate that the bank charged on the credit card can still apply even after the debt is sold in contrast in the madden case the bank no longer has a relationship with the borrower after selling off the loan for collection
the ruling by the second circuit applies only to borrowers in the three states covered by that appeals court new york connecticut and vermont but lawyers worry that consumers could mount similar challenges in other parts of the country
it is not the end of the world said david luigs co head of the consumer finance practice at debevoise  plimpton but the principle that was applied suggests a big problem if extended it could massively impact the ability of banks to lend nationwide
one industry that analysts say is particularly vulnerable to the ruling is online lending
companies like lendingclub and prosper broker loans through a bank and then promptly sell them to hedge funds pensions and individuals lendingclub for example issues its loans through webbank which is in utah a state with permissive interest rate laws
analysts have warned that the madden decision could force marketplace lenders to dial back the high interest rates on certain loans that they had already sold to investors creating a logistical headache and reputational issue
on monday moodys investors service said the supreme court decision not to review the case was generally credit negative for marketplace loans the analysts noted that some market participants are already restricting their exposure to potentially usurious loans in new york connecticut and vermont
in a statement lendingclub said it was confident that facts of the case do not directly apply to our business


ottawa   when justin trudeau the prime minister of canada appeared at the united nations this spring to sign the paris climate accord the rapturous ovation he received was worthy of the celebrity he had become a leader full of promise and of promises especially on climate change
on wednesday as canada convenes a north american leaders summit here the youthful canadian will meet the last celebrity to emerge to such adulation on the world stage and president obama will have some lessons to impart climate change will be a central topic of the summit meeting and of mr obamas address to canadas house of commons
the leaders of the united states mexico and canada will announce a north america wide climate partnership syncing their national policies to cut greenhouse gas emissions they will pledge a joint goal of generating 50 percent of north americas electricity from zero carbon sources by 2025 up from 37 percent today white house officials said that power mix would include wind solar hydropower nuclear energy and coal or gas power paired with carbon capture technology they will also announce that mexico will join an existing agreement between the united states and canada to collectively regulate leaks of methane a potent greenhouse gas that escapes from oil and gas wells
but all of that will come with a note of caution unlike his canadian counterpart the american presidents hair is now gray his speeches wizened by his experiences   and his message is likely to reflect the hard lessons he has learned as he has tried for nearly eight years to curb the climate warming emissions of canadas neighbor to the south
trudeau is facing the same fossil fuel lobby reality that obama encountered said paul bledsoe a former climate adviser in the clinton administration who now consults on climate policy in a way canada is a test case for the penetration of renewable energy in a fossil rich country
the parallels between the leaders are striking even if the younger mans efforts have only begun during his first eight months in office mr trudeau 44 has put climate change at the heart of his agenda after his predecessor stephen harper a conservative reneged on canadas commitments under the first global climate pact the kyoto protocol
when president obama then new to office attended the 2009 climate change summit meeting in copenhagen he too was cheered by environmentalists and many world leaders as a drastic departure from his predecessor george w bush a texas oilman who had also pulled his country out of kyoto
but both have learned that adulation on the world stage does not necessarily translate into action at home on a problem as intractable as climate change
after vowing in copenhagen to make the united states a leader in the fight on global warming mr obama saw his climate change bill torpedoed in congress only toward the end of his second term was he able to push through a climate policy that he had always thought of as a plan b   a suite of regulations on coal fired power plants   and those too are stalled this time by a federal lawsuit
mr obama sees something of a kindred spirit in the prime minister
on the world stage his country is leading on climate change and cares deeply about development so from my perspective whats not to like mr obama said of mr trudeau during the prime ministers state visit in march
but on the smaller stage here in canadas capital mr trudeau is bumping up against the same opposing forces that stymied mr obama in washington
mr trudeau has acknowledged the difficulties climate change will test our intelligence our compassion and our will he told the united nations in april but we are equal to that challenge
canadas economy relies heavily on oil and gas production particularly in alberta where production of petroleum from the heavily polluting oil sands is a major source of government revenue and the global collapse of oil prices has left the region suffering like mr obama mr trudeau is experiencing pushback to efforts to reduce oil demand
it was mr harper who submitted canadas climate change plan to the paris negotiations a plan widely criticized as weak but for all his passionate speeches about climate change mr trudeau can offer an alternative only after he works out a new pact with canadas 10 provincial governments so far nothing has emerged
we were excited by trudeau in paris   he took an opposite stand from the previous government said laurence tubiana the french climate change envoy but its not easy to make policies happen
indirectly just the election of mr trudeau helped mr obama carry out a major environmental decision the rejection of the keystone xl oil pipeline which would have carried nearly a million barrels of oil from albertas oil sands to gulf coast refineries while american environmentalists begged him to reject the project mr obama delayed his decision for years in part to avoid straining relations with canada
mr trudeaus election in october 2015 changed the calculus although a keystone supporter the prime minister had put the pipeline much lower on his agenda than his climate change commitments less than a month after his election mr obama rejected the pipeline
the first time mr obama called mr trudeau after a congratulatory election night call was to give him a heads up about his keystone decision but the call grew into a broader discussion on joint climate change plans that call could have gone very differently said mr obamas senior climate change adviser brian deese but instead of acrimony they both resolved that there was a real opportunity for our countries to increase our partnership on climate change
the two then met at the paris climate summit meeting a month later then mr trudeau set canadas bureaucracy into motion appointing catherine mckenna an international trade lawyer as his minister of environment and climate change
catherine and her team were warmly welcomed her message was essentially canadas back said todd stern the former united states climate envoy
but mr trudeaus push for a national plan to tax carbon emissions is still a matter of negotiation some provinces including alberta quebec and british columbia have put plans in place to tax or price emissions others have refused
brad wall the premier of oil producing saskatchewan has vowed never to sign any carbon tax agreement
meanwhile in the wake of keystone xls failure politicians from western canada are pushing mr trudeau to support new pipelines to the united states
rachel notley the premier of alberta said she believed mr trudeau was warming to the idea hes become more aware of what it means for our economy what it means to reposition and get our product to market and get a better price for our product she said
and climate change remains a sensitive subject on both sides of the border when the canadian green party leader elizabeth may linked a huge wildfire in fort mcmurray alberta to the global climate crisis she was rebuked by several other politicians including mr trudeau her comments were seen as a distasteful attempt to use the disaster for political purposes a charge sometimes mirrored in the united states
still support is growing for climate measures in canada ontario the most populous province introduced a package of climate change measures earlier this month that included joining quebecs cap and trade system which in turn is linked to californias program
climate diplomats say that while mr trudeaus international celebrity will not be enough to push through tough domestic climate policies it will not hurt
if you have trudeau who is a much more charismatic figure and gets press attention then that amplifies what he says and gives a sense of momentum mr stern said its a good thing


volkswagen has agreed to pay almost 15 billion to settle claims in the united states over its diesel emissions scandal affecting nearly half a million cars this is what that could mean for vehicle owners
owners of about 475000 model year 2009 15 volkswagen and audi diesel cars
eligible models
2009 15 volkswagen jetta tdi
2009 14 volkswagen jetta sportwagen tdi
2012 15 volkswagen beetle tdi
2012 15 volkswagen beetle convertible tdi
2010 15 audi a3 tdi
2010 15 volkswagen golf tdi
2015 volkswagen golf sportwagen tdi
2012 15 volkswagen passat tdi
owners can either sell their vehicles back to volkswagen for a price reflecting the value of the vehicles before the diesel cheating became known or have their cars repaired without incurring any cost customers can search for their vehicle identification numbers here
the fix though will probably reduce the engines performance and gas mileage
volkswagen will also separately offer affected car owners cash compensation of 5100 to 10000 depending on the model and year of the vehicle
people who sold their cars after sept 18 2015 when the cheating was publicly disclosed will be offered half of the cash compensation offered to current owners
no car owners may choose not to participate and instead sue volkswagen for better terms those owners however would also risk getting a lesser settlement or none at all if their separate lawsuits are unsuccessful
the settlement still is subject to review by a federal judge and a public comment period which might take until fall
but if the deal is approved it will require volkswagen to begin acting as soon as possible all repairs and payments are to be made no later than december 2018


madrid   while no party emerged with a clear mandate from spains second round of national elections over the weekend the results did demonstrate that it was possible after all to stop the advance of europes protest parties
podemos a radical left wing party suffered its first setback since it was formed two years ago with a goal of uprooting spains two party system it was stopped in its tracks in sundays vote by the popular party of mariano rajoy the caretaker prime minister which won the most votes mr rajoy is now in a strong position to remain in office probably at the helm of a minority government after six months of deadlock
the vote in spain was the latest test of whether a more radical generation of outsiders could unseat the political establishment particularly after a world financial crisis that increased the wealth gap in most western societies a similar tussle has occurred ahead of the november election in the united states while far right leaders in countries like france and austria have built their demands for political overhaul on growing fears of mass migration
podemos was in part inspired by the success of syriza a far left party that came to power in greece in 2015 and helped to almost wipe out the greek socialist party before sundays vote podemos formed an alliance with united left another radical party to improve its chances of leapfrogging the socialists as spains largest left wing party
instead of challenging spains political establishment however podemos and its coalition partner are now likely to face a very serious organizational problem and a power struggle according to pablo simon a politics professor at carlos iii university in madrid
in response to a younger generation of leaders demanding radical change mr rajoy 61 presented himself as a defender of spanish unity and continuity and an opponent of a secessionist challenge in catalonia
he was able to reinforce this message in the final hours of spains election campaign after the british voted to leave the european union the british vote not only plunged the european union into political crisis but also sent financial markets sliding these arent moments to fuel or add uncertainties mr rajoy said in a televised address on friday shortly after the british referendum result was known
some spanish voters got the message we have just seen what kind of problems a british referendum can create for the whole of europe so just imagine what a populist party like podemos could do to spain said oscar fernandez 44 who said he switched his vote on sunday to mr rajoy after backing ciudadanos another emerging party during the first national vote in december i think now really wasnt the time for any new and risky political adventure in spain
mr rajoys popular party got 137 of the 350 parliamentary seats up from 123 in the december elections the socialists won 85 seats down from 90 and their lowest result ever podemos won 71 seats effectively unchanged from december after forming the alliance with united left according to results announced sunday
although the election confirmed the fragmentation of spanish politics it also bolstered slightly the combined share of the vote of the two establishment parties which have alternated in office since spains return to democracy in the late 1970s together mr rajoys conservatives and the socialists won 557 percent of the vote five percentage points more than six months ago
after decembers inconclusive elections in which the socialists edged podemos into second place the two parties held talks about forming a left wing coalition to oust mr rajoy but the negotiations rapidly turned instead into an acrimonious tussle leaving spain in a deadlock that eventually forced king felipe vi to convene sundays elections
in the repeat elections podemos sought to broaden its appeal beyond the disenchanted youth that had underpinned its meteoric rise last year in a direct appeal to socialist voters pablo iglesias the leader of podemos even labeled his party social democratic   with a program published in the format of a swedish ikea catalog to back the claim
the podemos strategy however proved to be an unsuccessful balancing act between trying to garner more centrist votes while allying with united left a party with communist roots juan carlos monedero one of the founders of podemos also questioned on monday why the party had chosen a sweetened campaign in response to the claims of other parties that it would push spain into a near collapse like that in venezuela in the end voters chose mr rajoy as the devil you know option mr monedero told antena 3 a television channel
similar fears about taking a leap into the unknown may also have affected ciudadanos which won 32 seats down from 40 six months ago after months of fruitless coalition talks both podemos and ciudadanos appeared to have lost part of the momentum and novelty factor that helped them enter spains parliament for the first time last december
if you are walking a tightrope and keep going forward everything is fine but the minute you stop and there is a sudden gust of wind you tend to fall said professor simon who still called the decline of podemos a big surprise particularly after most polls had shown that podemos would overtake the socialists
after sundays vote some leaders of podemos tried to highlight instead the bright spots including podemoss success in once more winning the most votes in spains two separatist minded regions catalonia and the basque country mr iglesias had pledged to allow catalans to hold an independence vote while emphasizing that he would want catalonia to remain within spain
going forward professor simon said podemos doesnt have more rabbits to pull out of the hat he warned against comparing the trajectory of podemos with that of other parties that are challenging the political establishment particularly far right ones like the national front in france
above all migration has not become an issue in spanish politics as it has in britain where it was at the heart of the european referendum campaign in countries like france germany and austria far right parties are challenging the political establishment over welcoming a wave of migrants from syria and elsewhere the fear factor has become very important in european politics but it clearly doesnt play out in the same way everywhere professor simon said


washington   in the days since britons voted to leave the european union the so called brexit referendum has created such severe turmoil that public attention is increasingly focused on an extreme option can they get out of it
prime minister david cameron said on monday that he considered the referendum binding and that the process of implementing the decision in the best possible way must now begin but he also said he would leave that process to his successor after his expected resignation in october this opens a window of at least four months during which time britain could decide not to proceed and avoid consequences from europe
if the next prime minister does trigger the departure process britain then has two years to negotiate the terms of its leaving while european union rules say that membership is revoked automatically at the end of that period britain could theoretically use that time to negotiate an alternative plan
the country has a few options for how during these two windows it might remain in the european union each carries significant risks and downsides both for europe and for britain itself   but then again so does leaving
the referendum is not legally binding the process of leaving does not begin until the prime minister officially invokes article 50 of the european unions governing treaty so he or she could in theory carry on as if the vote had never happened
mr cameron has already caused a delay by refusing to invoke article 50 himself of his two most likely possible successors in the conservative party theresa may opposes leaving the union and boris johnson a prime brexit proponent is already backpedaling pledging on monday that changes will not come in any great rush
most members of parliament opposed leaving the union and might support a prime minister who refused to invoke article 50 but that would be akin to overruling the will of 174 million britons who voted to leave an extreme step in a country that prides itself on democratic values
it would also risk inflaming the underlying political forces that led to the leave victory rising populist anger distrust of seemingly unaccountable government institutions and a belief that the system is rigged
it is difficult to predict how pro brexit voters would respond if their government ignored the referendums result but such a move risks empowering more extreme voices british politics already in tremendous turmoil would face an uncertain future as would the lawmakers who will be up for re election
the house of lords said in an april report that any decision to exit the european union would have to be approved by the parliaments of scotland northern ireland and wales
welsh voters supported brexit and northern irelands parliament is led by a party that favors leaving the union but scottish voters overwhelmingly opposed leaving and so does the governing scottish national party which has pledged to take any available measures to remain in the bloc
nicola sturgeon the first minister of scotland has suggested that her parliament could withhold consent sparking a constitutional crisis
that in turn could be an opportunity for leaders wishing to avoid a brexit the next prime minister could tell voters that he or she would like to carry out their will but that leaving europe is impossible without scottish approval
this offers at least a hint more political legitimacy than simply disregarding the referendum
but if britains next prime minister is intent on following through with brexit the british parliament could repeal the law that gives scotland veto power ms sturgeon would probably respond by seeking a new referendum on scottish independence   something she has already threatened to do if britain leaves the union
in 1992 danish voters narrowly rejected a referendum on joining one of the treaties that laid the european unions foundations eleven months later after a flurry of diplomacy denmark held a second referendum which voters approved
similar scenarios unfolded in 2001   and again in 2008   when irish voters rejected european union treaties before embracing them in second referendums in subsequent years
could british voters reverse themselves as well by monday four days after the brexit vote an online petition calling for a do over had 38 million signatures
but there is little reason to believe that a second referendum were it held today would yield a different result while a handful of britons have said on social media that they regretted their vote to leave the union polling suggests that they are a tiny minority a survey by comres taken on saturday found that only 1 percent of leave voters were unhappy with the results brexit won by four percentage points 52 to 48
british leaders could justify a second cut at the question by securing special concessions from the european union like allowing britain to put a cap on immigration this approach was how danish and irish leaders persuaded their voters to approve the referendums they had previously rejected
mr johnson who said on monday that britain was part of europe and always will be hinted before the vote that he might pursue this strategy there is only one way to get the change we need and that is to vote to go he wrote in a march op ed in the telegraph all eu history shows that they only really listen to a population when it says no
a second vote would allow politicians to claim that they had followed the will of the voters and stood up to the european union avoiding both populist outrage and the economic and diplomatic fallout of a british exit
european leaders however may not be eager to go along if any member state can extract special concessions by threatening to leave it undermines the unions ability to make europe wide policies it also gives other states an incentive to play chicken with exit referendums a dangerous game that could easily end in disaster
there is also a risk that british voters would reject the second referendum as well if that happened there would truly be no going back
article 50 gives an exiting country two years to negotiate terms for its relationship with the union on issues like trade and migration
what if britain struck a series of deals that largely preserved the status quo only without formal european union membership
this too seems to be something mr johnson is pondering in an op ed in the telegraph on sunday he promised that britain would maintain free trade and free movement deals with europe
as rafael behr a columnist for the guardian joked on twitter otherwise known as membership of the european union 
one model is norway which is not a european union member but subscribes to its common market and open borders
leave campaigners emphasized two goals reducing migration and extracting britain from european bureaucracy while a norway style arrangement could in theory limit migration it would worsen british subjugation to european policy makers
if britain chose this path it would have no vote and no presence when crucial decisions that affect the daily lives of its citizens are made norways former foreign minister espen barth eide warned last year
such a deal would also probably require britain to continue paying membership fees which leave campaigners promised to win back
nicolas veron a french economist wrote on the website of bruegel a research group in brussels that european leaders would probably oppose this arrangement too for fear of setting a bad precedent
these leaders he said want to send a clear and unambiguous message to other member states if you leave the union you will not be rewarded with a sweetheart deal allowing you the benefits of membership without the burden you will get a hard and painful breakup so think carefully


washington   thursday is an ignominious anniversary for the government agency that helps finance foreigners purchases of american exports thanks to a single senator it has been a full year since the 82 year old export import bank could approve deals exceeding 10 million a limit that rules out high dollar deals on airplanes power generators heavy equipment and nuclear reactors
more than 30 transactions worth more than 20 billion to american businesses are stuck awaiting assistance for their buyers in the so far vain hope that senator richard shelby republican of alabama and once a bank supporter will end his power play and allow the agency to fully function
in turn giants like general electric and boeing are shifting more operations and jobs abroad other nations export credit agencies are rolling out the red carpet said john g rice the ge vice chairman
last june 30 the so called ex im bank two blocks from the white house closed its door to all new business after a faction of conservative republicans denouncing corporate welfare blocked renewal of its charter
in december the banks bipartisan supporters in congress secured the agencys reopening only to watch mr shelby play what has proved to be a very strong hand as chairman of the senate banking committee he bottled up president obamas nomination of a third member for the banks five person board only the board can approve transactions of more than 10 million without a quorum of three it cannot
the resulting seven month impasse reflects both the longstanding power of a single senator to block action in that institution and the more recent ascendance in the republican party of conservative populists   hostile to all things big business and government   over once dominant pro business types
its very troubling to me and i think a lot of others that one person can hijack a process and keep the export credit agency from functioning in the united states when two thirds of congress support it mr rice said
two weeks ago ge announced it would expand manufacturing of gas turbines in france rather than greenville sc in return for french export financing for sales in countries including saudi arabia brazil and mexico
last september ge announced a flurry of moves creating up to 1000 jobs in the czech republic to produce turboprop aircraft engines shifting 500 power project jobs from texas south carolina maine and new york to france hungary and china promising 1000 energy sector jobs in britain whose export bank will finance up to 12 billion in ge sales to brazil ghana india and mozambique and relocating 350 engine manufacturing jobs from waukesha wis to a new factory in canada
is it going to put ge out of business absolutely not mr rice said we can go to a plant in france or a plant in switzerland and germany
but he added a lot of our suppliers cant come with us
boeing is working with britains agency to finance airplane purchases for unspecified customers on the condition that boeing use rolls royce engines a company based in bermuda canceled a contract for satellites a company in singapore declined boeings bids to sell satellites and ethiopian airlines wrote the manufacturer that the lack of ex im bank financing threatened our ability to purchase boeing aircraft in the future
mr shelby was unavailable over several days to discuss the issue a spokeswoman said she instead provided a statement that the senator believes that his actions are in the best interest of the american taxpayer
nearly 99 percent of all american exports are financed without the ex im bank it said which demonstrates that the bank is more about corporate welfare than advancing our economy
the bank makes money through proceeds from its loans and insurance lines but conservatives cite the risks to taxpayers the banks chairman fred p hochberg said he had not talked with mr shelby all year adding in washington not returning a call is an art form
the ex im bank was created during the depression as a lender of last resort for exporters foreign customers that cannot get commercial loans more than 60 countries followed the united states lead chinas export credit operation is by far the largest
by one measure the lack of a quorum at the american bank would not seem a problem in recent years about 98 percent of applications for help have been for loans under 10 million but in dollar terms two thirds of all assistance has gone for deals exceeding that amount mostly for customers of big item manufacturers like boeing ge caterpillar westinghouse and john deere
the banks backlog of 30 transactions does not even count a multibillion dollar deal for westinghouse to build six nuclear reactors in india that was announced this month by president obama and indias prime minister narendra modi that too will need a functioning ex im
we will certainly need a quorum at the bank for the projects completion said courtney a boone a westinghouse spokeswoman
especially in the developing world some countries require that exporters bidding for sales have backing from an export credit agency so some american companies are seeking or accepting support from foreign agencies which in turn require bidders to create jobs in their countries
boeing did win a contract with vietjet for 100 american made aircraft a deal announced during mr obamas visit to vietnam in may financing will be arranged closer to delivery leaving open the question of whether the ex im bank will help
foreign carriers like vietjet continue to believe that the united states wouldnt be so foolish as to dismantle its export import bank said tim d neale a boeing spokesman but the other issue is to what degree does this have a chilling effect on ongoing sales campaigns for future deliveries
also in may a boeing official at its facility in alabama publicly criticized mr shelby saying he was putting local jobs and suppliers at risk
mr shelby has stood firm endearing him to conservative anti government groups crusading to close the bank   and known to spend freely against politicians who cross them their blessing was especially important to the senator as he faced a conservative challenger in alabamas march republican primary mr shelby suggested to colleagues and reporters that he would let his committee act on the ex im board nominee afterward
he said i cant do this before the primary said senator sherrod brown of ohio the senior democrat on the banking committee we took that to mean hed do it after he won his primary
yet mr shelby continues to block senate confirmation of j mark mcwatters formerly an aide to the republican chairman of the house banking committee
senate democrats recently tried to force a senate vote bypassing mr shelbys committee but they needed the senates unanimous consent mr shelby objected without further word
this is old school politics right   im the chairman and i can decide said senator heidi heitkamp democrat of north dakota
she added i dont go to bed worrying about the executives at boeing or ge because guess what they have options the american worker doesnt have options


from texas to alabama to wisconsin more than a dozen republican run states in recent years have passed laws requiring that abortion clinics have hospital grade facilities or use doctors with admitting privileges at nearby hospitals
now mondays supreme court ruling   that those provisions in a texas law do not protect womens health and place an undue burden on a womans constitutional right to an abortion   will quickly reverberate across the country
it will prevent the threatened shutdown of clinics in some states especially in the deep south that have been operating in a legal limbo with texas style laws on temporary hold but legal experts said the effect over time was likely to be wider potentially giving momentum to dozens of legal challenges including to laws that restrict abortions with medication or ban certain surgical methods
the ruling deals a crushing blow to this most recent wave of state efforts to shut off access to abortion through hyper regulation said suzanne b goldberg the director of the center for gender and sexuality law at columbia law school
adopting stringent regulations on abortion clinics and doctors that are said to be about protecting womens health has been one of the anti abortion movements most successful efforts imposing large expenses on some clinics forcing others to close and making it harder for women in some regions to obtain abortions republicans like senator john cornyn of texas who deplored mondays ruling argued that they were requiring clinics to be held to the same standards as other medical facilities
now the court has ruled that any such requirements must be based on convincing medical evidence that the rules are solving a real health issue to be weighed by a court not by ideologically driven legislators   and that the benefits must outweigh the burdens imposed on womens constitutional right to an abortion
anti abortion groups expressed anger at mondays decision insisting that abortion care is rife with unreported medical risks and malpractice and vowed to press on americans united for life which has been a principal architect of the legislative strategy of putting requirements on clinics in the name of protecting womens health said it would continue to fight to protect women from a dangerous and greedy abortion industry
im confident that the states will move ahead to fill the public health vacuum that the supreme court has created said clarke forsythe the acting president of americans united for life this decision does not foreclose more narrowly tailored regulations he said promising that new ones will be developed state by state
since the supreme court has long held that women have a constitutional right to an abortion anti abortion groups over the past decade have turned to the states to pass hundreds of laws designed to discourage abortions such as waiting periods mandated fetal sonograms and parental consent requirements
most recently promoting stringent regulations on abortion clinics and doctors has been one of the movements most successful efforts
since 2011 for example nine states have passed physician admitting privilege requirements bringing the total including texas to 11 though in several cases the laws have been temporarily blocked similar proposals are pending in five more states according to elizabeth nash a researcher with the guttmacher institute a research group that supports abortion rights
the latest admitting privilege law though a weaker one than that in texas is due to take effect on july 1 in florida gov rick scott said he was studying the implications of mondays supreme court decision the florida law allows clinics as an alternative to have a general transfer agreement with a nearby hospital but it is unclear whether all of the states clinics can comply
the clearest and probably quickest effect of the supreme court decision will be in the other states with admitting privilege laws   which mainstream medical groups say are medically unnecessary and which clinics in some regions cannot meet because of hostility to abortion
such laws threatened to force the shutdown of four of five clinics in alabama three of four clinics in louisiana and the sole abortion clinic operating in mississippi given mondays decision none of the laws in those states or in others where similar requirements are temporarily blocked including kansas oklahoma and wisconsin are likely to survive
robin vos the speaker of the wisconsin assembly said in a statement today the court has put womens health and safety on the back burner for the profits of planned parenthood and abortion providers
he added as a pro life legislator i will continue to support legislation that protects the life of an unborn child and the health of the mother
on the other side of the issue dr willie parker who as a roving doctor who performs abortions at two alabama clinics in cities where he cannot obtain admitting privileges and at the one clinic in mississippi said with relief that the texas decision was a huge victory
after years in which ever more forceful anti abortion laws spread in the south he said now the chain reaction can go in the other direction
admitting privilege requirements that are now in effect in missouri north dakota and tennessee may also come under new challenge five other states besides texas impose some form of surgery center standards on clinics performing abortions in the first trimester the effect of the new ruling may have to be considered state by state legal experts said
while surgery center laws outside texas have forced a few clinics to shut down the laws in several states including michigan missouri pennsylvania and virginia allow for waivers to the strict requirements allowing some existing clinics to be exempt from rules governing for example storage space or flooring materials the texas law struck down monday was by comparison inflexible
because the supreme court case was focused on provisions that were justified in terms of womens health the ruling is likely to have a less direct effect on some other contested abortion restrictions such as waiting periods or ultrasound requirements
but the same standards would presumably apply to legal efforts to restrict nonsurgical medication abortions in the name of protecting women battles are underway for example in some rural states over whether doctors can remotely prescribe abortion inducing drugs the greatest effect of the decision may come in the future as the battle over abortion takes new forms
nancy northup the president of the center for reproductive rights the new york based legal group that represented texas clinics before the supreme court said this opinion makes it clear that the court is going to look at the stated justification for a law and look at the burdens it imposes
its about making sure that regulations are truly justified she said
for now the supreme court is expected to make sure that states where cases are pending like louisiana and mississippi follow the principles laid out on monday


istanbul   turkey continued its diplomatic fence mending on monday apologizing for downing a russian jet near its border with syria last year
in a letter to president vladimir v putin of russia on monday the same day turkey announced a rapprochement with israel president recep tayyip erdogan expressed regret about the november episode in which turkish forces shot down a russian warplane that turkey said had violated its airspace
the downing infuriated russia and paralyzed relations between the two countries the kremlin ordered sanctions on turkish food imports stopped visa free travel for turks and barred turkish tour operators from offering russian tourists vacation packages
mr erdogan has become isolated diplomatically after adopting an increasingly authoritarian stand a combative position with europe regarding the international migrant crisis and a newly muscular foreign policy including a failed strategy in syria the outreach on monday can be viewed as an effort to repair some of that damage
turkey had been going through a deep sense of isolation for the past few years having switched from its famous zero problems with neighbors policy to a place where they had no neighbors without problems said asli aydintasbas an expert at the european council on foreign relations this was the loneliest point in the history of the republic   qatar and saudi arabia looking like the governments only real friends
under mr erdogan turkey has tried to establish friendships with its muslim neighbors a shift from the past but some experts argue that turkey miscalculated especially in syria where until recently it pushed for the ouster of president bashar al assad it has also opposed the united states there over kurdish rebels fighting the islamic state and has been criticized for letting fighters pass freely across its border with syria
in the case of russia economics trumped political posturing ms aydintasbas said trade between the two countries had been substantially in russias favor largely because it sells considerable amounts of oil and gas to turkey but turkey also benefited more than three million russians visit each year the second largest group of foreign travelers after germans and their absence has taken a painful toll on turkeys tourism industry
in his letter to mr putin mr erdogan said he would like to inform the family of the deceased russian pilot that i share their pain and to offer my condolences to them according to a statement from turkeys presidential spokesman ibrahim kalin
the effort to repair relations with russia began the same day that turkey and israel announced an agreement to resume full diplomatic relations ending a bitter six year rift between the once close regional allies the two countries had fallen out over a 2010 israeli military raid on a turkish boat the mavi marmara which was bringing aid to gaza ten turkish activists were killed
the deal provided an opening for lucrative natural gas projects for israel to sell natural gas reserves to turkey and via turkey to europe
louis fishman an assistant professor at brooklyn college who specializes in turkish israeli affairs said that for turkey the resumption of relations was not merely about cutting a natural gas deal with israel which certainly tops its agenda but also an attempt to regain regional clout
turkey also announced on monday that it would prosecute a turkish man suspected of killing the pilot of the russian jet after his plane was shot down in november reuters reported russia had been demanding the prosecution of the man alparslan celik who was fighting in northern syria at the time
it is unclear why the reconciliation with russia is happening now mr erdogan a charismatic leader who has tapped into rising populism in turkey has grown increasingly autocratic prompting criticism from liberals at home and from some allies abroad experts said he was trying to change his positions abroad in order to burnish his image and authority
at the core of the decision to mend ties with israel and russia is an existential need for survival ms aydintasbas said mr erdogans justice and development party is the top vote getter and has just won elections she said but with a serious homegrown insurgency a frail economy and a long list of foes it is hard to rule a country
cengiz candar a visiting scholar at the stockholm university institute for turkish studies said were seeing the contours of erdogans pragmatism now they can say see we are improving our relations in our neighborhood were on the right track 


volkswagen has agreed to pay up to 147 billion to settle claims stemming from its diesel emissions cheating scandal in what would be one of the largest consumer class action settlements ever in the united states
the proposed settlement involving the federal government and lawyers for the owners of about 475000 volkswagen vehicles includes a maximum of 1003 billion to buy back affected cars at their pre scandal values and additional cash compensation for the owners according to two people briefed on the settlements terms
the cash compensation offered to each car owner will range from 5100 to 10000 both the buyback price and amount of the additional compensation will depend on the cars value before volkswagens public admission last september that its supposed clean diesel cars had been deliberately designed to cheat on air quality tests
despite the scope of the deal which would still require the approval of the federal judge overseeing the case the settlement would cover only a small fraction of the 11 million diesel cars worldwide   most of them in europe   that volkswagen has acknowledged contained the cheating software
but in the united states its a remarkable deal for volkswagen owners who were defrauded by the company said david m uhlmann a former chief of the justice departments environmental crimes section who is now a law professor at the university of michigan
rather than sell their vehicles back to volkswagen car owners in the united states can also choose to have their vehicles fixed to meet emissions standards although doing so would probably reduce the engines performance and gas mileage and the methods for fixing the vehicles that volkswagen has proposed are still subject to approval by the environmental protection agency one of the federal parties to the case
volkswagen will also compensate previous owners who may have sold their diesel vehicles after the cheating became known last year   but at only half the rate of the compensation being offered to current car owners
particularly attractive is the combination of the buyback offer and cash payment which appears to be the better option for consumers mr uhlmann said
its hard to see why consumers would want to take advantage of the fix and not the buyback option unless they just love their cars he said for volkswagen its an extremely expensive settlement far more than many analysts predicted
the settlement terms first reported by bloomberg news are to be submitted on tuesday to a federal judge in california
volkswagen would also pay 27 billion into an epa fund the two people said to compensate for the environmental impact of its cars which were fitted with software that enabled them to pass emissions tests but exceed legal pollution limits in on the road driving volkswagen has also agreed to spend 2 billion on new cleaner vehicle projects an investment that the automaker could reap returns on
all told the civil settlement would be the largest yet by an automobile company dwarfing the 14 billion that toyota paid to settle a class action lawsuit over flawed accelerators and the more than 2 billion general motors has paid so far to settle claims from owners of cars with faulty ignition switches toyota in addition paid 12 billion to settle criminal charges while gm paid 900 million
the size of the settlement would approach the 187 billion agreement that bp reached last year meant to resolve all federal state and local claims against the oil giant arising from the 2010 gulf of mexico oil spill which at the time was the largest civil settlement with any single entity in the nations history since then as a result of additional claims bps payouts have grown
volkswagen has said it has set aside 162 billion euros or more than 18 billion to cover fines and compensation to volkswagen owners
and yet volkswagens legal problems would be far from over
volkswagen faces a criminal inquiry by the department of justice and an investigation by attorneys general in 42 states the district of columbia and puerto rico the attorneys general are expected as soon as tuesday to announce their own settlement with volkswagen for 500 million in penalties for defrauding consumers according to a person briefed on the deal
financial regulators in new york are also investigating whether volkswagen overcharged consumers when the company leased or financed sales of diesel cars that it later admitted were designed to cheat on air quality tests in a subpoena sent to volkswagen on monday the states department of financial services also sought information from the german automaker on insurance coverage required for volkswagen and audi cars financed or leased in new york
the automaker is under investigation in a number of other countries including germany and south korea
volkswagen acknowledged last year that it had installed illegal software in 11 million cars worldwide that made them capable of defeating pollution tests
during emissions testing the cars pollution controls systems were turned on curbing toxic emissions at the cost of engine performance but those emissions controls were not fully engaged on the road where its cars spewed nitrogen oxides at up to 40 times the levels allowed under the clean air act
the proposed settlement requires a review by united states district judge charles r breyer in california and must go through a period of public comment during which terms could yet change
affected volkswagen owners are not bound by the settlement and some may decide to press for better terms
nor will the deal address terms for the owners of 85000 volkswagen and porsche cars sold in the united states that had a different type of diesel engine but also had emissions problems negotiations over a settlement for those cars are still underway
volkswagen faces increasing discontent from owners in europe meanwhile who account for by far the greatest number of the 11 million vehicles with illegal software
as a result the settlement talks in the united states present volkswagen with a dilemma any agreement that satisfied american owners would only increase demands from restive volkswagen owners in europe
the automaker is recalling cars in europe to make them compliant with air quality rules but is not offering owners any compensation limits on nitrogen oxide are less stringent in europe so it has been easier for volkswagen to find a fix that regulators will approve
still owners in germany france and other places have been trying to find ways to sue volkswagen even though european laws generally discourage class action suits some political leaders in europe have also been calling on volkswagen to pay car owners


santiago chile   four decades after the bullet riddled body of the chilean folk singer victor jara was discovered in the mayhem of the military coup that upended his country mr jaras family found some measure of justice on monday in a florida courtroom
a federal jury in orlando concluded that a former chilean army officer who had emigrated to the united states and worked as a short order cook was liable for the torture and extrajudicial killing of mr jara at the chilean sports stadium where he was held after the 1973 coup that brought gen augusto pinochet to power
the court awarded mr jaras family 28 million in damages
the former officer pedro pablo barrientos 67 a naturalized american citizen and resident of deltona fla near daytona beach was a defendant in a civil suit brought under an american law aimed at helping victims of human rights violations committed overseas
mr barrientos who was described in court as having bragged about shooting mr jara is also a defendant in a criminal prosecution in chile it is unclear whether the outcome of the florida case will affect efforts to extradite him
mr jara then 40 was an accomplished songwriter and theater director and a member of the communist party that supported the deposed government of salvador allende his songs of poverty and injustice rooted in his own humble origins in the chilean countryside are still popular today he is often described as the bob dylan of south america
his widow the british dancer joan jara and her daughters manuela and amanda who were 13 and 8 at the time moved to britain and have been seeking to hold their fathers killers to account ever since they returned to chile in 1991
mrs jara 88 provided testimony on how her life was cut in two after the coup and violent death of her husband
it was the end of my first life because i lost so much on that day she said i lost my job and my profession my children left their school their friends their home and their country i was never able to remarry i had been very much in love with victor
mr barrientos was taken to court on june 13 by the center for justice  accountability a san francisco based legal advocacy group and the new york law firm chadbourne  parke
they filed a civil lawsuit against mr barrientos in 2013 on behalf of the jara family under the torture victim protection act designed to hold human rights violators living in the united states accountable
the day after the coup on sept 11 1973 mr jara was arrested during a military assault at the state technical university where he worked along with hundreds of students and faculty they were taken to the chile stadium an indoor arena in the capital used as a mass detention center it was renamed the victor jara stadium in 2003
three days later mr jaras body with dozens of bullet wounds was found outside a cemetery in santiago along with four other victims an autopsy of his remains which were exhumed in 2009 confirmed two gunshots at the back of his head and 44 more wounds all over his body
a former soldier jose navarrete testified that mr barrientos boasted about having shot mr jara twice in the head he used to show his pistol and say i killed victor jara with this  he told the court in a videotaped deposition mr navarrete said he had not come forward with his testimony before for fear of retaliation
the whereabouts of mr barrientos were unknown until mid 2012 when a chilean television crew located him in florida where he had moved at the end of the pinochet dictatorship in 1990 in december 2012 a chilean judge miguel vasquez charged mr barrientos in absentia with the murder and requested his extradition
the defendants lawyer luis f calderon in his opening statement described mr barrientos as a hard working immigrant seeking to live the american dream he said mr barrientos started out working as a landscaper and then became a cook mr barrientos has worked at perkins restaurant in deltona over the past 10 years he is a simple man leading a simple life mr calderon said
mr barrientos told the court that he went to the united states to earn money for his childrens education not to evade possible prosecution however he did not report his military past when applying for citizenship in 2010 he claimed he was never at the chile stadium and denied knowing who victor jara was before 2009 despite his widespread popularity in chile
several former soldiers testified through videotaped depositions last year that they were part of the section from the tejas verdes regiment under the direct orders of mr barrientos at the stadium one of them gustavo baez described the atmosphere in the stadium telling the jury that he saw officers torturing prisoners in the locker rooms he was ordered to load a dozen bodies on trucks mr baez said
two former prisoners gave details of the violence killings and suicides that took place in the stadium and how mr jara was singled out and assaulted even as he was entering the stadium
that night victor was exhibited as a trophy to other officers they also beat him recalled boris navia a former detainee he said one of them crushed his hand and beat his arm saying youll never be able to play the guitar again
mr jara was isolated from the other prisoners taken to the locker rooms beaten severely and killed on sept 15 as mr navia was being led out of the stadium by soldiers he said he saw 20 to 30 corpses piled up by the entrance one was victor jara
victor loved life intensely im glad we can do something for him now even if its in the united states its our duty said erica osorio who was a 22 year old student of construction engineering at the time she recognized mr barrientos as one of the officers at the stadium
almudena bernabeu the lawyer at the center for justice  accountability who led the investigation of the case said she and her colleagues were profoundly pleased with the verdict which came after an eight day trial in many ways this verdict is not an end but a new beginning to work toward the extradition or deportation of barrientos and full justice for the jara family
mr jaras daughter manuela said these eight days have been emotionally intense she added they concentrated all of the pain sadness and anger chile has gone through and specifically the horrors at the chile stadium the culture of lies cover ups and bullying was pulverized by the weight of the truth in this courtroom


england lost a game on monday that has happened before
but england lost this european championships round of 16 game in nice france to iceland a country of about 300000 people that had never played in a major tournament before this one iceland a team with two managers one of whom heimir hallgrimsson is a part time dentist
and england had the lead too on a wayne rooney penalty kick after just four minutes yet it managed to lose by 2 1 on goals by ragnar sigurdsson who plays for krasnodar in the top russian league and kolbeinn sigthorsson who plays for nantes in the top french league
england which had won all 10 games in qualifying for the euros but finished second to wales in group b lacked any offensive firepower even though its team is packed with stars from the same premier league that fills tv screens worldwide every weekend while the likes of krasnodar and nantes play in obscurity
the loss was so embarrassing that england manager roy hodgson resigned immediately after the game
reading a statement that english news outlets speculated had been written before the game hodgson said i am sorry it will have to end this way but these things happen
losing to iceland the smallest country ever to have qualified for a major tournament is only the latest humiliating performance for england under hodgson england did not win any games at the 2014 world cup in brazil england has not won a knockout stage match in a major tournament since 2006 unable to meet the expectations of an enthusiastic soccer nation
they thought that this would be a walk in the park sigurdsson told reporters we had faith in our ability
rooney converted the early penalty kick after raheem sterling was tripped up by iceland goalkeeper hannes halldorsson iceland responded quickly as sigurdsson volleyed in a pass from kari arnason in the sixth minute sigthorsson scored the decisive goal in the 18th minute when england keeper joe hart could only get a hand on the ball
at the final whistle aron gunnarsson icelands captain who plays for cardiff in the second tier of english soccer tore off his shirt and ran over to fans leading his teammates in dancing and singing the associated press reported in icelands capital reykjavik an estimated 10000 people watched the match on a giant screen downtown fireworks were set off and residents danced on their balconies
in england where the news media and the public are not known for treating defeat with an attitude of well played boys the knives came out in a hurry
here is some of the best or worst of the immediate reaction
ian darke espn commentator england staring at maybe the biggest humiliation in their history in the game of football the game that england gave to the world
the sun its like watching what happens when your dog plays fifa
the guardian for the second time in a week england suffer an ignominious exit from europe
the mirror there are three certainties in life death taxes and mediocre england displays in major tournaments
chris waddle former player we havent got leaders   theyre all pampered i would never pay to watch iceland but theyve got great camaraderie
bbc sport try telling someone like my dad that england have lost a game of football to iceland hed laugh in your face
daily express well done iceland they deserve it england dont deserve a bean from that performance
daily star headline laughing stock
daily telegraph there are people who wake up without their shoes with a text from their boss saying theyve been fired and an empty memory from the night before who have had a more successful evening
even two of englands most experienced players apologized for the teams performance
from the bottom of my heart i am sorry hart told reporters
rooney added its embarrassing for us we know were a better team you cant explain it


americans spend 302 billion a year on alternative and complementary medicines and procedures including 19 billion on children 4 to 17 years old none of it is covered by insurance
the national center for health statistics which maintains a continuing health survey of americans concludes that in 2012 552 million adults and 41 million children had at least one expenditure for some kind of complementary health care
almost half the money   147 billion   was spent visiting practitioners like acupuncturists homeopaths naturopaths chelation therapists mind body experts energy healing specialists hypnotists massage therapists and traditional healers
natural product supplements excluding vitamin and mineral diet supplements cost 128 billion and 27 billion was paid for self care including expenses for books and educational materials on diet based therapies guided imagery meditation tai chi movement therapies biofeedback and other treatments
in a sense 302 billion is not much money   only 11 percent of the nations total health care bill 282 trillion but the 128 billion spent on natural product supplements is 24 percent of the 54 billion spent out of pocket on prescription drugs and the 147 billion in visits to alternative practitioners is almost a third of the out of pocket expenditures for visits to conventional physicians
the reason we like looking at cost data is because cost tells you how much people value these approaches said the lead author of the report richard l nahin an epidemiologist with the national institutes of health
someone may use a therapy when its free and then not when they have to pay for it but when people say theyre willing to pay out of pocket for alternative treatment they really must value and believe in it
unsurprisingly the average expenditure for a family increased with income families with incomes less than 25000 spent an average of 435 a year on alternative care and those with incomes exceeding 100000 averaged 590
the authors acknowledge that the data depends on the recall and self reports of the participants but the surveys nationally representative sample and its large size   44743 people older than 4   give it considerable power


ted cruz and john kasich have a message for donald j trump they dont care if they are not invited to speak at his convention
as mr trump tries to plan a convention that will run as smoothly as possible he said in an interview with the new york times last week that he would not invite either mr cruz or mr kasich both former rivals for the republican presidential nomination to speak at the republican national convention in cleveland unless they endorsed him
that is fine both said on monday a spokeswoman for mr cruz catherine frazier said the texas senator did not have any expectation about receiving a speaking slot a spokesman for mr kasich the governor of ohio was similarly indifferent
we have not sought nor are we expecting a speaking slot at the convention said the spokesman chris schrimpf
in mr kasichs case the situation is even more strained because the convention will take place in his home state ordinarily a governor whose party is hosting a convention in his backyard would play a big role not this year
mr kasichs spokesman said the governor plans to be in and around cleveland that week but he has no plans to be involved in anything that has to do with mr trump
instead he will attend events focusing on keeping the republican majorities in congress and winning races down ballot mr schrimpf said
if mr cruz and mr kasich never set foot in the convention hall they would hardly be the only republicans staying away other governors senators members of congress and senior party officials are skipping too even some delegates are renouncing their roles
add to the prominent potential absences a difficulty in meeting fund raising goals and snubs by several major corporate sponsors like apple and coca cola mr trump is running out of time to achieve his goal of a show that goes off without a hitch it begins in three weeks


shareholders of the williams companies voted on monday to approve a merger with energy transfer equity the dallas based pipeline operator paving the way for williams to appeal a delaware judges decision last week that allows the deal to be terminated
at a special meeting 63 percent of williamss outstanding shares were voted in favor of the merger according to a statement
williams said that it had filed papers to begin the appeal process in the delaware supreme court seeking to overturn a court of chancery judges ruling on friday that gave energy transfer a way out of the merger agreement
williams does not believe ete has a right to terminate the merger agreement because ete has breached the merger agreement by failing to cooperate and use necessary efforts to satisfy the conditions to closing williams said in mondays statement
it is the latest development in a merger dispute that has grown uglier by the month
in its appeal williams will try to prove that energy transfer did not engage in commercially reasonable efforts to close the deal williams is expected to argue that once energy transfer found a tax related issue that would prevent the deal from closing it did not engage williams appropriately to find a solution
a representative from energy transfer did not immediately respond to a request for comment on monday
shares of both energy transfer and williams were lower on monday williamss share price sank more than 6 percent
the cash and stock transaction was valued around 33 billion when signed in september but has since slumped to about 22 billion tracking the decline in energy transfers stock price
the deal included an offer of 6 billion in cash which became more of a concern to energy transfer over the last nine months with the worsening plight of the pipeline industry   which transports oil and natural gas
kelcy l warren the companys chairman wanted out of the deal because he feared the debt required to finance the cash portion of the transaction could cause a wave of ratings downgrades according to testimony from a trial last week in the court of chancery
in march energy transfers head of tax realized a mistake in the complicated structure of the deal had been made and informed the companys outside tax counsel latham  watkins
the law firm too conceded there was a mistake in that the deal which was supposed to be tax free might no longer be so it found that the decline in energy transfers stock price in addition to the cash component of the transaction created a mismatch during the transfer of williamss assets which could lead the internal revenue service to bill the merged companies for an amount estimated at more than 1 billion
latham said it could not provide an opinion that the deal would reasonably be deemed tax free by the irs williamss counsel tried to prove that latham was withholding the tax opinion because it was being influenced by energy transfer and its strong desire to get out of the deal
however sam glasscock iii the vice chancellor of the court of chancery ruled on friday that latham was acting in good faith and would not have risked its reputation on behalf of its client
reputational effects surely outweigh any benefit of an unethical deference to the interests of the partnership vice chancellor glasscock wrote referring to energy transfer as the partnership while this deal is certainly a lunker latham has even bigger fish to fry
that decision paves the way for energy transfer to call off the deal assuming latham still cannot render its opinion on its own williams estimates that it would be forgoing 4 billion to 10 billion compared with what its value would be if merged with energy transfer
williams said it might seek damages as well


london   the art market on monday night felt the first effects of britains momentous brexit vote when phillips held an auction of 20th century and contemporary art at its grand european headquarters in london
the event the first in a week of bellwether contemporary art sales held by all three major international houses raised 119 million british pounds with fees or about 157 million from 31 lots it had been estimated to take at least PS102 million or 135 million thirty two percent of the lots were unsold the companys equivalent contemporary auction last june containing 50 lots grossed PS182 million with 16 percent failing to sell
owners mindful of a potential brexit vote and a fall in the value of the pound as well as a general cooling in the art market had been more reluctant to consign works yet despite the turmoil on the financial markets no lots were withdrawn before the auction
they did a decent job given this was the first sale of brexit week said morgan long director of art investment at the fine art fund group an advisory company based in london they dropped the reserves buyers were thinking about currencies and there was deeper bidding on the some of the lots that sold than weve seen in a while
the weakening pound softened the blow it declined by more than 11 percent in value against the dollar and 8 percent against the euro since thursday effectively handing foreign buyers a substantial discount
the surprise of the night was the PS24 million or roughly 32 million paid by a telephone bidder after a lengthy three way battle for a thickly painted 2004 2010 anselm kiefer seascape incorporating a lead toy submarine that was fresh to the auction market the price was four times the pre sale upper estimate
at least five bidders pushed michelangelo pistolettos 1968 painted tissue on stainless steel piece violet dog to PS905000 about 12 million against a valuation of PS400000 to PS600000
but the auction houses profit line was dented by the failure of the 1975 sam francis abstract facing within to sell it was the one lot guaranteed by phillips itself with a low estimate of PS300000 or about 396000
and once fashionable living artists were being priced downward sterling rubys 2010 black and gray abstract sp138 was sold well below its PS300000 estimate for PS263000 or 347000 and danh vos 2010 gold leaf on cardboard mezcal union failed to sell against a low estimate of PS100000 about 132000


rome   leaders of gay catholic groups on monday praised pope francis for saying that all christians and the roman catholic church owed an apology to gays for previous mistreatment even as the groups called on the church to take more concrete steps to repudiate past teachings and condemn anti gay violence
streaking across the sky on sunday night in his papal airliner returning from a visit to armenia francis also visibly winced momentarily overcome with emotion when a journalist cindy wooden mentioned the recent attack at an orlando gay nightclub and noted that christians are sometimes blamed for stigmatizing homosexuals
francis did not directly address the orlando killings but he endorsed a comment of one of his top advisers who soon after the orlando attack said that the church had marginalized gay people and should apologize
the pope said the church must not only apologize to a gay person it offended but we must apologize to the poor to women who have been exploited to children forced into labor
marianne duddy burke executive director of dignityusa a leading organization of lesbian gay bisexual and transgender catholics said the popes remarks represented a powerful statement if not enough
for a pope to acknowledge that the church has done so much damage to gay people and that we deserve an apology is an unprecedented act of humility she said in a telephone interview but a statement of remorse is only as good as the change in behavior that follows
franciss outreach toward gays has been part of his broader effort to welcome people who have felt marginalized by the church he made global headlines early in his papacy when he signaled a new openness toward gays when he famously uttered who am i to judge
francis words raised hopes among some gay catholics and others that he might make significant changes inside the church itself some advocates even wondered if he might loosen the churchs prohibition of same sex marriage as part of his broader move to make the church more welcoming to unconventional families
but francis has steadfastly opposed same sex marriage his much awaited document on family life amoris laetitia called on the church to welcome gay people but flatly closed the door on same sex marriage
hes not liberal said the rev antonio spadaro a jesuit priest who is close to the pope instead father spadaro said francis sought to avoid categorizing people and wanted a welcoming environment devoid of discrimination
of course he added he wants a church of open doors
in a statement ryan hoffman co executive director of call to action a catholic group praised francis remarks but also called on catholic officials to reform teachings and practices that refer to gay people as objectively disordered and intrinsically evil 
its time francis wise words translate into just action mr hoffman said
ms duddy burke pointed to cases of the firing of gay employees of catholic schools in the united states after they married in civil ceremonies she also noted that bishops around the world often played leading roles in campaigns against gay rights
we need the church to understand the reality of our lives she said and where church teaching and practice has caused so much trouble
popes have a tradition of apologizing for past sins of the church in 2000 pope john paul ii issued a sweeping apology for the churchs errors over the previous 2000 years francis himself offered a striking apology during his 2015 trip to south america when he asked for forgiveness for the churchs complicity in the brutality of the era of spanish colonialism
there are a lot of people at the vatican who dont like the church ever admitting we ever did anything wrong said the rev thomas j reese a jesuit priest and senior analyst for the national catholic reporter with gays it is especially important because they are still subject to persecution and discrimination all over the world and even in the united states


the color purple got its post tonys bounce one week late
the much praised production which won the tony award for best musical revival had actually seen its grosses drop the week after the ceremony because its tony winning star cynthia erivo was in london for much of the week one of her co stars danielle brooks also missed several performances that week
but last week with cast intact the show fared much better grossing 799021 up 42 percent over the previous week it was the musicals best showing since jennifer hudson left the cast in early may
overall the period ending june 26   a week that included the official start of summer   was a healthy one for broadway the 32 shows playing grossed 289 million up from 282 million grossed by 34 shows the previous week
three shows closed on sunday   the new musical bright star the musical revival of the king and i and the play revival of long days journey into night the two musicals saw box office bumps as theatergoers seized their last opportunities to see the shows   bright star had the best week of its run at 708013 while the king and i grossed 840824 for its best week since the departure of kelli ohara
also notable shuffle along or the making of the musical sensation of 1921 and all that followed saw its grosses drop from 973686 to 814942 apparently because last week was when its star audra mcdonald had initially been expected to begin a three month leave to reprise her tony winning performance in lady day at emersons bar  grill in london which affected advance sales
as it turned out ms mcdonald became pregnant canceled the london production and extended her stay with shuffle along until july 24 last week the shows producers decided to close the show when she leaves
the uplifting musical waitress which has been strengthening over time had its best week yet at 11 million over all the top grossing shows were the lion king at 21 million hamilton at just over 2 million and wicked at just under 2 million


moscow   edward j snowden an american who took refuge in russia after leaking a trove of classified united states data from global surveillance has criticized a proposed russian law as an assault on freedom of speech and has been rebuffed in an effort to collect a free speech prize in norway
mr snowden who was charged by the united states in 2013 with violating the espionage act was invited to norway by a writers advocacy group to receive the prize and sought guarantees in court that he would not be handed over to the american authorities news agencies reported on monday that a court in oslo rejected his bid
his criticism of the russian law came over the weekend when he said on twitter that it was an unworkable unjustifiable violation of rights that should never be signed the law was passed by the lower house of parliament on friday the speaker of the upper house valentina i matviyenko signaled on monday that her chamber would pass it as well
mass surveillance doesnt work mr snowden wrote this bill will take money and liberty without improving safety
rights activists have protested several elements of the bill especially a provision making it a crime to fail to report the planning of a terrorist act and another that would make it a crime to write social media posts that justify terrorism under the law russian cellular and internet providers would have to store all communications data for six months and help security services decipher encrypted messages mr snowden called it russias new big brother law
speaking to the interfax news agency on monday mr snowdens lawyer anatoly g kucherena defended the criticism and said it showed that mr snowden was a man of principles who criticizes russia too
we live in a free society in a democratic state mr kuchenera said
during his three years in russia mr snowden whose asylum was approved personally by president vladimir v putin has tried to stay active as an advocate for civil liberties while remaining on good terms with his russian hosts he takes part in conferences and public events abroad through internet teleconferencing to avoid traveling where he might be detained
mr snowden has said that he does not plan to die in russia and that he would like to return to the united states his american lawyer ben wizner said that mr snowden would seek a pardon from president obama


sarah lewis studies photography and its power to shape ideas of race and identity with a depth few others can match before joining the faculty at harvard where she is an assistant professor of history of art and architecture and african and african american studies she held curatorial positions at the museum of modern art and the tate modern where she often shaped provocative exhibitions dealing with race representation and other topics
her most recent work is even more accessible conversational and bold   guest editing apertures special issue devoted to the photography of the black experience
with a curators eye she laid out images old and new from portraits of frederick douglass to the brooklyn street scenes of radcliffe roye with a writers ear she commissioned essays conversations and insights that pulled together powerful black voices including wynton marsalis ava duvernay teju cole margo jefferson and henry louis gates jr
she titled the issue vision  justice which is also the name of her course at harvard and in the worlds of both art and media it has caused a stir fans of the hefty edition have been calling it a vital corrective to the persistent white gaze of elite photography although ms lewis prefers to describe it as simply a fully rounded portrait of black life
people are just getting their copies of aperture and its exploding with love she said
an exhibit tied to the issue will open in august at harvard
ms lewis 36 soft spoken and quick to smile came to the times earlier this month to discuss the power and influence of imagery especially as it relates to race and why we all need to become more visually literate
the interview below is a condensed and lightly edited version of a conversation that went on for hours at the times then continued via email
as a picture editor at the new york times i think a lot about authenticity i grew up in wyoming with very few people of color so when my mother saw them in the paper shed say why is it that were just like these black blobs with eyes and teeth it would drive her crazy and then on my fathers side they were from central louisiana and every time we would visit my grandmother she would have portraits and photos from back in the 1800s of family members thats what drew me to photography what drew you to photography
there are almost too many personal stories and anecdotes i have in mind to isolate just one actually there is   there was one formative moment for me as a child that made me think about the gravitas of images connected to how we see race in america
we had a flood in my house growing up i was maybe single digits 8 or 9 and we had to move out of the house we came home and it was just flooded and our neighbor next door   we lived in an entirely white neighborhood and we built it   came by to help and she was just struck still and stopped at the entryway she didnt come in not because of the water but because she was shocked to see these photographs we had of my great great grandparents and ill never forget what she said i dont even have any pictures of my great great grandparents
and it occurred to me a that these were unique b that there was significance to having a visual record in the form of a photograph of african americans in that time period and it made me want to explore the history and understand that
additionally deborah williss landmark book black photographers 1840 1940 an illustrated bio bibliography was in my childhood home that was the book that made me interested in the relationship between race and photography it sat alongside our own family pictures in the living room table for years as an only child i would spend hours just poring over it as you can imagine the fact that deborah willis is now a colleague and mentor is incredibly meaningful to me
how has your interest in photography evolved
its moved from simply interest in it as a documentary enterprise to something that i think has resonance for civic engagement for broader level conversation than you have only in the art world it goes far beyond that
so what did you think when aperture contacted you to curate an issue on the black experience
i was honored but i knew it was going to require a great deal of work and so i was also slightly daunted
the request was to guest edit an issue on the theme of photography and african american life with the obama presidency ending being sort of an animated reason for doing the issue
this is an institution that has created some landmark qualifications for good photography but most of those photographers are not of color
can one issue i asked myself ever offer a corrective move for that history and the answer is no so i was daunted because i knew that to do this issue would become about more than doing one issue it would mean an engagement with the institution and by proxy many other institutions where you need to ask pertinent questions about the dearth of engagement with this topic
but i did it gladly with a lot of joy i think one of the things i would emphasize though from the start is i made clear to the team that i worked with and they were completely on board with this that i wanted honor and dignity to permeate every interaction with every artist and every writer and every poet and scholar we communicated with because of the enormity and gravitas of the topic
how did you select the artists that are featured in vision  justice
my aim for this issue of aperture and selecting the theme of vision and justice was to create an issue that would have writers photographers poets scholars whose level of mastery and gravitas on work matched the weight of this topic nevertheless that means there are many emerging photographers in here many younger scholars and writers
why two different covers
i wanted to have two contrasting covers   one by richard avedon of martin luther king jr his father and son and another portrait by the young photographer awol erizku from the afropunk 2014 festival   to underscore both the historic nature and raw vitality of this topic of vision and justice
for an issue with such a chronological sweep no one image would do
the magazine starts with henry louis gates jrs meditations on frederick douglasss speeches about photography and concludes with the portfolios by emerging and established photographers from latoya ruby frazier dawoud bey deana lawson and a column by studio museum in harlem director thelma golden it took months to figure out what would make for just the right thematic cover image and i feel they are stunning   synoptic and strong   but i would have loved to have even more if printing had been free 20 covers would have been nice
i particularly love the cover with dr martin luther king jr his father and son i had no idea this photo existed
i think one out of say 20 people   and im saying scholars art historians that i know   knew of this image before i showed it to them
avedon so masterfully composed this image hes made king hover above both the past and the present with his father and son because of the framing of his shoulders hes almost angelic almost depersonalized de disembodied somehow but you still see because of the features how connected he is with the past and the future
ah but that gaze is i think what hits me and it emblematizes the importance of vision for justice i decided to title the issue vision  justice not photographs  justice or images  justice because it has to do with this with the impact of how images get us to see the world differently
is there a particular photo in the collection that youre willing to say is your favorite
i will say i selected every image i went back to photographers studios often to get the image i knew was really there so my hand   my fingerprint is on every single page
i think people might be surprised that annie leibovitz is in here when i saw a photograph of black supermodels all dressed in black and gathered by iman that annie leibovitz took in 2001 i tore it out of vanity fair magazine and taped it right up on my wall
i was living in the uk right after college i moved four times in the subsequent four years i took it with me each time what struck me was the exquisite grace of these models in the aggregate and how the picture served as a corrective model a demonstration of the force of photography for representational justice for any stereotype about a black female identity power self possession or beauty annie leibovitzs composition of these women models who have mastered the art of physical gesture to convey an idea in a glance offered a sharp retort a collective dare
i felt just as moved by her picture of susan rice who emblematizes a new association of race and power by sitting at the center of the un table as the united states ambassador with effortless poise and preparedness pencil in one hand on the desk the other hand coolly draped toward the viewer resting on the chair as if the world is her audience because it is of course when i was asked to guest edit the issue and i chose the theme of vision  justice these gesturally strong images by annie leibovitz had to make it in
why do you say that people were surprised that annie leibovitz was included in the issue
i think the issue doesnt only have photographers of color because well theres annie leibovitz and sally mann and various scholars who are not african american and thats for a reason because this has been a collective project
but annie was a surprise for some people not to me some of the most epiphanic images we have of black life have come from her lens her mind and heart and so i thought she was crucial to have in this issue because when shes also engaging with her subjects shes mindful silently of the place that that image will occupy in history
when she came to photograph me her studio had combed online to find every image possible they presented them to me and said how do you like yourself best how do you want to present yourself
and thats striking and again mindful of the continuum it was such an honor for me not just because its an incredibly inventive innovative photographer but because of the other african americans and the few african americans whove been in front of her
i thought she was crucial to this discussion yeah so shes in there and sally manns series i think its important to curate into the pages and that was the portfolio that brought me to tears as i tried to edit it down to i think 10 pictures because she was able to using that sort of that wet plate coating process her 8 by 10 camera she was able to condense at times 150 years of quite painful history onto a single image
lets talk a little more about black ownership when i worked at the black filmmaker foundation one of the criteria was it cant be a black film unless its directed by a person of color
im interested less in what qualifies something as black photography black art black cinema as i am in seeing what comes of agency on the part of black artists im interested in seeing what comes out of their heart and mind and soul with regard to the medium that they choose
the entire reason why this project is important i think is because we are investing a level of care in how we portray the full spectrum of humanity right thats why this is important its how do we honor human life
and so of course we are robbed of the viewpoints we need when we dont have photographers of color increasingly having their images disseminated by incredible newspapers like the new york times or any other outlet
but it seems like a particularly rich period for black artists what are your thoughts about the state of black art and artists such as kehinde wiley for example
the legendary art historian robert farris thompson once said until you know how african you are you will never know how american you are well yes indeed as a culture weve begun to recognize what bob has long been saying with his work this is part of why it is a particularly rich time for black expressive culture and will remain in the us we now know that when we celebrate black culture we are celebrating american culture when we honor the pioneering work of artists like carrie mae weems romare bearden kehinde wiley jamel shabazz or lorna simpson extol the poetry by elizabeth alexander or claudia rankine the music by jason moran or scholarship on black artists by richard powell or deborah willis we are celebrating our collective heritage
what are your views on fine art photography versus photojournalism
there are perhaps a different set of concerns for photojournalists   how to create a synoptic narrative captured in a glance   and there are different considerations about audience but what does it mean that a project that began as photojournalism can end up being seen as so called fine art photography over time consider the work of gordon parks for example whose photojournalism informed his filmmaking and more while photographic history has long been split in the way that you describe i dont think of the categories as oppositional particularly as the media landscape shifts the distinction is one that i find less and less useful
do you think changes in technology have made it easier for photographers of color to be seen and recognized or has it made it harder
i think what were looking at now is the democratization of photography everyone has access well no not everyone   many people have access to be able to create an image but what that also requires is an increased state of vision literacy on the part of viewers
for me it shines a spotlight on the artist and the photographers who are so proficient at getting us to concentrate and isolate and look at whats in front of us
how do you think representation of race has changed over time especially as weve become more of a transnational multicultural society
i think the main trend line or shift thats occurred as it relates to race and photography and representation in photography is that you see a move from photography as a corrective enterprise you know to photography as a way to celebrate the complexity of human life of black life
by corrective i mean you really have to go back to the 19th century and talk about the development of race representation in photography because of the way in which racial science attempted to use photography as a mode to show the inhumanity of african americans and all the work that was being done   the counter archive that black photographers in the antebellum period and the civil war period created to offer a corrective for that
again thats why frederick douglass was in front of the camera it was to create this counter archive to   as skip gates would put it   stem the niagara flow of stereotypes that had become a mass glut at that period
so it moved from this corrective period to a more celebratory mode i think jamel shabazz is a great exponent of this with his honor and dignity series really chronicling black life that might be just quotidian to those people but isnt given its due lots of times because of saturation we have of images that show one denigrating cultural narrative about african americans
i think resisting essentialism when it comes to black aesthetics is very important period
i think part of the reason why were robbed of perspectives when we dont see the full range of black expression is because there is no one prescriptive way to live this life with black skin
and how do you think these images can engage in a broader dialogue about class and politics and gender
photography doesnt have to try to engage with a broader dialogue about class and race and gender because it does whether we know it or not
internally we are like picture galleries right i mean ava duvernay says this too that we have these mental images we walk around with and we engage with each other through these inner pictures these inner images that are created and fashioned out of the argot of pictures weve seen of others throughout our lifetime right
so it doesnt   theres nothing we need to do i think because photographs the impact of photographs do this to us the question i think for any platform any newspaper any journal any magazine is to recognize the weight of   and the impact of   the images that you put in front of readers and attempt to show the broadest possible scope of humanity unbound you know through them
so then how do you rate us as far as the newspaper industry going back to my original comment i do   as a woman of color   feel that weight
absolutely no i have so much respect for the responsibility that you take on yourself with this work and i think youre doing an incredible job i think its difficult to find an image that creates a sense of that synoptic capture or of a narrative its difficult work especially when you are faced with what i would call image glut right saturation
i think this work that you do is so vital for civic dialogue were living in this increasingly polarized climate in society where we tend to live amongst people who vote the way we do have religious beliefs that are like ours oftentimes of the same race and what that means is that the way we process worlds unlike our own comes down to the media we see and the pictures that we consume
thats what puts the onus on this work today more than ever it is similar to what happened at the very beginning of photography when it seemed as if it saturated the environment but what we have now thats different is that the polarization puts more responsibility on those pictures to tell hard truths


wimbledon england   shortly after 1130 am monday on court 4 in the shadow of centre court daria kasatkina won the first point of the 2016 wimbledon tournament
she then won 11 of the next 12 points to take a 3 0 lead against victoria duval it was about then that duval a 20 year old american thought can i not be here
but just being here ultimately was the point for duval who lost to the 29th seeded kasatkina 6 0 7 5
the last time duval played at wimbledon in 2014 she learned during qualifying that she had hodgkins lymphoma but she did not reveal it until days after a second round loss to belinda bencic
duval a promising player who was a fan favorite at the 2013 united states open after her first round upset of samantha stosur missed more than a year on tour as she received treatment coming back in august
in february duval needed knee surgery for a torn meniscus she returned five weeks ago and acknowledged that she was not physically prepared for this tournament she had played only two matches since losing in the first round of the australian open her first appearance in the main draw of a grand slam tournament since her diagnosis
duval said being back at wimbledon was really hard emotionally she was overwhelmed at times and said she was on the verge of crying she said she was torn between competing emotions being frustrated that im not where i want to be and obviously happy to be back
she tried to pump herself up by singing one dance by drake to herself she tried to compose herself with her head under a towel during changeovers
i was such a wreck she said i was like i want to crawl in a hole can i dig a hole in this grass and just go in here
after losing the first eight games of the match duval just kind of snapped out she said her service technique improved and she got the second set back on serve at 5 5 by breaking kasatkina at love when she was serving for the match
but kasatkina broke right back and then served out the match
duvals second set performance left her with an overall positive feeling about her comeback
the biggest thing was for me to come here and prove to myself that im past what happened to me she said even though i didnt feel physically i was in tiptop shape here it would have killed me if i didnt play
despite her disappointment about her performance and her impatience that her body had not yet caught up with her ambition she said she accepted that she had a long road ahead
its just part of the process she said im going to have dips its just about how fast i get up in the past ive gotten up really fast so right now im just crawling until i start running again
other players also had mixed feelings monday no 28 lucie safarova survived a grueling 2 hour 48 minute match clinching it with a forehand winner
she had rallied after losing the first set she had saved match points in the third set but she did not appear to be happy about any of it when she walked to the net to greet her opponent
that is because her opponent was bethanie mattek sands her good friend and doubles partner with whom she has won two grand slam titles
we know each other so well safarova said after her 6 7 7 7 6 3 7 5 victory its always tough to play someone like that obviously i was happy it was just i didnt want to show the emotions because i obviously see that shes sad
it was their first singles match against each other since they paired up for doubles and they had laughed and joked about it after the draw came out
once the match started the intensity and variety of the points showed just how much time they had spent together
thats what happens you practice together so much and spend so much time safarova said obviously we know a lot how the other one plays and it was about who will fight it out
james ward of england ranked 177th also had some bad luck with the draw facing top seeded novak djokovic who had won 28 consecutive matches at grand slam tournaments
ward lost the first nine games of the match but thrilled the centre court crowd by pushing the second set into a tiebreaker before losing 6 0 7 6 3 6 4
when its full up and everyone is cheering for you youre playing against the world no 1 its a day you remember for the rest of your life ward said
wards countryman marcus willis a qualifier ranked 772nd also had a day to remember   and will have another one wednesday willis a 25 year old coach at the warwick boat club won his first main draw match at a grand slam tournament 6 3 6 3 6 4 over ricardas berankis in front of a boisterous crowd at court 17 that included a chanting group of his friends who wore white t shirts and headbands that matched williss on court look
he will next face roger federer on centre court no doubt after federers 7 6 5 7 6 3 6 3 victory over guido pella
no 5 kei nishikori no 6 milos raonic and no 9 marin cilic were among the men who won in straight sets monday
in the womens draw garbine muguruza the french open champion who is seeded second here was pushed to three sets by camila giorgi before closing out a 6 2 5 7 6 4 victory
sometimes you dont win the most beautiful way muguruza said you got to be there fighting and waiting for your chance especially against a player that bangs the ball
donna vekic served for the first set against eighth seeded venus williams but williams rallied for a 7 6 3 6 4 victory
other seeded women to win in straight sets included no 4 angelique kerber no 5 simona halep and no 9 madison keys
six seeded players lost monday no 23 ana ivanovic no 25 irina camelia begu no 17 gael monfils no 20 kevin anderson no 21 philipp kohlschreiber and no 29 pablo cuevas


no more than a few hundred american children have a rare disease characterized by ultrahigh levels of bad cholesterol
yet to the giant drug maker astrazeneca this small group could be worth billions of dollars
the company is making a bold attempt to fend off impending generic competition to its best selling drug the anti cholesterol pill crestor by getting it approved to treat the rare disease in an unusual legal argument the company says crestor is entitled to seven years of additional market exclusivity under the orphan drug act a three decade old law that encourages pharmaceutical companies to develop treatments for rare diseases
critics say astrazeneca is trying to abuse the law since the overwhelming use of crestor is for treating adults with high cholesterol not children with the rare disease
this represents a deviation from the intent of the orphan drug act said dr martin a makary a professor of health policy at johns hopkins medical school it is now being used to dominate the market with retrofitted indications
crestor a cholesterol lowering statin was prescribed 203 million times in the united states last year the second most of any brand name drug after synthroid a thyroid medicine according to the prescription tracker ims health the drug also known as rosuvastatin calcium is scheduled to lose patent protection on july 8 potentially exposing it to an onslaught of generic competition
the introduction of generics would weigh heavily on astrazenecas bottom line crestor is the companys best selling drug accounting for 5 billion of its 236 billion in product sales last year about 28 billion in sales were in the united states where the retail price is about 260 a month according to goodrxcom
the chain of events leading up to the current controversy began in late may when astrazeneca won approval of crestor to treat children with the rare disease homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia or hofh that approval gave crestor market exclusivity for seven years though it applies only to that disease
one implication is that detailed prescribing information about using the drug for the rare disease cannot be included on the label of generic versions for seven years however the food and drug administration can in theory allow generics on the market for other uses such as treating high cholesterol in adults
yet astrazeneca immediately petitioned the fda arguing that if the correct dose for children with hofh could not be on the generic label then it would be illegal and dangerous to approve any generic versions for any use at all that is because doctors might still prescribe the generic for children with hofh and choose the wrong dose posing substantial safety and efficacy risks
michele meixell a spokeswoman for astrazeneca said the company pursued the new use of crestor as part of our standard practice to address unmet needs she said the orphan drug act provides exclusivity as an incentive for pharmaceutical companies to develop products to help address the needs of an underserved patient population
it is far from certain that astrazenecas argument will succeed and it is not known when the fda will decide one response might be for the agency to approve generic versions of crestor on schedule on july 8
spectrum pharmaceuticals lost a lawsuit this month after trying in a similar way to protect its cancer drug fusilev from generic competition
otsuka pharmaceutical recently tried a similar tactic to shield its big selling antipsychotic abilify from generic competition by getting it approved for a rare disease the fda approved generics in april and its decision was upheld in court
perhaps the most famous case was when bristol myers squibb tried for three extra years of protection from generics for glucophage its big selling drug for adult onset diabetes by getting it approved to treat the relatively few children with that disease outraged members of congress calling the move an abuse of the system amended the law in 2002 to eliminate what came to be called the glucophage loophole
but otsuka in its recent court case argued that lawmakers at that time did not explicitly mention orphan exclusivity as a loophole to be closed the united states district judge hearing the case in maryland george j hazel dismissed that argument
it would defy logic he wrote to believe that in enacting this measure to prevent a three year exclusivity from becoming a fundamental abuse of the system that harmed consumers congress nonetheless intended to permit the seven year exclusivity otsuka seeks here
in its petition to the fda astrazeneca argues that the fda was legally incorrect in the otsuka case
kurt r karst a director of the washington law firm hyman phelps  mcnamara and principal author of the fda law blog said given the otsuka precedent its going to be an uphill battle for astrazeneca he predicted that the company would sue the fda if its request were denied
while astrazeneca has been studying use of crestor for pediatric conditions for some years it began a clinical trial for children 6 to 17 years old with hofh only in 2014 about 300 to 1000 people in the united states have the disease which involves two deleterious mutations one from each parent said katherine wilemon president of the fh foundation an advocacy group she said some people with the disease suffer heart attacks when they are only 5 years old
michelle watts of hagerstown md said that she and her husband jason both have high cholesterol but we had no idea that we could both carry a gene and theres the possibility of us giving it to our children
their 7 year old daughter avery has hofh and already has some narrowing of the arteries she takes a generic statin and zetia another anti cholesterol pill every two weeks the family drives three hours each way for a treatment similar to dialysis in which averys blood is run through a machine that cleanses it of cholesterol
mr and ms watts who both use crestor to treat their own high cholesterol declined to comment on astrazenecas move saying they did not know enough about it
astrazenecas trial involved only 14 children and tested a single dose of crestor according to the companys petition after six weeks of treatment those who took crestor had a bigger decline in ldl or bad cholesterol than those receiving a placebo this result was expected in that statins like crestor are already a cornerstone of treatment for such children
dr sidney m wolfe founder and senior adviser of the public citizen health research group said that if astrazeneca was interested in that rare disease they could have done it a long time ago not right before midnight when it is about to turn into a pumpkin
one generic version of crestor sold by allergan reached the market in may under a patent litigation settlement with astrazeneca but drug prices do not typically plummet until there multiple generics are on the market
the issue of using orphan diseases to give drugs extended protection from generic competition is playing out on a bigger stage as well a broad pharmaceutical policy bill passed by the house of representatives last year called the 21st century cures act would give six extra months of protection from generic competition if an already marketed drug gets approved for an orphan disease
max g bronstein a senior director at the everylife foundation for rare diseases an advocacy group said the measure was backed by dozens of patient groups because repurposing existing drugs is a quicker and less costly way to get medicines approved for rare diseases than is developing totally new drugs
but public citizen predicted that the provision could add up to 12 billion to the nations drug bill over 10 years because cheaper generic versions of drugs will be inaccessible to patients with much more common nonorphan diseases for an additional six months
the measure has not been passed by the senate advocates hope it will be added as an amendment to the senate counterpart of the broader legislation


new york universitys medical school has quietly shut down eight studies at its prominent psychiatric research center and parted ways with a top researcher after discovering a series of violations in a study of an experimental mind altering drug
a subsequent federal investigation found lax oversight of study participants most of whom had serious mental issues the food and drug administration investigators also found that records had been falsified and researchers had failed to keep accurate case histories
in one of the shuttered studies people with a diagnosis of post traumatic stress caused by childhood abuse took a relatively untested drug intended to mimic the effects of marijuana to see if it relieved symptoms
i think their intent was good and they were considerate to me said one of those subjects diane ruffcorn 40 of seattle who said she was sexually abused as a child but what concerned me i was given this drug and all these tests and then it was goodbye i was on my own there was no follow up
its a critical time for two important but still controversial areas of psychiatry the search for a blood test or other biological sign of post traumatic stress disorder which has so far come up empty and the use of recreational drugs like ecstasy and marijuana to treat it
at least one trial of marijuana and one using ecstasy are in the works for traumatized veterans and some psychiatrists and many patients see this work as having enormous promise to reshape and improve treatment for trauma but obtaining approval to use the drugs in experiments is still politically sensitive doctors who have done studies with these drugs say that their uncertain effects on traumatic memory make close supervision during treatment essential
the new york times pieced together details of the research and the investigation through documents letters and emails as well as interviews with a participant and several researchers familiar with the project
the violations jeopardize subject safety and welfare and raise concerns about the validity and integrity of the data collected at your site the fda said in a letter obtained by the times to dr alexander neumeister the studies lead investigator
dr charles marmar the chairman of the psychiatry department at nyu said that people working with dr neumeister had reported concerns about the labs compliance with research standards once some of those issues were confirmed dr marmar said the university placed dr neumeister on leave and suspended all activity suspended access to all accounts i took control of those studies dr neumeister later submitted his resignation
georges lederman a lawyer for dr neumeister said there may have been protocol violations but nyu has taken the position that those violations were more egregious than we believe they actually were the issues could have been easily remedied he said and noted that they did not cause the sponsor of the research the pharmaceutical giant pfizer to shut it down
both the university and mr lederman said there was no evidence that any study participant had been harmed
pfizer said that nyu was responsible for conducting the trial and that the company had previously tested the same drug known as an faah inhibitor for osteoarthritic pain without significant side effects the safety profile we observed does not preclude future development of our compound a pfizer spokesman said by email
careful oversight is a centerpiece of ethical research practice particularly when studies involve people taking an experimental drug earlier this year six patients in a french trial of another experimental drug with similar marijuana like effects were hospitalized with severe neurological problems one has reportedly died
study participants with mental disorders are especially susceptible to adverse reactions experts said these are people who are more vulnerable to being exploited in the research process and more vulnerable to things going wrong during the research so you want extra vigilance said elisa hurley the executive director of public responsibility in medicine and research a national nonprofit devoted to promoting high research standards if someone in my family were in a situation like this i would want to be sure that the institution was crossing its ts and dotting its is
the study was an attempt to extend a small trial that dr neumeister had done previously suggesting that cannabis might relieve anxiety in some people with post traumatic stress disorder we know very well that people with ptsd who use marijuana often experience more relief from their symptoms than they do from antidepressants and other psychiatric medications dr neumeister said in a 2014 nyu news release after the first trial
the research team decided to use a drug intended to produce some of marijuanas effects made by pfizer which financed the trial some participants took the drug over a seven day period others took a placebo pill the nyu team performed scans on each person to see whether brain activation patterns correlated with symptom relief
the study called for recruiting 50 people with a ptsd diagnosis according to study documents only 14 enrolled at the nyu site according to federal documents and many had participated in previous studies by dr neumeister one had completed a study of another drug 16 days earlier when the protocol called for a 30 day window according to the fda
the federal inspection from july 16 to aug 5 last year found that the research team had failed to assess at least three subjects 24 hours after they had taken the experimental drug contrary to study protocol according to the fda letter in several instances the agency found dr neumeister had falsified documents by signing a fellow investigators name on reports however in fact you or another study employee actually conducted these study procedures not the colleague the fda concluded
ms ruffcorn who writes a popular facebook blog on trauma called a little bent said the most unsettling part of the experience was not the loose monitoring but the preparations for the trial to participate the nyu team told her she first had to stop taking all her medications but the study had several false starts requiring her to stop taking medication then restart then stop again   and restart
it was horrible she said i had flashbacks returning nightmares every symptom coming on full force not to mention the withdrawal after going off and back on four or five times i told them i cant do this anymore
thats when she was flown to new york to enter the trial
ms ruffcorn said she had several odd symptoms after the trial including a hyper wired sensation that occurred without the usual memories of abuse for months she tried to find out whether those reactions were tied to the experimental drug but because the study was shut down and the data belonged to pfizer the nyu doctors could not tell her whether shed taken the drug or a placebo
earlier this month after much persistence she found out that shed taken the placebo it was a big relief she said
dr neumeister and nyu continue to disagree over the seriousness of the research violations both sides said but the university has tossed out all of the data as unreliable and tracked down the study participants to check on their health dr marmar said
i honestly believed i had the best qualified and among the most ethical researchers on the faculty running these studies dr marmar said


after the massacre in orlando fla american religious leaders spoke in a largely unified voice condemning the killer and mourning the dead but at some extreme conservative christian churches there was another message good riddance
in the weeks since 49 people were slaughtered at a gay nightclub remarks by pastors celebrating the deaths have brought attention to several outposts of anti gay hostility across the country that until now had been operating mostly under the radar
the tragedy is that more of them didnt die roger jimenez a sacramento preacher exhorted his congregants on june 12 the day of the assault the tragedy is   im kind of upset that he didnt finish the job because these people are predators they are abusers
mr jimenezs sermon received widespread attention after a video of it appeared online and then a torrent of denunciation from gay rights advocates fellow pastors and pretty much everyone who saw it but his sentiments were also echoed in at least a few other churches
rebecca barrett fox a visiting assistant professor of sociology at arkansas state university who has researched christian extremists said she had tracked about five churches   in california texas arizona and tennessee   where preachers had endorsed the killings in orlando
they are not as well known as the virulently anti gay westboro baptist church in topeka kan which has become infamous for demonstrations at military funerals but their views about lesbian gay bisexual and transgender people and what should happen to them can be just as troubling
many of the preachers identify themselves as so called independent baptists meaning that they are not a part of any of the denominations groupings such as the southern baptist convention dr barrett fox said the baptist emphasis on church autonomy   recognizing no central authority   allowed pastors to interpret the bible for themselves
one of the consequences of that is you can get whole congregations that spin further and further away from the norm of what is accepted theology she said
the independent baptist churches where anti gay hatred has flourished tend to have small congregations more likely to number in the dozens than the hundreds experts said
sermons posted online since the attack have been interspersed with dehumanizing labels for lgbt people reminiscent of those used by the perpetrators of historical genocides the orlando victims were sodomites reprobates perverts and scum of the earth preachers have said
in a sermon at a church in fort worth pastor donnie romero told his congregants that every gay person is a pedophile he was praying that the injured orlando victims would not survive he said so that they dont get any more opportunity to go out and hurt little children
ill pray to god that god will finish the job that that man started he added referring to the gunman omar mateen
while the pastors have stopped short of calling congregants to arms they say little to discourage it either
i dont believe its right for us to just be a vigilante said steven anderson the leader of the faithful word baptist church in tempe ariz in a video response to the massacre but he added these people all should have been killed anyway but they should have been killed through the proper channels as in they should have been executed by a righteous government
the southern poverty law center which tracks hate groups said it was alarmed by the comments of extremist pastors after the mass shooting in orlando heidi beirich the centers director of intelligence warned that they should not be dismissed as empty rhetoric
i think it is entirely possible that someone could be inspired by this and kill gay people ms beirich said this kind of message is exactly akin to hitlerian ideas of exterminating jews its that extreme its basically genocidal toward a population
messages left with the pastors in sacramento fort worth and tempe were not returned
of course an overwhelming majority of christians including baptists reject hateful messages about lgbt people as a video of mr jimenezs remarks was shared widely online a group of more than 700 sacramento area pastors denounced them a petition calling for mr jimenezs removal collected more than 8000 signatures about 100 protesters gathered outside the church
after the orlando killings some gay rights advocates have noted how far many mainstream religious leaders have shifted toward acceptance of gay men and lesbians since an earlier tragedy in 1973 back then when an arson fire at a gay new orleans bar killed 32 people churches refused to bury the dead
jay brown a spokesman for the human rights campaign said the lgbt advocacy group was appalled by the incendiary comments of mr jimenez and other pastors but on the other hand weve seen an enormous amount of inspirational comments from faith leaders he said
mr brown recalled how utahs lieutenant governor a mormon gave a speech in which he apologized for his role in perpetuating homophobia around the same time a catholic bishop in florida issued a public call for believers to stop demonizing gay men lesbians bisexual and transgender people on sunday pope francis said gays deserved an apology from the roman catholic church
however while many conservative christian leaders no longer want to be seen as anti gay the change in tone should not be interpreted as full acceptance dr barrett fox said the love the sinner hate the sin approach to homosexuality continues to be deeply woven into christian thinking
when all is said and done dr barrett fox said they dont really believe that these people had a right to be peacefully doing what they were doing partying at a gay bar


st denis france   the first two days of the knockout rounds at the european championships were wholly and remarkably forgettable the wales northern ireland game was drab croatia portugal was dreary france offered just one decent half against ireland belgium hungary felt like a limp
but then came monday italy spain was a game that sounded like a final smelled like a final felt like a final but it was instead here at stade de france in late june as opposed to two weeks from now in the events showpiece
it did not matter the teams played with verve and pace and frenzy all the same and italys 2 0 victory over spain   which eliminated the two time defending champion and set up a quarterfinal against germany the reigning world cup champion   was remarkable both for what it was nearly comprehensive mastery and also for what it was not a defensive slog
for years italy has been known for its back line its ability to pile in and absorb an opponents attacks without bending there is even a name for the style catenaccio which roughly translates to door bolt the italians for a long time were soccers equivalent of a vault sturdy sure safe and secure just not always that much to look at
not anymore antonio conte italys coach who will be departing after this tournament to take over at chelsea has restyled the national team and his players pushed forward from the start against spain probing and testing a shaky defense and peppering goalkeeper david de gea
the games decisive goal came from giorgio chiellini in the 33rd minute he pounced on a rebound and worked the ball over the line amid a scramble in front of the net and it was a fair reward for italys aggressiveness the italians did not sit back did not soak up anything daniele de rossi sprayed pinpoint passes eder took off on penetrating runs mattia de sciglio swung in crosses emanuele giaccherini flung himself into a bicycle kick
afterward conte walked into the italian locker room and gave his players a round of applause he was proud of their bravery he said proud of their pluck
we have proven that italy is not all about catenaccio conte said a wide smile on his face this is a team that plays football we are very organized defensively but we are equally organized going forward
he added often people think italy are just a defensive side but thats not the case
spains players were downcast taken in combination with a disastrous world cup in brazil two years ago in which the spaniards failed to get out of the group stage this result felt like the final moment in what spains coach vicente del bosque called a golden era spain sandwiched two european titles in 2008 and 2012 around the world cup championship in 2010 dominating world soccer with an inimitable style of passing that felt simultaneously symphonic and lethal
in recent years however some key players notably midfielder xavi have retired from the national team while other stars have started to show their age leaving the current spanish team as a shell of its former self even as spanish club teams have dominated european club competitions
the best player on the field for spain on monday was de gea who made five saves and single handedly kept his team in the game as italy surged in the first half andres iniesta who has been a wizard for barcelona was uncharacteristically absent sergio busquets was largely invisible there was no thrum to the spanish attack and little purpose until late in the match
del bosque 65 is expected to step down this summer and spain seems likely to go through a reshaping before world cup qualifying begins in the fall
im lost for words iniesta said theres nothing else to it its time to think about the future
italy understandably will quickly turn its focus to germany   another mouthwatering matchup   but it will also allow for a moment of revelry the history between italy and spain is not necessarily fraught or extensive but it is bloody in 1994 the italians knocked out spain in the quarterfinals of the world cup in foxborough mass a game that featured a late   and uncalled   elbow from mauro tassotti that left spains luis enrique gushing with blood and a nation enraged
tassotti received an eight game suspension but it was not until 2008 in austria when spain defeated italy in a shootout on its way to winning the euros that spain earned some measure of vengeance and a trend began four years later in ukraine spain thrashed the italians 4 0 in the final of the euros a beating that was not as bloody as the 1994 clash but was pulverizing in a different sort of way then spain beat italy again in a shootout at the 2013 confederations cup in brazil
vienna kiev fortaleza   we needed to get revenge chiellini said we should have killed the game off earlier that could have been a regret the last 15 minutes we really suffered but weve got a saint behind us who saved everything
he was referring to gianluigi buffon the italian captain and goalkeeper who had little to do in the first half but made diving saves to deny an iniesta volley a long range shot from gerard pique and most spectacularly another attempt from pique from just a few yards out in the final minute of normal time as spain pushed even more desperately graziano pelle finished off a break in stoppage time to add an insurance goal
when it was over buffon and iniesta   two icons   exchanged jerseys before buffon and his teammates held hands and ran toward their fans together they could have been frustrated by their tournament draw   italy finished first in its group but ended up on the side of the bracket with spain germany and england   yet they were bolstered by the opportunity instead
the european champions are gone the world cup champions lie in waiting the italians are unbowed
this victory can give us confidence conte said but it cannot quench our thirst for amazing people


london   in birmingham protesters held a banner outside a mosque that said rapefugees not welcome
expletive laced graffiti was scrawled on the front of a polish community center in london
far right protesters in newcastle displayed banners saying stop immigration begin repatriation
less than a week after a referendum on british membership in the european union which galvanized fears about untrammeled immigration into the country human rights advocates and leading politicians expressed alarm that the vote had given license to xenophobia unleashing hatred among an economic underclass
although the police in at least two major cities said they had not recorded an increase in hate crimes after the vote there were concerns that anti immigrant sentiment was now rippling through british society and infecting daily life
during the referendum the leave campaign effectively stoked fears of an immigrant influx to garner support and the baiting of refugees was further fanned by concerns about terrorism the influential euroskeptic tabloid press and by the far right which attributed britains economic problems to immigration
they also conflated legal immigrants to britain from europe with refugees from syria iraq and elsewhere portraying them as storming the countrys shores and threatening the countrys economy and security
the free movement of workers across the bloc is a cornerstone of membership in the european union and proponents of a british exit or brexit argued forcefully that a vote to leave would help the country regain control of its borders
one poster released by the far right uk independence party showed a huge line of migrants snaking into the distance it was accompanied by two words breaking point so strident was its message that some members of the leave campaign condemned it
although britain has traditionally marginalized any party to the right of the conservative party ukip won 13 percent of the vote in 2015 general elections and its railing against immigrants was seen as a decisive factor in the referendum
for some the racist taunts of the past few days recalled a time when jackbooted members of the far right national front taunted immigrants on the streets of britain in the 1980s during the painful deindustrialization of the thatcher era
david olusoga a british nigerian historian broadcaster and filmmaker said on monday that seeing national front protesters on saturday in his hometown newcastle with a banner saying stop immigration begin repatriation had sent chills down his spine
it brought back bad memories of the 1980s he said when he and his family were hounded out of their home by members of the far right group and sought police protection
the normally primordial murmur from the racist swamp has now been released and people feel empowered to say things they wouldnt have said before last week he said i have never heard so many people tell me to go back to africa as i have heard in the past few days
others took to twitter to convey their shock jamie pohotsky a screenwriter from boston wrote on twitter table next to me says to polish waitress how come youre so cheerful youre going home him and the missus started laughing disgusting
politicians across the political spectrum   including prime minister david cameron boris johnson the former london mayor and high profile leave campaigner and his successor sadiq khan   spoke out against intolerance on monday
lets remember these people have come here and made a wonderful contribution to our country mr cameron told parliament and we will not stand for hate crime or these kinds of attacks
suresh grover director of the monitoring group a human rights group that monitors racist violence and is an advocate for victims said he feared britain was entering a new era of intolerance
during the campaign there was a deliberate tactic by the leave camp to create alarm among elements of the population who have suffered from austerity and this alarmism is now spilling over he said the far right can only do well in periods of crisis and the brexit vote created a new and dangerous chapter of british history
mr grover who immigrated to britain from kenya and founded the monitoring group in 1981 after he was attacked by skinheads in the 1970s said his group had received 15 calls on its emergency line over the weekend from immigrants who said they had been attacked verbally
the muslim council of britain said it had compiled a list of 100 reported hate crimes after the referendum result including an attack on a teenage boy who was on his way to a mosque in east london on sunday
nevertheless the west midlands police which are responsible for law enforcement in birmingham a multicultural city with a large muslim population said that reports of 10 hate crimes a day over the past three days were in line with the daily average over the past three months and the police in london reported no unusual increase in reported hate crimes
among those targeted in recent days were members of britains large polish community which constitutes the largest number of foreign born residents in britain after indians   790000 people according to the latest data from the office for national statistics
london is a melting pot and you dont expect this kind of thing said joanna mludzinska chairwoman of the polish social  cultural association in hammersmith west london whose building was vandalized with graffiti at the weekend she was however gratified by the response after being inundated with flowers and messages of support
scotland yard is investigating the vandalism but no arrests have been made
in huntingdon a town in cambridgeshire north of the capital the police said they were investigating reports from members of the polish community that offensive leaflets were left on cars near a school as well as on several properties
an 11 year old boy from poland told the bbc he had seen a card saying poles were vermin and should leave britain
the polish embassy in london called on polish nationals to report attacks to the police we are shocked and deeply concerned by the recent episodes of xenophobic abuse directed against members of the polish community and other uk residents of migrant heritage it said in a statement
rights groups said that the anti immigrant backlash appeared to be at least partly fueled by a misconception that european union citizens were required to leave the country after the vote mr cameron and mr johnson both emphasized on monday that there will be no immediate changes in their circumstances
sayeeda warsi a leading member of the house of lords and a former chairwoman of the conservative party who switched to the remain camp during the campaign had accused leaders of the leave campaign of peddling xenophobia and racism she compiled a collage of twitter messages to show her alarm
this is not the post brexit britain we want to see she wrote


jerusalem   as israeli and turkish leaders announced the formal resumption of full diplomatic relations after a six year fissure the front page of the popular hebrew newspaper yediot aharonot summed up the predicament for many israelis reconciliation or surrender
critics of the deal asked why israel agreed to pay about 20 million in compensation to the families of 10 pro palestinian activists who were killed during a 2010 raid by israeli naval commandos after they met violent resistance aboard a turkish passenger vessel as it tried to breach israels blockade of the gaza strip that episode set off the diplomatic crisis between the once close regional allies and paying compensation was a capitulation the critics argued
many israelis also questioned what they called the gifts to hamas the islamic militant group that controls gaza they were referring to the humanitarian aid that turkey plans to deliver to the palestinian coastal enclave under the deal and the promise of new residential buildings a 200 bed hospital and infrastructure projects
such aid chafed israeli sensibilities because the deal did not provide for the return of the remains of two israeli soldiers being held by hamas or the release of two israeli civilians who are believed to be held captive in gaza
as turkish officials hailed the deal as a diplomatic victory rivals of prime minister benjamin netanyahu of israel from the left and right called him to task
gideon saar a former minister from mr netanyahus conservative likud party described the compensation as a national humiliation isaac herzog the leader of the center left zionist union called it incomprehensible and criticized what he called the indifference and disregard shown toward the families of those missing in gaza
at a lunchtime news conference in rome where the negotiations were concluded over the weekend mr netanyahu defended the deal saying that it was of strategic importance to israel and that it helped ensure security and regional stability and could bolster the israeli economy
the world is in turmoil the middle east is in turmoil and my policy is to create centers of stability in this unstable and stormy region he said in remarks broadcast live on israeli television
the deal mr netanyahu said will protect israeli commanders and soldiers from criminal and civil claims by the turkish government and victims and it will allow israel to maintain its naval blockade of hamas in gaza despite a turkish demand for it to be removed turkey agreed to deliver goods for gaza through the israeli port of ashdod
in addition he said the deal provided an opening for lucrative projects like the marketing of israels natural gas reserves to turkey and via turkey to europe
mr netanyahu said that he could withstand this criticism of those who complained of humiliation and the abandonment of those missing in gaza adding i understand the suffering of the families
in ankara the turkish prime minister binali yildirim said normalization covers a variety of areas but economic relations and regional cooperation will take place first he said that a ship carrying 10000 tons of humanitarian aid bound for gaza would leave for ashdod on friday
secretary of state john kerry who met with mr netanyahu in rome on sunday and monday said that washington had encouraged the reconciliation between israel and turkey two important allies of the united states this is a step we wanted to see happen mr kerry said
the deal comes as israel and turkey face tough challenges stemming from the meltdown of syria and other states in the region
renormalization of the relationship is more about security than energy said brenda shaffer a senior fellow at the atlantic council research institutes global energy center in washington
ben caspit an israeli political columnist at the maariv newspaper wrote in the end an agreement was reached with turkey because it had to be reached
experts said they did not anticipate a return to the intimate alliance of past decades when the navies of israel turkey and the united states carried out joint exercises in the mediterranean and israeli fighter jets trained in turkish airspace
in gaza there was a sense that the deal offered some hope but fell short of what hamas wanted they might not have lifted the blockade on gaza but at least they will ease restrictions said ahmed yousef an adviser to the hamas leader ismail haniya
for many israelis who have fond memories of vacations at turkeys coastal resorts which attracted up to half a million israeli tourists a year before the diplomatic rift the fallout from the diplomatic deal was more emotional
tzur goldin the twin brother of second lt hadar goldin who was killed in an ambush during the 2014 war in gaza and whose remains have not been returned said that mr netanyahu had promised the family that any negotiations concerning gaza would include the return of the remains of the two soldiers
the family of the second soldier killed in a different battle during the war in gaza staff sgt oron shaul set up a protest tent outside mr netanyahus official residence in jerusalem
two years is enough time to show progress said racheli gazit a cousin of sergeant shaul as she handed out stickers bearing the soldiers picture and got passers by to sign a petition of the deal she said this is going backward


the supreme courts decision to strike down parts of a restrictive abortion law in texas rippled through the presidential campaign after its release on monday with democrats and republicans looking to rally voters with reminders that the future of the court was at stake in november
the next president looks to have at least one and potentially several vacancies to fill in the next four years and hillary clinton and donald j trump have both warned that the fate of laws on immigration guns and abortion will probably be determined by who gets to fill those openings
mrs clinton the presumptive democratic nominee seized on the courts ruling to warn that mr trump her presumptive republican opponent poses a threat to women she recalled his suggestion this year that abortion be banned and that women who violate that ban be penalized she also said that with other states also seeking to restrict access to abortions and with republicans seeking to defund planned parenthood proponents of abortions rights could not afford to let up
weve seen a concerted persistent attack on womens health and rights at the federal level mrs clinton said in a statement meanwhile donald trump has said women should be punished for having abortions
mr trump has since retracted his assertion that women should be punished for having abortions but the re emergence of the issue is likely to put him on the defensive because of his previous position in support of abortion rights
still the whole womans health v hellerstedt decision added urgency to many republicans desire to keep mrs clinton from winning the presidency mr trump has used the prospect of liberal justices filling the court to compel skeptical republicans to back him and on monday the republican national committee echoed that argument
the next president will likely appoint multiple justices to the supreme court that could determine its course for decades to come said reince priebus the chairman of the republican national committee we must always fight to protect life and todays disappointing decision is another reminder of whats at stake in this election and why we cant afford to let hillary clinton win


after years of feuding the yankees and stubhub announced an agreement on monday under which the company will become the teams official ticket reseller but with caveats that include a floor on how much tickets can be discounted
stubhub will replace the yankees ticket exchange which was offered through ticketmaster and remained the primary source for yankees tickets the new system will begin operation on july 7 for tickets for the july 15 game
fans who do not sell tickets by july 7 on the yankees ticket exchange will have to re list them on stubhub which will have a floor for pricing a 50 percent discount on the price of an individual ticket at the full season ticket rate
the agreement which was unveiled at a late morning news conference at yankee stadium comes as the yankees have been struggling on the field and attendance has dropped by more than 65000 fans over all from this point a year ago but whether this new agreement helps the yankees sell more tickets for the rest of the season remains to be seen
the agreement also comes just four months after the yankees introduced mobile ticketing as a primary method for entry to yankee stadium and eliminated the use of print at home tickets
the yankees cited ticket fraud as one reason for the print at home ban but many perceived the new policy as a way to exclude stubhub from a good chunk of the yankees ticket market because stubhub did not have the means to distribute yankees tickets through mobile devices
instead yankees fans still using stubhub this season had to obtain hard stock tickets through the company in order to gain entrance to yankee stadium in some instances that meant walking a dozen blocks from the stadium to a stubhub outlet on the day of the game and then tickets in hand walking back to the stadium
fans complained about that inconvenience as well as the fact that there were occasions when the mobile tickets could not be scanned requiring people to seek help at the yankee stadium customer service windows as game time approached some fans lamented that they simply could no longer do what they had done for years   print out tickets at home
the new agreement will not bring back that option at the news conference the team president randy levine said that print at home tickets were almost obsolete and that mobile ticketing was overwhelmingly what the teams fans wanted
in any case both the yankees and stubhub proclaimed the agreement a landmark deal levine said it would provide a superior more secure better experience for fans
scott cutler the president of stubhub mentioned that his company had been built through the promotion of an open marketplace where the public sets the price that he acknowledged will not exactly be the case with the yankees because there will be a limit on how much tickets can be discounted
in effect he said stubhub was now taking into account how much the yankees valued their brand and how strongly they believed it was threatened by huge markdowns in ticket prices
in the past that issue has been a source of friction between stubhub and the yankees and it led the team to pull out of a national deal that major league baseball has with the company to resell tickets
but now there is money to be made together by the yankees and stubhub the two sides will split the profits from the resale of tickets on stubhubs site guaranteeing the yankees at least 50 million in revenue over the life of the six year agreement according to stubhub
and if the yankees play well and attendance and demand for tickets increase stubhub could pay the team more
levine dismissed the idea that the deal came about in part because of pressure the yankees might be feeling as their attendance declines in a period in which some iconic players on the team have retired october baseball is no longer a guarantee and their local rivals the mets have transformed themselves into a formidable club
through sunday the yankees were averaging 38313 fans a game this season the mets were at 35254 a significant closing of a gap that has generally existed between the attendance figures of the two teams in recent decades


a legal case against the self described frack master is a sure sign that the so called bezzle in the shale oil industry is shrinking
the securities and exchange commission says the entrepreneur chris faulkner inflated his shale companies prospects to attract cash then blew 80 million of investors money on questionable expenses like escort services the oil industrys lax governance makes it an obvious place for enforcers to hunt for culprits
john kenneth galbraith the depression era economist coined the idea of the bezzle   an inventory of undiscovered shenanigans that builds up during boom times as investors make gains and ask few questions in downturns the bezzle shrinks as galbraith explained because the financial tide goes out and makes problems more obvious even as investors exert more scrutiny bad behavior in other words gets exposed
the secs complaint paints mr faulkner 39 as a consummate snake oil salesman able to persuade investors to part with their money despite having no previous experience in the oil business before starting breitling oil and gas in 2009 it accuses mr faulkner of misleading backers about the estimated cost of drilling and completing wells and their likely returns
as for where the money went the sec says that at one point mr faulkner racked up more than 1 million of charges for travel escorts strip clubs and exclusive night clubs on an american express card his costs were later reimbursed by the company in violation of its expenses policy according to the complaint his lawyer called the charges inaccurate and untrue
if there were shenanigans it is unlikely to come as a surprise to followers of the shale industry a permissive governance environment allowed chesapeake energys former chief executive aubrey mcclendon to run a private hedge fund and take out personal loans from firms that his company did business with among other instances of pushing the boundaries
if that extended to actionable misdeeds it would be no shock it is also typical that such things should come to light after many shale players finances have been slammed by a fall in oil prices mr faulkner is an especially colorful test case but the sectors record suggests it may not be the last


in connecticut two indian tribes the mohegans and the mashantucket pequots years ago built shiny monuments to american capitalism in the form of their casinos which have made them extraordinarily wealthy
then there are the schaghticokes they would also like a piece of the lucrative casino industry instead the tribe owns three modest houses on 400 acres of tribal land that almost cannot be built upon because it slopes so steeply along the states western edge
the contrast in the tribes fortunes underscores a phenomenon in the world of contemporary native american politics the sharp divisions that prevail between the tribes that have grasped the brass ring of federal recognition and the resulting largess and those like the schaghticokes that have fallen short
richard l velky the chief of the schaghticoke tribal nation likes to point out that connecticut means long tribal river the name he says is both apt and ironic   apt because of the prolonged relentless campaign the tribe has waged for federal recognition ironic because the state which recognized the tribe in 1736 has thwarted that effort at every turn
now connecticut is exploring the possibility of opening a third casino to compete with one planned across the border in springfield mass and once again the state is working to keep the schaghticokes pronounced scat uh cokes out of the action granting only the mohegans and pequots the right to pursue another casino   even though this one in the hartford area would not be on an indian reservation
weve been here 300 years mr velky said in an interview at the tribal offices in derby conn whether connecticut likes it or not we are one of the states first families and we will continue to be
the schaghticoke tribes plight dates back to the early 1800s when the state began selling off its land to pay for the members health care the original 2500 acres soon fell by half but the current travails extend back to the 1980s when connecticut embraced casino gambling as a way to rejuvenate its economy
the schaghticokes applied for federal recognition   a prerequisite to being allowed to pursue gambling   beginning in the early 1980s but the bureau of indian affairs sought more documentation the mashantucket pequot tribal nation and the mohegan tribe leapfrogged ahead securing recognition and the freedom to develop foxwoods resort and casino which opened in 1986 and mohegan sun which opened 10 years later
by the time the schaghticoke tribal nation finally won federal recognition in 2004 connecticut officials had decided that two casinos were enough the state appealed the federal recognition with m jodi rell the governor at the time and richard blumenthal then the state attorney general urging the bureau of indian affairs to reconsider they argued that the schaghticokes application did not show high enough intra tribal marriage rates in the 1800s to prove social and political continuity
on capitol hill congressional hearings were convened finally on columbus day in 2005   a bitter coincidence for mr velky   the bureau of indian affairs rescinded the tribes recognition
nevertheless the next year aurene martin the former acting assistant secretary of indian affairs vouched for the schaghticoke application under oath
the tribes recognition petition was among the best and most thoroughly researched petitions ever reviewed by the bureau of indian affairs she said in a declaration that the schaghticokes used in a lawsuit challenging the revocation
one of the state officials who was intent on thwarting the schaghticokes was joseph i lieberman the former democratic and independent senator today his law firm is representing the tribe in its continuing quest for recognition and an entryway into the gambling business
in an interview mr lieberman explained that in the mid 2000s there was growing resistance to casino gambling and that officials thought a third casino could cannibalize the existing two
there was a popular response also that connecticut was changing as a result of the two casinos and the brakes should be put on before other tribes were recognized and new casinos established he said
the town of kent where the tribe has its 400 acres was particularly anxious given that the tribal lands overlapped with the kent school an exclusive private boarding school connecticut light  power and the preston mountain club
federal recognition would allow the schaghticokes to bring land claims against the private property owners in recent years the tribe has tried to reclaim its land in court but to no avail
now that the climate for casinos has changed mr lieberman believes that continued opposition to the schaghticokes is unfair
we are at a very different time he said today connecticut is not worried about more casinos in the state the concern is about competition for the two existing casinos from the new casino in western massachusetts
mr lieberman and mr velky are especially angry about a special act passed by the general assembly designating the mashantucket pequots and the mohegans as the sole authorized parties to pursue a third casino the tribe has filed a lawsuit challenging the legislation arguing that since a third casino would be strictly commercial in nature   since it would be off tribal land   then any commercial entity should be granted the right to bid
mr lieberman called the favoritism shown to the mohegans and pequots unfair and unjust in general but particularly to the schaghticoke tribal nation as a native american tribe recognized by the state of connecticut for centuries
before it filed its lawsuit the tribe tried an end run around the special act by quietly applying to the connecticut department of state to form a limited liability corporation for the purpose of developing a casino the agency initially accepted the application but then after officials in kent and elsewhere protested it did an about face
denise merrill the connecticut secretary of state said the application had been accepted in error in an interview with a local television station she said 9999 percent of the time our only job is to say yes you have a name address and an agent for process youre a business
but in an analogy that made the tribe bristle ms merrill added we do not record anything about the purpose of that business to give you an example if someone said were in the business of robbing banks we wouldnt have even recorded that
state officials point out that the special act did not provide approval of a third casino but simply gave the two tribes the right to propose a project the tribes say they are zeroing in on a location for a casino which would need final approval from the legislature and the governors office
the schaghticokes fortunes appeared to improve last year after the bureau of indian affairs set out to streamline the process of federal recognition which would have allowed the tribe to reapply and many believed succeed but after another vociferous campaign by state officials including most forcefully by mr blumenthal now a democratic united states senator the bureau in the end inserted language saying that any tribe that had previously been denied recognition could not reapply
the schaghticoke tribal nation was already denied federal recognition by the bureau of indian affairs and should not have two bites at the apple mr blumenthal said in an email
asked about the schaghticokes a spokeswoman for gov dannel p malloy a democrat said simply we oppose recognition and were confident they do not meet the criteria for recognition
complicating matters for the schaghticokes is the fact that a smaller splinter group the schaghticoke indian tribe submitted its own application for federal recognition because this is the first time the tribe is applying it is not subject to the same restrictions as the schaghticoke tribal nation
beginning in the 1600s european settlers first described the schaghticoke tribe as inhabiting lands in northwestern connecticut the tribe then with 500 to 600 members moved with the seasons across the housatonic valley setting up villages and smaller camps where they hunted fished and made brooms and tin crafts
after the schaghticoke reservation was established by the state in the early 1700s however the tribe began to struggle in the 19th century after the state had appointed a series of overseers much of the tribes land was sold off from 1925 to 1972 connecticut intensified a policy of detribalization and termination making it extremely difficult for members to live and gather on the reservation according to the tribes website today the tribes remaining 300 members are scattered across a few counties
whether or not connecticut eventually gives its blessing to a third casino the schaghticokes will keep pushing for recognition
its kind of sad when you say you have to prove your existence mr velky said we had to go back 300 years to prove our first encounter with europeans its not easy when you have an overseer who is the state who is overseeing you and fighting against you at the same time


does the tchaikovsky ballet the sleeping beauty tell a story or is it just a nonstory on the face of it the ballet demonstrates the opposite of suspense it has a prologue and three acts   but before the prologue is over two rival divinities the vengeful carabosse and the beneficent lilac fairy have told us whats going to happen so guess what then it happens whats more it all happens during acts i and ii act iii has no narrative at all just the happy couples wedding and their fairy tale guests the whole thing sounds daft
yet this is the most beloved of the 19th century ballets no other dance classic has a score so endlessly fragrant and varied no other work has so rich an idea of what ballet theater can be no other ballet shares this ones homeric sense that immortals can move seamlessly and harmoniously in and out of the world of mortals
this week monday june 27 through saturday july 2 american ballet theaters production new in 2015 returns to repertory at the metropolitan opera house its staged by the choreographer alexei ratmansky based on an exceptional scrutiny of the historical records of marius petipas original 1890 production
just look at the solos for the six fairy godmothers ending with the lilac fairy each offers a different way of dancing and being you might assume that theyd be all impersonal grandeur and showy virtuosity but no instead theyre vividly endearing and enchanting   as immediately animated as characters from lewis carrolls alice books
the first is all legato flow and perfumed fragrance though the fairys gestures indicate that her gift is beautiful arms whats most evident is her tranquil openness the second 124 150 embodies energetic brio no 3 200 315 scarcely ever off point is both delicate and generous she seems to make breezes blow no 4 323 353 fluttering her hands as she travels here and there is nonstop exuberant sweetness   the songbird fairy no 5 402 505 is the most wonderfully odd she exemplifies an outgoing attack but in a highly abrupt fashion and the way she points her index fingers and circles her wrists rapidly is brilliantly eccentric like a self contradictory monologue from one of dickenss caricature like women finally the lilac fairy 517 631 is beneficence itself expansive but calm
the personal variety of these six fairies is a bit startling as soon as each starts to dance you feel you know her the sleeping beauty keeps taking us by surprise when the heroine princess aurora first appears she has   as this youtube clip of a 2015 performance shows   the biggest buildup in ballet
the stage floods with courtiers villagers pageboys ladies in waiting her royal parents and the four royal suitors each of whom hopes to be prince right does she enter with pomp and circumstance the conscious belle of the ball far from it shes the most exuberant person weve seen so far 038 124 the heart catching epitome of youthful energy she dashes here and there she jumps and turns in mr ratmanskys marvelous words she is like a goat set free in the fields
when those princes apply for her hand in marriage all on this same video offering her both their hands and individual roses in the famous rose adagio 214 739 she has to adjust her energy with a new formal composure nothing here is stuffy however the five minute adagio has as much eventful suspense as a thriller well it is a thriller   though by the end she has not chosen a husband logically it ought to be the four suitors who should be put through their paces yet its she who rises to one partnering challenge after another
the ceremony involves many others and the fate of the entire court seems caught up in hers that becomes true when later she pricks her finger its not only she who falls asleep for a hundred years so does everyone else
the sleeping beauty actually proves to be a masterpiece of storytelling it takes a tale that everybody knows and makes it new at every turn a special feat in the ratmansky production is the truly sweet suite of fairy tale characters   seen here in a works  process sharing at the guggenheim museum   who dance at the wedding puss in boots and the white cat red riding hood and the wolf hop o my thumb and the giant and others
these people seem engagingly locked in their own narratives re enacting for us the events that have made them immortal my favorite moment is when the prince tries to reclaim cinderella 818 1050 from her kitchen duties by the fireside and invite her to try on the slipper she dropped at the ballroom her first reaction 944 is to take her bellows and   rhythmically on the music   puff them in his face


the worlds largest uncut diamond is about to be sold in a most uncommon way
the tennis ball size gem   a 1109 carat white diamond discovered last fall in the lucara mine in botswana   will be up for bid wednesday evening in a public auction at sothebys in london
normally such stones are offered to a handful of sophisticated dealers in the diamond industry who study the diamond for weeks to determine how many cut stones the rough one will yield after figuring how much those stones will be worth they submit a sealed bid to the mining company
the sothebys auction represents a break with tradition that aims to take advantage of wealthy individuals desire for trophy objects whether homes art or jewels often they buy in ways that allow them to make the purchases anonymously
large cut diamonds have fetched record prices on the block in may the oppenheimer blue a 1462 carat stone that was said to have been the favorite of the diamond millionaire philip oppenheimer   whose family once owned the diamond mining company de beers   fetched a record 575 million at auction a day earlier a 1538 carat pink cut diamond fetched a record price of 316 million
so why not stick with that strategy said william lamb chief executive of the lucara diamond corporation explaining the decision to sell a rough stone under an auctioneers hammer
underscoring the appeal of large stones lucara sold a rough diamond weighing 813 carats privately in may for 63 million or a record of about 77500 a carat
but the diamond boom is a high end phenomenon per carat prices for smaller stones have been declining   yet another indication of how the differential in wealth between the 1 percent and everyone else is affecting buying patterns in the worlds economy
prices for 1 carat polished stones have declined 4 percent in the last year because of a strengthening dollar and economic challenges faced by some of the pivotal consuming economies noted anish aggarwal a partner at gemdax a strategic consulting firm in the diamond industry
to get the broadest possible exposure for lucaras record setting find while still promising buyers anonymity if they desire it mr lamb has been working with sothebys and julius baer a swiss bank that has many wealthy private clients around the world
the investment firm has invited some of its clients to view the stone mr lamb has also traveled to dubai hong kong and singapore as well as london paris and antwerp belgium stopping in asia is a logical choice considering that last year the hong kong tycoon joseph lau paid more than 48 million for a 1203 carat stone for his 7 year old daughter
this is not the first time sothebys has put a rough stone up for sale in 2000 it put a purple pink rough 1249 carat diamond up for auction but it failed to sell according to sothebys
whoever buys the lucara stone will pay sothebys a 12 percent fee known as the buyers premium on the hammer price for anything over the first 3 million and a higher percentage of the first 3 million although there is a reserve price below which lucara would not sell that figure is not public and of course the hammer price does not include whatever the buyer would have to pay to have the stone cut should he or she decide to do so
top auction houses are eager to have high quality objects for sale because doing so burnishes their images and appeals to a wealthy global audience that may mean lucara has negotiated privately to receive some of the buyers premium
sales agreements are uniquely structured depending on the scarcity prestige and value of the object said oliver chen head of retail and luxury goods at the financial services firm cowen and company who noted that such terms are not necessarily disclosed
mr aggarwal views the market as having two tiers of buyers similar to the car industry there are the elite high performance cars and there are the average joe cars and they are two different markets he said there is not much evidence so far of the elite market going down
the lucara diamond   named the lesedi la rona or our light in setswana in a contest in which 11000 people submitted entries   is not the biggest diamond ever found that distinction goes to the 3106 carat cullinan diamond discovered at a mine in pretoria south africa in 1905 it was named for thomas cullinan the chairman of the mining company
it was ultimately cut into nine stones of which the largest was the 530 carat cullinan i or great star of africa four years after the discovery the cullinan i and cullinan ii were presented to king edward vii in a ceremony at windsor castle later the cullinan i was placed in the monarchs scepter the remaining stones are scattered throughout the royal collection
martin rapaport whose rapaport group is an important source of information on diamond pricing said the decision to auction an uncut stone would prove to be a savvy one
if lucara believed that the optimum way to maximize value was through consumer distribution then the diamond would have been cut he said people with tremendous amounts of money are looking for a home for it that is fueling the prices we are seeing for diamonds


the big winner on the music chart this week streaming the loser if there is one is sales
for an eighth week drakes views young moneycash moneyrepublic holds at no1 the longest consecutive run for a male artist since eminems marshall mathers lp in 2000 the last album of any kind to notch eight straight wins was the frozen soundtrack two years ago
according to nielsen views had 105 million streams last week in the united states still a huge number even after two months the only artist to get more streams in a single week was beyonce with lemonade and if your only competition is beyonce youre doing pretty good
yet by sales of cds and downloads alone   which until a year and a half ago were the only numbers that mattered   views was far from no1 this week that distinction is held by the red hot chili peppers new album the getaway warner bros which sold 108000 copies and had just under 11 million streams by comparison views sold just 33000 copies by sales alone that would have been good enough for fourth place but in the new music business monster streaming numbers can propel an album far up the chart the getaway was stalled at no2
beyonces lemonade parkwoodcolumbia is no 3 the hamilton cast album atlantic falls one spot to no4 and radioheads new album a moon shaped pool xl rocketed 124 spots to no 5 in its sixth week out why the big jump it finally became available on spotify
also this week the rapper ygs new album still brazy def jam opened at no6 and johannesburg glassnote an ep recorded in south africa by the british band mumford  sons with the guests baaba maal the very best and beatenburg   three acts based in africa or with african roots   starts at no9


david axelrod was having a candid conversation with an old colleague when almost accidentally the two made some news
mr axelrod a former senior adviser to president obama was talking to eric h holder jr the former attorney general on his podcast the axe files he had asked mr holder for his thoughts on edward j snowden the intelligence contractor who leaked classified documents about the national security agency in 2013
we can certainly argue about the way in which snowden did what he did but i think that he actually performed a public service by raising the debate that we engaged in mr holder said
it was the first such public admission from the man who was the top law enforcement official in the united states when mr snowden fled the country the podcast comment was covered widely in the news media
mr holders appearance on the axe files made him another member of a group that might informally be called the obama casters since the president made a much noted appearance on the popular podcast wtf with marc maron in june 2015 three prominent former staffers have started their own shows sometimes securing lengthy   and occasionally newsworthy   interviews with their administration peers
mr axelrods podcast produced by the institute of politics at the university of chicago and cnn started in september in may mr obamas former speechwriter jon favreau and dan pfeiffer a former senior white house adviser started the weekly keepin it 1600
together the two shows have hosted close to a dozen former and current members of mr obamas administration eliciting in depth conversations with major figures including samantha power the united states ambassador to the united nations david plouffe who managed mr obamas 2008 presidential campaign and ben rhodes a national security adviser
while administration officials often embrace media roles after leaving the white house podcast experts say there is something about the medium that makes particular sense for this administration
to a certain extent theyre doing what all white houses do they find out what the hot medium of the time is and they exploit it said andy bowers the co founder of panoply slates podcast network but i feel like podcasting is a medium that is perfectly in sync with the obama white house and obama himself
mr maron agreed saying that podcasts help to promote intimate personal discussions something president obama embraced during their conversation
hes very human as presidents go i think mr maron said
mr axelrod who had not been much of a podcast listener was taken with the format after hearing mr obama on mr marons show
i thought it was one of the best conversations that id heard him have mr axelrod said it was revealing and interesting and i thought boy this would be fun 
mr axelrods podcast typically consists of a single in depth interview he has welcomed reporters and several guests from across the aisle including mitt romney whom he helped to defeat in the 2012 presidential election the two joked about donald j trump
mr favreau and mr pfeiffers podcast is produced by the ringer the new website from the sports pundit bill simmons it is faster paced and usually begins with the two hosts bantering about the week in politics   and these days disparaging mr trumps presidential campaign   before speaking with a guest mr simmons hosted president obama on his own show in 2012 the first time any sitting president had appeared on a podcast
neither mr axelrod nor mr favreau sees it as part of their shows mission to scoop their more traditional media competitors but in separate interviews both men acknowledged that breaking news was desirable because it helped promote their podcasts and each said that guests would be more likely to speak genuinely without resorting to talking points if they were not expecting an inquisition
a lot of the folks who are on with me certainly the more prominent public officials if you start asking the usual questions that theyre likely to get on tv they start giving you the likely answers mr axelrod said and all of a sudden its not really a conversation anymore its more of a kabuki dance
people are more likely to break news because you sit and youre comfortable and youre having a conversation and you let your guard down a little bit more on podcasts mr favreau said
the obama administration has been experimental in its communications strategy often resorting to newer media outlets to spread the presidents message mr obama seems to have taken a liking to comedians a frequent guest on the late night circuit during campaigns he has also appeared on between two ferns a satirical show hosted by the comedian zach galifianakis and jerry seinfelds web series comedians in cars getting coffee
the nature of communications in the modern era is that there is no bully pulpit anymore mr axelrod said of such appearances you have to reassemble it all the time from different pieces and you have to be aware of new ways of communicating in order to keep ahead of the curve
administration officials have also been known to express irritation with more traditional media outlets and mr favreau said that the podcasts provide an antidote to the rushed discussion that is typical of cable news
those of us who were in the obama white house that was always sort of our critique of the washington political conversation that it was surface level and it was a way of relaying talking points and repeating conventional wisdom he said
asked to elaborate on similarities between the character of the obama administration and the podcasting world mr favreau emphasized that it was important in both to have the time and space to have a more nuanced subtle conversation
everybody would say thats very obama like mr favreau said because he can be professorial


washington   house democrats on monday moved to pre empt the findings of a two year republican led investigation into the attacks in benghazi libya in which four americans were killed by issuing their own 339 page report that cast the inquiry as a politically motivated crusade that wasted time and money
the release of the democrats report came amid signs that the house select committee on benghazi led by its chairman representative trey gowdy republican of south carolina was nearing the release of its official findings
in the face of intense criticism mr gowdy has repeatedly defended the committees work as the most comprehensive examination of the attacks in benghazi which occurred on sept 11 2012 and resulted in the deaths of ambassador j christopher stevens a state department official sean smith and two central intelligence agency contractors tyrone s woods and glen doherty
in recent days the committee has reiterated longstanding complaints about lack of cooperation with the investigation by the obama administration including a statement by mr gowdy on monday citing obstruction by the state department the committee has also cited the refusal by the white house to have president obama respond to written questions
for nearly a year and a half the state department has withheld documents and information about benghazi and libya from the american peoples elected representatives in congress mr gowdy said in the statement whatever the administration is hiding its justifications for doing so are imaginary and appear to be invented for the sake of convenience thats not how complying with a congressional subpoena works and its well past time the department stops stonewalling
in their counternarrative the democrats serving on the house select committee said they had been virtually shut out of the process of developing the report and they accused their republican counterparts of trying to besmirch hillary clinton the presumptive democratic nominee for president who was secretary of state during the benghazi attack
section ii of our report documents the grave abuses that select committee republicans engaged in during this investigation the democrats wrote republicans excluded democrats from interviews concealed exculpatory evidence withheld interview transcripts leaked inaccurate information issued unilateral subpoenas sent armed marshals to the home of a cooperative witness and even conducted political fund raising by exploiting the deaths of four americans
the democrats also singled out mr gowdy for criticism in our opinion chairman gowdy has been conducting this investigation like an overzealous prosecutor desperately trying to land a front page conviction rather than a neutral judge of facts seeking to improve the security of our diplomatic corps they wrote
the democrats report included praise for american personnel in benghazi and tripoli the libyan capital saying they conducted themselves with extraordinary courage and heroism and determined that the american personnel could not have saved the four who died
the report includes some criticism the state departments security measures in benghazi were woefully inadequate as a result of decisions made by officials in the bureau of diplomatic security but it absolves ms clinton of responsibility adding secretary clinton never personally denied any requests for additional security in benghazi
the democrats accused the republicans of spending more than 7 million on an investigation that they argued would not reveal any substantially new information that would alter the understanding of events as described in multiple previous inquiries
the republicans sharply dismissed the report turning the main democratic criticism around   saying that they were overly focused on mrs clinton
benghazi committee democrats obsession with the former secretary of state is on full display the committees press secretary matt wolking said in a statement which also accused the democrats of issuing rehashed partisan talking points defending their endorsed candidate for president
noting that in the democrats report mrs clintons name appeared 339 times compared with 85 mentions of ambassador stevens mr wolking added as chairman gowdy has said this is not about one person this investigation is about the four brave americans we lost in libya chris stevens sean smith tyrone woods and glen doherty that is how the majority has conducted its thorough investigation and we look forward to revealing the new information we have uncovered to the families and the american people
the work of the benghazi committee led to the discovery that mrs clinton had used a private email server for many communications connected to her duties as secretary of state a revelation that has led to separate inquiries into her conduct including by the federal bureau of investigation
but house republicans have also contributed to the general sense that the committee overly focused its sights on mrs clinton the majority leader representative kevin mccarthy of california caused a stir in september when he boasted on fox television that the committees work had put a dent in mrs clintons poll numbers
mr mccarthy said everybody thought hillary clinton was unbeatable right but we put together a benghazi special committee a select committee what are her numbers today her numbers are dropping why because shes untrustable but no one would have known any of that had happened had we not fought
those comments helped derail mr mccarthys own bid to succeed speaker john a boehner mr gowdy has long disavowed those remarks saying the discovery of the private email server was a highly unexpected development in his investigation


stephen curry isnt on the team and neither is lebron james or russell westbrook nor is kawhi leonard chris paul or james harden
though all those players would be automatic selections to a best american basketball team each has bowed out of consideration for the united states olympic team citing fatigue or injury
but the 12 men who were named to the team monday morning are still a formidable group and will be heavily favored to win another gold medal in other words the united states bench is deep
the best american gymnasts or volleyball players would not pass up an olympic opportunity and most international mens basketball stars keep playing for their home countries as long as they can dirk nowitzki was still plugging away last summer at age 37 for germany at the european championship
but with a grueling nba schedule just completed and another one around the corner many of americas best have decided this is not the year to add a summer tournament to their schedules
does this open up an opportunity for nigeria or venezuela to win the gold in rio well no
the united states team starts with one no arguments superstar kevin durant of the oklahoma city thunder no other country will feature a player who nears his all around skills
curry is missing but the other splash brother klay thompson is on the team along with his warriors teammates draymond green and harrison barnes though james is taking the summer off the nba champion cleveland cavaliers are represented by kyrie irving
the american team is notably versatile except for the two centers demarcus cousins and deandre jordan and the two point guards irving and kyle lowry every player is listed from 6 feet 7 to 6 9 and many play multiple positions
paul george is also on the team despite having sustained a serious leg injury while training for the 2014 world cup of basketball which caused him to miss nearly a full nba season
the team is rounded out by jimmy butler demar derozan and carmelo anthony playing in his fourth olympics in recent days anthony has been socializing with durant in new york and working out with him in what amounts to an unofficial wooing of the oklahoma city star before he officially becomes a free agent next month
would durant really consider joining anthony on the work in progress knicks who traded for derrick rose last week probably not but anthony can keep trying right through the olympics where the americans status as gold medal favorites is enhanced by the other contenders relatively weak rosters
spain has been the second best team in the world for many years but it is led by a 35 year old pau gasol the status of his brother marc who broke his foot with the grizzlies in february is unclear and serge ibaka the orlando magic star will not play citing the long nba season that leaves ricky rubio as spains no 2 star
other contenders have even fewer nba quality players lithuania runner up to spain in last years euros is led by jonas valanciunas a solid center for the raptors who would not have come close to the olympics were he an american
other teams have legitimate nba stars who are getting toward the end of their careers manu ginobili of argentina is 38 anderson varejao and leandro barbosa of host brazil are 33 tony parker and boris diaw of france are 34 and france has not yet qualified for the games
while all these teams have good players from the european leagues even the most passionate europhile acknowledges the huge gulf between the quality of the nba and italys serie a or spains liga acb
knowing that the americans are likely to win the gold medal wont make you rich sky bet currently offers odds of 1 14 on the united states   a 14 bet will earn you just a buck spain is the second favorite at 10 1 and brazil is 20 1
after the group stage the olympic tournament moves to the single elimination quarterfinals semifinals and final so a fluky loss is not impossible but even without its biggest stars the united states is playing with by far the best team


houston   the supreme courts ruling monday tossing out two of the main elements of texas 2013 law regulating abortion one of the most stringent in the country has transformed the environment for abortion in the state
ten abortion clinics that had been in danger of being forced to close   about half those still in existence   will be allowed to continue operating the reopening of clinics that already shut their doors became a possibility
and some original opponents of the law   including wendy davis the former state senator whose filibuster of the bill brought national attention to the restrictions and set the stage for her unsuccessful bid for governor   spoke of feeling vindicated and rejuvenated
my immediate reaction literally was to burst into tears ms davis said on monday two days after the third anniversary of the filibuster there was so much riding on this
now after years of the clinics being under siege there are two main questions about abortion options in the state will shuttered clinics reopen particularly outside the biggest urban areas and how will republicans in the legislature respond to a stinging judicial reversal after a period in which access to abortion has been dramatically reduced
had the supreme court sided with texas and the 10 clinics closed the countrys second largest state by population and by size would have been left with nine abortion facilities a decision upholding the law would have allowed the measure to be fully put into effect for the first time since the republican dominated legislature passed it in july 2013 and would have shut four clinics in houston two in el paso and one each in austin fort worth and san antonio as well as one in mcallen temporarily
republican leaders quickly condemned the ruling
the texas attorney general ken paxton whose lawyers defended the state in the case said in a statement on monday that the law was an effort to improve minimum safety standards and ensure capable care for texas women he said the ruling took the ability to protect womens health out of the hands of texas citizens and their duly elected representatives
two of the laws four provisions were ruled unconstitutional one required clinic doctors performing abortions to obtain admitting privileges at a nearby hospital and the other mandated that all clinics even those that provided nonsurgical medication abortions meet the same standards as hospital style surgical centers three provisions including the admitting privileges requirement had been in place statewide with only a few exceptions the surgical center rules had never been enforced because of litigation
much remained unclear after the ruling including how many abortion clinics that had closed would reopen and when abortion rights advocates said that shuttered clinics would not open again immediately and that it might take years for new clinics to establish themselves in may 2013 two months before gov rick perry signed the bill into law texas had 41 facilities providing abortions in november 2013 after the admitting privileges requirement was put in place there were 22
weve had to let leases go or sell buildings that had mortgages said amy hagstrom miller the president and chief executive of whole womans health which operates abortion clinics in texas and was the lead plaintiff youve got to find physicians and rehire staff and go through relicensing processes and get equipment and instruments and medicine its not something that is going to happen overnight
nan little kirkpatrick the executive director of the texas equal access fund which provides financial assistance to women seeking abortions in the northern half of the state predicted that some clinics would reopen especially in the panhandle region which has none one reason we saw providers close was because they couldnt get staff to stay on with their jobs completely up in the air she said now that we have some assurance from the supreme court i think it will be easier for providers to attract and keep staff
supporters of the law said it was too early to say what their next steps would be but they appeared to show no signs of signaling defeat lt gov dan patrick a republican who serves as the president of the texas senate vowed to have senators revisit the issue
were going to go through this line by line and see what it is that we can address in a way that a supreme court would approve mr patrick said im clearly pro life but if someones going to have an abortion i want them to have it in the safest possible environment
texas had been experiencing what critics of the law called an abortion access crisis with 19 clinics in a state with 54 million women of reproductive age if that number had fallen to nine abortion rights advocates said the remaining clinics could not have met demand waits for appointments would have increased they said and more women would have attempted to self induce abortions using black market drugs
there had been much confusion and uncertainty among women seeking abortions in texas reproductive services one of two abortion clinics in el paso closed in june 2014 but reopened at a new location last fall after the supreme court temporarily blocked full enforcement of the law
some of the other clinics may be able to reopen but its very difficult said gerri laster the clinics executive administrator we went down that road and it took us almost six months to get our license back and that was after having a license for 25 years with no deficiencies meeting all the state requirements
ms laster said her clinic sold all its equipment when it closed expecting it would be impossible to reopen it spent 50000 to 100000 to get back in business she added the clinic used to see about 40 patients a week but now sees 20 largely because many women are unaware it reopened she said had reproductive services and the other el paso clinic closed women there would have had to go to new mexico or drive more than 500 miles to the nearest clinic in texas
its like a rock has been released from our stomachs ms laster said


kunduz afghanistan   american airstrikes in northern afghanistan killed at least seven hostages being held in a taliban prison on saturday according to accounts from the families of victims and local officials from the immediate area some accounts put the death toll as high as 16
but senior afghan officials in kunduz province including the governor denied that the airstrikes had killed the prisoners accusing the taliban of staging the deaths to make it appear that an airstrike was responsible
the victims were among more than 200 people who have been abducted by taliban insurgents on highways in kunduz province mostly taken from buses traveling to neighboring provinces in four episodes since may 28
the american militarys spokesman in kabul afghanistan brig gen charles h cleveland said the airstrike report was under investigation weve recently learned of the allegation and are working with our afghan counterparts to look into it he said on monday
while afghan officials all agreed that the american military conducted drone strikes in the aaq masjid area of chardara district a remote area dominated by taliban insurgents they gave widely divergent accounts of what happened
mohammadullah the police commander in the village of nahr i sofi in the area of the airstrike said that local residents reported that the drone strikes had killed 14 people many of them people who had been abducted he was uncertain how many of the 14 were hostages and how many were taliban insurgents like many afghans the police commander has only one name
amruddin wali a senior member of the kunduz provincial council said he learned from locals that 14 to 16 hostages out of 20 in taliban custody were killed in the strikes
the kunduz provincial police chief gen qaseem jangalbagh said that the dead in the airstrikes included five taliban jailers and their local warden mullah janat gul
both gen sher aziz kamawal commander of the 808th police zone which includes northeastern afghanistan and the kunduz governor asadullah omarkhel said the taliban responded to the airstrikes on their positions by putting abducted passengers into a truck container and then detonating explosives there the taliban first decided to behead the passengers but then they killed them with an ied and tried to show it was an airstrike to create problems between the government and its international allies governor omarkhel said
last year american airstrikes destroyed the doctors without borders hospital in kunduz killing 42 patients and staff members while the american military apologized blaming a series of errors and punishing 16 american soldiers and officers many senior afghan officials insisted that the insurgents had provoked the attack repeating unsubstantiated accounts that they had been firing from the hospital
at the provincial hospital in kunduz on monday six bodies some of them burned and mangled beyond recognition were brought in from chardara district one of them was identified as ansarullah an afghan national army soldier who had been on leave when his bus was stopped by the taliban in kunduz and he was taken away by the insurgents his body was identified by a cousin abdul khair
mr khair said people from the district had told them his cousin was killed by a rocket fired into the prison building by a drone on saturday night family members had been trying to win his release from the insurgents who told them they wanted to swap government prisoners for taliban prisoners
an elder from badakhshan province wakil alim also visited the hospital on monday and identified three other bodies as those of passengers who had been held by the taliban
the chief of the kunduz provincial hospital nayim mangal said the damage done to the bodies brought there appeared to have been caused by rockets fired from an aircraft
in kabul officials in the capital were unclear about what had happened the spokesman for the ministry of defense dawlat waziri said all we can say now is that the airstrikes targeted the enemy bases there which inflicted heavy casualties to the enemy we are not sure if the prison or place where our soldiers were kept was hit in the airstrikes
a spokesman for the taliban zabihullah mujahid reached by telephone denied that the insurgents had staged the bus passengers deaths he said three insurgents were killed in the airstrikes along with six of the abducted passengers he said all of the passengers being held by the insurgents were government employees or soldiers passengers with no such affiliation were all released earlier he said and only a small number of passengers remained in custody
president obama recently expanded the authority for american forces to use airstrikes against taliban targets under the new rules airstrikes no longer need to be justified as necessary to defend american troops the first such strikes were carried out earlier this month the pentagon said


its the airline that had unabashedly advertised its product as a cheap seat for a cheap ass
but now under new leadership and in the face of increased competition from larger more mature airlines spirit airlines is ready to shake off its bad boy streak and grow up a little
spirit based in south florida has been known for its cheap flights and no frills passenger experience as well as its unconventional and often sexually provocative marketing campaigns over the last few years
that was all part of the no apologies no excuses attitude of the previous chief executive ben baldanza whom spirits board replaced in january high numbers of customer complaints mr baldanza liked to say come with the cheap fare territory it was an approach modeled on the irish budget airline ryanair which became one of europes largest airlines   but perhaps most reviled   by taking a cattle car approach to regional air travel
you get what you pay for was the spirit spirit and for everything else you pay extra the airline led the way in charging travelers extra fees to check a bag or even carry on a bag or to do much of anything besides sitting in the cramped cheap seats spirit has also become a pacesetter in other traveler unfriendly categories routinely achieving the industrys highest rate of consumer complaints and worst on time performance
but the new chief executive robert fornaro six months into his job says he is ready to put a new face on spirit and a new emphasis on customer service the makeover also includes toning down the frat boy image cleaning up the cabins and maybe even getting more of the planes to arrive on time
last week mr fornaro was in new york trying to sell his strategy to investors analysts and reporters
there is a big change in terms of focusing on our operations mr fornaro said in an interview this is how we want to be viewed on time friendly clean and efficient
the question is whether mr fornaro a longtime industry executive can improve the airlines operations and reputation while maintaining the ultralow fares
spirit is still small but has grown quickly since adopting its low cost approach 10 years ago increasing its number of passengers by 27 percent last year alone to 16 million although it still ranks far behind the market leaders in the united states
the growth came despite the array of extra fees beyond the basic ticket price
need a boarding pass youd better print it at home otherwise theres a 2 charge to pick it up at an airport kiosk or 10 if an agent prints it for you
need to store a carry on in the overhead compartment thatll be 35 upfront when you book your flight or 100 if you wait until youre lined up at the gate
when the beverage cart rolls down the aisle a can of soda will set you back 3
spirit flies from all but three of the 25 largest metropolitan areas in the united states   sacramento charlotte and st louis   and plans to announce service in additional still undisclosed midsize markets later this year it also flies to locations in the caribbean and central america including the dominican republic the united states virgin islands costa rica and nicaragua
only about 2 percent of domestic passengers flew on spirit planes last year   compared with 17 percent on delta 13 percent on american airlines and 10 percent on united according to the department of transportation but it costs the larger carriers at least 14 cents to fly each passenger one mile while spirits costs are only half that passenger mile rate
no wonder those three big legacy carriers have taken note and are responding with no frills products of their own delta has already introduced what it calls basic economy fares the tickets cannot be changed or refunded after a 24 hour period and do not include advance seat assignments both united and american airlines have said they plan to introduce similar entry level fares later this year
that basic economy fare can be competitive with the ultra low cost guys said helane becker an airline analyst at cowen and company as a leisure customer if i can fly delta for the same price as spirit and delta has the better on time ratings why wouldnt i fly delta
the answer might depend on where a traveler is trying to go
based on fares recently offered on spirits website for a long weekend in chicago flying from new yorks la guardia airport on friday evening july 15 and returning the following monday morning a flier would pay 211 but add a carry on bag and the price goes up to 281 the comparable united ticket which includes a carry on at no extra charge is not significantly higher 314 on the united website
but flying that same weekend from la guardia to myrtle beach sc and back would make spirit look like a much better bet the ticket would be 161 or 231 with a carry on the next cheapest round trip fare to myrtle beach is offered by american airlines and it costs a lot more   432   and includes a layover in charlotte according to americans website
mr fornaro who led the budget carrier airtran airlines until its merger with southwest airlines in 2010 argues that he can improve on time and complaint ratings without incurring higher costs
by paying to improve operations he said the airline would cut down on expenses in other areas like fees it incurs when it has to reimburse passengers for canceled flights it would also cut down on overtime needed to pay staff who work longer hours because of delays
if we run a better operation well have lower recovery costs mr fornaro said
his predecessor mr baldanza who led the company for a decade was so focused on costs that he resorted to what he called shock marketing
the email and web campaigns were cheap to produce but attracted major media attention for their unconventional sometimes raunchy tone
in 2013 for example spirit announced a weiner sale during reports that representative anthony d weiner of new york had engaged in lewd online behavior the campaign featured on spirits website and in emails contained a photo of a hot dog and offered 9 fares too hard to resist
those days are gone mr fornaro said youre still going to see a lot of quirky edgy advertising but i dont see any benefit of poking the customer in the eye
mr fornaro also said the key to decreasing customer complaints would be to reduce surprises for first time spirit fliers
about two thirds of spirits passengers book their tickets directly through the companys website so they tend to already be aware of the various extra fees he said its the other one third of customers who book their flights through third party sites who are often surprised when they arrive at the airport to find that theyll be charged for extras
spirit has started sending emails to some of its third party customers to explain the fee structure and offer 24 hours to cancel that kind of outreach could become even more important as the company expands to more markets this year
they have a big problem many people try spirit because theyre attracted to the low fare but then they dont come back said julie yates an airline analyst at credit suisse bob is softening the overall approach to be more friendly over time that should help them retain more customers
until then let the flier beware


up the block came three young men shoelaces lapping at the sidewalk faces half hidden in hoods to pay their respects to a fallen street soldier
they stopped at a mural splashed with rubber banded rolls of 100 bills next to calligraphy spelling out heart of the hood and money come  go but legends live forever the face of francisco perez six feet high and sun dappled stared out coolly over his old haunts a red die showing five sat on a discarded bureau nearby
cisco 12 26 78   4 4 16 the mural read referring to mr perezs street name
over nearly three decades mr perez held court on this block of east 157th street off melrose avenue in the south bronx it was here that he climbed the rungs of the street heroin trade wooed women muscled out drug rivals from nearby public housing projects and as he got closer to middle age counseled young men to save themselves and to get honest work
by turns brutal and vain comedic and exacting mr perez survived police raids stickups territorial incursions and a transformation of the citys drug trade as it came to rely less than it once had on hand to hand street sales
all the while his crew and a former dealer shot at each other and tallied the hits the bad blood led to the 2005 murder of a female bystander and mr perezs friends said spawned a round of tit for tat shootings in the months before his death as he turned the corner toward home on a cold march morning an assailant hiding behind a row of cars popped out and pounded him with 40 caliber bullets it was the fifth of nine murders recorded this year in the 40th precinct the second deadliest precinct in new york city after the 75th in east new york the homicide figure already equals the total for all of last year
drug violence has plummeted since the early 1990s when the neighborhoods of mott haven and melrose and the rest of the precinct could see nine killings in a month but some men still battle though less conspicuously over customers turf and debts on the same corners little touched by tides of economic change and opportunity
by the time of his death at 37 mr perez was a balding father running with men half his age a throwback whose taste for biggie smalls air jordans and knife fights harked back to the 90s he promised to start coming home earlier and get a real job but his past always stayed with him
he had beef in a lot of places said nicolas mendez 23 a close friend and mr perez sometimes fanned the flames hes crazy a little bit mr mendez added hes a little bugged out
the recent visit by his younger friends to the mural was brief the most deliberate of the three a coiled spring of a man with dark eyes and an angular face bent over and lit a 250 votive candle dedicated to our lady of altagracia
then he announced we out and they swiveled and strode down 157th street to their corner
the mural celebrated the outer layer of mr perez this was the man of fur trimmed coats and new nikes bottles of hennessy and talk of accepting a long prison sentence to spare his friends from the same a cousin maddie said that persona hid a deep well of pain and an insatiable longing for family
he had this mask on when he was in the street she said so he would look like this guy
born to a mother addicted to heroin and a father whose name and whereabouts were always a mystery mr perez used to wake up on weekends at 6 am to go door to door in the projects selling the daily news
papers sunday newspapers he shouted in the hallways as he and maddie both about 9 banged on doors
they made 50 cents per sale mr perez supplemented that with a job bagging groceries at a c town supermarket collecting tips in a small bowl
once half jokingly he loaded his and maddies socks into the dishwasher because her mother had no washing machine he added dish detergent ran the machine and split them between an oven and a microwave to dry
a crack epidemic and poverty were ravaging the south bronx in the 1980s and debris became childrens playthings they roamed a junkyard where people went for secondhand parts sitting in stripped down cars and mimicking an engines roar
crack vials covered the projects sidewalks like pigeon poop said maddie sitting on her stoop in a city hundreds of miles from the bronx where she had moved in her 20s out of fear for her safety she asked that neither her city nor her surname be identified she and mr perez used to shout dont step on the crack you break your mothers back
in mr perezs vast family women were the anchors the only male mentors he had were steeped in the aggressive ways of the street maddie said
you dont know what a man is because the only man that society showed you was the one on the corner she said pretty much thats what the bronx shows you the man on the corner
by the early 90s the corner of east 157th street and melrose avenue was beckoning local children looking for easy cash along with middle class workers like teachers and mail carriers who were falling under heroins sway
the intersection was among the bronxs busier drug markets just far enough from the hubbub of the projects and the police stationed there and a quick hop from several thoroughfares arson and demolitions had left a single five story building on the south side of 157th street with a few squatters inside heroin changed hands in the lobby and on a second floor landing
we used to call it the well   you could sit a block off it and just pick off guys who were buying said charles mcliverty a retired new york police detective who worked in bronx narcotics from 1993 to 1997 people would drive up in cars   new jersey connecticut upstate new york   and they knew this was the place to go
mr perez was in his early teens at the time watching his mother sink into heroin addiction the drug was making a comeback across the city as it became cheaper and purer the first wave in a resurgence of heroin that is now swallowing many middle class communities
she would use heroin as a way to cope with physical and emotional pain and mr perez learned those habits from her a federal defender annalisa miron wrote in court papers in 2014 after mr perez was accused of selling the drug
when he was 13 his mother died from complications of hiv his grandmother took him in but then she died too he lived with an aunt until she moved away a second aunt maddies mother took over raising him about a year later she also died from complications of hiv
thats how it started death maddie said of her cousins street life you feel like everyone i love is dead
maddie and mr perez both around 17 took her mothers life insurance check and moved into a one bedroom public housing apartment in the northern bronx
to cover the 550 rent maddie took a job folding clothes at a dr jays store mr perez studied for a high school equivalency diploma he chopped onions and peppers for spaghetti the only dinner they knew how to make and pleaded in vain for maddie to iron his pants before dates
home life was weighted with loss and obligation the corner at 157th and melrose pulled him back he told maddie that the money he earned there would pay for studio time to record rap music and that he would leave the streets once he became successful
i dont want a girl with extensions in her hair  bamboo sneakers at least nine pairs maddie said recalling an early rap an admiring take it would appear on around the way girl the 1990 track by ll cool j a c town bag and a bad attitude  thats all i need to mess up my good mood
six foot one and strapping with a deep easy laugh and a biting sense of humor mr perez had the personality and the physique to command a corner he seesawed between being the blocks robin hood and his crews unforgiving enforcer
an older woman recalled him paying for her pepsi unprompted at a deli counter young children ran up to him yelled cisco and jumped into his arms drawn by gifts of candy in summertime he would drag a grill onto the corner and cook steaks chicken and hot dogs as tupac and slick rick played on borrowed speakers
but mr perez was also the first to jump out of his car and start swinging when an argument bubbled over he often carried around a mound of marijuana friends said and took pcp for a time he was known to have access to guns when a friend once cracked wise about his fitted hat mr perez returned a withering look   and then never wore the hat again
he had a temper and a half lydia rosado who lives in the neighborhood said they would argue about stupid little things   music girls but she added all the guys respected him
he was a street level dealer in a heroin ring besieged by competitors
the drug landed on 157th and melrose by way of a dark beat up minivan driven from florida every week by a man in his 40s whom the police were tracking mr perezs crew stashed packages in apartments in private buildings on the north side of 157th street runners as young as 9 picked them up and carried them to the street for resupply where detectives watched the ballet of signals and handoffs in plain view
but crack cocaine dealers from the melrose and jackson housing projects a block west coveted mr perezs crews more lucrative turf and sometimes tried to steal their drugs or money the rivalry was stoked by race and class too mr perezs friends many of them living in private walk ups disdained dealers from the projects whom they saw as more wanton in their violence the project crew was mostly black mr perezs was latino
as his crews muscle mr perez was targeted for robberies and beatings friends said going to the police was akin to self imposed exile he built a reputation on responding with startling force
in the streets you just dont make money and then get power and respect said a friend who worked with mr perez and who like many people interviewed for this article spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid unwanted attention from rivals or the police hell no youve got to put in some type of work meaning violence
the police arrested dealers in buy and bust operations only to find most of them quickly back on the street whisked through the revolving door of an overburdened court system mayor rudolph w giulianis crackdown on so called quality of life crimes especially on blocks considered in need of new development intensified the pressure to make arrests despite detectives knowledge that younger dealers were waiting in the wings
mr perez was arrested in december 1997 at 18 for selling heroin on 157th and melrose two days after he was released and referred to drug rehabilitation in february 1998 an undercover officer told him two and put 20 in his hand according to a criminal complaint mr perez was accused of giving the officer two glassine envelopes of heroin
after he was sent to state prison for three years the arrests picked up again five in the next three years on gun and drug charges being a felon made it hard to get a job his family said and staying in the drug trade for so long saddled him with a growing cast of jealous enemies
hed tell me watch the projects mr mendez his friend said it was probably beef over who want the block since like the 90s
threats to the crews reputation from the inside took a bigger toll mr perez played a central role in tit for tat shootings in 2005 directed at a dealer who owed him and his friends money court papers show
drug bosses often worry that one late payment will embolden other addict dealers to default on their own debts so the leader of mr perezs crew went in search of the dealer on a brisk march night in a friends mitsubishi galant
the rival dealer struck first he raked the mitsubishi with bullets wounding the leader eric martinez and killing a neighborhood resident yvette salamanca who had agreed to drive him as a favor sitting in the car were 10 bloodied envelopes for heroin stamped lucky charms and american dreams
the homicide investigation languished without an arrest officers caught the dealer less than a block from the shooting and matched him with witness descriptions he had been smoking so much pcp though that detectives could not get anything coherent from him and let him go the wounded victims   mr martinez and another heroin dealer   would not cooperate either
i see them walking around all the time and it pisses me off annabelle olmeda ms salamancas younger sister said of the witnesses im sure they know who did it and theyre just not saying anything i doubt its because of fear i guess its the code they have
instead mr perez sought revenge on behalf of his crew three days after ms salamanca was killed he fired at the dealer he missed but the police retrieved 12 9 millimeter bullet casings as evidence court papers say he tried again four days later wounding an associate of the dealer though his family contends that the police confused him with another gunman in that case
mr perezs jailing on gun charges weeks later did little to slow the bloodshed the unsolved killing festered without justice from the system retaliatory violence spread like an infection
mr martinezs brother christian irizarry shot and wounded the dealer and another man in the back on june 24 court papers say
the detectives investigating ms salamancas killing stopped showing up at her familys doorstep after a few weeks her sister said they shifted their attention to building a drug case against her old friends even decades after the peak of the drug war targets like mr perezs crew carried valuable currency in the police department the united states attorney for the southern district of new york charged mr irizarry mr martinez and mr perez with running a violent narcotics conspiracy
the case hung on the kind of unsavory alliance the police often stitch together to secure cooperation in drug and gang investigations a central witness against mr perez and his crew was the same dealer who the police were certain killed ms salamanca
i think he feared for his life mr mcliverty who had transferred to bronx homicide and investigated the killing of ms salamanca said of the witness he figures if i rat these guys out theyll be away at least ill be safe its like a survival mode
detectives hoped that mr perezs crew too would break down and inform on one another or on more senior drug leaders but none of them spoke
cisco had an opportunity to work for the government at the time mr perezs lawyer in the case richard herman said and he didnt do it
so prosecutors came down on him hard threatening to bring his four prior felony convictions before the court potentially doubling some of the mandatory minimum sentences he would face to a total of at least 30 years at his lawyers urging he pleaded guilty to ammunition charges and was sentenced to six and a half years
the crews leader mr martinez and his brother had their charges dropped after the evidence against them crumbled   an example of how drug investigations often lock up street soldiers and let their bosses walk free
sharon mccarthy the chief of the violent crimes unit in the united states attorneys office at the time and a defense lawyer now said that multiplying mandatory minimum sentences as the government sought to do against mr perez cheated people out of a fair chance to defend themselves at trial
i think it was used a lot of times by the government as a sort of threat that would be hanging over a defendants head to essentially bludgeon them into taking a plea she said its coercive
after mr perez got home in 2011 he and his longtime partner tara sullivan went to two counseling sessions together before she let him continue on his own so he could express himself more and be open and honest with the therapist she later wrote to a judge he also completed a job training course
i think it was being out of prison that allowed him to see i dont really want to go back there i dont want to live that life anymore ms miron mr perezs federal defender said in an interview
his chief source of encouragement was his daughter born three months before he was locked up in 2005 he took her to school when ms sullivan had to work along with her boy from a previous relationship he brought them to run on the track at van cortlandt park
his thing was he was going to be here till she got older his cousin maddie said because he didnt have parents he wanted to be here for her because his mother everybody else was gone
but prison had also introduced mr perez to more powerful drug distributors who once he was back on the street started supplying him with large quantities to resell said the friend who worked with mr perez he encountered resistance when he tried to expand his crews footprint by selling farther north
men his age often become more cautious about selling drugs or at least move off the streets into less visible roles in the time he was locked up many criminals had gone on to less violent more lucrative schemes like identity theft
mr perez though had no second act five seven is sweet a woman who knew him from around the block said theres always something that brings them back
at the top of the drug trade money was becoming concentrated in fewer hands lower down dealers like mr perez were struggling to make as much as they used to said william cook chief investigator for the citys office of the special narcotics prosecutor his crew was just eking out a living
mr perez strutted through the public housing courtyards of rivals boasting this is nobodys block   it belong to america
but in recent months he had showed signs of worry he owed money to his distributors and to his friends he kept a steak knife hidden in his car friends said he told people about gunmen coming to 157th and melrose but was evasive about why he was shot at but not hit by a man angry at him over a romance
in a rap he wrote of his enemies they wish my day would come
investigators are exploring whether drug associates thought that mr perez had been skimming stealing drugs he was supposed to sell detectives believe he had recently tried to buy a big cache of guns a man questioned in a separate case offered a different lead that mr perezs killer had shot him over a continuing dispute and then fled to miami
his friends though are fixated on how the feud with the indebted dealer in 2005 had roared back recently possibly snaring mr perez the rivalry reignited last year the friends said when an ally of the dealer wounded a friend of mr perezs in a spat over women as they tell it a 20 year old man from the dealers circle was then killed
mr perezs friends concede that others might have wanted mr perez dead but talk on the street true or not has turned to how the dealer wanted to avenge the 20 year olds killing by gunning for the strongest most intimidating man on 157th and melrose mr perez
he was staring down a 1 am curfew set by his partner they often fought over his girlfriends and his late nights he had promised her he would return home early on march 18 but 1 am came and went and mr perez stayed in an apartment around the corner from his crews drug spot and drank from a gallon bottle of hennessy
he was like you know shes already mad at me we was arguing so ill be home later on tonight to make it up to her mr mendez his friend said
mr perez sometimes joked about how he was old enough to be his friends father but their youth also gave him an escape and he trusted them easily
around 2 am after waffling a bit over going to a music studio for the night mr perez settled on driving mr mendez and his girlfriend home and then facing his partner at their new apartment on union avenue in a pocket of the 40th precinct that was quieter than his favorite corner but still only a short trip away
mr perez was drunk talking as he drove mr mendez recalled and he urged mr mendezs girlfriend to take care of him tonight he peeked at the side mirrors of his white nissan altima as he often did looking for the police or rivals
after dropping them off surveillance video showed mr perez zigzagging through the maze of streets around his apartment building parking and then grabbing a bag of doritos from the car there was a bounce in his step as he neared his building door
two gunmen waited about a dozen steps away crouched behind several parked suvs two other assailants were positioned at the other end of the block the ones closer to him slinked between the cars and the green plywood boards of a construction site
then one of the gunmen slightly built and quick lifted a 40 caliber pistol chest high and squeezed off seven shots shuffling like a boxer as he fired he and the other gunman who was trailing behind took off running for a maroon van got in and drove off
bullets tore through mr perezs groin area and left arm another pierced his forehead blood emptied onto the sidewalk somehow he wriggled on the ground and screamed for help
he said i fell i fell said a woman who had rushed to his side im like no you got shot
seven brass bullet casings lay beside him the woman said it seemed as if he were being deliberately vague
i think he knew who his shooter was and didnt want to say she said
mr perez his brain swelling was put on life support at the hospital
detectives collected ballistic evidence but never matched the casings to another crime they cataloged mr perezs final calls on his cellphone they found two unused cigars wrapped in foil that the second gunman had dropped
surveillance video showed the maroon van and a second smaller car following it away from the crime scene and detectives pulled video from nearby businesses to trace the getaway but the video trail dried up past a con edison substation near an expressway
sergeant michael j lopuzzo commander of the 40th precinct detective squad worried about having to parse street talk that was sending him in several directions
the more time goes by the more stories you hear and stories go from one guy to the next guy and facts change he said its like everythings different from what it really is
in the weeks after the march 18 shooting mr perezs friends streamed to his hospital bed they held smartphones to his ear and played his favorite song lockjaw by french montana a veiled boast about not snitching to the police his body flinched and his eyelids twitched but he never spoke again he died on april 4
almost two months later the sidewalk was still nicked where bullets had hit a dark blood stain was fading two police posters unchanged since his death hung on the ground floor of his apartment building titled a non fatal shooting they offered 2500 for clues about the wounding on march 18 of an unnamed man


the government may not always get what it wants from the supreme court but federal prosecutors received exactly what they asked for last week when the justices decided in a case involving rjr nabisco the food and tobacco conglomerate how far the racketeer influenced and corrupt organizations act or rico applies to foreign conduct
for the justice department the ruling means that its pursuit of corruption inside fifa the organization that oversees international soccer can move forward without any concern that the charges might not be a permissible use of federal law
rico is a powerful weapon for bringing together in a single prosecution disparate acts that play out over an extended period it allows prosecutors to largely avoid issues related to the statute of limitations and it permits charging a number of defendants who may have only tenuous connections to one another but are part of a larger scheme
the justice department filed charges involving corruption in global soccer in may 2015 naming 14 officials at fifa and its regional confederations responsible for organizing competitions like the world cup the case has grown to 42 defendants one indictment unsealed in december which named 27 defendants runs more than 230 pages and describes illicit payments stretching back to 1991 related to a variety of soccer tournaments
the vehicle for bringing together these disparate strands of corruption is the first count in the indictment that charges the defendants with a single conspiracy to violate rico to prove its case prosecutors must show that the agreement was to commit crimes that were part of a broader pattern of racketeering activity involving a long list of federal crimes rather than just separate acts committed by different defendants
one potential challenge to the charges was whether rico could be applied to conduct largely occurring outside the united states involving an organization in another country the racketeering enterprise identified in the indictment is fifa which has its headquarters in switzerland and the local confederations that for the most part have no presence in this country
the supreme court made it more difficult to use united states laws to pursue misconduct that takes place overseas in its 2010 decision in morrison v national australia bank the court said that a united states law should be presumed not to apply to conduct that takes place abroad unless congress made it clear that the provision was intended to reach foreign violations that lawsuit involved a claim of securities fraud by an australian bank whose shares were traded on foreign stock exchanges and the court required showing a domestic transaction affecting the plaintiffs as a prerequisite to filing the case in the united states
the supreme court took up the issue of whether rico applies to extraterritorial violations in rjr nabisco v european community which involved a claim that the company illegally invested income derived from organized crime groups operating in europe the company argued that under the decision in the morrison case rico reached only enterprises that operated in the united states a position that would have crippled the broad fifa corruption prosecution if the court had adopted it
the justices did not go that far in analyzing the scope of rico instead they found in a decision last week that rico could be applied to conduct outside the united states as long as the particular crimes constituting the racketeering activity involved foreign conduct that could be charged on its own
the statute includes a number of crimes that apply extraterritorially including money laundering in addition the wire fraud statute applies to foreign transmissions as long as there is an effect on commerce in the united states another way that conduct taking place largely outside the united states can be included in a rico prosecution
that does not mean private lawsuits involving foreign conduct necessarily survive however the supreme court went on to find that the presumption against extraterritorial application of a law requires a civil rico plaintiff to allege and prove a domestic injury to business or property and does not allow recovery for foreign injuries thus a foreign plaintiff who does not have any operations in the united states could not take advantage of the law
it is uncommon for the supreme court to divide a statute finding that one part can be applied to foreign conduct while another part cannot but civil claims under rico have the additional requirement of proving harm to business or property from the pattern of racketeering activity so it is this element that requires showing a domestic impact from the foreign violations
this is exactly the approach to interpreting the statute that the government advocated in a friend of the court brief in the rjr nabisco case filed in december the justice departments primary concern was carving out criminal cases involving foreign conduct from the courts recent push to limit extraterritorial application of laws
in other words the fifa case and other prosecutions involving terrorist financing might have been at risk if the court took a restrictive view of ricos application to foreign conduct
in the fifa indictment which was returned shortly before the government submitted its brief in the rjr case the justice department was careful to charge money laundering conspiracies that fit within the extraterritorial reach of that statute so that there was a clear basis for the rico conspiracy charge and the wire fraud conspiracies all involve communications into the united states allowing for a broad description of foreign activity that includes the requisite domestic impact
the rico count ties everything together so that defendants accused of receiving corrupt payments involving different soccer tournaments can be brought together that charge should easily meet the test the supreme court adopted for a foreign enterprise like fifa to be the basis for prosecuting individuals for engaging in racketeering activities through its offices
prosecutors have little interest in civil rico actions so they were willing to throw that aspect of the law under the bus to preserve the ability to bring criminal cases in which the enterprise is largely - if not completely - conducted overseas as long as the violations have an impact in the united states then rico remains a powerful tool for the justice department to pursue cases like that involving the bribery carried out through fifa and its regional confederations
the green light is on for federal prosecutors to continue to pursue global corruption through rico serving as the worlds policeman


tehran   kurdish rebels and irans islamic revolutionary guards corps have engaged in armed clashes along the mountainous iranian border with iraq in recent days raising tensions in the region iranian state television reported
on social media there are videos that purport to show the shelling of positions held by the rebels the kurdish democratic party of iran while both groups claim to have killed over a dozen of their opponents there are no reliable figures as yet irans state news agency irna reported
the kurdish democratic party of iran has been striving for decades for independence in the kurdish areas of western iran while many of irans approximately six million kurds feel strong connections to the nation they speak a separate language and are mostly sunni muslims in a shiite country the kurdish regions like all iranian border regions are poor compared with irans larger cities
the rebels have clashed periodically with the iranian armed forces at times ambushing military patrols some of their leaders were assassinated in europe in the 1980s and 90s a german court concluded in 1992 that iran was involved in at least one of those assassinations
the guard corps base in the region hamzeh seyyed ol shohada said in a statement on saturday that the clashes were continuing in the area of mahabad a kurdish city and the sarvabad border area it said that a number of terrorists linked to counterrevolutionary groups had been killed in the fighting
the operation is underway for the destruction of the remaining terrorists the statement said
president hassan rouhani visited the kurdish region on june 1 promising the opening of kurdish language centers the mother tongue of ethnic groups especially of kurds should be respected and recognized mr rouhani said in a speech in mahabad on the same visit the president inaugurated a petrochemical complex one of the largest state investments in the region
mahabad was the capital of a short lived modern kurdish state the republic of mahabad established in 1946 that attempt at kurdish statehood ended with a bloody crackdown by the iranian monarchy
one iranian general mohammad pakpour said the rebels were supported by reactionary states a label iran uses for persian gulf kingdoms iran often accuses sunni nations of supporting sunni separatists groups against the government


tokyo   an airbag made by the auto supplier takata has been linked to a crash that killed a woman in malaysia over the weekend the vehicles manufacturer said on monday
it is the 14th death that has been tied to the ruptures of takata made airbag inflaters which are at the center of a worldwide safety recall the devices when they deploy with excessive force can throw shrapnel like shards at a vehicles occupants
in the biggest and most complex consumer safety problems in industry history automakers have recalled more than 60 million vehicles to fix the defect which has also been blamed for more than 100 injuries while most of the fatalities have occurred in the united states four have now taken place in malaysia
worldwide millions of recalled vehicles are still on the road as carmakers struggled to cope with the huge numbers of cars involved such was the case with the honda involved in the latest malaysian crash on saturday which resulted in the death of a 44 year old malaysia woman
a spokesman for honda motor which manufactured the vehicle involved in the crash said the model had been recalled and that the carmaker had sent three notices to the owner but the vehicle a 2005 honda city had not been brought in to have the airbag component replaced
the honda spokesman teruhiko tatebe said malaysian authorities were still investigating and had not formally ruled on the cause of death although he noted that the airbag had ruptured during the crash the star a malaysian newspaper reported that the woman suffered chest injuries
takata said it was working with honda to investigate the rupture our heartfelt condolences go out to the drivers family the company said in a statement
takata representatives could not be reached for comment
the 2005 city was recalled in may 2015 to replace the inflaters in the driver and passenger side airbags honda said
malaysian authorities said last month that two previous automobile fatalities this year were caused by ruptured takata inflaters another fatality occurred in the country in 2014
in malaysia car owners can check for open recalls on hondas website in the united states the national highway traffic safety administration maintains a database of recalls on its auto safety site
consumers in other countries should consult their dealers


in a major abortion ruling monday the supreme court struck down parts of a texas law that would have forced dozens of clinics to close here are reactions from all sides of the issue


sunderland england   in places like sunderland with its once robust shipyards silent and dead and its citizens leery of both london and brussels the idea of the european union never really took hold
although the once proud working class city in englands northeast heartland benefited from the bloc the campaign that became known as brexit found many adherents and brought long suppressed grievances into the open
and when the decision to pull out of the european union sent markets into a tailspin ken walker a retired construction worker was unfazed
i dont have any money in the stock market mr walker 59 said as he drank a pint of beer in a pub so whats it to me
the pub called the speculation still had vote leave posters on its walls and a fellow drinker exclaimed aye and banged the counter in agreement
sunderland stunned the country when voters overwhelmingly opted to leave europe in thursdays referendum by 61 percent to 39 percent it was a far higher vote for britains exit than pollsters had predicted and it was the first sign that prime minister david camerons gamble on staying in the bloc had lost
sunderlands citizens seem to have voted against their own interests not only has the city been a big recipient of european money it is also the home of a nissan car factory britains largest and automobiles produced there are exported duty free to europe the plant which absorbed workers from the dying shipyards after it opened 30 years ago became a symbol of the benefits of european union membership and nissan opposed the british exit
yet edward pennal 64 a former army mechanic who voted to leave took the uncertainty in stride dismissing it as scaremongering no i cant see them cutting off ties he said of nissan because the company has received government grants to stay in sunderland and the pounds fall is a good thing for exports he said i was very pleased with the result
sunderlands decision was also a vote against the labour party which pushed for britain to remain in the union but is no longer seen by many voters in sunderland as a champion of the working class instead they and working class voters across britain are increasingly moving right over the issue of immigration switching to the anti brussels anti immigrant uk independence party which campaigned for the exit so britain could control its borders
nationwide young voters provided much of the support for the remain campaign but that was not the case in sunderland
john todd 18 an information technology apprentice voted for the first time and said he supported the uk independence party
were segregated from the south and the north is a barren wasteland he said wearing a heavy black leather jacket with metal studs despite the summer heat its us against them
the eu is a mystery to us he added weve never heard about it up here
the outcome of the vote in the large section of industrial northeast england that includes sunderland exposed deep regional divisions and a rift between classes   a working class that feels it has lost out from globalization and a more mobile educated class of people who have prospered from free trade and movement
similar trends are emerging in france where marine le pens national front has had success in poor cities across the countrys former industrial heartland now ms le pen is calling for a similar referendum in france to pull out of the european union
in sunderland a city of 273000 on the north sea coast there were few signs of bregret or regrexit   terms shared on social media to describe the pangs of remorse some felt as they watched billions of dollars get wiped off world markets
pro leave voters said they had nothing to lose because they had little to gain from globalization in the first place
give brexit a chance said maria taylor 58 a florist on a street where rows of brick houses a legacy of the industrial revolution shove against one another it cant get worse than whats been going on already she added
in washington a run down neighborhood close to the nissan plant shops on co operative street appeared as if out of a time warp a hairdresser with bonnet hair dryers a candy shop where a single ceiling bulb illuminates rows of dusty containers filled with stuck together sweets
to people like mr walker the turmoil in the financial markets was a distant rumble a problem for the rich down south in london and for those with enough resources to take a bet on the vast flows of speculative money that shift around the globe
as deindustrialization and other factors have hollowed what was once a manufacturing stronghold the region has struggled to catch up with its wealthier southern neighbors despite efforts by recent governments to bridge the divide
all the industries everything has gone said michael wake 55 forklift operator gesturing toward roker beach once black from the soot of the shipyards we were powerful strong but brussels and the government theyve taken it all away
in 1988 the conservative government of prime minister margaret thatcher closed the last of the shipyards that once lined the river wear the european union contributed a 45 million pound or 60 million aid package to help laid off workers but sunderland never recovered from the loss it consistently has one of the highest unemployment rates in the country about 9 percent
the referendum mr wake said was an opportunity to poke the eye of mr cameron and the london establishment
fears over job security from an influx of cheap european laborers was another motivation heather govan 28 a decorator said cheap labor helped big businesses by keeping costs down but not self employed people like her
some residents however said they had benefited from european union membership
im shocked   its bad for the industry said john thompson 53 who has worked for more than 30 years in a components factory there is a lot of uncertainty now and people who were going to invest here are going to think twice
many engineers in the shipbuilding industry took jobs at nissan they became part of an upwardly mobile class able to afford houses along the now soot free beach
to them and their families the european union is appealing they can swim at the sunderland aquatic center a PS20 million project with an olympic size pool that the european union helped finance they can send their children to the sleek modern sunderland university campus which also received union financing
european union money also helped establish sunderland software city a business center that offers support and advice to aspiring software entrepreneurs
however splashy these projects may be they remain largely inaccessible to sunderlands working class many cannot afford the PS30 monthly fees at the aquatic center and people in the nearby washington neighborhood said they had never set foot inside
as for sunderland university the tuition which the government recently raised is too much for many young people
all the money is going back to the rich said ms taylor the florist the working class is completely hammered theyve sold us down the river
john hall 54 a neighbor looked determined all the people here are looking out for their grandchildren he said adding in 20 years time it would be a better place for them
were big were strong enough he said it might be hard but well still eat


at the olympic diving trials over the weekend in indianapolis young american hopefuls celebrated their berths for the rio games
the united states is historically a diving power with 48 gold medals the most of any nation greg louganis sammy lee and pat mccormick are among the american names among the greats
but medals of any color will be hard to come by for the united states in rio thanks to the mighty chinese team which has dominated diving like few nations have dominated any olympic sports in recent years china won six of eight gold medals four years ago and that was considered an underachievement many predicted it would win all eight and are predicting the same thing for 2016
david boudia was the american bright spot in 2012 with a surprise gold medal on the platform and the united states won three medals in synchronized diving in 2008 in beijing china was seven for eight and the united states was shut out of the medals entirely
at the world championships a year ago china won 10 of 13 golds on offer boudia won a silver and the united states picked up a bronze in a non olympic event
the chinese squad is led by qiu bo the winner of three straight world championships in the mens platform who was edged by boudia in 2012
boudia is back on the platform team for the united states but again will not be the favorite he is ranked just eighth in the world with chinese divers 1 2
on sunday kassidy cook and abigail johnston landed the two spots for the womens springboard the united states was not even sure it would have a second berth in the event in the games until friday
for cook 21 it was a comeback story she barely missed a spot on the 2012 team at age 17 then had three surgeries
i was afraid that i was never going to get back to full form she said i didnt want to be a has been at age 19
but for all the excitement over cook and johnstons spots they have a hill to climb at the olympics americans were seventh and eighth in the event in 2012 and 21st and 25th at the world championships last year


washington   the supreme court on monday made it harder to prosecute public officials for corruption unanimously overturning the conviction of bob mcdonnell a former governor of virginia
chief justice john g roberts jr writing for the court narrowed the definition of what sort of conduct can serve as the basis of a corruption prosecution he said only formal and concrete government actions counted   filing a lawsuit say or making an administrative determination routine political courtesies like arranging meetings or urging underlings to consider a matter he added generally do not even when the people seeking those favors give the public officials gifts or money
that still leaves prosecutors plenty of room to pursue classic bribery and kickbacks but there was widespread agreement among prosecutors and defense lawyers on monday that the decision would make it harder for the government to prove corruption
the alternative to the new limits chief justice roberts wrote would be to criminalize routine political behavior conscientious public officials arrange meetings for constituents contact other officials on their behalf and include them in events all the time he wrote
the supreme court returned mr mcdonnells case to an appeals court for an assessment of whether prosecutors had presented evidence to satisfy the narrow definition of corruption announced monday if so prosecutors may seek to retry mr mcdonnell but under the stricter standard
in a statement mr mcdonnell said that he was innocent and that he expected to be vindicated
i have not and would not betray the sacred trust the people of virginia bestowed upon me during 22 years in elected office mr mcdonnell said it is my hope that this matter will soon be over and that my family and i can begin to rebuild our lives
an appeal by his wife maureen who was also convicted in the case was put on hold while the court heard his case her conviction is likely to be thrown out now
mr mcdonnell a republican who served from 2010 to 2014 was charged with using his office to help jonnie r williams sr who had provided the mcdonnells with luxury products loans and vacations worth more than 175000 when mr mcdonnell was governor the gifts themselves were legal and the question in the case was whether they were part of a corrupt bargain in which mr mcdonnell reciprocated by using his office to help mr williams
mr mcdonnell arranged meetings for and attended events with his benefactor but mr williams whose company made a diet supplement did not have any real success in obtaining support from the state for his product a jury found that mr mcdonnells actions amounted to corruption and a federal appeals court upheld the conviction
last year the supreme court allowed mr mcdonnell to stay out of prison while it considered whether to hear his case mcdonnell v united states no 15 474 that unusual order was a powerful hint that the court might rule in his favor
the hint proved right though chief justice roberts stopped well short of endorsing mr mcdonnells actions
there is no doubt that this case is distasteful it may be worse than that he wrote but our concern is not with tawdry tales of ferraris rolexes and ball gowns it is instead with the broader legal implications of the governments boundless interpretation of the federal bribery statute a more limited interpretation of the term official act leaves ample room for prosecuting corruption while comporting with the text of the statute and the precedent of this court
in their briefs to the supreme court mr mcdonnells lawyers relied on the citizens united decision in 2010 in which the supreme court said that ingratiation and access were not corruption that year the court ruled in favor of a former enron executive jeffrey k skilling saying that a federal anticorruption law governing honest services applied only to bribes and kickbacks
chief justice robertss opinion did not address citizens united or the first amendment argument on which it was based but he did say proof of something akin to bribery was required in corruption prosecutions
of course he added this is not to say that setting up a meeting hosting an event or making a phone call is always an innocent act or is irrelevant in cases like this one if an official sets up a meeting hosts an event or makes a phone call on a question or matter that is or could be pending before another official that could serve as evidence of an agreement to take an official act
a jury could conclude for example that the official was attempting to pressure or advise another official on a pending matter chief justice roberts wrote and if the official agreed to exert that pressure or give that advice in exchange for a thing of value that would be illegal
mr mcdonnells successor gov terry mcauliffe a democrat who is facing a federal investigation involving campaign donations from a chinese donor issued a benign statement saying mr mcdonnell and his family had remained in my thoughts and prayers and noting that the former governor had made mistakes and has apologized he said he hoped the ruling would signal the beginning of the end of this difficult process for our commonwealth
but anna scholl the executive director of progress virginia a progressive advocacy group said she was disappointed with the decision which essentially gives elected officials a blank check to trade gifts for access and unofficial favors she said mr mcdonnell disgraced virginia and the office he held and virginians should be outraged he has still not been held responsible
mr mcdonnell had been a popular governor but after his trial turned into the tawdry tale chief justice roberts described the public turned against him polls showed most virginians thought he was guilty   and the jurys decision reflected that according to bob holsworth a longtime political analyst in richmond
my sense was the jurys decision had almost nothing to do with the judges instructions he said the jurys decision was related to their revulsion at political figures being showered with gifts and loans on terms they couldnt possibly have for themselves
at the same time officials in the state   both democrats and republicans   felt some sympathy for mr mcdonnell because virginia had no laws then barring what he did in 2015 after his conviction lawmakers imposed a 100 limit on gifts from lobbyists hundreds of people   neighbors friends clergy and elected officials including senator tim kaine a democrat   wrote letters to the judge who sentenced mr mcdonnell asking for mercy
the mcdonnell case was like a lightning bolt to the political class mr holsworth said a lot of legislators were thinking my goodness there but for the grace of god go i


for years apple and dell battled over sales to students and schools
apple was arguably the first tech company to make significant sales to the education market not including those ibm and hewlett packard mainframes used in engineering departments thanks to computers that were far easier to use than early windows pcs but as apple stumbled in the 1990s and windows improved dells windows pcs grabbed a significant share
now those old rivals have plenty of company
this week at an education conference in colorado executives from amazon google microsoft and other tech companies will be discussing what they bring to the educational market from software and online tools to devices like the mac or googles chromebooks
a cynic would say they want to get them hooked while theyre young and there might be some truth to that get comfortable with a mac or a chromebook when youre young and youll probably use it for years to come
but education is also a significant business opportunity last year primary and secondary schools in the united states spent 49 billion on tablet laptop and desktop computers according to researchers at idc


broadway is getting an a cappella musical
in transit a show about the intertwining lives of 11 new yorkers is coming to the circle in the square theater this fall filling the vacancy left by the closing of fun home exact dates for the production have not been set
the book music and lyrics were written by a team that includes kristen anderson lopez   who wrote the earworms of the disney movie frozen with her husband the tony award winning songwriter robert lopez other writers on the in transit team are the broadway newcomers james allen ford russ kaplan and sara wordsworth
kathleen marshall the tony winning director and choreographer of anything goes and nice work if you can get it will direct vocal arrangements are by deke sharon who was the on site music director and vocal producer on the a cappella themed movie pitch perfect and its sequel
a version of the show ran off broadway in 2010 and received a drama desk award nomination for best musical it lost to the book of mormon for which ms anderson lopezs husband was a writer


early friday morning a friend texted me heres what he said
will you come talk to my co workers they are talking about stopping their 401k contributions because of whats going on driving me nuts
still not quite awake i replied what
within seconds he replied stock market fell 500 points this morning carl its all the way down to 17537
my first thought wow the dow is over 17000 and this is where things got a bit exciting for me as a financial professional
you see about five years ago i decided to totally ignore the stock market especially breaking news about the stock market i hadnt stopped investing but since investing is meant to be done over decades i had this crazy idea that maybe i would really truly act out that whole long term thing that meant thinking about five years 10 years even 20 years from now but i most definitely wouldnt be thinking about what happened in one week let alone one day
so i made sure i had a diversified portfolio of investments and then i proceeded to do nothing i also ignored the stock market news entirely which has been surprisingly easy
but friday morning for really the first time in five years it registered the dow had gone from just under 12000 to over 17000 thats a gain of almost 50 percent over the last five years now thats what i call amazing
less amazing however is what the markets will do or not do over the next few days so you choose five days or five years


washington   the supreme court on monday reaffirmed and strengthened constitutional protections for abortion rights striking down parts of a restrictive texas law that could have drastically reduced the number of abortion clinics in the state leaving them only in the largest metropolitan areas
the 5 to 3 decision was the courts most sweeping statement on abortion since planned parenthood v casey in 1992 which reaffirmed the constitutional right to abortion established in 1973 in roe v wade it found that texas restrictions   requiring doctors to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals and clinics to meet the standards of ambulatory surgical centers   violated caseys prohibition on placing an undue burden on the ability to obtain an abortion
if casey limited the right established in roe allowing states to regulate abortion in ways roe had barred mondays decision effectively expanded that right it means that similar requirements in other states are most likely also unconstitutional and it imperils many other kinds of restrictions on abortion it is also sure to energize anti abortion forces and make abortion a central issue in the presidential campaign
the decision concerned two parts of a law that imposed strict requirements on abortion providers in texas signed into law in july 2013 by rick perry the governor at the time
one required all clinics in the state to meet the standards for ambulatory surgical centers including regulations concerning buildings equipment and staffing the other required doctors performing abortions to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital
we conclude justice stephen g breyer wrote for the majority that neither of these provisions offers medical benefits sufficient to justify the burdens upon access that each imposes each places a substantial obstacle in the path of women seeking a previability abortion each constitutes an undue burden on abortion access and each violates the federal constitution
justices anthony m kennedy ruth bader ginsburg sonia sotomayor and elena kagan joined the majority opinion chief justice john g roberts jr and justices clarence thomas and samuel a alito jr dissented
justice kennedys vote was the crucial one and it came as a relief to abortion rights groups which have long viewed his thinking on the issue as a contradictory muddle
in the casey decision he joined justices sandra day oconnor and david h souter in a joint opinion that reaffirmed the core of roe v wade but justice kennedys reputation as an abortion rights champion had otherwise been undeserved said david s cohen a law professor at drexel university as casey was the only case in which he had found an abortion restriction unconstitutional in his 28 years on the supreme court
professor cohen said justice kennedys vote in mondays case was a puzzle he may have been swayed by the burdens placed on women having to drive hundreds of miles to obtain abortions professor cohen said or by the lack of medical evidence justifying the restrictions   or both
many states have enacted restrictions in recent years that test the limits of the constitutional right to abortion and the ruling in the new case whole womans health v hellerstedt no 15 274 enunciated principles that will apply to all of the ones said to be justified by a concern for womens health
in a message posted on twitter president obama said he was pleased to see the supreme court reaffirm that every woman has a constitutional right to make her own reproductive choices
ken paxton texas attorney general said the court is becoming a default medical board for the nation with no deference being given to state law
the texas law was passed in 2013 by the republican dominated texas legislature and turned a democratic state senator wendy davis who conducted an 11 hour filibuster against the law into a national political star
last june the united states court of appeals for the fifth circuit in new orleans largely upheld the contested provisions of the texas law saying it had to accept lawmakers assertions about the health benefits of abortion restrictions the appeals court ruled that the law with minor exceptions did not place an undue burden on the right to abortion
justice breyer said the appeals courts approach was at odds with the proper application of the undue burden standard the casey decision he said requires that courts consider the burdens a law imposes on abortion access together with the benefits those laws confer
in dissent justice thomas said the majority opinion reimagines the undue burden standard creating a benefits and burdens balancing test he said courts should resolve conflicting positions by deferring to legislatures
todays opinion justice thomas wrote does resemble casey in one respect after disregarding significant aspects of the courts prior jurisprudence the majority applies the undue burden standard in a way that will surely mystify lower courts for years to come
the majority opinion considered whether the claimed benefits of the restrictions outweighed the burdens they placed on a constitutional right justice breyer wrote that there was no evidence that the admitting privileges requirement would have helped even one woman obtain better treatment
at the same time he wrote there was good evidence that the admitting privileges requirement caused the number of abortion clinics in texas to drop from 40 to 20
in a second dissent justice alito joined by chief justice roberts and justice thomas said the causal link between the law and the closings was unproven withdrawal of state funds a decline in the demand for abortions and doctors retirements may have played a role justice alito wrote
justice breyer wrote that the requirement that abortion clinics meet the demanding and elaborate standards for ambulatory surgical centers also did more harm than good
abortions taking place in an abortion facility are safe   indeed safer than numerous procedures that take place outside hospitals and to which texas does not apply its surgical center requirements he wrote reviewing the evidence nationwide childbirth is 14 times more likely than abortion to result in death but texas law allows a midwife to oversee childbirth in the patients own home
in dissent justice alito said there was good reason to think that the restrictions were meant to protect women the law was one of many enacted by states in the wake of the kermit gosnell scandal in which a physician who ran an abortion clinic in philadelphia was convicted for the first degree murder of three infants who were born alive and for the manslaughter of a patient he wrote
justice breyer acknowledged that gosnells behavior was terribly wrong
but he added there is no reason to believe that an extra layer of regulation would have affected that behavior
the clinics challenging the law said it had already caused about half the states 41 abortion clinics to close if the contested provisions had taken full effect they said the number of clinics would again be cut in half
the supreme courts decision rippled through the presidential campaign with democrats and republicans looking to rally voters with reminders that the future of the court is at stake
the next president will have at least one and potentially several vacancies to fill and hillary clinton and donald j trump have both warned that the fate of laws on immigration guns and abortion will most likely be determined by who gets to fill those openings
mrs clinton the presumptive democratic nominee seized on the courts ruling to warn that mr trump her republican opponent poses a threat to women she recalled his suggestion this year that abortion should be banned and that women who violate that ban should be penalized she also said that with other states also seeking to restrict access to abortions and with republicans seeking to defund planned parenthood proponents of abortions rights could not afford to let up
weve seen a concerted persistent attack on womens health and rights at the federal level mrs clinton said in a statement meanwhile donald trump has said women should be punished for having abortions
mr trump has since retracted his assertion that women should be punished for having abortions but the re emergence of the issue is likely to put him on the defensive because of his previous support of abortion rights
mr trump made no direct public comments on mondays decision
still for many republicans the decision added urgency to their desire to keep mrs clinton from winning the presidency
todays disappointing decision is another reminder of whats at stake in this election and why we cant afford to let hillary clinton win reince priebus the chairman of the republican national committee said


the bet awards sunday featured tributes to prince and muhammad ali and a performance by beyonce and kendrick lamar but this year the actor jesse williams commanded the spotlight with an impassioned speech calling for an end to police killings racial inequality and cultural appropriation
his was far from the only political statement of the evening with the words dont trump america written on his back the singer usher used his performance to make a statement against donald j trump and when taraji p henson the star of empire accepted her best actress award she also warned the audience about mr trump
but it was mr williams who provided the highlight of the night with a nearly five minute speech delivered after he accepted the years humanitarian award
since 2009 mr williams has played the role of dr jackson avery on greys anatomy when he is not working on the set of the hospital drama mr williams a former teacher champions causes related to civil rights he starred in and produced stay woke the black lives matter movement a documentary that premiered last month on bet he produces question bridge an art project about the experience of black men in america and works with sankofa an organization dedicated to ending racial injustice mr williams is also on the board of the advancement project a national civil rights organization
the child of a white mother and a black father mr williams told the guardian last october that his parents had shaped his activist roots and said that being biracial allowed him to see both sides of a cultural divide
i have access to rooms and information he told the newspaper i am white and i am also black i am invisible man in a lot of these scenarios i know how white people talk about black people i know how black people talk about white folks
but on sunday he delivered a speech that spoke solely to black americans and drew thunderous applause and shouts from the audience mr williams addressed the deaths of tamir rice eric garner sandra bland and rekia boyd all black people who died during confrontations with the police
youre free they keep telling us he said but she wouldve been alive if she hadnt acted so ... free
he ended his speech by calling for an end to racial oppression and cultural appropriation including a reference to the billie holiday song strange fruit a meditation on racism and lynchings
ghettoizing and demeaning our creations then stealing them gentrifying our genius and then trying us on like costumes before discarding our bodies like rinds of strange fruit he said the thing is though the thing is that just because were magic doesnt mean were not real
this award this is not for me this is for the real organizers all over the country the activists the civil rights attorneys the struggling parents the families the teachers the students that are realizing that a system built to divide and impoverish and destroy us cannot stand if we do
all right its kind of basic mathematics the more we learn about who we are and how we got here the more we will mobilize now this is also in particular for the black women in particular who have spent their lifetimes dedicated to nurturing everyone before themselves we can and will do better for you
now what weve been doing is looking at the data and we know that police somehow manage to de escalate disarm and not kill white people every day so whats going to happen is we are going to have equal rights and justice in our own country or we will restructure their function and ours
now   ive got more yall yesterday wouldve been young tamir rices 14th birthday so i dont want to hear anymore about how far weve come when paid public servants can pull a drive by on a 12 year old playing alone in a park in broad daylight killing him on television and then going home to make a sandwich tell rekia boyd how its so much better to live in 2012 than 1612 or 1712 tell that to eric garner tell that to sandra bland tell that to darrien hunt
now the thing is though all of us in here getting money that alone isnt going to stop this all right now dedicating our lives to get money just to give it right back for someones brand on our body when we spent centuries praying with brands on our bodies and now we pray to get paid for brands on our bodies
there has been no war that we have not fought and died on the front lines of there has been no job we havent done theres been no tax they havent levied against us and weve paid all of them but freedom is somehow always conditional here youre free they keep telling us but she wouldve been alive if she hadnt acted so... free
now freedom is always coming in the hereafter but you know what though the hereafter is a hustle we want it now and lets get a couple of things straight just a little side note the burden of the brutalized is not to comfort the bystander thats not our job all right stop with all that if you have a critique for the resistance for our resistance then you better have an established record of critique of our oppression if you have no interest in equal rights for black people then do not make suggestions to those who do sit down
weve been floating this country on credit for centuries yo and were done watching and waiting while this invention called whiteness uses and abuses us burying black people out of sight and out of mind while extracting our culture our dollars our entertainment like oil black gold ghettoizing and demeaning our creations then stealing them gentrifying our genius and then trying us on like costumes before discarding our bodies like rinds of strange fruit the thing is though the thing is that just because were magic doesnt mean were not real


london   four days after a decisive vote to leave the european union britain was consumed on monday with questions of when and how the countrys departure from the bloc would happen   and increasingly of whether it would happen at all
the immediate outcome of thursdays referendum was not the promised clarity but an epic political muddle and a policy vacuum that invited more confusion and turmoil throughout the day in britain on the continent and in the financial markets
leaders on both sides of the channel said there was no viable option but to move gradually toward the withdrawal process yet the days developments did little to dispel the possibility that the crisis could drag on for a long time possibly generating enough economic and political damage to encourage negotiation of a new arrangement between europe and britain that would sidestep the need for a formal withdrawal or at least minimize its effects
prime minister david cameron and leaders of the campaign to leave stuck to their positions that they would not move quickly to begin formal talks on withdrawal even as european leaders turned up the pressure on britain to get on with it
chancellor angela merkel of germany met in berlin late monday with her french and italian counterparts she signaled that any decision on how to negotiate a withdrawal would have to await a meeting of all 28 european union countries on tuesday and wednesday in brussels
the financial markets continued to pummel stocks and the value of the british pound at one point sending the currency to its lowest level against the dollar in more than three decades and standard  poors the ratings agency downgraded britains credit rating reflecting concern about the economic implications of the so called brexit vote
mr cameron has announced that he will step down and both his governing conservative party and the opposition labour party were consumed by internal warfare on monday leaving the country lacking strong leadership as it confronted new demands for a referendum on independence for scotland
leaders of the leave campaign including boris johnson the former london mayor who is now a leading candidate to succeed mr cameron notably modulated their tone and some positions on europe leaving unclear exactly what issues they want to address through a withdrawal
the state of chaotic paralysis highlighted two fundamental problems that have plagued the european union for the last decade one is its difficulty balancing democratic accountability against its institutional drive to further the cause of unity the other is its inability to act quickly and decisively to address the crises that regularly undercut confidence among voters and in the markets
mondays events spoke to the struggle on all sides to define a way forward and restore some sense of unity both within britain and throughout europe
in the first meeting of parliament since the referendum mr cameron said he considered the vote binding though he reiterated that he would leave to his successor the decision to start the formal withdrawal process the decision must be accepted and the process of implementing the decision in the best possible way must now begin he said
about three quarters of lawmakers had supported remaining in the european union a senior conservative lawmaker kenneth clarke suggested that parliament could override the referendum   which is not in the end legally binding on the government   while a labour legislator david lammy called for a second referendum
mr cameron brushed such ideas aside but he also made it clear that he would not be the one in charge of britains messy divorce from europe
the man who might be mr johnson sought to calm nerves and markets with his first extensive remarks on the way forward setting out a position that seemed to de emphasize elements of what the leave campaign had promised
he suggested that britain should take its time before entering separation proceedings with brussels and he gave no details about when he would want to start the process and the vision he sketched out   of a britain that is still in a trading bloc with europe   seemed at best difficult to achieve since the price of membership in the single market has always been the two things the leave movement explicitly campaigned against free movement of european citizens across borders and contributions to the blocs operating budget
mr johnson also played down the central issue of the campaign immigration saying it was not really what britons were voting on despite considerable evidence that it was
the only change   and it will not come in any great rush   is that the uk will extricate itself from the eus extraordinary and opaque system of legislation mr johnson wrote an opinion essay in the monday edition of the conservative newspaper the telegraph
mr cameron also suggested that the best outcome for britain now would be a deal in which it retained access to the single market
but there were no signs that european leaders would let britain off the hook so easily although ms merkel has signaled a desire not to rush the process of negotiating british withdrawal most european governments are eager to take a tough line wanting to make clear to any other nation that might contemplate leaving that there is considerable cost to doing so
the few countries that have been given access to the european free trade zone without joining the european union   notably iceland norway and switzerland   all contribute to the blocs budget and accept its bedrock principle of free movement of workers the very issues that angered so many of the britons who voted to leave
meeting in berlin ms merkel president francois hollande of france and prime minister matteo renzi of italy said there would be no discussions formal or informal over britains withdrawal until it formally invokes article 50 the provision in the blocs governing treaty that sets out the process for a withdrawal
european leaders are troubled by the prospect of a drawn out exit inducing deeper financial and economic turmoil a concern increasingly prevalent in london as well on monday morning george osborne the chancellor of the exchequer tried to calm the markets citing britains underlying economic strengths the greater resilience of its financial system after the 2007 8 crisis and the readiness of the bank of england to step in
markets plunged anyway
alex salmond a member of parliament and a former leader of the scottish national party blamed the british government for the political vacuum saying that neither mr cameron nor mr johnson had taken ownership of the mess if you break it you own it he said
mr cameron summoned his cabinet and announced the creation of a policy unit of the best and brightest civil servants   overseen by oliver letwin a conservative lawmaker   to orchestrate the withdrawal process he also said he had spoken with prime minister enda kenny of ireland to ensure that a british departure from the european union of which ireland is a member would not endanger the fragile peace in northern ireland
a committee of rank and file conservative lawmakers met on monday and proposed a timetable to select two candidates for party leader the partys roughly 150000 members would choose between the two with the goal of selecting a new leader   and therefore a new prime minister   by sept 2
a decision on the timetable is expected by wednesday amid increased speculation that britain could have a general election this year after giving the conservatives a five year term in may 2015
mr johnson is seen as the front runner to replace mr cameron as leader of the conservatives but he has made many enemies the home secretary theresa may who is in charge of domestic security and who advocated remaining in the european union has emerged as perhaps the most credible alternative
meanwhile the opposition labour party found itself in a state of civil war with veteran lawmakers calling for the resignation of its leader jeremy corbyn and warning that the party risked losing its position as one of britains two main political parties a status it has held since 1922
large numbers of voters in traditional labour strongholds in northeast england and wales   many of which are economically depressed areas that receive large amounts of european union aid   voted to leave the bloc
mr corbyns tepid approach to campaigning for the remain campaign was cited as a reason many traditional labour supporters threw in their lot with the nationalist anti european uk independence party
secretary of state john kerry visiting brussels and london to discuss the fallout from the referendum counseled against harsh actions by either side
so i think it is absolutely essential that we stay focused on how in this transitional period nobody loses their head nobody goes off half cocked people dont start ginning up scatterbrained or revengeful premises but we look for ways to maintain the strength that will serve the interests and the values that brought us together in the first place mr kerry said


a horde of zombies spilled out of a bar in greenpoint brooklyn on sunday afternoon and lurched down the street swarming expensive cars snarling at passers by and ambling through mccarren park where they briefly paused for a photo op and a quick chant
what do we want brains when do we want them now
this was the zombie crawl an annual tradition in its 10th year that unites special effects artists punks and zombie enthusiasts for an evening of reveling and undead cosplay fueled by cans of cheap beer and buckets and water guns of fake blood
im literally dressed like this half the year said doug sakmann a special effects artist and actor who organizes the event as he stood on the sidewalk outside a bar in a blood splattered tank top a swollen red gash made of silicone and latex was plastered across his right cheek
this took about an hour he said it was a rush job
mr sakmann is an impresario of the undead night life organizing zombie pub crawls and other events   some risque like a zombie themed strip club   in new york and other cities several times a year
last fall a competitive eater molly schuyler ate roughly six pounds of fried cow brains at a brain eating contest he organizes on coney island brooklyn he said
its a celebration of all things undead bloody and special effects related mr sakmann said we try to include all ages when we can but mostly the events are edgy and only for the 21 and over zombie crowd
sarah king and her boyfriend brandon goulding brooklyn residents who moved from newfoundland canada two years ago sat in the bar in zombie makeup and watched two zombified girls in daisy dukes and croptops writhe on a bench for a group of photographers nearby makeup artists applied ghastly wounds and pallid skin tones to other zombies in waiting
to pass the time ms king and mr goulding discussed their strategies for surviving a zombie apocalypse by their own admission her odds seemed better than his
zombies are a scary thing but if it ever happened in real life i think i could personally deal with that ms king said her plan was to find a well stocked shopping mall and shelter in place i think id be all right in a zombie apocalypse she said
her boyfriend was less confident
id try to hit up some of my friends who have rifles and then go to higher ground mr goulding said his girlfriend looking slightly shocked i would probably last two or three days
this was the first zombie crawl for mike walker 48 a director whose most recent film call sheet used special effects by mr sakmann and for his girlfriend susan gomes 48 who had traveled from larchmont ny in a lacy dress and veil to be made up as a zombie bride
im not a zombie person   i dont know anything about the modern zombie   so this is a whole new thing for me she said before the march her veil hanging delicately over eyes ringed with thick bands of deep purple
zombies are so popular now mr walker said there are all different types
it seems like a lot of guys she replied this is a very male crowd   like 80 percent
the torres brothers were two of them david a 30 year old graphic designer has been coming to the zombie crawl for five years his brother victor a 37 year old doorman is a 10 year veteran
each year they make their costumes more elaborate they said on sunday victor was a zombie dictator in military regalia and david wore a white suit splattered with blood a chain saw resting on a nearby table next to his beer both wore masks that made their faces resemble bloody hamburger meat
its fun meeting random people and socializing getting ideas and pointers for my makeup david torres said if i hadnt been doing this for the last five years i dont know where id be
they were among several people who said they liked the hit tv show the walking dead but preferred its old school black and white predecessors
 night of the living dead is my favorite victor torres said of the 1968 classic it was cheesy but it worked
david torres said he preferred classic zombie flicks to a lot of what the current zombie boom has produced i cant always take them seriously because they dont take the genre of the zombie apocalypse seriously he said sometimes its a joke
some might ask why zombie enthusiasts have such love for the undead victor torres had a theory
with zombies you can be creative and make a character but you can still be yourself he said if we dressed up as werewolves it would be too hot under all the fur and lets be honest a werewolf crawl would just be weird


on a recent visit to bangladesh around the anniversary of its hard fought war of independence from pakistan i conducted an experiment
stopping a group of teenage boys at a museum devoted to the 1971 war i asked them which american leaders had played an important role in that conflict henry a kissinger they looked at me with blank faces edward m kennedy nothing richard m nixon crickets
i was running out of names when i tried one more that of a midlevel foreign service officer stationed in dhaka the capital during that war it was the name of a man who was recalled to washington hastily and whose career would falter on his way to an ambassadorial post what about archer k blood i asked and one of the teenagers gave me a big delighted smile of recognition
archer blood he said was a true friend of bangladesh
this exchange came to mind when news broke this month that 51 american diplomats had signed an internal memo sharply critical of the obama administrations policy in syria and had filed it through the state departments designated dissent channel
to many the fact that the state department has a dissent channel was news in itself what sort of bureaucracy would devote an elaborate formal pathway to carry the message that the boss is wrong
this mechanism introduced in 1971 allows diplomats to directly protest american policy to the secretary of state no other government bureaucracy has anything like it it has been used to call for action to stop ethnic cleansing in bosnia to register opposition to the invasion of iraq and now to urge a tougher policy toward bashar al assad the president of syria
and it was a mechanism that signally changed the life of mr blood whose dissent cable the first ever sent called on washington to condemn its ally pakistans bloody assault on dhaka
on the spring day when i visited bangladeshs liberation war museum mr blood was enjoying a sort of vogue in 2013 newly declassified documents had become the basis for gary j basss prizewinning history the blood telegram nixon kissinger and a forgotten genocide which cast his dissent in heroic terms
the united states government in recent years has been eager to embrace mr blood the story of his cable is part of the curriculum for incoming foreign service officers among the first acts of the current ambassador to dhaka marcia s bernicat was to present bangladeshs government with an official copy of the so called blood telegram calling it a reminder of the value in voicing dissenting views against existing power and authority structures
if mr blood who died in 2004 became a sort of poster child for dissent it is partly because he proved to be correct on both practical and moral grounds in 1970 he had been appointed united states consul to what was then east pakistan but pakistans control was slipping bengali nationalism was surging through dhaka pakistan was flying in more and more troops its officers were on edge
when pakistans military began its assault on march 25 1971 mr bloods staff was virtually paralyzed but two officers managed to reach a wireless transmitter to report the carnage to the state department the reports infuriated mr nixon and mr kissinger who were then seeking pakistans assistance in opening up communications with china
mr bloods cables became increasingly angry
full horror of pak military atrocities will come to light sooner or later he wrote in a cable that was headed selective genocide
on april 6 frustrated by the lack of response from washington a young political officer wrote up a formal dissent cable using a brand new format that had been devised in response to internal turmoil over the vietnam war it was the first ever submitted to an american secretary of state
but no one knew whether mr blood would endorse it as the ranking official in the mission he had the most to lose mr kissingers fury did focus on the consul mr bass recounts he was swiftly transferred to washington to a position in human resources
the cable had no discernible effect on washingtons policy but it irreparably damaged mr bloods career by the time he received another foreign posting he had lost career time and never became an ambassador said howard b schaffer one of 29 diplomats who signed the dissent cable in 1971
i found it remarkable that in the years i worked with him he never expressed any bitterness about the treatment meted out to him said mr schaffer who was later appointed united states ambassador in dhaka the only time i was aware that he did so was at his retirement ceremony
i grew up around american diplomats my father was one of a wave of young men who joined the foreign service in the 1960s under the influence of john f kennedy and he served until his retirement more than 30 years i knew they could be sent into exile for vocally challenging american policy   this in retrospect accounts for the formative years i spent in bulgaria i also knew they did it routinely
so mr bloods story held personal interest in part because he chose the perilous course of challenging a policy from inside the system would his act of protest have been more effective if someone had leaked the cable to the new york times would it have been better for him to resign in protest to make a racket rather than sit back and watch his bureaucratic punishment unfold
in fact during the 40 year history of the dissent channel the cables have had little or no direct impact on policy say researchers who have reviewed them hannah r gurman who has written extensively on the subject says the mechanism has succeeded mainly at quelling internal dissent in a way that the public could actually support
but this deflating view will not get you very far in dhaka mr bloods cable means something to the people of bangladesh they see it as confirmation that someone in the heart of the system was arguing their case i dont know but i imagine many syrians feel the same way
not long after the united states presented bangladesh with a copy of mr bloods cable i sat down for an interview with gowher rizvi a distinguished adviser to the countrys prime minister the governing party was in the late stages of sidelining its opposition and my questions were mostly spiky and unwelcome but when i brought up the famous 1971 dissent mr rizvi lighted up
this is my personal feeling the us is at the end of the day an open society so they respect these things he said i sometimes feel like criticizing them for many things we criticize america i suspect because we hold america to americas own standards


were back with a few of the things we saw on the web recently that entertained or enlightened us
im going to start with something for fans of game of thrones an amusing data visualization   and clearly a labor of love
for any of you who get annoyed by bad traffic design this is for you a plan to do away with left turns
speaking of traffic have you ever wondered about commuting patterns here is a partial answer
then there is parking this article will tell you about all the problems with free parking and all the experiments around the world to improve parking
you have undoubtedly been following our compilation of donald trump twitter insults talk about a labor of love five thirty eight had the idea to break them down even more
a worthwhile paper on how parents choose schools when they can choose schools the study says parents generally place greater value on schools with a high percentage of students of the same raceethnicity as their child   but only if their child would otherwise be in the smallest minority at school if their child wont be in the smallest minority parents are less concerned about   and in fact supportive of   schools with a more diverse student body
variety took a crack at analyzing the diversity of tv showrunners those people who develop series they found a lot of white men
also in the pure entertainment category is a textual analysis of pop music
we all love maps the national park service makes some great ones it also led me to the map dragons twitter feed now go get lost in them


beijing   an activist who has spent the last several years documenting labor protests across china has been detained by the authorities since mid june friends of his said on monday
the activist lu yuyu was taken into custody by the police on june 16 in the southwestern town of dali where he lives a writer who has had regular online contact with him xu hui said by telephone
dali a popular and mountainous tourist area in yunnan province has in recent years drawn a growing number of chinese fleeing hectic polluted urban centers mr xu also lives in dali and said he had twice visited the detention center where mr lu is being held but had not been allowed to see him
the authorities are accusing mr lu and his girlfriend li tingyu of picking quarrels and provoking trouble said mr xu and another friend wei xiaobin ms li has also been documenting worker unrest
that accusation is one that has been used with increasing frequency by the police in china to silence dissent in sichuan province another liberal activist chen yunfei who advocates the remembrance of the 1989 tiananmen square massacre is expected to stand trial on the charge on thursday
mr lu a native of the southwestern province of guizhou is a former migrant worker who has used data gleaned from social media and other online platforms to collate information on labor protests he has published his findings on his social media accounts
those accounts are often deleted by censors and the police have questioned him at home before
he lives in dali but is quite low profile mr wei said also by phone he doesnt publish much of his personal information online
mr wei said he visited ms lis father in foshan in guangdong province a few days ago and brought two lawyers with him they are trying to win the trust of the father to help the couple he said
as the chinese economy slows the number of labor protests and strikes across the country has grown china labor bulletin a workers rights group based in hong kong counted 2700 protests and strikes in 2015 double the number the previous year the group uses data from mr lu to help put together its strike maps after reviewing the data
communist party leaders are aware of the potential political ramifications of mass labor protests given that the party was founded on an ideology that had worker revolution at its core but most such protests have recently focused on demands for unpaid wages and benefits rather than expressing broad political discontent
citizen journalists lu yuyu and li tingyu performed a unique and invaluable service in monitoring and cataloging incidents of social unrest in china said geoffrey crothall a spokesman for china labor bulletin by shooting the messenger in this case rather than dealing with the root causes of social unrest the authorities have once again simply made matters worse


across the postindustrial world the populist right is excelling in the old bastions of the left
if there is a lesson for the united states in the decision by british voters to exit the european union it is the importance of the emerging split between the beneficiaries of multicultural globalism and the working class ethno nationalists who feel left behind these issues have the potential to overcome longstanding partisan ties even in the united states
the power of these issues was evident in the british referendum thursday evening as the votes were counted the result in sunderland   long a labour stronghold which voted 62 percent to leave   was the first clear sign of the final outcome
in the end many of labours traditional working class strongholds in old industries across northern england voted for brexit the last deep coal mine in the country closed last year in north yorkshire in northern england
remain did better than the labour party normally does in the establishment friendly traditionally conservative and more affluent countryside of southern england let alone in the conservative seats of london but not by enough
the same story unfolded in the recent austrian elections the far right won working class areas that sided with the social democrats a decade earlier similar patterns show up in denmark and germany with the center left doing better in cosmopolitan metropolitan areas and with populists gaining in former leftist strongholds
the result is familiar to americans an electorate split between the well educated diverse and cosmopolitan metropolitan areas connected to the global economy and the older less educated former industrial regions that havent benefited from globalization
in some sense the united states is ahead of this trend the so called culture wars which have pitted the religious right against secularism had no equivalent in relatively secular europe the fights over gay marriage guns climate change abortion and   before that   civil rights had already pushed many traditionally democratic but conservative strongholds in the south and appalachia toward the republicans many affluent suburbs along the coasts have been voting democratic
but in much the same way that immigration and nationalism proved to be more persuasive to the more secular european working class european style populism   now embodied by donald trump   could do additional damage to the democrats in many parts of the united states
the parallel is striking the european center left like democrats in the united states have embraced lower taxes free trade and immigration over the last few decades
there are many relatively secular traditionally democratic working class bastions across the north where the republicans have made few or no gains in recent decades scranton pa youngstown ohio and the iron range counties in wisconsin all gave more than 60 percent of the vote to president obama in 2012 there are areas like this across the northern united states   from aberdeen wash and butte mont to the coasts of rhode island and maine   where the republicans have made marginal or no gains in no small part because cultural appeals fell flat where there were not many evangelical christians
these were also among the places where mr trump fared best in the primaries
he won 70 percent in scranton and nearly 80 percent in nearby wilkes barre he carried more than 50 percent of the vote in youngstown even though his opponent   john kasich   was the states governor
he won more than 50 percent in all of the iron range counties in wisconsin even though he lost badly statewide
his best state was rhode island the state where democrats did best among white working class voters for much of the 20th century
voter file based polling data also indicates that mr trump fared best among those self identified republicans who nonetheless remain registered as democrats or who have a history of voting in democratic primaries
the brexit vote shouldnt be interpreted as a sign that mr trump will win   as my colleagues jonathan martin and alexander burns have pointed out the united states is far more diverse than britain and mr trump might underperform the potential of his message given his penchant to offend and his lack of experience in running for elected office
but there is no guarantee that white working class voters who stuck with the democrats through the culture wars will stay with them if elections are waged on issues like trade and immigration
its a problem for democrats they are a lot more dependent on the northern white working class than the prevailing narrative of recent electoral contests tends to acknowledge northern working class whites represent a larger share of the electorate than generally believed and democrats have been winning a larger share of them than has been typically understood
already polls show that mr trump is winning white voters without a college degree by more than mitt romney did four years ago over all hes faring about as well among white registered voters as mr romney did despite mr trumps weakness with well educated white voters
it may not be enough for mr trump indeed he trails in the same polls that show him overperforming among white voters but the brexit vote and european electoral trends more generally is a reminder that theres a lot of room for democrats to fall among white working class voters


investors are betting that a start up aiming to become the online equivalent of costco for healthy foods can grow and blossom
the company thrive market said on monday that it had raised 111 million in a new round of financing led by the investment firm invus other existing investors including greycroft partners e ventures and cross culture ventures also took part
thrive founded three years ago by a group of entrepreneurs is one of several start ups built around a membership model but customers pay 60 a year to be able to buy organic food at what the company says are lower prices than what traditional grocers like whole foods offer
the aim is to give more customers access to what the founders say is better food
were looking to make healthy living affordable and accessible to any american family nick green a thrive market co founder said in an interview
it was an idea that initially drew little enthusiasm according to mr green with dozens of venture capital firms rejecting him and his co founder gunnar lovelace for their seed round of funding but the two found support from individual backers online leading to subsequent rounds of financing that included the likes of greycroft
now the company says that it has more than five million registered users and more than 300000 paid members and ships more than 20000 worth of goods a day
the fund raising announced on monday is meant to help the company grow including creating more of its own branded goods and paying for more media marketing
thrive market is also built around a philanthropic element with every regular membership sold thrive market also sponsors a membership for a low income family the impulse is rooted in part in mr lovelaces childhood part of which was spent growing up poor with his single mother
were really a stakeholder aligned business mr lovelace said we want to be known for social advocacy
along with the fund raising news thrive market also plans to announce that it will petition the agriculture department to allow buyers to use food stamps online mr gunnar said that thrive market had been in talks with the department for over a year and a half on the issue but had made no progress
they jerked us around he said we know theyre going to do this eventually but we want to show the support there is for making this happen and happen quickly
as part of the fund raising round two executives from invus will join thrive markets board
at invus the best part of our job is to meet and partner with entrepreneurs who are passionate about their mission and are looking to transform their industries evren bilimer a managing director at the firm who will join the thrive market board said in a statement thats exactly what we saw with gunnar and nick and the rest of the thrive market team


just ahead of the back to school season amazon plans to make a major foray into the education technology market for primary and secondary schools a territory that apple google and microsoft have heavily staked out
monday morning amazon said that it would introduce an online marketplace with tens of thousands of free lesson plans worksheets and other instructional materials for teachers in late august or early september
called amazon inspire the education site has features that may seem familiar to frequent amazon shoppers search bar at the top of the page check user reviews check star ratings for each product check
by starting out with a free resources service for teachers amazon is establishing a foothold that could expand into a one stop shopping marketplace   not just for paid learning materials but for schools wider academic and institutional software needs said tory patterson co founder of owl ventures a venture capital fund that invests in ed tech start ups
amazon is very clearly positioning itself as a disrupter with this move mr patterson said
amazon is joining other tech industry giants in a push to expand the use of technology in the public schools
last year primary and secondary schools in the united states spent 49 billion on tablet laptop and desktop computers according to a report by linn huang a research director at the international data corporation a market research firm known as idc schools bought 108 million apple google chrome and microsoft windows devices in 2015 he said
because its devices tend to cost more apple accounted for the largest slice of school computer sales amounting to 22 billion mr huang said by volume however chromebooks   the inexpensive laptops that run on googles chrome operating system   have taken schools by storm accounting for more than five million devices bought last year he said
even so ed tech industry analysts said the growing market for digital educational materials which amazon is entering is likely to prove much more valuable over time than the school computer market
already nursery through high schools in the united states spend more than 83 billion annually on educational software and digital content according to estimates from the software and information industry association a trade group that spending could grow significantly as school districts that now buy physical textbooks assessment tests professional development resources for teachers and administrative materials shift to digital systems
in a phone interview rohit agarwal general manager of amazon k 12 education said the new site was intended to make it easier and faster for teachers to pinpoint timely and relevant free resources for their classrooms
every teacher should be able to use the platform with zero training mr agarwal said he added we are taking a big step forward to help the educator community make the digital classroom a reality
the site for teachers is not amazons first education venture in 2013 the company acquired tenmarks a math instruction site mr patterson of owl ventures is also a partner at catamount ventures a firm that was an investor in tenmarks
in march the new york city public schools the largest school district in the country awarded amazon a three year contract worth an estimated 30 million to provide e books to its 11 million students
in the school market however amazon is competing not just with rival tech companies but also with established digital education companies and ed tech start ups
a number of popular platforms already offer instructional materials for teachers among them are tescom a site based in london with more than eight million users worldwide and teacherspayteacherscom a site based in manhattan that more than two million teachers use regularly
like amazon inspire these sites let teachers search for materials by subject matter like fractions or mitosis and by grade level like amazon inspire tescom lets teachers download lessons and edit them to suit their students some resources on teacherspayteacherscom may also be edited
mr agarwal said the companys new instructional resources site would be able to differentiate itself by being more intuitive for teachers who are amazon users and by offering compelling new features
with the technology content and expertise that amazon has we believed we could provide value he said
amazon timed its announcement to coincide with iste the annual conference of the international society for technology in education which about 16000 teachers and school officials are attending in denver this week other tech giants also unveiled new education ventures during the conference
on sunday microsoft said that it was working with iste to help schools introduce and integrate technology in the classroom the project includes training programs for school administrators online leadership courses developed with edx   a learning platform created by harvard and the massachusetts institute of technology   and services to support schools as they adopt digital learning approaches
on monday google said it was making expeditions a free virtual reality app for students that has been available on a limited basis to schools generally available more than one million students tried the app during its test phase the company said
google also introduced two new products for schools quizzes an online form that teachers can use to give tests and automatically grade multiple choice questions and cast for education a free chrome app intended to promote class discussion by enabling teachers and students to share what is on their screens with one another


after a week in which revlon bought elizabeth arden and mayhoola for investments bought balmain now beautycounter the california based natural beauty line has bought nude the natural beauty line founded by bonos wife ali hewson from lvmh moet hennessy louis vuitton bono will become an investor in counter brands the parent company of beautycounter and ms hewson will become a board member
details of the deal were not disclosed but the move forms a potential natural beauty juggernaut at a moment of increasing consumer interest in health well being and sustainability
ms hewson characterized the acquisition as the meeting of soul mates she said it will allow us to really amplify the message
about their first discussion gregg renfrew chief executive of beautycounter said it was one of those meetings where everyone just starts talking very quickly
actually ali doesnt talk that quickly but i do she added we just realized we had a shared philosophy and this was an opportunity to take a leadership position in the sector
lvmh which also owns edun the sustainable fashion line founded by ms hewson to promote local business in africa trade not aid as her husband likes to say bought nude in 2011 but the brand had languished since then a very small fish in a big beauty pond
by contrast beautycounter founded in 2013 as a for profit business but certified for its social and environmental performance grew rapidly and is predicting 225 million in revenue by 2017 investors include tpg growth and jeremy zimmer of united talent agency the brand is known for its never list more than 1500 ingredients it has sworn not to include in its products as well as its political lobbying for greater oversight of beauty products personal care products in the united states are still regulated according to a 1938 bill much to ms renfrews dismay
though smaller than beautycounter nudes global profile and that of its founders will be invaluable to beautycounter which is available only in the united states and canada ms renfrew sees the acquisition as an opportunity to extend both brands reach while also leveraging similar production facilities to mutual advantage
although beautycounter has done select limited collaborations with other brands such as goop and j crew and will have a partnership with target this fall it is based on a direct sales model with a sales force that could be characterized as a contemporary version of the avon ladies it now has more than 20000 saleswomen around north america nude which has been billed as a luxury line is sold through retail outlets such as sephora and spacenk
consolidation of the message will begin when nude which has its headquarters in san francisco moves into the beautycounter offices in santa monica calif and ms renfrew becomes chief executive
as to whether the acquisition is the first step in forming a natural beauty conglomerate ms renfrew said not necessarily we werent actively shopping the market she said it was just about a shared commitment
the bet is that the shared commitment will add up to even more than the sum of its parts or rather its products beauty with a mission meets the naked truth they hope it will be a rockin combination


a 30000 price tag for cancer drug therapy that extends life only a few weeks is understandably alarming but a 2000 price tag for all childhood vaccines   credited with eradicating smallpox preventing a million or more cases of other diseases and averting thousands of deaths each year   is a bargain in fact the price of childhood vaccines may be too low for our own good because it contributes to shortages
vaccine shortages have popped up in the united states many times over the past 50 years in 2001 eight of 11 recommended childhood vaccines were unavailable or in short supply a recently published study by the economist david ridley and other duke university researchers found that between 2004 and 2014 an average of nearly three out of 22 vaccines were in short supply in the united states in 2007 one third of vaccines were looking globally limited vaccine supplies hampered the response to a recent yellow fever outbreak that began in angola and spread elsewhere
vaccine prices have gone up over the years in large part because of newer vaccines that command higher prices the number of recommended vaccine doses has also increased which pushes up the overall cost of full vaccination still vaccines are inexpensive relative to their value a typical dose costs 50 and apart from an annual flu shot only a few doses are required over a lifetime according to the duke study vaccines with lower prices were more likely to be in short supply than those with higher prices there were no shortages of vaccines with a price per dose above 75
low prices are implicated in vaccine shortages just as they are for other injectable drugs delivered in hospitals and doctors offices generic injectables used for patients with serious illnesses and in emergencies also have low prices that contribute to shortages but vaccines unlike such injectables are not generic vaccines are brand biologics large molecule protein based drugs made by living organisms not by chemical processes which normally command very high prices so why are their prices low instead of high
vaccine prices are held down by government programs which extend vaccinations to millions of children who might not otherwise get them federal and state programs buy more than half of childhood vaccine doses at a discount the largest federal vaccine program   vaccines for children   may adjust prices within a year but only downward and it constrains changes in what it pays for some vaccines to below the overall inflation rate though the program keeps a six month backup supply of vaccines on hand the average shortage lasts three times that long according to the duke study
commercial market vaccine prices are higher than government ones but not by enough to prevent shortages
low prices and concentrated buying power in government programs have pushed redundancy out of the market there are only a few vaccine manufacturers and some vaccines   including those for measles mumps rubella varicella and shingles   are produced by just one with little excess capacity when a manufacturer experiences a problem requiring a shutdown vaccine production falls below needed levels causing a shortage it can take years and close to a billion dollars to bring a new vaccine to the market hardly a recipe for rapidly addressing a shortage
manufacturers wont invest in extra production capacity when prices are too low mr ridley said
vaccines are among the most cost effective treatments ever developed though most medical treatments dont save money vaccines do   preventing many diseases that would cost more to treat and allowing millions of people to live longer and more productive lives several studies have found that at even at 10 times their cost vaccines would still save money
we probably dont need to raise vaccine prices by a factor of 10 to promote new vaccine investment and stabilize supply according to one study a doubling in price would incentivize new vaccine research development and production
for drugs as valuable as vaccines that might be a price worth paying


the small texas city of katy was left shaken after a woman fatally shot her two grown daughters and was then killed by a police officer according to the authorities
under different circumstances in a different era the story of a shooting and a police confrontation on a street in a small city of 14000 people might not have drawn much attention but this one became widely publicized over the weekend thanks in part to the power of social media where gun violence remains a subject of fierce debate
law enforcement said that a deputy from the fort bend county sheriffs office and an officer from nearby fulshear responded to reports of gunfire at the familys home in the suburb of houston on friday and found the two young women   taylor sheats 22 and madison sheats 17   lying in the street after having been shot
their mother christy sheats 42 was standing nearby with a gun in her hand the authorities said
when the mother refused to drop the weapon the officer shot her once in the chest sheriff troy e nehls said
on monday the sheriffs office released more details about the shootings though a motive was not immediately clear it said christy sheats had called a family meeting and when her husband jason sheats 45 and their daughters gathered in the living room the mother opened fire
the daughters and the father ran out the front door in the 6000 block of remson hollow lane and madison sheats collapsed the authorities said mr sheats ran to the end of a cul de sac taylor sheats ran into the street and the mother followed shooting her
christy sheats went back inside to reload her weapon returned and shot the older daughter again according to a witness taylor sheats was taken to a hospital where she died
the police found a 38 caliber handgun at the scene the statement said
sheriff nehls said that crisis intervention teams had been sent to the home more than once in recent years over turmoil that seemed to revolve around the mother
the statement on monday said the police had responded to 14 calls to the house since 2012 including for alarms but the statement added that legal constraints prevented the release of any further information including 911 calls
the bloodshed on a quiet middle class street in the city which is about 30 miles west of houston left neighbors and the victims loved ones shattered
sheriff nehls said sunday that mr sheats was  having a very difficult time with this
they seemed to be an all american family the sheriff said then you realize that what happens behind closed doors   you just dont know
catherine knowles a friend of christy sheatss told a local broadcaster ktrk tv that she had seen no indication of any trouble that could have made ms sheats snap ms sheats spoke proudly of her daughters ms knowles said
this is not the christy that i know   its just not ms knowles said i thought it was the wrong person it had to be
taylor sheatss facebook profile says she had studied at lone star college at cyfair in cypress tex and indicated hopes of becoming an artist
madison sheats was to begin her senior year at seven lakes high school in katy this fall


oakland calif   the mayor came into office promising a safer oakland and greater trust between the residents of californias most crime ridden city and a police force notorious for abuse and misconduct until a few weeks ago the mayor libby schaaf a lawyer who took the post in january 2015 seemed to be delivering burglaries robberies and murders are down as are complaints of police misconduct
but in recent weeks oakland has been rocked by a cascade of sordid revelations that have left the city without a police chief and have surprised even a citizenry inured to police scandals
an 18 year old prostitute the daughter of a police dispatcher claimed that she had had sex with officers and said the police had routinely tipped her off to raids more than a dozen officers are under investigation ms schaaf said and at least one of the relationships began while the prostitute was a minor
its tragic that this scandal has overshadowed the incredible progress that oakland has made ms schaaf 50 said in her wood paneled office above the streets that are being transformed by what has been called oaklands renaissance
as someone who has worked for nearly 20 years on the issue of the sexual exploitation of minors she continued this revelation was not just shocking it was thoroughly depressing
this city of about 400000 has long had a reputation for not only rampant crime but also police abuses the police department has been under court monitor since 2003 when the city settled a civil suit claiming that rogue officers known as the riders had used excessive force and planted evidence on suspects
but the sex scandal and other controversies come at a time of brightened prospects for the city formerly dilapidated downtown neighborhoods are filling with restaurants shops and yoga studios catering to the overflow of technology workers hipsters and other economic refugees from san francisco
like a present waiting to be unwrapped a large white canopy envelops the oakland building where uber the ride sharing company is renovating its future headquarters
while the sex scandal grabbed the attention of the nation so too did ms schaafs slapstick succession of leadership changes   she announced the departure of three chiefs in less than two weeks   that culminated with an empty seat at the top
the chief of police sean whent resigned early this month as reports of the scandal began appearing ms schaaf called it a personal choice
ms schaaf announced a successor ben fairow who was a deputy chief with the bay area rapid transit police he lasted five days the mayor called his hiring a mistake but did not offer an explanation while married mr fairow had a personal relationship with a consenting adult more than a decade ago said kenton rainey his supervisor at the bay area transit police where mr fairow returned to his job
paul figueroa the departments assistant chief was then given the job but he left after two days without explanation
in announcing mr figueroas resignation ms schaaf began with a comment that would travel across the country as the mayor of oakland i am here to run a police department not a frat house
she vowed to root out a toxic macho culture and did not name a chief instead she put the police under the control of the city administrator sabrina landreth a search for a chief would probably take six months ms schaaf said
officials here are also awaiting details of an investigation into racist text messages sent by officers the messages are an echo of the scandal across the bay that contributed to the ouster of san franciscos police chief last month
john burris a civil rights lawyer in oakland who was involved in the 2003 settlement and has monitored police overhauls said the scandals had been bewildering and disheartening because the force appeared to be on the cusp of emerging from more than a decade of court mandated oversight
theres been a progressive improvement in the city for a few years now mr burris said there has been optimism we dont have the same levels of beatings and beat downs by police anymore
one striking change has been the reduction in searches without probable cause a decade ago the police conducted an average of 3000 a year last year that number was down to 280 ms schaaf said
as part of the settlement the city adopted a list of changes including restrictions and conditions on when officers are allowed to use force out of 51 points in the settlement mr burris said the police force is close to complying with the final three   racial profiling the consistency of discipline and the effectiveness of the department in policing itself
mr burris said the latest problems revealed a culture of collusion and an unwillingness to report wrongdoing
its disturbing because people knew about it and did nothing he said
hints of the sex scandal began to filter out last year with the suicide of an officer brendan obrien in september details of officer obriens suicide note which set off the investigation into sexual misconduct and in which he mentioned the prostitute were reported in the bay area news media and were highlighted in an expose in the east bay express
in recent days the scandal has spread beyond the police force the head of the alameda county district attorneys office nancy e omalley known for her aggressive prosecutions in prostitution and human trafficking cases announced that one of her investigators had been placed on administrative leave for becoming friends with the prostitute on facebook a second investigator was placed on administrative leave for possible involvement in the racist text message scandal said teresa drenick a spokeswoman for the district attorneys office
ms omalleys office is leading the investigation into the sexual misconduct no officers have yet been charged
the scandal has already affected the overhaul of the police department one of ms schaafs campaign pledges was to speed the recruitment of officers but the city council agreed last week to delay the start of the next police academy class by two months
the force has 778 officers well above the level in the aftermath of the recession when layoffs brought the number of officers around 600
we need the system changed said rebecca kaplan a city councilwoman this isnt a problem of one person or two people a culture has been created that allows for the degradation of women
efforts have been made for more than a decade to make the police force more diverse police academy classes under oaklands previous mayor jean quan increased minority hiring and reduced the number of whites recruited to fewer than 50 percent
we hired a police force that looked more like the city said ms quan who also required the police to wear body cameras a move that mr burris called crucial in curbing abuses
crime is down   26 homicides have been reported so far this year compared with 40 at the same time last year robberies have declined 14 percent and burglaries 29 percent according to police statistics through june 19
but many streets here remain unsafe oakland is the most dangerous major city in california according to 2014 fbi data the latest available stockton and compton were in second and third place in terms of violent crime
the police estimate that oakland has 55 gangs in more affluent neighborhoods residents have banded together and hired private security guards
black residents say racial profiling is still common gilbert cross a maintenance technician who works across from the building that uber is renovating said friends and family members were sometimes stopped by the police for no apparent reason
mr cross said he had seen improvements since moving to the city in the 1980s when it was drug infested with a lot of murders
oakland is getting better he said but slowly


the background music of my life is the steady drumbeat of tweets about how hillary clinton stole the presidential primary from bernie sanders
its there when i wake up in the morning its there when i go to sleep at night the constant thrumming of election fraud conspiracists is like the noise made by that board game in the movie jumanji
i didnt write about this during the primary season since i didnt want to dignify the views of conspiracy theorists but theyre still going
the allegations are remarkably consistent they go like this mr sanders did better in the early exit polls than he did in the final result therefore mrs clinton probably stole the election the exit polls are a sufficient basis to make this determination in the eyes of the conspiracists because exit polls are used internationally to detect fraud theyre supposedly very accurate and well controlled where this phrase comes from i dont know furthermore they say the exit polls were right on the gop side   confirming the underlying validity of the methodology and raising suspicions about the democratic vote count
all of this starts with a basic misconception that the exit polls are usually pretty good
i have no idea where this idea comes from because everyone who knows anything about early exit polls knows that theyre not great
we can start in 2008 when the exit polls showed a pretty similar bias toward barack obama or in 2004 when the exit polls showed john kerry easily winning an election he clearly lost   with both a huge error and systematic bias outside of the margin of error the national exits showed kerry ahead by three points and keep in mind the sample size on the national exit is vastly larger than for a state primary exit poll and leading in states like virginia ohio and florida   which all went to george w bush
the story was similar in 2000 the early exit polls showed al gore winning alabama arizona colorado and north carolina mr bush won these states by between six and 15 points the exit polls showed mr gore winning florida by six points   leading the networks to call the race before 8 pm in the east
the same thing happened in 1996 it was actually even worse in 1992 the exit polls had bill clinton winning texas which went to george hw bush and basically everywhere
now how can this happen there are a lot of sources for exit poll error   even more than in an ordinary poll here are a few
# differential nonresponse in which the supporters of one candidate are likelier to participate than those of another candidate exit polls have limited means to correct for nonresponse since they can weight only by visually identifiable characteristics hispanic origin income and education for instance are left out
# cluster effects which happen when the precincts selected arent representative of the overall population this is a very big danger in state exit polls which include only a small number of precincts as a result exit polls have a larger margin of error than an ordinary poll of similar size these precincts are selected to have the right balance of democratic and republican precincts which isnt so helpful in a primary
# absentee voters arent included at all in states where they represent less than 20 percent or so of the vote
for all these reasons exit polls can be very inaccurate and systematically biased with this kind of history you can see why no one who studies the exit polls believes that they can be used as an indicator of fraud in the way the conspiracy theorists do
but why were exit polls so tilted toward mr sanders its impossible to be 100 percent sure but the best known bias in the exit poll offers a very good explanation young voters
young voters are far likelier to complete the exit polls than older voters according to data from edison research the organization that conducts the exit polls the gap is particularly pronounced when the interviewers are also younger but the gap persists even when older interviewers are conducting the exit interviews
the exit polls try to correct for this bias by giving more weight to older respondents the way it works is pretty novel interviewers guess the age of voters as they leave the polling place then the responses are weighted to match the age of all the voters who showed up based on the guesses of the interviewer
this could work in theory in practice it falls short theres a persistent decades long bias toward young voters in the exit polls   even in the final adjusted data   when compared with census or voter file data
you can see that in data from the 2012 presidential election which i wrote about a few weeks ago over all the exit polls showed that 19 percent of voters were ages 18 to 29 compared with around 15 percent in census and voter file data notably the census is an extremely high quality survey   so you can just pack away any theory that election administrators are tossing the votes of young voters in basically every jurisdiction across the country
why does this bias exist despite the exit poll effort to adjust for nonresponse by age its hard to say if the exit polls had the data to identify the cause they presumably could fix it there are at least a few possibilities   like biased guesses trimming weights where theyre not weighting older voters enough or the absence of old absentee voters in some states   but theres no way to be really sure
whats clear is that this bias persisted in the 2016 democratic primary voter registration files are just starting to be updated and they all show that democratic primary voters were far older than the exit polls suggested
mr sanders of course is a candidate with historic strength among young voters   so it should be no surprise that the exit polls were particularly biased in his direction nor should it be a surprise that the exit polls were also biased toward mr obama in 2008 or democrats in many recent elections
id also note that the age bias of the exit polls wouldnt have much of an effect on the republican results there are far fewer young voters in the republican primary and there wasnt much of a split between older and younger republicans
there are other challenges with exit polls in the primaries usually the exit polls select precincts by partisanship   ensuring a good balance of democratic and republican precincts this helps in a general election it doesnt do as much good in a primary
if youre looking for the exit polls to identify fraud in the united states youre out of luck they would need to be redesigned sampling many more precincts calling more early voters and taking steps to boost response rates   like short questionnaires rather than the long ones used in the united states thats not going to happen the news media uses exit polls to get a sense of why voters did what they did not to validate the election results its not going to spend millions more dollars to increase the accuracy of early exit polls
what should be telling though is that the news media organizations that commission the exit polls and edison research which conducts them do not believe that their own data is good enough to call the democratic primary results into question


cincinnati   they stormed the stage together wearing similarly colored clothes   hues that almost perfectly matched the bold blue of hillary clintons presidential campaign logo with a stronger together sign hanging in the background and a katy perry pop song blaring from the speakers they cheered each other on like old pals cracking jokes about donald j trump and pointing with enthusiasm at a young supporter who waved a placard that read girl power
senator elizabeth warren of massachusetts a towering political figure among todays liberal democrats brought her energy folksy appeal and populist roar to a candidate not known for energizing crowds
for ms warren the joint event with mrs clinton here on monday the first time the two democrats campaigned onstage together was a moment for her to elevate her profile as the liberal voice of the party and a favorite to be vice president
for mrs clinton it was a chance to woo the partys liberal wing and convince economically hard hit voters that she too is a populist champion running for president to improve their lives
i got into this race because i wanted to even the odds for people who have the odds stacked against them mrs clinton told the crowd to build an economy that works for everyone not just those at the top we have got to go big and we have got to go bold
mrs clinton stood onstage grinning and nodding her hands clasped calmly at her waist as ms warren eviscerated mr trump in remarks that lasted roughly half as long as mrs clintons half hour address
ms warren told an electrified crowd of roughly 2600 gathered in the grand corridor of the cincinnati museum center under murals of factory and farmworkers that the presumptive republican nominee would crush you into the dirt to get whatever he wants
and when ms warren a onetime critic of mrs clinton turned from the lectern to face the presumptive democratic nominee declaring that she has never backed down from fighting for the middle class mrs clinton flashed a wide satisfied smile appearing to let out a sigh of relief that she had the liberal senator from massachusetts in her corner she mouthed two simple words to her supercharged surrogate thank you
the event was the culmination of warming relations between mrs clinton and ms warren who has criticized the financial policies of the bill clinton era before she was a senator ms warren turned her ire on mrs clinton then a new york senator for shifting her position to support bankruptcy legislation that would have made it more difficult for families to get debt relief
those differences seemed a distant memory on monday as mrs clinton struck an almost identical tone and praised ms warrens rabble rousing in the senate
some of the best tv since elizabeth came to the senate is on c span mrs clinton said whenever you see her pressing a bank executive or a regulator for answers she continued remember she is speaking for every single american who is frustrated and fed up
both women framed their remarks on monday by portraying mr trump as a selfish corporate titan whose business record has not benefited american workers
mrs clinton reeled off a list of little known trump enterprises trump suits were made in mexico she said trump furniture is made in turkey instead of cleveland trump barware is made in slovenia instead of toledo
living up to her newfound reputation as trump slayer in chief ms warren roused the crowd with stinging criticism of the manhattan businessman but she also appeared cautious not to overshadow her partys presumptive nominee looking back at mrs clinton occasionally as she spoke as if in deference to an elder
donald trump says hell make america great again ms warren said calling his slogan goofy a take on mr trumps favorite insult for the massachusetts senator i ask for who exactly for families that dont fly to scotland to play golf
in response mr trumps campaign called ms warren a sellout for supporting mrs clinton pointing to the presumptive democratic nominees wall street donors in an interview with nbc news mr trump called ms warren a racist and a total fraud
many in the crowd viewed the joint event as a practice run for what could transpire should mrs clinton select ms warren as her running mate
while an all female ticket is unlikely james hamilton the washington lawyer leading mrs clintons vice presidential search has begun vetting ms warren and other candidates ever since she endorsed mrs clinton this month ms warren has been a powerful surrogate attacking mr trump in spades and visiting the clinton campaigns headquarters in brooklyn to encourage young staff members with a simple message dont screw this up
if ms warrens liberal policy positions could make it difficult for her to get a place on a ticket on monday she and mrs clinton seemed to have little daylight between them as they each vowed to restructure the american economy to help the middle class
in an address that spoke to the frustration the fear the anxiety and yes the anger over an economy in which the wealthiest americans have thrived as middle class wages have remained virtually stagnant mrs clinton hit the same themes that elevated ms warren in the senate and fueled the candidacy of senator bernie sanders of vermont in the hard fought democratic nominating contest
in a season defined by anger over globalization and economic inequality mrs clinton firmly declared that this is not a time for half measures as she laid out her wide ranging plan to lift wages and create jobs
in ohio a battleground state mrs clinton delivered a promise to strengthen labor unions close loopholes that give tax breaks to corporations for moving jobs overseas raise the minimum wage and make college affordable
why do the richest americans and biggest corporations get away with manipulating the tax code so they pay lower rates than you do mrs clinton asked to boos from the crowd
with mr sanders not yet ready to campaign for his primary opponent while acknowledging he would vote for her to defeat mr trump mrs clintons rally with ms warren could help her continue to win over the liberal voters who had flocked to mr sanderss message
some 45 percent of mr sanderss supporters now have a positive view of mrs clinton according to an nbc news wall street journal poll
both mrs clinton and ms warren seemed to relish criticizing mr trumps response to britains momentous decision on thursday to leave the european union which has jolted global financial markets and caused the british pound to tumble to its lowest level since 1985
on a trip to visit his turnberry golf course in scotland last week mr trump declared thursdays vote a great thing and drew parallels between the rise of populist anger in britain and voters sentiments in the united states basically they took their country back mr trump said adding that a cheaper british pound would help his golf course business
donald trump cheered on britains current crisis which has sucked millions of dollars out of your retirement accounts because he said it might bring more rich people to his new golf course ms warren said


the house is not in session this week providing lawmakers a timeout after last weeks tumultuous democratic sit in but senators will be in town and they have a fight of their own coming over a spending package to address the zika public health threat
the military construction and veterans spending bill forced through by house republicans with no debate early thursday morning contains 11 billion for zika preparation and prevention   but it also contains some poison pill provisions that are likely to drive off any democratic support notably one restricting the use of the money by planned parenthood democrats consider that add on totally unacceptable noting that the virus can be transmitted sexually other provisions also appeared to be added by house and senate republicans who negotiated the measure on their own to essentially dare democrats to oppose the overdue zika money
but democrats have indicated they will not provide the support to overcome a 60 vote procedural hurdle president obama would most likely veto the measure if it got to his desk
republicans after taking months to advance the funding for the mosquito borne disease will no doubt argue that it is now democrats who are blocking the funds but the republican record on the response is pretty clear so that argument will be a tough sell
to irritate democrats even more republicans quietly stripped from the underlying bill a house passed provision banning the display of confederate flags at national military cemeteries that democratic proposal was initially approved in a bipartisan house vote
ah congress


amman jordan   the islamic state has claimed responsibility for a suicide attack that killed seven members of the jordanian security forces and wounded 13 others on tuesday at a border crossing with syria according to a news agency that frequently serves as a conduit for reports about the militant group
the amaq news agency published a video on sunday from the islamic state also known as isis or isil that purports to show a militant fighter blowing up a vehicle filled with explosives near a military checkpoint in rukban jordan
the agency cited only an unidentified source but it has proved reliable in the past it was the first to report that the islamic state was claiming responsibility for the shootings in san bernardino calif in december a deadly rampage at a baghdad mall in january and an attack in central jakarta indonesia the same month
the jordanian government responded to the attack last week by sealing its borders with syria and aid agencies said that 60000 refugees living in makeshift camps on the border had received little or no food and water since
relief agencies have expressed concern about the effect that the border closing will have on the refugees andrew harper the united nations high commissioner for refugees representative to jordan wrote on twitter that unfortunately no water reached the site again with dust storms and temperatures over 100 degrees fahrenheit
jordan is a crucial united states ally in the region and has been contributing to the air campaign against the islamic state immediately after the attack which took place at a sand berm marking the frontier speculation immediately fell on the islamic state
it doesnt take much imagination to figure out where this is coming from the murderers who attacked our borders said the countrys foreign minister nasser judeh during an interview with cnn shortly after the attack this doesnt shake our resolve or our efforts to continue leading the fight against terrorism and extremism
the islamic state did not claim responsibility for two recent lone wolf attacks in jordan an assault this month at an office of the jordanian intelligence service in a palestinian refugee camp near the capital amman that left five people dead and an attack at an amman training compound in which five people including two americans were killed
separately on sunday the jordanian state security court a special body that has jurisdiction over crimes considered to pose a threat to the countrys internal and external security said 21 suspects would be tried on terrorism charges
on march 2 one of the largest jordanian security operations in recent years left seven people believed to be islamic state militants and one security officer dead in the northern town of irbid not far from the syrian border
security officials said at the time that they had thwarted a plot by the militants to blow up civilian and military targets in the kingdom


paris   crowds form wherever olivier rousteing of balmain decides to hold his show the solid odds that one of his famous friends   ideally a kardashian jenner or west   might attend are a powerful lure
there were no kardashians in the audience for his mens wear show at the hotel potocki in paris on saturday afternoon but several others were there the basketball player nick young the nfl wide receivers victor cruz and brice butler and the pop singer ricky martin all came to see what mr rousteing had planned it turned out to be a typically brazen collection of denim and mesh stone encrusted and mirror stitched beachwear for the international playboy not unlike themselves whose exploits in turn inspired the collection mr rousteing said that while he may not be able to escape the design studio to hit the beach he could at least scroll through the instagram feeds of those who could
after the show mr martin whose european tour resumes in september called balmains maximalist grandeur the future he is the father of twin 7 year olds so he has a vested interest in the bedazzled sportswear of tomorrow on his way out the door he shared a few thoughts on the collection
what did you think of the show
its just so exciting i love the way he just keeps pushing things forward


the construction site outside the train station in one of tokyos central night life and shopping districts had the typical workers in hard hats and fluorescent vests and not so typical two pink and white hello kitty figures hanging off the barriers that keep pedestrians from stumbling into a hole in the road
such figures along with more than 30 varieties including elephants giraffes deer and dolphins crop up on road barriers all over japan an effort to entertain passers by who might otherwise regard construction sites as nuisances they are part of a culture of kawaii the japanese word for cute an adjective not generally associated with construction sites elsewhere
sendai meiban which makes road signs traffic cones and other construction related materials said it introduced its first kawaii traffic barricade a monkey 10 years ago on hokkaido the northernmost of japans main islands
tetsuya hatakeyama an official at the tokyo national highway office that authorizes road work in the city said the hello kitty figures spotted at the train station in the shopping district shinjuku were introduced in december and have become something of a tourist attraction foreigners stop for selfies with the figures he said and children spot and enjoy them
and it goes beyond commercial cartoon characters
fusao hasegawa 27 a contemporary artist in tokyo is trying to transform the humble traffic cone into an art form he has designed cones imprinted with a mold of the face of jizo bosatsu a buddhist deity known as the guardian of the road several were placed around temples in kita kamakura about 30 miles southwest of tokyo
mr hasegawa said he was also drawing on the tradition of do so jin a category of shinto gods believed to watch over travelers and often memorialized in stone figures set by the side of roads
once people see my art he said if they see an ordinary traffic cone it will remind them of this work


montclair nj   amid the 75 houses inside the oak lined no outlet neighborhood a single home stands unoccupied a celebrity eyesore
inside the house the baseboards have been torn from the walls with wires visibly protruding the back deck is deteriorating and the foundation may be pitched slightly toward the wildlife preserve adjacent to the back yard
around here in a section of town called fieldstone everyone knows the peach colored colonial with a sagging facade as the spy house where a flock of federal bureau of investigation agents arrested the murphy family six years ago on june 27 2010
richard and cynthia murphy were really vladimir and lidiya guryev russian spies part of a northeast corridor cell that was soon sent back to moscow by the united states government in an exchange the guryevs and their two talented popular daughters katie and lisa became an inspiration for the fx show the americans
they are long gone but the unoccupied house remains a frustrating story of its own and an unwanted symbol of betrayal for the community
i lived a block away from the guryevs and every time i pass the vacant house at 31 marquette road i recite a bit of narrative nonfiction the elegant russian spy would stop to pet my dog each morning on her way to the bus stop
neighbors who resided even closer who knew the family better remain considerably more affected by the spectacle of the corroding four bedroom house
the whole thing is pretty creepy on a psychological level said elizabeth lapin who lives about 60 yards from the spy house the spies resumed a normal life in moscow and were left with this reminder the neighborhood was wounded and it became part of a tv show until the house has another family the story isnt written
considering the circumstances few expected the house to sell quickly
the fbi tore the place apart on the day the guryevs were arrested after dragging them away in handcuffs
that began a dickensian bureaucratic process more than a year passed before the familys green honda civic was repossessed from the driveway two more years went by before the place was technically put up for sale by the united states marshals service in april 2013
the 1830 square foot home with a recently updated kitchen was originally listed at 444900 and several neighbors expressed interest later the price was reduced to 365500 would be buyers however were told by the broker fast track real estate company of waldwick nj that the property was either in escrow or not for sale structural questions lingered and potential buyers wondered if the deed was fully cleared
an official with fast track marie kahvajian recently said the company no longer had control of the property and was ordered by the marshals service not to comment on it
untangling the thicket of deeds and liens on the 56 year old home required a trip to the essex county hall of records in newark
on nov 29 2012 the united states assumed ownership from cynthia murphy on april 27 2015 the federal national mortgage association or fannie mae took over property tax payments 3858 per quarter currently to the township of montclair on behalf of the government
then last month on may 16 santander bank based in boston acquired the deed as a lienholder
the russians it turned out owed money
the sales process was reset to square one this spring the federal government had by then remitted about 38000 in property taxes on the spy house over the last three years the marshals service also kept the home winterized and occasionally sent landscapers to mow the lawn
but when santander first took over the property was ignored and the weeds grew higher public service electric  gas had taken to parking its equipment in the driveway a contractor came to look at the crumbling front steps but did not return
its not safe said chris delaney who lives across the street from the spy house it could catch fire you worry if there will be people squatting in there and what bothers me the most is its a giant waste of money what was the government doing for five years
there is some hope now that the private bank will move quickly to improve the property ideally with an eye toward selling it santander hired coldwell banker to examine the house and to determine its viability with the intention to list it
we have been working with the approved brokers and we are ensuring that the property is being maintained in preparation for sale a santander spokeswoman wrote in an email
until then residents of fieldstone continue to gape at the house and recount haunting stories and images of the guryevs and of the arrests they ache for the two children who were presumably unaware of their parents vocation and were not at home when the fbi first arrived
one next door neighbor recalled how the murphys accents never quite fit their back stories   how cynthia was supposedly flemish and her husband of mixed mexican and german heritage richard was such an expert at repairing a lawn mower that the neighbor now suspects he was trained in the fine art of suburbia
after the raid there was a period of confusion and self examination among residents rumors spread quickly in the vacuum of information gossip had it that one family that left shortly after the arrest might have been employed by the united states government to spy on the spies
nothing felt the same and neighbors wanted to know more ms lapin peered inside a window of the empty house and spotted an impressive portrait painted by the older daughter on a table lay money a childs chinese language workbook and the memoir a woman in berlin an odd choice for the guryevs about the raw excesses of russian soldiers at the close of world war ii
chris joyce an adjacent neighbor who moved in two years after the russians left is disconnected from all the excitement and drama it has been quiet he said and there is extra parking so that is an upside it would be nice to have someone next door mr joyce said but if they knock it down you fear what happens next
what comes next cannot possibly be more intriguing or deflating than what came before the wooden angel in the backyard of the spy house was removed by friends after the arrests and relocated to a small neighborhood green space
i walk the same dog on the same route nobody leaves the spy house for the bus stop nobody pets scout in the morning


the market panic that initially met britains vote to leave the european union showed signs of subsiding on monday
while stocks continued to slide for a second trading day by the close of business monday a measure of calm appeared to be returning to certain significant corners of the market
the benchmark standard  poors 500 stock index was stable for most of the day after dropping around 2 percent in the first minutes of trading it ended the day down 18 percent markets in japan and china finished monday in positive territory
a gauge of expected future volatility in the markets the so called vix fell on monday after spiking on friday and remained far below the level it reached last summer when problems in the chinese economy came to the fore
im not expecting contagion here said jack a ablin the chief investment officer at bmo private bank based in chicago were pretty well insulated he said of the american economy
the outlook was less sanguine in europe
investors continued dumping european stocks and seeking out the safety of gold and bonds on monday despite comments from british and european officials intended to calm markets
george osborne the british chancellor of the exchequer spoke for the first time since the so called brexit vote before markets opened on monday he said that while britains public finances would be affected by an exit from the bloc the broader economy was still in good shape
our economy is about as strong as it could be to confront the challenge our country now faces mr osborne said it is inevitable after thursdays vote that britains economy is going to have to adjust to the new situation we find ourselves in
we were prepared for the unexpected he added we are equipped for whatever happens
but mr osbornes comments appeared to do little to shore up the nations currency the british pound fell on monday to its lowest level against the dollar since the 1980s
in another blow to the british economy the standard  poors rating agency announced on monday that it was stripping great britain of its aaa rating the countrys rating was dropped two notches to aa
standard  poors analysts said in their report that the vote last week will weaken the predictability stability and effectiveness of policy making in the uk and affect its economy gdp growth and fiscal and external balances
there is still enormous uncertainty about how exactly britains exit will play out and how it will ripple through the economy the most obvious victims are likely to be the big european banks which have relied on an ability to operate easily across borders
trading in financial stocks like barclays and royal bank of scotland was briefly suspended on monday because of precipitous declines
barclays fell 17 percent on monday on top of its 17 percent decline on friday that brought the banks stock below the bottom it reached during the 2011 eurozone crisis though it remained far above the trough reached during the financial crisis
banks are one of the most exposed sectors to brexit andrew coombs a citigroup analyst said in a research note distributed on monday
he noted that british banks were particularly vulnerable given the likely headwinds of a deteriorating domestic economy and higher risk premia associated with a less predictable political and economic landscape
but he warned the european investment banks are also not immune with sizable operations in london which may now need to be reviewed
italian officials said on monday that they were looking at creating what amounted to a bailout fund to help struggling banks in the country
throughout europe however investors have not been assuming the worst   they seem to have reserved their harshest punishment so far for bank stocks by contrast a broad index of european shares the euro stoxx fell 28 percent on monday but was still above the lows it reached earlier this year
in the united states the sp 500 stock index finished down 18 percent or 3687 points at 200054 on monday the dow jones industrial average fell 15 percent or 26051 points to 1714024 the nasdaq composite was down 24 percent or 11354 points to 459444
some economists said that the turmoil in europe could slightly stunt american growth goldman sachs economists said on monday that they had reduced their estimates for american economic growth in the second half of 2016 to 2 percent from 225 percent
but other analysts were far more optimistic pantheon macroeconomics said on monday that it still anticipated american economic growth to gain steam this year driven by improving consumer confidence
for american investors the biggest fallout from the british vote may be the influence that it has on the federal reserve and its plans for raising interest rates in the economy
traders were betting on monday that the fed would have to keep rates lower for longer which could help stimulate the economy janet l yellen the fed chairwoman was supposed to attend a meeting of central bank chiefs this week in portugal but she called that off after the british vote last week
in japan prime minister shinzo abe held an emergency meeting on monday with officials from the nations central bank and finance ministry to discuss how to contain the fallout from the vote in britain which pummeled markets in japan and elsewhere on friday
japan was hit especially hard the nikkei suffered its biggest one day point drop in 16 years and the yen jumped about 5 percent against the dollar
on monday japanese authorities issued their strongest warning yet that they were prepared to intervene in the market to curb the rise of the yen markets elsewhere in the region were mostly little changed japan however generally fears an excessively strong currency which can hurt the countrys economy by making its exports more expensive and consequently less competitive
there is still uncertainty and risk in the financial markets and its important that we continue to work for stability mr abe told reporters after a meeting at the prime ministers office
he added that he had instructed the finance minister taro aso to coordinate with the bank of japan and be even more mindful of movements in the markets including the currency market


the single most effective action that most americans can take to help reduce the dangerous emissions that cause climate change buy a more fuel efficient car
but consumers are heading in the opposite direction they have rekindled their love of bigger cars pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles favoring them over small cars hybrids and electric vehicles which are considered crucial to helping slow global warming
so far this year nearly 75 percent of the people who have traded in a hybrid or electric car to a dealer have replaced it with an all gas car an 18 percent jump from 2015 according to edmundscom a car shopping and research site
in 2008 president obama set a goal of a million electric cars on the road by 2015 in the united states but the total is now around 442000 including plug in hybrids this year electric and hybrid sales have dropped to 24 percent of new car purchases
falling gas prices have made big heavy cars fashionable again said michael sivak the director of sustainable worldwide transportation at the university of michigans transportation research institute in fact demand for trucks suvs and vans has rebounded to historic levels after they dropped sharply in 2008 when gas was 4 a gallon
people have very short memories about the price of gasoline dr sivak said
that spells trouble for the environment so called light duty vehicles including suvs and pickups as well as cars account for 162 percent of all greenhouse emissions produced in the united states dr sivaks research shows making them the biggest source of emissions that individuals control
reducing tailpipe emissions is perhaps the most important thing americans can do said andrew jones a co director of climate interactive a think tank were doing the opposite
the changing consumer patterns are in plain view at swapaleasecom a marketplace for people who want to get out of a car lease by transferring it to someone else dozens of hybrids and electric vehicles are available in some cases languishing without bites from buyers
nobody is interested said angelo di maria who lives in the bronx several weeks ago he listed his father in laws 2013 toyota prius to spur interest he added a 1500 cash incentive which sharply cut the monthly lease payment to 283 from 391 still no buyer
mr di maria said that his father in law who works in construction loved the prius but that his company had given him a ford f 150 pickup
who doesnt want to drive around in a big tank mr di maria said when people start to think gas is more affordable do they really want to pay the premium on the hybrid
buyers of electric cars enjoy huge discounts however including federal and state rebates and the opportunity to bypass gas stations altogether
for that reason felix sui who works in technology in san diego loved his bmw electric car but now that he and his wife are starting a family he sold the lease on it so he could buy a volvo suv the xc90 he clarified the big one
a preference for big cars is not going to help the country meet the goals outlined in the paris climate accord reached in december to help reach those goals average fuel economy would need to soar to at least 100 miles per gallon   most likely achievable only through widespread adoption of electric and other zero emission cars according to ben haley a co founder of evolved energy research a consulting firm
president obama has pushed for stronger federal fuel economy rules that call for cars to average 40 miles per gallon by 2025 according to the environmental protection agency the current average is 254 miles per gallon
though electric cars may be somewhat out of favor for now that may change many are hoping that the tesla could transform americans views on electric cars much the way the iphone did with mobile technology
tesla still carries asterisks   it is losing money and it is not clear if the company can produce what it has promised   but it can point to 370000 votes of confidence that is how many people have put down 1000 to reserve one of teslas new model 3 cars a significantly lower cost version of its luxury models they wont even be out until late next year
there are hopes too for the 2017 chevrolet bolt which boasts a range of 200 miles nearly matching the projected range of the tesla model 3 those would more than double the range of many cars on the market helping alleviate the range anxiety that many consumers feel
when tesla first let people sign up online in march and reservations surged to 325000 within a week dr john sterman a climate expert at mit was heartened by the prospect of broader interest in low emission cars
all my friends and colleagues were sending me links to the media reports he said  i thought this is great news
years from now he added we will look at this as a watershed moment
others who worry about climate change can sound like boosters for the new car
tesla is notorious for performance it can outperform the hottest most conventional car said albert ayala deputy executive officer at the california air resources board a publicagency that governs air quality
when he gives speeches and is asked how the electric car market can improve he points to tesla and says thats exactly what were trying to do
seconds after preorders for the new model 3 became available john meyer 21 an entrepreneur in new york made his reservation at the time he was on a flight from newark to los angeles and worried that he would miss out if the planes wi fi went down
he called the car a game changer because it has everything he wants   it is cool beautiful and powerful he said as well as being environmentally friendly
i couldve bought a prius before he said and i would have if it looked like an audi


the ocean contains a vast number of living things including many many pathogens   from bacteria that thrive on coral to fungi that infect lobsters a drop of seawater may hold 10 million viruses
recently a team of scientists revealed a frightening member of this menagerie free floating cancer cells that cause contagious tumors in shellfish last year they found one such cancer in a species of clam on wednesday they reported that three more species were plagued with contagious cancers
the cancers are specific to shellfish and do not appear to pose a danger to humans who eat them but until now infectious cancer was considered something of a fluke in the natural world initially observed only in dogs and tasmanian devils
the latest research has made scientists wonder whether infectious tumors are actually more widespread
we were always thinking there would be more contagious cancer out there but we didnt know where they would be discovered said elizabeth p murchison a cancer biologist at the university of cambridge who was not involved in the new study
in the traditional view of cancer mutations strike a cell these mutations have several causes including toxins and viruses
however they arise they drive a cell to multiply uncontrollably until the cancer is wiped out by the immune system or kills its victim either way the cancer stays inside the body where it started
a decade ago scientists discovered two exceptions in the 1990s tasmanian devils in australia began developing deadly face tumors but dna in the tumor cells did not match that of the affected animals studies showed
tasmanian facial tumor disease as it was eventually called appears to have had its start in a single tasmanian devil that lived in the 1980s transmitted by bites the cancer spread to other tasmanian devils and acquired mutations along the way that helped make it even more infectious a second strain of the cancer was identified last year
dogs too can get a type of contagious cancer called canine transmissible venereal tumor which jumps from host to host during sex the tumor usually disappears in a few months however scientists have determined that the cancer originated in dogs 11000 years ago
for years tasmanian devils and dogs were the only species known to contract contagious cancer but last year stephen p goff a molecular biologist at columbia university and his colleagues found contagious cancer in soft shell clams
from new york to prince edward island these clams have suffered from aggressive tumors since the 1970s carol reinisch a marine biologist at environment canada found that the cancer clustered in populations as if it was caused by an outbreak of some sort
she suspected a cancer causing virus moving from host to host for help dr reinisch turned to dr goff
the two researchers found no evidence of a virus in the soft shell clams but they did discover that dna in the tumor cells carried a genetic sequence not found in healthy cells in the clams
after examining the dna they confirmed that the cancer cells in different clams all came from a single common ancestor
somehow this cancer has been spreading from clam to clam up the coast dr goff said
he and his colleagues began to wonder if other species of clams or related animals   known collectively as bivalves   had contagious cancers of their own and if so why they chose to study cancers in mussels cockles and golden carpet shell clams
in every case the researchers reported in the journal nature the cancers in the animals were contagious we are now at four for four dr goff said
as it turned out the cancer in cockles comprises two separate strains even stranger the cancer cells in the golden carpet shell clams did not develop from the speciess own cells
instead the scientists matched the cancers dna to pullet shell clams which live in the same intertidal beds off the coast of spain but dr goff and his colleagues could not locate any pullet shell clams with this disease
they concluded that this strain of contagious cancer must have started in pullet shell clams and then jumped species infecting golden carpet shell clams it killed all the vulnerable pullet shell clams leaving only resistant ones behind
thats really quite incredible dr murchison said noting that scientists had tried without success to infect foxes and other dog relatives with canine cancer the new study she said shows that contagious cancer can indeed cross the species barrier
with eight contagious cancers now on the books dr murchison has started to wonder if they are not as peculiar as previously thought they might be emerging fairly often she said
so should people worry about an outbreak of infectious cancer i dont think we should be starting to panic dr murchison said
there have been rare reports of people transmitting cancer an estimated 004 percent of organ transplant recipients contract cancer from the donor organ for example but in these cases the cancer does not spread like a true parasite from host to host
yet its not inconceivable that a human cancer might gain that power in 1965 scientists put mosquitoes in a cage with hamsters one of which had cancer the mosquito carried the cancer cells to the healthy hamsters
the new research does raise the possibility that these types of diseases could arise in humans dr murchison said
dr goff and his colleagues are now trying to turn the contagious cancer in shellfish into a model for human cancers they hope to find clues to metastasis the way cancer spreads through the body
the evolution of a contagious cancer in some ways may mirror the evolution of a single tumor in the body in shellfish dr murchison said we can see the effect of evolution on their genomes in a more pronounced way


london   many years ago when wayne rooney was an 18 year old making his debut at the european championships with england a scandinavian journalist asked for help he had recorded a question with rooney but could not understand a word of his reply
the problem was rooneys scouse accent a liverpool dialect difficult enough for englishmen to understand and rooney was at best a diffident speaker
much has changed on monday in nice france rooney will lead england against iceland in the euros he is the teams elder statesman its captain its spokesman and he is about to join david beckham as the countrys most capped outfield player
it will be the 115th game rooney has played for england and whereas beckham padded his numbers with short and at times almost celebrity substitute appearances toward the end rooneys role is still pivotal to the team
one might almost place him on par with another player zlatan ibrahimovic who retired last week from international play after 116 appearances with the swedish national team
there is a difference if zlatan failed to score sweden had almost nobody else who could england has four capable strikers so rooney   still a workhorse who is full of energy even if he does not quite possess the speed he once did   has adapted
he drops deeper into midfield and uses his knowledge to be the passer that england has been missing since paul scholes rooneys former teammate with manchester united retired from the national team 12 years ago
a captain of industry rather than a front runner of sharpness maybe but nobody has scored more goals for england than rooney has with 52 and except for maybe switzerlands xherdan shaqiri few can strike a scissors kick with such instinctive and almost violent unexpectedness as rooney still might do
iceland knows everything about his career because as the iceland players will tell you very little beats english premier league soccer on television during the long dark winter nights near the arctic circle
it will be england the mother country of soccer against little iceland which has almost become a cliche with its rags to riches romance at this years tournament it will be the 330000 people of iceland against england and its 53 million
using humor and homespun psychology the coaches of iceland lars lagerback and heimir hallgrimsson pinned a picture during their training base in the french alps it showed a rhinoceros running away from a chihuahua
the message was clear size and salary are not everything nor is reputation
we are not the chihuahua iceland defender theodor elmar bjarnason told english reporters who visited the camp if you underestimate us its a mistake
short succinct and backed up by performances in reaching this tournament iceland beat the netherlands at home and away and also won against turkey the czech republic latvia and kazakhstan
iceland built around its stubborn and organized defense is very difficult to break down if its players are not the chihuahua there is definitely something of a terrier in their mentality
the euro tournament has shown so far that no team far less the icelanders will go down without a fight rooney knows it and england manager roy hodgson certainly must know it because he cut his teeth as a coach in scandinavia   in sweden and denmark
while the scandinavian teams might lack   outside of ibrahimovic   individual flair and hubris they compensate with esprit de corps and athleticism opponents can forget at their peril what denmark achieved in the 1992 euros when it became the smallest country to ever win the tournament
england france sweden the netherlands and germany all failed to stop denmark then and rooney has played and lost in enough tournaments to know that englands reputation stirs rather than scares underdog opponents
listening to him address the media is to see how he has changed not just as a player but as a man he is the managers assistant on the field and the players frontman for the media
the accent is less pronounced and his firebrand temperament now lies beneath the surface
he is cleareyed unafraid and unselfconscious
you dont play for the achievement of getting to a quarterfinal he says we want to win the competition and we think we can so im not going to sit here and say well be happy with the quarterfinals or the futures bright because we are a group of young players
young apart from the captain rooneys main role now is to create chances for englands strikers who are likely to be any two from the foursome of harry kane daniel sturridge jamie vardy and marcus rashford   possibly in that order
their tournament rooney says starts here i dont want to be remembered as a captain who wasnt good for his team wasnt good for his teammates and wasnt good for his club or country
the former rooney the player who let frustration get the better of him is he says a different person
having kids he concluded made me look at things differently his three sons kai klay and kit are 6 3 and six months old
iceland might push his new temperament to the limits but he has responsibilities now


welcome to social capital a series devoted to analyzing the social media presences of celebrities
its comforting to think that the internet has a microscopic attention span because it makes life easier to live we can take unflattering photos post slightly offensive tweets or say release a cloying whiny pop rock track about a woman we spotted on the subway because the assumption is that the internet will forget we are but specks in the universe mere fodder in the content machine
sadly thats not what happened to james blunt
a refresher blunt skyrocketed to fame after his 2005 hit youre beautiful monopolized top 40 stations across the country until we heard his quivering voice so many times that swallowing bees seemed a more enjoyable option than listening to it again but stopping wasnt an option the songs ubiquity was unceasing youre beautiful was a promo song for desperate housewives it played on teen soaps and csi spinoffs it was performed on saturday night live by him american idol by someone else and in an adam sandler movie by sandler himself the critically acclaimed grammy nominated single quickly became one of rolling stones most annoying songs of all time and the pale white butt of a weird al yankovic joke  youre pitiful even blunt felt remorse admitting to hello magazine in 2014 that it was force fed down peoples throats
when we had the option to stop listening to blunt we did his next single goodbye my lover didnt chart nearly as well not a single song on his second third or fourth albums the last of which he joined twitter to promote ever came close to the success of youre beautiful but we never opted out of tweeting him even 10 years after the height of his fame
we tweet lots of things at him that hes shrill or annoying or that our day is ruined because we somehow were forced to endure his music but twitters absolute favorite thing is to bring up a rhyme with his surname the tweets vary in their colorful commentary but in general they all ridicule him for his last name
heres the worst part james blunts real name isnt even james blunt its james blount he changed it because people kept pronouncing blount like it rhymes with mount instead of like it rhymes with grunt making it closer to its phonetic spelling at the time seemed like a good idea for his music career perhaps he did not realize what the switch would bring
possibly overwhelmed by the lethal combination of overwhelming volume and dogged persistence blunts stopped trying to end this derision and all the rest he instead takes it mostly in stride but sometimes he cant control himself
ooliviae james blunt is the rudest expletive on this earth i expletive hate him
he fires back ure just a jealous runner up in the rudest expletive competition
james blunt is so irritating said the user chillyeol
infectious too like herpes he answered
sometimes blunt doesnt even need to be provoked   not even i think youre beautiful he tweeted out into the abyss in 2015   nor does he require being tagged with an  mention his name and like an internet boogeyman he shall appear
celebrities clapping back or defending themselves against a haters insult with a better one is an ongoing phenomenon gigi hadid has done it drake has done it rihanna has done it even smash mouth has done it they see people attacking their reputation and they rush sometimes fueled with anger to protect it
but blunts motivation isnt like that its not a struggle to change public opinion he acknowledges in his twitter bio that thats already past the point of no return proof that one song is all you need it reads his position is almost incredulity do we really think blunt is what we paint him as the pitiful loser hes a multimillionaire he considers prince harry and ed sheeran as close friends he has houses in london and ibiza he just celebrated the birth of his first child with his wife a british aristocrat and accomplished lawyer james blunt is doing better much better than most of us yet we cant we let go of this bizarre notion that somehow he must be awash in a tidal wave of his own self pity
when blunt tweets back he does so with the knowledge that were the fools
we used to let the people like him fade away peacefully only ever acknowledging them on holiday weekend marathons of vh1 retrospecials but now through social media their failure and their legacy can live forever moving forward while the event stays frozen in time so that instead of it being a really cool and distant memory that someone once had a hit on the radio it now becomes a course of shame
with the anonymity of the internet we can do much worse than just insult a song we can bring a singers career back from the grave but haunted in a post pet sematary kind of way with a meme a tweet or a youtube video most famously rick astley was ripped out of retirement after rick rolling or the bait and switch act of secretly directing a link to the music video for never gonna give you up under the guise of something more salacious became a phenomenon yes he was brought back into the conversation his career given a new life his new album released this year reached the top spot on the british charts his most popular work in 29 years but his legacy was forever changed no longer was he rick astley the 80s british singer he was rick astley the dorky guy in the infuriating internet prank
the faded celebrity is no longer allowed to disappear even when quite frankly they should we are dr frankenstein and astley blunt and whoever else catches our eye is a cadaver that we can poke and prod until we can say its alive blunt has 11 million followers on twitter and they arent all there because they like his music they like the monster weve created the soulful singer turned foul mouthed social media savage and perhaps in participating hes showing that he is in on the joke which is the only recourse for someone who is the joke james blunt is 42 he has got a long way to go to figure out how to continue being james blunt despite his one success that he allowed us to make into a failure
after all as idkmatilda asked has james blunt done anything other than that one song in his whole career 
just that and a few super models blunt replied


monday morning the united states supreme court struck down parts of a texas law that would have significantly reduced the number of abortion clinics in the state emily bazelon a staff writer for the magazine eric posner a professor at the university of chicago law school and william baude an assistant professor at the university of chicago law school have been exchanging emails about the meaning and impact of the courts decision
hi eric will
the crucial even monumental import of the supreme courts 5 3 abortion ruling monday is its focus on women   their health well being and ability to access a constitutional right maybe that sounds obvious but in many of the courts previous rulings on this subject it has been anything but justice stephen breyers opinion for the majority delivers an ingredient thats been missing for 25 years a definitive statement of what it means for a state to impose an undue burden on the right to abortion by placing a substantial obstacle in the path of a woman seeking one the court established the undue burden standard in 1992 but what the test meant appeared to shift over time until it was close to shapeless now the court has issued a clear answer which gives proper weight to medical expertise and scientific evidence   and respects women and the choices they make thats monumental too
the court was considering new rules passed in 2013 by the texas legislature requiring abortion clinics to employ a doctor who has privileges to admit patients at a nearby hospital and to meet the construction and equipment standards for an ambulatory surgical center which include temperature controls hallways wide enough for a gurney and special ventilation units the estimated cost of renovating an existing clinic is 15 million to 3 million if the texas restrictions were allowed to go fully into effect the plaintiffs who challenged the law showed the number of clinics in texas was projected to drop to eight or nine from 44 three years ago across nearly 270000 square miles more than 20 states have enacted laws with some or all of the texas restrictions so this case had sweeping implications
we conclude that neither of these provisions offers benefits sufficient to justify the burdens upon access that each imposes breyer wrote in an opinion joined by the courts three other liberals   ruth bader ginsburg sonia sotomayor and elena kagan   and the swing voter justice anthony kennedy so this is what undue burden means a safety precaution that does more harm than good measured in terms of preventing a woman from having an abortion versus protecting her health the test for the court in assessing texas regulations is whether they make women safer compared with the previous rules
the answer the evidence presented in the lower court showed is no before doctors had to get admitting privileges they had to show they had a working arrangement with a hospital to care for a patient with complications when asked at argument for a single instance in which admitting privileges would have helped even one woman obtain better treatment texas admitted that there was no evidence in the record of such a case breyer writes yet when the state began enforcing the admitting privilege rule the number of clinics in the state dropped to about 20 from about 40 abortion providers often dont qualify for the privileges because their rates of complications are too low for regular admissions of patients
the surgical center rules are similarly useless the record showed that abortions taking place in an abortion facility are safe breyer writes   indeed safer than many outpatient procedures for which texas had no analogous rules among the riskier procedures the state didnt similarly regulate home births colonoscopies liposuction and from justice ruth bader ginsburgs concurring opinion tonsillectomies and dental surgery the state singled out abortion for regulation to discourage it as clinics shut more women had to travel 100 or 200 miles to reach a clinic that hit poor women hardest the balancing test breyer lays out   burdens to access weighed against benefits to health   makes clear why forcing women to travel long distances can be a violation of the constitution
this is the first majority opinion in an abortion case by a liberal justice in 16 years its striking to read a supreme court majority opinion about abortion that expresses empathy for women going through the procedure breyer wrote then in the case in stenberg v carhart to strike down a law against one kind of late term abortion procedure that decision was effectively though not explicitly overturned seven years later when justice kennedy joined the conservatives in gonzales v carhart now breyer takes the point of view of women in describing how the regulations would force big and sterile abortion clinics to take the place of smaller and homier ones because of the attendant costs in the fact of no threat to womens health texas seeks to force women to travel long distances to get abortions in crammed to capacity superfacilities he writes patients seeking these services are less likely to get the kind of individualized attention serious conversation and emotional support that doctors at less taxed facilities may have offered he is talking about the psychological components of good medical care and hes taking it for granted that women seeking abortions deserve it
in other major cases this term and last the courts four liberals have voted as a bloc and refrained from adding separate concurring opinions in a further show of solidarity this time however justice ginsburg wrote for herself and im glad to hear her voice it is beyond rational belief that texas abortion regulations could genuinely protect the health of women she writes when a state severely limits access to safe and legal procedures women in desperate circumstances may resort to unlicensed rogue practitioners faute de mieux at great risk to their health and safety the french phrase means for want of a better alternative ginsburg is summoning the dangerous back alley procedures of the past and the uncertain online abortion drug market of the present and shes also banishing those images by underscoring the welcome effect of todays decision it will help women take care of themselves
emily
hi will emily
i agree with emily youd need to live in a different universe to believe that the texas legislature sought to advance womens health with this law it sought to limit abortion by pretending to be concerned about the health of the women who seek abortions the court was right to invalidate this cynical stunt
yet i think justice clarence thomas makes a good point in his dissent where he contrasts this case with fisher v university of texas at austin as i pointed out in my first post the court upheld uts affirmative action program last week despite the absence of firm social scientific evidence that affirmative action advances educational outcomes now the court strikes down texas abortion law because of the absence of evidence that the law protects womens health if the court wants to make sure that states act only when they have good reason to act shouldnt it demand strong evidence in all cases why are the speculative benefits of affirmative action for educational outcomes sufficient to uphold an affirmative action program while the speculative benefits for womens health are insufficient for upholding texas law
the explanation is simply this the courts liberals care about abortion rights and not about the equal protection concerns that animate opposition to affirmative action for the conservatives the opposite is true kennedy not always a friend of abortion rights came around to them in this case kennedy who once seemed opposed to affirmative action came around to it in fisher he truly swings from both sides of the batters box but increasingly from the left side
this even before justice antonin scalias death was a big worry for conservatives thomas argues that the liberals plus kennedy are manipulating the legal standards that the court has said it will use to evaluate the constitutionality of statutes and other government actions hes right about this though of course the conservative justices have done the same thomas   and justice samuel alito in his separate dissent   put their objection in terms of legal values arguing that the people cant plan their lives if the court is constantly changing the rules and using mushy legal standards that allow it to implement an ideological agenda
but the truth is simpler the tide has turned in the ideological battles on the court thomas sees this clearly in his peroration he drops the veil of legalism to lament the emergence of the modern liberal jurisprudence of constitutional rights embodied in a footnote to a 1938 case called united states v carolene products co which called on the court to protect discrete and insular minorities this idea would inspire liberal justices to protect racial minorities sexual minorities poor people and women a conservative backlash which began in the 1970s both cut back on these protections and advanced rights preferred by conservatives   above all property rights and the right to own guns the conservative counterrevolution of which thomas was a leading figure at one time seemed unstoppable it is now clear that it has run its course
eric
hi eric emily
eric makes a good point about consistency across cases   which laws deserve heightened judicial scrutiny is one of the core problems of constitutional law and judges can claim legitimacy only if they have a consistent answer but i think it is too soon to declare that the conservative counterrevolution not my favored term is over the supreme court upheld roe v wade against a major attack in 1992 it upheld affirmative action against an attack in 2003 but each time only a few years later court watchers were once again wringing their hands about a conservative revolution on the court this years decisions on abortion and affirmative action are a repeat of 1992 and 2003 conservatives survived those years and they will survive this one
justice thomas probably knows this the best of anyone this year and last year he has written an astonishing number of separate opinions   57 total
he isnt writing those opinions for the short term he is writing for the long term
im also interested in the last decision of the term   mcdonnell v united states which asked whether bob mcdonnell the former governor of virginia committed a federal felony when he arranged meetings hosted events and made phone calls on behalf of constituents whod given him gifts in an opinion written by chief justice john roberts jr the court said no
the various charges against mcdonnell all required the court to interpret the federal bribery statutes definition of official act to decide whether the meetings events and calls mcdonnell made were enough to convert the gifts into bribes the government dwelled extensively on the unseemliness of mcdonnells conduct and argued that the definition of official act should be interpreted very broadly
the opinion rejecting that broad interpretation has several of the chief justices hallmarks it is unanimous it is fun to read and it sounds like common sense as it rejects an expansive government reading of the law in the chief justices hands the case turns away from the question of whether mcdonnell was corrupt as the opinion puts it our concern is not with tawdry tales of ferraris rolexes and ball gowns instead the question is whether question matter cause suit proceeding or controversy   part of the statutory definition of official act   can really include well everything having framed the question that way the chief justice finds it easy to say that the broad interpretation is too broad
in light of that interpretation the opinion could have stopped there instead it goes on to invoke the canon of constitutional avoidance which means that the court can suggest that the governments interpretation might have been unconstitutional without definitely saying so it avoids a final constitutional ruling because the government ultimately loses on grounds of statutory interpretation the avoidance doctrine is another signature tool of the roberts court
in any event this constitutional avoidance discussion gives the court the chance to comment on the potential vagueness of the statute saying that it might delegate too much authority to federal prosecutors to decide which corruption cases to pursue the court also says that the governments interpretation raises federalism concerns because part of what makes a state sovereign is that it makes its own decisions about the permissible scope of interactions between state officials and their constituents in this case these concerns didnt matter very much because the court had other reasons to reject the governments broad interpretation but they might be used to impose new limits on federal corruption prosecutions in the future at a minimum i suspect that white collar criminal defense lawyers are filing them away for their next cases
if i had a wish it would have been for the court to add to its opiniona more explicit discussion of the rule of lenity which calls for criminal statutes to be narrowly construed in this case and several others over the past few years the court is plainly reaching to rein in what it sees as the excessive interpretation of federal criminal law it would be nice to see the court be more explicit about its concerns and use the rule of lenity as a home for them doing so would give the lower courts more guidance about how to narrow criminal statutes themselves rather than waiting for the occasional case to catch the courts eye
indeed justice scalia was the courts greatest champion for the rule of lenity and i especially missed his voice here i dont doubt that he would have joined every other member of the court in invalidating the governors convictions but i suspect that he would have gone further suggesting that the statute is irredeemably vague or setting forth an even stricter lenity based construction than the courts
will
hi emily will
id like to say a few words about united states v texas the immigration case decided last week in a 4 4 tie the court let stand the fifth circuits decision upholding a preliminary injunction against president obamas plan to defer enforcement against a group of unauthorized immigrants   roughly the parents of american citizens and lawful permanent residents the opinion was presented as a momentous political defeat for obama and maybe it was but from a legal and practical perspective there is much less than meets the eye
you need to understand the state of affairs before obama entered office millions of unauthorized immigrants lived in this country as they had for decades the current estimate is around 11 million congress has never appropriated sufficient funds to deport more than a tiny fraction of them   a few hundred thousand per year presidents have accordingly directed immigration authorities to deport unauthorized immigrants who are dangerous criminals and leave everyone else alone obama has continued this tradition and the united states v texas ruling does not stop him from doing so
where obama differed from his predecessors is that he tried to make a formal promise not to deport this group of unauthorized immigrants until he left office just six months from now but while the promise not to deport might have given beneficiaries some peace of mind its practical effect was nil because the immigration authorities were not deporting them anyway
obama also sought to give them authorization to work but just as the government under obama and his predecessors did not try to deport nondangerous unauthorized immigrants it also did not try to stop employers from hiring them at least not very hard just read the government reports in an average year immigration authorities prosecute and convict only a few hundred people for hiring unauthorized workers they almost never deport workers caught in workplace raids fines and sanctions against businesses that hire unauthorized immigrants amount to a few million dollars across the whole country every year a rounding error for american businesses
because immigration authorities have never made a serious effort to stop employers from hiring unauthorized workers obamas plan would have had no meaningful impact it just formalized the status quo its main effect would have been to save some businesses a trivial amount in fines it might also have raised wages for beneficiaries slightly as they would have been able to offer their services to a wider range of employers including those that prefer not to break the law however this wage increase would have been offset by tax payments which those now authorized workers no longer being paid off the books would have had to make to the united states treasury the main beneficiary of obamas plan was therefore the citizen taxpayer who is also the main victim of the supreme courts decision our vast system of foreign labor which exists because the public depends on it for cheap goods and services will endure whatever the courts hold the supreme court in the name of the rule of law has sanctioned a corrupt system
eric
hi eric will
im less sanguine eric about the impact of the immigration ruling youre right that most immigrants dont get deported and never will no matter who is president sorry donald trump but betting you can stay in the country is different from knowing you can stay even for a limited period of time if obamas promise had been carried out it would have given millions of people a chance to breathe easier and plan their lives they could also have hoped that the temporary respite of deportation relief would later turn into permanent residency obamas actions offered no guarantee but it was the pot of gold on the horizon
also i have to note that earlier in his presidency obama did not just focus on deporting dangerous criminals there arent that many of them so the president got to a record number of deportations by deporting lots of other people most of the growth in the number of deported immigrants has come from those deported for reasons other than a criminal conviction ana gonzalez barrera and jens manuel krogstad wrote for the pew research center two years ago in 2013 240000 deported immigrants did not have a previous criminal conviction the numbers from 2015 to be fair are different almost 60 percent of those deported last year were previously convicted of a crime and almost all of those without previous convictions nearly 100000 in total were deported at or near the border
at this point with obamas clock ticking what really matters is the immigration policy of the next president hillary clinton has promised to defend obamas executive actions and push for a path to citizenship donald trumps wants to build his wall their visions of the supreme court justices they would appoint if they had the chance are surely just as far apart
thats why as will says its too soon to declare the courts conservative counterrevolution dead the fight over filling the courts empty seat has turned this term into a weird and prolonged period of transition its hard for me to draw any conclusions about what this years decisions mean for the roberts court going forward did justice kennedy join the liberals on affirmative action and abortion because theyre the future and he wants to be on their team or because the facts pulled him in their direction in these particular cases when a new justice is confirmed and the roberts court part 2 opens well begin to find out and well start to learn whether justice thomass lament is the song of this season or the beginning of a long cry of anguish
in the meantime thanks so much for talking all this through with me youve been excellent company and enlightening
emily


want to get this briefing by email heres the sign up
good evening heres the latest
1 the supreme court made its most sweeping ruling in decades on abortion rights striking down parts of a texas law that imposed strict limits on abortion providers
opponents of the law which was passed in 2013 said that it had already caused about half of the states abortion clinics to close the 5 to 3 decision has significant implications for laws in other states where similar restrictions exist they too are likely unconstitutional

2 the court vacated the conviction of bob mcdonnell the former governor of virginia on corruption charges a unanimous decision that could send mr mcdonnell back for another round with prosecutors
there is no doubt that this case is distasteful it may be worse than that chief justice john g roberts jr wrote emphasizing that the justices were more focused on what they considered an overly broad interpretation of the federal bribery law at hand than tawdry tales of ferraris rolexes and ball gowns

3 in britain the path forward remained uncertain after the vote last week to leave the european union boris johnson the former mayor of london who supported brexit and is a contender to succeed prime minister david cameron promised britons in an op ed essay that their country is part of europe and always will be
but the nation remained locked in a political crisis and leaders of the leave movement including mr johnson have already disavowed some of their pledges

4 the pound meanwhile sank to its lowest level against the dollar since 1985 and sp downgraded britains credit rating to aa from aaa as the economic fallout from the brexit vote continued
global authorities tried to soothe the markets promising to intercede in the event of an economic disaster but investors remained skeptical and british officials tried to assure citizens that they would still have access to the continents market

5 volkswagen has agreed to pay nearly 15 billion to settle claims stemming from its diesel emissions cheating scandal in one what would be one of the largest ever consumer class action deals ever in the us the cash compensation offered to each car owner will range from 5100 to  10000
the german automaker acknowledged last year that it had installed illegal software in 11 million cars worldwide that made them capable of defeating pollution tests
6 hillary clinton and senator elizabeth warren campaigned together for the first time on monday in cincinnati their alliance seems unlikely to some given their distinct approaches to wall street
but those differences did not come into play during the ohio appearance the two women showed a united face on income inequality and criticism of the presumptive republican nominee donald j trump

7 a police scandal has erupted in oakland calif with more than a dozen officers coming under investigation for their relationships with an 18 year old prostitute who is a daughter of a police dispatcher
the city has long had a reputation for police abuses but it had seemed to be in the midst of a turnaround under its new mayor libby schaff
she said in a recent interview its tragic that this scandal has overshadowed the incredible progress that oakland has made

8 unfortunately for your briefing editor spoilers abound in our television critics review of the sixth season of hbos game of thrones which had its finale sunday night
we can tell you without ruining anything that he found the show to be faster simpler and more crowd pleasing partly because it was the first season to move beyond the plot established by the books
if this was not the seriess best season it was its most flat out entertaining he writes
9 returning from a visit to armenia on sunday night pope francis said that all christians and the roman catholic church owed the gay community an apology for past mistreatment
francis comments in response to a question about the recent deadly attack at a gay nightclub in orlando fla were applauded by leaders of gay catholic groups but some said there was more work to be done
a statement of remorse is only as good as the change in behavior that follows said the head of one leading organization

10 now what weve been doing is looking at the data and we know that police somehow manage to de escalate disarm and not kill white people every day that comment was part of a powerful speech by the actor jesse williams of greys anatomy at the bet awards on sunday
the show featured a commanding performance from beyonce and kendrick lamar and tributes to prince and muhammad ali but mr williamss speech a demand for equal treatment and justice was the strongest statement of the night

11 summer is already in session for many of us but new york citys public school students are just now preparing to go on vacation tuesday is officially the last day of school and some students are planning to duck out early
daily attendance last year at the citys high schools was 88 percent on the last day it fell to 74 percent i might go to school one student told our reporter a hint that schools may experience a similar drop this year i might

12 students may soon own the streets of new york but on sunday afternoon greenpoint brooklyn was dominated by the walking dead the zombie crawl an annual event celebrating all things undead bloody and special effects related celebrated its 10th year
participants chanted about their lust for brains drank beer and speculated about their chances of surviving a zombie apocalypse if it ever happened in real life i think i could personally deal with that one said

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paris   for weeks hundreds of fashion professionals have been following fashion shows much the way that groupies once followed the grateful dead in like minded packs across countries and nations communicating among themselves in their own argot focused to the exclusion of nearly everything else on the entertainment at hand
fashion week is a bubble insulated from the outside world and very often chauffeured but even in the bubble reality sometimes intrudes
it has been a glum season for mens fashion just as it has been a glum season for men in london florence milan and now paris where the collections drew to a close sunday a pall has hung over the proceedings
the american presidential campaign has been stormy brexit first in theory and then in reality led to numb disbelief among many in britain and beyond designers showed collections for next spring and summer but sun and fun seemed far off with clouds gathering the trend was to batten down for rain or worse
with acne studios the stockholm based creative director jonny johansson has built a hugely successful global empire but he maintains an existential moodiness all the same and spent his spring collection presentation gazing out a back window ruminating on rain the collection was about the emptiness of swedish summer he said a swedish summer is filled with mostly rain mr johansson clarified
though not this year for once he added its been here it hasnt been in sweden
enter storm clouds not long before paris fashion week persistent rains burst the banks of the seine and the biggest impression at acne was made by the laminated raincoats in tablecloth checks and plaids with exaggerated collars and tent like volumes even poplin shirts were plasticized
the collection was a strong one for acne and the first with a new mens designer paul surridge formerly of z zegna working under mr johansson
at the lanvin show the next day the labels mens designer lucas ossendrijver was in a protective mood the lanvin troops marched through the palais de tokyo the paris contemporary art museum in raw hemmed suits shirts and trousers striped with reflective tape oversize parkas and sneakers tied with hiking laces
mr ossendrijver spoke of the urgency and speed of the clothes which had a kind of trek ready survivalist chic many had creases and scars baked in expensive clothes finished in hot presses to take a portion of preciousness out brand new they seemed already to have been through battle
theres a sense of danger of darkness but also of seduction mr ossendrijver said
there was an eerie threat of danger looming at sacai the tokyo based line by chitose abe too as you might expect from a collection inspired by a clockwork orange ms abe offered her own semi bowler hats and clomping boots and t shirts that read horrorshow
but horror show in nadsat clockwork speak means wonderful and the collection was that too sprightly and colorful full of sporty shorts and big billowing pants military style outerwear remade in pop bright shades ms abe splices and dices different garments into one another and different patterns and traditions also so that in one collection hawaiian hibiscus florals met english paisleys and mexican blanket stripes
she didnt dither over the disparity
to be free is to be modern ms abe said via an interpreter we pick every detail from all over the world and put it together why cant we live together
there again darkness crept in though ms abe who has never before been in paris for one of her mens presentations kept the mood mostly light
we have to enjoy she said while were still surviving


when a pair of much loved underwear starts sprouting holes most people throw them in the trash but for the london based designer marie yeung it was a pair of tattered undergarments that inspired her to start an underwear line marieyat last year i was over at my friend gwyneths house and she was doing what girls do   showing each other clothes putting on outfits taking them off putting them on again recalls yeung i see that she is wearing a pair of underwear made of a really sheer delicate fabric and that the binding has ripped because theyre falling apart and because she just wears them at home and obviously doesnt care the binding was so perfectly cut just under the butt cheek and i realized this is actually appealing in a really weird way
yeung a central saint martins graduate had already been thinking about starting an underwear line for a few months i wanted to create some that is quite comfortable but still really sexy she says shed already gotten in touch with a factory in her hometown hong kong that specialized in producing seamless underwear i wanted to make something seamless but i didnt want it to be just a basic brief yeung says in her friends ripped underwear shed found the design tweak she was looking for i thought why not try to replicate this but in cotton rib she says
the g tang   named for the friend that inspired it   is now the brands signature style a cotton rib panty with a binding that hits just below the butt cheek the rest of the collection   high waisted and medium rise underwear bras bodysuits and crop tops with cutouts and color block paneling   continues the thread comfortable mostly machine washable save for a handful of silk items and just a little subversive nearly all of the garments are crafted from a soft cotton rib   one of yeungs favorite fabrics the material im using is very forgiving she says its very stretchy and just sits on your skin so your body looks like whatever your body looks like without it on it doesnt change anything its not spanx the fabrics versatility allows for simplified sizing the brand offers four sizes from extra small to large soon yeung hopes to offer extra large
weve been educated for so long on how our body is supposed to look like i think its time to show that actually we all look different she says yeung adds that as a consumer she has never connected with the way most lingerie companies market their products when i put it on i didnt quite feel like myself because the way they were selling it felt so unreal she says she adds of the decision behind marieyet we always try to tell a story about friendship in our brand imagery
needless to say yeung will not be shilling her wares with a promise of perfection in fact quite the opposite im attracted to imperfections she says the whole collection was inspired in a way by that   its inspired by broken pieces and by the idea of deconstructing a garment something ive always been interested in for her latest collection which debuts exclusively in t yeung explored that idea in a new way in addition to deconstructed garments like the g tang many items are embroidered with a cracked golden line inspired by kintsugi the japanese practice of mending broken pottery with gold according to the philosophy behind kintsugi the piece becomes even more beautiful for having been broken flaws therefore should be celebrated rather than hidden its a fitting reference for an underwear brand thats as likely to be shown off as it is covered says yeung even if youre not wearing it to show people if youre wearing a piece that makes you feel good it can make your day


ask the times a times insider feature draws on new york times expertise to answer questions about current events science sports culture and whatever else is making headlines
a reader asks i noticed that the who overruled the cdc and issued a zika advisory suggesting women in affected areas should delay pregnancy at the same time it ruled that the olympics in brazil should proceed whats the difference between the who and the cdc and which one has more authority
donald g mcneil jr a science writer for the times clears up the confusion
the world health organization cannot overrule the centers for disease control and prevention because they are separate agencies the cdc is a branch of the united states government and answers to the president congress and the courts while the who is a united nations agency and answers to an annual assembly of the worlds health ministers
both make recommendations based on expert advice in general the cdc relies on advice from its internal experts while the who convenes panels of independent experts from around the world
also the who cant rule that the olympics may proceed   that is up to the international olympic committee the who simply said that in its assessment the risks to olympic participants and spectators   with the exception of pregnant women   were likely to be minimal and that it did not agree with those who said the olympics should be canceled
similarly travel alerts issued by both agencies are merely advisory in nature for example both the cdc and the who advise that pregnant women avoid traveling to areas with zika transmission but they cannot prevent a woman from going
to what extent the cdc and the who disagree over suggesting that women delay pregnancy is in some dispute neither agency has held a news conference or issued regulations primarily focused on that important but politically sensitive issue and officials of both agencies get very nervous when it is brought up but both have language buried in their recommendations mentioning it the cdc says as part of counseling with health care providers some women and their partners living in areas with active zika virus transmission might decide to delay pregnancy and the who says on its zika q and a page men and women of reproductive age living in areas where local transmission of zika virus is known to occur should consider delaying pregnancy and follow recommendations including the consistent use of condoms to prevent hiv other sexually transmitted infections and unwanted pregnancies
both agencies disagree with headlines saying that they have specifically advised women to delay pregnancy and emphasize that they are either advising women to consider it or suggesting that women might decide on their own to delay
many doctors in zika transmission areas are strongly recommending that their patients avoid being pregnant   if they can   at least during the height of mosquito season
have a question for ask the times submit it using the form below


welcome to watching the new york timess what to watch guide we comb through releases big and small famous and esoteric to email readers twice a week with our timely recommendations our most recent suggestions also appear below to receive our guide straight to your inbox sign up here
i had a whole other set of shows planned out for todays newsletter but at the last minute i discovered one of my favorite obscure series is actually available on hulu cirque du soleil fire within a canadian documentary series aired in the united states on bravo in 2002 and i have thought of it often and fondly over the last 14 years and now i can watch it again i feel like i have been reunited with a lost love
this is a real in between week   game of thrones and its hbo mates are done for the year but many summer shows arent back yet and ive already finished orange is the new black one cant live on outlander and unreal alone at least i cant
have a thrilling week friends the great british baking show returns on friday did you know theres a spinoff in britain called the great pottery throw down god i hope this comes to the states soon
until then send us your tv and movie questions or just let me know that you too dream of competitive pottery watchingnytimescom
so much happened in sunday nights season 6 finale that its easy to overlook the fact that game of thrones most likely has only 20 or so hours of story left to tell as jeremy egner writes it does make me consider how the sense of mystery will likely begin to dissipate from game of thrones as longtime theories are confirmed and we pivot toward the final clashes its unavoidable as the story begins to contract toward its conclusion
 winter is here and so it seems is satisfaction slates willa paskin writes she argues that the series finally became the show it has tried not to be the one that gives its audience what it wants
 hitfixs alan sepinwall says that he wouldnt be surprised if once ive had some time to sit with it i feel like the winds of winter was the series single best episode
 that theory that everyones been talking about for years was finally confirmed in the seasons last flashback at vulture nate jones tells us why thats so important also the site ranked all 60 episodes of the series which seems time consuming
 at vanity fair joanna robinson doesnt even wait for the episodes body to cool before looking ahead to what might be in store for season 7
try it if you like sports documentaries making of stories and feats of strength watch on hulu
this documentary series is a behind the scenes look at how a cirque du soleil spectacle comes together in 13 half hour episodes the stories become deeply personal veterans worry about their bodies failing newcomers struggle to measure up duos argue over who is more devoted and directors and coaches push and push and push the contortionist is too tired the triple trapeze performers arent bonded enough a singer misses his home in romania
even if you are otherwise not interested in cirque du soleil   hi i get it   this is still an example of that special kind of fascination thats born when skill meets passion plus if youve ever considered a fitness goal of increased flexibility this will be tremendously motivating
... youre the worst returns aug 31 which is almost one million years from now in the meantime you might like
catastrophe an unlikely couple makes a go of things after an unplanned pregnancy racy but humane just like youre the worst i found out recently that some people were so turned off by the abrupt finale of season 1 of catastrophe that they had not tried season 2 yet this is madness do not let one frustrating scene rob you of six more episodes of filthy yet loving hilarity watch on amazon
last man on earth will forte stars as the sorta kinda ringleader of a small group of people whove survived an apocalyptic plague last and worst are not judgmental about their characters sometimes our protagonists behave terribly myopically hurtfully but they live with the consequences of these behaviors both shows also have a hearty appreciation for alcohol watch on hulu
crazy ex girlfriend a musical dark comedy about trying to be the person you wish you were while i get the feeling that gretchen and jimmy would make fun of crazy ex girlfriend the show shares a sexual frankness a skewed perspective on romantic love a seriousness about mental illness and secondary characters that actually could swap shows watch on hulu
... after sundays finale youll have to wait until next year for new episodes   and you might be getting a shorter season in the meantime try these three shows
spartacus four seasons of ancient rome and like game of thrones theres an abundance of swords blood nudity shouting and occasional musings on the nature of power the dialogue isnt as good as say tyrions zingers but the relationships are more clearly established netflix
wolf hall massive heralded books adapted into a sumptuous historical mini series if you ever wish thrones had more political maneuverings and almost no battle scenes behold mark rylance as thomas cromwell and damian lewis as henry viii the innermost circle is hugely dangerous but that powerful ring just outside of it   thats where all the movement really is where the jockeying happens wolf hall is gorgeous and patient and it plays with some of the same ideas about the purpose of religion in the state and limits of loyalty as the recent season of thrones plus hats truly this is the hat wearingest show in history pbs amazon
outsiders a present day drama set in appalachia centered on the conflict between an isolated society in the mountains and the encroaching local town on its face theres nothing really game of thrones about this show except maybe the wigs but both series are about societies at crisis moments when power is up for grabs and panic has eroded traditional processes outsiders is reminiscent of early sons of anarchy which like thrones builds a cultural mythology with a clear set of social rules that attempt to govern sometimes impulsive members amazon
the leftovers watch carnivale which has that woozy eeriness an unusual relationship to death violent religiosity and an elaborate   but never fully articulated   back story about what holds the universe together watch on amazon
jane the virgin watch playing house about two best friends who move back in together when one finds herself pregnant and single this show has tenderness romance and a knowing attitude about pop culture watch on amazon
fargo watch the americans and vice versa deep character dramas with expansive criminal enterprises and all with a quiet understanding that people   even foolish people sad people people youd ignore   are really trying watch fargo on hulu watch the americans on amazon
on monday pbss pov series will show the oscar nominated documentary the look of silence it is a follow up to the act of killing the 2012 film that captured the fantasies and exploits of a prominent official who continues to celebrate his role in a series of mass killings perpetrated in indonesia in 1965 after a coup in the equally haunting the look of silence the director joshua oppenheimer follows a mild mannered optometrist as he confronts his brothers killers from that era some of whom are still in power today while others have become his patients the movies unnerving stillness is nowhere near as disturbing as the unremorseful confessions from the former death squad leaders watch the trailer and read ao scotts review here the movie is also available to stream on netflix   monica castillo
bill cunningham   the new york times fashion photographer who captured trends on the street chronicling the citys ever changing social scene in the process and earning a designation as a living landmark in 2009   died on saturday at the age of 87 richard presss documentary bill cunningham new york follows mr cunningham dressed in his uniform of a blue french workers jacket khaki pants and black sneakers as he pedals around the city on an old bicycle darting into midtown traffic like a war photographer and then retreating into monastic solitude watch on amazon hulu and sundancenow doc club   kathryn shattuck


sam sifton emails readers of cooking seven days a week to talk about food and suggest recipes that email also appears here to receive it in your inbox register here
good morning heres a dispatch from the strange world of attraction and desire its early in the morning coffee cooling in a cup beside me and all i want to do is make melissa clarks recipe for queso fundido with chorizo jalapeno and cilantro then dive into it with a bag of good chips and some ice flecked beer
is that so wrong
or wait maybe grilled pork and peaches would be better fruit for breakfast its a recipe i picked up from the chef francis mallmann who is superfancy but probably wouldnt object if i used canned peaches if there are no fresh ones at the bodega at 8 am   they caramelize nice
what about making florence fabricants recipe for wild salmon sauteed in smoked salmon butter i could put that on a bagel i could pair that with eggs
ive made diner style smash burgers for breakfast before perhaps i should again
some people love to eat shrimp and grits at the top of the day thats cool but what about alexander smallss recipe for smothered shrimp in crab meat gravy on grits instead wouldnt that be intense wouldnt that be a little better
it would be but i wont do it ill eat some yogurt and go to the cube farm and farm some cubes ill eat a sad desk lunch and in the evening - well then ill actually cook and i hope you will too either off my reverie list above or out of the jeweled halls of our cooking database that queso fundido is going to be so great
take a look and see what you see maybe youll want to make three flower roast chicken this evening or on one very soon or grilled fish with horseradish crema or teff polenta with toasted hazelnut oil or a key lime pie
save any recipe that strikes your fancy to your recipe box so you dont lose track of it then cook it and let us know how it all turned out you can rate recipes of course you can leave notes on them as well to help yourself or others down the line and if you run into problems you can always reach out to us for help were at cookingcarenytimescom and standing by
now would you take a gander at these images from turners whaling pictures the j m w turner exhibition at the metropolitan museum of art in new york they called turner a romantic but man theres a lot of chaos and darkness beneath his beautiful light time for work


its a good thing for frog embryos to be able to hatch early suppose theres a drought or some other environmental change that means the growing tadpoles would be better off in the water than in the egg
the timing of hatching is subject to cues from the environment for many species but even among these flexible hatchers the red eyed treefrog stands out it can escape its egg in seconds if threatened by a predator
the frogs normally lay a mass of 40 or so eggs on a twig or leaf over a freshwater pond if all is well the eggs hatch at 6 or 7 days old and the tadpoles fall into the pond
but if the eggs are attacked by a snake or a wasp during the last couple of days of development the embryos can launch early they wriggle out and drop to the water in less than a minute sometimes in less than 10 seconds
karen m warkentin a biologist at boston university who studies the frogs said a snake can gobble up a bunch of eggs at once but wasps can also do severe damage over a couple of days carrying frog embryos back to a nest to feed their young
think bald eagles and salmon but really small she said
the attack even of a wasp causes enough movement to signal danger to the embryos if they are in the last third of their development they can survive on their own so they enter the world early and quickly
dr warkentin and kristina l cohen a phd student in dr warkentins lab and marc a seid a biologist at the university of scranton conducted a number of tests on embryos to determine how they manage early hatching they published their results in the journal of experimental biology
the researchers collected eggs in panama where dr warkentin is affiliated with the smithsonian tropical research institute
once they had them they poked the eggs to signal danger and recorded the actions of the embryos they also used electron microscopy to search for hatching glands common on frogs that emit enzymes to digest the egg membrane
they found that first a blister forms on the egg membrane where the enzymes are digesting it once the membrane is breached the tadpoles thrash their way through the hole
hatching glands are concentrated on the snout of the embryo instead of on top of the head or along the back where the glands are found in other frogs the enzymes from those glands usually soften up the whole membrane over an extended period of time
the red eyed treefrog embryos by contrast sent out a concentrated and directed burst of the enzymes from the snout making a hole to wriggle through
dr warkentin said she didnt know of other frogs with that speed of hatching and that it was extraordinary to think that an embryo could have this defensive ability
it can save its own life she said


on the river maullin chile   eight thousand miles is a long way to go to catch a trout but there i was balancing precariously in a boat on a river in chile having my first lesson in fly fishing the tranquillity of the scene was disturbed only by the gurgling of the water and the murmured instructions of my teacher and my noisy flailing about as i tried to keep my balance while standing up in the boat
it had long been my ambition to go fly fishing it seemed to be a clever game of aqueous cat and mouse alluringly set in tumbling rivers or by the still waters of a mountain lake but where to go there are trout lakes less than an hours drive from my home in london but that lacks romance new zealand canada both popular with the fishing fraternity i chose chile that intriguing stiletto of a country 2653 miles long and an average of 110 miles wide with inhospitable deserts to the north vineyards lakes and rivers in the middle and to the south mighty mountains and glaciers
we stayed in the capital for three days   long enough for my wife to fracture her ankle on one of santiagos rugged sidewalks   before driving south to the lake district on our way to our destination the maullin river near the port city of puerto montt we flew the 430 miles to the city of temuco hired a tank of a toyota and set off on a modest road trip
some of the journey was on rutted dirt roads up and down forested mountainsides in a cloud of dust the rest was on asphalt alongside lakes and rivers with exotic names such as panguipulli and rinihue given to them by the mapuche tribes who lived in the area until the spanish arrived in the 16th century and all against the backdrop of the andes and some of the countrys 2000 volcanoes the lakeside resort towns are distinctly teutonic with timber houses and twin spired churches a reminder that the area was settled by thousands of germans in the mid 19th century their other legacy is kuchen cakes stuffed with fruit and walnuts
then came the fishing i headed for the senda nativa romahue a private nature reserve on the banks of the maullin that had been recommended by a local tour operator 20 dusty miles from the hotel there i met claudio redlich my fishing tutor keen eyed sure of touch skills honed by 35 years of experience
in my minds eye i had seen myself in chest high waders straining against a raging torrent but no we went to a small lagoon - actually more of a big pond - surrounded by thick trees like a mangrove swamp was it what i had come all this way for even to an absolute beginner the spot looked tame
but mr redlich unhitched the boat and poled us toward the low lying forest that surrounds the pond a gap little wider than the boat materialized allowing us to glide silently along through a tunnel of trees
he explained that the maullin flows on a glacial murrain so the trees float on the water in a dense mass if you were to fly over the area the chilean myrtles would look like a solid undergrowth their fragrant white flowers contrasting with the red petals of a parasite creeper called the medalitta
we emerged into what appeared to be another lagoon but was actually the fast moving maullin on its way from its source lake llanquihue to the pacific about 80 miles west
mr redlich spared me any complex discussion about fishing rods   short rods are used on small rivers larger ones on big lakes for example   but he did explain the science of the fly
each one has to look like and behave like an insect something the fish would eat some flies are used with a heavier line so they sink to attract low swimming fish others float lightly on the waters surface he rummaged in a tin of many hued feathered lures and chose the simulator with its reddish body and straw colored spikes
he set me up with a streamer which has dashes of orange and red and he assured me would prove irresistible to the brown and rainbow trout lurking beneath the surface
thats the science what about casting watch me he instructed and sent his line floating off effortlessly in a clean gliding action that landed the fly 30 or 40 feet away just where he intended he caught a trout of course with his second cast
i tried swaying uncertainly in the boat worried that my casting would take out someones eye my attempt ended in an untidy swirl of line that tangled in the air and flopped onto the water where it floated limply
dont flick your wrist he said keep the arm and rod straight and move them as if they are one unit from nine to one oclock then let the energy in the rod cast the line use the line in the free hand to control its flight
i have to confess   though i did not admit it at the time   that this was not strictly speaking my first lesson in the difficult art of casting no i had been taken by a friend to a park in central london where to the puzzlement of dog walkers i spent an hour desperately trying to keep my arm straight not flick my wrist all of the above and failed to catch even a leaf
back on the water i tried again hopeless the ibis patrolling the river honked in derision
we moved downstream because our noise had disturbed the fish i still was not catching a thing not a nibble and my shoulder was beginning to ache from my clumsy casting i took consolation from the pleasure of being on the river disturbed only by the strident call of the chucao a bird considered holy by the huilliche tribe that once lived in the region
but then there was a tug on the line a distinct pull a trout id caught a trout pure elation i reeled it in clumsily surprised at the strength of something that was only about 14 inches long and weighed less than three pounds mr redlich almost as pleased as i was made me pose for a photograph to capture the moment of glory
we then returned the fish to the water   anything less than nine pounds has to be put back
i was ready to quit when there was another tug much more urgent than the first the rod bent alarmingly even i knew it was the big one seven pounds at least i reeled in frantically
but there it went   the one that got away
as we celebrated my debut catch with a beer i realized that fly fishing does not have to be in a foaming river to be a challenge there is the test that comes with choosing the stretch of water where the fish dally the right rod the most suitable fly the correct weight of line thats the science
then there is the beautiful art of casting i asked mr redlich to define how he does it   that effortless unerring movement   but it would have been like asking pablo neruda to parse one of his poems or lionel messi to analyze how he beat five people on his way to scoring a goal
another 35 years should crack it


the cincinnati reds formally retired pete roses no 14 on sunday capping three days of celebrations that filled great american ball park and transported a struggling franchise back to its glory days if only briefly
the reds added roses number to those displayed behind home plate   the 10th number to be retired by baseballs first professional team   before beating san diego 3 0 major league baseball had to approve the ceremony because of roses lifetime ban for betting on his team
it solidifies what ive been saying for many many many years and will continue to say it cincinnati is the baseball capital of the world rose the major leagues career hits leader told the crowd
the only other reds player to wear the number since roses 1989 banishment was his son pete jr who was called up in 1997 to spark interest during an 86 loss season
strasburg goes on injured list washington nationals pitcher stephen strasburg was placed on the 15 day disabled list with an upper back strain after being scratched from his start against the brewers in milwaukee
tanner roark started instead as the nationals won 3 2
strasburg is 10 0 with a 290 era this season
around the majors chris sale struck out seven and became the majors first 13 game winner as the chicago white sox beat visiting toronto 5 2 chris davis hit his seventh career grand slam as host baltimore sent tampa bay to its 11th straight loss 12 5 the indians hit four home runs off justin verlander in one inning as cleveland beat host detroit 9 3 and extended its winning streak to nine jose fernandez struck out 13 and host miami beat the chicago cubs 6 1 ian kennedy struck out 11 as kansas city ended visiting houstons seven game win streak 6 1 st louis hit six homers including two each by matt carpenter and tommy pham to win at seattle 11 6
the family of pat summitt the hall of fame coach who led tennessees womens basketball team to eight national titles asked for prayers as she struggles with early onset dementia
a family statement posted on the pat summitt foundations website said that the last few days had been difficult for summitt and that she was surrounded by loved ones
summitt stepped down as coach at tennessee in 2012 her 1098 career victories are the most for any division i mens or womens basketball coach
mercury 104 liberty 97 candace dupree scored 26 points including 8 in overtime as visiting phoenix beat the liberty 104 97 to end the libertys six game winning streak
tina charles had 26 points for the liberty
simone biles became the first american in more than four decades to win a fourth consecutive national gymnastics championship by cruising to an easy victory in st louis
biles finished with a two day total of 12500 points four ahead of the three time olympic medalist aly raisman
the five woman team for the rio olympics will be selected in two weeks
the 607th ranked billy hurley iii captured his first pga tour title with a two under par 69 at the quicken loans national in bethesda md hurley a united states naval academy graduate who lives in nearby annapolis finished three stokes ahead of vijay singh
tony stewart held off denny hamlin on the final lap to end an 84 race losing streak with a nascar sprint cup series road course victory in sonoma calif


east rutherford nj   lionel messi had the collar of his shirt pulled up to his nose with his eyes peeking out just over the fabric he watched a nightmare unfold
argentina and chile had played 120 minutes of ruthless scoreless soccer on sunday night at metlife stadium penalty kicks would be needed to decide the winner of the 45th copa america up stepped messi widely regarded as the best player in the world to take the first shot for argentina and he missed sending the ball sailing over the crossbar and into the crowd moments later he watched as francisco silva of chile buried a shot inside the left post to give his team a 4 2 shootout win
all of the argentine players hung their heads near the center circle as the chileans erupted in celebration but messi took a slow solitary walk across the grass and took a seat on the far end of his teams bench he stared at the grass as the chilean players bobbed up and down in celebration when he got up again there were tears in his eyes
the emotions boiled over and they carried to the locker room when messi 29 re emerged he suggested shockingly that his national team career was over
in the locker room i thought that the national team was finished for me that its not for me messi said its what i feel right now its a great sadness that it happened to me that i missed penalty kick that was very important its for the good of everybody its not enough to just get to the final and not win
the meeting of argentina and chile in the 45th copa america final was eagerly awaited as an alluring confrontation of two of the finest soccer teams in the world yet the game that materialized had all the charm and beauty of a street brawl
faces puckered in pain and anger studded cleats whipped dangerously in the air aimed at flesh bodies collided with other bodies crumpling and splaying onto the grass
those in the crowd of 82026   the largest soccer crowd in new jersey history   who sought a showcase of sophisticated play were instead treated to a stream of crunching tackles theatrical quarrels disciplinary cards eight yellows two reds
the chileans who defeated the argentines in the same competition last year on chiles home soil will not mind the soreness argentina which has not won a major tournament since 1993 will have a dose of existential despair to accompany the physical pain
before the tournament memories of the teams most recent heartbreaks weighed heavily on messis mind the copa america in 2007 in which the argentines lost a second straight final to their archrival brazil the world cup final in 2014 in which they succumbed to germany in overtime the copa america final in 2015 in which they fell to chile in a penalty shootout add 2016 when chile outlasted them in an unending rumble
its incredible the fact that we cant win it messi said its happened to us again and by penalty kicks its our third consecutive final we tried and it wasnt for us
messi has played 113 times for argentina last week with his 55th goal he became his countrys leading scorer he has won every award and honor imaginable as an individual and with his club team barcelona but if he does not play another international soccer game his glittering resume will have one glaring hole a championship with argentina
the game on sunday had a violent start establishing a fierce tone and amid the constellation of superstars on both teams the referee heber lopes somehow emerged as the center of attention the only credible chance of the first half came in the 22nd minute when gonzalo higuain chipped his shot wide after finding himself one on one with goalkeeper claudio bravo otherwise it was a parade of fouls and cards
marcelo diaz of chile picked up a yellow card in the 16th minute for kicking messi near his midsection twelve minutes later messi and diaz collided after messi had prodded the ball into space on another menacing move and lopes ran over holding a second yellow card for diaz reducing chile to 10 men
two more yellow cards materialized in the 37th minute after a momentary kerfuffle between javier mascherano of argentina and arturo vidal of chile three minutes later messi picked up a yellow card for diving in the 43rd minute marcos rojo of argentina was issued a straight red card after a slide tackle on vidal   even though the challenge looked more poorly timed than malicious
on good days chile is known for its high tempo high pressing defense   a system that can make opposing players feel like fish struggling to swim upstream argentina at its best can embroider long stretches of passing with the nonchalance of a knitting circle but reduced to 10 men apiece the teams resorted to more rudimentary maneuvers
the argentines had scored 18 goals in their previous five games but their strategy on sunday seemed reduced to having messi try to dribble through the chilean defense himself chile controlled possession 54 percent to 46 but was severely outshot 18 4
surrounding the referee trying to sway him to issue cards to opponents became a part of the tactical framework of the game the coaches gerardo martino of argentina and juan antonio pizzi of chile were separated on the sideline at one point
scoring chances emerged as the game wore on even as players legs grew wobbly like boxers swaying seeking a decisive blow in a 12 round bout the two goalkeepers traded athletic saves in a span of minutes in overtime everyone in the stadium   the fans the players the referee   seemed exhausted when the game went to penalty kicks
vidal stepped up first and his shot was saved by keeper sergio romero of argentina then came messi who whacked his attempt several yards over the bar he spent parts of the shootout thereafter on his knees staring at the ground argentinas fourth shooter lucas biglia missed too setting up chiles decisive kick messi watched in despair
theres not much analysis to go over martino said we really had high hopes and now were leaving empty handed
the sellout crowd   thick with fans of argentina dressed in light blue and white speckled throughout with chile supporters in red   represented one last mass spectacle to cap a month of entertaining games in recent days tournament organizers hailed the success of the event specially scheduled for the 100th anniversary of the tournament and held for the first time outside south america for the united states it was a chance to reiterate its capacity to host a future world cup
the competition drew an average of 46119 people per game more than any other copa tournament sunil gulati the president of us soccer last week called those figures world cup numbers for an event organized in seven months with 16 teams the last three world cups drew averages of 53592 49499 and 52609 people per game
the final on sunday played out under a shadow of scandal though with the president of the argentine football association luis segura and several top soccer officials having been criminally charged in a corruption case in argentina only three days before the final game
victor montagliani the new president of concacaf an organizer of the tournament said on sunday that it was something of a miracle that the copa america had been successfully carried out at all the tournament figured prominently in the world soccer corruption case announced by the united states justice department last year requiring the associated contracts for media and marketing rights to be torn up
it was a bit of a rubiks cube to figure it out montagliani said this tournament was dead
the tournament survived but it was anguishing for messi on thursday after the argentina team plane was delayed he criticized the federation on his instagram account calling it a disaster he frustration only grew as the weekend went on through a grueling game against chile until he apparently had enough and stepped away from the team altogether


london   british cultural organizations and prominent figures in theater dance and film reacted with dismay after britain voted to leave the european union but as with many british industries and institutions uncertainty prevails over what withdrawal will mean
people who make their living in the arts had been strong supporters of the remain campaign with a survey of members of the creative industries federation showing that 96 percent backed britains membership in the european union
first time ive ever felt ashamed and embarrassed to be british ... and soon we may have no uk either the choreographer matthew bourne posted on twitter on friday referring to the possibility of another referendum on independence for scotland which voted overwhelmingly to stay within the european union canada tweeted josie rourke the artistic director of the donmar warehouse a london theater
michael ryan the chairman of the independent film and television alliance said in a statement on friday that the decision was a major blow to the uk film and tv industry
this decision has just blown up our foundation   as of today we no longer know how our relationships with co producers financiers and distributors will work whether new taxes will be dropped on our activities in the rest of europe or how production financing is going to be raised without any input from european funding agencies he added
between 2007 and 2015 a european union program provided nearly 145 million to britains film television and games industry according to an open letter published by a number of british film producers last tuesday
the money helps finance production budgets distribution and film festivals co production a relatively straightforward endeavor governed by a european convention could become a far more complicated legal process the british exit from the european union is likely to affect the subsidies that both british and cinemas on the continent receive to show films from member countries
dance is also likely to be severely affected alistair spalding the artistic director of sadlers wells theater a major dance house in london said the theater had received about 550000 from the european union program over the past five years
the money is for collaborative projects that involve cross european relationships mr spalding said these are important and enhance our programs but are also part of bigger pan european collaborations that are now unlikely to happen
mr spalding said the extent to which visas and work permits would become a problem was unclear
dance companies are extremely multinational and at the moment no one from europe needs anything to perform in britain he said i suspect at some point there is going to be a process for work permits and that is a big burden of time and cost and is a discouraging factor it may be that directors are simply unable to employ the people they want
he added that economic uncertainty was another major concern for sadlers wells and dance in general we are very dependent on donors and 90 percent of our income is vulnerable to economic ups and downs so that is actually a big worry mr spalding said
in a recent interview nicholas serota the director of the tate art museums mentioned that he too was worried about the impact that a withdrawal from the european union might have on the tates ability to employ the best curators from all over europe
it is too early to say how the result of the referendum will affect tate he said in a statement on friday however our mission remains unaffected and tate has a responsibility to promote public interest in modern and contemporary art from across the world
the office of john whittingdale the secretary of state for culture media and sport who openly supported britains exit from the european union declined an interview request on friday


bedeviled by dwindling attendance and criticism from fans about their ticketing policies the yankees are entering into a partnership with stubhub a longtime nemesis to take over the yankees ticket exchange from ticketmaster according to a person familiar with the negotiations
details were to be released monday at a news conference the agreement will begin immediately and run through the 2022 season according to people close to the negotiations sources close to the deal requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about it
the yankees have long accused stubhub a nationwide ticket resale broker of undercutting the value of their tickets by making cheap tickets available on the secondary market the yankees in turn have been accused of making their tickets too expensive
with the yankees scuffling average attendance has fallen to over 8000 below their mark for 2010 when the yankees were defending champions
beyond feeling uninspired by the yankees play some fans have been angered by their ticket policies the teams decision this season to enact mobile ticketing and do away with print at home tickets was seen as a shot at stubhub
the ban on print at home tickets made it more cumbersome to buy tickets through stubhub and forced some fans who had trouble with mobile ticketing to wait in lines to resolve their problems now it seems the yankees have turned to an old foe for help billy witz


there were scores of men and women some uninhibited by cares or much clothing dancing to pulsing beats on a sunny sunday afternoon along fifth avenue revving motorcycle engines and honking horns drowned out the cheers of the swelling crowds that lined a two mile route that started in midtown manhattan and reached down to the west village
but soon the jubilant procession gave way to what looked like an apparition a shuffling contingent of figures dressed in all white veiled in gauzy fabric and wearing placards with names and faces they represented the 49 people gunned down this month at a gay nightclub in orlando fla
the new york city gay pride march on sunday reflected the events evolution over more than four decades from a defiant protest by a marginalized community into a freewheeling day that included a presidential candidate and other political leaders floats from major corporations and a diverse crowd that extended beyond members of the citys lesbian gay bisexual and transgender community the new york police departments marching band was there too and played ymca by the village people
but the numerous tributes to the shooting victims in orlando including a float at the front of the march carrying the owner of the club served as a reminder of the parades history as a moment each year for the gay community to celebrate its identity in the face of violence and adversity
its a much more emotional day for me than just a parade said michael leb 76 who teared up as he reflected on a time not that long ago when there was less acceptance of gay people and some companies would not hire them much less march with them
its just that everybody is with us mr leb said i remember when we were treated as less than third class citizens its a young world and those who are young will bring even greater change
officials believed the crowds surpassed the 16 million who attended last year and 30000 of them were marchers making up 484 contingents the police department also had stepped up its presence with thousands of officers stationed at barricades and directing traffic watching from the rooftops above and in plainclothes on the ground
whenever we talk about new york values were talking about respect and inclusion of all people mayor bill de blasio a democrat told reporters before the parade this will not just be a celebration of love but a rejection of hatred this is new york saying we believe in tolerance for everyone
the theme this year was equality needs you the world now is different from the one in which the first march took place in 1970 called christopher street liberation day and held a year after the rebellion prompted by police harassment at the stonewall inn in a signal of that evolution president obama declared the bar in greenwich village and the area surrounding it a national monument and with it created a unit of the national park service dedicated to the gay rights movement
but advocates said that the gay lesbian bisexual and transgender community in the united states still faced discrimination and violence and that gay people in other countries faced far dire circumstances
i am one of the few lucky ones who made it here to safety said subhi nahas one of the marchs three grand marshals and a refugee from syria who has testified at the united nations about the islamic states persecution of gay people
the march also included a group that called itself gays against guns whose members lay on the pavement at various points along the route for a so called die in the group urged stricter gun control laws and condemned the national rifle association which according to one poster the group said should sashay away borrowing a catchphrase from rupauls drag race
poot rojamasiri opted for an outfit more muted than what some others were wearing a tan polo and green shorts with a small rainbow sticker on his arm he said he had considered dressing in drag but decided against it
i have fear to express myself said mr rojamasiri who is from bangkok my mom back home told me just do not go crazy
but others said the event was a rare place where they felt enveloped in acceptance today i feel just really proud of who i am said logan a 20 year old transgender man who has been transitioning for the past two years he declined to give his surname because his family was not supportive of his transitioning
katie graubart 17 and helaina ross 16 stood on the corner of fifth avenue and east ninth street waving rainbow flags
love overpowers all helaina said just look at the streets   theyre lined with people who all support love and being who you are
john burris 74 has attended about 30 pride marches over the years he came out at 18 and moved to new york around the time of the stonewall uprising
this acceptance may be too late for me mr burris said but im so grateful that its available to all these young people
he became emotional as he recalled the turbulence that had to be endured before reaching the point where the community is now he said he had lost 75 friends to aids after they died we had to decide what to do with the bodies he said wed call the parents and some of them just hung up on us i put their ashes in the hudson river and the grand canyon
mr burris used to come to the march with his partner who died 12 years ago he imagined that his partner could not have fathomed what the parade had become and how the world had changed
we had no idea the beauty that would be here today mr burris said rubbing the goose bumps on his arms


omaha   ryan lochte was off to a rough start at the united states olympic trials even before he climbed on the blocks sunday night for the second step in his defense of his olympic gold medal in the 400 meter individual medley
the nonstop american airlines flight that lochte and his swimmac teammates had taken from north carolina had encountered cabin pressurization problems the plane flew below 10000 feet for several minutes before the pilots made an emergency landing in kansas city mo
instead of arriving here thursday at 3 pm lochte and his teammates pulled into their downtown hotel in two vans around midnight it made for a long traveling day but provided perfect preparation for the inconveniences that the swimmers are likely to encounter if they qualify for the games in rio de janeiro
lochte 31 a three time olympian and 11 time medalist who had the worlds second best time last year in the 200 meter individual medley had not planned to defend his 400 im title he figured his winning effort at the london games of 4 minutes 518 seconds the second fastest time in history was a fitting finale
like shoveling snow the 400 im is a physically taxing activity best left to the youth the proof was in the composition of the field sunday at centurylink center the 94 men averaged 195 years old the youngest was 14 year old carson foster who finished 43rd in the heats the oldest by two years was lochte who qualified second in the first step of his title defense he finished 12 hundredths of a second behind the preliminaries pacesetter chase kalisz whom lochte afterward described as a young buck
kalisz 22 has trained for the past several years most recently at arizona state with michael phelps the only swimmer to have finished faster than lochte in the event
lochte channeled phelps in the first half of the final taking the butterfly out fast and extending his lead on the backstroke leg
but kalisz made his move on the third leg bettering lochte by more than four seconds in the breaststroke and won going away in 40954 jay litherland 20 from georgia passed a fading lochte on the freestyle leg to secure the second and final olympic berth with a personal best of 41102 lochte was third in 41202
were going to have our two best guys in that event in the olympics representing the usa said lochte who revealed that he had pulled his groin muscle on the breaststroke leg of his morning race
he said the injury had forced him to start hard in the final with the hope he could build an unbeatable lead by the time he got to the breaststroke leg where the injury rendered his kick ineffectual
lochte never considered skipping the final he said at his age he was perhaps tempting fate in swimming the race at all
im sure someone in their 30s could do it if they could get the motivation to do the training but thats tough said kaliszs coach bob bowman he added theres only so long you can sustain that kind of work
kaliszs time was the second best in the world this year behind kosuke haginos 40885 hagino and a fellow japanese swimmer daiya seto who has clocked a 41053 had pushed lochte to enter the event david marsh who coaches lochte at swimmac in charlotte nc appealed to lochtes patriotism telling him that if he was the best swimmer to have on the blocks for the united states then he ought to swim
generation next had other ideas and when its leader kalisz climbed out of the water phelps was on the deck to hug him   twice
he told me he was proud of me and it was a very emotional moment kalisz said michael has been like an older brother to me that i never had and hes been the one guy that i have looked up to my entire life
phelps who turns 31 this week had qualified to compete in the 400 im at the olympics three times doing so in 2012 despite a training regimen that was less than diligent he finished fourth at the london games with a time more than five seconds slower than his winning effort of 2008 when lochte mentioned to him this year that he was thinking about taking the 400 im out of mothballs and adding it to his trials program phelps was blunt he said
i just said to him if youre going to swim it you better train because you cant do it without it trust me phelps said saturday he added theres no way to hide in that race
phelpss words proved prophetic
i did everything i could in that race lochte said it just wasnt enough just got to forget about it
how will his injury affect his performance the rest of the week i dont know lochte said im just going to have to keep working on it and hopefully it gets better


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a chinese owned container ship cosco shipping panama on sunday became the first commercial vessel to successfully cross the panama canals newly expanded locks a historic achievement that panama hopes will keep the canal as relevant in this century as it was in the last
panama built the expanded locks without help from other governments because the newer ships that increasingly carry the worlds cargo are too large to fit in the old canal
seventy heads of state were invited to watch cosco shippings inaugural passage through the canals six massive locks   three on the atlantic side where the ship entered shortly after dawn and three on the pacific side where the dignitaries patiently waited
much of the ships transit was televised live to the nation and the world once the container ship successfully entered the first lock in mostly sunny calm conditions its passage was halted for speeches sermons and exchanges of memorabilia panamanians who went to watch the maiden passage cheered and bands played
as the ship made its way through the atlantic locks a serious accident   not related to the operation of the expanded canal   occurred near the pacific side of the isthmus in the common waterway shared by ships passing through the old canal the accident involving a tugboat and an unidentified small ship did not occur inside the old canals locks
the canal authority said in a statement that 21 people had received medical attention including four who were injured seriously enough to be taken by ambulances to a private hospital the four were in stable condition and the cause of the accident was under investigation according to the statement
accidents of this severity are uncommon at the canal which has operated with rarely a false note for more than a hundred years
the expanded canal opened amid questions about its long term viability due to water availability and changes in shipping patterns it opened nearly two years late missing the 100th anniversary of the opening of the original canal which was built by the united states president jimmy carter signed a treaty in 1977 turning the canal over to the panamanians although the actual transfer did not occur until 1999
the ultimate cost of the project is not yet known because contractors have filed claims against the canal authority for an additional 34 billion   more than the cost of the original lock expansion project a consortium of companies from spain italy belgium and panama won the contract with a 31 billion bid   a billion less than the second lowest bid


a superb performance by eden hazard guided belgium to a 4 0 victory over hungary in toulouse france and a place in the quarterfinals at the european championships
defender toby alderweireld opened the scoring with a header in the 10th minute after poor marking by the hungary defense but belgium had to wait until the closing stages of the game to secure a convincing victory behind hazard at the stadium de toulouse
hazard surged past a group of hungary defenders on the left side before supplying a perfect low cross for michy batshuayi to steer home in the 78th minute just two minutes after batshuayi had entered the game
hazard followed up almost immediately with a spectacular goal breaking down the left on another counterattack before cutting inside skipping past three hungary defenders and curling a shot into the bottom right corner
yannick ferreira carrasco scored the fourth goal in stoppage time as belgium set up a meeting with wales
belgium stretched hungarys defense on numerous occasions with its creative attacking play with hazard and kevin de bruyne pulling the strings de bruyne hit the crossbar with a free kick in the 35th minute and was denied several times by goalkeeper gabor kiraly
belgium goalkeeper thibaut courtois nearly gifted hungary a goal when he slipped while trying to control a back pass in the first half luckily for courtois the ball trickled out for a corner kick


jose reyes put his head down as he left the on deck circle strode toward home plate and dug in his spikes in the batters box as he did many in the capacity crowd at mcu park in coney island rose to their feet and welcomed him with a familiar chant
jooooo se jo se jo se jo se they serenaded reyes just as they once had at shea stadium and citi field putting a mets centric twist on the familiar ole soccer chant
the cheer even if it did not ring throughout the entire stadium washed over reyes like a wave of relief
reyes who signed a minor league contract with the mets returned a contrite and humbled figure on sunday when he made his debut for the class a brooklyn cyclones a pit stop on his return to the mets in the next week or so
suspended through may by major league baseball and then cut loose by the colorado rockies after he was arrested last year on charges   later dropped   of assaulting his wife reyes had not been sure what to expect even in a forgiving cocoon not far from where he had reached his heights as a four time all star shortstop
it was amazing reyes said speaking to about 25 members of the news media afterward i have to be honest with you guys i was a little bit nervous there i was a little bit emotional
included in the overflow crowd of 7851 about a third of whom had bought tickets since reyess signing was announced were mets general manager sandy alderson and reyess wife katherine and their three young girls
reyes was hitless in three at bats against the hudson valley renegades and played six innings at third base the position he is most likely to play for the mets alderson who did not speak to reporters after the game said earlier that reyes would play for brooklyn again on monday and would then play either for class aa binghamton or class aaa las vegas trips that are complicated because both teams are on the road
but those logistics seemed beside the point for reyes
he repeatedly referred to the domestic violence episode in which he was accused of grabbing his wife and shoving her into a sliding glass door at a hotel in hawaii as a huge mistake he said he would continue counseling which has been mandated by major league baseball and he apologized to his wife his family and his fans
he also repeatedly expressed his gratitude to jeff wilpon the mets chief operating officer and to alderson for taking him back
im going to do everything that i can to try to get better not only as a person but on the field reyes said like i said whatever the team needs me to do im going to be open to do it im home im happy
as fans lined up outside the ballpark on a sea breezy sun kissed afternoon there were a good number who dressed for the occasion with reyes t shirts or jerseys brian barruch was wearing a t shirt with reyess name and number 7 on the back that his older brother had long ago outgrown kevin hold asked where his home white no 7 mets jersey had been quipped in mothballs
hold said that fans would welcome reyes back as long as he showed contrition he noted that the yankees alex rodriguez and milwaukees ryan braun were no longer the pariahs they had seemed to be after they served suspensions for using performance enhancing drugs and that mets fans had welcomed lenny dykstra at a recent reunion after his jail sentence
new york fans   yeah well give you a second chance hold said but you know as well as i do if you dont produce were going to boo you
diane haussermann holding her young sons hand as they stood in line said she had mixed feelings about reyess return because of the domestic violence episode hell be under a microscope haussermann said the fans will be forgiving but they wont forget
phil alessi who had a mets tattoo on his neck and wore an interlocking ny earring in his right ear and a mets script earring in his left ear bought 10 tickets to the game he was also holding onto hope that reyes would light a spark under the mets moribund offense
hes paid his dues hes entitled to a second chance alessi said the mets play with no enthusiasm we have no running game whatsoever the first time he goes from first to third or first to home hes going to bring that spark back im psyched
there were few signs on sunday that that would happen
reyes struck out on a foul tip cued a grounder to third base and reached in his final at bat on a windblown pop up reyes took his lead in familiar fashion hands on his knees edging away from the bag but he stayed anchored there
his day in the field was just as mundane he caught two pop ups and fielded a ground ball cleanly
the only thing i saw today was hes too quick cyclones coach edgardo alfonzo a former mets third baseman said after reyes had taken ground balls during batting practice its called the hot corner   the ball is going to get to you faster you just have to slow down
what reyes did display was a familiar joie de vivre he flipped a couple of baseballs into the stands at the end of an inning and pointed to left fielder enmanuel zabala and applauded him after a diving catch
reyes admitted that he had not been so happy when he was traded to colorado last season and that it had affected his performance his agent peter greenberg said he had tried in the past to get reyes traded to the mets
reyes said he would not steal 60 bases or hit 20 triples numbers he once approached regularly   lets not get too crazy he said   but that he was aware of doubters
its funny when i see people say oh he cant play anymore  reyes said sounding as if he had plenty to offer   and to prove


economy
on monday janet l yellen chairwoman of the federal reserve will be among those at the european central banks annual gathering of economists and central bankers in sintra portugal officially the high level thinkers and policy makers will be discussing macroeconomic policy and financial regulation at the three day meeting but its a safe bet that the buzz will be about the implications of britains vote to leave the european union which some blame partly on poor crisis management in the eurozone mario draghi the president of the european central bank is scheduled to speak tuesday morning and ms yellen will be on a panel wednesday afternoon jack ewing
banking
the federal reserve will tell the nations largest banks on wednesday whether they passed or failed their annual stress tests the 33 largest banks learned last week how they broadly performed when the fed announced the first round of test results but on wednesday they will find out whether they got a passing or failing grade and whether they will be able to follow through with their plans to distribute money to shareholders through dividends and share buybacks most of the banks did well on the first round of tests which has many analysts expecting that the banks will win approval for their distribution plans nathaniel popper
technology
yahoo will hold its annual shareholder meeting on thursday there are no big questions on the ballot since the company avoided a threatened proxy fight in april after agreeing to appoint four directors chosen by the starboard value hedge fund to the board still executives and board members are likely to face questions from restive stockholders about yahoos slow progress in selling its core internet business even as that business continues to deteriorate final bids are due in early july with verizon and several private equity consortia remaining top contenders vindu goel
pharmaceuticals
last year jardiance became the first modern diabetes drug to demonstrate in a clinical trial that it could reduce deaths from heart attacks and other cardiovascular causes on tuesday a committee of expert advisers to the food and drug administration will discuss whether those results can be included in the drugs label if so that could give a big boost to sales of the product which is sold jointly by eli lilly and company and boehringer ingelheim
like other drugs for type 2 diabetes jardiance also known as empagliflozin was allowed onto the market based on its ability to lower blood sugar not to reduce complications of diabetes
in documents released on friday the fda said there were various shortcomings in the data from the trial for instance jardiance did not reduce the risk of nonfatal heart attacks and strokes and the study was not designed to measure its effect on heart failure still the staff acknowledged that looking only at death from cardiovascular causes the drug was effective we believe these documents should be a relief vamil k divan an analyst at credit suisse who follows lilly said in a note on friday andrew pollack
airlines
ever since united merged with continental in 2010 their flight attendants have been operating as if they still work for two separate airlines   pre merger united flight attendants can only work on legacy united planes and former continental flight attendants work exclusively on continental planes the divided work force has led to operational challenges including flight delays but the association of flight attendants the union representing those employees said it had reached a preliminary deal with the airline on friday union leaders will meet in chicago on monday and tuesday to finalize the contract before it is sent to the companys 25000 flight attendants for a vote on its final approval annalyn kurtz
bond financing
on friday puerto rico is expected to default on scheduled debt payments totaling 19 billion its biggest and most consequential default to date in april the islands legislature gave governor alejandro garcia padilla the power to declare a debt moratorium and to bar creditors from suing to get their money it is not clear that the law is constitutional
some of puerto ricos creditors are still trying to negotiate debt restructuring in washington legislation to give puerto rico debt relief has passed the house of representatives and was expected to be taken up by the senate this week but it is unclear if that will happen by friday the bill would bar creditor lawsuits and give puerto rico certain restructuring powers normally available only in bankruptcy it would also establish a federal oversight board for the island mary williams walsh


wimbledon england   wimbledon a movie released 12 years ago was a romantic comedy about a british tennis player on the verge of retirement who finds love and then unlikely success at the tournament
over the past four months marcus willis a 25 year old from slough england has starred in a real life version of the film all but re enacting its implausible plot points on the way to his unlikely spot in the wimbledon main draw scheduled to begin monday
willis ranked 775th before the qualifying tournament had nearly given up on his dreams of reaching wimbledon and was planning to move to philadelphia where offers of coaching jobs were waiting
i was adamant i was going to go to america to coach willis said i had called up someone about the visa   and then i met a girl she basically told me i was an idiot and that i should keep going and im very grateful for that
shortly before he had planned to leave in february willis met jennifer bate a dentist and a mother of two bate said she was out on the town with a cousin as each tried to shake off wrong relationships that had just ended
we just met and honestly it was a blur after that bate said we went on a little walk to get some fresh air before wed get a cab he said im meant to be going to america soon and i was like what you cant go to america the night we met i said youve just met me you cant just move to america i said it jokingly and then he told me he was a tennis player i thought yeah right whatever 
after experiencing what she called love at first sight bate rushed home to tell her mother she had met the one and willis postponed his plans to leave england with bates encouragement willis rededicated himself to tennis despite having endured injuries and financial hardships in recent years in 2014 struggling with touring expenses willis had started a crowdfunding campaign seeking support in getting to his childhood dream tournament
in 2016 he had played only one event a january tournament in tunisia at the lowest rung of sanctioned professional tennis earning just 356 but his falling atp ranking was just high enough to get him the last direct entry into a wimbledon qualifying wild card playoffs for british players once there he won three matches to reach the tournaments main qualifying event
though british wild cards often prove to be overmatched cannon fodder in the qualifying tournament willis played with confidence in his first match against the 99th ranked yuichi sugita willis came back from losing the first set 6 1 to notch his first career victory over a top 100 opponent with his unorthodox left handed barrage of chunked slices and serve and volley willis continued his winning ways in the next two matches beating the russians andrey rublev and daniil medvedev and becoming the first british player to reach the wimbledon singles main draw through qualifying since 2008 by doing so he guaranteed himself prize money of at least 30000 british pounds
andy murray who ended 77 years without a british mens singles champion at wimbledon when he won here in 2013 had practiced with willis at the davis cup years earlier and called williss qualifying a really cool story
hes an awkward player has got quite a different sort of game style murray said serve and volleys a little bit hes got really good touch good volleys puts a lot of slice on his slice backhand quite a spinny forehand hes quite an unusual player
those unnerving unconventional weapons were on display when willis made his previous best career run to the quarterfinals of a challenger level tournament in knoxville tenn in 2014 there willis also gained notice for his tubby physique which inspired one facebook heckler to call him cartman after eric cartman the corpulent cartoon 10 year old from south park
willis embraced the nickname and while he is still bulkier than many in the sport he has dropped 55 pounds he still readily pokes fun at himself
its good banter i enjoy it he said
if he wins his opening round match monday against the 53rd ranked ricardas berankis on court 17 a possible second round encounter with the seven time champion roger federer looms
his weekend at wimbledon playing among the games best   i saw djokovic earlier and my jaw dropped im going to act cool and pretend its all normal now he said   has proved equally invigorating
im delighted but it makes me realize i want it week in week out now he said ive got to keep working keep my head down and get on with it
bate who was unable to cancel her monday dental patients appointments will follow his first round match from afar she said she believed she would have many more opportunities to watch willis continue toward a hollywood ending
something in his mind has just clicked and hes ready now she said hes taking it all in and hes got plenty more in him


american officials struggling to reimagine their strategy after britains decision to divorce the european union say the most urgent challenge will be to find a way to replace their most reliable sympathetic partner in the hallways of european capitals it will not be easy
no country shares washingtons worldview quite the way britain does they say it has long been the united states most willing security ally most effective intelligence partner and greatest enthusiast of the free trade mantras that have been a keystone of americas internationalist approach and few nations were as willing to put a thumb as firmly on the scales of european debates in ways that benefit the united states
now that quiet diplomatic leverage   including moderating european trade demands and strong arming nations to contribute more to nato military missions   is suddenly diminished
even if britain eventually regains its influence on the continent a big if it will be deeply distracted for years moreover the loss of britains strong voice in europe comes at a particularly bad moment just as the united states and its allies are debating how to handle a revanchist russia and reinvigorate nato hurry along an american european trade pact that has been languishing and work through a diplomatic settlement in syria that could relieve the migrant crisis in europe
when vladimir putin is cheering david miliband the former british foreign minister said on meet the press sunday then you know you have got a problem in the international system
and then of course there is the threat of the islamic state which has found in europe a new battlefield one in which the development and sharing of intelligence seamlessly is critical
addressing those challenges was daunting enough american officials say in the face of the tenor of the american presidential campaign particularly donald j trumps questioning of whether alliances are worth it if allies are not willing to pay more for american protection
but now with britains exit called brexit whatever passed for long term plans   a europe that gradually takes a greater role in its region and the middle east as america devotes more attention to asia   are imperiled
like the arab spring the result of britains referendum took washington by surprise as late as early last week there was something between a hope and an assumption that the vote would go the other way as secretary of state john kerry said in rome on sunday as a result there was no serious planning for the all consuming work of reimagining the european relationship a task that will face president obama for the next six months and his successor for years to come
mr kerry usually the optimist sounded almost downbeat as he arrived in italy he did not make any references to a shriveled europe as one of his top aides did in a conversation over the weekend but he made clear that european allies are also going to have to rethink their relationships with the united states
twenty two of the nations in the eu are members of nato he said less than a minute into his meeting with his italian counterpart paolo gentiloni he warned that the most critical step was to work together to provide as much continuity as much stability as much certainty as possible to protect the values and interests that we share in common
the problem is that no one shares those values and interests quite the way the british do a belief that no american diplomat would utter in public for fear of offending other members of the european union but british officials who have been at the center of that daily interaction say the concern goes both ways
i worry that we will have less clout on our own in the future we wont have as much influence on europes response to putins transgressions irans nuclear ambitions or the eus foreign and security policy said peter westmacott one of britains most experienced diplomats and until january ambassador to the united states and we will be less able to ensure it is us friendly
he added that without britains direct involvement europe was likely to be less enthusiastic about free trade
still mr westmacott noted that we should be able to cooperate much as in the past on counterterrorism on intelligence on cyber and on military issues assuming that our economy does not shrink too much as markets investors and the scots take stock of thursdays outcome
all of which raises the question if britain can no longer play that indispensable role for washington surely there is another country that can perhaps but it is hard to think of who
it is not a role germany has shown a real willingness to step into its post world war ii ethos still holds it back from committing combat forces and it is not a member of the inner circle of intelligence sharing called the five eyes a club made up of the anglo victors of world war ii the other three are canada australia and new zealand a lengthy negotiation to improve the intelligence relationship last year ended with only modest changes
for all of its cooperation with the united states on a variety of issues germany still harbors deep suspicions of the united states that were fueled by the revelations from edward j snowden the former national security agency contractor including the american surveillance of chancellor angela merkels cellphone conversations
and american officials were shocked recently when germanys foreign minister frank walter steinmeier warned that recent nato exercises to deter russia from thinking about destabilizing poland and the baltic members of the military alliance amounted to saber rattling and warmongering
france has also not been as natural a fit with the united states as britain while relations have changed drastically since the george w bush administration paris often goes its own way including its recent strategy for restarting israeli palestinian talks the italians for their part are too broke the netherlands is too small and poland does not yet have the clout of older nato members
moreover there is a question of leadership
british leaders were the europeans most closely aligned with the american negotiating position in the major trade and investment deal being hashed out between the united states and some of its largest trading partners
when mr obama visited london in april he warned voters that britain would be excluded from the deal if it left the bloc and would go to the end of the queue for its own bilateral trade agreement but the united states would also lose britains voice in moderating europes trade demands
the intelligence challenges created by brexit are more subtle bilateral cooperation will continue as tightly or more tightly than ever to try to prevent terrorism but the hope that britain could improve intelligence sharing among the major european powers   something that is sorely needed   is most likely dashed even as terrorism threats have risen
over a lunch near the white house a few weeks ago a senior intelligence official said the obvious solution to intelligence gaps was a far more powerful pan european intelligence service
it is hard to imagine a new intelligence institution however without mi 6 and gchq   the british equivalents of the cia and the nsa   playing a lead role and given britains likely preoccupation with the brexit fallout it is far from clear how high a priority a new intelligence organization or a rethinking of nato strategy would be for britain
there is a counterargument that britain could emerge as a stronger security partner for the united states that it will value its role in nato and other institutions all the more
adm james stavridis who served as the 16th supreme allied commander in europe and is the dean of the fletcher school of law and diplomacy at tufts university presented that view in an article in foreign policy he said that a new british government will presumably be a very motivated nato partner
now that it has chosen to become a relatively marginal economic player on the international stage he continued it will have to look for new ways to demonstrate value in its partnership with the united states if it hopes to maintain anything like the special relationship it has become accustomed to and dependent on
but even if britain seeks a more active role in nato it may not be accepted as one by its other members britain has often been referred to as an american puppet   with other states noting that former prime minister tony blair followed mr bush into iraq with few questions
there is nothing permanent about political unions and alliances of course and some argue that britains departure from the european union is not necessarily a calamity for washington
as james f jeffrey a former american diplomat in the middle east and simon henderson of the washington institute wrote last week the us and uk were bosom allies for 30 years before britain joined the eu
but part of what made the special relationship special in an era of global diplomacy was britains ability to act for washington with the europeans to bridge the gap now as one white house official put it the bridge has been wiped out by a surge that few predicted


sure hamilton may have a pulitzer prize 11 tony awards and an international following but does it have two upper west siders of a certain age kvetching for an audiences entertainment and pranking celebrity guests with inordinate amounts of tuna fish
theres only one show presumably that will be able to boast those qualifications next season and thats oh hello on broadway which will bring those humorous kibitzers gil faizon and george st geegland   actually the aged alter egos of the comedians nick kroll and john mulaney   to the lyceum theater for a limited run this fall
mr kroll of tvs kroll show and the league and mr mulaney saturday night live who have been playing gil and george in live shows since the mid 2000s were expected to announce the broadway run of oh hello on sunday night
the comedians said in a telephone interview that the aspiration to bring these adenoidal self deluded characters to broadway arose only in the last couple of years and never appeared to be totally plausible
it seemed like the perfect most ridiculous thing to happen mr kroll said adding the only two people who were sure that they should be on broadway were george and gil
but step by step they built their path starting with appearances in 2015 at the 92nd street y and the ryman auditorium in nashville followed by the off broadway presentation of oh hello at the cherry lane theater where it had a sold out run later that year
reviewing that production for the new york times ben brantley wrote that these sour crotchety guys are best savored in large doses
mr kroll and mr mulaney dont so much portray gil and george as allow themselves to be taken over by them as if by dybbuks he wrote
a national tour followed during which its stars continued to tinker with the show which loosely follows the crisis that gil and george face when they lose the rent controlled status on their apartment
mr mulaney and mr kroll were coy about exactly what has been changed or updated in the show
to the annoyance of george and gil theyve learned their lines and they dont want to learn new lines mr kroll said
mr mulaney said they locked the show in 1989 were begging them to update the references
mr kroll added their main request is showgirls and we havent quite figured out how to tell them that the union has made it clear that they will not provide any showgirls for a george and gil production
oh hello on broadway will begin performances at the lyceum on sept 23 the shows press representatives said its opening night is planned for oct 10 and its limited run is scheduled to conclude after jan 8
alex timbers peter and the starcatcher bloody bloody andrew jackson who served as a creative consultant for the off broadway show will be the director of the broadway production the fact that mr timbers is also directing a broadway adaptation of frozen the disney musical was of particular delight to mr mulaney and mr kroll
it would be like if you had two movies opening and they were like the godfather and a snuff film mr mulaney said
what wont change about oh hello they said was its too much tuna segment in which audience members and celebrities including past guests like bill hader and marcia clark are brought onstage and given enormous quantities of tuna fish
as they prepare for broadway mr mulaney said there are whole conference calls where tuna is discussed in serious tones with award winning set designers and prop masters and stage managers and thats one of the greatest joys


bagdanda nepal   from a pasture high in the himalayas tulsingh rokaya 55 a shepherd watched for years as the number of itinerant harvesters swelled
they came in search of what is known as caterpillar fungus or yarsagumba in nepali a parasitic fungus it forms out of the head of ghost moth larvae living in the soil at altitudes above 10000 feet and has been used as an aphrodisiac for at least a thousand years earning it the nickname himalayan viagra
in the 1980s the pickers used to trade the fungus for cigarettes and noodles but as yarsagumba grew in popularity it exploded into a multibillion dollar industry spanning china singapore and the united states
during the picking season which runs from late may to july the number of harvesters in bagdanda and two neighboring camps has often reached several thousands of people but this season with the fungus becoming scarce the number is down to the hundreds
they still hike from a camp below carrying metal picks to dig out the fungus helping to produce an average regional harvest of 135 tons a year occasionally they stop at mr rokayas tent to buy sheeps curd most of the time they pass through teetering on a steep hillside where they spend the morning hunched over to find the funguss crooked black stem poking through the dirt
folklore has it that interest in the fungus stems from the startling performance of chinese runners at an international track meet in 1993 which their coach attributed to their consumption of a soup combining the fungus with turtle blood western competitors suspected something less exotic namely performance enhancing drugs
with prices topping 50000 a pound in chinas coastal megacities harvesting of the fungus has helped to curb endemic poverty in the himalayas which stretch across nepal northern india bhutan tibet and china for hundreds of thousands of people living in remote villages selling yarsagumba has become a primary source of income
a study by nepals central bank found that harvesters earned an average of about 2500 or 56 percent of their yearly income selling the fungus money from yarsagumba has given some of the worlds most impoverished people access to electricity hospital care and education
the whole tibetan plateau is by now completely dependent on the cash influx said daniel winkler a mycologist who has studied the caterpillar fungus extensively in tibet he estimated that over one million people in tibet sell the fungus
but as quickly as demand for the fungus has surged its supply has dropped sharply mycologists studying the fungus point to overharvesting as one reason but another possible cause some researchers now believe is a warmer ecosystem precipitated by climate change a phenomenon that may be more acute at higher altitudes
there are strong theoretical reasons as to why we might expect the rate of climate change to be faster higher up in the mountains than it is at sea level said nicholas pepin a geographer at the university of portsmouth in england
some of the most compelling data comes from the tibetan plateau where from 2001 to 2012 the increase in temperatures was between half a degree fahrenheit and nearly an entire degree at weather stations above 10000 feet in the same decade global temperatures rose by only about 02 degrees
scientists say it is unclear why mountain ranges may be warming more rapidly than other parts of the planet but kamaljit bawa a biologist at the university of massachusetts boston said failure to better understand warming in the himalayas could have serious consequences for the regions unique biodiversity
we have to make very rapid progress he said we cant use the slow approach the traditional slow scientific approach
not for yarsagumba apparently
as harvesters returned from the pastures to bagdanda on a recent afternoon children gathered in the camps dusty thoroughfare and divided teams for a volleyball game a mother held down her squirming daughter to pick lice from her scalp men congregated on trash strewn dirt mounds and peeled strips of kutki an herb used to treat vomiting and fever
in a village below the meadows prithvi budha 60 a beekeeper who is sitting out the harvest to watch dozens of empty mud and stone huts said less precipitation might be the cause for the drop in yarsagumba supplies
we used to have snow up to here and up to here he said pointing to his torso and his shoulders as he recalled a string of childhood winters
uttam shrestha a researcher at the university of southern queensland in australia said it was difficult to say why the supply of yarsagumba had dropped changes in temperature he said could be one of several factors affecting the supply of the fungus
we can draw some inferences he said here the fungus is very sensitive to the increase in temperature and so that could have an impact but there is no empirical evidence yet
jir bahadur budha 43 a farmer said he was disappointed with this years harvest he estimated that his family of six would collect only 400 pieces of yarsagumba 200 fewer than last year and 500 fewer than the year before the selling price for a single piece is about 350 in nepal
on a recent morning mr budha joined dozens of others in a pasture as a heavy fog set in within 10 minutes of searching calls echoed from a few hundred feet away where a teenager had spotted one of the days first pieces clawing away dirt from the larvas body the boy received a smattering of congratulations he had found a good piece
only lucky people find yarsagumba in the morning one man said
mr rokaya the shepherd was cautious in his appraisal of the days pickings whatever the reason for the decline in yarsagumba he said it may be too late to salvage what has been lost
no jobs no money what to do he said thrumming his fingers on a gnarled cane we eat the rice that even donkeys and horses dont eat


when the housing crisis sent the american economy to the brink of disaster in 2008 millions of people lost their homes the banking system had failed homeowners and their families
new investors soon swept in   mainly private equity firms   promising to do better
but some of these new investors are repeating the mistakes that banks committed throughout the housing crisis an investigation by the new york times has found they are quickly foreclosing on homeowners they are losing families mortgage paperwork much as the banks did and many of these practices were enabled by the federal government which sold tens of thousands of discounted mortgages to private equity investors while making few demands on how they treated struggling homeowners
the rising importance of private equity in the housing market is one of the most consequential transformations of the post crisis american financial landscape a home after all is the single largest investment most families will ever make
private equity firms and the mortgage companies they own face less oversight than the banks and yet they are the cleanup crew for the worst housing crisis since the great depression
out of the more than a dozen private equity firms operating in the housing industry the times examined three of the largest to assess their impact on homeowners and renters
lone star funds mortgage operation has aggressively pushed thousands of homeowners toward foreclosure according to housing data interviews with borrowers and records obtained through a freedom of information request lone star ranks among the countrys biggest buyers of delinquent mortgages from the government and banks
nationstar mortgage which leaped over big banks to become the fourth largest collector of mortgage bills repeatedly lost loan files and failed to detect errors in other documents these mistakes according to confidential regulatory records from a 2014 examination put borrowers at significant risk of servicing and foreclosure abuses
unlike the banks nationstar wears many hats at once mortgage bill collector auction house for foreclosed homes and lender to new borrowers by working every angle and collecting fees at each step the company faces potential conflicts of interest that enable it to make money on what is otherwise a costly foreclosure process
in the rental market the times found other big private equity firms largely bypassed the nations poorest neighborhoods as they scooped up and renovated foreclosed homes across the country those firms include blackstone a huge private equity firm and the nations largest private landlord of rental houses
these decisions point to shortcomings of the governments response to the housing crisis rather than enact sweeping changes to housing policy the government largely handed the problems to a new set of companies
normie brown and her husband derrick have lost two fights   first with their bank and then with private equity initially the texas couple say they faced a wrongful foreclosure by bank of america the bank paid them 50000 as part of a broader government settlement over suspected mortgage abuses and the browns used that money to fight for their house in court
but the couple couldnt stop their new bill collector nationstar from auctioning off their home
you think all you have to do is show them where they did you wrong and basically justice will prevail mr brown said that wasnt the case
the court hadnt yet decided the case but it didnt matter they lost their house the couple has since separated and mr brown a decorated gulf war veteran said he had moved in and out of homelessness
nationstar declined to comment on the browns case but said it had outperformed banks on avoiding foreclosure nationstars chief executive jay bray said in an interview that foreclosure is always always the last resort
private equity plowed into the housing market after big banks and regional lenders facing a crackdown from federal regulators for wrongful foreclosure practices pulled back in the aftermath of the crisis the shift led private equity firms to spend tens of billions of dollars acquiring homes and troubled mortgages from banks and the government
for private equity firms which specialize in buying companies at a bargain the housing market was just their latest investment in a distressed asset these firms unlike banks raise money for their deals from pension funds and other huge institutional investors
the wave of private equity investment in housing has had a positive impact on the american economy
the firms displaced poorly performing banks they also helped stabilize the nations housing market and it achieved that through smart business decisions about where to put its money that in turn rewarded investors   which is how private enterprise is supposed to work
but much of this investment has not benefited poor neighborhoods banks are expected under the community reinvestment act to help meet the credit needs of low income neighborhoods in areas they serve private equity has no such obligation
the idea is that banks should follow an implicit social contract in return for government loans and other support they are expected to serve a communitys needs private equity which unlike the banks does not borrow money from the government is answerable to its investors those investors include some of the nations largest pension plans whose members   teachers and police officers among them   may support improvements to such lower income areas
as a result the times found private equity has focused on buying newer homes in middle income areas like the suburbs of tampa fla they have largely avoided more urban communities with older homes because doing so would be less lucrative for their investors
there has been a missed opportunity here said dan immergluck a professor of city and regional planning at the georgia tech college of design who has studied the effect of the financial crisis on housing they are pushing the market up at the top end and neglecting the bottom end
government officials are also concerned that private equitys mortgage firms face less scrutiny than banks while banks are examined by regulators for financial soundness no similar testing occurs for private equitys companies
ginnie mae which issues securities backed by mortgages with government guarantees wants congress to grant it greater oversight over nonbank mortgage firms and provide money to perform stress tests the fear is that one firms failure would create hardship for millions of customers
its an achilles heel for us to some degree said ted tozer ginnie maes president
buried in a confidential bond document in a jumble of legalese lone star explains to investors one way it profits from delinquent loans lone stars mortgage subsidiary will lower a borrowers monthly payment if the net present value of a modification is greater than the net present value of a foreclosure loan sale or short sale
translation if foreclosing on a homeowner is the most profitable option lone star is likely to foreclose
federal officials hoped things would be different
in 2012 america was still in the grips of the worst housing crisis in decades foreclosure signs lined the american landscape casting a shadow on more than 35 million homes in some communities abandoned houses outnumbered occupied ones and soured mortgages made by banks were weighing on the government because it had insured them against default
the government eager to stem its own losses decided to ramp up the sale of distressed mortgages to investors in all it has sold more than 100000 soured mortgages to investors   one of the largest such series of sales the mortgage sales enticed private equity firms like lone star into the mortgage market where they saw bargains
housing officials reckoned that private equity firms would bring about change for one thing these firms were among the only investors with pockets deep enough to take on billions of dollars worth of ailing mortgages and they could be more flexible than the banks in keeping americans in their homes because they had bought the mortgages at steep discounts
but instead of showing greater flexibility lone star   much like the banks before it   has often remained rigid about modifying mortgages and in some cases it has moved quickly to foreclose taking possession of homes to sell them according to dozens of court proceedings as well as interviews with borrowers and housing advocates
in a statement caliber home loans lone stars mortgage servicing subsidiary said that modifying a nonperforming loan for a borrower is almost always the most profitable option for a lender and caliber is incentivized to pursue that outcome
yet lone star and caliber have foreclosed on more than 14 percent of the 17000 loans the firm picked up at auction from the department of housing and urban development in 2014 according to an analysis of loan filings that realtytrac performed for the times caliber is now moving toward foreclosing on at least another 3200
some critics say the government is partly to blame by not expressly requiring private buyers to modify most loans its priority these critics argue was to sell off the mortgages to protect taxpayers against losses rather than protecting homeowners
i understand hud wants to make its money back said representative michael e capuano a massachusetts democrat but he said hedge funds and private equity firms have one interest only and that is the bottom line
mr capuano is one of dozens of lawmakers who have pushed for major changes in the auctions including greater involvement of community groups and nonprofits which often cannot afford to bid because the government sells the loans in huge bundles
in may in an apparent acknowledgment of the problem a hud spokesman said the agency was drafting rules to force investment firms to be more accommodating to borrowers
in its defense caliber said that 71 percent of the 17000 mortgages it bought in the hud auction had already begun the lengthy foreclosure process and that more than half of the homes were vacant at the time of foreclosure caliber said its goal was to avoid foreclosure whenever possible noting that it had done so for roughly 4200 homeowners in the pool of mortgages it bought from hud
modifications dont always save borrowers money
after filing for personal bankruptcy michael rego 51 of yonkers held out hope for a loan modification when jpmorgan chase sold his delinquent mortgage to lone star last october he received a letter from lone stars caliber that began congratulations you are approved for a trial period plan
but his hopes were dashed when it turned out that the proposed modification would actually increase his monthly payment by 500 two months later to add insult to injury mr rego lost his job as a marketing consultant at citigroup
i would hate to just walk away from the house said mr rego who has lived in the three bedroom home for nearly 20 years but if i have to i have to
caliber and lone star have largely opted not to participate in government programs that encourage mortgage modifications to date caliber has received just 33 million in payments from the treasury department for modifying loans in compliance with the federal home affordable modification program
calibers unwillingness is illustrated by two personal bankruptcy cases in white plains in both cases homeowners challenged calibers decision to not modify their loans the homeowners argued that lone star bought the mortgages from a bank under terms that require caliber to consider loans for the government program to help struggling borrowers
in contrast with caliber most banks have participated more fully in the government modification program as has nationstar which has received 158 million in payments
lone star led by the billionaire investor john grayken has expanded caliber   which employs more than 1000 people   into one of the nations fastest growing lenders as a business lone star has been a success it has generated an average annual net return of 20 percent for investors for more than two decades
it also just completed one of the largest securitizations of nonprime mortgages since the financial crisis in early june the firm announced a 1617 million bond deal backed by mortgages underwritten by caliber including many loans to people who had either filed for bankruptcy or been previously foreclosed on
the escalation comes as a recent survey of housing counselors and lawyers ranked caliber last among 11 mortgage servicers in most aspects of dealing with borrowers
and the new york attorney general eric t schneiderman opened an investigation last fall into caliber over its handling of delinquent mortgages mr schneiderman recently expanded the investigation to include an examination of lone stars securitization of mortgages including delinquent loans
the new york state department of financial services is also reviewing some of calibers practices
these companies are pitching their models as being well aligned with home buyers but its hard to know if thats true said sarah edelman director of housing policy for the left leaning center for american progress
inside nationstars headquarters on the outskirts of dallas government regulators made an alarming discovery   and then another one and another
the regulators who gathered at nationstar in 2014 for what should have been a routine examination found inaccurate information in customer loan files according to confidential documents reviewed by the times nationstar which became a huge mortgage bill collector in recent years often failed to detect these errors until the foreclosure process is underway some of the breakdowns the documents said placed consumers at significant risk of servicing and foreclosure abuses
regulators laid the blame on nationstar citing deficient technology and a failure to employ enough trained workers as it rapidly expanded to become the nations fourth largest mortgage bill collector in 2010 it ranked 18th
the examination conducted by more than 15 states and the federal consumer financial protection bureau showed the flaws of private equitys new role in the mortgage market nationstar controlled by the fortress investment group was repeating some of the banking industrys mistakes
as new regulations prompted banks to scale back their servicing of mortgages companies owned by private equity went on a buying spree private equity sensed an opportunity as the mortgage servicing business became a liability for the banks leading bank of america alone to reach settlements worth billions of dollars over federal accusations of using illegal foreclosure documents and unfair rejections of loan modifications since 2012 nationstar has bought the rights to collect payments on more than 450 billion in mortgages much of it from bank of america
the previously unreported documents detailing nationstars 2014 examination tell the story of its expansion and the problems that followed nationstar mortgage pursued a strategy of explosive and virtually unchecked growth but did not put in place appropriate operational controls one regulatory memo said
authorities are investigating nationstar based on the 2014 examination and it could face an enforcement action this year
jay bray nationstars chief executive acknowledged that candidly we did a poor job handling the 2014 exam but since the exam he said we are proud of the work weve done to improve the customer experience the company has invested in technology and added staff he said
did we make mistakes yes was it a systemic problem i dont think so he said attributing the problems to growing pains
its really easy to play monday morning quarterback he said
wesley edens a founder of fortress nationstars private equity backer maintains that the servicer has performed better than the banks it replaced since buying some of the banks most troubled assets nationstar has overseen a 50 percent decline in delinquent loans though those improvements coincided with a broader recovery in housing
thank god those loans were moved from bank of america to nationstar because so many borrowers were better off mr edens said in an interview
a bank of america spokesman called the company an industry leader in providing foreclosure avoidance solutions to more than 21 million customers since the beginning of the crisis
mr edens noting that fannie mae ranked nationstar higher than its peers at preventing delinquency encouraged the times to contact federal authorities to verify these improvements the authorities declined to comment
nationstar notes that over the last four years it has approved more than 172000 loan modifications that saved homeowners an average of 380 a month whereas all servicers collectively rejected 69 percent of applications for the governments modification program nationstar has been more generous rejecting 54 percent of borrowers
nationstar also recently announced plans to rename its mortgage operation mr cooper presenting a more consumer friendly face
even as nationstar has shown improvements on multiple occasions last year the company wrongfully terminated borrowers from the federal mortgage modification program according to a published report over multiple quarters nationstar is wrongfully kicking people out of the program and thats a real serious concern said christy romero the special inspector general for the 2008 bank bailout law and the author of the loan modification report
in phoenix millard and adria gaines struggled to modify their loan as it changed hands four times in 20 years
during a recent interview at his home mr gaines walked to his kitchen freezer pulled out a pack of cigarettes and described how he tried for years to get bank of america and then nationstar to modify their loan in 2014 his wife exchanged emails with a nationstar foreclosure prevention specialist who suggested she apply for a modification
after months of no change mrs gaines sent a letter detailing family misfortunes that imperiled their finances including that her husband had been told he had acute kidney failure
about six months later nationstar finalized a mortgage modification for the gaineses but even then   reducing the interest rate to 32 percent from 53 percent   it was months too late to help the gaineses avoid a second bankruptcy
sheri cellinis family of five loved their ranch style home in ashland ore a small town in the foothills of the mountains they lived there for six years until a foreclosure turned them into renters
the kids want to drive by it all the time ms cellini said of the familys old house its an uncomfortable thing
the recent history of her former home reflects private equitys new dominance by the time their home was foreclosed on in 2013 and after the family tried in vain to lower monthly payments the cellinis had bounced from one mortgage firm to another
the company that oversaw their foreclosure was nationstar another family took over the cellinis house winning it through an online auction platform called homesearch that family then obtained a mortgage through a company called greenlight loans
the companies all have different names and different roles but all three are essentially the same company homesearch and greenlight are owned by nationstar
the whirl of transactions illustrates how nationstar can control nearly every stage of the mortgage process posing potential conflicts of interest as it earns fees along the way nationstar collects bills and when people dont pay can foreclose on homes nationstar earns fees auctioning those homes through homesearch ads on homesearch which is now known online as xomecom direct bidders to greenlight
nationstar can then collect on the new mortgage bringing the process full circle
shane hunter who won the cellinis house through homesearch took out a mortgage with greenlight even though he had been leaning toward another lender nationstar earned a 5 percent buyers premium by selling the house through its auction website an extra 10450 that it rolled into the loan
as a mortgage bill collector nationstars interests typically align with borrowers because foreclosing can be far more expensive than modifying and continuing to service a loan but because nationstar earns fees from selling homes through its auction site as well as making new mortgages from winning bidders that added business may compete with the companys interest in keeping borrowers in their homes
mr bray the nationstar chief executive said the company would always rather keep people in their homes we dont make money from foreclosing on folks he said pointing to data showing that it costs the company 10 times as much to handle a loan in foreclosure we hate foreclosures
to prevent potential conflicts nationstar said it keeps its servicing employees separate from the auction staff they work in different buildings and use separate email systems the company said
auction sites are a driver of nationstars growth from 2013 to 2015 revenue more than tripled in the unit that includes the auction platform and other services this stands in contrast with banks which generally do not own these types of sites
in interviews several borrowers said that nationstar required them to list their homes with homesearch even after they had found a buyer through their own real estate agent while nationstar argues that homesearch helps to validate an outside offer price homeowners and their agents complained that it could slow the sale process
any requirement to use a particular auction site especially one affiliated with the loan servicer raises serious concerns the connecticut attorney general george jepsen said in a statement
he is one of several state attorneys general investigating nationstars auction business questioning whether it imposes unnecessary costs on consumers the new york state department of financial services is conducting its own investigation of the auction process and the potential conflicts it presents according to a letter obtained through a public records request
the case of the browns   the texas couple who first fought their bank then fought nationstar   illustrates nationstars aggressiveness when selling a home through an auction site
the browns won a temporary restraining order against nationstar as they fought what they argued was a wrongful foreclosure but nationstar went ahead and listed the home for sale on auctioncom an outside auction platform that has split fees with nationstar
on sept 26 2013   more than a week before the restraining order would expire   nationstar auctioned off the home through auctioncom next nationstar moved the case from state to federal court and it closed the deal before the new judge could rule
this was our first home said ms brown who ultimately lost the case after the home was sold i didnt want to give up on it
to a visitor ruskin fla a town just south of tampa looks like cookie cutter suburbia
but to private equity it is pay dirt blackstone one of the largest private equity firms owns 125 homes in ruskin that it operates as rentals
the financial crisis hit ruskin hard nearly 800 families lost their homes in foreclosures according to realtytrac but the town is bouncing back amazon has opened a giant warehouse and distribution facility in ruskin that now employs 2000 people
across america private equity firms stormed areas like ruskin calculating that the decline in home prices would be relatively short lived ruskins long term economic prospects looked good and it had many relatively newer homes which are cheaper for a landlord to maintain
in making such a large investment in housing   9 billion buying and renovating mainly foreclosed homes over the last four years   blackstone effectively bet on which communities would emerge from the housing crisis as winners
it bet correctly the firm which now owns about 50000 homes in 14 markets recently reported that the fund holding its invitation homes rental subsidiary has generated a 23 percent annualized return for its investors
more broadly private equitys investment in housing helped stabilize home prices across the country the obama administration supported private investment in foreclosed homes with timothy f geithner then the treasury secretary remarking in 2011 that it would support neighborhood and home price stability
still there has been a cost blackstone largely steered clear of more urban communities with older homes which are more expensive to maintain
lutanya garrett who pays 1395 a month for a four bedroom house that blackstone owns in ruskin said she was looking for another home because of the rent i feel like if im going to pay rent like this i might as well own my own home said ms garrett 47 a mother of three
nationally the average rent on an invitation homes home is 1605 a month the median rent in ruskin is 1452 according to trulia a listing service
blackstone says 72 percent of its homes have monthly rents that are within federal affordability guidelines for the markets it operates in
institutional investors which collectively have bought more than 200000 homes across the united states point out that the rental homes they operate are a small fraction of the more than 15 million rental homes nationwide most are owned by small investors
about 3 percent of blackstones rental homes are leased to lower income tenants with federal housing subsidies known as section 8 vouchers the numbers are lower for most other big private equity firms
blackstone has said it welcomes section 8 voucher holders if the federal subsidy is enough to cover the rent we are proud to provide quality housing choices for working families said claire parker a spokeswoman for invitation homes
blackstone needs to compete for middle market renters to serve pension fund investors that have come to expect strong returns and that leads private equity to focus on suburban communities with relatively few section 8 voucher holders
housing advocates argue that large private equity firms investing in rental housing should do more for the communities where they operate the urban areas took a big hit and they have stayed down said alan mallach senior fellow at the center for community progress a nonprofit that advises communities on dealing with vacant and blighted homes these firms are going into markets which would have recovered anyway
there are exceptions though patriarch properties of newport beach calif is one small private equity firm that has set up shop mainly on the south side of columbus ohio where abandoned buildings dot the streets some inhabited by squatters and drug users
for the most part columbus has rebounded from the financial crisis unemployment is low and the city is home to companies like nationwide insurance and huntington bancshares
patriarch has bought about 260 deteriorated homes on the citys south side an area yet to recover and is using a combination of investor capital and low interest loans from a nonprofit to rehabilitate the properties the firm intends to rent the finished homes to residents many with section 8 vouchers for 500 to 900 a month
we are trying to bring up an entire area said ethan temianka 32 the founder of patriarch
but there are questions over whether patriarch can generate the hefty returns it promised investors
their very presence is a validation that there is a renaissance in the south side said the rev john edgar who heads community development for all people a nonprofit group already rehabbing homes in columbus but i am not certain that in the long run the business model is viable


london   luke hickmore had an aperitif thursday night watched the early results on britains vote to leave the european union and went to bed he didnt sleep long
mr hickmore 46 helps oversee 137 billion for aberdeen asset management a global investment firm he switched on his tv at 330 am and said he thought hang on a sec this doesnt look like its going to go the way the market priced in
twelve hours later at his desk he said its a strange feeling a colleague in australia had even sent him some algerian tuareg desert blues music to get him in the right frame of mind mr hickmore started in the business in 1987 in a span of few hours on friday after britain voted itself out of the eu the pound had fallen to its lowest point since 1985 it feels a bit unreal
thirty years ago margaret thatcher spurred a wave of financial deregulation known as the big bang that cemented londons place as a world financial center to rival new york but in the wake of the brexit vote there is a double uncertainty hanging over the finance industry that is the citys economic engine while there is the usual stress over the markets gyrations this time it is coupled with an even greater unease about what the future will hold for london as a financial capital amid repeated warnings that tens of thousands of jobs will move to continental europe
the financial district stretches from the stately offices of hedge funds in mayfair to canary wharf where glass and steel bank headquarters have replaced abandoned docks but its heart britains version of wall street is known as the city of london or simply the city referring to roughly a square mile where you can find the old walls of londinium the city built by the romans
brexit is on everyones mind as bankers absorb a second big bang as profound as the one three decades ago   though one without a road map forward
after the tumult of friday bankers traders and other finance types could be found at the pavilion end a city pub in the shadow of st pauls cathedral a group stood outside the pub as is the custom in london when the weather allows some had their jackets off white dress shirts and suit trousers with ties and held pints of beer as they pondered where the citys jobs might move paris amsterdam frankfurt seemed the most likely but few seemed excited about the prospect of living there
theres no confidence its been shredded said andrew towill 28 one of four employees of a multinational real estate consultancy who were also standing outside the pavilion end
anna benjamin 50 said not much was different on friday in their business because were dealing with projects that are ongoing but there is a definite feeling that once they start coming to an end where is the next one coming from
john lowes 35 said there was a general feeling of real concern
now what happens we just dont know he added
the group worried about returning to the kind of conditions they faced during the financial crisis
we dont want to go back to that robert harper 37 said there were times when i had nothing to do
as with every financial shock there are winners and losers
crispin odey the pro brexit hedge fund manager who once built a grecian temple for his chickens had a hefty 15 percent gain in his flagship fund after placing big bets on gold and against the market george soros the billionaire financier appeared well positioned having recently made similar bets though he also prophetically warned against the fallout from a brexit vote and lamented the outcome
many of the less well to do will suffer while older voters led the charge for brexit the value of their pensions took a hit along with the british stock market and economy
executives described a tense night on trading floors at goldman sachs there was activity on the london floor throughout the night with tvs blaring referendum returns in a note to jpmorgan chase employees jamie dimon the chief executive said the firm processed 1000 trading tickets per second at one point many times the typical trading volume the chief executive at citigroup in new york michael corbat personally walked the trading floor a relatively rare move for a wall street chief these days
it will take days and months to sift through the ramifications for the markets and the city as britain negotiates its post brexit relationships and global financial firms figure out their next steps the aftermath of a leave vote was predictable in many ways unforeseen in others
earlier this week at a conference andrew jackson chief investment officer at cairn capital a london based firm was asked about the best way to prepare for a possible brexit vote
a lot of people talked about being short uk bank stocks as the great hedge against this he said according to a video posted on the investment conferences website im not sure they are the great hedge because uk bank stocks and bank stocks more generally over europe havent done that well so how much further can they fall
much further it turned out rbs fell 18 percent on friday barclays 179 percent and lloyds banking group 21 percent
many hedge funds stayed on the sidelines heading into the referendum looking to pounce in the aftermath
it is early to tell but there will be very few that have done exceedingly well or exceedingly badly said anthony lawler an executive at gam an investment management firm that oversees portfolios of hedge funds for institutional clients
many investors he said preferred voting on probabilities not binary yes or no outcomes when theres a massive sudden move thats very difficult to trade
mr hickmore said he had already reduced risk by moving away from bets that bond yields would go higher
you cant hold that choice through a uk referendum vote like this because the risk of you being wrong is so high he said
bets were being made however the pound rallied sharply thursday as polls indicated a vote to remain in the european union only to collapse starting late thursday night well before the official results were announced
mr odey who declined to comment has long supported a brexit vote after suffering losses in his portfolio earlier this year his faith in brexit paid off
i would rather we were out of europe mr odey said in an interview in 2014 adding then that it was a probably a protest vote
back in the city some less celebrated finance types cramped outside a dark pub called ye olde watling contemplated an uncertain future one wondered aloud whether he could still build a career in london with the prospect of frankfurt in the air another joked that he was giving german lessons now


there is school in new york city until tuesday but many of the school systems one million students are not letting that get in their way
i have a job at lrei summer camp and it starts on monday jesse gardner a soon to be rising senior at the nyc lab school for collaborative studies said last week
im leaving the country her classmate ken said outside the school in the chelsea section of manhattan
i might go to school said nola another almost rising senior i might
the surnames of some students have been withheld to protect them from raised eyebrows during the college admissions process
every year attendance becomes challenging as the school year winds down it begins to drop after state testing is complete in the spring then slips further in june but the last few days can be particularly sparse and this year the final day of school falls on a tuesday late in the month
high school presents a particular challenge the previous two weeks were given over to the state regents exams when students go to school only if they have a test students were off on thursday so the tests could be scored about two dozen schools also gave students the day off on friday and in many cases seniors will have already graduated motivation to come to class runs thin
so perhaps it is not surprising that some students and even their parents develop an increasingly flexible view about going to school
people arent even showing up with book bags mikaya a junior at the high school for environmental studies in midtown manhattan said on friday as a classmate walked by carrying just a small plastic shopping bag mikaya said she might go to school during the final week but that she thought her parents wouldnt mind if she didnt
no they know were not doing anything she said
another student at environmental studies said on friday morning that she was going to school that day to check in during attendance and planned to leave after to go to the park she said she did not think her parents would be mad   and then declined to give her name in case she was wrong
no matter how close it is to summer break or how sunny it is outside students are indeed expected to go to school during these final days which count toward the 180 day minimum that schools must be in session citywide about 74 percent of high school students attended the final day of school last year compared with an average daily attendance rate of 88 percent the attendance rate for all of the citys public schools that day was about 81 percent down from 92 percent
many principals combat the end of year attendance drop off with creative thinking and appealing activities like class trips and field days such creativity might also be referred to as high purpose bribery
brian bradley principal of the renaissance school of the arts a middle school in east harlem and a part of the citys renewal schools program for struggling schools said he took a proactive approach to the end of the year students visit the statue of liberty and ride the staten island ferry the school throws pizza parties and then there is the big event in june eligible students get a free trip to six flags great adventure in new jersey
we base a lot of it not only on the progress throughout the year but the students also have to maintain a certain attendance rate mr bradley said coming down to the final stretch we enforce it big time
at the college of staten island high school for international studies the principal joseph canale schedules graduation for the last possible day which means it is on tuesday this year in part he says this is based on the regents   he has to make decisions about who can participate in graduation and wants to know as much as possible about which students have passed but it is also an effort to keep the school year from just petering out
its my favorite day of the year   my parents come and everything to root on the graduates mr canale said anything that would come after would be anti climactic
of course there are students even in high school that no principal needs to worry are going to skip school antoinette martinez who is hours from finishing her junior year at the high school for environmental studies said she intended to be present down to the very last minute
ive had perfect attendance since kindergarten she said id like to keep that


britains vote to leave the european union could lead to profound changes for the countrys most successful sporting export if continental players can no longer easily join premier league clubs
since english soccer reinvented itself in the 1990s and eradicated its rampant hooligan culture it has become a magnet for both stars and more modest players from europe
but the ramifications for soccer after the vote will become clearer only as britain negotiates its exit terms and new relationship with the european union
here are some of the issues at stake
britain will be in the 28 nation european union bloc for at least two more years the immediate impact of thursdays referendum could stem from currency fluctuations amid the uncertainty
the initial sharp fall of the pound as results of the vote were announced on friday meant transfer fees for european players in particular would rise for british clubs foreign players converting salaries to their home currencies will notice they get less for the pound
but with the european championships underway june is a quiet time for transfers   and the pound could well recover its losses as the season gets closer in august and more transactions are completed
on the flip side english players are currently cheaper for continental clubs although few move abroad because of the high salaries available at home   even in the second tier
you dont have to be a citizen of a country in the european union to move freely for work across the continent members of the european economic area   iceland liechtenstein and norway   as well as switzerland also have access to the european unions single market
it is harder if you dont have a european union european union economic area or swiss passport particularly since more stringent eligibility requirements were put in place for british work permits for soccer players a year ago
only players from the top 50 fifa nations are considered for work permits with a sliding scale of appearances required   from 30 percent of games over two years for the 1 10 teams to 75 percent for 31 50 teams
there is currently however an exemptions panel where clubs can argue why it is necessary to grant a visa to a player who doesnt meet the criteria
as for players from countries in the european union much will depend on the relationship britain negotiates after its exit from the union and whether the free movement of european union citizens remains in place as part of a broader trade deal
the english football association sees the potential for more homegrown players to gain first team opportunities in the premier league   and therefore boost the national team
but the premier league will want to protect its status as the worlds foremost domestic soccer competition thats because of its competitiveness and the multinational makeup of squads
with some clubs also playing in europe in the champions league and the europa league they could argue that the government needs to provide some form of easier access to players from the continent
if britains exit from the european union increases the number of english players that is to be welcomed said greg dyke chairman of the football association
but you dont want to lose the best european players coming here dyke said
while the football association was neutral in the referendum campaign the premier league favored staying in the european union
we are a global export we look outwards said richard scudamore premier league chief executive we are open to the world and we do business all around the world
the impact of the vote to leave the european union might not be seen for a decade as some of the biggest enforced changes could be the makeup of academies if clubs can no longer sign promising 16  to 18 year olds from across europe that would have prevented arsenal from signing a 16 year old cesc fabregas from barcelona in 2003
teenagers can be brought relatively cheaply to england for low compensation payouts to european teams rather than the payment of transfer fees the hope is that players break into the first team or become assets to sell
clubs like chelsea also have partner clubs in europe like vitesse arnhem in the netherlands to send promising players to gain experience that might become more difficult
european clubs could have a competitive advantage over english clubs when it comes to recruiting promising players at the optimum time   16 to 18 said carol couse a sports lawyer with mills  reeve who advises players and clubs
couse added youth development is probably the biggest impact brexit is likely to have


the weakest first time eligible group in decades has left the doors open to the hockey hall of fame for several players who have been awaiting the call
eric lindros has been waiting six years mark recchi three dave andreychuk eight and sergei makarov 16 this could finally be the year as the hall of fame selection committee determines the class of 2016 on monday
goaltender miikka kiprusoff defenseman roman hamrlik and forwards milan hejduk and vinny prospal headline the first year eligible players
lindross case is the most polarizing because he was one of the most dominant players in the world while playing for the philadelphia flyers during the 1990s but his career was cut short by injuries
lindros won the hart memorial trophy as the nhls most valuable player in 1995 led the flyers to the 1997 stanley cup finals and had a career average of more than a point a game during the regular season and the playoffs
concussions and other injuries limited him to 760 regular season games so his 372 goals 493 assists and 865 points do not jump off the page but lindross mix of skill production and physicality is unique in the history of the game
he shouldve been one of the greatest players of all time lindross former teammate rod brindamour said injuries kind of i think slowed him down and kind of ended what shouldve been a hall of fame career
every skater except lindros who has been an mvp since 1945 is in the hall of fame the 18 member committee values winning and longevity but pavel bure and cam neely were inducted with fewer games played and fewer points and like lindros neither got his name on the stanley cup
lindros rubbed the hockey establishment the wrong way when he first refused to sign with the junior team that drafted him and then refused to sign with the quebec nordiques when they selected him first over all in 1991
in a blockbuster deal that included the future hall of famer peter forsberg as part of the return the nordiques traded him to philadelphia he endured tumultuous times off the ice notably an icy relationship with philadelphia general manager bobby clarke who feuded with lindross parents and stripped him of the captaincy
but clarke is now on the selection committee and is a strong proponent for lindross enshrinement in toronto
ron hextall who was also part of that trade argued that lindros would have won two championships as forsberg did if he had been on the team that moved from quebec to colorado
here are the cases for several other potential members of the class of 2016
mark recchi the productive winger won the cup three times with three different teams the penguins the hurricanes and the bruins and put up 577 goals and 956 assists for 1533 points in 22 nhl seasons brindamour said of recchi i dont know what more you need to do to be a hall of fame player
sergei makarov his 384 nhl points and a calder trophy season as rookie of the year must be combined with his dominant international career for the soviet union in which makarov averaged 137 points a game and won two olympic gold medals and eight world championships
dave andreychuk the captain of the 2004 cup champion tampa bay lightning put up 1338 points in 1639 regular season games in 23 seasons
alexander mogilny second only to the 2015 inductee sergei fedorov in nhl points among russians with 1032 mogilny won the cup with the devils and was a six time all star in 16 seasons
paul kariya like lindros concussions cut kariyas career short but he finished with 989 points in 989 games over 15 seasons and made the all star game seven times
jeremy roenick his 1216 points rank him fourth among american players and the top three   brett hull mike modano and phil housley   are all in
curtis joseph not winning a cup hurts a goalie but his 454 victories are the most of any not in the hall
rod brindamour he was the captain of the 2006 cup champion carolina hurricanes had 1184 points and won the frank j selke trophy twice as the top defensive forward
theo fleury he overcame his 5 foot 6 size to put up 1088 points and win almost everything the stanley cup the canada cup an olympic gold medal and a world junior gold medal
chris osgood won the cup twice as a starting goalie and again as a backup but benefited from playing on the talented detroit red wings teams


it is difficult to surprise at new york citys pride parade   that pulsing kaleidoscope of pink unicorn horns and rainbow undergarments bejeweled miniature dogs and glitter specked revelers who seemed to have misplaced their shoes
but around 145 pm sunday beneath a virtually cloudless sky something was afoot on christopher street
lights flashed officers stirred sirens pierced the cher soundtrack wafting over greenwich village
soon a van door opened
hillaryyyyyyyyy someone hollered from the sidewalk and so began a very low speed chase along the citys foremost corridor of gay rights
for four blocks or so   beginning steps from the stonewall inn the nexus of the modern gay rights movement   hillary clinton led a mayor a governor a phalanx of aides a crush of reporters and several beleaguered security personnel on a 15 minute stroll
it was an unannounced appearance for mrs clinton the presumptive democratic presidential nominee two weeks after the massacre at pulse a gay nightclub in orlando the tragedy colored the proceedings across several floats and marching groups lurking like an unwelcome guest
some attendees dressed in white with the names and faces of victims displayed on placards hanging from their necks
we are orlando a sign read
one pulse said another
mrs clinton did not speak at the event smiling and waving and occasionally venturing to the police barricades to shake hands
but her presence resonated attendees said communicating a measure of solidarity in a wrenching moment it was a nonverbal confirmation of her support said micah feinberg 35
women with rainbow leis around their necks reached for her residents overhead pointed cellphones from their open windows a large rainbow flag flapped against a fire escape
shes right here a woman said to no one in particular right here
when mrs clinton moving west reached bleecker street a group rained confetti from a rooftop
the next president of the united states shouted a man with a microphone make some noooo ooooiise
mrs clinton waved toward another guest in a rainbow one piece bathing suit moments later as a hillary chant began to build she stopped to acknowledge the crowd
throughout the walk she was joined by a horde of dignitaries eager to share in her spotlight these included gov andrew m cuomo and mayor bill de blasio who remain engaged in a protracted feud and the rev al sharpton who quickly positioned himself beside mrs clinton and took care not to relinquish his perch
by about 2 pm mrs clinton was hustled into a waiting vehicle waving once more before heading for a flight to indiana in a speech there hours later she addressed britains vote to leave the european union arguing it reaffirmed the need for steady experienced leadership in the presidential race
paradegoers remained tickled by her home state cameo
i saw her and was completely dumbfounded said kelsey roberts 28 an engineer who said mrs clinton was an inspiration to her in a male dominated field
mrs clinton has marched in the parade before participating as far back as 2000 during her run for the united states senate her appearance on sunday came as her republican opponent donald j trump continues to make the case that he is the true champion of gay rights in the presidential race
in the wake of the orlando shooting mr trump has said he is the candidate most able to keep gay and lesbian americans safe from hate crimes
while mrs clinton remains likely to command the vast majority of support from gay voters she has had a complicated history with gay rights
as secretary of state she focused often on international gay rights urging countries to accept gays and lesbians during a 2011 speech in geneva she has since denounced russias treatment of lesbians gay men bisexuals and transgender people and in march 2013 she endorsed same sex marriage both personally and as a matter of policy and law
but while much of mrs clintons donor base includes gay and lesbian supporters some have questioned the deliberate pace of her evolution there are also old wounds from her husbands administration which enacted the military policy of dont ask dont tell and the defense of marriage act barring federal recognition of same sex marriages
mrs clinton inspired fresh criticism this year after the death of nancy reagan mistakenly praising mrs reagans low key advocacy concerning hivaids despite the reagans lengthy public silence on the disease mrs clinton quickly apologized
the crowd on sunday included a handful of skeptics
she did it strictly so that we would relate the image of her with the image of pride said lexi avidani 24 from long island and she doesnt support it
most though were more effusive
wearing a shirt that read spoiler alert hillary wins matt mcdermott 26 marveled at the progress of gay civil rights
a year ago we passed marriage equality in the supreme court and a year later a major party nominee is walking in the pride parade in new york he said so things change quickly
loretta tassotti 55 said mrs clintons gesture demonstrated that she was not afraid
this is not a trump kind of party she added
ms roberts the engineer suggested the significance ran deeper
the orlando victims were so young she said that it was essential for presidential candidates to participate in the grief
ms roberts looked out again on the parade route where a collection of mourners drew near she reconsidered the question of mrs clintons appearance
how could you not come she asked


madrid   the conservative popular party of mariano rajoy spains caretaker prime minister won the most votes in spains repeat national elections on sunday as the socialists held off a challenge from the podemos party to remain the largest left wing formation
the fragmented result however did not settle who will form the countrys next government instead mr rajoy and the leaders of spains other parties face another tricky round of coalition negotiations national elections in december were also inconclusive
the popular partys advance appeared to show that conservative voters responded to mr rajoys last ditch warning against the kind of radical overhaul demanded by podemos at a time of political crisis in the european union the spanish elections took place three days after the british voted to leave the european union in a referendum that sent financial markets in spain and throughout the world tumbling on friday
with 998 percent of the vote counted mr rajoys popular party had won 137 of 350 parliamentary seats up from 123 seats in the december elections the socialists captured 85 seats five fewer than in december
podemos won 71 seats effectively unchanged from december after forming an election alliance with united left another radical party which won two seats six months ago
another emerging party ciudadanos got 32 seats down from 40 seats according to the preliminary results
no party came close to winning a parliamentary majority on sunday still the results put mr rajoy back in the drivers seat either to try to form a right wing coalition or to pressure the socialists into a broader coalition that could help preserve the dominance of spains establishment parties which podemos would like to uproot
addressing flag waving supporters outside his partys headquarters just after midnight mr rajoy celebrated his victory but did not shed light on how it might allow him to form a new government
from tomorrow we will have to talk with everybody and we will do it he said adding that spain was walking in the right direction
even if sundays result was the worst ever for the socialists it was sufficient to prevent the party from being leapfrogged by podemos an outcome that most polls had predicted
in december podemos and ciudadanos entered spains parliament for the first time on sunday both parties not only had lost the novelty factor but also disappointed some voters after six months of bruising and fruitless coalition negotiations
some parties promised to change the country and then showed us that they were just happy to join the shameful old game of just throwing dirt at each other daniel martin a graphic designer said as he prepared to vote in central madrid earlier on sunday
podemos was hoping to mirror in spain the success of syriza the far left party that took office in greece in 2015 formed less than two years ago podemos has garnered much of its support among a spanish youth hit by high unemployment and angered by the endemic corruption among established parties with rising economic inequality since the financial crisis of 2008
pablo iglesias the leader of podemos said at a news conference on sunday that the result was disappointing and surprising he added the news today is unfortunately that the popular party has increased its support
mr rajoy 61 presented himself as the custodian of spanish unity and continuity in the face of far younger opponents as well as a challenge from secessionist politicians in catalonia
about 70 percent of eligible voters participated in sundays elections which was in line with the turnout six months ago still many of those who waited outside a polling station here expressed disillusionment at being forced back to the polls by spains main parties
i really believe that we need change and a clean fair and transparent society but theres no question that people are pretty tired of our politicians and having to vote again now said galia martinez matei a 31 year old interior designer who voted for podemos


pope francis said on sunday that christians and the roman catholic church should seek forgiveness from gays for the way they had treated them
speaking to reporters aboard a plane taking him back to rome from armenia the pope also said the church should ask forgiveness for the way it has treated women for turning a blind eye to child labor and for blessing so many weapons in the past
in an hourlong freewheeling conversation that has become a trademark of his international travels francis was asked by a reporter if he agreed with recent comments by a roman catholic cardinal from germany that the church should apologize to gays and if an apology was made more urgent by the killing of 49 people at a gay club in florida this month
francis looking sad recalled church teachings that homosexuals should not be discriminated against
they should be respected accompanied pastorally he said
then he added that he thought the church should apologize not only to gay people it had offended but also to the poor to women who have been exploited and to children who have been exploited by being forced to work it must apologize for having blessed so many weapons francis added
the church teaches that gay tendencies are not sinful but that gay acts are and that gays should try to be chaste
the pope repeated a slightly modified version of the now famous who am i to judge comment he made about gays on the first foreign trip after his election in 2013
the questions is if a person who has that condition who has good will and who looks for god who are we to judge he said
a vatican spokesman the rev federico lombardi said that the popes reference to that condition referred not to a medical condition but to a person in that situation in italian the word condition can also mean situation
we christians have to apologize for so many things not just for this treatment of gays but we must ask for forgiveness not just apologize forgiveness   lord it is a word we forget so often he said
francis has been hailed by many gay people for being the most merciful pope toward them in recent history and conservative catholics have criticized him for making comments that they say are ambiguous about sexual morality
he told reporters on the plane that there are traditions in some countries some cultures that have a different mentality about this question gays and that there were some gay demonstrations that are too offensive for some
but he suggested that those were not grounds for discrimination or marginalization of gays
the pope did not elaborate on what he meant by seeking forgiveness for the church having blessed so many weapons but it appeared to be a reference to some catholics who have actively backed wars in the past
in other parts of the conversation francis said he hoped the european union would be able to give itself another form after britains vote to leave lets not throw the baby out with the bath water he said lets try to jump start things to re create


germanys first penalty miss at a european championships in 40 years was only a footnote sunday as the team eased into the quarterfinals with a comprehensive 3 0 defeat of slovakia in lille france
goals from jerome boateng mario gomez and julian draxler ensured that the 2014 world cup champions would not rue mesut ozils missed penalty kick early in the game
germany produced its best performance of the tournament showing its defensive resilience as well as attacking ambition in a display that augurs well for the tougher challenges ahead up next is a quarterfinal clash against either the two time defending champion spain or italy
boateng scored in the eighth minute when his shot from outside the penalty area took a slight deflection into the left corner of the net it was the fastest goal scored by germany at a european championships and the first for boateng in 63 international appearances
ozil had the chance to double the lead six minutes later from the penalty spot after martin skrtel shoved gomez but goalkeeper matus kozacik guessed the right way and palmed away ozils effort
it was the first missed penalty by a german player at the european championships since uli hoeness shot over the bar as czechoslovakia defeated west germany 5 3 in a penalty shootout in the 1976 final antonin panenka scored the winning penalty with a chip down the middle
germany is the only team remaining at euro 2016 that has yet to concede a goal


cannes france   the invasion has begun
in the gray light of a summer dawn the invaders threw their great american force into action here quickly taking the beach with their blue flags white beach chairs and wood slat cabanas a sturdy if sumptuous operating base from which to storm this seaside resort   conference room by conference room rooftop bar by rooftop bar
the frightened townsfolk   top executives from the biggest media companies and advertising agencies in the world   debated in whispers their grim choice between bloody resistance or total surrender
a correspondent broadcasting from the hotel barriere le majestic here reported the words from the blue shirts communique in a quivering voice as we connect the world we believe very deeply in the importance of helping creators build businesses on facebook stop ... we are only here to help stop ... why dont you believe us stop
the preceding paragraphs were based on the new york timess report on the allied invasion of normandy on june 6 1944   loosely very loosely
they capture the sense of siege that was palpable here last week during the annual cannes lions international festival of creativity where facebook has one of the most visible pop up headquarters along the beach with a pier festooned with its logo and a club on the sand but in this case no one was prepared to view the seaside regiment as a liberating force
on the surface this festival is a great bacchanalia the advertising industry holds with its clients and business partners in big consumer goods big entertainment and big journalism over six days they celebrate the years best advertising while massaging relationships and cutting deals over michelin star meals and at over the top soirees that have acts like chris martin and wyclef jean
but in a week in which britain was preparing to make its exit from the european union   sending the continent toward an uncertain realignment   it was fitting that the real action here involved a war for territory in a media world heading for its own painful realignment its old borders withering away at the speed of moores law which holds that computing power increases twofold every two years or so
google and facebook have upended the old order by taking ownership of the new one claiming nearly two thirds of the 60 billion online advertising market last year and on course to take more this year
therefore the word of the week in cannes was duopoly you could understand why the gathered mad men and women were so mad for decades they have enjoyed mutually beneficial relationships with their big clients   coca cola procter  gamble unilever   reaping great riches by catering to americans wants and tastes having divined them through focus groups and surveys
then along came google and facebook using their world changing technologies to insert themselves into those advertising relationships but with a huge advantage   they werent just divining their users tastes and preferences they knew them they controlled the data and as advertising goes more digital he or she who controls the data controls the market
if im you the reader im wondering why i should care isnt it like the old mob complaining about the new mob being unschooled in the honor code of omerta
well there are much larger questions at play when one or two companies gain control over a market it creates dangerous asymmetries that skew competitive balance and the market were talking about isnt making widgets it delivers what we read and watch every day and increasingly every minute the news and information our democracy needs
think about it this way the shift in advertising revenue to google and facebook contributed last year to the worst year for newspaper revenues since the economic crash in 2009 a recent pew research center study found dwindling advertising revenue equals dwindling foreign bureaus equals surprise brexit
while google has usually been the chief villain here facebook seemed to have assumed the role of frenemy no 1 two hours didnt go by here without some top executive telling me about how facebooks walled garden makes it a new intermediary between brands and their customers and between newspapers and their readers that gives facebook the potential to steal them all away if it ever chose to do so it says it wont
facebook which maintained a fortresslike presence here within the hotel majestic as well on the beach had a simple message we come in peace and we need the ad world
our point of view on this is that the whole industry has to collaborate more than ever carolyn everson facebooks vice president for global marketing solutions told me there is a massive shift in the industry
that shift is to mobile phones where more and more digital advertising is going but the industry hasnt quite figured out how to make us regularly watch more than three seconds of a telephone based video ad or to click on a mobile display ad on purpose
we desperately need the agency ecosystem to support and drive this shift to mobile marketing ms everson said figuring it out is in everybodys interest
advertising executives here voiced respect for ms everson who came to facebook from viacom via microsoft a few years ago when relations were at a low and they credited facebook for giving them and their clients access to some 16 billion users
yet in a dozen or so lengthy conversations i had with high level agency and marketing executives suspicion of facebook abounded sure some of it could have been because while the executives were talking about existential threats to their business facebook was here introducing cool new advertising opportunities on instagram and messenger but a lot of it stemmed from the view that facebooks silicon valley happy talk about collaboration and connectivity rings hollow in light of its seemingly aggressive push to grab more media and advertising territory away from them
you can point to a clash between new york cynicism and west coast idealism but there is a history
several years ago facebook invited advertisers to set up fan pages at no cost as more advertisers jumped in their messages became overwhelming facebook scaled them back
but then it offered the brands a chance to increase visibility by paying for it   that is to reach the customer fan base that facebook had initially invited them to create free you can imagine how that went over
facebook has been doing a better job of avoiding such surprises ben winkler the chief investment officer at omd told me at his companys beachside tent
but he said when facebook is the mediator between advertisers and their customers they become facebooks customers first and the brands customers second leaving the question who owns the customer data the nearly universal complaint in cannes was that facebook was not doing enough to share that data leaving an informational imbalance that combined with facebooks digital market share gives it asymmetrical negotiating leverage
thats why tamara ingram the j walter thompson chief executive told me it was important for facebook   a wonderful medium she said   to have a transparent and symmetrical relationship that allows us to build brands italics mine
ms everson said that facebooks imperative to protect the privacy of its users precludes deeper sharing but she said it has sophisticated tools to help its partners contact customers and likely customers without making them identifiable
facebooks madison avenue partners wonder if facebook isnt hiding behind privacy to protect its own market advantage
we fully understand that the users privacy is sacrosanct irwin gotlieb the chairman of groupm global the huge advertising buying firm told me but there are ways to share data without compromising it everyone else has found ways to do it
when i passed through cannes at daybreak on friday   on my way to an appearance on facebook live which facebook is paying my company 3 million to try   i saw a young man passed out by the beach i didnt have time to find out but i wondered a happy reveler who overimbibed with colleagues in the spirit of collaboration or a casualty of the great facebook siege of 2016


jerusalem   israel and turkey agreed on sunday to resume full diplomatic relations ending a bitter six year rift between the once close regional allies according to israeli and turkish officials
prime minister benjamin netanyahu of israel was scheduled to announce the deal in rome on monday according to the israeli official who spoke on the condition of anonymity from rome because the accord had not yet been formally made public the turkish government planned to make a parallel announcement in ankara
the two countries fell out after a deadly confrontation in 2010 between israeli commandos and turkish activists on a passenger vessel that tried to breach israels naval blockade of the gaza strip the palestinian coastal territory that is under the control of hamas the islamic militant group
the ship the mavi marmara was part of a flotilla carrying aid to gaza when israeli naval commandos rappelled onto the ships deck and killed nine activists after being met with violent resistance a 10th activist later died of his wounds
negotiating teams for the two countries met in rome over the weekend
mr netanyahu left for rome on sunday and was also scheduled to meet there with secretary of state john kerry and prime minister matteo renzi of italy mr netanyahu said those meetings would focus on regional matters including relations with the palestinians as well as security and other concerns
reconciliation between israel and turkey two important allies of the united states has long been an american interest as washington confronts civil war in syria and broader instability in the region
turkey was once israels closest friend in the muslim world and the two countries still share many strategic interests including containing iran
before leaving for rome mr netanyahu responded to criticism from the families of two israeli soldiers whose remains are being held by hamas in gaza as well as relatives of one of two israeli civilians being held captive by hamas
turkey maintains close political ties with hamas and over the weekend president recep tayyip erdogan met with khaled meshal the exiled political chief of hamas in istanbul according to the official anadolu agency which quoted presidential sources
the families have demanded that any agreement with turkey include the return of the captives as well as the remains of the soldiers
speaking at the start of his weekly cabinet meeting in jerusalem on sunday morning mr netanyahu said we are continuing our constant efforts both open and in secret to bring back to israel oron shaul and hadar goldin may their memories be blessed and also the two israelis being held in gaza
he was referring to two soldiers who were killed in the 2014 war in gaza by name and to avera mengistu an israeli jew of ethiopian descent and another israeli citizen from a bedouin town in the negev desert who has not been officially named both civilians crossed into gaza of their own accord without authorization
the israeli official in rome said mr erdogan had agreed to a document separate from the main accord that would instruct the relevant turkish agencies to help resolve the issue of the israelis missing in gaza
many of the terms of the deal between israel and turkey are similar to those announced in december when officials said a preliminary understanding had been reached israel is to pay about 20 million into a compensation fund for the families of those killed on the mavi marmara turkey in turn is to drop criminal charges it had filed against israeli officers
israel also expects the turkish authorities to prevent hamas operatives in turkey from orchestrating attacks against israel according to the turkish official turkey will be allowed to deliver humanitarian aid to gaza and invest in infrastructure projects in gaza and the west bank
israel and turkey will return ambassadors to each others capitals and will discuss building a pipeline to bring natural gas from israel to turkey
yuval steinitz israels minister of national infrastructure energy and water said that israel and turkey had an interest in preventing syria from turning into an iranian military base and that israel was not easing up on hamas by reaching an agreement with turkey
certainly we are not conceding anything that is vital to our defense or security mr steinitz told israel radio
it has been more than three years since president obama pressed mr netanyahu to call mr erdogan then the prime minister of turkey to apologize for the marmara episode that telephone call at the end of a 2013 visit by mr obama to israel was supposed to clear the way for reconciliation but there were many false starts as israel and turkey failed to agree on terms


glenbrook nev   a vast largely unexplored world is being opened by hobbyists piloting robotic submarines capable of traveling hundreds of feet below the surface of lakes rivers and oceans
styling themselves as citizen scientists two young engineers eric stackpole and david lang have created openrov a small start up based in berkeley calif that builds submarine drone kits they hope to create a mirror image of the airborne drone craze
this month the openrov researchers took over a vacation home here and turned it into a command center for the maiden dive of a prototype of the next version of their trident submarine the sub explored the wreck of the tahoe a turn of the last century steamer that now lies less than a half mile offshore in depths up to almost 500 feet below the surface of lake tahoe which divides california and nevada
openrov has sold more than 3000 of a first generation submarine which is able to navigate below the surface connected by a thin cable and controlled by software running on a tablet or smartphone the new trident which will go on sale this fall for 1499 will travel at speeds of almost four knots underwater and will have a high resolution camera and a lighting system as bright as car headlights it will operate from a wirelessly connected buoy
from a converted bedroom filled with computer displays charles cross an openrov software engineer piloted the trident down through the crystalline waters of lake tahoe within minutes the researchers could see the tahoe as it emerged from the blue gloom on the lake floor
the 154 ton 170 foot long steamer was once called the queen of the lake carrying passengers and mail in style built in san francisco in 1896 it was intentionally scuttled in 1940 the intent was to sink the ship in shallow water to make it easily visible from a glass bottom boat but the underwater slope was steeper than the ships owners realized
the boat slid out of sight ultimately coming to rest with its bow in 360 feet of water and its stern at a depth of 490 feet the tahoe was first reached in 2002 by a highly technical dive team that in the process set a record for high altitude scuba diving lake tahoe is more than 6200 feet above sea level
now the hobbyist team hopes it can democratize the science and adventure that has previously been accessible only to someone with the resources of robert ballard the oceanographer and explorer who has investigated ships like the titanic and the bismarck a german battleship sunk in the early stages of world war ii
the idea also intrigued professional archaeologists as well as an official from the national oceanic and atmospheric administration who joined the expedition last week
david mckinnie a senior adviser at the atmospheric administrations ocean explorer program met the two engineers several years ago last year he invited them to make a presentation at an event for ocean explorers that the administration sponsored
they were by and far the hit of the show he said people were captivated by the potential of citizen exploration
the trident submarine which was steered by a video game controller was able to float gently around the shipwreck and dip into the ship through an exposed roof section that had been torn away
in keeping with the citizen science aspirations the dives were broadcast live over social media platforms like facebook and twitch trailed by a thin power and networking cable the sub glided over the length of the wreck beaming high resolution video back to a command center where it was displayed on a large computer monitor in a room overlooking the lake
the goal of the explorers is to have a lot more eyes in the ocean said mr lang who worked for a start up firm before co founding openrov in 2012 with a kickstarter campaign
the openrov researchers now manage a nonprofit website openexplorer to encourage their community of drone submarine explorers to share the results of their adventures
were actually legitimately building the worlds largest ocean observation platform on a shoestring mr lang said
while poking around the tahoe wreck the openrov team found a plaque that had been left behind by the previous team of divers who reached the site over a decade ago
navigating underwater was challenging and the dive team had to be careful to keep from tangling their tether deep below the surface they tracked their location in part by periodically observing a bright light that was suspended under the surface from their control boat hundreds of feet above
they were able to easily reconstruct how the ship had come to its final resting place and trace the furrow that it created as it slid deeper into the lake
an observer noted that one of the old myths that had been passed on to visitors to the lake by a mailman in the 1940s was that lake tahoes deep waters were so cold that drowning victims actually stood up when they came to rest on the lake bottom
no bodies were seen by the trident only the occasional fish


in an annual ritual hundreds of thousands of students took the sat this spring as they made their first steps toward applying to college but they were not the only ones being tested
sprinkled among them in may when the sat was given for the second time since a much ballyhooed revamping were a number of people long past college   members of the test prep industry who took the exam to see how those changes played out in practice so that they could improve their tutoring services armed with perhaps sharper pencils and a more jaundiced eye than the typical 17 year old they noticed two questions that some thought could throw off the performance of girls
their concerns are fueling a debate in the industry   on facebook and in private emails   over whether the test items were sufficiently vetted for gender bias and whether the exam was unfair to female students
the two items one in the verbal portion and one in the math section posed what some test prep experts considered a textbook example of stereotype threat when people are reminded during a test of a negative stereotype about their race or sex psychologists say it creates a kind of test anxiety that leads them to underperform
the math question involved a chart showing more boys than girls in math classes over all
the verbal section asked students to analyze a 19th century polemic arguing that womens place was in the home
officials from the college board which administers the test said it had not presented negative stereotypes they said the revamped sat had been if anything more thoroughly vetted for fairness than older iterations content had been reviewed by experts and pretested on a representative sample of students
the results of the may 7 test have also been analyzed no differences in the scores of boys and girls of comparable ability were found on the questions in dispute college board officials said
this means the questions did not present an unfair advantage to either group kate welk the director of assessment communications said in an email
but some test prep tutors do not see it that way i thought wait a minute this test is really trying women in a way thats slightly different than its testing men said sheila akbar the education director for signet education a test prep company here i am a seasoned test taker a 36 year old woman being distracted by this material i wonder what 17 year olds are thinking
the standardized testing industry has long grappled with questions of racial socioeconomic and gender fairness on average historically whites and asians do better than blacks and hispanics on the sat wealthier children do better than poorer ones and boys do better than girls   slightly better in verbal skills and considerably better in math it is unclear why these gaps persist test designers and social scientists say but the differences are the subject of much study including the research on negative stereotypes
there have been hundreds of studies on the effects of stereotypes in test situations but the testing industry says that effects on performance have not been well replicated in real life
board officials have said that the tests overhaul the biggest in a decade was done to make the test more relevant to what children learned in school   and more fair
the reading item paired 1837s essay on slavery and abolitionism by catharine e beecher with an 1838 reply from angelina e grimke an abolitionist it asked questions about how to interpret the passages
the beecher essay argues beginning around section 99 that by divine law women have a lower station than men and wield their influence through the domestic sphere
grimke argues that no ones rights should be diminished because of her sex
christian references in the beecher passage were edited out suggesting to some critics that the board did not want to offend religious sensibilities but zachary goldberg a board spokesman said the religious references had been edited out for length and focus he described beechers essay as separate spheres feminism
the questions related to the passage were not the problem critics said it was the placement of the passage at the beginning of the test allowing it to linger in students minds for the rest of the time
the math question was identical to one on a practice test which showed a chart of 10th graders in which there were more boys than girls taking math
the two sat items appeared to be classic examples of situations that might trigger stereotype driven test anxiety said joshua aronson an associate professor of applied psychology at new york university who with claude steele pioneered the research on the subject in the mid 1990s
im not saying we should put everybody in a rubber room so they couldnt possibly be touched by controversy dr aronson said but why would you go out of your way to couch a percentage problem as a girls in math problem
the reading passage he said could induce cognitive fatigue for girls who were bothered by it you could imagine one girl really ruminating on it and she would pay for it down the road he said
andrew mcglothlin the owner of summit tutoring and test prep in los angeles compared the reading item to pairing a segregationist and an integrationist we cant have george wallace being given equal voice to thurgood marshall said mr mcglothlin who took the test in may that would be beyond the pale
i think you can defend it as a historical argument but there was no historical perspective on it mr mcglothlin said
pamela donnelly the founder of gate a college consulting and test prep company in los angeles said her daughter lily berthold took the test in may and remembered the beecher passage as weird
im a mother of three daughters she said and to present something like that without historical context creates a kind of cognitive dissonance between that and what they believe is true as they try to wrestle their way through the rest of the test
cynthia cowan a boston based tutor said she had a male student who had found beechers argument so alien that he was sure he had misunderstood it this is a good student who read the piece right and convinced himself that he had read it wrong she said if it has that strange effect on a guy who knows what effect it can have on women
both positive and negative reinforcements can work in subtle ways experts say for example some research has found that boys got a boost just from being asked to mark down their sex before taking the test as if it helped to be reminded that they were boys dr aronson said
in the 2013 14 school year the college board stopped asking students to mark their sex on the sat answer sheet a spokesman said this was done to save time
in an intriguing twist dr aronson said recent studies have found that girls are not as aware of female stereotypes as women were when the original research was done what i think is in part responsible for that is that in the last 25 years the gender roles for boys and girls have totally reversed he said girls are the good students now boys are a mess
if theres no difference so be it he said im certain that it bothers some girls and not others in fact thats where the stereotype research is going


come november the new york state congressional delegation is certain to look different with several incumbents retiring and those remaining forced to deal with the effect of donald j trump the presumptive republican presidential nominee on the ballot
but before the general election primary voters will first choose congressional candidates on tuesday in districts around the state that could ultimately help shape the balance of power in the house of representatives
these house races will be very significant if the democrats nationally are going to make any kind of major dent in the republican majority said bruce gyory a democratic political consultant who is not working on any of the primary races
republicans hold a commanding advantage in the house and while it appears unlikely that their party could lose its majority many experts predict that democrats could narrow the margin considerably   especially if there is a backlash against mr trump
the marquee matchup in new york in november could be in the 19th congressional district in the hudson valley and the catskills where representative chris gibson a republican is retiring after three terms mr gibson is following what he has referred to as a self imposed term limit and strong candidates from each party   both former hopefuls for governor   appear poised to win the primaries
on the republican side the leading candidate is john faso a former state assemblyman who twice ran unsuccessfully for statewide office including a 2006 bid for governor against eliot spitzer he is running against andrew heaney a businessman
zephyr teachout is running in the democratic primary ms teachout went from a virtual unknown to an unexpected political sensation in 2014 when she mounted a surprisingly strong primary challenge to gov andrew m cuomo
her opponent in the 19th district primary is will yandik a farmer and environmentalist
a recent siena college poll showed mr faso and ms teachout with large leads
this has the makeup of a really interesting four month battle to november steven greenberg of the siena college research institute said
thats going to be a battle royale said bill lipton the new york state director of the working families party which has endorsed ms teachout
another retiring incumbent is in the third district on long island where representative steve israel a democrat will be leaving congress after 16 years mr israel is a former chairman of the democratic congressional campaign committee
in the democratic primary to replace mr israel the most prominent candidate is tom suozzi the former nassau county executive he has four opponents they include anna kaplan an iranian jewish immigrant and member of the north hempstead town board who has received the endorsement of the state chapter of the national organization for women and steve stern a suffolk county legislator who was endorsed by mr israel
the district includes parts of suffolk nassau and queens counties mr stern has a potential advantage because he is based in suffolk county while the other candidates are from nassau and could split the vote among their base mr suozzi has the endorsement of melinda katz the queens borough president and could benefit from a strong get out the vote effort there
the republican candidate for the fall election is state senator jack m martins
lawrence levy the executive dean of the national center for suburban studies at hofstra university said the district was normally considered safe for the democrats but that mr martins posed a threat because he had shown an ability to appeal to moderate democrats
by enrollment and congressional voting patterns its solidly democratic and it would take a republican with incredible crossover skills to be able to win that mr levy said martins is about the closest thing that the republicans have to that
in central new york richard hanna a three term republican chose not to seek re election in the 22nd district
several republicans are facing off in the primary there including claudia tenney a state assemblywoman with tea party support who staged a strong primary challenge from the right against mr hanna two years ago
mr gyory the consultant said democrats hoped that if ms tenney won the primary their candidate kim myers a binghamton ny businesswoman who does not face a primary challenger would have a chance to carry the district by capturing moderate republican votes
another race where the incumbent is retiring is in the 13th district in upper manhattan and the bronx represented by charles b rangel who was first elected to congress in 1970 nine democrats are in a tight battle in the primary there but the area is so heavily democratic that the winner is almost assured victory in the fall
there are at least two districts with battles among democrats seeking to challenge republican incumbents who could be vulnerable in november
in the 24th district which includes syracuse three democrats are fighting for the chance to face representative john katko a republican the district has flip flopped repeatedly between the two parties
on the democratic side bernie sanders the presidential hopeful and senator from vermont has endorsed eric kingson an expert on social security he is running against colleen deacon a former aide to senator kirsten e gillibrand and steve williams a local lawyer it was not clear how influential mr sanderss endorsement would be
on long island lee zeldin the republican incumbent in the first district has emerged as a strong supporter of mr trump he gained national attention recently when he defended the presidential hopefuls attack on a judge in a lawsuit involving trump university mr trump had said the judge was biased because he was mexican even though he was born in the united states
in defending mr trump mr zeldin suggested that president obama could be considered a racist because of some of his policies and statements
the democratic primary candidates in the district are anna throne holst a former southampton town supervisor and dave calone a venture capitalist and a former federal prosecutor
zeldin is going to test the trump effect on down ballot races mr levy of the national center for suburban studies said suffolk is a little more conservative thus a little more fertile for trump will support for him help zeldin at the time that he went all in i imagine that he thought so if trumps numbers keep falling it could turn out to be a bad bet


phoenix   karina ruiz and other protesters blocked a busy road here last week hours after the supreme court denied relief from deportation for millions of undocumented parents including her father
no papers no fear she chanted pumping her fists in the air
but with a small army of police officers assembled nearby ready to make arrests there was ample fear amid the bravado
whether to speak out or stay hidden has long been a quandary for the millions of undocumented immigrants in the united states the courts decision on thursday is amplifying that angst as immigrants wonder how aggressively they can push for change or just lead normal lives when one wrong move could mean a one way trip to the country they left
its hard for the community eliana fernandez said they were thinking their life was going to be different they could come out of the shadows but now its like sorry
ms fernandez 28 is an immigrant from ecuador and a case manager for make the road new york an advocacy group on friday she attended a protest in lower manhattan against the deadlocked courts ruling
when you have a lot at stake ms fernandez said it takes a lot of guts to go out and say im undocumented
for younger immigrants who grew up as states like arizona were enacting hard edge policies to crack down on illegal immigration visibility remains the best strategy they say that stepping out of the shadows and speaking publicly is a way to humanize their plight and counter the arguments that they are dangerous or a drain on the united states
it was the strategy that activists used four years ago to persuade the obama administration to allow young people without documents to live and work legally in the country if they met certain age restrictions and had lived continuously in the united states for at least five years when the program took effect
i cant sit in silence said ms ruiz 31 who is the president of the arizona dream act coalition a group that campaigns for immigrants rights and education and the mother of three children born in the united states
politicians dont have our backs so i have to fight she said this is my life
for other immigrants thursdays ruling was a stark reminder of the fragility of their situation the obama administration would have protected from deportation at least four million parents who are undocumented but whose children are legal residents or american citizens now even though president obama made clear after the courts decision that deporting these parents would not be a priority fear lingers and a presidential campaign looms
melissa montano 29 has been working for immigrants rights since she was in high school in los angeles she asked to be identified by her middle name out of fear of attracting attention and said the immigration authorities had retaliated by starting deportation proceedings against some outspoken activists
ms montano and her mother have openly acknowledged their lack of legal status since 2010 the year arizona passed a law giving the police broad powers to stop anyone they suspected of being in the country illegally the measure changed the course of the nations immigration debate as many states followed suit with similarly tough laws
ms montano said they did not feel completely safe this is an everyday struggle for us she said
ms fernandez immigrated from ecuador at 14 and received relief from deportation because she arrived so young she and her husband who is undocumented have two american born children because of the courts deadlock he is vulnerable to deportation
many of the people who blocked the street in phoenix spent friday morning at a vigil outside the county jail where four protesters were detained for refusing orders to disperse the protesters were eventually released
ms ruiz visited her father on thursday night he does not have documents and she wanted to apologize for giving him hope that he would be able to remain here legally
im trying to cheer him up ms ruiz said its hard
hector romero 25 said that he had been able to suppress his anxiety even though his mother was deported to mexico but that his sisters got nervous each time their father drove more than a few hours from his home in los angeles their father a carwash worker who has no immigration papers keeps his head down to avoid being caught mr romero said
to be undocumented he said means always being in fear and walking a thin line
on friday mr romero and his father were at work at the carwash carrying on as they always had
unbowed by the defeat ms ruiz directed a group of high school students who had volunteered to knock on doors across latino enclaves in phoenix to register eligible voters the november elections are particularly meaningful she said
after all donald j trump the presumptive republican presidential nominee has vowed to build a wall along the border with mexico and deport 11 million unauthorized immigrants across the united states
also on the ballot in arizona is sheriff joe arpaio of maricopa county who is known for his tough talk on illegal immigration as well as his workplace raids and neighborhood roundups of illegal immigrants
to a lot of latinos this election is personal ms ruiz said
for abril gallardo 25 an organizer for living united for change in arizona an advocacy group in phoenix the fight is for a moratorium on deportations until congress agrees on a plan for a wholesale rewriting of the immigration laws
keep our families together she said thats the main priority
for angel olvera of pasadena calif an organizer with the national day laborer organizing network it is about teaching his two american born children to make the right choices
the government denied us a right to fight for what we want but we are just going to keep fighting said mr olvera an undocumented immigrant from mexico
i came to this country because i know my kids are going to have a better chance but now i am going to be struggling just as i have always done so that they can one day vote for the right candidates the ones that will do something for our community
isabel medina 49 came to the united states from michoacan state in mexico for the same reason she has worked as a house cleaner factory worker and medical assistant in the two decades she has lived in east los angeles after her 21 year old son gained the right to live and work in the united states under an obama administration program for certain young immigrants ms medina began volunteering more in politics now she works with the coalition for human immigrant rights of los angeles trying to urge elected officials to pass comprehensive immigration reform
ms medina said she would probably stop traveling between states and to parts of the country that are less welcoming to immigrants than california now that the supreme court decision has reawakened long forgotten fears
i am devastated she said but i am not defeated


a rally by a white nationalist group at californias state capitol in sacramento became violent on sunday when protesters clashed with the group leaving at least 10 people hurt two of them critically fire officials said
videos posted on twitter showed members of the nationalist group the traditionalist worker party which had obtained a permit to demonstrate brawling on the capitol grounds with protesters who were dressed in black and concealed by face coverings
it was unclear whether the protesters were affiliated with any organization chris harvey a fire department spokesman described them as left wing anarchist types
it was a very chaotic situation he said all we could do was just grab load and go
the two critically injured people were expected to survive fire officials told the associated press at least eight others were reported to have suffered various cuts bruises and stab wounds
the two groups began fighting shortly before noon on sunday just as the rally had been scheduled to begin mr harvey said local news reports indicated that the nationalists were heavily outnumbered
in videos published online people could be seen punching kicking and swinging sticks at one another amid screams of racists and nazis at one point police officers in riot gear intervened as several people kicked a person on the ground at another people dressed in black became physically confrontational with a news crew ordering it to leave
the capitol grounds cover several blocks in downtown sacramento
the southern poverty law center which tracks hate groups said the traditionalist worker party was formed last year as the political wing of the traditionalist youth network a group that it said aims to lure young people to white nationalism
in a post announcing the rally on the traditionalist youth network website the group said it expected to be confronted and outnumbered by protesters but said it planned to go to draw attention to the precarious situation our race is in
news media reports citing a spokesman for the california highway patrol said that about 30 members of the traditionalist worker party had gathered at the capitol for sundays rally and that they were confronted by about 400 protesters
law enforcement officers some on horseback broke up the melee as others helped tend to the injured until medical personnel arrived
for several hours after the violence broke out the capitol was on lockdown as the police restored order to the area


a new jersey mother was charged with endangering the welfare of a child after her 6 year old son fatally shot his 4 year old brother while playing with a gun the authorities said
officials with the essex county prosecutors office said the mother itiyanah spruill 22 of east orange nj was arrested on saturday and was also charged with a weapons violation bail was set at 310000 and she was being held at the essex county correctional facility in newark
east orange officials said the older boy had been playing with his mothers gun in the familys third floor apartment shortly before 11 am on saturday when he shot his brother in the head the younger boy died a few hours later at university hospital in newark ms spruill was home when the shooting occurred the authorities said
thomas s fennelly chief assistant prosecutor said that the shooting appeared to have been accidental and that the legal ownership of the gun was under investigation
the brother was released into the custody of a family member he said


london   when britons voted in a referendum last week they faced a deceptively simple question did they or did they not wish to remain in the european union when they stunned the world by saying no their sentiments were far more tangled
britains fraught relationship with countries across the channel dating to roman times is woven into this islands dna binding the rousing shakespearean battle cries of henry v invading agincourt in france in 1415 to the banners raised by fans in contemporary european soccer championships also fought out in france
many of the emblems of identity seem to recur built on the notion of an island nation pitted against superior forces fighting against the odds swimming against historys tide
but this time one recurrent theme has been repeatedly invoked
since the 19th century britons have drawn a distinction between the muscular warriors keen to expand their influence in far flung lands and those citizens   the so called little englanders   happier to retreat into an insular core of mercantile self interest
during the referendum campaign those who supported britains continued membership in the european union used the label as a slur on their adversaries because they too seemed to be pursuing a withdrawal from a larger enterprise
for most britons the term little englander is recalled primarily in relation to those who opposed colonial interventions such as britains wars with afrikaners in what is now south africa over 100 years ago it was never a flattering expression
its revival in the battle over britains withdrawal from the european union has written one more chapter into a broader narrative of this countrys efforts to define itself in a post imperial era when its ability to shape international events has receded and national distinctions have been blurred by globalization
the truth is that there have always been two sides to the english character dominic sandbrook wrote in the daily mail in 2011 one bombastic grandiose militaristic and imperialistic the other quiet rural local and small scale
the former peaked at the height of the british empire the latter is coming back into vogue he said he was writing when englishness as opposed to britishness was being more sharply defined as an identity after the devolution of political power to scotland wales and northern ireland
those who campaigned for britains withdrawal from the european union see themselves as the heirs to the more muscular british tradition of the grand gesture and the soaring vision   quite the opposite of little englanders
last month boris johnson londons former mayor and a conservative who turned the so called brexit campaign into a huge political and personal victory told an audience in london the truth is it is brexit that is now the great project of european liberalism and i am afraid that it is the eu for all the high ideals with which it began that now represents the ancien regime
his critics however use the little englander label to suggest that britains horizons are narrowed and its influence outside the bloc diminished
brexit would not as its promoters claim put the great back into great britain said a readers letter published in the independent the week before thursdays vote it would simply hand over great britain to the little englanders
the label has also taken on a geographic as much as a political meaning consider for instance the map showing the division of the leave and remain preferences among regions of britain it reveals divergent perspectives of voters scattered across the country young and old rich and poor between voters privileged by a good education and those excluded from educations benefits
greater london scotland and northern ireland all voted to reman in the european union the majority of england along with much of wales voted to exit over all 52 percent of voters wanted to leave and 48 percent to stay
though the cover of british passports bears the words european union and united kingdom of great britain and northern ireland the kingdom does not look so united any more
nicola sturgeon scotlands first minister said she would support a second referendum on independence after one in 2014 that would enable an independent scotland to remain in the european union
the pro european outcome of last weeks referendum in northern ireland caused sinn fein the irish nationalist political party once depicted as a mouthpiece of the irish republican army to call for a referendum on irish unification
fintan otoole a columnist for the irish times wrote that the vote was the beginning of the breakup of the union and the rise of an independent england for which northern ireland will be no more than a distant nuisance
as europe struggled to rebuild after world war ii travelers from britain to france were required to produce travel documents at laborious frontier controls now though britain is not part of the passport free schengen agreement covering many european union members travel is much simpler
the ferment since the referendum by contrast raised improbable visions of at least a partial return to those times with little england hemmed in by frontiers with scotland and ireland its citizens once friends and partners now resentful and hostile
if scotland secedes the broadcaster dan snow wrote in the daily mirror britain could go from being a major player to a little runt state


los angeles   if charlie rose wont interview you ben mankiewicz might   for a price
mr mankiewicz a journalist and commentator who has lately been a host on turner classic movies has also quietly become one of the founders of a new business that trades in a classy way on that most constant of commodities human vanity
called forward the firm is co owned with andrew jameson a seasoned television producer and is advised by lewis n wolff an entrepreneur whose interests include the oakland athletics baseball team
in simple terms forward allows a wealthy person to become the subject of a professionally packaged video interview   conducted with all the panache and most of the perspicuity you would expect from mr rose   for about 50000 to 150000 depending on the package
i have tremendous respect for journalism this isnt that mr mankiewicz said during a joint phone interview with mr jameson
rather he and mr jameson are offering anyone who can afford it an elaborate selfie
for paying subjects there are no unwelcome surprises if they say something is off limits its off limits mr mankiewicz said of his questions
the idea mr jameson explained came from mr wolff who wanted to tell his own story at his familys urging without spending long hours in collaboration with a ghostwriter
could you interview me and i could just talk about my life mr jameson recalled mr wolff asking
mr wolff an inveterate mixer introduced mr jameson to mr mankiewicz a passionate as fan whom he met several years earlier while standing in line at the telluride film festival
mr jameson then built a cozy denlike set with shelves for memorabilia from the lives that are now expected to process through mr wolff became the first subject several more have followed from word of mouth referrals
interviewees are presented with a humidor like box that holds a fully loaded ipad a memory stick and a blu ray version of their interview they also own the rights and can use the material as they please
andy cohen co chief executive of the gensler architecture and design firm said he planned to make the professionally oriented part of his own recent forward interview available to the interested public but more private portions he said are meant only for those closest to him
my goal was to leave a legacy for my family mr cohen said
mr mankiewicz and mr jameson he added dug for some good details
they asked me very personal questions mr cohen said like what are your greatest fears


getting to the bottom of a shampoo bottle is never fun some of us let the bottle sit upside down some of us add water hoping the remaining shampoo will glide out more easily and some of us just give up and toss the old bottle
for bharat bhushan and philip s brown engineers at ohio state university the solution is a bit more complex in a paper published sunday the scientists reported that they had created a plastic surface that can repel sticky liquids like shampoo and oil they also showed that this surface could work with polypropylene a cheap plastic used in packaging for a wide variety of consumer products
this new technology could have far reaching applications including fingerprint resistant phone screens car coatings antimicrobial catheters and stain resistant fabrics dr bhushan said
creating surfaces that can repel oil and shampoo is hard and this is the first time someones demonstrated that you can do it in a very cheap very common plastic said gareth mckinley a professor of mechanical engineering at mit who was not involved in the study
materials like shampoo and oil are hard to repel because of surface tension or the attractive force among the molecules in a liquid in a fluid with high surface tension such as water or mercury molecules want to stick together its the reason water beads into droplets on a solid surface
but when a liquid with low surface tension like shampoo meets a solid surface its molecules want to spread apart and stick to solid molecules rather than to one another
if youve ever spilled salad dressing on your tie or clothing youre well aware that it just soaks in and spreads immediately dr mckinley said
surfaces that manage to repel liquids with low surface tension are called superoleophobic or highly oil repellent surfaces they are difficult to find in nature in contrast to water repellent surfaces like lotus leaves rose petals or gecko feet there are a few types of insects and fish that repel oils but thats about it
making a superoleophobic surface requires some ingenuity in particular such surfaces must be created with two traits first they need a particular roughness that creates air pockets between the solid surface and the oil droplets second they require a chemical coating with low surface energy
to achieve roughness the ohio state researchers embedded tiny particles of silica the main ingredient in sand into their plastic to do so they applied the particles to the polypropylene surface using a liquid that could dissolve the top layer of plastic for the chemical coating they used a compound of fluorine called fluorosilane to coat the rough polypropylene they created
part of the novelty of this approach is how durable the surface is dr bhushan said many previous attempts relied on weakly bonded coatings to achieve roughness this polypropylene is so durable he added because the silica structures used to create roughness are embedded in the plastic rather than sitting on top of it
the difference is akin to melting down the glaze on a doughnut embedding sprinkles in it and letting the glaze harden again versus sticking sprinkles onto the doughnut using frosting with the first method the sprinkles are lodged in the glaze with the second the frosting could come off taking the sprinkles with it
embedding silica with a solution is a clever approach said siddarth srinivasan a researcher of fluid mechanics and surfaces at harvard university who was not involved in the research their technique is so simple and easy to scale up he said
scaling up is something the ohio state researchers had in mind its feasible to adapt this process to the commercial production of shampoo bottles dr bhushan said
the fluorosilane coating the researchers used however is not the most environmentally friendly
there are a lot of problems with fluorinated materials in the environment dr mckinley said because they dont break down and are toxic to wildlife many people are trying to move away from them
nevertheless dr bhushan is proud of his feat the rarity of superoleophobic surfaces in nature speaks to how difficult they are to achieve
here we were going beyond nature he said that was the goal


a sobering report released on monday by the international energy agency says air pollution has become a major public health crisis leading to around 65 million deaths each year with many of its root causes and cures found in the energy industry
the air pollution study is the first for the agency an energy security group based in paris which is expanding its mission under its executive director fatih birol
the agency whose 29 members are wealthy industrialized countries was founded in response to the arab oil embargo in 1973 to coordinate international responses to energy issues it is perhaps best known for its monthly oil market reports that are eagerly awaited by traders
mr birol an economist argues that pressing concerns about climate change and the emergence of countries like china and india as major energy consumers and polluters mean that the agency needs to shift its strategy
to stay relevant he said in an interview on friday we need to work much closer with new emerging energy economies
mr birol has been working to build bridges with china in particular which energy experts say is crucial to the success of global efforts to reduce emissions
to solve todays biggest energy problems the iea needs to have the worlds most important energy players as part of it said jason bordoff director of the center on global energy policy at columbia university
environmental issues mr birol said are very important to emerging economies like india and china whose cities are often plagued by choking smog
helping these countries solve problems through increasing energy efficiency or filtering out pollutants can make progress on climate change goals we need to make these countries understand that their problems are our problems mr birol said
mr birol appears to be well suited to this approach born in turkey he obtained his doctorate in energy economics in vienna and began his career as an analyst at the organization of the petroleum exporting countries the oil producers group often seen as having an agenda rivaling the agencys
mr birol appears to be pushing to make the agency crucial in coordinating a global approach to energy related efforts this includes carrying out the global emissions reduction agreement reached in paris last year the world needs a global energy body said neil hirst a senior policy fellow at the grantham institute at imperial college in london
mr birol said that through relatively low cost actions like adopting more ambitious clean air standards and more effective policies for monitoring and enforcement countries could make major strides in reducing pollution over the next quarter century
china for instance needs to retire polluting coal fired power plants and to establish stricter standards for motor vehicles
such changes could produce big benefits in india the proportion of the population exposed to a high concentration of fine particles a type of pollution would fall to below 20 percent in 2040 from 60 percent today in china it would drop to below one quarter from well over one half


nochixtlan mexico   the battle over education here has suddenly turned literal
violent protests have claimed the lives of at least nine people in little more than a week littered the roads with the charred remains of cargo trucks and tapped a deep vein of anger and mistrust toward the government
thousands of students here in the southern state of oaxaca have been without school for months as their teachers have taken to the streets rejecting national efforts to improve the enormous abysmal education system
but after government forces clashed with demonstrators here in the town of nochixtlan last week leaving at least nine dead and dozens wounded the protest movement appears to have gained steam plunging president enrique pena nietos signature education changes deeper into controversy
in recent days thousands of students in oaxaca have joined their teachers in the streets for the first time to rail against the government and many adults once ambivalent about the teachers cries of injustice have also taken up the cause
before we werent supporting either side said karen hernandez casares 15 a student in oaxaca city who was among thousands of fellow students dressed in school uniforms and carrying posters denouncing the education overhaul but we cant stand by and allow government repression
everything has changed now she added
the violence touched a raw nerve in oaxaca which despite a thriving tourism industry is one of the poorest and most volatile states in the country the governments response to the protests has amplified a belief that the education reforms are just the latest effort by mexico city to marginalize the people here and deprive them of their rights and dignity
in most of the country the presidents push to revamp the schools has found broad acceptance government officials and supporters of the overhaul point out that the resistance has been almost entirely concentrated in four southern states especially oaxaca and involves only a small fraction of the nations education employees
even many of the presidents opponents agree that the nations public education system   the worlds fifth largest with more than 30 million students   is in dire need of repair
it has long been one of the worst performing public education systems of the worlds largest economic powers according to a january 2015 report by the organization for economic cooperation and development mexicos academic achievement ranked last among the groups 34 member states
mexicos schools have suffered from wasteful spending and a bloated bureaucracy that for years was heavily influenced if not outright controlled in places by the powerful national teachers union with about 16 million members it is the largest public union in latin america
the state governments were prisoners of the local sections of the union said carlos ornelas a professor of education and communications at the universidad autonoma metropolitana in mexico city
the system has been riddled with favoritism and graft a recent census of the public education system   the first the government had ever conducted officials said   found thousands of ghost employees on the payroll and many more former employees who had quit retired or died but were still being issued paychecks
graduates of teaching colleges were given guarantees of lifelong employment regardless of performance and posts were passed along as inheritances or bought and sold on the open market
after taking office in 2012 mr pena nieto made education a priority quickly passing a package of changes that were in part designed to break the unions stranglehold on the system
the changes instituted teacher evaluations and a competitive hiring process they also restructured the school bureaucracy returning more control to the federal government and enacted a new salary payment system intended to protect against graft and wasteful spending
while the national union has fallen in line behind the governments efforts a dissident wing of the union continued to resist the changes staging major demonstrations like the recent uprisings in oaxaca
though that wing called the national coordinator of education workers has a presence throughout the country its stronghold is in the poorer southern reaches especially oaxaca where it has dominated the school system government officials and analysts say
the groups leaders say they are most opposed to the new teacher evaluations which require that all teachers pass an assessment test every few years teachers are given three attempts to pass each one separated by a year of training if they fail three times in a row they are removed from their teaching jobs and reassigned to an administrative post
the exams have one intention said gabriel lopez chinas a teacher who recently served as a top official for the dissident wing in oaxaca they seek to fire teachers they dont seek to improve the quality of education
last year as part of the overhaul the state and federal governments dismantled the state education department of oaxaca which was dominated by union members and reconstituted it with new leadership under the control of the state two weeks ago the authorities arrested and imprisoned the top two leaders of the oaxacan section of the union on corruption allegations
support for the dissident union wing in oaxaca and its other traditional strongholds in chiapas michoacan and guerrero had seemed to be waning officials and analysts said
but then the deadly clash with security forces inflamed widespread antipathy toward mr pena nieto who is facing low approval ratings amid soaring doubts about his administrations ability to fight corruption and crime including solving the case of the disappearance of 43 college students
last week the administration met with the dissident wing of the national teachers union widely viewed as a capitulation a second meeting was scheduled for monday the government has maintained its long held position that it will not negotiate the new laws and that the mandated overhaul is inevitable in oaxaca and other southern states where resistance is high
juan diaz de la torre the head of the national teachers union has staunchly backed the governments position against the dissident union members if we violate the law because of this circumstance we will fall into a spiral that wont help anyone he said in an interview on thursday we want to see ourselves in the mirror of the most developed countries we want to see ourselves there we dont want to go down again we want to keep improving
the blockades and protests have increased in oaxaca since the violence on june 19 and some residents dread more bloodshed along the streets here in the center of nochixtlan most of the stores were closed this past week their metal security gates pulled down and locked
theres a panic right now in town because of this confrontation said eric coca hernandez 31 who opened his shoe store despite a dearth of customers
he said many non teachers from elsewhere in the country had joined the teachers at the barricades adding a shadowy element to the protests
we dont know whether they are here to help the teachers or for other reasons he said
the authorities have speculated that armed members of radical antigovernment groups infiltrated the ranks of protesting teachers and fired on federal officers on june 19 provoking a firefight the shootings are under investigation
on the outskirts of the town this past week young men with bandannas covering their faces patrolled blockades stopping and searching cars at random they told motorists that they were looking for employees of the federal government
not everyone however joined with the teachers to denounce the government some felt that amid the violence the central issue of students education had been lost and a few held the teachers responsible for the violence and for failing to educate children in the past seven years teacher strikes in oaxaca have closed schools for the equivalent of a full school year according to government figures
right now everyone is washing their hands of responsibility and blaming the government said maria martina garcia 55 a maid but i blame the teachers i want to be rid of them
alongside her daughter and three grandchildren who have been biding their time at home since mid may she came to a memorial service on tuesday in the center of nochixtlan for jesus cardenas 19 who was killed in the clashes
every year this happens her daughter sulema rivera said of the teacher protests my children have rights too   the right to be in school
the next day students congregated to support the teachers thousands poured into oaxaca city where the charming town center has become a makeshift camp of battered tarps and tents for protesting teachers their chants and signs alternated between support for the teachers and denouncements of the government
the march wound through a cluster of impromptu stalls hawking the likes of cheese and hand embroidered shirts the wait staff at the fancy restaurants flanking the central square did not even bother trying to solicit customers the cafes in a rare exception to the general tumult were dormant
the energy was instead among those marching
if you can read this sign it is thanks to my teachers read one poster


as global markets reel after an establishment rattling vote by britain to sever ties with europe investors are again expecting central banks to ride to the rescue
and that may be the problem
or so believe a number of investors and economists who worry that another round of central bank intervention in the markets will compound the sense of alienation frustration and anger at global elites that encouraged a majority of britons to opt for leaving the european union
traditionally market participants have tended to cheer central bank activism
in times of financial panic wholesale bond buying negative interest rates and disbursing cash directly to consumers the yet to be deployed weapon in the central bankers armory have been seen as easy policy substitutes for governments unwilling or incapable of taking action themselves
but as the worlds leading central bankers finished a weekend of brainstorming in basel switzerland as to what their next move might be some feared that this time around they might do more harm than good
people say that central bankers have not done enough but they have done too much already said stephen jen a former official at the international monetary fund who now manages a hedge fund in london
global central bankers had already planned to convene at the annual meeting of the bank for international settlements a clearinghouse and research shop that provides a private forum for central bankers to gather and exchange views
but the british referendum results and the sharp fall in the markets that followed brought an extra urgency to the two day meeting
on saturday agustin carstens the head of mexicos central bank and chairman of the banks policy group that monitors the global financial system said that committee members had endorsed the contingency measures put in place by the bank of england and emphasized the preparedness of central banks to support the proper functioning of financial markets
adding to global political tensions were parliamentary elections on sunday in spain where the anti austerity left wing party podemos was expected to continue its recent run of electoral success
while the sell off in stocks on friday was very sharp market participants said over the weekend that they were heartened that major market makers were able to absorb the selling fairly well
playing a central role were exchange traded funds which at one point on friday accounted for close to 50 percent of overall trading volume in stocks that is an extraordinary statistic given that the funds were largely unknown a decade ago as an investment option for investors
the ability for investors to quickly and successfully buy and sell stocks and bonds the crucial advantage that exchange traded funds have over mutual funds is seen by regulators as critical in times of acute financial stress
part of the conundrum for central bankers is that the recent sell off is not the result of an event like lehman brothers going bankrupt in september 2008 which provided authorities with an unassailable excuse to intervene lehmans failure caused markets to seize up and financial institutions to stop dealing with each other
but when the crises that rock global finance are social and political it becomes more awkward for central bankers to defend any form of extraordinary intervention
and that is what worries analysts who for some time now have been concerned that interventions by central banks were distorting markets by making them less liquid and creating anomalies such as what currently exists in japan
there the nations central bank owns 34 percent of the countrys government bonds and is one of the top 10 shareholders in 90 percent of the companies listed on the stock exchange according to data from bloomberg
central banks have done everything to jury rig markets said julian brigden of macro intelligence 2 partners an independent research company based in vail colo that advises large money management firms on global investment themes what makes you think they wont want to do more
mr jen the hedge fund manager scoffed at the notion that the extraordinary central bank interventions of recent years were designed to stamp out deflationary threats and spark an increase in prices and economic activity in stagnant economies in europe and japan
we have plenty of inflation its just asset price inflation he argued referring to elevated equity bond and housing markets that have been one consequence of these policies people cant live in cities anymore and they are grumpy about their jobs
in britain this dynamic has been particularly acute thanks to aggressive central bank policies house prices in london are among the most expensive in the world yet the inflation adjusted weekly average wage of 470 pounds or about 632 is still PS20 lower than it was before the financial crisis according to the resolution foundation a british research organization
interestingly one of the most vocal critics of central bank overreach has been the bank for international settlements itself
for years now two senior economists at its research arm claudio borio and hyun song shin have been arguing via speeches and papers that artificially low interest rates have created pernicious asset bubbles in equity and housing markets in the developed world and debt frenzies in emerging markets like china and brazil
these views were highlighted again on sunday in basel with the presentation of the banks annual report
in a speech jaime caruana the banks managing director said that extremely low interest rates were a threat to global financial stability as they depress risk premia and stretch asset valuations
the result mr caruana contended was the threat of a loss of confidence in policy making and unrealistic expectations about growth and the ability of present policies to lift global growth
while couched in platitudes mr caruanas message was clear enough persistent central bank interventions have not only created dangerous distortions they have added to a sense of worldwide cynicism that these measures have not accomplished their central aims lifting economic growth and increasing wages
it is worth noting that mr caruana is familiar with asset bubbles he was the head of spains central bank a decade ago when reckless lending among the countrys financial institutions resulted in a boom and eventual bust of spanish property prices
but mr brigden said central bankers will have a harder time justifying an intervention when the markets are going haywire because of an election upset somewhere
of course bashing central bankers is always a popular and easy pastime for politicians economists and investors alike
it is also true that central bankers in britain europe japan and the united states have consistently said that their actions have been forced by the unwillingness of politicians and governments to act themselves
monetary policy cannot do it alone said daniel c dektar a bond investor at amundi smith breeden a global asset manager people have been left behind which is creating anti establishment sentiment in just about every democracy in the world you would think that at some point governments would get the message


ever since grave robbers haunted american cemeteries and medical students paid for fresh corpses new york state law has appropriated unclaimed bodies on behalf of medical schools that teach anatomical dissection
but on the last day of the legislative session this month lawmakers voted overwhelmingly to end that 162 year old system by requiring written consent from a spouse or next of kin before city officials can release an unclaimed body to a school unless the deceased is already registered as a body donor
though the new measure applies only to new york city and still needs the governors signature to become law its passage in both houses on june 16 showed a significant shift in public attitudes toward human remains and the dead the city considers unclaimed
the vote   61 to 1 in the state senate 107 to 32 in the assembly   came a month after a new york times investigation highlighted provisions in the current law that give families as little as 48 hours to claim a relatives body before the city must make it available for dissection or embalming practice the city has offered at least 4000 bodies to medical or mortuary programs in the past decade records show and among these more than 1877 were selected for use before burial in the citys mass graves on hart island
in practice with the rise of body donations few medical schools in new york still collect unclaimed corpses from city morgues officials at the albert einstein college of medicine in the bronx one of the few that have continued to rely on significant numbers of unclaimed cadavers decided to stop after the timess article was published
still an association of the 16 medical schools in the state strongly opposed the measure which had failed to pass the assembly last year after similar opposition in a memo to legislators the association the associated medical schools of new york was especially critical of a provision that makes the schools responsible for obtaining consent pointing out they lack access to the records that public administrators use to identify the dead and their next of kin
the memo also warned that the consent requirement would essentially mean the end of the educational use of bodies without known survivors it cited a current shortfall of 38 cadavers out of about 800 typically used to teach future doctors each year
but brandi schmitt the director of the anatomical donation program at the university of california and a leading member of the american association of clinical anatomists provided a different perspective
i think the general modern opinion in the modern world is that consent should be obtained she said citing the evolution of medical ethics and a growing recognition that unclaimed bodies like unwitting subjects of medical research have often been people marginalized or exploited in life
practices in the united states regarding the unclaimed dead vary widely from state to state and even from county to county experts say with many jurisdictions still governed by laws rooted like new yorks in 19th century efforts to curtail grave robbery even amid a booming international market in donated bodies in countries where dissection clashes with prevailing funeral rites as in the middle east and parts of india a trade in unclaimed bodies has often arisen to fill demand
the background to the new bill echoes the same clash of interests and climate of scandal that made new yorks first cadaver law controversial in 1854 when medical professionals won despite vehement protests from representatives of working class and immigrant new yorkers the new bills co sponsors were senator simcha felder a democrat who caucuses with the republicans and represents a brooklyn district that includes neighborhoods that are heavily populated with orthodox jews or people of chinese descent and assemblyman michael simanowitz a democrat from an equally diverse district in queens
our current laws do not protect the religious or personal rights of new yorkers mr simanowitz said we have seen repeated cases of unclaimed bodies delivered for dissection without consideration of religious or personal wishes
robert t farley counsel to mr felder said that the bills original impetus came not only from traditional religious and cultural objections to dissection and embalming but also from recurrent complaints and lawsuits by aggrieved relatives over bodies mishandled lost or mixed up at morgues operated by the new york city office of the chief medical examiner
in a 2014 case reported by the daily news for example the body of aura ballesteros an 85 year old bronx woman who had died at a nursing home was mistakenly passed by city morgue workers to einstein medical school despite the citys agreement to store it while her children made funeral arrangements by the time her son located the body three days later he said it had undergone a type of medical school embalming that left it unrecognizable the city ended up paying a 115000 settlement for emotional distress
many cases never come to light because the city declines to publicly identify bodies waiting in the morgue or to name those transferred as cadavers citing privacy for the dead one of the cases discovered by the times concerned milton weinstein a disabled jewish typographer whose mentally ill widow was given no say over what would happen to his body after he died in a bronx nursing home at age 67 his corpse was swiftly passed from a city morgue to a medical school it was still serving as a cadaver two years later when his long estranged sons finally learned that he was dead and tried to find out where he was buried
in 2014 after being caught in a series of blunders the medical examiners office stopped supplying bodies altogether and supported the felder simanowitz bill but the city was forced to resume the flow of corpses last year when it was sued by the states leading mortuary school the american academy mcallister institute of funeral services
a century old institution mcallister is the only mortuary school in the city the state requires embalmment training on real bodies for a funeral directors license and for a schools accreditation and unlike medical schools mcallister has no body donors
the bill is a disaster for the school its lawyer brian sokoloff said adding that the changes threaten to put it out of business it makes no sense
the school is asking the governor to veto the bill one of 542 pieces of legislation awaiting his review before years end
mcallister now signs out corpses at the queens morgue drives them to embalming classes in midtown manhattan and returns them after mortuary students have practiced incisions drainage and chemical infusion   a process that leaves the cadavers unfit for medical schools purposes and which absent consent is seen by some as a bodily desecration
the societal good is now being jettisoned because there are a couple of stories of the city not doing what the city should have done mr sokoloff contended these are people who have nobody so now to expect the school to go out and become a private detective to try to figure out where are the persons relatives   how in the world is a mortuary school supposed to do that
but the new york state funeral directors association remained neutral on the bill bonnie mccullough its executive director said out of respect for the wishes and beliefs of the families its members serve
transparency and informed consent are now seen as the gold standard in medical ethics ms schmitt said citing the university of californias overhaul of its anatomical donation program in 2005 over all its program now receives 1200 to 1500 bodies a year has 30000 body donors registered statewide and requires a nine page consent form that even lists mortuary students among the beneficiaries of an anatomical gift
steadily the donation rate has increased she said


london   freed from the shackles of the european union britains economy would prosper and its security would increase britain would take back control of immigration reducing the number of arrivals and it would be able to spend about 350 million pounds or about 470 million a week more on health care instead of sending the money to brussels
before thursdays referendum on the countrys membership in the 28 nation bloc campaigners for british withdrawal known as brexit tossed out promises of a better future while dismissing concerns raised by a host of scholars and experts as project fear
but that was before they won
with financial markets in turmoil a big drop in the pound and the prospect of further chaos some supporters of brexit are backpedaling on bold pronouncements they made just a few days earlier a lot of things were said in advance of this referendum that we might want to think about again liam fox a former cabinet minister told the bbc including when and how article 50   the formal process for leaving the european union   should be invoked
perhaps no promise was more audacious   and mendacious critics say   than the PS350 million a week claim boris johnson the former mayor of london who was the frontman of the brexit campaign toured britain in a bus emblazoned with the slogan we send the eu PS350 million a week lets fund our nhs instead a reference to the countrys widely revered national health service
hours after proclaiming independence day for britain nigel farage the leader of the fiercely anti european uk independence party conceded that the PS350 million figure was a mistake asked by the bbc on sunday about the spending pledge iain duncan smith a former conservative party leader who campaigned for brexit said the leave side had merely promised to spend the lions share of that money on the health service
the shift was perhaps unsurprising since the PS350 million independence dividend never stood up to scrutiny it excluded money returned to britain through rebates and money that britain spent to subsidize its farmers and poorer regions according to the respected institute for fiscal studies the institute put the true figure at about PS150 million
supporters of the remain side have angrily attributed the victory for leave to a campaign of misinformation and even deception in cornwall in the southwest corner of england where a majority voted to leave the leader of the county council john pollard demanded that the government provide investment equal to that provided by the eu program the county has gotten about 13 billion in european union assistance over the past 15 years and was counting on about 550 million more by 2020
a financial times chart showing that the leave vote was strongest in the parts of britain that are the most economically dependent on the european union was widely circulated online
promises to quickly reduce immigration levels are also being played down migration was the cornerstone of the leave campaign which objected to the european unions insistence on the free movement of labor capital goods and services since 2004 when 10 more countries joined the european union large numbers of eastern and southern europeans have moved to britain for work
mr johnson argued that it was impossible for the government to reduce immigration while in the european union his ally michael gove the justice secretary said a leave vote would bring down the numbers by 2020 experts have long said that would be very hard to pull off the european union has demanded from nonmember states   norway for example   free movement of workers in exchange for access to the blocs single market
on friday the day after the referendum daniel hannan a member of the european parliament and one of the most knowledgeable advocates of brexit stunned some viewers of the bbc by saying frankly if people watching think that they have voted and there is now going to be zero immigration from the eu they are going to be disappointed
mr hannan wrote on twitter i was for more control not for minimal immigration facing a backlash he observed that a lot of remain voters are now raging at me because i dont want to cut immigration sharply adding there really is no pleasing some people he then announced that he would take a month off twitter
mr farage took the most hard line position on immigration unveiling a poster depicting a long stream of refugees under the headline breaking point and raising the prospect of turkeys joining the european union even though any of the 28 member states has veto power over accepting new members
many brexit campaigners expected to lose   even mr farage said on the night of the referendum that he did not think his side had won   and for some the fight was as much about internal conservative party politics as the future of the country
having now ousted prime minister david cameron they face a political vacuum with their base demanding that promises be kept mr johnson the front runner to replace mr cameron has not made any further pronouncements since a subdued statement on friday that was restricted to generalities if he does become prime minister mr johnson will face the task of carrying out a british withdrawal without provoking a backlash from those who believed campaign slogans or sentiments that he certainly appeared to endorse
in voting to leave the eu it is vital to stress that there is now no need for haste mr johnson told reporters standing alongside him mr gove promised we can have democratic consent for an immigration policy that is fairer and more humane he did not explain how


one of the thrills of hamilton is in watching the flexibility of its performers as they effortlessly bounce between musical styles   its a testament to the versatility of the talents they brought in the door with them musical theater has its own native grammar but this show and its stars hammer away at it with every song rebuilding it in their own image
thats even more clear when listening to them outside of the confines of hamilton two of the shows tony winning stars have recently released albums daveed diggss noise rap group clipping has a new ep wriggle and leslie odom jr has just updated and rereleased his self titled solo debut
they serve as a reminder of life after hamilton but also of life before it for mr diggs his music career began years ago and one suspects will continue long after hamilton fades for mr odom who announced hell be leaving hamilton next month the show has served as a catalyst for the next phase of his career one in which he gets to sing with no one else onstage
new release leslie odom jr s curve
in hamilton aaron burr sir mr odoms portrayal of alexander hamiltons nemesis and eventual killer was the emotional anchor of the show and earned him the tony award for best performance by a leading actor in a musical
signature hamilton musical moment dear theodosia in which burr sings to his newborn daughter about how building a new nation is an act of parental responsibility as much as political
personal musical style tender jazz vocals with flashes of adult contemporary rb
the sound this covers collection is elegant and warm exceedingly mannered but also keenly felt mr odoms voice is lithe and surprisingly delicate when hes not projecting it toward the back of the house mr odom is far more reliant on his upper register here than in hamilton and far more reliant on his plaintive side and the music produced by joseph abate is bursting with pinpoint detail almost porcelain in its balance of structure and fragility
standout song mr odoms take on joey joey joey from the frank loesser musical the most happy fella is startling he sings meditatively and with real viscosity about temptation and the song is full of emphatic piano stark bass and conspiratorial drums you can hear the moistness in mr odoms delivery when he senses the possibilities that await him smelling like oregon cherriesor maybe texas avocado something like arizona sugar beets
unexpected reference point love look away from the rodgers  hammerstein musical flower drum song sounds like silky chicago steppers music
hamilton moments the album recalls joey joey joey has a bit of the longing that burr carries like a burden in wait for it and the military drums on i know that you know recalls the musical motifs that recur throughout hamilton like in the adams administration but with less eye popping intensity and more slow burn embrace
new release clippings wriggle ep sub pop
in hamilton double duty as the marquis de lafayette and thomas jefferson a trans atlantic triumph that earned him the tony award for best performance by a featured actor in a musical
signature hamilton musical moment on guns and ships lafayette arrives like a drone strike rapping with fervor about taking out the redcoats
personal musical style rapping like someone running 25 100 meter dashes all at once
the sound mr diggs has been a member of clipping for several years and this ep contains songs from the sessions of its 2014 album clppng sub pop that werent completed in time for that albums release mr diggs is a crafty and dexterous rapper an inheritor of west coast eccentrics from freestyle fellowship to e 40 and hes percussive as well playing musical shootout with the skittish glitchy production of bandmates william hutson and jonathan snipes
standout song the title track is frenetic and salacious an industrial updating of miami bass music that sounds like what might happen if you took a pneumatic drill to a 12 inch single of outkasts bob it samples a song by the pioneering extreme noise band whitehouse that is full of naughty lyrics which mr diggs happily echoes and adds to this aint your first rodeo showmaybe you better act like you know how to ride it like a pogothey dont want it slo mo dont stop
unexpected reference point on shooter mr diggs repurposes the hashtag rap structure popularized by drake a few years ago taking it from an aha tactic to a whole worldview using it on almost every line of the song
hamilton moments the album recalls there are a handful of tough songs in hamilton especially in the second act the production on this ep is simpatico with the electronic explosions on the reynolds pamphlet which features some of jeffersons cleverest rapping and mr diggss bouncy approach on the saucy collaboration with cakes da killa recalls the fierce energy jefferson brings in cabinet battle 1 and cabinet battle 2


charleston wva   cole chapman and his wife silvia gabriel fields were having coffee on their deck when a nearby creek suddenly burst its banks sending them and their two children sprinting to their pickup truck for safety
we heard cracking and popping and a sheet of water just started pouring into the yard mr chapman said saturday night it was like something totally exploded
minutes later their yard submerged beneath gushing knee deep water the family raced over muddy roads to higher ground
my son was in the back seat saying were going to die were going to die mr chapman recalled im sitting there thinking i sure hope youre not right
the storms that swept west virginia last thursday created historic flooding and in the aftermath left hundreds of homes buildings bridges roads and vehicles destroyed the storms were tied to at least 24 deaths
the authorities said on sunday that all of the people reported missing had been accounted for except in one county greenbrier which suffered the greatest death toll in the flooding
sixteen deaths were reported in greenbrier county all but one of them in the small town of rainelle
the towns mayor andrea pendleton wept as she surveyed her community on saturday the associated press reported
i weep for my people she said i weep for the businesses
the county is home to a luxury resort and golf course that was scheduled to host a pga tournament from july 4 to 10 but the course like much of the surrounding countryside was overrun by floodwaters and the event was canceled canceling the greenbrier classic is certainly the most prudent course of action as our foremost concern is the well being of those who are having to live through this tragic situation the pga tour commissioner tim finchem said in a news release our thoughts and prayers are with them
the owner of the resort said that while it was closed for business he would offer a limited number of free rooms and meals to house some of the people affected by the floods
the powerful storms appeared to have caught many people off guard
hundreds of people were left stranded and bodies that were recovered from houses   including those of a man and two women at one location all presumed to have drowned officials said   suggested that either people did not have enough time to flee or did not heed warnings to evacuate
the state remained under a state of emergency on sunday with more than 17000 homes and business still without power late saturday president obama declared a major disaster in the state that frees up federal funding for relief in three of the hardest hit counties   kanawha nicholas and greenbrier
more heavy rain is forecast for monday in some of the areas in west virginia already hit hard by flooding but greenbrier county is expected to be spared
mr chapman recounted his familys harrowing escape as his truck crashed and bounced over debris in the road he said for what seemed like an hour he fought through water mud and rain to get to clendenin usually a 15 minute trip the pickup almost flipped at one point he said as he drove over a fallen tree there was enough water hitting the side of the truck to make it rock he said the family escaped drenched with little more than the clothes they were wearing i left with just what i had in my pockets mr chapman said
when he returned to the house later he said he saw that their 10000 gallon aboveground pool had been lifted and dashed against the side of the house the family has no flood insurance he said and he is unsure whether they will be able to return home
storms had been in the forecast for thursday but their overpowering strength came as a surprise to many most of west virginia and the western parts of virginia received 1 to 3 inches of rain in a few hours on thursday afternoon and evening but the downpour was far more intense in some places parts of greenbrier county a sparsely populated area bordering virginia got 8 to 10 inches of rain the national weather service reported
power went out a couple of hours before the creek burst its banks mr chapman said but he and ms fields were unaware how quickly the swollen creek was rising neighbors reported finding out about flooding only after someone knocked on their door
over the weekend in clendenins tiny downtown a church group grilled burgers in a parking lot next to a dairy queen that was demolished by the elk river which flooded to record levels another church group passed out clothes and cleaning supplies to those left homeless
in rural west virginia it is not uncommon for multiple generations of a family to live near the same small town on thursday ms fields and two other households of relatives were flooded out gerald and naomi fields her parents live in clendenin mr fields said he knew they were in trouble when he saw a massive amount of water coming off the mountain on his way home from work on thursday
he said a rescue team worked for hours to evacuate residents of a nursing home those emergency workers literally put their lives on the line to get them out he said by 3 in the morning when they were done one man just collapsed from exhaustion
another set of relatives 10 houses away lost everything ms fieldss older sister erica babbitt and her husband david said their house was ruined were going to be starting from scratch mr babbitt said
for now all 11 members of the three related households are staying at an empty church rectory in nitro west of charleston mr babbitt said his church has rallied around them feeding them giving them clothes shelter and a few personal items ms babbitt said she and her husband had been getting ready to move to fairmont for a new job i was thinking about what it was going to take to move she said i guess i dont have to worry about that now


los angeles   in the sleepy past of say four or five years ago elections to the governing board of the academy of motion picture arts and sciences were not a hot topic of conversation here   even on a slow afternoon at the palm
but times have changed
in this weeks annual vote about a third of the seats on the academys board of governors   elected by various craft branches representing directors actors publicists and so on   are up for grabs the elections are suddenly adding sizzle to what is normally a slow season for movie business politics
among the questions will steven spielberg finally bring his stature and influence to the 54 member board will incumbents be punished for an attempted purge of the academys older less active members above all will the new board be more diverse than an elected group that last year had just one black member the academys president cheryl boone isaacs and far fewer women than men
ordinarily id say what do you need it for mike medavoy a seasoned executive and film producer said of the distraction factor that comes with a post on the board but this year im glad my hats in the ring
pressures on the academy   harshly criticized for its all white oscar acting nominations in two successive years   and on the film business at large which is struggling with challenges from alternate media and international competitors have made board service look something like a duty
the board oversees an organization of about 7000 film professionals fifty one of the board members are elected the other three are now appointed under a recent reform meant to broaden the groups demographic makeup
in all 66 candidates are competing for 17 available seats among the current nominees 21 are women there are currently 18 women on the board four of the nominees are black one well known hispanic actor edward james olmos is also running
mr medavoy is one of four candidates for a spot representing the academys executive branch he is running against bill mechanic peter schlessel and an incumbent amy pascal   all prominent executives and producers with deep roots in hollywood
in 2014 ms pascal played a powerful behind the scenes role in securing a contract renewal for dawn hudson the academys chief executive who has a paid post the extension had been disputed ms hudson in turn was a leading architect of the academys recent drive to increase the number of women and ethnic minorities in the ranks and to purge the voting rolls of often older marginally active members
if ms pascal is defeated this year it could be a signal about member sentiment regarding the diversity push and the culling of the voting rolls which will be completed later this summer
it shouldnt be based on racial makeup gender or anything else mr medavoy said in a phone interview of academy membership arguing that professional achievement is the only criteria that should be considered he also spoke of confronting changes in global markets
by contrast laura karpman who is competing to represent the music branch is emphasizing her hope that more diverse viewpoints will be represented
i am the first american woman composer in our branch ms karpman said in an email my advancement to the final four is a true signal that the academy membership is inspired to change
she is running against her fellow composers alan bergman carter burwell and arthur hamilton   all white males the incumbent charles fox has reached his term limit
under newly democratized procedures this year prospective governors   once nominated by committees   proposed themselves as candidates in a runoff round in a preliminary vote as many as four nominees per seat were given spots in an election that will begin on wednesday and will close on july 12
in a break with past practice when open campaigning was considered a breach of etiquette the academy has encouraged prospective governors to post statements on a secure website open only to members
some also posted public statements in a forum provided by the hollywood reporter in her public statement ms karpman said i am a founding member and president of the alliance of women film composers i am passionate about nurturing new talent and widening the perspectives of our community
while the race and gender of oscar voters has been a subject of fierce debate the new board will also be wrestling with internal issues those include the completion of a los angeles movie museum that is set to open in 2018 with fund raising still underway the negotiation of a new broadcast contract for the oscars to take effect when the current deal with abc expires in 2020 and the likely re election of ms isaacs who has been in place for three years and is permitted to run for one further consecutive term
an academy spokeswoman declined to discuss the election
despite the number of women running the new board may well have a slightly lower percentage of women than the existing board since some of the 18 nominees are competing for the same seat in the costume designers branch for instance three female challengers   sharen k davis ellen mirojnick and marilyn vance   are running against a female incumbent judianna makovsky
mr olmos is contesting an actors seat now held by ed begley jr as are laura dern and lou diamond phillips who has filipino ancestry
the four black candidates are stephanie allain for the producers roger ross williams for documentarians thomas carter among directors and ms davis among the costume designers
but they face tough races ms allain for instance is running against hawk koch a former academy president paula wagner a fellow female producer who was for years a business partner of tom cruise and mark johnson an incumbent who has been a force in shaping the academys annual foreign language film award
similarly mr carter whose directing credits include coach carter and when the game stands tall is in a face off with john badham lisa cholodenko and mr spielberg the ultimate industry heavyweight
mr spielbergs name appeared on the governors ballot about a decade ago when elections were a quieter affair and nominating committees advanced the names of candidates who were not necessarily eager to serve alexander payne beat mr spielberg then
this time mr spielberg has remained publicly coy about his positions or his reasons for running
i dont think he particularly wants to talk about it said mr spielbergs longtime publicist marvin levy who himself is a governor   and not subject to the current election
he would feel if anybody would say anything it would have to come from the academy said mr levy underscoring mr spielbergs old school approach to the campaign
he added and i would have to agree with that


washington   nearly a year sometimes passes between a team winning a championship and its celebratory visit to the white house but lebron james and his fellow cleveland cavaliers will probably not have to wait that long
in a congratulatory phone call to cavaliers coach tyronn lue on thursday president obama made clear that he did not want his successor to get the honor of hosting the 2016 nba champions
im hoping you guys have a chance to come by the white house before i leave office mr obama said adding that he wanted to congratulate the team in person it was an offer mr lue quickly accepted
were definitely going to do that mr lue said if its preseason or whatever were going to schedule it so we can come when youre in the white house for sure
air force one travel is mr obamas favorite professional perk but not far behind is the opportunity to welcome championship sports teams to the white house
five years ago on the south lawn mr obama honored the 1985 chicago bears the super bowl champions that season in a makeup meeting the bears original white house visit had been canceled because of the challenger space shuttle disaster
this is as much fun as i will have as president of the united states right here mr obama said of the team that had enthralled chicago just as he adopted the windy city and its sports franchises
josh earnest the white house press secretary said that visit ranked among mr obamas favorites in recent months mr obamas delight in welcoming championship athletes to the white house has been obvious
i have to say im so pleased to be able to host peyton here at the white house before i left mr obama said at a june 6 celebration for the super bowl champion denver broncos he had already teased quarterback peyton manning about being in tv commercials for enough merchandise to stock your whole household
one week earlier mr obama had welcomed the villanova university mens basketball team which won the ncaa championship in what may be the best title game of all time   the presidents description of the wildcats last second victory over north carolina on monday he will host the minnesota lynx the wnba champions
above all mr obama is a basketball fan he was a member of his high school team and he continued playing until recently on the return flight from a weekend visit to yosemite national park on june 19 mr obama and his family remained on air force one until the end of the last game of the nba finals between the golden state warriors and the cavaliers
he scrimmaged with the university of north carolina team during the 2008 campaign and a sports illustrated writer recently produced a book the audacity of hoop about how basketball had been crucial to mr obamas maturation
i hung it up about two years ago mr obama said in his talk with mr lue you know i had too many friends seeing that achilles pop be in a boot for six months
at a ceremony in february to honor the golden state warriors who won the nba crown last year mr obama said he could appreciate their talent
i dont play anymore but i still know a little bit about basketball and this really is one of the best that weve ever seen he said of the warriors
mr obama often admits to any sports team that is not from chicago that he was rooting against it
the whole point of being a sports fan is to root for your team mr earnest said of the president i think to do otherwise would take a lot of the fun out of it
but mr obama has sought to go beyond simply celebrating a teams on court or on field accomplishments by highlighting its community service the broncos played catch on the south lawn with injured service members before their rose garden ceremony and the united states womens soccer team held a clinic
they should be recognized not just for their championship performance on the field but their commitment off the field as well mr earnest said
and while mr earnest said none of these efforts were intended to gain the president positive news media coverage that has been the inevitable result after the broncos visit for instance nick griffith the sports director for kdvr the fox news affiliate in denver gushed on his news cast whether you voted for barack obama or not youve got to admit the guys got this whole public speaking thing down pretty good these days
one of the earliest visits by a sports team to the white house was in 1865 when president andrew johnson   an avid baseball fan   greeted the brooklyn atlantics after they beat the national club of washington in a game played on the white house grounds
the first world series winners to visit the white house were the washington senators president calvin coolidge invited them in 1925 after he was flooded with letters asking him to honor the 1924 champions john f kennedy was the first president to invite the nba champions the boston celtics gerald ford became the first to bring in an ncaa mens basketball champion indiana university and jimmy carter started the tradition of welcoming a super bowl winner the pittsburgh steelers
but ronald reagan elevated the experience when the new york giants visited in february 1987 linebacker harry carson dumped a cooler full of popcorn on mr reagan evoking the famous gatorade celebrations of that team   without the icy shock the next year mr reagan threw a pass to washington wide receiver ricky sanders
some athletes decline the invitation including michael jordan after his first championship with the chicago bulls in 1991 he played golf instead and matt birk of the baltimore ravens who said in june 2013 that he disagreed with mr obamas support for planned parenthood and others flunk the protocol test pictures showing members of the northwestern university womens lacrosse team wearing flip flops in 2005 led to outraged headlines
as he issued his invitation to mr lue mr obama made clear that he too had firm notions of decorum
tell jr and everybody to put on a shirt though mr obama said jr smith a cavaliers guard was photographed bare chested for days after the victory he cant just be wandering around without a shirt for like the whole week


seaford del   sunlight floods the floor at one end of the chicken house here at ash o ley acres and spry little cornish game hens flap their wings and chase one another
at the other end of the barn where the windows are covered as part of a compare and contrast demonstration the flock is largely somnolent and slow to move
this is my second flock with the sunlight said karen speake whose family has raised chickens on this farm for perdue foods the nations fourth largest poultry producer for almost four decades theyre much happier birds i can tell you more active more playful
over the next several years all of perdues chickens   676 million last year   will bask in sunlight part of an ambitious overhaul of the companys animal welfare practices which it will announce on monday the commitment will hold perdue to standards similar to those in europe which the american poultry industry has long dismissed as antiquated inefficient and costly
in addition to installing windows the company plans to give its chickens more space in barns it may tinker with breeding to decrease the speed at which birds grow or to reduce their breast size steps that could decrease the number and severity of leg injuries an issue that has brought unwanted attention to the company
also perdue will put its chickens to sleep before slaughter a step taken several years ago by bell  evans a smaller poultry company
we are going to go beyond what a chicken needs and give chickens what they want said jim perdue whose grandfather founded the business in 1920
the industry has long argued that such standards would raise costs to producers that would eventually be passed on to consumers but perdue which had 6 billion in sales last year and increased production more than 9 percent is betting such concerns are overblown based on its experience so far
the move may also have a sweeping impact on the industry forcing competitors to adopt similar practices when perdue announced that it intended to use no antibiotics many of its competitors followed suit at the demand of their big customers
it will change the way we do business in so many ways mr perdue said
numerous surveys conducted by the dairy and meat industries suggest that people care and want to know about animal welfare for that reason mr perdue said the company plans to issue annual reports on its progress on the new standards
we want to be held accountable he said if we mess up we have to be prepared to say we messed up
in late 2014 compassion in world farming an animal rights group released video taken at a barn under contract to perdue that showed birds with raw red chests from sitting too long on litter laden with ammonia and feces a few months earlier perdue agreed to stop using the phrase humanely raised on packages of its harvestland brand of chicken to settle a lawsuit brought by the humane society of the united states
still in an interview a year ago mr perdue was unapologetic emphasizing that the department of agriculture had signed off on perdues animal welfare standards
so leah garces director of compassions american arm was surprised this winter when perdue invited her to talk about animal welfare with bruce stewart brown its senior vice president for food safety quality and live operations
when you sit down at the table with someone like bruce whos repping a large chicken company you think you cant possibly have anything in common ms garces said then you start talking and you realize that you have more in common than you thought
she said that while tyson foods the countrys largest poultry producer asked its farmers to adopt what are known as the five freedoms of animal welfare   including freedom from discomfort and freedom from fear and distress   perdue is going further by insisting that its farmers enforce them
perdue is going well beyond what tyson has done and no other big poultry producer has come close to those two ms garces said
over the last decade or so perdue has done more than any other major american poultry producer to eliminate antibiotics of all kinds from its procedures that made it impossible to continue raising so many birds in as tight spaces and under conditions many people consider unsanitary tyson and pilgrims pride the second largest chicken producer in the world are also reducing their use of antibiotics
the purchase in 2011 of coleman natural foods a producer of organic meats as well as the acquisition last year of niman ranch a high end producer of pork and beef also helped persuade mr perdue that his company now the largest producer of organic chicken could improve animal welfare without hurting business
as a major chicken producer you think theres going to be a lot more problems growing an organic chicken but then you find out that there are a lot of benefits to raising chickens that way that can be applied to raising chicken more conventionally he said
mr perdue traveled around the country over the last three weeks talking with the companys 2200 farmers about the new animal welfare program
farmers will no longer be compensated solely for efficiency rather perdue will reward them for ensuring better welfare for the birds they tend
perdue is also paying to install windows in barns and it may help offset the costs of adding the avian equivalent of playground equipment   things like inclined slats for perching haystacks for pecking and hiding places where chickens lower down in the pecking order can get away from bullies
were learning things from them about animal welfare mr perdue said our relationships with them are absolutely critical to make this work
the company is already considering an innovation by ms speakes father elmer atkins who found the boards that perdue supplied to draw across the windows in their barn too cumbersome
so he slept on it ms speake said the next day they bought vinyl and rods and hung curtains


as the worlds leading auction houses prepared for their big ticket contemporary sales in london this week the question was on everybodys mind what will the shock and confusion following britains vote to leave the european union   not to mention the plunging world financial markets   mean for the art market
until now london has been regarded as the capital of the european art market with many in its commercial art world supporting the position that britain should remain in the european union a pall has unmistakably been cast over the proceedings some lots may be withdrawn this week at the last minute by nervous consignors because uncertainty is not good for any market   including art
several experts predicted that fewer pieces would come to market in britain in the near future because of the fall in the value of the pound
no one is going to be selling much in the uk now because sterling is so low said j tomilson hill an executive at the blackstone group and longtime collector of renaissance and postwar art so the supply is going to dry up   particularly in the old masters market
but people in the art world maintained that previous convulsions like the collapse of lehman brothers and terrorist attacks had proven that art can persevere as an asset class even in hard times
when financial markets are in turmoil the art market offers a safe harbor said christophe van de weghe a madison avenue dealer the roiling of the currency markets will have a similar effect generally the artworks that would have done well without brexit will do well despite it
and some dealers are downright bullish on britains decision to leave the european union pointing out opportunities for global art buyers guy stair sainty director of the stair sainty gallery in london noted that art prices set in pounds will effectively have fallen for foreign buyers
brett gorvy christies worldwide chairman of postwar and contemporary art also sounded an expected note of optimism people come into the market because they want to go with hard assets he said things they can trust more
and edward dolman the chairman and chief executive of phillips said the weakness of the pound should lure asian and american buyers in particular
so far the auction houses seem to be pressing ahead as planned with their contemporary evening sales   featuring a rudolf stingel estimated at 14 million to 18 million at phillips on monday a sigmar polke at sothebys estimated at 5 million to 65 million on tuesday and a gerhard richter estimated at about 14 million at christies on wednesday
christies is holding a special sale to celebrate its 250th anniversary   defining british art   on thursday night at which francis bacons version no 2 of lying figure with hypodermic syringe 1968 is estimated at about 20 million and lucian freuds ib and her husband 1992 at about 18 million
art world experts say that while the referendum passed the changes will not be immediate and the uncertainty raised by brexit merely cements an aura of caution that had muted the art market during predictions of a softening
while the pound might be more attractive to foreign buyers and less to uk buyers said the dealer dominique levy it creates a climate of concern
it insulates england and this cannot be good for any creative energy she added but at the end of the day it is more about the quality of the works offered next week and the appetite after the may sales and basel
in 2015 britain captured 19 percent of the total value of global auction sales of art and antiques according to the tefaf art market report published in march this was by far the largest share among european countries with france the next highest at 5 percent
one of the many questions posed by the brexit vote is how britains auction houses will be affected in the long term by renegotiated trade arrangements with the european union will lots temporarily imported from the european union be subject to duties or taxes that might deter sellers and buyers
at the moment artworks sourced outside the european union can be subject to so called import vat value added tax of as much as 20 percent on the hammer price
sothebys in a statement said that it would continue to thrive in and adapt to whatever environment brexit brings


even as the warring parties in volkswagens emissions cheating scandal prepare to offer a peace proposal this week the german automakers travails are far from over
taking shape after months of negotiations is a broad settlement agreement expected to exceed 10 billion involving volkswagen the federal government and a half million car owners the provisions are expected to offer those owners some financial compensation in addition to fixing or buying back their vehicles
the deal set to be announced on tuesday in the case overseen by united states district judge charles r breyer is also expected to require volkswagen to pay penalties the fines would be for the environmental damage caused by the companys diesel engines which were designed to fool emissions tests and often exceeded allowable air pollution limits in on the road driving
all told the civil settlement is set to be the largest in automotive history dwarfing the 14 billion that toyota paid to settle a class action lawsuit over flawed accelerators and the more than 2 billion general motors has paid so far to settle claims from owners of cars with faulty ignition switches toyota in addition paid 12 billion to settle criminal charges while gm paid 900 million
even if judge breyer accepts the volkswagen deal the company will have many unsettled issues with unknown costs in the united states and abroad
its clear volkswagen desperately needed to put this horrible situation in the rearview mirror theyve negotiated this settlement with breathtaking speed said david m uhlmann a former chief of the justice departments environmental crimes section who is now a law professor at the university of michigan
still mr uhlmann said volkswagens legal troubles wont end on tuesday
the deal moreover would not end the justice departments criminal investigation into the company which could lead to additional fines nor would it resolve investigations by attorneys general in more than 40 states and the district of columbia and the settlement would still be subject to a period of public comment during which terms could yet change
bringing volkswagen to this pass was its admission last year that it had installed illegal software in 11 million cars worldwide to make them capable of defeating pollution tests
during emissions testing the cars pollution controls systems were turned on curbing toxic emissions at the cost of engine performance but on the road those emissions controls were not fully engaged that allowed more horsepower and better fuel mileage but also enabled volkswagens cars to spew polluting nitrogen oxides at up to 40 times the levels allowed under the clean air act the environmental protection agency has said
the issues that tuesdays settlement proposal is not expected to cover include how volkswagen will repair its cars   a technical fix that is still being worked out nor will the deal address terms for the owners of 85000 volkswagen and porsche cars sold in the united states that had a different type of diesel engine but also had emissions problems
the varied attitudes of car owners meanwhile has also complicated negotiations owners are likely to be given the option of having volkswagen buy back their vehicles or if possible fix them either way they would also receive additional compensation of at least several thousand dollars
still some car owners may choose not to participate in the group settlement being brokered in the united states district court for the northern district of california and instead pursue separate claims affected volkswagen owners are not bound by the settlement and some of them may decide to press for even better terms those owners however also risk getting a lesser settlement or none at all if their separate lawsuits are unsuccessful
marjorie hodges shaw of rochester ny is a plaintiff in the class action suit but she is not sure the settlement will address her grievances ms shaw previously owned a 2012 volkswagen jetta sportwagen tdi she traded in her jetta for a subaru forester   taking a loss she says   soon after she found out that her volkswagen had been a worse polluter than she had imagined the automotive website edmundscom recently showed that similar model year subaru foresters were selling for about 4000 less than jetta sportwagens
ms shaw wants volkswagen to fully own up to its fraud and she wants to be fully compensated for her loss including the time and cost of finding a replacement vehicle
i thought it was clean diesel said ms shaw who is an assistant professor in law and bioethics at the university of rochester medical center school of medicine and dentistry but once she learned of volkswagens deception she said i couldnt continue to drive the car and think of myself as an environmentalist
two people involved in the class action negotiations declined to discuss ahead of tuesdays court session whether ms shaw would be compensated under the settlement because she no longer owned her volkswagen or how her compensation might be calculated they stressed however that the parties had discussed a wide range of possibilities in painstaking detail
for negotiators on both sides the talks have been all consuming in recent months
all of you have devoted substantial efforts weekends nights and days and perhaps at sacrifice to your family   right judge breyer said when the parties last assembled before him in may eliciting sardonic chuckles and exasperated sighs last week the judge extended his june 21 settlement deadline by a week to give the negotiators time they said they needed to complete their work
the financial component of whatever deal is offered on tuesday is expected to fall within the forecasts of volkswagen which has said it would set aside EUR162 billion or more than 18 billion to cover fines and compensation to volkswagen owners
but even as volkswagen moves toward a settlement in the united states it faces scrutiny in its home country and elsewhere
german prosecutors said last week that martin winterkorn volkswagens former chief executive was under investigation for market manipulation because he had waited too long to disclose that the company faced an inquiry over its emissions scandal and investigations of volkswagens cheating are still underway in france italy and south korea among other countries
american regulators began questioning volkswagen about its emissions data in mid 2014 after getting a tip from a european nonprofit group that had studied diesel emissions in the united states with the help of researchers at west virginia university more than a year later the company admitted to installing software to defeat pollution tests
with its diesel technology now tainted in the eyes of consumers volkswagen is counting on electric vehicles to shore up its business in an ambitious turnaround plan announced this month volkswagen said that battery powered vehicles could account for as much as a quarter of its total sales within a decade   about three million vehicles a year that would be up from negligible sales of electric vehicles by the company now
bruce clark associate professor of marketing at the damore mckim school of business at northeastern university predicted a tough battle for volkswagen to win back consumer confidence
volkswagen made such a big and public bet on diesel and it turns out they were lying to us mr clark said the average consumer is going to say why should we believe them again


atlanta   a teams place in the standings can drift from week to week especially in the fickle and forgiving national league east seven days ago the mets trailed the division leading washington nationals by five and a half games the offense was concerning and more injuries would pile up
the mets offense remains dysfunctional yet their standing in the division has improved   even after a 5 2 loss sunday to the atlanta braves despite their bumpy june the mets trail the nationals by only three games going into a three game series that begins monday in washington
its a tremendous situation manager terry collins said were very fortunate to be in it thats what we keep telling these guys as we try to get better and we try to get our health better and get some guys going who arent hitting right now hey look were two games back in the loss column well take it
the mets pitching staff has carried the team and it did so again sunday until a late game collapse by the bullpen in his first start since injuring the thumb on his throwing hand bartolo colon showed no ill effects he allowed only one run   a solo home run by freddie freeman   over seven strong innings
colon who lowered his era to 286 said his thumb did not bother him
outstanding collins said he pitched great
but the mets hitters hardly provided much support collins decided that two veteran regulars   right fielder curtis granderson and shortstop asdrubal cabrera   needed rest
instead the rookie matt reynolds started at shortstop and the outfield prospect brandon nimmo made his major league debut in right field reynolds went 1 for 4 and struck out twice nimmo who finished 0 for 4 flashed some of his speed   on groundouts he said his nerves subsided after the first pitch of his first at bat
it was a very surreal feeling he said i had fun i just wish it would have ended up differently i could have come through a couple times for us but you know first game out of the way hopefully can help out a little better down the road
nimmos fiancee sister and parents arrived from his native wyoming in time to watch sundays game from the stands
thats something pretty special to be able to share with the family nimmo said
the nimmo family saw a typical showing from the mets solid pitching not much hitting the mets rank near the bottom in the majors in many offensive categories
its not as bad as it looks on the outside infielder wilmer flores said its something small a little click sometimes this happens and its the entire team but its a small change and any moment everyone can wake up
the mets squandered scoring chances against braves starter bud norris who carried a 469 era into the game kelly johnson notched a leadoff single in the sixth inning and stole a base an element of the game the mets have rarely used this season batters at the top of the order struck out flied out and grounded out leaving johnson at second
weve just got to be as a team through the lineup more scrappy johnson said thats kind of a good word fighting off pitches and finding a way to get on whether its a walk or base hits
trailing by only one run the mets still had a chance to rally entering the eighth inning collins sent in the left handed reliever antonio bastardo he faced three batters and allowed two singles and a walk he allowed a run and was charged with a balk
bastardos replacement logan verrett gave up a three run home run to the first batter he faced adonis garcia bastardos era shot up to 546 the mets added two runs in the ninth inning they have dropped five of their past seven games against the braves
and now they will face the nationals followed by the best team in baseball the chicago cubs and the miami marlins and the nationals again
the worst case scenario going into the all star break is dont lose any more ground collins said heading into the next 14 days weve got a lot of work ahead of us


wimbledon england   the not so united kingdom clearly has bigger concerns than a mere tennis tournament with the focus on the countrys leaving the european union and on englands remaining in soccers european championships
its rather strange how that timing has worked out
but no matter what is transpiring in the wider less orderly world there is still plenty to play for in the bubble of wimbledon where the grass   at least on henman hill   looks even greener than usual this year
on the eve of the tournament on sunday the defending champions novak djokovic and serena williams spoke back to back in the interview room at the all england club
neither has played an official event since the french open both sat with their hands folded in front of them both spoke more softly and slowly than usual but only williams seemed subdued keeping her answers terse even to questions that lent themselves to rambling on and not so subtly checking her watch as the allotted 15 minutes neared an end
she has had a fine season by nearly anyone elses standards reaching the finals at the australian open and the french open and remaining no 1 in the rankings but it has definitely been a downbeat year for her with upset losses to angelique kerber in melbourne and to garbine muguruza in paris
williamss mood on sunday could be taken two different ways one she is still reeling or two and much more likely she is simmering and much more interested in crushing serves and returns and restoring the tennis universe to its natural order than in the question and answer game
im definitely ready to start playing at this point she said im kind of over practicing every day for two hours then going to the gym
when she won here last year williams held all four of the grand slam singles titles now she holds only wimbledons
djokovic her dancing partner at last years champions dinner is the one on the history making roll now hes the first man to hold all four major titles since rod laver in 1969 and the player with a chance to do what williams could not quite manage last year by completing the grand slam and winning all four majors in the same calendar year
i asked williams what she might tell djokovic after her unsuccessful chase last year which ended two rounds short of the grand slam when she was stunned in the united states open semifinals by roberta vinci
you know he has every opportunity to do it she said i think hell get it easy so he should be fine
easy sounds unlikely given the pressure and fatigue that will surely build up in a year that also features the olympics
less than an hour after djokovic won the french open this month for his first roland garros title the former star henri leconte walked past the djokovic camp in the players lounge and said theatrically two to go two to go oh my god two to go
marian vajda one of djokovics coaches laughed this was leconte one of tenniss class clowns after all vajda in typical fashion then acknowledged the reality
real grand slam now we can think about it vajda said this was a real mental breakthrough for novak to win in paris and now he needs to focus on going to wimbledon fresh and going for the us open and theres obviously the olympic games in the middle so its too many goals in a row it makes it more complicated
more compelling too and all the more so because djokovic surely never gave the grand slam too much serious thought earlier in his career he was too preoccupied with leveling the playing field with roger federer and rafael nadal to think about outclassing the field to this degree
even djokovics biggest supporters   his family   were not thinking about it vajda said he ran into djokovics father srdjan at a restaurant in paris during the french open srdjan was with a group of friends and asked vajda to tell the group what srdjan had told him when they first met
you told me he will be no 1 vajda replied and i started laughing because i thought you were joking with me and novaks father said no i was not joking i knew he was going to be no 1 knew it but i forgot one thing i didnt know he would be dominating so much in the tennis world one day 
but here djokovic is undoubtedly the worlds top player on all surfaces with a 47 6 record against the top 10 during the past two seasons he has done it in part by learning how to conserve his physical and emotional energy   unplugging from the game when necessary which he did again before wimbledon
winning roland garros was obviously one of the most memorable and beautiful moments of my career said djokovic who will face james ward of britain in the opening match on centre court on monday also it took a lot out of me i thought that its more important for me to just rejuvenate and rest a little bit from tennis and then come back preparing for wimbledon
he does not plan to overplay defend his title at wimbledon and it is entirely possible that he will play only the olympics in rio de janeiro and the united states open in the two months that follow but there are other temptations including a davis cup quarterfinal versus britain and andy murray in july and the rogers cup in toronto which could serve as a hardcourt warm up for rio
the grand slam is such a rare prize that it bears sacrificing other worthy goals as williams is better placed than anyone to grasp she has not been the same irresistible force since that loss to vinci in september and wimbledon is full of ghosts as well as big victories for her
not that she remembers them all on sunday she could not recall any of the details of her first appearance in 1998 she retired in the third round versus virginia ruano pascual of spain but she surely remembers losing to sabine lisicki in the fourth round in 2013 and to alize cornet in the third round in 2014 just as she surely remembers beating muguruza in straight sets last year to win her sixth wimbledon singles title
this year i dont feel as much tension as i usually do she said well theres some years that i havent felt any tension either im feeling pretty good i dont feel any pressure or stress
in truth it was a challenge to sense what williams was feeling on sunday and she will now let her racket do the talking beginning with her first round match on tuesday versus amra sadikovic of switzerland 27 who retired in may 2014 but is now back for more and making her grand slam debut
williams at 34 knows too well that life is full of such surprises and surprise has been the rule of late in the womens game with the now retired flavia pennetta kerber and muguruza winning the past three major titles
think about how many women now know that they have an opening said pam shriver an espn analyst
during most of the serena era the players have felt there was no opening for them she continued so the question is who is big enough to walk through it especially at wimbledon where theres more media and where you better have control of your breathing and know how to manage your nerves more than anywhere else because theres a quietness and an aura about the place and if youre not firmly planted with two feet with your confidence it will knock you off balance


omaha   to those who have watched her swim circles around the competition katie ledecky appears to have no peers in the pool ledecky however knows better
at a meet outside phoenix in april she spotted debbie meyer the woman she will probably be chasing at the summer olympics in rio de janeiro in august and trundled over to say hello meyer greeted her with a hug and exclaimed youre great two four eight do it this summer
at the 1968 trials ahead of the olympics in mexico city meyer set world records in the 200 400 and 800 freestyles two months after turning 16 she swept her events at the summer games to become the first swimmer to win three individual olympic gold medals no olympian since has matched meyers 200 400 800 string of gold the men contest the 1500 meters instead of the 800
ledecky 19 may be the one to finally match the feat
she owns the fastest times in the world this year in the 200  400  and 800 meter freestyles aside from michael phelps she was the only american swimmer who was no 1 in the world in individual events in the 2015 year end rankings ledeckys performance heading into the united states olympic swimming trials which began sunday at centurylink center has turned meyer 63 into a time traveler suddenly it seems like 1968 once more with another teen queen preparing for her prom date with history
ledecky who will enter stanford in the fall is far too humble to count her gold medals before they are won but she indirectly declared her intentions to go after meyers record when she posted the sixth fastest performance in history in the 200 freestyle at a competition in texas in january she already owns eight of the 10 top times in history in the 400 freestyle and nine of the 10 fastest swims ever in the 800
ledecky will begin her pursuit on monday in the 400 meters at the olympic trials
ledeckys lodestar is janet evans who won the 400  and 800 meter freestyles and the 400 individual medley at the 1988 summer olympics and successfully defended her 800 title in 1992
but ledeckys remarkable range carries old timers back further in time to meyer in the late 1960s and shirley babashoff in the first six years of the 1970s in 1976 babashoff came closest to matching meyer earning silvers in the 200 400 and 800 freestyles behind east german competitors later found to have been part of a state sponsored doping program at the 1972 munich games australias shane gould won the 200 and 400 and finished second in the 800
since upsetting britains rebecca adlington in the 800 freestyle at the 2012 london games in her first international competition ledecky has held a pythons grip on the womens distances in this years world rankings she is almost four seconds faster than her nearest rival in the 400 and more than 11 seconds ahead of her closest competitor in the 800
im at a loss for words sometimes when i think about what she has been able to do the last four years said the olympian rowdy gaines an nbc swimming analyst adding she loves to train she loves to be out there every day and loves that feeling you dont get that a lot and i think thats really helped her
meyer exerted an enormous influence on her heir apparent though ledecky was wholly unaware of it until they met in 2014 ledecky and her older brother michael inherited their love of the sport from their mother mary gen who was a teenage swimmer in north dakota in 1968 when meyer broke the american record in the 800 meter freestyle five times
ledeckys mother a freestyler who went on to compete at the university of new mexico was beguiled by meyer she begged her parents to allow her to stay up to watch the telecast of the swimming at the mexico city games where the womens 800 freestyle made its olympic debut
ledecky was with her mother at a usa swimming related function when they ran into meyer recalling their meeting meyer said ledeckys mother seemed more excited than ledecky nearly a half century later meyer has been the one glued to the television watching ledecky develop into the most formidable all around freestyler of her or possibly any generation
when i watch her swim it brings back so many memories meyer said
she looks at ledecky and sees an upgraded version of the swimming machine that she was as a teenager   an apple macbook pro to meyers honeywell kitchen computer like ledecky meyer got her start in an east coast recreational swimming league and later was known for taking her races out fast treating whatever distance she was racing as a sprint
like ledecky meyer was spurred on in training by a male teammate who was also an olympian and as ledecky aspires to do meyer emerged as the bright star of an olympics with a first time host in a city whose preparation for the games was fraught with problems
there are a lot of similarities meyer said
in 1965 meyers father was transferred to california and meyer then 12 joined arden hills in sacramento the training base for a handful of top level swimmers as nations capital swim club where ledecky trains has become
meyers coach sherm chavoor held practices twice a day and used a stopwatch in lieu of a pace clock he trained his swimmers to take races out hard and hold the pace mike burton a three time olympic champion was the one everybody followed
five years older than meyer he would become the first man to surpass 16 minutes for the 1650 yard free the first to break 830 in the 800 meter freestyle and the first man to win consecutive 1500 freestyle olympic crowns
meyer idolized burton nicknamed mr machine because of his ability to grind out mileage she doggedly chased him when he returned home from ucla to train eventually she progressed to where she could catch him and on occasion beat him
i could not wait for him to get back from college meyer said i would get in the lane right next to him so i could race him
in a telephone interview burton recalled meyer breaking world records in practice
she was very very tough just a very hard worker he said every practice i was just trying my damnedest to stay ahead of her
ledeckys pacesetter is andrew gemmell who finished ninth in the 1500 meter freestyle at the 2012 olympics a couple of times a week ledecky said she and gemmell go head to head in training
it keeps me honest gemmell said before a swim meet in may in atlanta
they do not go head to head every day the practices run by gemmells father bruce the head coach of nations capital reflect the era the over distance emphasis popularized by chavoor and his ilk has been replaced by shorter sets performed at race pace
instead of trudging through repeats of 800 meters which meyer did routinely ledecky is more apt to swim a set of eight 100s each at race speed
as often as not she is likely to swim in the same lane as gemmell and start 10 seconds after him leaving them both to race the clock
ive had a lot of fun training with andrew the last couple of years even if im not directly racing him in a practice ledecky said adding its great to have an elite distance swimmer there   somebody thats been to the olympics and has experienced the same thing and is working toward the same goals as i am
the mexico city olympics the first games to be held in latin america took place during a tumultuous time in history in the months before there were pro democracy student demonstrations that turned violent with dozens perhaps hundreds killed during one protest less than two weeks before the games others stridently voiced their disapproval over the exorbitant amounts of money being spent on sports facilities while mexicos social problems worsened
meyer recalled sitting down with a piece of pie a la mode one night and watching the nbc program the huntley brinkley report one of the anchors she recalled mentioned the possibility that the 1968 olympics could be canceled and meyer said she immediately lost her appetite
i sat up straight in the chair she said i didnt know what to think
many people arent sure what to think about the rio de janeiro olympics the first games to be held in south america which are also taking place during a tumultuous time in history
brazils president is facing impeachment the countrys economy is in a tailspin global public health officials are worried about the spread of the zika virus and polluted bodies of water slated for use during the olympic competition present another health risk for all these reasons there have been calls to cancel or postpone these summer games
when youre watching the news and it comes up i sometimes listen ledecky said
the dire reports she added do not give her pause
each olympics seems to have different things that could be thrown our way she said we just have to do the best we can to prepare
so ledecky resolutely forges ahead training her focus on what she can control swimming is a solitary sport especially when ones main competition is the clock but ledecky does not feel alone as she prepares to set the table at the trials for a 200 400 and 800 feast in rio
it inspires her to know meyer is following her progress
to know that the person who did it is supporting me as i go to the olympic trials ledecky said thats cool


their names read like a whos who of the past half centurys downtown performance scene among them the playwright sam shepard the composer meredith monk and the transgender actress and warhol superstar candy darling early works by these artists and dozens more are coming to light monday when la mama the east village performance space synonymous with the downtown avant garde releases an expanded version of its digital collections website
expect to see photographs of harvey fierstein in the early stages of creating his torch song trilogy a program from an overlooked philip glass opera and ephemera from warhols factory the website cataloglamamaorg will be in its most complete form yet as part of la mamas 55th anniversary season
newly digitized offerings from the collection also include posters and videos many from the earliest years of la mama which was founded in 1961 by ellen stewart the website has hundreds of documents related to her
also in the archives are photos of a young bette midler in her new york stage debut acting in tom eyens off off broadway musical comedy miss nefertiti regrets in 1965   a year before she made her broadway debut in fiddler on the roof


as the first round of boos rained from the stands at yankee stadium on sunday afternoon nathan eovaldi shuffled around behind the pitchers mound trying to regain his equilibrium in a quick succession of swings   first by brian dozier then by trevor plouffe   eovaldis outing had imploded with back to back home runs in the sixth inning the woebegone twins had broken open a previously one run game
it had turned into another lost opportunity for the yankees facing the team with the worst record in baseball the yankees starting pitcher faltered once again and an expensive lineup returned little for the clubs investment when max kepler bashed another home run off eovaldi two pitches later the misery only continued
the game was emblematic of the yankees deepest issues thirteen days before when they landed in colorado they eyed the coming 11 game stretch as a possible boon for their season with four games against the sub 500 rockies and seven against the twins it was an opportunity to lard up for a postseason chase they still believe is possible instead with sundays 7 1 loss to the twins they went just 6 5 in that stretch and lost ground in the american league east
and in failing to pad their record against the dregs of baseball the yankees were shown again that they might not be that good themselves they sat at 37 37 after failing to sweep the twins   seven and a half games behind the first place baltimore orioles   and will host the league best texas rangers for four games this week
we need to make up ground manager joe girardi said no matter who were playing we need to win series and you win a series here but its frustrating because we had a situation where we won three in a row there and we werent able to win the fourth we win two in a row youre not able to win the third the teams in front of us are playing well
the sixth inning was a microcosm of what ails them the yankees did not notch their first hit until the bottom of that inning when aaron hicks hit a double by then they already trailed 5 0 tyler duffey the twins unremarkable right hander belied the 618 seasonal era he took to the mound with eight dominant innings the only run he allowed was from an eighth inning homer by mark teixeira the yankees meanwhile allowed more home runs six than they had hits two
eovaldi unraveled quickly undone by the same bugaboo that has bothered him all month in five starts in june he has allowed 10 home runs   tied for the most of any pitcher in baseball this month   and has already given up more than in any previous season the twins scored five earned runs off him in six innings
the twins danny santana belted a home run in the third to open the scoring but that seemed like an outlier until dozier smacked his two run shot with two outs in the sixth eovaldi said that his problems had stemmed from his falling behind in the count but of the four home runs he allowed he had been ahead in the count in half of those at bats
im not thinking about home runs he said im not thinking about giving up another im thinking about attacking
but he also received little backing from the yankees offense a club that scored the second most runs in baseball last season has seen that same formula fail them this year a lineup stocked with players whose salaries and reputations have out traveled their performance ranks among the five worst in the american league in several key statistical categories
on sunday alex rodriguez was left on the bench because of his problems against right handed pitchers while jacoby ellsbury brian mccann and chase headley went without a hit in 10 total at bats
teixeira homered in what was his second game back from the disabled list he had not hit a home run in 147 at bats dating to april
that was important for me to show i can still do it teixeira said its been a tough season


maybe you associate intel with the processor that makes your laptop work on one hand thats a triumph of branding for a slogan from a company that doesnt actually sell directly to consumers intel inside is a familiar idea
on the other hand its a potential problem years after the peak of the so called wintel era   when pcs with windows operating systems and intel chips dominated   intel considers itself as a much more diversified technology creator and wants consumers to see it that way too
intels effort to shift that brand perception has been going on for a couple of years but perhaps the most interesting component of this push is only now establishing itself an internal advertising group formally started in february 2015 that is in a unique position to crank out stories promoting the most innovative happenings associated with intel in an amusing echo of the wintel era it is called agency inside
this internal creative group is on track to have 90 employees by the end of the year according to teresa herd the intel global creative director heading the enterprise the company has also started an internal video and digital studio intel global production labs led by yogiraj graham these entities have produced a slew of original content and have played a crucial role in some of intels most mainstream branding efforts
a video about a woman in india with an epileptic son who used an intel edison a stamp size minicomputer designed for the inventor audience as a component in devising a glove that can detect oncoming epilepsy episodes will be released online on monday
the big picture according to intels chief marketing officer steven fund   who has worked at procter  gamble pepsi and staples   is that intel wasnt getting credit for all the experiences that we enable not enough people realize he said that intels various processors and other technologies beyond pc chips play some role in all sorts of creative experiments in realms including fashion and art and science and medicine
we were marketing ourselves as an ingredient brand said mr fund who has been with intel since 2014 he said intel had become so associated with pcs that the company was a little bit of a victim of our branding success with intel inside
thus intel altered its broader marketing the official intel swirl logo is now punctuated by the slogan experience whats inside   to shift the emphasis to end results from intrinsic functionality working with a new outside agency mcgarrybowen it released a splashy tv spot anthem this year specifically to showcase the sheer diversity of cool looking stuff that intel tech had helped make happen
intel mr fund said decided to bring a lot of advertising in house and hired ms herd then working at staples to oversee that effort mr fund noted that intel continued to work with outside agencies as well its a good mash up if you will
ms herd says her team operates much like an external agency   by responding to the marketing needs of various departments   but enjoys far greater access to current and future projects at the company that as she put it nobody else knows about efficiency aside this is also an appealing situation for those shes recruiting for the creative department
a series of videos created around the theme experience amazing went deeper into the stories of some of the projects highlighted in the anthem spot for example a clip about participants in a solar car contest who used intel technology in testing and refining their entry has more than two million views on youtube another about a dress adorned with proximity activated mechanical butterflies that hover and return to the garment through a design that relies partly on an intel edison chip has about 15 million views
another series meet the makers tells short documentary style stories   such as a scientists efforts to understand the decline in the bee population by tracking the insects with tiny intel powered backpacks and an eighth graders creation of a low cost braille printer using an edison chip
so far agency insides focus isnt broadcast spots these two  or three minute videos are distributed and promoted through social media and intels own online publication iq which is available in 17 languages and the company says seen by more than one million people a month the idea is to promote intel within cultural interest industries that are not necessarily tech based such as fashion music and sports
agency inside plays a role in intels splashiest mainstream efforts as well ms herd points to lady gagas david bowie tribute at this years grammys billed as a collaboration between the artists house of gaga creative group and intel that performance featured among the tech tricks devised with help from intel a digital skin projection that appeared to change lady gagas makeup and depicted a digital spider darting across her face the tribute recently received an award at the cannes lions advertising conference
with both internal and outside agency resources ms herd said i had access to all the technology guys all the engineers all the technology to then bring to bear on the project agency inside has also produced content promoting the replay technology used by the national basketball association
ms herd noted that other tech companies including apple and google also had internal creative groups but intels more indirect relationship to the mainstream consumer   you cant buy a can of intel she said   is a challenge and an opportunity while the company obviously still wants to sell more chips and other tech components the role of agency inside is to make that happen by influencing how people feel about intel
we have access to the maker side of the business and the stories that are happening ms herd said we can go to the business and say all right what do you have now


amman jordan   weapons shipped into jordan by the central intelligence agency and saudi arabia intended for syrian rebels have been systematically stolen by jordanian intelligence operatives and sold to arms merchants on the black market according to american and jordanian officials
some of the stolen weapons were used in a shooting in november that killed two americans and three others at a police training facility in amman fbi officials believe after months of investigating the attack according to people familiar with the investigation
the existence of the weapons theft which ended only months ago after complaints by the american and saudi governments is being reported for the first time after a joint investigation by the new york times and al jazeera the theft involving millions of dollars of weapons highlights the messy unplanned consequences of programs to arm and train rebels   the kind of program the cia and pentagon have conducted for decades   even after the obama administration had hoped to keep the training program in jordan under tight control
the jordanian officers who were part of the scheme reaped a windfall from the weapons sales using the money to buy expensive suvs iphones and other luxury items jordanian officials said
the theft and resale of the arms   including kalashnikov assault rifles mortars and rocket propelled grenades   have led to a flood of new weapons available on the black arms market investigators do not know what became of most of them but a disparate collection of groups including criminal networks and rural jordanian tribes use the arms bazaars to build their arsenals weapons smugglers also buy weapons in the arms bazaars to ship outside the country
the fbi investigation into the amman shooting run by the bureaus washington field office is continuing but american and jordanian officials said the investigators believed that the weapons a jordanian police captain anwar abu zaid used to gun down two american contractors two jordanians and one south african had originally arrived in jordan intended for the syrian rebel training program
the officials said this finding had come from tracing the serial numbers of the weapons
mohammad h al momani jordans minister of state for media affairs said allegations that jordanian intelligence officers had been involved in any weapons thefts were absolutely incorrect
weapons of our security institutions are concretely tracked with the highest discipline he said he called the powerful jordanian intelligence service known as the general intelligence directorate or gid a world class reputable institution known for its professional conduct and high degree of cooperation among security agencies in jordan the head of the gid is considered the second most important man after the king
representatives of the cia and fbi declined to comment
the state department did not address the allegations directly but a spokesman said americas relationship with jordan remained solid
the united states deeply values the long history of cooperation and friendship with jordan said john kirby the spokesman we are committed to the security of jordan and to partnering closely with jordan to meet common security challenges
the training program which in 2013 began directly arming the rebels under the code name timber sycamore is run by the cia and several arab intelligence services and aimed at building up forces opposing president bashar al assad of syria the united states and saudi arabia are the biggest contributors with the saudis contributing both weapons and large sums of money and with cia paramilitary operatives taking the lead in training the rebels to use kalashnikovs mortars antitank guided missiles and other weapons
the existence of the program is classified as are all details about its budget american officials say that the cia has trained thousands of rebels in the past three years and that the fighters made substantial advances on the battlefield against syrian government forces until russian military forces   launched last year in support of mr assad   compelled them to retreat
the training program is based in jordan because of the countrys proximity to the syrian battlefields from the beginning the cia and the arab intelligence agencies relied on jordanian security services to transport the weapons many bought in bulk in the balkans and elsewhere around eastern europe
the program is separate from one that the pentagon set up to train rebels to combat islamic state fighters rather than the syrian military that program was shut down after it managed to train only a handful of syrian rebels
jordanian and american officials described the weapons theft and subsequent investigation on the condition of anonymity because the syrian rebel training is classified in the united states and is a government secret in jordan
news of the weapons theft and eventual crackdown has been circulating inside jordans government for several months husam abdallat a senior aide to several past jordanian prime ministers said he had heard about the scheme from current jordanian officials the gid has some corrupt officers in its ranks mr abdallat said but added that the institution as a whole is not corrupt the majority of its officers are patriotic and proud jordanians who are the countrys first line of defense he said
jordanian officials who described the operation said it had been run by a group of gid logistics officers with direct access to the weapons once they reached jordan the officers regularly siphoned truckloads of the weapons from the stocks before delivering the rest of the weapons to designated drop off points
then the officers sold the weapons at several large arms markets in jordan the main arms bazaars in jordan are in maan in the southern part of the country in sahab outside amman and in the jordan valley
it is unclear whether the current head of the gid gen faisal al shoubaki had knowledge of the theft of the cia and saudi weapons but several jordanian intelligence officials said senior officers inside the service had knowledge of the weapons scheme and provided cover for the lower ranking officers
word that the weapons intended for the rebels were being bought and sold on the black market leaked into jordan government circles last year when arms dealers began bragging to their customers that they had large stocks of american  and saudi provided weapons
jordanian intelligence operatives monitoring the arms market   operatives not involved in the weapons diversion scheme   began sending reports to headquarters about a proliferation of weapons in the market and of the boasts of the arms dealers
after the americans and saudis complained about the theft investigators at the gid arrested several dozen officers involved in the scheme among them a lieutenant colonel running the operation they were ultimately released from detention and fired from the service but were allowed to keep their pensions and money they gained from the scheme according to jordanian officials
jordans decision to host the cia led training program is the latest episode in a long partnership
beginning in the eisenhower administration the cia made large payments to king hussein who ruled jordan from 1952 until his death in 1999 in exchange for permission to run numerous intelligence operations on jordanian soil
cia money and expertise also helped the king establish the gid and put down internal and external threats to his government since the sept 11 2001 attacks the united states has flooded jordan with money for various counterterrorism programs american and jordanian spies have run a joint counterterrorism center outside amman and a secret prison in jordan housed prisoners the cia captured in the region
in his 2006 book state of denial the journalist bob woodward recounted a 2003 conversation in which george j tenet then the director of central intelligence told condoleezza rice then the national security adviser we created the jordanian intelligence service and now we own it
it is a relationship of mutual dependence but jordan has particular leverage because of its location in the heart of the middle east and its general tolerance to be used as a base of american military and intelligence operations jordans security services also have a long history of trying to infiltrate islamic militant groups efforts that have yielded both success and failure
in 2009 a jordanian doctor   brought to the cia by a gid officer after the doctor said he had penetrated al qaedas leadership   turned out to be a double agent and blew himself up at a remote base in afghanistan seven cia employees as well as the gid officer were killed in the attack
two recent heads of the service also known as the mukhabarat have been sent to prison on charges including embezzlement money laundering and bank fraud one of them gen samih battikhi ran the gid from 1995 to 2000 and was convicted of being part of a scheme to obtain bank loans of around 600 million for fake government contracts and pocketing about 25 million he was sentenced to eight years in prison but the sentence was eventually reduced to four years that were served in his villa in the seaside town of aqaba
gen mohammad al dahabi who ran the service from 2005 to 2008 was later convicted of stealing millions of dollars that gid officers had seized from iraqi citizens crossing into jordan in the years after the american invasion of iraq in 2003 his trial showed that he had also arranged for money to be smuggled in private cars from iraq into jordan and had been involved in sellingjordanian citizenship to iraqi businessmen he was sentenced to 13 years in prison and fined tens of millions of dollars
president obama authorized the covert arming program in april 2013 after more than a year of debate inside the administration about the wisdom of using the cia to train rebels trying to oust mr assad
the decision was made in part to try to gain control of a chaotic situation in which arab countries were funneling arms into syria for various rebel groups with little coordination the qataris had paid to smuggle shipments of chinese made fn 6 shoulder fired weapons over the border from turkey and saudi arabia sent thousands of kalashnikovs and millions of rounds of ammunition it had bought sometimes with the cias help
by late 2013 the cia was working directly with saudi arabia the united arab emirates and other nations to arm and train small groups of rebels and send them across the border into syria
the specific motives behind the november shooting at the amman police training facility remain uncertain and it is unclear when the fbi will officially conclude its investigation
this year the widows of the americans killed in the attack sued twitter alleging that it knowingly permitted the islamic state to use its social media platform to spread the militant groups violent message recruiting and raising funds
captain abu zaid the gunman was killed almost immediately his brother fadi abu zaid said in an interview that he still believed his brother was innocent and that he had given no indications he was planning to carry out the shooting
the jordanian government he said has denied him any answers about the shooting and has refused to release his brothers autopsy report


even some of the smartest guys in the room got this one wrong
the billionaire hedge fund manager leon cooperman told an audience of wall street insiders on wednesday that there was a 70 percent probability that britain would stay inside the european union i dont worry about brexit he added
two weeks earlier george soros who became known as the man who broke the bank of england with a bet against the british pound in 1992 said he was confident that as we get closer to the brexit vote the remain camp is getting stronger
markets are not always right but in this case i agree with them mr soros added
then on thursday the british electorate voted to leave the reaction in markets was swift and violent stocks around the world went into free fall the british pound sank to a more than 30 year low against the dollar and central banks pledged to provide emergency help
ben hunt of salient partners went as far as to call it a bear stearns moment evoking the investment firm whose collapse in march 2008 was a prelude to the financial chaos that september
yet even as the most successful hedge fund managers now survey a sea of down markets panic has not gripped the industry thats because many hedge fund managers watched the elections from the sidelines any winners and losers will be determined in the days and weeks after the vote
were not in panic mode were just trying to get a sense of things said hans humes who runs greylock capital a hedge fund firm that specializes in distressed bonds adding that greylock did not make any bets on the brexit poll
there was a ton of cash on the sidelines he added
britains vote to leave the european union poses difficult questions for investment firms like greylock which made big bets on greece as it teetered on the brink of economic collapse at a time when many european countries are dealing with flagging economies mr humes said he was concerned that the brexit vote would feed a growing populist surge across the continent threatening to chip away at the foundation of the european union
other managers sold their risky assets as the markets climbed higher ahead of the vote in anticipation of a remain vote said troy gayeski of skybridge capital a 125 billion firm that invests in hedge fund portfolios
very few if any were so convinced that brexit was going to happen that they would risk enough capital to make money from it he said
jason n ader chief investment officer of the hedge fund springowl asset management said his firm bet against a basket of companies with high exposure to the british pound going into the poll on thursday to counteract a potential hit to one of his firms biggest investments in gvc holdings a british online gambling company
as to whether he planned to make any fresh bets after the vote mr ader said this will take a long time to shake out
it may not be surprising that a number of hedge funds are proceeding with caution the last major episode of market turmoil when chinese stocks tumbled last summer sent many hedge funds reeling some have yet to recover
even as few major winners have emerged anyone who had large holdings in safe havens like treasury securities and gold   which rose sharply on friday   looked smart the day after the vote that includes mr soros who told the wall street journal that he didnt think a brexit was likely in an interview just a few weeks ago his soros fund management has taken long positions in gold through an exchange traded fund according to recent regulatory filings
whether mr soros took any positions to profit from a brexit is unclear a day after the referendum he warned of the consequences of the brexit vote
the consequences for the real economy will be comparable only to the financial crisis of 2007 2008 he wrote in a post on the opinion website project syndicate
mr cooperman who cited optimistic figures about the remain vote also sounded a cautious note when he spoke at a youth inc charity event at the metropolitan club in manhattan on wednesday
i think brexit is going to have a very negative impact on europe if it happens mr cooperman told an audience of investment professionals
by friday he had adopted a darker view
my friend at microsoft was dead wrong as was i mr cooperman said referring to the source of his optimistic probability of britains voting to remain
this too shall pass


a something for everyone weekend at movie theaters delivered mixed results
pixars finding dory turned out families in droves and the shallows a well reviewed thriller was a hit with horror fans and young women but the big budget independence day resurgence aimed at the presumed undiscriminating audience sputtered badly and the drama free state of jones hoping to appeal to older adults was a dud
the no 1 movie in north america was again finding dory walt disney studios which took in about 732 million for a two week domestic total of 2866 million according to comscore which compiles box office data
independence day resurgence 20th century fox which cost at least 300 million to make and market worldwide was a distant second arriving to estimated ticket sales of 416 million it brought in an additional 102 million overseas including in china where results were soft compared with other releases despite efforts by fox to cater to that market including casting the chinese model singer angelababy as a fighter pilot
fox tried to slow negative word of mouth by refusing to screen the film for mainstream critics but audiences nonetheless smelled a stinker   perhaps aided by will smith who starred in the first independence day but sat out the sequel smoke and mirrors in marketing is over mr smith said at a conference last week with social media he added people are going to know and theyre going to know globally
among other new arrivals in the united states the shallows sony starring blake lively and costing about 17 million to make took in 167 million more than double what most analysts had expected before its release movie studios are not known for their fast footwork but sony succeeded with the shallows in part by moving its release earlier to take advantage of a shortage of originality at multiplexes
having something different and very well reviewed was certainly a driving factor in the result and now were in a great position for the fourth of july holiday josh greenstein sonys president of marketing and distribution said by phone on sunday
less successful was free state of jones stx entertainment which received mostly weak reviews costing 50 million to make the civil war drama earned 78 million or roughly 30 percent less than some analysts had predicted stx noted that it relied heavily on financing partners to make the movie which limited its own exposure


weeks of provocative and outlandish behavior have hurt donald j trumps standing in two new national polls of registered voters which showed the presumptive republican presidential nominee falling further behind hillary clinton
a washington post abc news survey had mrs clinton with a double digit lead 51 percent to 39 percent
a wall street journal nbc news poll had mrs clinton with a smaller advantage of five percentage points
both polls released on sunday showed mr trump in worse shape than he had been a month ago as voters in the latest polls expressed doubts about his preparedness and qualifications to lead the nation
nearly two in three americans say they think mr trump is unqualified to be president and are anxious about the idea of him in the white house the post abc poll found in contrast 61 percent think mrs clinton is qualified
mr trump is coming off two particularly damaging weeks for his campaign   a period in which he personally attacked a mexican american judge hearing a lawsuit against trump university gloated about predicting attacks like the orlando massacre that left 49 dead and fired his embattled campaign manager
despite his woes not all the results of the new polls were heartening for mrs clinton the journal nbc survey found that her lead essentially disappears when candidates from the green party and libertarian party are included she essentially tied mr trump with 39 percent to his 38 percent together third party candidates grabbed 16 percent of the support
senior aides to both candidates spoke on sunday morning news shows and their words left little doubt about the intensity that the race is taking on now that the nominating fights have ended
robby mook mrs clintons campaign manager said on fox news sunday donald trump is probably one of the most reckless unfit candidates to ever seek the presidency mrs clinton he said is probably one of the most prepared
paul manafort the trump campaign chairman insisted that he and mr trump had built an operation that was able to take on mrs clinton addressing concerns from republicans that their infrastructure is inadequate
our campaign is organized mr manafort told nbcs meet the press
were ready were going to have a good convention and were confident that we are not behind the clinton campaign mr manafort added


lyon france   depending on your perspective the dream   or the nightmare   lasted nearly an hour
that was how long it took for france the host of the european championships the team with the weight of history and home weighing down on it to emerge from its stupor that was how long it took for ireland the gritty upstart with designs of a monumental upset to see its hopes summarily squashed
in the end france won 2 1 and the french   who have won each of the last two major tournaments they have hosted   will keep rolling toward a third with a quarterfinal match against either england or iceland awaiting next weekend but that score and its two gorgeous goals from antoine griezmann belied the emotion of the afternoon here it did not show how close this tournament of underdogs was to having a minnow somehow some way get its jaws all the way around a whale
the irish no doubt will see it as an opportunity lost it would be hard to say they wasted their chance because the french were on balance far better they had better players more talent more experience they were playing at home they were indisputably the favorites
yet the game started with ireland having about 40 seconds of possession sending the ball down the field and then watching a nations eyes wide as frances paul pogba tripped shane long as he ran across the goal the referee did not hesitate penalty
it was the worst thing that could have happened frances dimitri payet said
barely a minute had been played when the call was made and barely two had passed when robbie brady banged his spot kick in off the post and gave ireland the most unexpected of edges it was remarkable irish players coaches and fans had surely played out many potential series of events in their heads before this match   a late goal perhaps or a victorious penalty shootout   but it seemed difficult to imagine that many of them had envisioned having to spend most of the game trying to hold on to a 1 0 lead
the irish fought no one can say they did not and their effort for the rest of the first half made the fantasy seem possible france was all over the place the players clearly unsettled and the fans clearly enraged pogba trying to atone for his costly foul made several dazzling dribbles and passes but many of his teammates were invisible blaise matuidi did little in midfield griezmann was nowhere to be found up front olivier giroud looked lost
it did not help that the irish were the perfect combination of aggressive and irritating as they slammed into challenges   pogba alone was bulldozed by long and jeff hendrick   but also played for time as they labored over goal kicks and tumbled with injuries that seemed to have been caused by pixies each minute that ticked by sent the french players flailing even more and the spectators frothing even harder maybe just maybe they thought this might happen
but then came halftime a short rest a chance to refocus in the french locker room griezmann said the players were frustrated kind of shouting at each other knowing that the game was slipping away and it worked they emerged from the tunnel for the second period without any of the timidity or trepidation that had bogged them down from the start they passed crisply and fluidly they did not bunch or crowd the field opened up
the first goal began when payet sent the ball from one side to the other and bacary sagna swung in a looping cross griezmann who stands barely 5 feet 9 inches rose to meet it and snapped his neck his header flew past darren randolph and nestled into the corner it was swift and splendid and griezmann took off running in celebration fifty seven minutes had been played and the french fans were finally euphoric
four minutes later it happened again this time it was giroud creating as he leapt in between two irish defenders to nod down a high ball near the edge of the penalty area it dropped softly easily for griezmann who sped forward seized it and slotted it past randolph into the other corner his subsequent dance spirited as it was did not quite match the beauty of his score but no one cared order had been restored france was back on course
another six or seven minutes without conceding maybe we could have used that to our advantage said martin oneill irelands coach with a touch of wistfulness as his voice trailed off
the players could not have put anything more into the game he added not an ounce left
for ireland this unraveling was about more than just this tournament seven years ago france beat ireland in a two legged playoff for a spot in the 2010 world cup behind a goal scored in extra time that came after thierry henry committed a blatant but uncalled hand ball   an act henry admitted after the game and world cup berth had been decided
the irish players said repeatedly that sunday was not about vengeance   this was a different time a different team   but the significance was clear ireland pulled off a surprise victory over italy in the final game of the group stage to qualify for the knockout rounds and with that boost and the start of this game some measure of payback felt within reach
only then it was gone frances coach didier deschamps made a tactical adjustment in the second half bringing on kingsley coman and moving griezmann closer to giroud the first goal came then the second by the time shane duffy was sent off for taking down griezmann on a breakaway even the ever bubbly irish fans were becoming relatively quiet
frances nightmare had passed irelands dream was over at the final whistle brady the man who delivered the early hope fell backward griezmann the man who squelched that hope grinned as he raised his hands


a laborer was packing up his van in manhattan done for the day last august when he saw a man approach the nearby bus stop
you just missed the bus the laborer called out to him
that simple greeting was all the man at the bus stop seems to have needed something about the laborer or the greeting may have suggested opportunity
they chatted the man at the bus stop volunteered that he worked in immigration law the laborer perked up at this he was an illegal immigrant living in the bronx with his wife and their three children and wanted to live here legally
the laborer invited the man at the bus stop to his home and they left together in the van the man said his name was saul roberto i can get you an extended visa he told the family according to a criminal complaint filed in the bronx im a sponsor im an attorney at law and im a film producer
he was none of those things
his name was robert byrd prosecutors said he was 63 at the time according to the authorities a con man with a history of schemes spanning decades and regions of the country as well as an array of aliases props and promises   and a knack for getting people to open their wallets
the man is good at what he does one of his victims a builder in illinois said last week he knows how to talk to you
mr byrd lived in las vegas in his younger years in 1999 an 80 year old woman living there answered her telephone and the caller introduced himself as mike singleton from an organization called childrens advocates and society for the handicapped or cash according to a criminal complaint in nevada he asked for a donation to help fill baskets for needy children at thanksgiving the woman agreed and later that day a man who said he was from the organization and identified himself as paul stevens stopped by to collect her 500 donation
in fact both men   the one on the phone and the one at her door   were robert byrd using the two aliases he continued to call and to visit seeking more donations and offering rewards for the womans generosity   a hotel room in hawaii special recognition as a cash sponsor   that never materialized as mike singleton he told her over the phone that he was a vietnam veteran who used a wheelchair and needed money for surgery she gave him 1200 according to the complaint
over the course of two months mr byrd called and visited dozens of times collecting tens of thousands of dollars from the woman until he was arrested in 2000 according to the complaint he was indicted under yet another name thomas marquis
he pleaded guilty to theft from a person over 65 and was sentenced to probation in 2004
two years later he appeared almost 2000 miles from las vegas in bourbonnais ill outside chicago gone was the name thomas marquis and gone was any mention of vietnam or a wheelchair
he pulls up in a big old limo recalled the homebuilder who met him at one of his construction sites in 2006 stepping out of a limousine while a driver waited inside he introduced himself as samuel byrd and said he was interested in buying the house he was a concert promoter he said and was planning a series of seven shows for mariah carey and others something he called the divas tour
the builder who asked that his name be withheld because he was the victim of a crime kept in touch with mr byrd who invited him to invest in his musical endeavors
the builder did with success
i was 30000 into him and i got 50000 back he recalled i was getting some returns thats how he was so good
when ms carey performed a concert in chicago mr byrd sent tickets to the builders family and had them driven to the show in his limo
mr byrds requests for large sums from the builder continued but the returns stopped illinois prosecutors charged the builder called the police and accused mr byrd of taking more than 100000 from him
at trial in kankakee county in 2010 mr byrd acted as his own lawyer it was a monthlong affair likened in press accounts to a circus the defendant who at one court appearance said he had mooned president nixon while working in the congressional post office claimed before the jury to have performed with the band kool  the gang he promised to call mariah carey as a witness he did not
prosecutors said mr byrd had gambled with the money he had taken a jury convicted him of theft but he was released shortly after having spent more than three years behind bars since being arrested
i come to find out he was renting the limo the builder said i talked to the limo driver he told me he swindled him too
six years later he was at a humble city bus stop when he met the laborer no limo
mr byrd knew from personal experience that his schemes sometimes required planning this one appears to have started quite by chance
by days end mr byrd had left the laborers apartment with 430 in exchange for a promise to help months passed with mr byrd describing legal fees and other unforeseen costs and the laborers family borrowed money to pay him said michelle milanes an assistant district attorney in the bronx who works in the offices new immigrant affairs unit
this man was calling them daily ms milanes said
the laborer knew a police officer he had met when his sons joined a law enforcement explorers program and he called him last year they met in brooklyn at floyd bennett field near where the officer timothy craft was in training
they were very emotional about the whole situation officer craft said of the family on friday i advised him to stop paying him immediately that it was a scam
after officer craft directed the laborer to prosecutors mr byrd was arrested last month and charged with stealing 106000 he is in jail while the case proceeds
his identity may have changed from state to state but he kept traces of his past too a cellphone he used in new york had a las vegas area code and he may have been thinking back to his trial in illinois when he told the laborer about his legal work
im not a lawyer he told the police last month im well versed in the law


washington   the economic fallout from britains vote to leave the european union was swift and stark the pound cratered to its lowest level in three decades when the london stock exchange opened the next morning its leading share index immediately fell by more than 8 percent the largest single day drop since the 2008 financial crisis
this was pretty much what financial analysts had predicted and it is clear from polling data and interviews with voters that those who voted for brexit had been well warned about the economic risks they just cared more about something else immigration
most research has found that immigration has bolstered the british economy but voters supporting the leave campaign either were unpersuaded by the evidence did not think it had benefited them or felt the downsides outweighed the upsides
brexit is not just a blow to the british economy but also strikes at a core assumption behind the modern liberal order that voters will act in their self interest
the progress of the last 50 years particularly in europe has made it easy to buy into the idea that the forces of nationalism xenophobia and prejudice are mere irrationalities market distortions that will naturally fade away in the long arc of history
last weeks vote highlighted   not for the first time but with unusual clarity   the hole in that theory for many people identity trumps economics they will pay a high price literally in this case to preserve a social order that makes them feel safe and powerful
that dynamic is not limited to britain or to this referendum it is playing out in democracies around the world and immigration has become its focal point
many citizens particularly those who have suffered under the economic pressures of globalization express their anxiety over these changes by focusing on another form of change foreigners in their midst halting immigration even if the actual effect is to worsen their own economic situation seems like a way of staving off those larger changes
democratic governments have shown over and over that they have no answer for this anxiety even as the stakes in europe and globally continue mounting
the economist michael clemens has called immigration a trillion dollar bill lying on the sidewalk a tremendous increase in wealth waiting to be seized by any country that is attractive to immigrants and willing to welcome them loosening restrictions on global labor flows he argues would offer a bigger boost to global economies than would dropping all restrictions on trade and capital
but evidence does not vote   people do and it turns out that the gains of immigration often feel elusive whereas the costs can be perceived as heavier than they really are
a poll released june 20 by ipsosmori showed that 47 percent of voters planning to support brexit said immigration had been bad for britains economy never mind that a study by britains national institute of economic and social research found that immigration had increased the countrys gross domestic product and had lowered the cost of government services like health care and pensions which in turn helped reduce taxes
to be sure just because immigration is a net positive for the country as a whole does not mean that it benefits all of its people the geographic breakdown of thursdays vote showed that the regions where the leave campaign fared the best were areas that tend to have few immigrants but also lower wages according to analysis conducted by torsten bell the director of the resolution foundation a british think tank
this suggests that economic anxiety might be expressed as anti immigration sentiment even by britons who have not lost jobs to foreigners
you tend to see anti immigrant sentiment in areas hit by changing economic circumstances or global crises said alexandra cirone a fellow at the london school of economics framing this globalization problem as immigration can also tug on the heartstrings of potential voters regardless of the actual facts
so why do people take their economic anxiety out on faceless foreigners the right answer is probably the simplest one immigrants do change their new countries in a million tiny but noticeable ways even if taking local jobs may not be one of them those changes can still be unsettling even though many changes are undeniably positive
for people who are already destabilized by economic strain those social changes contribute to a feeling that something precious is being lost that their country is turning away from the things they value and toward a new and unfamiliar future
the leave campaign spoke to those anxieties by arguing that immigration which it sometimes implied would be nonwhite had brought britain to the breaking point british tabloids covered crimes by asylum seekers in lurid detail and warned that refugees were a swarm that could swamp the country
that phenomenon is hardly limited to britain in the united states net immigration from mexico has been at zero since 2010 but republican primary voters still cheered donald j trumps promise to build a wall on the southern border as though it would solve whatever was worrying them
brian klaas also a fellow at the london school of economics said there were many parallels between supporters of mr trump and the uk independence party a prime backer of brexit
both might be a working class person who has felt completely dislocated and left behind by the global economy mr klaas said both feel that they have been left behind by globalization and they have both determined that the problem is not just immigration but also a shadowy government bureaucracy far away
in australia rising anti immigration sentiment has focused especially on refugees who arrive via southeast asia often disparaged as boat people the countrys leadership under growing popular pressure created a system of offshore detention centers to warehouse them indefinitely rather than allow them onto australian shores these centers have been accused of abuses including rape assault and child sexual abuse
anti immigrant backlash can play out in several ways immigrants may experience xenophobic attacks or be endangered by legal limbo but the consequences can also be much broader
brexit of course has shown that there can be severe economic risks but there are political risks as well in hungary for instance anti immigrant sentiment has buoyed president viktor orbans popularity as well as that of the far right jobbik party mr orban has been criticized for restrictions on press freedom and judicial independence
in greece a platform of open hostility to foreigners and slogans like greece belongs to the greeks have made the neo fascist golden dawn the third biggest party in parliament the party won a half million votes in the september election even though its most prominent leaders were on trial for murder at the time
a relatively new body of social science research portrays a group of authoritarians who are dispersed across demographics but desire conformity order and social norms these can be activated as the scholars describe it when they feel threatened by social change and then will seek harsh punitive policies that target outsiders and restore the status quo
as jonathan haidt a social psychologist and professor at new york universitys stern school of business put it its as though a button is pushed on their forehead that says in case of moral threat lock down the borders kick out those who are different and punish those who are morally deviant
experts on this phenomenon say it helps explain the seemingly sudden support in the united states for mr trump and his proposals for mass deportations and a ban on all muslim immigration
in other words social change and economic stress   exactly what many pro brexit communities have been experiencing in recent years   often lead to a rise in anti immigrant sentiment
globalization is not going away and neither are the changes that it brings including the rise in migration and the division of societies into economic winners and losers the turmoil created by brexit may itself become the source of more change more stress more instability


the contempt that hillary clinton and donald j trump express for each other will continue to play out in vitriolic sound bites but their profound differences on what to do about the economy and the struggling middle class are far more important
this election will be won by whichever candidate convinces middle class voters they are better for their jobs and future prospects said stephen moore an economist at the heritage foundation and an adviser to mr trump
gene b sperling a leading economic official under president bill clinton and president obama and an adviser to mrs clinton said this is about whether economic forces hollow out the middle class or whether those forces strengthen the middle class creating jobs and higher wages
as the economy has recovered from the 2008 crisis the unemployment rate has shrunk to less than half of what it was eight years ago and wages have started to rise but median average family income in real dollars is less than it was 10 years ago
on the issue voters say is their top concern the two presumptive nominees offer radically different remedies mrs clinton goes out of her way to show that most of her initiatives are paid for
mr trump in defiance of republican orthodoxy seems unfazed by debt he proudly says that borrowing fueled his business ventures and has even suggested that as president he might try to negotiate down american debt obligations
mrs clintons agenda includes calls for a higher minimum wage 12 weeks paid leave for chronically ill workers and parents with a newborn more funds for job training and education especially higher education and a 275 billion infrastructure plan
she would raise taxes by 11 trillion over the next decade the tax policy center estimates these raises are mainly aimed at wealthier americans and include higher capital gains taxes on assets held for longer periods a larger estate tax for wealthy heirs and closing some corporate loopholes and advantages enjoyed by hedge fund and private equity executives
these increases will be offset however by a subsequent middle class tax cut
mr trump by contrast has offered huge tax cuts which policy experts estimate will cost 9 trillion to 11 trillion over a decade he also vows to end or soften many federal regulations which he calls job killers look for him to focus on a pro growth energy policy that his camp calculates would split two of mrs clintons important constituencies labor and environmentalists
but the core of mr trumps proposals for job creation involves getting tough on trade by renegotiating previous treaties and imposing heavy duties on imports particularly from china or mexico although international laws and the need for congressional approval could inhibit such actions a president does have flexibility to impose some trade sanctions
in the coming months each candidate will be pressed to provide more specifics mr trump has been especially vague
he has delegated two advocates of supply side tax cuts to revise his plan to make it less costly one of them mr moore of the heritage foundation says the objective is to cut the projected deficit by at least two thirds to around 3 trillion over a decade this he says would be achieved primarily by limiting deductions for upper income taxpayers
mr sperling suggests that a middle class tax cut higher education and a larger infrastructure plan are candidates for expansion by mrs clinton
until more specifics are forthcoming it is difficult to gauge the economic impact of either candidates plans several economic analyses including those by moodys analytics and the us chamber of commerce have estimated that mr trumps plans primarily because they rely on protectionism deportation of undocumented workers and debt would throw the economy into a recession mr trump rejects that contention and says that he would create growth of 6 percent a year a level last achieved in 1983


this is the age of street style an era when we talk about the show outside the show the people who dress to be photographed by the growing hordes of snappers on the sidewalk waiting to capture the ever more exaggerated fashions necessary to stand out from the peacocking crowd and bestow upon them their 15 minutes or seconds of fame go to any fashion show and you can see it a woman or man in a colorful kooky get up swarmed by photographers jostling for the best shot and calling look over here and who are you wearing   lemmings in the land of the look at me
but bill cunningham who began it all was never among them
since his death on saturday many of the memorials and the hagiographies that have poured out over the internet have dubbed bill i cant call him mr cunningham as ive known him and been squeezed up next to him on fashion show benches for too long the father of street style and rightly so still a more accurate way to think of him might be as someone who applied the tenets of visual journalism to fashion
he began his career as a reporter after all and his photographs were simply another expression of the same discipline they werent filtered airbrushed or staged
he was among the first to recognize the value of observing what people wore in their everyday life and to understand that it was a reflection of identity and culture a means of communication used by all and thus a crucial historical record before there was scott schuman aka the sartorialist or tommy ton or phil oh there was bill riding his bicycle reporting on what he saw the idiosyncratic and the ubiquitous but above all the honest
his subject was not what was manufactured to catch his eye but what people wore to feel part of the group or to stand out from the group or to otherwise telegraph their place in the world   be it at a high society charity ball or at a popular shopping street corner no matter anna wintour the editor of vogue has often been quoted as saying we all dressed for bill its a lovely and genuine sentiment   both fashion and society are peppered by women whose dream was to be photographed by bill and having him take your picture became a much coveted seal of approval   but the truth is he wouldnt have wanted anyone to dress for him he wanted to understand and record how they dressed for themselves
he himself dressed the part he created his own uniform years ago calculated to take himself out of the bigger picture a blue french workers jacket khakis and sneakers it spoke proclaiming very loudly this is not about me but it was about his eye
he taught me his pictures taught me that while what was on the catwalks was interesting it was what happened to the clothes afterward   how they were used or not used   that really mattered it wasnt that he rejected fashion he loved it with a never ending enthusiasm for discovery but he understood that its power was personal clothes are the front line of communication they are the first thing we say about ourselves to each other and the first judgment we make in turn that was his story and it is why his videos and columns were so obsessively interesting
harold koda the former head of the costume institute of the metropolitan museum of art once told me that the debate over whether fashion belonged in the museum had been resolved when the powers that be started seeing fashion as a decorative art that represented popular attitudes and mores   toward beauty craft and society   at a specific moment in time this belief also drove bill whose thousands of pictures now comprise an invaluable portrait of popular identity in the late 20th and early 21st centuries they recorded the casualization of life the rise of the cause ribbon the advent of the it bag and the problem of global warming what the hell do you wear when its summer in january and snowing in april
street style has become an increasingly ersatz game less about unique and the revelatory than marketing with brands shipping clothes to popular stars to wear in theoretically un styled shots   clothes they have not chosen mind you but been given or even paid to wear in the same way that the red carpet has become an advertising vehicle so too have many sidewalks bill represented the truth behind all of that
his legacy is our reality and we should not forget


rich colon is 50 years old an age when thoughts of mortality creep into mens minds and invitations to join aarp start appearing in their mailboxes faced with midlife crises some men buy sports cars join the hair club or start to prowl nightclubs mr colon has taken a different approach he is going to st petersburg russia for a dance off on friday against storm a german break dancer in what is being called the battle of the gods
mr colon is better known as crazy legs a pioneering b boy which is what he prefers to call himself who first gained fame in new york citys early hip hop scene then helped the culture go global through appearances in videos by malcolm mclaren and movies like beat street wild style and flashdance he and his friends in the rock steady crew   mr wiggles frosty freeze doze and others   went from basement discos parks and playgrounds to stages in london paris and tokyo though he had said his last battle was in 2014 he decided to pull a michael jordan or a godfather part iii michael corleone and return to compete
when i did that last battle i had bruised ribs so i felt i had unfinished business mr colon said though i know that at 50 im either incredibly inspiring or incredibly stupid to be doing this
his motivation is more than just to prove a personal point though he is part of a culture that rewards bravado it is also one created by young people who had little in south bronx neighborhoods that had been reduced to rubble improvised soundtracks came from djs who plugged their rigs into streetlamps while dance crews challenged one another relying on their only possession supreme self confidence from surviving hard times
thoughts of the 1970s pushed mr colon to go to battle he divides his time between new york and puerto rico where he sponsors an annual dance event he has grown concerned about the islands economic collapse which has plunged many children into poverty according to a report released this month the crisis reminds him of the hardships he witnessed in childhood so in a culture where showing off in the spotlight is a given he is using his turn to speak his mind
i know what its like to make an abandoned building a playground or take a mattress and turn it into a gymnastics mat mr colon said and right now there are a lot of abandoned homes in puerto rico and people are fleeing the reason im doing this is to bring awareness to the situation in puerto rico its economic crisis and how desperate life has gotten there we need to mentor these kids who are being affected by their parents not having any work or even money to meet their basic necessities
he has been lucky to make a living dancing giving workshops and collaborating on other projects his last regular job was in 1989 when he quit working at a health club near riverdale in the bronx you could do a history of what went on behind closed doors he said from selling people memberships they couldnt afford which is why i quit to after hours pool parties
when news of the battle was announced it was done so teasingly with mr colon saying only that a challenge had been issued to another unnamed dance legend many fans assumed   correctly   that the other dancer was ken swift a former member of rock steady who parted ways with mr colon in 1996 when he declined the organizers of the v1 festival enlisted niels robitzky a german dancer known as storm
the battle with mr robitzky will be six rounds in each one dancer will perform a routine and the other will respond with his own moves each round could take less than a minute of intense moves with no breaks in between
to get into shape mr colon has spent months at boxing gyms working with two trainers his strategy is to be prepared not just physically but mentally
b boys practice but very few train mr colon said surviving deep in a battle is a whole different thing you got to understand what walls mean when you hit them you got to train until you get to the wall and then fight through it after the second or third round its all mental ill have to take storm into deep waters
and after it is over win or lose does he retire
im not going to say this is my last battle he said once youre hype and in shape you see a bunch of b boys and get that feeling about how you want to smoke this dude how do you quit culture just because you say youre going to do it doesnt mean youre not going to react when you hear some james brown


the trump campaign and the republican national committee are moving quickly and aggressively to head off the fledgling effort to stage a revolt at their convention next month in cleveland hoping to spare the party an embarrassing spectacle that could deeply wound the presumptive nominee
they are employing hard nosed tactics warning delegates that attempting to undermine donald j trumps claim to the nomination violates party rules and threatening to deny speaking slots to republicans they deem disloyal for not backing him
if theres no endorsement then i would not invite them to speak mr trump said in an interview adding that former rivals like senator ted cruz of texas and gov john kasich of ohio should not expect to address the convention if they continue to withhold their support
the rnc and the trump campaign are also installing loyal party stalwarts in key party positions to help ensure that they maintain control of the convention if rogue delegates attempt a disruption and they are trying to discredit republicans who are advocating an interpretation of party rules that would allow delegates to vote for anyone they want on the first ballot
their moves are intended to buttress mr trump as he confronts a faction of republicans who emboldened by his recent missteps say their efforts to stage a convention coup are gaining more support in the last week prominent republicans like house speaker paul d ryan and gov scott walker of wisconsin have breathed new life into these efforts by saying that delegates should be free to follow their consciences instead of being committed to back a candidate
stopping the presumptive nominee at the convention   one who won 37 states and has an indisputable majority of delegates   would be an extraordinary affront and seems improbable at this point but even if the anti trump forces fall short the scene that threatens to unfold on national television would be an unwelcome one for mr trump and the republican party a band of angry rebelling delegates trying to seize control of the convention and wrest away the nomination
mr trump insisted in an interview last week that his opponents would fail to derail his nomination you mean to tell me were going to get the largest vote in the history of the republican primaries he said and now the same people that either didnt run or got beaten in a landslide are going to try and back end
my supporters are tremendously loyal to me he added they would not stand for it
such a hard line approach would seem to create grim prospects for any kind of reconciliation with mr cruz who will command more than 500 delegates when the convention begins in three weeks and to deny mr cruz a speech   or for that matter mr kasich the governor of the state that is hosting the convention   would be a rare rebuke speeches by the runners up are usually a prime time draw at any convention and usually a foregone conclusion for an event that is supposed to convey party unity and good will
but the speaking arrangements may not be entirely up to mr trump because mr cruz won a majority of delegates in at least eight states he would probably be able to have his name entered into nomination guaranteeing him a speech under party rules
for its part the committee is leaving little to chance as it works closely with the trump campaign in plotting the mechanics of the convention the two have hired about a dozen operatives to ensure that the nominating vote goes off without a hitch reince priebus the republican national committee chairman has dispatched associates to reach out to first time delegates
and lawyers for the committee are advising state party leaders how to beat back the anti trump efforts prompting party chairs from minnesota to washington state to issue admonitions to delegates who may be thinking of breaking their obligation to vote for mr trump party officials are now gently reminding delegates that in the process of applying to be a delegate many of them signed statements vowing to vote for the candidate to which they were pledged
mr trump has the pledged support of more than 1500 delegates the vast majority of whom were awarded to him based on party rules that allot the most delegates to the winner of each primary and caucus
the rnc pushback has been strong in states that mr trump lost like iowa and minnesota the proposed conscience exemption does not change anything for minnesota especially given each national delegatesalternates signed pledge a message to minnesota delegates from state party leaders said last week
party officials are also working to thwart delegates who are encouraging a conscience vote based on the notion that republican rules cannot bind anyone to any candidate freeing the delegates known as unbinding has been promoted for years by curly haugland a committee official from north dakota
yet as his ideas gained currency mr haugland found that committee officials were sending out emails attempting to discredit him   like one forwarded to him by a delegate friend that read in part curly haugland is the originator of the ideas that are flooding the inboxes of delegates nationwide he is the north dakota national committeeman who every four years challenges the convention rules   and loses
its a total smear campaign mr haugland said in an interview
but the anti trump forces are determined to push their cause one activist steve lonegan who directed mr cruzs losing campaign in new jersey is now helping a political action committee that advocates letting delegates vote their consciences
the group courageous conservatives started running a radio ad in iowa last week that urged people to call steve scheffler a national committeeman in iowa who is trying to quash the revolt and demand to let our delegates pick the best republican to fight for our conservative values another group called delegates unbound has begun a nationwide ad campaign that implores vote your conscience
mr scheffler who is among the 112 members of the conventions rules committee which could ultimately resolve the unbinding issue said in an interview that he did not even vote for mr trump in the iowa caucuses but he believes the will of the voters should be honored at the convention
dont bellyache to me that you dont like the process it is what it is mr scheffler said noting that he did not plan to check his voice mail until after the convention the voters have spoken he added why would 112 people say we dont care what you did were going to set our own rules
one major hurdle the anti trump forces face is that the rules committee will be full of delegates like mr scheffler republicans loyal to the party committee who might not have wanted mr trump as the nominee but are nonetheless determined to keep the convention from turning into a debacle adding to those hurdles mr priebus has put in trusted loyalists to run the convention rules committee while working with the trump campaign and state parties to make sure the most important committees are not stacked with unpredictable delegates
in that sense the motives of the trump campaign and the republican party have aligned after months of mutual mistrust while party people are not necessarily trump people and trump people are not necessarily party people the two sides are now locked in a marriage of convenience mr trump is trying to protect his nomination while the party is trying to protect the integrity of its nominating process
peter feaman who will serve on the convention rules committee and has a long history with the party including serving as floridas party chairman called the talk of ditching mr trump a lot of sound and fury
were going to ride the trump bandwagon into 1600 penn ave or into oblivion he added one or the other


beijing   a longtime political activist and artist who has been detained for more than a year in china after visiting the grave site of a victim of the violent tiananmen square crackdown in 1989 is expected to stand trial on thursday according to his lawyer
the activist chen yunfei 48 uses performance art to criticize the communist party and is a close friend of other chinese intellectuals including the author liao yiwu who lives in germany and is also from mr chens home province sichuan mr liao has written about mr chens detention
the authorities have charged mr chen with picking quarrels and provoking trouble the police in china have been using the charge in many prominent cases against dissidents the police also wanted the court to try mr chen on a charge of inciting subversion of the state but that charge has been dropped
in 2013 the top legal bodies expanded the definition of the picking quarrels charge to include online writing and the security forces have wielded it as a legal weapon against liberal voices on the internet and people carrying out protests or other acts judged to be overly critical of the party or the state
a document from prosecutors that was posted by mr chens lawyer accuses mr chen of taking advantage of having tens of thousands of followers on twitter to start rumors about and libel against our countrys political system on the internet many times twitter is among the foreign websites blocked in china
mr chen calls himself a beast tamer using the term beasts to refer to the chinese authorities he has been especially active in trying to keep alive the memory of the massacre of civilians by the military around tiananmen square in june 1989 hundreds perhaps thousands of people were killed after party leaders ordered the peoples liberation army to quash anticorruption and pro democracy protests started by students mr chen witnessed the bloodshed
mr chen was detained on march 25 2015 shortly after visiting the grave of a student wu guofeng who was killed by soldiers in beijing in 1989 mr chen had traveled to mr wus grave site in xinjin county sichuan with a group of activists and mr wus relatives xinjin is the home county of mr wu
by early april last year the police had formally charged mr chen
on friday night ran tong mr chens lawyer posted a message on his microblog saying mr chens trial was expected to start at 1030 on thursday morning at wuhou district peoples court in chengdu the capital of sichuan
in may 2015 mr liao wrote a blog post for the independent chinese pen center which advocates free speech expressing concern over the detention i fear for you chen yunfei but there is nothing else i can do mr liao wrote please forgive my cowardice
mr liao wrote that the communist partys bestial nature has resurfaced time and again especially under the rule of president xi jinping
mr liao interviewed the parents of mr wu in 2005 and wrote about his death in a book bullets and opium mr liao wrote that mr wu 20 had ventured into the streets of beijing from his campus in the early hours of june 4 1989 to photograph the events taking place in an encounter with soldiers he was kicked to the ground and fatally stabbed with a bayonet mr liao wrote mr wu was said to have gripped the bayonet with both hands before dying
maya wang a china researcher for human rights watch mentioned mr chens case in a post in may 2015 that discussed a broad crackdown on artists she wrote that under the twisted logic of the communist party there is no reason to spare artists
the government has brought censorship to a new level retaliating against both rumor and humor that depart from official lines she added


london   the crisis ritual that will play out this week in europe is all too familiar markets will gyrate national leaders will huddle a summit meeting in brussels will extend deep into the night
until now these tense moments have typically been resolved with vague statements of unity awkward compromises and a determination to muddle through without any fundamental change in direction   until the next crisis comes along
but britains vote to leave the european union leaves the continents leaders facing difficult choices that may not be so easily kicked down the road or papered over
they cant pretend nothing happened said franco pavoncello a political analyst in rome if they do that the risk of further breakup and even disintegration of the euro might increase
as chancellor angela merkel of germany president francois hollande of france and prime minister matteo renzi of italy meet on monday in berlin and again with the heads of all 28 european union members in brussels on tuesday and wednesday they will have to decide whether to continue pressing for immediate negotiations on the terms of britains withdrawal or to let passions cool in the hopes that some kind of deal might be worked out to keep britain in the bloc
they will have to decide whether the lesson to draw from the british vote is that the growing populist and nationalist backlash against the bloc needs to be acknowledged through fundamental changes or whether it requires a show of resolve by pushing ahead with plans for deeper integration
and they will confront the potential for a change in the power dynamic among the blocs biggest members with italy and to a degree france challenging the dominance of germany and germanys insistence on austerity economics as the cornerstone of european policy
in an op ed published sunday in italys leading business newspaper il sole 24 ore mr renzi described the british vote as an interesting opportunity to relaunch the european project he suggested that it was time for the bloc to focus on economic growth and job creation rather than debt reduction
it needs to take back its identity mr renzi wrote of the european union austerity policies have transformed the future into a threat he said adding they spurred fear
europe will be working its way through all those issues as ms merkel mr hollande and mr renzi among other leaders face intense political problems at home undercutting their influence and restricting their room to maneuver ms merkel and mr hollande are facing general elections next year and mr renzis fate could hang on a referendum on a new government structure in italy this fall
national elections in spain on sunday were a timely symbol of europes political shambles the vote was the second in just six months after a december vote resulted in a political deadlock that left the country paralyzed in dealing with issues like rampant youth unemployment
brexit raises a question mark for the whole planet mr hollande said during the weekend struggling with poll ratings of 15 percent he took the unusual step of inviting his archrivals the conservative former president nicolas sarkozy and the nationalist leader marine le pen to the elysee palace to discuss the way forward
this vote is a brutal shock   now the whole world fears a populist shock wave the french foreign minister jean marc ayrault told the sunday newspaper le journal du dimanche we have to move quickly and show we understand the message of the people
calls in france for a referendum on the european union mounted from both the far right and the far left echoing sentiment in many other countries
the prospect of spreading political chaos may bind the german french and italian leaders together when they meet in berlin on monday there is talk of a franco german effort to breathe life into the continents key relationship with some sort of joint project perhaps in defense   a field where britain also remains deeply bound into the continent through its membership in nato
mr pavoncello suggested that a more likely vehicle for united european action is a restructuring of the european union centered on the founding members   belgium france germany italy luxembourg and the netherlands   with different levels of membership on the perimeters
it is not clear whether such actions would help build bridges among ordinary europeans who feel alienated by globalization and leaders who often seem out of touch with the concerns of their citizens at the moment there is no apparent consensus on how to address the immediate issue of dealing with britain
european officials in brussels and in the european parliament pushed for quick negotiations on britains exit even as ms merkel europes most powerful leader said she saw no need to rush
but norbert rottgen a merkel ally and the chairman of the foreign affairs committee of the german parliament noted that not even the germans could afford complacency especially with elections coming by the fall of next year
if there is a lesson from britains vote he said it is that those who are pro europe need to make their case much more powerfully if they are to maintain popular support if we go on like this he said in an interview the erosion will continue
opening up debate carries its own risks the inclusion of ms le pen whose far right anti europe national front far outpolls mr hollandes governing socialists in the weekend meetings in paris accorded her a changed status in france mr rottgen noted
in france germany and italy populist forces have been gaining influence challenging established parties and raising questions about the future direction of the european project mr renzi has already seen the populist five star movement win the mayoralty in rome italys capital and in turin
polls suggest his popularity is wearing thin he has rammed through changes in labor law and public administration and won concessions from brussels on budget flexibility but many voters sense no change mr renzi has said he will quit if he loses the october referendum
that raises the possibility of his being out just weeks after britain where the mainstream political parties are in increasing disarray chooses a successor to prime minister david cameron who has said he will resign by october
ms merkel while secure politically for now has endured powerful criticism in germany for her decision to allow more than a million refugees from syria and elsewhere into the country last year highlighting the power of an issue that also drove the british vote to leave europe a far right party alternative for germany has been making inroads in part in reaction to the influx of refugees


london   britains political crisis intensified on sunday after its decision to leave the european union with the opposition labour party splitting into warring camps scotlands leader suggesting that its local parliament might try to block the departure and many britons wondering if there was a plausible way for the nation to reconsider its drastic choice
the hostilities in the labour party broke out as the battle lines became clearer among the governing conservatives left in turmoil by the vote on the european union and the subsequent announcement by prime minister david cameron that he would resign once his party chose a successor
michael gove the justice minister and one of the leaders of the leave campaign threw his support to the former london mayor boris johnson the most prominent figure in the anti europe movement aides to theresa may the home secretary who backed the remain side in the referendum on thursday were calling legislators to seek their support to take on mr johnson
the british news media reported that close allies of mr cameron were also working to stop mr johnson reflecting the sense of betrayal on downing street over mr johnsons decision to tie his political ambitions to the movement to leave europe other cabinet ministers were considering whether to run including nicky morgan the education secretary and liam fox a former defense secretary
hanging over the jockeying for power was intensifying discussion of whether the british exit or brexit might somehow be avoided or circumvented mr cameron has said he will leave to his successor the decision on whether and when to begin formal divorce proceedings and neither mr johnson nor mr gove has been demanding such a step leaving open at least the possibility that britain could negotiate new terms of membership with brussels and hold another referendum
mr johnson said from the start of the campaign that a vote to leave would push european union nations into a new negotiation with britain to keep it in the bloc leaders on the continent have little appetite at the moment for such a deal and circumventing the clear will of british voters would appear politically problematic for whoever succeeds mr cameron
but both britain and the european union have a tradition of muddling through crises and finding compromises to avoid the worst outcomes
sundays developments underscored how the stunning vote to leave the european union has upended politics and exacerbated ideological and regional strains in britain leaving the nation with no unifying figure at risk of coming apart and facing jittery financial markets
the turmoil spread on sunday to the labour party whose leader jeremy corbyn a leftist now faces a challenge from members of parliament who have never favored him
early sunday mr corbyn abruptly fired his shadow foreign secretary   the partys spokesman on foreign affairs   to try to head off a coup begun by some labour members of parliament disappointed with mr corbyns lackluster campaign to keep britain in europe
with the conservatives in disarray and the possibility of another general election within the year some labour legislators see this as a good moment to try to dethrone mr corbyn 67 whom they think would lead the party to electoral disaster
over the course of sunday at least 11 of the labour shadow cabinets 30 members not counting the foreign secretary resigned as a signal of their opposition to his leadership mr corbyns office insisted that he would remain party leader and would beat back any challenge by appealing to grass roots labour party members who elected him overwhelmingly in the first place
after newspaper reports about the planned coup against mr corbyn the shadow foreign secretary hilary benn telephoned him early sunday to say he and other key legislators had lost confidence in mr corbyn to lead the party to victory mr corbyn ended the call by firing him mr benn told the press association a british news agency
following the result of the eu referendum we need strong and effective leadership of the labour party that is capable of winning public support mr benn said in a phone call to jeremy i told him i had lost confidence in his ability to lead the party and he dismissed me
mr corbyn faces a vote of confidence called for on friday after the referendum by two lower ranking labour legislators
if a general election is called later this year which is a very real prospect we believe that under jeremys leadership we could be looking at political oblivion margaret hodge who proposed the no confidence motion wrote in a letter to fellow labour legislators
mr corbyn and his allies were reported to be organizing demonstrations in his support on sunday morning his office issued a terse statement there will be no resignation of a democratically elected leader with a strong mandate from the membership
adding to the confusion about how britain would proceed scotlands first minister nicola sturgeon said on sunday that the scottish parliament might move to try to block the british exit from the european union by withholding legislative consent
youre not going to vote for something that is not in scotlands interests she said in one of numerous television interviews
it was not clear that the devolved scottish parliament had the power to veto a british exit with constitutional scholars in this country which famously lacks a formal constitution differing on the question
i find it hard to believe that there wouldnt be that requirement ms sturgeon said of the need for scotlands approval i suspect that the uk government will take a very different view on that and well have to see where that discussion ends up
since the scotland act of 1998 binds the scottish parliament to act in accordance with european union law some argue that the parliaments consent would be required to leave the same might hold true for the devolved parliaments of wales which supported brexit and northern ireland which did not
further said christine bell a professor of constitutional law at the university of edinburgh a law that took effect in march stipulates that the british parliament will not normally legislate with regard to devolved matters without the consent of the scottish parliament that law was promised by mr cameron to persuade scots not to vote for independence in 2014
a plausible argument could be made that withdrawing from the european union over the objections of the scottish parliament would violate that law professor bell said
a fierce proponent of remaining within the european union ms sturgeon said scotland would insist on another independence referendum if britain pulled out and would try to negotiate with the europeans to maintain scottish membership in the bloc she is not going to be part of negotiations that accept the inevitability of scotland exiting the eu she said
ms sturgeons remarks only fueled discussion of whether britain might choose to seek a way to sidestep the results of the referendum the formal process of unwinding britains membership in the european union begins only when the british government invokes article 50 of the treaty governing the blocs operations yet mr cameron has declined to do so and mr johnson and other leaders of the leave campaign have avoided being pinned down on the issue
andrew moravcsik a professor of politics at princeton university wrote in april that brexit was kabuki theater arguing that under no circumstances will britain leave europe regardless of the result of the referendum
in the end he suggested britain would do what other european union members have done after negative referendums it would negotiate a new agreement nearly identical to the old one disguise it in opaque language and ratify it with the agreement of a public that knows little about the european union
but the european union may be in no mood to dicker while the european structure burns from other problems like greece migration low growth and an aggressive russia
some suggest that a newly elected british parliament might block exit if a new referendum were a stated commitment of the victorious party or that somehow the europeans will just bend to the british will and grant the nation privileges no other country has to block immigration of other european union citizens
but for the moment with mr cameron on his way out and mr corbyn possibly joining him thoughts of how to avoid brexit seemed a parlor game next to the political battles the vote has unleashed


columbus ohio   linda mulligan set off from her home around lunchtime pushing a grocery cart with her grandson marcine at her side it was a quiet day the sunday after thanksgiving 2014 the end of a holiday weekend it was a fruitful day to scrap for cans
they came upon an alley lined with trash receptacles stuffed full mulligan had mapped out a specific route that would take her past about 20 dumpsters and 45 smaller bins a few blocks away was the drag of shops and bars that represented the eastern edge of the ohio state campus on north high street
for the last few days a search team had been combing the area knocking on doors and handing out fliers kosta karageorge an ohio state wrestler and football player had gone missing
mulligan stopped at each of the dumpsters kicking them to make sure no animals were inside before she got her footing climbed in and sifted through the mess marcine 8 mostly watched
they looped around to another alley and then a third wedged between courtland avenue and indianola avenue karageorge had last been seen at his apartment at the end of the lane
at the ohio state michigan football game the day before the administration had shown his picture on the scoreboard hoping for leads the only clue about his whereabouts had been a few text messages karageorge had sent his mother the night he went missing
im sorry i hope im not an embarrasment
my heads been so expletive latly from a these concussioms i really am sorry
in the alley marcine wandered ahead of mulligan and checked a receptacle the green dumpster coated in graffiti did not typically yield anything of value mulligan usually skipped it
marcine lifted the lid got on his tiptoes and peeked inside he shut it immediately and ran to his grandmother with tears in his eyes grandma he shouted theres a body
mulligan peered inside next to three clear trash bags and a flattened cardboard box a large man lay on his side wearing all black the hood of a sweatshirt pulled over his head kosta karageorge age 22 a gun rested next to his right hand and blood dripping from his mouth had dried on his chin
kostadinos karageorge was born a hefty 10 pounds 134 ounces the second child and only son of george and susan karageorge from early on the karageorges found their son to be a bundle of energy physical and always moving
george and his brother jim had grown up hooked on football and wrestling the sport of their greek ancestors jim cracked three helmets in high school wrestled at ohio university and withstood so many injuries that the trainer essentially had to beg him to quit once george was knocked out while covering a punt and woke up in a hospital disoriented someone had to pull off his leg hair to rouse him he resumed playing two weeks later
together george and jim karageorge started young kosta on the same path they took contact sports at age 10 push ups at 12 weight lifting at 14 they taught him football and coached him through wrestling always looking over his shoulder giving advice
family functions often ended with spontaneous wrestling matches in the living room kosta karageorge trying to pin his uncle
in eighth grade after karageorge failed to qualify for the state wrestling tournament he became motivated to lift and wrestle more and more he wrote his weight class on his hand between his thumb and index finger right where he would grip the barbell
around the same time the family noticed karageorge was developing small bald spots he was so self conscious that he kept his hair buzzed short to hide them a doctor diagnosed stress related alopecia attributed to all the sports related pressure he was experiencing
that pressure only intensified in high school once karageorge hit his growth spurt showed big potential and started wrestling for thomas worthington high he exercised year round with his longtime wrestling coach jeremiah webber following two hour lifting sessions with hourlong runs stopping only to vomit after a knee operation karageorge showed up in the weight room in a wheelchair i can lift my arms cant i he told webber
a growing force in football and wrestling karageorge obsessed over getting bigger he snacked on grilled chicken during class for protein he ate so much at lunch that he kept a trash can next to his table in case his gag reflex kicked in over four years of high school he gained about 100 pounds transforming himself from a short and stocky youth into a tall well toned athlete a legitimate heavyweight
for at least a few months karageorge and a friend mitch crocker tried taking prohormones a testosterone booster they bought hoping it would help them achieve faster muscle growth but crocker said the substance made them just angry at everything
karageorge and his friends took out their aggression by starting a fight club modeling it after the one in the 1999 movie they gathered in backyards and had two people brawl with their bare knuckles until someone quit or was knocked out karageorge would not stop until his opponent squealed
he could never find anyone big enough to fight him crocker said he would always want to fight he would take on two guys at once and no one even wanted to do that because he was so big and strong and just mean
karageorge eventually quit football to focus on wrestling he dreamed of winning a state title and competing in the olympics one summer he trained in russia with a renowned coach wrestling against men his senior year karageorge drew interest from two premier programs iowa and oklahoma entering the state tournament he was undefeated 37 0
the matches were ridiculous webber recalled he had at least 10 kids forfeit not even willing to wrestle him because he was such a monster he had to treat these other wrestlers like children it was like watching a bear play with children
karageorge lost twice in the state tournament after the first loss he said he was quitting and started walking home after the second loss he threw his sixth place medal in the garbage
in the weeks prior he had shown signs of mental instability he was stressed about the tournament choosing a college and raising his standardized test score so he could qualify academically to compete at a division i program
before one of the final wrestling practices webber noticed karageorge was absent webber drove to karageorges house let himself in the back door and found karageorge alone in the basement he was sitting on his weight bench cleaning two of his guns a pistol and a rifle with tears streaming down his face i dont know if i can win the state title he said
alarmed webber wanted an explanation karageorge said cleaning his guns helped him relax and webber persuaded him to return to practice webber later pulled karageorge aside whats going on in your head are you ok
i dont know karageorge said im just so nervous im so scared
were you going to hurt yourself today
no i dont know no
one of karageorges first concussions   at least that his parents knew about   he sustained early in high school when he accidentally head butted his opponent a fairly common occurrence when wrestlers grappled got his bell rung pretty good his father said
karageorge started his wrestling career at oklahoma and then transferred to ohio state joining the team there without an athletic scholarship he sustained more blows to the head as he faced opponents his own size but he learned to hide his concussion symptoms from his parents and his coaches partly because the stakes were higher and also because he believed it was important to always do what he deemed most manly that became the general rule by which he lived his life
his senior year in college he lived in an apartment with five other wrestlers and earned the title alpha male of the house he challenged his roommates to outlift him to outeat him to beat him in the video game call of duty
he had a weight bench installed on the porch and made his roommates lift in their downtime he surprised them with wrestling moves breaking furniture in the living room everything was a competition so he kept a running score of everyones man points awarding or deducting them as he saw fit
on the wall of his room karageorge hung a poster of arnold schwarzenegger his idol he also kept at least one of his guns a 40 caliber pistol safely tucked away in a case
he had become something of a gun connoisseur following his fathers and his uncles lead he took his first gun safety course at 11 and went on his first hunting trip as a young teenager he brought his friends skeet shooting and to the gun range for fun he attended gun shows built his gun collection and bought and sold guns on craigslist
he was very much into the machinery   the power behind them his sister sophia said
karageorge felt similarly about trucks and motorcycles around campus he was instantly recognizable riding his chopper his hair long wearing a leather jacket adorned with the american flag
and those tattoos on his back he had atlas holding up the globe because he said he had the weight of the world on his shoulders he had an image of zeus and of hades next to his three headed dog cerberus down the back of one arm he had pain is temporary on the other pride is forever
on the inside of his lower lip he tattooed the word brutal
if you didnt know him he looked scary said bo jordan a roommate in my mind he was the manliest guy i knew the toughest guy i knew
karageorge joined the ohio state football team as a walk on his senior year almost as if he wanted to prove he could at 6 feet 6 and 285 pounds he had the requisite size those close to him also knew he felt ashamed that as a senior he was merely a backup on the wrestling team
after graduation he planned to go into business with his uncle move to athens ohio into a house next to his sister and transition into a quieter life he seemed to view playing football as perhaps his last chance to achieve the athletic glory he craved
but karageorge had not played football in more than four years on the defensive line one of the deepest position groups on a team that eventually won the national championship he was lost in the shuffle he did not play a single snap all season
on the last night of karageorges life he went to a party with his girlfriend and a football teammate craig fada it was the tuesday before the michigan game the night of the mirror lake jump an ohio state tradition thousands of students would be leaping into the lake at midnight many of them would keep warm by drinking beforehand
karageorge seemed upbeat he kept talking about the game first thing that morning he had called webber his wrestling coach wondering aloud whether he might finally play that weekend on senior day
maybe ill get a couple of snaps he had said brightly
midway through the party karageorge and his girlfriend got into a heated argument she locked herself in a bathroom when she emerged she said she was leaving and marched out the door karageorge fada and her friends trailed behind the yelling continued outside suddenly karageorges girlfriend struck him in the head and left
man karageorge said turning to fada she just hit me in the face really hard
he shot himself here karageorges father said holding his right hand in the shape of a gun and pointing his finger at his forehead between the eyes was he leaning his head against the gun in the dumpster because his headaches were so bad you dont know
after the coroner ruled karageorges death a suicide and an ohio state doctor examined his brain the family had it shipped to a brain bank in bedford mass the brain bank   operated in partnership with boston university the department of veterans affairs and the concussion legacy foundation   had handled the brains of dozens of former football players
the karageorges told the researchers that their son had sustained about 15 concussions but they were not certain he had rarely shared details of his injuries
he sustained his last known concussion during football practice about two months before he died it kept him out for about three weeks his parents said ohio state doctors handled his treatment
dr andrew thomas the chief medical officer for the ohio state wexner medical center declined to discuss karageorges care specifically saying that his family had not given proper authorization but thomas expressed confidence in ohio states team of medical providers he said they were required to follow a detailed procedure in evaluating a concussed athlete before allowing the athlete to return to action
its really in the hands of the trainers and doctors to make that decision thomas said in a telephone interview
after karageorge died michael bennett a friend on the football team told reporters he thought that karageorge did not report more potential concussions because he wanted to keep practicing
at one point that fall karageorge had called webber apologizing for not being in touch he explained that he had not been able to look at his phones bright screen because it gave him a headache and made him dizzy he had to ask his girlfriend to dial the phone for him
karageorge told webber about the headaches the vomiting the symptoms that scared him once while shopping with his girlfriend he had broken down crying for no apparent reason
around the house he stopped playing video games as often as he had and spent more time in his room his roommates said he seemed moody fighting over small things like the cable bill he told friends that he felt as if someone were following him he told others about a buzzing noise in his head he often stopped conversations midsentence having lost his train of thought
we raised our son to be a strong man and maybe that was his downfall george karageorge said he wasnt complaining and crying my wife coddled him but i was more one of these days youre going to be depended upon to step forward
rubbing his forehead george said theres a ton of guilt there
after the concussion in football practice kosta karageorge seemed to understand the gravity of the situation he asked his mother for a ride to the doctor because he knew he was not supposed to drive she took him every day for a few weeks she said
they wanted him to come back sooner than he was ready susan karageorge said referring to the football team and i remember telling him do not go back
her voice trailed off and she started crying mascara ran down her face
i shouldve just told him not to play she said i shouldve just said youre going to our doctor i shouldve told him not to play but i just told him dont play until youre ready youll know when youre ready thats what i told him no mom im fine he could convince you of anything you know and hindsights 20 20 right you go back and you look at that and thats why this is so hard for us what was there that we missed i thought we were good parents
after his girlfriend stormed off karageorge fada and a few other friends sat on a hill overlooking mirror lake watching their classmates jump in fada tried talking about the michigan game but karageorge was clearly preoccupied
he returned to the apartment and found jordan one of his roommates sitting on the couch karageorge proposed they go find his girlfriend
karageorge hopped into the passenger seat of jordans pontiac grand am his head brushing against the ceiling he had shaved his hair again to hide five bald patches he had confided in another friend that those spots were where his head throbbed
about a year later the karageorges received a report from ann mckee the neuropathologist who posthumously examined his brain
she said there were traces of past microhemorrhaging in karageorges prefrontal cortex damage in that area mckee explained usually leads to cognitive issues involving impulsivity dis inhibition poor judgment and maybe even suicidal ideation she pointed out though that it was impossible to definitively link his suicide to any brain trauma he had sustained in sports
mckee also found a single focus of tau   the protein associated with chronic traumatic encephalopathy the degenerative brain disease found in dozens of former football players she diagnosed stage 1 cte on her scale of 1 to 4
the karageorges interpreted the report as an explanation for their sons erratic behavior several high profile players who had committed suicide were found to have had cte in those cases though the disease had usually progressed to more advanced stages
in the car kosta karageorge directed jordan to a house where he thought his girlfriend was karageorge paced across the porch calling and texting her but was unable to persuade her to come outside
as they drove back karageorge sounded defeated that was it he said his relationship was probably over jordan tried consoling him but it did not seem to help at home they said good night and jordan retired to his room and went to sleep
in the living room karageorge retold the story to mark martin another roommate martin tried comforting karageorge too but martin had never seen him like this karageorge was not acting angry or upset or aggressive he sounded depressed
karageorge excused himself went to his room and emerged wearing black pants and a black hoodie his hands stuffed in its pouch he said he was going to see his girlfriend later the police matched the pistol that karageorge had with him in the dumpster to the one he had kept in the case in his room
ill see you mark karageorge said walking out the door
that was the last time anyone saw karageorge alive he had been texting his girlfriend all night and around the time he left the apartment he sent her a series of emotional messages
i nvr felt this dark
bc i got nothing eles
i am gonna kill myself
i deserve to die anyways
all time low
then karageorge reached out to those closest to him opening up about the pain he was experiencing in his head in a way he never had before and saying his goodbyes
man im breakin my head isnt right he texted webber around 125 am
webber was asleep at home he was still sleeping when karageorge sent him another message about five minutes later love u man
karageorge texted his mother apologizing if he had been an embarrassment to the family blaming the concussioms for messing with his head karageorge messaged jordan too urging him to fulfill his dream and win four national championships telling him he loved him
the last text that karageorge received before his phone went dark came from his mother susan who had been awakened by his message and had quickly typed a response in bed
when did you get another concussion are you doing okay


its annoying to be in a great destination and not enjoy it because your body isnt adjusted to the current time said michael holtz the founder of the new york city travel consultancy smartflyer who makes more than two dozen international trips a year
hotels with new jet lag specific treatments aim to help globe trotters like mr holtz recalibrate their body clocks
spa nalai at the park hyatt new york recently introduced the 90 minute jet lag therapy intended to combat the swelling and shoulder tension that can result from long flights the service includes the application of a gel to relieve water retention a body massage to promote circulation and a re energizing scalp massage with peppermint oil the price is 350
even longer is the two and a half hour jet lag travel prescription at the new guerlain spa at the one  only the palm in dubai travelers begin with a 90 minute facial that includes acupressure of meridian points for relaxation and then are given an hourlong body massage to induce sleep 413
feet and hands are the focus of the 50 minute jetlag reflexology at rancho la puerta in tecate mexico 90
more time pressed travelers can avail themselves of the 45 minute jet lag reviver at the aman spa at the connaught in london which features a back cleanse scrub and massage PS100 or about 138
travelers dont always have to pay to fight let lag guests at las ventanas al paraiso a rosewood resort in los cabos mexico are treated to a 10 minute neck and foot massage at check in and the welcome amenity at halekulani in oahu hawaii is a 15 minute free foot or scalp massage
whether these treatments are effective jet lag cures may not matter mr holtz said you feel good getting them he said and sometimes thats all it takes to get over jet lag


although not well known today hubert robert was one of the most popular painters of 18th century france renowned for landscapes in which ancient monuments and modern buildings were arranged in imaginary scenes called architectural capriccios he was nicknamed robert des ruines by the philosopher denis diderot an interior decorator and landscape designer as well he frequented intellectual and artistic circles that included the painter elisabeth louise vigee le brun and the enlightenment philosopher marie therese rodet geoffrin
in the 1780s robert chronicled the breakdown of aristocratic society in images of the destruction of royalist monuments and he was imprisoned during the french revolution after narrowly escaping the guillotine he went on to serve as the first keeper of paintings at the louvre organized by the national gallery of art in collaboration with the louvre hubert robert 1733 1808 which opens sunday june 26 features more than 100 paintings and works on paper in the first survey of his career since 1933 through oct 2 national gallery of art washington 212 737 4215 ngagov


the work of the singer songwriter bill callahan has become intensified with purpose over the last 10 years the songs on dream river his last studio album from 2013 can seem as if they were constructed one word at a time one sound at a time to be sung in his soft abstracted baritone voice yet weirdly the songs arent stiff theyre light bodied and place trust in the universe i have learned he sang in the last lines of winter road that records final song when things are beautifulto just keep on
he will perform for three nights at babys all right in brooklyn on sunday monday and tuesday june 26 28 sold out but tickets may be available at the door babysallrightcom


even during a relatively sleepy week on new yorks classical calendar there are tantalizing performances on sunday june 26 the violinist johnny gandelsman and the pianist ethan iverson come together for brahmss three sonatas at bargemusic a cozy spot for chamber music 4 pm fulton ferry landing next to the brooklyn bridge bargemusicorg
taka kigawa a coolly commanding pianist with a specialty in new music plays a free show at manhattan inn in greenpoint brooklyn on monday with the cellist justin kantor under the auspices of le poisson rouge 9 pm 632 manhattan avenue lprcom and this is your last chance to catch up with john zorns bagatelles short pieces fleshed out by their interpreters at the stone on sunday it will be the violinists mark feldman and chris otto a selection of the bagatelles has been performed each sunday afternoon at the stone for a year and this is the final matinee 3 pm thestonenyccom


the summer camp horror genre so familiar to moviegoers gets a hair raising television incarnation in dead of summer a series that starts tuesday june 28 on freeform its 1989 and camp stillwater looks lovely as the young counselors one of them played by zelda williams robins daughter arrive to get ready for the season most were campers there themselves as children but theres also a newbie amy elizabeth lail who is somewhat skittish for reasons that are doled out slowly
in summer camp tradition its the newbie who gets sent into the dark forest for more wood at the first campfire gathering does the camp have a creepy gardener who scares the bejeebbers out of her while shes gathering twigs of course but hes only one potential source of the disquieting things that begin happening and there are plenty theres a reason this show held its premiere party at a hollywood cemetery


theres a part of us that delights in watching seemingly perfect things be mussed up taken down or wickedly exposed ballet is an art form that often wraps itself in purity and propriety but theres pleasure in occasionally watching it get nasty as it did in the 2010 film black swan and last years tv series flesh and bone
this week jack ferver contributes a new work to the growing canon of sexy ballet horror stories with i want you to want me a gothic fairy tale about a young american ballerina who joins a european dance company and lands in a nightmare mr fervers dance theater works are campy clever and refreshingly unhinged here he mixes in some rigorous ballet choreography   he calls it post balanchine witch   performed by reid bartelme barton cowperthwaite and carling talcott steenstra mr ferver also appearing as madame m claims to be a populist but subversion is really his game the kitchen americandanceorgnyc


over 10 weeks in the sixth season of game of thrones it has become a cliche to note that the powerful women have come to the fore but there was one character whose trajectory seemed to be the exception to the feminist revolution remaking this story
that would be cersei who since the season 4 assassination of her son king joffrey has been on a long slide marked by loss her father and daughter humiliation her walk of shame and most crucially an apparent dulling of her once formidable sense of how to work the angles of power outflanked by first margaery and then the high sparrow two master manipulators with crocodile smiles cersei with her forthright shameless spite seemed antiquated by comparison all that remained it seemed was for one last miscalculation to undo her at her trial perhaps fatally   for the wildfire explosion to claim its architect as a victim or at least provoke a hubbub that allowed someone like her former fiance loras at some string pullers behest to slide a blade between her ribs
but cersei had other ideas wiping out any such notions along with her primary nemeses with a well executed wildfire plot that suggested shameless spite is still very much in fashion in kings landing any remaining doubters can ask margaery or the high septon or the luckless septa unella or even king tommen for whom it all was finally just too much to bear the poor thing
or ask jaime who arrived in kings landing just in time to see cersei claim the iron throne in her sinister leather power frock looking like a cross between maleficent and thin white duke era david bowie did he look happy that his beloved sister had finally achieved her dream of absolute power he did not instead the kingslayer who has seemed torn this season between his twisted devotion to her and nobler impulses seemed to be wondering if he might one day be called upon to be a queenslayer after all cersei just did a version of what jaime reportedly killed the mad king aerys in order to prevent it was his wildfire she used at the very least he seems liable to lend an ear to a certain persuasive brother currently heading his way from the east
 interview niklolaj coster waldau on cersies rise and jaimes evolution 
whoops i buried the lead weve left meereen weve left meereen well all of us except daario whos sticking around to keep the peace in the city as well as the rebranded bay of dragons forget meereen he said in a way speaking for all of us
danys long long awaited departure backed by a growing list of powerful allies was but one of a host of major events on sunday which packed an enormous amount of plot movement into its 69 minutes as it set up the homestretch of game of thrones winter officially arrived according to the weather ravens arguably the most popular fan theory about the show   that jon snows parents are really lyanna stark neds sister and rhaegar targaryen daeneryss older brother   was seemingly confirmed littlefinger announced his desires on the iron throne to sansa arya embraced her destiny as a free ranging assassin
oh and pretty much every annoying person in kings landing met an end or in septa unellas case is headed there eventually cerseis death roster included margaery loras mace tyrell and the high sparrow who kept on mansplaining up to the moment he realized hed been outwitted and was turned to ash also pycelle uncle kevan lancel the twit and finally the tragically ineffectual tommen who in his poignant final moments finally embraced the reality we first understood when we saw him cavorting with ser pounce in season 4 the boy wasnt cut out for the full contact politics of kings landing
his mother however most assuredly is lena headey has always been one of the strongest performers on the show and it was a thrill to see her again with a full head of steam culminating in cerseis paean to hedonism with unella even confessing feels good under the right circumstances she said shame shame she added later in perhaps the highlight of the episode after turning the septa over to a chillingly helmetless mountainstein
ms headeys performance was but one element in a sequence that technically ranks among the shows best miguel sapochnik who directed last weeks battle heavy episode brought a different kind of precision and urgency to sundays installment cerseis scheme unspooled amid insistent strings and a series of shots   those vicious little birds taking out pycelle lancel and the dwindling candle fuse margaerys growing concern and rising tension in the sept   that built inexorably to the high sparrows realization that he wasnt as smart as he thought
cornered cersei had resorted to her credo about the game of thrones   you win or you die   and accepted her own dire fate as prophesied by the witch years ago compared to her grief at the loss of joffrey and myrcella she treated tommens death as the price of doing business tired of trying to shape events as the person behind the person   be it a husband or son   she finally took the power she craved by force and dared anyone to stop her long may she reign
 looking for something to watch now that game of thrones is done for the year subscribe to the new york timess tv and movie recommendation newsletter 
count me among those who bought all the misdirection this year the loss and abandonment the failure of multiple schemes   i thought cersei was a goner but while her survival was genuinely surprising the mechanics of this latest amazingly effective pyrotechnic overthrow see also danys big blaze were less so thanks to tyrion reminding us all last week about the stashes of wildfire beneath parts of the capital city
indeed whether because 1 game of thrones has surpassed george rr martins intricate plotting 2 the story has become too big and obsessively covered or 3 weve become wiser to the ways of the writers the big moves this season seemed broader and more clearly telegraphed examples include jon snows return certainly but also the hounds return aryas dispatching of the waif ramsays death and the knights of the vales last second battle swinging attack in last weeks battle of the bastards only the death and definition of hodor brought the nuclear omg factor that became the shows signature with things like ned starks execution and the red wedding
the sept sequence was so artfully handled that i didnt really mind but it does make me consider how the sense of mystery will likely begin to dissipate from game of thrones as longtime theories are confirmed and we pivot toward the final clashes its unavoidable as the story begins to contract toward its conclusion but im already feeling a little melancholy about the show becoming more about big battles and resolution and less about uncovering new pieces of this captivating world
by the end of sundays episode the major contenders were lined up and ready for action in addition to cersei we had jon snow and dany finally positioned as the clear champions of their respective constituencies with no one besides us and perhaps bran aware of how deeply the two of them might be connected
the north is finally rallying around jon led by the excellent lady mormont the blood of ned stark runs through his veins lady mormont said yeah... about that...
youll recall that according to legend rhaegar kidnapped lyanna who had been promised to robert baratheon kicking off the wars and rivalries that essentially created the story of game of thrones doubt has been thrown on the details by various characters   was it an abduction or two lovers running away together   but the net result is that jon is not who weve been led to believe ned lied about his provenance in order to protect him presumably from the future king robert
this theory has been hard to avoid online so part of the joy of having it confirmed comes from finally being able to accept it and move on but within the story questions include what will this powerful blood cocktail mean for jon going forward the starks and targaryens have a number of special skills   warging dragon whispering   that could come in useful against a zombie army i think jon could also have a potential claim on the throne if rhaegar and lyanna were married legitimacy is always jons issue
of course the biggest question how will he find out and will it happen before or after he pairs off with his own aunt this might not happen of course but dany did throw over daario in favor of a strategic marriage to come later
speaking of the dragon queen her departure from the pyramid comes with more support than she had even a few weeks ago   after years of isolated plotting and machinations by the various groups in this story the alliances are coming together at a dizzying rate
last week the greyjoy siblings made their pact with the dragon queen pledging ships and an end to their pirating this week it seems house tyrell and maybe even the dorne gals came aboard unified in their lannister loathing cersei stole the future from me lady olenna told ellaria sand who offered vengeance and justice in return enter varys who seemed to broker a deal and who apparently discovered a wormhole that allows him to jaunt all over the known world at his leisure
the fleet is perhaps destined to meet up with euron greyjoy at some point and for one week at least it seemed like a force to be reckoned with but dany isnt so sure   it was a less bellicose dragon queen we saw this week
are you afraid good tyrion the new hand of the queen said youre in the great game now and the great game is terrifying the only men not afraid are mad men like your father
and he might have added mad queens like my sister winter may finally be here but if we learned anything on sunday its that danys not the only one in this tale who knows how to play with fire
 arya stark made a fun reappearance killing the wretched walder frey in the process she confirmed a few things she is back on the kill list beat which could mean trouble for a certain freshly minted queen also though she ditched the faceless men she apparently retained the face shifting tricks not sure where shes keeping the faces finally the body prepping skills she picked up at the house of black and white translate nicely to the kitchen
 sansa apologized for but didnt really explain why she didnt tell jon about littlefinger and the knights of the vales possible role in last weeks big battle   jon seemed to chalk it up to vague trust issues littlefinger finally admitted to sansa that he wants to be king and he wants her with him but hes already misjudging his competition counter to his predictions jons bastardhood didnt keep the other houses from pledging their allegiance never underestimate the persuasiveness of lady mormont what did you make of those looks littlefinger and sansa exchanged during the meeting
 davos confronted melisandre over her immolation of shireen and asked jon snow if he could kill her beat it and dont come back jon told her shell be back
 the wall has magic in it that keeps the dead from crossing it uncle benjen told bran that seems important will mr sapochnik be directing an enormous wall destruction scene in the coming seasons
 there was a macabre symmetry in tommen plummeting out of that window considering everything that has resulted from his father shoving bran out of a window in the pilot
 it was nice to see sam an object of derision at home and at castle black finally attain a career goal the citadel with its maesterdome of a library holding untold white walker defeating secrets was quite something to behold even if its male only policy is exceedingly out of step with recent developments also how much credibility does an institution of learning really deserve if its front desk still thinks mormont and maester aemon are running things at castle black related i know game of thrones cant show us every conversation but at some point when sam next sees his old buddy jon and asks so what did i miss i hope we get to see him explain it
 missing in action jorah presumably stonier these days unless he managed to crack the greyscale code the hound perhaps still hashing out his spiritual future with the brotherhood and brienne whose meaningful final wave apparently was for us as much as jaime row on giant warrior maiden let us know if you bump into gendry
 so what did you think are you excited for the reign of cersei i how do you think jon will learn about his origins how would you grade season 6 as a whole as always please weigh in in the comments


bill cunningham worked as discreetly as he could my whole thing is to be invisible he wrote in 2002 you get more natural pictures that way too but while he looked for subjects his subjects also looked for him after his death on saturday at age 87 we asked new york times readers to share their sightings   and personal photos   of mr cunningham on the streets of new york city and beyond the responses have been edited for clarity and length
tara shannon in pasadena calif
for a model on the runway he was always on the right side of the runway for a model doing go sees he was on seventh avenue after the shows to catch us girls in groups and the society women
we all knew that he liked it best if you didnt look at him and the camera and we would all give him his shot and then we would always break down and call out to him hi bill and he would answer back hi kids my heart has held him from the very first time we smiled at each other through the lens of a camera he was our muse as much as we were his
beth williams in palo alto calif
after i saw the movie about him i wrote him a letter imploring him to wear a helmet on the grounds that he was a national treasure who could not be replaced a few months passed and i received a postcard from him dated jan 10 2012 dear dr williamsthank you for your thoughtful note 30 oct and offer of a bike helmet i have two and realize its safety importance thank you for reminding me of their safety sorry to be so late in writing  now i have time to thank you best wishes for the new year bill cunningham the postcard was from the isabella stewart gardner museum in boston and i imagined him thinking of me while on vacation there obviously i framed his card i was very moved by his taking the time to respond to my letter
rados protic in barcelona spain
bill cunningham helped me get my green card over the years bill had taken a lot of pictures of me   some were published in the new york times some were not when i was working as an executive at the estee lauder companies in the 90s and in the process of getting my green card under the category person with exceptional ability my lawyer suggested i get as many recommendation letters from famous and influential people as possible
i contacted bill who had just taken a picture of me in a winter coat with a lavish fur collar he graciously agreed to send me a letter some time later i received the photo with a handwritten wonderful note on the back of the picture my lawyer submitted it along with letters from other notable figures a couple of months later i received my green card i still can hear bills voice child what a marvelous coat
judith rice in new york
i was producing a mens wear show for donna karan around 1992 it was a still life presentation and we needed props so that the models could be engaged while standing my dear friends recently had a baby and i asked donna if she wanted a baby for the show her enthusiastic response was yes can you get one
well we put baby kate into a models arms and it was instant love of course bill got the shot and sent me two copies one for kate signed to little kate who for a few minutes made seventh avenue a big happy family twenty years later i reintroduced kate to bill at a runway show she was then majoring in photography he was awestruck that she was actually studying photography oh youre a real professional im just a guy who figured out how to do it along the way they then spoke quietly alone words ill never know but kate will have them forever as we will forever have bill in our hearts
jeff nash in edmonton alberta
my only encounter with bill cunningham capturing street fashion was unique because at the time i had no idea who he was
something drew my eye to him and i remember thinking to myself it must be a cool life to be in your 80s and bike around new york photographing the city i immediately thought this must be a really fulfilling way to spend your retirement
i took some photos of him because he just stood out so much to me
i remember him being shy and he would reposition himself when he spotted me trying to take a photo of him he probably thought i was taking photos of the bill cunningham but in reality i was just doing what he was famous for capturing candid photos of interesting people
it wasnt until a friend saw my photos on instagram and educated me as to who this man was after that i read up on his legacy and watched the documentary about his life and learned what an interesting man he was
kevin chan in new york
hes one of my inspirations as a photographer funny story of when i met him in october 2013 at the central park fall pumpkin festival a group of tourists asked him if he would take a picture of them not knowing who he was but just a guy with a camera who looked like he knew how to take a photo i asked the tourists if they knew who took their photo   one of the most legendary photographers in the world im sure theyll be cherishing that photo now
regan stephens in new york
last summer i took my then 3 year old daughter to the ralph lauren childrens show at central park zoo i snapped a quick photo while he was working hard to capture all the impeccably dressed tots and their parents i promised her some candy if she stayed still and you can see from the look on her face she didnt realize she was in the presence of one of the greats
matthew allen in new york
i saw him while i was photographing the 2015 armory art show as an avid hobbyist his ability to place himself perfectly at the right moment was instructive to say the least at one point he and i momentarily crossed photographic paths in front of a mirror he nodded in my direction when we brought our cameras down and that nod told me that after all those years he still had fun taking pictures
kashish das shrestha in new york
as a documentary photographer from nepal working new york fashion week i always thought it was a thrill to be taking photos and to turn and realize that i was briefly sharing this city and its streets and runways with an icon like bill cunningham who it seemed would have preferred not to be noticed at all
karen stevenson in berkeley calif
id followed bill cunninghams photo essays for years and was excited to see him snapping photos at the metropolitan operas 2015 new years eve gala i had on a new dress and secretly hoped hed think i looked as elegant as i thought i did and take my picture eventually he did look in my direction checked out my outfit and turned away snubbed by bill cunningham my bruised pride notwithstanding i remained a devoted fan
ab rashish in brooklyn
when i was 19 i had a weekend job at a very chic clothing store in soho this was in the 1980s i would wear the stores clothes when i worked there one saturday i took a break and was walking over to donald sacks for coffee i spotted bill cunningham crouched low at the corner as i made my way down the block in an olive green gabardine suit with a turned up fur collar i tried to play it cool but i couldnt help cracking a smile as he snapped my picture when he stopped shooting he smiled right back
lynnette blanche in new york
i once spotted him in central park despite seeing him zip around the city all the time i never bothered him this time i had to get a picture i begged him for a selfie he was quick to decline and let me know he hated them but being the polite man that he was he graciously allowed me to take his picture he gave me one shot i wish it was better but im so glad i have it he had the best smile


will the quality of mercy prove unstrained enough to embrace a work in which every single character is racist and sexist that assessment of the dramatis personae in the merchant of venice comes from tina packer who is directing the most problematic of the so called problem plays for shakespeare  company in lenox mass as the founder of this venerable outpost of bardolatory in the berkshires and for many years its artistic director ms packer has long been celebrated for her untiringly exploratory approach to the canon
for merchant which begins performances at the tina packer playhouse on friday july 1 she reconceives a play she staged for the troupe in 1998 with the same actor jonathan epstein playing the much maligned usurer shylock they will be joined by a multiethnic international cast in uncovering whats news on the rialto through aug 21 413 637 3353 shakespeareorg


sam sifton emails readers of cooking seven days a week to talk about food and suggest recipes that email also appears here to receive it in your inbox register here
good morning heres an idea cook a couple of chickens today it is hardly more work than cooking just one you can eat the first for dinner tonight and use the other later this week for sandwiches for salads for tacos
you might roast the chickens or plop them on beer cans on the grill you could fry them in pieces all afternoon you could boil them and use one for david taniss recipe for chinese cold boiled chicken and the other to shred into enchiladas verdes or use for coronation chicken salad one day cooking and youll have two dinners done
then tomorrow night you could follow those who eschew meat on mondays and make braised tofu in caramel sauce
on tuesday night devour that second chicken if you have some extra time in the kitchen as a result and you oughta make mark bittmans recipe for strawberry fool for dessert
wednesday you can try davids new recipe for harira a moroccan soup with tomatoes lentils and chickpeas thats often served during ramadan
tacos on thursday perhaps if you start kim seversons recipe for carnitas on wednesday night while the soup burbles away youll need only crisp the pork and warm the tortillas when you get home from work on thursday and adorn the meat with chopped onion and cilantro to serve
then on friday you can make a different kind of tortilla entirely melissa clarks recipe for a spanish potato tortilla with tomato pepper salad it makes for a marvelous end to a week
other ideas for what to cook this week can be found on cooking save the ones you like to your recipe box and rate them when youre done cooking we recognize that you may find recipes elsewhere which is why weve made it possible to save them to your recipe box just as easily as you do those that come from the times heres how to do that you can leave notes on recipes for the benefit of yourself and others and if youre like us you can post pictures of what you cook on social media we monitor the hashtag nytcooking on twitter instagram facebook and pinterest
problems were here to help cookingcarenytimescom
now do make sure to read the timess obituary of bill cunningham the legendary times photographer who died yesterday at 87 we will miss him greatly check out the artist james proseks work for the new invisible boundaries exhibition at the buffalo bill center for the west in cody wyo and you know what take a listen to billy bragg singing new england back in 1983 see you tomorrow


here are the weeks top stories and a look ahead
1 britains stunning decision to leave the european union set off an immediate wave of geopolitical economic and cultural shocks
world markets plunged on friday prime minister david cameron said he would resign the british pound fell to a 31 year low and european leaders began hashing out the logistics of an unprecedented breakup
more schisms may be coming politicians in scotland and northern ireland which both voted to stay in the union raised the possibility of leaving the united kingdom and populist anger is running high in many nations including the united states as one political analyst put it were completely in uncharted territory

2 president obamas move to shield as many as five million undocumented immigrants from deportation ended as a 4 4 tie at the supreme court left in place an appeals court ruling blocking the plan
republicans and democrats both seized on the ruling as a rallying point hoping it would mobilize voters for a presidential election in which immigration has become an intense flash point for those living in america who could be forced to leave the court decision meant retreating back to the shadows and continuing to wait for legal and political clarity

3 partisan clashes over gun control erupted last week into a chaotic fight on the house floor where democrats staged a 25 hour sit in to demand votes on gun measures the spectacle was tailored for the modern media moment politicians self broadcast their protest and c span aired streams from periscope and facebook live
in the end stasis prevailed congress adjourned early for its fourth of july recess and none of the proposed bills advanced

4 arriving in scotland to promote his golf course there donald j trump called britains decision to depart the european union a great thing then said he hadnt spoken with his policy advisers about the ramifications because theres nothing to talk about
the brexit vote channeled issues that are also playing out in americas presidential contest including anger about economic and cultural changes that have created stark divisions and left many people struggling to hang on financially as they shift focus to the general election mr trump and hillary clinton are honing their messages   and their attacks   on those polarizing challenges

5 prejudice is reaching new levels its visceral and scary and it affects how people live work and pray the actor aziz ansari wrote in a sunday op ed for the times it makes me afraid for my family
mr ansari singled out the vitriolic and hate filled rhetoric of mr trump as a dangerous provocation that fuels hostility against people who have nothing but skin color in common with those who have carried out terrorist attacks

6 a chinese container ship on sunday will become the first commercial vessel to attempt passage through an expanded panama canal
the costly project is fraught with risks a times investigation found modernizing the historic shipping route on a tight budget involved gambling on water levels engineering designs and construction decisions and any errors could prove disastrous but if all goes as planned larger ships will be able to pass through the locks potentially transforming global trade dynamics

7 one of the worlds longest running conflicts appears to be nearing an end
the colombian government and the revolutionary armed forces of colombia better known as farc agreed this week to a cease fire in more than 50 years of fighting an estimated five million people have been displaced and 220000 have died under the terms of the peace plan some 7000 remaining fighters will disarm in return for judicial lenience

8 as new york city prepares for a pride parade that looks likely to be its largest ever city officials arranged for a heavy protective presence
despite festive touches   the police department showed off a vehicle with rainbow stripes   some participants chafed at the inherent conflict of having heavily armed guards monitoring a free spirited event in the aftermath of the massacre inside a gay nightclub in orlando fla the weekend celebration has taken on a particular poignancy

9 argentina which has not won a major soccer tournament since 1993 will go up against chile on sunday in the final of the copa america centenario in east rutherford nj
in their favor lionel messi often called the worlds best player but chile the defending champion has emerged as a powerhouse with a deep roster over in france the knockout rounds of the european championships have begun in other sports news the wimbledon tennis tournament begins on monday

10 six weeks before the summer olympics in rio de janeiro begin challenges keep mounting
the golfer rory mcilroy decided to skip the games because of concerns about the zika virus becoming the highest profile athlete yet to withdraw over the health scare concerns about pollution infrastructure and brazils perilous economic conditions have cast a pall and this week the world anti doping agency suspended the lab that was supposed to handle drug testing for the competition

11 for more than four decades the photographer bill cunningham roamed the streets of new york by bicycle chronicling the citys evolving street fashion scene he died on saturday at age 87
known for his signature blue jacket and his anthropological eye mr cunningham loved capturing the personal styles of idiosyncratic subjects in his widely read columns
when i get depressed at the office i go out and as soon as im on the street and see people i feel better he wrote in a 2002 essay i had just the most marvelous time with that camera
we hope you have a great and stylish week

andrea kannapell contributed reporting

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williamstown ky   in the beginning ken ham made the creation museum in northern kentucky and he saw that it was good at spreading his belief that the bible is a book of history the universe is only 6000 years old and evolution is wrong and is leading to our moral downfall
and mr ham said let us build a gargantuan noahs ark only 45 minutes away to draw millions more visitors and let it be constructed by amish woodworkers and financed with donations junk bonds and tax rebates from the state of kentucky and let it hold an animatronic noah and lifelike models of some of the creatures that came on board two by two such as bears short necked giraffes   and juvenile tyrannosaurus rexes
and it was so
mr hams ark encounter built at a cost of more than 102 million is scheduled to open on july 7 in williamstown ky mr ham and his crew have succeeded in erecting a colossal landmark and an ambitious promotional vehicle for their particular brand of christian fundamentalism known as young earth or young universe creationism
but it was hardly smooth sailing the state tried to revoke the tax rebates after learning that mr ham would require employees to sign a statement of faith that would exclude people who were gay or did not accept his particular christian creed mr ham went to court and in january he won
on a recent afternoon the australian born mr ham looked out on the workers in hard hats affixing pine planking to cover the tyvek plastic wrap still visible on the stern the ark stretches one and a half football fields long rises as high as a seven story building and is said to be the largest timber frame building in the world mr ham is betting it will become an international pilgrimage site as well as a draw for the curious the seculars and even the skeptics
the reason we are building the ark is not as an entertainment center mr ham said in an interview in a cabin overlooking the construction site i mean its not like a disney or universal just for anyone to go and have fun its a religious purpose its because were christians and we want to get the christian message out
the ark is also intended to serve as a vivid warning that according to the bible god sent a flood in noahs time to wipe out a depraved people and god will deliver a fiery end to those who reject the bible and accept modern day evils like abortion atheism and same sex marriage were becoming more like the days of noah in that we see increasing secularization in the culture mr ham said
yet his interpretation of what he calls the christian message is derided by most scientists and educators and resented even by some christians who consider it indefensible and even embarrassing young earthers believe that god created the universe in six 24 hour days and since all of history is only 6000 years humans coexisted with dinosaurs an exhibit at the creation museum shows two smiling children playing in a lush garden next to two petite tyrannosaurus rexes
bill nye best known as the science guy on television and in books said in a telephone interview humans and ancient dinosaurs did not live at the same time its completely unreasonable science has established that the earth is billions of years old and no worldwide flood occurred in the last 6000 years
were going to raise a generation of kids who are scientifically illiterate said mr nye who debated mr ham at the creation museum in 2014 a matchup watched online by millions
a group of local atheist activists the tri state freethinkers recently tried to put up billboards on the highway approaching the ark calling it the genocide and incest park but no billboard company would agree said the freethinkers founder and president jim g helton so they plan to protest at the arks grand opening the moral of the flood story is horrible mr helton said were not saying he cant build his park but we dont think its appropriate for a family fun day
young earth creationism gained currency only about 60 years ago and has remained a marginal creed within christianity even many bible believers and evangelicals accept the science showing that the universe is billions of years old   some reasoning that each of the six days of creation in the book of genesis may have lasted millions of years not 24 hours and of course many christians accept evolution
but now the young earthers are having a heyday thanks largely to mr ham and his supporters their ministry answers in genesis produces books magazines videos and curriculums used by thousands of churches and home schoolers the creation museum   which sells these materials in its gift shops   claims 27 million visitors have come in the nine years since it opened but about half of those visitors came to the creation museum in the first three years suggesting that interest may have dropped off the ark could change that mr ham projects that the ark will attract 14 to 22 million visitors in the first year and will double the attendance at the creation museum
inside a cavernous warehouse in an office park in hebron a few miles from the museum about 50 artists designers carpenters sculptors and volunteers have been working six day weeks to prepare the exhibits for the ark
a sculptor inserted stiff gray brown hairs one at a time into the chin of what looked like a wild boar another wiped off the black dye on a bears chest to make it look less like a contemporary black bear a giraffe with a short neck was being baked in a large oven to set the dye on its fur
tim chaffey a content manager and writer for the answers in genesis ministry explained that most of the models do not resemble animals the way they look today but extinct species according to young earth creationists the ark carried up to 1400 kinds of creatures that gradually evolved into the animals we know today young earthers accept the notion that nature makes small adaptations over time   but do not accept that humans and chimpanzees descended from a common ancestor
the ark designers had to scale back their initial ambition to have live animals living on board to demonstrate the truth of the noah story said mr chaffey a graduate of liberty university a christian college in virginia founded by the rev jerry falwell
and there will be only about 30 pairs of stuffed animals on the ark encounter because there just isnt enough space we have to have dozens and dozens of bathrooms for visitors noah didnt have to have that mr chaffey said
drawings of noah and his seven family members hung on a wall their skin is middle brown and their faces are a blend of racial features because as the only survivors of the biblical flood all the races and ethnicities on earth would have descended from these eight people mr chaffey said but in some of the displays in the warehouse there were indications of the ministrys dark vision of humanity an artist stephanie fazekas stood at a computer drawing figurines of women in togas they were prostitutes for a diorama portraying the morally decadent society that the bible says was wiped out in a flood
william trollinger a professor of history at the university of dayton has been studying mr hams museum website and blogs for a new book righting america at the creation museum written with his wife susan l trollinger a professor of english also at university of dayton
he calls on christians to participate in a culture war mr trollinger said of mr ham he says if youre really going to be a christian youre in this war against the atheistic humanistic enemy
in an interview mr ham railed against atheist groups for trying to prevent his project from receiving tax incentives from the state of kentucky answers in genesis claimed that the states denial of those tax credits violated the groups first amendment rights judge greg van tatenhove of the united states district court for the eastern district of kentucky agreed writing in his january decision that tourist attractions   even those that advance religion   meet the neutral criteria for the tax incentives
the ark is now in calmer waters the workers standing on hydraulic lifts have covered over the tyvek and just in time the tyvek was printed all over with the slogan of its maker dupont the miracles of science


sarah elizabeth shepard the daughter of lynn povich and stephen b shepard of new york was married june 25 to matthew david jablin the son of abby jablin and eric jablin of palm beach gardens fla ned shepard the brother of the bride who became a universal life minister for the event officiated at the summer home of the brides parents in north salem ny rachel jablin the sister of the groom who also became a universal life minister took part in the ceremony
ms shepard 35 is keeping her name she is the senior vice president at smokehouse pictures a film and television production company in los angeles founded by george clooney and grant heslov she graduated with high honors from wesleyan university
her father is the founding dean emeritus of the city university of new york graduate school of journalism where he is also a journalism professor until 2005 he was the editor in chief of business week in new york until 2001 the brides mother was working in new york and secaucus nj as the head of east coast production for msnbccom she was previously a senior editor at newsweek
mr jablin 38 is a los angeles based freelance writer and director of commercials and promos he graduated from nyu
his mother is a substitute teacher at bak middle school of the arts in west palm beach fla she was previously a french and spanish teacher at charlestown high school in boston his father is the vice mayor of palm beach gardens where he was a city councilman since 1992 and mayor from 2002 4 2008 and 2015
the couple met through an online dating site in january 2013


sarah winn gifford the daughter of lee peck gifford and stephen n gifford of dedham mass was married june 25 to garrett brooks bockenek a son of melinda l brooks and richard g bockenek of cambridge mass the rev edward o miller jr an episcopal priest officiated at the brides family summer home in chatham mass
the bride 31 is an owner of harding lane a company in dedham that produces needlepoint apparel and accessories including hats and belts she graduated from bowdoin and received a masters degree in contemporary design from sothebys institute of art london
her father works in boston as a financial adviser with merrill lynch
the groom 34 is a managing director at white elm capital a hedge fund in greenwich conn where he analyzes investments he graduated with distinction from the university of virginia and received an mba with highest distinction from dartmouth
his mother works in cambridge as the new england field representative for the american institute of foreign study in stamford conn overseeing employees working with au pairs and their host families in the region his father also based in cambridge is a consultant specializing in cybersecurity
the couple met in 2012 at a mutual friends birthday party at dartmouth


dr alicia jana salzer and allyson denise hayden were married june 25 at the greenwich conn home of dr salzers brother and sister in law dr stephen j salzer and louise y palmer anthony m brown who was ordained by the american marriage ministries officiated
dr salzer left 49 is a psychiatrist in manhattan and the author of back to life getting past your past with resilience strength and optimism she graduated from the university of pennsylvania and received her medical degree from cornell university
she is the daughter of rita west salzer and gerald l salzer of colonia nj
ms hayden also 49 is a program specialist in the new york field office of the new york state office of mental health she assesses mental health centers in the city for licensure she is also an instructor at the nyu school of social work she graduated from brooklyn college and received a masters degree in social work from nyu
she is a daughter of muriel hayden of wilbraham mass and the late solomon hayden
the couple met in 2014 on matchcom


kimberly lyn jones and jeffrey alvin coles jr were married june 24 at liberty warehouse an event space in brooklyn the rev dr daniel t black a baptist minister officiated
mrs coles 31 works in melville ny as a senior client director for the health care division of general electric she graduated from the university of virginia
she is the daughter of maudlin b jones and phillip r jones of piscataway nj the brides father retired as an office services manager at n w ayer the advertising agency in manhattan her mother retired as a registered nurse at staten island university hospital she is now an adjunct clinical instructor at the jfk muhlenberg school of nursing in plainfield nj
mr coles also 31 analyzes corporate bonds of energy companies at jefferies an investment bank in manhattan he graduated from columbia and received an mba from nyu
he is a son of debra a coles and jeffrey a coles sr both of philadelphia the grooms mother is an english teacher at universal alcorn charter middle years academy a public charter school in philadelphia his father retired as a customer service representative at independence blue cross in philadelphia
the couple met through mutual friends on memorial day 2010 in central park


francesca renee de la vega and john stanley neamonitis were married june 25 at the archdiocesan cathedral of the holy trinity in new york the rev john vlahos a greek orthodox priest performed the ceremony father dennis strouzas also a greek orthodox priest assisted
the bride 28 will continue to use her name professionally she is a production coordinator in new york for nt america the united states producing office for the national theater of great britain and an associate producer for the broadway and touring productions of the curious incident of the dog in the night time and the effect an off broadway show she graduated from boston university
she is the daughter of debbie d de la vega and gerardo a de la vega of tonka bay minn
the groom 35 is the founder and the managing partner in new york for lakehouse ventures which invests in businesses whose sales are generated mostly online he graduated from nyu
he is a son of litsa p neamonitis and stanley j neamonitis of manhasset ny
the couple was introduced through mutual friends in new york in 2011


nancy thompson godfrey and a lee lundy jr were married june 25 at the peru congregational church in peru vt the rev margaret dawedeit the churchs pastor performed the ceremony
the bride 72 operates her own corporate communications company in scottsdale ariz she graduated from smith college and is a daughter of marian thompson rigney of manchester vt and the late kenneth r thompson and a stepdaughter of the late dr thomas g rigney
the groom 73 is a senior partner in the tydings  rosenberg law firm in baltimore he graduated from yale received a law degree magna cum laude from columbia and a masters degree in law from the university of baltimore he is a son of the late blanche lundy and the late audie l lundy who lived in marks miss
after the january 2015 death of peter godfrey her spouse of almost 50 years ms godfrey decided to put most of her efforts into something she truly cared about -- her alma mater she agreed to be co editor of smiths reunion book for the class of 1966 and as part of her duties began calling spouses of deceased classmates to organize memorial essays her first call was mr lundy who had lost his wife ann the year before
when asked if they could go over some details mr lundy explained that there must have been some sort of mix up her co editor had already called him ms godfrey apologized but neither of them could seem to put down the phone it was a nice conversation and we politely said goodbye and that was it ms godfrey said
but intrigued by the woman on the other end of the line mr lundy decided he wanted to talk again   via email   and ms godfrey was willing i really wasnt looking for somebody he said i hadnt been to any dating sites but this is a person who is a contemporary and knew my wife so i continued to correspond with her
after weeks of emailing they began talking over the phone their daily conversations often lasting an hour or two learning that they each had had brief engagements have two children a son and a daughter and they both lived abroad for a few years
each of us were married for 48 years to smart people and one really misses that ms godfrey said it was great having personal and intellectual conversations again
when ms godfrey suggested that mr lundy should visit her on thanksgiving weekend in arizona he quickly agreed that visit went so well they planned a four day trip in january to amelia island fla where only the second time they had spent time together in person he proposed and she accepted
we realized at our age we have certain experiences through the years and understand the same references said ms godfrey who is moving to baltimore the chemistry between us seemed right


kelly marie jensen and michael christos sembos were married june 25 by andrew keeler a universal life minister at roger wiliams park botanical center in providence ri
the bride 34 is the corporate photographer at yale new haven health system she graduated from the university of virginia and is the daughter of kathleen m jensen and william g jensen of vernon conn
the groom 37 is a program coordinator for the yale university office of development in new haven he is also a new haven based musician who sings and plays guitar with a rock band called the backyard committee he received two bachelors degrees in math and in astronomy from western connecticut state university he is the son of karen g sembos and evangelos sembos of bridgeport conn
ms jensen and mr sembos met at a music festival in durham conn in may 2010 they were living in new haven and had been invited by mutual friends whereupon they decided to ride a ferris wheel together i felt this immediate physical attraction for him she said i just sat down next to him and started nervously blathering
though mr sembos said he felt the same attraction he was seeing someone else at the time so they initially settled on becoming friends
over the next two years she would often run into him around town or playfully connect with him online where they would engage in some intense games of scrabble or chat about music or photography no matter where their paths crossed she did her best to see if his social status had changed
id be like ok heres my phone number and email address and you could always get me on facebook but i would never really hear from him as far as going out was concerned she said
in may 2012 her text came in he invited her to a concert in norfolk conn and she accepted they began seeing each other but were not yet dating mr sembos introduced ms jensen   a longtime fan of gin   to the joys of a dirty martini and to the beatles catalog she taught him how to drive a stick shift
in august 2012 ms jensen went on a 10 day california vacation with her best friend during which mr sembos realized he was ready for a deeper commitment i couldnt ignore it any longer he said
it was a great feeling to know that things were progressing said ms jensen
on halloween morning mr sembos was awakened from a deep sleep by ms jensen who was dressed like elvis and singing and strutting on his bed to jailhouse rock
i loved her sense of humor so that just sealed the deal for me he said i just knew i could never let a girl like this go
in january 2015 he took her on an elaborate trip but did not reveal where they were going she was given some pretty obvious clues a month before in the form of christmas gifts a bathing suit a dashboard hula girl for her car and a copy of elviss aloha from hawaii on vinyl
on the second day into their hawaiian trip they sat on the edge of a cliff over a black sand beach in pololu valley on the big island watching the sun rise when mr sembos removed a ring he had hidden in a sock in his backpack and proposed
ms jensen shocked responded with an expletive
i told her i needed further clarification he said laughing and then i got my yes


amanda kelly rice and eli noam savit were married on june 25 at the national press club in washington judge david s tatel of the united states court of appeals for the district of columbia circuit officiated with assistance from two supreme court justices elena kagan and ruth bader ginsburg
the bride 30 is an associate in the detroit office of the law firm jones day she graduated magna cum laude from tulane and has a law degree cum laude from harvard
she is a daughter of regina kelly rice of fairfax station va and mark c rice of la canada flintridge calif
the groom 33 is a senior adviser and counsel to detroits mayor mike duggan the groom graduated magna cum laude from kalamazoo college and received a law degree magna cum laude from the university of michigan he is on the board of fly childrens art center in ypsilanti mich an arts outreach program for underserved schools
he is a son of kathleen a savit and robert s savit of ann arbor mich
the couple met in july 2012 at a friends birthday party in washington shortly before ms rice was to begin a clerkship with judge tatel and while mr savit was working an extra month for the judge after completing his clerkship
we were spellbound by each other mr savit said she asked for advice and tips on the clerkship and then they moved on to other topics i couldnt stop thinking about how gorgeous she was and how much chemistry we had
after the party they went to a bar and he walked her home their romance blossomed at the courthouse in the weeks that followed where they began making any excuse to visit each others office
but they wanted to keep their relationship a secret from their colleagues in the judges chambers going as far as to wear thinly veiled disguises   stick on mustaches and hats   on a date to the national zoo in washington
despite all their efforts i suspect that they knew mr savit said
a year later in january 2014 after they moved in together they both landed clerkships at the supreme court   she with justice kagan and he with justice ginsburg and retired justice sandra day oconnor
its an all encompassing job he said adding that they would talk to each other about various cases
in april 2015 on the last day of arguments for their supreme court clerkships he persuaded ms rice who had told him she had too much work to do to walk up the marble steps in front of the supreme court with him instead of using their usual side entrance and to look out together at the mall at the top of the staircase he proposed
after their term ended they embarked on a five month journey that included a camel safari in india and a stay with a tribe of reindeer herders in northern mongolia
it was certainly quite a change from the marble halls of the supreme court she said
at the couples wedding justice kagan and justice ginsburg who are quite used to issuing opinions regarding the law of the land this time affixed their signatures to a more personal document   the ketubah the jewish wedding contract


john duncan de arden and shaun ryan kimmel are to be married june 26 tehilah e eisenstadt a universal life minister is to officiate at the terrace on the park in corona queens
mr arden left 39 is known as j d he is a reference and genealogy librarian at the center for jewish history in manhattan he graduated from brandeis university and received a masters degree in library and information science from pratt institute
he is the son of linda i hellman of manhattan and jasiu d de arden of brooklyn his mother is a human resources manager in manhattan for the research foundation of cuny which manages grants for the city university of new york his father retired as a manufacturing manager at renaissance aircraft a small aircraft maker that was in orange calif
mr kimmel 33 is a production manager in manhattan in the money laundering investigation project at pricewaterhousecoopers the accounting firm he graduated from bar ilan university in ramat gan israel and received a masters degree in business computer information systems from hofstra university
he is a son of nitza ron kimmel and yair kimmel of ramat hasharon israel his mother retired as a freelance english language tutor in ramat hasharon his father is an economist at bank hapoalim in tel aviv
the couple met through okcupid


amy elise fellenbaum a daughter of dr paul fellenbaum of new brunswick nj and the late linda m fellenbaum was married june 25 to max joseph goldman the son of katherine wyse goldman and henry goldman of upper montclair nj cantor nancy l bach officiated at duck walk vineyards in southold ny
the bride 30 is an assistant corporation counsel in the family court division of the new york city law department in brooklyn she graduated magna cum laude from connecticut college and received a law degree from the university at buffalo her father is an anesthesiologist and a partner in anesthesia consultants of new jersey in somerset
the groom also 30 is an associate in the litigation department of the law firm kramer levin naftalis  frankel in manhattan he graduated from kenyon college and received a law degree from columbia his mother is a senior vice president and creative director of jack morton worldwide a marketing agency in manhattan his father is the city hall reporter for bloomberg news in manhattan
the couple were introduced through through jdate in january 2010


crissa anne lodewick and paul wayne thurman were married june 25 cantor debra stein officiated at the wolffer estate vineyard in sagaponack ny
mrs thurman 42 works in marketing for bobbi brown cosmetics a division of the estee lauder companies in new york where she coordinates product introductions she graduated from the university of delaware
she is a daughter of angela m skiber and edward skiber jr of bradley beach nj
mr thurman 49 is a professor of strategic management and analytics at the mailman school of public health at columbia in new york he graduated from stanford and received an mba from columbia
he is the son of the late velma j thurman and the late clovis c thurman who lived in barling ark
the couple whose first marriages ended in divorce were introduced in 2011 through eharmony


kristen elizabeth loveland and stephen alexander wertheim were married june 25 annabel l resnisky a justice of the peace officiated at branford house an event space in groton conn
in may ms loveland who is 32 and will keep her name received a law degree from nyu she is now a candidate for a doctoral degree in history specializing in european debates on gender and reproduction at harvard from which she also has a masters degree in history she graduated from columbia and received a masters in modern european history from cambridge
she is a daughter of r scott loveland and mary jo gwizd loveland of farmington conn the brides father is the vice president for sales and marketing at lightstat a manufacturer of lighting and climate control systems in barkhamsted conn
mr wertheim 31 is a junior research fellow studying international history at cambridges kings college and is also a postdoctoral research associate at princeton he graduated summa cum laude from harvard and received a master of philosophy in history a masters degree in history and a doctoral degree in history from columbia
he is the son of linda shapiro wertheim and alexander h wertheim of brookeville md both of his parents retired as social workers in rockville md for the montgomery county department of health and human services
the bride and groom grew close in 2012 after going out with a group of friends and bonding over a shared appreciation of stephen colbert


danielle michaella vreeland and michael ventura were married june 25 at the church of st thomas more in new york the rev edwin b diaz a roman catholic priest performed the ceremony
ms vreeland 31 is keeping her name she is the director of global public relations at zac posen the new york based fashion design house she graduated from the college of charleston in south carolina
she is the daughter of kim m vreeland of bethesda md and james s vreeland of corpus christi tex the brides father is a lawyer there her mother is an interior designer at designs by claudia a residential design and home staging company in reston va
mr ventura 32 is a vice president in new york with rbc capital markets the investment banking division of the royal bank of canada where he raises capital for energy and utility companies he graduated from colgate university
he is a son of maria e ventura and ralph m ventura of north caldwell nj the grooms father is a sales director at harry winston the jewelry retailer in new york
the couple met through a mutual friend in 2009 in new york


jennifer jenkins barnette and aaron marc cohen were married june 25 in nova scotia ruth l merrimen a justice of the peace officiated at oceanstone seaside resort in indian harbour
ms barnette cohen 37 is the chief operating officer of the garden club of america which has its headquarters in new york she graduated from the university of montevallo in alabama and received a masters degree in arts administration from shenandoah university in winchester va
she is a daughter of the late carolyn young jenkins barnette and the late charles r barnette who lived in montgomery ala
mr cohen 44 is the director of programming operations for new york public radio where he supervises on air operations for wnyc wqxr and the four stations of new jersey public radio he also produces radio programs for wqxr he is also a former oboist and has produced two cds of solo oboe repertoire he graduated from mcgill university in montreal
the groom is a son of fay g cohen and dr m michael cohen jr of halifax nova scotia
the couple were introduced online in 2015 through a friend of the bride who encountered the groom on okcupid and immediately redirected him toward the bride


abaigeal lynn van deerlin and matthew taylor raffety were married june 25 at the bruce high quality foundation university an art school in brooklyn the rev ann m kansfield a minister of the united church of christ officiated
mrs raffety 38 is an assistant corporate counsel in the new york city law department special litigation unit defending the city in personal injury and property damage cases she graduated from newcomb college in new orleans and received her law degree from tulane
she is the daughter of jennifer r larkin of greenwich conn and the late l james van deerlin who lived in san diego her mother is the senior director overseeing production of digital content for tv land a channel of viacom the bride is the stepdaughter of christopher j hough
mr raffety 44 is a history professor specializing in early america at the university of redlands in redlands calif he graduated from williams college and received a doctoral degree in history from columbia
he is the son of pamela glass kelly of weston conn and donald g raffety of ludlow vt and the stepson of judith abbott raffety and of prescott v kelly ii the grooms mother retired as the editorial director of the institute of childrens literature an organization in west redding conn that offers writing instruction his father retired as a partner in raffety mcgrail associates a promotional marketing consultancy that was in westport conn
the couple met at an east village nightclub in 1995 and remained friends before beginning dating in 2014


seth gregory slade and marc andrew peloquin are to be married june 26 at wellfleet preservation hall in wellfleet mass rabbi deborah pipe mangan is to officiate with assistance from the very rev margaret a peckham clark an episcopal priest
mr slade 51 is a senior paralegal in the new york office of the law firm harris beach he graduated from yale he is the son of judith r slade and michael l slade of pittsford ny
mr peloquin 52 is a classical pianist who hosts and performs at the keyedup music project in new york he is also an assistant professor at the new school in new york he graduated from boston university and received both a masters degree in music and doctorate in musical art from the manhattan school of music he is a son of marcel p peloquin of woonsocket ri and the late yvonne b peloquin
the couple were introduced in 1997 through a mutual friend


katherine loftus norton a daughter of kevin p norton and karen l norton of glen rock nj is to be married june 26 to mark xavier wentworth a son of kim wentworth and finn x wentworth of mendham nj msgr kenneth lasch a roman catholic priest is to officiate at the fordham university church in the bronx
the bride 27 is the pastry chef for the boonville hotel in boonville calif she graduated from georgetown
her father is the director of investment management for the archdiocese of new york her mother is an assistant to the dean of anisfield school of business at ramapo college of new jersey
the groom 30 is the founder and owner of the wentworth vineyard and ranch in elk calif where he raises cattle and grows pinot noir grapes he graduated from the university of st andrews in fife scotland
his mother is a commissioner of the morris county parks commission in morristown nj his father is a founder and a partner in normandy partners a real estate investment company in morristown the grooms father was a founder of the yes network in 2001 and from 2001 03 the networks president
the couple met in 2015 at table 128 restaurant at the boonville hotel the groom dining with his parents liked the pastries a lot and the pastry chef even more


amy jean sennett a daughter of nancy j sennett and john f sennett of fox point wis was married june 23 at boston city hall to daniel arrigg koh a son of dr claudia a arrigg and dr howard k koh of andover mass the officiant was mayor martin j walsh of boston who is the grooms boss and who received permission from the state to solemnize the marriage
on july 2 the couple is to have a religious ceremony led by the rev dr martin hall at the north shore congregational church in fox point
the couple both 31 met at harvard from which each received an mba she with distinction
ms sennett who is keeping her name is a litigation associate in the boston office of the law firm wilmer cutler pickering hale  dorr she graduated cum laude from princeton and received a law degree cum laude from harvard
her father provides wealth management counseling in mequon wis her mother is a partner in the milwaukee law firm foley  lardner
mr koh is mayor walshs chief of staff he graduated from harvard
his mother an ophthalmologist is a partner in arrigg eye and ear associates in lawrence mass his father is the harvey v fineberg professor of the practice of public health leadership at the harvard t h chan school of public health in boston and the harvard john f kennedy school of government in cambridge mass from 2009 to 2014 he was anassistant secretary in the federal department of health and human services
the couple met on the first day of classes at business school when students were asked to say a little bit about themselves ms sennett said she needed a running buddy if anyone was willing and mr koh has been keeping up with her ever since


julia ostlie shand the daughter of janice shand hubbard of new york and the late james l p shand was married june 25 to cameron mcgowan skinner a son of margaret l mcgowan and duncan m skinner of warren ri the very rev james a kowalski an episcopal priest officiated at the castle hill inn in newport ri
mrs skinner 28 is an assistant marketing manager at van cleef  arpels the jeweler in new york she graduated from boston college and received a graduate gemology degree from the gemological institute of america she also received a masters degree in art business from sothebys institute of art in new york
the bride is the stepdaughter of george t hubbard
mr skinner also 28 is an associate at blackrock the asset management firm in new york where he specializes in portfolio and risk analytics he graduated from williams college in williamstown mass he is also a chartered financial analyst
the couple met in october 2007 as college sophomores at the annual head of the charles regatta a rowing competition in cambridge mass mr skinner was participating as a member of the williams college team and ms shand was there as a spectator


elisabeth luise lechner a daughter of mary f higgins and john a lechner iv of manchester by the sea mass was married june 25 to james alexander hutchins a son of deborah d hutchins and glenn h hutchins of rye ny the rev thomas powers a roman catholic priest performed the ceremony at sacred heart church in manchester by the sea
mrs hutchins 25 teaches the humanities at george jackson academy a middle school in new york she graduated from wellesley
her father works in boston as a managing director for private wealth management with morgan stanley her mother is a clinical team manager for iora health a health care start up in boston
mr hutchins 26 is a vice president for the insights group at coatue capital management a hedge fund in new york he graduated cum laude from harvard
his mother retired as a clinical social worker for the city of cambridge in massachusetts his father is a founder of silver lake a technology investment firm based in new york and menlo park calif he is also runs the hutchins family foundation in new york
the couple were introduced by ms lechners brother when she was a senior at the st pauls school a high school in concord nh and mr hutchins was a freshman at harvard but they did not start dating until three years later


danielle michaella vreeland and michael ventura were married june 25 at the church of st thomas more in new york the rev edwin b diaz a roman catholic priest performed the ceremony
ms vreeland 31 is keeping her name she is the director of global public relations at zac posen the new york based fashion design house she graduated from the college of charleston in south carolina
she is the daughter of kim m vreeland of bethesda md and james s vreeland of corpus christi tex the brides father is a lawyer there her mother is an interior designer at designs by claudia a residential design and home staging company in reston va
mr ventura 32 is a vice president in new york with rbc capital markets the investment banking division of the royal bank of canada where he raises capital for energy and utility companies he graduated from colgate university
he is a son of maria e ventura and ralph m ventura of north caldwell nj the grooms father is a sales director at harry winston the jewelry retailer in new york
the couple met through a mutual friend in 2009 in new york


kristen elizabeth loveland and stephen alexander wertheim were married june 25 annabel l resnisky a justice of the peace officiated at branford house an event space in groton conn
in may ms loveland who is 32 and will keep her name received a law degree from nyu she is now a candidate for a doctoral degree in history specializing in european debates on gender and reproduction at harvard from which she also has a masters degree in history she graduated from columbia and received a masters in modern european history from cambridge
she is a daughter of r scott loveland and mary jo gwizd loveland of farmington conn the brides father is the vice president for sales and marketing at lightstat a manufacturer of lighting and climate control systems in barkhamsted conn
mr wertheim 31 is a junior research fellow studying international history at cambridges kings college and is also a postdoctoral research associate at princeton he graduated summa cum laude from harvard and received a master of philosophy in history a masters degree in history and a doctoral degree in history from columbia
he is the son of linda shapiro wertheim and alexander h wertheim of brookeville md both of his parents retired as social workers in rockville md for the montgomery county department of health and human services
the bride and groom grew close in 2012 after going out with a group of friends and bonding over a shared appreciation of stephen colbert


cristina marie lacdao pamintuan and gijsbert marnix grotenbreg were married june 24 by the rev sean p toole at the roman catholic church of st francis xavier in new york
ms pamintuan 41 is keeping her name she is a distinguished lecturer at the city university of new york graduate school of journalism where she teaches podcasting and directs the radio journalism program she graduated from georgetown and received a masters degree in social sciences from the university of chicago she is a daughter of dr elvira lacdao pamintuan and dr jose c pamintuan of lewes del
dr grotenbreg 40 is in charge of the antibody discovery laboratory at 121 bio a biotechnology company in cambridge mass that develops molecules to allow diagnostic imaging that helps doctors to decide whether certain cancer treatments will be effective he graduated and received a doctoral degree cum laude in organic chemistry from leiden university in the netherlands his previous marriage ended in divorce he is the son of joyce c a pedroli wesling of alkmaar the netherlands and the late bernardus j c grotenbreg
the couple met in 2014 at a crowded cafe in cambridge mass


caroline blair smith the daughter of allyson a smith and harry m smith of charleston sc was married june 25 to ryan daniel passe the son of mindy rubin passe of charlotte nc and jeffrey l passe of ewing nj
the rev gary bullard a presbyterian minister performed the ceremony at mount pleasant presbyterian church in mount pleasant sc
the bride and groom met at the university of south carolina in columbia from which they graduated
mrs passe 30 is the public relations and marketing manager in new york for joseph abboud the mens wear company
mr passe also 30 works in new york as the head of business operations and finance for tumblr the web blogging service that is a part of yahoo


howard michael bard the son of ileen f bard and alvin l bard of baltimore was married june 25 to christopher speron a son of the late maria g speron and the late socrates j speron formerly of lake grove ny the rev george b walker jr a minister of the united church of christ officiated at the mayflower hotel in washington rabbi laurie green led the signing of the jewish marriage contract
the couple met in 1987 at george washington university from which they graduated and where mr bard received a law degree and mr speron received a masters degree in public administration
mr bard left 52 is a vice president for taxes and retirement security for the american council of life insurers a trade association for the life insurance industry in washington where he guides policy on retirement related regulations and legislation
mr speron 46 is the vice president for development at the human rights campaign a washington based lgbt advocacy group where he is responsible for fund raising
at the ceremony jim obergefell the lead plaintiff in the supreme court case that recognized the right of same sex couples to marry read an excerpt from the court decision
the couple chose their wedding date in commemoration of the one year anniversary of the courts historic decision which mr speron said was such an important moment for the lgbtq community as well as for us personally what better weekend is there to get married on


david main morgenstern and raphael tzvi rosenblatt are to be married june 26 at the 78th street studios an artist studio space in cleveland rabbi isabel de koninck is to officiate
this month mr morgenstern left 30 received an mba from northwestern university in august he is to join nikes management training program in beaverton ore he graduated from duke and is the son of amy a morgenstern and marc h morgenstern of shaker heights ohio
mr rosenblatt 32 is a senior director of new ventures at year up a boston based training and employment placement program for low income young adults where he leads expansion efforts into new markets he graduated from brandeis and received a masters degree in public policy from harvard he is a son of eve d ackerman and howard m rosenblatt of gainesville fla
the couple were introduced through an online dating site in july 2010


kym suzanne arnone and brian lawrence wynne were married june 25 in bridgehampton ny andrea h schiavoni of the southampton town justice court officiated at the bridgehampton tennis and surf club
the bride 52 is an investment banker and a managing director of the municipal investment banking department at the investment bank jefferies in new york she graduated from st johns university she is the daughter of virginia g arnone of greentown pa and lawrence e arnone of wilmington nc
the groom 55 is a managing director of the municipal syndicate desk which buys and sells bonds at morgan stanley and a joint head of the public finance department he graduated from fordham his first marriage ended in divorce he is a son of the late barbara r wynne and the late patrick l wynne who lived in pelham ny
the couple met in 2009 at a dinner in new york and started dating in 2014


kym suzanne arnone and brian lawrence wynne were married june 25 in bridgehampton ny andrea h schiavoni of the southampton town justice court officiated at the bridgehampton tennis and surf club
the bride 52 is an investment banker and a managing director of the municipal investment banking department at the investment bank jefferies in new york she graduated from st johns university she is the daughter of virginia g arnone of greentown pa and lawrence e arnone of wilmington nc
the groom 55 is a managing director of the municipal syndicate desk which buys and sells bonds at morgan stanley and a joint head of the public finance department he graduated from fordham his first marriage ended in divorce he is a son of the late barbara r wynne and the late patrick l wynne who lived in pelham ny
the couple met in 2009 at a dinner in new york and started dating in 2014


kathleen patricia finneran a daughter of theresa m finneran and james h finneran of rye ny was married june 25 to sean patrick mccorry a son of suzan n mccorry and dr james w mccorry of williamsburg va the rev epifanio marcaida a roman catholic priest performed the ceremony at the church of the resurrection in rye
the bride 28 and the groom 31 work at goldman sachs in new york she is an associate in the brand and content strategy group focusing on social media for the firm and he is a vice president of a group in the investment management division where he focuses on investments in hedge funds and credit funds
the bride who will continue to use her name professionally graduated from vanderbilt her father is the owner of the pub in rye her mother is a sales associate at pedigree ski shop a sports clothing and equipment store in white plains
the groom graduated from the university of virginia his mother is the theater director for lafayette high school in williamsburg his father is the chief medical officer and an emergency medicine physician at riverside doctors hospital in williamsburg
the couple met through mutual friends in june 2012 in montauk ny


audrey marie christine dorelien and jason theodore kerwin are to be married june 26 at the mill city museum in minneapolis the rev stephen l prokop a priest of the american apostolic catholic church is to officiate
the bride 33 and groom 32 work at the university of minnesota she is an assistant professor at the humphrey school of public affairs in minneapolis and he is an assistant professor in the applied economics department in falcon heights minn
ms dorelien who will keep her name graduated from swarthmore and received a doctoral degree in public affairs from princeton she is a daughter of dr laure laroche dorelien and edwidge y dorelien of boca raton fla
mr kerwin graduated from stanford and received a doctoral degree in economics from the university of michigan he is a son of lynda bruhl kerwin and brad t kerwin of honolulu
the couple met in 2012 when mr kerwin approached ms dorelien in san francisco at a conference and got together a year later through okcupid


sarah elizabeth fitzpatrick and matthew jude carhart were married june 25 at the church of st patrick in farmington conn the rev thomas j berry a roman catholic priest performed the ceremony
mrs carhart 30 is a fifth grade mathematics teacher at columbia grammar and preparatory school in new york she graduated from the university of richmond and received a masters degree in childhood education from new york university
she is a daughter of kathleen b fitzpatrick and david j fitzpatrick of naples fla the brides father retired as both the chief financial officer of tyco international which was then an industrial conglomerate with headquarters in princeton nj and the chief financial officer of united technologies corporation a hartford based provider of high technology systems and services to the building and aerospace industries
mr carhart 33 is an associate in the litigation department at the new york law firm paul weiss rifkind wharton  garrison he graduated from columbia and received a law degree cum laude from nyu
he is a son of mary s carhart and james p carhart of new hartford ny the grooms mother retired as a registered nurse at twin medical a medical practice in new hartford his father retired as a senior vice president and the chief information officer for utica national insurance group in utica ny
the couple met in 2012 on matchcom


millicent madden younger the daughter of prudence madden younger and stephen p younger of new york was married on june 25 to michael frank bender a son of stephanie a bender and edmund f bender of gettysburg pa the rev barbara j prince a united church of christ minister performed the ceremony at the church of the redeemer in sorrento me
until recently mrs bender 28 taught kindergarten at connect academy in washington she is to begin working soon as a program manager in the college excellence program at the aspen institute in washington where she will help create learning programs for community college presidents she graduated magna cum laude from harvard and received a masters in urban education from johns hopkins
her father is a partner in the new york law firm patterson belknap webb  tyler and from 2010 11 he was the president of the new york bar association
the groom 33 is an associate with the washington law firm brustein  manasevit he graduated from the university of richmond and received his law degree from the university of san diego
his father retired as the vice president of gas supply and new business from baltimore gas and electric company in baltimore
the couple met in december 2011 at a bar along the baltimore waterfront


elsa gillis the daughter of susan r gillis and kurt c gillis of newtown conn was married june 25 to jeremy adam feldman the son of dr randi s feldman and warren l feldman of new york rabbi anne bussard officiated at the herbert f johnson museum of art at cornell university in ithaca ny
the couple met in 2007 at cornell from which they graduated
the bride 27 is a reporter for the evening news at wsoc tv the abc affiliate in charlotte nc her father is a senior sales executive for tangoe a company in orange conn that specializes in information technology expense management software her mother retired as a psychiatric nurse from danbury hospital in danbury conn
the groom also 27 is the head mens tennis coach at the university of north carolina at charlotte his mother a retired pediatrician practiced in chappaqua ny his father is a partner in the new york law firm skadden arps slate meagher  flom


diane christina chang and teddie benjamin wardi were married june 22 in london william aps the deputy superintendent registrar officiated at the chelsea old town hall on june 25 the couple had a interfaith ceremony at villa aurelia in rome
the couple met in 2013 on a spring break trip to the british virgin islands with classmates from harvard from which they each received an mba
mrs chang wardi 31 works in london for facebook where she is the chief of staff for the companys vice president for europe the middle east and africa she graduated from princeton she is a daughter of eileen y chang and david s chang of houston
mr wardi 32 is a principal in atomico a london based venture capital firm where he invests in startups in europe he graduated from aalto university in helsinki finland he is a son of marjatta a kylmanoja wardi and kai a wardi of espoo finland


alice laura merrill chester a daughter of laura d chester and george m chester jr of delaplane va was married june 25 to joshua alan gregg the son of kathleen maclellan gregg and judd a gregg of rye beach nh the rev dr jennifer j miller an evangelical christian minister officiated at the summer home of the brides family in oconomowoc wis
mrs gregg 30 is known as merrill she is the director for planned giving at the texas parks and wildlife foundation a conservation organization in dallas she graduated cum laude from princeton
her father retired as a partner in the washington law firm covington  burling he is now an overseer of the society of the cincinnatis american revolution institute in washington her mother is an interior designer in delaplane
mr gregg 32 is the chief financial officer of double eagle energy holdings ii an oil exploration and production company in fort worth he graduated from dartmouth and received an mba from harvard
his father a former republican governor of new hampshire retired after having been a united states senator from new hampshire from 1993 to 2011 the grooms grandfather the late hugh gregg was also a new hampshire governor from 1953 1955
the couple knew each other as elementary students at the potomac school in mclean va and reconnected in 2012 in hong kong where ms chester was then working at a new years eve dinner that followed a wedding mr gregg had attended


chelley bibat fernandez a daughter of marilou b fernandez and rolando n fernandez of jersey city was married june 25 to romeo jesus estrada jr a son of chona t estrada and mr estrada sr of belleville nj the rev victor paloma a roman catholic priest performed the ceremony at holy family church in nutley nj
mrs estrada 28 is a data entry supervisor at the ackerman academy of dermatopathology a medical laboratory in new york she graduated from darton state college in albany ga
mr estrada also 28 is a personal trainer and nutritionist at krank systems a gym in nutley he graduated from st peters university in jersey city
the couple met in 2006 through the grooms brother at a philippine day parade in passaic nj


anastasiya sakhnovskaya the daughter of dr nina sakhno and alex sakhno of niskayuna ny was married june 22 to adam richard cohen a son of leah thompson keith and daniel hays cohen of new york angel l lopez a staff member of the new york city clerks office officiated at the manhattan marriage bureau
on june 25 the rev andria lanette a minister ordained by the one spirit interfaith seminary led the couple in their vows and exchange of rings at the farm of the grooms family in carversville pa
the bride 24 who uses the original spelling of the familys name is a product manager and data analyst with centriply a business in new york that helps guide companies in the purchase of television advertising she graduated from the state university of new york polytechnic institute in utica ny
her father owns and operates aaa elite medical equipment an equipment and custom orthotics store in albany her mother a dentist owns and operates camp mohawk dental in fonda ny
the groom 25 is an assistant project manager with zdg a construction services company in new york he graduated from tufts university
his father a former member of the board of the new york times company and senior vice president for advertising with the newspaper is a volunteer math and reading mentor at spark academy in newark an elementary school that is a part of the kipp academies the grooms mother who was a prosecutor in the manhattan district attorneys office from 1986 to 1991 and from 2009 to 2014 handles pro bono cases for court involved young people
the groom is a grandson of the late dr judith p sulzberger a board member of the new york times company and a great grandson of the late iphigene ochs sulzberger and the late arthur hays sulzberger
ms sakhnovskaya and mr cohen were introduced in 2014 through okcupid


new york
a picture caption last sunday with an article about letters by and about president obamas father using information from officials in the 2008 presidential campaign misstated the decade in which a picture of father and son was taken it was the 1970s not the 1960s
metropolitan
an article in some editions last sunday about efforts to improve diversity in the westchester philharmonic included an incorrect figure from the league of american orchestras for the percentage of latinos in american orchestras it is 25 percent not 12 percent

a film listing in the westchester calendar in some copies last sunday misstated part of the name of a movie showing at time  space limited in hudson ny through july 3 it is bayou maharajah not bayou maharaj
obituaries
an obituary last sunday about the author lois duncan misidentified in some copies the city in florida where she died it is bradenton not sarasota the obituary also misstated in some copies the surname of one of her daughters who survives her she is robin burkin not robin arquette
the magazine
an article on june 12 about segregation in new york city schools misstated the number of buildings from the farragut houses a public housing project in brooklyn that were previously included in ps 307s attendance zone it was five of the 10 buildings not seven
arts  leisure
a picture caption with an article last sunday about the ojai music festival misstated scott reeds relationship to the festival he resigned from the festivals board in january he is not a current board member

an article last sunday about the director nicolas winding refn referred incorrectly to advertisements directed by mr refn that feature the actor matthew mcconaughey mr mcconaughey appears in the advertisements for lincoln they are not simply voice over commercials

a picture caption with an article last sunday about the play oslo misspelled the surname of an actor shown at rehearsal he is anthony azizi not aziz
travel
an article last sunday about a fear of roller coasters misstated the surname of the editor of themeparkinsidercom he is robert niles not miles
sunday business
an article last sunday about shrinking job prospects and mounting debt for law students misstated the timetable under which the government would forgive the debt incurred by john acosta a graduate of valparaiso university law school who is setting up his own criminal law practice it would be forgiven in 20 years not 25 years
a note to readers
the notices on pages 4 and 10 of sunday styles stating that bill cunningham is off this week were printed before the news of his death on saturday
the times welcomes comments and suggestions or complaints about errors that warrant correction messages on news coverage can be e mailed to nytnewsnytimescom or left toll free at 1 844 nyt news 1 844 698 6397 comments on editorials may be e mailed to lettersnytimescom or faxed to 212 556 3622
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the russian sports minister vitaly mutko said up to 67 athletes had applied to the international association of athletics federations track and fields world governing body for exemption from the ban on the russian team at the rio olympics
the iaaf last week upheld its overall ban on the russian team   imposed in november over widespread doping   but allowed an exemption for athletes who can show they were reliably drug tested outside their home country
those who appear to fit the iaafs criteria include the 800 meter runner yulia stepanova who fled russia after testifying on doping matters and the long jumper darya klishina who is based in the united states
sprinter infected with zika the jamaican sprinter kemar bailey cole said he had been infected with the zika virus but would participate in his countrys olympic trials next week bailey cole 24 won a gold medal in the 100 meter relay at the london olympics in 2012
the white sox tied a team record with seven home runs all solo shots but the toronto blue jays held on to win at chicago 10 8 brett lawrie became the first white sox player since ron santo in 1974 to hit inside the park and over the wall homers in the same game
college world series tyler chadwick homered and doubled as surprising coastal carolina reached the finals in its first college world series appearance with a 7 5 victory over texas christian in omaha
arizona beat oklahoma state 5 1 behind seven innings of four hit ball from bobby dalbec to advance to its first finals since 2012 when it won the national championship
the best of three series begins monday
around the majors chris carter hit a three run homer as the host milwaukee brewers handed the washington nationals their seventh straight loss 6 5 kevin gausman earned his first win in 13 starts this season as the host baltimore orioles beat the tampa bay rays 5 0 in the opener of a doubleheader tony wolters hit his first major league home run and drove in four runs helping the host colorado rockies beat the arizona diamondbacks 11 6
frank lampard scored a disputed first half goal as visiting new york city fc beat the seattle sounders 2 0
in the 38th minute r j allen lofted the ball toward the 6 yard box and lampard chested it hard to the ground goalkeeper stefan frei immediately gestured that the ball had gone in off lampards arm but the referee alan kelly ruled it was a goal ronald matarrita added an insurance tally in the 87th minute for nycfc 6 5 6
red bulls 1 crew 1 ola kamara scored late in stoppage time to give the host columbus crew a draw with the red bulls
the red bulls 7 8 2 scored in the 52nd minute when alex muyl ran down a long ball on the right sideline and sent a perfect cross into the box and bradley wright phillips headed it in for his ninth goal of the season
the pga tour announced that the greenbrier classic scheduled for next month had been canceled because of devastating floods in west virginia the tournament had been scheduled for july 7 through july 10 at the greenbrier resort in white sulphur springs which was inundated after heavy storms rolled into the state
around golf lydia ko eagled the 18th to tie the pinnacle country club course record at nine under par 62 and take a share of the lead in the lpgas nw arkansas championship in rogers ark billy hurley iii shot a four under 67 to take a two stroke lead over ernie els in the quicken loans national in bethesda md jean francois remesy had two eagles and finished with an eight under 64 to take the lead in the pga tour champions inaugural american family insurance championship in madison wis


carlos bacca beat goalkeeper tim howard by sliding to poke in a headed cross in the 31st minute and the united states finished fourth in the copa america centenario with a 1 0 loss to colombia in glendale ariz
after a 4 0 loss to argentina in the semifinals the no 31 united states team was beaten by no 3 colombia for the second time in the copa a 16 nation tournament
bobby wood came closest to scoring for the united states when he hit a post in the 62nd one minute after colombias juan cuadrado had hit the underside of the crossbar
the united states matched its previous best finish in the tournament fourth in 1995 in uruguay
argentina will play chile for the title on sunday night in east rutherford nj


mumbai india   it has been almost 70 years since britain exited india
that brexit took two centuries of mutinies and protests culminating in the nonviolent movement led by gandhi to compel the british to grant india independence in 1947 and leave soon after
so indians watched with interest as britain perceiving a threat to its sovereignty voted in a referendum to leave the european union and they marveled at how much easier this brexit was to achieve
if it was as easy as holding a referendum to separate it would have happened for india much earlier said shekhar gupta a former editor in chief of the indian express an english language newspaper in india
but for the indian brexit to happen mr gupta said we had to drive them out
the indian nationalist movement gained steam in the 1920s when gandhi began leading a nonviolent boycott of british products the british imprisoned him and tens of thousands of others trying in vain to stop the growing movement
if you had a referendum back then india would have been 100 percent for brexit out of india said sanjaya baru a onetime spokesman for former prime minister manmohan singh
it is true the british detest the dour bureaucrats sitting in brussels ruling over the eu but that is nothing compared to the widespread anger back then against the white man in india mr baru said
but still the british hung on to india relinquishing it only after being substantially weakened during world war ii and they did so reluctantly noted the historian ramachandra guha with some british generals convinced that india would be unable to govern itself and beg the british to return
british colonialism in india began with the east india company which brought trade and its own private army the legacy of the company can be seen in independent indias reservations about foreign corporations which have been welcomed only in recent years
we were colonized by a multinational company so we were suspicious of foreign capital mr guha said
indias exit from the british empire may offer lessons for the european union on what to expect next he said in the years after indian independence other british colonies in asia and africa made similar demands one by one from sri lanka to malaysia and nigeria to kenya former colonies won independence
india brexited and these guys said why not us mr guha said
mr baru said brexit could trigger the collapse of the eu in the same way the indian exit triggered the collapse of colonialism
but pushing the british out also made india vulnerable to ruptures from within as the indian nationalist movement began lobbying for freedom from the british the all india muslim league began clamoring for a portion of the newly independent india to be partitioned as a separate muslim majority country pakistan
brits once you challenge the notion of being part of a larger whole you leave yourself vulnerable to breaking yourselves up mr gupta said he wondered aloud how britain would persuade scotland to remain part of the united kingdom when the scots voted overwhelmingly to remain in the european union
india with 29 states comprising different ethnicities and multiple languages is as diverse as the european union and more than twice as populous persuading people of the different regions to stay together was an enormous challenge accomplished by the first deputy prime minister of india vallabhbhai patel
patel went to most of the self governing princely states   then more than 500 in number   that had been released by the british and convinced almost all to join an independent india
both britain and europe need someone like patel mr gupta said someone absolutely and totally committed and capable of convincing all of the remaining parts to stay together


with a sharp eye mr cunningham captured the kooky the stylish the adventurous the cutting edge and everything in between


after staging a successful expanded copa america in the united states for the tournaments 100th anniversary soccer officials intend to discuss whether to establish a new event that would see regular competition between the regions
and the us soccer federation hopes this years tournament could be a springboard to hosting a world cup for the second time
we hope it influences where the 2026 world cup will be us soccer federation president sunil gulati said friday
with only the final and the third place game remaining the 16 nation tournament has drawn 136 million fans an average of 45491 thats down from the 1994 world cup in the united states but nearly double the average crowd of last years copa america in chile
these are world cup numbers   world cup numbers for an event organized in seven months with 16 teams gulati said
the copa america south americas championship is played quadrennially a year after the world cup and includes that federations 10 nations and two invited teams the concacaf gold cup the championship of north and central america and the caribbean is a 12 nation tournament played in odd numbered years
this years special copa included 10 south american teams and six from concacaf the new concacaf president victor montagliani said a new event could be scheduled for the even numbered years between world cups   when the european championships is played   or the year before world cups
those are the two years that make sense he said having said that we still have to talk to fifa theres a few hurdles to jump over european clubs all that kind of stuff so well see
montagliani said concacaf would have to scale back the gold cup to once every four years to create room on soccers crowded calendar
we remain open to hearing any proposals and ideas said alejandro dominguez the new president of conmebol south americas soccer federation its very important to remain open minded and this has been a success


wimbledon england   garbine muguruza insisted that nothing had changed
yes she now has the label grand slam champion attached to her name after her victory in the french open three weeks ago
but her wimbledon opener on monday against the 68th ranked camila giorgi is just another match her season already reset for things to come
i just have a good feeling you know that im playing good i won a lot of confidence muguruza said at a news conference saturday but nothing is really different
muguruza 22 did not have a lot of time to reflect on her victory in paris a week later she was off to majorca to play in the new grass court event there trying to make the difficult switch from clay to grass with little preparation
she lost her first match but stayed in majorca with her family for a few more days to train and relax
it was then that she talked about her journey to her first major title the matches the rain the fluky lob on match point of the final against serena williams
muguruza seeded no 2 at wimbledon said she was calm in the immediate aftermath of the french open and was still calm now
ive been in the situation where you win a lot of matches and then suddenly you know you lose she said
she added i dont take anything for granted im going for the first match like everyone else from zero
in an era dominated by williams the past three grand slam tournaments have been won by women who gained their first major victories flavia pennetta angelique kerber and muguruza
pennetta retired after winning the united states open in september and was married this month to her fellow italian player fabio fognini
but kerber who defeated williams in the australian open final in january and muguruza are under a new microscope
asked whether she sensed the spanish news media would be more focused on her with rafael nadal out of the tournament muguruza made a face of mock horror and laughed
for sure people with me are more looking at what im doing will be more watching me she said but i think thats fine its a good sign i like it ill try to do my best
there is no doubt that being a grand slam champion produces new expectations kerber joked saturday that it was the first time she had a pre wimbledon news conference in the main interview room
after her victory in melbourne kerber 28 did not have much time to take it in her tournament schedule was intense
in the course of five weeks in march and april she reached the semifinals in miami and charleston sc played in the fed cup for germany and won the clay court tournament in stuttgart germany
but the rest of her spring on clay was forgettable as she lost her first match in madrid and again in both rome and the french open where she was bothered by soreness in her left shoulder
after her first round loss in paris kerber went home to germany and rested she did not watch much of the french open and received treatment on her shoulder
that was good for me like mentally physically everything to get this time she said
on monday kerber seeded fourth at wimbledon and in muguruzas half of the draw will play laura robson of britain a fellow left hander
kerber a semifinalist here in 2012 did acknowledge that things were different now that she was a grand slam champion
im trying to change still my game trying to improve to be more aggressive she said of course after australia i know that i can beat everybody also in the finals this is what gives me a lot of more confidence
muguruza though said it was stranger to be coming back to wimbledon as last years runner up than as this years french open champion that may have something to do with the fact that she is a clay loving spaniard
when i was younger a lot of people were saying i think you will play good on grass  muguruza said im like theres no way i hate grass im horrible 
she was willing to accept the hypothesis that her aggressive style was well suited for grass and that she could one day be comfortable on the surface she was less willing to admit that she was any different now than she was before the french open
as soon as i step on the new court new surface im like ok lets try to start fresh  she said


buffalo   brian burkes hockey memory is longer than his distinctive white hair which he wore swept behind his ears at the nhl draft this weekend
during a 40 year career as a hockey professional   which has included stints as a minor league defenseman and as an executive with the nhl and five of its franchises   burke 60 has closely observed the evolution of the sport in the united states
burke the calgary flames president for hockey operations reflected on a record 12 players from the united states selected in the first round on friday night while he stood in first niagara center amid tables filled with scouts and coaches
of those 12 players five had played youth hockey in the st louis area there was a time when nobody from st louis got drafted let alone in the first round burke said
matthew tkachuk a 6 foot 1 200 pound forward and the son of keith tkachuk a former member of the blues was the first taken at no 6 by the flames
four of matthew tkachuks former youth hockey teammates followed clayton keller was picked seventh by arizona logan brown 11th by ottawa luke kunin 15th by minnesota and trent frederic 29th by boston
frederic credited the youth teams coaches   keith tkachuk and two other former blues al macinnis a hall of fame defenseman and jeff brown   for the success he and his former teammates have enjoyed when you have coaches like that frederic said something like this is bound to happen
dan bylsma the coach of the buffalo sabres said he encountered some of the st louis players while coaching his sons team two years ago but the development of young players he said was going on throughout the united states he noted that auston matthews the first pick over all was from phoenix
all five of the first round picks from st louis wound up moving to michigan as teenagers to further their development with usa hockeys national team development program now in its 20th year it has served as a centralized training program for elite players under 18 and has acted as a springboard to the college and professional ranks
eleven of the 12 americans selected in the first round spent at least some time in the program
though the number of americans taken in the first round made history canada still had the most players taken in all seven rounds at 89 according to the nhl the united states was second with 52
burke said some of usa hockeys recent tactics such as credentialing youth coaches and offering them continuing training had been borrowed from canada
canada has been the most powerful country in hockey for years he said they still are much of what weve done mimics what canada has done in terms of development imitation is the best form of praise
however burke believes that the united states can further close the gap with canada
theres more people in california than there are in canada he said so the us should be producing more players


buffalo   the rangers without a pick in the first two rounds of the nhl entry draft made six selections on day 2 and acquired colorado defenseman nick holden
general manager jeff gorton said that the team had tried to move up from its first pick the 81st over all which the rangers used to select sean day a defenseman in the ontario hockey league but that no deals had emerged
we were close on a few things gorton said
gorton hinted that the rangers could be active during the coming week the rangers entered the draft looking to find salary cap space via trades but they decided only to send a fourth round pick next year to the avalanche for holden
holden 29 would replace keith yandle a pending free agent whose rights were traded in the past week to the florida panthers who then signed yandle to a seven year contract
instead the rangers will focus on potential deals and on signing free agents to bolster a roster that fell in the first round of this springs playoffs to the pittsburgh penguins the eventual stanley cup winners it was the rangers earliest postseason exit since 2011
things can happen and they can happen quick gorton said of the impending free agent marketplace we have to figure out where we need to be
day 18 who was born in belgium had six goals and 16 assists for mississauga of the ohl he has a reputation as a mobile two way defenseman
the rangers took the finnish defenseman tarmo reunanen in the fourth round followed by the 6 foot 6 forward tim gettinger from sault ste marie of the ohl in the fifth round in the sixth round they took forward gabriel fontaine who scored 20 goals with rouyn noranda of the quebec major junior hockey league and goaltender tyler wall
the rangers used their seventh round pick to select forward ty ronning who scored 31 goals for vancouver of the western hockey league last season he is the son of the former nhl player cliff ronning
the islanders after selecting left wing kieffer bellows with the 19th overall pick in fridays first round selected four forwards and a defenseman on saturday
the islanders did not have a second  third  or fifth round pick they selected left wings anatoli golyshev and otto koivula in the fourth round followed by left wing collin adams in the sixth and left wing nick pastujov and defenseman david quenneville in the seventh
the devils took center michael mcleod from mississauga with the 12th overall pick on friday then added his linemate nathan bastian in the second round
in the third round the devils chose right wing joseph anderson and center brandon gignac followed by left wing mikhail maltsev and goaltender evan cormier in the fourth round they added defenseman yegor rykov in the fifth forward jesper bratt in the sixth and defenseman jeremy davies in the seventh
the devils also traded the 77th overall pick to pittsburgh for forward beau bennett a pending restricted free agent


rome   pope francis on saturday said that the world should never forget the suffering of the more than one million armenians who were massacred a century ago during the final years of the ottoman empire lest it fall back into the maelstrom of similar horrors
but the pope counseled the thousands of people gathered to hear him in armenias capital yerevan to use the healing power of love to transform old wounds into a wellspring of forgiveness and peace and to seek reconciliation with neighboring turkey
francis spoke during a prayer service with the leaders of the armenian apostolic church at the end of the second day of a trip during which he called attention to the slaughter of an estimated 15 million armenians by the ottoman turks from 1915 to 1923 on friday the pope departed from a prepared text and referred to the massacre as a genocide a term that turkey rejects historians have called it the first genocide of the 20th century
on saturday turkeys response to the popes use of the word was relatively restrained with deputy prime minister nurettin canikli calling the remarks very unfortunate according to the associated press
the last time francis used the term in reference to the mass deaths of armenians in rome in april 2015 turkey reacted angrily recalling its ambassador to the vatican and not returning the envoy for 10 months
the horror of the genocide still resonates deeply throughout armenia after visiting the national memorial commemorating the genocide in yerevan on saturday morning the pope signed the guest book writing memory should never be watered down or forgotten and memory is the source of peace and the future
he reiterated that notion later at a prayer meeting that the vatican said drew about 50000 people to yerevans republic square telling them memory infused with love becomes capable of setting out on new and unexpected paths where designs of hatred become projects of reconciliation
in a video message he sent to the armenian people ahead of the trip the pope made clear that he was visiting as messenger of peace his aim he said was to support efforts on the way to peace referring not only to the longstanding strife with turkey but also to armenias dispute with azerbaijan over the province of nagorno karabakh
those tensions crept into saturdays prayer meeting when catholicos karekin ii the supreme patriarch of the armenian apostolic church and spiritual leader of about 93 percent of armenias population of three million people accused azerbaijan of bombing armenian villages in april and violating a tenuous cease fire
the pope prayed that god grant that the people of armenia and turkey take up again the path of reconciliation and may peace also spring forth in nagorno karabakh
he urged armenias young people to become peacemakers not content with the status quo but actively engaged in building the culture of encounter and reconciliation
at the memorial the pope laid a wreath of yellow and white flowers the colors of the vatican and spent a long moment in prayer
in the guest book he also wrote here i pray with sorrow in my heart so that tragedies like this never happen again so that humanity may never forget and is able to overcome evil with good


the sales pitches seeking to separate cheryl lankford from her money began during the recession as she struggled to get back on her feet after the death of her husband an american soldier serving in iraq
two of them were from companies that have boasted the trump name
one was trump university the real estate sales seminar that donald j trump promoted as a way for average people to profit from opportunities in the housing market ms lankford said she spent 35000 from an army insurance payment to learn mr trumps secrets
another was cambridge whos who a vanity publisher promising branding services that seemed to complement the real estate business she hoped to create she paid thousands of dollars to cambridge whose spokesman and executive director of global branding was mr trumps eldest son donald jr
six years later ms lankford who is 44 and has a son has little to show for the money she spent aside from a nagging sense that she was taken advantage of several friends in her community in san antonio fell for similar offers she said but most are not eager to talk about it
as a widow you find you were so dependent on your husband and when you make a mistake because of predatory businesses its embarrassing ms lankford said were an easy target
easy target might describe the audience for several enterprises stamped with the trump brand that have been accused of preying upon desperation inexperience or vanity some are well known trump university has most recently gained notice because of mr trumps attacks on the mexican heritage of the judge overseeing a fraud lawsuit brought by former students there was also a multilevel vitamin selling enterprise the trump network that mr trump had said would give hope to people looking to opt out of the recession
but intersecting with these was another largely unexamined business venture cambridge whos who which generated hundreds of complaints that it deceptively peddled the promise of recognition in a registry as well as branding and networking services of questionable value dozens of people who paid trump endorsed businesses were also sold products by cambridge which benefited from its partnership with donald trump jr through leveraging relationships built by the trump empire according to cambridge
cambridge was not a trump company it was operated by randy narod a long island ny nightclub and bagel store owner barred from the securities industry for having had an impostor take his licensing exam however cambridge gained the trump imprimatur when the younger mr trump came on board in 2010 and began promoting its services as a way for people to distinguish themselves in a tough economic climate
he worked in plugs for cambridge during interviews on the fox business network and thestreetcom did a promotional video and appeared in photos with mr narod among them was one with another trump executive at trump tower in new york where according to a news release the three men discussed strategies to expand the personal branding and professional networking services offered by cambridge whos who mr narods company said on its website that it had embarked on a global expansion with the trump organization
branding is the best way to gain recognition and exposure and nobody knows this more than the trump organization the younger mr trump said in a promotion for cambridge
cambridge employees played up the trump association when pursuing customers
we had scripts to read when we made our calls to people and when donald trump jr came along our scripts were changed to include him in it said joy debono a former cambridge telemarketer we would basically say that cambridge was a good company because trump was involved in it
donald trump jr declined to answer questions about his work for cambridge his fathers presidential campaign issued a statement saying the younger mr trumps role at the company was an arrangement made totally outside of the trump organization and there was never any commingling of the two corporations at any level
mr narod said that the younger mr trump worked with cambridge for a year while also continuing as a top executive with the trump organization and that he had been aware of the complaints against cambridge as well as mr narods censure by the securities industry
don jr was hired for a very short time as a spokesperson to help our members with their personal branding since he and his family build one of the biggest brands in the world mr narod said we believed that he could be essential to enhance their online presence
the whos who industry has a long and dubious history
there are some well established companies that publish directories of professionals in various fields such as lawyers and top corporate executives but there are many others that target people of little distinction shower them with accolades and then try to sell them costly honors such as placement in a directory or wall plaques
cambridge and its subsidiary worldwide branding took the model a step further adding the promise of branding   news releases video biographies and a personalized web page   and networking with other cambridge customers who paid a membership fee to join
when donald trump jr joined cambridge the company had already had about 400 complaints filed against it with the better business bureau since 2006 scores more appeared in online consumer forums like ripoff report where customers vented about misleading sales calls worthless products and difficulties getting refunds many of the complaints describe a similar pattern of aggressively steering people into ever more expensive products
a 69 year old woman from kansas reported that she had paid 788 for services she claimed were not worth 50 collectively while she was going through a divorce and looking for a way to make a living build a new life and expand my career through this organization after she complained to the new york state attorney generals office she eventually received a refund
i felt so stupid the woman identified only as pepper wrote in an online posting my takeaway is this all is not gold that glitters and that includes the trump name buyer beware
in oregon phyllis fread was in her 80s dealing with parkinsons disease and had been retired from teaching for almost two decades when cambridge started calling her at home where she lived alone cambridge salespeople telephoned ms fread   who did not use the internet   42 times trying to sell her networking services a website and other products she did not need according to an investigation by the oregon attorney generals office
over a two year period cambridge charged her 14593 for a video biography calendars a plaque and other items including a news release in june 2010 titled phyllis j fread reveals her secret to a long career in education the release included a mention of donald trump jr saying he was eager to share his extensive experience with cambridge clients
eventually ms fread reached her credit card limit and her son disconnected her telephone to stop cambridge from calling in a recorded interview with an investigator from the attorney generals office ms fread became emotional as she recalled how there were all kinds of things theyd push and id say i dont want it at all
i remember saying wait a minute i dont need anything i dont want anything and then you couldnt get a word in edgewise i probably should have hung up she said but i didnt
cambridge was accused by the state of unfair deceptive and unconscionable practices and settled without admitting guilt issuing a refund to ms fread in 2012 she died 18 months later
mr narod said many complaints about cambridge stemmed from early growing pains before it transitioned from just a book and a plaque vanity publisher to one that added branding services cambridge   which in recent years has shifted its focus to finding customers outside the united states through a related venture called worldwide whos who   has worked to improve its sales techniques and to better address complaints he said the latest better business bureau records show close to 100 complaints in the last three years about cambridge and worldwide
it has been quite some time since cambridge has received negative comments and we believe that is a testament to the strength of our products and the work that we did to make necessary operational improvements mr narod said
a search of online records as well as interviews turned up dozens of members who also paid other companies licensed or endorsed by the trumps although mr narod denied that the businesses exchanged customer leads we have never shared or sold our data with the trump organization trump university or trump network he said
what they did have in common were sales appeals that had a similar theme of offering help navigating the recession ads for trump university referred to government bailouts for banks and asked the question whos helping you similarly donald trump jr went on fox business and said cambridge clients are people that the stimulus should be benefitting
its a very difficult economy out there a very difficult job market he told thestreetcom while discussing cambridge and you really have to position yourself so you can take advantage of all those things properly
ms lankford who heads her local texas chapter of gold star wives which represents spouses of fallen soldiers said she had lost money in the stock market collapse and decided to use an insurance payment from her husbands death to try to start her own business her husband jonathan m lankford a command sergeant major in the army died in baghdad in september 2007
in late 2009 she responded to an appeal from trump university which promised to turn anyone into a successful real estate investor and paid for the full package of seminars soon however she found they were of little practical value and she began calling them and asking for help
they ended up putting me in touch with some fellow out in california who tried to talk me into investing in trailer parks she said it was a joke
cambridge meanwhile was supposed to help ms lankford create my brand to promote her real estate efforts and in some of the many calls she received over several years the companys representative cited donald trump jrs role she said but after spending several thousand dollars   which got her among other things a wall plaque a news release and a hard to find web page   she said she received no meaningful benefits
ms lankford never filed complaints or pursued refunds saying that it probably would have been fruitless and that she was too busy raising her young son on her own and trying to rebuild her life she came away from her experience believing both businesses were all about taking money from people who dont have much to begin with
besides trump university there were other trump connected enterprises that resonated with cambridge members struggling to get ahead
on one of several cambridge websites for its members a chat group created in 2010 titled making money in a recession contained an appeal to join acn a multilevel marketer of telecommunications and energy services that was endorsed by donald trump and was featured in an episode of celebrity apprentice mr trumps financial disclosure shows that he has collected more than 1 million in speaking fees from acn which charged people 499 to sell its products with the promise of profits for bringing in additional members and has been the subject of numerous complaints
there was also an appeal for the trump network the marketer of vitamins and nutritional supplements to which mr trump licensed his name originally called ideal health and rebranded in 2009 the trump network and its top salespeople lured those hit by the economic downturn suggesting they could become rich through commissions for bringing in new recruits
christine turner a disabled nurse in upstate new york said a friend persuaded her to spend close to 500 to get started with the trump network but that it didnt pan out after she struggled to get others involved she also paid to join cambridge attracted to the prospect of networking with other members but that did not work either
i didnt have any good experiences with members coming or approaching me or asking for products ms turner said adding that she did not hold her bad experiences against the trumps
i was fine with it even with losing a little bit of money she said i really think that donald trump is a powerful businessman and im actually for him im not afraid to say that


balmedie scotland   on the 10th hole of his golf resort here donald j trump   asked if defeating hillary clinton in november was more of a par 3 or a par 5   said it would be very easy and on the 18th when asked if he had more or fewer candidates on his vice presidential short list than the par of the hole a five mr trump allowed im getting calls from a lot of people and they want it
such was mr trumps whirlwind afternoon at trump international golf links here he touched down on saturday in his helicopter and a day after britains vote to leave the european union threw global markets into chaos led the international news media on a mad scramble through the dunes of his windswept golf course
mr trump was finishing a two day publicity tour of his scotland golf resorts   on friday he visited trump turnberry   but between ribbon cuttings and family photos news of britains referendum kept intruding
asked what he would tell voters back home who are worried about losing their retirement savings mr trump dismissed the question americans are very much different he said this shouldnt even affect them i mean frankly if its done properly if we had proper leadership
on friday mr trump generated some criticism when standing on foreign soil he said president obama may have contributed to the brexit outcome and crowed that the declining british pound would benefit his business interests here asked on saturday about the falling value of the pound after thursdays referendum he said he hoped britains currency would rebound   but reiterated that his business interests might prosper
i dont want to have a plummeting pound mr trump said but if it does plummet i do well and if it does well i do well
i do well in any case he concluded
on the 14th hole mr trump waded into the controversy surrounding his proposed ban on muslim immigration saying that he would not have a problem with a muslim from a place like scotland entering the united states that more or less echoed his vow in the aftermath of the orlando massacre to ban immigrants from any country with a proven history of terrorism
in an interview with dailymailcom conducted on the 18th hole however mr trump said he would welcome muslim immigrants from any nation though they would need to be even more severely vetted if its one of the terror countries
moments later steve mnuchin mr trumps national finance chairman approached a small group of reporters mr trump he said wanted us to clarify that it is about terrorism and not about religion
hope hicks a trump campaign spokeswoman added nothings changed
the day began with the executive vice president of mr trumps golf course saying that mr trump would love to take advantage of the weather and give reporters a tour   but that it would not be an opportunity for them to ask questions
but mr trump quickly threw his teams plans aside urging reporters to follow his golf buggy through perhaps the largest dunes anywhere in the world and answering questions along the way at one point when secret service agents tried to halt the press mr trump looked down from his perch atop a dune and hollered guys get up here
at each hole mr trump riffed and ad libbed throwing out responses as if they were tap in putts
texas will never do that because texas loves me he said when asked how as president he would handle it if texas tried to secede
i am good at getting things zoned he offered at one hole explaining how he shepherded his golf links here through a series of controversies
asked if he had been consulting with his foreign policy advisers over the british result mr trump seemed to dismiss advisers as a general class honestly most of them are no good he said lets go to the 14th
briefly marring the day for the trump team were a handful of demonstrators who appeared on his property as the roughly two dozen protesters   hoisting mexican flags and handmade signs   came over a hill and into the view of the gathered news media resort staffers in red windbreakers immediately hustled the reporters onto the course and behind a hedge out of sight of the disruption
on the 18th hole mr trump had one final surprise to share do you know who im having dinner with tonight he asked a reporter before mouthing the name of his dining companion in two voluptuous syllables ru pert he whispered referring to rupert murdoch the australian media mogul who oversees news corporation
moments later as promised mr murdoch materialized with his wife jerry hall mr trump hopped behind the wheel of a golf cart and ms hall climbed in beside him
then with mr murdoch clad in sunglasses hanging off the back the trio set out for yet another tour of as mr trump put it one of the great sights of the world


a 4 year old boy was fatally shot by his 6 year old brother in east orange nj on saturday the authorities said
the older boy was playing with his mothers gun at the familys third floor apartment on norman street when he accidentally shot his brother in the head shortly after 11 am connie jackson a city spokeswoman said
the younger boy died at around 425 pm at university hospital in newark stacie newton a hospital spokeswoman said
no charges had been filed as of saturday afternoon but the case was being investigated by the police and the state child welfare agency ms jackson said
the authorities did not release any of the family members names this is a terribly unfortunate incident said mayor lester e taylor iii of east orange adding of the boy our thoughts are with him and his family
ms jackson said she did not know whether the family had a history with the child welfare agency the division of child protection and permanency or whether the gun was legally owned


when jose reyes left the mets after the 2011 season the parting seemed inevitable the mets were in the midst of a tear down induced by the bernard l madoff scandal and although reyes won the national league batting title that season the principal owner fred wilpon had already declared that he would not pay him carl crawford money
miami came close   offering reyes a six year 106 million deal   as part of a free agent splurge that was supposed to accompany the marlins into their new stadium and into world series contention in which reyes would be the spanish speaking face of an ascendant franchise
now less than five years later the mets and reyes could not run toward each other quickly enough when reyes became a free agent at 1 pm saturday after being released by colorado it took only an hour and 15 minutes for them to be reunited
the mets floundering offense could use a jolt at the top that reyes even with his 33 year old legs may still provide and reyes could use a welcoming landing spot after being jettisoned by colorado which swallowed the 38 million left on his contract when he returned from a 51 game suspension for a domestic violence case
that episode in which reyes was arrested in hawaii and accused of assaulting his wife at a hotel adds a layer of complexity to his return while there are questions about what reyes has left as a player   he hit 259 last season after being traded by toronto to colorado and he has not played in a major league game this season   his domestic violence case was also part of any interested teams evaluation
as domestic violence awareness has increased in recent years driven in large part by the case against the former nfl player ray rice organizations face greater scrutiny in how they deal with players accused of abusing women
the dodgers backed out of a trade with cincinnati last december for reliever aroldis chapman and boston dropped its pursuit when domestic violence accusations against him came to light when the reds asking price dropped low enough the yankees swooped in to acquire chapman on the cheap a bit of opportunism that general manager brian cashman readily acknowledged even as it drew criticism from some domestic violence experts fans and a city councilwoman
reyes no longer the commodity that chapman is hardly seemed worth the trouble for many teams
mets general manager sandy alderson during a conference call saturday braced for some blowback explaining in detail how the team had proceeded alderson met for one hour with reyes last week the focal point being the domestic violence case and steps reyes was taking in counseling jeff wilpon the teams chief operating officer had been involved in every step alderson also reaffirmed the teams commitment to domestic violence training for every team employee be it coach player mail clerk or president
we fully understand that there will be differences of opinion about this that some people will feel strongly and differently alderson said i think we accept that and respect that
the mets in bringing reyes back can have it several ways they landed him cheap for the prorated major league minimum salary of about 300000 if reyes who will begin a minor league stint sunday at class a brooklyn can handle the transition from shortstop to third base to replace the injured david wright or fill the void in left field the mets could have a rejuvenated four time all star to whom fans would probably quickly warm again
also not insignificantly the mets may be best equipped to help reyes
domestic violence is a choice said cindy southworth the executive vice president of the national network to end domestic violence because its behavior that can be chosen its also behavior that cannot be chosen people can come back from that and have a more respectful relationship its hard work and needs a trained therapist but i do think its possible
southworth emphasized a point that she said could seem counterintuitive reyes being allowed to continue his career could benefit his wife and others who find themselves in abusive relationships with athletes
what we dont want is for someone the moment the police are called is for an athlete to lose his entire career she said it would create huge unfathomable pressure not to call 911 if they knew their loved ones career would be in jeopardy
reyes is one of three players   along with chapman 30 games and atlanta third baseman hector olivera 82 games   who have been disciplined under major league baseballs domestic violence policy which was instituted last august in concert with the players union in the hope of addressing cases more adroitly than the nfl had
while much of the attention has focused on penalties   reyes lost more than 61 million in salary   mlbs policy is also aimed at changing behavior so while players are subject to discipline they are also required to take other steps including meeting with psychologists who can prescribe counseling plans as alderson said reyes has done
although omar minaya a former general manager for the mets and one of reyess biggest supporters is no longer with the team there is still an affinity for reyes by some in the organization who have had long ties with him including jeff wilpon and manager terry collins
reyes was not always a model player in new york he could sulk and the former manager willie randolph once pulled him from a game for not hustling but as someone that the mets watched blossom from a raw 16 year old from the dominican republic into one of baseballs most dynamic players there is a sense alderson said that reyes is one of their own
his case is not unlike that of wally backman the teams former second baseman whom the mets took in as a minor league manager after he was dismissed by arizona as its manager the move came four days after the diamondbacks hired backman when a trail of legal troubles   including domestic disputes with two wives   were reported
alderson said that reyes would be held to a high standard and that he would support groups working against domestic violence
southworth said when we talk about holding men accountable it helps if people you love and respect call you when you treat your partner badly and use violence given that theres history here that may be supportive in any situation having close men   especially if you respect those men and value the relationship   youre not going to want to put it in jeopardy its easier to hear hard conversations
whether signing reyes turns out to be a savvy baseball move will be revealed in the coming months when it becomes clear how much of his game changing ability remains
but as much as reyes might give the mets it is hard to imagine it matching what they have given him a second chance


poland had spent time preparing for a penalty shootout and it showed
the team qualified for the quarterfinals of the european championships for the first time by converting all of its penalty kicks to beat switzerland in a shootout 5 4 on saturday in st etienne france
after a 1 1 draw that switzerland dominated for long periods grzegorz krychowiak stepped up to score the shootout winner
poland will play portugal in the quarterfinals on thursday in marseille its best performance in a major competition since reaching the semifinals of the 1982 world cup
krychowiaks winning penalty kick capped an impressive display by polands players during the shootout the only player to miss was switzerland midfielder granit xhaka whose shot went wide left
preparing for this match we tried to improve our penalties and we knew theyd be taken in the best possible way poland coach adam nawalka said through an interpreter
jakub blaszczykowski scored his second goal of the tournament to give poland the lead in the 39th minute with a low shot past swiss goalkeeper yann sommer
a bicycle kick by xherdan shaqiri in the 82nd minute sent the match into extra time ap
portugal 1 croatia 0 ricardo quaresma a substitute scored in the 117th minute to help portugal beat croatia in lens france and advance to a quarterfinal meeting with poland ap


george f will a conservative columnist and prominent republican pundit for the past 40 years said he has left the republican party because donald j trump is the partys presumptive presidential nominee
mr will revealed his decision on friday in an interview with pj media he said he had switched his party registration to unaffiliated this month adding that republicans should grit their teeth during a hillary clinton presidency and then hope to beat her in 2020
this is not my party mr will said in a speech on friday at the federalist society before the pj media interview
mr will has criticized mr trump throughout his presidential run
only he knows what he is hiding by being the first presidential nominee in two generations not to release his tax returns mr will wrote in his washington post column on wednesday it is reasonable to assume that the returns would refute many of his assertions about his net worth his charitableness and his supposed business wizardry they might also reveal some awkwardly small tax payments
mr trump has returned fire denouncing mr will often on twitter and in his speeches
you know he looks smart because he wears those little glasses he said at a rally in november if you take those glasses away from him hes a dummy
few prominent conservatives have gone so far as to change their party registration since mr trump clinched the nomination in may but some have strongly condemned mr trump and have said they will sit out the presidential race


paris   it is soccers cruel and unusual punishment a fate as embarrassing as it is emasculating the own goal   or og as it is often recorded in the match report   is brutal enough during a regular match on a regular day but in a crucible like saturdays round of 16 match at the european championships it is quite simply mortifying
it is impossible to know right now how sports history will ultimately remember gareth mcauley the veteran defender for northern ireland who turned the ball into his own net with 15 minutes remaining in his teams 1 0 loss to wales at the parc des princes he is a well regarded center back the player of the year for englands west bromwich albion in 2013 and a rugged presence at the back of northern irelands formation
but mcauley is also 36 raising the possibility that this will have been the final match he plays for his country at a major tournament if it was he experienced perhaps the most excruciating exit imaginable
its a terrible thing to lose the game in that nature northern irelands manager michael oneill said afterward he paused i dont think we got what we deserved today
in other sports the own goal is frequently softened at least somewhat by merciful bookkeeping if a basketball player puts the ball into his own basket the points are credited to a player on the other team in hockey if a player scores into his own net the opposing player who last touched the puck is awarded the goal some face if only a little is saved
in soccer indignity lives forever the most memorable own goal is of course one by colombias andres escobar who scored into his own net during the 1994 world cup and was murdered five days after his teams elimination but there are many many others most recently laura bassett a player for england scored an own goal in stoppage time of last summers womens world cup semifinal and sent her team out of the tournament with a 2 1 loss to japan
mcauleys calamity was not altogether different from bassetts in bassetts case she slid to intercept a cross and the ball deflected off her foot popped high in the air bounced off the crossbar and fell over the goal line it was tragedy in slow motion
mcauleys was similar but quicker gareth bale the wales superstar had the ball on the left side of the field and whizzed a low hard cross right in front of northern irelands goal mcauley like several of his teammates was running back toward the end line and was confronted with a question that seemingly had no good answers should he let the ball go by almost certainly allowing a welsh player to slam it home or try to make a play on it himself
he chose the latter and with all of his momentum going back toward goal his chances of doing anything other than what he did   turn the ball right into his own net   were slim
the welsh players flocked to celebrate with bale and mcauley put his head into his hands
theres not much gareth can do hes got to go and try to clear that said michael mcgovern northern irelands goalkeeper
steven davis northern irelands captain said he didnt deserve that no one does
mcauleys misfortune grim as it was should not overshadow waless accomplishment with bale leading the way wales has become one of the best stories of the euros playing in its first major tournament in 58 years the welsh finished first in group b with victories over russia and slovakia
now after saturdays victory wales is in the final eight with a quarterfinal match against the winner of sundays match between hungary and belgium
they made it difficult for us said bale who had scored in all three group stage games but we knew we had that moment of quality in us we were just glad that it finally came
there were frankly few others as the play on the field surrounded by an atmosphere of raucous chanting and singing from two groups of fans just delighted to be there did not match the electricity in the stands three completed passes in a row was an unusual sight midfield play was rocky and stunted there was lots of long hopeful passing with far far too many balls skidding over the end line for goal kicks
it was some might say a display of the worst kind of english soccer although that description also fit in other ways other than the sunny warm day weather the feeling here saturday was very british 19 of the 22 players in the starting lineups play for clubs in britain and an english premier league referee martin atkinson was assigned to the game
at a cafe near the parc des princes a few hours before the match a server approached several tables of fans of both teams and was summarily but kindly told no one in here speaks french today
political talk much of it focused on britains vote last week to leave the european union was largely put aside save for a brief remain chant from northern irelands fans early in the match a majority of voters in wales cast ballots to leave the eu while northern ireland voted to stay it was a day for sports an opportunity for both teams to turn an already memorable competition into something truly remarkable
wales last played in a major tournament in 1958 and had never played in the euros northern ireland last played in the world cup 30 years ago and was in its maiden euros as well
that was why the ending stung so much northern ireland defended well largely containing bale and his teammate aaron ramsey they had a few chances and as oneill said certainly felt they deserved the chance to take the game to extra time
instead there was bale flashing toward the wing the ball suddenly coming across and mcauley with nowhere to go tumbling into infamy as the red end of the stadium roared
nearly half an hour after the final whistle northern irelands players returned to the field they walked out together and stood in front of the wales fans who had stayed in the stadium still singing oneill was inside at the news conference but the players wanted to savor one last moment from this tournament wanted to feel that feeling one more time
mcauley did not stay behind did not sulk instead he stood in the middle of it all and nodded as the fans warmly chanted his name when the players finally began to head back to the locker room he lingered a bit longer he did not want to leave


this article was first published in 2002
he calls grown up women child and his coterie of young friends muffin bill cunningham has been a habitual presence on the streets of new york for nearly 50 years and paris and london know him too but as a subject he has been elusive a shadow on the run with his camera who still worries at 73 about falling into the traps of the rich here people who have known or observed him since his hat making days in the 1950s turn their gaze on him
chappy morris investor
my mother edna morris was one of the last of the grandes dames she was very tall very thin with every hair always in perfect place she knew bill from around town and from saratoga too you know bill loves the old time people it was a time of great style and gentility and wonderful clothes one day many many years ago i had gone clothes shopping with my mother i think i was just out of college we were walking down 57th street and bill was there at the corner of fifth he snapped our picture and then sent a copy to my mother it was one of her favorite pictures until the day she died all big smiles
anna wintour editor in chief of vogue
i dont know how many times he has taken my photograph but we all dress for bill you feel hes the only one who notices or cares how you dress i wonder if bill will like this and its always a flattering picture he chooses he picks everything carefully so you will look your best hes a very seductive guy
lesley vinson former art director of details
i was this punk rocker with pink hair i couldnt believe he was interested in me because no one else was but bill was interested why are you wearing that plastic bag muffin i was totally fascinated by this man i had come from detroit and he was exactly what i thought new york would be then i realized bill was one in a million
polly mellen fashion stylist and editor
he photographed me a lot and sometimes i didnt even know he was photographing me which was the whole point i remember he photographed me in a pair of trendy comme des garcons shoes with fox pompoms hes very hung up on shoes hes very hung up on originality
isabella blow fashion director of tatler magazine in london
he does make you run bill he once said to me baby can you stand on top of that grille we were outside the louvre and i had on a white chiffon dress he could see right up to my pants i was walking on the street recently in paris when he just grabbed me and said come kid get out there you dont mind because you know the voice
oscar de la renta
more than anyone else in the city he has the whole visual history of the last 40 or 50 years of new york its the total scope of fashion in the life of new york
and hes such an unbelievably discreet man i dont know anything about his life except his bicycle
john fairchild former publisher of womens wear daily
one day i was having lunch at the old le cirque and i mentioned how beautiful the flowers were and someone said oh theyre done by bills lady friend suzette when i saw him i said bill you sneaky guy he just smiled
toni cimino friend and floral decorator known as suzette
i met him when he was 26 or 27 and he was a milliner can you imagine i moved into an apartment on the third floor of his building on west 54th street
when i first met him all these fashionable people mrs astor were standing on the sidewalk to get into one of his fashion shows errol flynn was across the street waiting for his girlfriend who was a model i couldnt get out of the building that day
joe eula illustrator
in the 1950s i lived across the street from him when he was william j his studio was in a brownstone on 54th street and i remember he had this hat in the window with fringe hanging from the brim to the ground it was a bathing suit hat and you were supposed to change your clothes behind the fringe i called up sally kirkland who was the fashion editor at life and i said youve got to see this she put it in life bill was an absolute innovator right from the get go his hats were the grand opera of all time
elizabeth corbett former model and owner of chez ninon
i met bill in 1960 when i was a model at chez ninon the shop was then at 487 park and it was owned by sophie shonnard and nona parks they were two crafty old women   you couldnt put anything over on them once when someone in paris gave them a price for a dress they said now you go back and sharpen your pencil and give us another price balenciaga would run when he saw them
the shop was a wonderful place wed have openings from tuesday to friday at 3 pm everybody was there from diana vreeland to babe paley to her sister betsy cushing when jackie kennedy went to the white house shed come in for fittings all the kennedy sisters came rose too and bill was always there
ms shonnard and ms parks brought him a long way from his beginning i think they taught him a lot they introduced him to a lot of people
bill used to have an old rolls royce and hed drive his women friends out to southampton he was quite a character around town when the husbands of these women died they said to him do you want to come and look at the clothes so he always had a tuxedo
mort sheinman retired managing editor at womens wear daily
when bill came to womens wear in the 60s i was covering seventh avenue we knew that john fairchild was capable of anything and in comes cunningham he looked wide eyed and dazzled i dont think he was prepared for the environment of a newsroom   this grubby newsroom right out of the front page   the unbelievable noise the pounding of the manual typewriters the clattering of the teletype machines people shouting across the room this raffish newsroom which was just wonderful in comes this hat designer and fairchild is giving him a column i mean a column immediately everybody resented him just resented him but once you met bill you stopped resenting him he sure knew the fashion business and he was a terrific reporter he got the stuff
john fairchild
i hired bill to work at womens wear because he had pep and energy and lots of grace and he knew everybody he didnt sit in an office and talk he went out and came back with the best stories everybody in the office was jealous of him
annie flanders founder of details magazine
i met bill in 1967 when i opened my store abracadabra and he was working for the chicago tribune my idea was to introduce designers who were sewing at home and put them in a retail space quite a few went on to very good careers including willi smith bill just loved the store then i left the country for three years and when i returned i ran into bill and he encouraged me to go back into fashion in 1976 i started working for the soho weekly news and i asked bill to do the fashion reports we founded details almost literally on the night that the soho news closed in april 1982   myself ronnie cooke stephen saban lesley vinson megan haungs and bill cunningham
lesley vinson
i was 24 when i met bill and he was to become the formative influence of my life he taught me how to tell a story with pictures and that it didnt always involve the best image id say to him but isnt this a better photo and hed say yes child but this photo tells the story better for him it wasnt about the aesthetics of photography it was about storytelling
annie flanders
bill was always the first to know who was great whether it was a new designer or a new collection he was the first journalist in america to write about azzedine alaia and i think the first to write about gaultier if he picked up on something in the fall collections then by the spring collections everybody else would be raving about it he was absolutely the leader
i remember he once put an armani dress next to one designed for diaghilev to show that armanis wasnt original the people at armani went nuts and pulled all their advertising forever when bill ran a photo of something that isaac mizrahi had copied isaac couldnt have been lovelier he made sure we had front row seats after that
ruben toledo illustrator
bills fashion reports in details were so cinematic it was like watching yellow submarine he took you up down sideways he just sucked you in with his knowledge
arthur gelb former managing editor of the times
i loved the way bill worked one of his favorite corners to capture the most perplexed surprising looks on people was 57th and fifth near tiffany he would stand there for hours you know spotting people only bill would recognize and garbo would traipse past with her coat collar up and her hat pulled low over her brow
the next day we ran bills picture of her along with other photos from that corner that was one of the most talked about second fronts of that time and it was a turning point for bill it gave him recognition beyond fashion and his street photography was a breakthrough for the times because it was the first time the paper had run pictures of well known people without getting their permission the times had always been prissy about that
paul caranicas painter and president of the antonio lopez foundation
i met bill around 1971 through the illustrator antonio lopez and his partner juan ramos who art directed antonios projects i think antonio and juan had just moved from 13th street to the carnegie studios where bill was antonio was the first fashion illustrator to bring a sampling of the art world into his work and to bring people of color into fashion
polly mellen
nobody has really done what antonio did i cant think of another illustrator who has picked up on his style it was extremely glamorous and it was exaggeration exaggeration for creative people moves them forward bill is also drawn to the extreme
paul caranicas
i think what bill loved about juan and antonio was their energy and youthfulness   and humor all these qualities combined to help make bill see things a certain way but i think his aesthetic was a long time in developing in the beginning it was more reportage
bill would often come to paris when antonio juan and i had an apartment there jerry hall also lived with us and bill would come by he streaked us a few times i think it was just his pixie humor
marylou luther former fashion editor of the los angeles times
i met bill in the mid 1960s through eleanor nangle the fashion editor at the chicago tribune she was brave and smart she had a feeling for pop culture even though by then she was no spring chicken and i think bills journalistic sense of telling the truth came from her
when we first went to europe to cover the collections bill hung out with a photographer named harold chapman and they stayed in a hotel that cost something like 2 a night they had no plumbing in their room bill would have to wait for me to finish my story before we could look at the film and id say bill feel free to take a shower well at some urging he did he would come out of the bathroom and it was cleaner than when he went in
bernadine morris former fashion writer for the times
bills apartment at carnegie hall was one big filing cabinet and a bed he slept on a bed on top of the filing cabinet that was probably the only furniture in the place
andre leon talley vogue editor at large
bill was a great friend of antonio lopez and when i first came to new york around 1975 antonio would take me up to bills studio it was such a zen atmosphere we should all get to the zen atmosphere of bill sleeping on a mattress just like mr yunioshi the photographer in breakfast at tiffanys
toni cimino
he used to have a much larger studio in carnegie hall but he gave it up to antonio when he moved in thats why i call him the monk hes impossible isnt he unless hes really down and out   and then i know hes not feeling well   hes always working
we have a dinner every saturday and sunday night and then he dashes off to some party and well read the paper together on sundays and he calls me every night just to check in if he doesnt i panic we take care of each other i really really worry about him
gloria vanderbilt
when hes photographing he transmits his energy toward you you can feel it and you respond i treasure his photos of me and my son andersons favorite picture is one bill took of me in a glorious adolfo gown with a feathered fan
anne slater socialite
bill always knows what youre wearing he once said to me thats an early michael vollbracht hes aware of every seam
cecilia dean an editor of visionaire
i met bill about 15 years ago i was always going to nightclubs all of suzanne bartschs parties sauvage and copacabana and bill was always out there photographing id spend hours on my outfits for those parties and sometimes bill wouldnt recognize your face because he was looking at your clothes
arthur gelb
i dont believe it when bill says he doesnt recognize the people he photographs my god he saw the elusive garbo
stephen gan founder of visionaire and art director of harpers bazaar
i was an art student at parsons when i first met bill in 1986 i was 18 and walking around soho one day when this funny man came up to me taking pictures i had on some skirt and pants outfit im embarrassed to say jean paul gaultier had just done his collection for men showing banker striped suits with skirts i loved it though i did my own cheaper version and bill came up to me and took some pictures and then he said you look hungry kiddo let me buy you a cookie
we went into aggies a place in soho and he did buy me a coffee and a cookie i told him i was having trouble with my mom because she didnt want me in art school and bill said well you go out and get yourself a job child heres a quarter call annie flanders shes doing this magazine called details
at some point bill said to me youve got to go to paris every kid your age who wants to do something in fashion has to go to paris so i went to live in paris for nine months and i would run into bill at the shows he would help me sneak into shows by giving me his invitations once as i was leaving a show i felt something in my pocket it was a 50 bill he had slipped it into my pocket
annie flanders
bill always kept telling me not to fall into the traps of the rich between the eight years at details and the four years at soho news it was quite a lesson i learned such standards and morals about the business from him and i had to keep my value system up because i didnt want to do anything to offend bill
he would never take any money from us ever after the first issue we gave him a check and he brought it back ripped up he told me he wouldnt do it if he had to take money all the founders worked for a percentage of the magazine so i kept a record of every single thing he did and every time we got a new publisher or owner i said this amount will always be honored
when advance bought the magazine i explained bills situation to s i newhouse how the amount had to be honored it was quite a lot by then and s i would always call me begging me to get bill to take the money but every time i spoke to him he wouldnt its still on the books as far as i know
ronnie cooke newhouse stylist and a former editor of details
i met him when we started details and i became one of the muffins when i started going to europe for the shows wed go around together everyone else was getting into sedans and we were walking in the pouring rain bill would say oh no child you cant fall into the traps of the rich and i would watch my shoes dissolve into the sidewalk or wed be at a show and id say bill its really hard to see from the last row hed say all the people who tell the truth are in the last rows it was like the movie life is beautiful here we were working in these terrible conditions and bill would make you feel how lucky am i
paul caranicas
hes been asked by many museums to have exhibitions of his work his photo archive is priceless its a real period like a ken burns thing he always says after im gone or i dont care im not an artist im a reporter and sometimes i get mad at him its a false modesty i say bill if you dont take control of this someone else will just do their view of you
bernadine morris
one time he did a favor for me and to thank him i made a reservation for lunch at the russian tea room when we got there he said you know theres a place i like better across the street it was a chock full o nuts however he knew the waitress who worked there and she wouldnt take my money for the lunch so you see he wouldnt let me return the favor
aileen mehle society columnist
he once did something for me ill never forget some of the ladies got together about 15 years ago and gave a masked ball for me at the plaza bill said ill make your mask it was beautiful in gold and silver dangling with ribbons and sequins he sent it to me this is my present for you
andre leon talley
i was in mike gallaghers magazine shop recently and there was this extraordinary mask on the counter black and white dripping with pearls and i said what is this mask doing here mike said bill cunningham designed it for truman capotes black and white ball   i think for candice bergen it was the most beautiful thing
john fairchild
you know hes like a pixie on a bicycle youre at some dreary event suddenly theres a flash a wonderful word and he just lifts you up
chappy morris
i think society people trust him because hes such a nice guy when he sees you its always hi fella hes so down to earth its as if he genuinely enjoys taking the pictures rather than participating in the event for him its not about whos who i think hes one of the great guys of new york
david rockefeller
brooke astor wanted bill at her 100th birthday party when she didnt see him on the list she said i would like him included we didnt invite other members of the media but she wanted him there as a friend
stephen gan
theres a sense of correctness about bill a right and a wrong hes very proper as well as sweet and loving its as if hes saying this is what happened in fashion and you cant say you did it first because you think you did it first when i first showed him visionaire it was just a loose folder with pictures because all the first issues were portfolios and he said ah let me pull out something for you and he brought out gazette du bon ton the first magazines from 1910 he said look all the first fashion magazines were done as portfolios he wants to show you that someone may have done something similar before
thats what i mean by correctness with bill i think of credibility not credits


this article was first published in 2002 the author a longtime times photographer died on saturday
i started photographing people on the street during world war ii i used a little box brownie nothing too expensive the problem is im not a good photographer to be perfectly honest im too shy not aggressive enough well im not aggressive at all i just loved to see wonderfully dressed women and i still do thats all there is to it
as a kid i photographed people at ski resorts   you know when you got on the snow train and went up to new hampshire and i did parties i worked as a stock boy at bonwit teller in boston where my family lived and there was a very interesting woman an executive at bonwits she was sensitive and aware and she said i see you outside at lunchtime watching people and i said oh yeah thats my hobby she said if you think what theyre wearing is wrong why dont you redo them in your minds eye that was really the first professional direction i received
i came to new york in 1948 at 19 after one term at harvard well harvard wasnt for me at all i lived first with my aunt and uncle i was working at bonwits in the advertising department advertising was also my uncles profession thats why my family allowed me to come here and encouraged me to go into the business i think they were worried i was becoming too interested in womens dresses but its been my hobby all my life i could never concentrate on sunday church services because id be concentrating on womens hats
while working at bonwits i met the women who ran chez ninon the custom dress shop their names were nona parks and sophie shonnard ailsa mellon bruce was the silent partner those two women didnt want me to get mixed up in fashion either oh god dont let him go near it you have to understand how suspect fashion people were then
but finally when my family put a little pressure on me about my profession i moved out of my uncles apartment this was probably in 1949
i walked the streets in the east 50s looking for empty windows i couldnt afford an apartment i saw a place on 52nd street between madison and park there was a young woman at the door and i said i see empty windows do you have a room to rent she said what for and i said well im going to make hats she told me to tell the men who owned the house that i would clean for them in exchange for the room on the top floor
so thats where i lived and thats where my hat shop was elizabeth shoumatoff the artist who was painting president franklin d roosevelt when he died brought in rebekah harkness mrs william hale harkness she and the ladies from chez ninon sent clients over they had to climb all those stairs and the stairs were narrow the place had been a speakeasy in the 1920s there was a garden in the back with a lovely old spanish fountain all derelict thats where i had my first fashion show the only member of the press who came was virginia pope of the times i got to know her very well years later   saw her almost every friday for tea but anyway her rule was to go herself to see any new designer so there was this lovely gracious lady at my first show and the next day in the times there was a little paragraph william j
see i didnt use my last name my family would have been too embarrassed they were very shy people this was maybe 1950
to make money i worked at a corner drugstore at lunchtime id stop making hats and run out and deliver lunches to people at night i worked as a counterman at howard johnsons both jobs provided my meals and the dimes and nickels of my tips paid for millinery supplies
society women were coming to get hats it was a good education but i didnt know it i didnt know who these people were it didnt mean anything to me and then of course you get to realize that everybodys the same
i made hats until i went into the army i was drafted during the korean war when i came out in 1953 i was still looking for empty windows i found one on west 54th
john fairchild had just come back from paris to run womens wear daily in new york and he knew the ladies of chez ninon john said to me why dont you come and write a column for us of course the ladies at chez ninon were thrilled oh good get him away from fashion make him a writer they didnt realize what john was really up to he thought now ive got the inside track on the clients at chez ninon which was every vanderbilt and astor that there was plus jackie kennedy
what john didnt realize was that the people at chez ninon never discussed the clients private was private
i had never written anything but john was like that he wanted to turn everything upside down he just said write whatever you see he was open to all kinds of ideas   until i wrote a column about courreges when i saw his first show i thought well this is it
but john killed my story he said no no saint laurent is the one and that was it for me when they wouldnt publish the courreges article the way i saw it i left they wanted all the attention on saint laurent who made good clothes but i thought the revolution was courreges of course in the end saint laurent was the longer running show so fairchild was right in that sense
after that i went to work for the chicago tribune for eleanor nangle she had been there since the 1920s a wonderful woman the best of the best the tribune had an office in new york in the times building one night in about 1966 the illustrator antonio lopez took me to dinner in london with a photographer named david montgomery i told him i wanted to take some pictures when david came to new york a few months later he brought a little camera an olympus pen d half frame it cost about 35 he said here use it like a notebook and that was the real beginning
i had just the most marvelous time with that camera everybody i saw i was able to record and thats what its all about i realized that you didnt know anything unless you photographed the shows and the street to see how people interpreted what designers hoped they would buy i realized that the street was the missing ingredient
theres nothing new about this idea people had been photographing the street since the camera was invented at the turn of the 20th century the horse races were the big thing lartigue was just a boy then but the seeberger brothers in france were taking pictures they and others were commissioned by lace and fabric houses to go to the grand prix days at the longchamp chantilly auteuil and deauville racetracks and photograph fashionable women the resulting albums were used as sample books by dressmakers
vogue and harpers bazaar were doing a similar thing but they photographed only name people at society events and womens wear has been photographing socialites and celebrities for years but the difference for me is i dont see the people i photograph all i see are clothes im only interested in people who look good im looking for the stunners
i started taking pictures for the times in the early 70s though my first street fashion appeared in the daily news bernadine morris whom i had known since the 50s said to abe rosenthal take a look at his work you have all these sections to fill then i got to know arthur gelb and one day i told him about this woman i had been photographing on the street she wore a nutria coat and i thought look at the cut of that shoulder its so beautiful and it was a plain coat too youd look at it and think oh are you crazy its nothing
anyway i was taking her picture and i saw people turn around looking at her she crossed the street and i thought is that sure enough it was greta garbo all i had noticed was the coat and the shoulder
arthur was marvelous i came in that morning in late december 1978 and no one was in the department except mimi sheraton the restaurant critic i showed her the garbo picture she stopped typing got up and away she went with the picture minutes later the phone rang and mimi said come down here bill arthurs desk
arthur looked at the picture and said what else do you have like this i had been hanging out at the corner of 57th and fifth and i said a picture of cornelius vanderbilt whitney the king and queen of spain a kennedy in a fox coat
i also had a picture of a woman who turned out to be farrah fawcett i didnt know see i never go to the movies and i dont own a television set
arthur said lets run these the next day dec 30 there was a half page of pictures in the metropolitan report
i never bothered with celebrities unless they were wearing something interesting thats why my files wouldnt be of value to anyone i remember one april in paris ball when joe dimaggio came with marilyn monroe but i was mesmerized by mrs t charlton henry of philadelphia so chic shed take the train up in the morning to penn station and walk to bergdorf to be there when it opened and when she came in shed say good morning miss ida good morning miss elizabeth she knew everyones name
back in the 60s i remember that eleanor nangle and i were sitting at one of oscar de la rentas first shows in new york when she heard antiwar protesters down in the street she said come on bill were leaving the action isnt here we got up and skipped out of the show i knew from photographing people on the streets that the news was not in the showrooms it was on the streets
at the times when charlotte curtis was covering society she called me one easter sunday and said bill take your little camera and go quickly to central park to the sheep meadow that morning i had been on fifth avenue photographing the easter parade so i got on my bike and went up to the sheep meadow and there before me were all the kids   the flower children all these kids dressed in everything from their mothers and grandmothers trunks lying on the grass it was unbelievable it was all about the fashion revolution and it was because charlotte curtis had called me on the phone
most of my pictures are never published i just document things i think are important for instance ive documented the gay pride parade from its first days it was something we had never seen before i documented every exhibition that diana vreeland did at the met but every picture is of her hand on something i do everything really for myself
i suppose in a funny way im a record keeper more than a collector im very aware of things not of value but of historical knowledge i remember when chez ninon was closing in the mid 70s i went in one day and the files were outside in the trash i said to the secretary well i hope you gave all the letters from jackie kennedy and mrs rose kennedy to the kennedy library and she said no they kept a few but they felt that the rest were too personal so they threw them out i rescued everything i could and still have it
i go to different places all the time and i try to be as discreet as i can my whole thing is to be invisible you get more natural pictures that way too the only place where i really hung out was the old le cirque on 65th street my friend suzette who did the flowers there has been with sirio maccioni since he got off the boat from europe when he was a captain at the old colony restaurant everyone said suzette tipped me off but she couldnt have cared less about who was there
most people wouldnt believe that anyone would be so dumb to come every day and stand for two hours without knowing whether somebody was coming out but i like the surprise of finding someone most photographers couldnt do what i do because of deadlines you spend days weeks years waiting for what i call a stunner
i think fashion is as vital and as interesting today as ever i know what people with a more formal attitude mean when they say theyre horrified by what they see on the street but fashion is doing its job its mirroring exactly our times
the main thing i love about street photography is that you find the answers you dont see at the fashion shows you find information for readers so they can visualize themselves this was something i realized early on if you just cover the designers in the shows thats only one facet you also need the street and the evening hours if you cover the three things you have the full picture of what people are wearing
i go out every day when i get depressed at the office i go out and as soon as im on the street and see people i feel better but i never go out with a preconceived idea i let the street speak to me


toliara madagascar   when julien andrianiana started selling charcoal 14 years ago he was just one of a few dealers around most households in toliara a coastal city in southwestern madagascar still used firewood for cooking
as the citys population doubled business became so brisk that he managed to send two of his children to college thanks to charcoal it quickly became the product of choice in kitchens not only in toliara but also in other fast growing cities across africa
charcoal   cleaner and easier to use than firewood cheaper and more readily available than gas or electricity   has become one of the biggest engines of africas informal economy but it has also become one of the greatest threats to its environment
in madagascar an island nation off the eastern african coast and one of the worlds richest nations in biodiversity the booming charcoal business is contributing to deforestation it is expected to exacerbate the effects of climate change which has already disrupted farming fueled a migration to cities and pushed many rural residents into the one thriving business left charcoal
sellers now appear on street corners throughout toliara hawking charcoal made from trees from the surrounding forests an ecologically rich and fragile area with plants and animals found nowhere else throughout the day their supplies are replenished by pickup trucks and convoys of ox drawn carts
but acquiring high quality charcoal made from hardwood trees has become increasingly difficult for dealers like mr andrianiana 44 as a third straight year of drought has pushed ever more people into the charcoal trade he now wakes up at 3 am and rides his bicycle an hour north to try to strike deals with charcoal producers before his competitors do
most of the trees have been cut down he said recently hours after securing only 60 bags of charcoal below his daily average of 80 within five years all the trees will be gone
trees have been disappearing in a widening arc from toliara in the past decade as charcoal producers first culled trees in forests closest to toliara leaving villages surrounded only by thickets the business has shifted to remote areas about 100 miles away accessible by dirt roads and sometimes waterways
about 100 miles southeast of toliara driving along national road 10   actually just a narrow dirt road through the heart of the region that provides the citys charcoal   i encountered tsitomore a 35 year old cassava farmer selling bags of charcoal by the roadside
holding an ax mr tsitomore who like some people in madagascar uses one name took me for a short walk into the forest to a spot where he had chopped off the branches of a large tamarind tree   a hardwood that is considered sacred in many communities in madagascar and cannot be legally used for charcoal
mr tsitomore said he had begun supplementing his income by selling charcoal in recent years early this year he became a full time charbonnier as charcoal burners are called in this former french colony after a disastrous harvest caused by el nino which brought the worst drought in decades to parts of africa climate change is believed to have intensified the weather phenomenon
it rains less and less nowadays he said as white smoke rose from the dirt kiln in which he was making charcoal by burning the tamarind wood without oxygen thats why i started making charcoal no ones going to help me and this is the quickest way to make money
africas charcoal production has doubled in the past two decades and now accounts for more than 60 percent of the worlds total according to the united nations food and agriculture organization rapid urbanization across the continent has increased demand for charcoal it has become the preferred way to cook in cities as people have left rural areas where firewood typically dead wood collected from the forest floor is a largely sustainable source of energy for cooking
in a poor neighborhood in toliara one recent evening housewives sat on stools outside their homes keeping watch over pots on charcoal stoves monira ferdinand a 32 year old mother of four who was preparing lentil soup said she had used firewood back in her village but the smoke would sting her eyes and the fire required constant fanning
in the city she and her neighbors use charcoal though she is careful to buy the high quality kind made from hardwood trees not the cheaper charcoal made from mangrove trees or softer wood
the good quality charcoal lasts twice as long ms ferdinand said and with the cheap stuff itll die out if theres even a little wind
as africas population is expected to swell and urbanize at an even faster rate over the next decades the continents demand for charcoal is likely to double or triple by 2050 according to the united nations environment program
the charcoal business along with the expanding use of land for farming is expected to increase deforestation and worsen the effects of climate change on a continent poorly equipped to adapt to it
its all interconnected this long term trajectory and the long term effects on climate change said henry neufeldt an expert on charcoal and climate change at the world agroforestry center in nairobi kenya just imagine transforming all that land into smoke and not reforesting in the next 30 years a lot of forests and landscapes are going to be degraded because of charcoal demand and because of the lack of policies to counter that effect
though charcoal is one of the most widely used sources of energy in africa regulations regarding its production are rarely enforced experts say in the region surrounding toliara an estimated 75 percent of charcoal production is illegal said officials at the world wildlife fund which runs projects encouraging the sustainable production of charcoal
randria zigzag the government official responsible for overseeing zones of intensive charcoal production near toliara said 45 percent was illegal he said police officers at checkpoints on the road to toliara should confiscate contraband charcoal being transported by unlicensed producers
but thats not how things work in madagascar mr zigzag said in madagascar if you have money you give money and you do what you want the charcoal producers give money to police officers who then tell them go go go
a dry region used to periodic droughts southern madagascar has become even drier in the past two decades the so called spiny forest in the region is blanketed with low lying vegetation and dotted with several species of large trees
people have gravitated to cities like toliara where the population has risen by 50 percent in the past two decades to around 120000 said col jules rabe the chief administrator of the toliara region in a self reinforcing movement the migration to the cities has led to a greater demand for charcoal from rural areas
in antevamena a village of cassava and corn farmers about 80 miles by road from toliara poor harvests have pushed more and more people into the charcoal economy as tree cutters charcoal burners transporters middlemen agents and financiers
one farmer jackot brula 23 moonlights as a speculator buying directly from the charbonniers in the surrounding forests and selling to agents based in antevamena he typically makes a 15 cent profit on each 110 pound bag of charcoal
hundreds of bags of charcoal in the village center were waiting to be collected by four agents working for the networks financier a woman whom villagers identified as a madame bijoux
madame bijoux or bijoux ravaofotsy says she ships her charcoal to a town near toliara where it is transported to the city
she entered the business four years ago after losing customers at the refreshment stand she still runs along the main road a competitor across the street had bought rooftop solar panels to power a refrigerator bringing the novelty of cold drinks to her town which is not connected to the national grid
people have become picky now she said adding that unable to afford solar panels herself she went into charcoal instead the demand for charcoal is big
things were far different in befoly a village not far from toliara befoly supplied toliara with charcoal until it ran out of trees
everybody was involved in the charcoal business said reginike faralahy 26 a former charbonnier who in the boom years made so much money that he was able to invest in goats and chickens more than 20 other former charbonniers had left the village some to work as petty traders in toliara he said
the village chief evomasy 48 said he believed that the trees disappearance had caused the recent severe droughts
we cut down everything he said looking at the shrub land now surrounding his village we used to have trees all around us


rio de janeiro   members of the news media got a sneak peek at the so called soul of the rio de janeiro olympics with a visit thursday to the athletes village the brand new complex of residential towers where nearly 11000 athletes and 6000 coaches and handlers will sleep eat and train
local organizers said the complex which they described as a city within the city was the largest in olympic history
in addition to the 31 17 story towers the complex includes a huge cafeteria and gym a post office a first aid center and a bank
this is where the soul of the games will develop said mario andrada spokesman of the local organizing committee
while athletes are not required to stay in the village   many of the most popular stars may end up staying in alternative housing outside the complex   organizers said it would be the most secure facility at an olympics patrolled by 85000 police officers and soldiers that is twice the number of security personnel at the 2012 games in london
two fences will ring the complex and everyone traveling in and out will be subjected to airport style security procedures complete with x rays of all incoming bags and luggage the organizers said
the idea is that once the athletes and their retinues are inside the security perimeter they wont need to leave the village said mario cilenti the facilitys director
the 3600 units include two  three  and four bedroom apartments with white tile floors and small balconies some of which overlook a nearby hillside slum known as a favela
each bedroom is equipped with two beds that can be extended to seven and a half feet for the tallest athletes as well as what appeared to be a disposable wardrobe made of fabric stretched over a metal frame in the living room there are a few basic armchairs and a clothes drying rack
crucially the apartments all come with air conditioning units and electrical mosquito repelling apparatus   aimed at preventing the spread of the zika virus which has been linked to a surge in brazilian cases of microcephaly a birth defect
cilenti said the setup hit the sweet spot between functionality and austerity   now a guiding principle of the games which will be played as brazil endures its most severe economic recession in decades
there are no frills just the basic necessities cilenti said
eduardo paes the mayor of rio has stressed that little public money was spent on the olympic project with private companies taking on many of the key construction projects in exchange for concessions from the city the athletes village was built by a consortium that is renting the complex to the olympic organizers during the games the city exempted the development from local zoning laws allowing for taller than normal towers
the developers have been marketing the apartments to the public with buyers expected to move in after the games
officials at thursdays media visit declined to give any financial details about the athletes village explaining that only the builders could provide the projects cost or the asking prices for the units
however the local olympic committee spokesman acknowledged that with a recession affecting brazil sales were not living up to expectations
the consortium behind the project which will be known after the games as ilha pura or pure island is made up of two large construction companies carvalho hosken and odebrecht
odebrecht is a key player in the sprawling corruption investigation centered on petrobras the state run oil company graft had long been such an ingrained part of petrobrass modus operandi that it even had a specific department whose mission was to distribute bribes investigators in the case have said
paes has insisted that all olympic projects are corruption free


tehran   at the tehran party there was alcohol of course though it was a quiet affair nothing like the wild over the top events of urban legend people just sat at a table sipping drinks and talking as they would in many places across the world after a while someone made a phone call and a few minutes later the doorbell rang and in walked a nondescript looking man getting on in years
he worked quickly opening his briefcase to put his goods on display   an impressive variety of locally produced marijuana brands with varying degrees of potency with names such as royal queen dna and nirvana all the while his phone kept ringing and though iranian etiquette prescribes that he allow the partygoers to take their time in choosing he kept discreetly checking his watch he had a lot of other stops to make
iran is notorious for its harsh code of conduct enforced by an extensive intelligence apparatus and it has waged a long and painful war on heroin and opium trafficking with security forces dying by the thousands over the past two decades in fights with afghan cartels
but the same government that executes hundreds of drug dealers every year   and cracks down periodically on alcohol which is also illegal   seems curiously oblivious to the growing popularity of marijuana
the government opened 150 alcohol treatment centers in 2015 and the health ministry is deeply involved in combating hard drugs like heroin but marijuana is mentioned only vaguely in the islamic penal code and the police pay it little heed while the penalty for alcohol consumption is theoretically 99 lashes   most people get off with a fine   there are no prison sentences or lashings prescribed for people found carrying small amounts of pot
as a result marijuana use has skyrocketed gol or flower as marijuana is called here can be found everywhere in and around the capital the skunky smell of marijuana smoke wafts through restaurants in the ski resorts of dizin and shemshak in the winter months young skiers and snowboarders can be seen casually rolling joints while riding the chairlift up the mountain
the aroma is routinely detected in tehrans public spaces when you stroll through one of tehrans parks you can sometimes smell it even on streets and squares said taba fajrak 27 who works as a choreographer once i even smelled it in a cafe
in college dormitories students use it to relax or concentrate and during parties in private houses joints are passed around as comfortably as they might be in boulder colo or amsterdam dealers are just a phone call away and as common as the people who sell illicit dvds or alcoholic drinks
iran does not keep official statistics on marijuana use but anecdotal evidence and figures from rehabilitation clinics indicate that pot smoking is widespread in iranian cities hossein katbaei the director of one such clinic camp jordan said the number of patients his staff was treating for marijuana abuse had quadrupled over the last five years
mr katbaei a former truck driver with a long ponytail and other addiction experts say young iranians often become caught up in a vicious cycle with widespread unemployment and forbiddingly high house prices many young adults are forced to live at home leading to lives of isolation and depression that they seek to escape through marijuana
marijuana is internationally often viewed as a nonaddictive drug but those using it frequently can become dependent on it according to the united states national institute of drug abuse teenagers using marijuana are four to seven times more likely than adults to develop a marijuana disorders in severe cases the institute says this can lead to addiction
iranian experts point out that a growing percentage of marijuana produced inside the country is laced with other drugs also most seeds are smuggled in from amsterdam and many are genetically enhanced to produce more strength
with the rise in marijuana use the patients in mr katbaeis clinic have changed
they are from middle class families often reasonably well off said youssef najafi a former drug addict who is now a counselor at the clinic they feel useless live at home their future is one big unknown some years ago we would only have a couple at first they think it is harmless but those who use it too much get depressed and ultimately psychotic
few older iranians whether health officials or parents know much about marijuana or its effects mr najafi said there is no government effort to inform people about the effects of marijuana use in 2013 the current head of the police ali moayedi told state media that marijuana did not exist in iran
but during a counseling session at the camp marijuana was very much on the top of the list of what most patients had been using while they were out here in iran at least marijuana is really a gateway drug mr najafi said
it has the excitement of being technically illegal he said and lowers the bar for other drugs methadone is freely available here and a lot of the marijuana on the market is dipped in methadone making joints much heavier
young iranians tend to have a different take not surprisingly many regarding marijuana simply as a relatively new drug among a wide universe of forbidden pleasures however the difference from other substances that they might use is that pot for many is often smoked all through the day
at 11 one morning an unemployed 25 year old man abdi lit up a joint the first one of the day and recalled the nicknames of his friends with whom he used to smoke pot there were mohammad dog balls who would buy the stuff samy detroit who had lived in the united states and kiarash the cross dresser who was confused anyway they were 17
he said they had started with pot then moved on to stronger drugs he then launched into a long and complicated diatribe about the influence of instagram on youths inequality in tehran and the need to forget everything
his father had lost everything in a business deal that soured   the house his job and his wife the young man said he his father and brother lived in his fathers former office selling marijuana for around 7 a gram provided a bit of extra income basically he was bored like many others he said with no work and no future pot he said brings some relief
at camp jordan mr katbaei the director said he knew how determined addicts could be having used all sorts of substances himself over the past two decades now clean he was running a tight ship continually eyeing a plasma television where the clinics network of closed circuit television cameras are monitored
mr katbaei said he wanted the expertise and funding of the united nations this is a very serious problem it is everywhere he said
the holy month of ramadan presents a special problem given marijuanas well known effect on appetites i am a practicing muslim and keep my fast during ramadan said akhbar kohpaye 57 a wholesale egg dealer but i am worried for my two unmarried sons who might be under the influence of those using marijuana
in the clinic counseling session a new patient whispered in an interview that he was doing fine he fidgeted with his hands seemingly not knowing where to put them he protested that he was not an addict and said he did not think it was a big problem that he liked to smoke pot all day every day
in the back of the room mr katbaei shook his head curing him will take time he murmured


elkhart lake wis   sebastien bourdais speaks reverently about the 24 hours of le mans race in his native france as if some mythical force has a hand in the competition
i dont know whats the criteria bourdais said all i can tell you is le mans picks its winner
if that is the case this year the race finally picked him
after the memorable trip back to france bourdais returned this weekend to the indycar series which was back at the four plus mile road america course for the first time since 2007 for sundays kohler grand prix his class victory at le mans on june 19 was his first win in 11 tries on his home track
for me its been a long time coming trying to chase this one for quite some time bourdais said here on friday about le mans
in that race he teamed with joey hand and dirk muller in the no 68 ford chip ganassi racing ford gt on a day that was memorable for his team for another reason   the 50th anniversary of fords podium sweep at le mans in 1966
its kind of the european version of the indy 500 said scott dixon part of a team that drove the no 69 ford gt to a third place class finish just really happy for sebastien hes run there many years and come close many times to get that victory
bourdais chose to deflect the attention toward fords milestone
as a driver especially for me im the helper on the team bourdais said im the third driver i come for the long races its not your program so youre just trying to bring your experience and be a benefactor
but it was that experience that made him such a valuable commodity so much so that he spent his weekend off from the indycar circuit and his kvsh racing no 11 chevy to return to le mans
it was important for them to have him on that team because of his experience at le mans said jimmy vasser a kvsh co owner he brought a lot to that organization because hes been there before
similarly bourdais was the winner the last time indycar raced at road america a sprawling woodsy road course 60 miles north of milwaukee
he qualified in the front row in each of his four previous starts at road america in the cart series including poles in 2004 and 2007 bourdais has finished on the podium each time including his first place finish nine years ago he is the only current indycar driver to have won at the course
i really cherish this place bourdais said calling it the best track in the united states its kept its identity over the years
he arrived at elkhart lake with momentum before le mans bourdais earned his first indycar victory of the year on june 4 at belle isle in detroit
there was a slight hiccup though after the early practice on friday the tires on his no 11 car were getting beaten up he said although it was not necessarily a tire problem
we were definitely struggling a little bit bourdais said weve got some work to do well see how we can bounce back
simon pagenaud who led the indycar standings ahead of sundays race had the fastest time in the early practice around road america with a speed of 139644 miles per hour bourdais who was 14th in the standings placed 15th in the first practice at 138025
at le mans pagenaud rooted for his fellow frenchman bourdais they were teammates at le mans in 2011 in a car that finished second
its pretty cool to see him do it as a frenchman in le mans pagenaud said


ashburn va   amid the hooting and hollering at washington redskins minicamp there is a different sound in the air during running back drills
coaches whack at the football while matt jones carries it and it beeps then it beeps longer
that is a good sign
the redskins are one of five nfl teams using so called beeping or whistling footballs to emphasize ball security when the ball is being held correctly using the fundamental five points of pressure it emits a beeping sound at about 80 decibels to tell a player he is doing it right
if i had that ball in high school i dont think i would have had a fumble jones said its teaching me how to squeeze the ball at the point of contact everything has changed about me holding the ball
cutting down on fumbles is the goal in using the ball which was developed by tom creguer an assistant coach at northwood university it has been used by the redskins the dallas cowboys the indianapolis colts the baltimore ravens the tampa bay buccaneers and several college teams the san diego chargers plan to start using them at training camp
creguer said practicing with high and tight footballs which cost about 150 each reduced the northwood teams fumbles by 63 percent last season many nfl position coaches learned of the balls at the scouting combine
it basically reinforces the proper hold by teaching the athlete to put their forearm to the panel their panel to the chest and to compress the ball evenly with equal distribution of pressure therefore creating basically a vise around the football creating that muscle memory of what it feels like to have the ball secured to their body at all times creguer said in a phone interview
the technology adds a new element to how coaches teach ball security creguer said the cowboys running backs coach gary brown had texted him to say that he would use the beeping footballs as long as he was working
cowboys players took a little more time to warm up to the balls
they didnt like it at first brown said i think it was just the pressure you had to do it theyre not used to squeezing it that hard
players are not the only ones adjusting to how to squeeze a football tight enough during a presentation the ravens running backs coach thomas hammock demonstrated and then tossed the ball to coach john harbaugh who could not get it to beep
ive been working out i feel like im pretty strong right now harbaugh said with a laugh found out later the battery was dead for the record
on the field though it seems to be working brown said the cowboys running backs ezekiel elliott and alfred morris had fewer fumbles during organized team activities and minicamp after working with the beeping balls in drills
morris said he got a cramp in his forearm the first day but he thought it would help in games when defenders were trying to strip the ball with so much to think about he wants holding the ball to be second nature
its easy to just like ive got to make this guy miss you dont think about i need to keep the ball tight too morris said so doing something like that can kind of reiterate like hey keep the ball tight
colts running back robert turbin has only lost one fumble in 281 career carries but was open to new ideas about how to get better
all running backs fumble but as they say iron sharpens iron so just because youre good at something doesnt mean you cant get better at it turbin said
for the redskins it is about fixing a known problem jones lost four fumbles as a rookie and with morris having gone to dallas jones must improve in that area as washingtons top back
the redskins running backs coach randy jordan who played nine seasons for the raiders and the jaguars struggled to get the football to beep at first after he and his players figured it out jordan noticed a major improvement especially from jones who plans to buy a ball to use during the summer break
other running backs may soon follow suit
ball security thats the most important thing on the field morris said thats one thing you dont want to do is turn the ball over


nairobi kenya   islamist militants stormed a hotel in central mogadishu somalias capital on saturday afternoon killing at least six people in what has become a well established tactic to sow terror
according to witnesses and government officials the attack started around 4 pm with a car bomb at the gates of the naso hablod hotel before fighters ran in and shot at guests
the shabab militant group which has been terrorizing somalia for nearly a decade and claimed responsibility for the attack has struck at least four other hotels in mogadishu in the past year a deafening car bomb at the hotel gates is typically how such attacks begin
american trained commandos from somalias security services killed all four attackers after a shootout that lasted several hours said abdikamil moalim shukri a spokesman for somalias internal security ministry witnesses said the attackers appeared to be tactically proficient fighting their way into the hotel and then firing on government security forces from the rooftop
mohamed mohamud the hotels bookkeeper said he was locking up his office and about to perform evening prayers when he heard a huge explosion outside he looked up to see several gunmen rush into the hotel and he hid near his office
im shocked but thank god im safe he said
somalia has been synonymous with chaos and bloodshed since the central government collapsed in 1991 sending the country into a tailspin of clan violence and widespread destruction the government controls little territory and struggles to maintain security even inside the capital
many security specialists had predicted that the shabab militant group an affiliate of al qaeda would step up attacks during the holy month of ramadan which began in early june and continues until early july in previous years shabab fighters staged suicide missions and offensives against government positions during ramadan believing that it was especially auspicious to be martyred during the muslim month of fasting


with one of the few payrolls in baseball exceeding 200 million patience is nearly a vice to the yankees
on saturday however it was the central virtue in their 2 1 win over the minnesota twins at yankee stadium where michael pineda had one of his best starts of the season giving up only two hits in six innings striking out eight
in the second inning pineda allowed a home run to brian dozier but instead of aiming for their own quick strike the yankees pieced together 10 hits   all singles   to overtake the twins in the eighth inning and set up aroldis chapman for his 15th save
chapman combined with dellin betances and andrew miller to throw three scoreless innings for the third straight game
over that span they have allowed one hit and one ball out of the infield the yankees now have the dominant bullpen they were expecting once chapman joined the team after having served a 30 game suspension under major league baseballs domestic violence policy
we have so much confidence in all those three guys out there said right fielder carlos beltran who drove in the yankees first run in the fifth inning its crazy every time they come we expect them to be perfect
the yankees waited longer than expected for pineda to round into form but manager joe girardi said he had seen marked improvement in pinedas last five starts during which his era dropped from 692 to 551
the lone hiccup during that stretch came at minnesota on june 18 when pineda allowed four runs three earned in five and a third innings
but on saturday pineda mixed in a changeup which threw the twins off balance and led to a more effective fastball and slider
the key for him when he puts that slider in the dirt he gets a lot of punchouts catcher brian mccann said when hes getting on top of it and hes getting those swings the hitter becomes passive and everything else plays up
pineda patiently finding his way could serve as a model for mark teixeira who returned from the disabled list after tearing cartilage in his right knee this month
hes one of the best defenders at first base beltran said of teixeira and hopefully hes capable of getting into the rhythm and getting the timing
before the game girardi was asked how often he might hold his breath when teixeira is on the field given the neck and knee injuries he has sustained this season
more than i would like girardi said at any point you worry that they could come back well just have to watch him carefully
teixeira reached base twice on an error and a walk but could not convert in a crucial spot in the eighth inning
with runners on the corners and no outs teixeira struck out in a 10 pitch at bat on the next pitch from twins reliever ryan pressly starlin castro drove in pinch runner aaron hicks for the deciding run on a fielders choice and an error by twins shortstop eduardo escobar who booted the ground ball for his second error of the game
girardi will take a moderate approach with teixeira and said he did not envision immediately playing him four or five consecutive days which increases the need for a capable backup although ike davis has played almost 600 games at first base the yankees designated him for assignment and kept rob refsnyder who has nine hits in his last 23 at bats with the club
girardi also cited refsnyders ability to play multiple positions as a factor
we really liked what ref has done and he provides flexibility girardi said he can play right field and second base and his at bats have been really good hes played well so were going to stick with him
the yankees would surely like to see teixeira revert to his slugging form alleviating the need to play refsnyder often at first base after saturdays game teixeira was hitting 176 with three home runs the last on april 13 since driving in his 10th run of the year on april 26 he has had two rbi
teixeira said he hoped to be more productive he might receive additional cortisone injections during the all star break to prevent his knee from locking up
one beneficial result of teixeiras time on the disabled list he said was that the rest had calmed the repeated neck spasms that he had experienced earlier in the year
its been a tough couple of first months not playing as many games as id like and not being as healthy as id like teixeira said but hopefully like i said the second half is going to be different


auburn hills mich   michael gbinije has already enjoyed his share of excitement in 2016 he played in the final four for syracuse and he has now been drafted by the detroit pistons
later this summer he may add the olympics to that list of memorable experiences
definitely looking forward to it said gbinije who last year helped the nigerian national team qualify for the rio games right now its not 100 percent known if im going to do it or not but i want to do it probably will start after summer league in orlando
gbinije spoke somewhat cautiously about his olympic plans after he was drafted by the pistons in the second round thursday night but detroits general manager jeff bower said the team was supportive of his hopes to play in rio gbinije was born in hartford but his father frank is a native of nigeria
gbinije said he wanted to make sure he took care of his responsibilities with the pistons and he would try to fit the olympic team around that bower said the pistons would certainly be amenable to his playing for nigeria
its something that we would support and try to help with bower said our immediate concern would be having the participation during summer league and when that ends being able to transition right into the olympics would be a great summer of basketball for him
the pistons have a team in the orlando summer league which runs from july 2 to july 8 so it may just be a question of whether gbinijes international duties can wait until after that
that would be our hope but we understand the importance of it all and so well get into communications and see what the timelines are bower said
at 6 feet 7 inches gbinije has the type of versatility that intrigues the pistons detroit did not really address its need for a backup point guard in the draft but gbinijes ball handling could be an asset
he also improved his 3 point shooting to 39 percent as a junior and senior from 35 percent as a sophomore
hes a good player with a unique skill set the assistant general manager brian wright said if you look at the way the games being played you watch the playoffs theres guys playing multiple positions youre switching youre doing different things and i think he brings that for us
wright added i think the nba is moving more to positionless players and just skill sets
gbinije played sparingly at duke as a freshman and after transferring to syracuse he averaged 34 points a game in 2013 14 in his last two seasons he became a standout   especially as a senior when he averaged 175 points and helped the orange to an unexpected final four appearance
i didnt really see the floor much my freshman year i had a lot of growing up to do on and off the court gbinije said i made the decision to transfer and it was probably one of the best decisions ive made in my life so far
if gbinije plays in the olympics and nigeria faces the united states at some point gbinije 24 would be up against both of his college coaches dukes mike krzyzewski coaches the americans and syracuses jim boeheim is an assistant
i was fortunate enough to play for two college hall of famers and two usa coaches as well you learn a lot playing under them gbinije said coach k definitely installed professionalism and boeheim brought some mental toughness to me


london   britains historic vote to leave the european union is already threatening to unravel a democratic bloc of nations that has coexisted peacefully together for decades but it is also generating uncertainty about an even bigger issue is the post 1945 order imposed on the world by the united states and its allies unraveling too
britains choice to retreat into what some critics of the vote suggest is a little england status is just one among many loosely linked developments suggesting the potential for a reordering of power economic relationships borders and ideologies around the globe
slow economic growth has undercut confidence in traditional liberal economics especially in the face of the dislocations caused by trade and surging immigration populism has sprouted throughout the west borders in the middle east are being erased amid a rise in sectarianism china is growing more assertive and russia more adventurous refugees from poor and war torn places are crossing land and sea in record numbers to get to the better lives shown to them by modern communications
accompanied by an upending of politics and middle class assumptions in both the developed and the developing worlds these forces are combining as never before to challenge the western institutions and alliances that were established after world war ii and that have largely held global sway ever since
britain has been a pillar in that order as well as a beneficiary it has an important some would argue outsize place in the united nations and a role in nato the international monetary fund and the world bank   the postwar institutions invested with promoting global peace security and economic prosperity
now britain symbolizes the cracks in that postwar foundation its leaving the european union weakens a bloc that is the worlds biggest single market as well as an anchor of global democracy it also undermines the postwar consensus that alliances among nations are essential in maintaining stability and in diluting the nationalism that once plunged europe into bloody conflict   even as nationalism is surging again
its not that this in and of itself will completely destroy the international order said ivo h daalder a former american representative to nato who is now president of the chicago council on global affairs but it sets a precedent it is potentially corrosive
the symbolism was pointed in china on saturday morning two days after the british vote in the packed ballroom of a beijing hotel chinas new international development bank held its first meeting of the 57 countries that have signed up as members the new institution the asian infrastructure investment bank is designed to give china a chance to win influence away from the world bank and the international monetary fund
history has never set any precedent the new banks president jin liqun once wrote of the united states and its western allies that an empire is capable of governing the world forever
even as european leaders held a flurry of meetings on saturday to weigh a response to britains departure president xi jinping of china welcomed president vladimir v putin of russia to beijing for a brief state visit more than china russia is an outlier to the american led international system and mr putin   at best a wary partner of china which itself has severe economic challenges   in recent years has worked to divide and destabilize europe
mr putin has troubles of his own including an economy hurt by low oil prices that could limit his ability to exploit the moment still for him analysts say the british vote is an unexpected gift
russia has nurtured discord inside the european union by supporting an array of small extremist political parties that foment nationalist anger in different countries russias seizure of crimea in 2014 and meddling in eastern ukraine directly challenged the rules based international system of respecting national borders and led to a continuing political confrontation with the united states and europe
vladimir putin will be rubbing his hands in glee the british historian timothy garton ash wrote in the guardian the unhappy english have delivered a body blow to the west and to the ideals of international cooperation liberal order and open societies to which england has in the past contributed so much
the end of pax americana is not a new theme predictions of american decline were rampant after the global economic crisis in 2007 and 2008 amid parallel predictions of the dawning of a new chinese century
but the american economy steadily recovered if imperfectly while china has unnerved many of its asian neighbors with a newly aggressive foreign policy chinese overreach opened a path for renewed american engagement in asia the fastest growing region in the world as president obama called for a pivot to asia
analysts disagree on whether this pivot signaled a declining american interest in european affairs and contributed to the continents current problems part of the obama administrations rationale was to extricate the united states from decades of costly involvement in the middle east at a time when that region was in upheaval
there the breakdown of the postwar political order has been more fundamental and violent than in europe the uprisings of the arab spring erupted from widespread frustrations with stagnant autocratic politics and economic lethargy but these rebellions failed to yield stable governments and the borders drawn by europeans a century ago in syria lebanon and iraq have been rendered largely irrelevant
the nationalism surging in europe is not the problem in the arab world rather populations have retreated into greater reliance on sects ethnic groups and militias jihadist groups like al qaeda and the islamic state have fought national armies and won providing a religious alternative to the nation state that has been embraced by some
bassel salloukh an associate professor of political science at the lebanese american university in beirut said the problems in the middle east and europe shared a common origin in the anxieties caused by tectonic shifts in the global economy but while fear and frustration in the west have shown themselves through democratic elections brittle arab states lacked the flexibility to respond
here we have hyper centralized homogeneous authoritarian states which when facing these transformations just exploded mr salloukh said
and those explosions were not contained within the middle east refugees have poured out of syria and iraq turkey jordan and lebanon have absorbed several million refugees but it is the flow of people into the european union that has had the greatest geopolitical impact and helped to precipitate the british vote stabilizing syria and permanently curbing the refugee flow could be one of the critical factors in determining whether europe can steady itself politically
before the refugee crisis the european union was already an unwieldy and unfinished entity its contradictions and imperfections were exacerbated by the economic crisis yet it was the onset of more than a million refugees marching through greece and the balkans toward germany that may ultimately prove to be the most destabilizing event in europes recent history
european countries erected border fences despite the blocs system of open internal borders populist parties raged against immigrants britain was relatively insulated yet british politicians campaigning to leave the european union depicted an island under siege mixing the very different issue of immigration from other european union states with the perceived threat from an influx of poor muslims this anti immigrant strain twinned with the economic anxieties of many britons who felt left out of the global economy to drive support for the country going its own way
in the wake of britains choice europe faces the parallel challenges of holding itself together and of retaining its global influence
nato has rediscovered its purpose in the aftermath of russias intervention in ukraine yet the baltic countries still worry whether the military alliance would truly defend them against russian aggression and the alliance has had trouble defining its role in fighting terrorism or dealing with the migrant flow
britain is a valued member of nato but if it is weakened economically by its decision to leave the european union its leaders might come under public pressure to pare back military spending   even as the united states is pressuring nato members to spend more on defense meanwhile donald j trump the presumptive republican presidential nominee has mused about whether nato is as necessary as it once was
the european union often frustrates american presidents yet the disintegration of the bloc would be a geopolitical disaster for washington even before britains exit germany was europes dominant power and chancellor angela merkel was europes dominant leader
britain leaving the eu now poses a challenge for germany said nicholas burns a former top american diplomat who now teaches at the harvard kennedy school it will need to provide even greater leadership to keep europe united and moving forward
germany though has been reluctant to play a diplomatic and military role commensurate with its economic heft ever mindful of its nazi past and its four decades as a divided country germany often wraps its policies in the mantle of europe and has developed a pacifist instinct that is a poor fit with the expectations that it must now lead
there is no point beating about the bush ms merkel said friday europe has reached a turning point and more and more often we encounter basic doubts about ever greater union
the markers of european decline are not hard to find for the first time in modern history asia has more private wealth than europe the boston consulting group said last year and china will account for 70 percent of asias growth between now and 2019 the group said
chinas development of its own international bank partly derives from its frustrations over its role in the imf policy makers in beijing were infuriated that they were not granted a bigger share of power at the imf as a show of gratitude for helping stabilize world economies in 2008
many asian leaders have tended to view the european experiment at unity as a proposition that could not last lee kuan yew the former prime minister of singapore once called the european union a motley crowd trying to march to a single drummer he predicted it would fail


omaha   coastal carolina known for its elegant chaucer inspired nickname slugged its way to its first college world series the chanticleers hit 94 home runs the most in division i reflecting the coziness of a renovated home stadium as much as the flatter seam baseball the ncaa introduced last season the ball which flies farther than the old one increased scoring nationwide
but something odd happened to the chanticleers and college baseballs resuscitated offense when the college world series began here at td ameritrade park last weekend
although teams had hit eight home runs in 12 games through friday night scoring had dropped by more than two runs per game to 591 from 838 the 54 runs through 10 games matched the lowest output in that span in college world series history tying 2014
teams were batting 224 20 points worse than last year and pitching to a 224 era well below last years 359 three games had ended in shutouts with oklahoma state becoming the first team to win back to back 1 0 games at the event
that revived complaints about the park and the incoming prevailing wind which knocks down long drives between the alleys and permits outfielders to take away singles by playing shallower tuesday night when coastal carolina lost 6 1 to texas christian coach gary gilmore said the park played so big it was nearly impossible to come from behind
you get down three runs you feel like youre down 23 runs to be honest with you gilmore said its very difficult to try to manage exactly how to play in this park having been in a completely different setting all year long
coastal did come back thursday night to oust texas tech 7 5 in the losers bracket but it required three tech errors and six unearned runs to do it four games in the mighty chanticleers had yet to hit a home run they finally hit one saturday night in a 7 5 victory over tcu sending the chanticleers to the final round
andrew checketts the coach at the university of california at santa barbara sounded a note like gilmores after his team lost by 3 0 to arizona on wednesday night i actually made a similar comment before the game that 1 0 feels like 5 0 because of the ballpark and the quality of the pitching he said
it turns out that the new ball introduced in 2015 to counteract metal bat restrictions that reduced offense from 2011 to 2014 did its job just about everywhere but here
by 2014 scoring nationally had fallen to 508 runs per team per game the lowest since metal bats replaced wood in 1974 with the new ball it rose to 544 in 2015 and 555 this year through super regional play according to the ncaa home runs increased as well
a problem the new ball cant fix is the direction td ameritrade faces city and ncaa officials aligned the stadium to open toward the centurylink center arena and the edge of downtown instead of a dreary warehouse district never dreaming that the wind would affect play this much the wind usually blew out at rosenblatt stadium home of the college world series from 1950 to 2010
td ameritrade opened the same year that so called bbcor bats for ball bat coefficient of restitution deadened to reduce exit velocity and better protect pitchers came into use minnesota coach john anderson formerly on the ncaa division i baseball committee said last year that the committee would have recommended shorter dimensions at td ameritrade had it known how drastically the bbcor bats would affect ball flight the fences are 335 feet down the lines 375 in the alleys and 408 in center the same as rosenblatt spacious foul ground doesnt help
the whole place is built for pitching said tcu coach jim schlossnagle whose team qualified the final season at rosenblatt and the last three at td ameritrade if you have elite pitching you can smother people if you just have solid pitching like i think we have the ballpark takes you another step because you can make some mistakes and they hang up in the middle of the field
a handful of players flashed power here florida first baseman peter alonso a second round draft pick by the mets this month cracked three long home runs the last two years
the tcu freshman luken baker a 6 foot 4 265 pound slugger homered twice last week while going 5 for 8 in the horned frogs first two games late comebacks are a college world series tradition and bakers three run ninth inning homer last sunday against texas tech delivered the only one so far 5 3
but mainly pitching dominates five participants   florida tcu oklahoma state arizona and coastal carolina   ranked 31st or better nationally in earned run average the first three were among the top 15
strikes here really play and they really give you a chance checketts said the offense is diminished teams that can get the two out hit and execute a little bit have a legitimate chance to be able to win and three runs have a chance to feel like six if the guys coming out of the bullpen are throwing strikes
schlossnagle advocates moving in the fences at td ameritrade and adoption by the ncaa of the livelier ball used in the minor leagues ron prettyman the ncaas managing director of championships since december doubts either will happen
were really not concerned about the offensive numbers and the equipment or the production prettyman said were wide open to talking about whatevers going to help the game but we think the adjustments weve made with the bbcor bat and the low seam baseball have really done what we hoped it would do
he added weve had issues with the heavy air and the wind blowing in most of the time thats something were going to face as long as the ballpark faces the direction were facing
arizona coach jay johnson argues that critics of td ameritrade are missing the point
i think theres something thats lost here in just talking about the ballpark he said youre talking about the eight teams in the country that are playing the best and the only way youre here is if youre really pitching and the pitching in this tournament is at an elite level right now you throw this elite pitching into this ballpark its going to be 3 2 3 0 2 1 1 0


atlanta   the mural of representative john lewis democrat of georgia looms seven stories high over auburn avenue the storied center of black life here during the days of segregation above mr lewiss blocky instantly recognizable head is a single word hero
it reflects his multiple roles in the civil rights movement as a veteran of the 1960s freedom rides and lunch counter protests and the bloody sunday march in 1965 over the edmund pettus bridge in selma ala a history of activism that provided the moral backdrop for last weeks sit in on the floor of the house of representatives in a doomed effort to prompt a vote on gun control legislation
the house sit in which ended thursday after 25 hours and was motivated by the june 12 nightclub massacre in orlando fla returned mr lewis to a familiar role as he joined hands with his democratic colleagues who sang we shall overcome and invoked the spirit of the rev dr martin luther king jr once mr lewiss close ally in the fight to end state sanctioned segregation in the south and elsewhere in the united states
but the protest also raised questions that have ebbed and flowed over decades about the relevance scope and power of the civil rights movement when it can be invoked for issues beyond the fight for racial equality and whether it is still a living part of american politics or just a sanitized totem to be evoked by those on the left the protest also demonstrated that the old methods now part of a revered historical narrative of heroism and sacrifice still have the power to provoke and offend just as they did at the peak of the movements influence in the 1960s
so regardless of the wording on the mural in atlanta the reaction to mr lewis and the democratic protest from a number of conservatives was something decidedly less than hero worship
ive never seen anything so uncivilized in my life the conservative commentator stacey dash an african american said thursday on fox news
representative mark walker republican of north carolina posted on twitter calling this a sit in is a disgrace to woolworths referring to a 1960 sit in at a whites only lunch counter at the department store in greensboro nc that drew attention to segregation
mr lewis 76 an unabashed liberal who has represented his atlanta congressional district since 1987 clearly had no such qualms in a news conference on the capitol steps he promised to continue pushing for gun control legislation and invoked the lyrics of the folk song based on the old standard gospel plow that served as a soundtrack to a movement he helped lead
dont give up he bellowed dont give in keep the faith and keep your eyes on the prize
for a younger generation of liberals whose knowledge of the 1960s can only come from books movies and museums and their parents it was as though the movement trapped in the amber of the past had been reanimated before their eyes
dr king john lewis and the other participants in the civil rights movement had an objective to change america for the better and there were those who were resistant and wanted to maintain the status quo said representative hakeem jeffries democrat of new york a 45 year old african american lawmaker who participated in the sit in these days he added there are those in congress representative of both republican leadership and rank and file members who want to maintain the status quo and do nothing in the face of mass shooting after mass shooting after mass shooting
many conservatives find such analogies deeply unfair nearly all conservatives in american public life now agree that the civil rights movements push to dismantle segregation was necessary and appropriate but many of them bristle when the movement is invoked to justify liberal positions on gay rights economic equality health care and gun control which they often view as cynical efforts to wrap bad ideas in sanctimony
the most outrageous policy proposals are invariably described as the promotion of civil rights the conservative author ann coulter wrote in her 2012 book mugged racial demagoguery from the seventies to obama as long as liberals label something a right they never have to explain why its a good idea
jim jess vice chairman of the georgia tea party said in an interview friday that he saw no connection between gun control and civil rights in fact he said a lot of people in the african american community are likely to want to exercise their right to bear arms so its sort of disingenuous
mr walkers north carolina district includes greensboro the site of the sit in campaign at a fw woolworth co store in an emailed statement mr walker said that the protesters in 1960 were protesting the denial of essential constitutional rights to all people the bravery of those men and the rights they fought for were not represented on the house floor this week in his twitter post he said the greensboro protesters sat in for rights dems are sitting in to strip them away
the house democratic leader nancy pelosi said her caucus had hoped to pressure republicans to allow floor votes on a measure that would toughen background checks for gun purchases and on one that would ban gun sales to anyone on the federal governments terror watch lists
a number of republican lawmakers as well as some civil libertarians argue that the latter proposal violates the right to due process because people on the watch lists have no opportunity to contest their inclusion in court
the broader question of the civil rights movements proper purview dogged even dr king he lost allies when he announced his opposition to the vietnam conflict and struggled in the year before his 1968 assassination to mount an ambitious poor peoples campaign in which he had called for among other things a guaranteed annual income for the poor of all races
atlanta is more familiar than most cities with the ongoing debate about which issues should be included in the civil rights conversation dr kings widow coretta scott king an atlanta resident was an outspoken advocate for lesbian gay bisexual and transgender rights before her death in 2006 her daughter bernice king the chief executive of the nonprofit king center for nonviolent social change in atlanta has spoken out against same sex marriage
mr lewis is a longtime proponent of same sex marriage in 1996 he took to the house floor to speak passionately against a proposal that would limit the definition of marriage under federal law to a union of one man and one woman
in his speech mr lewis invoked dr kings arguments against laws prohibiting interracial marriage and told his colleagues to ignore polls that showed scant support at the time for same sex marriage when he was growing up in the south in the 1940s and 1950s he noted the majority of people in the region supported jim crow laws but that was wrong he said
mr lewiss powers of persuasion proved unsuccessful in the short term the defense of marriage act was signed into law by president bill clinton in september 1996 it was overturned by the supreme court in 2013
hank klibanoff a civil rights historian and former managing editor of the atlanta journal constitution said he admired mr lewis for injecting himself in the policy fights of the day no matter whose feathers he ruffled according to the journal constitution mr lewis has been arrested more than 40 times including a 2013 immigrants rights rally in which he and others blocked traffic in front of the capitol
he finds himself time and again showing that he is willing to get in the way mr klibanoff said


paris   it was the first sunday of the miami open in march and the french photographer corinne dubreuil left the media workroom to eat a quick lunch
when she returned to her desk both her cameras were gone all that remained were the two long lenses
at first i thought it was a joke dubreuil said but then it was like someone had cut off my hands
in her 26 years on the tennis circuit dubreuil said she had never had any equipment stolen in this case the camera bodies were missing from a room that in theory only accredited personnel had access to during the tournament
the robbers knew what they were doing she said the lenses were too big to put in a bag and walk out with but the camera bodies were small enough
worse yet was the financial toll each body was worth about 6000 euros or nearly 6800 to replace even one of them was far beyond dubreuils financial means she is a freelancer at a time when freelance tennis photography is no road to fortune
she had no insurance for the cameras because she said the annual cost with her peripatetic lifestyle was nearly as much as the cost of the equipment in france there are practically no photographers who are insured because its so expensive she said
miami tournament officials were not prepared to compensate her and they had no legal obligation to do so they cited several factors including the fact that dubreuil had left her equipment unsecured and unattended and that a locker was available elsewhere in the building
i went to see the tournament director adam barrett and he said it was not his fault dubreuil said fine i said but you could have a heart no and he said no we are not responsible the security is very good and i said i used to love your tournament and i will never come back so i left his office in tears
investigations at the tournament site by security personnel and local police officers did not turn up the missing cameras their investigations were hampered by the lack of a closed circuit video system in the media room
we do not own the facility said mary jane orman a spokeswoman for imgwme which operates the event and owns the tournament license even though we have asked the county about installing a system it has not been done to this point
demoralized dubreuil laid out the situation in posts on her blog which she said typically gets 100 to 200 visits per tournament after her post from miami she said the blog got 11000 visits in 24 hours one of those reading was alize cornet a leading french player
cornet 26 was home in france off the circuit with a back problem she has known and liked dubreuil since her early days on tour dubreuil had followed her for a cover article for lequipe magazine in 2008 when cornet broke into the top 20 at age 18
i got to know someone who truly had her heart on her sleeve such a generous spirit and a real bon vivant cornet said we stayed in contact as i continued my career and she continued her own but she has always been someone i enjoyed seeing on tour
when i learned what happened in miami i was first and foremost very sad for her it may not be the ideal comparison but its like if someone stole all my rackets and i couldnt afford to buy any replacements
cornet mentioned what had happened to dubreuil to her boyfriend he suggested that she organize une cagnotte a french term for a group fund
then he went to bed cornet said but she did not even though it was after midnight she stayed up thinking then stayed up creating an account on a french fund raising website then posted links to it on her social media accounts
its true that in the tennis world we are all a bit egocentric a bit focused on our own little thing our own little concerns and we sometimes forget a bit to open up to others cornet said
within two days her initiative had raised more than EUR3000
there are lots of disadvantages to social media lots of stupidities that get passed around and lots of people who criticize us players on social media she said but for things like this its total magic without this it would have taken so much longer passing a hat among the players might have worked as well but what was so cool about this was that it touched a wide group of people
the final total before the campaign ended EUR7689 from 153 donors including young french players like kristina mladenovic and lucas pouille a staff photographer for a major north american media outlet would have been bound by ethics rules and thus unable to accept donations from players they covered but dubreuil said that had never entered her thinking and that she felt nothing but gratitude
as a freelancer you never feel like youre secure she said you feel like you have to struggle all the time just to do your job and thats why what happened in miami hit me so hard something broke in me and i was wondering if it was worth it to keep up the struggle but thats also why i was so deeply touched by this it was a nightmare that became a fairy tale
or at least a feel very good story dubreuil was able to buy her first new camera body in april and has recently been able to purchase a second with additional help from direct donations she was back on duty at roland garros for the french open this spring and at wimbledon this week
every day at roland garros i was getting stopped in the alleys hey corinne could you buy your new cameras  she recalled choking up i was shooting on court no 2 and someone in the stands yelled out i put in 50 euros for you it really hit me and the way i see it now is its not just me behind the camera its 160 people behind the camera were all part of it now


it seems remarkable   given its perpetually deep well of talented players its longstanding global cachet and the sheer number of international soccer competitions   that argentina has not won a major soccer tournament since 1993 that is not to say there have not been chances argentina has lost major finals the past two summers the teams next chance comes sunday in the final of the copa america centenario in east rutherford nj
this time the opponent will be chile the defending champion to their credit the argentines the worlds no 1 ranked team have looked invincible this summer they have 18 goals in their five victories in the tournament they have lionel messi whose play has reiterated his case to be called the worlds best player
but will argentina and messi at last break through weighing on them will be the disappointment of 23 years an uninterrupted string of heartbreak scandal squandered talent close calls and epic calamity
the last trophy
argentinas last taste of tournament victory came in 1993 at the copa america in ecuador gabriel batistuta then 24 scored two goals in the final including the 74th minute winner in a 2 1 victory over mexico batistuta nicknamed batigol would grow into one of the best strikers of his generation amassing 54 goals for his country   a record that was surpassed only last week when messi scored his 55th goal in argentinas 4 0 rout of the united states in a semifinal
the drought begins
six hours before argentinas final group stage game at the 1994 world cup diego maradona then 33 and the teams captain was kicked out of the tournament after testing positive for five variants of the banned stimulant ephedrine my soul is broken said the mercurial maradona who had led his country to the world cup title in 1986 and back to the final four years later argentina which had gotten off to a glittering start in the 1994 event in the united states lost its next two games and tumbled out in the round of 16 as far as im concerned soccer has come to an end maradona said upon returning home i cant stand watching it and i dont even want to play anymore
an early exit in 2002
boasting a bevy of experienced stars argentina was the most feared team in the 2002 world cups so called group of death but failed to make it out of the group stage the tears flowed in miyagi japan when argentina could muster only a draw against sweden in its last game sending the players on an unexpected early flight home this is the worst day of my life the star midfielder juan sebastian veron said after the loss
close calls in the copa america
for argentina nothing hurts quite like losing to brazil the countries have one of the biggest rivalries in international sports and it is at a fever pitch in soccer the 2004 and 2007 copa america tournaments then were maddening for la albiceleste as the argentine team is known in the 2004 final in peru argentina snatched a 2 1 lead in the 87th minute only for brazil to tie the score on a goal by adriano in the 93rd and then prevail in a penalty kick shootout
the teams met again in the next copa final three years later in venezuela this time brazil cruised to victory 3 0 brushing aside the previously surging and heavily favored argentines who had scored 16 goals in their five games four years later argentina tried again this time with the benefit of being the host and with messi now a central figure of the team it went even worse argentina was booed by its own fans in several games and lost in the quarters to its other regional nemesis uruguay
two recent heartbreakers
a new generation of superstars led by messi now the captain has given argentina new hope the country won the 2005 and 2007 under 20 world cups and took the gold medal at the 2008 olympic games which doubles as fifas under 23 world championship yet argentina has continued to fall short in major senior level competitions it was on the brink of realizing all those years of potential at the 2014 world cup final in brazil before mario gotzes 113th minute goal instead propelled germany to a 1 0 win in the final the pain will be for life because this was our opportunity defender javier mascherano said a year later at the copa america in chile argentina collapsed in a penalty shootout against the host nation extending its sisyphean frustration at least one more year
on sunday it gets another chance to end it


lynchburg tenn   every year about 275000 people tour the jack daniels distillery here and as they stroll through its brick buildings nestled in a tree shaded hollow they hear a story like this sometime in the 1850s when daniel was a boy he went to work for a preacher grocer and distiller named dan call the preacher was a busy man and when he saw promise in young jack he taught him how to run his whiskey still   and the rest is history
this year is the 150th anniversary of jack daniels and the distillery home to one of the worlds best selling whiskeys is using the occasion to tell a different more complicated tale daniel the company now says didnt learn distilling from dan call but from a man named nearis green   one of calls slaves
this version of the story was never a secret but it is one that the distillery has only recently begun to embrace tentatively in some of its tours and in a social media and marketing campaign this summer
its taken something like the anniversary for us to start to talk about ourselves said nelson eddy jack daniels in house historian
frontier history is a gauzy and unreliable pursuit and nearis greens story   built on oral history and the thinnest of archival trails   may never be definitively proved still the decision to tell it resonates far beyond this small city
for years the prevailing history of american whiskey has been framed as a lily white affair centered on german and scots irish settlers who distilled their surplus grains into whiskey and sent it to far off markets eventually creating a 29 billion industry and a product equally beloved by kentucky colonels and brooklyn hipsters
left out of that account were men like nearis green slavery and whiskey far from being two separate strands of southern history were inextricably entwined enslaved men not only made up the bulk of the distilling labor force but they often played crucial skilled roles in the whiskey making process in the same way that white cookbook authors often appropriated recipes from their black cooks white distillery owners took credit for the whiskey
in deciding to talk about green jack daniels may be hoping to get ahead of a collision between the growing popularity of american whiskey among younger drinkers and a heightened awareness of the hidden racial politics behind americas culinary heritage
some also see the move as a savvy marketing tactic when you look at the history of jack daniels its gotten glossier over the years said peter krass the author of blood and whiskey the life and times of jack daniel in the 1980s they aimed at yuppies i could see them taking it to the next level to millennials who dig social justice issues
jack daniels says it simply wants to set the record straight the green story has been known to historians and locals for decades even as the distillery officially ignored it
according to a 1967 biography jack daniels legacy by ben a green no relation to nearis call told his slave to teach daniel everything he knew uncle nearest is the best whiskey maker that i know of the book quotes call as saying
slavery ended with ratification of the 13th amendment in 1865 and daniel opened his distillery a year later employing two of greens sons in a photo of daniel and his workers taken in the late 19th century a black man possibly one of greens sons sits at his immediate right   a sharp contrast to contemporaneous photos from other distilleries where black employees were made to stand in the back rows
but corporate history keeping was a rare practice in those days and over time memories of green and his sons faded
i dont think it was ever a conscious decision to leave the greens out of the companys story said phil epps the global brand director for jack daniels at brown forman which has owned the distillery for 60 years still it is unlikely that anyone in the jim crow south thought a whiskey marketed to whites should emphasize its black roots
as the brands anniversary approached the company started researching its various origin stories it decided that the case for nearis greens contribution was persuasive and should be told as we dug into it we realized it was something that we could be proud of mr epps said
a business built on slave help may not seem like a selling point which may explain why jack daniels is taking things slowly the green story is an optional part of the distillery tour left to the tour guides discretion and the company is still considering whether it will flesh out the story in new displays at its visitors center
however far the distillery decides to go it is placing itself at the center of a larger issue that distillers and whiskey historians have begun to grapple with only in the last few years the deep ties between slavery and whiskey
its about paying down the debts of pleasure that have accrued over time said john t edge the director of the southern foodways alliance at the university of mississippi
an exhibit on george washington and slavery opening this fall at the first presidents northern virginia home mount vernon documents how he relied on six slaves and two scottish foremen to run his rye whiskey distillery one of the largest on the east coast
they were key to the operation in making whiskey said steve bashore who helps run a working replica of washingtons distillery in the ledgers the slaves are actually listed as distillers
slavery accompanied distilling as it moved inland in the late 18th century to the newly settled regions that would become tennessee and kentucky though slave owning was nowhere near as common there as it was farther south by the 1800s many successful farmers had at least a few slaves who tended to be closely involved with whiskey production
some of the earliest prominent kentucky distillers like elijah craig henry mckenna and jacob spears relied on slaves to run their operations craig and mckennas names are now on whiskeys made by heaven hill brands but those were created long after slavery was abolished
washington wasnt the only president to use slaves in his distillery in an 1805 advertisement andrew jackson offered a bounty for a runaway slave named george whom he identified as a good distiller
databases of ads for slave sales as well as runaway slaves are full of references to slaves as skilled whiskey distillers in 1794 a richmond va man placed a 20 bounty on a slave named will who has a large scar on his right side just below his ribs and understands making of whiskey
slaves did more than just provide physical labor if green taught daniel to distill said michael twitty a food historian he probably would have drawn on generations of liquor making skills american slaves had their own traditions of alcohol production going back to the corn beer and fruit spirits of west africa and many africans made alcohol illicitly while in slavery
theres something to be said for the fact that africans and europeans were both people in the southeast who carried with them ancient traditions for making alcohol mr twitty said
another aspect of the jack daniels tradition that is being reassessed is the so called lincoln county process in which unaged whiskey is passed through several feet of maple charcoal which removes impurities and imparts a slight sweetness
according to legend the process was invented in 1825 by a white tennessean named alfred eaton but mr eddy the jack daniels historian and others now say its just as likely that the practice evolved from slave distilling traditions in which charcoal helped remove some of the sting from illicitly made alcohol
other contributions are even harder to pin down though slave owners tended to value their slaves distilling prowess they rarely documented how the slaves made such fine spirits
evidence often has to be found outside the archives recent archaeological work in kentucky has uncovered material pointing to slave distilling at a number of sites including the famed pepper distillery near frankfort and another operation owned by jack jouett a revolutionary war hero
its like looking at slave distillers out of the corner of your eye said nicolas laracuente an archaeologist who has worked extensively at the site of jouetts house the reason were not finding them in the archives is that they didnt have the right to be recognized
mike veach a whiskey historian said the influence of enslaved african distillers may explain a mystery in the development of american whiskey traces of german scots irish and english distilling traditions are evident in the american style but theres much that cant be traced to an earlier source   a gap that slave traditions might fill
i dont know what role slaves would have played mr veach said but im sure it was there
fred minnick the author of bourbon curious a simple tasting guide for the savvy drinker said its doubtful that a full accounting of enslaved peoples contribution to american whiskey will ever be written its extremely sad that these slave distillers will never get the credit they deserve he said we likely wont ever even know their names
despite the recent attention from jack daniels nearis greens name is just a faint echo even among several of his descendants who live in the area claude eady 91 who worked for the distillery from 1946 to 1989 said he was related to green on my mothers side but didnt know much about him
i heard his name around he said the only thing i knew was that he helped jack daniel make whiskey


orlando fla   after news media reports suggested that the man who carried out the massacre at a gay nightclub here may have himself been gay the company that bills itself as the worlds largest gay hookup site put out what amounted to a distress call asking members who may have been in contact with the gunman omar mateen to come forward
in an attempt to find an account connected to the killer the site adam4adam combed through the profile photos of every one of its 300000 florida members and researched 20 email addresses used by mr mateen over the years that the company said had been provided by the fbi
adam4adam came up with nothing
i think it was a hoax david lesage a spokesman for the montreal based company said about the reports that mr mateen had used adam4adam and other dating sites and apps for gay men
two weeks after mr mateen barged into the pulse nightclub on june 12 and opened fire on the crowd leaving 49 people dead and another 53 wounded investigators are still trying to determine the underlying motive for the slaughter although federal officials have said mr mateen had become radicalized to some extent online at least half a dozen men have come forward with claims that hint at another potential motive reporting that they had seen mr mateen at gay clubs encountered him online or had romantic encounters with him
the claims have prompted investigators to look into whether mr mateen who had called 911 pledging allegiance to the islamic state was also a closeted gay man consumed by feelings of self loathing and revenge
fbi investigators who have conducted more than 500 interviews in the case are continuing to contact men who claim to have had sexual relations with mr mateen or think they saw him at gay bars but so far they have not found any independent corroboration   through his web searches emails or other electronic data   to establish that he was in fact gay officials said
the question of sexual orientation is a part of a broader effort by the fbi to establish mr mateens criminal profile beyond being a critical piece of information that could help the agency reconstruct the deadliest mass shooting in modern american history it could aid in creating a broader analysis of criminal and terrorist behavior
people often act out of more than one motivation attorney general loretta lynch told reporters during a visit here on tuesday this was clearly an act of terror and an act of hate
one of the first people to bring up the idea that mr mateen could have been gay was his ex wife sitora yusufiy who a day after the massacre told the new york times that her former husband often made angry comments about homosexuality
if you know anything about psychology you know that people that have a really really strong resentment or above average hate toward something its because deep inside thats what they truly are she said in an interview at her home in boulder colo in islam its true that there is very low tolerance for homosexuality he may not have been able to be himself
but she added that she was speculating and that there was nothing in their intimate life on which she had based that hunch
several men later came forward to tell other news media outlets that mr mateen was a regular at pulse two of them female impersonators who perform at the club declined to comment for this article though saying the focus ought to be on the victims
another orlando man a navy veteran named kevin west told the los angeles times and the washington post that he had communicated with mr mateen for about a year on jackd a gay chat and dating app
hector camacho the chief executive of jackd said the company was cooperating with the fbi
a company spokesman jeff dorta said several television networks that sought to authenticate the report forwarded screen shots of what was purported to be mr mateens jackd profile page which they said they had received from a source making the allegation mr dorta said that a technical analysis determined that the profile page was probably not created by mr mateen
while we are not at liberty to comment on any specifics i can tell you that as of now utilizing the information jackd has been provided we have not been able to substantiate that omar mateen was a jackd user mr dorta said
in an interview mr west refused to share any of the messages or pictures or explain which app he had used to communicate with mr mateen he became combative when pressed i dont need to prove anything to anyone mr west said if i said it its true
on tuesday the spanish language television network univision aired an interview with a man identified only as miguel   his face was disguised and his voice distorted   who claimed to have had a two month relationship with mr mateen after meeting him on the app grindr
the man said mr mateen had profiles on at least three gay dating apps he said they first met at another gay club in orlando the parliament house and had more than a dozen rendezvous at an area hotel
miguel told the network that mr mateen felt rejected by hispanic gays and was angry at puerto ricans in particular because he once had a sexual liaison with a man who later confessed to being hiv positive
i believe this crazy horrible thing he did was revenge he said in the english language version of the interview
federal authorities looked into his account and do not consider it credible said a law enforcement official who spoke on background because the information was part of an ongoing investigation
christopher hansen 32 a witness to the pulse massacre said that if it turned out that mr mateen had been gay it might open a conversation about homophobia in muslim and other religious households where homosexuality is sometimes not accepted
maybe this would help open up eyes in all religions he said
pedro julio serrano a gay activist in puerto rico said he was worried that univisions interview sought to dismiss the killings as a personal quarrel
we havent seen any texts phone calls voice mail messages emails or facebook messages mr serrano said we have to be very careful here there are 49 families who are hurting because they lost their loved ones and 53 going through the process of healing we cannot fuel or ignite anything that will add to that pain and that suffering and that will inflame the sentiment and the emotions we are all going through


arlington tex   when doug brocail meets with matt bush during a game he finds a pitcher completely at ease with his surroundings the mound is where bush finds peace
theres no heavy breathing said brocail the texas rangers pitching coach theres no panic at all its like he never skipped a beat
bush skipped a lot though and his ordeal makes late inning pressure seem easy before this season bush spent more than three years in a florida prison for driving under the influence and causing serious bodily injury in a 2012 crash that nearly killed a motorcyclist
bushs life as a professional baseball player which began at shortstop when his hometown san diego padres chose him first over all in the 2004 draft was an afterthought that gnawed at him his career was a phantom
id be sitting in there thinking about how nice it would be to be at the beach or fishing today or how nice it would be to be in some locker room getting ready for a baseball game bush said you cant theres nothing you can do about it youre locked away your freedoms gone
now improbably bush is a vital part of the bullpen for the american league west leading rangers who visit yankee stadium for four games this week bush had a 200 era through friday with 19 strikeouts in 18 innings he has hit 100 miles per hour with his fastball which averages around 97
bush is 30 he played softball sometimes in prison but others took it much more seriously he did not pitch at all even underhanded yet his fastball   the same one he could rev up to 96 mph in high school   never left him it tempted bush with thoughts of a comeback
roy silver was skeptical he had known bush the ballplayer and was not sure he should steer his friend back to playing silver a former minor leaguer is a special assistant to the rangers farm director he first met bush in 2009 when bush was in torontos camp and silver was a volunteer at chapel services
by then bush already had a long and dark past a drunken brawl that led to an arrest shortly after the draft and several other acts of alcohol fueled violence the accident in 2012 when bush was in spring training for the tampa bay rays seemed to signal the end of whatever flickering career remained
i was hoping to help him salvage his life as a convicted felon and recovering alcoholic silver said i wanted to keep him in baseball because thats what he knows best i was thinking about coaching or scouting for him
silver who lives in clearwater fla had once helped another troubled prospect josh hamilton by giving hamilton a job at his baseball facility as he rehabilitated from drug and alcohol addiction after bush was released to a halfway house in jacksonville fla in february 2015 silver visited him several times at a golden corral restaurant where bush worked in the bakery on a work release program
bush who wore tracking devices on his ankle and in his pocket was allowed to ride a bicycle three or four miles to work and back on his breaks he would play catch in the parking lot with silver mostly as an exercise to talk about life when bush pitched to silver   using a concrete parking block to push off with his back leg   the ball exploded from his hand with accuracy
despite his reluctance at first silver told his bosses that bush might really be a prospect again general manager jon daniels was not convinced
this wasnt a one time deal and this wasnt a small issue   this wasnt something you kind of chalk up as a youthful mistake daniels said this was a history of off field incidents and alcoholism and a very serious incident where a man almost died so my initial reaction having heard the stories in the past was i dont know why wed get involved with that
roy basically said listen i get it im not pushing it on anybody ive known him since before the incident ive been in his life and i would be in his life if he was not a prospect however im advising you to be aware ive seen something and also i believe in this young man
daniels was intrigued enough to discuss the idea with his family over thanksgiving and was encouraged by the environment the rangers had created for hamilton who flourished for the rangers and twice led them to the world series bush had no agent and met with no other teams but silvers word helped persuade daniels to send scouts to the golden corral and learn more about bush as a person
with all the things that ive been through   im a convicted felon and everything else you name it   it just goes to show that theyre looking to win and they want to put the best talent out here bush said not only that they gave me a chance to sit down and talk see where my mind was at where i was with my sobriety and how i was with my day to day life
bush has apologized in a letter to his victim anthony tufano who was then 72 tufano broke eight vertebrae in the accident and also sustained a collapsed lung and brain hemorrhaging he was wearing a helmet which probably saved his life because bush drove over his head while fleeing the scene tufano settled a civil lawsuit with bush in 2013 and while silver said the two had not spoken tufano has offered forgiveness
the rangers gave bush another chance and after he impressed them in spring training he needed just 12 games at class aa before his promotion to the majors in may bushs father stays with him when the team is home and silver travels with him on the road silver emphasized that bushs recovery was just starting
this is a never ending constant battle silver said he understands hes a public figure and his story can really affect people in a positive way that has to be more important than throwing 100 otherwise this doesnt end well
bush earned a measure of respect in the texas clubhouse in his second outing on may 15 when he hit the teams nemesis   the blue jays jose bautista   with a pitch which soon led to a fracas on the field he declined to say much about that but was candid about his own fight to stay sober
theres plenty of people out there struggling to this day with it thinking the same thing as me whats going on i shouldnt be like this bush said well youve got to quit when you have a serious problem you need to get over it and move on some horrible things happened to line up for me to get well but its happened
the baseball life which once seemed to bring out a dangerous and destructive side of bush now seems to suit him at last
theres a lot of negativity around all the time and you can get sidetracked in all that bush said but i stayed strong i stayed positive obviously i got sick and tired of ruining my life
with the mets david wright almost certainly gone for the season after having surgery for a herniated disk in his neck the rangers prince fielder offers at least cautionary optimism for a return fielder was the al comeback player of the year last season when he hit 305 with 23 homers after having undergone a cervical fusion for a herniated disk in may 2014
for me it was just getting your strength back as far as your shoulders and everything because i couldnt even lift 15 pounds with my left arm fielder said getting that back getting the feel   its not that youre nervous its just swinging hard again its like can i do it its like that with anything that affects your neck because thats a big part of hitting
the worst part fielder said was trying to play through the pain   lying to himself to think he could do it worrying about long term physical damage he started feeling better the next spring but even then he said i still didnt feel like i could swing really hard until a couple of months
fielder had his surgery at age 30 and wright is 33 fielder is also a designated hitter an option not available to wright and fielder does not have spinal stenosis as wright does fielder acknowledged the differences but said wright could recover
you can definitely come back from it fielder said youre definitely not the same probably but youve just got to figure out a new way to do the same things
brian kenny raises an interesting point in his new book ahead of the curve which challenges conventional baseball thinking kenny an mlb network anchor wonders why there are no women working as umpires
if there were no umpires of color   any color   ever to work a major league game we would consider it unacceptable kenny writes why is it ok for half the population to be basically ineligible
it is a fair point to be sure   and almost as if on cue the gulf coast league last week hired jen pawol to be the first female umpire in the affiliated minor leagues since 2007 pawol attended the minor leagues umpire training academy in vero beach fla this year after about a decade as a division i womens softball umpire
pawol 39 was a softball catcher and shortstop at hofstra but said she enjoyed umpiring more
the players and the coaches make the game happen but it actually flows through the umpire pawol said its really a beautiful concept i love the fellowship with the other umpires and the camaraderie and friendships ive made
umpires can spend decades on the job and pawol probably has a long climb to be considered for the major leagues which is her goal only six other women have been umpires in the affiliated minors with none reaching the major leagues pawol rightly sees no reason for the profession to be filled solely with men
if youre good youre good if youre bad youre bad she said in education business law enforcement the military   there are a lot of places where men and women are working together if girls and women try it and like it im sure theyd do well in it theres no reason why they wouldnt


atlanta   the mets sputtering offense was transformed last summer through trades the return of injured players and the promotion of a top outfield prospect before saturdays 1 0 win in 11 innings over the atlanta braves at turner field the mets made three moves that they hope can again enliven their slumping lineup into one with playoff potential
first the mets signed jose reyes their former four time all star to a minor league contract the colorado rockies released reyes after he had served a suspension over domestic abuse allegations the mets are hoping that reyes 33 a longtime shortstop with experience at second base can learn to play third base and other positions as well
he brings something to the table and to our team that obviously we dont have that foot speed and athleticism said mets manager terry collins whose team ranks near the bottom of the major leagues in runs and stolen bases
second the mets promoted the outfield prospect brandon nimmo the teams first round pick in 2011 lastly they demoted the struggling outfielder michael conforto whose hot bat was part of last years second half surge
frankly we felt we put it off a little too long and maybe to michaels detriment mets general manager sandy alderson said
although the mets won on saturday the offense could have used a spark kelly johnson acquired this month from the braves smashed a pinch hit home run in the 11th inning
right now its been one of those stretches where runs are hard to come by johnson said
for eight scoreless innings mets starter jacob degrom was locked in a pitchers duel with julio teheran over his last 41 innings degrom has received two runs of support while compiling a 245 era
those zero zero games every pitch is big degrom said
to close out the game the mets gambled with one out collins had closer jeurys familia intentionally walk the potential go ahead run freddie freeman who has hit well against the mets in the past familia then snared nick markakiss ground ball to start a game ending double play
i know that nick is swinging the bat good but ive had enough of freddie collins said
although reyess addition was open to criticism the mets saw an opportunity reyes was arrested oct 31 after his wife told the police that he had grabbed her throat and shoved her into a sliding glass door at a hawaii resort charges were dropped after she did not cooperate with prosecutors
but major league baseball suspended reyes for 51 games under a new domestic violence policy the rockies designated reyes for assignment on june 15 then could not find a trade partner for him and placed him on release waivers which ended saturday
alderson said the mets felt that reyes was contrite and deserved a second chance nearly 75 minutes after reyes became a free agent on saturday afternoon the mets announced that he had signed a minor league deal
a second chance with conditions alderson said
reyes who hit 274 last season between the rockies and the toronto blue jays will start at third base on sunday for the class a brooklyn cyclones team officials said they believed he might need seven to 10 days in the minors
after confortos second strikeout in fridays game collins decided it was time for a reset
lets get him right collins said were getting near the all star break we need him to come out of that break and have michael conforto be the guy that we saw last year at this time
conforto 23 has hit 148 with six home runs and 48 strikeouts since may 1 before traveling to class aaa las vegas conforto said that he was disappointed but understood
i know i can play here conforto said i know ive had success ive just got to find it again ill work hard and hopefully ill be back here soon
confortos replacement nimmo arrived at turner field late saturday afternoon and collins said he expected to play nimmo in left field on sunday
im not the savior of the team nimmo said im just here to try and help and contribute in the way that i play the game if that helps us win then thats great


has donald j trump become a born again christian
that is the suggestion of james c dobson one of americas leading evangelicals who said mr trump had recently come to accept a relationship with christ and was now a baby christian
dr dobson the founder of focus on the family and one of the countrys most prominent social conservatives gave his account at a meeting mr trump had in new york on tuesday with hundreds of christian conservatives
in an interview recorded at the event by a pennsylvania pastor the rev michael anthony dr dobson said he knew the person who had led mr trump to christ though he did not name him
i dont know when it was but it has not been long dr dobson said i believe he really made a commitment but hes a baby christian
mr anthony posted the interview to his blog on friday dr dobson could not be reached on saturday and hope hicks the trump campaign spokeswoman did not respond saturday to a request for details
mr trump stumbled at times last year when speaking about faith at one point he said that he had never asked for gods forgiveness and after repeating on the campaign trail that the bible was his favorite book ahead of his own art of the deal mr trump declined to name a favorite verse the bible means a lot to me but i dont want to get into specifics he told bloomberg television
mr trump a presbyterian questioned the faith of hillary clinton a methodist at a meeting with a smaller group of evangelical leaders on tuesday saying we dont know anything about hillary in terms of religion
during the new york meeting mr trump made no mention of being born again it is a possibility certain to cause chortles in some corners but it could also open doors in others for the thrice married presumptive republican nominee for president
for evangelicals accepting christ is at the heart of becoming a genuine christian and refers to acknowledging sin and declaring the need for jesus christ as savior
the expectation evangelicals have is of a radical change a 180 degree turn from the life of sin to following christ said kedron bardwell a political science professor at simpson college in iowa who is the son of an evangelical pastor
with new believers this is often done in prayer with another christian which may have been what dr dobson was referring to when he said that he knew the person who had led him to christ
mr trump won a majority of evangelical voters in the republican primaries though some prominent conservative christian leaders kept their distance dr dobson endorsed senator ted cruz
since mr trump clinched the nomination in may some of those leaders have rallied to him including ralph reed
in his interview dr dobson conceded that mr trump did not exactly fit the typical mold of an evangelical
he used the word hell four or five times he said he doesnt know our language he added that mr trump refers a lot to religion and not much to faith and belief
for evangelicals the heart of christianity is a faith based dependence on god they often contrast this with what they characterize as merely religion which they view as more rules and rituals based
dr dobson joked that christians should take it easy on mr trump for what some might perceive as slip ups
you got to cut him some slack dr dobson said he didnt grow up like we did
mr anthony referred to the damascus road conversion of saul a zealous pharisee who later became the apostle paul he didnt know the language either
dr dobson agreed
i think theres hope for him dr dobson said and i think theres hope for us


as the mets pitched their way to a world series appearance last year the name omar minaya kept coming up he may have been fired in 2010 but moves he had made were largely responsible for the teams talented young roster
it is with that in mind that executive departures in sports which often seem to carry a great deal of finality should actually be considered unfinished business until the various permutations of moves they made have come to fruition
case in point the name on the tip of everyones tongue at the nba draft on thursday was sam hinkie the former general manager of the philadelphia 76ers who had resigned in april with a long and somewhat confusing letter addressed to the teams ownership that was eventually leaked to the news media
hinkie may have been replaced at the helm of the team by bryan colangelo but the familiar refrain associated with him trust the process was mentioned several times by players and the news media as the 76ers went about using the three first round picks   including the no 1 overall selection   that hinkies plan had led to the teams controlling one fan at the draft was holding a sign that said hinkie died for your sins
ben simmons whom philadelphia chose with the no 1 pick got the ball rolling with hinkies words when he posted a photo to instagram earlier in the week of him working out for philadelphia with a caption that read trust the process asked about that after his selection he was a little coy about his motivations
im a part of the family now so youve got to trust it he said youve got to go with it and youve got to work hard
when asked if he understood where the phrase came from or its meaning he said he understood it a little bit and was a little bit aware of it
what he was referring to of course was hinkies decision to strip the roster and essentially lose on purpose while acquiring a staggering number of future draft picks to one day rebuild the 76ers into a competitive team around the lottery picks they have made in recent years
more than a few of those picks have not exactly worked out
philadelphia came about the no 1 selection this season the old fashioned way by losing more games than anyone else but the team also had the nos 24 and 26 picks thanks to hinkies willingness to essentially help out other teams in exchange for future picks
the no 24 pick which the 76ers used on timothe luwawu cabarrot a 21 year old wing from france was acquired when the team helped facilitate the trade that sent kevin love to the cleveland cavaliers and andrew wiggins to the minnesota timberwolves the 76ers sent out thaddeus young who was productive but flawed and somewhat wasted on a team not yet interested in winning and got back the first round pick and luc richard mbah a moute and alexey shved neither of whom made it to a second season with the team
the no 26 pick which the sixers used on furkan korkmaz an 18 year old guard from turkey was acquired when the team agreed to take javale mcgees salary off the hands of the denver nuggets and was given a first rounder for its trouble mcgee played six games for philadelphia before he was waived
while neither luwawu cabarrot nor korkmaz is a familiar face to an american audience both are assets acquired with little cost to the team and if they end up being productive the credit will at least partly have to go to hinkie similarly the team has a massive stockpile of picks over the next few seasons according to the website realgmcom including a top three protected first round pick from the los angeles lakers next season that would be unprotected in 2018 an optional first round pick swap next season with sacramento and a 2019 first rounder from sacramento in addition it is owed seven second round picks from various teams
beyond the various draft picks it is difficult to add up the pluses and minuses of the hinkie era because his moves can be hard to unpack he worked remarkably hard through drafting and trading to acquire the rights to nerlens noel joel embiid dario saric and jahlil okafor while noel and okafor have been at least somewhat productive neither embiid nor saric has played in the nba yet
simmons while not necessarily a consensus selection at no 1 is considered a good bet to succeed in the league but figuring out whom he will be playing with as he develops is a mystery philadelphia is currently working on bringing saric over from europe and otherwise has only two nonguaranteed contracts   kendall marshall and richaun holmes   and a few team options on players beyond next season an interesting referendum on the hinkie era is on the way soon as philadelphia will have to make difficult calls on whether to extend noels and embiids contracts
as the mets proved years can pass before an executives legacy can be determined hinkie has those who discredit him entirely for his failures while others are determined to prop him up because of the position he has put the 76ers in the truth as it often does probably lies somewhere in the middle
but embiid whose main contribution to the team has been his impressive presence on social media clearly approved of the move to get luwawu cabarrot
after the pick embiid who grew up in cameroon wrote on twitter someone to speak french with congrats my boy
for hinkies reputation and philadelphias ability to compete the 76ers will have to hope that beyond speaking french embiid and luwawu cabarrot can also play basketball on the same court at some point


in his latest meant to shock music video kanye west puts himself and his wife kim kardashian west in a special breed of rarefied company splayed out on a huge bed the couple   or realistic figures in their likenesses   are surrounded by nude depictions of family caitlyn jenner former flames ray j amber rose friends and colleagues rihanna chris brown anna wintour and some of this eras most polarizing men donald j trump george w bush bill cosby
and then there is taylor swift
the song is famous from mr wests recent album the life of pablo on the track which has been fuel for months of tabloid chatter and social media speculation he raps about his complicated history with ms swift   i feel like me and taylor might still have sex   adding that he had made her famous the rapper claimed after the songs release that ms swift had approved it which she denied even sending a rebuke his way in her grammy speech this year for winning album of the year
the famous video a grainy and voyeuristic 10 minute comment on fame in mr wests own words premiered on friday night at the forum in los angeles and on a simultaneous livestream hosted by tidal the music service the video will be available exclusively on the streaming service for one week the company said
shot like a creepy home video the visuals feature an uncomfortably close camera panning across the sleeping celebrities in night vision lingering over their instantly recognizable faces and uncovered bodies the tableau recalls a painting sleep by the american artist vincent desiderio in an interview with vanity fair mr west also cited the artist matthew barney as an influence
the history between many of those portrayed is complicated sordid and the stuff of tmz   a sex tape for ms kardashian west and ray j for example and the well known history of abuse in the case of rihanna and mr brown mr brown responded to the video mostly in emoji on instagram adding that mr west is talented but crazy
but it is the presence of ms swift directly next to mr west in bed that seems to be the most button pushing months after the back and forth over the songs content ms kardashian west revisited the feud in a recent gq interview she totally approved that she said of ms swift referring to the line in the song she totally knew that that was coming out mr west even has his phone call with ms swift on video she added
a representative for ms swift replied in part kanye west never played the song for taylor swift taylor heard it for the first time when everyone else did and was humiliated representatives for the singer did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the music video and whether or not she had approved the use of her likeness
for his part mr west forever needling his rivals and eager to get the last word expressed only gratitude the video ends with a special thanks for those represented   just for being famous


a new digital ad campaign from priorities usa a super pac supporting hillary clinton equates fighting bigotry with stopping the presidential candidacy of donald j trump priorities is spending 500000   a large amount for an online ad   on the first commercial dante which portrays mr trump as biased against the disabled
the ad flashing cancer survivor tattoos on his forearms dante latchman 17 tells of surviving a rare spinal cord affliction that was diagnosed when he was 1 ive spent my whole life fighting back he says he is shown watching television and seeing mr trump mock a reporter serge kovaleski of the new york times who has a condition that limits the functioning of his joints i dont want a president who makes fun of me i want a president who inspires me dante says thats not donald trump
the ad drives home its theme   a stop hate graphic flips to say stop trump   as dante is seen walking down the sidewalk with his mother his gait noticeably laborious
the impact this is the second ad produced by priorities usa attacking mr trump on this subject and mrs clintons campaign has also seized on mr trumps mockery of mr kovaleski what makes this one distinctive and compelling is the ads youthful telegenic protagonist and narrator who appears to embody both the difficulties that many people with disabilities must confront in their daily lives and the pain that hurtful words can cause less a classic attack ad than a scolding one it takes on added power because of the sympathy that he engenders much of it wordlessly
changing channels 
mr trumps cash poor campaign has not run television ads since last month but a super pac supporting him restoring america now has placed an ad that tries to undermine mrs clintons credibility as a champion for women by accusing her of smearing her husbands accusers in his sexual scandals during the 1990s yet so far the ad is running only on cable systems nationally   because the super pac too is short of funds
republican strategists have been fretting that mr trump could drag down their candidates in other contests and senator mark s kirk of illinois whose seat is one of the senates most endangered appears so worried that he has begun running a new ad showcasing his opposition to mr trump a viewer could almost be forgiven for mistaking mr kirk for a democrat the ad highlights his support for abortion rights and for holding a hearing on president obamas nominee to the supreme court judge merrick b garland then to demonstrate mr kirks courage it shows newspaper headlines kirk dumps trump and boasts that he bucked his party to say donald trump is not fit to be commander in chief
in her primary campaign mrs clintons spanish language ads were almost uniformly positive but in her first spanish language ad of the general election   released after the supreme court deadlocked on an immigration case effectively ending mr obamas effort to let millions of unauthorized immigrants live in the country legally   mrs clinton wastes no time rebuking mr trump highlighting his promise to assemble a deportation force to round up and eject the 11 million people now in the country illegally the ad features spanish speakers recalling the earliest immigrants in their own families including veterans of world war ii and more recent arrivals in miami soy hillary clinton and i approve this message the candidate says at the end of the ad which is to begin running during sundays argentina chile final of the copa america soccer tournament
112 million amount spent or reserved for television ads by priorities usa since may 17 according to kantar mediacmag
2 million amount spent or reserved by the two trump aligned super pacs great america and rebuilding america now


cleveland   about 92 hours had passed since the city secured its first major professional championship in 52 years and here we were sitting together at progressive field waiting for the indians game to start and basking in the glow of a scoreboard that read cleveland cavaliers 2016 nba champions
my cleveland sports hero is not lebron james or carlos baerga or bernie kosar   although they have all been among my favorite players at some point   but my father dave who raised his only child to be a die hard fan no matter how painful that could be at times
through the years he has dressed me in jerseys and t shirts with names like byner daugherty thome lofton couch swisher hillis and manziel many of them still hang in my closet some rendered useless by trades or general lack of productivity thats just the cleveland way
my face has been painted like a browns helmet and i have worn dawg tags a plastic dog nose and an orange and white trucker hat with a furry brown dog wearing a browns headband on the front most children get goofy hats at walt disney world not me i liked it that way
we went to games at cleveland municipal stadium jacobs field now progressive field richfield coliseum the previous home of the cavaliers and gund arena now quicken loans arena we even went to wahoo winterfest and fuji photo day to get autographs from and pictures with our favorite stars come on melissa dont be shy get in there he would yell as i stood sheepishly waiting for andre thornton pat tabler joe carter and the like in hindsight this helped me tremendously when i became a sports journalist
opening day was a holiday in the hoppert household and there was no better sight than dad pulling into my grade schools parking lot ready to break me free we went to the 19 inning indians home opener in 1992 which lasted 6 hours 30 minutes and sat through it all that same season we sneaked into seats behind home plate and my father went sprinting down a portal after a foul ball and came back with a mangled walkman and a bruised knee that week our english teacher assigned us personal narratives i documented the foul ball adventure
we were there for the final indians game at municipal stadium wearing t shirts emblazoned with an image of the chief wahoo sign from atop gate d and the words the last hurrah we also were there in 1993 for the first game after bill belichick the browns coach at the time cut kosar the homegrown quarterback who wore no 19 we chanted bill must go with several hundred fans outside the doors to the browns locker room belichick went on to lead the new england patriots to four super bowl titles the browns have yet to win one thats just the cleveland way
the day kosar was cut was not the darkest day in cleveland sports history that distinction belongs to nov 6 1995 when the owner art modell announced he was moving the browns to baltimore we joked with my father who makes fuel pumps for jet aircraft and for years was a proud official in the united auto workers that he lost half his wardrobe that day he did not find that funny
we were at the browns final game at municipal stadium on dec 17 1995 the browns beat the bengals 26 10 but the victory had all the makings of a funeral advertisements were blacked out all around the stadium and fans ripped out rows of seats to take home in 2001 after the resurrected browns began play at a new stadium my father shielded me from plastic beer bottles being hurled onto the field from fans who were incensed by officials reviewing a play after another had already been run the episode is now known as bottlegate
there were some happy times from june 12 1995 to april 4 2001 the indians sold out 455 consecutive home games setting a major league record that was later broken by the boston red sox from 1995 to 1997 i was an usher at the ballpark and worked two world series and an all star game by the 1997 playoffs i was a freshman at ohio state and would drive two and a half hours from columbus to cleveland to work the home games before driving right back there was no way i was going to miss out on the parks electric atmosphere
i watched game 7 from a sports bar in columbus and could barely believe it when the indians went into the ninth inning with a 2 1 lead against the florida marlins but jose mesa allowed the marlins to tie the score and edgar renteria drove in the winning run in the 11th my father watched the meltdown from his couch in euclid ohio and he called in sick and sat in the dark for days afterward replaying it in his mind thats just the cleveland way
then the cavaliers secured the no 1 overall pick in the 2003 draft and selected lebron james who had clevelanders dreaming of a championship while he was slamming down dunks at st vincent st mary high school in nearby akron the chosen one as they called him was poised to lead us to the holy grail but my father knew better there were signs he said that james did not live and die with cleveland   at least not yet first james wore a yankees cap to an indians division series game against the yankees in 2007 a year later james stood on the cowboys sideline at browns stadium as much as this irked my father james was forgiven as long as he was wearing the wine and gold enter espn and the decision which stung worse than the drive the fumble the shot and all the other lowlights because it was a man made disaster
my father continued to show his support for the cavaliers watching on tv and going to games even as james led the miami heat to two titles then came july 11 2014 when james a free agent announced in an online love letter to the city that he was coming home for as much as it stung when james left all was forgotten in the time it took to scroll to the bottom but there was still one tough critic to convert   my father
he left a voice mail message the next morning and i knew right away that he too was smitten with james i saved it and listened to it again this week we went to the indians game last night and i tell you it was so much fun electric the whole downtown is just going crazy he added citing the awarding of the republican national convention and the arrivals of browns quarterback johnny manziel indians manager terry francona and james so many good things are happening
he continued for a guy like me thats lived here all my life to be the center of the sports world its just amazing clevelands on the move no more mistake on the lake the rivers burning that happened in the 60s you know what i mean the feelings surreal
he was wrong about manziels resurrecting the browns but he was right about the rest as we sat behind home plate wednesday the indians were in first place in the american league central and on sunday james and the cavaliers defeated the golden state warriors 93 89 to become the first team to rally from a three games to one deficit to win the nba finals   on fathers day
even before the game something unusual was swirling in the air around cleveland hope i was not going to miss the celebration should the sports gods finally decide to award a title to our blue collar city after game 7 i met up with a former usher and we celebrated downtown still one thing was missing and so i texted my father dad i love you i wish you were here its insane
now 61 he wrote from the comfort of his barcalounger words cant describe how i feel surreal
in an instant the cleveland way had been transformed we were winners now and there was nothing left to do but call in sick and enjoy it


the governor of west virginia requested federal assistance on saturday to help the state deal with the record flooding that has cut a wide path of destruction across a sector of the state and led to the deaths of at least 24 people
in a statement gov earl ray tomblin said he had asked for help from the federal emergency management agency for kanawha greenbrier and nicholas counties which have been swollen with floodwaters that have washed away houses roads and vehicles and left thousands stranded since a band of thunderstorms struck on thursday
the sheriffs office in kanawha county announced saturday morning that three more deaths had been reported overnight the bodies of one man and two women were found in flooded homes and all of them were presumed to have drowned officials said
but on saturday evening the states division of homeland security and emergency management said that the official death count stood at 24 up one from friday the department also said that nearly 30000 homes were still without power
more than 500 people were stranded and spent the night at the elkview crossings mall northeast of charleston because the roads leading there were among more than 60 washed out around the state governor tomblin ordered emergency construction of a temporary road to reach the site
in white sulphur springs a house caught fire after it was ripped from its moorings and it drifted like a floating torch down a creek
one hundred homes were known to be badly damaged or destroyed mr tomblin said friday after declaring a state of emergency in 44 of west virginias 55 counties the victims included an 8 year old boy and a 4 year old boy both carried off by fast moving torrents where there would usually be shallow creeks
its been a long 24 hours and the next 24 hours may not be easier the governor said there will be an enormous amount of recovery work
in virginia gov terry mcauliffe made an emergency declaration for alleghany county and the city of covington
with roads impassable and rivers still near record highs in west virginia local officials said they did not know what the toll in death and destruction would ultimately be
im afraid that will go higher some of the hardest hit areas are areas that we cant get into said kent carper the president of the kanawha county commission how many homes have been destroyed nobody knows we have not even started the property assessment
i have seen bad flooding in west virginia but not like this he said its devastation just devastation
most of west virginia and western parts of virginia received 1 to 3 inches of rain in a few hours on thursday afternoon and evening but the downpour was far more intense in some places parts of greenbrier county a sparsely populated area bordering virginia got 8 to 10 inches of rain the national weather service reported
the mountainous terrain funneled that water into rivers that quickly overflowed their banks the elk river at queen shoals crested friday morning more than 14 feet above flood stage the highest ever recorded the greenbrier river at hilldale crested more than 19 feet above flood stage the highest since the 19th century
the greenbrier sporting club had been planning to host its annual pga tour event starting july 7 but much of the famed golf course was underwater thursday and friday on saturday afternoon the pga announced that the event had been canceled


beijing   in a sign of growing friction between china and taiwan mainland diplomats said saturday that they had suspended contact with their taiwanese counterparts because the islands new leader would not endorse the idea of a single chinese nation
beijing said it had cut off communication because president tsai ing wen of taiwan failed to endorse the idea that taiwan and the mainland are part of one china a concept known as the 1992 consensus
the move was the latest effort by the chinese government led by president xi jinping to increase pressure on ms tsai who took office last month and has unsettled beijing with her reluctance to disavow calls for taiwanese independence
the cross strait communication mechanism has been suspended because taiwan did not recognize the 1992 consensus the political basis for the one china principle an fengshan a spokesman for beijings taiwan affairs office said in a statement posted on its website
taiwanese officials said saturday that they would continue to try to communicate with their mainland counterparts we hope taiwan and the mainland can continue to have benign interaction which is good for both sides said tung chen yuan a government spokesman in taipei
patrick m cronin a senior adviser at the center for a new american security called the decision by beijing to halt talks a warning shot across the bow he said mainland officials were growing increasingly nervous about an independence movement in taiwan and were seeking to hinder ms tsais domestic agenda including her promise to revive a slowing economy
china will deny carrots and signal red lines for president tsai as she grapples with her fundamental challenge which is righting the economy dr cronin said
taiwan and china have been estranged since the communist revolution of 1949 under ms tsais immediate predecessor ma ying jeou the two sides forged closer economic and political ties
ms tsai has taken a more cautious approach openly criticizing chinese officials and warmly embracing chinas historic rivals like japan her party the democratic progressives has traditionally advocated taiwanese independence a move the mainland has threatened to counter with military force
ms tsai has said she wants to maintain the status quo in cross strait relations but she has stopped short of offering an unequivocal endorsement of the one china policy
in 1992 taiwan and the mainland agreed to consider themselves part of a single chinese nation but each side embraces a different interpretation of what that means
mainland officials treat the consensus as a prerequisite for normal relations and threatened to suspend contact if ms tsai did not endorse the principle the state media published a series of scathing editorials including one in which a peoples liberation army general suggested that ms tsai taiwans first female president held extremist views because she was unmarried
on saturday the taiwan affairs office in beijing revealed that talks with the mainland affairs council in taipei had been suspended since may soon after ms tsais inauguration the two entities represent one of the primary channels of communication between china and taiwan overseeing discussions related to trade law education and culture
tensions between the two sides increased in recent weeks after cambodia an ally of beijing decided to deport to mainland china 25 taiwanese citizens accused of participating in an internet scheme it was the third instance in recent months of chinas seeking to prosecute citizens of taiwan on its soil
on saturday chinese officials defended their handling of the case saying efforts to crack down on internet schemes were legitimate and supported by people on both sides of the taiwan strait
analysts said the decision to suspend talks was probably the beginning of a campaign by beijing to increase pressure on taiwan
china has several methods by which it could further constrain ms tsai it could seek to lure away taiwans few remaining diplomatic allies with promises of lucrative infrastructure investments it could also place restrictions on chinese tourism to the island which has increased significantly in recent years becoming a bright spot for the otherwise struggling taiwanese economy
the big unknown is the business community said jean pierre cabestan a political science professor at hong kong baptist university china will be reaching out to all the segments that are going to be dissatisfied with tsais policies
the timing of beijings announcement just as ms tsai departed for latin america on her first overseas trip as president seemed aimed at undermining her leadership analysts said
by refusing to communicate beijing is making it more difficult for the taiwanese government to fulfill its obligations to its citizens and as a member of international society said jonathan sullivan the director of the china policy institute at the university of nottingham in england
he added beijing is saying we dont care about inconvenience and are prepared to inhibit the management of cross strait interactions if we dont get what we want


the law school bust june 19 by noam scheiber looked at the increasing cost of law school which has left some graduates with large debts at a time that employment prospects have dimmed the law school at valparaiso university in indiana a focus of the article has offered buyouts to faculty members and plans to reduce its student body by about a third
the article attracted 1346 comments on nytimescom the following have been edited and condensed
i graduated from the valparaiso school of law in 1995 the missing piece to the story is that the valpo law school has a strong commitment to equity and social justice the faculty actively seeks out students from underrepresented groups rather than only well to do students from highly educated families even when i was there they had a special program to support underrepresented students to help them succeed
sherry faubion minnesota
this whole article is ridiculously biased beginning with the choice of valparaiso as its prime example look at the stats and you will find that graduates of law schools in the top two tiers are doing much better at finding good positions than they were a few years earlier law school grad unemployment persists only insofar as there are simply too many law schools
kastone minnesota
sad for the law school faculty sad for the former students sad for the current students what about the taxpayers who will be stuck for millions when the federal loans these students took out to pay for the exorbitant cost of law schools are forgiven
jim linnane bar harbor me
too many lawyers too few doctors not enough teachers
proffexpert los angeles
it is hard to have sympathy for those college graduates who voluntarily undertake huge debt in order to get an advanced degree in a profession where it is common knowledge that future financial success and wherewithal to repay the debt incurred is iffy at best
rf baltimore
the plight of lawyers shows the shape of things to come soon all professionals will be stripped of their elite status by automation overseas outsourcing and special visas
paul easton brooklyn
what about a teach for america type program for young lawyers with debt forgiveness built in
law feminist manhattan


for hillary clinton britains emotionally charged uprising against the european union is the sort of populist victory over establishment politics that she fears in the coming presidential election
mrs clinton shares more with the defeated remain campaign than a similar slogan   her stronger together echoing its stronger in her fundamental argument much akin to prime minister david camerons against british withdrawal from the european union is that americans should value stability and incremental change over the risks entailed in radical change and the possibility of chaos if donald j trump wins the presidency
she offers reasonableness instead of resentment urging voters to see the big picture and promising to manage economic and immigration upheaval just as mr cameron did she too is a pragmatic internationalist battling against nationalist anger cautioning that the turmoil after the so called brexit vote underscores a need for calm steady experienced leadership in the white house
but prudence is cold comfort to people fed up with more of the same
according to their friends and advisers mrs clinton and former president bill clinton have worried for months that she was out of sync with the mood of the electorate and that her politically safe messages   like im a progressive who gets results   were far less compelling to frustrated voters than the political revolution of senator bernie sanders or mr trumps grievance driven promise to make america great again
mr sanders and mr trump won a combined 25 million votes during the primary season compared with 16 million for mrs clinton and while many of mr sanderss supporters are expected to support her in november she has not recalibrated her message to try to tap into the anger that he and mr trump channeled
nor does mrs clinton have any plans advisers say to take cues from the brexit campaign and start soft pedaling her support for globalized markets or denouncing porous borders illegal immigrants and the lack of job protections in free trade agreements
much distinguishes the presidential contest from the british fight of course including a head to head matchup between well known candidates a sharply different economic context and a long and proud history of immigration
yet in addition to worrying that she is out of step mrs clinton is somewhat hemmed in by her record she supported her husbands north american free trade agreement which caused significant economic pain in the industrial midwest after it went into effect in 1994 and her nuanced views about free trade are a harder sell to many voters than mr trumps fire breathing vows to trash bad trade deals and use tariffs as economic weapons of national defense
while mrs clinton is counting on mr trumps history of racist and sexist remarks to doom his candidacy thursdays brexit referendum was an unnerving reminder that voter anger is deeper and broader than many elite politicians and veteran pollsters realize in swing states like ohio many democrats and republicans yearn for an economic comeback and are not confident that mrs clinton understands their frustrations or has the ideas and wherewithal to deliver the sort of change that could satisfy them
brexit is clearly a cautionary tale for the clinton campaign not to get too complacent with a potential victory said david b cohen a professor of political science at the university of akron trump sanders and those in great britain who ran the leave campaign are tapping into an anger and anxiety that is clearly festering working class folks in the united states are similar to working class folks in europe and a lot of those working class people feel as if the international economic system is not working for them and strangling the middle class
mike duhaime a republican strategist said the british vote was the clearest sign yet that the intensity against the status quo is far more real than many are still willing to acknowledge
if the trump victory in the primary wasnt enough of one the brexit vote serves as a major wake up call indicating just how frustrated average voters are with those in power mr duhaime said
several democrats cautioned against drawing too many lessons from the brexit vote saying mass immigration and economic malaise were bigger problems in britain and the european union than in the united states they also said many british voters were revolting against a bureaucracy in brussels that they regarded as bloated overpaid and prone to interfering in the affairs of sovereign countries
yet the democrats acknowledged that the worldview held by mrs clinton and many of the partys elites was not as attractive to many voters as it once was
liberal internationalism seems to have been dying for a while said mark s mellman a democratic pollster who is not involved with the clinton campaign but while that may be the animating philosophy of foreign policy intellectuals the world over it is not the animating philosophy of america nor of our domestic politics
for sean harrington a husband and father of three who owns the town pump tavern in downtown detroit the support for free trade deals and international markets cannot die fast enough taking a break from his bookkeeping duties on friday he said president clintons economic policies were still ruining the economy by giving benefits to large corporations that move jobs overseas while in states like michigan the average work force loses
if my fellow americans were doing better there would be more money around and traded in and out of my pockets said mr harrington a registered independent who is undecided between mrs clinton and mr trump
on the campaign trail mrs clinton regularly pledges to make sure our economy works for everyone not just those at the top as she put it on wednesday in raleigh nc where she also promised to reject bad trade deals and unfair trade practices she also argued in favor of britains remaining in the european union
but she was not surprised that the leave campaign won her advisers said friday because she understands the extent of voter anger her advisers said they were confident the referendum in britain did not mirror the presidential election in the united states
these are two different countries with very different circumstances and demographics facing different choices said jennifer palmieri mrs clintons communications director we believe american voters are looking for concrete solutions to address their economic frustrations and unlikely to find the turmoil economic uncertainty and roiling of markets caused by the brexit vote particularly appealing
frank luntz a republican expert on political messaging said mr cameron and the remain camp had failed to personalize individualize or humanize their campaign the stronger together slogan shared by the remain campaign and mrs clinton feels bloodless and overly intellectual compared with the more emotional country first appeals of mr trump and the leave movement he said
the problem with the concept of together is that it promotes groupthink rather than individual pursuits mr luntz said we are in an age of individual action not collective responsibility
mrs clintons arguments against mr trump often require a great deal of explanation to voters which can sometimes turn them off
while mr trump thrills his audiences with big promises   without saying much about how he would fulfill them   mrs clinton can get caught in the gears of policy one recent exception was a foreign policy speech in early june when she hit a rhythm and ripped into mr trump with memorable lines like he says he has foreign policy experience because he ran the miss universe pageant in russia
but when mrs clinton takes pains to explain why mr trumps promises and policies do not add up or are too risky she runs a risk of her own that she will sound as though she is instructing or talking down to her audience not many voters want a lecturer as president
a slogan and a message must be aspirational   either give people hope things will get better or that the bad stuff will stop   both said ruth sherman a political communications analyst who is not affiliated with any campaign referring to one of mrs clintons taglines she said hillarys im with her   i remember thinking when i first saw it really its not my job to be with her she should be with me
if mr trumps make america great again is resonant   by far the best slogan of all the candidates ms sherman said   mrs clinton is counting on voters to appreciate policy ideas that are more strategic than feel good
she argued in raleigh for instance that markets like the european union work best when all the stakeholders share in the benefits while that statement was hardly in the aspirational vein that ms sherman recommends it set a clear goal and was less divisive than mr trumps comments on the british referendum
the american electorate has tilted this year toward presidential candidates who make them feel as much as think but mrs clinton and her allies hope that voters will reflect on the vote in britain and opt for the steadiness and predictability that she promises
i dont think the average american who has a retirement account right now is thrilled about donald trumps support of brexit said thomas r nides who was a deputy secretary of state under mrs clinton hillary clinton understands we always need to change   but change that doesnt cause unintended consequences for the average american


beyond the favorites here are six players who have the skills to succeed at wimbledon which begins monday
with her victory this month on the grass in birmingham england keys cracked the top 10 in the world rankings for the first time keys a 21 year old american used her powerful serve and ground game to defeat carla suarez navarro and barbora strycova to earn her second grass court title a quarterfinalist at wimbledon last year keys hits flat penetrating groundstrokes and has improved her net game and mobility in the last year her serve hit with a deep graceful knee bend that belies the astonishing power she unleashes as she leaps high to make contact is one of the games best keys has the talent to contend for the wimbledon title
this tall 24 year old californian has had a stellar grass court season upsetting top seeded agnieszka radwanska in the first round at birmingham and the previous week winning the title in den bosch the netherlands for the second time vandeweghes formidable serve keeps opponents off balance she uses different spins and paces to disrupt rhythm she backs up her serve with a big ground game like tomas berdych in the mens game vandeweghe generates blistering pace on her forehand with seeming effortlessness her ability to come forward and finish points with swinging midcourt volleys and a deft touch around the net has made her a much more dangerous and opportunistic player seeded 28th vandeweghe has the game to go deep into the second week
riske an american followed up her victory at the grass court tournament in eastbourne england this month by storming to the finals in nottingham where she narrowly lost to karolina pliskova although ranked 80th riske is a superb grass court player who has had her best results as a pro on the grass in england she hits the ball cleanly off both sides taking the ball early to control court positioning and she is capable of upsetting a seed or two with her understanding of how to play on grass at 25 riske is a true dark horse but the increasing depth in the womens game as exemplified by shelby rogerss inspired run to the quarterfinals at roland garros suggests that there is more parity than ever before
raonic a tall canadian has added john mcenroe to his team for the grass court season and the early results look promising raonic led andy murray the world no 2 for a set and a half before falling in three sets in the queens club final this month arguably the games best server raonic 25 has steadily improved and enters wimbledon as the sixth seed mcenroe is encouraging raonic to serve and volley more to use his chip backhand for variety and to be more aggressive from the backcourt especially on the forehand like boris becker and ivan lendl who coach novak djokovic and murray mcenroe will look to instill a champions confidence in his pupil raonic has the tools to win a grand slam and is a legitimate contender for the wimbledon title
nicknamed sasha the 19 year old zverev has vaulted up the atp rankings this year and enters wimbledon as the 24th seed he stunned roger federer his boyhood hero in three sets in the semifinals in halle germany and then lost to the resurgent florian mayer in the final zverev a german has a nearly perfect game technically with a superb serve commanding groundstrokes and a flair for great shotmaking he moves exceptionally well for a tall man coached by his father   also named alexander   zverev has matured as a competitor in 2016 displaying an even keeled temperament and a fearlessness that make him a cant miss future grand slam champion along with dominic thiem 22 and nick kyrgios 21 zverev is the future of the mens game
an unflappable belgian goffin wins matches with a rock solid all court game and a superb mental approach he has ascended the atp rankings entering wimbledon as the 10th seed with a game founded on footwork quick decision making and an uncanny ability to play every point with laserlike focus goffin reached the quarterfinals at roland garros where he lost a prizefight of a match to dominic thiem goffin 25 with a slight build and unflashy style wins matches by outthinking his opponents and keeping a cool head when adversity hits his high tennis iq is a marvel to observe when he is in action he could go deep into the second week at wimbledon


wimbledon england   an underwhelming television analyst boris becker has turned out to be quite successful at analyzing what makes novak djokovic tick
his tennis commentary for the bbc during wimbledon   in which from 2002 to 2013 he was often the master of the self evident   was one of the reasons there was considerable skepticism about his ability to impart wisdom to djokovic when they joined forces in december 2013
but with djokovic now the reigning champion at all four grand slam tournaments the results speak for themselves which is the way becker going against his own grain seems to prefer it at this stage
its not about me becker said in a rare extended interview im very clear about that i mean i love to talk as you know i was a journalist after my tennis career in television but this is not about me its about novak its his time to shine
shine djokovic has supernova style his record since becker joined his coaching staff to work alongside marian vajda is 187 17 with 24 singles titles six of them grand slam crowns djokovics winning percentage before beckers arrival was 804 percent since beckers arrival it is 917 percent
although it is difficult to determine precisely how much credit becker deserves djokovic also had a fabulous season in 2011 before they teamed up it is often the marginal improvements that prove decisive at the highest level
they took time to feel each other out but it gels well said roger rasheed who has coached lleyton hewitt and most recently grigor dimitrov i think boris has done a great job in understanding novak and keeping his own personal ego and status out of the way when coaching at all times its a great effort as some cannot
becker a father of four children feels the timing was right
i think im a much better coach now at 48 than i would have been at 38 because at 38 it was still a lot about me becker said now the kids have grown older so you become a little more mature a little more about everybody else than you and i think that gives me an advantage somehow with how i deal with novak
my oldest son is 23 novaks 29 and so the difference isnt that great
there have been tactical contributions too
i think boris has added value to what was already a great game of speed reaction and ability by pushing novak up on the baseline more using his great assets in an even stronger way rasheed said he has kept challenging novak to develop and not sit still at no 1
progress was clear during djokovics run to his first french open title this month he excelled not only tight to the baseline but in the forecourt where on the slide or the run he was often the triumphant cat to andy murrays mouse in the final
there is more forward thinking at bigger moments rasheed said novak doesnt wait he makes it happen and controls the outcome with more confidence
becker was an attacking player in heart and mind on his way to the no 1 ranking in 1991 and three wimbledon singles titles he also had that boom boom serve another sector of the game in which he appears to have made a positive impact on djokovic but his emphasis according to vajda has been more on the mental game
because he won six grand slam titles boris knows exactly what hes dealing with when it comes to the pressure said vajda a slovak who peaked at no 34 in the singles rankings in 1987
although becker and djokovic generally speak english together they also communicate in german
especially in the locker room when other guys are around becker said chuckling it really helps that his interest is not just tennis its politics its about the economy its about different sports so it never gets boring and usually the topics dont repeat themselves
it helps that he speaks a few languages when you talk to some of the other players you realize after a 10  or 15 minute conversation that boy that was long how do you cover 10 minutes but with him it never stops because hes open minded and wants to learn and wants to get better and i think we feed off each other quite well that way
there is other common ground tennis was front and center in germany when becker and steffi graf were wunderkinds in the 1980s and 90s becker with a big personality to match his big game was a national obsession which helps him relate to the even bigger societal role that djokovic occupies in serbia
i think that really helped that in my early life my teenager life i had to deal with germany becker said his relationship with serbia is very similar unless youve experienced it you dont know what hes going through when he goes back home but unless youd been with me back home you wouldnt know what im talking about either
what is clear to many observers including john mcenroe is that the arrangement has benefited both parties becker who long appeared to struggle to find his footing in middle age looks happier and fitter hip surgery in 2014 helped as did a change in diet so too did returning to his natural habitat
sport was always my life and obviously eventually you have to retire and do something else and i became a shirt and suit guy   the ties not so much   but a shirt and suit guy becker said you go through different things and challenges but in my heart im a sportsman i love this sport i love other sports and if i can be around young sportsmen and sportswomen i love that it refreshes me its good for my soul its good for my body
im 48 but i feel like im 28 in many ways because im back in a track suit back on the practice court he added im back with the coaches i used to play as a player too and thats a nice feeling
the list has increased in the past month with ivan lendl rejoining andy murrays team and mcenroe who briefly coached becker in 1993 joining milos raonics team for the grass court season as a consultant
great to see john back in the locker room and on centre court becker said his knowledge of the game is second to none im sure it will improve milos in all areas just dont know about his look on the sidelines he is always so well dressed in the commentary booth
the booth is one domain where mcenroe who will continue to do commentary at wimbledon for the bbc has an unmistakable edge over his former rival even if mcenroe does not always grasp that less talk can be more
some things are for some people and some arent mcenroe said i have never heard boris do commentary in german so i dont know he might have been a different commentator in german but in english its not easy maybe he was thinking something different than what came out and it came out sort of basic like why is boris just saying this but it may have been to some degree the language
for now however becker is on top of the coaching heap with djokovic the first man to hold all four major singles titles since rod laver did so in 1969 a true grand slam   winning all four in the same calendar year   remains possible
i think this has actually allowed boris a way in when his body had broken down and he was sort of off doing other things and i think ultimately hes getting more satisfaction out of being part of this mcenroe said it was something where at the time they got together you werent quite sure but it turned out to be a win win for the sport
novaks handled it so well he added and boris the last couple years   i mean youve got to give him credit


phoenix ap   arizona has eliminated its use of the sedative midazolam as one of the drugs it relies on in carrying out executions
lawyers for the state said in a court filing on friday that its current supply of midazolam expired on may 31 and that arizonas sources for the drug have dried up because of pressure from opponents of the death penalty
that leaves arizona with other lethal drug combinations but the states lawyers said it cannot currently carry out executions because it has no access to supplies of pentobarbital and sodium thiopental
the status of the drug supplies was revealed friday in a court filing connected to a suit over arizonas application of the death penalty
executions in arizona were put on hold after the july 2014 death of a convicted killer joseph rudolph wood who was given 15 doses of midazolam and a painkiller and took nearly two hours to die his lawyer in the lawsuit says the execution was botched
a ruling last month by federal district judge neil wake dismissed parts of the lawsuit but other elements of the case remain in play
the state argued in its filing on friday that the lawsuit is moot now that midazolam is off the table
states are struggling to obtain execution drugs because european pharmaceutical companies began blocking the use of their products for lethal injections
capital punishment states refuse to disclose the sources of their drugs though they are widely believed to come from compounding pharmacies   organizations that make drugs tailored to the needs of a specific client
those pharmacies do not face the same approval process or testing standards as larger pharmaceutical companies


last month a recipe for lemon cake filled with pastry cream and lemon curd spread quickly on facebook garnering 6200 shares and 9900 likes of the 300 plus commenters some had followed the recipe and were displaying photos of their frosted creations while others asked baking questions or inquired about dairy  and gluten free versions of the recipe another contingent was just plain hungry i need a piece of that cake right now one person wrote
the recipe and the facebook page are those of king arthur flour which began importing flour to boston from britain in 1790 now based in norwich vt the company makes and sells its own products including dozens of flours along with baking supplies and equipment
jesse cloutier the companys digital engagement supervisor quickly wrote a playful reply to the facebook user who was desperate for an immediate lemon cake fix weve got a piece right here that well be happy to mail to yo mr cloutier wrote oh oh dear im afraid there are only a few crumbs lef   aaaaaand those are gone too
mr cloutier isnt just on staff at king arthur flour like 340 other employees hes also a partial owner of the company
since 2004 king arthur flour has been 100 percent employee owned after the first year of employment all workers who log more than 800 hours a year including seasonal and part time laborers are eligible for the employee stock ownership program or esop
esops are retirement plans that function much like 401ks but with one enormous difference the company fully funds esops without any financial contributions by employees
there are roughly 7000 esops in the united states according to data compiled by the national center for employee ownership companies with esops include avis bobs red mill heartland brewery the gensler architecture firm the chinese telecom business huawei the omaha world herald newspaper publix supermarkets w l gore  associates and w w norton  company
in april the majority owner of the greek yogurt company chobani hamdi ulukaya announced that he planned to give a 10 percent stake in the company to employees of which there are now 2000 given that chobani is valued at 3 billion to 5 billion its employee owners could reap major financial benefits if chobani were to go public or be sold
in 1996 frank sands a fifth generation owner of king arthur flour and his wife brinna began contemplating the succession plan for their business with no family members interested in taking it over mr sands came up with the idea of selling it to his employees
frank decided to rethink what would be the best way to move forward said his stepdaughter ellen kitchel who works as an administrator for king arthur flours educational programs including baking classes he really liked the idea of having the employee ownership he thought it brought out the best in people
family business owners are often drawn to employee ownership out of good will and generosity said joseph blasi a management professor at rutgers university who studies esops and is a co author of the book the citizens share reducing inequality in the 21st century
but there is also a practical reason that some turn to employee ownership not being able to get their wealth out of the company so that they can retire is one of the major problems of family entrepreneurs professor blasi said hence turning to the managers and workers who helped build the business may be appealing
these people dont have 15 million professor blasi said but all of a sudden the esop allows them to have 15 million if they have a business plan and if theres a bank that approves a credit line
profitability and a history of peaceful labor relations are keys to setting up and sustaining a successful esop along with worker support for the plan and strong management leadership full employee ownership like king arthur flours model isnt necessary but it helps ensure stability professor blasi said
but esops dont create utopias working at a company with an esop can be riskier than simply earning a wage this is because with esops employees can potentially lose both their jobs and their ownership shares mitigating that risk professor blasi said is the fact that workers dont personally make contributions to the esop and arent required to vouch for the loan obtained to buy the business
king arthur flour has experienced major growth since it became employee owned in the late 1990s the company started distributing products outside new england to the midwest and beyond growing from a small regional business into a national one with robust sales its annual sales are now more than 100 million more than 2000 king arthur flour products are sold in grocery stores to bakeries and through the companys website and catalog
but ms kitchel says the culture at king arthur flour isnt very different from what it was under her familys ownership
there are many similarities from when my mother and frank owned it she said theres a lot of real hands on involvement people care about each other and people care how things get done
king arthur flours three co chief executives say employee ownership has helped them attract talent and unite the work force the company also has profit sharing and 401k programs
and some of king arthur flours employees might be able to expect the esop to pay off handsomely in the long term said ralph carlton one of the chief executives
if the value of the companys equity continues to grow workers who are employed long enough to accumulate hefty retirement funds will find that the benefit is not just icing on the cake mr carlton said it allows people to retire in a very comfortable manner


beijing   a new chinese led international development bank announced its first four loans on saturday pledging to lend 509 million for projects to spread electric power in rural bangladesh upgrade living conditions in slums in indonesia and improve roads in pakistan and tajikistan
at the first of the annual general meetings of the institution the asian infrastructure investment bank the banks president jin liqun said the projects were financially sound and environmentally friendly and had been accepted by the people in the project areas
the projects of the 57 member bank founded last year as an effort by china to both challenge lending institutions and cooperate with them are relatively modest
the road in tajikistan is just three miles long but it will help clear traffic congestion on an important trading route near the capital dushanbe a 100 million loan to pakistan is for 40 miles of highway in punjab province that would complete the last section of a national artery the m 4 the bank said
three of the projects are being financed with other institutions   the asian development bank the world bank and the european bank for reconstruction and development   an approach that allowed the new bank to begin the projects quickly the banks 165 million loan to expand electricity in rural areas of bangladesh is its only stand alone project
by financing projects with long established institutions the beijing based bank was able to move quickly because work on meeting environmental standards and procurement policies had been completed staff members at the bank said
although the new bank was chinas idea it is intended to operate as an international bank dedicated to improving the basic structures and facilities needed to stimulate development across asia mr jin said at a news conference on saturday unlike the world bank and the asian development bank the asian infrastructure investment bank places less emphasis on the reduction of poverty he said
the bank was born with the birthmark of china but its upbringing is international mr jin said referring to the three other institutions that will finance the projects he said we can work wonderfully together
the new bank is being watched closely the united states refused to join when it was offered membership in 2014 saying it was uncertain how the bank would measure up on matters of environmental protection human rights and anticorruption measures long promoted by western governments and institutions japan has also not sought membership in the bank
but president obamas administration was mostly concerned that the bank would challenge the current development architecture the bretton woods system established under the leadership of the united states after world war ii
in the past year mr jin has worked to reassure washington largely by agreeing to choose projects that have already been approved by the world bank the asian development bank and the european bank he has also emphasized that the new bank will be more streamlined and strive to be lean green and clean
washington has shown no signs of wanting to join the new bank but senior obama administration officials have praised the decision to work with the established institutions and their regimen of standards
britain was the most eager of the western democracies to join the bank and it broke ranks with the united states and became a member in the fall of 2014 other members of the european union including france and germany rushed in after britain
the withdrawal of britain from the european union is not expected to affect its relationship with the bank mr jin said i believe the united kingdom will continue to play an important role in the development of the bank he said at the news conference
asked if he believed that britains decision showed that the old guard was crumbling quicker than he expected mr jin diplomatically replied that he had detected no such signs
one of five vice presidents of the bank the british politician danny alexander sat next to mr jin at the news conference member countries eagerly sought to fill the positions of vice president and mr alexanders appointment was interpreted as a reward to britain for its critical support of the bank in the face of american opposition
two dozen countries have expressed interest in joining the bank and they sent observers to the two day meeting mr jin said the new members would come from eastern europe latin america and africa and could join as early as next year
so far the bank has 39 permanent professional staff members and about 20 other people working on contracts a relatively small pool of people for an international bank planning to supervise major contracts the staff is expected to expand to about 100 by the end of the year a bank official said


never before have we had so much information about the worlds billionaires
we know their average age 63 their marital status 90 percent are married 6 percent divorced their most common alma mater harvard and even their most common sign under the chinese zodiac the snake we can get daily updates on their net worth and their competitive positions within the wealth rankings
an entire cottage industry has grown up around probing and publicizing billionaire wealth at least six different companies now compile billionaire lists
look the billionaires control more than 4 percent of the wealth on the planet said david friedman president of wealth x a private company that tracks and ranks billionaires theres a lot of interest in who they are and how much they have as long as there has been wealth there has been a fascination with who has the most
yet determining how much the billionaires have   and exactly how many there are in the world   depends on whos counting the fast growing number of rich lists has produced wildly different sets of numbers on the population and wealth of the worlds billionaires while one company says there are more than 2400 billionaires in the world another says there are about 1800 one says china has the most and that beijing is the worlds billionaire capital while another says the united states has twice as many as china
tallies of individual fortunes vary even more one ranking pegs the ikea tycoon ingvar kamprad as the 10th richest man in the world with a 42 billion fortune another ranking says hes not even a billionaire the koch brothers david and charles are each worth either 43 billion or 55 billion depending on the source
the kochs are doing just fine either way of course and whether there are 2400 billionaires or 1800 hardly matters to most of us yet in the age of rising wealth concentration the financial lives of billionaires have attained outsize importance to policy analysts inequality crusaders and wealth voyeurs alike and measuring the wealth of the wealthy it turns out is often more art than science
some of the numbers have to be taken with a grain of salt said caroline freund a senior fellow at the peterson institute for international economics but the estimates have value because it tells us what activities are most rewarding and where the billionaires are coming from a best estimate is better than no estimate with wealth
forbes magazine started the rich list craze in 1982 when it published its first 400 list of the 400 richest americans it followed in 1987 with its worlds billionaires list in 2010 two forbes staff members left to help start wealth x a private wealth research firm also devoted to calculating the fortunes of billionaires and multimillionaires the company now has over 170 researchers compiling detailed billionaire dossiers which it sells to private banks private jet sellers luxury retailers universities charities and other groups looking for clients or donors
wealth x keeps its own finances a secret but says its business has tripled over the last three years the company says its larger army of researchers has helped it identify more than 2400 individual billionaires in the world compared with forbess 1864 forbes says it tracks an additional 500 billionaire family fortunes
the quality of these lists comes down to resources mr friedman said the more people you have working on it the better your numbers are going to be
in 2012 bloomberg started publishing its real time billionaires index which is updated daily and the shanghai based hurun report a wealth research firm founded in 1999 by the british accountant rupert hoogewerf has also started tracking billionaires worldwide after starting out with its china rich lists hurun publishes more than 20 magazines and supplements a year and makes money from a fast growing series of conferences and events
the battle of the billionaire lists can grow contentious in february hurun said that the 100 billionaires in beijing made it the new billionaire capital of the world and that china had 568 billionaires to americas 535 forbes shot back in an article stating that new york was the billionaire capital with 79 while beijing ranked fourth with 51 forbes and wealth x say the united states has more billionaires wealth x tallies 585 in the united states to chinas 260 forbes said hurun sometimes included an entire familys fortune when identifying a billionaire while forbes counted only individuals
while the lists are unanimous in crowning bill gates the richest man in the world their valuations for him range from 75 billion to 85 billion the spanish retailing giant amancio ortega ranks second with about 74 billion
but estimates for other billionaires vary widely bloomberg estimates mr kamprads fortune at about 42 billion from his ownership of ikea forbes however says that mr kamprad is no longer a billionaire having transferred his wealth to special entities beyond his control bloomberg says its deeper reporting has found that the special entities which include structures in liechtenstein are still under mr kamprads control   and so still count as his personal wealth so mr kamprad is worth either less than 1 billion or more than 42 billion depending on a technical interpretation
the koch brothers wealth is also hard to pin down forbes lists david and charles koch with just under 40 billion each while bloomberg lists them as the fifth and sixth richest men in the world with 55 billion each wealth x says they are worth about 47 billion each its unclear why the numbers vary by 15 billion but since koch industries is privately held rather than valued through a publicly traded stock its valuation may be more subjective
in the age of fast moving wealth these wealth research firms promote their fast reaction times this month forbes announced it was changing its estimate of net worth for elizabeth holmes the founder of the embattled blood testing company theranos forbes said her 45 billion net worth in 2015 was being marked down to zero because of the companys lower value
yet bloomberg says it started marking down her wealth in february and changed it to zero in april as one of its west coast reporters started picking up problems with theranoss valuation
billionaires themselves often disagree with their public valuations some seek to be removed from the lists fearing the exposure and argue that their net worths are far lower others argue that their public valuations should be far higher
billionaires owe their success to being competitive so theyre competitive about where they rank on the billionaires lists mr friedman said
none may be more competitive about their wealth ranking than donald j trump despite mr trumps claims that his net worth exceeds 10 billion all of the wealth research firms put him far lower in rankings while hurun lists mr trumps wealth at 65 billion forbes says it is 45 billion and wealth x has it at 45 billion bloomberg pegged him at 29 billion which mr trump called a disgrace blaming michael r bloomberg
as for mr bloomberg forbes put his net worth at 45 billion but mr bloomberg doesnt appear on bloombergs own billionaire list the company says its policy is not to cover mr bloombergs company bloomberg lp


st louis   rick plowmans business installing suspended ceilings in offices schools and hotels could use new blood but hiring is tough he tells the man sitting in his office the 20 somethings he sees havent had the work ethic havent had the hustle
i have a hard time hiring people with that drive he says i go through a lot of employees that dont have that drive
the man listening scott anders is a federal probation officer   and he spots the opening he came for he pitches mr plowman on the notion of hiring more ex cons
what we really want is just for them to have an opportunity to interview with you mr anders says
mr plowman isnt sure thats a good idea what about his companys truckloads of expensive construction tools he wonders aloud you send the new hire out with that truck and your initial instinct is is that coming back to me mr plowman says thats unfortunate you think that but thats the fact
mr anders knows this dance well he is the architect of one of the most ambitious jobs for felons program in the federal courts system
with significant gains in two crucial measurements   number of those employed and of those who stay out of trouble while under supervision   the eastern district of missouris program has served as a model for state and federal prisoner re entry programs nationwide its mantra is that hiring people with criminal records can be good for business that is a tough sell
mr anders is on the front lines of a fundamental challenge within the federal criminal system the struggle to reintegrate former prisoners into society when released prisoners cant find work it contributes to a costly negative social and economic cycle of recidivism crime and ultimately perhaps a return to imprisonment all at the expense of taxpayers and communities
prison to work programs over all are desperately inadequate said devah pager a harvard sociologist at the moment theres very little systematic provision of assistance to match ex offenders with jobs at release said ms pager whose research focuses on the barriers that race and criminal records pose in the workplace the charles colson task force on federal corrections in a report commissioned by congress that was released in january said it was surprised and alarmed by the systems failures to curb recidivism with effective re entry programs particularly in employment
the bureau of prisons responded with vows to improve a longtime prison reform advocate pat nolan of the american conservative union said the deficiencies extend beyond teaching skills to perform particular jobs
to make prisoners employable prisons need an injection of real world business smarts in their programs said mr nolan a former california lawmaker who served a federal prison sentence on corruption charges that means focusing on the jobs that are in demand on the outside
and it requires teaching prisoners to think of themselves as employees
its getting up on time cleaning up showing up when youre supposed to putting in a full days work for a full days pay not pilfering from the cash drawer or the supply room   you know the basics mr nolan said making matters more complicated often the ex prisoners are young people who have never had an adult in their life that had a regular job and that they could emulate
the numbers are daunting the national employment law projects conservative estimate is that 70 million americans have some sort of criminal record each year nearly 700000 people emerge from prison more than half of them will boomerang back within three years without having found legal employment
fifteen years ago mr anders said the st louis federal probation office faced a different sort of numbers gap no one knew precisely how many of its 2000 or so ex offenders were unemployed back then mr anders said he and his colleagues figured if theyre not working they dont want to
a new boss douglas burris came in and ordered up the numbers which showed that despite the booming economy at the time convicted felons supervised by the office were three times as likely to be unemployed than the average local worker mr anders was given a new job start trying to fix that
the standard approach has long been relatively disconnected from the real world job market focused on teaching soft skills   interview etiquette resume writing and the like   it often sent prisoners into the labor pool lacking marketable skills or direction resulting in low paying short term jobs
while studying work force development mr anders said he met a consultant from the national institute of corrections who suggested a different approach focus on what employers need his office began examining local labor market projections to understand which industries might be hiring armed with that information the office began working inside prisons to start inmates career planning
in effect mr anders began building an employment agency he assembled lists of employers willing to hear from ex prisoners and a roster of groups that could provide counseling that his team could not offer
the team developed questionnaires to determine prisoners schooling training and interests it added mock job fairs where employers conducted practice interviews and explained the jobs available on the outside to help prisoners plan ahead or seek training
case officers are graded on their ability to place former prisoners in appropriate jobs with a goal of limiting job hopping
prisoners once released are sorted into two groups those unable or unwilling to function in the workplace receive remedial counseling in social skills and setting employment goals others have their interests or skills matched with available jobs while getting training under the second chance act a federal law that finances prisoner re entry programs
over all though the st louis office was essentially on its own federal money is limited and national probation officials have not pushed to make employment programs a higher priority partly out of deference to local prerogatives but also because of caution bred by research that questions whether employment actually causes recidivism to drop
at first the program required an intensive door to door effort to persuade employers that cold calling continues but now the program focuses more on labor unions truck driving schools and other employment middlemen
greg gooch of sj potashnick transportation inc in sikeston mo said he had successfully hired through one of those truck driving schools wed almost rather have them than some thats never done anything never had a job mr gooch said they have seen hardship he pointed out they dont want to go back to where they were
under the program unemployment among the offices ex offenders fell early on by more than half to under 6 percent from a previous 12 percent since the recession it has hovered around 5 percent notable considering that rates of 50 percent or more among ex offenders are the norm recidivism was 15 percent in a 2012 study compared with 38 percent nationally in the federal system
there are some failures mr anders recounts one a bank robber who after his release from prison was sent on a parking lot maintenance crew to the same bank which he promptly robbed again
but more typically failures stem from a mismatch between prison attitudes toward authority and behavior suited to the workplace where threats and intransigence wont cut it that takes time and effort to fix
before he accepted help that landed him a job as an ironworker that pays more than 30 an hour mark geralds emerged from a 17 year prison stint wary of probation officers mr geralds a burly 46 year old who was jailed for drug crimes says that his attitude was just stay away from me
but after floundering in low paying jobs delivering furniture and working on lawn crews he realized the probation officers were trustworthy those guys were good he says
to date st louis probation officials have trained personnel from 80 of the 93 other federal districts probation offices delegations from state and federal parole and probation offices make pilgrimages to the office
labor secretary thomas e perez has spoken in favor of techniques like these and his department last year made a set of modest grants to promote such work still said michael thompson director of the council of state governments justice center government too often speaks to business in the language of public policy rather than with a market mind set if government urges businesses to hire more ex felons for the common good its going to be a pretty short conversation mr thompson said because the public policy goal is barely if at all a blip on the radar for businesses
one obstacle remains companies concerns about developing a reputation as a felon friendly workplace when mr anders visits prospective employers three out of four still say they are not interested even so it is better now than it was in the beginning he notes
sometimes employers that do say yes are motivated by necessity given how many americans have some sort of criminal record johns hopkins health system recruits through local nonprofit groups in baltimore that serve ex offenders highlighting the fact that 5 percent of its 18000 person work force has a record there were so many people who had something on their background if you were going to disqualify everybody then what are you going to be left with said michele sedney a johns hopkins recruitment executive
back in the office of mr plowman mr anders has encountered an obstacle it turns out that mr plowman hired a recruit early last year on the recommendation of the carpenters union without hearing directly from the probation office he learned later that his new employee had been in prison for selling cocaine
it is something that as a company i think i would like to know mr plowman tells mr anders
but mr plowman also acknowledges the value of hires who have been around the block and have learned a lesson or two he warms to the idea of hiring more former prisoners you know he says maybe theres something to the fact that these people are getting a second chance
but if he does hire more former prisoners mr plowman says it wont be because hes a pushover for a hard luck story you need someone that wants to do the job he says
mr anders promises to stay in touch


fear if not the reality of the zika virus and the mosquitoes that carry it has not only cast its shadow on the olympic games in rio de janeiro in august but is upending the carefully laid plans of couples who have long wanted a wedding in an exotic tropical locale
now no party in paradise can proceed without the host taking precautions against the disease carrying pests conscientious brides to be are scrambling to have rooms sprayed with insect repellent before guests arrive pack extra bug spray in all formulations for guests who may not bring any circulate newsletters with the latest advisories from government agencies and if they really wish to set a good example wear long sleeves and pants
and that assumes that the guests many in their childbearing years are going to these events at all many of the most popular wedding destinations in central and south america mexico and the caribbean are also where the zika virus has been most active
joann gregoli a wedding planner at elegant occasions whose sunny demeanor is in sync with her skype handle of happily divorced has been dealing with fallout from these outbreaks last month she watched the guest list for one wedding on the caribbean island of anguilla melt from 150 to 100 in a matter of weeks she said that she helped another couple marrying in mexico improvise when a pregnant member of the party was ordered to stay home by her doctor
last week for another wedding in mexico she touched down loaded with bug spray theyre an older couple so not as nervous she said before the wedding though anyone young is not coming
the potential damage is financial as well as physical and the virus will affect everyone more and more ms gregoli said
contracts with wedding vendors tend to be ironclad requiring deposits and payment deadlines when booking a wedding at a resort many require guarantees of a certain number of room bookings on top of the ceremony and reception costs
some couples have sought travel and wedding insurance to guard against the unforeseen but it unclear how many of these contracts anticipated or will cover the various ways the zika virus is now impacting couples and their weddings
hayley hines a 30 year old arizona resident was expecting to be married in cancun mexico on june 18 with 110 friends and relatives in attendance at a beachside resort she and her fiance bryan ahearn had attended friends weddings in that area and wanted the same experience
the event was booked and practically paid for then a guest who was trying to become pregnant backed out she was concerned that mexico had reported some cases of zika a virus blamed for birth defects were at the age where people are having their first or second child ms hines said
in february the bride to be discovered that she too was expecting and would have to bow out becky gillespie the travel consultant who had spent months arranging the wedding remembered thinking oh this is going to be a lot of work for nothing she spent weeks jumping through hoops with american airlines united airlines and sandos cancun luxury experience resort until she was able to return every penny of the 15300 ms hines and her guests had already paid
the vendors did not like it but they understood the situation said ms gillespie who operates for love of travel an agency in nevada city calif she was surprised that they let more than just the bride get their money back
destination weddings   extended extravaganzas usually with fewer guests   are sold by travel agencies with love comic names like endless love travel in georgetown tex create the moment travel in rochester wash and 800 others in the destination wedding and honeymoon specialists association
part of the allure is the notion that they help newlyweds escape some of the stress of the bigger wedding they might have had at home but with the zika threat its very stressful said lacey seltzer a 29 year old jewelry designer who made plans last year to marry justin pollner 28 this fall at a resort near cancun
getting married on a pretty white sand beach has been her lifelong dream according to her mother mona seltzer and 200 guests have already secured rooms when the warnings about zika grew louder earlier this year the bride to be said she did not want to put her friends and guests in an uncomfortable position so she called the centers for disease control and prevention in atlanta and now regularly checks the agencys website some recommendations she said have been changing weekly mexico is on the agencys watch list though none of its reported cases are anywhere near cancun
one of ms seltzers bridesmaids withdrew on the advice of a doctor fourteen others were quite on board she said as was every groomsman the wedding is still on but im not taking it lightly she said
im upset that it has to be a question in anyones mind she added
the virus is of greatest concern to anyone who may be pregnant or may plan to have children after exposure if saying your vows in a zika affected country means youre going to lose your sister because shes pregnant and cant go thats a problem said annie lee a wedding planner some couples are keeping the cdcs phone number 800 232 4636 next to those of their wedding planner and caterer
the virus can be transmitted via sexual intercourse as well as by insect bites doctors have advised pregnant patients and couples planning to conceive to avoid affected areas or take other precautions to ward off bites last week the golfer rory mcilroy became the latest athlete to announce he would not participate in the summer games because of his concerns about contracting zika
travelers who do visit affected areas are also urged to postpone pregnancy either by refraining from sex or using condoms for as long as six months to give their bodies time to shed the virus if they get it
sandy malone a wedding planner who lives in puerto rico and caters to couples wishing to marry there has already lost four bookings because of zika now that puerto rico has been added to the watch list
in one case a military veteran who had signed up for a 150 person wedding in vieques next year bailed out when her sisters objected because of childbearing concerns mrs malone said that her client did not get all her money back and will be marrying in las vegas instead another bride who recently canceled on mrs malone told her she was determined to have a beach wedding and will be eloping in hawaii
mrs malone said she understood if clients needed to cancel im a wedding planner not a physician she said i cant tell you to ignore what the cdc says
other clients who covet the beach experience have stood by their plans she said the majority of brides and grooms committed to getting married in puerto rico are just asking for more citronella tiki torches and putting bug sprays in the welcome bags she said
for couples who can handle the vagaries there is a potential silver lining bargains some of the venues are hurting so bad they will give you a sweet deal ms lee said
valerie townsend a preschool teacher from holtsville ny was thrilled with the wedding she had in april in a rented villa on a puerto rican island for little more than 20000 we could have had a huge wedding at home but we were not into that she said
the one drawback she said was not having her sister pamela sorrentino there ordered by her doctor to stay behind because she was expecting ms sorrentino did get a credit from the airline for future travel that courtesy was not extended to her husband and children who went to puerto rico without her
the day of the wedding the family used the facetime app on their phones to help ms sorrentino chat with the bride as she primped and to watch the ceremony in absentia photographs show the bride nuzzling the phone while her sister had a good cry
nowhere are the strains on the couple and their social circles clearer than on the online chat rooms devoted to destination weddings there brides and grooms say they dread waiting for guests replies   or excuses
one commentator on a weddingbeecom thread bristled about an invitee who claimed he was fighting with human resources to approve his vacation when she knew he was not she also lamented how all of the groomsmen bailed out adding i dont understand why people do this
on the same thread another bride to be marrying in mexico in august bemoaned having to guarantee a block of rooms by june 1 when only five of 40 guests had responded
weddings always have dropouts so hotels often make hosts guarantee rooms that are being set aside months in advance zika has made it harder than usual for hosts to establish a firm head count what with those who are ttc shorthand on these forums for trying to conceive
public health authorities are unsure how long a person or their partner may need to refrain from sex or use condoms to avoid contracting the virus or passing it on once they return from a country where the virus is active so guests who may be willing to attend one wedding in an affected area may be less keen to accept multiple invitations if that pushes their own ability to have children too far into the future
in february one host solicited advice on reddit about going ahead with a south american wedding the following month fifteen out of 88 guests had already backed out he wrote and 10 more who might want to get pregnant in a year or two were on the fence if we do move forward the commentator wrote should we send an email letting people know and to bring certain bug spray or will that cause more alarm should we just assume people know
hosts also wrestle with the delicate question of what to tell others if it is the brides pregnancy not just the attrition of the guest list that prompts cancellation of the wedding the temptation to keep a pregnancy under wraps until it is farther along may be tempered by the knowledge that guests have arranged time off or put down deposits they may now lose
ms hines the pregnant bride who was to have married in cancun leveled with everyone and shared her doctors letter with other guests who were seeking refunds from the airlines and hotel according to ms gillespie her travel agent the couple were married instead on june 18 at the grayhawk golf club in scottsdale ariz most of their guests were able to get their money back from the mexico bookings and joined ms hines and mr ahearn in arizona
but four guests had bought nonrefundable tickets through expedia so that group raised a glass to the couple last weekend from mexico ms hines reported
she said she and her husband had decided to keep the date if not the place because of the many teachers and firefighters they invited who have to put in their vacation a year in advance
one bright spot of getting married closer to home the grooms 98 year old grandfather william ahearn was there he would not have been able to come to mexico ms hines said happily


my partner and i rent a market rate apartment with a built in heating and air conditioning unit but the air conditioning component does not work an air conditioner repairman told us that the unit is 20 years old rusted and will likely start leaking into our apartment and the one below us if it is not replaced he said replacing it would cost 1800 the landlord refuses to replace the unit saying he is not responsible for air conditioning only heat our apartment will be unbearable this summer without air conditioning who is responsible
battery park city manhattan
with july and all the sweltering heat it brings less than a week away i can understand why you would want a functioning air conditioner to figure out if your landlord has to fix or replace your broken one read your lease again see if it says anything about who is responsible for air conditioning said david e frazer a lawyer who represents tenants the lease could put the burden on your landlord but it could also put it on you the tenant
it might also say nothing about air conditioners at all if that is the case you could argue that because the air conditioner was already in place when you moved in it is implicitly part of the bundle of services included in your lease you might also be able to claim that a broken air conditioner leads to unbearable heat breaching the warranty of habitability a state law
but as a practical matter how do you get the landlord to fix it you could take him to court to enforce your rights but that comes at a steep price the legal costs of hauling the landlord into court will certainly exceed 1800 mr frazer said and that is not the only price you will pay lets say you take him to court and win he fixes the air conditioner and then when your lease expires he does not offer you a new one   which is his prerogative because youre a market rate tenant
instead consider using the air conditioner as a negotiating tactic offer to pay the 1800 to replace the unit in exchange for a new lease at the same rent a year without a rent increase might take the sting out of the repairmans bill it would also guarantee you another year in a cooler apartment

i am a rent stabilized tenant in a co op building recently at the co op boards behest my overnight guests have been asked by the doormen to sign in even though i am home nothing in my lease requires it is this legal and can my guests and i refuse
upper west side manhattan
as a rent stabilized tenant you are bound by the terms of your lease and the rent stabilization law not by the rules of the co op said andrew j wagner a manhattan real estate lawyer
the co op is not your landlord whoever owns the apartment is and your agreement with your landlord is detailed in your lease so you are not beholden to the co ops rules for example if your lease permits pets and the building institutes a no pets policy you would be exempt from such a rule mr wagner said in this case you could argue that your guests do not need to sign a ledger because your lease does not require it
but be prepared for pushback the board might see your resistance as undermining a rule designed to protect the safety of residents and the building other people who live in your building   including renters   might feel safer knowing that guests are monitored asking that all guests identify themselves is one way to provide a measure of security
and if you refuse to comply with the rule and the co op board takes you to court over the matter a judge might not sympathize with your plight instead the court might find that following this new rule would not create a hardship for you nor would it undermine the terms of your tenancy but it would provide security for residents i could easily see a judge enforcing the policy against the tenant as a reasonable safety measure mr wagner said

im interested in investing in real estate to diversify my portfolio but cant quite afford to do it on my own i have a few fiscally responsible like minded friends who have expressed interest in investing with me perhaps in a neighborhood like hudson heights or jackson heights is this a good idea and how would we set it up from a legal standpoint
new paltz ny
it is no secret that buying real estate in new york city is expensive going in with friends could certainly defray some of the cost but a business relationship is different from a friendship it can be far more intimate and at times fraught before you sign any papers make sure you know your partners
in addition to being fiscally minded do your friends share your temperament what about your tolerance for risk if you plan to rent out these properties how involved would everyone need to be do you share the same goals for the properties
before you even start looking at property you should be in agreement about the finer details of your investment and how you would handle unexpected problems having partners can make managing an investment more difficult because every decision must be made in accordance with your agreement said andrew b freedland a manhattan real estate lawyer
carl a ekroth an associate broker with douglas elliman on the anders ekroth team said he has seen partnerships unravel before they ever get off the ground without a clear and concise plan of action regarding a budget and neighborhood he said members will often find themselves bickering about these details thereby losing potential opportunities
to avoid pitfalls hire a lawyer to draft a legal structure for your partnership like a limited liability company clear guidelines will provide a framework for how to proceed and will help you avoid conflicts in the future
while not all disputes can be avoided many of them can be avoided through a solid business structure mr freedland said
a proper corporate structure will also shield all the partners from liability protecting personal assets


washington   when people discuss the stakes of britains decision to leave the european union they often talk about implications for the european project the continuing post world war ii effort to unify the continent politically and economically but within hours of the polls closing on thursday it appeared that something much more basic could be at risk britain as a multinational state
the united kingdom of great britain and northern ireland as it is formally known is one of only a handful of countries that consist of multiple nations politically and legally distinct but united under a common government
that system of government has been the subject of far less frenzied commentary than european unity because it is smaller and because it has seemed so stable but the crisis ridden relatively young european union may well outlast the 300 year old united kingdom a prospect that speaks to both the underappreciated audacity of britains multinational experiment and the strength of the forces that could now put it to an end
there has long been political jostling among the four nations that constitute the united kingdom but the so called brexit referendum has divided them in ways that mean they may not come back together again england and wales voted to leave the union scotland and northern ireland voted to stay within hours scottish and irish politicians raised the possibility that their nations would leave the united kingdom so they could remain in the european union
this outcome tonight dramatically changes the political landscape here in the north of ireland said declan kearney the chairman of the political party sinn fein which has legislators in northern ireland and the republic of ireland and has long sought their reunification mr kearney said sinn fein would seek a referendum to have northern ireland leave the united kingdom and join ireland an independent country and european union member
scotland rejected a proposal to quit the united kingdom in a referendum in 2014 in part over concerns that as an independent country it would be unable to join the european union and would suffer economically on friday nicola sturgeon the first minister of scotland said her party would prepare the legislation that would be required to enable a new independence referendum to take place
in scotland and northern ireland the calls to leave the united kingdom may focus on the economic benefits of european union membership but they will also overlap with   and if they are to succeed rely upon   more visceral desires for independence
after all the world has spent much of the last few centuries organizing itself under the principle of national self determination in which people with a common identity acquire their own state think of italy for the italians in the 1870s algeria for the algerians in 1962 tajikistan for the tajiks in 1991 and so on
while this idea has brought liberation to much of the world it has also contributed to countless wars including nazi germanys invasions to unify with the german people of austria and czechoslovakia the violent breakup of yugoslavia along ethno linguistic lines and the israel palestine conflict
what makes the united kingdom so unusual is that it brought together four nationalities who see themselves as distinct yet have chosen to coexist multinational states are rare some like china are undemocratic and oppose political organizing by minority groups including tibetans and uighurs others such as russia and nigeria have struggled to peacefully and effectively unify
in this way the united kingdom has been what the european union always aspired to be but never accomplished an honest to god political union that respects national identity while overcoming the complications of nationalism that helped make the 20th century the bloodiest in world history
still questions of national identity have pulled at the country since 1707 when the kingdom of england and the kingdom of scotland merged to become the kingdom of great britain because the english have so dominated the countrys politics culture and economy   they are the largest group and englands capital london became the kingdoms   scots have long pushed for greater autonomy
these questions have been even harder for northern ireland which experienced a violent internal conflict partly over whether to remain in the united kingdom or to join ireland for much of the 20th centurys latter half the long road to the 1998 good friday peace agreement illustrated the difficulty of keeping a multinational state together and the calm in northern ireland since the agreement shows the value of such a state
having survived nationalist yearnings from scotland and northern ireland the united kingdom could now succumb to the nationalism of its largest and most powerful group the english
the referendum campaign to most peoples surprise   and alarm even   has brought out english identity robert tombs a historian at the university of cambridge said in an interview before the vote
the english voted most heavily to leave the union while many analysts say this grew out of opposition to immigration or skepticism about europe mr tombs suggested another driver an english sense of being underrepresented in their own country
in recent decades the united kingdom has kept unity by devolving political authority to the three non english nations allowing them greater autonomy and independent institutions only england for example does not have its own parliament
it is hard to miss the significance that voters in one of the worlds most successful multinational states just chose to leave the worlds largest multinational government and it is striking the degree to which the united kingdoms four nations seem to have disagreed on that choice
the european union was explicitly founded to address problems of national and political identity britain its most skeptical member dealt with those very same problems   sooner and with more success
now the country could be about to abandon that project even as the union for all its setbacks carries on but it speaks to the promise of multinationalism that its most committed adherents in the united kingdom are not the largest and most powerful group but rather the minority scottish and irish so eager to be tied to something larger even if that means leaving the old partnership to remain in europe


when mitt romney traveled to europe as a presidential candidate in 2012 he created an uproar when he wondered aloud whether london was sufficiently prepared to host the summer olympics british tabloids derided him as mitt the twit and cnn declared romneys trip begins in shambles
when gov chris christie of new jersey went on a trade mission to britain he was roundly criticized for an errant comment about vaccinations amid a measles outbreak back home a vaccine for gaffes chris christie needs it was the headline in commentary
those moments seem quaint when compared with donald j trumps news conference in turnberry scotland a day after britain voted to leave the european union over the course of 40 minutes the presumptive republican presidential nominee made pronouncements predictions and asides that would have set off serious backlash for almost any other candidate
but mr trump seems to be graded on a different curve here are some of his more provocative remarks
a reporter asked mr trump about the suggestion from some pundits that both he and the russian president vladimir v putin would be the biggest political beneficiaries of the brexit vote mr trump agreed that mr putin could gain and could not resist pointing out that mr putin has been kind to him
i think he will be probably because i know how hes been scorned to a certain extent mr trump said adding later he said some very nice things about me i think he probably is somewhat of a beneficiary
traditionally candidates for national office in the united states refrain from insulting their own leaders when theyre traveling overseas but mr trump who has bucked almost every other tradition made no exception for this one
hes constantly dictating to the world what they should do the world doesnt listen to him obviously mr trump said of mr obama who was against britain leaving the european union hes embarrassed
candidates also historically do not engage in politics about their own races when traveling abroad yet mr trump described hillary clinton as a puppet for mr obama pointing to her support for britain remaining in the european union
shes always misread everything mr trump said if he said leave she would have said leave she does whatever he wants her to do you know why but thats ok
politicians are wary of sounding as if theyre cheering for bad economic news something that voters tend to respond poorly to but mr trump said that the diminished pound which nose dived in value after the referendum vote could benefit his bottom line at trump turnberry his luxury resort and golf course
when the pound goes down more people are coming to turnberry frankly mr trump said
ive been in touch with them but theres nothing to talk about mr trump said besides he added he would rather have advisers who are divorced from recent global events
i think i want to use ones that havent been involved take a look at whats happened in the world mr trump said


each saturday farhad manjoo and mike isaac technology reporters at the new york times review the weeks news offering analysis and maybe a joke or two about the most important developments in the tech industry
mike hello farhad how is your week going mine was a whole lot better until i found out that brexit was not in fact a delicious cereal
farhad i was just trying to think of a snappy joke about brexit but im too worried about a global financial apocalypse while i peruse various urban survival kits on amazon you should watch john olivers hilarious   and now very scary   take on britain leaving the european union
mike yeah thankfully all of my money is in dogecoin on to more pressing matters like commodity technology news
i missed half of this week because i was super sick but it seems like i didnt miss much most of the worlds news was more geopolitical and less uh technopolitical
heres one thing twitter bought an artificial intelligence start up called magic pony because apparently the companys turnaround strategy is primarily based on listening to old ginuwine albums seriously though machine learning recruiting is intensely competitive and twitter no doubt publicized the move to try to raise its profile and help recruiting which is hard when youre facing off against facebook and google for the same candidates
its vidcon and cannes lions big advertising industry events in our world so a bunch of tech companies announced metrics and small ad related product updates instagram hit half a billion monthly users while spotify is at 100 million plus regular visitors with more than 30 percent of those folks subscribing to the monthly paid service twitter and vine will also let creators produce 140 second videos which is particularly un vine ish but probably good for ad revenue
farhad why 140 seconds did they choose that because twitter allows 140 characters in its tweets man tech companies really like to be cute dont they maybe after the world collapses well all grow up
also i liked buzzfeeds investigation into ubers pay for years the ride hailing company has been talking up how much its drivers make but drivers have long complained that ubers declining fares lead to very low wages buzzfeed found that they were right at least in three large cities after expenses the average uber driver in denver makes about 13 an hour while those in houston make 11 and those in detroit make close to 9 thats not nothing and surely for lots of people ubers flexible hours make the platform an important way to earn extra money but the numbers are far smaller than the company has long led people to believe
mike yeah as it turns out driving your car is uh tough on the car and is an expense one must account for in the long run who knew
also twilio debuted on the public markets and did rather well but its a telephony company and not a dramatic unicorn death so no one in news media land cared sad
farhad very smart of twilio to time the ipo to the brexit now if its stock crashes therell be something to blame
mike but id like to talk about something that really chaps my burgers weve heard about this for months but now that some of the highest profile apple commentators are writing about it im pretty sure its coming apple is probably going to ditch the regular headphone jack in a coming release of the new iphone opting to go with a proprietary jack or a bluetooth enabled version of earbuds speculation posits that the company will do it to either further slim down the device or to make room for a better battery or perhaps some combination of the two or some other thing i havent anticipated
my gut reaction pure and utter contempt im seriously considering switching to android thats how annoying this is to me ok now you go and tell me why apple would do this it seems like a real strong way to alienate users
farhad im pretty much with you on this score as the wall street journal reported its not just that apple is removing the headphone jack from the next iphone   its also not making many other big changes including changes to the phones design which it usually does every couple years
so basically it looks like the new iphone will be roughly the same phone we have now with one major thing missing what is apple thinking we wont know exactly until it releases the new phone later this year but this seems bad to me sales of the iphone are already flat the company needed something big this year now its creating a device that many might consider a downgrade rather than an upgrade
mike part of what i like about headphone jacks in literally every audio based device of the last 20 plus years is the intercompatibility i dont want to buy special earbuds when im going to the gym i want my crummy 12 ones that will get sweaty and break and i can easily toss in the garbage
farhad i know what the apple boosters will say but what about the floppy drive that is apple has a history of removing dying tech standards from their products and despite short term grumbling things always work out in the end you need to get rid of stuff for progress to happen
yeah sure but that argument doesnt really hold for the audio jack because it is basically perfect in its current state and honestly i cant see any reason for upgrading as you point out todays headphone jack works on just about every device you have including airplanes one based on apples proprietary lightning connector will work only on ios devices and not anywhere else   not even current macs which lack a lightning port so guess what youll need to get a little adapter or dongle to carry with you all the time and what about wireless headphones well those work on todays iphones and getting rid of the headphone jack doesnt somehow make them better
mike the floppy drive argument is so stupid manufactured public relations spin im not buying it
farhad as the verges nilay patel writes this whole thing is user hostile and stupid welcome to the dongle
mike ok so help me out tech columnist what android phone do i buy when i make the switch
farhad the samsung galaxy s7 is pretty good but im not joining you despite everything i still love ios so im not leaving the iphone i guess apple knows what its doing ok till next week
mike cheerio ill be at the bank transferring the rest of my dogecoin into gold


when the mills that birthed the industrial revolution in cities like manchester and birmingham still powered the british economy of the mid 20th century robert stevenson was a frequent visitor to the midlands
eastman machine the company his family helped start in upstate new york 128 years ago had a big factory 100 miles north of london and britain accounted for roughly a fifth of the firms sales
that was then while britain is still an important market for eastmans sophisticated cutting tools its workshop there was shuttered in the 1970s and british customers are now served by eastmans main factory in buffalo and a smaller one in china
so when the british electorate stunned the world on friday with the results of the vote to leave the european union it was a shock for mr stevenson but not because it poses an immediate threat to eastmans bottom line or the job security of its heavily blue collar 120 strong work force in downtown buffalo
what most concerns mr stevenson and owners of businesses big and small is what the so called brexit says about the shape of economic things to come
you never know if there will be a domino effect and we worry about other countries securing their borders mr stevenson said we were certainly surprised
for all the shock and awe on wall street and financial markets around the globe on friday the imminent danger to the underlying american economy is relatively small whats far more worrisome is whether britains decision represents an end to the economic integration and opening markets that have helped propel sales at companies like eastman over the last few decades
since the fall of the berlin wall in 1989 politics and economics have mostly moved in one direction with the elites on both sides of the atlantic favoring policies like the north american free trade agreement with canada and mexico the introduction of the european currency and the entry of china into the world trade organization business has applauded these moves but voters are not necessarily on board as they once were
i think a lot of the market reaction is less about the financial impact and more about populism and what it means for the liberal economic order said glenn hubbard a top economic official to president george w bush who now serves as dean of the columbia business school
the brexit vote he added reflects a deep distrust of the benefits of the global economic system among a wide swath of voters in europe and the united states and a broadly held view that government institutions   whether in washington or brussels   are calcifying and dont work well
both of those forces have a lot of wind at their back he said
in the near term youre seeing markets being roiled and feedback effects for the federal reserve mr hubbard said but for now at least in the united states i dont think its going to raise recession probabilities
when it comes to commerce britain is not even among the united states top five trading partners   its currently the seventh largest according to the united states census bureau which tracks trade data american exports to britain last year totaled 56 billion or just over 03 percentage point of gross domestic product
partly thats a reflection of how the united states despite leading the era of globalization remains something of an economic island exports account for 134 percent of american economic output according to the world bank compared with roughly 30 percent for britain
the 2015 slowdown in the united states biggest trading partner   china   may have blunted domestic growth in the last year but even that hardly threw the american economy into a tailspin nor should brexit most experts say
jared bernstein a liberal economist who most recently served in the obama administration and is now a senior fellow at the center on budget and policy priorities sees minimal pain within american borders it wont be helpful for our economy mr bernstein said but we wont take anything like the direct hit that i expect will befall the economy
several economists estimated that the fallout from the vote would probably end up decreasing growth in the american economy by about a quarter of a percentage point or less while postponing any push by the federal reserve to raise interest rates possibly through the end of 2016
the flight to safety means lots of people are flocking to us treasury bonds putting downward pressure on interest rates mr bernstein said one possible outcome is that feds path to higher interest rates may become flatter as these events play out
brexits impact on the united states economy will mostly be felt through the falling value of the pound and the euro against the dollar mr bernstein said which is likely to slow down inflation and exacerbate our trade deficit
a surging dollar would hurt american exporters facing weaker demand from customers in europe and asia in fact mr stevensons main worry on friday was whether his british competitors might actually benefit in the short term
with the pound dropping 10 or 15 percent it may strengthen a couple of our competitors in the uk he said i think they could be quite happy about it and gain market share
as befits the owner of a company that survived world wars i and ii outlasted the great depression and the great recession and survived the collapse of the american textile industry   all without abandoning buffalo   mr stevenson has learned to adapt to potential shocks like brexit
increasingly thats meant focusing on making high tech software driven equipment to cut composites and carbon based fabrics for the aerospace industry and automakers rather than the woolens and cotton eastmans equipment was once designed to slice
many of mr stevensons current customers in britain are in these sectors he noted the dressmakers and hosiers and other clothiers that once populated englands redbrick towns have long departed
our focus has been to understand where the market is going said mr stevenson twenty years ago 70 percent of eastmans products were of traditional fabrics the rest were space age materials now it is the reverse which is among the reasons a fifth generation of stevensons will have a company to take over
our goal has been to maintain the company in buffalo and as a family business mr stevenson said my son is 40 and im 65 and he is focused on these new materials this saved our butt
for those exporters that have managed to hang on in the industrial heartland of britain the brexit could actually be good news simply because the pounds plunge against currencies like the euro and the dollar makes their goods more competitive
british exports like rolls royce jet engines high end jaguar automobiles and certain food products could get a lift last month for example britain exported the largest cargo of wheat to the united states in more than two decades
so would british hotels and restaurants eager to host american visitors looking for what could amount to a 10 to 20 percent off sale
if you wanted to buy a nice little house in scotland todays the day said kevin a hassett an economist at the conservative american enterprise institute
chief executives of major american companies are paid well to see around corners and must adapt their businesses even to trends they oppose or face the consequences in the form of falling stock prices and angry shareholders
thats among the reasons general electric which relies on foreign markets for more than half its revenue has been preparing for the kind of political retreat from open markets that the british vote to leave the european union represents
companies must navigate the world on their own ges chief executive jeffrey r immelt said in the commencement speech last month at the nyu stern school of business
for ge he said that meant seeking to achieve a local capability inside a global footprint today its 420 factories spread across the world give ge tremendous flexibility mr immelt said with jet engines power generators and rail locomotives increasingly manufactured at several sites to ensure market access
a localization strategy mr immelt said cant be shut down by protectionist politics
ge had prepared for the risk that britain might vote to leave the eu by hedging in foreign currency markets but beyond that immediate step a ge spokeswoman said on friday it was too early to discuss longer term moves the company might make
mr immelt in a statement said that ge americas largest manufacturer which employs 22000 people in britain and 100000 in europe over all remains firmly committed to both britain and europe
while brexits impact on britains overall economy may be mixed its london based financial sector is likely to feel the full force of the coming storm the city as londons equivalent of wall street is known has boomed in the last 20 years as a global financial capital especially for continental banks seeking a more market friendly home than frankfurt or paris
with a recession in britain now a distinct possibility some experts worry that a government desperate to create and maintain jobs could seek to save the financial sector by making the city more attractive as an offshore haven
this could lead to london becoming even more like the cayman islands and other british territories skirting around regulations in a race to the bottom for the financial sector said adam s posen a former member of the rate setting committee at the bank of england and now president of the peterson institute for international economics in washington this potentially could leave pretty big holes in the financial safety net
he pointed to the 2008 crisis involving the insurance giant american international group where a hedge fund like subsidiary operating in london and under less stringent rules nearly brought down the company and contributed to the financial crash
they could get away with things in london that they couldnt get away with in new york mr posen said so imagine repeating that on a larger scale or a more frequent scale
of course dangers like those are the hardest to anticipate
right now were in one of those points in history mr hassett of the american enterprise institute said where there are lot of unknown unknowns referring to the infamous comment by former defense secretary donald rumsfeld on the iraq war
consider two very different types of uncertainty mr hassett explained citing a well known economic metaphor if you bet on a roulette wheel you know all the possible outcomes and the attendant risks but now imagine a game where you dont know all the places the roulette ball might land or the chances of it falling into different slots or even the prizes if you are fortunate enough to bet correctly
in those types of situations he said anything can happen and if you dont know what will happen the optimal strategy might be to assume the worst


a tennessee woman slipped into a coma and died after an ambulance company took so long to assemble a crew that one worker had time for a cigarette break
paramedics in new york had to covertly swipe medical supplies from a hospital to restock their depleted ambulances after emergency runs
a man in the suburban south watched a chimney fire burn his house to the ground as he waited for the fire department which billed him anyway and then sued him for 15000 when he did not pay
in each of these cases someone dialed 911 and wall street answered
the business of driving ambulances and operating fire brigades represents just one facet of a profound shift on wall street and main street alike a new york times investigation has found since the 2008 financial crisis private equity firms the corporate raiders of an earlier era have increasingly taken over a wide array of civic and financial services that are central to american life
today people interact with private equity when they dial 911 pay their mortgage play a round of golf or turn on the kitchen tap for a glass of water
private equity put a unique stamp on these businesses unlike other for profit companies which often have years of experience making a product or offering a service private equity is primarily skilled in making money and in many of these businesses the times found private equity firms applied a sophisticated moneymaking playbook a mix of cost cuts price increases lobbying and litigation
in emergency care and firefighting this approach creates a fundamental tension the push to turn a profit while caring for people in their most vulnerable moments
for governments and their citizens the effects have often been dire under private equity ownership some ambulance response times worsened heart monitors failed and companies slid into bankruptcy according to a times examination of thousands of pages of internal documents and government records as well as interviews with dozens of former employees in at least two cases lawsuits contend poor service led to patient deaths
private equity gained new power and responsibility as a direct result of the 2008 crisis as cities and towns nationwide struggled to pay for basics like public infrastructure and ambulance services private equity stepped in at the same time as banks scaled back their mortgage operations after the crisis private equity firms   which face lighter regulation than banks and none of their rainy day capital requirements   moved in there as well
the power shift has happened with relatively little scrutiny even as federal authorities have tightened rules for banks unlike banks which take deposits and borrow from the government private equity firms invest money from wealthy individuals and pension funds desperate for returns at a time of historically low interest rates
since the 2008 financial crisis private equity firms have gone from managing 1 trillion to managing 43 trillion   more than the value of germanys gross domestic product   according to the advisory firm triago retirement nest eggs are fueling the growth and sharing in private equitys risks and returns nearly half of private equitys invested assets come from pensions
there is private equity   a lot of it   and its happening everywhere said vikram pandit a former citigroup chief executive who is now head of the orogen group which invests in financial businesses across the financial landscape he said new champions will emerge
warburg pincus kohlberg kravis roberts  company and other major private equity firms have invested in emergency services a business that routinely holds the lives of customers in its hands while this represents one small corner of private equity which traditionally used debt to seize underperforming companies it captures the industrys newfound pervasiveness
kkr   a firm memorialized in barbarians at the gate a book that chronicled a defining 1980s wall street deal   also invested in public water services blackstone is now americas largest landlord of rental houses and in the mortgage industry until recently the province of banks the fortress investment group controls a huge bill collector
in many of the fields where private equity now operates it has not necessarily performed better or worse than the banks and governments it replaced in some cases it financed projects that others wouldnt fund and provided crucial public services including emergency care and because these firms do not rely on the government for loans and are much smaller than wall street banks they pose far less risk to the broader economy
over 11 million americans work for private equity backed businesses and millions more rely on private equity performance for their retirement security said james maloney a spokesman for the american investment council the industrys leading lobbying group private equity mr maloney said helps advance both our economic and societal well being
but the times investigation of emergency services shows that hasnt always been the case
of the 12 ambulance companies recently owned by private equity three filed for bankruptcy in the last three years according to public filings and sp global market intelligence a research service that tracks over 1100 major ambulance companies in the united states those three companies had problems that predated private equity but no other ambulance company tracked by the research firm filed for bankruptcy during that period
the latest blowup came in february when transcare ems controlled by the firm patriarch partners filed for bankruptcy closing its doors forever one day cities and towns up and down the east coast had transcare services the next they didnt
private equity has in this case threatened public safety said richard thomas the mayor of mount vernon ny which relied on transcare its not the way to treat the public
patriarchs owner and founder lynn tilton said in a statement that she was deeply saddened by the unfortunate circumstances that triggered the abrupt end to transcares operations and the heartache it has caused for many of its devoted employees she noted that transcare like other ambulance companies faced the obstacles inherent to its business model
ruralmetro long one of the nations largest ambulance companies and one of the few operators of private fire departments did a tour through bankruptcy although it reorganized and stayed in business one private equity investor took ruralmetro into bankruptcy and another helped get it out
during that period ruralmetros response times slowed in certain towns and it instituted more aggressive billing practices across the board records show while under the control of warburg ruralmetro once sent a 761 collections notice to an infant girl born in an ambulance
the matter may be reported to a national credit reporting agency the notice read effectively threatening a baby with a bad credit report
obviously there were problems with ruralmetro said ron cunningham a spokesman for ruralmetros new parent company envision healthcare which is not a private equity firm we are continuing to hire paramedics and emts and what you are seeing is that the response times are improving
in a statement warburg said it invested in ruralmetro with the objective of growing and strengthening the companys business
despite several initiatives undertaken by the companys board and management team the statement said the challenges ruralmetro faced were too difficult to overcome
while private equity firms have always invested in a diverse array of companies including hospitals and nursing homes their movement into emergency services raises broader questions about the administering of public services cities and towns are required to offer citizens a free education and they generally provide a police force but almost everything else is fair game for privatization
were reaching new lows in the public safety services we will help provide especially in very poor cities said michelle wilde anderson a law professor at stanford university who specializes in state and local government private equity firms she said are not philanthropists
a transcare ambulance pulled into a hospital parking lot in westchester county employees in windbreakers ems emblazoned on the backs hopped out and headed for the emergency room door
they were there not to bring in a patient or sign paperwork but to go er shopping swiping supplies to replenish critical items transcare could not afford to replace in its ambulances
after an ambulance finishes a run hospital staff members often restock medications as a courtesy but transcare emergency workers described pressure from supervisors to go further and raid supply carts sometimes without the hospitals blessing on occasion one transcare worker would act as lookout while the other one would just be grabbing stuff said emanuel almodovar a former employee
chez valenta an 11 year veteran of transcare said employees often had no choice medications in the ambulances were expired and supplies were depleted
theres only a couple of things that terrify paramedics ms valenta said being without your critical medications is one of them i make no apologies
the supply shortage   and the extreme measures taken to address it   was just one warning sign of transcares demise in february it became official employees received an email from a supervisor declaring we are being told to cease operations immediately
transcares unraveling told through internal documents and interviews with former employees provides a case study in private equitys ambulance experiment the companys implosion followed the bankruptcies of two other ambulance companies owned by private equity ruralmetro and first med
it wasnt supposed to be this way private equity investors swept into the ambulance business with high hopes
tremendous growth potential warburg pincus said in a statement in 2011 when it bought ruralmetro with plans to acquire rival ambulance services and improve bill collection
other firms bet that fragile towns would outsource emergency care and the thinking went president obamas health care overhaul would insure millions more people providing new paying customers
but many newly insured americans turned out to be on medicaid according to the kaiser family foundation medicaid restricts some of the most aggressive billing tactics
it didnt quite play out like they had hoped said mike ward executive director of the national ems management association
so some private equity firms fell back on a time tested moneymaking strategy slashing costs the case of transcare shows the perils of that approach
in 2003 patriarch helped rescue transcare which had previously been owned by other private equity investors from another bankruptcy for years the company which once had 2000 employees showed signs of improvement with ample resources and high morale
patriarchs owner ms tilton liked to put a friendly face on private equity shunning the stereotype of wall street raiders out to strip companies of valuable assets or flip them for a quick profit ms tilton starred in a reality television show diva of distressed and has famously said its only men i strip and flip
the transcare mess was a mere blip for patriarch which manages a sprawling portfolio of more than 70 companies including the mapmaker rand mcnally
and ms tilton who said she worked tirelessly to try to save the company attributed transcares collapse to problems beyond patriarchs control the business requires costly investment in medical gear she said with limited free cash flow any disruptions in the business can cause unsustainable deterioration
yet ms tilton was very much in charge of transcare as it crumbled she was the sole owner of the patriarch partners fund that had a controlling stake in transcare and although she never held an executive or management role she was transcares sole board member   a situation almost unheard of in corporate america only 3 percent of private companies have two or fewer board members according to survey data from the national association of corporate directors which called a one person board likely a recipe for governance failure
former transcare employees described pressure to cut costs and increase billing as the company weakened in recent years patients were transported unnecessarily in ambulances they said
and ambulances regularly broke down on the day transcare filed for bankruptcy more than 30 percent of the companys vehicles were out of service some for hundreds of days according to internal documents
we drove buses on the 911 unit where the brakes didnt work properly said rayshma raghunath a former transcare employee referring to her ambulance she started feeling uneasy during the ebola scare in 2014 when she said workers had trouble getting enough sanitary wipes to disinfect their ambulances
caitlin cannizzaro another former employee said that even starting the ambulances became tough one morning it took four hours to get some running she said you really had to become a macgyver in the field
by early 2015 the company had racked up health department violations for failed ambulance inspections internal documents show employees spotted bedbugs in the brooklyn dispatch center suppliers refused to provide drugs or repair ambulances because of unpaid bills
we were constantly having problems with the heart monitors said mr almodovar the former emergency medical technician it started getting scary the last thing we want is for a patient to die on us because the equipment is failing
by february 2015 shortages became critical according to meeting minutes reviewed by the times transcare executives discussed how their new york locations would be unable to make it through the weekend with current medical supplies
supervisors regularly paid for supplies out of their own pockets and hoped for reimbursement emails show some workers said the ambulances carried expired medications others went er shopping
in march 2015 a new problem emerged some transcare employees did not get paid on time then in july it happened again
when it looked like payroll might be delayed another time transcare sent sample questions and answers to managers to help you communicate with frustrated employees it read in part
in the first few days of 2016 the trouble accelerated eviction warnings had piled up high levels of carbon monoxide in the brooklyn office sent at least one employee to the hospital according to medical records
the company lost a major customer the city of new rochelle ny less than 48 hours later employees learned the chief executive had stepped down   the third in four years to leave
recent events have been a wake up call the chief operating officer wrote to the staff to announce the chief executives departure the note signed off heres to a great future together
a month later the company filed for bankruptcy leaving a mess for cities and employees alike workers rushed to the companys offices in brooklyn to collect their final paychecks worried the checks might bounce some piled into emergency vehicles and raced to a 24 hour check cashing store
james bradley deputy commissioner of public safety in white plains blamed patriarch for transcares woes thats where the problems lie he said
the city of mount vernon another former customer in new york hired a new private company at a cost to taxpayers and is developing its own ambulance operation within its fire department in new york city where transcare had operated 27 ambulances the fire department paid its own ambulance workers overtime to fill the void
i am highly upset with patriarch they lied to us said jay robbins a former director of operations at transcare who was at ground zero after the sept 11 2001 attacks
i told my employees to come in and work and now they wont be getting paid he said soon after the bankruptcy his voice shaking
the bankruptcy also disrupted litigation pending against the company including a malpractice case that raises questions about transcares training procedures
during an aerosmith concert at madison square garden in 2012 robert albrecht a 52 year old businessman with a wife and three children suddenly collapsed
transcare arrived within minutes   it was stationed in the building but a paramedic mistakenly inserted a breathing tube into mr albrechts esophagus medical records and the lawsuit show pumping air into his stomach instead of his lungs he was pronounced dead minutes later
the case was scheduled for preliminary settlement talks according to the familys lawyer jonathan c reiter when transcare went under today mr albrechts widow is a creditor in the bankruptcy in line with medical suppliers and unpaid workers
in loudon county tenn another ambulance company was unnerving local officials
after 11 years of relying on ruralmetro the tennessee county wanted to part ways in 2014 so it sent letters to the company outlining grievances ruralmetro employees slept through an emergency call a ruralmetro driver refused to transport a dead body because it would stink up his ambulance another ruralmetro worker who later said she offered to respond to an emergency even though she was off duty had enough time to smoke a cigarette while the company scrambled to assemble a full crew the patient later died
in the year since private equity had led the company into bankruptcy ruralmetro had endangered the health and welfare of its citizens loudon county said in a letter to the company it was as the letter put it a complete system failure
data on the quality of an ambulance companys performance is scarce at the national level and difficult to compare town to town or company to company a basic metric   how often ambulances are late   is often defined differently if it is measured at all
still data can show how one company changes over time and a times analysis of data obtained under freedom of information laws from five of ruralmetros major markets suggests that service in four areas suffered under private equity ownership the times examined where ruralmetro operated exclusively in or near cities
in one town response times surged in another penalties skyrocketed in a third county officials time and again received a dreaded alert no available ambulances
the first private equity investor to back ruralmetro was warburg pincus it was just one investment for a firm that manages roughly 40 billion
but the 2011 takeover was the sort of acquisition that tarred private equity firms in the public mind as corporate raiders out to make a fast dollar warburg financed its roughly 730 million purchase by adding more than 500 million in debt to ruralmetros balance sheet   a deep hole to climb out of
initially warburg invested in the company and its ambulances ruralmetro acquired two ambulance companies helping increase capital spending by 20 percent and payroll by 15 percent in 2012 but the deals added to overall debt contributing to cutbacks that potentially affected patient care
some ambulances werent promptly restocked employees said in arizona the companys home state it shelved a program that gave raises to senior staff it also slashed pensions there
it was a train wreck said aaron chamney a former ruralmetro fire captain who said he was dismissed a month into warburgs ownership after he was injured on the job
the financial results were also a mess ruralmetro which operates ambulances in 20 states told investors it would book higher revenue than it ultimately did leading bondholders to sue warburg for fraud a case that continues warburg denies the accusations
as warburgs investment spiraled toward bankruptcy service suffered
in arizona just days before the august 2013 bankruptcy the health department wrote to ruralmetro demanding data on its 911 response times ruralmetro was failing to respond on time state records show
tacoma wash waived almost all of ruralmetros fines for lateness in 2012 because the company was meeting overall standards then however performance collapsed ruralmetro paid fines for nine straight months in the first half of 2013 average monthly penalties both waived and not nearly quintupled from the same period a year earlier
throughout our ownership of ruralmetro warburg pincus always supported a high standard of customer care and the best possible results for all of the companys stakeholders the firm said in a statement citing increased spending to improve operations and processes increased capital investment and strategic acquisitions
but as warburgs investment was crumbling something interesting happened other investors saw an opportunity and snapped up ruralmetros bonds this is a classic strategy in which wall street firms hunt for investments in this case distressed debt expecting them to bounce back
but ruralmetro didnt recover it filed for bankruptcy
suddenly those bondholders had a choice revive the company or lose their money the biggest bondholder was oaktree capital management an investment manager that specializes in distressed bonds and private equity deals oaktree invested 88 million in loans and stock helping wipe out warburgs stake in the company by january 2014 oaktree was the single largest shareholder in ruralmetro
but oaktree which owned nearly 40 percent of ruralmetro did not halt the slide in rochester monthly penalties averaged 58950 in the first half of 2015 during oaktrees tenure more than double the average during the first half of 2013 when warburg owned the company
in july 2014 the mesa ariz fire chief formally complained about ruralmetros unprecedented reduction of ambulances which in turn delayed patient care the fire chief of the superstition fire and medical district in apache junction ariz accused ruralmetro of appearing more focused on cutting corners and canceling contracts than quality of care
in aurora colo ruralmetro awarded medals of valor to some employees for responding to the 2012 movie theater shooting but the city issued increasing penalties to the company on an average basis for late responses and other problems after the bankruptcy last year during oaktrees tenure aurora chose to award its contract to a different ambulance company
in a statement oaktree said ruralmetros board was unaware of any contracts that the company lost due to deficient response times or supplies
the boards foremost focus was patient safety oaktree said adding that it never contemplated any expense cuts that would have affected response time or patient care
not everyone was displeased with ruralmetro in wheat ridge colo the company has been considered compliant since 2011 when ruralmetro suffered delays there were always reasonable explanations said daniel brennan chief of police
similarly san diego considered ruralmetro compliant under warburgs and oaktrees ownership however the citys records show that it excused several hundred late responses over the last five years for circumstances like bursts of emergency calls
officials in knox county tenn said they started worrying in april 2015 when ruralmetro alerted them twice that it had no ambulances available for emergencies forcing them to rely on other providers that is known as a level zero and it had happened only once before in recent years in 2015 the county penalized ruralmetro 110000 for level zeros
ruralmetro also must tell the county if three or fewer ambulances are available during the second half of 2015 it notified the county of such shortages an average of 106 times per month   quadruple the average of the same period in 2013
what weve been told is that their challenge is around staffing said dr martha buchanan director of the countys health department she cited the bankruptcy and a new law requiring more worker certifications making hiring tougher
ruralmetro also reported increased lateness defined as taking 10 minutes or longer to reach an emergency in the second half of 2015 ruralmetro was late on average about 94 percent of the time up from 68 percent two years earlier though the company still met overall standards the county said ruralmetro had increased difficulty in doing so
since envision took over ruralmetro in late 2015 replacing private equity the company has shown signs of improvement knox county officials said it has purchased new ambulances and raised salaries
in neighboring loudon county officials noticed response time problems after the bankruptcy when oaktree was the largest shareholder the final straw came after an early morning 911 call in august 2014 donna maher 81 couldnt breathe
theyre coming as quick as they can the 911 operator promised
but ruralmetros ambulance had not yet left the station surveillance video showed an emergency worker standing beside her ambulance smoking a cigarette
ms maher eventually reached the hospital but died 10 days later later that year loudon county negotiated an early exit from its ruralmetro contract and the ambulance worker cortney bryson was fired
ms bryson sued ruralmetro for wrongful termination saying the company was covering up improper scheduling staffing and response criteria in a way that could have been shown to be a direct factor in the death of a citizen
in an interview ms bryson said she had worked two 24 hour shifts back to back before the call about ms maher came in ms bryson was technically off the clock she said but a replacement hadnt yet arrived
ms bryson said that she offered to go with another colleague but that they needed permission because the colleague lacked full credentials while waiting she smoked
jennifer estes the 911 center director says it is difficult to link a delayed ambulance to a death but this case she said leaves some room for someone to wonder could the extra time have made a difference
after private equity took over ruralmetro new posters appeared on the walls of ambulance and fire stations featuring a caricature of a uniformed employee delivering a mandate get a signature
in other words get patients to sign documents that can be used to bill them
almost always if the patient is alert they will be able to sign he says
and if the patient cant sign then go to a family member or a nurse theyll sign   because i dont give up
the posters   just one element of ruralmetros aggressive billing practices while owned by private equity   promoted do the write thing a policy instructing employees to document every detail of a patients treatment it paired with another initiative the care to cash checklist also instituted during warburgs tenure
warburg pincus said it was not aware of those specific initiatives
the policies ruralmetro said would help patients by ensuring that bills were accurate but employees complained that the process distracted them from caregiving and put them in the awkward position of seeking signatures from ill or medicated patients
do the write thing didnt sit well with the firefighters said nico latini who has worked at ruralmetro for a decade we operate under a high level of integrity and we do the right thing every day   with an r not a w
in the four years that private equity led ruralmetro the company was fighting for financial survival it raised its prices but patients couldnt afford those bigger bills
against that backdrop the company intensified its collection efforts and when people didnt pay ruralmetro took them to court
after warburg left the company ruralmetro eliminated care to cash and do the write thing but even under its new non private equity owner it still sues to collect some unpaid bills from fire and ambulance customers ruralmetros new owner said it will continue to utilize the legal system to pursue payment when appropriate but added that it first asks customers who need assistance to work with us to develop a payment plan that meets their needs
ruralmetros fire departments sell homeowners an annual subscription for fire protection often ranging from 100 to 500 depending on the property if a nonsubscriber suffers a fire ruralmetro will still answer the call unlike some other private departments but then it sends a bill well above the subscription price
even before private equity took over the company sued to collect fire bills under private equity this practice flourished
the times examined court filings in the areas where ruralmetro operates fire departments and identified dozens of lawsuits filed since 2011 when private equity took over in these lawsuits which are unheard of at tax funded public fire departments the company pursued unpaid bills ranging from a few hundred dollars to 59000
in knoxville tenn lester day faced one of those lawsuits when his chimney caught fire in march 2013 he dialed 911
when firefighters arrived almost an hour later 911 records indicate the house had been reduced to ashes that didnt stop ruralmetro from charging mr day for their response and then placing a 15000 lien on his home which he had since rebuilt
now im having to sell everything weve got mr day said in an interview it aint right
ruralmetro also filed hundreds of lawsuits against ambulance patients in the same time period including claims against families of people who died
public providers are generally less aggressive than private ones and some opt not to sue at all the new york fire department said it sends letters to ambulance patients but stops short of suing
and yet patients may not always have the chance to ride in a government ambulance private companies now represent about 25 percent of all ambulance providers according to the national association of state ems officials
ruralmetros community fire service which operates in arizona oregon and tennessee is one of the nations few private fire departments only 4 percent of americans rely on a private fire service ruralmetro mainly serves unincorporated areas without public fire departments where often there is no government contract or public oversight
the times spoke with more than a dozen people who had been sued by the company after fires on their property many homeowners in ruralmetros jurisdiction did not realize they had to pay for fire protection separately on top of their taxes some thought the subscription fee was unwarranted
i thought the fire department was paid out of taxes said alice addie who lives with her husband lavern in mesa ariz in 2013 ruralmetro filed a roughly 7000 lawsuit against the addies after their mobile home caught fire
mr addie a navy veteran at first disputed the charges storming into his local ruralmetro fire department to question the suit
ultimately the company allowed the addies to pay off their bill in monthly installments
but in the backyard of his home in the shadow of the rugged mountains of maricopa county he explained how they were still struggling with that debt
we just eat two meals a day instead of three he said


private equity firms once known as corporate raiders are now huge influential and everywhere in everyday american life in a series of stories we chronicle private equitys ascendance and some of the problems it has caused read the first part >>
here is a brief primer on the industry
in general private equity refers to investment firms that use large chunks of money from pension funds and endowments to buy up businesses and other assets private equity firms are not as regulated as the banks
private equity buys up assets everything from foreclosed homes to ambulance companies at a bargain it often targets assets that are in trouble   businesses that are losing money for example   and seeks to make them profitable private equity typically holds on to businesses before selling them or taking them public on the stock market
a lot several private equity executives make more than 100 million a year including stock and dividends private equity firms are generally paid in wall street parlance 2 and 20 that means it makes 2 percent of the money it manages and it takes a 20 percent cut of the profits above a certain threshold
to play ball you typically need to have a net worth of at least 1 million but most likely you will share in the industrys risks and returns through your pension plan that invests in private equity


san francisco   the poet lawrence ferlinghetti was sitting at his kitchen table in his north beach apartment on a drizzly morning telling a story about allen ginsberg when he hopped up suddenly and bounded out of the room to retrieve his hearing aid
at my age if its not one thing its another he said cheerfully
tall and agile at 97 with a neatly trimmed gray beard and oval tortoise shell glasses that magnified his glassy blue eyes mr ferlinghetti could pass for a man in his 70s he still writes almost every day   when an idea springs airborne into my head
mr ferlinghetti is one of the countrys most prominent poets and arguably its most successful his 1958 collection a coney island of the mind which was published by new directions has sold more than one million copies over the last 61 years hes published around 50 volumes of poetry
his latest work is unlike anything hes ever written after retrieving his hearing aide mr ferlinghetti got up again and returned to the kitchen with a cardboard box stuffed with reporters notebooks numbered up to 78 he set it on the table next to a bowl of fruit and a half empty bottle of merlot
the box holds the first draft of a novel hes been working on in fits and starts for the last 20 years i think its a new genre he said
the book titled to the light house blends autobiography fiction and surrealist riffs on mortality nature and consciousness its the closest thing to a memoir that hell ever write he said
mr ferlinghettis project came as a happy surprise to his longtime literary agent sterling lord who has been badgering his client to write his autobiography for nearly two decades mr ferlinghetti has repeatedly spurned the idea ive stopped asking him mr lord said
now mr lord   mr ferlinghettis friend and occasional sparring partner   has finally prevailed in a way
this new manuscript is his most personal mr lord said its certainly different than anything ive ever read ive never seen an autobiography that was constructed like this
the partnership between mr ferlinghetti and mr lord two towering legends in the publishing world traces back to the heady early days of the beat movement when a literary and cultural revolution was ignited by a band of iconoclastic writers
though neither of them can recall precisely when they first met their long association dates from the 1950s when they became acquainted through jack kerouac one of mr lords first clients over the years as many of the writers they knew have died theyve formed even more of a kinship
sterling really is my generation said mr ferlinghetti who was born in bronxville ny in 1919 were in the same boat heading for the falls
mr lord who was born in burlington iowa in 1920 likes to point out their age difference
lawrence is the only client i have who is older than i am said mr lord who will turn 96 in september
now they stand as two of the last living links to the beat generation from opposite coasts they fueled a literary movement that defined the era and ushered in a new populist countercultural strain of poetry and fiction
at his new york agency sterling lord literistic mr lord helped initiate the careers of writers like kerouac john clellon holmes and ken kesey who along with his band of merry pranksters elevated lsd use to something resembling performance art when kerouac frustrated after a string of rejections was ready to give up on publishing his groundbreaking experimental on the road mr lord remained resolute it took him more than four years but he finally sold it to viking for 1000
through his small san francisco publishing house city lights mr ferlinghetti championed the work of beat generation writers like gregory corso michael mcclure gary snyder and ginsberg renegade poets who were too provocative for most mainstream publishers
it was a revolution in contemporary poetry mr ferlinghetti said my way of judging a manuscript was if i had never read anything like it before if it articulated a whole new view of reality then i knew it was important
his subversive taste sometimes got him in trouble he occupied the front lines of a free speech battle when he published ginsbergs poem howl in 1956 and faced obscenity charges as a result his legal victory paved the way for the united states publication of boundary pushing novels by d h lawrence and henry miller
without lawrence ferlinghetti there wouldnt have been a beat generation at all said bill morgan a literary scholar and an expert on the beats he published all of these people who would never have been heard of
in some ways mr ferlinghetti and mr lord make unlikely partners apart from their shared connection to the beats they never really ran in overlapping cultural circles
mr lord who favors tweed jackets sweater vests and sharp ties is a tenacious salesman whose star studded client list included the former secretary of defense robert mcnamara and the newspaper columnist jimmy breslin he became famous for wringing fat advances from publishers with an extremely diplomatic touch he titled his 2013 memoir lord of publishing
mr ferlinghetti a bohemian rebel who has a jeweled stud in his ear has long occupied a place on the cultural and political fringes even as he became one of the countrys most popular and influential poets his fervent fan base includes bob dylan patti smith francis ford coppola and the poet billy collins
sterling is an old fashioned gentleman and lawrence is really an anarchist mr morgan said you could say that one of them is working within the establishment and one is working against it
sometimes mr ferlinghetti and mr lord clashed when they found themselves on opposite ends of the negotiating table as publisher and agent in a letter to ginsberg in 1970 mr ferlinghetti complained that mr lord often snubbed him in favor of bigger publishers ive written sterling lord since jacks death asking of visions of neal and some of the dharma but i never get the time of night from him - like were not worth his trouble for the big money etc maybe you could tell him we complained and push him
at other times mr ferlinghetti had the upper hand he once turned down a manuscript that mr lord sent him because it was too disjointed it was a messy early draft of william s burroughss naked lunch i am extremely doubtful from what ive read so far that any bookseller would dare sell it in his store mr ferlinghetti wrote to ginsberg
for roughly three decades mr ferlinghetti managed his own career without help from a literary agent which suited his rebellious streak he did fine on his own most agents cant be bothered with poets because they never bring in any money he said
but in the 1980s he struggled to find a publisher for his debut novel love in the days of rage after it was rejected by new directions he called mr lord who quickly sold the book to dutton theyve worked together ever since
he admired what he knew about me and i admired what i knew about him mr lord said hes absolutely unique in the world of publishing
any perceived slights or old rivalries from decades ago seem to be forgotten mr lord seemed full of affection even when he noted casually that one of his ex wives was kind of in love with mr ferlinghetti adding i can understand any intelligent woman having a crush on lawrence
both men attribute the longevity of their lives and careers partly to the fact that they werent as wild as the beat writers they championed mr lord who cycled through four marriages hung around with many of the rebellious semi feral writers he represented but he was always the straight man he never even smoked cigarettes at least not in the last half century i did smoke a little in my 30s he said but i didnt inhale
mr lord often found himself in the role of babysitter once when he visited kerouac in st petersburg fla he gamely joined him on a bar crawl but only drank a few beers while kerouac downed rounds of double scotches and chased them with beers
during a visit to keseys farm in eugene ore mr lord rode in further the infamous bus that ferried kesey and his band of tripping merry pranksters back and forth across the country but mr lords joy ride was a relatively uneventful acid free trip kesey just drove him to the airport
mr ferlinghetti was also pretty tame by the hedonistic standards of the era he smoked the occasional joint and experimented with lsd but never got too crazy he remembers peeling kerouac off the ground in front of his cabin in big sur early one morning after kerouac went on one of his benders while visiting him there the visit wasnt entirely fruitless kerouac wrote his novel big sur which features a character based on mr ferlinghetti at the cabin
while his vagabond beat cohorts were taking mescaline and benzedrine fueled road trips across the country mr ferlinghetti was married and running two businesses his bookstore which he co founded in 1953 and his publishing house which he created in 1955 on top of that he had his own creative pursuits
i had too much to do mr ferlinghetti said i was more interested in developing my own painting and writing
and though hes often lumped with the beats mr ferlinghetti rejected the label i got associated with the beats by publishing them but my own poetry has never been beat he said
as they approach 100 neither of them has slowed down all that much most days mr lord who gets around nimbly with a walker still works at sterling lord literistic the literary agency he founded in 1952 after being fired from his job as a cosmopolitan editor he often works six or seven days a week he reads submissions and drafts with the help of a magnifying machine and conducts most of his business face to face or by phone
its a little bit like having maxwell perkins call you barbara epler president of new directions said comparing mr lord to the legendary editor of f scott fitzgerald and ernest hemingway
mr ferlinghetti who suffers from glaucoma still paints in his art studio at hunters point once or twice a week though because of his deteriorating eyesight hes limited himself to black and white abstracts in july his paintings will be featured in a solo exhibition at the rena bransten gallery in san francisco
he stopped riding his bicycle around north beach after taking a spill a few years ago but remains an intrepid traveler he spent two weeks in paris last year and visited the pacific coast of mexico this january where he spent a week on the beach writing in his notebooks by day and drinking margaritas at night
hes still very much engaged with the world said elaine katzenberger the executive director of city lights booksellers  publishers its just who he is
mr ferlinghettis presence is still palpable at city lights one of the last countercultural outposts in a rapidly gentrifying city his deep raspy voice is on the bookstores answering machine his handpainted signs adorn the stores walls and windows with slogans he coined like stash your sell phone and be here now and books are trees made immortal
upstairs in the small three room headquarters of the publishing house mr ferlinghetti keeps a small tidy office with an old roll top wooden desk
though he retired from running the press many years ago he still makes suggestions about potential acquisitions and poetry translation projects
last year mr ferlinghetti released a flurry of books he published a compilation of his travel journals titled writing across the landscape a collection of his correspondence with ginsberg a 60th anniversary edition of the city lights pocket poets anthology with a new introduction he wrote
and in a sly prank that no one seems to have been up on he also published a new volume of his poetry titled shards with new directions which he passed off as a translation of verses by a 14th century roman poet named lorenzo chiera english translation who was lawrence
most days he works in his home office a ramshackle room teeming with books and notebooks full of his sketches and writing in a second floor rent controlled apartment where hes lived for more than 30 years
he has a computer that he mostly uses to send emails and a magnifying machine that helps him read the newspaper his desk is surrounded by dictionaries in english spanish french and italian and bookshelves with volumes of poetry by e e cummings milton ezra pound ted hughes t s eliot and frank ohara a wicker chair held a thick stack of unpublished poems typed up with hand scrawled edits
at my age i might not publish another book of poetry he said but theres lots to be published
for now mr ferlinghetti is focused on his new novel which mr lord is shopping around to publishers part of the narrative draws on his coming of age as a young man in europe and his tumultuous childhood his father died before he was born and he lived in an orphanage for a while after his mother was institutionalized
mr ferlinghetti and mr lord have been talking on the phone over the past few months discussing ways to shape the story mr ferlinghetti has pushed back on some of his agents suggestions but mr lord is as ever optimistic
the book is not a conventional autobiography in any sense of the word but you get to know lawrence quite a bit by reading this material mr lord said were describing it as scenes from his autobiography


you dont hear many people bellyaching about the servant problem these days
in 1904 when saki wrote the cook was a good cook as cooks go and as cooks go she went this lapidary witticism would have fallen on kind ears the bourgeoisie of that era talked about the unreliability of hired help with the same willed petulance that we reserve today for conversations about how it takes three remotes to turn on our tv
indeed in todays world it seems as if youd be less likely to hear about a domestic walking out than you would someone falling in love with his virtual assistant
i recently used a virtual assistant named amy for 10 days we did not fall in love but i should point out that amy is underage because she is still in beta id say shes about a teenager now amys representative told me which means occasionally moody and incorrigible
my relationship with amy was less lord granthamthe housemaid jane than the sorcerers apprenticehis bucket
virtual assistants like siri google now and cortana have helped many people navigate their lives but the next wave of helpers is likely to have more agency
hailing from a new york start up called xai amy who users can alternatively name andrew will set up meetings for you once someone has agreed to meet with you at a certain place you cc amy and independently of you shell go back and forth with the other person to determine a mutually convenient time and then help you to put that time on your calendar
winningly amy is for now free once her users sign up on the xai website they need tangle with neither hardware nor app
the best part of having a virtual assistant is telling your friends you have a virtual assistant i felt as if id discovered a third buttock
it was the conversational equivalent of carrying a baby through an office does she sound like scarlett johansson in her one person asked me another jested that bots are the new mimes
allowing someone to do your vetting requires trust i applaud xai for including at the bottom of each of amys emails the information that amy ingram is a form of artificial intelligence if my correspondents had twigged to this fact on their own they might have felt like mia farrow in rosemarys baby
additionally i loved that amy sent me copies of all her correspondence for the first three meetings she set up for me it was reassuring that amy did not not deploy the locutions no problem or its hideous offspring np
but the more i used amy the more i saw that she can be relied on for finding a mutually convenient time between parties but not much more
when i told one friend to meet me at the starbucks near bond street amy provided the address for the wrong starbucks one afternoon when i invited my boyfriend greg to the admittedly vague location the beach in august i came home that night to six emails from amy
stranger yet when amy sends confirmation of a meeting her list of the meetings attendees includes herself so apparently amy will join greg and i at the beach hawt
it also intrigued me that i maintained decorum with amy lots of thanks and great even though i didnt have to as one fellow xai user put it it would actually take more energy to stop myself from being civil theres an energetic cost to being rude or neutral or bleh
i wanted to test amy with some of the vagaries that sometimes befall get togethers my own friends and colleagues are of course far far too drenched in integrity and follow through ever to exhibit even the tiniest glimmer of unreliability or waffling so i created an email account for someone i called tania
i imagined tania to be an impulsive scatterbrained entertainer for children when amy extended to tania an invitation for coffee at starbucks i had tania write back to amy i can do 300 on monday unless i only get 3 hours of sleep that night and look smeary and indistinct and have trouble following the thread of conversations in which case thursday or friday are much better
amy blithely set the appointment for monday at 300 not telling me about tanias pre emptive waffle oops
next on the morning of the coffee date i had tania write amy im working a kids birthday party directly after i meet henry do you think it will be ok if i bring a suitcase full of baby animals to starbucks
amy forwarded me the email saying she didnt think she could answer it and then told tania she had done so encouraging tania to get in touch with me directly if tania didnt hear from me well done
finally 16 minutes before tanias and my supposed appointment i had tania write amy to say that she was running 15 minutes late a bottle of moisturizer has exploded and i am beset with goo amy nimbly forwarded the message to me minutes later nice
the one person in my life whom i was loath to sic amy on was my former part time assistant ryan whom i had to let go a few months ago because of budgetary downsizing
without using amy i asked ryan to meet me for lunch at a cafe in the west village where i unbosomed the sordid news that i had taken on a virtual assistant ryan let out a mock gasp and tucked into his steamed vegetables
i said i brought you to a restaurant to tell you this so you wouldnt cry he thanked me for my sensitivity i added i know how hard a time this is in the arts job wise for straight white boys he readdressed his vegetables i paid for lunch to assuage my guilt
the strangest moment ive had with amy though came when i had her set up an appointment for a phone interview with an xai employee who also uses the companys virtual assistant   in this case andrew   for making appointments
after amy and andrew had set up the appointment i asked amy why i didnt see the appointment on my calendar strangely she wrote back as andrew i thought not only is my assistant invisible unpredictable occasionally moody and incorrigible   she is also trans
in the end working with amy has made me think about assistantship besides the nuts and bolts of completing tasks efficiently what are we looking for in our helpers reassurance a second opinion all our best qualities narcissistically reflected back at us
i want all of these as well as someone who will smile or laugh the fifth time i refer to vegans as vegsbians not to mention someone who can tell me whether or not the kids are still wearing bonnets in williamsburg and whether youre meant to store your skrillex alongside your hammer and your pliers or alongside your vibrator and your lubricant
all of these skills elude my simple amy but amy has one thing going for her that youre unlikely to see from any of her living breathing counterparts on monday morning amy sends me a summary of my meetings for the week but when i say monday morning i dont mean at 823 am as shes groggily lumbering onto the l train at the bedford stop i mean at 347 am
it was hugely consoling to learn that my helper was thoroughly invested in my schedule at an hour when my bladder is making a lot of troubling decisions for me indeed reading the time code 347 am made me feel as if i was looking at one of those webby holographic depictions of tissue being regenerated on the bionic mans body
in her present state amy may not be able to do much beyond reduce the number of emails that lie between you and the awkward meeting at the doppio hut where you and your regional buyer ask each other if youre taking any vacation days this summer but we have the technology we can rebuild her


london   with british politics in turmoil there were already clear indications on saturday of a tense and bickering divorce from the european union
britons woke up to a diminished currency and much confusion about the consequences of their vote on thursday to quit the european union including who would be their next prime minister the leaders of the campaign to exit the bloc or brexit continued to disagree over what kind of relationship they wanted with europe and thousands of britons started signing a petition asking for a second referendum
meeting in berlin european leaders told britain to hurry up and begin the formal process of exiting the union while prime minister david cameron said that process could wait until his replacement was chosen in october and leaders of the leave campaign suggested it could come even later after a new round of talks with brussels
i do not understand why the british government needs until october to decide whether to send the divorce letter to brussels jean claude juncker the president of the european commission told german television
i would like it immediately he said it is not an amicable divorce but it was also not an intimate love affair
the emergency meeting of foreign ministers from the european unions six founding states   belgium france germany italy luxembourg and the netherlands   revealed impatience and exasperation with britain
the europeans want mr cameron to start the legal process of quitting by immediately invoking article 50 of the blocs governing treaty which sets guidelines for severing ties and provides for a two year window for talks but nothing in the treaty requires britain to invoke the article until it chooses since it remains a full member with all privileges and obligations until it quits
the european union has other considerable challenges including the migrant crisis greeces turbulent economy and sanctions on russia over ukraine european leaders looking at spanish elections on sunday and german and french elections next year want the uncertainty around the british question resolved as soon as possible so they can try to show their own voters that brussels is capable and on track
but the british have to decide what they want in a future relationship with the european union given the disagreement among the brexit leaders who are not a government mr cameron humiliated and an opponent of leaving clearly has no desire to bear the burden of those negotiations   both internally within the divided conservative party and externally with other european leaders his counterparts in europe think he has damaged not only himself and his country but also them by energizing european populism and diminishing the bloc
the french are particularly impatient with foreign minister jean marc ayrault saying on saturday that negotiations on britains departure from the bloc should begin soon he warned that mr cameron will face very strong pressure to accelerate the process when european leaders meet on tuesday in brussels where mr cameron is expected to be asked to leave the room when the others discuss their plans the europeans are also expected to cancel britains six month presidency of the council which was to begin in july 2017
there is confusion about britain too mr ayrault said saturday that they must designate a new prime minister which would certainly require several days in fact the process will be considerably longer because conservative lawmakers must first agree on a leadership contest and decide when it will be that contest will involve numerous ballots of conservative legislators to winnow down candidates to two and then the 150000 or so registered members of the party who had joined at least three months ago to prevent infiltration will vote by mail
even so chancellor angela merkel of germany said at a news conference in potsdam that it shouldnt take forever for britain to deliver formal notification of article 50 but i would not fight over a short period of time
ms merkel trying to be conciliatory in the face of facts said that she was seeking an objective good climate in talks on britains exit and that there was no need to be particularly nasty in any way in the negotiations they must be conducted properly
already weakened politically by the migrant crisis ms merkel was expected to meet on saturday with 20 top officials from her coalition government of center right and center left parties but with elections coming coalition unity is beginning to falter as the junior partner the social democrats seek to create their own profile for voters
the scottish cabinet held an emergency meeting in edinburgh on saturday after the first minister nicola sturgeon said it was democratically unacceptable that scotland should be removed from the european union against its will
scotland voted overwhelmingly in favor of remaining in the bloc and ms sturgeon who leads the scottish national party that favors independence from britain reiterated after the meeting on saturday that a second independence referendum was highly likely
she said scotland planned to enter discussions with european union institutions and european governments to protect its place in the bloc ms sturgeon said she would establish an advisory panel on the legal financial and diplomatic implications of the vote
as mr camerons announced resignation sank in speculation abounded that boris johnson the former mayor of london and the most visible leader of the leave campaign was the favorite to replace him but there were reports in british newspapers that mr cameron and his deputy george osborne the chancellor of the exchequer were eager to keep mr johnson from profiting from what they considered to be his betrayal and that they were organizing support for theresa may the home secretary
the labour party was also in turmoil with a leadership challenge being organized against jeremy corbyn the hard left legislator who was blamed for a halfhearted effort to keep britain inside the european union
in a speech in london on saturday mr corbyn largely ignored the no confidence effort instead he told supporters that labour would fight to ensure that its agenda was at the heart of discussions as britain negotiated its exit from the bloc
he mentioned the importance of employment protections and human rights said the referendum had laid bare divisions in the country over immigration and underlined the despair of those hit by austerity measures
today its important we learn from what has taken place he said asked if he would run again if his leadership was challenged he replied yes i am here
as markets plunged over the uncertainty the credit ratings agency moodys lowered its outlook for the united kingdom citing the potential for weaker economic growth in the long messy process of disentangling britain from the european union
the sense of shock was particularly acute in london a cosmopolitan city and an important financial center which reacted to the vote with anger disappointment and even tears
i was crying yesterday camila diehl 26 who works for a cancer charity in london said saturday i just cant believe this is happening this is not the country i know
ms diehl who has a colombian mother and a british father said she was worried about what the vote would mean for funding for scientific research she is now questioning her future in britain she said
mayor sadiq kahn who supported remain took to facebook on friday saying he wanted to send a clear message to every european resident living in london   you are very welcome here
there are nearly one million european citizens living in london today and they bring huge benefits to our city   working hard paying taxes working in our public services and contributing to our civic and cultural life he wrote
a petition calling for london to vote to join the european union has drawn more 150000 signatures while a separate online petition calling for a new referendum had the support of more than 21 million people as of saturday evening
and in the latest consequence of britains vote to withdraw from brussels britains highest ranking european union official   jonathan hill the commissioner for financial services   resigned on saturday


in the worlds ugliest dog contest where there were more beasts than beauties it was hard to beat a wrinkled wispy haired bony chinese crested chihuahua named sweepee rambo
the dog   17 years old blind in both eyes and at four pounds not much bigger than two hands put together   was a crowd favorite at the contest which was held on friday night at the sonoma marin fair in petaluma calif
the audience went wild for the blue eyed dog with some people carrying signs that read sweepee for president said the fairs marketing director karen spencer
ms spencer identified the owner as jason wurtz of encino calif he was swarmed by reporters   some from as far away as france and germany   on friday night and was not immediately available to comment she said
in his contest entry he expressed appreciation for sweepees baby soft freckled skin and legendary blond mohawk sweepee described as a ride or die chick enjoys riding with her owner on his honda motorcycle the entry said
the winner last year was quasi modo who had short spine syndrome a birth defect to look at anything quasi had to move her entire body because she could not move her head the dogs owner virginia sayre told the guardian
of the 16 dogs in this years contest   some with names like icky rue roast beef and rascal deux   more than half featured bad hair
one in particular himisaboo was drawing attention for a head of hair that had a striking resemblance to donald j trump the presumptive republican presidential nominee
the contest which has been hosted by the fair for 28 years is run similar to a beauty pageant ms spencer said contestants walk a red carpet they are introduced to the audience and they are paraded onstage
three judges awarded points based on the dogs personalities appearances and how the audience reacted
like all good contests this one has strict rules among them animal must not have been intentionally altered to enhance appearance for the purpose of this contest
sweepees owner won 1500 and a six foot trophy that is as unattractive as the dog it honored


an inspirational poster hangs above the trump tower desk of hope hicks the 27 year old press secretary for donald j trumps presidential campaign squeezed in among the framed time magazine covers of mr trump and exuberant thank you notes written in his inimitable scrawl hopie   youre the greatest
fate whispers to the warrior you cannot withstand the storm it reads and the warrior whispers back i am the storm
ms hicks a onetime champion lacrosse player who signed a ford modeling contract as a teenager had never worked in politics before last year and her widest exposure had been as a co star in a nickelodeon childrens television special about golf
now she plays confidante and sometime gatekeeper to the presumptive republican nominee for president and improbably serves as mr trumps sole liaison to the teeming national press corps
hillary clinton employs a half dozen battle hardened media handlers who field hundreds of daily requests mr trump has ms hicks who was working for his daughter ivankas luxury lines and for the trump real estate brand when the candidate called her to his office in early 2015 and declared that she was joining his campaign
mr trump sat her down and said this is your new job said her mother caye cavender hicks it was a shocker
hope hicks had trained at hiltzik strategies the powerful public relations firm that represents hollywood clients and corporate executives before ms trump brought her in house she was commuting from an apartment she shared with her sister in greenwich conn above the dive bar where her father had his first beer at 18
suddenly she found herself a near constant presence by mr trumps side flying in his jet living rent free in a trump owned apartment and attending to his mercurial moods
she is arguably the least credentialed press secretary in the modern history of presidential politics but for journalists who cover the campaign she is sometimes the jekyll to mr trumps hyde emailing angry complaints from her media bashing boss dishonest and often concluding with her own polite sign off best hope
seemingly unfazed by her bosss outbursts she can detect the best moments for reporters to make requests   knowing for instance not to bother mr trump while he is watching a major golf tournament
her most important role is her bond with the candidate said paul manafort the veteran republican adviser who as of this past week had been put in charge of the campaign she totally understands him
or as ivanka trump said in an interview my father makes people earn his trust shes earned his trust
and not without some steeliness ms hicks remained in her role even as mr trump fired corey lewandowski his campaign manager and another early member of his team
mr lewandowski and ms hicks are close friends he has visited her family in greenwich for pick me up dinners and days after mr trump clinched the republican nomination and fired a key political aide they took in a hall  oates concert with her parents in the vip tent at the greenwich town party
but it was ultimately ms hicks who announced mr lewandowskis departure describing it as a parting of ways
friends of ms hicks say they are thrilled by her sudden rise dismissing concerns that her ties to mr trump could damage her nascent career she believes in him his leadership and abilities and shes thrown herself completely into this said michael feldman a prominent democratic strategist and family friend i dont think that ties her personally to everything thats been said
but some say they are alarmed that ms hicks is promoting and defending a candidate who has been denounced as a demagogue a racist a misogynist and even a fascist in greenwich where her family is part of the civic firmament the topic of her association with mr trump can get touchy
believe me there are times when i would like to voice my opinion said drew marzullo a greenwich town selectman and democrat who is close with ms hickss sister mary grace he recalled doing a double take after spotting mr lewandowski and other trump aides with the family at the hall  oates concert
still he added it would be unfair for someone to judge hope or the family based on her job
in fact ms hicks is the third generation of her family to represent a powerful but highly controversial client her grandfather led public relations for texaco during the 1970s oil crisis
her father paul b hicks iii represented a major tobacco company in connecticut and later was the top communications executive for the national football league where he dealt with scandals over player safety and the patriots deflated footballs
her establishment pedigree aside ms hicks does not fit the part of the typical campaign press secretary spinning reporters and gossiping over expensed drinks on the trail among journalists ms hicks is not known to wrangle cajole or mingle serving as more of a conduit for her intensely media savvy boss who likes to act as his own chief spokesman
unlike her clinton counterparts who take pains to shape their candidates image ms hicks is not active on twitter and does not show up on cable talk shows contacted for this article she declined to be interviewed insisting that she did not want to draw attention away from her candidate
reporters praise ms hicks for her poise amid a chaotic campaign but some say that she can be unresponsive to questions a habit so pervasive that it spawned a mocking anonymous twitter account hicksnocomment on the trail political reporters say ms hicks rarely interacts with them at rallies preferring to communicate by text or telephone
ms hicks   perhaps the only campaign press secretary to have been photographed as a teenager by the fashion photographer bruce weber in a campaign for naturalizer shoes   favors burberry trench coats and heels a break from the scruffy ranks of harried campaign operatives one reporter recalled staggering into a new hampshire rally after a snowstorm soaked in water and ice only to find ms hicks dressed impeccably her makeup unmussed
still the stresses of the campaign have occasionally spilled into public view despite their friendship ms hicks and mr lewandowski were spotted in a screaming match on a manhattan sidewalk which later turned up in the new york post fueling reports of internal tensions
mostly however ms hicks is a friendly if disciplined presence   southern charm by way of fairfield county upon accompanying mr trump to scotland this past week she told a reporter wryly i dont do well in plaid and she is unfailingly deferential to her employer whom she refers to only as mr trump or sir
he seems to appreciate it im lucky to have her mr trump said in a telephone interview on thursday shes got very good judgment she will often give advice and shell do it in a very low key manner so it doesnt necessarily come in the form of advice but its delivered very nicely
did he have qualms about hiring a campaign spokeswoman with no political background well i have a lot of political experience so i wasnt really concerned about it mr trump said
and if it didnt work out i would be able to make a fast change he said but it has worked out
mr trump sent flowers to ms hickss family when her grandmother died earlier this year her parents also visited mar a lago mr trumps florida resort where he greeted them and teased mr hicks about the nfl he could not have been nicer caye hicks said
ms hickss success has not surprised her family hopes a fighter as her father said even as they harbor some concern about the intensity of her work she doesnt really talk to anybody anymore she has no life caye hicks said
mr trumps rallies where violent protests sometimes break out can also be disconcerting i have to hope the secret service is keeping them all safe caye hicks said its a crazy atmosphere
she added i cant actually let her know how worried i am
on free nights ms hicks retreats to her parents home in greenwich   her mother sometimes hears a creaking door at 2 am   to unwind her sister mary grace is a paramedic there and her father a former town selectman remains a prominent figure this spring greenwich proclaimed april 23 as paul b hicks iii day to recognize his philanthropy
ms hicks grew up in greenwich swimming and golfing when she was in sixth grade a neighbor invited ms hicks and her sister to a ralph lauren tryout soon their photographs were in bloomingdales
she made a cameo on guiding light appeared on the covers of young adult paperbacks like gossip girl and once read lines for a film role with alec baldwin
at age 13 ms hicks told greenwich magazine for a cover story about the hicks sisters modeling careers that she was not ready to decide if modeling is what i want to do with my life
if the acting thing doesnt work out she said i could really see myself in politics who knows
the hicks sisters earned enough from modeling to file tax returns but hope preferred lacrosse leading greenwich high school to a state championship and later playing at southern methodist university where she majored in english
after graduation she and her father bumped into mr baldwin at the super bowl the meeting led to an interview and job offer from matthew hiltzik whose clients include mr baldwin and fatefully ivanka trump who was impressed by ms hicks and eventually hired her away
aside from mr trumps children ms hicks is now the longest serving aide on his presidential bid mr feldman the family friend said he doubted that anyone anticipated it would last this long you do the best you can under very unusual circumstances he said in this case circumstances that are more unusual than most
the campaign is looking to hire a communications director but as the general election looms ms hicks who has recently been featured in marie claire and gq remains loyal apparently unperturbed by the controversies swirling around her candidate and prepared to stick it out
mr trump asked if ms hicks would have a spot in his administration replied she would definitely have a role
how about press secretary
i dont want to comment on that he said its too early i dont want to be making those prognostications yet but shell certainly be involved with us shes terrific


life for sue donoghue revolves around prospect park it is her backyard her oasis and lately her workplace conveniently the four story house where she lives with her family in park slope is only a block away from that green space considered by some to be the masterpiece of the landscape architects frederick law olmsted and calvert vaux for almost two years ms donoghue 51 has served as the official park administrator and the president of the prospect park alliance a nonprofit that works with the city to manage and maintain the 585 acre park on sundays she spends at least part of the day in the park with her husband dmitri nayduch who is the director of fixed income research at loews corporation and their children seamus 17 ivan 14 and bridget 13
off leash hours i generally wake up between 730 and 8 am my husband is a really early riser and has already made coffee the first thing we do is take the dog out we have a springer spaniel named dwayne and we like to enjoy the off leash hours in the park which end at 9 its a breed that needs to run its pretty rare that any of the children are up before 9 so its usually just my husband and i and its nice to have some quiet time the off leash hours are amazing you see every size and breed of dog there are literally hundreds of dogs the park was a big part of our decision to be here our daughter plays softball there and our two boys play flag football
stroll with an agenda frankly its also a good time for me to see how the park looks on a sunday morning i bring my camera and we walk the whole length of the long meadow we see if any trash has been left we have a great staff that cleans the park but some days despite our efforts there are raccoons that get into the trash i view the park very differently in this role than i did before joining the alliance
pit stop well stop at the cafe in the bottom of the picnic house called tip of the tongue and get coffee and sometimes pastries to bring back to the kids for me its looking to see how theyre doing its a fairly new concessionaire at home my husband might make pancakes but if the kids have games they eat and run
half marathon woman i have a running partner and we set aside sundays for a longer run we recently did an 8 to 10 mile run in preparation for a half marathon and i ran the brooklyn half in may the time and distance depends on what i have coming up sometimes after doing a loop in the park well go over the brooklyn bridge into manhattan
who what where when when i get home we strategize about who needs to be where with the three kids and different ages there are a lot of activities our older son seamus plays baseball for his high school team our daughter bridget plays softball and our middle son ivan plays squash in a league one of us will walk our daughter to a softball game while the other will get in the car with the boys to games in bay ridge
soda fountain favorite theres a place the boys love in bay ridge called stewarts its a classic diner with a counter in the front where you can order egg creams or ice cream floats i usually order a salad and a grilled cheese because ive run im looking to have something pretty substantial
homebound i love sunday nights because everyone needs to be home the kids have school the next day and well start thinking about dinner we use the grill in our very small yard or we might order in chinese its good to have dinner together before everyone goes off in their corner and does their homework and that includes me there are reports i need to read and letters i need to sign its a chance for me to think about the week ahead
winding down for better or worse weve gotten into breaking bad so well watch a couple of episodes of that with the boys after their homework is done we try and get the two younger ones in bed by 10 then we get in bed by 11 honestly my oldest is still up then and doing homework generally i read before bed i just finished invisible city which i loved its a very brooklyn based murder mystery its fascinating


a block of charred wood wrapped in rope sat at the entrance of rick kellys guitar shop in the west village he carted it from the scorched site of the serbian orthodox cathedral destroyed in a fire in the flatiron district last month
i had to do some fast talking to get it he said explaining how he reassured a suspicious police officer that he had gotten an ok from the monsignor of the historic church they would have thrown it away in the ocean
when old wood becomes available in the city mr kelly appears he builds guitars from what he calls the bones of new york centuries aged pine planks from establishments like chumleys the chelsea hotel and squalid former bowery saloons like mcgurks suicide hall bob dylan has played his instruments as have the guitarists marc ribot and bill frisell lou reed performed some of his final concerts with a guitar made from bowery wood
dylan had to have a guitar with wood from chumleys because he used to drink there mr kelly said he later wanted to know if beer he spilled on the floor at chumleys might have ended up in his guitar
lenny kaye patti smiths longtime guitarist plays a telecaster style guitar mr kelly made for him the bowerycaster created with wood from 183 bowery for a longtime new yorker like myself to actually play on a piece of wood that has been in a loft or flophouse on the bowery inspires me mr kaye said i think of that wood plank being part of a ceiling for 150 years predating air conditioning and how it swelled during the summer
you can feel the hopes and desperations of the people that lined the bowery he added i like to think about how it waited years to become my little buddy when i drive past that address i always think yeah baby thats where youre from thats where you were born
mr kellys shop carmine street guitars has slow turning ceiling fans and customers trickle in to play licks and talk shop dusty logs are heaped against a wall marked in chalk with designations of origin such as bowery 1850s and mcgurks
mr kelly 66 does not use a cellphone and spends afternoons working in piles of sawdust alongside cindy hulej 24 his assistant and apprentice his 90 year old mother dorothy is the shops bookkeeper and works at a lamp lit cluttered desk
but the shops sleepy affectations belie the mischief of his work mr kellys wood collecting missions are often adventurous and improbable
when he got a tip a few years ago that the chelsea hotel was throwing away piles of timber he sent a friend early one morning to rescue them off the street another time a benefactor showed up with a truck in front of mr kellys shop he had amassed tons of wood from defunct haunts like sammys bowery follies recently mr kelly and ms hulej visited the shuttered pearl paint store in chinatown at night to peer through its windows and consider its wood
mr kelly now gets tips about old wood around the city so frequently he cant follow them all hey kelly theres this dumpster i saw with all this wood he said imitating a typical pitch and it kills me i have so much already that i cant take it but two establishments still elude him and he would welcome hunks of their interiors mcsorleys old ale house and cbgb which is now a john varvatos boutique
i have a guy who knows varvatos he said he says hes going to look into getting me a log im still working on the bartenders at mcsorleys i just want a few logs from the basement i keep telling them i can replace them with something just as strong they seem unconvinced he added
mr kelly was born in jamaica queens and grew up on long island he carved his first guitar from a cigar box in high school and began building instruments from reclaimed wood in his early 20s
it was cheaper he said explaining that he started making guitars to pay for college i used to be embarrassed about it hey your guitar once used to be a table i didnt want people to know that
but his peculiarities became his signature when he moved to new york in 1976 opening a shop on downing street he eventually drew a celebrity clientele
david bowie came in he recalled he was only wearing khakis he wanted a fretless bass
he disclosed of lou reed he liked his guitars super light because he had a bad shoulder
mr kelly opened his current storefront on carmine street in 1990 but his relationship with new york wood took on a higher calling he said only when he crossed paths with the film director jim jarmusch a decade ago mr jarmusch who played mr kellys guitars was having work done on his bowery apartment and offered some of its wood to mr kelly mr kelly built a guitar with it and was staggered by the results
he expounded on the discovery at his workshop the other day breaking from his peaceful demeanor into excited bursts
the sound was magic he said the bowery gives it mystique i call it the mystery of the molecule how wood changes over the years and grows resonant
the whole city is built from this wood they must have taken down every tree from here to the adirondacks i think about what the wood saw that we didnt see they were these huge living things people say theyre dead but to me theyre still alive and im giving them a new life
this stuff goes back to the primordial forest that covered the planet he said i would have loved to walk through it


on the first saturday of every month residents of the soundview section of the bronx know where to go for a dose of body slamming eye gouging family oriented mayhem daros extreme fitness a gym where people don tights boots and often handmade leather masks to do battle as part of the bronx wrestling federation chairs will be swung garbage cans will be tossed muscles will be flexed children will be entertained and on the right night fred r conrad a longtime photographer for the new york times will capture it all on film
minor wrestling circuits operate all over the country drawing loyal crowds and stoking hopes that one of the performers will someday reach the big time started by francisco segundo 53 an owner of the gym who wrestles as bronco internacional the bronx federation is a pan american affair many of the wrestlers grapple in the colorful lucha libre gear and acrobatic style popularized in mexico others wear basic brawler attire either way its a rough atmosphere said jorel arroyo 35 who works at a t mobile store and wrestles as the king of new york on june 4 he became the united states champion of the bronx wrestling federation which sounds like title inflation only to those who dont understand pro wrestling he is also head trainer at the gyms school for wrestlers we have police officers drug dealers mailmen teachers he said i started out as an actor i was going to audition for juilliard after high school but i decided to go for professional wrestling
at the end of the night mr segundo lets children in the crowd storm the ring to interact with the wrestlers then the real chaos happens and on a good night nobody gets hurt


not everything belongs in the cloud
the boisterous throng of brooklyn tech students streaming down a side street in fort greene brooklyn on a recent friday afternoon may not believe it but jonna twigg does its the guiding principle behind her store twiggs bindery at 85 fort greene place a purveyor of handmade journals notebooks and albums that the teenagers pass on their way to and from school
on a quiet sunday two days later ms twigg mused that she ought to make a flag with the cloud motto on it in the age of snapchat and instagram she sees books like the ones she sells as a place for words and images that are private intimate intentional
some things she said should go into the tactile realm
in 2007 ms twigg now 35 began the business in her home on clinton avenue selling to private clients in 2014 she moved the bindery to its current location a two story building on a tree lined block anchored by the high school a year later she opened to the public nobody ever saw the doors open she explained nodding toward the open entryway as birdsong and a breeze flowed in for many years ms twigg said a painter had occupied the space now it attracts the curious people walk in and say whats going on here are these books for sale
they are ms twiggs books come in a rainbow of vivid solid color fabrics and rich brown leathers accented along the spine with her distinctive exposed binding waxed embroidery floss stitched in a zigzag along the top and bottom with staggered vertical stripes in the center each of which corresponds to a signature or gathering of paper contained between the covers the priciest leather bound book sells for 250 an album   for wedding photos perhaps   can cost 600 ms twiggs modest notebooks are 10 each
an active workshop fills the center of the airy room cutting mats x acto knives rulers and scissors on a table and a long high shelf filled with paper and spools of thread tell of the craft behind the objects just seeing the materials it just unlocks so much for people ms twigg said it opens up conversation
on weeknights the bindery hosts book discussion groups organized by greenlight bookstore two blocks away on fulton street this spring ms twigg began offering weekend classes in bookbinding leather crafts and felt toy making
on this sunday junghwa park a 26 year old artist led a class on embroidery it was a quiet affair her students were two friends in from long island leslie jacob 57 and susan feltman osullivan who is older but wouldnt say by how much the women avid knitters were new to this kind of needlework they had recently purchased plain quilted maps of new york city and had decided to embellish them with landmarks such as radio city music hall
i want to add beads to the marquee to give it dimension ms jacob an office manager in manhattan said
ms feltman osullivan an adjunct professor of linguistics at molloy college st johns university and other institutions and a lifelong new yorker thought of a simpler starting point well do the subway first she suggested so we can make mistakes
but ms jacob originally from columbia sc continued to dream big she moved to new york 10 years ago the embroidery project was an incentive to get out more and explore the city each place the women visited would be added to the quilts when we get really good were going to fifth avenue she said
ms twigg seemed pleased


anyone who has ventured into a new york city woodland in early summer has probably experienced the intoxicating scent of japanese honeysuckle though there are native plants as fragrant in the evening   linden comes to mind   generally speaking new yorkers need only follow their noses to the ubiquitous japanese honeysuckle to find the source to naturalists however the sweet scent of honeysuckle smells like trouble
though perceptible at any time of the day the fragrance of japanese honeysuckle lonicera japonica is most potent in dimming light its aroma permeates vast acres with a mouthwatering heady fragrance this evening perfume and the vines pale tubular flowers are diagnostic of moth pollinated plants and in its native home of japan and korea honeysuckle is indeed pollinated by night flying hawk moths interestingly our own native moths as well as several species of bees and wasps and even hummingbirds are pollinators of this highly successful species
a close examination of honeysuckle flowers reveals long stamens each tipped with a powdery pollen covered anther these anthers are positioned to dab pollen onto the foreheads and bodies of would be pollinators to lap up the sweet nectar deep in the flowers throat pollinators then brush into the equally elongate pistil with its sticky headed stigma upon which the grains of pollen adhere
honeysuckle is not solely dependent upon sexual reproduction though the aggressive vine reproduces vegetatively as well easily rooting where its stems contact the ground there is little doubt these strategies are effective japanese honeysuckle can be found on every continent but antarctica
it is interesting to note the speed with which lonicera has spread though there is some debate william kerr a 19th century collector for kew gardens in london was probably responsible for honeysuckles first recorded appearance outside asia in 1806 the plants emergence in north america began in earnest in 1862 when george hall a physician and plant breeder introduced a popular and vigorous variety japanese honeysuckle made its first dash for freedom in the new world along the banks of the potomac river in 1882 the blame does not lie with plant collectors alone japanese honeysuckle was highly recommended for erosion control and to add beauty to planting sites well into the 20th century
in a paper in critical reviews in plant science the researcher kristina a schierenbeck wrote there is little doubt had william kerr been conscious and concerned with the introduction of invasive species he would have preferred to enjoy japanese honeysuckle in asia exclusively
water under the bridge perhaps
today japanese honeysuckle can be found throughout the northeast and except in cases where very rare plants or woodlands are threatened and eradication may still be warranted we must learn to accept the inevitable make time to stop and smell the honeysuckle its fragrance is no less beautiful in its new home


what better time to explore the city than summer here are a few unusual baedekers for new yorkers and visitors alike
the subtitle to the bowery boys adventures in old new york ulysses press 1795 sets high expectations an unconventional exploration of manhattans historic neighborhoods secret spots and colorful characters happily they are met by greg young and tom meyers transplants from the midwest the authors bow to the other boroughs but focus largely on the centerpiece of the popular podcasts they began in 2007 their easily accessible manual will not only steer you to sites you might have overlooked but also provide ammunition for games of trivial pursuit
mr young and mr meyers recollect the profound significance of the general slocum steamboat disaster in 1904 reveal that george washington and boss tweed lived at the same address on cherry street identify the highest building traverse in manhattan on thames street and the shortest thoroughfare in manhattan mill lane and a neon sign   in hells kitchen of course   that vows sin will find you out their witty historical field guide also pinpoints the oldest surviving bridge in new york high bridge and arguably the oldest major man made object in central park cleopatras needle
if you missed that painted bunting last year youll be able to identify the next sighting with birding at the bridge in search of every bird on the brooklyn waterfront the experiment 1495 by heather wolf who works for the cornell laboratory of ornithology and oversees the brooklynbridgebirdscom blog where you may see only pigeons sparrows and the occasional sea gull she has recorded 130 species many of which she has beautifully photographed
now that you know your birds whats that theyre nesting in central park trees and landscapes a guide to new york citys masterpiece columbia university press 2495 by edward sibley barnard and neil calvanese is a lushly illustrated reference book that will help you sound smarter than your children think you are mr barnard an author and editor and mr calvanese who was the central park conservancys vice president for operations explore the parks roots and transmutations they elaborate on more than 200 tree species and tell which is which
leslie koch is retiring as the president and chief executive of the trust for governors island but her legacy to the city is an urban oasis kevin c fitzpatrick who has led walking tours there has codified his narrative in governors island adventure  history in new york harbor globe pequot 1295 his book includes maps and relates the islands role since 1624 in the founding of the city and the state a year before the date on the official city flag and the progress of the trust and the national park service in transforming this still largely undiscovered sanctuary
searching for your own brand of beach reading about dogs psychic research italian culture check out fifty specialty libraries of new york city from botany to magic chandos publishing 3395 by terry ballard a librarian and author
so you wont get lost or in case you want to theres new york in 50 maps universe 1795 by francoise and pauline bayle a practical whimsical it includes maps of cemeteries sex subways and colorful compendium
and for those who can never get enough of brooklyn ellen freudenheim offers the brooklyn experience the ultimate guide to neighborhoods  noshes culture  the cutting edge rutgers university press 2395


judy jetset walked around the bar at the playwright irish pub in midtown manhattan checking in on the 40 people she had brought together to watch a sports event she said hello to people she hadnt yet met and then introduced them to others in the group she was something of an ambassador for the assembled fans of league of legends a multiplayer online game that draws amateur and professional players as well as sponsors and fantasy leagues
being broadcast on this sunday afternoon in march was league of legends championship series tvs around the bar showed an animated clash of mutant like animated characters with spikes covering their arms and horns atop their heads chasing one another through colorful mazes the goal is to destroy the opponents nexus which is an illuminated power source when the mutants are successful pixelated flashes of neon red green and purple explode on a grassy battle arena in the center of the screen
dressed in her gold and white league of legends custom jersey ms jetset 29 approached a red velvet chair and introduced herself to jenny zhao 18 ms zhao was nestled into the cushioned seat with another friend amy zhu 21 who had urged her to attend the event
of the people there a handful were women this was a disappointment to ms jetset who works as a service desk technician at weill cornell medicine in new york
she asked ms zhao what made her decide to come she was hoping for insight to help her better promote the sport among women im not the kind of person who would just show up to an e sports meetup ms zhao said using the game genres catchall term it makes it more comfortable that its not a guy running this
games like league of legends which are played virtually but have created real life communities like this one are a new frontier in gaming turning into a large adult centric business in the last five years this is how it works people play games like league of legends on computers or smartphones and pit themselves against other players often strangers tournaments can be watched at designated times by tuning to a streaming service called twitch
league of legends according to riot games the company that produces it attracts 67 million players a month with 27 million people playing daily
its unclear the exact percentage of women who are fans nicola piggott a spokeswoman for riot wouldnt disclose the demographic breakdown but newzoo a gaming market research company said women make up about 25 percent of the enthusiasts in the united states
the world of gaming is male dominated and sexism has burdened the efforts of those who try to expand its reach notably there was the gamergate scandal in which some male gamers bullied and harassed female players or others who had been designated as using video games to push a political or social agenda
harassment is one of the reasons ms jetset uses an alias jetset isnt her real last name which she declined to provide she says the alias insulates her from being the target of online trolling she has had male gamers comment to her on social media that she must be using league of legends to meet guys but most often she is not taken seriously by some men whose interests and knowledge are no greater than hers the deepest sexism is the insinuation that my opinion matters less she said
women like ms jetset are attempting to close that fissure with smaller more inclusive local meetups they seek a broader outreach as well last year she and another gamer cristina amaya 25 who lives in washington and is the creator of the new york league of legends group founded a tournament the facebook group for the meetup has more than 3000 members and moderating the comments is a big job for ms jetset and the two other gamers   both men   who oversee the page ive faced harassment from so many men ms amaya said sexual harassment insulting comments comments about my intelligence i wish it wasnt like that i wish there was more i could do
ms jetset had another meetup planned for saturday and was optimistic that it would attract a higher female turnout im always hoping more women will come but i understand it can be very intimidating for women to come to social events geared towards gamers she said all i can do is do my best to make women feel welcome


may was a busy month in new york for dev hynes as most months are there was that night at the dizzee rascal show and the one at american ballet theater there was the basketball tournament at the art fair and the late nights playing ping pong in the west village there was the intimate performance in a lower east side bookstore and rehearsals in midtown for shows hes about to perform to celebrate his new album freetown sound released under the alias blood orange
it can seem that theres not an inch of new york   not a block not a scene not a cultural ecosystem   where mr hynes the 30 year old singer songwriter producer hasnt left a footprint to many the city is an unsolvable puzzle for some comprehension is possible but only from a distance fluency though is something thats in short supply new york has always been a city of secrets but some people seem to know all of them
one recent night mr hynes was sitting in desalvio playground in nolita nibbling on a peanut butter cookie as the sun began to shrug its a small spit of a park the sort of place you might walk right past without noticing but not mr hynes im in this playground a lot actually he said enthusiastically this tiny corner is his too
that sort of engagement feels almost antiquated a product of an older time when place was something close to destiny thats no longer the case it is less essential than ever in this time of easy mobility of ideas and internet driven transnational fame for an artist to identify with one spot in the world to be in essence local
but every so often an artist becomes part of the citys tapestry   not high nor low mainstream nor underground just there mr hyness ubiquity has become a fact of 2010s new york to follow him on snapchat   he was a natural at self documentation in the medium right up until the moment this month when his account was hacked then deleted   is to see an artist endlessly fascinated with this citys many crevices
a committed cultural citizen he stands out among the new york musicians of his generation mr hyness modern bohemianism feels like a holdover from an earlier time more reminiscent of the uptown downtown cross pollination of the early 1980s or how lou reed bridged proto punk and art or how warhols factory took in the outcasts from all the citys scenes and gave them a home
his cultural life is broad and fluid a throwback to when new york culture was less professionalized more intimate and less segmented freetown sound suggests a conversation with the city navigating a host of styles while weaving in vocal snippets of local characters from krs one to ta nehisi coates
mr hynes moved here from london where he was born and raised at 21 already a few years deep into making music then as part of the band test icicles and as a solo artist under the alias lightspeed champion i was reading books about new york like please kill me he said referring to the punk history i was super inspired from it when i came here i was still always just pulling from the city
a history buff with an itchy google finger he owns a bookshelf full of titles about the city which is his muse and text he takes long walks stumbles on things gets curious then goes and looks them up in washington square park hes apt to give an impromptu lecture about the arches
then he carries the history with him to use as inspiration and sometimes as source material i like the idea of these actual physical hubs and whats happened on those streets over time   theres almost ghosts traces of whats been happening
and so mr hynes makes the city his own his cohort of collaborators and friends includes musicians yes but also dancers writers artists and at least one lampshade designer he plays soccer in public parks and basketball in a court at a west village public school in a loose league that was begun many years ago by the beastie boys no less he hosted a benefit for a harlem music school at the apollo theater he plays small intimate shows at bookstores like one for a book release for the artists alex da corte and jayson musson and provides scores for art installations at the knockdown center in queens and elsewhere when friends like florence welch have concerts he goes
but hes also willing to follow his curiosity   a combination of a restless artistic imagination and a belief in the new york mythos when he wants to see a ballet recital he buys tickets theres not like a special list he said im on the website buying like everyone else
and like anyone whos lived in new york long enough to have a mental map that corresponds to his or her life he has his own landmarks the east village block where his old apartment burned in a fire that took all of his possessions and his dog chelsea where he had a studio a couple of years ago in which hed worked with the pop singer carly rae jepsen and which he left because a fashion company wanted to use the space as storage until recently he had space in a walk up officestudio on st marks place that served as a communal hangout for friends a recording space and a 24 hour pied a terre for creative exhalation his preferred watering hole is the fat cat a plain jazz bar in the west village where he enjoys unwinding at the ping pong table with his musician friends its such a hidden gem he said i like that its either old people or students and theres no real in between on the weekends sometimes youll get maybe like an office group
this is mr hyness new york elegant and mundane all at once but even now after almost a decade here he said he doesnt quite feel full ownership of the city but rather sees it as some kind of cool big brother that youre kind of watching they go out the door and you dont quite know where theyve gone where theyre going what theyre doing but it seems cool its half protectiveness half aspiration
which is why when the opportunity presents itself to leave as it often does for touring mr hynes rarely takes the bait its just weird for me to take time out of my life he said half apologetic for him new york is home and nourishment and purpose if he spent more time on the road he said i wouldnt be me
dev hynes will release freetown sound his third album as blood orange on friday july 1 its his most accomplished one yet with the sweet romanticism and austere cool of new wave cut through with slashes of emotional social and political sorrow here are edited excerpts from a conversation with him
in what ways does your fascination with new york come out in your music especially on this album
a lot of the music i make its music for me to listen to on headphones to soundtrack me just walking around i get moods walking down streets that i think sound good in a certain way whats happened slowly over the last few years instead of writing music that i pictured in certain parts of new york now those parts of new york are actually in the music
you make street recordings
on an iphone like houston and first at different times of the day augustine has this audio from broadway some of it loops   if you pay attention to augustine then better numb you can hear its the same motorbike going by the same person saying something theres a lot of audio from washington square park one of my favorites is in with him and also squash squash   its audio from central park there was an opera singer a female tenor under the bridge singing some puccini piece and also in the distance there was a saxophone player i wrote a saxophone part that can lead from that
this album has a lot of pastiche but also the most melodically direct songs youve released
even though this album is more complex as a whole i think each song is way simpler than my older songs i was aware that i was going to be asking a lot of people anyway so i wanted it to be digestible im always trying to make my melodies as direct as possible at least thats what im attempting to do
is part of what you enjoy about working with female pop artists that they can go places you might not
its half that and its half i dont know how i was working with carly rae jepsen again last week and i love working with her because we cant do what each other do shes such a pro im aware of what im doing but i wouldnt know how to make a song that sounds like sorry or whatever   my brain just doesnt go there
how literal is your songwriting
a lot of my songs sound like love songs and theyre usually really not but you is interesting its actually about walking down a street and me trying to work out what to do say if theres like a young blond girl in front of me and were the only ones on the street and its me trying not to scare her walking   trying to work out if i should cross the road if i should walk faster and try to speed past   but its kind of told through this shield
so woven into these melodies is a the difficulties of living in a black body in a white society did you ever want to make a straightforward agit pop album
there was a large period before the songs that made this album when i was like pretty dark musically but also i think it wasnt good enough for release the only other time that happened to me was the week after the trayvon non indictment i made 10 songs i was gonna put out and i was gonna try to do it under a different name and then i just didnt it was more me just trying to work through things than me releasing to the world
what work have you done thats most political
maybe the first lightspeed champion album it dealt with a lot of similar themes like being black in a particularly white world at the time no one particularly noticed if that came out now with that political content i think people would associate me with it more the album was mainly about being a weird black kid 80 percent of it that is closest lyrically to this one
what artists do you feel kinship with on these topics
i would say le1f kelela   the stuff shes been working on now is really similar solange of course i really love elysia crampton its kind of intense   theres no vocals in it but it still deals with being displaced shes transgender and dealing with being herself in this world but you can feel it and then theres people that i look up to like kendrick
do you feel those messages explicit or implicit are more in tune with this political and social moment
it definitely is though its just where im at other people if they make an album and things start coming out with similar themes they start to freak out but im kind of just like stoked on it it shows im not alone in my thinking were all in these different places in the world at different places in our careers thinking on the same wavelength but who knows people may listen to my album that have never listened to lemonade or to pimp a butterfly
it sounds like you are decentering your voice on this album im wondering about that as deliberate aesthetic strategy but also as a psychological strategy
i definitely am always subconsciously and sometimes consciously trying to step back and let other things take center stage i can only relate things to sports its basically like when i play soccer im midfield sometimes im like left wing and i enjoy it every now and then i want to like maybe play striker ill go forward and do it then im like ok thats enough of that and go back and start making plays


los angeles   joshua malina and hrishikesh hirway the co hosts of the podcast the west wing weekly were here in the backyard studio of mr hirways home on a recent afternoon preparing to tape an interview with senator bob casey of pennsylvania mr casey was going to call in four minutes now three but mr hirways phone wasnt working thats not good he said as he scrambled to find a fix just a senator mr malina said wryly its just a us senator
the west wing weekly is not your typical pop culture podcast unlike others of its ilk the show which began last march features a co host who was actually a participant in the piece of pop culture being discussed mr malina played the white house deputy communications director will bailey on the series and stars on scandal another hit series set in washington
there are other tv recap shows but none of them have a ringer a man on the inside someone who actually knows the inner workings of the show mr hirway said
mr hirway is a singer composer and host of the podcast song exploder which explores the origin story of a single song iggy pops american valhalla wilcos magnetized with its creator hrishis a lot younger and cooler than i mr malina said
the two hosts have set an ambitious goal for themselves discuss all 154 episodes of the critically acclaimed emmy award winning series the podcast has already gotten over 25 million downloads listeners include fans who watched the series during its 1999 to 2006 run as well as those who downloaded or streamed it later
at one episode per week mr malina and mr hirway will finish up sometime around 2019 assuming they dont include too many special episodes   or flame out
and then there are the guests in addition to former cast members the podcast has hosted eli attie who was the chief speechwriter for former vice president al gore and ronald klain a former chief of staff to vice president joseph r biden jr i was geeking out about talking to ron klain and all of that was because of the west wing mr hirway said
the pair connected in 2001 when mr hirway emailed mr malina a fellow yalie out of the blue asking for advice about the industry after a tv project they had been working on for two years fell through mr hirway wanted to do something more diy why not a podcast about the west wing it was his favorite show his friend had been on it and he knew about podcasting thanks to song exploder
mr malina wasnt so sure i didnt feel qualified he said unlike mr hirway who had watched many west wing episodes up to a dozen times mr malina hadnt even seen some that he had been on people would come up to me and theyd mention some moment from an episode and it would have no meaning to me he said
but then he rewatched the pilot and was reminded of just why the show had won more than two dozen emmys a record setting nine in its first season after securing a blessing from the shows creator and his longtime friend aaron sorkin   i certainly wouldnt want to launch into an endeavor like this then find out that he was pissed at me mr malina said   the two collaborators went about planning shows and booking guests
during his episode richard schiff who played the white house communications director toby ziegler described the trauma of forgetting to acknowledge his wife and kids during his 2000 emmy acceptance speech and got choked up recalling the filming of in excelsis deo a celebrated episode about a homeless veteran who freezes to death on the national mall id expected it to be glib and funny which is what typically happens when you hang out with josh mr schiff said what surprised me about him was that he was so genuinely curious about the show
future guests include mr sorkin id do anything josh malina asked me to do he said in an email interview the actress marlee matlin the former white house press secretary dee dee myers and the creator of hamilton lin manuel miranda a longtime wingnut and one of the first fans who asked to be on
although mr malina admits that he began the weekly unsure if audiences would tune in the response was immediate fans of the series regularly chime in on the podcasts comments section praising the commentary themed shows and guests   as well as picking spirited fights with one another and on occasion with mr malina over plot points and favorite characters even though i jokingly call it a book club of two people weigh in mr malina said
alumni of the show have been equally positive i started sobbing about five minutes in and didnt stop until about five minutes after it was over said mr sorkin speaking about mr schiffs episode
still mr malina who is a known prankster has taken his fair share of ribbing during a recent west wing reunion at the atx television festival in austin former castmates questioned his warmth humanity and commitment to united states veterans the podcast had recently hosted the actress melissa fitzgerald who after west wing became the senior director of the nonprofit justice for vets
once melissa fitzgerald arguably the kindest person on earth took a shot at me for not liking vets i knew i was in trouble he said
perhaps most heartening to the hosts are the admittedly small percentage of people who came to the podcast because of their other projects and discover west wing as a result thats my favorite part mr malina said because i know what a treat theyre in for


if were going to get out there and travel no matter what as our earlier look at gay travel post orlando suggested where should we go matthieu jost the chief executive and a founder of misterbb a website that helps travelers find gay friendly bed and breakfasts around the world said santiago chile and kuala lumpur malaysia have been popular searches on his site recently and those who responded to our callout on the scruff app when we also asked them for lesser known destinations that they have found to be lesbian gay bisexual and transgender friendly suggested many including ogunquit maine the scottish highlands the smoky mountains and malta
here are some other places recommended
nomadic boys stefan arestis and sebastien chaneac globe trotting bloggers
to some the philippines will present a conundrum its a religious place with a strong roman catholic presence and there have been some high profile stories of violence there including the 2015 murder of a transgender woman by a united states marine but the country is also considered by many to be one of the most friendly places in asia for lesbian gay bisexual and transgender people and voters there even elected a transgender woman to their congress recently
most travelers to asia tend to head for the more obvious gay friendly spots like thailand and bali stefan arestis of nomadic boys wrote in an email but we found the philippines to be incredibly open to us this is largely because the filipinos are well known and very proud of their filipino hospitality
mr arestis and sebastien chaneac are a gay couple who quit jobs in london in 2014 and have been traveling the world ever since writing about their adventures on their website
places like boracay in the philippines are particularly gay friendly with both party venues and some beautiful beaches mr arestis wrote in boracay you can even dress like and learn to swim like a mermaid at the philippine mermaid swimming academy
merryn johns editor in chief curve
these two new mexico cities are currently popular with lesbian travelers merryn johns of curve magazine wrote in a recent email both have vibrant lesbian scenes that are significantly supported by female business owners and local lesbian entities she wrote
the current mayor of santa fe javier gonzales is the citys first openly gay mayor and one of his first acts upon taking office in 2015 was to propose an ordinance requiring single occupancy public restrooms to be gender neutral the ordinance passed the city council last june
among ms johnss specific suggestions when visiting taos are the lesbian owned and operated sugar nymphs bistro and a visit to mabel dodge luhans historic inn and former residence she was a bisexual new york socialite and friend of gertrude stein who married a local indian from the taos pueblo indigenous village the longest continuously inhabited in the united states and conducted a literary and artistic salon in her distinctive house that attracted the likes of georgia okeeffe willa cather and martha graham
jim werner co founder of the gay travel website fagabond
lesbian gay bisexual and transgender travelers may be tempted to write off the entire american south as a stretch of homophobic red states that simply must be tolerated or flown over en route to the gay friendly environs of fort lauderdale south beach and key west fla but there are a number of cities that are very lgbt friendly in that swath of red said jim werner co owner of a website that focuses on united states travel from a gay perspective nashville asheville nc and even birmingham ala he said deserve consideration
mr werner is especially fond of nashville which has gay bars and lesbian gay bisexual and transgender friendly businesses like the lesbian bar lipstick lounge in east nashville and suzy wongs house of yum an asian fusion lounge in midtown known for its dragn brunch the most popular area for the lgbt crowd mr werner wrote is in midtown around church street this area has several gay bars and clubs well suited for everything from casual drinking to all night dance partying he wrote
and of course any tourist is sure to be taken with the nashville music scene in addition to the gay night life theres something about crooning cowboys in nashville that makes us swoon he wrote
ben lambert traveler and blogger at high society hobo
ben lambert spent six months traveling around southeast asia last year he wrote in a recent email and while he was not shocked to find thailand especially bangkok to be lesbian gay bisexual and transgender friendly he said he was indeed surprised by the positive reception in some of the other countries he visited
while there are a great many people in these countries who cannot accept homosexuality there are large communities of people who do   especially among the younger generations mr lambert wrote this leads to the creation of flourishing yet discreet lgbt communities throughout the region
there are many lesbian gay bisexual and transgender owned or lgbt friendly businesses   bars clubs saunas and hotels in cities including saigon vietnam yangon in myanmar and cambodias capital phnom penh mr lambert wrote and while these places may not be brazenly waving the pride flag they are not hidden they do not exist behind unmarked doors with secret passwords and handshakes required for entry they exist in regular neighborhoods and are open to the entire public the locals including police know exactly what they are and tend to leave well enough alone
kelsy chauvin freelance travel writer
the freelance travel writer kelsy chauvin wasnt surprised that manchester has a strong lgbt community   the british version of queer as folk was set there after all   but she said she was nonetheless blown away when she visited for the first time last year it was like west hollywood england style she said but more gritty
the citys gay village simply called the gay village is full of bars shops and restaurants including many lgbt owned businesses like richmond tea rooms she said theres even a festival devoted to transgender people   sparkle the national transgender celebration   running july 8 to 10 manchester is home to lgbt foundation a national charity and manchester pride another charity that supports numerous community organizations they know how to hold a party too the annual manchester pride festival is a big undertaking that has its own fringe festival comprising events around the city in august
another manchester advantage this is a rare case of a city that has actually more than one lesbian bar and they were both happening ms chauvin said recalling her visit i think thats pretty indicative of a thriving gay community
davey wavey storyteller self described gay guru and facebookyoutube personality
davey wavey who has almost a million subscribers to his youtube channel where he posts funny and frank videos about gay sexuality and acceptance as well as reports from pride events and street interviews from around the world spends at least seven months a year traveling he said in a phone conversation he had recently returned from puna hawaii where he had stayed at kalani a retreat center founded by richard koob a gay man
puna he said is a very queer community and its not just gay men there are a lot of transgender individuals people who are gender queer and lesbians its really a more diverse spectrum of lgbtq than you see in most of those other places like provincetown or palm springs
outside of the confines of kalani all of puna is welcoming and the natural environment affords plenty of reasons to visit too he said its this incredible almost magical place where the rain forest meets the ocean just imagine this lush juicy jungle abutting black lava cliffs and these deep rich black sand beaches
in a follow up note after the shooting in orlando he underlined yet another reason to consider puna one of the things that struck me about my time in puna or hawaii was that so many people went there to heal especially after the death of a loved one he wrote theres something about puna the people and the land thats very healing and nurturing and a lot of us need that right now


early this year mike quinn a lawyer in the art world moved from the west village to the east village into an apartment in an eight unit building on third street between first and second avenues the twin plagues of chain commerce and luxury residential towers have eradicated much of what distinguished the two neighborhoods historically but mr quinn noticed one big difference right away   all over the east village and where he lived in particular people were hauling luggage around all the time he began referring to his block as suitcase alley airbnb guests from around the world remain always in view
on june 17 the state legislature passed what would become one of the most stringent home sharing laws in the country if not the world should gov andrew m cuomo approve it the measure would forbid not only landlords but also tenants to list apartments for short term rental on airbnb and similar sites and would impose fines of up to 7500 on those who flout it it is already illegal in new york to rent out an unoccupied apartment in a building with three or more units for fewer than 30 days but airbnb is full of advertisements for such places regardless about 55 percent of airbnb listings violate the law according to housing activists
the company doesnt dispute the figure it instead seeks to have the legislation modified so that a costume designer living in chelsea for instance could sublet her rental apartment for the four or five days a month she worked in los angeles with no worries that she was engaging in an illegitimate transaction
although airbnb has faced fierce opposition in san francisco berlin and barcelona the new law in new york arrives at a moment when certain governments and municipalities have begun to regard it far more affectionately earlier this month the european union issued a series of guidelines to encourage the growth of the so called sharing economy which it sees as a kind of salvation in a limp job market and cautioned its member states against heavy regulation
on wednesday chicagos city council overwhelmingly passed a relatively lenient bill governing how sites like airbnb could operate in the city this came after intensive lobbying on the part of the company whose policy director chris lehane like the citys mayor rahm emanuel is an alumnus of the clinton white house the legislation which has certainly had very vocal opponents establishes a 4 percent tax on each rental to help fund services for the homeless
as one city alderman described the new era to the chicago tribune this is the jetsons were not going back to the flintstones
in new york and other cities with exorbitant housing costs one longstanding objection to airbnb has been that certain listings effectively remove units from the residential housing market suppressing supply and theoretically driving up rents
according to a report to be released by a consortium of housing activists 16 percent of airbnb listings in new york city or approximately 8000 units should be considered impact listings meaning that they are booked several times per month and listed for at least three months per year by someone who advertises multiple apartments on airbnb and not just the single apartment in which he or she lives these are the commercial profiteers
validating mr quinns suitcase alley observation the report found that impact listings predominated in the east village the report goes further to state that the number of vacant and available apartments in new york city would increase by 10 percent if those listings were returned to the rental market
one potential if unlikely road to legislative compromise would be for airbnb itself to ban those listings effectively returning livable apartments to the housing market this might encourage state and local government to loosen the restrictions over what the costume designer and the retired school principal might do with the apartments they rent on occasional out of town weekends with the citys population aging rapidly home sharing is an obvious means to extending income beyond age 70 or 80
governing airbnb has consumed a great deal more of the political conversation than have other measures that might be taken to alleviate the citys housing problems to the best of my knowledge no one is clamoring to ban the conversion of multiple unit brownstones into single family homes for instance these conversions dominate the landscape in parts of brooklyn on one block in brooklyn heights a developer is turning a building formerly containing seven rental units into a 7750 square foot single family townhouse that will go on the market for 18 million many people find this distasteful but few are taking to the barricades to suggest it should be against the law
the other civic criticism of airbnb which arguably has its biggest enemy of all in the citys hotel lobby is that the transience it generates makes neighborhoods less stable this could very well be true but so far this is something legislators admit has yet to be quantified i asked mr quinn how he experiences the east village in the age of airbnb an enterprise in which he sees both social value and diminishment he regularly finds himself helping tourists with their luggage as they make their way up and down east third street he is occasionally inconvenienced he told me but is not fundamentally disturbed
if you have a bad neighbor they are there for a year or forever if you have a bad airbnb neighbor they are there for two days he said has it corrupted the neighborhood i think the high rents already there corrupted the neighborhood


line by the playwright israel horovitz has been in residence on and off at the 13th street repertory company in greenwich village since 1974 top that hamilton but mr horovitz has been a neighborhood fixture even longer than his absurdist drama
for that he can thank the people who hired him to write the screenplay for the 1970 feature film the strawberry statement
i made a bunch of money for the first time in my life an older lawyer friend advised me to buy a house and i said youre kidding because i didnt know anyone who had a house recalled the very prolific mr horovitz 77 whose new work out of the mouths of babes the latest of some six dozen produced plays continues through july 31 at the cherry lane theater it tells what happens when four women go to paris for the funeral of a 100 year old man and discover that they have quite a lot in common
in any case he heeded his friends counsel and in the spring of 1970 moved with his wife and their three children among them the future beastie boy adam horovitz to a brick townhouse on a street known at the time as writers block
our doorbell rang the first day and it was terrence mcnally who introduced himself and said he lived next door mr horovitz said referring to the author of plays including master class and love valour compassion we became friends for life
but not as it turned out neighbors for life after the dissolution of that marriage mr horovitz sold the house and moved his children a block east where he purchased the top two floors of another townhouse   a family house not a fancy house he remarried in 1981 subsequently he and his wife gillian now 61 a retired champion long distance runner undertook a renovation
now might be a good time to mention that many of mr horovitzs plays have been produced in france consequently he has spent a lot of time in france where he noticed a lot of people had sinks in their bedrooms a sink in his new york bedroom would be just the thing
he handpicked the basin and the antique tiles for the backsplash and when he came to check on the workers progress inquired about the sink and the construction guy said its in the closet where you told me to put it mr horovitz said and i opened the closet and there was the sink i said i never told you to put it in the closet and he said yes you did this was after the supposed six week reno had gone on for 11 months
he continued so i said you know what ive changed my mind can you put it on the bedroom wall and he said its going to cost you and he put it there and once it was plumbed in i said get out youre done 
in 1991 the couple by then parents of 6 year old twins bought out their downstairs neighbor the best selling author steven gaines and furnished the house with british and french country furniture including a linen press to hold sweaters and a scottish town clerks table to serve as a desk for mr horovitz
the purchase gave everyone room to spread out of course it also changed the way various spaces were designated on the second floor for example is whats now called the little living room to distinguish it from the big living room on the first floor aka steve gainess living room
in steve gainess living room around a much loved low table designed by bernard vuarnesson mr horovitz conducts writers workshops and has weekly gatherings with playwright colleagues the table is flanked by two eames lounge chairs one an original that i ran out and bought as soon as i made my first real money mr horovitz said
its twin upholstered in white was on a set for the film adaptation of his play author author and as demanded in the script got tossed down a flight of stairs i got it as a gift after shooting and dyed it black mr horovitz said
youd be hard put to point to an object that doesnt have a story or a boldfaced name attached to it youd be equally hard put to find someone who tells the story better or with greater humor than mr horovitz
an etching of a theater ticket by william hogarth in the small living room years ago when the new york public library was in trouble edward albee and i were asked to host a benefit auction mr horovitz said they had a table where they were selling off duplicates and i saw this ticket that was 25 cents
 this is signed by hogarth  he told the man in charge and he said well its a duplicate and i said its hogarth and he said no you bought it you own it so there it is ive got it
the lithographs by the dutch painter bram van velde i really love his work mr horovitz said samuel beckett was kind of my mentor and i was close with him for years i was a young guy and he sent me to an art dealer and i bought a bunch of van velde prints for 100 francs 20 bucks apiece and about 40 years later i realized they werent 100 francs theres no way they could have been that cheap beckett had paid for them
at one time he had three picasso plates bought years ago for a song in antibes but my older sons broke all three with baseballs i kept the pieces to one and glued it back together he said pointing to his salvage job hanging on a wall in the kitchen
then there is the likeness of a family pet a guinea pig called mr pokey by one of the horovitz twins hannah who also did a self portrait in acrylic paint on a chair in the entryway she painted mr pokey as a birthday present for me and when he died i put the portrait in the ground floor window with a little in memoriam sign under it mr horovitz said were on a block with a school and hundreds of kids pass it every day and for years now weve heard little kids say hi mr pokey as they pass its like our paddington bear
now among those schoolchildren are four of mr horovitzs grandchildren   one more thing anchoring him to his longtime home and neighborhood
i just love the village mr horovitz said im a small town person whatever beauty you can find in new york much of it you can find right here


even before noon on a recent friday every table at squirrel  the bee a gluten  and grain free cafe and bakery that opened in short hills nj in 2014 was occupied were all these people gluten free
i ordered the kale salad with dates and a cup of tomato pumpkin soup although the combination of tomato and pumpkin seems improbable in the case of this sweet and tart soup it worked i was surprised i do not have celiac disease and in general eat everything an occupational requirement and yet both items even the lemony vinaigrette on the salad were terrific
i returned a week later for the much praised pumpkin granola skeptical i wondered how granola made without grain could be palatable again the food caught me off guard it was first rate i bought a whole bag which squirrel  the bee sells along with cereals nuts coffees teas and baked goods like many items for sale there the granola was labeled with letters that deemed it suitable for various diets g gluten free d dairy free p paleo s specific carbohydrate diet and e egg free also everything is kosher
michelle retik the owner explained on the phone after my visits that her customers come from as far away as holland and canada where they have read about it on gluten free websites at least 50 percent however have no particular allergies presumably they come as i now will because the food is bright fresh and skillfully prepared
the story of the cafes origins and ms retiks evolution into a grain  and dairy free chef explains to a large extent the character of the place
a newly single parent of four and a former merchandise planner ms retik decided to switch career gears in 2008 being a pastry chef had always been her dream and after graduating from the institute for culinary education in 2009 she achieved it flour and sugar had become her tools working sometimes 12 hours a day she simply assumed that her stomach maladies were the result of being a busy single mother when her weight dropped to 87 pounds she was given a diagnosis of ulcerative colitis the children were late for school 27 times that year she said i couldnt even get out of the house in the morning
after conventional treatments and doctors did not help ms retik embarked on a strategy based on her own reading it worked on wednesday i rid my kitchen of grains refined sugars and dairy on friday i got out of bed walked the dog and felt awesome even thomas mccarrick the doctor who was her fiance at the time and is now her husband marveled at the change what happened she recalled his asking
during the next few years she perfected the recipes for her restricted diet they are the basis of what she now serves to more than 2500 customers a week
stylishly decorated with aged silver wood splashes of turquoise and a rotating display of art the cafe attracts crowds that are typical of short hills lots of lululemon as well as people from out of town out of state and occasionally out of the country the food is simply that good
ms retiks asparagus leek and dill quiche for example is fluffier than most quiches because it is made without cheese and the crust relies on coconut oil and almond flour rather than the more leaden vegetable oil and white flour a dish called michelles eggs scrambled with spinach and tomatoes in coconut oil and served with a generous smear of eggplant tapenade and guacamole is delightfully hearty
if youve sampled only store bought almond or coconut milk ms retiks homemade versions are worth the extra 75 cents charged when added to cereal the milks also pair well with ms retiks fluffy muffins the eggs in her muffins are beaten for about 20 minutes
for dessert the pumpkin pie and raspberry coconut tarts are popular and cakes come in basic vanilla or more exotic flavors like chai three tier wedding cakes popular in june come laden with real orchids and fresh berries on waffle sundays more customers appear than at any other time during the week
squirrel  the bee alluding to the nuts and honey that figure in many of the recipes has its detractors some find the flavors to be too subtle
on the other hand in the 18 months since it opened squirrel  the bee has sold 50000 muffins the staff has expanded to 34 employees from six and 12 whole foods stores throughout new jersey connecticut and new york recently decided to sell some of its baked goods
no one is more surprised than ms retik shocked and amazed she said surveying the crowd on a recent sunday its a joy to see myself and my business thrive


angelo mozilo can finally get on with his life
this month the justice department told mr mozilo the former chief executive of countrywide financial once the nations largest subprime mortgage lender that he was no longer under investigation in connection with civil mortgage fraud the governments criminal inquiry into mr mozilos role in the financial crisis was dropped previously so he is now in the clear
at least thats the view from washington on main street where the pain of countrywides reckless lending and abusive foreclosure practices still throbs its safe to say that mr mozilo is still identified as a major figure in the mortgage crisis
countrywide a freewheeling mortgage machine co founded by mr mozilo and based in southern california was at the epicenter of the mortgage meltdown that in 2008 brought the nations economy to its knees perennially tanned and fond of flashy suits mr mozilo personified the home lending good times that ultimately went bad the decision by the government to close the book on mr mozilo is something of a milestone and a moment to revisit the deeds of the company he co founded
mr mozilo declined my request for an interview as he has throughout the nine years ive written about countrywide his lawyer david siegel emailed this statement the government conducted a professional and thorough investigation of possible civil claims and we are pleased that it decided to close that investigation without another lawsuit
ever since his company collapsed in 2007 and was taken over by bank of america in a fire sale mr mozilo has steadfastly maintained that neither he nor countrywide did anything wrong the operation that he co founded in 1969 and that made him immensely wealthy simply got caught up in a force 12 financial gale
did countrywide have a role in creating that storm not in mr mozilos view on the contrary his company made america a better place
countrywide was one of the greatest companies in the history of this country and probably made more difference to society to the integrity of our society than any company in america in the history of america he told federal investigators in a 2010 interview and thats where i spring from
what about the thousands of loans with exploding interest rates made to unsophisticated borrowers who had no ability to repay them the abusive foreclosure practices that increased the burden on struggling people the shattered lives
i asked mr mozilos lawyer whether years later his client still believed that countrywide had done nothing wrong
mr mozilo always has been deeply troubled for the many borrowers who played by the rules and who still suffered during the financial crisis and any implication otherwise would be unfair mr siegel said in an interview on thursday
he built countrywide to help people purchase and stay in homes they could afford and he was proud of the companys success in doing that for many years mr siegel said
in the last week i reread and listened to many of the interviews government investigators had with mr mozilo after the financial crisis in those conversations mr mozilo maintained that his company had strong ethical standards
privately though he took a more nuanced view often recognizing missteps or troubling practices in his companys operations
in an email to a colleague written in april 2006 for example mr mozilo spoke critically about a situation in which countrywide had to buy back problem mortgages it had sold to hsbc
the loans were originated through our channels with serious disregard for process compliance with guidelines and irresponsible behavior relative to meeting timelines he wrote
and they were not the only ones internal documents provided by a former countrywide employee showed that as early as september 2004 lending audits in six of the companys largest regions identified one in eight loans as severely unsatisfactory because of poor underwriting and that was well before the housing boom
mr mozilo certainly succeeded in creating a profit powerhouse at countrywide at least for a while one reason the companys stock became a highflier is that countrywide was a vertically integrated mortgage machine with an array of subsidiaries poised to wring fees from every stage of the lending and loan servicing process
providing in house appraisals property maintenance insurance and other services meant countrywide could mark up the costs of its services sometimes by more than 100 percent the government found
such charges were at the heart of a june 2010 case brought by the federal trade commission against the company the agencys determination countrywide overcharged almost half a million of its customers
the strategy was intended to increase countrywide earnings from default related services during an economic downturn the commission said in other words if profits from home loan originations fell countrywide could make up for it by increasing the burden on its most troubled customers a choice statistic from this case countrywide charged some borrowers in foreclosure 300 to mow their lawns
it is astonishing that one single company could be responsible for overcharging more than 450000 homeowners which is more than 1 percent of all the mortgages in the united states jon leibowitz then chairman of the trade commission told me in a 2011 interview after countrywide settled the case its business model was based on deceit and corruption and the harm they caused to american consumers is absolutely massive and extraordinary
borrowers werent the only ones harmed by countrywide the company also ran roughshod over the nations bankruptcy court system
in early 2008 donald f walton then the united states trustee for the atlanta region filed suit against countrywide over a 2005 bankruptcy filing involving john wayne atchley and robin april atchley homeowners in waleska ga
countrywide the servicer of the atchleys loan levied improper fees and claimed twice that the borrowers were behind on their mortgage when they were not lawyers for countrywide moved to seize the atchleys property withdrawing only after the couple proved them wrong in court
countrywides failure to ensure the accuracy of its pleadings and accounts in this case is not an isolated incident mr walton wrote in a brief in recent years countrywide and its representatives have been sanctioned for filing inaccurate pleadings and other similar abuses within the bankruptcy system
in western pennsylvania a court found that the company had fabricated documents related to a borrowers bankruptcy the documents supplied to the court erroneously claimed that a borrower owed 4700 for escrow related costs
in 2008 countrywide agreed to pay 325000 to the chapter 13 bankruptcy trustee in pittsburgh settling a matter that accused it of abusive practices in almost 300 mortgage loans overseen by the court
howard rothbloom a lawyer in marietta ga who defends consumers in bankruptcy represented the atchleys in their fight against countrywide
in a recent interview i asked him about countrywides impact on his world he found a silver lining the exposure of the companys practices he said helped improve the bankruptcy system for consumers
the atchley case highlighted the abuses and caused the system to be changed he said the system works a little differently now and is a little fairer
well thats something
next i wanted to check in with some former countrywide borrowers to see where they stood eight years on
one was daniel a bailey jr now a veterinary technician living in wilmington nc mr bailey 49 shot to prominence in 2008 when he received an inadvertent email from mr mozilo blasting him for asking for mr mozilos help in modifying his loan
this is unbelievable mr mozilo wrote in the message which quickly ricocheted across the web most of these letters now have the same wording obviously they are being counseled by some other person or by the internet disgusting
in an interview wednesday mr bailey said he considered himself very lucky because bank of america worked out a deal with him to stay in his 900 square foot bungalow nevertheless it took the better part of seven years he said
i lucked out mr bailey said if i had been any other person i would be out of my house and living on the street im part of the 00001 percent because everybody else this happened to didnt get that email from mozilo
i also contacted jane connor of arlington mass who teaches at the massachusetts institute of technology i wrote about her mortgage woes in september 2007 after she had tried unsuccessfully to get countrywide to let her sell her house for less than the amount outstanding on the mortgage known as a short sale ms connor fell behind on her loan after her husband lost his job and she became ill
i spent months on the phone every day trying to get someone to help me sell ms connor said in an interview tuesday they ignored us and every month that went by our indebtedness grew
it was only after i asked countrywide about ms connors situation that the company started working with her to sell the house
how is her life today i know that i ended up pretty well because i was really lucky and really stubborn on a couple of fronts she said i think about how many families out there didnt have the kind of luck and stubbornness that i had
ms connor said she is looking forward to aug 20 when the record of her personal bankruptcy will disappear from her credit report
mr mozilo doesnt have such worries but he did get dinged by the federal government in one matter the secs suit which he settled in october 2010
regulators contended that mr mozilo and two of his former lieutenants hid growing risks in countrywides operations from investors and generated improper profits on stock sales while aware of countrywides woes
from november 2006 through october 2007 the commission said mr mozilo generated 140 million in gains on stock he sold
without admitting or denying the accusations mr mozilo settled the case and accepted a permanent prohibition on serving as an officer or director of a public company he paid 675 million to the government 45 million of which was covered by countrywide and bank of america
the roughly 22 million mr mozilo personally paid pales in comparison with the gains he reaped from countrywide stock over the years
and that doesnt even begin to compare with the money bank of america doled out first to acquire countrywide for 4 billion and then more than 50 billion in fines and settlements with the government over mortgage abuses though in fairness not all of it was because of countrywide
finally i asked mr siegel whether mr mozilo believed he had been held to account for countrywides actions there were many lawsuits and government investigations he replied in a statement we prevailed in those that reached final decisions a number were settled including the secs lawsuit and the department of justices investigation closed without further claims
still there is an overarching failure that mr mozilo cannot deny
in a november 2007 deposition with the sec he was asked to describe his responsibilities as the chief executive of countrywide the primary responsibility he said is make sure the company is ok that its maintained its financial integrity and its reputational integrity
clearly he flunked those three tasks and even in mozilo world thats still got to smart


the tallest tower in the western hemisphere 432 park avenue continues to fill up with the official closings of two more luxury aeries which were the most expensive transactions of the week according to city records
the pricier of the two sponsor units at 2499010031 was no 66a which is 837 feet up the 1396 foot 96 story concrete and glass building on billionaires row between 56th and 57th streets its monthly carrying costs are 15986
the 4109 square foot apartment has three bedrooms four and a half baths and a library it offers stellar views of central park the east river and beyond along with the statue of liberty the world trade center and the empire state building
timothy rothman of compass brought the buyer whose identity like that of most other new owners in the building was shielded by a limited liability company 432 park avenue ste 66a
the other sold apartment was no 40a which closed at 2087058326 with monthly carrying charges totaling 17622
the apartment which also provides park river and cityscape vistas has 4430 square feet with four bedrooms and four and a half baths the buyer was identified as 432 park unit 40a llc
all 104 residences at 432 park feature 126 foot ceilings 10 by 10 foot windows and private elevator landings residents also have access to 30000 square feet of amenities among them a screening room a billiards room a spa and a gym
the super tall building was designed by rafael vinoly architects and developed by macklowe properties and the cim group macklowe properties sales and douglas elliman development marketing are handling sales for the building
the weeks other high priced closed sales include two loftlike apartments at another fast selling luxury complex 150 charles street the witkoff groups 91 unit brick and glass condominium in the west village the units there had sold out just a few weeks after sales opened about three years ago
the latest official closings according to property records were no 11b a four bedroom four and a half bath apartment that sold for 1531204278 and no 14a which has four bedrooms and three and a half baths and sold for 1515703809
no 11b with 3395 square feet has monthly carrying costs of 6448 reflecting a tax abatement bruce ehrmann of douglas elliman real estate represented the buyer identified as the riverside trust
no 14a has 5774 in monthly carrying costs and was purchased by the limited liability company peninsula interests mark cohen of brown harris stevens represented the buyer
raphael de niro darren sukenik madeline hult elghanayan and peter zaitzeff of douglas elliman were the selling brokers for both listings
big ticket includes closed sales from the previous week ending wednesday


colorado springs   the guide enthusiastically led his guest from room to room in the barracks style building pointing out features like the emotion tree and providing thumbnail sketches of the people they encountered he seemed to know everyone and everyone returned his greetings in kind with a comment that elicited the guides generous rumbling laugh
the tour ended in a television room where the guest and the guide watched an arizona cardinals football game while grazing on snacks for years the guide michael phelps and his guest bob bowman had watched nfl games together but from a suite above the baltimore ravens home field at mt bank stadium sealed off from autograph  and selfie seeking strangers but often surrounded by friends who fed off phelpss swimming fame
the trip to see phelps by bowman his longtime coach at the meadows a treatment center in wickenburg ariz northwest of phoenix in the fall of 2014 was a revelation an introduction to a man stripped of the armor that had helped make him an athletic machine
bowman had difficulty reconciling the swimmer who wore headphones to the starting blocks to sequester himself from the outside world the guy who was so deeply absorbed in his own journey that he did not learn the given names of all of his teammates on the 2004 and 2008 united states olympic swimming squads with the person standing before him offering biographical snippets on those who walked past
he was like that guy over there he owns his own company  bowman said he had a little story about everybody i had never seen him like that i looked at him like who are you 
it is among the questions phelps 30 sought answers to in rehab and in some ways is still answering as he seeks to make it to his fifth consecutive olympics at the united states swimming trials which begin sunday
phelpss road to becoming the most decorated athlete in olympic history had been treacherously steep and single file narrow as isolating as a deep free divers plunge the years he should have spent developing and embracing his personality were devoted to developing and embracing his swimming talents
it seemed like a path well chosen when phelps won a record eight gold medals at the 2008 summer olympics in beijing the years that followed produced more olympic glory but also a damning photograph of phelps with a bong a second dui arrest and numerous splintered relationships
by the end of 2014 it appeared plain to everyone that the trail phelps blazed had veered into a dead end
he had no idea what to do with the rest of his life bowman said it made me feel terrible i remember one day i said michael you have all the money that anybody your age could ever want or need you have a profound influence in the world you have free time   and youre the most miserable person i know whats up with that 
phelps has spent the past year and a half pondering it first in therapy as an inpatient at the meadows and later in the pool which started out as his sanctuary became his glassed in aquarium and now serves as his platform his message vulnerability is a strength
a plaque outside the natatorium at the united states olympic training center here in colorado springs where phelps spent several weeks in the spring hails him as the most successful olympian in history with 14 total gold medals as if phelpss story culminated with the 2008 olympics phelps won six more medals including four golds at the london games four years later but in a way his narrative   at least the one worthy of proclaiming   did end in beijing
when phelps looks at his legacy post beijing all he sees is the tarnish he has spent the past two years applying elbow grease in the hope of burnishing it he said he was training as well as he ever had but his focus was no longer on adding to his record haul of medals the 18 golds two silvers and two bronzes
this time the journey is more personal he said he was on a quest to leave the sport without remorse over the poor training and worse behavior that defined his pre  and post 2012 olympic experience this time its about trying my hardest giving it my all he said i dont want to live the rest of my life with any regrets
the journey to rio de janeiro started with a six week stay at the treatment center about an hours drive from where he has spent the past year training under bowman who took over as coach of the arizona state mens and womens swimming teams in 2015 bowman had been firmly against phelpss entering the meadows after his second dui arrest in september 2014 his first occurred when he was 19
i thought he was going someplace in malibu to sit on the beach for six weeks and he would come out the same bowman said
but then he watched phelps interact with his fellow patients during the fourth week of his six week stay and saw the kind caring young man he remembered before his sharpening turned him into a high performance machine
at the olympic training center cafeteria in late april bowman became emotional when he said i never thought that he would ever change he added he hid everything that makes him human for 12 years the rehab is what opened him up
phelps once known for his prodigious appetite has scaled back his calorie intake that and increasing his postswim ice baths are about the only concessions he has made to age phelps who turns 31 on the fifth day of the trials said he felt physically stronger in the water perhaps because of drills bowman added to his pool workouts like multiple repeats of 40 seconds of dolphin kicking while hugging a 10 pound weight to his chest
in the cafeteria phelps placed on his tray a three egg omelet three blueberry pancakes slathered in butter and syrup and a parfait cup of plain yogurt topped with blueberries and strawberries as he talked he cut his pancakes with a knife with the meticulousness of a surgeon it is one of his habits others include warming up in the same lane every day of a meet and lining up the food in his refrigerator with the fastidiousness of a drill sergeant at a parade
a television bolted to a nearby wall was tuned to espn phelps glanced at the screen in time to see an image of the former cleveland browns quarterback johnny manziel who was in the news after being accused of assaulting a former girlfriend and for excessive drinking and partying
i think johnny manziel is taking it to a new level right now phelps said its really sad
phelpss nadir came two years ago on the last monday of september on his way out of the horseshoe casino two miles from baltimores inner harbor after an evening spent playing poker while drinking phelps placed a phone call to his girlfriend nicole johnson after a two year estrangement they had recently gotten back together a reconciliation set into motion by a soul baring call from phelps
it was after 1 am on the east coast johnson on the west coast asked phelps if he was sure he was ok to drive home he had spent the start of the weekend with her in california at a wedding and had flown home on a redeye landing in baltimore less than 24 hours earlier
she said she was concerned that fatigue from his hectic weekend combined with the cross country travel might aggravate the effects of the alcohol in his system
a few minutes later she received a text from phelps who was stopped at a light theres a cop behind me he said an hour passed before her next communication from phelps who phoned from jail
his range rover had been clocked by the police traveling 84 miles per hour in a 45 mph zone and phelps had been observed crossing the double lines according to a report in the baltimore sun he failed two field sobriety tests and a breath analysis recorded his blood alcohol level at 014 006 in excess of the state driving limit
for the next 72 hours phelps locked himself in his house and refused to see or talk to anyone at one point he texted his agent peter carlisle and said he wrote i dont want to be alive anymore
the machine was irrevocably broken
i didnt see me as me phelps said i saw me as everybody else did   as an all american kid lets be honest theres not a single human being in the world thats like that
he took the advice of his inner circle and agreed to go to the meadows
i was so afraid coming in phelps said i wasnt ready to be vulnerable and then after a couple of days i said my wall is down lets get into this and see whats going on 
for several years beginning in grade school phelps had a recurring dream about snakes they would appear suddenly in his path and i would freak out he said the dream started sometime after his parents divorced when he was 9
phelpss father fred who spent more than a quarter century as a maryland state trooper was a shadowy presence in the life of his youngest child and only son what bonding they did was through sports his father recalled taking phelps to orioles home games his law enforcement ties allowed him to gain access with his son to the clubhouse
phelps played multiple sports until he was 11 even if he started the day with a swim workout
in 1996 bowman new to the north baltimore aquatic club told phelpss parents that their son had the potential to make the olympics and become a special swimmer but it would require sacrifices from all they would have to make sure phelps got to workouts in the early morning and the late afternoon seven days a week as it turned out and phelps would have to give up other sports
fred phelps said he had reservations about sending his son down such a narrow path he never got a chance to be a teenager like most normal kids he said adding id encourage him to take the occasional break id say lets take three or four days go to the beach and id get overruled
his parents divorce was hard on phelps he would grow upset when his father missed a swim meet or canceled a father son outing at the last minute summoned to work
phelps said he channeled his anger and disappointment into his swimming workouts i would use that for fuel in the pool he said
in 2000 phelps became the youngest male on the united states olympic swim team qualifying in the 200 meter butterfly as a 15 year old at the sydney games with both parents in attendance he finished fifth
at the world championships in barcelona spain three years later phelps became the first man to break five individual world records in a meet the competition foreshadowed his eight medal haul at the next years olympics in athens and also the jealousy his success would engender bowman remembered that when phelps walked into the dining hall after his first world record swim the other american swimmers showered him with hearty applause after his second and third world record swims the reaction was more tepid
by the end of the meet bowman said the clapping was halfhearted i remember it so clearly bowman said it was like the other swimmers were thinking what spot of mine is he going to take in the next olympics
the same isolation that phelps experienced in his swimming family he would recreate in his nuclear family sometime after the 2004 olympics father and son stopped speaking were both a little hotheaded and we react emotionally phelps said i knew exactly how to set him off and he was the same way with me
phelpss original goal had been to raise the profile of the sport after his superstar turn at the 2008 olympics he felt trapped because of how well he had accomplished his mission in retrospect bowman said phelps probably should have retired after the beijing games but he was 23 years old with no college degree and several of his corporate partners as well as swimmings national governing body were keen on his continuing to grace the world stage
we created a monster and after beijing it was too big to fail bowman said we had to do whatever we could to keep it going thats how we got to london the deal with his dad how to come to grips with his fame those kinds of things i thought well deal with later
phelps described his decline as inevitable and said its like we dreamed the biggest dream we could possibly dream and we got there what do we do now
in 2009 a photograph surfaced of phelps smoking from a marijuana pipe the picture was taken at a small private gathering where phelps believed he was among friends after that bowman said phelps changed he became warier wearier
despite a general lack of interest in training phelps qualified for the 2012 olympics with minimal preparation and won four golds and two silvers he retired to the golf links but with no structure to his days and no energy sapping exercise to mitigate his symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder he acted with more impulsivity phelps drank alcohol sometimes heavily and hung out with people who enabled his sometimes reckless behavior
bowman could not reach him neither could phelpss mother debbie he refused to take her calls or answer the door when she made trips to his house to check on him i was just pushing people away phelps said
at the treatment center he reached out to bowman his mother his sisters and his father whom he invited to a family weekend
upon receiving the letter of invitation fred phelps almost immediately booked his travel thats my baby boy he said so i was going to be there for him whether he cold shouldered me or not
since that weekend phelps and his father have kept in regular contact when phelps was on the plane traveling home from here in may for the birth of his first child a son boomer he exchanged texts with his father since their rapprochement phelps has slept better
its kind of weird he said once my father and i started talking i havent had a dream about snakes since
in his second week of rehab the mens circle he attended awarded phelps the saguaro stick a symbol of power passed on each week to a patient who exhibits leadership qualities phelps said he paraded around with it more proudly than he did any of his olympic medals
he began reading books sometimes aloud in group sessions and it has become a habit one day he casually mentioned to bowman that he was reading mans search for meaning by viktor e frankl a holocaust survivor who became a psychiatrist bowman was shocked he said he had seen phelps read only magazines as the trials drew near phelps ordered the power of your subconscious mind by joseph murphy and the purpose driven life by rick warren
to paraphrase warren what on earth is phelps here for for starters he said to be johnsons life mate and his sons father to have more medals than any other olympian he said he no longer sees that as his sole reason for being
phelps was in his second week of therapy when he experienced the breakthrough that has been like a second wind propelling him forward at lunch one day he was his usual talkative hyper self after working out for two hours to expend his energy he found himself brooding about his behavior as he often did i was afraid to show who i was he said so i had all these personas
in the shower he shed all his second skins phelps said i thought oh my god do these people think im annoying do they not want to be around me then i thought why do i care if i talk too much if i laugh really loud or if im hyper at times or a real pain in the ass at the end of the day why does it really matter
right then and there it was like theres no point for me to try to be somebody im not this is who i am


at seth low intermediate school 96 in bensonhurst brooklyn on monday dominica fiumes second floor science and zoology classroom was beginning to have that hollowed out end of the year feel
the 55 pound african spurred tortoise was already summering at ms fiumes home in the poconos leaving his 8 by 8 foot enclosure sadly empty the little russian tortoise had gone home too along with the rabbits and the guinea pigs and one of the chinchillas
this left only the other chinchilla and the bearded dragons and the two foot long blue tongued skink and the ball python and the albino corn snake and the parakeets and the doves and the leopard geckos and the six aquatic turtles and the african clawed frog all variously chirping and barking and slithering and blobbing around in their cages and tanks
across town on the upper west side at public school 87 michael ziemskis kindergartners were enjoying one of their last hands on sessions of the year with the classs hundreds of creepy crawlies
who wants a worm mr ziemski asked me three voices called out at once
and in sunset park brooklyn 8 year old charlie mitkowski has started his new job as summer custodian of the brooklyn apple academys two resident gerbils
as the year winds down at the citys schools   tuesday is the last day for public schools   art projects come off the walls final grades get figured and yearbooks are signed but its not just teachers and students getting set for vacation the uncounted thousands of classroom pets that have taught lessons about life death and peaceful coexistence are headed into summer too
it has been a year of additions and subtractions in ms fiumes classroom some of them related in september the teacher brought in two white mice a male and female soon there were 13 more
but after a while it was like we didnt need 15 mice in the classroom she said and i told the kids you know what these are for right and everyone was like yeah
they were for zig zag the little albino corn snake
every once in a while ms fiume said the kids would come in and another baby mouse would be missing
antonella bassini an eighth grader in ms fiumes zoo crew   a group that comes early to school to tend the animals   did not mind the stark insights into life in the food chain
you learn new things here she said like you have to put vitamins on the mouse before you feed it to the snake
mama and papa mouse were consumed by checkers the five foot corn snake who was one of the classrooms stars
then in february checkers himself checked out suddenly i think he didnt digest properly antonella said she said she still missed him
its actually a good thing that the kids go through the grieving process ms fiume said some parents just get one hamster after another here the kids see birth and they see death
ms fiume 45 started her classroom menagerie in 2003 shortly after arriving at is 96 which serves a polyglot immigrant neighborhood and discovering that nearly a third of the students spoke little english
after a few weeks i said to the principal i think im not reaching a lot of these kids i think theyre not getting my lessons can i bring in my pet rabbit from home maybe it would help them make a connection next thing i knew he called a retired teacher who used to have animals in the classroom and suddenly i was surrounded
now the 30 critter zoo has literally outgrown the classroom in september ms fiume is moving downstairs so that bentley the giant tortoise can have a bigger pen and theres no telling what students and parents might bring to her doorstep next year
its hard to say no she said looking around at the animals
its baby season in mr ziemskis kindergarten class at ps 87 the madagascar hissing cockroaches recently produced offspring   maybe a couple of dozen maybe many more the painted lady butterflies having emerged from their cocoons were released the other day the clump of moss in the terrarium that sat relatively inert for several years is suddenly teeming with tiny snails
but the childrens perennial favorites are the redworms thriving in their big bin of dirt on monday morning mr ziemski handed them out on paper lined trays
the worms smell bad announced lea mansson
like garbage her tablemate charlie post said approvingly as one crawled on his arm he examined it through a magnifying glass i see blood leaking out of him charlie said just a little bit
next to charlie anastasia fernandez wearing a crown asked mr ziemski for another worm hers was gone
i put water on it and then it drowned she explained i threw it out
with 5 year olds mr ziemski said casualties are inevitable we lose one or two worms every time we take them out he said not bad
mr ziemski 61 said the students enthusiasm extended outside the classroom now when we go to the park some of the kids will spend their time lifting up rocks and looking for bugs and worms he said
while the students are on vacation mr ziemskis animals will stay in the classroom he comes in periodically to feed them rather than try to get students to take them home i offered the roaches before he said and ive never had any takers
ms fiumes animals either stay in the classroom too or go home with her i used to let the kids take them home she said but then id get calls all summer long   this is happening thats happening what should i do
one of mr ziemskis predecessors at ps 87 julie diamond said pets were valuable additions to the classroom even if their benefits were tough to quantify
at one level they teach kids to care for another species and the responsibilities that go with that care said ms diamond who wrote a book about her experiences kindergarten a teacher her students and a year of learning and now supervises student teachers who attend city college and teach in schools across the city at this point in the world if we can think more globally beyond just the human species thats a really important thing
ms fiume the middle school teacher said her animals had helped bridge the language gap with her english language learners and she said some students with behavorial issues were calmed by the presence of a skink or a chinchilla
the special ed kids love them she said it helps them stay focused
while the citys education department does not keep figures on how many public school classrooms have animals the most recent science curriculum for the primary grades urges schools to integrate animals into the classroom experience
at brooklyn apple academy a drop in resource center for home schoolers above a bar and grill in south park slope in brooklyn the director noah apple said it could be challenging to keep the children who range in age from 6 to 13 engaged with the animals
as far as kids and pets theres the initial burst of excitement and then there are long periods of ignoring them he said the fish have been pretty much ignored
to address the issue mr apple 34 pays the students in the schools local currency apple bucks honored at local businesses and backed by actual dollars from parents for helping out with chores 1 refill hampstergerbil water the sign on the wall reads 5 clean hampstergerbil cagefish tank
for summer the academys furred and finned residents were bound in different directions
the tadpoles one girl brought in having survived to froghood were being released in the pond in the catskills where she had found them
the gerbils one white gray and one black known variously to different students as lightning and thunder or curious and shadow are at charlie mitkowskis apartment they are his first pets he has named them smoky and onyx and bought them an exercise ball
basically most of the time theyre hanging out in their burrow so thats what theyll be doing for the whole summer charlie said
the academys half dozen fish remain in the classroom in mr apples care
and then there is salsa the hamster whose summer plans remain unknown
a month or so ago salsa had a spring break
one boy whos about 6 was playing with salsa mr apple said and salsa scampered away and he didnt realize he needed to address that as an issue
he told me two days later
the students rigged up a hamster trap using pulleys and a bucket
they were going to hold on to the rope and just wait there all night to catch it said mr apple the pulley still hangs from the ceiling
theres a hamster somewhere in the walls mr apple said or in our neighbors


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in the new york times book review sam tanenhaus rounds up several new books about politics and asks what they can tell us about this election season tanenhaus writes
on this weeks podcast tanenhaus talks about his essay alexandra alter has news from the publishing world calvin trillin discusses jackson 1964 and other dispatches from fifty years of reporting on race in america listeners share some of their favorite summer reading memories and gregory cowles and parul sehgal on what people are reading pamela paul is the host
archive inside the new york times book review podcast


residential towers made from glass and steel may fit the aesthetics of midtown manhattan but if youre building a new structure near historic homes in brownstone brooklyn what kind of facade material would be contextual to the neighborhood
the choice of the architect randolph gerner was exposed cast in place concrete   where concrete is brought to the site and set into molds mr gerner has such a passion for concrete that he has been studying the materials origin and has used the vatican apostolic library for research
mr gerner has designed 10 buildings in new york using what is known as beton brut or raw unfinished concrete as he is doing at the waverly brooklyn a 48 unit condominium now going up in clinton hill
with exposed concrete you can craft it so it has texture said mr gerner a principal of gerner kronick  valcarcel architects it can be chiseled or manipulated to how you want it to look so it can be very decorative
the style is a nod to structures made by modernist architects like paul rudolph and im pei at waverly brooklyn a seven story building mr gerner said the exterior will have exposed concrete pillars which will also serve as frames for rows of gray brick
the concrete pillars are the structural columns that hold up the building but are also the decorative exterior he said
concrete walls are considered energy efficient because the material has high thermal mass or ability to absorb and store heat in certain cases developers could get leadership in energy and environmental design leed points for building concrete exteriors
the energy efficiency of concrete is certainly an advantage but andrew bradfield the buildings developer was attracted to the aesthetic
i like that randy and his firm bring a european element to their designs said mr bradfield the principal of orange management the waverly brooklyn on the corner of waverly avenue and fulton street is right outside the clinton hill historic district where many homes were built in the 1800s
in addition the neighborhood has mansions that are unique so each street has a different look mr bradfield said
the building which is scheduled to be finished by the end of the year will have studio to four bedroom apartments priced from 595000 to about 24 million there will be five penthouse units including one penthouse duplex with four bedrooms this is the developers first large scale residential project in the borough
amenities will include a parking garage with 32 automated and three conventional spaces and a second floor terrace with outdoor grills and a dining area the rooftop garden offers views of the manhattan skyline and an outdoor shower
if youve ever taken a cool outdoor shower on a hot summer day youll know its as refreshing as jumping in a pool mr bradfield said
highlyann krasnow a partner of mns the real estate firm that is handling sales for the waverly brooklyn noted that because so much of the area is designated a historic district new condo construction is rare
that is not the case south and west of clinton hill where the build out of barclays center and the pacific park complex has been a boon for retail on atlantic avenue which will have an inevitable transformation with more shops and restaurants mr bradfield said
i told investors that i saw atlantic avenue transforming like court street in cobble hill did years ago he said
sales for the building which will also have one ground floor retail space are expected to start on monday


click on the slide show to see this weeks featured properties in new york city
 on the upper east side a two bedroom two bath with a fireplace in an elevator building with 24 hour doormen
 in east harlem a two bedroom two bath with a long narrow balcony and a washerdryer in an elevator building
 in brooklyn heights a two bedroom one bath top floor unit in a five story 12 unit prewar co op with a dedicated parking space


when the documentary director roger ross williams read early galleys of his journalist friend ron suskinds book life animated a 2014 memoir about his autistic son owens breakthrough thanks to his identification with disneys animated characters he knew he wanted to tell the story on film and would have to use animation to do so
it was essential said mr williams who acquired the documentary rights to the book from mr suskind my whole concept for the film was about bringing owens inner world to life
adapting life animated into a movie opening july 1 that includes more than five minutes of animation with disney characters rendered by non disney animators would require disneys blessing
the company is known for being protective of its characters and image it helped that kingswell an imprint of disney published mr suskinds book which includes extensive use of the companys lyrics and dialogue as well as owens drawings of disney characters
the book details how owen after being given a diagnosis of regressive autism at 3 lost the ability to hold intelligible conversations but he slowly learned language and emotional dynamics by studying animated sidekicks in disney movies the suskind family   mr suskind owens mother cornelia and his older brother walt   would speak to him using dialogue from those movies and he would respond in kind in addition to owens artwork the book includes his own disney inspired story sidekicks which features a young boy not unlike himself
disney which owned the rights to characters in the book and was thinking about making a film adaptation considered different ways   including big budget features   it might adapt the book into a scripted film said sean bailey the president for motion picture production at walt disney studios the company was comfortable allowing its characters in a nonfiction film by mr williams
mr williams an academy award winner for the documentary short music by prudence and mr bailey shared ties to the sundance institute mr bailey is a trustee of the organization which has supported some of mr williamss films and the two met in mr baileys office in the spring of 2014
after a follow up presentation by mr williams and his producer julie goldman to mr bailey and several department heads disney agreed to take a hands off approach to the project and the use of its characters this agreement required a little bit of a leap of faith mr bailey admitted especially considering mr williamss vision for the film was still percolating as he put it
a deal to have mr williams make his movie with ae indie films was finalized in the spring of 2014 although ae indie films which is partly owned by disney financed life animated that connection was never a factor in disneys decision to share its characters according to mr williams
its a story we wanted to have told and we felt that someone else should tell it mr bailey explained we didnt want anyone to feel that the disney company had steered it and we trusted that they would respect us
jerry beck a professor of animation history at woodbury university in california said in another day disney would have come down and said how dare you we need to protect our characters but in this case it looks powerful if the movie is told from outside the gates
the movies that the company is releasing now have large fan bases mr beck noted maybe they are going to be quietly allowed to express their fandom he said
while filming and interviewing the suskind family mr williams enlisted the french animation and visual effects company mac guff to bring owens art to life mac guff was chosen for its ability to create animation with a sense of romance he said because of owens affinity for pre computer generated animation
it had to have its own authentic feel to it mr williams said they are owens interpretation of these characters the film also uses clips from disney films like peter pan aladdin and the lion king for which the production paid a licensing fee
the animated sequences show a 3 year old boy being swept into an abstract world without dialogue as hes chased by an evil force he finds shelter with sidekicks who are recognizably baloo the bear from the jungle book sebastian the crab from the little mermaid and several others
with life animated mr suskind said disney is saying we trust you the viewer to see who we are through the eyes of this person who turned their movies into a vessel to make his way in the world
and yet this isnt necessarily a sign of change at the company i wouldnt read any corporate policy implications into this mr bailey said


click on the slide show to see this weeks featured properties in the new york region
 in wilton conn a four bedroom four bath restored and updated 1966 home on 23 acres with two fireplaces a lower level office and a family room with walkout access to the in ground pool and mahogany deck
 in granite springs ny a six bedroom four bath converted and expanded 1780s barn on 194 acres with additions including a second story with two bedrooms a first floor family room and a separate two story apartment there is also a detached two car garage and a former chicken coop used for storage


long island history is steeped in water an element that surrounds the region so the parrish art museum as a host for radical seafaring an exhibition on view through july 24 that takes on the historical environmental political and aesthetic aspects of our oceans inlets rivers and waterways makes a lot of sense
presenting close to 50 works by some 25 artists or groups of artists this exhibition of what the curator andrea grover calls global offshore art features models photographs audio recordings and videos that document water focused projects as well as drawings sculptures and prints some of which date to the 1960s and 70s
in the exhibitions catalog terrie sultan director of the museum notes that since before the first european colonizers landed water has been key to the history of the east end of long island
native communities who had long sought sustenance from the ocean ms sultan continues soon found themselves competing with immigrant fishing industries as settlements grew in the 17th century
in the 19th century she writes the whaling industry dominated and in the 20th prohibition inspired a brief but remunerative illicit bootlegging trade now of course its all about tourism
water ms grover said is a place to disconnect from the modern world and experience firsthand the increasingly complex relationship between humans and the environment
with more and more discussion being devoted to climate change and rising sea levels the works in radical seafaring are especially timely and provocative she added
among the older works is robert smithsons 1971 study for floating island to travel around manhattan island a park set on a barge and towed by a tugboat the project wasnt realized until 2005 32 years after mr smithsons death when it was tugged around the waterways of manhattan it is shown here in the 1971 drawing and 2005 video and photographs
another early work is the 1968 model by the architect buckminster fuller for triton city a floating city designed for tokyo bay and later revamped for baltimore the project was never realized
an entire gallery is devoted to in search of the miraculous an installation that explores a project undertaken by bas jan ader a dutch conceptual artist in 1975 aiming to cross the north atlantic in a 12 1/2  foot sailboat at the time the smallest craft to attempt a solo crossing mr ader set sail from cape cod in july 1975 his boat was recovered off the coast of ireland after nine months in 1978 mr aders widow had him declared lost at sea before his departure a choir recorded sea chanties in his los angeles studio a slide show of their singing is on display here as is sheet music for the chanties
many works have a more political bent including vik munizs 2015 lampedusa a 45 foot boat made of waterproofed paper bound over a wooden framework emulating origami boats the paper on mr munizs boat reproduced a newspaper detailing the drowning of hundreds of libyan migrants off the italian island of lampedusa in 2013 mr muniz launched his vessel   shown in a video at the museum   on the adriatic during the 2015 venice biennale
also on view is the actual hickory raft which was constructed in slovenia from reclaimed wood and discarded furniture by the artist swoon caledonia curry and her crew the floating wood pile was one of three rafts made from found objects to enter venices lagoon as uninvited guests at the 2009 biennale
duke rileys performance after the battle of brooklyn is represented by a photograph of him in his replica of the turtle   a primitive wooden submarine built by americans to attack the british navy during the revolutionary war   as he tried to approach the cruise ship queen mary 2 docked in brooklyn in 2007
mark dions cabinet of marine debris is a precisely arranged array of plastic containers fishing buoys floats and ropes collected on a 2013 expedition that studied pacific ocean marine debris in a cabinet resembling a kitchen hutch
some of the most personal work in the exhibition is by local artists large ballpoint drawings by scott bluedorn show human and animal habitation on four islands in new york state gardiners gardiners point north brother and plum michael combs   an 18th generation descendant of immigrants on the second mayflower who settled on long island   is represented here by daisy chain a 2016 white painted wood carving of horseshoe crabs courtney m leonard a member of the shinnecock indian nation who in 2014 sailed with scientists historians and writers to historic new england ports aboard the last surviving square rigged whaling ship has created an installation here called breach 2 made of hollow pearlescent clay vessels shaped like sperm whale teeth clustered on a large wooden pallet
in an interview this month mr dion speaking for himself and perhaps other artists in the exhibition said he loved the idea behind the show theres a new generation thats motivated by a certain kind of environmental urgency of looking at the sea in a very different way he said
maybe the sea is one of the last free zones its an intensely under regulated place for better and for worse and it allows for a lot of kinds of freedom and rule breaking rule breaking is the bread and butter of artists


populism got its formal name in this country in the 1890s when struggling farmers and other laborers formed the peoples party for decades histories   like john hickss the populist revolt 1931   told the story as a straightforward case of the working class seeking economic justice
but in 1955 richard hofstadter published the age of reform which examines criticizes and replaces some of the most popular stereotypes of recent american history as dw brogan wrote in the book review one of those stereotypes according to hofstadter was the motive of the original populist movement farmers he argued were not just hurting economically but were having trouble adapting to a changing world and lashed out at their change in status as much as at unfairness brogan said that hofstadter acutely suggests that mccarthyism has deep rural roots
in democratic promise 1977 lawrence goodwyn made a case for the noble side of populism but also acknowledged its missteps alden whitman wrote in the times although many populists understood that black farmers are in the ditch just like we are populism as a whole could not escape the prevailing white supremacy value system of its era
in writing about michael kazins the populist persuasion for the book review in 1995 david oshinsky noted that populism moved sharply to the right after world war ii in this new age of mass advertising and material abundance oshinsky wrote most workers came to view themselves as consumers and taxpayers not as members of an exploited class and seemed less concerned by the power of big business which provided them with good jobs than by the growth of big government oshinskys conclusion still echoes for those in power today the message should be clear populism is a deep enduring impulse with a very fickle past
quotable
it was called just me and my dog it was this thinly veiled critique of my parents for not letting me get a dog   yaa gyasi author of homegoing on the first story she wrote when she was 7 in an interview with powells books
among the french
the actress olivia de havilland is approaching her 100th birthday and to celebrate the publisher crown archetype has reissued her 1962 memoir every frenchman has one de havilland has lived in paris since the 1950s and in this brief and breezy book she writes things like of course the thing that staggers you when you first come to france is the fact that all the french speak french   even the children in a new interview in the book de havilland cites the lessons shes learned from parisian women the importance of tact restraint subtlety and the avoidance of banality and the tenets of what she calls the paris principle 1 discretion 2 discretion 3 discretion


a giant torso welcomes visitors to storm king art center the 500 acre sculpture park in new windsor in orange county made of perforated stainless steel it is an architectural structure in the form of a blazer dress shirt and tie an archway through its center leads to a small garden lined with white gravel and bordered by hedges the gardens t shape mimics the imagined shadow of the torso with arms outstretched
the installation is the first full execution of entrance to a garden as it was conceived in 2002 by dennis oppenheim an artist who produced earthworks body art conceptual art and other projects more difficult to classify in a career that lasted more than 40 years dennis oppenheim terrestrial studio one of storm kings two special exhibitions for 2016 examines his multifaceted engagement with outdoor spaces the show brings together sculpture installation film photography and sound in the indoor galleries at storm king along with seven sculptural installations placed around the parks rolling fields
terrestrial studio encourages visitors to explore it is organized by david r collens the centers director and chief curator nora lawrence curator and theresa choi assistant curator in consultation with amy plumb oppenheim oppenheims widow and the director of his estate in storm kings north woods area architectural cactus grove 1 6 from 2008 is a cluster of six whimsical sculptures that seem to be frolicking in a clearing to the west in the park the lime green electric kiss also from 2008 stands 10 feet tall in a meadow its shape evoking an onion dome or a teardrop or a hersheys kiss
on a grassy slope in the south fields 50 four foot wide wooden stars lie flat on the ground across two acres the installation wishing the mountains madness was created in 1977 at the university of montana in missoula where oppenheim was a visiting artist from new york city
here he was in this completely bucolic landscape thinking i want there to be some urban energy here i want to wish the mountains madness ms lawrence the curator said so he let the stars fall down from the sky
on the slope where the stars are strewn it is impossible to see more than a few at once in the galleries an aerial photograph of the original installation in missoula offers a more comprehensive view
this is one way that the indoor and outdoor components of terrestrial studio complement each other inside are other iterations of the outdoor installations including a smaller version of an architectural shirt and drawings of electric kiss and cactus 6 one gallery features 43 sketches of the fantastical natural elements designed by oppenheim in 2006 for his series alternative landscape components in the north woods selections of those components   tubular trees and angular boulders   form an alternative landscape of their own
the galleries contain documentation of some of oppenheims earlier more ephemeral land based works the photograph pretty ideas from 1974 captures 850 feet of colored flares spelling out those two words as they burned for 10 minutes along the long island expressway elsewhere a topographic map floor plan and black and white photograph chronicle oppenheims gallery transplant from 1969 the piece which existed for four hours involved transposing the full size floor plan of a gallery at cornell university onto an adjacent snowy space highlighting the shift in perspective and scale
oppenheims a sound enclosed land area also from 1969 bridges the indoors and the outdoors the gallery display is a reel to reel audiotape and a map indicating a triangular path in milan playing around the entrance to storm kings visitor center is the sound of footsteps   the very ones oppenheim recorded as he walked the route on the italian map
in 1967 oppenheim sketched his concept for dead furrow one of what he called viewing stations raised platforms where people could stand and look around the rendering hangs upstairs in storm kings museum building though the piece was built as a scale model and an indoor platform in a gallery it had never been constructed at full scale outdoors until now
one of oppenheims stipulations was that dead furrow be located on flat ground with the environment visible for at least a mile in all directions the south fields at storm king met that criteria and the installation sits there a massive trapezoidal object framed by rows of aqua pvc pipes from a distance the work looks like a truncated pyramid a stairway bisecting the structure permits visitors to climb to the top to take in the glorious vistas
the idea is that its not just a sculpture itself ms lawrence said but a place where viewers can become part of the work while looking out at the expanse around them
perspective can be confounding at storm king where from afar monumental sculptures can be concealed by the tip of ones thumb addressing the complexity and allure of measurement josephine halvorson produced three site specific installations situated across the grounds each titled measure they comprise outlooks josephine halvorson storm kings second special 2016 exhibition also curated by ms lawrence ms halvorson is the fourth participant in the outlooks series which invites an emerging or midcareer artist to create a temporary site specific work at storm king
each measure is a large scale wooden ruler that challenges notions of size time and distance in the south fields the longest of the three at 36 feet is painted bright yellow with black lines and numbers from a distance it resembles a traditional yardstick propped up horizontally in the grass
i was hoping it would align with certain natural features that you could almost measure   the length of the ridge of a mountain or the distance between trees ms halvorson said standing beside the piece it is always changing based on your orientation to it
nearby another measure rises vertically in the middle of a circle of trees this one is 12 feet tall and appears to be white but is in fact a pattern of rainbow hued daubs that shimmer in the sunlight metallic black roman numerals read i to xii from bottom to top
i was thinking of it as a sundial ms halvorson said a place to measure time as well as height
a visitor might miss the measure in the north woods set within a grove of trees it is painted as a trompe loeil tree trunk on one face is a full length red double headed arrow with the number 24 indicating its height in feet
by being a representation of a tree but also at its literal height it can serve as a key or a legend to the surrounding trees to get a sense of their scale ms halvorson said
as an artist who often paints from life ms halvorson is practiced at paying attention to her surroundings my work has to do with understanding how to conceive of the world through observation she said i have made these instruments to enact that they give a way to understand your own height and the size of your body in relation to the landscape whether natural or artistic


nine new books recommended by the editors of the new york times book review this week
in the darkroom by susan faludi metropolitanholt 32 faludi offers a rich and ultimately generous investigation of her long estranged father who suddenly contacted her after undergoing gender reassignment surgery
barkskins by annie proulx scribner 32 tracing two families and their part in the de  struction of the worlds forests proulxs latest novel is a tale of long term shortsighted greed
in gratitude by jenny diski bloomsbury 26 in her final memoir before her death diski who was quasi adopted by doris lessing examines the origin and the close of her life as a writer
william tecumseh sherman in the service of my country a life by james lee mcdonough norton 3995 mcdonough challenges the image of the shrewd union general as the father of the american style of scorched earth warfare
shrill notes from a loud woman by lindy west hachette books 26 a memoir by the guardian columnist one of the most distinctive voices advancing feminist politics through humor
they may not mean to but they do by cathleen schine sarah crichtonfarrar straus  giroux 26 everyone in schines novel is classically guilty about being a parent or a child
draw the line written and illustrated by laurent linn margaret k mcelderry 1799 ages 12 and up after a hate crime a closeted teenage artist summons his superhero alter ego
when friendship followed me home by paul griffin dial 1699 ages 10 to 12 a dog a friend and writing help heal a boys traumatic past
the sudden appearance of hope by claire north redhook 27 a beautiful thief instantly vanishes from the memories of those she meets


the underrepresentation of women among the senior ranks of scholars has led dozens of universities to adopt family friendly employment policies but a recent study of economists in the united states finds that some of these gender neutral policies have had an unintended consequence they have advanced the careers of male economists often at womens expense
similar patterns probably hold in other disciplines too
the central problem is that employment policies that are gender neutral on paper may not be gender neutral in effect after all most women receive parental benefits only after bearing the burden of pregnancy childbirth nursing and often a larger share of parenting responsibilities yet fathers usually receive the same benefits without bearing anything close to the same burden given this asymmetry its little wonder some recently instituted benefits have given men an advantage
to succeed at top universities academics must finish graduate school find a job as an assistant professor and then race to establish themselves as world class researchers before being evaluated for tenure succeed within seven years and you have a job for life fall short and youre fired
it can be a particularly difficult path for women for whom this career pressure typically coincides with prime childbearing years making matters worse while many early career male academics are supported by stay at home wives women more typically wed husbands with their own professional career pressures
to combat these disparities many universities have adopted tenure extension policies that give new parents greater flexibility typically this means extending the seven year period of tenure evaluation usually by an extra year for each child in practice these policies are usually gender neutral giving dads an extra year to establish their reputations just like moms universities typically adopted such policies in the 1990s and early 2000s while about one fifth chose not to do so
three economists   heather antecol a professor at claremont mckenna college kelly bedard a professor at the university of california santa barbara and jenna stearns a doctoral student at santa barbara   evaluated these gender neutral tenure extension policies in important new research
the policies led to a 19 percentage point rise in the probability that a male economist would earn tenure at his first job in contrast womens chances of gaining tenure fell by 22 percentage points before the arrival of tenure extension a little less than 30 percent of both women and men at these institutions gained tenure at their first jobs the decline for women is therefore very large it suggests that the new policies made it extraordinarily rare for female economists to clear the tenure hurdle
shelly lundberg an economics professor at the university of california santa barbara who was not involved in the study told me that while she had long suspected that these policies had an unintended negative impact on women the magnitude of the effect surprised her
the researchers compiled new data on the career trajectories of all untenured economists hired over the last 20 years at the 50 leading economics departments and coupled it with details about policies instituted by those universities that extended the tenure clock for new parents
the authors compared promotion rates before and after these gender neutral parental policies were adopted relative to trends in comparable institutions that did not alter their policies while also accounting for an array of influences like where each economist was trained
they found that men who took parental leave used the extra year to publish their research amassing impressive publication records but there was no parallel rise in the output of female economists
perhaps this reflects the physical toll of pregnancy the difficulties of a complicated birth the extra task of nursing or simply an unwillingness to shirk parenting duties whatever the cause the findings are exactly what you would have expected if becoming a parent exacted a greater career sacrifice for women than men by giving men a relative advantage these gender neutral policies appear to have effectively raised the tenure bar for women
alison davis blake dean of the university of michigans ross school of business said these findings clearly conform to what i see on the ground every day adding that the extra year for men just disadvantages women
the problem said ms davis blake is that giving birth is not a gender neutral event recalling that during her pregnancy i threw up every day she argued policies that are neutral in the eyes of a lawyer are not neutral in fact
this accords with what ive seen among my own colleagues male economists typically approach parenthood with few concerns about possible professional consequences women however are often counseled to delay motherhood until they have been evaluated for tenure
i expect this research to provoke some difficult discussions at universities better policies could help economics   not to mention the sciences and other fields   look like less of a boys club
the university of michigan where i work recently adopted a tenure extension policy that explicitly recognizes the effects of pregnancy childbirth and related medical conditions ms davis blake said that at the business school men dont get extensions unless they have clear and compelling circumstances
at this point so few universities have adopted policies that treat mothers differently from fathers that researchers cant assess them precisely
ms stearns one of the studys authors noted that gender neutral policies arent in themselves bad standard parental leave policies outside the academic world offer a benefit that is the same for men and women   both dont go to work for six weeks she argued that parental leave is a case where gender neutral policies may specifically help women by decreasing stigma about use
the tenure extension policy that she analyzed though is unique in that it is designed to change productivity evaluations of new parents gender neutrality in this case may be more problematic she said
economics remains a male dominated field and the research shows that policies fueled by the best intentions of universities have made an imbalance worse three female economists have shown that the tools of economics   which enable a careful assessment of incentives and constraints informed by real world data   suggest that a more nuanced policy would lead to better outcomes it leaves me wondering how many other policy mistakes we could avoid if only we had more female economists


the new york asian film festival which runs through july 9 always casts a commendably wide net and this years slate has coming of age stories thrillers and romantic comedies there is horror too including the latest from kiyoshi kurosawa whose aptly titled creepy has its premiere on wednesday june 29 at lincoln centers walter reade theater
hidetoshi nishijima plays takakura a detective who in a jarring opening scene has a serial killer in custody when the interrogation goes horribly awry a year later takakura has left the force and is teaching at a college but he cant resist poking around in an old missing persons case as he is drawn into that his wife yuko takeuchi is trying to get to know some unwelcoming new neighbors the film recalls mr kurosawas early work which is classic fare for a midnight audience but this screening is at 6 pm


moscow   president vladimir v putin of russia received the geopolitical equivalent of manna from heaven when british voters opted to leave the european union speeding his long term goal of weakening the most powerful alliance confronting the kremlin as it seeks to rebuild its superpower muscles
officially moscow presented a somber facade repeating its pre vote stance that the british referendum was of little direct concern
this will certainly have consequences for britain for europe and for us mr putin told reporters on friday at an asian security conference in uzbekistan the consequences will be global they are inevitable they will be both positive and negative
he added that only time would tell if the outcome was more positive or negative the markets will certainly decline they have already declined he said but everything will be certainly restored
from other precincts however the reactions were far less restrained
we must express solidarity with the british people with their right decision to exit the european union vladimir v zhirinovsky a populist politician whose statements often reflect the national mood said in a speech in parliament they did a great deed
one commentator on facebook suggested that britain should be renamed the londonskaya narodnaya respublika or london peoples republic that echoed the names of the two breakaway regions of southeastern ukraine that russia has supported militarily in their fight against the central government in kiev
the russian government which has worked assiduously to undermine european solidarity in recent years has any number of reasons to celebrate analysts said
the kremlin is interested in any kind of disagreement any kind of trouble in the eu which makes it weaker said nikolay v petrov a professor of political science at the national research universitys higher school of economics in moscow
for starters he noted the vote removes britain as an influential voice in european efforts to isolate and punish russia over its annexation of crimea and role in destabilizing ukraine second it helps mr putin in his preferred method of dealing with strong countries one on one rather than as blocs third it can be exploited at home as an example of how a lack of unity can lead to weakness
it can be used domestically to demonstrate that we are strong and everybody around us is not that strong mr petrov said as for any negative economic consequences he added those are not the highest priority geopolitically and strategically the kremlin thinks it will benefit
while france and germany not britain led the drive to impose sanctions on russia for the annexation of crimea and the ukraine crisis there was some hope that those issues will fade somewhat now that europe confronts monumental internal problems
i dont think the european union will now have time to think about ukraine or about sanctions said andrei klimov the deputy chairman of the international affairs committee of the upper house of parliament
an unidentified foreign ministry spokesman told interfax that russia expected britains vigorous support for sanctions to continue although some analysts said they expected that europe without the british voice might not be so adamant
without britain there wont be anybody in the eu to defend sanctions against us so zealously sergei s sobyanin the mayor of moscow wrote on twitter
mr putin however said on friday that he doubted the result would have an impact on european union sanctions
the russian president has been trying to build close relations with those countries that have been less adamant about maintaining sanctions including france greece hungary and italy russia has given open financial support to the far right national front party in france whose leader marie le pen called for a similar exit referendum there
the kremlin is also believed to be following the soviet tradition of underwriting other political groups that seek to weaken the european union many russian officials and commentators said they expected similar referendums across the continent
dont be surprised if instead of terms for individual countries like grexit or brexit there will soon be a universal one whoexit maria zakharova a foreign ministry spokeswoman wrote on her facebook page
mr putin broke his silence about the british campaign the week before the vote to deny accusations that the kremlin was trying to sway the outcome
it is unpleasant to link russia to every problem even those with which we have no link nor to make russia into a kind of boogeyman he said i should say that this is absolutely none of our business this is the choice of the british people
the russian leader is not a fan of unpredictable votes and he expressed puzzlement about why the british prime minister david cameron decided to hold the referendum in the first place
why did he initiate this referendum why did he do it mr putin asked to intimidate europe or to threaten someone what is the point of this if he himself opposes the idea
ultimately he said the decision to call the referendum reflected overconfidence on the part of britains leadership
mr putin said friday that the result reflected public dissatisfaction with issues like security immigration the subsidizing of weaker economies and excessive control from brussels which he compared unfavorably to the old soviet union people want to be more independent he said
also on friday mr putins spokesman dmitry s peskov told russian news outlets that he hoped a britain outside the european union would understand the need to build good relations with russia
although russia did not officially take a position on the british vote state run news reports by the english language service of rt television and the sputnik news agency openly supported a british exit from the bloc
state run news outlets give significant attention to issues that are considered central to the euroskeptic movement particularly the migrant crisis and they paint europe as a continent in crisis an analysis of sputniks english language coverage by ben nimmo a senior fellow at the british based institute for statecraft found a significant bias toward the exit campaign
after the vote margarita s simonyan the editor in chief of both rt and rossiya segodnya sputniks parent company joined in rejoicing fun times begin she posted on twitter whereismypopcorn
perhaps the only thing tempering the general euphoria were a few sobering notes on the economic impact
aleksei makarkin of the center for political technologies in moscow said russia would feel the economic effects of britains vote
while this is a political victory on the economic side of things russia will suffer he said in an interview oil will fall the markets will be turbulent russia won emotionally but lost economically
mr makarkin said many russians saw in the vote the possibility that the european union might crumble much the way the soviet union fell apart 25 years ago
the overall mood in russia can be described as malicious joy he said a few liberals regret that britain voted to leave but in general there is some sort of relief that they have their problems too they are collapsing too


at the grand at sky view parc a luxury condominium development in flushing queens there are a health club a pool and a childrens play area among other amenities but no laundry room thats because the developer onex real estate partners has outfitted each apartment with a washer and dryer eliminating the need for common laundry facilities
abington house a rental property in chelsea developed by the related companies also doesnt have a common laundry room washers and dryers are tucked into even its smallest studio apartments and at the developers new condominium 70 vestry in tribeca each apartment will have two washers and dryers so its no surprise that theres no common laundry area convenience it seems is in chatting with fellow residents while folding clean clothes is out
but the laundry room isnt the only old school amenity that is vanishing from new york city apartment buildings according to developers and building owners and managers a number of features that were once considered standard in the citys residential buildings are declining in size and importance or being phased out altogether in favor of luxuries like private laundry facilities   or wine cellars or tween rooms   in an effort by developers to attract and retain residents
long relied on by working parents ravenous teens and anyone with a cup of coffee thats gone cold microwaves are essential in many new york homes of course they have their limitations not the least of which are soggy french fries and many people have never quite understood or trusted how they worked
now theres something thats being touted as an improvement the speed oven as its name suggests it cooks faster than a conventional oven   roasting a whole chicken in 20 minutes for example by ramping up convection heat with an assist from microwave technology and some speed ovens have a browning setting for things like french fries as well as a microwave mode
its the quintessential urban appliance said andrew bradfield the principal of orange management a development company new yorkers dont want to sacrifice taste for convenience   they want both mr bradfields company is putting stainless steel bosch speed ovens in some units in the waverly brooklyn a condominium under construction in clinton hill brooklyn
speed ovens from bertazzoni will be installed in the clodagh designed kitchens at citizen360 a condominium developed by anbau that just topped out in the yorkville neighborhood of manhattan and at 505w19 a property abutting the high line by the hfz capital group the kitchens include miele speed ovens in addition to the conventional ovens double burners wok burners and warming drawers but there wont be any microwaves
after fresh direct took new york by storm in 2002 the real estate industry fell in line with many developers and building owners creating refrigerated rooms to accommodate the avalanche of cardboard boxes that arrived every night but now that the company offers more delivery windows and customers can coordinate the arrival of their groceries with their schedules the so called fresh direct room hardly ever gets used said marc kotler a senior vice president of the new development group at firstservice residential the cold storage in the properties his company manages is now mostly empty he said but its a great place for the doorman to store his lunch
in some buildings a single refrigerator may suffice for the few deliveries that need to be stored cold like flowers or prescription drugs in others refrigerated storage is being incorporated into the larger package rooms designed to deal with the real problem facing buildings these days the daily pileup of boxes from amazon and zappos
in the 1990s large buildings sometimes had business centers with videoconferencing capabilities so residents could hold virtual meetings with colleagues in distant locations then came skype and facetime today those conference rooms are no longer a necessity said bryan cho an executive vice president of the related companies
the movie rooms that some buildings included in amenities packages are also rarely used some building managers found they were never that popular said andrew barrocas the chief executive of the real estate firm mns
so these single purpose rooms are being supplanted by multipurpose lounges which often have a large flat screen television or a pull down screen one resident might use the space for a meeting someone else might hold a cocktail party there and anyone who works from home can take a laptop to the lounge for a change of scenery
large apartments in new york city have long been equipped with their own washers and dryers   and the largest have full fledged laundry rooms that rival those in suburbia for the rest of the citys high rise population there was the common laundry room where residents could peruse reading material left behind by their neighbors and trade gossip while waiting for their clothes to dry
but as washers and dryers got smaller and more efficient   some of them ventless and even merging washing and drying functions in a single unit   new yorkers began shoehorning the appliances into their linen closets and under kitchen counters and for many developers in home washers and dryers became the new norm
of course common laundry rooms still exist in older buildings and even new buildings with in unit washers and dryers often have a basement laundry room with a couple of industrial size machines to accommodate large loads like comforters or sleeping bags but as a rule the common laundry facility is becoming scarce or a lot smaller
when anbau guts an old rental building during a condo conversion the company usually replaces the basement laundry room with one about half the size of the old one the big prewars might have had eight washers and eight dryers said barbara van beuren the managing director of acquisitions design and marketing at anbau well put in two or three of each
leave it to frank gehry to buck the trend new york by gehry the rental building at 8 spruce street that he designed counts a standard laundry room among its amenities even though every apartment has its own washer and dryer and on a recent afternoon most of the eight washers and eight dryers seemed to be in use
the laundry rooms location just steps from the golf simulators probably didnt hurt more than one resident has surely fit in a few holes before moving a load of towels from the washer to the dryer


the 5000 fingers of dr t 1953 was and is one of a kind   and the only feature length live action movie to have been conceived written and designed by the illustrator theodor geisel 1904 1991 otherwise known as dr seuss
the films producer stanley kramer that most earnest of hollywood liberals never oversaw anything comparable to this extravagant technicolor vision of a tyrannical piano teachers quest for world domination nor was any other anti fascist musical childrens film expected to precipitate a merchandising bonanza it never happened
a nightmare dreamed by a 10 year old boy bart tommy rettig later of the tv show lassie the 5000 fingers of dr t now out on blu ray from mill creek was both a film of its political moment and a pro kid anti adult statement for the ages it would make a perfect double bill with invaders from mars william cameron menzies similarly hyperdesigned exercise in candy colored expressionism and paranoid fantasy which had materialized several months earlier
in both parents are subject to external mind control although in the 5000 fingers barts widowed mother the singer and tv personality mary healy isnt brainwashed by martians but indoctrinated by the mad dr terwilliker hans conried who was the voice of captain hook in walt disneys 1953 animated peter pan
dr t is a musical fuhrer who practices mass hypnosis and employs slave labor his terwilliker institute is surrounded by electrified barbed wire the fulfillment of his master plan entails 500 boys with 5000 happy fingers all wearing beanies topped with flaccid hands together playing a monstrous piano more suggestive of a factory assembly line than a baby grand
the compositions at times parody leni riefenstahls triumph of the will while dr t foppish and lanky seems modeled after the wartime caricatures of adolf hitler that mr geisel published in the new york tabloid pm adding to the allegory the adult hero an all american plumber named zabladowski peter lind hayes ms healys real life husband and show business partner must be coaxed to join bart in the struggle against the music teachers totalitarian racket zabladowskis hocus pocus tango with dr t one of many splendidly strange musical numbers anticipates the spell casting duels of the comic book dr strange
given the movies eccentric nature production values are surprisingly high the direction by the versatile if impersonal roy rowland is straightforward or not by some accounts mr rowland fell ill and mr kramer directed much of picture uncredited mr geisel contributed some classic seussian patter to the german theater composer frederick hollanders music the dances by eugene loring who choreographed aaron coplands billy the kid are funny fluid and intentionally far fetched one remarkably long number set in dr ts dungeon has the prisoners rhythmically slugging one another and making music on what could be weapons or even stylized instruments of torture
although it has since become a cult film the 5000 fingers was a resounding flop as both a movie and marketing event the new york times critic bosley crowther found it strange and confused   hardly an inappropriate response to a kiddie show that ends with a red radioactive mushroom cloud followed by the elevation of the piano exercise chopsticks to a discordant anthem of juvenile liberation
that the stupendously intricate stop motion animation anomalisa is meant to be unique is signaled by its title a play on the word anomaly and the name of its female protagonist lisa voiced by jennifer jason leigh
anomalisa written by charlie kaufman who directed with duke johnson provides a profoundly unsettling experience as purposefully inert as it is painstakingly animated the movie simultaneously suggests a vast collective enterprise and a sense of anguished solitude the tone is not quite comic and not exactly tragic in her review manohla dargis of the times called it a horror movie about the agonizing banal surrealism of everyday life
a successful author of self help books michael david thewlis flies from los angeles to cincinnati to give a motivational speech   an interesting gig for a depressed middle aged guy staying at a business hotel he contacts an old lover for a brief disastrous encounter and stumbles into a one night stand with lisa an awkward self deprecating young woman who is in town for his appearance and also a guest at the hotel michael and lisa are individuated puppets everyone else   including the characters from the 1936 screwball comedy my man godfrey seen briefly on michaels hotel room tv   has more or less the same face and speaks with the voice of tom noonan
anomalisa continually calls attention to its paradoxical nature what is it to be human michael wonders during a public presentation that is a baby step from a complete nervous breakdown what is it to be alive several times the film evokes japanese bunraku puppet theater while subtly emphasizing the expressive power of the human voice it has its origins as a sort of live radio play written for mr kaufmans theater of the ear the impersonal settings   airports hotel rooms cocktail lounges   are so lovingly miniaturized as to be a form of pop art for all its artifice anomalisa features one of the most tender and weirdly authentic portrayals of sexual intimacy in the history of hollywood movies
paramounts dual blu raydvd release includes three blu ray documentaries on the making of the film one is wholly devoted to the sex scene which not only gives the movie its heart and soul but also new meaning to the biblical phrase labor of love
newly released
buster keaton the shorts collection 1917 1923 all of mr keatons surviving silent shorts are restored and reissued in a new five disc edition thirteen are apprentice works made with fatty arbuckle 19 are directed by the master its essential cinema by any standard still fresh and endlessly rewarding available on blu ray and dvd kino classics
a child is waiting stanley kramer hired john cassavetes to direct a drama exposing the condition of children institutionalized for mental disabilities reissued on blu ray the 1963 movie has a strong documentary subtext with burt lancaster and judy garland appearing along with child patients from the pacific state hospital in pomona calif kino lorber
fantastic planet the surrealist polymath roland topor provided the production design for rene lalouxs 1973 cutout animation an allegory about a slave revolt on the planet ygam reviewing the movie in the new york times howard thompson characterized it as a sci fi honey with tiny earthlings from a destroyed planet dominated as pets or outcasts by huge robotlike rulers on blu ray and dvd criterion
the life of verdi burt lancaster provided english narration when this lavish italian mini series was televised dubbed on pbs in 1983 writing in the times john oconnor called it sumptuous and splendid noting that the overall high quality of the production more than makes up for its occasional failings available on dvd or acorn tv rlj entertainment
zootopia bunnies foxes and other furry creatures establish and police an urban civilization in this enormously successful 3 d digital animation in his review for the times in march neil genzlinger observed that the film is filled with enough savvy jokes that adults should consider slipping into the theater even if they dont have an accompanying child available in either 3 d or 2 d dual blu raydvd editions disney


when she was a child the actress carla gugino 44 best known for her roles in the spy kids movies and on the television show entourage accompanied her mother on road trips along the california coast and thought that they were the most exhilarating getaways possible there was such a sense of freedom and an adventurous spirit to them she said
her love for road travel remains and her latest role in the new showtime series roadies created by the oscar winning director and writer cameron crowe gives her a chance to bring her off camera passion into her professional life ms gugino stars as shelli anderson a tour production manager of a successful rock band on a concert tour of the united states
the show chronicles the rock world through the eyes of the backstage workers who put on the concerts the series premieres on june 26
following are edited excerpts from a conversation with ms gugino
q in roadies youre the production manager for a prolific rock band that travels around the country and plays for thousands of fans have you gotten a perspective on if the job is as high pressure as it sounds
a it is incredibly stressful youre basically managing a moving set and have to recreate it in different venues concertgoers go to shows to have fun and listen to music but it takes a lot of magic to make that happen i went to the beyonce concert in la recently and saw it from a completely different perspective because i knew what was involved backstage to create that performance
the characters in the series move from city to city by bus in playing your role what have you learned about traveling in that setting
on one hand its arduous because youre constantly moving from place to place and the trips are long and include overnights but there is a sense of escape and a meditative nature to watching the scenery go by
also youre living in close quarters with a lot of people so there is a sort of campfire feeling someone may pull out a guitar spontaneously and start singing and everyone joins in
when youre moving between cities so frequently as the characters in roadies do is it possible to get a sense of the local culture
if a concert is for one night only then no   there is no time sometimes a band plays two shows in a city and in that case the backstage crew has time the second day to explore
also in playing my character ive learned that production managers like shelli get to know a lot about the citys food scene even if theyre only there for a day because the singers have demands they may want the best fried chicken or blt in town production managers have to know where to get all that and do research in advance to find out
among the many road trips youve taken which one is the most memorable
the trip i recently took from austin to marfa texas about 430 miles stands out its a city thats in the middle of the desert and surreal with its airstream trailers and tepees
do you have essentials you take along
a good playlist is a must its usually themed to the vibe of where i am going and has some singalong songs like satisfaction by the rolling stones i also take lots of water a cooler with a meal and green  blacks dark chocolate


rooms from 239
against a cool gray backdrop bright contemporary artwork pops at le meridien columbus the joseph the pizzuti companies founded by the local developer ron pizzuti opened the 135 room boutique hotel in early 2015 it is the 17th location in the united states for the expanding starwood owned le meridien line an art lover mr pizzuti stocked the columbus edition with pieces from the collection he and his wife ann have built over decades neon canvases by the former graffiti artist kaws illuminate the lobby staircase on one side of the three story atrium a craft spirits bar soul encourages socializing
the hotel is well placed for walking columbuss energetic short north neighborhood where the north market and jenis splendid ice creams draw lines of people and tasteful restaurants boutiques and patio bars are bustling with business the greater columbus convention center is one block away the downtown state capitol stands a mile away and the free shuttle bus to downtown cbus picks up across the street ohio state university is less than two miles away
the deluxe room where my husband and i stayed was spare but pleasant the lobbys gray tones continued here setting off dark furniture abstract art and a retro clock the midcentury style bed and desk were white oak made locally by amish craftsmen but the rooms centerpiece was the bed frame which extended up the wall and across the ceiling providing the sheltering feeling of a canopy without the confinement
an oversize shower with white subway tiles and a rainfall shower head invited extended bathing toiletries are by malin  goetz
hotel guests receive free admission otherwise typically 10 to the nearby pizzuti collection a museum showcasing more of the pizzutis art and special exhibitions wi fi is usually 10 a day but free for guests who book online through starwood the in room illy pod coffee maker made quality espresso minibars generic when we visited now include dean  deluca snacks along with local beer wine and craft spirit selections hotel managers said the third floor gym is notably bright and airy with views of stylish pedestrian packed high street and a sliver of goodale park a popular green space with fountains and swans the gym was adequately equipped with cardio machines weights and an everlast heavy bag service was prompt and warm my husband called the check in the friendliest hotel welcome hed ever received   enthusiastic without being over the top hospitable but not intrusive
at the downstairs restaurant the guild house reservations were booked up until 1030 pm during our stay and the scene was still hopping when we were seated at nearly 11 pm although the restaurant describes itself as farm to table the menu didnt specify where individual ingredients were sourced our server blinked when asked about the chickens provenance its nothing organic free range or special he said what i can say is we try to source locally whenever possible the scallops 29 and prime rib cap 16 we ordered were each perfectly cooked the guild house also provides 24 hour room service which was promptly delivered 20 minutes after our breakfast order was placed
with its colorful artwork and convenient location this hotel offers a sophisticated choice for exploring ohios capital city


palm springs has always been known more for its palm trees and party scene than its culinary prowess
hoping to change that perception is sopa a new alfresco only restaurant hidden from the hum of east palm canyon drive behind a whitewashed brick wall at the posh lhorizon hotel and spa designed by steve hermann whom we are apparently supposed to know as his name is flaunted on the sign out front
mr hermann is also the owner of what he refers to as a restaurant driven hotel he originally hired the michelin starred chef giacomo pettinari of el bulli and valentino who opened sopa to immediate raves mr pettinaris father recently passed away forcing him back to italy his replacement also came with michelin stars the chef chris anderson formerly of alinea and moto in chicago who cooked 22 courses for mr hermann before scoring the job mr pettinari had cooked 20 most owners want authority over the menu he said steve offered me free range
on a chilly evening in february when the kitchen was still being run by mr pettinari we enjoyed just five if you include the dreamy bowl of house preserved olives mixed with creamy sheeps feta and salted marcona almonds we had with our 8 cocktails at the long walnut table reserved for communal hour 5 to 630 pm locals otherwise put off by sopas prices take advantage 10 percent of proceeds go to local organizations like the desert aids project
at 630 our server whose affability pleasantly undermined his twee polka dot bow tie moved us beneath a sprawling mimosa tree to a table for two draped in white linen and turned up the heat lamp that night heat lamps outnumbered diners in the courtyard 17 to 12 come back in summer he said its so hot your foie gras melts
our roasted spanish octopus however was firm and flawless the tender meaty tentacle arched on a plate streaked with smoked squid ink accompanied by crushed potatoes in a parsley pesto a compressed melon salad with micro mint and french feta though refreshing and enthusiastically recommended by our server underwhelmed but not the spicy reasonably priced zaca mesa 2010 syrah   nor the indulgent confit poussin pan roasted in duck fat over a seasonal apple puree with flash fried baby artichokes
though a starry desert sky enhances any dinner sopas commitment to embracing its darkened surroundings can be a bit of a hazard despite gorgeous golden hued molecular light fixtures   and the fact that flashlights are provided on request   there was occasional confusion over dishes and diners
our server twice asked what can i get you gentlemen remarked a local gallery owner after a recent meal my friend was most definitely a woman


plenty of artists have explored the relationship between light and shadow to create indelible images and tell a story
eva and franco mattes   married brooklyn artists and hacktivists   use those ideas metaphorically peeling back the surface of what they call the sanitized internet to reveal its murkier side the world of content monitoring and the elusive individuals who are tasked with tracking and removing offensive material online
their latest exhibition abuse standards violations on view at londons carrollfletcher gallery until aug 27 is a journey into what ben vickers a london curator at the serpentine galleries and fan of their work called the dark morbid heart of the internet
the focus of the show is four video works from a series dark content which excerpt interviews the matteses conducted with some of the anonymous low paid workers that companies like google and youtube employ to remove objectionable material the content these subcontractors have erased ranges from images of osama bin laden to fringe fetish porn and videos of suicides one man says a fellow moderator was asked to remove images of spongebob laughing
the project some earlier portions were shown at the essex flowers gallery in new york last year raises the question of how much of what they do is censorship or merely enforcing internet standards or just arbitrary its hard to know the process of online moderation is shrouded in secrecy
the italian born matteses are internet art pioneers comfortable in its strangest realms and seeing the online world very differently than most
the theme of our work is that the invisible part of the internet has meaning said mr mattes 40 seated with his wife last month in their jam packed studio in the bushwick section of brooklyn shared with another artist were fascinated to know anything beyond the password zone
ms mattes 39 has an unconventional hope for visitors to carrollfletcher this summer we just really want to encourage people to venture into the dark net
she was referring to the unregulated part of the internet best known for being a hub of illegal activity that requires special tools to access and provides anonymity for both posting and viewing content it forms a small part of the deep web the vast portion not indexed by search engines
anonymity is considered weird or strange what are you hiding ms mattes said but if you think about it anonymity is key to democracy
the matteses who come across as part dada provocateurs part grad school types their website is 0100101110101101org went to unusual lengths for dark content they posted an ad online from a fictitious company supposedly looking for moderators and then explained to those who responded that they just wanted to hear what the moderators lives were like the short answer challenging and quite sad at times
surprisingly most respondents agreed to participate in the matteses artwork and were paid a few dollars for their time then the artists animated the interviews   with software downloaded from the internet of course   and looped cartoonlike footage of the participants talking heads on monitors set into the underside of desks so that london gallerygoers have to peer around the banal looking office furniture to watch
berin szoka the president of the nonprofit think tank tech freedom agreed that the world of monitors was murky by design
its a bit of a black box for obvious reasons mr szoka said just as with cybersecurity you dont want to make too clear whats happening so that people cant circumnavigate the system
the direct inspiration for the project was the couples own experience of having their work scrubbed from the internet six years ago they filmed mr mattes pretending to hang himself and then posted the footage on the site chatroulette where people have brief video interactions
they then created a split screen 2010 artwork no fun of the staged hanging juxtaposed with the various viewer reactions mr mattes posted it on youtube which promptly removed it for violation of the companys policy on shocking and disgusting content
it had been shown in museums so when it was removed we were surprised said mr mattes who wrote to the company to find out why it was removed he said he received legalese in response
he added it was hard for me to imagine that the internet is more conservative than art museums i grew up with the idea that art is old and boring and the net is fun and exciting the wild wild web where anything can happen
that got them thinking about the process we wondered is there some software mr mattes recalled an algorithm that compiles all the red flags most people believe the removal is done that way
the moderators in general dont know which company they are working for said mr mattes and they see truly disturbing graphic images on a daily basis
the worst video i ever saw personally was an individual killing and dissecting cats one moderator says in the current show
he goes on to recall the video as cruel and unusual and says the cats were killed in a majority of ways running them over electrocution beating stabbing then he added i personally am just not going to continue answering this
one particular incident came up over and over a lot of them mentioned being asked to remove images of osama bin laden after he was killed ms mattes said which she thought was somehow politically related and therefore troubling
the carrollfletcher show also features the matteses 2016 series image search results the phrase is from googles comprehensive image search one work renders the internet as a spooky undersea landscape with each water level representing a more unknowable depth they had the result printed on a beach towel
a more lighthearted series by everyone for no one every day befnoed 2014 is a comment on the universe of content online that may never have any viewers at all it asks the question if a tree falls online does it make a sound
for it the matteses hired people anonymously on crowdsourcing sites to perform what ms mattes called simple absurd acts one man does handstand push ups with eva and franco mattes written on his belly
in the gallery the monitors displaying the bizarre acts are awkwardly installed so that people must contort themselves to watch even lying on the floor forcing the viewer into being a performer mr mattes said
the installation is typical in its blend of confrontation and playfulness in an email mr vickers of the serpentine galleries placed the artists on a direct line with the post world war i dada movement the beginnings of dada poet tristan tzara recalled were not the beginnings of art but of disgust
christiane paul an adjunct curator of new media arts at the whitney museum of american art said they have a reputation of being pranksters but theres no posturing about it its driven by a deep engagement with the issues
ms paul cited life sharing 2000-03 as a landmark project by the matteses for that work they made many intimate aspects of their lives   right down to their bank statements   available online
they anticipated what would happen with social media platforms ms paul said of the now common sharing of mundane activities on blogs facebook twitter and instagram
both ms mattes and mr mattes hail from the italian province of brescia   and its worth noting that they declined to say which towns in an attempt to preserve a sliver of privacy
they met in 1995 through mutual friends while traveling in spain and have been together and making art as a team ever since theyve been based in brooklyn for seven years
the dark content works have a journalistic aspect but mr mattes said he was amazed that there was not more literature shining a light on the topic of content monitoring
he rejected the idea that the radical duo was going soft by looking at the moderators as human beings
a lot of our work has been confrontational like the one of me hanging myself mr mattes said  but we are not looking to punch people in the face either hopefully theres something we can we learn from their experiences


this interview with lisa gersh chief executive of goop a wellness company was conducted and condensed by adam bryant
q tell me about your early years
a i grew up in the bronx and my parents both worked my mom had the greatest impact on me in terms of always telling me that i could do whatever i wanted to do you need your parents to tell you that because sometimes when youre just hanging around in seventh grade it doesnt quite feel that way
we grew up pretty poor my parents both lost their jobs when i was 11 and i understood at a very early age that i was going to have to make things happen for myself i realized that babysitting for a dollar an hour was never going to get me anywhere so i read an ad in the newspaper for umpires for girls softball they didnt have an age requirement so i went to five classes and i got my degree in umpiring girls softball these girls were older than i was and i made 5 a game
i was a pretty entrepreneurial kid i always had a job in high school i got a job at the foodtown grocery store and because it was unionized i got time and a half on holidays and double time on sundays the work could be really boring so i figured out how to make it more challenging i memorized all the prices in the store i was the human scanner it almost became like a circus show people would come in my lane just to watch me do it
and when i was a waitress i never wrote down anyones order it would really annoy customers because they were sure i would get it wrong but i never did even when there were 12 people to this day when i go out to dinner i absolutely know what every single person has ordered and when the waiter walks over and cant remember who ordered what it drives me crazy why cant you remember you wrote it down
when you think about your leadership style today do you see your parents influence
my mom was a great listener and so much of leadership is about listening and really taking in all the information but ultimately being able to make a decision
listening seems like an increasingly rare skill particularly with all the distractions from technology
active listening is hard i think people do have trouble focusing and concentrating but active listening is so important for leaders because often when people come into your office they dont really want to tell you everything so if youre not actively listening youre going to miss it
what were some early leadership lessons for you
a mentor geraldine laybourne gave me a great lesson when i had my first child she said the best way to control the terrible 2s and make your kids happy is to learn how to say yes it doesnt mean giving them everything they want it means directing them to something else
the same thing is true in business its about learning to say yes people pitch ideas all the time and i find that others in the room can often want to say no and talk about why its not a good idea a bunch of really smart people can kill any idea you can always find out whats wrong with an idea but you cant necessarily find out whats good with the idea
and so the first thing she said to me when we were starting oxygen media is to learn how to say yes listen to peoples ideas almost like an improv session and play with the ideas it doesnt necessarily mean youre going to do the idea it just means youre going to listen to the idea and work on the idea
the other thing that was really interesting about managing in a creative company was learning how to deal with creative people because as a lawyer for many years before that i was not known as a creative person when youre in a legal or business meeting you dont egg people on you pretend like you dont care its almost like buying a house you sit with your arms crossed and you pretend like youre not excited and it could be the greatest idea in the world but you dont want to show your hand
but a creative meeting is different if someones coming in with their creative idea theyre baring their creative soul and if you sit there with your arms crossed and you dont say anything theyre really not going to give it to you
my partner at oxygen took me to every meeting early on because i didnt know anything about the business at one point i said to her you never take me to the creative meetings why not she said because you sit with your arms folded across your chest and its not good for creative meetings you have to learn the nod i said whats the nod
and the nod is when you lean in and you nod your head and you keep nodding your head when someone is pitching an idea that way they get more and more excited about the pitch and they give you their best work so you have to learn the nod
how do you hire
if im hiring for my team i want them to tell me they want to be the ceo at some point i want them all to be training to be ceos to feel the same kind of ownership that you do when youre a ceo
but with everyone i interview im always looking for smart and i dont mean academically smart i mean someone whos really had to use their intellect to move forward you can tell that pretty quickly
i also like people whove had to be somewhat independent in their life and theyve done something thats a little bit off course   like they were an art history major but then decided to be a coder and thats their passion now i like inconsistencies because i think theyre going to think more broadly


this was five years ago when i was living in kongsberg a small norwegian city i had an apartment with two other refugees from afghanistan our clothesline stretched between our window and a window in the next building and sometimes we saw the family who lived in that apartment   a husband wife and their teenage daughter   hanging their clothes but we never talked to them and they never talked to us well no one talked to us after three years in kongsberg i thought the people in norway are like the weather a little cold
that day as i was hanging my clothes to dry i was trying to take my thoughts off what had just happened there had been an attack in oslo a bomb that went off in the government quarter and killed eight people it was on every television everyone was talking about islamic terrorists muslims did it they were saying migrants refugees my roommates and i were sad for the people who died but we were also scared everyone in the neighborhood but us was norwegian we thought the police might come and arrest us we had no idea what might happen
as i was hanging my clothes i saw my neighbor down in his driveway he was just coming home from work and he looked up and saw me and then he was shouting
you people you come here and ruin our country he yelled norway is peaceful and now youre destroying it go home make your own country crap leave ours alone
actually he said a lot worse than that he kept shouting and shouting but i stayed quiet i just went on hanging my clothes my hands were shaking
i went inside sat with my roommates and told them what he said we kept watching the television scared and upset wondering what would happen back in kabul i had a good life family friends a community i had published a book on the taliban condemning terrorism that made me visible a target a gang kidnapped me held me ransom beat and tortured me i escaped and we went to the police they arrested some of my kidnappers
but the threats kept coming the gang found my home they killed my father my brothers and my sisters my mother and i fled we moved in with some friends but it wasnt safe for me to stay in afghanistan so i went to norway to apply for asylum
i was glad to have an apartment and roommates from home but no one knew us in kongsberg they didnt care if we were educated or what wed been through that afternoon my roommates and i just kept watching the tv waiting for the police to come for us
suddenly all the headlines changed there had been another attack on an island outside oslo a man shot more than 60 people many of them children they were saying it was the same man responsible for the bombing a name came on the screen   breivik   a norwegian name he had surrendered and confessed my roommates and i were shocked everything that happened to those children especially was just too horrible
then there was a knock on the door we didnt know if we should answer but we thought no its ok they know it wasnt a muslim who did these attacks i opened the door
it was my neighbor he was speaking very quickly apologizing telling me how ashamed he was for what hed said he was crying this big pale redheaded norwegian man who worked in an office and sometimes on his car on the weekends he had tears all down his face he hugged me he insisted that my roommates and i come to his apartment that night for dinner
i remember we had fish and potatoes a very norwegian meal his daughter was very bright very intelligent three years in kongsberg waiting for the final decision about my asylum application and i had never spoken to this man or his family from that day on he opened his heart to my roommates and me
whatever i needed he told me he would try to help unfortunately norway did not accept my application for asylum they wanted to send me back to afghanistan so i decided to come to italy my problems didnt end   i was homeless for a long time and it has been hard to find work   but i finally received formal protection as a refugee
on the day i left norway my neighbor told me if you ever come back dont hesitate to call me i hugged him and said i would
but well for now i have to stay here in italy


its supposed to be festive its supposed to be fun but most of the time if im out with a friend for cocktails and she excitedly says lets start with something fizzy i deflate a little unpleasant visions of endless mimosa brunches in my 20s and their aftermaths arise
but im not so hardhearted as to be completely resistant to bubbles bubbles feel good they really do signify joy and in the right drink and under the right circumstances   a hot summer day especially when im feeling celebratory   theyre exactly what i want too
usually when i have a mad craving for bubbles i order a glass of champagne and leave it at that but sparkling wines can be wonderful when mixed even with orange juice and other ingredients and a little extra effort that distinguish the resulting drink from the dreaded mimosa as in gates otsujis mona lisa some consider it a waste to use very good wine in a cocktail it will certainly increase the cost but it may increase the quality and flavor too if you can afford to do it go ahead
i favor cava   the popular spanish wine most of which is made in catalonia   when i do not want to mix anything with champagne i suspect thats because unlike many other sparkling wines it is made in the same way as champagne still wine is bottled yeast and sugar are added and then the second fermentation which creates the bubbles happens in the bottle although cava and champagne are generally made from different grapes the shared method creates a family resemblance
many fine classic cocktails are made with champagne among the best known are the french 75 gin or cognac lemon juice and a bit of sugar topped with champagne and the kir royale couldnt be simpler a tiny amount of creme de cassis and lots of champagne but for me champagne cocktails are like people i gravitate to the ones with the best stories
this means that death in the afternoon an aptly heady mixture of champagne and absinthe appeals to me enormously the earliest known recipe was published in the magnificently named 1935 cocktail book so red the nose or   breath in the afternoon to which many well known authors contributed by way of explanation hemingway wrote about the drink this was arrived at by the author and three officers of hms danae after having spent seven hours overboard trying to get capt bra saunders fishing boat off a bank where she had gone with us in a nw gale
another favorite is the punch romaine originally a slushie of sorts this drink is perhaps best remembered as a palate cleanser served as the sixth course of the titanics final first class dinner write talia baiocchi and leslie pariseau in their book spritz baiocchi and pariseau offer an updated version the legendary chef escoffier devised the original which is beautifully refreshing but given these two tales perhaps its best to keep boats and champagne cocktails far apart i recommend a comfortable chair or patio instead
recipes death in the afternoon  mona lisa  punch romaine


send your workplace conundrums to workologistnytimescom including your name and contact information even if you want it withheld for publication the workologist is a guy with well intentioned opinions not a professional career adviser letters may be edited
my supervisor recently informed me that his request to buy some equipment through the company for his personal use had been denied because it was for nonstandard items   so he had placed the order in my name instead he asked me to deliver it to him when it arrived this isnt the first time i feel ive been put in an awkward position with him previously he was upset when i spoke to human resources about how i should report my time im an hourly employee for his constant after hours calls and texts seeking work support i have begun recording our meetings without his knowledge so its not just my word against his if theres a problem later
how do i deal with this im at my first corporate job and theres been lots of restructuring lately hes my third supervisor this year im actually hoping to be restructured into another department anonymous
what your supervisor is up to sounds so questionable that you need to think about it in terms of the potential impact on you ponder for a moment the worst case if somebody figures out that he is in fact blatantly abusing the companys interests to further his own and you pretty much realized or strongly suspected as much how will you respond when asked why you didnt say anything
at a minimum you could certainly tell your supervisor that youre not comfortable with his actions or with him doing anything in your name without your active consent of course he may get upset or even try to cause you problems as a result which is why it probably makes sense to go to someone else whether thats human resources or another manager you trust
you do not have to accuse your supervisor of anything dastardly per se just stick to the facts and make it clear that its a situation you feel is inappropriate for you to be involved in   for your own sake and for the companys if youre concerned about repercussions which would be logical say so you could note that youd be happier in another department but at the very least make sure that the person you talk to knows you need an open line of communication afterward if there is trouble as this column has noted in the past conversations with human resources should never be considered confidential you can request that the discussion remain private but always prepare for the possibility that it will not
finally for the record laws about recording others without their consent vary by state so the secret taping strategy may not be the wisest plan here its better to get your concerns on the record with others who are in a position to do something about the problem   and whose trust in you will matter if theres a dispute
i am a health care practitioner in a privately owned practice the owners daughter has worked in the practice also as a licensed professional for nearly two years she frequently arrives at the office with no makeup on   and then applies it at the office she does so after sitting through an hourlong morning meeting but i dont object to the lack of makeup in the meeting its putting on makeup during office time that seems inappropriate
it is not a discreet maneuver and it seems unprofessional implying to the support staff that she is not ready to start work when she arrives surely management would not tolerate that from hourly employees i have considered mentioning this to her but on the other hand she is an adult and is otherwise completely professional maybe i should keep my opinion to myself anonymous
this quandary neatly articulates a widespread workplace problem where exactly is the line between behavior that has a genuine negative impact and the kind that simply drives us up the wall
to arrive at an answer requires an attempt at dispassionate evaluation remember for starters that this person isnt trying to annoy you and she may have no idea that theres a problem so clarify the dimensions of the issue here does the support staff actually resent this makeup ritual seeing it as evidence of a double standard does that or anything else about this colleagues habit have some negative impact on the workplace besides driving you up the wall i mean does it run contrary to whatever code of employee conduct may exist
perhaps there are instances when a makeup pause slowed down the pace of business or otherwise got in the way the point is if you can point to symptoms of an actual problem then it should be possible to have a conversation thats focused on ramifications and not just a critique of personal behavior
but what if you cant find concrete evidence that this is a general problem as opposed to a specific irritation you may conclude that its easiest to vary your own routine so that you no longer witness this behavior or it might be tempting to ask a lot of questions about her makeup choices while shes in the middle of her routine in hopes that shell decide the privacy of home is a better venue   although the workologist is not a fan of passive aggressive maneuvering
you could also try a direct yet diplomatic conversation that positions the issue as something that bothers you not something shes doing wrong think about how it would feel if something you do every day without a second thought is really bugging one of your colleagues how would you want that brought to your attention


invest in good equipment at a minimum youll need a digital slr camera short  mid  and long range lenses multiple batteries extra cords and a laptop rick mendoza a veteran paparazzo based in los angeles carries 50 pounds of gear in a backpack expect start up costs of at least 8000
study your states privacy and harassment laws stick with public figures in public places dont aim your camera into peoples homes and avoid frightening famous children shoot every celebrity you see but in order for your agent   youll need one   to sell images to tabloids and websites your pictures must evoke narrative tension a photo needs a story mendoza says often youll find yourself amid a scrum of paparazzi so prepare for violence youre going to get your face punched mendoza says youre going to get your camera broken people do bad things for money mendoza once got high five figures for a photo of zsa zsa gabor inside an ambulance
cultivate valets restaurant servers hotel staff members and airport employees for tips offer cash if they text you with the whereabouts of stars memorize the makes models and last three digits of license plate numbers of celebrities vehicles mendoza starts his workday at 6 am driving by coffee shops and yoga studios this constant predator like state will change you heighten your senses and make you keenly attuned to your surroundings ive never been patient in my life mendoza says i learned patience waiting 12 hours for a three second opportunity to shoot lindsay lohan
sometimes celebrities will scream at you try to knock your camera away treat you like a vulture feeding off the viscera of others lives dont let those sentiments get you down remind yourself youre here to do a job mendoza says there is a symbiosis between photographer and subject together they build what mendoza calls the hollywood hype machine be personable with celebrities converse make a joke ask them what did you have for breakfast today mendoza says show them hey i know youre a human too


randy writes my son and i have a dispute regarding ice cream i maintain that because i pay for it im allowed to take a tax one lick we call it an impot because we live in france i think he should learn to share its only a lick
you may call it whatever you like but your gross tongue is still involved everyone should have the right to refuse to share food especially an ice cream cone because of its deep saliva involvement and frank sensuality whats more you are not teaching him to share you are teaching him to be paranoid of confiscatory taxation by a predatory daddy state that takes what it wants under cover of fancy french terms hell become a reactionary i find in your sons favor with the proviso that all food abandoned by children is not only fair game for dads but also magically calorie free


re segregation
nikole hannah jones wrote about sending her daughter to a segregated low income school in new york and the question of which children benefit from a separate and unequal school system
worlds apart evokes a great deal of admiration for the author and her husbands commitment to sending their child to a segregated low income public school and it justifiably indicts the nyc administrations that have continuously failed to implement a citywide integration plan as a result as hannah jones states new york city public schools are among the most segregated in the country the countless minority children who were and are being denied the educational opportunities provided to racially and economically privileged children should be entitled to reparations edward kopelson montclair nj
in hannah joness survey of public schools in her neighborhood she seems to deliberately overlook the existence of public charter schools in bedford stuyvesant that includes three success academy schools   including the one i run
hannah jones writes not surprisingly the test scores of most of bed stuys schools reflect the marginalization of their students this is not true of my school her rock bottom expectations for the public education system shock and depress me i do not believe a school full of poor black and brown children means that they will underperform on tests and are unable to compete with the most elite schools in the city in fact my school proves that this is possible
i would invite hannah jones to visit success academy bed stuy 1 nestled between the tompkins and marcy housing projects serving k 4 of more than 400 students only two are white and four are asian about eight of 10 students come from low income families and 13 percent are homeless out of the 149 students who completed statewide testing assessments last year 83 percent passed the assessment for english language arts and 99 percent passed for math with 97 percent of them scoring at level 4 the most advanced score
what communities need most even more than socioeconomic integration are world class schools we are proving what is possible in bed stuy and neighborhoods like it javeria khan principal success academy bed stuy 1 brooklyn
i was moved to tears by hannah joness brilliant article i grew up in a racially mixed middle class neighborhood that borders on a poor latino neighborhood my white parents unlike most of their peers chose to send me to the local elementary school which was 95 percent nonwhite and eight out of 10 children qualified for free or reduced fee lunch
my education did not suffer as a result of being exposed to so many poor minority children   like ps 307 my school had a fantastic principal and wonderful teachers yes being the only white kid in homeroom was sometimes uncomfortable and isolating   similar i suspect to how black and latino kids feel when they are asked to diversify mostly white schools no child likes feeling like an outlier but maybe i would have felt less like an outlier had more of the white families in my neighborhood sent their kids to my school lauren teixeira silver spring md
re ptsd
robert f worth wrote about a new study that suggests ptsd has more physical causes than was previously thought
as a vietnam veteran i am troubled when i read yet another story about post traumatic stress in the spring of 1981 the veterans administration in rochester gathered a group of us to watch abcs 2020 where barbara walters and hugh downs discussed ptsd which none of us had heard about or been treated for from world war is shell shock to world war iis battle fatigue to later wars ptsd no one really seems to have a handle on how to treat these individual effects of war
todays article just seems like more of the same new theories for an age old condition what to do with people whose bowels have emptied in fear and who have witnessed and participated in deadly battle and were told to be brave and to suck it up and keep going no matter what and were taught as kids that god and moses said thou shall not kill
it is hard after all these years to let go of the fear and anger and even guilt of wartime service whatever the original cause physical or psychological bruce w rider grapevine tex


dr stephen keith had dined with dr helene gayle many times during the more than three decades that they had known each other the meals were always convivial and always platonic
over the years they had worked together on public health battles he as an aide to senator edward m kennedy and in other positions and she at the helm of the battle against hivaids at the centers for disease control and prevention and later at the gates foundation he had married twice and she had remained single and something of a skeptic of the institution of marriage
but when he made the call to arrange to meet for dinner in the fall of 2011 dr gayle sensed that there was something different about it that time
it was almost like one of those wow moments she recalled not a bolt out of the blue but a premonition that this call will be an important call
an epidemiologist and pediatrician by training with a focus on poverty and hivaids dr gayle has been an assistant surgeon general of the united states and then ran care the nonprofit human rights group for nearly a decade in 2014 she ranked no 78 on a forbes list of the worlds most powerful women bono once called her my queen for advising his nonprofit one which fights poverty and disease she carries herself with a regal elegance and the washington post once described her as having features that would be the envy of a fashion model
she grew up the middle of five children three girls two boys in a tight knit prosperous buffalo family that encouraged education and public works
helene is a magnet for people said dr leslie clapp a longtime friend she has a spirit of fun and mischief and being witty and lovable and endearing
despite her success she is without pretense dr clapp said she is the same person everywhere she goes
dr keiths father was a tuskegee airman world war ii ended before he could actually enter the fight who went on to harvard medical school and did his pediatric residency at boston childrens hospital before moving his family to chicago
dr gayle had met dr keith in 1979 at the student national medical association conference in los angeles she was a medical student at the university of pennsylvania and he was a resident at ucla
dr gayle now 60 recalled thinking of him then as a kind slightly older guy he was in his residency and treated little old me in a very kind way she said so he stood out
dr keith who at 63 resembles an older version of the former professional tennis player james blake recalled her then as bright eager and attractive
both doctors received degrees in pediatrics and public health dr keith soon had two daughters from his first marriage
by the late 1980s dr keith had begun to see more of dr gayle in his role as an aide to senator kennedy working toward passage of the ryan white act which improved care for patients with hivaids but even when dr keith found himself single again in 1987 no romance ensued between the two
we actually would see each other here in dc he said she was at the centers for disease control and i would have to go down to atlanta and then in the early 1990s she headed up the dc office for the cdc and we intersected but it was collegial i just didnt see it
he remarried in the early 1990s and had a son
their mutual passion for addressing hivaids and what dr gayle calls the social justice imperative of helping marginalized populations deepened their friendship dr keiths professional purpose was undergirded by a personal one his sister julie keith jarrett died in 1994 of aids and she left behind a husband and a daughter
about five years ago his second marriage began to unravel
by the fall of 2011 he was working as chief executive of the american college of clinical pharmacology and she was the chief executive of care in atlanta the gap between their dinners had stretched longer than in the past and their conspicuous absence had made him wonder if it was something more than just conversation that he was missing if a missed opportunity might not yet be a lost one so he made that life changing call to dr gayle
i had always known she was a wonderful person beautiful caring for other people he said i said she has been here this whole time and i just didnt see it and i will try to make up for lost time i will try to do it right
dr gayle recalled the phone conversation he said we havent talked for a while i kind of had a suspicion that it was potentially about us
in town for her nephews wedding she agreed to meet up at jackies restaurant in silver spring md
dr keith tried to play it cool i did not say to her this is the start of something serious on the first date he said i really enjoyed the time but in my mind i knew this was it i knew i didnt want to focus anywhere else
for dr gayles part too something sparked during that dinner that was more than 30 years in the making i looked at him differently she said i remembered how handsome i thought he was i remembered how much fun we had in each others company and it just unshackles someone from a particular box and you start seeing them in a different way
she had also recently ended a long relationship and was winding down her role at care she is now ceo of the mckinsey social initiative
i think my head made room for my heart to take over dr gayle said thinking back to the early days of their courtship i remember being at a dinner with friends not long after we started dating and he was just staring at me as i talked with this warm loving look in his eyes i was blown away i am not sure i had ever had anyone look at me like that
dr reed tuckson a longtime friend of both said he was struck by how deeply dr keith had fallen for her noting that he usually kept his emotions well hidden youd have to sort of push steve dr tuckson said if steve tells you his arm is sore you have to see if he has an arm it was a real surprise when he started talking about helene i said you are talking about our sister man
things began to move quickly in february 2012 dr keith moved in with dr gayle in atlanta and took a job with a medical firm there he is now chief executive with vivacelle bio a biotech company
that summer he joined her in chautauqua ny where dr gayles enormous extended family has assembled for generations alana gayle helenes older sister said that her granddaughter had immediately proclaimed dr keith her favorite uncle a good sign of permanence
it was like he had always been here alana gayle said
there dr keith saw dr gayle as her family does as aunt helene just happy to cook and pick up the rental bikes he loved that she was as comfortable in that space as she was sparring with world leaders over public health crises
the question of marriage though was one that dr gayle had to work out for herself its easy to be intellectual about this she said is it an equal institution for women as it is for men is it going to change my life and my life options does it indicate i need someone to complete me as a human being
even after letting emotion rule the day she was able to supply a fairly thoughtful rationale for matrimony there is something about the act that a public commitment does make a bond that is different and special and creates a level of intimacy that   not that you necessarily need marriage for it   but probably is facilitated by marriage she said
in june 2015 dr keith proposed she was speechless at first they kissed then he asked does that mean yes dr gayle said it did
on june 4 the couple were married at christ united methodist church in washington dr tuckson served as best man dr clapp was maid of honor
standing on the dais dr keith said to dr gayle falling in love with you was easy and exciting comforting and powerful having waited much too long for this day i am proud to now become your husband and for you to become my wife
in her vows she quoted from the book americanah by chimamanda ngozi adichie he made her feel like herself with him she was at ease her skin felt as though it was her right size


i left manhattan in 1988 the morning after marrying a peripatetic advertising executive whose career would take us to six different cities over the course of 26 years on the ascent out of laguardia i turned my head to the clouds and cried
following stints in the midwest the mid atlantic and new england i eventually arrived in texas with two babies two dogs and the aforementioned husband last august after delivering the younger daughter to college and graduating myself from the residential restriction in a divorce decree i returned home i was just one person this moving day one person and a new canine charge charles
some people flee new york without reservation while others depart uneasily but certain that one day they will make it back the re entry is inspired typically by the universal tug of home and family along with the draw of the citys singular street life culture and sensibility the notion of change is inherent in any return though since the city will have evolved in your absence and you too may be different from who you were when you left
i knew in 1988 that i would come back to new york i was born on york avenue and east 70th street and raised in westchester county but returned twice after graduate school living first on central park west and later on the upper east side this time in search of reasonably priced space that would accommodate two college students during vacations and charles the terrier daily i landed near where i began on east end avenue i didnt know that it would take so long to get here or that so much would happen before i did but i counted down the whole time
other former new yorkers have done the same
moving back was in my head and my friends will say that ive been talking about it forever said david kurtz 58 a film and television composer who lived in los angeles for 35 years i am very grateful for la but this was always home whatever all that means
the emotional bond with a place of course does not develop simply because you may have emerged from a delivery room within its zip code native new yorkers are not the only ones who may feel like expatriates anywhere else
mr kurtz grew up in sayville ny on long island but he formed a connection to manhattan when he was a child my grandmother worked in columbus circle at the diners club she loved to take me to radio city for movies and my grandfather worked the counter at katzs deli
during high school mr kurtz took the train to penn station almost every saturday for class in the juilliard school pre college division and he credits his time there for solidifying his new york city identity it was more than a great musical experience he said it was my literal salvation i blossomed in this city
while at the manhattan school of music in 1974 he lived on west 89th street in the home of isidore cohen then the violinist with the beaux arts trio they rehearsed there all the time heaven
the neighborhood because of its proximity to lincoln center and its european feeling was his first choice when he returned from california a year and a half ago he had sold his malibu house and bought an apartment on west 76th street off central park
my la friends say how are you going to live in that and my new york friends say how did you find that 
in march he and candace bowes a freelance advertising producer who spends weeks at a time working in los angeles were married in the ladies pavilion in central park down the street from their new home
it was an iconic new york thing to do said mr kurtz who credits a confluence of events for his return including his children leaving home aging parents immediate family who live here and a shift from composing for television programs to writing a screenplay
like others who depart new york for places with more serenity and a quieter pace mr kurtz found he needed to create his own stimulation in california rather than find it in his surroundings the ocean the environment it became continuous and i lost the fascination he said here im in awe every day i walk out the door and the city is performance art
what a new york re entry will feel like depends on how long the person has been away and what his life was like at the time he left said christine haney the executive vice president of global relocation for douglas elliman real estate they come here because they have always loved the city she said there is a certain age when people are unafraid to make changes and move anywhere she added but after theyve gone down that path they want to come back and just enjoy
once back in town where they choose to rent or buy an apartment is often determined by how they will now spend their days in addition to their budgets i had a client who said to me i am ready to go to lincoln center i want to live facing the steps  said annie cion gruenberger an associate broker with warburg realty we went out and bought an apartment facing the steps
susan adler funk 56 loves seeing plays she has at least six subscriptions to off and off off broadway theaters and attends between 50 and 60 performances a year this past september she and her husband allen funk 55 rented a two bedroom on columbus avenue and west 96th street after selling a house in sleepy hollow ny where they had lived for three years following 18 years in and around seattle and six in washington dc
also the couple recently purchased a home in flemington nj where they intend to grow and sell grapes a retirement plan ms funk said every book that i own doesnt have to be in this apartment i am spoiled that way when the grapes are in their infancy the funks will spend more time in new jersey and keep their apartment as a pied a terre
ms funk views herself as a manhattan expatriate despite a rockland county ny upbringing attributing that status to the years she lived here during her formative 20s after college she rented two apartments first on sutton place and then on west 82nd street following harvard business school where she met mr funk a los angeles native and former newspaper publisher she rented a walk up on west 77th street now as a self described fully formed adult she has returned to the city and specifically to the upper west side for its energy and its closeness to the stage
theater is the reason im here she said i dont know how the passion began but i remember going to playwrights horizons when i first lived here and was poor and didnt see much
nostalgia is not part of the re entry for ms funk who while in seattle started and ran a think tank focused on diversity issues in the technology industry and now is studying to become an accredited executive coach
i actually tried to find where i used to live but i couldnt figure it out she said
sometimes though returning to a place where childhoods happened first jobs were held and mates were met can evoke strong sentiments about the passing of time and life choices when people havent regularly seen the spots where seminal experiences occurred   both good and bad   they can feel walloped emotionally across the street from the hospital where i was born is the hospital where my father died i have to bolster myself before walking by or choose a different route
you have to be part psychologist said ms haney of helping people relocate you have to be very sympathetic very understanding of what theyre going through
in 1993 after six years of city life randy gilman agreed to leave york avenue and east 79th street for livingston nj when her husband zvi bolimovsky expressed a desire to raise children outside manhattan from day 1 when i was pregnant i was on a countdown to come back once my kids finished high school said ms gilman 63 who was born on long island and grew up near hartford conn
after ms gilmans father died in 1990 her bronx born mother evelyn moved to manhattan renting an apartment at fifth avenue and 60th street with a park view six years ago when ms gilmans younger child was 15 the women bought together a 5000 square foot apartment around the corner on park avenue and east 65th street into which the elder ms gilman moved after ms gilmans daughter graduated from high school three years ago ms gilman and mr bolimovsky joined evelyn gilman who is now 91 on the premises
my daughter left in august and we moved in by october ms gilman said i felt like i always belonged here
while leaving new jersey stirred little emotion sharing space with her mother who has her own suite has prompted ms gilman to reminisce
i feel sentimental about living with the beautiful art and artifacts that she accumulated on her many trips with my father ms gilman said living here also helps remind me about when i was a child and my parents took my sister and me to museums theater and dance performances
when charles and i landed in new york there was no party no ticker tape the confetti was in my mind raining down feelings of finish lines relief exhilaration promise people here ask where i lived before and when i mention my 17 years in texas they seem uniformly horrified they crinkle up their faces and ask did you like it expecting a certain response
i would have provided that reply at first now i feel that i should defend the place that i desperately did not like and that i would want to do this surprises me a little but makes me feel encouraged about my time there i tell the people about the efficient air conditioning and the civility of the children who shake hands when they are in preschool i tell them that i raised two daughters there two daughters who speak softly saying yall and maam and sir i feel good about the place standing in carl schurz park on the east river with charles on a lead i do really i do
this realization has played emotional tricks with my return which for years i viewed as a simple construct an escape from exile here whatever was missing would suddenly exist and i would feel energized nurtured and safe i would feel like me i must say that this has happened and in a magnified way   my old friends are more wonderful the ballet more breathtaking the brownstone facades more stunning but is it home does it feel like home i do not know
sometimes the transition is not what people envision it will be
after 40 years howard bloomberg 70 chose to return to manhattan and his familys upper west side neighborhood   not because he was nostalgic necessarily but for its prewar architecture and residential ambience in 1976 i escaped there was crime filth graffiti on the subway you couldnt see out the windows said mr bloomberg a retired investment banker who has lived in london boston and most recently new hampshire but then new york became a fabulous city and it more closely resembled the time when i grew up
mr bloomberg and his parents lived at 685 west end avenue his grandparents uncle and aunts lived at 697 west end avenue mr bloombergs childhood apartment had bedrooms and baths on one side of a hall and common rooms on the other he hoped to duplicate that layout
but mr bloomberg is not one to act rashly he started his hunt in 2001 but it wasnt until 2010 that he settled on riverside drive across the street from joan of arc park where he used to play football the 2175 square foot apartment in a 1902 building designed by ralph s townsend overlooks the hudson has 11 foot ceilings and the details that mr bloomberg was looking for
i am very particular it took three years to renovate it didnt even need a renovation he said it took another two years to sell his house on lake winnipesaukee in new hampshire delaying his return to the city until this spring
mr bloomberg was ready to make the transition to be less sedentary and more engaged in city life over the decades ive lost touch with just about everybody he said before he arrived in early may i look forward to having a big dinner party with them in my new apartment it will be great fun though we are no longer young men
upon moving in however the anticipation turned rapidly to upset mr bloomberg walked into and out of five supermarkets unable to navigate the narrow aisles his phone wouldnt work his television and computer wouldnt turn on he was dismayed to see litter
after four days in the city he thought to himself i can no longer cope i dont think i can possibly live here again now some weeks later mr bloomberg is still here though still out of sorts he contemplated selling the apartment and leaving   where to he was not sure   but the expense of such a turnaround dissuaded him he did secure a new york city phone number adaptation could it be
expectations vary according to jeff feuer an associate broker with douglas elliman real estate and mr bloombergs real estate agent for 10 years typically he said the adjustment is a lot more difficult if you are leaving new york than if you are returning
i have a house in woodstock and i love it he said but even after a couple of days i just want to come back


london   before thelma golden chief curator of the studio museum in harlem met her future husband the london based designer duro olowu she had been on a barneys waiting list for one of his dresses for months
the two were introduced at a target party on a hot summer evening in new york in 2006   so hot that mr olowu nearly didnt attend fortunately for both parties kim hastreiter the co editor of paper magazine and one of the partys hosts insisted he come
when he arrived thelma sees me and comes up and she goes into this whole thing about my clothes and i think who is this beautiful little thing he recalled recently at the camden arts center where he was putting the finishing touches on his third art show making  unmaking
mr olowu a native of nigeria earns his living as a fashion designer but he is also an enthusiastic collector of vintage textiles and contemporary art and has been dabbling in curation since 2012 organizing two shows at salon 94 in new york
she said ive been trying to get pieces of your work but theyre always sold out i left a message six months ago and no one called me back he said of course i got back to london and it said she called i owe it all to kim hastreiter who i now call my yenta
they married quietly at city hall less than two years later ms hastreiter and the artist glenn ligon their only witnesses
the oft photographed ms golden who is also a board member of the obama foundation and mr olowu who has dressed michelle obama and solange knowles make an obvious   and very marketable   power couple
yet unlike say the artists rachel feinstein and john currin or kim kardashian and kanye west it is not a power they wield easily or even willingly
mr olowu spends the better part of every month in london where his studio and store are ms golden lives in new york they refuse to give joint interviews to journalists including this one and despite numerous offers they have never been officially photographed together for the glossy magazines desperate to get them into their pages
they do appear side by side at benefits and other high profile events including the state dinner in 2014 in honor of president francois hollande of france where ms golden was seated on president obamas left but it was not until june 18 that they collaborated publicly for the first time
the occasion was a question and answer session at a packed preview of making  unmaking for several dozen friends and members of the media fashion and art communities according to mr olowu it had been ms goldens idea to interview him for the talk she just said why not
ms golden wearing one of her husbands signature patchwork print dresses and black peep toe ankle boots began by disclosing that in the many months her husband had worked to put his latest exhibition together he had not once spoken to her about it and she had seen it for the first time only the day before
you are all witnessing the first conversation she said confidentially
later by phone ms hastreiter observed thelma is a strong woman and duro loves that about her theyre not attached at the hip they work like crazy and theyre really passionate about what they do and respect each others careers and love each other they dont just go to parties and pose for things
indeed they were not posing back in camden their onstage interview was like what any other two prominent members of the art community might hold on stage albeit with a bit more teasing and affection
mr olowu discussed his early fascination with textiles as a child in lagos and with the idea of something that is made flat coming to life when draped on the body his approach to curating is similar to putting together a fashion collection he said of assembling disparate elements and trying to create harmony between all of them
the talk did at times veer into the personal particularly when the floor opened up to audience questions when asked what it was like to live with a hoarder ms golden said that when she and mr olowu first began dating she occupied an apartment with bare walls
by now she has learned to live among his ever expanding collection of art fabric and furniture and like good americans they have bowed to the necessity of a storage unit im not a hoarder but i cant resist a good thing mr olowu conceded
she revealed that she often encourages him to photograph the things he collects because he has a habit of forgetting and buying them again they both laughed
theyre the kind of people that when you walk into the room you dont know who to go to first said the retailer ikram goldman who has known them since they first met theyre individuals in their own right but together they create this incredible unit that you gravitate to they ground each other
mr olowu did not always keep his personal and professional lives so separate the designer who trained as a lawyer in london did not begin his fashion career until age 30 opening a small shop in notting hill with his first wife elaine golding a shoe designer in the late 90s
they opened their doors with two styles of shoes and two styles of dresses which mr olowu designed and which sold the first day when mr olowu and his wife later separated he set out on his own unveiling his namesake label in late 2004 and winning the british fashion councils new designer of the year award in 2005 since then he has released a collaboration with the jeweler sidney garber and designed a line for jc penney
one may think that the earlier intermingling of mr olowus professional and personal lives may have prompted his and ms goldens decision to keep theirs apart but he says that is not the case
were just very sociable and we dont have the time really he said i respect what she does and the museum and her passion her love of art her enthusiasm for everything i dont need to say now i need this amount of your time but shes very supportive of what i do
she practically refuses to wear anything besides the clothes he has designed he said even though i say please
that decision to be supportive rather than collaborative is at least partly responsible for preserving the spontaneous quality of mr olowus curatorial projects there is a striking similarity between the layout of his treasure attic of a store in mayfair and each of his exhibitions with panels of vintage fabric forming a background to the paintings and photographs on display
in camden there are more than 60 artists included in the show   an unusually high proportion of them women   spanning a multitude of media including painting dorothea tanning alice neel photography irving penn claude cahun sculpture wangechi mutu sheila hicks weaving anni albers and west african textiles from mr olowus personal collection and collage the 25 year old fashion designer grace wales bonner recent winner of the lvmh prize for emerging talent has a piece on display for the first time
what unites them is a sense of pattern repetition and a human touch or what mr olowu describes as the process of personal ritual that an artist goes through which is like the act of weaving
jenni lomax the museums director offered mr olowu the space after attending his talk with mr ligon at the tate modern last year where the two discussed not mr ligons art but their mutual passion for textiles
its very intuitive ms lomax says of his approach he didnt do research or careful planning and he seemed to be unhindered by historical or anything that would perhaps be expected from a curator its working almost like an artist with bits and pieces imagining how it would all come together in his mind
still he doesnt think of himself as a curator not yet he leaves that to his wife
in the end its safe for me to think that im a designer who curates mr olowu said this is an institutional show but im not institutional i dont have an institutional background because im not part of the art world because i came through this as a lover of art im free i really am
after the talk mr olowu held the door as guests poured into the first of the rooms containing the assembled works while ms golden receded to the back rooms greeted at turns by acquaintances it was now mr olowus show
making  unmaking is on view at the camden arts center until sept 18


as two people newly in love we talked and talked we were in our early 30s then so our talk included a history and a reckoning of all our previous loves how they endured and how they ended we talked about our past loves to see how they stacked up against the present one
were any of them as big as this no how could they be
falling in love for us meant falling into talk we talked about our memories broken bones broken hearts and one broken marriage we talked about our mothers one jewish and one italian constantly cooking and feeding we talked about our fathers neither of whom cooked or fed
we talked about friends come and gone we talked about our careers climbing the ladder of success falling off the ladder leaning in and leaning out
we talked about our dreams of traveling of marriage of how many children we would like and what we would name them with those subjects addressed we turned to smaller details and anecdotes the stories about getting drunk getting lost crashing the car stealing a candy bar and falling down a flight of subway stairs before a job interview
finally we talked about the nonstories the quirky facts and facets of personality our favorite movies what we liked to eat what we wouldnt eat he hated kalamata olives he could do without cucumbers i hated capers and marshmallows and the end of ghostbusters he talked about rivers and rocks i quoted frank ohara and mayakovsky we compared 5k running times
there was never enough time and so much to discuss we talked about the colors of leaves the shapes of clouds and why the word warmth has a hidden p
we talked about sex
we talked about our wedding
we talked about our new house
we talked about furnishing it
we talked about pregnancy
we talked about the child
then the second
seven years into it our marriage was different after the machinations of getting the children to sleep we would sit side by side in bed with computers on our laps surfing the internet we were not talking not sleeping so close and yet so far apart this dynamic   of being physically together but emotionally disengaged   had also bled into the mundane of the everyday with too much silence and space between us on the couch and with us cooking on opposite sides of the kitchen island
we still talked of course but it was a different kind of talk we spoke about the children what they wanted for lunch who would pick them up for school and how to negotiate the dinner invitations for the weekend we spoke of bills and laundry loads we spoke about the organizational details of our day to day these necessary conversations were the wheels on which our days turned
we didnt talk about sex much anymore other than figuring out how to have it with children barging through our door and demanding to know what we were doing instead we read body language was one of us asleep before the other were we touching not touching belly down
i might turn my back my body curved away from my husband in a posture of rejection he might lightly touch my back and feel my body tighten sign language for no sex tonight
we were so tired
one night we went to dinner just the two of us and as we sat there quietly eating a horrible memory came to mind it wasnt a memory of my own experience it was a memory of my watching a scene in a movie
in eternal sunshine of the spotless mind kate winslet who plays clementine and jim carrey who plays her boyfriend joel are eating silently in a restaurant when joel notices that all of the couples around them arent talking
are we like those bored couples you feel sorry for in restaurants joel muses to himself are we the dining dead
my husband and i sat there stone faced like two more of the dining dead
we need to talk my husband said
i waited for the bomb to drop
no he said i mean just talk
i thought of some of the elderly couples i knew i thought of how they talked if they did it wasnt an especially auspicious picture they talked mostly about how hard it was to be old dyed hair plastic surgery jazzercise the weather too hot too cold too much rain and the daily health reports an ache here an ache there insomnia joints vision bowels quite a lot of bowels
i could see my husband and me 25 years from now silently ingesting our dinner in some cafeteria then returning to sleep in our downsized condo all without being able to come up with anything of consequence to say to each other
we decided to give talking a real go that night we sat purposefully on the couch we put away the computers we silenced our ringers we looked at each other and smiled we sipped some red wine
what do you want to talk about i asked
what do you want to talk about he asked
we stared at each other
did you hear what otis said my husband asked i told him to turn off the faucet while he was brushing his teeth so he wouldnt waste water and he got really angry and told me that i had once wasted french fries
we laughed
and the other day ...  i began i stopped i think we need to make a rule i said we cant talk about the children because we could talk about them all day
ok
we tried again we stared at each other some more i admired how handsome and muscular my husband still looked that was good wasnt it who needed to talk
this wasnt going well we needed a different approach
we shipped the children to the in laws then we locked our phones in the glove compartment and drove a few hours south into west virginia returning to the kind of place where we had first really talked on a mountain in the woods
i was afraid what if we had nothing left to talk about
i remember the first few hours for the paucity of conversation we hiked and breathed we stopped to drink water we listened to the racket of our bodies moving through the world tripping breathing sneezing and the sounds of nature to which i was suddenly attuned the jackhammer of a pileated woodpecker the predatory screech of a hawk the frozen stare of an exposed turtle and the soft sway of brush around a snake
during that time even my internal monologue was silent it turned out that with all the time in the world to think some of it must be spent not thinking we felt refreshed and relieved to be absorbed in the rhythm of our steps
we stopped for lunch
we chatted about nothing then a little something and as we walked we forgot about trying to talk and ended up talking we were freed from the mechanics of life so our talk could be too i had forgotten that there are certain places that promote conversation with my children for example i had noticed that if i asked them over dinner what had happened at school they would always reply nothing but in the car the next morning they would often transform into chatterboxes
likewise while hiking we relaxed and fell back into talking we related stories we had forgotten to tell each other funny exchanges from work we bantered and flirted sidestepping into tangents we reminisced too about our early days an entirely new kind of talking that comes from having known someone for a long time
now several times a year my husband and i leave the children for a weekend and go hiking we have talked our way across the ridge of the north fork mountain of west virginia down 18 miles of the narrows in zion national park through the wilds of dolly sods and across mountains of vermont and new hampshire
couples spend so much time together throughout a life we human beings live a lot longer than we used to some of us stay married to the same person for 50 or 60 years its no wonder we run out of things to talk about its no surprise that we join the ranks of the dining dead but it doesnt have to be that way
during our weekend respites my husband and i feel inspired by a new alliance a new adventure we feel the power of long term coexistence and a sense of having gone through the rage of life and emerged
thats how we fell into talk again thats how we fell in love again


in the 1996 black comedy welcome to the dollhouse heather matarazzo and brendan sexton iii played dawn wiener and brandon mccarthy grade school outcasts nerd and bully at first antagonists they become tentative allies only to be separated by suburban fate wiener dog the new film also from the writer director todd solondz is not   title aside   a dollhouse sequel but it does depict dawn and brandon reunited and it feels so weird
one episode in this omnibus film features the still awkward dawn and the mildly surly brandon as adults here played by greta gerwig and kieran culkin embarking on an impulsive journey witnessed by the films titular impassive dachshund recurring characters in sequels and franchises are as common as well sequels and franchises recurring characters in movies that arent sequels are more rare and more fun here are a few
caldicott and charters played by naunton wayne and basil radford in the lady vanishes 1938 night train to munich 1940 and crooks tour 1941
for the alfred hitchcock directed vanishes a brisk espionage mystery set aboard a fast moving train the screenwriters sidney gilliat and frank lauder concocted a pair of cricket crazy middle age tourists   satirical targets making a point about complacency in prewar britain   who comedically huff and puff about confounded impudence for night train another spy picture with less train action than the title implies the pair returned evincing slightly more interest in current events one of them is seen reading mein kampf the fellows got a vehicle of their own in crooks tour mr wayne and mr radford also played the characters on radio and variations of the fellows in pictures such as 1946s dead of night
dr louis judd played by tom conway in cat people 1942 and the seventh victim 1943
the suave mr conway played a lecherous psychiatrist in the 1942 horror classic cat people dr judd learns the hard way that its poor form to trifle with a woman who turns into a panther when sexually aroused despite his fate in cat people mr conway turned up as the same character in victim this time trying to shelter a young woman who has come under the sway of a bohemian satan worshipping sect the judd in this picture is similarly haughty but eventually more sympathetic
randolph and mortimer duke played by ralph bellamy and don ameche in trading places 1983 and coming to america 1988
the director john landis cast the likable hollywood golden age actors mr ameche and mr bellamy against type as rapacious capitalist brothers for the dan aykroyd eddie murphy switched identity farce trading places that film ended with the duke boys deservedly ruined coming to america finds the brothers in a decidedly unglamorous setting for an amusing cameo in which they benefit from the casual largess of mr murphys african prince
mookie played by the director spike lee in do the right thing 1989 and red hook summer 2012
the disaffected bed stuy pizza delivery man played by mr lee in his spectacular urban epic carries a pie in a different neighborhood almost 25 years later in his fevered 2012 indie drama mr lee even has a back story for the shift in neighborhoods
jay and silent bob played by jason mewes and kevin smith in clerks 1994 and many many more films
the perpetually buzzed jersey boys turned up like mascots in each of the writer director mr smiths movies from clerks to 1999s dogma before getting their jay and silent bob strike back in 2001 the pair has not made a live action movie appearance since 2006s clerks ii
earl mcgraw played by michael parks in from dusk till dawn 1996 kill bill vol 1 2003 kill bill vol 2 2004 and grindhouse 2007
kevin smith and quentin tarantino inspired in part by the interconnected characters in comic books set their movies in relatively coherent omniverses as fans refer to them to that end mr tarantino cast the cult favorite mr parks initially of televisions then came bronson fame to float through several films as a stalwart lawman named earl mcgraw his function varies from movie to movie hes always good to have around and while some see kill bill vol 2 as a sequel it is in fact the second half of what had been a four hour picture miramax the distributor saw more sense in splitting it into halves
ray nicolette played by michael keaton in jackie brown 1997 and out of sight 1998
when mr tarantino and steven soderbergh discovered that they were almost simultaneously shooting adaptations of two elmore leonard novels that featured ray the same cocky but slightly dim federal agent in a supporting role it seemed only natural to cast mr keaton to play him in both films and fortunately mr keaton was game incidentally the younger selves of two other prominent characters in jackie brown louis and melanie are featured in 2014s life of crime adapted from mr leonards the switch
aldous snow played by russell brand in forgetting sarah marshall 2008 and get him to the greek 2010
mr brands drugged up manically libidinous rock star snow was a challenging romantic rival to jason segel in marshall and an impossible to manage charge for jonah hills beleaguered record company stooge in greek to slightly confuse matters mr hill also appears in marshall albeit playing a different character in that movie that brings us back to the top since margaret lockwood was the female lead in both the lady vanishes and night train to munich but played two different characters


iphone sales are down and apple has run into obstacles in china its second most important market investors have beaten down apples once highflying shares this year and the companys troubles have been a drag on the entire stock market
but apple and the stock market would probably be in worse shape now if not for an important factor companies like apple have been buying billions of dollars worth of their own shares at a record breaking pace returning money to shareholders even as earnings lag
this is a bit of a puzzle because many studies have shown that using cash for buybacks generally doesnt improve a companys operations or add to its intrinsic value but spending money on buybacks is much better than wasting it on money losing projects when corporations dont have other good uses for the cash and by reducing the number of shares on the market buybacks make earnings per share look better that helps executives to big paydays as they more easily reach their compensation targets and it often nudges up short term share prices returning money to rank and file shareholders
at the moment corporate america is sitting on an enormous cash hoard many companies have been using the money in an epic share buying spree   one that has increased in intensity even as earnings have declined in the 12 months through march operating earnings for the companies in the standard  poors 500 stock index dropped to 8549 billion from 989 billion but buybacks increased to 589 billion from 5381 billion that is the largest total for buybacks ever in a 12 month period according to a report from howard silverblatt senior index analyst at sp dow jones indices
while apple ranked second in buybacks to gilead sciences in the first quarter it has been the undisputed king of buybacks over some longer periods apple spent 368 billion on buybacks in the 12 months through march more than double the 166 billion spent by microsoft the next ranking company and over the five years through march apple bought back 1166 billion worth of its own shares followed by microsoft with 457 billion pfizer with 449 billion and oracle with 437 billion
a recent surge in buybacks may have been stimulated by problems in the stock market which fell sharply at the beginning of the year in the first quarter mr silverblatt said the pace of buybacks was partially driven by companies supporting their stock during the opening downturn more than three fifths of the sp 500 companies bought back at least some of their own shares in the quarter he said and 139 bought enough over 12 months to reduce their share count by at least 4 percent
as a matter of simple math reducing the number of shares by 4 percent will increase earnings per share by 4 percent too and will tend to bolster short term prices
buybacks are playing an important role in the stock market a goldman sachs report relying mainly on federal reserve data found that to a startling degree the buyback surge had made companies like apple their own most reliable investors by funneling money into their own shares companies have been making up for a gap in demand from mutual funds foreigners pension funds and individual americans in the first quarter of the year the federal reserve data showed net outflows from the american stock market from these sources but when corporate purchases of the companies own shares were included there was a net inflow of cash   providing a crucial cushion for stock prices
buybacks are a critical part of goldmans positive stock market outlook for the remainder of 2016 we maintain our forecast that net buybacks will equal 450 billion in 2016 and remain the largest source of us equity demand this year the company said
low and even negative interest rates resulting from the sluggish global economy and from the expansionary monetary policies of the federal reserve and other central banks have been enabling big corporations to borrow money cheaply even when those companies earnings have declined and even when they have had no immediate productive use for the funds
in march for example when apple told wall street that its iphone sales had fallen that the chinese market was proving more difficult than expected and that its earnings had declined it also said that it had more than 230 billion in cash and equivalent securities most of that money is held overseas where it is not subject to immediate taxation by the internal revenue service yet the company has also been borrowing billions of dollars by issuing bonds denominated in euros yen and swiss francs enabling it to draw on an almost limitless reservoir of funds it hasnt needed all of this money for research and development factories or even for mergers and acquisitions instead it has been funneling much of it to shareholders through buybacks and dividends
such maneuvers often produce good results for stocks over the short term over longer periods however unless earnings grow substantially financial engineering like this will take you only so far
history tells us that surges in buybacks are not always a sign of good things to come it is surely worth recalling what happened after american companies last set a 12 month buyback record that was in december 2007 right before the worst economic and stock market declines in recent history recall that the economic setback known as the great recession lasted from december 2007 through june 2009 and from december 2007 through march 2009 the stock market lost almost half of its value the last stock buyback surge represented the high point of both economic and stock market cycles which endured brutal corrections
for now buyback authorizations by american companies continue to increase and there is so much cash on hand that the current trend can easily continue for many months at some point buybacks wont be an elixir for share prices they will be a symptom of an overextended market


a dear friend has fallen on hard times financially which has exacerbated some mental health issues these have strained our relationship in the past she confided in me that she would like to visit a therapist but cant afford to i would like to help her with this cost how do i offer the money without offending her she is proud and how do i assure myself that the money is being used for therapy only i would hate to be taken advantage of which has also been a problem for us
anonymous
although we are strangers let me spritz my shortcomings all over you like cheap perfume one of my lesser qualities as a friend is that as soon as mine so much as breathe a problem i move into solve it mode   when often they simply want to vent and be heard in my zeal i can rob them of the chance to work through issues on their terms and i occasionally act like a bulldozer this may not apply to you or it may im just throwing it out there
assuming you gave your friend the chance to talk out her dilemma express your generous offer as kindly as you have here say dawn ive been doing well at work and have some extra cash i would really like to help you pay for the therapy you mentioned will you think about accepting a gift do not make this a loan that would be a recipe for disaster then dont mention the subject again until she comes back to you
if she refuses accept her decision but if she agrees discuss the terms of the arrangement will your contribution be a lump sum or a monthly stipend and how long will it continue feel free to add this money will only be used for therapy agreed but do not use this offer as an opportunity to rehash your past difficulties if you dont trust her enough to take her word about the expenditure better not to make the offer but i hope you do its a touching show of friendship
at our local elementary school some parents light up cigarettes while waiting on the sidewalk outside the gates during pickup time this is not illegal but it bothers me that they care so little for the health of the children and others i would like to address the issue but want to avoid a scene any suggestions
stacey
do you think this is what bob dylan had in mind with his transposed nursery rhyme of a lyric he just smoked my eyelids and punched my cigarette i agree stacey no scenes and why tangle with smokers one at a time report the problem to the principal who can post a sign or send an email to all parents asking them to restrict their smoking to the inside of closed cars with their children onboard   the way my parents did kidding smoking is bad
my mother in law has a milestone birthday next year and has mentioned repeatedly that she wants her two children to take her and our families on a big trip to celebrate my parents and father in law have already marked this milestone with home cooked meals and restaurant dinners i find it presumptuous of her to expect a lavish celebration and unfair to our other parents i dont want to be rude but i would not feel comfortable going on this vacation may i explain why the next time she brings it up
anonymous
i wouldnt just because the other parents didnt request destination birthdays is no immediate disqualification of hers its not as if shes asking for a chinchilla chubby or some gift that she alone would enjoy shes looking for quality time and an adventure with her children and their families
why not discuss this with your husband shes his mother mine for instance sacrificed a great deal for us as children it felt like a privilege to return the favor when we could afford to as adults as for your parents being short shrifted plan a trip with them later on and perhaps clue them in that the squeaky wheel gets the grease
i have a longtime friend who is single she hangs around with two gay men she often invites them to get togethers ive initiated where i think im going to see her alone and catch up on her news this was particularly annoying when i offered her a free ticket to a dance performance that my husband and i underwrote she asked for tickets for her friends too any suggestions
m new york
news flash m there is not much catching up time during a dance performance unless you are a really annoying audience member there will be you sitting with your husband and your friend sitting alone if you want to hear about her life invite her to lunch or coffee when you are both on your own ask can we get together one on one to catch up if she brings her pals along feel free to be annoyed   and stop inviting her


when alexander skarsgard was a boy in sweden his father the actor stellan introduced him to a favorite character and when alexander grew up he decided to play him
my dad is the biggest tarzan fan ever and we watched the old johnny weissmuller movies when i was a kid mr skarsgard 39 said so i was super excited about the idea of playing tarzan and i was curious this is a story thats been told 100 times over the past 100 years whats their take on it
the legend of tarzan opening friday july 1 transports edgar rice burroughss jungle boy now living as lord greystoke in britain to the congo free state on a public relations tour sponsored by king leopold ii of belgium accompanied by his wife jane margot robbie and george washington williams samuel l jackson an american politician on a fact finding mission tarzan stumbles into a trap masterminded by captain leon rom christoph waltz
whether critics consider this a timely critique of colonialism or another white savior movie mr skarsgard is primarily focused on the opinion of one specific person my old man he said over lunch at cafe mogador in the east village his hard won physique camouflaged by a crisp white shirt he has loved tarzan since he was 6 these are edited excerpts from the conversation
how did you get that incredible scenery
we shot north of london in this old rolls royce airplane factory with real trees and african bushes a river and waterfall a colonial town an african village a quarry and a lake with a steamboat i remember sam and i running across a patch of grass in an industrial neighborhood but in the movie were running across miles and miles of savanna with a thousand wildebeest
the animals were computer generated but what about your abs
theyre all mine but i didnt want any muscle mass that didnt serve a purpose because animals dont have that so the first phase was three months of bulking up which was 7000 calories a day of meat and potatoes and weight lifting i put on about 24 pounds of muscle and fat then we switched to a much stricter diet six small meals a day and i started working with the choreographer wayne mcgregor
you dont wear a loincloth are you comfortable with nudity
im totally comfortable if it makes sense and for those scenes i felt why would he be wearing a loincloth that kind of prudish behavior is very human so it wouldnt make sense for him being raised by apes to say excuse me guys i actually want to cover up here
was the addition of williams an attempt to update the racial issues in burroughss stories
he was a real person an african american who went to the congo and exposed what king leopold was doing at the time leopold was hailed as a philanthropist he basically tricked the united states government and europe into giving him the congo because he said that he would civilize these indigenous people and build out the infrastructure but what he actually did was genocide and sams character can sense that something is amiss
is jane modernized
tarzan needs her as much as she needs him a big part of his heart is still in the jungle and shes the only one who understands that desire to return to your roots and it was important to find a jane that even though the movie takes place in the 1880s was a modern heroine margot is warm and strong and tough
what did you do after you wrapped
my dad was shooting a netflix mini series in london so i went straight to his house and spent four days on the couch being fed he loves to cook so we had rich pastas bone marrow mozzarella red wine i was in heaven


listen ive lived in a womens world my whole life said peter martins the ballet master in chief of new york city ballet the last thing we are is sexist here
at the same time the lack of female choreographers is glaringly obvious at city ballet and other major ballet companies
there is twyla tharp the rare woman to succeed as an important choreographer in the ballet world but few others ms tharp who prefers to be recognized as a choreographer not a female one declined to comment for this article
 more on the underrepresentation of women in ballet choreography 
people in the dance world have different ideas about the reasons behind the dearth of women in a field where as mr martins points out women predominate in number certain issues though come up again and again
one is time its impossible to overemphasize the arduous work it takes for women on a daily basis to stay in optimal physical shape while working to perfect their technique and artistry mr martins pointed out that his female dancers perform two or three ballets every night and its hard work in balanchines choreography you dont stand idly by   you dance and its less so for the men
male dancers simply arent as busy as their female counterparts who on top of everything else are trained from a young age to be obedient and to not step out of line notably ms tharp has never danced in a classical company
in modern dance composition is part of the training but in ballet there is a lack of structured choreographic training most ballet choreographers emerge from companies and most   including todays pre eminent ballet makers alexei ratmansky christopher wheeldon and justin peck   begin creating works while still performing
and men are still rare commodities in the ballet world from their earliest days in the classroom they are outnumbered and usually given more attention   and scholarships they dont in other words start out from what lauren lovette a city ballet principal called a place of insecurity
prominent people in the dance world were asked to weigh in on the topic which has emerged as an increasingly urgent part of the ballet conversation what follows are edited excerpts
principal dancer new york city ballet
girls have this dream of being a ballerina and obviously theyre going to try and see it through until it doesnt work thats what we think about before choreographing i dont think it really concerned me until recently when it came to my attention that we had five choreographers coming to city ballet and none of them were female i was like wait a minute there cant be at least one woman in this whole group
contemporary choreographer who has worked with new york theater ballet and ballet austin in texas among others
once in a while theyll look around and say where are the female choreographers i dont know if its understood that you just dont get a female ballet choreographer they have to be cultivated why its not of interest to cultivate women is deeply ingrained in the ballet world historically there is the famous quote from balanchine ballet is woman well its a woman made by a man
artistic director of paris opera ballet until july 15 founder la dance project
ballet is really this strange art form that is not taught like other art forms theres no reason that the craft of classical ballet choreography couldnt be looked at like classical music composition or visual arts or architecture   as an art that you study there really is a need youll see better choreography all around and naturally women will be engaged more
its also interesting that there are more successful female choreographers in modern dance i think the reason is that roles in modern and contemporary dance are often interchangeable in ballet the woman   at least in tradition   has most often found herself in the place of the muse where she is presented on kind of a pedestal in modern dance there is less of this hierarchy and dancers being treated more like children the women in modern dance are adults they have points of views
corps de ballet member american ballet theater in march she will present a work for the atlanta ballet
often were called girls girls can you get into place its like we dont age there have been 40 year olds here that were always girls its different when youre talking to a male principal hes a man and it sounds so simple but that to me is the biggest issue when i go and am trying to present my work and say this is what ive made in the ballet world i think im still sometimes seen as a girl
artistic director miami city ballet former principal dancer new york city ballet
at miami city ballet we have something like 20 works a season and if most of them have female dancers as they do i have a male corps de ballet that doesnt dance lets pick a ballet symphony in c or giselle how many corps de ballet men are in those ballets very few so this is what it means if youre christopher wheeldon or justin peck and you want to get into a studio and work on your choreography as you should because its your craft you have the time to do it
artistic director american ballet theater said in a statement
for ballet choreographers there are more men because as partners men tend to be more exposed to the intricacy of the actual structure of choreography and what makes it work while the women tend to be the face of it women are more focused on extending themselves with trust in a partner who helps facilitate their expression
principal dancer new york city ballet artistic director ashley bouder project
every time we see a female choreograph in the spotlight at a major company or where shes the only woman in an all male thing the pressure is high and if its not good or if its just ok the critics are a lot harsher and shes either shy to try it again in such a big light or people are more hesitant to hire her
ballet master in chief new york city ballet
i wish i had an answer my own speculation is that to become a female dancer its a little more demanding than for a male its probably sheer volume ive been asking lauren lovette every year do you still think about choreography i remember what she had done at the school of american ballet she says of course i do of course i do but im so busy now so i think theres probably a true conflict there
principal dancer new york city ballet she will choreograph a new ballet for city ballets fall season as a student she participated in the student choreographic workshop at the school of american ballet
were so used to being told what to do its not like a contemporary company or even when you go to juilliard where youre doing improv and creating things all the time to think creatively to jump outside the box and start choreographing is a huge undertaking we just dont practice that muscle
president and chief executive officer of the music center in los angeles and former chief executive officer of american ballet theater where she danced in the corps de ballet from 1984 to 1988
i think its about the culture of what it means to be a female ballet dancer you do not develop a voice i grew up having quite a voice and then when i danced i felt so afraid to speak out that when i went back to college it took me about two years before i felt like i had it again being third swan from the left while you are an important piece it is also a role that becomes internalized i find it deeply ironic that in the fields that are predominantly women the men are treated well over and over and over again its ridiculous
leave a comment to share your own experiences and ideas about the absence of female choreograhers in ballet


ballet as the choreographer george balanchine once said is woman
but if women are still the symbols of ballet in the popular imagination chances are it is as ballerinas performing dazzling demanding steps that were devised for them by men when it comes to choreography at least at most major companies ballet remains overwhelmingly a mans world
new york city ballet performed 58 ballets this season including seven world premieres   and not one was by a woman londons royal ballet also did no ballets by women this season on its main stage at covent garden and has yet to commission a new work by a woman for the main stage this century in moscow the bolshoi danced more than two dozen ballets this season but only one was by a woman and only partially short time together by the team of paul lightfoot and sol leon and american ballet theater presented just one ballet by a woman this season in new york the brahms haydn variations by twyla tharp
women continue to be underrepresented in many positions of power in the arts whether as directors in hollywood orchestra conductors opera composers or even late night television hosts but the dearth of female choreographers at major ballet companies is perhaps more startling given the prominence of women in the rest of the ballet and dance fields   and the way pioneering female choreographers helped shape ballet during the 20th century
 dance luminaries weigh in on the conspicuous absence of female choreographers 
think of the influential neoclassical works that bronislava nijinska created for diaghilevs ballets russes in the 1920s or the role that ninette de valois   the dancer choreographer and teacher   played in establishing ballet in britain when in 1931 she founded the company that eventually became the royal ballet or the way agnes de mille imbued her ballets with american colloquialism and became a charter member of ballet theater in 1940
in this century though it has become something of a rarity for ballet companies to present new works by women as the english national ballet made a point of doing this spring when it mounted she said a triple bill of new ballets by female choreographers
i realized that being a professional dancer for 20 years i had never performed in a ballet choreographed by a woman said tamara rojo the companys artistic director who commissioned the new works from annabelle lopez ochoa yabin wang and aszure barton and i thought thats kind of strange
much of the ballet canon dates back to imperial russia or 19th century france but that alone doesnt account for the paucity of works by female choreographers at major companies in recent years there has been an explosion of new work   but at the big companies most has been by men
alexei ratmansky is celebrated around the world for his new ballets and reimaginings of old ones christopher wheeldon has had successes with top ballet companies and on broadway where he directed and choreographed an american in paris they are part of a new generation of highly sought after dance makers a group that includes wayne mcgregor benjamin millepied justin peck liam scarlett and others many have taken up residencies or other official positions with major ballet companies
but while the royal ballet has presented works by a number of female choreographers in recent years they have tended to be done at its smaller linbury studio theater not on the main stage the lack of women having their work performed has become a topic of conversation in london kevin ohare the director of the royal ballet said in an email that commissions are about the right fit for the company whether by male or female choreographers
the issue of gender disparities in dance is hardly new four decades ago in 1976 the village voice explored discrimination in the dance world in an article headlined when a woman dances nobody cares which found among other things that male choreographers are getting grants way out of proportion to their numbers
more than two decades later in 1998 a consortium called the gender project was formed by the choreographer and teacher joanna mendl shaw and other new york dance figures to study the issue one finding was that even in modern dance   which was largely invented by pioneering female choreographers including isadora duncan ruth st denis and martha graham   men were more likely to get their works performed than women and to have their works written about
such findings stand out all the more because dance and especially ballet can seem dominated by women in so many other areas at ballet schools girls typically outnumber boys who are sometimes coaxed to attend with reduced or even free tuition women are often the teachers at those schools and at many ballet companies women play crucial roles as coaches and ballet mistresses and repetiteurs grooming and passing on steps to new generations many of the most prominent dance critics are women
and women have continued to make inroads when it comes to running companies aurelie dupont was recently appointed to succeed mr millepied as the director of dance at the paris opera ballet ms rojo is the artistic director at english national ballet lourdes lopez is the artistic director of miami city ballet and julie kent was recently named the artistic director of the washington ballet
yet at many major companies it is still rare to see works by women there are exceptions   especially at companies that present more contemporary dance a field where female choreographers are much more prominent the paris opera ballet which has made contemporary dance a staple of its repertoire included works this season by anne teresa de keersmaeker pina bausch and maguy marin this month the pennsylvania ballet danced trisha browns o zlozony  o composite which had its premiere in 2004 in paris
one of the most widely performed female choreographers in ballet is ms tharp who has had success in many genres   modern dance and dance for broadway films and ballet beginning with her 1973 crossover work deuce coupe in 1988 toward the tail end of mikhail baryshnikovs tenure as artistic director of ballet theater he made ms tharp the companys artistic associate and resident choreographer and while that position did not last her relationship with the company has it has given the premieres of more than a dozen of her works
new york city ballet has commissioned more works by women since 1983 when peter martins became ballet master in chief there than it did in previous decades but its drought in recent years   its last premiere by a woman was in 2011   has drawn criticism next season the company plans to present new ballets by ms lopez ochoa and lauren lovette a principal dancer in the company and mr martins said he had been speaking to the choreographer crystal pite about doing something for city ballet
a question for the future is whether there are enough opportunities for women to become ballet choreographers   a position for which there is no one career path some companies are looking at training programs at city ballets new york choreographic institute founded in 2000 to nurture new talent only about a fifth of the participants who have come through its main program have been women but the student choreography workshop program at the school of american ballet the school associated with city ballet has seen a steady increase in participation by female students in recent years they made 11 of its 16 new ballets last fall a development that mr martins called very encouraging
mr ohare the director of the royal ballet said that he had named charlotte edmonds the first participant in his companys new young choreographer programme in 2015 and that he had been so impressed by her that he had recently extended her contract
doing the three new dances by women in she said was valuable ms rojo said not just because the choreographers brought subtly different perspectives to the fore with their works but also for the experience it gave the members of her company
i wanted the emerging choreographers in my company to have a different point of view to have another way of working maybe and to have some role models that they could follow if they wanted to pursue a career as a choreographer she said so that they didnt think that it was exclusively for men
leave a comment to share your own experiences and ideas about the absence of female choreographers in ballet


on a cool and sunny thursday afternoon the cast of tumacho a new play with music by ethan lipton gathered at 440 studios in the east village to rehearse its a western tale with country influenced songs and celia keenan bolger and her husband john ellison conlee were singing on horses
and i will learn ...  the ensemble crooned
mr conlee i will learn to love my burdens
i will leave ... 
ms keenan bolger i will leave behind regret
it sounded like your typical aspirational i want musical theater song except for the part where a jaguar played by jennifer lim roared into the scene and pounced on ms keenan bolger
also the horses were cardboard heads on sticks and the ensemble a team of cardboard cacti with sad faces drawn in black sharpie
we have an enormous budget joked maria striar the artistic director of the off off broadway company clubbed thumb which is producing the world premiere of tumacho
running from june 27 through july 9 its the final production in clubbed thumbs annual summerworks festival of new plays held at the 89 seat wild project theater on east third street for a month and a half three world premieres are mounted each with 10 performances and at most a running time of 90 minutes for new play aficionados summerworks is a must see stop especially since tickets are a budget friendly 18
for ms striar its a juggling act
on the day of the interview after dropping in on the tumacho run through she walked over to the wild project to watch the tech rehearsal of the second summerworks play olivia dufaults the tomb of king tot which would open to solid reviews ms striar was also preparing for a remount of jaclyn backhauss men on boats which played to sold out houses at last summers festival playwrights horizons is co producing the show uptown with performances beginning july 20
that makes for an especially busy summer for clubbed thumb now 20 years old but despite the frenzy ms striar 47 is calm and upbeat she likes the adrenaline you cant be super duper contemplative she explained you have to be in a very heightened state of responsiveness
clubbed thumb holds a special significance for mr lipton since it produced his new york debut 100 aspects of the moon in 2005 he has since won an obie and has a new work scheduled to have its premiere at joes pub in february but he considers clubbed thumb which commissioned tumacho an artistic home
six tony nominees including the director leigh silverman and the tony winning set designer david zinn have followed along choosing to work in a tiny black box
my sensibility is very particular and whats so great about clubbed thumb is you have this very specific curatorial vision mr lipton said during a tumacho rehearsal break they do things that are going to be weird and have a sense of humor
mr lipton is not the only dramatist who got an early start at clubbed thumb since the companys founding in 1996 it has been an incubator for many of todays hottest playwrights who made their professional or new york debuts there sarah ruhl jordan harrison lisa damour and clare barron among others
they are very influential tim sanford playwrights horizons artistic director said by phone he noted that many writers produced by clubbed thumb have eventually made their way to his theater that is partly why when playwrights announced the start of its company residency program which comes with free office and rehearsal spaces clubbed thumb was the first beneficiary
clubbed thumb was founded by ms striar and three friends meg maccary arne jokela and jay worthington mr jokela is still on the board the name came from a random page in a victorian book of palmistry there was a picture of a clubbed thumb in it it looked like a toe and that was funny to us recalled ms striar curled up at the wild projects rooftop garden we honestly didnt bother to read what it meant
the evocative phrase stuck along with a mission statement to develop and produce funny strange and provocative new plays by living american writers
the first summerworks included creations by wallace shawn charles mee and carson kreitzer now the festival is one part of a larger endeavor there are also writers groups an early directors fellowship lab and workshop presentations and a playwright residency many of those groups meet in ms striars east village apartment
while the companys financial situation is modest this is a good year clubbed thumb has a budget of 717000 and three full time staff members 74 percent of the budget comes from grants and donations and 70 percent goes toward productions and artistic programs while ms striar ruefully acknowledges that the artist pay is low   summerworks participants both cast and crew members get 1500 apiece   shes aiming to do better we raise our budget and pay every year she said
what a clubbed thumb production lacks in budget it often makes up for in ambition tumacho has a cast of nine and a live musician men on boats about the 1869 powell expedition down the colorado river into the grand canyon has a cast of 10   all women playing male historical figures
clubbed thumb pretty much single handedly launched my career said ms backhaus who made her professional debut at summerworks with men on boats after the playwrights horizons run the play is to be mounted at american theater company in chicago
ms backhaus said that not many theater companies would have championed the play i feel like they produce plays because of how weird they are she said and they really try to expand the weirdness and the uniqueness of a piece rather than try to make it fit into a mold thats more producible or palatable ms backhaus holds a residency at clubbed thumb which is financed by a 75000 grant from the tow foundation
when it comes to selecting plays for summerworks its variety that catches ms striars eye i generally like plays that im compelled by and i dont know if they work she said often i dont even get big chunks of the play i like surprise i like mystery i like challenge i like to be kept on my toes to me a fun time in the theater is one where im leaning forward trying to figure things out
considering clubbed thumbs track record that strategy has been successful ms striars next goal is to start producing more outside of summerworks and to continue supporting artists both new and   like mr lipton   returning
its a place that we can grow with he said and thats really exciting


in the spring of 1978 the literary critic harold bloom was invited to take part in an amiable discussion of the rival claims of judaism and the aesthetic at the jewish museum in manhattan his interlocutor was to be cynthia ozick the author at the time of three well reviewed but not much read works of fiction bloom who had never met ozick but rated her novellas envy or yiddish in america and usurpation other peoples stories as unequaled in her generation agreed to participate with the understanding that neither of them was to read from a prepared text
on the night in question however bloom arrived at the venue to find ozick a short compact woman of 50 with whitening hair and round spectacles brandishing an enormous typescript this splendid lady sandbagged me bloom said in a recent phone conversation with the lofty ungrudging admiration of an old general recalling an opposite numbers surprise attack at some long ago battle flummoxed he asked if they had not made an agreement ozick bloom recollects said when you are dealing with the devil you must be prepared to do anything
i was not aware bloom said that i was his satanic majesty
oh youre beautiful his diminutive opponent replied but im going to destroy you
over the course of the evening in front of a boisterous capacity crowd ozick proceeded to do just that bloom already a figure of titanic reputation was then in the process of rolling out his agonistic theory of poetic lineage in books like the anxiety of influence 1973 and kabbalah and criticism 1975 by his reckoning great poets are those who evade a feeling of belatedness   that there is and can be nothing new under the sun   by creatively misreading their mighty predecessors whose influence would otherwise be stifling because for bloom the history of english poetry since the renaissance consists of this perverse willful revisionism with each generation strenuously remaking its forebears the meaning of a poem can only be another one
ozick was having none of this her text from the evening does not survive but we can discern its outlines in an essay she published in commentary the following year blooms conception of poetry as a self enclosed system that referred to nothing but itself she charged was a form of idolatry the very idea of belatedness so central to blooms theory was in ozicks view anathema to the jewish tradition according to which there were no latecomers this was the meaning of the words in the passover haggadah we ourselves went out from egypt and the midrash that states all generations stood together at sinai in jewish thought there is no power struggle with the original no envy of the creator the idol maker by contrast hopes to compete with the creator and schemes to invent a substitute for the creator in short her adversary had violated the second commandment and must be punished
she beat the crap out of him gordon lish who as the fiction editor of esquire had published several of ozicks short stories told me she cleaned his plow
ozick who is now 88 piano keys as she sprightfully said when i congratulated her on her recent birthday has not ceased from the mental fight in the intervening years she remains a crusader a missionary or as she recently put it to me a fanatic in the cause of literature with one hand she has written some of the strangest most intellectually daring and morally intelligent fiction of recent times including the shawl 1989 and the puttermesser papers 1997 with the other she has produced a prose brick of lit crit essay after essay on subjects ranging from the book of job and gershom scholem to helen keller and susan sontag you could furnish a room with the prizes she has won and yet the embrace of a wide readership and extraliterary fame has proved elusive and no wonder public demand for the exacting insights of practitioner critics never high has been in steady decline for a good while now
this at any rate is the contention of her new book critics monsters fanatics and other literary essays which comes out in july it is ozicks seventh volume of criticism in three decades and is written out of a sense of cultural emergency of alarm and anguish at the dying of the imagination through the invisibility of the past ozick came of age at the centurys midpoint during the heyday of the new york intellectuals the group of largely jewish writers and thinkers who possessed by left wing politics and a belief in the primacy of literature as a tool for comprehending self and society refused to be refused by a wasp dominated cultural establishment the book bristles with recollections of this time   when the publication of a serious literary novel was an exuberant communal event   and portraits of its leading figures among them saul bellow bernard malamud and lionel trilling
all that ozick believes is now defunct the readers are disappearing casualties of television and the internet   or in the case of american undergraduates of egotism and moralizing politicized self righteousness trilling once an epoch defining mind is now so reduced as to have become a joke to certain young critics who favor flippancy and lightness lest it be said that these are the typical accents of literary octogenarianism we ought to remember that ozick has always sounded like this ours we are told in art and ardor 1983 is an era in which the notion of belles lettres is profoundly dead these are not fashionable opinions and indeed it may testify to the soundness of ozicks bleak assessment that she herself one of the last great exemplars of the values whose eclipse she laments is now so underrecognized
what a falling off was there can sometimes seem like the only thing she has to say to the present and yet she lives not so much in the past as out of time altogether she stands at a kind of belletristic sinai alongside all the other literary generations there are in fact no generations  she has written except in the biological sense there are only categories and crises of temperament which crisscross and defy and deny chronology it is this sense of timelessness that makes reading her so thrilling especially in our compulsively up to the minute era literature her work announces above the contemporary din is a zone of radical freedom   perhaps the only one we have left
like her characters a sorry gaggle of pallid shut ins and thwarted fantasists ozick doesnt get out much she has spoken of her aversion to stages and of her impatience with what henry james her lifelong inspirator called the twaddle of mere graciousness she writes at night for years at the sears roebuck desk she has owned since childhood measuring her existence in sentences pressed out line by line like the lustrous ooze on the underside of the snail when i first wrote to her to propose this article she responded with a detailed message about her unsuitability as far as she could tell her life was altogether devoid of public action public interest i once wrote that id flown cross country solo from the westchester county airport to the rocky mountains in a single engine 180 horsepower piper cherokee she added promisingly but that was a lie her last public reading she said took place more than six years ago and nowadays she didnt venture beyond the local supermarket there was an admirable humility to all this but also perhaps a certain frostiness a desire to be left alone to get on with her sentence making of life she once wrote i dislike it i notice no interplay of life and art life is that which   pressingly persistently unfailingly imperially   interrupts
it was then with some trepidation that i recently traveled to the bedroom community of new rochelle in westchester county where ozick and her husband bernard hallote a retired lawyer have lived since the mid 1960s ozick had agreed to talk but would she spend the interview resenting my very presence i was after all an emissary from life the interrupter would she pounce on some unwittingly idolatrous remark of mine and eviscerate me as she had done bloom or was i in for the kind of treatment that norman mailer received at a notoriously fractious debate about feminism at new york citys town hall in 1971 where ozick rising from her seat in the audience during the q and a session asked the author of the prisoner of sex apropos of his remark that a good novelist can do without everything but the remnant of his balls mr mailer when you dip your balls in ink what color ink is it
my mood was considerably improved however by the taxi driver a paunchy man in a white golfing visor and orange tinted sunglasses whom i met at the train station
the old lady he said when i gave him ozicks address
  yes i said uncertainly
it turned out that he had been ferrying ozick and her husband around new rochelle for years he spoke warmly of their conversations and made them sound almost like old friends
shes getting on he said fondly but shes still got all her marbles
encouraged i asked him if hed read any of her books
she writes books
so ozick was unknown unread even in her own backyard
yeah shes written a few i said in fact i added she had a new one coming out soon
there you go he said with a little cluck of satisfaction still got all her marbles
new rochelle is only a short drive from pelham bay the bronx neighborhood where ozick grew up her parents were russian jews who fled the old country to escape the pervasive anti semitism that overtook the empire at the turn of the 20th century they owned a drugstore park view pharmacy which ozick repeatedly evokes in her writing as a place of edenic security and contentment the rest of the neighborhood was less benign at the local public school ozick was taunted as a christ killer when she refused to sing christmas carols in assembly her father tutored her in hebrew and russian though she told me that her knowledge of the former is poor and that of the latter only one phrase remains ya khochu morozhenoye i want ice cream
in an unpublished letter to saul bellow from the late 1980s that ozick shared with me she quotes some of bellows words back to him as the son of immigrant parents i recognized at an early age that i was called upon to decide for myself to what extent my jewish origins  were to be allowed to determine the course of my life i did not mean to be wholly dependent on history and culture full dependency must mean that i was done for then ozick writes its otherwise for me i keep wanting to become my mother and father  and as i get older im shocked now and again by the discovery of the music of their brains in my brain  im not a runaway it made me think of her essay on kafka from the new book in which ozick castigates john updike for claiming that the author of the metamorphosis transcends his jewish parochialism such a view she writes diminishes and disfigures kafka whose feelings of ethnic marginality were in her estimate the source of his genius this is true of ozick herself her jewishness is definitional without being delimiting quite the opposite
certainly it is impossible to understand ozicks pessimism and its relevance to our current moment without appreciating the essential jewishness of her critique to be a jew her work insists is to recognize the tenuousness of cultural transmission all the world wants the jews dead as the searing title of her 1974 essay has it and the jews to be sure have not made it this far by taking continuity for granted the extraordinary dynamism of ozicks thinking and writing derives from the conviction that thinking and writing the study of certain sacred texts are not merely ends in themselves but matters of survival
and the language was lost murdered she writes in envy or yiddish in america from the pagan rabbi and other stories 1971 the language   a museum of what other language can it be said that it died a sudden and definite death in a given decade on a given piece of soil these are the thoughts of the novellas protagonist edelshtein a widowed childless untranslated yiddish language poet of russian birth who ekes out a livelihood giving talks on his mother tongue   his mamaloshen   at synagogues and community centers in the new york metropolitan area it is tempting to see in edelshteins tragicomic day to day efforts on behalf of yiddish a bitter self parody of ozick the practitioner critic ozick the elegist of a vanished cultural past
never occurred to me ozick said when i asked if she had at any time considered moving further afield in fact there used to be a nice old stone out in the yard that i thought would be my gravestone though of course it may be illegal to be buried in your own yard
we were sitting at the dining room table on which shed laid out tea and a plate of madeleines   this being proper she suggested for a literary conversation elfin soft spoken plainly dressed in a black blouse and a long black skirt with white sneakers peeping out from beneath the hem ozick was an affable and attentive presence she has precise silver gray bangs and wears thick rectangular glasses thin clear creases smile ruts she calls them run from the corners of her nose to the sides of her wide thin lipped mouth her in person voice is high brittle lilting with traces of the bronx the vowels hang on as she has said pretty well the opposite of the emphatic and authoritative voice on the page when i broke off a corner of a madeleine and dipped it in my tea ozick shivered and clasped her elbows in her hands as though to ward off some more violent paroxysm youre doing exactly the right thing she said just what proust did oh its so perfect what youve just done it moves me
my apprehension had evaporated the moment i arrived ozicks extreme congeniality took me by surprise though perhaps it shouldnt have all writers live under an assumed identity later in an email ozick questioned blooms account of the evening at the jewish museum even as she acknowledged his formidable powers of recall and said she couldnt imagine herself ever speaking to him so brashly they have become friends blooms recent book the daemon knows is enthusiastically reviewed in the new collection and occasionally chat on the phone
for college ozick traveled only as far as the other end of the 6 line she attended new york university in greenwich village the center of bohemianism but says she spent most of her undergraduate career in the basement of the library such a strange lonely time she recalled other students were meeting people and going to classes and having a social life and there i was all by myself reading miltons latin poems with a dictionary
it was to her parents house that ozick returned in the early 1950s after completing a masters degree at ohio state university she spent her 20s and a good part of her 30s immured in her childhood bedroom writing a never to be published novel called after a line from blake mercy pity peace and love   or mippel as she refers to it the mippel on which i sucked for so long i was ashamed of my life and i lived only to read and write ozick has said of these years meanwhile her contemporaries were getting on publishing second and third novels building reputations
i was mired in envy ozick told me nervously fondling a napkin and smoothing and resmoothing the checkered burgundy tablecloth i think there is such a difference in the entire life span of a writer when there is early recognition once youve been through isolation and obscurity and seeing your generation flourish i think that remains your mind set forever her first novel trust was finally published in 1966 when ozick was 37 and she has labored steadily in her vocation since then critics monsters fanatics is her 18th book were these and the raft of plaudits and prizes they received any consolation for her youthful struggles i havent done enough she said speaking of her fiction which she made it clear she derives more satisfaction from than her essays she is currently at work on a new batch of short stories i havent done enough she said again more slowly as though talking to herself i wanted to do more
by any reasonable standard ozick has done plenty and with resounding distinction in 1999 david foster wallace said that he regarded ozick together with cormac mccarthy and don delillo as pretty much the countrys best living fiction writers to put it conservatively ozick is responsible for some of the finest sentences of the past half century she is an authentic and unmistakable stylist and there are never more than a handful of those in any generation
in her short stories and novellas in particular she seems to want to invest prose with the heft and pressure of poetry here is lars in the messiah of stockholm 1987 a lowly newspaper book critic and perhaps another ozick self parody who has been so powerfully affected by the work of bruno schulz the polish writer murdered by the nazis that hes come to believe that he is schulzs son he wrote his review straight off a furnace burning fat it was as if his pen sputtering along the line of rapid letters it ignited flung out haloes of hot grease the air brightened then charred he was very quick now he was encyclopedic he was in a crisis of inundation or here again is poor edelshtein in the train going back to manhattan he slid into a miniature jogging doze   it was a little nest of sweetness there inside the flaps of his overcoat and he dreamed he was in kiev with his father
ozicks sentences can often seem like that little nests of sweetness walled gardens in the midst of dark satanic mills but she is more than simply a crafter of exquisite phrases perhaps because of her abundant gifts   the metaphorical fecundity the dash and brio of her cadences   ozick is ever vigilant against the temptation of mere aestheticism the writers who insist that literature is about the language it is made of she has said are offering an idol literature for its own sake for its own maw not for the sake of humanity
there are those who accuse ozick of narrowness of the very hermeticism she herself warns against and critics monsters fanatics is unlikely to put this line of argument to rest the book is single mindedly literary and for the most part backward looking only a few of the authors ozick discusses are living and almost all of them are figures she has written about before at times ozicks despondency can seem like a product of her aloofness if she got out more you feel she might begin to realize that literary culture however embattled is not quite the scorched and smoking landscape she takes it for
as you read through the new collection however you realize that what seems at first like narrowness or mere repetition is in fact intellectual self consistency dogged allegiance to the highest artistic ideals you should be loyal to your intellectual or cultural or spiritual priorities leon wieseltier the former literary editor of the new republic and the collections dedicatee told me once youve decided whats important there is glory in sticking with it here too we see how deeply ozicks being is suffused with jewish thought for jewishness her work also insists depends upon the principle of havdalah or distinction making jew and gentile god and man or to recall the terms of her amiable discussion with bloom god and idol these are categories that should not be muddled the same goes for literature and for the judgment of literature according to ozick literature is different from all other human activities and its singularity consists in its recognizing and honoring human difference its purpose she has said is to light up the least grain of being to show how it is concretely individual particularized from any other
ozick the channeler of the literary past may seem remote from our present literary debates dominated as they are by issues of representation but her work offers a liberating model of engagement with identity her commitment to judaism sharpens her powers of discrimination and inoculates her against the dubious allure of the universal in a marvelously indignant essay on anne frank she protests the diarists assimilation by mainstream culture the way in which she has been infantilized americanized homogenized sentimentalized falsified kitschified and in fact blatantly and arrogantly denied sapped of quiddity she has become an all american girl
but ozick however fierce her identification as a jew is admirable in her freedom from identitarian parti pris ts eliots rank anti semitism does not blind her to his poetic virtues she praises tolstoys early novel the cossacks despite its whitewashing of genocidal cossack violence against jews ozicks ancestors among them above all she resists the idea that writers are or ought to be representatives of a certain group for it is then that imagination flies out the door and with it the freedom and volatility and irresponsibility that imagination both confers and commands
over tea ozick recalled kafkas words to his fiancee felice bauer i have no literary interests i am made of literature after a moment she added if a writer doesnt feel that line in his marrow then hes really not a writer there was a time in her youth when she came to question this all consuming investment she wondered if to live for nothing else besides literature wasnt its own kind of idolatry
i thought it was wrong she told me at last raising her cup of long cold tea to her lips at this point i dont think its wrong


lets stipulate that chicken parm - crisp chicken served with tomato sauce draped in mozzarella and anointed with grated parmesan served perhaps on a hero roll or beside a tangle of pasta - is among the finest dishes of the italian diaspora in america sweetness and salt along with the creaminess of cheese and the satisfying crunch of the chickens crust combine to deliver immense satisfaction
of course chicken parms arent always perfect as anyone whos had a leaden one can attest but as with pizza and your kind eyed cousin whos been to jail but never prison chicken parms are fundamentally decent they are never really bad
i went to justin bazdarich to find out how to make great chicken parm bazdarich is the chef and an owner of the speedy romeo restaurants in brooklyn and manhattan restaurants known for their pizzas and midwestern interpretations of italian american food cooked almost exclusively over wood fire and coals his chicken parm is not precisely a traditional preparation but rates among the best in new york the chicken is cooked over the indirect heat of the restaurants fires until the skin is crisp tomato sauce serves as a bed for the cheese covered chicken which itself sits on top sauteed kale the result is an italian flag of a plate smoke scented and beautiful it is a dish that rewards some afternoon planning and precooking with a terrific dinner party or family meal
start by marinating the chicken bazdarich massages the flesh with lemon zest and thyme leaves along with the garlic oil thats left over from the restaurants preparation of garlic chips garlic chips dont play a big role in most home cooking though so you can add some minced garlic instead you could set up the chicken in the morning and be ready to cook it by night but even 45 minutes of resting in the marinade will deliver good flavor
for the tomatoes bazdarich takes a burr mixer to the contents of a can of san marzanos at home a few pulses of a food processor will do we pour the sauce onto a sheet tray and put it in the wood oven he said though you could do it under a broiler and allow it to reduce until its thick and the fluidity comes out of it he puts the cooked tomatoes in a bowl and stirs in good olive oil then seasons the mixture lightly with salt thats it bazdarich said and that really is the high heat concentrates the flavor of the tomatoes and the olive oil gives it a silky feel red velvet fruity and intense
when youre ready to cook light a grill leaving one burner off or one side free of coals as it heats saute some sliced kale until its bright green and softened then set it aside beneath a small scattering of torn basil leaves   as with the tomatoes theres no need for the greens to be hot when you put the dish together at the end
to cook the chicken bazdarich salts only the fleshy side of the meat then places the pieces skin side down on the cooler side of the grill he leaves it there a long time keeping a close eye on the skin you want to cook the chicken 85 or 90 percent of the way through skin side down bazdarich said so it gets really really crisp then he turns the pieces and applies a thin slice of mozzarella to each you can put the top on the grill for a few moments to allow the cheese to melt
service is a cinch spread a generous amount of the tomato sauce on a warmed serving platter place the sliced kale on top of it and the chicken thighs on top of the kale bazdarich showers the dish with a mixture of panko and melted hardened parmesan he has whizzed up in a food processor along with a dusting of ground red pepper flakes at home i make do with straight grated parmesan and whole red pepper flakes its terrific
summer is upon us and with it the tyranny of the seasonal menu all burgers and sausages slaws and burned vegetables grilled chicken parm is a great way to declare independence
recipe grilled chicken parm


on a recent saturday night in miami the modern asian restaurant pao at the faena hotel miami beach faenacommiami beach sizzled a well dressed crowd filled the circular space while gaping at the half red half gold damien hirst unicorn sculpture towering over the room on a gold pedestal
there was even more action in the largest of the hotels five bars the living room there the rich red tones juxtaposed with animal print fabrics exuded glamour and glitterati clutched colorful cocktails and champagne flutes while eyeing the happening scene maybe they hoped for a star sighting leonardo dicaprio madonna and rita ora had recently been at the hotel who would show on this night as the evening wore on the line outside the bar swelled
if the hotel wasnt the epicenter of miami that night it seemed to come close in fact if alan faena the argentine co owner has his way the property and surrounding blocks in the citys mid beach neighborhood would have this level of buzz all the time
mr faena an entrepreneur from buenos aires and his business partner the new york based len blavatnik are transforming the areas faded hotels and condominiums into the faena district a six block project that comprises the 169 room hotel the 50 room hotel casa claridges three condominium buildings a cultural center and a retail complex mr blavatnik is financing the 12 billion venture while mr faena serves as the creative mind
the faena district which received official designation as a miami beach district in late 2014 is a 10 minute walk north of south beach and the centerpiece of mid beachs emerging status as a hot destination
while the faena district may be a big driver in the mid beach face lift it has received help from a couple of new see and be seen hotels the confidante a 380 room midcentury inspired property entered the neighborhood with a splash as the thompson miami beach in november 2014 and last december the buzz around the beachfront hotel was amplified when the top chef alum dale talde opened a third outpost of his asian american establishment talde inside the hotel
one month after the thompson came the miami beach edition the three and a half acre resort from the hotelier ian schrager stands out for its entertainment area with a bowling alley ice rink and nightclub jean georges vongerichten whose namesake restaurant has the highest ratings given by the new york times and michelin is heading up the editions food and beverage program and overseeing the resorts two restaurants the casual italian inspired market at edition and the fine dining matador room offering modern latin cuisine
before any of these see and be seen hotels came to mid beach the neighborhood was already getting a pop with the broken shaker a cocktail bar that opened in 2012 at a hostel called freehand miami and continues to be a mainstay spot for the cool crowd
for mr faena the areas potential for reinvention was crystal clear from the outset this prime part of miami with the most beautiful beach was sitting there undeveloped he said wearing his signature off white suit and panama hat as he surveyed the glossy crowd in his namesake hotel
he and mr blavatnik have collaborated since 2000 when they started reviving the abandoned docklands of puerto madero in buenos aires into what is now one the citys most attractive neighborhoods it includes a cultural quarter residences and a hotel
the faena hotel miami beach opened last november and occupies the former saxony hotel a mainstay in the 1950s and 60s for hollywood icons such as frank sinatra the film director baz luhrmann his wife catherine martin an academy award winning costumer designer and mr faena conceived the art deco fantastical aesthetic the property has all the frills of luxury such as butler service for every guest and a spa more distinctive are the 150 seat theater home to a cabaret style show on weekends and a pristine 100000 square foot swath of beach
the faena districts other components surround the hotel casa claridges and the condo faena house are open while the others are still to debut
faena bazaar a retail complex designed by rem koolhaas is scheduled to open this fall the other two residential buildings will come next year and faena forum faenacomfaena forum is expected to open this fall this circular shaped 43000 square foot cultural center also designed by mr koolhaas has exhibition halls and two event spaces and will host performances and art exhibitions from global names
for some locals all the faena hype is justified lee schrager a longtime miami resident and founder of the well regarded south beach wine  food festival says that he was skeptical when he heard about the project more than three years ago but is impressed as its come to life i thought the faena district was a lot of talk and even without it being fully done it has turned mid beach a neighborhood no one really knew about into the place to be he said


in the three years she lived in philadelphia jessica poole occupied four apartments
possibly she said her discontent with her apartments reflected her feelings about philadelphia the center city area seemed small to her without much to do or see
she was eager to return to new york where she had lived and worked before she got a job in philadelphia i like change ms poole said in new york you never have to do the same thing twice if you dont want to
ms poole 32 grew up in palo alto calif and graduated in 2005 from boston university last winter she landed a new job in midtown which took her back to new york as the senior allocator for a fashion retailer she is in charge of inventory management
she wanted a sunny apartment on the top floor of a walk up building with prewar charm i am willing to climb the mountain to see the view she said
for help she contacted a friend eric cruz a salesman at citi habitats she was the first client who actually requested a fifth  or sixth floor walk up he said most people do not want to go past the third floor
in her previous new york sojourn she had lived primarily in prospect heights brooklyn she felt she hadnt spent enough time in manhattan so this time she wanted to try the west village or soho her budget for a studio was up to 2300 a month which she soon boosted to 2500
i prefer cozy spaces ms poole said as long as her big pieces of furniture could fit i didnt care how small it was
the first place that interested her was a top floor studio on sullivan street in soho it rented for 2400 a month but mr cruz negotiated the rent to 2350
ms poole returned to measure however and found that the configuration of windows closets radiator and decorative fireplace militated against her furniture she has a large vintage trunk and an antique brass clothing rack thats seven feet long i just love that thing she said everybody who helps me move hates that thing
on perry street in the west village she liked a 2200 a month studio with an appealing sunken living room also on the top floor unfortunately it had an interior view
within days another studio became available on the same floor this one with a street view mr cruz sent her a video of the place the rent was 2175 a month she immediately submitted her paperwork but by the next morning the apartment was gone
a one bedroom corner apartment on the top floor of a six story building on avenue of the americas in soho had roof access and a great view but ms poole found it free of both charm and character that one was 2450 a month
nothing seemed right some places were too contemporary or bland for her taste sometimes the view while sufficiently sunny was of a backyard or a garage
after more than two weeks of hunting ms poole decided to give brooklyn another try she liked fort greene finding it picturesque and conveniently located her job would be in midtown and it would not be difficult to do things in manhattan after work and on weekends
she and mr cruz visited a studio with a small separate galley kitchen for 1700 a month on the top and fifth floor of a small walk up
it was after dark ms poole made a beeline for a window it was difficult to see at night and the weather was foggy so she and mr cruz returned the next morning in the sunshine it was an immediate yes she said
the apartment was just above the view break   one story higher than the buildings across the street affording a great view of rooftops close by and of manhattan beyond the bathroom had a skylight another plus of being on the top floor she said the comparatively low rent was the cherry on top
ms poole paid the broker fee of 15 percent of a years rent or 3060 and arrived late in the winter
she knew her place would be quiet with no one traipsing past her door and nobody living above her
ms pooles movers charged a higher rate for her high floor but it was money well spent she said
once her furniture was in place she discovered the floors were slanted she leveled the bed by adding risers to two of the legs she enjoys such quirks it doesnt feel like a cookie cutter apartment she said
the studio has just one small closet however i work in fashion and have a ton of clothes ms poole said she removed the closet rod to make room for more shelves and of course employs her long antique rack her trunk also used for storage doubles as a television stand
she rarely uses her tiny kitchen the refrigerator was in the main room consuming prime square footage she said but the landlord agreed to remove it she recently replaced it with a new mini fridge which fits neatly in the kitchen and is topped with a toaster oven
it is surprising how long you can go without needing a fridge or even a kitchen she said she usually grabs food on her way home from work or dines with friends
when her friends visit her top floor location doesnt sound that bad to them until they start walking up she said nobody seems to mind until they get to the third floor
guests sometimes ask how she deals with carrying groceries i dont really grocery shop she said i just get small amounts and i go often that is one of the beauties of living in new york
its only toting her laundry upstairs thats a nuisance but she said you do it on a day when youre not wearing heels


san francisco   he commissioned a staggering 45 new operas including john adamss nixon in china his 1976 production of gershwins porgy and bess helped make the case for that work as an opera he gave quite a few leading singers including renee fleming their big breaks and he strengthened the two opera companies he ran houston grand opera which he led for 33 years and san francisco opera where he has been for the last decade
now david gockley 72 is hanging up his impresarios cloak retiring as san franciscos general director in july and bringing down the curtain on a career that changed american opera
but while his substantial contributions are being lauded widely   with an all star celebrating david gala earlier this month at the war memorial opera house here the publication of a coffee table book about his career and numerous articles and accolades   mr gockley was in an introspective mood during a recent lunch in which he discussed the significant challenges ahead for opera
i couldnt do what he has ahead of him mr gockley said of the job facing his successor matthew shilvock a protege who has worked by his side for years im played out
he had just been speaking about the difficulties facing the art form to which he has devoted his life its shrinking footprint in mass media and popular entertainment coupled with the decline of music education a lack of stars who can sell out houses especially now that recording companies no longer have huge marketing budgets high expenses for a skilled work force protected by powerful unions which are going up faster than ticket prices can be raised making fund raising more desperate than ever the erosion of subscriptions the backbone of companies and his long battle to commission more melodic less esoteric operas   which has sometimes met with resistance from composers and disdain from critics
while he said that his immediate plans called for sailing sleeping late and investing in an edible marijuana truffle business that one of his daughters started in colorado im an investor not an eater he will also continue to advise the company here as needed as general director emeritus still his stepping down is a big moment   another major changing of the american operatic guard this year following james levines retirement as the music director of the metropolitan opera
david is a visionary and he had a concept of how opera could become more american by developing an american opera repertoire by developing opera companies that were more connected to their communities said marc a scorca the president and chief executive of opera america a service organization who credited mr gockley with prompting other companies to value new work
mr gockley who grew up in suburban philadelphia caught the opera bug as a child when he heard leading singers performing arias on television programs such as the voice of firestone he tried to break into the business as a baritone but when vocal struggles made him realize that he would not make it as a singer he went to columbia business school and studied arts administration
in 1972 when he was 29 he became the general director of houston grand opera then a sleepy regional company and quickly shook things up in those days most american companies were run by european emigres and at regional outfits the tendency was toward instant opera   featuring old favorites singers who came with their own costumes generic looking drops that could be rented cheaply and minimal rehearsal
mr gockley tried a different approach he put on free fully staged operas outdoors which drew thousands with the support of the gramma fisher foundation he was able to create new productions and most crucially he worked to expand the operatic canon
from the beginning he was drawn to the composer carlisle floyd performing mr floyds susannah and of mice and men during his first years in houston and going on to commission new works from him including bilbys doll 1976 willie stark 1981 and cold sassy tree 2000 i thought he kind of hit the nail on the head as a composer who could write pieces for today that audiences in large opera houses would take up mr gockley said
mr floyd who recently turned 90 attended the june 16 gala concert here in mr gockleys honor and received a huge ovation after the soprano ana maria martinez sang aint it a pretty night from susannah mr adams was there as well edward nelson sang a selection from nixon in china which had its premiere in houston in 1987
mr gockleys other commissions include leonard bernsteins a quiet place daniel catans florencia en el amazonas and stewart wallaces harvey milk as well as works by meredith monk and philip glass but many of the works he has brought to the stage recently have been met with decidedly mixed reviews over the years he has sought to stage less avant garde more accessible operas by composers such as jake heggie and mark adamo whose work has been described as neo romantic   a move that has sometimes been controversial
something that ive been pilloried for is that ive said modernism has failed the mainstream opera establishment at least in the usa he said i think its too intellectual its too unattractive to the ear so obviously ive tried to steer the new pieces away from that
the critical reaction to many of mr gockleys new operas in san francisco has been mixed and his efforts to challenge the met by simulcasting operas to cinemas did not succeed but under his leadership the company has done some ambitious fare including a ring cycle presented rising talents and started an annual opera at the ballpark series which simulcasts operas for free to some 30000 fans at att park the home of the san francisco giants
and mr gockley has helped bolster the companys finances more than doubling its endowment which is now more than twice the size of its 82 million annual operating budget but while he has proved an adept fund raiser he lamented that he had not been able to capitalize on the bay areas tech boom as he had on the oil boom in houston he said that he thought the company would have to double its endowment again if it was to survive and thrive
this month he announced that his 45th commission   his 10th in san francisco   would be from mr adams and peter sellars who gave him nixon in china which became one of his biggest critical successes the new opera a piece about the gold rush called with a plural that might be provocative to puccini fans girls of the golden west will be staged here in 2017 another co commission of mr gockleys from mr heggie is planned for the 2018-19 season
mr adams said that mr gockley had taken a risk by staging the world premiere of nixon in china which was co commissioned by several companies in houston   noting that he had never even written for the solo voice before he began composing the opera
i can say honestly that over the years hes tried to establish what he feels is an american operatic tradition and i think thats a noble endeavor even when i dont always agree with his choices mr adams said adding that when he began working on his new opera with mr sellars their first thought had been of taking it to mr gockley and san francisco
mr gockley has also reached back for underperformed american works in 1975 houston became the first professional opera company to stage a full production of scott joplins treemonisha just as the ragtime revival was taking off it was a hit and went on to broadway that paved the way for the companys pathbreaking production of porgy and bess which it staged for the american bicentennial in 1976 it went on tour ran on broadway and was recorded   earning the company both tony and grammy awards
establishing porgy as a secure part of the operatic repertory is one of his proudest achievements hanging on the wall of his office is a poster of a 1996 porgy and bess from the teatro alla scala in milan which notes that the production is della houston grand opera
mr gockley has been an institution builder   he oversaw the construction of the wortham theater center in houston which opened in 1987 and in san francisco he built the diane b wilsey center for opera which opened this year next door to the opera house and includes a 299 seat flexible theater
and he has been a career builder ms fleming who appeared at his farewell gala first sang two of her signature roles the countess in mozarts the marriage of figaro and the marschallin in strausss der rosenkavalier in houston the formidable bass baritone eric owens sang at the gala as well   one of several alumni in attendance from the houston grand opera studio program that mr gockley co founded with mr floyd to nurture young singers
at the lunch mr gockley lamented that he had failed to secure co producers for most of the new operas he had done here which he said had mostly just had their premiere and kind of gone out of consciousness
but he said it was not always easy to know what would eventually enter the repertory noting that when he left houston he did not yet know that nixon in china and a quiet place would come to be seen as successes
they got so battered when they were new and they had no momentum going at all so i said well those are two dogs of my times he recalled but sometimes surprises happen


in bookends two writers take on questions about the world of books this week pankaj mishra and rivka galchen discuss who gets to make art for arts sake
by pankaj mishra
artistic endeavor has become democratic opportunity art for artists if not arts sake
the insistence on creating art for arts sake may appear to be aimed at rich connoisseurs but it originally expressed the frustration of artists with nouveau riche consumers in the early 19th century artists had been if not unacknowledged legislators then high priests of a sacralized art   the replacement for transcendental ideals in a secularized society schiller produced a grand theology of the new aesthetic religion claiming that art was essential to the growth of moral and rational faculties in human beings poet prophets such as lord byron adam mickiewicz victor hugo and sandor petofi ambitiously imagined new political communities contrary to audens belief poetry made much happen briefly at least
but then liberation from royal and ecclesiastical patronage and integration into a market society turned out to be an ambiguous affair for many in the modern worlds first creative class the new technologies of printing and mass journalism did make wealthy men out of some novelists such as dickens and trollope the audience for art grew among the rising middle classes but the latter appeared to be fickle in their tastes and largely philistine   an old word of german provenance that was frequently deployed in the 19th century many artists felt they were being forced into a demeaning balancing act extracting money and applause from their new patrons   the bourgeoisie who liked easy listening and easy reading   without compromising their creative freedom
musicians and poets in particular found themselves chafing at the demands of a cultural marketplace run by and for the well off and the ignorant in balzacs lost illusions the aspiring poet protagonist makes the cruel discovery that books are to publishers what cotton nightcaps are to drapers goods to be bought cheap and sold dear theophile gautier an industrial scale journalist but very precious poet may have been recoiling from his own diligent hackwork when he wrote in 1836 in what is considered the first full manifesto for art for arts sake that nothing is truly beautiful unless it is useless
the angriest artist rebel of course was wagner who identified the comfortable opera going philistines of the bourgeoisie as the cause of all evil i desire to shatter he declared the power of the mighty of the law and of property during the 1848 revolutions wagner was accused of setting fire to his own opera house in dresden flaubert the poet among novelists transmuted disgust with the bourgeoisie into a monastic dedication to his austere art thomas mann worked up a stern vision of the artists necessary isolation he is mistaken he wrote in tonio kroger one of his many fictions about tormented composers and writers who believes he may pluck a single leaf from the laurel tree of art without paying for it with his life
this may sound a bit melodramatic today the 19th centurys tension between the artist and his commercial society has been largely defused in rich countries artists in america and western europe have been allotted a share however small in their nations wealth and power a vast infrastructure of grants awards and fellowships has turned artistic endeavor into democratic opportunity art for artists if not arts sake
manns warning resonates ominously elsewhere in countries where art and artists are threatened by political upsurges or economic emergencies this land does not need artists says the protagonist of a popular play staged in iran these days even if it does it wants them humiliated and laughed at
even many formally democratic countries suffer from aggressively philistine and anti intellectual governments israels minister of culture threatens to withhold state funding from the countrys artists unless they show loyalty to the state liberal minded artists and thinkers in india and turkey confront fundamentally antagonistic regimes art itself in such inimical circumstances may seem the prerogative of the socially privileged but it has to flourish for the sake of much more than art
pankaj mishra is the author of several books including the romantics a novel which won the los angeles times art seidenbaum award for first fiction and from the ruins of empire a finalist for the orwell and lionel gelber prizes in 2013 he is a fellow of the royal society of literature and contributes essays on politics and literature to the new york review of books the new yorker the guardian of london and the london review of books
* * *
by rivka galchen
because art takes time to make its makers are often those with a luxury of time
of late in part to lower my blood pressure after reading the news i turn for bedtime reading to the collected poems of zbigniew herbert the book often falls open to a poem titled pebble that begins like this
the pebble is a perfect creature
equal to itself mindful of its limits
filled exactly with a pebbly meaning   
its ardor and coldness are just and full of dignity
the lines read almost like a piece of philosophy or a fragment of a mathematical proof though the poet was born in lwow poland in 1924 there is very little directly visible in this poem   or in a majority of herberts poems   of the nazi or subsequent communist rule under which he lived or of his odd jobs ill health loves meals
art for arts sake might be a term used for something that appears simply to look inward at its own process and material rather than outward it might be something in which an interest in form seems to have eclipsed interest in the larger world or in social justice or in content of any kind
since art categorizable as art for arts sake is usually produced tangentially to hopes of making money of reaching a large audience or of being immediately useful it tends to be the darling of the many degreed and because art takes time to make its makers are often those with a luxury of time   usually the wealthy occasionally the poor but there is a way in which art for arts sake is the art most open to all comers and the most potentially ethical
the latter half of pebble shifts perspective and sentiment
i feel a heavy remorse when i hold it in my hand and its noble body is permeated by false warmth
  pebbles cannot be tamed to the end they will look at us with a calm and very clear eye
the remorse the poet feels holding the pebble first reads as counterintuitive here the cold pebble is noble while the heat from the poets hand   human warmth   is described as false warmth after six stanzas of looking at the pebble the pebble then looks at us with a calm and very clear eye the pebble isnt tamed as an animal including a human might be by what we give it
herbert believed the arts had a moral responsibility how does that play out in pebble a poem that doesnt solicit our empathy for any group of people or situation pebble feels less about pebbles than about a way of thinking it reads more as a meditation on or model of seeing than about what is seen in that way like the laws of gravity or the ratio of a circumference to a radius it is at once specific and abstract
a pebble can be an irritation in a shoe or something whose smoothness we might remember is the result of wave after wave after wave while it seems morally valuable to work to increase our empathy   a much praised aspect of some art   that which most easily animates our sentiments will almost never be what most merits them art for arts sake avoids false warmth it is untamed but orderly
art that directs our feelings about contemporary events even when well intentioned quickly reads as dated corrupted almost always wrong herbert offers us none of the comfort of assurances or clarities his model is the model of not being absorbed by another model instead working to improve vision itself these days i find herberts poems more than any emotionally pitched images and phrases models of ethical thinking
rivka galchen is a recipient of a william j saroyan international prize for fiction a rona jaffe foundation writers award and a berlin prize among other distinctions her fiction and nonfiction have appeared in numerous publications including harpers and the new yorker which selected her for their list of 20 under 40 american fiction writers in 2010 her debut novel the critically acclaimed atmospheric disturbances was published in 2008 and her second book a story collection titled american innovations in 2014 her next book little labors will be published in may


a waterfront condominium in panama city
2100000
this 4187 square foot penthouse in panama city occupies the 73rd floor of the 75 story arts tower at yoo panama the 2013 building with 256 units is by bt arquitectos with interiors by yoo a firm founded by the designer philippe starck and the property entrepreneur john hitchcox
the three bedroom four and a half bath condominium has sweeping views of the panama canal the pacific ocean and the city from floor to ceiling windows and front and back terraces renovated a year ago the apartment has an automation system including home entertainment blinds lighting air conditioning and security
from the elevator bank the front door opens onto an entry hall that divides the living and entertaining spaces beige marble floors are throughout the apartment to the right the powder room has a dark gray granite counter a peacock blue glass vessel sink and a blue toned mosaic accent wall
the kitchen open to the dining and living rooms has custom cabinets in shades of glossy espresso taupe and charcoal gray stainless steel bosch appliances a wine refrigerator and a light gray granite waterfall counter that continues down one side of a large rectangular island with a raised breakfast bar to one side a stainless steel island hood hangs over a five burner gas cooktop
a section of the wall bridging the kitchen and dining areas has been painted purple and has a three dimensional mini triangle design in the dining room four pendant lights hang over a long wood table surrounded by philippe starck masters chairs the furnishings can be purchased separately
in the living room built in led lights and rectangular brushed aluminum designer lamps on a diagonal form a sculpturelike design on the tray ceiling a series of glass panels slide turn and stack to one side opening to the terrace you have a full indoor outdoor experience said bryan bogensberger who owns the condominium with his wife karen metsos punta pacifica realty has the listing
across the hall from the kitchen are two bedrooms each with an en suite bath one has a bronze lacquer vanity and warm metallic mosaic tiles accenting the shower wall the other has a light toned oak vanity a yellow and brown glass vessel sink and rustic wall tiles in the shower
across the hall from the living room is the master suite with a crystal chandelier hanging from the tray ceiling a sliding glass wall faces the pacific a mirror wall camouflages customized closets
the master bath outfitted in gray marble with white cabinets has a double vanity glass shelves are mounted on a textured stone wall a sliding glass door opens to a wet room with a free standing tub and a separate shower
behind the kitchen are a laundry room a bathroom and a storage room a 400 square foot back terrace with 270 degree views has an outdoor fireplace and a kitchen with a 36 inch grill a sink and a burner wood decking defines the sitting area the dining section has a ceramic tile floor
the unit includes two designated garage parking spaces
hotel like amenities at the yoo panama include concierge service valet parking dry cleaning several restaurants including one for members only a small supermarket a juice bar a poker room childrens play areas a gym two squash courts and a day spa with treatment rooms lounges steam rooms saunas and whirlpool tubs billiards tables and swings punctuate the whimsically designed lobby there are a childrens pool and a wading pool in addition to the main pool and private day cabanas on the pool deck
the yoo panama complex of two towers is in the heart of avenida balboa in the bella vista neighborhood close to the financial district restaurants bars and shops along the cinta costera a waterfront boulevard are bike and pedestrian paths tocumen international airport is a 20 minute drive
market overview
after several years in which existing inventory was absorbed waterfront construction of both luxury high rise towers and low rise buildings of four to six stories is finally heating up again said jeff barton managing director of punta pacifica realty
the strongest sector of the market is made up mostly of resales in buildings in waterfront areas that have little or no more land to build on such as punta pacifica
of more than 80 new projects underway throughout panama city about 20 percent are luxury high rises said rafael gangi the director of panama sothebys international realty
the luxury market begins around 350000 the average price for a one bedroom apartment at the trump tower alvaro rojas the managing partner of panama premier estates a christies international real estate affiliate said in an email message
five percent of the market is above 1 million ten percent falls in the 500000 to 1 million range and 85 percent is under 500000 many high end transactions are done through offshore firms mr rojas said
what is most notable from a global perspective is what 1 million buys in panama compared to what 1 million buys in the us or in other corners of the globe mr rojas said
panama fared remarkably well during the global economic downturn said lucia haines a director of panama realtor a brokerage as a small country with fewer than four million residents we were very well buffered
but after what mr barton called the boom era stretching from 2005 to 2010 there was a significant correction that lasted until the end of 2013 he said ms haines said prices have recouped rising 5 percent to 6 percent per year since then
in high end buildings which generate the greatest demand from international buyers appreciation has been 7 percent to 10 percent annually since the end of 2013 mr barton said sales activity increased about 20 percent in the first quarter of this year compared with the same period of 2015
global politics play a role ms haines said contributing to a choppy luxury market because the us is in an election year a lot of people are waiting to see what happens
who buys in panama city
most foreign buyers come from the united states canada venezuela and colombia mr barton said the majority are investors though he has seen a recent uptick in buyers from spain and italy who tend to be end users relocating to start businesses in panama
for expatriates the lower cost of living getting out of the rat race and political factors are major motivators ms haines said
buying basics
anyone can own property in panama mr rojas said foreign buyers have the same property rights as panamanians
panama encourages foreign direct investment in real estate mr barton said with incentives such as property tax exemptions
mortgages can be difficult to obtain and the process can take two to three months more than 80 percent of transactions involving foreign buyers are in cash
real estate commissions paid by the seller are 535 percent of the sales price covering the broker fee and the sales tax on it sellers pay a 2 percent transfer tax and 3 percent for capital gains tax
brokers recommend that buyers hire an attorney to perform a title search
websites
panama city official site municipiogobpa
panama tourism site visitpanamacom
languages and currencies
spanish panamanian balboa united states dollar 1 balboa  1
taxes and fees
monthly maintenance is 860 there are no property taxes on this unit
legal fees connected with a purchase including notary and inscription fees are about 1 percent
contact
jeff barton punta pacifica realty 011 507 836 5991 puntapacificarealtycom


albuquerque
what a house with three bedrooms and three bathrooms plus a two bedroom one bathroom guesthouse
how much 1500000
size about 3770 square feet in the main house and 1870 square feet in the guesthouse
price per square foot 266
setting this house is in the hyder park area of southeast albuquerque a verdant residential neighborhood about four miles from downtown albuquerque and two miles from the university of new mexico the neighborhood is named for a four acre park a few blocks away an eight acre city park is across the street
indoors the two story stucco house was completed in the early 1980s and updated about 20 years ago it is set back from the street behind an intricate iron gate with a large paved front courtyard a fountain and benches
inspired by traditional spanish and moorish architecture the facade has arched windows on either side of the double front door which is flanked by tall arched stained glass windows upstairs are loggias or colonnaded porches one on either side of the door the interior is similarly formal with black and white checkered tile floors ornate plaster medallions on ceilings and walls bas relief columns and hand painted ceiling murals in several rooms including an image on the foyer ceiling of a spanish queen collecting taxes
the two story foyer has two grand staircases leading to the second level the living room which measures about 375 square feet has a fireplace with french doors on either side opening to a veranda and another courtyard the floor plan is symmetrical with a family room on one side of the living room and a dining room with a fireplace on the other both of which have three arched windows facing the back courtyard
the kitchen was updated in the renovation receiving new appliances and white tile countertops and white back splashes with colorful traditional tile accents a small breakfast area offers an alternative to the very formal dining room
the bedrooms are upstairs the master measures more than 350 square feet with two sets of french doors opening to juliet balconies the bedroom is part of a suite with a walk in closet and a bathroom with a soaking tub
the guesthouse is past the rear courtyard which is organized around a second large fountain this house is anchored by an 800 square foot living room with a stained glass dome in the ceiling this room with a colonnaded area around the perimeter is often used for parties the house has a den and kitchen as well as two bedrooms there is an attached two car garage
outdoor space the property is about an acre formally landscaped with shade trees low walls flower gardens and a hot tub surrounded by columns in one corner of the yard
taxes 6579 a year
contact shirley rich keller williams realty 505 280 8811 shirleyrichcom
altadena calif
what a midcentury ranch house with three bedrooms and three bathrooms
how much 1450000
size 2525 square feet
price per square foot 574
setting altadena is a residential area in los angeles county just north of pasadena this house is on a lush winding road within a couple of blocks of trails leading into the san gabriel mountains and national forest there are a scattering of restaurants and cafes in town and old pasadena pasadenas pedestrian friendly shopping district is about six miles away downtown los angeles is within 20 miles
indoors the single story ranch was built in 1948 and given an extensive renovation within the last year the renovation was done by kurt gibbs of gibbs architecture in long beach calif with assistance from kirsten blazek an interior designer with a 1000 x better
the front door leads into a great room that runs from the front to the back of the house the formal living area at the front of the house has a large bay window it is separated from the dining area by a narrow partial wall with fireplaces facing both spaces beyond the dining area is a sitting area with a skylight and a wall of glass accordion doors opening to the pool and the backyard here the floor is concrete tile floors in the rest of the house are mostly the original wood sanded down and given a milky matte finish
the kitchen has a bertazzoni range an electrolux refrigerator and an lg dishwasher the floor here is hexagonal cement tile countertops are concrete a sliding glass door opens to the pool and the yard the custom shelving here and throughout the house is walnut an original swinging door leads into an office with paneled wainscoting
the master bedroom is separated from the other two it opens to the yard and the pool and has an en suite bathroom with a subway tile shower and a walnut vanity the other two bedrooms are connected by a bathroom also with custom walnut cabinets and a small dressing area with a bench seat and an additional vanity the house has a two car garage
outdoor space the lot is just over a third of an acre with the house set back from the street the space behind the house is terraced with a yard a few steps up from the pool
taxes approximately 18125 a year
contact crystal heatherly deasypenner  partners 323 363 9310 deasypennercom

carlisle pa
what a 19th century stone house with five bedrooms and four and a half bathrooms
how much 1550000
size approximately 4300 square feet
price per square foot 360
setting carlisle is a borough of about 18000 in south central pennsylvania about two hours from both philadelphia and washington dc and 20 miles from the state capital harrisburg the borough is home to dickinson college the army war college and a sizable historic district covering about a thousand 19th century structures this limestone and brick farmhouse is on more than three acres at the outskirts of town abutting the appalachian trail which can be reached from the property
indoors the main section of the two story house was built about 1831 incorporating a springhouse it was added onto in the late 1940s and extensively renovated over the last 12 years original features include 12 inch wide pine floors bubbled glass windows doors hardware and woodwork throughout several of the rooms have built in cupboards and cabinets
water for the house comes from the spring in addition to new heating and cooling systems the house has an air filtration system
both the living room and an office have brick fireplaces the kitchen measures about 250 square feet with a brick floor corian countertops and bosch appliances there is a butlers pantry the kitchen and the dining room open to a large flagstone floored sunroom facing woods and wetlands period fixtures include a salvaged red and yellow brass chandelier
the bedrooms are upstairs the master measures about 240 square feet and has its own bathroom another one of the bedrooms has a sitting room and a bathroom forming a guest suite the walkout basement is finished the attic is used for storage
the propertys bank barn is used as a two car garage and a workshop with storage space upstairs
outdoor space there are a flagstone patio and a porch the house is on three and a third acres landscaped with mature trees perennials bushes raised garden beds and a pond
taxes about 9000 a year
contact stanley tarka for sale by owner 717 243 9216 tours360tourdesignscom616535


we please ask that you turn your cellphones on
thats the unusual instruction audience members receive at james grahams privacy which begins performances at the public theater on saturday july 2 part comedy part documentary part lecture demonstration and part fourth wall smasher privacy which had an earlier run at londons donmar warehouse explores the contemporary surveillance society and the personal trade offs each one of us makes among freedom comfort and security it also asks spectators to adapt their androids and iphones for dramatic purpose
an assurance for those allergic to audience participation all of these interactions are voluntary and many are as anodyne as a simple google search or direction in how to take the perfect selfie
on a recent weekday afternoon mr graham who wrote the book for the broadway musical finding neverland and the plays director josie rourke donmars artistic director watched six actors rehearse an early scene a character called the writer played by daniel radcliffe has fled to new york in the wake of a bad breakup he finds his east village apartment invaded by amazon packages and various experts   on personal etiquette on legal protections on data collection
while ms rourke dressed in turquoise sneakers and a flowing cloak worked on pace and rhythm mr graham stubbled and wearing a beige surfer shirt made notes that would likely result in new pastel colored pages the actors scripts an assortment of blue yellow and pink already resembled flattened easter baskets
though privacy was a critical and box office success in its 2014 london run a sensationally entertaining vision of our time that also gives cause for alarm one critic wrote the playwright and director   the shows co creators   have decided to remake it entirely for its united states debut jettisoning several dozen interviews with british politicians computer scientists and activists in favor of their stateside counterparts the donmar is coproducing with the public
new interviewees many of whom will appear as characters include senator ron wyden of oregon a member of the senate select intelligence committee randi zuckerberg the former market development director at facebook and sherry turkle a massachusetts institute of technology specialist in technology and intimacy who was tickled to learn that shell be played by the saturday night live alumna rachel dratch
over a salad lunch in an upstairs office weve had so much kale since weve come to america ms rourke said with some bemusement the creators discussed what inspired privacy and how theyre altering it for new york audiences
ms rourke 39 and mr graham 33 both grew up in the north of england and describe themselves as private people so private that they skitter around personal details and consented to share only a few pages from the plays script
ms rourke wasnt always this way a big part of my childhood was people telling me to stop showing off she said but she later came to embrace a culture in which its quite rare for people to talk freely openly and constantly about their feelings she said
mr grahams social introversion is even more acute i used to be private to the point where it was actually hard for relationships for friendships for my family he said hes had to push himself to become more open both in his work and in his personal relationships a trajectory that mirrors the writers journey in the play i began to understand theres only so far you can go unless theres openness he said
ms rourke had known mr grahams earlier writing a series of political plays including this house which played at londons national theater and will return to the west end this fall an unexpectedly thrilling examination of 1970s parliament it relied heavily though never ponderously on research and interviews ms rourke had long been interested in privacy and secrecy and asked mr graham if he would work with her on a new piece shed first imagined they might focus on the british phone hacking scandal but when the national theater of scotland announced a similar project their research widened
for more than a year they hosted a two person book group reading stuff back and forth ms rourke said they learned about how the internet works how corporations mine data to focus their advertising how email has altered written communication how social media transforms individual psychology
but once edward snowden released classified documents from the national security agency   a trove that revealed the unprecedented and unsuspected scope of government surveillance   the book club ended ms rourke suggested that they put down their research and pick up their recorders and online devices which mr graham fitted with software encryption
speedily they set about interviewing their initial experts mr graham used his natural shyness and sympathy to coax people into speaking freely i do just want to listen he said ms rourke then followed with the smash and grab for the bit i know well need she said
mr graham assembled that testimony into the london version of the script which also included satirical versions of themselves a slightly paranoid playwright and a somewhat pushy director for the new york production the director character has been dropped and the portrayal of the writer now seems less satirical
throughout the process mr graham and ms rourke have worked to honor the opinions of their interviewees while also giving the play a dramatic spine and its actors plenty of rein ewen macaskill the guardians defense and intelligence correspondent and one of the first journalists to have met with mr snowden is the rare figure to turn up in both the london and new york versions watching the london production mr macaskill was impressed with how the play uses humor and audience involvement to make accessible the complex arguments around surveillance he wrote in an email
at first he squirmed while an actor portrayed him but he came to feel that the character felt like me his paunch was a bit more pronounced than mine but the rest of it was pretty accurate mr macaskill wrote
though ms rourke and mr graham said they were pleased by the enthusiastic response to the play in london neither considered it finished ms rourke acknowledged that the original piece had been written with an incredibly tight deadline and that there were notes in the margins that we didnt get to address
to help the piece to resonate with new yorkers theyve now interviewed some two dozen united states experts ms rourke noted that generally the british are unconcerned about the state having their data but reluctant to share their personal histories in america its been the opposite the number of audience interactions have been increased and there is a more graceful emphasis on the connections between the personal choices each individual makes what to reveal to another person what to disseminate online and larger political trade offs between liberty and security
during the london run some critics complained that the play was ultimately too diffuse that it didnt advocate strongly enough for any particular stance thats one element that mr graham and ms rourke have chosen not to alter in part because theyre still making up their minds if they are sometimes suspicious of technology they are also reliant on it and sometimes excited and consoled by it
besides as mr graham explained the conversation around privacy and technology is moving at such light speed and its going to evolve and change over the course of our lives he has no interest in writing the kind of play that makes its audience think weve lost our freedoms weve lost our privacy im going to go down into the basement and wear a tin hat and never interact with anyone again he said rather he wants to spark discussion and debate
the conversation around privacy clearly engages mr radcliffe 26 having been cast in the harry potter franchise as a preadolescent the continuum between the private and the public is very real for him
people probably perceive me as someone who doesnt have very much privacy he said during a rehearsal lunch break i still feel like i have a lot and its very important to preserve this he keeps away from social media platforms hes never tried online dating he doesnt instagram his meals as he skipped lunch in favor of a black currant drink and a cigarette there may not be much to instagram
mostly he finds this minimal online presence liberating when i see my friends i dont know what theyve been up to we can have a conversation about it he said but he clearly still worries about how much privacy he can and should maintain when a reporter observed that he seemed far less neurotic than the writer he said im just masking that well adding theres a lot of me in the character
during rehearsal that character is changing the playwright is changing too as he has worked on the script mr graham has reduced his online presence lessening his use of twitter and facebook hes no luddite but hes thinking more deliberately about how he shows himself to the world   the online one the real one
its about how much control do you have how much consciousness do you have and how happy you are he said spearing another forkful of kale this show is not in any way trying to say throw your cellphones away


you recorded your netflix stand up special baby cobra while seven and a half months pregnant there was a lot of attention for doing a bit about your miscarriage but its not really a joke joke you just talk about it it does get a lot of attention but now im realizing that people who have not seen the hour might think its my miscarriage special and then they watch it and its just all these poop jokes and asian jokes
youve said you were depressed after the miscarriage but ive also read that you started performing right afterward and you kept doing that bit for a while laurie kilmartin another great comic and a mom told me that people need to know that youre ok in order to laugh at your tragedy i was able to get pregnant again so people knew that i was ok
is it true that you named your daughter after the home organizing expert marie kondo i dont expect her to be the magical tidying baby but yeah
there arent a lot of other female stand up comedians and you did stand up for 11 years did you miss the company of women when you were on the road yes i love all my male friends in stand up but i dont want to eat a twinkie at a gas station i enjoy anthropologie i like a lot of womens stuff women a lot of the time are so much funnier than men but they just choose not to do comedy for a living
why do you think that is comedy has so much to do with honesty and women can be more open about their emotions men arent as honest about their feelings of desperation or things sagging on their body women choose not to do it for a living because there hasnt been enough precedent for a way it can work
its just logistically difficult it is im very strict about how the label stand up is applied i dont mean a comedic actress or someone with a funny blog the life of a true traditional stand up is really unappealing for women
whats the value in making that differentiation because what it requires is totally different stand up requires you putting your body out there constantly at night twitter doesnt require your body to go out deep into brooklyn on the train for 45 minutes to get paid nothing its not the same
right and there are a lot of different reasons that a woman doesnt go out and do stand up part of it just sheer safety after you end your second set on a friday night for male stand ups its like who is going to want to sleep with me now that i did so well onstage women are thinking dear god i hope nobody looks at me talks to me or follows me on my way home and you walk back to your hotel room with your keys laced in between your fingers like wolverine thats no way for a woman to live you must love stand up so much in order to put yourself through that
your humor appeals beyond a single characteristic like race or gender but you also tell a lot of jokes about being asian thats who i am talking about your race can be seen as a crutch but i dont think talking about anything is a crutch
there are also a lot of graphic dirty jokes which are generally thought of as male humor my dad was a doctor and he would tell us a lot of nasty funny stories from the hospital it was funny to me when id go over to other peoples houses and they didnt talk about intestines at the table
do you think that theres a benefit from being an attractive fairly feminine woman telling those kinds of jokes theres a line in the special about how the internet would explode if you went on craigslist saying tiny asian woman seeking anal i mean the internet would crash because those people want to expletive me but i dont think the specials doing well because people want to expletive me like you dont want to expletive me   right


we are a large family and our father is in his 80s our mother died several years ago so our father moved into an upscale retirement community a handsome successful charming gentleman with plenty of money in the bank he was an instant hit with the ladies from the beginning he was seriously pursued but he always kept it light
two years ago a manager of my dads retirement community began to single him out for special attention she is in her 60s flirtatious and attractive she dresses stylishly and in many ways she reminds us of our mom upbeat and vivacious
at first we were pleased that dad had someone in his life they would go to lunch or dinner two or three times a week dad paid for everything sometimes we saw them giggling like kids in the hall it was nice to see dad so happy we know he missed our mom there was just one snag the retirement community prohibits dating between residents and staff members so dad and the woman kept their relationship secret
last year dad found out he had cancer the woman seemed devastated she started to drive his car when they went on dates because dad is too medically compromised
well   and you knew this was coming   as weve learned more about her we are becoming concerned first we learned that she has been married several times then one day after my father picked up some oxycontin pills for his cancer pain she exclaimed that she could use a few of them for her own pain and my dad gave her a handful
this was bad but it got worse dad has confessed that she now wants more from the relationship he says hes stalling but who knows what that means i thought about reporting the woman to her employer   asking a resident for narcotics seems like a gross ethical violation   but my dad being a gentleman would claim that he offered them to her or maybe even deny it happened and it may all be moot because next month she starts a new job several miles away she plans to drive over to see dad often
our dad is not isolated all of us children visit frequently he has hundreds of email friends and exchanges multiple messages every day he has old colleagues who come to take him to lunch but none of us can provide the delightful frisson of romance we know that i wish i thought this woman really loved my dad but i dont in fact last month an old friend of the family who knows both my dad and the woman asked if she had gotten any money yet apparently this man once dated her and yes she asked him for money and he gave it to her
i do think she really likes dad and maybe even cares for him but i also think she sees a payoff my dad is a smart pragmatic guy but hes close to 90 and a bit confused at times he is more vulnerable than he knows and i worry that she might be pressuring him for money or even to change his will he has shared his will openly with us in the past and was generous to us all but it has been a year now and he says only you will all be taken care of were in our late 50s and 60s so such a promise is meaningful but given her age the woman is also looking at her own retirement and given the life she has led its conceivable that she might view dad as her last chance for a payday especially now that he is starting to have cognitive challenges which he would deny
dad admits that she has a lot of problems we suspect that some of these problems involve money and that being a gallant man dad might be tempted to solve them
we tease him about being the next husband but we are seriously scared that if the infatuation continues and she will do her best to see that it does she will manipulate him into changing his will or we could find ourselves with a new stepmother nobody wants to hurt dad so we say nothing what is the ethical thing to do name withheld
life seldom gives us the sharp lines we look for in particular as we get older and our cognitive capacities fade theres no sharp line between being able to look after ourselves and needing other people to take over your father sounds as though he is approaching that transition while remaining on the better side of it at least most of the time so you can surely take these issues up with him have you told him all you know about his friend you dont say if you have he may well think that youre just wrong about her motives and he does after all know her better than you do it is worrying i agree that she has been breaching the terms of her employment and taking some of his drugs but reporting the dalliance to her employers or the oxycontin episode to the authorities would be profoundly disrespectful to your father
in relationships of course the truth matters however much fun they have together theres something badly wrong if she is thinking of him fundamentally as a source of funds and he doesnt know this but fun matters too and your father could be willing to accept her attentions while knowing that her affections are tinctured by venal motives if that is the case they may each to some extent be playing the other
what about your own motives you express two related concerns that his will may be changed in a way unfavorable to you or that you will end up with a new stepmother but while your father is compos mentis each outcome is within his legal and moral rights if he isnt competent when testamentary decisions are made you can challenge the will as for dealing with a new stepmother given that as you suggest they are happy together she is unlikely to try to keep you away from him so theres no reason to doubt that you can continue to play a loving supportive role in his life
i am a 52 year old professional who recently began wearing hearing aids to assist with mild degenerative hearing loss the devices are fairly inconspicuous but even so they occasionally cause raised eyebrows and what i at least register as pity its surprising that when someone my age wears glasses it doesnt get the same negative reaction
i am contemplating a career move would it be ethical for me to interview without wearing the hearing aids so as not to harm my chances of securing a new job my hearing is obviously better with the devices in but im willing to forgo them if it will help me land a new position
my main concern is the reaction of my superiors if i were to show up on my first day at work with the hearing aids in my ears i wouldnt want them to feel baited and switched but at the same time i dont want to give them the opportunity to reject my candidacy illegally i know on grounds of a perceived physical deficiency during the interview sp
by leaving your hearing aids at home you would be depriving your prospective employers of information that they are prohibited both legally and morally from acting on you would also be demonstrating that you didnt trust them to do the right thing which if you were hired would become clear once you showed up for work with the hearing aids that may indeed cause some displeasure and your welcome could be less than warm then again if your assessment of the situation is right its a position you might otherwise have been wrongly denied so leave them off if you like youll have plenty of opportunity to show your employers that they made a wise choice


i was 30000 feet in the air and halfway through the november issue of fortean times before i considered what it must look like to the woman sitting to my left on the cover of the magazine lurked a giant lizard man with a rippling reptilian 14 pack orange eyes with vertical slit pupils a forked tongue a jaw lined with needle teeth he was wading between lily pads in standing water before a moonlit misty backdrop there was a tangle of seaweed draped over his scaly biceps to the left of his head in a typeface straight off a b movie poster attack of the lizard man the car chewing monster of the south carolina swamps my neighbor and i had exchanged pleasantries at the beginning of the flight but after the magazine came out we didnt speak again
let me be clear i am not as a rule a believer ive long since parted ways with santa claus the tooth fairy and most everything i learned in catholic school but that has only made me more attuned to the tucked away part of my brain ruled more by instinct than by logic   the part that lights up at the creak of a footstep from an unoccupied room the stranger on the train who looks exactly like your mother and just about anything that happens in the nebulous place where your peripheral vision ends and the unknown begins
its these neurons that fire ecstatically when i read fortean times a 43 year old british magazine that describes its focus as the world of strange phenomena the name refers to charles fort an influential early 20th century writer best remembered for his meticulous research into bizarre happenings that resisted or defied scientific explanation he was a real life fox mulder if you subtract the bone structure of david duchovny and add the walrus mustache of teddy roosevelt in fact the x files character even claimed to be a fan of forts like mulder fort tirelessly sought out evidence of the anomalies that obsessed him he spent most of his days at the new york public library for the better part of a decade amassing tens of thousands of notes on paper scraps cataloging uncanny coincidences and improbable oddities he called this his data of the damned
flip through the march issue of fortean times and youll discover a whirling carousel of curiosities each passing horse more disfigured than the last mysterious animal skeletons a puzzling uptick in false widow spider sightings around the uk indonesian mummies and a conference on ancient and modern day witchcraft the may issue brought tidings of yeti footprints portentous deathbed visions sex with aliens sex with ghosts was covered back in january and tiny mischievous mexican sprite like beings called chaneques i know what that sounds like   weekly world news in a bow tie   but fortean times is not mere humbug the magazine strikes a delicate balance between belief and disbelief rarely is any subject dismissed outright rarely is anything accepted at face value
its editorial sensibility makes room for stories that simply bask in the glow of unusual customs and characters without seeking to diminish or mock them the eye spy teddies of albania in may surveyed the modern phenomenon of albanians hanging plush toys at the thresholds of their homes and businesses to ward off the evil eye a manifestation of envy
but when it investigates the paranormal fortean times brings painstaking research and analysis to bear on topics that most sensible observers would dismiss immediately consider our mutual friend the lizard man the november cover story traced the south carolina legends roots to a 1988 sighting by a lee county teenager this young man claimed that he stopped on his way home from work to change a flat tire when he spotted the seven foot tall creature which jumped atop his car curling its long green fingers around the roof later deep scratches were found in the paint its a silver screen ready scene recounted in seductive detail but just when youve been sold on the legend the pendulum swings back to skepticism yes its cinematic   suspiciously cinematic the writer benjamin radford warns while thoroughly debunking the story and i mean thoroughly any bipedal creature running and jumping on the roof of a car would land with its head hands and fingers toward the front of the car and its windscreen radford noted but somehow this acrobatic lizard man ended up with its fingers on the rear windshield yeah right
the magazines it happened to me section which publishes first person retellings of fortean experiences makes it clear that the magazines readers subscribe not only to the publication but also to its central philosophy as they relate their tales of spectral hitchhikers and figures in the shadows many tick off possible explanations as they go keen to note the limitations of their own evidence and perception
as a general rule fortean times is more interested in raising questions than supplying explanations the answers are beside the point   that were asking at all is whats interesting this agnosticism is what makes fortean times irresistible to me it allows its readers to have their tinfoil hats and wear them too the very last thing i want to be is gullible fooled by parlor tricks or sleight of hand but like fort and mulder i want to believe the prospect of an existence utterly devoid of marvels all fluorescent lighting and beige carpets is one im unwilling to accept as long as i have fortean times there will always be a distant possibility that somewhere in some desolate swamp a lizard man is waiting for us to find him


as a grave it was way too small for a body not that there was a body or ever would be but it was as close to a burial as the deceased would ever have
under a leaden berlin sky on a blustery november afternoon a small group of mourners gathered outside the creamy red roofed wilmersdorf apartment complex that the couple had fled on the eve of world war ii in 1939
at the threshold two cobblestones were dug out and replaced by two new stones topped with shiny brass plaques about four inches square and embossed hier wohnte ...
here lived ...
amid sprays of white roses and flickering candles a violin duo played mozarts vienna sonatas
and so in the year 2015 names and faces were put to two more victims of the holocaust   my mothers brother szilard diamant and his wife hella
deported as jews from their hoped for refuge in slovakia in 1942 szilard a gaunt mustachioed metals dealer who spoke six languages disappeared most likely murdered in the nazi extermination camp of majdanek at 42 hella dark blond and modish was first transported to her hometown oswiecim   auschwitz to the germans   then to a forced labor camp at the killing center of sobibor
their fates under the third reich were largely mysteries i had belatedly been trying to unravel meanwhile almost three quarters of a century later id taken an unusual opportunity to travel to berlin to lay special memorial markers called stolpersteine in long overdue homage
my wife and i had arrived the night before on a hastily arranged trip from new york through amsterdam id booked a room at the aptly named hotel pension funk on fashionable fasanenstrasse close to the glittering shopping boulevard and cafes of the kurfurstendamm where my parents had courted in weimar days
with its ancient birdcage elevator austere furnishings and moderate prices 85 with shared bath it exuded a well funky prewar aura i remembered fondly from a previous visit mostly i loved that from 1931 to 1937 it had been the apartment of the 1910s danish silent film legend asta nielsen whose movie posters adorned the halls wed made dinner reservations at the popular former brewery katz orange or orange cat that did wondrous things with cruciferous vegetables
with little time we crisscrossed the city to absorb the grim lessons of history that berlin teaches in spades along with an almost fetishistic devotion to contrition and atonement the bombed ruin of the kaiser wilhelm memorial church checkpoint charlie and remnants of the despised wall the brandenburg gate and the labyrinthine memorial to the murdered jews of europe with its 2711 suffocating stelae
but we were there for our own memorial
in what has been called the worlds largest monument more than 53000 stolpersteine or stumbling blocks although they lie flush with the sidewalk have so far been installed at victims last chosen residence throughout germany and 20 other european countries including hitlers birthplace in austria braunau am inn
the nonprofit initiative documenting the fate of jews gypsies homosexuals and all minorities persecuted by the nazis   including some who survived   was begun in 1993 by a non jewish cologne sculptor gunter demnig who takes pride in hand crafting and installing the stones himself charging 120 euros each or about 135 some have called underfoot monuments disrespectful with the munich city government at the behest of the jewish community barring them altogether but i found them deeply touching
as mr demnig told the new york times in 2003 if you read the name of one person calculate his age look at his old home and wonder behind which window he used to live then the horror has a face to it
with the internet feeding a growing interest in tracing lost ancestors the stolperstein phenomenon shows no sign of fading indeed the waiting list is long with no new installation appointments available now until february 2017 so i was astonished on oct 13   less than nine months after applying and six months after being warned of a long delay   to open my email to a curt message bitte beachten sie den anhang
clicking open the attachment i found an announcement that just a month away on nov 14 from precisely 1405 to 1420   wedged between four other ceremonies nearby   two stones would be laid for the diamants
would i travel to berlin to participate
none of this would have come to pass had i not found a cache of letters and documents among my mothers belongings after she died in new york in 1984 in german typed and inked on flaking sheets they looked intriguing if not ominous i leafed through them quickly and unaccountably put them away carrying them from move to move across the country until one day about five years ago when i came across them again and started reading i knew i owed szilard my existence   his teenage friend hans blumenthal and szilards sister rose had fallen in love married and emigrated to america in 1929 they became my parents
by 1937 when the letters in the file begin szilard and hella better who wed in 1932 are living in an attractive circa 1910 garden apartment complex at guntzelstrasse 49 in wilmersdorf a chic district of western berlin that since weimar years had been drawing professionals including many jews intellectuals and artists from photos they appear to have always just stepped out of a fashion shoot hella coifed and soignee szilard in jacket and cravat often smoking a pipe
throughout the tightening nazi dragnet they are active dues paying members of the jewish community and hella is working in the youth office by 1938 with szilard forced out of his metals business they are citing these connections in desperate financial appeals to the jewish aid association hilfsverein fur juden in deutschland as they dangle on a waiting list for visas to america where their in laws my parents are vouching for them
on feb 16 1939 szilards residence permit as a czech national expires and they make plans to decamp for his homeland and await visas there meanwhile he applies for a transit camp in england en route to america noting his high school training in economics and metals and fluency in german english french polish hungarian and hebrew but nothing is happening
amid frantic efforts for a hearing they unleash a final burst of letters to the hilfsverein until the answer comes on april 3 1939 we are fundamentally not in a position to provide subsidies for passage to the usa ... whereupon the file ends i recently donated the originals to the united states holocaust memorial museum in washington
as a war baby born in new york a month before pearl harbor i sensed a world of danger in whispered conversations and screaming headlines i couldnt read my younger sister and i were especially spooked by a black lacquer wardrobe in a dark hallway of our apartment that secreted or so i remember orphaned belongings that szilard and hella had shipped ahead intending to follow somehow we had beautiful silver napkin rings with szilards monogram maybe the letters came from the closet too
but little of the story came together until much much later although i had over the years made repeated trips to berlin in 2011 i returned to show our two daughters our ancestral city and track down at long last a special address
guntzelstrasse is a long street and it seemed as if we walked for miles before finding no 49 in a pleasant residential neighborhood of shade trees and small shops we paused outside the entrance to an inner garden court green and peaceful so this is where they lived ...
i found a custodian sweeping up and asked if by any chance anyone was still there from before the war he doubted it but i left him my card
we were back in new york when i heard from a tenant ingrid broesicke as the buildings longest occupant since 1948 when she was 8 as i later learned she emailed to say my family story would be of great interest as she was a nurse who did remembrance work was i looking into stolpersteine
but days later she had bad news unfortunately it has not been possible to clarify the fate of your uncle german federal archives had no record that my uncle had ever lived there
that was crazy all the letters i had were return addressed to him there
now finally i began a more systematic inquiry the central database of shoah victims names a project of yad vashem the world holocaust remembrance center in jerusalem had two testimonials filed decades apart by hellas two sisters in israel unfortunately their accounts conflicted putting szilards death in bergen belsen in germany in 1943 or in majdanek in poland in april 1942 the sisters had died
the united states holocaust memorial museums collection of the international tracing service in bad arolsen germany yielded a startling twist after nearly half a century had passed someone had asked the red cross for further information on szilard the inquiry had turned up a list of jews aboard transport ii from nitra slovakia toward lublin poland on april 15 1942 szilard and hella appeared as numbers 729 and 730
according to an israeli historian yehoshua buechler writing in holocaust and genocide studies in 1991 slovakia was one of the first of nazi germanys satellite states to deport jews to death camps from march 26 to oct 20 1942 almost 58000 jews were put aboard 57 trains 19 sent north to auschwitz and the rest beyond to the lublin district including majdanek few survived
astonishingly the red cross file revealed the person requesting the information in 1991 was none other than hella   now helena tirkel of armadale victoria australia four days after she and szilard had been put aboard the deportation train they were separated in lublin i had known she survived but no details
searching her listed address on the internet turned up a phone number which is how i found relatives i never knew i had   a grandniece of hellas in baltimore other relatives in israel and a stepcousin my aunts adopted son andrew tirkel who was able to provide a striking new dimension
andrew turned out to be a 66 year old scientistengineer in east brighton victoria a beachy suburb of melbourne with affiliations at monash university in melbourne and the university of adelaide
by skype and email he told me that his parents alfred and sonia had survived the holocaust by fleeing east to kazakhstan after the war they returned to poland where andrew was born in 1949 three weeks later his mother died in botched surgery when andrew was 3 friends introduced his widowed father to hella who had turned up alive in warsaw she moved in with them in 1952 the couple married in 1955 and in 1960 won permission to emigrate reaching australia via switzerland alfred died eight years later widowing hella once again
and now hella was dead andrew told me she had died at 89 in 1997 she had been his stepmother for 45 years
i felt sick i knew that my parents and grandmother had been in touch with her but i had stupidly never sought details id had szilards letters since 1984 in all that time i could have reached out to her or even met her
she had never confided much andrew said what he knew he had gleaned from records and her occasional stories once in 1992 he accompanied her on a return visit to katowice poland they were caught in a traffic jam and hella freaked out flashing back to the railway station and a train to auschwitz
then a polish researcher i had found through the museum of the history of polish jews in warsaw located hellas passport file under the communist regime appealing yet another refusal of her application in 1957 to emigrate with her new family hella said she had been put aboard a boxcar to auschwitz they waited 48 hours for a transfer to sobibor where of some 5000 jews a hundred were selected for work she was one of the lucky ones
her husband and son she told the authorities were sent to their deaths in majdanek but hella had no son anyone knew of although she told andrew she had once undergone an abortion forced or otherwise
hella went on to say she was transported to krychow variously kirschhof or griechhof a labor camp associated with sobibor under the command of the notorious franz stangl who later died in prison while serving life for mass murder
indeed gitta serenys chilling 1974 book on stangl into that darkness seems to place him in krychow about the time hella arrived
in october 1943 after a spectacular prisoner uprising and mass breakout sobibor was shut down and by her own account hella fled just before liquidation the camps or hers unclear andrew recalled that she sometimes said she escaped hidden in a hay wagon
from medical records andrew remembered seeing hella turned up during the war emaciated and badly beaten at the office of a woman doctor in warsaw who at great personal risk nursed her back to health but a taxi driver stole her last 500 zlotys
she then became her polish passport file shows maria sowiak an ostensible catholic who survived the war with fake papers in warsaw   perhaps from hints she later dropped working in a sewing factory perhaps too she was aided by the polish underground which a scholar at yeshiva university joshua d zimmerman suggests in a recent book was not universally anti semitic as often portrayed
andrew said that after the war he often delivered hellas baked pastries to a warsaw cafe run by jan mazurkiewicz known as radoslaw an anti nazi resistance hero of the warsaw uprising and former colonel in the polish home army for years too andrew later mailed packages from hella in australia to mysterious benefactors in poland
after liberation in 1945 a government certificate shows maria sowiak became director of the trade centre of central management of the yeast industry commended for ensuring efficient and timely distribution of yeast throughout the country and discharging her duties with great initiative enthusiasm and sacrifice
by 1951 a letter shows she was director in the national directorate of spas traveling the country but soon quitting to move in with alfred tirkel and resume her real identity to mother her new baby stepson andrew she later learned that her mother had been killed in auschwitz and her brother heniak murdered by nazis on the street in poland
as we were leaving hotel pension funk for the stolpersteine ceremony ingrid broesicke emailed from guntzelstrasse would we ring her bell when we arrived she knew we were coming she said from the notice posted in the building oh yes she said the tenants are always notified
we hugged like old friends and ingrid ushered us into her handsome book lined apartment inviting my incessant questions the building had suffered only scars in the bombardment of berlin she and her mother had survived in another part of the city her parents having separated in 1942 and moved to guntzelstrasse in 1948 no jews were left but she remembered a married couple there who were still unregenerate nazis bad people she said
even as a child she said she reacted angrily when her mother and others claimed ignorance of the atrocities at least admit she now said you stood behind the door and made in your pants when they dragged the jews out so years later herself a mother of a grown son in the restaurant business in united states she busied herself in remembrance work spending time in auschwitz working with the action reconciliation service for peace and now volunteering at a berlin welcome center for syrian migrants flooding into germany
a devout christian she said she was shocked to discover in 2000 that 42 area churches according to their own archives had run a wartime forced labor camp using ukrainian prisoners to tend cemeteries she and fellow congregants tracked down 10 survivors and raised several million dollars for their support
she told me she had spent the last few years arguing for stolpersteine for szilard and hella i had had no idea
then it was time from a shelf in her pantry ingrid retrieved a bouquet of white roses and an armful of tea lights we walked out to find a dozen neighbors gathered at the building entrance
a few minutes before 2 a van pulled up with gunter demnig a stocky figure in a blue work shirt vest and safari hat carrying tools in a bucket and two shiny new stolpersteine he stepped across the sidewalk and with a small electric concrete saw sliced out two cobblestones smashing them apart with a mallet he scooped out loose gravel and was about to insert the new stones when i stopped him i placed two small black and white photos of szilard and hella in the excavation
ingrid and the other neighbors scattered the white roses and lit the candles a duo of husband and wife violinists daniela jung of the bavarian radio symphony orchestra and reinhold wolf of the deutsche oper berlin set their baby carriage aside and played mozart
i came prepared to say a few words about szilard and hella but at the last minute revised my remarks to begin with the victims in paris massacred the day before it didnt end with the third reich i managed quaveringly this would become even more horrifyingly true after orlando
ingrid called my attention to an array of other brass topped stones sunk into the pavement at guntzelstrasse 49 which she said she went out to polish from time to time twenty one she said your uncle and aunt make 23


this is the first in a series of articles dedicated to summer vacations that changed writers understanding of travel or of themselves
a few years ago i decided that the best time to go to europe was june it was mostly because everywhere we might visit the local population was still at work at school at home and it would be easier to sneak around pretending not to be a tourist when we decided to go to bergamo we intended to stay for a day or two part of a mini tour of northern italy before visiting friends in lake como but once we got there we couldnt leave
it was a lesson in being unprepared in having bought the guidebook but not having read it in discovering for yourself what you soon realize millions of lucky travelers have discovered before you
bergamo is exactly where the lush well watered plains of northern italy meet the alps the hotel we had found online was above the citta alta the original walled city overlooking a deep valley full of fruit trees grass and flower beds that benefit from 45 inches of annual rainfall about 30 inches more than the carmel valley in california where we live
the first evening we were there we ambled down a two lane road carved into the hillside toward il pianone a well known restaurant in the area that specializes in a fusion of traditional tuscan and bergamasque cuisine the june light was cool and transparent and the plants and trees we passed amazed me   apple trees full of tiny fruit rooted in hillsides so steep that i couldnt imagine crawling down them to harvest the abundant crop and hollyhocks 12 or 16 feet tall reaching to the top of the stone wall along the road from a neat flower garden planted beside an equally neat vegetable garden full of lettuce peas and spinach
il pianone which occupies a structure that was built over the ruins of a fortress was obviously a popular place it was full every night we were there six in all the restaurant hosted a party a wedding or a conference the food was delicious and the wine cellar which once was the powder magazine in the fortress was impressive but what i remember best is the surrounding gardens those in front flowed down the hillside bursting with petunias geraniums and flowering shrubs a path lined with pots of blooming fragrant roses led to the one behind the restaurant that looked out to distant peaks across the wide valley over the roads and the city toward the south and east it was filled with the most beautiful hydrangeas i have ever seen the plants tall and thick the flowers many shades of pink deep purple and blue we wandered through the rich grass and the hardest decision was look at the blossoms or look at the vista
each morning we walked from our hotel past the botanic garden up the hill to one side and a pasture down the hill where a few donkeys and horses were grazing and entered the citta alta from the northeast through porta santalessandro there are three other gates the largest at the southeast corner is the porta san giacomo constructed entirely of marble the citta alta may be the best preserved and most self contained walled city in europe the site has been continuously settled for thousands of years first by the celts then the romans who gave the area the name bergomum in the sixth century it became part of the lombard kingdom and was for many years starting in the early 10th century the site of a bustling fair where local merchants traded goods with merchants from germany switzerland and england as well as milan and parma in 1428 it became part of the venetian republic then in 1797 as an effect of the napoleonic wars revolted against venice and declared its independence the walls were built in the 16th century
for my purposes amid the delightful weather the history was something to note once i opened my guidebook as a series of passing moments when a man or a woman walking along   even giuseppe garibaldi whose forces entered through porta san lorenzo to the northeast in 1859   must have stopped looked around and given thanks to be here in this spot
but a walled city can be dangerous and in the mid 19th century the citta alta experienced a serious cholera epidemic instead of tearing down the walls or refurbishing the site the city rebuilt itself down the mountain at what is now the citta bassa lower town a modern commercial and industrial city full of shops cars restaurants boulevards and trees in fact the oriocenter mall near the bergamo airport is the largest in northern italy with 203 shops the citta alta was left more or less intact more or less connected to the surrounding fields and farms in a way that i havent seen elsewhere
the buildings in the citta alta have been refurbished perhaps but not remade the shops are small charming and individually owned i had two favorites at one that i wish i could remember the name of i bought a neatly and locally made linen dress the other lavanda di venzone was entirely devoted to a local crop lavender with lotions soaps perfumes little dolls that are sachets   what drew me in was the scent billowing out the door as i passed
like every italian city bergamo has museums churches piazzas and mysterious narrow streets the basilica di santa maria maggiore was built in 1137 and gaetano donizetti the composer of chi mi frena in tal momento the sextet from lucia di lammermoor perhaps my favorite piece of classical music was born in bergamo there is an opera festival dedicated to the composer at the teatro gaetano donizetti though it is in late november and early december not when i visited in june but there are plenty of spots to visit the accademia carrara museo was closed when we were there but many of its 2000 renaissance to 18th century paintings were on display at the palazzo della ragione as were baskets of pink petunias hanging from the railing as we walked up the steps from the piazza vecchia the cultural and mercantile center of the citta alta
i think my favorite place though was the museo storico de bergamo which is in a building with a tall cylindrical tower from the 14th century called the rocca di bergamo originally a fortified castle that overlooks the citta bassa and the valley to the southeast simultaneously open and closed protected but with a terrific view and lots of informative displays including a woolly mammoth mother and calf our favorite museum in the citta bassa was the galleria darte moderna e contemporanea di bergamo which looks rather like a modern building but was originally a 15th century convent and has a large and varied collection we drove there through the marble gate but you can also go from the citta alta to the citta bassa by a short funicular trolley
mostly the citta alta was a perfect place to wander since the streets are so narrow on foot there was something around every corner including but not restricted to a wonderful lunch a great view or a delightful shop but we did drive into the mountains one afternoon to san pellegrino terme maybe the spookiest spot we visited nearly 14 miles and about a hundred years away
the strada ran along the banks of the bubbling brembo river between steep spring green and beautiful mountains reminding us that this is where the italian peninsula is jammed up against the european continent and that this movement is both slow and violent the san pellegrino bottling factory is outside of town five minutes later we saw why the water bottling company was there   the old and boarded up grand hotel from the days when san pellegrino terme was a fashionable spa we stopped and walked around for a bit but there was something faded and tragic about the contrast between the town and the mountains gardens and blue skies surrounding it we hurried back to bergamo
despite bergamos long and sometimes difficult history there seemed to be nothing lost or tragic about it the piazzas shops museums bistros and pasticcerias were bustling and friendly not to mention full of delicious treats the gardens were fertile and neatly trimmed the grass and the breeze the calls of people hailing their friends or ordering their antipasti the flowers and the singing birds enchanted us and then as we walked up the road toward dusk almost 9 pm there was the light that long cool june light that is ending while it seems as though it will never end
at 66 i am maybe too old for a transformative travel experience but thinking about where i have been greenland iceland kauai 20 miles back into my home valley i was reminded that if i got to pick one of those godly powers   omniscient omnipotent omnipresent   i would certainly pick the last one because every place has been full of amazement and pleasure


when renee green bought her two bedroom apartment at prince and elizabeth streets in 1985 her friends and her brother warned her about living in what they called a slum she didnt see the area that way something drew me to it said ms green a retired township clerk and town council member in livingston nj who is now 84
as it turned out she couldnt afford to use the place as a pied a terre as she had intended so she rented it out for 22 years before moving in full time in 2007 during those years the area was radically transformed   her apartment for which she paid 150000 is probably worth 10 times that now she said but the qualities that drew her remain its definitely a community she said thats what i love about it
around the mid 1990s the name nolita along with several other alphabet soups that didnt stick was proposed by some residents and business owners for the northern part of little italy where fashionable bistros and boutiques were just beginning to replace the old neighborhood places familiar to the many italian americans who grew up there
within the last 10 to 15 years the trend has accelerated attracting a young hip crowd according to brett miles and reid price agents who work together at douglas elliman real estate its what soho used to be before it became crowded and expensive mr miles said nolita has so many fantastic finds artists with little jewelry or textile shops thats what makes nolita really cool
the prevalence of smaller buildings with no room for big box stores is likely to keep it that way mr price said though a few new buildings have risen and several older ones have converted to luxury condominiums its certainly gained its own name and its own brand
many residents still use the name little italy for the neighborhood even when they welcome the changes among them is janine zeccardi 46 a freelancer in the fashion industry and the mother of two children ages 5 and 7 she and her husband vincent zeccardi 51 a producer and editor moved into a three bedroom apartment on broome street in a building owned by mr zeccardis family in 2004 they hadnt intended to stay she said but after she found the local public school 130 to be excellent with a unique and beautiful mix of cultures they saw no reason to move
though the zeccardis are hardly alone as parents many newer residents are single millennials mostly renters theyre our future and we minister to them said msgr donald sakano the pastor of the basilica of st patricks old cathedral at mott and prince streets established in 1809 and once the seat of the archdiocese of new york when monsignor sakano arrived in 2007 he said barely 200 people attended mass now 800 to 900 come on sunday including to an evening mass that attracts young people
but the number of children attending the churchs school dwindled and it was closed in 2010 in 2014 the church sold most of the former school to developers including time equities francis j greenburger the companys founder had come to know nolita because a co worker and a nephew live there and he admired its vibrancy he said the school buildings are being converted to seven condominiums and two townhouses called the residences at prince where prices range from 774 million to about 25 million
nolita which stands for north of little italy is bounded by the bowery to the east lafayette street to the west and east houston street to the north the southern boundary is more pliable with nearly all maps now using broome street
most buildings are no higher than five or six stories with commercial space on the ground floor even the massive puck building which covers an entire block bounded by lafayette east houston mulberry and jersey streets is only nine stories high the top two floors and rooftop are being developed by jared kushner as six condominium penthouse apartments the second of which sold in february for 28511000 a neighborhood record
though not overcrowded the area does attract tourists shoppers and cafe sitters one of the quieter blocks is elizabeth street between prince and spring streets where the 046 acre elizabeth street garden stretches back to mott street the garden was developed by allan reiver who leases the land the site of a demolished school from the city and owns the elizabeth street gallery next door
its a unique and magical space said mr reiver 73 a former developer from denver who lives above the gallery and displays sculptures from his shop in the garden but the space is being considered for an affordable housing project a move that is being fought by many including the friends of elizabeth street garden
its a beautiful and heavily used park in a neighborhood with very little open space said jeannine kiely president of the nonprofit group which she said hosts more than 175 free public events a year
the only new york city parks are desalvio playground at spring and mulberry streets scheduled for reconstruction soon andpetrosino square which is actually a triangle bounded by kenmare and lafayette streets and cleveland place filled with trees plants and benches
on june 20 the 26 properties on the market ranged from a one bedroom offered at 1 million to a penthouse listed at 585 million according to jonathan j miller the president of miller samuel real estate an appraisal and consulting firm
the median sales price for apartments mr miller said shot up by 509 percent over the last five years to 3425 million during january through may of this year compared with 2270 million in the same period of 2011
the median rental listing last month mr miller said was 3048 a month for a studio 3695 for a one bedroom 5198 for a two bedroom and 6500 for a three bedroom
the mulberry street branch of the new york public library is a gathering spot as is mcnally jackson books at 52 prince street the nonprofit storefront for art and architecture has a gallery at 97 kenmare street
cafetal social club at 285 mott street a cafe and restaurant survives from a bygone era this has become the neighborhood social club for everyone said louis russo the manager a lifelong area resident people get their packages delivered here
other older spots include lombardis pizza at 32 spring street founded in 1905 and parisi bakery delicatessen 198 mott street which opened in 1903 as a bakery trendier places include delicatessen 54 prince street which has sidewalk seating toms roasting company 264 elizabeth street which sells shoes along with coffee and pastries and gimme coffee 228 mott street
elementary school students are zoned for public school 130 hernando de soto which has around 970 students in prekindergarten through grade 5 in the 2014 15 school quality snapshot 59 percent met state standards in english versus 30 percent citywide and 80 percent met standards in math compared with 39 percent citywide for middle school students are zoned for middle school 131 which has about 420 students in grades 6 through 8 in 2014 15 28 percent met state standards in english and 51 percent in math compared with 30 and 31 percent citywide
subway lines that stop around the edges of the neighborhood include the 6 b d f m j and z
giuseppe joseph petrosino for whom the small park along lafayette street is named came to the united states from italy with his family in 1873 and joined the police department 10 years later according to the city parks department in 1895 police commissioner theodore roosevelt personally promoted him to sergeant of detectives later he commanded a new squad created to combat the black hand crime organization he was fatally shot while investigating organized crime in sicily


nakuru is a lakeside city in kenyas rift valley a destination for safari tourists and part of the great rift the tectonic seam that gave birth to humanity and will one day rend africa in two kenyans often refer to the valley simply as the rift a nod not just to the millions of years of volcanic tumult that produced its magnificent landscape but also to the centuries of tribal warfare it has seen
in december 2007 eric a day laborer now in his late 20s who asked to be identified only by his first name was living on the outskirts of nakuru with his wife and young daughters in one of the shanty neighborhoods tourists dont see that month kenya held an election it was to be only the second truly open contest in the countrys history but typically for kenyan politics it was cleaving along tribal lines the incumbent a conservative bureaucrat named mwai kibaki was a member of the kikuyu kenyas predominant tribe his challenger raila odinga kenyas foremost liberal provocateur was a luo who historically were the kikuyus main rival for power odinga had assembled a broad ethnic coalition capitalizing on resentment of the kikuyu
nakuru was majority kikuyu but had a sizable population of other tribes as the election approached eric a luo became anxious listening to his kikuyu friends who insisted kibaki be returned to office at any cost the kikuyu had liberated kenya from colonialism they insisted and the country was rightfully theirs other tribespeople were demanding the president be forced from power we were just agreeing with what they were saying eric told me when i spoke with him recently we were afraid that if we did not it would come to fighting
after kibaki was declared the winner death squads led by members of the kalenjin tribe loyal to odingas coalition set to massacring kikuyu throughout the rift valley then men with a kikuyu criminal gang called mungiki began retaliating soon word came that the gang had arrived in nakuru they came to revenge eric heard by day they set up roadblocks where they stopped civilians and murdered and raped them in plain view by night they assailed homes
eric took his family to a displaced persons camp next to the police station but there was no food so they left he was asleep one night in early january when he heard voices outside his home he got under his bed a group of men entered and told him to come out
im kikuyu eric said instinctively
they demanded to see his identification he said hed left it at work they spoke in the kikuyu language to him to see if eric could answer he knew only a few words asha he kept saying no
one of the men found erics id his family name is clearly luo the intruders began beating him one asked if he was circumcised circumcision is a kikuyu tradition and point of pride eric cried that he was they tore his pants off
you lie they yelled
i pleaded with them eric told me  leave my life please in gods name they could not hear that they went ahead with their plan
a man forcibly circumcised him with a machete then they hacked at erics arm and head until he lost consciousness
the violence spread across the country though kenya is among the most developed places in africa for two months death and torture were meted out with machete club and knife people were dismembered gang raped burned alive in homes and churches many men were like eric forcibly circumcised kenya was brought to the brink of civil war the official number of dead was between 1100 and 1200 by the end of february 2008 when international envoys brokered a truce though kenyan investigators say the real figure is probably much higher roughly half a million people were displaced many never returned home it was the worst crisis kenya had faced since its fight for independence a half century earlier
in 2010 the international criminal court the hague based tribunal created in 1998 to try the worst atrocities on earth   war crimes crimes against humanity and genocide   announced plans to charge six kenyans for orchestrating the postelection violence the most important suspect was uhuru kenyatta the son of kenyas first president jomo kenyatta he was considered by many kikuyu to be their natural leader the courts chief prosecutor luis moreno ocampo sought to charge kenyatta with five counts of crimes against humanity for inciting murder rape forcible transfer of people persecution and other inhumane acts
during his tenure at the icc which ended in 2012 moreno ocampo examined atrocities in a dozen countries and brought cases in seven but the kenyatta case has come to define the court and many would say has permanently discredited it moreno ocampo accused kenyatta of suborning the mungiki to kill innocent kenyans but he also believed kenyattas crimes emerged from a tradition of impunity in africa one that would continue unless he stepped in he saw prosecuting kenyatta as a way to change not just a country but an entire continent and in some small measure the world these were not just crimes against innocent kenyans moreno ocampo said at the time they were crimes against humanity as a whole
kenyatta now kenyas president not only denied the charges against him but also called the icc the toy of declining imperial powers its a view other african leaders increasingly claim to share today kenyatta is leading a push at the african union to abandon the court in april an african union committee considered a plan to demand that heads of state be immune from icc prosecution among other potentially crippling measures at a summit conference next month in rwanda it will continue a discussion about collectively withdrawing from the court with all but one of its open cases related to crimes in africa this would almost certainly relegate the icc to permanent irrelevance
in october i met moreno ocampo at the intercontinental hotel in vienna to discuss the kenyatta case i found him in the lobby bar slouched low in an ornate settee in jeans and a black long sleeve collarless shirt except for the macbook air propped in his lap he looked like a detective in a 1960s french movie mussed gray hair bristling eyebrows rakish trimmed beard when i phoned to arrange the meeting we mostly he talked for more than an hour he was ingratiating telling me youre doing a very important story but in vienna he was at first circumspect   hed received word from colleagues that i was asking questions he didnt stand but extended a reluctant hand from the settee nodded and smiled knowingly as though wed already met
he soon relaxed and we talked for most of the rest of the day as our conversation grew more candid he sank further into the settee eventually almost lying down his feet on a cushion at one point moreno ocampo who is 64 took hold of his laptop and summoned youtube he pulled up a clip from a kenyan comedy program called the xyz show which lampoons figures in the news with puppets
have you ever seen this he asked me moreno ocampo was a running character and the real man adored the show he turned up the volume unconcerned about the other patrons looking over in annoyance and laughed loudly brilliant he said great
moreno ocampo explained that argument was his birthright his youth in argentina was punctuated by coups that divided his family he went to law school because my country was a mess he said in 1976 a military junta claiming argentina was in the grip of a communist insurgency took control the junta which killed kidnapped or tortured more than 20000 argentines counted among its members one of his uncles after it was ousted its leaders were put on trial in 1984 moreno ocampo then in his early 30s was made deputy prosecutor he indicted his uncle his performance in court established his reputation though some argentines were put off miriam lewin a journalist who was tortured and later testified told me that while moreno ocampo appreciated the momentousness of the trials his idealism was undone by his arrogance many survivors didnt want to come forward and talk because they were afraid for their lives she said he didnt seem to understand that
the junta leaders received stiff sentences but in 1990 they were pardoned by a new president i was furious moreno ocampo told me the trials were not just about the crimes it was a way to change the country
notions of human rights that transcend borders originate in antiquity but the first international war crimes tribunal historians believe did not take place until the 15th century the first large and truly successful one was not until almost 500 years later at nuremberg after the cold war human rights became a centerpiece of western foreign policy at least nominally and in the 1990s the united nations security council set up criminal tribunals for the former yugoslavia and rwanda sierra leone cambodia and lebanon followed in june 1998 diplomats from 160 countries gathered in rome to discuss a permanent international criminal court
african diplomats were particularly intent on top of the genocide in rwanda the 1990s had brought civil wars or campaigns of systematized violence to the democratic republic of congo uganda sudan sierra leone liberia somalia algeria burundi niger ivory coast and chad atrocities were committed by officials who also controlled their countries justice systems for its western proponents an international criminal court was largely a matter of conscience for africans it was a way to fight impunity we wanted ways of enforcing good government in africa betty murungi a lawyer in the kenyan delegation in rome told me
when the court was formed it was one observer wrote an international epiphany it was also it seemed a great moment for africa senegal was the first country to ratify the courts founding treaty the rome statute archbishop desmond tutu called the icc africas court today 34 of the courts 124 member states are african the largest contingent after europes
in 2003 after the icc received the 60 ratifications it needed to begin work moreno ocampo was appointed chief prosecutor and moved into the courts offices in a white metallic tower in the hague member states had the ability to refer atrocities within their borders if they felt they could not handle investigations as well as to refer them in other member states the security council could refer investigations anywhere and moreno ocampo had the power to open investigations without any referral if he could show an atrocity had been committed and wasnt being redressed
in one of his first speeches in the hague moreno ocampo announced he was monitoring the violence in congo and invited its government to make a referral the congolese president did so several months later then the president of uganda yoweri museveni approached moreno ocampo joseph kony whose lords resistance army had torn apart northern uganda had proved uncatchable perhaps the icc might force him out of the bush moreno ocampo began investigations in both countries he was pleased his first two inquiries addressed major atrocities in africa the continent that most concerned him and human rights advocates and each had begun by invitation
for uhuru kenyatta rule was a birthright his father jomo kenyatta was imprisoned by the british colonial government during the fight for independence after jomo was freed and elected president of an independent kenya in 1964 however his revolutionary impulses didnt persist he stocked the government and businesses with family members and fellow kikuyu and operated with little concern for the niceties of law the historian charles hornsby writes traveling with his inner circle from residence to residence like a medieval monarch jomos portrait still adorns every denomination of paper money in kenya and his family is believed to be the countrys largest landholder
after graduating from amherst college in massachusetts uhuru showed little interest in politics before 1997 when in his mid 30s he stood for parliament and lost in 2002 he ran for the presidency on the strength of his name and lost again the man who beat him mwai kibaki had been a close friend of jomo kenyattas kibaki took uhuru under his wing later putting him in the cabinet and it was clear grooming him as his successor
to many kenyans uhuru   whose personal fortune most of it presumably inherited has been estimated at a half billion dollars   embodies their countrys inequity more than a quarter of kenyans live on less than two dollars a day according to world bank estimates so taken for granted are corruption and impunity that the countrys official and criminal classes are often indistinguishable
kenyattas rise coincided with the rise of mungiki the group moreno ocampo would later accuse him of conspiring with in the postelection violence started as a tribal revivalist movement mungiki grew into a militaristic political fraternity and then into a criminal gang around the time mungiki fought to take over the lucrative private bus lines that are the main form of transport in kenya in the early 2000s the gang staged a massacre in northern nairobi that left severed heads scattered in the streets
by then mungiki was being described as a state within a state with up to two million members according to reports they swore an oath of loyalty to the kikuyu tribe and the mungiki leader a charismatic ruthless man known as maina njenga according to the icc new recruits were told they would be killed if they violated the oath or left the organization when clashes broke out between kikuyu and other tribes njenga dispatched his men to fight
he also persuaded politicians to take the mungiki oath paul muite a member of parliament at the time and now a lawyer who represents njenga and other members of mungiki which is still active told me that almost every kikuyu politician of consequence he knew during that era took the oath for njenga it was a way of collecting power muite says according to muite and a former lieutenant of njengas with whom i spoke one of the politicians who took the oath before becoming president was kibaki
some mungiki members including njenga supported kenyattas 2002 presidential campaign kenyatta denounced the group and would later tell moreno ocampo in court that i have always publicly condemned and stated that i have no association whatsoever with mungiki njengas former lieutenant however described to me a series of meetings he attended with kenyatta and njenga in 2002 saying that kenyatta was friendly with mungiki but he added kenyatta didnt like or trust njenga
in the 2007 election kenyatta did not run instead supporting kibaki in his race against raila odinga by the close of election day two days after christmas the vote was too close to call the count was delayed the tally center in nairobi was mysteriously broken into then on dec 30 the government suddenly announced kibaki had won he was hurriedly sworn in and a media blackout was imposed odinga instructed his followers to protest by new years day kikuyu were being slaughtered mungiki began striking back in january
the government did little to stop the postelection violence but afterward it set up a commission of inquiry known as the waki commission it issued a 529 page report in october 2008 the kenya national commission on human rights an autonomous government agency published a comparably exhaustive report each was damning officials in odingas party had planned violence months in advance while envoys of president kibaki met with mungiki to plan retaliatory attacks security agents and the police had conspired with the gang there were no good guys a waki commissioner pascal kambale told me there were only bad guys
moreno ocampo who monitored the violence as it was happening traveled to nairobi to speak with kibaki he encouraged kibaki to refer kenya to the icc as congo and uganda had made referrals government capacity wasnt the problem moreno ocampo knew kenya was capable of trying the suspects the problem was as it had been in argentina the government was the criminal and not only the government the national commission on human rights report listed more than 200 suspected inciters and funders of the violence including presidential cabinet members legislators businessmen shopkeepers farmers in a moment of collective insanity kenyan society had turned on itself
still moreno ocampo continued to press kenyan officials to begin prosecutions in 2009 the kenyan parliament voted against a tribunal   unsurprisingly as the parliament itself was full of suspects   and moreno ocampo requested that the icc judges allow him to open an investigation they did it was the first time he invoked his power to seek charges on his own authority without a referral
the challenges were considerable he knew it was one thing to investigate militias at the invitation of a government but quite another to investigate a government yet moreno ocampo felt this was what the icc had been created for   to fight impunity this is a different kind of case he told the times in 2010 this isnt about militias its about politicians and political parties its about investigating leadership
polls showed a majority of kenyans approved of the iccs intervention an editorial in the nation kenyas main daily newspaper said no one has ever come as close as moreno ocampo to slaying the dragon of impunity in kenya on the buses of nairobi where operators compete for fares by adorning their vehicles with icons   jesus christ tupac shakur arsenal forwards   moreno ocampos face appeared
the iccs preliminary examination in kenya was based largely on the work of the kenyan commissions each had heard testimony that kenyatta was at meetings with mungiki the waki report didnt name kenyatta but the national commission on human rights report did saying that he reportedly attended meetings to plan for retaliatory violence by the kikuyus and contributed funds kenyatta was considered by many kikuyu including many mungiki to be their leader and was understood to be the richest man in the country if anyone had the motivation and funds to back an ethnic war moreno ocampos investigators reasoned it was kenyatta
moreno ocampo had by now built important cases in uganda congo central african republic and sudan the worlds prosecutor as he was dubbed seemed to be everywhere magazine spreads cable news davos his critics complained that he thrust himself into the limelight and they had a point   he allowed four different feature documentary crews access to the hague   but even they couldnt deny that he put the court on the map
by the time the preliminary examination in kenya began however the other cases had stalled only one trial that of the congolese warlord thomas lubanga was underway the courts lack of political and prosecutorial powers were partly to blame the united states china and russia had refused to join it george w bush openly tried to cripple it by among other things demanding immunity for americans and moreno ocampo had none of the prosecutorial resources   subpoenas surveillance policing   available to his domestic counterparts alex whiting a onetime federal prosecutor in boston who became moreno ocampos prosecutions coordinator told me the kenyatta case was like trying to prosecute an organized crime case without the tools the department of justice uses to prosecute organized crime   though for this reason moreno ocampos temperament was an asset you have to have a big ego because you dont have much else
but moreno ocampo himself may have been the greatest obstacle to the courts success members of his staff told me they didnt question his devotion   he often worked seven days a week closely managing every case   but increasingly they questioned his judgment which seemed always caught between that ego and his idealism he inspired fierce admiration and dislike sometimes in the same people one attorney who resigned because he couldnt stand moreno ocampo nevertheless lauded the prosecutors commitment another whom moreno ocampo reduced to tears in meetings defended him to me adamantly when the journal world affairs published a critical profile of moreno ocampo one former staff member attacked another in the online comments section
in vienna i heard moreno ocampo express remorse only twice once was when i asked about the atmosphere in the hague it was a mess he acknowledged i fought with all of my guys because i was involved in everything thats the problem all of us were totally emotionally involved if not youre not there
a larger problem was his vision of the courts mission he believed in the pre emptive power of prosecution   the shadow of the court as he liked to call it in his inaugural address in the hague moreno ocampo said the courts success would be measured not by how many cases it tried but by how few one investigator i spoke with said moreno ocampo seemed to see the icc not as a forensic body so much as a naming and shaming organization like human rights watch or amnesty international and while it was true that the courts small budget limited the size of his investigations he was some say already more interested in prominence than evidence a former court attorney told me he would see the leader of a state and say there must be evidence out there go get it for me 
the investigation in congo began calamitously bernard lavigne formerly a french domestic prosecutor became moreno ocampos first lead investigator in congo we accumulated a lot of information about one militia lavigne told me then suddenly because of a political decision by luis or his political committee we were obliged to change our planning and our investigative work and concentrate on a new target it was completely crazy  we put in danger a lot of people the case moreno ocampo brought against lubanga for recruiting child soldiers barely scratched the surface of the conflict paul seils the first director of moreno ocampos preliminary examination unit says moreno ocampo removed the lead attorney weeks before the trial commenced and clashed with the presiding justice who accused him of trying to undermine the judiciary and pervert the rome statute
in conversation moreno ocampo has a habit of ignoring criticism its unclear if this is confidence or evasion when i asked him about the censure he described that judge as brilliant and great
after the united nations security council referred the atrocities in darfur to the icc in 2005 the court charged president omar al bashir of sudan with crimes against humanity war crimes and later genocide the judges issued an arrest warrant there is little question bashir is guilty of the first two charges he could be guilty of genocide too but the courts investigation was not the best proof of it an attorney involved told me the prosecutors office did little independent work investigators never went to darfur when i brought this up moreno ocampo said sometimes some of the lawyers are not going to understand the case im sorry for them
bashir was not popular in africa but he was the first head of state the court charged this made other leaders especially those accused of atrocities nervous it also vexed african union diplomats who were trying to broker a peace in darfur muammar el qaddafi whom the court would later charge with war crimes in libya was at the time the african unions chairman in 2008 the african union passed a resolution that said charging african heads of state was an affront to the sovereignty and integrity of the continent bashir called the icc a colonial court self serving though his position was it caught on complaints about the iccs africa bias piled up
unbowed moreno ocampo pushed on in kenya in december 2010 he announced the suspects he wanted to charge for the first wave of postelection violence he named the chairman of odingas party and joshua arap sang a radio host who had broadcast anti kikuyu hate speech a member of parliament william ruto was accused of being the ringleader for the second wave committed by mungiki and the police he named kibakis cabinet secretary francis muthaura the commissioner of police gen mohammed hussein ali and kenyatta
before announcing the suspects moreno ocampo met with kenyans including investigators and lawyers at the serena hotel in nairobi the lawyers approved of his desire to combat impunity and prevent political violence during the next election in kenya but they warned him that kenya wasnt sudan or congo its politicians were just as ruthless but more sophisticated the suspects would try to kill the cases and discredit the icc so would president kibakis government kenyatta elevated to deputy prime minister after the postelection violence was his protege theyre going to fight back very very hard james gondi a kenyan lawyer who had interned at the icc told moreno ocampo but the prosecutor seemed unconcerned he pointed out that hed put away generals in argentina
later some questioned whether kenyatta was as culpable as the case against him claimed george kegoro the waki commission secretary told me that when kenyatta was questioned by the commission he saw himself as a peacemaker pascal kambale the waki commissioner said that irrespective of kenyattas involvement mungiki was going to do what they did
in the icc system at the time the prosecutors office collected enough evidence for the court to hold pretrial hearings in which the judges would decide whether there were sufficient grounds to confirm the charges if they did the cases proceeded this gave defendants ample time to destroy evidence and interfere with witnesses a recurring problem
by the time moreno ocampos team got moving in kenya more than two years had elapsed since the postelection violence their investigation which would go on for over four years was far more rigorous than those in congo or sudan they interviewed hundreds of victims and suspected perpetrators but many witnesses who had opened up to the kenyan commissions were no longer willing to speak
faced with a dwindling pool of evidence moreno ocampos team approached general alis attorney with a possible offer if ali testified against kenyatta and muthaura the charges against him might be dismissed the kenyan commissions had gathered strong evidence against ali but circumstances had changed the attorney general had forbidden the police to speak to the icc according to kenyan investigators with whom i spoke other police officers who were involved in the violence had been killed ali turned down the offer the judges didnt confirm the charges against him the prosecutors office later withdrew the cases against muthaura and odingas party chairman
there was one group willing to help the court mungiki many gang members were gone   killed or forcibly disappeared in an apparent cleanup operation the prosecution claimed   but some were still alive and willing to testify especially crucial were three confidential mungiki linkage witnesses one claimed he saw kenyatta at meetings where attacks were planned another that he was told of these meetings though he wasnt present and a third that he met with kenyatta beforehand to discuss violence
the case hinged on these men but some people in the prosecutors office worried about their reliability kenyattas attorney claimed in court that the first two witnesses tried to extort him in exchange for information that could aid the defense and when he refused threatened him he showed little evidence of the claim but neither did the prosecution dispute it it strikes me as entirely plausible benjamin gumpert an icc lawyer who worked on the kenyatta case told me kenyans who knew the third witness meanwhile not only doubted his account but also questioned whether he was in mungiki maina njengas former lieutenant says the witness was never in the gang there were arguments in the hague over whether to use him the former court attorney told me it appeared the man would say anything to get into the courts protection program but the case against kenyatta was too thin to sacrifice him
moreno ocampo admitted to me that the evidence against kenyatta was not as strong as he would have liked but all he had to do for the moment was get through the pretrial hearings after that more evidence could be found and he had a card up his sleeve maina njenga
moreno ocampos team had considered charging the mungiki leader instead they had turned him when njenga was questioned by kenyan investigators he pleaded ignorance but to the icc investigators he came clean he detailed the structure of his organization and its role in the violence njenga claimed to his lawyer paul muite that he had personally administered the mungiki oath of loyalty to kenyatta though whether njenga told this to icc investigators is unclear njenga was very forthright muite told me and he later agreed to testify in the hague
moreno ocampo cross examined kenyatta on sept 29 2011 kenyatta had traveled to the hague with supporters who filled the public gallery of the windowless blond wood courtroom kenyatta was not required to attend the hearings nor to testify and some kenyans had encouraged him to skip them in order to spite moreno ocampo but he had a good reason to go he intended to run for president and he would use the trial as a campaign set piece styling himself as a patriotic victim who had taken the fall for his sinister political opponents and been attacked by arrogant foreigners
at first moreno ocampo had been popular in kenya once the charges were announced however tribal ranks closed the defendants stoked fears of ethnic persecution privately proxies did worse people would come in knocking on the door at night and say we know that your son is with the icc  phakiso mochochoko who ran witness protection for the icc told me  were going to burn down your house tomorrow  witnesses and court personnel were exposed the courts kenyan outreach coordinator received death threats one victims attorney in the kenyatta case left the country for his safety mochochoko says we have never had a case with this level of threats directed not only at witnesses but anyone perceived to be witnesses or perceived to be cooperating
but some of the indignation was genuine there was a gulf of understanding between the court and kenya one moreno ocampo whose political guile was undercut by his political tone deafness never quite grasped the courts very mission involves trying atrocities that stem from cultural conflicts whose nuances its lawyers and judges from their remove in the hague cant hope to fully appreciate im not at all sure that international courts really are set up to understand the realities of the conditions theyre investigating paul seils of moreno ocampos preliminary examination unit told me
many kenyans didnt see why so few should stand trial for a social upheaval caused by so many they thought the defendants were guilty and were proud of them for it kikuyu believed kenyatta had protected them in a tribal war non kikuyu felt the same of william ruto and the kenyatta case in particular had unsettling reverberations kenyattas father had been tried by the british for leading mau mau freedom fighters most of them kikuyu whose rebellion in the 1950s precipitated kenyas independence mungiki traces its origin to these guerrillas the court had no sound evidence against the elder kenyatta who denied any connection to mau mau he was convicted anyway now his son was facing eerily similar accusations for many kenyans the trial felt like a return to colonialism indeed after the icc defendants were named they came to be known in kenya as the ocampo six a reference to the kapenguria six the group of suspects that included jomo kenyatta
uhuru kenyatta knew he could portray his trial as a heroic struggle   but only if he upstaged moreno ocampo in the cross examination which was being broadcast live on kenyan television
for his own part moreno ocampo had debated whether to question kenyatta himself he had never interrogated a witness in the hague courtroom he decided to go ahead only days before the hearing i could not delegate he told me the case was too important his preparations were bafflingly scant when i asked how long he took to learn about mungiki the crux of the case moreno ocampo replied breezily me two hours his staff was worried but knew protest was pointless
as moreno ocampo rose to begin the questioning kenyattas face stiffened the prosecutor hadnt been speaking long however when his team next to him in the prosecution box sensed something was wrong their boss was uncharacteristically awkward and hesitant his queries were aimless kenyatta fended him off at every turn he blamed raila odinga for the postelection violence and wedged in righteous speeches ultimately violence does not help any particular situation whether you are aggrieved or not he said
some members of moreno ocampos team grew nervous one member put his hands to his face another shifted in her chair this is just embarrassing one thought at one point moreno ocampo seeming desperate for the defendants help asked so you have no information about the violence in detail
fifteen minutes in kenyatta cottoning to moreno ocampos lack of preparation relaxed in the stand after moreno ocampo asked a particularly ill phrased question a wry smirk overtook the defendants face looking at the judges he said coolly i think the prosecutor does not understand our system
moreno ocampo gained his footing halfway through the 45 minute session when he asked about the cash payments kenyatta had reportedly made to mungiki kenyatta scoffed but then overstepped saying i wish i did have that amount of money
moreno ocampo knew this was preposterous kenyatta is among the wealthiest men in africa he had an opening can you describe to the court the amount of your patrimony moreno ocampo asked
kenyatta chuckled and looked at the judges i did not understand what he has just asked he said
moreno ocampo flustered repeated the question can you describe to the court the entirety of your patrimony how much money you have the presiding judge frowned and told moreno ocampo to move on
when i asked moreno ocampo about the cross examination in vienna he responded tersely i took my decision and i know why i did it he said i dont think it was a big difference he commended kenyattas performance calling him courageous and great
he never confronted kenyatta with maina njengas statements when i asked why moreno ocampo told me it would have been irresponsible i didnt think i should expose maina njenga he said i cannot protect him there had already been multiple attempts on njengas life many followers had been killed as had his wife it was clear that powerful people wanted him dead
though the charges against kenyatta were confirmed he had shown himself to be the defender of kenya its rightful president older kenyans were reminded of the commanding performance his father gave in a courtroom a half century earlier he officially declared his candidacy after returning from the hague a campaign spokesman said kenyatta was anointed by god to lead the people a nation editorial said he deserved the nobel peace prize for ending the postelection violence
the icc chief prosecutors term is nine years and in 2012 moreno ocampo left the court for me it was an honor and a pleasure to serve the kenyan people he said in his final news conference the kenya cases were important to him personally to do justice for the past and to be sure that the next elections are peaceful
the presidential election in march 2013 pitted kenyatta against raila odinga it was peaceful kenyatta won with william ruto as his running mate it was assumed that they detested each other   ruto a member of the kalenjin tribe was formerly a close ally of odingas and faced almost identical charges at the hague as kenyatta only for ordering the deaths of kenyattas tribesmen but in running together they had an unbeatable if hugely cynical message hatred for the icc and by extension the west kenyatta didnt have some grand electoral strategy a campaign adviser to kenyattas party peter kagwanja told me today if you want to win an election in africa you just have to have the west bash you
kenyatta invited president yoweri museveni of uganda to speak at his inauguration nine years earlier museveni asked the icc to prosecute the lords resistance army and the prosecutors office had built its best cases against joseph kony and his deputies one of them dominic ongwen is currently awaiting trial in the hague but in his speech museveni who was marking his 28th year in power congratulated kenyan voters for rejecting the blackmail of the icc which the west used to install leaders of their choice in africa and eliminate the ones they do not like
kenyatta and rutos alliance surprised moreno ocampo he knew they were smart but i never suspected they were so smart to create the ticket once they won the kenya cases disintegrated it had emerged that in 2009 the third key witness against kenyatta who claimed to have discussed violence with him personally had been tracked down by two kenyan men in california they recorded a video in which he went back on his testimony after the election the prosecutors office dropped him several months later the first two witnesses withdrew from the case according to the prosecution all three men were bribed paul muite who represents the first two witnesses told me he believes this is true there are now witness interference cases pending at the hague against three kenyans muite added that even if they were paid off the witnesses can never return to kenya once the government knows youre a witness you have literally signed your death warrant he said
when countries join the icc they agree to submit their highest officials even their presidents to prosecution if the occasion arises the kenyan government showed early on it had no intention of meeting this obligation at the united nations its diplomats lobbied unsuccessfully to have the cases suspended the kenyan parliament voted to abdicate the court requests for information went unanswered the attorney general refused to turn over phone land and asset records of kenyattas one man who was investigated though not charged by the icc for trying to expose witnesses dennis itumbi now works in kenyattas office kenyattas office did not respond to requests for comment for this article
in december 2014 the icc withdrew the charges against kenyatta a news release blamed unreliable witnesses and the kenyan governments obstruction in response kenyatta tweeted as they say one case down two more to go in april of this year the cases against ruto and sang were vacated
the kenyatta case could technically be reinitiated but its difficult to see that happening the prosecution tried to recruit new mungiki witnesses but couldnt people who had tried to help the court like george kegoro the waki commission secretary no longer trust it kegoro told me moreno ocampo never seemed to appreciate the chances he and other kenyans took they put a lot of people at risk he said living as i do here the best thing is to keep off someone like ocampo
moreno ocampo now divides his time between buenos aires and new york where he practices at the firm getnick  getnick after a decade in the spotlight he has disappeared from view today it is hard to find anyone working in international justice to speak well of him he rushed into something in the belief it would give him publicity and credibility cherif bassiouni an international lawyer and one of the drafters of the rome statute told me of the kenyatta case instead he created a now almost impossible situation which has discredited the court
even at the hague i found few people willing to defend moreno ocampo theres perhaps a risk the trial attorney benjamin gumpert said when you are concentrating first and foremost on the message a case is going to send that more technical considerations like are we actually going to convict this person may feel more subsidiary
moreno ocampo says he did everything he could to convict kenyatta but he didnt dispute gumperts characterization the message a case sends the shadow of the court   that was the goal the problem with courts moreno ocampo told me is they believe the trials are the most important things no the most important thing is the prevention of crime he had set out to prevent future political violence in kenya and in this sense at least the kenyatta case was a success the suspect became president but there was no violence in the elections
kenyatta doesnt look at it that way in a speech to the african union after his inauguration he said the west sees no irony in preaching justice to a people they have disenfranchised exploited taxed and brutalized his efforts to banish the icc from africa are backed by a growing list of african leaders among the most vocal aside from museveni are the presidents of zimbabwe and rwanda and of course omar al bashir that all of these men have been accused of atrocities of their own is not coincidental but even president jacob zuma of south africa which was once the courts main advocate in africa has joined the chorus
what kenyatta did not mention in his speech is that four of the courts 18 judges are african as is almost a fifth of its staff moreno ocampos successor as chief prosecutor fatou bensouda is gambian and has been trying to mend the courts relationship with the african union in the hague i asked her if she was troubled that almost all her cases concern africa
no bensouda replied i am an african and a proud african for that matter i love my continent dearly but i cannot sit here and tell you that im not concerned about the trouble that my continent is in for the past i dont know how many years im very troubled by that
in vienna i told moreno ocampo about eric the man attacked by mungiki in his home the day after the attack eric woke up in a nakuru hospital to find that half of his left arm had been amputated his head was slashed his wife explained that while he was being tortured she and their daughters hid in a cupboard in the bedroom police officers rushed to their home and took the family to the hospital where they lived for weeks because it was too dangerous to leave
they traveled across the country to the home of erics mother who still supports them eric cant find work hoping for some compensation he joined the case against kenyatta i asked him what he thought when he learned the case had been withdrawn i have not seen any justice he said
the second time i saw moreno ocampo express remorse was when i told him this
its awful he said his face dropping i remember a lady in kenya who the only hope for her was us and now i imagine how bad she felt that i feel badly about
the former lieutenant of njengas like many kenyans ive spoken with says he regrets the violence but believes it was necessary the kikuyu his tribe faced a massacre he is convinced
the last time we met i asked if he thought kenyatta was guilty of the icc charges he recounted a meeting he attended in january 2008 in the midst of the postelection violence where kenyatta was the chief guest and mungiki were present in the meeting kenyatta was careful never to mention violence explicitly nor the gang by name but he collected cash donations i asked the former lieutenant if it was possible kenyatta did not understand violence was being planned
no he said it is not possible
i asked again
no he repeated with capital letters


when ronnia cherry 30 and stefan grant 27 rented a house in atlanta through airbnb last year they were caught off guard by police officers at their door with guns drawn responding to a neighbors report that they were thieves
we had to explain the owner gave us the security codes said ms cherry who like mr grant is among the rising tide of black travelers decrying racist experiences while using the home sharing service and giving birth to the social media campaign airbnbwhileblack
the long simmering issue was inflamed last month when an airbnb host in north carolina made hateful racist posts in canceling a booking by a black guest
it is the latest in a series of stories both anecdotal and academic regarding bias in the home sharing system in may gregory selden a black airbnb user turned to twitter to share his experience of being turned down by a philadelphia host he posted that he then made a fake profile as a white guy and was accepted immediately he has since filed a lawsuit against airbnb saying that it violated his civil rights
a january study from harvard business school found that airbnb users with distinctly african american names were roughly 16 percent less likely to be accepted as guests than those with distinctly white names the difference persisted according to the report whether the host was black white male or female or whether the accommodations were shared or not
when it comes to accepting guests hosts may stipulate that they dont want smokers or teenagers renting their property but federal law prohibits discrimination on the basis of race color religion sex or national origin
airbnb addressed the north carolina incident by banning the host from its service on june 1 the companys chief executive brian chesky posted on twitter the incident in nc was disturbing and unacceptable racism and discrimination have no place on airbnb we have permanently banned this host
the next day the company announced that it had hired laura murphy the former head of the legislative office of the american civil liberties union in washington to lead a review of airbnb practices that it expects to conclude in september airbnb has also said it will announce actions it will take in handling discrimination soon
the issue has inspired others to come forward with their experiences of alleged bias at airbnb including shadi petosky who recently tweeted that a host had turned her down because she is transgender ms petosky wrote that she complained of the incident to airbnb when it occurred in 2015 to no avail and that she decided to post about it given the north carolina incident and the airbnbwhileblack complaints
airbnb also removed that host according to nick papas a company spokesman we are conducting a comprehensive review and examining what can be done to ensure we resolve these kinds of issues quickly and help make sure everyone is treated fairly he said in a written statement
almost 1 in 5 american leisure travelers has used a home sharing service in the past 12 months according to the san francisco based atmosphere research group which specializes in travel industry analysis
airbnb wasnt the one who discriminated it was the homeowner who exhibited ugly behavior said henry h harteveldt the founder of atmosphere research group it does show airbnb didnt think to include a stated policy or training about nondiscrimination
ms cherry and mr grant who rented the atlanta house said that they were not waiting for airbnb to address bias and announced this month that they plan to start noirbnb
its a black owned company thats serving a market we know very well ms cherry said she added that the service still in the planning phases will welcome all people of all races we want to educate and empower other travelers of color
rafat ali the founder of the travel news site skift has experienced both sides of the argument as a journalist who covers airbnb extensively and as a traveler who sensed that he was turned down for a booking based on being as he put it a brown muslim guy
i think this needed to happen to get them out of their tech mind set mr ali said they have to see the human cost of this now and im sure theyll try to figure out some checks and balances
one of those already in place at airbnb is instant booking which acts like a hotel booking engine in the sense that it is fast and identity free now my preference is to instant book rather than email the owner mr ali said
just how existing anti discrimination laws apply to home sharing services is unclear and may be a matter for future litigation under the civil rights act of 1866 or the fair housing act according to deborah n archer a law professor at new york law school the director of the schools racial justice project and a co director of the impact center for public interest law
people who experience racial discrimination while using airbnb should continue to document their experiences and file complaints with airbnb ms archer wrote in an email the issue of racial discrimination in renting is something that airbnb has to acknowledge and address systemically not just on a case by case basis people should also file complaints with federal state and local fair housing agencies


after my first airbnb guests checked out of our garage apartment last february i eagerly called up their online review i had no reason to suspect anything but flattering comments from the two young women from oregon one of whom had originally planned on coming with her husband to celebrate their fourth anniversary until he had to drop out at the last minute she brought a friend instead but disappointment i discovered came along in her suitcase
when they arrived for the three day stay in my home southwest of austin i met them cheerily with a basket of muffins and walked them through the apartment which my husband and i used to rent out long term until we decided to jump on the airbnb gravy train if all went well we figured we could make the 650 we used to get per month in six nights
as a travel writer ive reviewed scores of hotels and was quite sure i knew what i was doing we bought a sumptuous pillowtop mattress luscious sheets and towels and an array of pillow styles i left coffee tea and real half and half no powdered creamer for my guests as well as bubble bath for the tub as i arranged the vintage patio furniture on the balcony and looked out over our 15 acres of rolling texas hill country terrain i thought who wouldnt love this
well as they say pride goes before a fall very little supplies in the kitchen was just one of the gripes the oregon women left in their review they gave me three out of five stars   a rating handed out in fewer than six percent of stays according to a subsequent tsk tsk note from airbnb thanks to my faceplant out of the gate i was told my search placement would be impacted for months to come my cumulative star rating remained less than nearby hosts i was devastated especially since i had sung the guests praises in my review of them reviews are published simultaneously so i didnt see theirs in advance i felt the same pangs of rejection and inadequacy that go with unrequited high school friendships
and so i discovered how little i knew about hospitality in the brave new sharing economy airbnb offers pages of advice on how to meet its hosting standards in areas such as communication respond to reservation requests within 24 hours for instance and pricing a very high price may lead travelers to assume your listing is extra luxurious   they shouldnt be expecting a castle when they arrive at a cottage
the site also lets you know what will happen if you consistently fail to measure up travelers ... tell us that getting rejected can be discouraging so if you decline an excess number of reservation requests your listing may be temporarily deactivated the company which says it has removed hosts for apparent discrimination is attempting to get even more stringent with this type of penalty in order to address recent reports of some hosts not accepting requests from minorities
but in all those pages of practical information heres what airbnb doesnt tell you
honest reviews of both hosts and guests are what keep the whole airbnb system in check without them people could go on rock star room smashing benders with no consequences or hosts could get away with horrors like leaving hair doilies in the shower drain
but even if youre used to people throwing darts at you in your professional life its something else to have strangers judging your home and your way of living and doing it publicly id told the oregon women they were my first guests and to let me know how i could improve but they never mentioned any problems and seemed happy enough being called out online is like asking someone if you have food in your teeth and having that person proceed to announce that yes in fact you do over a loud speaker
that first review started well enough   beautiful setting and decor kind gracious host then came although and the first salvo there was no drinking water as if i was a stingy desert dweller guarding my oasis spring when i regularly had our well water tested and it was just fine the true outrage i wanted to tell them is when 700 a night hotels charge 10 for a bottle of water the women also complained that the jets didnt work on my whirlpool tub even though i had told them thats why i hadnt advertised the feature on my listing
the personal sting of such finger wagging is compounded by the potential financial one since negative comments affect future bookings i had been told by experienced airbnb hosts to price my property low initially to get reservations which would lead to reviews that would attract other guests then i could raise my rates but they didnt say what would happen if you got a big raspberry luckily i already had more bookings lined up
even the things you cant control my worst sin in that first review turned out to be location location location they claimed i was at least an hour from downtown not 30 minutes as i said truthfully in my listing their low rating on my accuracy was in the airbnb webosphere the equivalent of yelling liar liar
my listing included a map that showed exactly where i was in relation to austin when they arrived the oregon women told me their gps took them the wrong way and they did make the trip during rush hour hence the 60 minute drive time no matter their travel issues became my issue i wanted to respond to their review with an apology for not clearing the highways out of austin for them but i had the sense to know snark would not win me future bookings instead i immediately put a disclaimer on my listing that your driving time may vary because of traffic duh implied
once youve gotten a less than rave review you start looking at every possible defect as a potential online skewer one day when the wind blew one of the sheets off the clothesline and onto the ground i had some romantic notion that people would appreciate the smell of country air dried bedding i imagined the review id get if our next guests suffered a spider bite in bed another time i noticed the bathroom sink was leaking in my head i saw could not sleep because of the drip drip drip the emergency plumber bill was about half as much as my imminently arriving guests were paying for the whole stay at that moment the 650 a month from non review writing tenants seemed like a bargain
when i bemoaned my bad review to a friend she mentioned that she always gives wine to her guests aha i thought thats what i was missing so in addition to a basket of muffins i began leaving a nice bottle of sauvignon blanc how much are you spending on each guest my husband asked when he saw me carting the check in swag to the apartment to be honest i didnt really care my pride was at stake and anyway it seems to have worked all my reviews were glowing after the addition of alcohol
you may start your airbnb career imagining youll be a magnanimous mi casa es su casa kind of host but at some point youll have guests wholl make you want to hide under your bed until theyve gone out for the day we had a perfectly nice couple who could not master the thermostat and would call or text every time the temperature was not to their liking theyd also frequently update us on their struggles with the icemaker the washers spin cycle the ceiling fan switch
on one occasion when i ran into the couple in the driveway they informed me that theyd found an insect they suspected was a kissing bug which they claimed was poisonous though id never heard of it in my 20 years in the texas hill country they were thinking of sending it off for testing and oh by the way the wife had some weird bite on her arm i think my eyes spontaneously crossed later after theyd checked out and given me five stars wine for me after that one i got a text from them saying that the agricultural extension agency confirmed the insect was indeed a kissing bug it was with great joy that i deleted it and thanked the patron saint of innkeepers st martin of tours   who according to some sources also serves that role for alcoholics appropriately enough   that they hadnt included that little tidbit in their review
even at a motel 6 im no longer hosting for airbnb   not because i got my 600 thread count egyptian cotton sheets in a wad but because we sold our house five months into my gig we made a bit of money from our stint as guesthouse hosts   maybe not as much as my husband hoped with the wine and all plus because of that first blot on my record i never felt i could raise my rates
however i gained something else in the process a new empathy for those ive scrutinized in my other life as a hotel reviewer cleaning toilets in between guests will do that for you these days i avoid using a hotel towel to wipe off my eye makeup because i know firsthand that mascara is nearly impossible to get out i lose the woman on the verge tone when i call the front desk over a temperamental wi fi connection
i was just a hobbyist but ill think twice about re upping with airbnb in our new home though we have the space the hospitality business is one long grinning love me please tap dance more easily disparaged than done


a few years ago the brooklyn museum put on a keith haring exhibition with a focus on his early career there were videos of haring at work feverishly painting his way across an enormous scroll and a room filled with drawings he illegally chalked in subway stations but most stunning at least to me were harings notebooks they were displayed under clear cubes their well worn sheets pinned open for visitors to study
the notebooks were sublimely surreal filled with dogs crawling beneath bulbous ufos and penises ejaculating alongside concave cylinders that looked like nuclear cooling towers by the time i first encountered harings work as a teenager his artistic legacy had been reduced to catchy imagery of colorful blocky bodies hugging and dancing on t shirts but the notebooks showed what nagged at the artist what motivated him i saw someone so suspicious of government surveillance that he often wrote in secret code someone obsessed with the subversive power of gay sex and someone working to merge his skepticism of capitalism with a deep rooted desire for fame and commercial appeal
i left with an urgent curiosity about what sort of artifacts we would display a few decades from now for future generations to discover our contemporary analogues to the personal notebook now live on the web   communal crowdsourced and shared online in real time some of the most interesting and vital work i come across exists only in pixels tumblr for example contains endless warrens of critical theory about trans identity politics and expression one of the few havens on the web where that sort of discourse exists many of the short videos on vine feel as though they belong to an ever evolving completely new genre of modern folk art some of the most clever commentary on pop culture and politics is thriving deep in hashtags on twitter social media is as essential to understanding the preoccupations and temperature of our time as harings notebooks were for his but preserving materials from the internet is much harder than sealing them under glass
building an archive has always required asking a couple of simple but thorny questions what will we save and how whose stories are the most important and why in theory the internet already functions as a kind of archive any document video or photo can in principle remain there indefinitely available to be viewed by anyone with a connection but in reality things disappear constantly search engines like google continually trawl for pages to organize and index for retrieval but they cant catch everything and as the web evolves it becomes harder to preserve it is estimated that 75 percent of all websites are inactive and domains are abandoned every day links can rot when sites disappear images vanish when servers go offline and fluctuations in economic tides and social trends can wipe out entire ecosystems look up a blog post from a decade ago and see how many of the images media or links still work tumblr and even twitter may eventually end up ancient internet history because of their financial instability
there are scattered efforts to preserve digital history rhizome an arts nonprofit group built a tool called webrecorder to save parts of todays internet for future generations the internet archives wayback machine has archived hundreds of billions of web pages but theres still a low grade urgency to save our social media for posterity   and its particularly urgent in cases in which social media itself had a profound influence on historic events
in august 2014 bergis jules an archivist at the university of california riverside traveled to washington for the annual meet up of the society of american archivists the day before the conference began michael brown was killed by a police officer in ferguson mo jules along with millions of others found himself glued to twitter for news reactions and commentary in the days that followed hashtags like iftheygunnedmedown challenged the narratives presented by the mainstream media and prompted a national dialogue about racial stereotypes and police brutality jules teamed up with ed summers a software developer in attendance and started collecting tweets that included the word ferguson
as an archivist jules was struck by the way twitter   and all social media for that matter   is permanently altering the way we think about history were thinking ahead to how well look back jules says he offered the example of how their project docnow collected tweets tagged with sayhername a campaign that emerged within the black lives matter movement to make the movement more gender inclusive for now docnow is focused mainly on twitter but jules hopes it may be built out in the future to work elsewhere
social media might one day offer a dazzling and even overwhelming array of source material for historians such an abundance presents a logistical challenge the total number of tweets ever written is nearing half a trillion as well as an ethical one will people get to opt out of having ephemeral thoughts entered into the historical record but this plethora of new media and materials may function as a totally new type of archive a multidimensional ledger of events that academics scholars researchers and the general public can parse to generate a more prismatic recollection of history
in march i participated in a talk at the museum of modern art about racial and gender disparity among wikipedia contributors and how it influences the texture of the site roughly 80 percent are men and minorities are underrepresented print out everything about the star wars universe and youll have a heavy tome but many notable abolitionists and female scientists are practically nonexistent considering that wikipedia is the sixth most visited site in the world and increasingly treated like the encyclopedia of record this problem seems worth considering after the discussion kyra gaunt a professor and social media researcher approached me in her spare time she maintains the twerking entry on wikipedia which is embroiled in a never ending debate about how to define the dance move is it more crucial to highlight its roots in black culture or miley cyruss impact on its mainstream popularity even new historical records like wikipedia can be derailed by old biases reasserting themselves at least wikipedia publishes each pages edit history so as long as it can keep its servers running there will be a rich catalog for future historians to see what we argued about and why
the internet is pushing us   in good ways and in bad   to realize that the official version of events shouldnt always be trusted or accepted without question and historians are constantly updating the record by looking for primary sources that were overlooked in earlier eras often from marginalized figures these days such omissions will still happen but we can catch them faster oversights that would have taken decades to correct are now resolved in weeks even hours we now get a kaleidoscopic view of events as they unfold often in real time on our screens and devices history is not neutral or synonymous with truth but the internet affords us a newfound vantage on the totality of passing time   the profound implications of which we are just now beginning to grasp
last year two scientists presented a theory in quantum mechanics that they called entangled histories they argue that the existence of a particle in space is fractured along many alternate timelines all of which must be considered to understand the full chronology of its life cycle it is baffling and exhilarating in the way only quantum physics can be but one idea stood out as particularly resonant jordan cotler an author of the paper and a graduate student at stanford university has said our best description of the past is not a fixed chronology but multiple chronologies that are intertwined with each other weve long known that this is how human history works   an unimaginable number of small stories compressed into one big one but maybe now we finally have the ability to record and capture them all and history can become something else entirely not a handful of voices but a cacophony


milan   is there any place quieter than milan on a summer sunday the sidewalks have been rolled up since friday when anyone who can afford it took off for the weekend to some country place beside one of lombardys jewel like lakes or perhaps an old painted house in the engadine valley of switzerland it takes more to lure those people back to the city than some potato chips in a bowl and a bottle of budget rose
knowing this miuccia prada and her husband patrizio bertelli pradas chief executive sent invitations weeks ago to what was characterized as a small private dinner to be held at the couples foundation on milans perimeter and then mobilized the forces of their multibillion dollar fashion empire to populate that dinner with the most prominent citizens of town fat cats plutocrats high level bureaucrats and of course the aristocrats whose family names grace streets and buildings throughout this ancient capital of the north
thus on a beautiful summer evening the de chirico esque plaza within the walled prada foundation compound   on the grounds of a former brandy distillery   resembled the set of a visconti movie one featuring the directors actual descendants
there for instance was his nephew and namesake luchino sipping an ice cold negroni as he talked with a member of the brandolini dadda family although perhaps it was a caracciolo or a de benedetti or a clavarino or a melzi deril or a galateria di genola or even a belgiojoso about the challenges of running the medieval castle and village he and his sister verde inherited about 90 minutes outside milan
not far from them sat a talking automaton from an installation by the polish artist goshka macuga it had one foot encased in a brick the other in ooze moving its arms in a disturbingly lifelike way the bearded contraption croaked out oracular utterances about the end of mankind
waiters clad in livery from mercatores the uniform store patronized by the elite of milan gave the art gizmo a wide berth as they circulated with square trays of tiny quiches stuffed with baby summer vegetables or anchovies on toast
into the cool evening air the russian model sasha pivovarova blew smoke from a cigarette bummed from milla jovovich and the editor and longtime prada stylist katie grand talked shop with the fashion critic tim blanks as diego della valle the billionaire philanthropist and owner of tods air kissed   left cheek to right in the italian fashion   federico marchetti the self made magnate who founded and runs the yoox net a porter group europes largest e tailer
and then the energetic mr marchetti seeing an american friend darted over to regale him with stories about another recent dinner party of note this one at bill gatess house outside seattle the one where he keeps the codex leicester by da vinci on view
i asked him for selfie mr marchetti said scrolling through his phone to find the shot
carine roitfeld among the more redoubtable multihyphenates in fashion sidled up to the bar and ordered her own negroni make it very light on alcohol she told an uncomprehending waiter who poured a healthy shot of gin into the classic aperitif one part gin one part vermouth rosso one part campari garnished with orange peel that some consider summer in a glass
ms roitfeld took a sip and waxed philosophical though not in so doomful a manner as the mechanical cassandra nearby
she has been clearing her life of negative energy people ms roitfeld said and now felt much lighter as a consequence the secret to everything in life is learning to say no she said adding that gisele bundchen gave her that choice piece of advice
the lightest and briefest of rain showers fell as ms prada the hostess walked solo across the courtyard and into the bar area soon a dinner gong sounded and guests like the actors willem dafoe jessica chastain and ansel elgort the artists francesco vezzoli and nathalie djurberg and the designer raf simons moseyed into the foundations podium building there were some 300 guests in all
before taking seats at tables set up in concentric circles like the fortifications around a castle a few people stopped and looked at the sky
a rainbow had formed over the prada foundation and regardless of whether the guests were titled famous rich beyond dreams of avarice or winners of some genetic lottery simple wonder momentarily took hold of them
then they all pulled out their phones and snapped it for instagram


los angeles   in theory a new ghostbusters movie sounded like a surefire success a generation after bill murray dan aykroyd harold ramis and ernie hudson defended new york from paranormal terrors and a supersize marshmallow man in ivan reitmans 1984 comedy blockbuster followed by a 1989 sequel and after years of failed attempts at follow ups and restarts it seemed time for a new group of actors to handle the proton packs and the ectomobile and who better to take on this challenge than kristen wiig of bridesmaids and her academy award nominated co star melissa mccarthy teamed up with leslie jones and kate mckinnon of saturday night live then add the director paul feig who has worked with ms mccarthy on bridesmaids the heat and spy and fought for greater female representation in hollywood
but not everyone is excitedly anticipating this new ghostbusters which sony pictures will release on july 15 almost from the moment that its leading women were announced in january 2015 it has been the subject of intense criticism from a subset of prospective moviegoers who though they have not seen the film say that it should not have been remade and that its female principal cast is a concession to political correctness online youtube users have given its trailers more than one million negative votes while clamoring in comments that women simply cannot be ghostbusters even before he declared his presidential candidacy donald j trump posted an internet video in which he intoned now theyre making ghostbusters with only women whats going on
while some of the ghostbusters stars have pushed back on social media against sexist detractors and cries of youre ruining my childhood others have refrained from weighing in but this month ms mccarthy ms wiig ms jones ms mckinnon and mr feig gathered here at the hollywood roosevelt hotel to talk about the production and the timely if vehement argument they unexpectedly initiated as a group the actresses and their director were at times a goofy giggling quintet cracking wise and riffing on one anothers jokes but they are also passionate advocates of their work and of one another and keenly aware of what the debate around ghostbusters really says about peoples feelings about gender onscreen and off
these are edited excerpts from that conversation
for the cast members was the original ghostbusters an important film to you
melissa mccarthy growing up it was i loved everybody in it and to see them come together in this strange funny heroic way i love unlikely hero stories   people that cant necessarily do something then struggle and achieve it
leslie jones bill murray was just so funny to me   there wasnt anything spooking him even when stuff happened he would crack a joke and i was like oh thats how i would be
kate mckinnon i was born the year it came out not certain about the date laughter
paul how did the idea of your making a new ghostbusters movie come up
paul feig ivan reitman had a sequel script he was excited about and asked if i wanted to do it the idea was the other ghostbusters were going to hand off the technology to a new group then amy pascal the former sony studio chief called me to lunch and she was like why dont any of you comedy filmmakers want to do this because its this sacred movie and its scary to take on those guys but she said theres this great franchise sitting there that stuck with me funny people in peril fighting the paranormal with technology is such a good idea so i thought how would i do it oh all the funny women that i work with and am dying to work with that makes me excited for this should they be their daughters no because theyre being handed something oh if i could reboot it
how did you arrive at the cast you have
feig the fellow screenwriter katie dippold and i didnt want to write the first draft with anyone in mind because we wanted to figure out how to get that dynamic right why was the original successful obviously the idea is great but it was because of the chemistry of those four guys and the people around them i thought ive got to get the funniest people who have different comedic energies but are still united in a similar sense of humor
did you hold auditions
feig i didnt audition anybody i met with you guys separately for drinks
mccarthy you didnt take me to drinks
feig but i hadnt had all four of them together as it was getting closer i dont know maybe the chemistry might not work so when we did our first camera test we had each one come out in different costumes and filmed them you all got in front of the camera i was just like turn to the right turn to the left and they suddenly started dancing doing a chorus line i was just like gasps this is going to work
was there a point at which you noticed that because of the films premise and because the leads were female some subset of your audience was not happy
mccarthy you mean the crazy people
jones you mean the people that dont know that its a movie
kristen wiig i feel like when we were shooting it wasnt really much maybe a few things here and there
feig well youre good because you and kate arent on social media leslie and i get in the muck were brawlers down in the digital mud
mccarthy when we were shooting paul would bring in pictures of young girls dressing up and they had made their own proton packs and jumpsuits and i thought thats really cool i was more aware of that stuff
jones to me the people who are crying about this is ruining my childhood this movie is not for them anyway
wiig they need to probably go to therapy
mccarthy i think their childhood was pretty much ruined already if this broke it it was pretty fragile to begin with it is good to remember it is a tiny tiny fraction that screams normal healthy people dont stand outside saying youre ruining my childhood theres one nut on every corner in every city that does it but so what the other 300000 people in a town arent doing that
why are some people approaching these big budget fantasy movies   like the new star wars or your film   as battlegrounds for social ideas
feig i think its the death throes of the old guard it makes a smaller minority scream louder because theyre losing their grip on the cliff i understand if somebody was remaking the godfather i would be like wait a minute but when everybodys like its a cash grab everything ever made in hollywood since the beginning of time is a cash grab thats why the original ghostbusters existed it wasnt an altruistic thing studios make movies to make money and filmmakers try to make something that will entertain an audience while trying to make money for the studio
jones they redid roots and everyone was saying oh it shouldnt have been done i was like it definitely should have been done because it needs to be refurbished for the new generation so they can understand it when we did this reboot i thought ghostbusters fans would be so excited theyve got the new technology   the ghosts are going to look real now these kids are not going to get the jokes that bill and dan told there has to be a new story
are there people who just dont like the idea of a movie where the principal cast is female
mckinnon its a relatively new concept and i think it started in earnest with bridesmaids and has been growing since then i remember when baby mama came out i was like horrified no one will see this why would they do this i remember even having a little bit of that reaction myself its this ingrained sexism thats just thats not going to work because we havent seen that before and now were seeing more and more of it and it just is going to become commonplace its not quite commonplace yet
jones im surprised because women have been killing it for years its the same thing when you go to a comedy club announcers voice are you guys ready for a woman are you ready for a unicorn why is being a woman so surprising there are two sexes a man and a woman so if its not a man in a movie what else was it going to be
mccarthy theres a weird replacement phenomenon a fear that if you put two women in two men come out i dont know why that viscerally affects certain people its not how i ever think if i see four men im not like well those are four jobs women didnt get great for them theres room for everybody
we want to believe everybody is rooting for equality but are there people who still arent comfortable with it
wiig oh yeah look at donald trump hes real popular unfortunately
he criticized the film even before he declared his candidacy
wiig i didnt even know that
jones thats just talking loud saying nothing
mccarthy i hope hate stops being popular its tiring and completely ineffectual
feig remember gay marriage was such a big bugaboo until it wasnt its always the new generation thats going to come along and just go we dont care
will hollywood look at this movie as a litmus test of   
wiig emphatically how many litmus tests do we need laughter ive been hearing this for five years sorry im finished
feig but i will tell you yes it is being looked at that way its not fair that in 2016 we should be in this situation where this is standard thats where hollywood should go wow we are so behind the times theres so much gender diversity and parity in other fields here it just hasnt happened and thats ridiculous
does a movie have the ability to change peoples minds for the better
feig i just want it to be the new normal where it doesnt matter anymore the whole chick flick idea is an excuse for guys not to have to see something its what i consider to be a derogatory title i try with my movies to go look how funny these people are guys were taken to see bridesmaids which looked like the ultimate chick flick to them and they all came out like oh my god thats so funny
is there a male movie franchise that youd like to see remade with a female cast or a male character youd want to play yourself
jones looking to kate you know what im going to say stir crazy gene wilder richard pryor me and kate we watched it together and she literally had the biggest smile on her face the whole movie
wiig to kate do indiana jones and the temple of doom laughter
feig india jones it writes itself
wiig me maybe the old man from up laughter
mccarthy planes trains and automobiles is my favorite movie the john candy role he was so goofy and then so heartbreaking i thought he was perfect in that i wouldnt touch it but when i think about a part to play i think oh my god to have that and do such lovely delicate work
melissa do you approach an ensemble like this as if youre the team captain
mccarthy no no no i think pauls the team captain i just come in and   
mckinnon fake crying i thought i was team captain
mccarthy youre co captain its like keeping a ball in the air youre more worried about keeping it going and getting it to someone else as opposed to grabbing it its a really huge trust thing its almost impossible as a performer to be like im not going to worry about anything im doing to have paul worry about that stuff and then all we have to do is concentrate on it and be in it makes it so joyful
do you feel like youre all part of one anothers lives as a result of making this movie
wiig you cant go through an experience like that and not be in each others lives forever
jones we fought a war together i feel like these are my sisters every time we work now youll hear paul go ladies ladies ladies put that down hey ok melissa get down from there
mccarthy melissa put kate down i carry kate around on my hip like a tiny baby koala its so lovingly disrespectful


every week or so during the spring i met with reince priebus the chairman of the republican national committee at the party headquarters on capitol hill we fell into a familiar routine i would enter his office usually chaperoned by sean spicer the rncs chief strategist and head of communications priebus has a healthy appreciation for gallows humor which is not a bad thing for an rnc chairman these days i havent started pouring baileys in my cereal yet he says often enough that it has become a signature line i would regularly break the ice with something sarcastic like asking priebus how his partys hispanic outreach program was going on the morning after the committees head of hispanic outreach resigned rather than work another day for donald trumps election the scent of party unity is in the air i said in may when paul ryan reported that he was not there yet on supporting trump no thats incense priebus said pointing out that he had been burning some behind his desk
as suits a man occupying what might be the toughest political job in america priebus does his best to stay availed of serene distractions he plays jazz piano at home late at night and gazes into the 29 gallon saltwater fish tank that he keeps next to his desk you see that big eel priebus asked one day pointing out a black slithery creature on the bottom before noting others thats a yellow tang hippo tang a spotted puffer theres an anemone an urchin an orange clown fish he took a hunk of shrimp from a refrigerator and dangled it with a set of tongs into the water a race to the bottom ensued as bits fell away and the fish vied for pieces of flesh it was difficult to look away from the feeding frenzy the big orange clown fish flailed at front and center i asked priebus if it reminded him of anyone thats not funny he said with something between a slight grunt and chuckle
no matter how much trump has roiled the republican water it remained priebuss job to carry it the presumed republican nominee appears on many days to be at open war with the party that is about to nominate him the entire campaign meanwhile has been a proxy battle for the proverbial soul of the party that has been escalating between the gops populist grass roots captured by trump and party leaders embodied by priebus the house speaker paul ryan and the senate majority leader mitch mcconnell is the gop now the party of trump priebus bristles when people ask him this   or taunt him i asked priebus some variation on this question during each of my visits donald trump is donald trump priebus says and the party is the party
priebus is a german name pronounced like the toyota prius with a b stuck in the middle reince short for reinhold rhymes with pints is 44 but has an older mans vibe he is often underslept has the beginnings of jowls and tiny goose pimples clustered under his eyes like those on the belly of a toad he speaks in the slow and slightly put upon manner of an adolescent whose parents are always hassling him about the nightmare house guest the trump issue in other words its never far from anything and really these days what else is there
plenty priebus kept trying to convince me the republican party had its own distinct identity and principles and points of pride it controls both chambers of congress and holds more federal and statewide seats than at any time since 1900 he said what keeps eluding republicans is the white house they have lost the popular vote in five of the last six national elections cultural elections priebus calls them   the big ones a chief reason for this is that many voters dismiss republicans as being culturally and demographically stuck in 1900 it was priebus who commissioned and endorsed the findings of the gop autopsy after mitt romneys defeat in 2012 formally christened as the growth and opportunity project the report warned that the gop was increasingly marginalizing itself to a point where it would be increasingly difficult for republicans to win another presidential election in the near future that is the report concluded unless the party expanded its aging white base to include more immigrants ethnic minorities and women precisely the groups the next likely standard bearer has so splendidly repelled
priebus refers to himself as a party guy he spent much of his youth in kenosha wis organizing pizza parties for republican volunteers putting up yard signs and listening to newt gingrich speeches on cassettes in his car   party guy things his first date with his future wife included a trip to a republican lincoln day dinner an evening sexed up by the presence of two republican congressmen james sensenbrenner of wisconsin and henry hyde of illinois being a party guy can come off sounding a little old school nerdy like being a ham radio guy but priebus speaks of this identity with sincere pride and his allegiance is clear to the party not any one nominee
still our meetings sometimes took on the feel of therapy sessions with priebus playing the role of the betrayed spouse trying to convince me that his tormentor really could change trump would soon be pivoting into a more presidential mode priebus kept promising but after a while it became clear that trumps outrages would continue unabated within the space of a few weeks he suggested that bill clinton had committed rape and along with hillary might have killed his former aide vince foster and that ted cruzs father might have associated with lee harvey oswald and that mitt romney walked like a penguin and  priebus pretty much stopped bothering with presidential
on this particular day cable news was wall to wall with stories the surfacing of an audio tape of someone sounding a lot like trump claiming to be a trump spokesman the discovery of a facebook post from trumps longtime butler calling for president obama to be killed and news that the trump campaign had selected a white nationalist leader to be a california delegate the delegate wound up resigning priebus eventually pivoted to trumps supposed authenticity yes authenticity was a better word more latitude he settled on the idea that trump was a unique candidate who had created a new standard for what a politician could say and get away with hes carved out this idea that hes this earthquake in a box priebus says
priebus was saying in effect that it would be possible to build a wall around donald trump and not have the gop pay for it trump did not define its values in the long term even if he might temporarily defile them were the party of the open door  priebus told me as he often does not big beautiful walls
for a while this spring it seemed possible to contain the earthquake trump showed flickering signs of maturing as a candidate and republicans seemed willing to support the nominee if not endorse him the normalization of donald trump became a media watchword the idea that his daily affronts could be integrated into the routine paces of a quadrennial exercise formerly hostile primary opponents like marco rubio lindsey graham bobby jindal and rick perry all at various points said they would support trump or were at least no longer in rubios case deriding him as a fraud con man and lunatic or in grahams a race baiting xenophobic religious bigot or in jindals a madman who must be stopped or in perrys a barking carnival act i imagined trump laughing at how easy it was to get republicans to submit to him after he had savaged so many of them during the primaries actually there was no need to imagine because trump was doing exactly that ive never seen people able to pivot like politicians he said at a rally in california in late may while boasting of his support from perry in an interview i asked trump if it was harder to flip politicians or the real estate people he has dealt with over the years his smirk was audible over the phone well im not referring to any politicians in particular but ive said many times that businesspeople are much tougher trump said politicians tend to be much more deceptive and deceiving and more willing to break a deal but they are not as tough
priebus meanwhile kept working the phones trying to coax anti trump republicans back to the party line and persuade   beg   trump to lay off the elected republicans he kept dumping on i have encouraged him to constantly offer grace to people that he doesnt think are deserving of grace priebus said trump in turn calls priebus mr switzerland and speaks well of him reince is a peacemaker a very good person for getting people together he said trump was calling me from his limo after a rally in anaheim calif he was in the midst of an intrapartisan grudge tour of the american west during which he disparaged among other republicans jeb bush the south carolina governor nikki haley and the new mexico governor susana martinez who is one of the highest profile hispanic elected officials in the gop he also reiterated that romney was a loser and a choker and for good measure boasted that i have a store thats worth more money than he is
priebuss mother is greek which he says trains him for dealing with whatever the greek word for mishegas is ever see my big fat greek wedding he asked thats my family thats my life the arguing starts at 730 in the morning everyones in each others business it was good family chaos i asked if what the gop was going through now was good family chaos
it depends how it turns out he said
at this point in the pre general election calendar four and eight years ago romney and john mccain had built massive campaign operations and fund raising networks that were orders of magnitude larger than trumps they had accumulated armies of elected officials promoting them and were diligently making peace with vanquished opponents and paying courtesy calls to party dignitaries and congressional leaders in the name of unity the period between the end of the primaries and the start of the conventions is typically one of consolidation good will harvesting and turning full attention to the general election opponent   all of which trump has succeeded in achieving the 180 degree opposite of
trump would of course be the first to point out that both mccain and romney lost and that he has been doubted at every step of his campaign but the degree to which he seems unconcerned with his pariah status among name republicans remains a key feature of his pursuit to a comical extent top republicans willed themselves invisible when i reached out to them for this article fearing not incorrectly that the conversation would turn to trump this included some of the most typically quotable republicans including former trump challengers like graham hes sorta had his fill talking about trump a spokesman emailed perry thanks for thinking of him and ted cruz not great timing on our end the previous nominee mitt romney you are kind to think of me he wrote trump stalwarts like chris christie we are going to take a pass this time trump averse republican governors like charlie baker of massachusetts the governor wont be available and senators like mike lee of utah senator lee would love to talk to you about the state of the gop and conservatism in general we are free anytime after nov 8
i tried rubio who has undergone more public agony than perhaps anyone about trump rubio looks nauseated whenever someone asks him about the man he called the most vulgar person to ever aspire to the presidency but who later said he would be honored to speak for at the republican convention before clarifying that if he did speak he would only speak about things i believe in not somebody elses platform rubio also holds the astonishing position of saying hell vote for someone he has previously declared unfit to hold the american nuclear codes you envision him under a mushroom cloud assuring his kids that it could be even worse   at least he didnt vote for clinton
theres a palpable weariness among republicans and its still only june every day its something else what it does is suck all the oxygen out of the chamber senator susan collins a republican from maine told me im trying to do my job as a senator which does not end because we have a contentious and bizarre presidential candidate
trump after accumulating enough delegates to win the nomination with almost no visible operation or recognizable strategy has only nominally scaled his campaign beyond where it was a few months ago there is barely any fund raising or field apparatus to speak of and trump has outsourced a great deal of the nitty gritty of an enormous general election campaign to the overtasked rnc priebus has won praise for revamping the fund raising data and field infrastructure that he inherited from his embattled predecessor michael steele in 2011 but no national committee in recent memory has been called upon to pick up as much operational slack in a general election i asked priebus if he was frustrated that so much has been thrown into the rncs lap its more frustrating for us when a campaign comes in and layers over our field staff is how he spun it
in addition to celebrating the presidential nominee national conventions are a showcase for party eminences rising stars and elected officials not so here the last nominee romney and two living former presidents george w bush and george hw bush have said they are not supporting trump or will not campaign for him mccain has said he would be skipping the convention and is pursuing his senate re election in arizona with characteristically gritted teeth the familiar it pains me to do this routine three of the top five runners up in the primaries   cruz jeb bush and the ohio governor john kasich   have either made no commitment to support trump or in bushs case said definitively he would not support him a fourth rubio in addition to his prolonged and winding agony over trump has said he does not want to be considered as trumps running mate this is a popular distancing trick doubling as a nifty humble brag among reluctant trump endorsers to the members of the press who are asking while i am flattered to be mentioned nikki haley said my plate is full and i am not interested in serving as vice president for the record trump finds these expressions annoying they were never asked trump told me i dont like it when they do that because its very dishonest if theyve taken themselves out it means theyre not being asked
there is a distinct sense among leading republicans that if you take proper precautions   trump proofing   its possible to avoid contagion ryan agreed to be interviewed for a fathers day feature in people magazine but only on the condition that no trump questions be asked
trump seems to fundamentally welcome the partys revulsion as ryan wavered over supporting him trump was privately saying that ryans rejection might actually help him that he was just the kind of political lifer whom trump positioned his campaign against his social media director and a former caddie dan scavino jr actually went public with this tweeting out a link to a column in breitbart headlined paul ryan is the reason the gop is losing america
while ryan is trying to refashion and sell the gop as a party of innovation and heart trump is a creature of mouth and gut and other lower body drivers they can try to operate in parallel gop universes but the two styles are often in obvious conflict
on the sunny morning of june 7 in washington ryan and a group of seven house colleagues visited the mostly black neighborhood anacostia to highlight a central idea of ryans agenda after a meeting at a residential addiction treatment center the representatives took turns giving testimonials on why republican policies   lower taxes entitlement reform less regulation   would better address the intractable problems of urban poverty this was ryan at his most earnest and high minded his concern for the urban poor derives heavily from his intellectual mentor jack kemp the former republican congressman housing secretary and patron saint of reagan era supply side conservatism poverty is the first item of ryans six part policy plan he spoke at a lectern surrounded by community leaders and then invited questions from the press
did ryan have any regrets about endorsing trump i told you ryan said smiling turning to one of his hosts the first six or so questions were about trump he was then in the midst of a furor over his repeated claims that judge gonzalo curiel the indiana born jurist presiding in a civil case against trump university could not rule fairly because he was mexican ryan was blunt on the curiel matter claiming a person cant do their job because of their race is sort of like the textbook definition of a racist comment he said that was the headline ryan expressed great frustration that such comments by trump undercut these things meaning this anti poverty event
when we spoke ryan was most eager to discuss priebus his old friend and fellow wisconsinite along with the high profile governor scott walker the trio form a formidable gop axis of cheese heads i asked ryan how he as the highest ranking elected republican would distinguish his mission as a party leader from priebuss i see my role as helping to define the standard which are the issues ryan told me priebuss role is building the partys apparatus to be ready for the standard bearer reince is basically being the adult in calming the situation he added he is protecting that grass roots process reince is protecting that from being disfigured or hijacked
ryan views himself as a guardian of conservative ideas ideas is one of those fetish words popular among ambitious young pols conservative ideas mongers are constantly dropping kemps name as the speaker of the florida house rubio published a book in 2006 of 100 innovative ideas and spoke about his love of ideas during his presidential campaign before he started making pee pee jokes about trump bobby jindal the louisiana governor who was then considered one of the rising star innovators of the party warned after romneys defeat in 2012 that the gop must stop being the stupid party and urged fellow republicans to talk like adults and swear off offensive and bizarre rhetoric he then embarked on a presidential campaign in which his most memorable idea was suggesting that trump looks like hes got a squirrel sitting on his head jindal dropped out in november trump barely bothered to insult him
jindals stupid party remark reflected a concern among idea conservatives that was marinating well before trump came along that the republican party has taken on an increasingly anti intellectual bent there has been a strong populist allergy to elitism within the gop coalition for a long time but sarah palins emergence as the vice presidential nominee in 2008 and subsequent tenure as a party celebrity was a benchmark lesser imitators like michele bachmann and herman cain took turns as republican front runners in 2012 trump made his name as a national political figure in 2011 and 2012 with his flamboyant campaign to prove that obama was not born in the united states an oft discredited notion that was especially offensive to african americans four years later the leader of what many republicans had hoped was a nativist fringe movement is the partys presumed nominee
ryan believed that he and fellow idea mavens in congress could preserve the partys substantive core this would be the laboratory from which he could remake the partys conservative identity while attracting new republicans including young and minority voters i have to protect conservatism from being disfigured ryan told me his focus he said is on ideas temperament and the future of conservatism
ryan has little confidence that trump cares at all about his ideas possessed that temperament or had thought at all about the future of conservatism trump almost never talks about ideas unless you count blustery promises to build a wall and make mexico pay for it end lousy trade deals and win again
when after considerable public hesitation ryan finally did say he would vote for trump he wrote a column in a newspaper in janesville wis reiterating his view that politics can be a battle of ideas not insults and that if were going to unite it has to be over ideas he said he had become convinced that trump would help us turn the ideas in this agenda into laws
what trump had going for him more than anything in ryans eyes was his willingness to outsource the conservative idea architecture of his administration to ryan and like minded republicans in the same way that hes farming out much of his general election campaign to the rnc even so theres no avoiding that trump has over the last year been the ubiquitous voice of the gop to most voters many of them new ones he can cut a problematic image to say the least in a june 15 bloomberg poll just 32 percent of americans view the republican party favorably the lowest figure since the surveys 2009 inception
priebus and ryan were relatively powerless during the primaries as trump undertook his systematic disfiguring of the rncs plans for a more inclusive party last summer during the relatively innocent months of trumps campaign priebus called and urged him to tone down his remarks about mexican rapists for example trump scoffed at the idea that such a puny figure a party guy would ever try such a thing were not dealing with a five star army general trump said priebus paid a debasing house call to trump tower last fall to accompany trump as he signed a loyalty pledge to the eventual nominee he listened this spring to trump predict riots in cleveland and complain about the rigged system that might deny him his rightful nomination give us all a break priebus tweeted at one point he has endured an outpouring from a gallery of never trumpers who are urging the rnc to take extraordinary measures and disavow its extraordinary nominee if priebus ends up blessing the trump nomination wrote the washington post columnist michael gerson the head white house speechwriter for george w bush it would turn the sins of trump into the sins of the gop and priebus would go down as the head of the party who squandered the legacy of lincoln the legacy of reagan in a squalid and hopeless political effort
priebus is not a man for extraordinary measures he is an organization man in a time of disruption runaway self esteem and selfie campaigns party guys go along its not always a fair fight
political parties have seen better days in america they are like many big and traditional institutions that way the government the church among others signing on with the donkeys and elephants would seem a tired construct in a disintermediated culture of free agents and personal brand customization identities have replaced affiliations
in the course of reporting this article i asked many republicans of varied perspective why a young person today should consider joining a major political party the question elicited sighs and head shakes as if i were asking them why a millennial would join a kiwanis club except that kiwanis clubs arent actively being resisted the way the democratic and republican parties are based on data from a 2014 pew survey 39 percent of the electorate identify as independents compared with 32 percent as democrats and 23 percent as republicans thats the highest proportion of independents in nearly eight decades of surveys despite the fact that the country remains heavily partisan its certainly worth pointing out that people have been predicting the death of the two party system in america for years and also the demise of individual parties at various low points the gop was supposedly terminal after barry goldwaters landslide defeat of 1964 as were the democrats following the rout of george mcgovern in 1972 each party came back to win the white house four years later priebus not surprisingly is a defender of the party status quo the reality is theres two doors that people can walk through in this country he told me its not italy we dont have 12 different parties where everyone can fit into their exact box
still the culture and speed of technological change has fueled an accelerated shift in how voters engage with and perceive political institutions and politicians when i asked trump the why join a party question he said i think the whole system is changing his toggling between parties over the years has been well documented likewise his embrace of atypical republican positions during the primaries   his support for some aspects of planned parenthood   did nothing to thwart his nomination it would indicate that voters might not be as wedded to the assumed conservative orthodoxies as gop leaders might think you have people who are socially conservative and fiscally nonconservative and vice versa trump told me you have so many different permutations now
trumps embrace of this a la carte approach comports to a sensibility of voters choosing between models of disruption rather than a singular ideology in a sense disruption in and of itself has become an ideology whoever swings the biggest wrecking ball wins washington is so broken and needs to be disrupted and a lot of what could happen in this disruption would be good said ben sasse a freshman republican senator from nebraska unfortunately it has to be someone who takes seriously the stewarding of a whole nation and who cares about facts and who is trustworthy
sasse was pointedly not talking about trump he has said that he could not support him as his party nominee he would not be voting for clinton either there are dumpster fires in my town more popular than these two leaders  he wrote in a facebook post in which he predicted the imminent breakup of both parties he was harsher on trump everywhere he goes in nebraska sasse told me people ask him for advice people say im distraught im opposed to everything hillary clinton stands for and yet i think i have to vote for her how do you make sense of this what should i do  he said these are young evangelical women teary sometimes they say i can never tell my kids i voted for that man 
sasse who is 44 became an instant luminary of the so called never trump movement after he unloaded on trump he is mostly avoiding interviews though in a classic bit of politician faux modesty took this as an opportunity to share with me that ive turned down something like 45 sunday shows in a row
i asked sasse if americas fascination with celebrity might help explain the rise of trump no he said there is such crisis of shared vision for what america means right now sasse a harvard trained former college president and business consultant said people desperately seek shallower pop culture as a form of escape rather than finding actual meaning for politics to be satisfying it requires deeper ideals and to partake of it as just another celebrity snack food leads a citizen to feel after a while like youve eaten a crap ton of cotton candy
in a tweet from early may sasse tried to nudge the former senator tom coburn into making a third party bid coburn an oklahoma republican and family practice physician left the senate in 2015 after spending his career   six years in the house 10 in the senate   as one of washingtons proudest conservative mavericks and procedural troublemakers sasse told me that coburn is one of his political idols he also mentioned paul ryan if tom coburn and paul ryan have a baby sasse said im their hideous offspring
all things being equal coburn would welcome having a superdisrupter in washington he has never been a party guy i dont think it really matters the parties coburn now retired and living in tulsa said but trump has been repulsive to me he said adding that trumps ability to win a party nomination kind of fits with the modern social decline of america i asked coburn what trumps nomination signaled about the state of gop he was characteristically glib apocalyptic and idealistic either trump is going to totally destroy the republican party coburn said or in the aftermath of him possibly losing an election were going to rebuild it stronger than ever
the raze and rebuild option is predicated on trumps losing several republicans i spoke to seemed to hope for this if not explicitly it is politically fraught obviously to say they will not support their partys presidential nominee but based on my discussions im willing to bet a good portion of the elected republicans who claim minimal allegiance to the nominee will wind up voting for clinton in the privacy of their voting booths while rooting for trumps complete humiliation were just going to have to swallow it said mark salter the longtime chief of staff and confidant of john mccain hes just unfit for the office referring to trump as for clinton he said i mean the worst thing you can say about her is shes kind of a hack
ed rogers a republican lobbyist and veteran of the reagan and george hw bush white houses calls himself a not yet republican meaning he is not yet ready to support trump and has in fact moved in the opposite direction since trump clinched the nomination last month rogers a longtime business partner of the former mississippi governor and rnc chairman haley barbour acknowledged that the republicans tend to exaggerate clintons flaws as a trade prerogative the clintons have never been the demons ideologically that weve made them out to be rogers told me from a character standpoint theyre pretty bad but hillary isnt the frightening offensive character that trump is
if grass roots republicans rebelled against the establishment in the primaries trump has provided the establishment with mounting ammunition to fight back in the 11th hour the first half of june has been a running train wreck for trump beginning with his crusade against judge curiel trump has been provoking increasing alarm among republicans at the moment he should be proving himself nominally presidential the republican senator mark kirk of illinois announced that he could no longer support trump in the aftermath of curiel i think hes too bigoted and racist for the land of lincoln lindsey graham did the same and urged other republicans backing trump to rescind their endorsements top republicans voiced widespread opposition post orlando to trumps reiterated calls for a temporary ban on muslims entering the country
trump in turn called party leaders weak and pounded them for not falling in line behind him just please be quiet dont talk he railed at them at a june 15 rally in atlanta we have to have our republicans either stick together or let me do it by myself trump said ill do very well he would be banking on the two party system being sufficiently hobbled that allegiance to him would prevail over partisan loyalty republicans wouldnt hold it against trump that hes anathema to their establishment while democrats would feel no loyalty to their traditional home team let alone to hillary clinton trump appeared at this moment prepared to begin an independent general election campaign under the nominal banner of the republican party while using their abundant resources this looked more like a jail break than a pivot
the second week of june was shaping up as another one of those baileys in my cereal stretches for reince priebus we were two days past the mass shooting in orlando a horrific event that moved trump to tweet immediate thanks to all those who sent him congrats for predicting it he also called on obama to resign and later seemed to suggest that the president might have even been complicit in the tragedy this invited swift repudiations from republicans and democrats including a furious obama whose presidential stature seems to grow the longer trump dominates news cycles obamas net job approval rating has risen nearly 20 points since trump became the gop front runner and the partys inescapable face last summer
priebus spent the weekend in utah at an annual ideas gathering that mitt romney hosts for republican luminaries donors and business leaders in a normal year this would serve as a republican unity confab before the convention party bonding in the mountains but this years edition was more of a rock slide it convened a huddle of the never trumps disaffected republicans in exile and increasingly skittish party notables like ryan and senator bob corker of tennessee romney set the tone for the weekend when he told wolf blitzer on cnn that trump in the white house could change the character of the generations of americans that are following and might result in trickle down racism trickle down misogyny and trickle down bigotry in a question and answer session with ryan the hewlett packard chief executive meg whitman who was the gop nominee for governor of california in 2010 questioned how ryan could endorse such an appalling figure she placed trump in the company of hitler and mussolini romney appeared to tear up at one point according to an account in politico seeing this just breaks your heart he said
priebus played the good party soldier respect mitt and differences but couldnt disagree more he tweeted at romney after his remarks lets stop this and unify priebus told trump opponents at the retreat that trump would win with or without their help he conveyed the exasperation of a substitute teacher being pelted with flying erasers
in almost every visit priebus and i had engaged in some variation on the same discussion i kept asking him whose party is this anyway who gets to define the gop
its the partys party he always answered the party defines the party convention delegates write the platform that lays out the partys tenets trump cant really change those its a common refrain these days among defensive sounding republicans trump is not going to change the institution the senate majority leader mitch mcconnell told politico last month referring to the gop hes not going to change the basic philosophy of the party
priebus and others might try to shape trumps behavior they talk every day priebus and trump and tens of millions of people are having their impressions formed shaped or solidified about todays republican party by watching donald trump they will vote for or against him in droves not based on anything they read in the platform whose readership probably amounts to less than 1 percent of trumps twitter following
as i waited for priebus in the lobby of the rnc i noticed a tweet from an associated press reporter saying that lamar alexander a republican senator had just suggested trump might not be the surefire nominee after all we do not have a nominee until after the convention alexander said thats what you say alexander added in response to a reminder that trump was in fact the presumptive nominee it would seem ridiculously late in the process to be haggling over modifiers at least it would be in a mythical normal year
when i walked into priebuss office he sat on his couch and soldiered forth like a good party guy if ryan and mcconnell tried to remain boxed off from the earthquake priebus occupied another shelter constructed of talking point armor alternate reality and denial im feeling good about things priebus told me his voice was flat and deliberate hostage video mode it was hard to resist a few pokes at the organization man hows that trump pivot working out
i think its a work in progress priebus said he was trying to be upbeat i have hillary clinton on the other side he said clinging to her as a lifeline he was hoarse i noticed him fiddling with a drink coaster the coaster bore a cartoon rendition sure enough of donald trump the only physical likeness i noticed anywhere in the building priebus had swiped a couple of these coasters from the bar at the hay adams hotel and found them amusing he set them on a side table in his office next to the fish tank
he predicted that clintons campaign would be a race to the bottom well yes theres nothing like claims of moral high ground on a campaign but i couldnt help reminding priebus that trump recently accused president bill clinton of rape obama of treason hillary clinton of murdering vince foster cruzs dad of associating with assassins romney of not being a real mormon and the rest of the litany where did the bottom even begin and where could it possibly end priebus said that the rape and vince foster things were sort of just warning shots to the hillary campaign
he also claimed that trump and clinton were running tied in the polls though this was being contradicted as we spoke clinton led trump by 12 points in a new bloomberg survey with 55 percent of respondents saying they would never vote for the republican and in an abc newswashington post poll seven in 10 americans viewed trump unfavorably up 10 points in just the last month a few days earlier the conservative radio host hugh hewitt said that republicans accepting trump as the nominee was like ignoring stage iv cancer there was a new wave of dump trump stories in the media mostly featuring the same band of wishful thinking never trumpers who seem to spend vast amounts of time on twitter i asked priebus about any convention situation that could deny trump the nomination he did not reject the possibility but its remote it would require an alternative candidate none currently an organizing effort and a confluence of highly unlikely rule changes delegate votes and procedural hurly burly whose likelihood priebus compared to drawing an inside straight three times in a row
i think people are living in fantasy land he said not saying whether he shared in the fantasy priebus was heading out to catch a flight to greensboro nc for a fund raising event with trump that night he was playing a role the party guy the proprietor of the china shop in the time of the bull there was something oddly comforting to me about this presence as thankless and unenviable as the life of priebus might seem these days what could be better for a lifer apparatchik priebus made a perfect old school foil to a new politics of blazing chaos it could be a great moment or a bad moment priebus told me but its going to be a moment
i thanked priebus for his time he was still fumbling with the cartoon donald trump coasters your partys made this story fun for me i told him
have i made it fun he asked almost plaintively or have i made it less fun


when a homophobic killer armed with an assault rifle perpetrated one of the worst mass shootings in united states history in an orlando gay bar this month the reassuring idea that such places are sanctuaries was upended for many of us gay bars are supposed to be refuges from intolerance judgment free zones that are for many people the only public places you can be truly essentially you lesbian gay bisexual and transgender people often travel with the thought in mind that almost anywhere we go well be able to find a neighborhood a club circuit or a beach town where acceptance is a given
if recent events are any indication lgbt friendly and safe are not exactly synonymous when it comes to safe places for the lesbian gay bisexual and transgender traveler to visit danger wont always be as obvious as it is in syria and iraq where people murder homosexuals by throwing them off buildings but here the same day the orlando massacre took place a man was arrested on his way to the los angeles pride festival with several assault rifles and the makings of an explosive device in his car though his motives were not clear we can assume he is not a pacifist in the ensuing days officials in oakland calif atlanta houston and new york looked into people who made copycat threats
as lesbian gay bisexual and transgender people make summer travel plans or even plans to attend pride celebrations in our own cities how important is safety when deciding where to go in a post orlando world and how do we balance the need for visibility as a means of social change with the need for fellowship within the community that accepts us i talked to people who form a loose knit lgbt travel collective and explored how a sense of nervousness and as there has been since the beginning of the gay rights movement a powerful feeling of defiance may shape where we go
i dont think it will deter the lgbt community from going to clubs said john tanzella the president and chief executive of the international gay  lesbian travel association speaking about the orlando attacks in a telephone interview were seeing huge attendance at vigils and pride events weve seen vigils in every city
mr tanzella attended the annual wilton manors stonewall festival in south florida on june 18 a day after we had spoken and tens of thousands showed up for the event which included a tribute to the orlando victims and jim werner a founder of the gay travel website fagabond said he attended the pride celebration in philadelphia on june 12 hours after the orlando shooting everyone came out he said there was a huge sense of community
not that everyone has shrugged off the danger ive encountered two schools of thought said kelsy chauvin a writer and editor who focuses on lesbian gay bisexual and transgender issues at a recent out magazine party she said most people said they would not change their travel plans but the next morning she heard from someone intending to avoid the new york gay pride parade out of concern for her safety
and thats new york one of the most diverse and welcoming cities in the world marching there certainly seems less frightening than in istanbul where the government has banned the annual pride march in response to threats from homophobic groups
though orlando may not immediately spring to mind as a gay friendly destination the way key west fla or provincetown mass might it really is welcoming and progressive and its proximity to disney world where these travelers go every year to celebrate gay days in late spring makes it a popular stop on the tourism map gay tourists often look to a bar as a beacon in an unfamiliar city and indeed a few travelers were among the victims in orlando
but the unfortunate truth is that this feeling that our havens are not actually snug enclosures insulated from a potentially dangerous world is hardly new
orlando wasnt the first time a gay bar has been targeted and sadly it probably wont be the last think new orleans atlanta and roanoke davey wavey a gay globe trotter and popular facebook and youtube personality wrote in an email a few days after the tragedy we like to think of these places as safe bubbles in a world that doesnt always accept us but orlando is a reminder about how fragile that safety really is
even before the orlando shooting the decision about what to do this summer was more charged than usual because of a presidential campaign and state laws in north carolina and mississippi exposing a divide on lesbian gay bisexual and transgender rights issues the number of places where you could morally defend spending your tourist dollars had already shrunk
orlando has reminded us that even though there are lgbt dedicated or lgbt friendly spaces and pioneering pockets of tolerance these places are not necessarily safe   especially if the community around them and the legislation of the state contribute to fostering anti lgbt sentiments merryn johns the editor in chief of curve magazine a popular lesbian publication wrote in a recent email florida is certainly one of those states and there are others especially in the south
north carolina is considered so gay unfriendly that the british foreign office issued a travel advisory in april warning its citizens to be aware that a bill had been passed requiring transgender people to use public bathrooms that correspond with the gender on their birth certificate
the question of whether to avoid the state is indicative of a perennial issue we face as we choose where to go the early ethos of the gay rights movement which gave rise to the chant were here were queer get used to it doesnt jibe with now avoiding places that restrict lesbian gay bisexual and transgender rights
its a really tricky question because its a double edged sword if we dont go they win if we do go were benefiting an economy that doesnt deserve our dollars nor does it forward our cause said mariah hanson the founder and chief executive of the dinah an annual girl party music festival held in palm springs calif for the last 27 years i think we need to spend our political dollars wisely so if not going to a place will force change i dont think we should go she said
plenty seem to agree mecklenburg county nc home to charlotte the states largest city has lost nearly 300 million as a result of the new law according to recent reports even asheville a city known for its relatively large lgbt population and lgbt friendly atmosphere felt the impact when the wk kellogg foundation canceled a planned conference there
this is vacation after all and most of us want to go someplace where we can unwind hence the popularity of the dinah gay or lesbian resort vacations or cruises like those on atlantis rsvp and olivia or other events that cater to lesbian gay bisexual and transgender travelers
for me personally if im going to be taking a trip its probably going to be to a location that is already going to be welcoming of gay people said eric silverberg a founder with johnny skandros and the chief executive of the gay dating app scruff in a telephone interview for me a big part of travel is the community that comes with being a gay man in a different city and meeting people in different places thats obviously a lot harder to do if youre somewhere that is openly hostile to gay men
going to gay events like the annual aspen gay ski week mr silverberg said is a popular way to travel among scruff users and users seemed to agree working with scruff the new york times travel section sent an in app message to users in mid may asking them for suggested coming events that gay travelers should know about and received hundreds of responses southern decadence in new orleans the lazy bear weekend in guerneville calif xlsior mykonos and a slew of pride related events around the world were a few of the most popular ideas
while the orlando shooting might cause some lesbian gay bisexual and transgender people to avoid big events at least for awhile the consensus if there is one among lgbt travel leaders is that attendance in most cases will only go up if youre visible and youre out were strengthened as a whole ms chauvin said no matter if its charlotte or provincetown


in the last part of espns o j made in america the prosecutor marcia clark remembers seeing the jubilation and grief across the country after the not guilty verdict in the o j simpson trial it was all so much bigger than we were so much bigger
you could take that quote more than one way ms clark has been second guessed for years for losing the case when it seemed so obvious to so many that mr simpson had killed nicole brown simpson and ronald l goldman maybe its natural for her to want to believe that she was defeated by intractable social and racial divides not by johnnie cochran
but shes also stating the documentarys theme the story of mr simpson made in america argues was the story of his country it was bigger than ms clark bigger than the dream team bigger than mr simpson himself
it was big enough in fact to fill two of the most astonishing television series of the year
when made in america was scheduled scant months away from fxs the people v o j simpson american crime story it sounded like overkill instead the pairing established the simpson story as the kind of historical episode that only reveals more when viewed from additional angles
the two series embody two ways of seeing history personal versus social micro versus macro in one version these events happened because these people with these characteristics made these choices in the other greater forces spanning millions of people and hundreds of years lead to a particular moment
television drama favors the first approach people like stories about people with a few exceptions   the wire notably   tv drama resists the idea that characters outcomes are fated as in greek tragedy by larger powers it wants its protagonists to steer the ship not to be carried by the current
so the people v o j gives us a version of the trial that is not bigger than ms clark et al but precisely life size and it does so brilliantly it shows mr cochran courtney b vance as crusader and manipulator ms clark sarah paulson as overmatched single mother beaten up by the tabloids robert kardashian david schwimmer eaten up by conflict and doubt
its trial is a drama of people won and lost by their ingenuity vanity and hubris it pulls up close sits you down at the conference tables and inside the bronco lets you measure the characters frailties and feel their sweat
in made in america on the other hand the director ezra edelman pulls back way back like a news chopper over a freeway chase before you hear about the trial the documentary says you need to hear all the stories   the stories of race celebrity sports america   that its a part of
people v o j begins at a sprint showing a clip of the rodney king beating introducing mr simpson as a celebrity murder defendant in a racially polarized city and adding context on the fly
made in america takes a long breath and says ok first heres what o j meant
here was what it meant for white america after the turmoil of the 60s to embrace a charming black athlete not just as an athlete but a celebrity an actor the face of major corporations this was the period of attempted racial detente in pop culture that brought forth the original roots mini series   in which mr simpson had a bit part
and it adds heres how hard that was heres how radical those innocuous looking hertz commercials were a strong black man running through an airport would white viewers be scared would he look like speed personified   or like a criminal
and heres how you fixed that problem in america in 1975 by making sure every other delighted face we saw cheering go o j go was white they endorsed the endorser it worked part of the dissonance when news of the murders broke in 1994 was the contrast with the innocuous o j from tv
ready for the trial not yet the second episode doubles back and says ok now heres what being black in los angeles meant
lets go back it says way back to the migration of african americans from the south who saw la as their best chance for a life free of discrimination and then forward to the watts riots in 1965 heres what the lapd its abuses and its fraught racial history meant if you were black in that city here are the promises made and broken heres the history that o j and america finally could not get past that jurors carried into sequestration
now it says youre ready to hear about the trial
one of these ways of telling the story   personal history versus social history   is not superior to the other nor are the lines between the two series absolute the dishy storytelling in people v o j makes the social context dramatic capturing the intraracial dynamics between mr cochran and christopher darden for instance or showing us how loaded the phrase simi valley is in a downtown la courtroom
and theres plenty of personal insight in made in america it fleshes out mr simpson whom cuba gooding jr plays as a volatile question mark in the mini series here hes complex self serving self deceiving and occasionally self aware
late in the documentary he gives a speech to a black audience after his trial about his relationship to that community what ive done is something thats happened with a lot of black men in america he says you find yourself protecting your place in society you tend to think that youre immune to something
it may be a true insight or it may be calculated its never certain if the real o j is ever less a performance than mr goodings this is just one way the two series bring out depths in each other
heres one more in the fx series after the acquittal an african american juror flashes mr simpson a black power fist salute its a small moment but visceral made in america unpacks it the juror it turns out had been a black panther then mr edelman cuts to a still of african american athletes at the 1968 olympics giving the same salute everything the hours of the film had set up   the history of race sport america   crashes together in that image
just so the two programs wind up standing together not as competitors but as collaborators in the end two o j series werent too much at all they were barely enough


thirty two hours after omar mateen began murdering people with a sig sauer mcx rifle at pulse nightclub in orlando fla   the deadliest mass shooting in modern american history   an entrepreneur named jeffrey isquith arrived at the merchandise mart in chicago a cavernous art deco building overlooking the chicago river for the neocon trade show which bills itself as north americas most important design exposition and conference for commercial interiors the show would bring the official debut of a product that his company ballistic furniture systems had been developing for five years bullet resistant panels that could be fitted inside chairs cubicles and doors
that morning several manufacturers of commercial furniture   the kind you find in hospital waiting rooms offices and hotel lobbies   were rolling out models using the new technology when i reached isquith on his cellphone on the convention floor he said that for furniture makers security is the big new frontier if you will its kind of sad to say that but its true in a news release that morning he noted that the kind of violence and terror seen in orlando was not going away anytime soon his product the release said offered a 21st century solution to saving lives and reducing injuries to innocent people in public spaces during an active shooter event
there are some cultural milestones that you dont even know exist until you trip over them the moment for instance when an active shooter becomes the kind of thing a furniture manufacturer might factor into its product design in the same way it considers ergonomics or biodegradability the migration of the term active shooter from law enforcement training manuals into the world of cable news chyrons twitter rumors and uploaded cellphone videos is itself an indicator of how a once anomalous tragedy has become just another event to prepare for like the fourth of july or a tornado among the many contractors that now offer active shooter training is g4s the global security firm that employed one omar mateen
the concept of the active shooter has its origins on the morning of april 20 1999 when eric harris and dylan klebold arrived at the west exit of columbine high school in littleton colo armed with an arsenal of sawed off shotguns semiautomatics and homemade explosives if not for their incompetence as bomb makers we might not remember the columbine massacre as principally a shooting at all the plotters had intended a spectacular explosion courtesy of two large bombs with timers planted in the cafeteria after which they would shoot the survivors spilling out into the parking lot before presumably dying in a hail of swat team bullets themselves it was only after the bombs failed to detonate that harris and klebold advanced on the school
in an interview with the denver post a few days later larry glick then the executive director of the national tactical officers association described the attack as involving active shooters   phrasing that acknowledged a new philosophy among law enforcement agencies on how to handle armed standoffs previously swat teams preparation for columbine style episodes was very ad hoc says stuart cameron the chief of the suffolk county police department in new york and an authority on active shooters and it largely failed to account for the possibility of an assailant who simply wanted to kill as many people as possible as quickly as possible
if the idea of the active shooter was new for law enforcement it was even more so for everyone else columbine was far from the first mass shooting in america but it was the first that a national audience experienced as a protracted televised live event this was even true for many columbine students as they hid in classrooms equipped with tvs they watched coverage of the chaos unfolding around them and the stories they told sheriffs deputies and reporters in furtive phone calls to the outside world were informed by the stories they had heard reporters tell already this was one factor in the fog of confusion that prolonged the standoff into an hourslong mostly imaginary siege harris and klebold had in fact committed suicide in the school library less than an hour after their rampage began but students and teachers were inhabiting a media narrative as much as an actual one the line between event and perception blurred beyond definition
even after columbine it took several years for active shooter to fully shed its quotation marks and explanatory parentheticals and take its place in the national lexicon that it has done so   less than an hour after the pulse attack began twitter users had identified it as an active shooter situation   says something not just about the proliferation of mass shootings in america but also about the way technology has transformed our experience of them
in 1999 social media as we now know it did not exist and 24 7 news was a niche commodity when harris was plotting the columbine massacre he thought of his project in what now seem like antiquated hollywood terms recording in videos that he wanted a lot of foreshadowing and dramatic irony and debating with klebold whether steven spielberg or quentin tarantino would better handle their story contrast that with vester lee flanagan ii the troubled tv reporter who fatally shot two former colleagues a reporter and a cameraman in virginia during a live broadcast last august after the shooting flanagan detailed his motives on twitter and uploaded a video of the murders which he had filmed with his phone as he committed them before killing himself
on youtube you can find a split screen video syncing flanagans phone footage with the cameramans live feed allowing the viewer to witness the moment simultaneously through the eyes of both the murderer and the murdered that diptych is the apotheosis of the postmodern real time violence introduced at columbine macabre evidence that terror is as easily packaged and consumed as any other form of content in a country containing hundreds of millions of guns and smartphones all of us are potential victims or digital bystanders in waiting   or both in the case of amanda alvear who snapchatted some of the first shots fired at pulse before she too was killed
the active shooter has always seemed a particularly   if not exclusively   american menace a dark confluence of the countrys mania for guns self definition reinvention and fame this is part of what makes the shooting rampages belated adoption by self styled islamic state martyrs   even american born wannabes with limited or nonexistent links to the aspirant caliphate   more jarring in its own way than any suicide bombing or airplane hijacking as adam lankford a university of alabama criminal justice professor who studies mass shooters and suicide bombers points out this development may be simple pragmatism this is a country after all in which an ar 15 can be bought in some states in a matter of minutes by virtually anyone with valid identification but a bulk order of ammonium nitrate based fertilizer may well produce a visit from the fbi
but its also true that the propaganda that the islamic state addresses to the west   the beheading videos the martyrs testimonies the social media exhortations to potential lone wolves   has always owed less to the world historical ambition of sept 11 than it does to the awful intimacy of columbine an act of killing that fell far short of its architects ambitions but haunts us all the more for having bound us to it as distant witnesses the active shooter is never far away here there are too many guns in america for us to ever delude ourselves into thinking otherwise and the footage is always streaming optimized for our many platforms
the writer william s burroughs   who having drunkenly killed his wife with a pistol knew of which he spoke   once observed that no one owns life but anyone who can pick up a frying pan owns death the active shooter owns something that in a distraction addled world is perhaps even more coveted our attention this is certainly what mateen wanted in the final moments of his life he reportedly stopped shooting long enough to search facebook for responses to his own performance


milan   on friday evening at the palatial museo bagatti valsecchi once home to a baronial family esquire gave a party at the center of it was jay fielden the new editor of the hearst mens publication which has been around since 1933
among those who made their ways through rooms lined with tapestries and swords at this milanese unveiling of the new esquire man were diego della valle of tods david lauren of ralph lauren thom browne and brunello cucinelli of their namesake brands and remo ruffini of moncler
mr fielden 46 was already known to most of the guests having made his name in fashion circles as the founding editor of mens vogue 2005 to 2008 and more recently as the editor of town  country a hearst title where he retains the title of editorial director
im a high priest of this man mr fielden said i believe in it
he looked natty in a brown double breasted suit the designer of which he was too discreet to name in a room full of advertisers although many had ventured onto the terrace on this refreshingly cool night
before his entry into journalism the born and bred texan worked at a ralph lauren boutique in san antonio this year he replaced david granger the deeply respected if not exactly fashion besotted editor who amassed 17 national magazine awards during his 19 years at the esquire helm
along with mr fielden copies of his first issue with viggo mortensen on the cover in a denim polo ralph lauren jacket and a brunello cucinelli shirt awaited the guests during his tenure mr fielden said fashion will be a particular focus
the landscape of mens style magazines is changing rapidly in america at the end of 2015 conde nast folded details around the same time maxim having hired kate lanphear to revamp the magazine in a more fashion forward and luxury centric direction parted ways with her and returned to its naughty laddie mag roots that leaves esquire to duke it out with gq its conde nast rival which held a milan party of its own saturday night
having a great competitor is a great thing for everybody mr fielden said
over a glass of pink champagne champagne the manliest order says the latest esquire page 82 mr fielden paused to chat interrupted intermittently to receive double cheek kisses and congratulations a condensed and edited version of our conversation is below
can you say where youre hoping to take esquire
i want it to be fun funny stylish and substantive those are four things that if i could apply them to everything in the magazine im happy it needs a full on overhaul to be what i think esquire should be in this day and age which is dovetailing with a moment in which men are more eager than ever to embrace a certain amount of daring when it comes to style
is the guy of 2016 ready for that in a way that the guy of the mens vogue era wasnt
to me whats exciting about taking on fashion is that im a person who likes clothes but im also a guy who worked at the new yorker for 10 years i dont think you have to be one guy or the other i think theres sometimes an assumption oh this is a guy who likes the superficial things in life and then this is a guy whos bookish and introverted i dont believe that i think they can be married together
do you feel the magazine had gotten stale or fallen into a rut
i think with any magazine that is edited by a certain person for a long period of time it expresses an idea about the world it was successful right its just inevitable when youre new to something you have to ask the most basic questions and if you ask basic questions and they dont seem to line up with what was then you have to change it
where will we see that change
a big part of the beginning is how to re evaluate the content when it comes to fashion and the subject of style if you think of esquire style starts with the words it always did it was about being stylish on the page
for me fashion has to be as journalistic as the rest of the magazine it has to be as important and interesting and relevant to this guys life if theres a guy who wants to read a 5000 word piece by a pedigreed writer then the fashion has to measure up to that
did you have any hesitation about taking on this magazine after your predecessor had such a long history and such good will
look stepping into the shoes of anyone who has a great reputation and was an award winning editor comes with respect trepidation and careful thought i think he did amazing things there he was an amazing editor yet he wasnt the only one esquires had a number of amazing editors he took over and someone will eventually take over for me thats exciting thats emboldening and yes it keeps you up at night you know the stakes are high


pop poet who says nobody reads poetry anymore on the paperback trade fiction list a debut collection called milk and honey by the canadian writer rupi kaur is going strong at no 8 after nine weeks kaur is a 23 year old social media phenom from toronto who gained attention last year when she fought instagrams removal of a photo she posted showing menstrual blood as her audience grew   she now has 475000 followers on instagram and 34500 on twitter   kaur earned a reputation not only for her photos and sketches but also for brief plain spoken poems tackling feminism love trauma and healing in short lines that can be as smooth as pop music love will hold you  love will call your name or as jagged as rusty metal the hurt  the loss  the pain  the breaking much of kaurs appeal comes from this artless vulnerability like a cross between charles bukowski and cat power and from an ingenues willingness to blurt out whatever is on her mind i was always writing for myself she told the times of india this month i wrote what i needed to write and hear   thats what makes it powerful and its this honesty that has got me where i am today well that and some serious marketing savvy besides milk and honey which she initially self published visitors to kaurs website can also buy jars of artisanal honey branded with her name from the hives of distinguished queen bees and she has ideas about how to expand her reach there have been articles saying that all women need to read my book she told the times of india i ask why not all men in fact that would be even more valuable because we women want to sit down with men and tell them   this is how we feel this is what we go through
the inheritance yaa gyasis debut novel homegoing hits the hardcover fiction list at no 15 the book details ghanas slave trade in the 1700s and follows its effects among generations of ghanaians both in and out of america oftentimes when west african immigrants get to america theres this idea that theyre set apart from african americans gyasi told vogue in a lot of ways culturally they are i wanted to show what it is actually that connects us and i had to go really far back to get there
quotable terry mcmillans breakthrough novel waiting to exhale spent more than a year on the hardcover and paperback lists back in the 1990s and every novel she has written since has also been a best seller her latest i almost forgot about you enters the hardcover list at no 12 but according to a recent essay in the washington post the book that mattered most to mcmillan in her early teens wasnt a novel at all it was bartletts familiar quotations this book of passages phrases and proverbs she writes helped me acknowledge that i didnt need to feel ashamed or embarrassed because other people had thought about a lot of the things i did   and not always in the same way


opener festival various venues june 29 july 2
the american rapper and music producer pharrell the norwegian dj kygo and the british singer songwriter pj harvey are scheduled to appear in this festival of european dance music american hip hop and british rock some dance performances theater pieces and art installations will also be on view openerpl
istanbul jazz festival various venues june 27 july 25
the blur frontman damon albarn will perform at the festival with the orchestra of syrian musicians a collective of around 50 musicians from the country the ensemble which is touring with mr albarn will perform pop music as well as music from syria other performers in the lineup include the british singer joss stone ercument orkut from turkey and the jazz drummer antonio sanchez from mexico who wrote the soundtrack to the movie birdman caziksvorg
les etes de la danse theatre du chatelet june 28 july 16
the new york city ballet will take up residency in paris this summer presenting a variety of works from its repertoire including george balanchines the four temperaments and jerome robbinss west side story suite newer works by the contemporary choreographers christopher wheeldon justin peck and alexei ratmansky will also be performed lesetesdeladansecom
storms war and shipwrecks ashmolean through sept 25
this exhibition focuses on artifacts mined from the waters around sicily the site of centuries of sea battles and storm strewn shipwrecks artifacts on view include terracotta ornaments marble statues and bronze armor above a bronze statue of reshef an ancient phoenician god of war and thunder from around 1000 bc the show also includes information on some of the crews involved in the expeditions ashmoleanorg
new romance art and the posthuman museum of contemporary art through sept 4
the theme of this exhibition deals with what it means to be a human in the modern machine driven world many of the artworks on view are science fiction oriented and focus on the possibility of a robot driven future the australian and south korean artists on view include ian burns wonbin yang soyo lee and siyon jin mcacomau
haruki murakami and illustrators chihiro art museum through aug 7
the japanese author haruki murakamis sometimes dark sometimes whimsical novels like the celebrated surrealist book kafka on the shore take place in a world populated by surreal goings on and strange opaque characters this exhibition looks at work by some of the artists mr murakami has worked with on picture books and other projects illustrators include makoto wada maki sasaki and ayumi ohashi chihirojp
degas a new vision ngv international june 24 sept 18
the french artist edgar degas is best known for his kinetic images of ballet dancers warming up dancing and lounging many of those images are in this retrospective as are some of his lesser known works including portraits and nudes around 200 pieces are on view the museum is also showing a smaller exhibition of work by the artist greg semu who recreated two famous paintings including gericaults the raft of the medusa as photographs featuring indigenous subjects ngvvicgovau
chen shaoxiong prepared power station of art through sept 11
the chinese artist chen shaoxiong is known for a mixed media practice that includes painting photographs and installation pieces his best known works are ink renderings of political protest though some major projects combine various media some of his works are in this solo show most of the exhibition focuses on his output over the past 15 years including two new works from this year powerstationofartcom
festival international de jazz de montreal festival site june 29 july 9
each year this jazz festival draws major crowds to the center of montreal to see quebecois jazz acts and major names the acts this year include cat power brian wilson and lauryn hill performers like andria simone a soul singer from ontario jane mcgarrigle a folk singer from quebec and popa chubby a new york born singer and guitarist will also appear montrealjazzfestcom
julidans various venues june 30 july 10
punk dance from france abstract solo choreography from spain and a hungarian piece inspired by war dance rituals from across the world are on view in this lineup a showcase of contemporary works from around europe pieces include the choreographer jefta van dinthers protagonist a piece for 14 dancers coke which the german choreographer arco renz developed with dancers from the philippines and barbarians an evening of work by the popular british group hofesh shechter company julidansnl


london   the two hemispheres that have dominated world soccer for the past century have reached a decisive weekend in their separate ways
in france the latest version of the european championships stops being a cagey group competition in which only the weakest third of 24 nations was eliminated by a slow process   and gets down to proper knockout play
the pick of the games ahead will be croatia against portugal in lens on saturday france versus ireland in lyon on sunday and italy playing spain at st denis north of paris on monday
england facing iceland also monday in nice is ripe for a giant slaying romance if the smallest nation by far in this tournament can pull it off
intriguing matches to be sure especially the one in lyon because of something that has festered for nearly seven years since thierry henrys blatant hand ball set up a goal that was allowed and eliminated the irish from the 2010 world cup
france as everyone knows puts a heavy emphasis on justice there might be many a neutral wishing ireland a smell of that on monday and since henry is now a broadcaster with the bbc for this tournament his take on anything controversial will be interesting
moving on across the atlantic the copa america centenario being hosted by the united states ends sunday argentina and chile make deserving finalists for the big game in new jersey they were after all the last two teams in the real copa america staged in chile one year ago and won by chile on a penalty shootout after the game and extra time ended goalless
the centenario partly an excuse to commercialize soccer in the united states has delivered a tournament that many can see as superior to the euros you want goals the copa has averaged three for every game played europe so far is at fewer than two per game maybe that will change now that the contests are winner take all and strategic draws are no longer of any use
but are there better strikers in europe or south america theres a reason argentina with lionel messi sergio aguero and gonzalo higuain is thrilling crowds of up to 70000 fans and that even extends to the american hosts being humiliated 4 0 in a semifinal that showed just how far off world standards the united states mens team still is
jurgen klinsmann the head coach of the americans said and may even have meant that he thinks the united states needs to play the likes of chile argentina and brazil he included the latter despite its early elimination from this tournament whether america would be best served by regular thrashings or should instead concentrate resources on improving standards among the masses of youngsters playing in america now who want to grow into world class players is a question for the united states soccer federation
it isnt just america that had a spotlight on its deficiencies after inviting such highly professional   and ruthless   guests mexicos 7 0 demolition at the hands of chile was enough to make the eyes water for that nation which sometimes makes beautiful latino incursions into the global game
the loudest debate now in the united states is whom to blame and obviously klinsmann who has had responsibility for mens soccer in the states for five years is taking the flak he was right though about one thing if you compare this copa america with these 16 nations to the euros klinsmann said before play began then i almost think you have more quality in this copa than you have in the diluted 24 team version of the european championship
he is right the quality of messi and his south american pals like neymar luis suarez dani alves and javier mascherano is intrinsic to what makes barcelona such a beautiful sight to behold
diego latorre a player once considered to be a future diego maradona is now a commentator for the fox latin american channel he wrote in argentinas la nacion newspaper last sunday on this side of the atlantic most players think first about dribbling and top strikers in the copa america have this in their soul
they do but when you have more than 3000 brazilians going to european clubs for the money some in their teens that romantic latin instinct gets dulled somewhat by the obedience imposed by more regimented european play
yet nothing has been a more thrilling adventure than what leicester city pulled off in the billionaires playground of english soccer this year and nothing has surpassed in terms of a similar sort of spirit against the odds the 1992 denmark team that came together on 11 days notice and won the euros
in copenhagen this month at the unveiling of europamestrene a book commemorating 25 years of the european championship i shared dinner with some of those danish players kim vilfort the player whose goal finished off the final victory against germany and defenders john sivebaek and torben piechnik were at that dining table
pleasant men in sporting retirement and perfectly willing to share their memories it was hard to get many words in edgewise you wouldnt really wish to because what was born in that summer of 92 so evidently still lives on to this day
those danes formed a closeness a shared spirit that took them all the way beyond the english french dutch and germans small was beautiful then there were just eight nations in the finals
today as klinsmann suggested 24 are too many iceland wales and northern ireland will not agree but much of the cautious play around france seemed determined by the weight of numbers and by teams not daring to score until the final moments
south americans possibly dream too much of pleasing the crowd europeans play with the emotional handbrake on until pushed
may all that change now that the knockout phase has commenced


london   the international cricket councils meetings normally take place in dubai but this years annual conference will start monday in edinburgh a move that could be symbolic of the huge changes that may soon engulf cricket
two years ago the council restructured concentrating power and money in the hands of three of the biggest cricket playing nations australia england and india the changes which gave the three nations permanent positions on the main decision making committees and gave them more icc revenue than the other 102 members combined attracted plenty of criticism some of it from transparency international
in the past year the council has begun to take a different direction last fall shashank manohar replaced narayanaswami srinivasan as president of the board of control for cricket in india and chairman of the icc and he immediately criticized the 2014 changes in november manohar said i dont agree with the three major countries bullying the icc declaring you cannot make the poor poorer and the rich richer only because you have the clout the icc runs cricket throughout the world
since then manohar has mandated that the chairman of the icc be independent   rather than simultaneously representing a country while serving   and resigned as president of the bcci to remain in the post the permanent positions of the big three on the icc executive committee and finance and commercial affairs committees have been scrapped
now the council aims to go further a five member panel has been created to conduct a complete review of the 2014 resolutions and constitutional changes and will report in edinburgh aiming to get the councils board to agree to changes manohar would also like to see the bccis share of icc revenue reduced although this decision is now not his it is just at the discussion stage his successor as the control boards president anurag thakur said this month
besides further reversing the changes of 2014 the cricket councils main concern is how to safeguard the future of test cricket the most prestigious form of the sport tests have been played since 1877 but the format is now under threat   partly because of the rise of the shorter twenty20 cricket format especially in domestic leagues such as those in australia india and the west indies partly from time pressures in the modern world and also it is believed because test matches are so poorly structured test matches count toward the world rankings but there is no overall league structure the cricket council also believes that the sport needs more teams if it is to survive only 10 nations are currently permitted to play test cricket
unless we can give some meaning to these series beyond the rankings and a trophy then interest in test cricket will continue to waver david richardson the chief executive of the icc told espncricinfo this month if we really want test cricket to survive we cant have the number of test teams diminishing we have to create a proper competition structure which provides promotion and relegation and opportunities to get to the top
the councils favored new structure for test cricket is for seven teams to participate in a division one and five in division two each country would play every other team in its division in a series either home or away every two years with promotion and relegation and with lower ranked teams able to win promotion to division two similar plans have failed before however the iccs management first attempted to introduce divisions as far back as 2004
there is renewed optimism this time it is no coincidence that division one would comprise seven teams the same number of votes as are needed from among the 10 full members of the icc to be voted through and the boards could also be driven to agree to the changes by self interest a number of member countries are finding that theyre not getting as much from their tv rights for bilateral cricket and they see the need to change and introduce some meaningful context richardson explained in the cricinfo interview
similar thinking underpins the councils hopes to introduce a new league of 13 countries for one day international cricket as with the plans for two divisions in test cricket this would take effect starting in 2019 the rationale is similar to that for test cricket to introduce more context for the matches allow emerging countries to rise and thereby help to increase interest from spectators and commercial partners
in the context of the councils fears about the rise of t20 the decision to return the world twenty20 to being held every two years from every four which is expected to be ratified in edinburgh seems a curious one but the council hopes that the extra revenue generated from more editions of the competition can be used to fund matches within the envisaged two division test structure in this way far from ending test cricket the hope is that t20 could help to save it


on saturday afternoon the legendary fashion photographer bill cunningham died in manhattan at age 87 shielded from the elements by a simple blue coat and with a camera always in his hand mr cunningham was a fixture on the streets of new york city and in the front rows of fashions most prestigious shows many took to twitter to mourn the loss of mr cunningham and to honor the man for whom everybody dressed   even anna wintour the editor in chief of vogue


here are the top 10 comments of the week on our digital platforms as selected by our readers and the journalists who moderate nearly every comment
1 good morning from an independent britain
today the sun is shining and i am bursting with pride that so many decent ordinary british people refused to be cowed by the bullying tactics and politics of the bloated globalists and the liberal elitists
the remain zealots main weapon of fear was the economy
what they failed to recognize is the economy means not a jot to people who have very little ie our almost decimated fishing industry the steel workers miners and others living in virtual wastelands
then to openly encourage mass immigration particularly into these forgotten areas was the final straw
  jill parkinson in england reacting to britains vote to leave the european union her comment was recommended by more than 280 times readers
2 i was born in 1960 15 years after the end of world war ii
unlike my parents i never witnessed a war in which tens of millions of people died and in which the major nations of the world fought against each other
what became the eu is a major reason for this i remember crying with joy in 1989 when the berlin wall came down
but now i look at my 16 year old son and wonder if he will experience more than a half century of such peace
and i am angry with david cameron for inadvertently fostering the hate that was such a prominent part of the campaign and bodes so badly for the future
racism was always key to the british feelings of superiority that lay behind this campaign just as it is to the american equivalent championed by trump
and the kind of bullying both campaigns fosters is a major threat to world peace
  kate in dublin
3 i voted passionately for a leave vote and i am jubilant at the result because i believe britain has more potential to grow outside the bureaucracy of the failed eu project
i love europe and i look forward to negotiating new fresh agreements that fit our interests and aspirations
i also immediately felt stronger and safer knowing that democracy and power have been restored to my elected govt
  akila deram in london writing on the timess facebook page
4 i was born in 1991 i dont remember a time when i was something other than european
its the ability of being at home in paris as well as berlin and madrid it is the feeling of being part of something greater than yourself
and this this feels like a breakup the bitterness the misunderstandings the whys the feeling of being unwelcomed unwanted unsafe
it is both personal and emotional
england has lost so much more than just money and trade with this vote what they failed to understand is that history does not go back if you stomp your feet and blame someone else
the world britain yearns for does not exist anymore and instead of facing reality and going forward theyre trying to go back great britain is not so great anymore
  cecilia ascoli in italy writing on the timess facebook page
5 obamas executive amnesty grab was a big stretch even for the master of the executive order
illegal is illegal and the rule of law prevails
when you break the law by entering the united states illegally you do not deserve to be rewarded with a free pass to stay here much less a straight line path to citizenship
my grandparents came here from russia they went through ellis island and had american sponsor relatives who guaranteed their food and shelter
there was no government handout for them and they became citizens i am proud of them
  paul in white plains reacting to the supreme court ruling that effectively blocked president obamas immigration plan
this comment received more than 830 reader recommendations
6 over a hundred years ago one of my grandmothers was an anchor baby in todays slang her mother never naturalized
her father naturalized just in time to get one of the first social security numbers and its benefits her parents my great grandparents spent time in canada a non quota nation before entering the us
from what i can tell they committed an illegal act then and exploited a loophole later
how did they get away with it they were white very white translucent white and being from england they were english speaking
read the history of us immigration laws sometime theyre slapdash arbitrary and capricious products of racism and jingoism
are you really sure that youre here legitimately are you absolutely certain that the system your family came in under was fair are you utterly convinced that the laws in place today are in the countrys best interests
im not
  sem in massachussetts
7 decades from now the people will wonder how did the supreme court allow for discrimination based on the color of ones skin because that is exactly what this is
it is as noxious as the old separate but equal laws the supreme court upheld 100 years ago this is truly shameful
  vizitei yuri in columbia mo reacting to the supreme courts ruling upholding affirmative action at the university of texas at austin
this comment received more than 300 reader recommendations and 30 replies
8 as a graduate of ut austin i applaud the supreme courts decision
like ms fisher i was a sheltered little white girl who grew up around other sheltered white kids my experiences with the racially politically and culturally diverse students at ut changed my life for the better
i know i would not be as successful as i am today had ut not provided me the chance to meet and study with professors and students from all over the world i owe uts diverse community a huge debt
  texastabby in dallas
9 know what my mom hair looks like
it looks like the hair of a woman who gets up at five who works hard all day who goes to bed and who might remember to remove her ponytail holder
enough already how about lifting each other up for once
  laura riker reacting on the timess facebook page to an article about mom hair which was portrayed as the longer in back slightly-shorter in front bob that should read sleek but is inescapably frumpy
her comment received more than 2400 likes
10 having lived in cleveland now for just over half my life after having grown up in a city that experienced professional sports championships it may surprise others to know that these championships make a difference in how a city views itself
the chip on the shoulders of clevelanders is real   and the odd satisfaction you feel when your team wins a championship more so
for those who dont care about sports there is a meaning here that goes beyond the highly paid athletes and the commercial elements of these games
and thats what we saw last night on the floor at the end of the game and in the streets of cleveland   legitimate or not it is something that many many people will remember for as long as they live
  x in the united states reacting to the cleveland cavaliers winning the nba championship   the first major sports title for the city since 1964


front page
an article on may 26 about the complex calculus behind president obamas decision to become the first sitting president to visit hiroshima japan referred incorrectly to one of the 11 presidents who have served since president harry s trumans decision to drop an atomic weapon on that city that president gerald r ford succeeded richard m nixon after nixons resignation ford was not elected
international
because of an editing error an article on may 27 about a united nations committees decision to suspend its investigation of torture allegations in ukraine citing a lack of cooperation from government security services misidentified the united nations agreement that allows its inspectors to make unannounced visits to any detention center in countries that have signed the agreement as ukraine has it is the optional protocol an addendum to the convention against torture not the torture treaty itself

because of an editing error an article on may 25 about the barring of vietnamese activists from a meeting with president obama during his recent visit to hanoi referred incorrectly to one of those barred a prominent blogger and journalist the journalist pham doan trang is a woman
weekend
a dance entry in the listings pages on friday about the river to river festival in manhattan misstated the given name of one of the performers in the set up kapila venu he is jonathan bepler not jordan

a theater review on friday about stet at abingdon theater company in manhattan referred incorrectly to the woman whom brock turner a former stanford university undergraduate was convicted of sexually assaulting although the assault occurred on campus the woman was not a student at the university and was therefore not mr turners stanford classmate
special section education innovation
an article on thursday about free speech on campuses referred incorrectly to action taken by the board of trustees at franklin  marshall college in lancaster pa on a faculty statement promoting free speech while the board would not adopt the facultys language as part of a universitywide statement it did permit the faculty to include the statement in its handbook the faculty statement was not vetoed outright by the board
obituaries
an obituary in some copies on friday about ralph stanley the singer and banjo player who was a pivotal figure in the revival of interest in bluegrass music omitted a survivor beside his wife jimmie his daughters lisa stanley marshall and tonya armes stanley and a son ralph ii mr stanley is survived by another son tim

an obituary on thursday about the australian film director paul cox omitted a reporting credit michelle innis contributed reporting from sydney australia
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a lawyer handling johnny manziels domestic violence case expressed doubts about the heisman trophy winning quarterbacks ability to stay clean and said he was given a receipt that indicated manziel may have spent more than 1000 at a dallas drug paraphernalia store just 15 hours after he was involved in a hit and run crash according to a lengthy text message accidentally sent to the associated press
the text from the defense lawyer bob hinton indicated manziels legal team was seeking a plea deal with prosecutors but suggested that could be tricky
heaven help us if one of the conditions is to pee in a bottle the lawyer wrote
jason kipnis hit two of clevelands four triples and the visiting indians continued their season long dominance of the detroit tigers with a 7 4 victory
the indians are now 7 0 against the tigers this season detroit had won 16 of 20 at home and was coming off a four game sweep of the seattle mariners
cleveland starter danny salazar 9 3 struggled with his command walking five in five and two thirds innings but he held the tigers to three runs and four hits
pirates manager earns 1000th win matt joyce homered and doubled among his three hits as pittsburgh beat the los angeles dodgers 8 6 ending the dodgers six game winning streak and giving pirates manager clint hurdle his 1000th career victory
padres rain on reds celebration wil myers drove in five runs and melvin upton jr had two two run homers as san diego scored in each of the first eight innings of a 13 4 victory that spoiled the beginning of cincinnatis weekend celebrating the big red machines victory in the 1976 world series
andrew beckwith pitched his second straight complete game and set a team record with his division i leading 14th win and coastal carolina stayed alive at the college world series with a 4 1 victory over texas christian in omaha
the chanticleers in the cws for the first time forced a rematch saturday night against a tcu team that is in the tournament for the third straight year the winner will make its first appearance in the best of three finals beginning monday
in the early game nathan bannister and two relievers pitched a four hitter arizona had 14 hits against what had been the best pitching staff in the tournament and the wildcats beat oklahoma state 9 3 also forcing a saturday rematch with the winner advancing to the title series
jon rahm and billy hurley iii shared the lead at the quicken loans national in bethesda md three strokes ahead of vijay singh going into the weekend
playing together rahm and hurley went shot for shot to reach 11 under par hurley shot a six under 65 and rahm bogeyed the 18th hole for a 67 in his second round as a professional rahm led thursday after a 64
rahm and hurley will play in the final group saturday behind singh who was alone at eight under par after a 66
japanese matches course record ayako uehara of japan matched the course record with a nine under 62 to take the first round lead in the lpga tours nw arkansas championship at pinnacle country club in rogers
dominika cibulkova of slovakia reached the eastbourne international final in england after defeating the puerto rican qualifier monica puig 6 2 6 1 cibulkova will play karolina pliskova of the czech republic for the title after pliskova beat britains johanna konta 6 7 5 6 3 6 3
the world heavyweight champion tyson fury postponed his rematch with wladimir klitschko after hurting his left ankle during training
fury who stunned the boxing world in november by ending klitschkos decade long reign as heavyweight champion said in a video posted on his instagram account that he sprained the ankle while running 10 days ago doctors told fury he needed to rest it for six to seven weeks
the rematch was scheduled for july 9 in manchester england


kansas lawmakers passed an education funding bill on friday night in a move they hope will stop the state supreme court from carrying out its threat to close public schools by next week
on the second day of a special session lawmakers rushed to come up with 38 million to meet the courts order to fix inequities that it considered harmful to poorer school districts in may the court said that the legislatures current funding formula creates intolerable and simply unfair wealth based disparities among the districts and gave the legislature until june 30 to find a solution
many in kansas had feared a constitutional showdown between the republican controlled legislature and the left leaning state supreme court but the house voted 116 to 6 in favor of the bill and the senate approved it 38 to 1 gov sam brownback has indicated that he will sign the bill without delay
if the court does not accept the legislatures solution it could close schools statewide by july
alan rupe a lawyer representing four school districts that sued the state over funding said that the vote was a victory for his plaintiffs this amended legislation represents a compromise which will satisfy the court and allow schools to open he said in an email statement
in topeka kan this week lawmakers said they were determined to keep public schools open despite kansas dire financial situation and a sparse state budget many republicans and democrats in the state have criticized mr brownbacks large tax cuts in 2012 and 2013 and accused the governor of leading the state into the budget crisis
four former kansas governors   kathleen sebelius bill graves mike hayden and john carlin   said on friday that they had sent a letter to kansans asking for support for a new bipartisan political group and denouncing mr brownbacks policies
being a kansas conservative used to mean paying off debt balancing the budget and not running up bills our grandchildren would be expected to pay mr hayden said in a statement im eager to see kansas restored to those principles and the upcoming election is our first opportunity
mr brownback cannot run for governor again because of term limits but all senators and representatives in the legislature are up for re election in november
representative ron ryckman jr a republican presented a plan on thursday that would take a 05 percent budget cut from all schools producing 13 million in savings poorer district would then receive additional money
on friday the bill was revised to remove the cut from schools operating budgets a new plan took millions from other sources including from the states motor vehicle fees and the states revenues from a national settlement with tobacco companies
after a full day of negotiations lawmakers expressed relief that they came up with a funding solution that they believe will pass the state supreme court under the plan the districts that would get additional funding include wichita the states largest which would gain 102 million and kansas city a high poverty district which would gain 26 million


a deadly run of gang violence that has brought heartbreak to two harlem families came to an unlikely culmination in a manhattan courtroom
taylonn murphy a 20 year old gang member was given mercy not by the judge who sentenced him to 50 years to life for murder and other charges but by the father of walter sumter the young man mr murphy had been convicted of killing
we also forgive you the father also walter sumter said leaning on a cane in a packed courtroom in state supreme court we realize that our family is not the only family suffering from this act of violence
it was a striking coda in a case that began with the killing of mr murphys sister a star high school basketball player whose death inspired their father to speak out against such violence in the city
feuds between mr murphys gang 3 staccs and the rival money avenue and make it happen boys gangs led to the murder of his sister tayshana 18 in september 2011 in a hallway in her building
mr murphy fatally shot the younger mr sumter 18 a rival gang member outside a party on west 154th street and amsterdam avenue in december that year mr sumter had mocked ms murphys death and 3 staccs in a rap video two weeks before he died
mr murphy responded to the video on facebook message threatening him dead on sight beef even before ms murphys death her brother had threatened in posts on social media to kill mr sumter according to evidence presented during the trial
mr murphy was one of 103 young men from the grant houses and neighboring manhattanville houses indicted on conspiracy charges after a police raid in june 2014 the sweep was intended to dismantle the gangs in the two public housing projects
mr murphy knew firsthand how violence could escalate from insults to murder the lead prosecutor andrew warshawer said at the sentencing on friday
having seen his sister killed in exactly this pattern with an illegal firearm he continued this pattern mr warshawer said
in handing down the sentence the judge in the case justice edward mclaughlin excoriated the young man
you are imposing inflicting and inducing those around you to follow in your footsteps which is the last thing society and these communities want to happen the judge said
you are not a victim he continued you are not a celebrity and you are not a hero
mr murphy has maintained his innocence and he expressed his condolences to the sumter family i may not know how it feels to lose a son but i know how it feels to lose a sibling he said
mr murphys father taylonn murphy sr who has become an activist against the allure of gangs addressed a crowd of family and friends outside the court after the sentencing
what we are going through is horrible he said we lost tayshana and then its horrible what we are going through here
lets keep supporting bam lets keep the free bam campaign going he said using his sons nickname short for the superstrong character in the flintstones
and lets start loving each other he continued because a lot of this comes from us not loving each other


the new york city department charged with overseeing day care centers routinely failed to test the centers water for lead   and for years falsified reports that the tests had been completed in order for the centers to receive operating permits   according to a sharply worded audit released on friday by the city comptroller scott m stringer
the audit found that the citys department of health and mental hygiene had not tested the water from faucets and fountains in 70 of 119 day care centers   even though the health code mandates that drinking water at day care centers be tested for lead and fixed if the levels are unsatisfactory
of the 49 day care centers that had been tested five had unacceptable levels of lead the audit found though the levels were later brought to acceptable levels the audit suggested that thousands of children were put at an increased risk of lead exposure
the audit also found that records had been altered to indicate incorrectly that satisfactory water test results were logged for the 70 centers that had not been tested
the fact that the department of health directed its employees to enter false information in an official database is a blatant violation of public trust mr stringer said in a statement
the comptrollers office presented an email from 2011 in which a manager at the bureau of child care a division of the department of health and mental hygiene instructed a group of staff members to enter water lead test negative in a computerized database in order to issue permits on an interim basis
by falsely recording that lead tests were complete the agency was able to bypass its own system requirements to issue permits for day care centers a release from the comptrollers office said
city hall officials characterized the findings as misleading and said that no children had been harmed it is a blatant mischaracterization to claim the agency systematically falsified documents based on a single email from 2011 aja worthy davis a spokeswoman for the mayors office said
ms worthy davis also pointed to the audits relatively small sample size the department oversees about 2300 day care facilities
the specifications in the citys health code for testing water in day care centers do not require that the centers are tested before they open however the health departments database was changed in 2011 to prevent the issuing of permits to centers that had not been tested for lead mr stringers release said
health department officials described a practice of entering incorrect testing information as a bureaucratic workaround that adhered to the citys health code the intent was to give day care centers 60 days to submit lead test results and not delay issuing permits for programs that were in good standing
the comptrollers office said it did not find evidence that anyone had followed up to test the centers where staff had falsely reported that testing occurred
the report comes amid heightened concerns about lead and other pollutants in drinking water after national outrage over lead contamination in flint mich and a public health emergency in hoosick falls ny after the disclosure that toxic chemicals were found in the water supply there
the outlook was better in new york city where water has not been a major cause of lead poisoning according to the department of health and mental hygiene out of the 840 children under the age of 6 found with elevated lead in their blood in 2014 none tested positive from lead in water according to the most recent statistics from the department
we want to be clear our kids are not at risk a health department spokesman christopher miller said in a statement
mr miller said the city has amended the issues brought up in the audit all of the day care centers under the citys purview including the 70 identified in the audit have now been tested for lead in the water he said the city also said it planned to start posting the results of each locations water tests online
ms worthy davis said that the lack of clarity in terms of lead testing protocol for day care centers predated the de blasio administration and she noted that a bureaucratic process made testing standards vague beginning in 2011
this month the health department proposed a change to the health code that would require lead testing at new centers within 30 days of their opening they would also be required to undergo testing every five years
but a spokesman from mr stringers office said the changes only came about from the results of the auditing process which were given to the city   and included a response from the health department in the written report   before they were released to the public
it should not take an audit to ensure that a city agency is doing its job to protect our kids mr stringer said in a statement


omaha   ask caeleb dressel what he remembers about the 2012 united states olympic swimming trials and hell talk about the spectacle the tongues of fire on both sides of the pool and the rainbow waterfall from which each new olympian rose on a platform like a red white and blue apparition he prefers to forget his performance in the pool a tie for 145th out of 167 finishers in the 50 meter freestyle
four years later dressel 19 is seeded second in the 50 meter freestyle behind the four time olympic medalist nathan adrian dressel a multiple ncaa champion from the university of florida looks back at his experience competing at the 2012 trials   the sheer number of entrants the sights sounds and grandeur of the event   as the nudge he needed to become an olympic contender
it makes you hungry when you see people making the team and youre just sitting in the stands thinking maybe four years from now i can be doing that he said
the trials get underway sunday at centurylink center where over 1700 entrants will compete for fewer than 60 berths on the united states squad that will compete at the rio games in august
why are so many competing for so few spots
inclusiveness was not always part of the meets dna twenty years ago the event welcomed fewer swimmers than competed at the atlanta olympics in 1996 there were on average 35 entrants in the womens events and 27 in the mens the thinking then was that if only eight would race in the final for olympic spots no more than four heats were required to separate the best from the rest in 1996 an up and coming teenager like dressel would have experienced the trials from his couch at home
the conscious decision to hold a fan friendly made for television spectacle during which a swim meet breaks out has reached full bloom this year with the womens events averaging 130 entries and the mens events 124
backstroke in particular is not the best bet for getting ahead there are 168 entries in the womens 100 and 192 in the mens
it is not just the event fields that are supersized larger than life likenesses of the top americans including the freestyler katie ledecky adorn the outside of the arena ledecky took one look at herself on the building whipped out her smartphone and snapped a selfie
its cool its different ledecky said adding its just amazing how usa swimming does a great job of making things bigger and better than the last time and im happy to be a part of it
the morphing of the trials from a lean mean qualifying machine to a quadrennial celebration has drawn mixed reviews there are people led by coaches of elite swimmers who bemoan the crowded lanes each morning during warm ups and the long preliminary sessions which threaten to bleed into the evening and then there are those who love the idea that once every four years swimming has a super bowl week as chuck wielgus usa swimmings executive director described it
there are eight people trying to make the olympic team in every event bob bowman the head united states olympic mens coach said referring to the finalists but its much more meaningful to everybody else now than it used to be
the 14000 seat arena in which two temporary 50 meter pools have been erected is sold out every day morning and evening for the first time since the trials moved here in 2008 more than 140 all session poolside victory row seats priced at 1150 apiece were made available and they also sold out
hearing the seats are sold out is amazing said the 11 time olympic medalist ryan lochte who will try to make his fourth olympic team its going to be loud its going to be crazy the last couple olympic trials we had fireworks we had fire its unbelievable
rowdy gaines who won three gold medals at the los angeles olympics and is part of nbcs television coverage at the current trials beat out 49 swimmers to win the 100 meter freestyle at the 1984 trials he likes that about twice as many competitors 98 are in the event in 2016
its a good way to build exposure for the sport gaines said those swimmers in the early heats they are going to go back home and tell their friends they swam at the olympic trials
he added i cant tell you how many people come up to me on my travels and tell me someone from their club has a shot at making the olympics because hes going to the trials
according to statistics provided by usa swimming the number of year round athlete members from midwestern swimming the sports regional governing body has increased by nearly 50 percent since the trials were held in omaha for the first time in 2008
conor dwyer was 19 years old and had little experience on the national stage when he competed in the 100 and 200 freestyles at the 2008 trials he was hooked from the opening night where he had a front row seat for the 400 individual medley duel between michael phelps and lochte
it opened my eyes to how big a swimming competition can be dwyer said
in 2012 dwyer qualified for the 4x200 freestyle relay along with phelps lochte and ricky berens the relay team won the gold at the london games where dwyer also finished fifth in the 400 freestyle
if i wasnt there in 2008 maybe i wouldnt have had that goal to come back four years later and race those guys dwyer said it does help people that you might not think have a shot right now but four years down the road you never know
four years ago dressel said he chose to sit by himself in the stands away from his parents and coach and observe how some of the best swimmers in the world went about their business i was in awe of everything he said that week making the team one day became a goal of mine


roehampton england   first the rain fell hard then the british pound fell harder
those successive events on thursday and friday caused by clouds and then britains voting to leave the european union washed away a chunk of the earnings of players who lost in the final round of wimbledon qualifying play had been scheduled to finish thursday but it was postponed to friday because of persistent rain
had the rain held off allowing matches to finish as scheduled at the bank of england sports grounds the prize money paid by wimbledon in pounds would have been transferred into players foreign checking accounts at significantly higher rates the one day delay saw the pound fall from a thursday average of around 149 to 137 on friday bottoming out at 132 early friday morning
the plunge which pushed the pound to its lowest value in 31 years devalued a prize of 15000 pounds for the losers that when converted into american dollars fell from 22350 to 20550 for players transferring from the pound to the also crashing euro the fall was from about 131 euros to 124 but still enough to result in an overnight loss of EUR1050
once a player is eliminated from a tournament he or she visits the prize money desk where the money is wired to a bank account a paper check is also an option but rarely chosen by players
gerald melzer an austrian whose match began thursday but did not end until friday had followed the referendum and the pounds ensuing drop and had already done the math for himself
a thousand more melzer ranked 107th said of the euros he would have earned by losing more quickly yeah i knew that i did a thousand euros is a thousand euros its not like losing EUR2 so yeah it hurts
yannick mertens of belgium another player who lost on friday expressed a sense of helplessness
we lose money in one day without doing anything the 220th ranked mertens said for us its a bad decision but theres nothing we can do about it for sure its not positive for us
while the pounds drop will be felt by players in the main draw of wimbledon as well the lower earning players in the qualifying draw are most sensitive to devaluations the american austin krajicek who like melzer would have cut his losses by losing on thursday said he believed players at his level of the sport who rely on the major tournaments to provide larger percentages of their annual earnings were more sensitive to exchange rate changes for him the swift change meant a loss of 1800
its huge every penny counts at this level the 131st ranked krajicek said the qualies guys were not making big money like the top guys so every dollar counts
krajicek said he also noticed a less sudden drop off when he played in january in australia where the australian dollar has weakened in comparison to the american dollar
especially for us eating dinners and staying at hotels and with everything that we buy it makes a big difference for us he said england is usually pretty expensive with the pound but yeah thats tough with the prize money today
mohamed safwat of egypt who has struggled because of his countrys declining currency in recent years now trains in austria which means he has to pay his expenses in euros the loss of EUR1050 in his eyes damaged his tennis more than his wallet because it might prevent him from being able to pay for the best coaches
the more i win in the tournament with the prize money and the money from a sponsor the more im investing in myself said safwat who is ranked 219th i dont keep a cent for just me everything i put it into tennis
safwats winnings of PS15000 despite its devaluation is his best at one event on tour safwat said despite his often precarious finances he was not tempted to give up competing
if i quit tennis if i stop i can make lots of money coaching i can be a millionaire he said im getting offers to coach kids for EUR150 an hour i dont want to do that thats not me i have a dream i have a target i have a lot of people supporting me later on yes i can help the kids but its not about making money money money
jana cepelova of slovakia ranked 127th won her qualifying match to reach the main draw doubling her prize money to PS30000 she said she hoped to last long enough at wimbledon to be able to cash out a brighter future
i think its not good for britain that they will not be in the european union anymore and for us its a little bit bad with prize money she said but if we win we can stay   and maybe the pound will go up


new haven   officials in this city declared a public health emergency on friday after nearly 20 people overdosed this week on either tainted heroin or cocaine at least three of them fatally here and in surrounding towns
officials said there had been up to 16 heroin or cocaine overdoses in new haven since thursday and several more nearby two people died in new haven and at least one more died in a surrounding town officials said
the numbers were expected to rise according to officials who urged drug users to be careful
the police were trying to determine whether the powerful painkiller fentanyl or another substance had played a role in the overdoses patients who were able to speak with city police said they thought they had bought cocaine and not heroin officer david hartman a spokesman for the new haven police department said
officials said they were working to arrange for quick testing of drugs that had been seized
most of the overdoses in new haven were in the citys neighborhoods of newhallville and dixwell cases had also been reported in the towns of west haven and shelton officer hartman said
state health officials said that 700 doses of the overdose reversing drug narcan were being sent to new haven where officials said there was a shortage of the drug
gov dannel p malloy called the situation dangerous
everyone must recognize that no region of the country state city or town is immune   this affects all of us and so many families across our state and nation mr malloy a democrat said in a statement thats why we have been doing everything in our power to stop this epidemic and prevent tragedy
connecticuts office of the chief medical examiner reported that 208 people had died from accidental drug overdoses in connecticut from january to march and that the total by years end would be around 832   up from 729 last year and more than double the total in 2012
senators richard blumenthal and chris murphy both of whom are democrats called on congress to do more to fight overdoses nationwide
congress must reverse its laggard response to this national public health crisis by providing real resources said mr blumenthal adding that an increase in treatment services law enforcement support opioid over prescription prevention and other steps was urgent and critical


derrick rose was halfway through a news conference friday afternoon at madison square garden when he was asked if he could guess why the chicago bulls   his hometown team the franchise that picked him first over all eight years ago   had been so willing to trade him to the knicks
no i dont know why i was traded rose said a smirk flickering across his face but i would like to tell them thank you   for real
the eclectic assemblage in the room spike lee wearing full team regalia had claimed a front row seat tittered forgoing etiquette by not using a microphone to ask the next question multiple reporters called out asking rose to elaborate and he seemed happy to oblige
he said he was thankful to have another start he was happy that it was new york   no offense to other cities in the league he said   a city and team with a big fan base and proud history he was anticipating a positive reception
im just grateful rose said i feel like theyre going to appreciate me a little bit more
so commenced what will be a honeymoon period for rose and the knicks he smiled for cameras holding a white uniform top he projected confidence saying he ached to reach the playoffs he told funny stories and made the crowd laugh comparing chicago with new york he was quietly defiant thanking his old team for trading him
but even rose conceded that the present had taken on a dreamlike quality that reality would set in a few months from now when the 2016 17 season begins
it still dont feel real said rose who marveled about seeing his likeness on the massive digital screen on seventh avenue outside the garden it kind of blew me away a little bit it probably really wont hit me until i step on the floor and actually have a jersey on
only then will the knicks and their fans be able to evaluate the deal completed wednesday when the knicks acquired rose guard justin holiday and a 2017 second round draft pick for robin lopez jose calderon and jerian grant
rose who will be 28 when the season begins has won rookie of the year and most valuable player honors he has made three all star teams but more relevant to many observers he has also had three knee surgeries which have zapped his old verve and kept him on the sidelines
he appeared in only 100 games from the 2011 12 season to the 2014 15 season last season he played in 66 games with varying levels of success
rose who is entering the final year of his contract has been working out this summer in los angeles maintaining a rigorous training schedule he lifts weights and runs monday through thursday he plays basketball on monday tuesday thursday and friday he does yoga on wednesday and saturday he rests on sunday
rose said his body felt great healthy all he needed now was to play basketball for a prolonged period
this summer is all about conditioning and catching that rhythm again rose said
rose who was wearing a blue knicks collared shirt was only beginning to get acclimated to new york but he was bullish about his new team a 32 win group last season he complimented carmelo anthony calling him a dog just like i am he laughed when asked about the young talented forward kristaps porzingis it was hard playing against him last year because man hes so good man rose said
he said he hoped to have a chance to play again with center joakim noah his teammate in chicago who is a free agent both the bulls and the knicks missed the playoffs last season and he said it was his goal to make it back
despite his subtle jab at his old team rose repeatedly said chicago was important to him his rued that he would need to be apart from his young son he picked the uniform no 25 which carries significance around chicago it was the number worn by ben wilson a star player at simeon high school the high school rose attended who was shot in 1984 before his senior season
chicago grew me into the man i am right now rose said
for now he has embraced his new home with all of the attention and all of the congratulations ive got here i hope ill be able to play the rest of my career here rose said
it was a fine sentiment to punctuate an agreeable introductory news conference but he acknowledged words mean little he will have to prove on the court that he could play like his old self
i feel like im close but me sitting up here and saying it thats not going to do anything he said next year i want to let my game speak for itself


louisville ky   the first rose landed on the windshield of the hearse not long after the procession began on bardstown road
aw man the driver chase porter thought
he turned on the windshield wipers the flower smeared
windshield wipers arent to remove flowers he observed
then there was the second flower and the third the fourth and soon a cascade through it all he focused on making sure the man lying in back   about two feet behind him over his right shoulder slid into the chamber headfirst   was given a properly respectful final ride
porter was driving muhammad ali
just touch it just touch it spectators were saying as they reached for his vehicle a 2016 cadillac xts that had been modified at a shop in ohio to accommodate the dead it was hearse no 5 part of a fleet shared by several funeral homes
the windows were down and porter could hear the people outside clearly his palms sweated as he gripped the wheel he did not want to mess this up
but there was no holding back the tide soon the roses were landing inside the car too
aw man nothings going to top this he said at one point in the swirl of people and petals he rolled the windows back up and then he rolled them back down he wanted to hear the chants ali bomaye ali kill him the greatest louisvilles champ and simply ali ali
people had so many different ways of expressing their joy and happiness or just sadness at the loss of the champ porter later said and at the same time it was a celebration
porter is 33 a son of louisville born and raised
his family owns a d porter  sons the funeral parlor that prepared alis body and handled the final arrangements working closely with the ali family the funeral home had buried alis mother and father too and the parents of alis wife lonnie
this was of course their biggest job with many of the arrangements having been specified by ali before he died
ultimately it fell to porter accompanied by ron price another funeral home employee riding in the passenger seat to perform a duty prosaic and profound
from the time he started driving porter has helped in the family business even while working for several years as a middle school english and history teacher he has worked full time at the funeral home since last year after a sister died while also helping coach football at a local high school
on the day of the funeral june 10 he rose at 5 am and put on a black suit and red tie an ensemble he had coordinated with price the hearse had been washed and waxed thursday after a muslim prayer service for ali
by 745 am porter was ready to go waiting for the procession to begin
nearly three hours later alis mahogany coffin was placed in the back on what they call the table an acrylic platform and the procession finally pulled out of the funeral home once everything was going porter said it was like time stood still
it stood still for a long time for two hours the procession rolled along a course the ali family and the police had laid out an suv with cameramen in back drove in front of the hearse delivering a live video stream around the world
friends of porters and prices began calling they wanted to know where the hearse was going
porters palms kept sweating
porter never met ali and is too young to have seen him fight live but he has watched internet videos of the bouts and admires how ali never forgot his hometown where signs and banners proclaiming him the greatest were still hanging nearly two weeks after they were put up for the funeral
now porter was seeing louisville the way ali wanted the world to see it
at the first turn out of the funeral home parking lot came the first swarm of people and the roses
i kept thinking i hope that i dont have to stop and back up to negotiate a turn in the hearse he said
a brief respite came on an expressway and then later on grand avenue in alis neighborhood where his boyhood home a pink clapboard house stands at no 3302
along the way porter noticed that vacant lots had been mowed despite all the jostling in the big crowds everything seemed peaceful porter knows louisville as a college sports town torn between the louisville cardinals and the kentucky wildcats you bleed blue or you bleed red he said
so it was interesting to see for a situation like muhammad alis funeral procession where everybody was just together he said you didnt see any division
alis neighborhood sparkled
the ali family lived on the block from 1947 to 1961 and his former home is now a museum some in the neighborhood still remember what it was like when ali was growing up here
we used to go down there we was little and he would tell you scary stories said linda calloway now 63 at a house a few doors down because you know he loved kids
at a house at the end of the block sharon hill now 63 recalled alis visits back to the neighborhood
he would stop and hug everybody and give them a kiss hill said yes he never forgot louisville and he never forgot his neighborhood never
some of the surrounding blocks have declined but alis block remains well kempt and quiet
it was anything but quiet however as the procession passed by that stage of the route the crowds were so thick that police officers walked alongside the hearse escorting it
at any moment that couldve went bad porter said and i think that people showed a lot of self respect and love for the champ and general love for our city to put on a good representation of who louisville is and what muhammad ali means to everyone here
downtown more crowds lined broadway a street that again put ali on center stage
i mean its called broadway for a reason said maj kelly jones of the louisville metro police department who worked with the family on the route
eventually the procession reached its end at louisvilles cave hill cemetery where a private funeral service was held rose petals lined the path in front of the cemeterys gates as porter guided the hearse through a public memorial followed at a multipurpose arena later that afternoon
when the procession ended porter took price home and drove the hearse to a d porter  sons downtown location its day was done porter arrived back home at about 6 pm
the next morning he rose again donned a different suit and left to work another funeral
nobody threw flowers nobody thronged the service she was a 68 year old woman who had died on june 5 two days after ali but porter did his best


rob refsnyder has been using dustin ackleys first basemans glove for the past few weeks while he breaks in one of his own
despite driving in the go ahead run in the yankees 5 3 win over the minnesota twins on friday night at yankee stadium refsnyders opportunities to loosen up his leather may be waning
on saturday mark teixeira will be activated from the disabled list according to manager joe girardi and first base will finally become his domain whether that is the best outcome for the yankees who have had sisyphean difficulty climbing above 500 is debatable
refsnyder has manned the position for the majority of teixeiras recovery from torn cartilage in his right knee this month refsnyder who had never played first base at the major league level before teixeira was injured on june 3 has hit 286
come saturday though refsnyder could be back on his way to class aaa scrantonwilkes barre
to have that bat a switch hitter both sides his gold glove defense we need tex back refsnyder said
in a corner of the yankees clubhouse reside the lockers of a cadre of first basemen teixeira ike davis chris parmelee and refsnyder are crammed next to each other akin to a freshman college dorm room
this was not by design
friday marked the 24th game teixeira has missed this year one third of a season in which the yankees have floated near but not far above the 500 mark though the win got them to 36 36 in teixeiras extended absence the yankees have also tried parmelee who strained his right hamstring in his second start with the club and davis who was not even on the roster two weeks ago
ackley who had one of the first cracks at the position when teixeira had neck spasms earlier this year dislocated his right shoulder in may
davis is the best defensive option behind teixeira while refsnyder is proving to be a capable major league hitter after refsnyders sixth inning at bat friday a flyout girardi brought in davis as a defensive replacement
before the game girardi would not provide a hint about whom the yankees might keep to back up teixeira who declined to have surgery on his knee and reasoned that a combination of rest treatment and cortisone injections would allow it to recover and hold up for the rest of the season
teixeiras ardent desire to return may be admirable but it is one that could be emanating from other factors teixeira 36 will be a free agent after this season and he would be better served trying to sell his services without the red flag of coming off season ending surgery
it could help that teixeira will come back against the twins who have the worst record in baseball the twins committed three errors in the third and fourth innings during which the yankees scored four runs
in the fourth refsnyder tagged a single to left field to bring in didi gregorius and put the yankees ahead 4 3 twins starter tommy milone had been pitching refsnyder away but then challenged him inside with a fastball which refsnyder was able to turn on
refsnyder who had recently been applying a more compact swing has nine hits in his last 23 at bats over the last seven games which could leave girardi with a tough decision to sleep on
i think it tells you a lot about the young man to be able to say hey youre playing first base when he had never done it before and to continue to be productive at the plate girardi said
aside from refsnyder four other yankees collected rbi including aaron hicks who hit a solo home run in the eighth inning against his former team
masahiro tanaka struck out seven but he also allowed three runs on seven hits tanaka departed after six innings and was followed by dellin betances andrew miller and aroldis chapman who combined for three perfect innings chapman struck out the side in the ninth
the yankees are 11 0 when all three pitchers appear in a game


washington   britains vote to withdraw from the european union sent a shudder through the capital on friday as the forces of economic nationalism and working class fury forced american political leaders to wonder could it happen here
driving the brexit vote were many of the same impulses that have animated american politics in this turbulent election year anger at distant elites anxiety about a perceived loss of national sovereignty and perhaps most of all resentment toward migrants and refugees
these are the themes that donald j trump harnessed during the republican presidential primaries to explosive effect and that he aims to wield to his advantage again in his race against hillary clinton mr trump endorsed britains abandonment of the european union and hailed the vote during a stop in scotland on friday
veteran republican and democratic strategists say that mr trump and to a lesser extent senator bernie sanders in the democratic contest represent an american echo of the inward looking politics that have swept across europe in recent years
theres a fundamental issue that all developed economies have to confront which is that globalization and technological changes have meant millions of people have seen their jobs marginalized and wages decline said david axelrod a former strategist for president obama and an adviser to britains labour party in last years general election
and so lots of folks want to turn the clock back and make america or their country great again
although mr trump may struggle to convert a message of national retrenchment into victory here some of the stark divisions on display in britain do mirror political trends in this country
the highly educated younger voters around london who voted to remain in the european union for example share some commonalities with the american urbanites who were the pillars of mr obamas coalition and mr trump has triumphed with the american counterparts of the british leave voters older whites who lack university degrees and live in less prosperous regions of the english countryside
but beneath those generalities there are crucial distinctions between the brexit vote and the 2016 presidential election
in the united states there is no recent history of electing nationalist presidents hostile to immigration and even recent republican presidents have celebrated new arrivals as integral to american prosperity and identity
american presidential elections are largely decided by a diverse and upscale electorate anchored in americas cities and suburbs these communities more closely resemble london than lincolnshire minorities made up more than a quarter of the electorate in the last presidential campaign
and while britain decided to leave the european union through a popular vote the white house race will be determined by the electoral college which is tilted toward the democrats some large states with significant nonwhite populations have been out of reach for republican candidates for much of the last three decades california new york new jersey illinois and pennsylvania have voted for every democratic nominee since 1992 mr obama also won florida twice and mrs clinton has a lead there now in part because mr trump is unpopular with hispanics
together those six states offer 166 of the 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency
mr trump is at an even greater disadvantage than other recent republican presidential nominees because of his dismal standing with nonwhite college educated and female voters unless he can reverse the deeply negative views such voters have of him he is unlikely to capture the voter rich communities around philadelphia denver miami and washington that are crucial to winning the white house
joe trippi a democratic political strategist who was a consultant for former prime minister tony blair of britain said he expected the brexit vote to embolden american conservatives but their excitement mr trippi said would be largely a false read of the results
there are some very similar things   a polarized electorate nativism nationalism were clearly big factors and trump exemplifies them here mr trippi said
but there is a difference in the multiculturalism and diversity of the united states versus nowhere near the same factors in the uk
despite high levels of concern about immigration and foreign trade polls show that most americans have so far recoiled from mr trumps specific policy proposals such as deporting 11 million undocumented immigrants
a survey published by the public religion research institute and the brookings institution on thursday found that while americans were closely split on the benefits of immigration and mostly said global trade was harmful strong majorities rejected mr trumps promises to build a wall on the mexican border and ban muslim immigration
further the vote in britain was a referendum on a european entity that was easy to rally against while the presidential vote here is increasingly becoming a referendum on a polarizing individual
americans will be asked to vote for or against a person trump said tony fratto a former press secretary for george w bush
and thats a higher hurdle if you want to express yourself with a protest vote youll have to vote for trump and he is singularly unattractive and even offensive to a large majority of americans
if the moment seemed to invite a triumphant thematic victory speech by mr trump on friday the candidate himself had other ideas
appearing at a golf resort he owns in turnberry scotland mr trump applauded the vote as an expression of national anger but in the course of a meandering news conference mr trump dwelled on the virtues of his property there and compared the difficulties of the american presidency to the task of refurbishing a golf course
mr trump was dismissive of the economic ramifications of the referendum and predicted that a downturn for the british pound would benefit his business when the pound goes down more people are coming to turnberry frankly mr trump said
mrs clinton responded with restraint issuing a statement offering respect for the decision made by a close ally and offering assurances about americas steadfast commitment to the special relationship with britain
the larger impact of the vote may not play out in this falls election between mrs clinton and mr trump but it will almost certainly divide the republican party in the years ahead deepening the internal rift caused by the rise of mr trump and his coalition
senator ted cruz of texas and senator tom cotton of arkansas both widely thought to be considering presidential bids in 2020 quickly released statements that seized on the leave vote as an illustration of the disconnect between the voters and internationalist leaders in washington london and brussels
speaker paul d ryan and senator marco rubio of florida who are both more supportive of free trade and may also be eyeing the white house issued statements that notably did not target technocratic elites
laura ingraham an influential conservative radio host who supports mr trump said both the republican party in america and britains conservative party had been torn apart by fights over globalism in both cases she said working class nationalists are seeking a major change   so far with some success
the gop is becoming more nationalistic and this trend will probably continue whatever happens with trump ms ingraham wrote in an email before the referendum result was announced


atlanta   a day before jose reyes was expected to become a free agent mets manager terry collins could not help himself asked about reyes an all star shortstop when he was with the mets collins admitted that there had been discussions about how to use him should he re sign with the team
we have nothing etched in stone because hes not here collins said before fridays 8 6 win over the atlanta braves even though theyre not here youve got to have some type of a plan in mind when he does get here
if reyes is not claimed on waivers he will be free to sign with any team starting at 1 pm saturday the mets are interested in re signing reyes 33 who the team believes could learn to play third base bounce around the infield or even try left field indications were that the two sides were headed toward a reunion   and collins was already talking that way
you have to discuss it collins said its the old where theres smoke theres fire weve talked as a staff if he happens to come here where would he play where would he fit
before reaching that point the mets ended a four game losing streak to the braves the offense of neil walker three hits and james loney three run home run lifted the mets to an 8 0 lead but steven matz who dealt with elbow stiffness in his last start coughed up six runs and notched only one out in the fifth inning
matz who struck out none for the first time in his career said that his elbow has been tight but that it did not affect his pitching
i was able to throw the ball fine the first four innings and then it got away from me he said
hansel robles cleaned up matzs mess and tossed two and two thirds scoreless innings jeurys familia got the final four outs to become the first met to open a season with 25 straight saves he escaped the ninth thanks to a bad bunt by the braves a double play and loneys glove
the mets also survived yet another injury scare yoenis cespedes twisted his left ankle at first base during a seventh inning pickoff but he stayed in the game
cespedes has been one of the few bright spots for an inconsistent mets offense with the trade deadline more than a month away reyes may be its best chance for help and the mets are one of the few places that can offer him a second chance after domestic abuse allegations ended his brief stay with the colorado rockies
reyes was arrested oct 31 after his wife told the police that he had grabbed her throat and shoved her into a sliding glass door at a hawaiian resort but she did not cooperate with prosecutors and the charges were dropped
major league baseball however suspended reyes 51 games without pay reyes returned to action in the minor leagues for the rockies but they designated him for assignment last week
the mets considered reyes a part of their family for 12 years they signed him out of the dominican republic in 1999 for 22000 he ranks third in mets history with 1300 hits and first with 370 stolen bases in nine seasons with the club
after reyes won the 2011 national league batting title the mets did not make a formal bid and he signed with the miami marlins for 106 million over six years but the marlins shockingly dismantled their team within months and traded reyes to the toronto blue jays reyess production particularly on defense slipped with age and injuries during his two and a half years with toronto
if reyes is remorseful the mets could see re signing him as an opportunity to help a former family member much as they did with wally backman whom they offered a path back into baseball as a manager in 2009
because the rockies found no suitor willing to trade for reyes they placed him thursday on release waivers which lasts 48 hours teams are allowed to contact the representatives of a player on release waivers but cannot discuss terms reyes must decide which team offers him the best opportunity
reyes who still maintains a home on long island offers speed on the bases and an ability to reach base that the mets lack curtis granderson has been the mets leadoff hitter this season but was hitting 222 with a 314 on base percentage going into fridays game the mets have 13 stolen bases this season
reyes hit 274 with a 310 on base percentage and 24 stolen bases in 116 games last season if signed reyes may need time in the minor leagues to get at bats and learn third base
reyes would most likely be a bargain the rockies who traded for reyes last july are responsible for the nearly 41 million owed to him through next season the mets could simply sign reyes to the prorated minimum which would be under 300000 for 2016
collins who managed reyes with the mets in 2011 said he was a great player then but what collins liked most was reyess love of playing in new york
in my time around him he was a joy to be around collins said i just hope that if it works out hes that same guy


thousands of new york city residents who are hiv positive will become eligible for public assistance for housing transportation and food under a significant expansion of a state program that some activists had feared was being delayed
gov andrew m cuomo announced on thursday that low income city residents who are hiv positive but asymptomatic would get the same assistance as low income residents who show symptoms about 6500 to 7000 additional people are expected to benefit from the expansion of the program known as the hivaids services administration or hasa which now helps about 32000 people
the announcement came after what some advocates described as a series of broken promises by mr cuomo a democrat to expand the program fully administer a plan meant to end hiv and aids in new york by 2020 and finance that plan jeremy saunders an executive director of vocal ny a nonprofit focused on helping low income people with hiv and aids said activists had been frustrated by mr cuomos failure to move forward on the expansion more quickly
advocates were preparing to pressure mr cuomo just before new york citys annual gay pride parade and festival this weekend we are thankful to the governor that he has finally taken this step forward after a hard fought campaign mr saunders said
alphonso david the governors counsel said that mr cuomo had always been committed to expanding the hasa programs benefits but that he had had to find a way around a reluctant state legislature to broaden the program mr cuomo is simply modifying a longstanding social services policy that made a distinction between people who showed symptoms and those who did not mr david said the governor took a very creative and important approach to provide services to all people who are living with hiv he said
the governors office said that the new policy would take effect in 60 days but city officials are still awaiting the language said steven banks the citys social services commissioner we added money to our budget a number of months ago to extend hasa to all clients with hiv and we look forward to seeing the details of this new program so that we can make sure that it covers all the new york city residents with hiv we have identified in need and also provides the necessary resources mr banks said in an interview
mr banks said the city had estimated that it would spend about 52 million in the first year of the programs expansion and 89 million a year after that mr david said the state had estimated its contribution would be about 31 million a year
under the program the citys human resources administration helps participants who spend more than 30 percent of their income on housing by reimbursing them the difference they also get money for transportation and food
advocates say that housing assistance is an effective way to help keep people with hiv or aids from becoming homeless and from spreading the virus when people have a home they are taking their medicine mr saunders said
corey johnson a city council member who is hiv positive said that thousands of new yorkers had not been getting help because they werent sick enough
this is going to help a lot of poor people mr johnson a manhattan democrat said he added that wealthy white men often received better services than low income black women hiv has really become a disease about poverty
mr johnson praised mr cuomo though he said there had been disappointment when there was little obvious action after the governor announced his plans for the expansion among other initiatives on november 30 in recognition of world aids day my understanding is that there wasnt much appetite mr johnson said referring to the state legislature the governors office was working hard
kelsey louie chief executive of the gay mens health crisis said in a statement that his group was looking forward to helping the governor expand the hasa program the country and the world are watching what we are doing in new york he said and gratefully they see action on the part of our executive when our legislature falls short
the governor is likely to continue to feel pressure as advocates seek to bolster services outside new york city advocates are always going to push the governor but we view him as a friend said anthony hayes vice president of public affairs and policy for the gay mens health crisis there can always be more money and it can always happen faster


buffalo   matthew tkachuk stepped off the ice at harborcenter where he and other top nhl prospects were conducting a skills clinic for squirt age players and recalled his own youth hockey days
while growing up in st louis hockey was a family business for tkachuk his father keith played left wing for the blues during the second half of an 18 year nhl career and some of his youngest teammates boarded at the tkachuk house matthew tkachuk remembered sessions of mini sticks and video games with lee stempniak david backes and philip mcrae
he also recalled skating at practice with erik johnson a defenseman drafted no 1 over all by st louis in 2006 i thought that was the coolest thing ever he said
on the eve of fridays draft at first niagara center tkachuk a 6 foot 1 200 pound power forward said that the most lasting impression of those days was observing the comportment of successful pros
it was all about their habits and all about how they worked he said and all about how they took care of themselves in the weight room with stretching recovery rehab you know how talented they are on the ice but seeing what they do away from it thats what is really the difference between guys that make it and guys that are very close and very skilled that dont make it
tkachuk now has the chance to make it after being selected by the calgary flames with the no 6 pick he was the first among several sons of former nhl players who were drafted in the first round the others included alexander nylander no 8 buffalo sabres logan brown no 11 ottawa senators jakob chychrun no 16 arizona coyotes kieffer bellows no 19 islanders max jones no 24 anaheim ducks and tage thompson no 26 blues
with the no 1 overall pick the toronto maple leafs selected auston matthews a 6 foot 2 210 pound center from scottsdale ariz who played for the zurich lions of the swiss league last season matthews is the first american born player to be selected first over all since the chicago blackhawks drafted patrick kane in 2007
the last three plus years theres been a lot of long term nhl players sons coming up in the draft scene said dan marr the director of nhl central scouting some of them are standouts some are solid prospects i think the advantage of these kids is that they grew up around the game so theyve seen the discipline you have to have as far as eating sleeping training
cliff ronning was a 5 foot 8 shifty center who played 17 seasons in the nhl setting an example for his son ty a 5 9 forward for the vancouver giants of the western hockey league last season ty vividly remembered being awakened in the middle of the night by banging below his bedroom
i would come downstairs and my dad was there in the gym full sweat flexing in the mirror he said he was working his butt off early and he had a game the next day
ronning noted the discipline his father had imposed on his own life and tried to emulate it my dad didnt drink till he was 37 years old he said
jeff chychruns eight year nhl career as a punishing defenseman was over by the time his son jakob was born in 1998 in boca raton fla still the elder chychrun coached jakobs youth hockey teams for the florida junior panthers and gave him a glimpse into the nhl life
the chychruns had season tickets for the panthers and through his connections jeff introduced jakob to some of his hockey idols after games
i was the biggest sidney crosby fan growing up and i met him a few times at a young age said jakob a 6 2 220 pound defenseman for the sarnia sting of the ontario hockey league that was really cool for me looking up to guys like that and being able to meet them and ultimately to be where they are one day it made me work that much harder
some nhl fathers maintained a more active role in their sons hockey development alexander nylander is the son of michael nylander who played 15 seasons alexanders brother william was a first round pick of the maple leafs in 2014 last season alexander nylander was a high scoring wing for the mississauga steelheads of the ohl his father was an assistant
because he was my assistant coach he was always on the bench always seeing me my habits and stuff like that nylander said it was good since he was hard on everybody to give 100 percent in practice which we all did and to prepare for the playoffs since hes been through it before
brian bellows scored 1022 points during a 17 year career and won a stanley cup with the montreal canadiens in 1993 his son kieffer is a sharpshooting left wing who has committed to play for boston university next season kieffer bellows was sensitive to suggestions that his family name had advanced his hockey career
its always been my skill set and hard work thats opened the doors to the nhl draft for me he said
if anything bellows said there can be pressure associated with living up to a famous fathers hockey legacy you see matthew tkachuk hes got a lot of pressure with his dad being such a great player he said
keith tkachuk who scored 538 career goals the third most by an american comes from a hockey family tree he is a cousin of the hayes brothers kevin a forward for the rangers and jimmy a right wing for the boston bruins another cousin is tom fitzgerald a right wing who played in more than 1000 nhl games and is now an assistant general manager for the devils fitzgeralds son ryan was a fourth round pick of the bruins in 2013 another son casey a defenseman for boston college is eligible for the draft


london   first came the shock then fear seized world markets as frenzied selling accelerated in tokyo hong kong and london unfathomable amounts of wealth vanished in a matter of hours
in crudest outlines the panic that followed britains vote to quit the european union traced the 2008 collapse of lehman brothers an event that turned an unfolding financial crisis into the bleakest economic downturn since the great depression the similarities hung uneasily over markets on friday presenting a grim question how ugly might things get
as economists pored over the rout like accident investigators dispatched to the scene of a crash most offered assurances that a lehman style financial panic was not unfolding in that debacle investors indiscriminately fled all assets connected to the disastrous american housing bubble mortgages had been carved into exotic investments and peddled around the globe meaning they lurked everywhere distrust spread like a virus
this time the source of the trouble is both identifiable and relatively confined britain and the 27 remaining members of the european union face significant uncertainty in their economic and financial dealings as they embark on complex divorce proceedings
fears that drawn out negotiations could disrupt trade prompted investors to push their money toward safety as night fell in london the british pound was down more than 7 percent stock markets plummeted around the globe the standard  poors 500 stock index closed down 36 percent in new york london closed down a similar margin and tokyo surrendered more than 4 percent investors poured money into government bonds seeking refuge
as of now this doesnt look like an end of the world event said ian shepherdson chief economist at pantheon macroeconomics an independent research organization it looks bad but its not a cataclysmic game changer similar to lehman then he paused yet
in the best case the plunge in markets represents an abrupt adjustment to the changing geography of global commerce britain has been diminished as a place for banking and business and so the pound has lost some luster
in the worst case investors have begun a fearful march away from risk potentially starving emerging markets and stripping european countries of needed capital it could last as long as the uncertainties dogging europe   perhaps years
if recent traumas have clarified anything it is the tendency for trouble to emerge unexpectedly the global financial system is so intertwined that links can remain opaque
one key factor undergirds confidence that the so called brexit will not deliver lehman like troubles in 2008 central banks on both sides of the atlantic failed to recognize the mounting disaster they failed to prepare adequate relief while people may argue over the degree to which regulators have tamed the speculative excesses of finance few dispute that improvements have been delivered
the financial systems in the us and europe including the uk are far more capitalized and less leveraged than they were in 2008 said adam s posen a former member of the rate setting committee at the bank of england and now president of the peterson institute for international economics in washington the proclivity to panic in ways that create financial instability are much more limited
the bank of england and the european central bank have tools they can wield to defuse threats to banks they can simply print money and lend it out as needed
less than an hour after markets opened in london on friday britains central bank governor mark j carney stood before television cameras and struck a resolute pose as he promised to do what it took to stabilize markets he announced that he was prepared to unleash another PS250 billion about 370 billion in pursuit of financial tranquillity
we expect institutions to draw on this funding if and when appropriate mr carney said the bank will assess economic conditions and will consider any additional policy responses
those words appeared to assuage fears as the pound and stock prices both pared their losses
in recent years the federal reserve in the united states the bank of england and the european central bank have subjected financial institutions to so called stress tests they regularly scrutinize banks portfolios and the money they hold in reserve to make sure they can hold up in various outbreaks of trouble
these tests have been welcomed by economists as a helpful addition to the warning system just this week major american banks all gained passing grades
yet these are academic exercises
this is the real stress test said simon johnson a former chief economist at the international monetary fund and a professor at the mit sloan school of management
the immediate run on stocks and currencies might yet grow into something worse shaking consumer confidence and prompting households to limit their spending as businesses lose profit opportunities they are likely to put off investing and hiring
if that happens it could create a spiral ending in recession both in britain and across europe adding to pressure on banks the markets seemed to be warning of this possibility as they savaged the value of banking stocks on friday
the triumph of the brexit campaign has also invigorated separatist inclinations elsewhere in scotland the netherlands and beyond
the greater the odds that the european union will splinter the more investors are likely to demand extra payouts for fresh loans to debt saturated countries like greece italy and portugal that could squeeze businesses there making it harder for them to borrow further crimping their economies
that could then spread to the banks and go global and that could smell like a lehman said markus schomer chief economist for pinebridge investments a global asset management firm he put very low odds on this referendum contagion case
if history is a guide hedge funds private equity and other realms of finance will also suffer there aggressive players borrow enormous sums of money to place outsize bets crises have previously revealed those taking on outsize risk long term capital management which borrowed heavily appeared robust before losses in the asian financial crisis of the late 1990s brought it to the verge of a collapse that threatened the broader financial system and required a private bailout
as the prominent investor warren e buffett once put it only when the tide goes out do you discover whos been swimming naked
those who had been paying attention to the american housing crisis were hardly surprised when lehmans afflictions burst into public view lenders had been writing mortgages to seemingly anyone in possession of a signature lehman had been repackaging these loans and selling them for vast profits
the surprise was that lehman actually went bankrupt exposing its trading partners to losses by contrast polls had suggested that britain might really walk this is a source of hope given that central banks governments and investors had more time to prepare
lehman came out of the blue said john van reenen director of the center for economic performance at the london school of economics this is like a train wreck where you can see the trains coming together for a long distance and youre hoping the trains will swerve away
but any comfort in that is sapped by the fact that britain one of the oldest democracies on earth put itself in this spot through an exercise of free will now the world waits to see how far the pain spreads


washington   three agents knocked on the door of a modest duplex in a wisconsin town just after dawn the mexican immigrant living on the ground floor stuck his head out
they asked his name and he gave it within minutes jose cervantes amaral was in handcuffs as his wife also from mexico silently watched after 18 years working and living quietly in the united states mr cervantes who did not have legal papers rode away in the back seat heading for deportation
it is a routine that continues daily the supreme court on thursday effectively ended initiatives by president obama that would have given protection from deportation to more than four million immigrants in the country illegally most of them parents of american citizens mr obama showed his frustration with the decision saying his goal was to help immigrants who had raised families here and helped the country with their work the president said immigrants who might have qualified for the programs would still be safe from deportation
still deportations continue thousands every week
in november 2014 when mr obama first announced the protection programs he also set new priorities for enforcement since then immigration authorities say their focus is on removing convicted criminals and foreigners who pose national security threats but the administrations priorities also include deporting migrants from central america including children who came in an influx since 2014 and immigrants who committed minor offenses   or none at all   are often swept up in the operations
after thursdays supreme court decision the presidents protections are gone but the enforcement plan remains in effect it is part of a particularly edgy moment for immigrants and their supporters framed by the supreme court ruling donald j trumps presidential campaign and britains surprise vote influenced in part by anti immigrant sentiments to leave the european union
last year immigration authorities deported 235413 people according to official figures of those 59 percent were convicted criminals and 98 percent fit within the administrations priorities department of homeland security officials said the top priority includes foreigners who pose a threat to national or border security or to public safety other priorities are for people with serious criminal records but they also include any migrant caught entering the country illegally after jan 1 2014
homeland security officials said friday that the supreme court decision would have no effect on the pace or strategy of enforcement
our limited enforcement resources will not be focused on the removal of those who have committed no serious crimes have been in this country for years and have families here said marsha catron a spokeswoman for the department under this policy these people are not priorities for removal nor should they be
mr obama has carried out many more deportations than previous presidents setting a record of more than 24 million formal removals
but republican lawmakers point to a sharp decrease in deportations   down 43 percent in 2015 from 409849 in 2012   to say that mr obama has all but stopped enforcing immigration law when will the obama administration end its reckless policies that wreak havoc on our communities asked representative robert w goodlatte the virginia republican who is chairman of the house judiciary committee
but what is not enough enforcement for some is too much for others this week immigration and customs enforcement which is known as ice said it had arrested 331 immigrants in may and june in illinois indiana wisconsin kentucky kansas and missouri the operations were its latest effort to arrest and remove convicted criminal aliens said ricardo wong the director of the agencys office in chicago
by focusing our resources on the most egregious offenders mr wong said we ensure the very best use of our resources while immediately improving public safety
one of those arrested was mr cervantes
in 2006 mr cervantes said in an interview by telephone on friday he was caught up in an immigration raid at a factory near his workplace local police who assisted in the raid arrested him finding   mistakenly he says   that he was working with documents under a false name
mr cervantes a construction worker pleaded guilty to an identity theft offense a low level felony a decade later after he and his wife raised two daughters in genoa city wis immigration agents came to his door to deport him
the shock for my wife was very strong mr cervantes said she has been in treatment at local hospitals for kidney cancer he said if we have to go back to mexico i wont have her for long
he has been released while he fights his immigration case
the administration is continuing to deport people who should not be a priority said christine neumann ortiz executive director of voces de la frontera an organization that assisted mr cervantes mr obama she said can do much more to prevent the unnecessary breakup of families
some clearly are in the priority group on friday immigration and customs enforcement said it had arrested 45 foreigners who had been listed by interpol as wanted for serious crimes including three men from el salvador sought in connection with gang killings immigration agents have conducted many roundups of drug traffickers and human smugglers
at the same time a 19 year old migrant from honduras wildin acosta was still being held in an immigration detention center in lumpkin ga five months after he was arrested when he was heading to high school in durham nc
in 2014 mr acosta crossed the border illegally and turned himself in to border agents asking for asylum since he was 17 at the time and traveling without his parents he was held under special protections for unaccompanied minors he was sent to live with his parents who had settled years before in durham
he started going to high school made friends who helped him learn english and joined a local soccer league he presented a formal request for asylum in the united states saying in legal papers that he fled honduras after two close relatives were murdered
but he missed a date in immigration court and a judge ordered him deported mr acosta also turned 19 making him too old immigration officials said to be given deference as a minor
mr acosta was among dozens of teenagers as well as mothers and smaller children from central america who were arrested in an operation by immigration agents over one weekend in late january homeland security department officials said that because of his recent border crossing mr acosta was among the highest priorities for deportation
the arrests caused panic in immigrant communities in durham teachers lawmakers and community leaders mobilized to protest mr acostas lawyer evelyn smallwood has forestalled his deportation but has not secured his release
he is a good kid and he is doing everything he can to keep his sanity she said the administration has said it is as important to remove wildin as it is to remove a drug trafficker or a terrorist


as immigration activists gathered in lower manhattan on friday afternoon chanting in spanish to denounce the supreme court deadlock that effectively shut down president obamas program of deportation relief a group of eight advocates stood quietly in the back
they held hand painted signs of protest were all immigrants one sign said in chinese we want to see comprehensive immigration reform another said in korean not so pithy but present
asian immigrants and their advocates say they are used to being a minority within a minority at rallies such as these and fridays gathering organized by the immigration rights group make the road new york was no different the small band from the minkwon center for community action a predominately korean advocacy group that also serves the chinese community in flushing queens was but a fraction of the 100 protesters
we have to take baby steps when it comes to voicing our own opinions said james jeong 21 who moved to flushing from south korea when he was 3 for asians its very stigmatized to speak out at these rallies
he added i feel like our biggest enemies are not the system itself but our own communities that ostracize our own members   you kind of do your own thing stay under the shadows
under the glaring noon sun in foley square on friday undocumented hispanic families with small children in baby carriages joined union members with megaphones and longtime leaders from advocacy groups many came in defiance of their lack of legal status
in new york city more than 220000 immigrants would have been eligible for temporary protection from deportation under the presidents executive actions which included a protection for parents with children who are american citizens or permanent residents according to the mayors office of immigrant affairs about 11 percent of those eligible were born in korea or china
that brings up the question why arent they all here mr jeong said
for korean parents being undocumented was a mark of shame mr jeong and the fellow minkwon members explained
i grew up in that environment where you dont tell other people your status or something bad will happen to you sangmin na 26 said
mr na a graduate of hunter college was a beneficiary of the 2012 program deferred action for childhood arrivals which protected certain undocumented children who were brought to the united states by their parents it remained unaffected by the supreme courts decision this week mr jeong was also covered by the deferred action program enabling him to graduate from city college of new york and land an engineering job that starts next week
they came to the rally to show solidarity
its not just latino struggles its everybodys struggles said jung rae jang 26 a community organizing fellow at minkwon who came from south korea at 15 one of the designated speakers at the rally he urged his fellow immigrants to keep fighting for reform and to encourage others to vote
mr jang said that he would like to organize more events in collaboration with the hispanic community but language barriers are a problem he said
but he also said that asians did not seem to have been as affected by deportations as the hispanic community adding so its hard to relate in that aspect
ester rim an intern at minkwon could however relate to the disappointment in the supreme court born in brazil to korean parents she moved with her family to queens when she was 4 her parents she said would have been eligible to apply for administrative relief because her sister had become a permanent resident
ms rim attending macaulay honors college at the city university of new york on a scholarship did not even tell her parents about the possibility that they could have qualified i cant even imagine how much heartbreak they wouldve gone through she said
on friday the activists who came to the rally proclaimed that they would continue to work for immigration reform a people united will never be defeated they shouted in spanish followed by the chant si se puede   yes we can
at the end there was a spontaneous eruption of ole ole ole ole
mr jang said at the last rally he tried to coin a korean cheer a clunky chant that translated to immigration reform pass it
i couldnt really say it mr na said of the korean words
we just say ole  namhee kim 20 said laughing its the soccer cheer


record flooding in west virginia killed at least 23 people stranded thousands left thousands more without utilities and washed away houses roads and vehicles after a band of thunderstorms battered the region on thursday
with boats helicopters and ropes firefighters law enforcement officers and national guard troops rescued people from roofs of flooded houses cars and trucks and from mounds that had become temporary islands freight barges on the kanawha river broke loose and slammed into bridges just west of charleston forcing them to close until inspectors determined that they were undamaged
more than 500 people were stranded and spent the night at the elkview crossings mall northeast of charleston because the roads leading there were among more than 60 washed out around the state gov earl ray tomblin ordered emergency construction of a temporary road to reach the site in white sulphur springs a house caught fire as it was ripped from its moorings and it drifted like a floating torch down a creek
at least 23 people were killed the state division of homeland security and emergency management said in addition 100 homes were known to be badly damaged or destroyed mr tomblin said friday after declaring a state of emergency in 44 of west virginias 55 counties the victims included an 8 year old boy and a 4 year old boy both carried off by fast moving torrents where there would usually be shallow creeks
its been a long 24 hours and the next 24 hours may not be easier mr tomblin said there will be an enormous amount of recovery work
in virginia gov terry mcauliffe made an emergency declaration for alleghany county and the city of covington
with roads impassable and rivers still near record highs in west virginia local officials said they did not know what the toll in death and destruction would ultimately be
im afraid that will go higher some of the hardest hit areas are areas that we cant get into said kent carper the president of the kanawha county commission how many homes have been destroyed nobody knows we have not even started the property assessment
i have seen bad flooding in west virginia but not like this he said its devastation just devastation
most of west virginia and parts of western virginia received 1 to 3 inches of rain in a few hours on thursday afternoon and evening but the downpour was far more intense in some places parts of greenbrier county a sparsely populated area bordering virginia got 8 to 10 inches of rain the national weather service reported
the mountainous terrain funneled that water into rivers that quickly overflowed their banks the elk river at queen shoals crested friday morning more than 14 feet above flood stage the highest ever recorded the greenbrier river at hilldale crested more than 19 feet above flood stage the highest since the 19th century
the greenbrier sporting club is scheduled to host its annual pga tour event starting july 7 but much of the famed golf course was underwater thursday and friday calls to the club were not answered
as of friday afternoon mr tomblin said 66000 customers in west virginia were without electricity and thousands had no gas water or phone service


anyone trying to explain britains decision to exit the european union must consider the countrys economy its citizens attitudes toward immigration its generational divides and the coverage of the debate in the news media
but there is another force to consider too the role of the worlds most influential social media platforms   facebook in particular more than 33 million people in britain use facebook each month according to estimates by emarketer a research company
a few data points about the vast online conversation before the vote suggest that the people supporting the leave campaign were far more engaged on the issue than their opponents on social media
using data pulled from crowdtangle a social media analytics firm that has a partnership with facebook the new york times ranked facebook pages that had the most engagement   how many people liked shared and commented on posts   around the term european union over the last 30 days
seven of the top 20 pages with the most engagement around european union including the top two were explicitly pro exit together these seven pages produced more than 13 million interactions   including the page for nigel farage a leading proponent of the leave campaign at no 6
only two pages   those of the group britain stronger in europe no 8 and the british prime minister david cameron no 18   were clearly associated with remain campaigns and together they accounted for just under 150000 interactions
a search for brexit the widely used shorthand for the vote produced a similar ranking other top pages included british and american news organizations that had broad news coverage as well as pro leave and pro remain opinion columns
an analysis of two opposing campaign pages underscores the wide gap in reader activity by friday a primary page for the remain campaign britain stronger in europe had passed 558000 followers its close counterpart   leave eu   led in followers at just over 767000 but the pages total engagement figures which approximate total conversations around all their posts were far more disparate
over the last six months posts on remain pages resulted in more than 33 million interactions   that is likes shares and comments   averaging about 475000 a month the leave page produced more than 11 million or about three times as many
between these groups the official leave message in other words landed harder and most likely spread further on facebook by a large margin
this month vyacheslav polonski a researcher at the oxford internet institute published a study of brexit campaigns activity on instagram mr polonski analyzed the activities of over 15000 users who engaged in the referendum debate
weve noted that eu skeptics and brexit supporters dominate the debate and are more effective in their use of instagram for activating and mobilizing people across the country he wrote they also tend to be more passionate active and outspoken in their online behavior he continued noting that they generated almost five times as many posts as their opponents
as for twitter the analytics firm talkwalker noted a substantial lead in leave related hashtags over remain related hashtags in may suggesting there was more discussion on the leave side in the last few weeks though the sides hashtags were nearly even and in the final days before the vote twitters hashtags tilted toward remain
social media by nature is both a catalyst and a place for conversation as such the apparent dominance of pro leave posts on facebook and instagram is neither a pure reflection of popular will nor a product of the services but more likely something in between
a full picture of voter sentiment on social media is visible only to the social media companies themselves and the rate at which sharing and engaging on a social media platform translates into action is difficult to quantify
leave eu left little up to chance share if you care it wrote in a post published two hours before the polls closed across britain make sure you vote now before its too late read a post an hour later


baltimore   barry g williams knows how to make a strong case against a police officer he spent eight years working for the civil rights division of the justice department where he investigated tried and convicted officers accused of brutality and civil rights violations
legal experts say that left him uniquely qualified to find himself at the center of the sprawling prosecution of the six officers charged in the fatal arrest of freddie gray   but perhaps not in the way some might have expected
on the one hand his background reflects an unquestioned sensitivity to the issues of police behavior and the rights of individuals who come in contact with them like mr gray the 25 year old black man whose death from a spinal cord injury that occurred while in police custody caused riots and chaos a year ago but experts say it has also made judge williams a meticulous evaluator of a prosecution case that was in trouble even before his thursday ruling acquitting officer caesar r goodson jr of seven charges including second degree murder because he knows the burden of proof all too well
he has an understanding of what police can and cannot do said barry kowalski who prosecuted the los angeles officers accused of beating rodney king and worked with judge williams at the justice department and at the same time he has an understanding that the government must have evidence that proves guilt beyond a reasonable doubt
judge williamss ruling and an earlier acquittal from the bench of officer edward m nero have made it clear that a man who has put together winning prosecutions against police officers has not seen a convincing case against those two officers
as a trier of fact judge williams wrote in his ruling thursday the court cannot simply let things speak for themselves
judge williams who is african american has to an unusual degree become the nucleus of the proceedings he is both presiding over the cases and has ruled from the bench in two of the three tried so far a jury deadlocked in the first case of officer william g porter
that has made the judge both the sole fact finder and the person whose rulings have shaped the case both for the world and for the lawyers arguing the case
a graduate of the university of maryland school of law where he is remembered as being well prepared to answer professors questions judge williams spent eight years as an assistant states attorney in baltimore before he joined the department of justice where he prosecuted cases against police officers and prison guards accused of brutality
he dedicated himself to making sure that people in power did not victimize those who did not have power and that was something very important to him mr kowalski said
in the federal system it takes months if not years to build a case   far longer than the 12 days after mr grays death that it took prosecutors here to announce charges against the six police officers involved in mr grays arrest   and judge williams knew when not to bring one
i remember conversations where i detected that he was eager to try to bring a prosecution but ultimately in the course of our discussion we both recognized the evidence was just not sufficient to make the wrong that we perceived into a criminal act mr kowalski said and we both went doggone it 
still judge williams tried and won cases like one in florida involving a police officer accused of pistol whipping a drug dealer who was already on the ground
he worked in i would say a methodical but effective style said douglas molloy a former federal prosecutor who worked with judge williams on that case instead of focusing on the more dramatic aspects of cases he concentrated on the elements of the crime
that could explain the tenor of judge williamss rulings   which deliberately lay out the charges and the evidence   and his brusque questioning of the prosecutors who alleged mr gray had a rough ride a dramatic term that he would find they did not substantiate in court
the state said to the world it was a rough ride said judge williams interrupting a prosecutors rebuttal statement at the end of the trial before unleashing a torrent of questions about the prosecutions allegations wheres your evidence judge williams asked
but some here have wondered if judge williamss experience investigating police officers at the federal level has made it harder to convince him of a strong case here
when you work for doj your standards of prosecution are exceedingly high said douglas colbert a professor of law at the university of maryland who is supportive of the prosecution as a result mr colbert said the judge could be looking for something more persuasive to meet the burden of proof than is ordinarily required in state prosecutions
judge williams 54 was appointed to the citys circuit court in 2005 and now holds an elected position
most mornings he appears on the bench 15 minutes or so after he scheduled proceedings to begin fortified by a giant mug of tea sharp witted and acerbic judge williams can be as quick to crack jokes from the bench as he can be to admonish the individuals in front of him for acting outside the neatly drawn lines of his expectations
there was the moment when he eviscerated prosecutors for failing to disclose a piece of classic exculpatory information to defense lawyers before officer goodsons trial if your office doesnt get that i dont know where we are at this point counsel judge williams said
a few days later he rebuked a witness dr morris marc soriano calling him sarcastic under questioning from a defense lawyer
sir dont say anything right now judge williams snapped
he has taken unusual measures to limit the flow of information from the courtroom ostensibly to prevent the proceedings in one of the six cases from tainting a jury pool for another like conducting the questioning of potential jurors out of earshot of the public and by speaking quietly with lawyers at the bench instead of in open court even when there was no jury
there has been some speculation as to whether judge williams familiarity with the case could prompt either prosecutors or defense lawyers to doubt his ability to continue considering the cases independently   a must for judges   and seek his recusal from future trials although legal experts said it was unlikely to happen without signs of obvious bias
still judge williams nodded to that possibility himself last month during closing arguments in the trial of officer nero when a prosecutor made a reference to a future trial in the proceedings
he answered with a quick aside which elicited laughter in the court but could have been wishful thinking i probably wont be involved he said


jerusalem   a little more than a day after president mahmoud abbas of the palestinian authority accused rabbis in israel of calling for their government to poison the water used by palestinians he retracted the allegation in a statement on saturday saying it had become evident that it was baseless
mr abbas made the unsubstantiated allegation during an address to the european parliament on thursday the remarks echoed anti semitic claims that led to the mass killings of european jews in medieval times
the palestine liberation organization had initially published the allegation on a website run by one of its offices and it spread through some regional news media outlets
mr abbass retraction was sent to reporters early saturday morning issued by the plo of which mr abbas is the chairman it said that mr abbas rejected all claims that accuse him and the palestinian people of offending the jewish religion it added that he also condemned all accusations of anti semitism
after it has become evident that the alleged statements by a rabbi on poisoning palestinian wells which were reported by various media outlets are baseless president mahmoud abbas has affirmed that he didnt intend to do harm to judaism or to offend jewish people around the world the statement continued
it was not immediately clear why mr abbas repeated the allegation on thursday days after it was widely debunked neither the rabbi who supposedly made the claim nor the organization quoted in the original plo article appear to exist
after the speech on thursday prime minister benjamin netanyahu of israel said that mr abbas had spread a blood libel with his remarks
mr abbas along with president reuven rivlin of israel had been invited to brussels by european officials hoping to revive peace negotiations
in october mr abbas erroneously accused israeli forces of killing a 13 year old palestinian boy who had taken part in the stabbing of two israelis the boy had actually been wounded and later recovered


wednesdays delaware court hearing on whether sumner m redstones national amusements appropriately removed five viacom directors highlights that not only will this matter drag on but that investors still know very little about the arrangements governing viacom and cbs
the hearing in delaware was a scheduling conference a typically mundane step in the litigation process designed to set a schedule for deciding whether the removal of the directors including viacoms chief executive philippe p dauman was valid
lawyers for both sides joked it was probably the best attended scheduling conference ever in delaware the full house included viacoms general counsel michael d fricklas who along with the remaining viacom executives has taken the side of mr dauman the separate lawyers for mr sumner and his daughter shari redstone and lawyers for national amusements and frederic salerno the viacom director challenging this matter
the intense interest in the case demonstrates the outcomes importance to viacom it was also the first time direct control of viacom was at issue
mr redstone has been shaking up his media holdings including cbs and viacom the removal of directors sparked another legal dispute over whether mr redstone who is 93 and in poor health has the mental capacity to make decisions on his companies through national amusements he owns about 80 percent of the voting stock of cbs and viacom and as the holder of the majority of shares can act by written consent at any time mr salerno asked the delaware court to block the director changes while national amusements petitioned to have them validated
on wednesday edward b micheletti the lawyer for mr salerno argued for delay in the courts decision saying a hearing in the fall on the matter was appropriate mr micheletti a delaware based partner at skadden arps slate meagher  flom also argued that during this time period the delaware courts should allow discovery concerning mr redstones competency and medical condition
the national amusements lawyer donald j wolfe jr of the delaware firm potter anderson  corroon argued for a stay of discovery and a quick decision on a summary judgment motion
national amusements and implicitly mr redstone and his daughter are adopting a go slow approach which allows for their side to be seen as reasoned and deliberate the approach has also created this litigation mess
mr wolfe also argued that this matter could be resolved on a summary motion since the delaware court need only look at the validity of the consents to vote viacom shares if they were appropriately authorized and delivered no further inquiry is necessary
as for a stay in discovery national amusements and the redstone camp want to avoid a medical examination of mr redstone the reason is apparent even if he is competent it does not appear that mr redstone is in good shape and an examination might show he is incompetent
there was some new information that came out during the hearing in my previous writings i had assumed that the viacom shares were voted by national amusements in that case the competency of mr redstone would seem irrelevant a court should simply look at the national amusements board and whether it validly voted and it did so this would seem to be the end of the story
but according to the transcript of the hearing the lawyers disclosed that until mr redstone is declared incompetent or dies the viacom shares held by national amusements are actually directly voted by him this is different from what i assumed in this situation there is no inquiry into national amusements but into mr redstone himself
this is a different matter and it is why the judge chancellor andre g bouchard was skeptical of national amusements arguments that he could resolve this matter without looking past the consent and mr redstones competency
as mr bouchard put it what if a 5 year old had executed the consent at the hearing he stated it was doubtful that he could decide this case without considering mr redstones status
this seems right to me
it also highlights how bad things are at viacom and cbs in terms of disclosure the trust instrument which governs the trust dictates who controls viacom and cbs upon mr redstones death or incompetency yet we still dont know exactly what the trust instrument states
that this has occurred is a failure of the securities and exchange commission and the new york stock exchange where both companies are listed they should move to force this disclosure and to do so for all companies with dual class stock so as to prevent another mess like this chancellor bouchard actually noted he wasnt a fan of these dual class stock structures
all is not lost for national amusements though
in the hearing mr wolfe said that if mr redstone were declared incompetent then national amusements votes the shares in connection with the viacom director removal national amusements board ratified the removal the trustees of the trust itself who would control national amusements if mr redstone were declared incompetent have also ratified the selection of the national amusements directors
so national amusements has a fallback argument it goes like this even if you want to look at mr redstones competency you dont need to if he is incompetent national amusements votes the viacom shares directly and it has ratified mr redstones actions
unfortunately national amusements was not very clear on this point at the hearing so it will have to do a good job explaining it again to the judge
indeed national amusements won one point getting the judge to hear a motion on this issue in july that will be the next step in this matter otherwise chancellor bouchard stayed discovery on the matter refusing to allow an investigation into mr redstones competency
mr bouchard seems to prefer to let this issue be fleshed out in the two other cases on this matter in massachusetts and california why were mr salernos lawyers so keen though to look at competency in both massachusetts and delaware one reason may be that they may not be able to go forward in massachusetts another may be that the more they can investigate the more likely they might be able to highlight mr redstones decline
again though this raises interesting issues about a way out of this mess the ousted viacom directors didnt complain in march when mr redstone executed the consent to vote for them for their seats how can they protest now when they are being removed and does this mean the viacom directors get to stay in their seats forever if mr redstone is declared incompetent
and then there is the issue of competency itself is the standard a general one about his competency to engage in business decisions or does it just focus on mr redstones understanding that he is removing the directors here these are thorny issues that the chancellor seemed unwilling to jump into
and so as we head into july the question now is whether national amusements can convince the delaware judge that since all of the parties here - the redstones national amusements and the trust   are in agreement mr redstones competency is irrelevant litigation in massachusetts might reveal more indeed there is a june 30 hearing in massachusetts on mr redstones motion to dismiss while mr dauman and fellow ousted director george abrams have moved for a medical examination of mr redstone
in other words this case still has a long way to go before resolution to viacoms detriment


london   as the bands played on at the glastonbury music festival in somerset england lewis phillips and his friends drowned their sorrows in song and alcohol
were the ones whove got to live with it for a long time but a group of pensioners have managed to make a decision for us mr phillips 27 said on friday of britains decision to withdraw from the european union he said he was now terrified about the countrys economic prospects
louise driscoll a 21 year old barista in london spent most of the day crying i had a bad feeling in my gut she said of britains referendum on europe what do we do now im very scared her parents both voted to leave the bloc she said and will probably be gloating
the vote to leave the european union exposed tensions and fault lines in british society but perhaps none more gaping than its generational divisions
according to pre election surveys by the polling organization survation 57 percent of britons between the ages of 18 and 34 who intended to take part in thursdays referendum supported remaining in the bloc while an identical proportion   57 percent   of britons over 55 supported the opposite leaving europe behind
for those under 25 the desire to remain in the union was especially high three quarters wanted britain to stay in europe
many young people in britain have grown up thinking of european integration as a given not a political experiment that would be rolled back before they could fully take part in it
they are often more comfortable living in a multicultural society than their elders are particularly in cities like london and edinburgh which are flooded by people from across the continent to study and work
many young britons expressed astonishment anger or despair that their parents and grandparents would seek to limit the travel exposure to other cultures and opportunities to work and study abroad that being part of the european union has afforded them
truly gutted that our grandparents have effectively decided that they hate foreigners more than they love us and our futures one young briton dan boden wrote on twitter
the referendum hinged in part on youth turnout and the government even tried to lower the voting age for the referendum to 16 from 18
it failed but the remain campaign still pushed to register young voters with some success the deadline to register was extended by two days after a voter registration website crashed because it was overwhelmed by visitors
prime minister david cameron turned to tinder the dating app and theladbible a website popular among young men to tout the benefits of staying in the european union the opposition labour party which supported remaining in the bloc also reached out to young voters
more than one million people between 18 and 34 registered in recent months the most ever for a british election according to bite the ballot and hope not hate which encourage young people to vote turnout for the referendum at around 72 percent was the highest for any national election in britain since 1992
but it was not enough
waking up to the eurefresults and realizing the older generation have just ruined our future one young briton toby pickard wrote on twitter
another sarah hartley wrote that our economy is in tatters because our grandparents cared more about their comfort than our future
in edinburgh a university city with a strongly pro european bent robert jack a 21 year old student at the university of glasgow was reeling from the decision he worried that his plans to study in romania on the european unions student exchange program erasmus were in jeopardy
the vote is very damaging mr jack said adding that he now welcomed a second referendum on whether scotland should leave the united kingdom because its better being inside the european union
of course many young people supported the push to rid themselves of europe ben kew 21 said he spent 30 hours at the leave headquarters watching the results come in
i was surprised i didnt think wed go through with it but im pleased that the establishment has been given a kick he said adding that the vote was a moment when britons expressed a desire for real change
but many young voters wondered what would happen to european union funding for research and sciences british universities currently receive about 16 percent of their research money and staff members from the european union
james calderbank 21 a student at falmouth university in cornwall england wrote in an email since the early hours of this morning my facebook newsfeed has been filled with my friends disappointment that we are leaving the eu
he added our campus was part funded by the eu so things are really not looking good for my university and its source of funds cornwall as a fairly rural and less developed part of southwest england was also a beneficiary of economic aid from brussels he noted
some high school students expressed dismay as well there is a very clear rift between how us young people feel and how the oldest age groups feel elliot shirnia 18 a student at the marling school in gloucestershire england wrote in an email adding that as the son of a refugee from iran he felt the leave campaign was divisive
anxiety about the economy and immigration drove the leave campaigns victory but many young people said they thought the decision would only set back their prospects
im already part of a generation stuck in rented property unable to buy my own house hannah shaw 25 who works at a national health service hospital and lives with her parents wrote in an email the older generation seem so happy with the result almost smug like its some sort of victory completely unaware of the chaos theyve caused for my generation im dreading what will happen to employment workers rights the environment and our economy
she added that she had friends from countries like slovakia poland spain and romania
its hard to see it affect them and think of the amazing people ill never meet after we leave the eu she said the uk suddenly feels very small
ms shaw blamed the news media for spreading misinformation about european union membership a lot of the older generation rely on newspapers for all their facts and dont actually do any of their own research unlike my generation
jenna ives moody 19 a journalism student at the university of huddersfield in northern england wrote in an email that serious fact based journalism within the uk is not valued by the majority of the english population
she said the leave campaign was driven by a misplaced ideal of reclaiming former glories within britain which she said was not common among young people who embrace all aspects of being european
fear was palpable among the young people in london who have thronged the capital from elsewhere in europe
francisco vicedo a 22 year old spaniard who works at a branch of the fast food chain pret a manger is studying for a masters program on organized crime and terrorism at university college london
weve already sent money to our countries because we know that in the following days the value of the pound is going to be down he said everyone is sending money already
he said he hoped to stay in london where job opportunities are more plentiful than in spain but was unsure of his prospects
dara canavan 23 who works at a management consultancy comes from an irish town just across the border from northern ireland and expressed fear about the possible reimposition of border controls
there is a lot of worry about whether free control between ireland and northern ireland will be affected said mr canavan
mr canavan wasnt sure he would stay in britain i was thinking of going back in the future but this could speed up the process he said


on tuesday afternoon more than a dozen members of the ensemble of shuffle along gathered at the midtown manhattan headquarters of actors equity cradling trophies in the shape of gold stars as they were honored as the best chorus on broadway
two days later the cast was again summoned to a gathering this time at the music box theater just before curtain for the thursday evening show and this time the news was bad the musical while still selling nearly a million dollars in tickets a week would close july 24
 read our review of shuffle along 
the turnabout in fortunes had a simple explanation according to the producers that was the date that the shows best known star audra mcdonald was beginning a maternity leave and the shows sales had dropped precipitously in anticipation of her departure
the performer who was to succeed ms mcdonald the musician rhiannon giddens was despondent my heart is broken she said on twitter completely and utterly now to pick up the pieces
others were unhappy too adrienne warren nominated for a tony for her performance tweeted an emoji of a broken heart ms mcdonald jumped into the social media conversation describing herself as devastated
the shows lead producer scott rudin said in a statement thursday that ticket sales were to blame the need for audra to take a prolonged and unexpected hiatus from the show has determined the unfortunate inevitability of our running at a loss for significantly longer than the show can responsibly absorb he declined to talk further on friday and other producers of the show did not respond to requests for comment ms mcdonald also declined to be interviewed
but the closing was the talk of broadway because the show with a full title of shuffle along or the making of the musical sensation of 1921 and all that followed involved a large number of celebrated artists including a tony winning director and book writer george c wolfe and the choreographer savion glover as well as the performers brian stokes mitchell billy porter and brandon victor dixon the show about the development and aftermath of an early all black musical on broadway was nominated for 10 tony awards but won none
im quite surprised given the pretty favorable reviews and the rest of the cast   i wasnt sure it was a hit in the sense of whether it would recoup but i did not think audras departure would result in such a falloff said john breglio an entertainment lawyer and author of i wanna be a producer
mr rudin has made tough decisions before this month he left a british musical adaptation of groundhog day which he planned to help bring to broadway citing unhappiness with the way his role in the project had evolved in 2013 he announced he would close the testament of mary on the same day it was nominated for a best play tony award citing poor ticket sales
the shuffle announcement comes during a tough period for many broadway producers of the 11 new musicals that opened during the theatrical season that just ended only four   hamilton on your feet school of rock and waitress   survive
ms mcdonald who with six tony awards is one of broadways biggest stars had always planned to take time away from shuffle this summer   before she became pregnant she had been scheduled to spend three months in london reprising her role in lady day at emersons bar  grill
but her london leave was scheduled to begin in june so she would have been gone primarily during the summer when broadway is flush with tourists her maternity leave was scheduled to begin a month later and to last twice as long meaning the show would have to survive without her through the fall and winter
some fans of the show were angry about the closing suggesting that the producers should have been better prepared or should have supported it for longer given its significance to african american theatrical history others were unhappy with the focus on ms mcdonalds pregnancy
it was just mishandled all around said andrew shade the founder and editorial director of broadwayblack a website that champions black performers and creators in theater we knew she was leaving to go do lady day and maybe now shes going to be gone a little longer but the show was very well done and it bothers me that were losing a great gem
but others saw the decision as smart producing the 12 million show will close at a loss but by closing next month it is likely to be able to return some portion of that money to investors because thus far it has been making an operating profit each week
as a commercial producer youre responsible to your investors and this is probably a better decision than losing all that money said steven chaikelson a professor of theater management at columbia university


rome   pope francis waded into turbulent geopolitical waters once again on friday during his first visit to armenia when he made an unscripted remark referring to the world war i era massacre of an estimated 15 million armenians by ottoman turks as a genocide
the prepared text of his speech did not include the politically contentious word which generally draws furious reactions from turkey instead the text opted for the more veiled armenian expression metz yeghern which translates as the great evil
but in keeping with his penchant for blunt talk the pontiff said friday that that tragedy had been a genocide and was the first of the deplorable series of catastrophes of the past century made possible by twisted racial ideological or religious aims that darkened the minds of the tormentors even to the point of planning the annihilation of entire peoples
francis words were met with a standing ovation by president serzh sargsyan of armenia and other officials and diplomats who gathered at the presidential palace in yerevan the nations capital to hear the pope
there was no immediate reaction from turkish leaders turkey has disputed the genocide designation arguing that it was wartime and that many turks were killed as well and it has insisted that there was never a systematic plan to execute armenians
the last time francis used the term in reference to the mass deaths of armenians in rome in april 2015 turkey reacted angrily recalling its ambassador to the vatican and not returning the envoy for 10 months
the suffering and resilience of the armenian people was the main theme of the first day of the popes three day trip to the caucasus region his speeches also underscored the importance of dialogue and cooperation to overcome conflict   a tacit acknowledgment of armenias continuing frictions with its neighbors turkey and azerbaijan
may all join in striving to ensure that whenever conflicts emerge between nations dialogue the enduring and authentic quest of peace cooperation between states and the constant commitment of international organizations will always prevail the pope said
armenia has no diplomatic relations with turkey it has also locked horns with azerbaijan over the disputed province of nagorno karabakh since they both broke free from the soviet union
the choice to begin the journey with armenia is in line with the popes different geopolitical map of the world said alberto melloni a historian of the vatican
mr melloni noted that the pope has tended to start with small countries before approaching larger powers and that his visits to the caucasus could be seen as a preliminary approach to russia which is the vaticans real issue   what to do with russia and china the great superpowers of the century
originally the pope had planned to include georgia and azerbaijan in his trip but visits to those countries have been postponed until autumn
as the leader of one billion roman catholics francis also spoke friday about the plight of christians in the middle east where he said they suffer persecution and discrimination perhaps even more than at the time of the first martyrs
it is vitally important that all those who declare their faith in god join forces to isolate those who use religion to promote war oppression and violent persecution exploiting and manipulating the holy name of god he said
before leaving rome francis said he would go to armenia as a pilgrim to the first christian country armenia adopted the faith in 301 and the armenian apostolic church which broke with other christian churches in the fifth century over a theological dispute counts about 93 percent of armenias population of three million as adherents by contrast the country has only about 280000 roman catholics
msgr gabriel quicke a vatican official who works to promote unity with other christian churches said relations with the armenian apostolic church have been strong since the second vatican council 50 years ago
while in armenia the pope plans to visit the tsitsernakaberd memorial complex the countrys main monument to the armenian genocide in yerevan he is expected to lay a wreath there and meet with descendants of armenian orphans who were given refuge at the papal summer residence in castel gandolfo italy during the years of the killings from 1915 to 1923 he also plans to visit a monastery near mount ararat where the bible says noahs ark landed after the great flood
the pontiffs recognition of the armenian genocide has drawn praise from armenians and armenian americans
karekin ii the patriarch of the armenian apostolic church told the pope on friday that people remembered with gratitude francis historic sermon condemning the genocide at st peters basilica last year and aram hamparian executive director of the armenian national committee of america issued a statement saying the pope is both strengthening christian solidarity with armenia and taking a courageous stand for truth and justice


a delaware judge ruled on friday that the dallas pipeline operator energy transfer equity is entitled to terminate its 38 billion merger with the williams companies culminating one of the most contentious cases of buyers remorse in recent memory
the ruling is a victory for energy transfer which for months has been seeking to kill the deal as the energy markets plummeted late last year the cash and stock transaction it had to talk williams into doing became nearly untenable
by march with just months left to consummate the transaction energy transfer and its outside counsel discovered a problem with the merger   that it may not ultimately be deemed tax free which was a condition for the deal to close
williams did not convince the delaware court that this discovery was influenced by energy transfers desire to get out of the deal according to the ruling
just as motive alone cannot establish criminal guilt however motive to avoid a deal does not demonstrate lack of a contractual right to do so sam glasscock iii the vice chancellor of the court of chancery wrote in his ruling on friday
in a statement on the ruling williams said while we appreciate the courts consideration of this matter williams does not believe ete has a right to terminate the merger agreement because ete has breached the merger agreement by failing to cooperate and use necessary efforts to satisfy the conditions to closing
it added that it would take appropriate actions to enforce its rights under the merger agreement
while williamss options have dwindled all is not lost
williams has a special meeting on monday at which shareholders were expected to vote on the deal regardless of the outcome of that vote energy transfer is expected to terminate the merger after that williams will most likely choose to appeal the courts decision meaning it will go to the delaware supreme court
on friday williams said it continued to recommend that shareholders vote for the merger
williams also said previously that it reserved the right to seek damages from energy transfer it is unclear how much williams might request
either way this decision could leave significant litigation overhang on energy transfer according to a note by analysts at evercore isi because of that energy transfer may choose to settle with a one time payment to williams the analysts wrote
the pipeline companies path to court was a long winding one the deal became serious about a year ago when energy transfer made an unsolicited all equity offer and williams rejected it as an enticement energy transfer threw in 6 billion worth of cash in another proposal   a decision that came back to haunt it
williamss board was divided with a majority of directors rejecting the newer offer after several rounds of votes ultimately two directors swung the other way and a 38 billion cash and stock transaction was announced on sept 28
shortly afterward the planned combination descended into utter chaos shares of both companies were dragged down with the slump in commodity prices last fall while pipeline companies transport oil and gas   rather than dig it out of the ground   their plight worsened as their customers teetered on bankruptcy
by christmas kelcy warren the chairman of energy transfer was stewing he fretted that the debt energy transfer would shoulder to pay for the 6 billion cash component of the deal would prompt the ratings agencies to downgrade his company to junk status
but there was no easy way out energy transfer slashed its estimates for the revenue bump it could get by combining with williams based in tulsa okla and threatened to lay off thousands of williamss employees
fridays decision however concerned two other actions energy transfer created a special class of stock that gave certain insiders including mr warren priority if the companys distributions or tax free payouts to shareholders were cut williams saw that as a breach of their agreement and sought the courts help in unwinding the private offering
perhaps more concerning to williams though was the decision by energy transfers outside counsel latham  watkins not to render a certain tax opinion that was a necessary condition to close the deal latham said that it could not give such an opinion which was supposed to conclude with reasonable certainty that the transfer of assets into the partnership would be tax free because of the substantial decline in energy transfers stock price
williams sued again seeking to prove that latham was acting under the influence of its client to break up the deal rather than engaging in its best efforts to close the transaction
energy transfer countersued arguing that it was in fact williams that was trying to derail the deal
all of these issues came together in the courtroom in georgetown del earlier this week energy transfer and latham witnesses focused on how they made an error in not spotting potential problems with the tax opinion when the deal was signed representatives of williams pointed out how the issue with the tax opinion was something energy transfer discovered in march   conveniently at the same time that mr warren wanted to get out of the deal
the judge hinted at his likely decision on tuesday when he said that he did not care if latham was right or wrong in refusing to issue its tax opinion he just needed to know whether it was acting in good faith


london   britains startling decision to pull out of the european union set off a cascade of aftershocks on friday costing prime minister david cameron his job plunging the financial markets into turmoil and leaving the countrys future in doubt
the decisive win by the leave campaign exposed deep divides young versus old urban versus rural scotland versus england the recriminations flew fast not least at mr cameron who had made the decision to call the referendum on membership in the bloc to manage a rebellion in his own conservative party only to have it destroy his government and tarnish his legacy
the result of the so called brexit vote presented another stiff challenge to the leaders of the other leading european powers as they confront spreading populist anger it was seized on by far right and anti brussels parties across europe with marine le pen of the national front in france calling for a frexit referendum and geert wilders of the party for freedom in the netherlands calling for a nexit
european officials met in brussels to begin discussing a response and to emphasize their commitment to strengthening and improving the bloc which will have 27 members after britains departure
at stake is the breakup pure and simple of the union prime minister manuel valls of france said adding now is the time to invent another europe
germany urged calm today marks a turning point for europe chancellor angela merkel said it is a turning point for the european unification process
financial markets swooned as it became apparent that the leave forces would prevail with the british pound and global stock prices plummeting in value as the vote tally showed the remain camp falling further behind
with all votes counted leave was ahead by 52 percent to 48 percent an enormous snub to britains elite
the process of withdrawal is likely to play out slowly perhaps taking years it will mean pulling out of the worlds largest trading zone with 508 million residents including the 65 million people of britain and abandoning a commitment to the free movement of labor capital goods and services it has profound implications for britains legal system which incorporates a large body of regulations that cover everything from product safety to digital privacy and for britains economy
the main ways in which the change will be felt are on trade   britain will lose automatic access to the european single market   and on immigration with britain no longer bound to allow any european union citizen to live and work in the country britain will have to try to negotiate new deals covering those issues
to those in britain who supported remaining in europe the result of thursdays in or out referendum was a painful rejection leaving the country exposed to a possible economic downturn and signaling a step away from the multiculturalism that they say has made britain among europes most vibrant societies
to backers of leaving the outcome was vindication of their belief that britain could pursue an independent course in the world free of the brussels bureaucracy and able to control the flow of immigrants into the country
dare to dream that the dawn is breaking on an independent united kingdom nigel farage the leader of the uk independence party one of the primary forces behind the push for a referendum on leaving the european union told cheering supporters just after 4 am
for mr cameron the results were a humiliating disaster forcing him to announce his departure only 13 months after he won re election behind a surprisingly large conservative majority in national elections critics said that he had led britain out of europe for no good reason and that the unity of the united kingdom itself was threatened with scotland now more likely to try again to bolt
speaking in front of 10 downing street early friday with his wife samantha standing nearby mr cameron said he would resign once a new leader had been chosen by his party a decision he expected by october he will stay now to provide stability but a new prime minister he said should formally begin britains withdrawal from the european union and negotiate the terms of that divorce
i held nothing back mr cameron said his voice breaking he said i love this country and i feel honored to have served it
his statement created an immediate churn in the political waters with speculation that the two conservatives most likely to succeed him are boris johnson the flamboyant former mayor of london who helped lead the leave campaign and theresa may the home secretary who supported mr cameron and remain but concentrated on doing her job rather than campaigning
mr johnson was booed friday morning as he left his home in london which voted overwhelmingly for remain in a brief statement later mr johnson praised mr cameron an old friend and rival from school days as an extraordinary politician and said he was sad to see him go
mr johnson refused to answer questions about his own future but praised the result we can find our voice in the world again a voice that is commensurate with the fifth biggest economy on earth he said
but if britains treasury and central bank are to be believed the economic hit the country will take from leaving the single market of the european union will be considerable with permanent loss of economic growth higher unemployment and lower tax receipts
the immediate market reaction was an effort to find a floor in the midst of so much uncertainty said barrington pitt miller an equity research analyst at janus capital but he said he expected british economic growth to be zero or negative in the short and medium term with a secondary impact over time as londons financial services sector which makes up about 10 percent of the economy begins to move staff members and headquarters to frankfurt paris or dublin
a lot will depend on how the european union chooses in the end to respond   whether it is vindictive friendly or frightened he said
mr johnson and some in the leave campaign argued that the other european nations valued trade with britain so much that they would negotiate a special deal after britains withdrawal to let britain remain in the single market without having to guarantee freedom of movement and labor that seems highly unlikely because it would only encourage other nations to pressure brussels but it may be that as the dust settles some sort of association agreement with britain could be negotiated as ms merkel suggested on friday though the price could be high
the economy aside the united kingdom itself now faces a threat to its survival scotland voted by 62 percent to 38 percent to remain in the european union and the scottish first minister nicola sturgeon said friday that it was democratically unacceptable for scotland to be dragged out of it against its will another independence referendum she said is now highly likely
appearing before reporters in front of the flags of scotland and the european union ms sturgeon who leads the dominant scottish national party said it is a statement of the obvious that the option of a second referendum must be on the table and it is on the table
the threat is real but any new vote will not come soon because it is only two years since the last one which the scottish nationalists lost and the price of oil on which the scottish economy largely depends has dropped
northern ireland too voted for remain although protestants and roman catholics as usual were split but the prospect of an open border with ireland now becoming a hard border between the european union and the united kingdom will change matters and require checks of passports and goods putting strain on the good friday peace agreement
in england which voted for leave there are obvious strains too
they can be found between the young who voted in large numbers for remain and those over 45 who voted for leave between the cities and the countryside between richer and poorer and between better educated and less educated
london itself the glittering expensive multicultural and multinational global capital with its many immigrants and liberal values was isolated in a sea of those favoring leave in some sense the vote was against the wealthy elites who live in london and rule everyone else from there
last there is the chasm between political leaders nearly all of whom backed remain and many of their voters who rebuffed them
bronwen maddox former editor of prospect magazine and the new director of the institute for government a research institution said in an email that there is a growing intolerance for representative government which is likely to have consequences for the ability of any government to run the country
the referendum she suggested might have been about brussels but it revealed and unleashed many other forces those forces she said have ejected the uk from the european union they may now wreak similar turmoil on the old political parties themselves


frankfurt   only hours after britain decided to leave the european union emmanuel lumineau cast his own remain vote   with his feet mr lumineau said he would move to paris from london and take about 10 employees at his financial start up with him
the looming question on friday was how many other executives might reach the same conclusion undermining britains status as the no 1 destination in europe for foreign investment
mr lumineaus reasoning was simple his customers operate under european rules and so must he we need to be inside said mr lumineau the french chief executive of brickvest a company that allows customers to invest small sums in real estate online
the long term business consequences of brexit will take years to fully emerge largely because no one knows what kind of new trade barriers and regulations will emerge from negotiations with the european union but already there were worrisome signs that the remain camps warnings of economic tumult could come true
jamie dimon chief executive of jpmorgan chase warned his staff in a memo on friday that in months to come we may need to make changes to our european legal entity structure and the location of some roles mr dimon had said before the vote that up to a quarter of jpmorgans 16000 employees in britain might need to relocate
shares of british property companies plunged friday on fears that the brexit vote will cause a recession and deflate londons real estate boom
jurgen maier the top executive in britain of siemens the german electronics and engineering giant said it might need to rethink its investment plans he predicted others would do the same at least until they can judge the impact of brexit
all companies will be holding fire to see what happens said mr maier siemenss chief executive for britain
for decades big multinational companies have used britain as their business friendly english speaking beachhead to europe as a member of the european union britain offered frictionless access to the mainland while the legacy of margaret thatcher meant there was far less regulation than in france or germany
now that the english channel suddenly seems a lot wider businesses are waiting nervously to see what kind of new europe will take shape negotiations on a post brexit trade relationship are likely to be messy and take years and in the meantime europe could be in for serious political instability as right wing parties in france finland and other countries try to ride britains coattails out of the union
it is not all bad for business the plunging pound will help the tourism industry by making britain cheaper to visit bmw mini automobiles and other products manufactured in britain will be less expensive for people paying in euros and other foreign currencies that could be good for exports
britain could also be free to follow its free market instincts without interference from brussels if the leave forces are correct that would make the country a magnet for companies seeking to escape the regulatory corset of mainland europe
but any advantages are likely to be outweighed by the enormous uncertainties ahead with no road map executive decision making could be paralyzed and investment could come to a standstill
britains financial services industry which employs 12 million people is especially vulnerable new stock listings in london are likely to all but cease while companies take stock of the damage
foreign banks may face the costs of moving thousands of employees out of london to the continent so they can satisfy regulations governing trading and investment advice on behalf of european clients london had provided a convenient hub to serve europe
james p gorman the morgan stanley chief executive and colm kelleher the president said friday that they had no plans to relocate staff from london but in a memo to employees   many of whom worked through the night to handle a huge trading volume   they said they might consider adjustments to our operating model
even deutsche bank the symbol of german banking nominally based in frankfurt uses london as a base for investment banking and trading it has often made most of its profit there
im afraid that this is not such a good day for europe said john cryan the deutsche bank chief who happens to be british at this stage we cannot fully foresee the consequences but theres no doubt that they will be negative on all sides
perhaps no company embodies the european project more than airbus a politically driven consortium that allowed europe to remain a player in the aircraft industry after smaller national manufacturers could no longer compete airbus produces wings in broughton and employs 15000 people in britain plus tens of thousands more at suppliers
outside the union britain may no longer have as strong a claim on those jobs this is a lose lose result for both britain and europe said thomas enders the airbus chief executive we will review our uk investment strategy like everybody else will
other sectors as different as petrochemicals and scottish whisky could be damaged by increases in customs duties diverging legal requirements and slumping growth energy companies like bp or royal dutch shell are worried about having to deal with an unwieldy snarl of differing regulations once the european union umbrella is gone uncertainty is never helpful for a business such as ours bp said in a statement friday
united states technology companies like google and facebook have sizable operations in britain though their headquarters are technically in low tax countries like ireland and the netherlands google employs roughly 1000 engineers across britain working on global products like its search engine and android mobile operating system technology companies could be under pressure to move sales and marketing jobs from britain so these employees can still have access to europes common marketplace
the ties are especially close between britain and germany where the dismay was particularly pronounced britain imports more products from germany than anywhere else britain is germanys third largest customer for exports after the united states and france
german brands like bmw mercedes and volkswagen account for half the cars sold in britain according to the german association of the automobile industry sales could suffer if britain raises tariffs on imported vehicles shares of bmw daimler and volkswagen plunged friday
german companies have helped keep alive manufacturing in britain mini and rolls royce are considered iconic british car brands but both are owned by bmw bentley belongs to volkswagen
probably the most important company in the renaissance of british car manufacturing has been nissan which has pumped close to 4 billion pounds since the mid 1980s into a world class factory in sunderland in northeast england last year the company produced about 475000 vehicles about a third of britains total exporting about 55 percent of them to the european union
yet despite the european unions importance to local jobs voters in sunderland voted overwhelmingly to leave the brexit camp won 61 percent of the vote compared with 39 percent for remain stuart boyd a nissan spokesman said on friday that the company was not ready to comment on how it might respond
perhaps workers believed that nissan sales would increase because of a weaker pound but any stimulus to british exports from a devalued currency is likely to be offset by higher prices for imported goods britain has a trade deficit so a weaker pound is on balance negative
another huge foreign manufacturer is siemens based in munich which has 13 factories and 14000 workers in britain making products like electric motors gas turbines and trains siemens is not about to pull up stakes but mr maier the siemens chief for britain said the brexit vote could force the company to recalculate some investment decisions
for example european union grants help finance siemens research and development projects in britain in areas like self driving cars that financial support will disappear once britain is out
the question is more about future investment future research and development mr maier said thats hanging in the balance
he embodies the strong ties between britain and the mainland born in germany mr maier has lived in britain since he was 10 studied there and speaks with a british accent he said that there was a palpable sense of anxiety friday morning when he visited a company office in manchester that is used by engineers and customer service representatives
its usually a really buzzing office mr maier said this morning it was definitely quiet customers werent calling thats not a good sign the country is just taking all of this in


london   the referendum initiated by prime minister david cameron on britains membership in the european union was a gamble too far even for a leader renowned for his luck his stunning defeat on friday not only cost him his job and sent shock waves through britain europe and the world but also failed at the very thing he risked so much for to end the fight for the soul of his conservative party
mr cameron will stand down in the fall after a contest for his job in which the early favorite is boris johnson the former mayor of london a longstanding rival of the prime minister mr johnson has probably done more than anyone else to bring about mr camerons downfall by playing frontman in the campaign against european union membership
even lucky generals run out of luck eventually said david mellor a former conservative cabinet minister who added that mr cameron had overreached by promising a plebiscite on britains place in europe an issue that has divided the conservatives for a quarter of a century
it was like going to a critically ill patient and ripping the bandages off their wound mr mellor added the referendum far from settling matters was going to destabilize the country and the conservative party he said
in may of last year mr cameron was celebrating a surprise election victory that made him the first conservative prime minister to win a majority since 1992 but as it turns out he had already sown the seeds of his destruction in 2013 when under pressure from the right wing populist uk independence party mr cameron promised the referendum on withdrawal from the european union known as brexit
he is not the first conservative prime minister to be undone by europe margaret thatcher was forced from office in 1990 partly because of her european policy while her successor john major was tormented by euroskeptic conservative backbenchers
early in his leadership mr cameron appealed to his party to stop banging on about europe though by then he had already appeased the euroskeptic right by promising to remove the conservatives from a center right alliance in the european parliament that they considered too federalist
the vote underlines the final victory of anti europeans within the conservative party which had led britain into what was then the european economic community in 1973 when it was a pro european force
the task of putting the party back on an even keel will not be quick under party procedures conservative lawmakers will select two candidates from their ranks with those two names going to about 150000 party members who will make the final choice
until recently the favorite would have been george osborne the chancellor of the exchequer but his aggressive warnings about the risks of the withdrawal have put him on the wrong side of the conservative party electorate wrecking his prospects
other potential candidates include michael gove the justice secretary who appears reluctant to put himself forward but who campaigned for brexit and theresa may the home secretary who did not
ms may is regarded as fantastically competent well respected and has cultivated party members in a methodical way said charles lewington a former director of communications for the conservative party though she did not support the withdrawal she did not campaign against it and is still thought to be a significant contender
on friday the northern ireland secretary theresa villiers said that the job need not necessarily go to a supporter of the withdrawal but that if a choice were to be made in september the process would have to start soon
of those who were in favor of remaining in the european union the leader of the scottish conservatives ruth davidson had the most impressive campaign though the education secretary nicky morgan or the health secretary jeremy hunt are more likely to stand
but given the outcome of the referendum the more logical choice would be a leader who believes in the policy going forward
in those ranks are andrea leadsom a former energy minister liam fox the former defense secretary priti patel an employment minister and dominic raab a justice minister
yet none have the buccaneering charm or rhetorical powers of mr johnson you only have to say their names to realize how unlikely they are to beat bojo said tim bale a professor of politics at queen mary university of london using one of mr johnsons nicknames
nevertheless some critics question whether mr johnson has the substance to be prime minister mr lewington argued that he might have the popular vote and has proved he is box office but there hasnt been a commensurate rise in attitudes toward him among conservative backbench members of parliament
during a tv debate on the referendum one opponent the cabinet minister amber rudd described mr johnson as the life and soul of the party but hes not the man you want driving you home at the end of the evening
mr johnson and mr cameron are rivals from their days at britains most exclusive school eton college mr johnson first made a name for himself as a journalist in brussels for the daily telegraph where he specialized in scathing stories about the supposed waste and inefficiency of the european union bureaucracy veterans there many of whom accused him of overstating his case say he once arrived at a news conference and asked so what is going on and why is it bad for britain
when the referendum forced him to choose mr johnson initially dithered he reportedly wrote drafts of his column in the daily telegraph setting out both cases   before opting for the brexit version he also floated the idea of having another negotiation with the european union after a referendum to reject membership as a way of securing more concessions
that idea was eventually dropped though it suggests that mr johnson might not relish negotiating a british exit some suspect that he probably expected the referendum to be won by the other side but saw it as an opportunity to raise his profile
it may be that he would have liked to get this in different circumstances said mr bale but hes going to seize the prize
while mr cameron failed to end the strife in his party mr bale and others said there was a good chance that his successor might
mr bale said that it was hard to see mr johnsons failing to get on the short list of two candidates chosen by lawmakers and even harder to imagine his then being spurned by party members the majority of whom are thought to have supported the withdrawal
but more than a quarter of a century after the fall of mrs thatcher the new leader of the conservative party may be able to unite it for the first time over its european policy by turning its back on the bloc
this is in some ways is the best referendum outcome for the conservative party said mr bale though maybe not for the country


when wimbledon begins on monday it will be notable for the absence of the 14 time grand slam champion rafael nadal and for the presence of the 17 time major winner roger federer who is still trying to recover from a back injury that caused him to miss the french open
had a 1970s experiment with a shorter format in the early rounds of grand slam events not been discarded it is possible that things might have been different
the bruising nature of the mens tour with players bigger than ever a predominating baseline style that leads to long rallies the homogenization of court surfaces and the increasing emphasis on physicality has caused many top players to take time off for injuries in recent years
at grand slam events players have wilted as matches stretch past three hours particularly in the heat of melbourne australia and flushing meadows queens at last years united states open 10 men retired from their first round matches watching andy murray visibly tire in the final of the french open this month it was easy to wonder what might have been had he not had to play five sets in each of his first two rounds
then again if the french open had used a best of three format in the first two rounds as it did from 1973 to 1975 and had this years matches in paris played out the same way murray would have been eliminated long before the final
still concerns about extending players careers have led to questions about the best of five format for mens singles at grand slam events
men play best of five matches only at majors and in davis cup matches other atp tour events and all wta tournaments have a best of three set format that men play best of five at the grand slam events and women do not is an argument used by many critics of equal prize money
most male players past and present say the best of five set format represents the truest test physically and mentally to change it they say would affect how grand slam champions are compared with those of the past
but in the 1970s the decade in which television helped increase prize money and transform tennis into a truly global sport three of the four grand slam events tested a best of three set format in the mens events
the australian open started the ball rolling in the 1973 and 1974 tournaments in which only the first round matches were best of three the french open was best of three in the first two rounds in 1973 1974 and 1975 and the united states open tried it in the first three rounds in 1975 1976 and 1978 and through the fourth round in 1977
according to an article in the new york times on june 17 1975 the change in format at the united states open was made to accompany a switch from grass courts to clay
the reason for the change was that the matches on clay were expected to last longer than on grass because of more extended rallies the article said
in the three united states opens leading up to the change first round matches were often one sided from 1972 to 1974 104 of the 192 first round matches were won in straight sets including retirements only 26 matches went five sets and only 15 would have had different results had they been played best of three
in 1979 a year after the tournament moved to the national tennis center from the west side tennis club and switched to hardcourts the tournament returned to a best of five format there were 37 straight sets wins in the first round and 14 five set matches and six matches would have had different outcomes over the shorter format
forty odd years on the memory of those involved is understandably hazy but john mcenroe who first played at the united states open in 1977 said the top players believed that the longer format favored them because of their superior fitness
i did lose in the round of 16 in the us open in 1977 my first open 6 2 6 3 and it seemed like it happened too fast mcenroe said in a conference call tuesday
manolo santana who won three grand slam singles titles in the 1960s remembered that players were unhappy about the best of three format
i think it was done because some of the early matches were very quick and then the television people wanted it he said at the french open last month
frew mcmillan a south african who won 10 grand slam titles in mens and mixed doubles said the players were pleased when the experiment ended
i think any player with any history of the game not only through their own experience but looking back over the years all the majors stood out and were played over five sets said mcmillan who is now a commentator for the eurosport television network it was very much a routine for us and so to reduce events in the majors to three sets in some ways reduced the value in our eyes
the 1975 world of tennis yearbook includes one withering paragraph about the 1974 french open
a distasteful feature of the mens singles was the decision once again to play two rounds over the best of three sets and the rest over the best of five it read this broke the rhythm of the tournament and asked players to transform themselves from sprinters into stayers
the 1976 book refers to the format in a more positive way saying that abbreviated matches helped raw youngsters take the strain of a packed schedule
wimbledon is the only one of the four grand slam tournaments not to have tried the shortened format the oldest and most famous of the four majors it prides itself on tradition upholding as it often says everything that is great about tennis while being open to innovation
an email statement from wimbledon said that officials there were not aware of any discussion in the past about a possible change of format
we consider five sets to be the ultimate test for a tennis player in the mens game and there are no plans to change the format at the championships the statement said
mcenroe said tennis should always think of ways to improve itself
i dont think the door should be closed on saying that women would never play best of five or guys will never play best of three he said i think its something thats an ongoing discussion
eric butorac the president of the atp player council said in an email in all my discussions in previous years most players were in favor of staying with the best of five format despite the congestion
murray was open to ideas
im not against change or trying something trying something new he said last week it could make it better for sure thats possible it could make it more interesting more entertaining but it could also go the other way as well
he added i dont mind the best of five i think it makes it a little bit different to the rest of the tour it makes all the hard work kind of worthwhile best of three matches physically dont often take too much out of you weve played best of three since we were kids in all competitions so in the best of five the extra training and extra effort helps in those scenarios so i like a five set format but im not against change either


paris   when the berlin wall fell i was in high school when the planes hit the twin towers on sept 11 2001 i was a rookie reporter in new york when britain voted to leave the european union i woke up to the news at home in paris and was stunned but not entirely surprised ive covered europe for the new york times for the past eight years and ive learned that voter anger or voter apathy is always a clearer gauge than politicians and pundits
still the news stung for me and others of my generation this vote was about more than britains relationship with europe it signaled the definitive end of the era of transnational optimism in which i came of age the 90s back then we believed that interconnectedness was a strength people wanted to study human rights law nationalism was out of fashion   at least in western europe   and weaponized twitter didnt yet exist to galvanize political change or rather to take down institutions not build them
in june 2011 i was on assignment in athens when the government of prime minister george papandreou collapsed a year earlier mr papandreou had asked for a foreign bailout the countrys lenders agreed but only if greece met terms that would soon prove politically toxic mr papandreou resigned that november and his once powerful socialist party imploded
for years to come i covered countless middle of the night votes in which the greek parliament pushed through packages of austerity measures at the 11th hour there were lots of riots and billows of tear gas before each vote there were many political messages from europe warning that if greece didnt pass this or that measure it would be kicked out of the eurozone and everything would fall apart
regular people didnt understand what was going on and neither did many european leaders cocooned in their provincialisms sometimes there was chatter that no greece wouldnt get kicked out of the euro but that maybe one day germany europes largest economy would leave never mind how germany had grown rich because its banks had lent southern europe money to buy german goods a fact that didnt fit into the lazy greeks narrative of the german tabloid news media
this week it wasnt greece that was kicked out it was britain that voted to leave after a campaign of open xenophobia leaving the euro isnt the same as leaving the european union but the differences are too technical for many people to parse thats the problem
the european union hasnt done a good job of explaining its purpose   its too opaque too bureaucratic too confusing   and its slow handling of the debt crisis especially in greece where it acted fast so french and german banks could cut their losses but left greece asphyxiated had devastating consequences for all decisions made for short term financial stability have led to long term political instability
im struck by how the critiques of europe from the right and left wind up converging the democracy in europe movement begun this year by the leftist yanis varoufakis a polarizing former greek finance minister hits some of the same notes as nigel farages right wing uk independence party criticizing europe as antidemocratic and less than transparent
still the right appeals to nationalism and the left does not the right sells a nostalgic version of national identity that resonates viscerally but doesnt reflect reality especially not for young people born into a europe of erasmus scholarships that let them study across borders and easyjet which lets them travel around on the cheap
these critiques of europe from the left and right arent really ideological in the way that the 20th century battles between communists and fascists were instead voters have the sense that abstract economic forces are determining their fates that their countries have given up part of their economic sovereignty to europe   but that europe a vague construct has not assumed that power and cant act on it europe hovers in a kind of purgatory of semisovereignty in this confusion nationalists thrive
its all terribly confusing the idea of a united europe was to allow citizens to prosper when the economy was booming countries wanted immigration in recent years the economic crisis hasnt allowed citizens in many parts of europe to prosper does this mean that a united europe is to blame or that global economic factors are or does the fault lie with entrenched local economic realities like national labor contracts which exist for older workers but are often an impossible dream for younger ones was the promise of growth overly wishful
this week i reread one of the most prescient texts on the european union the historian tony judts 1996 essay a grand illusion in it he maps out everything we are witnessing today from the slow erosion of the welfare state to the return of nationalisms to the realization that the idea that social and political institutions and affinities naturally and necessarily follow economic ones is a reductivist fallacy
just as an obsession with growth has left a moral vacuum at the heart of some modern nations so the abstract materialist quality of the idea of europe is proving insufficient to legitimate its own institutions and retain popular confidence wrote mr judt who died in 2010
since 1989 there has been a return of memory and with it and benefiting from it a revival of the national units that framed and shaped that memory and gave meaning to the collective past he wrote
when i was on assignment in russia last year where the government of president vladimir v putin has been playing up the countrys past military glory in television programs films and history exhibitions a film producer told me a sardonic and painfully accurate commonplace that in russia the future has become unpredictable   and so has the past
this seems accurate for russia and for eastern europe where governing parties play the nationalist card because its one of the few cards they can play   since they certainly cant play the economic card the bright future card the vote in britain on thursday was also a vote for revisionist history for a vision of britain for the british   of england for the english really   that hasnt existed in a long time
who inherits england its a question that has obsessed british novelists for decades and who inherits europe today in europe the past is equally unpredictable and the path ahead looks very uncertain


washington   the comedian bob saget best known for full house and americas funniest home videos began his stand up set on thursday by cautioning the parents with children in the room to get them out of there immediately the nights show would be crude and rude he said and everything will be offensive but he wasnt at a dimly lit comedy club or even a place that checks ids at the door he was onstage in the grand concert hall of the john f kennedy center   home to some of the nations premier artistic performances and now a no holds barred comedy series the district of comedy festival
some of you may say well is it appropriate to have a roast in the kennedy center david m rubenstein the centers chairman said before introducing mr saget who led a roast of the democratic strategist james carville well the answer is president kennedy pretty much invented humor   self deprecating humor tonight you wont hear any self deprecating humor youll hear a lot of deprecating humor
the roast which also included the comedians jeff ross jim norton and hari kondabolu as well as mr carvilles wife mary matalin was one of this inaugural festivals headlining events the roasters knocked back glasses of makers mark on brown leather sofas in front of a roaring audience tossing insults good natured middle fingers and embarrassing personal stories mr carvilles way
the former co host of cnns crossfire mr carville is known for his relationship with the clintons   a point that earned him playful scorn throughout the evening
james come on dont you miss the action of working on a clinton campaign triumph the insult comic dog who routinely mocks politicians asked dont you just want to roll up your sleeves and get in there and delete some emails yourself
the roast and the other headlining event a tribute to joan rivers exemplify the kennedy centers goal of expanding its portfolio to include art forms it hasnt typically showcased this year the rapper q tip was installed as its first hip hop director and the naming this week of mavis staples as a kennedy center honoree makes her only the second gospel artist to receive that distinction after marion williams in 1993
though the four day festival concludes saturday the center will feature other comedy acts as part of its current season
at the rivers tribute on wednesday night which included aubrey plaza of parks and recreation gilbert gottfried dick cavett and rupaul kelly osbourne asked the audience to recite ms riverss favorite word while making a v shape with their arms vagina the audience cheered back
the festival also features jane lynch of glee a jazz and comedy mash up with dick gregory stand up shows by judd apatow jay pharoah and the daily show writers and live recordings of popular comedy podcasts


a super pac supporting hillary clinton will begin a 105 million advertising blitz in pennsylvania a crucial battleground state that donald j trump is seeking to win by appealing to white working class voters
the wave of spending will begin on july 5 and run through election day in the markets around philadelphia scranton and pittsburgh the ad campaign brings the full amount that the pac priorities usa has reserved on television against mr trump to 1175 million according to the groups spokesman justin barasky
this morning donald trump cheered a potential economic collapse because it would be good for his bottom line and compared running a country to running a golf course mr barasky said adding that the group was determined to keep him from becoming president
with pennsylvania added to its list priorities will be advertising in nine states mr trump has yet to air a general election ad and the super pacs supporting him have not been running spots in battleground states


college students will get a bit of a break for the coming academic year interest rates on new federal student loans they take out are dropping
as of next friday the rate on direct loans for undergraduates will be 376 percent that will apply whether the loan is based on financial need   subsidized in federal loan lingo   or not that rate is down from 429 percent for loans that were taken out during the borrowing year that concludes on june 30 rates are set annually for new loans but the rates remain fixed for the life of the loan
the rate on direct loans made to graduate students will be 531 percent down from 584 percent the rate for plus loans made to the parents of undergraduates or to graduate students is 631 percent down from 684 percent
for people borrowing for this coming school year rates will be lower than they were a year ago said lauren asher president of the institute for college access  success that may change in coming years she said depending on economic conditions but it is a positive shift
for borrowers any bit of good news even if temporary is welcome the burden of student debt has ballooned to more than 1 trillion nationally college graduates in 2014 had an average of 29000 in student loans according to the project on student debt an arm of ms ashers organization
fidelity investments said a survey of participants in its workplace retirement plans found that one in three carried student debt of those 80 percent said student loans affected their ability to save for retirement
so fidelitys research and development arm fidelity labs is testing an online student debt tool that aims to help borrowers understand their loans and repayment options the tool still in development lets borrowers manage their loans in an online hub and offers graphic displays to help them visualize the financial impact of say making extra payments borrowers dont have to be fidelity clients to join the pilot
bianka recinos a 31 year old family planning counselor in boston graduated from college in 2008 and has 65000 in student debt she said she had tested fidelitys tool and liked that it displayed all her loans in one place and showed the total amount she owed
she also said the tool had informed her about government repayment programs like one that can potentially lead to forgiveness of student debt based on work in certain public service jobs i had never heard of them she said her job may qualify she said so she is following up with her employer
the site also provides information about refinancing student debt through private lenders fidelity says there is no fee paid to fidelity if someone refinances with one of the lenders
ms asher said she had not seen fidelitys new tool but she noted that in general borrowers should be cautious about refinancing federal loans into private loans while some financially secure borrowers with top notch credit may benefit private loans are riskier because they dont carry important consumer protections that federal loans do such as the ability to tie payments to your income or have payments postponed if you run into financial trouble
more information about repayment options is available from the consumer financial protection bureau which is developing a student loan payback playbook
here are some questions and answers about student loans
how are the rates on federal student loans determined
under rules set by congress in 2013 fixed rates for new loans are set each summer based on spring rates for the 10 year treasury note 171 percent for the 2016 17 school year and a fixed extra rate depending on the type of the loan
can i have the interest rate on my student loan lowered by paying automatically
yes if you sign up for automatic debit you can have your interest rate reduced by 025 percent
are there other fees for borrowing federal student loans
most federal loans have origination fees that vary depending on the type of loan fees range from 1 to 4 percent approximately of the loan amount


reptiles have scales birds have feathers mammals have hair how did we get them
for a long time scientists thought the spikes plumage and fur characteristic of these groups originated independently of each other but a study published friday suggests that they all evolved from a common ancestor some 320 million years ago
this ancient reptilian creature   which gave rise to dinosaurs birds and mammals   is thought to have been covered in scale like structures what that creature looked like is not exactly known but the scales on its skin developed from structures called placodes   tiny bumps of thick tissue found on the surface of developing embryos
scientists had previously found placodes on the embryos of birds and mammals where they develop into feathers and hairs but had never found the spots on a reptilian embryo before the apparent lack of placodes in present day reptiles fueled controversy about how these features first formed
people were fighting about the fact that reptiles either lost it or birds and mammals independently developed them said michel c milinkovitch an evolutionary developmental biologist from the university of geneva in switzerland and an author of the new paper now we are lucky enough to put this debate to rest because we found the placodes in all reptiles snakes lizards and crocodiles
in their paper published in the journal science advances dr milinkovitch and his team report the first findings of the anatomical structures in nile crocodiles bearded dragon lizards and corn snakes they concluded that birds mammals and reptiles all inherited their placodes from the same ancient reptilian ancestor
why did no one find placodes in reptiles before
according to dr milinkovitch its because the structures are extremely difficult to spot in developing reptiles whereas placodes in avian and mammalian embryos last long enough that they are easy to see reptilian placodes exist for a brief period of about 12 hours and pop up on different locations depending on the species
if you dont look at the right place at the right time you dont see any he said if you look too early you see nothing if you look too late its already a scale
dr milinkovitch and his team did not originally set out to find placodes in reptiles rather they were investigating why certain bearded dragons are born without scales by analyzing the genomes of the naked bearded dragons they narrowed down the culprit to a mutation in a single gene called eda which is also known to disrupt placode development in birds and mammals in humans eda gene mutations can lead to hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia which causes people to develop abnormal teeth nails and sweat glands
we were like whoa thats the same gene said dr milinkovitch there must be a link here because this guy doesnt have scales and in birds and mammals when that gene is mutated they dont have hair or feathers
the clue got the team thinking that maybe reptiles need placodes to make scales and led them to search the microanatomy of reptilian embryos
when we investigated normal snakes normal crocodiles and normal lizards we found placodes everywhere dr milinkovitch said
their findings unite birds mammals and reptiles as descendants from the same lineage of ancient reptilian creatures that first developed placodes


some interesting opera may be ahead for new york pierre audi who recently became the artistic director of the park avenue armory has been named the next director of the aix en provence festival in southern france the festival announced on friday
mr audi a stage director and impresario known for fostering contemporary work and for projects of daunting ambition has led the dutch national opera for three decades but hell give up amsterdam for aix in 2018 in a telephone interview he suggested his taste for collaboration may facilitate cross atlantic cooperation
theyre two sides of me he said of his positions in aix where the 2019 festival will be the first wholly planned by him and new york but i dont exclude that there will be connections
any sharing would be tantalizing aix is one of the worlds best opera immersions and one of the most progressive the last time i was there in 2012 one production an enigmatic multimedia rumination on huey newton and the black panthers sprawled through a park in a public housing complex
this year brings a new production of debussys pelleas et melisande conducted by esa pekka salonen directed by katie mitchell and starring barbara hannigan singing her first melisande in a staging that imagines the opera as that characters fever dream there are also new takes on cosi fan tutte aix traditionally has a mozart handels il trionfo del tempo e del disinganno ditto a baroque piece and the premiere of kalila wa dimna in french and arabic
internationalism is our salvation mr audi said noting that the festivals announcement came just a few hours after britain voted to leave the european union im touched that on this very day ive accepted such a very cosmopolitan compassionate festival as aix


edinburgh   nicola sturgeon scotlands first minister said friday that a new referendum on independence in scotland was highly likely now that britain had voted to leave the european union
voters rejected an effort to break free from the united kingdom in a 2014 referendum but ms sturgeon said scotland would take measures to protect its place in europe and maintain access to the single market
ms sturgeon cited her partys election manifesto which calls for another ballot if there is a significant and material change in circumstances from the 2014 vote such as scotlands being taken out of the european union against its will
the scottish national party which ms sturgeon leads had promised after the referendum to deliver a more vibrant economy if the region were unshackled from the rest of the country
but given the fall in oil prices and worries that scotland will be unable to fund itself scottish leaders are now cautious about rushing into a new referendum they are also calculating that it would be better off financially as part of the european union than as part of an independent britain
scotland will push for negotiations to leave the country inside the single european market and ms sturgeon can use the threat of the referendum as leverage in dealing with the british leadership
ms sturgeon sent a clear message by speaking to the scottish people while standing in front of scottish and european union flags
in sharp contrast to england and wales scotland voted for britain to remain in the bloc by 62 percent to 38 percent with all of its 32 council areas in favor northern ireland also voted overwhelmingly to stay
it is a significant and material change in circumstances ms sturgeon said speaking to reporters just hours after the referendum results were officially announced its therefore a statement of the obvious that the option of a second referendum must be on the table and it is on the table
a referendum should be held within the two year time frame of britains exit from the european union she added which will be enacted when the government in london invokes article 50 of the blocs governing treaty
if parliament judges that a second referendum is the best or only way to protect our place in europe it must have the option to hold one in that time scale ms sturgeon said i can confirm today that in order to protect that position we will begin to prepare the legislation that would be required to enable a new independence referendum to take place if and when parliament so decides
the scottish cabinet will meet on saturday to discuss further measures she said and the government plans to hold urgent talks with the european commission and members of the european union to make clear scotland wants to remain in the bloc
while making clear that scotland is taking a second hard look at independence ms sturgeon acknowledged the voters who voted against it two years ago saying they were now more in favor
i know that they would not want me to simply assume their support or hear me talk about the challenges we face as if they are straightforward she said they would want me to be straight and honest with them
across scotland people were stunned by the results of the referendum but there were mixed reactions over the possibility of a second bid for independence the first one was described at the time as a once in a generation opportunity
j k rowling the author of the harry potter series posted on twitter that scotland would now seek independence and that prime minister david camerons legacy would have been that of breaking up two unions she added neither needed to happen
david grey 58 who voted for scotland to remain in the united kingdom in 2014 and in the european union because of economic security said he would vote for independence tomorrow if i could england and scotland have now diverged significantly he said
steven murchie 29 who works in a whisky shop said he thought differently he voted for britain to leave and said he was not concerned with the economic downturn that britain potentially faces
britain has the financial stability that will allow it to function outside the eu he said as he lifted bottles from a crate in the shop
britain will be fine without the eu and scotland too


the nets will be long on cap space heading into free agency but they will be short on familiar faces after reports that a deal was struck on draft day in which the team sent thaddeus young to the indiana pacers for the draft rights to caris levert a shooting guard from michigan
while the deal   the first big trade by the teams new general manager sean marks   has not been confirmed by the teams levert discussed it at the draft and young confirmed it on twitter when he thanked the nets for their support and expressed his excitement at joining the pacers
beyond youngs goodbye most of the nets remained quiet about the trade on twitter possibly because it was not yet confirmed but the nets chris mccullough posted some encouraging words for the soon to be rookie mccullough wrote in the post welcome to my city carislevert  our organization
in the middle of a long rebuilding process the nets are now expected to enter the free agency period with about 50 million to spend though they may not be a marquee destination considering the state of the roster and the teams poor record last season
brooklyns core consists of brook lopez a legitimate force at center and a series of players like rondae hollis jefferson bojan bogdanovic and sean kilpatrick the group is young and each of the players seems to have the potential to be good but they hardly qualify as stars on the level of brooklyns failed experiment to win with deron williams kevin garnett paul pierce joe johnson and lopez
how levert will fit in is not known after being projected as a mid second round pick he was selected by indiana apparently at the behest of the nets at no 20
levert is a sweet shooting 6 foot 7 combo guard but he is working his way back from a foot stress fracture he confirmed at the draft that his recovery would most likely prevent him from playing in a summer league but talked optimistically about being able to play next season
levert seemed happy for a chance to play in brooklyn and was not worried about his recovery or the state of the nets roster
im a long term thinker a long term type of guy always have been levert said im just excited
to get levert and free up cap space the team gave up young who was their second best player this past season while he averaged 151 points and 9 rebounds young has been a mixed bag of production with strengths and weaknesses on both ends of the court he was owed a guaranteed 25 million over the next two seasons and had a 138 million player option for 2018 19
beyond player and team options the nets now have no financial commitments beyond the 2017 18 season which is a stark contrast to the way things were run under markss predecessor billy king who presided over a team that seemed to perpetually be in financial crisis but underachieved relative to payroll each season
now the question is which free agents might be willing to take the large sums the nets can spend
the list of top tier free agents is likely to include stars like kevin durant andre drummond bradley beal demar derozan and even dwight howard the frequent rumored trade target for the nets but any of those players would have to be considered a long shot to sign with a team that won 21 games last season
rebounds
in a separate trade with the utah jazz the nets acquired the draft rights to isaiah whitehead the no 42 pick in this years draft in exchange for the draft rights to marcus paige the no 55 pick and cash whitehead a brooklyn native averaged 182 points and 51 assists last season for seton hall


a grand jury decided on thursday not to charge a texas police officer who was shown on a cellphone video throwing a black teenage girl to the ground outside a pool party last year the authorities said
the footage of the white officer cpl david eric casebolt tackling the teenager in june 2015 was posted to youtube becoming part of a nationwide debate over how white officers treat african americans
tom mills a lawyer for mr casebolt who resigned from the mckinney police department in the wake of the encounter said on friday that the officer was very relieved by the grand jurys decision
kim cole a lawyer for the girls family said it intended to file civil rights and personal injury lawsuits according to the dallas morning news
corporal casebolt was among the officers who responded to a call about a disturbance about 7 pm that day at a community pool in a racially diverse subdivision north of dallas
the video showed him chasing some of the young party goers cursing at them and shouting for them to go home corporal casebolt then approached the girl dajerria becton 15 and other teenagers and told them to leave after she lingered according to the footage the corporal shoved her down onto the grass by the head arms and neck and yelled on your face
ms becton ended up facedown and corporal casebolt placed both knees on her back she cried and asked for her mother several people rushed toward corporal casebolt as he grabbed the girl and he pulled out his handgun
ms becton was detained and later released to her parents police officials said one man was arrested on charges of interfering with the duties of a police officer and evading arrest but the charges were later dismissed
corporal casebolts lawyer at the time jane e bishkin tried to explain the officers actions by saying that he had been under stress after responding to two earlier calls involving a suicide and a suicide attempt
investigators from the texas department of public safety looked into the case then turned it over to the collin county district attorneys office in january on thursday the office presented the findings to a grand jury which decided not to indict the officer a police statement said
mckinney which has about 150000 people is a fast growing mostly middle class suburb with deep racial and economic divisions the pool party took place on the west side in the craig ranch neighborhood which residents said has had friendly relations among black white hispanic and asian residents
after the announcement that the officer would not be charged the police department invited residents to meet on june 27 for community building talks intended to strengthen ties
the mckinney police departments mission is to make the city a safe place to live work and visit for everyone the departments statement said in light of this we seek to work in partnership with all who live and work in this great city


one of the groups that is urging republicans to dump donald j trump at their convention next month will start showing a new ad that tells delegates to follow their conscience and vote for someone else
the campaign which will be focused mainly on fox and fox news and cost about 70000 is part of an effort by anti trump forces to raise awareness of their efforts before the convention begins in cleveland in less than four weeks
they face an uphill climb mr trump is so far guaranteed more than 1500 delegate votes which gives him more than the majority he needs to secure the nomination but groups like the one behind the new ad delegates unbound are arguing that under the proper interpretation of republican party rules delegates are free to vote however they see fit
gop delegates choose your values vote your conscience the ad implores as it juxtaposes unflattering clips of mr trump that make him seem foul mouthed and erratic with clips of ronald reagan
our goal is simple to ensure the delegates are not misled to believe they must follow orders or rules set by others said eric okeefe founder of delegates unbound
the republican national committee disagrees and has said that groups like delegates unbound are the ones doing the misleading


beirut lebanon   islamic state militants have abducted about 900 kurdish civilians in the northern syrian province of aleppo over the past three weeks amid fierce fighting for control of a nearby militant stronghold a kurdish official and syrian activists said friday
the abductions began shortly after the syria democratic forces a kurdish dominated coalition of syrians fighting the islamic state and backed by the united states began an offensive on may 31 to capture the town of manbij from the militants
the britain based syrian observatory for human rights said that 900 kurdish civilians had been detained near al bab a town held by the islamic state
a spokesman for the syrian defense forces sherfan darwish told the associated press that the abductions were in retaliation for the offensive on manbij whenever daesh is defeated they retaliate against civilians mr darwish said using an arabic acronym for the islamic state which is also known as isis and isil he said whole families were among those abducted
the observatory and mr darwish said that some of those taken captive had been forced to dig trenches in islamic state held areas while others were imprisoned in detention centers mr darwish said that all captured men and boys older than 12 were sent against their will to the front lines to help fortify the militants positions
the observatory said islamic state fighters had stormed homes in several villages they control near al bab including arab qabaseen and nairabiyeh and took with them mostly men
in 2014 fighters abducted nearly 200 kurdish students near manbij as they were traveling from the kurdish border town of kobani to aleppo the provincial capital to take their exams most were released
in february 2015 the group kidnapped more than 200 christians from northeastern syria the christians were released over a period of a year after the islamic state collected millions of dollars in ransom
opposition activists reported clashes inside manbij on friday and airstrikes by a united states led coalition
since the offensive to take manbij began last month kurdish fighters and their allies have captured dozens of villages and farms near the town which kurdish officials said was now surrounded from all sides
the battle for manbij has so far claimed the lives of 81 syrian defense force fighters and 463 islamic state fighters according to the observatory


the stonewall inn has been called the symbolic heart of new york citys lesbian gay bisexual and transgender community for decades since the police raid and ensuing protests there in 1969 helped galvanize a national struggle for gay rights
on friday president obama formally recognized that history declaring the greenwich village bar and its surrounding area the stonewall national monument and creating the first national park service unit dedicated to the gay rights movement
according to the white house the monument designation will consist of 77 acres protecting the tavern christopher park across the street and several other streets and sidewalks where spontaneous protests were held for equal rights in 1969
the stonewall uprising is considered by many to be the catalyst that launched the modern lgbt civil rights movement president obama wrote in a proclamation announcing the monuments establishment from this place and time building on the work of many before the nation started the march   not yet finished   toward securing equality and respect for lgbt people
officials are now seeking to raise money for national park service personnel a temporary ranger station a visitor center and exhibits
in the wake of the mass shooting at a gay bar in orlando fla this month the designation comes at a momentous and emotional moment for lesbian gay bisexual and transgender groups in new york city and nationwide
advocates and activists describe the stonewall as a regular meeting place that people gravitate toward in times of strife pain or celebration for the gay community after the orlando tragedy emotional vigils were held outside to honor the victims almost a year ago the area erupted in joy when the supreme court ruled to legalize same sex marriage
thousands are expected to flock to the neighborhood in celebration this weekend in the gay pride march the annual parade on sunday will travel down christopher street and past the bar
advocates have worked to create a national park near the stonewall inn for years in may dozens of people testified at a hearing in the west village in support of the proposal many speaking personally about the importance of the location
nance lomax went to the stonewall inn as a transgender teenager hoping to find community
stonewall meant the world to me ms lomax said at the time it taught me i could be or do anything
others spoke about their arrests during the protest that followed a raid on june 28 1969 the police department was trying to enforce a prohibition against selling alcoholic drinks to homosexuals a news release from the white house said it was part of a tumultuous history between the police and gay new yorkers that though much improved still lingers in memories today
new york city designated the tavern a landmark last june it has been on the national register of historic places since 1999
on friday a cadre of new yorks elected officials including gov andrew m cuomo mayor bill de blasio and senators kirsten gillibrand and chuck schumer praised the designation after it was announced


six weeks before the summer olympics open in rio de janeiro the laboratory that was set to handle drug testing at the games has been suspended by the world anti doping agency in a new escalation of the doping crisis in international sports
wada   the global regulator of doping in sports that oversees three dozen testing labs around the world   confirmed the suspension friday citing the rio labs nonconformity with international standards
the lab has a prior disciplinary record and is one of a handful of labs that have had their certification to conduct drug testing revoked in wadas 17 year history among those is moscows antidoping lab which was disciplined last fall following accusations of a government run doping program in russia
those allegations have prompted global sports officials to bar russian track and field competitors from the rio games at the urging of olympic officials 27 other summer olympics sports organizations are scrutinizing athletes from russia and kenya another country facing accusations of widespread doping ahead of the games
the rio suspension not only presents new logistical hurdles to testing at the games but also highlights growing concern over an antidoping system in disarray that extends to how wada itself operates
wada has come under scrutiny for taking years to act on whistle blower tips about doping in russia and for approving russias antidoping lab to lead testing at the sochi olympics in 2014 even amid questions about that labs integrity
on friday wada did not specify the issues with the rio facility that had prompted the suspension a person familiar with the labs operations who was not authorized to speak publicly said the investigation centered on a specific case
the rio lab was previously suspended in 2013   the year before brazil hosted soccers world cup   and was reinstated by wada last year
to win back its certification the lab had spent roughly 200 million brazilian reais 60 million to train more than 90 technicians and retrofit three floors of facilities at a federal university in rio that project necessitated a substantial commitment of government money in the face of a serious recession
in an interview last spring francisco radler de aquino neto a chemical scientist and the director of the rio facility credited firm support from the federal government for improvements
dilma rousseff who was removed as brazils president this year amid a sweeping graft scandal signed a measure in march to ensure that the labs policies were changed to conform with global standards so that its certification to run olympic testing was not revoked
the new suspension took effect on wednesday according to wada the lab has the option of filing an appeal to the court of arbitration for sport in switzerland within 21 days
while under suspension the lab is barred from conducting any antidoping analysis on urine and blood samples it was unclear friday if the issue would be resolved   and the suspension lifted   in time for the olympics though officials expressed skepticism that such a reversal could happen so quickly
in the meantime wada said that it would transfer any samples at the lab to a facility outside brazil for testing
wada will work closely with the rio laboratory to resolve the identified issue olivier niggli wadas incoming director general said in the organizations statement athletes can have confidence that the suspension will only be lifted by wada when the laboratory is operating optimally
the labs previous suspension coincided with the 2014 world cup forcing organizers to send athletes doping samples to switzerland for testing fifa the governing body of international soccer bore the cost
if the rio lab is not recertified in time for the olympics the international olympic committee would be responsible for arranging to have doping samples taken to another wada approved lab
earlier this month wadas president craig reedie stressed the necessity of a local testing lab at the olympics compared to the world cup he said the pace of olympic testing and competition is far more intense
youre in the first round of the 100 meters at 10 oclock in the morning and the second round at 2 oclock in the afternoon mr reedie said we need a laboratory on site at the olympic games
just two years ago facing enormous pressure to have an on site laboratory at sochi mr reedie permitted the russian lab to conduct testing for the games despite suspicious test results that had prompted a wada investigation
the longtime director of russias lab grigory rodchenkov told the new york times that after he was cleared to run the sochi lab he had tampered with roughly 100 of the 1917 urine samples the facility tested he said he had substituted out the steroid laced urine of dozens of russian athletes at least 15 of whom won medals at sochi   where russia placed first in the overall medal count
mr reedie who signed a certificate in january 2014 that allowed dr rodchenkov to direct testing at sochi has defended that decision
the suspension was suspended provided they met certain tests over a short period which they did mr reedie said in an interview in switzerland this month hindsight is an exact science
in 2014 wadas independent observation team called the sochi lab a milestone in the evolution of the olympic games antidoping program but in recent months   as attention has focused on the global regulator and after new rules took effect in 2015   wada has announced an unusual flurry of new disciplinary actions
about a quarter of the lab suspensions published on wadas website have taken place in 2016 in the last three months alone wada announced more suspensions than it had in the preceding three years combined those suspensions   of antidoping labs in beijing lisbon madrid bloemfontein south africa and now rio   affect more than 10 percent of wadas testing facilities
the agency which oversees individual countries antidoping programs as well has also disciplined national antidoping agencies at significantly higher rates since last fall
were seeing a whole lot more scrutiny now said joseph de pencier the founding chief executive of the institute of national anti doping organizations a trade group that has been funded by wada wada is realizing it should function like a financial regulator
at a november meeting in colorado   days after wada had published an explosive report on russia   wadas board resolved to be stricter and mr reedie said in a statement that the organization would have a greater focus on ensuring countries played by the rules
since then the antidoping agencies of countries including kenya and russia have been sanctioned either because the countries policies were out of line with global standards or because the agencies made technical mistakes such as sending doping samples to an unapproved lab
for a national antidoping agency to be disciplined by wada means little in itself but depriving a country of wadas endorsement is a powerful signal
still in an interview in los angeles last month dr rodchenkov minimized the rigor of wadas scientific vetting process during the 10 years he headed russias lab
wada is a kindergarten dr rodchenkov said but he called wadas seal of approval crucial to delivering on the cheating scheme he said he had carried out on orders from the russian government you cannot do state sponsored doping without access to top level accredited laboratory he said
though wada revoked the accreditation of russias lab in the wake of the accusations the agency cleared the facility last month to resume testing on blood samples
mr de pencier the head of the consortium of antidoping agencies said the antidoping authorities had begun to appreciate the need for more robust regulation
the antidoping community as a whole is still a work in progress he said were still developing


parents think a lot about what their money might one day do for their children will it give them options in life to accomplish something meaningful or rob them of ambition or will a lack of family money leave them at a disadvantage
of course there are a lot of other outcomes but fear about the bad things that money can do to children sends some well to do parents to lawyers and advisers to create trust documents with rules stating what children need to do to obtain the money even parents of modest means are encouraged to own life insurance policies in trusts to inhibit their children from getting all the cash at once should the parents die
these are necessary in certain cases but long before children are aware of what they might inherit there are more foundational conversations that parents should have what if parents thought about the capital   yes financial but also emotional and intellectual   that they were spending on their young children as assets in an emotional trust fund with trustee duties inherent in it
thats the concept being advanced by jacalyn s burke a former nanny a commentator on parenthood issues and the author of the nanny time bomb navigating the crisis in child care praeger 2015 she argues that thinking in financial terms when it comes to parental choices could make a difference in shaping children who grow up to live meaningful lives   regardless of whether any money comes to them
the essential components of an emotional trust fund are analogous to those of a conventional one   cash stocks bonds and property as the holdings with trustees directing the investments in each with an eye toward the recipients best interest how investments in those assets are divided up though is what matters
that same structure we use for our financial lives could be applied to how we raise our children ms burke said the different components could relate to a childs life a nanny comes in as a massive part of that portfolio particularly if they work with them 9 to 5 and sometimes longer
nannies and child care workers more broadly are the stocks in the emotional trust fund their influence on children is a bet on the future and just like stocks no one makes a selection thinking it will underperform
like stocks some nannies do well from the start others pay dividends over time and then there are the ones that seem like high flyers but prove to be disappointments
ms burke said this is where her thinking started largely because she found parents not putting enough time into selecting someone   or enough money into paying such a crucial person in their childrens development cutting corners and hiring a disengaged nanny early on she said could hurt a childs ability to form relationships over the long run
to choose well she said parents need to do their due diligence for someone who youre employing for the majority of the time when youre out of the home you should go back and see how that stock has performed in the past she said did it perform well for six months or for 10 years a reliable performer is someone with various credentials who shows up each week   thats a solid stock thats not going to wobble
karen kaufman a clinical psychologist in manhattan who also wrote the preface to ms burkes book said distracted nannies can inflict lasting damage on children the same goes for parents
just about every nanny i see is on the phone dr kaufman said theyre distracted its all these little tiny disruptions that make kids question if theyre enough
separating good from bad nannies is as difficult as trying to select a stock ms burke recommends detailed background checks but also visiting the nanny at home or where she was last working to gauge her interaction with that family this also serves to make sure the nanny is telling the truth
i was routinely asked by other nannies to pretend i was a parent and be a reference she said
for people who have consistently chosen nannies who didnt work out ms burke suggested finding a consultant to work with the family on finding the right fit much as one would go to an adviser to help with selecting securities
and as with stocks trustees need to be dutiful managers   in terms of nannies work but also their happiness in their jobs when nannies got together and complained youd think the no 1 complaint would be the awful wages they got paid ms burke said it wasnt it was the lack of respect
of course it may take time before parents can judge how well their child care money was spent   or they may have an anchoring bias that keeps them with a mediocre nanny for fear that others will be worse enrichment activities are different theyre the bonds in the portfolio
just as analysts following the declining prices of municipal bonds knew detroit and puerto rico were headed into trouble long before a crisis hit parents can measure their childrens responses to enrichment fairly quickly ms burke said she is not focused on the number or kind of activities for a child but on how those activities are inspiring or hurting a child
there is so much value in doing something outside their school curriculum she said theres a consummate value in enriching your children but not overextending them
community broadly defined is the property component of the emotional trust fund a cloistered sense of the world does not do them well ms burke said at the weekends walk the dog around the neighborhood have pancakes play ball in your neighborhood get involved in your church or synagogue it gives your kid a great grounding in life
how parents spend time with their children is the cash in the emotional trust fund it can be spent wisely to maximum benefits or it can be squandered on things that dont matter or could do harm
in some ways spending that cash carelessly dovetails with too much enrichment   activities scheduled throughout the weekend keep families apart instead ms burke calls for parents to spend their emotional cash on experiences   sitting playing baking talking   and not on more things
cash is switching your phone off and doing things with your children she said what i hear from children is they just want down time with their parents i cant tell you how many extremely wealthy children say i just want to play ball with dad
like any trust fund an emotional one needs a balance between what the trustees   the parents   are doing and how those actions are received by children   the beneficiaries
the nannies can provide a tremendous amount of education dr kaufman said but the main theme is no one is as important as the parents its encouraging parents to be more physically present not to be on their devices to make eye contact
none of this is to say that parents can substitute an emotional trust fund for talking to their children as they grow up about wealth and the responsibilities that come with it
financial wealth is not a free ride   its a powerful tool said kristen armstrong a wealth dynamics coach with us banks ascent private capital management in high school having some conversations about being a family with significant wealth and being a family who has some opportunities is important
given the amount of time and money parents spend on their children today the emotional trust fund is an interesting concept if nothing else thinking in these terms might reframe how people spend time and money in their family


a new hampshire woman who sued bill cosby for defamation has voluntarily dismissed her lawsuit against the entertainer
the woman kristina ruehli filed for dismissal on friday in united states district court in massachusetts a day after judge mark g mastroianni ruled against mr cosbys motion to dismiss the lawsuit
ms ruehli 72 accused mr cosby in 2014 of drugging and sexually assaulting her in 1965 she filed her lawsuit against mr cosby last november saying that he branded her a liar after she came forward
we accomplished what we wanted to do ms ruehli said in an interview alluding to the fact that she had helped to bring more attention to the accusations against mr cosby i simply want to wash my hands of this she added
ms ruehli said she had spent more than 80000 in legal fees
mr cosbys lawyers said in a statement that they hope and expect more lawsuits will be dismissed and that they look forward to fighting any that are not dismissed before a jury of our peers
the lawsuit is one of several that have been filed against mr cosby since november 2014 he still faces a separate defamation suit in massachusetts that was filed by seven women a judge in pennsylvania dismissed another defamation lawsuit against mr cosby earlier this year
mr cosby 78 also faces a criminal case in pennsylvania where prosecutors say he sexually assaulted a young woman in his home in 2004 a habeas corpus hearing in that case is scheduled for july 7 and mr cosby is expected to attend
mr cosby who has been accused by dozens of women of sexual assault has denied the allegations against him


archie elam is on his third career transition now 61 and living in stamford conn mr elam is a 1976 graduate of west point his two decade army career included acting as head of operations for the 18th airborne corps 24th infantry division in the first war against iraq
the army sent him to get an mba at duke universitys fuqua school of business a degree that started his private sector career in 1996 he was a manager at general electric united technologies accenture and elsewhere mostly focused on six sigma a collaborative program for improving company performance by cutting out waste and running customer relations management systems and overseeing other large scale operations
his next act working at a nonprofit organization mr elam recently graduated from encorehartford a four month training program for corporate professionals over age 50 looking for a career in the nonprofit sector public agencies and government
the stuff you volunteer for you care about you do for free and then one day you realize you can get paid to do something you care about he said how cool is that
baby boomers closing in on the traditional retirement years often seek purpose and a paycheck in a second career also known as an encore experience next chapter or unretirement whatever the term nonprofit work   focused on addressing societys pressing needs and promoting arts and culture   has a particular allure for many in this group
people want to give back they want that social impact in the next phase of their life said kate schaefers a career and leadership coach in the minneapolis st paul area they also turn the three legged retirement stool   social security personal savings and retirement savings   into a four legged stool by adding paid work
the timing is auspicious the nonprofit sector has been vibrant in recent years from 2007 to 2012 nonprofit employment increased every year from 105 million jobs to 114 million jobs for a gain of about 85 percent according to the bureau of labor statistics by contrast total private sector employment dropped by 3 percent in that period
this year 57 percent of nonprofit groups surveyed said they expected to create new positions an increase of 7 percentage points from last year according to the 2016 nonprofit employment practices survey by nonprofit hr a the human resources firm by comparison the firm notes that only 36 percent of private companies surveyed said they intended to increase staff size the same percentage as in 2015
catherine foley 62 is among those who have shifted from the corporate world to the nonprofit sector she worked for 25 years at salt river project in arizona among the nations largest public utilities for 17 of those years she was manager of corporate affairs with responsibility for advertising communications philanthropy and community outreach
in 2008 ms foley known as rusty took advantage of an early retirement opportunity in the middle of the worst recession in decades the timing was scary she said but she knew that there were other things i wanted to do with my life
for the next two years she sat on a number of community boards including that of the arizona citizens for the arts in 2010 she became its interim executive director and a year later she took on the job permanently overseeing its two employees many volunteers and 350000 budget
its an opportunity to use the professional skills i had accumulated over the years for something i had a personal passion for she said its energizing
the transition for experienced baby boomers from corporate america to nonprofit america is probably easier than ever the management guru peter f drucker wrote in the harvard business review in 1989 that management was a dirty word for those involved in nonprofit organizations the word suggested a hardhearted focus on the bottom line instead of pursuing a social mission
mr drucker noted however that nonprofit boards and donors had come to realize that good management was critical to fulfilling their mission the nonprofits are of course still dedicated to doing good he argued but they also realize that good intentions are no substitute for organization and leadership for accountability performance and results
the gap has narrowed considerably further since the drucker article 27 years ago on the corporate side many businesses explicitly embrace social responsibility as an important goal while others embrace ventures that seek to blend purpose and profit at the same time nonprofit organizations have moved from societys tributaries into the mainstream
there is a greater flow of ideas between the two sectors said thomas j tierney co founder of the bridgespan group which has headquarters in boston and helps nonprofit organizations and foundations increase their social impact there is a greater flow of talent between the sectors
that said the transition remains personally challenging fund raising writing grants and dealing with donors are unfamiliar tasks to those who forged their careers in profit making companies those who worked for big corporations are used to much more support ms foley only half jokingly said that what she really missed was an information technology department and the pay is almost always lower with more modest benefit packages
if it isnt a mission personal to you you will not get through the tough times said nora hannah executive director of experience matters in phoenix an organization that works with private sector workers who want to shift into community based nonprofit groups
the transition from a corporate environment to a nonprofit is largely a do it yourself effort but programs like encorehartford experience matters social venture partners and encore fellowships offer valuable educational and matchmaking services for those seeking a second act career
i cant tell you how many times we have been approached by people in the for profit sector wanting to make the transition to nonprofits and they struggled with it said marc freedman founder and chief executive of encoreorg which is based in san francisco and promotes second careers for social good there needs to be something more like a matchcom
the techniques that work well in any job search apply here think about your passions understand the underlying skills accumulated over a lifetime of work rather than job titles network network and network
that is what catherine bergstrom 56 a former first selectman in burlington conn did she completed the encorehartford program in 2013 the program encourages its students to set up informational interviews with nonprofit organizations and she said she found them invaluable for figuring out what she wanted to do next i would call people up and everyone said yes she said i would talk to the executive directors
she ended up becoming director of community engagement for jewish family services in hartford one of the organizations where she had an informational interview
the nonprofit job seeker has an additional option for learning about a particular organization volunteering the sector is incredibly diverse and complicated ranging from small grass roots groups mostly dependent on the passions of a handful of volunteers and donors to professional multimillion  and multibillion dollar social service organizations the advantage of volunteering is that it is like dating a way of figuring out whether an organization is a good match without making a long term commitment
here is a safe bet the baby boomers making the transition from business into nonprofit careers are carving a work path that will become ever easier for those behind them to follow


nothing sets the mood for romance like a supreme court ruling
in the year since the court established nationwide gay marriage rights there has been a drastic increase in the proportion of marriages among same sex couples who live together   even in states where such couples already had the option to wed
before the ruling issued a year ago this sunday 38 percent of cohabiting gay couples nationwide were married the polling organization gallup found in the year since that ruling known as obergefell v hodges that share rose to 49 percent
the rise was more pronounced in states where same sex marriage had not been legal before the ruling   13 percentage points but it also rose substantially by 10 percentage points in states where gay couples previously had the option to wed
the organization did not explore why that might be though in many states where same sex marriage had already been legal the option was relatively new and its long term status uncertain
the bump in same sex marriages following the ruling may be easing however
more recent data collected since gallups initial update on same sex marriages in november show the growth in same sex marriages may be leveling off the organization said this week
the share of lesbian gay bisexual and transgender adults who reported being married to a same sex partner rose from 79 percent before the ruling to 95 percent by gallups november update since then the share of such couples who are married has barely budged standing at 96 percent in the recent poll
the obergefell v hodges ruling appears to have provided the impetus for an initial surge in same sex marriages but that surge only lasted a short while gallup said
same sex marriage is more common among gay men than among lesbians the organization found while 105 percent of gay men surveyed were married just 88 percent of lesbians reported the same still both shares were substantially higher than they were a year ago
nearly half of all lgbt adults   499 percent   identified as being single or never married gallup found
the results are based on more than 16000 telephone surveys conducted with lgbt adults nationwide between jan 28 2015 and last sunday


wimbledon england   novak djokovic and roger federer have met in the last two wimbledon finals but if federer is to stop the dominant run djokovic is on he will have to do it in the semifinals
federer a seven time wimbledon champion is seeded third here after missing the french open with a back injury and on friday he was placed in djokovics half of the draw which will begin play monday
fridays draw laid out the possible obstacles to a historic summer for the top ranked djokovic who currently holds all four grand slam titles
djokovic has won wimbledon the past two years and another victory at the all england club would set up an attempt at the first mens singles grand slam since rod laver in 1969 at the united states open
with an olympic gold medal also at stake this summer djokovic would have a shot at a golden slam a feat only achieved in singles by steffi graf in 1988
djokovic who opens against 177th ranked james ward of britain has a favorable draw until the quarterfinals where he could face sixth seeded milos raonic before a potential meeting with federer in the semifinals
whether federer is in strong enough form to make a deep run is one of this tournaments biggest questions he lost in the semifinals of grass court events in stuttgart and halle coming into wimbledon but said he was fairly satisfied with his rehabilitation from knee and back injuries this year
the seeds in federers quarter of the draw include no 5 kei nishikori no 9 marin cilic and no 17 gael monfils
second seeded andy murray who lost to djokovic in the final of the australian and french opens this year will open against his fellow briton liam broady
his half of the draw which begins play tuesday is a whos who of the future of mens tennis featuring eighth seeded dominic thiem 22 no 24 alexander zverev 19 and no 15 nick kyrgios 21 a potential fourth round opponent for murray
thiem coming off a semifinal berth at the french open achieved his highest seeding at a grand slam event but in the first round will face florian mayer who beat thiem in the semifinals in halle last week zverev or no 10 tomas berdych are possible fourth round opponents for thiem
also in murrays half of the draw fourth seeded stan wawrinka will face the american teenager taylor fritz in the first round before a possible second round meeting with juan martin del potro a former semifinalist here before wrist injuries derailed his career
in the womens draw top seeded serena williams who is seeking her first grand slam title since last years wimbledon begins play tuesday against the qualifier amra sadikovic of switzerland
the highest seed in her quarter of the draw is no 6 roberta vinci who upset williams in the semifinals of the united states open last year but vinci faces a difficult first round test against the american alison riske who excels on grass courts
in the third round williams could play heather watson of britain who came within two points of beating williams at wimbledon last year or kristina mladenovic of france who lost a tight third round match to williams at the french open
no 3 agnieszka radwanska no 7 belinda bencic who has struggled with injuries this year and no 10 petra kvitova a two time wimbledon champion are also in williamss half of the draw
the french open champion garbine muguruza is seeded second after reaching the final here last year as the no 20 seed she plays camila giorgi of italy in the first round on monday
the eighth seeded venus williams is a possible quarterfinal opponent for muguruza while no 4 angelique kerber the australian open winner no 5 simona halep and no 9 madison keys who entered the top 10 for the first time this week loom in the other quarter as possible semifinal challenges
muguruzas quarter also features a first round match between the doubles partners lucie safarova and bethanie mattek sands who have won two grand slam titles together
sixth ranked victoria azarenka withdrew from the tournament on thursday because of a knee injury rafael nadal will also miss wimbledon with a wrist injury


moscow   russian lawmakers adopted on friday a set of measures that proponents said were aimed at combating terrorism but that human rights activists condemned as an assault on freedoms of speech privacy and conscience
the measures passed on friday by the state duma russias lower house of parliament introduced a prison sentence of up to one year for failure to report a terrorist act or armed mutiny in the planning stages the lawmakers also forced cellular and internet providers to store all communications data for six months and to help security services decipher all messaging applications
the bill which must be approved by the upper chamber and signed by president vladimir v putin also banned proselytizing preaching and praying outside officially recognized religious institutions among other measures
the measures called the yarovaya law after their main proponent irina a yarovaya were putatively put forward as a reaction to the october bombing of a russian passenger jet over the sinai peninsula in egypt which killed all 224 people aboard
but leading russian human rights activists said the authorities were using the air disaster as a pretext for an assault on basic freedoms tanya lokshina the russia program director for human rights watch called the bill a set of legislative amendments that severely undermine freedom of expression freedom of conscience and the right to privacy
russian communications companies complained that the new legislation would force them spend billions of dollars to build the infrastructure to store the messages while religious organizations said the amendments could bar them from conducting services and other events outside their religious buildings
in its initial form the legislation was even harsher allowing the government to strip russians of their citizenship if convicted of committing a terrorist act serving in a foreign army or working for a foreign security service or court


the federal government is placing unaccompanied immigrant minors caught crossing the southern border including teenage girls who were raped on the journey north in the care of religion based agencies that refuse to provide legally required access to contraception and abortion according to a lawsuit filed on friday
like the dispute over the requirement that health plans cover contraception the lawsuit brought by the american civil liberties union against the department of health and human services highlights a clash between federal rules and the beliefs of roman catholic and other groups that say they are exempt from the requirements on grounds of religious freedom
but the lawsuit filed in federal court in san francisco asserts that the social agencies get federal money to offer a full range of health services including contraception and abortion and by allowing the agencies to deny any of those services on religious grounds it argues the federal government is violating the first amendment prohibition on establishment of religion
mark weber a spokesman for the department of health and human services said the agency would not comment on pending litigation
tens of thousands of unaccompanied undocumented migrants under 18 mainly from central america are apprehended at the border each year many have suffered sexual and other abuses at home or during their journey according to refugee experts they are put in the temporary custody of the federal office of refugee resettlement which places them with private agencies   a significant share of them run by the catholic church   for months or more as they await placement with a sponsor or deportation
the refusal of some major contractors to provide access to contraception or abortion even in rape cases has put federal officials in a bind catholic agencies many of them working under the umbrella of the united states conference of catholic bishops have a long history of providing high quality care to immigrant and refugee children
and federal immigrant programs have been stretched as the number of unaccompanied migrant children captured at the border soared in the 2014 fiscal year to 57496 more than double the previous year it fell to 33726 in 2015 but has recently surged again according to border patrol data about one third of the children are girls
the number of migrant girls who arrive pregnant or become so while in federal custody   and how many of those go into the care of catholic or evangelical christian groups that oppose abortion   is not publicly known federal officials have not responded to requests for such information
in 2016 the government awarded grants to care for undocumented minors to over 30 private agencies according to congressional testimony of these at least 11 were affiliated with the conference of catholic bishops or are otherwise known to oppose contraception and abortion according to the aclu
drawing on thousands of internal documents and emails obtained under the freedom of information act the aclu complaint provides sketchy details of about two dozen cases over the last five years in which pregnant girls many of whom said they had been raped requested abortions in several cases according to the complaint the girls had to be transferred to a different caregiver eventually obtaining abortions
a 17 year old said she had been raped by a guide in mexico and threatened to commit suicide the suit says she was ejected from the catholic affiliated shelter where she had initially been placed and was refused by a second one before officials located an amenable agency   away from the social workers and other shelter support staff who constituted her only support system in this country according to the complaint
another girl 14 was discovered to be pregnant after her capture at the border the documents said and requested an abortion officials wanted to send her to an agency in florida near family members who could offer support and an eventual home but an email from a federal official said that both of the shelters in florida are faith based and will not take the child to have this procedure
placement decisions should be based on what is in the best interests of the child said brigitte amiri a lawyer with the aclu we think its impermissible to allow the religious beliefs of the care providers to determine where the children are placed
some pregnancies and requests for abortion especially if they do not involve claims of rape may never be reported to federal officials immigration experts said caregiving agencies may apply to the federal office for payment for an abortion only if pregnancy results from rape or incest otherwise it is illegal to use federal money for the procedure though agencies can use private funds
the legal obligation of contracted agencies to provide a full range of reproductive health services stems from a 1997 court settlement and from later federal regulations the lawsuit contends the 1997 settlement requires the government to provide young immigrants with medical care including family planning services and emergency health care services
in the more recent regulations unaccompanied minors who have been sexually abused in federal custody must have unimpeded access to emergency medical treatment they must also be offered a pregnancy test and receive timely and comprehensive information about all lawful pregnancy related medical services
but the bishops conference and allied groups in a statement last year said they could not help people gain access to care that is contrary to their religious beliefs they also objected to accommodations offered by the federal authorities   that they team up with agencies that do not share the religious constraints or notify officials when a young migrant wants forbidden services so the client can be transferred   a referral which would in itself be objectionable the statement said
douglas laycock an expert on religion and law at the university of virginia agreed that the constitutional argument if it is upheld would override the claim for a religious exemption but in his view the constitutional argument based on the aclus claim that taxpayer dollars are being spent illegally is weak in part because there are precedents in which federal agencies granted exemptions in spending programs
but in 2012 a federal district court in massachusetts in a similar case involving care of sex trafficking victims found that federal grants to the catholic bishops in that context violated the establishment clause the decision was later vacated when the contract lapsed and it does not serve as a legal precedent


things fall apart and now things includes the european union
british voters delivered a well aimed kick at the global elites who prefer a britain that is deeply intertwined economically and diplomatically with europe
so now that they did it what does it mean for the british economy and the rest of the world
with the caveat that nothing is really clear in the immediate aftermath of a seismic event like the one that happened thursday heres how to think about the economic forces that have been unleashed and how we can expect them to play out in the weeks and months and years ahead
if you run a british company that exports a lot to europe or manage a european bank with thousands of employees in london nothing much changed with the results thursday
britain is a member of the european union today and will be one tomorrow your products can still be shipped to dusseldorf without any hint of a tariff your employees can work legally whether their passport is from sweden or spain
the immediate effects of brexit will flow almost entirely through financial markets markets may be flawed but they really do amount to a real time verdict by millions of people with vast sums of money at stake on what something will be worth over the indefinite future economic shifts happen slowly financial shifts happen overnight literally in this case
the truth is that the stock market declines that took place worldwide friday are nothing to be too concerned about the british stock market as measured by the ftse 100 index was down 32 percent late friday afternoon in britain above its levels of mid june that suggests that investors do not envision the brexit hit to hammer corporate profits in the near future
but what is happening in the bond and currency markets suggests bigger problems are brewing the 76 percent drop in the british pound against the dollar is indeed a seismic move   major currency pairs just dont do that since 2012 the average daily move in the pound dollar exchange rate is 035 percent this move is 21 times that
combined with a rally in british government bonds and consequently lower interest rates the currency shift will mean a burst of inflation for british consumers as imported goods become sharply more expensive it will also make the nations export industries more competitive for the moment at least
as the months pass the economic consequences of brexit become less about financial market disruptions and more about real economic activity within britain a pall of uncertainty is likely to be cast over every businesss decisions on whether to hire people or make capital investments   and thats true of both british owned businesses and the many affiliates of global companies in britain
if youre an american company that has its european headquarters in london do you keep calm and carry on or do you start checking out real estate in frankfurt or dublin or some other place where the relationship with the eu is more settled if you run a british company thinking of building a new factory do you start to entertain the same question
even if the ultimate answer for these companies is remain it is easy to see how the desire to wait for clarity could hold back economic activity for many months to come   and perhaps beyond british borders
and the decision comes at an uncomfortable time the worlds central banks normally the first responders in times of economic distress are poorly positioned to help those banks have signaled that they are ready to act with statements from the bank of england the european central bank and the federal reserve promptly dispatched friday morning
and it is looking as if the fed is leaning toward easier money in the wake of brexit futures markets priced in a 50 percent chance of a fed interest rate hike thursday but that fell to 14 percent friday after the news along with a 12 percent chance of an interest rate cut this year
but both the fed and the ecb are already tilted toward cheap money   indeed the ecb already has negative interest rates and the bank of england faces an extraordinarily knotty situation it simultaneously must plan for a possible recession caused by brexit uncertainty and for higher inflation because of the drop in the currency and outflow of capital it can fight one of those problems but it cant fight both at once
so a decline in business confidence and a rise in uncertainty paired with limited responses by central banks makes a recession a major risk in britain and something of a risk in the rest of europe and the united states
things like business confidence market swings and central bank responses shape the economy in the short and medium run but over time it is bigger forces that prevail
and this is where there is the most uncertainty of all what will a post eu britain really look like
the exact process by which the nation will remove itself from the union is murky it will presumably invoke article 50 of the lisbon treaty which is a mere 261 words it isnt exactly a detailed road map for extricating a country from a complex set of interconnections affecting every facet of economic life it will take years of arduous negotiations
one possibility   the benign option if you want britain to remain well integrated with europe   is to model itself on norway or perhaps switzerland two countries that are not part of the eu but maintain free trade within the bloc
the only problem with that the price of maintaining free access to the rest of the european marketplace for those countries is allowing free migration from eu member states and accepting eu regulations on businesses to the degree that pro brexit sentiment was driven by british opposition to immigration and regulation this solution wouldnt really solve anything
britain will get through the immediate financial turbulence and a possible recession just fine the question for its future is which of two options british leaders now choose they can maintain the status quo and remain a major international business center while ignoring the impulse that led voters to choose leave in the first place or they can become a smaller more isolated island that is a less important cog in the global economy   but at least one that honors its voters wishes


seoul south korea   a south korean court issued an arrest warrant on friday for a volkswagen executive in connection with the companys cheating on vehicle emissions tests in another blow to the german automakers efforts to move on from the scandal
the warrant is the first to be leveled against a volkswagen executive after the company in september admitted using software to falsify pollution test results on some diesel cars spurring legal action in the united states germany south korea and elsewhere
volkswagen has admitted that 11 million of its vehicles worldwide were equipped with software designed to cheat on emissions tests the automaker said in april that it would set aside 18 billion to cover costs from the scandal
the south korean prosecutors office said that the investigation was continuing and that it would cooperate with counterparts in germany and the united states
the volkswagen korea executive identified by his last name yun faces five accusations including fabrication of documents and violation of the air quality preservation law shin jae hwan a spokesman for the seoul central district court said
a volkswagen korea spokeswoman declined to comment
south korea has taken a particularly hard line against the automaker filing a criminal complaint against two other executives fining it 141 billion won or 1197 million and ordering it to recall 125522 vehicles
about 4400 korean consumers have filed a class action lawsuit against volkswagen and its audi brand demanding compensation over the false emissions claims
the arrest warrant comes after german prosecutors said on monday that they were investigating volkswagens former chief executive martin winterkorn and another executive over whether they effectively manipulated markets by delaying the release of information about the cheating


london   when the metropolitan museum of art exhibited a promised gift of about 80 cubist artworks from the cosmetics magnate leonard a lauder in 2014 the museum hailed cubism as the most influential art movement of the early 20th century one that radically changed the way we see the world today
that assessment seemed to have been endorsed on tuesday night when sothebys sold picassos 1909 painting femme assise for 433 million pounds with fees or about 636 million it was bought by one of two anonymous telephone bidders against a low estimate of PS30 million
but although femme assise set an auction high for a cubist work   and was the highest price for any artwork sold at auction in london since 2010   cubism for all its influence is less coveted by collectors than other periods of picassos career and other 20th century movements cubisms intellectual methodology and monochromatic palette have sometimes made it a hard sell
sothebys did well with the picasso said guy jennings managing director of the fine art fund group in london it was a very strong price for a tough painting cubism should be the top period but theyre not the easiest pictures commercially
femme assise entered by the new york real estate magnate sheldon solow according to the baer faxt trade newsletter had been acquired at sothebys in 1973 for PS340000 helena newman sothebys chairwoman of impressionist and modern art in europe declined to comment on the identity of the seller it was one of several experimental portraits picasso made of his lover fernande olivier in the summer of 1909 at horta de ebro in his native spain
it was the first museum quality picasso cubist oil to have appeared on the market since 1997 when mr lauder paid 248 million for the 1913 femme assise dans un fauteuil eva
the 636 million price was far below the 1794 million paid in may 2015 at christies for picassos 1955 painting les femmes dalger version o or indeed the 106 million or so that the dealer larry gagosian paid privately in that same month for a 1931 plaster bust of marie therese walter
tellingly amedeo modiglianis more obviously alluring 1919 three quarter length portrait jeanne hebuterne au foulard attracted five telephone bidders at sothebys pushing the price to PS385 million or about 566 million against an estimate of PS28 million this typically stylized depiction of the artists ill fated companion and muse   hebuterne committed suicide in 1920 the day after modiglianis death   had been entered by a seller identified by bloomberg news as the syrian born billionaire wafic said who had bought the painting at auction in 1986 for 29 million according to the artnet database unlike the picasso the painting was certain to sell courtesy of a third party irrevocable bid
the picasso and the modigliani were the standouts in a week of impressionist and modern auctions depleted by sellers concerns over a cooling art market and the referendum on britains continued membership in the european union with its possible effect on the value of the pound
sothebys sale of just 27 lots nonetheless grossed PS1033 million with just three lots unsold that said the picasso and the modigliani represented almost 80 percent of the evenings take with an 1890 gauguin still life lagging far behind at PS34 million bought by acquavella galleries of new york the equivalent sale last year brought in PS1786 million from 50 works
the market moves along in spite of these crises of confidence said mary hoeveler an art adviser based in new york the offering wasnt stellar but the estimates had been made as accessible as possible people are always looking for value
the picture was altogether gloomier the following night at christies whose evening impressionist and modern art auction brought in PS256 million from 33 lots 36 percent of which failed to sell the total was well below the PS329 million presale estimate and 64 percent less than the PS715 million christies achieved at the equivalent impressionist and modern sale last june
but certain high value lots were not included in the sale such as henry moores monumental bronze reclining figure festival estimated at PS15 million to PS20 million the piece had been diverted to christies 250th anniversary defining british art sale set for june 30
twentieth century masterpieces are in demand and the christies auction was lacking this kind of material said patrick legant an art adviser based in london most of the works offered were not reflecting the quality the market is looking for
the highest price paid was PS83 million by a telephone bidder for modiglianis somber 1917 half length portrait of hanka zborowska the wife of his dealer leopold zborowski which had an estimate of PS5 million to PS7 million an 1872 monet oil lancienne rue de la chaussee failed to sell against a low estimate of PS45 million showing how early impressionism is another art movement whose historical importance has not been fully matched by its commercial value
with international buyers and sellers wary of britains future in europe christies found success on monday with its sale of homegrown modern british and irish art that raised PS148 million from 49 lots with an 80 percent success rate
mod brits have long been regarded as a regional backwater of the art market but recently artists with international reputations like henry moore barbara hepworth ben nicholson and bridget riley have attracted a broader spectrum of buyers particularly from asia
at this months art basel fair in switzerland for example the dealer david zwirner sold bridget rileys monumental new horizontally striped abstract coda to the long museum in shanghai founded by the private collectors liu yiqian and his wife wang wei the asking price was PS750000
at christies on monday elaine holt the companys director of impressionist and modern art in hong kong was bidding for clients on barbara hepworth sculptures such as the gray slate two forms in echelon from 1963 which sold for PS662500
at no stage has the market been so international said matthew bradbury head of modern british and irish art at bonhams whose june 15 mod brit sale in london raised PS83 million more than double the previous high for that category of auction at the company
works from the collection of cyril reddihough a lawyer based in yorkshire who was a supporter and friend of ben nicholson contributed PS49 million to that total among them was a 1945 moore plaster reclining figure which climbed to PS18 million more than 10 times the low estimate
the reddihough collection drew in people we dont normally see said mr bradbury whose sale attracted two bidders from mainland china and six from hong kong as well as others from switzerland and italy theres a perception that traditional mod brit sales have been undervalued
it was perhaps contradictory that the market for british art should be attracting a wider than ever international audience days before britain itself made the decision to cut some of its international ties
artworks unlike nationalist politicians depend on a wider world for their success during the next couple of years we will see how thursdays momentous brexit vote affects londons long held status as the capital of the european art market


london   britains vote to leave the european union has left no shortage of losers prime minister david cameron the pound sterling and the european union itself but it also exposed a familiar culprit the pollsters
on the eve of the vote most late polls showed the remain side edging ahead late thursday the market research company yougov put remain up by 52 percent to 48 percent as the voting ended on thursday ipsos mori another leading polling company gave remain an eight percentage point lead over the leave side
even the leader of the uk independence party nigel farage a voracious euroskeptic told sky news ahead of the result that he thought britain had voted to stay in the bloc i think that remain might just nick it but there isnt much in it he said
instead britons   and europeans   woke up friday to the shocking news that the country had voted 52 percent to 48 percent to leave the european union with more than 174 million people voting to leave and about 161 million to remain
for pollsters still reeling from the ignominy of last years general elections when the polls failed to foresee the conservative party winning an outright majority the result was seen fairly or not as yet another embarrassment raising questions about the challenge of parsing the will of capricious voters in open revolt against the status quo
now the results have come in and britain has chosen to leave the european union the reputation of british political polling has taken a hit to rival that of the pound the telegraph wrote
peter kellner a leading political commentator and a former president of yougov called for polling companies to conduct an inquiry into the failure i am not sure what has gone wrong he said
mr kellner said one hypothesis was that the results may have been distorted by the sharp decline of people willing to participate in telephone polls combined with online polls that reflected only the views of the people who had volunteered to participate in the case of the vote for a british exit or brexit he said the polls appeared to have underestimated the number of labour supporters outside london in england and wales who backed leaving
he said that with the coming presidential election in the united states the vote in britain was raising an uncomfortable question are the people who can be reached by pollsters like the people the polls cant reach
pollsters could perhaps be forgiven for their stumbles in this case given the hefty challenge of trying to predict the intentions of voters in a highly unusual referendum after all britons had not voted on their future in europe in more than four decades and comparative data was scarce moreover 17 of the 35 surveys conducted this month showed the leave side ahead
leighton vaughan williams the director of the political forecasting unit at nottingham business school argued that the 11th hour swing in favor of leave came down to the powerful and determinedly euroskeptic tabloid news media which he credited for swinging undecided voters on voting day
it was the sun wot won it he said a sardonic reference to an infamous headline in the newspaper the sun on april 11 1992 in which the popular and influential tabloid took credit for the conservative partys surprise victory in the 1992 general election over neil kinnock the labour leader if kinnock wins today will the last person to leave britain please turn out the lights it had asked
the sun and most of britains other tabloids led a similarly aggressive campaign against staying in the european union in the weeks leading up to the brexit vote and the emotive appeals to patriotism on the day of the vote proved decisive mr vaughan williams said
the suns cover on thursday showed an image of the sun hovering over earth we urge you to vote leave ... and make today our independence day the paper extolled its readers your country needs you the daily express wrote on its front page emblazoned with the union jack vote leave today
in contrast to past referendums on independence in scotland and quebec when the undecided voted with the status quo mr vaughan williams said the undecided voters in britain were swayed by the ominous warnings on newsstands on voting day
the press effect in this referendum cannot be underestimated he said the sun and a majority of the other tabloids appealed to patriotism and jingoism and fears about immigration and knew exactly what buttons to press with some polls suggesting that 11 percent of people were undecided ahead of the vote this had a huge impact
fearmongering aside analysts noted that there had been a divergence between online and telephone polling throughout the campaign with online polls at times showing the remain and leave camps neck and neck and telephone polls showing the remain side ahead that should have signaled that at least some polls had a sample weighting problem
yougov noted that telephone polls may have exaggerated the remain sides advantage because when confronted by a person on the other end of the phone people tended to give an answer even if they were undecided
whatever the reasons for the failure the consequences were costly for some the polls led investors to pile into the pound sterling and other instruments they thought would rise in value with a vote to remain leading to heavy losses when the vote went the other way


here is a guide to understanding britains vote to leave the european union a decision known as brexit that will have global consequences for years to come complete news coverage is here
more than 174 million britons voted june 23 to sever ties with the european union whose seat of power lies in brussels compared with 161 million who voted to remain
the stunning vote 52 percent to 48 percent plunged world financial markets into turmoil the political consequences for the prime minister of britain were swift and people around the globe reacted with shock and confusion it would be the first time any country has left the bloc
fear of being overrun by immigrants was a driving concern for leave voters who appeared to dominate the conversation on social media globalization concerns and a desire to wrest britain from under brussels thumb were also factors
the referendum came about as a result of a promise made in 2013 by prime minister david cameron to appease an increasingly vocal anti european union wing of his conservative party
# the prime minister said he would step down mr cameron who led the remain campaign announced on friday that he had no precise timetable but that he believed his successor   who will manage the process of leaving the union   should be in place by october
boris johnson the former mayor of london who backed leaving the eu was considered a front runner to succeed mr cameron but on june 30 mr johnson announced he would not run for the position of party leader and therefore prime minister
# global markets plunged the british pound plummeted to its lowest level since 1985 investors fled to the american dollar and the yen
# the us market was down more than 3 percent at the close on june 24 with the dow shedding over 600 points after sell offs overnight in japan and hong kong the financial damage was more severe on the continent than in britain and the united states
# the united kingdom lost its last remaining aaa credit rating on june 27 when the credit rating agency standard  poors downgraded the nation to aa reuters reported
# the referendum is not legally binding though it is difficult to imagine that the british government would ignore the will of the voters
the process of leaving begins only after the british government invokes a provision of the european unions governing treaty known as article 50   an action mr cameron said he would leave to his successor
once article 50 is invoked though britain could not change its mind and stay in the union unless the 27 other members all agreed
# britain would leave the worlds largest common market with 508 million residents including 65 million britons that would free them from the blocs commitment to the free movement of labor capital goods and services
but it would also bring complications with some businesses already planning to relocate
# little will change for at least two years but the vote sets off a series of negotiations as the country separates from the unions remaining 27 members
britain which has the blocs second largest economy after germany would have to come up with new trading agreements almost half its exports are sold on europes common market
# londons role as a financial center could be imperiled particularly if the trade in euro denominated securities moves to rival cities like paris and frankfurt
# the immediate effect on travel will be limited especially as britain was not a member of the passport free schengen zone which came under heavy pressure last year from the refugee crisis americans will find bargains in travel to britain because of more favorable exchange rates
# britains security will be largely unaffected it remains a nuclear power a permanent member of the united nations security council and a leader of nato
# scotland and northern ireland could go their own way both voted overwhelmingly to stay in the eu but prominent political leaders in scotland and northern ireland called on friday for new moves toward separating from britain
scotland which voted in 2014 to remain in the united kingdom may revisit that referendum
northern ireland has an open border with the republic of ireland a member of the bloc border crossings could now be tightened and pressure could increase for unification prompting instability in both places
# calls for similar action have spread throughout europe we must now have the same referendum french far right national front party leader marine le pen tweeted politicians made similar appeals in denmark and the netherlands in italy one politician called for a referendum on whether to keep the euro currency
# president obama said in a statement the people of the united kingdom have spoken and we respect their decision he pledged that the uk and the eu would remain indispensable partners of the united states and that britains special relationship with the united states would endure
# hillary clinton we respect the choice the people of the united kingdom have made our first task has to be to make sure that the economic uncertainty created by these events does not hurt working families here in america
# donald j trump i said this was going to happen and i think that its a great thing
the british people have declared their independence from the european union and have voted to reassert control over their own politics borders and economy mr trump said a trump administration pledges to strengthen our ties with a free and independent britain
# chancellor angela merkel of germany expressed disappointment with the vote and called for european unity our goal should be to create a future relationship between great britain and the european union that is close and partner like
# moscow maintained its stance that the british referendum was of little direct concern president vladimir v putin said this will certainly have consequences for britain for europe and for us the consequences will be global they are inevitable they will be both positive and negative


every friday the new york times pop critics weigh in on the weeks most notable new songs and videos   and anything else that strikes them as intriguing   in the playlist you can listen to this playlist on spotify here like this format let us know at theplaylistnytimescom
here is song manufactured by committee designed not for the radio or for career enhancing posterity but to be slapped atop the scrolling credits of the ghostbusters remake a shout at the crowd as it flees the theater to affirm its ticket purchase choice the way you would encourage an mma fighter in the octagon
everyone is a victim here fall out boy is reduced to trademark patrick stump yelps over some hard guitar jabs and robbed of all its funk missy elliott raps lets smoke these ghosts like backwoods as if someone were holding her loved ones hostage until she wrote 100 paranormal similes
most lazily of all the song tethers rock to hip hop in a clunky patchwork manner that suggests the its conceptualizers and producers have never listened to the judgment night soundtrack nor any other pop music released in the 23 subsequent years jon caramanica
from the electronic musician aphex twins coming ep cheetah to be released july 8 comes a new video apparently his first in 17 years aphex twin aka richard d james has been good in this medium you may remember come to daddy from 1997 stylishly directed by chris cunningham in which a horde of schoolgirls with aphex twin heads run rampant in an english tower block terrorscape for this one mr james has gone anti professional he gave the directing job to ryan wyer a 12 year old boy with a youtube channel full of gameplay videos the song is steadying verging on pretty and the video is joyous verging on powerful young mr wyer and his friends all wearing aphex twin shirts caper around in front of a block of row housing sped up and slowed down with overuse of standard digital color effects ben ratliff
few people are more enthusiastic about music or share their enthusiasms more enthusiastically than the producer provocateur tyler the creator take for example the exuberant fashion show he organized for his golf wang clothing line a couple of weeks ago   part nickelodeon cartoon part skate park
he brings the same sort of kaleidoscopic brightness and relentless cheer to his music this week he posted on youtube an unofficial remix of zayn maliks pillowtalk the original has a groove thats seeping verging on ponderous tyler though is partial to chipper lite funk synthesizers and he rescues the song   a billboard no 1 hit   from its self seriousness turning mr malik from a sleepy eyed seducer to an ecstatic wailer
but thats just part of the charm just as notable as tylers music is his presentation i had no art to go along with this so i recorded myself dancing to it he wrote in the videos description and dance he does in a blinding all yellow outfit   ball cap t shirt shorts slides there are a couple of pharrell esque dance moves and a few full body exhalations   he is a beacon of merriment but while the video already has 400000 views tylers really only performing for himself jc
the composer tyondai braxton who has written work for solo guitar and chamber orchestra and increasingly for percussive electronics has just released an ep oranged out in support of everytown for gun safety the nonprofit organization that advocates gun control you can pay what you wish for it on his bandcamp page or stream some to get a sample its a kind of techno through the looking glass its beats arriving in twisted whooshing tones accumulating and finally dropping out mr braxtons imagination is impatient and fantastically rubbery and hooper delay is a high point of the record its mood changing entirely from beginning to end br
as songwriter singer and fretboard virtuoso sarah jarosz makes string band music that feels utterly contemporary house of mercy from her new album undercurrent has a melody hinting at ancient celtic modes and an arrangement with just two voices and a handful of acoustic instruments no drums it zeros in with mourning and quiet resentment and resolution on a pivotal moment between separation and breakup i can hear you knocking on the door she sings i wont leave it open for you any more jon pareles
theres not a hair out of place on mistaken by the avant soul duo marian hill samantha gongol sings as if shes putting show tunes through a soulcycle class and jeremy lloyd arranges all of his percussion pieces as if untangling a vicious knot to reveal the smoothed out beauty lurking within the saxophone interjections are by steve davit this song is taken from marian hills major label debut album act one released friday a seamless continuation of this duos earlier eps play and sway like all of its music mistaken seems to be moving both in slow motion and at double speed all at once and impressively reconciles swing and bounce jc
this week the detroit experimental band wolf eyes presented a startlingly bizarre new video from its recent album i am a problem mind in pieces released last year on jack whites third man record label wolf eyess music doesnt take too much for granted it is implicitly questioning everything always who is the artist who is the listener why are you here what is music for where are we going
the video for todd directed by will benedict with steffen jorgensen might embody some of those questions it takes a found episode of a charlie rose television talk show and digitally replaces the guest with a charcoal colored being whose head looks like a conch shell the alien has arrogantly propped a leg up on roses table and is mouthing the lyrics to the wolf eyes song with its steady menacing beat if that thing toward the bottom of the beings head is called a mouth i stepped inside that doorwaycant turn back this place resists meanwhile an image of the eiffel tower illuminated at night shown in the studio background starts going haywire the tower eventually breaks in half and starts to swirl a reported segment of the show about food issues is narrated by a woman with a dolphins head the alien gets on top of mr roses table and starts a slow hip grinding motion mr rose staring elsewhere looks embattled there is a sudden cutaway to shots of paris with debris and human beings falling from the sky one naked lands on the ground feet first at the place de la concorde situated between two human size mice and the final shot i promise is the weirdest of all br
the song that more or less started the bossa nova movement in brazil   written by antonio carlos jobim and vinicius de moraes and recorded definitively in 1958 by joao gilberto   has drifted through the decades and ended up on the desk of... azealia banks why not against acoustic guitar she sings the song in portuguese with restrained passion its a melodic slalom and hard going if youre not a native portuguese speaker is it meant to be a race though she runs through it in a minute and 42 seconds beating mr gilbertos time by 20 seconds br


when joe olivier asked what his niece wanted as a high school graduation present this year she asked for a couple of thousand dollars in gift cards she got a letter instead
in that was a to do list from her doting uncle read two books about personal finance that he had sent her and write a one page report on each then take an online accounting course and pass its test once those tasks were done only then would he open a checking account in her name and deposit some money
last week i wrote about the value of preparing and passing along the money letter in which a parent or other relative lays out some hard won financial wisdom i also asked readers to send in ones theyd written or read
i found the submissions insightful hilarious and touching the letters that arrived contained several illuminating one liners about moneys relationship to everything from sex to gambling that you may find useful as you try to impart insight to your own loved ones
but like mr olivier other letter writers also asked something of their recipients to recognize and own the strong feelings we all have about money to be patient careful fair and generous to want more but not be greedy to revel in doing things and care less about having things
feel free to borrow liberally from the following writers when it comes time to write your own letter
emotions mr olivier turned to a letter because he worried that a big money talk would go in one ear and out the other the problem is that kids these days you sit them down and start being a raconteur and their eyes glaze over because their attention spans are that of a gnat he said
mr olivier 55 acknowledged that he did get serious rather quickly when writing to his niece who will attend the university of louisiana at lafayette money and finances typically are wrapped up in a lot of emotions for everyone and your views on these subjects have been shaped since you were born he wrote
why start there because one of the most common conflicts around money in families is scarcity typically there is never enough he said in an interview this week the kids key in on that
and they do so long before they have much technical knowledge of how to manage money responsibly schooled in feelings before finance is it any wonder they sometimes make emotional decisions about how much to borrow for college or what to spend once they get there and get out
mr olivier suggested that wizened grown ups need to make the whole subject much more bloodless long before writing any letters try to be upfront with your kids about budgets and the financial situation in the family he said
sex when his two sons left home for college george bohmfalk gave each of them a letter with some words of advice among them were these along with sex money seems to get more people into trouble than everything else combined he wrote and both are great when handled properly
so what links these two powerful forces exactly maybe because like having sex money represents success to a whole lot of people mr bohmfalk who is now 68 said in an interview and money has become a medium of measuring ones worth like sex appeal
roughly two decades later both of his sons have had no problems that he knows of with sex or money and they never had to move back home
mr bohmfalk also mentioned some related words to live by that a physician friend passed on to him many years ago one spouse one house so many of our friends had a beach house or a lake house or an airplane and a divorce or two he said suddenly they were having to work until they dropped
mr bohmfalk a former neurosurgeon who lives in charlotte nc retired from the practice of medicine on his 50th birthday
risk one other thing that sex and money have in common is that both tend to involve a certain amount of risk not that there is anything wrong with careful considered financial bets in most instances in fact risk is necessary
investing always involves risk greg berman of brooklyn wrote a few years ago to his two daughters now 17 and 13 it is basically a form of gambling but it is also the only means of accumulating wealth other than by the sweat of your own labor
his family has successfully taken on real estate risk over the years whether it was his relatives who were developers outside of washington or the bet he and his wife made on a manhattan apartment and then a brooklyn house
theyve also bet on stocks but they prefer the index funds that feel less like a spin of a roulette wheel than individual stocks do hannah berman mr bermans elder daughter says hes fond of telling a story about buying stock in marvel the comics company as a young man he immediately lost everything she said
envy and gender envy is a problem and mr berman who is 49 and runs a nonprofit is clear on that in his letter but he doesnt default to the presumption that so many parents of teenagers do that wanting things is itself somehow bad it is ok to want more he wrote indeed this impulse can be a spur to action and invention and success
why put it that way in an interview he talked about all of the books and movies his daughters take in that make the case that money doesnt matter money is the root of all evil marry for love chase your dreams
but then much of the rest of the culture sends the exact opposite message i was trying to find the sweet spot that acknowledges the wisdom of both of those perspectives he said
on a related note his letter mentions his experience witnessing men aggressively negotiating raises over the years when women often did not it is ok to ask for a raise he wrote it is also ok to bargain over the price of many products
wanting a bit more prestige or a bigger office has been a positive in many situations he had witnessed we want our kids to be ambitious and do stuff he told me
adventures early in her career robin hubbard 59 made more money per month than her father ever had shes worked at a fortune 500 company but a series of health setbacks and the death of her husband have led to her living on   and with   much less
when she saw last weeks column she wrote the following to her 19 year old daughter i encourage you to be a collector of adventures and making other people smile i have found after the hardship of health problems i do not want anything but the next great conversation or interesting experience
she turned to the letter format for a couple of reasons when she was younger no one talked to her much about money or wrote anything down so she wanted to do better as a mother plus the personal budgeting talks with her daughter who lives with her in bethalto ill have not quite hit home yet
a written letter however has a chance of lasting that is something that she values after her health scares over the years
i will probably frame it because i want her to know that it is a keepsake she said and im probably not going to be there when she has kids of her own


berlin   german officials on friday said a gunman who was killed after entering a multiplex movie theater in southwestern germany the day earlier was a 19 year old german who was born in nearby mannheim
the gunman whose name was not released entered a cinema in viernheim on thursday afternoon wearing a mask and armed with two pellet guns a rifle a pistol and a fake hand grenade prosecutors said he took four employees and 14 moviegoers including children hostage
prosecutors in darmstadt who are responsible for carrying out the investigation said in a statement on friday that they had no indication of a motivation political or otherwise but that they had ruled out a terrorism related motive
the special police forces who stormed the cinema responded with live rounds killing the attacker despite initial reports of widespread injuries prosecutors said no one else was harmed in the episode which had led to fears of a mass shooting


in response to the british vote to leave the european union the american stock markets have moved more than they have in response to any presidential election over the past 60 years
the sp 500   a broad measure of stock prices   was trading about 25 percent lower on friday morning by contrast since 1952 elections have typically led stocks to rise or fall by only a percentage point or two
in part this reflects the fact that thursdays referendum result was quite unexpected election eve prediction markets had suggested around a one in six chance that britain would leave
even sharp and unexpected electoral shifts in the united states dont produce swings this large take the 2000 election when markets rose and fell by only a percentage point or two as the networks went back and forth on whether george w bush or al gore had the edge in florida and in the electoral college stocks moved by less than a percentage point in response to the subsequent supreme court decision certifying mr bush as the winner
likewise stocks moved by only a percentage point or two on election day 2004 when early exit polls led many to believe that john kerry had won the election only to reverse course when it became clear the early numbers were wrong
think of friday mornings re evaluation of the price of stocks as the markets judgment that the british referendum has more profound economic implications for the united states than the difference between a democratic and republican president perhaps the contrast this november will prove to be larger
stock markets in countries with closer ties to britain have responded even more vigorously
economists focus on stock market reactions because they provide a useful real time barometer of a nations broader economic prospects
after all when traders buy a stock index theyre buying the future earnings of a broad swath of american corporations the theory is that the price theyre paying should be tied to expectations of future earnings this mornings lower stock prices suggests theyre much more pessimistic
while market reactions are surely neither as rational nor as carefully calibrated as the theory suggests at least they provide a useful quantification of the conventional wisdom and that conventional wisdom seems to be that britains exit from the european union will lead to economic disruption that will echo across the atlantic


washington   commuters here who rely on the metro are facing delays early closings single tracking and station shutdowns during the second phase of a yearlong repair project but that is not the only impact of the repairs increased traffic from those who are suddenly forced to drive has clogged downtown streets and traffic in nearby virginia and maryland aggravating drivers who have to endure far longer commutes
it doesnt take a large mathematical increase in drivers to tip the scales said dave dildine a traffic reporter at the radio station wtop who has seen an increase in road congestion since renovations on the metro began on june 4
rich hershman 46 who drives downtown every day from alexandria va said recently that his commute sometimes took up to an hour longer depending on the day every metro surge has made traffic awful he said referring to repairs its always hit or miss and afternoons have been a lot worse
downtown parking garages are also noticing at colonial parking near the white house ronnie walker a valet said that he would have to start turning away people soon and that he expected traffic to get worse as the repairs continued
we only have so much room he said
that is not what drivers who can take a half hour to crawl three blocks during rush hours want to hear summer traffic is usually easier to navigate as schools have closed and workers take vacations
the scheduled maintenance is part of a plan by the washington metropolitan area transit authority to repair decades worth of infrastructure deterioration on a system that serves the second largest number of passengers in the nation
a train crash in 2009 killed nine people and commuters have dealt with water seepage broken escalators and frequent fires including one in 2015 that resulted in the death of a passenger on tuesday evening the cleveland park stop in northwest washington was shut down after a flash flood poured inches of rain into the station and caused escalators to fail
on the first day of the maintenance project morning commuters took four times longer to drive into washington on i 66 in virginia according to research from the center for advanced transportation technology laboratory at the university of maryland it took almost five times longer the next morning
taran hutchinson a facilitator at the metropolitan area transportation operations coordination program at the university of maryland said he expected roads to be highly congested for the first few days of every phase of repairs
and as the week unfolds more people will find alternative routes   other roads other ways to their offices   and well see everyone find a new normal mr hutchinson said
the plan is to accelerate three years worth of repairs into a single year and modernize the system to a point where it can handle routine maintenance
the first phase lasted 13 days and affected the metro system in arlington va west of washington the next phase which began on saturday and is to last 16 days shut down tracks and stations in southeast washington that serve as entryways for commuters from maryland future work will affect lines in other parts of the region
saureena townsend 22 said she would have to leave her home near the largo town center station in maryland two hours early to get to her job in virginia ms townsend has been using metro for five years and is used to regular delays and station shutdowns
a lot of people are numb to it by now she said i have been seeing that a lot more people are frustrated lately for me i just prepare and try not to stress out over something that is out of our control
employees of the transit authority in fluorescent yellow or purple vests have been assigned to herd crowds of commuters to the proper track or shuttle some hand out pamphlets about the scheduled repairs
sarah muir 33 has the schedule pinned to her wall at home she said that she and her husband have warned their employers that the metro might make them late
others have sought to profit from the chaos at a shuttle stop near the closed benning road station on monday a small white bus pulled up to a crowd of about 30 people huddled under the shade of a tree waiting for a ride as transportation employees tried to answer questions and clear up confusion a man walked out of the bus with a sign made of drywall and spray paint that read lenfant plaza
no stops straight there he said five dollars
a worker for the transit authority called the man crazy but three commuters took him up on the offer


britains decision to leave the european union is an unwelcome blow to an already fragile world economy the real impact however is psychological companies and investors now have to reconsider other once unthinkable risks
most of the economic costs of untangling four decades of integration will fall on britain still this is a shock the rest of the world did not need morgan stanley economists estimate that the decision to exit known as brexit could knock 03 percentage points off global growth in 2017 a soaring dollar puts renewed strain on emerging market borrowers whose debts are denominated in the american currency   and may prompt the federal reserve to delay its next increase in interest rates the japanese yen also rose undermining the economic revival plans of japans prime minister shinzo abe
despite the gyrations though it would be surprising if the departure led to financial calamity after the truly global crisis of 2008 central banks have swap lines and other tools to minimize market disruptions should action be necessary policy makers convening in the swiss town of basel this weekend are well placed to coordinate it
the lasting damage may be to old ways of thinking until a few weeks ago it seemed hard to believe that the majority of voters in britain would overrule the countrys political and financial establishment the repercussions of that decision will affect trade and capital flows as companies and investors rethink britains long term stability
the reverberations will be felt elsewhere too the decision to leave will embolden populist parties across europe raising other previously ignored fears marine le pens chance of winning the french presidency next year for example suddenly seems less remote a victory for the far right in france would in turn have profound consequences for the future of the european union and the single currency
then theres donald trump according to the online gambling site betfair the presumptive republican nominee has a less than 25 percent chance of winning the presidential election in november but those are about the odds that the same site attached to a leave vote in britains referendum a few days ago britains upheaval is a reminder that other shocks are also possible


for the last four years adriano espaillat has struggled in the political shadow of representative charles b rangel unable to topple him in two consecutive democratic primaries
now mr rangel is taking his raspy voice and his deep reservoir of voter loyalty into retirement seemingly clearing a path for mr espaillat a state senator to realize his ambition of becoming the first politician born in the dominican republic to be elected to the house of representatives
his campaign chant is es palla que vamos thats where were going
but among the nine candidates in tuesdays democratic primary in the 13th congressional district in upper manhattan and part of the bronx there is a new obstacle in the form of an old nemesis guillermo linares another pioneering dominican born politician who threatens to split the vote among their immigrant countrymen
they will cancel each other out said nestor montilla the chairman of the dominican american national roundtable a nonpartisan group they should have sat down and come to an agreement he added its a matter of math right
but agreement has been elusive for mr espaillat 61 and mr linares 65 for most of the last quarter century they are rivals whose political lives have been intertwined since they emerged on the electoral stage and each has vied for firsts mr linares became the first dominican immigrant elected to the city council and he says the first elected to any public office in the united states mr espaillat claimed the title of the first person born in the dominican republic elected to the state legislature in new york   or perhaps in any state
theyre like two male crabs in a hole said luis m rodriguez a dominican activist who has watched mr espaillat and mr linares claw and poke for years as they vied for ascendance in the small but growing dominican community of upper manhattan
mr espaillat is one of the front runners in the nine candidate race   he is among the leaders in fund raising and has the experience of running in the last two primaries and he could emerge the winner even with a split dominican vote by pulling support from other constituencies in the district including blacks whites and puerto ricans or mr linares could score the upset he has predicted with a similar strategy
upper manhattans congressional seat has long been identified with harlem and black political power the district was created in the 1940s to make way for an african american to be elected to congress from new york and only two men have represented it since then the first was adam clayton powell jr an icon of african american politics in the last century after him came mr rangel a man with many accomplishments and a few ethical scars who will have completed 46 years in the house by the time he steps down next year   one of the longest tenures in the history of congress
but the area and the district have changed from what was once a primarily black and puerto rican stronghold the dominican population has grown and when the districts boundaries were redrawn a few years ago to include part of the bronx many thought it was inevitable that the district would eventually send a dominican for the first time to congress
mr espaillat emerged as the main hopeful he lost by just 1086 votes to mr rangel in the 2012 primary in the 2014 primary he lost by 2258 votes
i ran twice against charlie rangel did very well both nail biters mr espaillat said during a recent day of campaigning he added that if he could receive as many votes as he did in his previous races i win this hands down
mr espaillat said he wanted to be an advocate for new york city in washington describing how the portion of the new york city budget that comes from the federal government had plummeted since the 1970s
its become fashionable for congress members to deny new york city money he said i want to go there and push back and change that culture where denying new york city is a feather in your cap
but as mr espaillat made his way around washington heights which is like a dominican village relocated to manhattan island   merengue music blares from stores men wear baseball caps with the logos of dominican teams restaurants serve mofongo and mondongo coconuts are sold on street corners   several voters expressed concern that a split vote could rob them of the pride of electing one of their own
whats going on with you and linares said leonildo martinez 83 as he enthusiastically embraced mr espaillat during a campaign stop at a senior center in a pale blue guayabera shirt and a yankees cap mr martinez said that he planned to vote for mr espaillat and that he wished the two politicians would join forces the votes are worth more if theyre together mr martinez said
in the 1980s mr espaillat and mr linares belonged to rival political groups with ties to parties or political movements back home eventually mr espaillat became president of the 34th police precinct community council in washington heights mr linares became a member of the local school board both claim the accomplishments as firsts for dominican immigrants
in the late 1980s a new city council district was created centering on washington heights making it likely that a dominican would be elected for the first time
both men ran in the democratic primary   their first electoral face off
mr linares won and soon after was elected to the city council
after that mr espaillat and mr linares seemed to be always clashing often backing or recruiting each others election opponents or dispatching surrogates or loyalists to run against one another for party leadership posts and other titles
they reached an uneasy truce in 2010 when mr espaillat who was then in the state assembly ran for state senate and mr linares ran to occupy the seat that mr espaillat was vacating both won
but in 2012 mr linares endorsed mr rangel over mr espaillat later that year mr linares challenged mr espaillat for his senate seat in the democratic primary   and mr espaillats campaign circulated a flier calling his rival a traitor to latinos for his rangel endorsement mr espaillat beat mr linares in the primary by a wide margin
mr linares again endorsed mr rangel in 2014
now in the congressional primary mr espaillat is third in total fund raising among the nine candidates having raised 444118 according to the most recent reports filed with the federal election commission on june 16
the candidate who has raised the most money is keith lt wright a member of the state assembly from central harlem who was endorsed by mr rangel he had contributions totaling 742927 according to his campaigns latest report
mr linares in contrast had raised only 62450 a campaign aide for mr linares said last week that they had not yet done any mailings in a district that had been flooded by mailings from other candidates
other candidates in the race include adam clayton powell iv a former assemblyman and city councilman who is the son of mr rangels predecessor in congress adam clayton powell jr clyde williams a former policy director of the democratic national committee who has raised 485534 and suzan johnson cook a member of the clergy who was appointed an ambassador at large for international religious freedom by president obama
there is little to separate the candidates on the issues so those who have served in elective office have pointed to their experience there too the candidates have generally spent long periods as legislators and voters may see little to differentiate them
mr espaillat said that he was not worried about splitting the dominican vote with mr linares arguing that there were more candidates to divide african american votes
adam powell hurts wright more than linares hurts me he said and then you have clyde williams and the reverend they all pull from keiths base
mr linares is close to mr rangel and mr wright but he said that he was not in the race merely to take votes away from mr espaillat adding that he expected to win
this is not about the rivalry that some people may see he said this is not about personalities for me its always been about the needs and priorities of new yorkers
milagros ricourt a professor of latino studies at lehman college in the bronx said that sending a dominican to congress would be a milestone
its something that is going to be so good for us in terms of incorporation into american society said ms ricourt who was born in the dominican republic but she feared that with mr espaillat and mr linares splitting the vote the dominicans would be shut out again
its not going to happen because of african americans its not going to happen because of whites its not going to happen because of puerto ricans she said its going to happen because of division within the dominican community


youre driving through an intersection and three people step into the road the only way to avoid hitting them is to steer into a wall possibly causing serious injury to yourself would you sacrifice yourself
now change the equation there are four people in the road and you have two family members in the back seat do you still steer into the wall would it matter if one of the pedestrians was a baby if one of them was old or very attractive or very overweight
it is to say the least an unpalatable choice now imagine programming a robotic vehicle to make the choice what would you tell it to do
for the engineers working on self driving cars this is more than just an intellectual puzzle it is a decision they will eventually have to program into their machines
a new article in the magazine science tried to determine what consumers would expect their autonomous vehicles to do not surprisingly people told researchers they want machines that would try to save the greatest number of people
but there was a caveat those surveyed also indicated that if they were actually in the self driving vehicle theyd appreciate it if the machine tried to save them first
whats the solution a set of government requirements for autonomous car morality might be one way to go though the people surveyed in the science article say they are not keen on that manufacturers could also tailor morality to a buyers choice some might be selfless others not so much
can you teach a machine what the right thing to do is first humans would have to agree


paris   if jonathan anderson looked a little tired today as he showed the media and buyers around his spring 2017 collection for loewe it was understandable he said he had been up all night watching the returns of britains brexit vote the countrys decision to leave the european union
and he was not happy a terrible day he said as he stood amid the new line of colorful shirts handbags and shoes in the loewe store on rue bonaparte many of which he said had been influenced by family trips to ibiza when he was younger mr anderson like many notable figures in the london fashion world had been an ardent remain supporter as his instagram followers were frequently reminded on thursday he had posted a photo of a handwritten note that read vote vote stay and later a simple statement fingers crossed
its really sad he said of the victory for the leave position i think its going to be a very big problem
he added that he slept a little after the vote was official roughly as dawn was breaking in paris but he was awake again when david cameron came out of 10 downing street to announce that he would be stepping down as prime minister later in the year he had no choice mr anderson said of the conservative party leader he was the one who got the ball rolling on this
as for why the majority of britons voted to quit the european union mr anderson said he thought that people were very confused about what they were voting for and he along with many others this morning blamed the british media   on both sides   for not doing a better job of explaining the actual issues at stake its a nightmare he added
and then it was back to fashion i like the idea of going on an adventure mr anderson said gesturing around at the ibiza inspired collection and looking very much in need of a strong cup of coffee


ayrshire scotland   donald j trump arrived in scotland just as britain was deciding to leave the european union and proclaimed the momentous departure a great thing and the subsequent decline of the british pound good for local companies   including his own turnberry golf course
touching down in scotland on friday morning to visit his luxury resort and golf course mr trump who before the vote had suggested that britain leave the european union took a victory lap of sorts landing in his g trmp helicopter and proclaiming i said this was going to happen and i think that its a great thing
basically they took back their country mr trump said
and amid global jitters over britains divorce from the european union mr trump reacted with celebration and self interest predicting that it would benefit his business and declaring that president obama contributed to the outcome
look if the pound goes down theyre going to do more business mr trump said when asked during a news conference about the referendums market ramifications when the pound goes down more people are coming to turnberry frankly
mr trump also said he saw a big parallel between the vote in britain and the broader populist anti establishment sentiment that helped fuel his rise to the status of presumptive republican presidential nominee
people want to take their country back they want to have independence in a sense and you see it with europe all over europe and youre going to have more than just in my opinion more than just what happened last night mr trump said youre going to have many other cases where people want to take their borders back they want to take their monetary back they want to take a lot of things back they want to be able to have a country again
his message in favor of brexit was not necessarily welcome here in scotland whose citizens had overwhelmingly voted to remain part of europe and were already discussing the possibility of breaking from england as a result of thursdays vote
early in june mr trump did not even know what brexit referred to and as recently as wednesday he said that his opinion on the referendum was insignificant because he had not been following the issue closely
but hours after prime minister david cameron of britain announced that he was going to resign as a result of the vote mr trump offered his own political analysis saying frustration with the status quo had helped influence the result
people are angry all over the world people theyre angry he said theyre angry over borders theyre angry over people coming into the country and taking over nobody even knows who they are theyre angry about many many things
mr trumps trip came at an unusual moment   just a month before the republican national convention and as many of his aides privately fretted about the timing of the visit as he seeks to unite the party behind him he arrived after a tough week in the united states   the firing of his campaign manager and the revelation that his campaign has stunningly little cash on hand   and the bucolic backdrop belied the turmoil roiling europe the markets and even his own political operation
at the news conference he was pressed repeatedly on the british referendum and at several points he blamed mr obama who had urged britain not to split from the european union its not his country its not his part of the world he shouldnt have done it and i actually think that his recommendation perhaps caused it to fail mr trump said
he also attacked hillary clinton saying she had misread the mood of the country   violating a tacit rule of decorum that politics stop at the waters edge
still mr trumps visit at times had the feel of an american abroad promoting his moneyed golf links rather than his own candidacy for president he was greeted much like the queen of england would be met by staff members of trump turnberry   all clad in red make turnberry great again hats   as well as bagpipers who along with secret service agents preceded him up the sloping steps to his property and he waxed proud about his golf resort for more than 15 minutes before finally taking questions on the seismic news of the day
at one point mr trump even compared his renovation of trump turnberry to how he is hoping to overhaul the united states when a reporter pointed out   correctly   that a country is hardly a golf course mr trump replied no its not but youll be amazed how similar it is its a place that has to be fixed
other candidates have made such trips abroad to burnish their foreign policy credentials and elevate themselves as a statesman in the eyes of voters back home jamming their days with high level meetings with dignitaries
but not mr trump whose business interests have long prescribed his political ones despite landing the day after the referendum his itinerary consisted simply of 48 hours spread across two of his golf courses   one on scotlands southwest coast on friday the other in balmedie on saturday overlooking the chilly north sea asked if he had huddled with his foreign policy advisers about brexit he replied ive been in touch with them but theres nothing to talk about
yet even across the ocean mr trump was unable to escape the news of the campaign trail a group of scottish communities and leaders organized a phone call friday to discuss their opposition to mr trumps candidacy
mr trump who nonetheless received a fairly warm welcome in scotland where locals say they appreciate the money he has poured into the village economy since buying the golf course in 2014 is unlikely to be greeted as cheerfully when he visits balmedie north of aberdeen
there his course trump international golf links has been rived with controversy with mr trump trying to push locals out of their homes promising jobs that never materialized fighting over an offshore wind farm and even suing the scottish government mr trump whose comments about mexicans and hispanics have enraged many including members of his own party is expected to be met with a giant mexican flag flying in view of his clubhouse   an act of protest by two local men
frank cruickshanks 52 who is a caddy at mr trumps property including for mr trumps son eric said he appreciated the work mr trump had put into overhauling the golf course
having caddied for the last three weeks mostly for americans i have yet to meet one whos voting for hillary clinton mr cruickshanks said
asked if those american tourists were voting then for mr trump mr cruickshanks paused no i didnt say that he said with a mischievous grin


palo alto calif   president obama on friday sought to assure britain and the european union that the united states would not pick sides once the two are divorced but he acknowledged somewhat ruefully that britains vote to leave the union which he had publicly opposed spoke to the ongoing changes and challenges raised by globalization
mr obamas first public reaction to the news from britain came in a rather incongruous setting the global entrepreneurship summit at sunny stanford university 5300 miles from london where the president addressed a young multicultural tech savvy audience that seemed worlds away from an older generation of britons whose nationalist passions largely drove the vote
the world has shrunk he told the entrepreneurs adding that they embodied this trend it promises to bring extraordinary benefits but it also has challenges and it also evokes concerns and fears
rather than dwell on the wrenching change to come mr obama emphasized continuity one thing that will not change is the special relationship that exists between our two nations he said that will endure and he added the eu will remain one of our indispensable partners
the president said he had spoken with prime minister david cameron who told him britains departure would be orderly and with chancellor angela merkel of germany who will loom even larger as a partner for the united states in a european club that no longer has a britain as a member
but mr obamas soothing words did not disguise how personal a setback the vote was for him in april while visiting mr cameron in london and celebrating the 90th birthday of queen elizabeth ii at windsor castle he implored britons not to vote in favor of leaving britain he warned risked going to the back of the queue in negotiating trade deals with the united states
the brexit vote runs counter to mr obamas vision of open interconnected societies and it illustrates the frustrating cycle of his engagement with the world americas first pacific president as mr obama has called himself who tried to pull the united states out of the middle east now finds himself near the end of his presidency confronting a crisis in europe fueled in part by the refugees attempting to flee the middle east
as a practical matter the terms of the divorce vote will consume britain and europe for at least two years making both less valuable as trading partners and less reliable as allies in dealing with a dangerous world it will also deal a blow to mr obamas ambitious european trade deal the transatlantic trade and investment partnership which was already losing momentum on both sides because of growing anti trade sentiment
from the start of the administration weve wanted to work with them on all the big global challenges said philip h gordon a former assistant secretary of european and eurasian affairs if its in the interest of the us to work with the eu on iran sanctions on russia sanctions and on military interventions in the middle east then its a major setback
at the same time mr obama has had an ambivalent relationship with europe during his presidency his heavy emphasis on asia   a policy dubbed the pivot   stoked suspicions in europe that he was moving away from the continent to the faster growing markets of the east in his first term the centerpiece of his europe policy was an effort to reset relations with russia
critics said the tendency to take europe for granted predated mr obama since 2000 both the bush and obama administrations have acted as if europe as a task had been solved and that we no longer needed to tend the garden as george p shultz used to say said john c kornblum a former american ambassador to germany referring to ronald reagans secretary of state the europeans played their part by acting as if they didnt need us
even after mr obama worked closely with europeans on difficult issues like the nato air campaign in libya there was a sense that he looked on the trans atlantic alliance with a gimlet eye in april he struck a nerve by suggesting that britain and france had been free riders in that operation leaving the united states to bear most of the military burden
some critics suggest mr obamas reluctance to be more militarily involved in syria had an indirect effect on the british vote because of the flood of refugees the civil war has sent to europe destabilizing the continent and firing up nativist sentiment syrian refugees however account for far less of britains immigrant population than they do in germany for example
mr obama has a chance to demonstrate his support for europe at a nato summit in warsaw next month but there again the loss of britain as a member of the european union will be felt britain has historically been one of natos strongest boosters it has resisted initiatives like a joint european military headquarters because it could compete with nato european officials said germany and france might revive the proposal as a way to reinforce europes unity in the wake of the british vote
britains decision to leave europe just as mr obama was putting on an extravagant celebration of entrepreneurship and engagement in silicon valley undercut his message that innovation open borders and free trade can improve peoples lives it is the same assertion that has also underpinned his efforts to forge a new dynamic in the middle east
in his cairo speech in 2009 promising a new beginning in the middle east mr obama first proposed to host entrepreneurship summits to explore ways to strengthen relationships between the united states and the muslim world the annual conferences proceeded as he envisioned but the broader strategy has not been as simple to implement
mr obama acknowledged that much of the upheaval gripping american voters   an angst that is propelling the campaign of donald j trump the presumptive republican presidential nominee   is driven by fear of technology driven globalization and anger at job losses prompted by automation mr trump has exploited such fears mr obama told national public radio in december calling them justified but just misdirected
on friday even as he held a google sponsored virtual conference with entrepreneurs in britain iraq south korea and mexico the president conceded that interconnectivity still makes many people uncomfortable
we are better off in a world in which we are trading and networking and communicating and sharing ideas mr obama said before a panel discussion with mark zuckerberg the facebook founder on friday
but that also means that cultures are colliding he added and sometimes its disruptive and people get worried


senator bernie sanders said on friday that he will vote for hillary clinton in the november presidential election offering one more indication that he has given up on his own candidacy
asked if he would cast his vote for mrs clinton the presumptive democratic nominee in an interview on msnbcs morning joe program mr sanders said yes
he added that the alternative donald j trump would be dire for the country the issue right here is im going to do everything i can do to defeat donald trump i think trump in so many ways would be a disaster for this country if he were elected
mr sanders has previously signaled that he would work with mrs clinton to defeat mr trump and on wednesday he acknowledged that it doesnt appear that hell be the democratic nominee when the party gathers for its convention next month but he has thus far refused to suspend his presidential bid or stop campaigning he had a campaign rally in new york city on thursday night and similar events are scheduled in albany and syracuse on friday
the remarks from mr sanders increase the likelihood of the democratic party uniting ahead of the july 25 28 convention in philadelphia and could help mrs clinton sway sanders supporters who would otherwise sit out the november election or vote for mr trump
mr sanders said that right now his goal is to fight for the strongest possible platform at the convention he is pushing for the inclusion of progressive policies that protect vulnerable workers and keep big money out of politics


beijing   from his start as an aspiring diplomat in chinas foreign ministry in 1959 to his days as an ambassador in paris and geneva wu jianmin represented the best of his countrys diplomacy firm but reasonable gracious but not unctuous
in retirement he became an unusually outspoken advocate for chinas remaining open to the outside world warning that the nationalism that had grown under president xi jinping should be kept in check
mr wu 77 was killed in a car accident last weekend and his death has reignited a debate over how china should conduct itself abroad
at his funeral in beijing on friday a delegation of more than 20 officials from the foreign ministry led by the executive vice foreign minister zhang yesui paid their respects the foreign minister wang yi would have been there had he been in the country a ministry spokeswoman hua chunying said
i have never seen a public figure whose death made so many people sad and made so many people euphoric said liu yawei the director of the china program at the carter center in atlanta mr liu described mr wu as a diplomat who could stand up to the accusations that he was a coward because he advocated peace
mr liu was at a conference at peking university about chinas news media and its relations with the world when participants were told that mr wu had been killed in a crash after his driver struck a median strip in wuhan in hubei province last saturday
the sponsor of the conference was global times the state run newspaper that mr wu had criticized for its stridently nationalistic views murmurs of shock rippled through the audience at the news of his death
mr wu had been candid about his distaste for the publication saying editorials that urged the military to show more spine and take more action in the south china sea where beijing is embroiled in territorial disputes with its neighbors were wrongheaded
mr wu had taken on the newspapers editor in chief hu xijin accusing him in a speech in march of making a mess talking about the world and of not understanding how the world worked in return mr hu called mr wu a dovish diplomat who did not know what was good for china
soon after mr wus death hawks in the debate flooded weibo chinas equivalent of twitter
an air force senior colonel dai xu wrote that the former ambassador was ignorant arrogant bad mannered and grumpy colonel dai who teaches at the national defense university also criticized mr wu for being like a pet dog to foreigners but like a wolf dog when dealing with chinese
mr wu was a familiar figure to americans involved in china policy
in 1971 after serving as an interpreter in french for mao zedong and zhou enlai mr wu arrived in new york in the first batch of chinese diplomats assigned to the united nations when china took the seat previously held by taiwan
he is the epitome of an excellent public intellectual deeply committed to his country yet extremely thoughtful and nuanced in his analysis of it said jan berris vice president of the national committee on united states china relations who knew mr wu from those early days
mr wu gradually moved up through the ranks of the foreign ministry and after several ambassadorships became president of the foreign affairs university in beijing retiring in 2008
then unrestricted by the confines of government and academia he spoke out a rare act in a time of decreasing tolerance for those who dissent colleagues said he had the moral courage to speak out said shi yinhong a professor of international relations at renmin university in beijing
at mr wus funeral a reporter for phoenix television who was live streaming from outside the hall interviewed a man in civilian clothes who said he was in the military
the man praised mr wu for understanding that china was in danger of retreating to the closed mind set of the qing dynasty and that it needed the outside world
he added dont put that on the record


boston   when james whitey bulger and his girlfriend catherine greig were on the lam in santa monica calif they befriended a stray cat tiger feeding it and taking it to the veterinarian but tiger did not repay the kindness leading unwittingly to the duos arrest in 2011 after a former neighbor who knew them as the cats protectors recognized them from fbi photos and turned them in
a framed picture of tiger that hung on their wall was one of hundreds of items that were sold on saturday at an auction of mr bulgers and ms greigs belongings a friend of the greig family bought it along with several pictures of other cats for 110 with the intention of giving them to ms greig 65 who is expected to finish serving 10 years in prison in 2020
mr bulger 86 who is serving a life sentence was one of this countrys most vicious and notorious crime bosses and at one time ranked just below osama bin laden on the fbis most wanted list he was convicted in 2013 of a sweeping array of gangland crimes including 11 murders
but the auction of his and his girlfriends mostly mundane belongings had an odd way of minimizing the brutality of his decades long reign of terror in his native south boston the proceeds   a modest 109295   will go to the families of his victims
and it brought out people who while fully versed in the bulger legend seemed to look past the murders the drug dealing and the corrupt relationship with the fbi   and instead saw the harmless retired couple that mr bulger and ms greig pretended to be for 16 years
take john kelley 54 who owns a limousine company and lives in andover mass he paid 4300 for a boxing dummy wearing a safari hat that mr bulger kept in his window and 5200 for mr bulgers psycho killer skull ring
these people got hurt and the money will help them out he said of the families
asked what he thought of mr bulger mr kelley shrugged he is what he is he said i dont have opinions back in the day those people the syndicators thats what they did im not saying its good or bad thats what they did it was their craft
colm dunphy 52 a south boston real estate developer   whose 23000 bid won him mr bulgers claddagh ring the most expensive item at the auction   had nothing bad to say about mr bulger
i thought he was a good guy said mr dunphy who still has the lilt of his native northern ireland im sure a lot of people will disagree with me but he helped a lot of people
kathy driscoll 70 who grew up in the same housing project with mr bulger said she had a hard time squaring the meager remains of the gangsters life with his outsized reputation and could hardly comprehend that someone with so much money and power had lived such a crimped little life
its so modest she said when i got here and saw this i felt worse than just thinking it was picking over someones bones
she and her daughter katy kroll 41 spent 55 for two rolling shopping carts that mr bulger and ms greig used to carry their groceries she reminisced fondly about her days in the old harbor project in boston where mr bulger was 16 years her senior
he was the pied piper she said hed throw silver dollars at the kids youd go by him in the street and hed throw money
the proceeds of the auction along with 822000 in cash that mr bulger had stuffed into his apartment walls will be divided among the families and estates of 20 victims whose murders were tied to mr bulger and his associates and three whom they extorted in their criminal enterprise
we cant bring back the victims said thomas j abernathy iii assistant chief inspector of the asset forfeiture division of the united states marshals service which held the auction this is better than destroying the property and its some compensation for the victims
steve davis who maintains that mr bulger strangled his sister although the jury in the 2013 trial reached no conclusion on that charge agreed mr davis even bid on some items as a strategy to raise the final prices
all the damage has been done he said all the families can do now is get financial help
at one point as he milled around the auction held at the boston convention  exhibition center mr davis met mr kelley the bidder who had won the dummy and the ring
the two men hugged
i saw he almost had tears in his eyes he felt so bad for us mr davis said he said he didnt want to feel like he was insulting us its like he was making a donation to a cause he believes in
there was little sentimentality in the buyer of one of the auctions few amusing offerings   a ceramic cup in the shape of a rat a creature for which mr bulger despite being an fbi informer has expressed infinite disdain
the buyer a 47 year old trucker who did not want to give his name said he bought the rat because he found it ironic he paid 3600
asked what he thought of mr bulger he minced no words
i was scared of him he said everyone was


the impulse when the stock market abruptly plunges is to do something anything our life savings are often on the line after all
but thats just the thing stocks are most useful for long term goals so unless those goals have changed in the last day or two and they may well have for some people who live and work in europe it probably doesnt make much sense to overhaul an investment strategy based on a blip of market activity
so pour yourself a drink or sit down with a pint of ice cream and consider the following eight points many of which ive discussed in previous columns
chances are your portfolio and net worth consist of a diverse mix of assets if you have a home in the united states its value hasnt fallen this week some bond and commodity funds may have risen
its generally a bad idea to look at your investment statements too often but take a quick peek
that gain you see is one reason you are in stocks in the first place plenty of research shows that if you miss just a few days of the markets biggest gains your long term portfolio will suffer badly if you decide to put a bunch of your money in cash in the next few days how will you know when to get back in the market youll probably be looking for a sign and that sign will be the very rebound days that you will have missed out on
still uneasy consider a third point
you knew that stocks involved risk and that the returns they have traditionally delivered above and beyond what cash and bonds do was the reward for your persistence
nothing about the vote for britain to leave the european union suggests that the fundamentals of capitalism have changed so neither should your confidence in very long term ownership of the pieces of the for profit enterprises that benefit from your fortitude
nobody knows for sure whether were in for a decline in the stock market of 10 or 20 percent or more even if there is a wholesale breakup of the european union increased volatility is likely but if all of this does happen and you are a regular long term investor putting a bit away each pay period youll be buying more when prices are lower
i know too many 70 year olds who sold all of their stocks in 2009 and are healthy enough to live to 100 theyd be going on a lot more vacations now and be worrying less about long term care if they had held firm
worried about a 529 college savings plan for a 12 year old hopefully you werent 100 percent in stocks with six years to go before needing money for tuition still you have at least nine years for a portion of that portfolio to recover from any sustained downturn if that 12 year old is the oldest of at least two children you could use cash to pay some tuition bills for the oldest and let some of the account ride even longer for the next child
lets say you still have trouble sleeping then you may be the sort of person who needs to consider a fifth point
you cant say that nobody told you thered be days like these strange days indeed come with the program there will be surprises always often when most talking heads thought something else would happen
so try to give the situation in europe some time to work itself out and consider the alternatives there are few investments that can deliver the kinds of returns that global stocks can without their own accompanying anxiety and uncertainty
another alternative is to save a lot more in safer investments like cash or certain bonds most people dont have enough income to do that easily so settling for lower returns will mean a combination of working longer and living modestly forever for some people that is a fine trade off
alexandre riley a financial adviser in london was bombarded on friday morning with supposed insight from financial firms of various sorts but its all speculation he wrote in a sober minded note to his clients no one knows what happens next so im not writing to you to profess that i have the answers
in my colleague peter eaviss piece examining the possible fallout in the markets he noted that it is entirely possible that britain and europe will come to an amicable split and that no other country will see fit to leave the european union after all the unintended consequences in britain might also be bad enough to scare off voters elsewhere
again there is absolutely nothing abnormal about what is going on here
most of us have to save somewhere and history suggests that stocks are the most accessible route to get the returns youll need to retire someday it would take decades of systemic economic and political erosion to prove otherwise and a day or two of market declines do not suggest that anything like that is upon us


creve coeur mo   when the worlds conservative rabbis gathered for their annual convention in 2011 abby kelman took up her position in a las vegas hotel corridor clotted with vendors selling the usual array of jewish books tours jewelry crafts passing out business cards and stationery ms kelman was offering something different legal representation
at times she felt a little bit like lucy in the peanuts comic strip with her booth advertising psychiatric help 5C/ yet she could cite both a decades long career in litigation and a lengthy family heritage in the rabbinate the kind of pedigree known in yiddish as yichus
by the time the rabbinical assembly wrapped up its meeting ms kelman had begun establishing her professional niche now five years later she has built a practice from her home office in suburban st louis negotiating contracts for rabbis and cantors   125 so far she has few if any peers in the field
into the business relationship between jewish clergy and the synagogue boards that hire or fire them   traditionally the realm of handshake deals promises of mutual loyalty and testimonials to kvod harav the hebrew phrase for respect for the rabbi   ms kelman has brought the pragmatic tool kit of the agent
while other lawyers periodically represent rabbis the concept of an agent for religious leaders is even rarer in the christian and muslim parts of the american theological landscape according to clergy members scholars and seminary officials the exception is with the celebrity pastors of evangelical megachurches
i feel like this is a covenant said ms kelman 59 youre talking about someone whos doing holy work and i like everyone to think that way when we negotiate but often what my clients worry about is im bringing in a lawyer theyll think im trying to make this adversarial
but the clergy i advocate for dont know how to advocate for themselves she continued how can they advocate for themselves when they might be doing the funeral for the synagogue presidents mother tomorrow and in the middle of that youre going to ask the 10th time for a raise ill say to my clients youll agree too fast i wont
ms kelman has won praise even from synagogue leaders who bargained against her the major congregational and rabbinical organizations in reform and conservative judaism for their part do recommend formal professionally negotiated contracts between boards and clergy members even so the arrival of an agent can be rattling
a lot of the difficult situations ive heard about have involved a third party said barak d richman a law professor at duke university and former president of a conservative synagogue in durham nc there can be a power imbalance the phrase i hear from lay leaders around the country is our rabbi came in all lawyered up to some degree the difficulties are generic its always hard to talk about money but theres also something structural congregations are under real financial strain
ms kelmans life prepared her for this role she grew up in manhattan as the daughter of wolfe kelman a prominent rabbi in the conservative movement she eavesdropped as he gave younger rabbis advice on their contract negotiations ms kelmans brother levi went into the rabbinate and leads a reform congregation in jerusalem her sister naamah also a rabbi serves as dean of the jerusalem branch of the reform movements seminary
even as she was immersed in all things rabbinical abby kelman felt more strongly drawn to law the profession of her maternal grandmother she had a formidable career ranging from the new york district attorneys office to the anti defamation league to commercial litigation to teaching at a law school
and then i said to myself i always wanted to have my own firm she recalled what do i know i know a lot about law and i know a lot about rabbis
after her debut at the rabbinical assembly convention ms kelman began receiving referrals these days she charges 350 per hour or a flat rate based on her estimate of how much time a negotiation will require
at the most basic level she bargains with synagogue boards for a clients salary which for a rabbi generally ranges from 90000 to 150000 annually depending on experience geography and congregation size but the intricacy of her work involves the myriad fringe benefits some like pension and health insurance would be true of almost any professional others like religious school tuition for children apply particularly to rabbis and cantors
in her home office one morning last month ms kelman texted a young rabbi on the east coast hired fresh out of seminary who was being asked to sign a contract allowing termination without cause ms kelman had drafted a counteroffer but the congregation refused to budge now the rabbi was being told she had to sign by the end of the day
when the rabbi called in response to ms kelmans text they went over the proposed contract line by line with ms kelman supplying a lot of backbone what are they going to do if you dont sign stop paying you she said at one point
next ms kelman dealt with a cantor who had been fired after five months and was seeking the balance of her annual contract   15000 the cantor had sent ms kelman a 19 page letter of grievances which seemed certain to worsen the rancor so the lawyer began paring it down to a more civil two pages
her clients may all be clergy members but they are not all saints one rabbi whom ms kelman represented in a separation agreement had borrowed money from his discretionary fund to pay his mortgage others are more combative than even ms kelman she of the self described potty mouth she will tell them do you want to be in arbitration forever with a congregation that doesnt want you or do you want to get the best deal and go on with your career
the approach has succeeded for people on both sides of the negotiating table rabbi jack moline sought out ms kelman in 2013 when he wanted to leave his longtime congregation in suburban washington to take a job in political organizing
i know there were hurt feelings in the congregation and i wouldve had a hard time dealing with my own expectations and frustrations he said abby was the grown up in the room because she wasnt dealing with any of the emotions
as a lay leader in a reform congregation in the st louis area joe pereles has parried with ms kelman in negotiating three clergy contracts she sees the big picture he said she does a great job of representing her client but she also understands the issues the congregation faces and can be very practical in coming up with a win win solution
ms kelman and mr pereles will present a joint session on contract negotiations for students at hebrew union college in cincinnati next january
that appearance answers a rhetorical question one of ms kelmans young clients posed a few weeks back where were you during my last year in seminary the people im dealing with   clergy and congregations   are babes in the woods ms kelman put it i feel like im the shock absorber im the explainer im the conduit or like my husband likes to say i try to bludgeon them with logic


the supreme courts split decision ruling blocks president obamas executive actions delaying the deportations of undocumented immigrants and will have repercussions in the 2016 presidential race that could be felt through to election day
the decision was a political loss for mr obama for whom immigration overhaul has been a signature legacy item the subject of illegal immigration helped propel donald j trump through his insurgent candidacy in the republican primaries hillary clinton used the issue and the protection of undocumented immigrants to similarly propel her in the democrats primaries
both sides of the debate saw potential political gains in the outcome but democrats suggested the issue gives mrs clinton a strong contrast to present against mr trump who has vowed mass deportations of undocumented immigrants and pledged to build a wall along the border with mexico hispanic voters are a crucial part of the emerging democratic coalition and republicans have worried for years about turning off an important portion of voters
mr obama said that he was frustrated at the ruling and that it was a byproduct of washington dysfunction that republicans in the senate have blocked his supreme court nominee merrick b garland to replace antonin scalia
democrats will also make that case heading into the fall as republicans fight to hold their senate majority amid a political climate that at the moment does not favor them


london   from brussels to berlin to washington leaders of the western democratic world awoke friday morning to a blunt once unthinkable rebuke delivered by the flinty citizens of a small island nation in the north atlantic populist anger against the established political order had finally boiled over
the british had rebelled
their stunning vote to leave the european union presents a political economic and existential crisis for a bloc already reeling from entrenched problems but the thumb in your eye message is hardly limited to britain the same yawning gap between the elite and mass opinion is fueling a populist backlash in austria france germany and elsewhere on the continent   as well as in the united states
the symbolism of trans atlantic insurrection was rich on friday donald j trump the presumptive republican presidential nominee and embodiment of american fury happened to be visiting britain
basically they took back their country mr trump said friday morning from scotland where he was promoting his golf courses thats a good thing
asked where public anger was greatest mr trump said uk us theres plenty of other places this will not be the last
even as the european union began to grapple with a new and potentially destabilizing period of political uncertainty the british vote also will inevitably be seized upon as further evidence of deepening public unease with the global economic order globalization and economic liberalization have produced winners and losers   and the big leave vote in economically stagnant regions of britain suggests that many of those who have lost out are fed up
time and again the european union has navigated political crises during the past decade with a whac a mole response that has maintained the status quo and the blocs lumbering forward momentum toward greater integration   without directly confronting the roiling public discontent beneath the surface
but now the question is whether the dam has broken before breakfast on friday anti europe leaders in france and the netherlands were rejoicing and demanding similar referendums on european union membership
victory for liberty declared the far right french leader marine le pen writing on twitter who changed her profile picture to an image of the union jack
from its outset the european union was a project of elites one that at times moved forward without a clear popular mandate from the masses adopting the common currency was deeply controversial in some places including germany the issue of democratic legitimacy has always hung over the unification project since many significant steps were achieved through treaties that stirred considerable resistance in some countries
european unity remained popular particularly as the bloc delivered undeniable economic and social progress but the class frictions beneath the project worsened in the past decade as the european economy has been battered by recession and an uneven recovery
it is not clear whether the message is getting through to more establishment leaders on both sides of the atlantic or what lessons they are taking from the shock of the british exit
perhaps the liberal democrats in the house who staged a clamorous sit in wednesday night in washington while part of the system themselves were channeling the populist anger of the american left in their willingness to break the rules to make a point about the need for gun control in brussels many member governments appear divided between an instinct to respond to the british referendum vote by driving for greater integration among germany france and other core members of the bloc and a willingness to moderate their ambitions in recognition of public opposition
european leaders were under pressure to reassure the european public and the world that the bloc was not at risk of unraveling for decades the european union had moved forward always expanding in size and influence britain has now reversed that trend
were completely in uncharted territory said hans kundnani a berlin based expert in european politics at the german marshall fund of the united states
mr kundnani said the british vote exposed a contradiction at the core of the european project european leaders define success as steering member states toward greater political and economic integration and many of the blocs inefficiencies and dysfunctions can be traced to the unfinished work of strengthening european institutions and achieving greater integration between member states in areas such as banking finance security and defense
but public opinion is deeply skeptical of this more europe agenda far right populist leaders have stoked public anxieties and resurgent nationalism by lashing out against immigrants while portraying the european capital brussels as a bastion of political elites out of touch with the concerns of ordinary people far left populists have demanded a re examination of the neoliberal economics of free trade and limited regulation while resisting efforts to deconstruct the social democratic welfare state
the eu robs us of our money our identity our democracy our sovereignty said geert wilders the leader of the dutch far right party for freedom the elites want more eu they think they know better than the people they look down on the people and want to decide in their place they want us to be ruled by undemocratic unaccountable bureaucrats in a faraway place like brussels
and permeating everything is the weak continental economy and the crippling debt burden across southern europe
the eu is kind of trapped mr kundnani said on the one hand the instinct will be to move ahead with further integration and reassure the rest of the world that the european union is not unraveling but that is very difficult because of the fault lines that exist
he added they are trapped because moving ahead is very difficult moving backwards is the last thing they want to do and the status quo is unsustainable
britain has always been a skeptical member of the european household during the 1990s britain chose to keep the pound and not to join the countries sharing a common european currency the euro many of the british concerns about the euro proved true undermining the blocs credibility even as britain has remained mostly insulated against the continents still unresolved euro crisis
before the referendum some european officials portrayed britain as an idiosyncratic case that should not be seen as a bellwether for the continent but that is a hard argument to make in france ms le pens far right national front party is experiencing steadily rising popularity as the country prepares for national elections next year in germany the anti immigrant alternative for germany polled strongly in recent state elections
right wing leaders in hungary and poland are hostile to immigrants while critics say the governments of those countries are also rewriting national laws to undermine democratic checks and balances in italy the anti establishment five star movement scored major victories last sunday by winning mayoral elections in turin and more important in the capital rome
donald tusk one of the european unions top leaders has started to talk about the risks facing the political establishment at a speech last month before europes coalition of center right political parties mr tusk cautioned his fellow political elites
obsessed with the idea of instant and total integration we failed to notice that ordinary people the citizens of europe do not share our euro enthusiasm said mr tusk the president of the european council which comprises the heads of state of all the 28 member states in the bloc disillusioned with great visions of the future they demand that we cope with the present reality better than we have been doing until now
yet taking action may be difficult since most analysts say the european union is paralyzed by the coming national elections in 2017 in france and germany the two most powerful countries in the bloc neither the french nor the german government is eager to endorse sweeping initiatives for more european integration before the elections out of fear of a populist whipping at the polls
europe is very divided and the main european country germany has no will or skills to lead the union   and is approaching important national elections said lucio caracciolo the editor of the italian geopolitical magazine limes france is a country in crisis while italy has its own problems i cant see who would assume a european leadership capable of producing a deeper integration process
he added there is a very widespread rejection of politics everywhere there is a similar mood in the united states an antipolitical sentiment
few industries in britain are likely to be more directly hit than the financial services industry in london damon hoff a hedge fund manager said that he had voted to stay in the european union but that he understood the sentiments of those who had voted to leave
europeans dont feel more prosperous he said europeans dont feel more empowered and certainly the british dont
he added you want to be part of something that continuously evolves does the european union feel like it is evolving no


as a tumultuous week on capitol hill draws to a close the important scheduling note about friday is something that is not happening   a friday session of the house of representatives
because of the blowup between the democrats who took over the house floor and the republicans who were angry about it speaker paul d ryan adjourned the house abruptly early thursday morning and let his members leave town while democrats raged on that meant fridays scheduled legislative action was postponed
the scheduling change was significant since republicans would have liked to have had another day of work as lawmakers will be out of session in the house until after the fourth of july
the victim of the cancellation was a separation of powers restoration act a bill that tries to reassert congressional prerogatives over the executive branch as it turns out the powers that needed to be separated were house republicans and democrats so that bill will have to wait awhile


here we go again yet another failure in the world of election forecasting
britains decision to leave the european union on thursday was a big surprise as late as 6 pm eastern in the united states less than five hours before the results became clear betting markets gave remain an 88 percent chance to win the election but it wound up losing by four percentage points
the forecasting error wasnt confined to bettors either financial markets didnt anticipate brexit resulting in a decisive correction in equity and currency markets that usually would have already been priced into trading
in a sense the eu referendum joins a pretty long list of election forecasting errors but this one was a bit different it was not a cataclysmic polling failure
the polls consistently indicated that there was a very real chance that britain would vote to leave polling averages even showed leave with a lead for most of the last month over all 17 of the 35 surveys conducted in june showed the leave side with the edge while just 15 showed remain ahead
yet at the same time betting markets indicated that remain was a clear favorite the arguments for making remain a favorite were understandable but in retrospect some look more like wishful thinking than a fair minded assessment of the data
# polls in britain had some poor results in the last few years including in the scottish referendum and recent parliamentary elections in the united states referendum polls can also often be less accurate than general election surveys in itself this wasnt a good reason to discount the possibility of brexit but it was used to discount the polls
# there were plenty of undecided voters and it was assumed that undecided voters would break toward the status quo this was one of the prevailing interpretations of why the polls were wrong about scottish independence but oddly its the opposite of the conventional wisdom in american elections   that undecided voters break toward the challenger there isnt a tremendous amount of evidence to believe that either interpretation is an especially solid rule of thumb
# most surveys showed that voters thought that remain would win and there is a fairly sizable body of evidence that this type of question   about who will win rather than who someone will vote for   does a pretty good job of predicting electoral outcomes not this time
# betting markets showed that remain was favored and again theres plenty of evidence that betting markets are a fairly reliable predictor of election results obviously they were not
its not clear why the betting markets were so confident perhaps it was in part because of some combination of all of the previous points but it might have been a dose of wishful thinking from a pool of relatively affluent globalist gamblers who simply didnt believe that brexit could really happen
# finally the late polls really did break toward remain especially after the british labour party member jo cox was killed on june 16 over all brexit led in just four of the final 11 pre election surveys   enough to give remain a 05 point lead in the huffpost pollster average the remain side did even better in the very last polls including a four point lead in a yougov poll conducted on election day
of course a 05 point lead really isnt much at all but the late gains were enough to make remain a fairly clear favorite in the minds of many   after all remain was favored even when it trailed in the polls
one could certainly argue that the polls were wrong in the sense that they tended to show a slight remain advantage heading into the vote count but it was clearly a distinct possibility that brexit would win based on the available survey data so its hard to argue that this was a big polling failure and its a bit strange that the financial markets appear to have been caught completely by surprise
if theres a lesson here its a fairly straightforward one dont get too confident in contests when the polls show a very tight race
there might be a somewhat more subtle lesson here as well one that ought to resonate in the united states after the rise of donald trump as the presumptive republican nominee well educated establishment minded analysts   whether in journalism finance or betting markets   may have a tendency to discount the willingness of populist conservative and less educated voters to support candidates and policies that previously seemed unfathomable even when the polls say it could really happen
in the case of mr trump the early skepticism was justified   given that early polls are generally not accurate in primary elections perhaps the same skepticism of early eu referendum polls was justified as well
but by the time election day comes around the polls arent so bad that they can be dismissed out of hand there was no reason to be surprised by the result even if people believed that remain was likelier to prevail


washington   it was a serendipitous moment during an otherwise uneventful bernie sanders campaign rally in portland ore a small bird landed on mr sanderss lectern mid speech and locked eyes with him before flying away to applause from an appreciative crowd
as mr sanderss supporters posted photos and videos of the amusing interruption to their social networks his small digital team sprang into action they edited the video and pushed it out on twitter to more than two million followers they created animated graphics of mr sanders and his new friend birdie depicted with a scraggly white coif of hair to match the candidates they sent emails and created facebook ads asking supporters to donate in exchange for stickers and images of birdie
in doing so they turned a viral moment into a small dollar fund raising windfall the sanders campaign raised 36 million in just a few days all of it from online donations it was illustrative of the approach the campaign took throughout the democratic presidential primary during which it raised roughly 216 million of its nearly 230 million total online
like most modern campaigns mr sanders and his team relied on widely used digital fund raising tactics like sending email solicitations and advertising online they raised more than 61 million and acquired more than three million email addresses directly from digital ads according to revolution messaging the company behind the campaigns efforts
but the campaign was also able to harness social media networks   which until recently most candidates had used primarily for messaging purposes   and turn them into fund raising engines allowing mr sanderss team to raise money almost exclusively online
in those early days when he had just launched and he was still a novel concept we were bombarding liberals on social media people who we thought would like his message and it was just going gangbusters said keegan goudiss the campaigns director of digital advertising and a partner at revolution messaging
mr goudiss said that early on more than 40 percent of the money being raised was driven by digital ads and unlike most campaigns he had worked on where converting supporters into donors was a prolonged process he said with bernie especially early on people were signing the petition and giving right away
the initial success allowed the sanders campaign to invest much more heavily in its online fund raising operation and eschew traditional donor events his team held just nine in person fund raisers during the entire campaign and did not have a single staff member dedicated to in person fund raising
though digital advertising costs much less than broadcast it still requires a significant investment the campaign spent 15 million on these efforts and had a digital budget of more than 30 million
their campaign spent substantially more building and maintaining a community of online donors said matt lira a digital strategist who has worked with republican candidates as with both obama and romney in 2012 this community will echo long past their campaign creating an advantage for candidates they support
the decision to invest heavily and eventually almost exclusively in digital advertising was made very early in the campaign
in the 24 hours after mr sanders declared his candidacy in the dewy grass outside the capitol his campaign raised 1 million online almost immediately his digital team wanted that reinvested in more spending
the room was silent mr goudiss recalled but mr sanders and his closest advisers recognized the immediate impact we left that meeting with a commitment of 250000 and a promise for more if we could prove the value of the ads we were placing mr goudiss said
they would not have to wait long millions of dollars began to flow steadily through the apparatus of the fledgling campaign propelling mr sanders from a fringe candidate to a cash rich populist powerhouse who would win 22 primaries and caucuses
the campaign learned early on that digital platforms and social networks were where his supporters could be reached mr sanderss digital team made ads for snapchat the video messaging service and tailored their emails and donation pages to a mobile first audience efforts that paid off 43 percent of donations were made from mobile devices
the reach of mr sanderss online ads also allowed his team to wait before releasing more expensive broadcast ads in july 2015 for example a promoted ad on facebook that focused on health care quickly received 46000 likes significantly higher than the normal reach of a post ads like this kept the campaign afloat and climbing in the polls for the first six months and mr sanders did not run a television ad until november
though the campaign put significant resources behind its online advertising and social media outreach its email program was still the king in terms of fund raising accounting for more than 114 million in donations
the effort was not all about serendipitous moments however for the first democratic debate staff members had planned to send three fund raising emails one before the debate one during and one after they waited for the right moment and began sending the messages then mr sanders told hillary clinton the american people are sick and tired of hearing about your damn emails and the team pulled the equivalent of a stop the presses
we scrapped the draft we had even though there were 200000 that already got the initial email mid debate said michael whitney a senior strategist at revolution messaging who serves as digital fund raising manager for the sanders campaign we were out with a new email within 15 to 20 minutes the campaign raised 25 million in the 24 hours after that debate
the sanders team was not alone in its ability to capture moments and turn them into money the clinton campaign turned donald j trumps accusation that mrs clinton was playing the woman card into millions of dollars for example
the online successes point to a new reality for digital campaigning one that future candidates can expect to build on
the bird thing its like you have this envy of the technology available and their prowess and the moment said joe trippi a democratic strategist who ran howard deans 2004 campaign if that had happened in 2004 there is not a damn thing we could have done now you have the prowess to take advantage of it and the network that they built on and you can do amazing things with it


in 2009 when rio de janeiro won the right to host the 2016 olympic games   beating out madrid tokyo and chicago   brazil was flying high although it had not escaped the consequences of the 2008 financial crisis it had suffered less economic damage and come back more quickly than other countries including the united states with the economy booming the federal government felt so flush that its popular president luiz inacio lula da silva had instituted a series of expensive social programs that helped push millions of poor brazilians toward a better life the economist magazine predicted that brazil would soon be the worlds fifth largest economy leapfrogging britain and france
ive never felt more pride in brazil lula as everyone in brazil calls him said after rios bid victory was announced now we are going to show the world we can be a great country he wasnt the only one who felt that way on copacabana beach in rio a huge party broke out
the games begin in six weeks but nobody is partying anymore the economic   and social and political   conditions facing brazil and rio have changed drastically a huge corruption scandal that began at the countrys giant oil company petrobras resulted in exposes and investigations into dozens if not hundreds of high ranking politicians and members of the business elite lulas handpicked successor dilma rousseff is being impeached for covering gaps in the governments budget in ways that were allegedly illegal she has never been connected to the larger scandal however despite having once been the chairwoman of petrobras lula himself is under investigation
the countrys economy has also fallen off a cliff its gross domestic product dropping by 38 percent last year alone both the state of rio de janeiro and the city are broke   and the federal government is not in great shape either teachers and the police have had their paychecks delayed those much praised social programs have been cut back inflation is on the rise so is crime the state security budget has been cut just days ago armed men attacked rios largest public hospital successfully freeing a drug kingpin plus theres the zika virus which has hit brazil hard according to the international monetary fund brazils economy has slipped to ninth in the world behind not only britain and france but also india and italy
are the olympics responsible for those problems of course not but theyve highlighted them whereas winning the olympics in 2009 seemed to symbolize brazils new place on the world stage the olympics have since come to represent something else the hubris that existed during the boom years under lula said alex cuadros the author of brazillionaires a book about brazil due out in july and at this point rios problems and the olympics problems seem intertwined
in april a top state official leonardo espindola publicly acknowledged that brazils problems could affect the olympics and damage the countrys image we are nearing a social collapse in our state he said
cities that hold olympics rarely if ever break even on the games in rios case it wont even be close brazil originally budgeted more than 14 billion to hold the olympics money that would be spent on infrastructure   stadiums transportation improvements the olympic village and so on   as well as on security and other logistical requirements
that number is now estimated at about 20 billion but rio is only likely to reap at most 45 billion in revenue said andrew zimbalist a sports economist at smith college whose recent book circus maximus examines the economic consequences of the olympics and the world cup
instead what cities promote when they bid for the olympics are two things the first is tourism the olympic games carried on television all over the world offer a city publicity like almost nothing else barcelona and sydney are great examples of cities that became much more prominent as tourist destinations after they held the summer games in 1992 and 2000
second cities claim that the infrastructure and improvements that are made to accommodate the games will improve residents lives long after the athletes have left as part of its bid brazilian officials promised to clean up the notoriously polluted guanabara bay in central rio where the sailing competition will be held they would build stadiums yes but also infrastructure that would ease rios congested traffic officials also said that the olympics would improve tax revenue and economic growth   not only in the years before the games but for years afterward
it may turn out that the rio olympics will increase tourism but the bad publicity surrounding rios preparation for the games makes that a dubious proposition as has been widely reported the bay remains polluted with the government having essentially given up on cleaning it up it simply doesnt have the money thousands of people who live in favelas   rios notorious slums   have been ousted from their homes often relocated hours from their schools and jobs to make way for the needs of the olympics but all that olympic construction has not been enough to stem the decline of rios economy
perhaps the best example of the problem with rios olympic mandated infrastructure is a new 10 mile rail line that will connect the hotels of ipanema and copacabana to the western suburb of barra da tijuca where the olympic park has been built it will cut the travel time from over an hour by car   on a good day   to less than 30 minutes but after many delays the rail line is now expected to open just four days before the opening ceremony the cost has risen to 28 billion after an initial estimate of 16 billion there are serious questions about whether there will be enough time to properly test the new line before putting it into use
there is also a question about how useful this new line will be after the games barra da tijuca is a relatively wealthy area and the most urgent transportation needs are in poorer areas of rio the building of the new subway line is problematic said christopher gaffney a professor at the university of zurich who studies large scale sports events like the olympics extending that line meant they couldnt afford to extend any other line where it was really needed it is a poorly conceived poorly executed project
at this point virtually all the problems troubling the country seem to be reflected in rios olympic preparation corruption prosecutors are investigating a number of construction companies building the olympic sites starting with odebrecht which is involved in over half the olympic projects zika the virus has caused some public health officials to call for the games to be canceled and a handful of athletes   the golfer rory mcilroy most recently   have declined to participate zika is the ultimate in bad publicity lack of money the brazilian organizers have had to cut about 500 million from the olympic budget   affecting aspects of the games including the opening and closing ceremonies theyre being pared back to the athletes dorm rooms which wont have televisions the organizers were going to charge the athletes for air conditioning but backed down
there have been other miscues too in april a bike path that had been built next to the ocean as part of the games infrastructure improvements collapsed killing two people on the same day the olympic torch was lit in greece more bad news came friday when the world anti doping agency suspended the accreditation of a rio lab that had been renovated at great expense to handle drug testing for the games
last week the governor of the state of rio de janeiro declared a state of public calamity   a declaration usually associated with a natural disaster   essentially acknowledging that the state was bankrupt and would be unable to honor its commitment to the olympics without help the federal government stepped in with an emergency 850 million loan some of which will be used to complete the new rail line
the games will go on of course and for those of us watching on television it will be a splendid spectacle most of the olympics will take place in a kind of bubble divorced from the citys problems but after the games end on aug 21 almost three weeks after they begin most of us will move on the people of rio will be left to pick up the pieces


to the list of things that should not be uttered in modern china add these padded bras cause cancer the earth is on the brink of falling into a period of darkness for six days robots will soon conquer entire industries and eliminate the need for human labor
these were among the seemingly trivial posts on wechat a popular messaging app that have been censored according to a study by citizen lab at the university of toronto
censorship in china is a well known phenomenon with bureaucrats working assiduously to augment the stature of leaders and restrict discussion of topics deemed controversial such as tibet and taiwan but the toronto researchers found that these faithful guardians of the communist party line have turned their attention to more mundane matters devoting time and server strength to preventing rumors fabricated news reports and superstitious premonitions from going viral
online rumors can be viewed as a kind of social protest by citizens skeptical of official news explained jason q ng one of the toronto researchers
wechat with 762 million monthly users is hugely popular in china where about nine out of 10 internet users connect by mobile phone it is primarily a chat app but people also use it to buy movie tickets pay bills and write public posts similar to facebook one recent study showed that chinese people spend an average of 40 minutes per day using wechat
the university of toronto study examined 36000 posts that had been shared publicly on third party websites over nine months between 2014 and 2015 the posts were not selected at random the researchers made a point of monitoring several dozen users who had a history of sharing what the chinese deemed sensitive content
about four percent of those studied were censored including musings on the safety of drinking water in china speculation that several celebrities were on the verge of death and supposition that kim jong un the north korean leader was undergoing secret medical treatment in china
zhao yulian 36 a technology entrepreneur was thwarted when she recently tried to share an article about tips to avoid getting cancer at some point she said you have to ask why is this sensitive information


london   asked to vote in or out britain has chosen decisively to cast off its 43 year old membership in the european union leaving it to face a more complex question what kind of nation will it be now
will britain be the outward looking entrepreneurial confident country that makes its independent way in the world as the leaders of the leave campaign insisted it could be
or will it retreat to become a little england nationalist and a touch xenophobic responding to the voters that drove it to quit the european union
even more important will it even hold together with scotland deeply pro europe pressure will increase for another independence referendum that could bring an end to the united kingdom
britain a nation whose storied history has encompassed the birth of constitutional government global empire royal pageantry and heroic defense against fascism is entering unknown territory
the questions about its new path could remain unresolved for years on friday morning at least britain remained a member of the european union in full standing just as it was 24 hours earlier
but the impact of this plebiscite is likely to be profound and long lasting well beyond the immediate tumult in the financial markets and the questions about britains future will be answered against the backdrop of potential political legal and economic upheaval
a conservative government with its first majority since 1992 has ripped itself apart on a global stage and is badly damaged prime minister david cameron promptly announced that he would step aside once his party settled on a successor setting up a potentially bare knuckle leadership battle an early general election is not out of the question
once britain begins the formal process of withdrawing from the european union by exercising article 50 of the treaty that governs membership in the bloc   a step mr cameron said he would leave to the next prime minister   it will set off a two year clock on negotiations a period in which britain including millions of european citizens living in britain and british citizens living in the european union will be in limbo
and if the british treasury the bank of england the international monetary fund and the institute for fiscal studies are to be believed the british economy is in for a severe shock the treasury estimates that the british gross domestic product representing the size of the economy will fall by 35 percent clobbering tax receipts that half a million people will lose their jobs and that housing prices and thus personal wealth of homeowners will fall by 10 percent
those estimates were criticized by the leave campaign including senior members of government as unfounded fear mongering now britain will find out how accurate they are
this vote was a severe shock to britains political class from voters who are angry confused and deeply distrustful of elites
the labour party joined mr cameron in campaigning to stay in europe as did nearly all the other parties represented in parliament with the exception of the democratic unionists and the uk independence party which was founded on a platform of leaving the european union yet despite that solid wall of establishment voices   or perhaps because of them   britain voted for a fundamental change in direction
the british political class should pay attention said tony travers professor of government at the london school of economics
there is a lot of disaffection with both main parties he said in 1955 the conservatives and labour won 975 percent of the vote but in last two elections the two won only about 66 percent of the vote he said
into that vacuum something else has to move but what mr travers asked the political class has to wonder how to appeal to those who increasingly feel left out of the system how to stop large numbers of voters feeling cut out of economic change and success
the conservative party is already split between traditional establishment figures like mr cameron and others who embraced the anti elite anti immigration posture of the leave campaign most prominently the former mayor of london boris johnson and one of mr camerons senior cabinet members michael gove
mr cameron also had more centrist views than many in his partys grass roots having pushed the conservatives to back social issues like same sex marriage and adopt unifying themes like one nation conservatism
he is likely to be replaced by someone more to the right and more anti european like theresa may the home secretary or mr johnson who also thinks of himself as a one nation tory but in the churchillian mode and has made no secret of his ambition
and the labour party must find a way to embrace those working class voters who are clearly unhappy about the effects of globalization and immigration on their lives and found themselves swayed by the leave campaign the labour leader jeremy corbyn was somewhat halfhearted in his support for the remain camp reflecting his ambivalence about whether staying in europe would be the right focus when it comes to helping working people
this referendum has also displayed a major fissure between britains metropolitan elite and the rest of the country essentially pitting rich versus poor across the normal party divide
two nations in short are staring at each other across a political chasm wrote john harris in the left leaning guardian which supported remain but james bartholomew made the same point in the spectator magazine which supported leave
those with a university degree supported remain in large numbers according to pre referendum polls those with little higher education supported leave in equally large numbers major cities multicultural and replete with immigrants tended to support remain while the countryside and poorer areas along the eastern coast were strongly for leave
people over 45 and especially retirees strongly supported leave while younger britons strongly supported remain
those with cosmopolitan lives and money were afraid to lose it those whose lives are bounded by england and are struggling with the pressures of globalization and immigration looked for a return to a calmer more homogeneous past
so the divisions are just as much cultural as economic and they raise serious questions about britains political coherence and unity and about how long it may take to heal the wounds made or reopened in this noisy often vicious campaign
the referendum also sharply exacerbated tensions within the four countries of the united kingdom and gave a jolt to english nationalism already on the rise since the scottish independence referendum failed in 2014
in addition to intensifying demands for another referendum on independence for scotland the outcome of the european union vote may also increase demands in england which makes up 85 percent of the british population for its own devolved parliament to vote on laws concerning only england just as parliaments in scotland wales and northern ireland do now for their regions
amid the overwhelming confusion about the next few years it will take more than a few reassuring words about a festival of democracy to begin to bring britain back together
as mr harris warned we are in a terrible mess and it is probably going to take decades to even begin to put things right


 britains exit from the european union shocked global markets
 the pound plunged to its lowest level since 1985
 investors fled risky assets and turned to the dollar and the yen
 the vote could be a sign that major democracies are vulnerable to the influence of populist political movements
london   no one really knows what happens now the collective imagination leads to dark places
the world map has been redrawn with the rules of commerce across europe the largest marketplace on earth britains vote on thursday to leave the european union has set in motion an unprecedented and unpredictable process that threatens turbulence and potential crisis   for britain for europe and for the global economy
of most immediate consequence britains vote to leave europe sent global markets on a wild descent investors gaped at this major refashioning of the global landscape and decided it looked perilous   or at least so pockmarked with uncertainty that they preferred to pull their money out of riskier corners like stock markets
few expect that britains departure from europe will set off a full financial crisis like the one seen after the collapse of the investment banking giant lehman brothers in 2008
but no one knows enough to rule that out either the world has never been here before
the pound plummeted reaching depths not seen since 1985   well below the value at the worst of the 2008 financial crisis the euro dropped
from tokyo to london to new york stocks tumbled sharply on friday as markets digested the changing world order american shares were down 36 percent the dow jones industrial average sank 611 points its biggest drop since august
british stocks were off 32 percent while broader european shares dropped 86 percent
investors took refuge in the safest investments bolstering the value of american government debt and the japanese currency
less than an hour after the markets opened in london mark j carney the governor of the bank of england stood in front of television cameras to announce that the central bank had earmarked 250 billion pounds about 344 billion to unleash as needed for stability stock markets took some solace paring back their losses for the day
whatever happens a long confusing period now unfolding seems certain to yank europe back into acute anxiety just as it seemed to be finally recovering from a punishing economic downturn one that had thrust greece and spain into veritable depressions while erasing years of wealth across the continent
the vote to leave a so called brexit raised the prospect of sustained anxiety in the global economy as investors struggle to surmise what is happening
china the worlds second largest economy behind that of the united states is slowing significantly and the markets have little faith in the data provided by its communist party government brazil once a darling among emerging markets is in full blown crisis europe and its common market home to 500 million people have been plunged into turmoil their prospects difficult to divine
markets crave known facts and fret about variables seeing potential risks in all unknowns an enormous portion of the map is now draped in uncertainty effectively impervious to calculation
the vote appears likely to prompt multinational banks to shift significant numbers of jobs from britain to competing financial centers in the european union led by paris frankfurt dublin and amsterdam many experts assume brussels will move quickly to restrict trading of euro denominated assets   a major business for britain prominent banks including jpmorgan chase and citigroup warned during the campaign that an exit would cause them to transfer some operations elsewhere
as investors pulled back in fear on friday entrusting their money only to the safest places like united states treasuries the moves appeared to foreshadow a tightening of credit for many emerging markets may find it difficult to secure investment limiting economic growth borrowing costs are likely to rise in heavily indebted nations including greece italy and portugal as investors demand extra inducements to put their money in riskier locales
the bank of england may have to raise interest rates to halt a plunge in the pound the opposite from the usual playbook when an economy suffers a shock
most broadly the vote is likely to resonate as a sign that major democracies are increasingly vulnerable to the influence of populist political movements that curry favor by demonizing immigrants and external forces such as officials in brussels and washington low wage workers in china and mexico
the noisy and acrimonious campaign over leaving the bloc played on inchoate fears in europe and much of the developed world dismay over globalization at a time of intensified competition for jobs and angst over immigration as it refashions conceptions of national identity those sentiments will surely find additional avenues for expression challenging trade arrangements reinvigorating existential questions about the shared euro currency and sowing uncertainty throughout the financial realm
economists and political analysts have been watching the campaign as a gauge of the potency of anti immigrant sentiments far beyond britain the success of the movement to leave the bloc is likely to resonate in financial markets as cause to assume a higher probability that donald j trump will be elected president of the united states riding his pledges to bar muslim immigrants and erect a wall along the mexican border
given mr trumps talk of renouncing trade agreements and renegotiating the terms of american debt investors are likely to take rising odds of his election as impetus to limit their exposure to risk eschewing stock markets and plowing funds into the safest forms of government debt
the vote in britain was essentially against economic rationality and driven by identity concerns and unease about globalization and trade said nicolas veron a senior fellow at bruegel an independent research institution in brussels if such a vote can win in the uk that fosters among investors a sense of the likelihood that trump can also win and that will have an adverse effect on capital markets
not least the vote unleashes considerable forces of uncertainty
though the vote changes nothing for at least two years it kicks off what are certain to be complex and politically fraught negotiations between britain and the 27 remaining members of the european union over their future dealings
central to these talks is the future of europes common market which allows goods and services to be traded freely throughout its vast territory given that britain sells almost half of its exports in the common market and given that many multinational companies have forged bases in britain as a means of serving customers across the continent any impediment is likely to be expensive
disruption to trade was a major assumption in many academic studies released during the campaign that almost universally forecast substantial and potentially lasting damage to the british economy should britain opt to leave europe
during the campaign those supporting an exit emphasized that britain would remain in the common market during the negotiating period they assured voters that britain would strike a more beneficial trade deal
but prominent leaders   not least chancellor angela merkel of germany   warned that a jilted european union would be in no mood to extend britain a rewarding deal lest other malcontent members take encouragement to go for the exits
if no deal is struck the rules of the world trade organization could apply they give member nations the rights to impose potentially steep tariffs on imports raising the possibility of a tit for tat trade skirmish between britain and the continent
in the meantime the lack of clarity is likely to damage economic growth in britain and beyond
you get a rabbit in the headlights phenomenon where businesses dont want to make new decisions or new investments because they are uncertain about the future said john van reenen director of the center for economic performance at the london school of economics the immediate effect will be a lowering of investment activity a lowering of hiring there will an immediate slowdown of growth
the success of the campaign to leave deals a formidable blow to an already weakened european union and heightens the likelihood that fresh separatist movements will emerge scotland will almost certainly seek to separate itself from britain after a failed referendum two years ago in the netherlands france hungary and italy the success of the campaign could increase the intensity of so called euroskeptic parties
for europe it raises the markets perception of breakup risk said adam s posen a former member of the rate setting committee at the bank of england and now president of the peterson institute for international economics in washington
if another euro crisis emerges europe may lack the political cohesion to address it further separatism could fragment the common market bringing the demise of the six decade old project of european integration few now expect that to occur but whatever the risks were before britain just increased them
at some point you wonder how many blows a body can take mr van reenen said i dont think this will happen but theres this risk that everything will fall apart


london   britain has voted to leave the european union a historic decision sure to reshape the nations place in the world rattle the continent and rock political establishments throughout the west
not long after the vote tally was completed prime minister david cameron who led the campaign to remain in the bloc appeared in front of 10 downing street on friday morning to announce that he planned to step down by october saying the country deserved a leader committed to carrying out the will of the people
the stunning turn of events was accompanied by a plunge in the financial markets with the value of the british pound and stock prices plummeting
the margin of victory startled even proponents of a british exit the leave campaign won by 52 percent to 48 percent more than 174 million people voted in the referendum on thursday to sever ties with the european union and about 161 million to remain in the bloc
i will do everything i can as prime minister to steady the ship over the coming weeks and months mr cameron said but i do not think it would be right for me to try to be the captain that steers our country to its next destination
despite opinion polls before the referendum that showed either side in a position to win the outcome stunned much of britain europe and the trans atlantic alliance highlighting the power of anti elite populist and nationalist sentiment at a time of economic and cultural dislocation
dare to dream that the dawn is breaking on an independent united kingdom nigel farage the leader of the uk independence party one of the primary forces behind the push for a referendum on leaving the european union told cheering supporters just after 4 am
withdrawing from the european union is a lengthy process that mr cameron will largely leave to his successor it will mean pulling out from the worlds largest trading zone with 508 million residents including the 65 million people of britain and a commitment to the free movement of labor capital goods and services it has profound implications for britains legal system which incorporates a large body of regulations that cover everything from product safety to digital privacy and for britains economy
one reason the city londons financial district shuddered on friday is that it is a hub for trading in euro denominated securities activity that may now shift to rivals like frankfurt and paris
it was also not clear that the united kingdom could survive withdrawal from the european union intact there was immediate pressure for another referendum on independence from britain for scotland which voted overwhelmingly on thursday to stay with europe
i think an independence referendum is now highly likely said scotlands first minister nicola sturgeon who said it would be democratically unacceptable for scotland to be pushed out of the european union when a majority of scots want to stay in
keith vaz a labour legislator said this is a crushing decision this is a terrible day for britain and a terrible day for europe in 1000 years i would never have believed that the british people would vote for this
european leaders acknowledged that the british vote would further limit their ability to move forward with economic and political integration a process that had all but stalled anyway
today marks a turning point for europe chancellor angela merkel of germany said it is a turning point for the european unification process
in london the maneuvering began almost immediately to succeed mr cameron who said he would stay on while his conservative party went through the process of settling on a new leader among the most prominent of the possible candidates is boris johnson the former mayor of london who was a leader of the leave campaign he praised mr cameron as an extraordinary politician while saying he was sad to see him go
britain will become the first country to leave the 28 member bloc which has been increasingly weighed down by its failures to deal fully with a succession of crises from the financial collapse of 2008 to a resurgent russia and the huge influx of migrants last year
it was a remarkable victory for the countrys anti europe forces which not long ago were considered to have little chance of prevailing
financial markets which had been anticipating that britain would vote to stay in started plunging before the vote tally was complete putting pressure on central banks and regulators to take steps to guard against a spread of the damage
economists had predicted that a vote to leave the bloc could do substantial damage to the british economy mark carney the head of the bank of england sought to address those concerns on friday saying the bank had made extensive contingency plans and had taken all the necessary steps to prepare
mr cameron had vowed before the vote to move quickly to begin the divorce process if britain opted to leave but he said on friday that he would leave the start of the formal process to his successor while seeking in the interim to calm the atmosphere before taking any action
in the meantime nothing will change immediately on either side of the channel with existing trade and immigration rules remaining in place the withdrawal process is expected to be complex and contentious though under the blocs governing treaty it is effectively limited to two years
mr johnson like a number of other leaders of the push to leave the european union said there was no need to rush to set in motion the legal procedure   invoking a provision known as article 50   that would formally sever ties between britain and the bloc he and other advocates of leaving the european union have been taking a go slow posture on the mechanics of the divorce saying britain can get a better deal on trade if it can avoid arbitrary deadlines on the negotiations
for the european union the result is a disaster raising questions about the direction cohesion and future of a bloc built on liberal values and shared sovereignty that represents with nato a vital component of europes postwar structure
britain is the second largest economy after germany in the european union a nuclear power with a seat on the united nations security council an advocate of free market economics and a close ally of the united states
the loss of britain is an enormous blow to the credibility of a bloc already under pressure from slow growth high unemployment the migrant crisis greeces debt woes and the conflict in ukraine
the main impact will be massive disorder in the eu system for the next two years said thierry de montbrial founder and executive chairman of the french institute of international relations there will be huge political transition costs on how to solve the british exit and the risk of a domino effect or bank run from other countries that think of leaving
europe will have to reorganize itself in a system of different degrees of association said karl kaiser a harvard professor and former director of the german council on foreign relations europe does have an interest in keeping britain in the single market if possible and in an ad hoc security relationship
while leaders of the leave campaign spoke earnestly about sovereignty and the supremacy of parliament or in honeyed tones about the bright sunlit uplands of britains future free of brussels it was anxiety about immigration that defined and probably swung the campaign
with net migration to britain of 330000 people in 2015 more than half of them from the european union mr cameron had no effective response to how he could limit the influx and there was no question that while the immigrants contributed more to the economy and to tax receipts than they cost parts of britain felt that its national identity was under assault and that the influx was putting substantial pressure on schools health care and housing
the campaign run by one of the loudest proponents of leaving the uk independence party flirted with xenophobia nativism and what some of its critics considered racism but the official more mainstream leave campaign also invoked immigration as an issue and its slogan take control resonated with voters who feel that the government is failing to regulate the inflow of people from europe and beyond
other anti establishment and far right parties in europe like the national front of marine le pen in france geert wilderss party in the netherlands and the alternative for germany party will celebrate the outcome the depth of anti europe sentiment could be a key factor in national elections scheduled next year in the other two most important countries of the european union france and germany
the british campaign featured assertions and allegations tossed around with little regard to the facts both sides played to emotion and the most common emotion played upon was fear
the remain side citing scores of experts and elite opinion warned that leaving the bloc a so called brexit would mean an economic catastrophe a plunging pound higher taxes more austerity and the loss of jobs
the leave side warned that remaining would produce uncontrolled immigration crime and terrorism with hordes pouring into britain from turkey a country of 77 million muslims that borders syria and iraq and hopes to join the european union
just a week before the vote the country was jolted by the brutal murder of a young labour member of parliament jo cox 41 a strong supporter of remain a man who prosecutors said shouted britain first this is for britain and keep britain independent was charged with her murder
in england especially 85 percent of the population of britain many people fell back on national pride cultural exceptionalism and nostalgia many english voters chose to believe the insistence of anti europe leaders like mr johnson that as a great nation britain would be more powerful and successful outside the european union than inside
in scotland and northern ireland by contrast there was a strong pro europe feeling that has only increased tensions within the united kingdom itself
northern ireland which has long had an open border with the republic of ireland a member of the european union will face a new reality that open border will become the border between the european union and a nonmember and for security and economic reasons it will have to be equipped with border posts to check goods and passports
mr cameron felt pushed into announcing the referendum in 2013 by the anti europe wing of his own party amplified by concerns among other tories that uk independence party and mr farage were cutting too sharply into the conservative vote
still mr cameron entered the campaign with the force of economic experts president obama european allies and big business behind him but as ever referendums are not about the question asked but the political mood at the time and the political mood is sour


hong kong   britains voting to leave the european union on friday has sent markets currency and other key pieces of the global economy on a wild ride
japans nikkei 225 index is now down more than 7 percent after briefly recovering amid news that the vote to remain in the eu was gaining ground the british pound fell from 150 to 136 an uprecedented drop in such a short period
earlier on thursday american markets had shrugged off concerns about the possibility of britains leaving the eu but the early results were more positive for the remain side
in hong kong the hang seng index has fallen about 47 percent with stocks in british banks taking a particular beating hsbc has dropped more than 8 percent while standard chartered is down just more than 9 percent the markets in shanghai are down more than 1 percent
i would say your real money investors someone wanting to get hold of pounds for business reasons would not be participating in the markets today because of the volatility said kymberly martin a senior market strategist at bnz markets the volumes trading are quite small and contributing to the large moves that are happening
but ms martin said the pound could fall even further than it already has
the vix index of volatility shot up early on friday in asia and is up about 155 percent
ftse 100 index futures have plunged again and are down more than 5 percent indicating that london blue chip stocks will open much lower on friday gold a haven asset is up almost 2 percent


chalice is a new superhero who can manipulate gravity so that she can fly chalice is also charlie young a male college student who unbeknown to his family is beginning to transition to female unlike most superheroes who have to maintain one secret identity chalice has two
and so begins alters a series from aftershock comics coming in september that will introduce chalice in a central role
the series was created by the writer paul jenkins a comics veteran whose credits include origin which detailed the early days of wolverine for mr jenkins it is a passion project one he has pursued since 2005 he gives a lot of credit to his mother a gay single mom who raised him and his brother in dorset england if we ever get to a point where issues such as race sexuality and gender identity are a nonissue we will have arrived he said thats my mum talking right there
with the alters   this comics term for people who have some kind of empowering anomaly   mr jenkins 50 is set to explore characters who have special abilities and physical chemical or mental challenges one story will focus on an unattractive heroine the tmz report would be ugly chick saves world he said another will focus on a shape shifter who becomes quadriplegic and faces a choice remain that way and live or opt for a final change that will grant mobility but prove fatal after a month
mr jenkins said that he had always planned for a transgender superhero in the series but chalice didnt fully take shape until he met a fan liz luu in 2014 at a convention panel about creating characters ms luu had an appealing idea a transgender hero who hadnt transitioned yet and could present as a female only when in costume
she can only be herself when shes not herself is how mr jenkins summarized her in exchange for mentoring ms luu who is now an executive assistant at the cartoon network mr jenkins incorporated that idea into chalices back story
in some ways alters harks back to mr jenkinss work for marvel comics where he created the sentry a superman like hero with schizophrenia
mr jenkins said that he firmly believed that alters would not turn into a series of moral lessons in which everyone learns about tolerance and grows as a person the most important thing in approaching this book is for me to concentrate on these characters as heroes and villains and to let these things come out during the process he said
a transgender superhero is rare but not unusual in the current world of comics where the industry has made efforts to be more reflective of the real world recent superheroes have been lesbian muslim plus sized and more next month will introduce kim  kim a sci fi adventure from black mask studios about two bounty hunters   one a trans woman the other bisexual   who are best friends there is also transcat an independently published humor comic about a transgender heroine
the big news about diversity in comics is that we now have diversity in comics   in the people who actually create the material and also in the characters depicted mark evanier a comic book historian said when i was growing up every hero might just as well have been the same well toned male in a different costume
this is the second series by mr jenkins for aftershock a publisher that was founded last year and whose first comics came out in december one of those was replica by mr jenkins and andy clarke about an overwhelmed detective on a space station who clones himself 50 times for the sake of efficiency
aftershocks founders are jon kramer and lee kramer a father and son with extensive film and television experience jawad qureshi a silicon valley entrepreneur michael richter a media and technology executive and mike marts and joe pruett comics industry veterans when i first started talking to the aftershock team said mr marts who is editor in chief i realized quickly they werent in it to make a quick buck or just create intellectual property for tv movies or video games
comics are the first priority mr pruett aftershocks publisher agreed if it translates into film and television thats great the companys series are by a mix of established and emerging creators
the comic book industry mr jenkins said is such a boys club it is not a circle that he felt particularly at home in and so he set out to find people to create alters who reflected the diversity in the comic
brian stelfreeze who is black and is currently drawing marvels black panther series written by ta nehisi coates will provide covers leila leiz is handling the interior pages and tamra bonvillain who is transgender is the colorist as for the writer mr jenkins he joked i have the heterosexual middle aged man locked up


london   in the summer of 1968 fresh from a year of touring and recording jimi hendrix rented a small apartment in london with his british girlfriend kathy etchingham and decorated it himself in a style that might be described today as hippie chic
hendrix pinned shawls to a wall piled rugs on the floor and decked the mantel with ostrich feathers the couple spent lazy afternoons in the apartment at 23 brook street in mayfair playing board games listening to records and watching episodes of the television saga coronation street
the apartment was next door to the former home of a german born composer as famous in his day as hendrix was in the late 1960s georg frideric handel handel lived in the georgian house at 25 brook street for 36 years from 1723 until his death and since 2001 it has operated as a museum the trust behind the museum also holds the lease on the upper floors of no 23 and in february hendrixs apartment recreated with period artifacts and reproductions opened to the public in an unlikely coupling of the baroque and the psychedelic
ms etchingham now 70 acted as a consultant on the project which cost about 24 million pounds or about 35 million the museum   now called handel  hendrix in london   expects to welcome about 50000 visitors in its first year up from 20000 annually when it was just handels house
the opening of the hendrix wing has allowed the museum to reach younger audiences and become a house that celebrates music said michelle aland the director and chief executive of handel  hendrix which has also added a 40 seat studio for teaching and performing music
weve moved from just baroque and handel to rock n roll to music in general ms aland said
it was ms etchingham who now lives in melbourne australia who found the PS30 a week apartment through a newspaper ad in june 1968 the immediate neighbors were shops and businesses so the landlord had no objections renting to a rock musician she said in a telephone interview
the couple had met in september 1966 at scotch of st james a nightclub where ms etchingham then a hairdresser and dj previously worked a no nonsense 20 year old she was a habitue of the music scene she knew members of the beatles and the rolling stones and had once danced with david bowie
yet she was mesmerized by hendrix who was building his reputation with blistering live shows in the citys clubs
id never seen anybody like him before and neither had anyone else ms etchingham recalled he was very very funny and amusing and good company his flamboyant performances in which he occasionally lit his guitar on fire were all an act she said what he did on the stage he didnt do privately
the centerpiece of the museums hendrix wing is his colorful living room which contains an oval wood framed mirror in which he combed his hair a loan from ms etchingham everything else   the furniture and fabrics the floral lampshade the bakelite phones the refrigerator size speakers   has either been reproduced or sourced at auctions of 1960s memorabilia
hendrix picked thick turquoise velvet curtains designed to keep the light out given how late the couple slept these have now been made to match in more or less the same shade his flame red carpeting has been replicated from a tuft of the original that was found stuck on a nail the pink and orange striped bedspread is also exactly as it was ms etchingham said it was rewoven based on the original owned by the hard rock cafe
a vintage match has even been found for a british overseas airways corporation travel bag containing his guitar repair kit the original sold at auction in 2014 for PS10625 or about 15740
the museum also has a room with wall to wall album covers representing hendrixs record collection and a central foyer once part of handels attic with explanatory texts and photographs as well as videos that include a fuzzy color clip in which hendrix plays hound dog while ms etchingham and others wiggle to the beat an epiphone ft79 guitar that he plays in the clip is displayed in the foyer on loan from its owner
hendrix was tidy ms etchingham recalled he always made the bed and didnt have a situation where he had socks all over the place or anything like that
when hendrix wasnt in the united states recording or touring the couple would often spend afternoons in a record store where he would choose albums because of a particular riff or set of chords and sometimes listen to them only once or twice he bought the bee gees first album because of the harmonies ms etchingham said and handels messiah when he learned of the brook street connection
otherwise the couple played monopoly watched tv and ordered hamburgers and bottles of mateus rose from the downstairs restaurant ms etchingham also poured hendrix cups of tea a beverage he sneered at initially at night musicians and performers swarmed the apartment to watch hendrix play and braver ones   like the jazz musician rahsaan roland kirk   would join in some guests would stay the night ms etchingham said george harrison once slept in the upstairs room
there were no wild parties   no never she said emphasizing that the only drug in the house was marijuana there were friends coming around people playing music bringing their instruments doing a bit of jamming
ms etchingham and hendrix stayed together for nearly three years she is cited as the inspiration for songs including the wind cries mary mary is her middle name
after hendrix started taking heavier drugs the couple split up somewhere along the line i realized that this is not going to be anything that id want long term she said
ms etchingham has played a role in hendrixs legacy since his death in 1970 in london she campaigned to have english heritage a charity that oversees historic sites in england install a plaque on the building in 1997 paving the way for the museum in 1998 she published a memoir recounting their relationship through gypsy eyes
did ms etchingham ever have a sense that she was living with a genius no she said i couldnt have foreseen that nobody else would have come along as good


front seat passengers in some small sport utility vehicles may not be as well protected as drivers in certain types of crashes according to recent tests of seven vehicles by the nonprofit insurance institute for highway safety
the tests known as small overlap frontal tests were similar to the kind that the institute conducts by directing the front end impact to the drivers side of the vehicle but in these latest tests whose results were released on thursday the impact was on the suvs front passenger side
among the small suvs tested a 2015 toyota rav4 received a rating of poor on its passenger side results a 2014 nissan rogue and 2014 subaru forester received marginal safety ratings for front seat passengers
all seven vehicles had received the highest rating   good   for protecting drivers in earlier similar crash tests but sitting next to the driver can be a riskier proposition
of the seven only a 2016 hyundai tucson earned a good rating on the passenger side test the remaining three   a 2015 buick encore a 2015 honda cr v and a 2015 mazda cx 5   were rated acceptable the different models reflect the first year in each case when modification were made that enabled the vehicles to earn their good ratings for the driver side tests
the findings matter because more than 1600 passengers in the right front seats of vehicles of all types died in frontal crashes in 2014 according to the federal governments fatality data
it is not known how many of those crashes were of the sort replicated by the insurance institutes tests which involve 25 percent of the front end of a vehicle striking a rigid barrier at 40 miles an hour the test which uses dummies aims to show what happens when a vehicle runs off the road and strikes an object like a tree or utility pole
the insurance institute which has been conducting this test for four years was aware that automakers were focusing their initial safety improvement efforts on the drivers side of vehicles   given that there is always a driver in the car but not necessarily a front seat passenger
some manufacturers told us that in the short term they could make more drivers side modifications to more vehicle models to improve safety rather than making improvements to both sides said becky mueller a senior research engineer at the insurance institute and the lead author of the report on the latest tests but the expectation was that automakers would start to make modifications to the passenger side as well
we are now four years into the testing and we want to remind manufacturers that the short term doesnt last forever mrs mueller said
consumers are going to want the same level of protection for drivers and right front passengers she said they expect that when we rate a vehicle good it applies to both sides of the vehicle
the small overlap frontal test is the newest of the insurance institutes crash tests it began in 2012 as the institute which is funded by the insurance industry was trying to determine why people were still being seriously injured or killed in frontal crashes despite seatbelts airbags and good frontal crash test ratings one of its studies of newer vehicles found that small overlap frontal crashes accounted for about 20 to 25 percent of those injuries and deaths
automakers began redesigning their vehicles to get better scores on the new test and provide better protection the insurance institute said that since the tests introduction 13 automakers have made structural changes to 97 vehicles
because crash forces in the small frontal overlap test are concentrated on the front wheel suspension and firewall the passengers survival space can be seriously compromised by intruding structures the front wheel can be forced back into the footwell resulting in serious and debilitating leg and foot injuries on the drivers side as the test dummys feet and legs get caught up in the metal pedals
it is also easy for drivers and passengers to hit their heads and chests against metal structures like the instrument panel protruding into the vehicle
if the structure is so badly intruded the airbag cant do its job effectively mrs mueller said
in the toyota rav4 test the intrusion into the interior of the vehicle on the passengers side was 13 inches deeper than on the drivers side and the rav4s passenger side door popped open which in a crash would put the occupant at risk of being ejected
in 2013 when the rav4 was tested for the first time it got a poor small overlap rating the 2015 model received a good rating but toyota did not make the same safety improvements to the passenger side
in a written statement responding to the new test results toyota said in part the iihs small overlap test is severe specialized and goes beyond federal vehicle safety requirements
rather than waiting to re engineer both drivers and passengers sides toyota added we took immediate steps to enhance performance on the drivers side
the company said that it had incorporated safety enhancements on both sides for vehicles built on toyotas new platforms beginning with the 2016 prius
with the nissan rogue maximum intrusion on the passenger side was 10 inches more than on the drivers side and the door hinge pillar which is at the bottom of the passenger compartment where the rocker panel meets the a pillar   a front roof support   was torn off completely although the door remained closed
in a written statement nissan said nissan is committed to the safety and security of our customers and their passengers we are aware of the iihs testing and we are currently reviewing the details to assess opportunities for improved performance
hyundai meantime was happy to promote its results our 2016 tucsons good rating for both driver and passenger in the demanding iihs small overlap crash test reflects our commitment to passenger safety at every level mike obrien a vice president for hyundai motor america said in a statement
here are the full results of the side by side tests
driver side good
passenger side good

driver side good
passenger side acceptable

driver side good
passenger side acceptable

driver side good
passenger side acceptable

driver side good
passenger side marginal

driver side good
passenger side marginal

driver side good
passenger side poor


sesto fiorentino italy   convento il chiostro a monastery in the 17th century and now a rambling vacation home sits on a secluded tuscan hillside where deer and wild boar still roam
the area has barely changed since florentine monks lived there and yet the home is only about a 40 minute drive from the bustle of florence
nicola gandini a retired publisher who once trained as an architect and his wife giovanna bought the rundown monastery 26 years ago and spent four years renovating it
i was fascinated by the buildings originality location and adaptability mr gandini said
the building with an area of 2300 square meters or 24750 square feet is architecturally distinctive step into the living room which was once the formal entrance hall and meeting room and you are greeted by a soaring nine  meter high ceiling more reminiscent of the tv series game of thrones than a holiday villa terracotta floors create a sense of warmth while the walls are decorated with frescoes from italys renaissance heyday everything is original even the doors mr gandini said
vast wooden doors open onto a terrace and lawn with stunning views in the distance is the small town of sesto fiorentino which sits on a wide plain florence is just out of view
clearly the monks lived well a huge fireplace big enough to roast a wild boar if not two dominates the room every room has a fireplace and we use them a lot in the winter mr gandini said
the ecclesiastical history of the building is evident in its design il chiostro is italian for the cloister and a side door opens onto a three sided cloister built around an open courtyard with a small hedge maze and a cooling fountain the master bedroom and a billiard room as well as a small fresco covered chapel all overlook this peaceful feature
at the opposite end of the main garden entrance the grand room opens into the interior of the house a long corridor that once would have led to spartan sleeping quarters now leads to two cozy wood paneled studies a further roomy bedroom and an elegant everyday sitting room
the couple are eager to find a buyer in march of this year the house went to auction as a distress sale for 65 million euros or 58 million at the current exchange rate as it did not sell it will under the italian system be resubmitted for auction in the fall this time it will be priced 25 percent less or EUR49 million with a reserve of up to 25 percent below the new asking price
more often than not nobody bids on the first round because they know it will come back at a lower price said rupert fawcett partner with knight frank the international estate agency
this process will continue until the former monastery is sold unless a private buyer can be found first the home is currently being marketed out of auction for EUR4 million
much of the interest so far has come from architects says jeremy onslow macaulay managing director of casa  country a real estate agency based in tuscany and with offices in london
it can easily be divided into four apartments he said
one flight up are two roomy self contained apartments the gandinis son lives in one of them the south wing currently unrestored could make another self contained home
the basement was clearly the bustling center of the monastery it contains the original kitchen with workmanlike stone sinks and a large bread oven adjacent is a spacious refectory like service area which mr gandini has occasionally hired out as an event space for weddings
much of il chiostros charm derives from its idyllic setting the home sits on nine and a half hectares or 23 acres which include a vegetable garden in its original design as well as woods and a meadow where mr gandini suggests a sheltered swimming pool could be added the property has its own independent water supply there are also flourishing olive groves
although florences international airport is only about half an hours drive away the immediate area is tranquil the only neighbors are a short stroll away up an unpaved road to a quaint hamlet as untouched now as it was four centuries ago


edinburgh   no one knows were here said john mcareavey owner of one of edinburghs oldest private residences taxi drivers who have worked in the city for years tell me they never knew drylaw house existed people sometimes wander in when the gates are open thinking the grounds are a public park
despite being just two miles from the center of edinburgh one of britains busiest cities drylaw house a grand 18th century four story mansion is tucked away amid four acres of peaceful gardens and high stone walls
mr mcareavey bought drylaw house as a family home in 1998 and says he fell in love with it immediately its a very striking and beautiful house he said the interiors had only recently been refurbished but the gardens were in a poor state and i have spent the past 15 years restoring them
though records show a much larger drylaw estate existed on this site from at least the 1400s the present house is a fine example of 18th century design the earliest part of the structure dates to 1718 with some remodeling in 1786 the house has been listed by the scottish heritage organization historic environment scotland as category a meaning it is of significant historic importance and cannot be altered without permission
drylaw house was built by the wealthy loch family with sandstone taken from their personal quarry at nearby craigleith the quarry is famous for providing high quality stone used in a number of important edinburgh buildings from the 1600s to the early 20th century the stone was also used to build much of the citys elegant georgian era new town
records from the time show that the lochs sold the house and the quarry in 1786 to a william ramsay a personal account from a relative of the loch family in 1870 states that the quarry was sold for 800 pounds just before the stones were required for the new town expansion the lochs it seems lost a fortune of many thousands of pounds through not anticipating the edinburgh building boom
the main part of drylaw house was designed as a well proportioned and relatively simple rectangle with slate roof in a piend or hipped style what is now the back of the house a simple entrance with stone steps and iron balustrade was at that time the front the later georgian era remodeling moved the entrance to the other side of the house where a five window two story stone extension with roman doric style detail was added along with a large door and eye catching fanlight window the house is unusual in having no formal reception room by the front entrance because the house was effectively turned around mr mcareavey said though completed in 1718 which is the early georgian era the original design of the house is influenced by what was known as queen anne style after the previous monarch who died in 1714
of the four stories one is at the basement level and has a four bedroom self contained guest apartment the ground floor has three reception rooms plus kitchen bathroom and utility room and the two upper floors have eight bedrooms and four bathrooms in all
in the center of the house a glass cupola allows light to flood into the stairwell but mr mcareavey says that he believes this was a later addition possibly in the 19th century
the historic interior of the property which is 687 square meters or 7400 square feet has been kept by mr mcareavey much as it was when he moved in though the kitchen and bathrooms have been completely updated with contemporary facilities
in the stone flagged entrance hall is one of the most unusual staircases you are likely to find the deep stone steps are framed by a banister of oak and brass with decorative iron balusters
the geometric design is interrupted at regular intervals by a series of heads also in iron each ornamented with a variety of exotic flowers and leaves
the wood paneling and carved wainscoting in the house is all original as are the wooden window shutters most rooms have a plain design but the dining room and study are elaborate
the dining room has a beautiful combination of paneled walls deep beamed ceiling and ornate wainscoting behind the panels on one wall is a secret cupboard the room also has a marble fireplace above it is a rare fresco showing a landscape attributed to the french artist william delacour who lived in edinburgh in the mid 18th century
it is one of three such painted works of the period the other two are also above the fireplaces in the drawing room and in what is the familys media room or den though the artist is unknown
there are nine fireplaces at drylaw house and all are working but are of differing styles in either ornamental marble or simple stone most are believed to date to the 18th century with the one in the dining room listed in an inventory of additions to the decor in 1744
like the dining room the second floor study is a richly decorated room every wall is lined with elaborate oak wood paneling and there are original oak window seats and shutters its the most beautiful room said mr mcareavey who uses it as an office i enjoy working in it and wondering what deals were done there in the past
though he still loves drylaw house mr mcareavey wants to move on and has put the house on the market with the edinburgh property agent coulters it is valued at PS17 million or 25 million but as is common practice in scotland prospective buyers must submit bids on the property with offers above PS15 million


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1 markets shook the pound and euro dropped and european leaders called emergency meetings after britons unnerved the continent by voting to leave the european union
exactly how the brexit will unfold is unclear but prime minister david cameron said he was not the man to lead the country through it and will step down
heres a short rundown of the basics

2 young people had made up one of the strongest blocs against leaving
truly gutted that our grandparents have effectively decided that they hate foreigners more than they love us and our futures one tweeted
some britons appeared confused about what they had done
google reported a spike in searches for what happens if we leave the eu as well as what is the eu thousands of readers posted comments
one wrote im british but im not sure what that means anymore

3 president obama said britains special relationship with the us would endure
donald trump whose political base voices the same kind of populist anger heard in britain forecast benefits to british business
he included his own scottish golf resort which he happened to be visiting
when the pound goes down more people are coming to turnberry frankly he said

4 bernie sanders commands a fearsome digital army adept in social media that captured more than 200 million in donations
now he appears to be ready to drop his candidacy and shift his focus
im going to do everything i can do to defeat donald trump he told msnbcs morning joe   including vote for hillary clinton

5 our movie reviewers have this to say about the this weekends big openings independence day resurgence is a good bet only for those with an overwhelming love of computer generated mega apocalypse
swiss army man with daniel radcliffe as a corpse who makes paul danos life worth living is weird and wonderful disgusting and demented
and free state of jones reconstructs a fascinating bit of civil war history with matthew mcconaughey leading a guerrilla army of white deserters and escaped slaves against the confederacy

6 mementos of whitey bulgers gruesome career as a boston mobster went up for auction five years after he was convicted of 11 murder charges
there was his prized replica of a 1986 stanley cup championship ring and a rat shaped cup that he used as a pencil holder
the ring marked 1103 above is a sterling silver psycho killer skull that he left in a london safe deposit box along with 50000 cash during his early years as a fugitive

7 more distress for the deeply troubled summer olympics in rio de janeiro
the brazilian laboratory set to handle drug testing was suspended for nonconformity with international standards
the lab can appeal but for the moment the world anti doping agency said it would send samples outside brazil for testing

8 the swimmer michael phelps now 30 and the most decorated athlete in olympic history is aiming for five olympic berths in trials that begin sunday
one of our best read stories today traces his fall and his resurrection starting at a treatment center in arizona
his coach said he hid everything that makes him human for 12 years the rehab is what opened him up

9 west virginia deployed hundreds of national guard members and struggled to restore power to thousands of people after storms pounded the state with as much as nine inches of rain over eight hours
at least 14 people were killed in what the national weather service called a one in a thousand year event

10 finally as schools start their summer breaks classroom animals are heading out too
our reporter followed an exodus of gerbils mice corn snakes turtles rabbits guinea pigs geckos and frogs   not to mention lucy the chinchilla above   in new york city alone
you learn new things here one girl said of her teachers vanishing menagerie like you have to put vitamins on the mouse before you feed it to the snake
have a great weekend

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in the height of the summer travel season britain voted to exit the european union scrambling markets as well as the political picture what happens in the aftermath of brexit as it is known is far from clear but american travelers heading abroad will see some immediate effects
how does the brexit vote affect americans traveling to europe and britain
the most immediate effect is in the exchange rates between the dollar and the british pound which has recorded its lowest rate in about 30 years after the results of the vote were published providing american travelers a discount on prices paid throughout britain
since yesterday you get a lot more bang for your buck in the uk said zach honig editor in chief at thepointsguycom which covers travel and incentives for lots of people london is traditionally an expensive tourist destination and with this shift the uk and specifically london probably are now within reach for a lot of us based travelers
the dollar has also improved against the euro making travel within countries using the euro cheaper
is it a good time to book air travel
yes but it has been so for the last six weeks according to george hobica the founder of airfarewatchdogcom
airfares to europe have been plummeting especially for late summer travel after the college kids go back to school around aug 28 and onward he said noting that fares to europe from the united states were appearing as low as 400 and 500 round trip pre brexit it may have been an anticipation of brexit but we dont know he said its probably also the fact that the euro and the pound were drifting lower and that means that fewer people were flying from europe to the us and the airlines had to fill those seats with people flying from the us to europe
two to three years ago he said summer airfares to europe were running in the 1800 range
current deals said gary leff the author of the travel blog viewfromthewingcom are a function of some growth in capacity and some of the ultra low cost seats on carriers like norwegian and its what we all expected with some lag due to lower fuel prices its been inexpensive and now its inexpensive to be there thanks to the currency
will i get a better deal on a tour or package to europe or britain now
maybe its early days but if exchange rates hold and travel softens within europe and britain expect more enticing travel offers
usually when these things happen the travel industry response is to bring people in said mike stitt the north american president of travelzoo a publisher of travel deals the real area i would watch for are vacation deals there are packaging companies and tour operators who work with airlines and hotels and can put together strong deals to entice us travelers
when these deals might surface is unknown but probably later this year assuming exchange rates hold
will my experience at the uk or european borders change as a result of brexit
no americans must still present a valid passport when entering european union member countries as well as britain when the dust settles and britain is extracted from the european union which most believe will take some years it is travelers from european and uk countries who may experience more hassles at foreign borders
one area of uncertainty is northern ireland a member of the uk northern ireland shares a restriction free border with the republic of ireland now no passports are required for transit between the two countries which though both were members of the european union use different currencies with britains withdrawal from the european union the ireland and northern ireland border would now represent a frontier between the uk and the european union though what form that would take is unknown
as irelands prime minister enda kenny wrote in the guardian this week what is not easy to quantify and mitigate is the psychological effect of a hardening border on the island my fear is that it would play into an old narrative   one of division isolation and difference
will there be any effects felt in the travel industry in the united states
thats another unknown but the decline of the pound relative to the dollar could affect incoming visitors from britain who tend to visit popular destinations like new york miami san francisco los angeles and chicago
if british tourists because of currency fluctuations change their plans or dont come to us you may see some ability to get some better prices in some cities said mr stitt of travelzoo were seeing a little of that effect now with the canadian travelers as their currency has plummeted against the dollar canadians are staying home


the elegance of the working man has affected artists for decades   from ben shahns social realist paintings to irving penns fascination with tradespeople and on the mens springsummer 2017 runways designers have shown variations on neutral toned uniforms in milan moncler gamme bleu presented field and safari jackets with boy scout style neckerchiefs in monochromatic earth tones as diesel black gold played with proportions pairing fitted tops with baggy voluminous pants and in paris lemaire showed a more understated take on utilitarianism with light cotton gilets and work shirts coupled with pants that were belted at the waist and ankle


this weekend at mujis fifth avenue flagship location in new york the work of six japanese artists   handmade objects designed for everyday use   will be on view and for sale as the stores new tatazumai collection the show was curated by the wood crafter ryuji mitani and is in keeping with mujis egalitarian design sensibility in his words minimal no logos five of the makers will be on site through sunday to share their craft with shoppers and earlier this week they invited t to a preview of the collection and out to dinner   for of all things japanese food


hi eric nikole and will
president obamas attempt at immigration reform was the big loser at the supreme court thursday and affirmative action in university admissions was the winner lets start with immigration in this odd term of only eight justices the court has weighed in on united states v texas with a 4 4 split and an unsatisfying one line affirmance of the lower court to deny deportation relief to as many as five million immigrants who could have applied for it
a lot of analysts including eric thought this case should have easily gone the obama administrations way as a traditional display of prosecutorial discretion and executive power in an area   immigration law   in which the federal government holds particular sway but now immigrants have lost the crucial gain they won from a president who started out by cracking down on them at the border and in their communities im not sure how that plays out in the november election   do voters who pushed for reform blame the democrats for failing to make good on their promise or the republicans for refusing to join the president maybe donald trumps candidacy and his promised border wall cancel out the question to state the obvious if nothing else the court has issued a potent reminder that the identity of the ninth justice matters
a question for you is there any way that obama could try to implement his program for deportation relief in at least some parts of the country despite thursdays ruling with an eight justice court we may have to get used to this sort of question when the supreme court divides evenly and simply affirms the lower court ruling which went against the administration in the immigration case its opinions generally dont make national law or carry value as legal precedent the way a majority opinion does so why exactly are the administrations hands are tied throughout the country by a ruling of the united states court of appeals for the fifth circuit which only has authority over texas louisiana and mississippi
emily
hi nikole emily and eric
what a day
emily you asked about the administrations options after thursdays 4 4 split in the immigration lawsuit as you say when the supreme court divides evenly it doesnt issue an opinion and simply affirms the lower courts judgment normally this would leave the administration free to keep pressing the issue in other circuits
but theres a special wrinkle in this case and its a little bit technical bear with me the district court issued an injunction with nationwide scope the government challenged that nationwide injunction before the fifth circuit but it lost the constitution vests the district court with the judicial power of the united states  the fifth circuit said and that power is not limited to the district wherein the court sits but extends across the country when the supreme court affirmed the lower courts judgment on thursday it affirmed that nationwide injunction
that means the administration is basically stuck for now it could try to find ways to litigate the issue in other circuits or argue that the injunction is void even though the supreme court affirmed it on thursday but ultimately if it disobeys the injunction it risks being held in contempt back in texas and judge andrew hanen has already demonstrated that hes willing to be aggressive if he senses defiance by government lawyers
instead as you say the case is likely to proceed to final judgment in the district court but that is probably just a formality i doubt the administration has much chance of prevailing in the lower courts at this point given what those courts have already decided the administrations only real hope is to wait until a ninth justice is commissioned and try again   either by appealing the final judgment or filing a petition for rehearing but that might be a long wait
theres more to talk about and more to come but let me just note the other 4 4 ruling thursday that hasnt gotten much attention dollar general v mississippi band of choctaw indians this case was the longest outstanding opinion at the court it was argued more than six months ago and it had the potential to impose major limits on tribal sovereignty so this 4 4 ruling is a big reprieve for the tribes
looking forward to reading everybody elses thoughts on fisher
will
hi will nikole and eric
turning to the other case fisher v university of texas at austin justice anthony kennedy finally found an affirmative action plan to like or at least uphold the university allots 75 percent of the space in the freshman class to students who graduate near the top of their high school classes in whats called the top 10 percent plan the rest of the spots are awarded on the basis of what ut calls holistic admissions which are based grades and test scores and also personal factors including essays work experience socioeconomic status family composition and race in the courts first crack at this case in 2013 kennedy joined the conservative wing and sounded almost entirely disapproving of uts consideration of race among the other elements for one quarter of admissions when the court agreed to review this case again i thought affirmative action at ut and perhaps across the country was doomed instead on thursday the court ruled 4 3 that uts admissions program is constitutional justice elena kagan didnt participate in the case somewhere along the way kennedy got off the bus
at least thats what it looks like to me what do you think   did kennedy lose his enthusiasm for killing affirmative action or did the questionable claim of the plaintiff abigail fisher that being white cost her a spot at ut which nikole helped expose finally give him pause i dont agree with much of justice samuel alitos dissent but i do think hes right that its hard to square kennedys skepticism three years ago with his acceptance of uts rationale now
i dont hold that against affirmative action i hold it against the courts skimpy and inadequate rationale for affirmative action in the first place the courts previous decisions allow universities to take race into account for admissions only for the sake of educational diversity leaving no room for remedying the present day consequences of the racism thats threaded through the countrys history when kennedy loses debating points to alito now its because hes staying in the small box that the court drew the best reasons for allowing affirmative action lie outside it
the courts past decisions also told universities that they may not fill seats using racial quotas yet they approved the argument that the benefits of diversity come from enrolling a critical mass of underrepresented minority students in other words dont count but come up with some goal for achieving diversity that is sufficiently measurable as kennedy put it this time i dont know what that means practically speaking kennedy is willing to settle for vagueness and to defer to uts stated goals promoting cross racial understanding preparing students for an increasingly diverse society and work force and cultivating leaders all worthy none particularly measurable
justice alito who called the decision affirmative action gone berserk from the bench thursday had a field day with the majoritys apparent contradictions he accused them of violating decades of precedent rejecting blind deference to government officials defending inherently suspect classifications maybe but how much should the court poke its nose into the governments justifications for affirmative action in the first place i know were in the land of strict scrutiny in which the court is supposed to look closely at any government program that treats people differently according to their race but why should judges stop texas officials from trying to address the underrepresentation of minority applicants to public universities in a state thats majority white
one thing that leaps out at me about uts affirmative action program is how limited the benefit to african american and hispanic students actually is the proportion of ut freshmen who are hispanic is 26 percentage points lower than the number of hispanics in that age group across the state according to the texas tribune the enrollment gap for black students is seven percentage points white students by contrast are overrepresented by 11 percentage points by the papers measure
two writers from the tribune and the podcast reveal neena satija and matthew watkins also found that the top 10 percent plan which relies on the racial segregation of the states high schools to achieve some diversity doesnt benefit top students from poor schools some of whom are black and hispanic to the degree one might think those high achieving students would get into ut automatically yet many dont even apply its people who have money people who are like prodigies and stuff who end up there one hispanic student who was ranked eighth in her class but decided to go to a womans college with a lower graduation rate for hispanic students and fewer resources than ut austin tells satija and watkins the barriers to elite university are high and wide maybe its time to move past the affirmative action battle and figure out how to more fully address the inequities   in k through 12 education among other things   that diminish the number of high achieving low income students who go to selective colleges nationally
emily
hi will emily and nikole
alito eviscerates kennedys arguments but this has less to do with the merits of affirmative action than with the legal box   as emily puts it   that the court has constructed for itself in the earlier round of this case decided in 2013 the court held that a race based affirmative action program must pass the fearsome strict scrutiny standard that applies to all other laws that make citizens rights and obligations turn on their race
strict scrutiny almost always means the government loses its a legacy of the courts battle against jim crow laws in the 1950s and 1960s in those days racial classifications almost always hurt african americans affirmative action is supposed to help them nonetheless the court rejected the argument that some other lower standard of scrutiny should apply to affirmative action programs that benefit minorities while it had made the same point in earlier decisions the latest iteration in 2013 was the strongest yet
under the strict scrutiny standard the government must identify a valid interest that the law or in this case admissions policy furthers the earlier case law indicated that diversity was a permissible government interest while holding that other possible rationales for affirmative action   trying to counter continuing discrimination for example   were not universities support affirmative action for three reasons students want it faculty members want it and many important alumni and donors want it the reasons these constituents support affirmative action dont really matter as far as academic administrators are concerned and their reasons are surely more complex than diversity whatever that means
but because of the courts earlier decisions everything has to be stuffed into the diversity box so universities say they want to advance diversity but never explain what they mean nor did the court in its earlier decisions and in its decision thursday this is fodder for the critics like alito so you like diversity   then why not work to enroll harder to attract filipino americans or cambodian americans rather than lump them together with overrepresented asian americans he asks would the ut class be sufficiently diverse if only poor african americans were admitted or must middle class and wealthy african americans professionals and laborers city dwellers and country folk musicians and athletes be admitted as well
there are deeper problems suppose we assume as the court claims that one of the legitimate benefits of diversity is that it promotes cross racial understanding there is little in kennedys opinion   zero actually   about whether uts affirmative action program has increased cross racial understanding above whatever it would be if ut used race neutral admissions matters get even more perplexing when we reach the issue of classroom diversity ut seems to argue   though its not entirely clear   that it needs to ensure racial balance within classes it is of course possible that white students who think that black students must be bad at math will not be disabused of this stereotype if few black students take math classes but its also possible that the white students who make it into ut dont think this or if they do that their view will not change if they think the black students benefit from affirmative action and just how many black students need to be in each class and what do we do if they just dont want to take math in large numbers
i mention all this not because i think affirmative action is a bad idea im not sure whether it is or isnt but i do think universities should be allowed to experiment with affirmative action its plausible enough as a policy and if universities are not allowed to experiment how are we ever going to learn which admissions policies work and which ones fail
but its precisely this type of argument that is normally foreclosed by the strict scrutiny standard which requires evidence rather than speculation i read this case as holding that if a university doesnt use explicit race based quotas and spends a lot of time writing reports about the benefits of diversity ut spent months of study and deliberation including retreats interviews and review of data kennedy tells us approvingly its affirmative action program will survive
eric
hi eric emily and will
what i have always found fascinating about fisher v ut is the extent to which the narrative of a hard working young white woman who lost out on a spot at ut simply because of her race overtook the facts of the case as the case made its way through the courts the wholesome looking abigail fisher said there were people in my class with lower grades who werent in all the activities i was in who were being accepted into ut and the only other difference between us was the color of our skin i was taught from the time i was a little girl that any kind of discrimination was wrong and for an institution of higher learning to act this way makes no sense to me what kind of example does it set for others
but in the court filings fishers lawyers spent almost no time arguing that shed been denied admission to ut because of her race in fact when i interviewed her attorney edward blum in 2013 he told me that fishers grades and test scores which were not stellar made it hard to argue race alone kept her out blum admitted to me that there are some anglo students who had lower grades than abby who were admitted also litigation like this is not a black and white paradigm
hold up if white students with lower grades and test scores than fisher got in over her how could a case make it all the way to the supreme court based on the claim that a white woman was passed over simply because of her race the real problem blum told me was not that unqualified black and latino students had edged fisher out but that ut used race in any capacity in its admissions process
that is a blockbuster admission and obviously a very different less explosive premise than the age worn story of affirmative action taking slots from worthy white people because what is also true but underreported is that white students under uts admissions program can also get credit for their race under certain circumstances the university says that its consideration of race can benefit any student even nonminorities for example race could benefit a white applicant who attended a high school where he or she was a racial minority the 14th amendment requires that americans be treated the same regardless of race and if white and black and latino students can all get extra points for their race under uts program it is hard to see how it was discriminatory in the first place
outside of the courts ruling i think the fisher case should cause reporters to pause and question how the narrative of fisher stuck in defiance of the facts
nikole


times insider shares historic insights from the new york times in this piece david w dunlap a metro reporter looks back at the timess use of a paddle wheel headline
no question about it the supreme court deadlock that effectively blocked president obamas plan to shield as many as five million undocumented immigrants from deportation merited a banner headline in the new york times
no question about it the decision by british voters to quit the european union merited a banner headline in the new york times
unfortunately they happened on the same day
so thursday night editors in the timess newsroom resorted to a rarely used design device known as a paddle wheel headline
the front page of the first edition of the newspaper carried a single line banner split court stifles obama on immigration but once the momentous development in europe was known the immigration story took second billing to british stun world with vote to leave eu
had the british voted to remain in the union the plan was to place the story at the bottom of the page because preserving the status quo wouldnt have been as dramatic tom jolly an associate masthead editor said
for some sense of precedent mr jolly turned to the times of july 26 2000 carrying news that president bill clinton was giving up on peace negotiations with israeli and palestinian leaders even as gov george w bush of texas was announcing that his vice presidential running mate would be dick cheney
clinton ends deadlocked peace talks the top headline said in all uppercase letters bush names cheney citing integrity and experience  was rendered in uppercase and lowercase
incredibly there was a third story that day that we played as the photo centered under the paddle wheel the crash of the concorde which on most other days would have been the lead headline itself mr jolly recalled
paddle wheel seems to be an especially descriptive bit of newsroom jargon since paddles are equal in size and importance though one always appears to be above another as the wheel turns
but the origin of the term is much more abstruse
tom bodkin the creative director of the times recalled not from personal experience it should be said that on aug 8 1959 editors were trying to strike a balance in emphasis between a story revealing american monitoring of soviet missile firings and another about the united states launching a satellite called explorer vi which was shaped like a paddle wheel
the paddle wheel came in very handy for the issue of jan 21 1981 fifty two americans who had been held in iran for more than a year were freed from captivity just as ronald reagan was being inaugurated as president
most newspapers chose to emphasize the hostage story to judge from a roundup of front pages contained in a design for news a 1981 manual by wallace allen and michael carroll of the minneapolis tribune
the times chose a different emphasis we led with the inauguration
reagan takes oath as 40th president promises an era of national renewal  minutes later 52 us hostages in iran fly to freedom after 444 day ordeal
not that my opinion was sought in the upper councils i was then the 28 year old graphics editor of the times but i thought we were making a terrible mistake i believed that the hostage story with its inherent drama was far more important than the inauguration a completely predictable and highly scripted nonevent
today i would say that history vindicated the timess choice the impact of the reagan presidency which began that day has been profound
which suggests in hindsight that mr cheney may have been handed the wrong paddle


welcome to watching the new york timess what to watch guide we comb through releases big and small famous and esoteric to email readers twice a week with our timely recommendations our most recent suggestions also appear below to receive our guide straight to your inbox sign up here
i know 10 episode seasons are increasingly de rigueur and lots of european series have even fewer episodes than that but i still feel a little robbed when season finales come this quickly after season premieres this is it for veep weve only just begun
this weekend ill be watching several pre olympics events   united states gymnastics championships swimming and diving trials   because i am a total olympics nut televise more nbc id watch judo id watch preliminary javelin rounds id watch mascot tryouts
if you have any questions youd like to see answered here for either me or watching film writer monica castillo wed love to hear them watchingnytimescom
please like me on hulu
watch if you like thoughtful observational comedy and coming of age stories
the shows creator josh thomas stars as a loose version of himself in this extraordinarly lovable australian comedy about a college student who has just come out hes dealing with doofy roommates a suicidal mother and his own sweet awkwardness if you like my mad fat diary or if you wish quirky indie movies had more developed stories try please like me theres even a cute dog hulu currently has 16 half hour episodes but 26 have aired in australia
center stage on pointe saturday 8 pm lifetime
watch if you like dance movies or peter gallagher when hes angry
when center stage came out in 2000 who among us would have guessed it would spawn two made for tv follow ups this one arriving eight years after center stage turn it up aired on oxygen follows in its predecessors achingly arched footsteps its heavy on dance and light on convincing dialogue if you are expecting highbrow greatness lets step aside and have a little talk about looking for love in all the wrong places but if you are in search of several dance training montages shot after shot of muscular legs and the kinds of dirty looks you typically only encounter on a c grade mexican telenovela this is your jam
the bureau available on itunes where the first episode is free
watch if you like foreign thrillers and slow burns
this french series centers on a spy mathieu kassovitz amelie who returns home to paris after six years undercover in syria six years that included a serious love affair with someone hes not quite ready to say goodbye to theres also another agent who has disappeared under strange circumstances a daughter whos not sure what to make of her long gone father and agency co workers who may or may not be supporting his best interests
my partner and i routinely struggle with what to watch one of our favorite shows ever was the comeback lisa kudrows cringe worthy character was nothing short of amazing and somehow she pulled off being simultaneously funny and sad all at once is there any other show within a show type thing that youd suggest for us or any show with that same awkward sense of humor   patrick
you seek bojack horseman and not just because lisa kudrow is in season 2 though theres also that the netflix animated series is about a washed up 90s sitcom star with severe depression and a pathological need to be liked but from afar like valerie cherish bojack has this gasping desperation and its not clear how much of that is the fallout from them no longer being famous and how much of it is what made them want to be famous in the first place the first six episodes of bojack lay the groundwork for what the show grows into so dont write it off early trust me in terms of the show within the show theres a whole christmas special thats an episode of bojacks tgif esque show horsin around watch on netflix
if you like your comedies with a serious dose of pathos you might like getting on about the staff and patients of a hospitals geriatric wing its less cruel than the comeback but just as open with its characters frustrations theres a british original and an american adaptation and both are great if you can handle sad humor watch on hbogo or see the british version on hulu
if you like stress humor im going to assume youve seen curb your enthusiasm so finally if you like shows that are comfortable with discomfort   and dont mind or maybe even enjoy that internal scream of aaaahhh no oh god   try nathan for you the host nathan fielder helps small businesses by coming up with nutty often completely absurd marketing schemes but its never totally clear who is on the inside of this inside joke im cringing just thinking about it watch on hulu
 most soccer fans already know but the copa america finals will see argentina facing off against chile 8 pm fox sports 1 univision and univision deportes
 the 2013 mini series dancing on the edge about jazz in 1930s london and starring chiwetel ejiofor and matthew goode makes its way to public broadcasting part 1 8 pm pbs
 its shark week things kick off with specials about tiger sharks and mako sharks before finally getting to the great whites 8 9 and 10 pm discovery channel
 game of thrones veep and silicon valley all air their season finales each show has already been renewed fret not vinyl on the other hand  9 10 and 1030 pm hbo
 ray donovan has its season 4 premiere 9 pm showtime
 alec baldwin hosts the latest attempt to revive the match game 10 pm abc
 roadies cameron crowes cloying new show starring luke wilson about rock n roll roadies on tour premieres 10 pm showtime
it may be the beginning of summer but with all of these movies disappearing from hbo and netflix i dont see myself at the beach quite yet get around to these titles that have been sitting in your queue before theyre gone late next week   monica castillo
netflix titles expiring july 1
a league of their own sadly the rockford peaches are ending their season just as the weather is warming up but this movie is a perennial choice if youre looking for a pick me up geena davis stars in this fictionalized retelling of the inaugural season of the all american girls professional baseball league with all the heartbreak and good cheer of a classic sports movie remember theres no crying in baseball watch on netflix
best in show focusing his signature mockumentary lens on another wacky realm the director christopher guest waiting for guffman ropes in a large cast of characters for an absurd look at a regional dog show the dogs prove to be better behaved than their owners some of who are busy taking their pet to therapy or hiding affairs with their trainer this is a perfect companion for dog lovers with a sense of humor adorable pups co star watch on netflix
the quiet man john wayne ditches the cowboy hat to go head to redhead with a fiery maureen ohara in the irish countryside in this 1952 romance wayne leaves america for ireland to reclaim his family home when he falls for the irish lass next door portrayed by ohara watch on netflix
also butch cassidy and the sundance kid bulworth the central park five
hbo titles expiring june 30
malcolm x before ava duvernay put martin luther king jrs story on the big screen with selma spike lee gave kings contemporary a more sprawling biopic treatment denzel washington would earn an oscar nomination for his performance as the title character watch on hbo
one flew over the cuckoos nest if you find yourself feeling a little anarchic and want a movie to match try this one before it escapes jack nicholson pours all of his manic energy into the character of randle patrick mcmurphy a provocateur in a mental institution challenging every authority figure in sight but he may have met his match in the chilling nurse ratched louise fletcher watch on hbo
what we do in the shadows this offbeat mockumentary follows a houseful of vampires as they cope with the modern world the brainchild of flight of the conchords star jemaine clement and his frequent collaborator taika waititi looks at the lives of the undead with witty deadpan humor watch on hbo
also the godfather epic pretty in pink music and lyrics


from the revitalizing financial district to brooklyns trendy williamsburg here are seven new new york city hotels to check out this summer
aka wall street
the financial district has its first luxury all residential hotel aka wall street occupies a restored century old building on the corner of william street and maiden lane affluent travelers want more than a bed and a minibar said larry korman the president of aka the hotels 132 modern studios one  and two bedroom suites and penthouses all feature living rooms and fully equipped kitchens with stainless steel celador countertops custom cabinetry and fisher paykel cooktops ovens microwaves and refrigerators a glass enclosed lounge shares the 20th floor rooftop with an indoor screening room and outdoor movie theater overlooking 1 world trade center now open introductory rates from 428
the beekman a thompson hotel
a new york skyscraper built in 1881 will reopen as the beekman a thompson hotel a mix of old and new the landmark building maintains its original nine story victorian atrium and pyramidal skylight martin brudnizki designed the hotels 287 guest rooms and suites and two penthouses with turret terraces overlooking the financial district the beekman will feature a keith mcnally restaurant the three meal augustine serving french fare while tom colicchio dishes up american classics at fowler  wells and cocktails at the bar room opens in july rates from 619
the redbury new york
the los angeles based hospitality group sbe is putting the finishing touches on the redbury new york formerly the martha washington hotel a bohemian inspired boutique hotel in manhattans nomad neighborhood the creative director the well regarded photographer matthew rolston took design cues from the neighborhoods legendary tin pan alley where music publishing flourished in the early 20th century historic black and white photos and gramophones decorate the 265 rooms danny meyers popular ground floor restaurant marta an upscale roman pizzeria and the lobby lounge bar marta will be unchanged now open renovation is to be completed late summer rates from 299
the bernic
the bernic in turtle bay near the headquarters of the united nations is a new 22 story hotel close to the chrysler building and grand central terminal drawings by the brooklyn based artist ian sklarsky decorate the 96 guest rooms which also feature floor to ceiling windows apple tv strand book collections and glass encased balconies the street level restaurant allora has a menu of homemade pasta and other italian american specialties while the rooftop bar serves cocktails topped off with skyline views opens aug 1 introductory rates from 199
even hotels
wellness travelers will have a range of neighborhoods to choose from when even hotels makes its debut in downtown brooklyn and adds a second midtown location on the east side catering to guests who want to maintain a healthy lifestyle on the road the brand offers wellness experiences from in room training zones with fitness videos and workout equipment to athletic studios ergonomic work stations and nutritious meals at cork  kale market and bar even hotel brooklyn will feature an outdoor garden guided runs through brooklyn bridge park and partnerships with local purveyors like the brooklyn brewery even hotel brooklyn opens in july and even hotel new york - midtown east opens in september rates from 150
the williamsburg
channeling williamsburgs industrial past and the hip enclave it has become the williamsburg hotel features an eight story facade of corten steel brick and glass topped with a retrofitted water tower that houses a cocktail bar designed by michaelis boyd and run by hospitality veterans evan altman and james stuart the property will feature a vegetable focused restaurant three bars a rooftop pool and lounge a seasonal outdoor eatery and a double height grand ballroom half the 150 guest rooms and suites come with private terraces overlooking brooklyn and manhattan while a chauffeured tuk tuk will shuttle guests opens july introductory rates from 250
the william vale
the william vale is reshaping williamsburgs skyline with a contemporary 21 story high rise and adding 20000 square feet of retail space covered by a sweeping public park overlooking manhattan the hotel will offer a resortlike atmosphere that includes a 60 foot pool   the longest hotel pool in the city   a 24 hour gym an oversize ballroom and upscale shopping each of the 183 guest rooms opens onto a glass balcony with panoramic vistas the chef andrew carmellini and noho hospitality group will operate the restaurant leuca featuring southern italian wood fired fare and westlight the hotels rooftop bar with 360 degree city views opens in august introductory rates from 350


how does the new york times book review handle the delicate business of reviewing books by times staff members
people think oh this is a times writers book of course its going to get a good review  says pamela paul the editor of the book review that is not the case
in this podcast ms paul describes the extra measures she takes to ensure that the book review provides objective reviews not assessments motivated by personal connection or animus
ever been married to an author from the times blurbed one of their books served on a panel with them sorry you cant review that persons book for the book review
ms paul talks about the sticky situations that result when the book review runs less than glowing reviews of books by authors from the times   and about how the negative times review she got for her second book which was published before she began her current job informs her thinking about book reviews
susan lehman is host


for his bookshop and website one grand books the editor aaron hicklin asked people to name the 10 books theyd take with them if they were marooned on a desert island the next in the series is the musician and artist laurie anderson who shares her list exclusively with t
within the context of no context george ws trow
its hilarious and dangerous dead on analysis of what makes america so big the physical size the country the size of the economy the size of the con good summer reading that gives a context to making this country great again
the tibetan book of the dead
the most visual language of any book i know which is odd since this is a book about the bardo   the disintegration of the self and the transformation of energy i love the imagery and it reminds me that every minute of life is the bardo
moby dick herman melville
melville is master of the jump cut i fell in love with this book the words were songs the flow embraced the way we actually think backtracking looping jumping but heres a tip if youre thinking of making a multimedia opera from your favorite book dont do it i tried it and didnt have the nerve to rough it up i never took off the white gloves so obviously it didnt work out
the life and opinions of tristram shandy gentleman laurence sterne
its the ultimate shaggy dog story time stops many times written at the dawn of the novel this is still so daring and youll love uncle toby who doesnt
pale fire vladimir nabokov
poetry disguised as prose i check in on this one every once in a while to remind myself that poetry can also tell stories
autobiography of red anne carson
the hero is so elusive at the end you still dont know whether red is a person or a color announcements somehow contain opinion i have never seen that done so well or so confidently an epic poem plus very very funny
the well tempered city jonathan fp rose
an astounding account of the future of cities within the framework of johann sebastian bach and a desire to repair the world rose looks directly and clearly at overpopulation history disastrous urban planning terrorism and utopian dreams he pictures ways we can potentially redesign our world with imagination and compassion deeply inspiring this book is coming out in september but can be preordered
peter the great robert k massie
this book immediately made me want to read all his other books its full of details fabrics weather food and emotions   jealousy and fear not much love   that make his drafty dangerous world come to life
pilgrim at tinker creek annie dillard
reminds me to be in the present paints the world as a place thats almost excruciatingly alive the patience she has to wait for the smallest things to happen always resets my sense of scale plus its like being outside the whole time
when things fall apart pema chodron
reminds me that disasters can be positive reminds me to accept whatever happens and to make it my friend grounded in disaster it leads to the comfort and understanding that we   and only we   can bring to ourselves reminds me that we all have broken hearts


sam sifton emails readers of cooking seven days a week to talk about food and suggest recipes that email also appears here to receive it in your inbox register here
good morning my colleagues at the timess racerelated newsletter which is devoted to coverage of and conversations about race have started a cool new reporting project on how food shapes our identity theyre asking readers just like you what youll be cooking eating or drinking this summer that speaks to race family and identity in advance of publishing some of the stories photographs of family gatherings and food and perhaps some of your recipes too in a subsequent edition of the newsletter
so whether your summer cooking tradition is embutido from the philippines los angeles style carne asada or a block of jarlsberg triscuits and a cold bottle of vodka from the white bridge liquor shop in darien conn please take part in their survey it will be fascinating to see what everyones cooking and how and why
but perhaps you want to try cooking something new this weekend ive got an ace recipe up on cooking this week for the grilled chicken parm served at the speedy romeo restaurants in brooklyn and on the lower east side justin bazdarich the chef and an owner talked me through the technique of making it for a column in the times magazine i hope youll read that too
or maybe you could assay julia moskins recipe for porchetta which she just brought home from umbria its designed for cooking on a grill but you could knock it down in an oven if a grills unavailable to you serve it with bread or sage scented roast potatoes
after reading ligaya mishans sweet review of the crabby shack a seafood emporium in crown heights brooklyn all you may want to do is eat crab i like the brooklyn tough guy tony durazzos recipe for spaghetti and crabs on a summer evening or matt lee and ted lees adaptation of the recipe for chili crab that zakary pelaccio used to serve at fatty crab in new york
hot crab and oyster dip from melissa clark steamed blue crabs if you can find some peelers as the kids down in the city that reads call soft shell crabs try melissas recipe for soft shell crab toast
then for dessert you may try emily weinsteins recipe for the simplest strawberry tart or my even easier recipe for poundcake and strawberries which truthfully you could make with an entenmanns loaf and still be happy or you could make whoopie pies
that should get you started anyway other recipes to cook this weekend can be found on cooking as always please save the ones you like to your recipe box and rate them when youre done cooking did you successfully substitute lamb for beef anchovies for soy sauce watercress for sorrel leave a note on the recipe so that others may benefit from your adventurousness
and if you run into problems either with our technology or with something weve written please ask for help were at cookingcarenytimescom as for me im a digital immigrant with a love of his country reach me on twitter instagram facebook and pinterest or send a note to foodeditornytimescom
now lets watch andre previn and dinah shore sing begin the beguine and april in paris together and at the same time in 1959 have you seen the beguiling trailer for swallows and amazons yet or the somewhat more terrifying one for the shallows absolutely let us bow our heads for ralph stanley the king of mountain music who died yesterday at 89 here he is singing o death


times insider delivers behind the scenes insights from the new york times below are highlights from radio and television interviews featuring times reporters and editors
nicholas casey the timess andes bureau chief joined kpcc radios take two to discuss the effects of venezuelas drought and economic meltdown
mark leibovich chief national correspondent for the new york times magazine joined msnbcs morning joe to discuss his latest cover story for the magazine on the republican partys self immolation in the midst of donald j trumps campaign
carl hulse chief washington correspondent for the times joined pbss charlie rose for a conversation about the senates vote on gun safety measures
john schwartz a science reporter at the times joined wamu radios the diane rehm show for an in depth conversation about climate change


front page
because of a production error the continuation of an article about a sit in by house democrats was omitted from some copies on thursday the complete article can be found at nytimescomus also because of a production error pages a4 and b4 were reversed in some copies though the continuation of an article about transgender bathroom rights in a town in mexico appeared on page a10 in all editions the beginning of the article erroneously appeared in the business section in some copies the complete article can be found at nytimescomworld

an article on tuesday about the orlando police departments continuing defense of how it handled the nightclub massacre that left 49 people dead and 53 wounded misspelled the surname of a survivor who discussed law enforcements efforts the night of the shooting he is norman casiano not caisano
business day
a news analysis article on thursday about politically inspired questioning of the federal reserve chairwoman janet l yellen at a house hearing misstated the given name of a member of congress from washington state he is denny heck not danny

an article on thursday about resistance by insurers to payment for alternative pain treatments misidentified the medical specialty of dr steven feinberg who commented on the issue he is a specialist in physical medicine not a psychiatrist

the economic scene column on wednesday about challenges facing the european union whether or not britain elects to withdraw gave an outdated academic affiliation in some copies for kevin orourke who commented on the issue he is an economic historian at the university of oxford no longer at trinity college in dublin
sports
an article on monday about the performance of minnesota twins first baseman joe mauer this season overstated the significance of his three batting titles as a catcher he was the first american league catcher to win multiple batting titles it is not the case that no catcher had won multiple batting titles until mauer did ernie lombardi won two national league batting titles in 1938 and 1942
the arts
an article on thursday about the financial performance of four broadway shows misstated the cost of producing one of them american psycho cost 88 million to produce not 98 million
opinon
because of an editing error a letter on saturday about rape and intoxication misspelled the surname of the writer whose essay prompted the letter she is emily bazelon not bazelton
the times welcomes comments and suggestions or complaints about errors that warrant correction messages on news coverage can be e mailed to nytnewsnytimescom or left toll free at 1 844 nyt news 1 844 698 6397 comments on editorials may be e mailed to lettersnytimescom or faxed to 212 556 3622
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utica ny   the first trial began on thursday in what new york authorities say was a 14 hour group attack during a church counseling session that left a young man dead and his brother injured
in his opening statement the oneida county district attorney scott mcnamara detailed the role of the victims half sister sarah ferguson 33 in the assault last october that killed lucas leonard 19 and put his 17 year old brother in the hospital ms ferguson mr mcnamara said used the plug end of a power cord to repeatedly strike her brothers in the groin
ms ferguson faces murder and manslaughter charges she was one of nine relatives and church members charged after the beating inside the word of life christian church a family run congregation operating out of a former school that also served as a communal home for several members
mr mcnamara said the teenagers had been ordered during the beating to repent for sins that included using a voodoo doll and molesting children police officials said that there was no evidence to support the sex abuse claim and that the counseling session had been called after the brothers discussed leaving the secretive church
this was a modern day witch trial mr mcnamara told the judge presiding over the trial ms ferguson had waived her right to a jury trial this week
her lawyer rebecca wittman declined to deliver an opening statement thursday she said ms ferguson would testify at the trial
lucas leonard died slowly after collapsing and losing consciousness as blood from a cut to his penis saturated his left pant leg and sneaker mr mcnamara said by the time church members took him to a hospital his heart had stopped he said
the younger brother christopher leonard was hospitalized for a week with life threatening damage to his kidneys and injuries to a lung the prosecutor said
mr mcnamara said ms ferguson who had blood on her clothing ignored the severity of her brothers injuries and failed to get medical help that could have saved lucas leonard
the victims father bruce leonard pleaded guilty on wednesday to assault for his role in the beating and agreed to testify against ms ferguson and the remaining defendants their mother deborah leonard pleaded guilty to assault in december with the same conditions
the other defendants were expected to be tried in the fall on varying counts of second degree murder manslaughter kidnapping assault and gang assault they include the pastor tiffanie irwin who deborah leonard said was viewed as a prophet ms irwins mother traci irwin and the pastors brothers joseph and daniel irwin two other church members linda morey and her son david morey also are charged all have pleaded not guilty


a disagreement over how a select group of russian track and field athletes can compete at the olympics   either under their countrys flag or a neutral one   should eventually be settled said sebastian coe the president of the international association of athletics federations
the iaaf and the international olympic committee have been at odds over how to handle russian athletes who apply for exceptional dispensation to compete in the olympics despite the doping ban imposed on the countrys track and field team
they have to be out of the country in an untainted system that we can verify is safe and secure and free from malign influences coe said
the iaaf would allow a small number of athletes to apply to compete under a neutral flag the ioc has said such athletes would compete under their national banner in rio
these details need to be worked through coe said he added that both organizations were determined to create a level playing field for clean athletes
tennessee titans linebacker derrick morgan said the nfl should study how medical marijuana could help players
morgan wrote on twitter its time for the nfl to take an honest look into the potential medical benefits of cannabis for its players
the post came after offensive tackle eugene monroe recommended that the nfl stop testing players for marijuana he was released last week by the baltimore ravens
pinch runner cameron maybin easily scored on a bases loaded wild pitch with two outs in the 10th inning and detroit beat visiting seattle 5 4 to earn a four game sweep
it was the tigers first four game sweep of seattle since august 1980 at tiger stadium
nelson cruz homered twice and chris iannetta and leonys martin hit back to back drives for the mariners who lost their sixth in a row
mariners starter adrian sampson left the game with discomfort in his right elbow while warming up for the first inning
kyle ryan 3 2 put a man on third with no outs in the 10th before earning the win
around the majors freddy galvis homered and drove in a career high five runs to help visiting philadelphia beat minnesota 7 3 and end a nine game losing streak galvis had a three run homer and knocked in runs with a sacrifice and a sixth inning triple phillies starter jerad eickhoff 5 9 gave up one earned run in six innings xander bogaerts singled in the game winning run in the 10th inning and host boston beat the chicago white sox 8 7 to avert a sweep the white sox loaded the bases with nobody out in the top of the 10th but craig kimbrel 1 3 got j b shuck on an infield pop up then struck out tim anderson and adam eaton in the bottom half chicagos matt purke walked two before bogaerts lined a pitch up the middle allowing mookie betts to score from second
jon rahm had a professional debut to remember shooting a seven under par 64 to take the first round lead in the quicken loans national at congressional country club in bethesda md
rahm 21 the only amateur to make the cut last week at the united states open had a one stroke lead over jhonattan vegas and a two stroke advantage over a pack that included ernie els who won the 1997 open at congressional
alexander povetkin the russian boxer who tested positive for a banned substance before a heavyweight title bout with deontay wilder countersued the champion in a dispute over their canceled fight
the countersuit filed ten days after wilder sued povetkin and his promoter for breach of contract alleges that wilder broke the contract by walking away from the fight after learning that povetkin had tested positive for the banned substance meldonium rather than waiting for the world boxing council to decide what to do
povetkins suit which also alleges defamation seeks more than 34 million in damages reuters


with a hot tea in his hand and his yellow cab parked on east 28th street samkar padder savored a break from the manhattan streets he has driven on for more than 16 years
like other independent drivers mr padder 42 decides when he needs a break whether it is for coffee a restroom stop or a little fresh air
the new york city taxi and limousine commission concerned about driver fatigue wants a bigger say in how long and how often breaks should be and on thursday drivers turned out by the dozens to denounce the proposed rules
appearing at the commissions monthly meeting in lower manhattan drivers said new limitations would cut into their income and pile on more restrictions in an industry that was already heavily regulated
taxi drivers are currently limited to shifts of 12 hours which are common in the industry a break of any length like mr padders tea stop resets that clock
i know how to take a rest when i need it said james rahming 51 a taxi driver for me to stay awake at least 15 hours my body is used to it it sounds like a lot but it goes by quickly
the proposed rules which are to be voted on at the commissions next meeting on july 18 would apply not only to taxi drivers but also to all for hire drivers including ones for services like uber the rules would among other changes limit them to 12 hours per day of transporting passengers
at the hearing meera joshi the commissions chairwoman said that the proposals were based on a review of best practices and an analysis of data and that they were essential to ensuring passenger safety service without safety standards is actually a disservice to drivers passengers and the public she said
driver fatigue has long been a concern for people who drive for a living whether trucks buses or taxis though new york citys rules for cabbies have been relatively permissive but momentum for tightening the rules has been building since luisa rosario 88 was killed last year in manhattan in a crash involving a taxi driver who had been on the road for 16 hours with minimal breaks ramon henriquez a relative of ms rosario endorsed the proposed restrictions at the hearing
i want changes in the laws because our family has suffered he said in an interview this is happening daily after 12 hours working a person is exhausted
the centers for disease control and prevention says being awake for 18 hours results in impairment equal to blood alcohol concentrations of 005 which is considered driving while under the influence in the state being awake for 24 hours is equal to a concentration of 010 above the 008 legal limit
under the proposed rules drivers would also be prohibited from picking up passengers for more than 72 hours a week a base could not dispatch a driver for more than 12 hours a day drivers would be responsible for tracking their hours
this is an injustice mr padder said without 14 hours you cant make 400 a day without that money i cannot feed my family
most drivers do not work such long shifts the commission said in its notice for the public hearing three percent of drivers for hire in the city typically drive for more than 12 hours per day and less than 7 percent drive for more than 72 hours per week
data gathered by the commission shows that in 2014 and 2015 the crash rate of taxi drivers working more than 12 hours was 238 percent higher than that of drivers working 12 or fewer hours the crash rate of taxi drivers who worked 72 hours or more in a week was 86 percent higher than for those who worked 72 hours or fewer
drivers said the new rules were symptomatic of the problems facing an industry struggling to compete with app based services while also wrestling with new efforts to regulate for hire vehicles
sergio cabrera 53 said he was often in his cab 18 hours a day like a majority of drivers he is not driving the entire time he estimates he is actually transporting passengers for 10 hours below the proposed limit
it really doesnt change anything he said of the proposed rules


atlanta   as the mets were rejoined thursday by two of their most important players noah syndergaard and yoenis cespedes the injury riddled team moved closer to its version of normal the alarms that went off when syndergaard and cespedes left wednesday afternoons game against the kansas city royals with injuries were calmed later that night
the level of relief comes from now you do know that theyve just been checked out and theres nothing seriously going on said john ricco the mets assistant general manager but its part of the day to day of the long season
still not whole yet the mets dropped their fourth straight game to the atlanta braves with thursdays 4 3 loss matt harvey battled with his command and allowed two runs on eight hits but managed to record his fifth straight start of at least six innings but reliever addison reed allowed a go ahead two run homer to adonis garcia in the eighth inning syndergaard and cespedes watched the game from the bench
syndergaard 8 2 with a 208 era has been given anti inflammatory medication for his right elbow discomfort a magnetic resonance imaging exam showed that his right arm was structurally sound so team officials said he was scheduled to make his next start on monday against the nationals
cespedes received a cortisone shot for his sprained left wrist although cespedes said he was ready right now to play manager terry collins gave him a day off
collins said he was initially very concerned about cespedes because he never says anything about injuries cespedes who is batting 290 with 18 home runs alerted the mets head athletic trainer ray ramirez last week that his wrist was bothering him but on wednesday cespedes said the discomfort reached a point where he couldnt grip the bat well
cespedes said he dealt with a similar wrist problem in 2013 and missed only three games ricco said that dr david altchek the mets medical director felt cespedes could play through the injury cespedes will be monitored because injuries to a wrist or a hand can linger for hitters
i dont think its something that will be a problem but this game beats these guys up so its something that hes going to have to play through ricco said
cespedess replacement on thursday the struggling alejandro de aza went 2 for 4 and drove in a run second baseman neil walker drove in the mets other two runs
the mets played down syndergaards ailment as a persistent problem in early may syndergaard also had elbow discomfort but he has pitched well since
its part of the normal course of a season ricco said and with noah and with these top guys weve asked them to be more forthcoming so we encourage them to tell us whats going on and were going to keep a close eye on them
it can be a tough balance for players aches and pains will arise during a season and players want to overcome them but collins and ricco both said they have reminded the younger players to speak up if anything feels off
collins said syndergaard like his fellow starter steven matz would cut back on his work between starts to limit wear and tear so he can stay fresh for the second half of the season matz who had tommy john surgery earlier in his career has also complained of elbow discomfort this season including after his start last week
were going to keep very close reins on him for sure collins said of matz
to keep his young starters in a regular rhythm collins said he would rather limit their pitch counts than skip starts
bartolo colon who left his last start early because a batted ball hit his thumb remains on track to make his next start on sunday collins said starter zack wheeler elbow and first baseman lucas duda back still have further to go in their efforts to return
the mets nearly had a chance to enjoy an injury free victory on thursday but the bullpen faltered harvey departed after six innings with the mets leading 3 2
clinging to a one run lead reliever sean gilmartin escaped an eventful seventh inning thanks to a strong throw from left fielder michael conforto and a tag by catcher travis darnaud to cut down a runner and save a run the braves interim manager brian snitker was ejected for erupting at the umpires following an unsuccessful challenge
an inning later the mets squandered their lead jerry blevinss streak of 21 straight games without allowing a run was snapped he gave up a single and got an out then reed appearing in his third straight game coughed up the decisive runs on a fastball over the heart of the strike zone that garcia sent over the left field wall


greenburgh ny   in message and tone phil jackson did not sugarcoat or oversell the most intriguing trade he has made as the knicks team president speaking quietly almost somberly with reporters before the nba draft on thursday night jackson said of the newly acquired derrick rose
we know hes had issues theres always risk reward in this business
the knicks needed a decisive attack guard jackson said while meeting with reporters at the teams training facility weighing the players available in the free agent market and the knicks chances of landing them trading for rose was a decision we really had to think about
rose will meet with members of the news media friday at madison square garden
the trade with the chicago bulls also brought justin holiday a swingman who could stick as a bench player and a 2017 second round draft pick but it left a gaping hole at center with the departure of robin lopez   along with point guards jerian grant and jose calderon
when asked if flipping the teams most glaring need to center from guard made sense because he was more confident of landing a free agent big man jackson said youre on the right track
he didnt name anyone he would target but joakim noah and pau gasol both teammates of roses in chicago and the cerebral type players jackson admires figure to be possibilities
with arron afflalo opting out of his deal for next season the knicks are also lacking a starter at the shooting guard position there has been speculation that evan turner late of the boston celtics might be a candidate but with only five players currently under contract and roughly 30 million to spend much will depend on how much jackson will have to pay to replace lopez
we have to get better in the market he said we have a variety of possibilities
one of them will not be to shift kristaps porzingis to center for his second season jeff hornacek the new coach made that much clear
speaking after jackson hornacek said that porzingis at this stage of his career would not be well served by more than a few minutes a night of entanglement with heavier stronger players
hornacek and jackson both said that the addition of rose would benefit porzingis and carmelo anthony given roses ability to attack in transition an element largely lacking this past season with the slower calderon and the inexperienced grant
hes not the derrick rose of four or five years ago with his speed hornacek said but hes still pretty quick
since hornacek was hired last month the assumption has been that he will have the freedom to choose his offensive style as long as it fills jacksons desire for what he calls system basketball which involves all five players
rose who will be 28 when next season begins has mainly played in the more common high screen and roll type offense hornacek said he doubted that rose would have difficulty in whatever applications of the triangle offense hornacek may use
ball movement would be essential in any fast paced offense hornacek said and it would also be the key in rose developing chemistry with anthony and porzingis
they need each other hornacek said adding that he knew little of reports that rose and jimmy butler had problems coexisting in chicagos backcourt last season leading to roses exit
after all that rose has been through in chicago with injuries after winning the leagues most valuable player award in the 2010 11 season and entering the final year of his contract leaving his hometown for new york might be just what he needs
maybe thats the little break he needs hornacek said take the pressure off him let him play
jackson said that rose had assured him he was happy with the trade he has been working out in los angeles where he will remain until training camp begins in october
hornaceks teams in phoenix relied heavily on creative guard play but jackson said the pursuit of rose was already in play before hornacek was hired
rose played in 66 games this past season averaging 318 minutes while getting stronger and shooting better later in the season that said the knicks do not have a viable backup on the roster another complication to factor into the free agent sweepstakes and jacksons effective use of his available salary cap space
given roses history hornacek said he would not mind having two reliable backups at his disposal
we have to be alert to how many minutes hes playing he said of rose
jackson did not sound optimistic that help would come from the draft he began the night without a pick in either round having used three players to land rose the roster was stripped of trade assets and jackson elected not to buy a second round pick though the vertical reported after the draft that the knicks had agreed with the undrafted wichita state guard ron baker on a partially guaranteed one year deal
the knicks are also hoping to bring in willy hernangomez a 6 foot 10 forward from spain selected in the second round by philadelphia last year and dealt to the knicks
free agents will follow in early july but none are likely to be as big a name as rose who may also be coming with a swirl of controversy around him a lawsuit filed last year by a former girlfriend charged that rose and two other men drugged her and sexually assaulted her in 2013 and it is scheduled for trial in october
rose has denied the allegations and jackson asked about the case said im aware of it yes


new york citys game of cones between mister softee and new york ice cream continued this week as the battling of the two companies moved from the streets of midtown to the federal courtroom in lower manhattan
while new york ice cream drivers have been accused of intimidating their frozen confection competition with threats and strong arm tactics the owner of the company dimitrios tsirkos owes hundreds of thousands of dollars to mister softee for breaching franchise agreements trademark infringement and other unfair business practices
on thursday judge laura taylor swain held mr tsirkos in contempt of court for failing to begin payments on a 97000 judgment handed down in 2014
the judge dismissed claims from mr tsirkoss lawyer that the ice cream operator was an unsophisticated businessman who did not realize that he owed the money it beggars belief she said that mr tsirkos was ignorant to the charges
frank a reino a lawyer for mister softee asked the judge to also hold mr tsirkos in contempt of court for the other fines they claim he owes hes buried his head in the sand said mr reino
the defendant was absent from court his lawyer peter moulinos declined to comment
mr tsirkos had been a franchise owner of mister softee trucks for decades he defected in 2014 when according to court papers he stopped paying franchise fees then he removed several of his trucks from the depot and altered the trademarked cone head figure a smiling tuxedoed wafer cone to a smiling tuxedoed waffle cone with sprinkles under the name master softee the fleet has since been painted all white and renamed new york ice cream
mister softee sued now all told mr tsirkos owes mister softee 767000 almost half of which is for mounting legal fees so far mister softees lawyers said they had been able to seize only 2426
for years mister softee has been pursuing mr tsirkos but his legal representation has been in flux a previous lawyer failed to show up in court which is why mr tsirkos claims not to have known about the order to begin payments multiple letters had been sent to his home and truck depot his wife testified that she had given the letters to her husband she too is being sued by mister softee which has accused her of hiding money for her husband judge swain described the tactic of shifting money between accounts as playing whac a mole
in may judge swain ordered him to start paying 6000 a month which he has yet to do on thursday the judge gave him until monday to pay 12000 for the delinquent payments
when i sign an order it is not a suggestion she told the court
if mr tsirkos fails to make good on the judges order by monday he could face further sanctions from the court or arrest
jeffrey zucker who has been representing mister softee since 1998 said mr tsirkos was running out of places to hide bankruptcy is an option but he has too many assets mr zucker said
according to mr zucker mr tsirkos also receives income from rental apartments and 30 or so ice cream trucks
hes not some little guy thats scraping by said mr zucker he lives a nice life
mister softee has no plans to back down like i told his lawyer said mr zucker were not going away


youd hardly expect the mayor of new york city with its 82 billion budget and 300000 employees to get involved with buying garbage bags
for years joseph dussich the owner of a company in queens that makes anti rat garbage bags could not get city officials to consider buying them
last year though that changed after mr dussich made the second of two donations of 50000 apiece to a political advocacy group run by allies of mayor bill de blasio
ten days later records show mr de blasio met with mr dussich in city hall to thank him for the contributions the meeting was arranged by one of the mayors chief fund raisers ross offinger according to two people familiar with the account that mr dussich has given to federal authorities investigating city hall fund raising
mr dussich who brought one of his sons to the meeting chatted briefly with mr de blasio a democrat about their shared italian heritage
as the visit with mr de blasio was breaking up mr dussich was met at the mayors office by a city hall aide peter hatch who then connected mr dussich to purchasing officials at the parks department
within a month mr dussichs company jad corporation of america was given a 15000 contract that allowed parks officials to try out his product mint x a heavy duty scented bag that is advertised as repellent against the norway rat
later the city sought bids for a five year supply of bags registered with the environmental protection agency as rodent repellent mr dussichs website claims mint x is the only such bag on the market he was not the low bidder but the company that did get the city contract is buying about 3 million in bags from him according to mr dussichs lawyer roland g riopelle
in the account given by mr dussich there was no talk of the garbage bags with mr de blasio during the brief meeting were confident that once the governments investigation is completed they will find that my client didnt do anything wrong mr riopelle said
as widely reported last month when fbi agents arrived unannounced at parks department headquarters their questioning of the agencys senior purchasing official was interrupted by lawyers with the city corporation counsels office who insisted on being present
the mayors office would not discuss the donations the meeting the calls or the purchase of the mint x bags
were confident that the parks department and this administration have acted appropriately and done everything by the book eric falk phillips the mayors press secretary said on thursday our interest in respecting and protecting the integrity of the us attorneys review prohibits us from commenting further right now
new yorkers are not shy about buttonholing their mayors with issues as granular as potholes on a specific avenue noisy streetlights or their own schemes to improve city services
whether legal or not the garbage bag episode illustrates the collapse of careful defenses built up in the city over the last three decades against pay to play practices in which people gave campaign contributions to gain access to or favors from powerful officials
public financing of campaigns started in new york city in the late 1980s helped liberate the city from pay to play which was rampant at the time laws passed in the last decade limited people or companies doing business with the city from contributing to official campaigns
but independent spenders raising unlimited contributions and making unlimited expenditures can skew those boundaries rapidly according to a 2014 report by the campaign finance board the report said the supreme courts citizens united ruling in 2010   which lifted limits on spending by groups that were on paper at least independent of campaigns   had a profound effect on the city campaigns in 2013
outside spending is not new to city elections the report said but the scope was astonishing 159 million spent over all 62 million in city council primaries alone
mr de blasios campaign was the beneficiary of the bulk of the independent money spent during the 2013 primaries and general election after he took office in 2014 his allies again used nominally independent entities just as surrogates of the governors of new york new jersey and other states have done the de blasio affiliated campaign for one new york was created to advance his prekindergarten and affordable housing initiatives and raised more than 4 million before closing in march much of that came in the form of unlimited donations from companies and unions doing business with the city the campaign voluntarily disclosed its contributors
among them joseph dussich maker of the mint x anti rat bag guest of the mayor at city hall and after years of facing slammed doors a suddenly successful vendor


a former suburban dallas police officer who resigned after video showed him forcing a bikini clad black 15 year old girl to the ground will not be charged in the matter the police said on thursday a collin county grand jury decided not to indict the former mckinney officer eric casebolt who pushed the girl to the ground after a june 2015 party at a pool that drew a crowd of predominantly black teenagers the episode drew protests from civil rights groups it was not clear just what charge the jury was considering police commanders plan to hold a community meeting on monday to discuss the investigation with residents cellphone videos showed mr casebolt who is white running after black teenagers and ordering them to the ground then forcing the girl onto her stomach and placing his knees on her back he drew his firearm after two young men charged forward in apparent protest but holstered the weapon when two other officers intervened ap
a former civilian defense department officer who oversaw military contracts pleaded guilty to bribery on thursday in connection with a navy corruption case involving a malaysian businessman who prosecutors say bilked the military out of more than 34 million paul simpkins entered his plea in federal court in san diego prosecutors said he accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in exchange for helping singapore based businessman leonard francis mr simpkins is among more than a dozen people charged in the scandal centered on mr francis who pleaded guilty to bribery charges and is awaiting sentencing ap
filtered tap water is safe for everyone in flint the federal government said thursday lifting a recommendation that pregnant women nursing mothers and children under 6 drink only bottled water to avoid lead exposure the announcement was based on tests of filters that had been distributed for months for free by the state of michigan the environmental protection agency said the filters remove or reduce lead to well below the action level of 15 parts per billion although no lead is considered safe some samples from high risk areas in flint have been coming back at less than 1 part per billion flint used the flint river for 18 months but lead leached from old pipes at homes because the water was not treated to control corrosion although the city switched water sources last fall there still is lead in the system it is encouraging news said mayor karen weaver who said she still wanted all lead tainted plumbing replaced ap


as the annual march with its dozens of floats and some 20000 participants proceeds down fifth avenue in manhattan in a celebration of lesbian gay transgender and bisexual pride on sunday thousands of new york city police officers will be spread among the crowd
some will be on the streets in uniform others in plain clothes officers will be posted on rooftops along the route and even on boats in the hudson river standing by as marchers approach the endpoint in greenwich village
you will be safe mayor bill de blasio said speaking of the gay pride march at a news conference at the lesbian gay bisexual and transgender community center on thursday you will be protected
but the plans for a heightened security presence amplified after the mass killings this month inside a gay nightclub in orlando fla have highlighted a rift between the police and some in the gay community over the very definition of security it is a disagreement activists said that is rooted in a turbulent history which has left some lesbian gay bisexual and transgender people feeling disrespected and marginalized by the police force rather than protected by it
after the orlando shootings the police department in new york stepped up its presence deploying officers armed with long guns at gay landmarks and gathering places such as the stonewall inn in the west village officials said the response similar to their handling of events like the macys thanksgiving day parade or pope franciss visit last year was meant to reassure people as well as protect them
nothing about that made me feel safe said fred ginyard the director of organizing for fierce a group focused on supporting young lesbian gay bisexual and transgender minority members if anything the only thing that came to mind was this gun is so big you have to hold it with two hands the only thing youre doing is shooting someone killing a person and that is terrifying
during a vigil attended by thousands outside the stonewall inn jeers and calls to end police brutality drowned out police commissioner william j bratton as he tried to speak and last week the audre lorde project an organization focused on social justice for lesbian gay bisexual and transgender minorities and named for the civil rights activist condemned the militarization of our mourning the group urged gay people to turn to each other for community safety rather than relying on systems that were never meant for us
but commissioner bratton who will march behind the police department band with his wife on sunday has pushed back defending his department and its place safeguarding the city and its gay residents im sorry were here to protect you he said one way we can protect you is by having police visibility to prevent an act from occurring
we are here the commissioner added and we are committed to being here to protect everybody in this city and that means everybody
the parade has over time become a free spirited event buoyed in recent years by the legalization of same sex marriage but the organizers of the march and other nyc pride events acknowledged tensions between some participants and the police the march itself began after the rebellion at the stonewall inn an uprising sparked by police harassment almost 50 years ago
over the past three decades organizers said they have forged a better relationship with the police department and worked closely with them in discussions on security before the march which drew an estimated 16 million people last year this year with a larger crowd expected the police said the bigger deployment was necessary
we know that it can be intimidating for people to see that kind of weaponry at an event said james fallarino a spokesman for nyc pride which organized the weeklong events that culminate with the march but we are counting on the police department to do the best job they can to protect all of our guests
today police officials say the department has evolved into a far different organization than what it was five decades ago gay lesbian bisexual and transgender officers serve openly and training at the police academy and throughout the department now includes lessons on how to act with awareness and sensitivity
in 2012 in a move hailed as a victory by activists the police department changed its patrol guide to require officers to refer to transgender people by their preferred names and pronouns and to abide by their gender identity when housing them it also prohibits officers from strip searching a person to determine their gender
on thursday city officials showed off a police sport utility vehicle that was outfitted with rainbow stripes and a marquee scrolling the words nypd out and proud mayor de blasio called the vehicle a real act of solidarity
we have traveled in a space of a few decades to a point now where this nypd not only has hundreds of lgbt officers but regards itself as here to protect the lgbt community from any discrimination or hate crimes he said thats a sea change
activists say a sizable segment of the lesbian gay bisexual and transgender population has been excluded in that wave of progress particularly transgender or gender nonconforming minorities and those who come from poor backgrounds
it is a population troubled by high levels of homelessness poverty and violence and one that remains suspicious of the authorities researchers have found its members claim that they are routinely profiled by the police or have interactions where they are misidentified in terms of gender harassed or left feeling belittled
there has been some improvement kevin nadal the executive director of the center for lesbian gay transgender bisexual and queer studies at the city university of new york said but i dont think theres any improvement that shows what ideal policing looks like
some groups like the audre lorde project are trying to minimalize the role of the police by providing their own security for events and training people to spot trouble and de escalate situations we see this as a moment of understanding the role of safety defined by community said cara page its executive director
in a lot of neighborhoods were not going to call the cops anyway she said if theres a conflict we are really looking at other ways to interrupt that conflict without needing to put anyone in prison
on sunday teams of so called cop watchers will be deployed around the parade route aiming cameras at the police and recording their interactions
yul san liem a co director of the justice committee usually patrols with a team in queens around jackson heights corona and elmhurst but on sunday she will push her way through the crowds at the parade
its super important for there to be people who are out being vigilant watching the cops she said ready to capture it if anything goes down


jerusalem   echoing anti semitic claims that led to the mass killings of european jews in medieval times president mahmoud abbas of the palestinian authority accused rabbis in israel of calling on their government to poison the water used by palestinians
he made the unsubstantiated allegation during a speech to the european parliament on thursday
prime minister benjamin netanyahu of israel said in a statement later that mr abbas had spread a blood libel in the speech
mr abbas made the allegation in the context of calling for the revival of a long dormant committee of israeli palestinian and american officials that was created to expose and denounce incitements from either side in the israeli palestinian conflict we are against incitement he began in his speech
just a week ago a week a group of rabbis in israel announced in a clear announcement demanding their government to poison to poison the water of the palestinians he said is this not incitement is this not clear incitement to the mass murder of the palestinian people
mr abbas was repeating a claim initially made on the website of an office of the palestine liberation organization anadolu the turkish state run news agency repeated the claim on sunday it was echoed in the gulf news a daily newspaper in dubai the anadolu article said that a rabbi shlomo mlma whom it called the chairman of the council of rabbis in the west bank settlements had issued an advisory opinion in which he allowed jewish settlers to poison water in palestinian villages and cities in the west bank
the israeli newspaper haaretz reported that news outlets had not been able to find a rabbi mlma or any listing for the council mentioned in the article
mr abbass remarks were not included in the official arabic transcript issued by his office and his advisers and spokesmen were not available for comment on thursday night but the claims also appeared on the website of the palestinian ministry of foreign affairs
mr abbas along with president reuven rivlin of israel had been invited to brussels by european officials hoping to rekindle peace negotiations mr abbas who did not meet with mr rivlin in brussels received a standing ovation at the end of his 43 minute speech
in brussels abu mazen showed his true face said the statement from mr netanyahus office referring to mr abbas by his nickname someone who refuses to meet president rivlin and prime minister netanyahu for direct negotiations and spreads a blood libel in the european parliament falsely claims that his hand is extended in peace
jewish groups quickly condemned mr abbass comments
it is unconscionable that a foreign leader proudly states a blood libel in the european parliament and he receives a standing ovation moshe kantor the president of the european jewish congress said in a statement
the gulf news article reported that breaking the silence an israeli organization critical of israels military occupation of the west bank had made the claims a spokesman for the organization told haaretz that it had no knowledge of the affair
rumors that jews had poisoned wells and other sources of water arose in the 14th century as the bubonic plague raged across much of europe the rumors led to the destruction of scores of jewish communities in basel switzerland and strasbourg france hundreds of jews were burned alive
the latest accusations came amid a water shortage in some palestinian communities in the west bank exacerbated by the summer heat advocacy groups and palestinian officials charge that a discriminatory system allows israelis to have more water than palestinians the united nations also reported instances in which jewish settlers have taken control of wells once used by palestinians in the west bank
mr abbas did not touch on those issues in his speech
in october he erroneously accused israeli forces of killing a 13 year old palestinian boy who had taken part in the stabbing of two israelis the boy had actually been wounded and later recovered


a gourmet moonshine maker in kentucky may have won a public relations battle with the states biggest university but on thursday he lost his legal war
colin fultz the owner of kentucky mist moonshine   an upscale distillery that sells fruit infused moonshine in the central appalachian town of whitesburg ky   has spent the past eight months embroiled in a trademark dispute with the university of kentucky over who owns the rights to the name kentucky
the university   whose wildcats basketball team brings in millions of dollars in revenue each year   says it does in 1997 it trademarked the word kentucky for use on clothing when mr fultz opened shop last october in his home city whitesburg and tried to trademark his business name the university tried to block him from doing so for apparel officials said they mostly hoped to open negotiations with mr fultz to keep him from marketing kentucky mist moonshine t shirts in the schools signature colors of royal blue and white
instead mr fultz filed suit but on thursday a federal court in lexington sided with the university and dismissed his case
in a 32 page ruling judge danny c reeves of the united states district court for the eastern district of kentucky accepted the universitys arguments that it was immune from being sued and that kentucky mist had no standing to bring the case the judge also chided the moonshine distillery as attempting to create a controversy
jay blanton a university spokesman said the school was pleased with the strongly worded opinion mr fultz said he would press on with his broader effort to trademark his business name with the federal patent and trademark office though he conceded our court case is kind of out the window
the flap between the moonshine maker and the basketball behemoth created an uproar in whitesburg a city of 2100 people on the north fork of the kentucky river mr fultz who lost a republican primary bid this spring for the state house of representatives has gained a measure of celebrity and many in whitesburg regarded the university as a bully
the court ruling has not changed that said dee davis the president and founder of the center for rural strategies in whitesburg in an email message thursday it just looks like the court sided with the big shot against the little fellow mr davis wrote
as for mr fultz he said he is already selling royal blue kentucky mist moonshine shirts   and has no plans to stop were moonshiners he said theres no way were going to back down


washington   isabel aguilar had sworn she would not cry on thursday if the supreme court ruled against president obamas programs to give deportation protection to immigrants in the country illegally but she did
i am so tired and frustrated said ms aguilar 45 an undocumented immigrant from honduras living in maryland she would have been eligible for protection under the presidents initiatives because two of her children are citizens born in the united states
i was hoping for some relief she said now we have to keep on living with this fear
ms aguilar was among dozens of immigrants who gathered at the steps of the supreme court for the decision as others across the country congregated in city squares at churches and in front of televisions the justices 4 4 tie left in place an injunction by lower courts on mr obamas programs that has been in effect since february 2015
once word of the decision reached supporters of the presidents programs a defeated feeling filled the plaza outside the court as immigrants rolled up their banners and collected their poster boards they stopped to share hugs comforting pats on the arm or disappointed half smiles
more than four million immigrants would have been eligible for temporary deportation deferrals and work permits under programs mr obama announced in november 2014 the largest one deferred action for parents of americans and lawful permanent residents aims to prevent the separation of undocumented parents from their children who are in the country legally
many of those parents were angry or sad but also resigned because the courts decision left them with the same uncertainties they had before others put on brave faces saying the setback would spur them to do what they could even without legal status to turn out voters in the november elections who would push congress to give them a pathway to legal status
ricardo campos 27 said he would go from the supreme court to his home in silver spring md to tell his sister that she would not receive protection from deportation his sister has an american son with a heart condition he said the family from el salvador was uncertain how to care for the boy if his sister were forced to leave the country
we will take this fight to the polls and make sure someone who supports the immigrant community is elected said mr campos who has a deportation deferral from an earlier presidential program
that program known as deferred action for childhood arrivals was created in 2012 for young undocumented immigrants who came to the united states as children it was not affected by the supreme courts decision about 728000 young immigrants have received deferrals and work permits under that program known as daca
for undocumented parents the courts decision means a return to routines aimed at avoiding any brush with immigration authorities and to lives limited by a lack of social security numbers and working papers
the worry goes on for me and for my daughter said karen fiallos 37 a honduran who has been in the country for 14 years and is a single mother of a 13 year old american daughter she watched the news from her home near baltimore
ms fiallos who works cleaning houses said she had been going to immigration court regularly to fight a deportation order that might have been suspended if the presidents initiatives had gone forward each time she has a court date she said her daughter loses her appetite and does not want to go to school
she thinks i will leave and i wont come back ms fiallos said
mr obama sought to reassure immigrants on thursday saying in a news conference that revised enforcement priorities he also announced in 2014 would stay in place under those policies immigrant parents who have been in the country for many years and do not have a criminal record are not priorities for deportation
but immigrants pointed out that mothers and children who arrived in the recent border influx from central america were on the priority list ms aguilar said a neighbor of hers a central american mother with a 3 year old child was arrested by immigration agents on wednesday morning word of the deportation alarmed her neighborhood
in phoenix where state immigration laws have led to intense political fights in recent years immigrants said the courts decision made them more determined to press congress for change
claudia faudoa 44 said she moved to phoenix from mexico 22 years ago she and her husband also an undocumented mexican have three boys all american citizens she was fired from her job at a property management company in 2014 she said because she did not have a social security number since then she has not found steady work
it has been very difficult for me for my boys she said this is my home our home they deserve the best that i can give them
though despairing at first she focused on the future i think that what happened gives me more strength to keep fighting ms faudoa said we need some type of reform
many immigrant groups have been working this year with a dual strategy   helping people prepare to apply for the presidents programs if they started while holding training sessions to help legal immigrants naturalize and encouraging latino and other immigrant citizens to register to vote
in new york carmen salvador cried along with her two sons as they saw the news of the court decision on television in their brooklyn apartment ms salvador 36 came to the united states from mexico 16 years ago her 12 year old american born son ruben has only one kidney and she worries what could happen if he needs a transplant
without legal papers ms salvador has been able to find work only as a dog sitter between now and november she intends to urge her neighbors who are citizens to vote
im going to go out with my latino people and say hey vote for us she said


and with the third pick the nba draft could officially begin
that was the sense thursday night at barclays center after the first two selections went the way they had been projected to for weeks if not longer ben simmons the multitalented forward from louisiana state went no 1 to the philadelphia 76ers trailed shortly thereafter by brandon ingram whom the los angeles lakers took at no 2
with most nba fans   other than those in philadelphia and los angeles   not focused on the top two picks the real drama arrived at no 3
the boston celtics who owned eight picks at the start of the night including three in the first round seemed eager to unload the rights to whomever came after simmons and ingram   a diverse but purportedly limited pool of prospects that analysts did not exactly rave about
as the minutes ticked down a heavy sense of anticipation began to build rumors buzzed would the celtics manage to trade the pick in time
when the television broadcast cut to a commercial break however the camera crew scrambled into position in front of jaylen brown a 6 foot 7 forward from california finally commissioner adam silver emerged to confirm that brown wearing a wine red suit and a relieved expression would be bostons first pick of the night
i had no idea brown said i promise you i had no idea i was actually sweating bullets when the final seconds came in
trades had been heavily rumored all week but blockbusters did not shake up the top of the draft phoenix selected the 18 year old 7 foot 1 croatian dragan bender with the no 4 pick the same draft spot from which kristaps porzingis a latvian went to the knicks a year ago
with the no 5 pick minnesota went with kris dunn the point guard from providence the oklahoma shooting guard buddy hield new orleans and the kentucky freshman point guard jamal murray denver followed at nos 6 and 7
the first trade arrived when the sacramento kings swapped the rights to marquese chriss the washington power forward whom they selected eighth to the suns for the no 13 pick georgios papagiannis of greece and the 28th pick the kentucky freshman center skal labissiere
the biggest move of the night was a deal that sent the oklahoma city thunders serge ibaka to the orlando magic for victor oladipo ersan ilyasova and the rights to the no 11 pick domantas sabonis a 6 11 power forward from gonzaga
the flurry of activity toward the middle of the first round was not surprising it is generally believed that some players selected in the second round could emerge as serviceable role players down the road the depth and quality of the first round however were a little harder to gauge
not surprisingly in the weeks and days and hours before the draft a pattern of activity began to emerge among the teams holding the spots after no 2 it appeared they wanted to trade down in or perhaps out of the first round in exchange for somebody who could assist them right away
the sixers with their highest pick since selecting allen iverson first over all in 1996 were not entertaining any trade offers almost as soon as philadelphia won the lottery it seemed as though a union with simmons was a foregone conclusion philadelphias coach brett brown had even coached simmonss father david while with the melbourne tigers in an australian basketball league in 1989
simmons 19 became the third melbourne native to be chosen with the no 1 pick joining andrew bogut 2005 and kyrie irving 2011 who was born in australia but moved to new jersey at the age of 2
some analysts say simmons could be the best to emerge from the country he averaged 192 points 118 rebounds and 48 assists in his one season at louisiana state   a nightly display of productivity and versatility that was comparable to another former no 1 pick lebron james in fact simmons has been working out in cleveland to soak up time with james whom he considers a mentor
it honestly feels like all this pressure just has hopped off me simmons said now i can relax but now i know where im going to be more importantly i know where im headed and know i can really start working on what i need to work on for the team
simmons was one of a record 14 internationally born players selected in the first round most of these players had not been officially invited to the players designated area when their names were called they emerged from the stands walking past projected lottery picks still waiting
among them was labissiere who waited patiently along with washingtons dejounte murray whom the san antonio spurs selected 29th michigan states deyonta davis wound up leaving the floor before the celtics made him the first pick of the second round in a proposed trade the celtics dealt davis the freshman power forward to the memphis grizzlies
local fans of the new york basketball franchises could sympathize neither the knicks nor the nets owned a first round pick at the start of the night


the boeing company on thursday offered new details on its proposed passenger aircraft deal with iran and rejected suggestions that it had not done sufficient homework in identifying end users of the planes
in a letter to congressional critics of the politically delicate deal boeing said iran air the national airline intended to buy 80 passenger planes in a variety of models worth 176 billion and lease 29 of the companys 737s with deliveries projected to begin as early as next year
the letter by tim keating vice president of government operations also said we have a vigorous compliance mechanism at boeing with regard to the screening of all parties with which we do business
mr keating wrote that boeing had strictly adhered to dealings with iranian entities approved by united states sanctions monitors
we could not as a corporation be reasonably expected to have better intelligence resources than that of the us government mr keating wrote therefore we do rely upon the us government to provide the information needed for us to remain compliant
boeings proposed deal with iran air disclosed this month is potentially one of the most significant economic outcomes of the international nuclear agreement with iran that took effect in january which rescinded or eased many sanctions in exchange for irans verifiable commitments to peaceful nuclear activities
among the eased sanctions was a relaxed prohibition on irans ability to acquire aircraft for the national airlines aging commercial fleet
iran also has negotiated an agreement with airbus boeings major competitor to acquire more than 100 aircraft
the sale and lease of boeing jetliners if completed would constitute the biggest american business transaction with iran since the 1979 islamic revolution
other nonnuclear sanctions imposed by the united states against iran remain they include a prohibition on the use of the dollar by iran and its exclusion from the american banking system complicating how boeing would get paid boeings products also cannot be used by sanctioned entities in iran notably the islamic revolutionary guards corps
mr keating was responding to a june 16 letter from two republican congressmen peter roskam of illinois and jeb hensarling of texas who have been highly critical of any steps toward more normalized dealings with iran after more than four decades of mutual hostility and mistrust
the congressmen citing the united states designation of iran as a state sponsor of terrorism and what they described as irans systematic use of its commercial aircraft to aid hostile actors around the world requested that boeing explain how the company would prevent iranian use of boeing planes for such purposes
their letter also pointed out that five years ago iran air had been sanctioned by the united states for transporting military equipment on behalf of the islamic revolutionary guards corps and irans defense ministry while the sanctions designation against iran air was later dropped the congressmen wrote there is no reason to believe the company has ceased its malicious activity
mr keating said in the response that boeing had negotiated legally with iran under the conditions allowed by the nuclear agreement known as the joint comprehensive plan of action
he also wrote that boeing had reached no decisions yet on how to handle the iranian financing for the aircraft and reiterated the companys previous pledges to follow the united states governments determinations of what is allowed


athens   three people were killed and two were wounded thursday during a shootout in cyprus in the southeastern tourist resort town of ayia napa the police said
the police declined to speculate about what was behind the violence but terrorism appeared to have been ruled out the shooting may have been related to local criminal gangs
state radio reported one more fatality than the police saying that four people had been killed including a local businessman
serious crime is rare in cyprus which attracts more than two million tourists each year mainly from western europe but there are sporadic episodes of gang violence
in june 2012 five security guards were fatally shot in ayia napa in what was widely considered a contract killing


converse says its popular chuck taylor sneakers have many distinctive marks and it has taken to the courts to block other companies from selling shoes with a similar look
but on thursday an international trade commission said that not all parts are protected by trademark handing several major companies including walmart a win
the united states international trade commission barred any company from importing shoes that violated converses trademark diamond patterned outsole long a part of the chuck taylor sneakers that broad exclusion order goes beyond any one company giving converse protections against potential future knockoffs
in a more consequential decision for the retailers still battling the company in the courts however the commission said that many other parts of the sneakers look   the rubber toe band toe cap and stripes   do not have the same protections that means the retailers can continue to import and sell their shoes that look similar because their footwear does not have the diamond outsole
while we do not agree with all of the itcs findings we feel confident our rights will be vindicated on appeal said brian fogarty senior director global intellectual property litigation at nike which owns converse this is but one step in a long process
using its recognizable star and rubber toe front converse was one of the first companies to fuel americas obsession with athletic footwear as a fashion statement paving the way for shoe companies like nike reebok and adidas since the introduction of its first sneaker created for basketball players in 1917 converse says it has sold more than a billion pairs of shoes with its trademark striped midsole worldwide
the company even included photographs in its legal filings of famous people wearing its shoes   from sylvester stallone to snoop dogg to michelle obama
the broad appeal of the converse midsole trademark is evidenced by its appearance in all walks of life said in court documents from the feet of a toddler taking her first steps to a celebrity on the red carpet
in october 2014 converse took a two pronged approach to try to protect the trademark on its chuck taylor all stars it sued 31 companies in 22 cases in the united states district court in brooklyn separately the company also pursued a complaint with the united states international trade commission which has the power to block products that are considered to be counterfeit from entering the country
while converse could be awarded monetary damages through its civil suits an exclusion order from the trade commission offers sweeping protections against future counterfeiters converse would have been able to go after any products that violated its trademark designs even if the companies behind them were not named in the original itc complaint
in some ways its an almost perfect enforcement mechanism because if a good doesnt get to come in the country then it doesnt get to be sold at all said r polk wagner a professor of law at the university of pennsylvania law school who specializes in intellectual property
but that large net scared the shoe company new balance which sued converse in december 2014 in an attempt to invalidate some of the trademark features on the all stars the designs new balance argued were too broad and would catch other shoes with similar styles   including potentially new balances pf flyers although new balance was not named in the original litigation the company worried it might be swept up in the flurry of litigation including in the case before the itc
the ruling on thursday means that converse will be able to block any shoe that infringes on its diamond outsole from entering the country creating a huge headache for anybody trying to bring in these types of shoes because customs does not have the ability to make decisions in this area quickly according to susan k ross a federal regulatory lawyer who is a partner at mitchell silberberg  knupp a law firm in los angeles
the decision affirms some of the findings of an administrative law judge last november but overrules the judges decision that the midsole was a valid trademark
while the itc decision may not have a formal effect on the court cases lawyers for both sides could use the commissions decision to bolster their cases most of the 31 defendants in the federal district court case brought by converse including kmart have settled only walmart skechers and highline united which sells shoes under the ash brand remain
both sides can appeal the itc ruling highline united and new balance could not be reached or did not respond to requests for comment
in separate statements both walmart and skechers said they were pleased with the trade commissions decision
walmart is an intellectual property owner and respects the intellectual property rights of others the company said


democratic lawmakers in new jersey set the stage on thursday for another showdown with gov chris christie over the states minimum wage
the state senate in trenton passed a bill that would raise the minimum wage to more than 15 an hour by 2021 that would amount to an increase of 80 percent over four years from the states current minimum wage of 838 an hour
if mr christie a republican signs the bill which has already passed the state assembly new jersey would join new york and california as the only states scheduled to raise their minimum wage to at least 15 an hour some cities outside those states including seattle and washington have adopted plans to reach 15 minimums the national minimum wage is 725 an hour
mr christie did not comment on the senates passage on thursday but he has made his position clear in the past he spoke in april of the reckless effort to raise the minimum wage to 15 bucks an hour and said it could have a devastating impact on the states economy
democratic leaders have indicated that they would respond to a veto by seeking a public referendum next year on raising the wage to 15 that effort would be a replay of what they accomplished in 2013 when they circumvented mr christies veto of a more modest increase in the minimum wage
in november 2013 voters overwhelmingly approved an amendment to the state constitution that raised the minimum wage to 825 in 2014 and allowed for annual increases based on the rate of inflation but that plan backfired in a way this year when the official measure of inflation was negative leaving the minimum wage at 838 for a second year
in the meantime the movement known as the fight for 15 gained momentum several cities including san francisco and los angeles adopted plans to raise their minimums to 15 an hour and california and new york followed suit
those moves left new jersey as one of the countrys most expensive places to live that had not accepted a 15 minimum a study published in september 2014 by the united way of northern new jersey found that the average household budget necessary to support a single adult was 27552  a sum that equates to years salary at nearly 14 an hour
the national employment law project estimates that an increase to 15 would result in raises for about one fourth of all workers in new jersey it would also increase the share of workers in the country covered by a 15 minimum wage to more than one in five said paul k sonn program director of the employment law project which advocates for low wage workers
the 15 minimum wage is roaring across america and delivering the first big raises for workers at the bottom in decades mr sonn said in an interview governor christie will have a chance to show which side he is on the side of the struggling middle class or the side of low paying corporations like mcdonalds and walmart
stephen m sweeney a democrat and president of the state senate said he expected that the governor will more than likely flat out veto the bill which passed 21 to 18 if that happens mr sweeney said the democrats plan to pass legislation calling for a question on the statewide ballot in november 2017 when mr sweeney could be running to succeed mr christie
mr sweeney said he believed that there was broad public support for a 15 minimum and that the measure would easily be approved he admitted that he had sponsored the 2013 amendment and that we just didnt get it right
mr sweeney said that the last increase in the minimum wage did not hurt the states economy as some business leaders and republican officials had predicted but he added we thought it was going to work out better than it did still he said the state had gained 91000 jobs since then
the reality is where theyve done this the economy has actually gotten better mr sweeney said this gives people an opportunity to have more buying power


orlando   a scene keeps flashing through officer omar delgados mind sneaking into his slumber every time he closes his eyes to sleep
it is of his first look inside the pulse nightclub dozens of people were motionless on the blood soaked dance floor and the eatonville police officer had just burst through the clubs patio door for a rescue
i yelled hey come on get up lets go we have cover for you police were here officer delgado said
nobody budged
it took a moment for officer delgado 44 to realize that the signal 43 he had responded to   orange county police code for rush officer needs help   was not an officer down but a massacre of civilians
officer delgado who had been working the night shift in a small town eight miles north of orlando was in the second wave of officers who responded after the initial shooting he wound up spending hours inside saving a few people and watching over the many dead
i thought they were playing dead so they would not get hit he said it wasnt until i got my flashlight and scanned the room and saw so much blood from where all these bodies were lying i looked to my left to a guy who i guess got the worst end of it and thats when it hit me wow these people are all dead
he arrived at the beginning of a three hour standoff officer delgado dragged some of the wounded to safety and took cover behind a wall
officer delgado recounted a harrowing night of watching club patrons trip over corpses and writhe in agony as their bullet ridden bodies were pulled across broken glass the image of brenda lee marquez mccool with her shock of cropped white hair and tattoos haunts him he is among the group of responders who are likely to require counseling to find the will to return to work
officer james hyland of the orlando police is another officer hyland who did two tours in afghanistan said what he saw at pulse was worse it makes me forget about a lot of the stuff that happened in the military he said the situation was worse than being in a war zone
at a debriefing held at a local high school shortly after the shooting many officers sat and cried said joseph imburgio one of the orlando police officers who was on the scene at pulse
officers from newtown conn to san bernardino calif have already learned these lessons as they mustered the courage to ask for help
a lot of the departments are not sensitive to these issues and expect these officers to go right back to work like nothing happened said eric brown a police union lawyer who represented officers who responded to the massacre of children at sandy hook elementary school in 2012
if they do express trauma they are considered weak and can get blacklisted in their assignments mr brown said thats why they dont speak up
the united states department of justice has recently begun funding programs to address the issue said pete blair a texas state university professor who has studied mass shootings
officer delgado a native of puerto rico who moved to florida in the late 1990s was responding to a disturbance in eatonville when the first call for help went out
he arrived to the sound of gunfire he and two other officers ran into the club fighting through the rush of survivors who were running for their lives after a few minutes some of the bodies started to twitch
they didnt want to give up officer delgado said
the floor was slick with blood and officers said it was too difficult to keep balance while carrying a person
imagine being low trying to grab somebody and drag them out he said
angel colon remembers
he grabs my hand and says this is the only way i can take you out mr colon one of the three people officer delgado saved recalled at a news conference last week
im grateful to him but the floor is just covered with glass hes dragging me out while i was getting cut
officer delgado flashed his light in a womans face to temporarily blind her so she would not look down and see that those were bodies she was tripping over ms mccool a mother of 11 was already dead but he stayed by her side some victims were shot in disfiguring ways and he did not want that to happen to her
she was kind of my baby per se i was watching her officer delgado said i knew she was gone
he sent an i love you text to his three children in case it would be his last he eventually left at 9 am and sat in his driveway in silence for 10 minutes trying to remember how he got home
he cried once when he surreptitiously attended a wake for ms mccool
he got his first step toward closure when he visited mr colon in the hospital the men held each other in a tight embrace he needed a hug officer delgado said
i needed it more


lebron james has decided not to play for the united states at the olympic games in rio de janeiro according to his agent rich paul
i could use the rest james told clevelandcom which first reported jamess decision
other high profile athletes including rory mcilroy have cited concerns about the zika virus as a factor in their decisions not to attend the olympics this summer but the virus did not play a role in jamess decision paul said
james 31 helped the cleveland cavaliers defeat the golden state warriors in game 7 of the nba finals to notch their first title he informed usa basketball of his decision the day after joining his teammates for a celebratory parade in cleveland
it was a sixth consecutive trip to the finals   which extend two months beyond the end of the regular season   for james who had played in the previous three olympics james was named the most valuable player of the finals and led all players in points 297 rebounds 113 assists 89 blocks 23 and steals 26 per game
james won a gold medal with the american team at the 2012 london olympics a month after winning his first nba title with the miami heat but he is now four years older and has considerably more mileage on his legs


paris   taylor townsend was in the passenger seat of a rental car headed to a satellite tennis tournament in dothan ala when the driver of the car her coach suddenly told her to grab the steering wheel
kamau murray the charismatic tennis teacher who was only 33 on that day in 2014 suddenly lost all feeling on the left side of his body it drained out from his face to his toes as he urgently informed his protege
townsend who turned 18 that week was terrified and had no idea what was happening but murray a sales representative for a pharmaceutical company quickly guessed he was having a stroke and had townsend call 911
it was the most scary moment of my entire life townsend said
as murray was loaded into an ambulance he instructed townsend to play that day because that is one of many lessons murray preaches to his charges
regardless of the adversity that may arise   a freakishly hot opponent windy conditions or a coach strapped to a stretcher   you accept the challenge play through it and expect success townsend said she was far too worried and she withdrew from the tournament
now fully recovered and as irrepressible as ever murray is instilling those lessons to another young american woman the 23 year old sloane stephens who hired him last fall with the goal of pushing her career to new heights
stephens has one of the more interesting young coaches in tennis according to billie jean king a friend of and adviser to murray
kamau is really smart and he is going to be great for sloane king said she is very talented physically but emotionally she gets challenged and thats where he can really help she can do it and she is trying i think hiring kamau shows she is serious about it
stephens knew murray from her time playing doubles with townsend who last year switched coaches to donald young sr stephens had won her first tour title in washington last summer with the help of thomas hogstedt but she thought murrays positive and direct approach along with his uncompromising energy would be helpful
hes helped me to believe in myself and trust in my ability that i can go out and do a lot of things great stephens said during the french open in may hes helped me to use what i have
since murray began traveling with stephens in january they built on her washington success scoring victories in auckland acapulco and charleston the best run of her career she was ranked no 37 at the end of 2014 and is now 20th heading into wimbledon which begins monday
at roland garros there was disappointment after a third round loss to tsvetana pironkova in the third round but for murray it was another moment to reinforce the lesson of accepting challenges
sometimes the opponent is going to be playing great he said pironkova beat agnieszka radwanska right after sloane so she was playing well but that kind of challenge is always going to be there
when stephens is playing murray usually sits courtside a calming influence quietly reassuring his player when those challenges surface but most of his work is done before the matches and that includes watching hours of video of stephenss opponents which are not provided by any scouting services
i get them off youtube he said you can find hours of stuff
a gifted all around athlete who claims to have some basketball skills to go with his tennis game murray played tennis at florida am that was followed by 10 years in pharmaceutical sales where he learned the value of strategic planning
everything gets planned out and written down he said
that applies to coaching too before each match murray provides stephens with a concise bullet point tactical game plan which he texts to her phone it might stress hitting to an opponents weak backhand or standing closer to the baseline
but as devoted as murray is to stephens he has other work that compels him too he founded and runs xs tennis and education foundation a youth tennis center on the south side of chicago near where he grew up one of its primary missions is to help players acquire college scholarships through tennis his work with children of various skill levels and financial backgrounds he said has honed his message for professionals
i learned to coach at this level by dealing with hundreds of kids hundreds of different personalities he said
the center is murrays baby and even on the road he spends hours poring over reports formulating strategy and watching video of the lessons during the french open murray would leave the grounds after his debriefing with stephens eat dinner with her and her family then retire to his hotel room to work on his foundation
because of that commitment murray said he will only coach professional players   just townsend and stephens to date   if he truly cares for them
he took on townsend who also grew up in the south side of chicago when she turned pro after a stellar junior career
stephens joined that small community last fall during the united states open murray brought a group of 40 of his students to new york to meet with corporate leaders and tennis officials in manhattan and to attend the tournament and clinics murray who at that point was not yet coaching stephens asked her to meet with the children she immediately invited them to her midtown hotel where the star struck children snapped photos got autographs and generally palled around with a rising tennis star
when i saw that i thought i could work with that person  murray said
murray pulled out his phone and called up a series of photographs showing stephens at his facility in chicago working with the children he said she had finished her own workout but instead of going right home she stayed to help and seemed to genuinely enjoy it
i love those kids stephens said her face brightening at the topic kids are my favorite thing in the world
as with his students murray tries to take a comprehensive approach with stephens preaching about more than just on court tactics and conditioning growing up in chicago murrays best friend was and remains quentin richardson the former nba player for 13 years and the former director of player development of the detroit pistons
when richardson was playing for the los angeles clippers the phoenix suns and especially the knicks murray would visit for days at a time and absorb everything he saw what impressed him the most   besides nate robinsons uncanny ping pong skills   was the connection between preparation lifestyle and success
he saw how serious professionals like richardson took their pregame naps at specific times had chefs cook specially designed meals followed detailed workout routines and also found proper moments for recreation
i want to connect the dots for sloane murray said everything is related and everything matters in the nba everything is structured until may and then its hey get me to miami in tennis its more year round
that can take a toll on a coach too especially one whose body sent him an indisputable warning sign two years ago that frightening episode turned out to be a transient ischemic attack also known as a mini stroke an attack usually causes no permanent damage but can be an indication of risk for a future stroke
murray quickly regained all feeling and spent a week in hospitals in dothan atlanta and chicago he was back on court soon afterward he said he had experienced no further trouble and mention of a stroke today mostly makes him think of forehands and backhands
he has made some concessions mainly altering his diet quitting his pharmaceutical sales job in january also freed up well over 40 hours a week
but with the all important fund raising for his program teaching and mentoring young people coaching stephens and attending to his wife and two children murray still must manage his time
the key is to bring the worlds together he said when sloane comes to chicago to train she engages with the kids i wish i had had a top 25 player chiming in on my lessons when i was a kid


england striker jamie vardy agreed to stay with leicester city on thursday turning down a chance to move to arsenal in order to lead the foxes in their premier league title defense and first champions league campaign
leicester city announced that vardy who led the team with 24 goals last season had agreed to extend his contract by four years
arsenal activated vardys release clause before the european championships but he had been silent publicly regarding his future while playing for england vardy 29 has not signed the new deal but leicesters statement left little doubt that he had recommitted to the team
both parties hope that this announcement will end recent speculation regarding jamies future and confirm his long term commitment to leicester city leicester said in a statement
after finishing second in group b england plays iceland in the round of 16 on monday vardy scored one goal in the tournaments group stage ap


the banner at the top of costcos facebook page reads costco  visa   but for many customers the first few days of the retailers new charge card alliance have been anything but heartwarming
on monday costco took the final step in severing its 17 year relationship with american express and began exclusively accepting visa for credit card purchases at its stores for more than 11 million customers the switch meant cutting up their costco branded american express cards and swapping them for a new visa card issued by citigroup
a transition that executives promised would be seamless has turned into a customer service fiasco
citigroup has logged more than 15 million customer service calls according to jennifer bombardier a spokeswoman for citigroup
costcos social media pages are filled with thousands of scathing complaints many customers say their new cards have not yet arrived and some report problems activating or using their cards or getting access to their accounts online
the deluge of complaints swamped citigroups call center leaving some people waiting for more than an hour or unable to connect at all a note on citigroups website warns of high call volume and apologizes for the long wait time that you may encounter
the service issues have confounded regular customers derek gamble a costco shopper who called citigroup on thursday to ask why he hadnt yet received his new card reached a service representative but says he came away from the call feeling more puzzled than when he started
the rep talked in circles for a while and said theyre doing all they can and that i should have a card in five to seven business days said mr gamble a lawyer in temecula calif in an interview his request for a faster shipment was rebuffed until the card arrives he says hes holding off on his weekly costco shopping trip
many retailers offer branded credit cards but costcos is uniquely powerful the company made sales of nearly 114 billion last year to its 81 million members for nearly two decades it accepted no cards other than american express at its retail stores
but last year the companies said they would sever their relationship after a disagreement about renewal terms the numbers didnt add up kenneth i chenault american expresss chief executive said in a presentation to investors
costco stopped accepting new card applications in november and has been working on its card transition plan for more than a year but for customers the switch came with an unusually abrupt deadline as of monday their costco branded american express cards stopped working for all new purchases and customer information and account balances were transferred to citigroup
citigroup spent last weekend feverishly working to convert the millions of new cardholders it inherited onto its system
citi completed one of the single largest portfolio conversions in history ms bombardier said we sincerely apologize to those who have been inconvenienced
costco representatives did not return calls seeking comment
the last major store branded card switch when walmart moved its cards from discover to mastercard in 2014 was done in phases and customers were able to continue using their existing cards until they received and activated their new ones
that helped reduce the customer service load and avoid the deluge citigroup is experiencing said matt schulz an analyst for creditcardscom
theres always going to be friction in these sorts of things but the hubbub surrounding costco is the biggest outcry that i can remember he said
he expects the storm to subside in a few days as citigroup smooths out its problems but customers are also facing other irritations at the cash register namely chip cards
were also seeing a lot of discussion involving emv cards he said referring to chip based cards many card issuers and merchants have begun to use you have to look at the costco thing in that greater context theres a lot of people who are frustrated and confused with other things going on with credit cards as well


in a speech last week to a group of new york lawyers a federal judge from brooklyn assailed the criminal justice system in which he has worked for more than 40 years saying that the country had to jettison the madness of mass incarceration and find an alternative to overly punitive sentencing to address the problem of crime
the speech by judge raymond j dearie of the federal district court in brooklyn at an event sponsored by the new york criminal bar association may not have struck new ground in its critique of the justice system but it did put him in the company of other federal judges in brooklyn who in recent months have come forward with scathing appraisals of things such as mandatory sentencing guidelines and the disregard paid to the socioeconomic roots of crime
last month for instance judge frederic block wrote an extraordinary ruling saying that courts should pay closer attention to how felony convictions affect peoples lives with collateral consequences such as ineligibility for public housing and the denial of government benefits and in march just before he moved into private practice judge john gleeson used his final decision from the bench to reiterate his own preference for handing down sentences other than prison time to some nonviolent offenders
all three judges were in some sense working in the mold of jack b weinstein one of the longest sitting judges on the federal bench in brooklyn which is formally known as the eastern district of new york in 2011 at age 87 judge weinstein went on a walking tour of the louis armstrong houses in the bedford stuyvesant neighborhood before issuing a novelistic ruling in a gang case the nearly 130 page decision discussed the housing projects paltry median income its crumbling infrastructure and the effects of segregation and discrimination on its residents
its true that theres a degree to which eastern district judges have been vocal but there are a lot more cases out there   theyre just below the radar judge gleeson said in an interview on thursday i think there is some leadership going on in eastern where the judges are inclined to speak about these problems but theyre not the only ones who see them and act on them
judge dearie a former prosecutor who once served as the united states attorney in brooklyn gave his speech on june 13 at the loeb boathouse in central park he started by touching on themes that would not be unfamiliar to most criminal justice reform advocates
he confessed to wanting to scream out in frustration sadness and anger at being forced by congress to impose mandatory sentences on many defendants who appeared before him he also said that most criminals are not evil incarnate but rather act out of weakness need sometimes desperation he added so many defendants i see are without schooling skills hope or direction and no term of years is going to change that
insisting that his words were not a cry for a broad application of leniency   retribution and deterrence have their place in sound sentencing jurisprudence he said   judge dearie nonetheless questioned the practice of prosecutors and law enforcement officers to gauge their success by how many years a defendant spends in prison
why this love affair in this country with lengthy incarceration to our great embarrassment as a civilized nation he asked according to a transcript of the speech
other judges across the country have also taken issue with the system that they serve in a case that drew on one of judge gleesons orders a federal judge in oklahoma agreed last september to the early release of a cocaine smuggler who was sentenced to life in prison ruling that the time he had already served   30 years   was sufficient punishment and judge alex kozinski of the united states court of appeals for the ninth circuit in california wrote an article last year in the georgetown law journal questioning why so few criminal defendants are acquitted at trial
does this mean that many guilty men are never charged because the prosecution is daunted by its heavy burden of proof judge kozinski wrote or is it because jurors almost always start with a strong presumption that someone wouldnt be charged with a crime unless the police and the prosecutor were firmly convinced of his guilt
in his own speech judge dearie called on sports stars and entertainment figures to use their celebrity to talk about the problems of the criminal justice system suggesting that professional leagues run public service advertisements during the nba finals or at halftime during a giants game
sports figures and entertainers connect with young people in a way that you and i could never he said according to the transcript i confess to doing a slow boil when i hear the money they make or pay for a beer at a ballgame and contemplate the messages athletes and performers could deliver every day to a rapt and adoring audience and yet there is mostly silence from these flourishing institutions
in general brooklyn leans toward the left five of the six united states congressional districts that include the borough are democratic it is also a busy federal district with a diverse and bustling caseload that happens to sit across the river from the media capital of the country so its judges rulings receive a level of national attention
one reason for the eastern district effect as daniel c richman a law professor at columbia called it could also have something to do with the insularity of judicial life
theres certainly a communal aspect here said mr richman who is also a former federal prosecutor judges tend to lead cloistered lives and to talk to one another more than most or maybe its just something in the courthouse water


juan carlos osorio will keep his job as mexicos coach despite a 7 0 thrashing by chile last week in the quarterfinals of the copa america centenario according to a top mexican federation official
osorio survived because of his work guiding the national team to nine wins and a draw before saturdays humiliating loss in santa clara calif
what happened saturday was a blow to all of us in mexico said guillermo cantu the secretary general of mexicos soccer federation to remove him may be the simplest solution but we decided to continue with the project started last october
cantu acknowledged that mexicos participation in the copa america was a failure because aside from the nature of the teams elimination it failed to reach osorios goal of a semifinal berth cantu insisted however that mexico had no desire to return to the days of regular hirings and firings of national team coaches in the last decade 12 men have held the job
agence france presse


shuffle along one of the most ambitious and anticipated musicals of the theater season just ended will close next month abruptly and unexpectedly the shows producers said thursday
the july 24 closing is a surprise because the show which explores the back story and aftermath of one of the first all black musicals on broadway has been doing well at the box office grossing nearly 973686 last week with a healthy average ticket price of 127 directed by george c wolfe it was nominated for 10 tony awards but won none
the show with a full title of shuffle along or the making of the musical sensation of 1921 and all that followed was apparently facing a sharp drop off in ticket sales this summer after its leading actress audra mcdonald is scheduled to begin a maternity leave the musician rhiannon giddens had been cast as ms mcdonalds replacement and had already begun rehearsals
audra mcdonald is the biggest star on broadway and audiences have been clamoring to see her in this role since the first preview of shuffle along in march of this year the shows lead producer scott rudin said in a written statement
he said he was happy for her but that the need for audra to take a prolonged and unexpected hiatus from the show has determined the unfortunate inevitability of our running at a loss for significantly longer than the show can responsibly absorb and we have decided to close the show when she leaves on july 24
ms mcdonald also in a written statement described herself as overjoyed to be expecting a new addition to my family yet completely heartbroken that our tremendously talented cast and company   my shuffle family   wont be able to continue telling this incredible story
the show has a powerhouse cast featuring the tony award winners brian stokes mitchell and billy porter as well as the nominees brandon victor dixon and joshua henry and one of the nations best known tap dancers savion glover as its choreographer
but ms mcdonald who has six tony awards is among broadways biggest stars she was always planning to leave the show temporarily this summer initially so she could reprise her tony winning role in lady day at emersons bar  grill in london but at 45 she unexpectedly got pregnant she is married to the actor will swenson she canceled the london production extended her stay on broadway and scheduled the maternity leave recently she has been performing in six of eight shows a week
at the time of its closing shuffle along will have played 38 previews and 100 regular performances the show cost 12 million to mount


los angeles   youtube red the google owned paid streaming service has acquired its first big budget hollywood produced television drama moving it into more direct competition with players like netflix and traditional cable networks
fittingly given youtubes ambitions the scripted series will be based on step up the lionsgate controlled dance movie franchise that started channing tatums acting career and has taken in more than 650 million at the worldwide box office lionsgate will supply a full season of 10 episodes each running about 45 minutes   a long way from the quickie cat videos for which youtube was once known
bigger bolder and an offering that will drive subscription is how susanne daniels youtubes global head of original content described the still untitled series in an interview kevin beggs lionsgates television chairman called it a distinctive noisy platform defining series that multiple networks wanted
mr tatum will be an executive producer of the drama expected to arrive next year it will cost several million dollars per episode to make signaling the arrival of youtube red as a major league buyer of content the series which will feature youtube stars as dancers and actors will be set at a performing arts high school and be most similar in tone to the first of the five step up movies
for 10 a month youtube red offers advertisement free viewing of videos exclusive programming and a vast selection of music ms daniels best known for turning the wb network into a youth powerhouse in the 1990s joined the company a year ago and is charged with finding youtube reds version of amazons transparent or netflixs house of cards   a breakout series that will sell subscriptions and send a message to hollywoods creative community this is a viable place for your best show pitches
the verdict is still out sundar pichai chief executive of google said in an earnings related conference call in april that youtube red had been very well received but the company has not released user numbers and some analysts have been unenthusiastic especially as more streaming competition has arisen hulu hbo netflix fullscreen go90 seeso and amazon among others are all pursuing this turf
it is hard to tell whether the effort is succeeding or will succeed carlos kirjner an analyst at bernstein research wrote in a client report last month it is possible that it might be too little too late notably mr kirjner cited a lack of high production value content as one of youtube reds shortcomings
ms daniels acknowledged in an interview that she was walking a fine line with programming decisions youtube reds original lineup must feel familiar to ardent users of the site teenagers and young adults while offering something distinctive enough to convince them to upgrade from youtubes free service so far efforts have included a trip to unicorn island a documentary about a world tour taken by a youtube personality lilly singh and foursome a high school comedy
we still dont know for sure whats going to resonate ms daniels said you just have to sort of jump in the water
still the step up project represents a very educated guess dance videos on youtube drive millions of hours of watch time every month ms daniels said adding that dance is a popular genre for youtube around the world youtube red is available in the united states australia and new zealand and has plans for overseas expansion particularly in europe
music videos are also enormously popular on youtube   the step up movies are known for their music backed montages   and some of the biggest traditional television hits of the last decade including empire glee and nbcs live musicals have been rooted in song
mr beggs of lionsgate said that ms daniels was able to nab the series in part because she was willing to commit to a full season without first making a pilot episode as a test that got everyones attention he said
the deal got its start at a new years eve party at the los angeles home of erik feig co president of lionsgates movie division ms daniels was among the guests that night erik said the studio was getting ready to talk to distributors about a step up tv show and so i immediately started my hot pursuit she said
more than most other hollywood studios lionsgate has been early to spot the promise of streaming services as buyers of high end television shows lionsgates production roster includes orange is the new black for netflix and casual which was renewed on hulu for a third season the now concluded mad men is still lionsgates best known series however
will step up provide the studio with another television hit the kind that mints money by running multiple seasons it is too early to say of course but mr feig who has been involved with the step up franchise from its beginning has high hopes
step up has always relied on a relatively simple formula one that has managed to work again and again in different contexts with different actors mr feig said in an email combine innovative choreography with the most current hip hop tracks and an extra large dollop of feel good fantasy and its an instant party he said one that is destined to leave you maybe not all that wiser but definitely in a better mood


kristin armstrong will have an opportunity to chase her third straight time trial gold medal at the rio games perhaps the final chapter in a decorated cycling career spanning four olympics and two brief retirements
armstrong was chosen for the united states olympic roster on thursday joining a powerhouse womens road team that includes the world bronze medalist megan guarnier evie stevens and mara abbott
i feel really prepared and am really looking forward to the challenging time trial course said armstrong who will turn 43 the day after the aug 10 race through the beach area of pontal we have a very strong road team and i feel confident that team usa can put our stamp on this event
armstrong stepped away from the sport after winning a gold medal at the 2012 london games but announced a comeback in time for last years world championships in richmond va she was a disappointing fifth when a podium spot would have guaranteed her a spot in rio de janeiro leaving her fate in the hands of usa cyclings selection committee
it decided that her medal capability along with strong performances this year warranted a spot ahead of the rising star coryn rivera the sprint specialist shelley olds and the united states time trial champion carmen small
we do this every olympics i think where you leave someone home or off the tt team capable of challenging said jim miller vice president of athletics for usa cycling and the architect behind the national team thats not new it just shows you how deep the talent pool is for the womens team
stevens the world hour record holder will join armstrong in contesting the time trial while guarnier will be the captain in a hilly road race that could be among the toughest in olympic history
after her podium finish in richmond guarnier has backed up her medal capability with an overall victory at the tour of california and another american road title she also leads the womens world tour rankings
we can race any number of tactics and expect an outcome miller said it gives us a chance to dictate what we want to dictate but it also gives us the flexibility to adapt to changing tactics
taylor phinney and brent bookwalter were chosen to compete in the mens road race and time trial
phinney was fourth in both disciplines at the london games but that was before a career threatening crash at the united states road championships in 2014 phinney has been steadily working his way back to form and bookwalter   his teammate on the bmc racing trade team   said he believes that phinney a three time olympian is almost back
taylor has made it look easy the genetic phenom he is bookwalter said i know his comeback hasnt been without a lot of trials and challenges and hes still experiencing them getting back to his old self and original level but its been impressive racing alongside him
tejay van garderen was favored to land a spot on the team but he withdrew from consideration because of the threat of the zika virus his wife jessica is due to give birth in october
van garderen will instead join rohan dennis in leading the bmc team at the tour de france which begins next weekend bookwalter will support them but phinney was left off the squad and should be rested for rio
howard grotts landed the lone american mens mountain bike spot ahead of stephen ettinger and russ finsterwald while the 2012 olympian lea davison and chloe woodruff were awarded womens spots
the american track team was announced in march kelly catlin chloe dygert sarah hammer jennifer valente and ruth winder will contest the womens team pursuit with hammer also riding the omnium matt baranoski will race the keirin and bobby lea was chosen for the mens omnium
i do think were one to be scared of said dygert who helped the pursuit squad set a world record earlier this year but we cant go in there thinking we have this down


cairo   after days of unsuccessfully laboring to revive the flight recorders of the egyptair jetliner that crashed in the mediterranean last month egyptian investigators said on thursday that they would send the damaged devices to france for repairs next week
the flight data and cockpit voice recorders of flight 804 will be flown to the french aviation accident investigation bureau near paris the investigators said in a statement the french bureau will try to restore the devices by among other things removing accumulated salt the statement added once information can be retrieved the boxes would be flown back to cairo for analysis
the airbus a320 mysteriously plunged from 37000 feet into the mediterranean on may 19 on a flight from paris to cairo killing all 66 passengers and crew members on board egyptian officials have repeatedly suggested that the disaster was most likely the result of terrorism though no group has claimed responsibility for it
in a statement this month egyptian investigators said they would send the black boxes abroad if the damage they sustained in the crash proved to be too severe
the recorders were found last week along with some wreckage from the aircraft scattered along the seabed after it was pulled out of the water the cockpit voice recorder looked crushed an egyptian aviation official said at the time
if restored the memory units of the black boxes should provide investigators with details about the aircrafts navigation systems engines and the pilots conversations during the flight


washington   c span knew it had a problem
democrats had unexpectedly sat down in the middle of the house of representatives chamber to demand a vote on gun control legislation and with the body officially in recess c span the cable network known for gavel to gavel coverage of congress had no means to cover it
then it found an unlikely source the social media feeds of house members who had turned to periscope a live video streaming app and facebook live
as soon as we knew it was available we went for it terry murphy c spans vice president for programming said on thursday after a short nights sleep we didnt know when we got into it that we would be doing it for 24 hours there just wasnt much time to debate it
so began what was arguably the most memorable 24 hour period the network has seen in years one that mr murphy estimated had probably set a record for continuous broadcast of a social media feed and that others suggested amounted to something of a declaration of independence from congressional landlords who control the tv cameras inside the senate and house chambers
but it was perhaps even more momentous for periscope which debuted just over a year ago after being acquired by twitter
as of 5 pm wednesday twitter messages that one or both of the live video streams broadcast by representatives scott peters and eric swalwell of california embedded had already been viewed more than a million times according to the company
we always told ourselves that if we were successful we were building a tool to give a voice to the voiceless kayvon beykpour co founder and chief executive of periscope said in an interview its showing you the truth from different peoples perspectives its a really raw way of experiencing what you watch
in this case its really ironic that the voiceless were our elected representatives
twitter has long had a presence in washington and holds regular training sessions for politicians and media organizations on how best to use its tools after twitter bought periscope the video app was incorporated into the companys training efforts
about a month ago twitter held a training session with the house democratic caucus that focused specifically on how to use periscope a staff member from mr peterss office attended on wednesday when c span lost access to cameras   which are normally shut off when the house is not in session   an aide suggested that mr peters turn to periscope as a means of broadcasting what was happening on the house floor
a facebook spokeswoman said that broadcasts by members of the house had reached more than 29 million viewers on the social media site mark zuckerberg the companys founder wrote in a post on thursday morning that use of facebook live was bringing more openness to the political process overnight ratings were not available for c span
other networks shared brief segments from the live feeds but it was c span that stuck with them overriding other coverage and cutting away only when speaker paul d ryan and other house republicans returned to the floor around 10 pm for a series of votes
c span is no stranger to late night sessions   be they for a filibuster or a contentious vote   but the impromptu sit in which mr murphy said the network had no advance knowledge of was different a staff of around 25 people remained overnight in the capitol and at the networks offices a few blocks away and the regular morning team was called in four hours early
it was the least scripted of the all night sessions weve had to cover mr murphy said
the fact that c span does not control the cameras inside congressional chambers has been a source of disquiet for the network since it arrived on the air in 1979 every time a new leader comes to power in either chamber mr murphy said network executives send a letter requesting greater access including the placement of independent media cameras inside the chamber thus far they have been denied
the network employs about 270 people and has an annual budget of 70 million according to a spokesman howard mortman it enjoys a niche following journalists covering the federal government treat it as a lifeline and for those addicted to politics from coast to coast few sources can rival its unvarnished transmission
while c spans decision to stick with the protest drew a flurry of criticism on twitter mr mortman said there had been no serious concerns raised from mr ryans office or outside groups
we want to show as much of congress as we can   thats our mission he said this clearly is a big story and this gives us a way to show whats happening in an area where our own cameras are not allowed


lebron james has decided not to play for the united states at the olympic games in rio de janeiro according to his agent rich paul
i could use the rest james told clevelandcom which first reported jamess decision
other high profile athletes including rory mcilroy have cited concerns about the zika virus as a factor in their decisions not to attend the olympics this summer but the virus did not play a role in jamess decision paul said
james 31 helped the cleveland cavaliers defeat the golden state warriors in game 7 of the nba finals to notch their first title he informed usa basketball of his decision the day after joining his teammates for a celebratory parade in cleveland
it was a sixth consecutive trip to the finals   which extend two months beyond the end of the regular season   for james who had played in the previous three olympics james was named the most valuable player of the finals and led all players in points 297 rebounds 113 assists 89 blocks 23 and steals 26 per game
james won a gold medal with the american team at the 2012 london olympics a month after winning his first nba title with the miami heat but he is now four years older and has considerably more mileage on his legs


an experiment in school leadership aimed at reviving the long struggling boys and girls high school in brooklyn is coming to an end the new york city education department said on thursday
michael wiltshire who for two years simultaneously led that school and the selective medgar evers college preparatory school also in brooklyn will step down from his post at boys and girls on july 1
his departure is a setback to the de blasio administrations effort to turn around the troubled school and seems a tacit acknowledgment that the experiment had not been successful
in an unusual arrangement the education department had appointed dr wiltshire to lead boys and girls while also keeping his job at medgar evers which he had built into a highly successful school
dr wiltshire presided over an improvement in boys and girls four year graduation rate to 50 percent last year from 419 percent in 2013 14 at the same time enrollment at the school declined by roughly half to 334 students and he was accused of pushing out older students who had few credits dr wiltshire has said that enrollment did not decline as sharply as it seems because when he arrived the register still included many students who had stopped attending he has said that he did encourage some students to transfer but that it was in their best interest because they had little chance of graduating
parents complained that dr wiltshire was spending too little time at boys and girls and his dual posts stirred further controversy when he proposed moving medgar evers into the boys and girls building which some saw as a way to phase out boys and girls while handing its building and athletic fields over to medgar evers the education department said this month that it would not pursue the proposal
dr wiltshire who has faced several investigations in recent months by the education department had said this month that he was considering leaving the schools for a job on long island
the education department said on thursday that the decision for dr wiltshire to leave boys and girls had been mutual and that he would continue as principal of medgar evers it said that angelo marra the former principal of the international arts business school in brooklyn which closed last year because of poor performance would lead boys and girls until a new principal was named
a spokeswoman for the education department devora kaye said dr wiltshires dual appointment was a strategy that helped to stabilize boys and girls and put it on a path to improved outcomes and this school has made significant progress   including an 8 percent increase in the graduation rate dr wiltshire did not respond to an email seeking comment


an american in paris a stylish and balletic musical adaptation of the classic film will close on broadway on jan 1 the shows producers said thursday
the musical which brought the celebrated ballet choreographer christopher wheeldon to broadway for his directing debut performed strongly for months often grossing more than 1 million a week but its box office has softened this year and last week it grossed 696523
the show began performances in march 2015 and will have had 29 previews and 719 regular performances at the time of its closing the musical was capitalized for up to 115 million according to a filing with the securities and exchange commission the producers   stuart oken van kaplan and roy furman   said they expected that it will recoup before closing
american in paris featuring songs by george and ira gershwin was nominated for 12 tony awards and won four for mr wheeldons choreography and for its orchestrations set design and lighting design
it is planning a national tour beginning in boston in october a london production is scheduled next year that will feature the original broadway stars robert fairchild and leanne cope


if you are among the multitudes of drivers recently baffled by an encounter with the basic controls of a new car youre in good company that sometimes confused cohort would include people like myself whose livelihoods as automotive journalists depend on knowing about the latest models in showrooms
the confusion caused by fancy new not always intuitive features and functions has made headlines in recent days on news that the vagaries of selecting the transmissions park position may have been a factor in the death of a young actor who was crushed by his 2015 jeep grand cherokee when it rolled backward down a driveway
typically the how does this thing work impulse does not lead to such disastrous outcomes and certainly theres no shame in being flummoxed when trying to enter an address into a dashboard navigation system or linking a bluetooth smartphone for hands free operation
but shifting the automatic transmission into the desired gear didnt use to require a learning curve as it too often does these days pity the parking lot valet who must confidently guide all varieties of todays exotic cars safely into port
when general motors gave the world fully automatic transmissions in 1939 with its hydra matic the system used a shift lever on the steering column that clearly labeled each gear it became the standard approach for decades
generally speaking the way we control our cars was for a long time pretty much a settled matter a steering wheel governs direction a pedal applies the brakes speed is regulated by an accelerator pedal and a gear shifter puts the vehicle into park reverse neutral drive or low   or prndl pronounced per nun dul as it came to be known
the difference today is that electronics have supplanted the mechanical connection between the gearshift lever and the transmission that has freed designers to get creative
thats not always a good thing especially for those who drive a wide variety of new vehicles ive found myself reaching for the phantom shift handle of a lincoln mkc when i really should have been stabbing at the electronic push buttons that are placed in a vertical array on the dashboard this design was the subject of a recall to change the position of the starter button after complaints surfaced that a driver might accidentally shut off the engine while adjusting the radio
likewise its taken me an extra beat to remember that a mercedes benz model uses a stalk on the steering column to choose drive ive had trouble recalling which way to spin the rotary gearshift knob that rises from the console of a jaguar using the electronic parking brake in new models with their various designs can require a moment of thought that was not needed when straightforward floor pedals or levers were typical
the plausible assumption by automakers is that owners   particularly the gamer generation   will adapt learning how to use the systems in short order thats probably reasonable for nonessential tasks like programming an audio system just as drivers in the 1950s readily mastered chryslers dashboard push buttons edsels teletouch controls in the steering wheel hub or the 1956 packards push button cluster on a separate pod attached to the steering column
in the 1960s it was a desire for a sportier image that combined bucket seats with the floor or console shift for automatic transmissions modern electronic versions include takeoffs on the joystick controllers of gaming devices   as in the 2015 jeep grand cherokee   and the increasingly common shifter paddles that enable upshifts and downshifts without the drivers hands leaving the steering wheel
the urge to market a new feature as well as potential savings in parts and manufacturing costs figure into automakers offering of disparate gear selector methods inevitably though this can clash with the fundamentals of ergonomics good sense design principles have been cast aside as car controls made the transition from mechanical actuation to virtual engagement
gone is the reassuring feedback of a confirming click when the transmission shifter engages the park position or the comforting closure of yanking a parking brake lever to its stopping point
this disconnect in whats known as the human machine interface is much on the mind of industrial designers like tucker viemeister whose work includes creating objects like the oxo good grip kitchen tools and serengeti sunglasses
its good to have a physical tactile interface like a gearshift knob as a physical connection he said in a telephone interview a push button is not as good as a handle
mr viemeister whose father worked on the design of the tucker automobile likes to think beyond ergonomics   the relationship between objects and human bodies   to a discipline he calls psychonomics or the link between products and minds properly designed a product becomes intuitive like operating the hand brakes of a bicycle natural muscle memory actions result from predictable feedback and let people cope with varying situations
say youre backing out of a driveway he offered as an example to make the case that familiarity is vital to safe operation youre looking back in a different orientation how do you relate in that scenario
im not the only one who sometimes finds the challenges of cool new controls to be distracting in a review of the 2016 acura mdx car and driver magazine found the push button transmission controls mounted on the center console off putting
noting that the driver must look down to find the right button the reviewer commented that there might be occasions perhaps when trying to do a quick three point u turn in front of an approaching semi where you might yearn for the neanderthal familiarity of a prndl shift lever
steven rossi an automotive historian notes that variations in driver controls for transmissions are as old as the auto industry henry ford chose an unconventional solution for his model t which changed gears with a foot pedal in hopes of making driving seem simpler and steering wheel buttons go back to at least 1914 with the vulcan electric gear shift said mr rossi a senior columnist for antique automobile magazine
but mr rossi whose historical knowledge does not cloud his appreciation for modern technology is no fan of what he considers some of todays illogical electronic designs
its an upheaval of common sense creating uncertainty he said designers are doing it simply because they can do it


making a grand glorious mess is one of childhoods greatest joys cleaning it up is often one of parenthoods worst headaches
but every generation should enjoy the chaos in brooklyn on saturday when the first seriousfun messtival will unfold in prospect park and all the resulting goo gunk and grit will combine with natures own
years of summer camp rituals like eating spaghetti without using forks or hands made us think that making a mess was a lot of fun said mary beth powers chief executive of seriousfun childrens network which will sponsor the event
and she added it was even more fun for parents when it wasnt taking place in their home
the celebration will help families whose lives have turned messy too founded by the actor paul newman in 1988 the network operates some 30 free camps and related programs worldwide for young people with serious illnesses we serve children with over 50 different conditions and diseases ms powers said cancer hemophilia hiv kids who just had a transplant
the messtival which will include live music dancing and a 100 foot zip line will benefit the camps while introducing other children to those programs most inspired activities young attendees can paint their faces and color their hair with chalk before embarking on the seriousfun run in which theyll maneuver through obstacles like painted tires and practice gaits like the crab walk shuffle runners will also pass through a bubble wash   a foamy storm   and be drenched by water blasters
those who prefer creative messes can become part of the human tie dye machine in which theyll decorate t shirts and headbands with squirts of vibrant color or take up paint archery which involves shooting pigment soaked foam tipped arrows at paper targets its sort of jackson pollock esque ms powers explained
visitors can mix their own bug juice at the appropriately named mess hall as well as make smores the messtival encourages hands free eating dessert lovers may also enjoy the pie face tournament a game that resembles russian roulette with whipped cream ammunition
the biggest lure however may be the dunk tank a chance for children to hit a target and send the adult of their choice plummeting into barbecue sauce
but while the tank may offer some tangy revenge most of the fun has a sweeter side ms powers said an opportunity for kids to get involved on behalf of other kids
saturday from 9 am to 3 pm breeze hill accessible from the prospect park entrance at ocean avenue and east lake drive seriousfunmesstivalcom


washington   the police must obtain warrants to test the blood of motorists arrested on suspicion of drunken driving the supreme court ruled on thursday but no warrants are needed to conduct a breath test
the case birchfield v north dakota no 14 1468 consolidated with two others arose from laws that made it a crime for motorists suspected of drunken driving to refuse breath or blood tests
the courts split decision considered three cases one from minnesota and two from north dakota
justice samuel a alito jr in a part of the decision determined by a 7 to 1 vote said laws effectively requiring blood tests violated the fourth amendments ban on unreasonable searches in a part decided by a 6 to 2 vote justice alito wrote that laws requiring breath tests are permissible
blood tests are significantly more intrusive and their reasonableness must be judged in light of the availability of the less invasive alternative of a breath test he wrote
when all that is sought is a suspects breath he wrote the physical intrusion is almost negligible adding that the effort is no more demanding than blowing up a party balloon
moreover he wrote breath tests are capable of revealing only one bit of information the amount of alcohol in the subjects breath
but blood tests justice alito wrote are a different matter requiring piercing of the skin and extraction of a part of the subjects body
in addition he wrote a blood test unlike a breath test places in the hands of law enforcement authorities a sample that can be preserved and from which it is possible to extract information beyond what can be learned from a breath test
in a partial dissent justice sonia sotomayor joined by justice ruth bader ginsburg said warrants should be required for both kinds of tests
the court lacks even the pretense of attempting to situate breath searches within the narrow and weighty law enforcement needs that have historically justified the limited use of warrantless searches justice sotomayor wrote i fear that if the court continues down this road the fourth amendments warrant requirement will become nothing more than a suggestion
in a second partial dissent justice clarence thomas said he would not have required a warrant for either kind of search
the minnesota case involved william r bernard who refused to take a breath test after his arrest on suspicion of driving while intoxicated
that test justice alito wrote was a permissible search incident to bernards arrest for drunk driving an arrest whose legality bernard has not contested accordingly the fourth amendment did not require officers to obtain a warrant prior to demanding the test and bernard had no right to refuse it
on the other hand justice alito wrote danny birchfield who was arrested in north dakota after driving his vehicle into a ditch had been entitled to refuse a blood test
the supreme court returned the case of a second north dakota man steve m beylund to the courts there to determine whether he had voluntarily consented to a blood test


to stem attrition goldman sachs has given its young workers more time off higher salaries and less busy work
now the firm is focused on finding analysts better suited to the demands of banking
that requires updating some of its traditional recruiting methods goldman announced on thursday that it would no longer conduct first round face to face interviews on elite college campuses and instead would interview students remotely on video
the idea is to open up the recruiting process to a broader array of candidates with varying backgrounds by using technology goldman is hoping that it can screen for young bankers who are a better fit for the firm and thus more likely to stay longer instead of defecting to a private equity fund or start up after a few years which has become the norm
leveraging technology will enable you to get to more places said edith cooper the global head of human capital management at goldman sachs during a conversation with reporters on thursday it doesnt limit us to the number of human beings we have in the recruiting organization
the investment banking industry has come under fire in recent years for its grueling pace client demands often require analysts who are usually in their early 20s to work all night stretches days off even on weekends are often seen as a luxury the job is not for everyone so banks have been trying to find ways to keep younger bankers happy
until now it has not been easy to find the talent best suited to the demands of banking sending recruiters to campuses to meet with candidates tended to create a bias toward certain schools while ignoring candidates with the grit that goldman has said it values in its workers
goldman is using technology by hirevue which allows candidates to record interviews and enables potential employers to screen and evaluate them the firm said it would also standardize the interviews to provide more even comparisons between candidates it is also using technology to scan resumes for certain traits and experiences and may adopt a personality questionnaire to evaluate a candidates potential fit at the firm
in 2015 more than 313000 candidates applied for 9700 positions at goldman including summer internships the firm said that yields an acceptance rate of about 3 percent - even lower than stanford universitys 51 percent admission acceptance rate which us news and world report deemed to be the lowest among united states colleges in 2014
the new recruiting program begins july 1 and goldman will accept applications through the fall


moscow   for sale in russia this summer one repossessed asset well loved and maintained seller is motivated everything must go
in this fire sale the asset is bashneft the oil company once owned by vladimir p yevtushenkov who was prosecuted and put under house arrest and the seller is the russian state in desperate need of cash
at the right price investors will bite but the sale and dozens of others taking place around the country will reinforce russias reputation in the global markets for uncertainty
early in his tenure president vladimir v putin pursued a policy of controlling the so called commanding heights of the economy with a nationalization push that elbowed russian and foreign owners out of strategic industries now he is inviting investors back as russia faces the economic fallout from a second year of western sanctions and low commodity prices
the political about face part of the seemingly endless cycle in russia between nationalization and privatization adds to investors worries about being blindsided
in the early post soviet period privatization was viewed as a once in a lifetime opportunity but those opportunities are just happening over and over again under mr putin
bashneft is coming full circle bashneft russias sixth largest oil company was first privatized in a series of sales in the early 2000s then it was renationalized in 2014 when mr yevtushenkov was put under house arrest now it is for sale again
any buyer today should understand the risks aleksandr y abramov a professor of finance at the higher school of economics in moscow said of the latest planned resale of 51 percent of bashneft in a few years this deal too could be unwound for one reason or another
such uncertainty is a big reason investors remain wary of russian stocks
consider the differing perceptions of brazil and russia both developing countries are big commodity exporters facing serious economic headwinds but investors are willing to pay only about half as much for a russian company as they would for a brazilian business with the same earnings potential according to renaissance capital a moscow investment bank
illustrative of russias stock troubles is gazprom the state controlled oil giant that was once the countrys biggest company gazproms market value was 52 billion on tuesday down from its peak in may 2008 of 367 billion
russias mighty oil mining and industrial holdings looked like a good deal in the early 1990s during the transition from communism to capitalism the government tried to create a society of stockholders out of the soviet ashes by giving everyone vouchers representing shares in state owned businesses but the chaotically run effort largely flopped
hard up for money ahead of an election in 1996 president boris n yeltsin tried a new tack of catering to rich insiders he sold companies on the cheap to a new class of wealthy russians
after mr putin assumed power on new years eve in 1999 he vowed to eliminate these oligarchs as a class three years later police arrested mikhail b khodorkovsky then russias richest man as owner of the yukos oil company bought in the sale under mr yeltsin
the primary pumping asset became rosneft the state oil company rosneft was partly privatized the state sold 13 percent on the london stock exchange in 2006
foreign investors have been hurt too
in 2006 russian regulators forced the western oil giant shell to sell a 25 percent share in its valuable sakhalin island field after threatening to shut it down for environmental violations the threat went away after gazprom the state gas giant gained control of the field
it was shells second run in with the russian agenda the companys oil assets in the country were nationalized in 1918 and shell was only partly compensated by the soviet government
bashnefts story is perhaps one of the most tangled
in 1993 the russian government transferred bashneft to the regional government of bashkortostan at a time when mr yeltsin was trying to curry favor with local leaders in the early 2000s the regional government sold shares to a company owned by local elites ural invest in the years after mr yevtushenkov steadily picked up shares through a holding company called sistema in deals that were certain to have been approved by the kremlin according to oil analysts
then the government changed its mind in 2014 prosecutors asserted that the companys original transfer   21 years before   to a regional government had been illegal so all subsequent transactions were voided
mr yevtushenkov was ensnared by the flurry of criminal and civil cases that followed his shares were handed over to the state
mr yevtushenkov was finally cleared in a ruling late last year sistema won 950 million in a lawsuit against the previous owner ural invest a spokesman for sistema declined to comment
russias view of bashneft has changed too mr putin in april removed bashneft from a list of so called strategically important companies despite substantial proven oil reserves of 22 billion barrels the move clears the way for the companys potential sale to overseas investors
the for sale signs are broadly up again along with bashneft the government plans to offer shares in sovcomflot a shipping company alrosa a diamond mining company vtb a state bank and rosneft
investors are already sniffing around russian oil companies one run by a former chief executive of rosneft have announced plans to bid for bashneft executives and government officials in india and china have said the countries energy giants are potentially interested in buying shares in rosneft
the government needs money to cover a portion of russias projected deficit this year of 24 trillion rubles 36 billion up from 195 trillion rubles 31 billion last year and the privatization push is one of the few ways for the government to raise money
western sanctions over the ukraine crisis make it difficult for russia to hold bond sales a common method for governments to cover budget shortfalls while the united states treasury has not specifically outlawed russian bond deals it has told american banks not to underwrite them
at a meeting of presidential economic advisers last month aleksei l kudrin a former minister of economy suggested that the kremlin spur growth by easing international tensions as another option along with privatization mr putin responded that russia would not bargain with its sovereignty
russia insists that the government will do better this time around with the privatization plan dmitry pristanskov head of the federal agency for state property who is overseeing the effort said the early post soviet sales were partly rolled back because corruption had tainted the process
at the time 25 years ago there was no clear criteria for choosing an investor mr pristanskov said he said the state now carefully vetted potential buyers for criminal ties or flaws like weak compliance departments limiting the risk that deals will fall apart later this is exactly what we do differently today


the next music director of the new york philharmonic jaap van zweden may not exactly be a household name yet but he apparently set a record as the nations top paid conductor when his current ensemble the dallas symphony orchestra paid him 5110538 in 2013 according to an analysis of the orchestras tax filings that was released this week
mr van zweden a dutch born maestro with a growing reputation received more that year than any other orchestra conductor in america including gustavo dudamel at the los angeles philharmonic and his total pay was more than twice that of the nearest runner up riccardo muti at the chicago symphony orchestra
most of his compensation came in the form of a texas sized signing bonus mr van zweden received that year for agreeing to a long term contract extension the orchestra said his salary that year was 1788997 but his 51 million in total compensation   first reported by drew mcmanus a consultant and blogger who analyzes major orchestras most recent tax filings each year on his website adaptistration   set a new standard
mr mcmanus said in an email that for more than a decade he had been compiling reports based on the tax filings that orchestras as nonprofits must make each year and that this was the highest single season outlay that he had seen the previous record he said was set by lorin maazel who received 3291791 in 2009 his last year as music director of the new york philharmonic but mr mcmanus cautioned that orchestras vary in how they report pay
the new record startled the music world especially at a moment that many orchestras are under fiscal pressure the dallas morning news translated the reaction into texan on its website with the headline holy cow jaap van zweden was one well paid dude at the dallas symphony orchestra
mary lou falcone a spokeswoman for mr van zweden and the orchestra said that the money for the signing bonus had come entirely from one person who had made the donation as a restricted gift exclusively for that purpose
the contract mr van zweden signed that year originally called for him to remain music director in dallas through the 2018 19 season but the orchestra agreed to release him a year early so he could take the job in new york where he will begin his five year contract as music director in the 2018 19 season he will appear in dallas as conductor laureate through 2020 21
ms falcone said that mr van zweden had decided to use most of the bonus to benefit the orchestra directly in the coming years but did not elaborate on details katherine johnson a spokeswoman for the new york philharmonic declined to say what mr van zweden would be paid in new york but said that it would be in line with what its current music director alan gilbert earns he made 1751570 in 2013 according to the orchestras most recent tax filing


the british artist aubrey beardsley knew early on that his life would be short he was only 7 when in 1879 he learned that he had tuberculosis
he started drawing around the time his illness was detected by age 20 he had made inroads in the worlds of art and literature and befriended oscar wilde in 1898 the year he died beardsley wrote to a friend that he regretted not being able to finish the splendid things he had planned
for the last two decades linda gertner zatlin a professor of english at morehouse college in atlanta has been tracking down his artworks including doodles her new boxed two volume set aubrey beardsley a catalogue raisonne yale university press analyzes around 1200 drawings paintings prints and posters although beardsley is best known for portraying sexually aroused men and wraithlike female temptresses he was far more versatile than is generally assumed dr zatlin said the variety is massive she said
her catalog corrects errors that crept into past biographies even beardsleys mother ellen made mistakes when interviewed about his life and creative process few of his letters reflecting on his work have been found he is so opaque dr zatlin said
the artists father vincent held a clerical job at a london brewery and his mother worked as a governess and gave french and piano lessons the family moved from lodging house to lodging house dr zatlin writes
soon after beardsleys diagnosis he was sent to boarding school he sketched bonneted children in bucolic settings on place cards as gifts for friends he illustrated programs for school theater productions and for plays that he and his sister mabel performed for their parents in the 1920s his mother recalled that her childrens little entertainments brightened their evenings
beardsley studied art after secondary school and worked as a clerk for surveyors and insurance agents tubercular hemorrhages sidelined him for months at a time he described himself as having a vile constitution a sallow face and sunken eyes long red hair a shuffling gait and a stoop
he did freelance illustrations for magazines wildes writings books about arthurian legends greek dramas and 18th century witticisms dr he designed advertisements for plays and even sewing machines and painted and sketched portraits he sometimes depicted hermaphrodites and amputees an editor observed in 1895 that beardsleys ruling passion is a desire to astonish the public with the unexpected
he medicated himself with mercury and antimony and managed to travel he died on the french riviera with his mother and sister by his side
dr zatlin said that beardsleys constant drawing helped distract him from his health his attitude she said was along the lines of if i think about it im going to die faster in 1936 the critic j lewis may recalled him as composed of atoms moving with such intense rapidity as to create the illusion of absolute tranquillity
dr zatlin has visited beardsleys homes and workplaces and institutions that own his drawings like the british museum and the metropolitan museum of art she studied the holdings of private collectors like mark samuels lasner and interviewed descendants of people who knew him including wildes grandson merlin holland she had help decoding the victorian symbolism of flowers and foliage in his drawings grapevines signified intoxication waterlilies represented purity of heart and sunflowers conveyed adoration
around 400 of beardsleys original artworks are missing but are mentioned in documents or are known from reproductions dr zatlin said his notebooks which his sister preserved have apparently vanished one batch of drawings was destroyed in a fire in 1929 so far 118 of his letters have turned up dr zatlin is the co editor with the literary historian jane desmarais of a compilation of the letters that is to be published in a few years
evidence has surfaced that earlier scholars of beardsleys work were not scrupulous about checking facts one scholar when asked to verify a detail is said to have told a colleague put it in nobody will know any better or query it dr zatlin has also identified many fakes at least one of his friends produced and sold forgeries even while beardsley was alive
the books provenance listings make it possible to trace auction sale prices in 2012 at bonhams in london princeton university library spent about 24000 on a copy of a stephane mallarme poem with beardsleys doodles in the margins and dr zatlin documents her own purchases including a drawing of a woman playing piano outdoors by a pond 34500 in 2004 at neal auction company in new orleans a portrait of robed chorus singers in a london theater production about 5000 at ketterer kunst auction house in munich in 2006 and a red chalk portrait of the actress gabrielle rejane 55000 at christies in london in 2015
part of the satisfaction in finishing the book dr zatlin said is that it creates a kind of permanent home for beardsley who spent so much of his life moving between rented lodgings


art galleries like museums are in a state of flux determined to find ways to survive and remain relevant in an increasingly hostile environment shaped by rising rents development absurd auction prices and a dearth of old school collectors   ones who think for themselves
the few that can are shape shifting and scaling up becoming more like museums mounting shows with outside curators and even opening their own bookstores many galleries stage not only art performances   by now routine   but also panel discussions and conversations with the artists whose work they sell as might be expected these can blur the line between public service and promotion
the word hybrid referring to a museum inclined commercial art gallery was heard more than once in los angeles at the opening of the imposing arts complex that is hauser wirth  schimmel its four buildings surround a large street accessible courtyard with a 150 seat restaurant planned for september that most museums would envy amenities is another word youll hear perhaps most telling the gallery has a full time staff member in charge of educational programs
in the opposite direction smaller galleries especially in new york are dispersing beyond established art neighborhoods like chelsea bushwick and the upper and lower east side to far flung locations exploiting new yorks extensive subway system
gavin browns enterprise occasionally a gallery manages to do both to become a bit more like a museum   or at least an alternative space   while avoiding gallery enclaves gavin browns enterprise has evaded blue chip status partly by deliberately favoring the margins of soho then chelsea and most recently greenwich village and partly by watching its biggest discoveries chris ofili peter doig piotr uklanski go off to larger operations mr brown a british artist who relocated to new york in 1988 and opened his first gallery in 1994 was ahead of the amenities curve his second gallery on west 15th street included passerby a small fully functioning bar with a disco floor by mr uklanski
mr brown now has an outpost smack in the middle of the lower east side but his new flagship gallery is in a four story building at 439 west 127th street in harlem that is something of a mini dia art foundation
the opening show is the new york commercial gallery debut of the brilliant british video artist ed atkins whose enigmatic digital animations create complex inner lives for figures more usual to video games mr atkins has installed a piece on each of the buildings three display floors all involve double or triple projections that create a strong spatial experience as do cutting edge sound effects alternating with well chosen musical accompaniment and all feature a tormented disheveled man loosely based on mr atkins   or at least using his voice and captured facial expressions
tending toward a vivid grimness and a certain macho angst these animations meditate on the alienating effects of technology terrorism modern travel and good old self abnegation in hisser our hero is sucked out of his bedroom to wander naked on the white screen muttering to himself in the elaborate ribbons he is heavily tattooed and spends most of his time slumped over a pub table the shortest piece is probably best the nine minute safe conduct seen in the sky lighted fourth floor space bins of human organs and body parts pass through a tsa checkpoint while our protagonist watches in baggage claim he poses like a hostage and is finally seen in close up gritting his teeth to the mounting increasingly militant strains of ravels bolero thus is existential dread updated and digital animation given unusual gravity
mr browns example of persistence and unpredictability is inspiring but also hard to match here are some other show places that are breaking the mold in their own ways
fort gansevoort although its just a block from the new whitney museum in the meatpacking district fort gansevoort is also off the beaten gallery path it occupies a greek revival house at 5 ninth avenue near little west 12th street that was previously a restaurant and was recently taken over by adam shopkorn a person of diverse interests they include fashion craft and barbecue but mr shopkorn is also drawn to odd bits of recent art history he is currently showing the abstract paintings of richard landry known as dickie a prominent musician and photographer who figured in food the artist run restaurant in early 70s in soho and was a member of the original philip glass ensemble saxophone in the mid 70s mr landry began making abstract paintings in a style that has continued their hard edge geometrics and textured surfaces suggest flattened minimalist boxes they arent especially original but they are forceful tough minded period pieces and good to see
steven harvey fine art projects on the northern edge of the lower east side at 208 forsyth street near east houston the tiny steven harvey fine art projects is not so much geographically as aesthetically marginal mr harvey a longtime art adviser independent curator and dealer who favors a strong tactility is resurrecting the old fashioned pictures gallery and making it hip freetime part 1 his current group show of six mostly young artists perfectly represents his sensibility four repurpose the seductive hues and open gestures of color field painting whether in the beautiful ceramic bowls of beth kaminstein the painted hooked rug tapestries of liv aanrud the quasi abstract still lifes of daniel herr or the vaguely symbolist pastels of paul metrinko the sturdy figurative paintings of giordanne salley and anna mendes more than hold their own
106 green occupying the living room of a ground floor apartment in greenpoint brooklyn and open only on sundays 106 green actually at 104 green street near franklin street is perched just north of the williamsburg gallery scene it was founded four years ago by the artists mitchell wright ridley howard and holly coulis who recently appointed as its director jon lutz an independent curator mr lutz has organized a wry group show maybe im doing it wrong knitting it with strands of self doubt ryan falkowitz makes a monthly picture calendar that is twice wrong the image of rodney dangerfield is fake and it is used for all 12 months elizabeth bonaventura offers a wonderful graphite drawing of a worried looking eskimo hunter in a kayak while sara greenberger rafferty plies the ambiguous line between object and photograph most effectively in body suit with tie stacy fisher makes formally succinct yet ambiguous sculptures that borrow credibly from bruce nauman and louise bourgeois allison evans adapts sumi ink painting to depict the often mixed signals endemic to growing up female everything stands out here but most of all justin q martins large work in sewn and painted brown wool that floats before the wall on a delicate wire infrastructure conjuring an eccentric hand puppet or mask
the knockdown center this refurbished 19th century brick factory compound at 52 19 flushing avenue at 54th street in maspeth queens initially produced glass and then prefab or knockdown doors now four years old it is its own kind of strange hybrid overseen by the artists michael merck and tyler myers it survives by renting parts of its 60000 square feet for weddings performances and other events but along with vanessa thill the two also oversee noncommercial art exhibitions the best of the three current shows is transactions organized by carolina wheat and liz nielsen who run elijah wheat showroom a small bushwick space they invited artists to contribute a favorite object and explain its importance nearly two dozen responded including carol bove lisa yuskavage and yevgeniya baras and their often telling selections hang above little rugs and pillows that invite intimate contemplation one of the most tangible effects of this barely visible show is the hand drawn map by mr merck in the courtyard the capable sculptures and paintings of john furgason serban ionescu and carlos little all gain from being displayed in a romantic ruined boiler a two person show introduces the work of anna mikhailovskaia a promising young brooklyn sculptor and john schacht 1938 2009 a little known chicagoan whose watercolor gouaches of patterned biomorphic forms expand the legacy of the hairy who the knockdown center brims with unrealized potential it already has a restaurant
topless the outlier of all outliers here is topless billed as a seasonal art gallery at 91 02 rockaway beach boulevard at 91st street now in its third year topless is wrest to life each summer by its co founders and co directors jenni crain who works full time in a chelsea gallery and brent birnbaum an artist who lives in the rockaways they stage four three week shows in a rented quickly refurbished space from mid june to the end of august this years initial offering centers on beverly semmess playfully regal installation a pathway of large squares of gold velvet adorned with long sleeve like loops of dark blue and green velvet as if flung by a passing isadora duncan the piece is paired with the finely miniaturist sometimes gold leafed paintings of families and gardens by larissa bates in plain sight of the summering rockaways these works form a separate realm that intimates riches and rituals both ancient and new
bless the new york subway system


maxwell l anderson a longtime museum leader who left the dallas museum of art last year after four years as its director will become the president of the souls grown deep foundation in atlanta which preserves and promotes works by self taught african american artists primarily in the south
the nonprofit foundation which gave a major gift of works to the metropolitan museum of art in 2014 grew out of the collecting and scholarship of william s arnett and has been run by members of the arnett family the partial handing of the reins to mr anderson   his title is a newly created position   signals the foundations increasing momentum in working to place its extensive holdings in important public collections
in an interview mr anderson who has followed the work of mr arnett for decades said our premise now is providing more major institutions   and then smaller institutions   with works that will allow them to be able to tell the story of these artists and these traditions which were if not suppressed then almost unknown for so long   comparable to the work of many jazz and blues artists for more than a generation the foundations collection holds important pieces by artists like thornton dial lonnie holley nellie mae rowe joe minter and the quiltmakers of gees bend in alabama whose place in the history of late 20th century art has become much more recognized in recent years
mr anderson will direct the foundations operations along with his current job as executive director of the new cities foundation a nonprofit urban think tank harry arnett one of mr arnetts four sons will become chairman of the foundations board succeeding his brother paul who will continue to serve as a trustee


the brexit ballot puts one of democracys riskiest tools the referendum to the test
the british people are voting on whether to leave the european union the betting markets and the financial markets are both signaling that the country will vote to stay but even if britain rejects brexit as leaving the european union is known the very act of holding a referendum will come in for criticism
in a single issue vote a small number of people can change the course of an entire country for generations all it would take is a simple majority of britons to throw europe into turmoil with a vote to leave this problem is made much worse if turnout is low
referendums can also distill complex issues into a simplistic choice stoking a harsh type of populism critics of californias habit of holding single issue ballots point to votes that limited increases in property taxes and introduced the three strikes minimum sentencing law and a leader may hold a referendum for expedient political reasons   an accusation made against david cameron britains prime minister   rather than for the good of the country
then theres the democratic argument against referendums the electorate already gets a chance to vote on big issues in a general election in recent years neither of britains two main political parties has run on a platform that includes leaving the european union and voters have repeatedly backed them to form governments also a large proportion of current members of the british parliament want britain to remain in the union this could cause a mess if britain votes to leave in such an outcome politicians who favor brexit are expected to take power but the mostly pro europe parliament might not support those leaders leading to a period of turmoil and paralysis
pretty ugly so why might holding the ballot be worth these risks
two reasons a vote is overdue and the british people seem to want the opportunity to vote on europe separately from a general election
the last time britain held a referendum on europe was over 40 years ago since then much has changed in britains relations with what became the european union other countries including france in 2005 got a chance to vote on important changes but britain did not till now
and it appears that turnout will be particularly strong for the brexit vote as was the case for scotlands vote in 2014 on whether to remain part of britain
such referendums may appeal to voters because they offer the freedom to go against the position held by the political party they normally support in the brexit vote for instance 32 percent of voters who backed the pro europe labor party at the last general election say they will vote to leave according to a yougov poll conducted in the last few days and 41 percent of backers of the conservative party in which there is considerable hostility toward the european union said they would vote to stay
in some ways it might appear that the plebiscite has encouraged people to adopt manichaean views particularly on immigration a new ipsos mori poll shows that concern about immigration rose significantly as the vote approached
but the yougov poll found that concerns about the economy and sovereignty were dominant the poll asked which one issue would play the biggest role in deciding how the respondents intended to vote in the referendum a third said their biggest consideration was what would be best for jobs and the economy while 29 percent said they would choose mainly on the basis of what would best allow britain to balance sovereignty and cooperation with other countries only 18 percent said immigration was the most important issue
the brexit referendum has been bruising for britain but its hard to say it was bad for its democracy


the museum of the city of new york could not have predicted how timely it would be to mount an exhibition exploring how creativity became both an outlet and a refuge for lesbian gay bisexual and transgender artists in new york
now after the shootings in orlando fla the show gay gotham art and underground culture in new york which opens this fall seems prescient in that it celebrates the creativity and the richness of the lgbt community said whitney w donhauser the museums director
the show looks at queer networks that grew in the city around 10 artistic figures the composer leonard bernstein the photographers robert mapplethorpe and george platt lynes the visual artists andy warhol richard bruce nugent harmony hammond and greer lankton the playwright poet and novelist mercedes de acosta the impresario lincoln kirstein and the dancer choreographer bill t jones
marginalized people   in the 20s through the early 90s especially   formed these communities of like minded individuals that sustained their lives personally and advanced their careers professionally said donald albrecht the museums curator of architecture and design who worked on the show out of that oppression and marginalization came a lot of creativity
among the artifacts will be the original designs for west side story which mr albrecht said he included because the creators were all gay bernstein music stephen sondheim lyrics arthur laurents libretto jerome robbins choreography oliver smith scenery and irene sharaff costumes
also in the exhibition will be bernsteins copy of romeo and juliet   the basis for the musical   in which he writes a plea for racial tolerance at the time mr bernstein had yet to come out one wonders mr albrecht said if its not a plea for tolerance of other types of relationships
it may be hard to believe that the san francisco museum of modern art didnt own a work by the sculptor walter de maria given its strong holdings in other minimalists   like donald judd sol lewitt and dan flavin   and mr de marias ties to northern california
the dallas museum of art was also once without a de maria so when gavin delahunty the dallas museums senior curator of contemporary art approached gary garrels the senior curator of painting and sculpture at the san francisco museum about jointly acquiring a de maria piece mr garrels jumped
its something thats been a gap in our collection mr garrels said something ive wanted for a long time
the sculpture large rod series circlerectangle 5 7 9 11 13 1986   geometrically arranged polygonal steel bars   was acquired for the dallas museum through its benefit auction fund with the aids charity amfar and for the san francisco museum through the phyllis c wattis fund
the museums have also jointly purchased mr de marias pure polygon series 1975 76 seven works on paper acquired for the dallas museum through the janet kendall forsythe fund and for the san francisco institution through its accessions committee
best known for his lightning field a grid of 400 stainless steel poles in western new mexico that opened in 1977 mr de maria is widely considered one of the pioneers of minimal art he died in 2013
he had an interest in sumptuous materiality mr garrels said his works are always ravishingly beautiful
the san francisco museum plans to present pure polygon series next spring in each of its three possible configurations over the period of its installation dallas will showcase it this fall next to a borrowed el greco to highlight the artists common interest in mathematics
placing walter in the context of artists as interested in geometry and the science of looking mr delahunty said is almost like a time travel exercise
before deciding to renovate its building on 125th street the studio museum in harlem considered moving to other sites but ultimately determined that the in harlem was integral to its identity so in figuring out how to commemorate 50 years of existence   an anniversary coming up in 2018   the museum has chosen to highlight that connection to the neighborhood
beginning this summer the studio museum will start a series of inharlem initiatives which will include commissioned sculptural works for public spaces one by kevin beasley in morningside park simone leigh in marcus garvey park kori newkirk in st nicholas park and rudy shepherd in jackie robinson park
we wanted artists for whom harlem had a role in their work said thelma golden the museums director and chief curator
in partnership with the new york public library the museum will also present activities at the george bruce branch in harlem including a books authors  kids program and studio salon a series of talks book clubs and writing workshops for adults
we are the studio museum in harlem ms golden said and this makes that literal
sure the performance ski store in aspen colo typically sells parkas
but from july 11 through aug 20 it will turn into an art gallery showing work with a mountain theme by artists like richard prince and sterling ruby
curated by neville wakefield and produced by meredith darrow an art adviser the show includes new work like a mountain painting by nate lowman a painting of a north face jacket by mathew cerletty and a triptych of cloud paintings by dan colen
the exhibition focuses not just on topography but also on marijuana legal in colorado which represents another way to get to a higher point ms darrow said to a more evolved place


somebody paid nearly 64 million for picassos femme assise at sothebys in london on tuesday it was the highest price ever paid at auction for a painting made by an invertebrate
you may know the invertebrates as the cubists
under the headline the cubists dominate paris fall salon the new york times reported in october 1911 that they were a school of artists who believe that the right way to paint persons and things is to paint them in cubes squares and lozenges
the article explained that when they first burst on the astonished gaze of paris and the rest of the universe they were known as the invertebrates that was in 1905 on recovering from its first fit of amazement at the astonishing productions of the invertebrates the public promptly dubbed them the wild beasts now they are les cubistes
whatever their name they continue to paint pictures before which descriptive adjectives retreat in disorder the article says they slap colors apparently in haphazard fashion on their canvases draw back a step slap on another assortment and then calmly label the sensational result a woman
the article turned to the american artist critic and humorist gelett burgess to describe the cubist gang heavily excerpting from an essay he had published in the architectural record introducing this art movement to americans
burgess it may be recalled is the versifier who gave us this
the times quoted burgesss description of picasso the only one of the crowd with a sense of humor in his telling
picasso is colossal in his audacity picasso is the doubly distilled ultimate his canvases fairly reek with the insolence of youth they outrage nature tradition decency they are abominable
you ask him if he uses models and he turns to you a dancing eye
where would i get them grins picasso as he winks at his ultramarine ogresses
it took no time at all for the cubists to catch on in 1914 they were showing at a gallery on fifth avenue in new york in an article under the headline guides are needed at cubist art show the times wrote
the visitor has to be very arty to use a cubist word to know that a few cubes of bright paint are really joseph stellas impression of a scene in the window of a fifth avenue corset shop in fact those in charge of affairs did not have the information until late in the day it was about the same time that there was some excitement because it was discovered one of the paintings had been hung upside down
two months later new york society held a cubist ball at the biltmore hotel it was such a ball as has never been seen before in new york the times account said the ballroom had one huge decoration a cubist painting that covered one end of the room and formed a background for the dances colored lights were thrown on the dancers to produce cubist and impressionist effects in color
its possible that some of the participants tried out a dance invented in 1913 by a french poet it is called the muachorie the times reported that year and is supposed to represent the geometrical ideals of the cubist


st louis   when asked to pick the best moment of her life since becoming the olympic all around champion four years ago gabby douglas had to stop and think
she has written an autobiography and created her own set of emoji she has made a movie based on her life and has a starring role in her own reality show those were great she told me but not the highlight
for her nothing matches her favorite prize of her instant celebrity walking the red carpet
at the golden globes mark wahlberg was like whats up gabby and he was on my left and p diddy was on my right and i was in shock douglas said giggling then anne hathaway was like hey gabby and i was like hey and tried to be calm not to be a fan girl
the funny thing though is that of all her memorable moments since the london games douglas didnt mention one that had to do with gymnastics the very thing that has defined her young sparkly life
in 2012 she was just 16   a 4 foot 11 94 pound happy ball of energy   when she was the surprise gold medalist in london she became the first black woman and the fourth american woman to win the olympic all around title that brought a host of opportunities unrelated to gymnastics and she took advantage of many of them
but now at 20   and having grown to 5 feet 2   douglas is back at this weeks united states nationals here she is again one of the top gymnasts poised to make her second olympic team while her teammate simone biles   who has won the past three world championships in the all around   is expected to win the gold douglas is in a position to play a leading role for the second summer games in a row after finishing second to biles at last years world championships
it seems to be a no brainer that the reigning olympic champion would defend her gold but in gymnastics its not as easy as it sounds the last olympic champion to successfully defend her gold medal in the all around was vera caslavska of czechoslovakia in 1968 in 1980 nadia comaneci of romania came close but settled for silver after winning gold in 1976
the truth is most all around champions retire as fast as they can lured away from the gym because of burnout and injury and college and economics that and what for many is the first true taste of freedom after a lifetime of training
getting back to the top level of gymnastics after taking more than a year off though is an unbelievable challenge even for the most disciplined gymnast her time off as douglas explained it was delicious she could finally sleep in make her own schedule travel act like a typical teenager
life was easy you know she said but then i remembered that i had this thing deep inside of me i felt that i could go to another olympics and that voice was saying go for it do it and it pulled me back to the gym
the way back has been bumpy douglas left her longtime coach liang chow in iowa to move to los angeles so she could be near her family there then she changed coaches again moving to ohio to train at buckeye gymnastics outside columbus
the work was more demanding and more tiring than she expected it to be what made it even harder was that douglass body had matured and so flipping and twisting were not as simple as they once were this is another reason gymnasts regularly age out of the sport but her experience also gave her an advantage she didnt have to do as many repetitions
with kittia carpenter her new coach she is also relying more on video and other multimedia tools to work smarter and hopefully avoid injury
the good thing is that gabbys body naturally is strong and flexible and thats kind of an odd mixture to find carpenter said she has good genetics and a great attitude thats her   always bubbly and energetic thats part of what separates her from everyone else
but douglas isnt packing her bags for rio just yet first she has to perform well at this weeks womens nationals which begin friday and then she has to perform even better at the united states olympic trials early next month
martha karolyi the coordinator of the national team is careful not to praise douglas too highly at this point
she said that when douglas and aly raisman another 2012 olympic gold medalist trying to make the team for rio came back to national team camp she sat them down and told them that she was glad to have them but warned that they werent going to get any breaks
it was a harsh message yes karolyi cant afford to be sentimental the united states is the defending champion in the team event so it was no wonder karolyi remained straight faced as she discussed douglas this week
she is an ambitious girl strong and very talented girl she said her body is looking very nicely at her age she has a lot of things going for her
one of those things is her attitude douglas is upbeat for someone who knows she wont be the no 1 american in the olympics   if she makes it there at all
theres not much to debate biles is much better than she is and it is biles who is on the cusp of being the sweetheart at these coming games
douglas doesnt seem jealous this week she said that she was simply making time to soak up the moment
in training for the nationals she said she stood on the balance beam and took a second to consider the big picture
its amazing to be considered one of the best again and its kind of overwhelming she said its like wow im on tv and people recognize me on the street and i could be going to another olympics i know this is truly special it really is


the nations biggest banks have all built up big enough buffers to weather a severe recession in decent shape united states regulators said on thursday
the federal reserve looked at how the countrys 33 largest banks would do in a recession with sustained high unemployment and negative interest rates it found that the big banks would all suffer major losses   526 billion in total
yet even with those losses regulators said all of the big banks would remain in relatively good financial health   and well above minimum regulatory requirements   as a result of the big cushions of shareholder money they have stockpiled in the last few years
nearly eight years after the financial crisis a widespread public perception persists that not enough has been done to overhaul the institutions that are too big to fail calls to break up the biggest banks can be heard among politicians analysts and even policy makers
for their part banking regulators have instead been quietly focusing on steadily pushing up an arcane but vital measure of the losses a bank could withstand in a crisis its capital capital levels can be built up either by retaining profits or by raising money from investors
the results of the annual stress tests are a marker of just how much progress the regulators have made in pushing banks to beef up the capital buffers that will protect the financial system in any future crisis
and this years tests were arguably the most stressful stress tests yet said mark zandi moodys analytics chief economist noting that the big banks must weather a downturn more severe than the great recession
the test results came as the banks themselves were preparing for a real world stress test britains referendum on whether to leave the european union given londons importance to global finance and markets the banks were preparing contingency plans if they needed to move their european bases
among the largest banks wells fargo bank of america and jpmorgan chase all suffered big losses in the federal reserves stress test but all remained above their regulatory minimums
and in one important measure   the tier 1 leverage ratio   the 33 banks together would be 67 percent above the required minimum level even in the worst case of the stress test
but even as the banks prove they have adequate capital they are not out of the woods
next week they will all have to pass another type of test from the federal reserve that is a more subjective measure of the banks planning and management processes in the past these so called qualitative reviews have tripped up banks including citigroup which failed in 2014 even after demonstrating it had adequate capital
on top of that several fed officials have recently said that for the nations biggest banks future tests will become even more difficult with stricter capital requirements
daniel k tarullo the fed governor who oversees regulation told bloomberg television this month that regulators would probably seek additional capital surcharges for the countrys eight biggest banks
we need to have those eight most systemically important institutions more resilient than other banks in the economy he said
the constant raising of capital requirements each year reduces the likelihood that the banks will ever need another round of taxpayer bailouts
but the ever evolving requirements have confounded bank executives and shareholders who complain that the regulations are making it impossible for the banks to generate consistent profits
even as the economy has remained relatively stable over the last few years and the legal issues and losses from the crisis have been resolved the share prices of large institutions like bank of america have languished
on thursday the banking industrys trade group suggested that the stress tests had become unnecessarily burdensome
the tremendous effort banks have made to build capital and liquidity has allowed them to perform strongly even under scenarios that are unrealistically severe the american bankers association said in a statement this success has continued even as institutions are judged through an unnecessarily opaque standard
some analysts have questioned whether regulators are purposely ramping up regulations to the point where it will no longer make sense to keep large commercial and investment banking operations as one entity   thus ending the threat of too big to fail institutions
in the short term thursdays stress test results which are mandated by the dodd frank financial overhaul law of 2010 could portend good news for the banks investors the banks will probably be allowed to increase their dividends and buy back stock as part of their annual capital plans the fed will release its decision on whether to approve those capital plans next wednesday
in past years a handful of banks have failed the tests and had to scale back their payouts to shareholders the figures released on thursday indicated that the banks were likely to show improved results this year
the fed looked at how the banks would do this year in a recession that would lead to big losses in consumer banking which has been an increasing concern in recent months
the test also looked at how they would deal with negative interest rates which have become more of a concern as central banks have struggled to raise the rates and depart from the policies they adopted immediately after the financial crisis the test assumes that the banks could not make up for negative rates by charging their customers more to hold their deposits
these assumptions posed less of a danger to banks with big trading and wall street operations but led to bigger consumer losses
while the tests posed extreme hypothetical events real concerns about weakening consumer credit have plagued banks in recent months
investors have worried that weakening employment could bring about an end to a period of low defaults particularly in automobile lending and credit cards   which have been two areas of growth for the banks


in nicolas winding refns dark drama the neon demon a young woman elle fanning has dreams of becoming a model in the cutthroat fashion world in los angeles in a recent interview mr refn discussed this scene featuring ms fanning abbey lee as a competitive model and alessandro nivola as a fashion designer here are edited excerpts from that discussion
10 this is a scene in the neon demon where we introduce elle fannings character at her first casting session shes on her road map to become a supermodel and shes been at a photo studio now shes getting into the world of catwalk
30 the idea of shooting this scene all in underwear is that it makes everything pure meat and the idea is that youre disposable and youre degraded and youre kind of looked upon as nothing but a prop
130 i like to keep things in wide shot as much as possible because it tells the story very specifically its almost a tableau structure so every time theres a new shot theres a new story going on within it
230 i only kept elle in close ups because i wanted as much as possible to play on the imagination of what she would look like the idea of beauty is difficult because its in the eye of the beholder i always had to keep a sense of a hidden beauty an illusion that people essentially make up their own interpretation of what she may or may not look like i give her very little dialogue and i keep her past very mysterious on one level you can say shes deer in the headlights innocent and the other time she can be an evil dorothy coming to the city to corrupt everyone
340 with this interaction here you show the dynamic between the three people and something that is essentially very campy and melodramatic will soon become very dangerous to elle fanning


is it ok to cry at a drag show thats what drag artists and their fans have been asking in the aftermath of the massacre at a gay nightclub in orlando fla this month for the drag queen sasha velour tears make drag about more than a funny man in a dress
drag promises the queer community transformation that we can turn pain and make it into something beautiful ms velour said drag can be a source of hope but also a way to process mourning
as the tv show rupauls drag race drags drag outside of gay bars and onto main street we seem to be in the midst of a golden age queens are using their powers as shamans witch doctors or court jesters as rupaul recently put it to make people laugh question and yes sometimes cry
the annual parade and the pridefest street fair on sunday are the main events for gay pride in new york but heres another way to celebrate an all drag weekend
catch the cabaret new york prides big drag event is on sunday when night of 1000 queens featuring raja naomi smalls and other popular performers from rupauls drag race takes over stage 48 but you can start the weekend with paige turner sutton lee seymour jackie cox and their big gay pride show there will be drag staples like show tunes and a tribute to judy garland and an educational drag history lesson as ms turner put it about pioneers in the art form neema bahrami the manager at the pulse nightclub in orlando is scheduled to attend on friday night
all weekend expect the citys drag scene to be awash in outrage and remembrance as well as wisecracks and dance breaks
its possible for a drag show to be beautiful and funny and politically charged said ms velour who delivers a queer sermon at the end of her own monthly show nightgowns named after the garments she loved trying on as a boy experimenting with gender thats a huge selling point
night of 1000 queens is on sunday at stage 48 605 west 48th street manhattan vosseventscom
big gay pride show is at 7 pm on friday and saturday at the laurie beechman theater 407 west 42nd street manhattan spincyclenyccom
nightgowns is on july 7 at bizarre bushwick 12 jefferson street brooklyn bizarrebushwickcom
see a broadway matinee most drag shows are off limits to children because of racy content liquor laws or late start times but kids are everywhere in the audience at kinky boots the tony award winning musical about a drag queen turned footwear entrepreneur in a small british town now in its third year on broadway kinky boots with music and lyrics by cyndi lauper and book by harvey fierstein is a family friendly musical in the company of the lion king and wicked thanks in part to a story about finding your passion overcoming prejudice and transcending stereotypes as ben brantley wrote in his review and with chorus lines of splashy heels its a dreamscape for aspiring young drag queens
kinky boots is at the al hirschfeld theater 302 west 45th street manhattan kinkybootsthemusicalcom the saturday matinee is at 2
stream a movie the hair is high and the insults are low in the queen an eye opening time capsule of a documentary about the miss all american camp beauty pageant at town hall in manhattan hosted by the drag queen flawless sabrina in 1967 this was two years before riots at the stonewall inn helped usher in the modern gay rights movement anyone thinking of crossing a drag queen is advised to pay attention to the last 10 minutes when all hell breaks loose as crystal labeija a runner up reads the winner in a snarling tempest of shade as renata adler said in her review in the new york times the film shows us another america
available on dvd at thequeen1968documentarycom or youtube
sprinkle sequins on your brunch last year pete wells the restaurant critic for the new york times wrote that he had more fun at senor frogs than at almost any other restaurant that has opened in the last few years
and that was before the drag queens moved in
since january the times square outpost of that mexican restaurant known for its balloon hats and mega margaritas has hosted a popular sunday drag brunch featuring unlimited cocktails and new york drag queens brandon voss an organizer of gay events hired by senor frogs to help promote the show said the raucous audience has expanded beyond the local gay crowd to include curious tourists and straight allies but there are men in wigs so its still pretty gay mr voss said
senor frogs drag brunch 11 times square two seatings at 1230 and 230 pm 3995 in advance or 4995 at the door vosseventscom
kick off your heels and read a book showgirl monster housefrau sexpot drag in these and many other personas is the subject of why drag a new coffee table book of portraits by the photographer magnus hastings the luxe portfolio with a foreword by the gender provocateur boy george features over 200 drag queens from around the world there are celebrity queens like new yorks veteran night life hostess lady bunny looking coy in rabbit ears and black opera gloves but also under the radar gals like nina west of columbus ohio dressed as a nutty valkyrie to me drag is an art form with no rules mr hastings writes in his introduction and my shots are a celebration of that
available at magnushastingscom
do the drag dishes the monthly web series cooking with drag queens is just that the hosts and husbands fausto fernos and marc felion dishing and making dishes with drag queens in the kitchen of their chicago home recent episodes featured african peanut curry from bob the drag queen the winner of this years season of rupauls drag race and the korean dishes bibimbap and kimchi prepared by well kim chi a runner up also check out feast of fun a daily podcast hosted by mr fernos and mr felion that regularly features interviews with drag performers from across the gender bending spectrum


for a long time biologists thought our dna resided only in the control center of our cells the nucleus
then in 1963 a couple at stockholm university discovered dna outside the nucleus looking through an electron microscope margit and sylvan nass noticed dna fibers in structures called mitochondria the energy centers of our cells
our mitochondrial dna accounts for a small portion of our total dna it contains just 37 of the 20000 to 25000 protein coding genes in our body but it is notably distinct from dna in the nucleus unlike nuclear dna which comes from both parents mitochondrial dna comes only from the mother
nobody fully understands why or how fathers mitochondrial dna gets wiped from cells an international team of scientists recently studied mitochondria in the sperm of a roundworm called c elegans to find answers
their results published this week in the journal science show that paternal mitochondria in this type of roundworm have an internal self destruct mechanism that gets activated when a sperm fuses with an egg delaying this mechanism the scientists found led to lower rates of embryo survival down the road this information could help scientists better understand certain diseases and possibly improve in vitro fertilization techniques
this work comes closest to elucidating a key development process that has perplexed us for a long time said justin st john a professor at the hudson institute of medical research in australia who was not involved in the research
its well known that the transfer of mitochondrial dna from mother to offspring often called maternal inheritance occurs in humans and most multicellular organisms maternal inheritance is what allows genetic testing services like 23andme to trace our maternal ancestries you inherited your mitochondrial dna from your mother who inherited hers from her mother and so forth
maternal inheritance also gave rise to the idea that there exists a mitochondrial eve a woman from whom all living humans inherited their mitochondrial dna
before this research it had been thought that maternal inheritance was orchestrated by processes in the mothers egg cells said ding xue a professor at the university of colorado boulder and one of the authors of the paper large structures called autophagosomes for instance are known to engulf paternal mitochondria shortly after a sperm penetrates an egg
dr xue and his colleagues found however that the paternal mitochondria in the roundworms actually started to break down before any autophagosomes reached them its like a suicide mechanism said byung ho kang a professor at the chinese university of hong kong and another author of the paper
the researchers identified a gene called cps 6 that seemed to initiate the breakdown process within paternal mitochondria they found that deleting cps 6 caused paternal mitochondria to linger longer in the embryo it also led to higher rates of embryonic death
this paper provides the first experimental data suggesting that its not good to keep sperm mitochondrial dna said vincent galy a researcher at pierre and marie curie university in paris who was not involved in the study
its unclear whether having some paternal mitochondrial dna in our cells leads to health problems to date theres been one reported possible case detailed in 2002 by researchers in denmark in a man with mitochondrial myopathy a neuromuscular disease the scientists discovered a mutation on mitochondrial dna that came from his father its possible however that the mutation occurred spontaneously after conception rather than being inherited directly from his father
further research could shed light on diseases caused by mitochondrial dna which can lead to blindness nerve damage and dementia dr xue said because its a somewhat lengthy screening process doctors dont generally check patients for the inheritance of paternal mitochondria but as we do more studies we might actually find that its closely related to some human diseases dr xue said
more studies could also expand understanding of an in vitro fertilization technique that involves injecting a single sperm directly into an egg some researchers have studied whether this technique leads to the presence of sperm mitochondrial dna in the embryo but there are contradictory results dr galy said
the big mystery that remains is why maternal inheritance occurs so consistently across organisms dr xue said one theory has to do with the fact that sperm must generate a lot of energy when competing to fertilize an egg during this time sperm mitochondria are overworked which could possibly damage their dna and lead to mutations
but this theory and all others are still speculative dr xue said this is a longstanding biological question he said there must be a fundamental important reason why most species actually adopt the same style of mitochondrial inheritance


london   supporters of a british exit from the european union opened up a substantial lead over advocates of staying in the bloc as the nation tallied the votes early friday on one of its most momentous decisions in generations
with more than half of towns and cities reporting the so called leave campaign was leading by more than 700000 votes out of more than 24 million that had been counted an advantage of 516 percent to 484 percent over the remain campaign according to the bbc
dare to dream that the dawn is breaking on an independent united kingdom nigel farage the leader of the uk independence party one of the primary forces behind the push for a referendum on leaving the european union told cheering supporters just after 4 am denouncing the lies corruption and deceit that he said elites in both major parties   conservative and labour   had peddled
the vote was still too close to call and remain supporters were not giving up but as thursday night turned to friday morning the results were consistently giving hope to the leave campaign while inducing deep worry among supporters of staying in europe starting with prime minister david cameron
the early results startled the financial markets which gyrated wildly after initially banking on a victory for the remain campaign at one point the value of the pound plummeted to 136 from 150 the sharpest one day drop on record
officials were busily counting some 336 million ballots cast thursday by an estimated 72 percent of eligible voters at the conclusion of a campaign that amounted to a fierce debate over sovereignty national identity immigration and trade
the leave campaign did better than anticipated in areas it had expected to win particularly in northeast england and picked up swansea a welsh city it had not expected to win
the remain campaign performed well in the inner london boroughs of wandsworth lambeth hammersmith and fulham but it barely carried newcastle upon tyne a university town it had expected to dominate
proponents of staying in the european union started the night in a confident mood especially after mr farage suggested that he was not optimistic about victory
the first indication that the outcome might be closer than some of the late polling suggested came from one of the first sizable areas to report as the leave campaign did even better than expected in sunderland a working class community in the northeast
voting lasted from 7 am to 10 pm though some particularly crowded poll sites stayed open longer to accommodate voters still in line to cast their ballots
two other last minute opinion surveys also gave the remain camp an edge but given the failure of most british pollsters to foresee the conservative partys victory in last years general elections many analysts were putting little trust in surveys neither a comfortable remain victory nor a comfortable leave victory can be ruled out stephen fisher an elections expert who teaches at oxford wrote on thursday morning after noting that polling averages gave remain a very slight lead
about half of voters were thought to have walked to the polls though many others drove and a few even rode horses strong rains in parts of the capital and southeast england complicated voting floods forced the borough of kingston upon thames in southwest london to move two polling sites by the thursday evening rush rains had caused delays on several subway lines and brought foot traffic at waterloo the capitals busiest train station to a standstill many britons posted photos of themselves accompanied by their dogs and cats prompting internet memes
until the polls closed news organizations were prohibited from reporting accounts of how people voted but in interviews britons expressed their concerns and anxieties in more general terms
in the deprived town of oldham near manchester a traditional stronghold of the labour party lisa kirk 43 said she and her family had been swayed by the uk independence party which opposes britains membership in the european union and expressed disenchantment with british leaders theyre just letting all the foreigners in and there is nothing left in the system for us she said
in the 18th century spa town of royal tunbridge wells in the picturesque kent countryside michael selway 54 expressed worry about the future of european integration this project was set up by people who had fantastic intentions   no more war   and now it might all come to a crashing end he said
older voters are seen as being particularly disenchanted with the european union and younger voters more attracted to the possibility of studying and working on the continent but there were many exceptions
helen lickerman 67 said there was a general tendency to move away from european integration never mind the ins and outs of the economy she said at an interview at st giles cripplegate church in the barbican a residential and arts complex in the city of london the capitals financial district theres a general feeling of being part of a community and the history the past wars is something we dont want anymore
near paddington station just north of hyde park yamini mathur a 41 year old londoner said that voters had been more confused than enlightened by the blizzard of claims and counterclaims made during a series of debates we do not have all the answers we do not have all the information but i guess we will just have to go with all the information we have she said
the two officially designated campaigns   vote leave and stronger in   continued to fire away on twitter in messages that reflected the sharply negative turn the debate has taken in a country where civility and decorum have been distinctive characteristics of the political culture
vote leave told its followers on twitter todays referendum is about democracy if you cherish it and it matters to you at all then please voteleave and takebackcontrol the campaign has relentlessly attacked the european union as an unaccountable and faceless bureaucracy that is subsidized by britain and offers little more than onerous directives in return while forcing high levels of migrants onto britain through its insistence on the free movement of labor capital goods and services
the stronger in campaign has at times struggled to make a positive case for the 28 nation bloc instead focusing on the economic hit that britain   the blocs second largest economy after germany   would sustain if it lost access to a common market of more than 500 million people even enthusiasts acknowledge that the european union with its cumbersome governance is hard to love though they say it has helped to unite a continent that nearly destroyed itself in two world wars
with the stumping over politicians were left with little to do but vote three leaders of the remain campaign   mr cameron whose conservative party is bitterly divided over the european union and the leader of the opposition labour party jeremy corbyn and mayor sadiq khan of london   all voted in the capital
so did boris johnson the former london mayor who has arguably been the most prominent face of the leave campaign and michael gove the justice secretary mr farage cast his ballot in kent in southeast england
it was only the third nationwide referendum in british history in the first in 1975 britons affirmed their membership in the european economic community a forerunner to the european union which they joined in 1973 in the second in 2011 voters rejected a change to the system by which members of parliament are elected


college admissions experts breathed a sigh of relief on thursday when the supreme court upheld a university of texas admissions plan that allows race and ethnicity to be considered as one of many factors in admission
i think there are going to be some parties tonight in high school counseling offices and in college admissions offices said phil trout the president of the national association for college admission counseling and a college counselor at minnetonka high school outside minneapolis sigh of relief is not strong enough
in its ruling the supreme court noted that the texas plan   which automatically grants admission to roughly the top 10 percent of students across the state then uses race as one of many factors in considering the rest   was unique and very much a product of texas politics law and demographics
but what was encouraging about the court decision experts said was that in affirming the value of diversity including race and ethnicity in higher education the court recognized that there was not one immutable way of defining and achieving it
its a terrific outcome said peter mcdonough the vice president and general counsel at the american council on education i think todays decision is about deference its not about dictating i think its about the continuing recognition that our countrys campuses are laboratories for experimentation and that the formula for diversity does remain elusive it changes over time and it is impacted by context
mr mcdonough echoed a critical part of the supreme court opinion that described public universities as laboratories for experimentation and called on the university of texas at austin to scrutinize the fairness of its admissions program to assess whether changing demographics have undermined the need for a race conscious policy and to identify the effects both positive and negative of the affirmative action measures it deems necessary
the decision was made on fairly narrow legal grounds and does not establish any bold new policy said david hawkins the executive director for education content and policy of the national association for college admission counseling i dont expect to see a resounding clarion call for further investment in the use of race and ethnicity as an admissions tool he said
mr hawkins said he expected colleges to react by heeding the courts call to be introspective   to engage in constant deliberation and continued reflection   about how they achieved diversity
several states   including arizona california florida michigan nebraska new hampshire oklahoma and washington   have banned affirmative action and some education analysts wondered whether the courts decision would lead to more such backlash
public opinion polling suggests that most americans dont like the idea of counting race in deciding who gets into universities said richard kahlenberg a senior fellow at the century foundation who has argued for using poverty rather than race to achieve diversity and said he saw the decision as a setback for that cause
republicans have resisted pushing this issue because they fear that it will generate turnout among african americans he said but all bets are off with donald trump it will be interesting to see what he does
affirmative action bans have led public universities like the university of michigan to look for other ways to achieve diversity like reaching out to minority students after they have been offered admission to persuade them to accept
experts also said other affirmative action plans could still face challenges in state legislatures and in cases before lower courts challenging admissions policies at harvard and at the university of north carolina
the lawsuits argue that diversity can be achieved through race neutral alternatives the harvard complaint also argues that affirmative action policies have the effect of discriminating against high achieving asian american applicants
the lower courts will obviously have the fisher precedent to apply while looking at those schools programs said rachel kleinman senior counsel at the naacp legal defense and educational fund referring to the name of the case fisher v university of texas no 14 981 i think that could be very helpful
lee c bollinger president of columbia university noted that justice samuel a alito jr in his dissent said the texas plan discriminated against asian americans
the points made in justice alitos dissent about his view and the view of dissenters that this discriminates against asian americans i think is one of the themes that the opponents of affirmative action are pursuing mr bollinger said i do not expect fisher to be the end
on the campus of the university of texas sergio cavazos 20 president of the senate of college councils said he thought students overwhelmingly supported the admissions policy
mr cavazos a senior government major is from brownsville at the southern tip of texas on the border with mexico one of four children from a middle class hispanic family he graduated from high school in 2013 ranked 10th in his class of 350 and entered the university under its policy of admitting the top 10 percent of graduating high school seniors he has a full academic scholarship
we value diversity on this campus he said one of the key concerns for me   myself being a hispanic student from brownsville   was ensuring this campus remain diverse and representative of the population of this state
the court seemed skeptical of using poverty as a proxy for achieving racial diversity as some have called for the decision said that texas had tried and failed to increase diversity through enhanced consideration of socioeconomic and other factors
some have argued that making large allowances for race could lead to admitting students who would flounder because they were mismatched to academic standards a theory that justice antonin scalia seemed to be thinking of during oral arguments in the case the court said thursday that the equal protection clause does not force universities to choose between a diverse student body and a reputation for academic excellence
justice scalia died in february before he could participate in the fisher decision


geneva   nearly 200 people who fled boko haram attacks have died of malnutrition and sickness in a single camp in northeastern nigeria in the past month the medical charity doctors without borders said on thursday describing a catastrophic humanitarian emergency
in the camp which sits on the outskirts of the largely ruined nigerian city of bama the charity said that the local authorities reported five to six people dying every day
we have been told that people including children there have starved to death ghada hatim the groups head of mission in nigeria said in a statement
years of devastating attacks by boko haram have displaced more than two million people in nigeria and surrounding countries the nigerian city of maiduguri has more than doubled in size as people flee villages for the town which is now swarming with soldiers and local vigilantes bent on keeping out boko haram
in nearby niger tens of thousands of people who had already fled boko haram are again on the run after militants stepped up their activities near the nigerian border fighters attacked a military post this month killing 32 soldiers and injuring more than 60 people
in nigeria many of the displaced people are housed in government run camps but thousands of others are taking refuge in informal camps that have overtaken college campuses or hospital grounds many other displaced people have moved into villages sometimes with 20 or more people living in a single small grass hut
sanitation and food problems abound in these areas and many residents have complained that thieves are stealing food distributed by aid workers re bagging it and selling it in the markets
in the camp outside bama the authorities reported that at least 188 people had died since may 23 said christopher nambula a coordinator for doctors without borders most of the deaths were attributed to malnutrition diarrhea respiratory disease and other ailments about 24000 people live in the camp including 15000 children
the united nations believes that there are about 244000 children under 5 suffering from severe acute malnutrition in borno state where the camp is located doune porter spokeswoman for unicef said by telephone if children in this condition do not receive treatment one in five of them will probably die its urgent that we are able to reach more children she added
the city of bama was captured by boko haram in september 2014 several months later the nigerian military retook the town but elements of boko haram have returned in surrounding areas posing a threat that has severely hampered aid deliveries
united nations agencies had been able to deliver some food and nutritional supplies dr nambula said but doctors without borders said its team had screened about 800 children in a visit to the bama camp and found that nearly one fifth of them suffered from severe malnutrition a condition that can lead to death if untreated
some things are happening there but we think more can be done dr nambula said the question is how
as the nigerian militarys offensive against boko haram lurched forward soldiers were able to clear the area last week aid workers who rode with soldiers to reach the area reported that the military afraid of being ambushed fired several rounds along the way
what they found at the camp shocked humanitarian workers who described a grim scene of numerous people suffering from disease and lack of food
one aid worker who visited the camp briefly last week tried to match lactating mothers whose infants had died from disease or otherwise with starving infants whose mothers had died in childbirth the worker came across one woman whose sister had died in childbirth and was trying to feed her sisters baby despite not being able to produce milk other new mothers appeared skinny and malnourished
kashim shettima the governor of borno state also visited last week and described the scene there as pathetic
its an unfolding human tragedy he said describing the sick children he saw
doctors without borders said its team had counted 1233 graves dug in the past year in a cemetery located near the camp and that 480 of the graves were for children
mr shettima said hundreds of people were being evacuated to maiduguri the nearest big town so far so good he said
doctors without borders said it had screened more than 460 children among 1100 people evacuated to maiduguri from three villages near bama between june 13 and 15 two thirds of the children were emaciated the charity said and 78 were so acutely malnourished that they had to be hospitalized


the justice department announced on thursday that it had reached an agreement with a mississippi county that for the first time requires a local government to provide an array of options intended to reduce mass incarceration it includes programs offering alternatives to jail re entry services for inmates leaving incarceration and the prohibition of some jail sentences for failure to pay court ordered fines and fees
the settlement agreement with hinds county home to jackson mississippis largest city and the state capital comes after the justice department issued a letter of findings last year having concluded that the countys jails regularly violated the constitutional rights of inmates by keeping prisoners past their release dates and that it failed to protect prisoners from violence inflicted by guards and other inmates
vanita gupta principal deputy assistant attorney general and chief of the justice departments civil rights division said the agreement incorporated measures discussed by the obama administration and by police and prison officials in the past three years seeking to moderate the growth of a criminal justice system in which 22 million people are in prisons and jails and 47 million are on probation or parole
the measures include a shift away from the use of solitary confinement strategies seeking to reduce recidivism and an effort to keep juveniles and the mentally ill out of jail through the use of early intervention programs
ms gupta said that the kinds of problems uncovered by the justice department in hinds county including pervasive violence by guards and inmates alike and an overreliance on solitary confinement were similar to those in jails and prisons across the nation
this is the first time weve been able to incorporate a spectrum of reform ms gupta said every jail is going to have its own specific issues but the creativity and innovation in this is something that could be promoted in other jurisdictions
carmen y davis the administrator of hinds county did not immediately return a phone call or email thursday the county sheriff victor mason did not immediately return a telephone call
the agreement was reached as police chiefs corrections officials judges and prosecutors joined calls for substantial reductions in prison and jail populations to match reductions in crime rates it also comes as congress debates a bill to overhaul the criminal justice system that would alter mandatory minimum sentencing laws which have played a significant role in increasing the length of time served leading to crowding
the justice department found last year that hinds county officials had regularly violated the rights of inmates at the hinds county adult detention center and the jackson city detention center
among the findings in the justice departments may 2015 report was that hinds county routinely held inmates beyond their court ordered release dates for example the report found that a 13 year old had served 173 days without an indictment   including 70 days beyond his mandatory release date
the countys jails were also the scene of three major riots which led to the death of an inmate the justice department found investigators also uncovered rampant and unnecessary violence by guards the lack of basic equipment such as functioning radios cases of the jail losing track of inmates staff shortages and inadequate safeguards and care for juvenile and mentally ill prisoners
hinds county officials eventually agreed to cooperate with the justice department which allowed the county to avoid the imposition of a court ordered federal consent decree the settlement agreement is subject to the approval of a federal court judge who will appoint a monitor to ensure that the changes are carried out
for too long the conditions in the jail have posed a serious challenge to law enforcement and the safety of our community george k davis united states attorney for the southern district of mississippi said in a statement i appreciate the commitment made by hinds county officials to turn the page and begin making necessary reforms
the settlement agreement includes a provision that prohibits the county from jailing people for failing to pay court fines and fees unless it first determines that the individual can afford to pay
the fees which could include everything from traffic citations to the cost of a prisoners incarceration have been found to fall disproportionately on minorities the prevalence of such fines and fees   and subsequent jail stints for lack of payment   has been the source of frustration among the unemployed and the working poor including in ferguson mo where protests broke out after the death of michael brown in a police shooting in 2014
but the centerpiece of the deal is a mandate to form a criminal justice coordinating committee made up of local officials including judges the county sheriff and members of the board of supervisors as well as mental health professionals and other local residents the committee will be guided in part by a consultant who will be hired by the county
the justice department said the committee would be tasked with coming up with alternatives to incarceration   including developing strategies and changing policies to decrease the number of arrests in the county through diversion programs   many of which will focus on the mentally ill who make up a significant share of inmates in hinds county jails
the coordinating committee will prioritize enhancing coordination with local behavioral health systems with the goal of connecting individuals experiencing mental health crisis including juveniles with available services to avoid unnecessary arrest detention and incarceration the settlement agreement between the justice department and the county said
the committee will also be responsible for easing the transition to freedom after inmates are released from jail which could include providing help with housing and job training or ensuring that those with mental illnesses receive adequate care
criminologists have said that gaps in such services can lead to high recidivism rates because former inmates often do not the skills to find decent work and are sometimes barred from certain types of housing as well as from loans for education and job training
the county will be required to pay for the changes but the justice department said it intended to work with county officials on funding
we are going to be helping them support the innovations ms gupta said


buffalo   once upon a time nhl origin stories resounded like a slap shot in an empty arena with familiar tropes they started on say frozen ponds and backyard rinks in boston or toronto detroit or minneapolis south meant st louis west was alberta and british columbia
but the expansion of the league and the relocation of nhl franchises to fresh precincts which continued with an announcement this week that a las vegas club will begin play in the 2017 18 season have resulted in creating hockey incubators in parts of the united states not normally associated with ice
on friday at the nhl draft here at the first niagara center the toronto maple leafs are expected to use the no 1 pick to select auston matthews a 6 foot 2 210 pound center from scottsdale ariz who played professionally for the zurich lions of the swiss league last season
soon after another club will call jakob chychrun of boca raton fla the highest rated defenseman among north american skaters according to nhl central scouting a league department that ranks prospects for the draft
its the result of expansion whether it be expansion to the florida area expansion to the west coast   los angeles san jose or arizona said lou lamoriello who is overseeing his first draft as general manager of the maple leafs after more than 25 years in a similar capacity with the devils its the result and exposure of different leagues and organizations that have developed and also the job that usa hockey has done with the program
as the nhl has expanded and relocated to the west and the south there has been a resulting uptick in players from those formerly remote outposts
from 1924 to 1939 when the nhls american franchises were primarily in boston chicago new york pittsburgh and detroit american born players came from 14 states
today the nhl is a 30 team league with 23 clubs in the united states   including two in florida three in california and one apiece in texas and arizona american players from 2000 to 2015 came from 35 states including california arizona and texas
pat kelleher who oversees membership for usa hockey the nations governing body for amateur hockey said diffusion of the sport to nontraditional areas is seeded by the nhl
first and foremost has been the nhl clubs that have gone there and then the world of hockey grows around it kelleher said teams build rinks he said and the ecosystem builds up around them
teams in warm weather cities have had success on the ice if not always in the accounting ledger in the 15 seasons since the nhl last expanded in 2000 01 nine stanley cup finals series have featured a team from california florida or north carolina
the arizona coyotes and the florida panthers among others have had financial and attendance difficulties but their areas have produced top prospects in one generation showing another way expansion has helped grow the game
usa hockey reached record membership in 2014 15 the latest period for which figures are available although membership continues to edge upward in hockey hotbeds like minnesota and massachusetts some of the fastest growth has come from the sun belt including 7329 registered players in arizona
although only a fraction of the 26383 players in california and slightly more than half those in florida the figure represents a 37 percent increase in registration from 2003 when matthews inspired by the nhl team in town began playing hockey in the phoenix area
it was the coyotes for sure he said
in 1996 the year before matthews was born the winnipeg jets relocated from manitoba to arizona and were renamed the coyotes matthews attended his first game at age 3 with his uncle billy who had season tickets
that was the first time i saw it said matthews whose father brian played baseball and whose mother ema is of mexican heritage and i fell in love with it from the beginning
matthews credits his early development in part to the influence of the skating instructor boris dorozhenko and ron filion a former minor league player filion coached matthews for four years on the arizona bobcats a youth hockey organization that plays at the aaa level the highest
originally from quebec filion 50 arrived in phoenix when hired as coach and general manager of the roadrunners a minor league team tired of a professional life in the minors he began coaching youth hockey players beginning with brendan lemieux the son of claude lemieux a wing who won the stanley cup with three different teams during a 20 year nhl career
that is when filion first encountered matthews a boy   known to friends family and teammates as papi   who loved to score
with elite competition scarce in the southwest the bobcats fly to 10 tournaments per year in places like minnesota detroit and chicago the cost to parents for travel and fees can be up to 20000 filion said by some measures it has paid off
when we started with the 97s the matthews group we got our butt kicked pretty much everywhere we went he said two years later we were ninth in the country
still by the time they are teenagers many elite players in the sun belt must head north to hone their game at 16 matthews moved to michigan to join other top prospects from around the country as part of usa hockeys national team development program
what sun belt teams lack in access to rinks and elite competition at home they compensate for with coaching said alex hicks an assistant for the arizona state university mens team which begins play as a full fledged ncaa division i member next season in yet another measure of hockeys growth in the south and west
a calgary native hicks played 258 games in the nhl as a forward for anaheim pittsburgh san jose and florida he retired to phoenix in 2006 his three children played hockey and he got involved coaching youth teams
no question the biggest driver is the coaching the kids get he said about the sun belts recent success theres not a ton of youth players here   around 4000   but the quality of coaching is fantastic because of nhl guys or guys who played in college whove retired here
it is the same in california and florida where chychrun was coached by his father jeff a defenseman from canada who played parts of eight seasons in the nhl before moving to boca raton in the mid 1990s
jakob chychrun a strapping 6 2 and 220 pounds played for the florida junior panthers until moving to canada in high school to pursue junior hockey where he plays in the ontario hockey league for the sarnia sting
chychrun is not the first elite defenseman from the florida junior panthers though shayne gostisbehere from pembroke pines fla scored 17 goals and 46 points as a dazzling philadelphia flyers rookie during the 2015 16 season he finished second to artemi panarin of the chicago blackhawks in voting for the calder trophy given to the nhls rookie of the year
he was a really good skater from the first time i saw him said ray sheppard 50 a right wing from ontario who scored 357 nhl goals and served as gostisbeheres coach with the junior panthers for four seasons until gostisbehere left florida to attend prep school in connecticut he was natural at thinking the game if you can think the game chances are youll be successful at it
the panthers arrived as an nhl expansion team to florida in 1993 making gostisbehere and chychrun among the first generation raised on hockey in the sunshine state
should they be surprised sheppard said about northerners wondering how some of the drafts top prospects wound up from arizona and florida no there are a tremendous amount of good athletes
perhaps in 20 years no one will be fazed by nevada born players making their way onto nhl rosters now that las vegas is on the hockey map
bet on it


christian dior has finally found its designer
in a move that will break up one of the most feted design teams in fashion maria grazia chiuri of valentino is expected to be named artistic director of dior becoming the first woman to lead the brand in its 70 year history
the move which is expected to be announced next month has the potential to disrupt the luxury fashion landscape as ms chiuri now co creative director at valentino parts ways with her longtime collaborator pierpaolo piccioli
the news reported earlier by reuters broke just a day after the valentino mens wear show in paris and hours after ms chiuri hosted a dinner in the city at caviar kaspia on place de la madeleine with mr piccioli in celebration of the collection
both dior and valentino declined to comment but a person briefed on the negotiations confirmed the appointment
i think its nothing short of a brilliant appointment said robert burke founder of his own luxury consultancy it makes perfect sense from both an aesthetic standpoint and a consumer standpoint there are few brands that compete with dior but valentino is one
ms chiuri and mr piccioli were appointed co creative directors at valentino in 2008 staying at the italian fashion house when it was sold by the private equity group permira to the qatari controlled mayhoola for investments in 2012 together they brought valentino to billion dollar status making it a darling of both the fashion and celebrity worlds in the process
annual sales have more than quadrupled to 987 million euros since 2009 as ms chiuri mr piccioli and stefano sassi valentinos chief executive led an expansion of the brands product range and distribution and after it nearly doubled its profit on revenue of more than 1 billion in 2015 there has been growing speculation in the luxury industry about an initial public offering of stock
the fashion house said this year that it expected revenue to grow at a double digit pace in 2016 and it has plans to open about 25 stores globally the company now operates 130 shops directly and is aiming for about 200 in the next two to three years
the dior appointment will be ms chiuris first solo design post and will leave mr piccioli alone at the creative helm of valentino
ms chiuri originally hired mr piccioli to work with her in the accessories department of fendi in 1992 and the two have moved in tandem since then they have been professionally so intertwined that they often finish each others sentences co sign handwritten letters send emails from the same account and dress alike in matching black trouser suits
i always thought of them as a team not as individuals the big question is whether they can do separately what they did together said mr burke thats the risk
scott schuman a photographer known as the sartorialist who worked in a wholesale showroom that sold valentino early in his career said i am interested to see how they play on their own
he continued a lot of the high end couture labels seem like golden cages the sensibility i understand for her shell create clothes you can buy and wear   not just accessories
ms chiuri will be joining dior at a delicate time the luxury market is expected to grow only 2 percent this year according to a study from bain  company and altagamma the italian trade association
dior has been designer less since october when its artistic director raf simons left the company after three years mr simons had been appointed after the firing of john galliano who had been accused of a drunken anti semitic rant mr simons was credited with not only modernizing the dior aesthetic but also restoring an internal calm to the fashion house his departure threw it into limbo once again
rumors that ms chiuri was being considered for the artistic director position had been circulating in the fashion world since the beginning of the year however the job has traditionally involved only womens wear and not mens wear designed by kris van assche jewelry designed by victoire de castellane or retail designed by peter marino and it was viewed as difficult to fill this had to do with both its demands   six collections a year including cruise collections in exotic locations   and its limitations including the involvement of celebrity ambassadors
mr simons for example was said to be particularly upset to discover he had not been consulted on the signing of rihanna as a dior face given the gulf between the aesthetic he had established for the brand and that of the pop star
the parent company of moet hennessy louis vuitton dior is the cornerstone of the luxury empire built by bernard arnault its chairman and chief executive though it reported more than EUR5 billion in sales last year and has 195 stores worldwide three fifths of its revenue came from perfumes and cosmetics christian dior couture which includes all the clothing lines contributed EUR18 billion to sales in 2015
recent shows created by the internal design team led by serge ruffieux and lucie meier have been met with tepid applause and diors fashion sales growth has fallen in the last 18 months going from double digit growth to flat in the first quarter of 2016 a dip in tourist numbers to europe after terror attacks in paris and brussels and sales declines in several crucial asian markets contributed to the losses ms chiuri will be charged with reversing that trend
in paris pamela golbin chief curator of fashion and textiles at the musee des arts decoratifs noted ms chiuris long successful track record and willingness to grow
she does have an incredible knowledge of haute couture and thats going to be a very important aspect of her job ms golbin said there arent that many people who have shown over a long period of time that they could take it to the next level and have it evolve shes done that over the years at valentino what will happen at dior is a big question
the next couture season scheduled for the week of july 4 will herald ms chiuris final show with mr piccioli a new era for dior valentino and their designers will begin in september with the womens ready to wear shows


the securities and exchange commission will examine the brokerage industry for potential violations in the way companies handle customer cash after the regulator reached a 415 million settlement with bank of america the sec found the banks merrill lynch to have misused billions of dollars of client money to finance its own trades
the settlement announced on thursday along with an unrelated 10 million disclosure violation is the second largest against a wall street company after goldman sachs paid 550 million in 2010 over the sale of mortgage backed securities before the financial crisis unlike goldman sachs however merrill lynch admitted to the violations announced on thursday
the sec said merrill lynch misused as much as 5 billion in customer cash weekly from 2009 to 2012 making complex options trades that generated 50 million in profits for the company over that period in the process the bank failed to safeguard customer assets that could have been jeopardized in the event the company failed
that is not a minor concern the activity in question which began before bank of america bought merrill lynch in january 2009 coincides with the height of the financial crisis merrill lynchs merger with bank of america came as the bank faced steep losses bank of america would eventually receive 45 billion in government bailout money
the settlement is the largest against a company over the customer protection rule
the sec also said on thursday that merrill lynch improperly put as much as 58 billion of customer cash daily into accounts that were subject to liens from clearing banks that money was also at risk had merrill lynch failed the activity ran from 2009 until last year when the sec said it notified the bank of the issue
the rules concerning the safety of customer cash and securities are fundamental protections for investors and impose lines that simply can never be crossed said andrew j ceresney the secs director of enforcement
though customers did not lose money the enormous exposure to risk brought on such steep penalties mr ceresney said
merrill lynch violated these rules including during the heart of the financial crisis and the significant relief imposed today reflects the severity of its failures he said
under the customer protection rule brokerage firms are supposed to hold customer cash in a reserve account separate from other firm assets this is an expensive rule for banks because they cannot use that idle money for other activities but it is in place to protect customer assets and make them accessible to customers in a crisis lehman brothers collapse in 2008 left brokerage customers unable to recover billions of dollars of assets for months if not years
while no customers were harmed and no losses were incurred our responsibility is to protect customer assets and we have dedicated significant resources to reviewing and enhancing our processes merrill lynch said in a statement the issues related to our procedures and controls have been corrected we have cooperated fully with the sec staff throughout this investigation
the sec says merrill lynch created complex options trades that lacked economic substance but had the effect of reducing the amount of money it needed to set aside in the customer reserve account that freed money for the bank in what amounted to interest free loans from customer funds
a newly hired executive raised questions about the trades in april 2012 and merrill lynch discontinued them after a review mr ceresney said in a call with reporters on thursday but merrill lynch did not tell regulators about its decision to stop the trades a failure of transparency that made its penalties in the case more severe he said
the agency will begin a review of other brokerage firms to unearth potential misuses of customer funds though the sec says it is encouraging firms to come forward with information by offering leniency
merrill lynch is paying 50 million in disgorgement of the profits from the trades another 7 million in interest and a 358 million penalty
the sec also announced a case against william tirrell who was merrill lynchs chief of regulatory reporting when the violations occurred he faces an administrative hearing over accusations that he failed to adequately monitor the trades and provide information about them to regulators
his lawyer steven m witzel of fried frank harris shriver  jacobson said in an emailed statement while we are disappointed that the sec filed this action mr tirrell looks forward to the opportunity to vindicate himself at trial
mr ceresney would not say how the sec first discovered merrills activities but a new york lawyer sent out a statement on thursday saying he represented several former bank of america employees who had been whistle blowers in the case
separately merrill lynch will pay 10 million to settle sec claims that it sold complex securities to 4000 investors in 2010 and 2011 with inadequate disclosures the bank sold 150 million of the securities called structured notes it did not admit to wrongdoing in this case it paid 5 million to the financial industry regulatory authority which helped investigate the case
in october the sec announced its first structured note settlement with ubs which agreed to pay 195 million to settle charges that it made false or misleading statements and omissions in its sale of the products to investors


the humans which recently won the tony award for best new play will take the unusual step of changing theaters to extend its run
the shows lead producer scott rudin said thursday that the play would have a final performance at the helen hayes theater on july 24 and then after a two week pause for the move will resume performances at the gerald schoenfeld theater on aug 9 the move will be just one block from west 44th street to west 45th street but relocating shows is always complicated and costly
the move is necessary because the new owner of the helen hayes theater the nonprofit second stage theater is planning on aug 1 to begin a 15 month renovation of the building which it intends to use to present broadway shows of its own starting in 2018 the 22 million renovation is being overseen by david rockwell who just won a tony award for designing the set of she loves me
relocating broadway shows is rare but not unprecedented the lion king moved from the new amsterdam to the minskoff in 2006 and mamma mia moved from the winter garden to the broadhurst in 2013 location changes are rarer for plays which tend to have significantly shorter runs than musicals but it happened twice on a single day in 2008 when august osage county moved from the imperial to the music box and the 39 steps went from the american airlines to the cort that play then moved again to the helen hayes in 2009 and in 2015 its only a play moved from the schoenfeld to the bernard b jacobs theater
the humans a family drama by stephen karam won four tony awards on june 12 in addition to the prize for best new play the show won awards for best featured actor in a play reed birney best featured actress in a play jayne houdyshell and best scenic design david zinn the play premiered at the american theater company in chicago in 2014 the current production began its life off broadway at the roundabout theater company in 2015 and then transferred to broadway in january with the same set replicating a rundown duplex apartment in manhattans chinatown neighborhood that will now relocate to the schoenfeld


donald j trump announced on thursday that he would convert 50 million that he had lent to his presidential campaign into a contribution fulfilling a pledge he made in mid may
the decision appears intended to halt speculation that mr trump might seek to recoup his substantial out of pocket costs with donations from supporters clearing the way for him to adopt a more conventional fund raising approach for the general election in partnership with the republican national committee mr trump has been seeking to tap into traditional sources of money including large and small donors to bolster his own contributions to his campaign
the decision was announced by mr trumps finance chairman steven mnuchin in an interview with reuters
the campaign said in a statement after self funding his primary election mr trump and the campaign have assembled an exceptional fund raising operation which in recent days has been overwhelmed with contributions for the republican party
but mr trumps decision was largely foreordained under federal rules mr trumps campaign had only until august a few weeks after the republican convention to repay the loan


los angeles   its long its classic and a jury decided on thursday its an original
led zeppelin did not steal the opening riff of its rock anthem stairway to heaven a federal jury ruled here giving the band a victory in a copyright case in which millions of dollars were at stake
the case pitted an obscure song from the margins of rock history against one of the canonical hits of the genre the suit was filed two years ago by michael skidmore a trustee for the songs of randy wolfe a member of the band spirit it contends that the led zeppelin members jimmy page and robert plant had lifted substantial portions of the spirit song taurus from 1968 for the beginning of stairway to heaven which was released in 1971 and by some estimates has earned more than 500 million
mr wolfe died in 1997 and complained of the similarity in interviews but never brought a suit the case was filed shortly after a supreme court ruling allowed copyright infringement cases to go forward even after long delays
lawyers for mr skidmore presented evidence showing that the bands crossed paths while touring early in their careers as well as testimony from music experts saying that both songs shared a similar chord progression and most distinctively a descending bass line in a chromatic scale
mr plant and mr page both testified that stairway to heaven had been composed independently and that while both bands had played on the same bill a handful of times they did not recall ever seeing spirit perform and had no familiarity with taurus until the lawsuit was brought
i didnt remember it then and i dont remember it now mr plant said
the jury found that although mr page and mr plant had access to taurus before the release of stairway to heaven the two songs original elements did not contain enough similarities before reaching the verdict on thursday the jury asked to listen to audio recordings of the introductions to both songs twice
we are grateful for the jurys conscientious service and pleased that it has ruled in our favor putting to rest questions about the origins of stairway to heaven and confirming what we have known for 45 years mr plant and mr page said in a statement on thursday
the plaintiffs lawyer francis malofiy said an appeal was being considered
the statute of limitations for past copyright infringement is three years the two sides presented widely different estimates of led zeppelins earnings from 2011 to 2014 when the case was filed
experts for the plaintiff pointed to a 60 million music publishing deal that mr page and mr plant signed with warner music and suggested that a large portion of that could be attributed to stairway but later in the trial an accountant called by led zeppelins side put the amounts at 615000 for mr page and 532000 for mr plant
the trial was the second major case in a year to involve copyright issues and the music industry after robin thicke and pharrell williams were ordered to pay 53 million to the family of marvin gaye over their 2013 hit blurred lines that case which has been appealed has led to a wide debate in the music world over the limits of copyright protection and whether the musical elements of homage   a songs atmospherics rhythms and overall feel   can cross the line into infringement


corey lewandowski the former campaign manager for donald j trump is joining cnn as a political commentator effective immediately a spokeswoman for the network said thursday
mr lewandowski was fired by the trump campaign on monday after increasing concerns from allies and donors as well as mr trumps children over whether he could handle a national campaign against hillary clintons well financed operation
mr lewandowskis contract will make him exclusive to cnn meaning he wont be able to appear on other networks cnn currently has another trump surrogate jeffrey lord as a frequent guest
the lewandowski hiring was first reported by politico
cable news networks have long turned to former campaign operatives to provide commentary but mr lewandowskis hiring is fraught he was charged with battery for grabbing a reporter at a trump campaign event in march he is known for sometimes combative interactions with the news media and his rise and fall at the trump campaign made him a singularly polarizing figure
prosecutors later dropped the battery charge against mr lewandowski ending the case but security video taken at a trump owned property in jupiter fla clearly showed him grabbing michelle fields then a reporter for breitbart news despite his claims that she was delusional for suggesting that he had laid a hand on her
after that incident several conservative commentators from various networks including cnns se cupp and mary katharine ham wrote a letter to mr trump urging the campaign to fire mr lewandowski
within hours of being fired by the trump campaign on monday mr lewandowski gave his first extended sit down interview with cnns dana bash speaking live for nearly a half hour about his firing and his experience with the campaign during the nominating contest he had given an on camera interview to msnbcs ali vitali outside his apartment before making his way to cnn
in his interview with ms bash mr lewandowski repeatedly reaffirmed his commitment to mr trump saying he would do everything i can to make sure mr trump was elected president
if i can do that from inside the campaign thats a privilege he said if i can do that from outside the campaign thats also a privilege
mr lewandowski did not immediately respond to requests for comment on thursday
viewers hoping for inside dish on the trump campaign from its former manager are likely to be left disappointed mr trump requires employees to sign nondisclosure agreements that are binding during the campaign and at all times thereafter according to the associated press
mr lewandowskis first appearance as of now is scheduled for monday on new day
an nbc spokesman said that mr lewandowski met on monday with msnbc executives to discuss a possible contributor contract and that the network declined to make an offer


washington   the senate voted on thursday to keep a proposal to block gun sales to terrorism suspects alive but placed it in a procedural limbo that made its adoption unlikely anytime soon
the compromise measure drafted by senator susan collins republican of maine had emerged as the one piece of legislation since the mass shooting in orlando fla with a chance of winning bipartisan support and passage in congress
the measure which had been in danger of failing because of republican opposition would block gun sales to anyone on the governments no fly list or the so called selectee list of people subjected to heightened screening before they are allowed to board a plane
republican leaders however had expressed deep misgivings about the bill because they said it would deny due process to individuals who might have ended up on the lists without just cause
that left them in a quandary of how to stall the measure without allowing democrats to gloat that republicans were so opposed to tighter gun restrictions that they defeated even a bill offered by a member of their own party
the solution was a procedural maneuver by which the majority leader mitch mcconnell republican of kentucky scheduled the bill for a vote on a motion to table it by voting not to table it republicans could keep it alive without advancing or defeating it outright   putting it in a sort of legislative purgatory
supporters of the measure sought to preserve some hope but it was a reach
it is absolutely not dead said senator heidi heitkamp democrat of north dakota who was a main partner with ms collins in drafting the proposal and selling it to democrats but asked whether the measure was still alive ms heitkamp was less certain well well see she replied


after seven months and many many millions of albums sold adeles 25 is finally coming to streaming services
the music blockbuster   which moved a record shattering 338 million copies in the united states in its first week and nearly nine million here to date   will be made available on services including spotify tidal and apple music in full for the first time after midnight representatives for the companies said on thursday the album is already available to stream in certain time zones
the expanded availability comes as the albums monster sales have inevitably slowed 25 xlcolumbia sold 17000 copies last week down from 18000 the week before according to nielsen music the three singles from the album   hello when we were young and send my love to your new lover   which have been available to stream remain popular online with 77 million plays in the latest chart week
for superstar artists withholding albums from streaming services can be a way to increase traditional sales in an era when physical purchases and digital downloads are shrinking while streaming with its lower profit margins continues to explode earlier this month in a move acknowledging the growing influence of streaming the grammy awards changed eligibility rules accepting music that has been releasing only in that form taylor swift whose 1989 is still not available on services with a free tier such as spotify has also used a power move similar to adeles
adele previously explained her decision in an interview with time i believe music should be an event she said i dont use streaming i buy my music i download it and i buy a physical copy just to make up for the fact that someone else somewhere isnt its a bit disposable streaming
she added i know that streaming music is the future but its not the only way to consume music i cant pledge allegiance to something that i dont know how i feel about yet
other major pop artists have taken the opposite tack drakes views has ridden its exceptional popularity on streaming services to seven straight weeks at no 1 on the billboard album chart even as its sales have dipped that run ties adeles earlier streak with 25 though her album has spent a total of 10 nonconsecutive weeks atop the chart with a push from streaming that number may still grow


an aggressive new ad from rebuilding america now a super pac supporting donald j trumps presidential campaign tries to paint hillary clinton his presumptive democratic opponent as anti woman
a squinting subtly nodding mrs clinton is shown in the screens left corner as a female narrator intones so who is all for women until she isnt hillary clinton a photo of bill cosby in a hooded sweatshirt appears opposite her as the narrator pointedly quotes from a twitter post by mrs clinton responding to the many sexual assault allegations against mr cosby every survivor of sexual assault deserves to be believed
but when another bill was accused of sexual assault the narrator continues   as a photograph of a leeringly smiling bill clinton appears seeming to rub his hands together   not so much as quotations from a new york times article flash onscreen the narrator exaggerates the articles findings she called those women loony toon and stage managed their destruction from a white house war room she savaged their dignity and shamed them the ad closes with a video snippet of mrs clinton as first lady saying some folks are going to have a lot to answer for and the hashtag anythingforpower
the ad mirrors attacks donald j trump has been leveling from the campaign trail trying to use mr clintons sexual scandals to undercut mrs clintons argument that she is a champion for women and issues they care about   and to blunt and defeat democratic attacks portraying mr trump as a misogynist
while mrs clinton did once privately refer to monica lewinsky as a narcissistic loony toon according to the diaries of a close friend that were made public after her death the ad takes liberties with the january times article recounting her role in her husbands 1990s scandals the article reported that words like floozy bimbo or stalker were used to describe mr clintons accusers but not that mrs clinton ever used them
on cable systems nationwide an unexpected choice given that mr trump needs to gain ground against mrs clinton in battleground states in particular
the ad   which mrs clintons campaign called desperate and false   begins to fill a vacuum mr trump hasnt run a television ad since early may but while it adds to mr trumps case that mrs clinton is dishonest and fundamentally out for herself and deflects charges that he is sexist it seems unlikely to win him new converts suggesting that the first female presidential nominee of a major party is anti woman could prove a tough sell


people say that one day perhaps in the not so distant future theyd like to be passengers in self driving cars that are mindful machines doing their best for the common good merge politely watch for pedestrians in the crosswalk keep a safe space
a new research study however indicates that what people really want to ride in is an autonomous vehicle that puts its passengers first if its machine brain has to choose between slamming into a wall or running someone over well sorry pedestrian
in this weeks science magazine a group of computer scientists and psychologists explain how they conducted six online surveys of united states residents last year between june and november that asked people how they believed autonomous vehicles should behave the researchers found that respondents generally thought self driving cars should be programmed to make decisions for the greatest good
sort of through a series of quizzes that present unpalatable options that amount to saving or sacrificing yourself   and the lives of fellow passengers who may be family members   to spare others the researchers not surprisingly found that people would rather stay alive
this particular dilemma of robotic morality has long been chewed on in science fiction books and movies but in recent years it has become a serious question for researchers working on autonomous vehicles who must in essence program moral decisions into a machine
as autonomous vehicles edge closer to reality it has also become a philosophical question with business implications should manufacturers create vehicles with various degrees of morality programmed into them depending on what a consumer wants should the government mandate that all self driving cars share the same value of protecting the greatest good even if thats not so good for a cars passengers
and what exactly is the greatest good
is it acceptable for an av autonomous vehicle to avoid a motorcycle by swerving into a wall considering that the probability of survival is greater for the passenger of the av than for the rider of the motorcycle should avs take the ages of the passengers and pedestrians into account wrote jean francois bonnefon of the toulouse school of economics in france azim shariff of the university of oregon and iyad rahwan of the media laboratory at the massachusetts institute of technology
at the heart of this discussion is the trolley problem first introduced in 1967 by philippa foot a british philosopher the trolley problem is a simple if unpleasant ethical thought puzzle
imagine a runaway trolley is barreling toward five workmen on the tracks their lives can be saved by a lever that would switch the trolley to another line but there is one worker on those tracks as well what is the correct thing to do
the research published in science tries to quantify that philosophical quandary one missing component has been the empirical component what do people actually want said dr rahwan who is a computational social scientist
each survey presented different situations like varying the number of pedestrian lives that could be saved or adding a family member to the problem in one survey they discovered that participants were generally reluctant to accept government regulation of artificial intelligence algorithms even if that would be one way to solve or at least settle on an answer to this trolley problem
the number of respondents on the six surveys varied from 182 to 451
the new research could take autonomous vehicle manufacturers down a philosophical and legal rabbit hole and since the autonomous vehicle concept is so new it could take years to find answers for example the authors write if a manufacturer offers different versions of its moral algorithm and a buyer knowingly chose one of them is the buyer to blame for the harmful consequences of the algorithms decisions
the united states military is also trying to come to terms with the fact that advanced technology is on the cusp of making it possible for machines like armed drones to make killing decisions in 2012 the pentagon released a directive that tried to draw a line between semiautonomous and completely autonomous weapons they are not outlawed but they must be designed to allow appropriate levels of human judgment over their use
in a companion article in science magazine the harvard psychologist joshua d greene suggested that the thorniest challenges in machine decision making may be more philosophical than technical before we can put our values into machines we have to figure out how to make our values clear and consistent
some researchers argue that teaching machines ethics may not be the right approach
if you assume that the purpose of ai is to replace people then you will need to teach the car ethics said amitai etzioni a sociologist at george washington university it should rather be a partnership between the human and the tool and the person should be the one who provides ethical guidance


humans spend less time monkeying around as they get older and according to a study published thursday so do monkeys
as anyone who has ever hung out with a grandparent observed a retiring parent or grown old themselves may know many people get pickier with age some go to the same restaurants on the same days every week some get cranky around too many strangers and instead of playing outside with the grandkids some watch tv silently while its pretty clear that monkeys arent humans   were distant relatives separated by 25 million years of evolution   monkeys too tend to become less social with age
this clearly tells us that we as humans are not unique in the way we age socially but that there might be an evolutionary deep root in this pattern said alexandra freund a developmental psychologist at the university of zurich who worked on the study published in current biology how human behavior changes as we age could therefore have some biological origins
dr freund along with julia fischer who studies primate cognition at the german primate center in goettingen germany and their colleagues wanted to know how age influenced the behavior of more than 100 barbary macaque monkeys living in an enclosed 50 acre park in southern france they studied how the monkeys ranging in age from 4 to 29 which is about 105 in human years according to dr fischer responded to physical objects like novel toys and tubes baited with food social interactions like grooming friends or fighting and social information like photos or calls of friends and strangers
the researchers found that the monkeys interest in toys waned when they became reproductive and around 20 their retirement age monkeys like humans had fewer social contacts and approached others less frequently what surprised the researchers is that this apparent withdrawal wasnt driven by a social tendency to avoid old monkeys younger monkeys still approached and groomed their elders and it wasnt that older monkeys just werent interested in anything they still responded to photos of other monkeys and hissed at others during fights they are still very much tuned into whats going on said dr fischer but they dont want to participate themselves
dr freund said she sees the same behavior patterns in humans
the dominant psychological theory to explain this in people is that we become more choosy with age in order to maximize the use of the time we have left with death in sight while monkeys have excellent memories there is no evidence that they are aware of their impending deaths so if both humans and monkeys act similarly perhaps this theory is just a way of rationalizing a natural behavior with biological roots said dr fischer
perhaps monkeys and humans just lose stamina with age and maybe the monkeys are too tired to deal with relationships that are ambivalent or negative she added or maybe as the researchers are now trying to investigate aging monkeys are less socially interactive because they tend to take fewer risks which is what appears to happen in humans according to some research
whatever the reason behind the behavior of these distantly related species is theres a take home message for humans our behaviors that seem very much the result of our deliberation and choice said dr freund might be more similar to our primate ancestors than we might think


jerusalem   critics of israels chief rabbinate have long complained that scores of american converts to judaism have trouble getting approval to marry in israel now one such case with a celebrity connection could break open the rabbinates longstanding secrecy over which foreign rabbis are approved to conduct conversions
the case involves an american who shortly after her orthodox conversion in new york became engaged to an israeli only to have the local rabbinical court in his hometown reject her status as a jew when they tried to register for marriage
as it turns out the rabbi who signed the womans conversion certificate also converted donald trumps daughter ivanka and officiated at ms trumps 2009 wedding to jared kushner the newspaper publisher now planning the presumptive republican nominees potential transition to the white house
the rabbi haskel lookstein is one of the most respected orthodox rabbis in new york where he has led manhattans congregation kehilath jeshurun for decades after taking over the pulpit from his father he recently received an honorary doctorate from israels bar ilan university in recognition for what it called the influential role he has played in deepening jewish values and heritage among american jewry
the case raises the question of whether ms trump   who said in a vogue magazine interview last year that she and her husband were pretty observant keeping kosher and the jewish sabbath   would be accepted as jewish herself in all quarters in israel
more broadly it illustrates a growing divide between israels increasingly strict ultra orthodox religious establishment and many jews abroad over the age old question of who is a jew that has complicated israels relationship with the diaspora for decades
the israeli rabbinate which controls jewish marriage and most jewish burial sites in the country does not recognize non orthodox streams of judaism like reform and conservative with which the majority of affiliated american jews identify in rejecting rabbi looksteins conversion and those of others in similar positions the rabbinical authorities now risk alienating jews abroad who practice modern orthodoxy according to halakha or jewish law
ten years ago if an orthodox rabbi in good standing performed a conversion it would have been a given that it would be accepted here said rabbi seth farber the founder of itim an israeli organization that has been critical of the rabbinate and is pressing the case of rabbi looksteins american convert
he added id say this is unprecedented in jewish history that one group of rabbis rejects another
itim handles up to 150 cases a year of modern orthodox converts from the united states who are struggling to get married in israel or are experiencing other issues with the religious establishment as rabbi farber put it almost everyone has problems nowadays
the american convert who is appealing her case to israels supreme rabbinical court declined to be interviewed and the rabbis discussed her situation on the condition that she not be identified in order to protect her privacy
her supporters said that she converted just over a year ago after about a year of study and soon met the man who would become her fiance in petah tikva a bedroom community near tel aviv the rabbinical court there first ruled in april that her conversion was invalid
after a preliminary hearing in the supreme rabbinical court in jerusalem rabbi itamar tubul the director of the chief rabbinates department of personal status and conversion wrote a letter to the petah tikva court saying that the conversion certificate signed by rabbi lookstein was approved by the chief rabbinate of israel two other kehilath jeshurun rabbis also signed the certificate
but the petah tikva court issued a second ruling against the conversion on june 8 saying that it had found no mention of rabbi lookstein on its lists of approved rabbis
rabbi lookstein 84 is now in an emeritus position at kehilath jeshurun which has a membership of 1100 families and is considered one of the most established and mainstream orthodox rabbis in america
in a telephone interview he said that this case was a first for him though he was not aware of anyone else who had been converted by him or his colleagues at kehilath jeshurun who then tried to marry in israel
the irony is that this woman is very meticulous about her religious observance rabbi lookstein said she is as jewish as i am and as jewish as the rabbis signed on the certificate except in the eyes of the petah tikva rabbinate
the bottom line he added is that the rabbinate in israel is not respecting and honoring the work of the orthodox rabbinate in america on conversion
rabbi lookstein said he expected that the woman would ultimately win her appeal and be able to marry in israel but the battle is taking so much out of this woman and causing such pain at a time when she should be happiest in her life he lamented adding that the petah tikva rabbis were perpetrating a terrible sin because the torah is very explicit that a convert should be treated with love and never afflicted
the case has not only roiled american jewish leaders and israeli critics of the rabbinates monopoly it has unfolded into a byzantine power struggle between the petah tikva court and rabbi tubuls department with each side accusing the other of overstepping its authority
rabbi tubul said that the office of the chief rabbinate was in shock over the challenge posed by the local petah tikva court and that he had advised the convert to appeal to the supreme rabbinical court in jerusalem
rabbi tubul denied that the rabbinate was rejecting modern orthodox rabbis and said that dozens of rabbis in america were approved to conduct conversions
the list of such rabbis has long been shrouded in secrecy itim rabbi farbers group recently sued the rabbinate in a jerusalem civil court to force it to make the list public the rabbinate provided a partial list of rabbis it said had been certified over the previous six months rabbi lookstein and other major orthodox rabbis in the united states were not on it
rabbi tubul said that he was pushing to have a list of approved rabbis published on the chief rabbinates website among the main criteria for getting on the list he said are that rabbis overseas be ordained in a seminary recognized for high standards of learning and conduct themselves and their congregations according to orthodox religious law
rabbi lookstein received his ordination in 1958 from the rabbi isaac elchanan theological seminary in new york which is part of yeshiva university
people who do their work in a god fearing manner and with clean hands will receive the recognition of the chief rabbinate of israel rabbi tubul said


imagine a world in which every home and building is a miniature power plant with solar panels on the roofs and electric vehicles and stationary battery banks in the garages
meters and software would manage the flow of power allowing homeowners and businesses to seamlessly buy and sell electricity at the best prices simultaneously lowering their costs and raising the amount of green energy on the grid
thats the long term vision behind the plan that elon musk described late tuesday explaining the rationale for tesla to acquire solarcity and create the worlds only vertically integrated energy companyand it may very well become reality whether in years or decades and whether mr musks version of the vision is one that proves viable
still if mr musk and his cousins lyndon and peter rive can trounce the competition and surmount their financial woes   and those are very big ifs   the integrated company they are trying to assemble could be in a position to dominate
this is an effort to build the apple of clean energy said daniel m kammen the director of the renewable and appropriate energy laboratory at the university of california berkeley that really is part of the new wave of companies that could make this decarbonization addressing climate change really work
wall street at least for the moment is not on board
solarcitys stock which has been trading at roughly a quarter of its peak value in recent months rose after the announcement but teslas has tumbled several analysts and investors have questioned the wisdom of adding to both companies financial pressures   between them the companies lost more than 16 billion last year   and potentially distracting tesla from building its enormous battery factory in nevada and bringing its first moderately priced car to market next year
even some energy analysts say the proposed acquisition is at least as much about helping mr musks personal investments as furthering his green agenda but some energy experts and investors say there is logic in combining tesla where mr musk is chief executive and solarcity where he is chairman
describing tesla automobiles as batteries wrapped in a car shawn kravetz founder of the solar power investment company esplanade capital said that the energy storage business was likely to become colossal and so you can see he said how the electricity to power those batteries can be an essential part of this
the two companies have been moving toward a closer partnership for some time solarcity began installing tesla batteries in pilot projects for residential and commercial customers about four years ago last year tesla announced its move to market rechargeable lithium ion battery packs that could mount to a home garage wall as well as battery blocks large enough to power commercial and industrial customers and serve in utility scale installations to smooth out fluctuations in the grid
at the same time solarcity after years of challenging the utility industry to innovate or die started acting more like a utility itself it began a program aimed at cities remote communities campuses and military bases to design and operate small independent power networks called microgrids at the time peter rive one of the companys founders and its chief technical officer called the system a template that can be scaled up to basically be the next generation grid
as the leading rooftop solar provider in the country solarcity is thought to have the largest collection of data on how solar customers use energy at every minute of the day with that data   especially if combined with information from electric cars chargers and stationary batteries   the combined company could be well suited to creating products and services based on customer needs
they deeply understand what the customers usage patterns are said swapnil shah chief executive of firstfuel software which provides energy management services to buildings he compared the potential to amazons ability to adapt and customize online shopping to buyers behavior
theyre creating unique personalized profiles of your habits mr shah said and they use that to identify what is the next click for the next product
and yet while solarcity was building the infrastructure for a new decentralized approach to power production known as distributed generation while earning a reputation for aggressive attacks on the old school utility industry mr musk was turning tesla into the brand that everyone wants to buy mr kammen said that brand burnishing is something that could benefit solarcity he said
but a big challenge for tesla said shayle kann of gtm research which focuses on clean energy industries is that it is not the only company with such a grand vision utility industry stalwarts like edison international and con edison are developing energy services and consulting divisions while technology giants like general electric oracle google and even apple are getting into the business of providing or managing power
of course the merger plan may not go through if other investors balk and because of the corporate governance and other issues arising from mr musks roles in both companies he also owns more than 20 percent of each but maybe a merger isnt necessary to achieve the larger goals
do you have to own things in order to leverage or even to a certain extent control them mr kravetz of esplanade capital asked i think the answer is no you dont have to own the cow to get the milk


arlington tex   an eight foot wall in center field is like an eight foot rim on a basketball court any aspiring pro with a sense of adventure will leap into a highlight for fun
the real professionals though most of them can dunk already and most would not bother to practice the rare home run robbery if they did they would not do so in the blast furnace of globe life park on a searing texas afternoon
ian desmond has done just about everything for the surging texas rangers who have the american leagues best record at 47 26 he is hitting 316 with 12 homers 47 rbi and 13 steals but he has not yet pulled back a homer so on tuesday hours before the first pitch desmond camped under the broiling sun and worked on the art of the steal which foot to use to propel his jump when to grab the wall when to turn his head when to reach
that to me is the beauty of him said jayce tingler the rangers outfield coach who tossed balls over the fence for desmond hes always wanting to grow always wanting to experiment thats why i think hes transitioned so well hes not afraid to fail
desmond played more than 900 games at shortstop for the washington nationals winning three silver slugger awards in six full seasons and making an all star team he turned down a 158 million qualifying offer from the nationals last fall started spring training without a job and gave up shortstop to sign with texas on feb 29 for one year and 8 million
the shortstop is the captain of the infield a position many players hate to leave derek jeter refused to yield for even one defensive game it was part of his identity not so for desmond who grew up in sarasota fla and was raised on tbs broadcasts of the atlanta braves he did not yearn to be the next jeff blauser
andruw jones   that was who i always wanted to be desmond said i heard of him playing shortstop and then turning into a center fielder the way that he impacted the game   he did things in center that nobody else could do and made it look really easy that was something i always strived for
desmond played all over the field until 2004 his senior year in high school when he settled in at shortstop and was drafted in the third round by the montreal expos the franchise moved to washington the next season and desmond reached the majors in 2009
he said he was proud of his years at shortstop but maybe he added he could have been better had the outfield not tugged at him desmond knew he could play there too and so did other teams for years the rangers scouts had included that opinion in their reports on him
it seemed likely though that desmond 30 would stay in washington for years he grew with the franchise helping lift it from doormat to division winner and was widely hailed for his professionalism in 2014 he got a five year 895 million contract extension offer
desmond turned it down the deal would have been below market for a shortstop considering that elvis andrus   his current rangers teammate and a lesser offensive player   had a 120 million guarantee the sides could not agree and desmonds 2015 season was a colossal flop a career low batting average 233 and on base percentage 290 with a career high 187 strikeouts and a national league worst 27 errors
i was driving home one night last year it was going bad and i felt like i just needed to call somebody said desmond who sought a veteran teammate i had about a 25 minute drive and i called dan uggla he was a good dude to me i said man i dont know how much more of this i can take you know and he said you can take as much as you want you can handle it its never going to be too much for you just keep on going 
desmond thought about it and decided uggla was right he would immerse himself in the grind and not dread the thought of it he improved in the second half but still received tepid interest on the market the rangers backed away early over price but by late february they could not pass up the bargain
by then desmond had declined staggering sums he has not yet matched he did not want to revisit those choices saying simply that he was happy and grateful to be with a winning team rangers general manager jon daniels said desmond has stayed in the moment
very genuine   no pretense no nonsense extremely intense daniels said i think there are people   its human nature   that might be affected by the money what could have happened decisions i dont think he thinks about it at all hes extremely confident extremely proud
from their first conversation manager jeff banister said desmond emphasized that his only goal was to help the team his individual aim he told banister was wrapped in that pursuit he wanted to win a gold glove in the outfield
desmond typically worked three sessions each day in spring training early drills regular practice and late afternoons with the minor leaguers daniels heard comparisons to infielders who had made lackluster transitions to the outfield like hanley ramirez and alfonso soriano the only name daniels heard desmond mention was alex gordon the former kansas city third baseman who became a gold glover in left field
tingler liked the idea of using desmond in left because he would have the same view as he had had at shortstop with more time to react but when delino deshields struggled in center field desmond shifted there he has played nowhere else since mid may and is hitting 363 in june
hes always had the talent   he always put up good years good months   but now hes really put it all together said the rangers cole hamels who faced desmond often in the nl and is now the ace of an injury scarred rotation i think ultimately when youre happy that helps too you can tell that hes happy being here and hes at a good place in his life
desmond is eligible for free agency again this winter and daniels said he wanted to keep him with the rangers daniels added that he had spoken casually with desmonds agent about the fit but there have been no negotiations
desmond could again receive a qualifying offer which ties a player to draft pick compensation he offered no opinion on how the rule could be changed in the collective bargaining agreement which expires after this season but it clearly depressed his market last year
others will decide on the rule desmond said and he would accept any system they devise he concerns himself only with the rangers he insisted and his unlikely path to center field in arlington somehow makes perfect sense
i dont think it could be any more clear that im where im supposed to be desmond said and im grateful for that extremely grateful for that because im having the time of my life the time of my career its just awesome its amazing how things worked out


burg migheizil egypt   in the raggedy fishing village of burg migheizil on egypts north coast where the mighty nile pours silently into the sea restless teenage boys are plotting their escape lured by illusory dreams of money and glamour
one 15 year old said that five of his friends had already made it to italy after perilous sea journeys that started in the hush of night some worked for the smugglers piloting boats filled with paying migrants in exchange for free passage others paid their way
nearly all sent home on facebook envy inducing photos and bravura accounts of new lives money girls flashy new sneakers the teenager ashraf who asked not to be identified because his father worked for the local government said he intends to leave soon too
facebook is a real issue said viviana valastro director of child immigrant services at save the children italy speaking by phone even if an unaccompanied child is living in bad conditions they present a positive picture to their friends they want to show they are successful
a sudden surge in the number of egyptian teenagers fleeing to europe most of them headed for italy has added to the exodus across the mediterranean from the beaches of north africa to europe this summer at least 1150 unaccompanied egyptian minors landed in italy in the first five months of this year compared with 94 over the same period in 2015 italys interior ministry says
experts are struggling to understand what lies behind the soaring figures unlike other migrant countries egypt does not suffer a raging civil war or debilitating poverty instead they point to a crippling cocktail of factors a stalling local economy permissive italian laws that indirectly encourage child migration a proliferation of smuggling networks and el dorado like examples of other egyptian teenagers who have made it
whatever the reasons teenage boys account for a growing and unusually high proportion of migrants from egypt   about two thirds in 2015 up from about a quarter in 2011 some villages are being emptied of their young boys often at the behest of their own families
the teenagers are oblivious to the calamitous images of death at sea   capsizing boats bodies floating to shore   that dominate news coverage instead they fixate on images of apparent success sent back via social media   even if those images often mask a grittier and more dangerous reality that includes exploitation petty crime and prostitution
in burg migheizil which has been devastated by decades of overfishing in egyptian waters smuggling has become the anchor of the local economy at night buses from alexandria and cairo bump through the dusty streets carrying migrants on their way to a nearby beach where they are hustled onto waiting boats
unemployed fishermen moonlight as smugglers piloting boats across the mediterranean farmers harbor african and syrian migrants before they clamber aboard the local shipyard has enjoyed a small boom as laborers fashion steel hulled vessels that carry people instead of fish
none are breaking the law   under a quirk of egyptian law smuggling people is not illegal
often though the trade takes a dark turn in early june villagers said dozens of african migrants were stranded there after an argument between rival human traffickers caused them to miss their boat
weeks before that two bodies washed up on a local beach egyptian news reports identified the dead as a 20 year old egyptian and a somali man
in europe many smugglers end up in jail in interviews several tearful parents and spouses told of how their young relatives had been arrested by the european police a local fishermens group said that more than 4000 men from kafr el sheikh the governorate that includes burg migheizil have been imprisoned or detained in europe on smuggling charges
the families of departed teenagers are caught between their desire for their children to find a better life and regret that they have left at her home at the end of an alleyway nasara shawky clutched a photo of her two sons 16 and 17 years old now in rome i feel so lonely she said this entire village has been destroyed by the sea
for restless young men little can deter their dreams of flight ehab nasser 21 said he hated his job as a fisherman life at sea was cruel and lonely he said   long trips into the dangerous waters of war torn libya in search of fish often for as little as 100 a month two years ago he smuggled himself into greece after pawning his mothers wedding dowry at a price of 2500 euros about 2800
that trip ended in a greek detention center and with eventual deportation back to egypt but he will try again soon his eyes lit up as he showed a picture on facebook of his neighbor ismail now in london in the picture a young man fanned a wad of british pounds his thumb raised while casually dragging on a cigarette
thats what i want mr nasser said
but every success story is countered by a tear stained episode at a farmhouse surrounding by towering date palms mohamed el ghatani a farmer told of how he learned that his 16 year old nephew amir drowned on his way to europe last month
only two years earlier mr ghatani said his own son died in the same manner its terrible he said his eyes reddening at the memory they think theyll get to europe and find an amazing life thats not true of course but they dont know that
more than 7000 unaccompanied minors from different countries arrived in italy in the first five months of this year twice as many as last year according to the united nations childrens fund
the main problem said naela gabr a senior diplomat who heads egypts official efforts to stem illegal migration is italian law which forbids the involuntary deportation of unaccompanied minors
the italian state provides foreign minors with schooling and temporary papers once they reach the age of 18 they can apply for permanent residency   a powerful draw for families to send their teenage boys
a lot of the time though it doesnt work so simply said ms valastro the aid worker in rome desperate to start repaying their parents loans many egyptian migrants seek to start work immediately which hurts their chances of getting schooling or official papers
last year some reports described egyptian youths selling drugs or engaging in prostitution at romes main train station but mostly ms valastro said they end up working for pitiful wages in restaurants or fruit markets
they dont understand the meaning of the word exploitation  she said they think these people are helping them because they are giving them money even if its just 10 euros for eight hours work
now the egyptian government is taking the fight to facebook ms gabr said she had prepared a public relations campaign to persuade young egyptians not to leave their homeland
but ehab nasser the restless young fisherman said he was determined to leave regardless and his family was firmly behind him
his mother azza abdel fattah gestured at the room of flaking paint and crumbling walls they were sitting in we wanted him to get to europe and build a future and save us from this she said this is what we are praying for


paris   on a tuesday night as on many other occasions the philharmonie de paris a concert hall that seats 2400 resonated with long flowing melodies and intricate musical compositions of unbuttoned exuberance
this time however an ecstatic audience cheered and burst into applause and even booed in tune not only with the players onstage but also with the 22 other ones who ran up and down the field on a giant screen set up behind them every tackle and pass intertwined with serene pizzicati rhythmic spiccato and even the droning noise of electric guitars
in the performance   a joint initiative of tatane a sports collective and the philharmonie de paris   students from the regional conservatoire of paris provided the audience with an eclectic musical backdrop to croatias victory against spain in the european championships group stage
the philharmonie de paris on the northeastern edge of the city has hosted many concerts of the talented young musicians since it was inaugurated by francois hollande in january of last year
the fete de la musique an annual music celebration held on june 21 in france since 1981 made the perfect occasion to enchant ears with dvorak as the ball on the field was being lightly exchanged between players the music abruptly changed to the easily recognizable beat of eye of the tiger when things on the field started to heat up
the audience heard the names of mendelssohn and brahms but also those of morata kalinic and perisic the players who scored in the match the warm notes of the spanish composer albeniz accompanied la rojas players as they took over the croatian half
people who attended the concert game had not been exactly sure what to expect before the show
i think its weird it doesnt mingle well said lea sanchez a 20 year old french spanish woman who wore a spain jersey and attended with her sister and grandmother alissia gonzales who was coming to the philharmonie de paris for the first time
while the city handed out 2000 free invitations to attract an audience that was not familiar with classical concerts most of the attendees consisted of smart looking parisians some of whom sipped white wine at the bar before kickoff
the wrapped in flags kind of supporters that public viewings of games at the euros regularly attract were not exactly present but the philharmonie de paris with its futuristic waves of steel and concrete can be intimidating
i had a hard time finding people who like both music and soccer said pastor peppe a 48 year old spaniard living in france
i was expecting more flags he added
the venue on tuesday was something like a gigantic movie theater a stadium and a concert hall with hundreds of people who sat on the floor and others in the seats above them
some seized the opportunity to enjoy a festive moment without the hurdles of actually having attended the game
i would not take my children into a stadium said vianney foucault a 33 year old computer engineer and father of two foucault said he was tear gassed at the french cup final between paris st germain and marseille at stade de france a few weeks ago
after intermission   halftime in the match in bordeaux   the orchestra of more than 40 musicians spanned a wide register and carried listeners through the colombian pop singer shakira the french composer georges delerues drawling melodies bernard herrmanns nerve racking compositions and even eminems 8 mile
the game ended with a standing audience that cheered and sang along to queens we are the champions as the croatian players who had surprised spain 2 1 took each other in their arms onscreen


washington   the continuing breakdown in washingtons ability to govern seemed to spread like a contagion thursday through all three branches of government
the dysfunction somehow managed to reach new levels the supreme court left short handed by a republican refusal to act on president obamas nominee in the final year of his presidency deadlocked on a major immigration case the inaction validated a lower court finding against the administrations attempt to allow millions of unauthorized immigrants to live legally in the united states
mr obama who sought to address the nations immigration crisis through his executive powers because of a persistent impasse on capitol hill was unable to achieve one of his major goals   which pleased republicans but left the president angry and disappointed
democrats ended a raucous 25 hour protest on the house floor failing to gain a vote on gun safety issues but exulting in the attention they received via a breakout social media campaign that threw the house rule book out the capitols neoclassical windows republican leaders accused democrats of trying to capitalize on the orlando fla shooting while destroying the decorum of the house
the decision by democrats to act out in the house was just the latest attempt to upend the political status quo in a year distinguished by political disruption from donald j trump rattling the republican establishment to senator bernie sanders   the democratic socialist who made an appearance at the house protest   drawing huge crowds of young voters with calls to radically change the way americans think about government
partisan turmoil is nothing new in washington but the cloistered supreme court now finds itself disrupted as well by its empty seat unable to fully function because of a senate unwilling to act
in what passes in todays capital for a breakthrough eight senate republicans joined democrats in giving majority support to a bipartisan compromise to prevent terrorism suspects from buying firearms but that plan engineered by senator susan collins republican of maine can go nowhere until she rounds up significantly more republican support
tempers were short and patience waned after a long night of confrontation on the house floor occupied by democrats to the outrage of republicans who forced an adjournment vote shortly before 3 am thursday
this is the peoples house this is congress the house of representatives the oldest democracy in the world and theyre descending it into chaos speaker paul d ryan told reporters thursday as the protest was winding up this isnt a proud moment for democracy or for the people who staged these stunts
as part of that final vote house republicans approved and sent to the senate a bill to address the zika health threat months after the white house sought the money but the package assembled with little democratic participation contained elements they knew senate democrats would oppose the calculation appeared to be that if democrats now block it they will the ones blamed rather than republicans
democrats saw that as just another provocation
what you are seeing happening is a level of frustration that is just boiling over said representative joseph crowley of new york one of the ringleaders of the democratic floor revolt
for the duration of the sit in the house chamber where electronic devices and photographs are frowned on was awash in selfies facebook live and periscope even normally staid c span engaged in guerrilla video warfare streaming a feed from a house members phone on its house channel showing the action as seen from the floor instead of the usual camera angles from the gallery above
house democrats joyfully flouted house rules republicans said that some of their members urged the leadership to employ a cell signal jamming device to cut off the coverage but that was deemed a bad idea
mr ryan and other republicans suggested there could be repercussions in the form of ethics complaints or other actions against democrats
were reviewing everything he said we are reviewing everything right now as to what happened and how to make sure that we can bring order to this chaos
what the payoff will be for that chaos orchestrated by house democrats remains unclear they were already expected to gain seats in the november election but a takeover is still considered a long shot even with mr trump as the republican nominee and mr ryan showed that he could still command the majority really rules house even during the protest
still the defiance by house democrats who angrily declined to head out of town without so much as a vote on gun control after the killings in orlando proved that they were willing to fight they had seen their brethren in the senate who have much more legislative leverage force a vote on gun proposals and did not want to be pushed aside by the house majority
but the inability of the supreme court to issue a decision the senate stalemate on guns the dispute over zika and the disorder on the house floor as lawmakers almost came to blows in an american version of foreign legislators duking it out could just turn people off washington even more   if that is possible
with dawn just a few hours off mr ryan jammed through the zika spending bill and his motion to adjourn to allow republicans to leave town without even so much as the briefest of debates
so were locked out of everything if i am understanding the rule correctly representative jim mcgovern of massachusetts a democrat who is considered an expert on house rules asked of mr ryan this is a lousy process mr speaker
the house as they say on capitol hill was not in order and the rest of the government was struggling as well


fistfights at campaign rallies a congressional sit in angry political trolling on the internet its not your imagination americas partisan divide is deeper today than at any point in nearly a quarter century according to a new study
for the first time since at least 1992 the majority of democrats and republicans say they view the opposing party very unfavorably the pew research center found in a report published on wednesday at the same time around half of the members of either party said their opponents stirred feelings of fear and anger in them
its really this intensity of negativity thats increased said carroll doherty director of political research for pew and one of the reports authors
while the pew research only goes back to 1992 the results conform with decades of growing partisan negativity in data from the american national elections study a collaboration of stanford university and the university of michigan mr doherty said
you see that the same trends apparent going all the way back to the 1960s he said its really the rise of very negative views thats whats most apparent if you look at our trend
today according to pew 91 percent of republicans view the democratic party unfavorably with 58 percent holding very unfavorable attitudes toward it among democrats 86 percent view the republican party unfavorably while 55 percent hold it in a very unfavorable light
the republican party strikes fear in the hearts of 55 percent of democrats surveyed pew found among republicans 49 percent felt the same way about the democratic party
at the same time 47 percent of democrats said republicans made them angry while 46 percent of republicans said the democratic party made them feel angry
the results are based on a survey of nearly 4400 adults conducted mostly in march and april
in many ways negativity toward the other party is stronger than positivity toward a persons own the pew authors note
while democrats and republicans generally agree with their own party most of the time only 16 percent of republicans and 20 percent of democrats reported almost always agreeing with their own sides policies yet 44 percent of each partys membership said they almost never agree with their opposition
that rising partisanship has been matched by an increase in the number of political independents who still tend to lean toward one party or the other mr doherty said but even the direction in which those independents gravitate is defined more by opposition than support
its not because they have any great support for the policies of that party toward which they lean mr doherty said again its negative views of the policies of the opposing party
partisans also tend to have dim views of individuals a large majority of democrats find their political opponents especially rigid with 70 percent saying republicans are more close minded than other americans democrats said republicans stood out in other ways too 42 percent found them more dishonest than other americans 35 percent said members of the other party were more immoral than the rest of the nation
while a smaller share of republicans found democrats especially rigid larger proportions   between 45 percent and 47 percent for each category   said democrats stood out for their immorality laziness or dishonesty
just over half of republicans surveyed 52 percent said democrats were more close minded than the rest of the populace
roughly 1 in 3 members of each party said they considered their political counterparts to be less intelligent than other americans
partisanship aside the majority of members in both parties felt they would have little trouble maintaining civility with their political counterparts less than a third of republicans and democrats said they would have difficulty getting along with a new member of their community who belonged to the opposition
but that doesnt mean it would be easy exactly half of republicans and 46 percent of democrats said they find talking politics with a member of the opposing party to be stressful and frustrating


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the singer judith hill is on tour with a recently released old school funk and soul record back in time shes also in the news for another reason she was one of the three passengers on the small private plane with prince on april 15 after his final concerts in atlanta six days before his death during that plane ride   as she told our guest the reporter melena ryzik in a new york times report this week   she saw prince lose consciousness the plane made an emergency landing and he was rushed to the hospital
for those looking to understand more about princes musical life in his final years ms hills larger story is illuminating his contributions to back in time run deep and ms ryzik explains how close their musical connection was ms hills parents both musicians had played with some of princes idols the story   and this popcast   explains how prince had been helping ms hill develop to a new stage of her career from a backup singer with michael jackson and stevie wonder a contestant on nbcs the voice and one of the singers featured prominently in morgan nevilles 2013 documentary 20 feet from stardom for which she won a grammy award to a self determining independent artist


the supreme courts 4 4 vote in a major immigration case on thursday dealt a blow to president obamas ambitious plan to to shield millions of undocumented immigrants from deportation and allow them to work here are reactions on all sides of the issue


the supreme court on thursday issued rulings in two high profile cases on immigration and affirmative action heres a brief rundown of what the court decided and what it means
what was the case
fisher v university of texas no 14 981 was brought by abigail fisher a white woman who claimed that she had been denied admission to the university of texas austin because of her race
under a provision known as the top 10 percent program the actual percentage can vary in practice high school students from texas who finish near the top of their class are guaranteed admission to the states public universities the universities evaluate the remaining students using a number of criteria including race and ethnicity this practice is similar to processes at colleges and universities throughout the country
what did the court rule
the court rejected the challenge 4 3 handing a major victory to supporters of affirmative action in a lengthy dissent from the bench justice samuel a alito jr criticized his colleagues and defined the universitys practices as affirmative action gone berserk
justice elena kagan did not vote in the case after recusing herself because of her previous work on the case
what does the ruling mean
the decision means that the university can still consider factors like race and ethnicity when evaluating other prospective students
what was the case
the case concerned president obamas attempt to shield unauthorized immigrants who are parents of citizens or lawful permanent residents from deportation while providing them with work permits when mr obama introduced the plan in 2014 he virtually dared the republican controlled congress to fight him on the issue defending the series of executive actions as being within his authority
the actions im taking are not only lawful theyre the kinds of actions taken by every single republican president and every democratic president for the past half century he said
a coalition of 26 states led by texas disagreed and challenged the plan arguing that it ignored procedures for rule changes and abused the power of the presidents office a federal judge shut down the program pending its legal case in early 2015 an action that was later upheld by the united states court of appeals for the fifth circuit in new orleans
what did the supreme court decide
the court deadlocked 4 4 in the case united states v texas no 15 674 the stalemate was made possible by the empty seat left by justice antonin scalia who died in february
what does the stalemate mean
the deadlock was a sharp blow to mr obamas ambitious plan which he had hoped would become one of his lasting legacies it also amplified the already contentious election year debate over immigration policy and presidential authority
there are three cases remaining to be decided by the court this month
 perhaps the most keenly anticipated is a major abortion case that could affect millions of american women
the case whole womans health v hellerstedt challenges a texas law that imposes severe restrictions on abortion clinics   requiring for example that doctors have admitting privileges at hospitals nearby   ostensibly to protect womens health critics have argued that the law would force most of the states clinics to close
as they heard arguments in march the justices appeared to be sharply divided over the case as the timess adam liptak reported
 also pending is a decision in the case of bob mcdonnell the former governor of virginia who challenged his conviction on public corruption
in that case mcdonnell v united states the justices seem prepared to side with mr mcdonnell who has argued that prosecutors went too far in interpreting routine political favors as corruption mr liptak reported mr mcdonnell faces two years in prison
 the third decision to come centers on a case involving domestic violence
president obama said in a news conference thursday that the courts action on immigration further set back the united states from being the kind of country that we aspire to be mr obama said the deadlock was frustrating to those who sought to grow the economy and bring rationality to the immigration system as well as to those who wished to come out of the shadows and lift this perpetual cloud on them
he called the justices inability to come to a decision a very clear reminder of why it was so important for the supreme court to have a full bench emphasizing the importance of lawmakers acting on his nominee for the open spot merrick b garland
mr obama said existing immigration programs would continue adding i promise you this sooner or later immigration reform will get done
mr obama also asked whether americans would continue to tolerate the hypocrisy of having people make our beds or pick our fruit without allowing them to have a chance to get right with the law or whether the country would take actions that would divide families these are questions that voters would have to weigh for the election in november he added
he said that congress must now pass a law and that he hoped there would be a vigorous debate in the coming election
hillary clinton shared her reaction on twitter
so did donald j trump
and politicians like the speaker of the house paul d ryan and senator harry reid
others on social media weighed in


times insider shares insights into working and thinking at the new york times today andrew rosenthal an opinion columnist with the times responds to recent news the good the bad and that which makes him mad
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what is mr rosenthal mad about this week congress again he says the united states senate on monday voted down two of the most mindlessly simple and obvious and necessary gun control measures he says why frozen blind partisanship in the senate and the power of the national rifle association in passing mr rosenthal mentions that he was once a member of the nra i actually like guns they make a great noise and they smell good when you shoot them
the worst news this week according to mr rosenthal comes from europe the european union is once again gasping for breath he says in mr rosenthals view the division over britains membership in the bloc underscores the fundamental original problem with the european union they attempted to have economic unity without political unity and its impossible
the good news this week easy says mr rosenthal the trump campaign has relatively little money compared to hillary clintons campaign thats a really good thing
summer bonus mr rosenthals nomination for the who cares news of the weekted cruz has endorsed marco rubio for re election he says two of the most irrelevant people who have ever set foot on the national political stage are hand in hand walking off into the sunset and it aint humphrey bogart and claude raines
susan lehman is host


london   bank of america merrill lynch has hired a former executive at the investment banking firm greenhill  company as head of its mergers and acquisitions business for europe the middle east and africa
luca ferrari a former co chief of greenhills european corporate advisory business is expected to join bank of america merrill lynch in july and will be based in london according to an internal memorandum on thursday reviewed by the new york times
in this role luca will leverage his deep expertise and network to drive the growth of our ma franchise across the region jack macdonald adrian mee and patrick ramsey bank of america merrill lynchs co heads of global mergers and acquisitions and luigi rizzo head of investment banking for europe the middle east and africa said in the memo
mr ferrari has more than 25 years of experience in the mergers and acquisitions business working previously at goldman sachs and ubs before he joined greenhill in 2012 mr ferrari left greenhill in october


beijing   an unusually fierce tornado ravaged an eastern chinese city on thursday killing at least 98 people and injuring 800 others catapulting cars ginkgo trees and cellphone towers through the air and reducing homes to piles of debris the authorities said
the storm in yancheng a city of 71 million overlooking the yellow sea featured wind gusts exceeding 80 miles an hour by some accounts
the skies turned dark and we thought the summer torrential rain was about to begin said a resident of yancheng according to a live blog published by sina a web portal we ran to our house suddenly the roof was blown apart bricks were falling and the house collapsed
televisions flashed with scenes of horror hospitals overwhelmed with casualties residents combing through piles of rubble for their belongings and dust covered arms and legs jutting from the ground
president xi jinping called for an all out rescue effort according to cctv the state broadcaster and the authorities said that hundreds of rescuers had been sent to yancheng to sort through the wreckage nearly half of the injured were in serious condition the chinese ministry of civil affairs said late thursday
the tornado which began around 230 pm and was accompanied by hailstorms destroyed thousands of homes and stores as well as several manufacturing plants and rice mills according to news reports yancheng is known as a center of textile production and farming in jiangsu province
a man who gave his last name as zhang told china news service that he had been driving along a street when he noticed that trees were falling in a strange way he pulled over and soon the winds lifted his car and threw it into a river
tornadoes are relatively common in jiangsu province in chinas southeast with more than 1000 recorded over the past six decades according to chinese news reports southern china has faced several bouts of extreme weather recently with floods killing more than 20 people this week
the tornado that struck yancheng was particularly violent and the authorities were still trying to make sense of the high death toll


macys longtime chief executive terry j lundgren will step down next year the company announced on thursday as the retailer grapples with sagging sales and broader changes in the ways people shop
jeff gennette 55 who is the companys president will take the top spot while mr lundgren will stay as executive chairman
i have been honored to lead this enterprise through a period of unprecedented reinvention mr lundgren said in a statement while our company is larger stronger and more resourceful than we were 13 years ago now is the time to reset our business model to thrive in a future that is being driven by rapid evolution in consumer preferences and shopping habits
the company said the leadership transition was part of its boards succession plan but the moves come in the face of widespread turmoil at the nations department stores including macys which have struggled to recover from the recession as quickly as the rest of the retail industry shoppers are spending more but they are also hunting for bargains online and at so called off price stores known foremost for their discounts
amazon the online shopping giant as well as discount chains like t j maxx and marshalls have added to the pressure macys and other department stores have offered aggressive promotions to entice shoppers a move that some retail experts say has led to a race to the bottom
were a promotional department store and we will continue to be a promotional department store mr gennette said in an interview we offer values every day to our customer
macys j c penney nordstrom and kohls all reported surprisingly lackluster sales last quarter that sent their stocks tumbling macys was particularly hard hit reporting that sales at comparable stores a measure often used by the industry fell 56 percent over the previous year the weakest showing since the recession
the new chief has a very daunting task ahead of him said craig johnson president of customer growth partners a retail consulting and research firm
macys is facing some very difficult challenges mr johnson said i think its the right move at the right time
still the selection of mr gennette does not seem to suggest a swift resetting of strategy he said he expected to continue several of the initiatives begun under his predecessor to better compete with discount stores macys is opening outlet stores under the macys backstage name and plans to have 15 of those stores open by the end of the fourth quarter
mr gennette said he also wanted to continue building collaborations with other brands in some stores macys leases space to mens wearhouse to run a tuxedo rental business it also has similar arrangements with finish line the athletic shoe brand and sunglass hut these brands lease the space and operate separate shops within macys stores
he is also continuing what he calls macys i do strategy upgrading fine jewelry departments within the department stores
we believe we can be the wedding destination he said it starts with the ring and goes all the way to your first house and kid we believe we can be a one stop shop for that
whats not clear is how mr gennette will differ from his predecessor said neil saunders a retail analyst for conlumino
mr gennette began his career at macys in 1983 starting as an executive trainee and working his way into management roles in the mens and childrens divisions before his promotion to macys president in 2014 he worked as the companys chief merchandising officer since 2009
hes very much a macys insider mr saunders said he knows the business inside and out and hes worked very closely with lundgren for many years in a way theyre just swapping seats
aside from its retail business macys is also exploring ways to raise money from its many real estate holdings last year the company sold part of its building in downtown brooklyn to tishman speyer a developer the retailer will continue to occupy the first four floors of the nine story building while the upper floors will be reconfigured into office space for other tenants
mr gennette said macys was also pursuing other sales or joint ventures at its flagship stores in new york chicago and minneapolis as well as some of its mall properties
mr lundgren 64 who has led macys since 2003 will step down as chief executive in the first quarter of 2017 the company said he has transformed macys during his tenure including with a buyout of the may department stores company in 2005 after the merger he converted other local chains like marshall fields in chicago and filenes in boston into macys stores he also changed the companys corporate name to macys from federated department stores in 2007
macys now operates 870 stores in 45 states up from just 240 stores in 2005 those stores include the upscale department store chain bloomingdales and the makeup retailer bluemercury macys shares rose about 2 percent in midday trading
under lundgren lots of different initiatives were going on what macys needs is a finisher of those things said mr saunders the retail analyst we have to see what jeff gennette can do


shares of twilio a maker of software that helps companies like uber and nordstrom communicate with their customers soared 92 percent on thursday their first day of trading after becoming the largest technology initial public offering of stock so far this year
twilio began trading in a market that has not been receptive to tech initial offerings only three technology companies have made their debuts so far in 2016 additionally thursday was britains day to vote to stay or leave the european union the so called brexit which some feared would shake up the markets but the standard  poors 500 stock index gained 13 percent
the company said on wednesday that it had raised 150 million pricing 10 million shares at 15 each above the range it marketed to investors the ipo price yielded a market valuation of 12 billion slightly higher than the 11 billion valuation twilio received in a private funding round a year ago
twilio based in san francisco has been hailed as a trailblazer compared with the almost 170 unicorns   companies with valuations above 1 billion   that have chosen to stay private for now twilio was a test of investor receptivity to the software companys finances which show 88 percent revenue growth over last year but consistent net losses as markets became more uncertain investors preferred that companies going public turn a profit
twilio had 167 million in revenue last year from about 25000 active customer accounts whatsapp the messaging service owned by facebook represented 17 percent of that revenue
bessemer venture partners first backed twilio in 2009 and is its largest shareholder owning about 25 percent of the companys outstanding shares fidelity investments and union square ventures also hold significant stakes these entities as well as certain executives hold 986 percent of the voting power after the public offering because of their ownership of supervoting stock
jeff lawson 38 founded the company eight years ago and is its chief executive before twilio he started nine star a retailer of equipment and apparel for the skate ski surf and bmx sports crowd he also worked for amazon as technical product manager and was chief technology officer at stubhub
the company plans to use the net proceeds to expand its engineering sales and marketing and customer support teams and potentially to acquire businesses or other assets
goldman sachs and jpmorgan chase managed the offering twilio shares are listed on the new york stock exchange under the symbol twlo


wall streets efforts to overhaul its culture since the 2008 financial crisis that nearly bankrupted the worlds economy have not been a resounding success despite calls by prominent regulators to stop rewarding bad behavior
william c dudley the president of the federal reserve bank of new york and one of wall streets most important overseers has twice held closed door sessions at the bank located in downtown manhattan to urge top banking executives to overhaul the behavior inside their companies his goal has been to get bankers to think about what they should do instead of what they can do and get away with
some banks just dont get the message take credit suisse the large swiss bank that over the years has swallowed up two of wall streets premiere investment banks first boston and donaldson lufkin  jenrette to form the core of its investment banking practice it has been a rough 2016 for the bank and its new chief executive tidjane thiam who is facing a revolt from some of his employees after he suggested that credit suisse would start de emphasizing investment banking after an unexpected 1 billion or so of trading losses in the last two quarters
in march in an effort to right the ship on the credit side of the investment bank credit suisse named brian chin the chief of structured finance and david miller the chief of credit products to be co chiefs of credit suisses global markets credit division this is yet another big job for mr miller with lots of responsibility and high pay but his appointment sends exactly the wrong message about the values and behavior that a wall street bank should be rewarding
mr miller you may recall was the banks architect starting in 2004 of a new syndicated loan product - called a dividend recapitalization loan - that allowed big time real estate developers in the western half of the united states to borrow based on the inflated valuation of their projects pocket hundreds of millions of dollars in the form of dividends and lay the risk at the doorstep of new investors whom mr miller and his team had lined up
from 2004 to 2006 mr miller and credit suisse arranged for 5 billion of these kinds of loans which were then sold to investors the deals produced hundreds of millions of dollars in fees for the bank a high percentage of which of course went into the pockets of mr miller and his team from 2004 to 2008 mr miller received compensation of 231 million including 72 million in 2006
in the end all of the loans blew up and investors lost billions soured deals include 375 million in loans to the yellowstone club an hour outside of bozeman mont 250 million to the tamarack resort in idaho 540 million to lake las vegas a 3592 acre golf community in nevada 275 million to promontory a 10 square mile second home resort outside park city utah 400 million to the turtle bay resort in hawaii and 675 million to the ginn resorts in port st lucie fla naples fla boone nc and the bahamas
after each of the developments ended up in bankruptcy court a federal bankruptcy judge admonished the credit suisse bankers by calling the loans doomed to failure from the outset
an affiliate of highland capital management a hedge fund based in dallas argued in a lawsuit that credit suisse was motivated by naked greed in perpetrating its fraudulent scheme in september highland capital won a 2875 million judgment against credit suisse related to losses stemming from its participation in a refinancing of lake las vegas before it went into bankruptcy credit suisse is appealing the ruling and the judgment has not yet been paid pending the appeal highland capital affiliates are also suing credit suisse in new york state over additional losses related to other deals
emails released as part of the litigation give a glimpse of the type of culture that mr miller fostered in his group and its seeming lack of accountability
in a sept 22 2004 in an internal email to other credit suisse executives mr miller promoted the soon to close lake las vegas deal   the banks first dividend recapitalization loan he bragged about how the developments half owners the wealthy bass brothers of texas were going to get what turned out to be a 469 million dividend
fellow credit suisse bankers marveled at the deals ingenuity for creating new business seemingly out of nowhere you must have the biggest and deepest dredge known to mankind grant pothast then head of the banks distressed loan group wrote to mr miller responded mr miller i go wherever i can find a fee while noting that the bank would be making 9 million on the deal he added that he took comfort in knowing that his colleagues were willing to work in the deep dredges of life with me
after the deal closed in november 2004 it was hailed internally as a tremendous success according to emails disclosed as part of the lawsuits mr miller was singled out for bringing creativity on structure thoughtful advice on positioning calm assuring feedback to the client and for pushing the real estate bankers to roll this out to other homebuilders
as the machine got cranking in august 2005 and after one of mr millers colleagues questioned an aspect of the creative structure mr miller replied these are aggressive deals and it is in all of our best interests that the investors are protected because if one of them blows up you will see these investors pull out of this land development mkt market and our gravy train will stop
after the lake las vegas deal was refinanced in june 2007 based on what turned out to be overinflated appraisals of the value of the property a news article about the deal was circulated internally at credit suisse
this reads like we operate some sort of gene splicing lab - or a bell and whistle factory tom newberry the chief of the banks syndicated loan group wrote to mr miller and others according to an email contained in the court filings congratulations
we are going to start recruiting physics phds from mit mr miller replied
we dont need them wrote mr newberry dr frankenstein is apparently already an employee
credit suisse stands by its man the bank has a zero tolerance policy which we take very seriously nicole sharp a company spokeswoman said in an email our conduct and integrity is of utmost importance to how we operate these are old matters which continue to be litigated and we do not wish to comment
the unanswered question though is whether mr millers employment at credit suisse sends the right message to the troops


to help explain why the british voted to leave the european union look to switzerland
the famously neutral swiss rejected membership in the european economic area a potential steppingstone to the european union in a 1992 referendum but switzerland didnt formally withdraw its dormant application until last week when the swiss parliament   caught up in a burst of nationalism fueled in part by britains vote on thursday on whether to leave the european union   decided overwhelmingly to terminate it
only a few lunatics still want to join the european union said the swiss lawmaker thomas minder a staunch proponent of swissism after last weeks action
that may be an overstatement but its easy to see why the swiss would feel vindicated with a per capita gross domestic product of 80675 in 2015 according to the international monetary fund switzerland ranks second in the world after luxembourg far ahead of britain 43771 and the united states 55805
switzerlands unemployment rate was 33 percent in may lower than that of britain or the united states which have both been hovering around 5 percent this year
switzerland has one of the lowest crime rates in the world and there have been no terrorist incidents there in the last 30 years
known for its religious tolerance since a civil war during the reformation switzerland accommodates four national languages and has a higher percentage of muslims 5 percent than britain roughly a quarter of switzerlands population is made up of foreigners
switzerlands reputation for cleanliness punctuality and efficiency is so widespread that the swiss tourism board pokes fun at the stereotype
the only problem its doubtful that britain or any other european country for that matter could replicate whats widely known as the swiss miracle by abandoning the european union
its all an illusion said john mccormick an english born professor of european union politics at indiana university purdue university indianapolis and the author of why europe matters for britain the case for remaining in
this isnt simply because the island kingdom of britain is so different from landlocked switzerland though it is its population of 65 million is much bigger than switzerlands eight million as is its economy 285 trillion in economic output in 2015 compared with switzerlands 664 billion
switzerland owes its highly productive economy to an overwhelming focus on lucrative jobs in financial services and precision engineering   in contrast to britain where the city of london financial district is a sparkling crown jewel encased in a broader duller economy laced with generally aging manufacturers and a large comparatively inefficient public sector
moreover the hard working swiss all but invented the notion of the protestant work ethic in 2012 swiss voters firmly rejected an initiative to extend their annual paid vacation time to six weeks from four
switzerlands prosperity has nothing to do with independence from the eu professor mccormick said services tend to be more profitable than industry so switzerland will always be ahead of the uk because of the way their economy is structured
he noted that luxembourg another small landlocked european country with an economy oriented toward providing financial services for the worlds wealthy is a founding member and staunch supporter of the european union luxembourgs per capita gross domestic product was 101994 in 2015   by far the highest in the world
an argument can be made that switzerlands economy would be in even better shape if it had joined the european union its alpine neighbor austria joined in 1995 after years of debate its economic growth outpaced switzerlands in the ensuing years
more fundamentally the notion that switzerland is less dependent on the european union and enjoys a higher degree of sovereignty than britain is also a fantasy said caroline de gruyter european affairs correspondent for the dutch newspaper nrc handelsblad and the author of a book about the impact of globalization on a swiss village
switzerland with its heavily export driven economy hardly exists in isolation after the swiss rejected european union membership switzerland negotiated bilateral agreements giving it free access to european markets in return switzerland agreed to abide by most european union policies including immigration and the relatively free movement of workers among countries but switzerland has no say in determining those policies
the european union is now switzerlands largest trading partner and switzerland is the european unions fourth largest norway has a similar status outside the european union both countries are economically dependent on the much larger european market
switzerland and norway cannot survive on their own ms de gruyter said they want to participate in a lot of common eu projects but the eu countries can decide on these projects while switzerland and norway cannot during european summits in brussels the norwegian ambassador would often sit with me in the press room waiting for decisions to be announced
sovereignty is relative said christophe crombez a belgian economist and specialist in european union politics at the europe center of stanford university even the united states has to abide by world trade organization rules and other treaties if you really wanted to be completely sovereign youd look to a country like north korea
the extent of swiss sovereignty will soon be tested anew in 2014 the swiss voted to impose immigration quotas on european union countries a blatant violation of the unions principle of free movement of labor the swiss vote which closely followed the admission of croatia into the european union was aimed at curbing immigration from eastern europe and requires switzerland to renegotiate its immigration policies with the european union within three years
the european union has rejected the idea out of hand saying switzerland cant pick and choose which policies to embrace and that it risks losing unfettered access to european union markets negotiations were suspended pending the british vote but now that the british have made their decision brussels is expected to take a hard line
the european union has little choice professor crombez said within the eu some countries benefit in some ways and other countries in others thats what has made the eu a success if each country said it only wanted to participate in the policies that benefited it the whole thing would fall apart
the swiss vote also suggested there were limits to switzerlands open mindedness in addition to imposing immigration quotas switzerland is much more restrictive in granting asylum to refugees from places like syria than many other european countries are
no one will say this but theres an element of racism professor mccormick said what they want are white christian european immigrants they want to make sure they stay culturally homogeneous
the swiss seem to be waking up to the consequences of defying the rest of europe swiss citizens have gathered enough signatures to force a referendum on whether to retract the proposed immigration restrictions before the 2017 deadline
the swiss have access to the european market but they have very little leverage professor mccormick said now that britain has voted to leave it too will lose a good deal of influence he said the economic reality is that britain would still be subject to the rules of the single market even if it left the eu
everyone i consulted saw similarities between the anti european union movements in europe and supporters of donald j trump in the united states
theres a lot of correlation professor mccormick said many are nostalgic for the idea of the good old days which in reality were never all that good but in their imaginations they thought life was so much better the eu makes an easy scapegoat
as in the united states the underlying cause of so much voter resentment isnt trade agreements or immigration the problem for individual european countries whether they are members of the eu or not is globalization ms de gruyter said


legend has it that in the early 1960s ferruccio lamborghini an italian tractor maker thought the ferrari sports car he owned could be improved but his suggestions to the cars designer enzo ferrari were rebuffed thus began a rivalry as mr lamborghini entered the performance car business resulting in some stunning art and engineering
but ferruccio didnt just compete with enzo out of spite mr lamborghini was enough of an industrialist that he figured repurposed parts would be a way to achieve manufacturing efficiencies that philosophy remains as evident in lamborghinis newest way to risk losing your drivers license the huracan lp 580 2
the car is a rear wheel drive version of the lamborghini 4 wheel drive lp 610 4 the 580s 7 speed dual clutch gearbox is shared with the 610 so is the 52 liter v10 engine
but the engineers didnt simply dispense with the front drive axle and pronounce it a new car the 580s front and rear fascias are different from the 610s there are also a retuned suspension recalibrated stability controls new power management and steering setup and the new cars v10 pumps out 580 horsepower compared with the 610s   you guessed it   610 horses
and keeping things in the family the huracan uses the same aluminum and carbon fiber chassis that used for the audi r8 yes like audi lamborghini is owned by volkswagen
lp stands for longitudinal posterior and the final digit represents how many wheels propel the car oh and so that you can sound extra cool at the next cocktail party the dash in the name is spoken so its five eighty dash two
why ditch the 610s all wheel drive and its ability to maximize traction and lap times emotion the 580 is all about getting the tail to break away in a controlled manner to be sure inducing oversteer on public roads with a car as capable as huracan is a bad idea but certainly the rear drive essence can be felt in a straight line lamborghini claims huracan howls to 60 miles per hour in 34 seconds
huracan can be a daily driver and who wouldnt want to show off the aggressive origamilike aluminum body but understand that the ride quality is very firm and a full day spent behind the flat bottomed wheel will leave a driver drained cross country excursions are ill advised if only because a single small suitcase is all that can be stuffed into the front trunk storage nooks are scattered throughout the cabin but trips to home depot with a huracan would be unwise
drive modes provide various amounts of stability control safety net   strada being the most relaxed and corsa apparently italian for make sure the insurance bill has been paid
at cruise half the cylinder banks shut down if it matters to you i averaged 18 miles per gallon on premium fuel although the epa rates it at 14 mpg in the city and 21 on the highway
the impeccably crafted cabin gets the same angular geometry as the exterior a honeycomb motif gives the impression the interior was designed by bees the lcd display gauge cluster is configurable using an interface knob clearly swiped from audi all information is front and center so some of it gets blocked when the wheel is turned
starting at around 200000 including the gas guzzler tax the 580 2 is lamborghinis most affordable model as tested its 221000 many of the features like the 3500 front lift system to keep the chin scrape free are helpful a rear camera package at 3900 is essentially mandatory unless youre traveling with a spotting crew
the all wheel drive huracan 610 4 may eek out better track times but theres more joy in the corners with the 580 2 given that lamborghini was born out of an argument its fitting that passion is what this car is all about


an openly transgender athlete will be featured for the first time in the body issue of espn the magazine which has made a point of featuring a wide range of body types in its annual package of nude images of professional athletes
the athlete chris mosier 35 a transgender man who competed with the united states national team at the world duathlon championships this year described his participation in the issue as an opportunity to celebrate a body with which he has sometimes felt uncomfortable as well as to highlight challenges faced by the transgender community like discrimination and violence
i have had such an interesting relationship with my body and it has really evolved over time mosier said on wednesday so i felt this was a real challenge for me and a great way to celebrate where i am at right now it felt amazing given that for 29 years of my life i didnt even like being in pictures
the special issue of course serves a marketing purpose for espns print offering but groups representing lesbian gay bisexual and transgender people hailed the decision as another sign of growing acceptance
mosier has long been an advocate for lgbt people in sports he played a role in propelling the international olympic committees decision in january to change guidelines that excluded many transgender people from competing at the international level under the new policy transgender athletes are no longer required to undergo sex reassignment surgery a procedure that some do not want
posing nude for a major magazine felt like another form of activism mosier said
it is a great opportunity to break the misconceptions or stereotypes people have about trans bodies he said trans bodies are so heavily scrutinized and thats one of the issues we face
that is something i have personally faced with the media he added the questions i get from reporters are questions they would not ask any other athlete or any other person they are questions about my body
mosier will join 19 other athletes in the eighth edition of the body issue including the mixed martial arts star conor mcgregor elena delle donne of the wnba dwyane wade of the nba vince wilfork of the nfl and the diver greg louganis who was one of the first olympians to come out as gay and talk about living with hiv and at 56 is the oldest person to pose nude in the issue
vulnerability and empowerment are a focus for the issue each year neely lohmann senior deputy editor at espn said in a statement alison overholt the magazines editor in chief said the goal was to get the athletes to show the mental and emotional journey theyve each been on to embrace what is different unique and often imperfect about their own bodies and body stories
wilfork a defensive tackle said in the statement that the posing nude came easy to him if people can look at me look at a guy thats 325 plus doing an issue like this im pretty sure that they might have a little confidence after seeing that its ok to be who you are he said
lgbt leaders have cheered mosiers inclusion in the magazine victoria m rodriguez roldan a lawyer at the national lgbtq task force who works on transgender issues called it a bold statement but said it was also a reminder of the problems that transgender people face
for example our nation still lacks a strong federal law that protects transgender people against discrimination she said this means that to this day too many transgender high school athletes are denied the opportunity to compete in the sport in which they excel


when nelson mandela died in late 2013 many asked whether the era he had nurtured of reconciliation tolerance and hope had died with him
to a visitor to south africa these days or anyone who follows news reports the answer might seem unequivocal
just this week in pretoria the capital buses were set on fire in political feuding that offered grim pyrotechnic omens for critical local elections on aug 3
president jacob g zuma has been resisting opposition calls for his ouster after the countrys highest court found that he had violated the constitution
credit rating agencies have reduced their assessment of the countrys prospects and could be preparing yet lower assessments of the slowing economy almost nine million south africans cannot find work corruption has spread across the land
but put the question to mmusi maimane the leader of the biggest opposition party in parliament who visited london this week and he frames his response in a different way
yes we had the mandela era   a great history a profound history for the whole world actually he said in an interview but the question for south africans is what future do we then present
in seeking to define the post mandela era mr maimane 36 who holds degrees in psychology public administration and theology is playing a long game against his partys archfoe
that means he is taking on mr zumas african national congress which has long cast itself as the sole legitimate repository of south african aspirations
in elections in 2014 mr maimanes party the democratic alliance continued a steady rise to take 89 of 400 seats in parliament the anc slipped back slightly but it still holds 249 seats and the democratic alliances further advance faces obstacles
for many south africans the anc is the party of liberation that fought against apartheid and now controls the fonts of patronage that cement the loyalty of its followers
the democratic alliance by contrast is seen by many voters as a group founded and supported by the white minority
both parties have uncomfortable relationships with the insurgent economic freedom fighters whose populist far left message resonates well beyond its 25 seats in parliament
at a time of increasing racial sensitivities mr maimane who took over as his partys first black leader a year ago dismisses the ancs frequent taunts that he is no more than a black voice defending white interests
rather he accused the anc of racism for its belief that if you are black you must be in that party if you are white you must be in that party
neither does he shy from messages that whites might find uncomfortable
it is a simple fact that the face of poverty in south africa is still black he told an audience in london
in the welter of debate about britains place in the european union mr maimanes visit to london   home to some 220000 south african expatriates   may have had difficulty grabbing headlines but the stakes are high
many experts say they believe south africa is approaching a turning point and mr zumas critics question the durability of his grip on power if the anc suffers setbacks in the august elections
national elections are due in 2019 and mr maimane said there is a belief that the next three years present some kind of decision time
the municipal ballots in august are seen as potentially significant markers of change in battlegrounds around port elizabeth where the democratic alliance might win and in anc fiefs around johannesburg and pretoria
the alliance campaigns on a reputation for effective rule in south africas western cape   the only one of the countrys nine provinces in which it holds regional power   and on what mr maimane called its commitment to good governance the rule of law and market driven economic policies
his youth public manner and oratory have drawn comparisons to president obama in the bare knuckles joust of south african politics that is not necessarily an advantage but mr maimane said there are worse people to be compared with


frankfurt   a masked assailant apparently armed with a rifle attacked a multiplex movie theater in the german city of viernheim on thursday and took hostages before he was killed by elite police units that stormed the building officials and the news media reported
there was no indication the attack was linked to a terrorist plot officials said despite initial fears that the gunman may have been tied to islamist extremists who have carried out other assaults that have traumatized europe
officials also disputed early reports that up to 25 people had been hurt in the multiplex mayhem peter beuth the interior minister for the state of hesse said he had no information that anyone had been harmed
some german news organizations reported that people had been injured by police tear gas and that the assailant had carried a weapon loaded with blank cartridges mr beuth said the assailant had been armed with a long barreled weapon but it was not clear whether it was capable of firing live ammunition
because the attacker had taken hostages the special forces moved in on him and he was killed mr beuth told the hesse state legislature
the assailants identity and motive were not clear mr beuth said the man appeared confused suggesting he may have been mentally ill
the multiplex was showing four mainstream american films the jungle book alice through the looking glass angry birds and central intelligence it was not clear which theater the assailant entered
bernd hochstadter a spokesman for the police command in southern hessen told the n tv private news channel that a special police team had carried out the action he said the team had approached the gunman supported by local police officers
a person with a gun entered the cinema mr hochstadter said the police were alerted and immediately surrounded the center a spokesman for the regional police authority in the hesse city of darmstadt said that investigators did not see any links between the assailant and islam
the spokesman who did not provide his name in accordance with german security protocols said the total number of hostages who had been held was unclear he said the assailant had fired four shots before he was killed
viernheim is a city of about 33000 people near mannheim which is known for its chemicals industry the swift response reflected how germany remains on edge with fears heightened over terrorist attacks in europe
the country has not suffered attacks on the same scale as france or belgium but the police have foiled several plots and the country has been dreading that it too could become a target


san francisco   for its biggest public project to date the nonprofit group for site brought ai weiweis artwork to alcatraz to explore the goals and effects of imprisonment now its planning its next hot potato exhibition home land security a group show on the human costs of war and nationalism to take place in deactivated military structures in the presidio national park near the foot of the golden gate bridge
running sept 10 through dec 18 the show will use buildings in fort winfield scott that were active in the first half of the 20th century a set of coastal defense batteries a nike missile program administration building and a chapel for military personnel cheryl haines for sites founder said she was most intrigued by the coastal batteries   concrete buildings designed for rapid fire weaponry that have been locked or welded shut for years
im hoping these artworks ask questions like what is home what is safety what is security and how do we erect barriers between one another individually and nationally she said weve really tried to stay away from a direct political conversation and to address these issues from more of a personal experiential level
while many artists are contributing existing works the chicago duo diaz lewis will be leading public pillow making workshops in the nike missile building their goal is to turn scraps of used clothes from undocumented immigrants into 34000 pillows   representing the number of beds that immigrations and customs enforcement fills each day with detained immigrants
sixteen participants have been confirmed so far including the vietnamese collaborative the propeller group the korean artist do ho suh the chinese artist yin xiuzhen the syrian artist tammam azzam the iranian born artist shahpour pouyan and the artists bill viola liza lou and al farrow based in the united states
partnering organizations are the national park service the golden gate national parks conservancy and the presidio trust the first two collaborated on the ai weiwei project
any chance that mr ai will contribute to this show as well my conversations with him about refugees helped to spark this idea ms haines said but she added that theyve only had preliminary conversations about his joining the group this fall i really cant say any more at this moment


washington   the gospel singer mavis staples has toured the world with her family as part of the staple singers sang for the rev dr martin luther king jr at the height of the civil rights movement spent weeks on the billboard charts experienced a midcareer resurgence in the 1980s thanks largely to prince and once turned down a marriage proposal from bob dylan now the soon to be 77 year old will be a kennedy center honoree the second gospel singer after marion williams in 1993 to be recognized in the awards history
i started crying i hit the floor i asked my manager are you sure ms staples said by phone recalling the moment she heard the news im still excited and in disbelief its so uplifting i feel good i must be the happiest old girl in the world
ms staples is one of five honorees selected to receive one of the nations top prizes for artistic achievement she will be joined by the pianist martha argerich the singer songwriter james taylor the actor al pacino and the band the eagles
the eagles were chosen to receive the prize last year but deferred acceptance until 2016 because of the illness of the frontman glenn frey mr frey died in january and the rockers will accept the honor in memory of their comrade and fellow traveler they said in a statement
mr taylor called the prospect of attending the ceremony astonishing and added in a statement i am deeply moved to be included in such august company and hugely grateful to the kennedy center honors for the gift of this great honor
the recipients will gather later in the year for an official gala and ceremony one of washingtons rare red carpet events they will be toasted by secretary of state john kerry who will award them their medallions and will be received at the white house by president obama and his wife michelle
in years past critics have said that the honors sorely lack racial and genre diversity and this years selections are part of continued efforts by the john f kennedy center to reach audiences and groups that are traditionally outside of its purview the center has addressed the criticism by expanding the nominating committee accepting recommendations from the public and giving artists like ms staples her due
my vision has been that we broaden that out said deborah f rutter the president of the kennedy center thats why i was really delighted when we had such a surge of interest in honoring mavis
this will also be the second year of the centers social media component   a contest called sendmetothehonors that gives away two tickets to attend the gala and ceremony details about that will be released in the coming months
the show will be broadcast on cbs on dec 27


washington   the supreme court announced on thursday that it had deadlocked in a case challenging president obamas immigration plan effectively ending what mr obama had hoped would become one of his central legacies the program would have shielded as many as five million undocumented immigrants from deportation and allowed them to legally work in the united states
the 4 4 tie which left in place an appeals court ruling blocking the plan amplified the contentious election year debate over the nations immigration policy and presidential power
when the supreme court agreed to hear the case in january it seemed poised to issue a major ruling on presidential power that did not materialize but the courts action which established no precedent and included no reasoning was nonetheless perhaps its most important statement this term
the decision was just nine words long the judgment is affirmed by an equally divided court
but its consequences will be vast said walter dellinger who was acting solicitor general in the clinton administration seldom have the hopes of so many been crushed by so few words he said
speaking at the white house mr obama described the ruling as a deep disappointment for immigrants who would not be able to emerge from the threat of deportation for at least the balance of his term
todays decision is frustrating to those who seek to grow our economy and bring a rationality to our immigration system he said before heading to the west coast for a two day trip it is heartbreaking for the millions of immigrants who have made their lives here
the decision was one of two determined by tie votes thursday   the other concerned indian tribal courts   and one of four so far this term the court is scheduled to issue its final three decisions of the term including one on a restrictive texas abortion law on monday
mr obama said the courts immigration ruling was a stark reminder of the consequences of republicans refusal to consider judge merrick b garland the presidents nominee to fill the vacancy on the supreme court created by the death of justice antonin scalia
if you keep on blocking judges from getting on the bench then courts cant issue decisions mr obama said and what that means is then you are going to have the status quo frozen and we are not able to make progress on some very important issues
the case united states v texas no 15 674 concerned a 2014 executive action by the president to allow as many as five million unauthorized immigrants who were the parents of citizens or of lawful permanent residents to apply for a program that would spare them from deportation and provide them with work permits the program was called deferred action for parents of americans and lawful permanent residents or dapa
mr obama has said he took the action after years of frustration with republicans in congress who had repeatedly refused to support bipartisan senate legislation to update immigration laws a coalition of 26 states led by texas promptly challenged the plan accusing the president of ignoring administrative procedures for changing rules and of abusing the power of his office by circumventing congress
todays decision keeps in place what we have maintained from the very start one person even a president cannot unilaterally change the law ken paxton the texas attorney general said in a statement after the ruling this is a major setback to president obamas attempts to expand executive power and a victory for those who believe in the separation of powers and the rule of law
the court did not disclose how the justices had voted but they were almost certainly split along ideological lines administration officials had hoped that chief justice john g roberts jr would join the courts four member liberal wing to save the program
the case hinged in part on whether texas had suffered the sort of direct and concrete injury that gave it standing to sue texas said it had standing because it would be costly for the state to give drivers licenses to immigrants affected by the federal policy
chief justice roberts is often skeptical of expansive standing arguments but it seemed plain when the case was argued in april that he was satisfied that texas had standing paving the way for a deadlock
mr obama said the white house did not believe the terse ruling from the court had any effect on the presidents authority to act unilaterally but he said the practical effect would be to freeze his efforts on behalf of immigrants until after the november election
he also predicted that lawmakers would eventually act to overhaul the nations immigration system
congress is not going to be able to ignore america forever he said its not a matter of if its a matter of when we get these spasms of politics around immigration and fear mongering and then our traditions and our history and our better impulses kick in
white house officials had repeatedly argued that presidents in both parties had used similar executive authority in applying the nations immigration laws and they said congress had granted federal law enforcement wide discretion over how those laws should be carried out
but the courts ruling may mean that the next president will again need to seek a congressional compromise to overhaul the nations immigration laws and it left immigration activists deeply disappointed
this is personal rocio saenz the executive vice president of the service employees international union said in a statement we will remain at the front lines committed to defending the immigration initiatives and paving the path to lasting immigration reform
the lower court rulings in the case were provisional and the litigation will now continue and may again reach the supreme court when it is back at full strength in the meantime it seems unlikely that the program will be revived
in february 2015 judge andrew s hanen of federal district court in brownsville tex entered a preliminary injunction shutting down the program while the legal case proceeded the government appealed and a divided three judge panel of the united states court of appeals for the fifth circuit in new orleans affirmed the injunction
in their supreme court briefs the states acknowledged that the president had wide authority over immigration matters telling the justices that the executive does have enforcement discretion to forbear from removing aliens on an individual basis their quarrel they said was with what they called a blanket grant of lawful presence to millions of immigrants entitling them to various benefits
in response solicitor general donald b verrilli jr told the justices that this lawful presence was merely what had always followed from the executive branchs decision not to deport someone for a given period of time
deferred action does not provide these individuals with any lawful status under the immigration laws he said but it provides some measure of dignity and decent treatment
it recognizes the damage that would be wreaked by tearing apart families mr verrilli added and it allows individuals to leave the shadow economy and work on the books to provide for their families thereby reducing exploitation and distortion in our labor markets
the states said they had suffered the sort of direct and concrete injury that gave them standing to sue
judge jerry e smith writing for the majority in the appeals court focused on an injury said to have been suffered by texas which he said would have to spend millions of dollars to provide drivers licenses to immigrants as a consequence of the federal program
mr verrilli told the justices that texas injury was self inflicted a product of its decision to offer drivers licenses for less than they cost to produce and to tie eligibility for them to federal standards
texas responded that being required to change its laws was itself the sort of harm that conferred standing such a forced change in texas law would impair texas sovereign interest in the power to create and enforce a legal code the states lawyers wrote in a brief
judge hanen grounded his injunction on the obama administrations failure to give notice and seek public comments on its new program he found that notice and comment were required because the program gave blanket relief to entire categories of people notwithstanding the administrations assertion that it required case by case determinations about who was eligible for the program
the appeals court affirmed that ruling and added a broader one the program it said also exceeded mr obamas statutory authority


for one day and night the hottest drama on cable was on c span
the democratic sit in over gun control legislation captured mainly by house members smartphone video had all the elements emotion chaos conflict life or death stakes and the frisson of unpredictable reality but television cannot claim credit for the show alone it was a coproduction with social media
the broadcast like much memorable live tv was arresting not simply for what it was showing but also for the fact that we were able to see it at all
as the protest reminded us the congressional leadership not c span controls the cameras when the democrats occupied the house floor wednesday afternoon to try to pressure the republican majority into a vote speaker paul d ryan took the house out of session and the video was cut off
word of the protest began to leak on social media the public affairs network   not generally known for guerrilla journalism techniques   began to improvise
it turned to another screen airing a tweet by an nbc news producer showing the section of the house rule book that gives the speaker control of the video feed house cameras are not permitted to show sit in read the on air chyrons and cameras in chamber controlled by house as if the network were staging its own sotto voce protest through graphics
in ancient times   say 2008 when republicans staged a similar occupation   the story might have fizzled there now millions of us carry mobile live video units in our pockets or in the case of representative tammy duckworth of illinois inside her leg prosthetics in which she reportedly hid her phone so it could not be seized
essentially c span turned the screens of america into giant iphones picking up the live feeds that representatives shot on periscope facebook live and other social platforms
the video was grainy balky and awkwardly framed   which only added to the samizdat you are there electricity of the broadcast representatives gave fiery speeches and held up the names of shooting victims printed on office paper others wandered in and out of the camera shots it was both theatrical performance and fly on the wall reality a little west wing a little big brother
the amateurishness of the visuals in itself added a layer of message the smartphones were not just broadcasting speeches they were proclaiming the fact that those speeches were not being shown through the usual channels
television drama needs an antagonist of course and the mechanics of the event cast mr ryan in that role first he was offstage an unseen force   the old dramatists trick of keeping the big bad offstage to build his mystique when he returned to the floor wednesday night the drama had been primed and the room erupted
but mr ryan took the stage less as a swaggering adversary than a beleaguered middle manager in a workplace cringe comedy between this unwanted spectacle and his awkward endorsement of donald j trump mr ryan has been a televisual dictionary of discomfort this political season as he tried to speak over the chanting   no bill no break   he cast his eyes down and folded his hands his body language seeming to say he wanted to disappear at least until november
if the protest was conducted through social media so was the pushback as befits an election season in which hillary clinton and mr trump have been campaigning through sick burns on twitter mr ryan tweeted a response retweet if you agree   the sit in by house democrats is nothing more than a publicity stunt stopthestunt
protests are publicity stunts by definition they often have a concrete goal   here action on gun legislation   but they also seek attention to a matter that someone else would prefer got less attention
that technique was not invented by a smartphone app as we were reminded by seeing representative john lewis a veteran of the civil rights movement at the head of the sit in but protests were once about luring the cameras to you
now legacy and social media amplify each other the online world is like a collective field producer calling attention to stories and curating moments television picks up on these stories   and the fact that the news makes the leap from social to mass media becomes part of the news in itself
all this put c span in an unusual position carrying a news event shot from the perspective of an interested party but it was news and another interested party controlled the usual television cameras there was no party neutral decision to be made here but there was a journalistic one and c span made it
almost certainly this sort of thing will happen again there will be more seasons of this new anthology series perhaps about different issues and packaged by new producers
thursday morning c span was still carrying democratic speeches from the floor though mr ryan overnight had gotten the house to break for its recess pushing through a final vote on an appropriations bill members he said will record their vote by electronic device
but in a way they already had


washington   the supreme court on thursday rejected a challenge to a race conscious admissions program at the university of texas at austin handing supporters of affirmative action a major victory
the decision fisher v university of texas no 14 981 concerned an unusual program and contained a warning to other universities that not all affirmative action programs will pass constitutional muster but the rulings basic message was that admissions officials may continue to consider race as one factor among many in ensuring a diverse student body
the decision by a 4 to 3 vote was unexpected justice anthony m kennedy the author of the majority opinion has long been skeptical of race sensitive programs and had never before voted to uphold an affirmative action plan he dissented in the last major affirmative action case
supporters of affirmative action hailed the decision as a landmark
no decision since brown v board of education has been as important as fisher will prove to be in the long history of racial inclusion and educational diversity said laurence h tribe a law professor at harvard referring to the supreme courts 1954 decision striking down segregated public schools
roger clegg the president of the center for equal opportunity which supports colorblind policies said the decision though disappointing was only a temporary setback
the courts decision leaves plenty of room for future challenges to racial preference policies at other schools he said the struggle goes on
president obama hailed the decision im pleased that the supreme court upheld the basic notion that diversity is an important value in our society he told reporters at the white house we are not a country that guarantees equal outcomes but we do strive to provide an equal shot to everybody
justice kennedy writing for the majority said courts must give universities substantial but not total leeway in designing their admissions programs
a university is in large part defined by those intangible qualities which are incapable of objective measurement but which make for greatness justice kennedy wrote quoting from a landmark desegregation case considerable deference is owed to a university in defining those intangible characteristics like student body diversity that are central to its identity and educational mission
but still justice kennedy added it remains an enduring challenge to our nations education system to reconcile the pursuit of diversity with the constitutional promise of equal treatment and dignity
justices ruth bader ginsburg stephen g breyer and sonia sotomayor joined justice kennedys majority opinion justice elena kagan who would probably have voted with the majority was recused from the case because she had worked on it as solicitor general
in a lengthy and impassioned dissent delivered from the bench a sign of deep disagreement justice samuel a alito jr denounced the courts ruling saying that the university had not demonstrated the need for race based admissions and that the texas program benefited advantaged students over impoverished ones
this is affirmative action gone berserk justice alito told his colleagues adding that what they had done in the case was simply wrong
under the university of texas admissions program most applicants from within the state are admitted under a part of the program that guarantees admission to top students in every high school in the state this is often called the top 10 percent program though the percentage cutoff can vary by year
the top 10 percent program has produced significant racial and ethnic diversity in 2011 for instance 26 percent of freshmen who enrolled under the program were hispanic and 6 percent were black the population of texas is about 38 percent hispanic and 12 percent black
the case challenged a second part of the admissions program under it remaining students from texas and elsewhere are considered under standards that take into account academic achievement and other factors including race and ethnicity many colleges and universities base all of their admissions decisions on such grounds
in grutter v bollinger in 2003 the supreme court endorsed such free standing holistic admissions programs saying it was permissible to consider race as one factor among many to achieve educational diversity writing for the majority in that case justice sandra day oconnor said she expected that 25 years from now the use of racial preferences will no longer be necessary
justice kennedys decision left grutter intact
thursdays case was brought by abigail fisher a white woman who said the university had denied her admission based on her race she has since graduated from louisiana state university
i am disappointed that the supreme court has ruled that students applying to the university of texas can be treated differently because of their race or ethnicity ms fisher said in a statement on thursday i hope that the nation will one day move beyond affirmative action
when the court last considered ms fishers case in 2013 supporters of affirmative action were nervous but the court deferred conclusive action in what appeared to be a compromise decision
in his dissent on thursday justice alito said the court had reversed itself something strange has happened since our prior decision in this case he wrote
when the second iteration of the case was argued in december justice kennedy suggested that the court might again send it back to the appeals court on thursday though he said that would have been a waste of time
a remand would do nothing more than prolong a suit that has already persisted for eight years and cost the parties on both sides significant resources he wrote petitioner long since has graduated from another college and the universitys policy   and the data on which it first was based   may have evolved or changed in material ways
justice kennedy then methodically rejected ms fishers arguments he said the universitys diversity goals were not amorphous but concrete and precise satisfying the constitutional requirement that government racial classifications advance a compelling interest
justice alito described those goals   concerning the destruction of stereotypes promoting cross racial understanding and preparing students for an increasingly diverse work force and society   as slippery and impervious to judicial scrutiny
justice kennedy wrote that the university was justified in saying that the top ten percent plan did not alone produce sufficient diversity adding that the holistic part of the admissions program had a meaningful if still limited effect on the diversity of the universitys freshman class
he said the top ten percent program had built in limits
an admissions policy that relies exclusively on class rank creates perverse incentives for applicants he wrote percentage plans encourage parents to keep their children in low performing segregated schools and discourage students from taking challenging classes that might lower their grade point averages he added quoting from an earlier dissent from justice ginsburg
wherever the balance between percentage plans and holistic review should rest an effective admissions policy cannot prescribe realistically the exclusive use of a percentage plan justice kennedy wrote
justice kennedys majority opinion was 20 pages long it elicited a furious 51 page dissent from justice alito joined by chief justice john g roberts jr and justice clarence thomas
justice alito said the majority opinion helped affluent african american students and hurt asian american ones
even though ut has never provided any coherent explanation for its asserted need to discriminate on the basis of race and even though uts position relies on a series of unsupported and noxious racial assumptions he wrote the majority concludes that ut has met its heavy burden this conclusion is remarkable   and remarkably wrong
sherrilyn ifill the president of the naacp legal defense and educational fund inc said the decision was gratifying
universities all over the country are breathing a sigh of relief she said the court very compellingly reaffirmed the importance of diversity


take a look at the top of the statistical tables for this baseball season and one name will keep jumping out
through wednesday night david ortiz led the majors in slugging percentage at 695 90 points ahead of his nearest rival he was hitting 339 with 18 home runs and led the majors in doubles with 29 he went 1 for 2 thursday with his 30th double
yes thats 40 year old david ortiz the same guy who set the red sox single season home run record ... 10 years ago the same guy who carried the sox to their comeback win over the yankees in the american league championship series 12 years ago the same guy who made his major league debut with the twins 19 years ago
in a year he says will be his last it is natural to look back and savor ortizs career he is being feted at ceremonies at many stadiums as he makes his way around the league one last time but the season has not been merely a valedictory tour ortiz is playing like a superstar half his age
his 340 batting average would be a career high as would his 1128 on base plus slugging figure
ortiz was a late bloomer who did not have his first all star appearance until 2004 at age 28 his peak seemed to come from 2004 to 2007 when he was in the top four in most valuable player voting every year and won two world series with the sox
after a few less stellar seasons that seemed like the natural aging of a player in his early 30s he had a renaissance that culminated in a world series mvp award in 2013
his two most recent seasons while solid seemed to show that he was finally aging out of the game and he announced in november that he would play just one more season
but this year he is pouring it on again fans are ready to vote him to a 10th all star team he has more than double the votes of the second ranked designated hitter in the american league kendrys morales
amazingly he is performing extraordinarily well despite physical hardship everything hurts he told espn deportes this week it even hurts to think last time i reached second after a double i almost called for a timeout so they would get me out of the game i can barely run because my feet hurt so much i am in severe pain
ortizs numbers not only rank him among baseballs best hitters this season but also among the best ever for his age
among players in their 40 year old season only four managed an ops of 900 or more   ty cobb the leader at 921 harold baines moises alou and willie mays with his figure at 1128 ortiz is in strong position to surpass them even if he slumps
ortizs legacy is marred in some eyes by a link to steroid use although he has denied knowingly taking banned drugs well known as a clutch hitter his 455 career world series average ranks first among players with 40 or more plate appearances and a flashy player the man known as big papi is a certified red sox legend
he has given no indication that he is reconsidering his decision to retire but if he can hit like this he may want to stick around a little longer


united states stocks made their biggest gain in a month on thursday as investors grew more optimistic that britons would vote to stay in the european union
investors bought stocks and sold bonds sending bond yields and bank stocks higher
on the day of the british referendum bank stocks did the best while materials companies also rose the price of oil topped 50 a barrel utility companies which are generally seen as a safe investment lagged the market as investors took more risks
throughout the year the market has bobbed up and down as investors traded on political and central bank news like the british referendum and comments from the federal reserve
j j kinahan chief strategist at td ameritrade said that was because the global economy was sluggish corporate profits and revenue have also been uninspiring
what it really shows is just a lack of growth he said that makes it very difficult to commit capital and i think thats a pattern youre going to continue to see
united states stocks have advanced about 2 percent this week the standard  poors 500 stock index rose 2787 points about 13 percent to 211332 the nasdaq composite climbed 7672 points or 16 percent to 491004
the dow jones industrial average jumped 23024 points or 13 percent to 1801107
european stock indexes also advanced the cac 40 in france rose 2 percent and the german dax gained 18 percent the british ftse 100 rose 12 percent
bond prices declined sending the yield of the 10 year treasury note to 174 percent from 169 percent a day earlier
higher bond yields mean higher interest rates which allow banks to make money on lending citigroup rose 178 or 42 percent to 4446 bank of america gained 43 cents or 32 percent closing at 1404
the british pound rose to 14879 from 14692 the dollar rose to 10592 yen from 10448 yen the euro rose to 11379 from 11299
united states crude rose 98 cents or 2 percent to 5011 a barrel in new york brent crude the benchmark for international oil prices rose 103 or 21 percent to 5091 a barrel in london
the labor department said applications for unemployment benefits fell last week more evidence that employers are keeping workers and may be hiring at a faster pace about 21 million americans are receiving those benefits or 46 percent fewer than a year ago
gold fell 680 to 126120 an ounce silver rose 4 cents to 1735 an ounce


farhad manjoo has been to prison so you dont have to might you still be interested though if they improved the cells
in his column this week he wrote about virtual reality in particular the models from taiwans htc and facebooks oculus
spoiler alert he thinks they create immersive experiences but not in good ways being so wrapped inside artificial sights sounds and motion is exhausting and a little creepy   literally a head trip that leaves the rest of you sadly behind a prison of fantastical sights and sounds he called it
it is a point on which may rest several billion dollars as the emerging vr industry tries to move beyond gotta have it tech geeks and hard core gamers two populations with a heavy overlap in membership that will buy anything and try to attract the rest of us
is he right in ways that spell trouble for these big companies like many tough questions its hard to say conclusively but worth thinking about
fears of danger have followed big new tech products for centuries in the early days of steam trains people worried theyd be torn apart traveling at 35 miles an hour in the first silent films things like head on shots of a train arriving at the station or a train robber shooting his gun reportedly caused audience panic the 19th century novels middlemarch and the house of the seven gables have characters complaining speedy transport and communications were hurting ones ability to live in peace
maybe the hazards of immersion will seem less so once we get used to the new roles for that vr has to become like trains telegraphs and movies so essential that we remake ourselves to suit them no sign of that yet though facebook recently showed off some nice potential for socializing on vr
farhad is also disturbed by the disconnect from the visual and audio senses and the rest of reality but the hand held controls htc has now and oculus plans to offer may help bring a great sense of coherence and control to the virtual world
a deeper issue may be the content itself the very stuff that people are putting in virtual worlds   dragons vertiginous cliffs edges high impact hockey games   are designed to be not just immersive but also a little alarming some of this may be showboating by game developers let loose in a new medium eager to try out the most extreme features
as a result maybe immersive content is more exhausting than it needs to be sort of the way music synthesizers were way overused on pop music when those machines became widely available
maybe the appropriate vr content is less intense and will be good as an educational tool in learning human anatomy or viewing the surface of mars or it will be blended more with the immediate physical world for reassurance the way htcs product already has some awareness of the physical space around which one has an immersive experience
the industry may not like that in tech that amounts to making not a mass consumer product but a vertical that addresses specific markets it hurts the pride and creates ridicule if the segway is anything to go by segways were supposedly going to revolutionize how we used cities in fact the biggest use case seems to be for law enforcement to patrol malls and airports in its newest version the segway is a high end hoverboard
on the other hand serving a couple of vertical markets may suit vr as farhad points out the apple computer took more than a decade to become a widespread consumer product for much of that time it survived thanks to the education market


confusing gearshifts are a growing problem for fiat chrysler
the companys maserati unit said on thursday that it would recall more than 13000 cars because of the same rollaway danger that set off the recall of 11 million jeep and chrysler models a confusing electronic gearshift in those cars could mislead the driver into thinking the vehicle was safely in park
and a class action lawsuit was filed on thursday accusing fiat chrysler of concealing a safety defect the suit filed in the united states district court for the central district of california on behalf of owners of three 2015 jeep grand cherokees in california florida and ohio asserts the gear shift design was dangerously defective
scrutiny of the fiat chrysler shifters used in the 2014 and 2015 models of some of its most popular vehicles has intensified after the death on sunday of the actor anton yelchin crushed when his jeep grand cherokee rolled backward down his driveway
the german supplier zf which made the parts for fiat chrysler also manufactured the shifter and eight speed transmission for maseratis recalled 2014 quattroporte and ghibli models and maserati said it was exploring remedies like a software fix
maserati said it had no reports of rollaways in the models but it was recalling the vehicles at the insistence of the national highway traffic safety administration according to a report from maserati posted on the agencys website
a spokesman for zf could not immediately be reached for comment
on wednesday fiat chrysler said that it had come up with a repair for its 2014 15 jeep grand cherokees and 2012 14 chrysler 300 and dodge charger models and that owners could begin contacting dealers for appointments to fix the issue the grand cherokee that struck mr yelchin 27 a star trek actor was among the recalled models
the remedy involves a software change so that the transmission will automatically shift into park if the drivers door opens and the transmission is in drive or neutral
the repair came much sooner than originally expected when fiat chrysler announced the recall in april it said it hoped to have a solution before the fourth quarter
in its report maserati said the safety agency contacted it in february asking whether any of its vehicles used the zf monostable transmission that was about the time the agency announced it was intensifying its investigation into the gearshift problem on the fiat chrysler models
the highway safety agency also checked with other automakers about whether they used similar shifters from zf those that did had added an auto park feature which prevents the same safety issue that has plagued the fiat chrysler vehicles said bryan thomas an agency spokesman


barcelona spain   old political orders do not die easily that may be as good an explanation as any for why spain has been paralyzed since its last national elections in december yielded no clear winner to many spaniards election day on sunday feels a lot more like the movie groundhog day
but if spains politicians cannot seem to find common ground at the national level there is one glimmer of hope that has not been the case at the regional and municipal levels
for instance while the leaders of the socialists and podemos now bitter rivals for dominance of the left have traded jabs in parliament for the last six months they have collaborated over the past year in spains three largest cities
in barcelona and valencia lawmakers from both parties now sit side by side in city hall administrations while in madrid spains capital the socialists cleared the way for a former communist and retired judge manuela carmena to become mayor a year ago
recent practices in regional and municipal politics should serve as a lesson to reduce the rigidity of national politics said antoni zabalza a professor of economics at the university of valencia and a former socialist secretary of state politics cannot be all about red lines and untouchable principles that make coalitions impossible
the difference however may be a matter of stakes the local and regional politicians can work together on the relatively mundane things that keep cities and regions running
but at the national level the fight in sundays vote may be for nothing less than preserving or chucking out the two party system that has characterized the countrys politics since its transition to democracy in the late 1970s
the main challenge to the old order is podemos an upstart party started only two years ago it recently forged an alliance with another radical party called united left posing an even graver threat to spains long established socialists
podemos now stands a good chance of finishing second behind the conservative popular party of the caretaker prime minister mariano rajoy according to recent polls but once more neither is expected to get a parliamentary majority
in fact mr rajoys fragile hold on power suffered another blow this week when a left wing online newspaper publico published a leaked recording of his interior minister jorge fernandez diaz apparently trying to incriminate catalan political opponents mr rajoy on wednesday rejected calls from all the opposition leaders for the ministers ouster
even after a new round of voting on sunday then the choices for spains politicians may remain very much what they have been for the last six months a coalition that ushers in a new political order   with new parties potentially in government for the first time   or a coalition that preserves spains establishment the popular party supported by the socialists against the newcomers
failing that spaniards will vote yet again
that is something no one seems to want and some city politicians are calling on national politicians to follow their example and compromise they are led by ada colau barcelonas mayor and a onetime activist who recently reached a deal with the socialists to help consolidate her grip on city hall
the end of the two party system has already happened but of course for the two parties that have always occupied that space that has created internal divisions and has translated into a refusal to understand what is happening ms colau said in an interview at city hall
the rise of podemos has triggered an existential crisis within a socialist party that considers itself the architect of modern spain particularly after it oversaw the nations accession to the european union in the 1980s
more recently however the socialists led spain into financial crisis after the bursting of a construction bubble in 2008 the socialist candidate pedro sanchez has also struggled to shake off the image of a party mired almost as deeply in corruption scandals as mr rajoys conservative party
in andalusia the main stronghold of the socialists two former socialist regional leaders have been indicted on charges they helped divert funds to relatives and party cronies that were intended to help the unemployed
the old guard of the socialist party is warning that any deal with podemos would push the socialists toward oblivion
instead felipe gonzalez spains first socialist prime minister has been urging the socialists to negotiate a rapprochement with mr rajoys popular party similar to the grand coalitions that have functioned in germany and some other european countries in order to preserve spains two party system
there is no proof that the scattering of votes however legitimate helps solve the big problems of the country mr gonzalez told la sexta a television channel in an interview last month
yet for now the main concern of mr sanchez the socialist leader has been to keep a grip on his own party in early may mr sanchez stopped ximo puig the regional leader of the socialists in valencia from campaigning alongside far left candidates from podemos
in fact pablo iglesias the leader of podemos has recently stepped up efforts to exploit tensions within the socialist camp over how to respond to the rise of his party
this month during the only televised debate among the four main candidates mr iglesias told mr sanchez that he was going after the wrong opponent whenever mr sanchez criticized podemos rather than mr rajoys conservative party
still an alliance between podemos and the socialists is unlikely not only because of strategic differences but also because of spains main territorial dispute the secessionist drive in catalonia
in december podemos won the most votes in catalonia thanks to the popularity of ms colau but also after the party pledged to allow catalans to vote on whether to split from the rest of spain
that promise turned into a major stumbling block in the coalition negotiations in madrid as none of the other three main parties   the popular party the socialists and the citizens party   support such a referendum
instead of a catalan independence referendum mr sanchez is promising a constitutional overhaul to transform spain into a federal state however any backtracking over catalonia by mr iglesias the podemos leader could risk splitting his own formation
the subject of the referendum cant be left aside because some have made it a clear pledge and some solution must be given to the catalan problem ms colau said
despite their divergences spains four national party leaders are promising weary citizens that they will not have to return to the ballot boxes for a third time even if sundays vote proves inconclusive
but for now sundays vote is also expected to underline the growing disconnect between spains national politicians and the electorate with polls forecasting a record level of abstention
it is understandable that a lot of voters look at these elections with melancholy depression or apathy jose ignacio torreblanca a politics professor at the national university of distance education wrote this month in newspaper el pais the quality of spanish democracy still leaves a lot to be desired


washington   the tactics were more dramatic a 25 hour siege by house democrats the words were more urgent as senators debated a compromise offered by a republican but by days end on thursday congress was in the same place a fierce stalemate over the nations gun laws even with the additional pressure from the mass shooting in orlando fla
in the senate a bipartisan proposal drafted by senator susan collins republican of maine won a majority of 52 votes in support   including the backing of seven other republicans and 44 democrats but the measure fell short of the 60 votes needed to overcome procedural obstacles and was set aside with no chance of passage soon
eventually well find a compromise because the need is too real said senator lindsey graham republican of south carolina who supported the collins measure but mr graham said that another terrorist attack might have to occur before congress was spurred to action or he said lawmakers might need to get an earful from their constituents
the only way this movie ends is for people to calm down go home chill out and get beat up a little bit mr graham said i am going to get beat up a little bit i am going to get praised a little bit and then well come back and realize we have to do something about this
the measure proposed by ms collins would block gun sales to terror suspects on the governments no fly list or on the so called selectee list of individuals who are subjected to heightened screening before they are allowed to board a plane it was far more narrow than proposals broadly favored by democrats that focused on the much larger terror screening database but it also put a far lighter burden on law enforcement officials seeking to block a gun sale than a measure put forward by senator john cornyn of texas the chambers no 2 republican
ms collins said she was encouraged by the outcome i am very pleased with the strong vote that we received today she said its a sign that the senate is serious about passing common sense provisions
others were less optimistic
it is absolutely not dead said senator heidi heitkamp democrat of north dakota who was a main partner with ms collins in drafting the proposal and selling it to democrats but asked if the measure was still alive ms heitkamp seemed less certain well well see she said
in the house democrats on thursday ended their 25 hour sit in   a protest speaker paul d ryan called a high profile stunt that undermined the basic institutions of government
one of the things that makes our country strong is our institutions mr ryan republican of wisconsin said at a news conference as democrats continued to lay siege to the house chamber no matter how bad things get in this country we have a basic structure that ensures a functioning democracy we can disagree on policy but we do so within the bounds of order and respect for the system otherwise it all falls apart
mr ryan said he was not going to allow stunts like this to stop us from carrying out the peoples business he added this is about a publicity stunt and now a fund raising scheme
but democrats countered that they had effectively drawn attention to the gun issue and created momentum that would ultimately lead to legislation the american people are with us and people around the world are with us representative john lewis democrat of georgia and one of the leaders of the protest said
indeed democrats had amassed a large audience by using social media primarily twitters periscope live stream feature to broadcast their sit in after the official television coverage of proceedings ceased because the house was not formally in session it was a strategy that was at once effective in gaining an audience while also being an affront to house rules
but on legislative business mr ryan prevailed he reclaimed control of the house pounding his gavel and muscling through a major appropriations bill that included funding for combating the zika virus
he and the republicans who hold the majority then declared the house adjourned with no votes until after the fourth of july holiday
democrats still gave speeches all through the night and they said they would continue to press their case throughout the recess for votes to tighten the nations gun control laws
we will not rest the democratic leader representative nancy pelosi of california said in a speech that began at 7 am with barely a dozen colleagues gathered around her looking like bedraggled travelers who had spent the night in a bus station ms pelosi politely rebuffed an officer who asked if democrats might clear the chamber for a daily security sweep were not going to be able to do that she replied
by pushing through the appropriations bill on a largely party line vote without any debate mr ryan had to abandon his commitment to regular order in the house it was a step that he said he had taken with absolutely no remorse given the democrats efforts at obstruction
not in the least mr ryan said when asked if he had backed away from his promise to maintain order what weve learned is that democrats are not interested in advancing the process they are interested in stopping the process our members want congress to function
he added when the democrats are trying to stop congress from doing anything that is not an open process that is a no process that is a halting process
in fact democrats had expressly sought an opportunity to debate the bill before mr ryan pushed it through representative jim mcgovern democrat of massachusetts voiced surprise that mr ryan had not offered the usual equal time for debate i dont see any time for debate which kind of surprises me mr mcgovern said
were locked out of everything he said adding this is a lousy process mr speaker
the appropriations measure including the money for zika is almost certain to fail in the senate democrats said the bill had been loaded with provisions they would never accept because they would result in millions of dollars in cuts in other health care spending
the obama administration also reacted negatively to the legislation which was the product of negotiations between house and senate republicans with no substantial input from democrats
democrats have repeatedly accused republicans of siding with the national rifle association rather than with the victims of gun violence and democrats picked up a new slogan saying that the nra stands for no republican action


rome   christo built it and people came in droves
in fact so many visitors have traveled to tiny lake iseo in northern italy to experience the conceptual artists latest work the floating piers that officials have decided to close the installation from midnight to 6 am so that workers can clean and repair the saffron colored fabric enveloping the walkway which has seen unexpectedly considerable wear and tear
since the installation which is free to the public opened last saturday more than 350000 people have converged on the lake organizers had planned for 40000 to 45000 per day
yesterday we registered 97000 visitors more than twice than what we had calibrated reception for valerio valenti the prefect of nearby brescia who leads the committee responsible for the projects security and assisting visitors said thursday
arrivals have been increasing daily lured by the conceit of walking on water   a long envisioned dream of christo and jeanne claude his collaborator and wife who died in 2009   and by the installations impermanence it closes on july 3
despite the crowds mr valenti said that the only health or safety issue involved a pregnant woman whose water broke while walking on the nearly two mile long walkway that connects two islands in the lake to each other and to the mainland she was whisked by water ambulance to a hospital where she gave birth he said
but the fact remains mr valenti added were managing a mass of people which is incompatible with the site
the influx of visitors has strained the infrastructure and transportation system around lake iseo perhaps the least well known of northern italys lakes on wednesday officials delayed several trains traveling there from brescia the nearest large town stranding hundreds of travelers mr valenti said the measure was necessary to curtail arrivals to the piers
if the walkway is already saturated it makes no sense to continue to allow hundreds more to arrive and trains are the easiest to stop he said visitors have also been arriving by boat and by bus
the overnight pause will also allow the lake towns of sulzano and monte isola to deal with the piles of garbage left behind by the crowds
we cant show the world a face that isnt ours a territory that isnt welcoming so it was necessary to take measures fiorello turla the mayor of monte isola said of the decision to stem access to the piers which will begin thursday evening with the last access at 10 pm so that all visitors can exit by midnight the main problem his town faced he said was removing garbage and cleaning the portable toilets issues that could be more practically resolved overnight
transportation schedules were also reshuffled thursday to help improve mobility officials said in a statement
the area couldnt appear dirty against the backdrop of this work of art mr turla added describing the unexpected influx as a pacific invasion that despite the heat and long lineups had been dealt with good grace on the part of visitors should the situation stabilize he said the piers would be reopened as before
the root of the problem mr valenti said is that visitors have been savoring their stay on the piers
its the nature of the work he said noting that visitors often came in the morning and left at night with intervals of picnicking playing and sunbathing in between its a work that lends itself to be experienced over time its free and people want to enjoy it but its stopping others from doing the same


london   general electric said on thursday that it had received a binding offer from an affiliate of the private equity firm cerberus capital management for its french consumer finance business
the sale of ge money bank in france as well as operations in certain french overseas territories would be the latest exit by ge as it seeks to focus on its industrial roots after years of expansion into finance
the deal is subject to regulatory approval and is expected to close in the fourth quarter
the business is well established in consumer finance and has made a substantial contribution to ge capitals european operations keith s sherin the ge capital chairman and chief executive said in a news release
last year ge said it would sell the bulk of its finance arm ge capital since then ge capital has entered into agreements for asset sales worth about 177 billion
the sale of ge money bank would represent an ending net investment   a measure of the total capital invested in the business   of about 46 billion as of the end of the first quarter and would exclude its 2 billion prime mortgage portfolio which is being sold separately ge said
ge has sold or exited from a number of finance businesses in europe as part of its reshaping the most recent came in may when ge capital sold 51 percent of moneta money bank its banking business of in the czech republic in an initial public offering
ge is focusing on its industrial businesses but retaining some financing operations that relate directly to those businesses
in march ge asked that regulators remove the too big to fail label from ge capital reflecting the decrease in the size of its financing operations


weil am rhein germany   thousands of objects in the collection of the vitra design museum including prototypes of 20th century classics by charles and ray eames and alvar aalto have long been hidden from public view sealed away in storage for most of the time but that has changed with this months opening of the schaudepot a new archive and exhibition space designed by the swiss architects herzog  de meuron
herzog  de meuron has buried the schaudepots storage spaces underground perched on top is a 7000 square foot gallery with a conventional pitched roof as visitors approach it they can see the museum staff at work through the windows of the offices library and conservation laboratory
as well as opening up the collection to the public we want to make design research visible by exposing the workings of the museum said mateo kries co director of the vitra design museum
the schaudepot is the latest addition to the industrial and cultural campus built by vitra the swiss furniture company in this german town just north of basel switzerland
a fire destroyed the original factories in 1981 faced with the need to rebuild the site rolf fehlbaum now chairman emeritus of vitra which was founded by his parents in 1950 decided to work with architects whose work he found most interesting
one of the plants was designed by frank gehry and another by sanaa the japanese architects of the new museum in new york their compatriot tadao ando designed a conference center and the fire station was the first building realized by the iraqi born architect zaha hadid who died this year her staccato cluster of concrete slabs is in sharp contrast to the mellow red brick facade of the schaudepot which is herzog  de meurons second building for the site the first a furniture showroom opened in 2010
the inaugural exhibition at the schaudepot traces the history of furniture design since the late 18th century in 430 pieces starting with an anonymously made wooden chair from britain and ending with the first chair to be 3d printed in aluminum by the dutch designer joris laarman
hanging on one wall is a dilapidated plastic chair the first model of the s shaped panton chair named after its danish designer verner panton
verner had shown it to a couple of companies in germany but theyd said no so he brought it here in 1963 to show my father and i hoping that wed produce it mr fehlbaum said
little did the fehlbaums realize that plastic technology was still so limited that it would take 36 years of technical experiments to produce the chair as mr panton envisaged it that version of the chair was introduced in 1999 a year after the designers death its evolution is illustrated in the earlier versions displayed near the original model
among the other exhibits are rare original versions of works by aalto and the eameses as well as one offs designed in the 1920s by the irish architect eileen gray and anonymous pieces including a 1930s aircraft seat a central display explores the radical design movement in 1970s italy the museum is compiling a digital archive of information on the objects that will be accessible online
hundreds more works can be seen through glass walls in storage in the basement together with a reconstruction of charles eamess office in the los angeles neighborhood of venice the vitra design museum collection includes the eameses furniture archive as well as those of mr panton george nelson alexander girard and other designers
the collection began in the early 1980s when mr fehlbaum started to buy what were then inexpensive works by his favorite designers
i bought an eames chair here a jean prouve chair there he recalled i didnt plan to build a collection i just put the chairs in my office over time there were so many that i thought of displaying them in a little building id just met frank gehry and asked him to design it
mr gehry worked on the design for the museum which opened in 1989 at the same time as the factory beside it self indulgent though mr fehlbaums design and architecture patronage might seem he is convinced that it benefits vitra which makes an unspecified annual donation to the museum a separate nonprofit entity
the cultural program helps to define vitras image he said and our designers often use the collection for research
edward barber co founder of the london based group barber  osgerby and a furniture designer for vitra agreed we often pull out pieces from the collection to better understand their construction he said its an incredible resource
the vitra complex was visited by 350000 people last year a third of whom went to the museum which is now presenting a retrospective of mr girards work mr kries the museum co director hopes that the schaudepot furniture displays will give the museum more freedom to explore other aspects of design such as its political impact and relationship to technology including a robotics exhibition planned for next year
mr fehlbaum said but people will always want to see chairs here and chairs are good objects for design exhibitions they are always the same in terms of their function and always different in their aesthetics technology and everything else


baltimore   the acquittal on thursday of a baltimore police officer charged with murder and six other crimes in the death of freddie gray has dealt a devastating blow to the prosecution legal experts say and raises questions about whether the state should press ahead with the trials of four other officers
officer caesar r goodson jr who drove the police transport van in which mr gray suffered the spinal cord injury that killed him faced the most serious charges of any of the six officers indicted in the fatal arrest his acquittal on seven counts leaves the state without any convictions after three trials in one of the nations most closely watched police misconduct cases   and continues to leave open the question of what exactly happened to mr gray inside the van
judge barry g williams who presided over the goodson trial issued the verdicts to a hushed packed courtroom he drew no conclusions about exactly when during the van ride mr gray got hurt saying there were several equally plausible scenarios and he rejected the states contention that the officer had given mr gray an intentional rough ride and knowingly endangered him by failing to buckle him into the van or provide medical help
mr gray was detained after fleeing apparently unprompted from officers in the downtrodden sandtown neighborhood of west baltimore and loaded into a police wagon that made six stops in west baltimore before it arrived at the western district police station where mr gray was found unresponsive and not breathing with a devastating spinal cord injury
the death of mr gray a 25 year old black man set off a wave of violent unrest here last year and thrust this majority black city into the center of a wrenching national debate over race and policing the states attorney marilyn mosby sought to quell the violence by telling protesters she heard their call for no justice no peace promising to deliver justice on behalf of this young man
but the first trial of officer william porter ended with a hung jury in december he is scheduled to be retried a second officer edward m nero was acquitted last month of four charges thursdays verdicts instantly reignited debate here over whether ms mosby had overcharged the officers and prompted speculation about what she will do next
this was the states waterloo declared warren brown a defense lawyer who has been watching the trials and has been sharply critical of the prosecution
mayor stephanie rawlings blake issued a bland statement after the verdict that said in part i know the citizens of baltimore will continue to respect the judicial process and the ruling of the court the baltimore police union called immediately for all remaining charges to be dropped and accused ms mosby of playing politics with our agency
ms mosby had no comment like all parties in the case she is bound by a judges order barring her from talking about it but most legal experts agreed that ms mosby must now rethink her strategy
still the road ahead is a complicated one for her several officers charged in the cases have filed defamation suits against her a decision to drop criminal charges against them could become fodder for their lawsuits   and hurt her if she seeks re election
if she abandons the prosecution of the four remaining trials the only interpretation of that is that she has been defeated   certainly that does not bode well politically for her said warren alperstein a lawyer who represents police officers though not those charged in the gray cases on the other hand how far do you take this when you are oh for three
one calculation if she does go forward is whether to seek the removal of judge williams from future trials the judge a former federal prosecutor who tried police misconduct cases for the justice departments civil rights division has presided over all three trials so far the first trial was a jury trial the other two were tried by the judge at the request of the officers in the process though he has tipped his hand as to his thinking about some of the other defendants
for instance he said on thursday that it strains credibility to think that officer porter who testified that he did not believe that mr gray was in medical distress had told officer goodson that mr gray was in danger and during the trial of officer nero one of the two arresting officers the judge raised the idea that the other officer   garrett e miller   had been more deeply involved in the arrest officer miller faces trial starting on july 27
the courtroom was tense and quiet as the judge read the verdicts on thursday sheriffs deputies had issued a warning no moans no groans afterward officer goodson hugged members of his family and officers nero and miller both of whom were seated in the front row
ms mosby heaved a sigh and walked out her head down escorted by her security guard jan bledsoe and michael schatzow who prosecuted the case followed purse lipped and looking glum
outside the courthouse a small band of protesters gathered maybe a few dozen in all many had expected the verdict some sounded more resigned others angry
its business as usual   youre not going to convict nobody for killing a black man in america whether it be new york or chicago philadelphia or baltimore said duane shorty davis a chef and activist here black lives dont matter to white america
mr davis said he believed ms mosby never had any intention of winning this case and that the only reason she brought charges is because they had an uprising
others said they saw the 64 million settlement that baltimore paid to mr grays family including his mother to settle an expected civil suit last year as a kind of payback or trade for the acquittals among them were george grady and his girlfriend carleen white near pennsylvania and north avenues not far from the site of last years unrest
when she took the money why would you find the police guilty now mr grady said as to whether ms mosby should drop the remaining cases he said was of two minds at first he said she should not but then he switched gears the family got paid let it go let this rest
despite the sense here that little has changed since then some civil rights leaders like tessa hill aston the president of baltimores branch of the naacp said the very act of trying the officers has brought scrutiny to police practices that had long endured in the shadows and some police practices appear to be changing
were here and the police are being looked at and they have to change their behavior ms hill aston said adding that she hoped the prosecutions would continue for that reason as a person out in the street i think we should keep them coming
late last month the baltimore police announced they were putting new cameras in transport vans ms hill aston as well as a lawyer a dwight petit who represents police brutality plaintiffs in baltimore say anecdotal complaints of rough rides have dropped since mr grays case took over the headlines
that has trickled down to anecdotes on the street standing at the intersection of pennsylvania and north avenues darrius colbert 26 who said that he had served about seven years in prison said he had been arrested and loaded into a police wagon on three occasions   twice before mr grays death and once after
on the former occasions mr colbert said he was not secured with a seatbelt and felt weak and powerless though he was not hurt the van takes off he said you just slide around thinking i have no control over my life whatsoever
but during his most recent arrest he said that he was buckled in


beijing   chinese officials have pledged to replace school running tracks made of industrial waste that have reportedly sickened thousands of children the latest public health scandal in a country already troubled by environmental hazards including air pollution and soil contamination
the ministry of education said late wednesday that it would coordinate with environmental protection and quality inspection authorities to inspect synthetic rubber tracks in schools across china during the summer break substandard running tracks   called poisonous tracks by the news media   are to be removed anyone who has cut corners in the construction of school sports facilities the ministry said will be severely punished and it promised stricter oversight over the construction of such tracks
a day earlier cctv the state broadcaster aired an investigative report that said manufacturers of running track rubber many based in neighboring hebei province used substandard materials and violated safety rules the announcement also followed months of news reports from beijing shanghai and several provinces about schoolchildren experiencing nosebleeds skin rashes dizziness and headaches after being exposed to the tracks
we were very angry when the problem was discovered said wang baoquan a resident of beijing who kept his 10 year old daughter at home for four days this month as a health precaution in a telephone interview mr wang said his daughter had not become sick but many of her schoolmates had developed coughs skin problems and nosebleeds
last week his daughters school the baiyunlu campus of the beijing no 2 experimental elementary school removed running tracks that had been renovated last summer mr wang said adding that he and many other parents took their children for checkups after health problems broke out in may
we guessed earlier that the schools running tracks had some problems he said when we went to parents meetings we would sometimes smell a very odd odor from the running tracks but the school did nothing but pour something on the tracks surface
the cctv report which said some tracks were made using recycled tires cables and wires provoked angry comments online some criticized government officials and school administrators for their lack of supervision
what kind of country would treat childrens health and lives as a joke a user identified as softlipacen wrote on weibo a chinese microblogging service similar to twitter
others cited a broader problem with safety
toxic running tracks problematic vaccines toxic milk a person identified as aacamille wrote of the safety problems in china is there anything scarier
in april in another well publicized case of hazardous materials threatening childrens health dozens of students at a school in jiangsu province reportedly built on a toxic waste site developed illnesses including leukemia
last month china announced plans to make 90 percent of its polluted arable land safe to use by 2020 two years after a national survey that found around 20 percent of the countrys arable land was contaminated
many schools subcontract the construction of running tracks to outside companies usually to the lowest bidder cao qingxin an expert on waste rubber at the china rubber industry association said in an interview he estimated that 2 percent of scrap tires or around 100000 tons a year are recycled to make running tracks in china many manufacturers cut costs he said by using substandard glues and other materials
the cctv report noted that the running tracks at the birds nest in beijing the stadium built for the 2008 olympics cost 1000 renminbi or about 150 per square meter at one of the primary schools in beijing plagued by poisonous tracks the cost was 119 renminbi or 18
the poor quality control has disappointed parents like shen yang ms shen said her 4 year old daughter has had a runny nose coughs and stomachaches since may two months after her beijing kindergarten renovated its running tracks
my understanding is that products on supermarket shelves are safe no matter who produces them because theyre checked for quality she said it should be the same for running tracks because schools need to make sure theyre safe but they failed to do this and i just dont understand it
ms shen was among 260 parents who signed a petition in april to demand that the tracks be replaced the work finally started on thursday she said
asked if the education ministrys announcement had brought any relief mr wang said it takes time to clean up things like these and it requires action from different agencies i doubt well see any real effects soon for me my priority is to guarantee my child safety and a good environment to grow up in


on the day lebron james was having his victory parade in cleveland ben simmons spoke with me in a manhattan hotel about anticipating his championship moment that moment came at the nba draft a day later when simmons a 19 year old who is coming off a single season at louisiana state was selected no 1 by the philadelphia 76ers
its kind of surreal right now simmons said it probably wont hit me until im in the city im actually part of the organization
on thursday night it hit him it honestly feels like all the pressure just has hopped off me simmons said now i can relax i know where im going to be i know where im headed
simmons epitomizes the rare gem produced on the supply side of the basketball industry at 6 feet 10 inches he is a versatile player at home anywhere on the floor
born and raised in melbourne australia simmons pushed his parents to send him to the united states after looking at youtube clips studying rankings and looking at his high school competition
part of it was him saying im ready his father david recalled
in 2013 simmons moved to florida and enrolled at montverde academy which he led to three straight high school national championships
during the recruiting process simmons rejected the idea that a top player should naturally attend one of the most successful big time programs he said no to kentucky and no to duke instead he went to lsu where his godfather david patrick was the associate head coach patrick is now an assistant at texas christian
the point for me was going to a school that didnt have a rich basketball history like a kentucky or a duke simmons said i knew it was going to be hard i like a challenge i accepted that
lsu severely underachieved there were injuries and problems with team chemistry issues the tigers did not make the ncaa tournament and elected not to participate in the national invitation tournament
it was tough because ive never been on a losing team simmons said
but having ended up on one   and having shouldered the blame for the teams failures   will help simmons in his transition to the nba if he does not get off to a flying start
the experience at lsu helped me understand that things are not always going to be perfect he said i was getting all of that thrown on me but i had to deal with it and it came with the territory
simmons signed last march with klutch sports the agencys highest profile client is james the top draft pick at 18 years old in 2003 who simmons says has become a friend and a mentor they talk frequently discussing topics like footwork and how simmonss life is about to dramatically change
ive learned a lot just being around lebron simmons said people say things about him all the time but he would never say anything back thats what i learned from him dont retaliate to articles or pieces or to things that are said about me
simmons is the subject of a documentary one and done scheduled to appear on showtime in october the film explores simmonss journey from australia to florida to lsu to the nba it illustrates the global system that delivers players to college programs in the united states
i think its great because youre watching somebody go from high school to the nba and you see whats actually happening simmons said i want people to understand its not all about the money cars and things like that a lot of different things go into this
the underlying question the film examines is whether the most talented high school athletes should be forced to spend a sham year in college or play professionally outside the united states rather than having the opportunity to go straight to the nba
i look at the nba as a job a great job to have so i think for me i would have loved the opportunity to go to the nba out of high school simmons said if youre not ready youre not ready if you are ready i think you should be able top to go
he added i enjoyed my time at lsu i wouldnt change it for anything my dad went to college   my sisters brothers   so i felt like i just had to and i enjoyed it
simmons is the youngest of six children his father david was born and raised in the south bronx his mother julie is from australia
david simmons played college basketball at oklahoma city university and spent his professional career in south america and finally in australia where he met and married julie
i never would have imagined any of this david simmons said there was no plan for this all of our kids were treated the same they were all coached the same way ben just happened to be the kid who turned out to be 6 10 with the same skills they all had
because of his high profile his extraordinary skills and the desperation of the team that makes him their first selection simmons may have a shorter than usual honeymoon
in the era of social media anyone can text a good game anyone can facebook or snapchat a good game but at some point you have to play a good game   especially if you are a high profile rookie in championship starved philadelphia
ill have time to mature and develop and one day hopefully i can bring a ring to wherever i am simmons said
he smiled lebron did it simmons said
i reminded him that james had left cleveland then returned
i think it had to happen simmons said it helped him mature his game understand how to be a better player teammate and leader he came back to cleveland knowing how to win a championship
impressive insight from a 19 year old who will have to remind a forlorn franchise what winning looks like


each week nate cohn the upshots elections analyst and toni monkovic an upshot editor discuss the 2016 race and post a lightly edited transcript of their written exchange
this week how will democrats recent success with well educated voters change american politics and who is gary locke but we start with the state of the campaigns particularly donald trumps
toni the trump campaign is in disarray you tweeted all considered it appears that trump hasnt really done anything since clinching the nomination not in battlegrounds not fund raising etc
nate yeah even right now wednesday hes speaking in new york city its just a big wasted opportunity he clinched the nomination seven weeks ago and he has spent most of that time campaigning in noncompetitive states and offending voters are you watching this speech
toni no what is he saying
nate hes giving his speech on the clintons which hes been promising for some time its a bit over the top at times but its a lot better than much of what hes been saying and its a powerful reminder of how vulnerable hillary clinton would be to a version of trump who wouldnt defeat himself
toni instead of focusing on clinton he has been continuing to squabble with republicans
what is the biggest mistake hes making what is the one thing he should prioritize in terms of organization and strategy he has very little money hes not advertising he has a very small staff hes not campaigning in swing states and the list goes on
nate well a lot of that requires money he doesnt have it and he needs to fix it traveling to swing states is the one thing that doesnt require much money so thats inexcusable he can get on a bus from new york and get to levittown pa in 90 minutes allentown in less than two hours scranton in 25 hours
toni comedy interlude some saturday night live fans may remember a segment in which jason sudeikis impersonating joe biden in a vice presidential debate says if you went to the lowest circle of hell youd still be 45 minutes outside of scranton
nate haha all jokes aside scranton is exactly the sort of place trump needs to win this election
obama won scrantons lackawanna county by a 63 36 margin in 2012   the best showing by a democrat since 1964 its 90 percent white its working class its traditionally democratic
toni if this year has shown us anything its that a better version of a populist candidate like trump could easily become president you helped illustrate it with your recent project there are more white voters than people think
but speaking of pennsylvania im interested in what you thought of david plouffes recent response to you on twitter he was defending the clinton teams decision not to advertise in pennsylvania the clinton campaign is starting to advertise in many other important states is there something we might be missing maybe theres internal polling or maybe its purposeful misdirection on plouffes part plouffe was a campaign manager and adviser for president obama
nate the existence of so many places like scranton in pennsylvania   white working class democratic strongholds   is a big part of why i think its a natural target for trump theres a lot of room for republicans to make gains in pennsylvania and id note that trump did very well in these same areas in the primaries
its possible that the clinton campaigns data suggests that these registered democrats are sticking with the democrats yet again im not sure whether plouffes comment reflects that or if it reflects his experience from the last two cycles when these registered democrats did stick with obama
i was with plouffe on pennsylvania is a pipe dream in 2012 and you can still read my thoughts on why that was the case somewhere on the internet
but i think its a bit less clear now this time theres a lot of evidence that clinton is underperforming among white working class voters   by so much as to all but guarantee that shes underperforming among traditional democratic voters
now maybe thats happening in other parts of the country but not pennsylvania we dont have much data there or maybe its canceled out by huge clinton gains in the philadelphia suburbs but for now the data is not nearly as consistent with plouffes view as it was at this time four years ago
toni maybe theyre not advertising in pennsylvania because   if they see slippage   they can still try to overwhelm trump with ads later the democrats will also get a little boost from the site of the convention philadelphia and they can swarm the state with effective surrogates bill clinton joe biden ahem scranton obama
nate i think its risky trump has a narrow path to victory and pennsylvania would make it a lot wider the democrats have a huge financial advantage they can afford to secure their flank
one last thought here clintons second stop after clinching the nomination was in pittsburgh before the orlando shooting her third stop   with president obama   was to be in green bay clinton is not advertising in wisconsin either
so i dont buy that they think these states are irrelevant even if theyre not advertising there
toni lets imagine that trump cratered in the polls and was consistently behind by double digits in mid july would there be any hope among republicans of a coup at the convention it seems impossible
nate it would be tough i dont think its impossible oddly i dont feel that much differently about his chances of winning the election and his chances of getting ousted at the convention even though clearly the former is likelier given the numbers and how much time there is before the election
toni the betting markets are at a new high for a clinton victory 77 percent as of wednesday
nate would you buy
toni i think its fair its still early
nate yeah theres still time to build a campaign theres still time to adopt a more consistent and appealing message
but he hasnt really given much reason to think he can or will do either of those things
that said there is some progress on both of those fronts he has been fund raising and his speech wednesday was more focused than some of his other efforts over the last month
toni in 2012 there was a debate about state polling versus national polling and which was more accurate there was a disconnect with obama doing slightly better in state polling and that turned out to be the better gauge but you have been saying that the quality of state polling is poor right now
nate yeah i mean the state polling is a disaster in terms of both coverage and quality to borrow from mr trump im calling for a total and complete shutdown of all analysis of state polling until we can figure out what is going on
toni when can we expect an improvement
nate maybe there will be a few good state polls after the convention
toni a big story line for this election is whether trump can win more white working class voters while holding down losses among higher educated ones but something that doesnt often get discussed is that support among those groups isnt necessarily equally important studies have shown that the well educated are more likely to vote so its not a good one for one trade for republicans in this election or in the future
nate well thats definitely true theyre both less likely to be registered and less likely to turn out we might be seeing the hints of this already in recent polls showing clinton doing better among likely than registered voters which would be a big departure from recent trends on the other hand there are still a lot more white working class voters than well educated white voters especially in the battleground states so it is a good trade its just not as good as it would be if the turnout rates were more equitable
toni could this education shift help stop the bleeding for democrats in future midterms i realize there are other factors at play but if democrats keep winning well educated voters that could help in terms of turnout and so much of the midterms is about turnout
nate maybe im not sure how far this trickles down ballot though
toni in the new york times last month thomas edsall wrote a general election that pits hillary clinton against donald trump will produce a decisively more affluent and better educated democratic presidential electorate and a decidedly less affluent and less educated republican one than in any previous election going back as far as 1976
looking beyond this election what do you see as some of the possible consequences of that one concern expressed among some liberals is that the democratic party will be less willing to take up concerns of working class voters
nate my optimistic take if each party is split between populist and affluent wings there might be more room for compromises and bipartisanship than there has been over the last decade that room for compromise could exist on either level   whether its the trans pacific trade deal and tax reform among each sides corporate elites or more populist efforts to expand the earned income tax credit or something else
toni i see youve been having some fun on twitter promoting gary locke as a deep sleeper pick for clintons running mate
nate haha in the interest of full disclosure theres a considerable amount of home state bias at play here that said i do think hes a very interesting pick hes very well qualified   a former governor washington commerce secretary and ambassador to china   and would complement clintons experience and temperament message hed be the first asian american vice president hes a third generation chinese american which would complement the stronger together message hes worked with her at the state department he was an early clinton endorser in 2008 he checks just about every box except national name recognition
hes not a sitting senator either so theres not the problem of possibly losing a senate seat
toni thanks for writing up his bio and saving me from having to look all that up because you do realize that 99 percent of the people reading this have probably never heard of him
note to readers nate is from seattle and perhaps feels that that washington not washington dc should be the center of the universe
but since weve been talking about educated voters and with asian americans tending to be in that group lets discuss their influence is it fair to say that the power of the asian american vote is diluted in a general election they voted for obama over romney roughly at a 3 1 ratio in 2012 and would be expected to side against trump by a wide margin but a fairly big percentage of them live in california and not that many in key battleground states
nate i think thats right theyre a fraction of the electorate nationally and theyre disproportionately concentrated in noncompetitive states they represent more than 3 percent of the electorate in only two battleground states nevada where they are 7 percent of adult citizens third highest in the country and virginia at just 4 percent
in recent weeks nate and toni looked at the potential terms of surrender for bernie sanders discussed whether the superdelegate system should survive and examined claims from sanders supporters that elections were rigged


donald j trump put his finger firmly on the reset button on wednesday with a speech that savaged hillary clinton as untrustworthy corrupt and out only for herself it was mr trumps best day since becoming the presumptive republican nominee in may
whether he can hold the momentum remains to be seen he will leave for a trip to scotland on thursday night a two day jaunt centered on his golf courses such trips pose risks for any candidate but particularly one moored to a private enterprise rather than to burnishing foreign policy credentials particularly at a moment of deep political tumult in britain
mr trump however is said to view the trip as an opportunity to refresh himself and his candidacy after a brutal few weeks
mrs clintons campaign fought to minimize any traction mr trump could gain from his speech her campaign announced an endorsement from brent scowcroft a former national security adviser to two republican presidents which is unsurprising given that much of the foreign policy establishment opposes mr trump but the endorsement allowed her to push back on the rougher aspects of mr trumps speech about her time as secretary of state
mrs clintons advisers continue to believe the issue set will favor them in the fall over mr trump even if he does string together some good days mr trump has repeatedly emphasized his support from the national rifle association a contrast as congressional democrats staged a sit in on the house floor to demand gun control measures in the wake of the shooting in orlando fla background checks for gun purchasers for instance are popular with a majority of voters nationally
mrs clinton has real vulnerabilities but mr trump has only just now started exploiting them and her allies hope it comes after he has done the most damage to himself


when the philadelphia 76ers make the first pick in thursday nights nba draft it will be seen by some cultish fans as vindication of the teams yearslong strategy of being very very bad in order to eventually become very very good
the 76ers represent the most brazen version of a strategy long embraced by struggling nba franchises lose a lot of games and secure one of the top picks in the draft in order to maximize the odds of landing a game changing superstar the tanking strategy led by a general manager sam hinkie who resigned in april has irritated a lot of people and inspired a lot of mockery
but a contingent of sixers fans and some other admirers of the strategy contend that philadelphia had been stuck in mediocrity for a decade a treadmill team too good to get a top pick but not good enough to make meaningful noise in the playoffs they believe that a demolition would allow the team to draft a superstar who would be unlikely to sign with philadelphia in free agency and that time spent in the middle is simply a waste full disclosure i am one of those cultish sixers fans
an analysis of championship teams since 2000 suggests the sixers may not be totally crazy almost every team that has made the nba finals in that span has had a player selected in the top 3 of the draft and most of them had someone who was picked first
sure its possible your team could sign a top 3 player or acquire one in a trade but most teams struggle to attract top players if theyre in a less desirable market or dont already have a core of talent in place for most teams the surest way to acquire a superstar is to draft one
of 17 championship teams since 2000
# 12 teams had a player selected with the no 1 pick
# 14 teams had a player selected with a top 2 pick
# 16 teams had a player selected with a top 3 pick
what about the teams that lost in the finals the numbers are similar
# 11 teams had a player selected with the no 1 pick
# 15 teams had a player selected with a top 2 pick
# 16 teams had a player selected with a top 3 pick
the list of players picked in the top 3 holds many of the franchise cornerstones that have dominated the nba lebron james tim duncan and shaquille oneal have led their teams to multiple championships while other teams are building around talent like karl anthony towns andrew wiggins anthony davis john wall blake griffin kevin durant james harden and carmelo anthony
this years champions the cleveland cavaliers were led by james and another first overall pick kyrie irving that team also included kevin love who was acquired by trading two first overall picks andrew wiggins and anthony bennett
its not just top 3 players that define championship teams such teams are almost always stocked with players chosen at the top of the draft
since 2000 12 of the 17 championship teams have had at least four players selected in the top 13 picks   the so called draft lottery the only exceptions are four duncan led san antonio spurs championship seasons and the 2008 boston celtics led by kevin garnett drafted fifth ray allen fifth and paul pierce 10th
having multiple top 5 talents is equally important twelve of the 17 champions had two such players the exceptions being three of the spurs teams and two los angeles lakers teams led by oneal first pick and kobe bryant 13th pick
yes it is possible to have a team built on players drafted outside the top 3   its just much much more unlikely the spurs have been built largely through non lottery picks but have been anchored by tim duncan a first overall pick
even the recent golden state warriors teams led by stephen curry seventh pick klay thompson 11th pick and draymond green 35th pick had a first overall pick andrew bogut playing a lot of minutes
those teams are typically built on later picks that turn into superstars like curry and kobe but a disproportionate number of superstars still emerge from the top three slots in the draft tanking is no guaranteed tactic   no such thing exists   but it is an understandable one


president obama heads to the west coast on thursday for the seventh annual global entrepreneurship summit meeting to discuss ways of linking businesses around the world in new ways just days after announcing a new 70 million manufacturing grant to a group in los angeles
he may grab more headlines with his friday conversation with the facebook founder mark zuckerberg when the two have a chance to discuss the latest social media apps and other hot topics mr obamas administration has embraced facebook and twitter as new ways of communicating in a modern democracy
some contentious issues could also come up the president and his administration have riled some in silicon valley by pressing for access to devices like the iphone during criminal and terrorism investigations a back and forth between mr obama and mr zuckerberg on privacy and encryption would be interesting
after the summit meeting mr obama will head to seattle where he will help raise money for gov jay inslee of washington and the democratic congressional campaign committee he is scheduled to return to washington on saturday


washington   despite intense support among his followers for his proposals for a mexican border wall and a ban on muslim immigration donald j trump will face trouble with independent voters on immigration in the november election according to a survey published on thursday by the public religion research institute and the brookings institution nonpartisan research organizations
in the poll among americans who said they were independents only 40 percent favored building a wall and the same minority supported a ban on immigration by muslims among independents 43 percent favored a law to prevent syrian refugees from coming to the united states another proposal by mr trump the presumptive republican presidential nominee
over all 58 percent of respondents said they opposed a border wall but among people who said they supported mr trump 82 percent favored the plan for a wall reflecting the deep polarization in this election season
mr trump also appears to be out of step with independents and the majority of americans on his proposal to deport 11 million immigrants who are in the country illegally in the survey 78 percent of independents   and the same percentage of americans over all   said those immigrants should be allowed to become american citizens or legal residents while 21 percent favored deportation despite the fierce arguments over immigration issues in the presidential campaigns support for a path to legal status for undocumented immigrants has not changed since 2013 the survey found
mr trumps promises to crack down on illegal immigration and to restrict the legal flow of people from muslim countries were enormously popular with voters in the republican primary but for the general election mr trump will have to expand his support to include independents and democrats attracted to his pledges to rebuild the american economy
mr trumps positions were a winning strategy for the republican primary but are not connected to where the country is as a whole said robert p jones chief executive of the public religion research institute known as prri if trump continues to double and triple down on that message he may run into a wall with independent voters
the survey found that americans views of immigration are not closely tied to their experience with immigrants only 22 percent of americans in the poll said immigrants were having a significant impact on their communities but about twice as many   39 percent   said immigrants were significantly changing the society at large among republicans while 25 percent said immigrants were changing their communities 51 percent said immigrants were changing the society
the perception differences are more rooted in ideology and partisanship mr jones said
among white americans who said immigrants were changing the country nearly six in 10   58 percent   said the change was negative by contrast among hispanic americans who saw immigrants changing the society seven in 10   or 72 percent   said the impact was positive
americans views are shaped by increasing fears of terrorism according to the survey which was conducted before the massacre in orlando fla by a gunman pledging allegiance to the islamic state half of americans   51 percent   said they feared that they or a relative could be a victim of an attack an increase of 18 points since late 2014
supporters of mr trump are especially likely to be wary of foreign influence in american life with 83 percent saying that influence needs to be curtailed the same percentage of trump supporters say the islamic faith is at odds with american values according to the poll
the report is based on a bilingual survey in english and spanish of 2607 adults in the united states conducted from april 4 to may 2 the margin of sampling error is plus or minus three percentage points for all adults at the 95 percent level of confidence


washington   an internal investigation by the marine corps has concluded that for more than 70 years it wrongly identified one of the men in the iconic photograph of the flag being raised over iwo jima during one of the bloodiest battles of world war ii
the inquiry found that a private first class harold schultz was one of the six men in the photograph which received a pulitzer prize and it determined that a navy hospital corpsman john bradley whose son wrote a best selling book about his fathers role in the flag raising that was made into a movie directed by clint eastwood was not in the image
mr schultz a mail sorter who died in 1995 at age 70 never publicly acknowledged that he was in the photograph according to his stepdaughter he discussed it only once with his family mentioning it briefly one night during dinner in the early 1990s as they talked about the iwo jima battle
my mom was distracted and not listening and harold said i was one of the flag raisers  his stepdaughter dezreen macdowell said in a telephone interview on wednesday
i said my gosh harold youre a hero he said no i was a marine 
after he said that it was clear he didnt want to talk about it she said he was a very self effacing midwestern person he was already sick and died two or three years later
the investigation was opened in response to questions raised last year by producers working on a documentary the unknown flag raiser of iwo jima to be shown july 3 on the smithsonian channel in what was the latest controversy about the photograph it was taken on feb 23 1945 by joseph rosenthal of the associated press as the marines battled the japanese on the strategically important island in the pacific
just days later the image appeared on the front pages of major national newspapers quickly becoming a symbol of the sacrifices american service members at war were willing to make ultimately 6800 american service members were killed on the island and the image became the inspiration for the marine corps war memorial in arlington va which depicts six 32 foot tall figures in the same positions as the men in the photograph
but in 1946 the marines conducted a similar investigation in response to claims that the service had misidentified one of the flag raisers concluding that the man in the far right of the photograph was actually harlon block not henry hansen both men had died on iwo jima in the decades since the marines and mr rosenthal have fended off accusations that the photograph was staged
matthew morgan a retired marine who worked as a producer for the shows production company lucky 8 tv said it first approached the marines last year citing evidence that the men in the photograph were misidentified
mr morgan said the marines were initially not interested in looking into the claim but in january the production company provided the chief historian of the marines charles neimeyer with detailed evidence that laid out the case for mistaken identity
other photographs of the men on iwo jima that day along with forensic analysis of them showed that the gear mr bradley was wearing was different from that worn by the man who was identified as mr bradley in the photograph facial recognition technology used on the photographs also showed that the man was not mr bradley
over the years people have claimed they were in the photo but there was nothing besides their word to back that up dr neimeyer said i thought that maybe they are on to something maybe they are right
in march the commandant of the marine corps gen robert b neller appointed a retired three star general to lead a panel of eight active and retired marine commissioned and noncommissioned officers including dr neimeyer to investigate the photograph
the panel began meeting secretly the next month at marine offices in quantico va where it painstakingly examined mr rosenthals photograph after six days the panel voted unanimously to endorse findings that it was mr schultz not mr bradley who had participated in the raising of the flag
mr bradleys role that day was at the center of the book flags of our fathers written by his son james and ron powers which was published in 2000 and was on the new york times best seller list for 46 weeks
but in may shortly after it was publicly disclosed that the marines were investigating the photograph james bradley said that he no longer believed that his father who is deceased was in the image he said that his father had participated in an earlier flag raising and mistakenly believed that it had been the one captured by mr rosenthal mr bradley declined to participate in the documentary according to mr morgan
mr bradley who did not return an email seeking comment said in may that he had become convinced of this in 2014 after reading an article in the omaha world herald that told how amateur historians had discovered the incorrect identifications but he said that it took him a year to examine the evidence in the article because he had been working on a book in vietnam and then had become ill
days after the photograph was taken in 1945 mr schultz sustained wounds to his arm and stomach and he was sent home several months later mr schultz who was originally from michigan was discharged from the marines
the federal government helped him get a job in los angeles as a mail sorter for the postal service he was single until age 60 when he married ms macdowells mother who lived next door in his apartment building and shared a porch but he never moved in with her and rarely discussed his time in the military according to ms macdowell
why mr schultz apparently never disclosed that he was in the famous picture remains a mystery
many marines who had fought on iwo jima suffered from post traumatic stress disorder but little was known about the condition at the time
to cope many marines simply never talked about their military experience
one of the other men pictured in the flag raising ira hayes had asked men in his unit not to identify him as being in the photograph but they could not keep it secret
i think hayes and schultz believed that if they were identified as flag raisers not a day would go by without them being reminded of combat and being on iwo jima dr neimeyer said
on wednesday general neller called ms macdowell to tell her of the findings about her stepfather
im delighted he has gotten the recognition but i wish it happened when he was alive she said afterward he was a kind and gentle man
general neller said in a written statement that although the rosenthal image is iconic and significant to marines its not about the individuals and never has been
he added simply stated our fighting spirit is captured in that frame and it remains a symbol of the tremendous accomplishments of our corps   what they did together and what they represent remains most important that doesnt change
the marines will now alter any places where they refer to the flag raisers substituting mr schultzs name for mr bradley


hong kong   an opposition lawmaker in hong kong was arrested and charged on thursday with failing to declare a donation of about 32000 from jimmy lai an outspoken media magnate who is critical of the beijing government
the lawmaker leung kwok hung known as long hair for his unkempt hairstyle was accused by hong kong anticorruption investigators of concealing the payment made in 2012 from the citys legislature procedural rules require him to declare such donations
mr lai also known as lai chee ying founded and owns next media which publishes the apple daily newspaper and next magazine in hong kong apple daily also publishes in taiwan
both men were central figures in the pro democracy occupy central protests which roiled hong kong for months starting in late 2014
hong kong is a semiautonomous chinese territory with its own legislature the legislative council elections for the next legislative session will be held in september and the arrest comes about a month before the start of nominations
the independent commission against corruption said in a news release that it arrested mr leung and charged him with misconduct in public office the agency said mr leung had failed to declare his acceptance of the donation which was received via mr lais associate mark simon the agency added that the case had arisen from a corruption complaint and that the inquiries that followed revealed mr leungs suspected offense the commission declined to comment further on thursday
mr leung 60 said in a post on facebook that commission officials came to his home about 630 am on thursday he was released on bail and is scheduled to appear in district court on friday for a procedural hearing
regarding the money mr leung said by telephone on thursday afternoon i gave to the party to a publishing house i cant recollect the memory but i need to talk to a lawyer and defend myself now he said he could not discuss the matter further because he had not yet talked to his lawyer
he pointed out that the charges came just ahead of nominations for election to the legislative council its almost like a smear you know he said
i said before if the government wants to press charges to anyone they are capable he added
in an earlier post on facebook he wrote he who has a mind to beat his dog will easily find his stick
mr simon in an email said legislator leung is a uniquely positive presence in hong kong and so as i have no idea what this is all about its best for this rare occasion i keep my usually wide open mouth closed he added that he had not been contacted by the anticorruption council
legislative rules require lawmakers to declare donations within two weeks and mr leung has previously been cleared of wrongdoing in relation to other payments that were not immediately reported
according to a statement he made to a commission of lawmakers investigating the earlier donations mr leung admitted to receiving about 64000 from mr lai in 2013 on behalf of the league of social democrats a party with which he is affiliated
mr leung contended that he had received the cash from mr lai on behalf of the party not in his capacity as a lawmaker last december the committee sided with mr leung in saying that he had not violated the legislatures rules
mr leung has declared receiving donations totaling about 115000 in the current legislative session which began in 2012 according to the legislatures records
the south china morning post a newspaper in hong kong reported in 2014 that mr lai had donated millions of hong kong dollars over several years to opposition lawmakers and democracy advocates citing computer records leaked online
other lawmakers have declared the receipt of donations from mr lai since at least 2007 according to the legislatures records


washington   it can be difficult to notice history as it happens pivotal moments are often recognizable only in hindsight decisions that seem minor at the time turn out to mean everything
thursdays referendum in britain is different if britain chooses to leave the european union   a brexit britain  exit get it   we know with certainty that this decision will change the future of the country and of europe
leaving the union would gouge a hole in britains economy as well as europes in the longer term a brexit could weaken the european union and give momentum to nationalist politics already simmering across the continent
to grasp why britons might choose the risky path of independence over the safer status quo you need to understand the deep divisions within the country   and that for many voters it is a referendum on the present as much as the future
if there is one chart that sums up the brexit debate it is this one for britons who want to remain in the union the most important driver is the economy far outweighing the hot button issue of immigration
for leave voters the calculus is almost precisely the opposite in other words this isnt just a split over what the effects of brexit will be rather the divide is over what is important   and the two sides of the debate prioritize totally different things
this second chart showing the age split between leave and remain backers helps explain why the two sides have such starkly different priorities
the split isnt just about divergent generational attitudes different age groups have different stakes in the economy
older voters are more likely to be retired and on a pension or other fixed income that could mean they feel insulated from any short term economic downturns caused by a brexit   and that they dont expect to share in future economic gains from staying younger voters have more to gain and lose from the economys performance   and from being able to freely work across europe
the age gap may also be connected to differing views of immigration which in turn may be linked to geography anti immigrant sentiment is often highest in towns with few immigrants   places where the problem isnt foreigners competing with natives for jobs but the absence of economic opportunities over all
opposition to immigration has become an indirect way to express anxiety over the changes globalization has brought to britain said alexandra cirone a fellow at the london school of economics
framing this globalization problem as immigration she said can tug on the heartstrings of potential voters regardless of the actual facts
in recent decades britains economy has shifted away from industry and manufacturing and toward services that means many older britons who once worked in factories or mines have seen their former employers shuttered and their communities become poorer even as the country as a whole has become wealthier they have also seen their towns wither as their children move to cities to find jobs
to people outside those communities britain today is a wealthy country with low unemployment and vibrant cities a place where young people have plentiful and exciting opportunities but in the areas hit hardest by economic change all that success feels like a shift away from a comfortable past and toward a frightening future
for voters who feel left behind by globalization and the rapid social changes that have come with it a vote to leave the european union can feel like a vote to restore britain to its former greatness
britain was a world power they had an empire said terrence peterson a fellow at stanford universitys center for international security and cooperation a vote to leave the bloc therefore can feel like vote to return to britain as it once was
last week when the leave campaign took the lead in many opinion polls the value of the british pound plunged to its lowest level in nearly seven years the last time it was that low against the dollar was during the global financial crisis in 2009
and so heading into thursdays vote the question is whether british voters will decide that the high price of independence is worth paying


within hours of the escape of two murderers from a maximum security prison near the canadian border last year gov andrew m cuomo of new york said at a news conference that he would be shocked if any corrections officers had been involved in the breakout
but an exhaustive report released this month by the state inspector generals office singled out 20 uniformed and civilian employees whose laziness incompetence and dereliction of duty enabled the killers richard w matt and david sweat to escape from the clinton correctional facility in dannemora ny last june
while two of the employees   gene palmer a guard and joyce e mitchell a civilian supervisor   were imprisoned after pleading guilty last year to aiding the inmates there have been few if any serious consequences for the 18 others according to an examination of state payroll records by the new york times none has been fired and according to the clinton county district attorney none will be criminally prosecuted
they included as detailed in the report a captain two lieutenants and five guards who admitted to falsifying documents to make it look as if they had conducted nightly rounds an officer who missed a foot and a half wide hole cut in the back wall of a cell during an inspection and a guard who spent his time reading at his desk in the prison tailor shop while ms mitchell spent hours each day with one of the inmates plotting the escape
details of disciplinary measures imposed on clinton employees in connection with the breakout had not previously been made public but by matching the names of the 18 other prison employees listed in the report   11 uniformed officers and seven civilians   against state payroll records the times found that three were just recently suspended without pay six had retired rather than face departmental disciplinary charges but are collecting their full state pensions and nine were still on the job
when queried by the times state corrections officials provided a similar tabulation of disciplined employees they said nine either retired or resigned three are currently suspended without pay pending arbitration one was demoted and nine are back to work after receiving lesser penalties like being temporarily suspended or placed on probationary status
it appears that not every officer who has been disciplined is named in the state report a precise accounting is not possible because state confidentiality laws prohibit the release of names of corrections officers who are disciplined
state officials said they were hamstrung in what they could do to punish prison employees by the collective bargaining agreement with the corrections officers union which makes it almost impossible to fire a guard
the next best option officials said was pressuring those implicated to retire while that worked in several cases state law dictates that even convicted felons like ms mitchell and mr palmer are entitled to their full pensions
during the three week hunt for the killers the state deployed 1300 officers at a cost of 23 million in overtime mr matt was fatally shot by a border patrol officer 40 miles from the prison mr sweat was wounded and captured shortly thereafter
it was mr cuomo who directed the inspector general catherine leahy scott to prepare the 150 page report which was based on interviews with 175 current and former prison employees
but investigators said they were repeatedly stymied by the prisons executive management team civilian employees and uniformed officers who refused to cooperate lied gave misleading answers or conveniently forgot events
they testified they could not recall such information as the names of colleagues with whom they regularly worked the report said
steven racette the prisons superintendent at the time was among those cited for being less than forthcoming investigators concluded that the practice of falsifying count slips   forms certifying that cell checks had been done   by officers on the overnight shift had been going on for years but when they questioned mr racette who was a 37 year veteran of the corrections department he told them i havent heard of that according to the report stephen brown the deputy superintendent for security told investigators yes it would be a surprise yes sir
mr racette retired within weeks of the escape and is collecting an annual pension of 84406 according to payroll records mr brown is collecting a 64088 yearly pension
the report is especially critical of allan trombley the guard assigned to monitor the prison tailor shop where the two inmates worked and lt terry brunet who oversaw the nightly cell checks on the honor block where they were housed
fraternization between the civilian staff and inmates at a maximum security prison is strictly prohibited but according to the findings ms mitchell and mr matt talked for hours daily uninterrupted enabling her to sneak him hacksaw blades chisels and drill bits that the two men used to cut holes in their cells and to disappear into the tunnels beneath the prison
investigators said that officer trombley spent his days reading books and magazines and even handed out baked goods that ms mitchell brought for the inmates trombley testified that he never observed the illicit passing of notes between matt and mitchell which mitchell admitted occurred daily the report said
as overnight supervisor lieutenant brunet certified that mr matt and mr sweat were in their cells when in truth they had already escaped hours before when the inmates were discovered missing he then erased his signature the report said
during questioning lieutenant brunet claimed he had signed by accident according to the report an alibi investigators described as tortured and far fetched
i understand how ridiculous it sounds he told investigators adding that he might have thought he was signing another piece of paper
both mr trombley who earns 63403 a year and lieutenant brunet who makes 97478 continued to collect their salaries for 10 months after the escape until april when they were suspended without pay they are in the process of challenging the departments efforts to fire them
the report was also critical of the corrections commissioners office in albany noting that many of the most egregious security lapses could have been avoided if there had been better oversight
a few months before the escape joseph bellnier a deputy commissioner wrote clintons leadership team a memo highlighting the importance of complying with front gate and count procedures as well as inspecting all industry and maintenance areas
do not overlook basements attics tunnels the deputy commissioner wrote
but the directive was meaningless the report said noting that mr bellnier did not require superintendents to confirm compliance nor did he conduct his own follow up
patricia leconey an assistant commissioner conducted on site visits at clinton in 2014 and 2015 concluding that the prison was in full compliance with the security measures she inspected including the accuracy of logbooks as well as tool and contraband control according to investigators when they asked ms leconey whether such visits were useful for detecting security lapses she replied not really
mr bellnier continues to work as a deputy commissioner at a salary of 162758 ms leconey retired five months after the escape with an annual pension of 134059 according to payroll records
mr bellniers and ms leconeys boss anthony annucci the acting commissioner who has run the department since 2013 has also held onto his job since the escape
a spokesman for the governor said in a statement that mr annucci has served the state for 37 years worked closely with the inspector general during her investigation and been tasked with implementing significant changes to strengthen our correctional system
though mr cuomo conducted numerous news conferences during the manhunt since the report was released on june 6 he has made no public comment on the investigation
after a query from the times a spokesman for the governor provided a statement thanking the inspector general for the comprehensive review and pledging to implement the recommendations
when it comes to potential criminal charges there is disagreement among the agencies involved the inspector generals office concluded that a number of prison employees had committed crimes and according to the report forwarded their cases to the clinton county district attorneys office for prosecution
but only a week after the inspector generals findings were made public this month andrew j wylie the district attorney said there will not be any criminal prosecutions resulting from the report
mr wylie also contradicted the inspector generals office saying there have been no actual referrals to which the inspector general catherine leahy scott replied through a spokesman that mr wylie was repeatedly briefed throughout the investigation and that her office would be only too happy to provide any insight and evidence the district attorney might need


ayrshire scotland   his campaign is desperately short of cash he has struggled to hire staff influential republicans are demanding that he demonstrate that he can run a serious general election campaign
but for reasons that emphasize just how unusual a candidate he is donald j trump was to leave the campaign trail on thursday to travel to scotland to promote a golf course his company purchased on the countrys southwestern coast
normally when presidential contenders travel abroad they do so to burnish their foreign policy credentials cramming their schedules with high level meetings with foreign dignitaries and opining on the pressing international issues of the day
but to a large extent mr trumps business interests still drive his behavior and his schedule he has planned two days in scotland with no meetings with government or political leaders scheduled and despite the fact that mr trump was to touch down in britain the day after its brexit vote on whether to leave the european union his itinerary   a helicopter landing at his luxury resort a ceremonial ribbon cutting and family photograph and a news conference   reads like a public relations junket crossed with a golf vacation
traditionally nominees travel overseas during this period to brush up their foreign policy depth and visit 10 downing street and israel   for politics back here said scott w reed senior political strategist for the us chamber of commerce everyone knows this is the wrong thing for the nominee to be doing now and it is amazing this cant be stopped
mr trump will arrive friday at trump turnberry a luxury golf course and resort dating to the 1900s that he bought in 2014 the property features picturesque views of the irish sea and suites costing as much as 800 pounds   roughly 1200   a night
he has told aides that he hopes the trip which includes a stop in aberdeen on saturday will provide a much needed reset for his campaign but some of the aides have said privately that they wished he would cancel it
mr trumps self image as a successful businessman is important to him and though he has said publicly that he is relying more on his children to run the trump organization he remains closely tied to it he also believes that many of his supporters are drawn to his persona of a brash billionaire born out of his decades in the business world
he does not like to be away from his business operations for long save for a little more than a dozen nights during the primaries he has returned to one of his homes at the end of each day he usually returns to his new york city apartment which allows him access to his 26th floor office in trump tower where he works and takes part in interviews and he tends to rely on trump connected businesses while he is campaigning further bringing together the two worlds in which he operates
perhaps the starkest example of his business empires intruding on his political career came late last month mr trump delivered scathing criticism of judge gonzalo p curiel   first at a san diego rally and then in interviews   that was less a result of a politically strategic calculation than of mr trumps concerns about rulings the judge made in a federal lawsuit against his now defunct trump university
mr trump accused the indiana born judge of being unable to render fair rulings because of his mexican heritage the political backlash was swift with many of mr trumps supporters distancing themselves from him and calling his comments racist
the scotland trip too is potentially fraught since clinching the republican nomination mr trump has squandered numerous opportunities to unify the republican party behind him or to exhibit the discipline party leaders and donors are eager to see
when barack obama headed to europe as a presidential candidate in 2008 and mitt romney the 2012 republican nominee traveled to england israel and poland during his campaign they sought to demonstrate their global savvy and stature in meticulously planned visits mr romneys trip nonetheless was a gaffe ridden disaster and many of his aides later said they wished he had stayed home
foreign trips are an inherently risky endeavor said lanhee chen a fellow at the hoover institution who advised mr romney in 2012 ideally they will boost a candidates credibility on and familiarity with the geopolitical issues of the region they visit but they require a lot of planning and logistical coordination seems to me that a foreign trip driven solely by personal financial interests   as trump seems to be planning later this week   would be unprecedented
showing up right after the brexit vote in the middle of a tumultuous time is leaving mr trump especially vulnerable to criticism as well as creating the potential for an international blunder
when asked about the vote in an interview this month with the hollywood reporter mr trump seemed not to be familiar with britains referendum first answering huh and then hmm finally after the brexit vote was explained to him mr trump answered with his trademark decisiveness oh yeah i think they should leave he said a sentiment he has since repeated on wednesday morning however mr trump told fox business that his opinion on the issue was not significant because he had not followed it closely
but business has always been inextricably bound with politics for mr trump dating to his previous flirtations with presidential bids which served largely to elevate his public profile and business interests
the latest documents submitted to the federal election commission for instance show that mr trump paid at least 11 million in may to his business and family members for campaign related expenses the largest payment for 423000 went to his mar a lago club for the use of that private florida resort but he also reimbursed costs associated with his private airplanes trump restaurants and even trump tower which houses his campaign headquarters
why would i use someone elses properties mr trump said through hope hicks a campaign spokeswoman in response to a question about why he had hosted campaign events at his properties
mr trump owns some of the finest properties anywhere in the world and he has to host events news conferences etc which might as well be hosted at those properties ms hicks added in an email they are paid in accordance with fec regulations their approximate fair market value for goods and services
mr trump also sometimes reserves the front rows at his news conferences for members of his private clubs almost as a membership perk
and at a primary election event in march at trump national golf club in jupiter fla mr trump was flanked by bottles and cases of trump branded wine trump branded water and a mound of raw steaks which he tried to pass off as his brand
even mr trumps private 757 emblazoned with his name across the side and a tool for his businesses now occupies a central role in his campaign imagery rolling up to airport hangars during primary rallies as a symbol of power and success people in the crowd gawk pointing to the plane unprompted as a reason they believe in mr trump
yet some republicans still think mr trump should simply disentangle the personal and business from the political
mr chen for instance had a suggestion for mr trumps trip if hes going to europe anyway he asked why not take some time to visit with the nato allies that would be affected by his plan to pull back on the us commitment to the organization


the new york state athletic commission has long been a curio of the states bureaucracy an odd little agency charged with the considerable responsibility of ensuring the integrity of professional boxing and the safety of fighters who risk harm for entertainment mismanagement patronage and piecemeal corruption pepper its history
two years ago gov andrew m cuomo appointed david berlin a lawyer with an expertise in boxing to be the athletic commissions executive director mr berlins appointment and the creation of the new supervisory position were seen by many as moves to reform the commission   to make it more professional and accountable
the match did not take last month the cuomo administration abruptly replaced mr berlin who his lawyer says was removed in retaliation for diligently reporting wrongdoing within the commission
mr berlins dismissal is the latest controversy to envelop the athletic commission whose mandate is broadening as a result of the recent passing of legislation lifting a longtime ban on competitive mixed martial arts the agency is also under investigation by the state inspector generals office and is the subject of several lawsuits related to a catastrophic boxing match at madison square garden in 2013
the commissions problematic history is stated as fact in an internal review conducted by the new york state department in 2013 the new york times filed a freedom of information request for that document in december only to receive a heavily redacted version last month by that time the times had already obtained an unredacted version allowing a comparison to determine what the cuomo administration deemed not worthy of public dissemination
among the blacked out portions
the past investigations and reviews demonstrate that the commission has a history of inconsistent management and recurring lapses in administrative functions event operations and internal controls
the state department which oversees the athletic commission declined to explain the decision to relieve mr berlin saying that it does not comment on personnel matters but mr berlin has answered the departments silence by releasing a letter   single spaced four pages   that he wrote to the governor and which both lays out some of his reform efforts and expresses dismay over his abrupt dismissal
mr berlin wrote that he had been summoned on may 13 by a top official in the secretary of states office and informed that he was no longer the athletic commissions executive director when he asked why he wrote he was told that too much turmoil had occurred during his two years at the commission although the official declined to offer specifics
mr berlin told the governor that much of the turmoil had existed before his arrival and that he had spent his tenure trying to bring standards of excellence and accountability to a regulatory body that has for too long been mired in incompetence petty corruption abuse of authority and acceptance of the status quo
governor cuomo has not responded to the letter from mr berlin an appointee whose wealth of knowledge about boxing the governor praised just two years ago
mr berlin said in an interview that he had been disappointed but not surprised by his removal i care about boxing and i care about the boxers and i try to do whats right for the sport he said but im somebody who fights for what he thinks is proper probably in that sense i wasnt the person they wanted there
the problems with the agency go way back as laid out in the heavily redacted document produced by the state department
a 1986 investigation prompted by allegations of the mishandling of postfight urine tests a 1987 investigation that found theft resulting from weak management and a lack of internal controls a 2000 investigation that ultimately found a pandoras box of problems including the improper handling of conflicts of interest
lawyers at the state department redacted most of a reference to an audit conducted in 2007 that found inadequate internal controls in the athletic commissions collection of revenue from licensing fees
also redacted were dozens of findings and recommendations that when taken as a whole suggest a profoundly dysfunctional agency among the blacked out recommendations the appointment of an executive director rather than having the athletic commission managed by its chairman
the last sentence redacted by the state department was in the internal reports conclusion
it is clear that many of the problems and shortcomings identified in past investigations and audits of the state athletic commission continue to exist today
freedom of information laws allow government employees to keep private their opinions and recommendations in internal documents like this but the law also requires that statistical or factual information as well as final agency policy or decisions be disclosed
robert j freeman the executive director of the new york state committee on open government read both the redacted and unredacted versions of the state departments report on the athletic commission his opinion while the law permits an agency to withhold portions of internal documents consisting of advice or recommendations it requires disclosure of factual information various elements of the report that were redacted reflect facts and findings particularly those relating to determinations indicating deficiencies or weaknesses
the report was issued on nov 1 2013 the next day a televised heavyweight match at madison square garden left a russian boxer magomed abdusalamov then 32 with a brain injury so severe that he remains speechless and partially paralyzed
as a result the inspector general has spent more than two years examining the commissions operations and protocols focusing in part on the medical attention received by mr abdusalamov in the hour after the fight increasingly woozy from an undetected subdural hematoma or a buildup of blood that puts pressure on the brain that was developing in his skull mr abdusalamov was told to take a cab to the hospital he vomited on the sidewalk while members of his entourage frantically tried to find a taxi and he suffered a stroke soon after reaching st lukes roosevelt hospital
depositions taken as part of the inspector generals investigation   as well as portions of the lawsuits filed by the abdusalamov familys lawyer against the athletic commission its doctors and other officials   have portrayed the commission as a troubled agency fraught with mismanagement internal squabbling and blurred lines of propriety
for example the commissions chairwoman at the time melvina lathan acknowledged that she had accepted a christmas gift of earrings from a boxing promoter and that people in the commission had also received gifts including a box of wine
while the inspector generals office was conducting its investigation into the commission governor cuomo appointed mr berlin as its executive director in march 2014 effectively replacing ms lathan as the agencys administrative force ms lathan however remained with the commission for another year collecting an annual salary of 101600 for what was effectively a part time job
mr berlin 52 had worked as a criminal defense lawyer in the bronx for the legal aid society for a decade before opening a private practice over the years he represented many clients in the boxing world and he even managed a couple of boxers
he quickly set his sights on reforming the commission he fought to have the most competent referees and judges at boxing matches developed comprehensive procedures to be followed by boxing inspectors and ringside physicians ensured that those physicians   who previously worked as independent contractors   became state employees and started an initiative to enroll fighters and others in the sport in health insurance plans
in his letter to the governor mr berlin said that he had tried to change the culture by refusing to participate in what had been accepted commission practice if a gift basket was sent to the office he returned it or donated it to a charity when a referee sent him a book he sent back a check as payment when a promoter sent a tray of baked goods to the shiva for mr berlins father he took the tray to a homeless center
but mr berlin also laid out the resistance he encountered in trying to change a calcified system
when he needed to hire a director of boxing he wrote he chose an applicant who came with strong recommendations and a knowledge of boxing but was told by anthony giardina the executive deputy secretary of state that chamber is looking for their own person   a reference to the governors office mr giardina he said also acknowledged that this person would most likely know nothing about boxing
mr berlin said he had fought successfully for the hiring of the qualified candidate but my failure to silently abide by a course that i believed was wrong for the commission is part of the turmoil which mr giardina cited as the reason for my dismissal
mr berlin also wrote that in answering questions posed by the inspector general he had reported that tom hoover the chairman of the boxing commission had put his son on the commissions credentials list under a pseudonym so that he could attend two boxing events   at madison square garden and at barclays center   free of charge that action he wrote surely contributed to the turmoil as well
according to his letter mr berlin was told that he was being transferred immediately to the office of general counsel   a position for which he was not qualified   and would no longer have anything to do with the athletic commission he said this move was designed to give the false impression to the public that it was somehow my decision
boxers deserve better and the sport deserves better mr berlin concluded turning a blind eye to corruption handing out assignments in order to avoid complaints silently accepting edicts that are wrong for the sport and for the commission   these may be ways to avoid turmoil but they do not move the sport forward and do not protect the interests of boxers
in responding to a request for comment a spokesman for the state department wrote in an email that the department and the athletic commission do not comment on personnel decisions matters pertaining to open investigations or matters for which litigation has been threatened
the state department had declined to provide further comment earlier this week but after this article appeared online thursday the governors office issued a statement by the state department saying that its decision was warranted


what do you do when your country is running out of cash
zimbabwes atms are empty long queues snake around banks which have severely restricted daily withdrawals no one wants to part with what little cash there is and the acute shortage of legal tender in the marketplace is badly straining the economy
the problem is that since 2009 zimbabwe has been using the united states dollar as its currency and those dollars have all but disappeared   stashed under mattresses perhaps or smuggled across the border people who are lucky enough to have some bank savings or receive regular salary deposits often cannot withdraw the money to pay bills
enter bond notes unable to print the real thing zimbabwes central bank recently announced that it would introduce a kind of ersatz american money for citizens to use in its place the new notes which have nothing to do with bonds will be issued in denominations of 2 5 10 and 20 and to ensure their value the bank says it will print only 200 million worth backed by the africa export and import bank
not surprisingly there has been a strong backlash economists opposition politicians and many ordinary zimbabweans say the bond notes are a maneuver by president robert mugabes government to reintroduce a local currency
the inevitable next step critics say will be to issue the bond notes far too liberally that is what happened with the old zimbabwean dollar which the government printed without restraint a decade ago
hyperinflation was the result rendering the currency nearly worthless before the government finally gave up and switched to the american greenback it was churning out a denomination so absurdly large that it has become a favorite among currency collectors the 100 trillion note thats 100000000000000 zimbabwean dollars or about 35 american cents
officials are calling on zimbabweans to show their patriotism by embracing the bond notes which are expected to hit the street in a few months the notes wont be accepted outside the country so their success will depend entirely on how much faith zimbabweans have in their government
economists predict that the bond notes are in for a rough time after all lack of confidence in the government is what prompted zimbabweans to hoard or stash their american dollars to begin with


a plane carrying two sick workers rescued from a remote south pole research station landed in chile late on wednesday after a daring effort that involved battling temperatures lower than minus 70 degrees fahrenheit and round the clock darkness the national science foundation said
the plane a twin otter aircraft left the foundations amundsen scott south pole station early on wednesday morning and arrived in punta arenas chile at 941 pm the foundation said on its facebook page
the two patients will be taken for medical care that was not available at amundsen scott the foundation said it would not reveal details of their conditions both patients are seasonal employees of lockheed martin antarctic support contract which offers operations and research support for the united states antarctic program the foundation said
at the magallanes clinic in punta arenas a nurse mauricio seron told the associated press that a woman with a gastric problem was the sicker of the two patients mr seron said the second patient was a man who had had a heart attack
the mission initially focused on evacuating one person the foundation said but to mitigate risks it used the flight to take out a second person
because of the extreme weather conditions aircraft generally do not fly to the south pole between february and october the plane used skis to land on the snow and ice there on tuesday
the south pole is in the middle of its six month night when a lack of sunlight drives the frigid temperatures even lower the temperatures at amundsen scott were lower than minus 70 fahrenheit in the past day
the rescue plane was operated by kenn borek air of canada which has flown two similar rescue missions in 2001 and 2003 the national science foundation said in a statement


the following essay discusses plot points throughout season 4 of orange is the new black available in its entirety on netflix
the fourth season of orange is the new black takes the series theme song   youve got time by regina spektor   more literally than ever
any prison story is focused on time doing it counting it but this season time becomes concrete in the form of a cardboard and foil time machine that the mentally unsettled lolly lori petty builds in litchfield prison its a box inside a box a hide out and refuge
finding lolly sitting inside this symbol healy michael harney the prison counselor gives her a well meaning paternalistic speech everyone wants to go back in time sometimes he says but its not possible all we can do is make the most of right now
ive tried that lolly says but traveling back in time just seemed more you know feasible
yes being able to change your past is a fantasy but argues this furious jam packed and eventually very good season so is the homiletic idea that you can simply turn things around by focusing on the now   especially if youre spending that now in a place that encourages the worst and squashes the best
speaking of things that cant be undone spoilers for the full season lie ahead this is your last warning inmate
the seasons story drive comes from another lyric in that theme song the animals   the phrase that gives the title to the 12th and best episode   trapped trapped trapped til the cage is full prison means having all kinds of time and very little space and theres even less of the latter to go around now
thats because litchfield prison run by the for profit company mcc is being crammed with more women for 30 grand per head in a bed as an executive describes the government payout its a mercenary operation now staffed by mercenaries   ex military correctional officers who see themselves as an occupying force
the shows creator jenji kohan and her writers have a lot to say about the prison industrial complex and more besides the season echoes the rise of alt right white supremacist politics as piper taylor schilling finds her task force becoming a racist gang and the death of poussey the luminous samira wiley pointedly recalls the eric garner chokehold case
but while the resonances are blaring the characters are complex the dynamic between pennsatucky taryn manning and the corrections officer coates james mcmenamin is a lesson in treating rape as an act with lasting repercussions as she decides to forgive him for her own sake and he wavers between guilt and denial its messy   its deeply uncomfortable to see her kiss him   but believable for each character
the new celebrity inmate judy king blair brown is another orange character who simultaneously defies and lives up to type shes down to earth   but not so much that shell refuse a private room she has a racist past yet her contrived for the tabloids smooch with black cindy adrienne moore leads to real if fraught camaraderie
like litchfield orange has taken on a lot of bodies the mammoth cast allows it a true diversity few series manage pousseys death for instance came after fans have protested other series for killing off a spate of other gay characters often after a teasing moment of happiness poussey had just settled into a relationship with soso played by kimiko glenn but unlike most other series this one is still teeming with important well drawn lgbtq characters
the show has rotated its deep bench letting some characters recede and others step forward laverne coxs sophia has a limited though harrowing arc in solitary confinement this season while laura gomez finds the coal eyed intensity in the newly revolutionary blanca
still the drive to service dozens of characters leaves a lot of plot to juggle like many netflix series orange could easily stand to be cut by 25 percent   though granted any given viewer would probably choose a different 25 percent
but midway through the season comes into focus as the conflict with the guards under the harsh officer piscatella brad william henke becomes not just dysfunctional but terrifying the last two of the 13 episodes are so remarkable as to raise an aesthetic question for the age of slow build streaming shows do you measure the quality of a tv season as a beginning to end average or by how well it ends
by the first yardstick season 4 is ambitious but uneven by the latter its the series best the words of the ineffectual warden caputo nick sandow this place crushes anything good come true as the most reluctant participant in the prisoners fateful antagonism ends up suffocated by litchfields meekest guard bayley alan aisenberg and the most vicious   for now at least   prosper
it all leads to a riot   a sharp contrast with the hopeful chaos of season 3s prison break at the lake   and dayanara dascha polanco clutching a gun in the hand that used to hold her drawing pen you see something shift in her once daydreamy eyes and maybe in the series itself which has at least three seasons left this seems to be going somewhere new and not somewhere uplifting
for uplift you can only look back the time machine returns one more time in the finale as leanne emma myles and angie julie lake drunkenly decide that its bad luck and tear it to bits poussey meanwhile gets a posthumous flashback that leaves her at the end of a charmed night in new york city smiling and full of seeming possibility she cant travel back in time but at least we can


omaha   when a famous relative of oklahoma state pitcher tyler buffett arrived at the familys rented lake house sunday night for cheeseburgers and cheesecake it took him a moment to remember the relative from old family photos then the images came in a rush the gray hair the big glasses
he looked a little bit different but i knew who he was buffett said my mom and my dad took me over and said to him this is the guy who plays baseball
that was how tyler buffett met warren buffett the 85 year old chief executive of berkshire hathaway one of the richest men in the world and a big baseball fan who happens to be the first cousin of tyler buffetts grandfather
it was cool tyler buffett said it was more of a conversation than me trying to talk to him
luckily the buffetts speak a similar language   baseball this week tyler buffett a junior right hander is drawing attention at the college world series for both his pitching and his bloodlines
buffett tossed eight scoreless innings monday night in a 1 0 victory over arizona the oklahoma state cowboys making their first cws appearance since 1999 are one win from next weeks championship series buffett permitted three hits struck out six and allowed only one runner past first base
cowboys coach josh holliday the older brother of st louis cardinals left fielder matt holliday called it a big league outing warren buffett agreed he watched the game on television at home down to the last out his first time watching tyler play
he pitched fabulously warren buffett said tuesday morning in a telephone interview from his omaha office he just went to work he didnt dawdle out there in the mound he had some really good stuff we talked a little bit about that on sunday night different pitches how he delivered them all that sort of thing
monday represented the third consecutive outstanding start in the ncaa tournament for tyler buffett 9 3 284 era a seventh round draft pick by the houston astros who worked out of the bullpen for most of the season
warren buffett did not know about a college pitcher in the family until tylers father john told him two years ago warren buffett said he planned to be at td ameritrade park for tylers next start most likely in the championship series if oklahoma state advances
when i get through here im going to call t boone pickens and see if hell come up for a game buffett said of the financier an oklahoma state alumnus and a major donor to the cowboys athletic program id like to do it when tylers pitching
warren buffett and tylers grandfather george buffett were grandsons of ernest buffett an omaha grocer georges family moved to albuquerque when he was 10 and he served 24 years in the new mexico legislature and founded a popular candy company tylers twitter handle candyman1111 honors his grandfather who died in 2012
warren buffett kept in touch with georges widow jeanette and stopped by the candy store whenever he visited albuquerque
my sister had done some genealogical work 25 or 30 years ago warren buffett said as near as we can tell   this will surprise you   there are only about 100 buffetts in the united states it looks like a name you would see everyplace when youre talking to tyler he is 1 percent of the entire buffett population in the country
the buffett connection was not well known until warren tipped off the omaha world herald which berkshire hathaway owns
i had no idea holliday said when tyler told me about it i said what a small world theres no better event or better city to bring people together like the college world series in omaha
the sunday night get together was relaxed and informal tyler buffett said his parents rented a house on a lake just across the iowa nebraska state line not far from td ameritrade park they brought green chili from new mexico to mix with the cheeseburgers warren buffett ate a plain one
we were eating cheeseburgers he was drinking his cherry coke like he likes tyler buffett said it was really like we were family hanging out his wife astrid was out in the backyard fishing with my little sister it was much more of a family occasion than most people would probably think
he would ask me how it was growing up playing baseball i asked him some questions about our family if he knew certain people how the buffett grocery was way back in the day i definitely havent met many people who know as much about baseball history as he does
warren buffetts passion for baseball began in boyhood his father took him by train to his first major league game between the chicago cubs and the brooklyn dodgers at wrigley field on may 17 1939 the game lasted 19 innings and was called because of darkness tied at 9 9
i always felt when a game didnt last 18 or 19 innings after that i didnt get my moneys worth buffett said laughing i got spoiled
buffetts friends in baseball include bob gibson and alex rodriguez buffett gleefully recalled needling george h w bush a former yale first baseman for being left on deck to end the 1948 college world series when the batter ahead of him hit into a triple play
hes the nicest guy in the world and he still gets mad about that play buffett said it makes him madder than anything the russians did i dont blame him either
buffett shared more stories with tyler on sunday and again on tuesday when tylers family visited the berkshire hathaway offices tyler buffett could not say whether winning a cws game or spending time with warren buffett was the bigger thrill of his first trip to omaha
ill tell you in a couple of years he said im sure ill remember them forever


a wall shuddering heartbeat reverberates down the pitch black hall that leads to marguerite humeaus solo exhibition at the palais de tokyo in paris an ominous lit sign reading foxp2 the name of the show marks the entryway into the surgery bright antechamber that the 29 year old artist describes as her biological showroom inspired by car fairs and grocery stores the extreme environment sets the tone for humeaus fourth ever solo show spurred by her interest in what she calls luminous horror its trying to create things that at first look very bright and attractive but are actually horrific luminosity is something i think of when looking at the apple store they sell light humeau says to me its the same premise that many religions have sold to become immortal you have to become immaterial
schooled at design academy eindhoven and the royal college of art humeaus ambitious graduation project was an opera performed using epoxy models she created of dinosaur vocal cords   which landed her in the museum of modern arts collection a collaboration with a panel of specialists including paleontologists engineers and surgeons the research heavy project demonstrated humeaus penchant for collapsing science and romance im interested in pushing the limit of existing systems of knowledge and confronting the experts that im working with to their own gaps in knowledge to see what happens when science stops and speculation starts she says i think that is where you find poetry
a voracious reader humeau is often inspired by books foxp2 which gives this new exhibition its name is a gene associated with the beginning of language   which as jared diamond argues in the third chimpanzee the evolution and future of the human animal is ultimately responsible for humanitys domination of the planet diamonds book paired alongside a researchers personal account of an elephant death ritual led humeau to delve into the fantasy of what would happen if elephants had beat humans in the evolution game
humeau brings this idea to life with a funeral procession of 10 to scale pachyderms which occupy a platform in the center of the space like her past projects the sculptures are incredibly stylized working as both functional and symbolic objects each elephant represents an emotion and humeau has injected substances into each structure to evoke them   ranging from real elephant tears to alcohol to hormones associated with euphoria i like the idea of high definition sculpture its more about creating ghosts rather than creating beings she explains i always want my sculptures to look like they have traveled through time and space and maybe they are just apparitions and that they could fade at any time
the elephants stand upon an even more incomprehensible object a rug dyed with all the chemicals contained in the human body its like a soulless body or humans before they actually evolved a primordial soup humeau says there is an audio component to the tableau a chorus of reenacted early homo sapiens voices fills the room representing the first mutation of foxp2 as with her prehistoric opera the sound creates another disembodied presence in the space
the theoretical questions presented at foxp2 are only complicated by the artists presentation at manifesta the european biennial of contemporary art the 11th edition of which is on view now in zurich for the biennial humeau partnered with the autonomous systems engineer mathias burki on a pair of lovesick robots who emit hormones and mating calls through a fog of chemically castrating anti love drugs the installation explores the origin of love much in the same way foxp2 looks at the beginning of language and consciousness my work is about engineering ideas so that each show each sculpture is a proposal for something new since they are all contrary to one another there is never one straight answer she says im hoping to create more mysteries and enigmas rather than point to solutions or the right way to think


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good evening heres the latest
1 britain voted to leave the european union
the outcome highlighted the power of anti elite populist and nationalist sentiment at a time of economic and cultural dislocation
the value of the british pound plummeted as financial markets absorbed the news our live coverage is here

2 the supreme court still missing a ninth justice handed down two momentous decisions
one was a 4 4 deadlock that kept president obamas signature immigration plan on ice a blow to his hopes to shield millions from deportation
the second upheld affirmative action in admissions at the university of texas at austin heres a guide explaining both rulings

3 in washington a 25 hour democrat sit in in the house brought institutional disruption a hallmark of national politics to the heart of the legislature
but it failed to persuade the republican leadership to agree to vote on gun control measures speaker paul ryan dismissed it as a publicity stunt
before congress recessed for a week the senate voted to keep a compromise gun control bill alive but in procedural limbo

4 the fracas turned into a watershed moment
protesting democrats reached out to constituents on social media after mr ryan adjourned the session cutting off c spans video feed
c span pivoted picking up the live video the representatives were shooting on periscope facebook live and the like
for one day and night our tv critic writes the hottest drama on cable was on c span

5 donald trump and hillary clinton both weighed in on the supreme courts immigration ruling he praised it and she called it heartbreaking
mr trump was in scotland taking a campaign break that some strategists called ill advised to attend the reopening of one of his golf courses
the campaign manager he fired this week corey lewandowski joined cnn as a political commentator

6 stairway to heaven is safe   or rather the pockets of jimmy page and robert plant will not be emptied of millions of dollars
a jury in los angeles ruled that led zeppelin did not steal the opening riff from a 1968 song by a band it crossed paths with early in its career
i didnt remember it then and i dont remember it now mr plant testified

7 the justice department made a major move against mass incarceration a phenomenon that has deepened tensions in the national debate over racial inequities law enforcement and justice
a landmark agreement in mississippi means that for the first time a local government must provide services to shrink jailings
those include diversion programs re entry services and barring incarceration for some failures to pay court ordered fines

8 in baltimore protesters chanted freddie gray should be here with us today after a police officer was acquitted of all charges in mr grays death
the officer caesar goodson above drove the van in which mr gray suffered a fatal spinal injury
the judge said prosecutors had not proved that mr goodson had given or intended to give mr gray a rough ride making it the third trial in the case to end without a conviction

9 summer trip coming our personal tech columnist came up with a shortlist of devices worth taking on vacation and a long list of things you can leave behind
sure a small tablet for the plane but you might consider rokus new streaming stick to expand your hotels entertainment options and a handy four port usb wall charger

10 sheryl sandberg added a new element to her campaign against cultural themes she finds damaging to women
she and her collaborator adam grant assert in one of our best read pieces today that women help one another in life and work and that the idea of the catty woman or selfish queen bee is a myth
whats the derogatory male equivalent they ask it doesnt exist

11 finally forget the birds and the bees check out the coral
scientists aiming to help the worlds struggling reefs are studying how entire reefs engage in what our science reporter describes as primordial rites of mass spawning
triggered by the moon and seasonal temperatures the masses of tiny creatures that make up a reef release trillions of eggs and sperm simultaneously a frenzy of fertility

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squared off strong shouldered jackets have been all over the runways this season first they showed up in gosha rubchinskiys grown up collection in florence   a sort of homage to american gigolo era suits   and made up the bulk of demna gvasalias debut balenciaga mens show in paris where the silhouette was further exaggerated with narrow bottoms elsewhere in milan we saw dolce  gabbana reinterpret its classic suiting with a 50s jazz influence as in this oversize double breasted jacket and cropped trousers the look teeters somewhere between stop making sense era david byrne and uncle fester addams   not one for everyone to say the least


beyond the quaint center of lenox mass past gilded age berkshire cottages and down a winding tree lined path a bright white stucco and glass building stands out against the pines the frelinghuysen morris house  studio built 75 years ago the bauhaus structure was home to george lk morris and suzy frelinghuysen an artist couple often referred to as park avenue cubists morris and frelinghuysen met in 1933 during intermission at the metropolitan opera when morris hummed arias and challenged frelinghuysen   who would go on to join the new york city opera as dramatic soprano in 1947   to name the tunes she guessed each correctly in 1935 they married and in 1941 moved into their modernist home on a 46 acre lenox estate filling each room with works by picasso leger braque and gris and their own abstract frescoes and paintings
open to the public since 1998 the frelinghuysen morris home  studio is a window into the artists lives their books clothes midcentury modern furniture and even their liquor bottles and frelinghuysens hair dryer a house tour takes guests through a living room with an argentine leather upholstered floor and a zebra print sofa and down hallways where paintings by modernist masters hang as casually as if they were family photos and this summer visitors can view never before seen 16 mm color films taken by morris and frelinghuysen during their travels to latin america and switzerland between 1936 and 1938 restored after the house  studio received a grant from the national film preservation foundation the films are the last of the couples archive to be digitized and the first in color past black and white films have shown morriss travels with his brother to india cambodia laos indonesia bali japan korea china and the philippines
in the latin american films viewers follow morris as he turns his camera toward the guna people on the san blas islands off panama the teatro nacional in costa rica the towering san christobal cathedral in havana   and on frelinghuysen sitting among palm trees dressed in a smart khaki skirt blazer and bucket hat in switzerland we watch as frelinghuysen hops in a convertible with morriss younger brother steve and their friend natalie merrill all wearing driving goggles and masks the russian avant garde artist esphyr slobotkina joins them in one shot and in another they shimmy and laugh their way out of an ice tunnel
the films will screen on loop in the houses airy studio alongside oil and watercolor paintings by morris who studied with leger in paris in the 1920s and a selection of paintings from the frelinghuysen morris collection viewers may find parallels between morriss films and his paintings kinney frelinghuysen the nephew of suzy frelinghuysen and the director of the house  studio points out that the couple sought new artistic influences wherever they traveled morris would look at touristic sites in a sensitive way with a mission to see how other cultures handled their aesthetic kinney says they were constantly looking for inspiration and being surprised by it thats the spirit of it and they were having fun at the same time


there is a much loved german childrens book from the 70s called oh wie schon ist panama oh how beautiful panama is about a little bear and tiger who live in a tiny cabin by a river and forage for fresh fish and mushrooms one day an empty crate smelling of bananas and stamped with the word panama floats by convincing the pair that panama must be the land of their dreams so they set out   and on the way meet all sorts of characters eventually a crow advises them to climb a high tree in an attempt to spot the land of their dreams from above at the top they marvel at the amazing view and see an abandoned cabin by a river they decide that the spot is so beautiful that it must be panama what they dont realize is that it is their old home so they wander back fix it up add a sofa and live there happily ever after
i read the book recently to my daughter and i realized what an archetypical german story it is said the berlin restaurateur ludwig cramer klett last week in his new restaurant panama which opens officially today its the perfect name for my latest venture it has all the right references i wanted the space and in some cases the food to be imbued with an exotic tropical feel with the dream of a place like panama but almost everything   the ingredients and materials   to be rooted here in germany everything has been sourced as locally as possible
a two story expansive space hidden in a back courtyard off potsdamer strasse panama shares the street that has in the last five years become home to some of berlins most prestigious galleries such as blainsouthern and galerie judin fittingly panamas rooms are filled with the work of contemporary artists many of them friends of cramer klett theres a showstopping chandelier made of vintage lights by the artist bjorn dahlem large scale nature photographs by julius von bismarc and a neon sign in the shape of bones by kerim seiler
the breezy space was designed by the young design duo karoline butzert and nora witzigmann the daughter in law of one of germanys most famous chefs eckert witzigmann who similarly turned to literature   and wanderlust   to create the interiors we looked at a lot of vintage books about panama and south america butzert said ludwig would send us a picture from a bar in brazil or of a vintage movie poster handmade sea green tiles look like they could have been sourced from mexico but were in fact made by golem a small german tile company located just outside berlin and the two levels of panama are similar but distinct much like the cottage in the childrens tale as seen before and after the little animals adventure the downstairs is shady and moody with more hues of green cramer klett said and upstairs is light and bright
the young female chef sophia rudolph was formerly the sous chef at the one michelin starred rutz her focus is to elevate ingredients by both keeping them raw   venison tartare is paired with pickled shiitake and currants   and by plunging them into the restaurants wood fire oven   in dishes like smashed charred potatoes with salted herring and iberico ham having spent half her life in france training under alain ducasse and at larpege this is the first time rudolf is in charge
the panama story completely sums up everything we are trying to do broadening consciousness to the paradise that we are living in now that is all around not by telling everyone that they are doing things wrong but to have them enjoy what is right said cramer klett whose first restaurant katz orange was one of berlins first to champion slow cooked dishes from organic and local ingredients served in a stylish laid back atmosphere i want eating here to be a trip i want people to open their eyes wide and have a great time and when they leave they should feel better


times insider shares historic insights from the new york times in this piece david w dunlap a metro reporter looks back at a typographical quandary introduced by dwight d eisenhowers presidential campaign
picture a presidential campaign logotype
you may be thinking hillary clintons arrow point h or jeb bushs jeb
the word eisenhower in latin extra condensed has probably not popped into your mind
but at the times it was a true campaign logotype
in the language of the composing room a logotype is not a graphic trademark but a single piece of type containing a whole word the advantage of such a piece is that spacing between letters even the letter forms themselves can be subtly modified
copy editors at the times were bedeviled in 1952 by the emergence of gen dwight d eisenhower as the republican presidential candidate his name was too long to fit comfortably in a one column headline there typically wasnt room left over for a verb and there was no way that the proper new york times would ever call the man ike in its news pages
so we turned for help to the intertype company the manufacturers of much of the equipment in our fourth floor composing room at 229 west 43rd street including the line casting machines known generically as linotypes
their typographers drew up a solid logotype in which the letters were ever so slightly condensed the difference is most noticeable in the w though it can be seen pretty clearly in the s this logotype could be inserted alongside conventionally set type to provide the breathing room needed for headlines like eisenhower visits cardinals home will speak today
times insider cant take credit for uncovering this delightful bit of typographical history it was prompted by an inquiry from adrienne lafrance of the atlantic who was researching the legend of eisenhowers skinny s 
but we can broaden this condensed a bit story by noting that mr eisenhowers was not the last name made into a logotype
allan m siegal a retired assistant managing editor of the times and its longtime typographical maven said later on the same treatment was accorded to rockefeller hammarskjold westchester and khrushchev they were made in both 24 point and 30 point latin extra condensed
photocomposition put an end to it all linotypes intertypes and logotypes


punk itself was about being on the cutting edge of anything new says the photographer anita corbin whose portraits of women in the punk scene are on show at the photographers gallery in london this weekend so if you could shock people by wearing ripped tights and piercing your mouth   that would be a great statement to show the authorities that we were young and we werent too innocent anymore
corbins visible girls series is part of a digital presentation during the gallerys punk weekender a three day event incorporating exhibitions a screening of derek jarmans film jubilee and a performance by the postpunk all female band the raincoats the weekend is in turn a nod to punk london a yearlong sprawling celebration across the capitals galleries and performance spaces marking 40 years since the subcultures birth
corbin is among several photographers showing at the punk weekender and though the event offers a broad overview of the scene it gives particular insight into the women of punk her color intense images   which also document the new romantic skinhead and mod tribes   show women in tight knit pairs scowling at the camera or teasing height into their hair derek ridgerss photographs on the other hand capture the performative nature of the scene a fierce debbie harry and siouxsie sioux are each snapped on stage in 1977 while young punks on the streets of soho pout and pose for the camera
photographs by janette beckman now the new york editor of jocks  nerds magazine include one of the raincoats rehearsing in a cluttered garage in 1979 a mattress shoved against the wall but of all the images shirley bakers taken farther north in manchester leave the most vivid impression of the creativity that went into being a female punk her girl subjects full of youthful defiance have pink hair studded dog collars and razor blade earrings
corbin who was a 22 year old soft punk when she began photographing the subculture says she found the scene liberating and empowering you felt there was a mix up of style because punk had opened that opportunity really   that anything went she recalls im not saying it wasnt sexist because im sure there was sexism within it but because it was about fighting against authority i do think it gave both women and men an equal chance to do that and expression self expression you know   to be the person you wanted to be


on a serene friday evening recently shawn colvin and steve earle were in lower manhattan ripping through wake up little susie in a club jammed with their contemporaries with cropped hair white boots and a black mini touched with fringe ms colvin 60 looked the part of an edgy folky bearded and bespectacled mr earle 61 resembled a benevolent anarchist behind his acoustic guitar
it was a long way from the dives and dance halls where they started tonight no one would throw a drink or land a punch the civilized fans at city winery did raise smartphones to capture the action but otherwise they listened reverently cradling their pinot noir
for ms colvin and mr earle the june 10 show was the beginning of a four month long american tour their second together and the debut of their first dual album revered as songwriters they wrote six tunes for colvin  earle which has been warmly received by critics particularly the first single come what may theyve elevated their collaboration to the level of top flight album making bringing seemingly opposing impulses to the process npr said
if the new work does pack an emotional punch then credit the synchronicity that fuels their partnership acquaintances for years they discovered during their collaboration that they had been dancing with the same demons we can communicate in a kind of shorthand that no one else understands mr earle said
both have survived addiction broken marriages seven for mr earle alone and epic emotional distress born in vermillion sd ms colvin suffered from depression and anxiety early on anorexia and alcoholism struck later
all of it including her 1984 recovery was chronicled in her memoir diamond in the rough in 2002 she divorced her second husband mario erwin a photographer their daughter callie 17 lives with her in austin tex
mr earle who spent his early life in san antonio topped billboards country charts with his album guitar town in 1986 four years later he was derailed by an addiction to heroin and dropped off the face of the earth in his words
his turnaround came in 1994 when a tennessee judge sent him to jail for cocaine and weapons possession released after two months he left his addiction behind but his personal life remained tangled
last year his nine year marriage to the singer allison moorer ended the two share custody of john henry 6 who is autistic mr earles two other sons justin a musician and ian an electrician are from previous marriages he has homes near nashville and in manhattan where he lives on bleecker street
demons aside the pair have forged enduring careers with 11 albums ms colvin scored a grammy for her debut steady on in 1991 and collected two more in 1998 for her revenge ballad sunny came home she has toured with suzanne vega and mary chapin carpenter acted in plays including the vagina monologues and voiced the character rachel jordan on the simpsons
mr earle a three time grammy winner who has released 17 studio albums is known for defiant roots rock anthems like copperhead road as well as bittersweet songs like someday he has published a novel and a collection of short stories made his name as an antiwar activist and played a street musician in hbos treme
in nashville last month ms colvin and mr earle sat down at the hutton hotel and later at a recording studio to talk about their parallel paths and deepening bond they continued in manhattan mr earle in his west village apartment and ms colvin in her room at the ludlow hotel
these are edited excerpts from those conversations
shawn colvin the first time i heard steves songs i was here in nashville at the home of a rat who will remain nameless he said have you heard this and he pulled out guitar town i was blown away
steve earle i met shawn when i was playing the iron horse in northampton mass in 1987 and she opened for me id never heard her but when i did i knew i was looking at a really strong performer
sc i didnt know you heard me when i went backstage to meet you you were kind of preoccupied
se with what
sc i dont know you were about to go on you just seemed antsy
se i was a drug addict i may have booted you out of there so i could get high
id gotten to this town when i was 19 then in 1986 i made this record and all of a sudden people paid attention to me i could afford more and better drugs and by 1992 i was homeless
i was borrowing friends cars to sleep in i didnt have a guitar i didnt make any music i listened to mostly hip hop because thats what the people i was hanging around with were listening to
the very very dark place i was in i remember walking down murfreesboro road in nashville and seeing people i knew across the street i was worried about trying to stay to one side so they wouldnt recognize me then i got to a gas station and looked at myself in a mirror and i realized my front teeth were missing i had dreadlocks out to here so there was no way anybody would have known who i was
the two glimmers of hope during that time were that emmylou harris recorded guitar town and you recorded someday it sort of made me feel like what id done meant something
i think the second time you and i saw each other was at the telluride bluegrass festival in 1996 i was clean by then i was with the train band and you were running around stealing other peoples babies you had the worst case of baby itis id ever seen by the time i opened for you at wolf trap a couple of years later your husband was about 10 paces behind you pushing a stroller
sc callie was born in 1998 when i was 42 i raised my daughter in a great place but its duller i miss new york a lot
se i need the input to keep doing this job i dont understand people who wear earbuds on the subway man youre missing the songs
i think shawn and i both knew there was something really similar in where we were coming from as performers but i didnt know until you told me on the last tour in 2014 that you were in the program i hadnt read your book
sc when i became sober i was 27 and struggling as an artist as a kid i was depressed and riddled with anxiety the bottom dropped out when i was 19 i was given an antidepressant and it really helped but then as many depressives do i went i dont need this and i went off the drugs so the depression and anxiety returned and i learned to medicate myself with beer and wine i was very controlled i was getting drunk but i was totally under the radar but i had suicidal hangovers that were about to take me down so i knew i had to quit
i remember when i was first getting sober part of the mind set of an addict is that theres shame and self loathing and somebody said treat yourself like a sick person that helped me so much it was like oh i dont have to own this emotional baggage ive been sick
se give yourself a break its an illness
sc thats right its an illness
se i make meetings on the road i have to shawn does phone meetings
sc i have a sense of safety with you because theres a shared experience im together in a lot of ways but partnering up with another individual and being able to share a living space and work through whatever comes up   its my achilles heel its a combination of probably picking people that arent right for me and a lot of mistrust so that fuels a lot of songs
se i got married a lot in the 80s there were a lot of drugs involved in that i thought i was supposed to be monogamous and that marriage would be idyllic but id get out on the road and look up and id have a lot of girlfriends and be in love with all of them
my therapist says i consistently choose women that i couldnt possibly have a successful relationship with because i really want to be alone im starting to believe her
shawns a more introspective writer than i am im always writing about me and im not scared of giving it up but i just tend to do it using language thats more prose than poetry im as much influenced by joseph mitchell and storytellers that i used to hunt and fish with my grandfather and my uncles as i am other songwriters
sc my music is basically perceived as folk or softer rock but steves has an edge which ive always been attracted to
se shawn does what i do and she did it literally backward and in heels thats not nothing being a woman making art and having to protect it in a male dominated business
sc it was a beauty contest in the 80s if they played two women back to back on the radio it was almost a scandal i have a lot of women who are my heroes because of the same issues but i dont dwell on that
there was a trajectory where sunny was a big hit that was not sustained but i was never a hit artist to begin with so that didnt bother me i dont care if i sell out big concert halls i have no desire to do that
i won the grammy for sunny when i was 40 years old and had made four records so there was a sense of having paid my dues when ol dirty bastard stormed the stage arguing that his group wu tang clan should have won the award in another category it was confusing youre in the moment and someone has taken over the podium you just wait for it to play out i dont hold a grudge the next day i got a fax and flowers from him and i saved the note
when steve suggested during our last tour that we make a record together i listened only halfheartedly because to bring two artists together and deal with their schedules especially because steve never co wrote it doesnt happen
se the way we played together and our voices sounded together i thought that as a songwriter id want to write for that group shawn is more like me artistically than anyone i know what comes naturally to us is to just stand up in front of an audience with an acoustic guitar and theres nothing harder to do
sc i envy steve because im a reluctant writer i say im afraid of writing songs steve says hes afraid not to hes just got that drive i could use more of that because it compromises ones creativity a bit to become a single parent and to endure the rigors of the road
se ive done the parenting stage that shawn is doing so we cant help but talk about it sometimes we dont want to talk about it but thats something we have in common
sc you said something about teenagers being crazy and that theyre going to turn out the way theyre going to turn out
se i ran away from home when i was 15 so what was i going to tell justin dont drop out of school and play music for a living i was also absent a lot sometimes i was absent when i was home because i was an addict and it was not lost on my two older boys how much better a parent i am to john henry
sc i was gone a lot too i dont know about steve but i feel guilty about it
se i do too the thing i feel the most guilty about is that there was no way i was going to quit justin was raised until he was 3 on food stamps and government cheese and if guitar town hadnt happened i would have kept doing this whether i made any money or not
sc i did stay home when callie was going full on into puberty but i paid a price for not working as much ive just had to reconcile that this is my job and this is her lot you know its painful its the same as getting divorced
se i was going through a divorce the first time we toured together
sc i was a witness to it because we were on the road and you were taking calls from lawyers and your wife and trying to hold down the fort by being in touch with john henry i felt for you because everybody goes crazy during divorce
se you end up hating your lawyers as much as you hate their lawyers did i tell you about driving around with my lawyer in a convertible in williamson county when i was going through one of the divorces her lawyer called and he pumped up his chest you know and made a bunch of threats and were riding along smoking a joint and at the end of the call they make an appointment to play golf thats when i realized i was expletive
sc id say im over guys im not lonely my life is really full but i do feel invisible sometimes
se we did talk about that you said you felt invisible to men
sc in terms of guys at the coffee shop   you just say a friendly hello and some of them look right through you
se do you remember what i said when you said you felt invisible to men
sc i never remember anything
se i said youre not invisible to me
sc awwww
se i get it i know what you mean i havent given up on girls but at this point im grateful to just have a career and i think shawn is grateful too
sc im happy that i still have a job weve both been doing this for 40 years and its a lot of fun living well is the best revenge writing well is the best revenge working well is the best revenge


the blackhawks patrick kane on wednesday became the first american to win the hart trophy as the nhls most valuable player
kane the first chicago player to win the award since stan mikita in 1968 won in a runaway capturing 121 of the 150 first place votes
kane also won the ted lindsay award as the leagues outstanding player as selected by his fellow players and took home the art ross trophy for the scoring title
the washington capitals braden holtby won the vezina trophy as the top goalie and los angeles kings center anze kopitar won the lady byng trophy for gentlemanly play
another blackhawk forward artemi panarin won the calder trophy as the top rookie and another king drew doughty won the norris trophy as the nhls best defenseman
washingtons barry trotz won the jack adams award as the nhls top coach
russian track and field athletes who can show that they were subject to doping controls outside their home country should be able to compete in the olympics next month under an independent flag the world anti doping agency said
the international association of athletics federations tracks governing body has backed allowing such athletes to participate independently of the russian olympic committee the international olympic committee favors keeping them with their countrys delegation
the cardinals michael wacha won his first game in nearly two months 7 2 at chicago with st louis roughing up the cubs bullpen after starter jake arrieta left the game
aledmys diaz hit a two run homer and matt carpenter had a two run double in a five run sixth inning after arrieta 11 2 departed the cardinals completed their first three game sweep at wrigley field since 1988
around the majors marwin gonzalez hit a tiebreaking triple in the eighth inning to help host houston earn its fifth straight win a 3 2 victory over the los angeles angels adam conley pitched a career high eight innings and miami beat visiting atlanta 3 0 ending the braves six game streak trevor bauer threw a three hitter for his second career complete game and the host cleveland indians beat tampa bay 6 1 for their sixth straight win
inbee park the second ranked female golfer and a two time winner of the united states womens open said she would not take part in the open next month in san martin calif because of a thumb injury
no timetable for woodstiger woods said he had made progress in his recovery but would not set a target date for his return to competitive golf he has not played on the pga tour in 10 months after undergoing two back operations last year
the indiana pacers traded george hill to utah and acquired the hawks jeff teague in a three team swap that sent the drafts no 12 pick to atlanta
liberty win in two overtimes tina charles had 23 points including the first 5 of the second overtime as the liberty won at atlanta 90 79


washington   emergency financing to fight the mosquito borne zika virus appeared likely to be delayed until after congress returns from its fourth of july recess as democrats on wednesday sharply criticized a new republican proposal to provide 11 billion but with 750 million redirected from other federal programs
republican house and senate negotiators have been working to resolve differences between a senate plan to provide 11 billion in emergency financing for zika and a house plan that would provide 622 million but would take the money from other programs
both proposals offered far less money to fight zika than the 19 billion requested by the obama administration still senate democrats and the white house had indicated some willingness to go along with the senate plan
but as the republican negotiators announced wednesday evening that they had reached a tentative agreement   which the house approved early thursday in a 239 171 vote   democrats lashed out they said the proposal was layered with numerous unrelated provisions that they would never accept including an effort to restrict government financing of planned parenthood the womens health organization
while democrats did not have any sway over the house senate negotiations republicans do not have sufficient votes in the senate to overcome procedural obstacles and approve the agreement on their own
the white house also said the legislation appeared unacceptable and would further delay the effort to combat the zika virus which can cause serious neurological disorders and other deformities in infants born to infected mothers
while we are still awaiting more details on the legislation it is clear that once again republicans have put political games ahead of the health and safety of the american people particularly pregnant women and their babies josh earnest the white house press secretary said in a statement
this plan from congressional republicans is four months late and nearly a billion dollars short of what our public health experts have said is necessary to do everything possible to fight the zika virus and steals funding from other health priorities mr earnest added the fact that the republican plan limits needed birth control services for women in the united states and puerto rico as we seek to stop the spread of a sexually transmitted disease is a clear indication they dont take seriously the threat from the zika virus or their responsibility to protect americans
in an announcement late wednesday republicans said their proposal included important restrictions on how the emergency money would be used
unlike the administrations request that allowed overly broad authority for federal agencies to use zika dollars with little accountability this legislation places tight controls and oversight on spending to ensure that every dollar is being used appropriately the statement from the house appropriations committee said
in a statement representative hal rogers republican of kentucky and chairman of the appropriations committee praised the legislation
this is a solid agreement that will adequately and effectively fund resources for our troops and their families our veterans and to fight and prevent the spread of the zika virus mr rogers said it is the product of careful and thorough deliberations between the house and the senate and reflects a responsible compromise that can and should be signed into law
mr rogers urged democrats to approve the legislation given the expected arrival of disease carrying mosquitoes in the united states mosquito season is upon us these dollars must get out the door now to help control the spread of the zika virus and continue longer term efforts to stop this disease such as vaccine and treatment development and deployment he said
but democrats including the partys senate leader harry reid of nevada had nothing but sharp criticism
a narrowly partisan proposal that cuts off womens access to birth control shortchanges veterans and rescinds obamacare funds to cover the cost is not a serious response to the threat from the zika virus mr reid said in a statement in short republicans are trying to turn an attempt to protect womens health into an attack on womens health we waited four months for republicans to do anything to combat zika their proposal would be comical except this a public health emergency and it deserves urgency
the money to fight the zika virus was included in an 825 billion annual appropriations measure covering military construction and veterans affairs programs for 2017
republicans stressed that the legislation would provide 26 billion more for those programs than in 2016 but democrats said it still did not provide sufficient funding for veterans
it was not immediately clear how congressional leaders might resolve the impasse or when the federal money for zika would ultimately be approved


by james e ryan
learning technologies offer great potential to improve education but whether that potential will be realized depends on three key factors which have less to do with technology itself and more to do with the people using it
first we need to ensure that we dont lose sight of the learning in learning technologies we need to keep in mind that students learn at different rates that it is critical to master a topic before moving to the next that students who are engaged are likely to learn more and learn more deeply and that active learning is more likely to engage students than passive learning
it follows that technologies that tailor learning to the pace and interests of students are likely to have bigger payoffs than those that do not
second we need to recognize that this is an adaptive challenge not a technical one we have to be thinking about fundamental questions like how we organize classes and schools how we use time how we think of the role of the teacher and what we expect students to learn these are not technical questions but questions about organizational behavior and the role of teachers and principals
finally we must be committed to impartial third party evaluations of learning technologies we need to know what is working and for whom but we cannot rush to judgment we need to balance our sense of urgency with patience and deliberation recognizing that fundamental change takes time
dean of faculty harvard graduate school of education
by jeffrey selingo
nearly 40 percent of american workers hold a bachelors degree fifteen percent of mail carriers have a four year degree as do one in five clerical and sales workers
getting a bachelors degree is what going to college means to most americans students who do not march along are often considered   or consider themselves   failures
yet the decades long march to college has actually closed off options for young people
as recently as the 1970s a high school graduate had a number of options get a good paying job right away enlist in the military find a trade apprenticeship or go to college
today there are really only two options the military or college yet only 52 percent of young people have either a two  or four year degree or an industry certificate by the time they reach their mid 20s
in the course of researching my new book there is life after college what i heard most from employers is a worry about filling so called middle skill positions in advanced manufacturing health care and information technology
nearly half of the american work force has these jobs today but many of them will soon be retiring as many as 25 million of all new job openings in the next decade will be for middle skill jobs
we need job training institutions on par with academic institutions to attract students interested in pursuing these skilled jobs
an example is the apprentice school in newport news va where students choose from among more than 20 occupational areas and are guaranteed a job with the military contractor that operates newport news shipbuilding
the school receives more than 4000 applications each year for 230 spots
we need more such pathways for students who dont want to travel the one route we offer them now
author there is life after college
by nicholas christakis
one of the most difficult challenges i faced this year was answering a native american students poignant question why should she put any faith in institutions in our society when those institutions had betrayed her people in generations past
the same constitution with its protection of the rights to free expression and assembly that you revere she said was previously of no use to people like me
i wish i had told her that the way out of this conundrum is to make these institutions her own these institutions could be hers and i believe she should want them to be hers
students of all kinds are joining traditions that revere free expression wide engagement open assembly rational debate and civil discourse
but it is illiberal to use these traditions to censor others to besmirch fellow students and to treat ideological claims as perforce facts when students and faculty do this they are burning the furniture to heat the house
open extended conversations among students are essential to the pursuit of truth to moral learning and to social progress the faculty must show students a way forward to be harder on the problems society faces but easier on each other we cannot be a community of searchers and learners if we do not share the same principles at the core of our universities
disagreement is not oppression argument is not assault words   even provocative or repugnant ones   are not violence the answer to speech we do not like is more speech
if we fail to see this we risk confirming for our students the old joke that we wouldnt want to join a club that would have us
professor of social and natural science yale university
by marybeth gasman
in 2014 for the first time the nations student body   from kindergartners to 12th graders   was majority minority
census data predicts that by 2050 the united states over all will be majority minority as well are our college and university faculties ready to teach a diverse student body i dont think so faculty members receive little if any training on teaching and even less on diversity issues
for nearly two decades i have been studying strategies for student success used by the nations minority serving institutions which include historically black colleges and universities hispanic serving institutions tribal colleges and universities and asian american native american and pacific islander serving institutions most recently along with clifton conrad a professor at the university of wisconsin madison i wrote a book on this topic educating a diverse nation harvard university press
first these minority serving institutions assume success on the part of their students rather than seeing them from a deficit perspective second they focus on what the student needs to learn rather than what is convenient for the professor third faculty members work together on classes and curriculums that empower students fourth faculty members allow students to bring their full identities to the classroom and last the institutions give students the opportunity to participate in culturally relevant assignments
these approaches require a deeper understanding of teaching and a commitment to student learning
to meet the needs of a diverse group of students phd programs must consider teaching in addition to research when training graduate students research is essential but we also must ensure that our diverse nation truly learns
professor of education university of pennsylvania
by harold levy
for most of its history america ignored the talents and potential of most americans we will never know what great progress might have been made in science medicine business and many other fields if we had taken advantage of the brainpower and abilities of all our people   regardless of gender race ethnicity or income level
but people from low income families continue to face enormous obstacles
a 2014 white house report increasing college opportunity for low income students states while half of all people from high income families have a bachelors degree by age 25 just one in 10 people from low income families do
these low income students lack money dont get adequate counseling in high school and face many other barriers that more affluent students never encounter to enable more low income students to get a higher education colleges should make socioeconomic diversity a priority they should encourage outstanding low income students to apply simplify the application process and make transparent the actual tuition price and financial aid possibilities for students from struggling families
in addition colleges should devote more financial aid to those who need it and less to those who dont by reducing so called merit scholarships colleges should also re examine their policies of giving preferential admissions to the children of alumni
current policies are resulting in an enormous waste of talent we need to recommit ourselves to the american dream and being the land of opportunity for all
executive director jack kent cooke foundation
by marvin krislov
with student activism sweeping the country over issues like sexual assault police brutality and racial inequality american higher education is at a crossroads as it was in the 1960s during the vietnam war and the civil rights movement
how best to serve a new generation of students facing challenges from changing demographics rising income inequality political tumult and doubts about whether the nation can overcome its deepest divides
how can the value of liberal arts be demonstrated when public discourse increasingly defines educational value in terms of initial income
how will higher education create a truly inclusive environment for a diverse group of students who question traditional modes of teaching and learning
first the faculty and staff must maintain high academic standards and rigor empowering students with the intellectual tools they will need
second we must welcome diverse populations and teach our students to embrace multiple perspectives while valuing their personal experiences
third our institutions must serve as laboratories for collaboration to create sustainable futures that balance idealism with financial realities
fourth we must help our students find meaning in their education by communicating options and opportunities to apply learning and by embracing new possibilities created by technology
all parties should have a voice in these conversations student activists who are demanding a more relevant education parents who are making emotional and material investments in their children and faculty members who are protecting academic freedom we all must learn from each other
president oberlin college
by annette gordon reed
one of the most important issues that educators face is skepticism about liberal arts education in an era that seems to be pushing stem   science technology engineering and math this is not just happening in the united states calls to cut support for so called soft disciplines are also made in europe and asia
but just recently the governor of connecticut used his line item veto power to cut support for the humanities we seem to be rejecting the idea that it is essential for society to have people who are broadly educated who can investigate analyze and present their findings logically and clearly without the aid of numbers or code
i was a member of the commission on the humanities and social sciences put together by the american academy of arts and sciences our report the heart of the matter outlined three goals for americas educational institutions educating americans to thrive in a 21st century democracy fostering a society that is innovative competitive and strong and equipping the nation for leadership in an interconnected world
the commission took the position that these goals cannot be achieved by science alone
we need more homegrown engineers but not everyone wants to be an engineer or can be innovation is spurred by people who are creative in different ways gathering ideas from seemingly disparate fields can bring new ways to think about problems allowing creativity to flourish
we need k 12 systems that produce students able to take advantage of all that higher education has to offer this suggests a need for greater cooperation between those schools and our institutions of higher learning
professor of american legal history harvard university
by john palfrey
it is a mistake to say that diversity and free expression cannot coexist and yet on campus after campus that has been the choice served up this year you are either for diversity equity and inclusion in our communities or you are for free expression the strength of our communities depends upon a commitment to upholding both even   perhaps especially   when it is hardest to do so
the american experiment is about the coexistence of diversity and free expression that coexistence has not been easy nor has it been all that successful especially for those who have less power and free expression has been interpreted in ways that have tended to support those in authority rather than all people equitably
that the american experiment has not yet been entirely successful nor fairly carried out does not mean that the principles are wrong
diversity and free expression ought to coexist on our campuses in particular one purpose of education is to bring young people into contact with those of different backgrounds so that they might learn from one another
but free expression and its close cousin the right to assemble peaceably do not mean that anyone can say anything to anybody at any time the first amendment has been interpreted to permit certain restrictions of time place and manner on speech on our campuses students and faculty need to act respectfully to one another to build community
the idea of diversity and free expression opposing one another may serve some immediate political purposes but it will not serve our society in the long run
head of school phillips academy andover
by deborah tuerkheimer
campus rape is finally receiving the attention it merits but efforts to address the problem are developing in a scattershot fashion largely because of confusion about the universitys role in responding to sexual assault
educational institutions cannot substitute for a functioning criminal justice system nor should they try to replicate the civil justice model
universities response to sexual assault demands a focus on their core mission providing education in a manner that does not discriminate based on sex
because colleges have an obligation to provide an environment in which all students are able to learn preventing sexual assault   and gender based misconduct of any kind   is critical the burden of prevention cannot be placed on women by instructing them how to behave universities must instead commit to eradicating gender violence along with the racism and sexism that sustain it
colleges can readily offer a range of support for victims of sexual violence including academic accommodations mental health services changes in campus housing or dining locations and transportation services
and colleges must also hold accountable those found responsible for sexual assault a formidable challenge is to create a set of fair procedures for adjudicating contested claims procedural justice fosters legitimacy trust and citizenship all vital to a thriving academic community
we should not ask college administrators to become prosecutors or plaintiffs attorneys nor should we expect academic institutions to compensate for deficits in the criminal justice systems response to rape on and off campus but we can demand that universities advance their mission to provide an education free of discrimination
professor of law northwestern university
by carol dweck
every fall i face my class of college freshmen and announce your old job is over your new job starts today
their old job was getting into a good college their new job is to become a person who will make a meaningful contribution to society
this is the generation that will determine the future of our world will we succumb to climate change will we foster equality will we steward new technologies to serve rather than undermine human needs and values
the answers depend on whether we can help students look beyond their next test score to focus on longer term learning and life goals
in a recent nationwide study led by david yeager of the university of texas 9000 ninth graders were asked what kind of assignment they wanted even if it didnt affect their grade 63 percent wanted an easy assignment over a challenging one
but a different group of 9000 ninth graders in the same schools had earlier participated in an online workshop that taught them that they could expand their brains through hard work good strategies and help from others and it taught them why they might want to do this to learn more and get ready for their future contribution these students were one third more likely to choose the challenging assignment
the most exciting schools in america today are predicated on the belief that intellectual abilities can be developed they foster that belief in all of their students and they reinforce it with rigorous meaningful learning allowing students to envision their future contributions these schools understand that this can make all the difference in the world
professor of psychology stanford university
by marc brackett
regardless of all the honors classes they took in high school or the science technology and engineering classes they cram into their college curriculum students today will not be fully prepared to compete in an increasingly global business environment
the problem   and the solution   is not intellectual its emotional
a survey of more than 123000 students at 153 colleges by the american college health association in 2013 found that more than half experienced overwhelming anxiety and about a third felt deep depression during the school year
this is or should be worrisome to educators and policy makers not only because of the suffering that results but also because research demonstrates that the way people manage their emotions matters for personal growth and the success of the broader society and economy
the nobel laureate james j heckman has written that teaching noncognitive skills including recognizing and regulating emotions would be a cost effective way to increase work force productivity and quality
teaching emotional intelligence   or whats more broadly referred to as social and emotional learning   to children and adults has proved to be effective and sorely needed
its frustrating that policies to mandate and finance evidence based approaches to social and emotional learning are slow to come a few states have acted on their own leaders in washington and across the nation need to work to equip americas youth to be competitive for the new global century our future   and our childrens future   depends on it
director yale center for emotional intelligence
by freeman hrabowski
recently i visited my hometown birmingham ala to recognize high achieving eighth graders from public schools i found myself reflecting on my own experiences as a 12 year old in that city participating in the childrens march of 1963 to fight for access to a better education and i wondered just how far have we come
only about half of students who begin college now will have earned a degree six years later the completion rates are much lower for students of color the gap is equally striking by income more than 80 percent of americans from families in the top income quartile have attained a bachelors degree by age 24 under 10 percent of those from families in the bottom income quartile have done so its clear that increasing access to college is not enough
it is not acceptable for so many students to work hard to earn a college education often going into debt and not to succeed
we need communities that view student success as a collective responsibility young people need adults who set expectations and help them develop critical thinking skills and a sense of self we need public policies that encourage all sectors to work together there are no quick fixes there werent any quick fixes 50 years ago either but through decades of commitment and hard work we have made progress
we must remain committed
president university of maryland baltimore county
by john b king jr
the 12 trillion that borrowers and their parents owe on student loans for college is an eye popping number   one that some policy analysts pundits and journalists often cite in declaring a student loan crisis
but a related challenge that deserves greater attention is the college completion challenge president obama has called for america to again lead the world in college graduation far too many students start college but do not finish students of color first generation and low income students are dropping out at higher rates than their white or better off peers if students borrow they may not earn enough money to repay their loans the typical defaulter owes less than 9000
the bottom line is this debt without a degree often leads to default
colleges states and the federal government can change this the obama administration has made college more affordable by adding tens of billions in student aid and creating tax credits for college tuition made it easier for students to repay their loans and encouraged graduating on time
across the country innovative leaders are showcasing strategies that work
the university of hawaiis graduation rate has improved significantly since the university began giving students incentives to attend class full time
at georgia state university the completion rate increased by 22 percentage points over a decade as the institution offered peer advising provided microgrants for low income students and used data analytics to help advisers identify students at risk of dropping out
accelerated study in associate programs which operates at six of the city university of new yorks community colleges has shown strong results too
these promising examples offer hope but colleges cannot tackle this challenge alone congress should support proposals such as structuring the pell grant program to raise completion rates and providing incentives to scale up other innovative approaches states need to share responsibility starting by reversing the trend of disinvestment in higher education
secretary of education
by joni finney
college is becoming less and less affordable to more and more families higher and higher on the socioeconomic ladder
according to a recent report from researchers at the university of pennsylvania and vanderbilt university families earning 48001 to 75000 a year had to pay a significant portion of their gross income to send a student to a public four year nondoctoral institution on average it cost 16 percent in alaska to 33 percent in new jersey of their income in 2013
the burden was higher at public research universities according to the report 2016 college affordability diagnosis families would have had to pay on average 17 percent wyoming to 31 percent alabama of their income to enroll in such state run institutions as the university of wyoming and the university of alabama
private institutions offered no relief requiring outlays of 16 percent idaho to 45 percent rhode island of family income
even the safety net of community colleges is fraying families earning 48001 to 75000 a year had to pay 11 percent mississippi to 22 percent minnesota of income to enroll in public two year institutions
if state policy makers are serious about improving education attainment as they often promise to do they must make it a priority to lower the financial burden of higher education on students from low  and middle income families to increase their chances of enrolling and graduating
unless we make college affordable for people of all financial means opportunity through higher education will be a false promise
director institute for research on higher education
by randi weingarten
for people who choose educating others over enriching themselves college debt can seem insurmountable
the american federation of teachers recently started a series of student debt clinics to help our members mitigate the crippling college debt incurred by millions of american students and their families for some participants the clinics have been life changing
in october a young adjunct professor from miami attended a two part aft debt clinic crushed by more than 168000 in student loan debt and monthly payments exceeding 2000 this professor a single mother was desperate after one day of training she applied for income based repayment and was able to reduce her monthly payment to 700 on the second day she told the group that it was the first good nights sleep shed had in three years
many people simply cant afford to seek higher education or they pay dearly when they do forty seven states are spending less per student than they did at the start of the recession after adjusting for inflation tuition costs have skyrocketed putting more of the burden on students and their families
when our country realized the value of educating all students through high school we made high school universally free the same should be done for college today
the men and women who teach in our public schools colleges and universities have invested in their own education so that they can in turn invest in the students in their classrooms they know they wont be rewarded with huge paychecks but neither should they be punished with crushing college debt
president american federation of teachers


chicago   the reigning copa america champion chile overcame a severe storm a lengthy delay and a battling colombian team to advance to the copa centenario final with a 2 0 win on wednesday night at soldier field goals from charles aranguiz and jose pedro fuenzalida in the first 11 minutes iced the match
strong thunderstorms and a tornado warning forced a delay of two and a half hours at halftime and the storms left the field nearly unplayable the crowd was evacuated by stadium security personnel as lightning crashed around the city standing water was squeegeed off by the grounds crew to allow play to resume weather delays are rare in chicago the last game that was stopped at soldier field for storms was a bears game in november 2013
with the win chile set up a rematch of last years copa america final against argentina that will be played sunday in east rutherford nj colombia will face the united states in a third place game on saturday in glendale ariz
colombia was reduced to 10 men in the second half when carlos sanchez collected his second yellow card


international
an article on may 24 about asian nations skepticism about how much they can rely on washingtons commitment and staying power in asia despite president obamas pivot there misspelled in some editions the name of the vietnamese deepwater port that the united states hopes to gain access to it is cam ranh bay not cam rahn or camh rahn
business day
an article on the dealbook page on june 1 about the growing phenomenon of virtual shareholders meetings erroneously attributed a distinction to intel while it was the first company to permit online voting at a shareholders meeting in 2009 it was not the first to hold a virtual meeting

an article on wednesday about the abrupt departure of nikesh arora who was in line to be chief executive of the japanese conglomerate softbank referred incorrectly in some editions to the chinese company alibabas main line of business it is e commerce not search
obituaries
an obituary on friday about the former federal bureau of investigation official kenneth walton referred incorrectly to his departure from the fbi in 1989 he retired he did not resign

an obituary on wednesday about the romanian general victor stanculescu misstated the location of saftica where he died it is in southern romania near bucharest   not in northern roma
the times welcomes comments and suggestions or complaints about errors that warrant correction messages on news coverage can be e mailed to nytnewsnytimescom or left toll free at 1 844 nyt news 1 844 698 6397 comments on editorials may be e mailed to lettersnytimescom or faxed to 212 556 3622
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just a half hour before three people were stopped while trying to drive into new york city with what authorities said was a cache of weapons one of them an operator of a pennsylvania gun range appeared to sketch out his motivation for the trip
that man john cramsey 50 whose 20 year old daughter died in february of a drug overdose posted on facebook that he was going to rescue a 16 year old girl who was in trouble
im currently 11 miles outside of brooklyn new york and going to a hotel to extract a 16 year old girl who went up there to party with a few friends he wrote on the wall of enough is enough a group he administers to speak out against heroin abuse
but mr cramsey and the two others dean smith 53 and kimberly arendt 29 did not make it to brooklyn they were stopped by the port authority of new york and new jersey police at the entrance to the holland tunnel in new jersey at 740 am tuesday they had a cracked windshield the police said and were arrested after the authorities said they found illegal guns and ammunition in the car as well as a small amount of marijuana
the group was not traveling inconspicuously
its vehicle a black dodge truck with red paint and neon green trim was plastered with decals celebrating gun culture including a large image of cross hairs an allusion to the second amendment and an advertisement for higher ground tactical the shooting range mr cramsey operates in emmaus pa
photographs of the truck drew wide attention as they circulated on social media
on wednesday the three were arraigned before judge sheila a venable of hudson county superior court in new jersey and charged on several counts including unlawful weapons possession illegal transportation of a firearm and possession of one pill of valium and one pill of xanax each mr cramsey and ms arendt were also charged for possession of less than 50 grams of marijuana
the three appeared in court via closed circuit television judge venable declined their lawyers requests to lower bail from 75000
mr cramseys lawyer james lisa said that his client was legally able to transport the weapons because of his ownership of the gun range both mr lisa and mario blanch the lawyer representing mr smith who the police said drove the vehicle argued that it had been unlawfully stopped and searched
it was not a big enough crack it was what was on the car rather than the windshield mr lisa said police officers saw the decals and paintings basically expounding the second amendment
thomas zuppa jr an assistant prosecutor with the hudson county prosecutors office said that the weapons could have been used dangerously this is not just an ordinary gun case he said this conduct had the potential to bring danger
the port authority police said they recovered five pistols an ar 15 assault rifle and a 12 gauge shotgun
as news of the arrest circulated numerous people took to facebook to voice their support for mr cramsey and his partners some said they would start a fund to raise bail money one posted a video of a community meeting from march in which mr cramsey spoke about his daughters death and described his son as a recovering addict
this is a disease mr cramsey said his voice trembling
he initially wanted vengeance on the person who sold the drugs to his daughter he said and noted that he had a shirt as well as a decal on his truck that said shoot your local heroin dealer
i searched a little deeper and found out that he had a little 3 year old girl that 3 year old girl two years ago lost her mom to heroin so the thought of taking him out wouldnt make me any better a man mr cramsey said adding ive changed my tune im the inoculation to this disease
mr cramseys daughter alexandria died on feb 21 in an accidental death from heroin and fentanyl toxicity according to the lehigh county pa coroners office
a new york city police department spokesman would not comment on mr cramseys contention in his facebook post that he was going to save a 16 year old in brooklyn the spokesman referred questions to the port authority police who also declined to comment
on wednesday reporters asked mr lisa why there were so many weapons in his clients car
no comment he replied


phil jackson will get to explain on thursday evening what inspired him to bet on derrick rose and his surgically repaired knees as jackson is scheduled to address the news media before the nba draft begins
on its own the multiplayer deal jackson made wednesday with the chicago bulls offers clues as to what is on his mind as he again reconfigures the knicks in advance of his third full season as the teams president
not many would have figured rose to be jacksons kind of point guard rose appearing to be from the kind of ball dominant screen and roll high volume shooter school of basketball that jackson has taken every opportunity to denigrate since he returned to new york
by early next season rose will be 28 and probably not too interested in drastically changing the way he plays this is more evidence that jeff hornacek the knicks new coach will dictate the style of offense to be played by the team and that jacksons beloved triangle could often be dormant if not totally disabled
although diminished since his season as most valuable player 2010 11 rose has celebrity box office appeal he is a three time all star a conversation piece for those lower bowl fans paying college tuition level prices to snap smartphone photos of celebrity row attendees and watch a team that has won three playoff series since the turn of the century
with another marquee name to market the madison square garden strongman james l dolan is less likely to kick over office wastepaper baskets and with a record of 49 115 over the past two seasons even jackson with 11 championship coaching rings has to wonder what the man who signs his check is thinking
we are learning that jackson isnt as set in his ways as he has been made out to be the shift in philosophy could also reflect a basic instinct to survive jackson may sense that he needs to make the playoffs to keep dolan from agitating for change
the sacrifices of robin lopez hardworking center and solid citizen and of point guards young and old jerian grant and jose calderon does not perceptibly affect the knicks future   unless rose gets hurt or leaves as a free agent next summer and grant a fine athlete with good defensive footwork develops into a star or a high level starter
then jackson would have more explaining to do possibly from a condo in los angeles
the other assets coming from chicago are justin holiday a 6 foot 6 swingman who has something no one on the current knicks roster has   a championship ring golden state 2014 15   and a 2017 second round pick the bulls had obviously become desperate for separation from rose a chicago product who could use a fresh start himself
for the knicks bringing him in with one season left on his contract is about jackson trying to have it both ways continuing to pin hopes of glory days on the development of the latvian giant kristaps porzingis while surrounding porzingis with enough veteran talent to allow this long suffering franchise to live more in the moment
that strategy could also benefit the development of porzingis a point the network analyst and former knicks coach jeff van gundy made earlier in the past season
you talk about starting over developing a young team around porzingis but one of the things thats always overlooked about player development is playing meaningful games van gundy said even if you dont make the playoffs whats essential for guys like porzingis is to be playing in games that count instead of just playing out a season like they did this year
like dolan carmelo anthony should be happy with the deal at least until rose launches one of those step back 23 footers in the dying seconds of a 1 point game
here is the potential upside playing at a faster pace as hornacek has promised should create enough scoring opportunities for anthony rose and porzingis who is still young new and nice enough to defer
additional reinforcements should arrive through the roughly 30 million in cap space jackson still has for the coming free agency sweepstakes does rose help attract talent will one of his former bulls teammates joakim noah or pau gasol be the new center
on twitter jackson follows 61 people an eclectic bunch that includes the actor john lithgow the vietnamese buddhist monk thich nhat hanh and noah who has never played for jackson but who is clearly his kind of zen operator
a new york bred free agent noah is a splendid post passer a dirty work doer he and rose were the heart of the former coach tom thibodeaus ferociously competitive bulls teams alas like rose noah 31 has in recent years been prone to injuries
healthy noah would be an upgrade compared to lopez on both ends of the floor and as lopez was a terrific mentor for porzingis but does jackson have the stomach for two health risk acquisitions in the same season
does he dare pursue the 30 going on 13 free throw bricklaying but still physically imposing dwight howard
this rose deal will become easier to evaluate once we know what the rest of the roster looks like until then jackson has succeeded in making the knicks a conversation piece on the eve of a draft he doesnt have a pick in and on the day two players he traded in his last roster remake   iman shumpert and j r smith   were sitting pretty in the cleveland cavaliers championship parade
at this point only through rose colored glasses could anyone believe the trade will make the knicks much more than a low level playoff contender


in the debate over beards in business settings the new york police department officially stands opposed with limited exceptions for officers seeking a medical or religious accommodation
the departments no beard policy as it is known is at the center of a federal class action lawsuit filed on wednesday on behalf of a muslim police officer who says he was suspended during the fasting month of ramadan for refusing to shave his one inch beard the lawsuit brought by masood syed 32 aims to force the police department to change a policy that his lawyers say infringes on the rights of more than 100 officers seeking to exercise their religious freedoms without fear of discrimination or retaliation
officer syed a 10 year veteran assigned to the office that handles disciplinary proceedings against officers was suspended without pay on tuesday at an emergency hearing on wednesday in federal district court in manhattan judge p kevin castel ordered the department to continue paying officer syed until his next court date on july 8 when the court will decide whether he can return to work
its frustrating because its a city thats supposed to represent us luna droubi a lawyer for officer syed said this is new york city yet here they are telling people of different faiths that they cant protect and serve that they cant be officers of the law because theyre different
the police department has said that the rule is necessary for the safety of its officers lawrence byrne the departments deputy commissioner for legal matters said the policy helped prevent officers from being overcome in physical confrontations and met federal guidelines for the gas masks that officers would use in a chemical or biological attack
we remain the no 1 terrorist target in the world mr byrne said and we need to have all 36000 of our officers able to respond
officer syed of queens is a pakistani american who wears a beard in obeisance to his sunni islamic faith he joined the department as a transit patrol officer in 2006 and was granted an exception to the no beards policy according to his complaint
the exception allows police officers like those with skin conditions worsened by shaving or whose faiths require facial hair to grow the hair up to one millimeter in length but there are officers who wear their beards longer including some assigned to undercover roles
officer syed said he wore his beard at lengths between a half inch and one inch without incident until 2015 and was allowed to wear it in a photo taken for his official identification
he enrolled in new york law school in 2010 and became a law clerk in the office of the deputy commissioner of trials at the police department in 2011 he was required to sign a form agreeing not to wear his beard longer than one millimeter but he continued to wear it longer
according to the complaint he was not reproached until august 2015 when he ran into captain james f kobel the second in command of the departments equal employment opportunity office at work captain kobel told him he was not in compliance with the departments no beard policy what followed officer syed said was a series of meetings with officials who repeatedly instructed him to shave his beard
but he refused and in december he sent a letter to captain kobels boss deputy commissioner neldra m zeigler requesting a reasonable accommodation for himself and other officers who wear beards longer than the current exception in observance of their faith
on june 20 while his request was still pending officer syed received a letter from captain kobel ordering him to shave by the end of the next day or face suspension according to the complaint when he did not comply on june 21 according to the complaint he was ordered to turn over his gun and shield and was escorted from the building as his colleagues looked on
every officer knows what that means officer syed said adding i was extremely humiliated
officer syeds complaint cites a 2013 ruling in federal district court in favor of a hasidic jewish police officer who was fired during his probationary period for refusing to shave his beard the officer fishel litzman was reinstated in 2014 and remains on the job
the complaint also describes another 2013 case of mohsin aftab a muslim police officer who was suspended and ultimately agreed to leave the department after 10 years of service rather than shave his beard mr aftab according to the complaint has not been able to work in law enforcement since his departure and his family has had to accept food stamps


in the fraught final hours of the legislative session on friday the republicans in the state senate agreed to give mayor bill de blasio control of the new york city schools for one more year but in return they demanded two provisions related to charter schools
one made it easier for the schools to switch between charter granting organizations the second gave the charter schools committee of the state university of new yorks board of trustees   one of the two entities that can currently grant charters   the power to promulgate regulations with respect to governance structure and operations of the schools it oversees
the broadness of the language at first left something of a mystery as to what the provision was intended to accomplish and who might have wanted it
a few days later the mystery cleared up a bit
families for excellent schools a charter school advocacy group that is closely tied to eva s moskowitz the founder of the success academy charter school network sent an email to the leaders of several charter networks on tuesday calling the provisions a massive victory in particular it said in the email the suny related bit of legislation meant that suny would be able to waive current requirements that limit the number of uncertified teachers that charter schools can employ
in fact the senate had pushed for a provision that would have done that directly by giving teachers at charter schools three years to become certified but the assembly which is controlled by the democrats rejected it after that explicit provision on teacher certification was taken out the broader language appeared
the three year allowance had been a top priority for ms moskowitz who faces difficulty hiring enough teachers as she rapidly expands the number of success academy schools currently under the states charter school law a charter school cannot have more than 15 uncertified teachers success hires mostly young teachers many of them are uncertified when they begin and attend a masters program managed by success while they are teaching
stefan friedman a spokesman for success academy expressed support for the idea of giving charters flexibility on the certification rules to continue to deliver the strongest academic results for children as well as exceptional chess debate and art programs schools must hire the most highly qualified teachers available and give them extensive training and support he said in a statement
the one year extension of mayoral control was a major defeat for mr de blasio a democrat who had originally asked for a seven year extension the senates opposition to a longer time period was largely seen as reflecting hostility to mr de blasio   who mounted an effort in 2014 to create a democratic majority in the senate   rather than substantive concerns about his stewardship of the city schools the senate majority leader john j flanagan declined repeated requests to discuss his concerns about mr de blasios management of the citys schools his spokesman did not respond to questions about the language regarding the suny charter school committee
the republicans currently hold a slim majority in the senate which they will have to defend in elections this november wealthy supporters of charter schools spent 42 million in 2014 to help the senate republicans win their majority and are expected to spend a substantial amount this year as well
whether the language on suny is as powerful as families for excellent schools claims is a matter of debate spokesmen for mr de blasio and for the assembly speaker carl e heastie a democrat said they did not believe the provision would allow suny to do anything contrary to the states charter school law like increasing the number of uncertified teachers a charter school could have
but senator liz krueger a manhattan democrat who said she had not seen the provision until a reporter read it to her said she was concerned by it
ms krueger said the provision which begins notwithstanding any other provision of law rule or regulation to the contrary suggested intent to override existing laws thats basically yeah we have these other laws that apply to charters she added but if suny decides to change it for the charters they oversee they get to change it
she and others noted that gov andrew m cuomo a democrat who has received millions of dollars in donations from backers of charter schools has considerable influence over the suny board and the committee because he appoints most of their members with the consent of the senate
the chair of the suny committee joseph belluck said in an interview that he had not learned about the provision until after it passed and that the committee was still analyzing the law to try to figure out what it meant
i dont think it can reasonably be read to give us the authority to do things that would be contrary to other existing laws he said at the same time mr belluck said he thought the language did give the committee the authority to take action on teacher certification including providing waivers in certain circumstances to some schools
asked if the committee would give charter teachers three years to meet certification requirements he said he did not know if the new law would allow it to do so but its something that we would consider if we thought it was appropriate and not going to harm performance


if there is ever a mount rushmore created for new yorkers the faces on it might reasonably be those of peter stuyvesant fiorello h la guardia robert moses and felix g rohatyn
in the 1970s mr rohatyn an investment banker engineered the rescues first of the new york stock exchange and then of the city itself which was on the verge of financial collapse documents from these episodes and other stages of his life including his childhood flight from the nazis have been given to the new york historical society by mr rohatyn 88 and his wife elizabeth a former chairwoman of the new york public library
its a small collection but an important collection and its great to be associated with him and his family said michael t ryan vice president and director of the patricia d klingenstein library the historical societys library which is preparing the papers for viewing by the public
the bulk of the collection arrived last week in roughly 20 cardboard boxes mr ryan said and includes letters exchanged between mr rohatyn and presidents richard m nixon george w bush and bill clinton gov hugh l carey mayor michael r bloomberg and numerous others the first wave of papers will be available to the public by the middle of 2017 mr ryan said mr rohatyns special assistant bill barrett is still unearthing more documents
mr rohatyn spent most of his career as an investment banker at lazard freres where he is credited with elevating the art of corporate mergers and acquisitions documents from his work there belong to the firm and are not part of the collection papers from his corporate practice after lazard may not be made public for decades because they are still financially sensitive mr rohatyns son nicolas 56 said the elder mr rohatyn was unavailable to be interviewed for this article
ms rohatyns papers include documents from her tenure at the public library as founder and chairwoman of the nonprofit teaching matters inc and from the couples time at the united states embassy in paris where mr rohatyn served as ambassador to france from 1997 to 2000
mr rohatyns papers begin with artifacts from his familys flight from the nazis which took him from vienna to france then to casablanca and lisbon then brazil before he reached new york in 1942
under the mentorship of andre meyer a senior partner at lazard mr rohatyn rose quickly at the firm but became best known in the fiscal crisis of the 1970s when mr carey appointed him to run the municipal assistance corporation created to help the city restructure 6 billion in short term debt mr rohatyn negotiated concessions from the municipal unions higher subway and bus fares wholesale layoffs paid tuition at the city university and other drastic therapies most of the corporation papers are at baruch college but some will be available at the historical society mr ryan said
the society is also acquiring the papers of other players from the days of new york citys financial meltdown including the lawyer ira m millstein and the real estate investor john e zuccotti both key architects of the bailout the combined papers along with audio interviews with some of the participants will provide detailed insights into the meltdown and recovery mr ryan said nicolas rohatyn said the family hoped its gift would prompt others to donate their papers from the era as well
mr rohatyn was given the nickname not always used as a compliment of felix the fixer but in a 1978 interview with the associated press he likened his work to that of a surgeon i get called when something is broken he was quoted as saying im supposed to operate fix it up and leave as little blood on the floor as possible


washington   the shooting rampage at a nightclub in orlando fla has focused new attention on the vast but murky terror watch lists that the government has used with mixed results to identify potential security threats
at the time of the terror attacks on sept 11 2001 there were just 16 names on the governments so called no fly list today that number stands at about 81000 officials said and the largest of the watch lists has 15 million names on it all but a small fraction of them foreigners
one of the names on the fbis terrorism watch list as of early 2014 was omar mateen the shooter in the orlando attack but when the fbi dropped its investigation into his suspected terrorist sympathies his name came off the list and he was legally allowed to go into a florida gun store this month and buy a semiautomatic assault rifle used in the killings
that sequence of events has set off a round of debate in congress over the law allowing someone on the list to buy a gun but four bills aimed at plugging the terror gap and blocking people on terrorism watch lists from buying guns failed to gain passage this week
another proposal led by senator susan collins republican of maine and senator heidi heitkamp democrat of north dakota appeared likely to meet the same fate as early as thursday
from 2005 to 2015 nearly 2500 people who appeared on the fbis terrorism watch list attempted to buy a firearm and 91 percent of the sales were approved a study by the government accountability office found
the recent proposals to stop people on the watch lists from being able to buy guns have faced resistance from an unlikely group of opponents including the national rifle association and the american civil liberties union
were as appalled as anyone else about the attack in orlando said hina shamsi the director of the aclus national security project but its our position that there is no bar on congress in the reasonable regulation of guns they could do something without an overly broad unreliable watch list solution
the aclu representing muslim americans and others who said they had wrongly been put on the no fly list won a ruling in federal court in oregon two years ago that found the list was unconstitutional because of the high risk of errors and the difficulty of being taken off it that lawsuit is continuing
there certainly has been some improvement in the process since these watch lists were first put into place but we still dont think the safeguards are adequate ms shamsi said
under guidelines for the biggest of the terror lists known as tide or terrorist identities datamart environment those placed on the list are known or appropriately suspected of being involved in terrorist activity of the 15 million names on the tide list residents of the united states account for only about 15000
in one of the most recent internal reviews of the watch list system the justice department inspector general found in a 2014 report that improvements in the fbis watch list system had made it more complete accurate and current after problems in getting people on and off the list
earlier reviews found that as many as 15 percent of suspects in active terrorism investigations were not on the fbi watch list and that other people were improperly kept on it even after investigations into their suspected terrorism ties were closed both these problems appeared to have been significantly reduced or eliminated by the time of the 2014 review
counterterrorism officials have described the watch lists as a cornerstone of their efforts to detect possible terrorists before they can strike but the watch lists effectiveness has been spotty
just as mr mateen was put on a watch list before the orlando shooting tamerlan tsarnaev   one of the brothers in the boston marathon bombings in 2013   had also been placed on several versions of the list a few years earlier
the underwear bomber umar farouk abdulmutallab who tried to detonate a bomb on a detroit bound plane in 2009 was also on one version of the terrorism watch list but was allowed to board the plane in amsterdam that near disaster led to wide changes in the system and an expansion of the lists
but the very next year faisal shahzad who tried to detonate a car bomb in times square in manhattan was allowed to board a plane for dubai a day after the attempted bombing even though he had been put on a no fly list he was apprehended while the plane was at the gate
in the wake of the orlando shootings justice department officials said they were considering a new policy to alert fbi investigators if someone who was once on a terrorism watch list like mr mateen attempts to buy a gun
by itself the placement on a watch list would not be grounds to stop a firearms purchase but fbi investigators could then search the buyers file to look for other legal prohibitions   like a criminal conviction drug use or mental health issue   that could allow them to stop the sale


washington   a day after he was convicted by a federal jury on bribery money laundering racketeering fraud and other charges representative chaka fattah democrat of pennsylvania announced his resignation from congress   but not until oct 3 just before his sentencing
mr fattah who was found guilty of charges related to the misuse of campaign funds faces a lengthy prison sentence with some of the charges carrying potential sentences as high as to 20 years to life
mr fattahs intention to remain in office despite his convictions drew swift outrage from the house speaker paul d ryan of wisconsin who called for mr fattahs immediate departure
mr fattah has betrayed the trust of this institution and the people of pennsylvania and for that he should resign immediately from the house of representatives mr ryan said in a statement we must hold members to the highest ethical standard and i hope that democratic leaders will join me in seeking his immediate resignation
in a letter to mr ryan mr fattah wrote im very sorry about the results that the jury rendered yesterday and because of that my resignation is effective oct 3 2016 despite my resignation i am working to clear my name of these charges and plan to mount an appeal


phoenix   firefighters across arizona and new mexico battled 31 wildfires on wednesday their efforts complicated by a relentless heat wave and bone dry conditions and in the angeles national forest on the northern edge of los angeles two fires kept more than 300 families from their homes as the fires threatened to merge into one
other fires ignited in colorado and utah threatening homes closing roads and stoking the zero sum competition for finite resources   firefighters and the airplanes and helicopters that dump chemicals and water
decisions about which areas will receive firefighting resources are revisited each morning as team leaders assess how much ground the fires have gained who or what is endangered and how firefighters will transport tools water and fuel for their chain saws
it is like piecing together an ever changing puzzle deciding where resources go stay and will move in the next few hours said jessica gardetto a spokeswoman for the national interagency fire center in boise idaho the mother ship of wildfire management in the country
complicating the equation is the record heat   oppressive where fires are not burning and particularly dangerous where they are at least five people have died since friday while hiking in arizona overcome by temperatures topping 110 that have been gripping much of the state
the crews fighting fires in remote forest here must travel much of the way on foot lugging tools water and backpacks weighing at least 40 pounds full of gear and other necessities foot powder sunscreen antacids once they arrive they typically work for 16 hours straight the toughest jobs   felling trees and yanking brush and roots from the ground removing all the vegetation that keeps a fire going   are done at night
thats when the air is cooler and when the flames calm down said don muise safety officer at the cedar creek fire burning on the fort apache reservation in east central arizona just outside the city of show low
the cedar creek fire is burning at 6300 feet and temperatures were in the mid 90s on wednesday   some five degrees above average though nowhere near the 110 registered in phoenix that day still mr muise repeated a handy recipe to the 967 firefighters assigned to the blaze as if it were a mantra two measures of water for one measure of gatorade
drink early and drink often he said
wildfires are judged not by size but by complexity and none were more complex in arizona on wednesday than the cedar creek fire which had burned roughly 43000 acres an area about the size of baton rouge la
another fire named juniper in the tonto national forest had consumed less than that   31000 square miles   but because the area it was burning was so remote it had a smaller corps of firefighters assigned to it according to official reports
the fires that are threatening lives and communities become top priority regardless of how big they are ms gardetto said
at 4900 acres the san gabriel complex as the merging southern california fires have come to be known was licking at backyards in the cities of azusa and duarte some 1400 firefighters fought the flames wednesday taking advantage of the slightly cooler temperature to make headway
the wind picked up in the afternoon animating the flames but pushing them away from the cities that stood under threat said andrew mitchell a spokesman for the angeles national forest
the decision whether to allow the remaining evacuees back home will depend on how much firefighters can gain overnight mr mitchell said
heavy tankers   large airplanes that can drop 2000 to 12000 gallons of a chemical mix known as fire retardant to slow the flames   are at the ready seventeen of the fleets 23 aircraft were stationed in california and arizona on wednesday where were having most fire activity ms gardetto said
in show low and its neighbor to the south pinetop lakeside both in the apache sitgreaves national forest residents remained on notice waiting to hear if they would have to leave gov doug ducey of arizona issued a disaster declaration freeing up national guard troops and 200000 in state funding to help pay for fighting the fire
ensuring the safety of these communities and all of the women and men working around the clock to fight this fire remains our top priority mr ducey said
when it comes to fighting wildfires the country is divided in 10 geographic areas and each has its own crews and incident command teams arizona and new mexico form the southwest region based in albuquerque california where fires have great destructive potential because they often burn close to homes has two regions   one covering the northern part of the state and the other the south
the regions are prioritized on a scale of 1 to 5 according to the number of fires they have and the threats these fires present to lives and communities five is the highest priority the southwest region was at priority level 4 on wednesday the highest in the country


united nations   if youre the secretary general of the united nations you sometimes have awkward meetings
the secretary general ban ki moon had one of those sessions on wednesday mohammed bin salman the powerful deputy crown prince of saudi arabia came with an eight member delegation to discuss among other things mr bans decision to cite the saudi led military coalition in yemen for violating the rights of children during the conflict there
worse the prince arrived 45 minutes late delaying mr bans schedule for the rest of the day
mr ban had initially included the coalition on an ignoble list of armies accused of killing and maiming children in 2015 only to take it off a few days later saying bluntly that he had been threatened with the loss of funding to humanitarian programs
the list was included in a report children and armed conflict whether the coalition which has been repeatedly accused by human rights organizations of indiscriminately bombing nonmilitary targets in yemen might be restored to the list remains a matter of debate the saudi ambassador to the united nations abdullah bin yahya almouallimi insisted that the decision to remove it from the list was irreversible on wednesday it was left to mr ban to manage the ungainly diplomatic moment with an oblique statement that urged saudi officials to improve the situation on the ground
his statement also left the ball in the security councils court for it is scheduled to discuss the report in august saudi arabia has powerful backers on the council including the united states two council members egypt and senegal are part of the saudi led coalition in yemen
the saudi delegation questioned the sources the united nations had relied on in yemen according to a diplomat at the united nations who spoke on condition of anonymity because it was a closed meeting it also pressed the united nations to send representatives to riyadh to speak to coalition members
a united nations spokesman stephane dujarric has previously said the organization would not divulge its sources of information but welcomed any additional information from the coalition the united nations has been noncommittal on the saudi proposal to send its experts to riyadh
in any case as mr bans special representative for children in armed conflict leila zerrougui pointed out saudi arabia has already had the opportunity to provide its side of the story before the report was completed
in a recent interview ms zerrougui an algerian judge said it was customary for her office to share with governments the portions of the report that apply to them she said she did so with saudi arabia and with every other nation involved
it was not customary however to share the list with the countries in advance   and ms zerrougui said she had not
i dont want people to consider this a list of shame she said this is a call for action take necessary measures to stop the violations
ms zerrougui was also accused of bias last year not by saudi arabia but by israel she had recommended that the israeli defense forces along with the militant group hamas be included on the list for their conduct in the 2014 war in the gaza strip the secretary general removed both groups from the list last year after intense lobbying by israel and the united states
ms zerrougui said she feared that this sort of pressure from powerful countries would dissuade front line united nations staff from telling the truth   and that in turn would amount to abandoning the worlds most vulnerable when you are a victim and you dont see anyone supporting you because the people on the ground are threatened or discouraged then we are finished we go home she said
this year she considered resigning but thought better of it after mr ban publicly said he stood by the contents of the report
in the interview her first since the tangle over saudi arabia she also recalled one of her earliest memories she was 2 years old when algerian security forces took her father to prison for his role in agitating against french colonial rule he remained in custody for three years
the memory has haunted her ever since she says she knows firsthand what conflict does to a child i was aware yes she said i can remember i feel very strongly about this issue
on wednesday ms zerrougui sat quietly alongside mr ban facing the saudi delegation


paris   over the first 13 days of the european championships we saw 36 soccer games and 69 goals we saw relatively good behavior on the field only two red cards and relatively bad behavior off the field everything from flares to smoke to full on in stadium fan attacks
on wednesday one of the great stories in sports kept rolling iceland with a population roughly the size of corpus christi tex beat austria by 2 1 to advance to the round of 16 estimates are that about 8 percent of icelands 330000 residents are in france for this the countrys first major tournament and the teams run is incredibly not over yet
the group stage however has come to an end and while it might seem strange that it took this long to whittle 24 teams down to 16 so it is and so it was starting on saturday then are the knockout rounds but before they begin here is a look at what has happened and what is yet to come
the minnows are still swimming
it is not just iceland making magic northern ireland wales hungary and ireland all advanced to the second stage of the tournament which meant more than a quarter of the teams in the round of 16 could qualify as surprises
the less auspicious nations have not done it with smoke and mirrors either northern ireland beat ukraine wales ran all over group b hungary defeated austria and tied portugal and ireland capped the final match day by beating italy 1 0 on a late goal from robbie brady that sent the irish through and their fans on to a party that does not figure to stop for quite some time
scoring is still down
if the fallback criticism for those who do not like soccer is that no one ever scores this years group stage may be known in the future as exhibit a while the games have been good on balance   20 goals were scored in the 76th minute or later and seven came in stoppage time   the goals per game average of 192 has been the lowest at a world cup or euros since 1996 there have been three 0 0 draws and only two games with more than three goals which made wednesdays 3 3 tie between hungary and portugal an outlier
why the drop in goals as is often the case many explanations are possible including a combination of poor weather and sloppy fields much of france has been flooded the ever lengthening seasons for clubs which sent hundreds of weary players to france and as many have speculated the expansion to 24 teams which watered down the talent and reduced the incentive to press for goals
having four of the six third place teams advance made things a bit weird ... but also wild
here is something that does not happen very often albania finished its group a round robin on sunday night the teams players and staff members then hung around northwestern france for three days until they learned on wednesday that their tournament run was actually over the results of the early games had rendered albanias 3 points and minus 2 goal differential inferior to all its rivals for a third place qualification spot but at least they got a few extra days of practice
the albanians experience was the downside to the tournament setup the upside was the fast changing scenarios that made the last day of matches fascinating consider this in the space of just a few minutes on wednesday portugal went from eliminated to facing england in the knockout stage to after icelands late goal against austria going up against croatia this weekend instead
the bracket for the knockout rounds is remarkably top heavy
or if you prefer side heavy because of several unexpected results in the group stage one side of the bracket now features england france spain germany and italy the other side has a profile so much lower that even before a round of 16 match has been played we know that at least one of the finalists on july 10 will be a team that has never won a major tournament
so congratulations to hungary switzerland poland croatia portugal wales northern ireland and belgium one of you will have a chance to make some history
we are all zlatan
he would no doubt be upset to see this item so far down this list but zlatan ibrahimovic the swedish star who very much enjoys telling the world all about himself made his last appearance for his national team on wednesday when sweden finished off a woeful tournament with a 1 0 loss to belgium ibrahimovic is expected to continue his club career most likely with manchester united but he announced this week that he planned to retire from international play after the euros
it was not a particularly beautiful farewell ibrahimovic did not score in his teams three games two draws and a defeat
some weird stuff happened really weird actually
russia almost got itself kicked out croatias fans almost blew up a security guard cristiano ronaldo threw a reporters microphone into a lake and italy goalkeeper gianluigi buffon fell off a crossbar while celebrating no seriously   heres a closer look
more to come after a short break
after rest days on thursday and friday the round of 16 begins with switzerland facing poland on saturday wales and northern ireland also play saturday france faces ireland on sunday and spain goes against italy on monday and dont forget about england and iceland with the copa america final mixed in on sunday night this weekend could be the pinnacle of a month of great soccer


a late winning goal a spot in the knockout stage it just does not get better for tiny iceland
delivering the feel good story of the european championships iceland the smallest nation ever to compete at the tournament beat austria by 2 1 on wednesday in st denis france to advance from group f the reward will be a match against england in nice on monday
arnor ingvi traustason clinched the win with a goal in the fourth minute of stoppage time ap
portugal 3 hungary 3 cristiano ronaldo came through for portugal twice
erupting from his scoring slump ronaldo netted his first two goals of the tournament becoming the first player to score at four straight european championships
ronaldos strikes the first off a spectacular back heel and the second a header helped portugal earn a draw with hungary in lyon as both teams advanced from group f and into the round of 16 ap
ireland 1 italy 0 ireland advanced to the euros knockout stages for the first time beating a shuffled italian lineup in lille
an 85th minute goal by robbie brady was enough for ireland to advance from group e the irish will face host france in lyon on sunday
italy which was already assured of group es top spot will meet spain the defending champion ap
belgium 1 sweden 0 zlatan ibrahimovic played his last game for sweden a loss to belgium in nice belgium advanced to the round of 16 where it will play hungary on sunday in toulouse ap


the surgeon gasped when he opened up his patient and saw what was in his spine it was a huge mass filling the entire part of the mans lower spinal column
the entire thing was filled with bloody tissue and as i started to take pieces it started to bleed said dr john chi the director of neurosurgical spine cancer at brigham and womens hospital in boston it was stuck to everything around it
he added i had never seen anything like it
tests showed that the mass was made up of abnormal primitive cells and that it was growing very aggressively then came the real shocker the cells did not come from jim gass they were someone elses cells
mr gass it turned out had had stem cell therapy at clinics in mexico china and argentina paying tens of thousands of dollars each time for injections in a desperate attempt to recover from a stroke he had in 2009 the total cost with travel was close to 300000
a growing number of clinics often in places like russia or china but also in europe and elsewhere say on websites that they can treat even cure diseases like muscular dystrophy alzheimers parkinsons and spinal cord injury as well as strokes by injecting patients with stem cells that in theory could develop into a missing nerve a muscle or other cells and repair damage from an illness or an injury
reports by injured athletes of seemingly miraculous results have contributed to a growing interest among desperate patients estimates are that tens of thousands of patients around the world have had such treatments and that the industry is worth hundreds of millions of dollars
the clinics which are unregulated have websites with glowing testimonials from patients some of which mr gasss sister in law discovered have financial interests in the clinics the clinics often claim to be doing clinical trials giving a veneer of legitimacy to their work
academic researchers say stem cells hold enormous promise but they are proceeding cautiously with clinical trials because stem cells divide rapidly and can form tumors in laboratory animals in lab studies stem cells also can quickly accumulate mutations like those in cancer cells
while there have been reports in medical literature of patients who developed tumors after stem cell injections few patients have been as open about their quest for a cure the money they paid and the tragic consequences as mr gass a 66 year old former chief legal counsel for sylvania who lives in san diego has been
after the stroke mr gass lived independently although his left arm was useless and his left leg weak now however with the foreign body in his spine he is paralyzed from the neck down except for his right arm he needs a hoist to move from his bed to a wheelchair and his doctors do not know how to stop the tumor from growing
the doctors wrote about his case in a letter published on wednesday in the new england journal of medicine
experts who have written articles in medical and scientific journals bemoaning stem cell tourism said this case could make a difference
we scientists and clinicians say dont do this said dr jaime imitola a neurologist and stem cell researcher at ohio state university wexner medical center who has written about the dangers of stem cell tourism but he said their warnings often do not resonate
dr imitola said that mr gass puts a human face to a tragedy patients might see what happened to mr gass and say oh my god that could be me
this is a really cautionary tale said timothy caulfield research director of the health law institute at the university of alberta who wrote a recent commentary on stem cell clinics
mr gasss problems began on may 10 2009 when he woke with a terrible headache he tried to get out of bed and fell to the floor unable to move hed had a stroke
two years later he was able to walk only with a leg brace and a cane
i began doing research on the internet mr gass said he was particularly struck by the tale of the former football star and professional golfer john brodie who had a stroke received stem cell therapy in russia and returned to playing golf again
so mr gass contacted a company stemedica that had been involved with the clinic and learned about a program in kazakhstan when mr gass balked at going there the russian clinic referred him to a clinic in mexico that was the start of his odyssey
mr gasss doctors and his sister in law ruth gass tried to dissuade him ms gass called the clinics and demanded evidence that their treatments worked
some of the clinics hung up saying they would not talk to a terrified relative she said websites often had data but it did not hold up to basic analysis ms gass said and when the data was published it appeared in vanity journals other clinics simply told her people get dramatically better
she raged against the clinics telling them you ought to be ashamed for charging 40000 a shot you prey on people like my brother in law who is desperate for help
then came her kicker i said if what you are saying is true you should get the nobel prize if not you ought to go to hell shame on you
but mr gass was undeterred he was willing to spend his money and go anywhere what did he have to lose the worst that could happen he thought is that he would have no improvement
he went from clinic to clinic ending up back in mexico for an injection of fetal cells shipped from russia six months later his walking improved but the improvement did not last long so he had another injection then something disturbing happened
i felt pain when i would lie down like i was lying on a tumor mr gass said i started to lose my ability to walk and i fell down a lot he was in thailand at the time a place he likes to visit doctors at a hospital there tried to do a spinal tap but told mr gass that something was wrong there seemed to be no spinal fluid
he returned to the united states to boston where he had spent most of his life and where his brother and sister in law lived and asked the doctors at brigham and womens hospital for help
they did a magnetic resonance imaging scan of his spine and were aghast when they saw the image the entire lower portion of his spinal column was filled with a mass said dr aaron berkowitz director of the hospitals global neurology program
the only option was to operate
but now that the doctors knew what the mass was they were left with another problem how could they stop it from growing if it had been an infection they could have used antibiotics if it had been cancer they could have used drugs to target it this mass though was unique
they decided to try radiation it seemed to slow the masss growth a bit maybe even shrink it but recently mr gass has had another scan in san diego and doctors told him that the mass was growing again
asked what he would like others to learn from his experience mr gass said dont trust anecdotes
his sister in law had a different reply if something sounds too good to be true it is


houston   for some of the thousands of american soccer fans who steadfastly chanted u s a u s a down to the final desultory minute of their teams sobering thrashing by argentina on tuesday night it might be just fine if the united states never played the argentines again the loss seemed that bad
still a few minutes after it ended after his team had endured the 4 0 rout in a copa america centenario semifinal coach jurgen klinsmann spotted sunil gulati listening in at his news conference and expressed the exact opposite sentiment
he asked gulati the president of the united states soccer federation for more
i see sunil sitting there klinsmann said if ever we can get a friendly with argentina please do it with brazil please do it even if we get lessons here and there thats part of our process youve got to take those teams on in order to learn
what klinsmann those american fans and millions more watching on television learned tuesday night was that there remains a huge talent gap between argentina and the united states
klinsmann called the defeat   a thumping so complete that his team did not record a shot   a lesson and a pill to be swallowed but he said he still believed that the only way to bridge that divide was to play top teams more often he called his players far too respectful of argentina and charged that they did not truly believe they could compete with the team which fifa has ranked no 1 in the world
but perhaps his most stinging criticism was expressed with an air of disgust
we are too nice klinsmann said with a sneer too nice in those moments
klinsmann said he was desperate to see his players push back get tough step on toes as he put it and not back down in awe of argentinas lionel messi or anyone else
gulati was more matter of fact we were badly beaten he said by a very good team
the only remedy in the long term klinsmann said was more tests he said he was eager for the team to be invited back to the copa even at the short term cost of more results like tuesdays
yes no doubt about it he said these are the tournaments that will move us forward these are the competitions that you need to play in order to grow
yet in the two most recent games pitting the top teams from north and central america and the caribbean mexico and the united states against top teams from south america chile and argentina the combined score was 11 0 in each match the north american team looked overmatched from the first whistle to the last
still klinsmann looked hard for positives he said he had told the players they should feel proud of the overall achievement of winning three games and reaching the semifinals which had been klinsmanns goal before the tournament
we are very grateful to this copa america to be a part of it he said we made it to the final four there will always be a step backwards and then two more forward
the only other time the united states reached the semifinal stage of the copa america was in 1995 otherwise the americans biggest semifinal appearance before tuesday might have been at the 1930 world cup
tuesday offered a chance for the americans to reach their first copa final but they failed badly
michael bradley the captain of the united states team said after the match that he could barely see past the disappointment
nobody has the sentiment that just because you get to the semifinal you are playing with house money he said it doesnt work like that the idea was to take it another step further and get to a final for that reason there is big disappointment ultimately as time goes on a little bit i think we can take a lot of positives from the tournament


los angeles   hollywood product placement deals are often wince worthy but the reason is usually not because of events beyond a studios control
this week 20th century fox has found itself in the awkward position of publicly linking arms with the jeep grand cherokee even as that sport utility vehicle brand received negative attention after the death of the actor anton yelchin fox and jeep have an extensive marketing and product placement deal for independence day resurgence which arrives in theaters this week
early sunday morning a 2015 jeep grand cherokee rolled backward down a steep driveway in los angeles and killed mr yelchin known for playing chekov in paramounts recent star trek movies the cause of the accident is still under investigation but the model owned by mr yelchin had been recalled by fiat chrysler for a gearshift issue that has sometimes resulted in dangerous rollaways
on monday night jeep sponsored a premiere of independence day resurgence at the tcl chinese theater here a white grand cherokee albeit a newer model than the one owned by mr yelchin was parked on the red carpet stars like vivica a fox were asked to pose in front of it this is a movie we knew we could have fun with scott brown a fiat chrysler spokesman said in a promotional interview with usa today from the event
the premiere was part of an advertising agreement that fox completed months ago with the carmaker specialized grand cherokees are driven in the film during a scene set in africa and involving earth space defense an alien early warning system nobody is harmed in them in the movie jeep has featured resurgence on its official twitter account a television ad campaign tying jeep to the film has been running since june 1
cars have long been one of hollywoods favored product placement items given the escalating number of auto recalls studios may start to think twice before signing that next suv to a starring role
fox declined to comment on the product placement jeep is one of several marketing partners for the film fox also signed deals with twizzlers dennys hamilton watches and the army
fox has one of hollywoods most highly regarded advertising departments but the studio has recently had a run of difficult marketing moments early this month fox was criticized for x men apocalypse billboards that depicted a female supervillain being choked an image some saw as misogynistic the studio apologized and had them removed


twilio which makes software that helps companies such as uber and nordstrom communicate with their customers raised 150 million in an initial public offering that priced late wednesday the largest within the technology sector so far this year
the move is perhaps a brave one given that the market has not been very receptive to new tech ipos only three have debuted so far in 2016 additionally twilios first day of trading coincides with britains vote to stay or leave the european union the so called brexit which could roil the markets
twilios new investors did not seem too fazed the company said on wednesday that it sold 10 million shares for 15 apiece which was above the 12 to 14 range it had been marketing to investors the ipo price yields a market valuation of 12 billion slightly higher than the 11 billion valuation twilio received in a private funding round a year ago
twilio based in san francisco is being hailed as a trailblazer compared with the almost 170 unicorns   or companies with valuations above 1 billion   that have opted to stay private for now twilio was a test of investor receptivity to the software companys finances which show 88 percent revenue growth over last year but consistent net losses as markets become more uncertain investors have preferred companies doing ipos to turn a profit
twilio generated 167 million in revenue last year from about 25000 active customer accounts whatsapp the messaging service owned by facebook represented 17 percent of that revenue
bessemer venture partners first backed twilio in 2009 and is its largest shareholder owning about 25 percent of the companys outstanding shares fidelity investments and union square ventures also hold significant stakes these entities as well as select executives hold 986 percent of the voting power after the ipo because of their ownership of supervoting stock
jeff lawson 38 founded the company eight years ago and currently serves as its chief executive before twilio he started nine star a retailer of equipment and apparel for the skate ski surf and bmx sports crowd he had also worked for amazon as technical product manager and as chief technology officer of stubhub
the company plans to use the net proceeds to expand its engineering sales and marketing and customer support teams and potentially to acquire businesses or other assets
goldman sachs and j p morgan chase managed the offering twilio shares are expected to begin trading on thursday on the new york stock exchange under the symbol twlo


detroit   in an era of unprecedented scrutiny of automotive safety fiat chrysler is learning that one celebritys death can turn a seemingly routine recall into a corporate crisis
the death on sunday of the actor anton yelchin crushed when his jeep grand cherokee rolled backward down his driveway has lent a new sense of urgency to a recall announced in april and it has prompted fiat chrysler to accelerate its plans to modify gearshifts in 11 million vehicles linked to hundreds of rollaway accidents and dozens of injuries
on wednesday fiat chrysler said it would begin notifying vehicle owners later this week about scheduling software repairs aimed at preventing accidents caused by the misuse of a confusing gearshift mechanism
by industry standards the recall had already been proceeding at what might be considered a standard if measured pace but chrysler already operating under a federal consent decree for falling short in past recalls could not risk another accident involving the gearshifts that is especially so for its grand cherokee the flagship of fiat chryslers american lineup
in its update wednesday the company did not mention mr yelchins death
but fiat chryslers announcement put things on a faster track than statements earlier in the week when the company said a remedy for the shifters which many drivers have found confusing to use would be available in july or august
a company spokesman eric mayne on wednesday declined to say how the death of mr yelchin which is still under investigation by los angeles police affected fiat chryslers internal decision to move up the repair schedule
our schedule was already accelerated mr mayne said on wednesday without providing further details on the decision
the software changes he said will cause the vehicle to automatically shift into park mode if the drivers door opens and the shifter is in neutral drive or reverse position
this prevents the car from moving if the driver exits the vehicle he said
until wednesdays announcement the company had not specified how it would modify vehicles with the electronic shifter
those include 2014 15 jeep grand cherokee suvs and some 2012 14 dodge charger and chrysler 300 sedans about 812000 of the affected vehicles are in the united states and more than 300000 others are in canada mexico and international markets
the national highway traffic safety administration had brought driver complaints about the shifter to fiat chryslers attention last august by the time the recall was announced in april the automaker had received 700 complaints related to the shifter issue including more than 200 crashes and at least 41 injuries the problems typically involved the drivers thinking the car was safely in the parking gear only to step out of the vehicle and have it roll away
but mr yelchins death was the first known fatal accident involving the recalled models and it was cited by one industry analyst as a catalyst for fiat chryslers decision to expedite repairs
its tragic that this specific accident had to happen to call attention to this recall said karl brauer an analyst with the auto research firm kelley blue book
but fiat chrysler had more than bad publicity to contend with now more than ever before vehicle safety and automakers handling of problems and recalls are under a federal spotlight
the number of vehicle recalls has multiplied in the united states since 2014 when general motors recalled millions of small cars with faulty ignitions that were ultimately tied to 124 deaths
all told the industry set a record of more than 60 million vehicles recalled that year prompting federal regulators to step up their enforcement practices on safety violations
gm fiat chrysler and other automakers have been hit with heavy fines for failing to promptly fix defective models other government agencies including the justice department have also increased their scrutiny of the way car companies investigate and repair safety defects
fiat chrysler for example agreed last year to pay federal penalties that could amount to 105 million for failing to meet its safety responsibilities in almost two dozen recalls dating to 2013
over the past few years the number of recalls and their size and scope has just exploded said mr brauer but no recall can be considered routine any more particularly not when a celebrity is involved
fiat chrysler has a lot at stake in reassuring consumers on the affected models particularly the grand cherokee one of its most profitable and best selling vehicles
so far this year sales of jeep suvs have risen 16 percent in the united states compared to an overall increase of 4 percent for all fiat chrysler vehicles
while the gearshift on new grand cherokee models is different from that in the recalled vehicles the rollaway incidents threaten to undermine the brands image of rugged reliability
mr mayne the company spokesman said fiat chrysler had previously mailed out specific brochures to owners of the recalled jeeps that explained how to properly shift their vehicles
the brochure warns owners to always verify your vehicle is in park it specifically notes that your vehicle could move and injure you and others if it is not in park
it is not yet known whether mr yelchin had received the mailing or was aware his jeep grand cherokee was included in the recall a spokeswoman for the los angeles police department liliana preciado said on wednesday that the actors death remained under investigation
fiat chrysler has said that it was premature to speculate on whether a mistake in shifting the car was the cause of his death
yet while it promised to conduct a thorough investigation it became clear the company needed to address its recall plans quickly and publicly
in its statement on wednesday the company said it had begun last week to provide its 2400 dealers in the united states with the software required to modify the electronic gearshifts
such advance planning is critical to efficient customer care and represents an acceleration   by several months   of the originally anticipated service launch the company said
the software will be available first for recalled vehicles with 36 liter and 57 liter engines which fiat chrysler said account for a majority of the recalled cars and suvs
service for vehicles with other engine types is imminent the company said without providing further details
mr brauer of kelley blue book said that the accelerated recall may have been in the planning stages but that the company left itself open to criticism by not publicizing the changes until after mr yelchin died
because they have been found lacking in the past on recalls fiat chrysler has to prove they are serious about stepping up safety efforts he said this accident was very bad timing for them and these repairs are going to be watched closely by consumers


cirque du soleil known for breathtaking acrobatics and the nfl known for bone crushing hits are joining forces in the latest iteration of the sports worlds race for young and international fans together they will open an interactive exhibit and theater in the heart of manhattan next year
it may seem an odd pairing but the two sides say their partnership makes business sense cirque gets to align with the countrys most popular sports league and the nfl battling bad publicity over concussions domestic violence and other issues is uniting with a popular uncontroversial entertainment brand with a broad international following
the as yet unnamed showcase which will include an interactive theater and digital exhibits is expected to open in november 2017 on the first four floors of a tower being built at the north end of times square at seventh avenue and 47th street
cirque du soleil will spend about 40 million to build the 40000 square foot space and pay a licensing fee to the nfl which will provide memorabilia and access to the nfl films library the profits will be shared by both sides
for a league as popular as the nfl trolling for new fans in times square home to the naked cowboy roaming cartoon mascots and wax dummies may seem unnecessary but many of those visitors are not obvious football fans or are from abroad and the nfl has stepped up its effort to attract fans overseas
anything they can do to build the brand and take the tension away from any of the negativity around the brand is a positive said bob dorfman a sports marketing expert at baker street advertising in san francisco they can get in front of an audience who might not be nfl fans but cirque fans and it can bring in more younger fans without having to have them play peewee football and getting a concussion
cirque du soleil has staged events at the super bowl this time the nfl and cirque envision a permanent exhibition that appeals to avid fans eager to see historical displays and in depth exhibits as well as more casual fans who may never have attended a game
this attraction is both a simulation of what its like to go to a live game for 20 minutes and an exhibition said dawn hudson the nfls chief marketing officer there will be something for everyone
the partnership with cirque du soleil will borrow from the nfl experience a family friendly carnival of football that the league produces at the super bowl the draft and other events but as a permanent fixture it will also include digital displays and a state of the art theater that will recreate what it is like to be on the sideline during a game
the nfl is not the first league to try to engage new and younger fans and international audiences on nongame days for four years major league baseball operated a fan cave in manhattan that was designed to be a kind of living room where hard core fans watched games and used social media it also became a promotional hub for current and retired players who regularly visited
the nba has operated a retail store in new york since 1998 with interactive elements and an event space for player appearances the league has also opened the nba playzone in manila and shanghai with jungle gyms an obstacle course and a dunk zone another store is planned for qatar and an interactive exhibit is being developed at walt disney world resort in florida
for cirque du soleil working with the nfl on its first nontheatrical endeavor is a way to expand its presence in the sports world where it has put on shows at all star games and other marquee events and works with sports federations half of the companys performers are former olympic athletes
its new for us said daniel lamarre the chief executive of cirque du soleil we try to push the boundaries of new technology in live entertainment
lamarre said the entry price would be affordable and comparable to the cost of visiting the observatory at the empire state building or about 30 market research with fans he said was positive


a decision by the supreme court overturning its 2003 ruling in grutter v bollinger and ending the ability of universities and colleges to consider race as one among several factors informing holistic admissions decisions would be far reaching in its harm
the experience in california over the last two decades is instructive in 1997 the year before a statewide ban on affirmative action went into effect the incoming classes of undergraduates at berkeley and the university of california los angeles were both approximately 8 percent african american last year only 43 percent of uclas incoming class was african american and at berkeley the percentage was just 28 percent during this period the percentage of black college age residents in california remained unchanged the impact of californias ban which was the result of a ballot initiative is clear
it is therefore an oddity of the debate over affirmative action that even as the status quo is challenged few dispute the ways in which a variety of beliefs and perspectives yields better ideas than would emerge from a single vantage point without a truly diverse student body and faculty a university simply will be unable to achieve the highest levels of excellence in teaching research and intellectual discovery and without the instrumental consideration of race in admissions currently allowed by the supreme court that diversity will become an elusive goal for many universities and colleges
as important as it is to preserve this holistic consideration of race that goal is insufficient i believe that the court and society must also come to grips with the fact that any discussion of the constitutionality of affirmative action necessarily forces us to consider a larger question namely whether one of americas greatest engines of individual and communal advancement   our institutions of higher education   shall be enlisted in achieving a racially integrated society that transcends the nations legacy of slavery jim crow and segregation
for the better part of four decades since regents of the university of california v bakke was decided in 1978 this essential framework has been absent from the supreme courts deliberations replaced with a less discomforting conversation about the educational benefits of racial diversity and whether and how colleges and universities should be allowed to pursue those benefits the remedy for this is to advocate for a broader historically informed jurisprudence that harks back to the values and goals of brown v board of education even while we insist on preserving the holistic consideration of race in admissions


the 12 trillion that borrowers and their parents owe on student loans for college is an eye popping number   one that some policy analysts pundits and journalists often cite in declaring a student loan crisis
but a related challenge deserves greater attention the college completion challenge president obama has called for america to once again lead the world in college graduation and americans are indeed earning more degrees than ever before still far too many students start college but do not finish with students of color and first generation and low income students dropping out at higher rates than their white or better off peers if students have to borrow they may not earn enough money to repay their loans the typical defaulter owes less than 9000
the bottom line is this debt without a degree often leads to default
colleges states and the federal government can work to change this the obama administration has made college more affordable by adding tens of billions of dollars in student aid and creating tax credits for college tuition made it easier for students to repay their loans and encouraged graduating on time
across the country innovative leaders are showcasing strategies that work
the university of hawaiis graduation rate has improved significantly since the university began giving students incentives to attend class full time
at georgia state university the completion rate increased by 22 percentage points over a decade as the institution offered peer advising provided microgrants for low income students and used data analytics to help advisers identify students at risk of dropping out
the accelerated study in associate programs asap that operates at six of the city university of new yorks community colleges has shown strong results too the program requires students to attend full time provides counseling and career services and pays for transportation and textbooks tuition and fees over and above a students financial aid are also covered asap has reduced the cost per degree and nearly doubled the percentage of students who have graduated despite starting in remedial classes
these promising examples offer hope but colleges cannot tackle this challenge alone college completion deserves the same national attention frequently given to debt totals congress should support common sense proposals such as structuring the pell grant program to raise completion rates and providing incentives to scale up innovative approaches like those discussed above states need to share responsibility starting by reversing the trend of disinvestment in higher education
it is in all our long term interest to make sure that students not only have access to a high quality education but also that they graduate


learning technologies offer great potential to improve education but whether that potential will be realized depends on three key factors which have less to do with technology itself and more to do with the people using it
first we need to ensure that we dont lose sight of the learning in learning technologies as we develop and adopt learning technologies we need to keep in mind what we know about how students learn we know for example that they learn at different rates that it is critical to master a topic before moving to the next when learning is sequential that students who are engaged are likely to learn more and learn more deeply and that active learning is more likely to engage students than passive learning
it follows that technologies that help teachers personalize learning even more than they already do and that tailor learning to the pace and interests of students are likely to have bigger payoffs than those that do not
second we need to recognize that we are really facing an adaptive challenge not a technical one at the moment the digital tools most likely to be adopted are the ones that are least disruptive to the status quo and fit readily into existing school models they offer a quick technical fix but according to research by sri international have little impact on student learning
if we are to realize the full potential of learning technologies we have to be thinking about fundamental questions like how we organize classes and schools how we use time how we think of the role of the teacher and what we expect students to learn these are not technical questions but questions about organizational behavior and the role of teachers and principals
a good place to start is with teachers and principals themselves by asking a simple question what would you really love to do that you are unable to do now the answers should help guide the design of learning technologies
we also have to provide support for teachers including professional development that will be critical to getting the most out of learning technologies
finally we must be committed to impartial third party evaluations of learning technologies we need to know what is working and for whom but we cannot rush to judgment we need to balance our sense of urgency with patience and deliberation recognizing that fundamental change takes time


for people who choose educating others over enriching themselves college debt can seem insurmountable   because it is insurmountable to cultivate a well educated globally competitive american work force we must make college affordable
the american federation of teachers recently started a series of student debt clinics to help our members mitigate the crippling college debt incurred by millions of american students and their families in 90 minute sessions these clinics provide information on how to enroll in income based student loan repayment programs and to qualify for public service loan forgiveness for some participants the clinics have been life changing
the aft is fighting on the front lines   warning students and their families about the risks of predatory behaviors by servicers lenders and for profit educational providers educating them on repayment options and cultivating a new generation of activists who have the potential to halt this national student debt epidemic
in october a young adjunct professor from miami attended a two part aft debt clinic crushed by more than 168000 in student loan debt and monthly payments exceeding 2000 this professor a single mother was desperate on the first day of the training she kept to herself that night she applied for income based repayment and was able to reduce her monthly payment to 700 on the second day of the training she told the group that it was the first good nights sleep shed had in three years she is now a trainer herself helping others better understand how to relieve their debt
the economic and professional advantages of earning a college degree are well established and a highly educated work force is essential to the nations economic future but many people simply cant afford to seek higher education or they pay dearly when they do forty seven states are spending less per student than they did at the start of the recession after adjusting for inflation as a result tuition costs have skyrocketed putting more of the burden on students and their families
these debt clinics help alleviate the costs of attending college but the clinics alone do not make college accessible to all americans when our country realized the value of educating all students through high school we made high school universally free the same should be done for college today
our country needs a comprehensive plan   one like hillary clintons new college compact   that addresses all the flaws in this broken system bernie sanders has also called for free tuition mrs clintons plan ensures that students can attend a four year public college without loans for tuition books or fees and can attend community college completely tuition free it gives states incentives to reinvest in higher education to reduce costs for students it cuts interest rates on student loans and it makes income based repayment simple and broadly available
the men and women who teach in our public schools colleges and universities have invested in their own education so that they can in turn invest in the students in their classrooms they know they wont be rewarded with huge paychecks but neither should they be punished with crushing college debt


one of the most important issues that educators in institutions of higher learning must face is skepticism about the efficacy of liberal arts education in an era that seems to be pushing what educators call stem   science technology engineering and math   as the answer to everything this is not just happening in the united states of course calls to cut support for students who want to study literature history or other so called soft disciplines are also made in europe and asia
but on our own shores just recently the governor of connecticut used his line item veto power to cut support for the humanities in the state while not directly aimed at higher education this creates a climate in which people who want to study the humanities are told that their interests are worthless we seem to be rejecting the idea that it is essential for the good health of any society to have people who are broadly educated who learn to investigate analyze and present their findings in a logical and clear fashion   even without the aid of numbers or code
i was a member of the commission on the humanities and social sciences put together by the american academy of arts and sciences the report we produced the heart of the matter discussed this issue in depth outlining three goals that americas educational institutions should advance
educating americans in the knowledge skills and understanding that they need to thrive in a 21st century democracy fostering a society that is innovative competitive and strong and equipping the nation for leadership in an interconnected world
the commission took the position   and i agree wholeheartedly   that these goals cannot be achieved by science alone
no doubt we have to improve our schoolchildrens performance in math and science we need more homegrown engineers of varying types but not everyone wants to be an engineer or can be and as leaders in science and the tech industry have acknowledged over the years innovation is spurred by people who are creative in different ways the gathering of ideas from seemingly disparate fields often brings new ways to think about problems and allows creativity to flourish
there must be a way to fashion k through 12 educational systems to produce students who are sufficiently literate and numerate when they arrive at college to be able to take advantage of all that higher education has to offer this suggests that there should be greater cooperation between k through 12 schools and our institutions of higher learning


with student activism sweeping the country over issues that include sexual assault police brutality and racial inequality american higher education is at a crossroads as it was in the 1960s when college students were galvanized by the vietnam war and the civil rights movement
we must ask ourselves now as educators did then how best to serve a generation of students as they face evolving challenges that stem from changing demographics rising income inequality political tumult and doubts about whether the nation can overcome its deepest divides
how do educators sustain the standards of excellence that have made american higher education an international model while adapting to changing circumstance
how can the value of liberal arts be demonstrated when public discourse increasingly defines educational value in terms of initial income
how will higher education create a truly inclusive environment for a diverse group of students who question the expectation that they should accept traditional modes of teaching and learning
while our individual institutions have diverse missions certain universal principles should guide higher education in this new era
first the faculty and staff must maintain high academic standards and rigor a core value of higher education is empowering students with the intellectual tools they will need to engage our countrys most important challenges through their professions and service
second we must welcome diverse populations and create a learning environment in which all of our students can succeed we must teach them to embrace multiple perspectives and viewpoints as critical learning opportunities while valuing their personal experiences
third our institutions must serve as laboratories in which students faculty members staff members and trustees collaborate and compromise to create sustainable futures that balance idealism with financial realities
fourth we must help our students find meaning in their education by communicating the range of options and opportunities to apply learning effectively and by embracing new possibilities created by technology
as the world changes around us educational institutions must lead courageously all parties with an investment in higher education should have a voice in these conversations student activists who are demanding a more relevant education parents who are making emotional and material investments in their children and faculty members who are protecting academic freedom we all must learn from each other


regardless of all the honors classes and ap courses they took in high school or the science technology and engineering classes they cram into their college curriculum students today will not be fully prepared to compete in an increasingly global business environment
the problem   and the solution   is not intellectual its emotional
american teenagers are in psychological trouble for the first time college students today are facing more stress than their parents according to a recent report by the american psychological association
the evidence is all around us american teenagers attempt suicide more often than youths in most other countries and they are among the world leaders in violence binge drinking marijuana use obesity and unhappiness according to a temple university professor laurence steinberg
a survey of more than 123000 students at 153 colleges by the american college health association in 2013 found that more than half experienced overwhelming anxiety and about a third felt deep depression during the academic year
how can they learn and thrive if they do not have the skills to handle their emotions or feel safe and supported enough to talk about them
this is or should be worrisome to educators and policy makers not only because of the suffering that results but also because a large and growing body of research demonstrates that the way people manage their emotions   that is their emotional intelligence   matters for personal growth and to the success of the broader society and economy
emotions drive learning decision making creativity relationships and health mastering the skills of emotional intelligence paves the way for greater well being better relationships and overall effectiveness   for college students for students from kindergarten through high school and for the adults who surround them including educators and parents the nobel laureate james j heckman has written that teaching noncognitive skills including recognizing and regulating emotions would be a cost effective way to increase work force productivity and quality
teaching emotional intelligence   or whats more broadly referred to as social and emotional learning   to children and adults has proven effective  and sorely needed
given that its frustrating that policies to mandate and finance evidence based approaches to social and emotional learning are slow to come a few states including illinois and alaska have acted on their own leaders in washington and across the nation need to listen to youth and work to change education to equip americas youth to be competitive for the global century well under way our future   and our childrens future   depend on it


campus rape is finally receiving the attention it merits but efforts to address the problem are developing in too scattershot a fashion largely because of widespread confusion about the role of the university in responding to sexual assault
institutions of higher education cannot substitute for a functioning criminal justice system where the interests of the state are vindicated nor should they try to replicate the civil justice model in which plaintiffs sue defendants to vindicate their own interests
rather universities have interests that are distinct their response to sexual assault demands a focus on their core mission providing education in a manner that does not discriminate based on sex this imperative should guide comprehensive institutional reform
for example because colleges have an obligation to provide an environment in which all students are able to learn preventing sexual assault   and for that matter gender based misconduct of any kind   is critical the goal is not to place the burden of prevention on women by instructing them how to behave this approach only exacerbates inequality on campus universities must instead commit to eradicating gender violence along with the racism and sexism that sustain it
next colleges can readily offer a range of support for students who have experienced sexual violence administrative measures   including academic accommodations mental health services changes in campus housing or dining locations and transportation services   can often help students successfully continue with their education this mandate falls squarely within the universitys domain
last colleges must hold accountable those found responsible for sexual assault a formidable challenge is to create a set of fair procedures for adjudicating contested claims the american law institute of which i am a member is currently working to provide needed direction in this area procedural justice improves outcomes and fosters legitimacy trust and citizenship all of which are vital to a thriving academic community
in the movement to address sexual assault we should not ask college administrators to become prosecutors or plaintiffs attorneys nor should we expect academic institutions to compensate for glaring deficits in the criminal justice systems response to rape on and off campus these failings must be separately tackled but we can surely demand that universities advance their mission to provide an education free of discrimination


it is a mistake to say that diversity and free expression cannot coexist and yet this academic year on campus after campus that has been the choice served up you are either for diversity equity and inclusion in our communities or you are for free expression the strength of our communities depends upon a commitment to upholding both perhaps especially when that is hardest to do so
the american experiment is at its highest form about diversity and free expression coexisting that coexistence has not been easy nor has it been all that successful especially for those who have less power and free expression has been interpreted in ways that have tended to support those in authority rather than all people equitably these critiques of the american experiment are all grounded in historical truth
that the american experiment has not yet been entirely successful nor fairly carried out think indian removal slavery jim crow internment unequal rates of incarceration into the 21st century and more does not mean that the principles are wrong 
one purpose of education is to bring young people into contact with those of different backgrounds so they might learn from one another it is an essential skill for todays young people to be able to spend time with those who think and act differently than they do it is an affirmative goal of education to make access available to all young people not just the children of those who are already on top for reasons that are both functional and moral it is right to pursue diversity and in turn to commit to making our campuses equitable and inclusive  
places where students can learn from those of different races ethnicities and beliefs and do so with respect and genuine openness
free expression and its close cousin the right to assemble peaceably do not mean that anyone can say anything to anybody at any time the first amendment of the united states constitution has been interpreted to permit certain restrictions of time place and manner on speech on our campuses students and faculty need to act respectfully to one another to build community
the idea of diversity and free expression opposing one another may serve some immediate political purposes but it will not serve our society in the long run nor does it serve our current students well now or later in their lives we should recommit ourselves to making our campuses and society at large stronger and more enduring than ever in the spirit of american ideals at their finest working in concert
john palfrey is head of school at phillips academy in andover mass


for most of its history america ignored the talents and potential of most americans we will never know what great progress might have been made in science medicine business and many other fields if we had taken advantage of the brainpower and abilities of all our people   regardless of gender race ethnicity or income level
and people from low income families continue to face enormous obstacles
a 2014 white house report increasing college opportunity for low income students states while half of all people from high income families have a bachelors degree by age 25 just one in 10 people from low income families do
these low income students lack money dont get adequate counseling in high school and face many other barriers that more affluent students never encounter to enable more low income students to get a higher education colleges should make socioeconomic diversity a priority they should encourage outstanding low income students to apply simplify the application process and make transparent the actual tuition price and financial aid possibilities for students from struggling families
in addition colleges should devote more financial aid to those who need it and less to those who dont by reducing so called merit scholarships colleges should also re examine their policies of giving preferential admissions to the children of alumni
current policies are resulting in an enormous waste of talent we need to recommit ourselves to the american dream and being the land of opportunity for all


as starlin castro rounded third base his eyes were fixed on his yankees teammates who had gathered around home plate ready to mob him after his home run leading off the ninth inning capped a 9 8 comeback win over the colorado rockies on wednesday at yankee stadium
castros path intersected with that of jason motte who had surrendered his home run motte who was headed toward his dugout let castro pass in front of him and put his glove over his mouth and shouted something
motte would not reveal what he said castro with a smile said he could not remember but the interplay suggested some significance for the former teammates
it was the first walk off home run for castro and it surely dampened any plans motte had for celebrating his 34th birthday wednesday
hes a really good friend said castro who had lined out against motte the previous night hes trying to do his job im trying to do mine
the home run punctuated an inspiring victory for the yankees as pressure has increased on the teams management to trade some established players and begin rebuilding in earnest they are five and a half games behind baltimore in fourth place in the american league east
we need any kind of wins we can get at this point manager joe girardi said
it was an unlikely one after the yankees jumped to an early lead on chase headleys second inning grand slam the rockies pounded c c sabathia just as they had virtually every other pitcher the yankees threw at them over the four games the teams played in the last nine days
when nick hundley hit a three run homer off sabathias 0 2 cutter it put the rockies ahead 5 4 in the fourth they built the lead to 8 4 when ryan raburn hit a two run homer off anthony swarzak
the yankees surged back in the seventh when carlos beltran hit a three run homer off jordan lyles and didi gregorius lined a two out two strike single to left scoring brian mccann with the tying run castro kept the inning alive beating out a grounder up the middle
swarzak who rebounded after the home run combined with dellin betances andrew miller and aroldis chapman to retire the final 14 rockies eight by strikeout that set the stage for castro to come to the plate to begin the ninth which is also when motte entered for the rockies
castro and motte played together last year for the chicago cubs where they helped energize wrigley field late in the season when motte began clapping his hands and stamping his feet to castros walk up song a dominican pop tune the entire crowd soon made a habit of joining in briefly creating a fiestalike atmosphere at the ballpark
motte said before the game that he was disappointed that castro had changed his song which he joked might have spared him from clapping his hands when castro came to the plate on tuesday night
motte a quirky veteran who grew up in montgomery ny and pitched at iona had been one of the few reliable members of the rockies bullpen he had allowed one hit and no runs over his previous eight appearances but it was the third time he and castro had faced each other in recent days after motte threw a fastball for a strike castro knew he was going to see an off speed pitch
every time that ive faced that guy hes always thrown me that breaking pitch castro 26 said i didnt look for a changeup i just looked for something soft and finally he threw it for a strike
motte said i threw it and he hit it 700 feet i didnt go back and watch it what good would it do
motte was following the book on castro who after a scintillating start to the season has floundered near 200 since may 3 though castro has extremely quick lively hands he has been kicking himself for not being more patient too often chasing pitches out of the strike zone
if i keep swinging at the ball in the dirt theyre going to keep throwing it there said castro whose 10th home run was one of three hits when i stop then they have to throw me strikes
castro had long been a tantalizing talent in chicago where until last season he had languished on bad teams though he was a three time all star he also frustrated cubs management with his plate discipline and his fielding he lost the shortstop job to addison russell last season before being shifted to second base and was traded to the yankees to make room for the more reliable ben zobrist
those experiences have probably served castro well in coming to new york said his teammates who sometimes have to remind themselves that he is only 26
headley whose grand slam was the yankees first this season said of castro i feel like hes been around forever and hes been critiqued at a level that most guys arent just because he had so much success early on good seasons for a lot of guys arent good seasons for him
just like wednesday when a good day for castro was not a good day for everyone else


recently i visited my hometown birmingham ala to recognize high achieving eighth graders from the citys public schools i found myself reflecting on my own experiences as a 12 year old in that city participating in the childrens march of 1963 to fight for access to a better education as i sat there i kept wondering just how far have we come
today only about half of the students who began college have earned a degree six years later and the completion rates are much lower for students of color for example among students who start at a four year college or university about 59 percent graduate from that institution within six years while only 40 percent of african americans do so the gap is equally striking by income more than 80 percent of americans from families in the top income quartile have attained a bachelors degree by age 24 compared with fewer than 10 percent of those from families in the bottom income quartile its clear that increasing access to college is not enough
ensuring that more students succeed will require a host of strategies from better understanding our students strengths and challenges to supporting teacher and faculty development any solution must start with this mind set   we must agree that it is not acceptable for such a large number of students to work hard to earn a college education often going into debt not to succeed as a society we must be willing to look in the mirror and we need to listen to students and their families as we craft strategies
most important we need caring communities in which residents view student success as a collective responsibility i learned in birmingham and i see at my university that young people need adults who can support them by setting expectations and helping them develop critical thinking skills and a sense of self we need comprehensive public policies that encourage leaders and practitioners across all sectors   pre k 12 two year and four year institutions businesses government agencies and nonprofits   to work together as we grapple with issues of inequality in education there are no quick fixes there also werent quick fixes 50 years ago but through decades of commitment and hard work we have made progress
we must remain committed to this work for the long haul


in 2014 for the first time the nations student body   from kindergartners to 12th graders   was majority minority and the change is spilling out into the nations colleges and the country over all
census data predicts that by 2050 the united states will be majority minority as well as i see these changes i continue to ask are our college and university faculties ready to teach a diverse student body unfortunately i dont think so faculty members receive little if any training on teaching and even less on diversity issues this makes for a troubling situation around learning in the near future
for nearly two decades i have been studying the innovative strategies for student success used by the nations minority serving institutions or msis which include historically black colleges and universities hispanic serving institutions tribal colleges and universities and asian american native american and pacific islander serving institutions most recently with clifton conrad a professor at the university of wisconsin madison i wrote a book on this topic educating a diverse nation harvard university press our book details the lessons from minority serving institutions that all faculty members can benefit from and use in the classroom
first msis assume success on the part of students rather than seeing students of color from a deficit perspective second msis teach in ways that focus on what the student needs to learn rather than what is convenient for the professor third msi faculty members work together to co construct classes and curriculums that empower students fourth msi faculty members allow students to bring their full identity to the classroom and capitalize on all aspects of a students identity in the learning process and last msis give students the opportunity to participate in culturally relevant assignments that speak to the issues in the communities from which they come
these approaches require a deeper understanding of teaching a commitment to student learning and the ability to meet the needs of a diverse group of students if we are to have an educated citizenry college and university faculty must take a step back and re evaluate their approaches to teaching and learning
moreover phd programs must consider teaching in addition to research when training graduate students research is essential but in order to continue a love for the pursuit of knowledge we must ensure that our diverse nation truly learns


college is becoming less and less affordable to more and more families higher and higher on the socioeconomic ladder
as tuition and other fees have climbed and state funding of public institutions has failed to keep pace with rising costs and growing enrollment a college education is being priced out of the reach of middle class and even upper middle class families
according to a recent report from researchers at the university of pennsylvania and vanderbilt university families earning 48001 to 75000 a year had to pay a significant portion of their gross income to send a student to a public four year nondoctoral institution on average it cost 16 percent in alaska to 33 percent in new jersey of their income in 2013 the latest year for which complete statistics were available for the report
the burden was higher at public research universities according to the report 2016 college affordability diagnosis families would have had to pay on average 17 percent wyoming to 31 percent alabama of their income to enroll in such state run institutions as the university of wyoming or the university of alabama
private institutions offered no relief of the states where at least 20 percent of students attended private nondoctoral colleges and universities families earning 48001 to 75000 were required to pay on average 16 percent idaho to 45 percent rhode island of family income to enroll in these institutions
even the safety net of community colleges is fraying public two year institutions which used to provide affordable educational opportunities to many people no longer do so families earning 48001 to 75000 a year had to pay 11 percent mississippi to 22 percent minnesota of income to enroll in this sector
state policy makers often are pleased to promise improved educational attainment   for the sake of both a strong civic culture and a robust economy if they are serious about this they must make it a priority to lower the financial burden of higher education on students from low  and middle income families to increase their chances of enrolling and graduating
unless we make college affordable for people of all financial means opportunity through higher education will be a false promise


one of the most difficult intellectual and emotional challenges i faced earlier this year at yale was finding an answer to a native american students poignant question why should she put any faith in institutions in our society   including our judicial system and universities - when those institutions had clearly betrayed her people in generations past
the same constitution with its protection of the rights to free expression and assembly that you revere she said was previously of no use to people like me
she was right of course so why should she and other young people place trust in systems that can perennially fail us
i wish i had told her that the way out of this conundrum is to make these institutions her own i wish i had told her that these institutions are worth respecting and preserving for their albeit imperfect embodiment of enlightenment values that she surely should want to embrace those values and that her generation could make those values more true not less these institutions could be hers and i believe she should want them to be hers
students are demanding greater inclusion and they are absolutely right but inclusion in what at our universities students of all kinds are joining traditions that revere free expression wide engagement open assembly rational debate and civil discourse these things are worth defending in fact they are the predicates for the very demands the students have been making across the united states
conversely it is entirely illiberal even if permissible to use these traditions to demand the censorship of others to besmirch fellow students rather than refute the ideas that they express and to treat ideological claims as if they were perforce facts when students and faculty do this they are burning the furniture to heat the house
open extended conversations among students themselves are essential not only to the pursuit of truth but also to deep moral learning and to righteous social progress the faculty must step up and show students a way forward to learn to be harder on the problems we face in our society but easier on each other we must demonstrate that we cannot be a community of searchers and learners if we do not share the same principles at the core of our universities
and so the faculty must cut at the root of a set of ideas that are wholly illiberal disagreement is not oppression argument is not assault words   even provocative or repugnant ones   are not violence the answer to speech we do not like is more speech
if we fail to see this we risk confirming for our students the old joke that we wouldnt want to join a club that would have us


nearly 40 percent of american workers hold a bachelors degree college graduates are found in virtually every profession 15 percent of mail carriers have a four year degree as do one in five clerical and sales workers and 83000 bartenders
getting a bachelors degree is what going to college means to most americans and is so ingrained in our culture that students who do not march along are often admonished questioned and considered   or consider themselves   failures
yet the decades long march to college for everyone at 18 has actually closed off options for teenagers and 20 somethings rather than opened up opportunities
as recently as the 1970s a teenager had a number of options after graduating from high school get a good paying job right away enlist in the military find an apprenticeship in a trade or go to college
today a teenager really has only two of those options the military or college less than 1 percent of americans serve in the military so most go to college right after high school yet only 52 percent of young people have either a two  or four year degree or an industry certificate by the time they reach their mid 20s
as i traveled the country the last two years talking to employers of all sizes and in all sectors of the economy for my new book there is life after college what i heard most is the worry they have about filling so called middle skill positions in advanced manufacturing health care and information technology
nearly half of the american work force has these jobs today but many of them are baby boomers who will soon be retiring its expected that as many as 25 million of all new job openings in the next decade will be for middle skills jobs
what we need are job training institutions on par with academic institutions as prestigious and rigorous as the ivy league to attract students interested in pursuing skilled jobs critical for the economy that dont necessarily require a four year college degree
the modern version of what an apprenticeship could look like for american students interested in alternatives to college is on display at the apprentice school in newport news va where students choose from one of more than 20 occupational areas and are guaranteed a job with the military contractor that operates newport news shipbuilding
the school is just as selective as harvard it receives more than 4000 applications each year for 230 spots and significant numbers of its graduates go on to earn bachelors or masters degrees
we need more such schools and pathways post high school that serve a greater array of industries as well as students who dont want to travel the one route we offer them now


the nations top educators exchanged ideas on the future of education at a two day higher ed leaders forum sponsored by the new york times here are some excerpts from the conversations






falluja iraq   as iraqi forces move through falluja the city is yielding the grim remnants of more than two years of islamic state rule beheaded and decaying bodies clumps of facial hair from fighters who shaved their beards to blend in with fleeing civilians a prison where detainees were held in cages suitable for a medium sized dog
the forces have found books on wahhabism the extreme version of sunni islam from which the islamic state draws inspiration and on saddam hussein whose rule by fear and secrecy the group has replicated
yet even as the picture of what life was like inside falluja under the islamic state is becoming clearer a visit over the weekend to areas of the city taken by pro government forces made clear that there is still heavy fighting
days after iraqi forces raised the national flag over the main government compound and declared victory the battle has moved to western neighborhoods where some islamic state fighters many of them foreigners remain officials said
about a third of the city has been cleared of insurgents said col christopher c garver an american military spokesman in baghdad still american officials believe that the city will eventually fall fully into government hands
the battle has not yet played out as many feared it would as a vicious house to house fight like the one american marines faced in 2004
the islamic state did not fight seriously this time because the big leaders left their fighters on their own said col mohammed al jumaili a commander of a government allied sunni militia in anbar province he said that many of the local islamic state fighters resisted at first but began escaping with their families once it became clear that the loose pro government alliance of soldiers policemen shiite militiamen and sunni fighters was winning
he continued in 2004 many people of falluja had resisted the american troops because they viewed the us as invaders and that it was an islamic obligation to fight them this time the people realized there is a difference that there is no purpose to fight your own people
commanders said that the islamic state also known as isis or isil built up its defenses on the citys perimeter and that once iraqi forces punched through they were able to move easily on the city center as many islamic state fighters fled
this is the nazal area the most difficult area for the americans in the first war said lt gen abdulwahab al saadi the commander of the iraqi counterterrorism forces that have taken the lead in the battle he was surrounded by rubble with the sounds of explosions and gunfire ringing from the distance
general saadi moved through the streets carrying a tablet computer that showed maps of the battlefield and with a radio in which he could call in coordinates for artillery and airstrikes
at one point he stopped to talk to his soldiers   some holed up in houses others on rooftops along with snipers   and to take pictures suddenly one of his men was shot in the leg the source of the bullet unknown everyone ducked for cover and the soldier who was not seriously wounded was hustled off in a humvee blood streaming from his calf
there is so much destruction that some parts of the city look as if they are out of a science fiction film dust being whipped up adds to the apocalyptic feel but other sections are relatively intact
in fact the level of destruction is far less than in ramadi the capital of anbar province which was liberated at the beginning of the year there the islamic state destroyed many buildings as it left iraqi bombardment and airstrikes from the american led coalition flattened more buildings in ramadi where there were fewer civilians left to worry about striking
the battle for falluja has once again highlighted iraqs place as an arena for competition over influence between the united states and iran
in one area of the city are general saadis men who have worked closely with the united states for more than a decade and have strong reputations as fighters in another area are federal police units which have proved instrumental in the push on the city center
but there are also shiite fighters from the badr organization a militia backed by iran the badr fighters had promised not to enter the city but have done so wearing federal police uniforms according to witnesses and a group of sunni lawmakers who publicly criticized the deception
the militiamens presence inside falluja has raised concerns within the american military
weve seen rumors about their wearing police uniforms colonel garver said it concerns us because we dont support those groups we support the federal police if we dont know who people are on the battlefield that may impact how we provide our support
this has allowed the appearance that only government forces are fighting in falluja which the united states has insisted upon   on the basis that shiite militiamen in the sunni city of falluja would heighten sectarian tensions
here too there is cause for concern even if the worst fears have not come to pass no widespread sectarian blood bath has broken out but the militias who took a leading role weeks ago as the forces began clearing the outskirts of the city have been accused in cases of torture and extrajudicial killings and the government has made some arrests
with each turn in the falluja fight and in the discussion of how the islamic state could be uprooted from the city of mosul and its remaining iraqi strongholds the broader question of iraqs ability to reconcile as a multisectarian state hovers over everything
even if the islamic state is eventually pushed from all of its territory in iraq it is likely to endure as a sunni guerrilla insurgency like al qaeda in iraq before it but the most important question is whether its ideology will remain appealing to iraqi sunnis many who saw the islamic state as a protector against the shiite led government in baghdad
ryan crocker a former american ambassador to iraq warned in an online column recently that victory in falluja instead of bringing a lasting peace is likely to worsen iraqs sectarian divide because of the dominant role here of iran the regions pre eminent shiite power which has stood in the way of political outreach to sunnis
the iranians and their proxies dominate the political arena as they do the battle space and there will be no outreach to sunnis he wrote
many falluja residents who fled to the desert in the thousands recently adding to a worsening humanitarian crisis said life under islamic state rule was fine for them until the government siege began in december
in the beginning we had no problem said eman mustafa in her late 20s who was interviewed at a camp for the displaced they treated us well
ms mustafa used to work in fallujas main hospital helping deliver babies and she spoke in classical arabic which is not commonly heard in iraq she said she learned to talk that way from foreign women who had come to live in falluja under the islamic state
to be honest i just care about security whether it is with daesh or with baghdad she said using an arabic acronym for the islamic state
many others though spoke of the terror of living under isis of being shot at as they tried to escape in recent weeks and of having little to eat as militants hoarded food for themselves while the siege unfolded
in the camps there is a notable lack of men among the families taking shelter many have been held by the government on suspicion of having some tie to the islamic state
one man who made it through detention and was back with his family said he was treated well and was happy to name all the islamic state members he knew   many of them his neighbors
the man abdulhamid abdella 47 believes there should be no mercy for anyone who joined the group believe me if it was my own son i would slaughter him


tucked away in a discreet office at brooklyn colleges student center beyond the pool tables and wide screen tvs where her classmates congregate rebecca harmata discovered a lifeline
a psychology major who works in a doctors office to pay for her education ms harmata describes a break even paycheck to paycheck existence with little left over for luxuries   or even for food
so when she saw a sign last fall advertising the schools new free food pantry she decided to take advantage on a recent wednesday afternoon she selected food from several shelves stocked with nonperishables as diverse as artichoke hearts dried milk pineapples and tuna
for many students the abundant all you can eat smorgasbord in the college cafeteria is far from reality as tuition prices have increased and with more low income students attending college food pantries like the one at brooklyn college part of the city university of new york have sprung up at more than 300 colleges across the country to address a problem the agriculture department calls food insecurity on campus
in addition to working and attending college full time ms harmata who has visited the food pantry several times plays goalie on the colleges womens soccer team
food insecurity   which means that people lack access to enough food for an active healthy lifestyle   can be invisible according to ronald c jackson brooklyn colleges dean of student affairs
its one of those hidden populations mr jackson said you wouldnt really know its there to address it he said the college has been promoting its food pantry as well as emergency assistance grants in the spring 2016 semester ms harmata was one of 48 students who used the pantry one of nine operating in the cuny system
even with a full time job its hard to save money for tuition i really appreciate it said ms harmata who recently completed her sophomore year
at the university of maryland college park which also has a food pantry officials said they decided one was needed after realizing several years ago that a greater percentage of students were struggling many of the students were from low income families a decade ago they might have entered the work force right after high school but now they realize that a college degree is practically a necessity
if you dont have a college degree its very difficult to get a job at all said jane jakubczak coordinator of nutrition services at the university they arent able to ask their parents for more money because mom just lost her job or their parents simply didnt have the money to start with
for some students ms jakubczak said it comes down to making this decision do i pay for my books or do i pay for food these students also experience a lot of stress and anxiety over where their next meal is coming from she added
the university of maryland food pantry served 170 people in the fall 2015 semester about half of them were students and the rest were university employees
at stony brook university part of the state university of new york teresa tagliaferri a recent graduate who served as site manager for the schools pantry said students often appeared at the end of the semester when their prepaid meal plans ran low thats when we see a larger number of people she said
a report published in january by the wisconsin hope lab which studied 1007 low  and moderate income students at 10 wisconsin colleges and universities found that 30 percent of the students said they had been hungry but couldnt afford to eat researchers said their findings went beyond the frequently cited college ramen diet instead describing students who consistently struggle to put food on the table
this underscores what our previous research has found   low income students and even some moderate income students struggle to provide for their basic needs said sara goldrick rab one of the studys authors a hope lab study in 2008 of low income students at 42 colleges and universities in wisconsin found that 71 percent of the students had changed their food buying habits because of lack of money
the hope lab a research institute at the university of wisconsin that focuses on postsecondary education issues affecting low income students has recommended expanding the national school lunch program which provides free lunch to about 30 million children in about 100000 schools across the country to college students
while the hope research focused on undergraduates the problems also affect graduate students as well as so called nontraditional students   those who have been in the work force for years but decide to go back to school
one of the first campus food pantries opened at michigan state university in 1993 today 311 colleges are active members of the college and university food bank alliance
new york university is starting a food voucher program in the fall that would permit students to obtain meal vouchers six times a semester as a short term solution if they are hungry and dont have money said john h beckman a university spokesman
some colleges including nyu have adopted yet another approach permitting students to donate swipes from their dining plans to others who cant afford to eat
an organization called swipe out hunger started six years ago by students at the university of california los angeles has partnerships with nearly 20 universities in some cases it arranges for excess money on a students meal plan to be donated in the form of food to pantries in others the money goes to food vouchers for students
students can enter the dining hall with the voucher and have a warm wholesome meal said rachel sumekh a founder and the executive director of swipe out hunger
columbia university unveiled a plan last year to permit students to donate up to six unused meals a semester through an emergency meal fund and students who need food can receive up to six vouchers a semester
despite the prevalence of the problem there is still a stigma associated with food insecurity particularly on college campuses to protect the privacy of students some food pantries would not permit the new york times to visit at brooklyn college where ms harmata agreed to meet with a reporter and photographer at a specific time a reporter was asked to leave while another student selected her food
brooklyn colleges food pantry isnt an expensive operation to supply the food for a year the carroll and milton petrie foundation donated 9000 other food is donated by student groups and individuals shelves are organized by food groups and students are permitted to choose several items from each group
another visitor to the brooklyn college food pantry keith short is a graduate student studying mental health counseling because his classes meet during the day and his degree requires an unpaid 20 hours a week internship it has been difficult for mr short to have a paying job while pursuing his masters
it can be a bit of a struggle mr short said at the food pantry he likes to get canned soups which he opens and eats at the school cafeteria the food pantry has really helped me out he said it kind of shows me that the school cares about me


terry collins did not want to acknowledge the mets latest injury he was about to walk back to the clubhouse after his postgame news conference when a mets spokesman reminded him of the reality
fans already knew that yoenis cespedes the mets best hitter had left wednesdays 4 3 victory over the kansas city royals in the sixth inning with discomfort in his left wrist but they did not yet know that noah syndergaard the mets best starter this season was with cespedes at the doctors office because of discomfort in his right elbow and was not waiting in the clubhouse to speak with reporters
his elbow flared up on him collins the mets manager said of syndergaard before leaving thats why we took him out of the game
nothing about this mets season has been easy but late wednesday the mets announced relatively good results about the players two of the teams most important
syndergaard who overcame similar symptoms a month ago had discomfort in the back of his right elbow but a magnetic resonance imaging test revealed no structural damage he was given anti inflammatory medicine and was cleared to resume his normal workout routine the team said
cespedes was found to have a mild wrist sprain he received a cortisone shot and is listed as day to day the team announced it was unclear when either player would return to action but for a team that has seemed snakebitten the developments were positive syndergaard and cespedes will join the mets in atlanta on thursday when the team begins a four game series against the braves
its not that much fun collins said of the mets eventful and injury plagued season id rather come and have a normal day once in a while but its what the business is
the mets also announced that starter zack wheeler who was aiming for a return from tommy john surgery in the second half of the season had nerve irritation in his right elbow with no structural problems wheeler also received a cortisone shot and can return to baseball activities when he is ready
on wednesday syndergaards velocity was the same as usual he allowed three runs on eight hits but struck out only four in six innings he coughed up a lead for the second time in the sixth but was still throwing 98 miles per hour to the final batter he faced
he pitched great catcher rene rivera said he added in light of syndergaards elbow trouble his sinker was moving a lot this wind was helping a lot his breaking ball was there thats why i didnt know anything about it
in the fifth inning cespedes grimaced after fouling off a pitch he drew a walk and stayed in the game after collins and a trainer checked on him but he did not take the field in the sixth
any time when youre a hitter and a big hitter and your hands or wrists have problems its a concern collins said
like syndergaard cespedes went to the hospital for special surgery to see david altchek the mets medical director so he too was unavailable after the game but cespedes who went 2 for 2 in his abbreviated stint left a brief statement through an interpreter
foreshadowing the teams announcement wednesday night cespedes said in the statement that he was not worried that he was unsure what had caused the wrist pain and that he had told the mets he did not think he should push it
weve got to keep the heads up shortstop asdrubal cabrera said we know that happens in this game and weve got to keep fighting every day with the guys we got right now
cabrera the rookie matt reynolds and the bullpen saved the mets in the second game of their two game set with the royals who defeated the mets last year in the world series cabrera scored the mets first run with an acrobatic slide after a james loney single in the fourth inning his two run homer in the fifth gave the mets a lead and his stellar backhanded defensive play in the eighth saved a run
this is a long season cabrera said weve got ups and downs weve got to keep doing what were doing the last few weeks we didnt do really well but weve got to forget about it and keep working hard
once syndergaard told the mets about his elbow he was pulled after having thrown 91 pitches reliever jerry blevins took over in the seventh inning and notched his 21st appearance without allowing a run he was followed by scoreless outings from addison reed and jeurys familia familia has recorded saves in all 24 of his opportunities this season
after a wild pitch by syndergaard helped lead to a game tying run in the sixth a backup saved the day for the mets with the left hander danny duffy on the mound the right handed hitting reynolds started in left field instead of michael conforto
a middle infielder by trade reynolds had never played the outfield in professional baseball but he has shagged fly balls there in spring training and during batting practice
reynoldss day in the field was unadventurous but he made a difference with his bat in the sixth inning by smashing his first major league home run an opposite field shot that gave the mets the lead for good
its not ideal to have players go down every single day reynolds said but weve got a strong group of guys in here that never stop and were going to keep playing together and play hard


offer students a less confusing array of courses
require fewer remedial classes to improve students basic math and english skills or find a way to pair these not for credit courses with others that would provide progress toward a degree
provide more personal advice
and lower the cost
while some of these steps might seem more obvious than others they are among the changes community colleges across the country are making in hopes of ensuring that more students graduate
confronted with evidence built up over years of research that community colleges are too often failing their mission of educating all comers college leaders are embracing a reform movement that calls for a fundamental overhaul of the structure of community colleges and the way students choose and follow a route to a degree said thomas bailey a professor of economics and education at teachers college at columbia university and director of the community college research center
that research makes a compelling case for change studies show that the traditional way the countrys thousand plus community colleges have operated   by offering a wide cafeteria style mixture of classes and majors and by placing large numbers of students into noncredit remedial classes to bolster their basic skills   is failing
nationally only about 25 percent of first time full time students entering public community colleges graduate within the traditional three years according to the national center for education statistics
some experts say that figure is misleading because two thirds of students attend community colleges part time and many take six or more years to graduate but most would agree that too many students arent reaching the finish line
as researchers and administrators analyzed the reasons and the point at which students were dropping out it became clear that small changes werent enough to ensure that more students graduated rather it was time to rethink everything about their institutions said suzanne walsh deputy director of postsecondary education at the bill and melinda gates foundation which has contributed heavily to community colleges
that meant revamping community colleges into more structured environments combining fewer courses with far more intensive help from advisers to ensure that students moved along guided pathways to complete their degrees
community colleges in the united states serve 45 percent of the nations undergraduates many of whom are historically underrepresented in higher education minority low income and older students according to the american association of community colleges the average student is 29 years old and two thirds attend part time
thirty six percent are the first in their families to attend college with average annual tuition of 3430 the association said community colleges are about one third the cost of in state tuition at a public four year university
still money can be one major reason community college students drop out bills are pending in congressional committees to carry out president obamas americas college promise proposal to make community colleges free to responsible high school graduates while that legislation will be a tough sell kentucky minnesota oregon and tennessee already mandate free or near free community college tuition to eligible high school graduates 11 other states have similar bills pending according to the national conference of state legislatures
but financial aid is only one problem remedial classes which students often pay for but usually arent included in graduation credits are the single most deadly issue for students of color said eloy oakley superintendent president of long beach city college in california they use up their financial aid eligibility and it keeps them from ever getting a degree studies have shown that more than 50 percent of students at community colleges take at least one remedial course because they didnt score high enough on entry assessment tests for math reading or writing
a number of community colleges including long beach city college are no longer relying solely on assessment tests they use the tests as only one part of an entire picture which also includes high school transcripts and standardized test scores
four years of data have shown that those who were placed in the higher level classes were succeeding just as well as those who had to go through development mr oakley said
tennessees system of 13 community colleges revamped its remedial program putting in place a corequisite model in which students who need say help in math are enrolled in a math class for which they receive credit and a remediation class to help them complete the course
in fall semester 2015 52 percent of students passed a credit bearing math class compared with 12 percent for the entire 2013 14 school year said tristan denley vice chancellor for academic affairs at the tennessee board of regents
we are the first system to fully implement this kind of change and we see improvement across academic levels age income and race dr denley said
another major impediment to graduation is too much choice and too little guidance
it is a very complicated environment for students and they received less advice than at any selective college professor bailey said a school like columbia can have one adviser for one hundred students he said while at most community colleges the ratio is more like one for every thousand students
the city university of new york system has been at the forefront of the movement to confront the high dropout rate starting its accelerated study in associated programs at nine of its colleges in 2007 it offers a multipronged approach of financial resources and comprehensive student support the graduation rate is double that of cuny students who are not in the program   53 percent versus 23 percent said donna linderman dean for student success initiatives and executive director of the program
cuny as a whole has been hit by budget cuts and the program does cost more per student ms linderman said but the cost per degree is actually lower because so many more students graduate
comprehensive support through staff and peer advisers on academics financial needs and careers is one of the key elements at stella and charles guttman community college in manhattan it opened in 2012   the first new college established by cuny in over 40 years   with a mandate to reimagine the community college experience
it requires all first year students to be full time and to attend orientation and a two week summer program it has a mandatory curriculum in the first year and no remedial classes
it has a 49 percent three year graduation rate
at places like guttman its not just how the courses are taught but what they teach all students must take a yearlong course called ethnographies of work they study works as diverse as those of karl marx and barbara ehrenreich and learn about modern workday issues like the gig economy and work life balance they also observe and interview people in an occupation that interests them
for jovanni lezama a second year student at guttman that kind of support gave him the ability and courage not just to earn his associates degree but to go on to a four year college in the fall
not many people believed in me but i wanted to accomplish something mr lezama said now im about to graduate to me its such a big step forward


law schools in the face of marked declines in enrollment revenue and jobs for graduates are beginning to adopt innovative new ways of delivering legal education
some law schools are moving away from relying solely on classic settings and instead are blending classroom learning with online instruction said michael b horn a founder of the clayton christensen institute a research institution in san mateo calif
that explores disruptive innovation in education
legal education is confronting the most imminent threat in higher education mr horn said law schools are increasingly out of step with shifts in the legal services market
law schools that are able to pioneer online competency based programs that focus outside of the traditional jd will have a leg up in the struggle to survive said mr horn an author of the newly released report disrupting law school how disruptive innovation will revolutionize the legal world
mitchell hamline school of law in st paul washington university school of law in st louis and syracuse university college of law in new york all offer programs that fuse some elements of traditional legal education with technology in new educational vehicles harvard law school also offers an online class on copyright law to its on campus students and to students who can enroll for the free not for credit course from anywhere in the world
opportunities to earn a full fledged law degree online are few so far the william mitchell college of law began offering a hybrid law degree in january 2015 the school has since merged with hamline university school of law
we saw that there was a need for a national degree that could be available to students who are not able to move elsewhere to study for their law degree said gregory m duhl the assistant dean overseeing the mitchell hamline program in addition to online courses the curriculum which takes about four years to complete requires roughly 10 campus visits for workshops on legal skills
the program attracts students like brian p kennedy 60 president and chief executive of the el paso sports commission which manages the citys 6500 seat colosseum he said he had enrolled because not earning a law degree was my only regret
he was accepted to the law school in 1982 but was sidetracked by his career in the music and entertainment industry he said he hoped to become an entertainment lawyer but added that the periodic campus workshops have persuaded him that litigation is also in my future
syracuses law school adopted a somewhat different approach when it announced in april that it would offer a hybrid law degree once it received approval from new york state and the american bar association which regulates accredited law schools syracuse is working with 2u inc an education technology provider in landover md that has collaborated with some major universities including northwestern and georgetown the online degree program would use 2us platform
the program will be for people whose work or family obligations prevent them from attending a residential law program it will offer live online classes with syracuse law faculty members who will interact with students the program which is expected to begin in 18 months will also include courses on campus and internships with outside employers
like those of other law schools syracuses student body has shrunk it is down about one third in the last decade
the online program which would require students to be on campus once or twice a year is expected to attract 40 to 50 students initially said william c banks interim dean of the syracuse law school once the program is established it could enroll as many as 300 students a year according to the law school
it would split the proceeds with 2u whose founder chip paucek said that his company planned to invest at least 10 million in the project over four years
it is not only expensive but its complicated to create a completely interactive system with 247 online support he said
the company already has a record having collaborated with washington university school of law which began offering online classes for a master of laws degree in january 2013 since then the program has drawn students from dozens of countries including china mexico and india who opted for a course that did not require them to be present on the st louis campus
more than 350 students have enrolled and 98 students have graduated from the master of laws program according to school figures
students most of whom attend part time sign in at specific times each week for online classes and can interact with the instructor and fellow students from wherever they are in the world
many classes are at 7 am which is 8 pm in china or on saturdays said michael h koby associate dean of international graduate programs the program is aimed at students who want some background in the law but do not necessarily need a three year law degree he said
the program is as rigorous as the on campus program and offers the intimacy of the classroom he said the tuition about 2200 a credit is the same as for on campus students
another way of delivering legal education is through online certificates in specific legal areas widener university delaware law school for example offers a certificate in education compliance said rodney a smolla the schools dean the school is exploring more distance learning relying on its own resources for technology and instruction
law schools are about to make that turn he said of online offerings its a blend of being hipper and of economic necessity
but mr smolla acknowledged that law schools have been slow to try new approaches we are a conservative profession he said we tend to want to teach law in the way we learned it
sticking to the traditional hampers innovation warned deborah j merritt a professor at the ohio state university moritz college of law who tracks such developments
educators creating online courses she said tend to replicate conventional courses online delivering the same content to familiar audiences
while this may increase options for interested audiences she said it is unlikely to expand the pool of students benefiting from our expertise the costs of creating maintaining and updating high quality online courses are so high she added that they could prove more expensive than campus classes
to attract new and broader audiences she advised law schools to categorize offerings by subject matter rather than by course or by degree program one example is a copyright law course developed in conjunction with harvard law school in addition to law students roughly 500 other people have been attracted to the online course which is offered in the spring semester and was developed by harvard using existing technology
the course allows both categories of students to interact via weekly webcasts featuring guest speakers and an online discussion forum according to prof william w fisher known as terry who teaches the course which is also licensed to 18 universities worldwide to generate revenue
harvard offers another moneymaking model with an online certificate course in business basics created by its business school the course is available to harvard law students for roughly 300 but other students must pay 1800
this kind of program can be a model for law schools to expand their reach ms merritt said but she said that to justify the costs of online education law schools need to think big
she said that means creating courses that reach out to broader audiences who may also want to learn critical thinking skills and about legal principles


carnegie hall announced on wednesday that it was renaming its first level of boxes the blavatnik family first tier in recognition of a 25 million gift from len blavatnik a trustee there since 2014 and his family foundation
it was a coda of sorts to the boardroom drama that erupted last year when ronald o perelman abruptly stepped down as carnegies chairman after clashing with the halls administrative staff and other board members
one flash point came when he questioned the halls involvement with a 100000 prize given out by warner music the company is owned by a firm founded by mr blavatnik which had beaten out a bid that mr perelman was involved with mr perelman questioned whether the prize which was to go to a young musician who had played at carnegie had been sufficiently vetted for potential conflicts since it involved a business controlled by a board member a legal review carnegie commissioned later concluded that the episode had not raised governance concerns
mr perelman who had given generously to carnegie in the past and had been expected to donate another 30 million left after less than a year in the position the hall whose goal was to raise 125 million to support its artistic educational and digital initiatives by may when it celebrated its 125th anniversary extended its fund raising timeline to the end of next june
mr blavatnik the founder and chairman of access industries a privately held group stepped in with a new lead gift of 25 million bringing the tally to 55 million
it is important to me and my family that the hall continue to thrive bringing together artists and audiences for exceptional musical experiences and creating programs to engage and inspire the next generation of musicians and music lovers mr blavatnik said in a statement
clive gillinson carnegies executive and artistic director said in an interview that he was grateful to mr blavatnik noting that he had been a significant supporter of carnegie hall for quite some time the hall named robert f smith a private equity titan with an interest in music education its new chairman this month
the first tier   home of 33 boxes with small anterooms   will bear the blavatnik name for 50 years the new name will be unveiled oct 6 on opening night when some patrons will be able to sit in the blavatnik family first tier and watch gustavo dudamel conduct the simon bolivar symphony orchestra of venezuela down below on the ronald o perelman stage


new london conn   between forkfuls of pad thai chicken and tofu 20 connecticut college faculty members listened as michael reder talked about teaching
the research shows that students love it when we share what were passionate about said the animated mr reder whose enthusiasm for teaching is infectious students often say they want to be a name and known to the faculty but whats interesting is how much they also want to know about you they want to hear about what you do and why you do it
the chatter and clatter of plates and silverware dims the audience   a cross section of younger and older professors from across disciplines   begins to turn its attention fully toward the 6 foot 2 figure at the head of the table
professor reder who holds a phd in english is the director of the joy shechtman mankoff center for teaching  learning at this private 105 year old liberal arts college this session what motivates our students is the last of his monthly talking teaching lunches for the spring 2016 semester other topics have included what do we know about our first year students and recognizing student strengths to ensure full participation
the faculty at the session appeared to be hungry for something more than thai food
think about your classes as we approach the end of the semester implored dr reder whats worked what hasnt is there something you can do differently next year to engage your students
professor reder and the center founded in 1998 are part of a trend in higher education an emphasis on improving the quality of undergraduate teaching driven by a constellation of factors   including the emergence of new educational technologies new research on effective classroom techniques declining retention rates among undergraduates and concerns about high tuition   colleges and universities are taking steps to help junior and senior faculty better motivate and engage their students
this wasnt always the case if teaching ability wasnt dismissed altogether at the college level performance in a classroom was often seen as less important than scholarship or securing grants when abigail van slyck was a tenure track professor in architectural history at a major research university in the southwest she recalled our provost said to me by the way teaching is important so i said you mean youre not expecting as much research from me oh no the assumption was that being a good teacher doesnt take much effort
when professor van slyck arrived at connecticut college dr reder invited her to attend some of his teaching workshops i didnt want to do it said professor van slyck now the dean of faculty but i wanted to fit in so i did and it changed my life
what she learned she said was a broader understanding of what it meant to be a good teacher i thought i was an excellent lecturer
ah the lecture certainly many dazzling orators still exist but anyone who has attended college has probably also experienced the dry as dust lecturer the professor reading aloud from the textbook the instructor who stands back to the class writing definitions or equations on the board todays college classroom is or should be a much different place according to dr reder and his counterparts at the 566 institutions represented in the professional and organizational development network in higher education whose mission is to help improve teaching in colleges
the traditional style of classroom is one where its a full on lecture for the entire time and theres some level of information transmission that happens there depending on whether students are awake said kevin barry president of the group and director of the kaneb center for teaching and learning at the university of notre dame but the processing of that information happens outside of class what the research shows now is that if we can move that processing into the classroom for at least part of the class time well get better results in terms of learning flipping the classroom is the term
that doesnt necessarily mean that 2000 years of the socratic learning tradition are flipped one of the things that emerges from the research is that theres not one way to be an effective teacher said cassandra volpe horii the director of the california institute of technologys center for teaching learning  outreach lectures not necessarily bad it depends on how its implemented
rather than simply talking to students for an hour straight she said it is more effective to intersperse questions and allow pauses for them to reflect on and process the information allowing time to work in small groups to analyze or experiment with the material and using the classroom time not just to introduce concepts but to apply or think critically about them are some approaches in favor today
the idea of being told how to teach more effectively doesnt sit well with all faculty members said cathleen cuppett professor of spanish at coker college in hartsville sc and the chairwoman of her colleges committee for excellence in teaching and learning there are faculty members who feel that all this pedagogy and education stuff is claptrap and balderdash she said there are also those who believe that good teachers are born not made that may be true but i do think everybody can improve
at coker which has an enrollment of 1165 students professor cuppetts five person committee offers programs similar to those in the teaching centers at larger schools such as periodic lunches where faculty members discuss what is working and what isnt in their classrooms she and her committee suggest books on education theory and teaching this years list includes adult learners in the academy by lee bash about effective methods for teaching the growing number of older students
but professor cuppett also wonders whether teaching remains a secondary consideration when it comes to the prospects for advancement whether or not teaching is used in promotion and tenure decisions particularly at level 1 research institutions is an entirely different question she said
at many elite universities research and scholarship still come first for faculty and many courses are taught in lecture halls often by graduate students with little or no teacher training
while acknowledging some truth to that generality things are changing said emily miller director of the association of american universities undergraduate stem science technology engineering and mathematics education initiative ive seen a very genuine effort in recent years not just in rhetoric but in work happening at the department level in substantial ways to improve education quality she said her organization represents 62 of the largest research institutions in the united states and canada
some big universities have long recognized the challenge of teaching vast cohorts of students in introductory classes for example the university of michigans center for research on learning and teaching began in 1962 and now employs 15 people most large universities have similar centers   and critically dr miller said   some are considering revising hiring tenure and promotion criteria to place a greater emphasis on teaching
you can see movement happening dr miller said ive seen it in the hiring the conversations with departments are looking different the expectations of commitment to both research and teaching are starting to be emphasized from the start
at many private liberal arts schools like connecticut college faculty members are expected to be good teachers so its no surprise that dr reders teaching luncheons are well attended
ruth grahn an associate professor of psychology who has been at connecticut college since 1999 said she enjoyed the centers lunchtime sessions and the annual three day camp teach and learn event held on campus in late may i dont think youre doing your job as a college professor these days if youre not involved in these kinds of activities she said


when catharine bond hill walked the campus of williams college as an undergraduate in the mid 1970s the whiteness of the campus was apparent
it was certainly clear that there werent a lot of students of color there said ms hill who graduated from williams a liberal arts college in williamstown mass in 1976
i was well aware that i was with other kids who had a fairly privileged upbringing she said i do remember running into kids on the williams campus back then who didnt have a car parked in the lot but that was unusual
for ms hill the president of vassar college in poughkeepsie ny that initial awareness planted the seeds of what would become her signature causes socioeconomic diversity and affordability in higher education it became her lifes work and the issue she was most focused on as she reflected on her career during an interview in the century old yale club in midtown manhattan
ms hill 62 recently announced that she would step down from the presidency of vassar next year
since she took over a decade ago the student body of 2450 has become the most diverse it has been since the college was founded in 1861
last year the jack kent cooke foundation awarded vassar its inaugural 1 million cooke prize for equity in educational excellence for success in attracting and graduating low income students
vassar has more than doubled the number of its low income students during ms hills tenure the colleges financial aid budget has more than doubled to over 60 million about 60 percent of current students receive some scholarship aid nearly a quarter of vassars current first year students are eligible for a pell grant which is available to students whose annual family income is 40000 or less
the percentage of american students of color has risen to 33 percent from 20 percent and vassar has gone from having few first generation college students to enrolling from 75 to 100 out of about 660 in recent freshman classes
elijah mondesir 21 a resident of st croix in the us virgin islands who graduated from vassar this spring was one of them
mr mondesir who was raised by his grandmother grew up in a community where young people graduated from high school and went straight to work
my grandmother however always stressed education he said she pushed me my twin brother and older sister to do well in school and thats what kept me going i never wanted to let her down
his hard work caught the eye of a school counselor who helped him apply to colleges including vassar the transition to campus life wasnt easy he said but the colleges weeklong program for first generation students helped each of those students is assigned a counselor to help keep them on track
even so it took until my junior year to learn how to study and how to manage my time mr mondesir said
vassar has also increased the number of military veterans in classes through the posse foundations veterans program since 2013 vassar has admitted 41 veterans as freshmen this year the first two veterans graduated
for tanya painter 29 who served in the army for six years vassars thousand acre campus with its manicured lawns and formal gardens was a world away from where she had been stationed at camp speicher near tikrit iraq deep in the desert now a member of vassars class of 2017 ms painter is majoring in sociology she hopes to eventually study for a masters degree and join the fbi
vassar and the gi bill pay her full tuition and education fees as well as for child care for her 2 year old daughter but money is tight and she works at two part time jobs
when ms hill took the helm at vassar students like ms painter and mr mondesir hardly existed on campus the school had a mission to be diverse but it wasnt ms hill recalled
with her prodding the college made a commitment to being need blind   not considering an applicants financial situation when deciding admission
the changes at vassar under ms hill are an example of what she would like to see at other schools her mantra colleges and universities must recruit smart students regardless of their circumstances of birth
education is the heart of equal opportunity and social and economic mobility and if the united states is committed to that ideal young students have to have the opportunity to go on to higher education in some equitable way ms hill said it is more important than ever to get a bachelors degree given the increasing income inequality in our society
college affordability has been at the forefront of the presidential campaign this year and for good reason since 1980 the total cost of attendance increased 162 percent at four year public colleges 168 percent at four year private nonprofit colleges and 69 percent at community colleges according to data from the united states census bureau the college boards 2015 trends in student aid and the department of educations 2014 digest of education statistics over this same period median household income grew 12 percent for families in the bottom 40 percent average household income increased only 4 percent while their share of national income fell 17 percent
ms hill is well aware that enrolling low income students is only part of the solution
we need to do a better job of providing support services once these students arrive on campus she said colleges that recruit low income students need to work harder to help them fit in feel comfortable on campus and want to stay she said
early on we would say to the students come its going to be wonderful ms hill said but the truth is that for our low income students we cant completely level the playing field there are kids driving up in bmws with parents credit cards in their pocket they go to new york city whenever they want to go out to restaurants it becomes very obvious to these financial aid kids that the difference is huge
another concern for ms hill is the financial pressure colleges face to spend large chunks of their budgets on campus features which are crucial to attracting students whose parents can pay full tuition
students from the very wealthy families are having a lot invested in them by their families from prenatal care through k through 12 she said when they go out looking for schools they are looking for certain things for their kids small classes great athletic facilities they are looking for wonderful orchestras and great food sustainable campuses and single rooms
and as schools like vassar compete for those students who are both talented and can pay the full sticker price its a little bit of the arms race ms hill said
as for what she is likely to do next ms hill is playing her cards very close to the vest it is clear that she intends to stay focused in some capacity on higher education and affordability
after more than a decade of working from within an institution i am interested in the challenge of continuing to improve access for students from all backgrounds but from a different perspective ms hill said it is exciting to think about next steps


ask andrea m quenette if she thinks that colleges and universities are doing a good job refereeing the debate over free speech and shell respond with an emphatic no
schools are not doing enough to protect free speech ms quenette a communications professor at the university of kansas said in an email specifically they are protecting the speech of some those whom they fear or those voices which are loudest but they are not protecting the speech of those whose voices are easier to silence generally these quieter voices are those of faculty and staff who should rightfully fear for their jobs should they use unpopular but legally protected words
if anyone has a personal stake in the issue it is ms quenette 34 who took a paid leave of absence after students criticized her for uttering a racially insensitive word during class the word was spoken during a discussion on race and recent protests on campus
offended students wrote a letter calling for her resignation for use of the word and for seeming to suggest that some minority students who were dropping out were simply academically unfit rather than the victims of discrimination the letter called her words terroristic and threatening to the cultivation of a safe learning environment
although the university cleared ms quenette of violating its nondiscrimination policies it denied her bid for tenure and said it would not employ her after next may joseph monaco a university spokesman said in a statement that the decision was a personnel matter unrelated to the racial issues but he did not elaborate
ms quenette and her husband scott a software engineer have joined a chorus of voices calling for stronger support for free expression on campuses   even as students themselves are often seeking some curbs on speech they deem offensive
according to a poll recently released by the gallup organization 78 percent of 3072 students from 32 four year private and public colleges believed their campuses should strive to create an open environment where they would be exposed to a range of speech and views twenty two percent noted that colleges should prohibit biased or offensive speech in the furtherance of a positive learning environment but 69 percent favored limitations on speech when it came to language that was deliberately upsetting to some groups
an october 2015 survey of 800 students nationwide sponsored by the william f buckley jr program at yale reported that 63 percent favored requiring professors to use trigger warnings to alert students to subject matter that might be unsettling by a 51 percent to 36 percent margin students also supported speech codes to regulate speech for students and faculty
the controversy has brought disruption to many campuses in february a student at gettysburg college a small liberal arts institution in pennsylvania hung posters featuring a photo of a baby and the sentence abortion is the number one killer of black lives in the united states it ended with the hashtag black lives matter some students demonstrated saying that the posters singled out african american women in an effort to promote an anti abortion campaign they also said the posters made misleading use of the black lives matter slogan in april the school revised its freedom of expression policy re emphasizing the schools commitment to free speech   even when the speech may be offensive
in late may students at depaul university in chicago stormed the stage while the conservative blogger milo yiannopoulos   who had been invited on campus   was speaking
the fracases have left colleges struggling to figure out how to help students and faculty members balance respectful discussions about race and diversity with open conversations on difficult topics they are asking how can campuses best navigate inclusiveness and debate while being mindful of students who feel marginalized disrespected and overlooked
these are complicated issues balancing a commitment to academic freedom with these demands for censorship and the greater awareness of the negative impacts on people of hearing speech that makes them uncomfortable for whatever reason said geoffrey r stone a professor of law at the university of chicago noting that the first amendment applied only to students and faculty members at public institutions not private ones at private institutions he said the issue is one of academic freedom as a matter of policy
in november the university of kansas held a meeting on race that drew more than 1000 people
but during the event a group of students took over the stage saying that the forum was organized in an effort to silence voices rather than to listen to them
there is a fine line and i dont necessarily know where that fine line is said harrison baker 21 a senior and a member of the student senate who attended the event
in may the city university of new york created both a task force on campus climate and a working group on freedom of expression more recently columbia university in new york announced the creation with the john s and james l knight foundation of the 60 million knight first amendment institute at the university to promote free expression
schools need to have statements that clearly express the importance of free speech on campus said erwin chemerinsky dean of the law school at the university of california irvine universities have to be about open inquiry and ideas but campuses need to say were a community and we want everyone to be comfortable
in the early 1990s more than 350 schools adopted hate speech codes he said but about a half dozen were struck down as unconstitutional and most schools had not written new statements addressing these questions
in late 2014 professor stone and other faculty members created the university of chicagos statement on freedom of expression which was released january 2015
the universitys fundamental commitment is to the principle that debate or deliberation may not be suppressed because the ideas put forth are thought by some or even by most members of the university community to be offensive unwise immoral or wrongheaded they wrote in part
it is for the individual members of the university community not for the university as an institution to make those judgments for themselves and to act on those judgments not by seeking to suppress speech but by openly and vigorously contesting the ideas that they oppose
thirteen schools including princeton columbia and purdue have adopted some versions of the chicago statement according to the foundation for individual rights in education at franklin  marshall college in lancaster pa a version of the statement was adopted by the faculty in february but was later vetoed by the board of trustees which said it had legal concerns over the uninhibited but still respectful exchange of ideas
right now the faculty has academic freedom but there is nothing that comprehensively guarantees students free expression said matthew hoffman an associate professor of history at franklin  marshall who initiated the motion to get the chicago statement into the faculty handbook
one school that received praise in certain circles was emory university in atlanta a few months ago some students were enraged by the appearance of sidewalk chalkings of trump 2016 which many considered racist and intended to intimidate about 40 students protested outside the administration building and later met with the president james w wagner
in a campuswide email mr wagner wrote in part as an academic community we must value and encourage the expression of ideas vigorous debate speech dissent and protest at the same time our commitment to respect civility and inclusion calls us to provide a safe environment that inspires and supports courageous inquiry it is important that we recognize listen to and honor the concerns of these students as well as faculty and staff who may feel similarly
as for ms quenette who was unclear about her next career move if the situation arose again she said she would absolutely use different language she said she had used the racially charged word solely as an example of how words could be used to discriminate or to victimize others
although i never intended to hurt anyone or offend anyone she said i am sad that this was the outcome of my words


its officially summer and the society boutique the society of memorial sloan ketterings thrift shop is teaming up with the luxury fashion e tailer halsbrook to stretch the longest day of the year a little longer a summer solstice charity pop up benefiting the research hospital is open through thursday with discounts of up to 70 percent on breezy bits like a no 21 lace embroidered cotton dress 321 originally 1070 at 1440 third avenue
on thursday the organic beauty brand kjaer weis will open a pop up at whisper editions in the south street seaport featuring two new colors precious cream blush 56 a peach shade and angelic eye shadow 45 a soft pink either will impart a healthy summer glow at 8 fulton street
on friday the resort line vineyard vines will open a store at grand central terminal filled with preppy staples like whale embroidered shorts 9850 at 89 east 42nd street
for something out of the box check out the baja east three day tarot takeover at brookfield place starting tuesday it promises readings by yoyin and a selection of exclusive products including tie dye t shirts 225 and one of a kind ponchos bajas and skater pants made from balinese ceremonial skirts starting at 495 at 230 vesey street
barneys is now carrying the minimalist eyewear brand blyszak which features one uniformly flattering oval style in a variety of neutral color combinations like porcelain and tortoise made from powder coated steel and water buffalo horn 395
bottega veneta is introducing a lace up version of its suede desert boots 820 which sold out almost immediately last summer after kanye west wore them at 650 madison avenue
on thursday and friday ulla johnson will have a sample sale with discounts of up to 70 percent on boho chic pieces like a cotton voile midi dress 299 originally 598 at 168 bowery
from thursday to saturday the denim focused label simon miller will have a sample sale with discounts of up to 70 percent on pieces like wide leg indigo wash jeans 75 originally 300 at 177 canal street
from thursday to sunday the shoe label feit will have its first ever sample sale there will be discounts of up to 70 percent on hand sewn styles like a four eye oxford 350 originally 700 at 4 prince street
and selima optique is having its summer sale with discounts of up to 80 percent on vintage persol eyewear 248 originally 875 and proprietary styles at 7 bond street


summer is the season to cool off with a big chunk of watermelon but theres another kind of watermelon thatll have you trading in your sandals for hiking boots if you want to experience it while youre not going to want to eat what some people call watermelon snow researchers have found that having a better understanding of it could be important in a warming world
in snowy places across the globe watermelon snow forms as the summer sun heats up and melts winters leftovers the colorful snow is made up of communities of algae that thrive in freezing temperatures and liquid water resulting in algal blooms when these typically green organisms get a lot of sun they produce a natural type of sunscreen that paints the slopes pink and red the addition of color to the surface darkens the snow allowing it to heat up faster and melt more quickly
imagine wearing black instead of a white t shirt in the sun it feels much hotter wrote stefanie lutz a geobiologist at gfz german research center for geosciences in an email it is the same for the snow more heat means more melting
dr lutz together with liane benning and their colleagues at a number of universities published a study thursday in nature communications that examined microbes in summer snow and noted that while bacterial communities differ from place to place the same algae that produce watermelon snow appear to be so global that its time for climate models to consider their effects on snow and ice melt
algae changes snows albedo or how much light or radiation its surface reflects back into the atmosphere based on 40 samples from four locations the new study estimated that blooms of snow algae can lead to an albedo decrease of 13 percent over the course of an arctic melt season compared with clean snow meaning the dark snow would absorb much more light just how much melting this will account for or how much that may affect sea level rise however is still to be determined but algal effects on albedo are going to be important for melting glaciers which play a huge role in the climate system said dr lutz
current climate models take into account how soot from forest fires dust from the sahara or even increased water content which slightly darkens snow to blue affect albedo but they have yet to measure biological effects like that of algae
a small amount may have a big effect said joseph cook a glaciologist at the university of sheffield who was not involved in the study but is looking at bacterias effect on the albedo of greenland ice sheets where ice turns brown purple and gray in some cases
dr lutz worries that an interplay between todays rising temperatures and the snow algae could cause a runaway effect whereby melting snow would cause algae to bloom which would darken the snow causing more to melt creating more water which also darkens the snow and feeds the algae and so on in a circular pattern of cotton candy colored surfaces melting
if youd like to cool down this summer with watermelon snow the pink stuff can be found nearly anywhere that has melting snow   the arctic antarctica the himalayas and the rockies among others logistics are important said dr benning because these places arent easy to get to and youll be hiking and camping in the cold lonely wilderness she says everyone has their favorite spots but she likes the beauty and remoteness of a glacier in svalbard a place where there are no worries about what happens back home


finding new ways to teach the digital generation bringing down the cost of a college education and ensuring that more students graduate are among the biggest challenges facing institutions of higher learning today   and meeting those challenges has never been more crucial than it is now
that was the clear consensus among some of the nations top educational leaders who gathered at a two day conference sponsored by the new york times on monday and tuesday
the higher ed leaders forum was among a series of conferences organized by the times throughout the year it convened some of the nations top educators to discuss the future of higher education
technology for good and bad is now firmly entwined in all grades while lectures are becoming a thing of the past educators on a panel on the digital future of education acknowledged
students attention wanders in a frighteningly short time   six to 10 minutes said james e ryan dean of the graduate school of education at harvard and they think if you can do it online why do it in person its a different premise than we have
that means a major rethinking of how we spend time in the classroom he said we need to engage them in something that would be difficult to do online such as working together in person to solve problems or complete projects
one example mr ryan suggested was to throw a question out to the class have students respond and then put them in groups to try to persuade one another that they are right
its amazing how many people care if a hole in the middle of metal expands or contracts when heated he said
john palfrey head of the phillips academy in andover mass an elite residential secondary school said his school had successfully teamed up with the khan academy a major participant in online k 12 education to teach high level calculus
but he warned that online learning had its limitations   it is highly useful in math and science less so in history and english for many fields technology doesnt have an application he said in others it has enormous importance and it would be malpractice not to use it
one of the major challenges is overcoming digital inequality mr palfrey said the problem is not so much the devices themselves   most students these days have access to computers and smartphones   but the level of sophistication in using these devices to conduct research
one way to address that he said is to incorporate the issue into existing class curriculums such as by examining how a wikipedia page is created and how it differs from say an article in nature or smithsonian magazine
and teachers need to be brought up to speed on the use of technology as well mr ryan said schools need to do a better job teaching teachers
inequality dominated much of the discussion about the direction of higher education
completion is a huge national challenge said john b king jr the secretary of education his statement was confirmed by the many hands that were raised by administrators and educators in the audience when asked how many students at their institutions take longer than two or four years to obtain a degree
secretary king pointed out that many students take out loans and end up in debt without ever getting a degree
one way to encourage students to finish in two or four years is to offer incentives to take 15 or more credits a semester because taking fewer means they cannot finish in four years he said pointing to the university of hawaiis successful initiative 15 to finish
also helpful for students will be the reinstatement of summer pell grants federal financial aid for low income students which president obama ended four years ago as a wat to reduce the federal budget deficit
legislation to reinstate those grants so students can afford to take summer classes is wending its way through congress
but pell grants which now are a maximum of 5815 annually are just too low said harold levy executive director of the jack kent cooke foundation which offers scholarships counseling and support services to outstanding low income students from eighth grade through graduate school
we need to double or triple them mr levy said when they started in 1976 they covered most of tuition now they cover barely a third
its also time to rethink programs that benefit poor students that end in 12th grade such as free and reduced price lunches he said
its silly these kids still need to eat he said
few appeared eager to discuss the ideas of donald trump the presumptive republican nominee except to disparage the now defunct trump university randi weingarten president of the american federation of teachers touched on the competing higher education proposals of hillary clinton and senator bernie sanders of vermont saying she believes that the country will end up with a hybrid of mrs clintons proposal that students be able to graduate from universities without debt from loans and mr sanderss proposal that all public colleges and universities should be tuition free
the next president has to be serious about college affordability said joni finney director of the institute for research on higher education in the graduate school of education at the university of pennsylvania
she said that too many higher education institutions used their money to offer merit aid rather than needs based aid and that the federal government needs to develop a public compact by stepping in and offering substantial money for such aid with an expectation that states will match it
the government offered such matching funds until they were phased out by the obama administration but even when the program existed the amounts offered were so paltry professor finney said that states had no real incentive to match them
a psychological shift as well as a financial shift is needed ms weingarten said we now believe college is as vital as high school she said yet still accept that it is increasingly unaffordable and inaccessible to many americans
although these concerns have been whirling around higher education for years the attention during the presidential campaign to skyrocketing student debt indicates that the public is becoming increasingly aware   and concerned   about the problem
i think this is an inflection moment mr levy said


senator bernie sanders came one step closer to accepting defeat on wednesday telling c span in an hourlong interview that he most likely would not be the democratic presidential nominee
for weeks mr sanders has insisted that he is still running against hillary clinton though she clinched the number of delegates needed to secure the nomination on june 6 but when c spans steve scully asked mr sanders about speaking at the democratic national convention next month the senator acknowledged that he was unlikely to best mrs clinton who has already been endorsed by a number of democratic leaders including president obama
it doesnt appear that im going to be the nominee so im not going to be determining the scope of the convention mr sanders said adding that he has reached no agreement to endorse mrs clinton but has been negotiating with her campaign what our job is now is to have her listen to what millions of people in this country who supported me want to see happen well see how that evolves
mr sanders did not acknowledge that mrs clinton was going to leave the convention as the nominee or that she would become the first woman presidential nominee of a major party he did say she was very very intelligent and has faced challenges but he focused mainly on their policy differences
she has clearly had to fight her way through a lot of sexism and unfair attacks over the years he said but there are areas where we have strong disagreements she is more or less an establishment democrat its kind of hard to deny that and i think weve got to move beyond that
the senator also said he was not being vetted to become mrs clintons running mate he did weigh in on who that person might be without naming anyone specific i think she should select clearly the most progressive candidate that she can find he said it would be a terrible mistake for her to go to a candidate who has roots from wall street or has been backed by wall street
mr sanders also said his campaign had been in regular contact with mrs clintons campaign and planned to push for the most progressive platform in the history of the democratic party including planks on campaign finance health care higher education and the minimum wage
the senator also said he expected to address the crowd gathered in philadelphia next month ive given a few speeches in my life he said it would be nice to speak at the democratic national convention if they for whatever reason dont want me to speak you know so what but by the way i expect that i will speak
during the wide ranging interview mr sanders also said he stood by his decision not to attack mrs clinton over her use of a private email server while serving as secretary of state it was the right thing to do he said the email thing has a life of its own there is an investigation going on it will do what it will do i dont know what the outcome will be
mr sanders also balked at the idea that his supporters would turn to donald j trump after the presumptive republican nominee made an appeal to sanders voters in a speech on wednesday morning
this guy you know must not become president of the united states and i am going to do everything i can to prevent that mr sanders said but i dont think many of the people who voted for me will be voting for him


students and parents navigating the college selection process for the first time may benefit from the advice of experts familiar with college financing
# students who may qualify for a highly selective college may find that less celebrated institutions are willing to offer more financial aid to attract high quality students
# dont hesitate to apply for financial aid even if you think your family makes too much money you dont know how much is available and which students might qualify
# you may not know how much a particular college wants you it could be seeking more students from a particular area of the country or its orchestra might be desperate for an oboe player
# remember that loans unlike grants do not reduce the cost of college though loans with below market interest rates could reduce the cost of borrowing
# just because a college offers aid to a potential freshman that doesnt mean it will offer the same aid in subsequent years ask
# tuition and other costs are likely to increase while a student is at college grants generally do not you may start with a scholarship that covers 33 percent of tuition and wind up with that same scholarship covering only 25 percent of tuition in later years
# tuition and other costs are printed in brochures and posted on websites but they are not carved in stone let a college know if you have other offers try to negotiate a better deal
# file a new free application for federal student aid known as fafsa every year especially if family finances drop
a college education will be expensive but maybe less so if students and their families are willing to play the game sticker price in almost all cases is not what a family will pay said jeff levy a private admissions counselor


washington   members of the supreme court took scores of trips paid for by private sponsors last year according to the financial disclosure forms of eight justices released wednesday
no information was provided concerning justice antonin scalia who died in february while on a hunting trip in texas he had been staying without charge at a hunting lodge owned by john poindexter a businessman whose company had recently had a matter before the supreme court
justice scalia was an enthusiastic traveler taking more than 250 privately funded trips from 2004 to 2014 a few weeks before he died he visited singapore and hong kong a court spokeswoman said there would be no disclosure form detailing justice scalias travels in 2015
the forms that were released offered a cursory overview of the other justices finances and activities but they did provide a glimpse of their often demanding schedules of extrajudicial appearances
justice stephen g breyer was the most active traveler last year taking 19 paid trips including three to london and two to paris the trips were partly to promote his book the court and the world which was published last year he reported royalties and other payments from his publisher of about 120000
justice sonia sotomayor was next with 16 paid trips but to less exotic places she reported no new royalties from her best selling memoir my beloved world
in 2015 justice samuel a alito jr took paid trips to london and the dominican republic justice ruth bader ginsburg to london south korea and zurich justice elena kagan to jerusalem and justice anthony m kennedy to salzburg austria
chief justice john g roberts jr noted a single trip to tokyo where he taught a course in july on the history of the supreme court
almost without exception the forms did not disclose the costs involved saying only that a justice had been reimbursed for say transportation food and lodging but justice ginsburg did say the supreme court of korea had paid 8220 for airfare and justice sotomayor disclosed that she had flown to the university of notre dame on a private plane
other sources indicate that the justices trips can be lavish according to records obtained under an australian freedom of information law the university of adelaide paid more than 38000 for justice scalia his wife and another couple to fly business class to a 2011 conference
the trip lasted almost two weeks and included luxury hotels in los angeles and in sydney adelaide melbourne and tasmania in australia for the two couples that were paid for by the university
a few of the justices disclosed gifts received last year the university of chicago law school gave justice kagan a signed first edition of a book by justice felix frankfurter harlan crow a real estate magnate and a major contributor to conservative causes gave justice clarence thomas a bronze bust of frederick douglass worth 648412
the forms were released by the administrative office of the united states courts the office does not post them online and it required news organizations to pay 1460 for photocopies
gabe roth the executive director of fix the court said the justices were behind the times
while members of the legislative and executive branches file reports throughout the year about their stock transactions and privately financed travel and even federal district and circuit court judges place certain details about their junkets online as they occur he said the supreme court stands alone in its policy of releasing such information only once per year
other branches have worked to be responsive to modern times and while the high courts docket each year comprises a number of tech based disputes mr roth added the court as an institution is still operating as if the information age never began


orders for abortion pills by women in seven latin american countries with zika outbreaks increased after health officials in those countries warned that the virus might cause severe birth defects according to a womens organization supplying such pills
orders from women in brazil ecuador and venezuela roughly doubled while those from colombia costa rica el salvador and honduras went up by from 36 percent to 76 percent researchers said in a study published wednesday by the new england journal of medicine the authors of the study included a leader of the group based in amsterdam that is supplying the pills women on web a nonprofit staffed by doctors helping women from countries where abortion is illegal or restricted to terminate unwanted pregnancies
even with the increase in demand for abortion pills the number of orders received by women on web from latin america and the caribbean in that time period was small slightly more than 2300 in the region with about 1600 of those in countries where health authorities had warned about zikas potential to cause brain damage
in the countries where zika warnings were issued there are typically about 35 million abortions per year said gilda sedgh the principal research scientist at the guttmacher institute a reproductive health research organization which was not involved in the study
so dr sedgh said the increase in demand for abortion observed by the authors in countries affected by zika could be spurious because women on web accounts for a small share of all abortions in that part of the world
the numbers could be an early warning sign of increased demand for abortion because of zika dr sedgh said adding that it is also possible that women on web might have experienced an increase in demand as a result of increased visibility of their services when health advisories were issued
access to abortion has been a contentious issue for years in many of the countries affected by zika but zika has brought fresh attention to the debate in latin america and the caribbean according to a recent study there are about 65 million abortions each year most of them are illegal and an estimated 750000 women a year are treated for complications from unsafe abortions in the region dr sedgh said
womens rights groups have long pressed for abortion restrictions to be eased
the study looked at orders for pills between nov 17 2015 when the pan american health organization issued an alert saying zika virus might be linked to a surge in infants born with tiny heads and damaged brains in brazil and march 2 of this year
it compared actual orders to the number that would have been expected based on orders during the previous five years
women on web has a history of defying legal restrictions in such countries which sometimes block access to its website or seize the packages it sends
the nonprofit also asks women unable to pay for their prescription to write an email explaining why they needed the abortion pill and could not afford it
some of the emails that came in were heartbreaking said dr abigail ra aiken a reproductive health researcher at the lyndon b johnson school of public affairs at the university of texas austin and the lead author of the study the fear and desperation was really hard to read
a woman from venezuela wrote i contracted zika 4 days ago adding i love children but i dont believe it is a wise decision to keep a baby who will suffer i need an abortion i dont know who to turn to please help me asap
an email from a woman in colombia said here zika is a major problem and the health authorities do not help with it she added i have no resources at this time and want to ask for your help because fear overwhelms me what if the baby is born sick
even more than it has increased attention on restrictive abortion laws the zika crisis has highlighted the issues of access to contraception and ways that women are ill informed about birth control or discouraged from using it in some of the countries
in the face of zika some countries have been working to increase the availability and use of contraception
women on web is an offshoot of women on waves which was founded in 1999 by dr rebecca gomperts women on waves originally sailed a dutch boat to countries that outlawed abortion took women on board and performed abortions outside a nations territorial waters
as internet access in poor countries increased dr gomperts began supplying mifepristone and misoprostol pills a combination approved by the world health organization for abortion in the first 10 weeks of a pregnancy
the women on web site is posted in five languages and tops google search results for i need an abortion


london   ask for his opinion and david howe eagerly tells you how he hopes britain will leave the european union
we need to take control of our borders he says
but these sentiments are at the moment as valuable to him as his personal views on her majestys latest hat he is more keen to know how the rest of the british electorate is inclined so he can win some money
mr howe is standing inside a william hill gambling shop near westminster home to the british parliament it is midday wednesday less than 24 hours before british voters will go to the polls to determine the political geography of europe video roulette machines flicker behind him televisions above him beam in dog races from hither and yon
a single screen attracts mr howes interest one showing the odds on the so called brexit they have in recent days tilted heavily toward britain sticking with the european union a bet of 9 pounds to remain about 1324 fetches a profit of only PS2 less than 3 by late afternoon the odds slide even more showing an 80 percent chance that voters will maintain britains place in the european union
far from a curiosity the gambling markets stand as a rare source of something approximating clarity in the face of brexit borne confusion assuming they turn out to be right
political polls have generally shown a divided electorate until last week when a member of parliament who had advocated remaining in europe was murdered a vote to leave seemed marginally likely investors absorbed polls and sent markets on a wild plunge selling the british pound and london stocks in anticipation of a brexit then those markets jumped when the polls edged back toward remain
all the while gamblers held firm signaling faith that economic concerns would ultimately triumph over the politics of identity while the margin tightened for a while the people voting with money concluded that the electorate would stick with europe
in much of the world the prospect that britain will really walk away from europe has generated unease the vote alone has unleashed troubling uncertainty through world markets as traders businesses and policy makers struggle to anticipate what might happen
but in one corner of the commercial world   the gambling industry   not knowing what will happen amounts to an exploitable asset to bookmakers uncertainty is the midwife of all wagers brexit presents the perfect swirl of unpredictable forces a potentially grave geopolitical risk that has provoked fratricide in britains ruling conservative party dominating news coverage everyone is paying attention no one knows how it will end
the betting is just massive says mike smithson founder and editor of politicalbettingcom a website that is something like a bloomberg terminal for people who wager on political events he characterizes the referendum as the biggest political betting event of all time anywhere
on tuesday and wednesday alone the brexit vote attracted wagers worth more than PS3 million 44 million most of it via online transactions and three fourths landing on remain mr smithson estimated
this is the picture that confronts mr howe 44 a chef at a nearby pub as he enters william hill wednesday afternoon aiming to use britains referendum to earn some cash
i think it will be remain but the odds are crap he says
hoping for better odds he resolves to wait before making a bet sometime in the next few hours he might bet in accord with his heart   to leave   given the financial appeal a bet for britain to abandon europe is offering the gratifying returns of the long shot a profit of PS3 about 441 for a PS1 bet about 147
i like to mix it up mr howe says recounting how he just managed to collect on a complex bet involving the european soccer championship germany won poland won and spain and croatia both scored goals combining to trigger his payout if theres no horse i like or football i like then ill put a tenner on leave
william hill the largest bookmaker in britain assumes the industry will collectively count wagers reaching PS20 million more than 29 million before the brexit results are in according to a spokesman graham sharpe the company is hopeful its own tally will eclipse the PS325 million in wagers 48 million it saw during the last giant political referendum the 2014 vote on whether scotland should leave the united kingdom in that case the polls had the race too close to call while the gambling markets got it right scotland stayed
lest one get the impression that las vegas ought to reserve dedicated space for the workings of british democracy it is worth noting that these numbers are paltry compared to the behemoths of british gambling soccer and horse racing
william hill estimates that the bookmaking industry will rack up wagers of PS500 million 735 million on the european championships a world cup final alone tends to attract PS200 million 294 million in wagers to william hills books
part of the reason betting on politics is so tiny compared to sports stems from a fact that may shock in this age of trump clinton brexit yakety yak saturation there isnt enough politics to sate the bookmakers
in betting terms there are relatively few events mr sharpe says
while political betting may be a mere niche it goes back centuries as far back as 1503 roman banking houses offered trades predicting who would emerge as the next pope from the papal conclave according to leighton vaughan williams director of the betting research unit at nottingham business school in england from the united states civil war through 1940 americans were placing bets on the presidential election on stock exchanges a practice that consistently favored the eventual winner
people trading in the betting markets are looking at all the information thats available mr vaughan williams says the polls are only one thing the people who trade in the betting markets are looking at all the information
ironically the glimpse of certainty emanating from the betting markets may be limiting the appeal of wagering on brexit
as ingrid sambade arrives at the william hill shop wednesday morning she is eager to put her money where her heart is   with europe a spaniard by birth she makes her living cleaning homes
im in she says if they go out they cant come back in so the best thing is to stay in and everyone will be happy
but ms sambade 69 is less happy when she calculates the skimpy winnings she will claim from a successful remain bet
it has terrible value for you the man behind the counter tells her he suggests she focus on more speculative questions like the margin of victory and the size of turnout
i dont bet nothing ms sambade says it dont give you much
colin hammond takes one look at the board and concurs
i think theyll stay and theres no value in that bet he says before turning his attention to his traditional area for wagering i know more about football


the gunman who committed the massacre in an orlando fla nightclub was a skilled marksman who repeatedly passed firing range tests with near perfect scores state records released wednesday showed
the gunman omar mateen took the tests nine times with at least three different handguns to obtain and keep the state firearms license he needed to work as an armed security guard
in all mr mateen fired 10 series of 48 shots at paper targets   two series for his initial licensing and then one for each license renewal each time he easily exceeded the minimum score 168 out of 240 his lowest score was 203 and on seven of his 10 series he scored 231 or higher according to the records from the florida department of agriculture and consumer services which were obtained by the group judicial watch under the states open records law
he first took the test in september 2007 using a 357 caliber smith  wesson revolver he took it several more times with a 38 caliber smith  wesson revolver though it was not clear that the same weapon was used each of those times the last test being in august 2015 and twice he used a 9 millimeter smith  wesson semiautomatic
each firing range test was accompanied by a written test mr mateen scored 100 percent most times and never below 90 percent
it was not clear how often he practiced in the june 12 attack on pulse a gay nightclub in orlando his primary weapon was an assault rifle and he also used a handgun
forty nine people were killed and 53 were wounded in the assault and mr mateen 29 who declared allegiance to the islamic state amid the slaughter was killed in a shootout with the police the fbi is investigating the shooting as an act of terrorism and also looking into the possibility that it was a hate crime
mr mateen who listed himself on the paperwork in 2007 as standing 5 feet 11 inches and weighing 220 pounds worked as an armed guard from that year until his death for g4s a major private security firm to be licensed he passed a psychological evaluation
previously he had worked briefly as a state prison guard but was dismissed before completing his training period for reasons that have not been made public


karachi pakistan   one of the most prominent pakistani singers of sufi devotional songs amjad sabri was killed by gunmen who fired into his car in karachi on wednesday raising a new outcry over sectarian and extremist violence in pakistan
a faction of the pakistani taliban claimed responsibility accusing mr sabri of being a blasphemer but officials said they were investigating the authenticity of the claim
two attackers riding a motorcycle intercepted mr sabris vehicle in the busy liaquatabad neighborhood of karachi and sprayed it with bullets then escaped mr sabri was headed to the studios of a private television news network to record a show related to ramadan the holy muslim month officials said and he died on the way to abbasi shaheed hospital at least one other person in the car possibly a relative of mr sabris according to some reports was reported hurt
it was a targeted attack said muqaddas haider a senior police officer in karachis central district who noted that mr sabri had been hit by three bullets we are investigating who could be behind the killing
mr sabri 45 was one of the foremost singers of qawwali music   the devotional songs of sufism a mystical branch of islam   and was part of a family of noted performers in 2014 mr sabri was embroiled in controversy after a morning news program played his version of a traditional qawwali song that referred to the prophet muhammad a blasphemy case was registered against the show hosts and the television network geo and mr sabri was named in the complaint
mr sabris death sent shock waves throughout the country on wednesday as condemnation poured in and people expressed anger over the killing of a beloved singer
for so many in pakistan amjad sabri was an iconic cultural ambassador of pakistan just like his ancestors were for our previous generations said shezreh mirza a prominent legal consultant i am at an utter loss to understand this senseless killing of a legend at the prime of his life pakistans soul stands tormented yet again today
as violent sectarian groups have continued to attack religious minorities and other groups in pakistan with seeming impunity revered sufi shrines and gatherings have been targeted in recent years despite a respected tradition of sufi tolerance and art in 2010 the shrine for the sufi saint abdullah shah ghazi came under attack in karachi and the same year one of the most important and largest shrines in the eastern city of lahore was targeted in a bombing that left 42 people dead sufi shrines and mosques have been repeatedly targeted in the countrys northwest
blasphemy has been another red line for extremist violence with mere accusations of blasphemous speech frequently leading to vigilante attacks even if the case had not been taken up in court under pakistans widely criticized blasphemy laws
the killing of mr sabri has also put the spotlight back on violence in karachi where just on monday unidentified gunmen kidnapped the son of the sindh high courts chief justice karachi the countrys biggest city and commercial hub has also long been known for extremist and political violence
the sindh rangers a provincial paramilitary force under the direction of the pakistani military has been conducting a campaign against armed political groups and militants in the city but the muttahida qaumi movement a political party that has traditionally controlled the city has accused the rangers of extrajudicial killings and intimidation rangers and rights activists say the party has used violence and political assassinations to control the port city in the past few decades
soon after mr sabris killing farooq sattar a senior party leader questioned the effectiveness of the rangers presence and said mr sabri had expressed security concerns to him but mr sattar stopped short of naming who he thought was behind the killing using the vague term extremist elements
another party leader mustafa azizabadi said on twitter that mr sabri was being pressured to join a new political party pak sar zameen that was formed by breakaway muttahida qaumi movement leaders and is believed to have the backing of the countrys powerful military establishment he said mr sabris refusal to join had led to threats
the muttahida qaumi movement has announced a three day mourning for mr sabri in karachi
outside mr sabris house in liaquatabad residents congregated to offer condolences to the singers family shopping areas and businesses were shut down in the neighborhood
i cannot believe it aashiq hussain a student at the university of karachi said standing outside mr sabris residence yesterday night i listened his song live on a tv channel


in a move designed to upgrade a conspicuously ineffectual backcourt the knicks completed a blockbuster deal with the chicago bulls on wednesday and acquired point guard derrick rose who won the most valuable player award in 2011 before struggling with a string of serious knee injuries
in exchange for rose   as well as guard justin holiday and a 2017 second round draft pick   the knicks sent center robin lopez point guard jose calderon and point guard jerian grant to the bulls
this is an exciting day for new york and our fans knicks coach jeff hornacek said in a statement sent out by the team derrick is one of the top point guards in the nba who is playoff battle tested he adds a whole new dynamic to our roster and immediately elevates our backcourt
the acquisition of rose 27 splashy as it was came chock full of question marks for the knicks
at the least the move added another alluring boldface name to a team that already featured carmelo anthony and kristaps porzingis rose who was named rookie of the year in 2009 and made the all star team the next three seasons has long been one of the most recognizable faces in the league
yet many believe roses best seasons are in the past and he has been known better over the last few years for his lengthy stints on the bulls disabled list he played in only 100 games from the 2011 12 season to the 2014 15 season and sat out the entire 2012 13 campaign last season he appeared in 66 games for the bulls and averaged 164 points and 47 assists in 318 minutes per game
rose was also accused of sexual battery in a lawsuit filed last year by a former girlfriend who charged that he and two other men had drugged her and sexually assaulted her in 2013 rose has denied the allegations and a trial is scheduled to begin in october
whatever risks or rewards rose may bring his tenure with the knicks could be short he has one year left on his contract with a base salary of about 213 million for the coming season
holiday a 27 year old 6 foot 6 guard averaged 45 points in 53 games for the atlanta hawks and the bulls last season
as the knicks tried to solidify their backcourt they created another hole in their roster with the departure of lopez the move could compel them to pursue a free agent big man in the coming weeks
lopez joined the team as a free agent last summer and after a slow start found his stride in the second half of the season he started all 82 games and averaged 103 points and 73 rebounds his bruising presence at the center position allowed porzingis a rookie last season to adjust to the pace and physicality of the nba
calderon 34 started 72 games for the knicks and averaged 76 points and 42 assists grant 23 was a first round pick in the 2015 draft he inherited the starting point guard job from calderon in the final days of the knicks 2015 16 season which they finished 32 50
the knicks also announced on wednesday that they had waived guard tony wroten
into that newly vacated space arrives rose who was born in chicago and played one season at memphis before becoming the no 1 pick in the 2008 nba draft
rose exploded into the nba and became the youngest player to win the leagues mvp award at 22 he was a physical dynamo in those early years he sprang and slashed in his signature drives to the hoop and his overwhelming athleticism helped to mask his deficiencies shooting from outside rose played in 240 games in his first three seasons in the league and he averaged 209 points and 67 assists in that time
a spate of injuries in recent years has kept him from reaching those same heights it began in the 2011 12 season the bulls finished that season tied for the best record in the league but in the first game of the postseason rose tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and he missed all of the following season as a result of the injury
in november 2013 just 10 games into the season rose tore the meniscus of his right knee and missed the rest of the season he sustained the same injury in february 2015 the following season and missed 20 more games
last september he sustained a fracture in his left eye socket after taking an elbow to the face in practice and had to undergo yet another operation
the sum of those injuries left him a shadow of his former self once he returned to the court he has a chance to re emerge in the spotlight next season with the knicks


it has been a year dominated by populist rage embodied in bernie sanderss calls for a political revolution and donald j trumps angry assertions that the united states and its workers are losing badly in the global economy
in an economic policy speech on wednesday hillary clinton gave this message i alone am the candidate who knows how to turn those underlying frustrations into actual policies that might make things better she offered herself as someone who would not merely vent voters anger but respond to that anger by pulling the levers of the federal bureaucracy and creating legislation that can be scored by the congressional budget office and just maybe pass a senate committee
its not easy to change washington or how corporations behave mrs clinton the presumptive democratic presidential nominee said before exuberant supporters in raleigh nc a day after a speech blasting mr trumps business record ethics and often erratic policy positions it takes more than stern words or a flashy slogan it takes a plan and it takes experience and the ability to work with both parties to get results
unlike her primary opponent mr sanders she did not promise to provide free college tuition or to break up major banks she instead said she would make sure students could graduate without a debt hangover and clamp down on banks in ways that would probably lead them to shrink
unlike her republican opponent mr trump she did not propose ripping up trade deals and risking trade wars with the likes of china and mexico but she did say her administration would use the tax code to punish companies that outsource jobs
notably she also did not proclaim the greatness of the obama era economy and pledge continuity that was a contrast with two other modern era candidates who ran to succeed a two term president from their party amid a strong economy al gore in 2000 and george hw bush in 1988
this carefully rolled out speech suggests she seeks to run not by boasting of what has gone right in the economy under president obama but as a fixer who can more successfully deal with the things that are still broken
the obama administration has stressed that private sector job growth has been strong for the last several years and that the unemployment rate is now down to 47 percent but in her speech mrs clinton emphasized the longer term divergence between worker productivity and wages the tendency of companies to view employee compensation as a cost to be minimized and she spoke of the struggles of the long term unemployed people who can find only part time work and those who are out of the labor force entirely
in effect mrs clinton acknowledged the underlying economic discontent that has fueled the rise of mr sanders and mr trump while presenting herself as the person best qualified to address it
the bottom line is that too many leaders in business and government have lost sight of our shared responsibility to each other and to our nation she said they let wall street take big risks with unregulated financial activities they skew our tax code toward the wealthy they failed to enforce our trade rules they undermined workers rights
mrs clinton thus emphasized policies that have potential for deal making even in a polarized congress or that could be executed through administrative action
in the first category she mentioned large scale investment in public infrastructure funding long term investments in the nations future with a mix of public and private resources business interests and many elected republicans support ideas in this vein at least in theory
she also mentioned immigration reform as a tool for economic improvement another idea that businesspeople and many republicans support recall that an immigration bill created in part by marco rubio who in a slightly different universe might be mrs clintons general election opponent was one vote in the house of representatives away from becoming law not long ago
in the category of administrative action mrs clinton was vague but clear about her intention to use the machinery of government to nudge things in workers favor she said she would continue to crack down on wage theft and abuse of overtime rules suggesting that she would if anything seek to expand obama administration rules to make more workers eligible for time and a half pay and use government authority to fight employers that try to shortchange employees
the policy steps she described had mostly been put forward by her campaign already so it is hard to describe the speech as a step toward the left in hopes of corralling sanders voters or to the center in hopes of broadening her appeal to the general electorate rather the speech framed her place in the race as being the candidate who understands the populist discontent but will react to it with practicality that carries risks too
after all president obama has spent his entire second term following the same basic strategy of looking for lanes for bipartisan cooperation on things like infrastructure spending and immigration overhaul while using the federal bureaucracy to try to tilt the playing field toward workers within the confines of current law as the election advances mrs clinton will be vulnerable to the charge that she is promising to do the same things as mr obama has but with the hope of getting better results for american workers
politicians campaign in poetry and govern in prose mrs clintons message on wednesday was that she will campaign and govern with a five point plan drawn up by subject area experts incorporating the full range of potential legislative and administrative tools available to the next president


mumbai india   jews in the indian state of maharashtra were granted minority status this week a decision that was celebrated by local jewish leaders though they said they were still trying to grasp the full range of benefits jews might derive from the new status
there are about 4500 jews among indias population of more than 12 billion people and about 3000 of them live in maharashtra according to unofficial estimates by judah samuel the president of the shaare rason synagogue who collected the data to submit to minority affairs minister najma heptulla
the indian jewish congress has also applied for minority status from the central government and is awaiting a decision
after mr samuel submitted the application for minority status in maharashtra last year jews were granted formal recognition exceptionally fast he said
solomon sopher president of the indian jewish congress who helped mr samuel with the petition said that the recognition should have been granted years earlier when indias government was led by the indian national congress party but that officials at that time dragged their feet
the contribution of the jews was no less than what the parsees did for india mr sopher said referring to another religious minority so it was an important matter and the congress government didnt take it seriously mr samuel added that he was pleased by how quickly the current government led by the bharatiya janata party had acted on the request
the jews feel very connected to india which is our motherland while israel is our fatherland mr samuel said our loyalty also lies with india this being the country that accepted us almost 2500 years ago and one of the only countries in the world which never persecuted the jews in all these years
minority status ensures that jews are separately counted by the census and it grants other benefits and concessions though some jewish leaders were not certain what they might be we at least feel that we are accepted officially by the government and the main benefit is the observance of our high holidays mr sopher said
other jewish leaders suggested that the state government would subsidize trips to jerusalem contribute to the maintenance of cemeteries and synagogues provide scholarships for jewish children allow the reservation of seats for jews applying to educational institutes run by their own community and ease registrations of birth deaths and marriages
were a very small community and weve never asked for anything special mr samuel said but were elated with the new status


nearly one month after a shooting at the irving plaza concert hall in manhattan that left one dead and several others injured the rapper troy ave pleaded not guilty on wednesday to attempted second degree murder and four counts of criminal possession of a weapon
seated in a wheelchair and wearing a crisp white versace tennis shirt the rapper whose real name is roland collins raised a fist to the friends and family members who packed into the courtroom in state supreme court for the arraignment
mr collins 33 was not charged with murder in the shooting that killed his friend ronald mcphatter 33 during the may 25 concert that featured the rapper ti at the club in union square though mr collins is shown in a surveillance video firing a gun his lawyers said he was not responsible for mr mcphatters death
who fired the gun and caused the death and the injuries were saying it was not troy scott e leemon one of the lawyers said outside the courtroom scientific evidence will support our position that the way the bullets came into the victims could not have been done by troy
the eight second video from the concert site shows a man identified by the police as mr collins wielding a gun as he burst through the door of a third floor lounge at irving plaza as concertgoers pressed against a balcony on the tape the gunman enters the room followed by two other men he then searches for his target fires one round pauses and lifts the weapon once again before moving out of the cameras view
in a second video taken inside the green room and posted on the tmz website an altercation unfolds in which a group of men appears to be mediating a dispute when three gunshots ring out a man is then heard telling everyone to get down and some people comply while others race for the exits a fourth gunshot is heard and a woman can be heard shouting my leg a man in a white shirt can be seen lying on the floor the lights then go dark and a fifth gunshot sounds
when the shooting was over mr mcphatter who was also a bodyguard for mr collins was dead three other people including mr collins were shot and three others were injured in the stampede of people racing away from the melee
the charges against mr collins relate only to what happened on the balcony the prosecutors said the episode in the green room remains under investigation the case was adjourned to july 1 when mr collinss lawyers mr leemon and john stella will try to get their client released on bail mr collins was shot in both legs and requires physical therapy mr stella said
we honestly believe that there was a struggle on the floor and that struggle was a struggle for a gun and that shots were fired during that struggle and our client didnt fire any of those shots mr stella said of the episode in the green room
soon after the shooting mr collins arrived at nyu langone medical center in a minivan in the vehicle officers recovered three firearms including a kel tec pf 9 semiautomatic pistol that ballistics tests confirmed was the sole gun used in the shooting the police said mr collins was arrested the next day
robert k boyce the chief of detectives for the new york police department said there was no evidence that any other weapon had been used but investigators had not ruled out the possibility that someone other than mr collins had also fired the pistol
on wednesday justice ronald a zweibel said that mr collins faced additional weapons possession charges for the two other guns which were included in the indictment justice zweibel also agreed to the prosecutions request that mr collins undergo a cheek swab for dna testing
the killing set off a racially charged debate about whether rap music glorifies violence or whether the lyrics represent a dramatized rendering of the artists worlds mayor bill de blasio and the police commissioner william j bratton offered clashing assessments of the underlying problem in a radio interview mr bratton called rap artists thugs who celebrated violence drugs and misogyny mr de blasio disagreed and said the nation needed to tighten its gun control laws
in the wake of the shooting live nation the concert company that operates irving plaza postponed three rap concerts that had been scheduled there for the next week as well as three concerts at another venue in the city
though mr collins remained mostly silent in court on wednesday he has made his position clear this month mr collins released a mix tape partially recorded over the phone from the rikers island jail complex called free troy ave on the opening track he professes his innocence and describes taking a gun from a man who tried to assassinate me and turning the tables round like a g
it aint the end of troy ave not at all he says this is just the beginning


for generations of gays and lesbians especially those for whom walking into the sometime secret and darkened doorway of one was often the first step in the coming out process gay bars have long held a significant place in their personal histories
that was never more apparent than in the days following the mass shootings at pulse the gay nightclub in orlando fla in which 49 patrons lost their lives and which prompted many to recall the nights they had spent in similar settings and the sense of community they found there
i cant tell you how many bars and clubs ive been to over the years the cnn newsman anderson cooper told the new york times last week every gay man in america remembers the first time they went to a gay bar and how they felt
i dont want to sound like im speaking for the gay community said mr cooper who publicly acknowledged his sexual orientation in 2012 but it certainly resonates very deeply for me
below some other prominent gays and lesbians recall what gay bars meant to them as they began to embrace their sexuality some eagerly and some nervously
television host and producer
i used to sneak away from my straight friends at boston university and go to chaps gay bars often have hypermasculine names in bostons back bay it was quite literally like stepping into another world when i moved to new york in 1990 the works on columbus avenue and uncle charlies on greenwich avenue were where i built a community of friends pre internet gay bars were integral in our social development they were an escape from the often unfriendly outside world packed every night of the week and everyone inside was a friend
playwright author and activist
in 1953 gay bars were scary i was a freshman at yale i thought i was the only gay man there i overheard some guys making snide and sneering references to a place called pirellis where the fairies went i was lonely very so i went it was a knock three times and whisper low kind of place only a few blocks from campus surely id meet a guy from yale here
when the smoke cleared i saw 30 or so men all much older and definitely not collegiate eventually a middle ager spoke to me would i like to go for a ride we drove for miles looking for a place to do it we did it parked in some wilderness a distance from new haven he drove me back to yale and then he drove home hed come all the way from hartford to find his gay bar
this was my coming out at yale except nobody knew it but me and i was still lonely very it would still be a bunch of years before gay bars would start being less scary and a lot of fun
actress
the first gay bar i ever went to was the cubbyhole when it was on hudson street in the west village it would have been around 1984 which made me 23 ish and i was fresh out of graduate school i looked very straight and very midwestern cornfed i walked around the block before i got the nerve to go in because the lady bouncers looked so fearsome and eyed me suspiciously
when i finally tried to walk in the door lady stopped me and asked do you know where you are this is a lesbian bar
yeah i know i said nonchalantly as if id been walking into dyke bars since the beginning of time
host of msnbcs the rachel maddow show
the first time i went to a gay bar was in 1990 thanks to a fairly terrible fake id that i bought for 25 i was 17 years old and equally scared of being caught for being underage and of being recognized by anyone i knew i dont even think i ordered a beer i just remember frantically playing pinball and not speaking to anyone the whole time i was there that fake id was my lifeline for years because it got me into the only places where i could find the gay community that i so wanted to be part of gay bars and clubs were the alpha and the omega for me then i wish i still had that terrible fake arizona drivers license   i think my alter ego from that id her name was ann would be 48 years old by now i still have her same haircut
actor and comedian
my first gay bar in new york was the duplex because it was kind of a soft launch into the gay world my good friend diane davis and i used to get up onstage after a few drinks and sing sun and moon from miss saigon that may have been my first gay bar over all i went to school at northwestern and lived with a bunch of gay guys and we would go out to boystown the big strip of gay bars in chicago there was one called charlies chicago which was a gay country and western bar i was like im gay but im not into this thats where i started to draw some lines
actress
between my junior and senior year of high school i drove an ice cream truck in my hometown belleville ill my truck broke down near this little bar called lils tavern i had heard rumblings about this tavern i had an aunt and uncle who lived near there so we would barbecue with them and i heard words bandied about like bulldyke and he she i knew they would have a phone where i could call the boss so i went in and in the corner was a table with six big ol butch dykes like monster butch dykes i had never seen one before it was noon or so and it was completely empty except for these six huge dykes playing poker and one of them looked up at me and yelled hey baby butch ill never forget it i did one of those look around takes like oh shes talking to me
performer
rialto tap in chicago was the first black gay bar i went to and what i really remember was the cracked tile dance floor this was when everyone was playing raw house music and bands like heaven 17 and yazoo after that i went to cod as in cash on delivery thats where i first heard frankie knuckles i was there underage with a fake id i was a trans person so i was an outsider but it was where people went to dance and get away from the everyday it was acceptance it was no fear i told my parents i was staying at a friends house
novelist we the animals
when i was 20 21 and i liked to go out in a knee length red skirt with a duck patch on it which i paired with a hoodie and chuck taylors i remember one night on the walk to the stud in san francisco a man took me in with disgust   my hairy legs my painted lips   and called me a faggot in that quiet direct way that always seems particularly menacing looking straight into my eyes i remember dancing particularly hard that night i remember needing to feel beautiful and catching glimpses in the mirrored wall of my hairy legs coming out under that skirt catching glimpses of my desperate twirling i remember my boyfriend was there smiling at me lovingly bemused and then another man who sidled up to me at the bar when i paused for beer said to me girl you are figuring it out tonight on that dance floor and i was and i still am
actress and comedian
it was 1980 maybe 1981 i was   19 living at my dads home in commack long island my neighbor was housing a relative from england for the summer we were both gay newbies there was only one gay club that we knew of i think it was called thunders in french the word for lightning is eclair how i remembered that from ninth grade french no idea i asked my dad if i could use the car to go out where to he asked at 10 pm on a friday night the bakery i said to get eclairs silence and then he said ok peter and i drove the dented white volare to the strip mall in commack we danced the night away   drinking bud light i felt happy and free on the way home we made sure to stop at the candlelight diner   around 2 am   to pick up eclairs dad was clueless from that day on bakery was our code word for gay bar
broadcaster and author
on a sunday night in july 1991 at a sprawling complex called tracks in the district of columbia i found thousands of young black gay men and lesbians at times as i walked around the three dance floors it seemed as though everyone in washington was gay the men at the gym the parishioners at my church the salespeople at the department stores even the guards at the white house were there but here unlike the white gay clubs the patrons appreciated and in fact reveled in black beauty for the first time in my life i felt not only desirous of others but desirable to them as well
cartoonist author of the graphic memoir fun home
my first gay bar was satans in akron ohio i was in college and a bunch of us drove an hour and a half to get there i was used to feeling like a total alien when i was in any kind of social group but that night in the large mixed crowd there werent enough gay people to support a separate club for women i experienced the profound existential relief for once of not being the only queer a year later in 1981 i moved to new york there was a lot of routine anti gay hostility on the street even in sheridan square on a weekend night youd get hassled for holding hands but then youd step past the bouncer at the duchess and you were home free the bar had its own perils   no one ever paid the slightest attention to me there   but it afforded me the space to just be with my guard down and that was salvational
president the ford foundation
in 1978 my freshman year at the university of texas my sophisticated friend kenneth would drive us in his new cutlass to a bar called austin country it was a giant converted warehouse with bars encircling the dance floor and the biggest disco ball in austin i still can hear karen young belting out hot shot i remember the closeted fraternity boys who had just dropped their dates at the sorority house   and the girls who loved to spin and gyrate on the dance floor earning the attention of adoring gay boys by my senior year the mood was changing we were focused on getting into law school or business school or landing a job tragically aids was beginning its deadly devastating advance the frivolity of those fast fulsome fleeting days has long since given way but in that infectious music to borrow a phrase from sylvester we were made to feel mighty real
author and playwright
when i was a teenage apprentice in summer stock i went to my first gay bar in suburban connecticut i dont remember the bars name but the parking lot was packed with station wagons the atmosphere was friendly and the outfits were from sears and brooks brothers i remember thinking that if i said dad lots of guys would turn around
author the noonday demon far  away
there were two gay bars in the neighborhood where i grew up one was uncle charlies uptown the other had a punning name i didnt understand at the time camp david i haunted them promenading back and forth with our family dog whom i had to walk after dinner and trying to see past the darkened windows and curtained doors simultaneously hoping and fearing that one of those men in tight jeans would want to strike up an intimacy as he exited by the time i was old enough to enter such an establishment i had my own tight jeans and inchoate prospects but contrary to so many narratives of relief at finding a gay context my initial experience was primarily of anxiety because to be where the least acceptable aspect of myself was the explicit topic made me feel more naked than the go go boys it was boy bar on st marks place and i clung to someone i knew named debbie who was temporarily lesbian sex was already easy to find though it unnerved me love was not unimaginable though i didnt yet have the hang of it ease and dignity however had seemed incompatible with my gayness until my sweaty june bar visit set me on a new path one that much later led me to marrying my husband having our children and becoming an activist for lgbtq rights
potter and designer
providence ri 1989 im at my local gay watering hole the no name aka no shame frivolously dancing to bronski beat in walks a dude from new york who was a member of act up wearing a leather jacket that said dont tread on me it was a defining moment for me it was about gay empowerment it was about not getting messed with and it was about the importance of addressing an existential crisis head on i moved to new york the next year
co founder opening ceremony and co creative director kenzo
wonder b r was one of my favorite new york haunts i remember it was on a really random night and it was pretty quiet   maybe 10 people in the bar of the 10 people in the back was madonna and her little crew just going out on a tuesday night my friend girl robin used to dj there so we would go and this time it was me and my six friends   trying to play it cool as much as we could
playwright and producer
it was the roosterfish a dingy nautical gay bar in venice beach in los angeles i went to stupidly try and find a gay surfer who loved didion ed ruscha and tecate i ended up with a reagan era republican boy with red hair a supply side economics fanatic from pepperdine up the coast in malibu we made out in the back i found his politics repulsively erotic there was a jukebox and i think it had dennis wilsons ultra cool pacific ocean blue on it which i loved we went back to my place and i explored the dichotomy between lust and politics
fashion and costume designer
my first early experience that i remember was my trips to provincetown mass and it was fun and liberating it occupied a couple of years of my life during my early 20s provincetown was a gay destination a mecca where gay people at that time could feel comfortable and celebratory it was particularly attractive because the gay society in the early 60s was much more underground in the big cities i would describe it as an escape from big city gay reality provincetown was a free and open space lots of great performers people out to have fun and this is exactly what it was to me
creative director altuzarra
the first gay club i went to was le queen in paris when i was in high school it still exists   its on the champs elysees   but it was an institution at the time i was probably 16 and i remember being very stressed out about going i was really new to that sort of scene i remember it being very dark and no one talking to me i think i stayed about an hour an hour and a half   not dancing not drinking though im sure i was bopping around in my dark corner i think at the time i thought i was going to find a boyfriend if i went out or become friends with people which clearly doesnt happen in a dance y techno club in paris but it felt very exhilarating it was my first time interacting with other gay people even though i wasnt really interacting with them   at least i was in their presence that was a very powerful thing
psychologist and former national basketball association player
im from manchester england so we have a very vibrant gay community that is very well integrated there was an area called the village i used to go there with my sister with my friends routinely in the us i felt differently about it i lived in arizona in scottsdale while i played in the league i went to a little bar there called bs west i remember walking in that first time quite tentatively with a group of my friends immediately i get a drink i turn around and i see someone at the bar and say damn it i know that guy it was bill kennedy the nba ref who came out recently what are the chances that you walk into a bar and theres a ref
i didnt talk to him the first time later i did talk to him and it was amazingly reassuring in scottsdale in that bar we met other players and other officials from other sports not just pro athletes but college athletes as well it was fascinating to feel my world expanded the feeling that you have that there are no other gay people in sports evaporated quickly
fashion consultant
uncle charlies in 1983 was the original social network i moved to new york in january of 1983 fresh off the boat from salina kan the first place i went was the gay bar it gave me permission to be me there was such a culture of going out after work then everybody went to uncle charlies
fashion designer
the first gay club i went to was probably when i was 16 it was called city nights in san francisco i remember i would have to get a fake id as it was an 18 and over club but all my friends were older at that point because i lived by myself in sf and made friends from just going out night life was my escape from the day to day i would go every thursday hip hop night i was very lucky to have the community i grew up in be so supportive
singer and songwriter
i came out when i was pretty young i might have even been 13 but lets just say 14 to be somewhat respectable montreal had a pretty decadent gay scene there was a lot of cruising and tons of bathhouses my first gay bar was this place called alcatraz i was alone   i kind of snuck out of my house wearing spandex i was from westmount which was a more well to do area and alcatraz was in a poor french neighborhood so i was like this lost little rich boy wearing a cravat i didnt actually have that much sex per se but it was fun and exciting but it was also scary i was just trying to figure my way out i knew instinctively that the path that my life would take was through that barroom door
cnn anchor
i was deeply closeted in college everybody was it was the 1980s it was the south and people didnt come out then as quickly as they do now with my friends mostly straight frat guys i would frequent a popular college bar at lsu called the bengal on highland road in baton rouge la but inevitably i would sneak off very carefully to the bars down the road just past the straight bar one was named xanthus an alternative bar where the bouncer was a girl named big hair by the way hair and i are still friends to this day
the dance floor there was filled with punk rockers bow heads sorority girls gay boys lesbians and every kind of person under the sun and i loved it but the flat out gay bar was a bit harder to navigate because it was across the street and one could easily be spotted entering and leaving after i finally built up the liquid courage to do it i never turned back the eclectic music the light show the cute guys milling about the club kids dancing on speakers it was gay heaven i didnt have to pretend anymore i was finally at home
actress and musician
my first gay bar was a lesbian dive called the egyptian e room in portland ore it had a terrible layout a series of cramped dank rooms all seemingly accidental add ons like a human habitrail there were baby dyke couples twinned out with matching tongue rings and spiky hair uniformed post office ladies construction workers power lezzies in paula poundstone blazers and butches taking up space at the bar or around the pool table manspreading because they could i think i went to the e room as much to witness another womans freedom as i did to get a sense of my own a gay bar is ours its ours like putty its ours like clay the environment is both ridiculous and profound but we get to decide when its one or both or neither only away from the glare of homophobia could we experience malleability a flexing of the self a full rotation who knew there were 360 degrees


the bouncer at the door was wearing white latex gloves
it wasnt a typical sight on a thursday night at julius the gay bar in the west village that recently received historic registry status by the state at a place where a cursory id check is usually as tight as security gets the doorman was now stationed outside checking bags and frisking customers before letting them through the doors
those who went out for a smoke were frisked a second time before being allowed back in and then again every time they needed a nicotine fix after the fourth time it started to get a little awkward for everyone
but it was four days after the horrific mass shooting during latin night at pulse the gay nightclub in orlando fla everyone seemed to understand that things were a little different
you know everyones reeling from a tragedy said tyler waage the 30 year old julius bartender who on this night had been charged with guarding the bars rear entrance the tone is definitely a bit more somber
somber maybe but also galvanized almost everyone who spoke mentioned going to the emotional vigil three nights earlier at the stonewall a few blocks away now people were in a fighting spirit
were in a different place than we were last year said brian landman 38 who works in visual merchandising when asked about the annual gay pride march on sunday the march in recent years after a string of decisive victories for marriage equality has taken the jubilant but somewhat desultory air of a pep rally for an undefeated football team people are in more of a powerful here we are hear our roar we are not sitting down kind of mood
maybe that roar was coming later for now it seemed as if everyone just wanted everyone to be among friends and everyone counted as a friend it was a marked difference from the cliquishness and gamesmanship that sometimes sets the tone at gay bars
the mattachine party named for the gay rights organization that held an early protest at julius was about to begin and a younger arty crowd was beginning to arrive cramming themselves cheek by jowl with the older happy hour crowd its a rare bar where young hunks in tank tops mix easily with elderly men in wheelchairs and on this night it invoked a spirit of brotherhood that seemed more important than ever
it feels a little softer said reid rutledge a 27 year old graphic designer with a tiny diamond stud earring i think people realize they need to be more supportive
that didnt stop anyone from dancing the line outside grew until it stretched halfway down the block and the bars owner helen buford arrived to help check people at the door
the actor and director john cameron mitchell mattachines co founder and guiding spirit bopped like a chilled out elf in the makeshift dj booth as the dance area filled up in a corner by the bar the gawker media owner nick denton a week removed from his companys much discussed bankruptcy filing had a perpetually sheepish look why do people keep pointing at that guy someone asked
outside the sidewalk had become crowded with smokers and people taking a break from the music stephen winter a 44 year old filmmaker with a cloud of curly gray hair leaned against the exterior wall interrupting his train of thought to greet friends as they paraded by he was thinking about the past
twenty years ago when i was in my 20s i was looking for my elders and they werent there he said they were either dead or ravaged by their grief and struggle we were an orphan generation we kind of had to raise ourselves
mr winter considered his words for a moment
we never forgot that while we were dancing or doing our thing that there was literal blood that had been shed in order to get us there he said
not everyone was in the mood for such contemplation a few minutes later a little after 1130 a disheveled gentleman was being dragged drunkenly down west 10th street by his friends i want to go home he screamed at them youre not going to make a joke out of me i want to go home
his carriage clearly was about to turn into a pumpkin
the party went on without him julian fleisher a 44 year old singer who came to new york during the height of the aids crisis stood outside smoking with a few friends he considered what the shootings in orlando meant for the years gay pride march and for the future
this year its a political statement he said its not just a bourgie celebration of you know my registry at   whats it   restoration hardware its a real political act weve got to be together weve got to look out for each other and hold on to each other tight


london   politicians campaigning for and against british withdrawal from the european union fanned out on wednesday in a final frenetic effort to build support on the eve of a referendum that could reshape the nations place in the world and upend the continents dreams of closer integration
with polls showing a statistical dead heat both sides went all out to motivate their supporters to vote on thursday while financial markets and european leaders braced for the possibility that britain could be the first nation to leave the 28 member bloc reflecting the stakes and the tension about the outcome the tone of the campaigning remained negative to the end complete with invocations of economic ruin and an allusion to the nazis
voters will be asked a single simple question in the referendum should the united kingdom remain a member of the european union or leave the european union
a record number of voters   just shy of 465 million   have registered to take part polls will be open from 7 am to 10 pm the countrys electoral commission said it anticipated a result on friday morning around breakfast time but cautioned that there was considerable uncertainty around the timing
the issue of a british exit or brexit has deeply divided the governing conservative party split families and neighborhoods underscored the shortcomings of the brussels bureaucracy and fueled the hopes of anti european union populists across the continent
prime minister david cameron closed out the campaign for remaining in the european union with an argument that britain will be more prosperous if it stays in the single european market of 500 million people   and he warned that there was no going back from a decision to leave
you cant jump out the airplane and then clamber back through the cockpit hatch he told the bbc
john major a former conservative prime minister who also supports staying in the bloc said that while the voters wishes must be respected if they vote to leave on the basis of half truths and untruths and misunderstandings then pretty soon the gravediggers of our prosperity will have some very serious questions to answer
the former london mayor boris johnson a conservative who is the most prominent face of the leave campaign crisscrossed the country on wednesday starting at londons billingsgate fish market he got a rousing ovation when he declared in a televised debate on tuesday night that thursday can be our countrys independence day
nigel farage the leader of the uk independence party who has long campaigned against membership in the bloc denounced the european union as a project of elites declaring this referendum is the people versus the establishment
in a last minute controversy michael gove the justice secretary and a leader of the campaign to leave the bloc likened economists who warned of the dire consequences of withdrawal to nazi financed researchers who once denounced einstein mr cameron said that mr gove had lost it and mr gove apologized on wednesday
some polls showed the remain side with a slight edge and others showed the leave side ahead but in most cases surveys showed the race within the margin of sampling error a poll of polls compiled by the financial times found that the campaign was ending close to a dead heat
financial markets have been more confident that britain will vote to stay in the bloc with the pound rising in value against the dollar this week on wednesday the pound held steady close to its high against the dollar this year
bettors too have been putting their money on the remain camps winning on wednesday afternoon the odds implied an 80 percent chance of britain voting to stay with europe
one sign of hope for the remain campaign most polls before the september 2014 referendum on whether scotland should secede from the united kingdom showed that contest to be neck and neck but voters broke fairly decisively   553 percent to 447 percent   in favor of the status quo some analysts say the same tendency of late deciding voters to break toward the safety of the status quo and away from the risk of change will be at play this time around
the general assumption is that those voters who want to quit the european union including older people are more motivated than those who prefer to stay in europe including younger people and that the remain campaign will therefore face the bigger challenge in turning out its supporters
the leave campaigns base of support is expected to be among low income voters those without university degrees and older people it is expected to run strongest in england
the remain camp is likely to do well in london and other big cities and with better educated and more cosmopolitan voters it is expected to perform strongly in northern ireland and in university towns where students see advantages in being able to work freely in other european nations
scotland is also strong territory for the remain camp though there is some evidence of political fatigue there
my worry is turnout in scotland and uk wide said alyn smith a member of the european parliament with the scottish national party who backs the remain camp it is quite clear that the people who have committed themselves to leave will crawl across glass to get to the polling stations and on the remain side its much more why are we doing this 
matthew goodwin a professor of politics and international relations at the university of kent has written that the remain camp was apparently more strategic in focusing its efforts on areas of strong support while the leave campaign had not done enough to lure votes in working class areas of northern england where its message has resonated
leaders in europe have largely tried to avoid intervening in the referendum though they have nearly universally urged british voters to remain fearing a domino effect if britain leaves and a boost to populist parties that are growing in popularity from germany and the netherlands to greece and spain
prime minister matteo renzi of italy urged british voters on wednesday to stay with europe writing in the guardian that britain would be less great if it were to leave
but marine le pen the leader of the national front in france said in a televised interview on tuesday that i would vote for brexit even though i believe that france has a thousand more reasons to leave the european union than great britain does she cited frances membership in the passport free schengen zone and in the eurozone britain is not part of either
what does it mean whatever the result that the european union is decaying that there are cracks everywhere   what do we do she asked do we wait for the flood do we wait for the explosion or do we get around a table and build the europe of nations which will replace the totalitarian european union to which we are subjected today


mark zuckerberg is one of the most powerful men in the world because billions of people give facebook which he founded free access to their personal data in return users receive carefully curated snapshots of his life baby photos mundane office tours and the occasional 5k
on tuesday observers were reminded that mr zuckerberg 32 is not just a normal guy who enjoys running and quiet dinners with friends in a photo posted to his facebook account he celebrated the growing user base of instagram which is owned by facebook an eagle eyed twitter user named chris olson noticed that in the images background his laptop camera and microphone jack appeared to be covered with tape
other publications including gizmodo used the tweet to raise the question was this paranoia or just good practice
the taped over camera and microphone jack are usually a signal that someone is concerned perhaps only vaguely about hackers gaining access to his or her devices by using remote access trojans   a process called ratting remote access is not limited to ratters according to a cache of national security agency documents leaked by edward j snowden at least two government designed programs were devised to take over computer cameras and microphones
security experts supported the taping for a few good reasons
 the first is that mr zuckerberg is a high value target
i think zuckerberg is sensible to take these precautions graham cluley an online security expert and consultant wrote in an email wednesday as well as intelligence agencies and conventional online criminals who might be interested in targeting his billions there are no doubt plenty of mischievous hackers who would find it amusing to spy upon such a high profile figure
 the second is that covering photo video and audio portals has long been a basic and cheap security safeguard
covering the camera is a very common security measure lysa myers a security researcher at the data security firm eset said in an email if you were to walk around a security conference you would have an easier time counting devices that dont have something over the camera
 third mr zuckerberg is not immune to security breaches
a recent hacking of his twitter and linkedin accounts shows that he most likely committed two basic privacy faux pas he may have used the same password across several websites and did not use two factor authentication
judging from his photo however it appears that mr zuckerberg was taking simple precautions to protect himself from anyone who may try to gain remote access the practice is fairly technologically simple hackers trick people into clicking on links or unfamiliar websites containing malware that allows them access to the devices
mr zuckerberg is not the only high profile case james comey the director of the fbi told students at kenyon college in april that he also puts tape over his computers webcam for surprisingly simple reasons according to npr
i saw something in the news so i copied it mr comey said i put a piece of tape   i have obviously a laptop personal laptop   i put a piece of tape over the camera because i saw somebody smarter than i am had a piece of tape over their camera
people who are not billionaires or high ranking government officials are not without risk said stephen cobb a senior security researcher at eset
for people who are not ceos the threat is people scanning the internet for accessible webcams for a range of motives from voyeurism to extortion mr cobb wrote in an email
experts dont have a good estimate for how often such attacks occur but according to a 2015 report released by the nonprofit digital citizens alliance the practice is a growing problem for consumers especially young women the report also said that trojans account for some 70 percent of all malware
theyve been one of the most popular types of malware on every operating system for quite a long time ms myers of eset said the best ways to protect against them are to update all your software on your machine regularly and use reputable security software including anti malware and a firewall


a day after the massacre in a gay nightclub in orlando fla thousands of gay and transgender men and women gathered outside the stonewall inn in greenwich village for a vigil where mayor bill de blasio among others was to speak before the names of the dead were to be read
it was an opportunity for the mayor to solidify his relationship with a constituency that should be an unassailable base of support for his administration but as the speeches dragged on some in the crowd chanted over the mayor and his wife chirlane mccray demanding that the victims names be read when the police commissioner william j bratton took the stage some broke into loud boos and heckling
the briefly rancorous scene unusual for a somber event in the immediate aftermath of a terrorist attack laid bare the rifts in new york citys polyglot gay and transgender community and underscored the degree to which it has yet to fully embrace mr de blasio
some take issue with the mayors strong backing of mr bratton who despite his welcoming posture toward gay officers at police headquarters   a department video features officers proclaiming themselves out and proud   is still seen by some as the architect of punitive policies that disproportionately affect gay and transgender young people particularly minorities
others especially those who backed christine c quinn in the 2013 democratic mayoral primary have not completely warmed to mr de blasio ms quinn then the city council speaker was seeking to become new york citys first openly gay mayor though exit polls indicated she lost to mr de blasio even among gay voters she attracted a bigger portion of votes there than among any other demographic
ill tell you some good things but i want to make sure we dont let him off the hook said emmaia gelman of irish queers an advocacy group for gay and lesbian irish americans i think rich queers are fine with de blasio and feeling supported and poor queers are really under the gun literally under the gun in some cases she added referring to feelings of police harassment
in many ways the fragments of dissent mirror the disappointment among some of the mayors supporters who say that he has fallen short on his commitment to bring about radical change to the citys police tactics and to do more to protect and increase the levels of affordable housing
but there is no question that the de blasio administration has taken steps to make new york city long a sanctuary for gay and transgender people from all over the country an even more welcoming place as it prepares for the gay pride parade on sunday
subway riders stare up at city sponsored ads featuring transgender men and women to remind them that new yorkers can use whatever bathroom aligns with their gender identity public school teachers are being trained to address gay and transgender questions and issues among students for the first time the education department has a gay and transgender liaison and under pressure from mr de blasio gays have been allowed to march in the annual st patricks day parade in manhattan
the administration has expanded and altered city services to make them more accessible for gay and transgender new yorkers including at city run hospitals and through the human rights commission in january the city said it was adding 300 beds for homeless youths over three years and deploying additional staff members to coordinate services for youths entering shelters to address the needs of vulnerable gay and transgender young people in the city
one of the biggest successes is his goal to increase equality to increase the voices heard at city hall said anthony hayes vice president for public affairs and policy at the nonprofit aids advocacy group gmhc what it does is make sure that lgbt voices are represented that the trans community knows that theyre valued
on a personal level mr de blasio has long evinced a comfort and fluency with gay issues that is rare in a straight politician said advocates supporters and gay elected leaders his marriage in 1994 to ms mccray   who before dating mr de blasio had long identified as a lesbian   was officiated by a pair of gay ministers
the actress cynthia nixon whose support for mr de blasio dates back more than a decade recalled a large fund raiser with gay supporters of mr de blasio in may 2013 when his standing in the polls was low there were many many risque things she said including a drag queen telling raunchy jokes and a performer who gave mr de blasio a bit of a lap dance
ms nixon along with emma wolfe now the mayors director of intergovernmental affairs recalled how at ease mr de blasio was and how much he reveled in the moment even if it made some in his campaign nervous as a political operative it was my instinct to start walking to the stage said ms wolfe one of many gay top officials in the de blasio administration
another fund raiser for mr de blasio hosted by a gay councilman daniel dromm a queens democrat was being held on wednesday at an indian restaurant in jackson heights
mr dromm who helped found the queens pride parade pointed to the creation of municipal identification cards which were aimed at undocumented immigrants for their significant yet often overlooked benefit to transgender new yorkers unlike state issued identification on the municipal card gender can be listed in whatever way a person identifies
his heart is in the right place said kate barnhart the director of new alternatives a drop in center for homeless youths and young adults including those forced from their homes by parents who disapprove of their being gay or transgender but in terms of effective policies theres still much left to be desired in particular she said many homeless youths who have been given vouchers by the city find they cannot use them and remain on the street
councilman corey johnson a manhattan democrat who is gay acknowledged that even here in new york we still have many things to accomplish but he was quick to add that mr de blasio had strongly supported city council legislation on gay and transgender issues
the aftermath of the june 12 massacre in orlando has been another moment for the city to convey its condolences and support
rainbow bunting has hung over the steps of city hall for more than a week first in recognition of the victims as nearby flags flew at half staff then as the flags returned to their full height in solidarity as the city prepares for the annual pride march in manhattan
we expect this to be the greatest outpouring of support for the lgbt community this city has ever seen mr de blasio said of the march as he addressed an association of gay officers at police headquarters last week we believe in an inclusive society and we will ensure that that society is protected
but the killings in orlando exposed the distrust that still exists between the police and members of the gay community a distrust that stretches back to the original stonewall protests and before
the de blasio administration is aware of the tension with any movement there should be activists pushing the envelope ms wolfe said the mayor she said deeply deeply appreciates the intense history and that he must do everything he can to improve police community relations
elvin garcia the city hall liaison for gay issues said that no one is waving a victory flag and stressed that more work is yet to come particularly in making the city feel safer for gay and transgender young people
in recognition of the tense relations a public safety forum with gay community members and some of the police departments counterterrorism officers before the parade sunday will be held not at police headquarters or city hall mr garcia said but at a space thats safe and welcoming possibly at the lgbt community center in greenwich village
many activists said they had moved on to the more nettlesome problems of housing policing and poverty that reach well beyond traditional gay issues ending violence doesnt just mean putting a rainbow in front of your bar said alok vaid menon of the audre lorde project a nonprofit dedicated to minority gay and transgender new yorkers it means changing housing policy


the good news for hbo game of thrones still enormously popular after six seasons will close out another successful season sunday night
but elsewhere in its slate of dramas hbo continues to confront headwinds a problem underscored on wednesday when the cable network threw in the towel on vinyl an expensive and highly promoted series that nonetheless fizzled in its first season
the cancellation of vinyl a 1970s rock n roll drama created by mick jagger and martin scorsese represented a reversal for the cable network which announced in february shortly after the shows premiere that it would bring it back for a second season but vinyl was troubled from the outset by a series of problems
vinyl had difficulty finding traction its two hour debut episode drew a lackluster 11 million viewers according to nielsen data measuring live viewing and three days of delayed viewing for the week that viewership total put it in the neighborhood of bravos girlfriends guide to divorce and tv lands younger
in the weeks after the audience for vinyl fell further the show performed only marginally better than the networks much cheaper comedy girls
in addition to mixed reviews and low viewership the show also suffered the loss of terence winter its show runner in early april hbo executives hoped at the time that new leadership under mr winters replacement scott z burns would help give new life to the series for its second season but in the end it decided to shut it down
obviously this was not an easy decision the network said in a statement we have enormous respect for the creative team and cast for their hard work and passion on this project
hbo has struggled with its dramatic offerings the second season of true detective stumbled and there are no current plans for a third season the filmmaker david fincher was working on two shows for the network both of which stalled the limited series lewis and clark is currently going through a rewrite after production shut down last year hbos other expensive drama westworld will begin this fall after several delays
the network has also shaken up its executive ranks early this year hbo parted ways with its head of drama michael ellenberg last month michael lombardo the president of programming announced he was leaving the network he was succeeded by hbos former head of comedy casey bloys
all of this comes at a time when there is more scripted television than ever and hbo is facing stiff competition from streaming services like netflix and amazon
with little momentum on the drama front hbo has moved its attention elsewhere including to the wednesday night debut of bill simmonss new show the premium cable channel has also acquired programming ranging from sesame street to a new vice daily newscast that is expected to have its premiere this fall
in an interview last year mr lombardo the former president spoke bluntly about the complexities and potential pitfalls of doing dramas
do we want to do another drama series no he said unless it has the potential to be great what were looking to do is offer a variety of kinds of television entertainment engagement experiences
still even as hbo finds itself without a recent drama hit it does remain a go to destination for some of the most talented filmmakers in hollywood
it cleaned up at the emmys last year propelled by game of thrones and its mini series olive kitteridge next month hbo will air the hotly anticipated limited series starring john turturro called the night of and it also remains a vibrant home for comedies with critically praised shows like veep silicon valley girls and last week tonight with john oliver just last week hbo said that larry davids curb your enthusiasm would return for a ninth season after an extended hiatus


chicago   when eric l loomis was sentenced for eluding the police in la crosse wis the judge told him he presented a high risk to the community and handed down a six year prison term
the judge said he had arrived at his sentencing decision in part because of mr loomiss rating on the compas assessment a secret algorithm used in the wisconsin justice system to calculate the likelihood that someone will commit another crime
mr loomis has challenged the judges reliance on the compas score and the wisconsin supreme court which heard arguments on his appeal in april could rule in the coming days or weeks mr loomiss appeal centers on the criteria used by the compas algorithm which is proprietary and as a result is protected and on the differences in its application for men and women
the debate in wisconsin highlights a broader national discussion about how law enforcement officials use predictive data   including deciding which streets to patrol identifying people at risk of being shot and calculating the likelihood of recidivism
mr loomis was arrested in february 2013 and was accused of driving a car that had been used in a shooting he pleaded guilty to eluding an officer and no contest to operating a vehicle without the owners consent
mr loomis 34 is a registered sex offender stemming from a past conviction for third degree sexual assault
before his sentencing for his 2013 arrest mr loomis received a score on the compas scale that suggested he was at a high risk of committing another crime he is now serving his six year sentence with a possible release in 2019
after mr loomis appealed his sentence an appellate court referred the case to the wisconsin supreme court the wisconsin attorney generals office has defended the use of the compas system in assessing risk saying in court filings that it has a role at sentencing and is individualized to each defendant
compas is an algorithm developed by a private company northpointe inc that calculates the likelihood of someone committing another crime and suggests what kind of supervision a defendant should receive in prison the results come from a survey of the defendant and information about his or her past conduct compas assessments are a data driven complement to the written presentencing reports long compiled by law enforcement agencies
company officials say the algorithms results are backed by research but they are tight lipped about its details they do acknowledge that men and women receive different assessments as do juveniles but the factors considered and the weight given to each are kept secret
the key to our product is the algorithms and theyre proprietary said jeffrey harmon northpointes general manager weve created them and we dont release them because its certainly a core piece of our business its not about looking at the algorithms its about looking at the outcomes
that secrecy is at the heart of mr loomiss lawsuit his lawyer michael d rosenberg who declined to be interviewed because of the pending appeal argued that mr loomis should be able to review the algorithm and make arguments about its validity as part of his defense he also challenges the use of different scales for each sex
the compas system mr rosenberg wrote in his brief is full of holes and violates the requirement that a sentence be individualized
increasingly yes many states use algorithms often called risk assessments as part of the sentencing process though the formulas and uses vary from place to place
utah employs a method that weighs what state officials call the big four factors that they say most correlate with recidivism history of behavior that harms others antisocial personality patterns attitudes and beliefs that favor crime and association with pro criminal peers
virginia has used algorithms in its sentencing process for more than a decade
but legal tests have been few a prison sentence involving compas was previously appealed in wisconsin and upheld in indiana the state supreme court ruled in 2010 that judges could consider risk assessments as one of several factors in handing down sentences
many law enforcement agencies use software to predict potential crime hot spots and the police in kansas city mo and other places have used data to identify potential criminals and to try to intervene
this is just the next innovation of crime analysis   trying to get ahead of the problem trying to predict where problems occur before they actually occur said eric l piza an assistant professor at the john jay college of criminal justice who studies predictive policing
in chicago where there has been a sharp rise in violent crime this year the police have used an algorithm to compile a list of people most likely to shoot or be shot over memorial day weekend when 64 people were shot in chicago the police said 50 of the victims were on that list
algorithms like compas are also used commonly in prison systems to identify the types of supervision inmates might need the most appropriate type of incarceration and the risk of committing another crime if released on bail or parole
in wisconsin tristan cook a spokesman for the states department of corrections said compas scores were used to help with inmate classification and release planning and were also available to sentencing judges upon request
there is general support for identifying people who pose little threat to the community so they could be taken out of americas crowded prison systems such algorithms are also seen as a way to dispense justice in a more efficient way that relies more on numerical evidence than on personal judgments
in pennsylvania the legislature directed the states sentencing commission in 2010 to develop a set of algorithms that could be used to inform sentencing judges about a defendants risk of being arrested again after six years of work the proposed algorithms are set to be tested this summer in four counties
mark h bergstrom the executive director of the pennsylvania commission on sentencing said he hoped the algorithms would help judges differentiate typical defendants who might be well served with a sentence in the recommended range from those the algorithms identify as having a particularly high or low risk of committing another crime in those outlier cases mr bergstrom said he would recommend that a judge order a fuller presentencing report to help make a more individualized decision
as mr bergstrom said about the system being developed in pennsylvania were talking about group characteristics and judges have to be educated to use algorithm results in a meaningful way and not a destructive way with the individual before them
because they are being developed by a public agency the proposed pennsylvania algorithms are available for the public to analyze the models include gender and past arrests among other factors as is common with these algorithm models the pennsylvania sentencing commission excluded race
ezekiel edwards the director of the criminal law reform project at the american civil liberties union said a recurring fear with predictive algorithms was that they could accentuate inequalities in other areas of the justice system
he also said data from the criminal justice system was often unreliable and that it could call into question results from those algorithms
mr edwards urged caution in testing the results and eliminating any prejudices in the algorithms
i think we are kind of rushing into the world of tomorrow with big data risk assessment he said without properly vetting studying and ensuring that we minimize a lot of these potential biases in the data


washington   sales of existing homes in the united states rose in may to a nine year high as improving supply increased choices for buyers
the national association of realtors said on wednesday that sales increased 18 percent last month to an annual rate of 553 million units the highest level since february 2007
the economy cant be going too far off course when home buying is picking up said chris rupkey chief economist at mufg union bank in new york
the sales pace in april was revised down to 543 million units from the previously reported 545 million units sales were up 45 percent from a year ago
the strong home resales added to retail sales data in painting an upbeat picture of the economy that should help allay the fears that were stoked by last months paltry job gains
the higher existing home sales suggest an increase in brokers commissions which should bolster the residential investment portion of the gross domestic product report
housing is being driven by an increase in the formation of households as some young adults find employment and older americans move into smaller and cheaper homes
existing home sales surged 41 percent in the northeast and rose 46 percent in the south sales in the west where house prices have increased sharply because inventory is tight jumped 54 percent
in the midwest sales tumbled 65 percent last month the decline however came after recent hefty gains
the number of unsold homes on the market in may rose 14 percent from april to 215 million units supply however was down 57 percent from a year ago
in may new listings typically stayed on the market for 32 days the shortest period since the association started tracking the data in april it was 39 days and a year ago it was 40 days
at mays sales paceclearing the stock of houses on the market would take 47 months unchanged from april a six month supply is viewed as a healthy balance between supply and demand
economists say builders will need to increase the construction of homes to meet the pent up demand
with inventory still tight the median house price rose 47 percent from a year ago to a high of 239700 last month
the rise in house prices is outstripping wage gains while that could make buying a home expensive for first time buyers it is increasing equity for homeowners and enticing some to put their homes on the market
last month the share of first time buyers fell to 30 percent from 32 percent in both april and a year ago


it was late april and the ballerina alessandra ferri was rehearsing the balcony pas de deux from kenneth macmillans romeo and juliet with herman cornejo in american ballet theaters lower manhattan studios the liquid fluidity gorgeously arched feet and dramatic intensity that have characterized ms ferris long career were all in evidence and onlookers were watching with rapt appreciation
then suddenly the pair tangled up during a complicated lift ms ferri slid awkwardly down mr cornejos back landing in a heap
what happened she called out with a laugh her feet in the air its my fault mr cornejo said you know what youre doing
ms ferri does know what she is doing on thursday night she is returning at 53 to the metropolitan opera house stage to dance for just one performance the teenage juliet   probably her most famous role   which she first danced at 21 in 1984 as a principal at the royal ballet
 alastair macaulays primer on kenneth macmillans romeo and juliet 
i was a little afraid of doing it again ms ferri said after the rehearsal i went through many stages of indecision and fear and excitement then at one point i thought im only alive once why not
the suggestion came from kevin mckenzie the artistic director of ballet theater where ms ferri was a principal dancer for 22 years before she retired in 2007 it was fascinating to see her career blossom again after she had been so definite about stopping mr mckenzie said referring to appearances ms ferri has made over the last few years in works by martha clarke wayne mcgregor and john neumeier i said youre dancing in london hamburg italy why dont you perform with us
ms ferri said she had not intended to perform again after retiring i wanted to spend time with my family and it seemed like the right decision she said i was happy i woke up in the morning and did not want to exercise but she began to feel as if she were switching off mentally i felt like part of me was locked away   a huge part of me i had been dancing been wanting always to dance since i was 3 years old
she started going to pilates and yoga and then slowly back to ballet class as soon as i started dancing again my brain reconnected she said soon after she bumped into ms clarke who reminded her that they had talked about working together i said lets do it now i dont care what it is ms ferri said
the outcome was cheri a dance theater piece based on a colette tale about an older woman and her younger lover ms clarke suggested that role be played by mr cornejo an argentine ballet theater principal who had studied with julio bocca perhaps the most important partner of ms ferris career mr cornejo and ms ferri had intersected briefly at ballet theater but had never danced together
i grew up watching alessandra from the wings dancing with julio mr cornejo 35 said in a recent telephone interview when martha said she was going to be in cheri i said yes right away then we had a huge connection as partners being onstage with an artist like alessandra gives you so much freedom you can almost improvise because she can always understand and follow what you are doing
after seeing cheri mr mcgregor asked ms ferri be part of his new full length woolf works for the royal ballet the italian born ms ferri was a principal at the royal ballet early in her career after a stint at the royal ballet school
waynes piece was the first one that was really demanding physically when i came back to dance ms ferri said he has an extreme and particular way of moving which took me a while to understand and you can really only get in shape for it by doing it
dancers have relatively short careers because of the demands the profession makes on the body retiring in the mid 40s   as ms ferri did   is considered a very good run margot fonteyn who danced juliet at 56 made her final stage appearance at 60 but thats very unusual mostly injuries or declining physical capacities prevail earlier
ms ferri said she felt lucky to have a good body for ballet supple and strong with few injuries apart from an ankle problem her full on performance in woolf works caused a sensation with british critics marveling at her technical capacities and theatrical prowess soon after she began to work with mr cornejo on a program of works by several choreographers which they performed in new york in march
working on romeo and juliet again was ms ferri said a further step in regaining strength and technique she added when a piece is created on you even if the steps are hard they are made on your body but here the steps are there and you must do them
asked how she thought her interpretation had changed she said that she felt her juliet was quieter with a delicacy that i didnt have when i was younger
ms ferri said that she was open to dancing other ballet roles again manon is actually less hard than juliet for me but that she had no specific plans her calendar is crammed for another year with revivals of woolf works and mr neumeiers duse and more performances of her program with mr cornejo
after that i dont know she said when i retired it was the end of my career and thats still true my career is over i have gone back to the pure joy of what i feel when i dance


numerous video game titles were showcased at the e3 industry show last week and many exhibitors emphasized mobile gaming i recently looked through some app stores to find games that are innovative beautiful and meaningful
one that fits that bill is liyla and the shadows of war which is free on ios and android at first glance this looks like a traditional two dimensional platforms and ladders game albeit with dark and moody graphics and a bleak soundtrack but it is far from typical
based on true events in gaza liyla and the shadows of war places you in control of a family trying to traverse a war torn urban landscape and survive you leap from level to level beat obstacles and avoid threats by giving the silhouetted family a personality adding threats like sniper fire drones and missiles and adding burning cars to the landscape and desperate cries and frantic breathing to the soundtrack the developer rasheed abueideh has created an app that is more of an educational experience than a game
the mood captures some of the horror of conflict in the region and may emotionally affect players or observers my 7 year old son an accomplished gamer watched me play for a while and said the game was different because it felt very sad
voez free to download on ios and android is a rhythm music game like tap tap revenge or band hero you respond to icons on the screen that move in time to the throbbing soundtrack and must tap on icons that fall down vertical sliders in time with the beat scoring points based on the accuracy of your timing
unlike other apps in the genre voez has graphics and a background story line that borrow heavily from japanese manga you play the game as part of a japanese pop band
the imagery is smooth the electronic music jangles all the right nerves in your brain and the game is fast paced everything on the screen moves all the time including where you have to tap in time to the music you may find your fingertips and attention dancing all over the place and as you complete levels you get to see more of the cartoon story line about the band you are helping
another pleasing game is brothers a tale of two sons a 5 adventure game that is new on android and long popular on ios the app has traditional features like a complex 3 d environment and puzzles to solve
but the titular brothers do not communicate in a language you can understand you also have to control the movements of both players at once using two thumbs on your devices screen which is difficult
for younger players finding dory is a new disney game 4 on ios android and windows previous games from this brand involved bland or unimaginative gameplay but finding dory delights with cute 3 d cut screen animations that are inspired by the new sequel to finding nemo you as dory must keep swimming to avoid obstacles collect bubbles and find various lost cast members it is simple fun and the youngest phone fanatics will love it
and check out romans from mars free on ios and android this is a classic tower defense game that works as expected on your phones screen   until you download the 360 virtual reality version for ios and android and slot your phone into a virtual reality peripheral like google cardboard in virtual reality your battles against waves of bad guys will feel even more tense and adrenaline inducing despite the games cartoony graphics
happy gaming
public is a new free ios app that tries to bridge the divide between private digital chatting that happens between friends and the broader social media discussion that celebrities take part in on twitter the app is a public chat arena for famous tv celebrities or sports stars to interact in a way you can watch and even take part in via your own comments


new delhi   farmers in india have been fervently awaiting this years monsoon season after two consecutive years of inadequate rains but they were ill prepared for the lightning
in what may be a record lightning strikes that punctuated the seasons inaugural heavy rains killed more than 70 people in india on tuesday and wednesday disaster management officials said some reports in the indian news media put the toll at nearly 100
many of those fatally struck were agricultural workers and shepherds in open areas with little or no protection an unspecified number were injured
more than half the fatalities were in the northeastern state of bihar but many were hit in the neighboring states of uttar pradesh and jharkhand locals described the strikes as some of the worst they had ever seen
rakesh kumar singh the leader of a farmers collective in bihar said in a telephone interview that he had been driving on tuesday when the sky turned pitch dark and a lightning bolt hit a nearby tree which erupted in flames
it seemed at that moment as if two meteors had collided in the sky he said i had to shield my eyes with my hands
as lightning struck repeatedly farmers ran for their lives he said many are so poor that they live in thatched roof huts and mr singh said the homes that were hit had caught fire
there is fear among the farmers that god knows from where this lightning will strike he said nature has unleashed its fury on thousands of them first as drought and now as lightning
twelve people   half of them children   were killed in uttar pradesh indias most populous state ten were reported killed in jharkhand
prime minister narendra modi who had been preoccupied with sweeping economic changes his government announced on monday and the celebrations of international yoga day on tuesday expressed anguish about the lightning disaster
my thoughts  prayers are with those who lost their near  dear ones due to the lightning he wrote on his twitter account may the injured recover quickly
lightning strikes are common during the monsoon season which lasts from june to october but it is highly unusual for scores of people to be fatally struck in such a short period farmworkers and farm animals are often hit
the national crime records bureau which classifies lightning strikes as a cause of accidental death reported that 2582 people were killed in india by lightning in 2014 the most recent year for which figures were available
lightning deaths in developed nations are by contrast extremely rare in the united states six deaths have been attributed to lightning so far in 2016 according to the national weather service
the onset of the monsoon season has prompted tempered optimism that india may be spared a third straight year of drought a recent study by the indian meteorological department said the country might endure more frequent drought years in the future


facebook shareholders sent a curious message about the social networks governance this week more than half of facebook owners not named mark zuckerberg clicked the corporate equivalent of a like button for just three of the companys directors
weirdly shareholders seemed to prefer the venture capitalist peter thiel over top executives like sheryl sandberg the companys chief operating officer and mr zuckerberg himself it is a brainteaser that suggests institutional investors are more inclined to tick boxes than follow their heads
first some background in the weeks before mondays annual meeting it was revealed that mr thiel had bankrolled hulk hogans lawsuit against gawker the gossip website founded by nick denton the wrester whose real name is terry bollea sued gawker for posting a sex video that involved him a florida jury awarded mr bollea 140 million and gawker has since filed for bankruptcy
mr thiels personal vendetta against gawker which previously revealed that he is gay raised important questions about his first amendment bona fides that matters because facebook is diving headlong into the publishing business where constitutional protections on free speech are critical indeed the wall street journal reported on tuesday that facebook is paying more than 50 million to media organizations including the new york times to produce videos for its live streaming feed
so its odd that mr thiel along with netflixs chief executive reed hastings received 70 percent approval from investors after stripping out mr zuckerbergs 59 percent control over facebooks shareholders according to a breakingviews analysis the only other director to receive a majority of non zuckerberg votes was erskine bowles who was deputy chief of staff for president bill clinton at 51 percent
adjusting for mr zuckerbergs share ms sandberg and the founder of whatsapp jan koum did not muster a majority of minority shareholders approval nor did their boss the venture capitalist marc andreessen received the least support among facebook directors with just 45 percent of those voting sanctioning his re election to the board
it is impossible to know why shareholders voted this way big investment funds like blackrock fidelity and vanguard own 5 percent or more of facebook apiece their votes are often determined by algorithms that take into account the recommendations of proxy advisory firms which are themselves forged by qualitative factors like the independence of a director and time served on other boards it shows that even the most disciplined of processes can produce oddball results


children are usually forced to pick just one or two of their beloved stuffed animals to take with them on summer vacation adults should consider doing the same with their electronic devices
you dont want to weigh down your travel bag with gear you will barely use and you probably should leave your more expensive gadgets at home unless you want to become a target for muggers
what to do my personal packing starts with devices that are compact and lightweight the price tag should not exceed 500 and if my smartphone can capably perform a task i dont bother with something that does the same thing
here is a guide to products that i have found useful on an airplane in a rental car in a hotel in an airbnb house rental and outdoors or traveling overseas i have tested all of the items in the last few years and some of them were purchased through the wirecutter a product recommendations website and creative partner of the new york times
this happens too often after cramming into your airplane seat you shut your eyes to relax and a baby starts screaming behind you you need a media device to drown out the noise with music or a movie
my favorite media tablet for travel is the apple ipad mini which starts at 399 though i would buy the 499 model for the extra storage its compact size makes it easier to rest on an airplane tray because it is a multifunctional tablet you can choose from a host of distractions such as reading a book and playing a mobile game in other words leave your kindle at home
for watching videos on a tablet seagates wireless portable hard drive which costs 100 may also be worth stowing in your carry on luggage ahead of your trip you can load movies and other media onto the hard drive and the drive creates its own wi fi network to stream movies to your ipad
as for earphones i will skip recommending a fancy pair of earbuds   just another small valuable item to lose on a trip the earbuds that came with your smartphone like the apple earpods should sufficiently drown out the noise
most hotels include cable television but after channel surfing for a few hours you will realize that the only movies that ever seem to air are total recall and the shawshank redemption
chances are you will be aching for the variety of programs you could get from streaming services like netflix hulu and hbo so i would pack rokus new streaming stick which is the size of a thumb drive making it easy to stow in a travel pouch
one major bonus of the roku stick is a feature called hotel  dorm connect it bypasses an obstacle in many hotels   the requirement that you log into their wi fi networks through a web page   by letting you enter the credentials through your smartphone browser
another common headache in a hotel is finding enough outlets to charge multiple gadgets ankers four port usb wall charger can be plugged into a single outlet to charge four usb devices at the same time
the most annoying part of renting a car is all the upsells particularly the extra fee for a gps device and a mount   as if your smartphone did not provide maps already
the best solution is to pack your own smartphone car mount techmattes maggrip cd slot which costs only 11 is a fantastic travel companion on trips with lots of driving the mount holds your phone with a magnet you put a magnet sticker on your smartphone case so mounting your phone is as simple as tapping the back of the phone on top of the magnet whats more because the maggrip hooks up to an unused cd player slot the phone doesnt block your view of the road
as for playing music from your phone i recommend packing a standard audio jack that connects a smartphone with a stereo system like the 5 audio cable from amazon
when renting a house on airbnb or a similar site like homeaway the situation may be different from a hotel if a large group and a kitchen are involved
this may sound odd but i have found it extremely useful to pack a sous vide precision cooker on airbnb trips first a primer a sous vide cooker heats water to a precise temperature you seal food like steaks and salmon into plastic bags and immerse them in the water to cook them evenly at that temperature
the 199 anova precision cooker recommended by our technology columnist farhad manjoo is slim enough to store in a weekender bag anovas cooker also includes a bracket so that the device can be easily mounted to your airbnb hosts cooking pot   meaning all you probably need to pack are the cooker and some zip close bags
the benefit of bringing along a sous vide cooker is the amount of time it frees up for you to enjoy other activities instead of paying attention to your food imagine going hiking for three hours and returning to a perfectly cooked medium rare beef roast it beats going to a restaurant
when youre outside you dont need much technology other than a camera assuming you bought a smartphone in the last few years dont bother packing an extra camera like a gopro   thats just extra space and another power cable to carry around
instead if youre going to be in the water kayaking or splashing around at the beach consider a waterproof smartphone case like lifeproofs fre which fits snugly around an iphone to protect it from water without making it look ugly
if you are the type who enjoys drowning out the sounds of nature with music the 100 roll from ultimate ears which i recommended last holiday season continues to be my favorite wireless portable speaker it has a slim disk shape making it easy to pack in a travel pouch and includes a bungee cord for strapping it onto a lawn chair or bench plus its waterproof
earlier this year i wrote a guide on taking your smartphone abroad while traveling which involved unlocking it and buying foreign sim cards some readers encouraged me to also mention googles project fi which is offered in more than 120 countries and charges the same rate no matter where you are 20 a month for unlimited minutes and text messages and 10 per gigabyte of data
in my testing of google fi for a few weeks i found that the service offered robust coverage comparable to that of traditional wireless carriers however there are caveats google fi is available only on a small number of android phones and in foreign countries the data speeds are capped i recommend a google fi phone with prices starting at 199 on googles webpage for people who frequently travel abroad but for those who seldom go overseas it is more practical to use a foreign sim card with your own phone
also when traveling abroad your smartphone battery is going to be struggling because of all the pictures you take for iphones i recommend apples 99 smart battery case   it offers enough power to keep your phone running all day you can also charge it with the lightning cable included with iphones so you will have one fewer power cable to pack for androids the amazonbasics portable power bank is an excellent battery pack


chicago   regardless of what happens when chile plays colombia on wednesday night one thing is plain the world now knows that chiles soccer team is for real fresh off a 7 0 thrashing of mexico arguably the best team in the north american region chile has used this months copa america centenario to erase any doubts over its emergence as a power player from south america
while few doubted the quality of chiles current roster flecked as it is with talent from barcelona arsenal and bayern munich there still was a sense that chiles best moments had always occurred on home soil or close to it chile advanced to the knockout stage of the 2014 world cup in brazil and it entered this summers copa america as the defending champion a title won when it hosted last years tournament the countrys best moment at a world cup came in 1962 also a tournament played at home
but on wednesday night chile enters its copa america semifinal against colombia knowing a victory would set up a blockbuster final rematch chile beat argentina on penalty kicks last year in santiago 4 1 after a scoreless draw to get back to the championship game it will have to win without the suspended arturo vidal accumulated yellow cards but there is a growing sense here that the team no longer needs the comforts of home to get a big result
everyone knows vidal is a great player chile midfielder charles aranguiz said monday but we have a good lineup and a lot of players who are prepared to take the opportunity i think you saw the team we are against mexico
this was not bluster chile for once is deep enough to overcome the absence of a star like vidal against a colombian team that can attack at will moreover chiles current status as one of the worlds top five teams   behind colombia no 3 and top ranked argentina   reflects a sea change in the fortunes of what used to be considered the lesser sides of south america it also illustrates how the voracious appetite of the european leagues for players has transformed nations like chile colombia and even ecuador and venezuela which reached the copa america quarterfinals into emerging powers
it is easy to forget that chile was once a side in the wilderness best known until last summer for a third place finish at a world cup it hosted in 1962 chiles international fortunes had long been constrained by a weak domestic league and an inability to develop marquee talent
other issues were self inflicted las rojas had been badly damaged by a 1989 incident in which goalkeeper roberto rojas faked an injury in a key qualifying game fifa awarded the game to brazil eliminating chile from the 1990 world cup and then barred the country from the 1994 tournament as well
chile returned to the world cup in 1998 but today that team looks like an aberration heavily based around domestic players plucked from club universidad de chile chile qualified on the strength of the partnership of strikers ivan zamorano and marcelo salas but only zamorano had european experience at that time and salas while a star in argentina with river plate had to wait until after the cup for his move to italys serie a
fast forward 10 years and things have changed with television money starting to flow into european leagues clubs began scouting beyond the traditional south american markets of argentina and brazil chile was one of the nations that recognized how important it was to place its best talent overseas by 2010 chilean stars were getting their foot in the door in turkey greece and germany starting what has become an exodus of talent the result was a stronger national team
the current chile squad has 13 european players and the teams they play for are among the worlds best alexis sanchez at arsenal goalkeeper claudio bravo at barcelona and vidal at bayern munich even their journeymen have a pedigree gary medel once a curiosity at cardiff city in the premier league is a steady player at inter milan and eduardo vargas who had a lackluster season at hoffenheim in the bundesliga suddenly became the copas leading scorer this week after slotting four goals past mexico
because vidal and marcelo diaz injured were likely to be absent wednesday night chile arrived in the semifinals knowing it would need strong contributions off the bench against a colombia squad led by real madrids james rodriguez
were going to try to play the same way we did against mexico and the way we have through qualifying and this tournament aranguiz said we will be confident we will be agile and we will press and then we will see


nutley nj   his arthritic fingers brought the ends of the rope together intertwining them slowly but with obvious familiarity
he narrated left strand over right strand through as he demonstrated in his home here he wore his favorite t shirt the one with the green troop 102 logo that a member designed
and that the scoutmaster julio balde said proudly holding up the two pieces he entwined is how you tie a square knot
for almost 75 years mr balde has taught survival skills and the importance of civic engagement to the boy scouts of troop 102 of newark
but on saturday the troop will meet for the last time after more than 80 years as an active member of the boy scouts of america mr balde is retiring and disbanding the troop
his daughter anita balde estimated that more than 1000 boys have been part of the troop which meets weekly at the immaculate heart of mary church in the ironbound section of the city
on friday his 95th birthday mr balde said that the best thing about all those years was when these kids grow up and they still think of you as their second father
when mr balde started in scouting he had to learn how to tie nine knots now he requires his scouts to learn just four in the 1960s more than 100 boys belonged to the troop today there are only six members and four of them are graduating from high school this month
though mr baldes mind is sharp he said that his physical health reflected his age and that his doctors had advised him to slow down
he still climbs the steep curving stairs to his second floor bedroom   only recently did he let his daughter have handrails added   and still drives to scout meetings every week
mr balde joined scouting at 15 when pressured by his portuguese immigrant parents his family had moved to the ironbound a portuguese enclave when he was 2
dad im 15 i dont want to wear those little knickers mr balde recalled saying in protest
but he quickly fell in love with scouting
so much so that when he proposed to his wife joan he told her that scouting would always be a priority mr balde recalled joan cooking spaghetti and meatball dinners on sundays for his hungry scouts she died 23 years ago a few months shy of their 50th anniversary
for about 45 years mr balde worked for artley inc in newark designing and building displays for trade shows until the company closed in 1996 for the next 10 years he was a consultant he stopped working at 85
the boy scouts could not say if mr balde was its longest serving scoutmaster but in an email on monday the group said he was certainly one of our longest tenured scouting volunteers in our organizations history
eric adams the assistant scoutmaster for troop 102 and assistant finance director for the city of newark praised what mr balde had done for so many boys you would be hard pressed to find someone who has trained more leaders mr adams said but he would never take credit for it
mr balde said he helped 43 young men become eagle scouts the highest rank a boy scout can achieve
im proud of all my boys he said then listed some of their accomplishments ive had dentists doctors lawyers and an undertaker
and at least one convict he added but there are always a few bad apples
lucille krutsick 80 a newark resident has been a troop volunteer for more than four decades and considers the baldes family
as much as i know in his heart he didnt want to ms krutsick said it was time for mr balde to step down because of his declining health as well as the waning interest in scouting
her two sons became eagle scouts while in troop 102
one of them michael krutsick jr 56 remembered mr balde allowing the boys to learn from their mistakes and also credited the scoutmaster with instilling in him a desire to give back
instead of saying we need this mr krutsick said he taught us to say we need this and i am here to help
bryan aguilar 17 who joined troop 102 seven years ago said mr balde taught him to respect others and helped him form the young man i am today he graduated from east side high school in newark on monday and will attend ramapo college of new jersey in the fall
because of his age and because he has lived through so much bryan said he teaches us life lessons that my parents couldnt teach me because they havent lived that long yet
reclining in his armchair black slippers snug on his feet mr balde mirrored a picture on the mantel a younger scoutmaster with a glowing smile and thick glasses around his neck was a medallion for the silver beaver the highest honor an adult volunteer in scouting can receive
citing the boy scout motto he said be prepared means be prepared with a smile


the pigs all 14 of them are doing fine considering theyd been retrofitted with bone grown in a laboratory that came as a pleasant surprise
the pigs woke up and a half hour later they were eating said gordana vunjak novakovic a professor of biomedical engineering at columbia university we thought they would be in pain but no theyre doing great
dr vunjak novakovic and her colleagues have managed to create living bone from stem cells first they made a ct scan to create a 3 d image of each pigs jaw from cow bone they sculpted a scaffold   a three dimensional copy of the pig bone
they put the scaffold in a nutrient solution along with stem cells extracted from the pigs the cells attached to the scaffold forming a new bone identical to the original then the researchers implanted the new bone in each pig they reported their results in science translational medicine
there was no problem with rejection and the new bone integrated with the pigs own tissue clinical trials in humans however are at least three years away


washington   the obama administration said wednesday that the financial outlook for medicares hospital insurance trust fund had deteriorated slightly in the last year and that social security still faced serious long term financial problems
the report from the trustees of the two programs could inject a note of fiscal reality into a presidential campaign that has given scant attention to the governments fiscal challenges as the population ages hillary clinton the presumptive democratic presidential nominee has proposed increasing social security benefits and allowing people age 55 to 64 to buy into medicare while donald j trump the presumptive republican nominee has repeatedly said he would not cut either program
under existing law the trustees said wednesday medicares hospital trust fund would be depleted in 2028 two years earlier than projected in last years report
in addition they said the social security trust funds for old age benefits and disability insurance taken together could be depleted in 2034 the same year projected in last years report tax collections would then be sufficient to pay about three fourths of promised benefits through 2090 they said
social security and medicare account for about 40 percent of all federal spending
obama administration officials often say the affordable care act has slowed the growth of health spending compared with estimates made just before the law was adopted in 2010
but the trustees said wednesday that the short term financial outlook for medicare had worsened in the last year because of changes in their assumptions and expectations medicare actuaries now expect higher use of inpatient hospital services as well as lower projected improvements in workers productivity and lower payroll tax revenue as a result of slower growth in wages in the next few years
in their report the trustees   four administration officials   said that the costs of medicare and social security would grow faster than the economy through the mid 2030s because of the aging of the baby boom generation as for medicare they said growth in expenditures per beneficiary exceeds growth in per capita gross domestic product over this time period
the projected growth in medicare spending will not immediately set off automatic cuts in the program under a controversial provision of the affordable care act that generally requires such cuts when spending is expected to exceed certain benchmarks however such cuts could be required in a few years under the trustees forecast
under current projections they said the automatic cuts could take effect for the first time in 2019
medicare now spends an average of nearly 13000 per beneficiary and this figure is expected to exceed 16000 in five years the report said
high cost drugs are a major driver of medicare spending growth said andrew m slavitt the acting administrator of the federal centers for medicare and medicaid services
such projections in years past have prompted leaders in both parties to at least broach the idea of benefit cuts or tax increases for entitlement programs
by contrast president obama said in elkhart ind this month that social security should be made more generous and that we could start paying for it by asking the wealthiest americans to contribute a little bit more
treasury secretary jacob j lew said wednesday that he saw no contradiction there the two objectives   ensuring the solvency of social security and increasing benefits   are not at all inconsistent if they are discussed in the context of a broader conversation about taxes and benefits he said
the report predicts that social security will provide a modest cost of living adjustment increasing benefits by two tenths of 1 percent next year but it warned of a substantial increase in medicare premiums in 2017 for about 30 percent of beneficiaries under assumptions in the report the standard premium now 12180 a month would rise to 149 and the change could be announced just weeks before election day on nov 8
congress took action last year to shore up social securitys disability insurance trust fund but the report says the legislation was a short term fix the law postponed the projected depletion of the disability trust fund by seven years to 2023 mr lew said
like other democrats mr lew said the report showed the positive impact of the affordable care act since the health law was signed he said increases in health care costs have slowed substantially
carolyn w colvin the acting commissioner of social security said americans should begin a serious discussion of how to close the future financing gap in social security sixty million people now receive social security benefits totaling more than 74 billion each month the number of social security beneficiaries is expected to reach 76 million by 2025


chicago   blame for the tainted water in flint mich has engulfed federal regulators the governor state employees and city officials on wednesday the michigan attorney general took sharp aim elsewhere the private sector
bill schuette the attorney general announced a lawsuit against two companies that he said imperiled public health in flint and contributed to the citys lead poisoned drinking water
the companies veolia north america and lockwood andrews  newnam or lan were awarded contracts to advise the city about using the flint river as its drinking water source but mr schuette said each failed to sound alarms about lead contamination overlooked obvious problems and were complicit in the series of events that caused lead to leach from pipes and poison children
they failed miserably in their job mr schuette a republican said at a news conference in flint basically botched it   didnt stop the water in flint from being poisoned they made it worse thats what they did
flints mayor karen weaver said that she was alarmed at hearing that the companies may have been at fault and appreciative of the continuing investigations its disturbing to hear that companies hired to ensure the safety of the citys water supply may not have done what they were paid to do she said adding that the city is still under contract with lan an engineering company based in houston which she said had received nearly 35 million from the city for work before during and after the switch to the flint river
veolia an international water management company that is a subsidiary of a france based company had a 40000 contract a city spokeswoman said and also received about 15000 for work a few years earlier
advocates for the environment said veolia had been accused of violations elsewhere including polluting waterways and overbilling customers leading to lawsuits filed in courts across the country residents were skeptical of the quality of its work in flint
i dont have a phd but i know that if the water is brown that means the pipes are getting torn up and something is causing the pipes to be torn up said melissa mays a flint resident who has protested the water conditions they should have figured out what it was
the two companies denied the attorney generals characterization of events and defended their efforts in flint though neither company made executives available to be interviewed
paul whitmore a spokesman for veolia said that the company was disappointed with the lawsuit and noted that a task force appointed by gov rick snyder largely faulted the state government for flints water problems mr whitmore said the scope of the companys work in flint was always meant to be limited and not focused on lead contamination
a statement from lockwood andrews  newnam said mr schuette blatantly mischaracterized the role of lans service to flint the lawsuit also named its parent company the leo a daly company as a defendant
the attorney generals lawsuit filed in circuit court in genesee county which includes flint was the latest fallout from the citys water crisis in which a sequence of failures by government and businesses left the city fearful about drinking from the tap and led to a series of investigations and political controversies
in april mr schuette filed criminal charges against two state environmental regulators and one city employee who mr schuette said tampered with evidence and distorted water testing results mr snyder has faced intense criticism for his handling of the crisis and has promised millions of dollars in aid for the city
as criminal investigations continue with more charges expected mr schuette said he hoped the lawsuit could lead to hundreds of millions of dollars in damages to help repair flints rotting infrastructure and provide support to affected residents though he acknowledged that it might take years the companies have already been sued by residents
mr schuette was especially critical of veolia which consulted with the city after its switch to using the flint river resulted in contaminants turning up in drinking water he accused the company of callously and fraudulently dismissing medical concerns and reporting that the water was safe even as residents reported health problems and complained about orange tinted water
can you believe that mr schuette said tell that to a pregnant woman carrying her unborn child whose bones brains kidneys can be severely damaged because of lead poisoning
veolia north america employs about 7800 people and operates water and sewer systems for cities according to the company it serves close to 550 communities in north america and treats more than 22 billion gallons of water and wastewater each day
in march leeanne walters a flint resident whose children were poisoned by lead filed a lawsuit against lan veolia and other companies that were hired to carry out the switch to flint water or evaluate its safety her lawsuit argues that lan did not require corrosion control to ensure that corrosive water was not delivered throughout flints aging water system
in his lawsuit mr schuette accuses lan of making matters worse by recommending the addition of ferric chloride to the water which he said increased the waters corrosivity and exacerbated the leaching of lead
veolia has had its share of controversy it was sued in april by the attorney general of massachusetts who accused the company of allowing more than 10 million gallons of raw sewage to contaminate a tract of state owned land the lawsuit which also named the town of plymouth said that it was not the first time the company was at fault for polluting the environment
this is a case involving repeated serious violations of state laws that threatened public health and our invaluable water resources maura healey the massachusetts attorney general said in a statement in april veolia responded that it was working on the issues and that many had been resolved
watchdog groups fear that once companies like veolia sign contracts with their municipalities they can exert powerful control over water systems exposing residents to rate increases overbilling and environmental damage
veolias involvement in flint was far smaller in scope it was initially hired to do an evaluation of the citys water nearly a year after officials had made the switch to the flint river afterward veolia proposed more extensive work in flint for an estimated 18 million but the city did not hire the company
veolia in a statement vowed to vigorously defend itself against the attorney generals lawsuit and noted that its services there were limited
flint hired veolia nearly one full year after the change in water source and the focus of veolias analysis at flints direction was only to help the city address concerns about the levels of disinfection byproducts tthm discoloration and taste and odor issues related to the drinking water treatment process the statement said
lan said on wednesday that it was not to blame for the water quality pointing to government employees instead lan had regularly advised that corrosion control should be added and that the system needed to be fully tested before going online it said
the lawsuit comes as flint struggles to cope with the fallout of its water crisis officials say the water is improving but is still unsafe to drink without a filter ms weavers efforts to start replacing the lead service lines blamed for the corrosion have largely stalled and bids to continue the work came in higher than expected
the anxiety the fear the uncertainty is really having an effect said state senator jim ananich a democrat who lives in flint theres a lot of people fighting saying were going to come out of this stronger but at the same time on a day to day basis when you cant use your water its really demoralizing


washington   a democratic protest demanding votes on gun control legislation led to pandemonium in the house chamber that did not end until early thursday when speaker paul d ryan and his fellow republicans reclaimed control long enough to force through a major spending bill they then abruptly adjourned and left the capitol
furious democrats remained on the house floor where they huddled around their leader representative nancy pelosi of california who praised their stand as a discussion heard around the world
ms pelosi expressed bewilderment at the republican position what could they be thinking she asked whatever it is they dont want to tell anybody about it thats why they left in the dead of night
the standoff which began with a democratic sit in on the house floor just before noon on wednesday did not end until about 3 am thursday when mr ryan   barreling over democrats objections   took the rare and provocative step of calling a vote on a major appropriations bill in the wee hours and without any debate he then adjourned the house with no legislative votes scheduled until july 5
the house approved the bill which includes 11 billion in emergency financing to fight the mosquito borne zika virus   and more than 80 billion in other government spending   by a vote of 239 to 171 shortly after 3 am
republicans dashed from the chamber into the sticky heat gripping washington and were met by protesters who jeered with some shouting do your job
earlier as democrats fought for control of the floor they pressed against the speakers dais waving signs with the names of gun victims and chanting no bill no break as mr ryan repeatedly banged his gavel in an attempt to restore order
when mr ryan left the speakers chair democrats shouted shame shame shame
there were scenes of chaos across the floor as republicans tried to resume regular business at one point democrats began singing we shall overcome   altering the lyrics to say we shall pass a bill some day   as republicans shouted in outrage
and when representative don young republican of alaska tried to confront the chanting democrats he was restrained by aides and colleagues
the unusual events were set off with the sit in before noon when democrats insisted on taking votes on gun measures before congress began its weeklong recess for the fourth of july
we will not leave the floor of this house until this congress takes action representative kathy d castor democrat of florida declared
democrats   who do not have enough strength in either the house or senate to pass legislation on their own   have resorted to spectacle to highlight their anger over congress not taking action to tighten the nations gun control laws
the house democrats anger and their willingness to disrupt the proceedings seemed to take some republicans by surprise as they stood on the sidelines
ms pelosi arrived on the floor with an air of calm surveying her rank and files protest as it gathered steam mr ryan in an interview on cnn dismissed the sit in as a publicity stunt
the democrats began their latest push including a 15 hour filibuster last week by senator christopher s murphy democrat of connecticut after the june 12 massacre at a gay nightclub in orlando fla
they have repeatedly accused republicans of siding with the national rifle association rather than with the victims of gun violence
democrats exasperation has grown since monday when four gun control measures   two favored by democrats and two by republicans   were defeated in the senate
the turmoil on wednesday and thursday in the house illustrated the differences in partisan relations in the house and senate
typical of the more restrained and decorous senate mr murphys speeches last week were derided by republicans as a pointless talkathon but there were no confrontations and no shouting under senate rules any one senator who is recognized to speak can hold the floor until relinquishing it
the house gives the minority no such rights and the democrats resorted to an insurrection shortly after the sit in began on wednesday republicans quickly declared a recess cutting off regular business   as well as the live television feed of floor proceedings which operates only when the house is in session
the democrats were left in control of the chamber where they gave a series of impassioned speeches and skirted the television blackout by using twitters live feed periscope service to broadcast their efforts that was a violation of house rules which bans cameras or other electronic devices on the floor
c span picked up the periscope feed and broadcast as if the house was in session albeit with the unavoidably shaky camerawork by lawmakers using their cellphones
even by the hyperpartisan standards of modern washington it was a brazen disruption that underscored the outrage many lawmakers have expressed about the failure of congress to act on gun legislation in the aftermath of numerous mass shootings
in 2008 house republicans then in the minority held a quasi session during summer recess to protest the democrats refusal to hold votes on energy policy amid sharply rising gasoline prices the republicans met in a darkened chamber a point they recalled with no small amount of outrage amid democrats complaints on wednesday a key difference though was that the house was in recess then and no business was interrupted as the protest continued for several days
on wednesday democrats short circuited an active legislative session for which republicans had scheduled votes on a number of measures including amendments to the annual financial services and general government appropriations bill by late afternoon republicans said they still intended to conduct business but the democrats showed no sign of relenting
representative maxine waters of california seemed to sum up their collective resolve when she said im prepared to stand here until hell freezes over
ms pelosi said her caucus was seeking votes on measures similar to two democratic proposals that failed to advance in the senate one of those sought to ban gun sales to people on the governments terrorism watch list while the second would expand and toughen background checks for gun buyers
representative john lewis of georgia a hero to many democrats because of his role in the civil rights movement initiated the protest on wednesday
we have to occupy the floor of the house until theres action he said
congress has long been deadlocked over tightening the nations gun laws but outrage and frustration have grown since the massacre in orlando and a number of other mass shootings in recent years
senator susan collins republican of maine has drafted a narrower compromise measure but despite some bipartisan backing that proposal also seems in danger of failing for lack of sufficient republican support
even if all senate democrats and the independents who caucus with them voted in favor which is hardly assured at least 14 republicans would need to agree to reach the 60 vote threshold for advancing the measure ms collins still seemed far short of that number on wednesday
democrats also pushed the gun issue at a hearing of the house appropriations committee putting forward an amendment to the annual homeland security spending bill that would bar individuals suspected of terrorist activities from purchasing firearms similar to a democratic measure that failed in the senate on monday
i just want to make it very clear that id rather my child be inconvenienced than dead said representative nita m lowey of new york the committees top democrat
the amendment failed with every republican and two democrats voting against it


donald j trump delivered a blistering attack on wednesday against hillary clinton calling her unreliable and more concerned with herself than with the american people as he sought to regain his footing after a tumultuous month that imperiled his candidacy
in a 41 minute speech seeking to build his case against the presumptive democratic presidential nominee by labeling her a world class liar mr trump moved to soothe concerns among republicans alarmed by gaping self inflicted wounds after his racial attacks on a federal judge and his self congratulatory boast after the terrorist shooting in orlando fla he said mrs clinton would not create jobs portraying her as a scandal tarnished former secretary of state who may be the most corrupt person ever to seek the presidency
the choice in this election is a choice between taking our government back from the special interests or surrendering our last scrap of independence to their total and complete control mr trump said
the professionalized presentation with two teleprompters flanking the lectern in a third floor ballroom of the trump soho hotel in manhattan represented a stark contrast to how mr trump has handled the last month of his campaign and came two days after he fired his much maligned campaign manager corey lewandowski
since securing the republican nomination mr trump has allowed himself to be pummeled by democrats doing little to fashion an overarching message or even to frame his view of the race but on wednesday he moved to regain the offensive making a forceful case that he chose to enter public service because of his concerns for the country a contrast he tried to draw with mrs clinton
she believes she is entitled to the office mr trump said her campaign slogan is im with her you know what my response to that is im with you the american people she thinks its all about her i know its all about you
the remarks were welcomed by mr trumps supporters who have fretted that he is turning the campaign into a referendum on himself instead of president obama and mrs clinton
carl paladino a trump ally who was in the room for the speech said that the candidate likes to speak extemporaneously but that his more scripted approach on wednesday was necessary
he told everybody why hillary shouldnt be there he gave a factual foundation for those statements mr paladino said that type of speech has to be scripted
mr trump has promised turnarounds in his undisciplined approach before only to undercut his own remarks in a day or two with a twitter blast or provocative public remarks and on thursday he heads to scotland a business trip tied to his golf courses
the manhattan address highlighted an intensifying level of combat between mr trump and mrs clinton who in raleigh nc on wednesday shot back at the manhattan businessman for questioning her commitment to her faith just a day before
as we methodists like to say she told hundreds of supporters pausing for effect and knowing applause do all the good you can for all the people you can in all the ways you can
later she suggested that mr trumps speech on wednesday was part of an effort to distract voters from his lack of substance or policy depth
thats even why hes attacking my faith she said sigh
mr trump sought to portray mrs clinton as responsible for the tumult in the middle east but her campaign tried to deprive the speech of attention by announcing that she had received the endorsement of brent scowcroft the national security adviser to presidents gerald r ford and george bush mr trump explicitly blamed her for the death of united states ambassador j christopher stevens during the sept 11 2012 attack on a diplomatic outpost in libya
mr trump began his speech with a focused message about jobs and the economy lamenting a lost era in the united states of bringing change on a grand scale and the absence of his signature boastfulness added gravitas
but the address was denounced by mr trumps critics as a patchwork of cable news ready sound bites as opposed to a presentation of new ideas mr trump did little to lay out specifics of his agenda beyond attacking trade deals and immigration and his new more sober approach was undercut by factual inaccuracies and embellishments as well as flimsy claims   at one point mr trump suggested that mrs clinton was probably the victim of blackmail from chinese hackers who gained access to her email account while she was the secretary of state
mr trump quoted extensively from the book clinton cash written by a republican author who was forced to correct several inaccuracies after the book went to press he said the united states was the highest taxed country in the world which is not true he said there might be five supreme court vacancies for the next president to fill a number that has not been suggested before
mr trump overtly appealed to supporters of senator bernie sanders of vermont to back him instead of mrs clinton borrowing from the senators own words to describe her as unfit for office hillary clinton wants to be president but she doesnt have the temperament or as bernie sanders said the judgment to be president mr trump said
when i see the crumbling roads and bridges or the dilapidated airports or the factories moving overseas to mexico or to other countries i know these problems can all be fixed but not by hillary clinton mr trump said adding only by me
mr trump did use the speech to sand down the edges of his past remarks about muslims acknowledging that some people who follow islam are peaceful while never mentioning his proposed ban on muslim immigrants
with the speech mr trump was trying to amplify mrs clintons high negative poll ratings with voters a majority of whom view her as dishonest as he seeks to alter the current trajectory of the presidential campaign he seized on controversies surrounding the clinton foundation and her tenure at the state department to accuse her of theft adding she ran the state department like her own personal hedge fund
but mr trump who once lamented in an interview that the turn of the century was the last time america was great provided a hopeful message suggesting the advent of a second industrial revolution during his presidency massive new factories will come roaring into our country he said breathing life and hope into our communities
that theme accompanied by his attacks on free trade is one that mr trump employed to great effect in the nominating fight and some of his aides believe it could appeal to sanders supporters in a general election
while mr sanders has yet to endorse mrs clinton he balked at the idea that his followers would support mr trump
i suspect he aint going to get too many of those people mr sanders said on c span when asked about mr trumps courting of his supporters i think the vast majority of the people who voted for me understand that donald trump in a dozen different ways is literally unfit to be president of the united states


the market hates the idea of tesla motors acquiring solarcity
after teslas announcement on tuesday of a 28 billion offer to acquire solarcity teslas stock was down more than 8 percent early wednesday morning more than the total market capitalization of solarcity itself the market is ascribing a negative value to this possible acquisition
the reaction reflects two things
solar city is a maker of solar energy products basically home and business solar panels tesla is a maker of battery powered cars though some view the companys battery making component as its bigger future
to elon musk the chairman of solarcity and the chief executive of tesla putting together these two different businesses is blindingly obvious and a no brainer a blog post on the tesla website explained the reasons
in other words the deal makes sense because people who buy teslas cars also want solar power in a combined company they can get it in the same place
the market is not buying it
to investors it is as if the walt disney company bought a birthing center business to offer end to end service for its parent customers its not clear that tesla owners will really want to buy solar panels or that if they did it would be in sufficient number
and solarcity is hardly a growth business these days both companies are burning cash solarcity went through 26 billion last year while tesla spent 22 billion solarcitys business model is struggling as cheap energy shakes up the solar market so the acquisition is being viewed not so much as a no brainer but as a bailout of solarcity by tesla one that may sink both companies
the idea would be dismissed as yet another silicon valley lark although who knows whether the visionary mr musk is right but there is a second problem with this deal its a bit of a corporate governance nightmare
mr musk owns 21 percent of tesla and 22 percent of solarcity according to standard  poors global market intelligence his cousin lyndon rive is a founder and the chief executive of solarcity
given the troubles of solarcity the appearance is that mr musk is bailing solarcity out while profiting handsomely he will be paid a premium by tesla for a company in which he is the biggest shareholder one that the market at least views as outside the business of tesla
today companies are separated into makers of ball bearings and makers of steel because even they are viewed as being too different only in silicon valley could a cross industry acquisition like this even possibly fly
tesla did announce some procedures to deal with this conflict mr musk recused himself from the deliberations at tesla and mr rive said the same thing at solarcity in addition tesla said that any deal would be subject to approval by a majority of its disinterested shareholders
this is part of the standard procedure in conflict situations the general idea is that each company forms a committee of independent directors with its own advisers and legal counsel this would ensure approval of the disinterested directors then any deal itself would be subject to approval of the disinterested shareholders the state of delaware where a majority of american companies are incorporated technically requires only that either the disinterested directors or disinterested shareholders approve the deal but the standard practice is to do both
even so tesla is not following this standard procedure it does not appear that tesla or solarcity truly formed an independent committee or hired independent counsel but instead opted for a recusal another director on both boards antonio j gracias also recused himself
that is sufficient for delaware law but the optics are not great
indeed one of the actions tesla took on tuesday was to amend its bylaws to require all shareholder litigation to be filed in delaware it knows the lawsuits are coming
so this deal suffers from some significant defects at the get go it should have been structured more formally and put through the stricter process of a formal special committee this is particularly true after the recent ruling in the dell appraisal proceedings in which dell did everything it could to structure the management buyout to the highest standards and the delaware court still found fault with the process
a bigger issue is the shareholder approval requirement because mr musk has an interest in solarcity a vote is required under the stock exchange rules
institutional shareholders however hold 6357 percent of tesla it is hard to see them liking this deal tesla is also a darling of day traders these short term holders want the stock to go up and voting no on the deal is a way to get the shares to rise
given the reaction it is hard to see how a deal like this can happen now
in the end teslas offer appears destined to die as quickly as a fruit fly in part because it does not make sense to the market but also because the announcement and the structuring show a poor understanding of public relations
indeed it almost seems as if this is an offer intended to horrify institutional investors
chalk it up to the sometimes stifling exuberance of silicon valley where founders think they can do anything until they cant


a recent thursday found me and a male friend huddled over his iphone it was 11 am sharp and the mens skate clothing label supreme was having its weekly drop of new merchandise my friend a supreme fan has admitted in the past that he goes into something of a fugue state during its weekly online drop clicking near blindly to secure himself something anything before its gone this time i was a fellow traveler
established in 1994 in new york supreme has developed a cult following among not just skaters but also fashion folk artists musicians and streetwear obsessed suburban teenagers known for its limited inventory its clothings high resale value and its many collaborations with other brands supreme releases its merchandise on thursday mornings in stores and online many of the items   most of them staples like hoodies caps and t shirts   sell out almost immediately creating an enticing scarcity
my experience was no different as i scrolled through the supreme app with my friend i found that things were moving too fast for me before i could decide whether i wanted something or not it was sold out dark blue supreme x clarks wallabees gone a betty boop baseball shirt gone a red polka dot short sleeve button down gone i felt slightly embarrassed this might not have been the thing for me but nevertheless here i was a 40 year old cisgender straight wife and mom who shopped like a 19 year old skater
a lot of girls are tomboys and growing up i definitely was one but what began in my childhood as a relatively unconscious oppositional response a sort of sensitivity of the body   the lacy collar on that dress was itchy the strap on those patent leather mary janes gave me blisters   developed over the years into a more intentional style inclination
at 12 i went to see married to the mob and decided i wanted a haircut like matthew modines its not that i didnt think michelle pfeiffers perm in the movie looked amazing she played a hairdresser after all but mr modines preppy 1920s style cut seemed to me exponentially more appealing unlike ms pfeiffers femme resplendence which looked even to my novice tween eyes like a ton of work with plenty of room for error mr modines boyishness appeared effortless and therefore cool it was at least seemingly low stakes and by virtue of that very carelessness became a look in itself
as i discovered once i got the haircut it took some effort to maintain with my wavy hair erupting into a mushroom cloud instead of the hoped for straight vaguely new wave ish cap but while this apparent failure might have deterred me it actually became a spur
the thing was i didnt particularly want to be a boy and i wasnt trying to approximate any look fully or exactly what i did want was to look like a girl who was obviously lifting particular boyish elements and incorporating them into her style that way fashion could be free to become purely a signifier a concept and the more pared down simple and iconic the better fashion that so clearly and self consciously borrows its language could never be accused of failing of getting something wrong   as i would surely be i thought if i tried to look more overtly feminine
over the years i plucked many such signifiers from the world of casual lightly subversive mens wear and planted them in my outfits it was crucial that none of these items be dandyish or precious or conservative i would have never worn a suit or tie for instance instead a fuzzy oversize steven alan cardigan that put me in mind of kurt cobains unplugged vintage sweater a thin gold chain worn with a plain t shirt and hitting midsternum reminiscent to me of that worn by fassbinders young hustler character in 1975s fox and his friends a rodarte sweatshirt i bought at a sample sale after i saw a paparazzi picture of drake wearing it at a club clear framed oversize glasses of the sort marc jacobs used to wear in his slobby hot days in the mid 2000s and so on
as ive grown older had a child advanced professionally the gap between the clothes my stage in life called for theory the more tailored section of j crew ann taylor loft and what i actually wore slip on vans became ever wider this pleased me to an extent it was like an inside joke that admittedly maybe only i enjoyed but i also wondered in my more self questioning moments how much older i would have to get before it became fully weird for me to keep adopting fashion elements more appropriate to a teenager
recently there has been some talk about so called coachella moms women in their 30s and 40s who in anticipation of attending the indio calif millennial magnet music festival invest thousands in skimpy designer clothing   not to mention in surgical and dermatologic procedures   to remain youthful seeming and sexually viable for as long as possible more power to these women i thought as i read a hand wringing article written about the phenomenon but although i was a mom too and just beginning my 40s the effort to become a more vigorously gendered version of myself wasnt again what interested me
training my sights on supreme as the next step in my mens wear journey seemed a strong and somewhat improbable commitment to make   which also struck me immediately as a win for the comical wouldnt it be funny if i chose this moment to brawl with teenagers for a supreme hoodie
the hilarity was however undercut by some seriousness a joke but not in david shapiros very good coming novel supremacist the protagonist travels from new york to los angeles to london to japan and back to new york again to visit every supreme store in the world and while i wasnt intending to be anywhere near as fanatical i felt as if i could still understand this pilgrimages arc with supreme as the conceptual mcguffin standing in for what one wants but cant fully have a coolness an offhandedness an ease with the body   in sum the imagined perfection of the symbolic phallus
after the dust of the thursday drop settled i checked the supreme app again a leopard print sweater vest had remained available which seemed lucky and somehow civilized i didnt have to battle like a wild dog for scraps after all i didnt have to try that hard thank god
i ordered the vest
it happened to arrive the day before my daughters fifth birthday and i decided to wear it to the party this seemed like the potential crossing of a limit   wearing supreme to my childs preschool event   but while i felt a little awkward handing out cupcakes and tying balloons to tree trunks in streetwear separates people didnt seemed to notice or care and why would they if it hadnt been clear enough already it was now this was between me and me
and so after the party my daughter having gone to bed i stood in front of the mirror who did i remind myself of was it fassbinder but this time the older fatter leopard print wearing fassbinder of kamikaze 89 or after tucking the vest inside my pants was there a hint of young thug mixed with cary grant in weekend wear in to catch a thief and while i knew these visions were largely delusional and realized fully what else i saw   a 40 year old mom wearing a somewhat ill fitting patterned vest   it didnt matter at that moment i felt as if i were smoking a cigarette without having to actually smoke a cigarette unfussy nicely sloppy trying by not trying


the woeful wordplay writes itself american psycho met a gruesome end tuck everlasting was not immortal bright star ran out of fuel and disaster proved to be   well you can finish that one yourself
broadway is a brutal business in which real success is enjoyed by a handful of shows while a vast majority crash and burn and this season was especially tough because one show hamilton gobbled up much of the attention enthusiasm and awards that motivate potential ticket buyers
for musicals that opened this spring it was an especially unforgiving season broadway is increasingly saturated with long running hits and four musicals that opened last fall   school of rock on your feet fiddler on the roof and the color purple   reached the new year still running strong
people dont have to go to their i dont know maybe ill like it show when there are so many youre going to love it shows to see said jordan roth the president of jujamcyn theaters which owns five of the 40 broadway houses
ultimately shows fail because not enough people buy tickets to see them maybe the title wasnt as popular as the producers thought the performers not as appealing the stories not as dramatic the songs not as memorable and in an era of high running costs many producers can no longer afford to wait to let an audience build
four shows flopped this spring at a total loss to their investors here based on interviews with a variety of broadway figures is an autopsy report of sorts for american psycho disaster and tuck everlasting all of which closed in recent weeks and bright star which wraps up on sunday
the run 27 previews then 54 performances after opening april 21 at the gerald schoenfeld theater
the story a hunky and status obsessed investment banker who is or at least appears to be a sex crazed serial killer in new york city in 1989
cost to produce 88 million
onstage the title character patrick bateman was played by benjamin walker bloody bloody andrew jackson the cast also featured a reunion of the next to normal co stars jennifer damiano and alice ripley
offstage an a list creative team music by the singer songwriter duncan sheik spring awakening set design by es devlin and direction by rupert goold king charles iii the lead producer was jeffrey richards
what were they thinking the title is well known and has an established fan base through the polarizing 1991 novel by bret easton ellis and the cult film adaptation in 2000 the musical seemed sexy and fearless with a critique of the go go 80s that might resonate in this era of intense discussion about income inequality an initial production at the almeida theater in london from 2013 14 received some encouraging reviews the show was scheduled then to go to second stage an off broadway nonprofit for further development but the rights holder was so confident of the prospects that it forced the cancellation of that production and moved straight to broadway
critical response divided but several of the most influential critics hated it the show was nominated for two tony awards for scenic and lighting design and won neither
why it failed it was always going to be a risk the blood drenched material at one performance a misfiring blood pack splattered an audience member was unsuitable for families and unappealing to tourists who make up a large constituency of broadway ticket buyers but the show proved divisive even for adventurous theatergoers some raved about its bold look and daring content but others suggested it underplayed the satire many found the explicit and misogynistic violence offensive also noteworthy british developed shows satirizing the united states see enron have recently tanked on broadway
the run 30 previews then 109 performances after opening march 24 at the cort theater
the story inspired by a news account of a baby found in a valise the musical set in north carolina in the 1920s and the 1940s tracks the intertwining stories of a young soldier and the editor of a southern literary magazine
cost to produce 105 million
onstage instead of going with a well known star the shows creative team chose carmen cusack who had been with the project from the start she got great reviews and was nominated for a tony award for her broadway debut performance as the editor alice murphy
offstage the comedian and musician steve martin and the singer songwriter edie brickell collaborated on the score the show was directed by walter bobbie a tony winner for chicago and the lead producer was joey parnes who had shepherded a gentlemans guide to love  murder into an unlikely hit
what were they thinking the producers and creators were encouraged with what they saw at two pre broadway productions a premiere at the old globe in san diego in 2014 then a run in 2015 at the kennedy center in washington they believed that the cultural cachet of mr martin and ms brickell would attract audiences and that a combination of buzz and awards would broaden the appeal
critical response mixed charles isherwood of the new york times praised the show as gentle spirited not gaudy but terry teachout described it in the wall street journal as a really bad bluegrass pop musical the show was nominated for five tony awards including for best new musical but won none
why it failed although some were charmed few were wowed making it hard to build word of mouth as an original musical not adapted from a film or novel and with a complex plot it was hard to explain to ticket buyers some found the shows denouement laughably predictable the musical was nostalgic it was often described as quiet or small which has worked for some recent musicals once fun home though not this year as bright star struggled at the box office mr martin and ms brickell among others lent the production more money to keep it running and on about a dozen occasions mr martin joined the band onstage for an instrumental entracte but it was not enough to save the show
the run 32 previews then 72 performances after opening march 8 at the nederlander theater
the story a spoof of 1970s disaster films particularly the poseidon adventure the show depicted the misadventures of the passengers and crew members on an ill fated floating casino in new york city in 1979
cost to produce 65 million
onstage seth rudetsky a broadway booster and a co writer of the musical starred as a disaster expert and enlisted several stage notables to ham it up alongside him including roger bart the producers kerry butler xanadu adam pascal rent and faith prince guys and dolls
offstage the musical featured jukebox classics from the disco era and was directed by jack plotnick who wrote the show with mr rudetsky the lead producer was robert ahrens
what were they thinking this show was an effort at counterprogramming   it had two successful off broadway runs in 2012 and 2013 14 and the producers hoped that the enthusiasm for a campy night out could be replicated on broadway
critical response mr isherwood writing in the times praised the show as a delirious goof but other key critics were less impressed in new york magazine jesse green called it a tiny entertainment that should probably have been left in a basement rec room jennifer simards uproarious performance as a nun with a gambling problem received the only tony nomination she did not hit the jackpot
why it failed the musical struck many as an extended one gag skit without enough star power spectacle or drama to justify broadway prices or a two act running time and it sank
the run 28 previews then 39 performances after opening april 26 at the broadhurst theater
the story a young girl who meets an immortal family in the woods of rural new hampshire and must decide whether to drink from the water that would allow her to live forever
cost to produce 11 million
onstage the broadway veterans terrence mann pippin carolee carmello parade michael park cat on a hot tin roof and andrew keenan bolger newsies along with an 11 year old newcomer sarah charles lewis
offstage a beloved childrens book published in 1975 by natalie babbitt was the key ingredient add in the hitmaker casey nicholaw as director and choreographer changing pace from his go for the guffaw spectacles   aladdin the book of mormon and something rotten the musicals initial book was by claudia shear and then the producers added tim federle to help revise it for broadway chris miller and nathan tysen did the score the lead producer was beth williams
what were they thinking an initial production in atlanta was well received mr nicholaw has a track record of commercial success and family friendly musicals often do well on broadway
critical response tepid with a few exceptions the show was nominated for one tony for costume design it did not win
why it failed without big stars it had low advance sales and some argued that its leafy logo was unhelpful the story is a bit of a fairy tale   often hard to execute adults perceived it as a show for children and family shows without the disney imprimatur are hard to sell tuck was sweet and lovely but those are not the adjectives a musical needed this season to be heard above the din


after years of operating within a regimented chain of command many veterans are ready to become their own bosses many would be business owners are finding that the skills and experiences honed in the military are directly translating into start up ideas
veterans are comfortable operating in high pressure environments that are changing rapidly where theyre constantly forced to make decisions with incomplete information said zachary scheel a former civil engineer for the united states navy and a co founder of a construction technology start up rhumbix
these veterans are adapting tools and strategies they learned during their service for civilian applications and some have been inspired to start companies to address problems they witnessed on the battlefield
veterans have a long tradition of starting businesses nearly 50 percent of world war ii veterans owned and operated businesses after leaving military service according to research from the institute for veterans and military families at syracuse university
in the decades since then however that number has dropped sharply in 2014 veterans represented only 56 percent of the new entrepreneurs in the united states according to a report from the ewing marion kauffman foundation
some of that could be a result of the emphasis that transition programs have made in mr scheels experience headhunters tried to place junior officers like himself in finance consulting or manufacturing jobs even though he had no interest in these sectors
in 2011 during the arab spring mr scheel was stationed in djibouti where he used a military tool called blue force tracking the system uses gps to track soldiers locations in real time
two years later mr scheel had finished his service and was working for a large construction company in a copper mine in northern chile when he realized he could adapt the concept behind blue force tracking to improve efficiency on construction sites
construction had fascinated mr scheel since his boyhood days in cincinnati when his father sold construction equipment in four states traditionally foremen log hours in notebooks that are then transcribed to timecards which are entered manually into a computer and finally audited at a later stage
the mobile application developed by rhumbix allows workers to submit timesheets through their smartphones and foremen can approve them instantly this information often combined with workers phone gps data helps foremen analyze how much work was done where they can also pinpoint the locations of delays allowing them to improve efficiency
for instance during the construction of prefabricated bathrooms as part of a recent expansion of riverside community hospital in southern california foremen used rhumbix to reorganize how and where they set out building materials this decreased the number of trips needed for workers to fetch materials and cut the overall construction time for each bathroom by 75 percent
rhumbix has tested its mobile tools on 20 construction projects in california colorado texas and south carolina and will introduce its first commercial product in july the company which is based in san francisco now has 24 employees and has raised 7 million in financing
other veterans have developed business ideas to help the military directly for doug moorehead a former navy seal from cambridge ohio the number of soldiers killed while escorting fuel convoys in iraq motivated him to start a business
fuel was a precious resource which also made those transporting it prime targets for insurgents in iraq one soldier was injured or killed for every 39 fuel convoys according to the army environmental policy institute which is part of the military
i needed to find a way to reduce the number of soldiers sailors and marines in harms way on the battlefield mr moorehead said
his experiences led him to develop a hybrid generator that runs more efficiently his new generators use 50 to 70 percent less fuel than previous models
now various military divisions use the hybrid generators made by his company earl energy in 2013 mr moorehead created a sister brand flexgen now a separate company to sell his hybrid generators to commercial clients he now has 32 employees and has raised nearly 40 million in financing
several oil and gas companies have already purchased flexgen generators and the company is currently in discussions with various hospitals and mining companies around the world
while he and others have started growing businesses many veterans have found few contacts and role models to help them get started
in the last two years however many more resources have become available to aspiring veteran entrepreneurs in 2013 the federal small business administration introduced a national program called boots to business a two day introduction to entrepreneurship followed by an eight week online course
about 42000 people have taken the two day introductory class which is offered on 200 military installations around the world and 3300 have taken the longer course
the sba also helps veterans find the right local contacts to navigate the process of getting clearance if their new business ventures are closely linked to their service and contain classified information from that context
many veterans have amazing cybersecurity training for instance that can be used afterward to protect other institutions said barbara carson the associate administrator of sbas office of veterans business development
several new nonprofit organizations like patriot boot camp and bunker labs also help veterans find mentors investors and other entrepreneurs many of these groups grew out of start up accelerators
veteran run start ups also have a special understanding of how to help those in the military adjust to civilian work
tim dunnigan a serial entrepreneur who spent 20 years in the army and started five companies has employed a company chaplain for his newest venture talon aerolytics mr dunnigans 32 employee company based in west point ga is composed entirely of veterans it uses drones to capture and analyze data of cellphone towers power stations and other structures
when youre no longer in the trenches and no one is shooting at you how you speak to people has to change mr dunnigan said
the chaplain a familiar feature in any military unit spends time addressing this topic with new employees through an internal program named from the man to a man he also functions as a beacon of calm mr dunnigan said for some veterans who have post traumatic stress disorder
the top down nature of the military has helped some veterans develop businesses that require creating order from chaos
during 13 years in the air force two of those as a major angela cody rouget developed a special interest in how the military organizes people and objects
in foreign operating bases there is always a central command post where all data and papers are processed and handled said ms cody rouget
in 2006 ms cody rouget started a business called major mom where she helps busy parents organize their homes
major mom now has a team of 23 organizers called liberators their most frequent task helping busy parents create a central command post whether an office or guest bedroom or simply a desk where all the households mail and paperwork is sorted and stored rather than having documents scattered throughout the house
major mom has organized 1100 homes the companys most popular package costs 2888 for up to 46 hours of organizing
like many start ups ms cody rouget said that branching out on her own could have been smoother if she had used role models
my biggest mistake was not plugging into other veteran resources ms cody rouget said it would have saved me so much time


the comedian lewis black will perform four nights of stand up at the marquis theater on broadway this fall at the peak of election season
the curmudgeonly mr black who is a longstanding contributor to the daily show and gave voice to anger in the movie inside out last performed on broadway during the 2012 election cycle in a review of that show for the new york times charles isherwood described mr black as being in fine sputtering form exuding an air of exhausted disgust at the state of the country and the state of the world that will surely resonate with audiences feeling similarly grim as the grinding last stages of the presidential election loom
mr black will no doubt approach this singular election with similar rancor i cant wait to get mad about the madness he said in a statement about the show lewis black black to the future
performances will take place on four mondays   sept 12 19 26 and oct 10 at 8 pm   dark days for the broadway musical on your feet which calls the marquis theater home tickets will go on sale on monday june 27 at 10 am at ticketmastercom


a few months ago douglas scott a property manager in jacksonville fla was taking large doses of narcotic drugs or opioids to deal with the pain of back and spine injuries from two recent car accidents
the pills helped ease his pain but they also caused him to withdraw from his wife his two children and social life
finally my wife said you do something about this or were going to have to make some changes around here said mr scott 43
today mr scott is no longer taking narcotics and feels better shortly after his wifes ultimatum he entered a local clinic where patients are weaned off opioids and spend up to five weeks going through six hours of training each day in alternative pain management techniques such as physical therapy relaxation exercises and behavior modification
mr scotts story highlights one patients success yet it also underscores the difficulties that the obama administration and public health officials face in reducing the widespread use of painkillers like oxycontin and percocet the use and abuse of the drugs has led to a national epidemic of overdose deaths addiction and poor patient outcomes
in recent months federal agencies and state health officials have urged doctors to first treat pain without using opioids and some have announced plans to restrict how many pain pills a doctor can prescribe but getting the millions of people with chronic pain to turn to alternative treatments is a daunting task one that must overcome inconsistent insurance coverage as well as some resistance from patients and their doctors who know the ease and effectiveness of pain medications
we are all culpable said dr david deitz a former insurance industry executive and a consultant on pain treatment issues i dont care whether you are a doctor an insurer or a patient
alternative treatments for pain may include chiropractic and osteopathic manipulation meditation massage yoga acupuncture and cognitive behavioral therapy which helps people cope with pain by changing how they think about it insurance plans may not cover all of these treatments which vary widely in cost or impose strict limits on them comprehensive programs such as the one mr scott attended are expensive charging 20000 or more
many state medicaid programs for the poor while eager to reduce opioid use among their members have only begun to grapple with whether to cover nondrug treatments for pain or how extensively to do it
one exception is physical therapy which medicaid is required to cover for members who gained coverage under the affordable care act but the generosity of the benefit varies by state
there are definitely discussions going on about alternative approaches said matt salo executive director of the national association of medicaid directors however mr salo added that such benefits were often the first to be eliminated when program budgets are cut because the treatments are considered optional
evidence about the effectiveness of the treatments varies widely adding another layer of complication the proof is limited for acupuncture for example but better for cognitive behavioral therapy
the obama administration recently published a national pain strategy that calls for far more research into alternative pain treatments
a 2008 study by the mayo clinic though found that patients who were weaned off opioids and undergo a nondrug based program such as the one mr scott went through experienced less pain than while on opioids and also significantly improved in function other studies have had similar findings
still some insurers will not pay for such multifaceted treatment questioning both their effectiveness and value
in addition patients often resist nondrug treatments taking a pill is simply faster and easier than regularly leaving work for physical therapy also the impulse of many doctors is to write a prescription
the problems started for mr scott in 2015 when a driver rear ended his car the accident caused back and neck injuries a pain specialist soon had him on a regimen of two narcotic drugs   oxycodone the active ingredient in oxycontin and morphine   which were gradually increased to control his pain in february his car was rear ended again aggravating the injuries
before long he was taking 30 milligrams of morphine and 30 milligrams of oxycodone three times daily a combined dosage considered high he said he thought he was doing fine but he did not want to work and had little interest in interacting with friends his wife or his children
at the time i would not have told you that i was dependent on the drugs mr scott said now i can say i was extremely dependent and addicted
his doctor a pain management specialist was satisfied that his pain was under control but after the confrontation with his wife mr scott agreed to go to a clinic in jacksonville that specializes in alternative programs his employers insurance paid for the treatment
initially mr scott thought the program was a joke but after he was slowly weaned off opioids during the second week he began to feel better
i woke up on a saturday morning thinking i have to do my flexibility exercises do my stretches he recalled
in the 1990s insurers often supported programs like the one in jacksonville but they soon fell out of favor because the programs varied in quality and there was little data to show their long term value in addition opioids appeared to provide a quicker and cheaper solution
insurers started saying what the heck why are we throwing money at a problem said dr deitz the consultant
virgil wittmer a psychologist who directs the program that treated mr scott at brooks rehabilitation in jacksonville said workers compensation plans and some private insurers like aetna and united healthcare will cover the programs costs but others like blue cross and blue shield of florida will not
in a statement florida blue said that while it covered some of the alternative techniques like physical therapy used in dr wittmers program it considered other approaches experimental and unproved
state medicaid plans typically do not cover interdisciplinary programs but the scope of the opioid epidemic has prompted some states to experiment with alternative approaches
vermont for example recently passed legislation that directs officials there to develop a pilot program to offer acupuncture to medicaid recipients with chronic pain and determine whether it is as effective as or more effective than opioids
also starting next month oregons medicaid program will provide acupuncture chiropractic and osteopathic manipulation and cognitive behavioral therapy to patients with chronic back pain if such treatments are deemed appropriate after an initial evaluation patients with back pain may also include yoga massage or supervised exercise therapy
oregon has spent a great deal of public money on treatments such as surgery and narcotic medications without good evidence that they improve patients lives said susan stigers a spokeswoman for the states medicaid program
some private insurers and state agencies are also trying to integrate mental health care into their pain care programs some people who have long lasting or chronic pain have undergone a previous trauma such as emotional or physical abuse during childhood and their pain is unlikely to abate without psychological counseling
psychology factors are a major issue said dr steven feinberg a specialist in physical medicine in palo alto calif
but workers compensation insurers are particularly leery of doing so because adopting such strategies could mean paying for psychological treatment for years said dr deitz the former health industry executive
mr scott said that even with his pain under control he continued to receive psychological counseling he said that he realized during sessions with dr wittmer that he was taking opioids not only to deal with his pain but also because the effect of the drugs was helping him cope with his underlying history of anxiety
the opioids were saying to me dont worry about this ive got it he said it made me feel that i was in control when in fact i was not


a 24 decade history of popular music the 24 hour long magnum opus of the playwright and performance artist taylor mac will be presented in its entirety for the first time this fall at st anns warehouse
the production an idiosyncratic history of the united states told through song runs sept 15 through oct 8 and opens the st anns season it will be presented in two ways as a series of three hour concerts that cover three decades each and as a onetime 24 hour marathon that begins at noon on oct 8
mac who uses the gender neutral pronoun judy has presented excerpts from the project while it has been in development for the past two years on july 3 mac sings selections at joes pub in late july the first 12 decades will be performed in a series of noon to midnight performances at the powerhouse theater in poughkeepsie ny
in performances mac has sung popular songs from each decade in american history   beginning with 1776 and ending with the present the final total work will consist of 240 songs and 24 costume changes the costumes by machine dazzle are notoriously brazen and sparkling for the first decade mac will be backed by a 24 piece orchestra one instrument leaves the orchestra with each new decade and by the end mac sings original not popular songs without accompaniment
other productions during the st anns season include the director phyllida lloyds take on the tempest jan 13 feb 12 the play imported from the donmar warehouse in london is the third and final work in a series of shakespeare plays   which included julius caesar and henry iv   that ms lloyd had set in a womens prison her all female taming of the shrew ends its run at the public theaters shakespeare in the park on sunday
closing the season is 946 the amazing story of adolphus tips march 16 april 9 a play adapted by emma rice and the war horse author michael morpurgo from his novel as performed by the british troupe kneehigh the production will incorporate spectacle and live music in telling the story of african american soldiers who were sent to the united kingdom to rehearse the normandy invasion during world war ii
additional productions from the season will be listed soon at stannswarehouseorg


london   battle lines have been sharply drawn ahead of the vote on thursday about whether britain should remain a member of the european union
the intense debate over the referendum widely known by its shorthand brexit has pitted neighbors and relatives against one another
it has spilled over to twitter where in moments of tension users often turn to pet memes
last week lilian edwards a law professor in scotland posted a picture of her cat on twitter curled up on a pillow and looking slightly sad and added the hashtag catsagainstbrexit asking other cat owners to join her
soon thousands of cat owners who support british membership in the bloc posted pictures of their cats in a purportedly resentful or irritated state attributing their dark mood to brexit induced depression never mind that cats are inscrutable
more hashtags proliferated the opposing catsforbrexit as well as dogsagainstbrexit and dogsforbrexit even hamsters and ferrets weighed in
so far the cats opposed to leaving the european union are winning the battle with nearly 60800 tweets in the last seven days according to dataminr a monitoring service cat tweets in favor of leaving the european union numbered around 2700 with the dog tweets split 3475 against to 1360 for leaving dataminr showed
what does this mean for the referendum were not sure but this is scientific proof that twitter is ridiculous
through their pets twitter users touched on several high profile issues of the referendum debate including immigration the economy and the role of the right wing uk independence party
bensons worried not enough people realize that we have more in common than things dividing us wrote rupert myers a journalist on twitter with a picture of his cat gazing forlornly or perhaps at a goldfish
immigration figured prominently in the posts a reflection of the leave campaigns views which recently made headlines after a poster showed a huge line of migrants stretching into the distance with the words breaking point overlaid in red
sasha is worried for her future after brexit as she knows she looks foreign  wrote paul bernal on twitter posting a picture of a cat
and so the battle of the twitter pets is likely continue until the vote a sampling
hypnosis is one way to get results
prayer is another method
this one is not quite sure which way to vote
for those who oppose leaving the european union
when the two sides face off this is what it looks like
dr suzanne conboy hill referring to boris johnson the former london mayor and one of the public faces of the leave campaign said her cat feared she could be sent packing at any moment chaka is 19  part persian she worries she might be deported if boris knows where persia is
on the other side of the debate daniel hannan a member of the conservative party and the european parliament invoked the famed grumpy cat


the colombian government and the countrys largest rebel group said wednesday that they had agreed to a cease fire clearing a major hurdle in the effort to end one of the worlds longest running conflicts
in a joint statement the two sides said that they had overcome some of the most intractable parts of a peace deal which they have been negotiating in havana since 2012
in addition to a cease fire the rebels   known as the revolutionary armed forces of colombia or the farc   agreed to lay down their arms
the two sides said they would hold a ceremony in havana on thursday to mark the cease fire attended by colombias president juan manuel santos the farc leader rodrigo londono and other latin american leaders negotiators hope a final peace deal will be reached in the days or weeks to come
tomorrow will be a great day mr santos said in a statement we worked for peace in colombia a dream which is now becoming reality
on twitter the farc responded we made it the path to peace must continue because its not an illusion now its a promise
the agreement sets in motion an end to the regions oldest conflict an estimated 220000 people have been killed in more than 50 years of fighting between the guerrillas and the government more than five million people are estimated to have been displaced
the agreement to lay down arms sets the stage for what will be one of the largest demobilization of guerrilla fighters in years an estimated 7000 farc foot soldiers and commanders would be expected to disarm many were kidnapped as children by the guerrillas and know no other life than one with the rebels
under a related agreement reached last year during the negotiations farc soldiers would enter into a transitional justice system with reduced sentences for those who confess to crimes that took place during the conflict in many cases the punishments are expected to be limited to community service
unicef the united nations childrens fund will assist in reintegrating hundreds of child soldiers whom the farc agreed in may to release
many quarters of colombia celebrated the steps announced on wednesday
this is a transcendent step said alejo vargas a political scientist who heads a group that brought war victims to havana to speak with negotiators during the talks even if its not the final deal we can say without a doubt the process is irreversible now
others lent support but voiced concerns about how the deal would be enacted
luis mendieta a former chief of colombias national police who was kidnapped for 12 years by the farc said he worried that many guerrillas would join criminal gangs rather than disarm he also said that while the farc had agreed to lay down arms he believed the group was continuing to extort colombians in the countryside they control
the farc must now not just begin a cease fire but end all their hostilities he said the two arent the same thing
the farc whose origins date to the early 1960s was founded as a marxist leninist group that vowed to defend the countrys peasants from right wing governments in colombia but as the years wore on the group found a potent source of revenue in kidnapping city dwellers
by the 1990s the farc had also expanded into the coca trade earning millions by taxing growers and according to american and colombian officials trafficking cocaine in 1999 the two governments announced plan colombia an aid package in which the united states poured some 10 billion into colombia to fight drug traffickers
many farc leaders have been killed and the group has suffered from mass desertions in its ranks it counted 17000 members in the early 2000s a group that is estimated at 7000 or fewer today
during the negotiations the colombian president mr santos said he would hold a referendum on the agreement a peace plan remains generally popular among most colombians with recent polls showing a majority   around 60 percent   saying they would vote for it
among the harshest critics of the deal is alvaro uribe the former colombian president whose military crackdown on the farc many credit with forcing the rebels to the negotiating table mr uribe has repeatedly said the deal amounts to an amnesty for the farc and has accused mr santos of being a traitor
jorge robledo a leftist senator from an opposition party says mr uribes position is too extreme while he believes that challenges remain in reintegrating farc members into society the opportunity for a cease fire is too important to pass up he said
disarming the farc wont resolve all of colombias problems he said some violence will disappear some wont and other problems will continue in this country like poverty unemployment an agrarian crisis and corruption but this doesnt take away from the immense importance that a cease fire has for this country


on thursday the new york times obtained a draft version of a state department memo that sharply criticizes the obama administrations syria policy and calls for limited military strikes against that countrys government the memo signed by 51 diplomats was sent through an agency dissent channel that was established during the vietnam war to air internal criticism
because the memo is written by and for government officials its language can be difficult to parse what follows is an annotation of 10 key lines many of which were marked sbu for sensitive but unclassified u is unclassified
discussion of the memo has focused on the dissenters indictment of their own leaders policy many of their points have been debated inside the administration for years and there are complicated arguments on both sides
while their proposed solution excludes some significant points there is a core truth in this document current policy has little answer for how to break out of a status quo that is disastrous and steadily getting worse
state department officials have been pushing for years for a limited military intervention in syria along these lines the central intelligence agency joined the department in backing airstrikes in internal administration discussions in 2012 and 2013 the pentagon and national security council were opposed
president obama has decisively ruled out such strikes in part out of concern for the absence of popular support for american involvement in another war in the middle east but the fighting   and its devastating humanitarian toll   has ground on and in some cases expanded so the rationale for deploying united states military power has in the eyes of the dissenters grown only more urgent
stand off weapons are things like cruise missiles launched from far enough away that syria could not retaliate the dissenters stated goal of using them along with airstrikes is not to topple president bashar al assad of syria but to pressure him toward a peace deal
proponents of such a plan often cite the 1999 nato bombing of yugoslavia which helped push that countrys leaders to reach a diplomatic agreement over the conflict in kosovo some say that parallel is flawed because of the active involvement of russia and iran in this war suggesting that those countries might escalate their activity in support of syrian forces to counterbalance any american strikes the memo here also refers to daesh an arabic acronym for the islamic state
this line indicates both why these diplomats are speaking up and why their dissent is being met with skepticism because the white house has chosen to emphasize diplomacy the state department is being asked to pursue a strategy it does not fully support citing the wars toll is a way for the diplomats to express their frustration with that arrangement it is also a way to draw attention to the costs of allowing the status quo to continue
however opponents of intervention argue that just because the status quo is bad does not mean that bombing syrian government forces would improve things some accuse state department officials like these dissenters of do somethingism a reasoning that the situation is so awful that something must be done and airstrikes are something therefore airstrikes are a good policy
this statement argues that airstrikes will entrench syria in an unsolvable stalemate thereby giving the syrian leader no choice but to negotiate
the latest peace efforts have gone nowhere at a time when mr assad backed by russian forces is winning on the battlefield if mr obama wants to negotiate an end to the conflict the dissenters say the united states and its allies have to show a willingness to match russian muscle and give mr assad a clear signal that he cannot win a meaningful victory solely on the ground
this approach risks worsening the wars toll in the short term and there is no guarantee that the united states could break the syrian presidents will soon but the memo highlights the fact that russias expanded military involvement changed the status quo and the united states has not found a way to change it back leaving the administration with less leverage
airstrikes against syrian government forces the memo argues would also help defeat the islamic state most analysts agree that mr assads abuses and the syrian civil war have both fueled the islamic states rise as the memo says
but while these dissenting diplomats argue that a peace deal would allow syrias government and syrian rebels to join together to fight the islamic state others worry that rebels   including the kurdish ypg or peoples protection units   would turn against one another to fight for power this happened in afghanistan in 1992 when rebels who had defeated the government began a yearslong civil war among themselves and likewise in libya in 2011
the memo suggests that were the united states to impose a no fly zone over syria the fighting would cool   and that this in turn would lessen the suffering of syrians including refugees and idp or internally displaced persons and open more space for peace talks
this is an ambitious prediction research by micah zenko of the council on foreign relations found that airstrikes account for only a fraction of deaths in syria mr zenko also found that no fly zones tend to escalate wars rather than calm them
syria would be particularly tricky given that many airstrikes are carried out by russian rather than syrian warplanes the memo does not address whether a no fly zone would apply to russia or how washington could enforce it without risking a major conflict
this makes two sharp points about why syria peace talks never seem to go anywhere first the united states has little leverage to force syria to make concessions or keep its promises second negotiations have involved several countries and groups each with its own agenda the obama administration has been unable to address either of these factors
the memo contrasts this with the iran nuclear deal which worked in part because the united states imposed economic sanctions and also because talks were streamlined between two sides with iran on one and the united states mostly leading the other
this is an important critique of the presidents choice of diplomacy over intervention it is difficult to see any path for peace talks unless washington finds a way to assert far greater leverage the united states missed a window to assert such leverage earlier in the conflict because of internal foot dragging and a mistaken white house conclusion in 2012 that mr assad was about to fall without being further pushed
airstrikes the memo argues could be the leverage the united states needs to commandeer the negotiations and force syria to compromise this intervention would need to be forceful enough to overpower not only mr assad but also his russian and iranian backers who have so far shown a willingness to escalate their involvement to keep their ally in power the only way for the obama administration to out leverage syrias allies is to surpass their commitments which at this point could require something as extreme as a ground invasion
the most revealing aspect of this memo is what it excludes it does not address how to resolve the deep disagreements even among allies about what a peace deal should look like it does not offer a legal basis for war against syria which russia would surely block at the united nations it does not say how to remove mr assad without letting the syrian government collapse
the memo is as much about registering frustration even outrage with the current policy as it is about offering a detailed alternative in that sense it is also as revealing about matters internal to washington   questions of blame and responsibility   as it is about the prospects for ending syrias nightmare


tokyo   mitsubishi motors said wednesday that it expected to incur a loss of 145 billion yen or 139 billion this year as it faces the fallout from a scandal over falsified fuel economy ratings
the net loss forecast for the fiscal year to march would be mitsubishis first in eight years the scandal prompted mitsubishi to seek a 22 billion rescue from its fellow japanese automaker nissan motor last month as it struggled with falling sales and the rising cost of compensating customers
the episode has already cost mitsubishi a significant amount of independence the carmaker gave up about one third of the company in return for its financial lifeline becoming part of a global automotive group centered on nissan and renault of france
in april mitsubishi admitted using unapproved mileage tests on cars it sells in japan which exaggerated the vehicles stated fuel performance the company said that it had been cheating on its mileage tests for a quarter century and that all models in its domestic lineup were affected its chief executive has since stepped down
mitsubishi said it planned to book Y=150 billion in one time charges related to the manipulated fuel tests the amount includes Y=100 billion in payments to nissan which sold the most affected models a line of ultralight minicars under its own brand in a joint venture with mitsubishi
mitsubishi will also compensate buyers directly and absorb the cost of lost tax breaks that its cars previously enjoyed because of their advertised fuel efficiency
mitsubishis admission was part of a series of cheating revelations in the automobile industry carmakers reporting of fuel economy and pollution ratings is under especially close scrutiny after volkswagen admitted last year that it had installed software in 11 million diesel vehicles to cheat on emissions tests
mitsubishis cheating centered on the way engineers calculate what is known as running resistance or the effect that tire friction and other factors have on fuel consumption under various driving conditions mitsubishi used test parameters that were not approved in japan and that tended to flatter the cars fuel consumption ratings in the most extreme cases by as much as 15 percent


washington   a federal judge on tuesday night struck down an obama administration regulation on the use of hydraulic fracturing or fracking for oil and gas on public lands a blow to president obamas muscular stand on the extraction of fossil fuels on government lands
the rule released by the interior department in march of last year and scheduled to take effect this friday was designed to increase the safety of fracking it would have required companies to comply with federal safety standards in the construction of fracking wells and to disclose the use of some chemicals in the fracking process
judge scott w skavdahl of federal district court in wyoming ruled that the interior department lacked the authority from congress to issue the regulation and also noted that fracking was already subject to other regulations under state and federal law
the decision comes amid a heated political debate over fracking which involves the injection of water gravel and chemicals underground to extract oil and gas the technology has produced an oil and gas boom in the united states but environmentalists say fracking can contaminate groundwater and lead to the leaking of methane a potent greenhouse gas
the blocked rule would not have affected most fracking operations in the united states since it would have applied only to fracking on federal lands the vast majority of fracking in the united states   almost 90 percent   is done on state and private land and is governed by state and local regulations the rule was unlikely to have stopped most new fracking on public lands although oil and gas companies complained that it could have slowed operations by creating burdensome paperwork
and judge skavdahls ruling is not the final word while the regulation will be temporarily halted the federal court of appeals for the 10th circuit is also reviewing the rule obama administration officials characterized judge skavdahls ruling as a delay and said they were waiting for the decision by the appeals court
its unfortunate that implementation of the rule continues to be delayed because it prevents regulators from using 21st century standards to ensure that oil and gas operations are conducted safely and responsibly on public and tribal lands the interior department said in a statement from the agencys spokeswoman jessica kershaw
nonetheless the oil and gas industry and republicans who have opposed mr obamas environmental regulations claimed a victory
todays decision demonstrates blms efforts are not needed and that states are - and have for over 60 years been - in the best position to safely regulate hydraulic fracturing said neal kirby a spokesman for the independent petroleum association of america which had sued the administration over the rule
the house speaker paul d ryan of wisconsin said in a statement hydraulic fracturing is one of the keys that has unlocked our nations energy resurgence in oil and natural gas making the united states the largest energy producer in the world creating tens of thousands of good paying jobs and lowering energy prices for consumers yet the obama administration has sought to regulate it out of existence this is not only harmful for the economy and consumers its unlawful   as the court has just ruled
mr ryan added only congress can write laws agencies acting without authority from congress is simply illegal
environmentalists say they held out hope that the rule would be upheld by an appeals court
our hope remains that the full 10th circuit will continue its review of the case and uphold this rule said lena moffitt the director of the sierra clubs beyond dirty fuels campaign
while there is no way to ever make fracking safe the oil and gas industry has repeatedly proven that it needs more standards to keep the public safe from the dangers of fossil fuels not less she said


officials at the transportation security administration thought they had the solution for long lines at airports precheck a program that allowed people to move through security without taking off their shoes or removing electronics from their luggage
it has not worked as planned
customers who apply for the program which requires a fee of 85 and a background check say they continue to face long waits to obtain the precheck clearance such delays could grow worse because the number of people signing up for precheck has more than tripled in the last few months climbing to 16000 a day on average in may agency officials said
that surge has led to long delays in processing applications dozens of passengers who have recently tried to sign up for precheck say they have been given appointments for the in person interviews needed to complete the process that are weeks or even months away
vance hiner of st louis said he was put on a three month waiting list at lambert st louis international airport to complete his enrollment
the process of looking at my face and verifying that my passport and drivers license match could be done by literally any security cleared airport staffer he said in an email
roger golliver of beaverton ore a suburb of portland said his wife signed up for the precheck program in march but she had to wait months for an interview
the earliest she could find was a july date in seattle he said seattle is about a three hour drive from portland
officials at the tsa and morphotrust usa the company that handles all precheck applications say they are aware of the problems and are working to increase the number of enrollment centers while hiring additional people to deal with the surge in applications
we are adding as much capacity as quickly as possible said john sammon the chief marketing officer for the tsa
charles carroll senior vice president for identity services at morphotrust said the company was hiring additional staff to bolster its efforts at the 14 biggest airports including in new york and chicago where 450 passengers at chicago ohare international airport missed their flights last month because of long lines
were in emergency response mode mr carroll said tsa was caught off guard by the size and amount of people traveling
the agency has made some improvements in reducing wait times at airports it has increased overtime for screeners and moved dozens of bomb sniffing dog teams to larger airports from smaller ones on the busy memorial day weekend few travelers reported a long wait
more help is on the way this year congress allowed the agency to use 34 million to hire nearly 800 new screeners and lawmakers recently approved an additional 28 million that will allow the agency to convert 2784 screeners from part time to full time which will add 53 security lanes at the nations airports
some members of congress and many in the travel industry wonder if the efforts will be sustainable throughout the peak of summer travel tsa cannot continue to rely on temporary band aids by moving around limited homeland security dollars said representative bennie thompson democrat of mississippi
john s pistole the former tsa administrator who started the precheck program argued that using risk based intelligence to screen and move low risk passengers through security checkpoints was a better way to protect airports information provided by those who sign up for precheck is checked against the fbis criminal history databases as well as several terrorist screening databases and no fly lists
the initial challenge was the reverse of today the tsa could not persuade enough people to sign up for precheck and at many airports the precheck lanes were empty as regular security lines backed up
so the agency started a program called managed inclusion which allowed people who had not signed up for the program to go through expedited screening when regular lines grew long
an investigation by the department of homeland securitys office of inspector general found that screeners allowed investigators with fake bombs and weapons to pass through checkpoints in 95 percent of the tests a finding first reported by abc news last year
peter v neffenger who took over the agency last july ended the practice of managed inclusion but fixing that problem has contributed to the long security lines that the agency is now trying to solve
on wednesday kelly hoggan who had been the assistant administrator for the office of security operations for the tsa since 2013 resigned mr hoggan had been reassigned in may after a backlash over long security lines at airports and congressional scrutiny of thousands of dollars in bonuses he had received
jeh johnson the secretary of homeland security is trying to enlist help from the private sector to persuade more people to sign up for precheck in a letter to the 100 largest american companies he asked that they reimburse employees for signing up for expedited screening programs
the agency is also seeking additional vendors in addition to morphotrust to help process precheck enrollment still it is unclear if those efforts will be enough to reduce the long lines expected at airports this summer


donald j trump has had a rough week overseeing a shake up of his campaign staff and reporting a dismal fund raising total the presumptive republican presidential nominee tried to refocus his campaign on wednesday with a speech attacking his democratic rival hillary clinton but he took liberties with the truth delivering a series of inaccurate and misleading statements
some of the highlights and our fact checks
 mr trump began his speech by lamenting americas crumbling infrastructure and weak economy taking a jab at his opponent he said i know these problems can all be fixed but not by hillary clinton only by me
 mr trump called mrs clinton a world class liar singling out her statements about her email server and her phony landing in bosnia a reference to comments mrs clinton made in her 2008 campaign about a 1996 trip to bosnia as first lady we had to land a certain way and move quickly because of the threat of sniper fire she said
fact check footage later emerged of mrs clinton accompanied by her daughter chelsea walking calmly on the tarmac in a serene scene she later said she misspoke
 mr trump assailed mrs clintons record as secretary of state warning that she does not have the temperament or the judgment to be president he also accused her of running the state department like a hedge fund and suggesting that she had something to hide in the secret speeches she made to wall street banks
 mr trump defended his business record recalling that he began his career in brooklyn with a small loan and built a business worth more than 10 billion i have always had a talent for building businesses and importantly creating jobs he said that is a talent our country desperately needs
fact check this substantially understates the financial assistance that mr trump received from his father fred a major real estate developer in new york city the decades old loan was for 1 million a handsome sum that is by no means small but the elder mr trump did not stop there he handed his son control of a large company with significant property holdings across the city whose substantial value is difficult to quantify or overstate without this leg up its unclear whether mr trump could have built the business empire that he has
 mr trump said that mrs clinton has spent her entire life making money for special interests   and i will tell you she has made plenty of money for them and she has been taking plenty of money out for herself
fact check this assertion is mostly false early in her career mrs clinton worked for the childrens defense fund and as a lawyer for the house impeachment inquiry against president richard nixon and later worked at the private rose law firm in arkansas focusing on intellectual property and other cases much of her career has been devoted to government service as first lady united states senator and secretary of state but mrs clinton did receive millions of dollars in paid speeches to banks and others and has served on the boards of corporations like walmart mr trump argues that she also made money for big donors through her activities at the state department and her family foundation but he has not offered clear convincing proof
 turning to trade mr trump said that mrs clinton supported the north american free trade agreement and cited chinas entrance into the world trade organization as evidence that his opponent will support deals that harm american workers he also said that her record as secretary of state should be scorned because americas trade deficit with china soared under her tenure
fact check as first lady mrs clinton privately expressed skepticism about nafta the trade pact that president bill clinton signed into law in 1993 though she made statements supportive of it the trade pact has been widely blamed for the loss of american manufacturing jobs mrs clinton has called for parts of nafta to be renegotiated and has said that the trans pacific partnership president obamas 12 nation pact that she supported while serving as secretary of state doesnt meet her high bar on protecting american workers and the environment
 mr trump directly blamed mrs clinton for the death of ambassador j christopher stevens in benghazi libya calling her a liar who ignored his requests for help her decisions spread death destruction and terrorism everywhere she touched mr trump said calling the rise of the islamic state and chaos in the middle east the fault of the former secretary of state
 mr trump changed his tone on muslims whom he has previously accused of being generally complicit in the violence carried out islamic terrorists isis also threatens peaceful muslims across the middle east and peaceful muslims across the world who have been terribly victimized by horrible brutality   and who only want to raise their kids in peace and safety he said
 mr trump suggested that mrs clinton was responsible for making iran the dominant power in the middle east and on the road to nuclear weapons
fact check iran is certainly a dominant power in the middle east but so is saudi arabia and so is israel but tehran is farther from nuclear weapons than it was a year ago when mr trump began his campaign it has given up 98 percent of its nuclear fuel in the past year and partly dismantled many of its nuclear facilities under an accord that had its roots in mrs clintons time as secretary of state
 peter schweizer the author of clinton cash the untold story of how and why foreign governments and businesses helped make bill and hillary rich which mr trump repeatedly referred to is a well known conservative author who is a senior editor at large at breitbart news and is affiliated with the conservative hoover institution
 mr trump laid out six bullet points from the book to argue that mrs clinton is the most corrupt person ever to seek the presidency he accused her of taking millions of dollars from foreign regimes that support shariah law and abuse women
 mr trump tied the recent orlando shootings to his immigration plans saying i only want to admit people who share our values and love our people hillary clinton wants to bring in people who believe women should be enslaved and gays put to death
fact check mr trump has proposed temporarily barring all noncitizen muslims from entering the united states he has never made distinctions about muslims who share our values and it would be impossible to verify that immigrants love our people his assertion about mrs clinton is based on her support for current united states policy that allows immigration from some countries where women lack equal rights and homosexuality may be punishable by death
 mr trump said that if elected president in his first 100 days he would appoint judges who will uphold the constitution of the united states and added hillary clintons radical judges will virtually abolish the second amendment   cant let that happen
fact check mr trump has released the names of several conservative jurists whom he would appoint to the open seat on the supreme court if he wins in november and mr obamas current nominee is not confirmed mrs clinton has not said whom she would appoint but the notion that she would nominate judges who would somehow overrule the second amendment is a republican talking point that is not based on statements or past actions by mrs clinton she does favor new gun control rules but she has said she would seek them through legislation or executive action
 mr trump lamented that the country has been thinking small and relying too much on other countries we lost our sense of purpose and daring he said but thats not who we are if that line sounds familiar its because it is one of mr obamas favorite lines usually used to describe a generous internationalist america
 at one point mr trump said that the united states is the highest taxed nation in the world
fact check this is inaccurate according to several organizations that have examined the claim a thorough check by politifact found about 30 countries that have higher tax rate structures than the united states including denmark luxembourg and belgium that has not stopped mr trump from making this claim repeatedly
 mr trump stated that mrs clinton accepted a gift of jewelry from the leaders of brunei valued at 58000
fact check this is a misleading claim that omits key information mrs clinton as secretary of state may have received this gift but she did not keep it as required by state department rules mrs clinton transferred the jewelry to the united states government
 mr trump concluded on a positive morning in america note promising that he would put americans back to work restoring hope for struggling inner city families and ushering in a new era of wealth americans are going to start believing in the future of our country he said


the leader of a polygamous breakaway sect of the mormon church has gone on the run less than two weeks after he was released from jail and confined to a home in salt lake city pending a trial on fraud and money laundering charges officials said
lyle jeffs 56 the de facto leader of the fundamentalist church of jesus christ of latter day saints was discovered to be missing on sunday said sandra yi barker an fbi spokeswoman in salt lake city
ms barker said that the fbi had received several tips since mr jeffss disappearance and that he was possibly seeking shelter in communities of the sect outside utah including those in canada or mexico she warned that he was considered armed and dangerous
mr jeffs was ordered to wear a gps device and stay at a salt lake city home after he was released from jail on june 9 by judge ted stewart of the united states district court of utah ms barker declined to comment on how mr jeffs may have escaped
mr jeffs is the brother of warren jeffs the self styled prophet of the sect who is serving a life sentence for the sexual assault of underage girls whom he took as his brides lyle jeffs has been running the church including its day to day financial affairs in his brothers absence prosecutors said
mr jeffs and 10 other leaders and members of the renegade sect which embraces practices renounced by the official mormon church were indicted in february on felony counts involving money laundering and a scheme to divert millions of dollars in food stamp transactions
all of the defendants pleaded not guilty the trial is scheduled to begin in october
prosecutors accused the defendants of compelling church members to turn over their food stamp benefits to a communal storehouse which church leaders used to distribute goods to their followers
sect members however did not receive any eligible food products in return prosecutors said the benefits the indictment said were used by ineligible beneficiaries and for unapproved purchases among them a tractor a pickup truck and almost 17000 worth of paper products
mr jeffs and the other defendants made participation in the scheme something akin to a religious commandment prosecutors said they told church members that surrendering their possessions   and in turn obtaining all their food and household goods from the storehouse   was required to participate in the united order a religious practice they instituted in 2011
a lawyer for lyle jeffs kathryn nester argued in may that delays to the start of his trial imposed an unreasonably long period of pretrial detention she said he did not pose a flight risk in part because all of his co defendants had been released and none had fled
two days before mr jeffs disappeared ms nester submitted a petition to the court seeking fewer restrictions on his pretrial release including permission for him to work and to receive family visitors ms nester said on tuesday that she had not heard from mr jeffs since his disappearance


cleveland   the victory party commenced sunday night after the cleveland cavaliers defeated the golden state warriors 93 89 to become the first team to rally from a three games to one deficit to win the nba finals and it has only grown in size and stature since
it spread to i x center near cleveland hopkins international airport on monday afternoon as thousands of fans welcomed home the cavaliers after the team had detoured to las vegas for a celebration of its own at xs nightclub traffic jams and sparse parking did not deter fans some of whom had waited out the 52 years since a cleveland sports team last delivered a major professional championship some simply drove onto the lawn lining the highway and walked a mile or more to the landing spot high fiving their brethren and letting out whoops of relief along the way
the center of the party though has been downtown cleveland home of the cavaliers quicken loans arena on wednesday morning fans clad in wine and gold flooded the streets for a championship parade that was scheduled for 11 am but started late because of an estimated crowd of more than 13 million people crowding the routes there were 77 units in the parade which featured the cavaliers the former cleveland browns stars jim brown bernie kosar and earnest byner the ohio state football coach urban meyer the buckeyes marching band and more it lasted over four hours and was followed by a rally in a public mall area that extended well past 430 pm
cavaliers general manager david griffin addressed the crowd drawing loud cheers when he said the shot the drive the fumble all must now be replaced by the block the 3 and the d
mayor frank g jackson of cleveland congratulated the team on its against all odds nba finals victory and presented the cavaliers with an official proclamation and keys to the city
the strength and determination displayed throughout the season postseason and championship game are truly the embodiment of our city and its people he said in a statement before the parade a city and a people with heart
several streets were closed so officials urged fans to leave early and take public transportation or stay downtown tuesday night fearing long backups on each major artery heading into the city by tuesday afternoon however hotel rooms were sold out
many former cleveland residents like angela meros who grew up in euclid ohio but now lives in chicago flew in for the parade long lines for public transportation from the airport to downtown threatened to keep her away but she arrived in time to catch the players floats
meros 37 had also flown in for games 4 6 and 7 not wanting to miss the celebration 52 years in the making
growing up a clevelander ive prayed for this moment for our city and always had faith in lebron she said referring to lebron james who was named the most valuable player of the nba finals i cried right along with him at the end of the game
the parade began at quicken loans arena wrapped around the indians progressive field headed up east ninth street turned down east lakeside avenue and finished near the cleveland convention center where a stage was set up on the mall area that stretches three city blocks behind it
several businesses downtown including the theaters at playhouse square closed for the day because of the crowds which were for the most part well behaved during the parade although afterward a woman was shot twice in the leg near public square the police said and a suspect was in custody before that the biggest problem according to the police was children getting separated from their parents the police posted several messages on twitter alerting parents to their childrens whereabouts public transportation also experienced heavy backups as fans tried to make their way home
still all over northeast ohio the good feelings have failed to dissipate the only documented discontent has been over the planned removal of the football field size banner of james which has hung on the sherwin williams building near the arena since james returned to cleveland in 2014 the company plans to remove the banner on july 5 and replace it with a red white and blue banner celebrating the companys 150 years after an uproar on social media and a petition signed by more than 7000 people the company said it would put the banner back up in time for next season
james 31 can become a free agent if he decides not to exercise the one year 24 million players option in his contract on june 29 but he told clevelandcom before the parade that he was happy and had no plans to go nowhere at this point
richard jefferson 36 said after the finals victory that he planned to retire but on wednesday fans chanted one more year and he responded ok earlier in the day he said on the dan patrick show that his plans were not set in stone
meanwhile cavaliers merchandise is in heavy demand and retailers like gv art  design which is selling championship t shirts with the slogans party like its 1964 and you cant spell miracle without cle cannot keep up lines have wrapped around the retail store in lakewood ohio since early monday morning and the doors have stayed open well past closing time business is even better online
been sending out 500 a day the company wrote on twitter we stopped today knowing todays orders wouldnt make it for the parade doing our best
the ultimate warrior t shirt from the ohio based clothing shop homage that james was wearing when he stepped off the plane in a presumed dig at golden state sold out as well
record breaking sales were also reported on fanaticscom nbastorecom and the flagship nba store in new york in the first 24 hours after game 7 according to fanatics sales of cavaliers championship merchandise doubled compared with the record set last year during the first 24 hours after the warriors clinched
looking to extend the party the indians who are in first place in the american league central said tuesday that they would celebrate their neighbors success by selling 16 upper deck tickets based upon the cavaliers slogan all in 216 which references the citys area code for wednesday nights game against the tampa bay rays the indians won 6 1 to take six straight over all and 11 in a row at progressive field then on thursday night the nearby city of akron is hosting a celebration for james who grew up there
the indians are next suddenly optimistic cleveland fans yelled during the parade indeed on a sun soaked day on the shores of lake erie the cloud of despair had been lifted


corinthian colleges once one of the nations largest for profit education companies engaged in apparently unlawful practices by paying its recruiters based on how many sales leads they converted into actual students according to documents unsealed late last week
the disclosure may make it easier for former students of the defunct institution to have their federal loans forgiven by helping them establish that they were defrauded or that corinthian violated federal law while it was operating
the materials released by a three judge panel in the united states court of appeals for the ninth circuit are internal corinthian documents known as ad rep performance flash reports they were originally provided by two former employees who sued corinthian and its auditor in 2007 most of the documents the employees produced in the case   almost 800 pages   remain under seal
the filing also contains a sworn affidavit filed by nyoka june lee one of the former corinthian employees who stated that her compensation was based upon meeting enrollment quotas making my numbers was the only requirement to get a raise ms lee said
it is against the law for a school to make incentive payments to recruiters based on the students they enroll nevertheless corinthian compiled the flash reports weekly according to ms lee who filed the suit under the false claims act enacted to encourage individuals to report fraud against the government
on june 9 the ninth circuit affirmed a lower courts dismissal of the employees case the lower court had thrown out the case on the grounds that the employees allegations had already been publicly disclosed the justice department had a different view however saying in a 2013 brief in the case that the corinthian employees supplied vital facts that were not in the public domain
not long ago corinthian colleges was a for profit career education powerhouse with a roaring stock price in operation since 1995 corinthians schools   almost 100 heald wyotech and everest campuses and online programs   were enrolling 74000 students by 2014 most of corinthians students took out federal loans to pay for their schooling
corinthian filed for bankruptcy in may 2015 roughly a year after the education department put its campuses under tighter financial scrutiny the government determined that corinthian schools had falsified job placement rates used to recruit students
because corinthian failed taxpayers will cover any loan discharges
years earlier in 2010 state attorneys general had begun investigating corinthians recruitment operations by 2014 the company was fielding information requests and subpoenas from over 20 such officials as well as the securities and exchange commission and the consumer financial protection bureau
throughout the state investigations corinthian has been able to keep documents relating to its business practices confidential arguing that they were trade secrets this has stymied the efforts of investigators to help students get their loans forgiven
thats one reason maura healey the massachusetts attorney general asked the ninth circuit on june 16 to unseal the corinthian flash reports it did so the next day
the commonwealth believes it is important both for deterrence and informational purposes for the public to know what unlawful actions corinthian took to obtain access to public funds ms healeys brief said
the education department makes it tough for students to get their loans discharged
last june the government announced a program to help corinthian students with their debt it said corinthian students could have their loans discharged under two circumstances first if they attended a corinthian school that closed on april 27 2015 and second if they believed that the school they attended had either violated state law or defrauded them in such cases students were required to file a claim with the education department known as a defense to repayment
making defense to repayment claims is complicated and time consuming they are typically decided individually
the release of the corinthian flash reports may make this complex process easier according to barmak nassirian the director of federal relations and policy analysis at the american association of state colleges and universities the disclosure is a big deal he said mainly for the relief it may provide to corinthian victims but also because it exposes how a multibillion dollar corporation actually operated in clear violation of the law
the education department is considering how to amend its defense to repayment rules mr nassirian added but even under existing guidance he said the flash reports could give corinthian borrowers a very strong case for relief in regard to their federal student loan obligations students who paid off their corinthian debts could also be eligible for reimbursement mr nassirian said
dorie nolt an education department spokeswoman took a more cautious view of the value the unsealed documents might have to former corinthian students if there is a judicial determination of wrongdoing after a trial in which the accused school actively contests the claims the proposed regulations provide that that may be a basis for borrower defense she said in a statement the department would also have the ability to initiate a process for a group of borrowers who may include borrowers who have not filed applications with the department to obtain relief whether it would do so she added would depend on the strength of the evidence
scott d levy is a lawyer in houston who represented the former corinthian employees who filed suit against the company and its auditor ernst  young he said corinthian and ernst  young asked the court in 2013 to seal the documents supplied by the former employees when it became clear that state attorneys general were investigating the education company corinthian argued that the release of the materials would disclose trade secrets
john la place a spokesman for ernst  young said it had not objected to the recent release of the corinthian flash reports he declined to comment on the companys position regarding the almost 800 pages of material in the case that remain under seal
even though the case has been dismissed mr levy wants the court to unseal all the documents produced in it with corinthian colleges in bankruptcy any argument that the materials involve trade secrets should be rejected he said
ms healey the massachusetts attorney general agreed any information about corinthians illegal conduct and aggressive recruitment tactics should be made public she said in a statement in order to provide accountability to the students and taxpayers who have suffered the consequences
recent developments in the case involving trump university a defunct trade school started by donald j trump provide a precedent for unsealing the corinthian documents mr levy argued in late may gonzalo p curiel the federal judge overseeing the trial in california ordered the release of internal trump university documents showing predatory recruitment practices mr trump has maintained that criticism of the school came from a small number of former students and that most had positive experiences
another reason the court should unseal all the corinthian documents mr levy said is that they may constitute the last remaining record of the companys practices as part of its bankruptcy case in delaware corinthian obtained an order from the court allowing it to destroy its original documents
keeping the documents sealed will further increase the cost and difficulty of the attorneys general who are trying to get fair treatment for their students mr levy said why should corinthians fraud be partially concealed from the students or the state governments


senator marco rubio of florida said wednesday that he would run for re election abandoning plans to pursue a more lucrative career in the private sector and jolting a competitive race that is crucial to democrats plans to retake control of the senate
mr rubio 45 who had told associates of his reluctance to give up the high profile and political power that a senate seat offers will enter the race with the formidable advantages of incumbency national name recognition and strong ties to the republican partys donor base
but he faces numerous hurdles the most difficult of which may be his history of talking down the senate as unfulfilling and frustrating at times he is also coming off a bruising run for president that ended with an embarrassing 18 point loss to donald j trump in his home state on march 15   a contest that focused in no small part on mr rubios frequent absence from the senate and from his duties in florida as he campaigned nationally
in a preview of what is expected to be one of the most bitter and most expensive senate races in the country within minutes of mr rubios announcement on wednesday democrats accused him of political opportunism and hypocrisy
mr rubio is not expected to have much difficulty in the republican primary where a few contenders have withdrawn but he still faces several lesser known opponents in november he will probably be challenged by representative patrick murphy a 33 year old congressman whom republicans have mocked as young overambitious and lacking in accomplishment   attributes that democrats have pinned on mr rubio
political handicappers have rated the seat as a tossup though mr rubios decision to run probably improved republicans chances of keeping the seat and their control of the senate
he has breathed new life into the gops chances of holding the seat said jennifer duffy of the cook political report but that doesnt mean that he has become anything more than the very slightest of favorites in november
mr rubio had been flirting with the idea of running for weeks amid intense pressure from republican party leaders who assured him of their full political and financial backing he finally declared his intentions on wednesday and later issued a statement acknowledging his about face by saying in politics admitting youve changed your mind is not something most people like to do
i have often said that the us senate can be a frustrating place and its true he added
but he said the senate had the vital role of checking the executive branch as for mr trump mr rubio said if he is elected we will need senators willing to encourage him in the right direction and if necessary stand up to him ive proven a willingness to do both
mr rubio has told colleagues and advisers that he is considering running for president again in 2020 or 2024 and as he and his team weighed a re election campaign they debated how well situated he would be in once more seeking the presidency from the senate
a highly strategic politician with a restless personality mr rubio worried about a diminished profile if he faded from national politics into a career of paid speechmaking his advisers said but he also considered how being a senator would constrain him if he ultimately decided to seek the presidency again his duties in washington restricted his ability to raise money and to campaign as much as did some of his rivals who were not current office holders such as former gov jeb bush of florida and he frequently had to defend himself against accusations that he was furthering his aspirations at the expense of his constituents
for those reasons a senior adviser argued wednesday that mr rubios decision should not be seen as motivated by national ambitions
marcos decision to seek re election is about wanting to serve florida not about presidential politics said todd harris who has served on mr rubios campaigns for senate and president because if anything from a 2020 political standpoint this creates more problems than opportunities
that concern was borne out quickly on wednesday american bridge a democratic opposition research group accused mr rubio of cutting corners and avoiding hard work and said florida wont re elect him to continue skipping out on the job
indeed according to people who have spoken with him in recent days mr rubio was especially concerned about the effect that mr trumps candidacy could have on his chances of winning a poor performance in the november general election by mr trump against hillary clinton in florida with its large hispanic population could hurt mr rubio
like a political hall of mirrors mr rubios decision abruptly scrambled the political alignments that had taken shape during the republican primary fight
mr trump whom mr rubio once belittled as a con artist with small hands and an orange face has endorsed his bid writing last month on twitter run marco mr rubio has since said that he would support mr trump and even speak at the republican national convention if asked
and another rival who fought bitterly with mr rubio during the primaries senator ted cruz of texas on wednesday greeted mr rubios announcement by calling him a powerful voice for the american dream


seoul south korea   a day after north korea launched an intermediate range ballistic missile into high altitude   after five consecutive launch failures   the countrys state run media proclaimed the test a success on thursday and quoted kim jong un north koreas leader as boasting that his arsenal could strike united states forces in the pacific
the projectile took off from wonsan a port city east of pyongyang the north korean capital and flew about 250 miles over the sea between north korea and japan south koreas office of the joint chiefs of staff said in a statement
according to the norths media reports mr kim attended the launch of the hwasong 10 missile known to the outside world as the musudan the reports included photographs of the blastoff from a mobile launch vehicle
the test confirmed and condemned by the united states and its allies demonstrated that north korea was making progress at posing a direct threat to japan south korea and american troops in the pacific mr kim said the test marked an important occasion in further strengthening the nuclear attack capacity of his country according to the norths official korean central news agency
we have the sure capability to attack in an overall and practical way the americans in the pacific operation theater mr kim said calling for his country to continue increasing its pre emptive nuclear attack capability
north korea said that the missile accurately landed in targeted waters 250 miles away after reaching an altitude of 878 miles and that it had fired the missile at a sharper angle to demonstrate its potential to reach the estimated full range of more than 2000 miles   far enough to reach american military bases in the pacific   without actually covering that distance the high altitude also gave north koreas engineers an opportunity to test the heat resistance capability of their warhead the countrys media reports said
the test was the first for the musudan that was not immediately dismissed as a failure by the united states or south korea
five musudan tests over the past two months   including one earlier on wednesday   all crashed into the sea or exploded soon after liftoff according to south korean military estimates
establishing that the missile can work is essential both politically and strategically to mr kim as he has solidified his hold on power he has made the nuclear and missile programs   and the threat they pose to much larger powers in the region   a key element of his claim to rule
last month american and south korean intelligence officials said they had concluded that north korea could now mount a small nuclear warhead on short  and medium range missiles a category that includes the musudan but mr kim has never tested the two together leaving it unclear whether his nuclear designs could withstand the stresses of delivering a weapon to its target
the musudans progress has been followed closely by united states military and intelligence officials it is a road mobile missile meaning it can move around the country making it a harder target to hit in a pre emptive strike the musudan is the norths only intermediate range ballistic missile able to reach united states military bases in guam a major launching pad for american reinforcements should a war break out on the korean peninsula
analysts say the north has been struggling to master the so called warhead re entry technology needed to build longer range projectiles known as intercontinental ballistic missiles
the progress the north demonstrated with its sixth test was disconcerting enough for south korea to convene a meeting of its top security officials to discuss the growing missile and nuclear threats but such meetings rarely generate more than a promise to tighten sanctions
jeong joon hee a spokesman for the south korean government called the launch a clear provocation that violated united nations security council resolutions banning the north from developing ballistic missile technology
samantha power the united states ambassador to the united nations on her way to a security council session thursday night to discuss the missile tests called the latest launch unacceptable
its worthy of council unity which i expect and its worthy of prompt condemnation she said
prime minister shinzo abe of japan said the latest missile test was a clear violation of united nations resolutions
we cannot tolerate it and have protested firmly he said
the japanese defense ministry said it believed the test showed that the norths missile technology was advancing
south korean analysts said that north korea appeared to have launched the second missile at a sharper angle to achieve a higher altitude and prevent it from flying over japan they said such an altitude was required to test technology that protects a nuclear warhead from the extreme heat and friction encountered upon breaching the earths atmosphere
the north began testing the musudan on april 15 after repeated calls by mr kim for his military to conduct more nuclear and missile tests despite international sanctions it has also repeatedly threatened nuclear strikes against the united states saying that it has built nuclear weapons small enough to be mounted on its various ballistic missiles
the country has successfully tested its short range scud and midrange rodong missiles the rodong with an estimated range of 810 miles can reach all of south korea and most of japan
the altitude reached on wednesday was the highest achieved by any north korean missile and close to heights reached by intercontinental ballistic missiles analysts said
the test appears to have been fully successful said jeffrey lewis an analyst at the middlebury institute of international studies in monterey california he said that if north korea had launched the missile on a normal trajectory it would have flown the full range of about 2480 miles
mr lewis said the development of the musudan is especially worrisome because it also advances the norths kn 08 program   the development of its first intercontinental ballistic missile with a range to reach the continental united states the first stage of the kn 08 missile comprises a pair of musudan type engines he said


paris   it is a telling detail that at fashion shows critics and retailers tend to sit on opposite sides of the runway agreement on the merits or failings of any individual collection or the fashion season as a whole is as hard to come by in this world as accord across the aisle is in politics a few collections manage the feat of pleasing everyone but many others are critically beloved while impossibly unsalable or till ringingly commercial but poorly or begrudgingly reviewed
with the mens fashion season now past the halfway point it is a fine time to take the temperature of the season the international scrum of editors journalists and retailers and the usual few drop in celebrities have come and gone to london florence for the pitti uomo fair and milan and have arrived in paris for the final leg of the twice yearly tour packing and repacking their oversized and often overweight luggage four times
it is a transitional moment brands are grappling with whether to adopt a see now buy now schedule of showing just before product arrives in stores several are between named designers calvin klein collection salvatore ferragamo berluti and others are not on the schedule having combined their mens shows with their womens or elected to take a season off to give their new designers time to prepare burberry ermenegildo zegna bottega veneta saint laurent
its almost like the big bang theory right now said eric jennings the vice president and mens fashion director of saks fifth avenue who comes to the shows to offer direction to the buyers purchasing for the 40 some saks stores that carry mens wear i feel like were in flux things are shooting out all over in mens wear where they land and which little planets grow into big planets is anyones guess
uncertainty has bred retrenchment
what a lot of brands have done is taken their best sellers and expanded on them mr jennings said nothing revolutionary but an expansion of the existing trends that are working
among those trends he cited sport influenced pieces and the vintage y gucci esque look he called retro eclecticism
sam lobban the buying manager for mr porter the mens e commerce site agreed there was a real continuation from a lot of trends that we saw starting in fall that have settled in now and it feels like thats going to be the vibe for the season he said noting it is promising for sales and adding a guy likes to develop a style and buy into product thats going to carry you through a fair few seasons
in the editorial section of the shows bench seating this evolution over revolution has led to some grumbles of ho hum barring a few standouts varying by individual tastes but often including raf simons gucci and prada the collections for spring 2017 have been received with a weary shrug
on the retailers bench a different story was being told despite widespread reports of challenging conditions for retail attitudes were perhaps enforcedly sunny
the interesting thing is given all the talk of disruption the seasons been really strong said bruce pask the mens fashion director of bergdorf goodman in new york and former mens fashion director of t the new york times style magazine
all three men cited prada as a particular standout individually they praised collections by neil barrett moncler gamme bleu gucci and fendi in paris the debut runway show for balenciagas mens wear by demna gvasalia its new creative director was eagerly anticipated those who sell mr gvasalias mens wear for vetements his other collection said it was selling briskly dries van noten thom browne and givenchy were also among the anticipated highlights
the shows aggressively styled as they are represent an exaggerated version of what eventually ends up in stores as much as 80 percent of a stores buy is from precollections which are seen privately even before the runway season starts mr jennings said
yet more and more he added the runway shows and precollections are being knitted together appealing to customers following the action in real time
a fashion customer is aware of whats going on the runway mr pask said i was instagramming with a client right after the show   he was pointing out a look he would be interested in for an event next season
he would pass that information along to his buyers he said absolutely


stocks gave up some early gains to finish lower on wednesday as energy companies sank with the price of oil and weak quarterly reports weighed down technology companies
after two days of closing higher shares rose in the morning but couldnt hang on to the gains energy companies fell after energy stockpiles shrank by a smaller amount than analysts expected and announcements from adobe systems and hp hurt tech stocks drug companies traded higher
trading was light as investors watched janet l yellen the chairwoman of the federal reserve testify before congress and waited for thursdays referendum on britains membership in the european union
theres not a lot of trading out there people are tentative said randy frederick managing director of trading and derivatives at charles schwab britons will vote thursday but results wont be known until after the united states markets are closed
the standard  poors 500 stock index fell 345 points or 02 percent to 208545 the nasdaq composite edged down 1044 points or 02 percent to 483332
the dow jones industrial average dipped 4890 points or 03 percent to 1778083
bond prices rose the yield on the 10 year treasury note fell to 169 percent from 171 percent on tuesday
in her testimony ms yellen reiterated that the fed would be cautious in raising interest rates because of the mixed state of the economy with consumer spending rising but investment spending weak
the software maker adobe systems announced a larger than expected profit but analysts were less excited about its projections for the current quarter adobe lost 571 or 57 percent to 9401
the computer and printer maker hp forecast strong results in its fiscal third quarter but will not offer as many discounts and will carry reduced supplies an analyst for citi called the change a radical shift hp fell 72 cents or 54 percent to 1261
the government said crude oil inventories fell by about 900000 barrels last week substantially less than experts had expected benchmark american crude fell 72 cents or 14 percent to 4913 a barrel in new york brent crude the benchmark for international oil prices lost 74 cents or 15 percent to 4988 a barrel in london
health care shares climbed after medicare spending did not exceed levels that would have required action by a cost cutting board the review board doesnt have any members yet but investors have worried for months that the government will pressure drug companies to cut their prices
tim anderson an analyst for alliance bernstein said the development was good for health care investors but said spending might hit the target next year giving the next president more leverage in trying to lower drug prices bristol myers squibb rose 106 or 15 percent to 7231 celgene the cancer drug maker jumped 237 or 24 percent to 9923
tesla shareholders reacted harshly after the electric carmaker offered to buy the solar panel maker solarcity for up to 28 billion to try to create a one stop shop for clean energy
tesla slumped 2295 or 105 percent to 19666 solarcity added 69 cents or 33 percent to 2188 far below the value of the offer


so mayhoola for investments   the qatari sovereign wealth fund that owns valentino anya hindmarch and pal zileri and that is backed by qatars royal family   has bought balmain the paris fashion house backed by the kardashians well not exactly backed but they are its biggest cheerleaders this could have big repercussions on what we all wear
since 2005 when the designer christophe decarnin transformed the couture house to haute rock n roll hotness balmain has been a brand whose buzz   with its own name balmainia   is significantly bigger than its bite of the market
mr decarnin left in 2011 reportedly because of stress after convincing numerous women that they really really desired a pair of wildly expensive crystal bedecked ripped jeans olivier rousteing then 24 took the reins altering the balance between glitz and grunge in favor of the former
mr rousteings instagram account has 34 million followers balmain has 47 million both of which pale in comparison to guccis 91 million though no one really seems to care youd think by all the hoo ha around his account that balmain would be a megamaison
but if reports of its sales around 130 million euros or about 135 million in 2015 are correct its more in the lower middling range and very reliant on the marketability and profile of its young designer mayhoola is betting that it can get larger
part of mayhoolas assumption is probably that balmains growth has been held back by the death in 2014 of alain hivelin the owner and the greatest booster of its reinvention and by the fact the house has been owned since then by a family owned holding company that did not seem particularly impassioned about fashion
that may be true but the gap between image and sales may also be a result of the fact that balmain is somewhat of a niche taste marked primarily by an unabashed 1980s ynasty meets vegas high roller aesthetic
elaborately and expertly made though it may be it still has very specific appeal kim kardashian and kanye west love it so do many models it was one of the most worn brands at the metropolitan museum of art costume institute gala this year
but a giant social mediareality tv following does not necessarily a giant consumer base make its unclear how many of those vicariously living mr rousteings life are actually able to buy his clothes to become a major player mr rousteing has to extend his aesthetic
his collaboration with hm in the fall suggests he understands this though the pieces were essentially just less expensive versions of his greater hits they let wannabes into his world but they didnt expand it
more interesting really were a few garments hidden among the otherwise over the top hourglass excess and boudoir trousers in his last collection a peach colored cashmere wrap coat a dove gray suede dress with a bit of safari lacing
they suggest formerly hidden depths of subtlety in mr rousteings creative arsenal and the possibility that more refined layers could indeed be built into the collection that would appeal to a wider group of women much in the way dolce  gabbana may promote an image of lusty italian corseted mamas but sell a whole lot of terrifically cut pinstriped suits
by all accounts mayhoola has been a good partner for valentino investing in that brand   remember the blowout couture show and store opening celebration the house had in rome last year   helping take it to the billion dollar level and grooming it for a rumored initial public offering fashion loves an ipo rumor
if the fund can do the same for balmain the house could be transformed once again this time into a major presence not just in the digital and celebrity worlds but also in the real world but it cant happen without mr rousteing buying into a broader agenda
hes having his mens show on saturday too soon to see any effects from the new owners but by the time paris womens wear is shown in late september it will be a different story whether it will be told on the runway remains to be seen


now that commercial drones have navigated washington they should be headed for a town   or work site   near you
what then
as cecilia kang writes the federal aviation administration has issued rules for how companies can use unmanned aircraft there is nothing too surprising in the long awaited rules   you have to be over 16 pass a written test and cant fly too high or near an airport   but just having them means companies can start making small and cheap vehicles a part of ordinary working life
expectations are for uses like aerial photography or the inspection of building sites and pipelines but technology frequently has a way of trumping expectations maybe drones will fly over parking lots and map the heat of parked cars to tell how long people are shopping maybe some kind of quadcopter crop or animal management is in the offing
if a lot of uses arise without too many problems its likely the government will allow for additional drone uses like package delivery or emergency rescue with larger vehicles laws and regulations after all tend to reflect changing social expectations
the drone business certainly acts like there is more to come there are start ups in silicon valley offering operating systems as well as vehicle makers that encourage people to experiment with their aircraft in effect they are software companies that hope the hacker ethos of computing try lots of stuff make unexpected innovations at a furious clip can take to the skies
in rural states there are other business ideas which will have their own boost from the faa decision to approve commercial drones north dakota which already has perhaps the worlds leading pilot school is training drone pilots and fostering start ups aimed at the agriculture world
upstate new york has companies working on remote sensing systems one probable outcome is that drones will once were habituated to them fly great distances with no human keeping an eye on them
of course companies like amazon are interested in the possibility of drone delivery of consumer goods google seems to view drones for that but also as supreme data collectors that could help turn google maps into a three dimensional monitor of the world in real time
the question now is when not if the faa by nature works more with companies than with the general public so it would take a lot of citizen discontent to stop the drones the bigger challenge will come from local communities which are more responsive to individual complaints
even so thats unlikely to stop this industry


london   balmain the parisian fashion house beloved by hollywood the european jet set and the kardashian clan has been bought by a private investment group linked to qatars royal family and that has sought to build a luxury brand empire
balmain a mostly wholesale business was sold to mayhoola for investments after having attracted bids from several other private equity funds including l capital an investment firm backed by the european luxury conglomerate lvmh moet hennessy louis vuitton
mayhoola will allow the brand to accelerate its development notably with the opening of new stores abroad bucephale finance the paris based boutique mergers and acquisitions firm that advised balmain shareholders said in a statement tuesday evening the sale will also fund the expansion of balmains accessories business
after completing this transaction mayhoola for investments will hold 100 percent of balmains capital the statement added
the terms of the deal were not immediately disclosed balmains shareholders included jean francois dehecq the co founder of the french pharmaceuticals company sanofi and the family of the former balmain chief executive and controlling shareholder alain hivelin who died in 2014 at the age of 71
balmain has been injected with new fervor under the leadership of its 30 year old creative director olivier rousteing whose signature look   leather jackets tight bandage dresses and lashings of gold satin and sparkle   has endeared him to film and reality television stars mr rousteing spearheaded a sellout collaboration with the fast fashion giant hm last year and he regularly posts pictures of celebrity friends wearing balmain on instagram where he has 34 million followers
the fashion house was founded by pierre balmain in 1945 and it passed through periods of financial difficulty over the years before being revived in 1995 by mr hivelin it has enjoyed strong growth since mr rousteing joined in 2011 the bucephale finance statement said
the deal is the latest in a string of acquisitions by mayhoola to consolidate its portfolio of luxury brands which have led some to suggest it is trying to create a rival to european luxury giants like lvmh or kering
the qatari investment group first made waves in the luxury industry in 2012 when it bought the italian fashion house valentino from the british private equity firm permira for about 700 million euros or almost 800 million at todays exchange rates
reports have emerged in recent months that mayhoola is considering an initial public offering for valentino as early as next year after nearly doubling profit in 2015 compared with a year earlier
mayhoola has also spent about 27 million pounds or 40 million for a stake in the handbags maker anya hindmarch and it owns 65 percent of pal zileri the italian mens wear brand which it acquired for an estimated 145 million


juchitan de zaragoza mexico   to the people of this town in southern oaxaca state the existence of a third gender is as much a part of life as the ancient zapotec language they speak and the huge spiny iguanas that laze in the trees
here the muxes   people born with male bodies but who identify as neither male nor female   are part of the social fabric admired for their embroidery hairstyling handicrafts and cooking
they even have a grand ball every autumn and their queen is crowned by the mayor
but now this town of fishermen farmers and extravagant fiestas about 30 miles from the pacific ocean faces a challenge to its expansive notion of gender the transgender community and its bathroom rights
on a recent sweltering night three muxes pronounced moo shays in brightly embroidered dresses waited outside a womens portable toilet at one of juchitans annual outdoor fiestas men whistled at them and pointed to the dark corner that served as their restroom
the muxes held their ground and when the toilet door swung open one stepped inside
im a woman 24 hours a day said naomy mendez romero her braids crowned with a fuchsia ruffle
me use a boys bathroom said ms mendez 24 who was born male but has lived as a woman for six years no
the issue is testing the limits of tolerance and prompting some to re examine the zapotecs complex gender taxonomy
we are in a process of redefinition said gubidxa guerrero an anthropologist and the president of comite melendre a local nonprofit group that promotes civic participation
a mixed gender way of life was accepted in several pre columbian communities across mexico according to anthropologists and colonial accounts it is unclear when the muxe tradition originated in juchitan or how it endured
muxes dress as men or women and tend to be feminine in their manners and the way they express themselves in the zapotec language experts said often they live with their parents and dedicate themselves to the household muxes usually have relationships with men but that is not what defines them experts and muxes say
the bathroom issue intensifies during the spring fiestas or velas in may when thousands of people gather to dance and drink
pedro enrique godinez a beautician and the director of gender diversity policy for the municipal government said that over the past 10 years there had been a transgender revolution in juchitan there have always been muxes who wore womens clothes he said as he tucked gypsophila and yellow chrysanthemums into a young womans coiffure in his salon but they did not identify as women or consider changing their bodies
sometimes tolerance goes only so far a few months ago ms mendez was asked to stop using the womens restroom at the technological institute of the isthmus where she studies industrial engineering
now i dont use either she said sewing a huipil or traditional top in the doorway of the small home she shares with her parents and sister i hold on
jose antonio lopez rios the president of the institutes student committee said it had ruled against allowing muxes to use womens restrooms because there had been a lot of complaints from students
the committee has offered any muxe student who does not wish to use the mens bathroom access to its office bathroom he said javier echeverria a spokesman for the institute said it had little experience with transgender students and was designing a policy as it went along
disputes over bathroom access in mexico have been much quieter than in the united states yet gay and transgender rights have expanded in recent years
the mexican supreme court ruled last year that it was illegal to ban same sex marriages and president enrique pena nieto said in may that he would submit a proposal to the mexican congress to turn that ruling into federal law the proposal would also make it easier for transgender people to change their gender identity on passports
still gay and transgender mexicans face harassment and violence the united states last year granted asylum to a transgender mexican on the grounds that she was at risk of torture by the police
in juchitan notions of transgender culture and rights have grown as social media and travel connect young people to the wider world said victor cata a local linguist and writer
that has prompted questions over whether someone can be both muxe and transgender mr cata believes the answer is yes its a very broad concept he said the boundaries are not fixed
yet some older residents including muxes see being transgender as a cultural import or even faddish
the muxe is born with a gift said armando cano 72 who sells traditional sweets in the market and said he had inherited his muxe genes from his uncle but now he said there is no respect
they are playing he added referring to muxes who identify as women
umberto santiago who was among a group of men trying to shoo ms mendez and other muxes from the portable womens toilet at the vela last month said it was a matter of hygiene
in some cases vela organizers add a portable toilet for muxes in others they bar muxes dressed as women from entering
why dont they let us join in asked yoceline vasquez 29 who identifies as a woman and takes female hormones were the ones who make their dresses she said were the ones who embroider them were the ones who style their hair
but some women said they saw the muxes as rivals
we want to show off in our outfits said josefa santiago santiago 51 referring to the handmade ensembles that can cost as much as 800 we dont want our men distracted
data on the muxe population is scant an academic study of one zapotec village in the 1970s estimated that 6 percent of the males were muxe mr godinez the municipal policy official said that his team had tried to collect data on gender last year but that many households had declined to take part
in interviews muxes seemed divided over whether a third bathroom was a solution some said that it would eliminate tensions others that it would reinforce divisions
several muxes said they felt wider prejudice many are valued by their families because they are unlikely to marry and leave and some are professionals those who dress or identify as women however can face rejection and are not taken seriously they said
pili valvidieso morales 24 said that her grandfather did not like to see her dressed as a woman and that the priest in the nearby fishing village of santa rosa de lima where she lives would not say mass for her on her birthday unless she wore mens clothes
youre accepted up to a point ms mendez said flashing long red nails that her father had painted for her still she added how many trans finish university
for ms mendez who wants to work in the oil industry or the wind farms near juchitan dealing with the bathroom question at school is part of gaining acceptance
as trans muxes we can do more than sew and embroider she said we just want to be integrated


picassos femme assise painted in the summer of 1909   when the artist traveled to the remote spanish village of horta de ebro which could only be reached by mule   sold for 637 million at sothebys in london on tuesday making it the most expensive cubist painting ever sold at auction
it has been decades since a cubist painting of this caliber has been offered at auction helena newman a global co head of impressionist and modern art at sothebys said in a statement virtually all the significant works of this period are in international museums and institutions
the painting which depicts picassos lover and model fernande olivier was last sold at auction in 1973 at sothebys in london for about 500000 in todays dollars the work was bought on behalf of a telephone bidder by adam chinn part of art agency partners an art advisory company that was recently acquired by sothebys
the overall record for a picasso was set last year with the sale of the 1955 painting les femmes dalger version o for 1794 million at christies
the second highest priced work sold on tuesday was a portrait by amedeo modigliani jeanne hebuterne au foulard which sold for 567 million a modigliani painting of a reclining nude sold for 1704 million last year at christies


london   abdul rahman haroun a sudanese refugee who braved speeding trains to walk 31 miles through the channel tunnel last summer was sentenced on wednesday after pleading guilty to the charge in britain of obstructing a railway carriage or engine a 19th century law that carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison
he was sentenced to nine months in prison but was allowed to walk free because of the time he had already spent incarcerated
mr haroun was scheduled to stand trial on wednesday after pleading not guilty to the charge at a preliminary hearing on aug 24 his lawyer was not available for comment on why the plea was changed
mr harouns extraordinary effort to come to britain made him a potent emblem of the desperation of huge numbers of migrants seeking refuge in europe and in january he was granted asylum after several months in jail
colin yeo a leading immigration lawyer at garden court chambers in london and the founder of free movement a popular blog that focuses on immigration issues said the move underlined the conundrum facing asylum seekers
strictly speaking he said they often have no lawful way of getting into a country and could still face criminal charges of illegally entering regardless of whether their asylum claims succeed
he said that asylum seekers with legitimate claims should not be unjustly prosecuted and that criminalizing the flight or journey of refugees seeking asylum breached the 1951 united nations refugee convention to which britain is a signatory
mr harouns case highlights the problem of the system in that you can get here and be granted asylum but there is no lawful way of getting here in the first place so the refugee is treated as a criminal he said a refugee has to break the law to get here but once here can become a refugee
news reports said mr haroun 40 had told the home office that he had fled his home in 2004 after he had faced persecution by the janjaweed militia
although rights groups have championed mr haroun prosecutors and eurotunnel which operates the channel tunnel have countered that he had put his life and the lives of others at risk by undertaking his perilous journey
mr haroun dodged trains traveling up to 100 miles per hour as he made his way through the tunnel and prosecutors and the tunnel operator have insisted that it is imperative to send a strong message to anyone who might try to emulate him
hundreds of migrants camped out near calais france the entry point for the channel tunnel have sought to come to britain often at great risk
in late september an eritrean man in his 20s was killed when a freight train ran him over that came after the electrocution of a young man believed by the french authorities to be syrian who tried to climb on the roof of a train near the entrance of the tunnel
two iranian men who followed in mr harouns footsteps by walking through the channel tunnel from calais in october were arrested in folkestone in kent and were charged under the same legislation as mr haroun they plead guilty in april and each received 14 month prison sentences


for her first two years at purdue university amy m wroblewski a business major took out about 20000 in two private student loans to cover her costs one with an 89 percent compounding interest rate and the other with a 97 percent rate
ms wroblewski said she opted for more expensive private loans over federally subsidized loans because the application process was much easier
then in may purdue in west lafayette ind began accepting applications for a different type of student financing an income share agreement or isa through its back a boiler program the universitys mascot is the boilermaker ms wroblewski was among the first to apply
under the program the college advances money to applicants based on its estimate of their future earnings computer engineering majors may qualify for more aid than for example turf science majors because engineers traditionally earn more ms wroblewski was approved for 28000 to help cover tuition and living expenses for her final two years
for the isa students sign a contract agreeing to repay advances after they leave school by sending a fixed percentage of their income to purdue for up to nine years the percentage is also based on the universitys estimate of how much they will make after leaving school alumni who earn less than expected may not pay back all they owe the university promises to forgive unpaid balances after nine years those who earn higher than expected salaries may have to pay back more than they received though purdue says it will cap repayments at 25 times the amount advanced
ms wroblewski agreed to pay 37 percent of her salary to purdue for nine years after her graduation if she were to land her dream job in the human resources department at ford motor she could make about 88000 a year according to glassdoor a career advice website over nine years then she would pay back about 29300   a simple interest rate of about 46 percent
i think its an amazing deal she said i am encouraging all of my friends to apply
her parents agreed the numbers were wonderful said her mother jacqueline a waitress her father greg a parts manager at a collision repair shop agreed we told her to jump on it
as students and families in the united states have collectively accumulated more than 12 trillion in debt academics and entrepreneurs are dusting off some old financing alternatives like isas and rolling out new ones like loans these alternatives let students buy now and pay later unlike loans they do not have fixed or variable interest rates
ted malone the executive director for financial aid at purdue said the university would suspend payments for graduates who make less than 20000 a year or are unemployed and actively seeking a job in any case he added the obligation will expire nine years after the first payment is made
if participating students do not graduate they still must repay the advance according to the original terms   starting six months after they leave school the low income and unemployed but looking protections still apply
money for back a boiler   about 45 million to 5 million   will come from the purdue research foundation which runs the universitys endowment mr malone said private contractors will sign up students collect payments and deal with delinquencies
plan sponsors   including private isa providers crowdfunding proponents and even private lenders   say these alternatives are intended to supplement federal below market student loans not replace them because federal below market loans tend to be cheaper and come with more consumer protections including a provision tying payments to a borrowers income but should the alternatives grow beyond their current embryonic stage they might be less expensive than private loans and so called plus loans which are for graduate students and undergrads parents
a number of entrepreneurs have offered a small number of test case private isas but have been hampered by the absence of a legal framework for such arrangements which do not qualify as loans because no interest is charged lenders and borrowers have asked whether state or federal agencies would regulate the business whether lawmakers would limit maximum paybacks and how isas would be treated by tax authorities
there is just a lot of uncertainty said casey jennings chief operating officer of 13th avenue funding which has run a pilot isa program that lent 15000 each to 11 students at a community college in california seven years ago when we started this we thought how hard could this be he said now we know
the online providers upstart and pave ran programs for two years before closing them in 2014 both companies now focus on brokering traditional private student loans sofi another online provider began as a fund allowing stanford alumni to lend directly to graduate students in the business school but it soon switched to conventional lending which it found more profitable
upstarts founder and chief executive dave girouard said it was difficult to get people to buy in to the idea of isas borrowers likened it to indentured servitude and potential investors the source of upstarts funds were skeptical of the risks and returns in two years upstart arranged less than 3 million in isas he said since switching to conventional student loans two years ago upstart has arranged about 400 million in financing
one active isa provider cumulus funding in chicago offers to lend up to 10000 in exchange for no more than 10 percent of a clients annual postgraduation income for two to six years
education equity also in chicago has arranged 29 isas over the last three years the founder andrew davis says that for each 5000 a borrower requests his firm charges 07 percent of the borrowers salary for 10 years assuming as mr davis does that his borrowers will earn an average of 80000 a year they would pay back 5600 for every 5000 they receive   a simple interest rate of 12 percent
other start ups including people capital and green note took a different tack building crowdfunding websites at which students for a fee could ask to borrow directly from friends family or investors they did not know many of these peer to peer services are no longer in operation
one that is still operating wefinance focuses on students who do not have access to below market rate federal loans   graduate students undergraduates who take more than four years to complete their studies veterans who have exhausted their gi bill benefits and students in educational programs such as software boot camps that are not recognized by federal loan programs
students who are willing to try these alternative approaches say they do so because the application process is less onerous than the one for federal student loans
aside from purdue and some of the entrepreneurial approaches other alternatives are being explored
susan dynarski a professor of education economics and public policy at the university of michigan has proposed replacing the current bewildering array of options with a single government program loans for educational opportunity in which federal low interest loans would be repaid via payroll deductions after the students graduate
student loan payments will automatically rise and fall with a borrowers earnings just as contributions to social security rise and fall professor dynarski said in a 2013 policy paper she wrote with daniel kreisman now an assistant professor of economics at georgia state university a fraction of earnings will be deducted from each paycheck with a larger fraction taken when incomes are high and a smaller fraction when incomes are low
professor dynarski said it could be more efficient to have a federal agency manage this type of program because the government is uniquely suited to do this through the income tax system
in any case zakiya smith strategy director of the lumina foundation a private foundation that studies ways to increase the number of american college graduates said that if prospective students needed to borrow money from any source they should choose colleges based on how much they expect to earn after they graduate affordability matters she said
an emotional attachment to a particular institution a desire to stay close to home or other factors can override such calculated logic ms smith added but that carries long term financial risks


hillary clinton has officially started her search for a running mate and no potential candidate has evoked more speculation and depending on who is asked wistfulness or dread than senator elizabeth warren of massachusetts
last week ms warren had a secret meeting in her washington condominium with james hamilton the lawyer leading the clinton campaigns vetting of potential vice presidential candidates according to two democrats briefed on the conversation who requested anonymity to discuss a private conversation
while the selection of ms warren could help mollify liberal supporters of senator bernie sanders of vermont there are ample reasons a clinton warren ticket is unlikely to come to fruition
although they have tried to display sisterly solidarity in recent days mrs clinton and ms warren have had a frosty relationship in the past
in ms warrens 2004 book the two income trap why middle class parents are going broke written with her daughter amelia warren tyagi she all but accused mrs clinton then a senator from new york of being owned by wall street as first lady mrs clinton had opposed legislation that would have made it harder for consumers to use the protection of bankruptcy laws to absolve debt as new yorks newest senator however it seems that hillary clinton could not afford such a principled position ms warren wrote campaigns cost money and that money wasnt coming from families in financial trouble
in the book she also portrays mrs clinton as bossy toward staff members   an accusation the loyal aides who work for her have been particularly defensive about ms warren describes one meeting in which mrs clinton snapped her head sharply to the side and called to no one in particular wheres lunch im hungry
she also described mrs clintons aides cattily discussing a congresswomans neon red jacket and whether it made her look too pasty
mrs clintons major strength and donald j trumps potentially lethal weakness is support among female voters so she doesnt need to choose a running mate who could help generate enthusiasm among women
rather mrs clinton needs to improve her standing with white male voters who remain reluctant to embrace her in 2008 the barack obama campaign eased concerns about the first black nominee of a major party by choosing senator joseph r biden jr to reach out to white working class men and to balance a groundbreaking ticket a similar dynamic could be at play as mrs clinton makes her choice
selecting ms warren would not deliver any particular political advantage mrs clinton 68 and ms warren 67 dont represent any key demographics like latinos blacks or young voters that democrats will need in the fall and unlike senator sherrod brown of ohio or senators tim kaine or mark warner both of virginia ms warren represents massachusetts not a traditional swing state that she could help deliver in the fall
mrs clintons center left principles and consensus oriented approach to politics would not necessarily mesh well with those of ms warren who is more of an advocate than a politician whats more fiery speeches against the forces of concentrated wealth ms warrens stock in trade may not be what mrs clinton has in mind during a campaign in which captains of industry are fleeing from mr trump and seeking safety with the democrats
in perhaps the most telling sign that ms warren wont win the no 2 spot former president bill clinton is expected to co host a five figure fund raiser in new york in august with the vice presidential nominee according to a fund raiser involved in the planning although an aide said such an event was not currently on mr clintons schedule its just the sort of event a running mate is required to do and that would be awkward with ms warren who has made enemies of many of the new york financiers who could afford such a fund raiser
the job of both running for vice president and serving as vice president is by its nature a supporting role were mrs clinton to tap ms warren the nominee in waiting would risk selecting a figure who could overshadow her on the campaign trail but it is not only ms warrens dynamism that could prove risky the massachusetts senator also has her own national following her own loyal advisers and her own well thought out worldview mrs clinton surely would be uneasy about creating a rival power center in her administration of the sort ms warren could bring to the west wing


the summer olympics in rio de janeiro may end up known more for the athletes who are not there than the ones who are
the golfer rory mcilroy said wednesday that he would skip the rio games which are set to begin in august because of concerns about the zika virus becoming the highest profile athlete yet to withdraw over the health scare
because of doping offenses russias track and field team and bulgarias weight lifting team   rosters that would have included several gold medal contenders   have been told they are not welcome at the rio games some kenyan athletes are also in danger of being barred because of doping
mcilroy a hugely popular sports figure who was scheduled to play for ireland joins a growing list of athletes pulling out of the games over zika concerns among them the american cyclist tejay van garderen and the golfers marc leishman of australia and vijay singh of fiji
john speraw the coach of the united states mens volleyball team has said he will preserve sperm for a possible future pregnancy before traveling to rio and the spanish basketball star pau gasol has said he is considering doing the same
anxiety over zika a mosquito borne virus linked to severe birth defects has cast a cloud over preparations for the summer games with six weeks to go until the games begin mcilroys decision is expected to intensify the debate over the wisdom of staging the games amid a public health emergency olympic officials have rejected the notion that athletes should not be asked to subject themselves to such health hazards saying the risk is minimal
mcilroys decision is a major blow for the olympics and not simply because he is a former world no 1 and winner of four majors mcilroy 27 the highest ranked european in the world at no 4 was one of the few high profile golfers who seemed committed to competing in rio he had gone to the trouble of being vaccinated per travel recommendations   no small inconvenience as the shots left his shoulder numb he said making it uncomfortable to swing a golf club for two days
other golfers may follow mcilroy jason day of australia the world no 1 has expressed reservations about competing in rio because of zika his countryman adam scott a former world no 1 was among the first to remove himself from consideration for the summer games citing scheduling conflicts
the top ranked american jordan spieth ranked no 2 in the world once wholeheartedly embraced the olympic experience he has been more tempered in his enthusiasm recently but he is expected to compete because he is a brand ambassador for coca cola which is the longest continuous sponsor of the olympics having been aligned with the competition since 1928
still several of the worlds best athletes will be absent on tuesday the president of the international olympic committee thomas bach endorsed the decision by track and fields world governing body to bar russias team from the olympics russia won 18 medals at the last summer games in 2012 in london bach also called for heightened scrutiny of athletes from kenya where antidoping efforts have been found lacking
mcilroys patriotism lured him across the atlantic from his florida home base to watch his countrymen from northern ireland play germany on tuesday in a european championships soccer match and more than most golfers who did not grow up dreaming of olympic glory he seemed to grasp the grandeur of the summer games which have not featured golf since 1904 mcilroy mingled with the worlds athletes in 2012 when he watched his then girlfriend caroline wozniacki compete in tennis at the london games
but circumstances change and mcilroy who is engaged to erica stoll decided the risks of competing in rio outweighed the potential rewards
after speaking with those closest to me ive come to realize that my health and my familys health comes before anything else mcilroy said in a statement even though the risk of infection from the zika virus is considered low it is a risk nonetheless and a risk i am unwilling to take
none of the worlds top female golfers have backed out of the olympics even though they ostensibly face a greater health risk the women who do not have as high a profile as the men are perhaps more determined to compete in the olympics because winning a medal carries greater value for them in terms of increasing their exposure
the olympics were fraught with complications for mcilroy from the start as a northern irishman he had the choice to compete for britain or ireland in 2012 he earned the animus of people in ireland including those in the golfing union of ireland who had shepherded his development by suggesting that he was leaning toward representing britain because he had always felt more british than irish
in 2013 he said if i was a bit more selfish i think it would be an easier decision he later pledged his allegiance to ireland and when asked in may about his commitment to competing he said he was focused on the bigger picture with golf guaranteed a spot in the olympics for only the next two summer games he said it was imperative that the sport put its best foot forward
im not sure if were going to have another opportunity to win a gold medal after that mcilroy said adding its off to a rocky start if we dont do something to change the narrative and get people excited about it im worried what will happen
mcilroys decision to forgo the summer games suggests that however reluctantly he has chosen his own interests over the greater good of developing the game
before the wells fargo championship in may mcilroy acknowledged that he had misgivings about going to rio because of the health dangers posed by zika and the crammed golf calendar between sundays conclusion of the united states open and the scheduled start of the mens golf competition at the olympics on aug 11 the players will contest two majors and a world golf championships event with the ryder cup looming on the post olympics horizon
mcilroy who fell out of the top three in the world rankings this week for the first time in 23 months alluded to the scheduling morass in may when he said i feel like the officials were patting themselves on the back for getting golf in instead of treating the sports inclusion in the olympics as the first step in a marathon of planning
since a 2009 decision to add golf to the summer olympics program the reaction of the top players has been lukewarm with four majors the fedex cup playoffs and team events like the ryder cup and the presidents cup to focus on the value of an olympic medal is not the same as it is for swimmers track and field athletes fencers archers and other athletes for whom the olympics is the pinnacle of their sport
mcilroy has earned more than 2 million on the pga tour in the 2015 16 season without winning an event and has earned well over 1 million in the same time period on the european tour on which he has won once
there is hand wringing over the preparedness of every olympic host city but these summer games have presented wide ranging concerns including crime an economic crisis that has delayed the completion of olympic infrastructure contaminated water and the suspension of brazils president dilma rousseff that makes it hard to ascertain where the olympic defectors concerns about zika end and where their general worries about rios readiness to serve as a world host begin
in a statement the international golf federation the olympic organizing body for golf expressed disappointment with mcilroys decision saying it recognizes that some players will have to weigh personally a unique set of circumstances as they contemplate their participation in golfs historic return to the olympic games
it added the olympics is the worlds greatest celebration of sport and we remain excited about golfs return after a 112 year absence


when my daughter leah and her girlfriends were preparing to start college two years ago the excitement we felt as parents was tempered with some anxiety when the obama administration released a list of 55 colleges and universities under investigation for their handling of sexual assault complaints
as an incoming freshman at the university of michigan which was on the list leah was required to complete an online course on sexual assault prevention she also attended an information session focused on healthy relationships that included an unsuccessful demonstration by peer educators of how to put a condom on a banana and a discussion about giving and receiving sexual consent
but just a few weeks into her first semester a student reported being sexually assaulted in the central quad on campus and two young women she knew said they had been raped while on dates the university of michigan treats specific cases of reported sexual misconduct confidentially so it wouldnt confirm or deny that the assaults happened
in the ensuing two years the national conversation about sexual assault on campuses has intensified culminating this month in an enormous outcry over a sexual assault case at stanford as a result most colleges have increased their sexual assault prevention and education programs rick fitzgerald a spokesman at the university of michigan for instance said it continued to build and refine its approach
its still too early to measure the effect of these efforts some surveys show that the number of incidents is actually on the rise but is that because more assaults are happening or because more women feel empowered to report them
i asked several college age women i know whether they thought the programs in place at their schools were having an impact
arielle swedback who will be a junior next year at the university of california berkeley and is leahs close friend also completed an online course as an incoming freshman and attended a mandatory bear pact event on campus which focused on how to intervene when a student sees someone in a potentially dangerous situation
i dont think it was effective said ms swedback who has covered the issue as a student journalist freshman year most of my female friends had been in situations where they felt unsafe or harassed and a handful have had serious assault issues
leah is fearful enough of assault that she never goes to parties or social events alone she recalled being out on a recent saturday night talking to a frat brother who is a friend of a friend we were talking for maybe a minute and he put his hand up my shorts and said do you want to go home and bang i told him dont touch me and that he needed to have some respect for women leah said he laughed in my face
campus sexual assault is a complex problem largely because of its ever shifting definition drawing distinctions between rape assault sexual misconduct and genuine misunderstanding can be difficult frank conversations about responsibility are often bogged down by other concerns like the use of politically correct language and fears of being perceived as blaming victims
moriah schindler who will be a senior next year at the university of southern california in los angeles said she had been in situations involving men that she wouldnt consider assault but in which sexual activity was clearly expected simply because she was dancing or talking with men ms schindler said she was frustrated with the constant objectification of women herself included on campus
it seems like the majority of guys i interact with expect a hookup in the end she said
matt kaiser a lawyer whose washington firm kaiserdillon has represented male college students accused of rape and sexual assault said he had seen an increase in cases that didnt fit the definition of assault but that seemed instead to grow out of serious misunderstandings and miscommunication
right now schools are creating new norms for sex and sexual contact that may be better but arent what people have known in the past he said and men are following an unspoken set of rules that they have been following for decades and when a charge comes men often feel blindsided
some of his clients he said believed they were involved in a consensual act of intimacy when suddenly something changed it could be that the man became physical beyond the womans comfort level or that both parties were intoxicated and the next day the woman reported that she had been too drunk to give consent its very hard to know where the line is drawn mr kaiser said
the university of california berkeley said in an email that prevention education was challenging because students come to college with views that have been shaped by cultural and societal norms
experts acknowledge that innovative solutions are needed but they say that this requires data of which there is very little its only been in the last two years weve seen a flush of federal funding available to drive research said holly rider milkovich director of the sexual assault prevention and awareness center at the university of michigan
some of the most innovative approaches so far rely on students to influence and teach their peers the green dot program for example was developed at the university of kentucky in 2008 and has been adopted by other colleges and by some kentucky high schools the program trains students to intervene and defuse potentially dangerous situations the green dot symbolizes the choice to stop violence
its one of the few programs for which data exists a five year study evaluating the programs effectiveness in kentucky high schools found a decrease of more than 50 percent in the frequency of sexual assaults by students in schools that received the training compared with a slight increase in frequency in schools that did not the centers for disease control and prevention reviewed more than 100 studies of sexual violence prevention programs and found that education programs like green dot had positive effects
the get explicit 101 program at the university of oregon uses a train the trainer model students are trained to train other students to lead workshops there is also a sexual wellness advocacy team of students who lead theater based prevention training during the school year in addition the university established a sexual violence prevention leadership board for fraternities and sororities we know from the research that having multiple approaches is essential to have any impact said kerry frazee the universitys director of sexual violence prevention and education
to educate football players saint anselm college in manchester nh turned to someone they could relate to don mcpherson a heisman trophy runner up from syracuse university and a former nfl player who now works to prevent sexual and domestic violence
the colleges president steven disalvo said mr mcpherson proposed real life situations for the players that usually involve alcohol and women and then asks questions like at breakfast the next morning what will your friends ask you players offer answers like did you hit it and did you smack it mr mcpherson then points out that they are objectifying a human being he asks them would you speak to your mother or sister this way mr disalvo said and thats really changed the conversation
mr kaiser however said he was deeply pessimistic that current prevention education efforts would be able to counteract the messaging that students receive before they get to college we dont have meaningful sexual education in middle and high school and i think whats filling the void for kids is porn he said that is where they are getting information about gender roles and how courtship is supposed to work
few parents i spoke with had had specific pre college conversations with their children about sexual assault but many described conversations at home about respecting and protecting others
all said they had discussed safety with their daughters but not their sons except for esther boykin a marriage and family therapist and chief executive of group therapy associates outside washington she said she had spoken with her son who will be a college junior next year because her professional work had put sexual assault and consent at the top of her mind about 75 percent of my female clients had traumatic experiences in college almost always sexual assault she said
education around campus sexual assault is focused mostly on teaching young women to be vigilant but that isnt helping young men ms boykin said education shouldnt be only prevention focused because then we dont teach boys what consent looks like and for some boys that lack of education leads to very misguided assumptions she said we have to start teaching boys and young men what to do instead of simply telling young women what not to do
the university of michigan has come to the same conclusion it has shifted from education aimed at reducing risks which its own research showed was unlikely to change student behavior to focusing more on increasing awareness about the need for consent in the universitys most recent campus climate survey a majority of students said that in the previous year they had sought consent all of the time or some of the time thats far from a sea change but its a start


hillary clinton savaged donald j trump in a speech on tuesday that focused on his central campaign strength the economy on wednesday mr trump will offer his response
mr trump the presumptive republican presidential nominee will try to shape an argument against mrs clinton as a fatally flawed candidate with her own baggage from her tenure at the state department and the clinton foundation
mr trumps aides had planned for him to give this speech on june 13 but they delayed it after the deadly shootings in orlando fla a day earlier the idea according to people familiar with early versions of the speech was to keep the focus on the controversy over her use of a private email server at the state department a report about her push to put a donor on a sensitive government board and money her husband earned from a contract with a for profit college
for weeks republicans have fretted that these are target rich opportunities with mrs clinton the presumptive democratic nominee opportunities that mr trump sacrificed as he mired himself in controversies of his own making
the speech presents mr trump with a chance to keep the spotlight trained on his rival instead of turning it on himself
for her part mrs clinton will meet with house democrats on wednesday as congressional leadership in her party sees a chance to pick up seats if mr trump proves to be a drag on republican candidates the meeting highlights contrasts with mr trumps difficulties in his own party as republican congressional leaders have denounced him over the last few weeks


las vegas   for decades the countrys top professional sports leagues were so fearful of game fixing that they generally dismissed the idea of putting teams in las vegas the countrys gambling mecca
but the once unthinkable has quickly become a reality las vegas has landed one big league team and it may have two or even three in the future
on wednesday the nhl added las vegas to its 30 team league its first expansion in 16 years with the stigma fading the nfl could follow if the raiders who have been unable to persuade oakland calif to help them build a new home can get officials here to help pay for a new domed stadium
major league soccer has explored putting a team in las vegas even major league baseball which remains scarred by gambling scandals has softened its stance
although the nba has not talked about putting a team here commissioner adam silver has publicly advocated regulating professional sports betting
las vegas which was the largest american city without a big league team tried for years to land one in the belief that it would unify the community and certify its status as a big city growing less reliant on gambling those calls fell on deaf ears until a few years ago when leagues recognized that the spread of sports wagering into nearly every state   from casinos to lotteries to fantasy sports   made las vegas less of a threat to their games than they once imagined
indeed according to the american gaming association 19 nfl stadiums are less than 20 miles from a casino and daily fantasy companies allow fans to bet on a lineup of players of their design using a computer or smartphone
leagues still bar players from betting on games and some prohibit them from working at or with casinos presumably to keep them away from bettors trying to recruit them to throw games but some of the biggest game fixing scandals have occurred far from las vegas and players are better paid now   so they are less prone to taking money from gamblers
i never believed there was a taboo about las vegas mayor carolyn g goodman said tuesday gambling is everywhere some people are provincial and dont want to change the status quo but you have to get with the times pro sports are a natural here
continuing to shun las vegas also amounted to leaving money on the table the las vegas area has 21 million residents up from 14 million in 2000 according to the citys convention and visitors authority the economy has diversified from its well known casinos and entertainment as aviation and technology companies have moved here
even without putting teams here the leagues have embraced las vegas which has hosted an nba all star game and an nba summer league the nhl has held its annual awards dinner here for several years teams also accept sponsorships from casinos and major league baseball and the nhl have invested in draftkings one of the largest daily fantasy operators
i think las vegas is one of the real crown jewels of communities in the united states the owner jerry jones of the dallas cowboys told reporters in may for me i think that certainly the fact that las vegas has a gambling aspect to it is far overshadowed by the entertainment value if you will the family appeal that you have the convention appeal
skeptics remain although the nfls commissioner roger goodell has said he is open to the possibility of a team moving to las vegas he told espn in april that the league remained against anything that could sway games
to me where i cross the line is anything that can impact the integrity of the game goodell told espn if people feel like its going to have an influence on the outcome of the game we are absolutely opposed to that
that includes having players in casinos last summer cowboys quarterback tony romo and other players were prevented from attending a fantasy football convention that was to be held at a casino in las vegas
some observers believe las vegas will have a hard time supporting a pro team because so many residents are from elsewhere and root for the teams they grew up with many also work in the tourism industry and are busy on game days
because theres so much new population because its a 24 hour community because its so suburbanized there isnt the same sense of community said michael green who teaches classes on the history of the city and the state at the university of nevada las vegas
in particular selling hockey in the desert can be tough something the owners of the troubled coyotes learned in arizona where the debt laden team was taken over by the nhl
the nhl has never voiced much concern about the gambling in las vegas because as commissioner gary bettman has said on a few occasions the casinos take on hockey games is quite small
we dont worry about the integrity of our game bettman said wednesday
the much bigger issue for the nhl has been the financial viability of a franchise in a nontraditional hockey market meaning not very cold
a host of minor league hockey teams including the gamblers the outlaws the aces the thunder and the ice dice have struggled in las vegas
the nhl is hoping this time is different
on wednesday the leagues 30 governors or owners unanimously approved a new team for las vegas that will be owned by bill foley a financial services tycoon who will pay a 500 million expansion fee the team which has not been named yet will begin playing in the 2017 18 season in the new t mobile arena built by mgm resorts international and the venue operator aeg about 14000 fans have placed deposits on season tickets
we think this is a tremendously exciting opportunity not just for las vegas but for the league as well bettman said pointing to the citys growing population and reputation for entertainment
bettman dismissed concerns that an nhl team cannot succeed in a desert city he noted that the leagues teams in california florida and texas all made the playoffs this past season and that youth hockey participation had grown 37 percent in nevada in the last decade
the nfl may be an easier sell football is far more popular and the raiders are a local favorite because of their outlaw image and because they play in neighboring california
but in a chicken or egg scenario the raiders owner mark davis will not move the team unless he has a new stadium for it to play in and las vegas and clark county will not help him build that stadium unless he has a green light from the league to move
davis and the las vegas sands are pushing a proposal to build a 14 billion domed stadium that includes 750 million in hotel taxes but the southern nevada tourism infrastructure committee is pushing a more modest plan with a reduced public contribution some rival casino and hotel operators in las vegas do not want to give the sands an edge
by the end of july the committee must send a final recommendation to the governor who can call a special session of the states legislature so that lawmakers can vote on whether to authorize clark county to raise its hotel tax
like all debates over the use public funds for sports venues the decision is fraught proponents say hotel taxes are primarily paid by the 42 million visitors to las vegas each year not local residents and the stadium will draw lots of out of town visitors
the amount of publicity it will give las vegas around the world will be immense and the funding will not be on las vegas or the state of nevada so its a unique way to think of how to get this built said tim leiweke a consultant hired by the sands corporation to help get the stadium built
opponents argue that money from the hotel room tax could be spent on other needs like education and transportation or to expand the convention center to attract more high paying visitors they also point to t mobile arena which was privately financed
las vegas is in a very unique position because it doesnt need an nfl team to make the stadium work said ed uehling a longtime resident who has argued against using hotel taxes for team owners you can really build it and they will come
but significant questions persist the 14 billion price tag does not include buying the land or upgrading the surrounding infrastructure there are also concerns about building a stadium at a preferred site near mccarran airport because it could interfere with air traffic buying land at other sites could cost hundreds of millions of dollars
theres a huge appetite for football but a lot of questions about a stadium said steve sisolak chairman of the board of clark county commissioners you cant confuse the two
davis who declined to be interviewed has promised to contribute 500 million toward the cost of a stadium but he has to deliver on his promise to move his team prominent nfl owners like jones and robert k kraft of the new england patriots have voiced support for a team in las vegas but at least 24 owners would have to approve any relocation and davis would have to pay a sizable relocation fee
to protect las vegas and surrounding clark county steve hill who leads the southern nevada tourism infrastructure committee said the public would not contribute to a new stadium unless the raiders were allowed to move he added that taxpayers would not be on the hook for any unexpected increases in the construction cost or in the cost of running the building and said he wanted the raiders and sands to split any profits with the public if the stadium generated returns above a certain threshold
even if the raiders and sands resist those demands hill said the possibility that an nfl team will move to nevada was as high as it had ever been thanks to the melting concerns about the influence of gambling
it is somewhat destined that las vegas will have an nfl team hill said i dont think i would have said that five or 10 years ago


donald trump keeps making promises that experts dont think he can possibly fulfill it might seem that he has people fooled by his implausible claims which include pledges to make mexico pay for a border wall and to bring manufacturing jobs back to the united states the psychologist david dunning for instance has suggested that many voters are backing mr trump because they lack the expertise to recognize his mistakes
but in some news reports his supporters sound more realistic about what mr trump the presumptive gop nominee could accomplish as president one voter told the washington post i mean a physical wall its just such a strong vision and idea but i just care about the border being secure
similarly npr interviewed a retired steelworker who conceded that his industrys jobs were probably gone forever but said of mr trump if he accomplishes 10 percent of what he says hes going to do then thats 10 percent more than anybody else is going to do
when it comes to policy then these trump supporters may not be as naive as people assume many dont take his promises literally   for instance only 42 percent of republicans believe trump will succeed in making mexico pay to build a wall a number of these voters instead support him because he would move policy in their preferred direction albeit not nearly as far as he suggests some might not even want him to succeed in carrying out those proposals   for example a march poll found that 37 percent of trump supporters disagree with his plan to deport all illegal immigrants currently in the united states
these reactions are consistent with research by the political scientist bernard grofman who considered what might happen when voters do not simply choose a candidate whose positions best match their own if they discount those promises and instead gauge the likely effect of each candidate on the status quo voters might in some cases choose a candidate whose preferred position is further from them
mr grofman describes a model of the situation we observe today   a right leaning party he labels as r running as a non incumbent party whose preferred position is far from the status quo this party would seek to move the status quo in the rightward direction he writes but no rational voter would believe that r would succeed in making such a radical shift in one election term ie rs platform would be discounted in part
in this way a voter who prefers a more modest move rightward might rationally prefer r even though rs position is further from the voter than a more moderate party on the left
mr grofman whose article was published in 1985 suggests that this type of discounting may have helped ronald reagan among voters who did not believe he would actually be able to carry out in full the drastic changes in policy in the conservative direction called for by his platform
the same dynamic may be unexpectedly boosting mr trump for voters who want a change from the status quo on issues like trade and immigration supporting him may be perfectly rational   even when his promises may not be


congress is getting beat up for its failure to find agreement on gun control in the aftermath of the mass shooting in orlando fla but on wednesday lawmakers will be able to celebrate a rare bipartisan achievement on another issue
president obama is scheduled to sign into law the frank r lautenberg chemical safety for the 21st century act an update of toxic substance regulations originally championed by mr lautenberg the democratic senator from new jersey who died in 2013
the legislation is the first major rewrite of the toxic substance law since it was originally passed in 1976 and it is being hailed as a landmark improvement in protecting the public from dangerous substances because of the influence of industry and environmental groups and their deep disagreements over the issue the legislation was given little chance for success when lawmakers began work last year
those on both sides of the fight credit senator tom udall the low key new mexico democrat who picked up mr lautenbergs work for holding together a fragile and ideologically divided group of senators and steering the legislation to passage
tom udall led an effort with the strangest group of strange bedfellows ive ever seen said richard denison the lead senior scientist at the environmental defense fund who has long worked on the toxic regulation issue the result is an overhaul of a badly broken and outdated law that has allowed toxic chemicals into our homes schools and workplaces
so while the political atmosphere may be pretty toxic in washington most days lawmakers managed to overcome it in this particular case


a soldier in brazil shot and killed a jaguar who was used in an olympic torch event this week prompting an outpouring of anger from animal lovers and a public apology from the local games organizing committee
the jaguar a 17 year old female named juma was kept at a zoo that is part of a military base in manaus the largest city in the brazilian amazon
she apparently escaped an enclosure on monday but was not at risk of fleeing the zoo the military said in a statement that juma had been tranquilized but was shot after she moved toward a soldier and that the action was taken to protect a team that was trying to recapture her
the jaguar a mascot for an infantry battalion had appeared earlier that day at an event for the olympic games this summer in rio de janeiro and she was photographed in chains alongside soldiers and a torch runner holding a flame the olympic team mascot for brazil is a cartoon jaguar named ginga and an image of the animal also appears on the emblem of the manaus military base where the event took place
the games organizing committee said in a statement that it had been an error to allow the olympic torch symbol of peace and unity among peoples to be displayed next to a chained wild animal the committee said that it was saddened by the outcome and would not allow similar situations during the summer games to be held aug 5 to 21
as news of jumas death spread the facebook page for the games was inundated with criticism the animal rights group peta called the death needless
wild animals held captive and forced to do things that are frightening sometimes painful and always unnatural are ticking time bombs   captivity puts animal and human lives at risk peta said in a written statement
less than two months before the olympics begin brazil faces worries about whether infrastructure will be ready how to keep the zika virus in check and the continuing fallout from political turmoil that has included the suspension of its president pending an impeachment trial


dhaka bangladesh   the former governor of bangladeshs central bank from which 81 million was stolen in february says that flaws in the global money transfer system   and not any misstep by him   are to blame for the brazen heist
in an interview this week at his home in a well to do neighborhood in the bangladeshi capital dhaka atiur rahman who resigned from his post after the theft said that the loss had been a systemic failure and that bangladesh should not be blamed for something going wrong in the chain
in particular he blamed the federal reserve bank of new york where bangladeshs central bank had placed the money
if you want to take 500 out of your account in the us youll be asked several questions mr rahman said but here millions are going and youre not asking any questions the new york fed he added should have immediately called someone in bangladesh   the governor or someone
mr rahman also said that he tapped an online security firm a year ago to help the bank bulk up its defenses but that it had been hired only after the theft because of bureaucratic delays
mr rahmans comments go to the heart of fears in the international banking community the theft exposed weaknesses in the way the worlds banks companies and other financial institutions transfer money around the globe swift   the system they use to move that money and through which the money was transferred out of the new york fed   has since said it has seen other such attempts to steal money from the global banking system
in the case of bangladesh bank the thieves used stolen credentials to try to transfer nearly 1 billion of the central banks money at the new york fed to accounts around the world about 81 million was ultimately transferred to casinos in the philippines where much of it disappeared
a spokeswoman for the new york fed declined to comment on mr rahmans remarks but said that the theft had not been the result of a breach of its computer systems
some experts have said the theft was the result of weaknesses in bangladesh bank itself local news reports have said the bank used 10 routers and no firewalls but mr rahman disputed the notion that the banks digital security was lax
i made cybersecurity the top of the agenda he said adding i smelt a year back that this could be a problem it was my bad luck that this happened now
he said that the bank had tapped mandiant a security firm owned by fireeye inc of the united states as an adviser before the theft but that bureaucratic tangles in bangladesh had kept mandiant from fully joining until after the incident dan wire a spokesman for fireeye declined to comment
swift executives have also been frustrated that some of its users have been slow to disclose a breach in their systems and   in one case   failed to inform the consortium of an attack at all swift representatives have suggested to federal officials in the united states that banks that cannot maintain a basic level of digital security may have to be removed from the network a decision that could economically marginalize certain parts of the world
a spokeswoman for swift   which stands for society for worldwide interbank financial telecommunication   declined to comment on mr rahmans remarks but said security weaknesses at individual customer firms have an impact on others in the wider financial system which means that the industry as a whole has to respond by renewing and enhancing its security
mr rahman said that an investigation was continuing and that there might have been negligence at bangladesh bank but he said he was not responsible for any wrongdoing as a governor im not supposed to look at each and every small thing he said
maybe someones password was compromised he added it was a departmental failure and not the fault of the governor it was a high dosage attack like a 15 on the richter scale attack other parties could have helped or warned bangladesh you cannot imagine my shock
on speculation that someone within the bank had actively helped the thieves he said if theres a criminal catch him but without blaming anyone without reason
mr rahman resigned after the theft for the greater good of the bank he said but he defended his conduct after the theft the former governor has been criticized in bangladesh for not reporting the theft to the countrys government for a month
i wanted to save the financial system and the image of the country he said
it could be a mistake but it was not a crime he said adding people should not expect that ill be technically so smart that i would know from the start what happened
to steal the money the thieves sent transfer orders to the new york fed using the bangladesh banks credentials the heist was well timed   it took place during thursday night in bangladesh on the eve of the countrys weekend when workers there discovered the transfers on saturday they tried to reach the new york fed which was closed for its weekend
mr rahman contends that the new york fed did not do enough to verify that the orders were real there was a terrible lack of efficiency from the fed he said we were sending mails faxes but there was no one to pick that up we need a hotline
in may representatives of the fed of bangladesh bank and of swift met in basel switzerland to discuss protecting the global financial system from these types of attacks
mr rahman also laid some of the blame on the philippines where the theft has exposed what critics say are holes in efforts to counter money laundering if the fed really wants to help it only needs to make one small phone call to the philippines central bank governor and order it to return the money he said its the credibility of the system thats at stake
in march the agency that tackles money laundering in the philippines filed criminal charges against two businessmen accusing them of breaking the countrys money laundering laws by receiving some of the money from the heist
a spokeswoman for the governor of the filipino central bank amando tetangco jr wrote in an email charges have been filed against those who have been identified as being involved in the bangladesh heist we await the decision of the courts


when ben simmons steps on stage thursday as in all likelihood the no 1 pick in the nba draft he will carry the expectation of stardom but while being the no 1 overall pick is the pinnacle for a new professional it is far from a guarantee of success
here is a look at the best and worst no 1s over the decades
best no 1 anthony davis 2012 new orleans hornets now pelicans a three time all star in his first four seasons davis has been a star offensively and defensively for the pelicans who happily signed him to a nine figure contract extension last summer although a shoulder injury slowed him this past season there are plenty of people who still see him as the leagues next big thing
successful no 1s in approximate order kyrie irving john wall karl anthony towns
disappointing no 1 so far andrew wiggins
worst no 1 anthony bennett 2013 cleveland cavaliers after a year at nevada las vegas bennett was snapped up by the cavaliers with whom he averaged 42 points per game he was traded to minnesota and then released and he spent this past season playing for the toronto raptors 15 points a game and the delaware 87ers of the d league toronto has given up on him too and he is now trying to help his native canada qualify for the olympics three years after he went no 1 his future in the nba is uncertain
he didnt go no 1 paul george was selected 10th behind john wall and among others evan turner wesley johnson and ekpe udoh in 2010 he had played two years at fresno state a low profile program that had a losing record in each season after coming back last year from a badly broken right leg he averaged 231 points per game this season made the all star team and led the indiana pacers back to the playoffs
best lebron james 2003 cavaliers chosen straight out of high school james has of course more than justified his selection
successes dwight howard blake griffin derrick rose yao ming andrew bogut kenyon martin
disappointments andrea bargnani greg oden
worst kwame brown 2001 washington wizards like james brown was drafted straight out of high school that is where the comparisons end brown managed to play more than a decade in the nba but only once averaged even 10 points a game by most accounts michael jordan finishing his playing career with the wizards loved brown before the draft but quickly soured on him once he got on the court brown made six more stops last appearing in a game in 2013 not long before turning 30
he didnt go no 1 stephen curry guards who are 6 feet 3 inches and play three years at davidson do not go no 1 even if they average nearly 30 points a game his scouting reports faulted his defense and tendency to shoot too much not something the golden state warriors are currently complaining about curry went no 7 over all in 2009 one spot behind jonny flynn who played just three nba seasons
best shaquille oneal 1992 orlando magic a superstar in college a sure thing at the draft and a superstar in the pros
successes tim duncan allen iverson chris webber elton brand larry johnson
disappointments derrick coleman glenn robinson joe smith
worst michael olowokandi 1998 los angeles clippers a native of nigeria he had played basketball only since he was 18 but the clippers were entranced by his height 7 0 and potential he was a competent pro for a few years but stardom never came another 7 footer dirk nowitzki went no 9
he didnt go no 1 kobe bryant charlotte hornets traded to los angeles lakers 1996 drafted in an era when players straight out of high school especially guards were looked at dubiously bryant was taken at no 13 after the likes of samaki walker and todd fuller
best david robinson 1987 san antonio spurs he was good enough for the spurs to wait two years while he finished his navy service a hall of fame career followed
successes hakeem olajuwon patrick ewing james worthy danny manning brad daugherty mark aguirre
disappointments pervis ellison ralph sampson
worst joe barry carroll 1980 warriors stardom at purdue and the magic 7 at the start of his height listing led the warriors to grab carroll he had a number of 20 point seasons and one all star selection so he was not an epic bust but a perceived apathetic attitude on court earned him the nickname joe barely cares the warriors sent robert parish and a draft pick used on kevin mchale to the boston celtics to acquire the pick used to take carroll
he didnt go no 1 michael jordan few fault the houston rockets for taking the all time great hakeem olajuwon at no 1 in 1984 but sam bowie at no 2 by the portland trail blazers is often considered the worst draft selection in history the bulls took jordan at no 3
bestmagic johnson he led michigan state to a national title and was an easy no 1 choice
successes bob lanier bill walton david thompson mychal thompson doug collins
disappointments john lucas kent benson austin carr
worst larue martin 1972 trail blazers as david halberstam recounted in the breaks of the game portland decided to pass on bob mcadoo a future 30 point a game nba scorer because he demanded a car so the blazers turned to the 6 11 larue martin of loyola chicago hoping he would at least develop into a defensive star martin spent four years coming off the bench for portland and then was out of the league
he didnt go no 1 larry bird because bird briefly enrolled at indiana before transferring to indiana state he was eligible for the draft after his junior season under the rules at the time boston was willing to wait a year chose him at no 6 in 1978 and then watched with pleasure as he won player of the year awards as a senior
best kareem abdul jabbar 1969 milwaukee bucks the nbas career leader in points
successes oscar robertson elvin hayes walt bellamy cazzie russell jimmy walker
disappointments jim barnes fred hetzel art heyman
worst bill mcgill 1962 chicago zephyrs now wizards a 6 9 center who was the national scoring leader while at utah he played with nine teams in five years in the nba and the aba and never really found a role
he didnt go no 1 jerry west he could have gone no 1 after a stellar career at west virginia but found himself in the same draft as robertson and went no 2 instead
best elgin baylor 1958 lakers he played 14 seasons with the lakers 11 of them as an all star
successes bob boozer hot rod hundley frank selvy ray felix
disappointments si green chuck share dick ricketts mark workman
worst gene melchiorre 1951 baltimore bullets he was barred from the league for life for his role in a point shaving scandal at bradley before he ever played an nba game
they didnt go no 1 wilt chamberlain and bill russell under the rules at the time chamberlain was eligible to be taken in 1959 as a so called territorial pick by the philadelphia warriors because he was from the city the no 1 pick that year was boozer russell was part of the regular draft in 1956 but rochester chose green instead leaving russell to go no 2 to the st louis hawks they promptly traded him to the celtics eleven nba titles followed


those watching the senate this week saw lawmakers vote down attempts to advance four gun safety measures two offered by democrats and two by republicans
those proposals were just a sample of the contentious amendments lawmakers are trying to tack on to a measure funding the commerce and justice departments a bill that is often a magnet for constitutional and national security skirmishes
for example senator john mccain republican of arizona is championing a provision that would expand the authority of the fbi to obtain electronic records without judicial review in the course of security investigations
mr mccain also seeks to make permanent existing authorities under the foreign intelligence surveillance act to monitor so called lone wolf terrorist attackers he went to the senate floor to defend his ideas in the context of the shooting in orlando fla and he was strongly opposed by senator ron wyden democrat of oregon a privacy advocate
senator ted cruz republican of texas has a measure that would give the secretary of state the power to strip citizenship from people who associate with terrorist groups the measure has been stalled for months as a stand alone bill in the judiciary committee
weve seen americans like jose padilla anwar al awlaki like faisal shahzad who have abandoned their country and gone and joined up with the terrorists in waging war against us mr cruz said on the senate floor
mr cruzs measure is opposed by liberal and conservative groups a consortium of human rights civil liberties and religious organizations sent a letter to senators warning that the measure was too broad noting that an american who travels outside the country to provide humanitarian assistance or other things in a troubled region could be mistakenly accused of providing material support or resources to terrorists and have their passport revoked some conservative groups have argued that the measure has extreme due process flaws mr cruz has failed to show up at judiciary committee meetings where his bill was scheduled to be discussed


hanover germany   volkswagen shareholders had a lot to complain about on wednesday management bonuses sagging profits and an emissions scandal have all caused the companys stock to plunge
whether those complaints will make any difference is another question
institutional investors and individual shareholders have grown increasingly restive about what many see as volkswagen managers failure to adequately explain who was responsible for the emissions scandal as well as their refusal to fully give up bonuses even after the company reported its first annual loss in more than two decades
they have been rewarded for failure said hans christoph hirt co head of hermes eos a firm that represents large institutional investors addressing the meeting mr hirt urged shareholders not to re elect the supervisory board saying its members were ultimately responsible for a culture in which the emissions scandal was able to unfold and remain undetected for many years
but with outsize influence in the hands of a few large shareholders top management at the company faced little threat to its authority
descendants of ferdinand porsche inventor of the beetle own a majority of the voting shares while the state of lower saxony owns 20 percent and the sovereign wealth fund of qatar holds 17 percent just 11 percent of the companys stock is held by outside shareholders and holders of volkswagen preferred shares the most actively traded are entitled to dividends but cannot vote
numerous shareholders filed motions to block the management boards actions approval of which is normally a formality but it was a foregone conclusion that the critics would not be able to muster anywhere near enough votes to succeed
the meeting began with a speech by hans dieter potsch the chairman of the supervisory board who repeated the companys assertion that top executives were not aware of the gravity of the emissions problem until shortly before the environmental protection agency issued a formal complaint as mr potsch spoke top executives and members of volkswagens supervisory board listened impassively from a large stage
in a sign of dissenters lack of clout a motion to remove mr potsch as chairman of the annual meeting was rejected by shareholders holding 988 percent of the voting shares present manfred klein a shareholder who argued in favor of the motion said that mr potsch had a conflict of interest because he was the chief financial officer during the period when the emissions deceit took place
youve saved your neck with the votes of mr porsches descendants mr klein said ignoring a flashing red light that indicated he had exceeded his allotted time get out of here
volkswagens travails have focused attention on the companys unique ownership structure and its imperviousness to outside pressure
in many ways the company is the last bastion of what was once known as germany inc a web of cross shareholdings among german banks and corporations that insulated them from the whims of the stock market
david bach associate dean at the yale school of management said such structures allowed volkswagen and other companies to take a longer term view but it also isolated them from outside criticism and encouraged complacency
wednesdays session held at a vast exhibition grounds nevertheless forced top managers to confront shareholders face to face two days after german prosecutors said they had opened an investigation into martin winterkorn volkswagens former chief executive and another member of the management board the men are suspected of violating german securities laws by waiting too long to inform shareholders that united states authorities were investigating the companys use of illegal software to evade pollution limits
prosecutors did not name the second suspect but volkswagen confirmed wednesday that he is herbert diess the executive in charge of the volkswagen brand mr diess a former bmw executive who joined volkswagen in july 2015 appeared with other members of the management board in hanover and gave no indication that he planned to resign
prosecutors acted at the behest of germanys financial market regulator known as bafin the agency concluded after its inquiry that all of the members of the volkswagen supervisory board should be held responsible for failure to inform shareholders according to a reuters report which was confirmed by a person with firsthand knowledge of the decision but who was not authorized to speak publicly
klaus ziehe a spokesman for the prosecutor in braunschweig which is handling the case declined to comment but he said it was possible the number of suspects could grow
one vote at the shareholder meeting had legal significance a group of investors submitted motions for a special inquiry into whether any top managers knew of emissions deceit and whether there were measures in place to prevent wrongdoing inside the company
the motions were defeated by more than 97 percent of the votes present but the rejection clears the way for shareholders to pursue their demand for an inquiry in court


this is going to sound like the tech nerd version of one of those first person people magazine essays about surviving adversity you dont appreciate how much you need to see your hands until you cant
your hands - theyre always there even in the most immersive of media experiences   an imax movie or the hypnotic reverie of a darkened opera house   your sense of where your hands are is an ever present comfort because you can see your hands you can reach for the popcorn without knocking it over because your eyes arent locked on the screen you can check your phone to make sure your babysitter hasnt texted with an emergency
but then you don virtual reality goggles and your hands disappear so does the rest of the world around you you are bereft and it is very very unsettling
this sounds obvious the whole point of virtual reality is to create a fantasy divorced from the physical world youre escaping the dreary mortal coil for a completely simulated experience there you are climbing the side of a mountain exploring a faraway museum flying through space or getting in bed with someone way out of your league
but in many ways the simulation is too immersive after spending a few weeks with two of the most powerful vr devices now on the market the oculus rift and the htc vive i suspect that vr will be used by the masses one day but not anytime soon im not sure were ready to fit virtual reality into our lives no matter how excited silicon valley is about it
getting completely submerged in a simulation is good for things like games but for most media total immersion feels like a strangely old fashioned experience because it leaves your body helplessly stuck in the physical world while your mind wanders vr doesnt fit with the way most people work at a computer watch tv or encounter many other digital experiences
virtual reality is the opposite of a smartphone a device that offers you quick hits of the digital world as you go about in the real world instead vr is at this point an experience best left for the privacy of ones cave   a lonely sometimes antisocial affair that does not allow for multitasking for distraction or for the modern worlds easy interplay of the real and the digital
im a real proponent of being careful how we use it because immersion is not free said jeremy bailenson the director of stanfords virtual human interaction lab a research center for virtual reality experiences immersion comes at a cost it takes you out of your environment its perceptually taxing at times and its not something that we can use the way we use other media for hours and hours and hours a day
part of the problem is that the technology still isnt good enough people at oculus the vr start up that facebook purchased for 2 billion in 2014 compare their rift headset to the apple ii personal computer   one of the earliest incarnations of a device that would change the world eventually
the apple ii went on sale in 1977 but a couple of decades would pass before personal computers became ubiquitous the earliest pcs were also very expensive the apple ii sold for what would be about 5000 today and vr is no different the rift sells for 599 and the vive goes for 799 both require a powerful desktop computer that will set you back at least 1000
both companies are working to solve some of the issues i had with vr
a representative for oculus told me that one of its goals was to add more parts of your body to the simulation so that you dont feel as if your mind and your limbs are in two different worlds later this year oculus will release a pair of touch sensitive controllers when you carry these into a virtual world as i did during a recent demo at facebooks headquarters you can see a representation of your hands in virtual space and the controllers let you manipulate digital objects in a way that feels remarkably real
in oculuss demo room i threw three point shots in basketball repeatedly punched a guy and took some punches in an unruly hockey game and passed some digital toys back and forth with an oculus employee who was also wearing a headset
compared with the lonelier hands free version of oculus now shipping the hands on demo offered less of a split between what my body was doing in the real world and what my eyes were seeing in the virtual one
htcs vive is ahead of oculus on this score it comes with hand sensing controllers that allow for digital manipulation and its headset has a handy camera that provides an in goggles map of the room around you letting you find your chair and your keyboard without having to fumble clumsily for them
but even as the technology improves vr is still something you have to get used to its unusual in these days of multitasking to plunge yourself completely into a media experience you might want to tweet and snap while you watch a presidential debate or the nba finals and youre probably multitasking even when youre watching something longer and more serious like a movie
but vr doesnt allow you to easily direct your gaze toward anything beyond the media at hand once youre in it youre in it even handling a snack can be challenging in a paradoxical way the intensity of vr tends to limit its integration into your daily life
in general we never put somebody in a helmet for more than about 20 minutes and we give them frequent breaks said mr bailenson of stanford being perceptually disconnected from the world for much longer may not be something a lot of people want to do
vr also brings with it the uneasy worry that you may look like a fool when you use it that brings me to the eggplant in the room   pornography like most new entertainment technologies vr has been talked up as being an excellent tool for consuming adult content but at the risk of tmi i have to say i was terrified of going anywhere near such experiences
i dont care who you are theres a fantastic chance you know the paralyzing fear that shoots up your spine when youre watching a smidgen of erotica and you think you hear the door open a creak from the stairway or even a random footstep wrote mike wehner an editor at the tech culture site daily dot who took the vr porn plunge that feeling is amplified to an insane degree when you cant actually see or hear what is happening around you and its not an experience that is conducive to self pleasure
ill take mr wehners word for it
but if vr isnt useful for movies and tv shows and if its kind of dodgy for porn what good is it today there are some great games on these systems and there are sure to be many more during the next couple of years there are also several useful experiences like designing your ikea kitchen in vr
but if youre not a gamer and youre not looking for a new kitchen vr is at this point just too immersive for most media a few minutes after donning my goggles i came to regard my virtual surroundings as a kind of prison yes vr is a prison of fantastical sights and sounds and one that is at moments irresistibly exciting but its a prison nevertheless and before long it will leave you yearning for escape


republicans arriving in cleveland next month to nominate donald j trump will be greeted by as many as 6000 protesters on the first day a noisy coalition of dozens of groups including black lives matter and the workers world party the demonstrators intend to ignore restrictions keeping them far from the delegates raising fears the violence that accompanied some of mr trumps rallies will be magnified on a mass scale
two marches along routes the city has not authorized are planned for the conventions opening day july 18 organizers say they want to avoid violence but they are also gearing up for confrontation with the police including training in civil disobedience
if there are people willing to put themselves on the line to be arrested so be it said deb kline a leader of cleveland jobs with justice one of the groups that will march
a week later as democrats pour into philadelphia so will an army of bernie sanders supporters planning occupy wall street style protests against what they call the fraudulent nomination of hillary clinton one group occupy dnc convention is circulating information about protecting oneself from tear gas by wearing a vinegar soaked bandanna and swim goggles
the divisive nominating contests have produced countercurrents of deep resentment in both parties and next month that bitterness could spill into the streets in large protests just when republicans and democrats   and the host cities   are trying to present images of unity to the country
mass demonstrations have occurred at nearly every modern political convention perhaps none more disastrously than at the 1968 democratic convention in chicago where street riots contributed to hubert h humphreys loss that november
there is no chance of that level of violence officials in both cities insist because modern policing has evolved to be less confrontational philadelphia is considering issuing 100 summonses to marchers blocking highways or failing to disperse rather than arresting them
but protest organizers in cleveland say that by imposing strict rules to contain demonstrators the city is increasing the likelihood that unsanctioned protests will erupt leading to violent clashes with the police or between trump supporters and opponents
protest groups say the restrictions are less for safety than to minimize their visibility and the american civil liberties union of ohio has sued the city over the rules saying they violated free speech rights the rules limit marches to 50 minutes mostly during the mornings hours before the delegates convene and to a route distant from quicken loans arena the convention site passing over what protest organizers call a bridge to nowhere
the parade route is very short and it goes over a bridge which means no one can see them said christine link the executive director of the american civil liberties union of ohio
some protest leaders said they would ignore the restrictions and march as close as possible to the arena which will be wrapped in a security perimeter set by the secret service
they made this plan to frustrate and aggravate people who want to demonstrate within their rights against the republican agenda said thomas burke a leader of the coalition to stop trump and march on the rnc
expecting thousands for a protest on the conventions opening day mr burke said he would ignore the official parade route and march from clevelands public square to within sight and sound of the arena
if the police respect our march i think we have a family friendly event he said if people try to provoke and attack our march im pretty sure people will take care of themselves were very well organized
even the organizer of a pro trump rally said the citys rules increased the chance of violence by confining all demonstrators to the same route
you stick everybody together face to face youre going to have a problem said tim selaty organizer of a group called citizens for trump which expects 5000 to attend they have created a much more dangerous situation
after the 2004 republican convention in new york the city paid out millions of dollars to settle claims of civil rights violations after the police detained 1800 people including dozens swept up by long orange nets
a spokesman for mayor frank g jackson of cleveland defended the prescribed march route and said the police had trained for 18 months to deal with protesters
our anticipation is everyone is going to come and do what theyre supposed to do and will be able to have a wonderful time said the spokesman dan williams he added that protesters who chose other march routes would not be arrested as long as they used sidewalks and did not block traffic
the potential effect on mr trump and mrs clinton as they formally enter the general election is asymmetrical
in cleveland mr trump   who will be confronted by left wing demonstrators not fellow republicans   could potentially benefit from scenes of mayhem that allow him to call for law and order and project strength as he did recently when opponents punched his supporters and burned their make america great again hats in california street chaos if it occurs could overshadow disunion in the convention hall as an increasing array of party leaders nervously break ranks with mr trump
democratic leaders are worried about emerging from their convention with an unmollified bernie or bust contingent whose protests could provide jarring split screen images as the party seeks to rally around mrs clinton
philadelphia is giving the protesters more leeway than cleveland is allowing daylong rallies of sanders supporters in franklin delano roosevelt park facing the convention site the wells fargo center on all four days of the convention july 25 28
bill taylor an organizer of the rallies said he expected up to 250000 people still angry that mr sanders lost the democratic nomination by what they believe is a rigged system since the end of the primaries as leading democrats like senator elizabeth warren and labor groups like the afl cio have endorsed mrs clinton mr sanders has held off last week he told supporters he would take his movement and more than 1900 delegates to the convention
mr taylor a philadelphia resident with no official ties to mr sanders received a request from the campaign to use one of his permits so mr sanders could hold a rally in roosevelt park on sunday july 24 the conventions eve
even as mrs clinton effectively clinched the nomination by securing a majority of delegates many sanders supporters insist there were fraud and voter suppression
we feel like democracy has been stolen said laurie cestnick the founder of a facebook group called occupy dnc convention which has more than 25000 members
her group is a hub for ride shares to philadelphia information about bernie buses and tent camping and a friendly warning not to use berniebnb a house sharing app that is already overwhelmed
ms cestnicks application for a permit for up to 15000 people to march on july 25 is pending with the city
mr taylors group march for bernie at dnc plans to demand the resignation of the democratic party chairwoman representative debbie wasserman schultz of florida the end of the use of superdelegates or party leaders who get nominating votes and have overwhelmingly backed mrs clinton and universal open primaries independents strongly favored mr sanders over mrs clinton but could not vote in the many closed primaries where only registered democrats could participate
if the demands are not met mr taylor said die hard sanders supporters plan to leave the democratic party polls show as many as 30 percent of mr sanderss backers say they will not vote for mrs clinton
to symbolize their view of the party mr taylor said we plan on marching coffins down broad street every day


in the state of chihuahua in mexico an eatery is churning out donald trump tacos theyre made with a lot of tongue a dash of pig snout and just a little bit of cow brain
masks of mr trumps face topped by tufts of artificial blond hair are rolling off the lines at a factory in cuernavaca   a recent batch numbered 10000
at the town of otumbas annual may day celebration 40000 visitors were treated to a donkey dressed as him
this is mexicos return volley in its informal war of words with mr trump the presumptive republican presidential nominee who fired the opening salvo the day he began his campaign calling mexican immigrants rapists
where mr trump brought bellicosity many in mexico have responded with humor
as the campaign in the united states grinds on south of the border you can buy trump pinatas watch the candidate be skewered in a satirical play throw shoes at him in a video game or purchase a special version of the classic cup and stick game balero with mr trump as the cup you can guess where the stick goes there are too many cartoons to count
damaso morales ramirez a political science professor at the national autonomous university of mexico said mr trump had helped stir up feelings of mexican nationalism as people have seized their traditions and popular expressions to defend themselves
what a mexican says through caricatures is many times what they wouldnt dare say out loud he said its a mexican way of expressing anger and expressing something they dont like
mr ramirez pointed to a new word trumpear a play on the spanish verb trompear which means to hit or to punch the exact definition of the neologism is still being debated
a mexican reporter suggested on twitter that it meant to hit to vilify to polarize to revile to terrorize as an electoral strategy an academic defined it as the act and effect of proposing stupid things that are impossible to realize a technology businessman wrote that it meant to do the ridiculous and then contradict yourself afterwards


given all that has happened on so many campuses over the last few years its hard to pick the one that has been roiled the most by struggles over political correctness but oberlin college would certainly be in the running
a widely discussed series of events there included the demand for a so called trigger warning to students who might be upset reading antigone complaints about the ethnic integrity of the sushi in a campus dining hall and a petition signed by 1300 students calling for a semester in which the lowest possible grade was a c so that anyone skipping classes or skimping on studies to engage in social activism wouldnt pay too steep an academic price
in the view of more than a few observers these students were taking liberalism to illiberal extremes but their actions were arguably proof of something else as well
students at oberlin and their counterparts elsewhere might not behave in such an emboldened fashion if they did not feel so largely in charge their readiness to press for rules and rituals to their liking suggests the extent to which they have come to act as customers   the ones who set the terms the ones who are always right   and the degree to which they are treated that way
twinned with colleges innovations to attract and serve a new generation of students is a changed relationship between the schools and the schooled its one of the most striking transformations in higher education over the last quarter century
its manifest in students interactions with colleges even before they enroll as those institutions intent on increasing the number of applications they receive and on snagging as many valedictorians class presidents and soccer captains as they can come at them as merchants clamoring for their attention competing for their affection and unfurling their wares with as much ceremony and gloss as possible
and what wares those are colleges have spruced up dormitories and diversified dining options so that students unwind in greater comfort and ingest with more choice than ever before to lure students and keep them content colleges have also fashioned state of the art fitness centers sophisticated entertainment complexes and other amenities with a relevance to learning that is oblique at best
high point university in north carolina is in the midst of an upgrade of more than 2 billion that includes millions toward amusements like a putting green a game arcade an ice cream truck and a theater with free movies and free popcorn
campus water parks   with pools slides and man made rivers   have become just common enough that when louisiana state university recently plotted its own it decided that the river should spell out the letters lsu so that it was no mere mimic of all those other lesser collegiate waterways
we devote all these resources to creating basically country clubs with libraries barry schwartz a longtime professor of psychology at swarthmore told me swarthmore he said has resisted the trend more than other colleges   no water park there   but has not been immune to it no institution is and mr schwartz placed much of the blame on sharp increases in tuition and other expenses when families are asked to pay 60000 or more a year the transaction takes on a more bluntly commercial aspect
costs go up mr schwartz said parents expect to get value for money they measure value in a different way we provide that value which raises costs which creates more demand and the cycle continues
but amenities arent all that is different the interactions and balance of power between student and teacher are as well i dont recall ever filling out a professor evaluation when i attended the university of north carolina at chapel hill in the mid 1980s its possible that such forms existed but they were not used consistently or presented to us with any sense of urgency
the opposite was true when i taught at princeton in the spring of 2014 students could not see their grades for a given class until they had filled out an extensive report card including numerical ratings on the class and on the instructor or had formally declined to do so which few did the instructor was privy to those ratings with the students names erased
im told by many of the professors i know that this practice is more or less the norm coupled with websites on which students rate their teachers it has enormous bearing on how fully enrolled an instructors classes are on his or her reputation and   thus   on his or her career and what is perhaps the greatest driver of student satisfaction with a professor the greatest guarantor of glowing reviews the marks that the professor doles out small wonder that grade inflation is so pronounced and rampant with as easy to come by and anything below a b minus rare
students get the message that they call the shots catharine bond hill the president of vassar told me that when she began teaching in the 1980s students never came in to complain about grades and back then she added you could get a c
now students will come in and complain about a b plus she said
thats not all bad students should absolutely have a voice in their education and guaranteeing them one keeps professors and administrators accountable faculty can be very resistant to change mr schwartz said and entitled students apply needed pressure
the old approach certainly wasnt perfect professors used to be a bit of a priesthood jonathan haidt a social psychologist who has written extensively about campus unrest over recent years told me that could dissuade challenge and argument both are essential to learning
the rightful passing of that paradigm created a need for new ones and mr haidt said that the two in vogue now were the therapeutic model and the consumer model in accordance with the first of those students regard colleges as homes and places of healing in accordance with the second they regard colleges as providers of goods that are measurable and of services that should meet their specifications
and that has imperfections all its own the best laundry list of which appeared in customer mentality an essay by nate kreuter an assistant professor of english at western carolina university that was published by inside higher ed in 2014
he noted a hesitance to hold students accountable for their behavior be it criminal or a violation of what is too frequently a laughable university honor code he noted an expectation among many students that their purchase of a college education should be automatically redeemable for a job as if college were that precisely vocational and the process that predictable
thats simply not how life works he said in a recent interview so we have a lot of students who are disenchanted
but what does the customer model do to their actual education
theres a big difference between teaching students and serving customers said mr schwartz at swarthmore teachers know things and they should be telling students whats worth knowing and whats not not catering to demands
too often he said weve given students a sense that theyre in just as good a position to know whats worth knowing as we are and weve contributed to the weakening of student resilience because were so willing to meet their needs that they never have to suffer that makes them incredibly vulnerable when things go wrong as they invariably do he was speaking in the context of sharp upticks at many colleges in the number of students reporting anxiety and depression and turning to campus mental health clinics for help
i see this as a collective abdication of intellectual and even moral responsibility he said
when money is channeled toward dorms and dining isnt it diverted from something else in a remarkably candid interview with the huffington post a few years ago james c garland who oversaw an expensive gilding of miami university in ohio when he was its president from 1996 to 2006 conceded precisely that
in hindsight i worry about whether we did the right thing he told the website adding that for every dollar you put into building a student sports facility   workout rooms and exercise rooms and squash courts and things of that sort   every dollar you put into that is a dollar youre not spending on improving classrooms or paying your professors a high enough wage that you can recruit from higher up in the job pool
you are also defining the higher education experience in a way that has nothing to do with academic rigor with intensive effort with the testing of students boundaries and the upending of their closely held beliefs when students are wooed on the front end by catalogs and websites that showcase the recreation at their disposal and then arrive to encounter teachers who twist themselves into knots in the name of making the learning experience fun they are told that college is a place and a time largely for amusement for revelry
the focus is on what they should expect not what is expected of them students have a responsibility in exchange for the subsidy that they get from either the public or nonprofit status of our schools said ms hill the vassar president but the changed culture has suggested to students that they are owed or entitled to the education and that sense of responsibility doesnt seem to be there
colleges have not abandoned setting boundaries and requiring sacrifices oberlin said no to the 1300 students who wanted guaranteed cs thats what we needed to do for our academic standards and integrity marvin krislov the colleges president told me
he acknowledged that the student demands of recent years had been bigger and more numerous than those of a decade or two ago but he attributed this to such positive developments as greater diversity on campuses students ability to discuss sensitive topics that were once swept under the rug and worries about social and economic issues that are especially pressing now the nature of the student population these days requires us to listen in a way that perhaps we havent before he said
oberlins director of dining services ultimately issued an apology of sorts for what she described as culturally insensitive items like the inauthentic sushi and for banh mi sandwiches that did not live up to their putatively vietnamese pedigree but more striking was a detail from a new yorker article about oberlin last month it described one students complaint that only some instructors there were willing to accommodate his desire to demonstrate mastery of a courses material during an office hours conversation rather than by submitting to whatever written format was usually required thats not institutionalized he said i have to find that professor his displeasure was understandable hes the customer after all


amid mounting alarm over how to pay for repairs to new jerseys roads and bridges state lawmakers are lining up behind a potential solution once considered politically unthinkable raising the states famously low gas tax
a new proposal from leading democrats is forcing a showdown with gov chris christie a republican who has resisted calls to increase prices at the pump even as the states transportation trust fund is set to run out of money at the end of the month under the proposal the tax could rise by about 23 cents a gallon bringing it closer to what neighboring states collect
the fate of new jerseys dwindling transportation funding has been entangled in recent years with mr christies political ambitions even as the states bridges and roads are falling apart and new jersey transit is struggling with a series of financial problems he has avoided tackling the issue
but state lawmakers now face a confluence of factors that could make an increase possible a pressing deadline gas prices hovering near 2 a gallon and growing contempt in new jersey for mr christie whose office recently denied a report that the governor had become a mcdonalds fetching manservant for donald j trump the presumptive republican presidential nominee
we are very much in crisis if this thing shuts down said stephen m sweeney a democrat and the state senate president referring to the transportation trust fund
other states are also struggling to finance the cost of repairing and expanding crucial infrastructure several including utah and iowa have raised their gas taxes and some members of congress have called for increasing the federal gas tax which has remained the same since 1993
the transportation funding proposal announced in new jersey this month included a sweetener meant to attract republican votes the repeal of the states estate tax which kicks in at a lower amount than in many other states
even with that concession mr christie who has about a year and a half left in office said he opposed the proposal he described part of the plan that would increase transportation aid to counties and municipalities as a payoff by democrats to local officials but despite his characteristically blunt rhetoric the governor appeared open to negotiation
there is a lot of work that needs to be done mr christie told reporters last week there is a lot of show me that has to be done but as you know at the end of any session miracles happen
several republican lawmakers have already expressed support for the proposal democrats who control both the senate and the assembly hope to pull together enough votes to override a potential christie veto
now that the fund is set to become insolvent youve really seen a considerable shift in public opinion but also political will in the legislature in terms of coming up with some kind of compromise solution brigid callahan harrison a professor of political science and law at montclair state university said
at 145 cents per gallon new jerseys gas tax is the second lowest in the country the figure includes a 105 cent motor fuels tax that has not increased since 1988 and a 4 cent petroleum products tax first approved in 1990 the democrats are proposing raising the tax to about 375 cents per gallon still less than new york states gas tax
new jerseys deteriorating infrastructure recently received a d plus grade in a report by the american society of civil engineers which classified more than 550 of the states bridges as structurally deficient and in need of major repairs
over the last few years state transportation officials have closed several bridges for emergency repairs including the route 206 bridge in princeton in february when a wall collapsed after engineers found cracks in the stone arches of the bridge which dates to 1792 more extensive repairs were planned for later this year
new jersey transit which runs the states passenger rail and bus lines has been plagued by problems and now has a 46 million budget gap riders have been frustrated by delays and fare increases rail workers nearly went on strike this year and two major unions are in negotiations that could still result in a strike
new jersey is lagging as other states in the region plan major investments in their infrastructure said mr sweeney who may run for governor next year mr christie is prevented by term limits from seeking another term he cited new york and connecticut leaders in both states have said they want to spend 100 billion on infrastructure plans
the gas tax proposal would allow the state to raise about 20 billion over 10 years mr sweeney said as part of the deal which includes several tax cuts the estate tax that residents pay when they inherit money would be phased out by the end of 2019
lawmakers from both parties have criticized elements of the plan some republicans oppose any gas tax increase while some democrats say that eliminating the estate tax would remove an important source of revenue and create its own fiscal challenges
when im being criticized by democrats and republicans   when youre criticized by both youre usually in a good spot mr sweeney said
the authorization for the transportation trust fund which pays for road bridge and mass transit projects expires june 30 the state transportation department would continue to receive federal funding and work already underway would continue steve schapiro a spokesman for the department said but new state funded projects could not be started
as democrats seek votes outside their party the gas tax debate highlights a growing fissure among the states republicans a vote by republican lawmakers to override a christie veto would be the first rebuke in both chambers of a once popular governor who had buoyed his partys fortunes in a state that leans democratic
mr christies approval rating has dropped to 27 percent in new jersey amid his travels outside the state for his presidential campaign and now for mr trump in september two of his former allies are set to go on trial in the george washington bridge lane closing scandal that has marred the governors second term
at the same time the jockeying to succeed him has already started philip d murphy a former ambassador to germany who announced that he would run for governor as a democrat and steven fulop of jersey city a democrat who is expected to run have said they generally support the idea of increasing the gas tax
vincent prieto a democrat who serves as assembly speaker said there were parts of the plan he found distasteful but that it was time for a compromise
everybody doesnt love everything in it he said but everybody can live with the final product


paris   after record rainfall and near historic flooding this spring life along the seine is returning to normal tourist boats are again cruising the river the louvre and the musee dorsay have reopened riverside restaurants and nightclubs are back in business
so this is a moment for paris to celebrate the charms and secrets of the slow moving waterway that both divides and unites the city
on the same day early this month that the seine rose to its highest level in paris 20 feet above normal an exhibition on the rivers islands opened at the pavillon de larsenal on the right bank
the show which runs until oct 2 in this small architectural center may be low tech   no interactive experiences no multilingual audio guides   but it is overflowing with stories
centuries ago more than 300 islands dotted the 482 mile long seine from its source on an obscure plain in northeast burgundy to its terminus on the normandy coast because of human intervention and the forces of nature only 117 survive
islands of the seine features 32 of those islands they form a scattered archipelago of industry culture habitation and recreation that has been documented by artists like monet and van gogh and by novelists like zola and flaubert
the islands are like a pearl necklace of nature decorating the river said milena charbit an architect who is the curator of the exhibition which stemmed from her masters thesis each pearl has its own life its own identity there are islands of imagination that never existed and islands that are no more
the two most famous   ile de la cite and the smaller ile saint louis   are in the center of paris where the city originated in ancient times
ile saint louis would become one of the first examples of urban planning in france with elegant townhouses and mansions built in the 17th century in a nod to modernity some looked outward toward the seine rather than inward toward courtyards and interior streets
most of the old neighborhoods on ile de la cite were demolished by baron haussmann the 19th century prefect of the seine department as part of his rebuilding of paris in the name of progress he expropriated and razed medieval houses to build a new headquarters for the paris guard and the fire brigade a massive structure still occupied by the paris police thankfully the cathedral of notre dame and the conciergerie were not on his list
on the southwest edge of paris is ile seguin home for most of the 20th century to the automaker renault which built what would become the largest factory in france there with 30000 employees during world war ii it produced trucks for the occupying germans and was the target of allied bombings
the factory was closed in 1992 and its buildings razed in 2004 and 2005 following extensive soil decontamination and asbestos removal the french architect jean nouvel is directing a sustainable development project for the island that will include offices shops transportation and recreational activities and will feature green roofs and the reuse of rainwater
ile de la grande jatte to the west of paris was the subject of georges seurats pointillist masterpiece a sunday afternoon on the island of la grande jatte the painting was the inspiration for the sondheim musical sunday in the park with george sesame street and the simpsons have parodied it playboy once featured a version of the painting on its cover
other islands have more obscure stories
about 60 miles southeast of paris is ile olive which was once owned by a certain doctor olive mayor of the local commune in the 1880s when he died his widow bequeathed it to the nearby town and the island is now a wooded park with a nature trailit can be neither sold nor rented the sale of refreshments is banned and no structures can be erected there
ile des cygnes which no longer exists got its name after louis xiv populated the island entirely with swans and not just any swans   his were a special variety imported from denmark the swan considered pure and regal was the sun kings favorite animal
then there is ile aux cygnes site of the mini statue of liberty on the river not far from the eiffel tower
ile du platais became a gathering place in the mid 20th century for naturists who passed their time relaxing and engaging in various activities wearing minimal clothing ile saint etienne by contrast was the site of a maximum security prison
the show also recalls the era when the seine was clean enough to swim in a life size black and white cardboard photo montage shows 10 champion swimmers from the early 20th century
but industrial and human waste polluted the waters and swimming was banned in 1923 the river is cleaner than it once was and many species of fish have returned if paris wins the bid for the 2024 olympic games mayor anne hidalgo fantasizes that the city will host some of the swimming events in the seine
the pavillon de larsenal is not the only paris museum to focus on the seine this spring the open air studio impressionists in normandy an exhibit at the musee jacquemart andre until july 25 explores the region of normandy as the birthplace of impressionism it includes paintings made in and around rouen the seine port city that offered according to pissarro the most splendid landscape that a painter could ever dream of
even better is the retrospective show albert marquet painter of time pending at the musee dart moderne de la ville de paris the exhibit which continues until aug 21 pulls together 100 paintings and drawings by marquet 1875 1947 some on view for the first time in france a close friend of matisse marquet was fascinated by the movements colors and shadows of water and spent much of his life traveling between the mediterranean and the seine the show includes a room on paris la seine with a series of paintings done in muted tones of grays and browns
then there is le pont neuf la nuit a rendering of paris oldest longest and widest bridge at night which marquet painted in 1935 and revised four years later it was the view he saw looking across the western edge of ile de la cite from his sixth floor apartment at the corner of the rue dauphine and the quai des grands augustins the sky and water are black the bridge and the cars crossing it wet with rain shimmering in the glow of yellow and red electric lights to the north la samaritaine department store currently closed as part of an ambitious redevelopment project reigns over the scene like a golden palace with a bright red crown
the nocturnal magic of the painting can mesmerize even the most casual museum goer it cries out for a visit to the real thing the pont neuf late at night
the bridge also holds a secret behind an equestrian statute of henri iv are two flights of stairs they lead down to the square du vert galant a spit of land at the westernmost tip of the island i sometimes come here to draw energy from the river and its elaborated banks
to my right is the louvre the dome of the institut de france on my left the river on both sides and straight ahead from here the seine cloaks the city in shadows and offers it to me


london   if britain wakes up on friday morning to the news that it has voted itself out of the european union about the only thing that everyone is sure to agree on is that the nation will face a protracted political and legal mess
for all the drama the moment would bring there would be no instant change european union citizens could still come to britain to live and work without a visa trade with the single market would continue unimpeded brussels would continue to regulate bananas
instead the process of decoupling would officially begin only when the british government chooses to invoke a previously unused provision of the blocs governing treaty known as article 50 that sets out the basics of the withdrawal process
the most critical element of article 50 is that once invoked it sets a two year deadline for a negotiated departure beyond that no one really knows how the process would work since no country has ever left the european union
moreover it is up to the british government when to invoke article 50 and it is not entirely clear whether prime minister david cameron who has led the campaign to stay would stick to his stated plan to invoke it immediately if the country votes to leave
in legal terms the british government is not even bound by the result of thursdays referendum which is generally considered a tossup at this point in a report for the constitution society richard gordon and rowena moffat said the government could in strict law choose to ignore it
most members of parliament   including the majority of the governing conservatives in the house of commons and nearly all of the opposition labour party   are also opposed to leaving the bloc though parliament would probably not get a direct vote on whether or when to invoke article 50
politically however it would be almost impossible to overlook the outcome of the first plebiscite on britains place in europe in 41 years given the constitutional significance of the issue at stake the reports authors say it is inconceivable that the government could choose not to be bound by the result
in fact one of the few certainties about a vote in favor of britain leaving the european union   a brexit   is that initially at least it will plunge capitals on both sides of the english channel but in britain in particular into complex negotiations and political jockeying that could last for years
despite mr camerons plans to invoke article 50 swiftly after the vote he would face pressure to delay starting the two year clock from those in his party who favor leaving
their thinking is that before starting the clock britain should start informally negotiating a new trade deal with the european union in tandem with the terms of britains departure from the bloc they suggest that britain would lose considerable leverage in negotiating a new trade deal once it was outside the bloc and that it could get a better trade deal as part of a negotiation that encompasses all aspects of the new cross channel relationship
once the two year article 50 term expires britain would be outside the single european market for services and become subject to possible tariffs on goods the pro departure camp does not want to negotiate a new trade pact with that clock ticking
but while britain might want to move slowly to leave europe countries like france and germany would want to move swiftly to reduce britains leverage they can also be expected to take no prisoners in the negotiations in an effort to limit political contagion by making a tough example of britain for other member states
yet there appears to be no mechanism to force britain to invoke article 50 and set the two year clock running
mr camerons assurances that he would do so in the event of a brexit vote may not count for much in that he may not survive such an outcome were he to quit it would take the conservative party several weeks at least to select a successor if he loses the referendum but decides to try to remain prime minister as he has said he would britain could be consumed by political maneuvering for weeks or months postponing a decision on how to proceed
we dont know whos going to be in charge said anand menon professor of european politics and foreign affairs at kings college london the uncertainty extends to whos going to be leading this show
some brexit supporters suggest that they could negotiate a departure without using article 50 by contrast in brussels there is discussion of somehow forcing the british to invoke it most legal experts say it would be impossible to avoid
whatever conservative government emerges would have to decide what kind of relationship to seek with the european union and get the british parliament on its side for eventual ratification of a new arrangement covering trade and immigration among other issues
the problem is fewer than a third of the current parliament members support leaving the bloc stephen kinnock an opposition labour party lawmaker has said lawmakers might press for a relationship like norway has with the european union   outside the bloc but still having access to its single market
however norway not only pays into the bloc but also accepts the free movement of workers   two of the biggest and most emotional arguments brexit supporters have made against membership in the european union
analysts say the arguments in parliament could become so polarized that the government might be forced to seek new elections but that would require changing a recently passed law on elections and even then a new parliament might still be hopelessly divided
roger liddle a pro european union member of the house of lords and a chairman of the policy network research institute said even if as is likely within weeks of a leave vote we would have a new brexit government with a new prime minister which may be reinforced by a general election victory within six to nine months it is very unlikely that a majority in either house of parliament could be found for a credible leave option
a vote to leave the bloc would put britain in a worse position to curb european migration until it actually departed in february mr cameron negotiated limits on welfare payments as a disincentive to some european migrants but this concession is conditional on a vote to remain not only would this deal be moot in the event of a brexit vote but european citizens might race to enter britain before the gates are closed
chris grayling a cabinet minister campaigning to leave the bloc has proposed quick legislation to end the right of free movement before britain leaves formally something that would put britain in breach of european union law
while european law would be hard to enforce on a country in the blocs departure lounge it is unclear whether british lawmakers would approve such a legally contentious step in any case
even if they did that would complicate exit negotiations and could provoke retaliatory measures from continental europe
if a deal can be reached within the two years it may need to be ratified in all 28 member nations and perhaps approved by the parliament in scotland where all major parties want to remain in the bloc
some of those not normally given to hyperbole have deep misgivings about what could go wrong while disentangling britain from four decades of european integration
the long term ghastliness of the legal complications is almost unimaginable sir david edward a former judge at the european court of justice and professor emeritus at edinburgh university told a committee of the house of lords
professor menon said he worries most about the political leadership if britain leaves whos providing it who has the authority to do anything and whether political contagion spreads to our european partners which then leads to a hideous ugly standoff before the negotiations have even started


a rescue flight has landed at the south pole battling temperatures of minus 70 degrees fahrenheit and round the clock darkness to evacuate a sick worker from a united states run research station the national science foundation said
the aircraft a propeller driven twin otter which used skis to land on the snow and ice on tuesday was to remain at the facility the amundsen scott south pole station for about 10 hours while the flight crew rested the national science foundation said on its facebook page
the plane flew about 1500 miles to the southernmost point on earth from the rothera research station run by britain off the antarctic peninsula a second twin otter remained at rothera to help if needed for search and rescue the crew was to monitor the weather before returning to rothera with the sick worker the foundation said
the south pole is in the middle of its six month night when a lack of sunlight drives the frigid temperatures even colder the high over the past day at the amundsen scott south pole station was minus 63 degrees fahrenheit with a low of minus 76 wind which can blow at gale force across the snow and ice was relatively calm though with gusts up to 14 miles per hour
because of the extreme conditions aircraft generally do not fly to the south pole from february to october
the two rescue planes are operated by kenn borek air of canada they left calgary on june 14 kenn borek air which is a regular contractor for the antarctic program has flown two similar rescue missions in 2001 and 2003 the national science foundation said in a written statement
though images shown on a web camera are well lit the foundation said that was the result of moonlight and the highly sensitive camera picking up the lights of the aircraft operation on the far side of the station
there are 48 people now wintering at the amundsen scott south pole station which was established in 1956 the workers there conduct research and maintain equipment used for studying subjects like the atmosphere and outer space
the foundation citing medical privacy did not disclose the identity of the sick worker or that persons condition though the station has medical personnel the patients condition required care that could not be provided there a second person was also being evaluated for possible evacuation the foundation said on monday


as group play in euro 2016 comes to a close wednesday fans   in albania turkey austria and iceland in particular   face a dizzying array of possibilities as they wonder whether their teams will make the round of 16 as a third place team
two third place teams   slovakia and northern ireland   are already in but albania and turkey which have three points each must wait for wednesdays results to know their fate and seven of the eight teams to play on wednesday could technically finish third in their group
how to make sense of it all
below weve created a table of teams that could end group play in third place hungary has clinched a spot in the round of 16 and could win its group or come in second or third
a team by team breakdown follows
turkey has completed group play and has a narrow but real path to the round of 16 it has just three points and a negative goal differential its best case is for the third place teams from groups e and f to finish with two points or fewer in group e that means losses or draws for sweden and ireland in group f it means an austria loss and a portugal loss the silver lining for turkey it is not albania
albanias scenario mirrors turkeys except it trails turkey in goals which means its path is even narrower
belgium will advance with a win or draw against sweden even if it loses it will finish in third place as long as ireland does not beat italy if belgium comes in third it should advance barring some truly unexpected scorelines
sweden has just one point and must beat belgium to advance if it loses or draws it is eliminated
ireland faces italy which has already won the group like sweden ireland needs no help from others to advance if ireland beats italy it will advance to the round of 16 if ireland loses or ties it is eliminated good news for ireland the game is meaningless to the italians
hungary has already clinched a spot in the round of 16 it could technically finish in third place if it does so it would probably be at the expense of turkey or albania
iceland is in a surprisingly strong position and needs no help to advance a draw against austria would give iceland three points and superior goal differential to albania and turkey of course iceland can still win the group as weve detailed here
portugal is in the same position as iceland a draw would guarantee it three points enough to advance over albania and turkey on goal differential and like iceland portugal can finish group f in any position
austria has just one point but a clear path to the round of 16 it must beat iceland doing so would give it four points and guarantee a berth in the knockout competition either as a second  or third place team a draw or loss eliminates austria


milan   the kooky utterances fashion designers sometimes spout and some fashion journalists often parrot seldom offer much indicator of whats actually going on in the collections
both in his elaborate show notes and backstage before a beautiful final stand alone show of mens wear for gucci on monday the labels creative director alessandro michele alluded to the metaphysics of journey real travel time travel armchair travel metaphoric and philosophical voyages everything but budget trips to las vegas on a greyhound bus
it doesnt really matter that the blather bore minimal relation to what he showed on the runway in just a few seasons mr michele has revived the flagging fortunes of this venerable luxury goods label one whose revenue for the year is predicted to top four billion euros or 45 billion
to a large extent he has done so by capitalizing creatively on how people consume culture in the internet era rummaging for imagery and information either ignorant or agnostic about the sources of signs and symbols references and ideas
thus when mr michele offers a mens wear collection and it was emphatically a mens wear collection notwithstanding the inclusion of a smattering of female models before an audience that included his hollywood bff jared leto they attended the oscars together this year ryan mcginley and the blond ephebe boy star olly alexander in a plush bordello space lighted the color of absinthe two of the three dressed in glorious half drag you know you are in for a trip
and mr michele delivered with souvenir jackets scrolled with dragons flower patterned suits and contrast piped rowing blazers mary janes with jeweled buckles slickers and rain caps straight off a box of fishermans friend lozenges over embroidered jeans jackets fair isle sweaters with donald duck woven into the pattern satin kimono lounge jackets tunics ornamented with military braid drawstring painters pants and evening clothes stitched with what looked like trapunto flora
in doing so he demonstrated not only his estimable design chops but his kinship with millions of consumers who themselves are instagram or pinterest magpies grabbing at bright scraps and shiny fragments for recombinant use
travel as others have pointed out has been a leitmotif throughout the milan mens wear season and while this is probably not the place for cranky opprobrium it feels necessary to call out the obliviousness of designers who presented collections rife with references to campsites tarpaulins tents and displacement when millions of syrian and afghan refugees crowd europes borders or wash up dead on its shores
naturally there is a temptation to sit back and enjoy the spectacle when thom browne stages one of his usual displays for moncler gamme bleu a subsidiary line of the puffer giant moncler founded in 1952 and reinvented five decades later by remo ruffini as a fashion concern in a glamping show rife with references to scouting and smokey bear
what is the harm mr browne is a skilled entertainer albeit one occasionally in need of a dramaturge as with past collections the tableaux vivant devised here ended without plot resolution
in a bunkerlike show space on the edge of town mr browne laid sod installed mature fir trees and piped in the sounds of crickets and birds he erected 40 translucent pup tents in four parallel rows and then had his models march out in hooded floor length coats that were half sleeping bag half cagoule jacket
one by one the guys installed themselves before their bivouacs soon two mascot bears appeared stopping by turns to help the models wriggle out of their bag coats revealing beneath them suits with short pants that formed the collections core
some were in blanket plaid some were channel quilted some were in techno fabrics some had sequins and several were constructed using astrakhan the fleece of newborn or fetal lambs memo to peta dont blame the messenger
most were worn with knee socks and either safari or field jackets all adorned with so many bellows pockets youd need a compass to find your keys once revealed the models paraded around the space dragging their cloaks behind them before returning to their tents and unfurling the bags bedding down inside
that was it the show ended the audience filed out and as they did some wondered what may become of those tents exaggerated utility was his theme mr browne said later given recent events in europe the phrase struck an unwittingly callous tone
miuccia prada too seemed to take up travel as a thematic for a show that cast models as vagabonds dressing them for the road in skinny cycling pants or chunky sweaters or nylon blousons burdening their scrawny frames with bulging rucksacks pradas first commercial success in 1984 was a nylon backpack from which brogues were hung hobo style
that many of the clothes had been printed with random motifs like watermelons sombreros or the buddha suggested that ms prada has more in common with a designer like mr michele than you may imagine is there anyone left whose creative process is not influenced by the mysterious algorithms of google image probably not
the imaginative set for prada   by amo a research arm of the dutch architecture studio oma   recast the interior of pradas space as a series of raked ramps constructed from structural metal mesh entering under eerie green light and with frederic sanchez distorted remix of bjorks army of me as an aural backdrop the models climbed ever uphill toward some unseen vanishing point
as at moncler gamme bleu exaggerated utility was pradas tacit through line and as at moncler gamme bleu the show provoked questions that even a designer of ms pradas sure intelligence seems unprepared to answer
the sunniness of angela missonis relationship to travel is not easy to square with her personal experience of its perils it was just three years ago last january that a chartered plane carrying her brother vittorio 58 his wife and four others including a pilot and co pilot vanished as it left the caribbean archipelago of los roques the loss was devastating for a family whose label mr missoni ran with his siblings
yet there on sunday almost exactly on the anniversary of the discovery of the wreck and the identification of the bodies ms missoni mounted a show that harks back to travel in happier times we went on a family trip to guatemala when i was 15 ms missoni said backstage and i never forgot it
a jacket she bought on that trip was the point of departure for a collection that used missonis signature knitwear patterns for shorts and cropped trousers tracksuit tops and shirts relaxed suiting breton striped undershirts and roomy jackets embroidered with toucans the woven leather malibu hippie sandals had closed toes cuban heeled boots were transformed into sling backs
many of the models in what was by far the most racially diverse casting of recent memory wore straw jibaro hats more characteristic of cuba or puerto rico than central america but no matter even with rain falling in the loggia of the university courtyard where the show was held the mood was celebratory even redemptive
giorgio armani also alluded to travel in his show on monday largely into his own back pages mr armani undisputed king of italian fashion surveys a realm that   however remote it may occasionally seem from developments in contemporary design   sooner or later must acknowledge him
it is not rote obeisance mr armani laid down the codes other designers flout he devised silhouettes many decades ago that have sustained him snapshots from a long and memorable journey
if there was little novelty in a collection that offered variations on his customary snug knit jackets and tunics worn over voluminous bottom hugging linen trousers as feminizing as anything alessandro michele ever created the collection served to remind viewers that the past is also for some a destination the future is of course uncertain
the present at the moment is in certain ways a pretty ugly place


if donald trump were elected president and put in his stated policies the united states would experience a lengthy recession enormous job losses much higher interest rates and diminished long term growth prospects at least that is the conclusion of economists from moodys analytics a recent analysis highlighted by hillary clinton in a speech tuesday
the trump campaign has noted accurately that the lead author of the study mark zandi has informally advised the obama administration and donated to democratic campaigns
so what should a properly skeptical person think of the new report
is it an accurate projection of what will happen to the economy if mr trumps preferred policies become law or partisan fear mongering given that a presidential campaign is a contest of competing forecasts heres how to think about the many predictions youll hear between now and november
a careful reading of the moodys report shows this its underlying assumptions about what mr trump would do as president and how the effects of those policies would ripple through the economy are plausible and squarely within the mainstream consensus view among economic forecasters about how the economy works but the report also offers a big helping of false precision giving exact numerical forecasts on effects that have vast amounts of uncertainty
its worth being skeptical about moodys projection that trumps policies would cause a 15 percent contraction in gross domestic product in 2019 after all forecasters arent even sure what gdp growth will turn out to be in the second quarter of 2016 which ends in nine days to forecast growth three years from now under an unknowable set of policies is more an intellectual exercise than anything exact
its not as useful to look at numerical projections that are almost certain to be wrong instead lets examine the analytical judgments underlying those numbers   and what they say about the direction of the economy in a trump presidency
tax cuts and larger deficits would stimulate at first then cause a contraction mr trump has advocated major tax cuts including reducing the highest income tax rate to 25 percent from 396 percent and increasing the standard deduction for all filers on spending he has said he would maintain the military social security and medicare and raise spending on veterans health care
these actions would stimulate the economy at first   the moodys projection has stronger growth in 2017 in a trump administration than in a baseline case but over time they would translate to higher deficits that would push interest rates much higher and crowd out other activity in the economy given that they forecast the economy will be near its full potential when the next president takes office in january 2017
moodys predicts that trump policies would push 10 year treasury bond yields to 86 percent in 2018 compared with 16 percent today and 3 percent in their base case   leading to a contraction in business investment housing and consumer spending the money the government would need to borrow to fund a much larger deficit would squeeze out business investment housing and consumer spending
mass deportations would be a negative supply shock the simple version of this is that if there are fewer workers in the united states because the trump administration deports millions of undocumented immigrants or makes life unpleasant enough for them that they leave voluntarily the nationss economic output would fall
as immigrants leave the moodys researchers write employers will struggle to fill the vacated jobs many of these positions will go unfilled because by the time the trump administration is underway the us is expected to be at full employment meaning there will be no slack labor out of which to hire workers some businesses that are heavily reliant on immigrant labor would close to the degree the labor shortage drives up wages it would be counteracted by federal reserve interest rate increases to try to slow the economy and combat inflation
trade wars would raise prices and reduce exports the researchers assume a trump administration would slap a 45 percent tariff on chinese imports and a 35 percent one on mexican imports which in the moodys model raises overall consumer prices by 3 percent
meanwhile they figure that a retaliatory response from china and mexico would result in new tariffs and lower american exports to those countries reducing economic activity and higher interest rates in the united states and a sense of global uncertainty around a potential trade war would drive up the dollar making all united states exporters less competitive
these underlying assumptions while built on a large body of economic research involve some guesswork and are at least debatable
conservatives have long argued that lower taxes on the wealthy will generate more investment and economic activity which would offset some of the increased deficits evident in the moodys model immigration skeptics might argue that an exit of undocumented immigrants would drive up wages and would pull more native born workers into the labor force who are currently out of it perhaps mr trumps plans for tough negotiation with china and mexico really would yield new more favorable arrangements that dont create import inflation or a trade war that reduces exports
but while the predictions of a recession and slower long term growth got all the attention in the new report understanding why these particular economic forecasters see these effects is more useful
and theres a lesson there in making sense of any forecast or analysis of a candidates policies focus less on the conclusion and more on how the researcher got there


this season is a mess the spring 2017 mens wear shows are almost over for goodness sake and womens wear is still in the middle of cruise 20162017
cruise you ask huh exactly cruise   aka prespring aka resort   are the clothes that arrive in november and stay on shelves through march and sometimes even april the shows began may 3 with chanel an extravaganza in havana that included 86 looks some tourism and some controversy and they extend through next month   yes into the couture fall 2016 17 season
there is no cohesion to the cruise collections they include summer weight clothes as well as fur mega shows chanel vuitton dior gucci as well as small presentations some brands chanel among others that want to publicize and some proenza schouler celine that dont at least until it hits stores
so i gave up trying to make sense of it instead i thought id take you along for what is necessarily a somewhat arbitrary ride after all in the end we each pack our own bags
may 11
post chanel which i watched via livestream the concept of traveling to an exotic destination for a single show being the kind of seduction that best serves clients not critics the emails are starting to pile up listing presentations in far flung corners of new york i feel like tippi hedren being swarmed by the birds
may 19
today is oscar de la renta day the label does a series of minishows in its showroom with the creative director peter copping in front of 20 to 30 people at a time this season there were 33 looks which mr copping says were inspired by the idea of patchwork translated through a very luxe lens think of baby florals and tweeds and jacquards lace and feathers that contrast between a casual idea and an elaborate expression pretty much summed up the mood of the collection classic and classy de la rentaisms with the stuffing taken out
may 23
trying to keep track of who is doing what i email burberry which has had small presentations in the past the company says it is not doing anything this year because it is jettisoning the idea of seasons altogether and has rejiggered its schedule to show mens wear and womens wear together in september and sell the clothes immediately after it shows them
stella mccartney who used to be famous for her cruise fun fairs has decided to show the collection in november in london before it goes on sale mary katrantzou is taking her collection on the road to new york but they are not allowing me to tell you about the clothes before they are in stores on pain of great brand excommunication spoiler they are cheerful
diane von furstenbergs office calls to tell me that because it just hired jonathan saunders as its first chief creative officer it isnt having a resort presentation because he wont have had a chance to put his stamp on the collection
may 28
this is the week of the mega shows today louis vuitton is in rio zika and political unrest be damned the brand rules the social media waves on may 31 and june 2 dior and gucci hold their shows in britain in blenheim palace and westminster abbey respectively i watch them all on my computer and try to run the numbers on what it costs to bring an entire fashion show to an exotic locale i am boggled the brands say it is worth it
june 6
back in new york narciso rodriguez is at 930 am lexington and 16th street he is interested in splicing   ie cutting in ever more deceptively simple but actually highly complicated ways see for example a bias cut gown in heavy silk satin with the weft running in two different directions so some of the fabric looks glossy and other bits matte if veronica lake had a modernist moment shed be in heaven or this dress
across town on 11th avenue some brits have touched down christopher kane sci fi pansies including big lace mitochondrial petal blobs inset randomly on iridescent pleated skirts and peter pilotto haute peasant with technical taffeta and peruvian rug embroidery
june 7
calling this cruise is an error it should be called destination michael kors is doing his version of stand up   the cruise collection explanation monologue the destinations he has in mind gstaad mustique palm beach palm springs or destination god forbid its snowing and i need a new wool coat
some more of his morsels a fox wellie is the kind of basic boot every girl needs we dont sell bathing suits people swim in these are bathing suits people wear in party situations its the new cocktail dress he is feeling graphics especially polka dots and grommets how do you cut through the winter doldrums graphic is the way to go
marc jacobs fresh from his cfda womens wear designer of the year award thinks 1980s mtv is the way to go in 54 superbright collage happy looks can this be a coincidence 54 looks studio 54 the show was supposed to start at 9 am sharp but during the awards ceremony the night before we kept getting emailed updates maybe 930 actually 10 guess you can do that when you win one for the sixth time
at suno erin beatty and max osterweis went on a trip around africa with a nod to edwardiana via plaid linen and eyelet denim and shirting overembroidered with florals big off the shoulder ruffles paired with generous trousers and full skirts
at coach stuart vevers was feeling felix the cat the brand made a deal with dreamworks to use the image adding him to the rest of the labels building blocks prairie dresses motorcycle jackets shearling and dinosaurs used this time instead of izod alligators on cardigans whats up with that its actually not that thought through mr vevers said i like that its kind of random
thats the thing about cruise ask most designers what it is about and they say clothes you wear that sounds absurd since all clothes are theoretically clothes you wear but what they actually mean is not clothes you pose in clothes you depend on think of it that way
public school is not actually doing cruise it is combining mens and womens wear and spring and pre spring respectively it is making a statement about the fashion system and the political system we need leaders is spray painted on a wall at the end of the show
the wall is apparently supposed to represent false monuments the show is presumably supposed to represent the future or the clothes of the rebelling masses mostly it feels confused though the pieces themselves were pretty simple dystopian tailoring and designer anoraks accessorized with slashes and asymmetry accented with police tape yellow and a melting flower photo print
june 9
its good not to always do something new says joseph altuzarra in his studio during his mini show sometimes you want to speak a language that youve already established his vernacular has to do with pencil skirts dip dyed plaid shirtdresses trompe loeil lingerie knits pastel lace and ribbed stretch cardigans laced with faux leather its easier to clean that way he says
june 13
its the monday after the friday before which is to say after the moschino show in los angeles which was a combined resortmens wear show with tickets sold to the public for up to 400 list price along with models miranda kerr chanel iman celebrities katy perry caitlyn jenner and 1960s cartoon psychedelia miniskirts mirror mosaics flower power and animal print
now valentino is in the former warhol factory on union square like chanel it is having a cuba moment though its cuba is a cuba of the mind the designers maria grazia chiuri and pierpaolo piccioli were thinking about the way cuba is frozen in the imagination which led them to their own past which led them to red a nod to the favorite color of the labels founder but in washed brocade and silk to give the clothes the soft focus of age plus tropicana bomber jackets and skirts and dresses encrusted in wooden micro beads and well a lot more
the factory is jammed with jersey and lace and camouflage and khaki the work is eye boggling designers spend a lot of time complaining these days about their lack of time but these two seem exhilarated by it
rag  bone is in its studio in the meatpacking district marcus wainwright the co chief executivedesigner is there waxing laconic on the stripy knits tuxedo track pants airy button downs and shearlings that are the labels signatures david neville the co chief executive is not there this doesnt seem odd since marcus is in charge of the design studio but when they announce two days later that mr neville is leaving the company it suddenly seems full of portent
june 16
carolina herrera in her 35th year in business is living the fairy tale her resort collection is an enchanting confection of sparkling tulle cocktail and evening gowns in shades from nude to graphic black and white   plus a few denim numbers for day and a terrific pair of wide peach taffeta trousers to wear with a white cashmere sweater striped in sequins coincidentally or probably not mrs herrera has a new design team   fernando garcia and laura kim of monse   and they did even more exaggerated trousers in their own collection as well as khaki coat dresses and bandanna frocks twisted pulled and otherwise chopped up in unexpected angles
in any case mrs herrera isnt around to discuss her role as resorts fairy godmother because shes at a spa in austria with her husband too bad i could have used a magic wand to transport me to different shores on june 29 creatures of the wind based in new york is having a resort show at spencer house in london
july 3
i know we havent actually gotten here yet in real time but its already on my calendar miu miu is unveiling its cruise line in paris with a supper club event later this week celine will be showing its line i can see it though no pictures will be released until it goes into stores in november ditto proenza schouler and chloe
but at that point ill be cycling back in fashion time though forward in real time to fall 2016 with couture enough is enough i know this is a time of unpredictable weather patterns but it seems to me that when a new season begins its time for the old one to end


in fashion there are mom jeans so too there is a counterpart in beauty mom hair
youve likely seen it at suburban malls the longer in back slightly-shorter in front bob that should read sleek but is inescapably frumpy
and even the city dwelling mom isnt immune perhaps she has added her own twists like blunt bangs or extra layering but the do still falls short of flattering
i see it all the time said juan carlos maciques a stylist at the rita hazan salon in manhattan the first thing new moms want to do is cut their hair off theyre feeling lousy about their bodies and they just want to get some sense of self again but usually to cut off your hair is a big mistake
it isnt simply want of a new look that spurs many new mothers to the salon rather they are experiencing real physical changes that can be terrifying often the mom bob starts as a convenient solution to hair loss after pregnancy
anywhere from four to six months postpartum women can start to experience shedding said francesca fusco a dermatologist in manhattan adding that its because of a change in hormone levels it can be really scary because it may feel like itll never stop but for the most part the situation will correct itself you just have to stick with it
indeed mr maciques recommends that new mothers wait about a year before they make any drastic changes by then youll know what youve got he said its not just your hair thats changing your body is too you might not be at the weight you really want to be yet and the truth is long hair can be a little bit of a distraction when you go short you are more exposed theres less literally to hide behind
thats partly why katie hintz zambrano a co founder of the website mothermagcom based in san francisco maintained her long locks
despite a hairline that receded for an entire year after giving birth i looked like a vampire she said she steered clear of the salon for me it was also about maintaining my identity she said adding that she has always had long hair and felt most comfortable with that style
ms hintz zambrano did pick up a few styling tricks to cope with those more difficult hair months through fellow mom friends she learned the benefits of dry shampoo it offers a little bit of plumping she said mr maciques recommends alterna bamboo mousse as a volume enhancing alternative
when fine new growth started to sprout ms hintz zambrano used a bumble and bumble cream to tame the stick ups so i wouldnt look totally crazy
there is also the kate middleton path keep the overall length but cut bangs to help camouflage fuzzy hairline regrowth the duchess of cambridge debuted a flop of long bangs after princess charlotte turned four months old dr fusco also encourages good nutrition plenty of protein and a hair nail skin vitamin during the regrowth process
otherwise stick to your usual routine she said you may not want to shampoo as much because youre seeing so much hair in the drain but its going to come out anyway
regardless of the method mr maciques stressed that strategies can be plotted well ahead heres when a stylist or colorist who knows your hair well can help you through the speed bumps
ideally youd start planning while youre still pregnant he said for hair color youll want to go more natural by the third trimester an ombre is a really nice way to address the fact youre going to be having fewer hair appointments
moreover not all mom bobs deserve a bad rap the above the shoulder cut can be a chic solution for certain hair types
svenja parotat a jewelry designer and former model in williamsburg brooklyn experienced only mild shedding but after giving birth to her now 2 year old son she was bored of her long pin straight hair
i didnt know what to do with it and it kept falling in my face she said and i wasnt getting a lot of sleep and the long hair was making me look more drained because it was pulling my face down she graduated to a lob before finally going for a blunt bob that just scraped her earlobes i felt fresher and it would literally take me only 10 minutes to blow dry ms parotat said
kenna the founder of the kennaland salon in greenpoint said that for brooklyn moms its not so much about rejecting the bob as it is about changing the details ms parotats crisp shorter style had clean lines which read modern rather than mumsy theres quite a lot you can do with the jaw length bob he said were encouraging moms to embrace their natural texture and get that wild youthful feeling back again
another trick that has resonated with some of kennas clientele is cutting the bangs slightly too short it gives off this teenage feeling of irresponsibility and youthfulness he said
and dont minimize the impact of color kenna recalled a regular client who had always been a blonde she had a baby 11 months ago and felt she was looking washed out he said one very vibrant copper hue later and she was wearing her red lips again and feeling good he said
its just about getting the mom the little kick she needs


there is no question that the tuskegee study is one of the most horrific examples of unethical research in recent history for 40 years ending in 1972 members of the united states public health service followed african american men infected with syphilis and didnt treat them although they told some men they did so that they could see the disease take its course
theres also no question that this experiment shook the foundations of trust between americans especially black americans and the medical establishment a new paper argues that this wound was so severe that it led older african american men to avoid care leading to a decrease in life expectancy of 14 years accounting for about a third of the discrepancy in life expectancy between black and white men by 1980
while few question that there are racial disparities in life expectancy or health care and no one questions the utter lapse in ethics of the tuskegee experiment we should still be wary in connecting the two without a clear causal link to do so compounds mistrust in the health care system
the recent study published by the national bureau of economic research as a working paper meaning it has not yet undergone full peer review combined data on mistrust of doctors from the general social survey health care utilization from the national health interview survey and mortality data from the centers for disease control and prevention they then used sophisticated statistical techniques to test for how these three variables might be related
the researchers found that after 1972 when much of the truth behind tuskegee was revealed mistrust among african americans toward the medical profession spiked they found that use of the health care system fell and that mortality increased years later they hypothesized that each factor led to the next the news caused african americans to doubt the health care profession was interested in their well being they stopped going to the doctor and this led to earlier deaths they even showed that the closer you lived to macon county ala where the study took place the greater the effect
this is an impressive paper although establishing causality in a study like this is nearly impossible the authors anticipated many potential critiques they did tests to account for migration they looked at other measures of mortality they even performed the geographic analysis from all 50 states to show that centering it on macon county yielded different results than in most other places
still i think there are limitations that argue against making a causal leap the biggest is that this effect was seen in black men but not in black women the authors posit that this might be because women are forced to engage in the health care system during childbirth in ways that men are not and that this led to a greater level of trust but this dynamic isnt assured you can have a baby and still mistrust the health care system enough to avoid screening later in life i find it hard to believe that black men and women didnt share their fears and mistrust of the system with each other
a second concern involves geography the analysis looked at the distance from macon county to show that those closer had fewer doctor and hospital visits and greater mortality than those outside the circle if you look at the map they provide a circle around that point almost perfectly encapsulates the deep south disparities in care might have arisen in that region for any number of reasons and blame cant be assigned entirely to the tuskegee study
a third concern involves the arrow of causality the authors argue that their evidence supports a theory explaining that mistrust causes less use of doctors which causes higher mortality given what we know of disparities in care in the united states it still seems possible that the medical system itself could have been throwing up barriers its easy to believe that black men had a harder time getting care than white men or they might have been subtly turned away or dismissed which also would lead to less use and perhaps higher mortality
let me be clear about a few things there is no reason to believe that the differences in use or outcomes arent real theyre both terrible and they both need fixing i also dont believe the statistics are flawed or that the researchers made any mistakes in their methods my concerns are in the interpretations of their findings
this matters because it implies that the faults of trustworthiness in our health care system can be linked in large part to a certain event one that occurred decades ago in response to this concern the authors wrote to me there is nothing in our current study that suggests we are assigning full blame to a single event in our abstract we highlight that our estimates imply the disclosure can explain about 35 percent of the 1980 life expectancy gap between older black and white men
still some think this leap remains a stretch i spoke to susan m reverby a professor of womens and gender studies at wellesley college and one of the foremost experts on the tuskegee study i think that this study makes it look like the reason for mistrust happened a long time ago she said but in cases like this the use of the term tuskegee is often raised as a metaphor for structural racism that is what is at issue not the tuskegee study itself
alice dreger a historian of medicine and science said in an email to me african americans who distrust the health care system see plenty of reasons all around them to do so they dont have to look back 40 years
mistrust in the health care system has multiple factors it can come from huge lapses in ethics like the tuskegee study but it can also come from the daily ways in which the system treats some people differently than others it can even come from small missteps in the interpretation of results the causes of the disparities we see are systemic and would probably exist even without tuskegee
we should be careful about assigning blame to a single incident in the past ignoring the many other issues that existed then and still exist today


florence italy   the doors had only just opened at the stazione leopolda the decommissioned train station where raf simons held his spring mens wear show but already there was a throng inside the music was pounding and lights flashing but when your eyes adjusted to the neon and then the dim there they were 266 mannequins wearing vintage raf simons paired in groups or hanging over stairways like partygoers at a thumping club
the clothes they wore were drawn from 20 years of his namesake mens wear collection but mr simons didnt care for the word retrospective
i didnt really want to work too much the way its usually done when you do a retrospective mr simons said backstage after the show it doesnt work for my brand its a brand that needs to sit in reality i dont feel it as an installation he gestured at the mannequins who were he acknowledged with a shrug all female they become kind of a crowd theyre just a part of the audience
where mr simons goes crowds follow he uprooted his show from paris where it usually takes place and moved it for a season to pitti uomo the florentine trade fair where in 2005 he showed his 10th anniversary collection
after two decades in the fashion business mr simons is at a transitional point in his career in october he stepped down from dior where he had been creative director of its womens collection and though rumors circulate freely he has not yet announced where he will go next he and his representatives crisply declined to comment
for the first time in years without the usual pressure of another brand to carry as well as his own before dior he spent several years designing jil sander which he also brought to pitti uomo in 2010 he has a single focus raf simons on thursday night he staged his new collection for a gathering of men and mannequins his critics and his own past work
the new collection was made in collaboration with the robert mapplethorpe foundation which reached out to him to explore a partnership two months ago
usually its the other way around mr simons said i said can we start tomorrow 
it is a year of mapplethorpe as well as a year of raf twin retrospectives of mapplethorpes work are on view following major mapplethorpe foundation gifts at the los angeles county museum of art and at the getty center in los angeles one of mr simonss favorite cities and a new documentary mapplethorpe look at the pictures aired on hbo earlier this year so mr simons shelved some early plans and set about incorporating mapplethorpes photography into his collection the celebrity portraits as well as the self portraits the erotic photos as well as the flowers
much of the initial goggling and giggling was over the explicitly erotic pieces but the show had the scope of a complete catalog many of the most famous photos were here portraits of patti smith debbie harry robert sherman and alice neel mapplethorpes leather gloved hand from the invitation to a major exhibition the flowers the classical statuary it had been an undertaking mr simons said to reach out to the sitters to secure permission to use their likenesses mr sherman handsome and gleamingly bald attended the show as did the family of ms neel who died in 1984
that palpable sense of connection freed the mapplethorpe works from the static confines of a gallery retrospective just as mr simonss own archive unpedestaled peopled the crowd one provocateur and innovator saluted another looking at mr simonss work and mapplethorpes it was striking to see once again how influential each has been and to recognize the debt contemporary mens wear owes to mr simons and photography to mapplethorpe
that the work is so well known was the peculiar challenge of using it i wasnt interested to choose five photographs and put them on t shirts   thats what everyone does mr simons said and in fact as of very recently you could buy at uniqlo a t shirt with the same american flag image mr simons used what was once astonishing is now canonical
that made for a quieter collection than usual for mr simons even if he called it probably the most complex collection i ever did technically speaking thanks to the challenges of printing the images at high quality on cloth the clothes were simpler riffing on raf shapes of the past tunics and big coats threadbare sweaters abbreviated pullover vests the models looked like mapplethorpe down to the leather man hats on their curly heads and were dressed like his portraits of ms smith in her plain black trousers and mens shirt the looks repeated with variations the boys became frames for the images they wore
but there was something darkly sensual about the way their sweaters partially unbuttoned gaped open or their oversize shirts caught air and filled like sails as they marched by many models had to pull them back on as they finished their turn around the runway the collection undressed them as much as it dressed them its not hard to imagine mapplethorpe appreciating that detail
at the end of the show the crowd converged on mr simons offering congratulations and gasping about the bluer bits then the audience departed and as quiet settled back over the space the mannequins did too crews appeared to disassemble them and pack the outfits away back to the archive
off they went mr simons isnt one to dwell on his own history among the 266 mannequins was one in a jacket inscribed with the legend of his fall 2015 collection a forward charging rallying cry to the archives no longer relevant


london   there was a priceless moment when gareth bale showed his swiftness and his opponents lack of it as wales advanced in the european championships and russia was eliminated
bales thrilling athleticism and a burst of speed propelled him between sergei ignashevich and igor smolnikov as if the two experienced russian defenders were standing still a third defender denis glushakov was two yards away while a fourth was a blur in the background
that moment during waless 3 0 group b victory over russia on monday made a mockery of the fact that russia with 143 million people dwarfs wales which has just over three million
here was a reminder that if one team is fit and motivated and the other barely shows up on the field anything is possible in sports russia has departed the euros leaving behind only the memories of the extreme violence by some of its supporters
wales goes on to the second round of a major soccer tournament for only the second time in its history indeed there is a connection between this years team and the wales team that reached the quarterfinals of the 1958 world cup in sweden
then as now a truly exceptional player led the welsh side nearly six decades ago that man was john charles a player of huge power but quite modest in his temperament   as bale is today
big john would never have worn his hair in a topknot the way bale does but charles was a player who could carry a team and bale has done that at this european championship
charles was the only wales player of his time to play abroad with juventus in italy at 6 foot 2 charles was known as the gentle giant and could play center forward or center half with equal effectiveness he scored 108 goals in his 155 games in serie a the most defensive league in the world at that time
bale doesnt play central defense but he does play abroad with real madrid where he scores from either wing or straight down the middle on a club that has won the champions league twice since bale joined in 2013
in his heart of hearts bale wanted to be a part of something significant for wales we knew everything was on this game he said on television after the final whistle in toulouse france on monday we said to each other we wanted to go out there and have no regrets
no regrets there are countless welsh supporters too young to have seen charles who waited all their lives for a night like this wales is a country that overachieves for its size when it comes to international rugby and now it has twice climbed the mountain in soccer
with bale scoring in three straight euro games putting him in the same company as michel platini hristo stoichkov and ruud van nistelrooy it might seem that his country is overly dependent on his prowess
dependent yes overly would be unfair to the teammates who contribute to every aspiration that bale has
the performance tonight was even better than the goals said wales manager chris coleman the players were brave with the ball they had no fear and its not the end of the journey
brave players like joe allen who was tireless in midfield gifted players like aaron ramsey the arsenal midfielder who scored one goal against russia and set up bale for another
and unsung fellows like neil taylor a defender who did something on monday he had never done before score for wales his goal monday was the first in nearly seven years over all covering more than 200 games for both club and country it was a goal of perseverance with taylor shooting once and then running on to shoot again after the russian goalkeeper igor akinfeev blocked the first attempt with his legs
poor akinfeev he had no defense and poor leonid slutski the former goalkeeper who was an unpaid coach at this tournament as he doubled up as manager of both cska moscow the russian league champion and his countrys national team
after russias elimination slutski gave only one answer to reporters questions russia he said needs to find a new head coach and all other queries need to be directed to the federation
indeed the russian football union goes home to a bleak prospect its cash has all been spent paying off its foreign coaches the last of whom was the italian fabio capello who could not make russia competitive in any of the past three major tournaments
the world cup of 2018 is coming too fast for russia which will host the event to make matters worse it has a veteran team that has no more competitive matches for two years and has as little a chance of winning anything as its players did of catching bale in toulouse
the spirit of russian soccer is low its fan base has a history of violence and racial intolerance and the question of doping never far from any conversation where russia is concerned has yet to be fully examined when it comes to soccer
it is safe to say that france breathed a collective sigh of relief when wales finally expunged russia from the euros for wales now the fun part is to see how far it can go for russia the games are over


times insider delivers behind the scenes insights from the new york times in this article didi kirsten tatlow a beijing based times correspondent takes her family to shanghai and shares what happens when the magic kingdom meets the middle kingdom
i wasnt exactly quaking in my silver birkenstock sandals as we headed to the shanghai disney resort on sunday the first weekend after it officially opened but i was apprehensive
with good reason the first and last time my family and i visited a disney park a decade ago in hong kong the prepackaged fun sticky heat and nonchalantly wielded umbrellas threatening to poke out everyones eyes were too much   i had a meltdown before our son did retreating to a bench with a thousand yard stare and leaving my husband to cope it wasnt my best parenting or partnering moment
yet our kids were psyched about shanghai disney so we plunged in and they loved it surprisingly so did i more or less
located in shanghais eastern pudong district outside the high rise city the prettily landscaped grounds and large lake are a welcome change from the crush of chinas megacities so after exhaling in pleasure at being amid green we lined up for a security check and were soon sauntering along miji dajie or mickey avenue as main street is called in this sinicized eden
an aside the lower yangtze river basin where shanghai is located is home to the chinese or yangtze alligator a smaller species than the american alligator and very rare in the wild although it crossed my mind i wasnt worried about an attack of the kind that happened in a disney world lake in orlando fla
first stop fantasyland and its centerpiece turreted castle disneys biggest where we waited for an hour to hear the snow white story   in chinese like everything else here
its magical whispered a woman standing with her small son as the mirror spoke to us in mandarin intriguingly while she was chinese she spoke in english a pattern that repeated itself throughout the day
and it was quite magical a hologram twirled birds twittered the queen gave snow white a poisoned apple but snow white rose again as we moved through a series of cool dark rooms
next stop an early lunch at tangled tree tavern where we shared a tasty sichuan chicken with french fries and red chili peppers a less successful mongolian beef stir fry and fish and chips for fun we ate the fries with chopsticks a bit like a game of pick up sticks the restaurant supplies knives forks and spoons too
this being my family by popular demand we next headed to tomorrowland and star wars rather than other major attractions such as treasure cove or adventure isle the kids met darth vader who they said was truly creepy and shook hands with c3po who bent courteously to receive them a short movie squished the entire plot into one dizzying sequence prompting me to wonder if the story was that well known in china
it was also empty compared to fantasyland with some people taking the chance for a quick snooze i asked two young women why they were there its nice and cool said mia liu 26 from chongqing in the southwest of the country by way of explanation the space was air conditioned offering a break from the 90 degree heat and ubiquitous if today faint white out of the smog that affects nearly all cities in china
 star wars is popular in china believe me said ms lius companion shiloh liang 30 also from chongqing i think boys like it more than girls ms liang said
not in my family at the gift shop our daughter 8 got a much wanted darth vader costume complete with mask causing a stir when she wore it to breakfast in the hotel the next morning also a big hit with her was the star wars themed lego playroom where each spot was full
cooled down and mellow we moved on to the tron roller coaster a superfast ride unique to shanghai disney but as it screeched past overhead inside its blue and silver carapace our son 13 decided against it   a bit too stomach turning he said plus ever practical the three hour wait was too long
so instead we lurched around in hunny pot spin and on the seven dwarfs mine train where the dwarfs heigh hod in near identical garb their jewels glowing in the dark
in the park anna and elsa from frozen sang in chinese and troubadours plucked traditional chinese instruments   both part of the sinicization asked for by the shanghai shendi group the state run consortium that is the 57 percent shareholder in the resort robert a iger disneys chief says the resort is both authentically disney and distinctly chinese
and i played a game i would do my own sinicization by matching the dwarfs to seven chinese men who also dress near identically some of whom also are said to be wealthy the members of the elite standing committee of the politburo of the communist party after all heigh ho heigh ho its off to work we go could be the anthem of post mao zedong china where hard work and ambition have lifted hundreds of millions out of poverty
xi jinping chinas authoritative president had to be doc li keqiang would be happy his grinning premier there was tough competition for grumpy   chinese politicians are not known for their approachability vice premier zhang gaoli whose public demeanor is low key could be dopey while any of the others could perhaps be bashful for the public self deprecation that is an essential skill here sneezy ... i gave up
by this time evening was approaching and a 630 pm showing of the lion king we retreated to a starbucks next door in disneytown for drinks snacks and rest the kids were approaching saturation point
but heres the thing i was doing really well
after years in the country and on top of the ill fated hong kong experience id had a list of concerns shoulder to shoulder crowds engaged in behaviors not unique to china but well documented here such as cutting in line littering public urination or defecation by children arguing shoving fighting and the ever present problem of stinky public toilets
some of these problems had popped up during the soft opening in may to try and control the situation xinhua the state news agency issued an etiquette guide called the six donts regulations
maybe it worked shanghai disney was a delight perhaps in china where cleanliness and order are at a premium disneys boast that its the happiest place on earth comes the closest to reality i thought as we ambled along neat flower lined paths
the apparently well built amenities showed no sign of the instantaneous decay that blights much of chinese construction the ground was blissfully clean employees were friendly and authoritative not an easy combination in a society where trust is low and people may be unruly
true at the castle we had seen a determined attempt at line cutting by two middle age women and observed a little girl in gladiator sandals urinating on the ground though her mother took care to wipe up the mess and put it in a trash can near tangled tree tavern a well fed boy threw his empty drink bottle into a patch of wood chip ground behind a bush to no protest from his family
but the thousands of visitors on this first weekend were mostly good humored and polite many showing the guanxin or consideration that can make life in china so special too
some quibbles the attempt to sinicize disney though certainly popular here wasnt always successful in the case of a collectible minnie doll it felt more like cultural opportunism than fusion modeled on the shanghai glamour of the 1920s the doll looked nothing like the roly poly mouse
heres the blurb on the box
im pretty sure the kids will be back me maybe


want to get this briefing by email heres the sign up
good evening heres the latest
1 should the united kingdom remain a member of the european union or leave the european union
more than 46 million britons have registered to vote in thursdays referendum and polls show a statistical dead heat
proponents and opponents frantically campaigned for a final day twitter users tried to lighten the bitter debate posting photos of their pets as catsagainstbrexit dogsforbrexit and the like even a few hamsters

2 dozens of democratic representatives staged a sit in on the house floor to demand that the republican majority hold a vote on a gun control measure before a weeklong recess begins friday
the republican house leaders halted the session cutting off the c span broadcast of the democratic protest

3 donald trump tried to refocus his campaign after a rough few days he made his most sustained attack on hillary clinton calling her a world class liar in a speech that included many inaccurate and misleading statements
mrs clinton who on tuesday criticized mr trumps business and economic ideas laid out her vision for the us economy
and the libertarian partys candidates former gov gary johnson of new mexico and former gov bill weld of massachusetts held a town hall tonight

4 wildfires burned in at least eight western states and alaska with 31 clustered in a swath of arizona and new mexico blistered by a heat wave above los angeles clouded in smoke
the midwest braced for severe thunderstorms that could push across to the eastern seaboard

5 sunday will see the formal opening of a new set of locks meant to ensure that the historic panama canal can handle the new giant ships crucial to a hyperglobalized world of trade
but our investigation   interviews with contractors canal workers maritime experts and diplomats and reviews of public and internal records   reveals construction flaws that leave the 3 billion projects safety and economic viability in doubt

6 the golfer rory mcilroy withdrew from the rio olympics because of concerns about the zika virus a high profile loss that may encourage more athletes to skip the games
the event set for august has been diminished by the banning of russias track and field team and bulgarias weight lifters over doping
it has also been plagued by construction pollution and national economic troubles in brazil

7 one of the worlds longest conflicts appears to be nearing an end after more than 50 years
the colombian government and farc rebels said they had agreed to a cease fire at talks in havana and would hold a ceremony on thursday
peace is not an illusion now its a promise the rebels tweeted

8 a woman close to prince described for the first time publicly what happened the night he blacked out on a private jet just days before his fatal overdose
the singer judith hill who was on the plane said she raised an alarm after his eyes fixed and he became unconscious forcing an emergency landing treatment with an opioid blocker and hospitalization
she said he promised her that he would get help thats the part that breaks my heart because he was trying

9 scientists reported an unnerving discovery three species of clam that suffered from contagious cancer
the worry isnt that they could infect humans   rather that infectious cancers may be more widespread than previously understood

10 discussions of anti hacking measures proliferated a day after a keen eyed visitor to mark zuckerbergs facebook page noticed that a photo showed his computer camera and microphone jack covered with tape
security experts say those are sensible precautions everyone should consider to prevent a takeover by a kind of malware called a remote access trojan   ratting for short

11 i nvr felt this dark
one of our most riveting stories today retraces the steps of a 22 year old athlete from columbus ohio who committed suicide
a dedicated wrestler and football player proud of his tolerance for pain kosta karageorge sustained at least 15 concussions
tormented by erratic thoughts and excruciating headaches he climbed into a garbage dumpster and shot himself

12 finally more than a million fans flooded the streets of cleveland to celebrate the cavaliers nba title
some slept on the streets overnight to get a good spot for the parade which lasted more than four joyous hours
im nothing without you all lebron james said to crowds get ready for next year

your evening briefing is posted at 6 pm eastern
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in this episode of modern love the podcast three actresses read modern love essays as a part of the wnyc studios werk it podcast festival which ran through june 17 the broadway actress and musician lauren molina reads rosemary counters essay a craigslist missed connection lure the actress amirah vann underground girls reads elizabeth fitzsimonss essay my first lesson in motherhood and the actress michaela watkins casual veep reads amy sutherlands essay what shamu taught me about a happy marriage
you can also hear the episode on itunes and stitcher
after hear the modern love editor daniel jones in conversation with iris adler executive producer of the podcast


opened just in time for the start of mens fashion shows and soon couture in paris the two month old restaurant le petit keller offers a fresh perspective on healthy cuisine the japanese menu was designed by kaori endo who was a chef at rose carrarinis rose bakery in the late aughts before launching nanashi in 2010 a parisian bento empire that drew in an equally fashionable crowd for its wholesome bentos and delicate desserts and endo co owns le petit keller with her husband the wine shop owner michael lemasle who curated the restaurants list of small production natural french bottles
endo explains that the kind of winemakers they support extract something interesting and alive from the land and the natural environment i like to cook like that too she says i like to stay very simple in the gently refurbished space on rue keller plates include mackerel donburi sprinkled with bluebottle flowers cucumbers beside a miso mayo dip and shittake mushrooms marinated in syrah vinegar meats like tender beef nerves or roasted lamb shoulder are plated to share and play a mostly supporting role to the vegetables i think of cuisine first as something beneficial not as a method of explaining ones art or ones ego endo says i think always of the person whos eating and id like it to do him or her well its a sentiment shared by her husband i like wines that are simple and digestible which work well with kaoris cuisine he says
in the 13 years since opening his cramped wine shop crus  decouvertes lemasle has seen steadily growing interest in the additive free unfiltered low sulfur wines he began to champion in the early 2000s he rarely has to explain what natural wine is anymore at le petit keller his more than 40 selections   all sourced directly from the winemakers   are as light as endos simple french inflected japanese home cooking
but not everything at le petit keller is health conscious for the dessert menu endo has created a richer denser version of her classic matcha cake which was originally published in her 2008 cookbook une japonaise a paris she shares the new recipe below and when asked how thickly to slice the cake before serving she says judiciously well it depends what else you eat
7 ounces softened butter plus more to grease the tin 2 tablespoons sesame seeds 635 ounces brown sugar 3 eggs 635 ounces flour  1/3  teaspoon baking soda 2 tablespoons matcha  1/5  cup creme fraiche 28 ounces white chocolate broken into small bits 53 ounces raspberries
1 preheat the oven to 300 degrees butter a loaf pan and sprinkle the interior with sesame seeds
2 beat the 7 ounces of softened butter and brown sugar until the mixture whitens
3 incorporate the eggs one by one beating well after each addition
4 mix the flour baking soda and matcha in a separate bowl add half of it through a sieve to the egg mixture and mix it with a spatula
5 incorporate the creme fraiche then add the rest of the flour mixture mix carefully
6 incorporate the bits of white chocolate and the raspberries
7 pour the batter into the cake tin and bake for 50 55 minutes
8 let the cake cool for 10 minutes before removing it from the tin


at just 12 years old danielle clough got the first indication that her artwork might catch on with others i doodled something on paper and a friend said i would totally tattoo that on myself she recalls among preteen girls there could be no higher praise and clough went on to experiment with various forms of visual expression in her formative years including fashion design photography and graphic art i tried a lot of things on for size she says
but sketching stuck with the 28 year old cape town artist who has become known for her unique thread drawings on unconventional surfaces including chicken wire coffee bags and most recently athletic rackets she got the idea after seeing a pixilated heart pattern on a similar grid i thought i can do that but in my own way she says clough headed to the milnerton flea market which proved to be a gold mine of inspiration its this big stretch of dusty road and people normally sell bric a brac and weird gross things she says ive been super influenced by it the selection is almost tasteless or a little off style and antiquated i love it there she found a few vintage rackets which she brought back to her studio i started to experiment with different scales and how to change the canvas she says
out of this came cloughs signature design richly embroidered patterns that cling to the strings of a racket and often depict nature themes such as flowers birds and small animals her process typically involves taking a photograph and turning it into a black and white image that she draws on the surface of the racket then i color it in with thread she says after posting photos of her pieces on facebook and instagram last fall the response was overwhelming its an everyday granny art form but shifted slightly so it feel new and fresh remarks clough who has made and sold about 25 different kinds of rackets squash tennis badminton   whatever i can find that has good quality and an interesting shape despite the complexity of her embroidery work clough is mostly self taught and finds her practice almost meditative which is why she doesnt generate pieces at too rapid a pace
growing up in the suburbs of cape town clough left high school for a specialized visual art program before enrolling at the red and yellow school of logic and magic which sounds like its from harry potter she says but gave her a background in art direction and advertising after graduating in 2010 she worked a number of design jobs before deciding to focus more intently on her woven artwork which shes done for the last five years apart from rackets clough has embroidered sneakers for vans to mark the brands 50th anniversary this spring and emblazoned a rusted gate on cape towns canterbury street with her colorful stitched patterns for the united nations
she does all this in a studio thats less than 200 square feet the most important part is my couch she says thats where i spent most of my time i play with my threads there the vibe in the room which is part of a house located in the brooklyn like gardens section of cape town is cozy and low key there are boxes full of pompoms pens and sewing paraphernalia and containers with tools and cameras she says i needed a space full of my own weird little trinkets where i can spread my work out without invading anyone elses space
much of cloughs inspiration comes from street culture and her love of music as a side gig she works as a visual jockey doing live music events and has performed with dj artists haezer ph fat and los tacos among others her stage name is fiance knowles a nickname she picked up from a friend i thought it was hilarious im skinny pale and freckly   im definitely not rivaling beyonce in any shape or form shes also part of a hip hop collective called uppercut
still she has embraced the old fashioned nature of her art form quite comfortably you just need a hobby that makes you feel like a 70 year old woman and then youll be on your way


velcro hiking sandals nylon straps and cycling shorts arent details typically associated with tailored mens wear but on many of the springsummer 2017 mens runways this week in milan designers have shown utilitarian outdoorsy takes on suiting at prada miuccia prada riffed on the idea of the global nomad with even formal looks paired with oversize camping bags at marni classic mens shirts and suits came complete with velcro adjustments which enable the wearer to alter the fit and silhouette and at versace tailored looks were paired with teva like sandals and pieces from the new versace active performance line   such as a topcoat which was worn over a biker top and shorts because why not


birdsong a story in pictures by james sturm 56 pp toon books 1295 picture book ages 4 and up
many of my favorite wordless picture books   wave by suzy lee sidewalk flowers by jonarno lawson and sydney smith the grasshopper and the ants by jerry pinkney   push me into a deeply internal nonverbal mood i just want to look and look and stay quiet i dont want the story to have specific words attached im sure there are many children who feel the way i do about books like these but childrens books people are always advising grown ups to make kids tell the story of a wordless picture book since decoding visual narrative is a step in the process of learning to read
so i was happy to find james sturms birdsong a gorgeous wordless book with a snappy mood that seems to explicitly invite out loud storytelling its about a girl and a boy who are turned into monkeys after menacing some local wildlife and the action packed story moves at a leaping pace that distinguishes it from the dreamier wordless picture books out there
we learn in an afterword that sturm the author of the adventures in cartooning series as well as the ape and armadillo picture books was inspired by the japanese tradition of kamishibai or paper theater building on a buddhist practice of telling stories using picture scrolls performers in the 1920s would bicycle from village to village with wooden boxes holding stacks of images from stories inspired by the silent films of the west as they rotated through the images the performers provided dialogue and sound effects to enthralled children   then sold them candy
each left hand page of birdsong is blank white with a leafy decorated margin as if to remind children to provide their own words for whats happening on the right the boy and girl start out with nasty looks on their faces wielding sticks that they use to flip a helpless turtle and startle a red bird as they chase the bird it leads them to a fearsome human figure holding what looks like a magic scepter which he uses to transform them into monkeys then its the children who are preyed upon   first by a hungry lion then by a carnival man who captures them shackles them to a cage and makes them perform writing sums and letters on a chalkboard for a gaping audience
theres an incredible page with a close up drawing of the monkeys faces sad and chastened when they escape and looking contrite and gentle are reunited with the red bird we are set up for a happy ending but its not so happy that the lesson goes down easy   the two dont get to return to their human form but remain monkeys sturm joins the cinematic entertainment oriented kamishibai with its buddhist precursor which focused more on moral instruction
when we say goodbye to the monkey children they are swinging playfully in a tree in a deepening dusk its a page you want to linger on after whatever words it inspires are gone


sam sifton emails readers of cooking seven days a week to talk about food and suggest recipes that email also appears here to receive it in your inbox register here
good morning recipes are the heart and soul of this enterprise but on wednesdays we put them aside and jam at the stove you ought to as well improvisation can make you a better cook riff off your favorite recipe the one you basically know by heart but always read through or freestyle along with me say pan roasted chicken thighs with rosemary some smashed oven roasted new potatoes with lemon a thatch of herb salad soundtrack the cure it can never be the same
you dont have to of course if you want to cook from the book cooking is filled with precise and exacting instruction alongside all the pretty pictures take a run through david taniss recent column on cooking crab croquetas and see if it doesnt make you want to fold together his recipe read about anna jones and then roast some kale and tomatoes for her crazy good salad with coconut miso and tahini
maybe youd like to make melissa clarks recipe for pasta with seared zucchini and ricotta salata tonight or her recipe for charred lamb and eggplant with date yogurt chutney its early in the season for gazpacho perhaps but still if you make julia moskins recipe for seville style gazpacho this evening it could set you up for a good two months of making it two or three times a week or make kim seversons recipe for cucumber watermelon salad with hoisin sauce and jalapeno holy cow is it good
other recipes to cook tonight and in coming days can be found as always on cooking save the ones you like to your recipe box you can rate them when youre done cooking and leave notes on them if you have something helpful to add to the conversation - an ingredient substitution say or a cooking tip and if you get jammed up either by our technology or by something weve written please ask for help were at cookingcarenytimescom or you can find me on social media im on twitter instagram facebook pinterest
finally whatever you end up cooking remember to give thanks for the bounty of the nation elsewhere the news is not so good kim was down in cuba recently to report on the state of agriculture there as americans jockey to shape the future of the islands farming and nicholas casey continues his devastating reporting from venezuela where hunger stalks the population and protesters have started to storm supermarkets screaming for food


on a bright morning this month yuliya stepanova one of russias premier middle distance runners over the last decade churned through an interval session   six times 800 meters at a sub three minute pace followed by six times 100 meters at a near sprint she was paced by her husband vitaly stepanov a good runner who has completed a marathon in under three hours but by no means an elite athlete between the fifth and sixth repeats as they jogged for 200 meters vitaly staggered but yuliya moved in a tight economical recovery stride her face impassive her blond ponytail dancing with each step
the days demanding workout was a key part of yuliyas preparation to run the 800 meters at this summers olympic games she had already posted the necessary qualifying time at a meet last year but because of the role that she and her husband played in exposing russias state run doping program   which ultimately led last week to its track teams historic banishment from the olympics in rio de janeiro this summer   she had no country to run for she could only hope that track and fields ruling body the international association of athletics federations might let her compete under the olympic flag as 10 refugees from a handful of countries are being allowed to do the decision was expected in a matter of weeks so she waited in exile working out on a high school track in a midsize american city that she did not want to be named i dont even tell my mother exactly where im living she said vitaly was of the same mind the couple worried that revealing their refuge might endanger them and their 2 year old son and further threaten the peace and perhaps the safety of their families back home
husband and wife hit the line and launched into the final repeat vitaly doggedly set the pace until the last 200 meters when yuliya glided to the lead and ran hard through the finish afterward gasping and bent over grabbing his shorts vitaly turned to her hopefully maybe instead of the 100 meter repeats they could just do an easy recovery jog
yuliya was tempted her back ached from lifting weights her son was sick with a racking cough the sun beat down for her post workout recovery session there were no therapeutic massages or prepared meals in a team dining hall to look forward to but she said at last no we do the 100 meter strides
everything was so much easier when she was a doper i remember the first season i ran using steroids and epo she said referring to erythropoietin the hormone that boosts red blood cell production the year was 2007 in eight months when she was 21 her personal record for 800 meters dropped to 204 from 213
now at 29 with a two year doping suspension behind her yuliya was chasing those previous times   and her long shot olympic ambitions   without the benefit of banned substances in a place nestled among mountains still dusted by snow my coaches before dont have patience for altitude training she said russian coaches dont believe in athletes they believe in drugs
on june 17 the international association of athletics federations took the remarkable action of barring russias track and field athletes from the summer games ruling that the teams suspension from international competition which had been in place since last fall when a report from the world anti doping agency laid out the case against russias state run doping program would not be lifted the next day the international olympic committee affirmed its acceptance of the iaaf decision then earlier this week the ioc announced that russian athletes in all olympic sports would have to undergo more rigorous testing before being allowed to compete in the games while also stating that russian track and field athletes who have been training abroad and been subject to drug testing might still be able to get clearance to run for their country
the russian doping scandal was catalyzed by a german tv documentary in 2014 based on video and audio recordings secretly made by yuliya stepanova which captured leading russian sports officials coaches and athletes discussing the use of banned performance enhancing drugs those revelations led to the world anti doping agencys investigation and its report last november that accused russia of running a vast state sponsored doping system fueled by bribery and intimidation its report   in which yuliya in her role as principal informant is named more than 100 times   prepared the way for further revelations by grigory rodchenkov the former director of russias anti doping lab who told the new york times this year that he personally served steroid and whiskey cocktails to russian athletes and doctored dirty urine samples during the 2014 sochi winter olympics
but the exposure of russias cheating can be traced back even further to vitaly and yuliyas first date in the summer of 2009
he was 27 an educator and doping control officer with the new russian anti doping agency or rusada the countrys first organization of its kind created to support vladimir putins determination to host the sochi games vitaly stepanov was working at the agencys information booth at the russian national championships in cheboksary handing out leaflets and swag bags and chatting with the athletes yuliya rusanova was 23 running the 800 at the meet between heats she and a few other women wandered over to the booth after a few minutes of conversation yuliya gave vitaly her email address a week or so later they agreed to meet for a date in domodedovo a town outside moscow where her aunt lived
they intended to go to a cafe or the cinema but they started talking and never made it out of his car i assume vitaly knows everything about doping because rusada are the ones who help cover it up yuliya told me later everyone in russia knows whats going on
yuliya told vitaly about the coaches the training camps the injections and pills she described some of the byzantine nature of the russian doping world yuliya said that her goal was to become a member of the russian national team and that she would continue to participate in a system fueled by performance enhancing drugs
vitaly was stunned he suspected that many russian athletes were doping and that rusada might be turning a blind eye but he had no sense of the scope of the cheating even though he had been working for the agency for more than a year he told her about his efforts to do a good responsible job with rusada to fight for clean sports to make testing apply to all athletes equally to follow the world anti doping agencys rules
yuliya told him her coaches said all countries were doping everyone was doing it which is why they did too   it was the only way to compete internationally and rusada helped them vitaly said he didnt think that the anti doping agencies in other countries were helping to cover up doping yuliya shook her head at this mans naivete at the end of the evening we both say this will never work out yuliya remembers as vitaly recalls it we are two idiots sitting together in this car
he went home that night but couldnt stop thinking about yuliya the next morning i go to my office and request a conference with my boss vitaly says adding that he regarded the man as a mentor i told him everything that yuliya had told me   all about the doping and cover ups could this be true i asked vitaly remembers that his boss was quiet for a long time 30 seconds or more when he finally spoke he changed the subject entirely later his boss told him take my advice and dont get involved with this girl
i knew then that everything yuliya had told me was true vitaly says
yuliya rusanovas childhood was as cold and hard as the name of the city where she grew up kursk my father was an alcoholic she says when he drank he beat my mother he beat my two sisters and he beat me when he didnt drink he was a good man he worked in a factory we had a garden we had animals   pigs and chickens two weeks would go by and my father would not drink then he drinks and he beats us i was always afraid i just wanted to grow up fast and get away
when she was 14 the 2000 sydney olympics lit up her tv screen and she says i dreamed what it would be like to be one of them yuliya liked sports but had no encouragement or model for pursuing them she enrolled in a vocational school to become a heating technician when the school held a field day yuliya entered a 500 meter race and finished third only the winner got a medal i wanted to win a medal yuliya says so i start to train i wanted that medal
soon after at 17 she began to work with a local coach who had once been an elite level competitor in the steeplechase an obstacle course race typically run over 3000 meters yuliya tried that and other long distance events but she preferred the middle distances especially the 800 meters despite showing promise she lacked confidence she was starting late and other girls were much faster
i trained for one year and i start to hear things from other girls yuliya says at the dining hall in the training camps the girls were talking about the pills and the shots this is what everyone does the girls were saying you cant be on the national team without using these things if you dont take them you have no future in sport
the coaches she says told her that for a female 800 meter runner to break two minutes the threshold of a world class time she had to perform certain workouts   workouts possible only with pharmaceutical help the fastest a clean athlete could expect to run the coaches claimed was about 205
so yuliya says she asked her coach vladimir mokhnev to be put on the program he tells me i havent been training enough yet she recalls youre just getting started wait a while in 2006 she came down with a serious lung infection to help her recover yuliya says mokhnev persuaded a doctor to prescribe a steroid medication a regimen of testosterone thus began yuliyas doping career mokhnev has denied her account she maintained a detailed training log   all her training all her races and all her drugs when i first started with the drugs i was scared she says i thought it is bad but after a time i understand it is normal all the runners do it and it works it is hard to explain   you make the same effort as when clean but you go faster
in a written statement she provided to the world anti doping agency in 2013 yuliya notes that once she was receiving effective testosterone injections her personal record for 800 meters dropped to 20847 from 213 summer 2007 was the first time when my coach gave me oral turinabolan pills and epo injections she writes her personal record then dropped to 20347 turinabol is an anabolic steroid that used to be given to east german athletes in the 1970s and 80s i was seventh in the nationals for my age group oral turinabolan i took every day for 15 days from 12052007 to 26052007 at that time it was known by athletics coaches that oral turinabolan is detectable for 40 days yuliyas statement then says that she received epo injections subcutaneously every other day from may to october 2007 i was told epo is detectable for nine days after the last injection as i was told by my coach there is always doping control and national championships and his whole preparation training and prohibited substances was calculated the way that i was clean while competing in the winter of 2008 yuliya writes she was doping as she had the year before i did testosterone injections the same way as the previous winter also i took nonprohibited substances my pr personal record moved to 20196 i won the national championship at my age group and became a member of a national team 20 23 age group
over the next few seasons she followed a progressive drug regimen the more i trained the more pharmacological help my body needed to keep improving she writes in her statement sometimes from taking prohibited substances my muscles were getting very tightened and i just couldnt run sometimes my blood was getting very thick i had to keep training through these problems as i thought that all athletes are going through this
epo was injected into a vein in the arm while testosterone was injected into muscle in the abdomen or buttocks at the peak of her drug use yuliya says she was getting up to three shots a day but a lot of the coaches dont know what theyre doing she says yuliya claims that mokhnev for instance kept giving her shots in the same spot in her buttocks which eventually led to a painful cyst after a time i learn to give the injections myself she says
it all seemed worth it she was making a good living through various government agencies that paid her a salary even though she had no duties beyond training and racing she earned around 4000 a month a considerable amount in russia she spent much of each year in training camps in russia and abroad yuliya had succeeded in growing up fast and getting away
our first date   at end of which we both decide this will never work we must not see each other again   was in august vitaly remembers with a laugh we got married in october
on their honeymoon in egypt in the fall of 2009 yuliya continued to tell vitaly that her ambition was to make the russian national team and she was clear that at the upcoming training camp she would still be taking banned substances
maybe you could get these results without doping vitaly asked her isnt there something else
what is this something else yuliya shot back do you know what it is are you a coach
by december the couple agreed that their hasty marriage had been a mistake and decided to end it russia has a good process for divorce vitaly says if there are no children it is very straightforward you go to an office and file papers then you go away for one month to think it over in one month if one person or both returns to the office thats it they stamp the papers youre divorced no questions asked but if after one month neither person comes back to the office they tear up the papers and youre still married
when yuliya returned to moscow in late december from training camp she and vitaly proceeded to the office where they would formally dissolve their union when they got there however it was closed for the holidays we took that as a sign vitaly says we will stay together and try to work this thing out
yuliya however would eventually come under the guidance of dr sergey portugalov who was known among russian athletes to be the leading expert in the use of banned performance enhancers according to the world anti doping agencys report last november the independent commission responsible for the investigation found that not only did dr portugalov supply performance enhancing drugs to athletes and coaches but also administered the doping programs and even injected athletes himself i do the same type of drugs as before epo and testosterone and the rest she says but now i do them better and the results are better
at the same time vitaly says he had begun to actively resist his agencys corruption secretly corresponding with world anti doping agency officials about his frustrations and suspicions and speaking out at rusada meetings now when i went to track meets with yuliya the coaches wouldnt even look at me he recalls vitaly was fired from rusada in early 2011 when he says he received notice that the agency was restructuring yuliya began to notice a difference in the way her coaches treated her which vitaly attributes to my unwillingness to take bribes and cooperate with them when i worked in rusada   even though i was already fired a lot of people in the athletics federation knew me and really disliked me this led to increasingly explosive arguments at home not a week went by when we didnt talk about divorce vitaly says there is no logical way to explain yuliya and me being together during this time
during the olympic season of 2012 yuliya suffered a thigh injury that derailed her shot at running in the london games she decided to change coaches and make a fresh start her goal now the 2016 games in rio with their marriage faltering vitaly assumed that yuliya wanted a fresh start in that regard as well a new coach a new olympic cycle   i think that i am next get rid of the stupid husband on dec 30 the heart of the holiday season they returned to the government office and filed for divorce they completed the paperwork and were instructed to return by feb 8 yuliya went off to a training camp vitaly stayed in moscow now it really seemed over he says i packed up her things from our apartment and took them back to kursk i was exhausted it seemed pointless to continue
in early february 2013 yuliya learned that she would barred from competition for two years by the iaaf   her blood tests indicated use of a prohibited substance in violation of the world anti doping agency code in other words i am to be the scapegoat yuliya says since i am a girl i do everything my coaches say i train like they say i take drugs like they say now they tell me to keep doing everything they say take my punishment my two year ban and dont say anything rest get healthy and i will still get paid my regular salary after two years its 2015 and i can start training again for the rio games
yuliyas shock quickly gave way to anger when i just found out about being sanctioned the world that i imagined to myself collapsed in front of my eyes she wrote in her statement to the world anti doping agency it was very bitter to understand that im being sanctioned and the people that set up such doping in russia will not be punished at all and will continue to prepare athletes the same way
she realized that she had been exploited   and had opened herself to exploitation   ever since she was a girl at her first training camp now i think three things she recalls no 1 the officials are just lying to me again no 2 i get caught for doping a second time i could get a lifetime ban and no 3 i have this crazy husband who has been fighting doping for years
yuliya left training camp and returned to moscow where a meeting was scheduled with a sports federation official he would review the details of yuliyas sanction and perhaps provide assurance that she could resume her performance enhancing drug regimen as soon as her suspension was over there was another event on her moscow agenda too a return to the government office to make her divorce final
vitaly met her at the station expecting they would go straight to sign the divorce papers but instead in a replay of their first date in 2009 they sat in the car and talked about the shocking news   about the ban her mistakes and the betrayal by the coaches she admitted that he had been right all along about doping and told vitaly about the scheduled meeting with the sports official
they discussed her options one of them was for yuliya to go to the meeting and secretly record the incriminating conversation on her smartphone vitaly could then deliver the recording to his contacts at the world anti doping agency supplying solid verifiable evidence of wrongdoing in short yuliya and vitaly could take on very powerful forces in a virtuous fight but one that they had little hope of winning or they could drive to the government office and sign the divorce papers
yuliya took vitalys hand they drove to the office of the sports official where yuliya stepanova began her career as a whistle blower
after the workout at the high school track i returned with yuliya and vitaly to their cramped but tidy 500 a month one bedroom apartment in a blue collar neighborhood close to a running trail about a week before the german documentary aired in december 2014 anticipating its explosive impact the couple and their infant son left russia for germany they lived in berlin for a year at the beginning of 2015 vitaly was offered a job in the united states and the family moved the job offer fell through but the stepanovs decided to stay in america seeking cheap rent and a place where yuliya could train at altitude they eventually landed in this sunny spot in the mountains now as vitaly awaited a work permit the family was getting by on savings and some money a supporter sends them
after a quick shower yulia started chopping potatoes and a pork loin for a sour cream gravy stew she explained that she was taking classes to improve her english skills and seemed relieved whenever her husband took over the burden of answering my questions our stormy time together has passed vitaly said doping almost robbed us of our marriage but over the last few years fighting against doping has given it back
the loneliness of that fight seems to have created an extraordinarily close bond between the two of them even now no one really wants to hear from us vitaly said he gave a resigned smile i guess we threaten a lot of brands no brand has been more threatened by the stepanovs than that of vladimir putins russia which has invested deeply in sports dont underestimate the smears and abuses they have endured and the danger they live under says the german journalist hajo seppelt who produced the documentary that turned the spotlight on the stepanovs and who has been threatened and assailed in response to his own investigative reporting together yuliya and vitaly have been public enemy no 1 in russia
in kursk yuliyas mother has been harassed at the hospital where she is a nurse   how could you raise such a judas when vitalys father turns on the tv in chelyabinsk a thousand miles east of moscow in the ural mountains he has seen his son and daughter in law vilified as traitors
as the stepanovs actions and their impacts become better known however the rest of the world may regard them in a far kinder light frank shorter the 1972 olympic gold medalist in the marathon and the first chairman of the united states anti doping agency acknowledges the stepanovs giant contribution and says they have given hope to honest athletes all around the world
to stand up for whats right and to expose a state supported doping system in their own country   against all odds   its incredible travis tygart the head of the united states anti doping agency told me in an email those who value clean sport are forever indebted in their own way they are both true olympic heroes
last friday the iaaf appeared to agree ruling that yuliya stepanovas case should be considered favorably by the ioc for her extraordinary contribution to the fight against doping earlier this week however the ioc seemed to kick the decision back to the iaaf leaving yuliyas hopes in limbo still she and vitaly claim to be at peace whether or not she gets to run at the rio games i dont regret what i have done yuliya told me and i am not angry at the russian coaches and officials i am only angry at myself that i wanted to be part of that system that i let myself get used for so long


the cassini spacecraft is dancing toward death   and nasa wants to make sure it doesnt take any alien life with it
since 2004 the probe has twirled around saturn studying the gas giants rings storms and moons but it has recently started preparing for next year when it will plunge into the planets atmosphere and vaporize
nasa chose the ringed planet as cassinis final resting place because the space agency doesnt want to risk contaminating a potentially habitable world with hardy microbes that may be aboard the craft saturn with its gaseous surface consumed by hydrogen and helium is inhospitable to life
the same may not be true for some of its moons
titan the biggest saturnian satellite has an atmosphere that is much less hostile than its overlords it is a wet world similar to earth but unlike our planet it is awash in methane
methane plays the role on titan that water plays on earth said linda spilker the cassini project scientist at nasas jet propulsion laboratory in pasadena calif methane can be a vapor and form clouds it can rain methane and that methane can flow into tiny lakes and large seas at the north pole of titan
cassini is currently exploring the methane seas and trying to determine if they have waves its goal is to detect mirror like reflections of sunlight off the liquid surface known as specular reflections
someday we might land a boat on the sea of titan and make measurements she said you could have very unusual kinds of life in those seas life that uses methane instead of water
to protect titan and other potentially life bearing places cassinis final mission calls for its obliteration researchers have dubbed the spacecrafts swan song the cassini grand finale because it includes an ambitious maneuver 22 loops through the gap between saturns surface and its innermost rings
before launching cassini nasa drew up plans to dispose of it in saturns upper atmosphere but they only developed its elaborate end of mission maneuver in the past couple of years once they found that some of saturns moons may be potentially habitable to life keeping the probe clear of them as it ran out of fuel became crucial
before cassini can thread the needle through the planets gap it must first reach the proper angle in its orbit that means climbing to an inclination of approximately 64 degrees the problem is that cassini doesnt have the power to propel itself to that position
the fuel tank gauge is on e said dr spilker adding that the probe is in desperate need of a gravity boost to get one it will tango with titan
imagine titan as having a giant extra fuel tank dr spilker said by performing a flyby of the moon cassini can swing from one partner to another we can use its energy and gravity to raise the tilt of cassinis orbit
earlier this month cassini completed a flyby that raised its inclination from 35 degrees to 42 degrees it has plans to conduct five more this year before its final mission
each of the six will raise the tilt of the orbit a little bit said dr spilker until we get the right orbit to go in between the rings and the planet


international
the memo from france article on may 23 about the soul searching that followed the resignation of the french national assemblys vice president denis baupin after several female colleagues claimed sexual harassment quoted incorrectly in some editions from an essay by 16 prominent frenchwomen in the newspaper journal du dimanche they wrote omerta and the law of silence are no longer possible not are longer possible

an article on may 23 about ecuadors appointment of africa berdonces as the new director of the galapagos national park and marine reserve misstated part of the name of a threatened species of bird native to the islands it is the flightless cormorant not the flightless albatross

a reporting credit on may 22 with an article about the united states opportunities for a partnership with vietnam as president obama prepared to visit misstated in some editions the location of one of the reporters david e sanger reported from naypyidaw myanmar   not from washington
national
an article on tuesday about the senates rejection of four measures intended to control gun safety misstated the focus of an amendment offered by senator christopher s murphy democrat of connecticut his measure sought to tighten background checks for all gun buyers not just for gun buyers at gun shows and on the internet

an article on sunday about the redevelopment of downtown phoenix misstated the reason that the songbird coffee shop relocated the owners had a disagreement with the landlord the store was not displaced by redevelopment

an article on saturday about nasas plans for an electric plane misstated the middle name of a 19th century physicist for whom the plane was named he was james clerk maxwell not clark
new york
an article on monday about a yearbook project dedicated to young victims of gun violence misidentified in some editions a mother who finds comfort from the smell of a shirt that belonged to her son who was shot to death in 2012 she is natasha christopher   not shenee johnson another mother working on the project whose son also died in a shooting

an article on may 29 about a funding crisis at the city university of new york described imprecisely the makeup of the professional staff congress the systems largest union which was in contract talks at the time while it represents 25000 faculty members and employees not all of them belong to the union

an article on friday about efforts by the family of archbishop fulton j sheen to move his body to illinois as part of the drive toward his canonization misstated the academic rank of matthew sutton who spoke about the importance of where saints remains are kept he is an associate professor of theology at st johns university not an assistant professor
obituaries
a picture caption on sunday with an obituary about the writer michelle cliff omitted credit for the photograph of ms cliff it was taken by noel furie
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washington   after six years of vague talk about a conservative alternative to the affordable care act house republicans on tuesday finally laid out the replacement for a repealed health law   a package of proposals that they said would slow the growth of health spending and relax federal rules for health insurance
opponents began the repeal and replace mantra almost as soon as the affordable care act was signed in 2010 and while they have voted dozens of times to repeal the health law the replacement has been elusive
in finally presenting one speaker paul d ryan of wisconsin and his republican team did not provide a cost estimate or legislative language but they did issue a 20000 word plan that provides the most extensive description of their health care alternative to date
many of the ideas   for health savings accounts high risk pools and sales of insurance across state lines   are familiar democrats in and out of congress have for weeks been rehearsing their lines of attack
others are sure to be contentious house republicans would gradually increase the eligibility age for medicare which is now 65 starting in 2020 the medicare age would rise along with the eligibility age for full social security benefits eventually reaching 67
following mr ryans budget plans of recent years the health proposal would transform medicare into a fully competitive market based model known as premium support the traditional fee for service medicare program would compete directly with private plans offered by companies like unitedhealth aetna and humana
in their blueprint to be formally unveiled on wednesday house republicans say they would eliminate the requirement that most americans carry health insurance they would offer a flat tax credit to each person or family in the individual insurance market regardless of income or the premium for a particular insurance policy
house republicans also said they would roll back the affordable care acts expansion of medicaid and give each state a fixed amount of money for each beneficiary or a lump sum of federal money for all of a states medicaid program
in addition house republicans would allow states to establish work requirements for able bodied adults on medicaid requirements that the obama administration has refused to permit under the house republican plan states could also charge reasonable enforceable premiums or offer a limited benefit package and use waiting lists and enrollment caps for certain groups of medicaid beneficiaries
using these options and others proposed by house republicans states could profoundly reshape the medicaid program which provides health insurance to more than 70 million people at a federal cost of more than 350 billion a year
reforming medicaids financing with a per capita allotment certainly will reduce federal spending but just as importantly will give states more control over the program and more incentives to manage care and costs the blueprint says
the health care package is one of a half dozen planks in the platform that mr ryan describes as a better way it is more substantive than anything offered to date by donald j trump the presumptive republican presidential nominee and provides a possible framework for republican action in 2017
democrats say the package would reverse progress made in reducing the number of uninsured
one of the most important provisions of the 2010 health care law stipulates that insurers cannot deny coverage or charge high premiums because of a persons medical condition or history the house republican blueprint would replace this guarantee with more complicated less stringent standards
no american could be denied coverage because of a pre existing condition the house republican plan says but the protection against higher premiums would apply only to people who maintain continuous coverage if a consumer allows a significant break in coverage insurers could charge more than standard rates and take a persons health status into account in setting premiums
the house republican plan would also change the tax treatment of some employer provided health insurance in a way that some employers are finding objectionable
under current law employees do not have to pay federal income tax on contributions that employers make to their health insurance house republicans said this open ended subsidy had encouraged people to select more expensive coverage driving up premiums
to help lower the cost of coverage house republicans said they would cap the value of tax free benefits but the cap would be so high that it would affect only the most generous plans
the affordable care act tries to discourage inefficient insurance plans as well through a cadillac tax on high cost employer sponsored coverage a tax that was recently delayed until 2020
republicans say their approach is better but employers were quick to denounce the proposal
this would be a new tax on benefits on working families and could eventually threaten the employer sponsored health insurance that so many americans enjoy said james p gelfand senior vice president of the erisa industry committee a trade association for large employers
house republicans would relax age rating restrictions in the affordable care act under the law insurers generally cannot charge older americans more than three times what they charge younger people other factors being equal republicans said this was an unrealistic regulation that led to higher premiums for millions of americans especially younger and healthier patients
house republicans would allow a ratio of five to one with states permitted to set more or less restrictive rules


the knicks learned tuesday that they would have more room under the rising salary cap with which to sign free agents when the nbas most compelling transaction period begins july 1
arron afflalo and derrick williams informed the knicks that they would not exercise contract options for next season according to a person in basketball who is involved in the situation both players but particularly williams could sign new deals with the team
with those anticipated opt outs the knicks will have roughly 30 million to improve their roster with free agent signings with only seven players now signed for next season they may have to scramble to fill out the bench especially if they land one of the more desirable free agents like point guard mike conley jr an unrestricted free agent who has played nine seasons for the memphis grizzlies
afflalos opt out was expected after he was demoted from the starting lineup the coaching staff was unhappy with his shot selection at shooting guard and with his defense the option year would have paid afflalo 8 million
williams an athletic 6 foot 8 forward had a fairly productive season off the bench averaging 93 points and 37 rebounds per game he would have made 51 million in 2016 17 depending on how their free agent pursuit goes the knicks could try to re sign williams but with so many teams operating with cap space the 25 year old williams figures to earn a good raise
among their unsigned players the knicks are known to be most interested in retaining lance thomas a favorite of the team president phil jackson thomas will also merit a raise from the 165 million he made last season
the knicks do not have a pick in the draft on thursday night although jackson has indicated he is shopping to get one last year he made two draft trades swapping tim hardaway jr for point guard jerian grant who was taken with the 19th pick in the first round out of notre dame
in the second round jackson acquired the 35th pick from philadelphia willy hernangomez a 6 10 spaniard and a former teammate of kristap porzingiss with sevilla in spain
jackson believes hernangomez could be the equivalent of a late first round draft pick and hopes he will join the knicks next season harvey araton
lynx 72 sparks 69 a renee montgomery 3 pointer with 29 seconds left lifted the visiting minnesota lynx over the los angeles sparks in a matchup of unbeaten wnba teams
a jaguar used in an olympic torch relay ceremony was shot to death after it escaped its leash and tried to attack a soldier the brazilian army said
the army press office said that the jaguar named juma was on display as part of ceremonies monday at the jungle warfare instruction center in manaus
the olympic torch is traveling throughout brazil leading up to the aug 5 opening ceremony
juma was a docile animal used to living among people at the center the army said in a statement adding that soon after the ceremonies juma escaped from his leash and fled into the zoo maintained by the center
when the jaguar tried to attack a soldier sent to help recapture it handlers shot the animal with tranquilizers that failed to stop it so juma was shot in the head with a pistol
we were wrong to allow the olympic torch a symbol of peace and of the union among the peoples to be displayed alongside a wild animal in chains the local olympic organizing committee said on its facebook page
corey kluber threw a three hitter and the cleveland indians defeated the visiting tampa bay rays 6 0 for their fifth straight win
kluber allowed one hit before brad miller and evan longoria singled with one out in the ninth kluber retired the next two hitters for his third career shutout
texas tech ousts florida eric gutierrez hit a two run homer texas tech picked up a huge insurance run by way of two errors on the same play in the ninth and the red raiders eliminated florida 3 2 at the college world series in omaha it was a stunning early exit for florida the no 1 national seed
the salary cap for the 2016 17 nhl season will be 73 million up from 714 million the league and the players union announced
the cap floor or the minimum amount a team can spend is 54 million it was 528 million last season
the draft begins friday in buffalo and free agency opens july 1 at noon
belinda bencic the defending champion and the no 3 seed was beaten 7 6 4 7 6 5 in the second round of the eastbourne international in england by elena vesnina who won the tournament in 2013
agnieszka radwanska the top seed advanced when mirjana lucic baroni retired with illness as radwanska led 6 4 2 1 but second seeded roberta vinci was also upset 4 6 6 4 6 3 by another former champion ekaterina makarova


as the yankees continue their long waltz around the 500 mark   one step forward another sideways and then back   the question being asked with increasing legitimacy is this will they become sellers or buyers at the aug 1 trade deadline
it was a question that the owner hal steinbrenner danced around monday night when he spoke briefly to reporters at a charity function in midtown manhattan
you know me he said im not big on hypotheticals lets just see i believe were going to be right smack in the middle of it come the end of july
on tuesday night the yankees were right smack in the middle of one of their more ghastly performances of the season losing to the colorado rockies 8 4 at yankee stadium
when charlie blackmon hit the first of his two home runs on the third pitch of the game the latest dismal pitching performance by ivan nova was underway it was accompanied by carlos beltrans rare trifecta one ball rolled under his glove in right field another carried over his head and he was thrown out trying to take second on a fly ball
reciting the litany of mistakes in full would only belabor the point but the most salient one is that the defeat kept them six games behind baltimore in the american league east
so even though the yankees 34 36 have played better since their dreadful start a 26 20 record since may 3 has not moved them appreciably closer to first place they were six and a half games behind baltimore then
general manager brian cashman and manager joe girardi echoed steinbrenners sunny outlook before the game but also acknowledged that it was no sure thing that the yankees would consider themselves contenders as the deadline approaches
i hope this team declares itself in such a way one way or the other that its pretty damn obvious cashman said pausing to laugh as he sat in the first base dugout and i use that word carefully because im sure the social media will jump on it   well its pretty damn obvious to me 
he added i get it i understand it were not blind but we also have to remain objective and recognize that some players certainly are capable of a lot more than theyve produced thus far theres some time for them to prove that and if they dont then there will be some interesting decisions to make
those decisions would ultimately land in the lap of steinbrenner who had been loath to trade the free agents to be robinson cano and david robertson when the yankees missed the playoffs in 2013 and 2014 but this team has few players that would keep fans coming through the turnstiles attendance has dipped to more than 8000 per game below levels of 2010 when the yankees were defending world series champions in their second season in the new stadium
and they are continuing to cede ground to the mets while another modest crowd turned out at yankee stadium on tuesday night the mets were beating kansas city in a world series rematch at citi field
while cashman was not a seller at the trade deadline last year the yankees were not aggressive either cashman deemed the prospects luis severino aaron judge and gary sanchez as untouchable while toronto made go for broke deals for troy tulowitzki and david price and zoomed past the yankees over the final two months but nearly a year later all three prospects are still at class aaa scrantonwilkes barre
if the yankees become sellers they have some pieces to move beltran who is in the final year of his contract has 18 home runs and 48 runs batted in and he could be of interest to a contender looking to fortify its designated hitter spot such as kansas city or houston if the yankees are willing to move either of their two elite closers andrew miller or aroldis chapman there should be a long list of suitors beginning with washington
cashman who described the yankees as always trying to live for today hoped more players could mirror the resurgence of third baseman chase headley and shortstop didi gregorius who have hit much better in the last six weeks gregorius doubled and tripled tuesday
but designated hitter alex rodriguez who came up with seven runners on base and drove in one is hitting 216 and catcher brian mccann who followed up his two home runs in sundays loss at minnesota with three strikeouts is mired at 219
nova who has a 688 era over his last six starts has become emblematic of a starting rotation that has begun to backslide after a strong may
the yankees may get first baseman mark teixeira back soon he began a three game rehabilitation assignment tuesday night at scrantonwilkes barre but teixeira is hitting 180 and has not homered in more than two months
hal has belief in this club i have belief in this club but we have to go out and do it girardi said belief is not enough you have to go out and produce


houston   lionel messi stood calmly over the ball about 25 yards from the goal contemplating the possibilities in front of him which for him often seem almost infinite he had already made one spectacular pass that had led to a goal for argentina and now he had a chance for another moment of brilliance
messi took two steps and then struck the ball with his left instep curling it over the wall of defenders and back down into the absolute upper right corner of the goal where it stung the net with such force that the goal posts rattled
the american goalkeeper brad guzan had no chance and neither did his team
behind messis almost predictable mastery argentina thrashed the united states mens soccer team by 4 0 in a copa america centenario semifinal at nrg stadium on tuesday night in a game that reaffirmed messis widely accepted place as the worlds best player
messi set up the first goal with a clever pass to ezequiel lavezzi in the third minute scored the second goal on the exquisitely placed free kick later in the half and finally scooped up a loose ball in front of the goal in the 86th minute and fed it to gonzalo higuain for higuains second score of the game and argentinas fourth
it was a demonstration of total superiority that left united states coach jurgen klinsmann saying that the best team   by far   had won
after that early goal i think our players could feel that probably at every position on the field they were just better than we are klinsmann said
that was particularly the case up front messis goal was his 55th for his country pushing him past gabriel batistuta as argentinas leading scorer and he will have a chance to score more in this tournament on sunday argentina will play the winner of wednesdays semifinal in chicago between colombia and chile with the hope of winning its first major trophy in more than 20 years since the 1993 copa america
for all his talent and all his championship success at the club level with barcelona messi has never won a major international tournament with argentina but he has come agonizingly close the argentines lost in the final at the 2014 world cup and again at the 2015 copa america so sundays final will be messis third chance in three years
the americans had been hoping for one of the biggest upsets in their history but they knew it would require suppressing messi instead the extraordinary gifts bestowed on his two small feet were too much for the americans to overcome delighting the argentina fans who were a minority in the stadium
messi dribbled around the perimeter of the united states defense probed for cracks and darted past stumbling defenders he lifted incisive passes onto the welcoming feet of his teammates and scored what was perhaps the goal of the tournament
he has an unbelievable left foot said the united states captain michael bradley who was part of the four man wall that messi defied everybody in the world knows that he was able to hook a great one in the upper corner
but it was not just messi argentina the winner of 14 copa americas and two world cups is loaded with talent and spent much of the night playing keep away from the hustling americans argentina completed 625 passes compared with 191 by the americans who did not have a single shot on goal
we got dominated said sunil gulati the president of the united states soccer federation getting here was an accomplishment but it doesnt feel quite the way it did a few hours ago
for the americans the task of facing argentina was made more difficult because three starters from their last game   jermaine jones alejandro bedoya and bobby wood   were suspended because of cards they had received in the quarterfinal win
and clint dempsey   the local star for the united states having grown up in nacogdoches tex   could not crack the argentine defense and was replaced in the 78th minute unable to do for his country what messi did for his
on saturday in a quarterfinal against venezuela in foxborough mass messi had waited until the eighth minute to make a remarkable pass that produced the games first goal on tuesday he required less than half that time
in the third minute argentina played a short pass off a corner kick and lavezzi pushed the ball back to messi who was standing alone just outside the 18 yard box
as soon as he tapped the ball in messis direction lavezzi broke in the opposite direction toward the goal and messi with one expert touch chipped a floating ball back into the box
lavezzi was all alone there and he headed the ball over guzan for the goal
klinsmann lamented that his players appeared to show too much respect for argentinas talent on messis brilliant free kick in particular klinsmann said the argentines moved the ball ahead by about five yards without a complaint from the american players that five yard differential klinsmann said allowed messi to shoot instead of pass
in general we had too much respect klinsmann said
bradley respectfully disagreed with that assertion
i respect his opinion bradley said please dont make it out to be anything like that
before the first ball of the copa america was kicked this month klinsmann set a clear target for the team reach the semifinals it was an ambitious but realistic pursuit even for a country whose history in the copa had been sporadic at best
the united states achieved klinsmanns objective by beating ecuador last week but awaiting the americans in the semifinals was an opponent with a much more impressive pedigree and a much more talented roster


general manager sandy alderson watches mets games the way most fans do filled with exhilaration when his team wins and frustration when it loses but as the mets face a familiar crossroad in their season   five games above 500 after tuesdays 2 1 win over the kansas city royals   alderson is juggling more than emotions
the lineup has been the biggest drag on the team and the front office is weighing all options for upgrades to an offense that ranks near the bottom of baseball in several categories while the mets welcomed back catcher travis darnaud they will hold a workout for the cuban defector yulieski gourriel keep an eye on the former met jose reyes and take a look at which prospects might be promoted or demoted
if you look at the team as a whole there arent a lot of places where a significant upgrade is possible alderson said before the game tuesday but were always looking time is against us a little bit in the sense that were not that close to the trade deadline
the mets have already made minor tweaks to their roster   first baseman james loney and the utility man kelly johnson were recently added   but deals for frontline players are not likely until closer to the aug 1 trade deadline through 69 games last season the mets had a 36 33 record but july trades sparked a second half turnaround
that doesnt happen very often where a team just catches fire at the deadline and most of the deals work alderson said thats not historically true so in that sense waiting until the deadline isnt necessarily a great strategy
the mets must also ask themselves will one significant addition make much difference kevin plawecki was sent to class aaa las vegas to make room for the better hitting darnaud who had been out since late april because of a rotator cuff injury in his throwing shoulder third baseman david wright neck and first baseman lucas duda back remain on the disabled list
there are only a few things that really we can do to change the team profile and thats kind of at the margins alderson said in that sense focusing on one or two players is inappropriate right now its a team outage and we need to figure out how to correct that as opposed to rearranging deck chairs
alderson admitted that the mets had considered swapping the struggling outfielder michael conforto with the outfield prospect brandon nimmo but they are keeping conforto for now
i didnt want to show a huge panic and all of a sudden just starting flipping guys out and start bringing three or four guys up and sending guys out manager terry collins said because im not sure thats the way to keep things calm
the mets list of injured grew tuesday reliever jim henderson was placed on the disabled list with right biceps tendinitis returning from tommy john surgery in the minor leagues starter zack wheeler was shut down with elbow discomfort and will see mets doctors wednesday in new york
starter bartolo colon left after four pitches when a ground ball off whit merrifields bat hit colons right thumb the injury initially looked bad but the mets announced that colons x ray results were negative
when the ball hit me i prayed to god that my finger wasnt broken colon said
collins said the mets would re evaluate colons swollen thumb thursday colon said he had no issue gripping a ball after the game
the mets all or nothing offense provided the needed support in solo home runs by asdrubal cabrera and yoenis cespedes in colons place the bullpen cobbled together the next 26 outs with five relievers led by hansel robles who threw 65 pitches in a career high three and two thirds innings
i was a little tired but not exhausted robles said
for now the mets will explore outside options for their lineup like gourriel 32 who can play second or third base and is a career 335 hitter in cuba and japan he was once considered cubas top prospect but defected in february he has not played professionally in months and may command a sizable financial commitment
alderson said the mets would do due diligence on gourriel
its not clear how long a player in that situation would take to be ready alderson said and of course theres the investment and all the other issues and making an evaluation based on workouts primarily and not game competition
the mets may also consider reyes a former homegrown star shortstop who was designated for assignment by the colorado rockies last week if unclaimed on waivers or untraded by this weekend reyes will be a free agent
reyes could be signed for the prorated major league minimum but his diminished skills aside his off the field issues could scare teams away although domestic abuse charges were dropped reyes served a 51 game suspension issued by major league baseball stemming from an off season episode with his wife
alderson said the mets balanced their evaluations of talent with those of character
those are things that we dont ignore and are always taken into account when we make a player acquisition or decision he said


new york like most places of human habitation has a long history of bribery but until now the literature did not reveal any documented episodes in which the graft was packaged as christmas presents and delivered by two orthodox jewish businessmen dressed up as elves
but now we know there were at least two such instances if a criminal complaint filed in federal court this week can be trusted it charged three new york police commanders with serving as errand boys for the businessmen
mayor bill de blasio had absolutely nothing to do with the christmas presents but it is his unique fate to have taken political contributions from the two businessmen the federal complaint lays out a dynamic in which gifts and bribes were provided by the men to the police commanders in direct exchange for favors they sought
the two men have ties to a neighborhood where the ambitions of police commanders depend on their ability to maintain cordial relationships with elements of the ultra orthodox jewish community
generations of brooklyn commanders particularly in the precincts serving borough park and crown heights have made or broken their careers by doing the right favors
one night in december 1978 hundreds of hasidic protesters swarmed into the 66th precinct station house in borough park destroyed a teletype machine flung thousands of files onto the floor and got into a pitched battle with police reinforcements summoned by the four officers who were overwhelmed by the mob
in the end 60 police officers were injured no one was arrested
a t shirt was created by patrol officers with a new nickname for the precinct fort surrender
in the same neighborhood two decades later on an evening in june 1997 thousands of hasidim chased off deputy sheriffs who had gotten into a scuffle with a scofflaw whose car they were trying to tow however the two star police chief in charge of brooklyn south george brown refused to immediately release the young man from custody despite the demands of community leaders and politicians
whether principled or stubborn this was not the tactic of a clever careerist chief brown was transferred two weeks later to police headquarters to a job doing nothing and for good measure in keeping with the fort surrender tradition mayor rudolph w giulianis administration suspended the towing program in borough park for months resuming it only when the suspension was publicly reported first though the mayor announced that the sheriffs would be sent out for sensitivity training a precaution apparently unnecessary elsewhere in the city
the authority of precinct commanders over private jewish security patrols is openly questioned community members say the patrols have long been necessary to keep the jewish community from being preyed upon especially during the decades when the city was afflicted with high crime rates
however essential compromised or straightforward the relationships were between police commanders and community leaders the kind of gross bribery charged in the complaint was never part of the picture police commanders responded to political leaders who in turn saw reliable voting blocs that did not need to be wooed with costly advertisements or get out the vote campaigns
if the criminal complaint is to be believed the two men at the center of the case jeremiah reichberg 42 of borough park and jona s rechnitz 33 sought favors like police escorts through traffic harassment of rivals help with arrests intervention in business disputes and placards for parking privileges
in exchange they delivered gifts like video game systems as christmas presents to the homes of senior commanders or flew them on trips to las vegas or treated them to family vacations one episode of currying favor is said to have involved hiring a security firm owned by the family of a police executive at one police plaza
the charges are sordid the two businessmen were involved in these relationships according to the indictment well before mr de blasio took office with the departure of mayor michael r bloomberg who used his personal fortune to fund his political ambitions the businessmen turned their attention to mr de blasio mr rechnitz served as a member of his inaugural committee and later gave 102300 to a political action group allied with the mayor
mr de blasio has said he raised money to advance a liberal agenda in the state legislature
what the two men sought or received from his administration if anything is not known
look mr de blasio told reporters last week of mr rechnitz i wish i never met the guy


donald j trump met privately with evangelicals on tuesday in new york asking for their support and questioning hillary clintons faith
before meeting with a larger group mr trump the presumptive republican presidential nominee spoke to a small number of evangelical leaders from around the country and according to video posted to twitter by a minister in attendance mr trump said that we dont know anything about hillary in terms of religion now shes been in the public eye for years and years and yet theres no   theres nothing out there
in response to mr trumps comment the clinton campaign released a statement from deborah fikes who had been an executive adviser to the world evangelical alliance
mr trumps proposals are not just un christian   theyre un american and at odds with the values our country holds dearest her statement read
ms fikes also stated that mrs clinton whom she said was known as sister hillary by organizations she worked with is embraced by many evangelical sister churches as a trustworthy and respected political leader because she lives the golden rule in her private life and in her public policies
in response to whether mr trump was questioning mrs clintons faith hope hicks mr trumps spokeswoman said there was no intention of doing so instead ms hicks said mr trump should be praised for responding to a question about mrs clintons faith by saying that he was not aware of mrs clintons ties to religion
mrs clinton a methodist has rarely talked about her faith on the campaign trail but at a rally in january in iowa she offered a lengthy reply to a question about her christianity
my study of the bible my many conversations with people of faith has led me to believe the most important commandment is to love the lord with all your might and to love your neighbor as yourself and that is what i think we are commanded by christ to do she said
her support of planned parenthood and of abortion rights however clashes with the views of many socially conservative christians
it was on these issues that many of the evangelicals sought assurances from mr trump telling him that they wanted to see him choose a socially conservative running mate with a good relationship to the christian community eight members of the group said at a news conference after the meeting
mr trump has seemed to struggle at times in his attempts to court the evangelical vote in november mr trump scheduled a news conference saying that a large group of black pastors would endorse him but the group replied that although they were willing to listen to him they were not ready to endorse mr trump canceled the news conference for a private meeting instead then called an impromptu news conference after the meeting where none of the pastors offered a formal endorsement
on tuesday one attendee marjorie dannenfelser the president of the susan b anthony list said she was impressed by three commitments mr trump said he would make if he were elected president
she said he promised to defund planned parenthood to pass hr 36 or the pain capable unborn child protection act and to appoint a pro life supreme court justice
attendees were quick to acknowledge that mr trump had not completely bridged a gap with social conservatives and evangelicals tony perkins president of the family research council said that conservatives dont completely understand him because he comes a little bit from a different world but they identify with him
mark gonzales a pastor and founder of the hispanic action network said mr trump also might find it difficult to reach out to hispanics mr gonzales said he had discussed immigration with mr trump but concluded that the conversation will continue
the verdict is still out as he continues to try to create that narrative that we hope will be more welcoming and wont be as harsh mr gonzales said
during the news conference a reporter asked which of the eight attendees were ready to endorse mr trump none raised a hand


federal prosecutors will not file charges against three police officers in pasco wash who shot and killed a mentally ill man last year sparking weeks of protests united states attorney michael ormsby said tuesday that there was insufficient evidence that the officers violated the civil rights of the man antonio zambrano montes when they fired 17 bullets at him on feb 10 2015 mr zambrano montes 35 an orchard worker from mexico was shot as he threw rocks at the police at a busy downtown intersection an autopsy showed he had methamphetamine in his system he also had a history of mental illness and previous interactions with the police local prosecutors had previously cleared the officers adrian alaniz ryan flanagan and adam wright when he then turned to surrender they shot him to death mr zambrano montess mother agapita montes rivera of parotita mexico said in the statement where is justice for my son she said the parents have filed a lawsuit in federal court contending the officers used excessive force ap
two 25 year old men were convicted tuesday of trying to become fighters for the islamic state nader elhuzayel and muhanad badawi both of anaheim calif schemed last year for mr elhuzayel to fly to the middle east to fight for the islamic state federal officials said mr badawi a college engineering student also was convicted of aiding and abetting an attempt to provide support for terrorists and financial aid fraud authorities say he used a federal college grant to support the cause mr elhuzayel also was convicted of 26 counts of bank fraud federal officials said he deposited stolen checks in his bank accounts and withdrew money intending to use the cash to fight in syria the fbi said the men shared their support for the islamic state in conversation and on social media their lawyers say their comments were offensive but not criminal mr badawis lawyer said he never actually intended to fight for the islamic state but was a lot of talk and absolutely no action ap


born and raised in china rowena xiaoqing he is best known for her research on the 1989 tiananmen democracy movement in 2010 she created a freshman seminar at harvard called rebels with a cause tiananmen in history and memory and in 2014 she published tiananmen exiles voices of the struggle for democracy in china in 2015 she joined the faculty of st michaels college in vermont where she continues to offer the seminar while her work has won respect from fellow scholars it has made her a target of attacks by young patriotic chinese her current research explores the development of such nationalistic sentiments in china after the military suppression of the protests on june 4 1989
what prompted you to research the tiananmen movement
our generation grew up in an atmosphere of idealism in 1989 i joined students across the country and participated in demonstrations in guangdong province we took to the streets not because of hatred and despair but because of love and hope the sense of historical responsibility and faith in reform among intellectuals in the 1980s were crushed overnight june 4 remains a taboo banned from open discussions we have been bearing this open wound up to the present june 4 is a watershed and the root of major social problems in china including cynicism nationalism and materialism its impossible to understand todays china without understanding the spring of 1989
whats the biggest challenge teaching tiananmen
as a result of the governments cover up the history of 1989 has become obscured but the biggest challenge in my teaching experience was not just about facts but values the facts are relatively straightforward but swayed by the rationale that the crackdown was necessary to thwart a western conspiracy to divide and weaken china and hence paved the way for chinas rise many of the younger generation tend to identify with the governments twisted reasoning for most american students the argument that human lives could be sacrificed for economic development and a strong nation is strange but it has become accepted by many chinese
how did you deal with this
presenting evidence i tell my students that june 4 is like a puzzle we need to put together the pieces to restore a true and complete picture for example it was argued that there was no tiananmen massacre because no one was killed in tiananmen square one student decided to let history speak for itself by translating a chapter in ding zilins in search of the victims of june 4 about a victim being shot and killed by the flagpole in tiananmen square of course the massacre cant be denied based on the number of casualties in the square just as the tiananmen movement wasnt confined to tiananmen square but instead a nationwide movement the tiananmen massacre didnt just take place within tiananmen square but included killings throughout central beijing the two maps that we use   one pinpointing where victims were killed and the other where bodies were found   are self evident
harvards tiananmen archive has 28 boxes of material when i asked the students whether they would like to open the box of bloodstained clothes they first looked at the box with awe then they became very quiet from the moment i opened the box and brought out the bloody clothes and translated the note that explained that the blood belonged to a wounded student who fell at muxidi next to a peking university graduate student the students remained silent after a while one asked did he survive i said i didnt know i only knew that the person who smuggled the pants out must have run a great risk hoping that someday someone would take it seriously that the world would remember this piece of history so that the blood of the chinese people would not have been shed in vain
the archive contains boxes of photographs once a usually conscientious student suddenly dropped the photographs and walked away i was puzzled later in his final paper he explained his feelings on that day he said in the first part of those photos of student demonstrations they were full of hope then he saw the pictures of the crackdown a student with his face bloodied to a pulp and he couldnt take it he said the students were as young as we are now when students see such evidence they wont be satisfied with the excuse that the crackdown was necessary for economic development
why do students take this course
i always ask them that in the first class one student said ive been to china and the tour guide said there were three ts that should not be mentioned taiwan tibet and tiananmen a canadian born chinese student said he had heard the media talk about tiananmen and june 4 but didnt know what that was about until his parents took him to china on the tour bus he saw tourists from hong kong and the mainland tour guide heatedly debating june 4 he was confused both sides were supposed to be chinese but each side believed they knew the truth and neither was able to convince the other
in addition some american students had been to china and had the opportunity to live and study with their peers their questions were interesting one student said her friends in china were smart and well educated but why did they say that chinese were low quality people and should not have democracy isnt that racism
whats the reaction of mainland chinese students
some start by defending the government and some have never even heard of june 4
in one summer school class a student often questioned me and made clear that i shouldnt expect to change her mind i said if you dont believe me why are you taking my course she said that she and her friends had assumed it was an easy course the first time they were touched was after hearing the testimony of fang zheng whose legs were crushed by a tank toward the end of the semester the student who didnt believe me raised her hand instead of questioning me this time she said she finally pushed her mother to tell the truth her mother had told her she didnt know anything about 1989 my student asked but you were in college then and my teacher said that students would know it turned out that her mother had taken a train to beijing and gone to tiananmen square her boyfriend at the time who is now this students father was locked at home by his own father and couldnt go so her mother was in tiananmen square in 1989 but told her daughter that she didnt know anything about it
another time in a discussion of june 4 a student from beijing burst into tears she said this is the city where i grew up ive walked those streets from the time i was a child but why hadnt anyone ever told me something like this happened
because of your study of june 4 you have been attacked by some chinese students why
were in a foreign land using a foreign language to discuss an important event in our own country but this event cant be mentioned in china itself the younger generation knows nothing about it or defends the crackdown and attacks those who speak the truth
in the 1980s being critical of the government and pushing for reform were considered patriotic how has it that patriotism has turned into defending the government and criticizing it is interpreted as treason where did these opposite understandings of patriotism come from those were the questions that prompted me to start my project on student nationalism in post tiananmen china
why did patriotic education and nationalistic thinking appear after 1989
after the june 4 crackdown the state needed to re establish its legitimacy the patriotic education campaign working within a historical vacuum seems to have been effective but it is precisely these values that hold that human life human dignity and human rights can be sacrificed for prosperity and power that have turned post 89 china into a society with no bottom line and no trust the distortion of history is accompanied by distortions of all kinds   political social psychological such values stopping at nothing for its goals have not only affected china but the world


minnie mouse stood behind a painted line waving her arms to passing children a disney princess guided a girl to a patch of teal colored pavement before snapping a photo with her the hulk paced back and forth bristling at the restrictions
an animated sort of order came to times square on tuesday penning costumed characters and other tip seekers to painted zones within its plazas the performers mostly obeyed the rules as police officers monitored the square
not a single elmo or iron man was seen being taken away in handcuffs or even clutching a summons but the costumed characters were not happy about the new guidelines
dressed as olaf from the movie frozen victor aldea said the rules made it more difficult to make money in the early afternoon he held up a single dollar bill he had earned so far as his colleague dressed as minnie mouse opened her purse to show that it was empty
im going to respect the rules for the moment mr aldea 40 said
the city council voted to rein in the performers this year after complaints that they were too aggressive in asking pedestrians for tips mayor bill de blasio a democrat signed the councils bill which allowed the new york city transportation department to create new rules for pedestrian plazas
in recent weeks workers began painting the teal activity zones in times square between 42nd and 47th streets costumed characters and ticket sellers are supposed to stay in the 8 by 50 foot boxes when they solicit money passers by are directed to walk in pedestrian flow zones signs remind tourists that tips are optional if performers break the rules they can be issued a criminal summons or even be arrested
as sunshine spilled across the busy plazas on tuesday afternoon tourists occasionally stopped for a photo along 42nd street where more than a dozen characters were loitering when one of robin smiths relatives paid two spider men 5 after taking their photo ms smith approached them and said she wanted a follow up performance for that high a fee the spider men began to dance drawing laughs from her group
ms smith 48 who was visiting from north carolina said she appreciated the new rules because she did not like being followed in the past by people who were selling tour bus tickets now the decision was hers
we dont feel like were being harassed ms smith said
as he walked through times square alex diner said the performers did not bother him he works in the neighborhood and believes the area has become too clean and too organized
were getting to a point wheres its getting sterile and im not thrilled with that said mr diner 38 who works in finance and lives in manhattan
once emblematic of a seedier era in the city times square has been transformed into a family friendly tourist destination with a corridor of crowded pedestrian plazas but some characters have not played nicely including a man dressed as spider man who punched a police officer in 2014
after complaints last summer over the proliferation of topless painted women known as desnudas mr de blasio said he would consider removing the plazas the new rules were a compromise aimed at easing the increasingly chaotic atmosphere
at least one performer said the new zones were good for business robert burck known as the naked cowboy said tips were up he reached into his guitar and pulled out a wad of cash instead of wandering the plazas he now performed in one zone and more people were stopping to watch
i love the boxes he said i never would have thought i would


goshen ny   angelika graswald the woman accused of killing her fiance while on a kayak outing last year asked an investigator who miranda was   a few hours after she had been read her miranda rights according to testimony in a pretrial hearing here on tuesday
in his cross examination of the investigator ms graswalds lawyer richard a portale sought to show that his client a native of latvia did not grasp the implications of the 11 hour police interrogation that preceded her arrest on second degree murder charges
my client mr portale said in court is asking whats miranda whos miranda
the investigator donald dequarto responded that he felt confident that earlier in the police interrogation ms graswald had comprehended her rights
i asked her if she understood it and she stated yes mr dequarto said i remember her reading the piece of paper and writing it onto a piece of paper the miranda warning
during the interrogation ms graswald admitted to removing the drain plug of the kayak that belonged to her fiance vincent viafore and also tampering with his paddle mr viafore 46 drowned on april 19 2015 when his kayak capsized in rough water on the hudson river
the miranda warning is usually read to suspects at the start of a police interrogation it alerts them to their right to remain silent and to obtain a lawyer and is intended to preserve the admissibility of evidence at trial
the miranda rights get their name from a case involving ernesto arturo miranda a laborer whose confession led to his conviction for armed robbery kidnapping and rape his appeal resulted in a landmark supreme court ruling in 1966 that said suspects must be informed of their right to legal representation and against self incrimination
the purpose of the pretrial hearing is to determine how investigators obtained their evidence in the case against ms graswald 36 the case hinges largely on statements she made to the police including the videotaped interrogation that mr portale is trying to keep out of the trial
during the hearing mr dequarto said that he had read ms graswald her miranda rights only after they had spoken for more than three hours at the police barracks in orange county the questioning came 10 days after mr viafores kayak had capsized in the river an autopsy report ruled the cause of death a drowning and the manner of death homicide citing the kayak drain plug intentionally removed by other
prosecutors say that ms graswald was motivated by mr viafores life insurance policy she stood to collect 250000 in benefits
the long interrogation followed an encounter earlier in the day between ms graswald and the police on bannerman island where the couple who lived together in poughkeepsie ny had rested the day he capsized on the island ms graswald who was laying a memorial wreath had told mr dequarto that she felt trapped in the relationship and confessed to sabotaging his kayak he said in earlier testimony
but mr portale said the video of the 11 hour interrogation shows that around the seventh hour ms graswald appears not to have understood her rights inquiring about miranda as though it might be a person
in another strange detail in a case full of them mr dequarto testified that ms graswald suggested she was pregnant at the time of mr viafores death
two hours in she asks to use the bathroom mr portale said to mr dequarto she comes back and she relates to you that maybe she just had a miscarriage do you remember that mr dequarto said he did remember
in other testimony susan mccardell a volunteer gardener at bannerman island said she saw ms graswald in distress when she was with the officers on the island last spring investigators have testified that ms graswald who also volunteered on the island seemed agitated
they were bullying her she was crying ms mccardell said it was obvious to anyone it was not a good situation she was unhappy she was crying she did not want to be alone
but she said ms graswald indicated that ms mccardell should not stay so did the officers she testified ms mccardell said one of the investigators told her she doesnt really need you shes ok
ms mccardell said she returned a second time about a half hour later and found ms graswald still in tears she was still crying she was a little more agitated ms mccardell said i said do you want me to stay i think i should be here with you
her testimony contrasts with that of the investigators who testified that while ms graswald was agitated on the island she seemed happy go lucky on the boat ride back to police headquarters
ms graswalds english skills could prove crucial to whether jurors are allowed to view the taped police interrogation a decision is expected in late july
a native russian speaker ms graswald arrived in the united states as an au pair more than 15 years ago mr portale has portrayed ms graswald as struggling with english but during the police investigation she demonstrated a sophisticated grasp of the language
in a video clip of the interrogation shown last fall on abcs 2020 a detective asked when you watched him in the water was a part of you saying my worries are going away now were you almost  he paused but she filled in the word offering euphoric the detective said euphoric that he was gone   you felt that way she answered i still do


washington   the eight midlevel foreign service officers stepped into john kerrys formal outer office at the state department on tuesday   a room that few of them had ever entered before   to tell him that he was pursuing a path in syria that would never bring an end to a gruesome civil war
the argument was not new to mr kerry   he in fact has offered versions of it himself in the situation room and the oval office but for half an hour according to several participants the secretary of state and the eight officials engaged in a surprisingly cordial conversation about whether there was a way in the last six months of the obama presidency to use american military force to help end a conflict that by some estimates has claimed 500000 lives
the eight were among 51 state department employees who signed a dissent channel cable to mr kerry last week a letter that was leaked so quickly that it appeared clearly intended to send a message to president obama that his own diplomats could not back his cautious policy
mr kerry several participants said was careful to never explicitly agree with their critique or let on that he too has argued that president bashar al assad of syria will continue to bomb starve and blockade his own people unless negotiations are backed by some form of military pressure
but mr kerry also gently pushed and probed seeming to imply that many of the dissenters concerns had been considered many times before and rejected because they were more complicated than they appeared
hours before the meeting vice president joseph r biden jr seemed annoyed at a mention of the dissent cable sounding a similar note on cbs this morning that all the ideas proposed by the young diplomats had been looked at long ago
there is not a single solitary recommendation that i saw that has a single solitary answer attached to it   how to do what theyre talking about mr biden said
the presidents been fastidious mr biden told charlie rose calls the joint chiefs of staff the intelligence community the director of central intelligence the cia et cetera tell me what will work will this work and the answer has repeatedly been no
with only two of his aides in the room and his labrador retriever ben who has attended delicate diplomatic meetings more than many assistant secretaries of state mr kerry raised a series of questions about what might happen if the dissenters won the day what would be the legal basis for bombing mr assads forces in the absence of resolutions by the united nations or even nato what would happen if american forces came into an accidental confrontation with the russian air force which has defended mr assad what if american pilots were shot down how would the effort affect the american battle with the islamic state
the session was an unusual one only four or five dissent channel cables are written each year and most stay confidential
but the very public nature of this one has left mr kerry in an awkward position he does not want to appear to differ from the presidents strategy and he kept his own counsel tuesday about what he tells mr obama in private mr kerrys aides insist that there is a common strategy one that starts with trying to get russia to press for enforcement of a much violated cease fire
at the same time it is mr kerry who first burst into public awareness when as a just returned naval officer in vietnam he issued his own famous dissent in 1971 by demanding before the senate foreign relations committee how do you ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake
perhaps the most remarkable thing about the meeting was that five years into the syrian civil war   after mr obama declared that mr assad must go the unenforced red lines and a series of failed cease fire accords   even some of the people who ran syria diplomacy day to day had not heard the rationale for the administrations caution
the pentagon remains cautious about entering another middle east war when it cannot control the outcome and the passage of time has precluded some options
earlier in the conflict some of mr kerrys own diplomats have said in recent months it would have been possible to crater the runways used by mr assads air force making it impossible for planes to take off and drop barrel bombs the united states has used that tactic since world war ii and it is unclear why it has not been employed in syria
hillary clinton when she held mr kerrys post argued for arming the syrian rebels a position joined by the cia director at the time david h petraeus but mr obama was concerned   rightly many others in the room at the time said   that there was no assurance that those rebels would not use the weapons for other purposes
and as mr kerry implicitly noted to his visitors on tuesday russias entry into the conflict greatly complicates any american military intervention the chances of accidental encounters that may turn deadly are considerable
mr kerry spoke again on tuesday to his russian counterpart sergey v lavrov to find a way to enforce the cease fire that the two men first announced in february russia wants a degree of coordination with united states forces including shared use of intelligence that gives the pentagon chills
mr kerry knows he is in a race against time not only are more syrians dying every day but his own leverage in the negotiations is also waning mr assad may well be betting that he can wait out the end of the obama administration
mr kerry publicly insists that is not the case asked last month in vienna if mr assad doubted that there was a plan b for military action mr kerry said if you know that hes come to a conclusion theres no plan b then hes come to a conclusion that is totally without any foundation whatsoever and even dangerous dangerous
perhaps so but mr assad by now has most likely both read the dissent channel cable and heard mr bidens argument that the joint chiefs do not believe there are viable military options to force him into negotiating a peace
as the eight dissenters left mr kerrys office nothing seemed resolved they all agreed to keep the details of their conversation private but they also agreed that this was not the last word about a strategy that has left everyone   dissenters the secretary of state and the president alike   frustrated that nothing has worked


washington   representative steve king republican of iowa moved on tuesday to block the treasury departments sweeping plan to represent women and civil rights leaders on american currency including the placement of harriet tubman on the 20 bill
mr king filed an amendment to an annual appropriations bill that would prevent any money from being spent to redesign american currency it is unclear whether it will ultimately get a vote when the full spending bill which covers financial services and general government appropriations comes before the house this week
the congressmans motivation for filing the amendment was also unclear his office did not immediately respond to a request for comment the amendment was first reported by the huffington post
mr king is known nationally for his polarizing stance on illegal immigration he has introduced legislation to revoke birthright citizenship for the children of undocumented immigrants in 2013 mr king drew ire for saying that such children were likely to be drug mules with calves the size of cantaloupes from hauling marijuana
his brief two line currency measure comes two months after the treasury department announced that tubman the former slave and abolitionist would replace the slaveholding andrew jackson on the 20 bill
that decision capped months of intense debate over treasury secretary jacob j lews original promise to make a woman the face of the 10 bill   a change that would have displaced the first treasury secretary alexander hamilton just as he is having his own second act as the protagonist of a tony award winning musical
the treasury departments latest proposal also includes plans to add other women and civil rights leaders to the 5 and 10 notes including eleanor roosevelt and the rev dr martin luther king jr
it is possible that the congressmans amendment will not even be added to the spending bill after a bitter fight last month over a democratic amendment on discrimination against gay people effectively derailed an energy and water spending bill republican leaders changed procedures so that all proposed amendments must first be reviewed by the house rules committee


there are rabbits with silken pelts and guinea pigs with curly hair a flock of chickens crops of eggplant corn apples and even a banana tree   all thriving in one of the grittiest neighborhoods in new york city
james mccrae and a group of volunteers have spent two decades cultivating this once barren stretch of glenmore avenue in east new york brooklyn making it one of the citys most resplendent community gardens raising a grassy lawn to replace broken pavement and planting herbs for cooking shady benches sit under flowering bowers inside the garden where the gardeners used to sit reaching up occasionally to pluck wine grapes overhead but today they spend their days hunkered on folding chairs on the sidewalk outside the gates watching the flowers wither and the blueberries rot
on may 31 the city padlocked the garden green gem as a response to inspectors discovery of a startling crop marijuana plants the gardeners insist they were unaware of the illicit plants sowed they say by a single volunteer gardener whom they have since ejected the gardeners say they are being unfairly punished
my stuff is dying food is dying said mr mccrae 60 who works as a hospital custodian i lost three trees of cherries a tree of blueberries a tree of apricot a strawberry field this was a junkyard before we got started nobody walked down these streets because they were afraid of guns and rats running out of this yard
the garden was so bountiful he said he has lived off what is left of the corn collards and eggs that he does not give away local day care centers used the garden every day as a grassy playground and neighbors held birthday parties for toddlers beside the koi pond he dug by hand
i dont have time to grow marijuana he said i have too much to lose
green gem is one of about 600 community gardens in new york city that are part of the greenthumb program administered by the parks department volunteers like mr mccrae enter into agreements with the city to serve as stewards of the parks they are responsible for tasks like planting and harvesting weeding and pruning but their licenses are conditional they must follow the rules
on surprise visits in 2014 and 2015 inspectors found that green gem which mr mccrae the son of farmers from south carolina started 23 years ago had a number of violations those included keeping roosters which are not permitted in new york city and running an electrical cord from a building into the park
but the most egregious violation was discovered in 2014 where it had been hidden underneath a rain barrel a two foot tall marijuana plant according to bill losasso the director of the greenthumb program the plant was destroyed and mr mccrae and the volunteer gardeners who work with him were put on notice he said but in summer 2015 two more marijuana plants were discovered seedlings the gardeners said growing inside coffee cups
the repeat violations led the city to move to close the garden which was locked in the spring after formal proceedings had ended and its license was revoked the parks department said the move was reported by the brownsville east new york patch website no one was charged in connection with the growing of the marijuana plants and the gardeners declined to reveal the name of the person they say grew them
when people become licensees of these community gardens they are taking on important leadership roles in their communities they are role models of their community mr losasso said i think it goes without saying that growing marijuana in a community garden on public space is not acting in the best needs of this community or any community
for the moment the garden stands in limbo yet the neighborhood gardeners most of them men of puerto rican descent like gabriel maldonado 65 who used to tend to it seven days a week and built wooden toy cars from recycled pallets and old wheelchair parts still show up every day on an afternoon this month mr maldonado stood on the sidewalk his fingers hooked through the wire gate peering anxiously at wilting rose bushes and the accumulating litter he could not tidy up
it hurts mr maldonado said it looks like a jungle it never looks like this
the parks department said garden licenses were rarely revoked the last time was in 2010 when the management of a garden in brownsville brooklyn was turned over to another group because administrators had failed to keep the garden open on a regular basis according to sam biederman a spokesman for the department we are not in the business of closing down gardens he said only if something truly egregious happens does something like this happen
as for green gem the goal is to reopen the garden under new operators a decision that will be made after the parks department meets with community members some longtime gardeners and neighbors speculated that the gardens closing was simply a land grab at a time when the neighborhood is poised for rapid development because of a recent rezoning and the citys plan to invest heavily in east new york the parks department rejected such rumors the garden will remain a garden mr biederman said
but it is highly unlikely that control of the garden will ever be returned to mr mccrae who is known locally as mr james and the garden as mr jamess garden the breeze that this garden gives off   ooh said jazzy johnson 38 a neighbor you leave your problems outside you leave your problems down the block i really really pray he gets his garden back its the communitys
mr mccrae said he was planning to sue the city to regain the right to run the garden these are my diamonds these flowers these trees he said now all i get to do is walk up and down on the sidewalk saying to myself this is the world we live in
as the gardens future is decided the rabbits and the chickens have been moved to a narrow vacant lot behind green gem the space was lent by a neighbor to the gardenless gardeners who still show up every day when they arrived three weeks ago the scrap of land was also a junkyard now eggplant is growing


the death of the actor anton yelchin killed when his jeep grand cherokee rolled backward down a driveway and crushed him against a mailbox pillar last weekend has cast a public spotlight on a problem with some models of jeeps and other fiat chrysler vehicles
but for the company there is nothing new about the issue   which federal regulators first flagged last august
the question is why nearly a year later fiat chrysler has still not come up with a fix for the problem which has now been linked to hundreds of accidents dozens of injuries and now   potentially   a well publicized death
the company which issued a recall notice on more than one million affected vehicles in april will say only it is still working on a solution there was no decision about a recall until this year and there has been no delay it has written to federal regulators that the remedy will include a software change and an additional mechanism to mitigate the effect of operator error
that solution is expected no later than july or august a fiat chrysler spokesman eric mayne said on tuesday in an email
and yet as far back as march fiat chrysler was telling federal investigators that it already had potential solutions
the problem involves an electronic gearshift whose operation is similar to that of a video game joystick it has confused many drivers who thought they had left their cars in park only to find they were in neutral and started rolling away after the drivers stepped out
rollaway accidents are particularly dangerous and the investigation and recall are taking too long clarence ditlow executive director of the center for auto safety a consumer advocacy group said on tuesday
there was no sense of urgency on chryslers part or nhtsas part given the potential for death or injury he said in an interview referring to the national highway traffic safety administration
last august officials at the highway safety administration told fiat chrysler that it was investigating complaints from 14 owners of some of fiat chryslers most popular models the owners said their vehicles had rolled away   in some cases causing accidents and injuries   when they left the vehicles thinking they were safely in the parking gear
as i stepped out the vehicle started moving backwards and the driver door struck me knocking me to the ground on my back a jeep grand cherokee owner from morganton nc wrote to safety officials last summer the left front tire rolled over my pelvic area causing serious injury
details of fiat chryslers subsequent discussions with the safety agency still are not publicly available in november the automaker responded to 10 pages of detailed questions from the federal regulator but that response has not been posted on the agencys website an agency spokesman jose ucles said on tuesday that regulators were still going through the filing to remove personally identifiable information before publishing it
but as the safety agency edits and fiat chrysler seeks a fix for the rollover problem incidents and accidents have continued by february the agency had counted 314 complaints 121 crashes and 30 injuries including a fractured pelvis and ruptured bladder
by mid april when the company issued a recall the automaker had 700 reports potentially related to the issue including 212 crashes and 41 injuries
the problem involved the gear shifter on 2014 15 jeep grand cherokees and some 2012 14 dodge chargers and chrysler 300s
the april recall applied to about 812000 vehicles in the united states 52000 in canada almost 17000 in mexico and nearly 249000 in other countries that fiat chrysler declined to identify tuesday
at the time of the recall no deaths had been reported and while the cause of mr yelchins accident is still being investigated federal safety regulators said in a statement monday that his death was the first fatality were aware of that may be related to this safety defect and vehicle recall
fiat chrysler introduced the gear shifter design which it calls the monostable in 2011 the company said the benefits included eliminating high efforts in shifting as well as improved smoothness of garage and parking lot shifts the shifter and transmission were provided by zf a german parts supplier
that shifter is unusual because it does not move to a different position with each gear instead like a joystick the lever returns to a center position so the driver must look at the shifter display to make sure the proper gear is selected in its investigation the national safety agency said the shifter is not intuitive and provides poor tactile and visual feedback
the shifter was used only on the recalled models the company discontinued it for 2016 models citing the desire for improved customer satisfaction
the recall of the shifter is unusual because it apparently does not involve a mechanical or electronic failure instead it is an ergonomic issue   involving a new design whose operation is not intuitive to some owners
typically automakers test such new designs on consumers said matthew reed a professor at the university of michigan who specializes in ergonomics
in general terms one would want to conduct a substantial number of trials with what i would call naive users people who are among the population of people who could be customers but who are not engineers not people familiar with the development process he said in an interview
but something did not work in the case of fiat chryslers shifter he said
we can look at that as a failure of process a failure to anticipate how consumers would react he said i dont know what their process was internally but clearly it did not catch this particular risk
the month before the august notification the nhtsa had publicly chastised the company which acknowledged delaying recalls in almost two dozen cases going back to 2013 and affecting millions of vehicles
this represents a significant failure to meet a manufacturers safety responsibilities mark rosekind the head of the safety agency said at the time
the automaker promised to speed up its recalls and agreed to pay penalties that could amount to 105 million
that consent order is totally aimed at making chrysler do a better job on recalls in the future mr ditlow of the center for auto safety said if this is an example of a better job it is a failure
but mr mayne the fiat chrysler spokesman said the automaker was following the government mandate and was doing a better job for example he said last month it recalled one million more vehicles with deadly takata airbags ahead of a schedule set by federal regulators


orlando fla   just hours after the music at the pulse nightclub was interrupted by the roar of gunfire a teenager with a nose stud and tight jeans peered across his dinner table here dad carvin casillas said im kind of gay
the worst mass shooting in united states history by a single perpetrator which left 49 people dead and 53 injured has sent the nation reeling and ignited heated conversations about firearm access terrorism and homophobia it has also had the incidental effect of pushing some gay people in this increasingly latino community out of the closet
some had their sexuality revealed by accident gertrude merced learned that her 25 year old son enrique was gay only after she heard the news of his death others though have chosen to expose their inner lives stirred by the outpouring of support for orlandos gay community or wrought with sorrow and unable to keep their secrets in anymore
i just had to let them know said mr casillas 19 a soon to be college freshman who had been dancing at pulse for more than year unbeknown to his puerto rican father and cuban mother his mother had raised him in a church where parishioners learned that gay people went to hell
this is getting to be a bigger part of me every day that passes on he said of his sexuality i didnt know if i was going to be able to keep that from my family
most of the people packed into the club in the early morning on june 12 were too young to remember the early days of the aids crisis when disease and tragedy exposed gay men like never before prompting some of them on their death beds to reveal their sexuality to family and friends but some older members of orlandos gay community see this post pulse catharsis as an echo of that time with a notable exception
this time around were so much further along in our own self acceptance said tom dyer 60 who has been chronicling central floridas gay community since he founded watermark a local magazine for lesbian gay bisexual and transgender people in 1994 broader cultural attitudes he added have changed too
the father of mr casillas who owns an auto mechanic shop seemed to accept him the day of the massacre mr casillas said reaching across the table and kissing him on the head ok papa joe casillas told his son using a term of endearment
but not all families have easily embraced their childrens sexuality
pedro julio serrano 41 a gay activist in puerto rico has attended eight funerals for pulse victims at one the mother of gilberto ramon silva menendez who was among the 49 killed circled the gathering with a rainbow flag announcing her pride in her sons identity
at two other occasions though he said he could see that some relatives were ashamed that they would have preferred to deal with this privately and that nobody had to know that their son or daughter was gay i can see it and i can feel it and i just want to hug them and hold them and tell them that there is nothing wrong with this
on tuesday attorney general loretta e lynch visited some of the people injured in the attack and the relatives of some who were slain she spoke of those who might choose to hide their sexuality out of fear of such violence in the future
let me say to our lgbt friends and family particularly to anyone who might view this tragedy as an indication that their identities   their essential selves   might somehow be better left unexpressed or in the shadows this department of justice   and your country   stands with you in the light she said
cory richards 24 spent the early hours of june 12 dancing under the strobe lights at pulse with his boyfriend enrique l rios jr neither man had told his parents he was gay but around 9 am as mr richards emerged from the carnage he cried into his phone to his father
i cant find my baby mr richards recalled saying i cant find my baby
what his father responded
thats my boyfriend thats not my friend mr richards said he told him of mr rios thats my boyfriend
i dont care what you are he recalled his father saying youre my son i didnt know but i accept it
mr rios had died a thousand miles away his mother ms merced 48 learned of her sons death and then received a call from his boyfriend
during an interview at her home in queens ms merced said she had thought her son was straight she raised him baptist she said and the two were close this is a sinful nature she said of homosexuality still wearing her ruffled church clothes and high heels after church on sunday but i still would have loved my son
in orlando leyda and mane hernandez have struggled to come to terms with her sons identity since he came out about 10 years ago i grew up in puerto rico in the city of ponce said mane hernandez 52 making fun of gay gay gay
their son enakai hernandez is a 27 year old artist who had partied at pulse for years on the weekend of the attack he was staying at his parents home in a gated community here sick in bed
when he woke and the depth of the tragedy revealed itself his mother took him in her arms as he cried
sabes que te quiero mucho she has told him over and over in recent days que tu eres el amor de mi vida her message that she loved her son and considered him the love of her life
although i am not proud of what my son is because its not what i wanted for him i accept it she said i accepted it before i still accept it and now i accept it even more because i know there are many people that hate these are human beings who are equal to everyone else they are people they have feelings they have hearts they have families
orlandos puerto rican population has boomed in recent years and the citys gay population   once largely white   has changed as a result the vast majority of the pulse victims who died were hispanic and 23 were from puerto rico   just like ms merced
when mr richards the unknown boyfriend called her last week to introduce himself ms merced invited him to her sons funeral he accepted i will see him she said eventually i may want to ask him some questions


tripoli libya   at least 34 libyan pro government fighters were killed on tuesday and 100 wounded in clashes with islamic state militants as they continued their assault on the isis stronghold of surt libya
it was one of bloodiest days since forces loyal to the tripoli based government of national accord began an offensive in may to retake surt
the fighting came as 29 people were killed and dozens wounded further west in the town of garabulli near the libyan capital when a blast ripped through an arms depot after militiamen and armed residents clashed
the fall of surt would be a major blow to the islamic state which has faced a series of setbacks in syria and iraq
a statement by the government of national accord said tuesdays fighting took place in several parts of surt where militants are pinned down in pockets of the coastal city
islamic state fighters are besieged in a small area of surt and although they have sought to break out our forces have repelled all attempts the statement said
around 200 loyalist troops have been killed and hundreds wounded since the start of the offensive to capture surt which is 280 miles east of tripoli


elon musk has built an ambitious business empire on three pillars electric cars solar energy and space travel
now the billionaire entrepreneur is trying to shore up his embattled solar panel provider by merging it with the electric carmaker
his tesla motors said on tuesday that it had offered to buy solarcity in an all stock deal one that could value the latter at as much as 28 billion the aim mr musk argues is to create a renewable energy giant collecting clean electricity and putting it to work propelling cars
but the transaction highlights the unusual moves that mr musk continues to make to support the various arms of his empire where he is the largest shareholder of each company
he has taken out loans to buy up shares in tesla and solarcity some backed by his personal stock holdings in both companies   a risky move that leaves him exposed to margin calls if their stock prices slide too far he has defended the practice as low risk to other shareholders given the sheer size of his personal net worth of more than 10 billion
in mr musks view putting tesla and solarcity together is only logical
we need to achieve a tight integration of the products he told reporters in a conference call on tuesday i think its an obvious thing to do
an agreement is some time away if one is ever reached but shareholders in solarcity pushed the companys stock up 19 percent in after hours trading to 2526 shares of tesla however tumbled more than 13 percent to 19059
both companies have been growing fast but have also consumed enormous amounts of cash to pursue their goals
of the two solarcity   where mr musk is chairman and his cousin the co founder lyndon rive is chief executive   has been the more troubled buffeted by changes in the regulations on the solar energy industry while an important federal tax credit was extended local policies have cut into the savings that solar providers have promised
mr musk said putting the two companies together made more sense after tesla began introducing rechargeable batteries for home use that can store electricity and smooth out fluctuations in power grids other renewable energy companies have also focused on home storage products
analysts have commented that teslas main business may be in batteries particularly as it builds out its 5 billion gigafactory near reno nev
the world does not lack for automotive companies mr musk said in tuesdays press call the world lacks for sustainable energy companies
yet some green energy companies have run aground both sunedison and abengoa big renewable energy providers have filed for bankruptcy
solarcitys troubles have left the company with a crushing 26 billion in long term debt and growing losses last year interest payments on its debt equaled nearly a quarter of its sales
shares of the energy company have fallen 63 percent over the last 12 months closing on tuesday at 2119   nearly a third of its 52 week high the business ended tuesday with a market value of just over 2 billion
last year solarcitys operations used up 790 million of cash and the company spent 18 billion on equipment in total then solarcitys free cash flow obtained by adding those two numbers was a negative 26 billion
tesla has had a better run of news over the last year including promising presale numbers for the coming model 3 sedan
still tesla shares once a wall street darling have fallen 16 percent over the last 12 months valuing the company at 327 billion
tesla may be able to help solarcity generate more cash or reduce its cash consumption but bolstering the business model of solarcity would be difficult
and a struggling solarcity could be a burden on tesla which is also using up cash fast teslas free cash flow last year was a negative 22 billion in theory then a combination of tesla and solarcity would have burned nearly 5 billion last year
investors are willing to lend to or buy the stock of a high growth company consuming a lot of cash if they believe it will eventually generate healthy cash flows
but if investors balk the company has to rely on its cash reserves together tesla and solarcity had 18 billion on hand at the end of the first quarter that would soon get used up if a tesla solarcity were still consuming nearly 5 billion of cash annually


seoul south korea   after five consecutive failures north korea launched an intermediate range ballistic missile on wednesday advancing its efforts to extend its striking range to target american military bases in the pacific
the projectile a musudan missile took off from wonsan a port city east of pyongyang the north korean capital and flew about 250 miles before crashing into the sea between north korea and japan south koreas office of joint chiefs of staff said in a statement
although the missile fell far short of its estimated full range of more than 2000 miles the test was the only one of the musudan that the united states or south korea did not immediately dismiss as a failure
south korea said that the norths previous five musudan tests   the fifth took place earlier wednesday   had all failed with the projectiles crashing into the sea or exploding midair soon after liftoff
the advance the north showed with its sixth test was disconcerting enough for south korea to convene a meeting of top security related ministers on wednesday to discuss the growing missile and nuclear threats
jeong joon hee a spokesman for the south korean government called the launch a clear provocation that violated united nations security council resolutions banning the north from developing ballistic missile technology
in washington john kirby a state department spokesman said that the united states strongly condemned the tests and intended to discuss the norths prohibited activities at the security council
this missile launch like previous ones is a clear violation of united nations resolutions prime minister shinzo abe of japan said we cannot tolerate it and have protested firmly
south korea did not immediately classify the sixth launch as a success or failure saying it was still analyzing the test officials were also trying to determine whether the north had deliberately shortened the missiles flight in order not to provoke japan the south korean national news agency yonhap reported
when north korea fired its midrange rodong missile from an inland launch site toward the sea off its east coast in march the missile flew 500 miles less than its normal range of 620 to 810 miles
kim dong yup an analyst at the institute for far eastern studies at kyungnam university in seoul said that north korea was launching the musudan to test its ability to build a nuclear warhead that could survive the extreme heat and friction that it would encounter crashing through the earths atmosphere from a high altitude the north has been struggling to master the so called warhead re entry technology needed to build an intercontinental ballistic missile
i dont believe north korea failed again and again in testing the musudan itself which it had deployed 10 years ago mr kim said what it has been trying to do with such difficulty was to use the musudan as a vehicle to test the re entry and detonation system for an icbm he added referring to an intercontinental ballistic missile
the japanese defense ministry said it believed that the test showed that the norths missile technology was advancing the second of the two missiles fired on wednesday reached an altitude of 620 miles it said indicating a degree of capability as a midrange ballistic missile
mr kim said that the north appeared to have fired its musudan at a steeper angle to avoid japanese airspace as well as to achieve an altitude high enough to test re entry technology for an intercontinental ballistic missile he said the altitude of 620 miles was close to that reached by those projectiles
the united states strategic command said that the two musudan missiles fired on wednesday posed no threat to north america
but north koreas persistence in testing the same missile six times since mid april showed that it was determined to build a capacity to launch a ballistic missile that would extend its striking range
the north has successfully tested its short range scud and midrange rodong missiles the rodong can reach all of south korea and most of japan but the road mobile musudan is the norths only intermediate range ballistic missile with a range long enough to reach united states military bases in guam a major launching pad for american reinforcements should a war break out on the korean peninsula
the north began testing the musudan on april 15 after repeated calls by its leader kim jong un for his military to conduct more nuclear and missile tests despite international sanctions
north koreas missiles have seldom worked on the first try but a string of five successive failures with the musudan was unusual even by the countrys checkered standards analysts have attributed the failures to mr kim in his rush to demonstrate an ability to strike american military bases in guam with nuclear and chemical weapons mr kim was not giving his engineers enough time to fix the problems before again testing the musudan the analysts said
north korea has repeatedly threatened nuclear strikes against the united states claiming that it has built nuclear weapons small enough to be mounted on its various ballistic missiles
but the country has never carried out a successful test flight of a long range missile that could reach the continental united states


magnanville france   the first time larossi abballa appeared on the radar of french terrorism investigators the only act of violence they could pin on him was killing bunnies
he had joined a small group of men all bent on waging jihad on a trip to a snowy forest in northern france five years ago when he was 19 there they videotaped themselves slaughtering the rabbits bought so the men could grow used to the feel of killing
when he and seven others were later arrested the authorities found that several of the men had saved the video of the slaughter on their cellphones alongside footage of soldiers being beheaded according to french court records mr abballa was eventually convicted on a terrorism charge and spent more than two years in prison
in hindsight it is not hard to see how that first act of brutality foreshadowed what happened last week armed with a knife mr abballa attacked a couple in northern france in the name of the islamic state and left them to bleed to death
but at the time of his arrest in 2011 investigators were not able to definitively show that he was a permanent threat to france after his prison stint he was placed under surveillance just months after the wiretaps stopped he committed the double murder last week
across europe and the united states law enforcement officials are struggling to reckon with attackers like mr abballa and omar mateen whose shooting rampage this month at a gay nightclub in orlando fla left 49 dead they are men who clearly seemed to be building toward violent acts and whose names had surfaced in terrorism investigations but who avoided crossing legal lines that could tip off the authorities until it was too late
with thousands of terrorism surveillance cases running at any given time the european authorities say they are swamped and are in the difficult position of trying to head off attacks of which the only forewarning is often in the form of what someone thinks or what they are overheard saying
a man is in a shop and thinks about stealing an object said georges sauveur a paris lawyer who has defended several terrorism suspects including one of the men who accompanied mr abballa to the forest in 2011 to slaughter the rabbits what do you do you put him in jail
mr sauveur added you cant put him in jail unless he takes the next step and attempts to steal something
in late 2010 frances domestic intelligence agency began watching mohamed niaz abdul raseed 33 who was living in the val doise region of northern france and who the agency suspected was a recruiter for al qaeda the investigation revealed that he had lured seven adherents the youngest of whom was mr abballa
under the older mans instruction the young men met in a public park to do calisthenics enrolled in a kung fu class and gathered for lessons on extremist islam they also took their day trip to the forest in cormeilles en parisis with the rabbits which they had pooled their money to buy
by the spring of 2011 two members of the group had gone to pakistan where they were met by a facilitator for al qaeda according to french court records obtained by the new york times
as the most junior member of the group mr abballa was not chosen to go and that frustrated him im thirsty for blood allah is my witness he wrote in an email intercepted by the authorities in another he begged please let me go pls pls pls
when it appeared that he would not be sent to pakistan he turned his rage toward france writing on feb 19 2011 with allahs will we will find a way to raise the flag here a week later he wrote that his cell would wipe away the infidels
he was arrested on may 14 2011 and like the other members of the cell was convicted on a charge of belonging to a criminal or terrorist organization carrying a maximum sentence of 10 years said sebastien bono the lawyer representing the accused leader of the group
considered the groups least influential member mr abballa spent more than two years in prison and was released in 2013 he was kept under surveillance until the end of 2015
its very easy retrospectively with hindsight to say that law enforcement or government should have known about someones intent but obviously theres a big difference between motivation   someone being radicalized   and then going out and actually acting on that said richard walton who led the counterterrorism unit for the london metropolitan police during the 2012 olympics at any one time in any country there will be many hundreds if not several thousand suspects that fit this profile
among the difficulties for the authorities in 2011 was that mr abballa had aggressively denied any connection to terrorism he told investigators he was an atheist he denied that he had taken part in the practice beheadings of rabbits   he was not seen on the video   even though the seven other men in the cell all said he had participated and the members of the group contradicted one another when pushed one of mr abballas accomplices explained that they had slaughtered the animals in order to have halal meat to eat during the islamic holiday of eid according to a summary of their interrogation
it took investigators time to spot the hole in that claim the forest slaughter was in january and the eid al adha holiday had been celebrated two months before in november
while the legal systems may be different the united states faced many of the same problems in their interactions with mr mateen who when questioned by the authorities about earlier threats of violence insisted that he had said those things because he was angry after facing discrimination
after mr mateens massacre james b comey the director of the fbi said the file on mr mateen had been one of hundreds and hundreds of cases all across the country and compared the task of weeding out those who are expressing extremist ideas from those who may act on those ideas to looking for needles in a nationwide haystack
for france thought to have among the largest numbers of suspected islamic state loyalists in europe the haystack is at least as big and some say the caseload has become unmanageable
we are in fact drowning in intelligence said alain bauer a professor of criminology at the national conservatory of arts and crafts in paris
he and others said there were structural problems including the fact that frances so called s list a database of people believed to have been radicalized has over 10000 names and is not ranked according to threat level
though most on the list never commit violence others have now been responsible for gruesome headlines eight of the 10 men who staged the deadliest european terrorist attack in over a decade   the paris killings on nov 13   were on the s list and several had spent time behind bars yet were able to sneak back into france and belgium from syria another suspect on the list amedy coulibaly had also been imprisoned on a terrorism conviction eight months after his electronic bracelet was removed by the french authorities he killed a police officer and opened fire in a kosher supermarket in paris in january 2015 leaving four more people dead in the islamic states name
if you take your daily agenda and you were to note down the birthday of every single person you know it would be unmanageable to try to wish them all a happy birthday mr bauer said you need to make a selection we dont know how to do that with the profiles of these people
those kinds of suspects have created an awkward middle ground for the french authorities and after a series of plots or attacks linked to the islamic state over the past two years there is more urgency to find new legal tools to deal with the problem
after mr abballa killed the couple in magnanville france last week a deputy in parliament eric ciotti introduced a bill creating the status of administrative detention for those representing a security threat
in effect he was calling for rapid prioritization of the s list and he said the bill would be aimed at immediately detaining hundreds of those deemed to pose the highest risk placing them under house arrest or in a detention center
he called the measure necessary because the penal code is based on proving that an individual is not just talking or thinking about committing an act of terrorism but has taken steps toward carrying out the act
these people are known to us he said i want to be able to take preventive action
prime minister manuel valls said last week that he would consider the proposal but that there would be no guantanamo in france the french newspaper liberation reported
jean charles brisard the chairman of the french center for the analysis of terrorism in paris called the idea absurd and said france could not jettison civil liberties
he added that putting everyone on the s list under surveillance was impossible because there are more than 10000 names and fewer than 5000 agents it takes 20 agents per suspect for 24 hour surveillance he said meaning france could perform round the clock surveillance of only a small fraction of those suspected of being radicalized
my profound conviction is that unfortunately we need to get used to living with this new threat mr brisard said its permanent its diffuse and it can erupt at any moment
the streets in magnanville a community of about 5600 people less than 40 miles from paris are lined with neatly trimmed hedges it was here that mr abballa waited last week for an off duty police officer jean baptiste salvaing to come home as neighbors watched in horror mr abballa stabbed mr salvaing in the street and left him bleeding in the driveway then forced his way into the house there he stabbed to death jessica schneider the officers longtime partner as the couples 3 year old son watched
in the time it took the police to close in and shoot mr abballa dead he paused to upload a facebook live video he had prepared a long speech and the sound of flipping pages could be heard as he spoke
first of all i pledge allegiance to emir al mumineem abu bakr al baghdadi he began referring to the leader of the islamic state using a similar formula to the pledge uttered by mr mateen who called 911 from inside the nightclub to dedicate his violence to the terrorist group
in a long rant captured on the video mr abballas thoughts returned to the frustration he felt in 2011 when he begged to be allowed to go abroad to wage jihad
i address this also to the french infidel authorities this is the result of your work you closed the door to my hijrah he said using an arabic term for a pilgrimage that for some islamic state devotees has come to mean traveling to syria and iraq to join the group you closed the door toward the lands of the caliphate well good then we have opened the door of jihad onto your territory


georgetown del   in march brad whitehurst head of tax at energy transfer the pipeline operator discovered there might be a problem with the 38 billion merger his company had signed with the williams companies six months earlier he had misunderstood the terms of the deal and with the rapid decline of energy transfers shares in the intervening months the transaction no longer appeared to be tax free
the problem was that the completion of the merger required the assurance that it would not incur a tax liability
mr whitehurst immediately called latham  watkins energy transfers outside legal counsel after parsing through the details again lawyers at the white shoe law firm also determined they had made a mistake in structuring the deal and could no longer provide the necessary opinion letter to close
williamss outside lawyers from cravath swaine  moore considered lathams argument to be bogus and presented two proposals to restructure the deal both were promptly rejected by the lawyers at latham
coincidentally the debate over the deals tax status paralleled a steep decline in pipeline industry shares which gave energy transfer the incentive to get out of the deal while making it imperative for williams to stay in and close it
this was the narrative woven in testimony on monday and tuesday as both sides came together at the delaware court of chancery here for an expedited trial examining whether each side was engaging in its best effort to close the deal
the stakes are high on both sides each has accused the other of breaching the merger agreement williams shareholders will vote on the merger in less than a week and energy transfer hopes the judge will find enough reason to kill the deal
six of the eight witnesses during the two day trial were tax lawyers and experts who debated the merits of lathams argument for not offering an opinion letter and rejecting cravaths alternative proposals
by midday tuesday sam glasscock iii the vice chancellor of the court of chancery dropped a bombshell he did not care if latham was right or wrong in refusing to issue its tax opinion he just needed to be sure that latham was acting in good faith
that sent hedge funds and investors scrambling out of the room to make trades mr glasscocks words seemed to fuel the 17 percent gain in energy transfers shares in trading on tuesday reflecting optimism that the deal would fall apart or be recast in a way that benefited energy transfer
the challenge for williams was to show ample evidence that latham was withholding the tax opinion because it was influenced by its clients wishes to get out of the deal
jamie welch who had been chief financial officer of energy transfer until he was abruptly fired in february said in a video deposition that kelcy warren the chairman of energy transfer was concerned the cash and stock deal would result in a ratings downgrade and create an implosion mr warren attended most of the trial but did not testify
more important to the judge perhaps was not whether energy transfer wanted out of the deal but whether latham helped them try to get out of it
the stock price decline created a mismatch in the movement of assets and cash between williams and a newly created subsidiary of energy transfer or what latham called the perfect hedge one tax expert bill mckee of the law firm morgan lewis  bockius had been summoned by energy transfer to provide a tax opinion in addition to lathams mr mckee who had been a former partner of mr whitehursts admitted as a witness that he did not understand the perfect hedge argument at the time and does not understand it now
at the end of the day morgan also determined it could not provide the tax opinion if requested to do so
mr glasscock said he planned to deliver an opinion by friday evening if the two sides settle in the interim mr glasscock said they should let him know


poland will play switzerland in the round of 16 with a big question hanging over its head has the star striker robert lewandowski left his goal scoring boots at home
poland cemented its first appearance in the european championships knockout stage by defeating ukraine 1 0 in a group c match in marseille france
but lewandowski who is usually so clinical for bayern munich and was the top scorer in euro 2016 qualifying with 13 goals finished group play not only having failed to find the net in three matches but also having failed to record a single shot on target
the second half substitute jakub blaszczykowski struck the winner in the 54th minute for poland which finished second in the group behind germany both had 7 points but germany had a superior goal difference ukraine entered the game already eliminated from contention
lewandowski squandered several chances missing a sitter in the first half failing to connect with a cross and tripping himself up while in front of the goal coach adam nawalka insisted that he was not concerned predicting that lewandowski would score against switzerland on saturday in st etienne ap


croatia came from behind to beat spain the two time defending champion by 2 1 on tuesday in bordeaux france and finish atop group d at the european championships
an 87th minute goal by ivan perisic ended an unbeaten run by spain at the championships that stretched to 2004
spain will meet italy in the round of 16 at stade de france in st denis on monday   a repeat of the 2012 final which spain won by 4 0 croatia will play a third place team in the northern french city lens on saturday
striker alvaro morata put spain ahead in the seventh minute redirecting the ball into the net after a shot by midfielder cesc fabregas
after perisic delivered a cross from the left nikola kalinic tied the score just before halftime with a back heel flick that beat spain goalkeeper david de gea at the near post
spain had a chance to retake the lead but sergio ramos had a penalty kick saved by croatia goalkeeper danijel subasic in the 72nd minute
it proved to be a costly miss as perisic finished off a fast counterattack with a low left footed shot that beat de gea at his near post
both teams entered the match guaranteed a spot in the knockout stage however both teams wanted to win because the runner up in the group would have to meet italy ap
turkey 2 czech republic 0 turkey rebounded from two losses to beat the czech republic in lens france and keep alive its chance of reaching the knockout stages
burak yilmaz struck early rounding off a swift counterattack 10 minutes into the game
ozan tufan then fired a rising shot past goalkeeper petr cech in the 65th minute to start a wild celebration among turkish supporters who lit firecrackers and flares that landed on the field ap


roehampton england   ashleigh barty had her teenage breakthroughs at wimbledon years ago on tuesday she was happy just to have a spot in the outermost ring of the tournament
its just a massive bonus that were here barty said after winning her first qualifying match 7 6 3 6 3 against lu jia jing on tuesday
here for now is the bank of england sports centre the auxiliary site used for wimbledon qualifying with three wins and three and a half miles standing between players and entry into the prestigious all england club
barty an australian made a name for herself on the main stage at a young age she won the junior wimbledon title in 2011 when she was 15 and reached the final in womens doubles two years later
but she walked away from tennis in september 2014 she no longer enjoyed the game the global travel and the workload required at the top levels
after 18 months away which included a stint in professional cricket barty now 20 returned playing several small doubles tournaments in australia in february and march
you obviously have a different perspective on life when youre 20 compared to when youre 16 she said its a little bit different and its about really accepting that you sacrifice a few things to reap the rewards there are not a lot of people in the world that get to say they get to walk through the gates of wimbledon and play on centre court its pretty phenomenal and were very lucky to live this life that we do
a turning point for barty came after her cricket season had ended when she traveled to sydney to visit casey dellacqua an australian veteran who had been bartys doubles partner for three grand slam finals in 2013 after the two hit for a bit barty realized how much she missed tennis
it was more just talking about life in general chatting about memories that we had and you couldnt wipe the smile off my face barty said i knew that this is where im meant to be
when barty committed to a singles return she contacted the coach craig tyzzer and the two began an eight week training block
she worked really hard and that told me that shes pretty serious tyzzer said from a long way back shes in a different place enjoying it happy looking forward to it
a full fledged singles comeback began three weeks ago at a small grass court tournament in eastbourne on the coast of the english channel
without a ranking barty won six matches through qualifying and the main draw impressing organizers of the wta event in nottingham which gave her a wild card into qualifying she won five matches there losing to top seeded karolina pliskova who is ranked 17th in the world in two tiebreaker sets in a quarterfinal
tyzzer said bartys initiative in this stage of her career which she refers to as 20 had been vital to her success
this time its on her terms tyzzer said before she was just talented and kept going with it and didnt really make a choice about tennis she walked away and has now made a choice that yeah i actually want to play and thats the way its been on the road its exactly that shes enjoying it shes loving being back shes enjoying competing and playing the results are showing it a bit
while the early returns on her work have been exciting barty hopes to remain committed to the process rather than the results
this year were using as a development year she said every single match win lose or draw theres something that we can improve on and its about us addressing that straight after the match i know from today weve got a lot to work on its going to be good to get back out there and have another crack tomorrow
barty speaks of her tennis in the first person plural more than most tennis players a sign of her comfort in team environments like the one she relished in cricket tyzzer said barty flourished with other australian players like daria gavrilova and samantha stosur training alongside her in melbourne
thats probably the hardest thing in tennis a lot of time youre out there on your own tyzzer said she feels like shes got a lot of support and tennis australia has been great having all the girls around has been really good and she enjoys that side of it but still in the end of the day youre out there competing on your own


washington   signaling a possible breakthrough in the long stalemate in congress over tightening the nations gun laws a bipartisan group of senators called on tuesday for banning gun sales to terrorism suspects on the governments no fly list
the proposed measure while modest puts new muscle and momentum behind what would be one of the few restrictions placed on gun ownership in the past 20 years
the push for the compromise bill led by senator susan collins republican of maine and senator heidi heitkamp democrat of north dakota came a day after the senate refused to advance any of four measures intended to make it harder for suspected terrorists to buy guns
ms collins and the lawmakers who joined her including senator tim kaine democrat of virginia who is frequently mentioned as a potential running mate for hillary clinton voiced deepening exasperation over the failure of congress to take any action to prevent shootings like the massacre this month in orlando fla
surely the terrorist attacks in san bernardino and orlando that took so many lives are a call for compromise a plea for bipartisan action ms collins said at a news conference essentially we believe if you are too dangerous to fly on an airplane you are too dangerous to buy a gun she added
the collins proposal is tailored narrowly to prohibit gun sales to suspected terrorists who appear on the governments no fly list or its selectee list which requires more rigorous security checks before a person is allowed to board an airplane
those lists containing a total of about 109000 people of whom just 2700 are american citizens are far smaller than the federal terrorist screening database which includes about one million names and was the focus of a proposal sponsored by senator dianne feinstein democrat of california one of the four measures defeated on monday
ms collinss measure would bar gun sales to anyone on the two lists but would allow for an appeal by any citizen or green card holder blocked from making a purchase and it would award lawyers fees if the appeal is successful
the bill would also require notification of federal and local law enforcement agencies if anyone who had been on the lists in the previous five years seeks to buy a weapon   a provision intended to address the situation in orlando in which the gunman omar mateen had been on placed such lists but removed before he bought his weapons
in addition the bill would give the federal authorities the flexibility to allow a gun purchase by someone on one of the lists if needed to safeguard a continuing investigation
while leaders in each party expressed pointed misgivings about the proposal the senate majority leader mitch mcconnell republican of kentucky indicated that it would be likely to get a vote as an amendment to the commerce justice science appropriations bill that is being debated on the senate floor
im going to be working to make sure she gets a vote on that proposal mr mcconnell said
to overcome procedural hurdles and win approval the measure would need the support of 60 senators and it was not immediately clear that enough republicans would back it
just three of the 54 senate republicans   kelly ayotte of new hampshire jeff flake of arizona and lindsey graham of south carolina   attended the news conference with ms collins well short of the 16 votes needed even if the entire democratic conference voted in favor which was also not assured
senator john cornyn of texas the no 2 republican and author of another of the proposals that was voted down on monday afternoon said he was apprehensive about the provision in the collins proposal because it permitted an appeal only after a gun sale is prohibited
mr cornyn said i think its a slippery slope when an american citizen is denied a constitutional right without forcing the government to come forward with some evidence on the front end as opposed to leaving that on the back end but well see how the vote comes out
senator chuck schumer of new york said that there were numerous flaws in the collins proposal but democrats ultimately were willing to consider the measure noting that it would represent a breakthrough if adopted given the near certain opposition of the national rifle association
itll be the first time that in a bipartisan way with significant republican support the nra is told youre way off base mr schumer said
supporters of the collins measure said they believed it was written strategically to avoid becoming ensnared in that old tug of war by focusing on a simple goal no fly no buy
mr kaine at one point pounding the wooden lectern in front of him said i am sick of the shootings i am sick of the vigils i am sick of the homicide victims support groups i am sick of the claims that well do something about it i am sick of the partisan rhetoric and i am really sick of getting to the end of all of it and not doing something about it and seeing that happen again and again and again and again


los angeles   its the moment that judith hill has been replaying in her mind for the last two months she was sitting on a plane with a man she loved talking having dinner when suddenly he lost consciousness she shouted his name prince she shook him but he didnt come to
her swift reaction may have helped save princes life that night six days before he died of an accidental overdose of the opioid painkiller fentanyl
his eyes fixed just before he nodded off across a table from her ms hill 32 recalled in an interview here speaking for the first time about her presence on the april 15 flight from atlanta after princes two shows there only one other passenger was on the private jet princes longtime friend and aide kirk johnson they were bound for paisley park princes estate outside minneapolis over vegetables and pasta prince and ms hill discussed his performances that night which turned out to be his last public concerts other musicians like the funk singer betty davis and photography one of princes hobbies
according to flight tracking reports the chartered 1988 dassault falcon 900 took off at 1251 am from hartsfield jackson atlanta international airport and was near chicago less than an hour from its destination when ms hill witnessed prince fall unconscious if she had glanced away in that instant down at her phone or purse she might have thought he had simply dozed off thankfully i happened to be looking into his face she said
she immediately got mr johnson who was near the front of the plane and when they couldnt rouse prince they alerted the pilot who called air traffic controllers in chicago for help at 112 am reporting an unresponsive man on board we knew it was only a matter of time we had to get down ms hill said we didnt have anything on the plane to help him
ms hill was very freaked out she said as they kept trying to wake him shaking him and calling his name while the plane descended at 117 am it made an emergency landing in moline ill where an ambulance met them paramedics and mr johnson carried prince 57 into the vehicle and he was revived on the tarmac with a shot of narcan which is typically used to treat opioid overdoses eighteen minutes after landing the ambulance took him to nearby trinity moline hospital
by the time they arrived he was awake and talking ms hill said which was such a relief to me because i thought he was gone she had never seen anything like that happen to him and had no idea what caused his condition mr johnsons lawyer declined to comment
for the world princes sudden emergency landing initially attributed to the flu but later revealed to have been related to a painkiller overdose was the first real sign of his abrupt decline he was an extremely private star who had hidden his pain   and his addiction to prescription drugs to treat it   from even his inner circle
ms hill a rising grammy winning artist in her own right was an intimate and trusted collaborator i was with prince the last two years of my life she said she recorded and performed with him at paisley park leaving her home near los angeles to spend half of most months there and opened for him in concert in baltimore detroit and washington he co produced her 2015 debut album back in time advised her as she disentangled herself from a major label record contract and was helping plan her tour
when prince introduced ms hill to an audience at a private paisley park event in march 2015 he announced ask your questions now shes going to be a superstar and you wont be able to talk to her according to the star tribune he even arranged for her album to be sold at the minneapolis record shop electric fetus he asked that we treat her album like we would treat his said jim novak the stores music buyer who had known ms hill to be around town regularly she was photographed at the small private memorial gathering of family and friends there for prince
now hes gone and i realize i was leaning on him a lot she said and thats whats scary im on my own
she is leaning on his lessons still she said as she begins a short east coast tour this week with a show at the highline ballroom in manhattan on wednesday he was such a warrior and its inspiring me to be that person she said
ms hill has experienced the loss of a musical superstar before working as a background vocalist in 2009 she was chosen to duet with michael jackson on this is it his planned concert series in london he died less than three weeks before its start ms hill performed an emotional rendition of heal the world with a childrens choir at his televised memorial service
but michael was different she said in another interview late one night after a rehearsal with her band in pasadena calif i didnt know michael she continued except as a fan and as someone that worked for him her grief for prince was much more personal
asked if their connection was romantic ms hill said only there was a very intense relationship i deeply cared for him in a conversation not long before he died ms hill said he told me that he loved me and that he would always be there for me
her parents also musicians met him in january when they went to paisley park and performed alongside their daughter in a bill with morris day and the time ms hills father the bassist robert hill known as peewee and mother the keyboardist michiko hill are part of her touring band which she said had delighted prince the couple had played with sly and the family stone and chaka khan judith wrote her first song a gospel number at the age of 4
ms hill appeared on the 2013 season of the voice the tv singing competition and the same year in the oscar winning documentary about backup singers 20 feet from stardom earning a grammy for her work in an interview around that time she was asked about her dream collaborator prince she replied by chance he saw the interview and called her up soon inviting her to jam at paisley park by the winter of 2014 they were busy arranging and recording the funky soulful album shed written back in time
he played guitar bass and drums and sang he was my background vocalist for a lot of the songs she said smiling
while they were establishing their professional rapport they were also creating a routine at paisley park rehearsing on the soundstage into the wee hours he made her omelets good and smoothies not so good and beat her at ping pong often and he was always dressed up always always she said even if they were just going to the drive through at dairy queen
marcus anderson a horn player for prince who also backed ms hill said prince had held her musical sensibilities in uniquely high esteem he respected her opinion a lot he said she would come into the recording studio and make suggestions which were often heeded that was kind of a first mr anderson said
yet ms hill said that prince had never revealed to her that he was in pain after decades of high wattage performance and hip surgery
i only know what everyone knows about his pain   i read about it she said in person he was quick on his feet never said anything that this is hurting never a sign of struggle thats why its all very shocking
prince had a reputation for clean living largely followed a vegan diet and frowned on musicians who worked with him using any recreational drugs but other friends have acknowledged that prince apparently became dependent on painkillers investigators are looking into where he obtained the fentanyl that resulted in his death they have not discussed whether it was legally prescribed or perhaps bought on the street or online
ms hill did not want to discuss the details of princes medical treatment in moline it was she said the first time she had ever seen him in distress and she felt overwhelmed and panicked he wanted to leave the hospital but at the urging of his companions he remained there until morning mr johnson stayed close and ms hill said she too was at his side comforting him through the night
he wasnt dreary or drowsy or anything she said the mood was peaceful and prince seemed like his old self he wanted to watch zootopia the animated movie he loved those films i was going to pull it up on my phone he said no no no not here were going to pick a special time and place to watch that
ms hill felt that prince had suffered a close call one that wouldnt be repeated he was very cooperative that whole night she said serious about getting help by 1057 that same morning the ordeal was over and the plane took off for paisley park once again ms hill returned to los angeles soon after
still prince initially played down the hospital incident to his camp ms hill said worried she helped tip off others that he was in a serious situation friends ultimately reached out to an addiction specialist in california dr howard kornfeld prince also came around to the notion that he needed help as hed promised ms hill he began taking steps to heal himself he underwent tests administered by dr michael schulenberg a local physician he had seen earlier
he did it because he was concerned and he wanted to do the right thing for his own body ms hill said and thats the part that breaks my heart because he was trying he was trying
dr schulenberg arrived at paisley park with the results of some tests officials have said just after prince had been declared dead
back in california ms hill learned the news when she woke up to texts from friends she drove straight to her parents house that was definitely the worst day of my life she said i couldnt believe anything that painful could happen
onstage singing the songs they created ms hill said she will be buoyed by his creativity and his spirit in their last moments together in the hospital he said its only by gods grace that im even here she recalled
he told her i had to fight for my life i remember hearing your voices from afar and saying to myself follow the voices follow the voices get back in your body you gotta to do this and he said it was the hardest thing hed ever done to get back into his body like that


33 million
132 03 jamaica avenue at 132nd street
richmond hill queens
two local investors who usually buy queens properties mainly in jackson heights have bought this 5400 square foot single story retail building on a 12500 square foot lot the space is now occupied by a laundromat with 15 years left on its lease and a convenience store it includes a drive through parking lot and offers 32000 buildable square feet for future redevelopment the cap rate is about 4 percent
buyers mina farah and farhad reja of frmf liberty avenue two family limited partnership
seller cr bros realty corp
broker ira sherman greiner maltz company of new york
8250sq ft
99000 approximate annual rent
217 eldridge street between rivington and stanton streets
manhattan
a sushi restaurant has signed a 10 year lease for a 1200 square foot ground floor space in this three story lower east side building with access to the roof and basement it received a three month rent abatement for its build out and paid a fixture fee of 225000
tenant nishiwaki llc
tenants brokers josh singer and lou moskowitz heller organization
landlord 57 fusion llc
landlords brokers daniel barcelowsky and yesim ak misrahi realty
180sq ft
477000 approximate annual rent
10 sullivan street at avenue of the americas and broome street
manhattan
a 10 to 15 year lease is available for a 2650 square foot retail space   1859 square feet on the ground level with 791 square feet of additional selling space on a lower level   in this newly completed 16 story flatironesque shiplike condominium designed by cary tamarkin on a triangular lot in soho the space with 16 foot high ceilings has 90 feet of glass walled frontage wrapping around the prow of the building a gas station was formerly on the site
ownerglobal property investors
brokersjohn brod alan s cohen and jennifer bernstein abs partners real estate


at one time military style assault rifles like the ones used at a nightclub in orlando fla and in other mass shootings represented a relatively small segment of sales for gun manufacturers
but in recent decades such guns serve as one of the two financial pillars of the firearms industry along with smaller handguns that are designed to be concealed which have been the biggest driver of sales
together the popularity of the assault rifles and small handguns highlight how the industry has changed in recent decades as people have increasingly turned to guns for self defense and less for hunting
the younger generations have fewer hunters said thomas w smith the director of the general social survey an annual survey conducted by researchers at the university of chicago hunting is a traditional activity and one that is declining in popularity
gun makers do not break out weapon sales other than in broad categories in which firearms like traditional hunting rifles are lumped in with assault rifles when contacted smith  wesson would not provide additional information while sturm ruger did not respond to messages seeking comment and an industry trade group the national shooting sports foundation did not respond to emails or phone calls
nonetheless manufacturers in presentations to analysts and investors have acknowledged the central role that assault rifles and concealed handguns play in their financial health they also often point out that sales frequently rise after mass shootings like the attacks over the last year in paris san bernardino calif and orlando
this spike in demand was strongly correlated to the tragic terrorist events in paris and san bernardino michael o fifer the chief executive of sturm ruger a major firearms maker wrote in a letter to investors in may demand for firearms for self defense and concealed carry increased dramatically
the popularity of handguns and assault weapons experts say reflects a fundamental shift over recent decades in who in america is buying guns and their reason for doing so
although about 50 percent of homes in the united states reported owning a firearm in the 1970s that number by 2014 had fallen to 31 percent according to the general social survey
significantly for gun makers the number of americans who identified themselves as hunters fell sharply during that same period while some 32 percent of survey respondents said in the late 1970s that they or their spouse hunted that number had plummeted to 155 percent by 2014
the number of people who cite self protection as the reason for owning a firearm has grown said mr smith the social surveys director
there was a significant market for assault style rifles before congress passed legislation in 1994 that sought to ban their sales said david kopel the research director of the independence institute a group in denver that supports gun owners rights but because the law tried to ban guns based on certain characteristics firearms makers simply reconfigured their weapons so that they did not run afoul of the law
trying to make the guns illegal may also have stoked consumer interest in them mr kopel added you tell someone they cant own something and they are going to buy it he said
in more recent years sales of both categories of weapons have benefited from legislative changes the federal assault rifle ban expired in 2004 and many states have passed laws allowing residents to carry concealed guns
some companies jumped into the assault rifle business only after the ban expired smith  wesson for example   a company known for decades for revolvers   started selling the weapons two years later in 2006
now smith  wesson says it is a market leader in ar 15 type rifles offering 44 models along with sturm ruger its principal competitors include among others remingtons bushmaster and sig sauer the manufacturer of the mcx the military style weapon used in the orlando shooting
smith  wesson does not break down how many ar type weapons it sells said elizabeth sharp the companys vice president for investor relations instead when it reported results last thursday for its most recent fiscal year ending april 30 it said only that rifles of all types represented 177 percent of its 7229 million in total sales
overall rifle sales the company said represented a 31 percent increase from its previous fiscal year in the annual report last week smith  wesson said the results reflected increased demand for guns since late last year
christopher krueger a gun industry analyst at lake street capital markets in minneapolis said that an even bigger area of sales for gun makers like smith  wesson was small semiautomatic handguns that can be carried concealed   weapons that appeal to consumers concerned about self protection
josh sugarmann executive director of the violence policy center a group in washington that advocates tougher gun control laws agreed assault weapons and high capacity concealed carry handguns are the bread and butter of todays gun industry he said
firearms producers meanwhile have tried in recent decades to widen the appeal of guns to another group of buyers women the national shooting sports foundation features a graphic on its website titled girl power which says that the number of women who own guns hunt and target shoot has increased significantly in recent years
but mr smith the general social survey director said that while the firearms industry as far back as the 1980s began promoting the idea of increased gun ownership by women the data gathered by his group have yet to support such claims instead the percentage of american woman who say they own a gun has remained relatively stable at about 10 percent
you see a lot of anecdotes that more women are buying guns mr smith said but it does not translate into statistics


chicago   when j dennis hastert a former house speaker reports this week to a federal prison in minnesota he will receive a copy of the institutions rules and regulations an inmate identification card and a strict weekday schedule that includes periodic inmate counts pill lines and 730 am room inspections
mr hastert convicted of breaking financial rules in payoffs aimed at covering up sexual abuse has been ordered to appear by wednesday afternoon at the federal medical center in rochester minn to begin serving his 15 month sentence he will be known as prisoner no 47991 424
his lawyers had argued that mr hastert who is 74 and has had a stroke a blood stream infection and a spinal infection over the past year should have received probation but the rochester center   about 260 miles from mr hasterts home in plano ill   is equipped to deal with medical problems according to an admission and orientation handbook for the prison
mr hastert was sentenced in april during an intense hearing in a federal courtroom where he publicly admitted for the first time to abusing high school wrestlers that he coached decades ago and where he was confronted by one of his former wrestlers and sternly rebuked by the judge overseeing the case
mr hastert who coached wrestling from 1965 to 1981 was not charged with sexual abuse and statutes of limitation on possible charges from those years had run out instead mr hastert was charged with violating a banking regulation in an effort to pay 35 million to one victim identified as individual a   a scheme that once it was uncovered led to other stories of abuse from at least four such young men
the nations longest serving republican speaker mr hastert joins a long list of chicago area politicians to face prison time including governors rod r blagojevich and george ryan and former representatives dan rostenkowski jesse l jackson jr and mel reynolds by one count the area has had at least 1642 public corruption convictions since 1976
mr hasterts lawyer thomas c green declined an interview request it is uncertain how or precisely when mr hastert will arrive at the prison which includes 11 buildings on a 64 acre complex and houses 687 male inmates of all security levels mr hastert has stayed largely out of public view since his sentencing when he appeared in a wheelchair amid a crush of news media he is required to arrive by 2 pm wednesday
by policy the bureau of prisons will not address the circumstances of an individual like mr hastert who is not in custody but according to a handbook for inmates he will be issued standard clothing laundry bags and bed linens he can purchase items like toothpaste reading glasses and candy from a commissary the facility includes dormitory style housing as well as individual cells
once he is released from prison mr hastert also faces two years of supervised release which will bar him from communicating with the former wrestling team members in the case and from possessing a firearm he will be required to participate in a treatment program for sex offenders


fun home the poignant family drama that overcame enormous skepticism about its broadway viability to win last years tony award for best new musical will close in september the shows producers said on tuesday
the musical a true story about a lesbian cartoonist trying to understand her fathers suicide was the against all odds triumph that broadway occasionally loves recouping its capitalization and booking a national tour but despite the awards and acclaim it was unable to build the audience necessary for a multiyear run on broadway its weekly grosses which topped out at 817665 last july had dropped to 313556 last week
the show is scheduled to close on sept 10 at which point it will have played 26 preview and 582 regular performances the tour begins in cleveland in october and at least one foreign production starring lea salonga in the philippines has been licensed
fun home is an adaptation of a graphic memoir by alison bechdel and in the musical three actresses portray her as a child as a college student and as an adult cartoonist
the story is unusual in its specifics the bechdel family ran a funeral home the fun home of the shows title in rural pennsylvania and when ms bechdel as a college student came out as a lesbian her mother informed her that her father had been sexually involved with men her father went on to commit suicide but the musical succeeded partly because audiences found many of its themes of family relationships universal its writers often said that the show was for anyone who had a parent and anyone who had a child
fun home was nominated for 12 tony awards and won five for best new musical for best book by lisa kron for best score music by jeanine tesori and lyrics by ms kron for best performance by a leading actor in a musical michael cerveris and for best direction of a musical sam gold it was the first show with an all female writing team to win the best musical tony and the first broadway musical with a lesbian protagonist according to the producers
the show began its life with developmental workshops and an off broadway production at the public theater in new york the lead producers are kristin caskey mike isaacson and barbara whitman


when the phrase prominent family turns up in the synopsis of a television series these days you can bet that dark secrets isnt far behind the latest entry in this pfds genre   yes i intend to copyright that abbreviation   arrives wednesday night on cbs bearing a particularly portentous title american gothic
its well cast and gets off to an intriguing start though that doesnt guarantee a loyal audience just ask the ex employees of the family a decent abc series that had a lot in common with this one and was canceled in may after a single season
american gothic involves a wealthy boston family the hawthornes headed by mitchell jamey sheridan and madeline virginia madsen that within the first 15 minutes finds itself entangled in a serial killer case that went cold 14 years earlier
you can almost recite the plot elements in these shows at this point someone in the family just as in the family is running for public office and has a lot to lose from a scandal in this case its a daughter alison juliet rylance antony starr plays the obligatory prodigal garrett who materializes after an absence of   theres that time span again   14 years
the hawthorne children also include tessa megan ketch who happens to be married to a police detective brady elliot knight who is investigating newly discovered evidence in that old serial murder case a few grandchildren are also floating around most noticeably jack gabriel bateman a ghoulish boy who has been watching too many medical examiner tv shows hes an unappetizing character and feels like a desperate attempt by the writers to live up to the shows title
after a convincing opening episode american gothic turns soapier and more florid in episode 2 an effect perhaps of the long shadow of revenge that abc series a pfds success story wrung four seasons out of its hamptons machinations before ending last year it may have wrung the genre dry in the process   so far its legacy is copycat series with impatient plotting
the makers of newcomers like the family and american gothic perhaps mindful that audiences have been there done that seem afraid of proceeding slowly as revenge did the goal apparently is to get overheated and labyrinthine as quickly as possible
the problem is that approach didnt work for the family and after two episodes its nudging american gothic toward silliness there are lines in episode 2 that might provoke unintended giggles cant quote them here because theyre also spoilers but youll probably know them when you hear them


fredericksburg va   women in head scarves slid off their shoes stacked them in neat rows next to the mosques entrance and squeezed together shoulder to shoulder in the small prayer space to listen to the imams sermon
it was a friday prayer like any other at the islamic center of fredericksburg until the warning came from the imam less than a week after the orlando fla nightclub massacre by an american born muslim and after donald j trumps renewed call to bar muslims from entering the united states imam hilal shah told his congregation to stay vigilant for violence against their families and community
were fearful of a backlash imam shah called out through the speakers as he mentioned other attacks by muslim extremists in paris and in san bernardino calif anytime an event takes place such as what happened in france such as what happened in san bernardino such as in orlando we as a muslim community feel scared
the islamic center is no stranger to backlash home to one of the many growing american muslim communities in northern virginia the center has expanded beyond the capacity of its small building on harrison road the center decided last year to move to a larger mosque but three days after the paris attacks in november a group of fredericksburg residents protested the construction plans at a public hearing
the center has plenty of company in nearby culpeper county the board of supervisors voted against a sewage permit application from a muslim congregation to build a mosque on land that cannot support a traditional drain field saying the application violated the countys regulations the rejection was only the second of its kind in 20 years the construction of a new mosque is stalled until the permit issue has been resolved
for the fredericksburg islamic center the opposition is particularly painful because the mosque has been holding prayers and community events in the city for three decades many of the mosques members are american citizens who own local businesses they say that until now they have worked and lived side by side with their neighbors without problems
that was the shocking thing said samer shalaby the chairman of the mosques board of directors people dont realize that they have a mosque right next door he said the group gathered for prayer once a week and hosts community events inside the prayer center occasionally but otherwise the mosque sits empty most of the time we go to pray and go home he said
when mr shalaby presented the centers plans to build a larger center at a public hearing three days after the paris attacks the protests surprised him one man at the hearing who can be seen in a video of the meeting interrupted his presentation saying nobody wants your evil cult here although some residents in the crowd shook their heads and told the man to leave others clapped and cheered
the opposition grew so heated that a sheriffs deputy ended the meeting early and sent everyone home to cool off after the san bernardino shooting in december the mosque canceled a second public hearing for fear that the same protesters would show up
the fredericksburg muslim community first organized in 1986 when only a handful of families were members of the congregation the group built their current prayer center on a quiet stretch across the street from a goodwill and a walgreens in 2000 to accommodate a modest number of worshipers now around 300 people squeeze into the small mosque for afternoon prayers at 1 pm on fridays followed by 300 more people for a second service at 2 pm
in the back of the mosque last friday as the women bowed forward to touch their heads to the floor there was only about one foot of open space in front of the first row and even less room behind the last large celebrations like eid al fitr the holiday that marks the end of the islamic fasting month of ramadan are almost impossible to host in the mosque ideally mr shalaby said the mosque would be able to hold friday prayers and celebrations where all 1200 congregants could gather to share a meal and pray together
since november the fredericksburg islamic center has hosted a handful of interfaith potlucks and events to introduce residents and other local congregations to the mosque along with church members and the mosques neighbors a handful of protesters carrying confederate flags and signs with anti islam statements also showed up for these events but over all mr shalaby said that in his opinion the events had helped build a bridge between the mosque members and other residents of fredericksburg
letting people in the mosque opens it up mr shalaby said it shows its not suspicious
still imam shah cautioned his congregation on friday to be alert for protesters and those who wish muslims harm all of us have to be the soldiers of islam meaning we have to live islam the way it is supposed to be he told the congregation
he encouraged people to talk to their neighbors and answer questions about the mosque but carefully imam shah advised his congregation to avoid arguments and keep a watchful eye for those who might want to cause trouble for the mosque
but he ended his sermon with the hope that muslims would be more accepted with time
it used to be the jews when they came into this country then it was catholics then it was mormons imam shah said now it is muslims


at the new york asian film festival asian film means movies mostly from the continents big three japan south korea and the chinese language cinemas of hong kong china and taiwan thats as it should be   those countries dominate asian film production and ticket buyers want their hong kong cop flicks and japanese gore fests their korean dramas and chinese kung fu spectaculars
this years 15th edition of the festival   which runs from wednesday through july 9 at the film society of lincoln center and the sva theater   will sate those appetites as thoroughly as ever from the japanese police corruption saga twisted justice on opening night to the pervy taiwanese surveillance porn drama the tenants downstairs at the closing gala
but other parts of asia have active even thriving film industries as well and the festivals programmers have made a special effort to seek out work from those countries
in this festival there are seven films from malaysia the philippines thailand and vietnam thats within shouting distance of the 11 entries from south korea 13 from japan and 19 from the chinese language countries for this year at least the new york asian film festival is having a southeast asian moment
clearly these cinemas and industries were underrepresented samuel jamier executive director of subway cinema which produces the festival with the film society of lincoln center and lead programmer of this years edition wrote in an email so i felt it was time for us to remedy this
the festivals southeast asian films can require some adjusting of expectations generally speaking budgets are lower and crews and actors less seasoned and the films can have rough edges
but theres an immediacy   a raw vitality in storytelling   in the best southeast asian films that can be lacking in the most polished and high tech japanese south korean and chinese productions mr jamier agrees with me on that writing i feel theres a different energy or vibe perhaps an innocence thats specific to these films here a few highlights
hamog nowhere is the southeast asian film energy more evident than in ralston jovers film hamog haze which will be the festivals centerpiece presentation on july 1 a filipino descendant of hector babencos great muckraking brazilian drama pixote the film focuses on four street kids who sleep in an abandoned drain pipe lined with cardboard and rob drivers stuck in manilas epic traffic jams alternately tragic bittersweet and frightening the film traces the consequences for the kids when a shakedown of a taxi driver goes sideways
like pixote hamog builds considerable power despite its narrative stumbles it kills off its most engaging character just as the story seems to get started and after spending a half hour on a moving and detailed account of how to procure a funeral for an unclaimed child it circles back and starts over again picking up a second story line that it had seemed to drop
but mr jover never bores you   the awkwardness and occasional purple streak in his screenplay are more than made up for by the zest of his direction pipo domagass fluid cinematography and gripping performances from a pair of child actors bon andrew lentejas and therese malvar
honor thy father erik mattis filipino feature written by michiko yamamoto shares a pulp fiction sensibility with hamog though it doesnt reach the same level of intensity the veteran filipino television star john lloyd cruz plays edgar a man with a past who hopes to go straight when his father in laws church based investment scheme appears to be a winner but he and we suspect that its too good to be true and pretty soon hes headed to the mountainside mining village where he grew up to beg for help from his estranged family
honor thy father shares with most of the other southeast asian selections a sense of moral outrage   mr jamier wrote that the programmers this year kept seeing films with a realization that somethings not right with the world edgar and his wife are among the innocent victims of her fathers fraud but that doesnt save them because their friends and neighbors get rich quick dreams are too powerful too desperate
jagat a similar sense of desperation is at the heart of shanjhey kumar perumals jagat brutal set in the tamil community in northern malaysia in the early 1990s indian immigrants live in poverty despite the governments promises of assistance and a young boy harvind raj is caught between satisfying his angry education obsessed father and emulating his uncle a neophyte thug who seems to be playing out the poses of the television gangster dramas the boy consumes jagat is on the earnest and didactic side but mr perumal exhibits some assurance in his directing debut and gets a winning performance by mr raj
grace an altogether more lurid experience is offered by pun homchuen and onusa donsawais grace a thai slasher movie with pretensions to social commentary a story of jealousy among rival teenage facebook idols its message is essentially that the internet equals rape torture and murder by lamp hammer and screwdriver also never date a guy named earth
heart attack aka freelance the perils of our digital existence are explored in a much more charming way in this satirical romantic comedy by the thai director nawapol thamrongrattanarit a graphic designer sunny suwanmethanon who airbrushes blemishes for a living   during sleepless four  and five day photoshop marathons   develops an unsightly rash a pretty doctor davika hoorne recommends that he stop working around the clock and stop ordering the shrimp dumplings from 7 eleven we can tell that what hes allergic to is the loneliness of modern life and that the cure is sitting across the examining room from him but in true rom com style it takes him and the doctor two hours of screen time to figure it out
or do they no spoilers here heart attack doesnt actually need to be two hours long but its sendup of the 24 7 life is consistently amusing does this temple have wifi the hero asks in the middle of a funeral and a helpful buddhist monk gives him the password for his home network indiansubcontinent79 call it southeast asian problems


moscow   pavel v dmitrichenko the dancer released from prison after being convicted of engineering an acid attack that exposed the hidden intrigues of the bolshoi ballet asked to meet outside the theater where he had so spectacularly fallen from grace and where he already envisions his return with the famous facade glowing pink in the soft light of a summer evening mr dmitrichenko looked around and pronounced himself entirely at home
i always forget the bad things he said at the start of a two hour interview recently his first since being released it seems like i was working here just yesterday those years passed as a single bad dream
in december 2013 mr dmitrichenko was sentenced to six years in prison for plotting an attack on sergei filin the bolshois artistic director in january of that year last month he was released early for good behavior
the dancer 32 with green eyes and an unruly shock of dishwater blond hair looked fit if somewhat chunkier than in his halcyon days as a bolshoi soloist he gained fame for playing villains including ivan the terrible in the ballet of the same name and von rothbart in swan lake he said he was drawn to the type
those roles were very strong in terms of drama and interesting to play he said you also have to demonstrate your power your energy and your character it is very different from playing just some prince
ivan the terrible he added gets a bad rap anyway to hear mr dmitrichenko tell it so did he when he was cast as the evil mastermind of one of the biggest scandals in the 240 years of bolshoi history i dont admit my guilt he said i didnt during the court proceedings and i still dont
prosecutors painted mr dmitrichenko as upset that mr filin had denied important roles to anzhelina vorontsova his girlfriend mr dmitrichenko had also expressed public frustration over the low pay and poor treatment of dancers under mr filin during the trial he and his lawyer tried to depict the attack as a simple warning run amok
mr dmitrichenko told the court that he had asked yuri zarutsky an acquaintance and a former convict to knock around mr filin but maintained that mr zarutsky took it upon himself to embellish the assault by dousing mr filins face with acid mr zarutsky was sentenced to 10 years for conspiring to cause bodily harm
mr dmitrichenko now labels the whole affair pure fiction it was all a plot he said by mr filin and his allies in the bolshoi to remove him from the scene because he was vocal about their corrupt practices and would not be intimidated
the revisions spill out in dizzying not to say implausible succession he never spoke to mr zarutsky about mr filin he denied that he admitted as much in court ms vorontsova was not his girlfriend he even raises doubts that there was any acid attack since mr filin has little noticeable scaring and can drive despite the seeming lack of an iris in one eye that he keeps hidden behind sunglasses
that story is entirely invented by enemies he said the whole story is about a battle for power something done from fear that i had uncovered their illegal activities my mistake was making a public statement about this
he does not want to dissect the details preferring to concentrate on his hopes to return to the stage preferably at the bolshoi
there was no barre behind bars but he tried to stay in shape his first cell was so constricted that he was limited to a few calisthenics like leg lifts and situps he said he did not go outside for an entire year for the rest of the time things were better he had a narrow space of about 10 square meters about 108 square feet where he could run back and forth pirouettes were out of the question instead he pumped iron
being a ballet star did not earn him distinct treatment from the guards or fellow inmates mr dmitrichenko said he was locked up with a varied cast of characters including businessmen actors and even a circus performer
he started to rehearse again almost as soon as he was released the first 30 minutes felt a little odd he said but then the training that started when he was 6 he is the son of two dancers kicked in and everything felt normal
vladimir urin the new director of the bolshoi appointed in the wake of the scandal told the russian media that mr dmitrichenko could audition like anybody else if he wanted to return to the company
the theater is evidently trying put the scandal in the past the bolshoi held a news conference in march to unveil a sweeping history of the institution in russian and english commissioned from the new york based writer solomon volkov to mark its 240th anniversary the documentary bolshoi babylon was released in december
the scandal inevitably prompted questions reporters asked mr urin if he had commissioned the book and approved the film in an attempt at distraction from the scandal it is not true that the sly director made such cunning plans he said while stressing that he wanted to make the cultural powerhouse more open
it is not clear though that the two main characters have entirely left the stage awkwardly mr dmitrichenko and mr filin still live in the same moscow apartment building where the attack occurred but mr dmitrichenko said they had not encountered each other
mr filin was dismissed as artistic director earlier this year then given a position as head of a bolshoi workshop fostering young choreographers in an interview in may he said he would be concerned for his safety if mr dmitrichenko were freed his lawyer went to court to try to have the release rescinded
other dancers and the film portray mr filin as a slippery character while mr dmitrichenko was sometimes described as overly emotional both men appear resigned to the idea that they might work under the same roof again
mr dmitrichenko said the main point was that he emerged from prison with his dignity intact and hoped that the whole episode would just burnish his audience appeal i think people will want to see someone who dances again after living in such circumstances he said


riff this riff that
ephrat asheries riff this riff that which rolled through the atrium plaza at 180 maiden lane on monday afternoon it repeated tuesday opens on an uncharacteristically subdued note   a point made clear by the wild ride that follows
six dancers some sitting some standing congregate around a row of wooden stools and gaze at ousmane wiles as he eases forward into space and crouches spinning back to them before dashing away again with sliding feet in reverse he stops in place and snaps his fingers soon the others ease away from the stools too and join in to create a percussive suite of bodies
ms asherie started out in ballet but like for many who came of age in the 1990s hip hop took hold there are no obvious sign of classical dance in riff this but ms asherie makes space for just about everything else dance forms   from tap to swing and vogueing   are knitted together throughout this production
ms asheries movement phrases   compact bursts of choreography with rapid fire changes in rhythm and gestural articulation   bubble up and dissipate quickly paving the way for something new but its more than an exploration of motion and energy inspired by the spirit moves a history of black social dance on film 1900-1986 mura dehns excellent documentary ms asherie investigates the jazz roots of contemporary house breaking and hip hop
riff this shows ms asheries entrancing qualities as a dancer she is both tough and supple but ms asherie has much more room to riff on her ideas about tradition in dance in its current form the piece just 25 minutes feels like a beginning not an ending as problems go thats a good one gia kourlas
the planet eaters seconds
through wednesday
many artists describe what they do as interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary but will rawls in the program notes for his work the planet eaters seconds offers this alternative nondisciplinary
a choreographer and writer mr rawls never lands for too long in any one medium staying nomadic with the help of his sound and costume collaborators one pleasure of watching seconds a reconfiguration of his 2013 the planet eaters is not knowing where to place it
i didnt see the first planet eaters but i imagine that the second presented on monday resonated differently by virtue of its new setting the circle of dance exhibition at the national museum of the american indian in lower manhattan the first performance was at the chocolate factory in long island city
the circular room houses brilliant costumes associated with traditional american indian dances these hover in our peripheral vision as mr rawls and the musician chris kuklis concoct ceremonial dance and song of their own clad in rough hewn regalia by the serbian designer sasa kovacevic
the planet eaters grew out of mr rawlss travels in the balkans and his study of the regions folklore swerving among dance storytelling and music making   the instruments included a laptop a guitar a tuning fork and a stainless steel bowl   it stirs up questions about authenticity racial identity and cultural appropriation that evade easy answers
mr rawls has written about his mixed race background as the son of a former georgia sharecropper and a woman of welsh ancestry i thought about that while watching him in a headdress of long golden braids capped with a white cross tussle with mr kuklis over several tracts of fake grass eventually they merged this disputed territory into one small mountain and sitting on either side of the pile or the table began to count clap sing and speak in harmony
in the most dance heavy passage mr rawls delivers bouncing kicking steps with an upright chest and hands on his hips but the finest moments happen when he takes a break and aided by mr kukliss sonic manipulations conjures a dreamscape woven from folk tales and personal tales of camping by the adriatic sea both men are seated its words that do the dancing siobhan burke


the massacre in orlando fla has inspired tearful vigils and neighborly charity but an act of giving announced on monday by one florida lawmaker has spurred denunciations
greg evers a republican state senator who is running for united states congress said he would hold a drawing whose prize would be an ar 15 a gun similar to the one used by omar mateen to kill 49 people at a gay nightclub in orlando on june 12
mr evers said that he was considering the giveaway since before the mass shooting intending to burnish his pro gun credentials in floridas conservative western panhandle where he is running to fill the seat being vacated by representative jeff miller
with the terrorist attacks that we have seen on our country we are under a constant threat and its not going away mr evers said on tuesday and we can no longer i feel count on our own government to protect us
but the timing of the announcement even as funerals for the shooting victims continued led many commenters on mr everss campaign site and his twitter account to express disgust
mr evers who has served in the state legislature since 2001 has had an a rating from the national rifle association for 14 years according to his campaign website he said he himself owns an ar 15
asked whether the giveaway risked offending even strong second amendment supporters mr evers said that when he heard about the orlando shooting he said a prayer for the victims and donated money
but you know theres not a bad time to protect yourself he added and even though my heart goes out to the victims and their family and friends in orlando i dont believe in offering just political platitudes i believe in taking action
ar 15 style rifles have become a focal point of the national debate over gun control known for their ease of operation they have been used to mow down dozens of people by mass shooters in newtown conn aurora colo san bernardino calif and roseburg ore
despite being banned under federal law from 1994 to 2004 along with other so called assault weapons it is the best selling style of long gun in the united states the national rifle association calls it americas rifle
brian burgess a spokesman for mr evers said tuesday that the ar 15 giveaway was devised in part as a response to what he described as president obamas refusal to talk openly about radical islam
when president obama went down to orlando he made that event about a firearm mr burgess said its clear to folks in our district and its clear to greg that we cant depend on the federal government to identify the cause and root it out
speaking two days after the mass shooting mr obama rejected criticism from donald j trump and other republicans over his refusal to use the label radical islam when talking about the islamic state group to which the orlando attacker had claimed allegiance
theres no magic to the phrase radical islam its a political talking point its not a strategy mr obama said
despite calls for stricter gun control after the massacre the senate on monday failed to advance four separate measures aimed at curbing firearm sales on the same day the supreme court refused to hear a challenge to connecticuts ban on semiautomatic rifles introduced after the newtown massacre
mr everss campaign said the winner of the rifle giveaway will be selected on july fourth and will be chosen from among people who liked or shared his facebook page


the boeing company said on tuesday that it had taken a step toward the sale of commercial aircraft to iran in what would be the most significant business deal between that country and an american company in decades
the company issued a statement confirming that it had signed what is known as a memorandum of agreement with iran air irans national carrier expressing the airlines intent to purchase boeing commercial passenger airplanes
boeing issued the statement following assertions by iranian aviation officials in recent days that the two sides had negotiated a deal for the purchase of 100 boeing jetliners including new generations of the popular 737 and 777 models
the statement did not specify the number of aircraft models or potential value of an agreement and boeing officials declined to provide further details there has been speculation in the industry that a boeing iran deal could be worth 17 billion to 25 billion
such a sale especially of that magnitude would send a powerful signal that the united states and iran are moving toward a more normalized relationship after four decades of hostility
iranian state media first reported last week that a deal with boeing had been reached and would be finalized soon boeing did not dispute the iranian media accounts but tuesday was the first time that it confirmed that both sides had signed an agreement involving the sale of planes
irans purchase of american aircraft and parts is permitted under the agreement the country reached nearly a year ago with world powers over its nuclear program which relaxed or ended many economic sanctions in exchange for irans verifiable pledges of peaceful atomic work
any deal negotiated by boeing still requires approval by the treasury departments office of foreign assets control which is responsible for enforcing compliance with sanctions involving iran that were unaffected by the nuclear agreement
the boeing statement made clear that it had negotiated with iran under authorizations from the us government following a determination that iran had met its obligations under the nuclear accord reached last summer
the statement also said boeing would continue to follow the lead of the us government with regards to working with irans airlines and any and all contracts with irans airlines will be contingent upon us government approval
boeings european competitor airbus announced an agreement worth roughly 27 billion in january when the nuclear deal went into effect to sell iran 118 aircraft that deal also requires american government approval because airbus planes contain american components the approval is still pending
iran is in dire need of replacement aircraft for its aging commercial fleet one of the worlds oldest iranian aviation officials have said they are in the market to acquire at least 400 planes in coming years


the president of the international olympic committee on tuesday addressed problems with global antidoping efforts which are led by officials from his organization tacitly acknowledging that the current structure was rife with conflicts he ordered a complete rethinking of it
we want to make the antidoping system independent from sports organizations the iocs president thomas bach said at a meeting of global sports officials in switzerland the antidoping system has some deficiencies
a new york times investigation this month found that the world anti doping agency the global watchdog for sports doping was hampered by politics and possible conflicts of interest for years the agencys leadership failed to pursue allegations of widespread cheating in russia many within wada had varying views on the organizations core purpose some seeing it as more of a passive coordinator than a proactive policing authority
the organization is jointly funded by national governments and sports organizations including the ioc its decision makers are government and olympic officials people who might not be inclined to reveal doping transgressions that could mar the integrity of the games or discredit athletes from their countries
were not going to turn to people and say these are the rules obey them the agencys current president craig reedie told the times mr reedie who is also an ioc vice president said wada had not investigated whistle blower tips from inside russia because the agency did not have explicit authority to do so until 2015
mr bach designating wada as the leader in the global antidoping effort said everybody has to understand better who is doing what and who is responsible for what
mr bach called on wada to strengthen its investigative abilities last week in the wake of the times report wada announced that it was hiring a director of intelligence and investigations gunter younger who currently leads the cybercrime unit in a division of the german criminal police
mr bach said an olympic summit meeting set for oct 8 would focus broadly on how to improve the antidoping system and he called on wada to convene an international meeting on the topic next year
mr bach also expressed support for last weeks decision by the international association of athletics federations the ruling body of track and field to bar russian track and field athletes from the rio olympics he openly questioned the integrity of athletes from russia and kenya another country where antidoping efforts have been found lacking
but mr bach suggested amending a key detail of the ruling against russian athletes while emphasizing that specific sports federations had supreme control the iaaf said friday that only russian track and field athletes who had been living outside the country and subjected to rigorous drug testing could petition to compete in rio   and for a neutral team not for russia
mr bach said however that russian athletes who cleared that high hurdle could possibly compete under the russian flag and he defended the integrity of russian olympic officials the russian olympic committee is not suspended he said calling the organization very helpful in clearing up the difficult situation in russia
after the announcement the iaaf reiterated its belief that any russian athletes who were cleared to compete on an exceptional basis should not compete on behalf of russia the organization said it planned to work with olympic officials to ensure the decision is respected and implemented in full
russia has been accused of a far reaching government run doping program extending across sports although most investigations have been limited to track and field russian sports officials have apologized for doping problems but denied state involvement
in a statement on tuesday the russian sports ministry expressed support for the iocs decision
as recently as this month wada said russian sports officials helped athletes evade drug testing and federal customs agents and members of russias federal security service tampered with doping samples and intimidated drug testers
responding to an outcry from athletes wanting broader inquiries mr bach on tuesday called on the 27 other organizations overseeing summer olympic sports   from gymnastics to weight lifting   to individually scrutinize athletes from russia and kenya and assess their ability to compete in rio in six weeks
the allegations against russia and kenya he said put very serious doubts on the presumption of innocence for athletes coming from these countries
the iaaf noted on tuesday that a majority of athletes from kenya competed in track and field the organization said that kenyas runners were subject to rigorous testing and that their doping samples had been examined in qatar and stockholm in recent months africas only wada approved testing lab was decertified this year
this does not mean we can guarantee that all kenyan athletes are clean an iaaf spokeswoman said we cannot give such guarantees for any countrys athletes but we can be confident that an effective testing regime is in place
any athlete who may take issue with a sports federations decision can appeal to the court of arbitration for sport in switzerland mr bach noted he said he had learned that russian athletes or the russian olympic committee would probably file an appeal regarding the track and field decision that is the good right of everybody he said
wada disciplined the national antidoping programs in russia and kenya in the wake of news media reports that called their integrity into question for a country to be declared noncompliant by wada means little but depriving a nations antidoping operation of wadas endorsement is a strong signal to the ioc and sports federations
russias sports ministry said tuesday that its track and field athletes were prepared to undergo a minimum of three extra drug tests before the olympics
but last week rune andersen a former wada official and the current chairman of the iaaf committee that is monitoring russia expressed skepticism about athletes ability to prove definitively that they were untainted by a possible government run doping program the former antidoping lab director in russia has described a sophisticated system whereby athletes on drugs avoided testing positive
two or five or 100 negative tests do not mean an athlete is clean mr andersen said history has shown that is not the case


two people who accused starbucks of deliberately underfilling lattes can continue their lawsuit after a federal judge in california dismissed three counts against the beverage retailer but allowed five to remain
the plaintiffs siera strumlauf and benjamin robles contended in a class action complaint filed in march that the popular drinks were underfilled by about 25 percent of their advertised sizes 12 16 and 20 ounces
starbucks had argued that a reasonable consumer would not have been misled
but judge thelton henderson of united states district court in san francisco said in his ruling on friday this is not a case where the alleged deception is simply implausible as a matter of law
the court finds it probable that a significant portion of the latte consuming public could believe that a grande contains 16 ounces of fluid measured without milk foam or in its cooled state he wrote if nothing else it is probable enough that the issue should be decided by a trier of fact not on a motion to dismiss
in their complaint the plaintiffs said starbucks used cups that held the advertised amounts only when filled to the brim but that the drinks were not filled that high they said that in 2009 starbucks made a conscious decision to save money on milk by using pitchers with etched in fill to lines that were too low and the recipe required baristas to fill a quarter inch below the brim of the cups the lawsuit says
in a statement starbucks said the lawsuit was without merit
all of our handcrafted beverages are made in accordance with our customers preferences the company said if a customer is not satisfied with their beverage preparation we will gladly remake it we will be prepared to defend our case in court
its not the first time that starbucks has been sued over its drinks a separate class action lawsuit in april by stacey pincus of chicago accused the company of putting too much ice in cold drinks leaving consumers with just over half the amount they paid for according to courthouse news
starbucks called that lawsuit without merit as well


paris   from the very beginning it was clear that northern ireland was going to have to revel in the small stuff
after all a ball punted forward is not normally a cause for celebration a goal kick not usually a reason for merriment but then again playing against germany in the teams final group stage game of the european championships   with goal difference most likely serving as the tiebreaker in determining spots in the knockout round   is not exactly a normal situation either on this night the scale at least from northern irelands perspective was understandably recalibrated
so throughout their teams game at the parc des princes the irish fans who rarely need an incentive to jump and dance and sing anyway roared for throw ins that went in their favor fouls on germany were greeted with braying and bravura corner kicks there were only three but each felt euphoric
the greatest ovations though were reserved for northern irelands goalkeeper michael mcgovern whose saves   of all manner and might   turned a game that could have ended 10 0 into what the history books will record as a narrow 1 0 loss to germany the reigning world champion northern ireland competing in its first euros finished the group stage with 3 points and a goal differential of zero a combination that   after some later results fell favorably   was enough to push it through to the round of 16
after a season of saving his scottish club team hamilton academical from relegation mcgovern also largely saved his national teams tournament when he entered the locker room after the game his teammates stood and gave him a round of applause
when you get that you dont need the manager to say much northern ireland coach michael oneill said if we were going to lose the game that was the best defeat we could have had
for germany the match was less rewarding from a results standpoint the victory did the job   germany won group c   but there will be some frustration about the inability to turn the game into the blowout that seemed to be its destiny coming after germanys drab 0 0 draw with poland which finished second in the group the one goal win will probably feel even less auspicious for the germans
yet a good part of that is attributable to northern ireland after a rousing rendition of god save the queen the players pushed   just a little bit   early in the match rushing forward in the opening minutes and even opening up a bit in an effort to trouble germany goalkeeper manuel neuer
northern ireland quickly tucked back however once it became clear there was little chance of breaking the german defense with albania already sitting on 3 points but with a minus two goal difference and several groups still yet to play northern irelands players knew this match was about risk management as much as anything
this could not be like germanys 7 1 victory over brazil in the semifinals of the 2014 world cup that kind of result would be a goal difference disaster
the risks were considerable too when the germans are thrumming there is no more entertaining team to watch and no more lethal side in front of the goal but the irish were determined gareth mcauley and craig cathcart the central defenders dug in jonny evans who played on the outside seemed to never stop running as he closed down germanys players all match and steven davis the captain clogged the midfield
behind them all was mcgovern there to save everyone when all of it broke down
this was not quite tim howard single handedly keeping the united states in its game against belgium in brazil two years ago but it was close in the space of about three minutes mcgovern smothered a one on one chance for thomas muller punched away a free kick and then denied a close range shot from mesut ozil seconds later he made a save with his feet on a shot from mario gotze
there was some good fortune for northern ireland as well muller hit the post with a header and the crossbar with a side footed shot from about 12 yards but if not for mcgovern who finished with eight saves the germans could have been three or four goals in front by halftime
instead there was only a single goal   by mario gomez who took a lovely pass from muller and drove the ball into the net from close range in the 30th minute   juxtaposed against an abundance of mcgovern highlights
its important when we went 1 0 down not to concede anymore mcgovern said adding that given the opposition it was the most enjoyable and best game ive had
germany coach joachim low said he knew coming into the game that northern ireland would defend intensively and declared himself satisfied with what his players showed especially after mcgovern played perhaps the game of his life low noted that muller who has not scored in eight career games in the euros was unlucky but otherwise he seemed unconcerned about his teams lack of finishing
we have shown our quality today ozil said the only thing missing was to take these chances
up till the end it seemed that they might late in the game sami khedira had a simmering blast from outside the penalty area palmed away by mcgovern and gomez had a header from a few yards out blocked by the goalkeeper with each save the irish fans grew louder and louder long after the final whistle they remained in their seats to sing
were not going home they crooned were not going home
whether they meant for the night or the tournament was unclear but this much was sure never before had a 1 0 defeat felt more like a victory


santa barbara calif   on one of their earliest dates the comedians natasha leggero and moshe kasher knew they were meant for each other
during that fateful assignation ms leggero was searching mr kashers car for a lost cigarette when she instead found a pair of womens underwear   not hers
mr kasher who acknowledged that they belonged to a previous paramour said that he could still remember his panicked reaction
all of my focus was on going like what i dont know what those are he said over a recent dinner with ms leggero here i dont know what objects are i dont know what fabric is
ms leggero who was not especially angry then or now laughed at mr kashers recollection thats a good joke   you should do that in your act she said
now married ms leggero a saucy standup actress and co creator of the comedy central historical satire another period and mr kasher a hyperverbal performer podcaster and creative contributor to films like zoolander 2 have found further ways to strengthen their union
though they had a proper honeymoon after their oct 11 nuptials they have spent the past weeks on what they are calling their honeymoon tour at these comedy shows in comfortable destinations they perform their individual routines then appear together the tour started on may 22 in honolulu and continues through monday in los angeles
yes this tour which offers the sufficiently rare sight of husband and wife stand ups on the same bill allows them to earn money while vacationing at luxury resorts like the san ysidro ranch where they were now dining
it is also an opportunity for them to bond as a couple and to stave off feelings of isolation that many comedians experience
it is the ideal way to tour mr kasher said except for having to split the money this couldnt be better
later that night they performed at velvet jones a santa barbara nightclub where ms leggero joked about having never wanted to marry and having no desire to become pregnant you have to stop drinking in public she explained mr kasher needled her for claiming that he had performed on hbo ive never been on hbo he said thats my wife
over dinner the two spoke with more tenderness for each other before they began dating ms leggero said she was a serial monogamist mr kasher said he was busy romantically by which he added he meant very promiscuous
but from afar they appreciated each others work and mr kasher said he considered ms leggero the type of friend that youll text every six months to remind them that youre around if theyre ever single
chelsea peretti the brooklyn nine nine star and a longtime friend of the couple said that they were compatible because they were both blunt hippies
they have this weird common ground ms peretti said in a telephone interview they both have this spiritual side and this side that likes to be indulgent moshe does burning man and natasha will do spa baths that i dont venture into but then they both can be cutting and outspoken
despite the misgivings about marriage she joked about ms leggero said that when they were dating she felt they were on the marriage track but mr kasher who has written in his memoir kasher in the rye about growing up in oakland calif and brooklyn as a child of divorced parents said he had felt uncertain about the relationship models hed seen in his life
ms leggero who grew up in rockford ill was more guarded about her upbringing but agreed with mr kashers assessment that her parents were also volatile next question she said softly
mr kasher compared his hesitation to his fear earlier in his career of moving from the bay area to los angeles where they now live
somebody said to me you know you can just move back he explained i was like huh yeah the same thing with marriage why not give it a whirl and if you fail you can just get a divorce
the wedding was a traditional jewish ceremony   ms leggero converted from roman catholicism   and took place at the couples house in the silver lake neighborhood of los angeles
because were comedians we agreed no bits at the wedding mr kasher said
but ms leggero added he let me have just one after their vows the couple momentarily disappeared then reappeared to mock a post consummation rite by holding up a sheet that said shes a virgin
ms peretti who married the comedian jordan peele key  peele this year said ms leggero and mr kashers ceremony was so enjoyable that it made her question her decision to elope with mr peele
it was bittersweet going to a fun wedding ms peretti said you go ugh are we missing out on family and friends and then ultimately we decided nah
as professional partners ms leggero and mr kasher said they did not compete over material or industry stature though mr kasher who also works on another period said wryly that he can sometimes feel a power imbalance there
i make her scream executive producer when were making love he said i need a constant reassurance that im valued and it wasnt nepotism
though they could point to only a few examples of other comic spouses who have traveled and performed together   vintage duos like gracie allen and george burns or lucille ball and desi arnaz or contemporaries like bonnie mcfarlane and rich vos   they said their tour let them lean on each other in lonely moments on the road
looking back on a new years eve when he was performing solo in grand rapids mich mr kasher said at 1205 i was in the lobby of a courtyard marriott with some doritos and a diet coke headed to my room to watch netflix its nice to be on the road and do these shows
thats so sad ms leggero said
if there is any downside to marital bliss they say it is the fear that happiness will take away the tension and the skepticism that shape their comedic perspectives
when you become happy and your life is becoming more solid and stable it is a little harder ms leggero said i felt like i was much funnier when i had like 30 in my account
of course if they need to make their lives complicated again they can have a baby
theres definitely people in comedy that have had children for material mr kasher said
her routine notwithstanding ms leggero said she was ready to embrace having a child but added im not having it for material
mr kasher replied were naming it material


columbus ohio   hillary clinton pounded away on tuesday at donald j trumps business record and economic proposals seeking to turn his claims of astounding financial success and genius against him and predicting a recession and global panic if he is elected president
in a stern but earnest sounding 45 minute speech at an education center garage here mrs clinton took care to intermingle the policy proclamations of mr trump and his professed image as a business success of the highest order
donald trump has said hes qualified to be president because of his business record mrs clinton said a few days ago he said   and i quote   im going to do for the country what i did for my business so lets take a look
though she leveled predictable blows against various trump branded products noting that many items   trump ties trump steaks trump furniture   were made outside the united states mrs clintons most pointed refrains sought to depict mr trump her presumptive republican opponent as an enemy to the very people he had claimed to champion in the primary
she checked off the stumbles of his casino business in atlantic city disparaged his companies bankruptcies mr trumps many books about business all seem to end at chapter 11 she joked and insisted that his one move in business and politics was to make over the top promises and then let people down
mrs clinton invoked her father who owned a small drapery business in chicago as she described mr trumps history of failing to pay painters waiters plumbers and other contractors who had completed work for him
my late father was a small businessman she said if his customers had done what trump did my dad would never have made it so i take this personally
she added this is not normal behavior
the barrage comes at a perilous moment for mr trump who fired his campaign manager on monday and faces severe disadvantages in fund raising and on the ground organization one supporter introducing mrs clinton said gleefully that the campaign had more staff members in ohio than mr trump had nationwide
although polls often show that voters see mrs clinton as more qualified than mr trump on foreign policy her economic views have not always been an easy sell in the democratic primary race she was dogged by criticism of her support for trade deals struck during the administrations of her husband and president obama
mr trump posting repeatedly on twitter to counter mrs clinton said he planned to make his own big speech wednesday to discuss her failed policies and bad judgment
the trump campaign which has seldom engaged in rapid response also sent a barrage of news releases to reporters in an effort to undercut mrs clintons arguments their subjects included bill clintons former position on the board of a for profit college the loss of manufacturing jobs since 1993 and a slew of negative headlines about economic indicators under president obama
in one twitter post mr trump seemed to embrace a label mrs clinton had tried to make stick that he had referred to himself as the king of debt
i am the king of debt mr trump wrote on tuesday that has been great for me as a businessman but is bad for the country i made a fortune off of debt will fix us
mrs clinton had taken mr trump to task for suggesting that the united states might default on its debts under his leadership arguing that alexander hamilton the first treasury secretary would be rolling in his grave
the full faith and credit of the united states is not something you just gamble away she said predicting that because the global economy hangs on every word our president says even raising the possibility of a default would cause a global panic
at one point she ridiculed mr trumps suggestion that he could sell off americas assets if necessary
even if we sold all our aircraft carriers and the statue of liberty even if we let some billionaire turn yosemite into a private country club she said we still wouldnt even get close
mrs clinton attacked mr trump on several other issues including immigration and pay equality for women she also ridiculed mr trump for saying that climate change was a hoax invented by the chinese noting that it was a lot easier to say a problem doesnt exist than it is to actually try to solve it
the speech on tuesday was the centerpiece of a coordinated attack on mr trumps fiscal sense on tuesday morning mrs clintons team released a video bad businessman featuring clips of figures including mitt romney and senators marco rubio and elizabeth warren insulting assorted trump branded ventures
what ever happened to trump airlines mr romney asks in one excerpt taken from a speech he made in march that struck a similar tone to mrs clintons
the campaign introduced a website artofthestealbiz detailing mr trumps checkered history in atlantic city his fathers role in bolstering his fortunes and his constellation of enterprises
by early evening mr trumps team had responded with its own site lyingcrookedhillarycom which was not immediately functional but would be in coming days according to the campaign
in her next scheduled public appearance on wednesday in raleigh nc mrs clinton is expected to shift to a more positive message outlining her vision for what she has labeled a growth and fairness economy her plans include increasing the minimum wage closing tax loopholes that encourage companies to move jobs overseas and expanding benefits for working families
mrs clinton has leaned this week on an analysis for moodys analytics led by mark zandi who she noted was an economic adviser to john mccains 2008 presidential campaign the report predicted that mr trumps proposals on trade taxation immigration and spending would produce a lengthy downturn and significant job losses particularly hurting low  and middle income workers
mrs clinton quoted from the report during her speech but moments before her remarks mr trumps campaign emailed reporters noting mr zandis ties to democrats he has donated to mrs clintons campaign
as she wrapped up mrs clinton reiterated a campaign theme   stronger together   that has become more prominent in recent weeks and argued that mr trump believes in the worst of us and cannot be trusted at the controls
mr trump still seemed to be watching
hillary defrauded america as secy of state he wrote on twitter she used it as a personal hedge fund to get herself rich corrupt dangerous dishonest


associate salaries at big law firms are on the rise and that news has brought a predictable but undeserved fresh round of law school bashing
instead lets just accept that this is a world of haves and have nots top law graduates are doing better than ever while other law students have a steeper path to climb to earn that type of money
the latest round of salary raises began in early june when the prestigious law firm cravath swaine  moore bumped first year associate pay to 180000 from 160000 this move had been rumored and because cravath has taken the lead in pushing up salaries for decades it did not want to miss out
in the world of associates and salaries big law firms are like lemmings the top 50 or so all quickly moved to match cravath even raising the salaries for the summer associates who arrived from law schools the week the increases were announced
it is a time for celebration among the twenty somethings who are benefiting from this extra cash but it also highlights the dichotomy between those at the top and everyone else the top graduates earn a median salary that will now start at 180000 but that represented only about 17 percent of the reported salaries in 2014 according to data from the national association for law placement
cravath knew when it raised salaries that other law firms would quickly match it to avoid being viewed as less prestigious and to remain competitive big law firms are experiencing a talent drain to in house corporate jobs finance and venture capital where the salaries or lifestyles are more attractive the salaries and opportunities for top associates remain robust well leave for another day the question of whether these jobs are worth the long hours and quality of life sacrifices
the rush by other law firms to meet cravaths salary increase also reflects the winner take all society look at the salaries of more senior associates eighth year lawyers at cravath also got raises and will now be paid 315000 a year with bonuses that now average about 100000 the average senior associate at a big firm is less than 35 years old and earning more than 400000
i graduated from law school in 1995 with a starting salary at a big law firm of 81500 and no bonus salaries with bonuses are now more than 50 percent higher adjusting for inflation but eighth year salaries have grown even more most likely outstripping the growth in law school tuition at most schools
for the lucky few who get jobs at these big firms law school is a good investment these young lawyers can earn more than 40000 in one summer while they are still in law school and pay back their loans quickly many find that there are private firms willing to refinance their loans at rock bottom interest rates again whether they are happy or not at these firms is another question
but lets be clear only the lucky 17 percent of graduates earn salaries this high to be in this group you needed to go to a top 10 school or graduate in the higher ranks of the top quartile of law schools
things are harder for every other law graduate law firm starting salaries are bimodal   meaning that while 17 percent of graduates earned a median salary of 160000 in 2014 about half had a median starting salary of 40000 to 65000
it is the fate of these graduates that drives the criticism of law school as a scam they dream of big jobs but are often the lawyers who become solo practitioners district attorneys public defenders and other lower paying jobs outside the big firms
the employment market has softened even for the big jobs but for new lawyers on the lower end of the starting scale it is worse in 2014 graduates faced a 867 percent employment rate according to the national association for law placement
but this figure is for all jobs taken by law graduates including jobs outside of law law school critics focus on the number of law graduates who secured jobs as lawyers or got jobs that preferred a law degree according to american bar association figures analyzed by the legal whiteboard for the 2015 class this figure was 70 percent up from 69 percent in 2013 though 4000 fewer people graduated from law school in comparison law job placement from the top 20 schools was 80 percent to 100 percent these sobering figures imply that approximately 30 percent of law school graduates are either unemployed or cannot find a law job some question this notion though asserting that the figure may have been adversely affected by the fact that in 2015 the bar passage rate nationally declined to about 75 percent and so many law graduates could not practice law even if the jobs were there
either way it is clear that it is harder out there for the lower tier law schools and their graduates
indeed it is easy to visit a regional law school in the fourth tier of the us news  world report rankings and find a graduate who has not found a job or is struggling this is often extrapolated into an argument that law schools are about to close wholesale so far not one has closed or that law school is not worth it for 90 percent of those who attend and cannot be guaranteed a job at a big law firm one pundit goes so far as to criticize anyone who goes to law school outside the top five or six schools
the criticisms ignore the fact that even lower ranked law schools offer more good outcomes than bad michael simkovic a seton hall law professor who has studied this market noted that from 2007 to 2014 the number of law firm jobs rose to 870000 from 786000 according to census data during that time law school enrollment dropped significantly to about 37000 students a year from a high of more than 50000 students in the long term the increase in law firm jobs will be filled by newly minted law school graduates
the focus on salaries and employment at graduation also ignores the fact that most law graduates do secure employment that pay them more than they would have otherwise earned the only peer reviewed study on this topic co written by professor simkovic found that most law students earned a premium of hundreds of thousands of dollars over what they would have earned had they not gone to law school even taking into account the debt they accrue
the fact that lawyers do reasonably well over time and better than they would have done had they not gone to law school is reflected in the low default rates on law school loans
the simple fact is that the lower  and mid ranked law schools are for those who want to remain in a local place these lawyers can and do succeed senator marco rubio of florida for example went to university of miami school of law which is tied for 60th place on the us news  world report list he rose to national prominence and a presidential nomination bid through state politics a common career for lawyers
to be sure law school is not for everyone people should be careful about the debt they take on there are choices in law schools and yes there will sometimes be bad outcomes
but the question people should be asking is whether they are going to a school with a high performance outcome after that they should look at the schools graduates and what they have done with their legal careers then they can choose which outcome suits them best but lets not lump everything together and lets recognize that for most the data still shows that over the long term law school can be a fruitful choice


three new york men were accused on tuesday of selling over 100 illegal assault weapons from a shop near rochester in what the authorities said was the largest gun seizure made by the state attorney generals office since the safe act was passed by the state legislature after the 2012 mass shooting at a connecticut school
the owner of the gun shop kordell jackson 40 of west henrietta was arrested on charges including three counts of first degree criminal sale of a firearm the authorities said also arrested were two shop employees joshua perkins 28 of irondequoit and ken youngren 30 who the authorities said was a part time police officer in the villages of andover and belmont they face charges similar to those brought against mr jackson
when reached by phone on tuesday before he was arrested mr youngren declined to comment attempts to reach mr jackson and mr perkins by phone were unsuccessful
the investigation began in 2014 when agents with the federal bureau of alcohol tobacco firearms and explosives noticed irregularities in the records of the store jackson guns and ammo in henrietta and alerted the state police according to a joint news release from the state attorney general and the state police superintendent
according to the release investigators began tracking weapons sold from the store and found that more than 100 were illegal under the safe act which is formally the secure ammunition and firearms enforcement act of 2013 about 10 of the weapons would have been illegal even before the laws went into effect
among the weapons seized were two bushmaster xm 15s part of the same line as one of the guns used by adam lanza in the shootings at sandy hook elementary school in newtown conn
new york has enacted some of the toughest most sensible gun safety laws in the country and with todays arrests we are sending a message that these laws will be vigorously enforced the attorney general eric t schneiderman a democrat said the tragedies in orlando newtown aurora and communities across the country are clear signs that we need to get our national gun violence epidemic under control
thousands of people have been charged under the new laws which went into effect shortly after the shootings in newtown a majority of charges have been for criminal firearm possession which was elevated from a misdemeanor to a felony
mr jackson owned a second gun shop in scottsville but closed both stores in january 2015 saying the assault weapons ban as well as other regulations and taxes had hurt his business
we catered to the assault rifles and once that was out it kind of hurt us mr jackson told time warner cable news in rochester at the time you cant stay in business with all this going on
the safe act was denounced by gun rights activists and has been deeply unpopular in parts of upstate new york


softbank group the japanese technology and telecommunications conglomerate has lost its heir apparent nikesh arora who is quitting less than two years after he was hired and little more than 12 months after he was promoted to president
mr arora a former google executive invested billions of the companys money and was paid extravagantly as he staked a claim to take over from masayoshi son the succession mess leaves softbank and its mercurial founder harder than ever to read
this looks like another all too predictable case of a tycoon refusing to let go of the company he created mr son said he planned to step back next year when he turns 60 but recently decided to carry on for at least another five years and work on a few more crazy ideas
with no prospect of taking over anytime soon mr arora   who received more than 200 million in compensation over the last two years   decided to move on he will remain an adviser and has sold the 500 million of softbank stock he bought last year to mr son at a small loss
not all shareholders will be sorry to see him go in a short period mr arora oversaw some bold bets including a 1 billion stake in a korean online retailer coupang as well as the backing of the indian e commerce group snapdeal and two asian ride hailing apps ola and grab on monday softbanks board dismissed criticisms brought by unnamed investors accusing mr arora of conflicts of interest and poor investment performance
while its too soon to say whether the start ups mr arora championed will justify their valuations softbanks shake up coincides with signs of financial restraint it recently raised 10 billion by selling some shares in the chinese online retailer alibaba at the same time it announced mr aroras departure the 67 billion japanese company offloaded its controlling stake in the games developer supercell maker of clash of clans in a deal that values the company at 102 billion the proceeds will reduce softbanks debt and ease some of the strain caused by the troubled american wireless operator sprint
with softbanks many disparate holdings and moving parts investors can only be further confused by the big personnel change the one thing they can be sure of for now is that once again their fate rests entirely in mr sons hands


in a year when the academy awards were battered by oscarssowhite broadway touted its most diverse season in history which culminated with nonwhite actors winning all four awards for performances in musicals at the tony awards on june 12
but for female playwrights the season seemed like business as usual of the nine new plays produced on broadway this year two were written by women   the same as in 2015 one of those danai guriras eclipsed was originally produced off broadway at the public theater
enter the los angeles based collective the kilroys which is back with its third annual list of plays by female and transgender writers that are worthy of production   its own way of answering the perennial complaint about a group of writers underrepresented in theater
carla ching a playwright and one of the 13 members of the kilroys said in an interview that she has been keeping an eye on theater companies season announcements recently and there are plenty of theaters that have predominantly male seasons
we are far from parity she added
the list which was released on tuesday includes 32 plays that were selected from a survey of 230 theater professionals such as artistic directors producers directors and dramaturges only plays that have never been produced were eligible for inclusion in previous years plays were allowed to have been mounted either once or an unrestricted amount of times
several of the playwrights however have been given prominent new york showings including sarah burgess whose dry powder ran at the public theater and martyna majok whose ironbound was produced by the womens project theater and rattlestick playwrights theater her play on the kilroys list cost of living will be presented at the williamstown theater festival this summer and then off broadway
like eclipsed several plays on the list look at women in or from africa including good grief by ngozi anyanwu and school girls or the african mean girls play by jocelyn bioh and two playwrights rachel bonds and jen silverman each have two of plays on the list
ms ching said the list gives a noticeable boost to playwrights   herself included last year she was named among the kilroys honorable mentions which she said helped get her work read by playwrights horizons a nonprofit theater company in new york
the 2014 and 2015 lists included a total of 99 plays more than 100 productions of those titles have either been mounted or planned since the first list came out some plays have received multiple productions it is unclear how many resulted from promotion by the kilroys ms ching said


bkw brooklyn winery one of several in the borough makes its wines in williamsburg from grapes cultivated in upstate new york and california it has a rustic tasting room serving light food and now the owners brian leventhal and john stires have opened a full restaurant with a skylight radiating beams and colorful tilework the chef michael gordon who worked at bouley asiate and savory is producing wine friendly fare like a chilled shiitake soup crisp brussels sprouts with pastrami roasted chicken breast with leg and thigh potpie alongside hanger steak with red wine sauce and pan roasted skate the restaurant has a library of the winerys older vintages it serves only its own wines but thats quite an extensive portfolio 747 franklin avenue sterling place crown heights brooklyn 718 399 1700 bkwnyccom
maman this group of home style cafes evoking the south of france keeps expanding it started in soho then opened in tribeca and is now in greenpoint brooklyn it is also installing a cafe in the new international center of photography museum on the bowery opens thursday 80 kent street franklin street greenpoint brooklyn no phone 250 bowery stanton street 212 857 0000 mamannyccom
mamasushi the latin accented japanese restaurant in washington heights has a new sibling a bit to the south the owner susana osorio is also opening bocaditos bistro  espresso bar in inwood near the original mamasushi 3569 broadway 146th street 646 682 7879 mamasushicom
rubys cafe after 13 years in soho this australian cafe is branching out with a murray hill location and menu additions including a spritz on tap 442 third avenue 31st street 212 300 4245 rubyscafecom
sammys house of bbq summer times square barbecue it sounds as if the right buttons have been pressed with three floors of cue engineered by the pitmaster lou elrose formerly of wildwood and hill country the enterprise is the work of sammy benmoha of the nearby benash deli opens wednesday 258 west 44th street 212 944 6900
zadies oyster room cooked oysters which have a long history in new york are the focus of marco canoras makeover of what was fifty paces and terroir before that 413 east 12th street 646 602 1300 zadiesoysterroomcom
david waltuck the former chef and owner of chanterelle and more recently elan has become the director of culinary affairs at the institute of culinary education he will be a liaison between restaurants and students seeking to build careers he will also teach
blue water grill after 20 years this seafood stalwart will close july 10 for a million dollar renovation it will reopen in the fall with a new chef chris meenan formerly at vaucluse
majorelle the restaurant opening in the former post house space in september has named a chef christian delouvrier formerly of lespinasse and more recently until his so called retirement at the end of 2014 the bistro la mangeoire the restaurant is named for jacques majorelle a french painter who created the elaborate majorelle gardens in marrakesh morocco the gardens were bought by pierre berge and yves saint laurent in 1980 and are now owned by mr berge charles masson the manager of the restaurant said he asked mr berge for permission to use the name mr majorelle was known for using a striking shade of cobalt blue and mr masson said there would be touches of it in the restaurant more important he said is that the space has been opened up with a garden in back anyone who knows me knows how important flowers and plants are to me said mr masson who for decades ran the dining room at la grenouille mr delouvriers food will be french mediterranean light herbaceous with some emphasis on small plates and less rustic than at la mangeoire mr delouvrier 69 said he came out of retirement when mr masson called him i would have regretted not doing this he said 28 east 63rd street
zigmunds eric lemonides and jason weiner of almond in bridgehampton ny are expanding their footprint there with this bar and restaurant serving greek accented small plates in what was the fresh hamptons restaurant they expect to open in a few weeks 203 sag harbor turnpike bridgehampton ny


james phelan a literary scholar at ohio state heard it on sports talk radio on tuesday even if fans and hosts werent saying it outright the nature of the discussion about lebron james conveyed that no matter what happened next after he led the cavaliers to their first nba championship sunday night his legacy had been definitively chiseled
there was implicit recognition that narrative culmination has already occurred phelan said jamess career as inadvertently reflected by the radio banter was now the stuff of bildungsroman
right sports fans bear with me
the hero chafes at the comfort he knows so he leaves home believing adventure will give him both spiritual fulfillment and a livelihood he gains knowledge but comes to realize something is missing he stumbles back home where he realizes the key to happiness was right under his nose all along
it is the plot of the coming of age story grist for dozens of classic 19th century novels and yet more middling 20th century movies
if even those without cleveland connections found themselves feeling warm and glad when they watched james drop to the floor at oracle arena on sunday night and weep with joy it might have been because the arc of his endlessly scrutinized career resembles a tried and true story and this was its completion
the technical term for a novel of growth is bildungsroman a german word roughly novel of development for a genre that started with a german book that book   wilhelm meisters apprenticeship by johann wolfgang von goethe   describes a well to do young man who leaves home and falls in with a troupe of actors has adventures and finally realizes his destiny lies with a society of the well to do that is intimately connected to his origins
in other words theres no place like home
throughout his sentimental education to borrow the title of one of those novels james has satisfied each of its conventions as if he were checking items off a grocery list
he grew up in akron ohio near cleveland in the early stage of his career with the cavaliers when a nike billboard in downtown cleveland declared we are all witnesses his incredible gifts and the opportunity to write a storybook ending left him feeling pressured and stifled
in 2010 james beat a path for miami   trailed by burning jerseys a nasty letter by the owner dan gilbert of the cavaliers and a book labeling him the whore of akron   and won two nba titles with the heat
without the experiences i had there i wouldnt be able to do what im doing today james wrote in a sports illustrated essay upon his return to cleveland in 2014 confirming the necessity of the miami part of the tale
but james clarified that merely returning did not close the loop whats most important for me he wrote is bringing one trophy back to northeast ohio
as with every other stage of jamess career this was achieved as dramatically as possible on sunday night that vintage chase down block was reminiscent of his still present scampering youth his brilliant game control   a teammate kyrie irving compared him to beethoven composing a symphony   was the signature of so much experience
like the hero at the close of every novel of growth james completely fulfilled societys expectations as well as his own no matter what comes next he will never again have a moment as charged with meaning that part of his life is over
it is sublime it is also bittersweet
theyve found their place in society joseph slaughter an english professor at columbia said referring to the heroes of such stories
it reaffirms natural ideas of home and society he added that everybody will find their place
the genre slaughter said frequently featured a fatherless man it was the 1800s and an autonomous place in society was largely unavailable to women in great expectations pip searches for the father figure who provided him with his inheritance huckleberry finn flees his drunken father and heads for the mississippi river and the stories conclude slaughter said when the hero accepts his lot in society wilhelm learns he has a son
james as those familiar with his story will recall was raised by a single mother in akron finding father figures in basketball gyms and siblings in his teammates to whom he always preferred to pass the ball and whom he always kept close after sunday nights game james reportedly insisted on three portraits one with his mother gloria one with his coterie of close friends some of whom he has known since childhood and one with his wife and their three children   on fathers day
this is real life of course and there are complications to jamess neat narrative of bildung or self formation in 2010 james saw that the heat provided the quickest route to a then elusive nba championship later he saw promise in irving and the cavaliers
but if we are at times guilty of projecting these narratives onto jamess career this was the natural result of his unmatched collection of basketball talents   bullet speed freight train size and beautiful mind   and the knowledge that they would not all last
james has demonstrated that perhaps no vocation lends itself to the coming of age yarn better than athlete the stark lines of sports provide a clearer focus for the universal fact these stories dramatize that physical ability unavoidably wanes infinitely magnifying the pressure to achieve ones goals in a relatively short window of time which shuts while one is still young
james could still win another championship or three he could play for the knicks although he probably wont he could clinch an nba finals on clevelands home court he could lead the cavaliers to a rubber match series against the warriors a year from now
but what he cannot do again is play quite as poignant a role in his life or in ours having won one for northeast ohio he is now the fully formed person he will be for the rest of his life
if he wins more its denouement its not climax phelan said its epilogue or sequel
the bildungsroman slaughter said is also about the beginnings of middle age   finding that place where youre comfortable not excited by the same youthful fantasies
for this reason slaughter said with stunning frequency the bildungsroman ends with the hero between 30 and 33 james is 31
for someone to find his place so completely in such triumph is a wonderful thing and for the rest of us it is no small consolation to be able to say that we were all witnesses


los angeles   viet thanh nguyen has been wrestling with apocalypse now for most of his life   as a boy a college student a scholar a writer of fiction the movie was initially a source of pain then a puzzle to be understood and finally an inspiration for his novel about a vietnamese spy the sympathizer
even now after a rapturous reception for the novel his first that included the 2016 pulitzer prize for fiction mr nguyens feelings about francis ford coppolas 1979 war epic are still somewhat raw
apocalypse now is an important work of art mr nguyen 45 said in an interview at his house here but that doesnt mean im going to bow down before it im going to fight with it because it fought with me
the sympathizer which is narrated by the unnamed spy begins with the communist takeover of south vietnam in 1975 and then continues in southern california among a group of die hard exiles whose motto is always resent never relent a megalomaniacal hollywood director invites the spy to critique the script for his war movie and then hires him to share his native expertise during filming in the philippines
for those who dont get the many hints in those chapters the novels acknowledgments list more than a dozen works about the making of apocalypse now  im a scholar mr nguyen explained
despite such trappings the sympathizer does not read like an academic work it is mordantly funny and highly polished but it makes antiwar classics like catch 22 and slaughterhouse five seem happy go lucky at the end of catch 22 the hero runs away from the army that is trying to kill him at the end of the sympathizer the antihero is tortured
there are no conventional happy endings here mr nguyen said conventional happy endings are the property of hollywood and thats propaganda   propaganda for the american dream i dont believe in that
the american dream has been looking a little tattered recently which makes the sympathizer a historical novel that matches the current mood
its fitting and proper that the sympathizer won the pulitzer said robert olen butler who won the prize in 1993 for his own much gentler tale of displaced vietnamese a good scent from a strange mountain the books fundamental anger welters at the heart of the politics and protests and public discourse of america today
mr nguyen lives in silver lake a largely hispanic neighborhood here that has more recently become a hipster hangout his living room is immaculate devoid of all personal touches in one corner are five coffee table books they all have vietnam in the title
a war doesnt end simply because we say it does and a war isnt simply the things that happen on the battlefield he said to me war is a much more expansive beast
if the sympathizer was born out of anger it also grew out of other books writers draw inspiration from fellow artists all the time but with mr nguyen the relationship is especially tight
ralph ellisons invisible man is evoked on the first page mr nguyen and his partner lan duong named their first child ellison the infamous liver scene in philip roths portnoys complaint is reprised this time with squid but apocalypse now is the most overt influence the sympathizer is a handsome tribute to one of americas greatest living directors or perhaps a punch in the face or maybe both at once
i think if someone were to spend 50 or 60 pages putting me into a novel i would be amused mr nguyen said francis ford coppola is a genius in the book even if he is flawed
thats a polite way of putting it at one point in the novel the director apparently tries to kill the spy by setting a cemetery ablaze it would be interesting to know mr coppolas reaction to all this but he did not respond to a request for an interview that disappoints mr nguyen a bit im not afraid of confrontation he said
mr nguyen first saw mr coppolas film when he was around 10 he was a vietnamese refugee who spoke fluent english a bookworm curious about his roots a war buff like so many boys he watched the movie alone at home in san jose on a newfangled vcr
one scene in particular devastated him american soldiers on a boat taking the protagonist played by martin sheen upriver stop to search a vietnamese familys sampan the soldiers end up massacring everyone
people just like me were being slaughtered mr nguyen said i felt violated a decade later as a student at berkeley he talked about the scene for a film class he began rationally he remembered and then realized his voice was full of rage it was an antiwar movie about the war in vietnam but the movie was about americans he said the vietnamese were silent and erased
two decades on mr nguyen teaches the scene in his course on the american war in vietnam at the university of southern california where he is an associate professor of english and american studies and ethnicity he also discusses apocalypse now in nothing ever dies vietnam and the memory of war published in april by harvard university press
call it obsession call it dedication but this immersion in the war and the art it produced is not typical of vietnamese americans   or for that matter of mr nguyens own family his older brother tung thanh nguyen a professor of clinical medicine at the university of california san francisco remembers the real war but tries not to think about it
i have never made it through a movie about the vietnam war he said i refused to pick up a book about the war does that mean it doesnt matter no it means it matters way too much this is how people cope
their parents retired proprietors of a corner grocery in san jose declined to have their names printed on the dedication page of nothing ever dies for them their past isnt even past which makes their sons choice of profession seem especially unlikely
the older brother said to be a vietnamese american and choose to write fiction especially about the war is an incredibly rebellious act
like most seemingly overnight successes viet thanh nguyen had a long apprenticeship the sympathizer is the first novel he ever tried to write but he has been writing short stories for 20 years the sympathizer was submitted to 14 publishers and 13 turned it down
grove press an independent house took it on and made a major commitment after all the ecstatic reviews and awards the novel sold about 22000 copies in hardcover   no blockbuster
im delighted its sold as many copies as it has given its not a warm and fuzzy book the author said if id written the steven spielberg version of a vietnam war novel and it didnt sell two million copies id be disappointed
the pulitzer presents an the opportunity to take the book to another level grove published 20000 copies in paperback before the prize then another 120000 after mr nguyen has received many offers to speak at conferences
and there are less tangible rewards
my dad called me after the prize voice shaking with happiness   and hes not an emotive man mr nguyen said so i finally made my dad happy and all it took was winning the pulitzer prize for my first novel


san terenziano italy   on a may afternoon when the weather was unable to decide between sun and showers the dedication of pork lovers here in this central italian town was sorely tested again and again rain arrived the crowd scattered
but again and again as the sun returned they poured back into the town square appetites renewed for more porchetta the aromatic ancient whole pig roast that a crowd of hundreds had gathered to celebrate it was the last day of porchettiamo a new festival devoted to porchetta and a few showers were not going to keep them from the rare opportunity to taste a dozen different kinds of this beloved dish
to make porchetta a whole pig is deboned and gutted then stuffed with garlic and herbs and roasted in its skin until crunchy juicy and insanely aromatic the head is left on so when it is cooked a whole porchetta looks like a pig in a brown sleeping bag
it is served sliced and stuffed into crusty rolls or between slabs of focaccia because it is boneless every slice has spirals of tender meat lush fat and crunchy cracklings as at a whole hog barbecue in the united states the goal is a mix of all three in each bite
the dish is popular all over italy as street food almost always spotted at events like street fairs and weekly produce markets multiple sagras or food festivals are devoted to it every year but umbria fiercely guards its reputation as the birthplace of porchetta
it is a simple dish not a professional butchers masterpiece like the famous salamis from nearby norcia but it inspires great passions the idea came to me in a dream said anna setteposte a co founder of the festival its manifesto reads more than a festival a declaration of love
unlike most sagras porchettiamo gathers multiple producers from all over italy enabling porchetta partisans to taste compare and simply gorge
at one end of the festival at the booth of antica salumeria granieri amato founded in 1916 three generations of the granieri family were handing children crunchy hunks of deeply bronzed skin their salumeria produces a strictly traditional porchetta and is one of the last to still roast porchetta in a wood oven for smoky flavor
at the other end the hip young chef marco gubbiotti of cucinaa a gastronomic project in nearby foligno handed out porchetta sandwiches stuffed with a confit of apple and fennel
some producers use fistfuls of garlic others just pinches some leave the liver in for the rich flavor it adds to the stuffing others consider that bizarre some perfume the meat with rosemary while others maintain that only fennel pollen has the true flavor of umbria
the professional chefs used a large piece of pork that american butchers call the perfect cut instead of the whole pig they take the whole pork belly which is super fatty and wrap it around the loin which is relatively lean said matt lindemulder a partner at porchetta in the east village where they use the same cut when they cook together the fat from the belly bastes the loin
respect for food traditions was already entrenched in italian culture when the modern values of eating locally sustainably and transparently went global   partly via slow food which was founded just a few hundred kilometers away at porchettiamo the umbrian reverence for pork and passion for the deep culinary and agricultural heritage of the region were on full display
valentino gerbi a founder and butcher at a new meat producer called etrusco handed out juicy meatballs and fliers advertising the companys carne locale radicale radical local meat
etrusco allows its animals   both cows and pigs   to grow larger than modern tastes have dictated todays younger smaller animals are more tender but they are less flavorful and less like the meat our great grandparents ate
we embrace the peasant traditions of central italy   no compromises no shortcuts mr gerbi said
many other farmers here are developing sidelines in organic and heirloom produce or converting family farms from commercial to traditional production
like the old times our pigs are grazing outdoors eating corn and barley instead of bone meal taking no supplements or antibiotics said ramon rustici a farmer who supplied several of the pigs for porchettiamo people today want to know that they are eating cibo vero real food
it doesnt get much more real than the back room of carlo giulianis butcher shop in costano just after dawn when the smell of bleach is still stronger than the smell of blood the day after porchettiamo mr giuliani was preparing to make porchetta from a 220 pound pig that had been raised at the rustici farm in the hills above assisi slaughtered and cleaned then aged for three days to dry out the skin this makes it crisp up when roasted
like many european farmers the rusticis raise large whites a fast growing hardy breed of british origin the italian strain is bred with particularly large and muscular legs the better for making prosciutto
mr giuliani had no special tools just a knowledge of porcine anatomy and a knife with a wickedly thin long blade that he sharpened every 10 minutes or so when knives are used to cut against bone they dull very quickly
an hour later he had removed more than 200 bones from the carcass set aside the trotters and ears to simmer in a dish called cicotto that is made from the leftover bits of pig and methodically rubbed the inside with minced shallots garlic salt pepper and a thick golden dusting of fennel pollen
the fennel is what makes it umbrian said barbara dagapiti owner of wine link italy a guide to local food and wine fennel grows wild here and its pollen has the refreshing whiff of dried sage with notes of saffron lemon and fennel seed
to foreigners umbria and its food are often overshadowed by the high profile of tuscany which lies just to the west but in italy umbria is fondly called il cuore verde ditalia the green heart of italy for its fertile soil and ancient agricultural traditions pork from its green hills and deep forests has been prized since pre roman times
today if you spend time poking around umbrias pig farms prosciutto makers and pork festivals you will be regaled by theories about how the region came to be the epicenter of pork butchery in italy
among them in preci benedictine monks flourished as healers from the 13th century building a rare library of anatomy texts and a renowned infirmary they taught their skills to locals who were already skilled in surgery   butchers watching mr giuliani remove the pigs 32 ribs one by one lent credence to this theory
for those without surgical level knife skills umbrian style porchetta is still an accessible pleasure within reach of any home cook with a large grill though a roasting pan in an oven will do fennel pollen is easy to order and well worth trying even if you believe that rosemary and garlic with pork is the most celestial combination imaginable in california where wild fennel does grow cooks can easily harvest their own
a whole pig is not practical unless you are feeding a whole town but any boneless well marbled roast with skin or a thick fat cap will do
the key elements of the finished dish are juicy meat soft fat and crispy crust in modern umbrian kitchens porchetta has expanded beyond pork so that in porchetta has simply come to mean boneless meat rolled round garlic and herbs and roasted
it is served at hip umbrian restaurants in variations like carp in porchetta beef in porchetta and   in the case of the young chef nicolas bonifacio of eat out osteria gourmet in assisi   rabbit in porchetta with hummus garlic yogurt and middle eastern spices
porchetta the festival organizers say deserved to be honored as food of the people unlike luxury ingredients such as truffles prosciutto and parmigiano reggiano that typically command respect and attention from the greater food world
street food is the food of the future said antonio boco a co founder of porchettiamo low cost food without boundaries that makes many people happy what could be more global than that
recipes outdoor porchetta  porchetta pork chops


beijing   the training session started with a harsh public shaming a performance coach took to the stage and asked eight employees at a chinese bank to explain to a room of their peers why they had fallen short
i didnt cooperate well a woman said
i wasnt courageous enough another confessed
then the session took a bizarre turn the coach brandished a wooden stick and shouted get your behinds ready he proceeded to slap the employees on their rears going down the line four times a woman recoiled in pain and several workers gasped
by tuesday a video of the episode had provoked widespread anger in china the coach jiang yang apologized and two executives at the bank that hosted the session zhangze rural and commercial bank in changzhi a northern city were suspended
the bank had hired mr jiang who works for a shanghai consulting company that sometimes charges more than 18000 a day to help improve the productivity of its workers according to chinese news reports the theme of the training session which was held on saturday for more than 200 employees was performance breakthroughs
in a video apology mr jiang said the banks leaders should not be blamed i punished the lowest performing trainees according to the rules of the competition and hurt them he said i hereby offer my deepest apologies
mr jiang was also reported to have used other methods to shame the employees including cutting their hair bank officials said employees who participated in the sessions might receive compensation
corporal punishment is still common in china especially in rural regions but many people found mr jiangs methods extreme a one minute clip of the session filmed by an audience member quickly garnered tens of thousands of views online and set off a furious reaction on social media
you must be sick a user wrote on weibo a web service similar to twitter are employees your slaves
what era are we in now another user wrote we still spank people


paris   a former vice president of the democratic republic of congo jean pierre bemba was sentenced on tuesday to 18 years in prison for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed by militiamen under his command during a four month rampage of looting rape and murder in the central african republic
the sentence handed down by an international panel of judges in the hague is considered significant for a number of reasons notably mr bemba was convicted even though he was far away from the militia fighting under his orders and was not present during any of the war crimes the court said he was culpable because of his command responsibility he should have halted or prevented the crimes the judges said
mr bemba who is now 53 was a businessman and scion of a prominent congolese family before rising to the vice presidency   successful rich and believed to be untouchable
in 2002 he sent an expeditionary force of his political party the congolese liberation movement into the central african republic to help put down a military coup there though mr bemba rarely visited the troops the judges at the international criminal court in the hague found that he closely monitored their activities and convicted him in march
sylvia steiner the presiding judge in the case read out a summary of the courts reasoning at the sentencing on tuesday saying that mr bembas knowledge of the crimes was unquestionable he did more than tolerate them he deliberately encouraged attacks on civilians the judge said
the force of about 1500 militiamen rampaged through towns on their path claiming afterward that they had been poorly paid and that they were rewarding themselves by raping and pillaging
the sentence given to mr bemba heavily emphasized the militias unrelenting campaign of rape committed throughout the operation against women and men adults and children the judges cited instances of gang rape and took note of the lasting physical and social harm that rape victims suffered including stigmatization ostracism and disease
because of the large number of rapes and what the judges called their particular brutality rape as a war crime and a crime against humanity received more weight in sentencing even than murder   18 years for the rape related charges with concurrent sentences of 16 years for murder and pillaging
prosecutors had asked for a 25 year sentence and may appeal the sentence as too lenient experts following the case said victims groups had asked for mr bemba to be sentenced to the maximum possible penalty without citing a specific figure
mr bemba had already been detained for eight years before and during his trial so he would presumably now have 10 years left in his sentence if it stands at 18 years it has been customary at international tribunals to deduct one third of the total sentence so mr bemba may be eligible for early release in as little as four years
largely because of pressure from human rights advocates and womens groups organized or mass rape is increasingly being recognized and prosecuted as a weapon of war rather than as a byproduct of war other international courts have convicted defendants of rape as a war crime and a crime against humanity but mr bembas was the first such conviction by the international criminal court in two earlier cases involving congolese warlords instances of rape were widely reported but not prosecuted
in another twist mr bemba and four associates including his former lead lawyer are on trial in a parallel case at the same court charged with trying to bribe witnesses in the war crimes case hearings in the contempt of court trial have been completed and a verdict is expected later this year
witness tampering has become a major issue at the court with allegations of bribery or intimidation occurring in almost every case so far some critics have called the contempt prosecution against mr bemba and his associates a waste of time and resources but lawyers who follow the matter say the court wanted to send a strong message by pursuing it
in kinshasa the capital of congo members of mr bembas political party which he still heads criticized the sentencing on tuesday we will continue and we will never cease denouncing the selective justice of the icc eve bazaiba told a few hundred supporters according to reuters
geraldine mattioli zeltner of human rights watch said the sentence offered a measure of justice to victims in a country where armed groups have preyed on civilians with impunity for more than a decade
ms mattioli zeltner who recently visited the central african republic said that many grave crimes including the systematic use of sexual violence remain unpunished both there and in congo
more than 5000 civilian victims participated in the court proceedings and may be awarded reparations payments judge steiner said the court would deal with reparations in a separate ruling


the banking password may be about to expire   forever
some of the nations largest banks acknowledging that traditional passwords are either too cumbersome or no longer secure are increasingly using fingerprints facial scans and other types of biometrics to safeguard accounts
millions of customers at bank of america jpmorgan chase and wells fargo routinely use fingerprints to log into their bank accounts through their mobile phones this feature which some of the largest banks have introduced in the last few months is enabling a huge share of american banking customers to verify their identities with biometrics and millions more are expected to opt in as more phones incorporate fingerprint scans
other uses of biometrics are also coming online wells fargo lets some customers scan their eyes with their mobile phones to log into corporate accounts and wire millions of dollars citigroup can help verify 800000 of its credit card customers by their voices usaa which provides insurance and banking services to members of the military and their families identifies some of its customers through their facial contours
some of the moves reflect concern that so many hundreds of millions of email addresses phone numbers social security numbers and other personal identifiers have fallen into the hands of criminals rendering those identifiers increasingly ineffective at protecting accounts and while thieves could eventually find ways to steal biometric data banks are convinced they offer more protection
we believe the password is dying said tom shaw vice president for enterprise financial crimes management at usaa which is based in san antonio we realized we have to get away from personal identification information because of the growing number of data breaches
long regarded as the stuff of science fiction biometrics have been tested by big banks for decades but have only recently become sufficiently accurate and cost effective to use in a big way it has taken a great deal of trial and error with many of the early prototypes a facial scan could be foiled by bad lighting and voice recognition could be scuttled by background noise or laryngitis
before smartphones became ubiquitous there was an even bigger obstacle to capture a finger image or scan an eyeball a bank would have to pay to distribute the necessary technology to tens of millions of customers a few tried but their efforts were costly and short lived
today the equation has changed many models of the iphone have touch pads that can scan fingerprints the cameras and microphones on many mobile devices are so powerful that they can record the minute details needed to create a biometric id
the smartphones also provide an extra layer of security many biometric features will only work when used on the specific phone that belongs to the bank account holder
if you have your phone and you are authenticating with your fingerprint it is very likely you said samir nanavati a longtime biometrics expert and a founder of twin mill a security software and consulting firm
the trade off of course is that in the quest for security and convenience customers are handing over marks of their unique physical identities after all it is easy to change a compromised password but a fingerprint must last forever
some bank executives say customers often ask whether their biometric information will become part of a private database akin to what the fbi keeps
the banks themselves are not keeping caches of actual fingerprints or eye patterns rather the banks are creating and storing what they call templates   or what amount to long hard to predict numerical sequences   based on a scan of a persons fingerprint or eyeballs
it is possible that the thieves could use the biometric templates to steal money but the banks say they have worked to develop additional safeguards with some voice authentication systems banks use certain prompts to prove it is a living customer and not a recording many eye scans require customers to blink or move their eyes to prevent a thief from using a photo to gain access
wells fargo has been working with eyeverify a start up in kansas city mo to develop its eye scan feature which is being tested with a small group of corporate customers the technology creates a map of the veins in the whites of an eye
to log into an account a customer taps open a wells fargo app on a smartphone when prompted the customers eyes are lined up with a pair of yellow circles on the phone screen if they match the customer   typically a chief financial officer or other top executive   gains instant access to the account and can start moving money or conducting other transactions
wells fargo executives said the eye scan could eventually offer an alternative to the authentication system used for corporate accounts which involves physical tokens that generate numeric pass codes every few seconds although generally considered secure these tokens can be a hassle to carry around
for now wells fargo is offering eye scans   among the most foolproof biometric technologies according to security experts   only to select corporate customers for whom the stakes are arguably higher because there is potentially so much money involved
it is harder to take someones eyeball than someones user id and password said steve ellis who leads wells fargos innovation group that worked on developing the eye scan authentication the bank also made an investment in eyeverify
instead of eye scans bank of america has embraced fingerprints since it began offering the option in september about 33 percent of the banks 20 million mobile banking customers have started using a fingertip to get into their accounts
there are limits though on how far an average retail customer can proceed through the banking process without a password
for example jpmorgan chase customers can gain access to their bank accounts with their fingerprints but have to use a traditional password to transfer money
still the speed and accuracy of the banks biometric capabilities are especially notable because they are emerging from an industry known for its antiquated system of tellers and branches and endless reams of paperwork
wells fargos eye scan technology for example worked so quickly that the developers had to slow it down by a few seconds so customers knew it had actually registered their identities
it takes only about 40 seconds to capture enough information about a customers vocal patterns to create a voice imprint that can be used as a form of identification according to andrew s keen director of program management for global consumer operations at citigroup once a print is established it can reduce the time that customers spend identifying themselves to a call center representative
many financial firms emphasize the convenience of biometrics but usaa is one of the few that highlights the effectiveness of these technologies at thwarting thieves
since usaa began offering biometric authentication early last year more than 17 million customers have been accessing their accounts using either their fingerprints voices or facial scans
we cant rely on personal identification information any longer said mr shaw we believe we have to rely on biometrics


two years ago the online fashion retailer gwynnie bee had outgrown its long island city headquarters but when larger options in the flatiron district and downtown brooklyn proved too expensive the companys chief executive christine hunsicker decided to double down on the queens neighborhood that is increasingly attracting new york fashion companies
gwynnie bee a clothing rental service for plus size women moved about a mile last june to the factory a one million square foot warehouse at 30 30 47th avenue
unlike manhattan the traditional fashion hub and brooklyn the hip alternative long island city is drawing more in the clothing industry because of its convenient 10 minute subway ride to the garment district in midtown and low rent for years rents have been rising in manhattan and now that brooklyn has established itself among fashion designers as a worthy alternative rents are rising there too so developers are turning aging long island city warehouses into airy modern spaces where tenants can design assemble distribute and photograph their merchandise
this is just in its infancy said jeffrey i peck an executive managing director of savills studley who is working with three fashion companies looking to lease space in the neighborhood brooklyn started it in that you dont need to be located in manhattan anymore but i think long island city with its transportation advantage is quickly rising and becoming not only acceptable but desirable
price is of course a factor in long island city the average asking rent for office space was 33 a square foot at the end of the first quarter of the year compared with 56 a square foot in the garment district or 73 a square foot for prime areas in midtown said joseph j sollazzo a real estate economist for the costar group tenants in the garment district have faced steep rent increases since mid 2010 when the average asking rent was 38 a square foot
weve seen very dramatic rent growth in the garment district mr sollazzo said referring to rents between west 30th and west 42nd streets from 5th avenue to the hudson river an area that includes penn plaza compared to midtown as a whole
brooklyn is no bargain either in downtown brooklyn the average asking rent was around 40 a square foot during the first quarter new or renovated properties like dumbo heights and empire stores command more than 70 a square foot mr sollazzo said
brooklyn was so much more expensive than long island city   i mean so much more expensive said ms hunsicker who started gwynnie bee in her alphabet city apartment in 2011
at the 90 year old factory in long island city which was once a macys warehouse asking rents range from 40 to 45 a square foot
fashion companies are noticing in april j crew leased 60000 square feet for its madewell division moving from the east village in january polo ralph lauren leased about 19000 square feet to use as a photo studio for its products and last august macys leased some 150000 square feet reclaiming a section that had once been the department stores fur vault according to newmark grubb knight frank the leasing agent for the factory
atlas capital which owns the factory with square mile capital management and invesco real estate bought the deteriorating building in 2014 intending to renovate it and market it to tenants in the technology and creative industries that might be drawn to the rapidly changing neighborhood atlas is restoring the facade and mechanical systems and adding a 4000 square foot lounge to the lobby part of a 25 million investment
we turned away tenants that we didnt think were the right mix or right profile said brian s waterman a vice chairman for newmark grubb knight frank we were looking to create a chelsea meatpacking feel
one advantage for long island city is its proximity to manhattan with a dozen subway stations serving seven train lines two long island rail road stations and access to the queensboro bridge and queens midtown tunnel the trip can be as short as five minutes in places but it feels far away much of the area lacks the shops restaurants and bars that make a neighborhood an appealing place to work or hang out afterward so developers are trying to make warehouse lobbies feel like destinations
consider the falchi building across the street from the factory in 2012 jamestown properties bought the building at 33 00 47th avenue it was built in the early 1920s as a warehouse for the gimbels department store
the building now has a bustling ground floor marketplace with vendors like doughnut plant and stolle bakery and seating for diners although its roster of longtime tenants includes jewelers like tourneau which has had repair shop there since 2006 other fashion companies have recently shown interest said haley l fisher a director at cushman and wakefield the leasing agent
in march the related companies and greenoak real estate bought two long island city warehouses the paragon building and the blanchard building a 30 million renovation of the paragon at 21 00 49th avenue atop the hunters point subway station updated the vacant office building with new windows elevators and a penthouse with expansive city views the blanchard building at 21 09 borden avenue is also being renovated a 15 million investment with plans to add a beer hall
we want to make both buildings an interesting place both for the office tenants to be but also a destination for people to go said patrick sweeney a senior vice president at the related companies we have seen several companies that have looked in brooklyn and have come and said its too expensive or we cant find the right space
mr sweeney said prospective tenants were attracted to the plans for paragon and blanchard at their prices both buildings will open next year with asking rents in the low 40s to low 50s a square foot
at the factory a rotation of food trucks including red hook lobster pound and kimchi taco now park in front of the building atlas plans to add a fitness center and fill the lobby with food and beverage vendors to create a marketplace atmosphere last week the event planner space in the raw hosted a charity fashion show on the seventh floor with views of manhattan
among the buildings quirkier features is a sculpture of a twisted school bus at the far end of the lobby it also has a freight elevator painted with orange and green swirls to look like the gaping mouth of a dragon with welded iron monsters suspended from the ceiling both art installations predate atlass ownership of the building
ms hunsicker of gwynnie bee said she was drawn to the factory because of its unvarnished character i love high ceilings and industrial space she said it had a very good feel to it a very good vibe it had energy and it had life she also said she liked being able to bring her dog a shar pei named mabel ming to work every day
buildings like the factory appeal to creative companies because the space lends itself to innovation large open floors and high ceilings allow the flexibility to use the space for multiple purposes oversize windows let in natural light
the spaces that exist in brooklyn and specifically long island city are really conducive to this kind of flexible manufacturing and retail said john clifford a founding principal at s9 architecture a designer of the interiors for the falchi building they have a lot of character theyre still raw enough they havent been polished


daniel markowski a bug scientist in a cowboy hat has a phone that will not stop ringing now that summer has arrived and with it the mosquitoes that carry the zika virus the services of the arkansas based mosquito control contractor he works for vector disease control international are in great demand
its workers the special forces of mosquito control wield sprayers loaded with pesticide mostly on behalf of local governments
ive had people from literally all over the country calling he said what should we do
the federal government is trying to provide some answers the centers for disease control and prevention last week released a 58 page blueprint for what to do if a homegrown case of zika surfaces
the mosquito that carries the virus the aedes aegypti is found mostly in the south and southwest and the cdc says it is focusing much of its mosquito control effort on six states and one county most at risk california texas florida hawaii arizona and louisiana and los angeles county as far as anyone knows the mosquito in this country has neither picked zika up nor started to spread it but that could happen anytime experts warn especially now that hundreds of americans have been infected with the virus while abroad the virus can also be sexually transmitted the cdc is planning for that too
zika infection can cause debilitating birth defects including a condition called microcephaly that results in babies with abnormally small heads and while scientists do not expect the epidemic to take off in the continental united states as it has in brazil officials are warning that even a small cluster of cases could have outsize effects if it includes anyone who is pregnant
even though the percentages and the likelihoods are incredibly low the outcome is awful said dr tim f jones epidemiologist for the state of tennessee
dr anne schuchat the principal deputy director at the cdc said the agencys plan sketches out what were expecting states and cities to need
that turns out to be a lot
mosquito control central to containing the spread is spotty at best particularly in impoverished areas with weak tax bases common in parts of the south in tennessee the overwhelming majority of counties and cities do not have mosquito control programs in north carolina only about a quarter of counties have them
dr thomas r frieden who heads the cdc said in an interview that although the disease was also transmitted sexually mosquitoes are how this is spread and the agency is putting significant effort into helping states control the insects mosquito control is a local responsibility so the cdc will not do the fighting directly
what would actually happen should there be a local case
the cdc plans to help the local government investigate it and warn residents the agency detailed how to define the area of transmission   important for warning pregnant women what places to avoid   and underscored the urgency of alerting blood banks if asked the agency will dispatch a team of experts to help with everything from logistics to lab testing
this year many areas did not even know if they had the mosquito the cdc updated old maps but these were pieced together using references from scientific literature and were not meant to be a real time representation of mosquito range
with that states went to work mississippi well within the mosquito zone on the cdc map started a statewide study of the aedes aegypti population testing five areas in every county each month the result was a surprise no aegypti
dr thomas e dobbs iii mississippis state epidemiologist said in an interview that while most counties did not have mosquito control programs the state had a tiny number of imported cases   three to date all from haiti   and considering the fact that the state is so sparsely populated the risk of transmission was relatively low the mosquito flies only about 500 feet in its lifetime roughly a city block
the cdc plan stated that the risk of prolonged widespread local transmission is not expected based on the history of two similar viruses of 12 homegrown cases of chikungunya reported in florida in 2014 for instance only two appeared to be linked it said the other virus dengue fever has not spread beyond south florida and southernmost texas in the continental united states both are mosquito borne diseases
and even though most people with zika have no symptoms posing the risk of undetected spread most experts do not believe there will be more than a handful of local cases mainly because of the conditions of life in the united states   namely widespread use of air conditioning and window screens and relatively little crowding
a study comparing laredo tex with its twin just across the border in mexico   essentially the same city separated by a river   found the incidence of dengue fever was eight times higher on the mexican side even though the mosquitoes that carry it were more abundant in texas researchers attributed the texas advantage to air conditioning windows that shut and less crowding within houses
everything weve seen from dengue and chikungunya suggests that it will not be a severe problem in the continental united states dr frieden said our best guess is that well see a singleton case that we wont be able to identify the source for and possibly some clusters   maybe in the florida keys or brownsville in texas
still he noted that puerto rico an american territory was facing a public health crisis because of the virus with potentially dozens to hundreds of infected infants with microcephaly
one of the obstacles for zika preparedness is money congress is still arguing over president obamas 19 billion request which was submitted in february
dr markowski who spoke by telephone from st croix where he was working on a cdc contract to control mosquitoes in the united states virgin islands said his company had submitted contingency plans to about half a dozen states including mississippi but none have been carried out possibly because states are waiting for funding   or an outbreak
dr frieden said longer term projects were suffering as well such as coming up with better diagnostics coming up with better ways of controlling mosquitoes he said the funding holdup has likewise hampered efforts to follow infected pregnant women through their births for multiple years
despite the gridlock on funding from washington some states and even cities are preparing their own plans tennessee is doing drills giving staff members in local health departments surprise scenarios
instead of just letting people tell us theoretically what they think theyd do we make them prove it dr jones said
he said tennessee that had set up a zika response center but tight funding has meant that the state has had to poach workers from other programs   including hiv and immunizations   to staff it
people are enthusiastic about doing it and its the right thing but it means were diverting resources from something else dr jones said our surge capacity is not unlimited
dr markowski said that he was glad that people were paying attention but that life should not grind to a halt
we shouldnt live our summer in fear and hide inside he said we should approach it with the appropriate level of respect that any mosquito borne disease deserves but we should also be going outside and enjoying the fourth of july


hong kong   in the world of clash of clans hou dai has played   and paid   enough that he now leads his own clan of 50 online players
at one time mr hou a 22 year old recent college graduate from shenyang played the smartphone game as much as six hours a day he estimates that he has spent 40000 renminbi about 6000 on the game over the last three years
mr hous spending habits show why the chinese internet giant tencent just paid 86 billion for a controlling stake in supercell the finnish creator of clash of clans from the softbank group corporation of japan
the deal will most likely help tencent bolster its reputation   rare among global technology companies   for having figured out how to make money from mobile devices the company has already successfully integrated functions like shopping and money transfers into its popular chinese chat apps
it also adds to tencents collection of video games so that it can become a truly global player   in contrast to most chinese digital and media companies which have often struggled to acquire and run valuable foreign products and services the deal gives tencent a particularly strong presence in mobile games adding a global angle to a mobile menu that already includes the most popular smartphone chat app in china
but it raises a question for the chinese company can it retain the people that turned supercells games into hits
many devotees of clash of clans and other supercell games spend real money on fake currency and other resources to build their in game power and heft with the help of dedicated players like mr hou the small in game fees known as micropayments have turned into a huge revenue stream that makes supercell a major player in mobile gaming
supercell in filings with the finnish government posted 24 billion in revenue last year in april the company was making just under 4 million a day in revenue from clash of clans according to a superdata research estimate
tencent makes about 1 billion from its gaming operations outside of china said peter warman chief executive of newzoo a gaming analytics company based in amsterdam with supercell they will more than double that its a very strategic move for them
the supercell takeover is tencents largest to date over the last five years the chinese company   which has a market value of 210 billion   has made strategic investments and acquisitions of games across the world the company controls riot games which created the hugely popular league of legends and the european mobile game maker miniclip it also has a stake in cj games of south korea
tencent has been aggressively out buying overseas developers said mark natkin managing director of the technology research firm marbridge consulting not only with an eye to leveraging those companies games in china but also for expanding tencents footprint globally
a sort of internet conglomerate tencent has no real analogue in the united states because internet advertising has had slow growth in china the company has used games to make money from its hugely successful messaging and social media products with its messaging app wechat which has more than 700 million monthly active users tencent can easily connect a huge number of new players to supercells games
tencent is hoping to retain the huge number of players as well as the engineers behind the games supercell has been able to chalk up a string of gaming successes mostly by giving top talent a greater amount of independence to develop projects experts say but the finnish gaming giants engineers could choose to leave if they are not given the same independence they enjoyed under softbank
to that end executives at tencent and supercell emphasized in a conference call that supercell would keep its autonomy
we would say it makes a lot of sense for them to stay independent martin lau president of tencent said on the call what is making them great we want to preserve
ilkka paananen the chief executive of supercell said tencents track record of allowing riot to build out league of legends on its own was reassuring
tencent said that supercell employees would receive long term incentive plans such an offer analysts said would signal that tencent realizes that it owes the value of the companys games to the large number of players and to supercells game design prowess
the acquisition also represents the latest push by large internet companies into the fast growing mobile gaming industry which had a combined revenue of almost 35 billion last year according to newzoo
companies like supercell and rovio a finnish counterpart that is behind the angry birds franchise were once able to create hit after hit with smartphone games but the increased competition for consumers attention analysts say has made it more difficult to break through with new games
faced with such cutthroat rivalries independent gaming studios are being taken over by larger companies that can outspend the competition mobile gaming has become such a big business that even established players like supercell need flush financial backers to fund their expansion
you need very deep pockets to play in this field said mr warman of newzoo so if tencent wants to play in this area it has to be willing to pay top dollar
king digital the british swedish gaming company behind the candy crush franchise for example was bought by activision blizzard last year for 59 billion in part to help the larger gaming company expand its global reach
mr hou said he was excited about the prospect of new chinese features but he warned that players were also worried because tencent has a reputation for wringing money out of games
julianna wu a hong kong college student who plays clash royale another popular supercell title with her boyfriend for about two hours a day echoed those worries
tencent buying the company may not be good for poor users like me who dont have money to spend she said im worried it will become a game that only rich users are good at


washington   the federal government on tuesday made it much easier for companies to use drones for a variety of tasks including aerial photography and emergency response
the federal aviation administrations new commercial drone rules allow a broad range of businesses to use drones under 55 pounds but with several restrictions the drones must be operated by a pilot who has passed a written test and is at least 16 years old and drones can be flown only below 400 feet during the day and at least five miles away from airports
the new faa rules do not necessarily preclude a hodgepodge of state and local drone regulations that have popped up in recent years the administration sent a letter to states and cities saying they recommend everyone follow their lead but it is only a recommendation
the faa stopped short of giving a green light to package delivery a goal of amazon and google which have pushed regulators to create rules that would allow them to transfer part of their ground based delivery systems to the sky the new guidelines mandate that a commercial drone operator must always have the machine within line of sight   a rule that for now makes delivering packages unfeasible
still the action brings the drone delivery vision one step closer to reality and experts predict that in time federal regulators will get comfortable with the notion
within months you will see the incredible impact of these rules with commercial drones becoming commonplace in a variety of uses said michael drobac a lawyer at akin gump who represents drone efforts at companies like amazon and google this will show the technology is reliable and then it becomes harder to argue against broader uses   like for delivery
drone makers and tech companies have been lobbying for the rules for five years but the obama administration while trying to accommodate the potential economic benefits of the technology has struggled to safely integrate the popular remote controlled flying vehicles into airspace
pilots and privacy groups that pushed hard for greater safety provisions and strong surveillance rules expressed fear that clearing the way for more of the flying machines posed new dangers and few protections from spying the faa rules prohibit drones from flying above people and faster than 100 miles per hour
the faa continues to ignore the top concern of americans about the deployment of commercial drones in the united states   the need for strong privacy safeguards said marc rotenberg president of electronic privacy information center
in february 2015 the faa created its first rules for recreational drone users and more than 450000 hobbyists registered last winter in the governments user database
previously companies had to apply for special permission from the faa to operate drones the government has issued more than 6000 approvals and about 7000 companies are on a waiting list for approval when the new rules go into effect in 60 days companies will no longer have to gain that special exemption
with this new rule we are taking a careful and deliberate approach that balances the need to deploy this new technology with the faas mission to protect public safety said michael huerta the faa administrator but this is just our first step were already working on additional rules that will expand the range of operations
the demand by companies has been broad real estate brokers want to use drones to take aerial estate photos news organizations believe the machines would be useful for news gathering farmers want to use them to survey fields and emergency responders believe the devices would be useful for rescue operations
in a fact sheet released by the white house the government cited economic estimates that commercial drones could generate more than 82 billion in the next decade
drones represent a potentially powerful innovation that could have a positive impact on our economy said josh earnest the white house press secretary the new rules are just the beginning of the process
amazon has hired several lobbyists just to focus on drone rules its chief executive jeff bezos expects drone delivery to be available within the next few years and has begun testing its own devices
the federal rules were also important for companies that prefer one blanket set of rules to the many state and city laws that have emerged in recent years they have urged the faa to create commercial rules that they hope will pre empt new bans passed or being considered in cities like miami and states like california
we are extremely pleased the rule establishes a risk based federal approach for operating drones nationwide and thank the faa for engaging industry throughout the process said kara calvert director of a coalition of drone manufacturers including the chinese company dji and gopro


a charitable organization that helps rescue migrants in the mediterranean has cut ties with i sea a mobile app that claimed to help users locate refugees adrift at sea after outside developers revealed that the app showed users a static image of water not real time satellite photos of the ocean
in a statement on tuesday the migrant offshore aid station or moas announced that it would no longer work with grey for good the singapore based design group behind the app the charity said it had provided advice to the company to help create the app but had no direct involvement in developing it
we were dismayed to discover that real time images were not being used said the charity which is based in malta we have since discontinued our relationship with grey for good and spoken candidly about our disappointment to the media
representatives for the grey group the parent company of grey for good a philanthropic arm have insisted that the project is real and was not designed to mislead users
owen dougherty a spokesman for grey group said in an email on tuesday that the company had been clear that the app was in its testing stages he added that grey for good had some satellite issues to work out
the app has been removed from apples app store but a cached version showed that the app promised to use satellite technology to allow users to monitor small areas of the sea when they spotted refugees they could then tag and report the sighting to the authorities and to moas ships in the cached page of i sea the app which first launched in april is not marketed as a test version
in the statement the charity said that grey group had approached them with a goal to feed moas relevant information and engage users in the idea of saving lives
i sea received positive coverage from several media outlets including wired and mashable both moas and grey for good were recognized at cannes lions an advertising and marketing festival for their efforts on the app
but as the daily dot reported the trouble began when developers on twitter began delving into the mechanics of the app after it was released in april led by a twitter user with the account swiftonsecurity the group quickly began accusing i sea of being nothing more than a marketing stunt
the developers swapped information including screen shots of a static image and a weather tool that one person claimed was used to mislead users into thinking they were looking at live images of the sea others noted that the app had been coded to tell users that their login credentials were invalid
developers also questioned why i sea requested the passport numbers of users who reported boat sightings information the apps designers say was requested by moas in order to ensure that the reports were reliable passport numbers would then be stored and shared with moas mr dougherty said
in defending the app mr dougherty said for some reason a developer unknown to us has pushed the story that it is fake or a hoax grey group is one of the most creatively awarded global agencies around and we adhere to the highest ethical standards


donald j trump regularly boasts that he is self funding his presidential bid but new campaign finance filings show that he is also shifting plenty of money back to himself in the process
according to documents submitted to the federal election commission mr trump whose campaign has just 13 million cash on hand paid at least 11 million to his businesses and family members in may for expenses associated with events and travel costs the total represents nearly a fifth of the 6 million that his campaign spent in the month
the spending raised eyebrows among campaign finance experts and some of mr trumps critics who have questioned whether the presumptive republican nominee who points to his business acumen as a case for his candidacy is trying to do what he has suggested he would in 2000 when he mulled making an independent run its very possible that i could be the first presidential candidate to run and make money on it
he could end up turning a profit if he repaid himself for the campaign loans said paul s ryan a campaign finance expert with the campaign legal center he could get all his money back plus the profit margin for what his campaign has paid himself for goods and services
while most candidates list an array of vendors providing goods and services on their filings mr trumps is packed with payments to his various clubs and buildings his fleet of planes and his family the self proclaimed billionaire is required by law to account for his spending this way to prevent his companies from making illegal corporate donations to his campaign in 2015 about 27 million was paid to at least seven companies mr trump owns or to people who work for his real estate and branding empire repaying them for services provided to his campaign
in may the biggest ticket item was mr trumps use of the mar a lago club his florida resort which was paid 423000 the campaign paid 350000 to tag air for his private airplanes 125000 to trump restaurants and more than 170000 to trump tower the manhattan skyscraper that houses the campaigns headquarters
mr trumps family also profited from the campaign last month with his son erics virginia wine business taking in about 1300
and mr trump who has said he will not take a salary if he is elected president paid himself 3085 in may the disbursements are related to travel expenses according to the filings
mr ryan said that the extent to which mr trump was utilizing his own businesses for his run was unprecedented and that because of his unique financial circumstances he was wading into territory that went beyond the commissions guidance
we dont have clear answers mr ryan said historically candidates would separate themselves from their business interests when running for office trump has done the opposite by promoting his businesses while running for office
while candidates often gain recognition from running for president they are barred from enriching themselves directly from their campaigns when a campaign buys copies of a candidates book in bulk and distributes them for example the candidate cannot accept royalties from the purchases however mr ryan notes that the election commission does allow candidates who own commercial property to rent it from themselves at fair market rates as mr trump has regularly done mr trumps use of his branded water and steaks falls into something of a gray area
ciara torres spelliscy an election law expert at new york universitys brennan center for justice said that mr trump did not appear to be violating any campaign finance laws but that he could face more scrutiny over the use of his businesses for campaign purposes now that he is more explicitly asking supporters to donate money to the campaign
it is something to keep an eye on she said because as soon as you start using campaign money that has come in from donors not just the money that he has loaned to himself and he uses it for something that he will personally keep or his family will personally keep that is what crosses the line
whether mr trump could end up profiting from his campaign remains a subject of speculation some have questioned if he will eventually ask for the more than 40 million that he has lent to his campaign to be repaid the eventual effect of the campaign on mr trumps personal brand which he has said represents a large part of his wealth also remains unclear
democrats on tuesday tried to seize on the payments mr trump made to his businesses as evidence of hypocrisy commenters on the liberal website daily kos ridiculed mr trump for running a scampaign and overstating the personal investment he was making in his campaign by funneling the money back to his empire
hillary clinton the presumptive democratic nominee and mr trumps main rival this fall also piled on taking to twitter on tuesday to jab him over the expenditures and his relatively paltry fund raising sum in one swipe what is trump spending his meager campaign resources on she said why himself of course


join us for live updates and analysis
hillary clintons speech attacking donald trumps economic proposals on tuesday mentioned a new analysis that says his ideas   if enacted in full   would bring about a lengthy recession by the end of his first term
that report released on monday by moodys analytics a subsidiary of the credit rating and research agency moodys corporation explores the consequences of the policies mr trump has proposed in speeches interviews and on his website those policies would under almost any scenario result in an economy that is more isolated and diminished the authors concluded
if mr trump gets precisely what hes proposed then the us economy will suffer meaningfully said mark zandi chief economist at moodys analytics it will result in a lot of lost jobs higher unemployment higher interest rates lower stock prices
mr zandi the reports lead author is a registered democrat who has donated to mrs clinton but he has worked the other side of the political aisle too in 2008 he advised the presidential campaign of senator john mccain republican of arizona
the trump campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the report titled the macroeconomic consequences of mr trumps economic policies but an unnamed adviser cited by the wall street journal on monday disputed the reports conclusions noting that more detail on the policies is forthcoming and taking issue with the assumption that proposed tax cuts would hurt the economy
mr zandi defended the work saying that such an analysis demands impartiality this is my job he said i have clients that ask what do these economic policies mean for me   in all kinds of industries in all walks of life
what mr trumps policies on trade taxes spending and immigration would mean he and three co authors say is slow growth for the nation even if mr trumps proposals were significantly moderated by congress
the us economy is able to avoid a recession in this scenario but growth comes to a near standstill early in mr trumps term they say the economy they say would add about half as many jobs under the compromise scenario as it would if current economic policy were unchanged long term economic growth would slow the trade deficit would rise
the moodys model has its critics kevin hassett director of research for domestic policy at the conservative american enterprise institute argues that mr zandi and his team underestimate the benefits of the tax cuts by kind of a large margin
i think the bottom line is that the model that theyre using is not a very good model said mr hassett who advised the presidential campaigns of mr mccain george w bush and gov mitt romney
mr hassett who said he neither supported nor opposed mr trump said he was more convinced by the moodys analysis on trade and immigration mr zandi he said is really really good at such analyses
to conduct their analysis the moodys team began by identifying the most economically consequential and detailed policies mr trump has proposed moodys said it had consulted two trump advisers who asked the firm not to publicize their identities
using a proprietary economic model moodys considered three scenarios one in which the proposals were adopted as mr trump has laid them out one in which they were adopted on a smaller scale and one in which mr trump was forced to compromise with a congress similar in makeup to todays
under any scenario the proposals would have four negative consequences the researchers say
first unemployment would rise and the economy would weaken second the united states would become increasingly isolated as mr trump tightened rules on trade and immigration third federal deficits would accumulate in the face of substantially reduced tax revenues paired with few spending cuts fourth very high income households would benefit most from the dramatic tax cuts and be least affected by job losses
if all the policies were put into effect the report said the country would be plunged into a recession beginning in early 2018 and remain there into 2020
this would be an unusually lengthy recession   even longer than the great recession the authors write
trade would probably be the first area to be affected mr zandi said mr trump has proposed a 45 percent tariff on chinese imports and a 35 percent tariff on imports from mexico this would drive the price of consumer goods higher and both countries would probably impose in kind tariffs moodys predicted
that would do a significant amount of damage pretty quickly   setting off something akin to a trade war mr zandi said
mr trumps tax and spending proposals would have a longer term effect with few spending cuts his planned tax cuts which would reduce federal revenues by roughly 95 trillion over a decade according to the nonpartisan tax policy center would produce substantial budget deficits
that would be a pretty significant corrosive on investment productivity and then gdp mr zandi said
the economy would also struggle to grow if mr trump acted on his pledge to deport 11 million immigrants an already tight labor market would constrict even further driving up labor costs positions would go unfilled the moodys analysts said with americans unlikely to take the jobs once held by undocumented immigrants such as those in agriculture   even at higher wages
analyses like the moodys report are of course imperfect exercises mr zandi and his colleagues acknowledge
candidate policy proposals often lack specificity are rarely comprehensive change as time goes on and are often moderated by political and economic forces indeed mr trump himself has suggested that his stances on trade and tax for example are merely starting points
but statements made on the campaign trail offer insight into how a politician might govern and deserve examination mr zandi said its about vetting ideas proposals and putting them in the crucible of the public debate he said
a similar report on mrs clintons proposals is in the works


columbus ohio   hillary clinton disparaged the economic record and policy acumen of donald j trump in a speech on tuesday suggesting his ideas were ill considered and scrutinizing his own checkered business history
some of the highlights
 mrs clinton said the american economy isnt yet where we want it to be but we are stronger and better positioned than anyone in the world she trumpeted her fiscal record as a senator from new york
 she said that like mr trumps foreign policy ideas his economic proposals were dangerous just like he shouldnt have his finger on the button he shouldnt have his hands on our economy mrs clinton said
 mrs clinton cited a series of mr trumps past controversial comments about issues like the minimum wage she said mr trump had also said all kinds of things about women in the workforce he once called pregnant employees   and i quote   an inconvenience
 mrs clinton who has often been criticized for her ties to wall street suggested mr trump would take us back to where we were before the crisis and rig the economy for wall street again she also assailed mr trumps comments appraising himself as the king of debt
 predicting that mr trump would cause a recession mrs clinton noted that the global economy hangs on every word our president says she said mr trumps suggesting that the united states might default on its debt could start a global panic if he were president
 mrs clinton described the process of constructing her speech i had my researchers and my speech writers send me information on mr trump and then id say really he really said that and theyd send me all the background and the video clip
 observing that mr trump had not released his tax returns mrs clinton speculated that he might be afraid of voters seeing what they would reveal maybe he isnt as rich as he claims she said
 as mr trump posted on twitter to counter mrs clintons remarks she ticked off a list of foreign countries where trump branded products had been made
 the crowd laughed when mrs clinton discussed mr trumps record with casinos in atlantic city and the bankruptcies of his companies she said mr trump had written a lot of books about business and added they all seem to end at chapter 11
 mrs clinton raised the controversy surrounding trump university which has been sued for fraud this is his one move he makes over the top promises she said then everything falls apart and people get hurt
 invoking her deceased fathers small business mrs clinton said mr trump had refused to pay contractors for work they had completed so i take this personally she said
 wrapping a 45 minute speech mrs clinton reiterated a campaign theme   stronger together  and argued that mr trump believes in the worst of us as she spoke the trump campaign sent news releases to reporters raising questions about mrs clintons conduct and judgment


sweden once one of the most welcoming countries for refugees on tuesday introduced tough new restrictions on asylum seekers including rules that would limit the number of people granted permanent residency and make it more difficult for parents to reunite with their children
the government said the legislation proposed by the social democrat minority government and enacted by a vote of 240 to 45 was necessary to prevent the country from becoming overstretched by the surge of migration to europe that began last year
the country which has a population of 95 million took in 160000 asylum seekers last year
the government said that under the new rules individuals who want to bring over family members but do not apply to do so within three months of arriving in sweden would have to prove they can financially support them current regulations require sponsors to demonstrate only that they can support themselves permanent residency for asylum seekers under the age of 25 would be restricted to those who have completed high school and can support themselves
people who are formally granted refugee status would be able to bring over family members from abroad but the legislation would circumscribe the family members who are eligible
as elsewhere in europe the far right in sweden has been railing against immigration a stance that is increasingly resonating with voters the sweden democrats a far right anti immigrant party won almost 13 percent of the vote in a 2014 general election and recent polls show it gaining in strength
morgan johansson swedens justice and migration minister said in a heated parliamentary debate on the issue on monday that the countrys system would completely collapse if 200000 asylum seekers came to sweden this year according to radio sweden
wealthy countries across northern europe including sweden denmark finland and britain are increasingly pushing back against calls to accept more refugees amid fears that it could undermine stretched welfare systems national integration and quality of life
the issue has become particularly acute ahead of britains vote this week on whether to leave the european union with those in favor of an exit from the bloc arguing that membership has left the country unable to control its borders and defend itself against an immigrant influx
the proposed legislation in sweden quickly came under criticism from human rights groups which accused the country of passing rules harmful to children as a way to deter refugees
long a leader in promoting the rights of asylum seekers and refugees sweden is now joining the race to the bottom said rebecca riddell europe and central asia fellow at human rights watch sweden should not sacrifice the well being of vulnerable children in an effort to make the country less attractive for asylum seekers
the united nations said on monday that more people are on the run than ever before in recorded history buffeted by war and conflict from africa to the middle east with an unprecedented number seeking political asylum in the worlds rich countries the total number of people displaced by conflict is estimated to be more than 65 million the united nations said
sweden introduced new identity checks for travelers arriving from denmark prompting the danes who were concerned about the potential for a bottleneck of migrants seeking to travel through their country to impose new controls on migrants traveling via its border with germany
denmark also passed a law requiring newly arrived asylum seekers to hand over valuables including jewelry and gold to help pay for their stay in the country
the united nations refugee agency has warned that restrictions on residency permits in sweden could undermine unaccompanied migrant children in the country and that separating families for extended periods could also have a detrimental effect
resentment toward migrants in sweden was heightened last summer when a woman and her son were stabbed to death at an ikea in vasteras an eritrean who had been denied asylum was charged with the crime


by some measures china now has the worlds best computer the question is whether america should worry about it
as john markoff writes china dominates the newest list of the worlds fastest supercomputers with both the fastest calculating machine and the most computers among the worlds 500 fastest machines
the united states was a strong second but it used to dominate the list from the american point of view not good
on raw numbers the winning machine is quite a piece of engineering supercomputer performance is measured in what are called floating point operations or flops which are the math exercises involving numbers carrying a decimal point this years winner from china does 93 quadrillion a thousand million times a million of them a second thats about three times faster than last years winner from china
perhaps as impressive as the outcome is the means by which the machines engineers arrived at the output the united states does not allow the shipment of advanced semiconductors to china because chips of that kind can be used in weapons design so the winning team figured out how to string together over 40000 chinese made chips each with the processing power of a nice smartphone
that achievement also underlines some shortcomings in viewing this as a straightforward competition however the winning computer required as much power as would be needed for 15000 american homes and seemed to hit that power level by using relatively little memory
it is a fine machine but it may not be a very practical machine the real race now may be how quickly china can develop its own artificial intelligence industry along with high performance semiconductors these could if combined with the networking know how shown by this machine make a severely daunting computer it is spending billions on that effort
even more than for the bragging rights supercomputers now matter for everything from weather forecasting to packaged goods design they are increasingly important for the great number of products and processes that are being developed using ai
the united states lost the race to the top in supercomputers but it still placed pretty well it had 165 machines on the list compared with 167 for china japan which came in third had 29 computers on the list the united states had the largest number of supercomputers in the top 20
and the united states has leading researchers in ai both in universities and at companies like google amazon and facebook the companies matter because they have lots and lots of data on which to train machines a critical part of making algorithms work better
intel the worlds largest maker of semiconductors is now focusing on the use of high performance chips in commercial ai particularly as part of overall computing systems of chips and data on monday intel showed the latest ai features of its high end commercial chips at an international supercomputing conference in germany
one feature that figured in the presentation was the ability to deliver nine times the performance of other commercial ai systems for the same money that is a metric the supercomputing list doesnt consider but as they say its money that matters
people miss the importance of making powerful machines accessible to everyone said nidhi campbell who runs intels work in this area this has implications for lots of things in the future like autonomous cars but first it has to work easily and well


the metropolitan opera will kick off its free summer hd festival on aug 26 with an outdoor showing of the academy award winning film amadeus on the lincoln center plaza followed by 10 nights of opera screenings including more mozart the next night with le nozze di figaro
the opening night screening of amadeus which is being co presented by the film society of lincoln center is being dedicated to the memory of peter shaffer who wrote the play that the film was based on he died earlier this month
other operas being screened in this years festival   which will have 3100 seats set up and does not require tickets   include verdis il trovatore and otello puccinis turandot bizets les pecheurs de perles donizettis la fille du regiment and lucia di lammermoor rossinis la cenerentola the double bill of mascagnis cavalleria rusticana and leoncavallos pagliacci and lehars the merry widow


los angeles   disney theme parks have always been about trading an imperfect world for a perfect one there is no trash blowing down main street usa its nothing but happy trappers and singing bears over in frontierland dream big and the gleaming technology of tomorrowland just might come true
in case the castles are too subtle disney outright promises escape from the real world the welcome signs at disneyland in california and walt disney world in florida quote walt disneys words from 1955 here you leave today and enter the world of yesterday tomorrow and fantasy
lately however it has become harder for americans planning a disney vacation to buy into the companys utopian theme park concept the horrific mass shooting at a nightclub in orlando fla cast a shadow on nearby tourist destinations including disney world then word leaked that the gunman had also scoped out a disney shopping complex next came an incident that was shocking enough to kick the nightclub carnage off some front pages a toddler was dragged by an alligator into a disney world lake and drowned
is disneys image tarnished a headline on an investment website asked on monday with the alligator attack   the first such accident in disneys 45 year history in florida   as a particular source of concern the funeral for lane graves the 2 year old victim was held tuesday in nebraska
whether last weeks events reverberate for disney in a business sense beyond a possible lawsuit stemming from the alligator attack is a question that will only be fully answered in the months to come peak season for theme park vacations if families cancel reservations or the pace of reservations noticeably slows then the answer is yes if they do not   as most analysts predict   then disney will power forward recovering from this spate of bad publicity as it has from others
the companys stock price is already improving climbing about 3 percent since thursday when authorities discovered lane gravess body blockbuster results for finding dory at the box office helped as did the opening of shanghai disneyland
theme parks zoos and other tourist destinations have survived tragedies before one time incidents tend not to undermine well run businesses and disney parks are definitely thriving
but even without recent events disney was having to work harder to pull off its not a worry in the world magic trick record crowds have made the experience less joyful so has technology never mind their cynical parents american children babysat by ipad from the time they were in diapers are not as easily mesmerized by analog rides like its a small world and autopia with its little cars putt putting along a track
more aggressive safety procedures have become a fixture of modern life metal detectors are now routine at baseball stadiums concert arenas and even some movie theaters in response to increased security concerns disney universal and seaworld began using metal detectors in december the first time the companies deployed such measures on a large scale
but these measures while appreciated by most tourists who might feel less safe without them work against disneys singular efforts to create what it advertises as the happiest place on earth its awfully hard to forget the real world when youre being wanded
shanghai disneyland formally unveiled on thursday also has rows of metal detectors at its graceful front gates but the mood at this newest disney park   the first on the chinese mainland   was utterly joyful last week even as the grim news from orlando made its way to visitors smartphones spending time in the park on four different days three of them with paying guests i was struck by how fully intact that classic disney sense of wonder really seemed
without question the excitement and pomp around the opening contributed to that feeling but something else was happening at shanghai disneyland i got the sense that this was what it must have felt like at the original disneyland in the 1950s visitors were very obviously awe struck   this fantastical place smelling of fresh paint and new vinyl seat covers was something they had never seen before chinese guests having never confronted a 911 or repeated mass shootings seemed free of the baggage that many americans now carry to public gathering places the spell seemed easier for disney to cast
robert a iger disneys chief executive alluded to this fascination as we toured shanghai disneyland on june 11 i grew up in the united states dreaming of going to disneyland one day   unaffordable for us by the way and i didnt go until i was a parent he said you now have that same dynamic here in china that existed in the 50s and 60s in the united states as people started looking for more leisure activities its palpable
in shanghai disneys rides are fully updated technological marvels   no more jerky animatronics in pirates of the caribbean which is now fully digital with boats controlled by underwater magnets and imax style screens with video in another difference from disneys domestic parks even rank and file cashiers and hotel maids seem thrilled to be there when they waved and chirped have a magical day they appeared to mean it rather than just repeating a corporate mantra
on an especially difficult week for disney in the united states shanghai proved that the companys pixie dust still works the same way it used to in a more innocent age even if you have to go to the other side of the world to find it


victoria and david beckham have joined the chorus of british fashion insiders who are just saying no to brexit as britains proposed departure from the european union is called the industry after a period of silence is becoming increasingly vocal in its support of the governments remain campaign as the deciding referendum on thursday approaches
on tuesday ms beckham posted an in logo on instagram and a statement declaring her belief that britain would be better off if it remained in the eu the post came in response to efforts by the leave side to use an interview that the spice girls ms beckhams former band gave to the spectator in 1996 in which ms beckham criticized the then new eu passports among other things
the leave side quoted her as saying europe was destroying britains national identity and captioned it shouldve listened to the missus david it referred to a remain post earlier in the day by her husband who has a deal with global brands to introduce his own mens wear line
clearly ms beckhams position has changed in the last 20 years maybe growing up starting a family and opening a global business has something to do with it in any case the leave campaigns tactic appears to have backfired as it prompted the designers decision to declare that she would vote with the remain camp and encourage her followers to join her
the beckhams are among the most high profile fashion designers along with christopher bailey of burberry and patrick grant to take a public stance on the vote
on tuesday a few hours after their posts ms beckhams message had garnered 47700 likes and 707 comments and mr beckhams had 372000 likes and 3134 comments which ranged from the supportive to those who felt the couple was too insulated by their wealth and success to understand the concerns of the leave campaign


a high flying hedge fund manager at visium asset management who was charged last week with insider trading has died apparently the victim of a suicide
the manager sanjay valvani was discovered on monday by his wife in their brownstone in brooklyn heights a new york police official said mr valvani was found face down on the bedroom floor with a cut to his neck the official said he left a note and a knife was found near his body he was 44
the death brought the governments case against mr valvani to a shocking end last week he was accused of using confidential information from a former food and drug administration official to reap 32 million in illegal gains
days after the charges visiums founder jacob gottlieb announced that he was shuttering the multibillion dollar hedge fund and selling one of its funds to alliancebernstein
in a statement barry h berke a lawyer for mr valvani called his death a horrible tragedy that is difficult to comprehend
we hope for the sake of his family and his memory that it will not be forgotten that the charges against him were only unproven accusations and he had always maintained his innocence mr berke said
in addition to his wife mr valvani left behind two daughters
the death of mr valvani is still being investigated but another police official said that it appeared to be a suicide
it is not known whether other factors could have affected mr valvanis state of mind
suicides by people touched by white collar criminal cases are rare but there have been a few prominent examples in recent years mark madoff the older son of bernard l madoff hanged himself in his manhattan apartment on the second anniversary of his fathers arrest on charges of running a ponzi scheme and j clifford baxter a former enron executive shot himself in the head in 2002 after he was subpoenaed by congress to testify about the accounting scandal at the company
when youre dealing with my world there is everything to lose said ira lee sorkin a former lawyer for mr madoff and a partner at mintz  gold adding theres reputation family business   you name it and some people just cant take the pressure
clients in the past if they are under investigation or they have been charged have said to me in moments of sweat and panic and fear i cant go on like this i just cant deal with this anymore they have threatened to kill themselves mr sorkin added
federal prosecutors in manhattan had accused mr valvani of pocketing tens of millions of dollars in illicit gains in visiums balanced fund based on information about coming food and drug administration approvals for a generic version of a drug that helps prevent blood clots authorities charged that he received inside information from a former fda official working as a consultant
in all four individuals were charged in the investigation of visium including two former visium colleagues the former fda official gordon johnston and christopher plaford once a colleague of mr valvani who also traded on inside information have pleaded guilty
a lawyer for stefan lumiere the third employee named in the governments case declined to comment mr lumiere a former brother in law to mr gottlieb was accused of mismarking securities with mr plaford
during the governments investigation of mr lumiere prosecutors in a criminal complaint said that one broker under scrutiny died last summer before charges were brought
the investigation of visium harked back to a crackdown on insider trading in the nearly 3 trillion hedge fund industry that began with the arrest in 2009 of raj rajaratnam the co founder of the galleon group hedge fund
in the months and years that followed prosecutors working for preet bharara the united states attorney for the southern district of new york racked up more than 80 convictions on insider trading charges the convictions sent a wave of fear through the hedge fund industry and led some to call mr bharara the new sheriff of wall street
but chinks in mr bhararas armor began to emerge in late 2014 when a federal appeals court threw out the convictions of two hedge fund managers and made it more difficult for prosecutors to bring insider trading cases when there was no clear benefit provided to the source of the inside information about a company the appellate court ruled that prosecutors must show the source of an inside tip received a benefit of some consequence although the court was vague as to what that must be
the appellate ruling which the united states supreme court declined to review later led mr bharara to toss out nearly a dozen other convictions and guilty pleas
for a time the court ruling appeared to have blunted the manhattan offices pursuit of insider trading cases
but the charges against mr valvani and his former colleagues at visium dispelled any thought that hedge funds would no longer be a focus of mr bhararas office
legal specialists said on tuesday that they did not expect the death to cause prosecutors and mr bharara to back away if they believed wrongdoing had occurred
i dont think hes going to lose sleep over it because it comes with the territory thomas a sporkin a lawyer at buckleysandler and a former securities and exchange commission enforcement lawyer said of mr bharara
mr bhararas office declined to comment on mr valvanis death
the son of indian immigrants mr valvani grew up in kalamazoo mich after graduating from the university of north carolina at chapel hill he spent four years working as a health care consultant before receiving an mba from duke university according to a profile on the schools website recognizing his endowment of two scholarship funds at the fuqua school of business through a 250000 commitment
mr valvani got his start on wall street in 2001 as a pharmaceutical analyst working for salomon smith barney he then took a job as portfolio manager at the investment management firm balyasny asset management
there he met and worked closely with mr gottlieb until the team spun out to start visium mr valvani rose to the top ranks becoming mr gottliebs right hand man and one of a few senior executives running the firms most important fund called the balanced fund which focused on health care
in the beginning i really had to convince jacob gottlieb that i was hungry to join his hedge fund mr valvani said in the duke profile i work hard and try to be the best at what i do which is why a hedge fund is so suitable for me   here i have a lot of control over my own destiny
in april visium had placed mr valvani on paid administrative leave
the news of mr valvanis death on tuesday stunned those who had worked with him on wall street
in a statement mr gottlieb said we mourn the tragic loss of sanjay a devoted father husband and friend our thoughts are with his family during this difficult time


this is the nightmare that has republicans bolting upright donald j trump damages their partys reputation so severely that its national competitiveness is crippled   not just in 2016 but for years
anti trump sentiment among latino asian and african american voters flashes clear warning signs because nonwhite voters keep growing as a share of the electorate lingering impressions could haunt a generation of republican candidates
the sacramento based strategist rob stutzman warns republicans elsewhere about what he calls the soft racism of mr trumps campaign stand up against it now or pay the price for decades
in fact thats precisely what has happened to the party in california for the past 22 years after a landmark race for governor in 1994
the republican incumbent pete wilson seeking a second term faced kathleen brown the daughter and sister of former democratic governors
amid rising anxiety and anger about latino immigrants mr wilson embraced a ballot measure denying some taxpayer financed services to those who crossed the border illegally
a television ad dramatized his stance with grainy footage of immigrants dashing into the united states as a narrator intoned they keep coming
it worked in the short run mr wilson won re election handily
yet california republicans have struggled ever since the signal mr wilson and his party sent in 1994 alienated latino and other nonwhite voters as their political clout was swelling
before 1994 republican nominees had carried california in six of seven presidential contests since then theyve lost all five averaging 40 percent of the vote
before 1994 republicans had won three consecutive elections for governor since then theyve lost four of five regularly scheduled contests
in the meantime republicans have lost all six senate elections in four of those races republican candidates failed to muster 40 percent of the vote
the surge by democrats in the nations largest state is not difficult to explain mr wilson won in 1994 by dominating among white voters who exit polls conducted by the voter news service showed represented 78 percent of the electorate latinos were 9 percent blacks 7 percent and asians and other minorities 6 percent
by the 2014 election whites had declined to 59 percent of the vote according to exit polls conducted by edison research latinos swelled to 18 percent asians and other minorities to 14 percent and blacks edged up to 8 percent those nonwhite constituencies disproportionately backed the incumbent governor the democrat jerry brown ms browns brother
republican leaders and candidates were just too slow to understand what their demographic destiny was said mr stutzman
lately california republicans have worked to lure back asian american voters who at one time were attracted to the republicans economic and national security policies and they have seen an increasing number of younger latinos register with no party preference rather than as democrats
enter mr trump with his call for a temporary ban on entry of muslims into the united states his description of some mexican immigrants as criminals and rapists and his remarks about the mexican heritage of a federal judge who was born in indiana
now mr stutzman fears mr trump may set republicans back just as the wilson campaign did in 1994 in california and elsewhere
the demographic shifts that have undercut california republicans are reshaping the nation too nationally presidential exit polls showed the share of white voters in 2012 fell to 72 percent from 87 percent 20 years earlier
the census bureau projects that whites will become a minority of americas population by 2044 the republican national committee itself following its 2012 presidential defeat called expanding hispanic support imperative
mr trump who flourished in republican primaries by appealing to working class whites has not changed course since securing the partys nomination he insists he can compete even in democratic strongholds such as california where mitt romney in 2012 drew just 37 percent of the vote
its an absurdity mr stutzman said republicans will do better in california if he stays out


lawrence montoya was 14 when he was questioned for nearly three hours at the denver police headquarters as a suspect in the killing of a schoolteacher
there detectives screamed at him banged on the table and told him he would be going to prison for the rest of his life a lawsuit says finally mr montoya an eighth grade student confessed
that was in 2000 in 2014 he was released from prison after new dna tests raised doubts about his involvement in the murder mr montoya now 31 is suing the police and city of denver for 30 million in damages over the coerced interrogation and false arrest the lawsuit says
he basically grew up in prison for something that he didnt do said jane fisher byrialsen one of mr montoyas lawyers he has tried to get used to living in a world of internet and cellphones and stuff that he did not have access to before
the civil rights complaint filed june 14 in united states district court seeks a jury trial it names the city and county of denver and several individual officers and detectives as defendants a spokesman said the police department does not comment on pending litigation and the acting city attorney shaun sullivan said late monday that his office had not yet been served with court papers and could not comment
the montoya case is the latest in which dna tests helped free people from prison at least 342 criminal convictions in the united states have been reversed with the testing since 1989 96 of those cases involve forced confessions according to the innocence project which tracks the statistics
ms fisher byrialsen also represents kharey wise who won a 12 million settlement from new york city after serving 13 years in prison in the central park jogger case defense attorneys said those teenage suspects had been tricked or coerced into confessing and mr wise and four others were later exonerated by dna and other evidence
the montoya lawsuit was reported by local colorado outlets last week including the denver post and fox 31 which broadcast taped excerpts from the confession
after 2 am on new years day of 2000 the 29 year old special education teacher emily johnson was assaulted at her denver house and later died of her injuries the lawsuit says mr montoya had been asleep at his girlfriends residence at the time but he became a suspect after he went for a ride in ms johnsons stolen car with other kids at least one of whom was later convicted in the case
excerpts from the mr montoyas taped confession show him slumped in a chair his arms crossed over his chest and his head down
this is the time to save yourself a detective seated near him said
are you listening to me you better tell us what your involvement in this murder was the detective said
denying 65 times that he was involved mr montoya whom the lawsuit described as having suffered from emotional and learning disabilities began sobbing and eventually confessed to being in the teachers home the lawsuit said
a trial started in october 2000 prosecutors accused him of accompanying 16 year old nicholas martinez in what began as an effort to steal ms johnsons car but ended in her murder mr montoya was sentenced in november 2000 to life without parole for felony murder robbery and other charges though no physical evidence had tied him to the crime scene the lawsuit said mr martinez was also convicted and given a life sentence while charges against a third defendant were dropped before the trial
over the years mr montoya maintained his innocence his lawyers filed a motion for a new trial saying he had ineffective counsel in 2000 they also requested dna testing in 2013 on a jacket and shoe from the crime scene that detectives said belonged to him it had never been tested the results were not a match the lawsuit said
in 2014 a judge vacated his conviction after mr montoya pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of being an accessory to the murder that arrangement allowed him to be released with time served in an announcement that year the denver district attorneys office insisted that the case was not a dna exoneration
it said the office had consulted with ms johnsons family the original prosecutors and investigators and determined that allowing montoya to plead guilty to being accessory was in the interest of justice
specifically emilys family noted that they wanted to speak with emilys voice and heart and that she would want montoya to have another chance the statement said
but ms fisher byrialsen said that with the absence of dna matches the confession was the only argument for the arrest warrant they had she said nothing else


seoul south korea   a tussle between the two koreas over 12 waitresses from the north who defected to the south spilled into a courtroom in seoul on tuesday where human rights lawyers accused the authorities in the south of unlawfully detaining them
the 12 women together with their male manager flew to seoul the south korean capital in april after deserting their north korean government run restaurant in the chinese city of ningbo south korea welcomed the women and described them as having defected of their own free will after growing fed up with their totalitarian government
north korea immediately accused the souths spy agency the national intelligence service of kidnapping the women it has since arranged for their parents to give interviews with the western news media during which they have demanded that south korea allow them to meet with their daughters to learn their true intentions the south has dismissed the demands as propaganda
the inter korean standoff took an unexpected turn recently when a south korean human rights group lawyers for a democratic society asked a court in seoul to release the women from a tightly guarded government facility south of the city where they have been kept since their arrival so they could speak for themselves
the group accused the national intelligence service of blocking the womens access to legal services and their right to speak freely about their trip to the south lawyers for the group presented the court with a power of attorney which they said they had obtained from the womens north korean families
the government has denied the lawyers access to the women saying that the defectors do not want their services it has also said that if the women appeared in court and testified that they abandoned north korea of their own accord that would prompt the north to persecute their relatives in retaliation during interviews with journalists defectors often insist on anonymity because of fears for their families
the closed door court hearing on tuesday ended in limbo however as the women did not show up
the human rights lawyers for their part asked that the case be transferred to another judge complaining that the presiding justice lee young je had not tried to summon the women again
we didnt think the court was trying the case fairly and we dont think it will one lawyer chae hee joon told reporters after the hearing
the case has drawn keen attention in south korea because of the way it might affect the countrys handling of other north korean defectors
by law the national intelligence service can keep north koreans who flee to the south at the secluded facility outside seoul for as long as six months for debriefing and to ferret out spies human rights researchers and opposition lawmakers have quoted some former inmates as saying they were subjected to abusive language violence and threats of deportation while they were held there
the agency has responded that it honors all inmates human rights
but three years ago events inside the facility once called the joint interrogation center became the focal point of a scandal that eventually led to the resignation of the governments intelligence chief
in 2013 a court threw out a spy charge that the intelligence agency had built against a refugee from north korea the charge relied on confessions the defectors sister had made at the facility but the sister later said that she had been coerced into making false accusations against her brother while being held for 179 days in near isolation and without legal representation
president park geun hye later apologized for the scandal and the facility was renamed the center for protection of north korean refugees
some of the lawyers who exposed that scandal are among those demanding access to the 12 waitresses as part of a campaign to make the location more transparent
they have also faced a backlash the conservative news media in the south has accused them of abetting north koreas tactic of using the womens families as leverage against them outside the courthouse on tuesday conservative activists and defectors rallied calling the lawyers commies
their power of attorney is not from the womens families but from the north korean government said a statement from the solidarity of lawyers for liberty and unification which criticized the other lawyers group
thousands of north koreans have defected to south korea in recent years but the womens defection as a group was highly unusual
a typical defector takes weeks or months to flee to the south often traveling through the jungles of southeast asia with human traffickers by contrast the waitresses arrived in seoul the day after they fled their restaurant in china their former colleagues in north korea claimed that the male manager had conspired with the south korean authorities and had taken the women to the south after telling them that they were being relocated to a restaurant in southeast asia
south korea has denied any improper role in the defections


extending college for more than four years not only increases the cost of tuition and student borrowing but it can also dent income and retirement savings a new analysis finds
graduating on the five year plan may be a running joke for many college students but that outcome can eat away at a students chance for financial stability according to an analysis published on tuesday by the website nerdwallet thats because when students are in school for an extra year or two they pay more in tuition and debt and are not earning a salary or contributing to retirement savings
students who take six years to finish a bachelors degree for example can miss out on six figures of lifetime retirement savings nerdwallet estimates
the common assumption is that school is four years said nonso maduka student loan specialist at nerdwallet but just 40 percent of college students finish their bachelors degree in four years he said citing data from the national center for education statistics
nerdwallet used data from the national association of colleges and employers to do its analysis it considered the group of students who began college in 2008 and intended to graduate in 2012 but instead finished in five years or six years
a common reason for taking longer than four years is transferring to another school mr maduka said that switch can often result in lost credit some are caught in a tough predicament they must work to pay for college but working longer hours means they may take a lighter course load and therefore take longer to finish
some students take longer to graduate because they enter college without a declared major or clear map toward graduation they end up taking courses that do not count toward the course of study they ultimately choose said dhanfu elston vice president at complete college america a nonprofit organization working with states and colleges to increase the proportion of students who finish their degrees
nerdwallet based its analysis on average tuition costs at public and private nonprofit colleges as well as the cost of student loans at an interest rate of about 5 percent
the cost of taking one extra year to finish a degree at a public college is about 12600 in out of pocket tuition and 6000 in loan costs over 10 years for a total of about 18600 two extra years at a public college total 37500 costs are higher for private schools the cost of two extra years at a private college is almost 54000
the report also looked at opportunity costs like lost income and compounded retirement savings a student would miss out on more than 46000 in income by taking five years to graduate while a student taking six years would forgo about 94000 the analysis used the average starting salary for the class of 2013 and adjusted for inflation
the resulting hit to retirement savings is sobering the analysis assumed graduates would put about 7 percent of their income into a retirement plan the average contribution rate for people under 25 and that the savings would compound over 45 years at a 7 percent annual return
on that basis students who graduate from college in five years would miss out on about 82000 in retirement savings and six year graduates would fail to gain as much as 151000
a student who spends two extra years at private school therefore can accrue extra costs of nearly 300000 over all factoring in tuition debt and missed income and retirement savings thats a significant incentive for avoiding the victory lap years in college mr maduka said know the trade offs youre making
here are some questions and answers about reining in extra college costs
how can i increase the likelihood of graduating in four years
take at least 15 credits per semester and 30 credits a year even if you have to take some courses over the summer dr elston said twelve credits a semester is the minimum required to qualify for financial aid but doing so will put students on a five year track he said fifteen is on time he said some schools charge the same for 15 credits as for 12 to encourage students to take a full load of courses one example is adams state university in colorado
what if i cannot afford to attend college unless i work
if you must work seek a school that offers so called structured schedules which let students take classes in a predictable block   say 8 to noon   so they can work or care for their families in the afternoon that dr elston said helps lessen the chance that changes in schedules each semester will derail child care or job arrangements
can i save money on college credit by taking advanced placement courses in high school
possibly not all colleges grant credit for ap courses and policies and the amount of credit granted may vary by department mr maduka said to check if a school youre interested in grants credit for ap classes search on the college boards website


united states stocks rose on tuesday as investors were relieved to hear janet l yellen the chairwoman of the federal reserve say the central bank would remain cautious about raising interest rates
stocks hardly budged for most of the day as investors were occupied with ms yellens appearance on capitol hill and the vote this week on britains possible withdrawal from the european union
for the second day in a row stocks traded higher and bond prices fell as investors felt a bit surer that britain would stay in the eu
ms yellen told the senate that the fed would proceed cautiously in raising interest rates because of uncertainties facing the american economy including a recent slowdown in job growth ms yellens testimony will conclude on wednesday
the market seems to have responded well to dr yellens tone of caution said phil orlando chief equity strategist for federated investors
the standard  poors 500 stock index rose 565 points or 03 percent to 208890 the nasdaq composite added 655 points or 01 percent to 484376
the dow jones industrial average picked up 2486 points or 01 percent to 1782973
energy companies climbed despite a dip in the price of oil which is still trading above its lows from early this year crude has risen about 7 percent over the last two days benchmark united states crude fell 52 cents or 11 percent to 4885 a barrel in new york brent crude the benchmark for international oil prices slipped 3 cents to 5062 a barrel in london
schlumberger gained 93 cents or 12 percent to 7852 and occidental petroleum picked up 106 or 14 percent to 7716
opinion polls and betting markets indicate that britons are more likely to vote to remain in the eu in a referendum on thursday uncertainty about the outcome has weighed on global markets
on tuesday bond prices fell as investors felt comfortable taking on riskier investments the yield on the 10 year treasury note edged up to 171 percent from 168 percent
the used car dealership carmax disclosed disappointing first quarter results as its costs increased and sales fell short of wall streets estimates its stock gave up 249 or 49 percent to 4814 the auto retailer autonation fell 146 or 3 percent to 4789 and the auto supplier borgwarner skidded 138 or 4 percent to 3335
werner enterprises the transportation and logistics company forecast disappointing second quarter results it said sluggish freight market conditions were hurting rates as were the costs associated with an increase in pay for drivers the stock lost 237 or 96 percent to 2231
american science  engineering which makes x ray inspection systems agreed to be acquired by osi systems the airport security and full body scanner maker osi will pay 37 per share or 2639 million american science  engineerings stock jumped 454 or 14 percent to 3688
the generic drug maker impax laboratories tumbled after it agreed to pay 586 million for a group of generic drugs owned by allergan and teva pharmaceutical industries those companies had to sell the products because allergan is buying tevas generic drugs business impax lost 366 or 114 percent to 2831
the data security software company imperva climbed 502 or 124 percent to 4546 after elliott management the firm run by the activist investor paul e singer disclosed a stake
the price of gold dropped 1960 or 15 percent to 127250 an ounce and silver fell 20 cents or 11 percent to 1732 an ounce copper rose 2 cents to 212 a pound
in other energy trading wholesale gasoline rose 1 cent to 159 a gallon heating oil slipped 1 cent to 152 a gallon natural gas rose 2 cents to 277 per 1000 cubic feet
in germany the dax rose 05 percent and the cac 40 in france advanced 06 percent also adding to large gains on monday the ftse 100 in britain gained 04 percent the japanese nikkei 225 rose 13 percent and the hang seng in hong kong added 08 percent while the south korean kospi gained 01 percent
the dollar rose to 10483 yen from 10386 yen the euro fell to 11251 from 11305 the british pound edged back down to 14626 from 14684 after a big jump monday


washington   weak economic growth in the united states could force the federal reserve to hold off on any imminent interest rate increases the federal reserve chairwoman janet l yellen told congress on tuesday
while ms yellen said that the american economys long term prospects remain favorable she signaled that headwinds including slower employment gains in recent months weak productivity growth and the persistence of a sluggish pace of inflation have prompted the fed to adopt a more cautious stance
the latest readings on the labor market and the weak pace of investment illustrate one downside   that domestic demand might falter ms yellen said in testimony before the senate banking committee
ms yellens overall message on capitol hill echoed her comments at a news conference last week after the feds decision to hold rates steady but her tenor suggested that there was little chance of an increase in the benchmark federal funds rate at the central banks next meeting in july and that a move when policy makers meet again in september is hardly guaranteed
proceeding cautiously in raising the federal funds rate will allow us to keep the monetary support to economic growth in place while we assess whether growth is returning to a moderate pace she said
mirroring the habit of fed leaders going back decades ms yellen hedged her bets emphasizing her positive outlook for the years ahead if not the coming quarter or two
but she acknowledged influential voices in academia and elsewhere who have warned that long term growth could be substantially below the pace achieved in the decades before the great recession
although i am optimistic about the longer run prospects for the us economy we cannot rule out the possibility expressed by some prominent economists that the slow productivity growth seen in recent years will continue in the future she said
in the question and answer portion of the hearing ms yellen termed recent productivity growth disappointing and pointed out that business investment had been similarly weak during the recovery she added that the productivity issue was something congress needed to address by improving polices for workplace training and other issues
ms yellens appearance is part of two days of testimony before congress that the fed leader is required to present twice each year another session is scheduled on wednesday before the house financial services committee
her previous testimony on monetary policy was in february so this weeks appearance before congress is ms yellens last before the presidential election in november
as a result ms yellen received a barrage of questions on everything from the course of interest rates and banking regulation in the united states to the potential fallout if british voters decide in favor of leaving the european union when they go to the polls on thursday
responding to opening questions from senator richard c shelby the alabama republican who is chairman of the senate banking committee ms yellen emphasized that until recently the job market had held up well despite mixed developments in the economy
noting that the jobs data for may was disappointing she nonetheless said that it is important we dont overblow the significance of single report
if the slowdown is a reflection of weak growth earlier in the year im hopeful we will see stronger job gains going forward she added
ms yellen called the possibility of a so called brexit significant for the united kingdom and europe and said that if britain left the european union it could usher in a period of uncertainty and volatility that could affect market conditions and the us economic outlook
late in the hearing ms yellen said that while the fed was closely monitoring the brexit vote and the possible consequences of a vote to leave she was not offering advice on how to vote
although the decision is a unique event that has no close parallel she said the fed is not attempting to take a stand i am not providing advice in that sense
under questioning from senator bob menendez a new jersey democrat ms yellen took aim at a recent suggestion from donald j trump the presumptive republican presidential nominee that one option in managing the federal debt might be to force investors to accept less than the face value of what the government owed
so called haircuts arent unusual for bondholders of troubled companies or for businesses going through bankruptcy like the ones mr trump controlled as a businessman but she made clear such a strategy could prove disastrous for the government and the economy alike
i feel the consequences for the united states and the global economy for defaulting on treasury debt would be very severe she said avoiding mentioning mr trump by name at a minimum it could result in much higher borrowing costs for us households and businesses
despite the feds first move to tighten monetary policy in a decade in december interest rates remain extremely low by historical standards and not too far above the so called zero bound
that kind of accommodation provides support for the economy ms yellen said but it does rob the fed of what she called a tried and true tool in the face of an economic shock a rate cut to spur growth
for now though ms yellen saw little reason to fear an impending crisis and she dismissed fears among some on wall street that the fed has contributed to imbalances in the markets i dont see any evidence she said of those broad based financial stability concerns
and for all her caution about the outlook for the economy ms yellen said she did not see a recession on the horizon
the odds of a recession are low she said even as the fed chairwoman listed headwinds like a weak manufacturing sector lower commodity prices and job losses in the energy sector she said i remain quite optimistic
recessions are usually preceded by the threat of rising inflation and tightening monetary policy she said we dont have any such conditions in play right now


many ticketmaster users were thrilled to discover that they were given vouchers for free and discounted tickets the fruits of a 13 year old lawsuit against the company over its fees
but how and when those vouchers can be used has befuddled people and confusion has only grown since ticketmaster released 5 million worth of free tickets this week those tickets were quickly claimed leaving most people unable to redeem their vouchers and feeling pretty irritated
a spokeswoman for ticketmater declined an interview request but ticketmaster said on wednesday it would release an additional 5 million worth of free tickets heres what we know about how the process works
anyone who bought tickets using ticketmasters website between oct 21 1999 and feb 27 2013 should have received between one and 17 vouchers
if youre logged in to your ticketmaster account you can check to see how many are available to you here
there are three types each with a different value
a 225 discount on any ticket
a 5 discount toward ups delivery
two free tickets for general admission seating at venues owned or operated by live nation entertainment which owns ticketmaster
you cant use the vouchers on just any ticketmaster order the company has selected specific events for which they qualify throughout the united states which means the shows near you might be awfully limited
the company set up a webpage listing which events would be eligible with more than 430 initially listed free tickets for alabama shakes weezer bob dylan def leppard snoop dogg steely dan and the cure were briefly made available in the first batch of concerts
a lot of people on twitter at least were not thrilled with the selection
ticketmaster said it would add more shows and you can sign up for email notifications when it does so
its not looking good based on how quickly the first 5 million was given away and how many complaints there have been about vouchers not working the odds are a lot of people will never get the chance to claim their free tickets
this part gets into the weeds a bit but if youre curious read on the company said on tuesday it would provide 10 million in ticket vouchers for concerts through may 2017
how many free tickets become available beyond that amount depends on how many of the 225 and 5 discount codes are used the settlement requires ticketmaster to pay out 42 million over four years and no less than 105 million per year should the use of 225 and 5 discount codes fall short of those targets ticketmaster would make up the difference by releasing more free tickets
attempts to use the codes for discounts or free tickets on two listed events   kenny chesney in virginia beach and the san francisco symphony   returned error messages on tuesday many people have reported similar struggles
ticketmaster sent an estimated 386 million worth of discount codes to nearly 57 million people according to steven blonder a leading attorney on the lawsuit and a principal at the law firm much shelist
recall that the company is obligated to pay out only 42 million and it becomes apparent that most of the vouchers will never be redeemed
unlike the free ticket vouchers you can use these toward any event sold through ticketmaster
you can also stack them together if you have multiple codes for a larger discount on a single order mr blonder said
in 2003 two men who had bought tickets to wilco and bruce springsteen concerts filed a joint lawsuit arguing that ticketmasters fees were excessive and misleading
the lawsuit was later granted class action status and in 2011 the two sides reached a preliminary deal on a settlement that called for ticketmaster to return money to fans
since the lawsuit was brought ticketmaster has changed the way it describes its fees and charges on its website so we get more clarity and transparency mr blonder said


baghdad   long before falluja was known the world over for deadly jihadists it was known all over iraq for its kebab   fatty lamb ground and mixed with onion grilled on a skewer over an open fire and served with a pinch of sumac   at a joint called haji hussein
everyone it seemed ate at haji hussein locals soldiers tourists and businessmen traveling the baghdad to amman highway that runs through the city starting in 2003 journalists covering the war ate there and so did american soldiers and the insurgents who fought them perhaps even at the same time
the restaurant was damaged by bombs multiple times and entirely flattened once by an american airstrike it was rebuilt embraced as a symbol of fallujas own rebirth after years of war only to be abandoned when the city fell to the islamic state more than two years ago
now the much loved kebab restaurant has been reborn again this time in baghdad in a modern three story building in the upscale mansour neighborhood
a new entrant on the capitals thriving restaurant scene it offers great kebab and a dose of nostalgia for a time when baghdadis thought nothing of zipping off to falluja for lunch at haji hussein
this was the craft of my grandfather said mohammed hussein who runs the business that has been in his family since the 1930s when falluja was a city of agriculture smuggling and tribal traditions not a jihadist haven
the restaurant shiny and well lit is packed most nights and patrons wait for tables   15 to 20 minutes or so something almost unheard of in iraq there are two flat screen televisions on the first floor tuned to news channels reporting on the military campaign to retake falluja from the islamic state
i cant bear to watch the news mr hussein said
there was one news flash recently that did not escape his notice the iraqi air force like the americans 12 years ago announced that it had struck his restaurant site in falluja because leaders with the islamic state also known as isis or isil were meeting there
a statement from iraqs joint operation command appeared on the television based on intelligence information about a meeting for isis leaders in haji hussein restaurant inside the center of falluja an airstrike was launched on the restaurant which led to the killing of tens of isis terrorists
but the restaurant mr hussein said has been deserted for two and a half years
when iraqi forces recently made gains inside falluja people almost immediately began talking about haji hussein the federal police released a combat video saying they were fighting near the restaurant and a glimpse of the rust colored facade showed it damaged but not destroyed on state television commentators expressed hope that haji hussein might reopen soon in falluja
in 2004 the americans bombed the restaurant based on intelligence that insurgents loyal to abu musab al zarqawi the founder of al qaeda in iraq the forerunner of the islamic state were eating there after the bombing a member of mr husseins family defiantly told the boston globe that the mujahedeen and the insurgents prefer my restaurant and come to me for their three meals
patrick graham a canadian journalist who covered the iraq war likened haji hussein to a nova scotia branch of a popular canadian doughnut chain
it probably had been an insurgent meeting place he wrote in an online column last year but only in the way that the local tim hortons in antigonish ns is a conservative party meeting place everyone went to haji hussein insurgents included
this being the holy month of ramadan the baghdad restaurant has been busy lately serving iftar the evening meal to break the days fast the parking lot is also a beehive of activity a security guard checking cars for bombs a man selling balloons to families children begging
as mr hussein 49 sat down to chat one recent evening he was surrounded by bow tied waiters   much of the staff from falluja now works in the new place   filling the tables with dishes of mezze or appetizers as diners waited to break their fast
in addition to heaping platters of the famous kebab there were dates coated with sesame paste watermelon hummus cucumber and tomato salad pickles and soup there were some new items on the menu that were not served in falluja grilled river carp called masgoof a yemeni chicken and rice meal called mandi and maklouba a dish of chicken and eggplant and rice that is originally palestinian
as customers streamed in mr hussein tried to recall how many times his restaurant in falluja had been damaged or destroyed by the war
too many to count he said
at times he said he would have to call a local windowpane salesman once or twice a week it was a funny joke he said id call and hed say which size he would have all the sizes for my windows on hand ready
mr hussein recalled an american officer who used to stop by and grab his kebab right off the grill with a piece of flatbread but he kept his distance from the occupiers
we tried not to become friends with them he said they would say hi we would say hi that was it
he said peace would not be easy in falluja even after liberation from the islamic state without political compromises between the shiite led government in baghdad and the sunni community speaking of the people of falluja he said there were reasons they joined isis   oppression random arrests
at least in his restaurant iraq does not seem hopelessly divided by sect sunnis and shiites break their fast at slightly different times and as sundown approached one of the televisions was tuned to a sunni channel the other to iraqiya the channel of the shiite led government
when the call to prayer   the signal that the days fast was over   went out on one the sunnis began eating fifteen minutes or so later the shiite customers began eating
anas al sarraf who is perhaps baghdads only restaurant critic has praised haji hussein on his widely followed baghdad restaurant guide on facebook for its kebab cleanliness and service
one iraqi exile pining for home posted a comment on mr sarrafs site i have been out of iraq for 13 years and there is no iraqi food or iraqi kebab like haji hussein inshallah i will come back one day to eat at haji hussein in falluja and in baghdad
in the kitchen mr husseins nephew marwan mohammed was working the grill now 26 he has been working in the family business since he was 8 washing the skewers
mr mohammed said the secret to his kebab is fresh lamb as opposed to low quality imported meats that he said many iraqi restaurants use the family still raises its own sheep in a government held area near falluja and usually serves the kebab on the same day the sheep is slaughtered or the next day
we only feed them grass and special food he said we never let them go out in the open and eat garbage
the only other ingredient mixed with the minced lamb is onions sumac and a squeeze of lemon at the table add more flavor
mr husseins fortune may now be in baghdad but his heart is in falluja
his hometown he said is like a sacred place for me he added my heart beats faster when falluja comes to my mind
he began to cry as he described what falluja used to be
simple people he said it was a tribal society weve never even had a hotel there was hospitality for everyone all homes were hotels for visitors
recipes chicken thigh kebabs  adana kebabs  lamb and fig kebabs with honey and rosemary


cairo   an egyptian court on tuesday nullified a government decision to transfer sovereignty of two strategic red sea islands to saudi arabia in a surprising setback for president abdel fattah el sisi
the ruling surprised even some of mr sisis critics who did not expect the judiciary to go against the government
in april mr sisi transferred tiran and sanafir   arid and uninhabited islands at the mouth of the gulf of aqaba   to saudi arabia during a visit by the saudi monarch king salman
saudi arabia had placed the islands under egyptian control in 1950 amid fears that israel might seize them and mr sisi portrayed their return as a correction of a historical quirk rather than as a sale saudi arabia has been a major financial supporter of mr sisis since as military chief he led the ouster of his islamist predecessor mohamed morsi in 2013
the islands are of strategic value because they lie at the mouth of the gulf of aqaba the only sea route to the jordanian port of aqaba and the port city of eilat in israel
egyptian and saudi officials signed at least 15 agreements during the kings visit including a sinai development package and an oil deal worth 22 billion to egypt over five years the state news media reported but the announcement set off unexpected protests from egyptians who for decades had considered the islands egyptian territory and some critics said that mr sisi had made a humiliating concession to a wealthy ally
the ruling on tuesday was largely unexpected because the egyptian judiciary has long been considered to be deferential to   and critics would say complicit with   the countrys leadership in recent years egyptian judges have sentenced hundreds of government critics to lengthy prison sentences or even death
if upheld the verdict will not only leave mr sisi in awkward position with an important ally but it could also pave the way for the prosecution of senior government officials legal experts warned under egyptian law officials who negotiate with foreign governments deals that harm national interests can be sentenced to life in prison some legal experts suggested that this possibility despite being politically slim was why the agreement was signed by the prime minister rather than by the president who traditionally seals such deals
if tried as individuals who compromised egyptian territory officials could face the death penalty
on the other hand if the agreement is upheld it will be sent to parliament where many expect it to be approved quickly given the wide support for mr sisi there
mr sisis government had presented the transfer of the islands as part of an economic deal that would help stimulate egypts economy but critics took to the streets in protests that led to the arrests of nearly 1300 people human rights defenders say
by tuesday evening the egyptian government announced that it had filed an appeal officials in riyadh the saudi capital did not comment immediately
in response to the wave of criticism mr sisi had urged egyptians to stop discussing the deal saying it was signed in secret to avoid attention in the news media please i dont want anyone to talk about this anymore he said in a speech in april
critics had taken to referring to mr sisi as awaad a character in an old egyptian song who sold his land   an act traditionally considered shameful
essam el eslamboly one of the egyptian lawyers who filed the case challenging the transfer of the islands called the ruling a victory for the judiciary because it demonstrated that the courts are fair and only care about the interests of the country
during testimony before the court mr eslamboly said the governments lawyers declined to furnish documents to make their case arguing instead that the transfer was a sovereign decision that was made at the discretion of the cabinet and one that the administrative court had no right to question
the silence revealed the weakness of their position he said
legal experts both for and against the deal have described the crux of the official argument in court as hard to prove at best
there is no legal text that defines what constitutes a sovereign decision said mohamed hamed el gamal the former chief of the council of state the judicial body that issued tuesdays verdict it is really up to the judges here he said adding that there was no legal text immunizing such decisions that idea is based on judicial norms normally such decisions are respected he said but such decisions are not usually challenged either


washington   the european telecom operator altice completed its 177 billion deal for cablevision on tuesday its second major acquisition in a year and a step toward its goal of becoming a leading cable and broadband internet provider in the united states
after its purchase of cablevision which includes newsday and a television station the altice subsidiary altice usa will have 46 million broadband and cable television subscribers making it the fourth largest cable and broadband operator in the country with customers in 20 states including the new york market
altice is a global telecommunications firm based in the netherlands started 15 years ago by the french israeli billionaire entrepreneur patrick drahi in addition to the united states it operates in europe the caribbean and africa the company wants to keep expanding creating more consolidation in the market for a utility service   broadband   consumer advocates fear is controlled by fewer firms comcast charter and altice now control 52 percent of the cable market in the united states
in an interview dexter goei chairman and chief executive of altice usa talked about the companys plans and how despite the many regulations recently aimed at the cable and broadband industry he is not scared off below are edited excerpts from the conversation
in one year you have closed acquisitions of cablevision and suddenlink what next
we are going to take our time and be thoughtful about next steps but fundamentally we are in the business of getting larger scale drives better economics and better strategic flexibility we will look to do more when we will do something more i dont know in 2016 we are very focused on the integration of not just the two businesses in the us but the entire altice family
in what ways do you want to get larger
we would like to do more of what we have are there things to be done in other revenue streams whether in content or mobile or technology maybe it is worthwhile knowing that every single one of our businesses in other markets are quad play both fixed and mobile broadband and television and phone
in places where we have big market share positions we have invested in media and content way too early to tell but we will be ambitious we have been built by a prescient entrepreneur who has not been shy to continue to grow our business and weve moved quickly when we want to move quickly
can you afford to take your time your united states cable and telecom competitors such as comast att and verizon are buying content and ad technology
i dont necessarily agree that our competitors are out there doing a lot of stuff on content i would say obviously comcast for sure but verizon is very focused on its mobile content strategy the dolans were very involved in content and split the team up to invest in content is a big word but you have to be very specific as to what you are talking about we arent at the scale to do what comcast does everything else is beating around the edges we can be thoughtful
it would seem like this is a bad time to invest in the united states market if you read statements from cable firms they complain about too much regulation from the federal communications commission
its too early to tell if we have a strong point of view on any issues these are as you may suspect in other markets we are in on net neutrality we have the same directives in europe that are percolating on the all vid or set top box proposal this is a very us type of issue that we arent smart enough around today we dont have that issue today in other markets
how about cost cutting how is that going to affect customers and employees of cablevision is there concern about how cost cutting will hurt service and jobs
on the end user side i dont think end users will expect anything but continued great service and even greater service weve said well invest significant amounts of capital in customer service and the network
on the cablevision employee side people are unbelievably energized and excited about what we are bringing to the table there is no fear on the cost side there is a clear understanding that there is a new management team in place that will be very thoughtful about how we deploy our capital going forward it will be a little bit better than done historically we arent feeling any things you are suggesting people might be feeling


in las vegas last week donald j trumps nevada headquarters stood dark a sign taped to the door declared that it had moved with no forwarding information available
on a weekday morning in new hampshire another battleground state in november a single worker hovered in mr trumps main office in manchester
and at the hub of his national campaign in trump tower in manhattan mr trump the presumptive republican presidential nominee has cloistered himself with a tiny group of relatives and longtime business associates relying on a staff of about six dozen people to win over an electorate of more than 120 million
even as mr trump dominates the campaign on cable news and social media drawing large crowds with incendiary speeches about immigration and national security his candidacy has faltered in the all important test of political organization having swept through the primaries and caucuses with a skeletal campaign staff and a budget funded largely out of his bank account he must compete against hillary clinton his presumptive democratic opponent with only a shadow of the financial and political infrastructure she has amassed
in crucial states mr trumps campaign offices have withered he has not yet put out a single television ad in the general election he has about as much money on hand for his campaign as the manhattan district attorney and the new york city comptroller each disclosed having in their last reports
the situation has grown so dire for mr trump that on tuesday he suggested that he might tap his personal fortune to keep the campaign afloat he disclosed on monday that his campaign finished may with little more than 1 million in the bank mrs clinton reported having about 42 million
in a defiant statement mr trump said that he was just getting started as a competitor against mrs clinton and that there had been a tremendous outpouring of support from donors since the beginning of june but he has mused publicly in recent days about funding the race himself and on tuesday opened the door wider to that possibility
if need be there could be unlimited cash on hand as i would put up my own money as i have already done through the primaries spending over 50 million he said
even the stark disparity in cash on hand may understate the desperate straits in which mr trump finds himself his fund raising led largely by the republican national committee has slowed he canceled a fund raiser with 90 people in boston last week after the shooting in orlando fla it has been rescheduled for june 29
mr trump is to be feted at two fund raisers in manhattan this week organized by woody johnson the owner of the new york jets with one event featuring gov chris christie of new jersey but the ticket price for that event is only 500 a paltry sum for a presidential campaign and only 260 people have signed up according to a person involved in mr trumps fund raising who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the information was not intended for the public
charles spies a republican election lawyer who advised the super pac that supported jeb bush said mr trump would have to put in an enormous amount of his own money to jump start his campaign and win over big donors he suggested an appropriate figure would be 100 million to 200 million
mr spies said mr trump should also forgive the loans he had made to his campaign to reassure contributors that he would not use their money to repay himself mr trump has already raised eyebrows among party donors by spending freely to hold campaign events at properties he owns and for the cost of flights on his private jet
for donors to invest in his campaign hes got to show that hes investing in it also mr spies said hes got to have 500 million to run a bare bones campaign and that would mean getting outspent by hillary clinton and her allies between two and three to one
dwight schar a former finance chairman of the republican national committee said mr trumps grim predicament came as little surprise mr trump never courted party donors during the primary season and accused them of seeking to buy influence in government boasting that as a wealthy man he would be immune to their entreaties
i think mr trump has got all the money so he doesnt need any financing said mr schar who said he was undecided about whether to back mr trump or mrs clinton he added i think my mother used to say what you sow you reap
mr trump has reported that his net worth is about 10 billion though it is unclear how much is in cash or could readily be converted to cash that could be used for a presidential campaign
mr trumps advisers spent much of tuesday morning huddled at trump tower to discuss the way forward including a speech he has planned for wednesday attacking mrs clinton the address advisers said will be the first of several speeches mr trump plans to give with the goal of regaining traction in the race
mr trumps knack for commanding news media attention however is no substitute for a campaign organization mrs clintons staff is larger than mr trumps by nearly tenfold and her stable of advisers includes the polling and advertising firms that steered president obamas campaigns
mr trumps campaign by contrast rolled from state to state during the republican primaries building pop up operations as needed but left few resources behind that he could now draw upon in the general election
in new hampshire for example stephen stepanek a state lawmaker who helped steer mr trumps primary campaign said there was catching up to do in the state he predicted there would be 30 or 40 paid staff members in new hampshire by july
trump ran a very tight campaign and were very well aware of that mr stepanek said after we got through with the primary in new hampshire the entire staff moved on to the next primary state theyre all drifting back now
in new york mr trump has kept a tight circle of advisers and leaned heavily on familiar faces including his children michael cohen his longtime lawyer and paul manafort a veteran republican operative with business ties to mr trump that date to the 1980s
he has only the thinnest of communications operations relying on hope hicks a former spokeswoman for his daughter ivanka to handle the avalanche of daily news media requests
and mr trump has struggled to expand his operation facing cold shoulders and arch skepticism from strategists with deep campaign experience he has sought to hire a communications director but has been rebuffed by at least two seasoned operatives who were concerned that working for mr trump could harm their careers according to republicans briefed on the hiring efforts
he has recently recruited the pollsters tony fabrizio and john mclaughlin as well as a strategist kevin kellems to oversee the activities of his campaign surrogates
but he has also shed staff and late last month dismissed a recently hired political director rick wiley whom he viewed as insufficiently tough in negotiations with the republican national committee
on monday mr trump fired his campaign manager corey lewandowski tearing another hole in the architecture of his campaign mr lewandowski was a close adviser to mr trump but was viewed with distrust by national party leaders other trump advisers and members of the trump family
the trump campaign is said to favor hiring a new campaign manager to play a more conventional role focused on ensuring that basic functions of the organization work together smoothly
there was no one lined up for the job at the time of mr lewandowskis dismissal


california among the first states to embrace nuclear energy in the 1950s may be breaking things off for good
under a proposal announced on tuesday pacific gas and electric would shutter the diablo canyon power plant the states last operating nuclear facility and would compensate for the lost output with technologies that do not emit greenhouse gases including renewable energy
the proposal part of an agreement with environmental and labor groups is intended to help meet californias aggressive clean energy goals which have already transformed the power mix with a large and growing renewable energy fleet at a time of slowing electric demand it also comes after years of public pressure to close the plant near san luis obispo because of safety concerns over its location near several fault lines and its use of ocean water for cooling
because of state energy policies theres just not going to be enough need to have to run your nuclear plant tony earley pges chief executive said in a conference call with reporters its a much smaller generating system
under the proposal which would require the approval of the california public utilities commission the plants two reactors would be shut down in 2024 and 2025 when their operating licenses expire as long as the state lands commission extends a permit set to expire in 2018 that grants access to the ocean for the cooling operation
the future of many of the countrys 99 nuclear reactors   a majority of which are more than 30 years old   is looking grim the flood of cheap natural gas and slowing demand for electricity have driven down power prices making it difficult for the aging plants to compete in wholesale markets in recent years several plants have shut down before their licenses expired and more early closings are planned or threatened around the country
outside of a few areas there has been little recent appetite to replace the old style plants which can take decades to plan and license and are expensive to build the tennessee valley authority this month announced the start of power production at the second reactor of its watts bar plant whose construction had been halted since 1985 in georgia southern company is building two new nuclear units there is not much else in the pipeline
but nuclear plants provide nearly 60 percent of the countrys carbon dioxide free power so some state and federal officials and environmentalists have been scrambling to help save the plants to meet national goals to stem climate change
some nuclear advocates were critical of the plan for diablo canyon and expressed skepticism that the utility could fill the gap without relying on fossil fuels a rise in greenhouse gas emissions has tended to follow closings of nuclear plants as they have most often been replaced by natural gas that was the case in new england and california after vermont yankee and san onofre shut down
but the plan for diablo canyon which began operating in 1985 and stirred controversy from the start is aimed at avoiding that its proponents say gavin newsom the lieutenant governor helped jump start discussions on closing the plant as a member of the state lands commission in part to allow for a slower greener transition the sudden closure of san onofre which ultimately led to not only significant job losses but also led to significant greenhouse gas emissions   that recent example highlighted my concerns around diablo he said
the states evolving policies require utilities to include 50 percent renewables in the power they provide by 2030 to sharply reduce electricity sales through efficiency measures like programs that pay customers to reduce use in times of high demand and to include the use of energy storage technologies
that combined with the increasing availability of renewable energy from large scale wind and solar farms as well as rooftop systems spreading throughout the state means that the need for conventional nuclear plants whose output is difficult to adjust quickly is diminished
giant baseload nuclear power plants like diablo canyon cannot easily be taken offline or ramped up and down as system needs change said ralph cavanagh co director of the energy program at the natural resources defense council and the groups lead negotiator on the agreement this worsening problem is forcing the california grid operator to shut down low cost renewable generation that could otherwise be used productively
as part of the agreement pge promised to exceed the state mandate by including 55 percent renewables in its generation mix by 2031 and plans to spend 350 million on helping retain or retrain affected employees executives estimate that decommissioning the plant will cost roughly 38 billion a 13 billion increase over its last estimate in 2012


brussels   multinational corporations may find it harder to escape taxation after european union states tightened rules on tuesday to counter tax avoidance
public anger has grown since news articles revealed how companies such as amazon and starbucks have used legal means to vastly reduce their tax bills and since the panama papers and the so called luxleaks scandals exposed the extent of problem
todays agreement strikes a serious blow against those engaged in corporate tax avoidance said pierre moscovici the european commissioner in charge of tax issues
the measures include powers for governments to tax profits shifted by companies based in the european union to low tax countries where they have no real business activity and to tax assets developed in the european union and then transferred outside the bloc a trick often used to avoid taxes on intellectual property patents
the measures will turn nonbinding international standards into binding rules and go beyond what has been agreed to by the organization for economic cooperation and development
but the compromise   which had to be agreed to unanimously by the 28 european union states   was reached after some of the most contentious provisions were scrapped or delayed raising doubts about the effectiveness of the new measures
the humanitarian organization oxfam which says tax avoidance exacerbates global poverty called the watered down rules wastepaper and said that the european union had missed an opportunity to fight the problem
it is outrageous that governments have been unable to agree on an effective approach against parking profits in tax havens while repeated tax scandals are calling for immediate and efficient action oxfam said
several smaller european union countries that have tax policies intended to attract multinationals had feared that companies could leave if the rules were too severe
to quell concerns a proposal known as a switch over clause was dropped it would have taxed dividends and capital gains that european firms pay to companies they control in low tax or tax free countries to avoid taxation
national governments were also granted leeway on how to apply new measures to reduce deductions on interest payments states under certain conditions will be able to keep their own rules in place until 2024 rather than the 2019 deadline originally proposed


donald j trumps recent rough patch has taken a toll on his standing in three crucial swing states according to a new poll that shows voters in florida ohio and pennsylvania viewing hillary clinton as being better prepared to be president
a survey from quinnipiac university found mrs clinton leading mr trump by a margin of 47 percent to 39 percent in florida where they were essentially tied in may mrs clinton also erased mr trumps narrow lead in ohio where the candidates are now deadlocked at 40 percent in pennsylvania mrs clinton leads by a single percentage point
the polls had margins of error of plus or minus three percentage points rendering ohio and pennsylvania very much up for grabs a month before republicans hold their nominating convention july 18 21 in cleveland
many leading republicans have struggled to embrace mr trump so far and there are signs that the discord is doing damage peter brown assistant director of the quinnipiac poll said that the lingering infighting within the republican party was hurting mr trumps standing and that political parties usually show more loyalty toward their standard bearers
the at times bitter verbal battles between trump and some republicans leaders is showing in these numbers mr brown said in these three key states clinton is doing better and in the case of florida much better among democrats than trump is among republicans
in all three states mrs clinton is viewed as being more ready to be president being smarter and having higher moral standards voters think that mr trump would be better at creating jobs and at combating terrorism
mr brown suggested that mr trumps problems in florida could be because of his provocative proposals and comments about hispanics and immigration
it is hillary clintons best state and perhaps donald trumps toughest lift mr brown said of florida one reason might be florida has a larger hispanic population than the other two states and trump has clashed with hispanic leaders over some of his remarks
most recently mr trump faced criticism for attacking the mexican american judge who is overseeing the trump university fraud case arguing that his hispanic heritage made him biased nearly 60 percent of voters in the three states considered this assertion to be racist
on tuesday mr trump promoted the polls as evidence that his campaign remains on track after all of the negative publicity he has received in the last few weeks
to be even in these major states people are talking about it they cant believe it mr trump said on fox news which tells you how bad she is or hopefully how good i am


tokyo   a former google executive and silicon valley star was on course to be the next chief executive of softbank of japan one of the worlds most prominent technology conglomerates now he is leaving in an abrupt shakeout that shows cracks in softbanks global ambitions
when the executive nikesh arora was poached two years ago from a coveted role as googles head of business operations the hire was widely considered a coup for softbank its billionaire founder and chief executive masayoshi son crowned mr arora heir apparent
mr arora was vaunted for his deal making prowess and seen as an international executive who would help transform softbank with a flurry of investments one of mr sons most cherished ambitions was to turn softbank a japanese business with some notable overseas names like the american carrier sprint into a truly global enterprise
the honeymoon did not last
investors have criticized mr arora recently for his record of managing softbanks overseas deals investments in start ups like dramafever and housingcom these shareholders have said appear to have soured as the companies have faltered
and the carefully orchestrated succession plan   or what appeared to be   has collapsed mr son decided he was not ready to give up the reins soon
mr son 58 said in a statement that he still wanted to work on a few more crazy ideas at softbank mr son cited differences over when mr arora would take over as chief executive as the reason he had agreed to step down mr arora who was born in india holds the titles of president and chief operating officer
this will require me to be ceo for at least another five to 10 years   this is not a time frame for me to keep nikesh waiting for the top job mr son said
mr arora 48 also presented the parting as amicable masa and i are still in love with each other he posted on twitter i will support everyone i invested in and they know that
mr aroras legacy   good or bad   will ultimately be determined by his investment record
softbanks strategy is centered on acquiring other companies from established businesses to tiny start ups shortly before mr arora arrived softbank bought sprint for 216 billion a major expansion of mr sons empire overseas the japanese conglomerate also made a fortune when its early investment in the chinese e commerce company alibaba slowly swelled to billions of dollars in value
after joining softbank mr arora was put in charge of picking takeover targets around the world his mandate was to diversify a company that despite the sprint acquisition and others still makes about 70 percent of its operating profits in its home market it owns a major mobile phone network and a controlling interest in yahoo japan among other domestic assets
mr arora struck more than a dozen deals placing bets on technology telecommunications and media companies in india indonesia and singapore among other countries softbank paid 1 billion for a stake in the korean e commerce company coupang it plowed 250 million into wme img the giant american media and sports agency india has been a particular focus and mr arora led investments into businesses like snapdeal and oyo rooms which aspire to be its amazon and airbnb
recently softbank has been selling assets and raising cash a pattern that has been a prelude to big strategic deals on tuesday it sealed an agreement to sell its majority stake in supercell the developer of clash of clans and other mobile games to chinas tencent holdings for about 86 billion it also recently sold about 10 billion of shares in alibaba
expectations for mr arora had been high besides his google pedigree he had been unusually well paid
in his first six months at softbank mr arora earned 166 billion yen or 159 million at current exchange rates including a signing bonus according to company disclosures that made him one of the best compensated executives in the world during that period and one of the highest paid executives in japan a country known for relatively low pay at the upper echelon
he earned about 8 billion yen last year mr arora made a huge personal financial commitment to softbank in 2015 buying 60 billion yen of the companys shares
but some of his bets havent panned out dramafever a korean video site shed traffic months after softbank invested in the business prompting the japanese company to find buyers for some of its stake
this year softbank has defended mr arora against criticism from a group of mostly anonymous international shareholders who laid out their case against mr arora in a letter to the companys board in april they said a number of start ups he backed have fizzled they also questioned his decision to remain an adviser to an american investment firm silver lake that could potentially compete with softbank for deals
mr aroras investment strategy as the ceo of simi appears to be nothing more than throwing a dart at a dart board a lawyer representing the investors wrote in the letter referring to softbanks internet and media operations as simi how many more millions of dollars of shareholder value must be wasted before the board realizes something must be done
a representative for silver lake declined to comment advisers like mr arora generally receive limited insight into the private equity firms deliberations and spend only a few hours a month with silver lake
softbank said on monday that an internal panel set up to investigate the investors claims had found no evidence of conflict of interest or other misconduct still the episode may have shaken mr sons trust in mr arora soured mr arora on softbank or both
clean chit from board after through review time for me to move on mr arora said in another tweet on tuesday
and it was always an open question whether mr son would readily give up control
mr arora was one of only a small number of non japanese to have attained a top management position at a major japanese company he faced fewer bureaucratic and cultural obstacles than most in part because softbanks power structure is simple softbanks starts and ends with mr son who founded the company in the 1980s and runs it with unquestioned authority
i feel my work is not done mr son said in a statement on tuesday


tehran   in comments suggesting that iran was prepared to support an armed uprising in bahrain a senior iranian commander has threatened the sunni led state of bahrain for revoking the citizenship of a leading shiite opposition cleric
in a statement on monday the commander gen qassem soleimani the high profile leader of the elite quds force of the islamic revolutionary guards corps denounced the mistreatment of the cleric and threatened bahrain with a bloody intifada
bahrains leaders have accused the quds force of sending weapons to local insurgents which iran denies but general soleimanis explosive remarks suggested that tehran was losing patience
bahrains action against the cleric ayatollah sheikh isa qassim is a red line and passing this red line will create flames of fire in bahrain and the entire region general soleimani said and the people will have no choice but armed resistance
coming from general soleimani who is leading the countrys military efforts in syria and iraq the statement was widely perceived as a serious threat
this shows that we have a new strategy of supporting an intifada in bahrain said hamidreza taraghi a political analyst close to irans shiite leadership
the statement also highlighted an apparent rift between the revolutionary guards and the ministry of foreign affairs mr taraghi said after the recent ouster of the deputy minister for african and arab affairs hossein amir abdollahian who is close to the revolutionary guards
mr soleimanis statement is also compensation for that mr taraghi said this is all just starting
bahrain home to the united states fifth fleet is highly dependent on saudi arabia a sunni kingdom and a regional rival to iran
bahrain a majority shiite country ruled by a sunni royal family the khalifas has been roiled by protests since the outbreak of the arab spring in 2011 at the height of the demonstrations with their leadership threatened the khalifas called on the saudi military to restore order
since then bahrain has emerged as a possible point of contention in the persian gulf with protests and crackdowns the protest movement has publicly distanced itself from iran but leaders in tehran have often lent vocal support
bahrain announced on monday that it had revoked the citizenship of ayatollah qassim 79 that followed its june 14 suspension of the wefaq national islamic society the countrys leading shiite opposition group which ayatollah qassim had led the decisions to shut down the opposition group and to revoke the citizenship of its spiritual leader and the arrests of human rights activists suggest a new crackdown on the island analysts say
saudi arabia and iran have been fighting proxy wars throughout the region since 2011 supporting groups in iraq lebanon syria and yemen as well as in smaller theaters like bahrain
in december saudi arabia and iran clashed over another shiite muslim cleric nimr al nimr who was executed in saudi arabia hard line protesters raided the saudi embassy in tehran after his execution leading to the severance of diplomatic ties
tehran has said iranians will not participate this year in the hajj the annual pilgrimage to saudi arabia the hajj was marred last september by a catastrophic stampede that according to outside estimates killed more than 2400 people iran said more than 460 were iranians among the biggest losses of any country
bahrains decisions to suspend al wefaq and to revoke ayatollah qasims citizenship were widely criticized internationally
the state department released a statement calling the bahraini practice of revoking citizenship deeply troubling
it continued above all we worry that this case as well as other recent actions by the government will further divert bahrainis from the path of reform and reconciliation


beijing   a court in eastern china has sided with the prosecutors suing a local environmental agency for failing to adequately punish an industrial polluter according to the countrys top prosecuting agency
last year when the case was filed under a national pilot program the agency the supreme peoples procuratorate described it as chinas first administrative public interest litigation case administrative law encompasses lawsuits filed against officials accused of not doing their job properly
rampant environmental degradation and the corruption of local officials are of great concern to ordinary people across china many are aware that safeguards against pollution of the air water and soil have been failing for decades and that their health is suffering as a result
the pilot program was set up so that prosecutors could help ensure that local environmental protection bureaus aggressively punished polluters
the case in eastern china whose verdict was announced on monday was filed in december by prosecutors in qingyun county in shandong province they accused the local environmental protection bureau of not acting forcefully enough against the qingshun chemical technology company which in 2014 was found to have produced dyes without proper environmental safety measures the announcement did not specify how the chemical company was punished
also in december the supreme peoples procuratorate announced that local prosecutors had the power to sue any entity apparently including government agencies that engaged in behavior tied to environmental pollution or unsafe food
this is part of an expansion in recent years of the authority for regulators courts citizens police and prosecutors to take on the countrys severe environmental problems said alex l wang a law professor at the university of california los angeles who studies chinese environmental law and regulation
however he said we cant be sure that this newfound supervisory power will become an effective regulatory tool in the long term
we have too many past examples of local authorities clamoring to be the first example of this or that new innovation only to never see a second case he added
procuratorates need to build internal expertise in environmental cases he said state attorney general offices and the department of justice for example have special environmental divisions
the announcement on monday did not indicate how the local environmental bureau would be punished it said the bureau had carried out corrective measures during the litigation period
a state news media report in april said that the supreme peoples court had accepted 12 such cases in january a court in guizhou province ruled in favor of local prosecutors who had sued a county environmental protection bureau over claims of a lack of proper oversight over seven companies discharging untreated wastewater into rivers the court ordered the bureau to carry out its supervisory duties according to one report
rachel stern a law professor at the university of california berkeley said the case in shandong showed prosecutors tiptoeing into more sensitive territory by suing the local government
the question for the future is whether prosecutors begin routinely suing local epbs she said referring to environmental protection bureaus it is also worth watching to see if prosecutors ever dare sue epbs above the county level the lowest rungs of government are always the easiest to criticize and it will be noteworthy if prosecutors start holding higher level officials accountable for environmental protection


paris   it is too early to make definitive statements about how the expansion of the european championships to 24 teams might or might not be diluting the quality of play at the tournament   although so far scoring is down still one quirky ramification of the expansion is guaranteed several teams will temporarily have no idea whether their tournament runs are over
so far albania is the most notable team in that situation when the final whistle was blown sunday night and albania had beaten romania 1 0 the round robin format in group a was complete and albania had its first ever victory in a major tournament the teams players and fans were ecstatic
but no one really knew what it meant the albanians were 1 2 0 in their three group games meaning they had finished with 3 points and sat in third place behind france and switzerland in previous iterations of this tournament the top two teams in each group advanced to the knockout rounds third  and fourth place teams went home
this time however four of the six third placed teams will also advance to the round of 16 so while albanias group stage was finished its players had to return to their training camp in northwestern france and wait   possibly as long as three full days   to find out whether they would play another game
first we will have to prepare as if we have to play friday or saturday said gianni de biasi the teams italian coach in the meantime well be watching other games
four points seems to be the magic number guaranteeing a third place team will advance the last time a 24 team model was used at a major tournament was the 1994 world cup when the third place teams with 4 points advanced and those with fewer did not at this tournament however some 3 point teams will make it after tuesdays games slovakia 4 points and northern ireland 3 points were guaranteed berths the latter because of a superior goal difference over turkey and albania the other third place teams with 3 points
albania is still alive but barely on wednesday sweden and ireland each with 1 point will play their final games in group e and group f is a total tossup hungary already has 4 points iceland and portugal have 2 points and austria has 1 point heading into their final group matches
the permutations are numerous resulting in a barrage of explainers as well as presumably a run on flexible train and airplane tickets while the teams wait to see just where their next matches will be if they happen at all
the machinations of the entire experience are not lost on the players after holding england to a 0 0 draw on monday in st etienne france slovakia goalkeeper matus kovacik was clearly aware of the math when he said the tie felt like a good result
this wait will be more pleasant because we managed to get this point he said referring to the jump from 3 points to 4
albania in the meantime had to wait until wednesday to learn its fate a team official said the team had spent its time at its training base going through standard practices and video sessions although it was impossible to focus on any single opponent
of course even if albania does not advance the thrill of its first victory in a top tournament cannot be taken away with albanias meager soccer tradition and fractured political history the win was greeted with sheer joy fans cheered in the streets in tirana the prime minister edi rama wrote goooooooooool on his twitter feed
and in what was perhaps the best news a team could receive while in limbo the albanian soccer federation announced this week that regardless of whether the albanians long wait ended with another match the players would be rewarded because of their inspiring victory the federation said each member of the team will receive a diplomatic passport as well as a cash bonus


orlando fla   after denying the state of floridas petition for 5 million in emergency funding to cover costs associated with the massacre at a popular gay nightclub the obama administration announced tuesday that it would offer 1 million to help pay for police overtime
attorney general loretta lynch visited orlando on tuesday nine days after omar mateen who pledged allegiance to the islamic state opened fire at the pulse nightclub ms lynch met with some of the wounded and relatives of the 49 people killed in the attack as well as with top law enforcement officials in the region
ms lynch said the department of justice would make 1 million available to the florida department of law enforcement so local jurisdictions could cover the overtime costs associated with the killings
we will move quickly to make the award as soon as possible she said adding that the administration was also providing counseling resources for traumatized officers and medics
we are also making federal emergency funds and victim compensation funding available to cover for example family travel expense medical mental health expenses and other costs related to this tragedy she added
her announcement came after gov rick scott criticized the administration for declining his application for 5 million of department of homeland security emergency funding
in a letter on monday the administrator of the federal emergency management agency w craig fugate told the governor that the request made the day after the shooting had been denied because the appeal did not explain how the incident was beyond the capability of the state and local governments the request also did not demonstrate how federal funds could help protect lives and property the letter said
an emergency declaration is not appropriate for this incident mr fugate wrote in the letter which was released by the governors office
records show that fema has approved the vast majority of emergency funding requests made after hurricanes and other disasters but that no state has applied in the wake of a mass shooting
mr scott called the denial incredibly disappointing and said the state would appeal
it is unthinkable that president obama does not define this as an emergency mr scott a republican said in a statement we are committing every state resource possible to help the victims and the community heal and we expect the same from the federal government
sheriff jerry l demings of orange county said he learned about the 1 million at the news conference when ms lynch announced it his department was still trying to determine how much had been spent he said
one million dollars he said you know what its a start
sheriff demings confirmed that mr mateen a 29 year old security guard had visited the nightclub several hours before the 2 am shooting spree he appeared to have stepped outside for some period of time and returned just before firing on the patrons he said
he declined to give any more details ms lynch also declined to provide any new information on the case
she said the agency would reveal more information later including results of firearms testing to determine whether any victims had been killed by police bullets she also said she would eventually release the audio tape of mr mateens 911 call
the administration was criticized monday for releasing a partial transcript of just one of his calls which deleted references mr mateen made to the islamic state and its leader a few hours later the department of justice released a version without the redactions
ms lynchs visit to orlando came as the downtown area surrounding the pulse nightclub began returning to normalcy
there is no doubt that this was a shattering attack ms lynch said but the message of orlando goes far beyond one night of unspeakable terror the message of orlando that i have seen today   and what the american people have seen in the wake of this horrific assault   is a message of determination to remove hatred and intolerance from our midst


is europe finished
the latest polls and political prediction markets this week suggest that britons will vote on thursday to stay in the european union the leave campaign led by boris johnson the former mayor of london who tried to whip up a surge of resentment against immigrants into a vote for britain to leave the bloc looks set to fail
but even if the pro european remain cause pulls out a victory the popular hostility against the decades long process of european integration   evident not only in britain but across the continent   underscores a defining weakness europe itself lacks a firm democratic foundation
europes leaders face a clear cut choice for their integration agenda to succeed   preserving the free movement of people within the bloc forging ahead with the euro and the single market keeping doors open to outsiders   the eu must figure out how to overcome the narrow national interests and mistrust that tie it up in knots every time a collective response is needed
that will require democracy on a european scale if europes national governments remain unwilling to cede political power to regional institutions that have democratic legitimacy the european union will slide backward
we need pan eu politics argued mary kaldor professor of global governance at the london school of economics i dont know how we get there
for all the complaints about the brussels fudge factory the discontent in britain on thursday probably will have little to do directly with europes institutional shortcomings this is about frustration of the working class about a long period of deindustrialization professor kaldor said mr johnson is britains donald trump europe is a stand in for globalization
popular discontent with globalization in its many forms has been building up in the west for many years now said kevin orourke an economic historian at the university of oxford we are seeing its effects everywhere
still the european unions hapless response to its current social and economic challenges has made it an easy target with no real european institutions of democratic accountability   the european parliament serves little more than a decorative function   the only way voters can express their dissatisfaction is by pushing to leave and by supporting extremist political movements
in many countries the perception is that national governments are powerless and that there is nothing at the european level to address problems said paul de grauwe a former belgian member of parliament now at the london school of economics both europe and national governments lose legitimacy
what could the eu have done better things would be a lot easier if most of europe were growing at more than a snails pace the inability of countries in the euro area   which does not include britain   to stop the slow motion implosion of greece and other deeply indebted countries gives integration a bad name the two are related
germanys resistance to share in the costs of a collective solution to seriously write down the debts that greece and other southern european nations will never be able to pay off   insisting instead that the indebted countries and their beleaguered citizens bear nearly all the cost   has prolonged and deepened europes stagnation
britons contemplate the crisis of the euro as a little bit of proof that they were right not to join said giancarlo corsetti a professor of macroeconomics at the university of cambridge
britons have more control over immigration than the leave campaign would have them believe refugee policies are decided in london and it was the labour government of tony blair that chose not to take advantage of a seven year phase in period to limit the entry of citizens of new members from eastern europe many of the polish plumbers that so inflamed the british populace showed up because britain   unlike say germany   chose to let them in straight away
immigration however can easily be deployed as an argument to leave the rest of europe more than half the 333000 immigrants who arrived in britain last year were eu citizens free to be there as a matter of right under european law
the leave campaign made an argument that the only way to reduce this part of immigration is to leave the eu noted jacob funk kirkegaard an expert on immigration at the peterson institute for international economics in washington and they struck a chord with the electorate
dealing with hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing war will never be easy but europes reaction was notoriously unproductive the eus institutions again appeared irrelevant as governments retrenched into their corners and failed to devise a collective burden sharing approach
in may a group of european scholars proposed a set of collective financing mechanisms to reduce debt burdens along the eus periphery and to pay for a european union wide refugee policy their report concluded the sovereign debt and refugee crises prove that europe has failed to design institutions that are robust enough to weather difficult times
how much integration do europeans need dani rodrik at harvards kennedy school of government notes that the eus initial major goal   preventing france and germany from drawing the world into another war   has been achieved it also served as a democratic capitalistic anchor for eastern european countries to hang onto after the collapse of the soviet bloc
but today europes integration effort has lost sight of its political and social dimensions he argues narrowing into a raw effort to reduce market barriers thats not enough to inspire popular support
there might be areas where collective action at the european level could make a difference   as a counterweight to colossal multinational companies that can challenge the authority of individual nations or to prevent capital from effortlessly zipping across borders in an effort to avoid taxes indeed the eu has taken a leading role confronting the worlds most daunting collective action problem climate change
an aging europe is going to need more immigrants smart collective strategies would surely help the continent deal with what are likely to be decades of intense migration from the many poor countries in its extended neighborhood
the critical question is whether europe will be able to achieve the kind of integrated decision making needed to address these challenges so far it hasnt shown it can rise to the occasion there is not much appetite for further political integration mr corsetti said solutions to europes challenges must navigate around this constraint
the free movement of people inside the eu might be the first to go into reverse restricting the free movement of labor is not a taboo mr kirkegaard told me another way freedom of movement will be restricted is you will see more and more restrictions placed on the ability of citizens from other eu countries to claim welfare benefits
maybe the european unions future is more a la carte   a set of coalitions of the willing as it were rather than insisting on all or nothing said richard haass president of the council of foreign relations in new york it might be better to consider a europe that is not one size fits all where the balance between national governments and brussels is more flexible
this may come as a disappointment to europes current leaders but one way or another the projects governance must come into line with what its people want thats called democracy
europe must either roll back the economic integration or roll ahead the political integration mr haass said so people feel they have a say over the politicians who are driving changes that affect their lives


hong kong   a village official in southeastern china whose detention over the weekend set off protests admitted to taking bribes in a videotaped confession released on tuesday but the mans wife said she believed that the confession was forced and it was unclear if its broadcast would have any effect in dispelling demonstrations in the fishing village of wukan
wukan in guangdong province became the focus of international attention five years ago when residents took to the streets to protest the sale of communal lands temporarily forcing the local authorities out of the village of 15000 after a compromise arranged by provincial officials wukan residents voted in new local leaders lin zuluan one of the protest organizers was elected the communist party secretary for the village
mr lin was detained late friday on suspicion of receiving bribes and abuse of power but some residents believed that he was being targeted because he planned to hold a public meeting on the unresolved issue of the land sales and to petition higher authorities for help solving the long simmering issue
thousands of people took to the streets on sunday and monday waving chinese flags and calling on the police to release mr lin who is in his early 70s
in a videotaped confession that was shown at a news conference on tuesday mr lin said that he had taken huge kickbacks in communal land transactions
the statement was quickly called into question by mr lins wife yang zhen who told reporters that she believed his confession was forced this is just to trick people she said according to apple daily a hong kong based newspaper he is very clean
china has made increased use of televised confessions in recent years often in politically delicate cases that attracted widespread public interest last week a hong kong bookseller said he had been held in solitary confinement on the chinese mainland and forced to give a televised confession this year admitting to illegal sales of gossipy books about communist party leaders
local officials have taken other steps to undercut the protests in wukan they have sent riot police officers and warned residents against drastic measures
on monday a local official was videotaped slapping at cameras and swinging an umbrella at a group of hong kong journalists whom he accused of following like dogs one journalist warned the official that if he hit them they would call the police
the government of shanwei the prefecture level city that includes wukan later blamed news media outlets from outside the chinese mainland including apple daily and initium media from hong kong of instigation planning and direction in wukan the statement on tuesday from the shanwei authorities did not detail the allegations but it added that unspecified legal measures would be taken against the reporters
mark simon a senior executive with next media which owns apple daily called the allegations of instigation silly he said in a telephone interview that he was not aware of any steps that had been taken against the journalists on tuesday


last year the for profit corinthian colleges chain collapsed under the weight of government investigations and allegations of fraud its demise left tens of thousands of corinthian students with loans that will ultimately cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars to forgive
this week the private accrediting group that allowed corinthian to stay open for business will face its own existential threat when federal regulators decide whether to shut it down that decision will go a long way toward determining whether education companies will continue to have free rein to profit from government financial aid programs
corinthians accreditor the accrediting council for independent colleges and schools acics has a lot to worry about a recent center for american progress report on the accrediting group scrolls out a long list of incompetence and wrongdoing
seventeen different colleges and corporate entities approved by the accrediting group to receive federal financial aid have been under government investigation over the last five years since 2013 those schools have received 57 billion in federal grants and student loans the group is the accreditor for the currently collapsing itt educational services and the accreditor for the brown mackie chain of for profit colleges which announced this month that it would close
the list includes miami based fasttrain college which hired exotic dancers to entice young male students until its president was sentenced to eight years in prison for illegally enrolling high school dropouts and using the profits from their federal student aid money to buy a private plane and a 54 foot yacht
as buzzfeed recently reported the nonprofit northwestern polytechnic university in silicon valley used its accreditation to essentially sell student visas to foreign students guaranteeing them good grades regardless of their work the family running the college then used college funds to buy and live in multimillion dollar homes a whistle blower sent the acics group extensive documentation of the colleges sham practices the group responded with a perfunctory request for additional documentation then left northwestern polytechnic alone
the rest of the center for american progress report is a long list of attorney general investigations fbi raids illegal recruiting practices deceptive marketing schemes multimillion dollar legal settlements falsified job placement statistics and student suffering the one thing the various colleges had in common other than enthusiasm for enrolling low income student bearing hefty student loans was that each was accredited in good standing by the acics group indeed many were on its honor roll
that could change starting thursday when a little known regulatory body within the department of education called the national advisory committee for institutional quality and integrity meets to decide whether the accrediting group should be allowed to continue operations twelve state attorneys general have called for the committee to shut it down a staff report from the department of education has officially recommended terminating the group
despite receiving over 150 billion in federal grant and student loan dollars every year higher education is largely a self regulated industry instead of directly determining whether colleges are good enough for federal funding the government outsources that decision to private accreditors which are governed and financed by colleges themselves accreditors set and enforce their own standards for profit colleges that operate nationwide can shop around to find the accreditor with the easiest terms
the national advisory committees job is to accredit accreditors it decides which accrediting organizations can in turn make colleges eligible to grant visas and receive federal aid over the years the committee has been loath to kick anyone out relying instead on a system of stern warnings and requests for additional paperwork when things go wrong in this way it has mirrored the philosophy of accreditors themselves which rarely find that one of their dues paying members should be banned from the club
and it was clubby a propublica investigation last year found that at least two thirds of the accrediting groups commissioners worked as executives at for profit colleges
no accreditor has ever come before the committee with as many problems as the acics group if the group is allowed to continue operating its hard to imagine what would be bad enough to prompt loss of federal recognition
currently higher education consumer protection relies on a combination of state regulation accreditation and market forces to ensure quality the failures of acics accredited colleges along with many other for profit and nonprofit colleges with low graduation and student loan repayment rates suggest that the system often doesnt work
thats because higher education is a complicated market its easy to spend 3 on a cup of coffee that suits your tastes its a lot harder to make smart choices when you cant experience the college youve chosen until after youve taken out expensive nonrefundable loans even if youre not enticed by exotic dancers in a higher education market that worked better fasttrain and corinthian wouldnt have existed yet they did
considering the scale of what went wrong for many students enrolled in acics accredited colleges its hard to see how to fix things without government action if the governments committee does intervene it will need to establish standards for what constitutes bad enough in college accreditation   and thus in colleges themselves
many accreditors and colleges would probably prefer this didnt happen but given the severity of the problem the committee may have no choice


in politics campaign shake ups can be a sign of trouble or a sign of simple course correction
in the case of donald j trumps decision on monday to fire his campaign manager corey lewandowski there were a number of factors at play mr trumps children several donors and even the republican national committee had expressed a desire to see a change
mr lewandowski helped mr trump in the primary race in which he instinctively hit on the issues that the republican base cared most about   ending free trade deals curtailing immigration and bringing an end to an interventionist foreign policy
but that freewheeling style has not served him as well recently and mr lewandowski was among other things in charge of fund raising for the campaign at the end of may mr trump had just 13 million in cash on hand compared with 42 million for hillary clinton
mr trump now has a chance to demonstrate a different aspect of his candidacy to the republicans who have expressed interest in giving him a chance including evangelical leaders who will meet with him on tuesday
and his top adviser paul manafort must staff a campaign but with a bit of a freer hand without a constant sense of internal chaos mr trump has opened the door to change   but to gain ground he now must walk through it


jerusalem   israeli forces opened fire at a palestinian car in the occupied west bank early tuesday killing one palestinian teenager and wounding four others according to relatives and palestinian officials the teenagers appeared to be innocent bystanders who were hit while the military tried to halt palestinians who were throwing stones and firebombs
the military said its soldiers had been pursuing several palestinians who were trying to hit israeli cars on route 443 a highway that cuts through the west bank as it connects jerusalem with israels densely populated coastal plain injuring three civilians including a pregnant woman
palestinian officials identified the dead teenager as mahmoud rafat badran 15 from the village of beit ur al tahta west of ramallah and said that two of his brothers ages 16 and 17 were among those injured
nearby forces acted in order to protect additional passing vehicles from immediate danger and fired toward suspects the military said from the initial inquiry it appears that uninvolved bystanders were mistakenly hit during the pursuit
a military spokeswoman said later tuesday that the military police investigation unit was examining all aspects of the episode presumably including whether the soldiers involved had opened fire according to protocol the shooting comes as an israeli sergeant elor azaria is standing trial in a military court on a manslaughter charge after he fatally shot a wounded and disarmed palestinian assailant in the west bank city of hebron
saeb erekat a senior palestinian official described the killing of the palestinian youth as a coldblooded assassination adding in a statement the international community has the responsibility to stop allowing israels impunity for the crimes it commits against the occupied land and people of palestine
muhammad badran the father of one of the injured palestinian teenagers from beit ur al tahta majed said that his son had decided to go swimming with his cousins and friends in the nearby village of beit sira after breaking the ramadan fast on monday night and that they had left in a taxi
as they were driving home he said by telephone shots were fired at their vehicle
i dont know if it was soldiers or settlers who opened fire and hurt our children he said
mr badran who works as a building contractor in israel said that after receiving a call from a resident of the village around 145 am he rushed down to the road and saw the wounded teenagers on the ground bleeding
he said that soldiers had put his son and one of the other teenagers in a jeep and had driven off and that he had not received any more information about his sons whereabouts
the israeli military said that three of the injured palestinian youths were taken to a hospital in ramallah and that the fourth apparently majed was taken to the hadassah medical center an israeli hospital in ein kerem on the outskirts of jerusalem
the palestinian health ministry said that the three teenagers in the palestine medical complex in ramallah had been shot in the head and chest and had sustained serious injuries
the three civilians who were believed to have been wounded by rocks were taken to shaare tzedek medical center in jerusalem for treatment
a hospital spokeswoman said the wounded included two israeli men who also hold other citizenships and a pregnant belgian all three had light injuries and were released from the hospital
the roughly 10 mile stretch of route 443 that runs through the west bank constructed on land that was expropriated from the palestinian villages has a military checkpoint at each end and for many palestinians it has become a symbol of the injustices of israeli occupation


amman jordan   jordan sealed its last entry points for syrian refugees on tuesday after a suicide bomber detonated a car bomb in a no mans land on the border killing four jordanian soldiers a police officer and a civil defense officer
the attack took place about 530 am on the sand berm marking the frontier between the countries near a refugee camp where an estimated 60000 people have been living in harsh conditions
the jordanian military said in a statement that the car carrying explosives had struck a military post in the buffer zone at the border after approaching from the refugee camp and that jordanian forces opened fire the vehicle exploded the statement said killing the security personnel and wounding 14 others
the statement released several hours later by the jordanian armed forces declared the northern and northeastern borders a military zone and warned that any movement of vehicles or individuals there without permission would be seen as a hostile act
we are closing the area and considering it a military zone said mohammad momani a government spokesman we are also not building nor expanding any existing refugee camps and we call upon the international community to understand our sovereign measures and our need to take this measure in order to maintain our security and stability
no group claimed responsibility for the attack which occurred at the border crossing at rukban jordan
on june 6 three officers of the jordanian intelligence service and two other employees were killed at an intelligence service office in a palestinian refugee camp near amman the capital in what the government said was a terrorist attack
terrorist attacks in jordan a crucial ally of the united states in the region are relatively rare but the country is constantly on alert because of the threat posed by islamic extremists notably from the islamic state
king abdullah ii of jordan said in a statement that anyone who assaults or attempts to harm jordans security and unity will be met with an iron fist and the military vowed that it would continue to fight terrorists and their dark minds
for more than a year refugees have been fleeing the civil war in syria and making their way to the syrian side of the berm which was once known for little more than desert sand scorpions and snakes but is now a populated area vulnerable to smugglers human traffickers and drug dealers
the area is home to a demilitarized zone that prevents people from crossing into jordan but gives relief agencies a place to provide assistance to refugees a sprawling informal camp on the syrian side of the border has grown to house tens of thousands of people who fled conflict in places like aleppo homs and palmyra
jordan has cited security and economic concerns tied to the refugees some of whom come from areas controlled by the islamic state in refusing to allow them to cross the border
the country had been allowing 200 to 300 refugees from the border area into the country each day but only after they are subjected to thorough security screenings   and after immense pressure from other countries
jordan has taken in more than 650000 syrian refugees according to the united nations refugee agency a majority of them live outside the refugee camps
despite the alarming numbers at the berm aid agencies and the government have been wary of speaking publicly about the refugee situation on the border because they did not want to anger the jordanian government
ariane rummery a spokeswoman for the united nations high commissioner for refugees in geneva said that no staff members had been injured
the attack underlines how challenging a relief operation is at the berm she said before the border was closed we remain concerned about the security situation for those living there and humanitarian agencies working there
officials said that earlier this month arrests had been made in the killings at the intelligence service office but most of the details about that attack remain unclear because of a gag order issued by the authorities
the intelligence office was part of the countrys general intelligence directorate making it a particularly significant target for militants
last november at least five people including two american trainers were killed at an amman training compound by a jordanian police officer who fired on them before he was shot and killed the government said
a recently published poll by the international republican institute found that attitudes in jordan toward the islamic state were hardening
eighty nine percent of those polled said they considered the extremist group to be a terrorist organization support for the international coalition against the militants is also growing   80 percent backed the intervention to a large or moderate degree compared with 75 percent in 2015 according to the poll


twenty years apart michael jordan and lebron james wept unashamedly after winning an nba championship on fathers day
when tears for a title flow the heart of the game is bared and those who form its soul become clearer in focus
largely in sorrow jordan sobbed on the locker room floor of united center in chicago on june 16 1996 his father james had been murdered three years earlier and was missing for the first time from a triumphant aftermath the fourth of his sons six nba titles
after james claimed his third title on sunday night he went down on his knees and cried at oracle arena in oakland calif he was overcome by a range of emotions after claiming a championship for long suffering cleveland and the northeast ohio region of his impoverished fatherless youth
different eras players and personal circumstances but after the cavaliers 93 89 game 7 victory jordan and james are finally and forever connected by a historic cause
jordans 1995 96 bulls punctuated their then record 72 victory regular season by closing out the seattle supersonics in six games jamess cavaliers punctured the golden state warriors case   after 73 regular season victories   to stand above jordans bulls in the continuous debate on the greatest pro basketball team ever
after a third straight james masterpiece in elimination games a generation of committed jordan worshipers heaved a sigh of relief as its main man michael remained the face of the one season standard for end to end excellence
likewise a growing chorus of james boosters furthered its claim that he is the jordan of his time and at 31 still young and dominant enough to catch or eclipse the most famous no 23 as the consensus choice for greatest of all time
in the blur of memories there is a tendency to paint the jordan years with rose colored broad strokes   to pretend he never struggled on court or off
in contrast jamess defenders have considered him the most scrutinized and criticized american athlete much of the naysaying unwarranted and aggravated by the polarizing effects of social media
but jordans persona was pierced by societal criticisms   for gambling excesses and a refusal to speak out on social issues which james has done   that went deeper than the pettiness surrounding jamess decisions on where to play and how he played
jordan was typically spectacular in the finals but he like james had nights when his game betrayed him when others had to bail him out the game 6 title clincher in 1996   when he took 19 shots and made only five   was one of them
the next season at the climax of a tight game 6 in the finals against utah jordan anticipated the jazzs double team and told steve kerr to expect to be open for a pass
ill be ready kerr told him on the bench before hitting the title clinching jumper a classic example of superstar trust never easily earned at the level at which jordan competed and   let us once and for all admit   at which james now competes
kerr now the warriors coach saw his teams bid for a repeat title snatched away by james and company he knows better than most how the burden of superstar expectations can make a man cruelly contentious jordan once struck kerr in the face during a bulls scrimmage when kerr had the audacity to question him
it was one of the best things that ever happened for me kerr said a few years ago i needed to stand up and go back at him i think i earned some respect
that was never easy for jordans teammates from the very best scottie pippen to the marginal veterans whom he nonetheless delighted with the delivery of a first championship ring
almost like a father wants to provide for his kids trent tucker a onetime knick and a role player on the 1992 93 champion bulls said during that seasons finals
it was no coincidence that the once fragile pippen a reticent toni kukoc and a chronically disruptive dennis rodman all grew as performers and rose to championship moments rather than sag under the weight of jordans demands
he occasionally went too far but they ultimately believed it was in their interests they wanted to please him just as these cavaliers evolved into willing subjects of king james
a year ago facing elimination at home in game 6 against the warriors with a depleted and unimposing cast james said he still believed the cavaliers could win because im the best player in the world
the punditrys collective head exploded over his perceived conceit but dru joyce ii jamess youth and high school coach in akron ohio got on the telephone and said more or less do you really think it is himself he needs to inflate
he couldnt be afraid to say that when he is still trying to win this championship to build on that belief said joyce one of jamess surrogate father figures
jordan won four of his six titles after his 30th birthday james might have looked 30 upon entering the league at 18 in 2003 but it took him years of grappling with the concept of on court leadership before he became the finished product on spectacular display sunday night
this time james arrived in the finals with a healthy roster but after another season he called chaotic given the title or bust mandate he helped create
could he ever coexist with a ball dominant point guard like kyrie irving could he extract enough from the athletically challenged and somewhat strange kevin love
follow my lead he shouted in the huddle before game 3 after two disturbing blowouts in oakland with the cavs trying to become the first team to rally to an nba title after trailing by three games to one and given a break by draymond greens game 5 suspension james led by example by sheer will as few have done before
irving responded with scoring brilliance and a title clinching 3 pointer over stephen curry whose own marksmanship had deserted him followed by his point guard and leadership skills j r smith controlled his inner desire for disorder for james the way he never could for carmelo anthony in new york and cried along with james at the end
love grabbed 14 rebounds sunday night had a game 7 plus minus of 19   the highest mark by far of any cavalier   and held defensively steady as curry frantically and foolishly launched a last gasp 3 point attempt that did not come close
then love was first to embrace james and sounded like a north korean bureaucrat referring to him several times as our leader
james is only halfway to jordan in championships won but that is not the point now that he has achieved something incalculably phenomenal almost mythically memorable a season closer so compelling that it was the leagues highest rated finals game since jordans last in 1998
another jordan james connection with the league again shedding tears of joy at the cashiers


the annual yulin lychee and dog meat festival which will open this week coinciding with the summer solstice has drawn domestic and international condemnation from people concerned with animal rights but one aspect of the festival gets little attention why lychees with dog meat
there are hints in traditional chinese medicine which takes a holistic view of food ingredients are seen not just as a sum of carbohydrates protein fat and vitamins they are believed to have yin and yang properties that contribute to the bodys internal balance
according to traditional chinese medicine some foods like lamb and onion have warm energy others like rabbit and asparagus are said to have cool energy both dog meat and lychees are seen as warming
to the uninitiated the logic may seem mysterious but many chinese adhere to these principles and it is not uncommon to hear a friend say he or she is shanghuole or has too much internal fire in traditional chinese medicine excessive internal heat is tied to symptoms like cold sores and dehydration which can be treated by eating cooling foods like cucumber or watermelon
in parts of china dog meat is typically consumed in the winter because it is seen as warming and restorative
but in the southern chinese city of yulin some say eating dog meat and drinking lychee liquor on the summer solstice is an old tradition lychees are locally grown in the subtropical clime and the concept of yire gongre or using heat to attack heat is also prevalent
critics say the festival itself may have been a marketing ploy started around 2009 to increase sales of dog meat and lychees


washington   this weeks failed gun control votes in the senate encapsulate much of what is wrong with and most frustrating about congress
not one senator in either party believes that someone who presents a serious terrorism risk should be able to waltz into a gun shop and legally buy powerful firearms yet partisanship a reluctance to compromise and the influence of powerful special interests again prevented lawmakers from achieving a consensus as four plans went down on monday to entirely predictable defeats
it was just the latest instance in which lawmakers agreed that something needed to be done on an issue of national importance but were unable to find a way to do it in washingtons hyperpolitical atmosphere
the embarrassing result gave added momentum to bipartisan talks that produced on tuesday an alternative expected to come to a vote as early as this week providing lawmakers with another opportunity to act but prospects for that plan negotiated by senator susan collins republican of maine and a handful of democrats were uncertain
the legislative maneuvering in the aftermath of the orlando terror attack has followed a familiar pattern democrats holding new political leverage after the horrific killings of 49 people by a gunman in orlando fla were eager to press their advantage and were not about to make it easy for republicans pushing broader legislation on background checks along with the central proposal that would have made it tougher for terrorism suspects to buy guns
we are not going to be a cheap date on this one senator harry reid of nevada the democratic leader said in an interview last week
most republicans with much on the line in this election year were not willing to cross the national rifle association which endorsed a republican alternative that democrats branded unworkable and a sham democrats say they cannot see themselves voting for any proposal blessed by the gun lobby
republicans as the majority party in the senate were not about to cede too much authority to democrats and allow them to set the legislative agenda republicans were not amused by a 15 hour democratic filibuster last week a maneuver that essentially let the minority party take over the floor for the day
to top it all off the two parties agreed to a filibuster proof 60 vote threshold on the gun control proposals one that democrats themselves could not meet when they controlled the senate during the failure of a round of gun votes after the shooting in december 2012 in newtown conn
it was a recipe for failure leaving a sense of disappointment and anger among lawmakers and survivors of those lost in an epidemic of mass killings   another instance of dashed hopes that the latest unimaginable slaughter would be the one to finally provoke a compromise
what am i going to tell 49 grieving families an emotional senator bill nelson democrat of florida asked after the votes i am going to tell them the nra won again
the impasse has gotten to the point where it was seen as something of a victory   one that took concerted efforts by democrats in last weeks filibuster   to merely force votes on what most agreed would have been a mainly symbolic step toward tighter gun laws
we are at least going to get to see where people stand on some pretty simple concepts said senator christopher s murphy democrat of connecticut who led the filibuster and has been a determined advocate of new gun laws since the school shooting in newtown
to republicans a central reason for the democratic push was to gain campaign fodder against vulnerable republicans and to shift attention away from democratic policy on fighting terrorism senator mitch mcconnell republican of kentucky and the majority leader accused democrats of jumping on the orlando tragedy as an opportunity to push a partisan agenda or craft the next 30 second campaign ad
the politics were palpable democrats believe that the gun issue could be employed effectively against republican candidates in swing states like new hampshire ohio and pennsylvania that will decide control of the senate in november minutes before the votes the democratic senatorial campaign committee issued a news release attacking republican arguments against the legislation minutes after it failed the organization issued statements harshly criticizing the votes of republican contenders in ohio and new hampshire
senator kelly ayotte of new hampshire one of the embattled republicans voted for both democratic and republican plans on terrorist screening trying to avoid serious political trouble on the issue mr reid compared her position to doing yoga on the senate floor
on tuesday ms ayotte lent her support to the bipartisan compromise that would prevent those on the federal no fly list and on a second list for added airport screening from buying guns but would allow for an appeal the federal government would be accountable for court costs for people who successfully contest the federal action
both parties were weighing the legislation to be successful ms collins and her allies will have to win the backing of democrats and secure support from at least 14 and possibly more republicans   a very tall order democrats noted that ms collins herself often clashes with her party on gun control
it doesnt have to be this way senator patrick j toomey republican of pennsylvania said about the legislative futility showcased in mondays tableaus that is what is so maddening about this
it doesnt have to be that way but it always seems to be


london   members of the driscoll family tend not to fight if they do its over whose turn it is to vacuum
leslie driscoll 55 sells hot cross buns in an english bakery in london and addresses her customers with love or darling her husband peter 54 works as a floor layer their daughter louise a 19 year old with dyed blue hair is a barista in a hip coffee shop
but last week the driscolls fell out badly they had an argument so big they did not speak to one another for days ms driscoll said shortly afterward her husband went off in a huff to see friends up north in derby
the source of the family drama whether britain should exit the european union a process often referred to as brexit
with only days to go until the referendum on membership in the bloc on thursday polls suggest that the country is deeply split along socioeconomic and regional lines with many older and working class voters in england favoring leaving and younger and better educated britons and a majority of those in scotland and northern ireland favoring staying
as the consequences of the choice come into focus for voters tensions are bubbling in the case of the driscoll family they are boiling over
i completely disagree with her louise said on a recent afternoon looking her mother squarely in the face as they sat in a cafe we shouldnt be leaving like an organization that has helped us more than we could ever help ourselves if we were to go it alone
louise is the only one in her family who wants britain to remain her parents and her 80 year old grandfather want out
this is a little island her mother said matter of factly lighting up a cigarette and letting the ash fall on her glittery sneakers we should look after our own first charity begins at home
but we are all people louise said we should help each other
it dont work that way darling her mother replied shaking her head if youre born here you pass as english i dont care whether youre black white green or blue or purple with pink spots on   youre english
those born abroad ms driscoll said have got their own governments their own parliaments whatever
up and down the country the debate is pitting husband against wife children against parents sisters against brothers the divisions are unlikely to heal easily after the referendum is decided
even the family of boris johnson the former mayor of london and the most prominent face of the campaign for leaving the bloc has not been immune to disputes his father stanley sister rachel and brother jo who is a member of parliament and who worked closely with prime minister david cameron favor remaining in the union boris johnsons mother charlotte johnson wahl wants to leave rachel johnson reportedly tried without success to dissuade the former mayor from backing a british exit over a soggy game of tennis
in islington the neighborhood in london where members of the driscoll family have lived for eight generations residents are increasingly going public with their voting intentions which is a rarity in britain
rows of houses on some streets have remain posters in their windows on a thoroughfare filled with butchers bakeries and fish and chip shops tradespeople nodded their head vigorously when asked if they were planning to vote out
the clash over britains continued membership in europe has touched on issues as varied as immigration terrorism the economy londons housing shortage and the fate of the national health service
some of these issues like immigration are directly related to the european union others like the shortage of affordable housing have little to do with it
yet those distinctions are blurring for many the referendum is as much a chance to register displeasure with the countrys direction as it is an opportunity to reject or embrace europe the stance of some voters is being shaped by personal experience and anecdote
there is for example a widespread perception that european citizens are flocking to britain especially from eastern europe to take advantage of its social welfare system
but britains welfare system is not as generous as those of many other european nations and fewer than 7 percent of immigrants receive benefits
in ms driscolls case she remembers her grandfather pawning and re pawning his suit to get by that memory was revived she said with the discovery a few years ago that a newly arrived polish family in her neighborhood had received money to buy a car and move into a four bedroom house
years ago we never had social security or anything like that ms driscoll said you sold your own
her grandmother would get her granddads suit out of pawn when he got paid on friday put it back in pawn on monday ms driscoll said thats how they lived
having different cultures and communities is fantastic she said but what i dont like is the fact that through having that weve now left ourselves open i feel like a second class citizen in my own country
ms driscoll is proudly english not in her mind british   she crossed out the word on her passport and replaced it with english her father fought in world war ii and her grandfather in world war i she has lived all her life in this area of london
louise grew up in the same area but in a more prosperous multicultural britain than earlier generations had experienced in school she was one of only two white students her friends are eritrean nigerian and south african
louise voted for the green party in last years general election and was appalled that her mother traditionally a labour voter had opted for the anti europe anti immigration uk independence party sorry i know im a bit antiquated   cant help it love ms driscoll replied somewhat sheepishly after louise uttered an expletive
louise said she understood the pressures that immigration placed on schools and hospitals but leaving the european union worried her she said because it risked wrecking the economy and making it hard for young people to secure employment
it took her eight months to find work as a barista she said
if i wanted to work abroad it would be a lot easier if england was in the eu louise said
her mother suggested that louise move to new york possibly unaware of the paradox that this would make her an immigrant herself
almost inevitably the debate over immigration veered into an argument about terrorism britains porous borders were letting terrorists slip through ms driscoll said repeating a message the camp to leave the european union has relentlessly pushed on voters
louise asked why she wanted to shut immigrants out of england
it aint the nice ones im worried about her mother replied its the nasty ones
to have opened the floodgates its like saying come and come and kill us  she said adding that members of the irish republican army had at least notified the public before setting off bombs across britain during the 1970s and 1980s
we can get on a bus tomorrow with a bloke with a backpack and bye bye boom ms driscoll said yeah nothing to do with what they call their beliefs
louise rolled her eyes in what sounded like a final plea she said at the end of the day the eu is going to affect my generation more than it will affect your generation so shouldnt it be down to us to decide whether or not to stay
her mother fell silent and was thoughtful
i am 55 years of age she said slowly i know   i appreciate that in 50 years time youll be here and i wont and youll have to put up with whatevers happened
she paused
but i still want out she said sorry


havana   being an agricultural official in cuba these days is like living in a resort town all your friends want to visit you rarely get a moment to yourself
for months havanas government offices and its prettiest urban farms have been filled with american bureaucrats seed sellers food company executives and farmers who spend their evenings eating meals made with ingredients often imported or smuggled into restaurants that most cubans cant afford
they seek the prizes that are likely to come if the united states ends its trade restrictions against cuba a new supply of sugar coffee and tropical produce and a new market for american exports that could reap more than 12 billion a year in sales according to the united states chamber of commerce
but for some the quest is less about the money than about what they say is the soul of cuban agriculture and how people eat
the cubans are not enthusiastic about a burger king on every corner or monsanto being here said representative chellie pingree a democrat from maine and an organic farmer
in may ms pingree led a coalition of organic industry leaders chefs and investors on a five day trip here their mission in part was to encourage cuban officials to resist the enticements of larger more conventional american food and farming interests and persuade cubans to protect and extend the small scale organic practices that are already a part of their daily life
cuba it turns out is a rare oasis of organic and sustainable agriculture for reasons of politics geography and philosophy the nation was forced to abandon much of its large scale chemical based farming and replace it with a network of smaller farms and more natural methods
shortly after the revolution in 1959 cuba began sending sugar tobacco and research to the soviet union in exchange for a steady supply of goods that included food agricultural equipment and farm chemicals but 30 years later when the soviet bloc crumbled the shipments ended
without gasoline and spare parts tractors sat idle in fields crops rotted and cattle died studies show that the average cuban lost more than 12 pounds during what president fidel castro called the special period in time of peace
with many large government owned farms failing mr castro told the nation to learn to grow food without chemicals oxen replaced tractors smaller cooperative farms and new markets emerged
to be sure cuba still imports 60 percent to 80 percent of its food the united states department of agriculture estimates and little or none of it organic agricultural chemicals are imported from other countries without trade embargoes the cuban government owns about 80 percent of the land the nation could use to grow food but more than half remains fallow it is unclear how much of the produce cuba grows would qualify as organic under united states standards
still a cohesive organic movement is growing by its own estimates cuba has almost 400000 urban farms among them about 10000 small organic ones the government continues to turn land over to independent farmers to lease although it requires most to grow food for the state
for the group of organic true believers who traveled here in may the dream is to help cuba stay loyal to a sustainable style of agriculture that rejects chemicals and genetic modification they point to an incentive an american market hungry   and willing to pay a premium   for organic produce
although only 5 percent of all food sold in america is organic those sales last year grew three times as fast as those of the overall food market according to the organic trade association cuba offers a new source to feed the demand for organic sugar honey fruit and other raw ingredients
yet cuba also offers 11 million potential new customers for conventional agriculture just days after ms pingrees group left the us agriculture coalition for cuba which had already been working in the country returned
founded in 2015 to promote normalizing american relations with cuba the group has more than 100 members including corporations like butterball and cargill commodity associations like corn refiners and soy growers and several state farm bureaus
the delegation returned home holding an agreement with cubas grupo empresarial agricola to re establish cuba as a market for american agricultural products in a follow up stroke gov jay nixon of missouri announced on may 30 that cuba had accepted a 20 ton donation of long grain rice grown in his state the last official shipment of united states rice to cuba was in 2008
although many in the organic industry see the coalition as a threat to their cause its leaders say they share the same goal to help cuba feed itself and improve its agricultural practices
theres not tension because at the end of the day this is about how the cuban farmer is going to raise their productivity and make their own choices said devry boughner vorwerk a former cargill executive who is now the groups director the key point here is that there is room enough for everyone
doug schroeder a soybean farmer from illinois came along on the coalitions trip his state ships about 20 million worth of corn and soy to cuba every year under the complex set of rules governing trade between the two countries if the united states ends its financial embargo with cuba that figure could jump to 220 million
you multiply that for the entire country and all agriculture sales and its a big deal he said
he anticipates a big market for organics too but one in which cubans provide food for america the organic industry he said may be going into the back door of a gold mine here it would be interesting if they could ship organics to the us to satisfy our demand and we could ship them the goods we do well
the secretary of agriculture tom vilsack seems to be walking the middle of that line the agreement he signed with his cuban counterpart gustavo rodriguez rollero during president obamas historic visit in march included a nod to sharing research on both styles of agriculture
and when mr vilsack took mr rollero on a tour of iowa this month they visited both an organic farm and dupont pioneer the nations largest producer of hybrid and genetically modified seeds
we have a tremendous opportunity in cuba to expand exports of soybeans rice and poultry at some point mr vilsack said during that visit they in turn have a tremendous opportunity to import into the us organic production trade must be a two way street
those who support organic farming say there is something larger at issue than just trade adopting chemical based farming methods used by large agricultural companies that have been visiting cuba may seem a lucrative proposition they say but it would threaten the organic potential of thousands of acres of fallow farmland in cuba
that is a system of the past gary hirshberg the chairman of stonyfield farm yogurt company and a leader in the effort to label food with genetically modified ingredients told cuban officials during the may trip we are the industry of the future
still that future organic or not is most likely a long way off cubans interviewed during the trip organized by ms pingree said their country was not prepared to handle a flood of new trade cubas agricultural system remains so antiquated that even seeds and wheelbarrows are in short supply the rules for doing business even for farmers and people trying to start wholesale markets seem to shift weekly
everybody is adequately sober about the realities of this said laura batcha the executive director of the organic trade association
mr schroeder the soybean farmer had the same impression i got the feeling they dont want a starbucks on every corner he said they dont want to be hawaii they want to maintain their heritage but at the same time they realize they have a lot of need
there are other complications farmers in florida and other states who grow food suited to tropical climates are already pushing back against a potential competitor american shoppers with anti castro views are probably not going to embrace cuban products even something as benign as fresh cut flowers which juan nunez the regional president for whole foods who traveled to cuba with the organic group thought might be a likely starting point for import
the agriculture department has yet to even secure office space in the new united states embassy here and despite mr obamas push efforts to lift trade sanctions are moving slowly in congress and are bogged down in the run up to the election
on monday nespresso announced that it would be the first company to sell cuban coffee in america since the revolution through a deal brokered with help from technoserve a nonprofit development organization pods of cuban grown arabica coffee nespresso is calling cafecito de cuba will go on sale for a limited time in the fall
people who trade in organics say they too are likely to start small coffee is a possibility as is charcoal made from marabu a thorny invasive tree that has stymied farmers trying to clear land the high quality charcoal has caught on in europe
and then there is sugar especially organic sugar which is in high demand by american processors what if raw organic cuban sugar became an indispensable ingredient for craft cocktails ms pingree asked during a stroll through a havana neighborhood that could turn public opinion enough to sway congress
it sounds frivolous but some doors open in moments she said at this point we are looking for little paths to move this forward its hard to know which ones they will be
ultimately the future of cuban agriculture will be decided in cuba despite their reliance on imported often poor quality food supplemented with state issued rations cubans have long associated food and farming with health and have a deep love of cooking   especially with anything grown in cuba said imogene tondre an american born culinary researcher living here
cuban chefs are already seeking out better quality food and exchanging ideas with american peers one of them is tom colicchio the new york chef and television personality who has become active in american food politics and traveled with ms pingree to cuba
in meetings during the may trip he urged cuban officials to build on the nations extensive organic research and the cultural desire for local food and to resist the monetary lures of big agriculture we ask that you have the political will to reject that and continue to do what you are doing and know that there is a market for it mr colicchio said in an impassioned plea
moraima cespedes morales director of international affairs in cubas ministry of agriculture told him to stay calm we are trying to produce the healthiest food possible she said all the pressures they dont matter
what matters to cubans she told the group is neither american market pressure nor the battle over which style of farming is better
the most important program for us she said is still one of self supply


instead of a lobster roll how about a grilled lobster tail sold from a cart in the battery run by the people at lukes lobster the cart serves meaty five  and eight ounce tails still in the shell from sustainably sourced maine and canadian lobsters they are skewered seared and offered with either lemon butter or maine blueberry sauce the sturdy wooden skewer allows you to yank the luscious meat from the shell and eat it off the skewer like corn on the cob lobster tails from 6 for five ounce 11 for two to 10 for eight ounce 19 for two lukes tail cart state and water streets at the battery steps from the seaglass carousel lukeslobstercom


whimsy and practicality make this pepper mill a winning house gift for that coveted beach weekend or treat yourself instead it would be a great addition to the summer buffet table the pepper mill functions well and is easy to fill lighthouse pepper mill 4995 crate and barrel stores crateandbarrelcom


these biscuits with that classic sweetly metallic flavor are puffy and square as if one parent were a parker house roll they come from guerneville in sonoma county calif where they brought fame to the big bottom market a tiny offshoot of which has opened on the upper west side order them with butter and jam whipped cream and berries pulled pork or even smoked salmon and creme fraiche to enjoy from a sidewalk perch or to takeaway from 7 am to 2 pm on weekdays 8 to 11 am weekends biscuits 4 to 10 at big bottom biscuit bar osteria cotta 513 columbus avenue 85th street 212 873 8500 bigbottommarketcombiscuit bar nyc


whether pharaohs tombs or warhols paintings food shows up frequently in art now judith walsh who runs art smart museum tours is offering a food themed tour at the metropolitan museum of art and after the visit participants can choose a meal that reflects the work the meals are served either at the aldo sohm wine bar 151 west 51st street where the food is paired with wine and beer 120 for two 60 a person for larger groups or at amali 115 east 60th street where a six course dinner for four to 20 guests is 100 a person with wine extra feast your eyes tours 175 an hour for up to five people in addition to dining costs 212 595 4444 artsmartcom


i love these large flat green beans often called romano beans or runner beans and popular in europe they may show up at some farm stands and greenmarket purveyors later in summer but now thanks to a california based grower who harvests them in mexico theyre available more regularly cook them a good 10 minutes for meaty tenderness crunchy is not the goal serve them whole doused with vinaigrette fry them dripping tempura batter cut them up to add to salads or slap them on the grill manns tenderbite beans 399 a pound at eataly agata  valentina stores and graces marketplace stores


at allarco a small and busy lunch place not far from the rialto in venice theres not a lot a room to eat so people head outside with their drinks and plates of fresh cichetti venetian for snacks
there are few outdoor tables so glasses come to rest where they can on ancient windowsills and stoops by early afternoon the alleys around the restaurant resemble an open air dining hutch lined with goblets the ones that glow red are campari spritzes the orange aperol
spritz culture is ingrained in the cities and towns of northern italy where ice filled chalices of the classic combo   bitter liqueur and sparkling wine or water or both   refract sunlight on every other cafe table you can even buy a spritz at the venice airport before you board your plane
the drinks footing in the united states is a bit shakier rooted mainly in embarrassing memories from the 1970s and 80s of sipping bland concoctions called white wine spritzers
but thats beginning to change thanks in part to the recent publication of spritz a lighthearted book length examination of these effervescent quenchers more american bars will serve them this summer
the spritz formula   bitter bubbly and low in alcohol   is a pretty malleable template said talia baiocchi who wrote spritz with leslie pariseau and one that can yield drinks that are simple three ingredient cocktails to drinks that are more avant garde in composition proportions vary from spritz to spritz with soda water ranging from a splash to a couple of ounces but generally the wine outweighs the bitter component
the aperol spritz officially two parts aperol three parts prosecco and a splash of sparkling water is the inescapable standard bearer of spritzdom it can now be ordered from philadelphia to puget sound we wouldnt be having this conversation if it werent for aperol ms baiocchi said
but american bartenders havent stopped there and drinkers neednt either at prizefighter a friendly sprawling bar in emeryville calif the owner jon santer took bruto americano a newly released aperitif from nearby st george spirits and coupled it with california chardonnay grapefruit juice and soda water to create the cali spritz
lynnette marrero of llama inn in williamsburg brooklyn mixes gin fino sherry strawberry shrub st germain elderflower liqueur peychauds bitters cava and perrier for the senorita spritz a pretty pink concoction that tastes a lot like a fruity fizzy glass of rose
at montanas trail house in bushwick brooklyn austin hartman an owner piles aperol grapefruit juice and sparkling white wine atop a base of del maguey crema de mezcal a product that adds agave syrup to the spirit
it still has some of the smoky spice qualities of mezcal mr hartman said but some of the sweetness that works well with the bitterness of the aperol
american mixologists are pretty loose limbed in their spritz building they ignore the classic wine bitter fizz blueprint as often as they adhere to it william elliott bar director at the new restaurant sauvage in greenpoint brooklyn does not include a bitter element in his riding tigers made of sparkling rose peach infused pisco pineau des charentes armagnac and lemon juice he even declines to put the drink on ice nonetheless its awfully spritzy
bubbly   thats it said natasha david when asked what a drink needed to qualify as a spritz she has a right to her opinion the menu at her lower east side bar nitecap has had a spritz section since the place opened in 2014
i think its nice to have wine or fortified wine in it she said but ive really gone outside the boundaries of what a spritz is weve had cider cocktails and beer cocktails in the spritz section
she draws the line at topping drinks with seltzer i think it has to be an alcoholic sparkling thing she said
lauren corriveau the head bartender at nitecap has come to like spritzes well who doesnt like something that feels like its dancing on your tongue
recipes la quebrada spritz  cali spritz  ice queen  italian cocktails


if you love sweetness checked by a little heat then a jar of honey spiked with chiles is a very good thing
its a little like hot pepper jelly that old southern staple except the honey gives a more floral caramelized character whereas the jelly is just hot and sweet
but the overall effect is the same the chile keeps the honey from becoming cloying the honey tones down the brashness of the chile and together you get something thats a lot more complex than the merging of only two ingredients would suggest
you can buy jars of so called hot honey usually honey mixed with cayenne with a little vinegar for tang at large supermarkets
but its also incredibly easy to make yourself just mix together a good full flavored honey with whatever chile based product you have on hand ground chile powder crushed chile flakes dashes of chile sauce adding the hot stuff slowly and to taste and if you overdo it a little more honey will smooth things out youre looking for a balance of zingy and mellow sweet and fiery
then drizzle it wherever its contrasting sensations will make you happy i love it just as much in peanut butter sandwiches and on top of my yogurt as i do with my fried chicken and its excellent with seafood particularly strongly flavored fish like salmon swordfish and tuna and succulent pink shrimp
of them all shrimp has the distinct advantage of cooking in five minutes or less making this one of the fastest easiest and most flavor packed dinners you can make on any given weeknight or try it in place of shrimp cocktail as an hors doeuvre at a party using mayonnaise or tartar sauce for dunking
in addition to the hot honey here i also add lime zest grated ginger and some garlic to punch things up with a little butter for creamy richness
if youve planned ahead you could let the shrimp marinate in the honey mixture for an hour or two in the fridge before cooking but its not at all necessary so skip it if youre throwing this together at the last minute
then set the table grab some bread and open the wine while the shrimp roasts in the five minutes they take to cook thats actually all youll have time to do and thats actually all youll really need
recipes hot honey shrimp  seafood dishes


disclaimer right off the bat this is not nor does it claim to be an authentic old time cassata its not my grandmothers hand scrawled recipe
the classic sicilian cassata is a spongecake layered with creamy sweetened ricotta a heavenly combination elaborately decorated with colorful candied fruits wrapped in marzipan true cassata is a sight to behold
my simple summery version is covered with ripe red strawberries but any fresh summer berries would be welcome or slices of nectarine peach or mango
the unswerving requirements for this cassata are a good spongecake and the best ricotta available
look for the absolute freshest tastiest ricotta most good cheese stores or italian delis can supply it it must be moist with no sourness a spoonful should feel creamy on the tongue not grainy its worth tasting several kinds to see the broad range of ricotta types lightly sweetened and whisked to smoothness this ricotta filling is spread over the cake layers as if it were frosting
though pastry making can sometimes have strict rules theres a fair amount of leeway here if you like lemon you can increase the amount of lemon zest in the cake for instance or add a little to the filling you may play around with the syrup replacing grappa with light rum or you may use limoncello instead or a honey syrup or orange liqueur
and you may decrease the sweetness of the cake or filling if desired without compromising flavor
ideally the spongecake should be made a day ahead so it is easily sliced into thin layers and then the cassata should be assembled at least several hours in advance to allow flavors to meld paint the cake layers with the lemon syrup spread each layer with the ricotta cream and give the cake an afternoon or a day in the fridge
just before serving pile the cake with ripe berries you could toss them with a little sugar and lemon juice first or just arrange them on the cake and dust them lightly with confectioners sugar
though my cassata is rather rustic looking it is somewhat fancier than shortcake or trifle so it could be used as a summer birthday cake but its really a celebration unto itself for lovers of summer fruit and good ricotta
recipe strawberry cassata  easy summer desserts


rose is the hardest wine to make well said sacha lichine who is perhaps the most prominent rose winemaker in the world but he added smiling it is the easiest to sell
it wasnt always that way mr lichine who owns chateau desclans in provence and is credited with making a strong contribution to the robust growth of roses was in new york a few months ago for tastings and visits to some of the restaurants he supplies wearing one of his 20 signature pink shirts he remembered the time before the rose craze
in 2008 he said when he was getting started he sold just 3500 cases of the rose made on his estate now hes selling more than 200000 cases 50000 of them in new york alone owners of prestige wineries in bordeaux burgundy and elsewhere are making roses some are flocking to provence to snap up wineries
in paris today rose is bigger than white wine mr lichine said i think the potential in the united states for rose is just getting started
the total market for rose wine in the united states increased by 564 percent last year over 2014 roses from provence considered some of the best accounted for more than half the total
but back in the beginning mr lichine said he was simply looking to do something different
i thought about making dry elegant roses and theyve turned out to be the new wave he said i wanted to make a difference in the industry
he sold chateau prieure lichine the fourth growth estate he had inherited from his father the esteemed winery owner and writer alexis lichine and decamped from margaux to provence and chateau desclans
what distinguishes todays roses from the often candied blush bottles of the past he said is finesse they are light yet floral he said with some richness and the paler the better a style that has conferred prestige
a popular rose de provence chateau pigoudet is nearly colorless it could be mistaken for white wine theres even a california rose called summer water
but tint is no indication of flavor
this month in the village of gordes in provence i conducted a tasting of eight roses from the region for participants on a new york times trip to provence we sampled the wines blind and rated them they ranged from barely blushing to petal pink and from bland to floral and fruity that chateau pigoudet was the favorite preferred for its scent of jasmine and citrusy richness maison saint aix showing a delicate color but big and spicy on the palate also did well
many of these wines seduce with alluring bouquets of fraises des bois tart blood orange and cherry blossoms before giving way to lean delicacy with an underpinning of complexity on the palate
when mr lichine was in new york he sipped his top of the line garrus and said i couldnt make a rose like this 25 years ago he credits new technology advanced sorting equipment that allows the pale fruit to be separated from the dark skins faster and conditions that prevent oxidation
his portfolio of rose wines garrus les clans rock angel and whispering angel some in dramatic oversize bottles range in price from around 10 to more than 100
he was quick to point out that sparkling rose champagne has long been accepted by connoisseurs usually demands high prices and is suitable all year why not still wine he asked


marco canora the chef at hearth in the east village has been interested for years in the oyster rooms and cellars that used to dominate new york in the 1890s and early 1900s
they were everywhere he said they were like the hot dog stands of new york today they were really raucous places where people brought their mistresses and threw their shells on the floor it was like a big party with booze and oysters
mr canora liked the sound of that so he decided to convert fifty paces his wine bar on east 12th street into zadies oyster room a boozy temple to the bivalve that will open june 16
as a nod to the vintage menus that he has come across he and his crew will serve oysters in a wide range of styles not just raw but also pickled fried broiled baked steamed and poached i think cooked oysters in general are something we dont do much in the northeast and i dont really understand why he said in the south cooked oysters are huge
to make his rendition of poached oysters mr canora heats up a pan of heavy cream butter from grass fed cows dry sherry sherry vinegar worcestershire sauce spring onions and spring garlic from the greenmarket and wild wakame seaweed from the atlantic
when that beurre fondue has come to a boil he takes the pan off the heat and slides in raw oysters with their liquor i let the residual heat warm the oysters he said they plump up and get warm and become really succulent
topped with fresh herbs and sourdough croutons the dish calls out for bread to be dunked in the buttery sauce after the oysters are finished off mr canora says the secret weapon in the sauce is the wakame oysters and seaweed they obviously go really well together he said
seaweed is intricately woven into the menu at zadies i almost called it an oyster and seaweed room mr canora said i thought that would be cute and cool i kind of wimped out and didnt do that


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1 the challenges facing donald trump have grown filings revealed that the trump campaign with just 13 million in cash is trailing hillary clinton by more than 41 million   even as it has made sizable payouts to his family and companies mr trump said the shortfall showed that his operation was leaner and more efficient like our government should be but it also means that hes leaning on the republican national committee for help above protesters gathered outside the manhattan hotel where mr trump spoke to hundreds of evangelicals

2 mrs clinton laced into mr trumps business record and economic policies in a speech in ohio she called him the king of debt said he would rig the economy for wall street again and warned that his idea of defaulting on american debt could start a global panic he responded on twitter including one tweet that said her judgement has killed thousands unleashed isis and wrecked the economy

3 a compromise on gun sales was proposed a day after four other measures stalled in the senate the new bill restricting sales to terror suspects on the governments no fly list was offered by susan collins a maine republican and heidi heitkamp a north dakota democrat attorney general loretta lynch visited people wounded in the attack nine days ago in orlando fla while a state senator running for congress said he would hold a drawing for a military style rifle to burnish his pro gun credentials

4 so much for an upset the us mens soccer team lost 4 0 to argentina in the semifinals of the copa america centenario la albiceleste as the team is known was ranked no 1 by fifa going into the tournament and features lionel messi perhaps the best player in the world argentina will now play the winner of wednesdays semifinal match in chicago between colombia and chile

5 there are those who see grand theater and operatic drama in sports but the triumph of lebron james and the cleveland cavaliers brings another kind of work of art to mind which you may have heard of in high school the story of a hero leaving the nest to find his fortune making gains but suffering and finally returning home to find it holds everything he ever needed thats the classic bildungsroman our well educated sports reporter reminds us

6 brits dont quit that was david cameron britains prime minister making a last ditch appeal to voters to choose to remain in the european union on thursday three years ago when he promised the referendum it seemed like a safe way to buy a short term peace with the anti european wing of his conservative party but now polls suggest the outcome is too close to call

7 the faa issued new rules allowing a broad range of businesses to use drones under 55 pounds but stopped short of allowing package delivery a lawyer working on behalf of amazon and google said that once drones become commonplace it will be harder to argue against broader uses   like for delivery

8 if the graduate were written today the messianic businessmans one word to dustin hoffmans aimless character might be biometrics instead of plastics some of the biggest us banks are already enabling customers to use face and eye scans fingerprints or voice analysis to access their accounts we believe the password is dying an expert on financial crime said

9 finally good news for a peculiar central asian antelope the saiga population is beginning to recover after a mysterious ailment last year killed more than 200000   more than half   of the animals in kazakhstan in the hardest hit herd numbers rose from 31000 to 36000 by april its fantastic news a preservationist said

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speckled with gothic and renaissance era architecture dijon france is a historic art capital with contemporary clout once a destination for medieval pilgrims seeking out a taste of modernity the sleepy city has become important to a new batch of believers who pass over dijons handsome facades in favor of le consortium an alternative art space co founded by xavier douroux and franck gautherot among others in the late 70s
a quick train ride from paris the still under the radar nonprofit has become one of the most influential contemporary institutions in the country if not the world thanks to its midas touch douroux and gautherot along with co director eric troncy who joined the space in 1996 have an uncanny knack for showing artists right before their careers and their corresponding markets take off le consortium gave cindy sherman her first solo show in 1982 and richard prince his in 1983 jenny holzer hans haacke and daniel buren would all show before 1989 the 90s brought more firsts including maurizio cattelan who famously dug a grave in the gallery floor i believe in this idea that the artist should want to add something really new to art history   and i still admire courage troncy says it logically kicks out so many contemporary artists but i think its quite helpful when someone on a team says no
the award winning 1990 pairing of on kawara date paintings and alberto giacometti sculptures too left an impression   despite relatively low attendance this show became a total legend but very few people actually saw it gautherot explains for years dijon was this backyard it wasnt dangerous to experiment if it was bad no one would remember it was fun we had many situations where the artist developed new bodies of work in dijon that freedom is partially afforded by le consortiums unusual diversified financial structure an endowment split between government funding private donations and money the organization generates consulting on outside projects means the spaces directors can program shows without worrying about donors trustees and press the way more traditional museums do
today foot traffic is higher   but the predictive power of le consortiums programming hasnt wavered recent success stories include joe bradley and alex israel both of whom were picked up by gagosian gallery only a year after their inaugural exhibitions in dijon last year the painter brian calvin showed there now his pastel faces pop up everywhere particularly at big ticket fairs like frieze and art basel miami beach and the space itself has kept pace in 2011 the architect shigeru ban expanded le consortiums compound a former cassis liqueur factory it took over in 1982 after occupying a string of apartment sized locations now there is ample room for simultaneous exhibitions as well as a publishing house les presses du reel and a production company anna sanders film founded by the artists pierre huyghe philippe parreno charles de meaux and dominique gonzalez foerster they had this fantasy to produce their own movie but theaters work with production companies so they needed to build a real business first gautherot says we said we wont take the risk alone if you want us to accompany you in this direction lets build this company together
even today though the museums curators recognize each exhibition as a gamble   and wouldnt have it any other way two weeks before the opening of this summers marquee shows a self titled wade guyton exhibition and laure prouvosts dropped here and then to live leave it all behind troncy could only speak generally about what the shows might entail a video trailer for prouvosts exhibition above is equally mysterious you never know what to expect troncy says and that is exactly why we do the shows


a new music festival is coming to queens and it includes a kanye west rain check
the rapper whose appearance at governors ball earlier this month was scrapped because of weather will instead headline the inaugural meadows music and arts festival scheduled for oct 1 and 2 at citi field the weeknd chance the rapper grimes bryson tiller kamasi washington and kygo are also included on the bill
tickets go on sale at themeadowsnyccom on thursday at 11 am a two day general admission pass costs 230 with vip versions available for 495 and 1600
the meadows   which also promises civic engagement with the queens communities surrounding the event   will be presented by founders entertainment the once scrappy promoters behind governors ball that rare new york pop festival that has shown staying power live nation the concert and ticketing giant acquired a majority stake in founders entertainment earlier this year
for mr west the gig will come amid his saint pablo tour of north america which begins in late august
also in new york the same weekend as the meadows will be the roots picnic in bryant park featuring dangelo john mayer wu tang clan david byrne and nile rodgers and even closer also at the flushing meadows corona park complex that houses citi field there is maker faire a popular science carnival whose organizers are already mourning the loss of the parking lot to the meadows festivalgoers the promoters behind coachella will also be hosting the inaugural panorama festival on randalls island in july


times insider delivers behind the scenes insights into how news features and opinion come together at the new york times in this piece laura craven and flora lee peir editors on the metro desk provide a blow by blow account of how the times mobilized resources   photographers editors reporters   in response to breaking news
theres always a story breaking somewhere last weeks breaking news came all week long from orlando fla but what happens when news breaks close to home
gunfire for example crackled inside an irving plaza concert hall at 1023 pm just before the rapper ti was scheduled to perform on may 25 in manhattan then what how does the new york times mobilize its resources to piece together a story that breaks long after office hours
more than a dozen reporters editors photographers and web producers swung into motion and began to put the story together moments after the first shot rang out in irving place
have a look at how it all unfolded youll get a sense of the attention the care and the sheer number of people involved in putting together just one of the more than 300 stories the times publishes in a typical day
1023 pm flora peir a night editor on the metro desk sees a tweet from dataminr a service that combs twitter and alerts subscribers to breaking news stories fortunately ms peir had attended a dataminr training session hours before
1025 pm peter khoury the metro night editor forwards an alert from a police scanner service to a photo editor and to a rewrite editor christopher mele
1027 pm john surico a stringer on metro heads to union square with sandra garcia a news assistant
1050 pm the pop music reporter joe coscarelli is on the job sending background notes on ti
1124 pm the first version of the story posts online 3 people shot during concert at irving plaza police say the headline reads
1130 pm did you hear that rochelle oliver a web producer listens repeatedly to a twitter feed with ms peir to determine whether there is audible profanity
can the times post tweets that contain audible profanity the editors discuss the issue opting to sidestep the question they decide to proceed with a clip that contains a rush of muffled discordant sounds profanity maybe maybe not
1208 am police scanner report
the story draws readers all night through twitter and facebook a late update on the shooting posts online complete with witness accounts from ms garcia and mr surico and basic information on ti supplied by mr coscarelli
1210 am the police wrap up a news conference on the shooting ms garcia and mr surico update the story with relevant details
1 am a number of editors   ms peir mr khoury ms oliver mr mele   and copy editors teshia morris and jessica schnall are on the metro desk when the final version of the story posts
516 am office of the deputy commissioner public information dcpi for the new york police department emails
7 am to 8 am mr surico heads back to irving plaza where the police are still investigating
ashley southall a reporter heads to police headquarters at 1 police plaza for a press briefing by the commissioner
al baker a police reporter and james c mckinley jr a court reporter make inquiries about the victims name and whether arrests have been made
a photographer heads to the scene
3 pm mr coscarelli emails the victim is ronald mcphatter 33 a k a bb bigga an associate of the brooklyn rapper troy ave who police say was shot in the leg
mr coscarelli shares basic information about troy ave he had for example enjoyed some success in recent years had released two albums and had worked with 50 cent rick ross and young jeezy
he adds that he has spoken with a number of local hip hop promoters who confirm that it is not unusual for an artist and his entourage to evade standard security precautions at performance venues
rip messages pour onto mr mcphatters social channels
5 pm mr coscarelli and ms southall hear that troy ave has been arrested the police will not confirm
516 pm dcpi emails video of the shooting is it too graphic to publish editors discuss tom wright piersanti a web editor sends the video to philip b corbett the timess standards editor for approval mr corbett approves the publication plan
551 pm ms southall freshens the storys lead paragraphs
626 pm the video publishes
712 pm michael pollak a copy editor reviews the final text ms morris also takes a final look
906 pm ms oliver hits publish rapper troy ave is arrested after fatal shooting at ti concert appears on new york page and on the home page complete with video from the scene


one wouldnt normally imagine jenny holzer hanging around ibiza   but the prolific text based artist made multiple trips there in the late 90s during and after installing a show in the guggenheim bilbao i fixed on the island although   or because   i was post disco by the time i arrived she tells t in an email i studied stone cliffs watchtowers and surf pebbles i saw smiley nude and half naked old people babies and hotties there was much to love she returned the following year after showing light projections on the spanish steps in rome referring to herself she says that time this nerd looked at sea cut rocks with holes and caves
last year the art collector guy laliberte asked her to fill up his lune rouge and art projects ibiza spaces in collaboration with spruth magers and to create a site specific commission i was game holzer says musicians writers and artists have touched down or wintered here because they found the island hospitable or that corny word magical living was cheap easy and musicians writers artists come from ibiza the islands pirate past and the carthaginian roman vandal moorish and norwegian conquerors to name a few are fodder she also mentions the local contemporary art museum with phoenician objects and of course lalibertes contributions as draws to the island
for are you alive opening today holzer brought along some old friends   her signature truisms and her led scrolls albeit with fresh phrases   and fabricated a series of aphorism etched footstools and benches however the highlights have to be the carefully chosen cliffs boulders and bedrocks that became canvases for engraving situated about 15 miles from lalibertes outposts some of the rocks are in the sightline of the small uninhabited isle es vedra reportedly the third most magnetic place on earth after the north pole and the bermuda triangle and shrouded in legend its said to be the home of the sirens a protrusion from atlantis the material of pyramids and certainly the location of multiple ufo sightings holzer shares as such much writing on the outdoor piece is by those who perfected absurdity namely apollinaire and baroness elsa von freytag loringhoven she also selected lines of poetry in french spanish portuguese and english
her debut exhibition in ibiza came with the same biggest challenge as always not to be a crummy artist says holzer herself not one to mince words i let myself be sensitive when picking boulders and their text and i might survive that i could try sensitive again


welcome to times insider events   live programming for times insiders and their guests times insider delivers behind the scenes insights into news features and opinion at the new york times
the new york timess modern love column has long been a favorite among readers   and it recently made a splash in the podcast world as well
at this months times insider event daniel jones the columns editor since its inception in 2004 spoke with dan barry a columnist and reporter at the times and jessica alpert who manages the team at wbur that produces modern love the podcast
the conversation centered on a modern love column written by mr barry in 2009 one that explored the death of his daughters fish   outwardly an odd choice for a column about love mr barrys column was one of the first to be recorded as a podcast when the new york times partnered with wbur in early 2016
listen to the podcast in full to find out how mr jones selects and edits his columns how mr barrys fish story came to life and how ms alpert transformed mr barrys 1500 word essay   and the many others   into a moving audio experience
times insider events brings live programming to times insiders and their guests if you are not a times insider but would like to receive invitations to times insider events you can subscribe here


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sujoggwando byeolban dareuji anhda 4in gajog gijun gibon ibjangryo 320dalreoe cugaro 80dalreoreul deo naen saramdeuleun gidarineun jul jeil apeuro jilreoga gajang meonjeo ibjanghayeo jeil joheun jarie anja syodo bogo noligigudo meonjeo tal su issda i jeongdoe manjoghaji moshaneun deoug teugbyeolhan gyeongheomeul weonhaneun gogaegeul wihae olraendoyi yumyeonghan sujoggwan siweoldeuseaworld baro yeope aye saeroun gogeub haeyang ceheomgwan diseukeobeori kobeudiscovery covega muneul yeoleossda
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naenyeone keuriseutal keurujeuraneun hoesaneun simjieo buyuceung gogaegeul norin cohohwa hanggong segye ilju sangpumeul naenohneunda coeusu gogaeg jeonyong keurujeuro gaejohan boing 777gi han daero 14il hogeun 28il dongan segye gosgoseul danineun yeojeongida
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gieobi jeomjeom vip gogaege gongeul deulineun deung gogaegeul sebunhwahae gongryaghamyeonseo gogaeg saie jonjaehaneun seoneul eolmana bunmyeonghage geueoya haneunyae gwanhan nonyiga jinhaeng jungida peuraiseuweoteohauseukupeoseupwceseo rejeo eobgye daegieobdeuleul daesangeuro keonseolting eobmureul conggwalhaneun deibideu keulrakeu gateun jeonmunganeun gogaegi naeneun done ddara seobiseuga dalrajindaneun sasileul sumgiji anhneun geosi coeseoncaegirago malhanda
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bujadeulyi seontaegjineun galsurog dayanghaejigo issda banmyeon gananhan migugindeuleun gisul hyeogsingwa sangpumyi jinhwarobuteo byeoldareun hyetaegeul boji moshago issda habeodeudaehaggyoeseo gyeongjehag bagsagwajeongeul balbgo issneun daehagweonsaeng jabiereu jarabeleun coegeun balpyohan yeongueseo i jeomeul jijeoghaessda jeug meosjin yoridogudeun jayeonsan yuginong cijeudeun gogeub singgeulmolteu seukaciwiseukideun buyuceungeul gyeonyanghan sangpum bunyayi gyeongjaengeun galsurog ciyeolhae saeroun sangpumi gyesog culsidoejiman tongjorimina dambaeceoreom seominceungi juro cajneun sangpum sijange saero ddwieodeuneun eobceneun sangdaejeogeuro hweolssin jeogda
coesangwi buyuceungyi suyoga nopajin geosdo sasilida pajjari gyosuwa migug jungangeunhaengin yeonbangjunbijedo seinteuruiseu jijeomyi baeri sinamoni hamgge jinhaenghan yeongureul bomyeon mulga sangseungeul gamanhan sodeug sangwi 5yi siljil jiculeun jinan 2003nyeonbuteo 2012nyeon saie 35 neuleonassjiman nameoji 95yi jicul sangseung pogeun 10e miciji moshaessda
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buyuceung gogaegegeneun ije simrihagjeog gwanjeomeseo suyoreul ceugjeonghaneun saikogeuraepigseu gisuleul siljero sayonghal su isseul jeongdoro bunseog sujuni sangdanghi baljeonhaessseubnida yereul deuleo hoteli jegonghaneun gogaeg pyeonyi seobiseureul jeonghwaghi eolmana iyonghaneunji 2weole nuga deo manhi seukireul tareo ganeunji deungeul deiteoro bbobanael su issseubnida
nyuyogdaehaggyoeseo gwangwanggyeongyeong gwanryeon gwamogeul gareucineun biyoreun hanseunyi malida
buyuhan gogaegeul yuciharyeoneun hoesae ireon bunseog gibeobyi baljeoneun buyuceung gogaegyi suyoeul yeceughal su issge dwaessdaneun ddeusigido hada pwcyi keulrakeuneun ireohge seolmyeonghanda
vip gogaegeun jasini mueol weonhaneunji nuga ilili mudneun geoseul silheohabnida saramdeulgwayi macal simjieoneun jeobcogdo pihago sipeo hajyo daesin mul heureudeus nune ddyiji anhge jasineul wihan seobiseuga junbidoeeo isseosseumyeon haneun geobnida
banmyeon jeosodeugceungina jungsanceungeun beongeoroumeul gamsuhaeya haneun gyeonguga manhda jeug eolmaggaji doneul naegiro maeum meogeossneunyae ddara beongeoroumyi jeongdoga gyeoljeongdoeneun semida
sodeugi najeun gogaegyi gidaecineun geunbonjeogeuro dalrajyeossseubnida sangdanghan biyongeul jibulhaneuni eoneu jeongdo bulpyeonhago bujoghadeorado doneul aggineun pyeoneul taeghagido haneun geojyo
gieobyi imweondeuleun coeusu gogaegeul bunrihae teugbyeolhi daejeobhaneun geosi hyogwajeogin jeonryagirago daenohgo malhanda weolgareul jeomryeongharaoccupy wall street undongina beoni saendeoseu sangweonyiweoneul jijihaneun ideuli deuleumyeon daeddeum balggeunhal manhada ceoeum deo hebeunthe haveneul seonboyeossdeon 2006nyeon noreuwejian keurujeu raineun ilbansil gogaegege 200dalreoman deo naemyeon 40gae namjishan teuggeub gaegsilro eobgeureideureul haejweossda geu gyeolgwa deo hebeuneun gaegsil deunggeubeul eobgeureideuhan gogaegdeulro bugsaetongeul irweossda
jeonjig ceo sihan ssineun eobgeureideureul dangjang jungjihaessda iyuni ddeoleojyeoseoigido haessjiman mueosboda teuggweonceungman nuril su issneun coegogeub seobiseuraneun deo hebeunyi goyuhan sangpum gacireul hwesonhaessgi ddaemunieossda
deo hebeuneneun ol manhan jagyeogi issneun sonnimeul jedaero seonbyeolhaeya haesseoyo deo hebeuniraneun teugbyeolhan gonggane ilban gogaegeul neomu manhi badeun nameoji buyuceung sonnimdeuli weonhaneun gyeongheomeul haji moshago dolagage dwaessseubnida
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2010nyeon seunggaeg 4100myeongeul suyonghaneun epig horeul jinsuhal ddae noreuwejian keurujeu rainyi aendi seutyueoteu hoejangeun ireohge malhaessda
vip sonnimi hanbeon baee oreumyeon yeongweonhi keurujeuseoneul ddeonaji anhado doel mankeum modeun geol gajcueo nohassseubnida
jinanhae deo coegeune geonjodoen iseukeipeu hoga ceos hanghaee naseosseul ddae deo hebeun 95gae gaegsileun baeyi gajang apjjog jeil nopeun gose isseoseo deo hebeunggajineun anideorado ggwae bissan doneul jugo gogeub gaegsileul yeyaghan seunggaeg jungeneun deo hebeunyi jonjaereul jimjaghaji moshan ido isseossda seongsugi yeobue ddara yogeumi dareugin hajiman botong iljuilgan ieojineun keurujeu hanghaee deo hebeun bang hanareul yeyagharyeomyeon 2in gijun 1man dalreo jeongdoreul naeya handa bae anyi dareun ilban gaegsil yogeumeun 3ceon dalreo jeongdoda
noreuwejian keurujeu rainyi seobiseu deo hebeuni bae anyi sumgyeojin hogeun jeogeodo jal boiji anhge garyeonoheun gongganiramyeon noreuwejian keurujeu rainyi coedae gyeongjaengsa royal kaeribianyi jeonryageun jeongbandaeda doneul gajang manhi naeneun gogaegege jegonghaneun coegoyi seobiseuga mueosinji modeun seunggaegi algo issda royal kaeribianyi coegogeub gaegsil royal seuwiteuneun bae anyi ddo dareun bae hogeun sumgyeojin bimil gonggan gaenyeomgwaneun jeonhyeo dareuda ilban gogaegeun iyonghal su eobsneun coegogeub seobiseuga jegongdoeneun geon ddoggatjiman deo hebeungwa gajang keun caiga issdamyeon ilban gogaegi royal seuwiteu gogaegdeuli nurineun seobiseureul malgeudaero yuricange koreul daego deulyeodabol su issdaneun jeomida
royal kaeribianyi saeroun keurujeuseon aensseom hoeseo modeun seunggaegi iyonghal su issneun bugjeogbugjeoghan windeujaemeo kapeyi bwipero babeul meogeureo ganeun ilban seunggaegeun neul royal seuwiteu gogaeg jeonyong sigdang koseutal kicini boineun bantumyeong yuricangeul jinage doenda
koseutal kicineseoneun bwipe eumsigeul damanoheun naembiwa geureusi boiji anhneunda botong saehayan sigtagboga ggalrin sigtage gogaeg han myeong han myeongi annaedoen jarieseo sigsareul haneun koseutal kicinyi bunwigineun daecero pyeongonhago yeoyurobda ilban gogaegdeuli sigsahaneun bwipe sigdangeun saramdeulro bumbyeo jeongsini eobsda royal seuwiteu gogaegdo weonhamyeon mulron bwipeeseo babeul meogeul su issda
royal kaeribiangwa noreuwejian keurujeu rainyi gyeongyeong bangsigeun nolral mankeum daejoreul irunda
noreuwejian keurujeu rainyi gyeongyeongjini deo hebeuneul ilban seunggaegdeulyi nune jal ddyiji anhdorog seolgyehaessdamyeon royal kaeribianeun ohiryeo moduege gonggaehaneun jjogeul taeghaessda royal kaeribianyi daepyoisa maikeul beilrineun malhaessda
migugsigijyo jeoneun migug sahoega doneul deo manhi naen sarami deo manheun mogseul gajyeoganeun ge dangyeonhadaneun weoncigeul badadeulil junbiga doeeo issdago saenggaghaeyo
daepyoisa beilriwa riceodeu pein hoejangeun deo hebeuneul bunseoghan dwi royal kaeribianeneun bae anyi bae gaenyeomeul doibhaji anhgiro gyeoljeonghaessdago malhanda
royal kaeribianyi maeryeoggwa munhwaedo eoulriji anhayo seunggaegeul deunggeube ddara nanuneun geon jeonhyeo migugjeogiji anheun balsangibnida mulron nyuyog senteureolpakeuceoreom joheun dongnee sandamyeon dangyeonhi doni deo manhi deulgessjyo migugeun geureon sigeuro dolagayo
coegeun deuleo rejeo saneob jeonbanyi cusega geureohadeus royal kaeribiando ilban gogaegege jegonghaneun seobiseuwa coeusu gogaegege jegonghaneun gogeub seobiseuyi caireul caceum deo jayeonseureobge beolryeo wassda royal kaeribianyi coego unyeongcaegimjain adam goldeusyutaineun hoesaga saeroun baereul seolgyehageona saeroun siseol seobiseureul doibhal ddaemada gogaegyi simrijeog baneungeul hangsang jungsihae wassneunde geunraeeneun gogaegdeulyi gidaeciga dalrajyeossdago malhaessda
oraesdongan gogaegdeuleun gaegsileun dalrado gaegsil baggeseo badneun jeonbanjeogin seobiseuneun bae ane tan gogaegiramyeon nuguna ddoggati badneundago saenggaghae wassseubnida jeohyido gogaeg seobiseureul seunggaegmada cadeunghwaharyeogo haji anhassjyo
geureodeon geosi 1990nyeondae malbuteo baggwieossdaneun ge goldeusyutainyi seolmyeongida
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rumseobiseuga danjeogin yeda royal seuwiteue mugneun sonnimdeulyi rumseobiseu jumuneun ilban gogaegdeulyi jumungwa seoggiji anhgo jigtongeuro meonjeo jeobsudoenda daegi sigani gileojigeona seobiseudo deuljjugnaljjughan ilban rumseobiseuwa dalri royal seuwiteu sonnimegeneun hwagsilhan majcumhyeong seobiseuga sinsoghi jegongdoeeoya hagi ddaemunida
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5weole royal kaeribianeun coegogeub gaegsileul iyonghaneun seunggaegdeulege gaeinbyeol doumi seobiseu royal jiniroyal geniereul seonboyeossda royal jinineun seunggaegyi cwihyangeul miri paaghae ceoeum baee ta gaegsile deuleowasseul ddae gagja jeulgyeo masineun seukacina bodeukareul junbihaenohneun sigyi cwihyang jeogyeog gogaeg manjog seobiseureul jegonghandago royal kaeribian ceugeun seolmyeonghaessda
pocun 100dae gieobe jamunwiweoneuro ilhae on yeildaehaggyo gyeongyeongdaehagyi baeri neilbeopeu gyosuneun ireohge belbesjul anjjoge meomuneun buyuceungeul jibjungjeogeuro gongryaghaneun geosi hoesayi maeculeul olrineun deneun doumi doego bujadeuleul gibbeuge halji moreujiman teugbyeol daejeobeul badneun bujadeulgwa nameoji ilban sonnimdeulyi gyeogca ddaemune gunggeugjeogeuroneun moduga bulpyeonhaejineun geosdo sasilirago jijeoghanda
jega bihaenggi ilbanseog dwisjarie ta issdamyeon sogeuro ildeungseoge tan saramdeulege yayureul bonaego sipeojiljido moreujyo bandaero ildeungseoge ta isseumyeon ddo ilbanseog seunggaegdeuli jinagal ddae minmanghayeo momeul ungkeurige doeji anheulggayo


a traditionally reliable indicator lurking in a recent opinion poll suggests britain will vote on thursday to remain in the european union
the main question that polling firms typically ask respondents in any contest is how they intend to vote in the case of the referendum on brexit as a possible british exit from the eu is known the polls straightforwardly ask people if they want to remain in the union or leave after a string of polls showing a sizable lead for leave polls released in the last few days effectively show a tie or a small lead for remaining this shift away from leave prompted a rally in global markets on monday
but one of those polls conducted by survation also asked voters which side they expected to win asking people to predict a result of an election has over time provided more accurate forecasts than asking people their voting intentions according to a study by justin wolfers a university of michigan economist and an upshot contributor and david rothschild of the microsoft research and statistics center
when survation asked regardless of how you plan to vote what do you think the result will be just shy of 40 percent of people said the remain camp would win only 26 percent said that leave would prevail
the remaining 34 percent said they did not know what the result would be mr rothschild said the dont know figure is high for this sort of question but he noted that undecided voters tend to support the status quo in part because they are more risk averse and may be less informed
also notable supporters of the leave camp dont seem to have a high level of confidence that their side will prevail some 35 percent of leave supporters said they thought remain would win by contrast only 14 percent of remain supporters predicted that leave would win
of course this is not a guaranteed indicator the brexit referendum may be a vote that reveals its limitations
all things considered though remain seems to be in a strong position in these last days before the vote the surge in the polls for leave appears to have been stalled or even reversed the betting markets suggest a roughly 75 percent chance of a victory for remain


front page
an article on may 21 about gaza residents fears that the rebuilding of attack tunnels to israel puts palestinians at risk referred incompletely to israels suspension of cement deliveries to gaza for reconstruction of homes destroyed in the 2014 war the suspension affected only homes being rebuilt by private individuals cement continued to flow to housing projects handled by foreign governments and international aid groups
international
an article on may 22 about egyptairs awareness of security threats to the airbus a320 jetliner that crashed into the mediterranean   including graffiti written in arabic on the underside of the plane that said we will bring this plane down   referred incorrectly in some editions to a cousin of the captain of the fatal flight the cousin ezzat shoukair is a man
national
an article on monday about the transformation of wyomings energy landscape to wind power from coal misstated the position of bill miller at the anschutz corporation he is senior vice president of energy and land resources not the president and chief executive the article also misstated the number of acres on which the anschutz corporation will build the carbon county wind farm it will be on 2000 acres not 200
new york
an article on april 12 about two donors to mayor bill de blasio and their connections with police officials who are under federal investigation misstated the rank of a former senior police commander philip banks iii one of the officials under investigation was once the highest ranking uniformed official in the new york police department not the third highest ranking chief the error was repeated in an accompanying picture caption this correction was delayed because editors learned of the error only late last week

a correction in this space on june 1 for an article about the crash of a vintage warplane into the hudson river misstated albert j parisis title at the army air forces historical association he is its operations officer not its operations manager
business day
an article on monday about allegations of conflict between airbnbs vow to eliminate bias in bookings and its policy of barring class actions by customers misidentified in some editions the university at which jamila jefferson jones a law professor who commented on the issue teaches it is the university of missouri kansas city   not barry university school of law
the arts
a theater review on thursday about two works by the playwright alan ayckbourn now playing in repertory at 59e59 theaters in manhattan misstated the amount of time that came between their composition confusions a group of linked sketches was written 41 years before the new play heros welcome   not 30 years the review also misstated mr ayckbourns age at the time he wrote confusions he was 35 not in his mid 40s

an article on saturday about an installation on italys lake iseo by the artist christo misspelled in one instance part of the name of his wife and partner who died in 2009 as the article correctly noted elsewhere she was jeanne claude not jean claude
obituaries
an obituary on sunday about the costume and set designer desmond heeley rendered incorrectly the name of a magazine that published an interview with him in 2011 it is lightingsound america not light  sound america

an obituary on sunday about the writer michelle cliff misstated the century in which the social reformer lillian smith a collection of whose writings ms cliff edited was active it was the 20th century not the 19th
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here are the highlights of hillary clintons speech
hillary clinton plans to pummel donald j trumps economic proposals on tuesday portraying mr trump as an uncaring and unscrupulous businessman whose reckless policies would lead to a new financial crisis and a surge in unemployment
appearing in columbus ohio mrs clinton the presumptive democratic presidential nominee will argue that mr trumps proposals to increase tariffs on imported goods cut taxes for the wealthiest americans and try to get creditors to accept less than full payment on the national debt would lead to a financial meltdown worse than that of 2008 her aides said in interviews
her campaign manager robby mook told sirius xm radio on monday that mr trumps proposals would send us into an economic ice age
mrs clinton will also tear into mr trumps private sector record part of an effort by her campaign and democratic allies to turn mr trumps business reputation against him and persuade voters that he has trampled over working people at every stage of his career
the core proposition is that if you put donald trump behind the steering wheel of the american economy he is very likely to drive us off a cliff said jake sullivan mrs clintons top policy aide that argument will include his record of causing harm in the private sector mr sullivan added
among the examples mrs clinton will point to aides said are mr trumps multiple bankruptcies and the allegations of fraud leveled at him over his for profit educational venture trump university
to disqualify him you have to deconstruct that story that he is a successful businessman said david brock who runs correct the record a super pac that coordinates with the campaign to defend mrs clinton then i think the credential that he has gets destroyed in the process
mrs clinton will deliver her speech part of a two day effort to assail mr trump and then to advance mrs clintons own economic agenda two weeks after she laced into mr trump on foreign policy warning in a well received address in san diego that his very thin skin would lead the united states into war
the economic argument is of particular urgency for mrs clinton while voters tend to view her as better prepared to be commander in chief than mr trump he has made inroads with working class voters who gravitate to his opposition to global trade deals and to his vow to create jobs
a bloomberg politics poll released last week which gave mrs clinton a double digit lead over all found that 55 percent of likely voters said mr trump was more knowledgeable about what it takes to create jobs forty percent said mrs clinton knew more though a majority of voters said she would fight harder for the middle class
this speech gives her the opportunity to pass the steward of our economic health test said felicia wong president and chief executive of the roosevelt institute a liberal think tank and i think the bar will be higher for her on that than on foreign policy
on wednesday in raleigh nc mrs clinton will shift to a more positive message as she outlines her vision for what she calls a growth and fairness economy recapping her plans to raise the minimum wage expand benefits for working families and close tax loopholes that allow companies to benefit from moving jobs overseas
mrs clinton only recently emerged from a prolonged democratic primary battle in which senator bernie sanders of vermont repeatedly faulted her for supporting trade deals that many blame for the loss of manufacturing jobs she now confronts a similar argument from mr trump who has assailed trade pacts like the north american free trade agreement which mrs clintons husband president bill clinton signed into law in 1993 mr trump has called the agreement a catastrophe for our country and the worst economic deal in us history
mrs clinton has said she would renegotiate parts of nafta and has spoken out against president obamas signature trade pact the trans pacific partnership though she promoted it as secretary of state
it is a challenge for hillary clinton as an establishment democrat to make the case that she is not just different from her husband but from barack obama on trade said jared bernstein an economist at the center on budget and policy priorities and former chief economic adviser to vice president joseph r biden jr
in criticizing mr trump aides said mrs clinton would draw heavily on a new report from moodys analytics   co written by mark zandi an economic adviser to senator john mccains 2008 presidential campaign who has also donated to mrs clinton   which predicted that mr trumps proposals would yield a protracted downturn and significant job losses
the analysis reported by the wall street journal provided ample fodder for mrs clinton it called mr trumps prescriptions for taxation trade policy immigration and spending fiscally unsound and said they would cost 35 million jobs and leave the economy more isolated and diminished with particular strain on low  and middle income workers
it also suggested that if mr trumps immigration and trade proposals were taken at face value the economy would experience a negative supply shock
requiring millions of undocumented immigrants to leave the country reduces the size of the labor force the moodys economists wrote and the higher tariffs on imports from two of our largest trading partners increase the price of imported goods


shelby miller got back on the winning track after a short stint on the disabled list
miller threw six and two thirds sharp innings jake lamb hit a two run homer and the arizona diamondbacks beat the reeling phillies 3 1 on monday to complete a four game sweep in philadelphia miller 2 6 allowed one run and five hits striking out five in his first start since may 24
im just trying to keep up with them miller who had been sidelined by a sprained right index finger said of the rest of arizonas starting pitchers theyve been doing so good
the phillies went 0 6 in their first winless homestand of six or more games since sept 21 27 1964 when they went 0 7 at connie mack stadium before losing three more games in a monumental collapse from first place
terrible homestand phillies manager pete mackanin said on a scale of 1 to 10 im a 9 in frustration
the phillies jeremy hellickson 4 6 allowed three runs and four hits before getting an out he rebounded nicely and lasted seven innings
jean segura led off for arizona with a double and scored on a phil gosselin single lamb hit a towering shot off the scoreboard in right for his 14th home run and a 3 0 lead
the phillies got their only run in the second inning when a tyler goeddel double scored andres blanco
around the majors mark reynolds hit two home runs to power the colorado rockies to a 5 3 victory over the host miami marlins in a record setting home run contest trevor story nick hundley and charlie blackmon also homered for the rockies who salvaged the final game of a four game series marcell ozuna hit two home runs and giancarlo stanton had one for the marlins the eight solo home runs accounted for all of the runs scored in the game setting a major league record the previous mark was five francisco lindor and juan uribe homered in the eighth inning and the indians beat the tampa bay rays 7 4 in cleveland carlos santana also homered for the american league central leading indians who have won four straight jeff locke pitched six and two thirds scoreless innings erik kratz hit his first home run since 2014 and the pittsburgh pirates beat visiting san francisco 1 0 ending the giants eight game winning streak the white sox escaped a bases loaded no out jam in the ninth and jose abreu doubled home two runs off red sox closer craig kimbrel with two outs in the top of the 10th inning to lift chicago to a 3 1 win at boston
college world series a two run single by pinch hitter ryan cumberland broke a tie and noah davis and kyle nelson combined to hold down the offense of miami the no 3 national seed as uc santa barbara won 5 3 in a college world series elimination game in omaha the gauchos 43 19 1 kept their first series appearance going and will play wednesday against the loser of monday nights game between oklahoma state and arizona
the hurricanes 50 14 went 0 2 for only the second time in their 25 series appearances their other two and out was in 1979
santa barbara struck for four runs after a rain delay of 1 hour 2 minutes in the sixth cumberland made the score 3 1 with his one out single down the first base line and the gauchos used back to back squeeze plays for two more runs
ekaterina makarova and elena vesnina each a former champion moved into the second round of the eastbourne international in england
makarova who established herself on the wta tour by capturing the eastbourne title in 2010 as a 100th ranked qualifier fought off five first set points to beat the wild card tara moore 7 5 6 4 vesnina the 2013 winner beat heather watson 6 2 6 3
there were also victories for andrea petkovic who overcame a challenge by saisai zheng to win by 5 7 6 2 6 4 and eugenie bouchard who dismissed the qualifier varvara lepchenko 6 1 6 2
vesnina next plays belinda bencic the defending champion
the international boxing federation a sanctioning body announced that it would punish boxers who compete in the rio de janeiro olympics by removing them from its rankings or vacating their titles
the international boxing association recently decided to allow professional boxers to try to qualify for the olympics but no major fighters have accepted the invitation
the ibf has joined other sanctioning bodies fighters and trainers in strongly condemning the plan citing serious health risks in pitting seasoned pros against amateurs
the ibf said it would remove any olympic fighters from its rankings for a year the federation would also take its title belt away from any champion fighting in the olympics
the world boxing council had already announced its intention to impose a two year ban on olympic fighters
although olympic qualifying continues next month the likelihood of any prominent pros fighting in rio appears to be slim
the sabres general manager tim murray said he took a calculated risk in acquiring the rights to the prospect forward jimmy vesey
now the challenge is to sign vesey this years hobey baker award winner as the top player in college hockey before he is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent on aug 15
i dont consider it to be a bold move murray said after trading the second of buffalos four third round picks to acquire veseys rights from the nashville predators its a gamble
vesey 23 is a playmaking forward who completed his senior year at harvard this year he opted to become a free agent rather than sign with nashville which selected him in the third round of the 2012 draft
buffalo now has exclusive negotiating rights to sign vesey before he becomes a free agent
at 6 feet 2 inches and 201 pounds vesey led the eastern college athletic conference with 46 points 24 goals 22 assists in 33 games this past season over all he had 80 goals and 64 assists in 128 games at harvard
ducks trade goalie to maple leafs the anaheim ducks traded goalie frederik andersen to the toronto maple leafs for two draft picks the teams announced anaheim acquired the 30th overall pick in the coming draft and a second round choice in 2017 for andersen who has shared the ducks crease with john gibson for the past two seasons
andersen and gibson combined last season to win the jennings trophy for the nhls lowest goals against average


donald j trump enters the general election campaign laboring under the worst financial and organizational disadvantage of any major party nominee in recent history placing both his candidacy and his party in political peril
mr trump began june with just 13 million in cash on hand a figure more typical for a campaign for the house of representatives than the white house he trailed hillary clinton who raised more than 28 million in may by more than 41 million according to reports filed late monday night with the federal election commission
he has a staff of around 70 people   compared with nearly 700 for mrs clinton   suggesting only the barest effort toward preparing to contest swing states this fall and he fired his campaign manager corey lewandowski on monday after concerns among allies and donors about his ability to run a competitive race
the trump campaign has not aired a television advertisement since he effectively secured the nomination in may and has not booked any advertising for the summer or fall mrs clinton and her allies spent nearly 26 million on advertising in june alone according to the campaign media analysis group pummeling mr trump over his temperament his statements and his mocking of a disabled reporter the only sustained reply aside from mr trumps gibes at rallies and on twitter has come from a pair of groups that spent less than 2 million combined
mr trumps fund raising for may reflects his lag in assembling the core of a national finance team in the same month that he clinched the republican nomination mr trump raised just 31 million and was forced to lend himself 2 million to meet costs some invitations to trump fund raising events have featured the same short list of national republican finance volunteers regardless of what city the event is held in suggesting mr trump has had some trouble lining up local co hosts
a spokesman for mr trump did not respond to an inquiry about the campaigns spending plans during an interview on monday on cnn mr lewandowski defended the candidates bare bones approach
we are leaner meaner more efficient more effective get bigger crowds get better coverage mr lewandowski said if this was the business world people would be commending mr trump for the way hes run this campaign
but the shortfall is leaving mr trump extraordinarily dependent on the republican national committee which has seen record fund raising this campaign cycle and long before mr trump even declared his upstart candidacy had begun investing heavily in a long range plan to bolster the partys technical and organizational capacity
in a first for a major party nominee mr trump has suggested he will leave the crucial task of field organizing in swing states to the republican national committee which typically relies on the partys nominee to help fund direct and staff national republican political efforts his decision threatens to leave the party with significant shortfalls of money and manpower on monday the party reported raising 13 million during may about a third of the money it raised in may 2012 when mitt romney led the ticket
its like a waterfall said brian o walsh a republican campaign strategist there are things that have to happen and someone has to pay for them
mr trumps cash crunch marks a stark reversal from the 2012 presidential campaign which seemed to inaugurate a new era of virtually unlimited money in american politics buoyed by the supreme courts citizens united decision two years earlier by the same point that year president obama and mr romney were raising tens of millions of dollars per month with their parties and while mr romney faced a larger deficit overall against mr obama in june 2012 he was raising far more money than mr trump is now with big donors flocking to his cause
the campaign has got to be the entity thats out there driving the fund raising car said austin barbour a lobbyist who served as national finance co chairman of the romney campaign and it better be a big old cadillac
mr trump has defied conventional wisdom before clinching the republican nomination with a small organization and modest outlays on television and republican officials believe they are well prepared to compensate for mr trumps late start the republican national committee has more than 500 field staff members on the ground in swing states far more than in 2012 and a robust digital and data operation
allies of mr trump say they believe the tide is already turning on tuesday mr trump will appear at a high dollar fund raiser in new york city hosted by some of the most prominent names on wall street
fund raisers for mr trump who asked for anonymity to discuss internal discussions said they were now hoping to raise up to 500 million in joint efforts with the republican national committee or an average of 100 million a month from june through october he is now reliably raising between 5 million and 7 million in each city where he raises money those donors said
a joint fund raising effort with mr trump and 11 state republican parties yielded the republican national committee 3 million in just five days at the end of may some of the largest checks came from a handful of wealthy trump supporters who are not party mainstays suggesting mr trump could tap new sources of campaign money
but mr romney was also backed by expansive network of deep pocketed super pacs and other outside groups that collectively spent hundreds of millions of dollars in an effort to elect him this year the democrats are leading in outside money priorities usa action a group focused on advertising in support of mrs clinton announced on monday that it had raised 12 million in may and had 52 million on hand   a huge reserve
the outside spending effort to help mr trump by contrast has been chaotic and underfunded hampered by a profusion of competing groups one of which has spent only 1 million so far on mr trumps behalf
the most prominent group great america is advised by ed rollins who managed ronald reagans 1984 campaign and other more seasoned republican operatives but it too has had difficulty persuading big donors on monday it reported raising just 14 million during the month of may
fund raising efforts for mr trump have been hampered by the candidates own erratic public comments he has repeatedly said he will pay for his own campaign even as his volunteers fan out around the country to solicit six figure checks confusing allies and potential donors alike
two days ago he said i may fund it myself mr rollins said donors are all being cautious about whats going to happen here


in a blow to mayor bill de blasio a state court on monday halted his plan to give certain homeowners a 183 credit on their water and sewer bill
justice carol r edmead of state supreme court in manhattan ruled that the actions of the water board in authorizing the one time payment along with a general rate increase was an abuse of discretion and exceeded the boards authority
mr de blasio heralded the water bill credit in an april news conference and has since promoted the measure as an action his administration was taking to help new york homeowners
the administration argued that the credit which was to apply only to one  to three family homes was made possible by the citys decision to no longer request a rental payment from the water board an independent public benefit corporation leaving it with a surplus
three brooklyn real estate companies and the rent stabilization association a landlord group filed a petition in court to stop the citys proposal which also included a rate increase of 21 percent and was set to go into effect on july 1 the rate increases would have affected landlords across the city most of whom would not receive the credit and by extension their renters
the sole purpose of the rate increase was to fund this bill credit said michael berengarten a partner at herrick feinstein who represented the plaintiffs
the water board mr berengarten added allowed itself to be co opted by a political process
the court agreed with the plaintiffs legal arguments if not their political analysis
in her decision justice edmead wrote that because the city failed to demonstrate that it had the authority to approve the rate increase and the bill credit the resolutions were arbitrary capricious and unreasonable as a matter of law
the city has vowed to appeal
the mayors intent is quite clear and he remains undeterred he wants to return money to the pockets of homeowners mr de blasios top spokesman eric f phillips said in a statement
in the meantime water bills will remain as they were without increases or credits


the brooklyn district attorneys office has reopened an 11 year old double murder investigation after discovering that exculpatory evidence in the case may have been withheld
a special division of the office the conviction review unit has begun an internal inquiry in the case of wayne martin who is serving life in prison for the killings of a tire shop owner gary turner and one of mr turners employees ricardo davids according to court papers filed on friday
on nov 27 2005 mr turner and mr davids were gunned down during an apparent robbery attempt at garys tire emporium on east 96th street in east flatbush mr turners teenage son donald was also shot but survived
mr martin was found guilty of the murders in july 2010 but has always maintained his innocence the new investigation into his case started this year the court papers showed when appellate lawyers in the district attorneys office returned to the case file while preparing a response to mr martins motion to vacate his conviction
as the lawyers started reading through the file the papers said they discovered something strange there were two different copies of the prosecutions summary of the case or what is known as a homicide scratch
one version contained a paragraph stating that a witness in the case had implicated a man named jeffrey joseph not mr martin in the murders but in a second version that potentially exculpatory evidence had been excised
after finding the conflicting documents one of the appellate lawyers interviewed marc fliedner the prosecutor at mr martins trial mr fliedner declined to discuss what he had said during the interview but officials at the district attorneys office said he did not recall the contradictory scratches and had no idea why one had been redacted
at that point court papers said the appellate lawyer notified eric gonzalez the chief assistant to ken thompson the district attorney mr gonzalez subsequently turned the case over to the conviction review unit which came across another troubling document a report from a detectives interview with a witness named michael belgrove who claimed in 2005 that he had seen a third and different man commit the killings the unit found that this report was also never given to mr martins lawyers
mr fliedner a veteran prosecutor was until recently the chief of the district attorneys civil rights bureau this winter he scored a victory in one of the most prominent criminal cases in brooklyn in years securing the manslaughter conviction of peter liang the former police officer who killed an unarmed man akai gurley in a housing project stairwell in 2014
but this month mr fliedner resigned from his position amid a bitter personal dispute with mr thompson in an article in the daily news last week mr fliedner accused the district attorney of being an abusive leader who ran roughshod over his staff and had lost his focus on performing the unique and sacred role of serving as brooklyns top law enforcement officer he also complained that mr thompson had consistently allowed his deputy chief of staff wayne k williams to wield undue influence over his and other prosecutors cases
in an email sunday night mr fliedner wrote if there are legitimate concerns about the fairness of trial proceedings that warrant the granting of a new trial i am all for it
but at the same time he warned that if the district attorneys office had placed false or misleading statements in its filings that suggested intentional wrongdoing on his part then mr thompson had better brush up on the law as it relates to slander and libel
the very timing of this filing relative to one of my trials just two days after i publicly expressed my concerns about the overly politicized environment he has created in the office of the district attorney is glaringly transparent mr fliedner added my guess is that with this action thompson is simply affirming every concern i have voiced about the manner in which he instinctively operates
a spokeswoman for mr thompson declined to respond to mr fliedners comments
but mr gonzalez said that mr fliedner will face an ethics investigation even though he no longer works for the district attorneys office
mr gonzalez also said that the papers about the martin case were submitted only after the conviction review unit received the defenses case file and was able to determine that the exculpatory evidence had not been handed over
prosecutors got that file on wednesday court papers say the same day mr fliedner was quoted by the daily news
justin bonus mr martins current lawyer declined to comment on the case but as part of the continuing investigation mr martin is expected to appear in court in brooklyn sometime in the next few weeks


washington   nine months after president obama and president xi jinping of china agreed to a broad crackdown on cyberespionage aimed at curbing the theft of intellectual property the first detailed study of chinese hacking has found a sharp drop off in almost daily raids on silicon valley firms military contractors and other commercial targets
but the study conducted by the isight intelligence unit of fireeye a company that manages large network breaches also concluded that the drop off began a year before mr obama and mr xi announced their accord in the white house rose garden in a conclusion that is largely echoed by american intelligence officials the study said the change is part of mr xis broad effort to bring the chinese military which is considered one of the main sponsors of the attacks further under his control
as a result the same political forces that may be alleviating the theft of data from american companies are also responsible for mr xis stunningly swift crackdown on the chinese media bloggers and others who could challenge the communist party
its a mixed bag said kevin mandia the founder of mandiant now part of fireeye which first detailed the activities of a peoples liberation army cyber arm called unit 61398 that had been responsible for some of the most highly publicized thefts of american technology we still see semiconductor companies and aerospace firms attacked
but the daily barrage of attacks has diminished which mr mandia attributed to public pressure from among others the justice departments decision to indict five members of the pla unit about a year after its activities were exposed
today unit 61398 appears to be largely out of business its hackers dispersed to other military private and intelligence units many china scholars and legal experts remain skeptical that the chinese are deterred by american indictments since the pla officers are unlikely to see the inside of an american courtroom but john p carlin the assistant attorney general for national security said the report validated his strategy
the lesson is that when you figure out who has done this kind of theft dont fear making it public he said this is a slow process but we are beginning to make people realize that even in cyberspace laws and norms are applicable
mr obama and mr xi drew up their agreement narrowly it covers intellectual property theft   chinese cybercriminals have stolen everything from designs for the f 35 fighter jet to the design of gas distribution networks   but not ordinary espionage against government targets
so for example the administration has not publicly talked about penalizing china for the theft of personal data on roughly 22 million americans whose security clearance information was taken from the office of personnel management in fact the administration has never publicly blamed china for that theft although the director of national intelligence james r clapper jr did talk about chinas role once before he was told by the administration not to refer to any specific country
as recently as last week senior administration officials were in beijing trying to flesh out the agreement between the two presidents participants say that among the points of discussion was how to set up a hotline through which the two countries can alert each other to malicious software they have detected in global networks with the expectation that chinese and american investigators would work to find its source
establishing such norms of behavior is far more likely to be effective than attempting to negotiate a treaty according to outside experts who have been trying to devise the cyberequivalent of arms control agreements
treaties are not verifiable in the cyberarena said joseph nye a harvard professor known for his studies of how nations use soft power who in recent years has turned to the problem of regulating activity in cyberspace the same code can be benign or a weapon depending on the users intent he said for example a six digit code that unlocks a cellphone is a protection for the user   and a potential weapon for a hacker
so instead of focusing on the weapons you have to focus on targets mr nye said you start by saying that you dont target something that has a clearly civilian use like a power grid
mr nye and michael chertoff the secretary of homeland security during the bush administration who now runs a private firm that is deeply involved in cybersecurity were among the lead authors of a report to be published on tuesday by the global commission on internet governance that will describe those norms to the united nations and other groups
just how fundamentally the chinese are changing is a matter of debate there is some evidence american intelligence officials say that while the peoples liberation army is not stealing as much on behalf of chinese state owned firms much of the hacking activity has been shifted to the intelligence agencies which can make the case that they are stealing national security secrets not commercial information often the difference is blurry especially when the target is say the design of a satellite or a ship
even after mr obama and mr xi announced their agreement last fall american officials have said they have discovered malware in power grids cellphone networks and other purely civilian targets but it is unclear whether that malicious software is intended to collect information about users shut the system down or both
the fireeye study concluded that as early as 2014 around the time of the indictment of the plas officers and hackers the chinese government had already been modifying its approach to cyberoperations
the study of 72 chinese hacking groups showed a sharp drop off in the volume of attacks but as recently as march fireeye saw efforts to obtain information on american military projects by stealing access credentials to a contractor and there has been continual theft of personal information from health care providers the chinese hacking groups have also focused on non american targets including russia south korea and vietnam and have sometimes aimed at targets related to the disputes over chinese claims in the south china sea
the report concludes that chinese attacks have decreased in volume but increased in sophistication the result is that chinese hackers are now acting more like russian hackers they pick their targets more carefully and cover their tracks
we see a threat that is less voluminous but more focused calculated and still successful in compromising corporate networks the report said


orlando fla   the corner of kaley street and south orange avenue offers a tableau of american deja vu a sprawl of subways and 7 elevens so common in communities across the continent this one just happens to include a gay nightclub popular with latinos called pulse where gaping holes in the gray painted exterior now reflect the infliction of a national traumatic injury
its easy to see orlando as a place apart our sanctuary of fantasy and escape where fun trumps work and mouse ears are an accepted fashion accessory but when a deeply aggrieved heavily armed man burst into this unremarkable nightclub planted beside a carwash the ensuing mayhem did not seem to occur in some distant disconnected place instead it became a sobering mash up of so much that is contentious in american life
guns gay rights islamic extremism immigration latinos guns playing out just 20 miles from where george zimmerman shot trayvon martin in a state slowly receding into the rising seas it felt like disney dystopia   just in time for election 2016 orlando is more than our preferred family vacation destination orlando is these fractured united states orlando is us
past tragedies tended to unify americans said gary r mormino a retired historian at the university of south florida with a particular expertise in his states experience here in florida   where roots are as shallow as australian pines he wrote in an email   some people will recall how after pearl harbor president franklin d roosevelts calm but assertive radio talks bonded the country elevating hopes many more will remember the feeling of shared grief as the television broadcaster walter cronkite wiped a tear while reporting the assassination of president john f kennedy
but 2016 brings together the toxic elements of an election year presidential candidates who polarize the electorate voters who are afraid and angry and a press eager to exploit the spectacle of division and disaster mr mormino wrote
alas he added we live in a balkanized state and nation
on some level theres a chaotic only in florida quality to the calamity at pulse on the previous friday night a young singer named christina grimmie   famous for having appeared on the voice   was shot dead by a stalker as she signed autographs and on the following tuesday an alligator killed a toddler at a disney resort
but when omar seddique mateen 29 a security guard with thwarted law enforcement ambitions entered the nightclub with a handgun and a military style rifle   both legally and swiftly purchased   he was not coming from some foreign land he was a first generation american born to afghan muslim parents in queens and educated in the public schools of florida
and the community he was about to devastate was not some foreign place   not some stereotypical city of rednecks snowbirds and disney besotted hordes it was tomorrowland today a booming and diverse city of 250000 in which the hispanic share of the population has grown to 25 percent
i dont even know that id characterize it as a southern city anymore said state senator darren m soto a democrat who was born to italian american and puerto rican parents in new jersey its much more of a transplant hispanic kind of vibe in the city
were an all american town but were the new america he said we have people from all backgrounds and walks of life
that diversity includes gay men like eric rollings 47 the chairman of the orange county soil and water conservation district he recalled moving to orlando from michigan in 1989 and finding a small sleepy town lgbt community still reeling from the aids epidemic at the citys first gay pride parade a quarter century ago he said ku klux klan members gathered at the corner of magnolia and pine to greet the marchers
now he said the gay pride festival is a popular signature event in the city and on the january day that same sex marriage became legal in florida last year he noted mayor buddy dyer of orlando officiated the marriages of dozens of same sex couples on the steps of city hall
mr rollings recalled much of this while decompressing in a local restaurant called santiagos bodega he wore a t shirt adorned with slogans of determination   oneorlando oneheart onepulse   and an expression that changed by the minute now grief now exhaustion now disbelief now hope now grief again
the nightmare unleashed by mr mateen is a continuation of the shared nightmare we keep reliving   from virginia tech to newtown to aurora to charleston the names of the victims may change but the greek chorus reaction is all too familiar shock and grief candlelight vigils and calls for unity vows for change and legislative paralysis finger pointing and vitriol and in the end nothing much different   other than say south carolinas vote to remove the confederate flag from state house grounds after the charleston shooting
it took a 15 hour filibuster by senator chris murphy a democrat from connecticut with searing memories of the slaughter of 26 schoolchildren and educators in newtown to get modest gun control measures to the senate floor yet it had no more success monday than similar proposals did after newtown with the senate largely along party lines failing to advance measures that called for an expansion of background checks for all gun sales and a delay in selling guns to suspected terrorists consider that phrase by the way
add to that the profound displays of support for the grieving lgbt community here offset by flashes of intolerance   a pastor in sacramento lamenting that more hadnt died   and statements by more than a few politicians that somehow managed not to mention that many of the victims were gay or latino or both
finally the pulse massacre provided more rhetorical fodder for donald j trump he suggested that president obama was to blame he trumpeted the positive aspects of racial profiling and reiterated his call for a temporary ban on muslims entering the united states
mr trump also said the massacre highlighted the need for more guns not fewer and imagined a scene in which some in the nightclub had been armed and this son of a bitch comes out and starts shooting and one of the people in that room happened to have it and goes boom boom   you know what that would have been a beautiful beautiful sight folks said mr trump the presumptive republican candidate for the presidency
it was too much all this death and grief and discord as if the horrors unleashed at the club were just another excuse to display our grievances and divisions so respite was sought at one of the many orlando area theme parks epcot the 12141 cost of admission was paid as well as the 20 for parking
then began a slog in 90 degree heat through this permanent worlds fair past the margarita stands of fake mexico the pastries of fake norway the orange chicken with rice of fake china the bratwurst of fake germany the tiramisu of fake italy on to the air conditioned comfort of a colonial building featuring the american adventure attraction
an a cappella group called the voices of liberty serenaded visitors with a song that gave a shout out to every american state then guests were directed to some closed white doors and instructed to remain on the blue carpeting and off the gold   at least until these doors opened to the auditorium
soon an animatronic benjamin franklin and mark twain were leading a half hour tour of american history beginning with the mayflower and ending with a montage of famous american faces and moments marilyn monroe and magic johnson elvis presley and albert einstein walt disney and sally ride the i have a dream speech of the rev dr martin luther king jr and the image of firefighters raising the american flag at ground zero
the music swelled a singer urged america to spread your golden wings and the lights came on with the show over the audience was directed to exit to the left past white doors and into the hot glare of what seemed like another country entirely


houston   venezuela had a plan it was a tactical approach designed specifically to take lionel messi and the other dangerous argentine attackers out of the game by applying forward pressure and forcing argentina to make long hopeful passes
and it worked for about seven minutes
but in the eighth minute messi conjured the kind of technical genius that compels most observers to call him the best soccer player in the world artfully lifting a perfect pass about 15 yards in to gonzalo higuain with one striking touch higuain converted it into a goal the first in argentinas 4 1 victory on saturday in a copa america centenario quarterfinal
in that decisive moment like so many others experienced by opponents hoping to stop messi all of venezuelas carefully conceived defensive tactics were laid to waste
they have that stroke of genius that changes all your schemes venezuela coach rafael dudamel said they had an incredible pass from messi and they scored
messi has frequently had brilliant strokes like that one and now it is the united states turn to try to find a way to suppress them the united states earned a spot in tuesdays copa america semifinal here at nrg stadium by beating ecuador but the dubious prize awaiting them is messi argentinas mesmerizing 5 foot 7 dribbling passing and shooting virtuoso
this is special united states coach jurgen klinsmann said absolutely its special to play against these type of players when you get the opportunity to play against one of the biggest players in the world you want to raise your game you want to enjoy it
the united states has had few chances to play a meaningful game against a star of messis caliber who also played on such a quality team fifa has argentina ranked no 1 in the world tuesdays match will be the rough equivalent of taking on peles brazil in 1970 or ferenc puskass hungary in 1954 or the team led by that other argentine soccer genius diego maradona in 1986
as klinsmann noted the united states was seconds from beating portugal at the 2014 world cup until cristiano ronaldo   who has at times been considered messis equal   provided a gorgeous cross that enabled portugal to tie the game
over the years the united states has faced the likes of englands wayne rooney at the 2010 world cup brazils ronaldinho at the 1999 confederations cup and italys paolo maldini one of the best left backs in history at the 1990 world cup as well as brazils duo of bebeto and romario and romanias gheorghe hagi some of the top players of their era at the 1994 world cup
at the 1934 world cup the united states lost by 7 1 to italy and one of the goals was scored by giuseppe meazza whom some historians consider the best player italy has produced at the 1998 world cup klinsmann scored against the united states toward the end of his prolific career as one of the most dangerous attackers for the world champions west germany and germany
but in recent memory there is nothing that quite resembles tuesdays challenge two years ago ronaldo did not enjoy the kind of team support from portugal that messi does now with javier mascherano angel di maria when healthy sergio aguero and particularly higuain argentinas penetrating no 9 who scored twice against venezuela
spend too much time focusing on either messi or higuain and the other could act decisively
we have two strikers who are really exceptional gerardo martino argentinas coach said after saturdays match i cannot repeat it enough i really feel this people in argentina have a hard time accepting the quality of soccer players that we have we have two no 9s and we proceed with what we feel is best
martino watched venezuela hack down messi several times in the quarterfinal game and said the united states would certainly use every possible means to stop him
i just hope that every possible way is a legal way he said at a news conference monday
as superb as messi is some believe that he will not have achieved his true potential until he wins a major trophy for argentina just as he has numerous times for the club team barcelona but after tying gabriel batistutas record of 54 international goals for argentina on saturday messi said he felt no pressure
im always going to be in there messi said im very calm
in maradonas time argentina also had strong supporting players like claudio caniggia jorge valdano jorge burruchaga and later batistuta but like messi maradona was the teams clear supremo
when the united states beat argentina 3 0 at the 1995 copa america maradona was no longer playing for his country but klinsmann had the chance to play against maradona several times in the 1990 world cup west germany beat maradonas argentina 1 0 in a dismal final in rome
you are talking about two wonderful players the best in the world in their time klinsmann said referring to maradona and messi its now messis time and when i had the opportunity to play many games against maradona it was maradonas time we all admire these players but there are also ways to stop them i am not the type of person who pulls out old stories and tells the players how we did it thats not me but there are ways to play against these wonderful players
klinsmann showed his team video scouting reports of messi and argentina and said his players needed to give 10 to 15 percent more in order to achieve an upset tuesday but the argentines are not infallible he added they have not won a major tournament in over 20 years and messis team has come up short twice in the last two years germany beat la albiceleste as argentina is known in the final of the 2014 world cup and chile won in the final of last years copa america
both times it took champions to beat messi and argentina
you guys are probably worrying more about messi than we are the united states captain michael bradley told reporters very good player thats also probably an understatement its still a soccer game with 11 of their guys against 11 of our guys


washington   they are members of the club nobody wants to be a part of and their numbers are growing
with every mass shooting in america a somber scene replays itself here victims families and survivors of massacres   columbine virginia tech aurora tucson sandy hook charleston san bernardino   traipse up to capitol hill they knock on lawmakers doors attend news conferences and bear witness to senate votes on gun measures that almost never pass
so there was a sense of deja vu here on monday as the senate rejected four gun safety measures one week after the pulse nightclub massacre which killed 49 and injured 53 in orlando fla
erica lafferty smegielski 30 whose mother was the principal killed in the 2012 sandy hook elementary school shooting in connecticut spent the day wandering the corridors of congress with colin goddard also 30 whose body still holds three bullets fired by the gunman at virginia tech in 2007 they stopped for a quick bite in a cafeteria and ran into patricia maisch 67 who in 2011 was waiting in tucson to have a picture taken with her congresswoman gabrielle giffords and helped end the massacre by grabbing the gunmans ammunition clip they all hugged
its like every time we come together for something like this there is someone new we are introduced to for the first time and we know the road thats ahead of them said ms smegielski over a basket of chicken nuggets a tattoo honoring her mother is on her right arm
she looked at mr goddard to her right both work for everytown for gun safety an advocacy organization backed by michael r bloomberg the former new york mayor just like you were there for me three years ago she told him and now im somebodys colin
mrs maisch had cut short a family reunion in st louis to be here for the vote in 2013 when the senate voted against gun safety measures that president obama pushed for after the sandy hook shooting she stood up in the senate gallery looked down at the lawmakers and shouted shame on you she was escorted out by the police and detained for two hours
on monday she wore an orange button that read survivor and a collection of colored plastic wristbands each one representing a shooting victim one was for a congressional candidate from wisconsin whose mother killed herself one was for jordan davis a 17 year old student shot in florida by someone who complained about his loud music one was for dawn hochsprung ms smegielskis mother
these are all people i know she said
gun safety advocates said they were not aware of any survivors or relatives from orlando here it was simply too soon they said lori haas whose daughter was badly injured at virginia tech and who is now the virginia state director of the coalition to stop gun violence was in orlando with family members on monday
this is like a very very very bad groundhog day movie she said in a telephone interview from the offices of equality florida a gay rights advocacy group
her presence there suggests a possible change after the rampage at pulse a gay nightclub leaders of the gay rights movement which is well organized and well funded are now putting their muscle behind gun safety
dan gross president of the brady campaign to prevent gun violence said gun safety advocates hope to pattern their efforts after the campaign to legalize same sex marriage if they cannot win in washington they will try to win in the states they cite some progress since the sandy hook shooting 42 states have passed some sort of gun safety legislation according to the law center to prevent gun violence mr gross group helped run a social media campaign using the hashtag disarmhate he said it resulted in 150000 telephone calls to lawmakers last week   10 times the number of calls the movement generated after last years massacre in san bernardino calif
theres a moment for every great issue and every great movement   usually in hindsight   that when you look back and say thats when things started to change he said and for the issue of gun violence that moment is now
as senators voted on monday advocates with the brady campaign sat in the gallery wearing orange t shirts with the slogan enough gun violence afterward ms smegielski dabbed tears from her eyes mrs maisch said she was not surprised
tina meins whose father was killed in san bernardino watched the vote from afar she had been here last week to attend a news conference with senator christopher s murphy a connecticut democrat who held a 15 hour filibuster intended to force his colleagues to take up the issue of guns
she like the others expected the measures to fail the life of a gun safety advocate she said can be extremely frustrating and the club is growing in san bernardino we had 14 families ms meins said now we have 49


st etienne france   it began in marseille a little more than a week ago with bitterness followed by bellicosity then in lens on thursday there was epic frustration followed by spastic jubilation finally here on monday night came strength and speed and ultimately the sort of emotional dissatisfaction one might take from a rigorous round of shadowboxing authority domination even but never the hope of a true knockout
it has been a strange group stage for england at these european championships a preliminary stanza that promised much delivered somewhat less and after an exasperating 0 0 draw with slovakia at stade geoffroy guichard on monday leaves the three lions in a relative identity crisis are they the team that crumbled late against russia the one that surged against wales or the squad that could not close against slovakia
at present this much is clear wales and not england was the best team in group b and with gareth bale scoring for a third straight game in a 3 0 victory over russia the welsh deservedly finished in first advancing to a round of 16 game in paris on saturday england meanwhile placed second in the group and will travel to nice for its next game on june 27
the opponent is yet to be determined   hungary portugal and iceland are among the possibilities   but the biggest issue facing england could be internal yet again on monday the english created chance after chance after chance only to see passing moves fizzle or crosses fly yards beyond their targets or a shot carom off the leg of a sliding defender
it was a familiar scene against russia england controlled long periods of the match and pushed forward more insistently recording 16 attempts on goal to russias six a defensive lapse in stoppage time allowed russia to escape with a 1 1 tie   a result that was immediately overshadowed by ugly fan violence in the stands   but england came away feeling as if it should have won
against wales it was much of the same fourteen more attempts on goal eight shots blocked an advantage of nearly 300 in passes completed and still it took a frantic daniel sturridge goal in stoppage time to secure a 2 1 victory that left wales crushed and england soaring
after that game england players talked of a liftoff a spike from such a dramatic finish wales coach chris coleman described the defeat as one of the worst of his career and his teams fans fretted over a hangover they feared would push wales to the brink
it turned out to be the exact opposite england coach roy hodgson made six changes to his lineup for the slovakia game   a combination of resting some players and rewarding others   but little difference resulted the three lions had 27 attempts on goal to slovakias four and 11 corner kicks to none for slovakia and they recorded about 200 more passes   all of which added up to a zero on the scoreboard
yet again this is a game we should have won hodgson said everything we did on the field led to us being able to win but we didnt take our chances we didnt use all that possession and all those corner kicks and all those free kicks to score the goal we needed to win it and thats a frustration ill have to live with and the players will have to live with too
all night the england fans rose as the players poked and prodded and peppered the goal but slovakia goalkeeper matus kozacik who made six saves and was named man of the match never broke
they pressed us but we managed to hold on kozacik said they made some changes in the lineup but they didnt really change anything about their style of play they can be successful with this kind of play and i think they will get further than just the last 16
that remains to be seen the lack of a cutting edge a striker   or two   who can finish the simpler chances and convert the more difficult ones has already left nervous england fans worrying about the possibility of another draw and a subsequent penalty kick shootout in the knockout rounds
hodgson was even asked   half seriously   about how the teams penalty kicks in practice were progressing because england has historically had a woeful track record in shootouts
first of all lets wait and see   were not doomed to penalties hodgson said through a grin i think were capable of winning a game in normal time
he added all i can say is this i think the time will come when we will take those chances and i think some team may be on the end of that fairly soon
certainly there is potential hodgson already has shifted his captain the longtime forward wayne rooney back into the midfield and jack wilshere did little to impress there but newer players like jamie vardy who scored against wales and dele alli and harry kane have shown their abilities in front of the goal in the past
whoever is on the field though the finishing must be crisper the england players maintained that a change was coming there is too much skill and there are too many goals on their team sheet for the squibs to continue on monday the misses came in all varieties vardy blasted straight at the keeper after breaking in alone adam lallana had a powerful shot palmed away alli had a shot saved off the line and blasted another over the bar
it did not help matters that while this was going on bale and aaron ramsey and wales were clinical finishing group play with wins over russia and slovakia   two opponents england failed to beat
nonetheless england may yet loom largest slovakia coach jan kozak was asked afterward to compare his british group stage foes after only the slightest of pauses he answered frankly perhaps belying his belief that at some point the three lions will break through
i think that regarding the football qualities he said england are better than wales


it feels like almost every other week there is a new headline about uber raising more money uber closes 16 billion in financing uber turns to saudi arabia for 35 billion cash infusion last week we got this one uber to raise up to 2 billion in leveraged loan market
if you add up all the money uber has raised since it started in 2009   the idea was born when its founders became annoyed that they could not get a cab in paris   the ride hailing app company is on its way to amassing a colossal 15 billion thats real cash not some funny money paper based valuation that figure is 68 billion it has done all this while still managing to remain a private company and its chief executive travis kalanick has insisted that a public offering is not coming soon im going to make sure it happens as late as possible he has repeatedly said
consider this when amazon went public in 1997 it raised 54 million and was valued at 438 million
so what exactly is uber doing with all that money and what does it say about uber   and the financial markets   that the company has turned most recently to selling the equivalent of junk bonds
yes uber has to finance an all out war to gain market share in china and india but there is more to it than that ubers money grab is seemingly part of an unspoken strategy to mark its territory
every time uber raises another 1 billion venture capital investors and others may find it less attractive to back one of ubers many rivals didi chuxing lyft gett halo juno in other words ubers fund raising efforts have seemingly become part of the contest its not just a rivalry over customers and drivers its a war of attrition a mad scramble to starve the competition of cash
at the moment ubers success has had the opposite effect it has spawned a long list of rivals big and little guys who say we can do it too but over time as the smaller competitors run out of cash   after heavily subsidizing riders in an effort to steal business from uber   venture capitalists should be less inclined to put up even more cash to go up against fortress uber
ubers fund raising arms race comes against the backdrop of falling valuations for many silicon valley unicorns   private companies worth 1 billion or more so theres clearly a rush to take the money while its still available
its not the second inning or even the sixth its the 14th inning in a five hour baseball game bill gurley the famed venture capitalist who has as a stake in uber and sits on its board warned on his blog about the state of silicon valley he alerted investors about unicorns that come to them seeking funds you are not being invited to a special dance you are being approached because you are the lender of last resort
the ride sharing industry has long been seen as a zero sum game because of the network effect the more customers sign up for uber the more drivers sign up making it tougher for rivals to mount competition there will most likely be only one or two significant players in any given market more on that in a moment because there might be some cracks emerging in that point of view
the question is whether the financing game is zero sum too and the even larger question is whether ubers eye popping capital investments could ultimately act as a deterrent to investors who might consider supporting ubers competitors will they look at ubers balance sheet   it has some 6 billion in cash just sitting there   and throw up a white flag
so far uber is clearly winning the valuation game it is worth more than virtually all of its rivals combined
but uber still has formidable competition in the fund raising arena didi the market leader in china that is engaged in a money losing battle with uber just raised 7 billion some of which came from apple mr kalanick too was hoping to raise money from apple and had planned to meet with executives at the iphone maker the same week apple announced its investment in didi
perhaps strangely several of the same investors that have backed uber are also backing didi in china including blackrock and tiger global so it is hard to say that one service is deterring investment in the other   at least not yet it is worth noting that among the investor class some may be hoping that uber might one day merge its chinese operation with didi
ubers most recent fund raising effort   focused on the leveraged loan market   aims to avoid diluting the current base of shareholders it has hired morgan stanley barclays goldman sachs and citigroup to sell about 2 billion in loans by avoiding a traditional round of financing the company also avoids the company having to risk trying to sell itself at an even higher valuation
given the remarkably low interest rates investors looking for yield may buy into uber
uber says it is profitable in north america europe the middle east africa and australia   if you factor out taxes and interest payments the challenge for uber is breaking into china and india perhaps the two largest markets in the world uber is currently on track to lose about 2 billion annually in those markets as it heavily subsidizes customers and drivers to gain market share
that means that uber will have to pay up for the financing but if ubers valuation continued to grow it would be a bargain compared with the value of the equity uber is hoping to sell debt with a yield of about 4 or 45 percent
ubers ipo will probably come to pass in the next three to four years thats because some of the convertible debt it previously issued provides investors with a special discount if the company has not gone public by then
but by 2018 or 2019 at the rate uber is going who knows how much money uber will have raised it may need none
the question is whether it will have starved all of its competitors along the way


organizers of the united states open said monday they regretted the distraction caused by their decision to wait until after the final round to issue a one stroke penalty to the eventual champion dustin johnson
a day after the lack of an immediate ruling created uncertainty for hours in the climactic moments of the countrys national championship the united states golf association however did not back down from its decision to enforce the penalty based on its examination of the various factors when johnsons golf ball moved as he was preparing to putt on the fifth green sunday
although johnson had consulted with a rules official on the green after his ball moved and had been allowed to continue without penalty he was informed by usga officials on the 12th tee that after video review he might still be penalized a stroke
that set in motion a situation rarely seen in sports in which johnsons actual score was not known even as the competition was winding down johnson ended up building a large lead over the rest of the field which assured him victory as he putted out on the 18th green for his first major championship johnson was then assessed the penalty but still won by three strokes
upon reflection we regret the distraction caused by our decision to wait until the end of the round to decide on the ruling the usga said its statement it is normal for rulings based on video evidence to await the end of a round when the matter can be discussed with the player before the score card is returned while our focus on getting the ruling correct was appropriate we created uncertainty about where players stood on the leader board after we informed dustin on the 12th tee that his actions on the fifth green might lead to a penalty
this created unnecessary ambiguity for dustin and the other players as well as spectators on site and those watching and listening on television and digital channels
the usga also indicated it might handle the same situation differently in the future
we will assess our procedures for handling video review the timing of such and our communication with players to make sure that when confronted with such a situation again we will have a better process the usga said
the usgas handling of the episode including the decision not to make a definitive ruling in the midst of the competition induced harsh criticism on twitter from some of the most prominent players in golf among them the defending united states open champion jordan spieth called what was transpiring a joke
but the usga defended the decision to impose the penalty
our officials reviewed the video of dustin on the fifth green and determined that based on the weight of the evidence it was more likely than not that dustin caused his ball to move the organization said in its statement dustins putter contacted the ground at the side of the ball and almost immediately after the ball moved


in the years after the sept 11 attack as redevelopment officials bickered about and dithered over the future of the world trade center site in lower manhattan thousands of pilgrims came to ground zero from all over the world they found   nothing
no memorial no commemoration no exhibition little signage and less interpretation just impenetrable construction barriers crowded sidewalks hawkers selling lurid photo books and harry john roland a self appointed guide whose cry was history dont let it be a mystery
the 911 tribute center stepped into this void the private nonprofit ad hoc center was founded in part by lee ielpi a retired firefighter whose son jonathan lee ielpi also a firefighter was killed in the attack
the center opened in 2006 on a shoestring budget in a former delicatessen at 120 liberty street opposite ground zero george e pataki who was then the governor of new york said the 911 tribute center would offer an interim destination until the real museum opened
here it is two years after the national september 11 memorial museum opened not only is the tribute center still around it is also to move into a new space nearby at 88 greenwich street where it will occupy 35000 square feet almost three times as much as it has now the lease runs 36 years
the announcement is to be made on tuesday the new center is to open next spring
the memorial museum has done a spectacular job capturing the essence of that day jennifer adams webb the other co founder of the tribute center said last week our mission has evolved into long term recovery and resilience
one third of the exhibition area will cover the events of sept 11 and the immediate aftermath jonathan ielpis turnout coat and helmet are part of this section the next third will deal with how survivors dealt with their loss and trauma through philanthropic and voluntary work and the final third will invite visitors to consider how they might be of service to their own communities
we cant change the past mr ielpi said i cant bring my son back but we can certainly change the future
as important as the space is the tribute center will also continue to organize tours of the sept 11 memorial its 812 volunteer guides are related to victims of the attack or they responded to the attack as firefighters police officers or other emergency workers or survived the attack themselves or helped with the cleanup and recovery of the trade center site or lived downtown at the time
our volunteers not only share their experience of that day ms adams webb said but how theyve grown from that and where theyve come to today   how its shaped their lives
the annual number of visitors to the center peaked in 2011 at 550000 ms adams webb said last year it was 400000 paradoxically tourism in the neighborhood is greater than ever but the tight confines of the centers current space prevent it from accommodating large tour buses she added that is one reason   besides the expiration of the lease at 120 liberty street   it is moving
ms adams webb estimated the total cost of the new center at 7 million she said thor equities the owner of 88 greenwich street was building the unfinished space at its own expense
the center still needs to raise about 4 million she said most of which would cover the exhibition which is being designed by the lee h skolnick architecture and design partnership


baltimore   a judge here on monday asked pointed questions of prosecutors who are seeking to prove that the death of freddie gray the black man who died of a spinal injury while in police custody was second degree murder underscoring the difficulties for a team that has already tried two officers on other charges without getting a conviction
the state said to the world it was a rough ride judge barry g williams of baltimore city circuit court said as he pressed a prosecutor michael schatzow to explain whether his team had proved that officer caesar r goodson jr showed willful disregard for mr grays life by driving a police van dangerously through west baltimore on a sunny april morning last year
mondays closing arguments wrapped up a trial that has conjured vastly different pictures of mr grays ride in the police van and the exact timing of the injury and left prosecutors treading carefully around the rough ride once a central piece of their case
when i said rough ride i didnt talk about driving 100 miles per hour mr schatzow told the judge who will render a decision on thursday i said he wasnt secured for the conditions in which the defendant drove
there were other questions could mr gray have suffered his injuries in an accident was there evidence of elevated speed and what specifically had officer goodson who is also black done to risk mr grays life
mr schatzow said that officer goodson 46 knew mr gray was shackled handcuffed but not seatbelted that the officer made a wide right turn and an unannounced stop and that he then failed to get medical care
the intent is to bang him around mr schatzow said the consequences to the prisoner were worse than what he anticipated
officer goodsons lawyer matthew fraling argued that the officer did not intentionally endanger mr gray instead mr gray created a high degree of risk by removing himself from the prone position in which he had been placed to secure his transport mr fraling said dismaying some activists watching in the courtroom
most days officer goodson a 17 year veteran of the police department came to court in a suit with a gold tie clip and sat quietly without expression he did not testify in his defense
his fate is now in the hands of judge williams
the death of mr gray 25 set off violent protest looting and arson here and put the city at the center of the national debate over race policing and the use of force the citys top prosecutor marilyn j mosby charged six officers with mr grays arrest and death and she reserved the steepest charge   second degree depraved heart murder   for officer goodson he faces six other charges three of which are counts of manslaughter
the first trial of officer william g porter ended with a hung jury in december the second trial of officer edward m nero ended in an acquittal in may
mr gray was arrested on april 12 2015 after fleeing officers in the sandtown neighborhood he was eventually loaded shackled and handcuffed onto the floor of officer goodsons police wagon which made several stops before it arrived at the western district police station where mr gray was found unresponsive his neck was broken and his spinal cord compressed he died a week later
prosecutors introduced the rough ride theory during their opening statements but it ran into hurdles when one of their witnesses said he had not seen the van make abrupt starts stops or turns in his review of the evidence another witness a policing expert said he could not say whether a rough ride had occurred
in delivering her closing argument a prosecutor jan bledsoe argued that mr gray was injured between the second and fourth of six stops she focused on what she said was officer goodsons duty to place a seatbelt on mr gray and to seek medical attention after he asked for it at the vans fourth stop
officer goodson never calls for a medic he never takes freddie gray to the hospital ms bledsoe said
but she did not use the term rough ride and mr fraling argued in his closing argument that prosecutors had tried to reshuffle their case when the evidence did not cut their way officer goodson was justified in not putting a seatbelt on mr gray because he had been combative mr fraling said although judge williams questioned whether the officer had a duty to reassess such a characterization over the course of the ride
at no point in time did he present as being in medical distress or in need of medical treatment mr fraling said of mr gray he added that mr gray was injured between the fifth and sixth stops of the ride and that medical help was immediately summoned when mr gray was discovered unconscious at the sixth stop
david jaros an associate professor of law at the university of baltimore said the case had raised important questions about policing in the city
i think its a mistake for people to focus entirely on whether or not theres a criminal conviction here professor jaros said rather than on whether or not we have ample proof of serious problems with police in baltimore that require that we explore how are we going to prevent these in the future


bridgeport conn   in a packed courtroom here that included relatives of those killed by a gunman at sandy hook elementary school the makers and sellers of the assault rifle used in the attack made a last ditch effort on monday to have a case holding them accountable in the massacre thrown out before trial
at issue is a 2005 federal law which shields gun companies from lawsuits when guns are used in a crime this case   brought by 10 families in the 2012 shooting   has already made it further than many experts had predicted and represents one of the most serious legal threats to the industry in years
it is playing out in superior court in bridgeport against the backdrop of a renewed debate about gun laws following the mass shooting in orlando fla this month an attack that killed 49 people and wounded dozens more
following the school massacre connecticut lawmakers passed a measure banning the sale of many semiautomatic rifles on monday the supreme court declined to hear a second amendment challenge to the statute
to overcome the broad federal immunity granted by congress lawyers for the plaintiffs are arguing that both the manufacturers and distributors of assault rifles modeled on the ar 15 like the bushmaster that was used at sandy hook elementary school have been negligent
such guns are weapons of war they argue and they should never have been marketed and sold to civilians
near the body of a teacher victoria soto the police found a weapon designed to be used in combat to assault and kill enemies of war in the fields of vietnam and in the streets of falluja said joshua d koskoff a lawyer for the family members
and there it was lying not on a battlefield but on the floor of vicki sotos first grade classroom he continued how did it get there
the ar 15 which dates to the 1950s is one of the most popular weapons in history with dozens of gun makers issuing their own models and millions having been sold in this country
james b vogts a lawyer for remington arms company the maker of the gun used in newtown argued that that case was not the place to debate gun laws
mr vogts pointed out that the weapons used by adam lanza 20 in the attack on the school were both legally bought by his mother nancy lanza
he and the lawyers for the other defendants said that the plaintiffs had not met the burden of showing their clients had been negligent and that as a result the case should not be allowed to proceed they said the question of whether civilians should be allowed to buy and own assault weapons ought to be decided by lawmakers not the courts
judge barbara n bellis of superior court asked the lawyers to clarify their argument wondering why the same rules applied to cigarette manufacturers should not apply to gun makers
cigarettes are legal but society has changed regarding how safe they may or may not be judge bellis said why does that same concept not apply to ar 15
mr vogts said that while societal norms might change at the time the weapon was sold to ms lanza there was a considered judgment that such weapons could be lawfully owned in connecticut if the case is allowed to proceed he said were going to have piecemeal regulation in this country by juries
there is a serious separation of powers issue at play here he added and it needs to be recognized
that question is at the heart of the case the judge has until october to decide whether to allow it to go to trial
the lawsuit was filed in december 2014 and in may judge bellis surprised many by allowing the plaintiffs to move forward with the discovery process
they want remington and the other defendants to turn over an assortment of documents related to how they promote the weapon including the use of video games and internet advertising
if the case is allowed to proceed the lawyers for the gun companies said they would ask that any evidence found during discovery be sealed from public disclosure
from the outset the case has been freighted with emotion and the hearing on monday was no exception
before the hearing mathew soto the brother of ms soto the teacher said he was overcome with sadness grief disgust after the orlando shooting no one should ever be put in that position again mr soto said
yet so many families have to go through that process in this country he added because our country cannot come together on the issue of assault rifles mass shootings will continue


the investigation into the 1964 murders of three civil rights volunteers by a group of klansmen an inquiry that became known as the mississippi burning case has come to a close the mississippi attorney general announced monday
the murders of michael schwerner james chaney and andrew goodman committed on a remote mississippi road 52 years ago on tuesday prompted an intense federal investigation that investigation plus a re examination in more recent years led to eight trial convictions and one guilty plea over five decades one of the masterminds of the murders a klansman named edgar ray killen was convicted by state prosecutors in 2005
i am convinced that during the last 52 years investigators have done everything possible under the law to find those responsible and hold them accountable said jim hood the state attorney general at a news conference however we have determined that there is no likelihood of any additional convictions absent any new information presented to the fbi or my office this case will be closed
the most recent round of investigations   the third push by federal agents since 1964   began after the passage of the emmett till unsolved civil rights crime act in 2008 which set up an office within the united states justice department to investigate unsolved murders from the civil rights era
the departments focus during this third investigation said vanita gupta head of the justice departments civil rights division homed in on determining whether sufficient admissible evidence existed to support further state prosecution against any surviving person for involvement in the murders
a 48 page report released by the justice department on monday which described the history of the case and recent investigative efforts included the names of five people believed to have been involved in the killings who were still alive in 2010 when federal agents began re examining the case mr killen is serving a 60 year sentence for the killings two others died shortly after the investigation began
the report describes two other men as still potentially culpable for state offenses related to the murders neither is believed to have been at the scene but are thought by authorities to have been involved in the conspiracy
agents interviewed or attempted to interview old sources and tracked down new ones including klansmen who had been active in the 1960s relatives of those involved jailhouse confidants and mr killen himself
but the deaths of so many original witnesses and sources the inadmissibility in court of key testimony the faulty memories of elderly men and an enduring reluctance among some to speak to the authorities made the likelihood of successful prosecutions remote
obviously the willingness of surviving witnesses to cooperate fully rather than minimizing their knowledge with false denials or feigned memory problems is a factor to consider the report read
still it concluded that the deaths of the three young men have been thoroughly and aggressively investigated and reinvestigated and have thus received some measure of vindication


san francisco   after months of delays apple is likely to open its first retail stores in india a fast growing market for smartphones where the american technology giant has little presence
new rules issued by the indian government on monday exempt foreign owned companies that want to open stores selling a single brand of products from requirements that 30 percent of the content of those products come from india the exemption which lasts three years can be extended to eight years in the case of companies selling cutting edge items such as apples iphones and macs
apple which makes virtually all of its devices in china lobbied for months for the loosening and timothy d cook the companys chief executive discussed it with government officials during his first visit to india last month
an apple spokesman declined to comment on the issue on monday the company has not yet received any formal response from the indian government on its application to open stores
by themselves new stores will have little impact on apples small market share in india beyond serving as a marketing tool although indians will buy an estimated 139 million smartphones this year android models that cost less than 120 dominate the market according to the gartner research firm
apple says its sales in india grew 56 percent during its last fiscal quarter but its cheapest phones typically run 400 or more its total annual sales in india were around two million units last year according to gartner
the policy changes which also affect other sectors like the military and aviation are the latest effort by the government of prime minister narendra modi to make india more predictable for foreign technology companies   even if the rules do not always work exactly as planned
in march the government declared that online retailers that sell many brands including amazon are legal under indian law which had been a gray area however it also said that such retailers could not sell goods directly to consumers but instead must serve as marketplaces for third party merchants that threatened to upend the business structure of amazon as well as local competitors like flipkart while protecting local merchants
last month after years of threatening to impose stiff taxes on venture capitalists and other foreign investors in india the indian government struck a new treaty with mauritius a tax haven used by many foreign companies to move money in and out of india tax free to phase out the tax breaks foreign investors will soon have to pay a modest tax on capital gains in india but the uncertainty is over
kanwal rekhi managing director of inventus capital partners a venture capital firm with a long history of investing in india said the series of clarifications had been a long time in coming these are not things that require change of law he said modi is an improvement over what we had but he is still hesitant
mr rehki said that mondays policy announcements would have little impact on the overall technology industry in india which is already open to start ups as well as giants like facebook google microsoft and oracle
but it will certainly help apple open its first stores in the country analysts said the new rules effectively would give apple   as well as major chinese phonemakers like xiaomi and lenovo   the ability to set up shops in india to showcase their wares
opening stores will allow apple to deliver to indian customers the full apple experience   artful displays staffed by informed sales representatives genius bars to help solve problems and a carefully curated set of accessories
people feel pride after buying an iphone thats what apple is all about said anshul gupta a personal technology analyst with gartner in mumbai thats how they maintain the premium image
the indian government has not yet acted on apples request to address the low end of the market by importing and selling used phones with a new warranty the company has indicated it would do some of the refurbishing in india creating local jobs
mr gupta said that indian consumers were becoming more affluent and that if apple could capture the top 5 to 10 percent of indias smartphone sales that would be a large new market it is not an overnight story but there is a huge potential he said
apple is making other commitments to india during mr cooks visit he announced the tech giant would be opening a new development center in hyderabad focused on map technology that would create up to 4000 jobs the company also opened a tech accelerator in bangalore to encourage more local app developers to write software for apple products
apple slow to warm to india now wants to catch up its lost ground  said arvind singhal chairman of technopak a business consulting firm in new delhi


when the wnba eliminated conference barriers from its playoff format this season a common hypothesis was that the minnesota lynx and the phoenix mercury the past two champions would meet in the finals the two teams battled in the western conference finals in four of the last five seasons with the winner taking the championship each time
the lynx have continued unfettered on their path to back to back titles and their fourth in six years setting the record for the best start in league history by winning their first 12 games despite the return of diana taurasi who sat out the 2015 season at the behest of the russian team she plays for in the off season the mercury stumbled to a 4 8 mark
but in their place a familiar power has emerged   the los angeles sparks winners of two wnba titles who are 11 0 behind candace parker and nneka ogwumike
ogwumike 25 has long been regarded as one of the leagues most gifted athletes in 2012 when the lynx swept the sparks in the conference finals ogwumike was the rookie of the year after being drafted first over all
at the beginning of last season though she was lost at times on the floor parker was absent choosing to rest from the rigors of the professional womens basketball calendar which basically requires year round play to maximize earning potential
the seeds of the sparks latest ascent originate with parkers return last july 29 in a game they lost to the lynx ogwumike hampered by injuries and the workload of being the teams focal point was able to ease back into her natural position at forward and thrived again under parkers tutelage
the lynx and the sparks both undefeated about a third of the way through the wnba season will meet in los angeles on tuesday afternoon the anniversary of the leagues first game in 1997
candace has been very influential on how weve played this season and the success that weve had sparks coach brian agler said adding that he thought last years burden was unfair to ogwumike she and nneka have a great chemistry and a great rapport on the floor
parkers respite paid off in 16 games last season she averaged a career high in minutes and a double double for the second time in her career with 194 points and 101 rebounds per game after the loss to the lynx in parkers first game back the sparks put together an 11 6 record overcoming a 3 13 start without her to make the playoffs where they took the lynx to a deciding game 3 before elimination
candace parker when she came back at midseason last year was playing at an unbelievable level lynx coach cheryl reeve said
this year parkers artistry on the perimeter has combined with ogwumikes uncanny power in the post to form a dominant offensive pair
parker 30 is on pace to more than double her output on 3 pointers made shooting 395 percent from outside on june 11 in a 97 73 win over the dallas wings ogwumike was 12 for 12 on field goals and 7 for 7 from the free throw line for 32 points setting a record for the number of field goal attempts made without a miss the streak was part of another league record for most consecutive field goals made at 23 spanning three games
candace has definitely made me better ogwumike said shes made me more of a student of a game she sees a lot of things that i dont pick up on and i learned to pick up on now shes definitely enhanced the intellectual nature of my game
ogwumike added after last year   what we do is difficult in we dont really get an off season for a player of her caliber to reset decompress and come back halfway last year i think sometimes its necessary i think she made the right decision for herself we were still in position to compete for a championship last year because of the tenacity she brought back its perpetuated into this season
for parker her singular focus this summer will be on winning her first wnba title after she was left off the roster for the united states olympic womens basketball team parker named the wnbas western conference player of the week on monday is a two time olympic gold medalist and on tuesday she could be honored when the wnba announces its top 20 players in league history as part of the celebration of its 20th season
parker the 2013 wnba most valuable player said earlier this year that she was surprised and disappointed at her olympic omission and that she felt she was still in the prime of her career
reeve who is on the womens national team coaching staff did not believe parkers play this season emanated from added motivation after the olympic snub
it has absolutely nothing to do with usa basketball trying to prove anything reeve said shes got nothing to prove
reeve later added i just think that candace is on a mission for her team to do well
ogwumike though said that parkers maturation and its influence on the sparks had been evident in their sharpened focus
its incredibly narrow and its finite   we dont look too far ahead ogwumike said adding were not satiated the group that we have this year we always want more


the justice department said monday that there was not enough evidence to support federal criminal charges in the case of a teenager found dead inside a rolled up gym mat at a georgia high school federal officials reviewed the 2013 death of kendrick johnson 17 of valdosta the local and state authorities had ruled that the death was an accident concluding that mr johnson had been unable to breathe after getting stuck upside down in the middle of the rolled up mat while reaching for a gym shoe but his parents insisted that someone must have killed their son and they pushed to reopen the investigation they got a judges order to exhume the body so a second autopsy could be performed the private pathologist hired by the family reported finding hemorrhaging beneath the skin of mr johnsons jaw and neck and concluded that he had suffered a fatal blow near his carotid artery that appeared to be nonaccidental the justice department said an independent federal investigation had found insufficient evidence to support federal criminal charges ap
former speaker j dennis hastert will report to a federal prison in minnesota this week to begin a 15 month sentence in his hush money case his lawyer said mr hastert who served in the house as a republican from illinois has a wednesday afternoon deadline to report to the rochester federal medical center judge thomas m durkin said at mr hasterts april sentencing in federal district court in chicago that the facility would be a good fit in part because it specializes in health care and is near mayo clinic mr hastert 74 is diabetic and had a stroke last year ap
a veteran of the fbi has been named to head the united states border patrol an agency traditionally led by agents who rise through the ranks the new chief mark morgan briefly led the internal affairs department at customs and border protection the border patrols parent agency he will oversee about 20000 agents who patrol the nations land borders with canada and mexico and its maritime boundaries r gil kerlikowske the customs and border protection commissioner told staff of the appointment in a memo on monday in 2014 mr kerlikowske tapped mr morgan to help review complaints of excessive force and misconduct by customs and border protection employees mr morgan replaces michael fisher who retired last year the national border patrol council which represents 18000 agents said it was disappointed the commissioner passed over several highly qualified internal candidates ap


a man arrested at a donald j trump rally in las vegas on saturday told the authorities that he had intended to kill mr trump according to a complaint filed monday in united states district court in nevada
the man michael steven sandford was arrested after trying to grab an officers gun from her holster the complaint said and had lingered near the officer telling her he wanted mr trumps autograph
in an interview after his arrest the complaint says mr sandford told the authorities that he made a conscious effort to come to las vegas to kill trump and that he had been planning to attempt to kill trump for about a year he also said that he expected to be killed by law enforcement personnel during his attempt on mr trumps life
mr sandford said that the day before the rally which was held at the treasure island casino that he visited a nearby gun range to learn how to shoot a gun and that it was his first time using a weapon he said he chose the specific officer because he noticed that her holster was in an unlocked position
mr sandford had a united kingdom drivers license when he was arrested and had been living in new jersey for about a year and a half before driving to california and eventually las vegas he said he had bought a ticket to mr trumps rally in phoenix later that day as a backup plan should he not find an opportunity in las vegas
all rallies for mr trump the presumptive republican presidential nominee are protected by the secret service and feature full metal scanners at the entrance along with numerous members of his private security detail throughout the events
the trump campaign directed all requests for comment to the secret service
in an email a spokeswoman for the secret service confirmed that mr sandford was arrested after trying to disarm the officer she said that the investigation was continuing and that he could face additional charges


another downturn in the stock price of credit suisse has put tidjane thiam the banks embattled chief executive on the defensive   again
on friday mr thiam sent employees a memorandum that said hedge funds were betting against shares of credit suisse   taking the view that mr thiam would have to raise more capital from investors credit suisse officials say the chief executive regularly sends updates to employees
mr thiam called these concerns unfounded and said they were a reflection of how market conditions have become difficult for credit suisse and other european banks
since he took over last summer as chief executive at credit suisse   which has large operations in new york and london   its stock has sunk by over 50 percent last week it touched a new low of 118 swiss francs or about 1225
mr thiam has been forceful and blunt in describing how the banks previous model of relying on riskier capital intensive trading and banking businesses needed to be revised instead he has said the focus should be on providing a range of financial services to wealthy clients in fast growing emerging markets
but the chief executives brusque manner and a perception among bankers that he is not subjecting himself to the same sacrifices that he is asking of them has created tension within the bank   made worse by the stocks continuing slump
in his memo mr thiam said that in the next month he would be embarking on a trip that would include stops in new york london and singapore to meet with clients and investors to talk about his plans for the bank
in that vein he met last week in zurich with one of his largest investors david herro of harris associates which owns nearly 10 percent of credit suisse
mr herro said in an interview that he saw mr thiam as part of a broader tour of the other companies that his mutual fund owns in europe but added that they did have a discussion about the new strategy which mr herro endorsed
i think he is absolutely right in what he is doing and you dont alter it just because people are wailing mr herro said if a trader makes money they get a bonus   if they lose the shareholder bites it these changes have been long overdue
as he has done in meetings with investors and clients mr thiam has blamed upset investment bankers for a negative environment and he has said repeatedly that he will not backtrack as a result of their complaints
in his memo though mr thiam did strive to strike a positive tone in terms of the effort to turn around the global markets division significant progress with the accelerated restructuring not only in terms of de risking and cost reduction but also in reinvigorating our client franchise he wrote
nevertheless mr herro did say that it is important for mr thiam to do better in terms of getting his message across internally if change is going to happen it has to be done with good communication and empathy toward employees he said
mr herro said in the interview that he saw no need for credit suisse to raise new funds with the cash generation they have now their capital position is fine he said
more than most investment banks credit suisse relies on company stock to compensate employees
there are few analysts or investors who think that mr thiam is mistaken in his strategy which is in line with what other banks in europe are doing
but even his biggest supporters have started to express some concern that he could be doing a better job communicating his message   unpleasant as it may be   to his employees
and while the board has recently said that it supports mr thiam directors have also been asked numerous questions by shareholders about mr thiams ability to push through difficult changes in light of his poor relationship with bankers in the global markets division
a recent report by switzerlands central bank found that credit suisse and its larger rival ubs would each need to raise another 10 billion swiss francs in capital to meet stringent new bank safety rules being put in place in switzerland
mr thiam has rejected speculation that the banks losses are escalating and that the bank would need to go to investors once again for a fresh round of cash
last fall mr thiam raised about 6 billion or 6 billion swiss francs from the market at a price in the low 20s per share coming to investors again for cash so soon after the first effort and with the stock trading at current levels would be difficult for mr thiam analysts and investors say
since hitting a low the stock has recovered somewhat in recent days and it closed trading on monday at 1283 swiss francs


boston   at a public hearing this year a nursing director from boston childrens hospital made a painfully detailed case for why the hospital needs to expand
in the crowded neonatal intensive care unit she said doctors sometimes have to perform emergency surgery at an infants bedside within feet of other critically ill children and their anxious parents the open layout means that only a curtain separates a family preparing to take its baby home from parents who just took theirs off life support she added their sobbing heard by all
time is of the essence said the director cheryl toole pleading for the massachusetts department of public health to approve a 1068 billion expansion plan the largest proposed by a hospital here in recent memory
but what might seem an undeniable need for boston childrens   a new 11 story building that would house a bigger nicu and heart surgery center and private patient rooms instead of doubles   is instead bogged down in controversy
to make room for the expansion the hospital wants to bulldoze prouty garden a serene half acre green space at the center of its campus a group of doctors and patients families are campaigning fiercely to save the 60 year old garden saying its value to sick and dying children and their families is irreplaceable
in a building full of monitors and beeping and probing staff its a place you can go to just get away from all of it said gus murby who took his 17 year old son to the garden to die after a second bone marrow transplant for leukemia failed and thats huge
more than 16000 people have signed a petition supporting the campaign including the biologist e o wilson and the pediatrician t berry brazelton who worked at the hospital for decades
the group behind it friends of prouty garden has received enough donations to hire a lawyer and a public relations firm
but while the garden has a powerful emotional tug the group has also raised a practical question will a bigger higher tech hospital thwart state and national efforts to get spiraling medical costs under control
bostons prestigious teaching hospitals childrens included have helped make massachusetts one of the most expensive places in the country for medical care a four year old state law seeks to slow the growth of health costs partly by setting an annual target the first of its kind in the nation that hospitals are not supposed to exceed
in february as the campaign to save prouty garden gained attention state regulators took the unusual step of asking boston childrens to seek an independent analysis of the projects cost the cost control law allows the state to require that extra step in its approval process for major new hospital construction once the analysis is complete state officials will move toward deciding whether to allow the expansion
but friends of prouty garden could further delay the project the group has already sued claiming that the hospital illegally began preconstruction before the state signed off and it has warned of further legal action if the expansion is approved
the group says that the hospital is expanding mainly to attract more international and out of state patients many of whom may pay more for its services and that it should pursue a more modest expansion elsewhere the hospital has seen an overall drop in patients in recent years according to state data
this is about the hospitals desire to increase revenue said jim mcmanus a spokesman for the group
the hospital says it considered other potential sites but concluded that building over the garden on its main campus   which stands alongside harvard medical school   would be the least costly and disruptive
that leaves prouty garden with its meandering paths fountains towering redwood tree and rabbits that nibble the grass in the cross hairs the expansion plan calls for three new gardens including one on the roof of the new building which hospital officials say would provide 25 percent more green space over all but prouty supporters are unimpressed
we need that green escape where the air is open to the wild sky the trees are old and lovely susan record whose daughter spent time at the hospital this year said at the hearing on the expansion in february no smaller green space or rooftop garden can quite duplicate this unique jewel
but other parents described the lack of privacy they endured either in the nicu or hospital rooms their ill children had to share with others at the most trying of times
rob graham a hospital spokesman said advances in treatment and improved survival rates for childhood diseases had brought a steady increase in complex patients many of whom require long stays too often he said those children have to wait for beds or surgery doctors and nurses at the hospital have described rationing intensive care beds and turning away transfers because there was no room
the hospital wants to add 71 beds mostly for intensive care patients to the 396 it has now as well as four operating rooms and three magnetic resonance imaging machines
in addition to the new building on the hospitals main campus the expansion would include an outpatient building with 60 exam rooms about a mile away two buildings on the main campus would also be renovated
boston childrens is also planning to add 48 inpatient beds to a satellite location in waltham a boston suburb that is now used only for day surgery but it is not currently seeking state approval for that project estimated at 300 million
dr paul hattis a professor at the tufts university school of medicine and a former member of a commission created under the 2012 law to study health care costs said the omission seemed to be an effort to obscure the total cost growth impact of the hospitals building plans
mr graham said the waltham project was still under development
financial filings show that boston childrens earned 113 million on operations in 2014 a 28 percent increase largely because of a surge in international patients the hospital also recently acquired a big primary care practice that serves new york city suburbs
dr alan lassiter an expert on childrens hospitals at the advisory board company an analytics and research firm said the work by boston childrens to attract international and wealthy suburban patients reflected a seismic shift in survival tactics for childrens hospitals as they faced increased competition from general hospitals and static local demand
patients from other countries he said often will pay out of pocket with cash for very high end intensive services while suburban patients tend to have private insurance that reimburses well about a third of boston childrens patients are covered by medicaid the government insurance program for the poor that is fewer than most childrens hospitals dr lassiter said but more than most hospitals that treat adults
dr hattis said the expansion would probably drive up the hospitals operating costs not least by requiring a larger staff hospitals often cover such increases by raising the amount they charge private insurers he said
but mr graham said serving more international and out of state patients who needed complex care would help the hospital generate revenue without charging massachusetts insurers more
such assurances matter little to people whom prouty garden helped endure tremendous loss
elizabeth richters brother david horton died of a brain tumor at boston childrens in 1973 when he was 12 his family scattered his ashes in the garden ms richter said after spending countless hours with him there while he was sick
those times we spent together as a family in that garden just laughing and enjoying each others company those were precious moments she said so this goes very deep for me


this years tonys talk focused heavily on a single show hamilton
but the biggest immediate beneficiary of the broadway awards ceremony appears to be a much less well known production the humans
the family drama by stephen karam which has been chugging along at the helen hayes theater since jan 24 won four tony awards best new play best featured actor in a play reed birney best featured actress in a play jayne houdyshell and best scenic design in a play david zinn and last week   the first since the tonys were broadcast june 12   was the best week at the box office to date for the humans which grossed 563565 according to figures released monday by the broadway league
the humans which had previous productions at the american theater company in chicago and at the roundabout theater company in new york is not only grossing more money than any other play on broadway including the long running hit the curious incident of the dog in the night time but it also has the highest average ticket price of any play at 12345 and advance sales have ticked up since the tonys
last week the humans grossed more than several musicals including chicago jersey boys fun home and this years tony winner for best musical revival the color purple and the humans is grossing more than all those shows while playing in the smallest theater on broadway   the hayes only has 576 seats
the tonys had less of an impact on the nights other big winners hamilton which won the prize for best new musical was already sold out so it had no capacity for short term growth and its grosses last week were relatively flat at a whopping 2 million the color purple after having won the best musical revival award was down significantly to 560484 as its tony winning star cynthia erivo was out most of the week she was in london for the opening of the british production of aladdin which stars her boyfriend dean john wilson in the title role
overall the week ending june 19 was a decent one for broadway the 34 shows running grossed 282 million down slightly from the 285 million the 35 shows running the week before brought in two plays closed on sunday eclipsed which will be presented at the curran theater in san francisco next spring and the father


walmart is selling its chinese online business to that countrys no 2 e commerce site jdcom creating a strategic partnership that it hopes will bolster its presence there
the company said monday that it was selling jdcom ownership of yihaodian its e commerce site in china including the brand and the app sams club in china also owned by walmart will open a flagship section on jdcom and both companies will broaden the range of imported goods
walmart which will take a 5 percent stake in jdcom stands to gain a tremendous amount of traffic from jdcoms huge customer base and its same day delivery network jdcom has nearly 6000 delivery and pickup stations in about 2500 counties and districts across china yihaodian owns and operates only about 250 hubs
jdcoms strength is in name brand electronics but it should be able to capitalize on yihaodians strong brand and business in eastern and southern china and in important categories like groceries and household goods last august jdcom bought a 10 percent stake in yonghui a rival that specializes in fresh food
food is among the growing number of products that people in china are shopping for online a big reason traffic has declined at walmarts 400 stores there walmart has sought to establish itself as a source of high quality food after a series of safety issues in china
walmart has less than 2 percent of chinas online market ranking well behind the powerhouse alibabas 469 percent and jdcoms 201 percent according to the research firm euromonitor international
in a statement issued on monday walmarts chief executive doug mcmillon said jdcom had a very complementary business and is an ideal partner
sales growth has been slow over all for walmarts global online business the retailer said recently that global e commerce sales rose 7 percent in the first quarter weaker than the 8 percent in the previous quarter and far below the 20 percent increases seen under two years ago


at last weeks worldwide developers conference apples annual showcase of new tech the company announced a special texting feature coming soon to iphones near you
you know sometimes youve typed a whole message and you realize at the end that youre entirely lacking in emojification said craig federighi apples senior vice president for software engineering so we provided the solution when you tap on the emoji button well highlight all the emojifiable words there and you can just tap tap tap tap and emojify
on a screen behind mr federighi a simulated message underwent the process the word basketball transformed into a little black and orange cartoon image of the ball itself pizza flipped into a glistening pepperoni slice movie turned into an old school film camera a collective ooh wafted up from the technorati gathered in the crowd
children of tomorrow will have no understanding of the english language mr federighi said jokingly
but apples new emoji feature seems more likely to impede a different kind of skill creating surprising figurative and subversive forms of individual expression out of the digital ephemera that populate our devices in a rush to harness the power of the webs most evocative cultural units   emoji and their hyperactive cousins gifs   tech companies corporate brands and entrepreneurial social media stars could risk inadvertently flattening the creative world thats sprung up around them
there is a constant push and pull between people finding new ways to express themselves online and companies trying to make money off that expression said luke stark who studies digital communication and psychology
emoji have emerged as cultural forces in and of themselves the crisp candy colored glyphs form a modern emotional palette and its growing on tuesday the unicode consortium the body that standardizes emoji will release 72 new ones that will soon make their way to our fingertips including a black heart a wilted flower and a pregnant woman
emoji began as colorful icons loaded into japanese pagers in the 1990s when they first migrated to american devices several years ago discovering emoji felt like opening a grab bag of japanese curios smiley faces yes but also a buffet of japanese foods a cut of sashimi a fish cake a bottle of sake and a host of untranslatable images
but the emoji soon took on new meanings as they made their way to new countries and subcultures   like the information desk person emoji recast as a sassy retort or the eggplant emoji which usurped the banana to become the internets favorite phallic symbol in a group chat adding emoji can feel like tacking up posters on the walls of a virtual clubhouse a lively sequence can stoke flirtatious undertones or show off sparkling wit one perfectly chosen emoji could suspend a mood in time like an 80s movie that ends on an exultant freeze frame
if emoji encourage visual puns and whimsical juxtapositions gifs inspire a sharp curatorial sensibility the art lies in detecting the richest slices of popular media   film tv or amateur video   and punctuating their greatness by setting them on infinite repeat the best reaction gifs   those chosen to inject human expression in online conversation   feel both emotionally familiar and visually surprising
but when emojis and gifs are filtered through the interests of tech companies they often become slickly automated in addition to apples emojification feature there is twitters new gif keyboard a partnership with the gif company giphy which has been pumped with 7895 million worth of funding since 2013 it directs twitter users to choose from a suite of emotional reactions including agree applause aww and eww which conjures a set of appropriate gifs front loaded with those featuring the internets most gifable celebrities like beyonce and oprah
searching for a delicious bite of pop culture once took on the contours of a treasure hunt a gif keyboard feels like a shortcut click gif find an emotional state agree then filter it through your cultural lens of choice like jerry seinfeld saying riiiiiight right right right right right tap tap tap gif ify
it all feels simpatico with facebooks new reactions released in february which offer users a slim range of human experiences   anger sad wow haha and love   with which to react to news on their feed
buying into these features means giving tech companies the power to shape our creative expressions in ways that further enrich the companies themselves a limited emotional range helps collect data on users states of mind twitter advertisers can now target users based on the emoji they tweet
the commodification of digital culture has engendered more explicit corporate branding too on snapchat where users embellish their selfies with emoji crayon scribbles and elaborate lenses that cover their faces with virtual masks marketers like mcdonalds are seizing the opportunity to write their messages across peoples faces
even celebrities have tried to encode themselves in december kim kardashian west released her latest pioneering app kimoji which serves up an alternative emoji set and a suite of gifs designed around her own image it inspired a boomlet of celebrity emoji offerings including stephen currys stephmoji app amber roses muvamoji justin biebers justmoji and the actor ansel elgorts anselfie even drakes dad has emoji now
with kimoji and its micro images of breasts and butts kim kardashian isnt just sexy she represents sex itself but as more stars jump on the bandwagon these apps begin to represent little more than a branding opportunity ansel elgort sticking out his tongue ansel elgort pouting ansel elgort wearing headphones
meanwhile as traditional emoji expand beyond their japanese roots tech companies like apple microsoft and google all are voting members of unicode have become responsible for making cultural and sometimes political choices in determining which new emoji will make the cut
some additions to the emoji repertoire are informed by experts unicode has consulted the cornell lab of ornithology for bird emoji advice others are culled from popular requests from online communities and proposals submitted by the public
companies have also made bids to influence the result though unicode says it rejects emojis strongly associated with a particular brand last year the ad agency havas london started a campaign on behalf of durex calling for a condom emoji cerveza indio wants a dark beer emoji ballantines has championed a glass of whiskey the rice company la fallera suggested a paella emoji the whiskey and paella made the cut both are coming on tuesday
for the olympics unicode recently considered encoding a rifle emoji alongside other sport themed glyphs but members voted it down when vendors looked at it they didnt see a lot of additional value in adding it said mark davis a unicode spokesman theres already a firearm in unicode
that decision has helped stoke concerns that modern visual language is being shaped by the political or financial priorities of gigantic tech companies while many dont see the advantage of emojifying another gun others wonder whether heightened scrutiny could lead to less idiosyncratic less interesting characters
one of the things that make emoji fun is this quirky weird list that came about through accidents of history said jeremy burge the founder of emojipedia and a member of unicodes emoji subcommittee the bomb the cigarette the dripping syringe   its crazy to think that all of those would make it in today


dahiyat al barid west bank   at 415 am on a dead end street a 33 year old palestinian man came running from the shadows between buildings with a rickety wooden ladder he slapped it against the hulking concrete wall and climbed up hoisting himself the last six feet because the ladder was too short
the wall which israel began building more than a decade ago to thwart the suicide bombers of the second intifada is supposed to prevent palestinian residents of the occupied west bank from entering into israel outside military checkpoints where their papers can be examined
but the palestinian man perched in a gap in the concertina wire that tops much of the snaking 400 mile route of the wall he motioned to a white daewoo sedan that had lurched to a stop below and one by one four young men stepped out of the car climbed the 13 rung ladder and slid down a rope on the other side within minutes another car was speeding the men to construction sites in israel where they did not have permits to work and the man with the ladder was leaving to look for more job seekers willing to pay to scale the wall
in the west bank you have hustlers said the man who like more than two dozen other palestinians interviewed for this article spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was breaking the law you can either call them hustlers or you can call them brokers
this furtive predawn crossing is part of a thriving smuggling industry that allows untold numbers of people to pass over under through or around what israelis call the security barrier   for a price
the industry offers economic benefits for everyone involved palestinian workers earn double or quadruple the wages they can in the west bank israeli contractors and restaurant owners pay less for illegal labor than for palestinians with permits and the smugglers collect 65 to 200 for each person that passes punishment for those caught is generally being sent back to the other side
the system punches a hole in israels system for regulating palestinians access to work inside israel and has security implications attackers like the two palestinian men who fatally shot four people this month at a tel aviv cafe sneak through as well
the two men lived in yatta a village in the west banks south near where the unfinished barrier consists mostly of a metal fence with numerous gaps and holes micky rosenfeld an israeli police spokesman said they had entered israel illegally most probably via one of the areas which are open or not completed
the shin bet israels internal security agency says that from oct 1 of last year to feb 1 21 palestinians who attacked israelis were in the country illegally
since the tel aviv attack israels defense ministry has promised to extend a more effective form of the barrier to the south an area heavily trafficked by smugglers but the governments other response to the shooting the cancellation of 83000 special permits for palestinians to cross during the holy month of ramadan may reveal how difficult it will be to stanch the flow
at the qalandiya checkpoint outside the city of ramallah on the friday after the attack men stood at the edge of the restive crowds no longer able to pass through shouting tahreeb tahreeb   arabic for smuggling smuggling
we have to understand that you will never solve the problem said nitzan nuriel a retired israeli brigadier general and the former head of the prime ministers counterterrorism bureau whenever you have illegal workers it is part of the reality it is part of the economy
the challenge said mr nuriel now a counterterrorism expert at the interdisciplinary center in herzliya is filtering potential terrorists from ordinary workers you have to decide he said which fish to catch and which fish you can allow to swim
the economics of the smuggling business are straightforward   and irresistible
unemployment among west bank palestinians is about 20 percent over all and is even higher for young people starting wages per day according to khalil shikaki the director of the palestinian center for policy and survey research in ramallah are 70 to 80 shekels or 20 numerous palestinians working illegally at israeli construction sites said they made 80 to 100 a day
that is still a major bargain for israeli companies who have to treat palestinians with work permits similar to israeli workers in terms of wages and benefits covering sick days vacations health insurance and pensions
there are currently about 55000 palestinians with permits working legally in israel and an estimated 20000 in the settlements according to palestinian labor ministry that is down from a peak of 140000 before the second intifada in 2000 the ministry says when the population was about two thirds the size
estimates vary widely on the number of illegal workers mr shikaki said 30000 was a reasonable guess mr nuriel said it was closer to 60000 depending on the time of year most work in construction agriculture or restaurants
mr rosenfeld the police spokesman said that hundreds of illegal workers were picked up each week but that the authorities were focusing on arresting those that are attempting to bring in the palestinians illegally
the first time someone is caught in israel illegally he said the police simply record the incident and release the worker back to the west bank repeat offenders will appear before the courts and may face other penalties mr rosenfeld said adding that anyone suspected of links to terrorism is referred to the military
but palestinian workers who have been arrested multiple times said in interviews that the most serious consequences they have faced have been an interrogation and being dropped off at a checkpoint as far as possible from where they were picked up
mr nuriel the counterterrorism expert said that it would be too costly to keep such a large population in jail and that even widespread arrests were impractical asking who is going to interrogate them
at a large construction site in israel an illegal worker in a yellow hard hat who goes by the name abu khalid estimated that he had gone over the wall dozens of times in the last year alone like many others interviewed he said his routine was to cross the wall work inside israel for a few days or weeks and then go back to the west bank for a short rest some employers house workers in trailers some workers stay with relatives or friends and some like abu khalid camp outside
at 50 he has a lined deeply tanned face and the sign of his seniority on the job a walkie talkie in his pocket abu khalid said that a package deal for the jump over the wall and transportation to his work site costs about 800 shekels for a solo trip when three men go in together he said they can cross for perhaps 300 shekels each
thats a lot of money abu khalid said
workers punch in as soon as they arrive at a job site he added and both israeli and palestinian contractors know they have no permits at days end abu khalid continued we go find a water pipe to take a shower and then we find a nice tree and sleep under it
passage is not always as simple as going up a ladder and down a rope two young workers   ahmad 19 and bassem 21   sat on a terrace in their village north of ramallah and chuckled about a time when tight security forced them to go under the wall not over it
we used to go through a water main like snakes bassem said
ahmads father who also spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of legal repercussions said his son provided a prime source of income for the family but ahmad is also a source of deep anxiety because of how he travels to work
when he goes and he comes i have my hand on my heart in fear of something happening the father said
nowhere is passage more perilous than the west banks south where the tel aviv suspects who are cousins most likely crossed
you dont know who you are walking with said mahmoud khalil 19 a palestinian who was working at an israeli construction site but had no permit
mr khalil is from yatta like the suspects but he said he did not know the cousins and came to israel only to earn money for his family he said he paid 250 shekels for safe passage through a large gap in the barrier near the village of dahriya southwest of yatta and transportation to the work site
one recent day near dahriya and neighboring ramadin pickups jammed with illegal workers played cat and mouse with israeli military humvees racing from gap to gap as smugglers chattered on phones nearby workers and smugglers alike understand that terrorism is bad for business
a driver for the smugglers in dahriya who spoke on the condition that he be identified only as abu ramzi said that he and his colleagues alert palestinian security forces at the first hint that a client intends to commit violence in israel he complained that the israeli military had stepped up patrols of the southern barrier since the tel aviv shootings
before this last attack the army would act as if nothing was going on   30 or 40 workers would cross into israel all at once said abu ramzi 34 this last attack has temporarily complicated our operation still he said we will always find ways to get these workers in
that resolve was tested after nightfall last monday when five pickups and a mazda sedan filled with workers massed in the center of dahriya with their lights off the vehicles made two attempts to cross the web of rutted rocky dirt roads and reach gaps in the fence but they turned back because spotters saw israeli army humvees converging on the same areas
finally the smugglers vehicles roared toward another spot throwing up thick billows of dust and bouncing the workers mercilessly in the beds of the trucks at the bottom of the hill two lookouts were talking on their cellphones under an olive tree to the west past the fence nothing was visible but the distant lights of israeli towns and cities
then the lights of the cars sent to pick up the workers on the israeli side could be seen approaching on the bare hills a smuggler yelled yalla yalla   go go   and workers leapt from the trucks and began running toward a gap in the fence that had been flimsily repaired someone pulled it open and someone else carefully lifted a few strands of razor wire that had been tossed in the dirt to make the passage more difficult
the workers many toting backpacks stuffed with clothing slid under the razor wire and met the cars the last man lifted the razor wire himself slipped under and ran toward the cars which drove off toward job sites among the distant lights


over the last eight years as cameras have become smaller and smaller   tiny enough to fit on a pair of glasses or inside a swallowable pill   john reuter has been working to stave off extinction of one of the largest cameras ever made so big and irredeemably analog that it feels he says as if were pulling oil paintings out of the back of it
the camera the 20 inch by 24 inch polaroid was born as a kind of industrial stunt five of the wooden behemoths weighing more than 200 pounds each and sitting atop a quartet of gurney wheels were made in the late 1970s at the request of edwin h land the companys founder to demonstrate the quality of his large format film but the cameras found their true home in the art world taken up by painters like chuck close and robert rauschenberg and photographers like william wegman david levinthal and mary ellen mark to make instant images that had the size and presence of sculpture
in 2008 polaroid in bankruptcy stopped producing instant film mr reuter who had worked at the company for decades swooped in with the help of an investor buying one of the original cameras and hundreds of cases of the remaining film the dream was to make enough money to be able to recreate the manufacturing process for the film and its unwieldy chemicals and to make more of the big cameras but in an interview last week mr reuter said he had finally decided to bow to the inevitable there will never be a large enough demand for the cameras and he can no longer maintain his quixotic effort to keep them alive the company he runs the 20x24 studio based in central massachusetts plans to close by the end of next year by which time he hopes that much of the remaining film stock will be used up
ive been doing this for 40 years now and i understand the importance of the history maybe better than anyone else said mr reuter who is also a photographer and filmmaker but there is a time when things have to come to an end these are not materials that were designed to last indefinitely and the investment to keep making them would be huge multimillions
news of the wind down has been spreading for several months through the art world where it has been met more often with disbelief than disappointment
i havent given up said mr close one of the first artists to begin using the camera in the late 1970s to make photographs as both the basis for painted portraits and as works themselves heres yet another medium that will be lost to history and it just shouldnt be allowed to happen if it does i dont know what im going to do to tell you the truth its so integrated into everything i do i can always imagine what making a painting from one of those pictures will look like
like other artists he knows who have used the camera he said its attraction is not just in its size and endearingly oddball personality like a creature from an obsessive hobbyists garage the immediacy of making the picture mr close said changes the relationship between the subject and the artist who together witness the image come into being after the photograph is pulled from the camera and the chemicals perform their function you both work together to get something that you want out of it your subject knows what youre trying to do he described a 2012 session with president obama in a hotel room so tiny that the camera and mr closes wheelchair   a spinal artery collapse more than two decades ago left him partially paralyzed   crowded out the secret service
the filmmaker errol morris who is making a documentary about the photographer elsa dorfman   besides mr reuter perhaps the cameras most devoted partisan   said that the camera had become a character in its own right in his film its an objet dart with these wheels like bicycle wheels this huge box he said when elsa pulls the film down from the camera and cuts across it and then the photo is brought over to a table and the cover is peeled back and this image slowly appears theres something quite magical about it
mr reuter said maintaining that magic has exhausted him and the two people who work with him nafis azad and ted mclelland together they help operate the cameras store the photographic paper and assemble the chemical pods a highly complicated process accomplished with a 60 year old machine with no real publicity operation the initial financial challenges of the great recession and prices he probably set too high mr reuter said the demand for the cameras really just never materialized at the levels that it did during the polaroid years i think a lot of people had no idea the process was still in existence the camera costs 1750 a day to rent and each exposure costs 125 down from 200 at the companys beginning
though mr close and a handful of other artists like peter tunney and joyce tenneson still use the camera the death of ms mark last year meant that a consistent financial mainstay   and a widely respected ambassador for the camera   was gone
my goal is for people to use the rest of the material we have before all of it is really past its prime mr reuter said it would be a shame to end that way  as for the cameras themselves he said with resignation i hope that they go to some place like the smithsonian or the george eastman collection in rochester
mr morris known for his own love of rapidly rarefying film stocks like 35 millimeter and super 8 said he continued to believe that the cameras would not end up as museum pieces maybe there wont be many   and maybe there will be a time when the process goes out of existence for a while   but i think there will be people who wont let it go away forever


the 2015 jeep grand cherokee that rolled backward down a driveway and killed the actor anton yelchin early sunday was a model that fiat chrysler has recalled for a gearshift issue that has confused drivers leading them to accidentally leave the car in neutral when they think it is safely in park
los angeles police investigators and the carmaker said on monday that it was too soon to determine the cause of the accident but mr yelchin was killed after he got out of his jeep and it rolled down his steep driveway crushing him against a concrete reinforced mailbox a police spokeswoman liliana preciado said
ms preciado said she did not know if the vehicles transmission was in neutral but mr yelchins jeep was part of a recall by fiat chrysler in april of almost 812000 vehicles including the 2014 and 2015 grand cherokee models that recall was prompted by an investigation by the national highway traffic safety administration after complaints by car owners and reports of dozens of related injuries
fiat chrysler has been a prime target of the governments efforts to penalize automakers for lax safety practices last year federal regulators accused fiat chrysler of failing to conduct recalls and complete repairs in a timely fashion and hit the company with 105 million in penalties
the safety administration released a statement monday evening saying this the first fatality were aware of that may be related to this safety defect and vehicle recall
the regulator also said it was in contact with local authorities and fiat chrysler to understand all of the facts related to this tragic crash including whether or not this was caused by the current issue under recall and it urged owners to take extra care to make sure their car is in park and turned completely off before exiting until their vehicles can be fixed
it was not yet known whether mr yelchin had been aware of that recall or the issue for which the company has not yet come up with a remedy
the affected vehicles which also include 2012 14 dodge chargers and chrysler 300s use an unconventional lever to shift the automatic transmission instead of moving to a different position with each gear the lever returns to a center position the driver must look at the shifter to make sure the proper gear is selected
drivers erroneously concluding that their vehicle transmission is in the park position may be struck by the vehicle and injured the automaker said in a may report to federal regulators about the problem
in a statement on monday fiat chrysler said that it would be premature to speculate on the cause but that officials will be conducting a thorough investigation of this tragic incident the automaker also said it extends its deepest sympathies to the family and friends of mr yelchin
when the recall was announced earlier this year the automaker said it was aware of 41 injuries related to the gear shift problem
after the april recall fiat chrysler said in a notice sent to owners that a permanent remedy for this condition is currently under development and that the automaker hoped to finalize it by the fourth quarter it warned owners in the meantime to use the parking brake and to always check to make sure the vehicle was in the correct gear
since the recall was announced the agency has received at least eight additional complaints from owners of grand cherokees who said their vehicles had rolled away and crashed although no injuries were reported
this month an owner from bowling green ky wrote to the national highway traffic safety administration to report an incident in which his wife got out of the jeep to take their 3 year old child out of the back seat and the jeep began to roll away
according to the owners account she ran and jumped into the drivers seat to stop it and in the process her foot slipped from the brake to the gas pedal driving the car through a house significant damage was done to the vehicle and the home but no one was injured
until repairs are made fiat chrysler should tell owners not to drive the vehicles and should provide loaner vehicles clarence ditlow the executive director of the center for auto safety a consumer advocacy group said on monday


washington   the supreme court on monday sided with the rj reynolds tobacco company in a lawsuit filed by european countries accusing it of complicity in an international money laundering scheme
the court by a 4 to 3 vote found that the company could not be sued under the federal racketeer influenced and corrupt organizations act or rico over its conduct abroad
the case rjr nabisco inc v the european community no 15 138 was brought by the european union and 26 of its member states they accused rjr nabisco and several associated companies of being part of a sprawling cigarette smuggling enterprise that deprived them of billions of dollars in customs and tax revenues
justice samuel a alito jr writing for the majority summarized the accusations against rjr nabisco which ceased operating as a united entity in 1999
greatly simplified he wrote the complaint alleges a scheme in which colombian and russian drug traffickers smuggled narcotics into europe and sold the drugs for euros that   through a series of transactions involving black market money brokers cigarette importers and wholesalers   were used to pay for large shipments of rjr cigarettes into europe
in other variations of this scheme rjr allegedly dealt directly with drug traffickers and money launderers in south america and sold cigarettes to iraq in violation of international sanctions justice alito added rjr is also said to have acquired brown  williamson tobacco corporation for the purpose of expanding these illegal activities
the european union filed the case about 15 years ago and r j reynolds said at the time that any suggestion that it had been involved in smuggling was untrue
in 2014 a three judge panel of the united states court of appeals for the second circuit in new york allowed the case to proceed the full court declined to rehear that decision by an 8 to 5 vote dissenting judges asserted that the panel had been unfaithful to supreme court precedent
in general the supreme court has said that a united states law should be presumed not to apply abroad unless congress has clearly said it does on subjects like securities fraud and human rights abuses the court has limited the power of american courts to hear cases based on foreign activities
justice alito said parts of the racketeering law overcame that presumption the law requires proof of violations of underlying state and federal laws he wrote and at least some of those laws apply to conduct abroad at least one applies only abroad he wrote referring to the crime of killing a united states national outside the united states
short of an explicit declaration justice alito wrote it is hard to imagine how congress could have more clearly indicated that it intended rico to have some extraterritorial effect this unique structure makes rico the rare statute that clearly evidences extraterritorial effect despite lacking an express statement of extraterritoriality
all seven justices hearing the case agreed on that analysis but they parted ways about whether the part of the racketeering law authorizing private civil suits as opposed to ones brought by the united states government itself applied to conduct abroad the majority said no
it is not enough to say that a private right of action must reach abroad because the underlying law governs conduct in foreign countries justice alito wrote something more is needed and here it is absent
there is a potential for international controversy that militates against recognizing foreign injury claims without clear direction from congress he added
chief justice john g roberts jr and justices anthony m kennedy and clarence thomas joined the majority opinion justice sonia sotomayor who sat on the second circuit before she joined the supreme court recused herself from the case
in dissent justice ruth bader ginsburg joined by justices stephen g breyer and elena kagan said the suit should have been allowed to proceed because of its ample connections to the united states
all defendants are us corporations headquartered in the united states charged with a pattern of racketeering activity directed and managed from the united states involving conduct occurring in the united states justice ginsburg wrote summarizing the complaint in short this case has the united states written all over it
she added that the majority had acted inconsistently by creating a domestic injury requirement for suits by private plaintiffs nowhere indicated in the statutes text while imposing no such restriction on the united states when it initiates a civil suit
unsupported by ricos text inconsistent with its purposes and unnecessary to protect the comity interests the court emphasizes she added the domestic injury requirement for private suits replaces congresss prescription with one of the courts own invention
justice ginsburg said the decision was as likely to exacerbate as to ease international tensions making such litigation available to domestic but not foreign plaintiffs is hardly solicitous of international comity or respectful of foreign interests she wrote


escalating a crackdown on political opposition the sunni monarchy in bahrain said monday that it had revoked the citizenship of a top cleric who is regarded as the spiritual voice of the countrys shiite majority
rights activists and other critics said the move against the cleric ayatollah sheikh isa qassim is likely to further inflame divisions in bahrain a tiny persian gulf kingdom that is home to the united states navys fifth fleet and is an important american ally
bahrain has been periodically roiled by protests seeking more democracy since the arab spring uprisings five years ago and its police and security agencies have a reputation for using disproportionate force ayatollah qassim has been an outspoken critic of the governments tactics
the interior ministry in a statement carried by bahrains official news agency said that ayatollah qassim through sermons and religious edicts had fomented sectarianism collected funds unlawfully and exploited the religious pulpit for political purposes to serve foreign interests
accordingly the statement said the cabinet has issued a decision to revoke the citizenship of isa qassim
the ministry did not make clear what was meant by foreign interests but the phrase was assumed to refer to iran the shiite majority power that competes with sunni led saudi arabia for influence in the region
the statement also did not specify what would happen to ayatollah qassim who preaches from a mosque in the village of diraz near manama the capital the bahraini authorities have expelled many people after revoking their citizenship
under a 2014 amendment to the countrys citizenship law bahrainis can lose their citizenship for any actions deemed harmful to the kingdoms national interests
the move against ayatollah qassim was the latest in a series of increasingly tough measures taken by the authorities in the past few weeks to neutralize their perceived political adversaries
on june 14 the ministry of justice and islamic affairs suspended all activities by al wefaq national islamic society bahrains leading shiite opposition group which had helped lead pro democracy demonstrations in the country since 2011
a day earlier a leading bahraini rights activist nabeel rajab was arrested at his home in early june another prominent dissident zainab al khawaja fled to denmark just days after she was released from prison with her infant son a punishment that had earned international outrage
ms khawaja a dual citizen of denmark and bahrain said she had been warned by the danish embassy that she could be rearrested and separated from her child if she did not leave
nicholas mcgeehan the bahrain researcher at human rights watch said the decision to revoke ayatollah qassims citizenship takes bahrain into the darkest days it has seen since the antigovernment protests and violent crackdown of 2011
the bahraini authorities are shutting the door on political reform while simultaneously stoking dissent mr mcgeehan said in an emailed statement
iran which has long expressed contempt for bahrains ruling al khalifa family said the removal of ayatollah qassims citizenship could be a catalyst for a strengthened uprising the commander of the islamic revolutionary guards corps maj gen qassim suleimani said in a warning reported by irans fars news agency that if the bahraini authorities bothered ayatollah qassim they risked dire repercussions including armed struggle by people and overthrow of the al khalifa dynasty
the obama administration which has become increasingly irritated by the bahraini authorities said it was alarmed by the revocation of ayatollah qassims citizenship
above all we worry that this case as well as other recent actions by the government will further divert bahrainis from the path of reform and reconciliation john kirby the state department spokesman said in an online statement


oakland calif   as the golden state warriors closed in on the record for most regular season wins by an nba team held then by the 1995 96 chicago bulls the teams coach steve kerr sensed trouble
i think they want the record kerr said of his players in april when they were still four wins short of the record of 73 victories but i think what theyve probably realized is that maybe all the talk and all the focus on the record has gotten us away from our process and what makes us who we are what makes us pretty good
his anxiety was so pronounced that over the final weeks of the regular season slippage became one of his favorite words
he saw slippage when the warriors were blown out by the lowly los angeles lakers on march 6 he saw slippage when the warriors barely outlasted the philadelphia 76ers on march 27 and he saw slippage when the warriors lost two of three games at home at the start of april a rare stretch of futility that imperiled the warriors quest to catch the bulls of the michael jordan era
kerr attempted to explain away such setbacks as the byproduct of a long season spent in the spotlight
they were lauded as perhaps the best basketball team ever stephen curry and some teammates graced the covers of magazines or were prominently featured in them even in golf digest the teams record for 3 pointers 1077 led by curry inspired talk of the games being changed forever
kerr expressed confidence that his players would regain their familiar rhythm once the nba playoffs began but their poor habits also nagged him too many loose passes and missed assignments as they tiptoed toward the playoffs
i dont think you can just flip the switch entirely kerr said at the time there is going to be a natural elevation and energy and all that but its the habits you have to clean up because that stuff doesnt necessarily turn back on
it turns out the rhythm did not return not completely certainly not enough to stop the runaway freight train that the cleveland cavaliers became over the final three games of the nba finals
the upset   if any series won by lebron james could be called that   brought kerrs doubts into sharp relief a record season yes but one achieved through a maze of adversity the worst of it played out on sunday night
had golden state survived in the closing seconds against cleveland none of this would matter of course the warriors would have been celebrated for their determination their moxie their brilliance
instead it is easy to look back now and wonder about the emotional and physical toll of their season stalking 73 wins going seven games against the oklahoma city thunder in the western conference finals losing draymond green to a one game suspension against the cavaliers how much did the warriors have left by the bitter end
it wasnt easy what we accomplished curry said after losing to cleveland and its not an easy pill to swallow what we didnt accomplish
klay thompson the other half of the duo known as the splash brothers seemed to cast the seasons achievements aside
it feels like a failure right now said thompson who combined with curry to shoot 12 of 36 from the field in game 7 it stings more than anything ive gone through in my career
it is difficult to pinpoint one game from the season that said it all but the defensive shortcomings flared particularly brightly on march 25 when the warriors escaped with a 128 120 victory against the dallas mavericks kerr described his teams defense as horrific
the warriors compensated by sinking a preposterous 21 of 45 3 pointers
for much of the season the warriors produced so much offense that they could survive their lapses on defense
but their margin for error narrowed   because of fatigue because of injuries because of waning focus kerr harped on his team to keep things simple instead of trying for the home run all the time the players did not always listen
when you win it kind of masks a lot of things harrison barnes said before the start of the playoffs
at the same time kerr chose not to rest any of his stars in the final weeks of the regular season his players wanted to win 73 games so he made a pact with them as long as they were honest about their health he would let them play kerr did so with some trepidation he would have preferred to find opportunities to sit curry and others
instead the warriors hunt for the record extended to their regular season finale which they won
more problems surfaced once the playoffs began in the first round against the houston rockets curry injured his right ankle and sprained his right knee once he returned he was spectacular at times   he had 40 points in his first game back against the portland trail blazers in the conference semifinals   but he lacked his usual consistency questions about his health would linger all the way through the finals
and then there was green whose volatile style had so often fueled his teammates but in the playoffs he skirted a fine line between being emotional and reckless it caught up with him after he collected too many flagrant fouls he was suspended for game 5 of the finals   a game that the warriors with a chance to clinch back to back titles lost at home
if i dont put myself in that position and i dont get suspended for game 5 are we sitting here champions maybe maybe not green said late sunday i dont know well never know the answer to that question but the answer that i do know is i wont put myself in that position again and thats all i can really do
kerr was asked whether he felt his team had played its best basketball at the start of the season back when it reeled off 24 straight wins he dismissed the question
thats really tough to judge how you play and compare november to june he said i mean its totally different its a physical game youre playing great teams
sure enough for all their challenges in recent weeks the warriors still had a chance against the cavaliers game 7 was tied in the final minute
so close to basketball nirvana cleveland fans might see poetic justice in how the warriors were denied it a 3 pointer this one heaved by kyrie irving with 53 seconds remaining it put cleveland ahead for good
there would be no magical comeback and not much magic at all from curry who was 6 of 19 for 17 points   one of his most muted performances of the season
in the waning moments of their final game with their dream of forever greatness dangling by a thread the warriors became the team that could not shoot straight
they missed their final nine field goal attempts a stretch of futility that included seven errant 3 pointers
the cavaliers were not much better finishing the game by shooting 1 of 8 but the one they actually made   irvings   well it was enough
enough to lift the cavaliers to a 93 89 victory and the first championship in franchise history enough to cement jamess rightful place as an all time winner and enough to dismantle much of what golden state had worked to achieve this season


the main super pac supporting hillary clinton raised 121 million in may the group said on monday   its largest haul of the year as mrs clinton shifts from the democratic presidential primary to a likely showdown with donald j trump in the fall
the group priorities usa action said it had entered june with over 50 million in cash on hand after securing more than 130 million in donations and commitments during the election cycle to date
priorities usa action has reserved about 147 million in television radio and digital platform spending across eight states ohio florida virginia nevada colorado north carolina iowa and new hampshire
in the last few weeks donald trump accused president obama of working with isis took a victory lap following a national tragedy and mimed shooting someone at one of his events guy cecil the groups chief strategist said in a statement using an acronym for the islamic state priorities usa is not going to let this man anywhere near the white house because he is far too dangerous and divisive to ever be president of the united states
the efforts highlight the significant fund raising and organizational advantages mrs clinton and her allies enjoy against supporters of mr trump whose super pacs have yet to establish a meaningful footprint


lightning ridge australia   an opal miner with a bushy beard and muddy boots ormie molyneux lifted the dead womans thick body and placed it gently in a satin lined coffin his son timbo helped then they picked up the polished lid and carefully pressed it shut
mr molyneux was not one to complain but there were problems on the horizon for the all volunteer lightning ridge funeral advisory service the towns only undertakers
the first was the woman before him valerie van emmerik a thrice married rabbit hunting miners cook who had once knocked a man down in a fistfight she had to be buried but heavy rains had turned the cemetery to mud and left her grave two thirds full of water
and a veterans club is kicking the group out of a property it used to house its two hearses a shed needed to keep them in good condition in the extreme temperatures here
it was a kick in the guts mr molyneux said
lightning ridge a sunbaked opal mining town on the edge of australias outback has never had a professional undertaker the nearest one an hours drive away sometimes refused to come and hauling a body in a van as it bounced along potholed roads and swerved to avoid skittish kangaroos was a dicey proposition
so more than 20 years ago a group of locals decided to do the job themselves becoming amateur undertakers since then they have buried 450 of their friends and neighbors
mr molyneux pulled a soft rag from the pocket of his miners shorts and polished faint fingerprints from the coffins glossy surface ninety nine percent of the people we bury we know he said its not easy val was a good woman
everyone knew val said ian woodcock 78 the funeral advisory services manager she had a hard life her second husband wore her out
mrs van emmerik was loaded into the back of a black hearse and delivered to the lightning ridge bowling club where her coffin was wheeled to the center of the faux parquetry dance floor with the cemetery a mud pit the lawn bowling clubhouse would have to suffice for the funeral service
mrs van emmerik and her third husband peter ran a rough miners pub sardonically named the glengarry hilton near a cluster of opal mines peter was the love of her life said her son garry horley 61 the eldest of her six children he had flown across the country from western australia for the funeral
val was a terrific painter said paddy ellis 67 a miner and she was great at making pies
she married a lot of people said barbara moritz the manager of the lightning ridge historical society she was a slow learner
nine days earlier mrs van emmerik was felled by a massive heart attack at the age of 79
this was mr molyneuxs 15th funeral in five months at 57 he is a third generation opal miner and the second molyneux to work as a volunteer undertaker a service his late uncle bob founded no one is exactly sure when
lightning ridge with its small scale high stakes opal mining attracts a certain type   loners who come to escape society and find their fortune miners peg and register claims stipulated by law at 160 feet by 160 feet and fiercely guard those claims against thieves
you can have the arse out of your pants in the morning and be a millionaire by the afternoon said tony obrien 79 a miner attending mrs van emmeriks funeral
there are 900 houses in the township of lightning ridge but an additional 1750 camps on the opal fields where miners often live alone in tents or trailers unconnected to the towns water and electricity supply
they often die alone and sometimes penniless another reason undertakers from the town of walgett refused to come to lightning ridge
the volunteers collect bodies from simple cottages in town from canvas tents on the dusty pink opal fields and from trailers parked at the edge of pebbly mine shafts sometimes they retrieve bodies from the scrubby saltbush brush where out of luck miners retreat to end their lives
summer is the worst mr molyneux said temperatures rise above 112 degrees and stay there for days it doesnt take long for a body to fall apart in that heat he said recalling a dead miner whose arm fell off as he tried to pick up the body
mr woodcock has buried a murderer and miners killed in collapsed shafts
but mostly its about heart disease and heat up here said sandra kuehn who manages the local doctors office its the smokes and drink that kill them
as the service for mrs van emmerik began mourners started to fill the bowling club the rev neville parish a retired minister who had been called back for the funeral asked if anyone wanted to speak
mr horley talked about his mothers love for lightning ridge jerry lomax a former president of the lightning ridge miners association told the story of the time he had been punched to the floor at a miners meeting in a dispute over mining rights mrs van emmerik the groups secretary had leapt to her feet and taken the miner out who hit him
she was a marvellous woman he said
mr woodcock known as woody had in 1996 raised 33000 to build a morgue a sparse three room building with a linoleum floor where a dozen silver handled coffins stand upright in two rows
there is an air conditioner a shower three narrow steel trolleys to carry bodies and a refrigerator which once stored beer for the local lions club now it sometimes holds club members
mr woodcock learned the trade from a friend who ran a funeral home closer to sydney
i did a beauticians course and can do hair and makeup he said that was important for one burial the children wanted their mother to look nice
there is no embalming service
helen stewart crawford 79 the services secretary takes information like date and place of birth and names and ages of family members for the government records office
woody deals with people who are insane with fury or anger or sorrow she said he is a very good listener
if a minister cannot officiate sometimes mr woodcocks wife yvonne 73 does
one of the towns doctors or police officers certifies the death when there is doubt over the cause the body is sent to a coroner in newcastle 420 miles to the southeast
the undertakers charge about 2600 for a complete service including 600 for the cemetery plot and gravedigger
it costs a lot of money to set up the infrastructure to run a funeral business said gillian manson a divisional executive officer from the australian funeral directors association in melbourne what theyve got in lightning ridge is rare its unlikely to be replicated elsewhere
the veterans association the returned and services league wanted more money for their shed than the funeral advisory services could spend the service owned two hearses a black ford purchased in 1980 and a 1963 silver chevrolet and needed a place to keep them
its one more thing ms stewart crawford lamented
mr woodcock reached an agreement with the sheds new owner to store his hearses temporarily but new premises must be found
mr parish told mourners there was no chance mrs van emmerik would be buried straight after the service a three year drought had ended with a three day downpour that had turned the cemetery to mud
mum has broken the drought said mr horley
time to say goodbye played over the clubs loudspeakers as mr horley and other pallbearers carried mrs van emmeriks coffin back to the black hearse to be driven to the mortuary her body would be returned to the refrigerator until the ground had dried out
mrs woodcock set out plastic trays of egg ham and tomato sandwiches and hot tea the bar was opened for beer and wine
by 9 pm some 10 hours after the service began a small cluster of family and friends remained television sets above the bar blared out weekend sports news
mr molyneux made his way into the cold night air and smiled mrs van emmerik had been given a good send off


goshen ny   in chilling detail a state police investigator on monday publicly described for the first time a 45 minute walk he took on a hudson river island with angelika graswald whose remarks to him soon led to charges that she murdered her fiance while the two had been kayaking there last year
ms graswald said she felt trapped and had withheld her fiances paddle after his kayak capsized the investigator donald dequarto testified during a pretrial hearing
i took his paddle when he was in the water ms graswald had told him investigator dequarto said
the walk and subsequent questioning last spring occurred 10 days after the fiance vincent viafore 46 disappeared into the cold waters of the hudson on april 19 2015 ms graswald was visiting bannerman island where the couple had stopped on the day of the drowning and ran into investigators who were searching for clues to the episode which was still being treated as an accident
ms graswald who is 36 revealed that she had removed the plug from the kayak and sabotaged the paddle according to investigator dequarto
he added that she had also said that after mr viafore capsized and was holding onto his kayak and a dry bag for flotation he had begged ms graswald to call 911 but that she kind of reached over and took his paddle from him and strapped it onto her kayak
the testimony by investigator dequarto came on the fourth day of the hearing here in goshen the purpose of the hearing is to examine how investigators obtained their evidence which in the case against ms graswald relies heavily on her own words
ms graswald and mr viafore who shared an apartment in poughkeepsie ny set out in two kayaks from the western shore of the hudson on a mild sunday they paddled to bannerman island where the police say they spent a few hours drinking beer and taking pictures
on the return crossing however the boat belonging to mr viafore who was not wearing a life vest capsized he vanished under the choppy water which at 46 degrees was cold enough to bring on hypothermia for 10 days ms graswald was treated as a fiancee in mourning while rescuers searched for the body
on april 29 investigators came upon ms graswald on the island a historic site with the ruins of a castle another investigator testified that ms graswald who was leaving flowers on the island for mr viafore also said that he had recently postponed their wedding
she was charged with murder the next day after an 11 hour police interrogation her lawyer richard a portale is seeking to suppress a videotape of the questioning
investigator dequarto testified that ms graswald had also indicated that she could have pictured herself with mr viafore if things had been different she wanted a normal life with vincent she wanted to get married she wanted to have children he said
investigator dequarto had asked her how she felt about mr viafores death her response he said was fine over it
she felt like herself he testified she felt free
prosecutors said ms graswald stood to receive 250000 in life insurance benefits from mr viafores death mr portale has portrayed mr viafores death as a tragic drowning triggered by the waters of the rough cold river
investigator dequarto also testified that ms graswald was angry that mr viafore had pressured her to have sex with him and another woman
ms graswald he said had talked about mr viafores making sexual demands to her how he wanted to have threesomes with other women how he made her have sex when he wanted sex
ms graswald according to investigator dequarto had said her fiance even had a third partner in mind a woman he knew named tina he testified that according to what ms graswald had told him on the island mr viafore would say why cant you do a threesome with tina tina would do this tina would do that it made her upset
investigator dequarto said he had asked ms graswald why she did not break up with mr viafore she said shes a very spiritual person she knew he would never be gone if she only broke up with him he testified
i asked did you remove that plug so he would drown mr dequarto said adding that ms graswald had paused for a moment she said i guess i did he also said she had admitted tampering with his paddle
kayaking experts have said that removal of the tiny drain plug located on top of the kayaks hull would not have caused the kayak to fill with water but they said waves splashing into the cockpit could have made it unstable
investigator dequarto recalled that shortly after he encountered ms graswald on bannerman island she began breathing heavily and holding her stomach she had also asked to take breaks to smoke cigarettes he said
he said he and another officer had encouraged ms graswald to be more forthcoming pointing out that she had made inconsistent statements about her cellphone and appeared physically agitated mr dequarto testified that ms graswald had begun her confession on the island by saying that she wanted to be free
i wanted to go on and i wanted to be myself he recalled her saying adding that she had later said of mr viafore he trapped me
investigator dequarto said he had asked ms graswald if she would come to the police station to continue talking in a more formal setting she said she would on the way investigator dequarto said she expressed feelings of freedom and of wanting to buy a motorcycle to ride and one other thing
you know when i first saw you i thought you were cute investigator dequarto said she had told him i didnt know what to say to that i said thank you


the thrilling game 7 between the cleveland cavaliers and the golden state warriors sunday night drew nearly 31 million viewers the biggest total for an nba finals game in 18 years
the matchup was rich with story lines lebron jamess bid to win the first championship for a cleveland sports franchise in 52 years versus golden states march toward one of the best seasons in national basketball association history to the delight of abc executives the game was decided in the final seconds the cavs took the championship 93 to 89
viewership peaked in the final minutes between 1030 and 1040 pm with a whopping 445 million viewers according to nielsen it was the sort of audience usually reserved for national football league playoff games
by comparison last years deciding game 6 of the nba finals also between the warriors of oakland calif and cavaliers drew 233 million viewers
sundays game was the most viewed finals game since game 6 in 1998 which turned out to be michael jordans final game with the chicago bulls it was also the most watched telecast since the 2016 academy awards which had 344 million viewers abc said it also had the highest rating in the 18 to 49 year old demographic since super bowl 50 in february
part of game 7 ran opposite one of the most viewed shows in television hbos game of thrones


london   britain has been one of the most active markets for initial public offerings in europe in recent years as a flurry of companies have sought to list their shares in london   far outpacing the level of activity in paris frankfurt and other european financial capitals
a vote by britain to exit the european union however could change all that at least for the short term
investors have been reluctant to invest in new london listings and several companies have delayed announcing their intention to file until after the vote on thursday
uncertainty over the outcome of the vote has kept many in the market on the sidelines as the margins in the polls have seesawed between the leave and the remain camps in recent weeks
the most recent polls however pointed to growing support to stay in the european union on monday global stock markets rallied and the british pound strengthened against the dollar
still edward sankey the co head of equity capital markets for europe the middle east and africa at deutsche bank said he expected little activity in new stocks for a while
if there is an exit a number of issuers will take time to figure out the market reaction before deciding to press ahead he said
bankers here say that several companies that had privately planned to go public have delayed their plans to list until after the outcome of the referendum to avoid the uncertainty that can lead to wild swings in the financial markets and stock prices
although the london market has had relative success   jimmy choo worldpay and pets at home are among its most notable listings in recent years   it has already been a challenging year for initial public offerings globally
turbulent markets in the first quarter driven in part by uncertainty about the chinese economy have weighed on ipos in europe and around the world
between now and end of july the pipeline is not huge tom johnson the co head of barclays equity capital markets business for europe the middle east and africa said there will be quite a few in the second half potentially i think the second half will be materially larger
a handful of european companies have warned that a brexit could affect their listing plans the chief executive of enav the state owned italian air traffic control company told a parliamentary committee in rome this month that it had delayed its listing until july to avoid any distraction from the brexit vote according to reuters
the number of new listings in europe this year is at its lowest level since 2013 there were 77 initial public offerings that generated 157 billion in proceeds in europe through june 17 according to data from thomson reuters
that compared with 113 offerings that generated 327 billion in proceeds in europe in the period last year and 113 offerings that generated 331 billion in proceeds in the region through june 17 in 2014 according to thomson reuters
london accounted for 34 percent of all listings and has been home to two of the top 10 biggest deals in europe this year in terms of proceeds
the five largest offerings this year however have all come in continental europe
the biggest listing this year by far was dong energy the danish utility and the worlds largest offshore wind power operator
it generated about 26 billion in proceeds as the signature transaction in what has been a down year for initial public offerings in europe and could stand as the biggest listing in the region this year
the offering on nasdaq in copenhagen valued dong energy at about 15 billion
the next three largest deals in terms of proceeds were the dutch governments sale of a stake in the insurer asr nederland the sale of the lighting business of the dutch electronics giant philips and ge capitals sale of moneta money bank its former banking business in the czech republic
moneta listed in prague while asr and philips lighting had their offerings in amsterdam
the biggest deal in britain this year has been the spinoff of national australia banks british unit clydesdale bank that transaction generated about 570 million in proceeds
globally the ipo market remains well above the level where it was during the financial crisis as private equity firms exit investments they made in the years before the crisis
and privatizations by european governments and companies seeking to separate noncore businesses are expected to drive initial public offerings this year but an uptick in activity might not come until the fall no matter how britain votes financial industry experts say


the kansas city royals return to citi field on tuesday night for the first time since they ran away with game 5 of the world series and clinched baseballs championship
the game turned on one play eric hosmers daring dash to home plate in the top of the ninth with the royals trailing by a run eight months later a lot has changed for most of the mets players who took part in that sequence and not for the better
hosmer was on third base with one out and the mets trying to hold on to a 2 1 lead jeurys familia was on the mound for the mets the royals catcher salvador perez was at the plate
perez hit a grounder to third and david wright fielded it briefly looked hosmer back to third and then threw to first baseman lucas duda for the second out
but as wright threw to first hosmer knowing wright had lately been reduced to throwing the ball sidearm without much on it took off for home and duda seeing all of this unfold hurried his own throw to the plate the ball sailed wide of travis darnaud the mets catcher
hosmer was safe the score was tied and a little while later the royals had an extra innings victory and the championship trophy
now consider the three mets who handled the ball after perez hit it wright after struggling this season to remain relevant while playing with spinal stenosis had an operation for a herniated disk in his neck and is not likely to play again until 2017 before the operation he had hit 226 in 37 games
duda has not played since may after sustaining a stress fracture in his back it is not clear when he will return he was hitting 231 in 39 games when he went down
and the injury prone darnaud has appeared in only 13 games and batted 196 this season because of a strained rotator cuff that has kept him out of the lineup he has not played for the mets since april 25 although he is expected to rejoin the team in time for the royals series
familia he is still doing fine for that matter so are hosmer and perez who are both hitting over 300 for kansas city and are likely to be starters in next months all star game
the royals enter tuesdays game with a respectable 38 31 record just a game out of first place in the american league central if the postseason began right now they would be the second wild card team in the american league
in the national league east the 36 32 mets are simply a third place team at least for the moment they have hit the wall of late and were six games behind washington entering monday
they are having trouble scoring when they do not hit home runs have no speed to speak of to help create alternate forms of offense and have been plagued by injuries most notably to the three players who could not keep hosmer from scoring that tying run in the fall


brooklyn bridge park the 85 acre park at the edge of brooklyn heights transformed an industrial shoreline into a recreational esplanade that today draws over 125000 people on summer weekends it has become the emerald trim of a jewel box neighborhood of handsome brownstones
particularly prized are the parks tidy basketball courts that draw players from as far as the bronx and queens for their million dollar views of lower manhattan and other amenities not often found on more humble home turfs   like actual nets on the hoops but a spate of courtside fights among rowdy visitors punctuated by gunfire last year has prompted the police at times to shut down pier 2 where the courts stand
the situation has set some residents in the well off neighborhood which is mostly white on edge some of whom portray the pier as an ok corral for gangs and complain that their quaint streets have become overrun with teenagers the players many of whom are black say that whatever problems have occurred are relatively limited and believe that they are the victims of stereotyping
courtside fisticuffs they say are just a result of teenagers being teenagers   and isnt that what happens in parks
the conflict between the players and the neighborhood plays out in particular at the southern end of the slim 13 mile long park where it pours out onto joralemon street
joralemon street becomes like this funnel of kids who are already very agitated running down the street screaming bouncing basketballs taunting pedestrians taunting cars said linda derosa the president of the willowtown association a local civic group referring to times when fights have caused the park to be closed by the police its just a sign that the park really needs to get control of their facility
the issue came to a head during a recent meeting at the local police precinct house which was reported by gothamist in which residents said that the unruly crowds drawn to the courts were damaging the character of the neighborhood
but some players believe the issue has more to do with their background than their behavior
sometimes i try and avoid going on joralemon said aaliyah johnson 17 who is black and travels from flatbush to play basketball its like they look at you move their kids over like youre going to do something and clutch on to their purse your doing that   it just makes us not feel welcome we just came here to play basketball
that race has become part of the discussion is inescapable some say given that the players coming to the park cross through an overwhelmingly white neighborhood   whites make up about 80 percent of residents in brooklyn heights according to the united states census
some players like sheron christie 17 who lives in ozone park queens say concerns about unruliness do have merit a few months ago sheron said he recalled players scattering in fear when a gun fell from someones backpack onto the blacktop and on april 16 last year the police arrested two young men who had been involved in a shooting on the pier no one was injured
since april the police have shut pier 2 six times either in response to fighting or to pre empt possible violence as part of its effort to avoid trouble the police department has started monitoring social media for mention of the park one of the shutdowns the police said was meant to stop a large party planned on facebook and two others came after threats on social media to shoot up the park
in recent weeks the police have increased their presence with 16 officers added to park duty bringing the total to 25 according to park officials
some residents have become so troubled by the situation that they have asked brooklyn bridge park corporation the group that runs the park to replace the basketball courts with something else tennis courts are a frequent suggestion
park officials say that is not going to happen
brooklyn bridge park has been built and designed as a space for everyone said regina myer the president of the park the inclusion of basketball courts was a deliberate decision from the outset
ms myer acknowledged that there have been security issues that park officials along with the police are working to address but getting rid of some of the most popular basketball courts in the city is decidedly not the solution she added and would fly in the face of everything this park stands for
jamael lynch who played basketball professionally overseas offers basketball clinics at the park through his nonprofit group big and little skills academy if people are trying to replace the courts youd create an environment that is more conducive to what youre trying to get rid of he said an environment where kids have nothing to do
park officials and volunteers are trying to come up with ways to discourage loitering on the streets outside the park which tends to lead to conflict they are also working with representatives from a nearby housing project the ingersoll houses where many of the players come from to develop programs for younger residents one idea is to host a basketball game between the police and regular players
another neighborhood leader who has raised concerns about the courts peter bray the executive director of the brooklyn heights association described the issue as the attack on joralemon street but the problem he said is not with the players it is with the park itself the park is long and thin bounded by water on one side and the brooklyn queens expressway and tall bluffs on the other there are few access points the park planners have not done a good job at finding ways for people to get into the park and out of the park mr bray said
and one of the ways in and out the squibb bridge has been closed for years because of engineering issues
for aaliyah who sat in the park on a recent afternoon practicing secret handshakes with her girlfriends as they waited their turn to play basketball any threat to the courts weighed heavily this is brooklyn culture here she said if theyre removing it its like a piece of our childhood will be gone


a site specific adaptation of julius caesar a traveling hip hop dance work and a video installation in times square by the british artist tim etchells are among the programs planned for the 10th annual crossing the line festival this fall
presented by the french institute alliance francaise the interdisciplinary arts festival is scheduled to run from sept 22 through nov 3 at more than a dozen venues in manhattan and the bronx
the new york premiere of julius caesar spared parts adapted by the avant garde italian director romeo castellucci from the shakespeare tragedy will be staged oct 1 and 2 at federal hall in the financial district the production   a dreamlike meditation on power   has been described as a suspension of reality by mr castellucci who earned lifetime achievement honors from the venice biennale in 2013
also among the premieres is graphic cyphers sept 23 25 a new hip hop dance work by the breakdancer and choreographer anne nguyen that involves 20 new york city street dancers in the bronx and times square other dance performances include staged oct 4 8 by maria hassabi the inquisitive choreographer who turned dancers into slow moving sculptures earlier this year with the installation plastic at the museum of modern art
mr etchells the artistic director of the theater troupe forced entertainment and a recent winner of the spalding gray award will present his poetic multimedia installation eyes looking as octobers edition of the midnight moment in times square as with other artworks in the series eyes looking will take over many of the squares billboards for a few minutes at midnight throughout the month forced entertainment will also stage the new york premiere of its play tomorrows parties sept 28 oct 1 as part of crossing the line
the full lineup will be available soon at crossingthelineorg


palomares spain   jose manuel gonzalez navarro a mechanic headed out of this seaside village on his motorbike one morning 50 years ago when he heard explosions overhead and looked up to see a ball of fire in the sky debris started to shower down some falling very slowly like if a giant tree was shedding shiny metal leaves he recalled in an interview
mr gonzalez navarro turned around and sped home to check that his house was not hit he later drove back to where he had seen debris land and found an undetonated bomb attached to a parachute he cut off the straps of the parachute and took them home along with some work tools and bolts that he found scattered on the ground
i was just thinking about what objects might prove useful he said i liked fishing and those parachute straps thin but very solid were clearly perfect to be turned into a weight belt for diving
like many in palomares mr gonzalez navarro now 71 figured he had witnessed a military air crash but he was unaware that a united states air force bomber and a refueling jet collided accidentally sending four hydrogen bombs hurtling toward palomares although no warheads detonated two of the bombs shattered spreading plutonium over the village
whereas american service members are complaining that the hurried cleanup effort carried out by the military jeopardized their health many in palomares lament the damage the accident has done to their community
living in a radioactive site that nobody really has wanted to clean has brought us a lot of bad publicity and has been something hanging over our head like a sword of damocles said juan jose perez celdran a former mayor of palomares for years after the crash local tomatoes lettuce and watermelons did not carry any palomares label because of the stigma associated with the place
and the cleanup effort continues half a century later
in 1966 american troops removed about 5000 barrels of contaminated soil after the accident and called the cleanup complete but about a decade ago the spanish authorities found elevated levels of plutonium over 99 acres some of the areas of elevated radioactivity almost touched private homes as well as fields and greenhouses scientists from ciemat the spanish nuclear agency fenced off the most hazardous sections and began pressuring the united states to remove about 65000 cubic yards of radioactive soil   far more than was removed right after the accident
in 2009 foreign minister miguel angel moratinos of spain sent a confidential note to secretary of state hillary clinton warning that spanish public opinion could turn anti american if spain disclosed a palomares contamination study according to a note contained in the wikileaks documents and published at the time by the newspaper el pais in early 2011 spains foreign minister at the time trinidad jimenez told the spanish senate that cleaning up palomares was a priority
in october secretary of state john kerry signed a memorandum of understanding in madrid promising to finally return palomares to its pre 1966 state
spain and the united states agree that about half a kilogram or about 11 pounds of plutonium remains in the area   a significant amount since less than a microgram can cause cancer   and the department of energy has agreed to remove the soil and bring it back to a nuclear storage facility in the united states a formal agreement on the size of the cleanup when it will start and who will pay is still in the works
the long term health consequences of the accident for palomares residents remain murky
many inhabitants consider the warnings of radiation overblown but others take a cynical view of why the american and spanish authorities have let them live in a contaminated area for decades theyre just using us as guinea pigs to see what happens to people who live in a contaminated area francisco sabiote a plumber said they tell us all is fine but also that more soil needs to be taken away so if that is really needed why all this waiting
the day of the crash another bomb was found by martin moreno 81 who headed toward the cemetery with a friend after seeing the collision overhead they first spotted an american pilot apparently sitting on the ground when they got closer however the pilot turned out to be dead
mr moreno then climbed on top of the bomb to figure out what it was it looked like a strange and yellowish casket with a gash on the side he said using a screwdriver he tried to cut it open to no avail we wanted to take out a chunk but it was just too hard to break off said mr moreno who added that he was in good health
of the 11 crew members on the two american planes seven were killed but for most villagers what prevailed was not a sense of tragedy but a mix of bewilderment and relief at having been spared a direct hit and once american service members took charge in palomares sharing their cigarettes and beers with the villagers this almost became a party atmosphere mr gonzalez navarro said
american officials feared that evacuating the area would create what the lead atomic energy commission scientist on the ground at the time called a psychological monument to the accident so they let villagers stay assuring them that no radiation had been released they issued vague instructions and warnings to residents while offering words of reassurance and financial compensation to farmers for their lost harvests the villagers in any case were just too poor to prioritize health concerns over economic issues
we were told that we should perhaps get rid of what we had been wearing that day or at least wash it thoroughly but of course nobody here could afford to throw away clothing mr gonzalez navarro said
since the crash a sample of the 1700 residents of palomares has been checked each year for radioactivity in madrid under the supervision of the federal nuclear agency maribel alarcon a town hall official said that the recommendation from madrid was that each resident be tested every three years she last got checked three years ago testing negative
many residents however said they had stopped getting tested over a decade ago mr sabiote 27 said he last traveled to madrid for a medical examination when he was 12 and had no plans to return we all have to die one day of something he said shrugging his shoulders
antonio fernandez liria the mayor of cuevas del almanzora a neighboring town under whose political jurisdiction palomares falls said the medical tests showed that were not the martians that some people believe we should have become
spains nuclear agency says that the results of the medical checks do not show high levels of plutonium contamination and that the frequency of cancer around palomares is similar to that in other towns
if a test had shown positive do you really think we would still be living here said diego simon who runs the local stationery store
some spanish scientists have carried out their own studies on the palomares population but also without finding evidence that should raise the alarm after struggling to get access to the relevant data pedro antonio martinez pinilla an epidemiologist published a study in 2005 that found higher incidences of cancer but he concluded because of the small sample size that no correlation could be drawn between living in palomares and incidences of cancer
jose herrera plaza a spanish journalist who recently published a book about palomares said the accident had a profound psychological hibakusha impact the term used to refer to survivors of the american nuclear bombs dropped on japan in 1945
all the communities that deal with contamination independent of whether we can prove actual health problems or not suffer and live with a permanent paranoia he said
the 1966 cleanup of palomares was not only incomplete but might also have spread the contamination further for instance local officials said the decision to burn contaminated tomato crops might have helped spread dangerous particles in the air
i think that things were done with the technical knowledge available at the time and the political situation in spain at the time said yolanda benito an official from spains nuclear agency spain was a dictatorship so it was not the most transparent government in the world


ah the first day of summer time to bring on the golf the picnics in the park the nature hikes
but not for everyone
an oppressive heat wave that began over the weekend in the american southwest has made going outside a serious health matter
the heat on sunday broke records in several cities the national weather service said with the temperature in phoenix rising to a ghastly 118 degrees the citys fifth hottest day ever farther west yuma hit 120 while palm springs calif touched 119
the danger was most conspicuous on arizonas trails the severe heat was blamed for the deaths of four hikers over the weekend phoenix fire officials said
weather and emergency officials pleaded on monday for the warnings issued in arizona utah nevada and california to be taken seriously
compared to other weather related causes of death heat is a quiet but prolific killer causing more deaths annually in the united states   about 130   than flooding lightning tornadoes hurricanes or cold according to federal data
this is not the desert citys first brush with triple digit heat said shelly jamison a spokeswoman for the phoenix fire department but when the temperature rises quickly as it did on sunday people do not always heed the danger she said
the department pushes the same message every summer ms jamison said stay out of it basically you go to the zoo in the middle of the day theyre all hiding
on social media people posted screengrabs of their weather apps while others seemed to try to outdo one another for the most overwrought description of the heat the arizona republic wondered if it was hot enough to fry an egg the answer sort of
others asked plaintively when will it end
not soon said matt solum a meteorologist in the national weather service phoenix hit an expected high of 113 around 2 pm on monday the northern hemispheres longest day the temperature is expected to hover around that point through wednesday he said
the heat should start to subside thursday and friday if only by a degree or two mr solum said but yeah still above 110 he said still dangerous


moscow   a boating accident in northwestern russia that claimed the lives of 14 disadvantaged children from moscow was the result of criminal negligence and recklessness investigators said in a statement on monday
the children most of them 12 to 14 years old took a boat trip on saturday on lake syamozero in the karelia region near the border with finland a sudden storm caused two canoes to capsize plunging the children into the frigid waters in the evening rescue operations could not begin until sunday morning meaning that some survivors spent up to nine hours in the water
before their departure investigators said the children asked their instructors if it was safe to take a boat trip at a time when storms were forecast with winds up to 45 miles per hour the adult instructors all of whom survived did not address their concerns
the instructors who accompanied the children did not take necessary efforts to rescue them russias powerful investigative committee the countrys equivalent of the fbi said in the statement they were thinking about their own lives
the investigators detained three instructors along with two managers of the summer camp where the children were staying they face up to 10 years in prison
moscow city hall had selected the camp in a public call for bids as a place to send children from disadvantaged families and orphans for a summer vacation
the camp had a bad reputation among parents according to feedback published online children were allowed to smoke and drink alcohol the parents said some complained about the camp to the government but received no response
my intuition tells me that it was all predictable vladimir i markin spokesman of the investigative committee said in a column published on the liferu news website
sooner or later the current bureaucratic procurement system that aims to save money at the cost of quality would work as it did this time he wrote
an array of russian officials and public figures have demanded that the government punish those responsible for the episode many cited poor regulatory oversight as the fundamental cause of the accident
the russian president vladimir v putin expressed his condolences and monday was declared a day of mourning in moscow and the karelia region


washington   the supreme court ruled on monday that evidence found by police officers after illegal stops may be used in court if the officers conducted their searches after learning that the defendants had outstanding arrest warrants
justice clarence thomas writing for the majority in the 5 to 3 decision said such searches do not violate the fourth amendment when the warrant is valid and unconnected to the conduct that prompted the stop
justice thomass opinion drew a fiery dissent from justice sonia sotomayor who said that it is no secret that people of color are disproportionate victims of this type of scrutiny
this case tells everyone white and black guilty and innocent that an officer can verify your legal status at any time she wrote it says that your body is subject to invasion while courts excuse the violation of your rights it implies that you are not a citizen of a democracy but the subject of a carceral state just waiting to be cataloged
the case utah v strieff no 14 1373 arose from police surveillance of a house in south salt lake based on an anonymous tip of narcotics activity there a police officer douglas fackrell stopped edward strieff after he had left the house based on what the state later conceded were insufficient grounds making the stop unlawful
officer fackrell then ran a check and discovered a warrant for a minor traffic violation he arrested mr strieff searched him and found a baggie containing methamphetamines and drug paraphernalia the question for the justices was whether the drugs must be suppressed given the unlawful stop or whether they could be used as evidence given the arrest warrant
officer fackrell was at most negligent justice thomas wrote adding that there is no evidence that officer fackrells illegal stop reflected flagrantly unlawful police misconduct
chief justice john g roberts jr and justices anthony m kennedy stephen g breyer and samuel a alito jr joined the majority opinion
in a dissent that cited w e b du bois james baldwin and ta nehisi coates justice sotomayor said the court had vastly expanded police power
the court today holds that the discovery of a warrant for an unpaid parking ticket will forgive a police officers violation of your fourth amendment rights she wrote do not be soothed by the opinions technical language this case allows the police to stop you on the street demand your identification and check it for outstanding traffic warrants   even if you are doing nothing wrong
if the officer discovers a warrant for a fine you forgot to pay she continued courts will now excuse his illegal stop and will admit into evidence anything he happens to find by searching you after arresting you on the warrant
justice sotomayor added that many people were at risk federal and state databases show more than 78 million outstanding warrants she wrote the vast majority of which appear to be for minor offenses there are she added 180000 misdemeanor warrants in utah and according to the justice department about 16000 of the 21000 residents of ferguson mo are subject to arrest warrants
justice ruth bader ginsburg joined most of justice sotomayors dissent along with all of a separate dissent from justice elena kagan but justice sotomayor reserved her most personal reflection for a part of her dissent in which she wrote only for herself setting out in detail the dangers and indignities that often accompany police stops
for generations she wrote black and brown parents have given their children the talk   instructing them never to run down the street always keep your hands where they can be seen do not even think of talking back to a stranger   all out of fear of how an officer with a gun will react to them
we must not pretend that the countless people who are routinely targeted by police are isolated she wrote they are the canaries in the coal mine whose deaths civil and literal warn us that no one can breathe in this atmosphere they are the ones who recognize that unlawful police stops corrode all our civil liberties and threaten all our lives until their voices matter too our justice system will continue to be anything but
justin driver a law professor at the university of chicago said justice sotomayors dissent was remarkable it is he said the strongest indication we have yet that the black lives matter movement has made a difference at the supreme court   at least with one justice


a chicago singer music educator and former contestant on the mexican version of the tv singing contest the voice died over the weekend after being shot near the youth arts studio he directed
the singer alejandro fuentes rosas who was known as jano was shot on thursday the police and medical examiner said
mr fuentes 45 was in a car when a man approached flashing a gun and demanding that he get out of the vehicle when he refused the man fired several rounds striking the singer in the head the man then ran a short distance away before eventually taking the vehicle according to the chicago police department
mr fuentes was shot on his birthday according to a fund raising page set up to solicit donations for his family and linked to from the studios facebook page ultimately he was pronounced dead at mount sinai hospital at 207 pm saturday according to the cook county medical examiners office
chicago police have made no arrests in the case though an investigation is underway a spokesman said on monday morning the medical examiner has not yet identified the cause or manner of death while the police department does not identify crime victims the medical examiner confirmed his identity
the latino community in illinois today lost a great artist teacher friend and above all a great human being the tras bambalinas theater where mr fuentes was president wrote in a spanish language facebook post saturday tras bambalinas is spanish for backstage or behind the scenes
the theater also shared a post by a man identified on the social network as santiago jimenez linking to a gofundme crowdfunding page soliciting donations for the dead mans family mr jimenezs facebook profile lists his job as production assistant with the theater
mr fuentes quickly became a fixture at mexican american cultural events in the area after opening the studio the chicago tribune reported
he was a very talented guy   one of a kind miguel sanchez who had worked with mr fuentes told the paper
mexicos the voice posted a remembrance of mr fuentes on its website noting his versatility as a singer dancer and composer he auditioned for that show in 2011 with a rendition of ricardo montaners tan enamorado spanish for so in love
mr fuentess shooting death came one week and one day after that of christina grimmie a contestant on the american version of the voice who was shot and killed following a concert in orlando
mr fuentess coach on the mexican show the actress and singer lucero hogaza leon described him on twitter as a great man who brought joy to those around him
the chicago police have logged 269 homicides through june 12 of this year that represents a 48 percent increase over the same time period last year and a 74 percent increase over the year before according to city data
chicago is home to a disproportionate share of homicides the times documented the devastating effects of such violence over just one weekend during the memorial day holiday this year


london   across the english channel a great and unyielding power holds sway denying londons rights the sovereign state is not sovereign at all
days before a referendum on leaving the european union those are the images of britains plight advanced by the so called brexiteers who are campaigning for their nation to signal a muscular new era of independence by leaving the 28 nation bloc
but the english have been there before
five centuries ago king henry viii chafing at the theological and financial clout of the papacy broke with rome and led his subjects into the new pastures of the church of england with himself as its supreme overlord it was a step that changed christendom molding faith and identity to this day among the worlds roughly 85 million anglicans
in the process england ceased to be part of a huge medieval cross channel european empire and instead became an independent sovereign nation state free from the authority of any foreign potentate   above all the pope adrian pabst a lecturer in politics at the university of kent wrote in the guardian in 2009 if you ever wondered about the origins of english euroskepticism look no further than the protestant reformation
historical parallels can be facile if not misleading and the differences between the two eras are profound not least in the democratic nature of britains decision this time
but the echoes are strong enough to resonate at a moment when britain is looking to its past for lessons that would apply to its future
henrys pique was rooted in romes refusal to annul his first marriage to catherine of aragon he went on to take five more wives in his quest for a male heir in direct contradiction of catholic orthodoxy
the brexiteers campaign is also about divorce   of nations and economies perhaps but certainly just as permanent and with potentially far reaching consequences when britons vote on thursday they may do so at the same polling stations used during national elections yet for the side that loses the ballot there is no do over no consoling thought in defeat that at least theres always next season the columnist alex massie wrote on the spectators website no defeat is permanent and for keeps
by coincidence perhaps the campaign has gathered pace at a time when the national imagination has been caught by the blockbuster success of hilary mantels novels wolf hall and bring up the bodies set during henry viiis reign and reviving the issue of how the elite relate to adversaries at home and foes abroad
ms mantel was among almost 300 cultural figures   actors and writers among them   who signed a public letter last month urging a vote to remain part of the european union what kind of nation do we want to be the letter asked are we outward looking and open to working with others to achieve more or do we close ourselves off from our friends and neighbors at a time of increasing global uncertainty
the soul searching goes beyond that over centuries england and then britain has strutted the global stage as an imperial overlord whose people sometimes seem more comfortable in the guise of underdogs the national psyche rests on a history of invasion submission conquest and self assertion   from the romans and the anglo saxons through the normans and on to dynasties entwined with the royal houses of europe
in more recent years waves of immigration   jamaicans in the 1950s then pakistanis indians and other asians in the 1960s   have reshaped the countrys demographics christianity prevalent in henrys day is professed by less than half the population the loss of an empire and the rise of a complex interconnected global economy has rekindled the notion that in times of flux the english define themselves by their opposition to a bigger outside power   the papacy in the 16th century the european union in the 21st
this go it alone theme suffused churchills speeches during world war ii as hitlers armies spread across europe to the continents coastline we shall never surrender churchill declared in 1940 albeit with the caveat that britain would fight on until the new world with all its power and might steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the old
todays political leaders can barely resist the churchillian mantra facing hostile questioning from a television audience on sunday a rattled prime minister david cameron pointed out that at my office i sit two yards from where churchill resolved to fight on against hitler
churchill did not wish to be alone mr cameron said but he didnt quit the prime minister added he didnt quit on democracy he didnt quit on freedom we want to fight for those things today
it was also churchill who in 1930 foreshadowed one of the brexiteers arguments in an oft quoted article in the saturday evening post
we see nothing but good and hope in a richer freer more contented european commonalty he said but we have our own dream and our own task we are with europe but not of it we are linked but not comprised we are interested and associated but not absorbed
david starkey a cambridge historian critical of the european union has drawn a direct parallel with the modern battle for the nations soul
englands semidetached relationship with continental europe is neither new nor an aberration he wrote in 2012 instead it is deeply rooted in the political development of the past 500 years
the 16th century debate was couched in strikingly modern terms dr starkey wrote with henrys opponents arguing the case for papal authority like a contemporary europhile maintaining that england was subordinate to the laws and values of a pan european christendom
henry viiis judges replied on the contrary that statute was binding and parliament sovereign dr starkey said then as now the notion of sovereignty was central to the discussion and the implications were enormous by breaking with rome some historians argue the english came to see themselves a nation apart   a self image magnified by the act of union with scotland in 1707 and by centuries of colonial expansion
imperial britain was isolationist xenophobic anti catholic and nationalist the historian edwin jones wrote in 1998 and a combination of these elements helped to sustain the self identity of the british in the early 18th century he added
in 1848 lord palmerston then the foreign secretary told parliament i may say without any vainglorious boast or without great offense to anyone that we stand at the head of moral social and political civilization our task is to lead the way and direct the march of other nations
but the british always seem to qualify global ambition with the kind of parochial preoccupations that persuaded adam smith in 1776 to coin the phrase a nation of shopkeepers
as the empire grew indeed a group known as the little englanders advocated a retreat from headlong colonial expansion particularly in southern africa
these days the term endures as a derogatory epithet for the brexiteers who prefer to claim the mantle of a reawakened britannia ruling newer waves   this time through a web of trade deals and alliances beyond the perceived narrow constraints and petty regulation of brussels
some argue that the dominant strand of the brexiteers dna lies in what a a gill a columnist for the sunday times called the most pernicious and debilitating little english drug nostalgia


broad support from women and minority voters has helped hillary clinton open an early lead over donald j trump nationally according to a new poll released on monday
a monmouth university survey found that 47 percent of registered voters back mrs clinton the presumptive democratic presidential nominee while 40 percent support mr trump the republican partys standard bearer the survey is the latest in a succession of recent polls that show mrs clinton having an advantage as mr trumps campaign has sputtered amid internal strife and an array of provocative public comments
clinton has the advantage as the general election campaign kicks off particularly in key swing states said patrick murray director of the monmouth university polling institute in a statement however all signs point to 2016 turning out the most polarized electorate in memory
the lack of diversity that comprises mr trumps core supporters has become a problem for his general election prospects the poll found mrs clinton drawing the support of 72 percent of minority voters and 57 percent of female voters mr trump holds more modest leads among men and white voters
mrs clinton is also winning in swing states that were decided by less than seven points in 2012 in those 10 states she is leading by an average margin of 47 percent to 39 percent
during the primary campaign republican voters saw mr trump as the strongest candidate to handle the economy and terrorism but when pitted against mrs clinton he lags in both categories
the poll comes as mr trump fired his campaign manager corey lewandowski on monday and it follows a response to the orlando massacre this month that many viewed to be erratic mr trump doubled down on his call for ban on muslim immigration expanding the idea to include countries with a history of carrying out terrorist acts against the united states and has said that he wished the people in the gay nightclub that was attacked were armed with guns
but 70 percent of americans oppose mr trumps proposed barring of muslims from entering the country according to the monmouth poll and 52 percent would like to see a ban on assault weapons such as the one used by the terrorist in orlando
the poll had a margin of error of plus or minus four percentage points


global health authorities are trying to get more countries to mandate the use of the worlds ugliest color on cigarette packaging to discourage smoking
in 2012 gfk bluemoon a market research company under contract to the australian government announced that nearly 1000 smokers had voted that a drab greenish brown known as opaque couche number 448c in the pantone color matching system was the worlds most repulsive color
it was described as looking like death filth lung tar or baby excrement color aficionados later noted that it was also similar to the hue of the dress worn by the mona lisa
australia then mandated plain packaging for cigarettes that was actually anything but plain the opaque couche colored boxes have vivid pictures of rotted teeth tongues with tumors and dangerously tiny newborns along with warnings about smokings dangers printed in type larger than the brand names
australia has been very successful in getting smokers to quit so health officials in britain france and ireland have announced plans to imitate the packaging
last month the european court of justice rebuffed legal challenges by tobacco companies to the use of shocking images and indias supreme court ruled in favor of letting them cover 85 percent of packs
a recent study in jama internal medicine found that these pictures prompt more smokers to at least try to quit but the american tobacco industry has blocked all attempts to put them on cigarette packs sold in the united states


new delhi   the indian government announced sweeping changes on monday to throw open its economy to foreign investment providing a new path for global titans like apple and ikea to capitalize on the countrys growth the fastest among the major emerging markets
the long awaited rules instituted through executive order reinforced the governments plan to develop more business friendly policies as the country looks to spur job creation and maintain its momentum domestic and international companies have long complained about the difficulty of doing business in india a factor that has stymied investment and growth
while the economy is still hampered by the countrys infrastructure deficiencies and sprawling bureaucracy the changes represent a greater shift away from the socialist and protectionist policies of indias modern post independence history the new rules will allow foreign investors to establish 100 percent ownership in companies involved in defense civil aviation and food products although with government approval
foreign investors will also be permitted to buy up to 74 percent of indian pharmaceutical companies without seeking government approval the government similarly relaxed regulations that had made it difficult for companies like apple and ikea to establish retail operations in india
the election of prime minister narendra modi in 2014 was widely expected to lead to more market friendly policies which he had championed in his years as the chief minister of the state of gujarat the delay in bringing them about had led to widespread criticism that mr modi was not moving fast enough to stimulate the economy
indias latest reports on job creation may have tipped the scales in favor of further economic liberalization some experts said domestic data showed weak employment numbers in the last quarter of 2015 in jewelry automobiles and information technology compared with a year earlier
the timing of his statement was almost certainly aimed at reassuring international markets the rules were rolled out just two days after the surprise announcement by raghuram g rajan the widely respected governor of the central bank that he would not continue for a second term his departure has prompted uncertainty about the governments reform plans
modi needed to send some signals to show government is bringing in economic reforms and they will happen with or without rajan said harsh v pant a professor of international relations at kings college in london the government is trying to recapture its mojo on the economic front
mr rajan a popular figure among foreign investors had enhanced indias standing in international markets but he had become controversial domestically in part because of his crackdown on the debt strapped banking industry and because critics wanted him to lower interest rates faster to stimulate domestic growth his announcement that he would leave his job as governor of the central bank implied that he was moved at least in part by the preferences of the government of mr modi
india began life as an independent country in 1947 with a heavily controlled protectionist economy it changed course in 1991 when a balance of payments crisis forced the government to loosen its controls on industry and reduce barriers to imports among other things
those changes are credited with spurring indias transformation into the fastest growing large economy in the world but its growth rate of 76 percent is too slow to provide jobs for the one million people entering the work force each month the previous government and mr modis had promised further liberalization
mr modi has struggled to enact the major changes he promised such as making it easier for companies to acquire land because his party does not control the upper house of parliament mondays policy shifts required only the approval of his top administration
still mr modi is expected to win passage in july of a new law to allow the imposition of a uniform goods and services tax on the country in place of the state by state taxation making it easier for businesses to operate nationally the tax change together with new rules on foreign investment could have as significant an impact on indias economy as the 1991 reforms
the set of reforms of the past two years could be of much greater significance than what happened in 1991 said surjit s bhalla a new delhi based columnist and macroeconomic adviser on india to the observatory group a consultancy
particularly significant on monday was the change allowing 100 percent foreign investment in defense companies in india mr bhalla and others said
india has been struggling to modernize its military in step with the growing strength and aggressiveness of china trying to stimulate foreign investment in defense india in 2015 had allowed foreign ownership of up to 49 percent in defense companies but received little response
with this liberalization we would expect again some manufacturing activity in defense products to come in shaktikanta das secretary of economic affairs at the ministry of finance told reporters in new delhi the driving force behind the whole thing is that all these investments should facilitate creation of jobs
previous rules which all but required a local majority stake had scared off foreign weapons makers who feared losing control of valuable technology said ben moores a defense analyst at ihs janes a global intelligence firm
mr moores said the change would expose the big indian defense companies like tata advanced systems and hindustan aeronautics to competitive pressures for the first time
the indian government plans to award more than 800 defense contracts worth 765 billion over the next 10 years he said on combat aircraft tanks anti submarine equipment and more
there are benefits for smaller indian companies as well mr moores said not only will their larger rivals potentially face direct heavyweight competition from abroad smaller companies will have opportunities to partner with outside defense contractors to gain expertise and domestic market share
defense contractors like bae systems which mr moores said had been burned by previous experiences trying to operate in india might now see a reason to try again general dynamics which has a tank making subsidiary could also benefit from manufacturing inside india the french company dassault which is selling rafale fighter aircraft to india may find a way to sweeten the 89 billion deal
india also relaxed its requirements that single brand retail outlets purchase 30 percent of their supplies locally
this requirement has posed an obstacle to foreign investors who have been unable to find local sources apple eager to expand its retail operations in india had sought an exemption from this local sourcing requirement earlier this year but the indian government appeared reluctant to comply
under the new rules foreign retail outlets will be given a three year reprieve on the local sourcing requirement that could be extended to an additional five years if the products being sold are state of the art and cutting edge technology the government said in its announcement
an apple spokeswoman said the company was evaluating the new rules and had no immediate comment apples chief executive tim cook visited india this year and met with mr modi to discuss retail and manufacturing in the country the indian government said
arvind singhal chairman of technopak a technology consulting firm in new delhi said the new rules removed a large hurdle to foreign single brand retailers like apple that wanted to open stores in india
this will permit apple to open its own stores and control the complete experience of the brand and the product mr singhal said
the new pharmaceutical rules allowing foreign firms to purchase portions of indian drug companies were also seen as a positive development
this is a welcome step in the right direction said kiran mazumdar shaw chief executive of biocon one of indias biggest biotechnology firms
but some consumer advocates worried that easier foreign investment could also undermine indias role as the supplier of inexpensive generic drugs to poor countries throughout the world
this is perhaps going to make it even easier for the bigger pharmaceutical companies to control india as a competitor in the global marketplace said tahir amin co founder of the initiative for medicines access  knowledge a new york based nonprofit organization that works on access to medicines by challenging certain patents on drugs my prediction is the indian generic marketplace is going to look very different in five years


the exclusive feel of domestic airline clubs has taken a hit over the last decade they are more crowded and the free premium cocktails have been disappearing free wi fi is no longer even a draw because it is available in many airport terminals
but with bankruptcies and mergers in their rearview mirrors and low fuel prices helping profits airline clubs in the united states are getting an upgrade domestic airlines are reinvesting in the customer experience especially for their biggest spenders who are willing to pay extra to escape terminals for their own power outlets and comfy chairs
catering to high end customers is a major goal for airlines said mike oshins a hospitality management professor at boston university he noted that airlines have already restructured rewards programs to benefit their biggest spenders and have improved the seating in the front of planes
on a plane with a fixed number of seats airlines want to cater to the passengers who paid the most to be there because they offer the most profit he said the companies use their lounges to make the overall experience better aiming to increase customer loyalty and attract fliers away from the competition
airlines are flush with profits from continued low oil prices now is the time to reinvest in improvements mr oshins said the ambience service and amenities of the airport lounge is a tangible representation of the luxury service of the airline and one area to focus on after some neglect
jamie larounis who manages the travel blogging website theforwardcabincom said that in the last 10 years co marketing partnerships brought more fliers into lounges and as they became more crowded he added the quality of the free food and liquor declined
fliers are looking forward to the improvements ben brooks chief executive of pilot a manhattan coaching start up flies often and carries a variety of credit cards to be able to get into different airline clubs
many have gotten dumpy and overcrowded he said recently at a club at newark airport there was a long line for food and nowhere to sit he added the general terminal was more serene
clubs for american airlines had not had significant upgrades in more than 10 years said casey norton the airlines director of corporate communications but beginning about a year ago the company started improvements that will reach its more than 50 admirals clubs
fifteen locations will have major renovations and the rest will receive updates like new carpets modern furniture and additional power outlets all will feature better food selections like soups and salads rather than just snacks and cookies the airlines more upscale flagship clubs will also be expanded and redecorated
were spending 3 billion to improve the customer experience and clubs are an important part of that mr norton said he did not specify the amount going to refurbish clubs but said competitive pressures had spurred the upgrades
delta air lines started reinvesting two years ago to update its 50 delta sky clubs around the world 47 of which are in the united states the changes include redesigned food displays relaxing background music and a signature scent in the lobby said marc ferguson general manager of the delta sky club experience who is helping reimagine the lounges
food choices are a top customer concern said claude roussel managing director of sky club he said delta was moving toward hiring local food suppliers and adding kitchen facilities new features like toppings bars for soups yogurts and breads are being introduced menus will be rotated more frequently recognizing that many customers visit a club multiple times in a month he said
delta is also trying to add some hometown flair using local artists or themed art as well as local craft beers to add individuality to the clubs renovated clubs reopened recently in dallas and nashville and newark and raleigh nc are next on the schedule a new club opened in san francisco last fall to be followed this year by atlanta denver and seattle
were in a place where we can reinvest in the customer experience from ticket purchase to arrival at the destination said anthony black a delta spokesman
united airlines has also announced a multiyear improvement plan for its airport clubs spending more than 200 million with a focus on work spaces said rahsaan johnson a company spokesman the increase in the use of mobile devices and cloud computing means that more travelers are using the club as an extension of their office he said and the airlines upgrades are aimed at meeting those needs
in addition to more seats and better food united is focusing on providing more workstations with power outlets and usb ports in its clubs the company is also opening a new set of lounges called polaris for business class passengers flying internationally
sheri spero a frequent vacation traveler from new york has noticed changes in the clubs she sometimes visits more than one while she waits for her plane
i come a few extra hours early for my flights just to hang out there she said her current favorite is the delta sky club at kennedy international airport in new york which features an outdoor patio overlooking the runways and live music in the summer
ms spero has also noted the competition american express recently opened six high end centurion lounges that cater to its cardholders centurion members and platinum card holders enter free while other card holders pay 50 the lounges offer complimentary chef prepared meals soundproof rooms for children and in some free 15 minute massages and manicures
centurion is giving the airlines a run for their money ms spero said whenever i go to an airport that has one i make sure to stop by
melanie backs an american express spokeswoman said that the company wanted to improve upon the traditional domestic airline lounge while also adding a personal touch for customers and increasing their loyalty
international competition is also spurring the recent investment in clubs said brian kelly who follows the travel industry on his website thepointsguycom
foreign carriers lead the pack when it comes to offering the premium experience in their lounges he said high end furnishings and shower facilities set them apart he said and the service food and beverages are on a whole different level
domestic airlines realize their customers spend time in those luxurious international lounges mr oshins said and recognize that the quality and service levels are disparate encouraging domestic carriers to step up
in the age of instagram posts online customer comments and websites dedicated to travel reviews mr larounis added fliers will be examining and comparing every aspect of the clubs


if asset managers are nervous before britains referendum on the european union the traders who handle their orders are just as troubled
market gyrations before the vote which takes place on thursday may make it look as if they are in line for a repeat of the huge profits made following the pounds 1992 exit from the exchange rate mechanism but the industry has undergone a sea change that could leave market makers struggling even to ensure normal service
some banks and stock exchanges have warned clients that trading conditions could be difficult and volatile and they flagged the risk of large gaps in the pricing of assets the problem of one way traffic and illiquidity is already evident in the currency derivatives market where concerns over a brexit as the british exit is known first showed up and where it has been most pronounced
theres been huge appetite for options to sell the pound and very little for ones to buy it such skewed demand leaves market makers saddled with more risk they have reacted by pushing up the price of such options to sky high levels
one week pounddollar implied volatility hit a record peak of 50 percent on june 17 though it has since subsided the gap between the price at which market makers will buy and sell volatility has also widened it has doubled since the beginning of the month for one week pound options to more than three percentage points in the case of europound and just over two percentage points for pounddollar reuters data shows
the magnitude of the shifts is remarkable but understandable first market makers have grown accustomed to prices especially exchange rates suddenly taking off in one direction or the other sometimes without rhyme or reason
machine led algorithms tend to jump on the bandwagon when they detect signs that assets might break out of ranges the post 2008 decline of proprietary dealing means there are fewer humans to stand in their way by betting that economic or political reality will eventually prevail
second banks have scaled back risk limits partly because of postcrisis regulations that require banks to hold more capital when they take more risk market makers were also scarred by the sharp moves unleashed in the foreign exchange market when the swiss national bank unexpectedly ditched its currency cap in 2015
since then kill switches on banks electronic trading platforms are set off far more quickly when there is too much one way traffic which can lead to air pockets where prices lurch around a lot
all this makes life a lot less fun   and profitable   for traders today than in 1992


on march 3 two armed men entered the home of berta caceres an environmental activist in honduras and shot her dead for years ms caceres had vigorously opposed the proposed agua zarca dam to be built on the land of an indigenous people the lenca
ms caceres was one of 185 environmental activists killed in 16 countries last year according to a new report published by global witness a nonprofit organization dedicated to exposing environmental abuses those murders represent a 59 percent increase over the number murdered in 2014 according to the report and the highest since global witness began compiling data in 2002
the environment has emerged as a new battleground for human rights said billy kyte a campaign leader at global witness and the reports author
brazil saw 50 activist murders in 2015 mostly tied to agricultural encroachment and illegal logging in the amazon rain forest the philippines had 33 and colombia 26 in both countries some mining and agribusiness companies are backed by paramilitary groups mr kyte said
nearly 40 percent of the victims were from indigenous groups reflecting an increased demand for natural resources   minerals timber land and hydropower   that are often found in remote areas mr kyte said
investors in the united states european union and china are tied to many of those projects he added
global witness is analyzing data on arrest and conviction rates though the organization says that the vast majority of perpetrators escape justice
facing mounting international pressure honduran authorities in may arrested four men in connection with ms caceress murder but global witness and other organizations continue to push for an independent investigation
were sure the masterminds behind bertas killing have yet to be charged mr kyte said


facing backlash from the national rifle association for taking second amendment rights too far donald j trump on monday walked back his suggestion that people should be armed when attending nightclubs or other public places where people tend to drink alcohol
when i said that if within the orlando club you had some people with guns i was obviously talking about additional guards or employees mr trump wrote in a morning post on twitter
the clarification signified an about face for mr trump who heartily embraced the argument that more guns equals more safety when discussing the recent massacre in orlando fla during a rally in houston on friday
if we had if we had people where the bullets were going in the opposite direction right smack between the eyes of this maniac   if some of those wonderful people had guns strapped right here mr trump wrote with a gesture to his right hip right to their waist or right to their ankle and this son of a bitch comes out and starts shooting and one of the people in that room happened to have it and goes boom   boom   you know what that would have been a beautiful beautiful sight folks
the presumptive republican presidential nominee made a similar comment on the howie carr radio program last week
its too bad some of the young people that were killed over the weekend didnt have guns you know attached to their hips frankly he said
strict defenders of the second amendment tend to oppose restrictive measures on gun purchases or the rights to carry firearms arguing that criminals target areas in which they know that people are unlikely to be armed but even the nra the lobbying group for the gun industry said that mr trumps assertion was off base
no one thinks that people should go into a nightclub drinking and carrying firearms   that defies common sense chris cox executive director of the nra said on abc news on sunday it also defies the law
mr trump has taken provocative positions on guns before calling for an end to gun free zones in schools in january and more recently suggesting that they should be eliminated entirely after terrorists attacked a concert hall in paris last year mr trump also said that the outcome would have been different if the city had looser gun laws
at times during his campaign mr trump has gone too far in his efforts to demonstrate that he is a true conservative in march he was criticized by democrats and republicans alike when he said that women who had abortions should face punishment if a ban on the practice is ever enacted
as he did on monday in regards to weapons at clubs he later reversed that position


it was a silent spring for saiga antelopes last year
within a few weeks in may in kazakhstan a mysterious illness claimed the lives of more than 200000 of the endangered animals or over 60 percent of the species
this spring scientists and conservationists around the world waited anxiously to see whether the die off would be repeated not only has may come and gone with no epidemic but newly published results from an april census revealed that the saigas are making modest gains in population
in particular the betpak dala saiga population in central kazakhstan which was hit hardest by the epidemic grew from 31000 after the die off to 36000 by april said steffen zuther who coordinates the altyn dala conservation initiative a large scale conservation program in central kazakhstan
its fantastic news said stephanie ward a representative of britains royal society for the protection of birds a partner in the conservation program she attributed the population growth to the kazakh governments effort to combat poaching for meat and male saiga horns which are prized in chinese traditional medicine
some of us were worried initially that the saiga horn would go up in value and really put pressure on the remaining antelope ms ward said but the kazakh government has risen to the challenge
the apparent success of antipoaching and conservation measures however has done little to expose the roots of last years disease outbreak which in some cases killed off entire herds
research in the past year has pinned the die off on pasteurella multocida a bacterium that commonly causes disease in water buffalo cattle and bison though not at such a deadly rate
still the mystery remains the bacteria naturally occur in the antelopes without causing a problem said richard kock of the royal veterinary college in london who has been studying last years die off
what caused the bacteria to suddenly become virulent last year is unclear one possibility was weather dr kock said increased rainfall he said seems to create conditions where the pathogen can thrive or the host is stressed in a way that makes it easier for the pathogen to invade
another possibility changes in vegetation as a result of reduced grazing by wild horses and later livestock kept by nomads on the steppes as that way of life declined the changes might have created environmental stressors that are not yet well understood
for now conservationists say the international community needs to continue protecting saigas through proven strategies like cracking down on poaching and expanding protected areas
before the die off there were more than 240000 betpak dala saiga to ensure that a future disaster doesnt wipe out the species the population should be closer to a million said michael brombacher who heads the frankfurt zoological society
mr zuther of the conservation initiative is optimistic these animals were around in the pleistocene thousands to millions of years ago with woolly mammoths he said the saiga has this really good capability of bouncing back


now that cleveland has finally won a title the mantle of most cursed sports city must be passed on but which unlucky city gets it here are 10 candidates
for the purpose of this exercise well focus on the big four leagues   major league baseball the nfl the nba and the nhl   but consider titles in other pro leagues as well
last major title 1971 bucks
the agony lost a three games to two lead in the 1982 world series to the cardinals led game 7 before keith hernandez and george hendrick drove in runs to give the cardinals the lead
mitigating factor although the packers winners of the super bowl after the 2010 season nominally play in green bay they are essentially milwaukees nfl team
the future the bucks missed the nba playoffs and the brewers were 17  1/2  games out entering monday
last major title 1991 redskins
the agony despite a talent laden roster the nationals barely broke 500 last season which culminated with a dugout fight between the star bryce harper and closer jonathan papelbon the capitals had the best record in hockey but lost in the playoffs yet again
mitigating factor dc united has won four mls cups most recently in 2004
the future the nationals are still loaded with talent and are among the favorites to win the world series and the capitals should be great again the wizards were 500 and the redskins are owned by daniel snyder
last major title 1995 rockets
the agony the colt 45sastros have been playing since 1962 and finally made the world series for the first time in 2005 they were swept by the white sox with every game decided by one or two runs
mitigating factor the comets were the first dominant team in the wnba winning four consecutive titles
the future the astros were 11 games out entering monday and the rockets were 500 although the texans were shut out by the chiefs in the first playoff round they are not terrible and any team would love to have defensive end j j watt
last major title 1995 braves
the agony since the braves were widely considered the best team in baseball for a decade or more their one world series title feels like an underachievement the falcons were 13 3 in 2010 and 2012 and wound up with one playoff win a year ago the upshot chose atlanta second on a list of cursed cities behind cleveland
mitigating factor atlanta got to host the 1996 olympics
the future the braves are atrocious the falcons are mediocre and the thrashers left town the hawks have made the playoffs nine straight years but with a top three of paul millsap al horford and jeff teague they do not seem ready to challenge the elite
last major title none
the agony the titans lost super bowl xxxiv when kevin dyson came inches short of the goal line as time expired
mitigating factor the oilerstitans have been around since only 1997 and the predators since 1998 so the agony is relatively fresh
the future the titans coming off 2 14 and 3 13 seasons are one of the worst teams in the nfl the predators who lost in the second round of the playoffs are solid but seem below championship caliber
last major title 1991 twins
the agony the twins have lost in division series in their last five trips to the playoffs the vikings are 0 4 in super bowls and have not been to one since 1977
mitigating factor the lynx of the wnba have won three titles in the past five seasons
the future the twins are very bad but despite losing at home to the seahawks in the first round of the playoffs on a missed field goal the vikings have hope for the future behind teddy bridgewater
last major title 1993 blue jays
the agony after that series win the blue jays did not make the playoffs until last season the longest drought in sports
mitigating factor the argonauts have won four grey cups since the jays last title most recently in 2012
the future the maple leafs were the worst team in hockey but the jays are in the playoff hunt again and the raptors were the second best team in the eastern conference
last major title 1963 chargers afl
the agony the padres made two world series and both times ran into one of the best teams in baseball history they lost 4 1 to the 104 58 tigers in 1984 and were swept by the 114 48 yankees in 1998
mitigating factor the san diego sockers won four straight indoor soccer crowns from 2010 to 2013 the weather is also fantastic
the future the padres are in last place and the chargers are coming off a 4 12 season
last major title 1990 reds
the agony the bengals last seven playoff trips have ended in the wild card round including the last five years the reds were leading their division in 1994 when the season was canceled by a strike
mitigating factor the now defunct cincinnati excite won the american indoor soccer league title in 2005 6
the future the reds are in last place but the bengals were 12 4 behind a big season for quarterback andy dalton
last major title 1965 bills afl
the agony how much time do you have four consecutive super bowl losses including the wide right game against the giants and a 52 17 shellacking by the cowboys the music city miracle the longest active playoff less streak of any major sports team by the bills the sabres have 29 trips to the playoffs in their history without a stanley cup
mitigating factor the western new york flash based in nearby elma won the womens professional soccer title in 2013 just before the league went out of business
the future the bills were 8 8 under rex ryan the sabres were seventh of eight teams in the atlantic division but did have the exciting rookie jack eichel


this week on the music charts drake rules once again while the hamilton album rides its tony award victories to a new high
drakes views young moneycash moneyrepublic had just 27000 album sales in the united states last week but its 110 million streams were far ahead of those for any other record according to data from nielsen views stays at no 1 for a seventh week tying the most recent run by adeles 25 in late 2015 and early 2016 among other long stretches at no 1 recently the frozen soundtrack notched eight consecutive straight weeks in 2014 and adeles 21 had 10 in a row two years before
nick jonass latest solo album last year was complicated island opened at no 2 while the cast recording for hamilton atlantic rises 10 spots to a peak of no 3 according to billboard hamilton has become one of only three broadway cast recordings to reach the top 10 in the last 50 years and is the highest charting such album in five years since the book of mormon also hit no 3 on june 12 hamilton won 11 tony awards including best musical
also this week beyonces lemonade parkwoodcolumbia is no 4 and the long island born singer jon bellion who sang on zedds dance hit beautiful now last year opens at no 5 with his new solo album the human condition capitol


what if the very thing that is often viewed as one of the united states sources of dynamism   flexible labor markets   is the driving force behind the economys greatest weakness millions of people who are neither working nor looking for a job
that is a provocative idea that obama administration economists explore in a new report looking at one of the crucial flaws in what on the surface is a healthy job market even as the unemployment rate has fallen to 47 percent   low by historical standards   millions of working age americans have pulled out of the labor market entirely they neither work nor count as unemployed
these missing workers are predominately less educated men and their numbers have been mounting for decades the white house council of economic advisers calculates that in 1964 97 percent of men with a high school degree or less in the so called prime age working years of 25 to 54 were working or seeking work that is now down to 83 percent
in the united states there is less standing in the way between an employer who wants to hire someone and a person who wants to work than in most western european countries or japan
many economists have traditionally viewed this as positive yes it means that workers are more vulnerable to being fired when the economy slumps and many jobs come with fewer benefits like paid vacation and sick leave but that should help the economy adapt to a changing world more quickly and ultimately lead to higher incomes a mainstay of american and british economic commentary is preaching to the likes of france and italy that they need more flexible labor markets
in theory this flexibility should create more opportunities for anyone who wants work to find it in contrast with european countries where companies are more reluctant to add jobs because regulations and union rules make it costly to fire people or sometimes even change their jobs
yet a higher proportion of working age men are in the labor force in many of these countries with inflexible labor market policies in the united states 12 percent of 25  to 54 year old men were neither working nor looking for work in 2014 that number was 7 percent in spain and france and 4 percent in japan and thats despite a more generous social safety net in those countries that would you might think make it easier to drop out of the work force
in other words whatever the costs and downsides of european style labor markets they dont seem to inhibit the number of prime age men who work they may even make less educated men more likely to remain part of the work force
perhaps men without much education are more likely to seek work when positions offer job security and when regulations and unions push wages higher than they would be on a more open market and perhaps that effect counteracts the economic negatives of these policies in terms of fewer jobs and less dynamic businesses
one traditional defense of american style labor market arrangements is that though they may result in more inequality the labor market will function better as a result the white house economists write but the international comparisons suggest that a successful labor market requires at the very least more than just flexibility but also policies or institutions that help connect workers with jobs or facilitate their taking jobs through subsidized child care or flexible workplaces
the data they add suggests that the american labor market has room to improve when it comes to creating conditions for meaningful employment
what would those be the obama administration emphasizes policies to increase connective tissue in the job market those include improving community college and job training programs the report also advocates improved unemployment insurance and wage insurance programs that would provide income to people whose pay gets cut
the economists also note some other factors that could explain the united states poor showing particularly astronomical incarceration numbers the male population in the united states includes many more former prisoners than in other advanced democracies and they are disproportionately likely to be out of the labor force
the analysis in this report has shown that simply making labor markets more flexible is at least not sufficient for effective functioning and that making labor markets more supportive is essential the report said
the white house study is part of a broader conversation that is only beginning about the failures of the american economy to create opportunities and good paying jobs for less educated people especially men and its not just about economics the absence of those opportunities has coincided with rising rates of depression opioid abuse early death and a range of social dysfunctions among this same demographic group of less educated working age men
there is no guarantee that a more european style labor market would solve americas missing male worker problem let alone solve those much bigger problems but the international comparisons suggest less flexible labor markets might have some advantages


the annual mash up of choreography and couture that is new york city ballets fall fashion gala will outfit its dancers this september in the designs of rosie assoulin narciso rodriguez dries van noten and jason wu the company announced on monday
the designers have been paired with four choreographers already announced who are creating new works for the gala on sept 20 the fall fashion gala has become a signature annual event for city ballet raising more than 10 million since it began in 2012 it was conceived by the actress sarah jessica parker a vice chairwoman of the companys board
this years gala will feature the choreographer annabelle lopez ochoas first work for city ballet set to a selection of scores written for the cello by luigi boccherini edward elgar and peteris vasks and with costumes by ms assoulin lauren lovette a principal dancer at city ballet is choreographing her first work for a ballet company set to schumanns introduction and concert allegro op 134 featuring costumes by mr rodriguez
justin peck the companys resident choreographer is creating a pas de deux set to the second movement of martinus piano quintet no 2 featuring costumes designed by mr van noten and peter walker a member of the companys corps de ballet will create his first work for the company set to an original score by thomas kikta and featuring costumes by mr wu
the evening the fifth anniversary of the fashion gala will feature a retrospective look at the designs that have been constructed by city ballets costume shop and its director marc happel in collaboration with the designers past galas have featured costumes by valentino thom browne and sarah burton for alexander mcqueen among others


cleveland   on a warm june night in cleveland 20562 pairs of hands gathered to lift a curse
quicken loans arena home of the cavaliers was hosting an official game 7 watch party the place was gussied up in wine and gold banners proclaiming all in in fact most things were all out the 5 tickets for the 20562 indoor seats sold out in less than a minute a like number of admissions for the outdoor plaza were also gobbled up in under a minute the chosen ones apologies lebron shuffled past their ticketless brethren in an approximation of the last judgment marching toward not the pearly gates but the gateway plaza security
anybody got a ticket to sell a tattooed man said one ticket
inside your co hosts ahmad and nicole a cle clad couple took over the humongotron the center hung scoreboard has four enormous hd video screens that are tilted and uniquely curved to provide optimal viewing angles for all fans is the way the qs website described it and the big h replete with flaming sabers could barely contain ahmads enthusiasm its game 7 of the nba finals with the golden state warriors   we boo   going against your cleveland cavaliers
high in the rafters   the uppermost stretches of the q are dubbed loudville   nicole cornered mark a young fan she asked what his plans were after the cavs won marks eyes went saucers as if the thought had never really occurred to him then the humongotron filled with pregame warm ups live from oakland there was lebron jamess face broad and as impassive as the sphinx and the building lost its collective mind
is this heaven no its cleveland
do not engage in any fighting or throwing of objects the public address announcer reminded us violators will be ejected and subject to arrest
its not easy being cle in most cities sports failure is an occasional painful lesson in cleveland it has been the entire point futility here turned into an annual ritual the insert franchise name here would start the season with high hopes lose much of their steam via poor on field play and horrible front office miscalculations see johnny football and reload with a new crop of talent only to reprise the outcome the cavs had seemingly followed the script left for dead after the fourth game of the championship series as assorted talking heads proclaimed that no team had ever come back from a 3 1 series deficit believeland would have none of it
cavs all the way laurie coduto said her husband mike agreed you know the cavs are going to win he said the codutos were here sunday night because we want to be part of history laurie said
the music kicked in billy idol was singing rebel yell or it could have been white wedding heck it could have been pachelbels toccata in e minor no matter it was the moment and the moment is what set the wheelchairs in the subway fan zone to dancing
a trio of young men passed laden with enough nachos for a week in the north woods
follow me one said
know where youre going
no
you knew by the time of the player introductions that something was different as the lights dimmed and just before the humongotron belched fire a fan waved a sign lebron the real mvp
maybe the warriors closed the half strong draymond green ignited an 11 4 run in the final four minutes of the second quarter and golden state took a 7 point lead into the locker room no matter the cavs are going to win said a woman who gave her name as ophelia calm in the storm she was here to be part of the excitement
the elite craziness took place in deeper waters the cleveland indians afternoon game against the chicago white sox provided the undercard and tribe fans wandered over from the ballpark to join the throng outside the vibe was spring break north the dress   what there was of it   was casual the conversation livelier
did you get him anything for fathers day a young woman asked her friend who says hes the father her friend answered not looking up from her drink
nearby another young woman lectured a boy dont play for a team she scolded be a lawyer and own the team she added i dated a lawyer and i should know the boy was about 2 years old and tiny riding on his fathers shoulders dad and son quickly moved away
with 1 minute 50 seconds left in the game james uncoiled a chase down block of an andre iguodala shot kyrie irving hit a step back shot over stephen curry curry answered with a wildly errant 3 point attempt on the other end before james was fouled hard he knocked down the second of two free throws for a 4 point cleveland lead with 10 seconds on the clock chants of mvp rocked the q
please no more about the curse suffice to say the cavs put up a season that any thinking sports fan ought to have been proud to witness cleveland has beaten flawed teams like atlanta and it has beaten young rosters just coming into their own like detroit and toronto the cavs are smarter than any team thats tougher and there arent many of those
it could be argued while listening to wiz khalifa rattle your molars that sport has sucked the charm out of the contemporary game and replaced it with volume marketing is a simple villain hunger for karmic justice and they will offer you a discounted hot dog shiver in the cold rain of a half century of disappointment and they will hand you a firstenergy t shirt that is the way the game is played now it is easy to overlook the obvious even when it is flashed onto a video screen the size of an apartment building
the real power lies inside coiled and remarkable it always has it is what causes the granny during the irving warm ups to chair dance to mad beats it is what causes the beanpole wearing a matthew dellavedova jersey as a belly shirt to lean to his left to misguide a curry free throw even if the hoop in question is 2200 miles away and yes it is what turns every brian on a car phone into james naismith this time of year no maybes here were going to win not they or i in the end the cavs played like a team with a chip on its shoulder winning for a city full of people with a chip on theirs
which brings us back to mark pondering a course of action for the final buzzer im going to go running in the street he said
it was a beautiful summer night a gentle breeze finally coming over a great lake past the glass pyramid of the rock n roll hall of fame the cavs were champs a spell had been lifted without crystals roosters or the intercession of madame zora and there was nothing left to do except join 20562 of your closest friends and run in the street


the most famous music in prokofievs romeo and juliet does not go to the lovers of the title its a dance of patriarchy often called the dance of the knights halfway through act i ballet is usually an art in which men chivalrously allow women to shine not so in the verona conceived by shakespeare and reimagined for dance theater by prokofiev to the pounding bass line of the brass oom pah-oom pah the men of juliets family the capulets demonstrate their authority ceremoniously marching forward in splendor
a choreographer has choices of course frederick ashton in his 1955 version   recently revived by los angeles ballet   began this number with a virtuoso solo for juliets suitor paris when the strings race up and down he jumps powerfully on the spot his feet crisscrossing in the air entrechat quatre like blades other capulet men soon follow suit behind him
but kenneth macmillans 1965 version which returns to american ballet theater at the metropolitan opera house this week and which the royal ballet has just danced in tokyo emphasizes the patriarchal element after a scene change light suddenly floods onto the gorgeous ballroom with its balconies and three grand staircases the rich colors of nicholas georgiadiss costumes akin to those of venetian renaissance painting make a sensation before anyone moves then the men advance in slow heavy columns when the capulet women follow almost a minute in also in columns theyre decorous and subservient
romeo and juliet have not met yet   that comes in a few minutes time at this ball but macmillan makes it clear what theyll be up against until that point macmillan largely follows the lines of leonid lavrovskys romeo first staged for the kirov ballet in 1940 and associated from 1944 with the bolshoi ballet like many macmillan 1929 1992 was deeply impressed by this production when the bolshoi first appeared in london in 1956 but by the time he made romeo macmillan had become one of britains angry young men like the playwright john osborne with whom he had worked
two minutes into this dance he brings juliet tamara rojo in this youtube clip into the ballroom whats so characteristic of macmillan is that   though she makes a perfect ballerina type entrance down the stairs and into the center of the ballroom in her marvelous white dress   its an anticlimax nobody even notices her she runs back disconsolate to her nurse
no choreographer before macmillan would have timed this ballerina entrance so that it has a noneffect and this prepares us for the drama that follows juliet is expected to know her place and to take no initiatives of her own
encouraged to try again she pays her respects to her father who in turn presents her to paris she shyly avoids this suitor instead running away to greet her mother but paris is still waiting finally she politely takes his hand while the capulets resume their formation as the brass returns to that slow oom pah oom pah the clan completes its patriarchal dance ritual
for macmillan and the dancer for whom he conceived the role lynn seymour his muse for 20 years juliet becomes a rebel when she discovers love both the choreographer and his ballerina were steeped in west side story the updated new york 1957 romeo that had run in the west end of london longer than it had on broadway and in franco zeffirellis sensational 1960 staging of the play for the new royal shakespeare company with judi dench as juliet
alone on her balcony after meeting romeo at the ball ms seymour   the most radical actress in ballet throughout the 1960s and 1970s   would writhe pressing her arms and neck against the ledge and columns of the balcony like a cat in heat decades later she told me that was my judi dench rip off   i was wild about that zeffirelli production
the balcony pas de deux that followed was a flood of sensuous dance contradicting all the courteous behavior that had gone before and juliets mettlesome temper became the engine that fueled the drama above all in act iii in which she seldom leaves the stage this youtube clip shows ms seymour and david wall in 1979 experienced macmillan dancers both in the bedroom pas de deux that opens that final act its clear how much juliet has been transformed into a passionate reckless adult by the discovery of sexual love
in the 1980s macmillan discovered another muse alessandra ferri he created several ballets for her the liquidity of her physique and arches of her feet became famous so did her capacity for depicting intense emotion she first danced his juliet in 1984 with the royal ballet at covent garden in london   this youtube of her balcony scene with wayne eagling comes from later that year   and danced it throughout her long era with ballet theater 1986 2007 in 2013 she began to return to dance showing herself to be the same bold and uncompromising artist as before
this thursday at age 53 ms ferri returns to juliet this breaks no records margot fonteyn who danced the premiere of macmillans version was still a memorable juliet with rudolf nureyevs romeo at 56 but its a homecoming no ballet theater performance this season is more eagerly anticipated


im getting more questions about what this election will mean for peoples personal financial situations than ive received in any previous election that i can remember financial advisers almost twice my age tell me the same thing
while im sure there are many reasons for these questions i submit that the primary one is this our collective anxiety around money has never been higher people are scared and at the root of that fear is money or the lack thereof
in my travels during the last few years from rust belt cities to thriving tech centers ive conducted a straw poll consisting of a single question i ask people to describe in one word how they feel about money almost universally the word i hear is scared
that answers makes sense when you examine it along with research done last year by the pew charitable trusts in a survey of almost 8000 people 57 percent said theyre not financially prepared for the unexpected fifty five percent said they broke even each month or spent more than they made
let me reiterate that 57 percent of americans feel unprepared financially thats not a fairy tale its a reality and it also happens to be enough people to win an election
financial anxiety isnt limited to the poor however you define that term chances are youve read or heard about neal gablers recent cover story for the atlantic the secret shame of middle class americans mr gabler points out another shocking statistic according to an annual survey done by the federal reserve board 47 percent of respondents said that if they faced a 400 emergency they would not be able to come up with the money or would have to cover the expense by borrowing money or selling something he goes on to admit publicly that as a member of the professional class he too falls into that 47 percent
when we view this election cycle through the lens of financial fear some of the outlandish things happening in both parties start to make a little more sense look people are scared they are scared theyre going to lose their jobs to a robot they are scared the factory down the street is going to move overseas they are scared that taxes are going to become even more burdensome or that their children wont be able to afford to go to college or that theyll have to take in their aging parents if they run out of money
when we get scared the natural reaction is to look for someone to blame someone to fight or someone who can fix things the question at the heart of this election just might be who among the candidates will provide the necessary conditions for us to address our financial fears
as my 14 year old son likes to say good luck with that one


tehran   irans intelligence ministry issued a statement on monday saying it had foiled one of the countrys biggest terrorism plots ever
several people were arrested and bombs and other explosives were seized from wahhabi takfiri groups the statement said employing a term commonly used in iran for supporters of the islamic state militant group they had been planning bomb attacks on june 16 the anniversary of the death of the first wife of the prophet muhammad khadija the statement said
several bombings were intended in different locations in the heartland of the country the statement said asking people to pray for the intelligence agents who had discovered the plot no further details were given
the iranian authorities frequently say they have discovered plots and arrested terrorists but they rarely provide evidence the islamic state has organized bombings and assassinations almost everywhere in the region as well as in europe though the group has not successfully staged attacks in iran
the last big terrorist attack in iran was in 1994 in the eastern city of mashhad when at least 25 people died during a bombing of the imam reza shrine a major pilgrimage site for shiite muslims at the time the government held an armed opposition group the mujahedeen khalq responsible although there were reports that the attack had been organized by sunni militants


when a company learns it is the focus of a government investigation the first step is to start an internal investigation to figure out what happened to determine any potential exposure for wrongdoing it needs the cooperation of its employees who were involved with the conduct
most workers will tell the internal investigators what they know perhaps in the naive belief that the company will look out for their best interests but if they do not cooperate a recent decision by a federal appeals court makes it clear that the company can fire them with little fear that the termination will be considered improper
the case arose out of an investigation of marsh  mclennan companies in 2004 when eliot spitzer was the new york attorney general seeking to take on the mantle of wall streets top cop mr spitzer started headline grabbing inquiries into a number of companies for real and perceived misconduct one issue that came under his scrutiny involved contingent commission arrangements in which brokerage firms like marsh steered clients to certain insurance companies in exchange for larger payments from them as the new york times described in a 2004 article
as part of the companys internal investigation two executives william w gilman and edward j mcnenney jr were interviewed by an outside law firm retained to look at the commission payments a few months later it emerged that there were allegations of bid rigging by agents at different insurance brokers two employees of the american international group pleaded guilty to state antitrust charges in september 2004 with one identifying mr gilman and mr mcnenney as co conspirators
at that point marshs lawyers shifted the focus of their inquiry to the bid rigging and tried to arrange new interviews with the two executives with mr spitzer breathing down the companys neck it was crucial to complete the inquiry and turn over the results quickly to appear as cooperative as possible
rather than submit to questioning mr gilman and mr mcnenney refused to speak with investigators mr gilman even tried to retire before meeting with them so that he could not be fired for refusing to cooperate that was a good strategy from a legal standpoint because their statements were sure to be given to prosecutors who could use them to build a case against the two executives
but their refusal resulted in marsh immediately firing the two men for cause refusing to accept mr gilmans retirement that meant the executives lost stock awards and severance pay they would have received if there had been an ordinary termination
marsh reached a civil settlement with mr spitzers office before the men were fired but it continued its internal investigation to show continuing cooperation something that is often a condition of any settlement
mr gilman and mr mcnenney were later convicted of one count of fraud while being acquitted of a number of other charges their conviction was later overturned because the government failed to turn over 700000 pages of documents and new york prosecutors decided in 2011 to dismiss the case rather than retry it
the two executives sued marsh in 2010 to recover employment benefits denied to them because of the firing they claimed that the company breached its contract and that it was acting as an agent of mr spitzers office when it sought to force them to speak with investigators violating their constitutional right to silence
the united states court of appeals for the second circuit in manhattan agreed with the conclusion of a federal district judge that their termination was not a breach of contract because the company had good reason to demand that they provide information or face the consequences of their refusal the appeals court found that when a company finds itself under scrutiny for potential violations it did what any other company would do and arguably what any company should do marshs interview demands were reasonable and it had cause to fire gilman and mcnenney for refusing to comply
that language effectively recognizes a broad right for companies to use the threat of termination to obtain information from employees because of the potential for shareholder lawsuits and government enforcement actions
the power to fire an employee is rarely an effective method to gather evidence because employees who possibly engaged in misconduct will expect to pay a price at some point and speaking with investigators will provide little protection from dismissal
what the power to terminate an employee does give a company is a means to show the government that it has tried to obtain evidence of wrongdoing and took measures to punish those unwilling to cooperate
adopting an aggressive approach with a recalcitrant employee has become even more important since the justice department announced a new policy in 2015 that conditions any credit for corporate cooperation on providing information about misconduct by individuals in the company sally q yates the deputy attorney general of the united states who issued the policy directive said in a recent speech before the new york city bar association that our goal is not to collect corporate heads
that may not be the governments goal but showing that a few heads were lopped off for refusing to cooperate in an internal investigation can go a long way toward making the case that a company tried its best to provide the information that the justice department policy demands if a company cannot furnish all the information the government would like it can at least show it got rid of anyone who did not help its investigation
the appeals court also refused to find that a companys decision to conduct an internal investigation in response to government scrutiny turns it into an agent of the prosecutors and therefore subject to important constitutional limitations such as the fifth amendment privilege against self incrimination corporations have good reasons to investigate potential violations and so the appeals court concluded that a rule that deems all such companies to be government actors would be incompatible with corporate governance and modern regulation
the decision makes life even more difficult for employees who are caught up in investigations few anticipate they will ever be involved in potential wrongdoing so they are unlikely to take steps in advance to protect themselves instead employees often find themselves being squeezed as was the case with mr gilman and mr mcnenney at marsh
the appeals courts message is clear in corporate internal investigations cooperate or else if you ever wondered who has the upper hand in the employment relationship you dont need to think long to come up with the answer


chameleons snack by shooting out their impressive tongues zapping a meal as far as two body lengths away but no one has figured out how those tongues latch onto the prey and snap it back into the animals mouth
researchers now have the explanation amucus secreted by the animals tongue pads makes for very sticky spit
scientists collected chameleon saliva and tested it for adhesiveness the stuff is 400 times as viscous as human saliva they found and sticky enough to trap not only insects but even large prey   birds lizards or small mammals   without the aid of suction or any other mechanism


united states lawmakers are demanding answers from the world anti doping agency the global regulator of doping in olympic sports in the wake of a new york times investigation that found that the agency mishandled multiple warnings about russia   including a 2012 appeal from a russian olympian who confessed to cheating pleaded for help and offered to cooperate with the agency
on monday morning senator john thune   republican of south dakota and chairman of the senate committee on commerce science and transportation which has jurisdiction over sports   sent a seven page letter to the agency which is partly funded by united states taxpayers the letter asked the agencys president to explain why it had taken years to investigate claims of a government run doping program in russia and called for further inquiries into possible cheating
citing the more than 25 million the united states contributed in the last 14 years mr thune criticized the agency for letting at least four years pass before pursuing tips from russian whistle blowers and for containing its ultimate investigation to russian track and field in spite of claims that cheating transcended sports and implicated other countries
these recent allegations and wadas subsequent response have called the organizations strength and credibility into question mr thune wrote in the letter a copy of which was obtained by the times a spokesman for the committee confirmed the letter had been sent monday morning
mr thunes letter came on the same day that the agency held an antidoping symposium in london a wada spokesman did not respond to an emailed request for comment
the times investigation found that the agency was hampered by politics and possible conflicts of interest such that it did not initiate inquiries and in one case forwarded a whistle blowers email to russian sports officials   the very people the athlete said were running a doping program
some wada officials have defended their handling of the allegations asserting that until 2015 when a new code took effect the agency had no responsibility to conduct investigations beyond that some at wada said they feared jeopardizing whistle blowers safety
but mr thune disputed those explanations citing the agencys broad authority to investigate since 2004 six years before it received the first known whistle blower tip he said officials concerns for the personal safety of whistle blowers only raised questions about whether the regulator had proper policies in place to solicit information and protect people from retaliation
wadas excuse for its long delay in aggressively investigating these allegations he wrote overlooks the fact that the evidence wada received from the whistle blowers centered on allegations of corruption at the wada accredited antidoping laboratory in moscow and at the russian national antidoping agency both of which are under wadas direct oversight
one of the watchdogs principal duties is to monitor testing laboratories and national antidoping organizations like those in russia
on behalf of the senate committee mr thune called for wada to broaden its investigation into systemic doping going beyond track and field the sochi games and russia he called for wada to look back further than the 2014 winter olympics noting that the committees own research had suggested russias doping program dated back as far as three decades
russias longtime antidoping lab director grigory rodchenkov who ran the olympic laboratory at the 2014 sochi games said he surreptitiously substituted the tainted urine of at least 15 top russian athletes on steroids who won medals at those games though his lab was under investigation by wada the agency cleared dr rodchenkov to direct testing weeks before the olympics
last month wada commissioned an investigation into dr rodchenkovs specific claims about sochi and it is due to conclude by july 15
but mr thune said wadas scrutiny should not end there and the claims of dr rodchenkov who fled russia and is living in los angeles have certainly ranged far wider
the senate committee requested answers to 11 specific questions   five of them focused on potential conflicts of interest among wadas leadership   by july 5
wadas decision making body is composed of government and olympic representatives an arrangement that presents possible conflicts because olympic officials might not be inclined to reveal doping transgressions that could mar the integrity of the games while government officials might be more inclined to protect athletes from their own countries
mr thune questioned the allegiances of craig reedie wadas president who is also a vice president of the international olympic committee and the person to whom mr thunes letter was addressed
wadas mission to promote doping free sport may be undermined since its leadership has ties to national olympic committees or sports ministries whose goal is to increase a particular nations competitiveness and medal counts mr thune wrote a truly independent wada is essential to the iocs mission to demonstrate credibility on the world stage
global sports officials have hustled ahead of the rio olympics which start on aug 5 to assure athletes of a level playing field
investigations have become the flavor of the month mr reedie said in an interview in switzerland this month
as for which athletes will be cleared to compete in the games wada defers to the governing bodies for specific sports thats their problem mr reedie said im one of the few people who doesnt wake up in the morning and think only about rio
last week the international association of athletics federations barred russias track and field team from competing in the rio games at that announcement in vienna rune andersen a former wada director who is monitoring russias reforms on behalf of global sports officials defended the worlds watchdog
wada is now dealing with this in a very strict fashion mr andersen said wada national antidoping organizations and government need to step up their fight against doping


some details of the orlando nightclub massacre are known to the minute the first reports of gunfire came at 202 am the gunman made a 911 call at 235 am in which he pledged allegiance to the islamic state by 515 am as hostages fled to safety he lay dead or mortally wounded in a scene of unimaginable carnage
many questions persist about those three hours at the blood drenched pulse nightclub and about how law enforcement handled the crisis on june 12 orlando police officials have been peppered with queries from the public survivors and the news media about whether they should have confronted the gunman sooner and whether any of the victims were shot by the police
the citys police chief john mina and other officials have repeatedly defended the delay in storming a bathroom where the gunman had taken hostages and have deflected questions about whose bullets did what damage on monday chief mina answered in a way that left open the possibility that some of the 49 people killed and 53 wounded were in fact hit by police gunfire
thats part of the investigation but heres what i will tell you those killings are on the suspect he said
the chief spoke at a news conference with local and federal law enforcement officials outside the club to release a partial transcript of the gunmans conversations with the police during the siege and to fill a few gaps in the official account of what took place but the news conference seemed intended just as much to reject criticism of the police
i think there was this misconception that we didnt do anything for three hours and thats absolutely not true the chief said he said the police had used the time to rescue patrons get the lay of the building put resources into place determine where people were hiding and talk to the gunman
federal law enforcement officials at mondays news conference offered vigorous praise of local agencies and their personnel they should not be second guessed said a lee bentley iii the united states attorney for the middle district of florida lives were saved because of their heroic work
the killer omar mateen spoke with the authorities four times for a total of 29 minutes while holding hostages in a bathroom where victims lay bleeding the transcript released by the fbi covered only the first brief call and fragments of the last call the substance of his statements was made public last week but not the precise language
in the first call to 911 at 235 am which lasted less than a minute mr mateen 29 took responsibility for the shootings in the name of god the merciful and declared allegiance to the islamic state and its leader abu bakr al baghdadi he demanded that the united states halt its bombing in syria and iraq
he talked with a police negotiator at 248 for nine minutes at 303 for 16 minutes and at 324 for three minutes in the last call he claimed   falsely it turned out   to have explosives
there is some vehicle outside that has some bombs just to let you know he said you people are gonna get it and im gonna ignite it if they try to do anything stupid he said he had a vest of the kind used in france an apparent reference to explosive vests used by islamic state attackers in paris in november
while the killer made these murderous statements he did so in a chilling calm and deliberate manner said ronald hopper an assistant special agent in charge of the fbis office in tampa fla
the fbi at first released a transcript redacted to avoid mentioning the islamic state and mr baghdadi by name which officials described as an effort not to play into the groups propaganda that drew ridicule in the news media and from some republicans led by speaker paul d ryan who suggested the obama administration was playing down the attackers radical islamist motivation
hours later the fbi released what it said was an unedited transcript of the first 911 call with the names
the material released does not include any mention of a hatred of gays which the bureau has been investigating as a possible motive
federal officials declined to release transcripts of all the calls or of 911 calls made by people trapped inside pulse or audio recordings of any of them
the first calls about a shooting came at 202 am according to a timeline released by the fbi the timeline did not say whether mr mateen exchanged gunfire with an off duty officer working security as some officials have said
at 204 more officers arrived and at 208 officers from multiple agencies entered the club and they and mr mateen opened fire
that engagement and that initial entry caused him to stop shooting retreat and barricade himself into a bathroom chief mina said
officials did not say how many officers fired in that gun battle or how many rounds the orange county medical examiner dr joshua d stephany said in an interview that autopsies of victims had not made any determination about who fired the fatal shots
in an interview the swat commander mark canty said he doubted any fatalities resulted from police bullets members of his team he said are trained to kind of identify the targets
but it is not clear whether any officers in that gunfight were from the swat team and it is clear that some were not the full team was not called to the scene until 218
from the time mr mateen retreated to the bathroom chief mina said there was no shooting in that three hour period until the commencement of the hostage rescue operation
survivors who were in that bathroom have said mr mateen had sprayed it with gunfire killing and injuring several people but their accounts did not make clear whether that happened before or after the firefight with the police former hostages agreed that a long period without shooting followed though some have said mr mateen shot a few more people at the end of the siege after officers began to storm the building
officials here have insisted that the police followed protocol in not trying to force a showdown that could have claimed more lives in fact mayor buddy dyer said the departments practices called for officers to retreat 1000 feet once there was a threat of explosives but they did not
chief mina said that throughout the standoff officers went into the club putting themselves in danger to rescue people some survivors have told stories to that effect angel colon tearfully told of being unable to walk after having been shot several times and expressed gratitude to an officer who pulled him to safety
but others who escaped with their lives have not been so complimentary norman casiano said that after hiding and then making his way toward the club entrance i poked my head out and the police actually shot at me
i started crying and yelling im a victim im a victim please im hurt im injured ive been shot twice  he said
jeannette mccoy 37 who escaped early on was furious at the caution of the police yelling at them to end the matter i wanted this guy dead she said but they gave him so much time
at 421 am officers pulled an air conditioner out of a wall creating an escape route for people hiding in one room of the club eight minutes later according to the fbi timeline some people who been inside had told the police that the gunman had said he was going to put explosive vests on four hostages within 15 minutes
that prompted the decision to storm the club officials have said while the gunman and his hostages were in one bathroom officials decided to breach the buildings outer wall at another bathroom nearby to free people trapped there and make a path in
a team from the orange county sheriffs office placed explosives on the wall those were detonated at 502 am but did not break all the way through so officers used an armored vehicle to punch through the wall but officials have said their aim was off and they had to try multiple times to find the right spot for a hole at 514 am there were gunshots as officers traded fire with mr mateen at 515 word came across the radio the suspect was down
the fbi said it had collected more than 600 pieces of evidence and conducted more than 500 interviews one of those interviewed mohammad malik said that mr mateen a longtime friend told him two years ago that he had listened to recordings of anwar al awlaki the radical american born cleric who was killed in an american drone strike in yemen mr malik told a reporter that he told the fbi at the time and the bureau investigated but did not bring charges the fbi has said it looked into mr mateen in 2014
investigators continue to believe that mr mateen acted on his own inspired by extremist groups but not directly in contact with them they are still looking into what his wife knew to determine whether she should face charges
agent hopper appealed for the publics patience with a case so complex that agents were still combing the crime scene
this investigation is one week and one day old he said and it may last months and even years


for more than a decade the hedge fund elliott management has focused on shaking up technology businesses with activist shareholder campaigns urging companies to sell themselves
now the hedge fund has taken a big step into the business of buying companies outright
elliott and the private equity firm francisco partners said on monday that they would buy dells software businesses a price was not disclosed though it is estimated to be more than 2 billion
the two are getting a mix of software makers that dell acquired over the years including the security provider sonicwall and the information technology manager quest software dell had looked to sell the businesses in part to help raise cash to support its debt heavy takeover of emc software which faces a vote by emc shareholders next month
elliott has dabbled in private equity before but in small ways the hedge fund has offered to buy companies like novell during activist campaigns though largely as a tactic to try to prod those businesses into putting themselves up for sale the activist investor carl c icahn is a fan of the move
and it has rolled over its stakes in other companies including bmc and blue coat when other financiers have bought control
but elliotts head of united states equity activism jesse cohn has quietly built a team to focus on being more active in buying companies or lending them money in short it is functioning like a true private equity business
that has included hiring isaac kim an executive at the private equity firm golden gate capital to lead that team named evergreen coast capital because it has a friendlier name without elliotts baggage of shareholder activism
evergreen is meant to help expand what elliott can do with its investments in the technology sector mr cohns group can now wage traditional activist shareholder campaigns though its targets have grown over the years or it can offer to buy companies outright
the deal announced on monday was one of the first and the biggest so far struck by the new team
elliott has been a long term investor in the technology space and todays announcement continues our progress mr cohn said in a statement we look forward to working with francisco partners to create significant value at these companies
elliott   which had helped prod emc into selling itself to dell in the first place   knew that dell was interested in selling its software division and was familiar with that sort of corporate focused business it then teamed up with francisco which was also looking at the unit and prevailed in an auction that was included other financial firms
we founded our firm in 1999 to pursue divisional carve outs in the technology sector and todays agreement continues that vision dipanjan deb francisco partners chief executive said in a statement quest software and sonicwall provide mission critical software to a large and loyal base of over 180000 customers and we see significant opportunity to build upon the companys impressive technology and product portfolio
barclays and citigroup provided financial advice to francisco and evergreen while credit suisse and rbc capital markets provided debt financing the law firms kirkland  ellis and gibson dunn dispensed legal counsel to the buyers
goldman sachs and the law firm simpson thacher  bartlett advised dell


united states stocks rose sharply on monday as investors grew hopeful that britain would remain in the european union
asian stocks traded higher and indexes in europe soared as the latest opinion polls and betting markets suggested it was more likely that britain would stay in the eu britons vote in a referendum on the matter on thursday
the british pound rose sharply and investors dumped ultrasafe assets like american government bonds gold and utility stocks sending those prices lower machinery and consumer companies jumped and energy companies rose with the price of oil
jim mcdonald chief investment strategist at northern trust said britains status in the eu would not affect american businesses much though it could hurt european banks investors he said were worried about what would happen to the union if britain did leave its not the direct effects that people are worried about its the indirect ones he said
the standard  poors 500 stock index rose 1203 points or 06 percent to 208325 the nasdaq composite gained 3688 points or 08 percent to 483721 the dow jones industrial average climbed 12971 points or 07 percent to 1780487
stocks had been on pace for much larger gains earlier at one point the dow was up 271 points
machinery companies climbed the aerospace company boeing added 293 or 23 percent to 13275 and honeywell advanced 114 or 1 percent to 11706 general electric rose 23 cents to 3083
consumer stocks rose as investors bet people would spend more on shopping and travel amazon gained 762 or 11 percent to 71401 while the travel booking site priceline added 3272 or 25 percent to 134196 and nike rose 65 cents or 12 percent to 5436
benchmark united states crude oil rose 139 or 29 percent to 4937 a barrel in new york brent crude used to price international oils gained 148 or 3 percent to 5065 a barrel in london after a six day losing streak oil prices were up about 7 percent over the last two days
among energy stocks chevron rose 104 or 1 percent to 10261 marathon oil jumped 132 or 10 percent to 1448 after it agreed to pay 888 million for payrock energy
bond prices dropped as investors moved money out of ultrasafe assets the yield on the 10 year treasury note rose to 168 percent from 161 percent late friday thats an encouraging sign for banks since bond yields are used to set interest rates on many kinds of loans   including mortgages   and banks will be able to make more money from lending as rates increase
bank of america rose 14 cents or 1 percent to 1354 and wells fargo the nations biggest mortgage lender rose 33 cents to 4693
jdcom the second largest e commerce site in china jumped after it said it was buying walmarts yihaodian marketplace as part of a broad partnership with the company jdcom rose 93 cents or 46 percent to 2106
fedex rose after the federal government moved to dismiss charges against it prosecutors had planned to charge fedex with knowingly delivering illegal prescription drugs to dealers and addicts but the government dropped the case late friday fedex picked up 222 or 14 percent to 16447
the ftse 100 in britain leapt 3 percent and the cac 40 in france rose 35 percent the german dax was up 34 percent japans benchmark nikkei 225 index surged 23 percent the south korean kospi climbed 14 percent and in hong kong the hang seng added 17 percent
in other energy trading wholesale gasoline added 8 cents to 158 a gallon heating oil edged up 5 cents to 153 a gallon natural gas rose 12 cents to 275 per 1000 cubic feet
gold slipped 250 to 1290 an ounce silver rose 10 cents to 1751 an ounce copper added 4 cents to 209 a pound
the pound rose to 14684 from 14361 the dollar fell to 10386 yen from 10421 yen and the euro rose to 11305 from 11277


in a telling passage toward the end of his latest celebration of antidepressant drugs dr peter kramer looks back on the pleasures of his long psychiatric career he mentions the good company of his patients his teachers his colleagues then he turns to his favorite medications he seems to choke up a little
to get to meet prozac and then to work in concert he writes without a trace of irony i am conscious of the privilege
one needs no better evidence that the relationship between prescribers and their pills is quasi human a partnership that may be utterly rational or wildly emotional bolstered by wishful thinking undone by bitter suspicion
such has certainly been the case for antidepressants their safety and efficacy have been questioned repeatedly over the last decade some patients maintain the drugs are poison while some experts have suggested they are just pricey overused placebos
foremost among the drugs champions has been dr kramer the author of listening to prozac in 1993 and a professor at brown medical school who now offers a long point by point defense composed of anecdotes and data
dr kramers bottom line is well summarized by the double meaning of ordinarily well the case for antidepressants   he argues that antidepressants work just about as well as any other pills commonly used for ailing people and that the drugs keep people who take them reasonably healthy
antidepressants are not magic dr kramer acknowledges they come with a risk of side effects and their use in children can be quite problematic but he has found them immensely helpful in the care of pretty much every variety of depressed adult further he can back up his impressions with statistical proof
the reader with no particular ax to grind will emerge from the book with two impressions one is that dr kramers data is extremely persuasive a second is that future rebuttals may well be just as persuasive thanks to the staggering difficulties of subjecting psychoactive agents to rigorous scientific analysis
for its articulate heartfelt demonstration of all those problems the book is invaluable read an excerpt
most diseases have objective findings that lend themselves to numerical scales heart kidney and liver damage bone marrow function tumor size the workings of the brain   not so much translating the complicated emotions of depression to a single number is not easy particularly as a complete assessment also requires a tally of the physical signs that may accompany depression and the life altering events that may result
but drug studies operate off these numbers one for a patients presentation others for recovery and relapse only with numbers can statistical validity be calculated
in theory the pattern of the numbers tells the same story as does the multichaptered descriptive narrative a doctor creates over months of conversation with a hurting patient at least this assumption dating from the 1950s has led to the approval of generations of antidepressants from the first tricyclic compounds like imipramine tofranil through prozac and its successors to the newest chemical hope on the block the recreational drug ketamine
but accepting that the numbers accurately recreate the narrative is only one faith based aspect of the enterprise there are many others
one is physiological depression most likely reflects an array of brain imbalances doctors may someday be able to map every patients errant neurotransmitters and neural dead ends then supply the precise chemical needed to restore normal traffic patterns for now though prescribers are stuck with educated guesswork
depressed patients who volunteer for prospective drug studies may not be comparable to those who do not in addition study subjects may find the structure of these trials and the kind concern of the staff members who conduct them comforting in and of themselves leading to a high rate of placebo responses
many studies have been too small to yield meaningful results and must be combined with larger studies for interpretation but the choice of studies to combine may intentionally or not bias the results for instance one large analysis included many patients on serzone a weaker drug seldom used these days the study showed antidepressants did not work very well but when the serzone patients were excluded the drugs all appeared to work far better
finally dr kramer wonders if depression itself is not a shifting target evolving from the deep melancholia often seen in the last century and seldom seen today into a different beast
over and over again with an emphasis bound to infuriate some scientific purists dr kramer argues that a doctors instincts should be respected when it comes to patient care he knows the drugs work he reiterates because he has seen them work repeatedly and reliably
this is exactly the reasoning that the objective study of drugs aims to make obsolete for the doctors ego and often the doctors income are deeply bound up in the act and art of prescribing patients may get all tangled up in the expectations that result
and yet the image that insistently comes to my mind is a cartoon a psychiatrist glowers at a hapless patient on the couch do you really feel better the doctor demands or do you just think you feel better
that is indeed the question important and ridiculous all at once as dr kramer implies sometimes it makes sense just to let the poor guy off the couch and out into the world


the united states a nation that once prided itself on pulling together when faced with tragedy and crisis seems increasingly prone to factionalism even in the most somber of moments
over the last week as the country processed the horror of the massacre in orlando fla it became clear that the dead there would receive no period of mourning before being appropriated by the proponents of identity politics who all but picked over the bodies to advance their own agendas and viewpoints
barely had the shooting stopped when a furious battle to claim the victims began it was wrong to frame the attack as being on gays it was wrong to straightwash an attack on gays the latinx identities of the victims were being diluted trans people were being left out of the picture
to observe this was to witness what the novelist chimamanda ngozi adichie has called the temptation of the single story to show a people as one thing as only one thing over and over again and that is what they become
some americans seemed to have their favored one thing of what they wanted the victims to be and for them the depth of the mourning seemed to depend on the elevation of that one thing above the rest
it recalled the medieval criminal codes in which the penalty for murder depended on who was killed and who killed them
to some it was a situation in which everyone always already knows what they think about everything and any calamity instantaneously becomes a canvas for those thoughts
those who already knew that america had a muslim problem knew at once that this was a muslim problem
those who already knew that america had a gun problem knew at once that this was a gun problem
those who already knew that america had a toxic masculinity problem knew at once that this was a toxic masculinity problem
those who already knew that america had an immigrant problem knew at once that this was an immigrant problem
those who already knew that america had a mental health problem knew at once that this was a mental health problem
donald j trump who tried to appropriate the moment to advance his argument that national security requires banning muslims from entering the country and increasing surveillance of those including citizens who are already in the united states has never been shy about promoting factional grievance
we dont have a country anymore he once said with mr trump the we is arguably not american society as a whole but the subset of voters who share his view that the united states has become weak and a captive of identity obsessed political correctness
but perhaps not having a country anymore should instead be taken to mean civic bonds so frayed that a death will be fought over for gain
if having a country means having some kind of deliberation about what the problem is absorbing new facts being moved by them on occasion becoming alive to problems that might have blossomed in blind spots   if this is having a country it is hard work having a country
perhaps not having a country means not possessing a basic common vocabulary words that mean the same thing to everybody who uses them to ease the process of making national decisions when the president refuses to use a term radical islam that many of his rivals insist is the only term they could fathom using then in that sense having a country gets a little complicated   just as it would be complicated to raise a family if no one could agree on the usage of terms like school dinner homework and bed
the orlando tragedy brought together some of the most compelling complex and divisive issues in american society guns immigration national security and gay rights it is hardly surprising that politics would break out around it or that strong views would be expressed
but the ensuing discourse was also a reminder of whats lost when americans obscure what binds them together and elevates what sets them apart


frankfurt   the investigation into volkswagens emissions scandal has for the first time reached the top echelon of management threatening to undermine the companys claim that wrongdoing was limited to a handful of lower ranking managers and potentially increasing the already enormous financial damage
german prosecutors said on monday that the former volkswagen chief martin winterkorn is suspected of market manipulation for having waited too long to disclose that the company faced an inquiry they are looking into another member of the management board as well for potential violations of securities laws
by expanding the investigation into the executive suite prosecutors signaled that they had begun focusing on a possible cover up after volkswagen learned that it was suspected of violating clean air rules in the united states
american regulators first began asking volkswagen questions about suspicious emissions data in mid 2014 it was more than a year later when the company admitted to installing illegal software in 11 million cars worldwide to cheat pollution tests
all along the carmaker has insisted that top management was not aware of cheating software known as a defeat device until shortly before the disclosure of the deception in september instead the company has cast the blame on a small group of middle managers suspected of installing the software starting with the 2009 models
the investigation comes at an especially awkward time for volkswagen on wednesday top managers will face shareholders at the companys annual meeting next week there is a court deadline for volkswagen to hash out a settlement with authorities and car owners in the united states the agreement is expected to cost the company well over 10 billion
the decision by prosecutors to pursue mr winterkorn could further increase the financial fallout from the deception providing ammunition to investors who have filed suits claiming the company violated its duty to keep them abreast of risks to the share price volkswagen will be more vulnerable to shareholder lawsuits if it turns out top managers failed to disclose crucial information
i think this is very good for shareholders said christopher rother a berlin lawyer who represents some of the investors
volkswagen said monday it was surprised by the prosecutors decision to investigate mr winterkorn the company said it had engaged outside law firms to examine the circumstances and they concluded that no current or former members of the management board had violated their responsibility to shareholders
no serious and manifest breaches of duty on the part of any serving or former members of the board of management have been established volkswagen said in a statement
prosecutors in the city of braunschweig did not identify the second board member citing german privacy laws prosecutors said only that the second suspect was not hans dieter potsch who was volkswagens chief financial officer when the scandal came to light and is now chairman of the supervisory board
a person with knowledge of the case confirmed widespread news reports in germany that the second executive was herbert diess whose duties included sales of volkswagen brand cars in the united states volkswagen declined to comment lawyers for mr winterkorn did not respond to requests for comment
the expansion of the investigation means that prosecutors will focus more intensely on the year leading up to the disclosure of the deception a period when volkswagen executives tried to deflect questions about emissions by its diesel cars
mr winterkorn resigned in september several days after american regulators publicly accused the company of manipulating results of emissions tests at the time mr winterkorn said he learned about the defeat devices only shortly before that point i am not aware of any wrongdoing on my part he said
but american regulators at the environmental protection agency started asking volkswagen about suspicious emissions data in mid 2014 court documents internal memos and emails suggest that mr winterkorn and other executives were informed about possible cheating around that time
the company has acknowledged that a lower ranking executive sent mr winterkorn a memo in may 2014 informing him about a private study that raised questions about volkswagen diesel cars sold in the united states the memo mentioned the risk that volkswagen would be accused of using a defeat device volkswagen said in march that it was not clear whether mr winterkorn took note of the memo
michael horn the chief executive of volkswagens united states unit testified to congress in october that he was also informed in may 2014 of the possibility that the epa would test for defeat devices mr horn who has since resigned said he was told that volkswagen technicians had a plan to make the cars compliant with clean air rules
in the months that followed according to a civil suit filed by the united states justice department volkswagen provided misleading information and impeded attempts by american officials to understand why diesel vehicles emitted more on the road than in lab tests
in late 2014 volkswagen even recalled diesel vehicles in the united states but an update to the engine software did not repair the problem
the management board led by mr winterkorn also repeatedly pushed back against technical proposals for upgrading the emissions controls according to two people who attended meetings where the proposals were discussed the management board rejected the proposals because of cost the people said
volkswagen did not issue a formal statement to shareholders about the problem until sept 22 four days after the epa had formally cited the company volkswagen said then that it was setting aside 65 billion euros to cover the cost of recalls it has since raised the amount to EUR162 billion
prosecutors said they opened the inquiry into the former volkswagen chief at the behest of germanys financial watchdog which conducted an inquiry into possible violations of securities laws
the deception has been a drag on the companys profit and share price last year the company reported its first loss since 1993 since the admission shares of the stock are off more than 20 percent
one investors group said on monday that it would demand that volkswagen conduct a special inquiry into top managements role volkswagen not only made fraudulent cars henning wegener a former german diplomat who is head of a shareholders group said at a news conference in frankfurt monday it also defrauded shareholders


technology has all kinds of ways to make life easier   particularly for the tech companies themselves
as katie benner writes airbnb is currently under scrutiny over the way some of its members choose who they will rent to one study shows its harder for people with names that seem african american to book stays yet if those people are wronged on airbnb theres little they can do to seek legal redress
when people sign up for the service they waive the right to sue airbnb or join any arbitration or class action lawsuit against the company a few months back airbnb highlighted those terms and older users were compelled to show that they were aware of the rights they were losing by listing with airbnb
this is not the only time airbnb has been selective with information last year san francisco held a referendum on whether among other things short term rentals could be restricted to 75 nights a year airbnb which was viewed as the primary target of the vote spent heavily to defeat the measure and it was
what airbnb did not do was disclose how many clients it had who did seem to be renting out large blocks of real estate for long periods of time that would have been simple for such a data driven outfit but that detail occupied little of the debate
the class action waiver is particularly important where discrimination is concerned class actions are a strong tool in discrimination cases as the significance of the number of participants reinforces the idea that a systemic ill is being promulgated it is the kind of thing that has helped ease discrimination by hotels and real estate brokers   airbnbs old economy counterparts
for its part airbnb says it is committed to ending discrimination noting that it has kicked off hosts who discriminated against an african american and a transgendered woman
what it hasnt done yet is show a policy that is superior to existing legal remedies though an outside adviser to airbnb tells ms benner that it doesnt need the kind of pressures older companies needed to do the right thing apparently the new breed of companies are simply better and dont do that kind of thing
maybe but airbnb is hardly alone among tech companies in curbing the rights of the public on which it relies
tesla motors it was reported this month has been agreeing to repair faulty suspensions in some of its cars but only after customers agreed to sign nondisclosure agreements after this information became public tesla said it would modify the language of such stipulations to show that the goal is to benefit customers feel better
tesla is a company that has famously gotten rid of many of its patents so that information could be shared freely thus encouraging optimal outcomes apparently some other realities of their operation are still worth keeping secret
employees at tech companies are frequently bound by nondisclosure and nondisparagement agreements that may follow them for years after they leave these companies   so frequently are contractors and government officials who work with the tech companies while some of that may be understandable nondisclosures in tech have few parallels elsewhere in the private sector
tech is an industry supposedly built on the idea that transparency and information sharing make a better world for us all apparently not when the information involves things that might affect the company itself
its enough to make you google search the word hypocrisy


donald j trump fired his divisive campaign manager corey lewandowski on monday as he confronts urgent challenges heading into the general election   a strategic shift after months of concerns from party officials and donors about mr lewandowskis stewardship of the campaign
the exit occurred a month before mr trump the presumptive republican presidential nominee is to secure the official nomination at the partys convention in cleveland it reflected a broader adjustment by the campaign as it grapples with a late start to fund raising anxiety among party leaders and a skeletal staff   all while mr trumps likely democratic opponent hillary clinton swiftly builds out her operations in swing states
mr trump had faced increasing concerns from allies and donors as well as his children over whether mr lewandowski who had never before worked on a national race was able to direct a battle against mrs clinton among those who had voiced concern was reince priebus the chairman of the republican national committee who told mr trump last week that relations between his committee and mr lewandowski had become increasingly strained and that a change would be welcome according to three people briefed on the discussion
republicans across the spectrum welcomed the firing as a positive step but they suggested that it needed to be followed by consistent changes in performance from the candidate himself
mr lewandowski was fired at a monday morning meeting with mr trump and mr trumps two older sons eric and donald jr said two others briefed on the meetingwho were not authorized to speak publicly mr trump and mr lewandowski had what was described as a very open conversation
mr lewandowskis time was primarily spent on the campaign trail with the candidate and day to day aspects of the operation were largely handled by the chief strategist paul manafort for months mr lewandowski had been a lightning rod for controversy making headlines about himself that overshadowed his boss this included his being charged with misdemeanor battery   a charge later dropped   after he was accused of grabbing a reporter as she approached mr trump in florida in march
it was not immediately clear whether someone new would be named campaign manager but it was clear that the existing trump team believed most of the duties had already been assumed by other people principally mr manafort
ultimately paul is in charge barry bennett a senior adviser to the trump campaign said hes got the experience to help get mr trump across the finish line
as a young republican operative mr manafort helped manage the 1976 convention floor for gerald ford in his showdown with ronald reagan the last time republicans entered a convention with no candidates having clinched the nomination he performed a similar function for reagan in 1980 and played leading roles in the 1988 and 1996 conventions for george bush and bob dole
trump allies and critics alike regarded mr lewandowski as a fierce defender of mr trumps idiosyncratic approach to the presidential race at a moment when many in the party have pressed mr trump to soften his message and build a more conventional political operation mr lewandowski hewed closely to the mantra he had developed during the republican primaries let trump be trump
the limitations of that approach have been on vivid display in recent weeks mr trump has struggled to raise money from establishment donors and he has drawn fresh criticism from republicans and democrats for his racial attacks on a federal judge and his revived proposal to bar muslims from entering the united states in the wake of the gay nightclub massacre in orlando fla
with the republican national convention looming he faces the task of broadening his team to include people with previous presidential campaign experience and uniting a party that is often not in lock step behind him
mr trump has also been turning his attention to fund raising for the first time a task over which mr lewandowski had assumed oversight and one that has gone slowly for the campaign the campaign has aired no ads for the general election and neither mr trump or his advisers have yet to publicly bless a super pac that could raise significant amounts of money to support his presidential bid
it would be welcome if new people come in who have more experience and can move him to a more inclusive more substance oriented campaign said fred malek a fixture in republican party fund raising
but he added how much the absence of a national kind of campaign is due to corey and how much is due to donald is kind of hard to tell it looks to me like trump drives his own train
in announcing monday morning that mr lewandowski will no longer be working with the campaign hope hicks the campaigns spokeswoman said in a statement that the campaign is grateful to corey for his hard work and dedication and we wish him the best in the future
the firing followed regular reports of turmoil in the campaign mr lewandowski was often at odds with mr manafort who was brought on in march when the candidate seemed poised for a lengthy fight over republican delegates
mr lewandowski was said to have resisted certain moves that would have increased the number of staff members at times blocking mr manafort from making hires or later undoing them
but the people briefed on mr lewandowskis departure said the circumstances went well beyond any one episode or relationship one stressed that the move had been in the works for many weeks particularly since it had become clear that mr trump would be the republican nominee
mr trumps son donald jr described the split as amicable in an interview with nbc and mr lewandowski gave a series of interviews monday afternoon in which he tried to brush aside questions about the internal particulars of his departure he said he wished nothing but the best for mr trump and suggested that mr trumps doing well could only be good for him
if donald trump wins thats good for corey lewandowski mr lewandowski said on cnn he played down any suggestion of tension between him and mr trumps children and said every campaign expanded its operations for a general election
mr lewandowski 42 a new hampshire resident with deep ties to the state had made himself a delegate to the convention months ago and is still the chairman of that states delegation
few inside the campaign were given any warning about the dismissal of mr lewandowski who was on the campaigns daily 830 am conference call on monday according to a person briefed on the developments
mr bennett the senior trump campaign adviser declined to predict whether there would be other significant changes but he said mr lewandowski deserved credit for helping mr trump get where he is
there is no doubt what corey did in the primary was amazing   helping him get more votes than anyone else has ever gotten a record turnout in 45 out of the 50 states record low expenditures mr bennett said none of thats ever been done before


washington   the supreme court refused on monday to hear a second amendment challenge to a connecticut law banning many semiautomatic rifles the law enacted in 2013 in the wake of the mass shooting at sandy hook elementary school in newtown conn made it a crime to sell or possess the firearms which critics call assault weapons
the decision not to hear the case not long after the mass shooting in orlando fla does not set a supreme court precedent but it is part of a trend in which the justices have given at least tacit approval to broad gun control laws in states and localities that choose to enact them
the case shew v malloy no15 1030 was brought by four individuals a business and two advocacy groups they said the ban was irrational ineffective and unconstitutional
connecticut dubs a semiautomatic firearm with one of several common features an assault weapon but that is nothing more than an argument advanced by a political slogan in the guise of a definition they told the supreme court in their petition seeking review
in october the united states court of appeals for the second circuit in new york upheld the ban almost entirely it acknowledged that the affected weapons were in common use and assumed their possession was protected by the second amendment but the appeals court ruled that the connecticut law passed constitutional muster
the law was specifically targeted to prevent mass shootings like that in newtown in which the shooter used a semiautomatic assault weapon judge jose a cabranes wrote for the court
plaintiffs complain that mass shootings are particularly rare events and thus even if successful the legislation will have a minimal impact on most violent crime
that may be so judge cabranes continued but gun control legislation need not strike at all evils at the same time to be constitutional
the supreme court also turned down on monday a challenge to a similar new york law in kampfer v cuomo no 15 8704 it was filed by douglas e kampfer a new york resident who had litigated the case without a lawyer the second circuit denied his appeal in a brief order in march
it has been eight years since the supreme court recognized an individual right to keep guns at home for self defense in district of columbia v heller which struck down parts of an exceptionally strict local law since then the justices have said almost nothing about the scope of that right
when the court rejected a second amendment case in december from a chicago suburb justice clarence thomas joined by justice antonin scalia dissented they accused the majority of abdicating its responsibility to enforce the constitutional right to keep and bear arms justice scalia wrote the majority opinion in the heller case which was decided by a 5 to 4 vote
roughly five million americans own ar style semiautomatic rifles justice thomas wrote
the overwhelming majority of citizens who own and use such rifles do so for lawful purposes including self defense and target shooting justice thomas added under our precedents that is all that is needed for citizens to have a right under the second amendment to keep such weapons


headline grabbing attacks like those last week in orlando fla or on 911 are as bloody as they are horrifying but what they are not is typical the average death toll in terror attacks it turns out is close to zero
the global terrorism database a federally financed project at the university of maryland has a trove of surprising statistics about terror attacks the data includes 140000 attacks around the world since 1970 in more than half of them no one was killed
thats the good news the bad news it seems to be changing
in the 1970s and 80s there was much more of an emphasis of symbolic events said erin miller the program manager for the terrorism database terrorists would call in a warning it would be terrorizing intimidating coercive but nonlethal
nowadays terrorist groups like the islamic state and boko haram are not looking to simply send messages they are looking to kill people
in 2014 43500 people were killed in 16800 attacks worldwide the death toll from islamic state attacks was five times as high as it was the previous year boko haram quadrupled its body count over the same period
though events like the sept 11 2001 attacks in which hundreds or thousands of people die are exceptionally rare ms miller said the frequency of events in which one to four people are killed is rising


general election advertising will soon begin in earnest just last week hillary clinton announced she was launching her general election ad campaign in many battleground markets but there is no indication where and when donald trumps campaign will respond
there was a lot of political advertising on tv during the primaries by one count ads were shown nearly three quarters of a million times media consultants will tell you the primary ads worked but youd expect that because its often in their financial interest to persuade candidates to advertise what is more surprising is that research from political scientists some involving creative and carefully designed field experiments done in cooperation with real campaigns corroborates this notion
the evidence suggests that campaign ads have small effects that decay rapidly   very rapidly   but just enough of the impact accumulates to make running more advertising than your opponent seem a necessity
it sets off an arms race of ads as candidates try to neutralize or displace their opponents but will the 2016 general election be different mr trump has used unconventional campaign tactics and has relied on free media to get his messages out all of this may render advertising less relevant
a study estimated that most of the impact of an ad in a presidential election is gone within a day or two of its airing i am one of the authors of this paper in governor congressional and senate elections the effects last a bit longer three or four days fleeting effects on campaigns have been shown by various authors in the lab in canada in the 2000 and 2004 general elections in the 2006 midterm elections in the 2012 general election and in field experiments in a texas governors primary in 2006 and a general election in 2014
the takeaway from these studies is simple even though the effects from an ad imbalance are small and go away fast candidates cannot allow them to pile up election day may be far away but candidates may still want to match their opponents daily advertising in the months before the vote because they care about publicly released news polls that convey information to voters   and donors   about their viability and the closeness of the race
candidates consultants and media advisers seem to understand this cycle of seemingly daily one upmanship in the last presidential election it began as early as the summer of 2012 with barack obamas campaign trying to define mitt romney as rich and out of touch only a few days after the start of mr obamas onslaught mr romneys campaign began a counterassault matching the buys in markets in florida and ohio
so will it be any different with mr trump and mrs clinton i suspect not and heres why
using data from kantar media on all ads aired between september 2015 and the end of may 2016 its easy to see that mr trump or groups advertising on his behalf ran a lot of ads during the primaries in fact they ran nearly as many ads as jeb bush and his supporters and many more than those supporting john kasich or ben carson most of the ads aired by or for mr trump were positive in tone   promoting his own ideas and not attacking his opponents while most of ted cruzs and mr bushs ads were attacks
with all that attack advertising on the republican side   roughly 60 percent of the ads aired for or by mr cruz and mr bush and 40 percent for or by marco rubio   how did mr trump emerge unscathed as the republican nominee a look at the content of these attacks provides an explanation
most of the early attack ads run by mr cruz mr bush and mr rubio were not aimed at mr trump they were aimed at one another a small batch of attacks on mr trump hit the airwaves in december but after that it wasnt until after the south carolina contest that anti trump ads began again in earnest
on march 14   the day before the florida illinois and ohio primaries   more than 4000 airings of attack ads were directed at mr trump most were run by our principles pac and accused mr trump of hiring undocumented workers at his construction sites engaging in illegal and deceptive conduct with trump university and scamming floridians who bought in to a real estate investment in tampa
some of these attack ads ran nationally and many were featured in news reports it was a coordinated effort by many republicans who considered this a critical moment to blunt mr trumps momentum polls suggest that the ad barrage in the spring took a little bit of the shine off mr trumps lead and indicate he may be vulnerable to sustained attacks on the airwaves but then the volume of attacks stopped and his poll numbers bounced back to where they were before the attacks
if the attacks had continued or if they had happened earlier theres some evidence that mr trump would have responded with more of his own ads to rebalance the equilibrium just as these attacks were rising sharply mr trump increased his promotional advertising this response suggests a candidate fully engaged in the ad war battle
there are more than 140 days left in the 2016 presidential election with the most intense campaigning still to come given mr trumps use of advertising in the primaries there is little reason to believe that he will forgo television advertising in the general election


rome   angry voters have swept anti establishment candidates to power in rome and turin dealing a severe blow to prime minister matteo renzis political standing   and highlighting his vulnerability as he moves forward with a plan to revise italys constitution
mr renzi became prime minister two years ago pledging to change italys sclerotic political system but judging by the results from sunday voters have become tired of waiting
channeling fury over corruption scandals and ineptitude virginia raggi of the five star movement a party co founded by the comedian beppe grillo crushed her opponent from mr renzis governing democratic party to become the first female mayor of rome
a new era begins with us ms raggi a 37 year old lawyer told reporters early monday as polls showed her winning by a ratio of two to one i will work to bring legality and transparency
the victory by ms raggi who won more than a third of the vote in the first round on june 6 had been expected but in a more surprising outcome among runoff elections across dozens of italian cities on sunday another five star candidate chiara appendino won in turin also defeating a candidate from the democratic party
mr renzi said on monday that the outcomes reflected local concerns and played down the national ramifications but party leaders plan to gather on friday to discuss them
i dont believe this was a protest vote mr renzi told reporters while acknowledging that its a vote of change he added those who won were able to better interpret the need for change
the party noted a clear and strong victory over right wing candidates in milan the financial capital of italy and in bologna a traditionally left leaning city
mr renzi has been focusing on a constitutional referendum that will be held in october on measures that are intended to streamline the legislative process and stabilize italys unwieldy electoral system it is mr renzis most crucial political battle   one on which he has staked his political career vowing to step aside should he lose
the upsets in rome and turin   as well as five star movement victories in runoff races in 17 smaller towns   suggested that change hungry voters were turning to relatively young and inexperienced candidates whose very distance from italys established political class is what made them attractive
one roman laura bertelli said she had voted for ms raggi to protest incompetence that had degraded a city where graffiti now appears on hundreds of buildings a sign of neglect
i hope that a young woman can bring rome back to its old splendor said ms bertelli a consultant who analyzes health conditions in restaurants and who said she was impressed by the five star movements can do attitude and its emphasis on honesty
in turin voters ousted the incumbent piero fassino amid frustration that he had failed to bolster the citys economic fortunes and to better integrate a socially disparate population
we have the possibility to build a new urban community but above all the duty to reconnect a city that is deeply wounded said the winner ms appendino 32 we are all turin
roberto dalimonte the director of the political science department at luiss guido carli university in rome called the municipal elections a crucial barometer of the public mood these could be viewed as a sort of midterm elections where electors sent a strong message he said its true that local factors counted but there is a nationwide climate that produced these results
he noted that the democrats had lost not only to the upstart five star movement but also to center right parties in a number of cities like trieste in the northeast grosseto in tuscany and olbia on the island of sardinia
another candidate with the five star movement paola massidda won carbonia on sardinia in an area with one of italys lowest employment rates
although five star mayors already govern two large cities parma and livorno the victories on sunday night give the movement its most prominent national spotlight yet   particularly in rome where ms raggis performance will be watched as a litmus test for national governance
the movements president and co founder mr grillo propelled it from a grass roots grouping of citizens incensed by italys corrupt and inefficient political class to a major political voice that took a quarter of the national vote in the 2013 elections but he has stepped aside recently even removing his name from the partys logo
even so he was in rome on sunday reveling in the movements victory he appeared at the window of a hotel in central rome as results showed a five star gain and he raised his hands in victory as supporters cheered wildly and its only the beginning his widely read blog promised
some analysts called mondays results a considerable setback for the democratic partys politics and politicians despite the fact that under the leadership of mr renzi the democrats had also pledged to replace italys old political guard with new faces and ideas
for the first time in history the rage of rome and turin citizens manifested itself through the rejection of anyone who had a consolidated political or managerial experience massimo gramellini an editorialist at the turin based newspaper la stampa wrote in a front page commentary
the revolt begins in the belly so it doesnt make exceptions or differences mr gramellini added writing that voters had deemed the inexperience of the five star candidates a plus
ms raggi in particular will face an uphill path rome has a debt of 13 billion euros about 147 billion   perhaps much higher   and some surveys suggest that about a quarter of its roughly 23000 employees do not show up for work on a daily basis public transportation and waste removal services are dysfunctional as the piles of garbage on romes streets attest
mr renzi became prime minister in 2014 after an internal party coup ousted prime minister enrico letta since he took office mr renzi has made some important changes   legislation to ease hiring and firing overhauls to education and to the countrys bloated public sector which have yet to be fully put in effect   but they have fallen short of ending a longstanding economic crisis unemployment hovers around 11 percent
mr renzi mr dalimonte said has to change strategy with the party because its clear that the current party leadership isnt working also his style of government his communication isnt working


oakland calif   to try to pick the inflection point in this spectacular and deciding game of the nba finals to lay a wager on which arcing shot improbable steal or rebound would turn this game was to ensure youd go flat broke
there were 20 lead changes and 11 ties waves of emotion surging through the arena and the teams like electrical pulses
with just under two minutes left in the game and the score tied at 89 89 the cavaliers kyrie irving missed a spinning drive and the warriors were off to the races the sore backed andre iguodala passed to stephen curry who flipped it back to iguodala who went up for the layup
or not as the case would be
sprinting five or six steps behind was that 6 foot 8 erie lackawanna freight train known as lebron james his strides got longer and faster and now he was airborne his eyes nearly even with the hoop he blocked the shot his hand pinning the ball to the backboard
for a moment players on both teams paused as if not sure in their game intensity of what they had just seen
in the next minute irving a spinning top of a guard hit a fall back baby 3 pointer in the face of curry and that was more or less that aside from a free throw tacked on by james to make the score 93 89 with 10 seconds remaining
after a futile warriors possession the horn sounded and the reigning champions who held the single season record for wins were dethroned james fell to his knees and covered his eyes
jamess performance in this series was overwhelming he was the first player to lead both teams in points rebounds assists steals and blocks not only in the nba finals but in any postseason series of any length according to the elias sports bureau
two summers ago he had returned to cleveland a wayward son grown sated on the humid languor of south beach he had also made that most dangerous of vows promising to bring a championship to his hometown
the self imposed pressure became fathoms deep the warriors most often play with a loose limbed intelligence and joy channeling the jazz of americas beautiful game james and his mates often play no less astutely but as if consumed aware that no end suffices save victory at games end james j r smith and their coach tyronn lue sobbed without shame
i never cry ive always been tough and never cried lue said a lot of emotions just built up
to watch the players before the game was to sense that cord of tension the warriors tried to keep their cool cat vibe asked about his game day ritual coach steve kerr replied that he and his assistant coach luke walton had done hot yoga
im guessing bill belichick and his staff dont do that kerr said smiling just throwing that out there
curry in his warm up ritual is usually bubbly on sunday his face was stone impassive when the time came for the national anthem the warriors restlessly swayed from foot to foot
on the other side lebron james stood still as a statue he is 31 years old a long remove from the man child who came into the league 13 years ago he had reached six previous championship series and come away the winner twice last years loss to the warriors left him near broken as the anthem played he said he thought of the task at hand how great the warriors were how important it was for his team to keep its head
then he acknowledged another thought as he peered intently about the darkened arena
just living in the moment he said i told my guys before the game listen there is a game to be played but theres not many guys theres not many teams that get an opportunity to be in the nba finals in a game 7 theres just not
dont take it for granted
one of sports fascinations is to watch as a young man or woman comes to full and introspective flower james is the son of a single mother from a tough corner of a tough city he is a star an on court coach and he speaks about police and gun violence in different circumstances had he not been blessed with preternatural ability and drive we very likely would not have known of talents that have nothing to do with hitting a fall back 3 point shot
what a shame that would have been
kyrie irving is 24 with a valise full of ankle breaking moves he reportedly chafed at the intensity of playing with these cavaliers he had his moment of clarity sunday he spoke of his good luck to spend his formative nba years playing with an impresario
i watched beethoven tonight irving said i watched lebron james compose a game
he shook his head chuckling at the absurdity of it amazed that james had a triple double in game 7 of an nba final 27 points 11 rebounds and 11 assists
irving got at what so many miss when they complain that james does not commandeer games like a michael jordan or a kobe bryant james has a point guards temperament he will spend quarters orchestrating trying to get his team to play as one
i cant do it by myself so that was my mind set james said like jay z said youve got to stay low and keep firing
so it was in the first two quarters as james pitched the ball to kevin love the power forward who can seem uncomfortable in his playing skin love was wide open at the 3 point line yet he missed each shot by games end however he had pulled down many rebounds in the fourth quarter love spun into the lane and hit a sweet push shot
he did so off a pass from james
he protects every single one of us love said
the warriors go into the books as having collapsed on the cusp of victory up by three games to one that narrative is flawed not least because they played a fine last game all season they dispatched opponents in a hail of precision passing and 3 point shooting
in the first quarter irving hounded curry beyond the 3 point line so curry dipped beneath him and put up that most improbable of shots a teardrop 3 pointer
it slapped through the net
yet curry and klay thompson struggled with their shooting and curry made some unaccountably sloppy plays like a behind the back fourth quarter pass that sailed out of bounds rather than into thompsons hands afterward he was in no mood after nine months of playing to cut himself a break
it is extremely hard to win a championship he said thats why you pour champagne on yourself
draymond green played like a man possessed he drained six 3s and in the absence of the teams injured center andrew bogut he was often the center he is just 6 7 and 230 pounds but he was like a knight on the parapets swinging his mace at all comers
yet he lives with the knowledge that his game 5 suspension in the finals might have been the turning point as his team lost a home game it expected to win
james walked into the postgame news conference wearing a cut down net like a necklace his two boys took seats at either side of him he carried his toddler daughter zhuri in his arms and kissed her between each question and answer
he spoke of the sorrowful history that is clevelands sports legacy rattling off the lowlights like any fan if a tiny bit inaccurately john elways drive was 98 yards
you could look back to the earnest byner fumble elway going 99 yards to jose mesa not being able to close out in the bottom of the ninth to the cavs went to the finals   i was on that team   in 2007 us getting swept he said adding for us to be able to end this to end this drought   our fans deserve it
jamess sense of history extends to his sport on the riser he handed the championship trophy to a teammate and set off to find the great boston celtics center bill russell for whom the most valuable player award of the nba finals is named james gave russell the snowy haired old shot blocker a long hug
later as cleaning crews moved through oracle arena and the press emptied into the parking lot james stood in the cavaliers locker room a cigar in one hand a bottle of champagne in the other he was loose and funny and he looked younger than he had in years he regaled teammates with tales of past championship games and he chased his daughter who darted like a rabbit about the boxes in the room
he posed for a last photo then he put up that big hand that had made that flying block enough
i got to shower he said we got to get back to cleveland were going home


orlando fla   it seemed as if all of orlando was here crowded around a glittering lake to remember the 49 people who died in a fit of violence
among the people estimated by the police at 50000 present at a vigil on sunday for the victims of the pulse nightclub shooting were
minnie perez 47 a pulse regular who said she had lost 14 friends she wore a blanket bearing their faces
megan elkins 25 who held her 7 year old nephew as if it was the last time she would have the chance to do so
and syed ivette and sasha shamsuzzaman a bangladeshi puerto rican family sitting under a black umbrella at the edge of the lake mr shamsuzzaman 61 a muslim from bangladesh wore a peace sign around his neck and called for pulse to reopen as quickly as possibly
that would be a victory he said adding that his daughter and puerto rican wife had danced at the club if it stays closed weve lost and the terrorists have won
the crowd spilled out from the lake covering the grass and a bordering sidewalk and crawling up the balconies and staircases that line parts of the park there were few mentions of omar mateen the man who entered the club on june 12 firing at its mostly latino mostly gay clientele and holding many people hostage for hours as he declared allegiance to the islamic state
instead community leaders offered comfort you are safe we love be proud said joe saunders a state representative and longtime gay rights activist speaking from a stage the crowd whistled hooted and cried
at one end of the park were a sikh group that passed out cookies and volunteers of the be an angel therapy dogs ministry were here for the scratching said holly horton 62 offering up her golden retriever
nearby two women gave free massages basic touch can help you heal said laura gonzalez 28 leaning into a mans back as her friend massaged his leg its the best medicine they can have
gusts of wind blew water off the lake ms elkins hugged her nephew and looked around ive never be so proud to be from orlando she said
as the sun went down memorial organizers began to read the names of those who had died edward sotomayor jr alejandro barrios martinez christopher joseph sanfeliz and at one edge of the park about two dozen people wearing t shirts with the words muslims stand for peace gathered for the nights prayer
they stood and knelt stood and knelt finishing just after the last victims name was called
on monday the justice department is expected to release partial transcripts of conversations between the police and the orlando gunman on the night of the attack
attorney general loretta e lynch said the transcripts would include three calls between mr mateen and negotiators as the massacre was unfolding


milan   on sunday night in milan thom browne staged his latest collection for moncler gamme bleu a campsite fantasy complete with tents a carpet of grass and sod and a pair of helpful costumed bears in the audience alongside the giants football player victor cruz the oklahoma city thunder basketball player serge ibaka and the actor edgar ramirez was the grammy nominated rapper and kanye west protege big sean there to take in his first milan fashion week show
big sean whose full name is sean anderson was on a brief break from his european stadium tour with rihanna which began in amsterdam this month
despite jet lag   on the way to the show just now i kept falling asleep he said   he perked up near the crackling campfire to discuss the new experience
this is your first milan fashion week what do you think so far
i think its live i think its cool i get to see a couple people   my homie victor cruz just texted me like yo im here
do you have a connection with moncler
ive been wearing moncler i remember the first time i saw moncler i was with ye   kanye   it was after i got my deal he took me to the moncler store and bought me my first moncler vest
he was like you need to have a moncler vest if youre going to be a big star
he bought himself one and then he bought me one it was real inspiring
do you still have it
yeah im sure i still have it in the closet somewhere   deep in there
does moncler have cachet in the hip hop community would you use it in a verse
i havent but i would i like it some clothing lines i dont really mess with like that i dont really care for but i like moncler
when youre on tour do you have time to do anything but work see the cities
in amsterdam we were there rehearsing too so we were there for five days i had a chance to see the town hit some coffee shops
i bet rihanna goes hard in amsterdam
yeah we partied a little bit its fun its family nothing too crazy


hong kong   protesters in a chinese fishing village that earned renown for its activism have taken to the streets in recent days to call for the release of a detained local leader and the resolution of a long simmering dispute over land sales residents said on monday
the village of wukan in the southeastern province of guangdong became the focus of attention both in china and abroad in 2011 as villagers angered over the sale of land temporarily forced out the local authorities
eventually the villagers and the authorities reached a compromise and the residents voted in leaders they hoped would resolve the dispute
but protests on sunday and monday were the latest indication that the hope of the villagers to achieve their goals at the ballot box has been far from realized and that the so called wukan model of resolving local disputes in china has not worked in wukan itself
the impetus for the protests was the detention of lin zuluan wukans communist party secretary mr lin in his early 70s was a leader of the demonstrations in 2011 and was elected local party secretary in 2012 after the provincial authorities allowed a vote for the post
despite chinas authoritarian government controlled by the communist party elections have been allowed since the late 1970s for some village level leadership positions that have limited local powers but direct voting is not used for more important positions
the public security bureau for lufeng the city that oversees wukan said in a written statement on saturday that mr lin was being held on suspicion of abuse of power and accepting bribes but some villagers believed he was being held because of his plans to call a meeting about the unresolved land dispute and to petition the higher authorities to help resolve the matter said hong ruiqing a resident
the lufeng police warned residents against extreme protests
we call on all villagers to actively support and cooperate with the work of the legal authorities and defend hard won social stability the statement by the public security bureau said dont be incited by a small number of lawbreakers to use drastic measures
ms hong said that she did not participate in the protest on sunday but that 2000 to 3000 people marched to a police station in the afternoon another resident who asked not to be identified put the total at 3000 to 4000
the demonstrators carried chinese flags and chanted return our secretary images posted online showed large numbers of riot police officers but the demonstration concluded peacefully the witnesses said
on monday the number of riot police officers in the village appeared to have diminished the witnesses said but there was a demonstration again on monday evening
messages on chinese social media that mention wukan have been censored in recent days according to weiboscope a monitoring service run by the journalism school at the university of hong kong
the mainland chinese news media has scarcely mentioned the situation but global times a newspaper owned by the communist party argued that the villages experience showed that democracy was insufficient for solving property disputes
if the drastic actions of the wukan villagers are adopted by other people involved in disputes china will see mess and disturbance at a grass roots level the newspaper said in a commentary on monday


three new york police department commanders were arrested on monday along with a brooklyn businessman on federal corruption charges linked to one of several continuing investigations into mayor bill de blasios campaign fund raising
the arrests were one of the most significant roundups of police supervisors in the recent history of the department   a deputy chief and a deputy inspector accused of accepting expensive gifts from two politically connected businessmen who prosecutors say were seeking illicit favors from the police
in court papers unsealed on monday federal agents describe how the two men who are at the center of one of the city hall fund raising inquiries showered gifts on senior police officials jewelry for the police inspectors wife a video game system for the chiefs children tickets to brooklyn nets games hotel rooms in rome and chicago even a private jet flight to las vegas with a prostitute on board
the police officers arrested on monday were deputy chief michael j harrington 50 deputy inspector james m grant 43 and sgt david villanueva 42 who was charged in a separate but related scheme involving gun licenses the businessman arrested was jeremiah reichberg 42 of borough park brooklyn
the other businessman jona s rechnitz 33 has pleaded guilty and has provided information in the police case and in at least one of the fund raising investigations focused on mr de blasio a democrat and his inner circle according to several people familiar with the case
although the charges being leveled against the police commanders involve some of the same figures who appear in the mayoral fund raising investigations   most notably mr rechnitz   there has been no suggestion that the mayor himself was involved in the police influence peddling and bribery scheme described in the court papers unsealed on monday
preet bharara the united states attorney for the southern district of new york said little about the connection between the various inquiries beyond noting that there is no allegation that has anything to do with the mayor anywhere in those court documents
mr reichberg and mr rechnitz do not appear to have had any official affiliation to the police department although mr reichberg a member of the large orthodox jewish community in borough park would often describe himself as a community liaison to the department he even had business cards identifying him as such prosecutors said
but what the men lacked in official status they made up for with regular gifts and frequent social calls that afforded them a remarkable level of influence inside the department prosecutors said
at their urging a top chief appointed inspector grant to command the 19th precinct on the upper east side of manhattan a plum assignment according to the complaint
but they were motivated prosecutors said by more than the thrill of meddling in police politics rather they wanted the department to serve as a private police force for themselves and their friends mr bharara said at a news conference effectively they got cops on call
in recent years the senior police officials were quick to play the roles of chauffeur bodyguard and concierge to the two businessmen according to a criminal complaint sworn out by blaire toleman an agent with the federal bureau of investigation on a public corruption squad
on some occasions the police officials drove the businessmen around town and to the airport with lights flashing and sirens blaring other times the police sent underlings to help one of the businessmen who was involved in the diamond trade against a business rival or to retrieve gemstones that were the subject of disputes over payment according to the criminal complaint
sergeant villanueva was charged in a separate but related scheme that involved aiding applicants for firearms licenses the court papers said in that scheme bribes   as much as 18000 per gun license   factored into 100 to 150 gun licenses in recent years according to the papers
mr rechnitz who lives on the upper west side of manhattan had been a target of the city hall fund raising investigation until recent weeks when he began cooperating with the federal authorities his lawyer alan levine declined to comment
both mr rechnitz and mr reichberg the businessman arrested on monday have been generous supporters of the mayor
mr rechnitzs cooperation with federal prosecutors and fbi agents has already helped prosecutors bring corruption charges in another case linked to the same fund raising investigation people briefed on the matter have said in that case a criminal complaint unsealed on june 8 charged norman seabrook the powerful head of the union that represents new york city correction officers with honest services fraud and conspiracy
since the scandal has reached the police department nearly a dozen mostly senior officials have been disciplined and several have put in to retire
indeed the arrest of two senior police officials on bribery charges in a single case is a rarity despite the long docket of colorful police scandals over the years
informed by a century of scandals related to graft the departments official policy is that officers are not to accept any gratuity not even a cup of coffee the only exception is that officers are allowed to accept pen and pencil sets plaques or other common tokens of appreciation
the case shows whether youre a cop or a chief if you break the law you will be handled the same way william j bratton the police commissioner said at the news conference speaking after mr bharara
at a brief arraignment on monday neither chief harrington nor inspector grant spoke in court
after the hearing a lawyer for inspector grant john c meringolo called his client an exceptional police officer for his entire career
some of the conduct detailed in the court papers veers toward the bizarre it describes the two businessmens visit to inspector grants staten island home on christmas day in 2013 wearing elf hats to deliver a video game system for his children and a piece of jewelry for his wife valued at 1000 on the same day the two men visited the deputy chiefs home and delivered a video game system for his children
far from being an unwelcome intrusion it was the start of what inspector grant apparently hoped would blossom into a christmas tradition when the holiday came and went the next year without any gifts inspector grant expressed his disappointment to mr reichberg during a phone conversation in january 2015 captured on a wiretap
first of all the two elves didnt come for christmas he said using an expletive for emphasis according to the papers during the same conversation inspector grant complained that mr reichberg had not invited him on a super bowl trip choosing instead to extend the invitation to another police official
see you dont love me anymore bro inspector grant complained according to the complaint
it might have seemed a bit ungrateful given that inspector grant may have owed the men his promotion to lead the 19th precinct the criminal complaint suggests
prosecutors said the two businessmen had recommended inspector grant for that position during their regular conversations with a top police chief who was not named in court papers but appears to be philip banks iii the highest uniformed member of the department until his retirement at the end of 2014
the two businessmen in fact dined with chief banks once or twice a week always picking up the bill according to the complaint and when chief banks ultimately appointed inspector grant to be commander of the 19th precinct in mid 2014 he put the two businessmen on the phone so they could share the news with the inspector that he was being promoted according to the complaint
a lawyer for mr banks benjamin brafman said we have always maintained that former chief banks did not knowingly violate the law and nothing in todays arrest of other members of the department changes that position
with mr rechnitzs cooperation and mr reichbergs arrest the friendship between the two men clearly seemed to have ended
mr reichbergs lawyer susan r necheles issued a statement in which she said her client had not committed a crime and was a good man who has helped many people she added his only mistake was his friendship with jona rechnitz a criminal who has admitted bribing a union official and who is desperately trying to get others in trouble in order to curry favor with prosecutors and save his own skin
mr rechnitzs lawyer alan levine responded with a statement of his own jeremy reichberg is responsible for his own conduct just as jona rechnitz was for his he said it is now apparent that jeremy reichbergs problems are the product of his own actions and his own words from a court ordered wiretap on his phone


at night just after the full moon teams of scientists dive beneath the waves to study one of the planets most prolific and mysterious rites of reproduction
its coral behaving badly   or very nicely depending on your point of view warm ocean waters suddenly teem with trillions of eggs and sperm that swirl in the currents and merge to form new life a profligate frenzy that can leave the oceans surface awash in pink flotsam
globally hundreds of species of coral engage in primordial rites of mass spawning tied to seasonally warming waters and the lunar cycle
its like an underwater snowstorm said emma l hickerson a veteran diver and research coordinator at the flower garden banks a coral reef 100 miles off texas in the gulf of mexico
corals are giant colonies of tiny creatures each small animal has a central mouth and feeding tentacles and secretes a stony substance around its base that binds the colony together the reefs nurture a riot of marine species and fish stocks that feed millions of people
studies of the procreative dance are considered vital for helping save beleaguered coral reefs around the globe including the great barrier reef off australia it has suffered repeated bouts of mass bleaching mainly attributed to declining water quality and rising temperatures because of climate change the hope is that a better understanding of coral reproduction will aid recovery and strengthen efforts to limit coastal pollutants and sediments that can interfere with successful coral spawning
a big concern is the ability to recover from the severe bleaching events said emily howells a coral researcher at new york university who studies the reproductive cycle
the spectacular nature of the rite can make the research seem all the more urgent a lucky diver waiting for the annual event might see a coral head laden with individual sex cells that look visibly swollen and ripe for release
then all of the sudden one goes off and poof they all do said ms hickerson of flower garden banks they all release at the same time
its like a wave at a stadium she added you see it start at one side and go across its amazing you cant make this stuff up
in nighttime dives of recent years videographers including ms hickerson have taken lights and cameras beneath the waves to document the natural wonder at times zooming in so close that viewers can see the swelling and release of individual eggs
shallow reefs are the main venue but scientists in recent years have also deployed tethered robots to survey deep reefs surprisingly given the diminished light and cooler temperatures they have discovered that deep corals can also spawn as a group at times in synchrony with their shallow kin
many people thought mass spawns did not occur in many places said sally a keith a coral ecologist at the university of copenhagen its amazing how little is known about such a large scale phenomenon
as often in romance timing is everything if corals shed their sex cells just minutes out of sync with neighbors the odds of reproductive success are greatly reduced
indeed scientists have discovered that the group sex can be remarkably punctual its onset typically at a precise but poorly understood time after dusk a brain coral at flower garden banks released its gametes within two minutes of its reproductive frenzy the previous year
the liberated eggs and sperm are buoyant they float upward through warm ocean waters to merge near the surface and at times form giant pink slicks containing millions of coral embryos recent studies have shown that the drifting youngsters can ride surface currents for hundreds of miles and descend to found new colonies and reefs
while scientists have learned a lot since discovering the rite decades ago much remains unknown especially about the exact mix of environmental factors that trigger the synchronized frenzies which scientists call broadcast spawning
some researchers divers and spectators have waited patiently for coral mingling that at least during their visits never materialized
last month dr keith and 11 colleagues issued a note of caution in proceedings of the royal society of london considered the worlds oldest publisher of scientific journals disentangling the proximate cues and underlying mechanisms they wrote remains a significant challenge
for centuries scientists thought that stony corals reproduced mainly by brooding offspring and bringing forth live young
that dogma began to crumble when graduate students at james cook university in australia followed a trail of clues to a nighttime mass spawning event on the great barrier reef in 1984 their discovery made the cover of science magazine
scientists speculated that the moons phase was important in the ritual because it controlled the tides but the tides during spawning events turned out to be low in some places and high in others and scientists now say the moon most likely acts as a visual stimulus to the choreographed sex
how do eyeless creatures monitor the moons phases and determine when the time is right to start mingling
the breakthrough came after oren levy a young israeli scientist traveled to australia to study at the university of queensland dr levy was fascinated by a class of photoreceptors known as cryptochromes originally found in plants they had also been identified among insects and mammals dr levy wondered if corals might possess the complex molecules as well
in 2007 he and six other scientists from australia israel and the united states reported in science that corals do have primitive photoreceptors if not true eyes in experiments they found that the photosensitive chemicals responded to moonlight as admirably as well human lovers
increasingly scientists track how environmental changes can disturb the procreative dance in papers in december and february a team of swiss and australian scientists reported that sediment particles from dredging and other ocean disturbances can adhere to eggs and sperm blocking their journey to the surface and reducing the odds of successful fertilization
the potential of sediments to sink coral gametes the scientists wrote highlights the need to carefully manage the timing of turbidity generating human activities near reefs during spawning periods
another recent finding concerns the central role of rising seasonal temperatures scientists tracking the rite globally have found that in the northern hemisphere the reproductive frenzy moves northward in a wave as springtime warmth starts to raise the temperature of normally cool ocean waters
with notable exceptions the peak season of mass coral spawning seems to run from january to march in low latitudes march to may in middle latitudes and june to october in high latitudes
dr howells of the new york university branch in abu dhabi joined colleagues to map the latitude effect for reported spawning events in the indian ocean and its arms as well as the red sea the rising warmth they said in a recent paper coincided with the northward movement of the seasonal rite
the team focused its own research on the gulf of oman a northern arm of the arabian sea during 2013 the reproductive whirl began in april but the next year it started in may
why the monthlong delay the team reported that the average sea temperature at the study site before the 2014 event was cooler by 15 degrees celsius or 27 degrees fahrenheit the reproductive lag the scientists reported most likely arose from coral responding to the optimal temperature window
the team studies the relatively warm seas of the middle east as a laboratory for understanding how climate change might affect reefs elsewhere this week in hawaii an international conference of more than 2000 reef scientists policymakers and others are struggling to find better ways of protecting the vital ecosystems nasa this year began flying an instrument laden jet to map global coral reefs as a means of monitoring their health
in the florida keys at relatively high latitudes the reefs tend to go into their reproductive phase in late summer
last year the big day off key largo turned out to be aug 5 five days after the full moon of july 31 divers marveled as staghorn corals a spiky reef builder that can grow as much as eight inches a year released clouds of eggs and sperm
research teams and dive companies try to predict the exact time these love fests happen since theyve become tourist attractions space available on one of a kind reef trips to see coral spawning said a headline at reeforg an environmental foundation in key largo
the prospective full moon this year is aug 18 and tentative forecasts for key largo point to late that month for the reproductive frenzy
ms hickerson of flower garden banks one of 14 marine parks run by the national oceanic and atmospheric administration and the northernmost coral reef on the nations continental shelf expects the big night to be aug 25
i always breathe a sigh of relief when i make a prediction and the corals actually spawn she said
it was roughly two decades ago when ms hickerson first dived beneath the waves at flower garden banks to witness a mass spawning despite seeing it many times she said she still finds herself getting caught up in the primal thrill
to this day i find myself screaming she said you cant help it


in the 2012 presidential campaign june was a pivotal month for president obamas re election efforts mitt romney had emerged from a slashing primary race close to broke looking to get to the nominating convention so he could reset his candidacy and get an infusion of cash
while there is little that is similar between the candidacies of mr romney and donald j trump the result may end up being the same
mr romney was defined by a brutal series of television ads aired by both priorities usa the super pac supporting mr obama and his campaign mr romney in those renderings was a heartless corporate raider who talked about liking to fire people who did not provide good services and whose private equity firm feasted on the modest wage jobs of hard working people
mr romney never recovered but he was still only a few ticks behind mr obama in the polls in june 2012 in the last week of june that year mr obama was at 47 percent with mr romney at 44 percent according to an nbcwall street journal survey
mr trump has insisted the race between him and hillary clinton is roughly that close but several credible national surveys have shown mr trumps poll numbers sinking sharply in the wake of his criticism of an indiana born federal judge as mexican in early june three surveys have shown mrs clinton with a double digit lead
at the same time mr trump is off the air in terms of paid advertising he has not aired a single ad since he became the presumptive republican nominee on may 3 the republican national committee is not on the air helping him and neither are any super pacs to any surgical degree
by contrast mrs clintons campaign has an advertising buy in battleground states that exceeds 20 million and priorities usa which was reconstituted to support her candidacy is spending more than 10 million of its own in a number of states
mr trump informed nbc on sunday that he did not believe the race would begin until after the republican convention on july 18 but he might be limping into cleveland by then


san francisco   a new list of the worlds fastest supercomputers provides more evidence that the once yawning technology gap between the united states and china is closing
china dominates a biannual ranking of the worlds 500 fastest supercomputers called the top500 that was published on monday not only does china have the worlds fastest machine for the seventh consecutive time it has the largest number of computers among the top 500   a first for any country other than the united states
also for the first time the worlds fastest supercomputer uses chinese made microprocessor chips instead of chips from silicon valleys intel
supercomputers are viewed in scientific circles as an indicator of national technology leadership and they are vital for research in areas ranging from the development of new weapons and medicines to the design of cars and consumer products american computing experts and business executives have warned for years that leadership in supercomputing is vital to a range of national interests
today even consumer detergent bottles are designed with supercomputers said eric d isaacs a physicist and provost of the university of chicago the chinese are getting good at building these computers and its a competitive issue now for us industry and national security
the united states primacy on the top500 list has slipped for a number of reasons government support for supercomputing has been slowed by long running debates on the level of federal spending on basic scientific research as well as opposition to funding for industrial innovation that is not directly related to national security
in the private sector companies like google microsoft facebook and amazon invested billions of dollars in cloud computing centers that dont focus as much on solving scientific problems
and last year the united states blocked the sale of a number of advanced microprocessors to china over concerns they were being used in nuclear weapon development which most likely accelerated the development of chinas own technology said jack dongarra a university of tennessee computer scientist who helped create the list of the worlds fastest computers in 1993
the top500 list is maintained by dr dongarra and erich strohmaier a physicist at lawrence berkeley national laboratory individual computing centers report descriptions and performance to them twice a year
in 2001 there were no chinese supercomputers on the top500 now china has 167 systems on the list compared to 165 from the united states china also leads a more obscure category   total processing power or the combined computing speeds of all of its supercomputers on the list
the fastest machine the sunway taihulight system was installed this year at the national supercomputing center in wuxi in chinas jiangsu province
despite those achievements intel still provided the chips for 91 percent of the machines on the list and china is still catching up with the united states in state of the art technologies like software and the networking that links the thousands of chips in a modern supercomputer
but that could soon change officials at the semiconductor industry association a trade group said the chinese government has an ambitious 150 billion program to acquire as well as develop new technologies in various kinds of chips
after years of neglect the united states does appear to be taking the competitive threat seriously said john neuffer president of the sia its an opportunity for us to double down on supercomputing and get ourselves back on track he said
last year the obama administration began a new effort to develop a so called exascale supercomputer that would be 10 times faster than todays fastest supercomputers an exaflop is a quintillion   one million trillion   mathematical instructions a second computer scientists have argued that such machines will allow more definitive answers on crucial questions such as the danger posed by climate change
until president obama signed the national strategic computing initiative last july the construction of the fastest american supercomputers had largely been driven by the nations stockpile stewardship and management program which was created in 1995 to simulate the testing and maintenance of nuclear weapons
while the chinese have perfected the manufacture of traditional supercomputers pioneered by american companies like ibm and cray the united states may focus on new more efficient supercomputers that might lead to machines intended for challenges like artificial intelligence according to larry smarr a physicist who directs the california institute for telecommunications and information technology at the university of california san diego
one of the design challenges of the fastest computers is their vast power consumption the worlds fastest supercomputer in china which could fill a large warehouse requires the same electric power needed to run roughly 15000 homes an exascale supercomputer will very likely require more than twice that amount of power or roughly the amount of power produced by the copper mountain solar facility the largest producer of solar power in the united states
at the same time even if the united states is able to design an exascale computer within the next decade the chinese could get there first according to dr dongarra the chinese government is committed to reaching the exascale goal by the end of this decade
because of funding shortages and technology challenges there has been a delay in getting the exascale launched in the us and as a result were further behind than we should be he said
the sunway supercomputer in wuxi is a marvel of chinese manufacturing prowess dr dongorra noted the computer is based on 106 million processor cores spread across 40960 microprocessors that work together the chips are relatively slow individually   about the speed of the processor in apples iphone 6
the sunway machine does have its shortcomings it has older memory chip technology meaning it is limited in the speed with which it can move data in and out of each processor when compared with the most powerful american supercomputers and the new chinese supercomputer is still based on american made optical network technology that is used to connect the thousands of microprocessor chips
despite the fact that the chinese now have the most supercomputers on the list the united states still dominates the top 20 with 10 machines there are now 105 supercomputers in europe japan has 29 systems on the list down from 37 systems in november
several american scientists compared what is going on now to the 1980s when they worried that the nation was losing ground to japanese supercomputers
scientists might be saying i have to go to china to run my computations said dr smarr


the senate is to vote on monday on competing gun control proposals that gained renewed attention in the aftermath of the orlando fla killings but there is little optimism that the two parties can come to an agreement on the contentious issue despite another horrific attack
senate democrats successfully employed a filibuster last week to increase pressure on republicans to at least allow debate on legislation making it more difficult for people on terrorist watch lists to buy guns omar mateen the orlando gunman had been scrutinized by the fbi for possible terrorist activity but he was still able to buy firearms
one proposal by senator dianne feinstein democrat of california would allow the justice department to block gun sales to individuals on terrorism watch lists if law enforcement decided the weapons could be used in an attack republicans have responded with an alternative proposal by senator john cornyn of texas the no 2 senate republican that is backed by the national rifle association it would give the authorities 72 hours to convince a judge that a sale should be blocked democrats say that process is unworkable
senator susan collins a moderate republican from maine has come up with another plan that would ban gun sales to those on the federal no fly list but would pay their legal costs if they were successful in appealing the decision
none of the plans are considered likely to attract the 60 votes necessary to advance despite bipartisan agreement that those under serious suspicion of having ties to terrorism should not be able to buy guns were so close on this issue senator jeff sessions republican of alabama said on fox news sunday it ought to be able to be fixed easily
the senate will also vote on competing proposals on stricter background checks but those plans have even less chance of success than the watch list legislation no matter the outcome gun control will remain an election year topic in the senate


jakarta indonesia   indonesia is holding the crew of a chinese fishing boat it says was fishing illegally last week in the south china sea an official confirmed on monday it was the third maritime skirmish   all involving warning shots   between the two countries in the past three months
the latest episode occurred on friday when indonesian warships challenged a group of chinese fishing boats operating within indonesias 200 mile exclusive economic zone off the natuna islands northwest of borneo said atmadji sumarkidjo a spokesman for indonesias coordinating ministry for political legal and security affairs
the indonesian navy fired warning shots to get the fishing boats to halt which the chinese say injured one sailor and confiscated one boat and detained its seven member crew mr atmadji said the crew was taken to the natuna islands he said the injured person was not one of those detained and was treated on the chinese island of hainan
like the previous incidents the chinese ships were fishing in the area that we claim is part of our eez mr atmadji said referring to the exclusive economic zone the navy pursued them and they tried to run away and did not obey our instructions to stop
hua chunying a spokeswoman for the chinese ministry of foreign affairs issued a statement on the ministrys website on sunday contending that the fishing boats were operating in chinas traditional fishing grounds in the south china sea the statement said that the boats were harassed and shot by several indonesian naval vessels
china lodged a diplomatic protest to indonesia after the episode the statement said a spokesman for the indonesian foreign ministry was not immediately available for comment
in march a chinese coast guard vessel forcibly recovered a fishing boat that had been confiscated by indonesia near the natuna islands by ramming the boat the boats eight chinese crew members already on an indonesian ship were detained after being accused of fishing illegally the indonesian authorities had fired warning shots at the boat using small arms to force it to stop
in may the indonesian navy fired warning shots at a chinese fishing boat and detained its eight person crew also in the region of the natuna islands on suspicion of fishing illegally
in china people expressed outrage over the episode and urged the government to do more to stand up to indonesia
you call yourself a big and strong nation but how come a small country like indonesia dares to slap your face a user wrote on weibo chinas equivalent of twitter
another user posted wheres the hawkish faction in the military its your turn to make an appearance now
the episodes come amid rising tensions in the region where china has territorial disputes with brunei malaysia the philippines and vietnam   four members of the 10 nation association of southeast asian nations known as asean
members of the group have increasingly expressed concern about chinas aggressive posture in the south china sea including naval standoffs and land reclamation projects in disputed areas and the stationing of military personnel and surface to air missiles in the paracel islands   which are controlled by china which claims ownership but are also claimed by taiwan and vietnam
an international arbitration body in the hague is expected to rule in the coming weeks on a case that the philippines has filed over chinas claims in the south china sea
indonesia is not a claimant in the south china sea disputes but chinas contentious nine dash line which marks its territorial claims to around 90 percent of the south china sea appears to overlap with part of indonesias maritime exclusive economic zone around the natuna islands according to analysts
since 1994 indonesia has sought clarification from china about whether the nine dash line included the natuna islands or indonesias exclusive economic zone around them
last november china publicly recognized indonesias sovereignty over the natuna islands but did not address the issue of the exclusive economic zone
the chinese statement released on sunday said that the latest skirmish occurred in an area where china and indonesia have overlapping claims for maritime rights and interests the statement accused indonesia of violating international law including the united nations convention on the law of the sea
in the past the indonesian government had played down such episodes or kept them under wraps as china is indonesias largest trading partner but jakarta this year has been more aggressive in defending its exclusive economic zone given that one of the key policies of indonesias president joko widodo is to combat illegal fishing and turn the country into a maritime power


after i wrote last year that diet not exercise was the key to weight loss i was troubled by how some readers took this to mean that exercise therefore had no value
nothing could be further from the truth of all the things we as physicians can recommend for health few provide as much benefit as physical activity
in 2015 the academy of medical royal colleges put out a report calling exercise a miracle cure this isnt a conclusion based simply on some cohort or case control studies there are many many randomized controlled trials a huge meta analysis examined the effect of exercise therapy on outcomes in people with chronic diseases
lets start with musculoskeletal diseases researchers found 32 trials looking specifically at the effect of exercise on pain and function of patients with osteoarthritis of the knee alone thats incredibly specific and its impressive that so much research has focused on one topic
exercise improved those outcomes ten more studies showed over all that exercise therapy increases aerobic capacity and muscle strength in patients with rheumatoid arthritis other studies proved its benefits in other musculoskeletal conditions like ankylosing spondylitis and even some types of back pain
for people mostly middle aged men who had had a heart attack exercise therapy reduced all causes of mortality by 27 percent and cardiac mortality by 31 percent fourteen additional controlled trials showed physiological benefits in those with heart failure exercise has also been shown to lower blood pressure in patients with hypertension and improve cholesterol and triglyceride levels
people with diabetes who exercise have lower hba1c values which is the marker of blood sugar control low enough to probably reduce the risk of complications from the disease twenty randomized controlled trials have showed that patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease can walk farther and function better if they exercise
multiple studies have found that exercise improves physical function and health related quality of life in people who have parkinsons disease six more studies showed that exercise improves muscle power and mobility related activities in people with multiple sclerosis it also appeared to improve those patients moods
the overall results of 23 randomized controlled trials showed that exercise most likely improves the symptoms of depression five others appear to show that it improves symptoms in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome in trials exercise even lessened fatigue in patients who were having therapy for cancer
what other intervention can claim results like these
even studies of older hospitalized patients show a beneficial effect from multidisciplinary interventions that include exercise those randomized to such interventions in the hospital were more likely to be discharged to go home and to spend less time in the hospital over all   and at a lower cost
although we dont think of it this way you can make a pretty good argument that exercise is as good as drugs for many conditions a 2013 meta analysis of meta analyses thats how much data we have combined and analyzed the results from 16 reviews of randomized controlled trials of drug and exercise interventions in reducing mortality collectively these included 305 trials with almost 340000 participants
diuretic drugs but not all drugs were shown to be superior to exercise in preventing death from heart failure but exercise was found to be equally good as drugs in preventing mortality from coronary heart disease exercise was better than drugs in preventing death among patients from strokes
many people will be surprised at how little you need to do to achieve these results years ago in an effort to get in shape i tried the p90x routine it proved too hard for me later when i tried the insanity workout it beat me so badly that people at work kept asking me if i was ill two years ago i tried p90x3 it was a bit more manageable but i still couldnt keep it up
i have not been alone in thinking that physical activity to improve health should be hard when i hear friends talk about exercising they discuss running marathons participating in crossfit classes or sacrificing themselves on the altar of soulcycle that misses the point unfortunately all of these are much more than you need to do to get the benefits ive described
the recommendations for exercise are 150 minutes per week of moderate intensity physical activity for adults or about 30 minutes each weekday
moderate intensity is probably much less than you think walking briskly at 3 to 4 miles per hour or so qualifies so does bicycling slower than 10 miles an hour anything that gets your heart rate somewhere between 110 and 140 beats per minute is enough even vacuuming mowing the lawn or walking your dog might qualify
today my goals are much more modest trekking from my office to the clinic and back again gives me 30 minutes of exercise or i walk to the supermarket from my office to grab lunch at a mile each way in colder weather i spend half an hour on the elliptical machine doing this five days a week gets me the activity i need
although it feels as if theres nothing we can do to change peoples behavior there is evidence to the contrary a systematic review and meta analysis of advice and counseling by health professionals found that promotion of physical activity works
doctors and clinics that made efforts to promote exercise to patients needed to engage 12 adults on the subject to get one additional adult to meet recommended levels of activity one year later that might not sound impressive but its one of the better such results
after the academy of medical royal colleges wrote its report an editorial in the bmj a prominent medical journal countered that exercise wasnt a miracle cure instead the authors argued it was the best buy for public health
if thats the best counterpoint then physical activity seems like a no brainer


washington   with a landmark vote approaching on thursday on whether britain will leave the european union two recent events highlighted the stakes and the unique britishness of the brexit debate
last wednesday in what britons took to calling the battle of the thames both sides sent flag waving flotillas down the river to advertise their cause the leave campaign blasted the theme song from the great escape from westminster bridge and bob geldof a prominent campaigner in the remain campaign bellowed facts about fishing from boat mounted speakers
the next day a man fatally shot and stabbed a member of parliament jo cox who supported staying in the european union the man shouted my name is death to traitors freedom for britain at a court appearance on saturday the killing has shocked the country and drawn attention to the increasingly heated national debate
this is much more than a vote on membership in a 28 nation bloc it is about national and social identity britains place in the world and the future of the european project
a portmanteau of the words britain and exit it is the nickname for a british exit of the european union after the june 23 referendum asking voters should the united kingdom remain a member of the european union or leave the european union
the debate leading up to this weeks vote is playing out however as a broader choice over what national values to prioritize
pro brexit advocates have framed leaving the european union as necessary to protect or perhaps restore the countrys identity its culture independence and place in the world this argument is often expressed by opposition to immigration
remain supporters typically argue that staying in the union is better for the british economy and that concerns about migration and other issues are not important enough to outweigh the economic consequences of leaving
the debate has also cut along the countrys famously deep class divides voters with less money and education are more likely to support leaving the union robert tombs a historian at the university of cambridge said this stems from a sense of abandonment among poor and working class britons the brexit debate has become a vessel for anti establishment and anti elite feelings directed at the leaders of mainstream british political parties as much as at europe
neither side is defending the european union as a meaningful or admirable institution in part this speaks to particularly british views that the rest of europe is somehow alien
this also reflects a euroskepticism or opposition to the european union rising across the bloc as the union veers from crisis to crisis in this way the brexit vote is a particularly noticeable manifestation of a sense that european institutions have fallen short of their lofty promises and have created burdens such as absorbing migrants or bailing out troubled economies that many europeans are tired of bearing
a lot is implied in one of the campaigns slogans take control britains loss of full authority over its economic policies and regulations has so rankled many of the countrys citizens that it has spawned an entire genre of urban legends over the years called euromyths
these stories usually feature some aspect of classically british culture that is supposedly under threat one claimed that double decker buses were to be banned while another suggested that fish and chips would have to be written in latin on menus the subtext is barely subliminal at all gray suited brussels bureaucrats are the enemy of britishness a threat to britains identity in all its deep fried double decker glory
there are two things at play here said brian klaas a fellow in comparative politics at the london school of economics one is the cultural nostalgia for britains lost place in the world this idea that britain used to matter britain used to be able to do things without having to consult brussels
then there is immigration theres this feeling that were losing our cultural identity and our national identity mr klaas said at the same time that theres this influx of people who are willing to work for low wages
a 2013 british social attitudes survey found that more than three quarters of britons want the countrys immigration policies reduced and about 56 percent said they should be reduced a lot
though britain has accepted a small number of refugees relative to other european countries british tabloids have implied the country is being overrun by an uncontrollable swarm or tide of foreigners labor migration particularly from eastern europe has often been painted as economically threatening
terrence g peterson a fellow at stanford universitys center for international security and cooperation said there is a sense that britain has lost something that it has lost its sovereignty
it cant close its borders in the way that it wants he said it cant have the economic policies it chooses
what is most striking about the remain campaign is what it has not done countered the arguments for leaving rather than defending the european union or immigration as good for britain the campaign warns that leaving would be disastrous for the british economy
most economists agree with that claim europe is britains most important export market and its greatest source of foreign direct investment and union membership has been crucial to establishing london as a global financial center a british exit would jeopardize that status   and the high paying jobs that come with it
the mere fact of the referendum has already affected the economy the pound is at its lowest valuation in seven years
but it is telling that those who want to stay including prime minister david cameron and the leadership of britains two main political parties have not expressed much enthusiasm for the european union itself instead their arguments are focused narrowly on british self interest their message is not that membership in the bloc is an exciting opportunity so much as a basic economic necessity
that is a sign of how unpopular the union has become throughout britain according mr klaas partly because of bad public relations if you get funding from europe for a road you take credit he said but if you cant get funding its europes fault
spend enough time in the united kingdom and you will hear people refer to the continent travel agency windows advertise flights and package tours to europe as if it were someplace else
as mr peterson of stanford put it britain has always kept europe at a distance even when they were favorable to the eu
britain initially refused to join the european economic community when it was founded in 1957 it became a member in 1973 only to have a crisis of confidence that led to a similar exit referendum two years later the pro europe campaign won that round with 67 percent of the vote
a strain of populist opposition to europe remained in the decades that followed britain has never joined other countries in using the euro as currency for example or participated in the unions schengen area open borders agreement
recent challenges within the european union have given euroskepticism new urgency
there wouldnt be a referendum without the eurozone crisis which made the eu look badly organized and dysfunctional said charles grant the director of the centre for european reform a london based research group the refugee crisis hasnt helped either it made the eu seem out of control
mr peterson said the deeper issue is that the union remains an unfinished project which allowed these economic and migration crises to become so severe
the european union never developed centralized political institutions strong enough to manage its diverse constituent countries individual nations have little incentive to make sacrifices for the common good and european unity is weakest when it is needed most
projections differ significantly over the precise economic effect but there is a consensus that leaving would hurt britain financially at least in the short term
without access to the unions open markets britain would probably lose trade and investment and while the influx of migrant workers has created anxiety over british culture and identity losing that labor force could lead to lower productivity slower economic growth and decreased job opportunities a study by britains national institute of economic and social research found
a brexit could also quickly spawn err a scexit nicola sturgeon the first minister of scotland has said that if britain votes to leave the european union she will hold a new referendum in which scots could vote to exit britain   and then rejoin the union as an independent nation
scotlands voters rejected such a measure by nearly 10 points in 2014 but analysts say a brexit could change that because the scots overwhelmingly support european union membership
if scotland were to leave that could dramatically alter britains political character as scotlands members of parliament lean to the left
britain makes up about a sixth of the european unions economy a brexit mr klaas said would be akin to california and florida being lopped off the us economy
that destabilization could affect the united states economy last week the federal reserve in washington cited the possibility of a brexit as a reason to not raise interest rates
there could be political consequences as well if britain leaves the union that could give momentum to the nationalistic anti migrant message and policies of populist far right parties that are already rising across europe
the implications for the european project itself are unclear but that uncertainty may be the greatest threat to the union which has helped bring europe 70 years of peace and is already under growing strain
it also undermines trust between member states whose commitments seem less reliable every time one of them toys with leaving
members of the eurozone will realize that things can come unstuck mr grant said entropy can happen
in his view germany already has too much power in the bloc and a british exit would make that imbalance more pronounced it would undermine the european unions legitimacy and make it more difficult to respond to internal crises like the greek economy or the migrant influx and to outside security threats he said
mr klaas said a more unified europe is a powerful counterbalance to people like vladimir putin
putin has stayed silent on this he said of the russian leader but hes probably silently cheering the pro brexit side


the future mrs donald j trump was puzzled
she had been summoned to a lunch meeting with her husband to be and his lawyer to review a prenuptial agreement it required that should the couple split she return everything   cars furs rings   that mr trump might give her during their marriage
sensing her sorrow mr trump apologized ivana trump later testified in a divorce deposition he said it was his lawyers idea
it is just one of those roy cohn numbers mr trump told her
the year was 1977 and mr cohns reputation was well established he had been senator joseph mccarthys red baiting consigliere he had helped send the rosenbergs to the electric chair for spying and elect richard m nixon president
then new yorks most feared lawyer mr cohn had a client list that ran the gamut from the disreputable to the quasi reputable anthony fat tony salerno claus von bulow george steinbrenner
but there was one client who occupied a special place in roy cohns famously cold heart donald j trump
for mr cohn who died of aids in 1986 weeks after being disbarred for flagrant ethical violations mr trump was something of a final project if fred trump got his sons career started bringing him into the family business of middle class rentals in brooklyn and queens mr cohn ushered him across the river and into manhattan introducing him to the social and political elite while ferociously defending him against a growing list of enemies
decades later mr cohns influence on mr trump is unmistakable mr trumps wrecking ball of a presidential bid   the gleeful smearing of his opponents the embracing of bluster as brand   has been a roy cohn number on a grand scale mr trumps response to the orlando massacre with his ominous warnings of a terrorist attack that could wipe out the country and his conspiratorial suggestions of a muslim fifth column in the united states seemed to have been ripped straight out of the cohn playbook
i hear roy in the things he says quite clearly said peter fraser who as mr cohns lover for the last two years of his life spent a great deal of time with mr trump that bravado and if you say it aggressively and loudly enough its the truth   thats the way roy used to operate to a degree and donald was certainly his apprentice
for 13 years the lawyer who had infamously whispered in mccarthys ear whispered in mr trumps in the process mr cohn helped deliver some of mr trumps signature construction deals sued the national football league for conspiring against his client and countersued the federal government   for 100 million   for damaging the trump name one of mr trumps executives recalled that he kept an 8 by 10 inch photograph of mr cohn in his office desk pulling it out to intimidate recalcitrant contractors
the two men spoke as often as five times a day toasted each other at birthday parties and spent evenings together at studio 54
and mr cohn turned repeatedly to mr trump   one of a small clutch of people who knew he was gay   in his hours of need when a former companion was dying of aids he asked mr trump to find him a place to stay when he faced disbarment he summoned mr trump to testify to his character
mr trump says the two became so close that mr cohn who had no immediate family sometimes refused to bill him insisting he could not charge a friend
roy was an era mr trump said in an interview reflecting on his years with mr cohn they either loved him or couldnt stand him which was fine
mr trump was asked if this reminded him of anyone yeah he answered it does come to think of it
the gossip columnist cindy adams who knew everyone had no idea who he was
this kid is going to own new york someday mr cohn told her gesturing at a tall 20 something bachelor at a dinner party in the early 1970s this is donald trump
yeah so ms adams recalled replying
mr cohn the son of a prominent new york judge had taken an uncommon interest in mr trump
the two had met not long before at a private disco called le club and instantly hit it off while discussing a nettlesome obstacle for mr trump the civil rights division of the justice department was suing him and his father accusing them of refusing to rent to black tenants mr trump told mr cohn that their lawyers were urging them to settle
tell them to go to hell and fight the thing in court mr trump later recalled mr cohn advising him
mr trump did just that with mr cohn as his lawyer not only did mr cohn countersue the government for 100 million he filed a blistering affidavit on mr trumps behalf mocking the case the civil rights division did not file a lawsuit mr cohn wrote it slapped together a piece of paper for use as a press release the trumps ultimately settled the case by agreeing to make apartments available to minority renters while admitting no wrongdoing
for mr trump the benefits of his new representation were obvious mr cohn was one of the most famous and feared lawyers in america he would later appear on the cover of esquire beneath an ironic halo and earn a posthumous parody on the simpsons
but mr cohn saw something in mr trump too
he could sniff out a power to be roy could said susan bell mr cohns longtime secretary
after helping convict the rosenbergs as a young federal prosecutor and then working in washington as a top aide to mccarthy mr cohn had returned to new york starting a boutique practice in his shabby but elegant townhouse on east 68th street
the division of labor in the firm was clear
we called him the rainmaker said michael rosen a partner who handled many of the firms organized crime cases we did all of the grunt work if grunt work means preparing the case and trying the case
mr cohn lived on the third floor often traipsing downstairs in his bathrobe well after the workday had begun and taking clients upstairs to a small sun porch the elevator rarely worked in the winter the lawyers stuffed towels around the windows to keep out the cold
parties and business meetings tended to blur with celebrities like andy warhol and estee lauder crowding in and spilling out that townhouse was a workhorse recalled mr trump a familiar presence there himself
he and mr cohn became social companions lunching at 21 or spending evenings at yankee stadium in the owners box of mr steinbrenner another cohn client
after mr fraser entered mr cohns life the two were frequent dinner guests at donald and ivanas trump tower apartment with its michelangelo style murals they were also regulars at mr trumps box at the meadowlands the home of his sports team the new jersey generals of the short lived united states football league
mr cohn was the master of ceremonies at a trump birthday party at studio 54 years later mr trump returned the favor with a birthday toast of his own at a party in the atrium of trump tower joking that mr cohn was more bark than bite
we just tell the opposition roy cohn is representing me and they get scared mr trump said according to a cousin of mr cohns david l marcus who attended he never actually does anything
among the many things mr trump learned from mr cohn during these years was the importance of keeping ones name in the newspapers long before mr trump posed as his own spokesman passing self serving tidbits to gossip columnists mr cohn was known to call in stories about himself to reporters
it was also through mr cohn that mr trump met the political operative who has played a leading if behind the scenes role in his campaign roger stone
when mr stone the roguish former nixon adviser and master of the political dark arts came to new york in 1979 to court support for ronald reagans presidential bid he arrived with a box of index cards filled with the names of actors and producers and roy cohn
i made an appointment and i pitched him on reagan and he said you have to meet donald and fred trump mr stone recalled in an interview
eventually mr cohn and mr trump became so inseparable that those who could not track down mr cohn knew whom to call
once mr cohn chartered a plane with friends without mr trump trashing it during a midair party he refused to pay so the airline found mr trump asking if he could help
he called mr cohn more amused than concerned
i said roy what are you going to do about this i mean you destroyed the plane mr trump recalled he said eh well pay them someday
by the time mr trump started getting serious with a czech model named ivana winklmayr mr cohn had become something of an expert on marriage
its difficult to imagine and admit that the flush of the moment may become the flush of the toilet as the relationship goes down the tubes he wrote about the importance of prenuptial agreements in his book how to stand up for your rights   and win
according to trump the greatest show on earth a book by the journalist wayne barrett mr cohn advised mr trump against marrying ms winklmayr but insisted that if he must there had to be a prenuptial agreement he would handle it himself
the agreement completed only weeks before the wedding did not quantify mr trumps net worth   impossible to accurately determine due to the illiquid nature of his holdings   and took a bearish view of mr trumps earning potential and a modest view of his tastes
donalds standard of living is basically simple it said calling mr trumps preferred lifestyle neither opulent nor extravagant
when the marriage dissolved a few years after mr cohns death mrs trumps lawyers charged that she had not had proper representation on the prenup her initial lawyer had worked for mr cohn on at least one case and was a frequent passenger on mr cohns yacht the defiance the divorce case eventually ended with a settlement
the prenup was just one of many trump deals some more conventional than others in which mr cohn was intimately involved
he used his connections to help mr trump secure zoning variances and tax abatements critical to the construction of the grand hyatt hotel and the trump plaza
after one cohn coup mr trump rewarded him with a pair of diamond encrusted cuff links and buttons in a bulgari box
and if mr cohn did not always feel comfortable charging a friend for his services mr trump was hardly one to put up a fight
roy said ill leave it to donald to give me what he thinks is fair mr fraser recalled of one lengthy trump tax case in particular but of course donald didnt give him anything
some work would have been difficult to bill for instance mr cohn lobbied his friends in the reagan white house to nominate mr trumps sister maryanne trump barry to the federal bench questioned last year about this mr trump said his sister got the appointment totally on her own merit
he was a very good lawyer if he wanted to be mr trump said in the interview
asked about mr cohn in 1980 mr trump was more blunt in his assessment hes been vicious to others in his protection of me
it started with a cut that would not stop bleeding
mr cohns diagnosis came not long after his former companion russell eldridge had gotten his mr eldridge had spent most of his final days in a private suite overlooking central park in mr trumps barbizon plaza hotel
ms bell mr cohns secretary recalled that mr trumps secretary norma foerderer had billed mr cohn for the room and later called to say that mr cohn had not paid
i said guess what norma hes not going to ms bell said and she kind of knew it
mr cohn remained in his townhouse until the end   and even under interrogation by mike wallace on 60 minutes   he insisted that he had liver cancer not aids
he received experimental azt treatments in washington and continued working but his clients could not help but notice that his health was deteriorating
mr trump started gradually moving cases elsewhere he said never telling mr cohn why theres no reason to hurt somebodys feelings he said
he was so weak mr trump added he was so weakened that he really couldnt do it
mr cohn never spoke about mr trumps decision but was plainly crushed according to ms bell she remembers it happening not gradually but overnight
even as his health was failing mr cohn whom government prosecutors had unsuccessfully pursued for decades on charges including conspiracy bribery and fraud faced a final indignity he was facing the prospect of disbarment among other offenses he was charged with coercing a dying multimillionaire client   during a late night visit to the mans hospital room   to amend his will to make mr cohn an executor of his estate
the hearings were closed to the public but true to form mr cohn riding to the daily proceedings in a red cadillac convertible insisted on a spectacle describing his accusers as a bunch of yo yos just out to smear me up
the prominent figures whom mr cohn summoned to testify on his behalf included barbara walters and william f buckley jr
and of course mr trump he described his friend in simple terms
if i summed it up in one word mr trump told the hearing panel i think the primary word id use is his loyalty
gaunt frail and besieged mr cohn nevertheless managed to attend a dinner with mr fraser at mar a lago in palm beach fla shortly after mr trump purchased the property in late 1985 it was a last glimpse at his final fair haired project
i made trump successful he would occasionally boast according to mr marcus mr cohns cousin a former journalist who chronicled mr cohns last months for vanity fair
in june 1986 mr cohn was disbarred for unethical unprofessional and particularly reprehensible conduct
to this day mr trump rues the outcome they only got him because he was so sick mr trump said in the interview they wouldnt have gotten him otherwise
during his final days mr cohn called mr trump ostensibly for no particular reason it was just a call how are things going mr trump recalled roy was the kind of guy   i dont think he ever thought he was dying frankly
about a week later in august 1986 mr trump received another call
mr trump hung up the phone repeating the news to an associate in his office roy cohn was dead
i said wow thats the end of a generation mr trump remembered thats the end of an era
mr fraser inherited all of mr cohns possessions the townhouse his weekend place in greenwich conn his rolls royce his private plane and much more but the internal revenue service collecting on mr cohns tax debts confiscated nearly everything
he did get to keep the cuff links mr trump had given mr cohn years later mr fraser had them appraised they were knockoffs he said
mr fraser soon returned to his native new zealand where he now works as a conservationist at the auckland zoo he has not spoken with mr trump since mr cohns death but he has no doubt that if his former lover were still alive he would be an enthusiastic supporter of the trump campaign
having trained or mentored someone who became president he said that would have been quite exciting for roy


more a theater for learning than a citadel of research the new 53rd street library offers one surprise after the next as it unfolds below the sidewalks of new york
monday was opening day
the 53rd street library is the long awaited long delayed replacement for the donnell library center a beloved and heavily used branch of the new york public library system donnell was also that increasingly precious thing a free civic amenity in one of the poshest areas of manhattan
it closed in 2008 its replacement was supposed to be ready in three years but the redevelopment of the site between fifth avenue and avenue of the americas was derailed by the national economic crisis ultimately the library sold the property for 674 million in 2011 to tribeca associates and starwood capital
above the space set aside for a replacement library the developers erected a 50 story hotel and apartment tower called the baccarat for which the adjective luxury scarcely suffices one condo near the top of this skyscraper sold last year for 2328976064
to put that price in perspective it cost 23 million to build out the library from the core and shell provided by the developers
there is a building blocks column to be written about secretive plutocrats buying investment aeries in the sky while public institutions are relegated to basements some other day
for now the return of a public library branch ought to be welcomed by residents office workers and visitors who troop along west 53rd street on their way to or from the museum of modern art complex especially a branch that will be open on saturdays from 10 am to 5 pm
however the new library designed by ten arquitectos taller de enrique norten will not remind them of donnell   or any other public library in the city
the first surprise is that its main room is an amphitheater eleven tiers of oak bleachers face a 20 by 9  1/2  foot video screen placed below street level windows eight people can sit on each tier felt cushions will be provided the video displays will be soundless except during special programs   say a series of vintage movies about new york city
the room may remind you of the 10th avenue square and overlook on the high line in chelsea or the prada store at broadway and prince street in soho
overlooking this 34 foot high space is a laptop bar with 10 zeb stools made by the german company vitra im betting these will be among the most popular seats in any house in midtown
you can even bring lunch
were going to allow food genoveve rodriguez stowell the managing librarian at the 53rd street branch said as she and other library officials showed off the space were going to be progressive
christopher platt the library vice president who oversees all 88 branches soon to be 89 winced slightly hearing about the food policy
only here ms rodriguez stowell reassured him at the laptop bar mr platt looked relieved
the bleachers descend 17 feet from street level where the second surprise presents itself around the corner from the lowermost tier there is indeed a reading room   a large reading room of 11000 square feet this is where most of the books are 20000 of them for starters the number will grow
they are all newly purchased books donnells specialized research collections have been divided among the library for the performing arts media the mid manhattan library world languages and the central research library now known as the stephen a schwarzman building childrens material
every book at the 53rd street branch will circulate as will audiobooks dvds and music cds
there are 22 desktop and 46 laptop computers in the branch but no macs there are also 381 electrical outlets twenty librarians assistants and aides will work there full time assisted by four part time pages helping with reshelving
what looks like the biggest shelf of all in the center of the main reading room is in fact the structural core of the baccarat tower the new york public library owns its space at the base of the tower as a condominium unit which it was given by the developers
the next surprise when walking around the core is a community meeting room that can accommodate as many as 120 people
every time you think there must be no library left a new space opens up most dramatically in the childrens room on the second level below ground here ten arquitectos took the liability of the bleachers underside and turned it into a marvelous asset a sloping ceiling paneled in wood veneer
there really is no fair way to assess the 53rd street library until it is full of people and of programs which library officials promise it will be risa honig the library vice president for capital planning and construction put her finger on what a library is at its best even in a digital age a great place to be alone together


washington   the senate on monday failed to advance four separate measures aimed at curbing gun sales the latest display of congressional inaction after a mass shooting
eight days after a gunman claiming allegiance to the islamic state killed 49 people in an orlando fla nightclub the senate deadlocked largely along party lines on amendments to block people on the federal terrorism watch list from buying guns and to close loopholes in background check laws families of gun violence victims looked on from the senate chamber as the votes were held
further action on gun safety measures or mental health provisions seemed unlikely before the fall election given the rush to finish a series of spending bills and the relatively limited time that congress will be in session before november
in addition the four gun measures were attached to legislation that contains several other thorny issues such as the question of whether to take passports away from terrorism suspects which suggests there will be little chance for further debate
senator susan collins republican of maine has been working on a compromise disliked by both party leaders that would bar the sale of guns to terrorism suspects who appear on either the governments no fly list or the so called selectee list of people who receive additional scrutiny at airports that bill which is not as broad as the democratic watch list measure that failed on monday could surface later in the week
partisanship and the power of the gun lobby played a large role in the amendments failure democrats structured their bills in a way that was almost certain to repel republicans while republicans responded with bills equally distasteful to democrats
democrats vowed to hammer republicans during the campaign this fall
our constituents see a disturbing pattern of inaction senator harry reid of nevada the democratic leader said on the senate floor on monday sadly our efforts are blocked by the republican congress who take their marching orders from the national rifle association
senator dianne feinstein of california the highest ranking democrat on the senate intelligence committee introduced one of the failed measures which could have prevented anyone on the federal terrorism watch list and other terrorist databases from buying firearms or explosives democrats tried unsuccessfully to pass the measure after the shooting in san bernardino calif in december
its time for us to stand up ms feinstein said
republicans arguing that the list of people affected would be too broad and that the measure would not offer proper due process put forward a competing measure that amendment would have required the government to delay during a 72 hour review period the purchase of a gun by anyone who is a terrorism suspect or has been the subject of a terrorism investigation within the last five years
no one wants terrorists to be able to buy guns or explosives senator mitch mcconnell of kentucky the majority leader said on the senate floor on monday
the two other measures that failed included one offered by senator christopher s murphy democrat of connecticut who led a filibuster last week to make a point on guns his measure sought to tighten background checks for most gun buyers republicans offered a measure that was more focused on the mental health system
the obama administration which has been pushing for a variety of new gun control legislation vowed to press on
the view of the administration is that the american people should be engaged in the debate josh earnest the white house press secretary said on monday so the fact that this is something that is being actively debated and considered in the senate does represent incremental progress
donald j trump the presumptive republican presidential nominee has largely supported the positions of most republicans who want to preserve gun rights hillary clinton the presumptive democratic nominee has made her support for gun control a central tenet of her campaign
senator bernie sanders of vermont mrs clintons rival for the democratic nomination voted with the party from the senate chamber looking glum as colleagues came to greet him
the votes were taken on the same day that the supreme court declined to hear a second amendment challenge to a connecticut law enacted in 2013 after the mass shooting at sandy hook elementary school that bans many semiautomatic rifles
the senate measures seemed doomed almost as soon as they were offered after the sandy hook massacre a bipartisan background check measure failed even though democrats controlled the senate democrats now in the minority replaced that measure with the amendment sponsored by mr murphy which would have expanded background checks to all gun sales except loans and gifts between family members republicans said it was too broad and even senator jon tester of montana the chairman of the democratic senatorial campaign committee voted against it
some republicans in tough re election fights had to consider each measure carefully one of them senator kelly ayotte of new hampshire said the measures to prevent terrorism suspects from getting guns were inadequate but voted for both
while the politics of gun control tend to recede in general election campaigns the orlando shooting has brought the issue back to the front burner
we will keep pushing said senator chuck schumer democrat of new york until they see the light


kabul afghanistan   a taliban suicide bomber attacked a minibus carrying nepalese and indian security contractors to work at the canadian embassy early monday killing 14 people in one of the deadliest attacks on foreign workers in the afghan capital the police and government officials said
the taliban quickly claimed responsibility for the bombing along with another explosion in the city on monday morning that wounded a kabul provincial council member the twin explosions shattered a relative calm in kabul during the holy month of ramadan which began in early june and underscored the talibans rejection of a request by the united nations for a cease fire that would last the month
thousands of nepalese security contractors in particular work at foreign military or diplomatic compounds in afghanistan many drawn to work here by better wages and more jobs than are available for them back home despite tight security measures at the foreign missions where they work or surrounding their barracks the contractors often travel to work in unguarded buses that are seen as especially vulnerable to insurgent attacks
the minibus carrying the contractors was traveling through the eastern part of kabul when it was attacked by a bomber wearing an explosive belt and traveling on foot security officials said sediq sediqqi the spokesman for the ministry of interior put the death toll at 14 with eight more people wounded some of whom might also have been civilians
zabihullah mujahid a taliban spokesman made the claims of responsibility on twitter and gave a higher death toll for the bus bombing saying that 20 foreign guards had been killed
later on monday a branch of the islamic state also claimed responsibility for the bombing according to the site institute which tracks jihadist groups it was impossible to reconcile the competing claims the islamic state statement mistakenly asserted that the nepalese contractors worked at the american embassy rather than the canadian embassy
canadas ambassador to afghanistan deborah a lyons said in a statement that 12 of the victims were from nepal and two were from india many of the men killed today have been part of our embassy family for many years she said
in the second bombing in kabul attaullah faizani a member of kabuls provincial council was wounded along with two other people when an explosive device detonated about 40 yards from the council members home according to fraidoon obaidy a senior police official in kabul
in a separate bombing 10 people including some children were killed in the northeastern province of badakhshan when an explosive laden motorcycle detonated in a traffic roundabout local officials said the taliban officially denied that they were behind that bombing as they have with some other attacks in which most of the victims were civilians but later taliban commanders in the province told a reporter that the group was in fact responsible the bombing
the surge of violence on monday highlighted the challenges facing the government as a resurgent taliban has expanded its territory over the last year but as the threats have escalated the post of defense minister has been left vacant for months fueling a perception that the afghan government had yielded its authority over the war effort to american commanders
on monday the afghan parliament approved a nominee gen abdullah khan habibi as defense minister after numerous previous attempts to fill the post had failed since the government was first installed in september 2014 general habibi 64 had served in the armed forces or defense ministry under several previous afghan administrations - including under taliban rule military officials said


houston   lola lathon couldnt afford to buy the leafy greens or lean meat displayed so alluringly at the grocery store instead she ate cheap staples like white rice and potatoes and occasionally went hungry for days before her next paycheck because she needed gas money to get to work
it was not an ideal diet for a woman who is 5 feet 2 inches tall and 224 pounds with type 2 diabetes and there was no reason to think it would improve when she and her daughter turned to an emergency pantry at the houston food bank
we were just scraping by said ms lathon 56 who works full time as a technician for the harris county health department
not long ago the mission of food banks was to relieve hunger with whatever was at hand including salty canned goods or even potato chips
but what she found at the food bank was a surprise yellow tomatoes butter lettuce diced cactus an employee checked her blood sugar and found it was sky high
after that i changed everything ms lathon said
many who depend on food pantries are not underfed but are like ms lathon obese and diabetic experts have found in 2014 one third of the 155 million households served by feeding america the nations largest hunger relief organization reported that a household member had diabetes
inconsistent access to food worsens the disease and so can the offerings at the pantries many low income people must rely on now researchers have begun pursuing innovative new methods to address type 2 diabetes among people who rely on food banks
more than 1 out of every 10 spent on health care nationwide goes directly to treating diabetes and its consequences according to the american diabetes association blindness amputations and other complications are all too frequent
if there is one thing you need as a person with diabetes in order to control your blood sugar well its stable access to food said dr hilary k seligman an associate professor of medicine at the university of california san francisco
on a cold afternoon earlier this year ms lathon waited in line at the houston food bank for the bags of asparagus tilapia and bibb lettuce that have become her lifeline
she now eats salads loaded with vegetables twice a day instead of once a month she walks for 15 minutes a day and takes medication regularly to control her blood sugar shes losing weight
i am putting a lot into it she said
in 2014 174 million households were food insecure or lacking enough to feed the whole family according to the department of agriculture many of them rely on food banks at least part time to feed their families
food insecurity usually means access to food is sporadic waiting for a paycheck for example parents may coast on a meal a day so their children can eat two hunger isnt necessarily a constant in these households
a growing body of research links food insecurity to uncontrolled diabetes diet is partly to blame the inexpensive food favored by people stretching their dollars is often low in fiber and rich in carbohydrates which contribute to obesity and type 2 diabetes
even when food bank patrons are aware they have diabetes   and many do know   they are not in a position to turn down free fare
in addition some medications to control diabetes must be taken with food but how can someone do that without being certain where the next meal will come from
low income people are admitted to the hospital with low blood sugar more often than people with higher incomes near the end of the month when food budgets are commonly exhausted researchers in california have found
for the first time new treatment guidelines by the american diabetes association urge clinicians to ask patients about food insecurity and to propose solutions
among diabetics stress is constant and it can wear on you said margaret powers president of health care and education at the association if we want to save health care money we need to get more education to people who are food insecure
some food pantries are set up like grocery stores clients choose what theyll eat the offerings at the pantry attached to the cavernous houston food bank are typical gallons of milk and sweet tea almost expired breads canned goods frozen meats
but dr seligman and colleagues at the university of california san francisco and feeding america have begun a randomized trial here and at two other sites to help patrons gain control of both their diets and type 2 diabetes
researchers sitting at rickety tables outside the pantry asked patrons if they wanted their blood sugar checked and if it was high whether they wanted to enroll in a six month program to lower it a control group was told to wait six months to begin
for those who enrolled a staff member handpicked appropriate food from the banks shelves saying no to prepackaged junk yes to asparagus and peanut butter participants pick up bags of selected food twice a month they also receive referrals to a primary care physician classes about diabetes management and regular blood sugar checks
the initial results have been promising in a pilot study of nearly 700 food pantry visitors in texas california and ohio published in health affairs last november participants with the worst blood sugar readings managed modest improvements in a relatively short time
adela padron 64 a retired bus driver picked up free food once a month at the food bank of corpus christi in texas and sat down to troubleshoot with georgiana bradshaw a registered nurse there with her guidance ms padron learned to keep my sugar at a steady level and to take her medications faithfully she said her a1c readings   a measure of long term blood sugar control   dropped from 135 percent to 75 percent a reading below 57 percent is normal for someone without diabetes
but not everyone puts their newfound knowledge to use bruce cook a 61 year old veteran also took part in the program in corpus christi recently after he picked up power greens and carrots from the diabetes pantry he returned the next day grabbing a dozen chocolate chip and mm cookies at the regular pantry
i know what im supposed to eat and not supposed to eat he said but i still eat what i want
sadly food banks are ideal places to reach patients with uncontrolled diabetes what used to be temporary assistance has become a lasting fixture in many lives especially among older adults and the unemployed some have access to medical care but few doctors ask if patients can afford food
the choices you make depend on the choices you have and often in health care we forget to ask about the choices people have said dr robert l ferrer the vice chairman of research in the department of family and community medicine at the university of texas health science center in san antonio
after two thirds of dr ferrers patients told him they ran out of money for food every month he began a study with the san antonio food bank for patients with type 2 diabetes to see if handing out provisions and healthy recipes in his office parking lot might help
but for many with low incomes the challenges never end
three months into the houston program ms lathon had lost 20 pounds and her blood sugar was dropping but she needed emergency surgery to remove her appendix and then suffered severe burns on her arm when a pot of boiling water overturned at a crawfish festival
her blood sugar has risen significantly as is often the case when people with diabetes experience stress or illness and she has finished the experimental diabetes program at the houston food bank
she isnt sure whats next
i loved that nutritious program thats what kept me going she said


the worlds crops face a vast army of enemies from fungi to bacteria to parasitic animals farmers have deployed pesticides to protect their plants but diseases continue to ruin a sizable portion of our food supply
some scientists are now investigating another potential defense one already lurking beneath our feet the complex microbial world in the soil may protect plants much like our immune system protects our bodies
scientists have known about so called suppressive soils for decades in 1931 a canadian scientist named a w henry discovered the spores of the common root rot a fungus that strikes wheat crops in a range of soil samples but try as he might he could almost never get the spores to grow
dr henry eventually realized that he needed to sterilize the soil to permit the spores to develop the microbiome in healthy soils keeps pathogens at bay
but exactly how soil microbes defend plants was a puzzle dr henry couldnt solve
today scientists are cataloging a staggering number of diverse species that live underground and theyve discovered some of the ways in which these fungi bacteria and other organisms fight pathogens but theyre still a long way from learning how this environment operates because life in the soil is so complex
we dont have a firm grasp on what it is and what its doing said mark mazzola a plant pathologist at the department of agriculture
writing on thursday in the journal science dr mazzola and jos m raaijmakers of the netherlands institute of ecology noted intriguing parallels between soil immunity and our own immune system
researchers divide our immune responses into two types an all purpose defense against invaders and precise assaults on specific enemies soil microbes seem to rely on a similarly two pronged strategy
when soils are loaded with microbes they use so many nutrients that its hard for a lethal blight or other pathogen to gain a foothold some may manage to survive but they dont flourish   or wreak havoc on plants
when scientists heat up soil and kill its native microbes pathogens begin to grow feasting on the nutrients in the soil and eventually attacking plants
along with this general defense soil microbes can also target individual species of pathogens scientists have found that a strain of pseudomonas bacteria for instance can protect wheat from a fungal disease called take all root rot
the bacteria are drawn to the damaged roots of sick plants where they feed on the nutrients leaking out as they multiply the bacteria produce a compound that is toxic to the fungus that toxin scientists have found can bring a fungal outbreak to a halt
some of the precision weapons made by soil microbes already are appearing at your local garden store you can buy spores of a fungus called trichoderma for example that attack another fungus that causes pythium root rot
there are some success stories but they are very few said dr mazzola
one reason that most biological control measures fail he suspects is that microbes exist in a dense ecological web depending on many other species for their well being taking a disease fighting microbe out of one ecosystem and dropping it into another may leave it struggling to survive among strangers
another reason for the low rate of success is that soil immunity is generally not the work of a single species as time goes by we find there are more players said dr mazzola
making matters even more complex plants turn out not to be passive beneficiaries of soil immunity they seem to be orchestrating it
recent experiments have shown that when pathogens attack a plant it responds by releasing chemicals into the soil that attract a number of microbial species as those microbes gather around the plant they release compounds that can kill the pathogen
its a triangle thats much more complex than we originally envisioned said dr mazzola
rather than import a single microbe in the hopes that its a silver bullet dr mazzola said it may be possible for farmers to foster plant protecting microbes dwelling in their fields there are some viable approaches to manage what we have in the system already said dr mazzola
in their own research dr mazzola and his colleagues added seed meal   the mashed up husks of mustard and canola seeds   to apple orchard soil they found that the seed meal encouraged the growth of certain soil microbes and they in turn protected the apple trees from disease causing fungi and nematode worms
two years after adding the seed meal to the orchards the scientists found that the ecology of the microbes had changed new species of protective fungi and bacteria had taken over and the original ones had become rare but the soil still continued to defend the trees
another potential strategy would be to breed crops that do a better job of summoning the microbes they need
experiments have already revealed that various strains of wheat and apples attract different combinations of microbes to their roots dr mazzola thinks that it may be possible to breed plants that send out a call to bring the best defenders to their side
were breeding for yield or color but were not breeding for resistance said dr mazzola


baku azerbaijan   before the inaugural european grand prix here on sunday most of the formula one teams and drivers expected a race of attrition with accidents and a potentially frightening show of chaos and sudden reversals of fortune on the narrow fast circuit through the city streets
what they ended up with was a calm and controlled walk through the park by nico rosberg of mercedes who led from start to finish followed in second position by sebastian vettel of ferrari sergio perez of the force india team finished third for the second time in three races only four of the 22 cars failed to finish the race because of technical breakdowns
the race did indeed produce excitement but it came in the form of an unexpected controversy about the seasons new ban on radio communications between teams and their drivers two of the drivers most likely to finish on the podium failed to do so because they were bogged down for several laps as they struggled to figure out for themselves which buttons to press on their steering wheels to get the right settings
lewis hamilton of the mercedes team spent 12 laps at a complete loss on how to set his cars computer to function correctly for maximum power that very likely cost him a second place finish though he rose to finish fifth after starting in 10th position
the other victim of the new rules was kimi raikkonen also of ferrari who lost his third position to perez in the final lap of the race after struggling with an engine setting that his team was not allowed to coach him about
for rosberg the race was just one more feather in his cap the victory the 19th in his career and the fifth this season came after he scored pole position drove the fastest lap and also had to deal with the same type of technical problem that hamilton struggled with
everything went clean from the beginning to the end rosberg said in the car i had a special feeling out there and felt i could do everything i wanted
hamilton provided spectators with some excitement in an otherwise docile race after starting from 10th position because of a crash during qualifying he had risen to fifth when he began struggling with the cars technology whether his sudden problems provided better entertainment than a continued steady climb through the field would have is at the crux of the controversy
the radio messages between the british driver and his engineer peter bonnington constituted a form of entertainment in themselves
the problem appears to be with the current mode that you are in bonnington said to hamilton
i dont know what that means said hamilton this is ridiculous guys im looking at my friggin dash every five seconds trying to find a switch thats in a wrong position i havent changed anything or done anything thats wrong
bonnington agreed that he had done nothing wrong
i might not finish this race because im going to try to change everything hamilton said
we dont advise that bonnington said
the ban on communications means that the engineer can no longer tell the driver how to drive the car and that includes instructions on the correct engine settings
can i make suggestions and you say if its ok or not hamilton asked
no thats not allowed bonnington said lets just keep heads down and focus on the job
that was on lap 35 just after rosberg set the fastest lap and led vettel by 151 seconds by lap 42 hamilton suddenly had full power back and he set the fastest lap at that point in the race but by then he was 415 behind rosberg and 139 seconds behind perez in a force india with only nine laps remaining it was too late to fight for the podium so hamilton turned the engine down to preserve it for the next race
i had no idea hamilton said after the race it was like 16 different engine positions and within those there are like 20 positions and i had no idea what problem i had it was just low power
it was a shame i couldnt race he added if i had been able to resolve that maybe i would have been part of the show
still niki lauda and toto wolff two of the mercedes team directors said after the race that rosberg had also had the same problem and he found the solution immediately
it was just a matter of getting out of it with the right combination of switches said rosberg who studied engineering and is good with technology
with less than 10 laps remaining in the race and with perez just 22 seconds behind him raikkonen also had a series of entertaining communications with his engineer at ferrari while he was in third position perez passed him on the last lap
as wolff the mercedes team director pointed out the rules outlawing technical instructions from the team to the driver were created for entertainment value
the reason we have those regulations is we want more unpredictability said wolff so now we have that


london   with half the games already played at this long and at times ugly european championships one man has stood out like no other
spain has given joy to a dried up event just as it has in other tournaments over the past decade and the man at the heart of it all is andres iniesta known back home as saint andres
shortly after halftime on friday iniesta orchestrated a wave of beauty that washed over turkey in spains 3 0 victory in nice france iniesta was the conductor of a collective display that involved 21 passes with six going through him the turks could not track iniestas movement let alone intercept him
iniestas coup de grace was to thread the ball between the remnants of turkeys back line his teammate with fc barcelona jordi alba anticipated the pass and set up alvaro morata to strike the third goal and finish off turkey
turkeys manager fatih terim raged about his players throwing in the towel turks in the crowd jeered their own players but those fans at least had enough energy to join in a rippling wave that was started by spanish fans in another part of the stadium
the spanish fans applauded their counterparts for having the sportsmanship to share in the fun while their team was outclassed on the field given all that has soured this tournament it was as refreshing as water on a parched tongue
spains overall superiority was teamwork of the highest order and it was iniesta who inspired it the turks could kick him when they could catch him but they couldnt deter him on friday night
in a championship where the big names   cristiano ronaldo zlatan ibrahimovic eden hazard   have not been able to find their rhythm so far iniesta 32 is back to being his greedy best
greed oh yes this is a player who in his 12 years as a pro has won eight la liga titles four champions league crowns two euros and a world cup
he wants more and after its total flop at the 2014 world cup spain did something that few other nations do today it persuaded the coach vicente del bosque to remain and to rebuild
from 2008 to now we have lost some of the most important players in the history of spanish football del bosque said friday we are on the right path but we havent won anything yet
those important players include iker casillas who has been replaced in goal by david de gea they include the he man central defender carles puyol the midfield duo of xabi alonso and xavi hernandez and the strike force david villa and fernando torres
replacing that core might finish most other countries more than any other player xavi was the key for spain the passing master in midfield who was a metronome of passing consistency for a decade
iniesta was at his side but iniesta all 5 foot 7 of him was free to bewitch opponents with his footwork quickness subtlety and freedom to play a more advanced role than xavi
with xavi gone and playing at a lower level in qatar iniesta now is the orchestrator for spain but iniesta is iniesta he cant entirely erase from his personality the impulse to go off on spectacular dribbles or to split a defense with precision
del bosque says his team has won nothing yet indeed if winning is all that counts italy is the equal of spain at this euros italy also has two wins after two games showing an ability to absorb everything an opponent can throw at it and then strike when the other team is weary
it is legitimate tournament play by italy its stalemate busting goals in its two games so far   by emanuele giaccherini against belgium and eder against sweden   were movements of beauty for a team that pragmatically knows how to win and how to pace itself in a major tournament
spain gives so much more though because beauty is intrinsic to its play
del bosque 65 was talked into giving it one last shot with spain to restore what was broken in 2014 and the team is making strides in changing its play which germany the world champion has not been able to do so far
both national teams play or have played the false no9 tactic of having no real center forward choosing instead to hit opponents via stealth from its midfield runners
germany and spain both brought more orthodox strikers to the euros germany has largely kept big mario gomez seated on the bench while persisting in playing with the smaller and thus far not very successful mario gotze
spain by contrast has put two new attackers into its lineup nolito plays on the left a bustling relentless forager as david villa once was
alvaro morata just over 6 foot 2 is more of a throwback to the old fashioned target man striker both scored against turkey after which nolito told reporters thirty years from now ill be able to say i played with iniesta the best player in his position in the world
spain has moved on without sacrificing its mesmerizing strength possession it is stoked by the excellence of iniesta who succeeded in finding his target with 85 of the 93 passes he attempted against turkey
analysts at the stadium gave iniesta a 9 out of 10 for performance why what must a man do in a team game to score the perfect 10
villa who is finishing out his career with new york city fc had his say on twitter spain has a lot of football and a lot of goals they also have the best player in euro2016 by a long way andres iniesta


wellington new zealand   the results may not reflect it but wales coach warren gatland believes his team is improving as it embraces a more expansive style of play during its tour of new zealand
when the welsh arrived in early june for three tests against the new zealand national team known as the all blacks they talked openly about their desire to be more bold and adventurous as they tried to end a losing streak against new zealand that dates to 1953
their efforts in the first test in auckland and the second in wellington on saturday certainly reflected that as the welsh took bigger risks on attack and sought to put players in space rather than stick to the crash bang kick oriented methods that have typically been employed during gatlands tenure as coach
while those tactics have made wales successful in europe   it has won three six nations titles under gatland   the welsh have been far less successful against the three southern hemisphere heavyweights new zealand australia and south africa in 32 tests against the big three since gatland became coach in december 2007 wales has won just twice against australia in 2008 and against south africa in 2014
new zealand coach steve hansen has not been surprised by the change in approach from the welsh
i think theyve worked out to play us they cant just go for penalties scrum penalties and kick to the corner and go for the lineouts he said before the second test
yet despite adopting the high risk high reward approach wales is 0 2 in this series after a 39 21 defeat in auckland on june 11 and a 36 22 loss in wellington on saturday
waless second string team also suffered an embarrassing 40 7 loss to the chiefs super rugby team between the first two tests even though the chiefs were missing the all blacks players on their roster along with several injured players
gatland however was adamant that the lessons learned on this tour would benefit welsh rugby in the long run
would it have been good for their development he said of the loss to the chiefs last tuesday absolutely was it the best thing long term for welsh rugby yes it is does it hurt was it hard it was tough but sometimes youve got make those sacrifices and do those things short term pain for long term gain
what the tests and the chiefs game have proved is that wales still has a lot of work left if it wants to compete with the best although gatland said he believed the gap was closing
for the first 60 minutes in auckland the welsh had the all blacks rattled but they faded in the final quarter as new zealand stepped up the tempo and took control
in wellington wales started and finished strongly but it conceded four tries in a 14 minute spell in the third quarter tries by liam williams and jonathan davies in the final 10 minutes made the final result seem closer than it was
there were two or three key moments in the game and thats the difference between us and them gatland said they are clinical and ruthless on turnovers and thats what was costly for us and the difference tonight
we dont think were too far away at the very highest level its small margins and small moments and thats where they are a little bit better than us at the moment
gatland said that for wales to continue to improve he needed the support of the welsh pro12 teams   cardiff blues scarlets ospreys and newport gwent dragons   and their coaches gatland has said that the pro12 is not a good enough competition to prepare players to take on the best in international rugby
he said that players needed to be playing and training at a higher intensity than they had been and that they needed to improve their ball handling and decision making when going all out on attack if the team was to compete with new zealand australia and south africa
the plan is for us all to work together and for us to provide them with the information and perhaps a strategy so that there isnt that big jump up when they come from regional rugby to us gatland said thats about us as coaches working together and the welsh rugby union and the regions working as closely as we possibly can
while wales is still looking for its first win in new zealand its six nations rival england made history with its first series win in australia as its renaissance under coach eddie jones continued
englands 23 7 victory in melbourne gave it a 2 0 lead in the series with the final test to be played saturday in sydney
the victory was built on a dominant defensive effort by the english who kept australia scoreless in the second half england made 215 tackles in the game to australias 81 while the captain dylan hartley and center owen farrell each scored a try
with the victory england jumped past australia to no 2 in the world rankings
the first impression is that we want to win 3 0 mate jones said on television after the game well only be satisfied if we win 3 0 the players are already talking about it now
jones also said england would not be happy just being no 2 in the world we want to be no 1 mate and i think weve got the talent to do it he said but were going to have to keep working very hard and keep developing our game
in other international tests south africa recovered from a 16 point deficit with 18 minutes to go in johannesburg to stun ireland 32 26 and level the series after irelands victory a week earlier and in japan scotlands captain greig laidlaw kicked 16 points as his team defeated the brave blossoms 26 13 in the first of their two test series


ask the times a times insider feature draws on new york times expertise to answer questions about current events science sports culture and whatever else is making headlines
a reader asks scientists seem to be calling members of a 3 foot tall species whose fossils were recently found in indonesia hobbits conversationally when did this term come into existence before or after tolkien and how might the real hobbits have been similar to or different from the ones tolkien created
carl zimmer who writes the matter column for the timess science section considers the question
the term came into scientific parlance very much after tolkien
in 2003 the archaeologist michael morwood and his colleagues discovered a skull and other bones of an ancient human relative   otherwise known as a hominin   in a cave on the indonesian island of flores the flores hominins were very small standing about 3 feet tall and had very small brains and yet dr morwood and his colleagues also found stone tools alongside the fossils suggesting that they still had substantial mental firepower
making the discovery even more exciting was their estimate of the age of the fossils   as recent as 18000 years ago in 2010 dr morwood and his colleagues re examined the sediment layers in the cave and redated the fossils to somewhere between 60000 and 100000 years ago that makes the fossils older but not that much older relatively speaking our own species had already emerged about 200000 years ago
the scientists decided the flores fossils were so different from anything else ever found that the hominin deserved a new name they dubbed it homo floresiensis
by 2004 dr morwood and his colleagues were ready to publish a scientific paper with all the details of their research they also wanted to publicize the results but they knew very well that homo floresiensis is a mouthful dr morwood proposed to his colleagues that they nickname the hominins of flores hobbits in honor of jrr tolkiens 1937 novel about the little people of middle earth
peter brown one of dr morwoods collaborators told morwood it was a terrible idea i thought it would result in every loon on the planet telephoning me as soon as it was published he said in a 2014 article in nature as he had feared he later received endless bizarre telephone calls from people who had seen some small hairy person in their backyard
the hobbits of flores and the hobbits of middle earth had only a few things in common tolkien wrote that his hobbits were related to men while homo floresiensis probably shared a common ancestor with us that lived about 18 million years ago and they were both short beyond that the two hobbits part ways
tolkien portrayed frodo and his comrades as diminutive people who lived in a kind of preindustrial paradise like the village where tolkien himself grew up in the late 1800s a well ordered and well farmed countryside was their favorite haunt he wrote in the fellowship of the ring
our own species invented farming about 12000 years ago the hobbits of flores show no signs of agriculture the fossil record indicates that their ancestors arrived with stone tools on flores about a million years ago by 700000 years ago a recent study found their ancestors had shrunk to hobbit size judging from charcoal and cracked bones researchers have found it looks as if homo floresiensis used stone tools to hunt dwarf elephants and then cooked their meat over fires in caves
the hobbits of flores probably werent capable of language and probably couldnt draw pictures for almost a million years they lived an unchanging life making no improvements on the stone tools on which their lives depended that evolutionary strategy allowed them to thrive on flores   at least until we showed up the youngest bones of homo floresiensis date back to about the time when our own species arrived in southeast asia and australia its possible that we drove them extinct perhaps by outbattling them for food and shelter
hobbits are an unobtrusive but very ancient people more numerous formerly than they are today tolkien wrote it is fun to imagine a few homo floresiensis still surviving today in the remote jungles of an indonesian island sadly thats probably just as fantastic as anything in tolkiens novels
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1 the sun reached its highest point in the sky in the northern hemisphere introducing the first day of summer air conditioners were already running on high out west where a heat wave scorched arizona utah nevada and california with triple digit temperatures at least four people died from causes related to the heat severe thunderstorms are forecast for the midwest and east through the week

2 the national struggle over gun control continued to play out the senate voted down four measures aimed at curbing gun sales the supreme court maintained its practice of tacitly approving state and local limits turning away a challenge to a connecticut law banning many semiautomatic rifles after a final hearing a connecticut judge has until october to decide whether remington the maker of the assault rifle used in the mass shooting at sandy hook elementary school can be sued for liability

3 john thune a south dakota republican who heads a senate panel with jurisdiction over sports sent a seven page letter to the world anti doping agency he demanded to know why it had taken years for the agency which is partly funded by us taxpayers to check out claims that russia was running a broad doping program

4 donald trump abruptly fired his embattled campaign manager corey lewandowski who had tempestuous relations with republican officials the national press corps and mr trumps chief strategist paul manafort ding dong the witch is dead a trump aide tweeted a new national poll showed hillary clinton leading mr trump thanks to support from women and minority voters

5 some 20000 people erupted in revelry at clevelands airport as the cavaliers returned home from california with their first nba title lebron james the hometown hero and finals mvp paraded the trophy as confetti blew across the tarmac cleveland he roared above the scene in the minutes after the cavaliers victory over the golden state warriors on monday night

6 good news scientists agree that theres one simple treatment that can ease a vast number of ailments including arthritis back pain hypertension diabetes and depression youve already heard of it exercise but you may not know how little it takes to make a difference just 30 minutes five days a week of brisk walking slow bike riding   even vacuuming or mowing the lawn

7 venezuelas economic collapse   the bitter result of years of mismanagement capped by low oil prices   is causing more desperation food riots protests and mass looting have been erupting across the country with the government trying to channel anger toward wealthy ofttimes foreign business owners

8 looking for something to watch our reviewer says espns o j made in america streamable through the espn app and fxs the people vs o j simpson rentable on itunes and amazon are two of the most astonishing television series of the year he says the two offer history in both intense close up and revelatory long view and wind up standing together not as competitors but as collaborators we have more small screen recommendations here

9 finally we all know technology keeps reinventing human expression one treasured technology is falling by the wayside the huge instant film and camera used by artists like chuck close mary ellen mark and william wegman an example of whose work is above at the same time apple is automating emojis which could make digital chatter a lot more visual   if not necessarily more creative

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situated several stories above bleecker street the fashion designer autumn hrubys studio is a series of vignettes tchotchkes sit carefully grouped lush plant leaves tumble out of a self watering contraption and her dogs bob and charlie lay across the floor hruby and her editorial assistants are huddled together in front of a large computer monitor finalizing the inaugural volumes of hesperios journal hrubys art and literary publication which launches this week a cream colored sweater pictured on the screen also hangs on a nearby clothing rack   alongside other pale pink ecru burgundy and navy knits   which are made under the same name hesperios greek for the evening star
im definitely the type of person who needs to do a lot at once i like to keep stimulated but im also determined to finish what i start hruby says born in chicago and raised in northern california she fully devoted herself to photography after high school graduation which took her to amsterdam france and italy she relocated to tokyo in the early aughts to help a friend launch a clothing line then returned to the states in 2004 and formed a design agency between la and montreal in 2008 i got burned out she says i became tired of trying to meet the needs of clients and i wasnt passionate about it anymore she returned to photography picked up more freelance assignments and headed to new york   and toyed with the idea of launching her own clothing line
she wanted to begin with a garment she loves sweaters last summer i was in marthas vineyard at an estate sale   they were selling everything from records to chairs   and a charming old man approached me hruby recounts he had a coral cashmere sweater wrapped around his neck and for some reason he shared with me that his wife had just passed and hed given everything away except for her cashmere sweaters he had saved those for the women shed played bridge with that was a real confirmation for me i wanted to start the collection on the basis of making something that would last a long time hrubys first hesperios knit offering for springsummer 2016 was inspired by the beaches of marthas vineyard as well as the island of gotland sweden where she has spent time the collection includes traditional silhouettes including boxy and fitted pullovers and tank tops to button down work shirts and dresses her fallwinter 2016 knits consist of crop tops long and short pleated skirts striped and solid turtlenecks and unisex pullovers
the idea for hesperios journal though predated all of this hruby originally considered making an art book a decade ago and began to gather content in 2012 i really love what rei kawakubo created with six magazine   its sort of journalistic   very inspiring she says citing cahiers dart laphams quarterly acne paper and visionaire as other sources of inspiration she emphasizes that she wanted to make something non disposable that people would hold on to like her knits she found a partner in the swedish graphic designer henrik nygren and now the two volumes are available for preorder packaged together and small enough to carry around volume 1 called eudaimonia is bound by the theme of personal happiness volume 2 centers on memory each comprises of short stories interviews collages illustrations photographs of the hesperios knit collections and otherwise and reading lists from a slew of contributors hruby among them she plans to print 10000 copies total
shell soon introduce an online concept shop to sell pieces made by some of the journals participants like vessels from the dutch ceramicist babs haenen and a limited edition sweater with the mixed media artist jim drain she is learning about silks for her springsummer 2017 collection and hopes to add more stores hesperios already counts totokaelo as a stockist to her roster although hrubys to do list is endless she can check off one item launch a lifestyle brand well that wasnt intentional she says laughing i guess that i did create a world ... i see myself as a documenter a designer an editor ... but i like to make things and share them with people


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good morning this is it the longest day of the year and for those of us who thrill to sunlight the greatest a chance to linger in the sunset until well after 8 pm thats until well after 11 pm in homer alaska if youre out there and thinking of grilling salmon outside after the newscast on ktva why even if its hot we may make pierogies off francis lams ace new recipe which accompanied his terrific column yesterday in the times magazine
we love a project in the summer after all and a rosie schaap gin and juice will keep our temperature regulated pierogies are delicious
no you could try melissa clarks new recipe for hot honey shrimp which makes for what she calls one of the fastest easiest and most flavor packed dinners you can make that hot honey of hers packed with chile garlic lime zest ginger and a little butter for richness would be delicious on a peanut butter sandwich by the way or drizzled across tomorrow mornings bowl of yogurt pair it with rice and an herb salad or a big hunk of bread
or just get some takeout and spend the time saved not cooking dinner to build david taniss summery adaptation of a sicilian cassata for dessert an airy spongecake layered with sweetened ricotta and crowned with juicy fresh strawberries
cooking is filled with terrific recipes for the top of this week you could grill a flank steak and serve it with kimchi style coleslaw you could knock down some deviled chicken thighs and serve them with leeks vinaigrette
you might saute salmon with brown butter cucumbers this yotam ottolenghi recipe i scored for a tomato salad with pomegranate seeds has become a seasonal favorite or how about a fast plate of pasta with peas prosciutto and lettuce yes lettuce
just browse and search and see where inspiration strikes save the recipes you like to your recipe box check out mine - ive got more than 300 ideas squirreled away then do as the power users do cook them rate them and offer advice and ideas for ingredient substitutions in the notes field that lives below the recipe instructions together cooking grows as a resource and a community alike our message were all in this together under the falling sun and if you get jammed up were standing by at cookingcarenytimescom
now have you checked out the redesigned website for lucky peach yet did you read nate betheas essay in the times about his experience using assault rifles in the infantry and how he doesnt see a place for them among civilians have you ever heard trouble funk jam at the 930 club it all makes me want to cook to provide for others to make things nice hope thats true for you too have a great week


the tracksuit with its matching zip jacket and jogger pants is a sartorial symbol of leisure   and sometimes laziness its a look straight out of 80s hip hop videos the royal tenenbaums or goodfellas but on the runways at london collections men and pitti uomo the look took on a distinctly luxury feel christopher shannon offered a version entirely of denim and color blocked with different washes while topman design showed one with a pair of loafers and the designer gosha rubchinskiy the invited guest designer at this seasons pitti looked to his 90s eastern bloc roots and dressed his models in a number of tracksuits including some that were collaborations with the original italian purveyors of the style fila kappa and sergio tacchini


welcome to watching the new york timess what to watch guide we comb through releases big and small famous and esoteric to email readers twice a week with our timely recommendations our most recent suggestions also appear below to receive our guide straight to your inbox sign up here
i love a cop show i love a doctor show but the quickest way to entice me is for a show to have a unique setting or premise thats partially why unreal set within a reality show and mr robot set among hacker activists excite me so much or shows like six feet under and party down stay with me   they created and define my image of a funeral home and of a catering company er ... respectively
this week im spotlighting three shows that are in significant ways not like every other show greenleaf does something we relatively rarely on tv it depicts religiosity the shows creator craig wright has a background in theology the stars and creators of blackstone are indigenous people   rarer still and the chilly drama thirteen is oriented around grief rather than horror hooray for anyone forging new paths
thats also why i find myself wishing for stranger shows and imaging oddball settings i want a prime time soap set in the world of figure skating or an anthology like in treatment but where everyone has the same piano teacher instead of the same therapist or a parks and recreation but serious a girl can dream
lots to watch this week and i hope youll share your secret dream setting for a tv show with me and team watching watchingnytimescom
greenleaf tuesday 10 pm with two more episodes wednesday from 9 pm to 11 pm own
watch if you like everybody has a secret ensemble shows stories about modern american christianity and unusual workplace settings
greenleaf is set within a black megachurch in memphis and focuses on the greenleaf family who runs the church and the prodigal daughter who has just returned to the fold after the mysterious death of her sister theres some contrived dialogue and not all of the performances are at the same level but the show is worth sticking with particularly if you like twisty family stories that involve decades of resentment
the standout of the series is keith david who plays the family patriarch and bishop of the church the scenes in which he preaches work better than most actual religious services i have attended the members of his family and congregation say goodbye to one another by saying god is good and responding all the time i wish greenleaf was good all the time and its not quite but its good some of the time and features neither cops nor vampires so im in for now
thirteen thursday 10 pm bbc america
watch if you like spooky foreign mini series and care more about the journey than the destination
ivy moxam jodie comer of my mad fat diary was kidnapped as a teenager 13 years ago now shes back but what happened to her while she was gone this five episode mini series is less focused on being a whodunit and more concerned with ivys emotional state and the unbearable weight her loved ones have carried around its reminiscent of the french series les revenants which has a supernatural element unlike thirteen and is much more on the uncanny side of scary than the horror side
blackstone hulu
watch if you like bleak unglamorous and distinctive ensemble shows
blackstone is one of the flagship shows of canadas aboriginal peoples television network where it made its debut in 2011 its set on a fictional blackstone first nation reserve within an indigenous community challenged by corruption and desperation
the depths of that corruption start coming to light when leona carmen moore wins the election to become the new chief though her victory celebration is overshadowed by a teenagers rape and suicide in its earliest episodes the series dialogue is heavy handed and the camera distractingly jumpy but stick with it the story is powerful enough to outweigh early shortcomings and around episode 5 the show blossoms into itself and its well worth the wait the first three seasons with 23 total episodes are currently on hulu seasons 4 and 5 have already aired in canada
 monday the fosters season 4 premiere 8 pm freeform last season was not my favorite but this show is so good that even its crummy episodes are better than other shows good ones
 tuesday the greeks series premiere 9 pm pbs this is a three part documentary series about ancient greece beginning with how cave people eventually formed societies thorough
 wednesday big brother season 18 premiere 8 pm cbs i hate big brother but in my experience many otherwise right thinking people secretly love it i know youre out there watchers no judgment
 thursday queen of the south series premiere 10 pm usa based on arturo perez revertes book la reina del sur already adapted as a popular mexican show queen follows a mexican drug queenpin who winds up fleeing to the united states some of it feels like other tenser dramas but the pilot has promise
 friday comedy bang bang 1130 pm ifc nathan fielder of nathan for you is the guest so itll be a real bonanza of comedy oddness
game of thrones this seasons penultimate episode   like those of many previous seasons   was action packed the battle of the bastards between the forces of jon snow and ramsay bolton was a spectacle as jeremy egner writes whether you actually slept well sunday night probably depends on your tolerance for blood guts dead giants and other hallmarks of grim medieval battle as presented in the tense grimy and at times oddly beautiful clash
more game of thrones at hitfix alan sepinwall wonders why he was so unmoved by it all no show in tv history has ever done spectacle on this level as consistently well as game of thrones has he writes but the show at its best finds a way for the characterization to be as powerful as the visuals and battle of the bastards ultimately didnt manage to surround all those stunning battle images with enough emotional meat to make it all worth it or try this joanna robinson piece at vanity fair about sansas decisions in the episode
outlander game of thrones wasnt the only show to allow its characters a measure of vengeance mary and claire get revenge angelica jade bastien writes of saturdays episode of outlander but the show doesnt fully wrestle with what this means for either of them going forward
veep eight episodes of catherine standing in the corner with a video camera finally pays off as noel murray writes kissing your sister is an offbeat episode that both summarizes and comments on everything thats happened so far in season 5 its a conceptual tour de force   and more important its very very funny
silicon valley this seems like an odd question to ponder nearly three full seasons into silicon valley scott tobias writes but its worth asking what exactly is pied piper anyway


times insider delivers behind the scenes insights into how news features and opinion come together at the new york times in this piece elizabeth harris a metro reporter on the education beat explains why she spent several months sitting in tiny plastic chairs
when i started covering education in new york city at the beginning of the 2014 15 school year one of the first things that struck me was how schools cobbled together a little extra here and there for their students who were homeless   and how often that came up
at a high school in the bronx supplies were set aside for homeless kids in one section of a walk in closet at an elementary school in brooklyn bags packed with food were laid out on a friday afternoon for students who were not likely to get enough to eat over the weekend and at a school in manhattan a principal told me how accommodating children from nearby shelters caused her student roster to pinball up and down and her teachers just had to adjust
there have never been more homeless people in new york city and in recent months this crisis has been getting attention when many people think about homelessness however they dont generally picture kids more likely they think of a grown man huddled on the street alone but there are tens of thousands of homeless children in the city   nearly 83000 in the public school system last year and where do those kids spend their days at school
homeless students tend to be concentrated in particular schools creating challenges that traditional schools arent set up to cope with many of these children are dealing with a level of stress that would strain even the strongest adult and they bring that with them to class
my editor amy virshup and i decided to focus on one school with a very high population of these students to see what the challenges looked like day to day we picked a school on manhattans lower east side ps 188 where nearly half the kids are homeless living either in shelters or in some other temporary situation
the times ran an incredible series a few years ago called invisible child about a girl in brooklyn named dasani who was homeless so instead of focusing on the stories of homeless children at ps 188 we concentrated on how the teachers administrators and other staff members managed this challenging situation
late last year i started visiting i tried to go fairly regularly including twice while i was on maternity leave until the school year was drawing to a close i spent a lot of time sitting in tiny plastic chairs i had lunch with a pair of teachers at a short classroom table i sat on a bench with a staff member while she ate dumplings in the sun i met people for breakfast or coffee i asked them how they landed at that school and how they approached their jobs and i spent time following around the principal suany ramos
some principals get nervous around the press and you can feel a strong element of performance in what youre seeing in the school as a reporter but ms ramos was very open she made it clear from our first meeting that i was welcome to come any time if she got sick of my frequent visits she never let on
once in the building i often headed to early elementary grade classrooms and to one first grade class in particular homeless students in new york city are disproportionately young but small children are also most dependent on their families you can appeal to eighth graders to get themselves to school on time but first graders need mom or dad to drop them off
during class time i would often ask the kids what they were working on or crouch down and chat with them a bit but mostly i tried to fade into the background
a photographer once told me that little kids are the best to photograph they mug for you for a few minutes but they lose interest pretty quickly   and then theyre oblivious to the boring grown ups its similar when youre sitting quietly in their classroom
since the article ran ive gotten lots of email saying how difficult it must have been to report a story on such a heart wrenching topic
it was and it wasnt
there were always reminders about what these kids were facing there was a boy with tousled curls who wrote to santa claus during class in december asking for money to buy a home another boy who was far behind his first grade classmates almost never came to school when i did see him in class he looked exhausted
and yet overall the school was a nice place to be the teachers generally wanted to be there the principal was very committed and the students especially in the early elementary grades were usually playful little kids like any others they were curious and honest and happy to be in class with their friends
i often found myself looking forward to going to ps 188 to folding myself into those tiny plastic chairs after the story ran i was a little sad that i no longer had a reason to return


theres an aura of power around invasive species how is it that they can sweep in and take over from the locals are they more adaptable tougher what are their secrets
the great tailed grackle is a case in point north america has its own similar species   the common and boat tailed grackle but the great tailed bird quiscalus mexicanus native to central america is one of the most invasive species in the united states
the black birds with iridescent feathers were prized by the aztec emperor auitzotl who by some accounts relocated some of them from veracruz to near mexico city about 500 years ago
over the past century or so the bird has spread north and its range is still expanding particularly in the west where it haunts cattle feed lots and big dairy farms the birds are also quite happy in urban areas like santa barbara calif where corina j logan captured and later released some grackle for recent experiments
great tailed grackles first caught the attention of dr logan now at cambridge university in 2004 when she was doing undergraduate research in costa rica
theyll actually walk right up and look you in the eye she said they look like theyre so smart
years later having earned her phd at cambridge she decided to look more closely at them because she was interested in behavioral flexibility grackles for example might look under rocks at the beach for something to eat or switch to discarded sandwich wrappers in a city park
there is another kind of behavioral change   innovation thats solving new problems either by adapting an existing kind of behavior or coming up with a new one for instance some crows and other birds have dropped stones in water to make the level rise so they can get a floating treat dr logan said that scientists have thought about flexibility and innovation as two sides of the same coin and both are very characteristic of invasive species but recently some researchers have wondered if they may be separate abilities
dr logan then working at the sage center for the study of the mind at uc santa barbara wanted to see if the grackles were as innovative as they were flexible they seemed like good candidates for the experiments because although they are very adaptable they have relatively small brains compared with birds like crows which are part of the very smart and inventive corvid family
so she challenged the birds she had trapped with some problems that required new behaviors to solve using unfamiliar kinds of actions
in one situation she presented them with a stick that could be used to get food the grackles dont use tools in the wild and they couldnt figure out how to use one in an experiment even after an experimenter showed them how
in a second experiment she offered them the chance to get a treat by pulling a string either horizontally or vertically none of the birds got the treat
the great tailed grackles did not show a capacity for innovation despite their flexibility so dr logan concluded in a report in royal society open science innovation may not be so important for colonizing new environments the grackles are doing pretty well without it perhaps she said scientists might reconsider how they think about what makes for a successful invasive species
the birds in the test all let go after the experiment are listed by name in the scientific report tequila margarita cerveza and michelada in one group and refresh horchata batido and jugo in another
i was chatting with a restaurant owner where i was trapping the birds dr logan said he told her the grackles were bold in snatching items from tables that patrons had just vacated he said they even drink the tequila dr logan added
since it was a mexican restaurant and dr logan had already decided the birds ought to have spanish names she decided to name the birds after menu items   alcoholic drinks for the first group nonalcoholic drinks for the second she hopes to return to santa barbara for more research on grackles and already has plans for naming the next group
appetizers she said


more people are on the run than ever before in recorded history the united nations said in a report released monday
they include those fleeing marauders in south sudan drug gangs in central america and the islamic state in the iraqi cities of mosul and falluja while most are displaced within their own countries an unprecedented number are seeking political asylum in the worlds rich countries nearly 100000 are children who have attempted the journey alone
all told the number of people displaced by conflict is estimated to exceed 65 million more than the population of britain
the new figures part of the united nations refugee agencys global trends report come as hostility is surging toward migrants and refugees in the western countries where they are seeking sanctuary and relief
the european union has shown signs of fracturing over how to handle the influx of people crossing the mediterranean sea
the united nations high commissioner for refugees filippo grandi expressed alarm on sunday about what he described as a climate of xenophobia that is very worrying in todays europe
on saturday the united nations secretary general ban ki moon denounced what he called border closures barriers and bigotry during a visit to lesbos the greek island where thousands of asylum seekers have arrived mainly from syria iraq and afghanistan mr ban implored european leaders to stop treating refugees as criminals
detention is not the answer it should end immediately he said let us work together to resettle more people provide legal pathways and better integrate refugees
the issue of how to handle the worldwide movement of people whether they are fleeing war persecution poverty or environmental devastation will be a major theme in september at the annual meeting of world leaders at the united nations general assembly
in the united states which historically has resettled more refugees than any other country the obama administrations promise to absorb 10000 syrians by october is off to a slow start the administration also is facing criticism from rights advocates over a new round of deportations of central americans including women and children
several american states have tried to block the resettlement of syrians the latest effort in texas was thrown out by a federal judge last week
the annual report by the united nations refugee agency found that in 2015 653 million people remained forcibly displaced from their homes by war and persecution some had been displaced for decades because of protracted conflicts in countries like afghanistan and colombia
the bulk of these people   nearly 41 million   were still living within their own countries never before had the united nations documented so many internally displaced persons as they are officially defined the largest numbers were inside syria and iraq but insurgencies in nigeria and somalia also scattered millions inside those countries
that figure excluded people displaced by earthquakes floods and other natural disasters which in 2015 uprooted at least 19 million according to the internal displacement monitoring center a leading source of information on internally displaced people worldwide
despite all the attention on europes struggle to absorb refugees the report found that 86 percent of them were living in low  and middle income countries close to the countries in conflict like ethiopia jordan and turkey
half of all refugee children are out of school the report said often because schools in their host countries are stretched beyond capacity
in some ways the latest refugee numbers amount to a report card on the failure of the worlds most powerful leaders to end wars from syria to afghanistan to the democratic republic of congo conflicts last longer hospitals are bombed in brazen violation of humanitarian law and aid workers complain bitterly that they are overwhelmed
the report also highlighted the global dysfunction in accommodating refugees barely 200000 people were able to go home last year or find a permanent home in a foreign country
jan egeland the head of the norwegian refugee council who serves as the humanitarian adviser to the diplomatic effort to end the syrian conflict said the growing ranks of the displaced demonstrated the renouncement of responsibility by countries that have the power to end wars


donald j trump said in an interview published on sunday that he would be in favor of britain leaving the european union
mr trump made the remarks in an interview with the sunday times of london ahead of a referendum on the issue on thursday and before his planned visit to britain
i would personally be more inclined to leave for a lot of reasons like having a lot less bureaucracy mr trump said but i am not a british citizen this is just my opinion
mr trump has previously suggested that britain should leave although he has offered only circumscribed thoughts about the issue which is expected to affect global markets
mr trump is expected to arrive in scotland on friday a day after the vote for a ribbon cutting at one of his newest golf clubs it will be his first international trip since he became the presumptive republican nominee
prime minister david cameron of britain who is urging britons to vote to stay in the european union has been deeply critical of mr trump describing him as divisive the newly elected mayor of london sadiq khan the citys first muslim mayor has also criticized mr trump for his proposed ban on muslim immigrants entering the united states
in the times of london interview mr trump declined to say anything about mr khan other than wishing him luck and he struck a magnanimous note about mr cameron
i respect david cameron mr trump said he doesnt know me but i respect him i respect what he has done and what he is doing and i would imagine we will have a very good relationship if i am successful
mr trump said he favored maintaining the special relationship between britain and the united states that has existed for decades but in a tweak at tony blair the former british prime minister mr trump added sometimes the special relationship hasnt worked out too well where they made a common mistake like iraq frankly they would have been a lot better off had they not become involved with iraq
a spokeswoman for mr trump did not respond on sunday evening to an email seeking comment


donald j trump is bringing aboard a senior campaign aide to oversee the surrogates who defend him in an effort to provide order and breadth to the ecosystem of supporters according to two people briefed on the plan
the aide kevin kellems was hired late last week according to the two people who spoke on the condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak publicly
mr kellems who is based in indiana advised newt gingrich for a time during his 2012 presidential campaign he also was the communications director for former vice president dick cheney and worked for paul d wolfowitz the former deputy secretary of defense who was a major proponent of the invasion of iraq in 2003 mr trump has made criticism of the iraq war and of president george w bushs administration central to his candidacy
mr kellems was an adviser to senator dan coats republican of indiana and worked with former senator fred d thompson
the trump campaigns surrogate operation has relied heavily on a small cadre of supporters and cable news pundits aides had been looking to expand mr trumps slim communications team with people seasoned in political communications
hope hicks a spokeswoman for mr trump did not return an email seeking comment


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mojave calif   the worlds largest airplane by wingspan sits in a cradle of scaffolding as workers fit the remaining parts that will turn it into a flying launchpad for firing rockets into space
everything about this project called stratolaunch screams bigness the slogan think big is plastered on workers t shirts and on posters around the hangar in the desert outside los angeles where the plane is being assembled the effort is being financed by the jumbo fortune of paul g allen the billionaire space enthusiast and a microsoft founder
the planes nickname is roc after the gigantic mythical bird that carried an elephant in its talons though stratolaunch executives are not crazy about it it sounds like something not known for staying aloft
a rare tour of the plane and hangar last week by executives working for mr allen showed that the project was still underway and on track to begin commercial operations before the end of the decade but there are lingering questions about how stratolaunchs business will work once its flying behemoth is ready for takeoff
its an incredibly ambitious undertaking said charles beames president of vulcan aerospace the entity mr allen created to oversee stratolaunch and other space initiatives a really big plane means carrying anything from a really big rocket to a smaller rocket that allows us to serve a broader set of customers
mr allen unveiled stratolaunch in 2011 with the goal of revolutionizing access to space mostly for commercial satellite operators hungry for more efficient methods of getting into orbit mr allen lured the renowned aerospace engineer burt rutan out of retirement to help with the project a decade earlier mr allen financed mr rutans efforts to build spaceshipone a rocket powered plane that in 2004 won the 10 million ansari x prize as the first private crewed spacecraft to reach space
stratolaunch bought two used boeing 747s from united airlines removed most of their critical parts and is now reassembling them into one carrier plane with a new shell made of lightweight graphite composites it is hoped that the plane will take off with a rocket slung underneath which it would then drop from an altitude of more than 30000 feet sending it on its way to space
other private space ventures including blue origin funded by jeff bezos amazons chief executive and spacex founded by the tech entrepreneur elon musk are trying to reduce the costs of getting into space by operating reusable rockets that launch from and land back on earth on sunday blue origin conducted another successful test of its new shepard rocket launching and landing the same rocket for the fourth time
stratolaunch executives said an airborne launcher would have other advantages like the ability to simply fly to patches of clear sky to avoid foul weather that could scrub a mission they also say their plane can easily move to areas that are better suited for launching satellites into certain orbits although the plane needs a landing strip that can handle its great size
the wingspan of stratolaunchs airplane stretches 385 feet a football field could fit on top of the planes wings and there would still be extra room for a few rows of bleachers the spruce goose the flying boat designed by howard hughes that flew only once has a wingspan of about 320 feet
there has been tumult around aspects of stratolaunch
its partnerships ended with spacex and orbital atk stratolaunch had worked with them both to develop rockets for blasting satellites into space from the plane and questions have been raised about whether there would be enough business   given the trend toward smaller satellites   for such a large plane
in an interview mr beames said that stratolaunch which will be able to carry payloads of over 500000 pounds was the right size its definitely not overbuilt he said what the size gives us is flexibility in payload
bill ostrove a space systems analyst at forecast international an aerospace and defense research firm says the real demand for stratolaunchs services will be determined by its ability to serve the small satellite launch market which is extremely competitive
if stratolaunch can figure out its strategy and develop a working rocket it should be able to capture some business as long as the small satellite market continues to grow and demand for launch vehicles continues he said
during the tour last week workers with scaled composites the company founded by mr rutan that is building the plane were positioning panels on the twin fuselages of the plane and grinding surfaces down to a smooth finish over 300 people are working on the craft
the assembly of the plane inside a cavernous hangar built especially for it is more than three quarters finished the size of the plane is difficult to comprehend the top of its tail wing is nearly four stories from the ground
tucked away in corners of the hangar are the landing gear components from the two 747s the new plane will use six of the eight pratt  whitney engines stratolaunch acquired when it bought the 747s the planes cockpit is being outfitted with electronics crew seats and windows from the 747s
mr beames said stratolaunch would announce new partnerships in the coming months that will fill out details about the project he declined to say when stratolaunch would begin test flights but he vowed to meet a goal of mr allens to be up and running by 2020
come hell or high water you can be sure well do that mr beames said


porsche defended its 24 hours of le mans title in startling fashion on sunday after toyota relinquished the lead minutes from the end of the endurance race in le mans france
with kazuki nakajima behind the wheel of the no 5 ts050 hybrid toyota was poised to clinch its first le mans victory only to lose power and halt on the pit straight with five minutes left that allowed neel jani to overtake nakajima in his no 2 porsche
nakajima crossed the line second but his final lap of nearly 12 minutes was too slow to be classified so toyotas no 6 car driven by stephane sarrazin took second place audi moved up to third maintaining its streak of podium finishes each year since its 1999 debut roland dumas and marc lieb were the other winning drivers for porsche
no rust for hornish just six days after accepting an offer to race for the first time in 2016 sam hornish jr led 183 of 250 laps for a dominant win at the nascar xfinity race at iowa speedway in newton iowa
the baltimore orioles amassed a season high 19 hits in an 11 6 win over the toronto blue jays who wasted homers by troy tulowitzki and devon travis
matt wieters had four hits and chris davis added three to help the orioles win the deciding matchup of the three game series between american league east foes
the start of a four game suspension ended manny machados run of 229 consecutive starts which was the longest active streak in the majors
college world series zach remillard doubled and tripled in runs as coastal carolina upset no 1 national seed florida 2 1 in the college world series in omaha texas christian beat texas tech 5 3 after luken baker hit a go ahead three run homer in the top of the ninth
around the majors david price pitched eight sharp innings and mookie betts hit a go ahead homer as the host boston red sox beat the seattle mariners 2 1 marcell ozuna hit a three run drive in the sixth inning to lift the host miami marlins over the colorado rockies 3 0 the marlins climbed five games above 500 for the first time since may 8 2014 jose ramirezs two out single with the bases loaded in the 10th inning scored rajai davis as the host cleveland indians beat the chicago white sox 3 2 pinch hitter yasmani grandal walked with the bases loaded to end the game as the host los angeles dodgers beat the milwaukee brewers 2 1 cheslor cuthbert singled home lorenzo cain in the 13th inning to lift the host kansas city royals 2 1 over the detroit tigers
tina charles had 26 points 15 rebounds and 6 assists to help the visiting liberty beat the indiana fever 78 75 in overtime kiah stokes grabbed a career high 14 rebounds for the liberty 8 4 who have won four in a row
stokes made a layup with 2 minutes 48 seconds left in overtime to start an 8 2 spurt for the liberty tamika catchings who scored 23 points for the fever 5 8 missed a potential winning runner as regulation expired
mike grella scored twice as the host red bulls beat the seattle sounders 2 0 for their fourth straight victory grella tapped in a rebound after a sacha kljestan shot hit a goal post in the 18th minute and he chipped in a goal from the top of the penalty box in the 59th
the red bulls 7 7 1 have not allowed a goal in more than 400 minutes outscoring their opponents 13 0 during their winning streak
us suspensions upheld the us soccer federations appeals of a red card given to midfielder jermaine jones and a yellow card given to forward bobby wood have been dismissed the united states will be without both players tuesday night for its copa america centenario semifinal against argentina in houston
andy murray claimed a record fifth title at queens club in london recovering from a set and 3 0 down to beat milos raonic 6 7 5 6 4 6 3
neither player faced a break point in the opening set and after taking the tiebreaker raonic made an intimidating start to the second by dropping just one point in the first three games murray appeared to be overwhelmed but he responded by winning the next five games
around tennis florian mayer beat alexander zverev 6 2 5 7 6 3 to win the gerry weber open in halle germany zverev 19 is the highest ranked teenager on the tour at no 38 and was seeking his first title madison keys beat barbora strycova 6 3 6 4 in the aegon classic final in birmingham england to win her second grass court title
sei young kim won the meijer lpga classic for her second victory of the year beating carlota ciganda with a birdie on the first hole of a playoff in belmont mich
after bogeying the 18th in regulation to drop into the playoff kim rebounded on the par 4 hole in the playoff she hit a 124 yard shot from the deep left rough that ran onto the green and settled within 4 feet of the hole
miguel angel lopez became the first colombian rider to win the nine day tour of switzerland after placing fourth in a shortened final stage lopez finished 12 seconds over all ahead of jon izagirre of spain and 18 seconds ahead of warren barguil of france
jarlinson pantano of colombia won the 35 mile final stage to the alpine resort of davos the route avoided a mountain pass because of severe weather
two russian athletes said they had appealed to the court of arbitration for sport to overturn the international association of athletics federations ban that will prevent russias track and field team from competing in the rio olympics
on friday the iaaf track and fields world governing body upheld a suspension of the russian team imposed in november after a world anti doping agency report detailed widespread state sponsored doping
the racewalkers denis nizhegorodov who was an olympic silver medalist in 2004 and svetlana vasilyeva argued that a ban of the entire team was unfair punishment


lunes junio 20 ayudanos a documentar el dia mas largo del ano con tus fotos de nueva york
?corres por la manana ?te gusta disfrutar el atardecer comparte con nosotros tus recuerdos de como pasaste el primer dia de verano no estamos buscando selfis de verano queremos ver tu mundo y todo lo que te rodea desde el amanecer hasta la puesta del sol
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!gracias


oakland calif   vilified when he left and celebrated when he returned lebron james had spent the past two seasons lugging his citys championship dreams like a bag of rocks the weight had only grown more cumbersome   the weight of history of disappointment of missed opportunities
james could feel it all on his sturdy shoulders
on sunday night before a dazed and defeated crowd at oracle arena james delivered on the grandest stage of his superhuman career leading the cleveland cavaliers to their first championship in franchise history with a 93 89 victory over the golden state warriors in game 7 of the nba finals
i came back for a reason james said i came back to bring a championship to our city
james collected 27 points 11 rebounds and 11 assists to punctuate one of the most remarkable individual performances in finals history james who was named the finals most valuable player got ample help from his teammate kyrie irving whose 3 pointer with 53 seconds remaining gave the cavaliers the lead   and an improbable title
improbable because the cavaliers became the first team to rally from a 3 1 series deficit to win a championship improbable because the warriors after setting an nba record with 73 victories in the regular season had spent months making the case that they were the most dominant team since dr james naismith first affixed a peach basket to a wall
and improbable above all because of clevelands ragtag history as an also ran not since 1964 when the browns won the nfl championship had the city claimed a major sports title
james who grew up in nearby akron has forever changed all of that he stuffed the series with thunderous dunks and fadeaway jumpers blocked shots and glowering expressions towing his teammates along in his ferocious wake james won two championships with the miami heat but this was his first with the cavaliers   and his first for ohio
not even the warriors who were pursuing back to back championships in a repeat of last years finals matchup could slow his march
the game always gives back to people that are true to the game james said ive watched it i know the history of the game and i was just calm i was calm
irving finished with 26 points for the cavaliers who survived three elimination games in cleveland fans jammed the streets around quicken loans arena for a watch party from afar
draymond green had 32 points 15 rebounds and 9 assists for the warriors and stephen curry scored 17 points but shot just 6 of 19 from the field in the final minute curry missed a 3 point attempt that would have tied the game james who had made a soaring block of andre iguodalas layup attempt with less than two minutes to play then made 1 of 2 free throws with 106 seconds left to seal the win
the cavaliers formed a raucous mob at the buzzer   joy and disbelief all at once on the postgame dais james clutched the championship trophy to his chest and choked back tears at his news conference he wore one of the nets around his neck he said he was looking forward to the victory parade scheduled for wednesday he invited everyone including the media
its going to be the biggest party that cleveland has ever seen said james who averaged 297 points 113 rebounds and 89 assists during the series if you guys still have a little money left over in your budget you guys better make a trip to cleveland and get a little piece of it
from the moment the warriors set about stalking the 1995 96 chicago bulls for the best regular season record in league history they cautioned that it would mean almost nothing without a championship too the warriors were greedy   they wanted all the records all the wins and another trophy at the end
were stunned coach steve kerr said we thought we were going to win
the warriors found their postseason journey to be more jagged than they imagined the tenor of the teams chase was jarred off course in the first game of the playoffs when curry injured his right ankle three games later he slipped on a wet spot against the houston rockets spraining his right knee
though curry eventually returned to help guide the warriors back to the finals thanks in part to a dramatic comeback against the oklahoma city thunder in the western conference finals curry lacked his usual consistency more trouble brewed against the cavaliers
green had to watch game 5 from a baseball stadium after he was suspended for collecting too many flagrant fouls andrew bogut their starting center injured his knee and missed the final two games of the series iguodala jamess primary defender tweaked his back in game 6
as for curry his finals experience was an obstacle course of long limbed defenders he shot 403 percent from the field spats with officials he chucked his mouth guard after he was ejected from game 6 and volleys from critics who took jabs at everything from his poor shooting to his choice of sneakers game 7 was another slog
it will haunt me for a while curry said because it means a lot to me to try to lead my team and do what i need to do on the court and the big stages done it before didnt do it tonight
the cavaliers were no strangers to adversity sensing what he described as dysfunction general manager david griffin fired the teams head coach david blatt midway through the season and replaced him with tyronn lue one of blatts assistants griffin made the move even though the cavaliers were sitting firmly atop the eastern conference standings
it was championship or bust for these cavaliers who make no mistake were formed in jamess shadow not that his journey was without its share of hard feelings and trapdoors
drafted by the cavaliers in 2003 james splashily left for the heat as a free agent in 2010 fans who felt scorned by his departure burned replicas of his jersey in the streets of cleveland but james rejoined with the cavaliers in 2014 vowing to lift the franchise to new heights to do something that had never been done
i dont think people imagined it this way   the route that weve taken   and thats fine james said saturday like i always say every day is not a bed of roses and you have to figure out how to get away from the thorns and the things of that nature to make the sunshine
nobody seemed consumed by the pressure kerr arrived at the arena following his usual game day session of hot yoga with luke walton one of his assistants
the crowd stood from the opening minutes after james batted an attempted layup by curry into an expensive row of courtside seats curry got in jamess face an official had to separate them green meanwhile went 5 of 5 from 3 point range and scored 22 points to guide the warriors to a 49 42 halftime lead
the cavaliers rallied in the third quarter after curry committed a turnover irving raced away for an acrobatic layup drawing a foul for good measure his free throw gave the cavaliers a 5 point lead a small subset of fans at oracle started chanting lets go cavs
but neither team could find any separation at least not until james and irving emerged in the closing moments   not until it mattered most


oakmont pa   because golf is an outdoor sport played on a field of competition that changes from place to place and day to day its rules are inherently more complex than those of other sports there are so many factors to weigh and the golf rule book considers thousands of them addressing things like what to do if a ball comes to rest on a live snake or a dead snake
the rule is not the same for both situations
the motivation behind such meticulous rule making is to ensure that every competition is equitable and just
but sunday as afternoon was turning into evening and the 116th united states open was hitting its stride the countrys national golf championship temporarily lost its sense of evenhandedness the games necessary devotion to the exactness of its rules failed to include a dollop of common sense
officials for the united states golf association which conducts the open and helps establish the rules of golf may have been following their regulations to the letter in an attempt to be fair to every competitor but few who watched sundays proceedings will feel that way for more than two hours the fourth round of the tournament was held hostage because a definitive ruling had not been made or one apparently had been made but could be reversed when the competition was over
the sport with perhaps the most complex rules still did not have enough of them to adjudicate a situation in real time
what other sport could play on without the competitors   or the referees   knowing the actual score
ultimately dustin johnson survived a rule travail he should never have been subjected to and was crowned the open champion after the final round he was assessed a one stroke penalty for something he might or might not have done even though he had initially been absolved of that infraction by an official johnson persevered building a big enough lead that the penalty was not consequential he won his first major championship by three strokes with a four round score of four under par 276
but the final round may be forever remembered for what happened to johnson along the way to his championship
the incident that began all the uncertainty occurred on the fifth green when johnson who lost a chance to win the 2010 pga championship because of a disputed infraction on the final hole was lining up a putt as he began to place his putter behind the ball the ball moved slightly
johnson backed away and summoned a rules official something he was criticized for not having done in the 2010 pga johnson acknowledged that the ball had moved but in the conversation that followed he was asked if he had grounded his club behind the ball when he answered that he had not he was allowed to continue without a penalty evidently because the official believed that johnson had not caused the ball to move which is a major determining factor
the leader of the tournament at that juncture shane lowry had called a penalty stroke on himself saturday in a similar situation but in lowrys case he had grounded his club behind the ball which is perhaps the most central factor in determining that the actions of the golfer caused the ball to move
but there are other ways to make that determination on video by zooming in on the ball and watching it in slow motion its possible to conclude that just the presence of johnsons putter near the ball caused it to move
that option suddenly became the biggest controversy of the day when a usga managing director jeff hall appeared on the 12th tee and spoke with johnson about the fifth green situation hall later said that johnson was convinced he did nothing to cause the ball to move
it was clear to hall that the situation was not going to be resolved at that moment although he also made it clear to johnson that a penalty stroke was a possible outcome
informing johnson that he was being assessed a stroke penalty as he stood on the 12th tee would have been difficult but perhaps fair letting the possibility of a penalty hang over his head as he played seven more holes in the crucible that is the final round of a major championship was unwarranted it is not an uncommon way to proceed in championship golf but after what we saw unfold sunday it ought to be
for the next seven holes johnson did not know how many strokes ahead of the field he needed to be to claim victory the rest of the field did not know whether they needed to surpass johnson or tie him to win how many on course decisions   by johnson and others   might have been affected by the notion that the leaderboard scores were just an approximation
a scoreboard is not supposed to be just an estimation of who is leading and by how much a final score is not meant to be a guess at the end result one thing that draws people to follow sports is that outcomes are not hypothetical
but for a while on sunday that is what happened or almost what happened
again tournament officials might have followed every step of the applicable rule as it was written
if thats the case that rule should be changed yes golf is different and so are its rules but it should not allow the kind of ambiguity we saw cast a pall over the countrys national championship on a day that is meant to be a celebration of the game
in the end johnson soldiered on
i tried to focus on what i was doing and not focus on the penalty stroke he said
though tested by nervy putts deep bunkers and narrow fairways he shot even par after he was told he might be penalized after his final stroke and built a cushy lead
as johnson walked down the 18th fairway the ovation was thunderous in the social media age seemingly everyone in the grandstand knew the trial he was going through and they cheered his resoluteness
on twitter his colleagues expressed their support and fiercely castigated the usga when johnson sank a 3 foot birdie putt on no 18 what could have been a dreadful ordeal had instead ended in victory
and golf which for two hours had stumbled badly escaped a badly blackened eye


view the final selection of photographs here
on monday help us document the first day of summer by sharing your photos of new york city
we want you to share photos of your morning run or your first summer sunset   and the events in between we are not looking for summery selfies we want to see your view of the world around you from dawn to dusk
please post your photos on instagram with the hashtag nytsummerday make sure to include the time and the location in your caption we plan to publish a selection of photos on nytimescom in print and on social media if we decide to publish your picture we will follow up to ask you a few questions
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siren washington to lose its daily bard at a most uncertain time mike allen will stop writing politicos morning playbook column midcampaign on july 11   a guide to capital intrigue through entire obama era and part of w bushs   millennial takeover politico young guns anna palmer jake sherman and daniel lippman grab the baton   changes in store for a new environment   times subscription deal 50 percent off for a year
driving the column if information is the lifeblood of washington the politico writer mike allens playbook forms the veins pumped out by email every morning it is where the most influential political operatives in the united states send tidbits or bigger news scoops that they hope will give them the edge in the dc skirmish of the week month or year and sure maybe settle a score or two they do so because its what 100000 insiders outsiders lobbyists and journalists governors senators presidents and would be presidents read every morning of the week to be in the know or in some cases to see their own names in print if they say they do not look for it in their inboxes in their first waking minute they are lying
even if youre not one of these addicts it reaches you too because the distillation of what mr allen considers the most vital news items of the day can influence the thinking of television news producers and mr allens rival national political reporters sometimes in a pro allen way especially when mr allen has included their work in his list of top talkers and occasionally in an anti allen way especially if he has dismissed their work as already been done used news
the conversation mr allens playbook provides a daily sense of cohesion for a town at war with itself along with important news items playbook lists birthdays births and swanky parties where republicans and democrats manage to hold hostilities in check for a couple of hours it can also carry the whiff of reporter source coziness pack journalism and clubbiness that pervades our capital city contributing to washingtons case of acute bubble itis but that also goes with its role as official dcs village square the central element of its success has been the frenetic mind of mr allen who is preparing to start an undisclosed media venture with his politico colleagues jim vandehei and roy schwartz
data du jour monday will be the 3285th consecutive edition of playbook mr allen has written all but eight hat tip peter cherukuri
flashback the man the white house wakes up to by mark leibovich new york times magazine cover april 2010 he bursts in and out of parties at once manic and serene chronically toting gifts cards and flower arrangements  it is as if mikey is the host of one big party and by showing up anywhere in washington you have served the playbook community and are deserving of the impresarios thanks or hat tip in playbookese  allen was the first reporter hired by politicos founding editors john f harris and jim vandehei when they left the washington post to start the website and newspaper in 2006 he is considered a politico founding father ... he speaks in quick and certain cadences on message in sound bites
playbook reads in the clipped rhythm that mr leibovich describes with big bold headlines ellipses and em dashes it separates its items with headings like driving the day flashback shotchaser and siren a homage to the internet news titan matt drudge and others that im imitating here what cant be imitated is the intimacy mr allen has with his audience
the money honey politico found dollars in that intimacy big corporations with big business pending in washington   comcast bp the united states chamber of commerce   take playbook sponsorships that come in the form of paid items that are marked with asterisks and laid into the flow of the newsletter such arrangements which have at times drawn media criticism for blurring journalistic lines bring in about 55000 a week an executive vice president mr cherukuri told me playbook also provides the mother ship with a platform to promote itself through the newsletter which i mimicked at the top   50 percent off world class journalism it all makes mr allens departure from playbook kind of a sensitive deal for the company
odd timing  the timing of mr allens playbook retirement   in the middle of a presidential election for the ages   is unexpected but mr allen told me on friday that he agreed with mr harris the editor in chief that 2017 effectively begins now so this is the perfect time for the new team to get airborne mr allen will continue writing for politico through the election it does make some sense it always seemed odd that mr allen 51 would carry on in his high intensity role while a new venture beckoned and the team forming to succeed him was eager to make a splash
inside politicos sleek new offices in arlington va on thursday mr harris asked me how do you replace mike the answer is you dont replace mike these days brands can be more important than the news organizations they are attached to can politico replicate mr allens success at playbook mr harris said that it could and that if politicos business was to be scalable a franchise like playbook   now with geographically targeted versions in places like miami and brussels   cannot be built around a singular personality he added im not sure anybody else could have invented the franchise but hes shown other people how to do this job and how to own this space
who they are anna palmer 34 and jake sherman 30 frequently write together as a team   they helped break open the scandal that forced the resignation of representative aaron schock of illinois in 2015   and pitched themselves to mr harris as natural co authors of playbook 20 cnn money reported they were in the running in april mr sherman has covered capitol hill for politico since 2009 ms palmer has covered congress and was a co author of politicos newsletter specializing in lobbying called politico influence daniel lippman 26 who has been helping mr allen with playbook since 2014   and is a peripatetic emailer and scene maker himself   will assist them
sneak peek playbook was built to meet politicos vow to own the morning and to be delivered by automatic email to the blackberry as it proclaimed at its start in 2007 the new version will be made for todays smartphones with color and items that can be shared more easily on twitter and facebook a standing playbook home page to be introduced later will update throughout the day mr lippman will bring continuity from mr allens tenure ms palmer is interested in the changing roles for women in washington and women in politics   theyre chiefs of staff and leaders on the hill and playbook needs to reflect that mr sherman says the goal is expanding the ecosystem of playbook ... were of a generation that is coming up and is grabbing control of power in washington ... the 28  to 50 year olds who are running the town now
game change just when donald j trump and the populist forces he represents are upending washingtons established order the town is losing its daily bard the end of our times the bloomberg masters in politics podcast co host tammy haddad said only half joking but mr allen who will continue to practice journalism at his new company said of his successors this is the perfect time for them to step in
mike allen mind meld i cant wait to sleep in until 5 am
birthweek mr allen turns 52 on tuesday june 21


rome   an anti establishment newcomer capitalizing on anger over political corruption and deteriorating city services easily won romes mayoral runoff on sunday to become the first woman to lead the italian capital
with more than 80 percent of the ballots counted virginia raggi of the five star movement led by a 2 to 1 ratio her rival roberto giachetti of the democratic party who was backed by prime minister matteo renzi conceded defeat less than an hour after polls closed
mr giachetti said he had called ms raggi to wish her luck
dozens of people including local politicians from the governing democratic party right wing parties and other political forces have been implicated in corruption probes of city contracts
while romes established parties struggled municipal services especially strike plagued mass transit street repairs and trash collection deteriorated to the exasperation of residents
i will work to bring legality and transparency to romes administration ms raggi told supporters early monday declaring that the citizens of rome won she also pledged that with us a new era begins
mr renzi who had no immediate comment early monday had insisted that the local voting would not reflect on his two year old national government


on a residential block of union street in brooklyn everyone seemed to have known andre lane the neighborhood fixture with the body of a fighter and a great singing voice who appeared a little off but was considered harmless
now they all want to know who killed him in the public housing complex around the corner
mr lane 26 who had a lengthy history of mental health problems had survived a brutal beating at the hands of correction officers at rikers island new york citys main jail complex in 2012 but he was shot and killed on wednesday night as he struggled to remake a life that had been difficult from the start
people in the brownsville neighborhood where mr lane lived and died could not make sense of his death
he didnt bother nobody byron jenkins 49 said everybody knew andre had a mental problem once he had an argument with somebody he calmed down
i dont know what took place on wednesday mr jenkins continued but he shouldnt have died like that
mr lane was shot around 1030 pm the police said inside 682 ralph avenue one of five red brick apartment buildings that make up the ralph avenue houses bullets struck him in his torso and right arm the police said and he was pronounced dead at kings county hospital center
residents said they heard a boom followed by the pop of five gunshots from her kitchen on the fourth floor of the building joan 51 said she saw the reflection of peoples feet running from the building in a glass door across the street her partner said he saw through a bedroom window the flash of a gun firing in the lobby like many of her neighbors joan declined to give her surname because she feared retaliation
investigators were still trying to find the gunman as well as witnesses to help them piece together what happened before the shooting but they faced the formidable task of penetrating the silence of a neighborhood terrorized by gangs and where mistrust of the police and fear of retaliation for cooperating with them stymie efforts to catch criminals
mr lanes family has searched the neighborhood for answers tyesha lane 30 one of his sisters hovered behind the police tape at the entrance to the ralph avenue building on thursday while investigators took photographs of an apartment on the first floor the door had been broken down and the occupants had not returned
my brothers been through so much throughout his life ms lane said and to learn that his life was taken from him that way im heartbroken he was never given a fair shot at life
their mother isis lane laid a bible on the sidewalk opened to psalm 23 which portrays god as a shepherd guiding his flock at night the candles that surrounded the book flickered as the wind lifted its pages
ms lane had been addicted to crack cocaine when her son was born on oct 12 1989 he had schizophrenia bipolar disorder depression and attention deficit disorder mr lane and two of his sisters were raised by their aunt marvenus lane nicholson who took him to church where he sang in the choir her daughter tanya ragoonanan 39 said ms nicholson died in june 2012 after a heart attack by then mr lane had dropped out of high school and had been arrested several times for jumping subway turnstiles arguing with police officers and fighting ms ragoonanan said he was an adult and it had become much harder for his family to get him help she added
he was hyper but they didnt care because he was grown ms ragoonanan said the system really railroaded him
six months after ms nicholsons death mr lane was in solitary confinement at rikers on a cellblock reserved for mentally ill inmates he was beaten by guards on dec 17 after splashing a liquid on them after the inmates were told they might not be fed dinner that night
mr lane was one of 129 inmates who sustained serious injuries in altercations with guards at rikers island in cases that were documented in a secret study by the citys health department which handles medical care there the study which revealed a culture of brutality perpetrated by correction officers at the jail complex was uncovered in 2014 during a four month investigation by the new york times
prosecutors declined to bring criminal charges against the officers who beat mr lane the city has hired a consulting firm to plan reforms at its troubled jails
after his release mr lane told his family he never wanted to go back to jail but he struggled to find stability and to stay out of trouble he was due back in court as soon as tuesday to face misdemeanor charges stemming from six different arrests one from february 2013 and five between october 2015 and may 2016 according to court records on may 18 he was arrested after the superintendent of an apartment building on ralph avenue said he broke the glass entry door according to court records
samira hickman 49 said it took about a dozen police officers to subdue him his strength she said was unbelievable
after he was released on may 24 he got a job at the j q grocery store a deli where a picture of a smiling president obama hangs near a painting of the last supper in which jesus and his disciples all have brown skin earl morgan the cashier said mr lane stocked the freezers and did odd jobs
veronica who lives in the neighborhood and declined to give her surname said mr lane had recently asked her to tutor him in math and reading
at a vigil on friday on st marks avenue in crown heights brooklyn where mr lane lived as a child his family and friends erected a memorial for dre blacc as he was known they sang parts of songs he had made up and laughed about his antics
peter hepburn jr 34 said the rain that fell the morning after mr lane died gave him hope that his friend had made it to heaven mr lane had struggled his whole life trying to feel complete he said
and the only way that he could really actually achieve that out here is through actually meeting with god himself mr hepburn said


albania preserved its hopes of qualifying for the knockout stages of the european championships with a 1 0 victory over romania in lyon france on sunday eliminating its opponent
the group a victory catapulted albania into third place above romania in the group rankings the team must wait until the group stage has been completed before it finds out whether it will be one of the four third place teams that will make it to the round of 16
armando sadiku scored the only goal in the match in the 43rd minute it was the first goal albania had scored in an international tournament ledian memushaj picked out sadiku drifting at the far post with a well placed cross that the striker coolly nodded back over romania goalkeeper ciprian tatarusanu who had left his line
after going without a goal in two hard fought losses to switzerland and france albania stuck to its defensive approach romania failed to produce many chances its best effort coming in the 76th minute when the substitute florin andone hit the crossbar with a ferocious strike
albanias players celebrated the victory with coach giovanni de biasi after the final whistle while the teams large contingent of fans cheered wildly at the stade de lyon
in the albanian capital tirana fans erupted in joy after the win thousands gathered in fan zones lighting firecrackers sounding car horns shouting loudly and waving the red and black national flag
the 3 points albania earned with the victory may be not enough to qualify it for the next round but it is still the biggest success in the international sports arena in the tiny balkan countrys history
goooooooooool ... prime minister edi rama wrote on his twitter account after sadiku scored
moscow rejects accusations a spokesman for the kremlin rejected as anti russian hysteria a suggestion by senior british government officials that it might have deliberately sanctioned violence by russia soccer fans at the euros
the kremlin spoke after the observer a british newspaper published a report citing unidentified british officials who said that the russia fans actions looked like a continuation of president vladimir putins hybrid warfare against the west and that many of the russian hooligans were in the uniformed services


shares in national bank of abu dhabi and first gulf bank soared on sunday after they confirmed discussions of a possible merger a combination would create one of the largest banks in the middle east and africa
both banks have close links to the abu dhabi government which has been cutting costs and restructuring its assets to increase efficiency as low oil prices take a toll on its revenues
analysts said a merger could start a wave of consolidation in the united arab emirates banking sector which is crowded with more than 50 banks and squeezed by lower government spending and tougher global capital rules
in a statement on sunday the banks abu dhabis largest and third largest lenders by assets said each had formed a working group to review the commercial potential along with any legal and structural aspects of a merger or combination the groups would provide recommendations to their respective boards
local investors welcomed the idea of an abu dhabi mega bank pushing shares of the national bank of abu dhabi up by their 15 percent daily limit on sunday while shares in first gulf bank rose 115 percent shares in other abu dhabi banks climbed on speculation that they might eventually be involved in mergers
the national bank of abu dhabi is 70 percent owned by the abu dhabi investment council and first gulf bank is controlled by members of the emirates royal family
a larger bank would help abu dhabis aspiration to become a major financial center the emirate is starting a financial free zone abu dhabi global market to attract foreign investment
a merger would create a bank with assets worth around 627 billion dirhams 171 billion according to figures for the first quarter of 2016
that would exceed the first quarter assets of the regions current largest bank by assets qatar national bank which had 550 billion riyals 150 billion at the end of the first quarter qatar national bank however completed its acquisition of finansbank of turkey last week which could keep it ahead


albany   it was mid january when gov andrew m cuomo took to the stage here and delivered his vision of the coming legislative year unveiling a laundry list of nearly 150 proposals
my friends there is no doubt that this is an ambitious agenda the governor said in closing his state of the state address what else did you think i was going to give to you
five months later as the legislature wrapped up its session in the wee hours of saturday morning that list of ideas had an impressive success rate according to the governors office with about 80 percent being enacted or on their way there
and yet on two major issues that often attract much of the publics attention   ethics and housing   mr cuomos accomplishments drew sharp critiques for failing to live up to grand promises the results were worse for mayor bill de blasio the governors fellow democrat and frequent sparring partner
the republican majority in the state senate summarily dismissed the mayors pleas for a lengthy extension for mayoral oversight of schools turning his pursuit of a three year deal against him   wringing out concessions including new financial disclosures and a shift in oversight of the citys charter school system
the humiliation did not stop there in yet another reminder of the mayors lesser reputation in the eyes of the senate   where long island and upstate republicans hold sway and have been offended by efforts to oust them   new york city was forced to delay enacting a five cent fee on plastic bags a setback for the mayor and the city council on a seemingly local concern but one with national political appeal
there was also a mutual disappointment in the governors office and in city hall over the lapsed tax break and development program known as 421 a which the governor had urged developers and unions to negotiate on last year and which mr de blasio looked to restart in order to support the creation of affordable housing in the city a bedrock promise of his first term the program however languished and was not renewed
both the governor and to a lesser extent the mayor said they were pleased with their accomplishments mr cuomo in fact suggested in an interview on sunday that no governor in new york had accomplished as much as he had
tell me what has been a more productive legislative session please the governor said in an interview on sunday morning adding tell me what session did more
later on sunday the governor addressed such post session analyses suggesting that they often fell into false on one hand on the other hand dichotomies he added however this year on one hand it wasnt perfect on the other hand it was probably the most successful session in modern history
but the inability of mr cuomo and mr de blasio to push through several major initiatives underscored how both men failed to sway a legislature that seemed ripe for change after the corruption convictions of sheldon silver the former democratic assembly speaker and dean g skelos the former republican senate majority leader
mr cuomo had pledged to push hard for new ways to clean up albany laying out 11 ethics reforms in his speech in january but only a handful of modest changes were passed by the states 239th legislature and the most prominent   pension forfeiture for convicted lawmakers   would need to pass the 240th due here in january and then be approved by voters the earliest enforcement would be in 2018 when mr cuomo will be up for re election
ethics proposals that failed to get through included bans on outside income   a central feature in mr silvers conviction   and eliminating the so called llc loophole a source of almost unlimited corporate campaign funds mr cuomo had offered various solutions on the loophole but did little public campaigning on the subject a late session suggestion of eight different bills including one focused only on the campaign for governor foundered on the shoals of legislative indifference
in his first remarks since the end of session deal was announced mr cuomo said that despite his proposals to close the llc loophole it was far fetched to believe that the legislature   particularly the republican lawmakers   would ever agree to it
there has to be a dose of reality in the assessment the governor said noting that the issue has been discussed for years it is tantamount to political suicide for the republican party in this state because they believe it ends corporate money and only union money would come into the system which would help the democrats
mr cuomo added that the only way to solve the problem was a constitutional convention the people are going to have to do it he said
the governor also dismissed the notion that he could have fought harder for that issue and defended the five point package he announced on friday including an agreement with the legislature to strip pensions from policy makers and lawmakers convicted of crimes related to their public office
the strongest piece of ethics reform was pension forfeiture thats what the people wanted he said what every poll said right and that was achieved
mr cuomo also said the lack of a deal to ban outside income was not surprising considering the legislature has not had a pay raise in nearly two decades
the public says we dont want to pay them any more he said noting that many lawmakers basically work full time and earn 79500 a year and somebody is going to represent manhattan and raise a family
there was no doubt that housing was a top line issue for mr cuomo this year when he promised to spend 20 billion over the next five years to create thousands of affordable and supportive housing units but housing advocates were dismayed at the bargain that state leaders struck on friday night saying that the 150 million in new state funding amounted to little more than a token of the 2 billion for housing that the governor and legislators approved in the budget in march
every month that passes without the full mou means new york misses out on at least 1000 new units of affordable senior and supportive housing a group of advocates said in a statement on saturday referring to the memorandum of understanding that the legislative leaders and the governor must sign to open the funding spigot without the release of the full 2 billion affordable housing projects are being needlessly delayed at a time of unprecedented need
that said there is nothing that says the agreement had to come by friday night in theory mr cuomo and the legislative leaders   john j flanagan the long island republican who is the senate majority leader and carl e heastie the bronx democrat who is the state assembly speaker   could still negotiate a broader one later this year
technically it can get negotiated later but the practicality is theres no shot assemblyman andrew hevesi a democrat and chairman of the assemblys social services committee said before the agreement was signed last week everybody goes back to their districts in an election year nobodys going to be focused nobodys going to want to cut a deal
over the weekend the governors office said the overall commitment   including tax credits and other types of funding   would amount to 570 million in 2016 and would allow the state to fund 1200 units of supportive housing this year that schedule is consistent with the plan mr cuomo outlined in january his aides said and puts the state on track to open 6000 units over the next five years and 20000 units over the next 15 years
in the interview mr cuomo called the criticism a distortion of the facts explaining that this years funds are only the first installment of a larger 104 billion plan to reduce homelessness through new beds and services he said new rounds of funding would come as the state worked to open each chunk of supportive housing units a process that he said was standard for city state and federal programs
they dont set aside and allocate 20 billion in year one otherwise it would be a one year program mr cuomo said the system cannot produce that much housing that fast and thats why you come up with the allocations
the cuomo administration voiced its displeasure with critics on twitter where melissa derosa the governors chief of staff mocked the complaints directly 570m for first year of 5 year pledge fulfilled she wrote on friday adding learn to take yes for an answer or stop being credible
she also drew a sharp distinction with the mayor
how much  has city hall released ms derosa wrote more than enough for 1200 units did mayor break promises guilty of betrayal
on saturday the mayors office returned fire suggesting that the governor and the legislature had missed the opportunity to address affordable housing and homelessness in the city
when it comes to affordable housing investments and help for homeless new yorkers its clear the state is doing far too little he said in a statement on saturday
mr de blasio of course had other reasons for consternation chief among them the one year extension of his control of city schools   an outcome that could hardly have been worse given that most legislators did not seriously entertain notions of allowing mayoral control to lapse the mayor also had to accept two unpalatable concessions just to get the bare minimum agreeing to publish information about the citys schools budgeting and changing the way many of the citys charter schools are run
it was the second year in a row that mr de blasio had to accept a single year extension on saturday he called the consecutive one year extensions no way to treat our children families and educators adding that it was nevertheless a crucial acknowledgment by state lawmakers that the education progress we have made in new york city could not have happened without our accountable control of the school system
mr de blasios office noted what it thought were successes such as protecting neighborhood zoning regulations stabilizing bus contracting and preventing tinted windows on cars he thanked mr heastie but notably not mr cuomo or mr flanagan
this legislative session the statement concluded understatedly was not without its missed opportunities
others in the city who watched the negotiations were on the edge over the brinkmanship what we need in new york city is stability said dennis m walcott the schools chancellor under mr de blasios predecessor michael r bloomberg who won a seven year extension of mayoral control to me this back and forth back and forth is a really unsettling situation
the cuomo administration suggested that the sessions end was anticlimactic because many of its priorities were accomplished at the march 31 budget deadline   most notably an increase in the minimum wage to 15
fifteen dollars is a national accomplishment mr cuomo said paid family leave is a national accomplishment first state in the nation to do lead testing in every school thats a national accomplishment and these are accomplishments that affect people what session what accomplishments produced more


somewhere out of sight in shenee johnsons home on long island   tucked away in a closet or hidden beneath a bed perhaps   is a copy of her son kedrick morrows high school yearbook
ms johnson does not know exactly where the book ended up and she does not care to find out but inside it she has been told kedrick is smiling amid a gallery of portraits   hundreds of students bracing themselves for a future her son would never see weeks before he was to graduate from elmont high school in 2010 kedrick was shot to death outside a party in the springfield gardens neighborhood of queens he was 17 bound for st johns university
since then graduation season with its cavalcade of mortarboard toting students has served as a searing reminder of kedricks killing but this year ms johnson is hoping it might also bring some measure of redress she and other parents of children killed by gun violence recently joined together through the organization new yorkers against gun violence to create a yearbook that is meant to draw attention to the toll of gun violence on young people
the yearbook a digital version of which is available at signtheiryearbookcom is filled with the stories and photographs of young victims of gun violence and serves a dual purpose as a petition for universal firearm background checks that the group plans to deliver to congress in the fall more than 2300 people have signed it in the past month
gun violence is so political that people sometimes forget its also personal ms johnson 42 said they forget about the loved ones we lost and the lives we have to piece back together but kedrick was a real live person
the yearbook features only 11 stories out of the 31104 children under the age of 18 who were killed in firearm related episodes between 1999 and 2014 in the united states according to the centers for disease control and prevention 1111 of them in new york state with the passage of the safe act signed by gov andrew m cuomo a democrat in 2013 new york has some of the toughest gun control laws in the country including an expanded ban on assault weapons and high capacity magazines broader background checks and stiffer penalties for people who use guns in the commission of crimes
still without comprehensive federal legislation gun safety advocates say firearms are regularly transported into new york from states with looser oversight in the week after the massacre in orlando fla in which 49 people were killed at a nightclub congressional democrats have redoubled their efforts to enact more stringent gun control laws but several mass shootings have occurred without legislative response
wed like to see at the federal level what we have here in new york said leah gunn barrett the executive director of new yorkers against gun violence the circumstances behind almost every story in the yearbook are easy access to firearms we hope that profiles of these young people and all their lost potential will move congress to actually do something
without the captions it would be easy to mistake the photographs in the yearbook as evidence of lives on the cusp of adulthood the pages include profiles of alphonza c bryant iii a 17 year old honor student from the bronx who was killed months shy of his graduation in 2013 by gang members in search of someone else nicholas naumkin a 12 year old from saratoga springs known for giving his allowance to charity accidentally killed by a friend playing with a friends fathers gun in 2010 and michael graham a 13 year old from brewster who used his fathers gun to take his own life in 2013
for some parents involved this is hardly their first advocacy effort over a decade has passed since taisha pearsons 10 year old daughter naiesha was killed by a stray bullet at a neighborhood barbecue in the bronx and she has participated in marches rallies and petitions progress has come in fits and starts and the work of recounting her most painful memories for public consumption can be grueling
weve seen some changes but there are still so many loopholes its an uphill battle ms pearson 37 said sometimes i feel like were going nowhere but what else am i supposed to do
advocacy has served as a form of therapy for natasha christopher 42 her son akeal was shot in the head while walking to a friends house in bushwick brooklyn in june 2012 an aspiring train engineer he died on his 15th birthday ms christopher is now a full time volunteer for gun control organizations telling her story as many as a dozen times each week
everyone else is preparing for prom and graduation and here i am putting together a candlelight vigil for my boy she said this is my life now ive turned my pain into action
after her sons death ms christopher moved to a new apartment in jamaica queens and took down all of the photos of akeal her other sons rashawn and christopher simply could not bear to see the images still she has kept a single drawer filled with some of akeals belongings a navy tennis shirt still smells of his favorite cologne and ms christopher is comforted by it
on a recent afternoon a wide smile spread across her face as she lifted the fabric to her nose then noticing the time ms christopher tucked the shirt back into the drawer and composed herself her sons would be returning from school soon and she did not want them to see her grieving
now im just looking forward to rashawns graduation in a few years she said i just pray nothing happens to him before that day


oakmont pa   as dustin johnson teed off in the final round of the 116th united states open his mind set was simple
he would ignore the ghosts of majors past forget about shane lowrys four stroke lead ignore top ranked jason day and all the other players giving chase at oakmont country club its just me and the course he told himself
but on the way to victory sunday it would become more complicated for johnson seemingly one of the most uncomplicated athletes to roam a golf course jordan spieth the defending champion described johnson this month as a freak golf athlete and it is true his opening drive of the fourth round traveled 378 yards enough said
aside from being known as a freak athlete johnson had a reputation for losing majors in freaky fashion he lost the 2015 united states open to spieth when he three putted the 72nd hole from 12 feet he lost the 2010 tournament with a final round 82 that was like a summons server materializing out of nowhere
johnson held the lead at the halfway point of last years british open but finished tied for 49th when he could not break par in the final two rounds he lost the 2010 pga championship when he grounded his club in a bunker on the 72nd hole and incurred a penalty that kept him out of a playoff won by martin kaymer
after his brain cramp at the pga championship johnson drew criticism for not summoning a rules official to assess if the spot where his ball had come to rest was in one of the hundreds of bunkers that pockmark whistling straits
fast forward six years to sunday when johnson saw his ball move on the fifth green he did not believe he had caused the ball to oscillate but to be on the safe side he called a rules official after a brief discussion the official determined that no infraction had occurred and johnson stepped up and made the par putt to remain one under for the round and four under for the tournament
johnson made the turn in two under 33 on the 12th tee he was approached by united states golf association officials who explained that a video review had indicated that he might have caused the ball to move in the process of placing his putter behind it at address he was told that he most likely would be assessed a one stroke penalty after his round
at that moment johnson was two strokes clear of the field but it was not just him and the course anymore it was him and the course and the usga rules committee and his 0 for 28 record in the majors there were enough factors to clog his head and cloud his thinking
but johnson kept calm despite a bogey at the 14th hole he played the final seven holes in even par making clutch par putts at nos 16 and 17 and a birdie at the 18th which rendered the one stroke penalty a moot point
johnson finished four under par at 276 three strokes ahead of jim furyk scott piercy and lowry
in the final round at chambers bay last year johnson had hit two of his best shots of the week on the 18th hole only to miss a 12 foot putt for eagle to win and three footer for a birdie that would have forced an 18 hole playoff with spieth
on sunday with the crowd lining the 18th hole chanting his initials johnson hit two of his best shots of the week and made the five foot putt for birdie to finish with a 69 with the penalty
furyk the 2003 champion who tied for second at the 2007 open when it was at oakmont closed with a four under 66 and was the leader in the clubhouse for almost two hours at one under
lowry and piercy were the last two players with a chance to pass johnson but piercy played the back nine in one over for a 69 and lowry bogeyed three of the last five holes en route to a 76
johnson furyk piercy and lowry were the only players to break par sergio garcia 70 and branden grace 71 tied for fifth at even par 280
in his first major andrew landry who had been at or near the top during the first three days closed with a 78 to finish in a tie for 15th at five over
lee westwood who started the fourth round one stroke behind johnson with whom he was paired posted an 80 and tied for 32nd
with his victory johnson who turns 32 on wednesday took himself out of the running for the best player never to have won a major honorarium leaving westwood 0 for 73 and garcia 0 for 71 to duke it out
feels well deserved johnson said ive had a lot of opportunities that i didnt quite get it done so this one definitely feels good
when johnson came off the 18th green scooped his 18 month old son tatum in his arms and embraced his fiancee paulina gretzky he had no idea whether he would be signing for a 68 or a 69 he was glad that it didnt matter
because that would have been bad he said but you know it worked out
behind the green waiting to welcome him to the fraternity of major winners was jack nicklaus who won the first of his record 18 major championships at the 1962 united states open at oakmont nicklauss playoff victory over arnold palmer that year was viewed as a seminal moment in the sport the day a mantle silently passed from one superstar to his heir apparent
johnsons victory at the end of a tournament turned topsy turvy by an almost complete washout of play on the first day also felt as if it were greater than the sum of his four 18 hole scores
at memorial tournament two weeks ago spieth said this about johnson who has at least one pga tour victory in each of the past nine years i think hes an incredible talent thats going to win many more times
after johnsons first major title earned at the end of a week in which three inches of rain fell there was a feeling in the air that the floodgates could open
its a big monkey off my back for sure johnson said adding after last year to come back this year and perform like this you know it definitely i think it shows what kind of golfer i am and you know it was awesome


a year ago kelcy l warren the chief executive of the pipeline giant energy transfer equity cast a long shadow even among the texas wildcatting elite with a personal fortune estimated at more than 7 billion
he is 4 billion poorer today as he scrambles to find a way out of a merger with the williams companies a 38 billion deal that has become so acrimonious that an analyst has called it the cuban missile crisis of mergers
to date mr warren has nothing to show for his efforts but a significant decline in the value of the deal   now worth about 20 billion   as well as three lawsuits filed by williams against his company and one filed by williams against him personally now time is running out
williams shareholders will vote on the merger in a week on monday the two sides will meet in a georgetown del courtroom where lawyers from wall streets top firms will go toe to toe analyzing the fine print in the 400 page merger agreement
williams and energy transfer accuse each other of breaching the agreement everything is riding on a decision by vice chancellor sam glasscock iii of the delaware court of chancery
energy transfer hopes the judge will find that whatever violations of the agreement may have occurred are enough to kill the deal
if the judge rules for williams and energy transfer is held to its original offer the only way out for energy transfer would be to write a large settlement check the judge is expected to rule before the williams shareholder vote
a slim chance remains that the sides will reach a settlement before the trial mr warren 60 who declined to comment for this article is not expected to testify
youre in the middle of what i call a typical texas hold em said david j mahmood the founder of allegiance capital corporation an investment bank based in dallas its a high stakes poker game thats like a shootout and its tough to forecast whos going to win or lose
it would be easy to cast the troubles of the merger of energy transfer and williams as yet another result of the collapse in energy prices that has sent many companies into bankruptcy court
but from its early days the deal was also driven by hubris the ambition of an empire builder who coveted his prize so much he left little or no room for anyone   including himself   to wiggle free
that is not to say mr warren is not trying fearing that the combination could at this point badly damage the empire he so carefully built
we cant close this transaction he told wall street analysts in a conference call in may absent a substantial restructuring of this transaction   which energy transfer has been very willing and actually desiring to do   absent that we dont have a deal
few benefited quite as much from the shale boom of the last decade as mr warren as his wealth grew so did his profile in dallas and beyond
mr warren a big republican contributor and his third wife amy a former flight attendant who was an executive assistant at energy transfer were named last year to texas state boards by gov greg abbott he donated millions of dollars to rename a dallas park after his only child
and like any self respecting billionaire mr warren bought property in 2009 he spent 30 million on a 23000 square foot mansion in dallas complete with a bowling alley a baseball diamond and an indoor swimming pool that is the small home
exotic game roam free on his 8000 acre ranch near cherokee tex in 2010 mr warren paid 465 million for the 3500 acre bootjack ranch in southwest colorado he also owns an island off honduras
his lifestyle is a far cry from that of his youth in the small town of white oak tex about 120 miles east of dallas the son of an oil field worker mr warren played football in high school and was the 1974 state pole vault champion he soared over 12 feet 6 inches
but when he arrived at the university of texas at arlington he promptly flunked out he returned home and worked during the day on a pipeline under construction nearby while attending night classes
he buckled down in his second try at college and earned a degree in engineering he spent more than a decade at a natural gas processing company called endevco which went bankrupt mr warren and a partner bought the company and renamed it cornerstone natural gas cornerstone was sold to el paso energy for a considerable profit
that money allowed the partners to start energy transfer equity a pipeline company
pipeline companies are generally viewed as more stable than say drilling companies because they make money by charging fees for moving natural gas and other products because contracts are typically long term the business is generally insulated from sharp swings in energy prices
but as the business grew energy transfer like other companies expanded into other activities
one cannot live on organic growth alone was a favorite phrase of mr warrens signaling his desire for expansion through acquisitions
energy transfer bought pipelines that ran east to west across the state its acquisition of the transwestern pipeline in 2006 made it an interstate player it started construction on huge pipelines to move natural gas from established basins and new shale formations
by early last year mr warren had cobbled together a 71000 mile network of pipelines but he had one more big deal on the horizon williams
after months of negotiations energy transfer announced plans last september to acquire williams in a cash and stock deal valued at 38 billion
but by christmas mr warren had buyers remorse the free fall in energy prices and concern among investors over how energy transfer would pay for the 6 billion cash portion of the deal caused his own companys stock to collapse over the holidays he ordered his advisers to find a way any way out of the deal
by then however the williams board which had voted 8 to 5 for the merger unanimously wanted to proceed with it the company was facing its own challenges chesapeake energy one of its biggest customers was struggling moreover williamss shareholders wanted the cash
the cash component of the deal was causing tension inside energy transfer to pay for it energy transfer would have to borrow billions adding more debt on its already heavily leveraged balance sheet
while advisers debated which assets could be sold the best option to reduce the companys pain was the one that was off the table cut the distributions
energy transfer distributes much of its profit to shareholders tax free the distributions are mr warrens primary source of income last year he pocketed 200 million
above all mr warren wanted the distribution to be preserved in january he developed a plan to secure his personal wealth a special security was created that would protect distributions for him and a select group of investors in the event the company decided to cut distributions to remaining shareholders
the williams board sued arguing that the new distribution plan gave preferential treatment to certain shareholders and therefore breached their merger agreement
to some it appeared that the new distribution plan was part of an effort by mr warren and energy transfer to make the deal as unappetizing to williamss shareholders as possible hoping they would vote against it
the 2 billion in expected synergies that were extolled when the deal was announced nine months ago have virtually disappeared from forecasts as if the two companies were now in completely different industries
in april one of energy transfers lawyers finally found a possible way out of the deal
under the mergers terms lawyers for both sides must confirm that the transfer of assets from williams to energy transfer is a tax free event williamss adviser cravath swaine  moore said it could do so energy transfers legal counsel latham  watkins said it could not
the tax opinion the distribution plan and other issues will be the battle lines in the delaware court the judge will decide whether mr warren was within his legal limits   or went too far   in trying to preserve his empire
kelcys had one hell of a run mr mahmood of allegiance capital said but this is going to leave a scar


minneapolis   joe mauers engaging manner has not changed since espn the magazine named him the most fan friendly athlete in the united states in 2010
before batting practice on saturday mauer the minnesota twins first baseman had trouble putting in his contact lenses as he returned to his locker to grab another bottle of solution he smiled and joked wryly about it
im already 0 for 2 he said
things did not go much better for mauer a three time american league batting champion once the game began donning sunglasses to counter the afternoon glare mauer went 0 for 4 with a season high three strikeouts as his second 28 game streak of reaching base this season ended after going 0 for 3 against the yankees on sunday his average fell to 276 an improvement from last year but still below his 311 career mark
the twins are in the midst of their worst season in decades and the frustration weighs on mauer the hometown guy from nearby st paul and the clubs highest paid player more than two years after a concussion forced him to give up catching where he had been a six time all star and the 2009 american league most valuable player his recovery from lingering vision issues continues slowly
last winter mauer told the st paul pioneer press that since sustaining the concussion   brought on by two jarring foul tips to the mask against the mets in august 2013   he occasionally had blurred vision that made it difficult to track pitches last season mauer hit a career low 265 his second consecutive season below 300 with a career high 112 strikeouts
mauer 33 said this weekend that he felt healthier and was seeing the ball better than he had in years the dizziness he sometimes experienced in off season workouts subsided last winter his strikeouts are down his walks are up and according to the website fangraphs he is hitting more line drives than any season in his career
he started strong with a 321 batting average in april but then fell off mauer a left handed batter has not figured out how to beat shifts that position the shortstop toward the middle and outfielders around to left taking away his favorite places to hit the ball on sunday yankees shortstop didi gregorius played him almost directly behind second base
still mauers 379 on base percentage is on pace to be his best since he stopped catching and his eight intentional walks lead the al he has seven home runs and 26 rbi
hes more like himself for sure twins general manager terry ryan said hes got all those streaks of being on base hes taking good at bats hes certainly getting on at a frequent rate hes got seven home runs and hes playing a gold glove first base i swear to god that goes underrated with him he can really play first
twins second baseman brian dozier said what impresses me with what joes doing this year is the juice its coming off his bat really well to left field even his outs are battled at bats and hard hit outs thats when you know hes locked in
but ryan manager paul molitor and others in the organization question whether mauer will ever match his old production which put him on a track for the hall of fame when molitor a hall of famer with more than 3000 hits who graduated from the same high school as mauer was asked if mauer might crack the al top 10 in batting again he hedged
thats hard to say molitor said thats pretty speculative i think joe just kind of grinds it out every day same guy doesnt change he can get hot like you saw the first month when he hit 350 im sure thats still in there
no american league catcher had won multiple batting titles until mauer led the league three times in four seasons from 2006 to 2009 his mvp season of 2009 ranks among the best ever by a catcher he missed spring training and the first month of the season with back problems homered on his first swing in his first game then went on to finish with 28 homers 96 rbi and a 365 average and led the twins to the postseason
the eight year 184 million contract extension mauer signed the next spring the richest ever for a catcher has made mauer an easy target for fans looking for someone to blame for the clubs collapse since its last division title in 2010
it is more complicated than that though mauer and justin morneau his former roommate were expected to anchor the middle of the twins lineup for years but morneau the 2006 american league mvp struggled for years after sustaining a concussion in july 2010 in a basepath collision the twins traded morneau in 2013 he recently signed a minor league deal with the chicago white sox
other injuries bad pitching ill advised trades and the slow development of prospects have contributed to one big mess the 20 48 twins began play sunday with the worst record in baseball on saturday they blew a 4 0 seventh inning lead to the yankees in a 7 6 loss
its been a very frustrating year mauer said
mauer and morneau have remained close when the duo was in its prime a local columnist called the two the mm boys borrowing the combined nickname of mickey mantle and roger maris with the 1960s yankees with a little better luck mauer and morneau might still be together and the twins might not be so bad
we can play the what if games all the time mauer said i try not to do that weve both been through a lot obviously you cant control what happened to us all you can control is how you recover from it
morneau won a national league batting title with colorado in 2014 that gives mauer hope that perhaps another remains for him but he said that was not his main focus
ive never been too concerned about those individual things he said im trying to get us back to winning and where we should be but i dont see why i cant be successful


heres a look at the week ahead
economy
british voters go to the polls on thursday to determine whether to remain part of the european union or sever the relationship kicking off fraught and complicated divorce proceedings a vote for a so called brexit would sow uncertainty through the global economy and almost certainly slow britains economy as it negotiated a new trading arrangement with europe but the leave camp has a real shot at winning the vote on the strength of electoral yearnings for tighter limits on immigration   something britain cant impose while part of the european union peter s goodman
on tuesday and wednesday the federal reserves chairwoman janet l yellen will be presenting her semiannual testimony on monetary policy to congress she will appear before the senate banking committee on tuesday followed by the house financial services committee on wednesday
the fed left rates unchanged when officials met last week but ms yellens testimony will be closely watched for any sign of when the fed will decide to tighten monetary policy although wall street seems to think the next move may come in september analysts will be looking for any hint on whether july remains an option as well as any thoughts on the looming vote in britain nelson d schwartz

technology
facebook will hold its annual shareholder meeting in silicon valley on monday where its top executives mark zuckerberg sheryl sandberg and others will field questions about the state of the company up for a vote is a proposed new stock structure one that is intended to continue giving mr zuckerberg majority voting control over the company even as he plans to sell off his stock in the coming years to donate much of his wealth to philanthropic causes the proposal is expected to pass since mr zuckerberg already maintains strict control under current company bylaws mike isaac
european politicians will decide on monday whether to approve new rules allowing companies like google and facebook to transfer personal data back and forth across the atlantic the proposals known as the eu us privacy shield have been criticized by some for failing to fully protect europeans rights and the lawmakers may still ask for more concessions from their american counterparts to meet europes strict privacy standards mark scott
blackberry is no longer in danger of imminent collapse as was the case when john s chen was brought in to lead the company in 2013 but as mr chen prepares to run the companys annual meeting in waterloo ontario on wednesday and release first quarter results on thursday his turnaround plan which involves focusing on phone management and security systems for business and government remains unproved despite adopting googles android operating system blackberry has not revived the smartphone business it once dominated last week maynard um an analyst at wells fargo published a detailed case for finally shutting down the phone business that would cut blackberrys revenue almost by half to just over 1 billion by mr ums estimates but he forecast that without phones blackberry could earn 27 cents a share this year rather than lose 10 cents a share ian austen
general electrics software business is now a stand alone unit ge digital on thursday morning ge executives will present wall street analysts a progress report on the new unit at the moment ge digital looks modest financially the company has said it expects 6 billion in revenue this year compared with total ge revenue of 117 billion in 2015 but ge has set aggressive growth targets for ge digital and the software units new products including predix an operating system for the industrial internet are vital to ges plan to become a digital industrial company steve lohr

auto industry
volkswagen will hold its annual shareholders meeting in hanover germany on wednesday members of top management and vws supervisory board are expected to get an earful from shareholders about the companys slim profits and emissions misconduct but there are unlikely to be any real consequences as almost all of volkswagens voting shares are owned by members of the porsche and piech families the state of lower saxony and the sovereign wealth fund of qatar jack ewing

banking
finance officials from more than 40 founding countries of the asian infrastructure investment bank which was organized by china in part to provide an alternative to the world bank and the international monetary fund will gather in beijing next weekend for an annual meeting china has tried to follow some of the international governance standards from the older multilateral institutions partly in response to criticism from the united states which remains unwilling to join the new development bank and from europe where some countries have decided to join the bank has 57 founding countries but not all have ratified the necessary documents in their legislatures and so not all will have finance officials to participate fully in the meeting keith bradsher


orlando fla   as doctors treated the horrific injuries of victims shot in the pulse nightclub massacre here a mistaken report of a gunman nearby forced officials to briefly lock down the emergency room the medical staff shoved heavy x ray machines against the doors creating a makeshift barricade in a treatment bay
emergency room physicians ran low on tubes needed to reinflate the lungs of patients shot in the chest the doctors scrambled to make sense of gunshot wounds because paramedics had rushed victims in with no time to assess their conditions the hospitals emergency preparedness manager asleep at home received an urgent email but did not respond until awakened by text
but of the 44 patients brought to orlando regional medical center with life threatening gunshot wounds in the early hours of june 12 35 survived
the pulse nightclub massacre has put orlando on a growing roster of places   columbine virginia tech aurora newtown paris san bernardino   forced to confront attacks with injuries comparable to those in war zones more will become clear over time but orlandos response is already beginning to provide lessons on the challenges large and small of dealing with mass shootings as well as what went right and what went wrong what can be anticipated and what cannot
and it is raising hard questions about how to act when medical priorities and law enforcement ones can seem to be at odds
across the nation and the world the realization that mass killings are the new normal has been gradually sinking in on friday the national academy of medicine in washington published a discussion paper   titled health and medical response to active shooter and bombing events   that details best practices to help communities become better prepared it warns that many are ill equipped for a surge in major trauma cases
orlando a major tourist destination had worked hard to prepare in march orlando regional medical center the only major trauma center in central florida staged a realistic large scale active shooter scenario simulating a school massacre that had left 500 wounded fifty agencies including the fbi participated in the four hour exercise high school students in ghastly makeup flooded 15 hospitals
the pulse shooting   which killed 49 and wounded 53   turned the march drill into a middle of the night reality for scores of doctors nurses hospital administrators paramedics and pathologists wrenching questions remain could more lives have been saved if the police had stormed the nightclub earlier did terrified victims bleed to death waiting for help to arrive
the orlando experience validated what experts in emergency medicine had long known the faster victims can reach the hospital the more likely they are to survive of the 49 victims just nine died in the trauma center   and they died minutes after arriving hospital officials said which suggests they had been mortally wounded
the pulse survivors owe their lives in part to a grim coincidence the trauma center is just a few blocks from the nightclub given that orlando may not be a perfect model for what could happen elsewhere
because of the proximity we felt that more lives had been saved than if it were anywhere else said eric alberts the hospitals emergency preparedness manager
mr alberts 39 who previously ran emergency operations at disney world said the active shooter drill in march which he organized had proved very similar to the pulse massacre
even so said dr william s havron a trauma surgeon who spent the night operating on victims i dont think anybody can ever be fully prepared for something like this
dr chris hunter an emergency room physician and the director of the health services department for orange county fla which includes orlando was on an overnight shift at a hospital 20 miles away when he received a text that thrust him into supervising the response
he made a fast decision orlando regional medical center was going to status black
that designation meant the trauma centers emergency room would be closed to all but the shooting victims and others with serious injuries people with sprains sore throats or earaches would be sent elsewhere
we never do that dr hunter said
outside pulse about 80 paramedics were furiously trying to cope with the carnage working with two cellphones and a two way radio because he could not leave his nighttime post dr hunter tried to track the paramedics to let the emergency room know when the next patients would arrive thirty four ambulances were making round trips
paramedics usually radio ahead to the emergency room with each patients condition so doctors can prepare but at pulse there was not always time for that and the police and bystanders were also driving victims to the hospital
it was great for the patients but hard on the staff said dr gary a parrish the director of the emergency department
dr havron the trauma surgeon had just drifted off to sleep after feeding his 4 day old son when he received the call when he arrived at the emergency room he could not enter it was locked down with the mistaken report of a gunman he called a colleague who told him to go upstairs to the operating room dr havron performed six operations that night
experts know that good communication is critical in managing a crisis but as more patients arrived many unconscious and without identification mr alberts the emergency preparedness manager missed his first alert about the pulse shooting an email at 221 am he was at home asleep that was one of the glitches we found that didnt really work too well he said it was not until 342 am that he was awakened by a text from his boss
on mr albertss orders the hospital activated an emergency plan moving patients around to make room for victims in the intensive care unit supervising the response from a command center he confronted other challenges not life or death but still vexing
a well meaning donor sent 50 pizzas mr alberts had them thrown out fearing a terrorists poison foreign consuls showed up demanding a list of patients names that could not legally be released he politely referred the consuls to the state department digital fingerprinting failed to identify an unconscious patient an old fashioned inkpad worked
casualties came to the hospital that night in two waves the first around 2 am shortly after the shooting started the second wave victims who had been trapped in the club with the gunman arrived around 5 am after the police had blasted through a wall in the club and killed him
dr havron and five other trauma surgeons at the hospital performed 28 operations that night of the 44 patients brought to the trauma center eight died in the emergency room within minutes of their arrival another died on the way to the operating room and 35 were admitted as of sunday four remained in critical condition
everybody that made it to the operating room is still alive dr havron said
but dr jay falk the academic chairman of emergency medicine at the trauma center warned that if there had been twice as many casualties they might have overwhelmed the system
this is a problem the hospital will have to address he said adding we have to rethink that
across town at florida hospital orlando victims with less serious injuries began arriving around 3 am eventually there would be 12 of them most had been shot in the arms or the legs one had been trampled
the patients were awake and stable and fbi agents were eager to question them lorinda stahley the nurse manager for the emergency department approached the victims gingerly
but she said they were all ready and willing to be interviewed
four needed surgery dr brian vickaryous an orthopedist and former army surgeon who operated on combat injuries in iraq performed the operations each bullet he pulled out went to the fbi
angel santiago 32 of philadelphia was one of his patients mr santiago had been trapped in a bathroom in the club lying in a pool of blood he had been shot in the legs he could see a bullet hole in the chest of his friend who was sweating profusely the two grew weaker as they waited desperately for the police to arrive
by the time i got to the hospital they said my blood pressure was very low mr santiago said i was dizzy cold they gave me two units of blood to try to stabilize me
he later learned that his friend sent to another hospital   presumably orlando regional medical center   was in critical condition he survived
of the 50 who died including the gunman 39 died inside the club two more were found on the street outside those numbers along with accounts like mr santiagos raise agonizing questions about whether more lives could have been saved if the standoff had ended sooner and whether some victims had bled slowly to death dr vickaryous like many medical professionals here did not want to second guess law enforcement
we have a saying in medicine the retrospect o scope is 20 20 he said
the dead were brought to the orange county morgue which upgraded its capacity in 2010 to store as many as 150 bodies with a plane crash or a tornado in mind dr joshua d stephany the county medical examiner supervised the autopsies and performed some himself
i dont think anyone had prolonged suffering he said in an interview
autopsy reports could help explain how victims died by describing the wounds but no details have been released because the investigation is in progress
analysis of bullets like the ones dr vickaryous removed from victims may eventually answer another difficult question whether some people were caught in the crossfire and shot by the police said dr jan garavaglia dr stephanys predecessor
the response to the massacre is already generating debate in academia
dr irwin redlener the director of the national center for disaster preparedness at columbia university said there was little doubt that more of the injured would have survived if they had been rescued sooner
but he also urged against judging the police because the gunman had boasted that he had bombs and accomplices both claims were lies but no one could be sure at first
as to whether victims had died quickly or suffered it depends on where the bullets hit dr redlener said
here in orlando officials are just beginning to evaluate their response even as they continue to care for patients plan funerals and tend to their own emotional trauma mr alberts the emergency preparedness manager has had two debriefings with his medical team
at the orlando fire department chief roderick s williams who supervised many of the paramedics first on the scene is planning to tell others our lessons learned fire chiefs from new york aurora colo and boston   cities that have also confronted traumas   have already reached out to share their information
as the next city to experience a horrific event like this chief williams said we have to pay it forward


muhammad ali was near the end of his boxing career when he filmed commercials for d con the pesticide maker that showed what a delightful spokesman he was   and could have been for a long time
i can whup anything on two legs he declared to the camera but even me the greatest needs help beating things with six legs i mean roaches
but parkinsons disease robbed him of his ability to actively endorse products so that by 1997 when he shot a poignant pizza hut commercial with his former trainer angelo dundee he communicated with only a few gestures
alis increasing inability to move with his former grace or speak with his onetime loquaciousness did not bother the entrepreneur robert f x sillerman in 2006 he paid 50 million for 80 percent of alis goat greatest of all time company to control alis name image likeness and publicity
sillerman vowed to jump start the ali brand   which he thought to be woefully underused   without bothering him
it is not our plan to involve him in any way personally he said then
and that is how alis image has been handled since as the rights acquired by sillermans ckx company were then bought by the private equity firm apollo global management and then by the authentic brands group in 2013
to evoke alis image in their marketing companies have been using archival footage photos audio and his sayings in a recent porsche commercial with maria sharapova and magnus carlsen the world chess champion computer generated special effects superimposed alis head on the actors playing him in the ring
ira mayer a consultant to licensing companies said alis image had been used as if it were part of an estate even while he was alive in that way he has been preserved at his most vibrant even as he was seen publicly in his decline
alis death this month and with it an extraordinary outpouring of coverage will probably increase his value to companies that want to link their products to him
it has a salutary effect on the immediate future mayer said
as with any boxer whose lucrative fighting career comes to an end alis earning power after his final bout was uncertain he was generous to too many people and not always shrewd about his dealmaking which began to change after his marriage to lonnie williams in 1986
there was a time prior to lonnie where muhammad could walk from one end of the airport to another and he would have six deals in his pocket said ron dinicola alis longtime lawyer some hed sign some he didnt that changed dramatically when lonnie took the reins and we instituted controls that allowed for the maturation of the muhammad ali business
ali missed out on the enormous pay per view jackpots enjoyed by boxers like floyd mayweather jr and oscar de la hoya but he avoided the financial pitfalls that pushed mike tyson into bankruptcy
as big a name as ali was it was one of his fallen opponents george foreman who cashed in first by refashioning his formerly sour persona into that of a jolly endorser of multiple products in 1999 foreman landed a deal worth 1375 million from the maker of the lean mean fat reducing grilling machine that he had promoted so effectively in a series of commercials
sillerman recognized alis value with a less spectacular agreement and combined it in ckx with two previous deals for iconic brands 85 percent of elvis presley enterprises and the company that owned american idol
there was a movement at the time for celebrities and recording artists to collateralize their future income capacity dinicola said david bowie was one of the first to go to wall street for muhammad this was smart business
once alis rights moved to authentic brands the company sweetened the deal for the alis in addition to a 20 percent cut from each deal the alis also received a stake in authentic brands whose holdings include the estate of marilyn monroe a chunk of shaquille oneals future income and management of michael jacksons brand
we cut a new deal with the family that involves part of abg said jamie salter the chief executive so whatever we do it always benefits the family
the company has consulted with the alis largely lonnie about the deals it plans to make we explain everything to her and shes never said no said nick woodhouse the president of authentic brands however lonnie did have early hesitations about starting a twitter feed in her husbands name he said
she didnt want someone speaking as muhammad woodhouse said and we said one of muhammads great talents was communicating to people and digital is the way to do it 
the account has 868000 followers and is augmented by archival photos and his sayings
lonnie ali was unavailable for comment
there is no way to determine precisely what the alis have earned over the last decade besides the initial 50 million payout public filings by ckx show that its ali revenues did not appear to exceed 6 million annually
forbes magazines annual listing of the highest paid retired athletes   which ranks michael jordan no 1 this year with 110 million   has never listed ali because it did not have enough clarity on his earnings a spokeswoman said
authentic brands is privately held so salter spoke only generally about the growth of ali related revenue since 2013
where we are today is four to five times bigger than it was three years ago salter said and the potential is probably another five to six times the size of what it is today
since taking control of alis licensing rights the company has made deals with porsche under armour toyota roots of fight an apparel maker with a strong focus on fighters and supreme which is selling a limited edition of hoodies and t shirts using a polaroid shot taken by andy warhol an ali exhibition of photos footage and memorabilia is on display at the o2 arena in london
for under armour   whose stable of athletes includes stephen curry   producing t shirts tops shoes shorts and warm up jackets that evoke alis past is a bet on linking his deep heritage to the companys thriving business expectations are of course more modest for ali than for curry whose shoes have become the sort of hot product that they are drastically lifting under armours business
its not a deal around building a 100 million ali business but a way to connect our brand to the stories about the most famous athlete of all time said glenn silbert a senior vice president of under armour if he were just a legacy connected to a long gone demographic this would be harder to do but he connects to young middle aged and old nobody embodies what he embodied
authentic brands is seeking deals in categories like timepieces airlines energy drinks financial services and computers a broadway show is possible as is an ali hotel that was once envisioned by sillerman until the recession upended real estate
think of it as an ali destination woodhouse said musing over the possibilities it would be fitness based with a boxing gym it would have a miniature ali center to spread his message you could rent the thrilla in manila room and when youd pick up the phone youd hear i am the greatest 


a tennessee jury convicted a former vanderbilt university football player of rape charges on saturday after weighing evidence that he invited three teammates to sexually assault an unconscious woman in his dorm room
over five days of testimony in a nashville courtroom prosecutors portrayed brandon vandenburg 23 as encouraging the 2013 attack passing out condoms and recording video that he sent to friends
reporters in the courtroom said mr vandenburg shook his head as the jury foreman read the verdict guilty on all counts five of aggravated rape two of aggravated sexual battery and one of unlawful photography in a front row his mother sobbed
its impossible to not to be emotional about this case jan norman an assistant district attorney said after the verdict the facts of it are horrific
prosecutors say three other men were present in mr vandenburgs room during the attack in june 2013 one cory batey was convicted along with mr vandenburg last year during a joint trial those verdicts were thrown out after it was revealed that one of the jurors had not disclosed during the trial that he had once been a victim of statutory rape
during a retrial in april mr batey was again found guilty of aggravated rape and other charges the two other men jaborian mckenzie and brandon banks have pleaded not guilty and are awaiting trial
the trial conducted against the backdrop of a national discussion about sexual assaults on college campuses and the conduct of student athletes gained intense public scrutiny because of the accusations against the defendants who were division i athletes at vanderbilt a private university
it also drew comparisons to another recent trial in that case brock turner a former swimmer at stanford was sentenced to six months in jail after being convicted of sexually assaulting an unconscious woman in 2015 the punishment which many critics denounced as lenient set off protests that echoed across the country and on wednesday in congress where members of the house took turns reading a letter written by the victim
mr vandenburg and mr batey are both facing minimum sentences of 15 years the law also provided a mandatory minimum in mr turners case   two years   but the judge had discretion to deviate from it
the victim in nashville at the time a 21 year old neuroscience major testified that she had been drinking with mr vandenburg at a bar the next thing she recalled she said was waking up alone in his bed in pain
questioned by the police four days later mr vandenburg acknowledged that he had watched the attack she got sexually assaulted right in front of me and i didnt do anything he said during the interrogation according to the tennessean i shouldve called someone
mr vandenburgs defense argued that he was intoxicated and could not be held responsible for his teammates actions
while the state did not accuse mr vandenburg of touching the woman it argued that he coaxed others to do so in that regard said tom thurman the deputy district attorney general the videos taken by mr vandenburg some of which were recovered by investigators and shown during the trial established his culpability beyond any doubt
randall reagan a lawyer for mr vandenburg said he would appeal


tribune publishings recent rebranding of itself prompts the question whats in a name
on monday tribune publishing   the company behind the chicago tribune los angeles times and nine other major daily newspapers   will become tronc inc with a lowercase t an abbreviation of tribune online content
the name change represents a strategic shift from being a newspaper publisher toward becoming a content curation and monetization company tribune publishing said in a news release this month announcing the name change
our rebranding to tronc represents the manner in which we will pool our technology and content resources to execute on our strategy the companys chairman michael ferro said in a statement
the name change had some marketing experts and corporate renaming specialists scratching their heads though
i think they have some challenges with the name that they picked said julie cottineau the founder and chief executive of brandtwist and the author of twist how fresh perspectives build breakthrough brands
i think its sort of truncated in a way pun intended it feels like a longer word that got cut off she said although she added that renaming the company gives it a good platform to help publicize its new strategy   not to mention media attention
bob killian founder of killian branding had a similar reaction tronc has a few demerits he said its a strangled sound and it creates an ugliness but it helps he said that the name is short and easy to say
rob frankel a branding expert was also negative the renaming thing blows up way more often than theres any benefit he said adding the wrong way is when people confuse brand for identity
ira kalb an assistant professor of clinical marketing at the marshall school of business at the university of southern california says many companies overlook the role a name plays in their identity in a brand platform the three big items we have are the name the logo and the slogan those three things work together to help create your brand in the mind of the buyer he said when you change that name youre changing the relationship and most people dont understand that
consumers can have similar negative responses when a company alters a classic logo when pepsico overhauled the typeface and design of its tropicana orange juice cartons in 2009 sales dropped and the old design was back in supermarket refrigerators within a couple of months the next year when gap inc changed the logo of its flagship brand a negative outcry on social media prompted the company to backpedal after about a week
experts say one of the most common mistakes that companies make is to let employees or customers make suggestions or to make a contest out of picking a new name to create an effective name it should not be a democracy ms cottineau said everybody feels theyre an expert in naming
the reality is that most people are not mr killian said an internal contest is a disaster about 100 percent of the time youre asking people to do something thats not in their skill set he said a renaming contest also creates a dynamic with winners and losers which can inject unnecessary tension into a companys work force he said
ms cottineau says most companies make a lot of mistakes when it comes to rebranding changing your corporate name is really difficult this one little word has to overcome so many different hurdles she said
not only should the ideal brand name be easy to pronounce and spell but ms cottineau said a newer concern is making sure that the word does not get automatically corrected   possibly to something embarrassing   when typed in an email or text message
probably the biggest one is trademark and url availability she said adding that its not unheard of for naming consultants to cycle through thousands of possibilities before settling on a short list of available ones
different barriers to starting a business today with the evolution of the tech start up industry and changes to trademark law mean that an entrepreneur can effectively take a name out of circulation even if the business plan never comes to fruition
ms cottineau says another challenge is companies growing preference for real words   a trend driven by the perception that these words represent a more authentic experience   as opposed to coined words or made up monikers
theres definitely a trend towards real word naming now she said theyre really hard to get though when youre trying to secure a trademark for a real word it has to be relevant but not descriptive of your category
starbucks for instance is a better name than something more generic that might include the word coffee she said likewise apple stands out among its technological brethren with a name that evokes harvests rather than hard drives
ms cottineau praised the name choices of the ride hailing service uber and the food delivery service seamless both hint at what their companies aspire to be without pigeonholing them
although its easier to err than to score a victory when renaming a brand experts say one effort that earned high marks was by google which changed its corporate name from google its flagship search engine to alphabet last year as it expanded into potentially risky ventures like high speed broadband smart home devices and self driving cars
a lot of those things are innovative and innovation comes with failure mr kalb said and when your brand fails you dont want it to spill over to other products
mr frankel the branding expert said blackberry made the same mistake wordperfect did in the 80s which is to confuse product with brand he added if the product missteps one time it takes the whole brand down with it


copenhagen   in a deserted grassy field on the outskirts of the danish capital steve mclinden was struggling to land his drone as it teetered 200 feet above and barely in sight battling winds of almost 10 miles an hour
mr mclinden a 45 year old briton grimaced concentrating on a tablet screen connected to his drone handset and monitoring the aircrafts progress through its onboard camera as the device pitched violently during its descent mr mclinden expertly flicked at his controls to make last second adjustments before landing the drone almost perfectly on the bulls eye of a bright red mat placed on the far side of the field
it just takes a little bit of practice mr mclinden a firefighter joked
mr mclinden is a member of a group of middle aged emergency workers taking part in a trial to jump start the use of unmanned aircraft by europes emergency services the goal is to give the region a head start over the united states and elsewhere in using drones to tackle real world emergencies
the drone school builds on europes worldwide lead in giving public groups and companies relatively free rein to experiment with unmanned aircraft if everything goes as planned the projects backers hope government agencies in europe and farther afield can piggyback on the experiences helping to transform drones from recreational toys to lifesaving tools
for us this technology is a game changer said mr mclinden who traveled to copenhagen for a three day training course with two colleagues from the mid and west wales fire and rescue service they will start offering 247 drone support   allowing colleagues for example to monitor accidents from 300 feet above   across central wales later this month
drones arent going to replace what we do mr mclinden added but anything that we can do to give our crews an advantage thats great
the three days of training in copenhagen were the beginning of a six month trial the worlds largest and most widespread experiment with unmanned aircraft to potentially save lives four teams from britain denmark iceland and ireland are taking part in the program organized by the european emergency number association a nonprofit trade body and supported by dji the chinese drone maker
each group will use two drones costing up to 5000 some with thermal imaging cameras and share their experiences as they use the machines when responding to emergency calls
in a somewhat stuffy classroom at a disused fire station in copenhagen thomas sylvest gave advice to mr mclinden and others from his two years of flying as denmarks first and so far only emergency service drone pilot mr sylvest has responded to things as varied as missing person cases and fires often receiving calls late at night
mr sylvest a fast talking 50 year old offered tips on how best to share videos streamed directly from drones to commanders on the ground during a recent fire in downtown copenhagen mr sylvest said he was able to beam high definition images from high above allowing his bosses to judge if a buildings walls would collapse they did not and when the police called him out last year after a man was reported missing he flew his drone along a stretch of train tracks to guide colleagues on where best to look the man was found
we are just firefighters he said as he nursed a cup of coffee during the first day of training we have to be able to use drones in very simple ways
the drone boot camp contrasts sharply with the experience of emergency workers in the united states where it has been harder to use drones for such purposes
in recent years both parts of the world have set up rules to regulate drone use european agencies analysts say have often been quicker to give licenses for public or commercial purposes mostly because officials more inclined toward regulation than in the united states have been eager to control the use of the new technology
the process to be licensed by the federal aviation administration the agency in charge of national drone rules in the united states is more protracted though the agency is the first to require registration of devices used by the general public
europeans started giving out commercial licenses years ago said hendrik bodecker co founder of the analytics company drone industry insights in hamburg they just have more experience
all of the team members gathered in copenhagen had used drones before but on the windswept field outside the city each group still took turns running through preflight checks ensuring that the onboard camera and battery were working properly and practicing maneuvers like night flying and landing aircraft from afar that would form part of their daily routine over coffee and cake the teams also showed off their custom drone modifications including harnesses that allowed multiple cameras to be attached to each drone
you have to practice everything even flying in a straight line said olafur jon jonsson a burly 50 year old icelandic search and rescue volunteer as his drone whirred to life and took off across the field flying drones isnt easy
but if europes drone school is to be successful the experiment must overcome some major challenges
most unmanned aircraft cannot fly in bad weather have limited battery life and struggle to connect to emergency services information technology systems drones the teams said also have been met with skepticism by higher ups who have never used the devices
matthew kelly 44 a search and rescue volunteer in donegal a pristine but harsh wilderness in northwest ireland complained that he often had to bring his drone back after less than 15 minutes because of its limited battery life
but as technological hurdles are overcome and more important drones start saving lives mr kelly said unmanned aircraft could become as regular a fixture on his missions as cody his teams search dog
what im looking forward to is our first actual rescue he said in his softly spoken irish accent i cant wait to see what peoples reaction will be


new haven   will ingram a 17 year old who has played basketball since he was 3 is clear about his place on the conveyor belt that supplies supple young bodies to college basketball programs
while many of ingrams peers fantasize about earning a division i scholarship and playing in the nba ingram outgrew that dream long ago he said he loves basketball but now sees it as a means to an end
i know that im not going to a big d 1 school that produces nba prospects because i know im not good enough said ingram who will be a senior at st marks school of texas in dallas being in the nba was never really my goal
i met ingram and his father tyrous in new haven recently at a three day camp hosted by the yale mens coach james jones more than 150 players attended most of them high academic achievers and each one hoping to catch the eye of a member of joness staff or the more than 60 division iii coaches there
some were headed to the princeton camp the next day others planned to be at the harvard camp this weekend
ingram went to the penn camp on saturday and planned to attend the columbia camp on thursday ivy league colleges are high on his list as are the university of chicago and a number of other division iii universities with top flight academics
id rather have d 1 thats why i went to the yale camp ingram said but division iii is fine with me im just trying to use basketball as a tool so i can get into a good school and further my education
that sort of candid assessment may be a bit off putting to college coaches who are used to using recruits as tools but ingrams perspective reflects a more sophisticated selection approach by athletes and parents on the supply side of a sprawling basketball industry that can chew up the unaware
ingram entertained visions of playing at a top tier division i program until he attended a tournament during his sophomore year of high school he said
i just realized that there was no way i was going to be able to compete with some of these guys he said my sophomore year is when i flipped the switch and changed
an increasing number of families see ivy league and academically elite division iii colleges which cannot offer athletic scholarships as a desirable alternative to those division i sweatshops where education is often compromised by the time demands of athletic competition
unlike many basketball players in division i those in division iii are not required to make an 11 month commitment to their sport coaches are not allowed to hold workouts during the off season
tyrous ingram wills father said if you are not going to the nba why put yourself in a position that could compromise your academic performance
will ingram will not have an easier path to earning a spot in a top flight division iii program though the competition has never been more intense and he will be competing against academic achievers from across the united states and overseas
its so competitive now said kyle dudley an assistant at division iii middlebury the reality is only a small number of high school players are able to continue to play in college
in the last 10 years the most successful division iii programs have had larger recruiting budgets and there are more showcases and camps at which coaches can recruit still despite the abundance of potential players and the high demand for those with division i skills but division iii inclinations the supply of elite talent is limited
at the so called elite division iii camps coaches can buy a program that contains information about each player including his grade point average and standardized test scores
thats the first thing youre looking for anyway said jones yales coach if youre one of those who attend our camp schools you have 139 kids that you can take a look at and know theyre qualified academically thats a big help
these camps also serve as a reality check for players some will find they are better than they thought some will discover they are not as good
i think what we do in this camp is provide a great opportunity for these kids to meet a lot of coaches and figure that out sooner than later jones said
noah lack graduated from high school in may and will spend a year at a prep school in new hampshire beginning in the fall he received no offers to play basketball coming out of high school but thinks an extra year could make a difference
i see myself playing at a high academic division i school or a low major division i school he said
i asked lack what the most difficult part of being on the camp and tournament circuit was
passing the eye test he said coming in as a skinny white guard you obviously have to play with a chip on your shoulder you really have to prove yourself even more
when i asked jones what he thought about lacks perspective he said theres a kid that were recruiting right now   he might be the skinniest white kid youve ever seen but he can play you could be blue for all i care if you can play i like you
lack said that a day earlier he had held his own against two highly regarded recruits one of whom had committed to yale jones said he did not see the scrimmage but added if that did happen we would certainly want to take notice of that and be aware thats why were here doing this were trying to find that diamond in the rough
lacks father jonathan has tried to nudge lack toward the division iii route without much success unlike ingram lack is holding on to a division i dream
hes not mature enough to understand life after basketball jonathan lack said he would like to play division i thats his dream our dream is for him to be a fully functional contributing member of society and self reliant
i said something about young people following their dreams jonathan lack replied at what point do you have a fantasy versus a dream at some point for him and all these other kids hes going to have to have a reality check hes going to have to make a decision on whether he wants to keep playing at a d iii level or stop playing
the younger lack may be surprised to find that division iii competition is not a walk in the park
jeff brown middleburys longtime coach has seen the recruiting process intensify twenty years ago brown said he basically coached the talent that showed up on campus and people that sought out middlebury college now brown and dudley the assistant attend six of the eight ivy league prospect camps every year
we go to numerous aau tournaments some of the other academically geared camps around the country scouting out talent brown said as he watched players scrimmage many of these athletes are really going to be disappointed by their recruitment level
many of them aspire to be division i players probably less than a dozen of these guys will be division i players and theyll settle into division ii or division iii some of them will not play in college there will be a lot of disappointment in terms of landing spots
not for the ingram family tyrous ingram was clear division iii is where he wants his son to be
were trying to leverage his athletic ability to get him into the best school that he can get into he said


istanbul   turkish border guards killed at least 11 syrian refugees including at least three children who were trying to cross into turkey illegally on sunday syrian activists and a monitoring group said
the refugees were shot as they tried to enter turkish territory near the border crossing of the syrian town of jisr al shoughour the syrian observatory for human rights monitoring group based in britain said in a statement on its website several other refugees were wounded the group said
jisr al shoughour has become a key smuggling route since turkey closed its borders to syrian refugees this year
a senior turkish official said that the killings could not be independently verified and that an investigation was underway turkey which is a host to nearly three million refugees has denied similar previous allegations and maintains that it allows entry to refugees whose lives are under imminent threat
the monitoring group said nearly 60 civilians had been shot this year while trying to flee to turkey from syria last month human rights watch published a report accompanied by video that purported to show refugees being beaten up and shot at by turkish border guards
on sunday mohammad al abd 35 a resident of the border village of khirbet al jouz rushed to the border crossing after hearing gunshots
locals from the village contacted syrians on the turkish side of the border to ask the turkish border guards to stop shooting mr abd said in a phone interview almost an hour later we were able to take the dead bodies and wounded to the hospital seven people were killed and five wounded all from the same extended family
the syrian observatory for human rights said two others had been killed in that shooting though not from the same family
the family was fleeing jarablus a town controlled by the islamic state militant group in the aleppo countryside in northern syria and trying to join relatives in turkey mr abd said american led coalition airstrikes against the islamic state have intensified in recent weeks sending hundreds of syrian refugees to the turkish border
two other men were also killed on sunday as they were trying to get into turkey mr abd and local activists reported
a video reportedly taken in the aftermath of the shootings on sunday which was posted online by syrian lawyers and rights groups shows a mother cradling her baby who appeared to have a bullet wound
once the cameraman pronounces the baby dead the woman breaks down screaming the video could not be independently verified
turkey under pressure from the european union to curb the flow of illegal migration into europe has cracked down on cross border trafficking in recent months however syrians from the border villages say that smuggling has not stopped and that people cross into turkey almost every night
rights groups have urged turkey to reopen its borders to provide safe passage to syrian asylum seekers fleeing war


madrid   europe is facing a migration crisis the threat of islamic terrorism and the prospect that britain will exit the european union but the big foreign policy issue before spains national elections next sunday venezuela of course
candidates have visited caracas the capital of venezuela to grandstand spains governing conservative party has met in madrid with opponents of venezuelas leftist government there have been charges of a virtual venezuelan infiltration of spains politics
the shadow cast by venezuela has been so long that its president nicolas maduro recently invited spains politicians to hold their election debate in caracas so that i can also participate and perhaps i will win the elections in spain
it may seem a little odd given the host of problems facing spain but the reason is simple after six months of political deadlock and inconclusive elections in december the only sign of change before spains election redo is the growing strength of podemos the far left party whose leaders once served as advisers to the former government of hugo chavez in venezuela
the stronger podemos looks the more its opponents try to link the party to venezuela where the economy is collapsing and mr maduros increasingly authoritarian government has declared a state of emergency the message is meant to be scary and clear venezuela is a mess and it can happen here
one of the four parties that is competing in the campaign in spain was hosted and formed in venezuela so if they want to bring that model here they have to explain why albert rivera the leader of ciudadanos an emerging center right party told a group of foreign correspondents this month shortly after returning from venezuela it is podemos which brought venezuela to spain not us
the leader of podemos pablo iglesias fired back in a televised debate that his opponents were ignoring the issues that could really affect spain starting with a possible british exit from the european union
podemos had its first electoral success in may 2014 when it won 8 percent of the votes in european parliament elections in its early days podemos looked to syriza the greek party that came to power in early 2015 as an example of how a new and far left party could overhaul the political establishment
podemos may be poised to do just that after recently forming an alliance with a radical party united left it could now leapfrog over the socialists into second place behind the conservative popular party of the caretaker prime minister mariano rajoy according to recent opinion polls such an outcome would overturn the two party political order that has prevailed since spains return to democracy in the late 1970s
given the troubles in greece which is negotiating yet another international bailout opponents of podemos have made much of the connection to syriza but it is the link to the former chavez government that has been a special focus
a handful of podemos leaders   including mr iglesias juan carlos monedero and inigo errejon   once used their academic credentials as political scientists to work as advisers to the government of mr chavez who died in 2013 they also did advisory work in bolivia and ecuador while studying how far left politics could reshape latin american nations
opponents of podemos have attacked the party over its finances and possible links to foreign governments particularly venezuela such accusations have been rejected by podemos which has instead built part of its campaign on denouncing the corruption of established parties financed by construction kickbacks
before podemos entered the spanish political scene mr iglesias and mr errejon sat on the board of a spanish research institute financed by the venezuelan government
in april 2015 mr monedero resigned from the leadership of podemos amid ideological differences but also after he had to pay 200000 euros about 227000 under the current exchange rate in back taxes and fines for receiving EUR425000 as payment for consulting with the chavez government in 2010 to develop plans for a new regional currency
mr monedero and other podemos leaders were never charged with wrongdoing however during the recent televised debate mr rivera the leader of ciudadanos repeated previous allegations that podemos had relied on venezuelas money
it is immoral that a foreign regime finances a party mr rivera said a visibly angry mr iglesias responded that it was a very serious offense to accuse his party of illegal financing particularly since it was an issue that had been already cleared by spains supreme court
mr rivera has recently issued the strongest statements over venezuela during the spanish election campaign taking over from mr rajoy who last month convened his security council to review the safety of the 200000 spaniards living under the state of emergency in venezuela
with the help of spains conservative establishment the venezuelan opposition has also made its presence felt in spain led by lilian tintori the wife of leopoldo lopez a venezuelan politician who was jailed in february 2014
this month ms tintori a former television presenter gave public speeches in salamanca and madrid hosted by the popular party as well as a conservative newspaper la razon
two years and three months ago we came to spain and other countries and nobody paid attention to us she said before an audience that included three ministers from mr rajoys government as well as mr rivera
even as podemos has distanced itself from venezuela it has not joined other parties in condemning mr maduros policies this month the european parliament approved a resolution demanding the release of mr lopez and other political prisoners in venezuela
the lawmakers of podemos abstained while those of its ally the united left party voted against the resolution arguing that it was designed to further destabilize venezuela
podemos is making economic proposals clearly similar to those of venezuela francisco de la torre diaz an economic adviser to ciudadanos said
among those proposals he said is the idea that it would be worth getting out of the euro he also mentioned that podemos advocates a massive increase in public spending as well as a plan to nationalize some strategic corporations
mr iglesias has denied having any plan to drop the euro dismissing warnings by mr rivera and others as fallacious scaremongering
podemos has gradually watered down its demands for an economic overhaul its latest party program seeks an increase in public spending of EUR60 billion less than its previous proposal of EUR96 billion
despite this some conservative associations have recently been formed to help prevent podemos from turning spain into the next venezuela
we want to denounce the situation in venezuela and warn about what could happen in spain said andres redondo the president of an association called let us save democracy which was formed in madrid last year
we want venezuelans to share their experience with spaniards he said so as to make voters here particularly the young wake up and realize that all the terrible things happening there are now happening here


minneapolis   that 500 mark did not last long for the yankees again
for the third time since may 25 the yankees lost the day after evening their record a recurring source of frustration for a team seeking to move up in the american league east race minnesota twins pitcher ervin santana limited the yankees to three runs over seven and one third innings and the shaky twins bullpen secured the final five outs to win 7 4 on a sweltering afternoon at target field
brian mccann broke a lengthy slump with two long home runs among his three hits but the yankees leading by 2 0 in the fourth and seemingly on the verge of sweeping four games from the last place twins could not quell a decisive four run minnesota rally in the sixth one that featured two bloop hits and an acrobatic slide by trevor plouffe around mccanns tag
we had a good shot to get a win today and let one get away said alex rodriguez the yankees designated hitter who struck out as the tying run at the plate with two runners on in the eighth
now the yankees 34 35 after splitting six games on this trip return home for nine games starting tuesday with the colorado rockies then minnesota and the texas rangers that gives manager joe girardi hope his club can move over 500 and possibly stay there
since mid april the yankees had held a winning record for one day june 10 when they were 31 30 then they lost four straight
we havent been able to build on it but i think this is the first time weve been this close that were going home girardi said hopefully we can take advantage of nine games at home
mccann had been 0 for 15 and batting 125 since returning from a hyperextended left elbow when he homered in the second inning a drive reaching the edge of the second deck in right center his homer leading off the ninth landed on target plaza beyond the right field seats
instead of weak ground balls to the second baseman i was able to get through the baseball and drive it mccann said ive been swinging at good pitches when i get ready to hit the baseball im cutting my swing off not getting through it today is a good day
but the twins who blew a 4 0 seventh inning lead in saturdays loss rallied to avoid being swept in a series for the 10th time this season
the rookie right fielder max kepler cut the yankees lead to 2 1 with a homer in the fifth the first of his three hits a line drive just clearing the 23 foot wall in right
eduardo escobar tripled in two in the sixth to give minnesota the lead the second run scoring when plouffe evaded mccanns diving tag the plate umpire paul emmel called plouffe out but a video review reversed the call mccann did not argue
i dont know if i got his jersey or not mccann said you dont know because youre just diving you just hope for the best he made a good slide and slid over my glove
girardi had dellin betances ready to relieve hoping to coax the second out of the inning from starter nathan eovaldi then go to betances through the seventh escobars one out triple changed his mind
i wasnt going to ask him to get five outs i was going to ask him for four girardi said of betances once they got it to 3 2 i figured id just see if he could get us out of that inning and keep it there
betances could not kepler blooped a run scoring single stole second and scored on kurt suzukis double brian dozier added a solo homer off tyler yates in the seventh to make it 6 2
two minnesota errors in the eighth   a bad throw by reliever taylor rogers and a grounder through first baseman plouffes legs   let in one run and brought carlos beltran and rodriguez to the plate with one out each with a chance to tie the game with one swing beltran described by rodriguez as a one man wrecking crew already had two homers in the series rodriguez had a hit in each game in the series including a run scoring single in the fourth on sunday and his 695th career homer the day before
neither succeeded the left hander rogers fanned beltran swinging at a curve and the right hander brandon kintzler got rodriguez on a slider prompting rodriguez to pound the plate once with his bat
rodriguez chose to be optimistic he and beltran are hitting mccann broke his slump the yankees averaged six runs a game on this trip and mark teixeira begins a rehabilitation assignment on tuesday
i think were chipping away rodriguez said for us its been frustrating that we get to that threshold of 500 and take a step back
inside pitch
mark teixeira right knee cartilage damage will begin a rehabilitation assignment tuesday with class aaa scrantonwilkes barre teixeira will play three consecutive days before rejoining the yankees on saturday ive got to make sure it bounces back teixeira said we do no good here if i can only play every other day i think three days will give us a good opportunity to test it ... the yankees activated the left hander chasen shreve sprained left shoulder from the disabled list but optioned him to scranton he had struggles his last four or five outings so i think its important to get him back on a roll so he can help us joe girardi said


guadalupe calif   daniel r small climbed the sand dunes here as carefully as a tour guide scaling ancient egyptian ruins up there he said sidestepping a scrap of wood and motioning to a pile of rubble in the distance was where the temple once stood to the right half of a sphinx is still buried in the sand
yet this stretch of land along the pacific coast known as the rancho guadalupe dunes proves a novel sort of archaeological site its where cecil b demille filmed the exodus scenes of his 1923 silent spectacle the ten commandments building an elaborate set that he later buried so that no competing director could use it and mr small is not a student of egyptology but an artist whose interest in the excavations of this biblical proxy has shaped a major project in the new hammer museum biennial exhibition made in la 2016
on a site visit this month he pointed out some shrapnel scattered across the dunes likely from steel cables used to buttress the temple facade he also spotted some concrete chunks that could have been used he speculated for stairs or risers but now that these pieces have been wind whipped or sandblasted for nearly 100 years they look like tablets from egypt he said its so bizarre the longer the set is exposed to the elements the more authentic it seems somehow
filling an entire room at the hammer museum with artifacts from guadalupe mr smalls work plays with current notions of the artist as archaeologist its also one of several projects in the biennial digging into the early history of hollywood seeking some insight into todays image obsessed culture
in one gallery martine syms nods to early hollywood as a wild frontier with her remake of the 1907 edwin s porter film laughing gas in another margaret honda puts the raw materials and the mechanical processes of hollywood filmmaking in the spotlight creating intense perceptual experiences out of celluloid and light that unexpectedly recall ephemeral works of the southern california installation pioneers james turrell and robert irwin
the curators aram moshayedi and hamza walker said they did not seek out a hollywood focus for the show the hammers third biennial devoted to emerging or underrecognized artists in los angeles but mr walker said the theme makes sense given the porous nature of the artworks we were thinking about   where music fashion film and poetry all rub shoulders with visual art
rubbing shoulders suggests a friendly encounter the history of video art especially can be read as a critique of the dominant   some would say repressive   hollywood entertainment complex starting with anti narrative artists like nam june paik and bruce nauman but the artists in made in la treat hollywoods image bank and its technological achievements as source material no better or worse than their friends instagram feeds their interest seems earnest not satirical
ms symss work especially is a sponge a related video in the new museums 2015 triennial was praised by the new republic as a 25 minute hopscotch through the history of representations of african americans in sitcoms at the hammer she now celebrates the fluid anything goes inventiveness of early hollywood with her homage to laughing gas which featured bertha regustus in the comedic lead role her character leaves the dentist chair still under the influence of nitrous oxide and her raucous laugh infects everyone she meets
i liked the idea of a black female body with autonomy moving independently through a public space said ms syms
she drew on her own absurd experience at the dentist for her version set in present day los angeles the video begins as ms syms playing with her smartphone learns only moments after receiving anesthesia that insurance wont cover wisdom teeth removal   prompting her to get up from the dentists chair and stumble home all real life events the artist said ms syms incorporates a big laugh snippet from the fresh prince of bel air and even turns a clip from the original silent film into a gif ripe for endless looping and recycling
in the made in la catalog the los angeles critic curator sarah lehrer graiwer writes about the impact of todays hyper accelerated visual culture on the individual arguing that its more than just too many images too fast   its resulting in a full body change all is a play of surfaces all is flow we digitize ourselves we circulate and broadcast she writes
ms hondas films in made in la attempt to suspend the flow with what mr moshayedi the curator calls a denial of imagery ms honda a sculptor recently began making abstract cameraless films for color correction she used a hollywood features timing tapes   rolls of hole punched paper designed to correct a movies colors   to create a feature length sequence of hues offering visual rhythms without a story
in spectrum reverse spectrum she exposed 70 millimeter film stock to different colors the 70 millimeter wide format medium popularized by lavish hollywood productions of the 1950s and 60s and recently revived by quentin tarantino for the hateful eight was originally a way to get people out to the movies ms honda said adding it gave films like lawrence of arabia a way to compete with television as you couldnt possibly see anything this big at home
ms honda uses the stuff of escapism to opposite effect   an investigation into our own patterns of attention and perception if anything my work is meant to push you back into your body she said you hear your own breathing your chair squeak someones stomach gurgling
she said the extra wide hard to take in at one glance format also appeals to her theres something about the impossibility of seeing things whole   and the pleasures of only seeing things in your mind
her films will be projected on scheduled dates at the billy wilder theater inside the hammer museum cases containing film reels are arranged on a pedestal in the galleries as sculpture
mr smalls work also has a sculptural element it consists of glass cases displaying plaster fragments of sphinxes odd roman coins and other artifacts from the guadalupe site many are on loan from the towns visitor center on the walls hang large technicolor hued egyptian themed paintings once made for the luxor hotel in las vegas
his project operates like a museum within a museum and an intricate restaging of an elaborate stage set creating a hall of mirrors where visitors can see old hollywood reflected in the eyes of todays new artists


the metropolitan museum of art announced in april that it faced a 10 million deficit and would begin to scale back costs that process began on friday as three high level employees including the museums first chief digital officer sree sreenivasan stepped down from their posts
cynthia round the museums senior vice president for marketing and external relations and susan sellers head of design also resigned the pair had worked on the museums recent rebranding campaign
daniel h weiss the mets president said the museums goal was to bring the budget into balance within 24 months were looking at ways of streamlining our operation mr weiss said everything we are doing we will continue to do but well do it probably a little bit slower
the museums retail revenue has decreased and debts are still being paid off from infrastructure work the three departures precede what is expected to be a series of voluntary buyouts which the museum has said it hopes will allow it to avoid layoffs the met has also set a hiring freeze and halted some renovation projects to the degree we have to turn to involuntary staff reductions we will do that after we have a better sense of how were doing mr weiss said
the mets exhibition schedule is locked in for the next couple of years but mr weiss said he could not rule out the possibility of reducing the number of exhibitions at a later point
mr sreenivasan has been with the company for three years and led the mets recent website redesign and the development of a smartphone app he will stay on temporarily as a consultant and the mets digital team will specifically focus on digitizing its collection for a global audience the only way for the met to succeed in the future is to continue to build the connection between the physical and the digital mr sreenivasan said if we dont do that there will be an issue but for now there are ways to do it at the right pace with the right resources


examining the standings in mid june may feel premature with just under 100 games remaining in the season but when the team is the defending national league champion with sky high expectations the pressure to do so can feel inexorable uneasy lies the head that wears a crown
a peek at the position of the mets in the national league east after a three game sweep at the hands of the lowly atlanta braves reveals a sputtering team with much work to do after sundays 6 0 loss to the braves at citi field the mets sat in third place a half game behind the miami marlins and six games behind the washington nationals
you dont want to panic early but right now with whats going on we may shake some things up mets manager terry collins said when youre not swinging the bats good obviously the game looks ugly
the mets who at 36 32 are also a half game out of a wild card spot hope to keep their division deficit manageable until help arrives or their play improves but even the teams strength its pitching has not been all that effective
we did not pitch well in the last three days collins said we havent made pitches that we normally make and it came back to haunt us
fighting his command at times the mets starter on sunday jacob degrom allowed three runs over six innings which under normal circumstances might have kept them in the game but braves starter julio teheran completely baffled the mets offense allowing one hit in a complete game
there is no shame in falling to teheran one of the leagues best starters this season with a 266 era but the mets slumping offense and losses in two winnable games against rookie pitchers earlier in the series provided cause for concern
we just have to keep fighting and keep trying to have good at bats shortstop asdrubal cabrera said in spanish thats how it starts with good at bats and people on base stretches like this happen during the season and its good that its happening now and not toward the end of the season
june 19 may feel early for boos but the fans began a chorus of them when mets right fielder curtis granderson grounded out to end the sixth inning the booing returned when reliever antonio bastardo meandering through the seventh inning gave up two runs including one when he was called for a balk an encore came in the eighth when hansel robles coughed up a run on a wild pitch
surprising and frustrating collins said describing the weekend
although collins said the team would not need a sense of urgency with the standings until after the all star break he is dealing with a hobbled roster three everyday players remain on the disabled list and other minor injuries seem to appear daily catcher travis darnaud is expected to return tuesday but even collins said he did not know what to expect from him because darnaud has been out for so long the meager offense has been a drag on the teams talented pitching the margin for error is thin
we havent hit very much center fielder yoenis cespedes said in spanish but that doesnt mean were bad were going through a tough time like all teams do but we do have to stay strong mentally and keep the mentality that we can do this
the coming weeks present land mines starting with a familiar foe coming to town tuesday the reigning world series champions the kansas city royals the mets have seven games against the nationals before next months all star break which could drastically swing the standings the chicago cubs the marlins and the braves are sandwiched in there too
collins declined to elaborate on how the mets planned to shake some things up but he suggested it might involve roster changes left fielder michael conforto who had the mets lone hit sunday is hitting 137 this month he said that he hoped to stay with the big league team but knew it was not up to him whether he was demoted to class aaa las vegas
michael conforto either plays but hes not going to come off the bench collins said hes not going to come sit here on the bench were going to look at every angle we can
degrom did his best sunday despite uneven command it was better through the middle innings but he gave up two runs in a laborious third and a solo home run to nick markakis in the sixth teheran on the other hand moved his pitches well around the strike zone and the mets helped by swinging early in counts
weve got to be better collins said weve got to start playing better well see what we can do
at no point last season did the mets trail the nationals by more than four and a half games because they stayed within striking distance the mets took off once trades injected life into the offense
and through 68 games last season the mets had the same record they do now but held a one and a half game lead over the nationals
the season is still young cespedes said there are a lot of games left a lot can still happen


the treasurys schedule of financing this week includes mondays regular weekly auction of new three  and six month bills and an auction of four week bills on tuesday
at the close of the new york cash market on friday the rate on the outstanding three month bill was 026 percent the rate on the six month issue was 036 percent and the rate on the four week issue was 022 percent
the following tax exempt fixed income issues are scheduled for pricing this week
florida department of transportation 1916 million of general obligation bonds competitive
hallandale beach fla 561 million of general obligation bonds competitive
palm springs calif unified school district 774 million of general obligation bonds competitive
virginia building authority 2344 million of revenue bonds competitive
alaska 1283 million of general obligation bonds competitive
chino basin desalter authority calif 677 million of revenue bonds competitive
utah 501 million of school district general obligation bonds competitive
hennepin county minn 1043 million of general obligation bonds competitive
new mexico financing authority 1165 million of revenue bonds competitive
allegheny county pa 2761 million of general obligation bonds pnc capital markets
arlington tex independent school district 1845 million of unlimited tax school building bonds raymond james
california housing finance agency 236 million of home mortgage revenue bonds bank of america merrill lynch
connecticut health and educational facilities authority 500 million of revenue bonds barclays capital
delaware 86 million of general obligation refinancing bonds bank of america merrill lynch
florida 1651 million of improvement district tax bonds j p morgan securities
gilbert ariz 110 million of utility system revenue refinancing bonds j p morgan securities
hays county tex school district 54 million of unlimited tax refinancing bonds william blair
idaho housing and finance association 638 million of single family mortgage bonds barclays capital
imperial calif imperial irrigation district 223 million of electric system refinancing revenue bonds citigroup global markets
iowa 264 million of special obligation refinancing debt securities citigroup global markets
michigan 128 million of general obligation school loan refinancing bonds bank of america merrill lynch
murrieta valley calif unified school district 555 million of public financing authority special tax revenue bonds stifel nicolaus  company
new york housing finance agency 3027 million of affordable housing revenue bonds morgan stanley
new york metropolitan transportation authority 5075 million of transportation revenue refinancing bonds morgan stanley
ohio water development authority 150 million of fresh water development revenue bonds jefferies
ohio 811 million of capital mental health facilities lease appropriation bonds u s bancorp investments
oregon 120 million of port facilities revenue bonds wells fargo securities
orlando fla aviation authority 79 million of priority subordinated airport facilities revenue refinancing bonds citigroup global markets
orlando fla utilities commission 144 million of utility system revenue refinancing bonds citigroup global markets
pennsylvania housing finance agency 234 million of single family mortgage revenue bonds rbc capital markets
pennsylvania public school building authority 1306 million of school district debt securities pnc capital markets
pittsburg calif unified school district 70 million of general obligation refinancing bonds raymond james
richardson tex independent school district 773 million of unlimited tax school building bonds bosc
tulare calif 573 million of sewer revenue refinancing bonds morgan stanley
university of california 514 million of revenue bonds wells fargo securities
university of vermont 69 million of agricultural college general obligation bonds bank of america merrill lynch
waxahachie tex 857 million general obligation certificates of obligation bosc
wayne county mich 173 million of general obligation limited tax federally taxable obligations bank of america merrill lynch
wayne university mich 101 million of general revenue refinancing bonds bank of america merrill lynch


gillette wyo   after kullin orcutt lost his job at the peabody coal mine this spring he knew what he needed to do join the exodus leave gillette leave the state he said
mr orcutt is a third generation miner and one of 592 coal workers who have been laid off here since january thousands more job cuts are expected this summer
more people will follow mr orcutt while many businesses in gillette are struggling to stay open a u haul dealer has been nearly sold out since the school year ended this month
but 200 miles to the southwest in carbon county where wyomings first coal mine opened a century ago the mood is different the last coal mine closed a decade ago but the county may soon be home to the largest wind farm in north america if not the world
coal is hurting but wind power is our bright spot on the horizon said cindy wallace the director of the carbon county economic development corporation eventually we could be the wind capital of wyoming the us the world
in wyoming the countrys biggest coal producing state the energy landscape is transforming along with the nations but in a state of 584000 people that change is happening at hyperspeed
that transition has left men like mr orcutt behind the new positions and financial opportunities offered by wind and other new energy industries are not replacing all the jobs going up in coal smoke
many of the current jobs are out of state at wind turbine factories in colorado and iowa millions of dollars worth of out of state investments are flowing into wyomings wind projects but much of the profit will flow out of state as well the thousands of coal workers who will probably lose their jobs do not necessarily have the technical skills to operate wind farms in any case new wind jobs will number in the hundreds not the thousands
so when mr orcutt left gillette this spring he did not head for the wind fields of carbon county instead he moved to shelby mont for a job at a privately run prison leaving behind his wife and son in a groaning two bedroom apartment that they share with mr orcutts sister her husband   a welder who was laid off from the coal mines   and that couples three children
its hard being here without them but here i have a job he said in gillette those jobs are gone forever
the numbers bear out his decision said robert w godby an energy economist and professor at the university of wyoming
wind energy is certainly lucrative he said thats why so many investors are interested but it doesnt create nearly the economic impact of the fossil fuel industry
today about 66 percent of the electricity in the united states is produced by coal and natural gas and just 7 percent is produced by renewable sources such as wind and solar but market forces and government regulations are rapidly changing that picture
a glut of inexpensive natural gas has cut into coals dominance of americas power market and president obamas climate change regulations known as the clean power plan take direct aim at coal the no 1 cause of planet warming greenhouse gases
the department of the interior has already declared a halt on new coal mining on public lands a move with an outsize impact on wyoming where a majority of mines are on federal property
and the international paris agreement on climate change could make the efforts to end the burning of coal a global campaign
all of these policies are closing the remaining coal fired plants and freezing the construction of new ones but they also aim to aggressively increase the production of renewable power the clean power plan contains a goal for 20 percent of the nations electricity to come from wind solar and other clean sources by 2030 hillary clinton the presumptive democratic presidential nominee has pledged to raise that amount to 33 percent by 2027
companies from around the world are looking to wyomings wind to meet that demand
theres enough wind in wyoming to power the entire country said michael goggin the senior director of research at the american wind energy association
wyomings republican governor matt mead is skeptical of human caused climate change and has been an outspoken opponent of mr obamas climate change agenda still he also sees economic opportunity in wind power
weve been a dig and ship state exporting energy to the rest of the country mr mead said in an interview in his office with the advances in wind turbines why shouldnt we be leading that at the university of wyoming why dont we do more to bring wind manufacturing to the state
perhaps the biggest winner in wyomings wind boom will be one man philip f anschutz a colorado billionaire and major republican donor his company the anschutz corporation is building the carbon county wind farm on 2000 acres owned by mr anschutz and the federal government
when completed the site will be the largest wind power producer in north america generating enough electricity to light a million homes   far more than wyoming needs
mr anschutz is also planning to build the transwest express a 730 mile power line that would take wyomings wind energy to las vegas and california construction on both projects is expected to begin late this year or early 2017
on a recent day bill miller senior vice president of energy and land resources for the anschutz corporation drove his truck through the carbon county sites rocky mesas which channel near constant wind across the green plain the only visible inhabitants were cows antelopes prairie dogs and rattlesnakes
although wind power has traditionally been more expensive than fossil fuels mr miller said the anschutz wind project will be large enough to make wind as cheap if not cheaper than coal power
we can produce wind power here thats competitive with anything coal natural gas mr miller said
mr miller estimates that the construction of the wind farm will create about 900 seasonal jobs over the decade it will take to build it and about 150 full time jobs to operate and maintain it
in the nearby town of rawlins he said a branch of western wyoming community college has already started programs to train wind power technicians
youll be able to take a coal miner from gillette   he can go to the community college here for the skills and get a job as a wind technician mr miller said
but he conceded am i going to replace 800 lost coal jobs in gillette with new wind jobs no
another big winner in the wyoming wind boom may be a venezuelan company viridis eolia corporation which also plans to build a large scale wind farm near carbon county one second in size in north america only to the anschutz project
its the wave of the future juan carlos carpio delfino viridis eolias chief executive said at an energy conference at little america a golf resort outside cheyenne
with obamas clean power regulations and the signing of the paris agreement it creates a stable market for wind   and this is the best wind in north america
that remains cold comfort to wyomings coal community mr godby estimates that in the coming years wyoming could lose up to 10000 jobs related to the coal industry
last month officials from the interior department held a public hearing in casper to gather input on the current halt on new coal mining on the states public lands
during the meeting jillian balow the wyoming superintendent of public instruction spoke before a crowd of hundreds her voice cracking
we have reached the point where the restrictions and regulations for the industry are past our ability to adapt she said it has put thousands of hard working people out of work and is devastating families
give us a chance she pleaded


shame has been part of the human condition ever since eve fell for the serpents patter and she and adam then realized that they were naked
in this country shaming punishments have been woven into the communal fabric at least since the days when scarlet letters were doled out and reprobates were slammed into stocks to chasten defendants through means other than jail terms modern judges have resorted to actions like forcing shoplifters to announce their crimes in newspaper advertisements or making deadbeat fathers carry signs proclaiming their child support delinquency
the advent of social media has raised the volume on shaming as millions of judgmental types get in on the act via facebook twitter and their online brethren all too often the line between understandable finger wagging and unbridled bullying has been blurred or even erased by cybermobs the potential for ugliness is examined in this final offering in the current series of retro report video documentaries that return to major news stories of the past and explore how they continue to resonate
the videos focus is on jennifer connell a new york woman who found herself portrayed in both new and old media as a mix of cruella de vil lady macbeth and madame defarge   only less sympathetic than any of those fictional women there is too a detour into tabloid style shaming as embodied by jerry springers television show long defined by the quiet good taste typically associated with the roller derby
ms connells perceived sin was suing a boy who was a close relative and who simply wanted to hug her among those in the twitterati for whom nuance is a scarce commodity she was cast as a woman who deserved nothing short of flogging
reality was more complex in 2011 ms connell went to a birthday party in connecticut for an 8 year old cousin sean tarala who regarded her as an aunt excited to see her the boy leapt into her arms she was caught off balance and fell backward with the boys full weight on her she landed badly breaking her wrist so severely that she needed three operations and ran up 120000 in medical bills
ms connells troubles were only beginning when her relatives homeowners insurance would not cover the bills her lawyers felt her only recourse was to go to court and let a jury determine liability under connecticut law someone had to be named as a defendant so she sued the person whose actions had led to the injury sean
plainly this was just a legal formality the real target was the insurance company not the boy but that was too subtle a notion for many on social media vituperation poured down on ms connell including a suggestion that her other wrist should be broken   and maybe her legs too tabloid headline writers labeled her the auntie christ the fact that the woman and the boy had close bonds   sean understood the tactical nature of the lawsuit   was ignored
in cyberspace rage turned to glee when a jury rejected ms connells claim in october by then the hounding had hurt her professionally a human resources consultant she had difficulty finding work people reached out and then canceled interviews or then said oh weve changed our direction or you know mmm weve decided not to move forward she told retro report
she had to take certain measures she said in order to re establish myself they included altering her appearance in the hope that she might not be instantly recognized
hers was hardly an isolated instance of mob shaming online in recent weeks online invective was heaped upon michelle gregg after a gorilla at the cincinnati zoo grabbed her 3 year old son and the animal was killed the boy had scampered into the gorillas enclosure while ms greggs back was briefly turned as she tended to her other children a prosecutor concluded that she had not been inattentive and bore no responsibility for the animals death   but not before the mother found herself roundly condemned
in 2013 justine sacco foolishly tweeted a tasteless joke about africa and aids though she had only 170 twitter followers her message rocketed through cyberspace at warp speed leading to a reaction wildly disproportionate to the offense tens of thousands of twitter users denounced her some demanding that she be tossed from her public relations job in new york indeed she was fired
so was lindsey stone who lost her job helping people with learning disabilities this was after ms stone posed in 2012 for a photograph by a sign at arlington national cemetery the photo intended as a visual joke to be shared with friends was in questionable taste but was not born of malice nonetheless after its posting on facebook the calls for her head were unforgiving
once upon a time miscreants subjected to public ridicule were pilloried for perhaps a few hours in internet life that can last forever you never escape it danielle keats citron said she is a law professor at the university of maryland and author of hate crimes in cyberspace 2014
when you post something really damaging reputationally damaging about someone online its searchable and seeable she told retro report and you cant erase it
does shame have a legitimate place in our lives mark twain seemed to think so man is the only animal that blushes twain wrote in 1897
or needs to he added
jennifer jacquet an assistant professor of environmental studies at new york university shares the sentiment in her book is shame necessary 2015 the professor argues that shaming can be a strategy for beneficial change notably if the targets are corporate polluters and others whose deeds harm the commonweal
she is not opposed to chastising individuals publicly as long as the tactics are not abusive but her preference is to call out governments and large organizations that behave badly shaming is better used for the collective well being she said in an interview
while public whippings and the like may be long gone officialdom has hardly abandoned shaming californias franchise tax board posts a list of the top 500 delinquent taxpayers who in mid june owed the state a total just shy of 70 million this naming of names began in 2007 and california has since recovered at least 511 million the board says
some police departments routinely parade criminal suspects before cameras in a ritual of humiliation known as a perp walk in 1979 mayor edward i koch of new york tried a comparable shaming of men who patronized prostitutes mr koch pressed for their names to be aired on the city owned radio and television stations   what he called the john hour the hour which actually lasted less than two minutes produced an outcry loud enough for it to become a one time only affair
other modes of shaming keep arising new york for instance is one of several cities requiring restaurants to post letter grades issued by the health department and to display the ratings prominently in their front windows this is intended as a guide for consumers but what self respecting restaurant owner wants to live with the disgrace of a poor grade in full view
although professor jacquet sees benefits accruing from certain forms of finger pointing she also feels they can do only so much to improve bad behavior if shaming was the most efficient method we wouldnt have harsher forms of punishment she said
for one thing the targets would have to be capable of feeling shame all it takes is a glance at current politics to realize that some people are absolutely shameless


the singer barbara cook has a copy of her autobiography then and now a memoir propped up near her bed so she can look at it when she wakes up in the morning and marvel at its existence
i cant believe its an actual book she said recently her collaborator on the memoir tom santopietro helped her organize the material but she insists that she wrote every word mostly by hand
in its pages she is frank about the steep ups and downs of a career that in her mind has had two acts before and after recovery from alcoholism
sitting in a wheelchair near the piano in the living room of her elegant upper west side apartment ms cook 88 said in a recent interview that she has been unable to walk for about a year wearing a black baseball cap a loosefitting white shirt and no makeup she was nonetheless a radiant presence with twinkling blue eyes what she conveys as powerfully as any other singer alive is empathy
my voice is fine she said my spirits are mostly fine but nobody likes to be physically in a situation like this there are days when i get down about it but i dont seem to stay down for long
on tuesday the books release date ms cook will perform at feinsteins54 below with the accompanist and arranger lee musiker two more dates july 21 and 23 are also scheduled as part of the book promotion
earlier this year plans were scrapped for an off broadway show built around the memoir that was to be directed by tommy tune with ms cook singing songs and reading excerpts adapted for the stage by james lapine
mr lapine a tony winning book writer and director of musicals described ms cook as a genuinely good person but also a tough cookie
we discovered we just couldnt do it in time he explained i think barbara in her heart didnt want to get up and read from her book
then and now harpercollins is narrated with the same homey bonhomie that has informed ms cooks stage patter in recent years as she has grown more talkative in her concerts when she speaks there are traces of a down home southern accent ms cook grew up in atlanta in relative poverty there were nights she recalled when dinner consisted of white bread and ketchup
from an early age she knew she wanted to sing and that her destiny lay in new york city as a girl entranced by the films of nelson eddy and jeanette macdonald she idolized macdonald she arrived in new york in 1948 and made her broadway debut in the 1951 musical flahooley then went on to star in such shows as plain and fancy the music man candide she loves me and revivals of oklahoma and carousel
during these early golden years on broadway ms cook said she had no problems with alcohol an addiction that runs in her family as her drinking crept up on her in the late 1960s and 70s she recounts she was in denial because her preference was for wine not liquor at the peak of her alcoholism she consumed jugs of chablis the last time she drank in 1977 she recalled she had been sober for six months and had gone to a club to celebrate the completion of a studio album when she slipped
i had a lot of wine and then i passed out she recalled when i woke up i was having a panic attack they usually lasted about 20 minutes and theres always a moment when you think youre dying i had already got to the point where i thought i would do anything to avoid a panic attack the next morning when i looked at the glass by my bed i knew i was never going to drink again
outgrowing her early idols ms cook embraced judy garland and the cabaret chanteuse mabel mercer   who showed the next generation of nightclub singers how to personalize song lyrics in a talk sing style known as parlando   as role models for the intimate intensely emotional style of her mature years a lowering of keys has allowed for a greater expressive depth
an instrumental figure in this period was the composer and arranger wally harper who over 30 years beginning in 1974 helped her reinvent herself from a soprano ingenue into a sophisticated cabaret and concert artist who could swing mr harper died in 2004
comparing the high coloratura soprano of her best known early signature song glitter and be gay from candide with the lower richer alto singing of her autumnal signature song heres to life its difficult to believe they are emanating from the same voice
in the memoir ms cook recalls being so intimidated by glitter and be gay that she resorted to self hypnosis to conquer her fear of singing that number one of the most technically challenging arias in the soprano repertory her role model for enunciating the words was fay bainter playing lady macbeth on a vintage recording of macbeth opposite orson welles
her still definitive performance of glitter has prompted many to suggest she might have had a career as an opera singer a possibility she says she never entertained seriously
i only wanted to do it if i could sing tosca she said but my voice was too light id be singing barbarina for the rest of my life she said referring to that role in the marriage of figaro and i wasnt interested
if ms cook sees her career has having two acts   before and after sobriety   her son adam legrant 56 on whom she dotes sees it a little differently a sometime performer director and teacher who recently moved back from los angeles to be close to her he discerns a third phase beginning with the 1985 production follies in concert when she began singing the music of stephen sondheim the concert and its offshoots he says turbocharged her career
barbara cook and my mother are two separate people who inhabit the same body mr legrant said my mom is my mom and theres barbara cook who does this thing shes smart enough to get out of the way and allow the conduit to open
like many singers of advanced age ms cook has problems remembering song lyrics worried about her memory loss she consulted her doctor who asked if queen elizabeth were standing in front of you would you know who she was when she said yes he declared then youre fine
i feel that i must sing because it feels so good to get all that out she said i need to do it my life has had its ups and downs like everybody elses and i thought that if i write this and its compelling maybe people who are in trouble who were drinkers or whatever will see that you can have a whole second life


oscar health was going to be a new kind of insurance company started in 2012 just in time to offer plans to people buying insurance under the new federal health care law the business promised to use technology to push less costly care and more consumer friendly coverage
were trying to build something thats going to turn the industry on its head joshua kushner one of the companys founders said in 2014 as oscar began to enroll its first customers
these days though oscar is more of a case study in how brutally tough it is to keep a business above water in the state marketplaces created under the affordable care act and its struggles highlight a critical question about the act can insurance companies run a viable business in the individual market
oscar has attracted 135000 customers about half of them in new york state and some of its efforts with technology have been successful but for every dollar of premium oscar collects in new york the company is losing 15 cents it lost 92 million in the state last year and another 39 million in the first three months of 2016
thats not a sustainable position said mario schlosser chief executive at oscar
companies like oscar were initially attracted by the potential of millions of new customers added to the individual market by the health law but the reality has been far messier
in an effort to attract customers insurers put prices on their plans that have turned out to be too low to make a profit the companies also assumed they could offer the same sort of plans as they do through employer based coverage including broad networks of doctors and hospitals
but the market has turned out to be smaller than they hoped with 12 million signed up for coverage in 2016 fewer employers have dropped health insurance than expected for example keeping many healthy adults out of the individual market
and among the remaining population the insurers cannot pick and choose their customers the law forces them to insure people with pre existing conditions no matter how expensive those conditions may be
as a result most insurers are still trying to develop a successful business model last year only a quarter of the insurers appear to have made money selling individual policies according to a preliminary analysis from mckinsey the consulting firm giant insurers like unitedhealth group have stopped offering individual coverage through the public exchanges in some states and most of the new insurance co ops which were founded to create more competition have failed
the heavy losses do not necessarily mean that the individual market is ready to implode some insurers including large companies like anthem say they remain committed to the market and some insurers have made money
but the turbulence is certainly greater than expected and it may well lead many insurers to seek double digit percentage rate increases and tighten their networks
there was tremendous uncertainty that even the very established companies were flummoxed by said larry levitt an executive with the kaiser family foundation which has been closely following the insurers progress
over all insurance companies continue to make profits the dearth of profits from the individual markets though show how challenging it is to make insurance affordable when it is not subsidized by the government or an employer
the troubles in the individual market also underscore how some of the laws provisions meant to protect the insurers have not worked as well as desired insurers did not receive all the payments they were due under one of the laws provisions and another provision meant to even out the risk among companies to protect those that enroll sicker individuals has been described as flawed by many health care experts federal officials have said they would tweak those formulas
the companies that have fared best so far are those that have kept the tightest control over their costs by working closely with low cost providers or a limited group of hospitals and doctors many have abandoned the idea of offering the kind of access available through many employer plans the successful companies have also avoided the very low prices found in some of the co ops
for most of the insurers though the math has just not added up which is the case with oscar
in new york state where oscar is based the company recently filed eye catching requests to raise rates by a weighted average of nearly 20 percent for 2017 regulators will make a decision in august
the market is over all too low in price mr schlosser said we like everybody else have priced in a very aggressive way
many of the big insurers like anthem can rely on their other businesses to generate profits while they wait for this market to stabilize oscar does not have that luxury it is focused on individual marketplaces in addition to new york oscar operates in california new jersey and texas
other new insurers that sell plans to employers or under government programs like medicare have been a little more insulated when northwell health the system in new york previously known as north shore lij health system entered the insurance market it created a new company that company careconnect has 100000 customers most of them individuals insured through both large and small employers
if we only had the individual market we would have taken undue risk because we would not have understood that market said alan j murray careconnects chief executive he said the company is close to turning a profit
oscar says it plans to begin offering coverage to small businesses but mr schlosser was adamant that individuals will eventually be buying their own coverage rather than relying on employers the company is also racing to incorporate plans with smaller networks
bright health another start up also plans to work closely with health systems to offer consumer friendly plans
while oscar has had to use another insurers network in new york the companys goal is to form partnerships with systems to create networks that specialize in managing care the company began experimenting with these networks this year in texas and california
oscar talks about narrow networks like no one has seen one before said dr sanjay b saxena who works with insurers and health systems at the boston consulting group
oscar has received 750 million from its investors and mr schlosser insists that the company understood how long it would take for the new insurance marketplaces to develop calling these very very early days
oscar points to its technological edge as a way to manage patients health better than the established insurers it has created teams including nurses who are assigned to groups of patients and can intervene when its data flags a potentially worrisome condition like a high blood sugar level
promoting itself as a consumer friendly alternative to the other insurers also has its risks while oscar has loyal customers others say they are disappointed to find the insurer behaving like everyone else cosmin bita a real estate broker in new york switched to oscar from an insurer that had given him the runaround about whether it would pay for blood tests as part of his annual physical although oscar said when he enrolled that the tests would be covered he said he found himself fighting with the company over whether everything was covered
the exact same thing happened mr bita said
oscar executives said the company works hard to keep customers satisfied
but so far it has not proved that it has created a better model than the rest of the industry
as darren walsh a principal at power  walsh insurance advisors said they havent invented a new mousetrap


paris   the rest of the european union nations are looking at the possibility of a british departure from the bloc with disbelief trepidation and anguish but they are also preparing to retaliate
if britons do vote in a referendum on thursday to leave the european union they can expect a tough and unforgiving response with capitals across the continent intent on deterring other countries from following the british example european officials and analysts said
in other words britain will be made to suffer for its choice
with other issues pressing including greek debt the migrant crisis and terrorism the largest and most powerful european nations will want clarity and are not likely to tolerate a long period of post referendum confusion
in is in   out is out the powerful german finance minister wolfgang schauble told spiegel magazine i hope and believe that the british will ultimately decide against brexit the withdrawal of britain would be a heavy loss for europe
the president of the european council donald tusk spoke apocalyptically about a british exit or brexit to the german tabloid bild he said all members of the european union would suffer as would the postwar structure of europe that had kept the peace
why is it so dangerous mr tusk asked no one can foresee what the long term consequences would be as a historian i fear that brexit could be the beginning of the destruction of not only the eu but also of western political civilization
britain would face at least seven years of limbo during painful negotiations about a new relationship with the bloc mr tusk said
preparing for a british vote to withdraw france and germany are debating the immediate announcement of a joint initiative on european security perhaps an operational command headquarters to show at least symbolically that the european union remains solid and will continue to progress without britain
but germany has rejected some ideas from the european commission the permanent bureaucracy in brussels to respond by moving quickly toward more european political or fiscal integration understanding that with spanish elections this month and french and german elections next year more europe is not what voters want
and no government wants treaty change which would prompt more referendums at a time when populist anti brussels sentiments are running strong across the continent
suggestions by british politicians favoring a departure that the rest of the european union will give britain more favorable terms in a new trading arrangement will be rejected out of hand by european leaders who do not want to make further concessions to a country that has rejected them officials said this would ensure that the british example discouraged others tempted to seek a special deal for themselves
to that end the main european union nations are envisioning a two stage negotiating process for a british exit once the british government invokes article 50 of the treaty governing membership in the bloc article 50 provides two years to haggle over the terms of a divorce from the bloc   something that has never happened
the european union is expected to want to talk about a future trade agreement only after britain and the other 27 nations in the bloc have made a decision about how to unwind british membership that process would require resolving complex legal and financial issues and addressing all kinds of topics that would affect ordinary people   what happens to pensions and health coverage as well as the immigration status of european citizens working and living in britain and that of british citizens in the bloc
officials want to negotiate future trade and financial services arrangements with britain as a nonmember they do not want to allow britain to use the status of european citizens in britain and their rights as a bargaining chip in the trade negotiations which could take several years to conclude beyond the two year time limit for exit talks
even then brussels would offer britain one of the three existing models of varying closeness and mutual obligation   the blocs arrangements with norway canada and the world trade organization   rather than offer to negotiate something new said charles grant the director of the center for european reform a london research institution
france and belgium and probably germany are almost certain to reject any british proposal to remain within the european single market   even or especially for financial services   without at least an agreement that britain continue to allow european citizens to live and work in britain analysts and officials said in any case such a trade off the so called norway model is strongly opposed by british advocates of withdrawing from the bloc in the name of controlling immigration
there is no appetite to be nice on the day after said camille grand the director of the foundation for strategic research in france whatever the british say or feel there will be a price to pay if only to prevent further attempts to exit the eu
the french message mr grand said is like mr schaubles if you leave you leave and we wont grant you the benefits of the single market you wont move to an a la carte membership
the germans and the dutch mr grand said might be tempted to be more flexible but in paris its a divorce and we must be tough with the british to prevent the czechs or whomever from trying to make their own deals
but it may be the political aspect of a british exit that worries europeans the most coupled with the expected financial shock said guntram wolff the director of bruegel an independent research institution in brussels
populists throughout europe will celebrate this as a feast of democracy where finally the citizens get their say over the elites mr wolff said populists all over europe will gain in strength and markets could react by saying the first brick is out of the wall and now lets bet on another brick
the next brick mr wolff said could be economically troubled italy and that could set in motion a domino effect with the euro dropping sharply in value along with the pound so the european central bank would have to be prepared to prop up the banks and the euro against market pressure just as the bank of england would have to prop up the pound
no one in germany thinks it would be good if the british left said daniela schwarzer the director of the europe program at the german marshall fund in berlin if the european union is not able to prove that membership is worth having and that in the end emotion wins over rational debates this not only tells you something about public sentiment in britain but will have a contagion effect in other nations she said
added to european instability ms schwarzer said the immediate economic shock could badly damage countries with high debt like france italy and greece
even if the british vote to remain this europe of multiple speeds may continue to disintegrate said emmanuel macron frances economy minister but if the uk leaves we will have this risk squared are we capable of keeping the founding promises that led to the unions creation   peace prosperity freedom
the effect on the bloc of a british departure would be threefold mr grant said
first he said a british withdrawal would be a big boost to nationalist anti european union movements with marine le pen the leader of frances far right national front already comparing a british exit to the fall of the berlin wall
its not that the right will win power but theyll feel they have history with them and pro european elites in government will be on the back foot and afraid of moves toward more integration mr grant said federalism would be dead and there would be no more referendums and treaty changes for generations so it would be a new period of national power and not the federal future the european commission wants
second he said without the counterweight of britain the german problem becomes more acute rome paris and warsaw fear that without britain as a countervailing force in the bloc germany would become too powerful the germans themselves fear that an anti german alliance would form
third he said the european union without britains free market influence would be more french in its economic policy outlook and more protectionist with little impetus for free trade deals or for the extension of the single market to services
the stakes are high because what happens in britain will set off a domino effect and possibly a cycle of disintegration said mark leonard the director of the european council on foreign relations the european union would look like a broken project a declining power
radoslaw sikorski a former polish foreign minister said a british departure from the bloc might have some benefits for those who want the nations of europe to continue drawing closer
europe could forge ahead with a common security policy which the british have vetoed repeatedly he said and the countries of the eurozone would probably insist on all euro trade being moved out of britain which could help efforts by paris frankfurt and luxembourg to establish themselves as more important financial centers relative to london
but over all mr sikorski said the european union is much better with britain in it providing liberal politics liberal economics and a center of democratic political consensus of a kind needed now in europe


at the start of the nba playoffs lebron james began reading jerry wests autobiography west by west my charmed tormented life it was a story he could relate to despite being a transcendent figure in basketball   he is after all the inspiration for the nba logo   west like james had often been criticized for his losing record in the nba finals
if james gathered any advice in preventing another letdown in his seventh finals appearance it proved prescient as the cleveland cavaliers overcame a three games to one series deficit against the golden state warriors to capture their first nba championship for james who scored 27 points and had 11 rebounds and 11 assists in the cavaliers 93 89 game 7 victory on sunday it was his third title in his sixth straight trip to the finals
the victory not only helped james deliver on his promise of bringing a long awaited title to cleveland but it assuaged the criticisms from the hordes who had made dissecting his playoff performances a social media pastime
the laws of the nba championship can be fickle it is fitting that a legend like bill russell of the boston celtics leads all players with 11 titles against one finals loss but sometimes players earn rings   or do not   more as a matter of circumstance after all west was 1 8 in the finals and is still known as mr clutch
his teammate elgin baylor a hall of famer who played his entire career with the lakers in minneapolis and then los angeles was 0 for 8 in the finals including seven series losses to the celtics if twitter had existed in the 1960s baylor might have been the internets king of basketball memes imagine crying baylor instead of crying jordan
in a cruel twist after knee injuries had led baylor to retire nine games into the 1971 72 season west and the lakers won the long elusive championship i do not want to prolong my career when i cannot maintain the standards i established for myself over the years baylor said at the time
others are more fortunate john salley was a vital role player on the detroit pistons when they lost in the 1988 finals and won the next two titles he earned another ring with the chicago bulls in 1996 but barely played for the team after spending the next season in greece and retiring for a couple of years he returned to the nba and collected another ring with the lakers in 2000
salley was respected for his veteran experience while he was with the bulls and the lakers but robert horry had a more tangible asset that elevated him from occasional starter to seven time champion
his demonstrated ability to make baskets in the waning seconds of playoff games earned horry the nickname big shot rob and a spot on the championship squads of the houston rockets 1994 1995 the lakers 2000 2001 2002 and the san antonio spurs 2005 2007 making him the second player after salley to have won titles with three nba teams
horry is also the only player with seven or more rings who did not collect a majority of them during the celtics dominating run from 1957 to 1969 which featured 11 championships
among those celtics sam jones was 10 1 in the finals and tom heinsohn was 8 1 k c jones satch sanders and john havlicek were 8 0 and frank ramsey won seven of eight
the only non celtic to have appeared in 10 nba finals is kareem abdul jabbar who was victorious six times his lakers teammate magic johnson reached the finals in nine of his 13 seasons winning five titles
two other longtime lakers michael cooper and derek fisher appeared in eight finals and won five one of fishers finals appearances in 2012 came with the oklahoma city thunder
baylor   he of the 0 8 finals record   actually received a ring for the 1972 lakers championship not as an active player but as a member of the teams front office such jewelry was never bequeathed to larry foust who went winless in five finals appearances with three teams after dropping the 1955 and 1956 finals with the fort wayne pistons foust lost in three additional finals with the minneapolis lakers and the st louis hawks
max zaslofsky a teammate of fousts on the 1955 pistons was unsuccessful in four finals appearances having also lost with the chicago stags in the basketball association of america and with the knicks a brooklyn native zaslofsky was regarded by his former teammate dick mcguire as one of the better two handed shooters of all time and spent the early years of his career earning 5 to 10 a game
james made almost 23 million in salary this season more than 280000 per regular season game but james demonstrated his value in delivering consecutive 41 point efforts in games 5 and 6 to resuscitate the cavaliers before becoming only the third player in finals history to record a triple double in game 7 the first player to do so west of course in 1969
that year wests lakers lost in the finals but he won the first finals most valuable player award and remains the only player on a losing team to have earned that honor there was much talk that james was going to win this years finals mvp award win or lose
with his performance sunday night he avoided another dubious distinction with west that familiar woebegone figure who just happens to now work as an executive board member with the warriors


london   the poster circulated by a group advocating britains withdrawal from the european union shows a huge line of migrants snaking into the distance with the words breaking point slashed over them in fire engine red
but on sunday days after the shocking killing of the lawmaker jo cox the poster was condemned by a leading figure in another group opposing european union membership   reflecting concerns among some who want britain to leave that hard line anti immigration messages could backfire
when i saw that poster i shuddered michael gove the nations justice secretary and a leader of the group vote leave told the bbc on sunday criticizing the man who approved it nigel farage the leader of the uk independence party
i thought it was the wrong thing to do mr gove said
britons will vote thursday on whether to stay in the european union but the referendum campaign was suspended until sunday after the death of ms cox three days earlier she was shot and stabbed outside a public library in birstall where she had been scheduled to meet with constituents
the attack has prompted soul searching about the aggressive tone of the debate over the referendum that has divided the nation
the plebiscite is the first in more than four decades on the european issue and migration has been one of the most effective arguments of those who want to quit including mr gove
they argue that as part of a bloc that guarantees the right of workers to move freely throughout all member states britain has little say over who can enter the country
however the killing of ms cox might change the tone of the campaigns final few days
elected to parliament for the opposition labour party last year ms cox was a supporter of the european union had worked for the humanitarian organization oxfam and called attention to the plight of refugees thomas mair the man charged in her killing made his first court appearance on saturday
supporters of remaining in the union were also scathing in their criticism of mr farage on sunday
scotlands first minister nicola sturgeon called for the poster to be withdrawn and described it as vile and racist george osborne the british treasury chief said it had echoes of literature used in the 1930s
mr farage rejected the criticism telling the itv television network that far from stoking hatred he had been a victim of it he described the poster as a reflection of the truth and added that mr goves campaign had also released very strong posters
but mr farage also said the death of ms cox might have had a negative effect on the chances of those who support a withdrawal or brexit we did have momentum until this terrible tragedy he said
when you are taking on the establishment you need to have momentum mr farage said i dont know whats going to happen over the course of the next three or four days
another leading proponent of british withdrawal boris johnson a member of parliament and former mayor of london sought to change the discussion of immigration he said he supported amnesty for migrants who had entered the country illegally more than 12 years ago
on sunday church services were dedicated to the memory of ms cox and on monday parliament will be recalled in a tribute to her
but with the end of the campaign truce that followed her killing both sides returned on sunday to trying to gain an edge in what is expected to be a close vote
supporters of the european union sought to stress the economic risks of brexit which mr osborne described as a one way door to a much more uncertain world


in a college gymnasium this month in newark senator cory a booker introduced hillary clinton to the crowd
it took him nearly 13 minutes he piled praise on her and bashed her republican rival quoting thomas jefferson maya angelou abraham lincoln and even a 1980s song by jon bon jovi a new jersey native
i hate to contradict bon jovi mr booker said but dear god hillary clinton you give love a good name
mrs clinton waved her arms in the air as if marking the end of a tent revival that lasted a touch too long she patted mr booker on the back a much less effusive embrace than the one she had given to mr bon jovi who was standing nearby
ambitious democrats like mr booker have started to audition as their presumptive presidential nominee considers who should join her on the national ticket there is much for mrs clinton to consider including competence agreement on policy and geography
yet mrs clintons advisers and those who have gone through the process emphasize an equally important if more elusive quality chemistry
mrs clinton needs a no 2 who can ease into the insular and often distrusting clinton orbit and a running mate whose company mrs clinton genuinely enjoys could help present a joyful picture to voters after a primary season that was sometimes dreary
when the chemistry works it communicates enthusiasm and a team and the likelihood of success and progress said michael feldman who was an aide to former vice president al gore but it cant be an arranged marriage with someone she meshes well with on paper he added it very much has to be real
mrs clintons aides began collecting information last week on as many as 10 candidates james hamilton a washington lawyer who is overseeing the vetting will begin meeting with candidates as early as this week
senior democrats thinking about both the fall election and a potential re election in four years said the right choice would stir up enthusiasm on the campaign trail enhancing mrs clintons strengths while not outshining her or overtaking events
mrs clinton is warm and personable one on one the democrats said which creates an easy camaraderie when she teams up with people she likes
in san antonio mrs clinton seemed to light up in the presence of julian castro the citys former mayor and now the secretary of housing in the obama administration she grabbed his hand and thrust it skyward at an outdoor rally and the two glided naturally on the rope line snapping selfies
the photos from the event with mrs clinton 68 beaming next to mr castro 41 turned out so well that cable networks often show the campaigns images of the two together on screen when mrs clinton calls in for phone interviews
on a saturday night in youngstown ohio representative tim ryan and mrs clinton made a surprise visit to odonolds irish pub and grill for a couple pints of guinness mrs clinton leaned comfortably on the bar next to mr ryan and smiled widely as born in the usa blared from the jukebox
mr ryan holding his pint in the air as the packed bar followed suit said to hillary the next president of the united states mrs clinton threw her head back and laughed then took a long swig of beer
last month at a stop at the court street diner in athens ohio mrs clinton warmly embraced senator sherrod brown whose policy expertise mrs clinton has said she admires
they made their way practically arm in arm through the narrow 1950s themed diner talking to voters and meeting a developmentally disabled man noah whom mr brown introduced to mrs clinton as my friend
how can you not love athens mrs clinton said mr brown nodded
dr lillian glass a body language expert was struck by mrs clintons ease with mr brown her body is leaning into his and she never leans into anybody she adores that guy she said in a telephone interview and you can tell that he knows his place you dont see him trying to take over
in many ways mrs clintons search mirrors that of george bush who already had deep relationships with major players in washington by the time he captured the republican nomination in 1988 dan quayle his running mate said in an interview
the contenders most frequently mentioned by her advisers and senior democrats close to the campaign include senator michael bennet from the key state of colorado thomas e perez president obamas secretary of labor and a hispanic civil rights lawyer representative xavier becerra of california and senators tim kaine and mark warner both former governors from virginia senator elizabeth warren of massachusetts is a favorite of liberal democrats though an all female ticket is unlikely all of these candidates have relationships with mrs clinton and several have appeared with her at campaign events
this isnt a consensus type thing mr quayle said in a phone interview its much more the feeling of the two principals and someone shes going to feel comfortable with every day
still a connection can take hold between two candidates on a presidential ticket who are just getting to know each other
in 1992 bill clinton selected mr gore another youthful southern democrat to reinforce his message that a new kind of democratic party was emerging the two men and their young families proved an electric combination on the campaign trail
in a telephone interview walter mondale recalled when he and his wife joan first met with jimmy and rosalynn carter in georgia in 1976 joan said hes going to pick you mr mondale said i said why and she said because we all get along perfectly and we still do today
barack obama and joseph r biden jr did not know each other well when the obama campaign decided the first african american nominee of a major party needed a scrappy and experienced running mate who could appeal to white working class voters
mrs clinton has made clear she wants a partner who shares her granular knowledge of policy and who she will enjoy working closely with in the west wing
although she is at ease with younger hopefuls like mr castro mrs clinton has also relished policy conversations with mr perez a favorite of labor unions her advisers said senator harry reid democrat of nevada has expressed concern that selecting mr brown would leave a vacancy in the senate that a republican would probably be appointed to fill
mrs clinton may be forced to ignore such factors democrats said and think about whom she most prefers to spend the next four to eight years working with its like getting married without any divorce proceedings possible mr mondale said
the partnership extends to the running mates spouses who will spend ample time together and in mrs clintons case includes an opinionated former president
nancy reagan famously did not like mr bush and his wife barbara but mr bush was determined to show his skills in figuring out how to make reagan his friend said joel k goldstein a professor and vice presidential expert at saint louis university school of law
michael s dukakis said that he had not spent much time with senator lloyd m bentsen jr of texas before he picked him as his running mate in 1988 but that they ended up getting along well adding our wives had a great relationship
of course mr dukakis ran years before social media and a hyperkinetic press corps dissected every aspect of the most critical partnership in politics that means the comfort level has to be real or the internet will pick up on any hint of tension and turn it viral
in fact interest in how the first female presidential nominee at the top of a major ticket would interact with a vice presidential nominee is such a source of speculation and intrigue it has inspired hollywood writers
in hbos comedy veep selina meyer the foulmouthed title character portrayed by julia louis dreyfus who stumbled her way into the presidency is hilariously overshadowed by her charming and more competent running mate
you never want a vice president that makes people start to think boy its a shame he or she isnt at the top of the ticket said david h mandel an executive producer of the show its that magical balance


leslie odom jr who won a tony award on june 12 for his portrayal of aaron burr in hamilton said on sunday that he would leave the cast of that show on july 9
mr odom is the fourth tony nominated member of the original broadway cast to plan a departure jonathan groff left on april 9 and lin manuel miranda and phillipa soo are also scheduled to leave after the evening performance on july 9
the exodus much of it less than a month after the show won the coveted tony award for best new musical stems from two factors the show began performances on broadway last summer so one year contracts signed by cast members are about to expire and the shows unusual prominence has led to other opportunities for some of its performers
mr odom recently released a solo jazz album mr groff left to record a new netflix series mindhunter ms soo will star in a new musical amelie and mr miranda has multiple projects including a leading role in a live action disney film that will be a sequel to mary poppins
mr odom announced his departure in a brief video on facebook live that he broadcast from his dressing room before sundays matinee
it has just been the most completely wonderful totally healing and inspiring experience from beginning to end he said of his time in the hamilton cast im excited to have a blank page again he added im excited to go out and find something new


paris   in a sporting sense the european soccer championship is a gathering of tremendous talent artful craftsmen and bubbling drama a delicious recipe that produces one of the most remarkable events on the calendar
the extraordinary nature of the soccer however is surpassed by the extraordinary nature of its soundtrack for in a musical sense the european championships are a gathering of bizarrely discordant overtures cheesy riffs synthesizers and quite often rhymes that schoolchildren would struggle to comprehend
and yet it is all somehow irresistible
let me explain major soccer tournaments whether the world cup or the euros regularly inspire a menagerie of songs from the participating countries some are official anthems contracted specifically for the tournament by national federations others are unofficial tracks recorded and produced by opportunistic musicians or often misguided enthusiasts who maybe once got a guitar for christmas
as you might imagine the quality of these tunes varies widely so much like slam poetry or one of those incredibly tiny microhouses these songs typically inspire a passionate reaction from a small segment of the population while the rest of the world does not really see the appeal at all
this summers collection is particularly piquant hungarys euro 2016 anthem for example is an updated version of a pop song called the night will never come to an end by the group soho party which after breaking up more than a decade ago reunited solely for this composition the track is peppy and quick   and in its original version has a video that appears to showcase a variety of people dancing vigorously after committing an armed robbery   while also being inspirational
make a nice miracle to us the refrain goes fly with us on the wings of love  the trip is starting  youve waited just for this
gergo szabo a communications executive with the hungarian national team explained
the story is that the games are in the evening he said if the team wins then the supporters celebrate all night so this is why the night should never come to an end because in this case it means that national team achieved something great
other songs are more strident ukraines official song titled riding cossacks and performed by the group shadow of the sun sounds a bit like a folk ballad infused with a dollop of grunge rock the lead singer serhij vasyliuk seems to be channeling a young eddie vedder if pearl jam for some reason had chosen to record a deep catalog of irish rebel music
in a television interview mr vasyliuk said the song was about the return of heroes   including heroes from several centuries ago   and described the piece as a romantic song also a patriotic song also a historical song
he added i love ukrainian football
many of the other official songs are in the rock ish cheerleader mold austrias das sind wir this is us is performed by the group schmidhammer you may remember the group from its previous hit molto sexuale the song is relentlessly upbeat repeating over and over and over and over that austria has never been stronger never been harder never been better before closing with the soulful promise one for all   ever alone  no matter what happens  that will always be so
swedens official song by comparison more closely resembles its star player the brash scorer zlatan ibrahimovic performed by the swedish rapper frej larsson mitt team my team is a more frantic club song with an aggressive bass line lots and lots of people including mr ibrahimovic saying my team in swedish as an overlay to the beat and a mesmerizing video that features reindeer helicopters and a person bungee jumping with what is revealed to be a parachute that looks like the swedish flag
some songs have been controversial frances choice a remake of kisss i was made for lovin you by the group skip the use drew stinging criticism almost immediately after its release the vitriol unfortunately was not focused on the edits made to the bizarre lyrics   example tonight i want to give it all to you  in the darkness  theres so much i want to do  oh tonight i want to lay it at your feet  cuz team i was made for you   but rather the language in which the song was recorded
using english instead of french for the official team song was very concerning according to andre vallini who is frances minister of state for development and francophonie or promotion of the french language mr vallini said the tournament was an opportunity to show off france and its culture to the world so it is therefore incomprehensible that the anthem of the french national team should be in english
britain and ireland of course have a long history   good and bad   of soccer tournament songs and this summer produced an eclectic crop waless official song by the manic street preachers is the expected bouncy and sharp rock performance   although an unofficial track released by the indie punk band helen love has also received significant acclaim for its homage to the star attacker gareth bale
despite a somewhat pedestrian rhyme scheme   were going to france  weve got a chance  we cannot fail  gareth bale   the song is nonetheless energizing welsh fans in search of a trippier experience can also sample the work of the group super furry animals yes that is the bands real name which released a new version of a euros song titled bing bong that is vaguely psychedelic and frankly terrifyingly catchy
england despite being responsible for the timeless three lions which went to no 1 on the british charts 20 years ago and largely focuses on the slew of english failures in major tournaments did not commission an official anthem for this tournament
still there are scads of unofficial england songs the one receiving the most attention we are england was composed by shaun ryder formerly of the happy mondays paul oakenfold kermit and goldie who are calling themselves four lions it features a chorus that is unforgettable mostly because it is five words repeated a lot were england til we die  until we die  until we die were england til we die  until we die  until we die
scrutiny of the four lions lyrics is justified if only because a few of the groups members are responsible for what many consider to be the greatest turn of phrase in the annals of tournament anthem history
in 1996 black grape   a group that included mr ryder and kermit and frequently collaborated with goldie   recorded englands irie before that summers european championships in england
the song which went to no 6 on the british charts was clubby and sharp and included this verse which is simultaneously simplistic and sophisticated and espouses a sentiment that many artists have tried and failed to match ever since
hey diddle diddle
theres a fella in the middle
and i think hes pulling my string
my wifes lactating
and im spectating
its a football thing


donald j trump on sunday renewed his call for the united states to consider profiling as a preventive tactic against terrorism in the aftermath of the mass shooting last week in orlando fla
i hate the concept of profiling but we have to start using common sense mr trump the presumptive republican presidential nominee said in an interview on cbss face the nation
mr trump issued a similar call in december after the terrorist attack in san bernardino calif which left 14 people dead and more than 20 injured
on sunday he also sought to downplay any differences between his positions on gun control and those of the national rifle association last week mr trump wrote on twitter that people on the governments terrorist watch list should be barred from buying firearms a stance that contradicts that of the nra
but mr trump seems to be backtracking saying on abcs this week that he understands exactly the nras objections to restricting access to people on the watch list
a lot of people are on the list that really maybe shouldnt be on the list and their rights are being taken away he said
the nra used the sunday morning political shows to criticize and even to mock democratic efforts to pass new gun control laws after the orlando shooting
wayne lapierre the groups executive vice president said on face the nation that legislation was effectively useless at preventing terrorist attacks
these bad guys were facing they dont say oh gosh they passed a law oh gosh i dont think i could do it mr lapierre said
democrats made their own push for expanded gun control   which the senate is to take up monday   and more broadly for a grass roots effort to take on opponents of stricter gun control
senator chris murphy democrat of connecticut who led a 15 hour marathon of speeches on the senate floor that ended early thursday said on abc that the only way that you win this issue is by building a political infrastructure around the country that rivals that of the gun lobby mr trumps presumptive democratic opponent hillary clinton expressed her support for the effort writing stand strong chrismurphyct on twitter
profiling has been an occasional theme of the trump campaign in addition to his most recent comments mr trump has discussed increased surveillance of muslims and mosques and has said that he would consider registering muslims in a special database or requiring that they carry cards that identify them as muslim


consider her found
putting to rest worries of sequel fatigue and a soft overall start to the summer box office at least for now the strongly reviewed finding dory disney arrived to 1362 million in estimated weekend ticket sales in north america setting a record for a pixar film even when adjusting for inflation
the results are a return to form for pixar which suffered disappointing sales in the fall for the good dinosaur finding dory a sequel to finding nemo that cost at least 300 million to make and market worldwide played in 4305 theaters in the united states and canada one of the widest releases for an animated film about 3200 locations played the film in 3 d which raised the ticket price by 3 to 5
overseas finding dory took in an additional 50 million audience interest was always expected to be huge dory a memory impaired blue tang fish has emerged in recent years as one of disneys most popular characters she has more than 25 million followers on facebook leaving mickey minnie and most other disney characters in the dust tinker bell and capt jack sparrow come close
still after adjusting for ticket price increases over the years finding dory fell a dorsal fin short of breaking the opening record for an animated film the record holder remains shrek the third which took in an adjusted 1409 million in 2007
second place for the weekend went to central intelligence new line and universal an action comedy starring kevin hart and dwayne johnson that cost roughly 50 million to make it collected an estimated 345 million in its first weekend in domestic release a better than expected result


washington   the justice department will release partial transcripts of conversations between the police and the orlando gunman from the night he carried out a deadly attack at a gay nightclub attorney general loretta lynch said on sunday
the transcripts expected to be released on monday will include three calls between the gunman omar mateen and negotiators who spoke with him as the massacre was unfolding
law enforcement officials will also provide a detailed timeline of those calls
ms lynch said the calls should shed light on the motivation behind mr mateens decision to walk into the pulse nightclub in orlando fla on june 12 and carry out an attack in which 49 people were fatally shot before he was killed by the police
the announcement came as ms lynch the nations top law enforcement official made rare appearances on five major sunday morning news programs to discuss the investigation as it entered its second week
she declined to comment on potential charges in the case but said on cnns state of the union that she considered the shooting both an act of terror and an act of hate
ms lynch said the transcripts would not include portions of the calls that would risk revictimizing those affected by the shooting or could further this mans propaganda including mr mateens pledge of allegiance to the islamic state
as we have said earlier he talked about his pledges of allegiance to a terrorist group ms lynch said on cnn
he talked about his motivations for why he was claiming at that time he was committing this horrific act he talked about american policy in some ways
ms lynch frequently found herself defending aspects of the fbis current investigation into the shooting as well as earlier ones into mr mateen which have drawn scrutiny for failing to anticipate his actions
mr mateen was twice under investigation by the fbi once beginning in 2013 after boasting to co workers that he had ties to terrorist groups and again the following year in connection with a florida man who tried to carry out a suicide bombing in syria
she said that though he had raised suspicions there was not evidence at the time to suggest mr mateen would actually carry out any attacks
asked on abcs this week if she thought there was anything that federal authorities could have done differently leading up to the attack ms lynch said that her department was still looking at that
you know this is an ongoing investigation she said
we are going back and scrubbing every contact we had with this killer
ms lynch also faced questions about a democratic proposal endorsed by the justice department that would bar those on federal terrorism watch lists from purchasing firearms
the republican controlled senate is expected to vote on monday on that and on other competing proposals
none of the proposed amendments are expected to pass but they have exposed some division within the law enforcement community over how to address cases like that of mr mateen
ms lynch is scheduled to travel to orlando on tuesday to review the investigation in person and receive briefings from investigators and federal prosecutors
she will also meet with emergency workers victims of the shooting and their family members
the lgbt and latino community has come under fire before but never in as horrific a manner as this ms lynch said on abcs this week


jerusalem   the israeli government on sunday approved about 20 million in additional financing for jewish settlements in the occupied west bank underlining its strengthened right wing orientation and raising the ire of political opponents and the palestinians
the move came as the israeli hard liner avigdor lieberman was to arrive in washington on his first visit in his new role as defense minister during which he is expected to meet with defense secretary ashton b carter mr lieberman a settler was appointed last month in a coalition deal that brought his ultranationalist yisrael beiteinu party into the government
the new money would add to what the settlements already receive from various parts of the governments budget it was approved days after blistering condemnations of prime minister benjamin netanyahu by two former israeli defense ministers and military chiefs of staff speaking at a prestigious security conference they accused the prime minister and his government of pushing a divisive agenda that threatened israels future as a jewish democracy and undermined its core values
in remarks before the weekly cabinet meeting on sunday mr netanyahu the leader of the conservative likud party said the assistance plan was intended to strengthen security for the settlements as well as to bolster small businesses and encourage tourism
yariv levin the tourism minister said in a statement that some of the money would provide financial support for the construction of hotels in the main tourism areas in judea and samaria referring to the west bank by its biblical name
the settlements have long been a source of friction between israel and the united states along with much of the rest of the world most countries view settlement construction as a violation of international law and an impediment to a resolution of the israeli palestinian conflict the obama administration has described the settlements as illegitimate
israel considers the west bank territory that it conquered from jordan in the arab israeli war of 1967 to be disputed not occupied and says the fate of the settlements should be determined in negotiations
under growing international pressure mr netanyahu and mr lieberman recently affirmed their commitment to the principle of two states for two peoples meaning the establishment of a palestinian state alongside israel but the palestinians and others are skeptical about the israelis motives
israel is doing everything possible to sabotage every effort to achieve a just and lasting peace saeb erekat the secretary general of the palestine liberation organization said in a statement after the israeli government approved the settlement financing it is time for the international community to assume its responsibilities towards this extremist government that openly supports apartheid and stands against the two state solution
while strengthening the settlements israel has continued to demolish unlicensed palestinian homes and livestock pens in the part of the west bank known as area c the more than 60 percent of the territory where israel exercises full security and civil control
the financing measure was approved after months of deadly palestinian attacks in and around the settlements as well as in jerusalem and in cities around israel
but amir peretz an israeli legislator from the center left zionist union and a former defense minister said of the financing measure they are using the name of security baselessly because the defense establishment will not abandon the settlers even without getting the millions it is getting today
mr peretz added that the allocation was rubbing the salt in the wounds of those who need every shekel he pointed to a cross country protest march led by mayors of towns far from the center of israel as they campaign for a fairer distribution of government funds for education and welfare
moshe yaalon a likud politician and a former military chief of staff who resigned from his post as defense minister last month after it was promised to mr lieberman said at the annual herzliya security conference near tel aviv last week that he intended to run for prime minister in the next elections which are to be held by late 2019
mr yaalon who has supported settlement growth accused the israeli leadership of scaremongering citing the nuclear agreement with iran which mr netanyahu strenuously opposed and the capabilities of the military he said i can say that today and in the foreseeable future there is no existential threat on the state of israel
ehud barak another former military chief and defense minister who as the leader of the center left labor party served a short and largely unsuccessful term as prime minister said at the conference that a fanatic seed of extreme ideology has taken over the likud
he added that mr netanyahus priority was not security but a slow and cunning advancement of the one state solution agenda mr barak said that would lead to either an apartheid state or a binational state in which the jews will become a minority within a couple of generations
likud dismissed mr barak who also gave a lengthy television interview on friday night as a failed politician who was seeking attention mr netanyahu rejected mr yaalons criticism as politically motivated saying in a statement you cannot express full confidence in the leadership when you are on the inside and say the absolute opposite when you are on the outside


cumana venezuela   with delivery trucks under constant attack the nations food is now transported under armed guard soldiers stand watch over bakeries the police fire rubber bullets at desperate mobs storming grocery stores pharmacies and butcher shops a 4 year old girl was shot to death as street gangs fought over food
venezuela is convulsing from hunger
hundreds of people here in the city of cumana home to one of the regions independence heroes marched on a supermarket in recent days screaming for food they forced open a large metal gate and poured inside they snatched water flour cornmeal salt sugar potatoes anything they could find leaving behind only broken freezers and overturned shelves
and they showed that even in a country with the largest oil reserves in the world it is possible for people to riot because there is not enough food
in the last two weeks alone more than 50 food riots protests and mass looting have erupted around the country scores of businesses have been stripped bare or destroyed at least five people have been killed
this is precisely the venezuela its leaders vowed to prevent
in one of the nations worst moments riots spread from caracas the capital in 1989 leaving hundreds dead at the hands of security forces known as the caracazo or the caracas clash they were set off by low oil prices cuts in subsidies and a population that was suddenly impoverished
the event seared the memory of a future president hugo chavez who said the countrys inability to provide for its people and the states repression of the uprising were the reasons venezuela needed a socialist revolution
now his successors find themselves in a similar bind   or maybe even worse
the nation is anxiously searching for ways to feed itself
the economic collapse of recent years has left it unable to produce enough food on its own or import what it needs from abroad cities have been militarized under an emergency decree from president nicolas maduro the man mr chavez picked to carry on with his revolution before he died three years ago
if there is no food there will be more riots said raibelis henriquez 19 who waited all day for bread in cumana where at least 22 businesses were attacked in a single day last week
but while the riots and clashes punctuate the country with alarm it is the hunger that remains the constant source of unease
a staggering 87 percent of venezuelans say they do not have money to buy enough food the most recent assessment of living standards by simon bolivar university found
about 72 percent of monthly wages are being spent just to buy food according to the center for documentation and social analysis a research group associated with the venezuelan teachers federation
in april it found that a family would need the equivalent of 16 minimum wage salaries to properly feed itself
ask people in this city when they last ate a meal and many will respond that it was not today
among them are leidy cordova 37 and her five children   abran deliannys eliannys milianny and javier luis   ages 1 to 11 on thursday evening the entire family had not eaten since lunchtime the day before when ms cordova made a soup by boiling chicken skin and fat that she had found for a cheap price at the butcher
my kids tell me theyre hungry ms cordova said as her family looked on and all i can say to them is to grin and bear it
other families have to choose who eats lucila fonseca 69 has lymphatic cancer and her 45 year old daughter vanessa furtado has a brain tumor despite also being ill ms furtado gives up the little food she has on many days so her mother does not skip meals
i used to be very fat but no longer the daughter said we are dying as we live
her mother added we are now living on maduros diet no food no nothing
economists say years of economic mismanagement   worsened by low prices for oil the nations main source of revenue   have shattered the food supply
sugar fields in the countrys agricultural center lie fallow for lack of fertilizers unused machinery rots in shuttered state owned factories staples like corn and rice once exported now must be imported and arrive in amounts that do not meet the need
in response mr maduro has tightened his grip over the food supply using emergency decrees he signed this year the president put most food distribution in the hands of a group of citizen brigades loyal to leftists a measure critics say is reminiscent of food rationing in cuba
theyre saying in other words you get food if youre my friend if youre my sympathizer said roberto briceno leon the director of the venezuelan violence observatory a human rights group
it was all a new reality for gabriel marquez 24 who grew up in the boom years when venezuela was rich and empty shelves were unimaginable he stood in front of the destroyed supermarket where the mob had arrived at cumana an endless expanse of smashed bottles boxes and scattered shelves a few people including a policeman were searching the wreckage for leftovers to take
during carnival we used to throw eggs at each other just to have some fun he said now an egg is like gold
down the coastal road in a small fishing town called boca de uchire hundreds gathered on a bridge this month to protest because the food deliveries were not arriving residents demanded to meet the mayor but when he did not come they sacked a chinese bodega
residents hacked open the door with pickaxes and pillaged the shop venting their anger at a global power that has lent billions of dollars to prop up venezuela in recent years
the chinese wont sell to us said a taxi driver who watched the crowd haul away all that was inside so we burn their stores instead
mr maduro who is fighting a push for a referendum to recall him this year over the countrys declines said it was the political opposition that was behind the attacks on the stores
they paid a group of criminals brought them in trucks he said on saturday on television promising compensation to those who lost property
at the same time the government also blames an economic war for the shortages it accuses wealthy business owners of hoarding food and charging exorbitant prices creating artificial shortages to profit from the countrys misery
it has left shop owners feeling under siege particularly those who do not have spanish names
look how we are working today said maria basmagi whose family immigrated from syria a generation ago pointing to the metal grate pulled over the window of her shoe store
her shop was on the commercial boulevard in barcelona another coastal town racked by unrest last week at 11 am the day before someone screamed that there was an attack on a government run kitchen nearby every shop on ms basmagis street closed down in fear
other shops stay open like the bakery in cumana where a line of 100 people snaked around a corner each person was allowed to buy about a pound of bread
robert astudillo a 23 year old father of two was not sure there would be any left once his turn came he said he still had corn flour to make arepas a venezuelan staple for his children they had not eaten meat in months
we make the arepas small he said
in the refrigerator of araselis rodriguez and nestor daniel reina the parents of four small children there was not even corn flour   just a few limes and some bottles of water
the family had eaten bread for breakfast and soup for lunch made from fish that mr reina had managed to catch the family had nothing for dinner
it has not always been clear what provokes the riots is it hunger alone or is it some larger anger that has built up in a country that has crumbled
ines rodriguez was not sure she remembered calling out to the crowd of people who had come to sack her restaurant on tuesday night offering them all the chicken and rice the restaurant had if they would only leave the furniture and cash register behind they balked at the offer and simply pushed her aside ms rodriguez said
it is the meeting of hunger and crime now she said
as she spoke three trucks with armed patrols drove by each emblazoned with photos of mr chavez and mr maduro
the trucks were carrying food
finally they come here ms rodriguez said and look what it took to get them it took this riot to get us something to eat


washington   under pressure from democrats the senates republicans have agreed to allow a series of votes on restricting gun sales in the aftermath of the shooting rampage in orlando fla rival measures from republicans and democrats to be taken up on monday seek to address the so called terror gap allowing people on terrorist watch lists to buy firearms and to expand background checks for purchases at gun shows and online separately president obama wants to ban the sale of semiautomatic assault weapons similar to those used in recent attacks but that issue is not on the senates agenda
do any of the measures stand much chance of passage
probably not although senate democrats forced votes this time by filibustering for 15 hours beginning wednesday and donald j trump has expressed support for stopping people on terror watch lists from buying guns republicans voted down similar proposals in december after a shooting rampage in san bernardino calif killed 14 people several moderate republicans are working on a compromise but they face an uphill fight because of election year politics and the threat of opposition from the national rifle association for any republican who breaks from the partys traditional stance
would a renewed ban on assault weapons have stopped the orlando gunman from buying the weapon he used in the attack
possibly the gunman omar mateen who had been on a terror watch list until 2014 bought a sig sauer mcx rifle   a spinoff of the military style ar 15   as well as a 9 millimeter handgun at a florida gun shop about a week before the attack the original assault weapons ban passed by congress in 1994 prohibited the sale of 19 kinds of semiautomatic weapons including ar 15s ak 47s and uzis as well as dozens of types of handguns ammunition and other rifles that met certain military style conditions it is unclear how many of these military style features were on the ar 15 style rifle that mr mateen used so it may or may not have fallen under the ban
how did the 1994 assault weapons ban ever get through congress
president bill clinton pushed the ban through as part of a far reaching 30 billion crime bill making it a nonnegotiable element in the face of republican resistance rising crime rates gang violence and a number of attacks on police officers by criminals using assault rifles all helped get the ban through congress when he ran for re election mr clinton released an ad saying bill clinton did something no president has ever been able to accomplish he passed and signed a tough law to ban deadly assault weapons
was the assault weapons ban effective
there is dispute about its impact to this day some academics credit the ban with keeping tens of thousands of dangerous assault weapons off the streets beginning in 1994 and contributing to a drop in violent crime at the same time many types of high powered weapons fell outside the ban including knockoffs older versions and altered rifles that filled the void a study financed by the justice department said the effectiveness in reducing crime was mixed from city to city
what happened to the 1994 assault weapons ban
in 2004 congress allowed the 10 year ban to expire amid lobbying by the nra and gun rights advocates in congress john kerry the democratic nominee for president that year accused president george w bush of failing to do enough to win passage of an extension
have there been efforts to bring back the ban
yes the large majority of the most notorious recent mass shootings in the united states   including the attacks in san bernardino newtown conn and aurora colo   have involved semiautomatic weapons after almost every one there has been an effort in congress to bring back the ban but all have failed in the face of republican opposition the nra and other gun rights advocates argue that the weapons should not be called assault rifles at all and that they are usually used for hunting marksmanship or self protection some democrats believe the passage of the 1994 ban contributed to the republican takeover of the house that year and the memory of that political impact has been sobering for gun control advocates


san francisco   brian chesky chief executive of airbnb made a vow this month to root out bigotry from his business
his online room sharing company has recently been grappling with claims of discrimination with several airbnb users sharing stories on social media about how they were supposedly denied a booking because of their race the issue came into the open in december when a working paper by harvard university researchers found it was harder for guests with african american sounding names to rent rooms through the site
this is a huge issue for us mr chesky said at a company event in san francisco in early june we will be revisiting the design of our site from end to end to see how we can create a more inclusive platform
but even as mr chesky promised to stamp out racism from airbnb the companys class action litigation policy makes it tough   if not impossible   for customers to push the start up to make any substantive changes on the issue airbnb requires that people agree to waive their right to sue or to join in any class action lawsuit or class action arbitration to use the service
that clause known as a class action waiver crops up whenever someone logs into airbnbs site in march the company updated its terms of service for new users partly to highlight that clause last month airbnb users were unable to log in and use their accounts until they agreed to the updated terms including the class action waiver language
the waiver clause can be broadly applied to many issues not just accusations of discrimination but class action lawsuits have been particularly effective legal tools to press companies on their discrimination policies over the years civil rights lawyers said which would give airbnb more cause to wield it as it grapples with the issue in the past such suits against merrill lynch morgan stanley and coca cola pushed those companies to change hiring and workplace practices
class action cases have been the only effective way to prove and remedy systemic discrimination because you cant prove a pattern of behavior with individually filed cases said joanne doroshow executive director of new york law schools center for justice and democracy who specializes in civil justice issues
the waiver clause and airbnbs more prominent placement of it allows it to shield itself now from outside pressure around the discrimination issue and to handle the matter at its own pace and on its own terms
airbnb can say it doesnt condone racism and even has an anti discrimination policy but right now that policy doesnt have teeth if the company is legally insulated from having to comply with the same anti discrimination laws that real estate brokers must comply with said jamila jefferson jones an associate professor of law at the university of missouri kansas city
a spokesman for airbnb said that the company was open about its dispute resolution policies including the waiver clause and that these provisions are common and we believe ours is balanced and protects consumers
in an interview chris lehane the head of global policy for airbnb said the company was being proactive in dealing with discrimination claims airbnb recently removed two of its hosts including one for writing racist epithets to a black user and another for refusing a transgender woman as a guest mr lehane said the company suspended or in some cases permanently banned those who violated its anti discrimination policy
airbnb this month also hired laura murphy the former head of the american civil liberties unions washington legislative office as an outside adviser to look at the issue ms murphy said airbnb was examining its internal structures and technology and its processes for identifying and handling discrimination incidents and building relationships with organizations like fair housing human rights and travel groups
airbnb aims to have announcements in the next 10 days about preliminary actions it is taking on discrimination and it plans to have a full report with proposed remedies in september she said eventually the company wants to have a division to handle and resolve discrimination complaints ms murphy added
litigation is always an option but we think its better to take the time and effort to resolve problems if we can she said in an interview
when there is litigation airbnb has not been afraid to use the class action waiver clause in march the company cited the clause in fighting a class action suit that accused airbnb of acting as an unlicensed real estate broker the company said the suit was moot because the plaintiffs had agreed to waive their class action rights and in a related clause agreed to resolve disputes through individual arbitration the judge in the case is now deciding whether it should be placed in the hands of an arbitrator
airbnb is willing and eager to use the class action waiver and arbitration clause said jeffrey norton the lawyer who filed that suit in february
airbnb may soon test the waiver clause directly in a class action discrimination suit which was filed in may in the united states district court in washington the chief plaintiff gregory selden who is african american claimed airbnb violated civil rights laws that forbid housing discrimination when a host on the service denied him accommodation last year because of his race airbnbs response to the lawsuit is due by july 13
ikechukwu emejuru the lawyer representing mr selden said the sharing economy has grown exponentially and mr seldens experiences of not being accommodated by airbnb because of his race put in motion this countrys most iconic civil rights laws he declined to comment further and said mr selden was unavailable to comment
for airbnb an effective response to discrimination claims is needed to blunt any fallout on its business the company valued at about 25 billion has hosts in more than 34000 cities and 191 countries and is positioning itself as an alternative to hotels airbnb recently raised 1 billion in debt to help finance its growth according to a person familiar with the deal who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the transaction is not public the credit facility was reported earlier by bloomberg
airbnbs expansion depends partly on whether people of different nationalities and ethnicities feel welcomed to the platform in the same nondiscriminatory way that they are welcomed at international hotel chains two rival room sharing services innclusive and noirbnb are now marketing themselves as services that provide inclusive and safe short term rentals for people of any race or ethnicity
ms murphy the airbnb adviser said the company recognized that eliminating discrimination was in its best interests she said airbnbs relative youth   the company was founded in 2008   meant it could deal with the issue in a more agile way than companies with entrenched cultures that may have needed the pressure of litigation to do the right thing
airbnb is part of a new area of commerce and the conditions for transactions are still developing she said thats why its important to get it right


the united states is still grieving the tragic massacre of 49 people in a gay nightclub in orlando fla the deranged killer was a muslim
the attack has prompted concern about a culture of terror sweeping america leading to demands for actions against islam and its followers
a year ago dylann roof a neo nazi shot dead nine black congregants including the pastor and a state senator at a church in charleston sc hes referred to as a lone wolf white supremacist
the calls for banning muslims greater surveillance of mosques and even creating a new house committee for un american activities focusing on jihadists raise two questions do muslim americans present a threat greater than that posed by any of their fellow citizens and could much more be done to prevent such attacks counterterrorism experts believe the answer to both is no most americans wouldnt agree
the shootings in san bernardino calif last year and in orlando on june 12 were horrific says richard a clarke the counterterrorism czar under presidents bill clinton and george w bush but such events are rare mr clarke says in the entire obama administration there have been six incidents involving eight people
before orlando more americans had been killed since the sept 11 attacks by white nationalist terrorists in the united states than by muslims according to research by new america a nonpartisan think tank based in washington
robert mckenzie an expert on relations between the united states and the muslim world at the brookings institution says the united states has resettled about 800000 refugees over the past 15 years five have been arrested on terrorism charges
critics assert that muslims dont assimilate but researchers paint a different picture surveys by the institute for social policy and understanding and the pew research center suggest that the attitudes of united states muslims about country and community are similar to those of adherents of other religions they watch sports on television and play video games at the same rate as other americans
mr mckenzie complains that the news media rarely captures the civil engagement of muslims when the water supply in flint mich was found to be toxic the states muslims worked with members of other religions to aid distressed citizens while state and local officials failed they were very helpful says lee anne walters a flint resident who blew the whistle on the contamination it was great seeing everyone come together
there are controversies a handful of communities with large muslim populations have promoted the use of shariah law a fundamentalist doctrine that would offend most americans including many muslims a few radical imams and vulnerable young men and women are susceptible to propaganda from the islamic state the militant group has demonstrated a sophisticated grasp of social media putting out more than 90000 messages daily in multiple languages
mr clarke says the united states needs to institute a much more thorough program to counter that propaganda he also says that preventing terrorism suspects from having easy access to lethal weapons should be a no brainer but he warns that there are no panaceas when a guy one minute suggests he may be sympathetic to isis and the next minute decides to kill people catching that minute is really really hard he says
in the longer term experts say islamic radicalism needs to be addressed at its source overseas no one other than a few vote seeking politicians argues that can be done easily or quickly there will be more terrorist strikes in the united states and elsewhere
so its worth remembering that the vast majority of american muslims go to school work hard pay their taxes participate in their communities and serve in the military thats why they resent being told they are on the front lines in the fight against radical terrorists mr mckenzie says they dont know who those people are


ellenville ny   roger baker walked across beethovens hair down to the left eye and over to the right eye
there is no question that ludwig van beethoven was a larger than life figure one of the greatest composers of all time and here at the edge of the catskills beethoven is very big indeed
the canvas is a huge field where cows once grazed the artist is a man who was inspired while listening to beethovens piano sonatas on long playing records that he found at a yard sale his tools include four tractors
beethovens got great hair   what can i tell you said mr baker who is a commercial artist and sculptor when he is not creating colossal portraits in grass his hair is timeless it was good back then and it would go good today great image when you see a picture of beethoven you just know who it is you look at that scowling face you think dun dun dun duh there was no mistaking the famous four note opening of beethovens symphony no 5 op 67 even as he insisted he could not carry a tune
the likeness in the grass is familiar based on a painting of beethoven in his late 40s   middle age according to the calendar late period according to the opus numbers but mr bakers beethoven differs from the painting this beethovens complexion is blemished by woodchuck holes his right shoulder is cut off by a creek
and beethovens prominent forehead a great place to land a helicopter mr baker said after explaining that the height of the portrait is more than 1000 feet and that it includes only beethovens head and shoulders
mr baker sees beethovens lapel as a great place for a grand piano a 5 foot 8 inch yamaha will be trucked in on monday a harp arrived over the weekend for a moonlit performance of the moonlight sonata by victoria drake a 40 voice choir from ellenville middle school will sing an arrangement of ode to joy from symphony no 9 op 125 on monday the choirs music teacher linda gillette will accompany them
mr baker has been called a da vinci of the lawn mower an el greco of the grass he has done large form cuttings of the statue of liberty albert einstein jimi hendrix elvis presley and the motorcycle builder and biker larry desmedt better known as indian larry he also snipped and trimmed an 850000 square foot purple heart medal
beethoven a high culture idol was a departure for mr baker who said he had never attended a classical music concert he dabbled with the clarinet and the saxophone when he was growing up on the jersey shore but painting beckoned after high school
now 62 he is a happy straggler when it comes to technology he still has a flip phone and he has never   yes never   used google his main research tool is the world book encyclopedia a 19 volume set from 1956 those seeking further explanation of what that is can look it up on google
that was where he found the image of beethoven that he adapted for the field as for the lps at the yard sale   recordings of the pianist alfred brendel   i paid five bucks for them he said
the records were in perfect condition he said and he played them over and over carefully lowering the needle to avoid scratching the old vinyl surfaces before he settled on beethoven he considered other famous musicians who happened to have impressive hair leonard bernstein luciano pavarotti frederic chopin franz liszt even wolfgang amadeus mozart
mr baker pulled volume 11 the m volume of the world book off a shelf and read up on mozart he was unimpressed mozart didnt have the verve mr baker said i look at the portrait of beethoven and think dun dun dun duh mozart was just kind of standing there
so beethoven it was and not just the portrait he sketched the nine letters of the composers family name below the image he decided ordinary looking letters were not enough so he copied beethovens signature the b is more than 90 feet tall and he got permission to use the field rent free   it is owned by friends he said
the field dictated the size of the portrait mr baker said when i do fields i have to count square feet acres it doesnt sound as great beethoven covers about a million square feet that works out to 23 acres given the shape of the field
mr baker figured out a grid system dividing the field into 100 foot by 100 foot squares he subdivided each square into 10 by 10 chunks and waded into the grass carrying a 3 foot by 4 foot mock up
he planted orange flags some to mark off squares some to warn of woodchuck holes he and his mowing crew assigned nicknames to features of beethovens face that in extra large scale look more like land formations on a map   madagascar for a piece of the collar that had the shape of the island off africa thousand islands for the cravat
the beethoven biographer jan swafford wrote that when he pictured beethoven at work he heard the scratch of a quill pen on lined music paper mr baker hears the guttural sound of five grass cutting machines   my array of brushes he called them he also described them as erasers but not the kind that removes all traces of whatever was on the surface were not getting rid of the grass he said were just making it lower blade by blade
the machines were lined up at the edge of the field waiting to give beethovens chin a close shave or to add a bit of shadow to his cheek the smallest was a push mower for narrow detail mr baker explained next was a riding mower i use that to outline a big blue tractor sat alongside a smaller orange one for gradations
north of beethovens mouth he was joined by akiko sasaki a pianist who heard about the project from a violinist mr baker had recruited akiko kamigawara she said hes going to cut beethoven into the grass recalled ms sasaki who has a masters degree from the manhattan school of music and gave her solo debut recital at carnegie hall in 2006 the way she said it i was like what i didnt get it
mr baker standing in the giant b of beethovens signature said he had heard that before he countered by saying that the project was not so far fetched
were just mowing a lawn he said


chicago   ethan winnett a 31 year old from waukegan ill said that if senator bernie sanders endorsed hillary clinton after his decades as a progressive champion it would amount to nothing short of a betrayal of all of his principles
virginia ramos rios 44 who was a sanders field organizer in california and new york said it would be a hard pill to swallow
and of their fellow sanders supporters now throwing their support to mrs clinton disgusting said john flaherty 63 a retired photographer from wayland mass
one of the last remaining questions of the democratic presidential primary season is how many of the 12 million people who voted for mr sanders will back his opponent mrs clinton now that she is the presumptive nominee
and if interviews with about a dozen sanders supporters who gathered here this weekend are any indication the bernie or bust component of his large following will survive past the summer even if mr sanders eventually endorses mrs clinton
hes been fighting against the 1 percent and hillary has become the 1 percent said mr winnett an unemployed computer engineer shes become everything that were against
mr sanders has yet to concede the nomination though in a speech streamed live last week to more than 200000 viewers he hinted that he might endorse mrs clinton saying the major political task that we face in the next five months is to make certain that donald trump is defeated and defeated badly
mr sanderss advisers say that before he throws his support behind mrs clinton he is seeking assurances that she and the democratic party will embrace some of his ideas much of his speech was devoted to urging his followers to continue fighting for causes like universal health care free public college and an end to fracking regardless of who wins the general election in november
that happened to be the theme of the gathering this weekend which was called the peoples summit and drew thousands of people to mccormick place a large conference center in chicago against a backdrop of twister games lego sculptures and beanbag throwing contests they talked about pushing progressive ideals
the event which was organized by national nurses united a labor union that campaigned heavily for mr sanders featured discussions about how to encourage like minded people to run for local offices and to push groups to work together on issues like racial justice income inequality and electoral changes one session included discussion of protest methods using mock sit ins and arrests for the democratic national convention next month in philadelphia
panels included the robin hood tax challenging wall street neo liberalism and perpetual debt and ending voter suppression mass incarceration deportations and gender inequality
mr sanders did not attend though bernie 2016 hats buttons and pins were easy to spot and songs from the senators rallies like simon and garfunkels america blasted through speakers conference attendees effortlessly repeated elements of his stump speech   rigged economy a corrupt campaign finance system
some of mr sanderss democratic surrogates did show up like representative tulsi gabbard of hawaii and nina turner a former ohio state senator who delivered a fiery speech urging people not to allow the party to return to business as usual
the question of whether to support mrs clinton in november was not an official topic of discussion but it was on a lot of minds nonetheless
im very frustrated by people who are like vote blue no matter who ms ramos rios said i feel like we are being threatened with the boogeyman of the dream state and not confronting the actual difficulty that we have in front of us which is we are being ruled by an oligarchy
some at the chicago gathering said they might vote for a third party candidate others said they would write in mr sanderss name none of the people interviewed said they would vote for mr trump
curtis anderson 29 an estate groundskeeper from plainfield ill said that he would vote for mrs clinton but that that was about all he would do for her i campaigned 500 hours for bernie he said i wouldnt campaign five minutes for hillary
naomi klein a progressive author spoke on friday night at a panel about the way some of mr sanderss supporters were feeling lets not be afraid to admit that we come here wounded and that we also come here in pain she said we are grieving political losses dreams tantalizingly tasted but ultimately unrealized
polls suggest that a large majority of people who voted for mr sanders will back mrs clinton and in tight races in swing states her campaign will welcome that support
on the opening panel friday night the journalist juan gonzalez said that he belonged to the antiwar group students for a democratic society in 1968 and that like some other members he sat out the presidential election that fall richard m nixon beat hubert h humphrey by less than a percentage point and mr gonzalez said he wondered whether the result could have been different
our slogan was vote with your feet vote in the street he said im here to tell you that the slogan was right the tactic was wrong
hopefully he added other generations learn from the mistakes of those who came before them
it was not clear if that argument held much sway with the chicago crowd
if we get trump then weve gotten the country we deserve mr winnett said its not the fault of the bernie sanders supporters its the fault of the democrats for choosing hillary clinton


a man in the bronx was fatally shot by new york city police officers early sunday after he refused to drop a gun he was carrying and pointed it at the officers the authorities said
the police arrived just before 2 am at the soundview houses a new york city housing authority complex in the south bronx after receiving 911 calls reporting gunfire the authorities said the officers encountered the man 25 holding the gun outside a building on the corner of randall and rosedale avenues the police said
the man whose name was not released walked toward the officers with the gun raised assistant chief larry w nikunen the police commander for the bronx told reporters on sunday he pointed the gun at them on two separate times chief nikunen said
the officers who were in uniform and in plain clothes ordered the man to drop the weapon and he did not comply the police said three of the officers opened fire 31 shots were fired the police said and the man was struck several times
the man was taken to jacobi medical center where he was pronounced dead no officers were injured
a 9 millimeter handgun was recovered by the police at the scene and chief nikunen said investigators had reviewed surveillance camera footage that appeared to support the officers account of the confrontation
later on sunday the site of the shooting remained cordoned off with crime scene tape as investigators surveyed the scene and several officers guarded the entrance to one of the buildings allowing only its residents to go inside
candles had already been placed on the sidewalk near the corner of randall and rosedale avenues with rest in peace and other messages written on them they sat just a few yards from a larger cluster of candles stuffed animals and tequila bottles that served as a memorial for someone else
the shooting had cast a pall over fathers day for some in the complex anita oselmoe who has lived in the soundview houses for five years said people did not feel like doing anything or going anywhere anymore
and many were outraged saying that the spray of gunfire directed at the man was an overreaction they dont have no business shooting that baby no 31 times ethel massay who has lived in the complex for 57 years said as she walked to the grocery store
rosie chisolm who has lived in the complex for two decades was sitting on a bench in the courtyard shoot him in the leg or something she said they shooting to kill
some residents said they first heard a couple of shots that the man had fired which prompted the 911 calls and were according to the authorities detected by the police departments shotspotter system which sent the officers to the location as well minutes later the residents heard more shots this time it was the police
i woke up and touched my husbands chest violet levis 48 said clutching a balloon for her husband that said i love you i looked out the window and i saw about four or five cops
ms oselmoe was in her apartment when the shooting happened people were running and ducking for cover she said my heart was beating so fast and hours later she remained angry they dont have no respect for us ms oselmoe said of the police this is no fathers day gift


milan   a black car pulled up outside of 12 via gesu milans via delluomo or mens street lined with mens shops on saturday and out stepped a tiny blonde in a spill of ruffles accompanied by a jack russell terrier with its own entourage of staff members
donatella versace had arrived
she picked her way into the versace headquarters negotiating the pebbled stone of the courtyard in her stilettos and refusing a waiters offer of a paper cone of french fries with an upturned hand
earlier that afternoon ms versace had shown her new mens collection preceded by a film by bruce weber a campaign shot in chicago with the models gigi hadid and karlie kloss she had returned to via gesu once her brother giannis home and now the company headquarters for a party during mens fashion week to celebrate the collaboration and mr weber
but the talk of the show had been the soundtrack music - both classics and unreleased tracks - by ms versaces late friend prince donatella would like to use this special occasion as an opportunity to share this incredible music from a dear and much missed friend read a statement from the company
on the runway ms versace sent out a few female models along with the usual brawny guys in outfits that were distinctly prince inspired his skintight suits his ruffled blouses ms versace was wearing an all black version of one of these looks herself a seasonless tribute that might conceivably have a future in stores
ms versace waxed reminiscent about her friend who died in april prince was meant to attend her couture show in january but she thought little of it when he wasnt able to
i had no idea he was unwell she said with a shake of her head i went to paisley park so many times
on the soundtrack was a remix of kiss and tracks of the singer bleating out versace and donatellas name
he sent me those songs five months ago ms versace said he sent me music all the time people look for the vault   i am the vault
then mr weber arrived and the courtyard dinner in his honor could begin ms versace teetered off to greet him and dinner was served
the dj played a few prince hits but as guests sat to eat and live musicians played a man appeared in a leather jacket which he summarily removed and muscular and stripped to the waist began to sing core ngrato an old enrico caruso standard


hong kong   adopting the mantle of a whistle blower rarely comes without consequences edward j snowden is in exile in russia for leaking secrets of the national security agency michael winston who gained fame for exposing countrywide financials mortgage policies spent years battling lawsuits now in hong kong it is lam wing kees turn to feel the heat
many people in hong kong consider mr lam a hero his dramatic recounting on thursday of his apprehension by the chinese police his forced confession and months of detention for committing an act that is not a crime in his native hong kong   selling politically sensitive books filled with gossip and speculation about chinas leaders   led thousands of people to come out on the streets on saturday to show their support for him
but people close to him including his former colleagues and a woman who says she is his girlfriend are now making public rebuttals about what he said in accounts published by sing tao daily a pro beijing newspaper in the case of the girlfriend   identified only by her surname hu   the criticism is stinging
ms hu 37 interviewed by sing tao in mainland china said mr lam had deceived her into mailing banned books to customers in the mainland which she said she had not known was a crime she also said in the interview which was published on sunday that cursed lam is not a man and that contrary to what he had told the news media the chinese authorities did not deny him legal representation
on saturday the same newspaper published interviews with two of the other detained booksellers lui por and cheung chi ping who both disputed mr lams claim that televised confessions from this year in which they tearfully admitted to illegal book sales in china had been scripted by the mainland police mr cheung was quoted by the paper as saying i had no idea that lam wing kee was such a dishonest person
their comments followed similar rebuttals by another of mr lams former colleagues lee bo mr lee is arguably the most famous of the booksellers because it was his disappearance from a hong kong neighborhood in late december that brought the story of the missing booksellers to a global audience on friday mr lee again reiterated that he had contrary to what mr lam had said voluntarily traveled to the mainland to help the police there with a case
a fifth person connected with the hong kong bookseller saga gui minhai was plucked from his seaside condo in thailand he remains in mainland police custody and has not commented on mr lams statements
albert ho a hong kong lawyer and pro democracy lawmaker represented mr snowden during his time in hong kong in 2013 on thursday afternoon his secretary received notice that mr lam had called him and wanted to meet
mr lam had been planning to head back to the mainland under an agreement with the chinese police but suddenly decided to go public with an account of his time in custody
mr ho does not at present serve as mr lams lawyer but it was in a conference room near mr hos office in the legislative building that mr lam gave his news conference
hong kong despite having returned to chinese sovereignty in 1997 operates under a separate legal system and does not have an extradition agreement with the mainland
mr ho said the reaction of mr lams girlfriend and former colleagues was as expected because of the tremendous pressure that he said the chinese police place on their relatives the public nature of mr lams revelations   before more than 80 journalists   contrasted sharply with the highly controlled terse statements given to a pro beijing newspaper mr ho said by telephone
the other people they looked timid they look shy in appearing before reporters   they only gave their version to certain very selective biased media mr ho said i think common sense will tell the hong kong people which version is true


a quiet shift is taking place in how women obtain birth control a growing assortment of new apps and websites now make it possible to get prescription contraceptives without going to the doctor
the development has potential to be more than just a convenience for women already on birth control public health experts hope it will encourage more to start or restart using contraception and help reduce the countrys stubbornly high rate of unintended pregnancies as well as the rate of abortions
and as apps and websites rather than legislative proposals or taxpayer funded programs the new services have so far sprung up beneath the political radar and grown through word of mouth with little of the furor that has come to be expected in issues involving reproductive health
at least six digital ventures by private companies and nonprofits including planned parenthood now provide prescriptions written by clinicians after women answer questions about their health online or by video all prescribe birth control pills and some prescribe patches rings and morning after pills some ship contraceptives directly to womens doors
some accept insurance including medicaid for women with low incomes some charge modest fees some send prescriptions to local pharmacies where women can present their insurance information when picking up the contraceptives
at first i didnt believe it said susan hashem 24 an auditor in dearborn mich who wanted to restart birth control pills without missing work for a doctors appointment she noticed an app called lemonaid for 15 a doctor reviews a womans medical information and sends a pill prescription to a local pharmacy
i thought it was just a setup to get money she said but after she answered the health questions one evening a doctor actually contacted me after office hours and the next morning she picked up three months worth of pills
with nearly 40 percent of all pregnancies in the united states unintended birth control is a critical public health issue experts increasingly encourage long acting contraceptive methods like intrauterine devices but usage while growing remains low for short term methods visiting the doctor for a prescription can be time consuming and sometimes costly for some like teenagers it can be intimidating or embarrassing
efforts to eliminate hurdles to contraception   including the obama administrations controversial requirement under the affordable care act that all health plans pay for prescription birth control   have often been met with emotional political and religious opposition
leaders of the new ventures are aware of their potential for controversy peter ax chief executive of prjkt ruby started by kwikmed an online pharmacy said his company has received some inflammatory letters we know groups target us posing as customers lying about their age or other information in attempts to catch the service making mistakes he said
many health experts consider hormonal contraceptives safe enough to be sold over the counter but efforts to make that happen have stirred opposition from some conservatives and pursuing over the counter sales would entail manufacturers undertaking the yearslong application process to the food and drug administration womens groups and others would also seek guarantees that nonprescription birth control would be covered by insurance
some states are trying other ways to broaden access led by california and oregon which recently implemented laws allowing pharmacists to prescribe contraceptives in drugstores
but the new websites and apps could reach many more women they require no legislative approval since clinicians still write the prescriptions the ventures must follow telemedicine regulations which vary by state and can only prescribe in states where their clinicians are licensed but they are expanding rapidly some handle nonreproductive health issues too and now women in most states can use one or more of them
this kind of access is certainly an improvement for some women who have access to the web and a smartphone said dr nancy stanwood the chairwoman of the board of physicians for reproductive health who had been unaware of these services look if i can order something on amazon and theyre going to drone deliver it half an hour later to my house of course were going to think of better ways for women to get birth control
sara montoya 21 a student at california state university at fullerton said she felt uncomfortable visiting a doctor because at 15 she and her mother had asked her pediatrician for contraception and he had discouraged them saying  oh you dont want to be doing that youre too young 
recently after a hiatus from birth control pills she was unsure how to go about getting them again its so untalked about like a taboo thing she said
while in her geology class ms montoya checked out nurx a web based app that offers prescriptions for various contraceptives obtains them from pharmacies and ships them to california and new york the next day a doctor from nurx which accepts insurance messaged that her chosen brand was not covered by her plan and recommended alternatives within three days her pills arrived
the website just made it so casual she said what you just upload your picture no background check or anything
nurx is expanding to other states said hans gangeskar a co founder adding weve seen a ridiculous amount of traffic that were struggling to handle
many ventures hope to avoid controversy by being more restrictive than medically required while nurx has prescribed to 13 year olds most set older minimum ages prjkt rubys minimum age is a states age of consent for sexual activity ranging from 16 to 18
virtuwell writes prescriptions in 12 states but only to 18 to 34 year olds because prescribing to women older than that can involve more complex health considerations lemonaid available in seven states insists that women 35 and older receive pills containing only progestin since pills containing estrogen may increase heart risks for some women in that age group
we are being especially conservative by choice said dr jason hwang lemonaids chief medical officer he said lemonaids minimum age is 18 not based on clinical grounds it was a political decision we didnt want people who might be under 18 who might still have parents who would get upset if we were making decisions for them
planned parenthood whose every move is scrutinized by anti abortion activists has also introduced an app planned parenthood care which requires video visits with doctors or nurse practitioners about two thirds of the roughly 19000 users to date were new to planned parenthood said jill balderson the organizations vice president of online health strategy while users of nonvideo apps appreciate the anytime anywhere aspect she said some planned parenthood care clients like video encounters because beyond contraception they want an in depth consultation with an expert
planned parenthood care currently serves hawaii idaho minnesota washington state and also alaska where women in remote locations get the contraceptives delivered by float plane but many live in urban areas and ms balderson said the most common place women conduct the video doctors visits is their parked car during work lunch breaks planned parenthood direct a nonvideo version that sends prescriptions to womens pharmacies recently began in california
some experts committed to expanding contraceptive access like dr mark defrancesco of the american congress of obstetricians and gynecologists sounded a few cautionary notes dr defrancesco the immediate past president of the group which endorses making contraceptives nonprescription praised the services convenience but said he worried that women participating in the brief digital interactions with clinicians might think now i dont have to go to a doctor at all
he added that since some services do not take insurance customers may pay fees they would not incur if they had received a prescription during a doctors appointment
some services that do not take insurance have charitable components maven available in most states charges 18 for 10 minute video appointments with midwives or nurse practitioners and 35 for appointments with doctors it donates 1 per visit toward appointments for women with low incomes prjkt ruby donates 25 cents from each 20 pack of pills to a nonprofit providing contraception in developing countries
some digital customers later decide to visit doctors as did kristina campbell 31 a mother of two who used lemonaid after moving to lancaster pa a conservative area where to find a doctor that i even agree with about using birth control was a little bit tough she said ms hashem in michigan scheduled a face to face physicians appointment because the pills caused her uncomfortable side effects
but for jill atilano 39 a mother of two in menifee calif who works in a winery the goal is saving time and costly co payments her general practitioner said for contraception she would need blood work and a visit with a specialist
its been for years going through these nonstop hoops of fire to get birth control said ms atilano who now uses lemonaid she said its only option pills is not her preferred method but if i went through my normal physician and the referrals i would be six months pregnant before i would get my hands on it


alarms sounded on united states air force bases in spain and officers began packing all the low ranking troops they could grab onto buses for a secret mission there were cooks grocery clerks and even musicians from the air force band
it was a late winter night in 1966 and a fully loaded b 52 bomber on a cold war nuclear patrol had collided with a refueling jet high over the spanish coast freeing four hydrogen bombs that went tumbling toward a farming village called palomares a patchwork of small fields and tile roofed white houses in an out of the way corner of spains rugged southern coast that had changed little since roman times
it was one of the biggest nuclear accidents in history and the united states wanted it cleaned up quickly and quietly but if the men getting onto buses were told anything about the air forces plan for them to clean up spilled radioactive material it was usually dont worry
there was no talk about radiation or plutonium or anything else said frank b thompson a then 22 year old trombone player who spent days searching contaminated fields without protective equipment or even a change of clothes they told us it was safe and we were dumb enough i guess to believe them
mr thompson 72 now has cancer in his liver a lung and a kidney he pays 2200 a month for treatment that would be free at a veterans affairs hospital if the air force recognized him as a victim of radiation but for 50 years the air force has maintained that there was no harmful radiation at the crash site it says the danger of contamination was minimal and strict safety measures ensured that all of the 1600 troops who cleaned it up were protected
interviews with dozens of men like mr thompson and details from never before published declassified documents tell a different story radiation near the bombs was so high it sent the militarys monitoring equipment off the scales troops spent months shoveling toxic dust wearing little more protection than cotton fatigues and when tests taken during the cleanup suggested men had alarmingly high plutonium contamination the air force threw out the results calling them clearly unrealistic
in the decades since the air force has purposefully kept radiation test results out of the mens medical files and resisted calls to retest them even when the calls came from one of the air forces own studies
many men say they are suffering with the crippling effects of plutonium poisoning of 40 veterans who helped with the cleanup who the new york times identified 21 had cancer nine had died from it it is impossible to connect individual cancers to a single exposure to radiation and no formal mortality study has ever been done to determine whether there is an elevated incidence of disease the only evidence the men have to rely on are anecdotes of friends they watched wither away
john young dead of cancer  dudley easton cancer  furmanksi cancer said larry l slone 76 in an interview laboring through tremors caused by a neurological disorder
at the crash site mr slone a military police officer at the time said he was given a plastic bag and told to pick up radioactive fragments with his bare hands a couple times they checked me with a geiger counter and it went clear off the scale he said but they never took my name never followed up with me
monitoring of the village in spain has also been haphazard declassified documents show the united states promised to pay for a public health program to monitor the long term effects of radiation there but for decades provided little funding until the 1980s spanish scientists often relied on broken and outdated equipment and lacked the resources to follow up on potential ramifications including leukemia deaths in children today several fenced off areas are still contaminated and the long term health effect on villagers is poorly understood
many of the americans who cleaned up after the bombs are trying to get full health care coverage and disability compensation from the department of veterans affairs but the department relies on air force records and since the air force records say no one was harmed in palomares the agency rejects claims again and again
the air force also denies any harm was done to 500 other veterans who cleaned up a nearly identical crash in thule greenland in 1968 those veterans tried to sue the defense department in 1995 but the case was dismissed because federal law shields the military from negligence claims by troops all of the named plaintiffs have since died of cancer
in a statement the air force medical service said it had recently used modern techniques to reassess the radiation risk to veterans who cleaned up the palomares accident and adverse acute health effects were neither expected nor observed and long term risks for increased incidence of cancer to the bone liver and lungs were low
the toxic aftermath of war is often vexing to untangle damage is hard to quantify and all but impossible to connect to later problems recognizing this congress has passed laws in the past to give automatic benefits to veterans of a few specific exposures   agent orange in vietnam or the atomic tests in nevada among others but no such law exists for the men who cleaned up palomares
if the men could prove they were harmed by radiation they would have all costs for their associated medical care covered and would get a modest disability pension but proof from a secret mission to clean up an invisible poison decades ago has proved elusive so each time the men apply the air force says they were not harmed and the department hands out denials
first they denied i was even there then they denied there was any radiation said ronald r howell 71 who recently had a brain tumor removed i submit a claim and they deny i submit appeal and they deny now im all out of appeals he sighed then continued pretty soon well all be dead and they will have succeeded at covering this whole thing up
a 23 year old military police officer named john h garman arrived by helicopter at the crash site on jan 17 1966 a few hours after the bombs blew
it was just chaos mr garman now 74 said in an interview at his home in pahrump nev wreckage was all over the village a big part of the bomber had crashed down in the yard of the school
he was one of the first on the scene and joined a half dozen others to hunt for the four missing nuclear weapons one bomb had thudded into a soft sandbank near the beach and crumpled but remained intact another had dropped into the ocean where it was found unbroken two months later after a frenzied hunt
the other two hit hard and exploded leaving house size craters on either side of the village according to a secret atomic energy commission report that has since been declassified built in safeguards prevented nuclear detonations but explosives surrounding the radioactive cores blasted a fine dust of plutonium over a patchwork of houses and fields full of ripe red tomatoes
a throng of residents led mr garman to the plutonium covered craters where they peered down at the shattered wreckage not knowing what to do we didnt have any radiation detectors yet so we had no idea if we were in danger he said we just stood there looking down at the hole
atomic energy commission scientists soon arrived and took mr garmans clothes because they were contaminated he said but told him he would be fine twelve years later he got bladder cancer
plutonium does not emit the type of penetrating radiation often associated with nuclear blasts which causes immediately obvious health effects such as burns it shoots off alpha particles that travel only a few inches and cannot penetrate the skin outside the body scientists say it is relatively harmless but specks absorbed in the body usually through inhaling dust shoot off a continuous shower of radioactive particles thousands of times a minute gradually exacting damage that can cause cancer and other diseases decades later a microgram or a millionth of a gram in the body is considered potentially harmful according to declassified atomic energy commission reports the bombs at palomares released an estimated seven pounds   more than 3 billion micrograms
the day after the crash busloads of troops started arriving from united states bases bringing radiation detection equipment william jackson a young air force lieutenant helped with some of the first testing near the craters using a hand held alpha particle counter that could measure up to two million alpha particles per minute
almost everywhere we pointed the machine it pegged at the highest reading he said but we were told that type of radiation would not penetrate the skin we were told it was safe
the pentagon focused on finding the bomb lost in the ocean and largely ignored the danger of loose plutonium the air force personnel at the site said troops traipsed needlessly through highly contaminated tomato fields with no safety gear many came to gawk at the shattered bombs in the first few days once i went to check on the g is and found them dangling their legs into the crater mr jackson said just sitting there eating their box lunches
accounts of the crash became front page news in europe and the united states american and spanish officials immediately tried to cover up the accident and play down the risk they blocked off the village and denied nuclear weapons or radiation were involved in the crash when an american reporter spotted men wearing white coveralls a military press officer told him oh theyre members of the postal detachment
once existence of the bombs leaked more than a month later the united states admitted that one bomb not two had cracked but had released only a small amount of basically harmless radiation
today the two exploded warheads would be known as dirty bombs and would probably cause evacuations at the time in order to minimize the significance of the blast the air force let villagers remain in place
officials invited the news media to witness spains minister of information manuel fraga iribarne and united states ambassador angier biddle duke splashing on a nearby beach to show the area was safe mr duke told reporters if this is radioactivity i love it
fearing that the bombs could damage the tourism industry spain insisted the mess be cleaned up before summer
within days troops were hacking down contaminated fields of tomato vines with machetes though scientists overseeing the cleanup knew plutonium dust posed the greatest danger military commanders had the troops throw thousands of truckloads of vines into chipping machines then burned much of the debris near the village
some men doing the dustiest work were given coveralls and paper surgical masks for safety but a later report by the defense nuclear agency said it is doubtful that the use of the surgical mask served more than a psychological barrier
if it did something for your psychology to wear one you were privileged to wear one the chief scientific adviser dr wright h langham told atomic energy colleagues in a secret briefing afterward it wouldnt do you any good in the way of protection but if you felt better we let you wear it
commenting on safety at the cleanup dr langham who is perhaps best known now for his role in secret experiments in which hospital patients in the united states were unwittingly injected with plutonium told colleagues most of the time it would hardly meet the standards of the health physics manuals
the air force bought tons of contaminated tomatoes from local fields that the spanish public refused to eat to assure the public there was no danger commanders fed the tomatoes to the troops though the risk from eating plutonium is much lower than the risk from inhaling it it is still not safe
breakfast lunch and dinner we had them until we were sick of them said wayne hugart 74 who was a military police officer at the site they kept saying there was nothing wrong with them
in all the air force cut down 600 acres of crops and plowed under the contaminated dirt troops scooped up 5300 barrels of soil from the most radioactive areas near the craters and loaded the barrels on ships to be buried in a secure nuclear waste storage site in south carolina
spanish and american authorities assured villagers that they had nothing to fear the villagers accustomed to living in a dictatorship did little to protest even if some people here might have wanted to know more franco was in charge so everybody was too scared to ask anything said antonio latorre a villager who is now 78
to assure villagers their homes were safe the air force sent young airmen into local houses with hand held radiation detectors peter m ricard then a 20 year old cook with no training on the equipment remembers being told to perform scans of anything locals wanted but to keep his detector turned off
we were just supposed to feign our readings so we didnt cause turmoil with the natives he said in an interview i often think about that now i wasnt too smart back then they say do it and you just say yes sir
during the cleanup a medical team gathered more than 1500 urine samples from the cleanup crew to calculate how much plutonium they were absorbing the higher the level in the samples the greater the health hazard
the records of those tests remain perhaps the most prominent artifact from the cleanup they show about only 10 of the men absorbed more than the allowed safe dose and the rest of the 1500 responders were not harmed the air force today relies on the results to argue that the men were never harmed by radiation but the men who actually did the testing say the results are deeply flawed and are of little use in determining who was exposed
did we follow protocol hell no we had neither the time nor the equipment said victor b skaar now 79 who worked on the testing team the formula for determining the contamination level required collecting urine for 12 hours but he said he was able to get only a single sample from many men and others he said were never tested at all
he sent samples to the air forces chief of radiation testing dr lawrence t odland who started seeing alarmingly high results dr odland decided the extreme levels did not indicate a true health threat but were caused by plutonium loose in the camp that contaminated the mens hands their clothes and everything else he threw out about 1000 samples   67 percent of the results   including all samples from the first days after the blasts when exposure was probably highest
now 94 and living in a rambling victorian house in hillsboro ohio where a photo from the greenland crash hangs in his hall dr odland questioned his decision
we had no way of knowing what was from contamination and what was from inhalation he said was the world ending or was everything fine i just had to make a call
he said he never got accurate results for hundreds of men who may have been contaminated in addition he soon realized plutonium lodged in the lungs could not always be detected in veterans urine and men with clean samples might still be contaminated
its sad sure its sad he said but what can you do you cant take the plutonium out you cant cure the cancer all you can do is bow your head and say you are sorry
convinced that the urine samples were inadequate dr odland persuaded the air force in 1966 to set up a permanent plutonium deposition registry board to monitor the men for life
experts from the air force army navy veterans administration now the department of veterans affairs and atomic energy commission met to establish the program shortly after the cleanup in welcoming remarks the air force general in charge said the program was essential and following the men to their graves would provide urgently needed data
the organizers proposed not notifying troops of their radiation exposure and keeping details of testing out of medical records according to minutes of the meeting out of concern notifying them could set a stage for legal action
the plan was to have dr odlands staff follow the men within months though he had hit a wall
he is not able to get the support from the department of defense to go after the remaining people or set up a real registry because of the sleeping dog policy an atomic energy commission memo from 1967 noted
the sleeping dog policy it was to leave it alone let it lie i didnt agree hell no i didnt agree dr odland said everyone decided we should watch these guys take care of them and then from somewhere up high they decided it was better to get rid of it
dr odland did not know who gave the order to terminate the program but said since the board included all the military branches and the veterans agency it likely came from top level officials
the air force officially dismantled the program in 1968 the permanent board had met just once
troops started to get sick soon after the cleanup ended healthy men in their 20s were crippled by joint pain headaches and weakness doctors said it was arthritis a young military policeman was plagued by sinus swelling so acute that he would bang his head on the floor to distract himself from the pain doctors said it was allergies
several men got rashes or growths an airman named noris n paul had cysts severe enough that he spent six months in the hospital in 1967 getting skin grafts he also became infertile
no one knew what was wrong with me mr paul said
a grocery supply clerk named arthur kindler who had been so covered in plutonium while searching the tomato fields a few days after the blast that the air force made him wash off in the ocean and took his clothes got testicular cancer and a rare lung infection that nearly killed him four years after the crash in the years since he has had cancer of his lymph nodes three times
it took me a long time to start to realize this maybe had to do with cleaning up the bombs mr kindler 74 said in an interview from his home in tucson you have to understand they told us everything was safe we were young we trusted them why would they lie
mr kindler filed twice for help from the department of veterans affairs they always denied me he said eventually i just gave up
the united states promised to pay for long term monitoring of health in the village but for decades it provided only about 15 percent of funding with spain paying the rest according to a declassified department of energy summary broken air monitoring stations went unfixed and equipment was often old and unreliable in the early 1970s an atomic energy commission scientist noted the spanish field monitoring team consisted of a lone graduate student
reports of two children dying of leukemia during that time went uninvestigated the lead spanish scientist monitoring the population told american counterparts in a 1976 memo that in light of the leukemia cases palomares needed some kind of medical surveillance of the population to keep watch for diseases or deaths none was created
in the late 1990s after years of pressure from spain the united states agreed to increase funding new surveys of the village found extensive contamination that had gone undetected including some areas where radiation was 20 times the permissible level for inhabited areas in 2004 spain quietly fenced off the most contaminated land near the bomb craters
since then spain has urged the united states to finish cleaning the site
because of the uneven monitoring the effect on public health is far from clear a small mortality study in 2005 found cancer rates had gone up in the village compared with similar villages in the region but the author pedro antonio martinez pinilla an epidemiologist cautioned that the results could be because of random error and urged more study
at that time a united states department of energy scientist terry hamilton proposed another study noting problems in spains monitoring techniques it was clear the uptake of plutonium was poorly understood he said in an interview the department did not approve his proposal
spanish officials say the fears may be overblown yolanda benito who heads the environmental department of ciemat spains nuclear agency said that medical checks showed no uptick in cancer in palomares from a scientific point of view there is nothing that allows us to draw a relationship between the cases of cancer in the local population and the accident she said
about a fifth of the plutonium spread in 1966 is estimated to still contaminate the area after years of pressure the united states agreed in 2015 to clean up the remaining plutonium but there is no approved plan or timetable
on a recent rainy morning nona a watson a retired science teacher in buckhead ga held open the door of a veterans medical center in atlanta for her husband nolan f watson who hobbled in his shuddering hand unable to steady his cane
as a 22 year old dog handler mr watson slept in the dirt just feet from one of the bomb craters the day after the blast a year later he was racked by blinding headaches and hips so stiff he could barely walk at the time he asked the department of veterans affairs for help he said he was turned away for years he had problems with painful joints kidney stones and localized skin cancer in 2002 he was diagnosed with kidney cancer and one of his kidneys was removed in 2010 more cancer showed up in his remaining kidney recent abnormal blood tests suggested leukemia
i think it ruined my life he said i was young in good shape but since that day ive had problems all the time
mr watson now 73 had filed a claim with the veterans agency that was denied and he was in the process of appealing other veterans of palomares had warned him that it was a waste of time only one palomares veteran they knew of had succeeded in claiming harm from radiation and it took 10 years at which point he was bedridden with stomach cancer but mr watson wanted to come to the medical center to give personal testimony about his plutonium exposure
in the centers waiting room his nose began to bleed
a few years ago after his first claim was denied mr watsons wife began hunting down old government documents hoping she might find something to prove the air force was covering up palomares maybe she thought she could discover evidence that would make the authorities reconsider
she turned up reports going back 40 years that confirmed the mens stories of high radiation levels and poor safety standards but her most striking find was an air force study from 2001 that reassessed the contamination in palomares veterans the study determined that the old urine tests were so flawed that they were not useful and the air force should retest the men
mrs watson knew no retesting had been done so she called the air force medical service to ask why when she could not get a clear answer she asked her congressman at the time paul broun republican of georgia to send a letter to the air force when the congressman could not get a clear answer either he proposed legislation which the house passed in 2013 requiring the air force to answer to congress
in 2013 the air force provided its legally required response in a letter to the house armed services committee to mrs watsons dismay it echoed what she and the congressman had already been told new testing recommended in the 2001 report was not necessary because troops had worn protective equipment and the original urine tests showed that almost no one had been exposed to radiation declassified documents and witness accounts raise serious questions about the accuracy of the air forces report to congress
after issuing the letter the air force medical service quietly took down from its website the only public copy of the 2001 report
i had gone into this thinking it was just an old mistake but then i found they were still trying to cover it up mrs watson said in an interview at her home
col kirk phillips who oversees the radiation health program for the air force medical service said in a recent interview that the air force has tried its best to do right by the palomares veterans it took down the report because it did not want to raise the hopes of veterans and feared readers would find it confusing
we have a large number of veterans we believe were not exposed he said
radiation levels at palomares were low he said and men wore safety equipment retesting them with more precise modern techniques as the 2001 report suggested could reveal even lower contamination levels making it even less likely that the veterans would get compensation from the department
we think retesting could be a real mistake he said it could harm our veterans because we think it would find even lower levels of radiation
in the interest of giving palomares veterans what he called the benefit of the doubt he said the air force stopped relying in 2013 on the old urine test results and instead assigned all troops who cleaned up the site a worst case scenario dose based on ambient air readings of radiation from the time
it gave them a dose of 031 rem   a very small dose too low to qualify veterans for department benefits the greenland veterans who cleaned up a similar crash have been assigned a dose of zero
mrs watson who has studied palomaress test results and reports in detail said the ambient air tests probably do not reflect what individuals working near the craters absorbed as far as i can tell its not based on anything and wont do anyone any good she said you wonder why they even bothered
as she waited at the medical center with her husband she explained how they expected their appeal to fail they had no proof no matter what he said in his testimony the department would refer to old urine samples to determine who was harmed and mr watson had never given a urine sample he could not offer a new urine sample because cancer had taken most of his kidneys
if successful with the appeal mr watson would have all of his medical costs covered and get modest monthly disability payments
but thats not why im doing it he said as he dabbed at his nose im not about the money
he doubted he would live long enough to collect much more than anything he wanted the record straight he wanted to tell the air force that he and the men he served with mattered enough to be told the truth
im going to speak my piece dang it mr watson said they know this whole thing is a lie


tokyo   tens of thousands of people on the japanese island of okinawa gathered on sunday to demand the removal of american military bases in what organizers said was the largest demonstration against the united states presence there in two decades
the protest in naha the capital of okinawa prefecture was billed as a memorial for a 20 year old woman who was found dead last month a united states marine veteran who was working as a civilian contractor on the island has been arrested in connection with the killing prompting a public outcry
organizers said 65000 people had attended the protest that would make it the largest demonstration since 1995 when two american marines and a navy sailor were arrested over the rape of a 12 year old girl an episode that shook the tight military alliance between the united states and japan and is still bitterly remembered by many okinawans
separate estimates of the crowds size on sunday from the police or the japanese news media were not immediately available
vicious crimes cannot be tolerated the governor of okinawa takeshi onaga was quoted by the japanese news media as saying during a speech at the rally mr onaga wants the united states military footprint reduced a position that japanese newspaper opinion surveys and recent election results indicate is shared by an increasing number of residents
about 14 million people live on okinawa among them are roughly 50000 americans the majority connected to the military
with just a sliver of japans total landmass okinawa is home to about half the american soldiers and sailors stationed in japan about three quarters of the acreage in japan taken up by united states bases is on the island a share that mr onaga and his supporters say is unfairly large
american forces on okinawa are under a 30 day curfew billed by their commanders as a mourning period in response to the recent killing they are prohibited from drinking in public and must be back on their bases or at home at night
the navy imposed a separate stricter drinking ban on all its personnel in japan this month after a sailor who was thought to have been drinking was arrested on okinawa over a car accident that injured two japanese civilians
resentment against the united states presence has been on the rise in okinawa driven by concerns over crime and by an unpopular plan to build a new marine corps airfield in the northern part of the island in local elections this month voters gave an expanded majority in the okinawa prefectural assembly to politicians who oppose the airfield and want to reduce the american military presence
defenders of the military point to statistics that show american soldiers and sailors in okinawa are charged with crimes by the japanese authorities at lower rates than locals the numbers are difficult to weigh however because united states personnel spend only part of their time under japanese legal jurisdiction their bases are in effect american territory
mr onaga has been seeking to forge a broad political coalition to reduce the united states presence but he is opposed by the national government in tokyo led by prime minister shinzo abe a conservative who has been working to strengthen ties with washington
mr abe argues that any perceived weakening of the alliance would only embolden japans regional rival china
mr onaga hails from the same political party as mr abe the liberal democratic party but broke with it over the base issue the partys okinawan wing has been more sympathetic to the governor but it declined to endorse the protest on sunday leaving organizers dependent on a more traditional anti base coalition of communists and socialists


youre going to die tomorrow lord bolton sansa stark told her husband early in game of thrones on sunday sleep well
and im going to enjoy watching it she could have added or we could have added because im guessing most of us did
the demise of the lord ramsay bolton was arguably the most eagerly anticipated death ever on game of thrones and the show handled it with flair dispatching him in a poetic canine fueled fashion that was no less satisfying for being telegraphed early on i havent fed my hounds in seven days ramsay told jon snow and friends during the pre battle trash talking session at which point i suspect most of us guessed who would ultimately end up in the dog dish
 interview iwan rheon on ramsays grisly end 
whether you actually slept well sunday night probably depends on your tolerance for blood guts dead giants and other hallmarks of grim medieval battle as presented in the tense grimy and at times oddly beautiful clash that preceded ramsays end though if youre still watching game of thrones your tolerance for such things is probably pretty high
as directed by miguel sapochnik who also oversaw last seasons terrific hardhome episode the lengthy sequence was terrifying gripping and exhilarating sometimes all at once a sweeping display of all the ways one can die on the battlefield there were slashings shootings and spearings aplenty of course but also horse tramplings neck bitings and in one nervy claustrophobic sequence a near suffocation by jon snow as his army found itself caught between a shield lined pincer and a sturdy bank of dead soldiers he emerged in time to see the arryn cavalry arrive beckoned by sansas letter presumably to turn the tide of the clash
the battle of the bastards got top billing but it was not the only thrilling action set piece on sunday indeed the undercard would have been the star most weeks as daenerys stormborn took to the fiery skies to smack down yet another group of eyeliner wearing chauvinists has word of the dragons potency somehow not reached these purportedly wise masters i know dany hasnt been around much but youd think theyd handle a dragon queen with more delicacy
well get to that in a minute but first lets return to the action up north which followed a predictable trajectory but still managed to pack in plenty of suspense and emotional heft that was partly because while jon and sansa seemed safe and davos wasnt going to get it until he can have it out with melisandre over shireen the deaths of other favorites like tormund were definitely in play
but it was mostly thanks to enveloping imagery that offered a ground level immersion into the chaos and confusion of battle a sequence like jon snow looking for foes to fight as horses soldiers arrows and swords whiz by and collide brings thrills that have little to do with whether you think he might actually die whatever that means for jon at this point visceral filmmaking bypasses your brains logic centers
in a similar fashion the grinding decimation of so many men conveys on a gut level the destruction and human misery wrought by the sort of craven striving for power family and legacy that has defined this show so far and for the non one percenters of westeros we were reminded early on theyre being destroyed for other peoples power family and legacy dany and yara can talk all they want about the carnage their fathers wrought but seeing a literal pile of corpses makes us feel the need for a new way forward
by the end after the knights of the vale rolled in and through the bolton forces like an actual tide   convenient and predictable sure but also a visual relief in cool shades of blue   all that was left was for ramsay to meet his end true to form he managed one last despicable act   killing wun wun   before jon rained punches upon him tenderizing him for the dogs and i imagined parceling out revenge on behalf of ramsays many victims this ones for rickon and this ones for sansa and this ones for fat walda and the baby...
so it all looked great and ramsay is done which isnt to say there werent signs of trouble in the stark camp for one despite all the planning and sansas warnings about ramsays tendency to lay traps it took about four seconds for jon to do exactly what ramsay wanted him to do once rickon was revealed i have two words for you rickon zig and zag
id hoped that the new jon snow had picked up some strategic tips in the afterlife but no ramsay devised a masterful battleplan and had the thing won until the knights of the vale arrived
and about that do we really think jon would have gone forward with what we have had he known arryn reinforcements might be arriving soon how many more men died on both sides because sansa didnt tell jon about her letter to littlefinger and what it could bring
sansas withholding seemed inexplicable for a woman desperate to convince jon that he needed more men was it just lazy writing intended to produce a momentous swing in the fight or was it a plot point that will come into play later perhaps as littlefinger tries to turn sansa and jon against one another maybe well find out next week as the ramifications of his aid   what it will cost what she will be willing to give up   becomes clearer
that said the shot of sansa watching the battles turn with littlefinger affirmed her arrival finally as a major player in the story she spent the episode alternately calculating cleareyed   rickons dead she told jon early on   and above all forthright and confident asserting her role as a leader in the effort and scolding jon for ignoring her insights into ramsay by the end she was observing a victory shed orchestrated and lingering for an extra look at the mauling of the man who brutalized her
her small grin as she walked away from the ramsay buffet signaled her delight at the end of both her former tormentor and her status as a woman who would be vulnerable to monsters like him monsters like littlefinger however...
over in essos dany had a few words for the slave masters who began their attack last week those words included surrender or die and thanks for the ships as we saw the dragon triplets reunited i think for the first time since they were quite young
the results were spectacular   the beasts soared nimbly and their bursts of fire were awesome to behold unless you happened to be a soon to be incinerated sailor but now that it has apparently harnessed its dragon powers game of thrones must figure out how to keep a subplot that has the ultimate trump card interesting just having drogon and the gang randomly disappear and reappear isnt going to cut it
perhaps the arrival of the greyjoys will help if nothing else yara and dany have some chemistry and the story sells itself two bold women with lousy kings for fathers pairing up to cross the narrow sea and rename the capital city queens landing
but one word of advice ladies dont sleep on that other formidable woman emerging in the north
 rip wun wun was he the last of the giants
 regarding rickon others will make the peter falk serpentine joke and it is apt but lets not forget that even as two starks were returning to the ancestral home yet another one was biting the dust nothing can ever go totally right for that family
 i come to bury ramsay not to praise him but i disagree with the notion that he was a one dimensional sadist who brought little to the story he certainly had his excessive stretches   the endless torture of theon comes to mind   but at his best ramsay represented the sort of toxic immoral behavior dynastic power structures can enable and at times reward plus iwan rheon knows how to deliver a line   my beloved wife ive missed you terribly he cooed on sunday while it was definitely time for him to go ramsays departure leaves a hateability hole in the story the white walkers are plenty evil but lacking in the charisma department so in an odd way i will miss him
 what did you think did the battle live up to the hype will davos take out the red witch next week do you prefer your sour goats milk straight up or on the rocks please share your thoughts in the comments


sam sifton emails readers of cooking seven days a week to talk about food and suggest recipes that email also appears here to receive it in your inbox register here
good morning happy juneteenth its a good day for a barbecue one that can provide leftovers to eat for much of the week you could head to the market this morning and pick up a big ol pork butt and get it on the grill or into the slow cooker for an evening meal of pulled pork and sandwiches for days or you could make beef ribs or you could make barbecued bluefish or barbecued tofu you could make barbecued chicken
how about some potato salad to go with it some macaroni and cheese were loving this recipe for lowcountry pickled coleslaw that kim severson picked up down in south carolina and wouldnt a banana pudding be a nice thing to eat tonight
come monday well downshift into vegetarian fare go easy on ourselves and cook this fine recipe for a roasted carrot salad that we learned from the los angeles chef ludo lefebvre
and well stick with that program on tuesday night perhaps with the recipe for avocado tacos that jeff gordinier scored off enrique olvera the chef at cosme in new york and pujol in mexico city its simple delicate and tremendously good
wednesday night may be a good one for salmon melissa clark has a cool recipe for baked salmon with agrodolce blueberries or you could try pierre franeys recipe for sauteed salmon with leeks and tomatoes those with a grill will enjoy mark bittmans recipe for salmon with salsa fresca
for a thursday repast how about home cooked chinese takeout cheaper and better than anything that comes on a bike cold sesame noodles may suffice crispy lamb with cumin scallions and red chiles definitely will david taniss recipe for vegetarian mapo tofu is aces high as is julia moskins recipe for stir fried shrimp with ginger and snow peas
then on friday you could make pete wellss excellent recipe for a butterflied chicken with cracked spices the closest some of us will come to the chickens he wrote about last week in his review of le coq rico in new york
many other recipes to cook this coming week are available on cooking and of course there are yet still more on blogs and recipe sites across the world wide web a public service announcement you can save any recipe from any source to your cooking recipe box using this handy extension heres hoping everything goes smoothly if not we are standing by to help cookingcarenytimescom
now how about some distractions before your kitchen chores well start with miley cyrus singing jolene out in the backyard im not sure you need to read the british naturalist charles fosters new book being a beast adventures across the species divide but you absolutely should read dwight garners sprightly hilarious review and decide for yourself you may read justin rohrlichs could eat a horse in roads  kingdoms and take a gander at these beautiful sweetgrass baskets that mary jackson makes down in charleston sc well be back tomorrow with more


here are the weeks top stories and a look ahead
1 the mass shooting in orlando fla reverberated through some of the most divisive issues roiling the us gay rights gun control immigration the islamic state and homegrown terrorism fear of islam the gunman omar mateen a first generation american had a history of abusive aggressive behavior but no confirmed ties to extremist groups president obama tried to console families of the 49 victims as the long chain of funerals began

2 finger pointing was big donald trump swept aside criticism from his own party to broaden his accusations against muslims he suggested us muslims were hiding information about planned attacks called for surveillance of mosques and promised if elected to halt immigration from areas of the world when there is a proven history of terrorism president obama and hillary clinton reacted with scathing denunciations not one of donald trumps reckless ideas would have saved a single life in orlando mrs clinton said

3 congressional discussions of gun control quickly reached a stalemate and four measures up for vote in the senate on monday appear doomed susan collins of maine the senates most moderate republican is working on a long shot fifth measure in the courts a key hearing comes monday in a suit filed by families of children killed in 2012 at sandy hook elementary school the suit seeking to hold the maker of the assault rifle that the gunman used responsible for selling a weapon of war to civilians has already survived many challenges above the rifle a bushmaster ar 15

4 britain was stunned by the killing of jo cox 41 a rising political star and member of parliament a week before the nations voters were to decide on whether britain should leave the european union her position against a brexit had drawn threats in the increasingly bitter sometimes xenophobic debate the 52 year old suspect portrayed in the sketch above who appeared to have ties with neo nazi and far right groups told a court my name is death to traitors freedom for britain

5 new champions will be crowned in golf and basketball by the end of the day the defending us open champion jordan spieth struggled to regain lost ground in a tournament thrown out of order by early rain delays another comeback win by the cleveland cavaliers over the golden state warriors forced the nba finals into game 7 8 pm eastern abc in soccer the us team made it to the semifinals of the copa america and olympic officials backed a doping related ban on russian track and field athletes competing in the rio games

6 one of our best read stories this week offers a kind of sequel to the beloved 1965 film the sound of music the romance and marriage of the great grandson of maria and georg von trapp nathaniel peters and his bride met studying theology and for their first date read pg wodehouse in bostons public garden ive felt like im wading into a pool of joy and i dont know the depth of the joy yet the groom said

7 unemployment is low wages are rising and the us economy is growing but the federal reserve wasnt persuaded the central bank declined to increase interest rates reflecting the impact of global deflationary forces meanwhile the securities and exchange commission approved a new stock exchange the nations 13th created by critics of high frequency trading portrayed in the book flash boys the iex exchange will operate with a speed bump of 350 microseconds

8 a forgetful fish jazzed up the lackluster summer box office finding dory the sequel to pixars acclaimed finding nemo 2003 is on track to surpass 130 million for its opening weekend in north america that would be a high for an animated film and would land dory in the top 20 releases ever our critic praised the film as warm and funny and said its ingenious use of creatures with various disabilities made it a celebration of cognitive and physical differences

9 microsoft put itself in the headlines twice the tech giant paid 262 billion to buy linkedin one of the biggest deals of the year the company which is remaking the corporate world with cloud computing could be betting on a future with less lifetime employment and more freelance and consulting work and microsoft also announced plans for software that tracks marijuana plants from seed to sale becoming the first major us company to serve the burgeoning marijuana industry

10 good news for coffee drinkers a panel of experts not only reversed a previous finding that coffee is possibly carcinogenic but now says it could protect against two types of cancer the group convened by the world health organization also said theres a lack of evidence that it could cause other types of cancer so drink on   and if you want more flavor in your cup freeze the beans which makes the grind smaller and more uniform

11 looking ahead the supreme court goes into summer recess at the end of june so look for the justices to hand down major decisions this week or next on affirmative action in texas immigration abortion and the corruption charges against bob mcdonnell the former governor of virginia since the death of justice antonin scalia in february the court   now evenly divided   has been issuing decisions that are more modest and ephemeral than before

12 finally solstice we call it the summer solstice when the earth begins to swing back on its trunnions and the longest day of the year is at hand and daylight begins its creeping abbreviation once more thats from a short column with no byline from our newspaper of june 20 1954 this year the solstice which marks the first day of summer begins monday at 634 pm eastern
have a great summer

karen workman contributed reporting

your weekend briefing is published sundays at 6 am eastern
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mets reliever addison reed spun a slider into the ground and even though catcher rene rivera dropped to his knees the ball scooted past him by the time rivera found the ball and dived back to home plate atlanta braves center fielder ender inciarte had slid in safely
inciartes alert and aggressive base running in the eighth inning coupled with the mets late game miscues dealt the mets a 4 3 loss against the lowly braves at citi field on saturday night
this is a tough one mets manager terry collins said especially with whats going on right now with a bunch of guys down you cant lose these kinds of games
the defeat moved the mets who squandered a three run lead six and a half games behind the national league east leading washington nationals who played late saturday the mets never trailed the nationals by more than four and a half games during their magical 2015 season the season is not even half over but the mets know they need to keep the deficit manageable until reinforcements arrive or their play improves
its definitely a tough loss mets third baseman wilmer flores said im not going to lie
the mets steven matz twisted his way through saturdays start he threw plenty of fastballs up in the strike zone but the braves could not take advantage until later in the game
in the fifth inning with the mets leading by 3 0 the braves notched their first run on high matz pitches in the sixth inning jeff francoeur trimmed the braves deficit to one run when he smashed a belt high first pitch changeup off the facing of the second deck in left field
collins took matz out after six innings and 99 pitches matz felt elbow tightness which he and collins played down matz said it was different from his previous elbow problem this season
just a little tender matz said a little fatigue stuff you go through during the season
collins inserted reliever jim henderson on his first pitch henderson gave up a tying home run to tyler flowers with his velocity down henderson left the game after a mound visit from the pitching coach dan warthen henderson referred to the injury as a biceps issue
the mets homer dependent offense stayed true to form yoenis cespedes gave the mets a 1 0 lead in the third when he unloaded a powerful swing on a hanging curveball from the braves rookie starter aaron blair for a solo home run an inning later flores laced a low fastball over the left field fence for another blast
the mets took a 3 0 lead when james loney hit his first triple since 2011 and scored on a sacrifice fly by rivera but by the time blair exited the game the mets had only a 3 2 lead their offense could do no more against a rookie pitcher who entered the game with a 759 era
the braves took the lead in the eighth inning thanks to inciartes legs he led off the frame with a double when right fielder curtis granderson caught a lineout he nonchalantly flipped the ball back into the infield not thinking inciarte would run but inciarte tagged up and took third base
youve got to give credit to him for making a heads up play granderson said he added that he possibly could have made a harder throw and mightve changed the situation
this set up the winning run two batters later when reeds slider skipped past rivera and inciarte blazed home
the mets had a chance tie the score in the bottom of the ninth but stumbled flores reached base on an error by braves shortstop erick aybar and loney followed with a double but the mets third base coach tim teufel waved flores home and he was thrown out easily
we cant get him thrown out in that situation collins said
granderson struck out looking with two runners on base to end the game


metropolitan
a theater review in some editions last sunday about the forgotten woman misidentified the actor who delivered a comical critique of opera he is darren goldstein not mark junek
sports
an article in some editions last sunday about creators victory in the belmont stakes misattributed in some copies a quotation regarding the performance of exaggerator the preakness stakes winner who finished 11th it was kent desormeaux the horses jockey   not keith desormeaux his trainer   who said i put him down for a mad drive and said show me your stuff but there was nothing there

a picture caption last sunday with an essay about the death of the hockey great gordie howe reversed the identities of howes sons shown with him and his wife colleen during a houston aeros practice in 1974 mark is at the left and marty is second from right

an article in some editions last sunday about the detroit tigers 6 1 victory over the yankees referred imprecisely to the record of tigers pitcher justin verlander at yankee stadium until his victory on saturday verlander had never won a game at the new yankee stadium which opened in 2009 it is not the case they he had never won a start at yankee stadium verlander won his only start at the old yankee stadium in 2007

the keeping score column in some editions last sunday about the possibility of andre iguodalas repeating as the most valuable player of the nba finals misstated in some copies the number of games that had been played in the finals at the time it was four not five
arts  leisure
an article on page 8 this weekend about j t rogerss account of how his new play oslo evolved misstates the circumstances under which he conceived the project it was during a meeting with terje rod larsen then a united nations special envoy who had been involved in the making of the oslo accords it was not with mr larsen and mona juul an ambassador and representative to the united nations norway mission ms juul who is married to mr larsen joined the project later a revised version of the article in which mr rogers clarifies his dealings with the diplomats can be found at nytimescomarts

an article last sunday about oslo a new play by jt rogers referred incorrectly to one of two diplomats who set in motion the back channel dealings that led to what became the oslo peace accords one is a woman they are not both men

an article last sunday about the broadway musical hamilton misstated the point at which the shows performers began collectively pressing for profit sharing it was in august 2015 as the broadway production was opening not before the off broadway production opened
travel
the bites column last sunday about the amsterdam restaurant instock using information from a founder referred incorrectly to its leftover food the food either goes to make biogas is used in staff meals or is donated none of it is thrown away
book review
a roundup review of cookbooks on june 5 misspelled the surname of the co author who wrote flavorwalla with floyd cardoz she is marah stets not stetts
sunday review
an opinion article on june 5 about opioids and depression incorrectly described the approved uses of buprenorphine it is fda approved for the treatment of acute and chronic pain as well as opioid addiction it is not approved only for the treatment of opioid addiction
the times welcomes comments and suggestions or complaints about errors that warrant correction messages on news coverage can be e mailed to nytnewsnytimescom or left toll free at 1 844 nyt news 1 844 698 6397 comments on editorials may be e mailed to lettersnytimescom or faxed to 212 556 3622
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tim lincecum made a winning return to the major leagues saturday restarting his career after nearly a year away with six sharp innings and several ovations in leading the visiting los angeles angels over the oakland athletics 7 1
sporting a bright red uniform that was in stark contrast to the black and orange one he wore for nine seasons with the san francisco giants lincecum gave up one run and four hits he struck out two and walked two
lincecum 32 had not pitched in the majors since last june 27 and did not quite have the blazing fastball that he used to win back to back national league cy young awards he had hip surgery in september signed with the angels in may and made three starts in the minors
taking a seat kansas city royals pitcher yordano ventura started serving a suspension after it was reduced to eight games from nine he was disciplined for his role in a june 7 bench clearing brawl against the baltimore orioles
ventura twice brushed back manny machado before hitting him in the back with a 99 mile per hour fastball machado who retaliated by punching ventura dropped his appeal and will begin a four game suspension sunday
college world series nathan bannister matched his career high with 11 strikeouts in seven innings as arizona beat miami 5 1 in the college world series in omaha
oklahoma state defeated california santa barbara by 1 0 behind thomas hatchs complete game and garrett benges run scoring single
around the majors xander bogaerts homered and singled to raise his american league leading batting average to 352 as the host boston red sox beat the seattle mariners 6 2 jonathan schoop and manny machado each had three hits for the first place baltimore orioles who ended the visiting toronto blue jays four game winning streak with a 4 2 victory giancarlo stanton singled in his first three at bats as the host miami marlins totaled 17 hits while beating the colorado rockies 9 6 anthony rizzo kris bryant and david ross each homered to lead the chicago cubs to a 4 3 home victory over the pittsburgh pirates george springer hit a run scoring single in the 11th inning to give the host houston astros a 5 4 win over the cincinnati reds ian desmond had a sacrifice fly to cap a two run ninth inning rally as the visiting texas rangers overcame a late deficit to beat the st louis cardinals 4 3 zack greinke won his seventh straight start allowing three hits in eight innings and leading the visiting arizona diamondbacks over the philadelphia phillies 4 1
andy murray is one win from becoming the first five time champion at queens club after defeating marin cilic 6 3 4 6 6 3 in london
almost from the start murray berated himself and disputed several line calls but he eventually gained the upper hand murray will face third seeded milos raonic in the final after he beat unseeded bernard tomic 6 4 6 4
other four time winners since the tournament was established in 1890 include john mcenroe boris becker lleyton hewitt and andy roddick
climbing the ranks madison keys broke into the top 10 in the womens rankings for the first time by advancing to the aegon classic final in birmingham england
keys 21 beat carla suarez navarro the no 15 player in the world 3 6 6 3 7 6 3 the seventh seeded keys will face barbora strycova who beat coco vandeweghe 2 6 6 4 6 3
not done yet lleyton hewitt who said he would retire after the australian open this year received a wild card entry to play doubles at wimbledon the all england club said hewitt the 2002 wimbledon singles champion would play with jordan thompson
the toyota ts050 hybrid of stephane sarrazin led the 24 hours of le mans heading into the night battling back porsches early challenge on a rain soaked day the porsche of neel jani which had started from the pole position was in second
earlier the australian world champion mark webber sharing driving duties of the porsche had snatched the lead from the toyota of the fellow ex formula one star kamui kobayashi
the 84th edition of the classic endurance event had a disappointing start in front of 200000 drenched spectators the first seven laps took place behind the safety car as torrential rain lashed the track and the 60 cars on the grid
agence france presse
grand prix lineup set nico rosberg claimed pole position for the european grand prix after his teammate lewis hamilton crashed out of qualifying at baku azerbaijan
force indias sergio perez was second but will take a five place grid penalty for changing his gearbox after he also hit a wall and severely damaged the rear of his car
pavel datsyuk is leaving the detroit red wings with a year left on his contract heading home to play in the russia based kontinental hockey league
datsyuk 37 helped the red wings win the stanley cup as a rookie in 2002 and he was one of the franchises stars when detroit won another title in 2008 he won three straight selke trophies as the leagues top defensive forward and four lady byng trophies for displaying good sportsmanship while playing at a high level
ducks re sign defender defenseman sami vatanen re signed with the anaheim ducks agreeing to a four year 195 million deal through the 2019 20 season vatanen recorded a career best 38 points last season anaheims highest scoring season for a defenseman since 2011
the detroit police department said the former michigan state basketball player keith appling was arrested on suspicion of carrying a concealed weapon the arrest came days before appling was to face a hearing on weapons and drug charges from a may arrest outside a suburban detroit strip club
appling played for the spartans from 2010 to 2014 he had two 10 day contracts with the orlando magic this season and played in the nba development league
miguel angel lopez of colombia moved into the overall lead at the tour of switzerland in davos with a surprising performance in the time trial eighth stage
lopez was 18 seconds behind the stage winner jon izagirre neither is known as a top time trial performer
the previous overall leader warren barguil of france dropped to fourth agence france presse
frank lampard scored his first goal of the season in new york city fcs 3 2 victory at yankee stadium over the philadelphia union which leads mlss eastern conference
david villa and andrea pirlo also scored for nycfc 5 5 6 which ended the unions club record eight game unbeaten streak
lampard scored in the eighth minute and villa scored his 11th goal of the season in the 21st minute pirlo converted a free kick for his first career mls goal in the 50th minute
nycfcs jason hernandez picked up his second yellow card in the 85th minute and was ejected
lexi thompson the defending champion shot a five under par 66 for a share of the meijer lpga classic lead with in gee chun in belmont mich thompson ranked fourth in the world birdied five of the first 13 holes in her bogey free round to match chun at 15 under 198
british amateur scott gregory of england beat robert macintyre of scotland to win the british amateur in porthcawl wales and earn a place in next months british open gregory prevailed 2 and 1 in a 36 hole match play final
agence france presse


eduardo vargas scored four goals edson puch added two and chile the defending champion thoroughly dismantled mexico from every angle in a 7 0 trouncing in the copa america quarterfinals
mexicos best unbeaten streak in history ended in embarrassing fashion at 22 matches one day shy of a year since mexicos last loss to ecuador in the copa group stage
after vargas found the net for the final time in an extraordinary display of shot making he jumped in the air and pumped his right fist as his shaggy hair swayed in the bay area breeze
and the announced crowd of 70547 which initially made the night feel like a mexico home game quickly emptied of el tri fanatics as the clock wound down
alexis sanchez had a goal and two assists and puch scored the bookends for chile starting things off in the 16th minute and punctuating the dominant night with an 88th minute score


meghan leah murphy the daughter of geri l smith and thomas f murphy jr of washington was married june 18 to trevor morehead kempner a son of katheryn c patterson and thomas l kempner jr of new york madalyn ciocca mccaleb a friend of the grooms mother who became a minister with the american marriage ministries for the occasion officiated at the crystal springs estate an event space in st helena calif
the couple met at yale from which they graduated
ms murphy 29 who will keep her name received an mba from harvard in may in september she is to begin work as a project manager for global retail expansion at apple in cupertino calif
her father is a principal banking specialist with the international finance corporation a part of the world bank in washington where he manages on site appraisals of its investments in financial institutions in developing countries her mother is a principal communications specialist for the inter american development bank in washington
mr kempner 28 is a law clerk in boston for judge douglas p woodlock of the united states district court for the district of massachusetts in november he is to begin work as an associate in the litigation department of the san francisco law firm cooley he received a law degree from stanford
his mother who retired as a partner in the new york law firm coudert brothers is the vice chairwoman of the boards of the juilliard school and the roundabout theater company both in new york she is also a trustee of the american museum of natural history his father is a founder and the managing partner in davidson kempner capital management an investment management firm in new york he is the chairman of the central park conservancy in new york and is on the boards of the harvard management company in boston which oversees the endowment and financial assets of harvard university and harlem village academies a network of five charter schools in new york
the groom is a grandson of the late nan kempner the new york socialite


the tech giant apple will withhold its support from the republican national convention in july because of its discomfort with comments by donald j trump two people briefed on the companys decision said on saturday
apple is the latest in a string of companies dropping out as sponsors of the republican convention few have attributed their decisions directly to mr trump the partys presumptive presidential nominee but some have privately expressed worries about having their products associated with the candidate and his ideas
officials at apple declined to comment saturday but the companys move first reported by politico was relayed to republican officials and was described by two people briefed on the decision who asked for anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss it publicly
apples chief executive tim cook has been a frequent target of mr trumps because of the companys use of chinese manufacturing and its fight with the united states government over the encryption of data on its smartphones one of those briefed on apples decision said the company objected not only to beliefs mr trump has expressed on trade with china and data encryption but also to his comments about muslims and immigrants
mr trump has promised to build a wall along the nations border with mexico has characterized mexican immigrants as criminals and has vowed to stop immigration from muslim dominated countries as a counterterrorism strategy
asked to comment on apples decision a spokeswoman for the republican national committee said we are working with a variety of major tech partners who are focused on being part of the american political process
apples withdrawal is not by itself a large blow to the convention it typically donates equipment its contribution in 2008 for example was valued at 140000 according to federal election records but it adds to the parade of major companies including hp and microsoft curtailing or eliminating their monetary support of the republican convention
last week bloomberg politics reported that jpmorgan chase and ford motor would not sponsor the convention
apple was still expected to provide support for the democratic convention though it was unclear saturday if that decision was final
for months activist groups have put pressure on companies to steer clear of the republican convention where mr trump is expected to officially become the partys leader
some major technology firms such as google are still planning to support the convention in some fashion
mr trumps presence at the top of the republican ticket has created a seismic split within his party   among down ballot candidates who do not want to answer to his frequent controversies and among donors many of whom do not want to fund the party as heavily as they have in the past last week speaker paul d ryan said that his endorsement of mr trump was not a blank check and that he could rescind it
on saturday mr trump cited the lack of support among other republicans and took an unusual tack threatening to stop raising money for the party and to self fund his race
were going to beat hillary and it would helpful if the republicans could help us a little bit mr trump said at a rally in las vegas referring to hillary clinton the presumptive democratic nominee he continued to criticize his party i am raising a lot of money for the republican party and there are a lot of beneficiaries of that and i like doing it but we have to have help
the trump campaign is relying heavily on the republican party apparatus to support his candidacy in particular its field and data programs across the country since he keeps a lean staff self funding would require mr trump to put up hundreds of millions of dollars something he resisted for much of the primary race
if the republican party and i hope they all come together because i want them to all come together but if for any reason they get a little bit like they dont want to help out as much then ill fund my own campaign he said id love to do that


lilia isobel toson and fentress jamal fulton were married june 18 the rev elzora williamson a baptist minister officiated at the brooklyn society for ethical culture
the bride 31 is an assistant corporation counsel at the new york city law department she graduated from william jewell college in liberty mo and received a law degree from nyu
she is a daughter of bobbie j toson of kansas city mo and james l toson of blakely ga the brides mother is a specimen technician in lenexa kan for quest diagnostics
the groom 29 who goes by jamal is an associate focusing on investment funds at the manhattan law firm cleary gottlieb steen  hamilton where he and the bride met in 2012 when he was a first year associate and she a second year associate he graduated from yale and received a law degree cum laude from harvard
he is a son of tredenia b fulton and joseph fulton iii of millington tenn the grooms mother works in cordova tenn as the bankruptcy legal analyst focusing on mortgages for pinnacle bank a nashville based bank his father who is retired was a mail processor in memphis for the united states postal service
the brides first marriage ended in divorce


sara anne hertz and m lee meinicke were married june 18 at the unitarian society of germantown in philadelphia rabbi elisa s goldberg officiated
ms hertz left 55 is the vice president for fund raising at conservation international an organization in arlington va that seeks to preserve nature wildlife habitat and natural resources she graduated from the university of pennsylvania
she is the daughter of adele hertz gray of philadelphia and the late dr charles g hertz her father a pediatrician retired as the chief medical officer at metlife the new york insurance company ms hertz is also the stepdaughter of lee combrinck graham of stamford conn and of david m gray
ms meinicke 52 is the fiscal manager for the friends general conference the national organization for the religious society of friends known as quakers in philadelphia she graduated from the university of massachusetts in boston and received an mba from the bainbridge graduate institute
she is the daughter of helen gatewood meinicke of seaside ore and the late merton l meinicke her father retired as a mathematics teacher at cleveland high school in portland ore
the couple met in 2007 while both were working for the nature conservancy
ms hertzs previous marriage ended in divorce


michelle denise rozan and ross allen anderson were married june 18 at macari vineyards in mattituck ny the rev karen gigante who was ordained by the emerson theological institute led the nondenominational ceremony
the bride 39 is a senior vice president for marketing in new york for bloomingdales she graduated from the university of pennsylvania
she is a daughter of paula i rozan and dr ronald b rozan of springfield nj the brides father is a dentist there her mother who is retired taught mathematics at summit high school in summit nj
the groom 43 is the founder and chief executive of nylmedia a marketing agency in new york he graduated from california state university sacramento his first marriage ended in divorce
he is a son of susan m anderson and alf c anderson jr of sacramento who are retired the grooms mother was an intake specialist with the mercy medical group and his father was a repairman with anderson automatic merchandising
the couple met in november 2013 over drinks at lure fishbar in new york


a 5 year old boy was in fair condition on saturday after his mother wrested him from a mountain lion that had pounced on the child outside their home near aspen colo the police said
the boy whose name was not disclosed was playing outside with his older brother around 8 pm on friday when his mother who was inside the house heard screaming
she ran outside and saw a mountain lion on top of her son who sustained injuries to his face head and neck during the attack the police said
the pitkin county sheriffs office said the woman was able to physically remove her son from the animals grip sustaining injuries to her hands and legs her son was transferred to a hospital in denver on saturday the sheriffs office said
the police did not say if the injuries sustained by the mother and her child were caused by scratches or bites the aspen times reported on saturday that the animal had bitten the child
she was able to pry the cats jaws open michael buglione a sheriffs deputy told the paper shes a hero
the authorities learned of the attack when the boys father called 911 as he drove his son to aspen valley hospital on friday the sheriffs office said the attack happened in an unincorporated area of pitkin county roughly 10 miles outside aspen
the sheriffs office said deputies responded to the familys home along with a united states forest service officer shortly after receiving the fathers 911 call the forest service officer killed a mountain lion in the front yard
officers from colorado parks and wildlife examined the dead mountain lion and searched for a second lion that had been reported in the area earlier that day
colorado parks and wildlife said in a statement on saturday that lion sightings had increased across the state as a result of a robust lion population and development encroaching on their habitats the last known attack on a human happened last july near the town of dotsero


sarah marlowe hardman a daughter of jane p hardman of telluride colo and e davisson hardman of riverside conn was married june 18 to ryuk ju byun the son of seon byun and jinho byun of falls church va avery c manchester a united methodist minister officiated at the harvard club of new york
mrs byun 32 is a senior associate responsible for fund raising in the department of foundation and government relations at the new york city ballet she graduated from bucknell and received a law degree from vermont law school
her father is a managing director in the real estate investment group of warburg pincus the new york investment firm her mother is an interior designer in telluride
mr byun 29 is an associate specializing in mergers and acquisitions in the health care group at lazard freres  company the investment bank in new york he graduated from the university of virginia and received a medical degree from tulane he also received an mba from the university of chicago
his mother is an office manager at an accounting firm in annandale va his father owns a subway sandwich franchise in manassas va
the couple met through the dating app hinge in july 2014


celeste abou negm and dvir kafri were married june 18 at river farm the headquarters of the american horticultural society in alexandria va rabbi binyamin biber officiated
the bride 29 will take her husbands name she is studying for an mba at the university of california los angeles she graduated from swarthmore college she served in the peace corps in metu ethiopia from 2010 12 working with local governments and farmers
she is a daughter of elizabeth e ferenczi of washington and the late youssef abou negm the brides father was a consul at the egyptian consulate in new york the bride is also the adopted daughter of martin d ferenczi the president of the north american region of oberthur technologies a software developer and producer of chip payment cards in chantilly va
the groom also 29 is a physicist for the google quantum artificial intelligence lab in venice calif where he designs and analyzes superconducting quantum circuits he graduated from rice university and received a phd in physics from the university of maryland
he is a son of orna z kafri of chapel hill nc and tal kafri of carrboro nc the grooms mother is a registered nurse at unc health care a nonprofit medical system owned by the state of north carolina and based at the university of north carolina at chapel hill his father is an associate professor of microbiology and immunology in the gene therapy center also at the university of north carolina
the couple met in february 2013 at a kickball game with mutual friends in silver spring md
i thought she was really cute said mr kafri who had a girlfriend at the time she was really sweet and very charming
in september ms abou negm and mr kafri met again at her housewarming party in washington but it was no coincidence ms abou negm had returned from the peace corps less than a year before and only knew a few people in the city so she invited five friends and told each of them to bring along a friend of their own that opened the door for mr kafri who was now single and tagging along with a mutual friend in the hope of becoming better acquainted with ms abou negm whom he remembered from their kickball game
i really wanted to see her again he said
he soon got his wish and when he was introduced to ms abou negm as a physicist they spent a few minutes talking about quantum entanglement
i liked him right away ms abou negm said i sort of remembered him from kickball and i thought he was very cute and very nice
the next day ms abou negm noticed a long footnote about quantum entanglement in the novel she was reading a visit from the goon squad and texted mr kafri when she broached the subject with him he took the opportunity to broach another with her lunch
the next weekend they went on their first date to a dominican restaurant in washington and began dating steadily thereafter
he had such a great sense of humor and he was very smart she said
she seemed to love life more than anyone else i had ever met he said
in june 2015 ms abou negm returned to metu with mr kafri in tow
it had been such a huge part of my life and i still had friends there she said i wanted to share what i had been through and seen with dvir
a week later they were still in ethiopia and hiking on the highlands of lalibela overlooking a troop of gelada baboons and a flock of shepherd boys behind them in the distance when mr kafri reached for the engagement ring he had brought along
on a scale of 1 to 10 how romantic do you think this scene is he asked ms abou negm who was now sitting beside him in the grass
when she replied seven mr kafri began putting the ring away for a more appropriate time but just then ms abou negm realizing why she had been asked the question began blurting out 10 10
he then proposed and slipped the ring on her finger and ms abou negm began to cry
it was a rather surreal moment but there were no witnesses mr kafri said except for the baboons


alison lee lytton a daughter of kimberly a lytton and donald l lytton of las cruces nm was married june 18 to steven foo yeung the son of bik ying yeung and hung biu yeung of tinton falls nj the rev eugene r palmore a united church of christ minister led a ceremony at the riverside church in new york
the bride 34 is a senior product manager for educational digital products at scholastic the new york publisher she graduated from new mexico state university in las cruces and received a masters of law and diplomacy from tufts
the groom 33 is a scientist and project manager in new brunswick nj at research diets a biotechnology company making custom diets for laboratory animals involved in preclinical research he graduated from the university of connecticut from which he also received a masters in nutrition science
the couple met in may 2014 after mr yeung signed up for tinder during a lunchtime break at work when a couple of friends told him about it
if i didnt do it at work i wouldnt have met alison said mr yeung who explained tinder matches people in a certain geographical radius and he would not have been matched to someone in manhattan if he had signed up from his parents house where he was staying for a while
to her mr yeung seemed very down to earth from his photos
often guys take selfies in mirrors without a shirt to show off their six pack she said he seemed like a normal person like one of my friends
mr yeung decided to screen her by phone and after a satisfactory conversation they met a couple of weeks later for dinner on the bowery and had cupcakes for dessert in soho
it was such a good conversation she said no awkward pauses hes chinese american i spent my childhood in china i speak mandarin and he speaks the fuzhou dialect
he wanted to call her for a second date but cracked his brand new iphone at the jersey shore that weekend which was memorial day weekend and had to wait a couple of weeks to get it fixed
i thought he ghosted me she said that he disappeared i was disappointed i felt so comfortable and myself with him
as soon as he got his phone fixed he invited her to the jersey shore where he and his friends usually hang out
i found the one most american chinese american guy said ms lytton who grew up in kunming china where her parents lived for 22 years while he grew up along the jersey shore
their date lasted 10 hours   first brunch in red bank followed by watching a couple of races at monmouth park racetrack and then dinner in asbury park where they sat on the beach to watch the sunset
being with him was like coming home she said it felt so natural
her willingness to meet him on unfamiliar turf appealed to him
we had a great time he said she was willing to do anything try anything she was sincere to learn where i came from later that summer she met his parents
knowing she could speak mandarin fluently helped said mr yeung when alison talks to my parents i dont know what theyre talking about


elizabeth campbell everett and brian cary krisberg were married june 18 in manhattan judge nicholas g garaufis of the united states district court in brooklyn officiated at the lotte new york palace a hotel in manhattan
ms everett 40 will keep her name she is a managing director in charge of conferences road shows and other strategic interactions between companies and potential investors at bank of america merrill lynch in manhattan she graduated from cornell and received an mba from the university of pennsylvania she is also a trustee of cornell
she is a daughter of mary j everett and robert c everett of scarsdale ny the brides father retired as an associate director of cornells metro new york regional office in manhattan where he managed fund raising and alumni affairs her mother retired as a science teacher at the hommocks middle school in mamaroneck ny
the bride is a descendant of william bradford signatory of the mayflower compact and governor of plymouth colony
mr krisberg 56 is a partner in the chicago law firm sidley austin working in the real estate department of the manhattan office he graduated and received a law degree from columbia and is chairman of the universitys alumni association board his previous marriage ended in divorce
he is the son of arline p krisberg of manhattan and the late norman l krisberg the grooms father owned radiant industries a manufacturer of water softening equipment that was in brooklyn
the couple were introduced in 2013 by a mutual friend


susan yunshi zhang and william jacob bronston were married june 18 at mt hood organic farms in mount hood ore tassia b owen the grooms sister who became a universal life minister for the event officiated
the couple met while cycling in france on a group orientation trip for students enrolled at northwestern university from which they received mba degrees
the bride 30 will keep her name she works in the new york office of the boston consulting group advising health care and consumer goods companies she graduated from stanford
she is the daughter of kathy x tang and cliff c zhang of san jose calif
the groom 31 who is known as bj works in the new york office of strategy a consulting firm advising media companies on growth strategies
he graduated summa cum laude from the university of minnesota
he is a son of leo j bronston of onalaska wis and the late julie a bronston and a stepson of kim cornforth bronston


lisa michelle ellman and jason luke amerine were married june 18 at the four seasons hotel in washington rabbi david a kuperman officiated
ms ellman amerine 38 is a partner at the washington law firm hogan lovells where she is a co leader of the practice handling law relating to commercial drones she is also a co executive director of the commercial drone alliance a trade group with headquarters in washington and in menlo park calif
she graduated from the university of michigan and received a law degree and a masters degree in public policy from the university of chicago from 2008 2014 she was a presidential appointee at the white house and the justice department most recently as a senior counsel developing drone policy at the justice department
she is the daughter of carol j ellman and howard s ellman of bloomfield hills mich
mr amerine 45 is a fellow at new america a public policy institute in washington he retired from the army last year as a lieutenant colonel having served as an operations branch chief on the army staff in washington he had been the leader of a special forces unit and served during the invasion of afghanistan bringing hamid karzai back into the country to begin the guerrilla campaign at the outset of the conflict
he graduated from the united states military academy and received a masters degree in international affairs from texas am he was awarded the legion of merit for his work on the army staff including work to change how the government manages hostage recoveries he also received a bronze star with valor and purple heart for service in afghanistan
the groom is the son of ronald l amerine of mountainview ark and the late carol a amerine his previous marriage ended in divorce
the couple met in 2012 through a mutual friend in washington


jennifer lauren tuft a daughter of diane h tuft and thomas e tuft of new york was married june 18 to jay brendan brooker a son of marcia a brooker of southbury conn and gerard brooker of bethel conn cantor judd grossman officiated at the amangani hotel in jackson hole wyo
the bride 36 and the groom 37 work at the creative artists agency in los angeles where she is an executive in the global client strategy department and he is the head of content creation in its marketing division
the bride graduated from wesleyan university and received an mba from columbia
her father a former partner in goldman sachs is the chairman of the global capital markets advisory unit of lazard freres the investment bank in new york he also is the chairman of the board of the roundabout theater company and a vice chairman of the board of the whitney museum of american art both in new york her mother is a mixed media artist specializing in photography whose work has been exhibited at the marlborough gallery in new york among others she is on the board of the international center of photography and the cancer research institute also in new york
the groom graduated from emerson college
his mother taught heath and home economics at staples high school in westport conn before retiring from the same teaching positions at coleytown middle school also in westport his father retired as the chairman of the english department at staples high school and is the author of several books
the groom is a stepson of sheila moore
the couple met at a creative artists agency retreat in los angeles in 2014


patricia gilchrist gleacher the daughter of anne gilchrist hall of new york and eric j gleacher of north palm beach fla was married june 18 to graham nash pitcairn the son of martha nash pitcairn and duncan bruce pitcairn of bryn athyn pa the very rev denis brunelle an episcopal priest performed the ceremony at st lukes episcopal church in east hampton ny
until june 9 mrs pitcairn 26 was a preschool teacher at the meadowbrook school an elementary school in meadowbrook pa she graduated from northwestern university and received a master of science in education degree from bank street college of education
her father who retired as the chairman of gleacher  company an investment bank in new york is now a partner in promethean investments an investment bank in london he is also a trustee of northwestern university her mother is a trustee of prep for prep a nonprofit leadership program in new york that places high achieving minority students in elite institutions the bride is also the stepdaughter of paula gleacher and john h hall
mr pitcairn also 26 is a united states coast guard helicopter pilot stationed in atlantic city he graduated with distinction from the united states coast guard academy
his mother is the founder of ignition academy a life counseling program for adults in bryn athyn his father is principal partner and the treasurer of cairnwood cooperative a trust  and estate management firm in huntingdon valley pa he is also a trustee of thomas jefferson university
the groom is a great grandson of harold f pitcairn who developed and manufactured the autogiro the precursor to the modern helicopter
the couple met in 2011 on a five week mountaineering course in patagonia chile while hunkered down on a glacier during a blizzard they bonded over card games and hot chocolate


elizabeth ann ohrt the daughter of ruth a ohrt and delwin k ohrt of lakeville minn was married june 18 to george ralph sondecker iv the son of brenda n sondecker and mr sondecker iii of asheboro nc the rev herbert b taylor a united methodist minister officiated at the mit endicott house an events space in dedham mass
the bride 27 and the groom 29 met at the massachusetts institute of technology from which she graduated earlier this month she also received a masters in systems engineering and an mba from the school the groom received a masters degree in aeronautics and astronautics from mit
in july the couple are to begin working for spacex the company in hawthorne calif that is developing private space transport services the bride will be conducting inspections and inventory for materials used in rocket construction the groom will work with customers who want to launch satellites
mr sondecker 29 also graduated from the air force academy in may he received an mba from harvard
the couple were introduced in 2011 through a trainer at the mit campus gym where both of them worked out


caitlin salinger duffy and timothy patrick hall were married june 18 at landmark vineyards in kenwood calif hilary leichter griffin a friend of the bride who became a universal life minister for the occasion officiated trevor wolfe a friend of the groom who also became a universal life minister for the occasion led the groom in his vows
mrs hall 30 is a middle school mathematics teacher and a chairwoman of the mathematics department at the archer school for girls in los angeles she graduated magna cum laude from bryn mawr and received a masters degree in teaching from columbia
she is a daughter of jennifer s duffy of oxford pa and the late william w duffy ii her mother retired as a secretary at hopewell elementary school in oxford the brides father was a foreign service officer with the united states information agency in poland argentina and uruguay he organized foreign visits for united states government officials
mr hall 32 is the public relations manager for justin vineyards and winery in paso robles calif he graduated from hofstra and is studying for an mba from sonoma state universitys wine executive program
he is the son of carole a hall and john t hall of martins creek pa the grooms mother is the employee benefits specialist for the bethlehem area school district his father teaches second grade at paxinosa elementary school in easton pa
the couple were introduced in march 2010 through matchcom


lucy davis phillips a daughter of katherine anthony phillips and stanley davis phillips of high point nc was married june 18 to pierre yared the son of sana yared and dr jean pierre yared of pepper pike ohio the rev barry osborne a methodist minister officiated at the home of the brides parents
the bride 34 is a freelance visual artist in new york specializing in mixed media portraiture stop animation printmaking and traditional portraiture her most recent solo exhibition was at the paul mellon arts center in wallingford conn she graduated from the maryland institute college of art in baltimore and received a masters degree in fine art from the new york academy of art
her father is the chairman of phillips industries in high point a home furnishings manufacturer he also w as the united states ambassador to estonia from 2007 to 2009 her mother owns and manages valleyfields farm a cattle and tobacco farm in high point
the groom 37 is a professor at columbia business school and a director of the richard paul richman center for business law and public policy at columbia he graduated from harvard and received a phd in economics from mit
his father is an anesthesiologist and the director of the center for critical care medicine in the heart and vascular institute at the cleveland clinic foundation his mother is a french teacher and a docent at the cleveland museum of art
the couple met in 2012 while waiting in line for the bathroom at a party in new york


elena jane viboch and stephan owen steele hoyer were married on june 18 by mark dlugash a friend of the couple and a minister of the american marriage ministries at olympias valley estate a farm in petaluma calif
the couple met at swarthmore from which they both graduated
in may the bride 29 received an mba from harvard in july she is to become the director of business development and operations at carmot therapeutics in san francisco a biopharmaceutical company
she is the daughter of marcy r viboch of the bronx and paul viboch of tarrytown ny the brides father is an owner and the president of martinsburg college a distance education institution in martinsburg wva her mother retired as a guidance counselor at stuyvesant high school in manhattan
the groom 30 works in mountain view calif as a computational scientist for google he studies machine learning and how it can be applied to medical research he received a phd and masters degree in physics from the university of california berkeley
he is a son of meganne steele and daniel j hoyer of portland ore who are both retired from jobs there the grooms mother was a program manager for metro portlands development division his father was the director of plastics procurement at denton plastics


meredith cynthia mclennan a daughter of katherine mclennan of old greenwich conn and the late peter mclennan was married june 18 to brendan pogue steiner a son of peggy p steiner and philip c steiner of point lookout ny the rev donald adams a minister ordained through the unitarian christian emerging church officiated at the wainwright house a retreat and wedding space in rye ny
the couple both 28 met at union college in schenectady ny from which they graduated
mrs steiner is a teacher at the childrens school an independent primary school in stamford conn for children ages 3 to 8 she received a masters degree in teaching from manhattanville college
her mother retired as a librarian in old greenwich for the perrot memorial library the brides father was a staff editor at the new york times she is also a stepdaughter of kenneth kolb
mr steiner is an account supervisor at tracylocke a marketing agency in wilton conn
his mother is a real estate agent at william meier real estate in point lookout his father a mechanical engineer is a partner in altieriseborwieber an engineering firm in norwalk conn


heather delene casteel a daughter of cathy d casteel and michael a casteel of seattle was married june 18 to david rodriguez a son of elena rodriguez and benedicto rodriguez of glendale queens the rev timothy dore a roman catholic priest performed the ceremony at most holy trinity st mary church in brooklyn
the couple both 31 met in 2002 at williams college from which they graduated but they didnt begin dating until 2014 when mr rodriguez recognized ms casteels profile on tinder
the bride who will continue to use her name professionally is an associate in the trusts and estates department at the manhattan law firm wachtell lipton rosen  katz she received a law degree magna cum laude from harvard
her father who is retired was a founder and the chief technology officer of unison software a company that was in santa clara calif
the groom is the senior strategist at fxcm an online foreign exchange broker in manhattan where he produces research for clients on global financial markets
his parents own edwin travel agency in brooklyn and are co owners of cari wine bar and restaurant in manhattan


dr sarah barnes filipski the daughter of lynn fitchet filipski and mark w filipski of new york was married june 18 to arthur fletcher bingham ii the son of dawn williamson bingham and mr bingham of high point nc the rev j carr holland iii an episcopal priest performed the ceremony at the siasconset union chapel on the island of nantucket in massachusetts with the rev alan p sherouse a baptist minister taking part
next week dr bingham 29 is to complete the internship year of a pediatric residency at the childrens hospital at dartmouth hitchcock medical center in lebanon nh she graduated from davidson college and received a medical degree from wake forest university
her father is a managing director for leveraged finance in the new york office of credit suisse he is a trustee of davidson college and the president of the sconset trust a land conservation and preservation group on nantucket
mr bingham 28 is known as fletcher he is a sales representative for the kinsley group a power generation supply company in east granby conn he works in hanover nh he graduated from wake forest
his mother is a sales representative in high point for the elite leather company a manufacturer of leather furniture his father is the regional sales manager for fine furniture design in high point
the couple met in winston salem nc in 2014 when dr filipski spotted mr bingham helping a friend move into a townhouse neighboring hers and introduced herself


dr danielle bennett pier and dr daniel edward henderson were married june 18 at the boston harbor hotel in boston dr russell g buhr a friend of the couple officiated after receiving permission from massachusetts to solemnize the marriage
dr pier 33 will keep her name she is a neonatal neurology fellow at boston childrens hospital where she conducts research on prenatal brain development she graduated summa cum laude from nyu and received a medical degree from harvard
she is a daughter of dr susan e bennett and gerald b pier of brookline mass the brides father is a professor of medicine in microbiology and molecular genetics at harvard medical school and conducts research on bacterial infections and how to prevent them at brigham and womens hospital in boston her mother is an assistant professor of medicine at harvard medical school and is a primary care physician at the massachusetts general hospital in boston
dr henderson 35 is also a primary care physician at mass general he graduated from trinity college in hartford received a medical degree from the university of connecticut and also has a masters degree in public health from harvard
he is the son of susan k henderson and david e henderson of hanover nh the grooms mother retired as a chemistry professor at quinnipiac university in hamden conn his father retired as chemistry professor at trinity college in hartford
a mutual friend introduced the couple in 2009


louisa anne aviles the daughter of nora l freeman of manhattan and alan d aviles of brooklyn was married june 18 to joseph charles musso a son of eileen c musso and francis j musso of cossayuna ny lauren ruth rose a universal life minister officiated at the prospect park picnic house in brooklyn
ms aviles 29 is keeping her name she is a strategic operations and policy specialist at the national network for safe communities in manhattan which helps cities implement strategies to reduce violence and improve relationships between law enforcement and the community she graduated from georgetown and received a masters degree in criminal justice from the john jay college of criminal justice
her father retired as the president and chief executive of what was then the new york city health and hospitals corporation her mother retired as a judge of family court in brooklyn the bride is also the stepdaughter of anne c feigus who retired as an assistant district attorney in the appeals bureau in the brooklyn
mr musso 32 is a senior program manager for mayor bill de blasios office of recovery and resiliency in new york and works with agencies to prepare for climate change he graduated from stonehill college in easton mass received a masters degree in teaching students with disabilities from pace university and a masters in public administration from columbia
his mother retired as a nurse in the immunization program of the norwalk health department in norwalk conn his father is a forensic accountant and corporate financial adviser specializing in bankruptcy restructurings working from cossayuna
the couple met in 2011 ms rose the woman who would be their officiant and who had attended high school with ms aviles and graduate school with mr musso introduced them in east hampton ny at a tedx conference and party hosted by ms roses family


kathryn anne gaskin the daughter of flavia f gaskin and charles t gaskin of austin tex was married june 18 to army first lt taylor david brownstein a son of nina j easton of washington and ron j brownstein of los angeles the rev wayne williams a minister ordained by the evangelical free church of america and an uncle of the bride officiated at the lady bird johnson wildflower center in austin
the bride 26 is a public relations specialist in austin for edelman the communications marketing firm that has its headquarters in new york she graduated from the university of texas
her father owns tim gaskin  associates a dallas based wholesaler of home and garden goods her mother is a science teacher at trinity episcopal school an elementary and middle school in austin
the groom also 26 is stationed at fort hood in killeen tex he graduated from elon university in north carolina in august he is to begin studying for an mba at the university of southern california
his mother is a founder of sellerseaston media a communications firm in washington she is also a chairwoman of fortune magazines most powerful women summit an annual gathering of business leaders his father is the editorial director for the atlantic and a senior political analyst for cnn the groom is a stepson of eileen n mcmenamin and russell j schriefer his stepmother is a los angeles based media consultant and freelance producer his stepfather is a partner in strategic partners  media a political strategy and media consultancy based in annapolis md
the couple met in may 2014 in austin through a mutual friend


rachel ann nordlinger the daughter of margaret m nordlinger and douglas e nordlinger of key biscayne fla was married june 18 to andrew chase langer a son of bobbi a langer and bruce a langer of new york rabbi joshua m davidson performed the ceremony at temple emanu el in new york
mrs langer 29 is an associate in the private banking division of jpmorgan chase in new york where she specializes in making investments for families she graduated from duke and received a masters degree in education from bank street college of education and an mba from northwestern
her father retired as a partner in the london office of skadden arps slate meagher  flom the new york law firm her mother retired as a vice president in the commercial real estate division of the former riggs national bank in washington
mr langer 29 is pursuing an mba at columbia he graduated from johns hopkins and received a masters degree in international security studies from the university of st andrews in scotland
his parents both lawyers work for new york firms   his mother as an associate in the real estate group at schulte roth  zabel and his father as a partner in mclaughlin  stern
the couple met in july 2013 on a blind date arranged by a mutual friend


katherine whalen campo and warren francis ryan iii were married june 18 at the beach club a private social club in centerville mass david wisner a friend of the couple who received permission from massachusetts officiated
the bride 30 manages the east africa programs at the national endowment for democracy a nonprofit organization in washington that supports groups that promote democracy from 2009 to 2012 she worked as a foreign service officer with the state department where she reported on politcal and security issues in darfur at the american embassy in khartoum sudan she graduated from brown and received a masters in journalism from columbia
she is a daughter of elizabeth g campo and john w campo jr of boston the brides father is the chief legal officer in the boston office of smith  nephew a london based medical technology company
the groom 29 gives advice on anti money laundering and counterterrorism policies in the office of terrorism and financial intelligence at the department of the treasury in washington he graduated from georgetown from which he also received a masters in global politics and security
he is the son of sherry ryan of rancho mirage calif she is the president of international payment methods a company there that provides credit card processing and other payment services to businesses


paavana lakshmi kumar a daughter of uma kumar and shiv kumar of new york was married june 17 to david james lepard the son of colleen d lepard and david a lepard of fort worth pandit shri hariharan a hindu priest led a hindu ceremony at the de seversky mansion in old westbury ny
on june 18 the rev gilbert martinez a roman catholic priest performed another ceremony at st barnabas catholic church in bellmore ny
the couple both 28 met at columbia from which they received law degrees
mrs lepard is an associate at davis  gilbert a new york law firm where she works in the advertising marketing and promotions group she graduated from princeton
mr lepard is a special assistant corporation counsel at the mayors office of special enforcement in new york where he is a member of a multiagency task force that works on quality of life issues he graduated from the university of tennessee


stephanie lauren brag the daughter of amy b leeds and anders c h brag of new york was married june 18 to peter charles william enestrom the son of suellen r enestrom and ronald enestrom of sydney australia matthew r brag the brother of the bride who was given the authority to solemnize the marriage by a bill passed by the rhode island legislature for the occasion officiated at the home of virginia decker keith and colin keith in newport ri who are friends of the couple
the bride 30 is a co founder and the chief operating officer of dee hutton a made to order line of womens evening wear in new york she graduated from brown
her father is a venture capitalist based in new york
the groom 33 is the owner of dear boy ventures in new york which creates and invests in education related businesses he graduated from yale and received an mba from columbia
his father is the investment consultant in sydney for marathon asset management based in london
the couple met in january 2014 at a mutual friends party in greenwich village


serena stanfill tufo the daughter of francesca stanfill of new york and peter f tufo of southampton ny was married june 18 to dr chase william robinson a son of cille burnside williams of denver and the late tom g robinson the rev peter m larsen an episcopal priest performed the ceremony at st andrews dune church in southampton
mrs robinson 32 is a senior manager for special events for the childrens hospital colorado foundation in denver she graduated from nyu
her father is a founding partner in the new york law firm tufo  zuccotti and was a united states ambassador to hungary from 1997 2001 her mother is a writer and novelist her books include shadows and light and wakefield hall
the bride is the stepdaughter of maya rana tufo and of richard b nye the brides stepfather is the managing partner in baker nye an investment firm in new york and the vice chairman of the board of lenox hill hospital
the bride is the grandaughter of dennis c stanfill of pasadena calif a former chairman and chief executive of the 20th century fox film corporation
dr robinson also 32 is a second year resident in pathology at the university of colorado hospital in aurora he graduated from wake forest university from which he also recieved a medical degree he also has a masters in physiology and biophysics from georgetown
his father founded dynoil an oil and gas exploration company in denver the groom is a stepson of ronald w williams the chairman of the national western stock show a two week rodeo and equestrian and livestock exhibition in denver
the couple met in madrid in 2005 during their junior years abroad they were reunited in 2013 during a ski holiday in vail colo


sara disick zambrelli and john carter lipman were married june 18 at the maidstone club in east hampton ny rabbi daniel geffen officiated
mrs lipman 32 is a psychotherapist in new york specializing in working with adolescents and young adults she graduated from brown and received a masters degree in social work from nyu
she is the daughter of sharon d zambrelli and michael j zambrelli of new york the brides father is the founder and chief creative officer of zambrelli  partners an advertising and branding agency in new york her mother owns zambrelli design a company that consults for the interior design and beauty industries in new york
mr lipman 39 works in greenwich conn as a managing director of investment banking and the head of structured transactions at craig hallum capital group an investment banking firm headquartered in minneapolis he graduated from rollins college in winter park fla
he is the son of meryl r erlanger of new york and dr jay s lipman of tucson ariz the grooms mother retired as a real estate broker at sothebys international realty in new york his father retired as an oral and maxillofacial surgeon in newport news va the groom is the stepson of susan lipman of tucson and the late jack erlanger his stepfather retired as a financial adviser at jrp securities in new york
the couple met through mutual friends in new york in 2010


isabella beatrice spyrou the daughter of amanda e spyrou of greenwich conn and the late george a spyrou was married june 18 to andrew joseph leahy a son of sharon a leahy and james a leahy of west seneca ny the rev richard van wely an episcopal priest officiated at the field club of greenwich
the couple met at cornell from which they both graduated and where the groom received his mba
mrs leahy 27 teaches first grade at the trinity school in new york she received a masters degree in special education from the bank street college of education her father was the owner and chief executive of airship management services in greenwich a company that designed and operated blimps
mr leahy 31 is an owner of rockin jump trampoline parks in mount kisco ny and yonkers his father is a principal investigator at the center on knowledge translation for technology transfer at the university at buffalo where he conducts engineering research to develop technology for people with disabilities


britta alexandra towle and rowan ilan morris were married june 17 at the wolffer estate vineyard in sagaponack ny jennifer meihofer a minister of the center of living light officiated
the bride 30 works in new york as a senior account executive for battalion a new york based public relations and marketing firm where she manages brand communications for luxury watch and jewelry brands she graduated from queens university in kingston ontario she is a daughter of bonnie j towle and william r towle of red hook ny
the groom also 30 is a vice president of jefferies a new york investment bank where he advises energy and utility companies on their interactions with the investment community he graduated summa cum laude from middlebury college he is the son of deborah l morris and francis h morris of great barrington mass
the couple met in december 2008 at a bar in new york


jennifer jean thaxton and andrew clayton bird were married june 18 the rev mary a sweet a united methodist minister officiated at buzzs lakeside inn in whitehall mich
mrs bird 31 is the deputy director for the gulf and arabian peninsula in the defense secretarys office at the pentagon she graduated from the university of michigan and received a masters degree in international affairs from columbia
she is the daughter of becky j thaxton and anthony s thaxton of holland mich who are retired the brides father was the executive director of the michigan association of administrators of special education in lansing her mother taught second grade at blue star elementary school in hamilton mich
mr bird 30 was until april a detachment commander in fort campbell ky for the armys fifth special forces group he was deployed to iraq in 2009 and attained the rank of captain before leaving the army he graduated from syracuse and plans to begin studying for an mba at the mcdonough school of business at georgetown in august
he is a son of susan l bird and raymond j bird of vestal ny the grooms mother is a special education teacher at binghamton high school in binghamton ny his father is a speech pathologist in norwich ny
the couple met in bahrain in 2013 when the bride was working as a civilian employee for the united states office of naval intelligence


isabella beatrice spyrou the daughter of amanda e spyrou of greenwich conn and the late george a spyrou was married june 18 to andrew joseph leahy a son of sharon a leahy and james a leahy of west seneca ny the rev richard van wely an episcopal priest officiated at the field club of greenwich
the couple met at cornell from which they both graduated and where the groom received his mba
mrs leahy 27 teaches first grade at the trinity school in new york she received a masters degree in special education from the bank street college of education her father was the owner and chief executive of airship management services in greenwich a company that designed and operated blimps
mr leahy 31 is an owner of rockin jump trampoline parks in mount kisco ny and yonkers his father is a principal investigator at the center on knowledge translation for technology transfer at the university at buffalo where he conducts engineering research to develop technology for people with disabilities


britta alexandra towle and rowan ilan morris were married june 17 at the wolffer estate vineyard in sagaponack ny jennifer meihofer a minister of the center of living light officiated
the bride 30 works in new york as a senior account executive for battalion a new york based public relations and marketing firm where she manages brand communications for luxury watch and jewelry brands she graduated from queens university in kingston ontario she is a daughter of bonnie j towle and william r towle of red hook ny
the groom also 30 is a vice president of jefferies a new york investment bank where he advises energy and utility companies on their interactions with the investment community he graduated summa cum laude from middlebury college he is the son of deborah l morris and francis h morris of great barrington mass
the couple met in december 2008 at a bar in new york


erika elizabeth scott a daughter of grace d scott and jonathan d scott of pipersville pa is to be married june 19 to noah hertz bunzl the son of deborah s hertz and martin r bunzl of san diego rabbi ezra weinberg is to officiate at the john james audubon center in audubon pa
ms scott 36 will keep her name she owns esoterika designs in brooklyn where she creates crafts specializing in cut paper art she graduated from wesleyan university
her father is a partner in veritable an investment consulting firm in newtown square pa and is the treasurer of the national recreation foundation which supports projects for disadvantaged children
mr hertz bunzl 30 is a litigation associate at the manhattan law firm kramer levin naftalis  frankel he graduated from harvard and received a law degree magna cum laude from fordham
his mother is the herman wouk chair in modern jewish studies at the university of california san diego his father retired as a professor of philosophy at rutgers
the couple met in 2012 at a picnic organized by altshul an independent minyan in brooklyn and began dating in 2015


victoria kazimiera fudali the daughter of anna t fudali and michael fudali of lincolnshire ill was married june 17 to john michael dorost a son of susan m winnicki and jerome f dorost of glen rock nj the rev joseph a blenkle a roman catholic priest performed the ceremony at st mary mother of the church in fishkill ny
the couple met in 2012 at new york university from which they each received an mba but didnt get to know each other until the spring of 2013 when they discovered they had been booked in seats next to each other on each leg of a five city trip to india
the bride 34 sells advertising for google in new york she graduated with honors from the university of illinois
the groom 32 is an investment banking associate in the new york office of credit suisse he graduated from the united states military academy and reached the rank of captain in the army he earned a bronze star for his service in iraq where he was deployed in 2007 and 2010 11


jennifer jean thaxton and andrew clayton bird were married june 18 the rev mary a sweet a united methodist minister officiated at buzzs lakeside inn in whitehall mich
mrs bird 31 is the deputy director for the gulf and arabian peninsula in the defense secretarys office at the pentagon she graduated from the university of michigan and received a masters degree in international affairs from columbia
she is the daughter of becky j thaxton and anthony s thaxton of holland mich who are retired the brides father was the executive director of the michigan association of administrators of special education in lansing her mother taught second grade at blue star elementary school in hamilton mich
mr bird 30 was until april a detachment commander in fort campbell ky for the armys fifth special forces group he was deployed to iraq in 2009 and attained the rank of captain before leaving the army he graduated from syracuse and plans to begin studying for an mba at the mcdonough school of business at georgetown in august
he is a son of susan l bird and raymond j bird of vestal ny the grooms mother is a special education teacher at binghamton high school in binghamton ny his father is a speech pathologist in norwich ny
the couple met in bahrain in 2013 when the bride was working as a civilian employee for the united states office of naval intelligence


kathryn alex obrien the daughter of mary m hasten and brien m obrien of chicago was married june 18 to sean michael tinsley a son of david n tinsley of sterling mass and the late laurie culhane tinsley the rev john j wall a roman catholic priest performed the ceremony at st james chapel in chicago
the bride and groom both 27 met at brown where they received masters degrees in teaching
ms obrien will keep her name she is the founder of discovering solutions a tutoring and academic services firm in providence ri she graduated from boston college and is a director of the jeh foundation which is a scholarship fund in chicago for college students who have lost a parent to pancreatic cancer
her father is the chairman and chief executive of port capital an investment advisory services company in chicago he is also a trustee of the national park foundation and the university of chicago medical center
mr tinsley teaches high school english at the rocky hill school a private day school in east greenwich ri he graduated from st anselm college in manchester nh
his mother was a special education teacher at greendale school in worcester mass his father is the president of the tinsley financial group a wealth management company in worcester the groom is a stepson of carolyn a tinsley


carl lamonde lewis and stephen arnold slusher were married june 18 at trinity episcopal cathedral in trenton the right rev william h stokes the bishop of the episcopal diocese of new jersey performed the ceremony
until january mr lewis left 50 who goes by jon carl was the director of youth ministry at trinity episcopal church in asbury park nj he graduated from princeton
he is a son of hattie a lewis of millville nj and the late carl h lewis
mr slusher 63 is the chief legal officer for palatin technologies a biopharmaceutical company in cranbury nj he graduated from st johns college in santa fe nm and received a law degree from the university of new mexico
he is a son of elaine b slusher of placitas nm and the late arnold f slusher
the couple met in 1995 in albuquerque at a fund raiser for the coalition for gay and lesbian rights in new mexico


cristin okeefe aptowicz a daughter of bruce s aptowicz of philadelphia and the late maureen okeefe aptowicz was married june 18 to ernest christy cline a son of the late faye imogene cline and the late ernest c cline who lived in ashland ohio derrick brown a friend of the couple who became a universal life minister for the occasion officiated aboard freedom elite a yacht docked on the waterfront of spruce street harbor park in philadelphia
the bride 37 is a poet and nonfiction writer in austin tex she is the author of dr mutters marvels a true tale of intrigue and innovation at the dawn of modern medicine she graduated from nyu
her father retired as a civil engineer for the philadelphia water department her mother was a senior analyst in cherry hill nj for the internal revenue service
the groom 44 is the author of armada a novel that he is turning into a screenplay for universal pictures his debut novel ready player one is being made into a film by steven spielberg the grooms first marriage ended in divorce
his mother was a real estate agent in ashland
the couple met in 1998 as competitors at the national poetry slam in austin and remained friends until they started dating in september 2013


dr lindsay elizabeth mclellan the daughter of judith elizabeth davis of charleston sc and david lindsay mclellan of north andover mass was married june 18 to vincent jamal borden a son of ann warren of casper wyo and the stepson of johnny warren the rev dr alexander s daley an episcopal priest performed the ceremony at st pauls episcopal church in north andover with the rev sarah kelb the churchs rector taking part
the bride 27 and groom 34 met at the university of virginia from which she graduated with high distinction and also received a medical degree and from which he received a law degree
next month the bride who is taking her husbands name will begin a residency in obstetrics and gynecology at carilion clinic in roanoke va her father is a lawyer in andover her mother retired as a preschool teacher in the lawrence school district in lawrence mass
the groom is a lawyer in roanoke for the van winkle law firm which is based in asheville nc until 2010 he was a staff sergeant in the air force having last served at lackland air force base in san antonio he graduated from the university of maryland his stepfather retired as a construction worker in casper
the grooms first marriage ended in divorce


kaci loren lindhorst and adam jarett sokoloff were married june 18 rabbi lisa rubin officiated at the bryant park grill a restaurant in new york
mrs sokoloff 28 is a producer booking guests for cbs this morning in new york she graduated from syracuse she is a daughter of steven s lindhorst of tarpon springs fla and rana l schmidt of edwardsville ill
mr sokoloff 30 oversees the trading and operations of energy stocks for key group holdings a hedge fund in rye ny he also graduated from syracuse and received an mba from fordham he is a son of sandie r sokoloff and jeff m sokoloff of merrick ny
in august 2010 shortly after the bride graduated from college the couple met as a result of facebook and her roommates matchmaking prowess ms lindhorst agreed to send a friend request to mr sokoloff after the roommate told her about meeting a really attractive guy in the building elevator


phoenix   on king of the hill the animated sitcom that aired for 13 years on fox the character named peggy hill once called phoenix a monument to mans arrogance last summer on a day the temperature broke records at 115 degrees someone posted a segment on reddit under the thread phoenix arizona should not exist
and that is just a small taste of the disrespect often heaped on the nations sixth largest city
one scholar has called it the worlds least sustainable city vice in an article on how phoenix is the worst place ever described it as a bloated tangle of tasteless architecture that never seems to stop ballooning outward even daehee park the co founder of a start up here and an admirer of the place used the not particularly complimentary phrase strip mall after strip mall after strip mall to describe phoenix which with wide roads and gated communities is more like a giant suburb than a traditional city
phoenix is the way it is largely because of where it is in a sprawling desert it became a place of huge growth where people from colder climes flocked for affordable single family homes where air conditioning was de rigueur and not a single garage had to make room for a snow blower
but the phoenix that has been disparaged by so many is undergoing a change it began when the housing bubble burst and affordable home after affordable home went into foreclosure city officials intent on revitalizing the place searched for a new formula one that focused not on the outer edges of the desert where there remains plenty of room to expand outward but on the long neglected downtown
these days there is hardly an empty lot left in the citys core and there are as many apartments under construction or about to be built as all of those that were built from 1996 to 2008 but are there enough people to fill them that is a multibillion dollar gamble and phoenix has gone all in
the city bought entire blocks of empty land to entice three state universities to build their campuses downtown increasing the number of students to 12000 this year from 400 just 10 years ago it has given developers tax breaks and other incentives to build build build
in a state whose republican governor was elected on a firm no more taxes pledge this citys progressive mayor greg stanton hung his re election campaign last year on a push to raise the sales tax to pay for the extension of a light rail system linking downtown to other parts of the city and beyond voters approved it
it might be hard for many to think of phoenix as a vibrant urban environment rather than a subdued sun baked retirement village still every month or so the citys ambassadors are pitching downtown phoenix to young entrepreneurs frustrated by the high cost of doing business in silicon valley
some tech start ups have already been sold uber opened a support center for drivers and riders last year in a building that had stood half empty for a long time doubledutch a maker of events apps is opening its first office outside san francisco nearby
i dont want people to move here because we have great golf courses and cheap homes mr stanton said in an interview what i want is young college graduates from the east coast moving here and our college graduates staying here because they see their future here and we have a great urban community
mr park 27 the start up owner and his college friend john thomas marino 30 worked as software engineers in silicon valley before they turned an old hardware store on the southern edge of downtown into headquarters for their online mattress business tuft  needle
in a post on medium they channeled warren buffett to explain their decision saying that mr buffett kept his personal and professional lives anchored in omaha about as far away from the hurly burly of the financial centers of the world as you could imagine
phoenix has staged other attempts at making over its downtown but never quite got it right it pegged a tourism tax to hotel stays and car rentals to pay for the construction of a basketball arena which opened in 1992 and used the money raised from a sales tax increase throughout the county to build a baseball stadium the first in the nation with a retractable dome and real grass both still bring people downtown but are not necessarily reasons anyone would want to live there
at one point the city bought a luxury hotel to give visitors attending events at the convention center a comfortable place to stay only to put it up for sale in december after tens of millions of dollars in losses
a bike sharing program survived its first summer a time of the year when riding a bike or doing any other outdoor activity for that matter is borderline heroic
skeptics worry that there is just too much building going on this time and that it is only a matter of time until it all comes crashing down again as empty units stall in a real estate market that is well known for its boom and bust cycles
long a wasteland at night downtown now has a tinge of hip with bars restaurants and small concert venues keeping it going long after lights go off in the city county and state offices that for long were its anchor it also has plenty of dark desolate spots that do not feel safe at night
the place is undergoing a sort of rearrangement that is common in the transformation of any neighborhood the squat building that housed paz a popular taqueria was razed to make way for a condominium in what is now one of the densest residential intersections in the city the tacos are now being sold from a food truck songbird a coffee shop that had a disagreement with its landlord moved down the street into a charming century old house which qualifies as old in this young city
on a recent sunday mothers and their babies met around a picnic bench there while eight young women in leggings and tank tops practiced yoga nearby their colorful mats stretched on a patch of grass that was an unusual sight
three blocks west at a cafe called phoenix public market naveed shan a physical therapy student in northern arizona universitys campus downtown was having a lunchtime beer with a large group of classmates to celebrate the end of the school year mr shan 28 who grew up in phoenix said there just wasnt enough good reason for anyone to ever come downtown
now he cannot afford to live downtown he said as prices have soared
the pull of the construction industry remains strong   it will be arizonas fastest growing sector this year officials here are trying other ways to diversify the economy including a boot camp teaching small  and midsize businesses how to trade with mexico
mr park and mr marino hired a security guard to watch over cars on the parking lot at tuft  needle on grand avenue across the street a sign advertises divorce and bankruptcy filings for 200 next door to it is a vacant house once used by squatters though the squatters are gone
by years end they said the warehouse will be filled by work stations a quality control lab and a half basketball court
wed have to raise capital just to pay our rent in silicon valley said mr marino at work in high tops and shorts one afternoon in phoenix he said we can have a home and a pool and 36000 square feet of office space


oakmont pa   shane lowry placed the putter behind his golf ball on the 16th green saturday to line up a long birdie putt he then saw the ball move ever so slightly backward no one else saw the ball change positions
but lowry knew it was a rules violation and he acted immediately he called a penalty on himself even though he knew that lost stroke could topple him from the upper echelon of the leaderboard in the second round at the 116th united states open
as if the devilish oakmont country club course were not grueling enough lowry an irishman ranked 41st in the world was punishing himself
lowrys gesture was noble but dont think it was easy on him once he re marked the ball   he was now facing a 30 foot par putt   he stepped away with a look of anguish he grasped his putter with both hands and placed it behind his neck as if he wanted to break it over his shoulders and he turned his eyes skyward as if to say this is what youre doing to me as i try to win my first major championship
if you believe in karma or providence lowry made seven birdies and just two bogeys the rest of the day as the open advanced into the third round and when the sun set and play was suspended saturday night it was lowry who held a two stroke lead over the american andrew landry at five under par for the tournament lowry was one of only six golfers under par
and he could have been one stroke lower
lowry however never wavered on his decision and never considered doing anything else
i had to penalize myself he said
but again reinforcing the notion that golfers are not emotionless robots who find it easy to conform to conventions of integrity without feeling the consequences lowry added its very frustrating
with lowry in the midst of what is perhaps golfs most demanding tournament and a life changing championship on the line consider how uncommon lowrys action is in modern sports
on sunday night in the nba finals it is unlikely that any player will outwardly try to cheat but it is part of the unwritten code of basketball that players bend certain rules as much as possible to gain advantages that is just part of the back and forth of the game it is the reason there are referees on the court to police the action
baseball has unstated if widely understood protocols for play in which players routinely try to influence the outcome beyond the basic parameters set out in the rule book catchers frame pitches to fool umpires batters pretend to be struck by pitches and base runners leave the baseline to interfere with fielders
football has a host of behaviors developed over time that are outside the rule book no one is calling it cheating but as just one example it is acknowledged that there is holding by one or more offensive linemen on every single play from scrimmage
those are different games that have developed over centuries with their own codes of conduct but it does not change the fact that on saturday a golfer playing in one of the biggest tournaments of the year chose to call a significant penalty on himself when he did not have to
interestingly golf has odd phrases and lingo to interpret the unexplainable things that routinely happen on the golf course the one most used for these almost paranormal results is rub of the green which is meant to be a mystical description of luck both good and bad
but there is no established cutesy saying to explain how and why golfers especially in competition are expected to behave within the rules   even when it means accepting a penalty when the golfer very likely did nothing to cause the violation
lowry who tied for ninth at last years united states open refused to dwell on the penalty stroke at any time after his second round was complete he only noted that it distracted him enough that his next putt was substandard
of the 30 footer on the 16th hole that quickly went from a birdie putt to a par putt lowry said if anything i was a bit immature with how quickly i hit the putt after the penalty and i hit an awful putt that ended up 8 feet right of the hole
but lowry made his bogey putt karma
if i would have missed that he said of the bogey putt it would have been difficult to get back from there that kind of kept me going and from there on i just played good golf in fact i played good golf all day i hit plenty of fairways plenty of greens and thats what you need to do out here
in other words shane lowry did what was expected of him and moved on on sunday he tees off as the leader of the 116th united states open
late saturday lowry was asked to assess his mood it had been a long day he smiled easily
i feel very comfortable about everything out there he said


foxborough mass   argentina came to the united states this summer in pursuit of its first major soccer championship in 23 years now the united states stands in the way
after beating venezuela 4 1 in a quarterfinal matchup of the copa america at gillette stadium on saturday la albiceleste as the argentine team is known will travel to houston to play the united states in an eagerly awaited semifinal on tuesday night
but first the argentines had to handle their chores at gillette stadium where an announced crowd of 59183 watched them dominate in a manner that many expected
gonzalo higuain scored two goals in the first half for argentina the initial one was set up brilliantly by lionel messi the supremely talented forward who poses the biggest of many challenges for the united states messi added another goal in the 60th minute and then set up erik lamela for the fourth goal in the 71st minute as argentina beat venezuela for the 20th time in 21 matches
messis goal was his 54th in international play tying him with gabriel batistuta for the national record he also leads the tournament with four goals
venezuela did have chances to score including a botched penalty kick by luis manuel seijas in the first half but the way argentina has played and with messi recovered from a back injury it would take great teamwork and perhaps a lot of luck for any team to knock argentina out of the tournament
it is a very complicated team for us lamela said of the united states they are playing in their own house it will be a complicated match
but the same can be said about argentina a team with several attacking options in addition to messi whom many call the best player in the world
after saturdays game higuain was announced as the man of the match to mild cheering but two seconds later the public address announcer said correction the man of the match is no 10 lionel messi and the fans roared their approval
many of those supporters paint argentina as the best team in the world and fifa backs that up with a no 1 ranking but the team wants the requisite trophy to prove it
we came here with one goal gerardo martino the argentine coach said through an interpreter we still have a chance to achieve that
indeed argentina came to the tournament on a singular mission after two disappointing runner up finishes the last two summers the argentines fell in the final of the 2014 world cup to germany and they lost the 2015 copa america to chile the host
but this summer argentinas path to a title has clicked into sharp focus especially with brazil and uruguay already eliminated
for the united states   which beat ecuador 2 1 in its quarterfinal match on thursday   the match against argentina will be its biggest game since a loss to belgium in the round of 16 of the 2014 world cup in brazil it will also be perhaps the biggest game the united states has contested on american soil since it lost to brazil at the same stage in the 1994 world cup
the americans do have an impressive win over argentina on their resume in this very tournament though in the 1995 copa america in uruguay the united states beat argentina 3 0
but there was no messi on the field that day
playing in the same town not the same stadium where diego maradona scored his final goal for argentina in the 94 world cup messi put on the show so many had come to see
his back had been injured in a tuneup against honduras and he had been used off the bench during the tournament before saturday but as usual when he is on the field he is unparalleled he demonstrated his gifts as soon as the eighth minute
as he drifted wide to the right in plenty of space messi lofted a gorgeous looping pass to higuain who was cutting back from the left higuain beat goalkeeper dani hernandez with a one touch half volley into the far corner and the rout was on
twenty minutes later higuain took advantage of a terrible mixup by the venezuelan defenders scooted through and scored a nearly uncontested goal
then just before halftime venezuela was awarded a penalty kick that could have changed the course of the game but on the bus ride to the stadium argentinas goalie coach gustavo pinero had shown romero highlights of the venezuelans taking penalty kicks including one of seijas chipping the ball down the middle after the goalie had dived to one side
sure enough seijas tried it again but romero stood his ground and seijas chipped it directly to him
it was not a coincidence martino said
nor was it a coincidence that argentina won so convincingly it is one of the best teams in the world after all with every intention of showing that to the united states on tuesday


paris   all up and down the boulevard store windows were smashed   at a starbucks a supermarket a handbag store young men clambered on top of bus shelters even a childrens hospital was attacked the police brought out tear gas and a rarely used water cannon
even for a country used to unruly labor protests the violence on the streets of paris on tuesday was a shock but days later the man behind the antigovernment protests that have rippled across france was barely apologetic if anything he promised more
philippe martinez the mustachioed boss of one of frances biggest labor unions the general confederation of labor known as cgt has mobilized tens of thousands of workers and sent them coursing through the streets of french cities for weeks
this past week it was pariss turn mr martinez   55 stocky pugnacious and combative   ordered over 600 buses to ferry union protesters from the provinces to a march here which drew tens of thousands of demonstrators on tuesday
the protests are aimed at stopping a government push for a new labor law that would make it slightly easier to hire and fire workers but they are also part of a struggle between competing visions for frances future experts on french unions say
for unions the governments proposed labor law is another step by president francois hollande to move france to the center in order to address the challenges of a global economy mr martinez those familiar with him and his union say has a different vision shaped by decades of close ties between his union and the french communist party of which he was a longtime member
the communist party and mr martinez share a view of class struggle and unending worker exploitation according to several experts on french unions mr martinez a renault car factory worker declined to be interviewed
he agrees that class struggle is the watchword of history and that workers are necessarily in combat against bosses said rene mouriaux a leading historian of the french union movement in mr martinezs view he added between bosses and workers there can be compromises but no definitive agreements
three weeks ago mr martinezs workers went on strike to block the printing of frances national newspapers for a day after newspapers refused to publish a commentary he had written the communist newspaper lhumanite was the only one to print it
philippe martinez the man who wants to bring france to its knees read a recent headline in the right leaning newspaper le figaro an article in the left center newspaper le monde called him the lider maximo of the protest movement
on friday mr martinez angrily denied that the protest had been connected to the violence at the march through paris which left the boulevard du montparnasse a main artery of the citys left bank looking like a war zone
the hooligans are there to discredit our movement he told journalists in the courtyard of the labor ministry vowing to continue the marches until the government gives up its labor law
but despite mr martinezs belated disavowals violence including serious injuries has been a constant feature of his unions protests over the past few months
pariss police prefect has released photos of union members ripping up paving stones to be used as projectiles mr martinez said they had simply been defending themselves
shocked by the smashed windows at the childrens hospital mr hollande said a ban on future demonstrations was possible provoking outrage among some members his own socialist party
theres no reason for us now to back down from our days of mobilization mr martinez told reporters on friday after a fruitless meeting with the labor minister to end the standoff for three months the government has been counting on us to lose steam its been a bad bet
mr hollandes government is equally unlikely to back down it is pinning its hopes of denting frances chronically high unemployment on a law that would only slightly relax negotiating conditions between workers and management
the change is considered mild by most economists but has been deemed hopelessly pro capitalist by mr martinezs union and even by members of mr hollandes party
months of protests have weakened the proposed law and it no longer includes a mechanism to cap payouts to fired workers the law would also define more precisely how companies could lay off workers   currently an arduous process in a country where workers are highly protected
but the part of the proposal that most infuriates cgt and a few other unions would allow labor agreements negotiated by individual companies   over such issues as hours worked paid holidays and bonuses   to take precedence over agreements negotiated at the occupational sector level
that change would weaken the power of unions such as cgt and it has made mr martinez see red youve got to respect the hierarchy of norms he told reporters on friday while leaving the door slightly open to possible exceptions
yet with each new burst of violence in the streets the government is increasingly dismissive of mr martinez and his motives some government officials say that the violence will backfire and put the french on the side of the labor law and that mr martinez is using the violence to shore up his base
if so the union leader is doing a good job france has among the lowest rates of unionization in europe and cgt which represents train workers metalworkers public sector workers miners and others has been losing members for years between 1975 and 1993 it lost nearly two thirds of its members and now stands at about 686000
today it is made up of mainly hard core militants analysts say the old fashioned language of class struggle was much in evidence among the crowds at tuesdays march underscoring how many of frances contemporary struggles are rooted in both the language and facts of its history
i am in the class struggle was a sticker sported by many protesters work is a crime against humanity read another victory in chaos someone had scrawled on a building the struggle is about class against class read one billboard
mr martinez moves easily among these views his father fought in the spanish civil war in the international brigades against the fascists and his mother was a housekeeper
cgt was founded in 1895 and its explicit aim was to bring down the state said another historian of french labor nick parsons of cardiff university in wales it still has that anticapitalist orientation
this is a guy who was brought up in that sort of atmosphere dr parsons added hes imbued with that history and culture
mr martinez has shown a willingness to compromise in negotiations as a metalworker representative in preceding decades dr parsons noted but that side is not evident now with polls showing that most french people are still opposed to the labor law
the class struggle continues
it shouldnt be called the law on work but the social dumping law mr martinez yelled during a recent speech at a factory in southern france were not close to giving up the stakes are high   for todays workers for the young for our country


washington   senior american and russian defense officials held what the pentagon described as an extraordinary videoconference on saturday to discuss russian airstrikes that days earlier hit a garrison manned by syrian rebels backed by the united states
the russian strikes hit syrian opposition fighters on thursday at the al tanf crossing which lies on syrias border with iraq the rebels there are battling the islamic state the pentagon said and are also supposed to be covered by a partial cease fire that the united states and russia brokered in february
during the videoconference on saturday pentagon officials expressed strong concerns about the attack on forces that are fighting the islamic state peter cook the defense department spokesman said in a statement
american officials told the russians that their strikes had continued even after they were officially informed of allied air support underway for the rebels and that this had created safety concerns for us and coalition forces the statement said
though fighting has tapered off in many areas since the cease fire went into effect in february there have been fierce clashes in recent weeks in areas of northern syria where the islamic state and the nusra front are strongest american officials have accused russia of failing to stop the forces of syrias president bashar al assad from violating the cease fire and attacking rebel groups backed by the united states
there was no immediate word on how russian officials responded to the concerns expressed by american officials on saturday but the videoconference took place as russias defense minister sergei shoigu met with mr assad in damascus and visited the russian air base in syria the associated press reported
since the russian air campaign in syria began in september it has helped mr assads forces reclaim territory reversing the fortunes of a regime that at this time last year appeared to be in an increasingly perilous position
american backed rebel forces in contrast have continued to struggle on the battlefield against both mr assads forces and the islamic state and more than 50 state department diplomats recently signed an internal memo sharply critical of the obama administrations policy in syria
the memo pressed for american military strikes against mr assads government to stop what it said were persistent violations of the cease fire american policy has been overwhelmed by the violence in syria the memo said


carl ducasses family in the bronx had been planning something big to mark two approaching milestones his graduation from high school this month and his 18th birthday in august
it was supposed to be a big celebration his cousin narier ducasse 29 said on saturday and now were planning a funeral
carl ducasse and a friend had gone out on friday to get a milkshake from a bodega around the corner from where he lived in the mount hope section of the bronx narier ducasse said but his cousin never made it back
the police said he had been fatally stabbed in the chest during a robbery around 1120 pm near the corner of east 175th street and walton avenue a block from the apartment where his mother had been waiting for him to return
no one had been arrested yet in connection with his death the police said on saturday
carl ducasses friend a classmate who was visiting from brooklyn told detectives and mr ducasses family that they had been approached by two men the friend thought were from a nearby homeless shelter as they headed back to the apartment the police said the two men demanded money   2   but carl ducasse said he did not have any narier ducasse said
they were patting him down and trying to see if he did have money narier ducasse said his cellphone dropped once his cell phone dropped he went to go pick it up and the other guy stabbed him
the attacker and the other man fled carl ducasse collapsed and his friend ran back to mr ducasses mothers apartment to get help
his mother angela ducasse 42 was struggling to cope with her sons death
please dont leave me alone she said in spanish on saturday
carl ducasse was the youngest of angela and carlos ducasses three children the ducasses had left the dominican republic in pursuit of better life and they had settled among relatives in a second floor apartment on walton avenue
their son who was quiet and shy was to graduate this month from high school where his favorite subject was math narier ducasse said all he had left to do was to pick up his cap and gown and retake his senior photo
carl ducasse wanted to go to college to become a lawyer so that he could defend people his mother said
never in a million years would we think that for a miserable 2 anyone would be killed narier ducasse said you took a life for nothing


cairo   as egyptian high school students take their final exams this month the government is facing a wave of criticism and mockery after copies of at least two test papers   and their answers   were leaked on facebook
the leaks which caused one of the tests to be canceled have resulted in a barrage of criticism of the education ministry and the police and military officers who guard the wax sealed boxes that the exams are kept in before students take them
the exams were leaked on a facebook page by someone or a group called chao ming the reason for the chinese sounding name is unclear for the past four years chao ming posted answers during testing allowing cheating by students flouting a ban on cellphones this year is believed to be the first time chao ming has posted copies of the exams and answers before testing takes place
chao ming has spawned a host of imitators who use facebook and other online platforms to help students cheat   and taunt the authorities some of the sites say they are acting to embarrass the education ministry and to change the educational system in egypt
the scandal has highlighted disgruntlement with the declining quality of public education in egypt but has also drawn contrasts between the governments bumbling efforts to stanch the leaks and its harsh crackdown on free speech and political freedoms in egypt
the regime cant protect a couple of papers mina salib a political activist in alexandria wrote in a facebook post that was widely liked excuse me but how are they supposed to protect a country
about 570000 egyptian high school students are taking the exams known as thanaweya amma tests which determine admission to state run universities and institutes the pressure to succeed is intense and many describe the tests as a nerve racking experience that often leaves students crying outside exam centers
this years tests started on june 5 and were due to end on june 28 the facebook leaks led to the cancellation of a theology exam which will be held again on june 29
the police arrested mohanad ahmed an 18 year old high school student from alexandria who later appeared on television confessing to running chao ming helps thanaweya amma cheat the series of facebook pages that posted the exams but many students and parents have questioned whether mr ahmed is the originator of the leaks because of widespread doubts about the official narrative
experts say the quality of state education in egypt has declined in recent years because of overcrowded classrooms poorly trained teachers and exams based on rote learning at the same time the importance of the thanaweya amma tests has increased because greater economic hardship in the country has put private colleges beyond the reach of many egyptians
in parliament on june 11 the education minister el hilali el sherbini blamed the leaks on the use of electronic devices such as credit cards that can function as telephones surgically inserted headphones and high tech reading glasses
mr sherbini proposed cutting internet access across egypt for an hour before all exams to counter future leaks and disrupting cellphone signals in examination halls according to several lawmakers present at the session
it was absurd said one lawmaker ghareeb hassaan
another gamal shiha said the education ministers list of high tech devices seemed to be a diversionary tactic he just kept talking and talking about this internet thing for half an hour mr shiha said
cellphones are forbidden in egyptian exam halls but the education ministry acknowledges that the ban is hard to enforce they hide the phones in sensitive areas bashir hassan the ministrys spokesman said no one is going to search those areas so what are we supposed to do about it
police and education officials said 25 people had been arrested in connection with the leaks and for helping with cheating in general they include seven education ministry employees and four officials from the countrys seat of sunni scholarship al azhar if convicted they could be sentenced to a year in prison and fined up to about 5600
but many students said they believed that the police had not found the true culprit whom some had lionized as a sort of robin hood for exam cheaters they said they expected further leaks to surface
on wednesday local news outlets reported that the administrator of another chao ming page had gone live on facebook wearing a mask
i dont fear arrest he was reported as saying this is going to happen again next year unless the education system in egypt improves and corruption is eradicated


a late own goal by birkir saevarsson handed hungary a 1 1 draw with iceland in marseille france on saturday in another european championships match affected by crowd trouble
saevarsson turned a cross from nemanja nikolic into his own net as iceland appeared headed to its first victory at a major tournament
we were so close iceland forward kolbeinn sigthorsson said its quite a big loss for us this draw
iceland took the lead in the 40th minute when gylfi sigurdsson scored from the penalty spot after the 88th minute equalizer hungarian fans threw flares that landed among nearby police officers
hungary now has 4 points in group f and looks set to qualify for the round of 16 iceland has 2 points
belgium 3 ireland 0 after a poor start to the european championships belgium began living up to its promise with a resounding victory over ireland in bordeaux france
romelu lukaku scored two second half goals as belgiums much vaunted attack finally sprang to life after a disappointing display in an opening 2 0 loss to italy
belgium has 3 points in group e while ireland has 1 belgium plays sweden next and a draw would most likely send it to the round of 16 ireland meets italy the group winner


washington   president obama hillary clinton and other democrats are rallying around proposals to expand social security and increase benefits a sea change after three decades dominated by concern over the programs rising costs
the democrats new consensus was driven by the populist election year politics of senator bernie sanders and by a realization that many workers have neither traditional pensions nor any significant retirement savings
mr sanders campaigned hard on promises to expand social security donald j trump the presumptive republican presidential nominee helped set the tone as well breaking with republican orthodoxy by vowing not to cut social security benefits that position puts him potentially at odds with republican lawmakers eager to rein in entitlement programs though an aide has suggested that he might be flexible on the issue
the democrats proposals would amount to the biggest changes in social security since 1983 when the program faced a financial crisis and congress enacted measures recommended by a bipartisan commission headed by alan greenspan to save the program spending was trimmed taxes were raised and the eligibility age was set to increase slowly as the population ages
since then many republicans and some democrats have expressed concern about the growing cost of entitlement programs including those for retiring baby boomers and have discussed proposals to trim social security further
social security is going broke house speaker paul d ryan has declared
in budget negotiations in 2011 and 2012 mr obama seriously considered proposals to curtail future social security benefits by changing the way cost of living increases were calculated he included a similar proposal in his budget request in early 2013 in an unsuccessful effort to achieve a bipartisan agreement on deficit reduction
the calculations that drove those efforts have not changed in their last report in july 2015 the trustees of social security including four administration officials said the programs old age and disability insurance trust funds could be depleted in 2034 and could then pay just 79 percent of promised benefits unless congress took action
but the politics have shifted mr obama summarized the new democratic consensus in a speech in elkhart ind on june 1
its time we finally made social security more generous and increased its benefits so that todays retirees and future generations get the dignified retirement that theyve earned mr obama said and we could start paying for it by asking the wealthiest americans to contribute a little bit more
democrats appear likely to include those proposals in their platform senator sanders working with other progressives has transformed the debate so that expanding social security is today a central and consensus tenet of the democratic party nancy j altman the president of social security works an advocacy group said at a hearing of the platform drafting committee on june 9
representative kevin brady republican of texas and chairman of the ways and means committee said the democrats stance was not a surprise whenever theres a problem with a federal program mr brady said the presidents answer is to raise taxes and throw more money at it
mr sanders has long pushed for the expansion of social security and made that a major theme of his bid for the democratic presidential nomination the partys new consensus gave mr sanders reason to crow
a few years ago we were told that the debate on social security was not whether we were going to cut it but by how much said warren gunnels the policy director for the sanders campaign many of us stood up and fought back
now he said after mr obamas remarks this month in indiana we are all unified as democrats and the issue is not whether were going to expand social security but how much were going to expand it
sixty million people receive social security benefits totaling more than 74 billion each month so even small changes can have big implications
at one point just before the new hampshire primary in february mr sanders challenged mrs clintons record on social security and suggested that she might support increasing the age at which people become eligible for full retirement benefits that age originally set at 65 increases gradually and is already scheduled to reach 67 for people born after 1959
responding immediately on twitter mrs clinton denounced the comments as false innuendos and promised i wont cut social security as always ill defend it  ill expand it
specifically mrs clinton says she would increase benefits for widows and those who take time out of the paid work force to care for a child or a sick family member she would require the wealthiest americans to contribute more through higher taxes and she says she would fight efforts to privatize social security reduce annual cost of living adjustments or increase the age for collecting full retirement benefits
mr obama highlighted other reasons for the democrats renewed focus on social security a lot of americans dont have retirement savings he said and fewer people have pensions they can really count on
more than 110 house democrats   out of 188 total   have endorsed a resolution supporting policies to protect and expand social security
democrats have offered a number of proposals to alter the formula for calculating social security benefits or financing the program but have not endorsed a specific legislative package one proposal would increase benefits for everyone with extra help for those considered most vulnerable another would increase the cost of living adjustment to reflect the fact that older americans tend to use more health care services another proposal would impose payroll taxes on workers earnings above 250000 a year
in the senate democrats are digging in against a republican nominated by mr obama to serve a second term as a public trustee of social security a watchdog over the finances of the program democrats say the nominee charles p blahous iii who served as a trustee from 2010 to 2015 has undermined public confidence in the program by exaggerating its financial problems he was an architect of president george w bushs failed plan to let people put some of their payroll taxes into personal retirement accounts
senator elizabeth warren democrat of massachusetts described mr blahous as an anti government zealot senator chuck schumer democrat of new york said mr blahous has shown over the course of his academic career that he is personally ideologically opposed to the fundamental promise of social security
senator orrin g hatch republican of utah and chairman of the finance committee dismissed the criticism of mr blahous as partisan rants meant to whip up support and help raise money for democrats in an election year
this firestorm is about politics pure and simple mr hatch said
by a vote of 14 to 12 on june 8 the finance committee recommended the confirmation of mr blahous over the objections of all democrats on the panel
the trustees supervise the preparation of a detailed annual report on the financial outlook for social security and medicare the reports are trusted and frequently cited by members of both parties including mr ryan who has called the explosion of entitlement spending the greatest threat to our nations long term economic prosperity
mr trump may have opened a fissure in his party just as democrats unite he assured iowa voters in december that were not going to cut your social security and at a republican debate in march he said i will do everything within my power not to touch social security to leave it the way it is
but in his 2000 book the america we deserve mr trump referred to social security as a huge ponzi scheme suggested raising the age for full benefits to 70 and said privatization would be good for all of us


oakmont pa   gregory bourdy the 34 year old frenchman who briefly held the lead at the 116th united states open on saturday and also threatened to shoot a record tying 63 knows his homelands golf history
asked to name the last and only frenchman to win a major golf championship bourdy did not hesitate
yes 1907 arnaud massy he said
with a smile he added that was a long time ago
at the halfway point of this years open bourdy was a challenge to a 109 year trend and for about an hour he had a legitimate shot to shoot 63 matching the lowest score ever recorded in a major championship but then the golf gods overburdened bourdy with ill fortune at the very end of an otherwise brilliant second round
that is golf he said i played perfect golf and then i played less than perfect golf
all these years later bourdy born in bordeaux france is a distant connection to massy the man whose singular achievement he is trying to replicate massys victory at the 1907 british open coupled with a book on golf he later wrote helped popularize the game in france which hosts the ryder cup on the outskirts of versailles in two years
on saturday bourdy who shot 71 in the first round at oakmont and 67 in the second round wondered if he could get his countrymen to turn off soccer this weekend to watch golf
i hope so because france plays tomorrow he said of the national soccer team so for two days they can watch golf
for a few hours saturday the global golf community assembled at oakmont was eyeing bourdy very closely after 14 holes he was six under par at the par 70 oakmont layout in one 10 hole stretch he had five birdies and an eagle
bourdy bogeyed the opening hole of his second round but then birdied the fifth and sixth holes at the ninth hole he rolled in 30 foot putt for his third birdie of the round
bourdy who has won four tournaments on the european tour was just getting started
from the 11th fairway bourdy had 137 yards to the hole and a 9 iron in his hands he landed his ball about 8 feet behind the flag and watched it spin back into the hole for an eagle
yeah that was just a beautiful thing bourdy said i love the place i love that its so hard its an amazing amazing place amazing atmosphere amazing course i think its perfect for a major
after birdies on the 13th and 14th holes put him at six under par for his round bourdy who is ranked 126th in the world was giddily pumping his fists and probably thinking about applying for oakmont membership all around the golf course his name was atop the leaderboards
i noticed bourdy said with a grin
but as much as he should be commended for being the rare golfer to praise oakmont for its difficulty bourdy eventually learned that all kinds of unforeseen trouble lurks on the grounds how else could he explain hitting two nearly flawless shots to start an 18th hole that ended with a double bogey
bourdys dreamy pursuit of 63 had more or less ended with a bogey at the 16th hole and a par on the 17th when his birdie putt lipped out but on the punishing closing hole at oakmont bourdys tee shot split the fairway he then hit a 5 iron on a straight line directly at an 18th hole placed in a valley of the cavernous green
bourdys ball landed on the top of a crest and paused at that juncture it could have rolled forward and might have ended up close enough for a tap in birdie or bourdys ball could have rolled backward all the way off the green and it could come to rest in a large divot
which is what happened
any chip from that spot is hard bourdy said the divot made it just about impossible
bourdy tried chunking the ball forward and advanced it only about 5 feet his next pitch up the hill stopped about 6 feet from the cup but bourdy missed the bogey putt
two almost perfect shots he said i guess i could have aimed a little more left to minimize the risk on that last green
the most unforgettable attempt to become the first frenchman since massy to win a major championship occurred in 1999 when jean van de velde needed only a double bogey on the final hole to win the british open van de velde instead made triple bogey and lost in a playoff
bourdy who earned his trip to oakmont this year at a qualifying event in england was asked saturday if he was good enough to become the first french golfer to win a major since 1907
of course its possible he said still smiling 20 minutes after his second round was complete i know its possible and thats the main thing then well just have to see


oakland calif   steve kerr the coach of the golden state warriors told his players that they ought to feel pressure
how could they not ahead of game 7 of the nba finals on sunday night at oracle arena with a chance to cement their place as one of the leagues forever teams against a fearsome opponent like the cleveland cavaliers
of course theyre going to feel pressure kerr said of course theres going to be some anxiety but how lucky are we to feel that pressure you could play on a lottery team your whole career and just make a bunch of money and go watch the playoffs every year
instead the warriors and the cavaliers will put it all out there for the final time this season as the cavaliers lebron james has said more than once as the series has unfolded game 7 has meant something special and rarely attained
the spotlight can be searing   for some people not everyone not james
listen james said at the end of the day i go out every single night and give everything ive got to the game the game has always given back to me so im ok with whatever
james has been an indomitable force in the series he leads all players in points 181 assists 51 steals 16 and blocked shots 13 and he is tied with his teammate tristan thompson for the most rebounds 68 james is shooting 514 percent from the field and 40 percent from 3 point range he has scored 41 points in each of the last two games both wins for cleveland
in the process james has twice coaxed the cavaliers away from the ledge of elimination   a remarkable feat given the stakes and golden states dominance up to this point the warriors went the entire regular season without losing consecutive games and they have never lost three straight games under kerr in his two seasons as coach
that is what is required of the cavaliers now three straight to close out the finals and claim their first championship in franchise history no team has ever come back to win the title after trailing in the finals by three games to one the cavaliers would be the first
james has already done a lot of fancy stuff in his career   he won two championships with the miami heat but this he said would be the pinnacle
i came back for a reason james said and that is to bring a championship to the city of cleveland to northeast ohio and all of ohio and all cavaliers fans in the world
it has to some extent become a series of attrition the warriors lost andrew bogut their starting center for the remainder of the series when he injured his knee in game 5 there was more carnage in the cavaliers game 6 win the warriors andre iguodala tweaked his back in the first half and the cavaliers kyrie irving injured his left foot in the second half
each player is important to his teams title hopes   iguodala defends james and irving pushes the pace both assured reporters that they would be fine for game 7
im breathing said iguodala who sat out saturdays practice to receive medical treatment everybodys banged up a little bit
james who is making his seventh appearance in the finals performed well in his only previous finals game 7 in that game on june 20 2013 he scored a game high 37 points and shot 12 of 23 from the field as the heat defeated the san antonio spurs 95 88
i remember pretty much everything about the game james said
the warriors are no strangers to adversity either in the western conference finals they rebounded from a 3 1 series deficit against the oklahoma city thunder the cavaliers have presented another set of challenges
the warriors stephen curry who lost his composure when he fouled out of game 6 said he dreamed of game 7s as a child
i need to play my best game of the year if not my career because of what the stakes are he said that doesnt mean scoring 50 points though that means controlling the tempo of the game when i need to be aggressive   well i need to be aggressive but when i need to push the envelope do it but do it under control
there have been 18 game 7s in the history of the nba finals and the home team has won 15 of them the last time a visiting team clinched a title in a game 7 was in 1978 when the washington bullets defeated the seattle supersonics 105 99 the home team has won six straight game 7s
the word everyone likes to use in sports is pressure james said i dont really get involved in it but i guess in laymans terms its pressure i think its an opportunity to do something special


paris   many different words have been used to describe cristiano ronaldos face
some are complimentary like chiseled glistening boyish and pretty others or at least the ones that are printable are less so like smug petulant sour and to most residents of barcelona satanic
on saturday at parc des princes however there was only one way to accurately define the features of one of soccers biggest stars pained
this was a poor night for ronaldo a maddening night for portugal is it critical it is not at this nearly all inclusive version of the european championships in which only eight of 24 teams are eliminated in the group stage a 0 0 draw against austria means only that the fates of ronaldo and the portuguese will come down to their last group game against hungary ronaldos 63 million instagram followers can relax one win and portugal will go on
but this match was nonetheless an exercise in agony for ronaldo a steady stream of unclaimed opportunities followed immediately by a varying slate of expressions indicating disappointment in the most obvious way
one could match the actions with the reactions in almost any way possible ronaldo missed the goal from 6 yards out his point blank header was right at the goalkeeper his free kick sailed over the goal he grimaced he frowned he put his head in his hands
those were just the warm ups though for all his frustration ronaldo did not pout and continued to play with passion and verve driving into the penalty area and getting yanked to the ground by an austrian defender to draw a penalty kick with about 10 minutes remaining this was his chance his moment on a night when nothing was working a free shot from 12 yards out should have been   had to have been   the panacea
except it wasnt ronaldo who has scored more than 500 goals for club and country jogged toward the ball waited to see which way austria goalkeeper robert almer would dive and then coolly smacked the ball the other way
right off the post
he stood he stared he looked to the sky he looked at the ground he laughed in that way someone laughs when he feels bird droppings land on the shoulder of his new jacket the nightmare continued
the only segment of the population that was more excited about the miss than the austrian fans   who immediately began taunting ronaldo with chants of messi messi   was it seemed the entirety of the internet seconds after ronaldos shot ricocheted off the post twitter exploded memes emerged from everywhere captioned gifs sprouted like crab grass
it was frankly too easy ronaldo is so talented so rich so good so famous that there is never any escaping anything after iceland making its first appearance at a major tournament held portugal to a 1 1 draw last week ronaldo   who was sufficiently controlled during the match   lashed out criticizing icelands celebrations after the game and saying its players had a small mentality
it was on many levels idiotic not least because ronaldos celebrations after he scores a goal against say levante in the spanish league are not exactly button down even more it showed a haughtiness and an arrogance that were neither becoming nor necessary it was a silly thing to say one would like to think that in retrospect even ronaldo knows that
yet that is ronaldo lionel messi who will be forever linked to ronaldo in the discussion of who is the greatest player in the world is a closed book his moves are full of magic but his face is often blank that of a hard working superstar creating excellence the way a chef plates a meal there is focus in messis eyes but rarely a picture with ronaldo the colors are forever pouring out
to some it is too much to others it is what makes him appealing if nothing else it ensures there are never any secrets on saturday ronaldo screamed at his teammates shouted at the referee and shrieked at the heavens and himself when chance after chance was somehow missed
it has been this way for a long time the game against austria was ronaldos 128th for the national team moving him past luis figo into the top spot on portugals career list as other stars of a similar age are fading away   wayne rooney and robin van persie among them   ronaldo 31 is still here still standing at or at least near the top of his sport he scored 51 goals for real madrid last season he scored the decisive penalty kick in the shootout that won the club its 11th european title he raised the trophy to the biggest cheer
but on saturday he missed success with his national team has been the bugaboo for ronaldo and part of his exasperation is surely that now in his fourth euros he has a strong supporting cast this is not a one man team nani william carvalho and joao moutinho give portugal a legitimate chance to make a run
portugal will still need ronaldo and not the ronaldo from saturday not long after his missed penalty kick portugal pressed the ball forward and after a foul was awarded a free kick near the touchline the ball was floated into the area and ronaldo leapt high and with a snap of his neck that a viper would appreciate rifled his header into the net the fans exploded the portugal bench erupted ronaldo started to run away in excitement
the assistant referee raised his flag offside
ronaldo stopped in his tracks gazing   but not glaring   at the official he did not look angry at the end of a long long night the most famous face in this tournament just looked hurt


halle germany   on paper it was roger federers least auspicious wimbledon preparation in years but on his path to recovery from an injury plagued start to the season his semifinal losses at two grass court events in germany were marked progress
after his 7 6 4 5 7 6 3 loss to alexander zverev here in the semifinals of the gerry weber open on saturday federer tried to take the positives from his last two weeks of match play in which he uncharacteristically lost before reaching the finals at two wimbledon tuneup tournaments
looking back on how i felt three four weeks ago this is pretty good obviously federer said youre talking to me after a loss so clearly its always tougher to step back and just to reassess how great everything is after losing but i must say its gotten better and better
he added i am actually fairly satisfied if i had known three weeks ago that now i would have played seven matches in 10 days i would have said wow that would be a dream scenario now of course after the defeat you think hmm shouldnt i be in the final couldnt i have played the final in stuttgart but in hindsight this is probably best so for my body with a view for wimbledon and for the remainder of the season
federer 34 has struggled with back and knee injuries this year and his record run of consecutive appearances in the main draw of grand slam tournaments ended at 65 when he pulled out of the french open last month
federers serve and return were forceful against zverev but his normally nimble lateral movement was more tentative causing more errors in his groundstrokes as he struggled to match zverevs steadiness from the baseline
zverev 19 became the first teenager to beat federer in nearly a decade since federer lost in august 2006 to andy murray who was then 19 dominic thiem who beat federer this month in the semifinals at stuttgart is 22
theres little things that just have to fall into place and then youll play better youll feel better federer said i hope its sooner than later and i know what i need to work on in the next 10 days
clearly i also need to rest now its been a lot of tennis this has been seven matches in nine or 10 days now so its been intense and its been busy and its exactly what i needed at least i have a clear picture now where my game is at what i need to do and without stuttgart and halle i wouldnt have that so i have more clarity now
federer will return to switzerland briefly before traveling to london early next week to begin training at wimbledon where he has made the final in each of the last two years losing both times to novak djokovic
still wimbledon with its grass courts offers the conditions most suitable for federer to win his 18th grand slam singles title it is also the first of several tournaments in which federer now ranked no 3 will have to defend a large quantity of ranking points with his limited play this year more than half of his ranking points come from his runs last year to the finals of wimbledon the united states open and the world tour finals and from his title at the cincinnati masters without strong runs in those events federers 14 year residency in the top 10 could be at risk
with wimbledon still a week away federer said it was too soon to tell if he was ready for another deep run and a possible eighth title there
i definitely need a rest first he said and once i get back on practice and after ive done that for three four days probably by the time the press conference rolls around in wimbledon on saturday i can probably tell you a whole lot more
federer said his losses in the tuneup tournaments would only heighten his awareness of how badly he needed a strong start at his best major
i know the danger of the early rounds in wimbledon or at any slam in particular on the grass he said weve seen my two losses now on the grass against thiem and zverev both could have been avoided they werent so clearly ive got some work to do the other guys are doing their job well


bayeun indonesia   when mohammed salim washed ashore on the coast of aceh province in indonesia during the southeast asian refugee crisis last year he was hungry thirsty emaciated and exhausted
all he wanted was rice water and to get to a safe nation america australia anywhere he told me then
when i caught up with him just over a year later he appeared healthier and cleaner but nowhere closer to getting somewhere
most of the thousands of migrants who survived the crisis and reached land in indonesia malaysia and thailand have either been returned to their home countries or smuggled elsewhere several hundred including mr mohammed languish in refugee camps or detention centers praying that a western country will take them in
only 46 have been resettled by a third country
its not easy said mr mohammed 24 who was on the green and red fishing boat packed with men women and children that journalists found adrift in the andaman sea last year like im happy im alive but mostly im unhappy but im always thinking third country third country third country please please
the crisis flared in may 2015 after the thai authorities cracked down on brutal smuggling rings based in southern thailand that had been spiriting migrants to malaysia from myanmar and bangladesh
as the smugglers fled abandoning their charges at sea with no provisions or crew the situation grew into a full blown humanitarian crisis
malaysia thailand and indonesia all turned away boats full of desperate migrants
with international pressure mounting malaysia and indonesia agreed to accept them temporarily the ethnic rohingya refugees who were fleeing persecution in myanmar were expected to be granted refugee status and eventually resettled in a third country while those from bangladesh who were largely economic migrants were to be repatriated
most of the 1622 bangladeshis who landed in indonesia malaysia and thailand have been sent home with the rest expected to follow this year
many of the rohingya made it to malaysia clandestinely blending in with the tens of thousands of rohingya already living and working there the malaysian government has long turned a blind eye to this migration
but the price for the migrants is a life in the shadows without official status and prey to exploitation by unscrupulous employers corrupt police officers and loan sharks
most of the nearly 1500 rohingya whose arrivals in malaysia thailand and indonesia were officially registered have been granted refugee status or will eventually get it according to the office of the united nations high commissioner for refugees
but the vast majority remain in limbo or worse the 459 rohingya officially admitted into malaysia and thailand have been locked in detention centers and will not be released until a third country agrees to take them
a report released in march by fortify rights an advocacy group that investigates criminal organizations and government officials involved in human trafficking said that the detention centers were not equipped for long term detentions and that the conditions there were inhumane
we thought that given all the international attention and media attention that was put on the situation last year there was momentum that the situation could improve said matthew smith the executive director of the group that has not been the case
in indonesia the government set up camps and shelters in aceh province on the northern tip of sumatra island for the 999 rohingya who ended up there
the rohingyas were not confined security is lax and they can roam freely
within weeks of the refugees arrival in aceh smugglers started scouring the camps offering passage to malaysia since most of the refugees had intended to go to malaysia to find work and most had gone deeply into hock to get there many left
chris lewa coordinator of the arakan project a human rights group that tracks migration in the andaman sea said smugglers had led the rohingya to the city of medan   a drive of four to seven hours to the southeast   where they were put on small indonesian boats and then transferred to malaysian boats bound for the mainland
according to the intergovernmental international organization for migration of the 999 rohingya who arrived in aceh in may 2015 723 are believed to have made it to malaysia
at least 53 bangladeshis are also believed to have gone to malaysia
their families are there and they want to work ms lewa said they have their own community there and have jobs
those who remain in indonesia are not allowed to work while they await third country resettlement but they have been taking language classes in english and indonesian vocational training such as sewing and hair dressing and even growing vegetables in a large garden
there have been numerous fights in the camps cases of domestic violence illegal underage marriages and births and frequent instances of anger and depression
there have been issues throughout because of this sense of not knowing what comes next   its helplessness said mariam khokhar the head of the organization for migration office in medan the capital of north sumatra province
one of those who did not flee is jamal hossain 28 he and his wife sajidah braved the smuggler boats from myanmar with four young children a year ago and had a fifth a girl in the bayeun refugee camp in february
within weeks after their arrival in aceh mr jamal said he began receiving phone calls from a smuggling network offering the family passage to malaysia with only a down payment on the total fee of about 3500
unlike many others he had no family in malaysia so he declined
i received a second life he said why should i risk it again
last month the first rohingya refugees from the 2015 crisis were resettled the united states took in 43 and canada three aid workers said the united states was considering taking in more refugees and was encouraging other countries to do so
the flow of migrants out of myanmar and bangladesh has ebbed for now at least because of increased patrols by those countries as well as thailand and malaysia according to international aid organizations
the crackdown has deterred migrants and driven up the price said alistair boulton assistant regional representative for protection at the united nations refugees office in bangkok
the price of the voyage has tripled or quadrupled he said
yet demand remains high thanks to poor conditions in myanmar and bangladesh and officials fear that smuggling could pick up again after monsoon season winds down in september
human smuggling is more profitable than drugs or guns so these guys presumably running this are not amateurs said joe lowry a spokesman for the organization for migration in bangkok
if the international community and the regional governments drop their guards this will happen again he said people want to go where there are jobs people want to escape persecution


for the new york city schools and their governance structure annual cliffhangers seem to be here to stay
as the state legislature wrapped up the legislative session on friday mayor bill de blasio for the second consecutive year came away with only a one year extension of mayoral control of the citys schools after a battle so protracted that some wondered whether his opponents in the state senate were actually willing to let the system revert to its old structure
but the republican led senate appeared to feel that giving mr de blasio a democrat just a year was no longer a sufficient rebuke it first suggested creating an education inspector appointed by the governor to scrutinize and challenge the mayors leadership of the schools when that idea was dropped the senate proposed onerous new reporting requirements for individual school budgets which the mayor and his allies in the assembly resisted
in the end though none of the parties were willing to end the session with mayoral control lapsing
the mayor and the assembly which is controlled by democrats accepted the one year extension which was much shorter than the seven year term the mayor had originally requested and the three years that the assembly had supported the senate managed to extract a couple of additional concessions but they were less severe than what some had proposed
mr de blasio said in a statement while one year extensions are no way to treat our children families or educators this action is a crucial acknowledgment by state lawmakers that the education progress we have made in new york city could not have happened without our accountable control of the school system
the city will have to publicly report the budget allocation for each of the citys 32 community school districts in a format dictated by the director of the states division of the budget however the timetable for the reporting is more flexible than what the senate had initially proposed
the mayors office which protested the original budget requirements appeared at ease with the final requirements
these latest provisions are in line with the already transparent reporting requirements by which we currently and willingly abide a spokesman for the mayor austin finan said
the legislation also included provisions that may benefit charter schools but it was unclear which schools they might help starting next year the legislation will make it easier for charter schools to ask to be overseen by a different entity charter school proponents had suggested this idea in each of the last two sessions mostly with the goal of allowing schools authorized by the citys education department to be overseen by the state university of new york or the board of regents but the suggestion had been a low priority and no one hailed the change included in this years legislation as a major triumph for charters
another provision gave the state university of new york board of trustees charter school committee new latitude to regulate the schools it oversees but because sunys regulations must still comply with the states charter law the provision did not appear to have major implications
the most significant setback for the mayor was the length of the extension which reflected the uneasy relationship between senate republicans and the mayor who tried in 2014 to help elect democrats in the senate to switch the balance of power
dennis m walcott who served as chancellor of the citys schools under mr de blasios predecessor michael r bloomberg said that a series of one year renewals was bad for the school system
i think it should have been multiyear he said in an interview it gives the system a little stability and allows people to plan appropriately and it just leads to better management
while it was understandable for the legislature to want to revisit mayoral control periodically and fine tune it he said the decision about whether to renew it shouldnt be based on one individual one mayor
studentsfirstny an advocacy group that supports charter schools and education reform also said that a multiyear renewal would have been preferable but the group which is a staunch ally of the senate republicans blamed the mayor rather than the senate for the short extension
a longer renewal would be better for everyone and were hopeful that mayor de blasio will show new urgency this year to improve schools so he can restore the legislatures confidence in his management the groups executive director jenny sedlis said in an email


orlando fla   they came for the flashing neon lights hip swiveling tunes cocktails and glitzy drag queens some arrived with a sense of purpose and defiance to show that everything is going to be all right to remember the loved ones they lost others just wanted to move on
this city of fun and fantasy is gingerly plodding back into its night life scene this weekend the first since 49 people were killed on latin night at pulse a week ago the mass shooting rocked the gay and latino communities here and has left the entire city grappling with the odd emotion of doing the exact thing that the victims were doing before the carnage began in the early hours of last sunday
but they did not come in their usual numbers and many of those who did turned out with a newfound wariness where are the emergency exits who is that coming through the door what is in that backpack
eerie jonathan arroyo said friday night as neon lights bounced off his face next to the white banquettes at southern nights a popular gay club
mr arroyo unfolded a receipt from his jean shorts a 2675 tab from pulse timestamped only about 30 minutes before the shooting began about 2 am it reminds him to appreciate life and on his first time at a club since the shooting he took in the light playful atmosphere   people drinking dancing having fun
how it felt that night he said clutching a plastic cup of hennessy im not going to let something like that mess up my routine
the truth however is that nothing is back to normal for the emotionally worn population here mr arroyo 29 and several others said they had taken note of the exit signs in the bars and clubs for the first time they had discussed emergency plans with friends
a patron at the stonewall a gay bar here related an incident he had witnessed earlier in the evening at another night spot savoy when a man wearing a backpack entered savoy three patrons at the bar quickly took notice the owner darted after the newcomer with a police officer bolting across the room too it took only a second to determine that he was just a guy with a knapsack
but this is the reality now the music played and the drinks were served but people wondered whether things would ever be the same again
it was just a moment said ray christianna 57 one of the patrons at the practically empty upstairs bar at stonewall it was that kind of moment
his friend david kinnamon 51 added every time the door opened you thought whos coming in this is going to take a while
the orlando police department would not say whether it was taking extra precautions for the weekend but security definitely appeared beefed up at late night spots
private security guards in front of southern nights frisked patrons with all the invasiveness of a root canal they rummaged through receipts and cash tucked into wallets opened sunglasses cases and patted down armpits backs and ankles a police squad car sat parked next to a late night hot dog stand
uniformed officers were stationed in front of the parliament house a gay hotel and bar security personnel at the door said that undercover officers were among the crowd
inside the dj daniel borrero spun tribal progressive house music next to a pool in the courtyard a crush of people hooted at drag queens performing under spotlights in a benefit for the victims of the pulse shooting
there are people talking about going back into the closet said kenya nott 25 one of the parliament house revelers but this is the time when we should explode out of it
in a few downtown blocks tightly packed with nightspots music vibrated onto the streets and people flowed through by the dozens but the scene was much tamer than normal
literally half mickey gannett manager of the independent bar said scoping out north orange avenue his sales were down 50 percent we were open last night and there were people sitting at the bar crying i think it will be one or two more months before things are back to normal
one80 skytop a rooftop club and lounge drew about a quarter of its normal crowd for latin night on friday with the glimmer of the downtown skyline peering from just over one80s parapet stephanie giraldo 21 sat on a wicker couch mugging for selfies in a black dress and red lipstick her friends danced around her though not closely connected to any of the shooting victims she said the massacre pained her but she said she did not want to let fear control her city
rumor has been going around   stay away from the clubs stay away from the theme parks she said what am i going to do stay home and reminisce about what happened
for those who are gay or deeply embedded in the community their presence on the town on friday night seemed to have more of a political and prideful resonance
my kids didnt want me to come but i had to yesenia rivera 34 a former pulse hostess said at southern nights this is my family
there was however real ambivalence
we have to go to funerals tomorrow leo dominique 34 said at the savoy where people passed out rainbow ribbons and showed off fresh tattoos dedicated to pulse
it is a place of therapy really here regulars gather several nights a week to hash out the details of breakups celebrate job promotions and pick up potential dates they tried to do the same on friday night
im afraid to go anywhere else but im never afraid to come here and see my friends said darius jones 26 its not more safe here than anywhere else but it feels like it is and   this is very morbid   but if im going to get shot id rather be here with my friends at a place that i can call home


orlando fla   hundreds of partyers were bringing their best to the dance floor as the reggaeton beats emanated from the dj booth to the main floor at pulse where the revelers swayed to the music which has roots in jamaican dance hall trinidadian soca and panamanian spanish reggae
around 2 am with closing time approaching djs simon2001 and infinite   working the main floor and the patio   were looking to bring the crowd down from the heights reached earlier in the evening
a third dj   flawless whose real name is kraig matthews   was working in a different room at the club that night he did not want to be interviewed for this article because of the trauma he endured he said
some people were smoking cigarettes on the patio others were saying goodbye as they prepared to leave hugging and sipping the last remnants of their cocktails
everything was normal infinite whose real name is ray rivera said in an interview friday it was a normal night people were getting their last drinks because last call was at 225 everyone was chilling
by 205 all of that had changed
in the early hours last sunday as a gunman stormed through the door of the popular gay nightclub in a city considered the theme park capital of the world the disc jockeys lives were flipped upside down
as mr rivera played traditional reggae tunes on the patio simon2001 whose real name is simeon alberto roman barria was in another booth in the main dance room
when the gunman later identified as omar mateen began his shooting spree each dj cut the volume trying to figure out what was going on mr rivera said he was only four feet from the clubs main exit on the patio but he helped people get out before he fled
mr romans experience was different he found himself cornered
his dj booth was eight to 10 feet above the dance floor and only accessible by a ladder in a small room visible behind the bar behind the booth in a loftlike area was the managers office and a room used for storage
as soon as i heard the gunshots i lowered the volume and ducked down mr roman said during an interview at mr riveras home
after that he said i crawled to hide behind an amplifier in the other room i was there the entire three hours
mr roman said he encountered the clubs lighting technician in the loft area as they sought a haven they were joined by a third man who had been shot in the arm but managed to scramble up the ladder to relative safety
mr roman said the three huddled together trying to get out texts and calls on a cellphone belonging to the injured man who did not want to be named seconds after the injured man got up to the small storage room five to six other people managed to reach the managers office and hide there
out on the patio separated from the main floor in the club partygoers poured out as they tried to escape
at first everybody on the patio just stood there for a second as the first rounds went off   then more rounds went off then more mr rivera said then people were everywhere running out climbing over the patio fence jumping over each other just trying to get out
mr rivera said he watched in horror as a brief gun battle ensued between the first police officers on the scene and the gunman before the officers drew back to regroup outgunned by mr mateens semiautomatic rifle within a minute there was a swarm of cops everywhere he said
mr mateen emptied his magazine of ammunition reloaded emptied loaded emptied loaded   over and over mr roman said
i heard him laugh said mr roman 30 of kissimmee who was born in panama i heard him change the magazines and throw them down when he was done it was so fast he knew what he was doing then the light tech said to me this guy knows what hes doing and at that moment i knew my life was truly in danger
mr roman described hearing hundreds of rounds of ammunition being fired
it never stopped he said
mr roman who has two sons tried to call his wife and got through but just as he did mr mateen discovered several people hiding in the room below where the three men were huddled and opened fire on them
moans and cries for help could be heard as the relentless gunman fired again mr roman and mr rivera said
the word was that if you werent dead he would finish you off said mr rivera 42 a father of five and a grandfather of three
as mr roman hid inside mr rivera was shuttled blocks away by the police where he was questioned and asked to fill out witness forms he was not done until 7 am
for mr roman as 5 am approached things finally changed
he said a swat unit raced into the club shooting mr mateen and going room to room checking the club initially the police called up to the dj booth area where mr roman hid thinking it was clear he and the others had to announce themselves
as they came down the ladder the first thing mr roman recalls seeing was pools of blood everywhere he recalled it looking like a halloween horror scene the colorful overhead lights of the club still spinning onto the floor where dozens lay dead
im trying to walk through with dead bodies everywhere   bulging eyes contorted bodies he said there was more people on the ground than where you could walk and where there werent bodies there was thick blood
mr rivera said he has awakened each morning since then to thoughts of the carnage
mr roman wonders if there was anything that could have been done differently
what could i have done better that day he said but in the end   its out of our hands its out of our hands it replays in my head though
both mens dj equipment is still in the club part of the crime scene mr roman was allowed to retrieve his car from the pulse parking lot on wednesday mr rivera got his on friday
the two have day jobs but they have taken time off to try to absorb what happened
they want to get back to dj work but at the same time are reluctant
we have a custom with our music and its going to take us a bit to get back into the mood mr roman said


minneapolis   since the start of 2014 the minnesota twins right hander ricky nolasco had a 549 era the highest mark of any starting pitcher in the major leagues with 250 or more innings that nolasco held the yankees scoreless for six innings on a steamy saturday afternoon counted as a significant surprise
but anyone with even a passing knowledge of the twins woeful history against the yankees at target field could have anticipated what unfolded next
with the yankees losing 4 0 in the seventh inning alex rodriguez cracked nolasco for a two run homer carlos beltran added a tying two run homer in the eighth off reliever kevin jepsen the yankees cobbled together three more runs in the ninth the first two on a bases loaded single by jacoby ellsbury and then sweated it out as reliever aroldis chapman served up back to back homers with two outs before finishing with a wild 7 6 victory
besides lifting the yankees back to 500 at 34 34 the victory represented the teams third straight and its 19th in 24 regular season games at target field since it opened in 2010 going back to the metrodome days the yankees are 37 16 in minneapolis since 2002
we were fortunate because nolasco was rolling yankees manager joe girardi said
minnesotas bullpen has not been reliable a major reason the twins at 20 48 own the worst record in the majors but the twins showed some life at the end as eduardo escobar and pinch hitter kurt suzuki homered off chapman leaving girardi to wonder whether he needed to have somebody else warm up
when you have three runs and you give up two and still get the save and get the win you feel like you didnt fail chapman who registered his 13th save in 14 chances said through an interpreter i didnt put up zeros but we won the game very fortunate
yankees starter michael pineda struggled even as he struck out nine over five and a third innings but the yankees bullpen excelled the former twin anthony swarzak and andrew miller the eventual winner teamed for two and two thirds scoreless innings
before we ever came here i felt pretty fortunate thinking about the bullpens ive had whether i was a player here a coach or a manager girardi said theyve been good for a long time you feel good about the back end of our bullpen it can really shut people down
nolasco had posted three quality starts in his last four appearances before saturday when he pitched well again lasting seven innings striking out five and allowing two runs
he had us on our heels rodriguez said we didnt have anything going down 4 0 and kind of sleepwalking through the first six innings
pinedas late breaking sinker and slider appeared sharp early but he made some mistakes against the light hitting twins that led to runs escobar stayed with a 1 2 slider in the second punching a run scoring single up the middle the rookie byung ho park homered with a runner on in the fourth an error by pineda in the sixth with his right foot slipping off first while he was covering on a max kepler grounder led to another run
twins manager paul molitor occasionally lets his starters try to work out of jams in the sixth or seventh molitor stuck with nolasco in the seventh with two runs in two runners on and two outs and nolasco rewarded him by retiring ike davis on a tapper to the mound
but in the eighth with buddy boshers in for minnesota brett gardner beat out an infield hit jepsen a right hander who replaced the injured glen perkins as the twins closer but lost the job through ineffectiveness entered to face the switch hitting beltran
jepsen jumped ahead in the count 1 2 but beltran stayed back on a changeup and drove it to the opposite field for his 18th home run of the season and his second in two days it was the sixth homer allowed this season by jepsen a career high
ive faced that guy before said beltran who hit 19 homers last season hard fastball good slider good curveball i was basically looking for off speed more a slider not a changeup i didnt think it was going to leave the ballpark because i didnt think i hit it so great but it was good enough
the twins bunted the go ahead run into scoring position in the eighth but miller struck out joe mauer and brian dozier swinging
the winning rally in the ninth featured a clever bunt single by didi gregorius disguised until the last moment and punched past the first base side of the mound opposite where the twins left handed reliever fernando abad falls off on his follow through the twins were playing the infield halfway when ellsbury facing the hard throwing ryan pressly threaded a single into right
al hit that two run homer that gave us life to come back in that game ellsbury said of rodriguez in the ninth the guys ahead of me did a tremendous job of just getting on and allowing that inning to happen
and winning in minnesota yet again
inside pitch
joe girardi said mark teixeira right knee cartilage tear remained on schedule to begin a rehabilitation assignment tuesday teixeira took batting practice and ran the bases the last two days


as the mets meander through june and weigh their options for improvement their offense remains an issue the mets have produced the second fewest hits in the major leagues and sit third to last in runs per game not enough to support their talented pitching staff but in one telling offensive category the mets were the best in baseball entering saturday
exactly 53 percent of the mets runs this season had come from home runs according to the elias sports bureau the next best teams   the baltimore orioles the tampa bay rays the toronto blue jays and the seattle mariners   were all slugging american league clubs three of those teams were scoring more than the major league average of 44 runs per game at 37 runs per game the mets were far behind
weve proven you cant just rely on home runs to get offense over the course of a season mets general manager sandy alderson said
the mets who are sixth in the majors with 90 home runs were not constructed to be a homer happy team alderson said the mets had focused on building a lineup that reached base well and hit the ball hard but the results have revealed an inconsistent offense that has feast or famine tendencies they were fifth in strikeout rate entering saturday
across the board we have a lot of veteran guys that hit a lot of fly balls and have hit some home runs in their career mets second baseman neil walker said theres not a mentality in there that thats the only thing were capable of doing thats just something that were very good at
the mets lineup has taken many forms this season destabilized by injuries outfielder yoenis cespedes and walker have been the brightest spots with help from right fielder curtis granderson and shortstop asdrubal cabrera
cespedes has collected 17 home runs and 43 rbi while also leading the teams qualifiers with a 284 batting average a 356 on base percentage and a 572 slugging percentage
walker hitting 269 has 14 home runs and 28 rbi granderson hitting 226 has 13 home runs and 21 rbi those rbi totals   low relative to the home run totals   are reflections of the offense
its interesting that theres a lot being made about how you score runs granderson said im not sure what the right way is as long as youre getting runs and getting them more than the other team to win it doesnt really matter how you get them
but to mets officials the process is troublesome the mets have not produced many base runners   their 311 on base percentage ranked 22nd in baseball entering saturday part of the disconnect lies in their inability to convert chances the mets were last in baseball with a 214 average with runners in scoring position
i dont think we want them to get away from their strength all the time but under the right circumstances being able to make adjustments is important alderson said
manager terry collins alderson and kevin long the teams hitting coach all pointed to wednesdays 11 2 win over the pittsburgh pirates as a sign of a changed offensive approach the coaching staff reminded players to hit the ball up the middle or to the opposite field the mets produced 19 hits only two of which were home runs collins wants his players to focus on a calmer approach with runners on base
just say hey lets not worry about the three run homer here theyre giving us a give me run over here lets just take it instead of taking three get one right now collins said youd be surprised how many times you cut your swings down that balls are hit pretty good
even when healthy the mets lineup did not possess many high average hitters but it did have some capable contact hitters david wright cespedes and walker all have career averages of at least 270 james loney picked up to replace the injured lucas duda does as well perhaps targeting a high contact high on base percentage hitter ahead of the aug 1 trade deadline could make a difference
although travis darnaud was expected to return tuesday duda may not come back from his back injury until the second half of the season wrights timetable was unclear and he may miss the rest of the season the mets will have to make do for now with loney at first base and wilmer flores at third with some help from kelly johnson
it should even out long said i dont see us especially now with our personnel being as big a home run hitting club as we were there for a minute we need to be better with men in scoring position
the mets trailed the washington nationals by six games entering saturday last seasons mets never trailed the nationals by more than four and a half although the 2015 mets also had offensive troubles they ranked 10th in the majors with 397 percent of their runs scored via homers and did better than this years team with runners in scoring position
thats how were going to get back in this thing wholeheartedly collins said we seem to get guys in scoring position we just need to get them in weve got to start doing that


a group of 20 russian soccer fans has been deported from france after being accused of involvement in hooliganism at the european championships
the deportations from the nice airport follow mass fighting in the streets involving english russian and french fans in the days before last weeks 1 1 draw between england and russia
the fans had been accused by the marseille prefect stephane bouillon of participation in skirmishes linked to the england russia game
despite their impending removal from france alexander shprygin the leader of a russian fan group who is among the 20 to be deported told the associated press that their visas would not be canceled and that all planned to return to france for russias match on monday against wales
what has happened to us is a complete outrage shprygin said by telephone from the airport adding that the 20 had not been involved in any disorder
shprygin who leads the government linked all russian fans union has been accused of far right links
the 20 were part of a larger group of russians detained tuesday following violent disorder around englands 1 1 draw with russia on june 11 when groups of russians were involved in attacks inside and outside the stadium french authorities acting on a tip from the russian police raided a hotel near cannes last sunday and combed through hundreds of hours of video to link suspects to the disorder
three russians were convicted of offenses related to the violence and were sentenced to prison terms of one to two years


besides learning how to race a stock car in much faster traffic daniel suarez was confronted with another considerable challenge   the english language   after moving to the united states from mexico in 2012 so he watched movies with subtitles plus lots of cartoons
in cartoons they speak slow and clear because they are for kids suarez said
suarez a 24 year old driver from monterrey can now say in more than one language that he is mastering his trade and american culture by beating the formidable kyle busch in the final laps of a 250 mile race on june 11 at michigan international speedway suarez became the first mexican born driver to win a nascar national series race
the victory came in the xfinity series one level down from the sprint cup series the big leagues of stock car racing but suarez who drives for the powerful race team overseen by joe gibbs the former washington redskins coach now has both the xfinity series lead and a spot in the playoffs which is similar in format to the chase for the sprint cup
suarez who won 10 of 58 races in the nascar mexico series is in his second full season in the xfinity series and gibbs said in a telephone interview last week that it was not out of the question that suarez could be racing in the sprint cup series in a year or two
you cant talk your way up and you cant buy your way up gibbs said youve got to race your way up
he added its a growth process and theres a lot that goes into developing a driver the one thing about daniel is that he doesnt tear up stuff some guys are prone to wreck he doesnt do that
heading into sundays xfinity race at iowa speedway suarez has completed all 13 races this season with 11 finishes in the top 10 he really earned his victory overcoming a pit road penalty early in the race and a failing clutch later to outrace busch the reigning sprint cup champion
busch who also drives a toyota for gibbss team was gracious after the race saying it was actually cool to get beat fair and square busch said suarez passed him cleanly and did what he had to do to protect the lead
scott graves suarezs first year crew chief said if you can take what he did at the end of the race in michigan weve got to find a way to replicate that more often
although he spent a lot of time at the shop where his father restores cars for a living suarez has been racing only since he was 11 his first ride was in a go kart and even though he knew nothing about racing he liked driving enough to persuade his father alejandro to let him enter races throughout the country
as a teenager suarez progressed through the steps of the much lower profile nascar mexico series and was successful enough that he wanted to pursue a career he had two options open wheel racing in europe or stock car racing in the united states he chose the first
they thought i was good enough to move along to something else   something bigger he said
according to steve odonnell a nascar executive vice president who is the organizations chief racing development officer mexico was until about five years ago primarily an open wheel market with fans who have been devoted more to formula one and indy cars
at first suarez decided to pursue an open wheel career in italy after a year in which he had some success he moved to the united states to drive stock cars
he became a two time participant in nascars drive for diversity program founded in 2004 to attract minority members and women to the sport as well as a three time participant in the nascar next initiative which tries to identify the sports rising young stars after suarez won seven of 28 starts in two lower series in 2014 gibbs hired him last year to drive in the xfinity series
hes come up the hard way and paid his dues odonnell said of suarez hes an extremely likable guy   always smiling always wants to learn
just as important suarez also carried the multiyear backing of a corporate sponsor arris a company that manufactures telecommunications equipment
the problem is over here our sport is different than football baseball or basketball in that youve got to have a sponsor and a sponsor needs to be sold before you go to cup gibbs said
suarez drove in all 33 xfinity series races last year and in 13 of 23 nascar camping world truck series races compiling 15 top five and 28 top 10 finishes but he had not won a national series race until michigan
it was super important to me i was working super hard to get to this point suarez said if you tried to put a pen to paper on how you would like the weekend to go it would be just like that
maybe not exactly a penalty for speeding on pit road put him at the back of the pack and his clutch stopped working graves told his crew members that they needed to give suarezs toyota a hard shove after he made his final pit stop of the race which they did
he was able to pop it in gear and get it rolling graves said
besides that suarez beat busch graves said in this case it couldnt be any better than beating him daniel beat arguably the best driver out there the clutch thing could have been a huge distraction he could have been focusing all on that and given up at that point
graves said suarezs english had improved even since the start of the season communication on the radio during races is still quite a challenge simply because of the background noise generated by stock cars hurtling around a racetrack
even with someone who speaks perfect english its hard to understand them sometimes graves said laughing
but graves said that suarez was easy to work with and that they had gotten used to each other now they are looking to become regular visitors to victory lane suarez said he was now being tapped for advice from younger aspiring drivers in mexico
its really cool for me to give all these kids a hand suarez said when i was in that position i didnt have a lot of people helping me


santa ana calif   the silver medal keeps him going all the way to rio de janeiro and his 39th birthday during the olympics this summer
it took merrill moses a long time to come to grips with the united states mens water polo teams second place finish at the 2008 olympics in beijing then came the london games and finishing eighth there brought everything into focus
when you go to the olympic games and represent team usa youre going there to bring home a gold medal moses said i tell people in my speech when i talk to kids during camps for like six months after we won the silver medal i didnt think i won a silver i thought i lost a gold
i didnt really realize what i accomplished and it really didnt set in fully until 2012 when you realize how fast that all can be taken away and youre not even competing for a medal
so moses is back again for his third olympics the same cocky athlete who rose to prominence playing for terry schroeder at pepperdine some 20 years ago but changed immeasurably by time
while the 6 foot 8 goaltender mcquin baron waits in the wings it appears likely moses will start for the united states in rio
i always have had the mentality that if i train harder than everyone and put more into it i am going to be more prepared moses said adding as long as i prepare myself properly i know that im going to give it my all
back when moses was deciding where to go to college his ability to play the sport at an elite level was in doubt
schroeder who also coached moses with the united states water polo team and then hired him as one of his assistants with the waves described him as lightly recruited
on his official visit to malibu moses told the starter he was coming for his job he didnt make a friend there but he certainly made a point schroeder said
moses is still making that point at the end of his 30s holding his own while facing a barrage of heavy shots from the young wave of 20 somethings who dominate the american roster
serbia is the big favorite this summer with hungary italy croatia and greece also among the expected medal contenders the united states is drawn into group b with spain france montenegro italy and croatia
schroeder a former national team captain who coached the previous two united states olympic teams said a podium finish was within reach for the americans with moses in goal
he has this incredible will that makes him good schroeder said in a phone interview adding i think that the team has a chance to win a medal i think without him they dont
schroeder brought moses back to pepperdine in 2012 and they remain as tight as ever moses said he thinks of schroeder as a second father and the coach said he loves the goaltender and could trust him with anything
moses would like to be a head coach one day but he has no plans to leave his alma mater and wants schroeder to stay as long as he wishes
hes got a lot of knowledge not only about water polo   about life moses said of schroeder hes definitely taught me a lot of things i love working with him
coaching at pepperdine also gave moses another place to train while he prepared for the olympics moses who helped the waves win the national championship in 1997 practiced with his players occasionally leading to some friendly trash talk
whenever we see someone scoring on merrill everyone theyre really hyped pepperdine goaltender zack rhodes said adding when he blocks you you know merrills yelling at you like its all in good fun and then when you score on merrill you have to let him know that you scored on him
mosess training for the national team also served as an example for the waves
its inspiring you can tell he still really wants this rhodes said


it has become a fad among teams to adopt a catchphrase to sum up their approach while also helping sell t shirts as with most things not all are created equal
while the cleveland cavaliers all in is a bit generic the golden state warriors strength in numbers has represented an all encompassing set of values that defined the team as it rolled to a 73 9 regular season record the approach carried into the playoffs until the last two games of the nba finals when cracks appeared going into sundays game 7 in oakland it may be more appropriate to change the t shirts to strength in numbers
draymond green who was suspended for game 5 did not play up to his standards in game 6 andrew bogut was lost for the playoffs with a knee injury andre iguodala could barely stand after injuring his back in game 6 at some point harrison barnes usually a reliable shooter of corner 3s who is seemingly on the verge of lucrative free agency began playing like a shell of his former self
the problem for golden state is that for all the talk of the dominance of stephen curry the secret to its success was often its ability to grind through teams using a 10 man rotation that was perhaps never more evident than in game 4 when the warriors entered the fourth quarter leading by only 2 points but on the strength of their bench play went on a 12 1 run that overwhelmed the worn out cavaliers starters and effectively ended the game
cavaliers coach tyronn lue acknowledged after the game that riding his starters for so long had played a big part in the loss
they brought their bench in so i thought if we could keep our starters in for a few minutes we could kind of make a run and then get guys out slowly he said but they were able to go on the run so it hurt us
lue made some attempts to expand his rotation but he also doubled down on his reliance on lebron james in game 6 jamess second consecutive 41 point effort of the series he played 43 minutes including the entire fourth quarter
with our season on the line at the end of the third quarter he said im not coming out lue said of james i didnt have any intention of taking him out anyway i dont care what you all say were going to ride him
still it has been the warriors who in their second consecutive year of a deep postseason run have seemed to grow fatigued perhaps as a result of the pressure of pursuing their victory record
owing to his ubiquitous presence in the playoffs and his fitness james has become known for handling an enormous workload in 11 seasons he has never played fewer than 3122 minutes in the regular season and playoffs and he has played as many as 4083 but in each of the last two years the warriors have had a player who topped him in combined minutes
green even when accounting for the one game suspension leads all players in the finals with a combined 3640 minutes this season 156 more than james he edged james in the regular season 2809 to 2708 and the playoffs 832 to 775 it is easy to see why the warriors have asked so much of him he is the anchor of their defense and the facilitator of their offense
but it is not just green klay thompson who has alternated between unstoppable and absent this series is not far behind with a combined 3473 minutes even curry who sat out so many fourth quarters this season and missed a few games in the playoffs with injuries has 3275 down from his team leading 3439 last season when he topped jamess 3337
as the playoffs have dragged on rumors have swirled that curry is hiding knee and shoulder injuries the supporting cast appears to be falling apart even if coach steve kerr insisted after game 6 that beyond bogut the warriors would be at full strength for game 7
despite the perceived fatigue thompson stuck with the teams ubiquitous slogan when describing how the warriors could stand up to james and kyrie irving with the season on the line
weve beaten this team before and weve just got to realize that were a deeper team thompson said when we play at our best with great effort were almost dang near impossible to beat
james to his credit also embodied his teams all in slogan when discussing game 7 and given his comments it would be surprising for him to spend much time on the bench sunday
at the end of the day this is going to be it for all of us including you guys james said to the gathered news media after game 6 one more game left and you guys are going to give it all youve got were going to give it all weve got and the warriors will do the same and well live with the results


the kansas city royals return to citi field on tuesday facing the mets in a two game series at the site of their triumph last fall the royals won the world series in flushing last nov 1 in a 12 inning thriller that whit merrifield watched from home in winston salem nc
merrifield was a minor leaguer then but he will probably lead off for the royals on tuesday as he did for each of the teams three victories against cleveland last week the royals have endured a season of extremes with four winning or losing streaks of at least five games each but they found themselves in second place in the american league central heading into the weekend thanks partly to merrifields unlikely help
the royals promoted merrifield 27 on may 18 just before they lost third baseman mike moustakas for the season in a collision with left fielder alex gordon moustakas tore his right anterior cruciate ligament and gordon broke a bone in his right wrist gordon should begin a rehabilitation assignment soon but merrifield has filled in well for both players while mainly holding down second base he was hitting 327 with an 821 on base plus slugging percentage through friday
i dont even think i have a natural position anymore to be honest with you merrifield said by telephone last week i grew up a shortstop i was a shortstopsecond baseman in high school and in summer ball and when i got to college there was a need for a center fielder i was relatively fast so they tried me out in center field and i took to it pretty well
by his junior year at south carolina though the gamecocks needed more offense in the infield so merrifield played second and third in addition to the outfield scouts liked his versatility and the royals drafted him in the ninth round in 2010 shortly before his line drive single clinched the college world series title against ucla
people are serious about college baseball in the southeast and playing for south carolina youre expected to come in there and win merrifield said being around that kind of culture is very similar to what its like here in kansas city the expectation is winning
merrifields father bill played six seasons in the minors mostly with the angels who traded him to pittsburgh for second baseman johnny ray in 1987 the pirates called up bill merrifield told him he was starting at first base   and then during a rain delay before the game changed their minds and sent him to the instructional league instead
bill merrifield would play one more minor league season and never officially reach the major leagues yet the story was not part of family lore whit said he never knew it until his mother told him in high school or college
my dad downplays it a lot merrifield said he tells me that he didnt really care about being a big leaguer he didnt really like baseball he just did it because he was good at it from his standpoint its not as big of a deal as people are making it out to be obviously its a pretty crazy story but to him it was a blessing because if he were to have made a big league team and been a big leaguer for the next four or five years he would have been miserable doing it
instead bill merrifield retired finished college started a family and founded a successful sports marketing and communications company he now works in the athletic department at wake forest and supported whit financially on his climb through the minors
now the family is reveling in whits success in the career that never quite materialized for bill his grandfather bill sr has driven his subaru outback to road games in chicago minnesota and baltimore and has even gotten fan mail sent to his grandson
hes 86 and hes a driving fool whit merrifield said hell hop in the car and drive just about anywhere
bill sr tentatively plans to take the brief mets series off the way whit has started his career though there should be many more chances to see him
contenders rarely turn to the yankees for help before the trading deadline but this summer could be an exception as the yankees plod along with a middling record   and the worst offense in the american league east   that could be changing
the chicago cubs have scouted the yankees and would be an obvious fit to add one of their overpowering relievers the cubs have baseballs best record but could improve a bullpen that is respectable with a 348 earned run average entering fridays games but not dominant closer hector rondon blew save opportunities on tuesday and wednesday in washington
even if the cubs trade for dellin betances andrew miller or aroldis chapman though rondon will remain an integral part of their bullpen rondon had converted all 11 save chances before the washington games and had a 157 era entering the weekend with 32 strikeouts and just three walks in 23 innings
rondon 28 has improved each season since the cubs stole him from the cleveland indians farm system in the rule 5 draft after the 2012 season theo epstein had just finished his first year as president for baseball operations and with the cubs in a full rebuilding effort they could afford to keep rondon on their roster all season
rondon had pitched just 13 games the previous three years because of tommy john surgery and subsequent setbacks but the cubs liked what they saw in nine innings of winter ball in venezuela
i throw almost like the same stuff now but i think the confidence is different rondon said last month when asked how he had changed from his days in the indians system right now if the hitter is looking for a fastball ok ive got a good fastball and i can hit my spot if youre going to swing breaking ball ok there it is i put it in my mind to make that pitch with good location
for now rondon would seem to be the most likely pitcher to be on the mound if the cubs win the world series for the first time since 1908 so much could change before they could have that chance including the makeup of the bullpen but rondon acknowledged that he had imagined it
that is one of my goals in my life to throw the last pitch of the world series he said hopefully that moments coming but everything comes at the right time
for years when glenn hubbard would find his 1984 fleer baseball card in his fan mail he would keep it for himself and sign a replacement card instead hubbard who played 12 seasons as a second baseman for atlanta and oakland wanted to take the card off the market one by one
i used to hate that card said hubbard now the bench coach for the class a lexington legends in kentucky my son sent me a site that said it was one of the top five worst cards of all time and i said ok im glad im known for that 
the legends will commemorate the infamous card with a bobblehead giveaway at whitaker bank ballpark on friday the mini hubbard is depicted with a bushy beard and a boa constrictor draped around his shoulders just as he was on april 17 1983
before the braves game in philadelphia that day the phillies staged a birthday celebration for the phanatic which made its debut in 1978 as at any 5 year olds birthday party there were balloons cartoon characters a petting zoo and party favors
all fans 14 and under received a phanatic growth chart poster hubbard received an embarrassing baseball card after asking a photographer to snap his picture with an eight foot reptilian friend as a boy hubbard had a snake for a pet and knew how to hold it safely
he took the picture and i said can you send me one and he sent me an 8 by 10 hubbard said i didnt think anything about it so i go to spring training and a kid comes up to me and says hey can you sign this card and its a snake card
hubbard did not know the photographer was on a freelance assignment for fleer which used the image for hubbards next card the background is a blizzard of the bizarre   a giant inflatable phanatic a man in a barney rubble costume two red balloons   but the snake made the shot indelible
hubbard 58 still seems incredulous that the team would give out a bobblehead of his likeness his family is coming up from atlanta for the event hubbard was a 244 career hitter but played for three hall of fame managers   bobby cox tony la russa and joe torre   and owns world series rings from three organizations
listen they give bobbleheads to guys that were great players he said i played a lot of years in the big leagues and i could say i played there but i wasnt a great player by any means all the things ive had happen i cant help but look in the mirror and say man youve been in the right place at the right time 
of course hubbard never knew that the right place to earn a bobblehead would be 33 years ago at veterans stadium with a snake at a mascots birthday party


mike emricks connection to hockey is so strong   and his play by play so vivid   that it may be surprising that he has such a strong love for baseball
but emrick 69 grew up listening to the pittsburgh pirates on kdka radio with bob prince on the microphone played baseball in tiny rural la fontaine ind where 200 or 300 people would turn out for little league games and looked up to baseball coaches as his heroes and on aug 9 1959 he his parents his older brother dan and another family drove four hours in a station wagon to forbes field and saw the pirates play the chicago cubs it was the first major league game that emrick attended in general admission seats behind home plate
if anything could follow up on the radio appeal of the pirates it was seeing roberto clemente and bill mazeroski play in person and see elroy faces 15th win he said he was 15 0
face was on his way to an 18 1 season all in relief
emrick kept that scorecard
fifty seven years later emrick will call a game with bob costas for mlb network when the cubs play the pirates on july 8 at pnc park
costas an nbc colleague of emricks contacted him late last year after he learned of emricks bucket list desire to call one inning of a pirates game during a segment of real sports on hbo
i said look if you want to call a baseball game we can make it happen  costas said
emrick is a hockey broadcasting star he calls the game at a feverish pace using a wildly creative glossary of verbs where pucks are feathered acked paddled skittered or pinwheeled and tossing in stories and rule explanations he is not worried about slowing his rhythm the main challenge emrick said will be to focus on the field from the somewhat distant perch at pnc park and not to keep looking at the monitor beside him
i just want to make sure that what i do is at least at mlb network level   maybe the bottom of the bar they set but i want to be halfway professional emrick said with characteristic modesty
costas said he would call the first three innings during which he and emrick would talk about his connection to the pirates as a fan and his favorite broadcasters
and then ill say to take us through the next few innings heres doc emrick  costas said
costas is not expecting a polished baseball announcer beside him at pnc park but emrick is skilled at using anecdotes a critical skill in a baseball booth
no matter how great a guy is hell be better on his 10th game than his first costas said but hes a lifelong baseball fan and follows the pirates so closely hes not going to be asking which one is andrew mccutchen and hes an obsessive preparer
emrick will not come to the game with a mouthful of creative synonyms for breaking balls or fly balls though
the law of averages doesnt favor that he said i dont have a home run call whatever happens happens
emrick got in a little practice during spring training at the pirates complex in bradenton fla he and his wife joyce have a winter home nearby and a season ticket plan without telling the pirates he was rehearsing for the mlb network game emrick sat in for a few innings of one game on radio and another on television
while he sat with the former pirates pitcher steve blass who is now a broadcaster emrick said he recounted being at a game on aug 31 1968 which was faces last before he was sent to detroit blass got out the first atlanta batter moved to left field while face retired the next one letting him tie the record for most games by a pitcher in one league and returned to relieve face and complete the 8 0 pittsburgh win
emrick kept that scorecard too
emricks passion for the pirates extended to attending a fantasy camp the team hosted where fans got a taste of the major leagues four years ago he played second base and wore mazeroskis no 9
about 30 guys in the camp wore no 9 emrick said laughing and blass said you know maz doesnt care if youre wearing 9 


bordeaux france   after a poor start to the european championships belgium began living up to its promise on saturday with a resounding 3 0 victory over ireland
romelu lukaku scored two second half goals as belgiums vaunted attack finally sprang to life after a disappointing display in the opening 2 0 loss to italy
im very happy for the team you know lukaku said i think it was very important for us to win today to deliver a good performance after the game against italy which was a setback
sometimes you need a setback because we have a young squad its good because we faced the reality we knew that italys a good side they showed it against us now we are awake and have to become even better after the performance of today
having earlier wasted a series of chances belgium   one of the tournament favorites   started the second half strongly and it was not long before the team went ahead
lukaku struck in the 48th minute after a swift counterattack axel witsel doubled the lead with a header in the 61st and lukaku sent a pass from eden hazard past ireland goalkeeper darren randolph in the 70th minute
belgium now has three points from its two games in group e while ireland has one belgium plays sweden next and a draw would most likely seal the teams qualification to the round of 16
ireland meets italy which has now won the group ireland will probably need to beat italy to stand a chance of advancing
we have a game to win and we have to throw everything into it its coach martin oneill said
in the 24 team format that is being used at euro 2016 for the first time four third place group teams will qualify for the round of 16


beijing   in a show of strength before an international courts ruling on chinas claims in the south china sea the united states navy sent two aircraft carriers and their accompanying ships on training drills in the western pacific ocean on saturday
the carriers john c stennis and ronald reagan sailed close together in the philippine sea as part of air defense and sea surveillance operations that involved 12000 sailors 140 aircraft and six smaller warships the united states pacific fleet in hawaii said in a statement
we must take advantage of these opportunities to practice war fighting techniques that are required to prevail in modern naval operations rear adm john d alexander said in a statement
the operations occurred on the eastern side of the philippines in a body of water that is not adjacent to the south china sea but is close a spokesman for the pacific fleet said china seeks to dominate the western pacific ocean as part of its long term strategy american strategists say
the message of the exercise by the two carriers and their attendant warships was unmistakable and the timing was deliberate said an american official familiar with the planning of the operation who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter it could have been conducted later he said
an international arbitration court in the hague is deliberating a case filed by the philippines in 2013 against chinas claims in the south china sea and its decision is expected in the coming weeks
the philippines is challenging chinas claims to what has come to be known as the nine dash line an area that covers almost all of the south china sea including waters close to the philippine coast
the issue of the nine dash line is delicate because china has claimed it since ancient times as its territory and the south china sea has become part of the increasingly nationalistic vocabulary of president xi jinping
in the past two years china has built artificial islands equipped with military runways in the spratly archipelago inside the line and not far from the philippines
in a statement on the exercise involving the carriers the pacific fleet said as a pacific nation and a pacific leader the united states has a national interest in maintaining security and prosperity peaceful resolution of disputes unimpeded lawful commerce and adherence to freedom of navigation and overflight throughout the shared domains of the indo asia pacific
the stennis conducted exercises with japanese and indian naval forces in the western pacific and the south china sea earlier in the week an operation that was shadowed by a chinese surveillance vessel
the stennis then joined the reagan which had been undergoing maintenance at a united states base in japan the pacific fleet spokesman said
early this month senator john mccain republican of arizona and the chairman of the senate armed services committee foreshadowed the dual carrier exercise during a speech in singapore saying it was part of the united states increased vigilance in the pacific
the united states will soon have two aircraft carriers operating together in the pacific which is a strong statement about americas enduring commitment to regional security mr mccain said
also this past week the united states dispatched four navy electronic attack aircraft known as growlers and 120 military personnel to clark air base in the philippines
at a conference in beijing on saturday hosted by global times a state run newspaper known for its strident coverage some analysts warned of an arms race in the western pacific
the chinese side is determined to increase its power and obama is determined to defend the united states position said shi yinhong a professor of international relations at renmin university in beijing
both militaries need to be cautious in the south china sea said another participant teng jianqun the director of the department of american studies at the china institute of international studies any misunderstanding could lead to a disaster between the two countries mr teng said


anaheim calif   it was an unusually warm afternoon in southern california and an unusual time to get the chills but the tanned arms and legs of karch kiraly   the famous volleyball player now 55 coaching the united states womens national indoor team in search of its first ever olympic gold medal   were covered in goose bumps
oooh he said pointing at an arm karch bumps
he was telling a little story about the first team he coached which was nothing like this team and the interruption of goose bumps and a smile was as unexpected as a hiccup kiraly still gracefully lean and square jawed speaks slowly and thoughtfully with crisp enunciation and long pauses what comes out of his mouth sounds like a final draft
but he has plenty of big stories to tell as a player he led ucla to national championships won gold medals with the american indoor team in 1984 and 1988 and won another in the inaugural beach volleyball event at the 1996 atlanta games with kent steffes he was named the best volleyball player of the 20th century by the sports international governing body
but he did not begin coaching until about 10 years ago when his sons reached high school at st margarets episcopal a small private school in san juan capistrano calif
they lost every match and they lost every game of every match kiraly said so they lost 3 0 31 times my wife said youve got to help them out   help them get a little better so i thought yeah id like to see them taste a tiny bit of success at least win a game in volleyball
so one of the worlds most famous volleyball players became a co coach of the st margarets team the next season they won a game   they celebrated like they had just won the national championship kiraly said and he told them that if they could win one game they could probably win two maybe even three and that is what they did taking the match 3 1
and by the time kristian kiraly was a senior and kory kiraly a junior st margarets was in the small school title game and the following year they won the thing
just as he got to that part of the story kiralys body tingled and was covered in bumps he smiled
im kind of a volley nerd at heart and ill gladly fess up to it but little things get me really excited he said for those kids who endured that tough season a really tough season and for them to go as far as they did and eventually lead to a title is a tremendous life lesson
while kiraly was co coaching volleyball at st margarets the united states mens team won the gold medal at the 2008 beijing olympics the coach hugh mccutcheon decided to move to the womens team and kiraly became a candidate to replace him but the leap from st margarets to the national team was too big even for kiraly and he knew it
instead he became an assistant to mccutcheon the job overlapping with his stint at st margarets for a couple of years at the 2012 london olympics the american women won a silver medal for the second olympics in a row both gold medal match losses coming to the brazilians and when mccutcheon left afterward kiraly got the head job with the mission to go to brazil in 2016 and finally win gold
as kiraly sat in a warm gym and told the story about st margarets a white dry erase board that he used to coach the womens national team stood nearby
we fight for and protect the relentless pursuit of that which has never been done was written on it
on a friday afternoon in early june kiraly left his cluttered office at the american sports center in anaheim a costco size warehouse housing a sea of hardwood courts for volleyball and basketball it is where usa volleyball trains kiralys office on the second floor has a window overlooking the courts a primary purpose of a tall metal cabinet is to support a tangle of trophies won over the last couple of years
there was a team scrimmage that night at a nearby high school open to the public so kiraly wore a usa shirt tucked into belted pants for someone who grew up playing on the east beach courts in santa barbara who won 147 beach tournaments as a pro and was a six time most valuable player of the association of volleyball professionals beach series in the 1990s pants and a collared shirt count as formal dress
he slid his 6 foot 3 frame into the drivers seat of his honda accord the back seat was smothered by a bag of volleyballs he called his wife janna and after he hung up as he drove down orange countys wide boulevards divided by manicured medians he soon was telling another story this one about the first time he played in rio de janeiro
it was the junior world championships in 1977 at the maracanazinho the spiritual home of indoor volleyball for five decades the same building where the sport will be held at the summer games in august
we were a hair away from making the final four kiraly recalled we were upset by mexico of all teams and finished seventh
he has a mind like that filled with details and his upright and methodical manner can sometimes make it seem as if he spent most of his emotion back on the beach courts in the 1990s sometimes when it seems that he is finished speaking and the gap in the conversation begs to be filled he starts again
you can be in a meeting and be like oh theres this awkward silence middle blocker foluke akinradewo said its not like hes trying to get more out of you hes just thinking about things and wants to get the best response for you
but then kiraly talked about the fans in brazil where volleyball trails only soccer in popularity it is an intriguing notion the united states womens team winning its first olympic gold medal in brazil and it is not lost on kiraly
i much prefer playing in front of a hostile crowd than a passive one he said in fact i like playing in front of a hostile energetic crowd more than a home crowd
kiraly turned smiled and pointed at his arm goose bumps
at segerstrom high school in santa ana kiraly unfolded a volleyball cart from his trunk loaded it with balls and wheeled it down a grass hill to the gym
byob he said
his players see kiraly as modest transparent and fair someone who rarely raises his voice and always asks about family players said that when he meets with them kiraly always ends the conversation with a question how can i be better for you
i told the team in the first meeting we had three years ago none of us is good enough  pause  yet  kiraly said and that starts with me i was an assistant coach the previous four years we wanted to stand at the top of the podium in london we fell a hair short so it started with me not being good enough and this constant process of mastery and seeking improvement every day
so i have to be a model for them too ive got to push the limits of my ability ive got to make mistakes i will gladly fess up to them in the interest of being a role model as a learner i have a ton to learn because i havent been a coach very long
at a major tournament in peru in 2009 when kiraly was an assistant a stomach bug rendered several american players sick during a timeout one of them threw up on the court
and before anyone could react karch grabs a towel and starts to clean up the veteran setter courtney thompson said we talk about it so much heres the king the king cleaned up your vomit
kiraly rolled the cart of balls into the empty gym already decorated with butcher paper posters painted by students in sloganeering support of team usa he embraced marv dunphy the longtime coach at pepperdine who coached the mens national team to a gold medal over the soviet union at the 1988 seoul olympics kiraly was the team captain
when i said end line when i wanted to talk to the team and there were a couple of stray balls he wouldnt come to that line unless those balls were shagged picked up and put away dunphy said there was a standard of performance maybe higher for him than anyone ive been around for everything he did
dunphy was a consultant for the womens team and kiralys roommate at the 2012 london games when kiraly became the head coach he asked dunphy to help coach the team through rio too the men sat and talked for 30 minutes as the gym filled and the women arrived for warm ups
dunphy remembered kiraly wound so tightly as a player that at a tournament in france kiraly stayed on california time he sat in the hallway reading and pacing through the night so he would not keep his roommate awake at a tournament in tallinn estonia kiraly was spent at the end of a five set victory over the soviets
he was in a little ball at the end dunphy said i dont even think they had a post tournament ceremony because our trainer wouldnt let them drag karch off the floor they wanted to get him off behind the bleachers and our trainer said dont touch him he was in so much pain it was one of the great memories
the point in telling the story was to show how fiercely competitive kiraly was as a player and dunphy said he had not changed
karch can grind dunphy said and when you combine grinding with talent you can do anything
the womens team with a roster of 19 was divided into a red squad and a blue squad for a best of five scrimmage only 12 will make the olympic roster kiraly coached the red team composed of probable starters in rio he mostly stood quietly on the sideline his squad won three games to one
kiraly summarized his coaching philosophy with five fs fast family fun fortitude and ferociousness he wants his team to keep opponents off balance with low sets and quick hits he wants players never to give up he wants them to smile and get along
they should feel safe and free enough to derive some satisfaction out of what we do kiraly said its hard enough if its all business its that much more difficult people should enjoy being with good friends and competing
several veteran players said the vibe was much healthier now than in years past   more selfless less selfish
he was around the last quad and that was something that was definitely lacking akinradewo said we had lots and lots of talent but we werent the best of teammates he wanted to make things different and hes done that
she cited the 2014 world championships where the united states so close so many times won gold for the first time in one of the three major international tournaments the olympics the world cup and the world championships
that was the first time where everyone was celebrating one anothers success and when things werent going as well everyone was gathering around that person and trying to lift them up akinradewo said in the past there would have been a lot of rolled eyes and oh i didnt get the ball so i dont really care i think that will serve us well
the americans are ranked no 1 in the world making them a favorite for gold but competition is tight china brazil russia japan and serbia are all serious contenders
there are lots of good teams out there kiraly said a number of them add up to about the sum of their parts some of them add up to less than the sum of their parts we want to be a team that adds up to more than the sum of our parts weve got really good parts if we can add up to more weve got a really powerful equation
usa volleyball has seen enough that it recently extended kiralys contract through the 2020 olympics in tokyo not bad for a man whose previous coaching experience was limited to a small private high school
our sons joke now ok dad we get it  kiraly said that seems to be the conduit to becoming the usa national coach coaching st margarets the tartans
the level might be different for the united states womens team at the olympics but the pursuit is the same   to do something that had not been done
kiraly might soon have that story to tell and the goose bumps to go with it


hillary clinton who often talks on the campaign trail about being a grandmother now has twice the reason for doing so as her daughter chelsea clinton has given birth to her second child
ms clinton announced the birth of a boy on twitter saturday
we are overjoyed to be grandparents again said a statement from hillary and bill clinton chelsea and aidan are both doing well and enjoying this very special time together
the birth makes a big sister out of chelsea clintons and her husband marc mezvinskys first child charlotte clinton mezvinsky who was born on sept 26 2014
mrs clinton set to become the first female presidential nominee of a major party often talks about motherhood and grandmotherhood as part of her appeal to women
her republican opponent donald j trump also welcomed a new grandchild this year   his eighth
ivanka trump and her husband jared kushner gave birth to a boy theodore james kushner in march it was the couples third child
donald j trump jr and his wife vanessa have five children


falluja iraq   in the days leading up to the storming of falluja by iraqi forces brig gen hadi razaij the leading sunni police commander in the campaign sat on a cot in an abandoned house near the front line he described the resistance that lay ahead a determined force of hundreds of jihadists that had months to prepare
general razaijs presence on the battlefield shows that local sunnis and not just the shiite forces that now dominate iraqi politics are fighting to liberate their own communities and has helped tamp down fears that the battle for falluja would heighten sectarian tensions
he was dispassionate as he described the challenges but for him the fight was personal too general razaijs brother stands accused of being a member of the islamic state and is in a prison cell after being arrested at a checkpoint with a car full of explosives
in northern iraq nofal hammadi the governor in exile of mosul is working with the united states to plan for that citys liberation from the islamic state he too has family in the fight mr hammadis brother is an islamic state official having appeared in a video pledging his allegiance to the terror group and disowning his brother
even as the central question of iraq remains unanswered   whether the countrys sunni minority and shiite majority can ever peacefully coexist in a unified state   the experiences of general razaij mr hammadi and others add a troubling corollary it is not clear that iraqs divided sunnis will ever be able to find peace among themselves after a conflict that in many ways is playing out as a war within families
after all when iraqi sunnis talk about fighting the islamic state it is not a discussion of some shadowy and unknowable force it is about sons and brothers nephews and neighbors
today we dont necessarily need reconciliation between sunnis and shiites general razaij said we need reconciliation among one sect
general razaij has given conflicting statements about his jailed brother telling the local news media that he had disowned him but in an interview with the new york times he said he believed his brother was innocent
general razaij was asked how many of his men were fighting against brothers or other close relatives who had joined the islamic state also known as isis or isil its so many he said
one of general razaijs men salih ibrahim sharmoot is a policeman from falluja who has been fighting along the citys southern edge   a battle in which government forces made quick and surprising gains on friday capturing the main government compound
he said his brother muwafaq joined isis in 2013 antigovernment fervor was running strong in falluja in opposition to the sectarian policies of nuri kamal al maliki the prime minister at the time who had ordered the mass arrests of sunni men on often unsubstantiated terrorism charges
if i catch him during the battles i will kill him with my own hands because he is a criminal mr sharmoot said about his brother
for iraq ever to be at peace with itself after the end of the islamic state it will require reconciliation on a number of levels especially within the sunni community that minority fell from power after the united states led invasion in 2003 and has witnessed its own decimation with millions of its followers now displaced from their homes as fighting between government forces and isis rages across sunni dominated areas
the last time this happened in 2006 and 2007 it took american money and influence to pacify sunni areas then in the grip of al qaeda in iraq the forerunner of the islamic state with the so called sunni awakening former insurgents were paid to switch sides and ally with the government that required a measure of reconciliation if not forgiveness within the sunni community
this time most everyone agrees will be different without the united states as a mediator or its money to buy loyalty score settling and revenge are likely to rule the day
never general razaij said when asked if peaceful reconciliation was possible among sunnis for those who slaughtered iraqis its a crime for them to live
iraqs shiites seem to recognize this and have been keen to essentially outsource the business of determining who is or is not an islamic state collaborator or sympathizer when government forces liberate a village from isis they often turn to local sunnis to determine who should be arrested according to interviews with officials and sunni residents and when allegations of militia abuses surfaced recently including the torture and executions of men fleeing the fighting around falluja a prominent group of pro government sunnis came to the defense of the government emphasizing the importance of taking a hard line
in a televised news conference abu azam al timimi a leader of sunni tribal fighters in anbar province which includes falluja stressed the tribal traditions of iraq he said he would not forget or forgive the killers from isis
more than a dozen recent interviews with sunnis from areas where the islamic state has had a presence revealed the extent to which the terror organization has divided families
in many cases they described a familiar pattern of radicalization for their relatives   beginning not with any special interest in religion but rather the 2003 invasion and the sunni insurgency that followed many spent time in american operated prisons in iraq where they studied the quran and plotted jihad in 2013 when mr malikis policies sparked nationwide sunni protests there was a ready constituency of aggrieved and radicalized sunnis the islamic state could exploit
alaa al jibouri a sunni from salahuddin province who has joined a government allied militia said that his uncle a member of the islamic state was not religious before he spent time in an american prison in iraq
he used to not even pray or fast and did not like religious subjects mr jibouri said
in diyala province a farmer who asked to be identified as abu anas said his younger brother hatim was swayed in 2014 by politicians and clerics calling for an end to the unjust treatment of sunnis carried out by the shiite led government
the sunni youth among them my brother were caught up in the swirl of sectarian tensions he said at the time mr anas said the movement felt like a tribal revolution against oppression but was quickly subsumed by the islamic state
i never would have imagined my simple naive quick tempered brother would turn into a human monster he said he used to be afraid of even slaughtering a chicken and would make excuses not to do so
mr anas joined with government forces to fight the islamic state carrying a kalashnikov rifle that had been in his family for almost two decades he said he later had received a text message from his brother you chose the path of hell and i chose the path of heaven
the islamic state recently released a video from mosul that purported to show a fighter executing his older brother described in the video as a government spy as the bearded isis fighter stood over his kneeling brother who was dressed in an orange jumpsuit he addressed his family and tribe and said he was acting in their name to purify the shame his brother brought to them
then he shot him in the head
thousands of sunni tribal fighters and local policemen partly motivated by revenge for the devastation the islamic state has brought to their communities have joined government security forces and shiite militia groups in the fight for falluja the third major battle for that city since 2003
this is the last time we are going to go into falluja said mouwafak al rubaie a prominent shiite politician and iraqs former national security adviser who has predicted a bloody intra sunni battle after the city was liberated there is not going to be any appeasement the sunnis who liberate falluja are going to govern falluja
he said that those men were more attuned to the traditional tribal rhythms of life in anbar and that their loyalty to baghdad could be bought
the tribal fighters dont even know how to pray he said they like their booze and they enjoy life they are motivated by two things money and power


patrick wilkes krier was warming up on thursday morning for his united states open debut next to the defending champion jordan spieth suddenly he stopped leaned his club against his golf bag and with a few loping strides appeared at the side of his father james krier who had been wordlessly watching him krier nuzzled his fathers neck and gave him a kiss after a long embrace he pulled away retraced his steps and resumed hitting balls
wilkes krier 32 turned professional in 2006 after a college career at ball state he won once as a pro on the hooters tour in 2008 after several years toiling in the sports hinterlands playing in what amounts to its class aa and aaa circuits he decided with his fathers advice to become a full time coach at kendall academy in ann arbor mich and a part time competitor
id always dreamed of my dad watching me in a major said wilkes krier who shot 78 72 and missed the cut by four and it was devastating to me when i stopped playing full time because i thought that would never happen i just wanted to make sure he knew i was enjoying it i just wanted to make sure that he knew i was having a blast and that a big reason i was having such a good time is that he was here with me
that moment on the range wilkes kriers father said was the mother of all early fathers day presents
golf is a gift fathers and mothers can give their sons and daughters and get back more than they could have imagined the process is its own reward each round a half day exercise in communicating and connecting it is sport as an antidote to the 140 character world and 40 hour or more workweek
rory mcilroy who inherited his love for the game from his father gerry secured his first major title on fathers day at the 2011 united states open at congressional country club his favorite memory from that day he said was walking up to the 18th green and spotting his father along the rope line beside the hole when their eyes met they communicated all that needed to be said about love and sacrifice and pride
at least i didnt have to worry about a fathers day present that year mcilroy joked adding didnt have to go and get a card or anything
golf can strengthen the parent child relationship but sometimes it distorts it jason days father taught him how to play the game but also to fear falling short of expectations day the world no 1 described his father alvyn who died when he was 11 as very abusive he said his father would hit him if he failed to reach the target score that was established before the round
it was brutal day said adding if he was alive still hed be the one thing that would be holding me back he was one of those guys that would be out here on the range every day hed have a lot of input into what i was doing whether it was good advice or bad advice it didnt matter id probably have to listen because he was very strict that way
day 28 insists that he will not raise his 3 year old son dash the same way in their relationship he joked the son is the one setting the target for the father
he always says to me before each tournament on sunday make sure you win because i want to kiss the trophy  day a three time winner in 2016 said laughing
his dynamic with his son is different from what he had with his father we discipline dash when we need to day said i understand that but i want to be one of those dads whos fun to hang out with im more of a kid myself when im hanging around dash
the days me and my best friend vibe comes across loud and dear in a video commercial made by days equipment sponsor taylormade the promotional spot coordinated to air around fathers day and casting dash in a starring role shows video clips of him hitting golf balls and running onto the green to get swept into his fathers arms
when i first saw the commercial especially at the end when he says i love you daddy i just started crying day said adding i replay it over and over and i cry every time
some kids have baby albums days son will have a video scrapbook of his childhood
its so neat day said hes going to have those memories to look back on were going to have that commercial forever and when hes my age hell be able to see when he was little he ran out on the greens when i won tournaments
a rich life is made of such memories thats what its all about day said
for phil mickelson the united states open and fatherhood are inexorably entwined in 1999 less than 24 hours after he recorded the first of his record six runner up finishes in the tournament his wife amy delivered the couples first child their daughter amanda brynn
from a swaddling infant his firstborn has grown into an independent young woman mickelson spoke with pride recently of a school sponsored trip she recently took to a remote mountain village in india to teach impoverished children i learn from her mickelson said i could go on and on about her
three years ago mickelson left merion site of the 2013 united states open to fly across the country to attend amandas eighth grade graduation in san diego returning a few hours before his first round tee time
on tuesday his middle child sophia isabel graduated from eighth grade and mickelson was there he flew home on monday after a practice session at oakmont and returned after the tuesday night ceremony he had a private jet at his disposal which no doubt made the commute more manageable but one got the feeling from listening to mickelson that he would have hitchhiked if that were what it took to be there for his daughter his third child evan samuel is two years younger than sophia
i think any parent would if they had a chance to be at their childs eighth grade graduation mickelson said i think thats a big milestone he added its just important for me to be there for that stuff
mickelson who turned 46 on thursday recognizes that traveling three time zones and back in 24 hours is not the ideal preparation for someone trying to complete a career grand slam with a victory here but such is the juggling act that is fatherhood
those are the differences that ill have where a lot of the young guys in their 20s dont really have to think about it yet said mickelson who missed the cut after the second round but its also brought me some of the greatest joy in my life
wilkes krier tried between eight and 10 times he said to qualify for the united states open he skipped the local qualifier last year because it coincided with the birth of his first child in his first attempt to qualify as a father he finally succeeded a coincidence wilkes krier thinks not
his wife whitney reminded him of a vow he made last year to their daughter azalea i picked her up and said next year on this day well be at the us open wilkes krier said with his eyes glistening he said its special


for the fourth time in less than two weeks the police department in oakland calif is answering to a different leader
the changes have come as the city deals with two investigations involving its officers a widening sex scandal and a series of racist text messages sent within the department
as the mayor of oakland i am here to run a police department not a frat house mayor libby schaaf said at a news conference on friday
the sex scandal unfurled after the suicide of one of the departments officers last fall an 18 year old woman has since alleged in several media reports that she had sex with that officer and several others from oakland and other police departments in the area including some while she was a minor
we continue to be disgusted and outraged by the idea that anyone could abuse an underage victim of sexual exploitation ms schaaf said in a statement on june 11
the police departments former chief sean whent resigned on june 9 mr whents resignation was a personal choice which we respect said ms schaaf who then named ben fairow the interim chief mr fairow had previously worked in the department and was serving as deputy chief for the bay area rapid transit
he lasted five days in the job
i have just received information that has caused me to lose confidence in ben fairows ability to lead the oakland police department at this particular moment in time the mayor said in a statement on wednesday announcing mr fairows departure she did not elaborate on specific reasons for her decision
the departments assistant chief paul figueroa was then named acting police chief that lasted two days mr figueroa said in a statement on friday that he was taking leave and would return to the department as a captain
i feel that this is an appropriate time to place civilian oversight over this police department and to send a very clear message about how serious we are about not tolerating misconduct unethical behavior and to root out what is clearly a toxic macho culture ms schaaf said in announcing that the city administrator sabrina landreth will oversee the department while a national search is conducted for a new chief
the handling of the sex scandal is being reviewed by oaklands district attorney and an independent investigator
the associated press reported that of the 14 oakland police officers involved in the sex scandal two have resigned and three others are on paid leave
ms schaaf said the investigation into racist text messages is not related to the sex scandal or the resignation of mr figueroa
we do think its relevant to share that the text messages were sent by african american officers the mayor said but they are wholly inappropriate and not acceptable from anyone who wears the badge of the oakland police department
neither the mayors office nor investigators have released the text messages to the public
the mayor would not say how many officers were involved with the text messages but said the investigation suggests that it is not as widespread as the sex scandal
i want to assure the citizens of oakland that we are hellbent on rooting out this disgusting culture ms schaaf said


dhaka bangladesh   a man suspected of being an islamist militant was killed in crossfire on saturday while in police custody a police chief said just days after he was accused of critically wounding a hindu college teacher in the latest in a series of attacks in bangladesh
the man ghulam faijullaha fahim 19 was shot when police officers took him with them to help capture his associates said sarwar hossain the police chief in madaripur 44 miles south of the capital dhaka
he was caught in crossfire that erupted after miscreants started shooting at the police mr hossain said he added that mr fahim had been pronounced dead on arrival at a hospital
the college teacher ripon chakraborty was attacked on wednesday by mr fahim and two other knife wielding assailants when mr chakraborty answered the doorbell at his home in madaripur according to the police account
mr fahim was caught by people who rushed to help the teacher and his family and he was handed over to the police he told them that members of the banned militant group hizb ut tahrir had planned the attack
militants have killed more than 30 people in bangladesh since early last year including atheist bloggers liberal academics gay rights campaigners foreign aid workers and members of minority muslim sects and other religious groups
the islamic state or groups linked to al qaeda have claimed responsibility for most of the killings but the government denies that either group has a presence in bangladesh a majority muslim country of about 160 million people
the police blame homegrown militants from groups like jamaat ul mujahedeen and the ansarullah bangla team
at least 11 people suspected of being militants have been killed in shootouts since november including five this month as the authorities step up a hunt for islamists to stop deadly attacks
more than 100000 islamic scholars and clerics on saturday issued an edict against militancy in the name of islam
also on saturday the police recovered a large cache of firearms and ammunition including 108 pistols and 1000 bullets from a canal on the outskirts of dhaka
more than 11000 people including 194 believed to be linked to militant networks were detained in a weeklong crackdown on islamists that ended on friday


oakmont pa   it is a compliment that stings the golf equivalent of being known for a winning personality over the last decade dustin johnson sergio garcia and lee westwood have taken turns wearing the best golfer never to have won a major label
they are a combined 0 for 170 in the majors but when the third round was suspended on saturday at the 116th united states open johnson garcia and westwood were still out on the oakmont country club course within glorys grasp at two under par three strokes off the lead held by the irishman shane lowry who had four holes to play
alone in second was andrew landry an american playing in his first major who was three under with five holes to go the leader in the clubhouse was branden grace a south african who posted a four under 66 for a 54 hole total of one under 209
of the six players in red figures none have won a major circling at one over was the world no 1 jason day who equaled graces 66 in the gloaming he was tied with the rookie bryson dechambeau who posted a 70 and with two players who did not finish daniel summerhays whose 65 in the second round equaled the low score of the week and the two time major winner zach johnson
day the reigning pga championship titleholder covered the first nine holes in four under 31 to whittle away at the nine stroke deficit he faced at the rounds start after opening with a 76 day a three time winner in 2016 has steadily if not stealthily climbed the leaderboard it is not hard to imagine his appearance on the first page of the leaderboard casting a discomfiting shadow over the players he is chasing
i feel like if i can just put my name on the scoreboard hopefully theyll start to slow down a little bit day said adding i was trying to push forward today
grace 28 was in contention down the stretch of last years united states open which jordan spieth won after dustin johnson three putted the 72nd hole finishing one stroke back grace followed his tie for fourth at chambers bay with a third at the pga championship the confidence he brings into the majors has been like a 15th club in his bag
i think you just kind of relax as you go into the weeks now said grace who shot 73 and 70 in the first two rounds this week you get out there and youre in the run especially in a major   theres no feeling like it honestly
day and grace expressed relief that they would not have to return to the course sunday at 7 am to finish their rounds but lowry who had four holes to play welcomed the chance to come back fresh after a quick nights rest
i was getting tired toward the end lowry said adding if i had to play another four holes it would have been quite difficult
lowry endured a difficult break in shooting his second round 70 he called a one stroke penalty on himself when his ball moved on the green after he addressed it he two putted from 30 feet making a clutch 8 footer that was for a bogey because of the penalty if he had missed that putt lowry said his week might have gone downhill faster than any ball landing above the holes on the oakmont greens
johnson is 31 westwood 43 and garcia 36 they all have short documentary length lowlight reels from the majors and they have a combined 49 top 10 finishes johnson who will turn 32 next week is two years younger than phil mickelson was when he won his first major and three years younger than ben hogan was when he did
earlier in the week mickelson who missed the cut explained what it is like to walk a major week in the shoes of a perennial contender
the more its discussed the more you start thinking about it mickelson said the challenge is really on friday and saturday nights when you have opportunities and you start putting that self imposed pressure because then you never play free you never play with a kind of a loose attitude where we all play our best
with 11 top 10 finishes in majors johnson is battle tested but also battle scarred ive been in the position before he said i know what to expect i know how to handle it so hopefully the ball falls my way tomorrow
johnson who made one bogey in the first two rounds had a double bogey and two bogeys in the first 10 holes of his third golf swing feels good he said so im happy where im at
day was asked if his status as a major winner would give him an advantage on sunday
if they want to go out there and they think theyre ready to win a major then its obviously going to be tougher he said referring to the players ahead of him because theyre going to be focused and ready
but so will day who said i think ive given myself an opportunity


one day after an unprecedented ruling that barred russias track and field team from the summer olympics olympic officials said saturday that they agreed with it ending any hope the team had of gaining entry into the rio games
on friday global track and field officials voted unanimously to keep russian track athletes from competing at the summer olympics because of a far reaching doping conspiracy
russian sports officials called the decision unjust and appealed to the international olympic committee the ultimate authority over the games to not only consider the impact that our athletes exclusion will have on their dreams and the people of russia but also that the olympics themselves will be diminished by their absence
but on saturday after olympic officials convened by phone to assess the decision the ioc said it welcomes and supports the ruling by the international association of athletics federations the governing body for track and field and commended the iaafs strong stance against doping
the eligibility of athletes in any international competition including the olympic games is a matter for the respective international federation the ioc said respecting the iaafs sovereignty over its sport
olympic officials plan to convene on tuesday in lausanne switzerland the home of the ioc to discuss more broadly who will be eligible to compete at the rio games which begin on aug 5
yuliya rusanova a former runner for russia and a whistle blower who fled the country and now lives in the united states has petitioned to compete in rio for a neutral team on friday the iaaf   noting that russian athletes who had lived outside russia and been subject to rigorous drug testing could be allowed to compete   recommended that the ioc look upon her case favorably
allegations of a government run doping program in russia have extended well beyond track and field athletes outside russia have agitated for investigations into the extent of the countrys doping emphasizing that time is of the essence as the games approach
the ioc said tuesdays summit would scrutinize countries whose national antidoping programs had been disciplined by the world anti doping agency the global regulator for doping in olympic sports which itself has come under scrutiny over its handling of allegations of corruption
after wada published a report in the fall accusing russia of state sponsored doping the agency decertified russias antidoping program and issued a flurry of other disciplinary decisions affecting countries including kenya mexico and spain
for a country to be declared noncompliant by wada in itself means little but depriving a nations antidoping operation of wadas endorsement is a powerful signal to the ioc and sports federations that can control a countrys participation in global competition
the ioc will initiate further far reaching measures the organization said saturday in order to ensure a level playing field for all the athletes taking part in the olympic games


already it is easy to think of david wright in the past tense his lockers at citi field with helmets of the giants and virginia tech hanging from hooks in the corner remain intact packages and notes pile up on his chair wright is a presence around the mets but a ghostly one again
this is some years now that hes been hurt when we play him and its weird not seeing david out there said atlantas jeff francoeur his former mets teammate he was kind of a staple from early when i was on the braves to when i was here to now the one guy thats been a constant is david
life is good for wright 33 his team is winning his wife is expecting their first child soon and his paychecks reflect his status as a seven time all star but at a time when wright should be enjoying this to the fullest he is far away recovering from surgery in california to repair a herniated disk in his neck
he might return by the end of the season but nobody expects it   certainly not francoeur who said emphatically that wrights season was over his timing as the mets defend their national league title is awful
hes probably saying why couldnt this be four years ago when we werent good ill skip 11 and 12  francoeur said but now coming from the world series theyve got a lot of hype talent pitching   its a tough time for him to get hurt its tough for the team
wrights injury is said not to be caused by his spinal stenosis yet it is related at least if only because it is all the same spinal cord insurance will cover the bulk of wrights contract which runs through 2020 at an average of 1725 million per season his 138 million package is the richest in team history
when wright signed it in december 2012 the mets had just finished their fourth of six losing seasons in a row they had traded a potential hall of famer carlos beltran in 2011 then they had let their first batting champion jose reyes leave in free agency they were working hard to trade r a dickey who had just won a cy young award
in time those decisions would turn out to be very wise but to sell them to the fans   and to lift morale around flushing   the mets needed wright to buy in to tie his future to theirs he was the forever met and happy to serve
he always believed in the process we were following and the manner in which we were building this team back into a contender and i will always appreciate that general manager sandy alderson said talking about his belief in the organization there was just immeasurable value in that he represented a means of continuity for this franchise
the mets needed wright to be their cornerstone at a low point in the history of the franchise they paid him very well but another team someday could have done the same wright wanted to stay and the mets though badly burned by previous long term deals made him the exception in their era of payroll discipline he was worth the risk
wrights singular value to the mets as a symbol of stability who could also produce still makes him a kind of exception his debilitating injuries will not make the mets more hesitant to give out long term deals because they already are
they read the yoenis cespedes market perfectly last winter bringing back a superstar at their price but cespedes could opt out after this season forcing the mets to extend his contract or lose him he turns 31 in october and is younger than yulieski gourriel the cuban third baseman and a newly declared free agent the mets have reached out to gourriel 32 indicating at least some level of interest but lucrative contracts for cuban defectors have uneven success rates and the mets will be cautious
maybe wright will recover from his neck injury as peyton manning and prince fielder did from theirs and produce at a high level again he did have a 350 on base percentage this season with seven homers in 37 games but the spinal stenosis is not going away his baseball future will always be a struggle his example a part of his leadership
he took pride in what he did and got himself ready every single night manager terry collins said if you want to be good do what he does i think thats where were at in our clubhouse these veteran players its not like theyve got to go hit homers but theyve got to show these young guys what its like to be a big leaguer in tough times
the mets bought that guidance when they re signed wright and named him captain finding that intangible again will not be easy but finding a productive replacement at third base should be most teams have told the mets they are not ready to deal but the market will expand after the all star break
expect the oakland athletics   who have a comfortable relationship with the mets and alderson their former architect   to dangle danny valencia and the versatile jed lowrie it stands to reason that the los angeles angels will make yunel escobar available like the milwaukee brewers with aaron hill and the san diego padres with yangervis solarte
barring a sudden strike for gourriel the mets will give a longer look to wilmer flores at third they also have a capable placeholder in kelly johnson alderson showed last season that he will be aggressive in maximizing the mets chances of winning before their rotation gets expensive
as they try wright will almost surely be a bystander his days as a durable dependable force are over but francouer his old friend is convinced wright has more to give this may not be the end
i think he just wants to get back and see what happens francouer said he at least deserves that to see where it goes


russia a perpetual powerhouse at the olympics sent more than 400 athletes to the last summer games in london in 2012 at the opening ceremony in rio de janeiro in seven weeks the countrys delegation may appear relatively meager during the parade of nations in maracana stadium
russias track and field team which won 18 medals in london has been barred from competing in rio a ruling by the sports governing body announced on friday that carries historical and political weight no such penalty had ever been levied in the history of the olympics and russian officials have claimed that interests beyond sports motivated the judgment against the countrys sports regime
for american tv viewers it may amount to little more than a minor subplot in nbcs telecast
if i were doing the opening ceremony id say something like while there isnt the cold war we grew up with clearly there has been friction between russia and the us and very often for the summer games said bob costas who will anchor nbcs broadcast but will not call the parade of nations
so while its not the same as it was when the us and the soviet union were going at it in the 1960s and 70s it does take something away costas said
the absence of the russian track and field team is unlikely to hurt nbcs prime time ratings for several reasons among them the likelihood that the removal of a major rival might help the united states win more medals
i cant see there being any impact said dick ebersol a former chairman of nbc sports anything that helps you win more medals is a help
mike weisman a former executive producer of nbc sports who ran the production of the 1988 summer games in seoul said it helps if a power like russia isnt there the united states will be in more finals and win more medals
weisman recalled that the soviet boycott of the 1984 summer olympics in los angeles helped raise the united states medal count
when we did 88 we used as a selling point that unlike 1984 when all the best athletes werent there this will be the best non boycotted olympics with all the great athletes weisman said but in events like gymnastics we didnt have a woman in the top 10 when we finished the gymnastics prelims we said watch the next few nights youll see the east germans the romanians and the russians   tell your friends and neighbors
in 1984 the united states medal count of 40 including 16 golds in track and field dwarfed the 11 won by the second place nation west germany four years later the united states and the soviet union tied with 26 medals in track and field
nbcs prime time olympic broadcasts are not overly dependent on track and field the first week is dominated heavily by gymnastics and swimming and diving before track and field takes over in the second week ebersol said nbc was ideally set up to thrive without the russian track and field team most of the american audience is hardly familiar with the top russian athletes despite the countrys historical success in track and field
you cant tell me that there are star russian athletes who are familiar to american viewers like valery brumel he said referring to the soviet high jumper who won a silver medal in the 1960 olympics and a gold four years later
in 2012 nbcs four highest rated nights of olympic competition from london featured gymnastics the top three featured the women and the fifth featured the mens 100 meter final but also included diving and gymnastics in beijing four years earlier gymnastics and swimming were also the featured events on four of the five highest rated nights the third ranked night included the mens 100 meters swimming and the womens marathon russia would not have had a medal contender in this years mens 100 meters
ebersol who was instrumental in the deal making that brought many olympics to nbc said the disciplinary action against the russian track and field team by the international association of athletics federations the sports governing body was as strong and complete a statement on doping and what will happen to you if you systematically cheat
this is great for all sport and anybody who wants a real step forward in clean competition ebersol said the iaaf was strong and clear and direct in interpreting longtime rules
brazilians meanwhile probably feel as if they cannot get a break
as south americas largest country prepares to host the summer games that nation of 200 million has been buffeted by an unending torrent of bad news
the oceanside host city is buckling under a surge in violent crime amid a national zika epidemic that has spooked athletes and spectators alike
investigators are looking into an enormous bribery scheme involving the construction of olympic venues and a wave that struck an elevated waterfront cycling lane in april sent two men tumbling to their deaths
when the games begin on aug 5 brazilians who tune in to the opening ceremony on television may be forced to toggle between olympic pageantry and the spectacle of their once popular president on trial
with the news that russias formidable track and field team had been barred from competing many brazilians could only shake their heads and hope for the best
its an honor to have the games in our country but im scared to death that brazil will be embarrassed during the olympic games said milton neves 65 a journalist at the rede bandeirantes television network brazil does not deserve to have the olympics
hosting a multibillion dollar international sports event is never an easy endeavor but ordinary brazilians veteran sports officials and foreign analysts agree on one thing as it prepares to host thousands of athletes and a half million spectators brazil is juggling a head spinning array of challenges
the country is enduring its most severe economic crisis in decades and an extensive corruption scandal involving the state run oil behemoth petrobras has ensnared many members of the political business elite the suspension last month of president dilma rousseff who faces impeachment over accusations that she manipulated the federal budget has largely paralyzed the government
i feel very anxious to have the olympics in our backyard said fernanda seiffert 38 a technology consultant from sao paulo who has bought tickets to the games people are quite disillusioned about brazil economically and politically so i dont know if we will see much patriotism from brazilian fans this is quite sad
on the streets of rios copacabana neighborhood there were few outward signs on friday that the worlds most hallowed sport competition was about to begin still many cariocas as the citys residents are called said they expected public enthusiasm to surge as the games drew nearer
the games will bring us more work i have hope said marilene margarida do nascimento 47 who gives massages on rios iconic copacabana beach
for many news that the russians have been barred for their nations role in a colossal doping conspiracy was viewed as a positive development
carlos garcia 35 an announcer for radio transamerica said the ban would send an important message to all olympic athletes that doping is unacceptable
sports competitions are full of good examples of overcoming obstacles he said examples like these make up the beautiful history of the olympic games anyone who does not respect the basic rules of fair play and sportsmanship does not meet the requirements to be part of this story


just days after the massacre at a gay nightclub in orlando and after a long primary campaign in which republican candidates often seemed preoccupied with war terrorism and related fears hillary clintons first ad of the general election strikes a gentler and more reassuring tone it seeks to reintroduce her to voters ostensibly by highlighting lesser known aspects of her work on behalf of families and children
the message titled always the minute long commercial begins with home movie footage of mrs clinton as a toddler teetering down steps with a grown ups help and waving to the camera with a toothy smile she would grow up to be one of the most recognizable women in the world a male narrator says over now familiar pictures of mrs clinton some alongside her husband but less well known are the causes that have been at the center of her life the ad cites her work helping get disabled kids out of the shadows and into their local schools bringing reform to some of the poorest schools in the nation working with republicans and democrats to enact the childrens health insurance program which today is covering eight million kids and as secretary of state working to end the trafficking of women and girls acknowledging ever so wispily that through the years there have been challenges setbacks the ad says one thing has never changed helping children has been a cause of her life and it always will be
the impact the ad is one of three mrs clinton began running on thursday in colorado florida iowa nevada new hampshire north carolina ohio and virginia she is following the playbook that president obama used in 2012 trying to define herself and with speeches attacking donald j trump define her opponent too even before they each officially claim their nominations
the takeaway what is said is important like the reference to mrs clintons bipartisan work in washington a strong signal as she goes up against the my way or the highway republican candidate mr trump but what is shown is what matters most photos and video clips serve to humanize mrs clinton as a motherly figure hugging young people crouching down with little children as a protector standing alongside military officers and as a hard worker toting piles of law books speaking out or descending from a government plane alone in the middle of the night
changing channels ...
mr trumps more insulting remarks about women have proved irresistible satire fodder for his republican opponents and for priorities usa the democratic super pac allied with mrs clinton now florida democrats are giving it a try but with a new happy days aesthetic the group has made four different ads with sepia tone titles faux film flicker and a singsong narrator who would sound at home on a furniture size tube television in the eisenhower administration each offers a different fathers day tip culled from mr trumps utterances no 4 be as uninvolved with your children as possible
of all the insults hurled at mr trump one seemed to get under his skin the most senator marco rubios suggestion that his hands were unusually small mr trumps response spawned a thousand memes and now even a super pac americans against insecure billionaires with tiny hands while joke political groups routinely file paperwork with the federal election commission this one actually cut and broadcast a 60 second ad in washington dc with actors demanding the release of mr trumps hand measurements as a doll size hand is shown struggling to manage everyday tasks   like pushing the nuclear button
43 days since the trump campaign ran its last television ad
17 million amount spent by priorities usa on mrs clintons behalf in the same time period
85 million amount spent by mrs clintons campaign in four days this week


rome   among the well heeled bureaucrats of the european union it is an article of faith that the bloc always emerges stronger from a crisis the idealistic founders who six decades ago dreamed of stitching warring nations into a peaceful whole knew the path would be bumpy but always the union wobbled forward
now the dream of an integrated and ever stronger europe could sink into the english channel on thursday when british voters decide whether to abandon the bloc to the pro europe establishment this latest crisis is considered a peculiarly british affair in which the villains are opportunistic politicians steering voters toward a delusional self inflicted mistake
that may be but if britain does leave the european union can also blame its own handling of the crises of the past decade   the tribulations of the euro the debt standoff with greece and a flawed approach to migration each time the bloc rammed through ugly short term fixes that only inflamed the angry nationalism now spreading across the continent and britain
the result was almost a decade of ad hoc crisis management that even many admirers agree has left the european union badly wounded and its reputation badly damaged idealism has given way to disillusionment the blocs elite technocrats are often perceived as out of touch while european institutions are not fully equipped to address problems like unemployment and economic stagnation political solidarity is dissolving into regional divisions of east and west north and south
the economic implications of a british exit the so called brexit are potentially staggering but many experts agree that regardless of how the british vote politics across europe must change the structure of the euro currency zone is still considered fragile the blocs german dominated economic policy has meant nearly a decade lost in much of debt ridden southern europe which is still struggling to recover from its economic crisis
we cannot continue with the status quo said enrico letta a former italian prime minister we have to move forward
politics in europe as in the united states have gotten ugly and mean far right anti immigration parties are gaining strength in poland hungary austria france and germany that same nasty tenor has infused the british campaign with hostility and xenophobia toward immigrants the killing on thursday of jo cox a member of parliament who had campaigned for remaining in the union shocked all of britain
it is not very easy being english at the moment said simon tilford deputy director of the center for european reform in london grim stuff
mr tilford falls into an interesting camp he has long been an outspoken critic of the european unions handling of its currency woes yet he strongly supports britains remaining in the bloc the benefits far outweigh the disadvantages he argues even as he realizes that policy failures by the european union have helped legitimize the arguments of some who want to leave
it has made it easier for them to portray the eu as a failure he said lots of people have become euroskeptics in britain because they are so angry at what has happened in the eurozone in recent years
during the 1990s britain was already a member of the european union and was considering whether to drop its currency the pound and join the zone of countries adopting the blocs new currency the euro today 19 of the 28 countries in the european union share the euro
but a crisis in the financial markets in 1992 effectively settled the matter as britain decided not to join other countries changing to the euro
those skeptical of using a common currency to drive closer integration in europe have always argued that joining the euro system would limit policy flexibility such as the ability to devalue the national currency during economic downturns or use deficit spending to encourage growth and they said problems would inevitably arise because of the stark economic differences among the countries sharing the currency
each proved true the economic crisis in 2007 2008 plunged the bloc into a cycle of crises from which it still has not recovered the disparities among eurozone countries were exposed and to save the currency northern countries led by germany bailed out their desperate southern counterparts
the eurozone became divided between debtors and creditors rather than equal partners
the german led solution of austerity economics inflicted heavy punishment on countries like greece and britain outside the euro recovered more quickly from the 2008 crisis than did most members of the currency group
the politics also shifted germany the blocs economic powerhouse steadily accrued more political power inside european union institutions resentment gradually followed especially in greece the weakest and most indebted member of the eurozone
populist anger erupted in january 2015 when greek voters swept aside the countrys political establishment and elected as prime minister a radical leftist alexis tsipras
mr tsipras promised to end austerity write down greek debt and change europe by leading a clash of ideas against the german led consensus
it was political theater and the greeks would badly misplay their hand but what followed was a clash of cultures not ideas union officials refused to budge on greeces debt obligations and after months of negotiation and brinkmanship greece nearly collapsed into bankruptcy before acceding to demands from brussels
the greek standoff was a demonstration not just of european union power politics but also of the blocs penchant for muddling through the bloc agreed on a new bailout package for greece that most analysts regard as a stopgap solution greeces debt is now higher than before and analysts warn that another euro crisis could still occur
there is a lot of criticism of the german way of handling the eurozone said daniela schwarzer the director of the europe program for the german marshall fund in berlin that bleeds into the perception that the european union is not functioning properly
it is this perceived ineffectiveness of mainstream political parties at the european and national levels that has emboldened populist or anti establishment parties from the left and the right
last year far right parties seized on the migration crisis   with its images of hundreds of thousands of refugees pouring through europe   to provoke public anxiety led by hungary some countries began erecting fences to block migrants despite the european union system of open borders
european leaders struggled to mount a coherent response and chancellor angela merkels popularity plummeted after she opened germany to syrian refugees she has since tightened restrictions and championed a controversial deal with turkey that has sharply reduced the migrant flow into the continent
in the british referendum anti immigrant forces have sought to drive support for the campaign to leave the union by depicting the continent as being under invasion from migrants
a campaign poster unveiled last week by nigel farage the uk independence party leader showed a parade of brown skinned migrants it was pilloried as blatant xenophobia but it is little different from the propaganda of far right politicians in hungary or poland
should it remain in the bloc britain could emerge as a powerful force with more clout to force the changes that most analysts believe are necessary
even among top officials there is a growing recognition that europes political mainstream has misjudged the public appetite for rapid european integration
the specter of a breakup is haunting europe warned donald tusk the president of the european council which comprises the heads of state of the blocs members we need to understand the necessity of the historical moment
it is easy to forget that the european union is an audacious political experiment to wash away the antagonisms of world war ii and build a new europe unity required putting aside the ancient rivalry between france and germany and binding together countries with different languages cultures and economies
generations growing up between the 1980s and the 2000s saw how an expanding europe brought tangible benefits   borderless travel job and educational mobility within the bloc rising prosperity poorly governed countries came under pressure from brussels to improve but as the bloc expanded decision making also became more unwieldy frictions inevitably arose and old resentments between member states were never fully scrubbed away tensions also increased between european institutions and national governments over sovereignty
this has meant little political space for the deep reforms   and possible further integration of political powers   that some advocates say are needed in brussels many analysts say that even if britain remains in the bloc the likelihood of the unions undertaking significant political reforms is slim until after the national elections in france and germany in 2017 doing something bold in brussels before then could spur an electoral backlash
so the european union will wait to see what britain does and then possibly wait some more
what has happened to you the europe of humanism the champion of human rights democracy and freedom pope francis asked last month during his acceptance speech for the charlemagne prize awarded for service toward european unification
he added what has happened to you europe the mother of peoples and nations the mother of great men and women who upheld and even sacrificed their lives for the dignity of their brothers and sisters


size still matters when it comes packaged in an unmatched amalgam of skill strength speed and smarts while garnished with the hustle of a fringe veteran treating every last play as if his next paycheck depended on it
in an era of ball dominating point guards and vanishing post players lebron jamess pursuit of stephen curry on thursday night late in the fourth quarter of a game the cleveland cavaliers were already leading by 13 was an exclamation point to the convincing argument that james had already made about who remains the nbas premier impact player
james blocked currys shot from behind and then got all mouthy about that and the rest of his concerto as the cavaliers bullied the golden state warriors sending the nba finals back to oakland calif for sundays game 7 a television ratings bonanza
what had james said to curry bearer of the leagues last two most valuable player awards we know that james believes he deserved
james dodged the question like a politician in a televised debate curry asked what did he say and then recalled the message as nothing
how we revel in the spontaneous collisions of the games very best larry bird once trash talked julius erving into a boston garden flurry of stiff right hand jabs michael jordan and magic johnson had a memorable if more lighthearted exchange in monte carlo before the 1992 summer olympics in barcelona spain after johnson complained about a foul call during a dream team scrimmage
this may as well be chicago stadium he whined referring to the bulls now long demolished arena
to which jordan deadpanned no magic its the 90s
jordans time he meant and that too was the essence of jamess uncharacteristic gloat he made his league debut as an 18 year old in 2003 and was here at 31 to tell curry that the 21st centurys second decade   awards and even championships notwithstanding   remains for the sake of individual eminence the court of the akron ohio king
going home where they have lost four games all season curry and the warriors still sit poised if not as pretty to win a second straight title but the playoffs are a war of attrition and james 6 feet 8 inches and 250 pounds of evolutionary and seemingly indestructible athlete has grown stronger more resolute as the warriors have weakened after leading by three games to one
andre iguodala the long armed defender who stood up nobly to james in last years finals and earlier this series is struggling with back spasms harrison barnes has crashed into a psychological wall and cant hit a shot andrew bogut the lane clogging center injured in game 5 is gone
curry and his skinny bones seem held together by clips and glue after a grueling and injury marred postseason even his trademark calm and body tranquillity surrendered to frustration and fury after he fouled out while trying to poke the ball from james
not for the first time in the series curry flung his mouthpiece which hit a front row fan earning him his first nba ejection he apologized to the fan but it is time finally for him and the rest of the league to hear from commissioner adam silver
gerald wallace now out of the league popularized the unsightly and unsanitary dangling fad the use of the mouthpiece as a projectile gives silver the perfect excuse to issue an edict to keep it unseen where it belongs
james meanwhile mouthed his piece with a second straight 41 point game to go along with 11 assists 4 steals and 3 blocked shots from late in the third quarter to the seven minute mark of the fourth he scored 18 straight cleveland points
remember jamess grudging response in may to currys unanimous selection as mvp before the finals james said he should have kept his mouth shut praised curry as supremely deserving
james was right though if not politically correct context is key curry has ridden a wave of popularity as an astonishingly entertaining and record shattering long distance shotmaker on a defending champion team that won a record 73 games
but this series has been an unambiguous reiteration that james when assertive has no peer in the variety of ways he can defeat you
i do whatever it takes he said matter of factly after proving it statistically and otherwise including what to date is the series pivotal moment   james stepping over draymond green near the end of game 4
saying in effect to the impassioned warrior who was one transgression from suspension hey draymond care to check out my groin
this cleveland team is far better than the one james dragged to the 2007 finals to be swept by the san antonio spurs and much healthier than last years edition which lost to the warriors in six games
it is also no powerhouse kyrie irving has been the offensive stress reliever for james since game 3 tristan thompson has vacuumed offensive rebounds richard jefferson has been a role playing revelation
but j r smith remains an enigmatic ex knick channing frye cant guard the pick and roll and kevin love attests to jamess principal flaw as a de facto front office executive who lobbied for a misguided trade
if cleveland is to celebrate its first major professional sports title since 1964 and the cavaliers are to become the first team to win an nba title after trailing by three games to one james will most likely need one more virtuoso performance to earn the signature achievement of his already storied career
win this title and those murals in cleveland of james with his arms raised high will stay forever whether he   with free agency possible this summer or next   does or not
in winning six titles in eight years jordan never had to play in a seventh game of the finals he also never had to overcome the odds james was facing after game 4 against the most credentialed regular season team in league history
on the golden state side curry has become a little too well cavalier he needs to clean up and energize his game to make sure as the warriors point guard that klay thompson especially gets the opportunities to make shots early and often that james has allowed irving
the affirmation of a legacy awaits sunday nights winner for curry and the warriors no one will care about how shaken they were in games 5 and 6 if they complete   or authenticate   their 73 victory season
for james and the cavs it would be title deliverance to northeast ohio at last jamess repudiation of thomas wolfes contention that you cant go home again
on second thought he has dutifully done that already perhaps the most compelling and perhaps the biggest game of his life   though he did win a game 7 in miami over the spurs three years ago   will be played on the road
i cant wait he said thursday night his eyes and expression convincing all that he was ready to chase curry across the country the way he ran him down late in the fourth quarter of game 6


in an address after the orlando massacre punctuated with dire warnings of impending violence donald j trump said he would suspend immigration from areas of the world when there is a proven history of terrorism against the united states or its allies mr trump promised fixes to the immigration system that would be tough and smart and fast
it sounded much like his provocative proposal to keep muslims from entering the country but those listening closely noticed an important change by proposing to bar people from certain regions rather than religions mr trump had avoided the sticky issue of testing someones faith
mr trumps plan lawyers and legal scholars agree is one that the president has the power to carry out
but they said that putting it in place would take an ambitious bureaucratic effort not likely to move nearly as quickly as the candidate envisions and it would make sweeping use of executive authority to enact the sharpest restrictions on immigration since 1965 when the united states abandoned longstanding quotas designed to exclude people from much of asia and from southern and eastern europe
executive authority over immigration is very broad said bo cooper a lawyer who served as general counsel to the federal immigration agency from 1999 to 2003 but mr trumps proposal he said goes far beyond whats been done with that authority in the past the leap in scale is orders of magnitude
the presumptive republican nominee did not name which countries would be covered by his ban but they could include vast sections of the middle east northern and sub saharan africa and asia islamic terrorists have operated in at least 17 nations in recent years and citizens of those countries received more than 14 million visas to come to the united states in 2014 including green cards for immigrants settling here permanently and temporary visas for workers students and visitors
by mr trumps definition a ban could include countries like iraq saudi arabia and egypt souring relations with governments that are working closely with the united states to combat the jihadist terrorists he aims to defeat
immigration analysts said a far reaching ban even if temporary could prompt a wave of retaliation against american citizens traveling and living abroad which could separate families and disrupt american businesses trade and intelligence gathering
together with his plans for a wall along the border with mexico and a pause in legal immigration by foreign workers mr trumps antiterrorism suspension would alter the welcoming message the united states has long sought to project to the world symbolized by the statue of liberty in new york harbor that mr trump and many of his supporters believe may be a change long overdue
we cannot continue to allow thousands upon thousands of people to pour into our country many of whom have the same thought process as this savage killer he said in his speech monday after the killing of 49 people at a gay nightclub in orlando by a gunman who pledged allegiance to the islamic state
although the gunman omar mateen was a 29 year old american who was born and raised in the united states mr trump focused his ire on mr mateens parents who came here from afghanistan more than three decades ago
as with some of mr trumps other proposals it was unclear to what extent the ban was an election year promise as opposed to a considered strategy but in contrast with his usual ad lib style of speaking he read from a prepared text quoting from the actual immigration statute he would be using
still he provided few details on how it would work the ban would be lifted mr trump said when we understand how to end these threats the trump campaign declined to elaborate
senator jeff sessions of alabama a republican hard liner on immigration who has advised mr trump on the issue said the proposal was a statement of purpose that would be filled in with details in coming months
he has been very clear and very strong that we need to pause until we have time to figure out this violent jihadist thing and get it under control mr sessions said
mr trumps ban would rely on a law that allows the president by proclamation to restrict the entry of any immigrants who would be detrimental to the interests of the united states
the ban would probably not drastically reduce the overall flow of immigrants to the united states of 12 million immigrants who came here to live in 2013 for example one third were from just three countries none of which are likely to be suspended china india and mexico
but identifying areas to include in a ban and persuading washington to accept that definition would be the first steps that would slow down mr trump
it takes time to turn the government around to do things and nothing is going to happen quickly that easily said theresa cardinal brown the director of immigration policy at the bipartisan policy center a research organization in washington and a former senior policy official at the department of homeland security although the president has the power to set the broad course of immigration policy she noted congress would have to approve funds for the initiative and some pieces could require new rules and a long period of public comment
once a ban is in place its impact would be harsh for countries on the list their citizens require visas any time they enter the united states even for short trips so their businesspeople could not come for meetings students could not attend american universities and tourists could not come to see the sights foreign spouses of american citizens could not come to live with their families
it could include everyone from the king of saudi arabia to a college student said muzaffar chishti a director at the migration policy institute a nonpartisan research group
whatever the range of a ban the united states could expect swift reciprocal responses
i can see severe adverse political fallout said stephen yale loehr an immigration law professor at cornell countries could retaliate by limiting travel by us citizens and it would certainly harm our standing in terms of international initiatives negotiating trade deals and stopping wars
daniel tichenor a political science professor at the university of oregon who studies american immigration history said a precedent close to mr trumps regional ban was the near complete ban on immigration from asia during the first half of the 20th century racial and national security fears during world war i led congress to establish an asiatic barred zone starting in 1917 acting on the belief that chinese japanese and other asian immigrants could not assimilate into american society
in the 1920s congress also limited immigration from southern and eastern european countries including italy greece and poland on the theory that their citizens were inferior to western europeans and could import subversive socialist ideas because of the restrictions during world war ii many jews and others fleeing hitler were blocked from coming to the united states congress eliminated the national origin quotas when it overhauled immigration in 1965
it is not uncommon in our past for national security anxieties to be exploited by those who favor strong immigration restrictions even before a real national crisis prof tichenor said but he said trump really stands out
for a time after the sept 11 2001 terrorist attacks people from predominantly muslim countries arriving in the united states were fingerprinted and questioned for a special registration and immigrants from those countries already living here had to register as well about 13000 of those immigrants were deported mostly for overstaying visas but there was no effort to ban entire countries or regions
mr trump said an antiterror suspension would be lifted after a full impartial and long overdue security assessment to create tougher screening and determine that the threat from muslim terrorists had diminished
mr cooper the former general counsel for the immigration agency said such a suspension would probably not be temporary
i promise you any security expert is going to say the threat is not going to end in our lifetimes mr cooper said that is an ending point you probably never reach


orlando fla   the brother of the bride arrived late for her reception but soon enough he was mingling at the lakeside pavilion in west palm beach where a diverse gathering of guests dined on chicken tikka masala and goat biryani while admiring the view of the intracoastal waterway just beyond the floor to ceiling windows
then came the moment to join in a traditional afghan dance called the attan in which dancers form a circle and are led through a series of synchronized turns and moves if well executed the attan can create an almost trancelike sense of oneness
but here was the brides brother   stocky bespectacled omar mateen   dancing in the group and yet dancing apart clumsy out of sync his head mostly down the man dressed in black was following his own rhythm
four months after this celebration of life in february the awkward man in black caused wholesale death chuckling and declaring allegiance to the islamic state he opened fire at a gay and latino nightclub here leaving 49 people dead and wounding 53 others before he was killed by the police to end a protracted standoff
the massacre at the pulse nightclub early last sunday stands as the deadliest mass shooting by one person in united states history
rising amid the international grief is the aching and obvious question of why but the short life of mr mateen who was 29 provides no easy road map to motivation
he had shown occasional flashes of interest in radical islam enough to be investigated twice by the fbi in recent years for possible extremist ties
but his professed embrace of the islamic state and its call for disaffected muslims to attack the west seem to have come suddenly as if something snapped and while some reports have suggested that he was gay federal officials say they have found no evidence in his effects or online presence to back them up
instead the recollections of those who knew or encountered him conjure a man who could be charming even laid back yet who also seemed forever aggrieved forever not at peace forever out of step a chubby kid making inappropriate jokes about 911 in the fresh wake of that catastrophe a leering misogynist whose pursuits could rattle women an off putting employee who spoke casually of killing those who offended him the security guard and wannabe cop whose scattershot anger made others feel unsafe
he was just agitated about everything daniel gilroy a former co worker in the security business recalled always shaken always agitated always mad
omar mateen was that chunky kid with glasses remembered more for his scrapes with other classmates than for his academic performance early on the same schoolboy who could wear a broad smile and a power rangers t shirt in his school portrait could also engage in much talk about violence  sex according to a school assessment
a first generation american he was born in new york citys melting pot borough of queens in 1986 and moved about four years later with his afghan parents to port st lucie in florida where he was quickly enrolled in an english for speakers of other languages program
his father seddique mateen a refugee who became a naturalized american citizen was a financial broker whose savvy investments allowed for a comfortable home appointed with tasteful furniture and expensive silk rugs his wife shahla stayed mostly in the background while he set a tone of cultural conservatism especially when it came to his three other children all accomplished women the son though enjoyed male privilege
the family assimilated but as the united states became mired in the protracted war in afghanistan the elder mr mateen became torn between his native and adopted homes over the years he would become more politically active to a point of apparent delusion posting videos for example of himself in military uniform pretending to be afghanistans president
for his children family friends say this meant navigating a fractured world in which their afghan roots and muslim faith could lead to divisiveness and ostracism two friends say that the mateen children feared any perceived link to islamic extremism and so began saying simply that they were persian
omar mateen was a disciplinary challenge in school unafraid to push buttons constantly moving verbally abusive rude aggressive that school assessment noted in the third grade his rendition of the school song at mariposa elementary replaced mariposa mariposa with marijuana marijuana
the boy was formally disciplined more than 30 times in elementary and middle schools as he pursued attention and occasional conflict rather than his studies his father would later say that young omar preferred drawing pictures in class to listening which seems borne out by an assessment one of his teachers wrote at the time
unfortunately omar had great difficulty focusing on his classwork since he often seeks the attention of his classmates through some sort of noise disruption or distraction
so was omar mateen betraying his latent extremist sympathies   or was he just being tone deaf   when at 14 he shocked other students on his school bus by imitating an exploding plane so soon after the sept 11 attacks
he got on walked up the first couple of steps held his arms out and made sounds like a motor and then made an explosion sound   and slipped into his seat robert zirkle another student on the bus remembered he did this three or four times and was clearly not in the mood or the same state of mind that we were in he seemed excited
his unsettling pantomimes ended when others told him there would be problems if he continued
omar cycled through three high schools collecting a string of suspensions   for fighting and other infractions   along the way in one case a charge of battery was adjudicated and a charge of disturbing school function was dropped he later wrote to a potential employer this was an experience of me growing up and i learned a big lesson from it
martin bielicki a former dean of students at martin county high school remembered in an email that this student had issues with other students in particular and always would argue back and even defend himself
i remember omar as a 14 year old boy mr bielicki wrote i look at that yearbook picture of him and it brings back memories of an innocent and likable young man
omar matured with time he took up soccer and skateboarding became infatuated with weight lifting and shed the flabbiness that had become a source of ridicule
he became so muscular that a friend sean chagani once asked him whether he was taking steroids recalled mr chagani he kind of smirked and asked can you tell
the mateen boy was more awkward than most teenagers he recalled but the two managed to find common ground they played basketball competed in video games and swam in the chagani familys pool
i had plenty of friends growing up that i would consider kind of odd and he was one of them mr chagani said but certainly not aggressive violent homophobic etc
omar secured after school jobs here and there including at a publix grocery store and improved so strikingly in the classroom that he graduated from stuart adult community high school in april 2003 in the top half of his class   at the age of 16
he moved from one low level job to the next a cashier and cook at a chick fil a a cashier at a walgreens a cashier at a nutrition world a floor watcher at a golds gym a sales clerk at a gnc vitamin and supplement store all the while though he was attending a community college working toward an associate degree in criminal justice technology
his passion it seems was in law enforcement omar mateen saw himself in uniform buff and armed
in may 2005 the 18 year old requested to go on a ride along with a st lucie county deputy sheriff but the ride that took place after he passed a background check now seems enveloped in an air of foreboding the deputy sheriffs car crashed and the teenager was taken to a hospital to be checked out
after earning his degree mr mateen applied for an officers job with the florida department of corrections bolstering his application with an impressive letter of recommendation from officer steven j brown of the port st lucie police i would sleep soundly at night knowing that a person like omar is protecting us
the young mans dream was conditionally realized when he was sworn in as a corrections department employee and assigned as a trainee to the martin correctional institution in indiantown not far from where he grew up four months in he seemed on his way to a career in law enforcement having received an evaluation of meeting expectations   of having the makings of one day becoming a good correctional officer
but six months in mr mateen was fired the unsettling reasons were revealed in documents released by the department of corrections on friday
an officer reported in a memorandum that during training mr mateen had laughingly asked him if he was to bring a gun to school would i tell anybody he posed his question on april 14 2007 two days before a student named seung hui cho shot and killed 32 people and wounded 17 others on the campus of virginia tech
mr mateens joke if that is what it was coupled with his penchant for sleeping in class and being absent without permission prompted the warden powell h skipper to recommend his termination
in light of recent tragic events at virginia tech officer mateens inquiry about bringing a weapon to class is at best extremely disturbing mr skipper wrote at the time
denied the right to wear one uniform mr mateen soon dressed in another   that of a security guard he completed a training course passed a background check and began working for a security firm called g4s at one point perhaps as part of a g4s contract he was working as an intake officer at a florida juvenile assessment center at another point he was providing security after the bp oil spill in the gulf of mexico in april 2010 during which an undercover documentarian recorded a few of his cynical observations
no one gives a shit here like everyone is just out to get paid he is recorded as saying theyre like hoping for more oil to come out and more people to complain so theyll have the jobs because once people get laid off here its going to suck for them they want more disaster to happen because thats where their moneymaking is
life continued he had connected online with a young woman named sitora yusufiy an immigrant from uzbekistan who initially found him to be a nice funny man who treated his family well and had aspirations of becoming a police officer he was religious   he made at least two islamic pilgrimages to saudi arabia   but he never expressed sympathy for radical islamists or terrorists she said and yes he could be homophobic
soon after their marriage in april 2009 ms yusufiy said he began beating her and isolating her in their florida home with the help of her parents in new jersey she fled within the year
the next year he was married again to a woman he met online this time to noor salman in rodeo calif though he cultivated the persona of a man with a wandering eye
mr mateen used a dating website to seek a relationship with a woman in fort pierce he churned through usernames   makeitlovelylol among them   and lied about his age according to the woman who requested anonymity but who provided photos that she had saved from his dating profile
at one point she said mr mateens pursuit veered toward stalking he began messaging her to say he was nearby he knew the color of her car and the general location of her place of employment
other hints of a disturbed mind continued to emerge in 2013 g4s removed mr mateen from his security post at the st lucie county courthouse after he had made inflammatory comments about being involved somehow in terrorism though far fetched and even contradictory   he claimed connections to al qaeda the sunni extremist group and ties to its near opposite the shiite hezbollah   his comments were troubling enough for the county sheriffs office to notify the federal bureau of investigation
the bureaus subsequent inquiry was inconclusive
the next year mr mateen again attracted federal scrutiny after an acquaintance from his mosque the islamic center of fort pierce carried out a suicide bombing in syria according to fbi director james b comey federal investigators concluded that mr mateen knew the bomber only casually
the mosques imam syed shafeeq rahman insisted that mr mateen had never heard teachings at the mosque that would have radicalized him there is nothing that he is hearing from me to do killing to do bloodshed to do anything because we never talk like that the imam said
by the end of 2014 mr mateen   the bodybuilder who had once imagined a respected future in law enforcement   was working the guards booth at the entrance to pga village a golf resort community in port st lucie but even in this low pressure position he managed to unnerve and upset especially when he seemed to think that he had been disrespected
heath holtzclaw who worked security at pga village a few years ago has not forgotten how enraged mr mateen became when he thought someone had given him an attitude you could tell he wanted to say something to whoever he felt had slighted him but he never did mr holtzclaw said he just slammed things around
mr mateen would make people wait at the gate sometimes causing delays if he felt he had been disrespected or if it was time for him to do his prayers
jasmine kalenuik a frequent visitor to pga village came to dread encountering the guard at the gate   who she said acted like a straight up predator
when i would go to grab my id from his hand he would cling to it and try to pull it back ms kalenuik 31 recalled he would hover over my car window and lean way in while breathing heavy on me with his teeth so clenched that you could see his jaw muscles sticking out
ms kalenuiks husband jerry recently confronted the security guard nearly nose to nose but mr mateen betrayed no emotion during the angry encounter
it was like i was staring into the eyes of ted bundy mr kalenuik 27 said i was irate but he seemed completely detached
after that he said mr mateen would grant him and his wife a curt nod as they passed through the checkpoint but never looked them in the eye
finally it seems rage consumed the man over what   infidels gays societys failure to grant him proper deference all of it   remains unclear
his father has suggested that mr mateen was incensed by the sight of two men kissing in front of his young son whose bedroom was chock full with all things disney all things america a spider man helmet and bicycle a star wars backpack star wars drapes a chair in the likeness of tow mater from cars and not one but three mickey mouses
earlier this month legally and with little wait the man rejected by law enforcement purchased a glock 9mm handgun and a sig sauer mcx military style rifle
then early last sunday morning he carried his recent purchases into the pulse nightclub where hundreds of people were drinking and dancing and celebrating life the way families do at weddings and following his own rhythm he began to shoot


to the editor
we read with disappointment your article when a board has more women on it the boss may make even more money gretchen morgenson fair game may 29
while ms morgenson does acknowledge that the analysis of the equilar fact base doesnt necessarily prove cause and effect we found the interpretation to be unsupported conjecture with a surprisingly negative bias toward women on boards suggesting that women on public company boards are voting for ceo pay packages to fit in with their board colleagues does not take into account findings by catalyst credit suisse and mckinsey  company that when women are on boards companies deliver better long term results this might explain the higher ceo compensation
a more insightful article might have dug deeper into why only eight of the 100 companies cited by equilar are led by women or why united states public companies remain slow to add female directors in meaningful numbers or how few nominating and governance committees are led by women
nora aufreiter toronto
lynn dorsey bleil park city utah
suzanne nimocks houston
stacey rauch short hills nj may 31
the writers are all retired senior partners from mckinsey  company and all serve on united states public company boards
the overinflated fear of being priced out of housing the upshot economic view june 12 robert j shiller of yale examined the steep price increases found in some cities
the article drew 115 comments to nytimescom the following have been edited and condensed
at the same time employment growth has been relatively tepid in cities like boston cleveland and new york and so have home price increases a condo in my boston neighborhood sold for 250000 in 2005 today the price is 400000 if thats relatively tepid growth id hate to see it heat up
wrenhunter boston
housing price increases have been tepid in new york city
ever been to brooklyn
rebeccatouger new york


back in 2007 during a weekly check in my wifes manager delivered some unexpected good news you dont have to be in the office to do this job she said you could work from wherever you want a fast six months later we left hot crowded austin tex and moved into an apartment on munjoy hill in portland me with a commanding view of casco bay only steps away
my wife managed a geographically dispersed web services team and i worked as a researcher at a think tank in washington the separate rooms where we worked seemed like extensions of offices elsewhere not places in our house i had to laugh when i overheard our new downstairs neighbors refer to us as trust funders because they never saw us leave the house to go to work
we did not know many people and accepted any invitation we received which is how we ended up at a barbecue given for a candidate for governor in a suburban backyard that was when i fully realized that i belonged to a nascent class of worker that no one knew much about
the candidate raising campaign funds was a hard working lawyer who seemed genuinely well meaning but no one had told him that his economic platform of protecting manufacturing jobs and maines traditional industries wasnt going to fly with an audience of health care professionals programmers web designers and researchers with plates of potato salad in our hands we muttered to each other that this guy didnt have a place in his platform for people like us many of whom worked for employers in other states our checkbooks stayed in our pockets
i became convinced that workers like us needed to form a community so i reached out to a local nonprofit creative portland which among other activities sponsors networking events for entrepreneurs artists and other creative types the staff members there said they were meeting and hearing about more and more people who had moved to portland but were keeping their jobs in boston new york and washington creative portland wanted to find a way to support these types of workers
but first what to call these workers we were dissatisfied with the choices currently available
one term given to people who work at home is remote worker early on my wife wondered why such a headquarters centric label was being used given that her company had multiple offices in different states and employees who lived in a variety of locations
telecommuter another frequent label has such a dial up era feel with people now communicating not only by email but also via skype slack and other channels it hardly encompasses the capabilities that workers now have in the home
another term is virtual work as if the work is somehow less tangible than what people do in traditional offices but the work that we do is just as exhilarating and boring as any other sort of work
so why use adjectives suggesting that employees are less available less capable or less real   in fact just plain lesser yes my wife and i work differently from someone who commutes to a headquarters but we make just as much of a contribution
it was at the first face to face meeting my wife and i had with creative portland representatives we had been communicating by facebook that a new label came to me we work in place
this phrase builds off other well known phrases like shelter in place or aging in place which everybody understands as doing whatever youre doing where you are its worker centric not office centric less literally it refers to work undertaken according to where you are in your life caring for aging parents raising a young family supporting a partner healing after an illness in all the circumstances the work is work you dont have to qualify it it doesnt diminish the work or the person doing it
the collaboration with creative portland has resulted in a new nonprofit effort work in place theres an economic research project underway with the university of southern maine some panel discussions and networking events as well as planning for a national summit on how to harness the changes that work in place will bring to organizations families cities and regions
as an example of the changes that are needed consider a 2013 economic productivity report for maine the report is based on calculations that dont include workers whose employers are based in other states say that i want to persuade my state legislators or candidates for governor that the state should shift its economic development policy from recruiting companies through tax incentives which often end up as a net loss for the state to recruiting households like mine we bring talent and income we pay taxes we want to contribute to our communities yet theres little data to make the argument that we have a sizable economic impact worth encouraging
my wife and i still work out of our home in south portland im a writer and shes a digital strategist for a software company a time will come when our children   a kindergartner and a new baby   will ask us for career advice we hope to be able to say something optimistic and realistic you can be whatever you want and you can work wherever you want


as you read this episode dear readers keep in mind the haggler does not set out to annoy anyone he does not hope that people will shout at him honest
q my husband ordered a pet door from a company in california called sureguard he paid 419 plus 45 for ups shipping the door arrived damaged in a damaged box we called sureguard and a representative there told us to call ups the box was picked up and presumably sent back to sureguard
sureguard said it never arrived ups said it had reached a resolution with the company which it would not discuss at one point a guy at sureguard said he would just take the loss and credit our paypal account but that was months ago and he never did now he wont return calls or emails i have been trying to get my money back or a pet door for more than a year
can you help
joy cohen new orleans
a the haggler left a few messages for sureguard which is in rancho dominguez calif three days later a man named jason said he would be happy to take care of ms cohens issue though he hastened to add that sureguard was not the company that manufactured the door
hmm maybe the haggler should talk to the owners of the doggy door factory
we know the people who run the company jason said amiably theyre actually friends of ours
the haggler has never obtained a refund for a consumer from a company other than the one that made the product so he asked for clarifications
were sureguard jason explained theyre a doggy door factory
ok what is the name of this company
there was a brief pause
doggy door factory
perfect name and where is the company located
whittier he said we work hand in hand with them they work right by our factory next door
got it so who owns doggy door factory
there was a rustling sound as though someone had grabbed the phone a different voice came on by different the haggler means angry very angry actually
do you want a doggy door or not the man yelled
the haggler was momentarily taken aback by the change of tone he explained that he was calling on someone elses behalf and didnt have a dog let alone the need for a dog size door he then explained that he was simply trying to figure out the relationship between sureguard and doggy door factory
doesnt matter the relationship the yelling man yelled does this woman want a doggy door or not
the haggler said he would inquire he wanted to ask this mans name but didnt get the chance
why didnt she do a chargeback a year ago angry guy said makes no sense if she wants to go down this road she doesnt have a leg to stand on
the haggler was still trying to make sense of the conversation what road as he did he suggested that the angry guys tone was surprisingly truculent
well youre asking questions that are stupid he retorted you bought a doggy door from doggy door factory its like you calling me and asking me about baskin robbins do you want a doggy door or do you want to buy ice cream
this analogy surely made perfect sense in the mind of angry man to hazard a guess it has something to do with sureguard being a maker of windows not doggy doors as such questions about doors are necessarily inane or something like that
as it happens there is a company in california called doggy door factory but ms cohens husband ordered from a company called the pet door factory through a website that is no longer active the site petdoorfactorycom was registered by richard crouley in 2012 according to domain records when mr cohen paid for the door he sent money via paypal to the account of rick crouley who is listed on sureguards website as the companys president
the haggler was still curious as to why the person on the phone was so irate
here a clear answer was given
we think the customer has the doggy door and just wants the money too the angry voice said
now we were getting somewhere the people at sureguard were suggesting that they had never received the damaged pet door when it was picked up in new orleans for return by ups so the company is under the impression that it is the victim of a flimflammer   in particular a woman who has a doggy door and now wants her money too
the haggler promised to investigate the point of this column isnt to help anyone perpetrate fraud
a ups spokeswoman susan rosenberg said that ups never picked up the damaged box let alone returned it to sureguard but an employee at ups contacted ms cohen this week   prompted perhaps by the hagglers inquiries   and told her the damaged box had indeed been picked up from ms cohens home inspected and then returned to ms cohen
why would ups return the damaged box as a souvenir superb questions ms cohen however says she never saw the box again whatever happened ups has decided as a good will gesture to send ms cohen a check for 100 plus the 45 spent on shipping
but to sureguards perfectly valid question why didnt ms cohen seek a chargeback through paypal
in emails ms cohen said that rick crouley gave her a number of assurances over the course of months that this issue would be resolved at one point he offered to refund her money at a later point she said he stopped returning calls by the time she realized that she was getting neither a doggy door nor 419 it was too late to get a paypal refund
asked by the haggler last week if she preferred a refund or a doggy door ms cohen opted for the latter in an email mr crouley said he would send one in a matter of days
updates to come


peter ho 69 is the vancouver based regional catering manager for north america at cathay pacific airways
q what is the scope of your job
a i oversee management of the independent airline catering services that deliver in flight meals for cathay pacific airwayss six commercial passenger ports in the united states and two in canada i am on the road about 10 days a month checking supplier safety and hygiene and conducting quality assurance audits
how did you train for this position
it was on the job training i knew nothing about food when i started   didnt know the difference between jam and marmalade or what a croissant is i started working for cathay in 1966 when i was 20 years old it was my very first job my entry level position was traffic officer manually checking in passengers at the gate counter and managing aircraft tarmac services this was back when we had only six planes four of them prop planes flying from our headquarters in hong kong
how did that lead to food services
in a word nepotism or rather to avoid it eventually i rose to supervisor of weight and balance a critical safety measure for pilots i wrote the companys first weight and balance manual as a trainer i met and eventually married my wife amy but when some colleagues wondered if in my supervisory position i would give her better shifts i asked for a transfer luckily there was an opening in catering
even with celebrity chefs consulting airlines why are in flight meals never as tasty as the same food in restaurants
i cant comment on restaurants but i know we taste food differently on airplanes because the cabins are drier our taste buds and our sense of smell are different even the ambience of tight seating and engine noise affects how people perceive the taste of food in flight we season food to try to accommodate these factors
youve stayed at cathay pacific for going on 50 years whats your formula for workplace longevity
to be rather than seem to be by that i mean do your job well then move on to the next and do that even better let other people praise you you dont have to blow your own horn i think the new generation is already looking out for their next promotion rather than paying attention to the job at hand


new delhi   the governor of indias central bank raghuram g rajan announced on saturday that he would step down in september and return to academia ending a three year tenure that enhanced indias standing in international markets but frustrated conservatives and small business owners eager for deep interest rate cuts
mr rajan previously expressed interest in staying on for a second term but he said in a letter to colleagues that he had reconsidered the decision his letter implied was driven in part by the preferences of prime minister narendra modis government
while i was open to seeing these developments through on due reflection and after consultation with the government i want to share with you that i will be returning to academia when my term as governor ends on sept 4 2016 the letter read
i will of course always be available to serve my country when needed the letter added
mr rajan a former chief economist at the international monetary fund predicted the 2008 global financial crisis three years before it happened to an incredulous audience of prominent bankers and economists
he took over the reserve bank of india in 2013 at the time indias economy was considered one of the fragile five emerging markets and the rupee was in free fall the technocratic mr rajan was credited with reining in double digit inflation and winning back the confidence of international investors indian journalists called him a rock star economist and in a reference to indias benchmark index said he had put the sex back in sensex
but though indias growth has been strong by international standards many of those who backed mr modi have expressed frustration that mr rajan did not do more to stimulate growth
mr rajans critics led by the parliamentarian subramanian swamy of the ruling bharatiya janata party complained that he had focused too much on reducing inflation and had not acted to ease the heavy debt burdens of many indian companies
mr swamy a former commerce minister and law minister was jubilant on saturday saying a change in leadership would probably lead to swifter economic growth
i certainly wanted him out and i made it clear to the prime minister as clear as possible he said adding that he expected a positive reaction from indias industrialists
his audience was essentially western and his audience in india was transplanted westernized society he said people used to come in delegations to my house to urge me to do something about it
the public attacks on mr rajan analysts said coincided with a growing conviction among mr modis inner circle that with inflation under control the time was ripe to loosen monetary policy and publicly celebrate indias robust growth
mr rajan was not inclined to do so in interviews he continued to urge the government to undertake structural reforms to the banking industry and to warn against complacency
in april when mr rajan was asked to comment on indias new status as a bright spot in the global economy his response was notably sober
we have this saying in the land of the blind the one eyed man is king he said shortly afterward one of mr modis top lieutenants rebuked mr rajan for offending the visually impaired and mr rajan publicly apologized
he also raised hackles by warning in a speech against anyone imposing a particular view or ideology because of their power a remark that was viewed as stepping outside his area of expertise and into the realm of politics
they wanted him to be the purveyor of good news rather than a sense of realism and that did not go down well at all said eswar s prasad a professor of trade policy at cornell university now that there is a sense the economy has turned a corner the view that he was dispensable had come to take hold
mr rajan is the first central bank governor since 1992 to opt not to seek a second term
the finance minister arun jaitley has said an announcement on a successor will come shortly markets were expected to open lower on monday on the news as investors wait to see who will replace mr rajan
deepak parekh the chairman of hdfc bank called it a sad day for all of us he said he expected to spend monday responding to calls from upset investors but said well have to convince them that the macroeconomic factors are extremely strong
if this had happened when india was weak it would be chaotic it would be terrible it would be catastrophe he said i think we can take it at this time the hit will be minimal
among those who expressed regret at mr rajans decision was palaniappan chidambaram a senior leader of the opposition congress party who said he was disappointed and profoundly saddened but not surprised by the news
the government had invited this development through a craftily planned campaign of insinuations baseless allegations and puerile attacks on a distinguished academic and economist he said this government did not deserve mr rajan


qiunatong china   three great rivers rush through parallel canyons in the mountains of southwest china on their way to the coastal plains of asia at least 10 dams have been built on two of them the mekong and the yangtze the third remains wild the remote raging nu known as the salween in myanmar where it empties into the andaman sea
no dam stands in the path of its turquoise waters it is the last free flowing river in china
environmentalists have waged a passionate defense of the nu for more than a decade battling state hydropower firms determined to build dams to harness the river whose name in chinese means angry it is an epic struggle that has veered from victory to defeat and back again several times and has recently taken on new significance
with global temperatures rising can china afford to protect its rivers and forgo an alternative to the coal fired plants responsible for much of the worlds greenhouse gas emissions
green advocates across the country have argued that dams on the nu would force the relocation of tens of thousands of people destroy spawning grounds for fish and threaten the livelihoods of farmers and fishermen downstream especially across the border in myanmar and thailand
but china the worlds biggest emitter of greenhouse gases has promised to begin scaling back its use of coal even as its power needs continue to rise the government pledged that one fifth of the nations energy use will come from non fossil sources by 2030 and it intends to reach that goal in large part by building more dams like the united states china considers hydropower its biggest source of clean energy
in the latest twist in the battle over the nu provincial officials told chinese reporters in march that they would suspend construction of small dams and instead establish a national park along the river but environmentalists remain wary
i recently spent nearly a week along a 250 mile stretch of the river traveling from the prefecture capital of liuku to the tibetan border to see what was at stake in this battle and why environmental groups and local residents have fought the dams so fiercely
this valley in chinas southwest yunnan province is home to a kaleidoscope of ethnic and religious communities unparalleled in china farmers tend to fields along steep terraced valley walls pastors hold services in churches overlooking the waters while tibetan lamas perform rituals in hilltop monasteries and guesthouse owners open their doors to tourists eager to glimpse this wild corner of their country
dams would result in the flooding of many of these villages and undermine the rivers role as a lifeline through the valley
over the years government agencies and state firms have proposed building multiple dams along the 1700 mile river most of these plans have been scrapped and the fight is now focused on proposals for four dams on the pristine upper stretch that flows through this valley and a fifth one in tibet
these dams would contribute to the 350 gigawatts of hydropower capacity that beijing wants to have built by 2020 by comparison the united states has more than 80 gigawatts of hydropower capacity
preliminary construction work has been touch and go for years and the four sites were abandoned when i visited there were suspension bridges rusted transport skiffs and small man made caves in the valley walls but no workers in sight
the dam is no good for the environment so the government stopped it said abao a resident of dongfeng village far up the valley he recently visited the fifth site upriver in tibet and said construction appeared to have halted there
but given past swings residents said they were worried about work resuming
the water flow wouldnt be normal and there would be less fish in the water said yang wendong 37 an ethnic nu resident of a mushroom rich mountain village qiunatong by the tibet border the benefits from hydropower are temporary
in xiaoshaba near the proposed dam site farthest downriver the government has already relocated residents the start of what will be a huge resettlement effort along the entire valley if the dams are approved
the villages 120 households have been forced to give up their livestock and farmland and move into two story buildings nearby some run small shops or lease space in the buildings
as i stood on a road overlooking the empty village yu wenxiang 60 invited me into his sister in laws house and complained that the government had yet to compensate his family with a new home the government promised there were a total of 10 homes they would still give out but they havent handed those out he said it has been a long time
to the north in the village of laomudeng yu wulin a guesthouse owner said the dams would have no good benefits for the local people and would choke off the trickle of tourists coming to the region since 2003 that was when it was recognized as one of the worlds most ecologically diverse and fragile places and designated a unesco world heritage site
in march officials from yunnan province   who along with the china huadian corporation one of the countrys largest state energy firms had promoted the dams   appeared to reverse themselves and propose a national park
residents i spoke with applauded the idea my generation will not see the benefits of the national park project but the next generation will said yang yi a minivan driver in gongshan an upriver town
but wang yongchen the director of green earth volunteers a group in beijing that has led the fight against dams on the nu for more than a decade expressed some skepticism she said the officials statements could be interpreted to mean only that construction of smaller hydropower stations using water from the nus tributaries would be suspended more than 100 of these smaller stations have already been built in the valley
we want the central government to make a decision on these four dams to cancel them ms wang said
ms wang and other environmentalists acknowledge that china needs to wean itself off coal and other fossil fuels to combat global warming but maintain that it can do so without resorting to as much hydropower or nuclear power as proposed by the government
some said the construction of dams could contribute to climate change because organic matter submerged by dams and reservoirs may release significant amounts of methane when they decompose methane is a greenhouse gas
there are also commercial rationales for not building the dams some energy analysts say much of the electricity generated by hydropower in yunnan is wasted because the transmission system to the national electricity grid is limited and outdated others say the electricity does not end up on the grid because the network gives coal fired plants preferential treatment over firms specializing in alternative power generation
yunnan already has more hydropower capacity than it uses said zhang boting vice chairman of the china society for hydropower engineering many stations in yunnan are already letting water run free because there is no market for it
a spree of dam building is already underway on other major rivers of western china which flow into neighboring countries and are critical for life across asia in october china began operating the giant zangmu dam on the yarlung tsangpo in tibet upsetting india and bangladesh because the river is an important waterway in their countries proposed dams on the mekong have raised similar anxieties
but environmentalists have succeeded in persuading the central government to block some projects in yunnan the proposed guonian dam on the mekong known as the lancang in china was canceled because of its potential impact on a glacier last year beijing also rejected plans to build a dam on the yangtze because of the potential effects on a protected zone for fish
some climate change researchers say building hydropower capacity is critical for china as it tries to move away from coal
hydropower in chinas sustainable development process occupies a rather important role said yang fuqiang of the natural resources defense council but with regards to the nu river he added i personally think the best thing for china is to preserve a perfect untouched river dont construct large scale dams on it
chen zuyu a prominent hydropower scientist estimates that the country has installed less than half of 700 gigawatts of potential hydropower capacity and said it should push ahead
china is still in the golden era of hydropower development he said china can keep developing hydropower for another 30 years and then it will be done
mr chen said the nu was ready to be developed but noted environmental issues are political issues and are the hardest to resolve


each saturday farhad manjoo and mike isaac technology reporters at the new york times review the weeks news offering analysis and maybe a joke or two about the most important developments in the tech industry
farhad hows it going mike isnt summer wonderful the suns out theres no traffic and our boss is about to go on vacation you know what that means party at the office
mike one thing i miss about working in the new york office is the wealth of treats we had there our business editor dean murphy is practically a master of cupcakes and cider in san francisco i mostly scavenge for leftover tech protein shakes i guess we can party by spiking the soylent
farhad on to tech news lets start with money didi chuxing the chinese rival to uber raised a gigantic pile of it   73 billion putting to shame the 35 billion that uber reported raising earlier this month uber is also looking to raise a couple of billion more through something called a leveraged loan   which to me sounds like one step away from asking for money from a guy on the corner with a baseball bat and to think just a couple months ago people were saying the tech bubble was over
mike maybe theres money to be made in an on demand loan shark app the tagline well kneecap your insolvent start up founders anytime anywhere
farhad also in a big win for regulators and consumer advocates a federal court ruled this week that the fccs network neutrality rules were kosher most of our readers are opening this up early in the morning so i wont risk putting them back to bed by going over the details of the regulations but basically the decision means that internet service providers like verizon cant unfairly monkey with the content coming over your line
and really in most cases a good rule of thumb for internet users is if its bad for att and verizon its probably good for you
mike i think i read that underneath a snapple bottle cap
farhad then there was apple which held its annual developer conference in san francisco this week the iphone maker announced a blizzard of new features including lots of nice updates to its messaging app and some less than stellar improvements to siri also the apple watch will be a little faster now and apple music wont be as confusing thats good right
mike two things i never use   apple watch and apple music   are improving so i guess i shrug at that news but 15 million people use apple music so they must be doing something right or right ish im not a watch guy so im probably the wrong audience there
farhad and the biggest news of the week came early on monday microsoft announced it would spend 262 billion to buy linkedin the online resume posting social network i have to say i dont really get this deal i can see how the companies user bases are similar but i dont see the justification for spending this much on it also personally i find linkedin to be very annoying but maybe you can defend this deal
mike the explanations ive read thus far seem to amount to that meme of a guy shouting haha business and asking me to just accept that these two companies know what theyre doing
heres my best guess microsoft is buying a social graph thats a valley term for a loose web of interconnected people essentially a treasure trove of data and interaction microsoft has considered buying other so called graphs in the past like twitter which purports to be the key to our interests or facebook which holds the key to our interpersonal relationships
to my knowledge microsofts only real ownership over a graph has been through xbox live itself a social network of gamers but that business is ancillary and not central to what drives its core products which microsoft ceo satya nadella has made clear are all about the cloud and business and getting things done haha business
so what does microsoft buy with linkedins graph one possibility microsoft could use linkedin as a giant sales intelligence platform mining the wealth of data linkedin has on how people and companies connect to one another and use that to sell more of their enterprise products perhaps that gives microsofts sales teams far more leads or a jump on competitors like google or amazons sales prospects
is all of that boring yes but like were talking about microsoft buying linkedin its not going to be an action packed affair its going to be about   haha   business
farhad ben thompson of stratechery mounted the best defense of this deal he thinks some of linkedins tools could improve microsofts customer relationship management software making it a better rival to salesforce and he argues that linkedin allows microsoft to create a direct relationship with employees who will ultimately decide what kind of technology to use at their offices   and selling such technology is of course microsofts main business
mike so im on par with bens thinking and ben is very smart so i feel better about myself
farhad but im very skeptical i think linkedins long term position in all of our work lives is in doubt sure today lots of people use it but as the verges casey newton argued this week linkedin is not very useful in practice its not much more than a way for white collar workers to field occasional inquiries from recruiters and vendors who pay dearly for the privilege
there are two problems with that kind of system first its annoying for users   unless youre actively looking for a job theres no reason to look at linkedin which means that the site must constantly spam you to keep your interest in it alive second because it has no reason for being other than recruitment linkedin risks getting replaced by all kinds of more useful online networks
for instance software developers have github an online resource where people can share and talk about code   and where crucially recruiters can see exactly what programmers have done in their work lives people in the media meanwhile have twitter   a place to show our work and engagement in the news making it far more useful than simply a list of past workplaces see twitter is good for our careers
granted not every profession has such a place online and maybe sales and marketing people will always have a special affinity for linkedin but for most people i think linkedin will grow less significant over time not more
oh and one more thing mike will you please never join my professional network on linkedin thanks
mike i have just endorsed you for being a jerk see you next week


the archivist stumbled across the file in a stack of boxes on the second floor of the schomburg center for research in black culture in harlem the yellowing letters inside dated back more than half a century chronicling the dreams and struggles of a young man in kenya
he was ambitious and impetuous a 22 year old clerk who could type 75 words a minute and translate english into swahili but he had no money for college so he pounded away on a typewriter in nairobi pleading for financial aid from universities and foundations across the atlantic
his letters would help change the course of american history
it has been my long cherished ambition to further my studies in america he wrote in 1958 his name was barack hussein obama and his dispatches helped unleash a stream of scholarship money that carried him from kenya to the united states there he fathered the child who would become the nations first black president only to vanish from his sons life a few years after his birth
in 2013 the schomburg center invited president obama to see the newly discovered documents which included nearly two dozen of his fathers letters his transcripts from the university of hawaii and harvard university and references from professors advisers and supporters nearly three years later as mr obama celebrates his last fathers day in the white house the center is still waiting for a response
the trove of documents described publicly here for the first time renders a portrait of barack obama sr in his own words sometimes in his own handwriting as he describes his studies in the united states but it also lays bare the beginnings of the fractured relationship between father and son
a senior white house official said president obama would be interested in seeing the documents after he leaves office next year but declined to comment on why administration officials had not responded to the letter or to follow up correspondence after the publication of this article on saturday the official added that the president had not been made aware of the collection of writing until recently
the papers are rich they tell a fascinating traditional self made mans story said khalil gibran muhammad the director of the schomburg center who said he hoped mr obama would read them someday theres a reason to bear witness to the personal legacy that is here
as president mr obama has spoken openly and repeatedly about the void his father left in his life barack obama sr went home to kenya in 1964 when mr obama was 3 years old and returned to visit his son only once for a month when mr obama was 10 in an interview with the new york times last month the president said his fathers absence had left him struggling as a teenager to figure out what it meant to be a man
mr obama explored his sense of loss and longing more deeply in his memoir dreams from my father describing his quest to learn more about the man who shared his name he found some answers on a visit to kenya when he was in his 20s but not all of them i still didnt know the man my father had been he wrote what had shaped his ambitions
barack obama srs letters which span the period from 1958 to 1964 offer new insights particularly about his years in the united states but the records which were preserved among the papers of a foundation that provided scholarships to african students at the time may also resurrect old pain
it was while pursuing his undergraduate degree at the university of hawaii in 1960 that barack obama sr met ann dunham a classmate although he already had a wife and two children in kenya he married her the following year after she became pregnant their son was born on aug 4 1961 but barack obama sr never mentioned his new wife and son not even in his scholarship applications
in 1963 as he applied for a grant to help cover his graduate studies at harvard barack obama sr was asked on a financial aid form about his marital status and number of dependents he left the section blank
relatives have described barack obama sr as a complicated man brilliant and imperious charming and brash who began to drink heavily as his dreams of becoming one of kenyas leading government economists foundered he died in a car crash at age 46 without ever fulfilling his early promise
the elder obamas youngest brother said obama noted in a telephone interview from kenya this month that he hoped the records would help the family understand his sibling more fully he said barack obama sr had never stopped caring about the son he left behind recalling how he proudly showed off the photograph and school progress reports of the young man who would become president
he loved his son said obama recalled i dont think you do such things if you dont love your son
president obama often describes his life as an only in america saga the improbable rise of the son of a white woman from kansas and a black man from kenya to the american presidency but his fathers ascent was astounding too as he journeyed from the dusty roads of his rural village to the halls of harvard
as a boy barack obama sr tended goats and walked to school barefoot according to a biography about him the other barack by sally h jacobs he was a stellar student and dreamed big even though opportunities were severely limited for blacks in kenya which was still a british colony then
he had not finished high school he explained in one of his scholarship applications due to financial difficulties at home
due to poor health on the part of my father he wrote on another scholarship form i had to leave school to work and help his chronic misbehavior and defiance also played a decisive role ms jacobs said
he found work as an auditor an oil company surveyor an office manager for an insurance company and a clerk for a literacy program he married and had a child
his financial struggles did not dampen his aspirations might open own firm on civil engineering and architecture or work for the government he wrote
he was determined to join the wave of young kenyans seeking higher education overseas as calls for independence swept the african continent his letters helped him gain admission to the university of hawaii and to come up with the money he needed to cover his costs an unexpected personal connection helped too it turned out that an official of an american foundation had employed his father as a cook
on aug 4 1959 he boarded flight 162 of british overseas airways corp and flew from nairobi to rome records show from there he flew to paris and then on to new york a bus carried him to los angeles where he caught a plane to hawaii a year later he would meet ms dunham president obamas mother
by then barack obama sr had immersed himself in campus life he had joined the debating club and the international students association and had been named editor of the international students newsletter all the while marveling at the hawaiian climate where he wrote one would not know that it is winter
the people around here have made me feel at home he wrote adding that they had called upon me to give several speeches on africa and on kenya and had invited him over for dinner
he seemed wistful at times for home   i rarely get any news here about africa he wrote   but he excelled in his classes earning an undergraduate degree in economics with honors in three years
he has impressed everyone with being a genuinely enlightened twentieth century man and the peoples of africa should be proud to have him representing them here wrote lee e winters jr an english professor who praised his superior work
most people on campus had no idea that the star student had married a second wife during his sophomore year or that he was the father of a baby boy by 1962 when he headed to harvard to pursue a graduate degree his american family had already fallen apart
immigration officials looked into rumors of his multiple marriages his biography says but the upheaval in his family life went unmentioned in his letters barack obama sr wrote of his financial struggles not his personal ones
rents are very high here he wrote from cambridge mass appealing for funds to help cover his living expenses even a humburger is 50 cents here a thing i never experienced before
he ended up with a masters degree in economics from harvard   not the phd he had hoped for   and headed home to kenya without his little boy christine mckay the archivist who discovered the letters said she could not help but think about that son as she pored over the pages
i thought it would be great if the president could see his fathers words she said
said obama the presidents uncle told the times he would like to read the documents too he does not have to close his eyes to conjure up memories of his brother he can see his genetic fingerprints every time he gets together with the president of the united states in his voice and in his stride
but when asked whether he thought his nephew would read the letters said obama hesitated on such a sensitive matter between father and son he thought it best to demur
so for now the records reside in box 214 of the phelps stokes fund collection in the schomburgs temperature controlled off site storage facility whenever mr obama is ready the centers director said his fathers file will be waiting


paris   the police raided dozens of sites across belgium and brought in 40 people for questioning in an operation to interrupt a terrorist plot to attack fans gathering to watch a televised soccer match between the belgian and irish national teams government officials said on saturday
three belgians were charged with an attempt to commit terrorist murder and participation in the activities of a terrorist group the belgian federal prosecutors office said the others brought in for questioning were released by saturday evening
prime minister charles michel did not provide specifics in his comments after an emergency national security meeting but justice minister koen geens and deputy prime minister kris peeters questioned by the flemish broadcaster vrt confirmed that the police had learned of a plot to attack fans gathering to watch the game saturday on large screens in brusselss squares or at bars
the police did not turn up guns or explosives a statement said and spectators watched the game without incident belgium won the game 3 0 in bordeaux france
the scale of the raids and arrests three months after the attacks in brussels that killed 32 people suggested in part that the belgian authorities were working to dispel doubts about their dedication to rooting out potential terrorists
it also suggested that they believed they were in a race to prevent attacks an earlier statement from the prosecutors office on saturday said the situation required immediate intervention
investigations are continuing into the brussels attacks on march 22 and those in and around paris in november which killed 130 people and wounded hundreds the plot to attack soccer fans however did not appear to be related directly to the paris and brussels attacks
the prosecutors office identified each of the three arrested suspects by his given name and an initial for his surname samir c 27 moustapha b 40 and jawad b 29
before the raids friday night the most recent terror related detention in belgium had come earlier in the week when federal prosecutors announced the detention and investigation of a man identified as youssef e a 30 in connection with the march attacks in brussels he was charged on friday with participation in a terrorist group terrorist murders and attempted terrorist murders as a perpetrator co perpetrator or accomplice
this month another man ali e h a 31 was similarly charged the broadness of the charges in both cases suggests that the authorities have yet to determine what role the two men may have played
after the paris attacks the belgian authorities were accused of being insufficiently vigilant when it emerged that the attacks had been planned in belgium and that the explosives had been manufactured there
most of the attackers were belgian or french citizens
adding to the pressure on the belgian authorities was information disseminated this month by the belgian coordinating body for threat analysis that government body which evaluates intelligence and other terrorism related information sent an alert to the police saying extremists who had fought in syria were headed for belgium and france
while the warning was based on raw intelligence according to the belgian authorities its wide distribution to police services and its leak to a belgian french language newspaper suggested that it was being taken very seriously
in the course of questioning detainees thought to be connected to the paris and brussels attacks investigators in belgium have picked up several references to the possibility of attacks during the euro 2016 soccer tournament in france which lasts through july 10 both france and belgium are on high alert
meanwhile in the case of a police officer and his female companion who were stabbed to death in france on monday night the prosecutors office announced that it had opened an investigation and placed two people in preventive detention charaf din aberouz and saad rajraji both men had been sentenced along with the presumed killer of the couple   larossi abballa who was fatally shot   in a 2013 terrorism case but were released from prison
they are facing preliminary charges of participation in a terrorist group that intended to commit one or many crimes


london   the man charged with murdering the british lawmaker jo cox made his first court appearance on saturday telling the court when asked his name my name is death to traitors freedom for britain
thomas mair 52 had been charged earlier saturday with murder and several other offenses including inflicting grievous bodily harm and possession of a firearm mr mair of the town of birstall appeared briefly at westminster magistrates court in london
once charges have been brought british media law prohibits any reporting about the case that might prejudice a trial
ms cox 41 a member of parliament who advocated for immigrants causes was gunned down on thursday outside a library in birstall a town near the city of leeds in northern england as she was wrapping up a meeting with constituents a 77 year old man was also slightly injured in the attack
her death came just days before a referendum on whether britain should leave the european union and it led to an immediate suspension of campaigning on both sides out of respect for her memory but vote leave which supports britains departure from the 28 nation bloc said friday that it would resume campaigning over the weekend
issues of immigration and national identity have been central to the occasionally bitter clashes over the referendum and critics say the tone of the debate has verged on racism and xenophobia
the killing of ms cox   the first of a sitting member of parliament since the irish republican army assassinated ian gow a conservative lawmaker in 1990   elicited an outpouring of sympathy in britain where gun ownership is strictly regulated
ms cox a member of the opposition labour party was elected to parliament to represent the area of batley and spen only in may 2015 but she had already established a strong reputation prime minister david cameron and his rival jeremy corbyn the leader of the labour party both praised her as a rising star in british politics
president obama was reported to have called ms coxs husband to offer condolences the president noted that the world is a better place because of her selfless service to others and that there can be no justification for this heinous crime which robbed a family a community and a nation of a dedicated wife mother and public servant sky news reported citing the white house


for eager newcomers trying to hustle a life in new york city there are certain time honored means of staying afloat foaming lattes as a barista selling books at the strand or shepherding spaniels as a paid dog walker
now it seems they can add to that list professional cuddler
in recent years cuddling   billed as therapeutic nonsexual touch on sites like the snuggle buddies and cuddlist   has become the latest thing in wellness beyond yoga and meditation
a quasi movement that dates back more than a decade thanks to snuggle mixers sponsored by the nonprofit group cuddle party has morphed into a cuddle for hire industry of one on one sessions
for 79 practitioners who sign up for cuddlist for example receive about 10 hours of training once trained pro cuddlers promise a physical and psychic salve through spooning arm tickling and deep embraces think of it as a blend of talk therapy yoga and improvisational bodywork the free jazz equivalent of massage
one such practitioner at 80 an hour is brianna quijada a 30 year old native of tempe ariz who moved to new york in 2008 and lives in astoria queens
a manager at a vegan restaurant on the upper east side by day she recently discussed her second career on the cuddlist network plying the worlds newest profession by night this interview has been edited and condensed
why did you move to new york
i was successful at acting and performance in arizona and even had my singing audition air on a season of american idol my entire life i was told i had potential and to me there was no better place to discover that than new york city but i became very unhappy with auditioning and daunted by the competition thats why it was great to find something new
how did you first hear about cuddling
a friend of mine had mentioned it it was casual i think youd like a cuddle party i was like do they exist
sounds very swingerish is it like a key party
its nonsexual so theres rules in place like keeping your clothes on the whole time theyre usually held in a yoga type studio with yoga mats pillows blankets you come in take off your shoes put a name tag on the first 45 minutes are icebreakers getting to know each other going over rules about consent communication
what drew you to cuddling
i just wanted touch it seemed like a safe way to explore that it seems weird to think that if i wasnt in a monogamous relationship and wasnt having sex i wasnt getting that kind of touch
what is the value of touch
when i experience consensual touch i am more in my body im more comfortable its like a feeling of being understood it raises your oxytocin it calms the fight or flight response at the same time theres a feeling of vulnerability so its a really interesting way to connect
what kind of people go to a cuddling party
its people from different walks of life most of them in their mid 30s to mid 50s one man i met went to burning man several times but then there are people in the corporate world there are also a lot of varsity cuddlers there to help
how far do you take it
its your imagination theres no limit me specifically i loved being able to put my head in someones lap and having my hair played with i love being the big spoon i like little arm tickles and the ears the ears are awesome just to play with them or even playing footsie thats one too its seriously like drugs youre done with the party and youre stoned from the cuddling
so why did you make the leap to one on one cuddling
i always felt i was the kind of person who could make people comfortable with me i thought i could be good at this if its legit
what do private clients ask for
it could be hand holding synchronized breathing eye gazing ive done cuddling while sitting whether its an embrace holding hands or their head in my lap or standing and holding each other they come to me for relaxation
where do you meet them
i dont host sessions where i live so ive been renting rooms at breather which rents meeting rooms by the hour in midtown and union square theyre basically small conference rooms with a white board and a futon or couch ive also gone to peoples places and hotel rooms a lot of people dont want to host so theyll get a room even though they live in the area
arent you afraid to go to a hotel room alone
theres always that little bit of fear there was more in the beginning but i screen people really well theres a safety protocol i talk to people on the phone or skype or meet them at coffee shops but i dont go into it thinking people are going to be creepy   anymore
do clients ever try to get frisky
we start off by agreeing if at any point either one of us is uncomfortable with anything were going to speak up so that takes that off our minds i basically say my boundaries that im not comfortable being touched in any areas that would be covered by a two piece bathing suit basically someone once asked me to wear shorts and i wasnt comfortable with that thats like the worst of it
what do you do when clients become noticeably aroused
sexual arousal happens and it is a natural human reaction the idea is not to encourage it or manipulate it by simply changing positions taking a break and talking about how we are feeling in the moment can help redirect our energy back to agenda free cuddling
what was your first session like
my very first client ever was a younger man maybe 19 he was in college it was sweet he wanted to hold me thats what we did for the whole time we listened to a jack johnson playlist and he talked about school
why not just get a massage
for massage theres this feeling that youre being worked on and healed its not mutual its a completely different energy with cuddling its a mutual consensual experience consensual not in the sense of sure ill do that but in the sense that both people want whats happening


i love that you still say yall cecile richards said to barbara bush within minutes both women sounded markedly more texan than they had when they walked into the restaurant
but texas twangs may be the least of what they have in common the families of ms bush 34 daughter of former president george w bush and the chief executive of global health corps a nonprofit organization and ms richards 58 president of planned parenthood federation of america and daughter of former gov ann w richards of texas go way back
at the 1988 democratic convention governor richards who died in 2006 got off one of the best one liners in memory when she said of former president and candidate at the time george bush poor george he cant help it he was born with a silver foot in his mouth his son george w evened the score in 1994 by beating her decisively in the texas governors race
but there was no trace of animosity when the women met for lunch at gotham bar and grill they are enthusiastic supporters of each others work
before becoming president of planned parenthood in 2006 the nations leading provider of reproductive health services and sex education for women men and young people ms richards founded america votes a group that coordinates and promotes progressive issues before that she was deputy chief of staff to representative nancy pelosi the california democrat who is now the house minority leader and worked for many years as a labor organizer
ms bush founded global health corps in 2009 along with her twin sister jenna bush hager and others to address disparate health results among rich and poor countries the organization provides yearlong fellowships to young professionals with diverse backgrounds by embedding them in health organizations in africa and underserved communities in the united states the number of fellows has grown from 22 in its inaugural year to 140 in its eighth class which began this month from a pool of over 5000 applicants
over black cod for ms bush and branzino for ms richards the pair discussed the challenges of growing up in political families the politicization of health care especially for women and the coincidence of appearing in a recent collection of essays what i told my daughter lessons from leaders on raising the next generation of empowered women edited by nina tassler
philip galanes lets start with nora ephron who said that as a kid she dreamt of being the presidents daughter because of all the attention shed get especially from boys did that indirect spotlight appeal to you
barbara bush i really didnt notice it i was so young when i was 8 i asked a friend when her grandfathers inauguration was i had just been to my grandfathers and i assumed everybody had one
pg how about when your father ran for president
bb we were 18 then at 18 youre focused on yourself and where youll go to college our parents wanted that for us
cecile richards i was at a very different time in my life i was 30 when i moved back to texas to help with moms campaign i had a 4 year old daughter and was pregnant with twins at her inauguration
bb you have twins im a twin
cr twins are the best
pg did you like campaigning for your mother or was it an obligation
cr oh there was never any question about it its different running as a woman and at that point my mother wasnt married we were her support system but its a mixed bag seeing your parent run for office theres a little bit of glamour but a lot of pain and suffering watching them go through tough times
bb i never read the media about my dad i already had an opinion about him millions of opinions i didnt need another person telling me what to think and when it comes to attacks people are attacking a caricature they dont actually know the person i have the luxury of knowing my parents deeply
cr a lot of people think of ann richards as larger than life she always said take me warts and all but i saw the vulnerabilities that the public didnt one of her favorite things was going to the movies and sitting in the dark no one could bother her there
pg you also cant criticize your parents the way we civilians can the first time i was really aware of barbara was when you made that psa for gay marriage there was a firestorm about your falling out with your father
bb i didnt realize how much attention that would get whoopi goldberg had done one and julianne moore they had about 70 views i didnt think mine was going to get many more but of course it did because the narrative was that i was breaking with my father but i had talked to my dad about doing it and he was very supportive what surprised me were all the people who said how brave betraying your family like that but my parents raised us to use our voices for issues we care about and i feel strongly about marriage equality the only brave thing is that im shy that was the win i used my voice
pg it was your media debut meanwhile everyone alive must know about ceciles marathon testimony before congress last year over the battle to defund planned parenthood five hours lots of coffee or tranquilizers   or both
cr they dont let you do anything you just sit there at the pleasure of congress while they go in and out taking breaks and talking in the hallways i had no idea that it was going to be live streamed on television or that so many people would watch i still have people come up to me on the subway and say they watched all five hours
pg i couldnt believe how rude the congressmen were in a weird way did they do you and planned parenthood a favor
cr i think millions of people were exposed to the hyper partisanship of health care and the aggressive attitudes toward women the disrespect it happened to be me but it could have been any woman there was a real lack of empathy for what women go through to access health care
pg did you walk out of the room thinking i just knocked it out of the park
cr oh no it was more like i just survived an endurance test later i read a text from one of my twins daniel who wrote mom im so proud of you youre doing a great job and i think raising me really prepared you for this hearing today
bb thats so sweet
pg it also brings us to your great commonality womens and global health with your connections i bet you could do anything you want what led you to health care the last i knew barbara was doing an internship at proenza schouler
bb i still love them and would work for them still
pg i remember an interview with your mother laura bush who sounded slightly apologetic that you were taking so long to land on a career and you were only 25
cr so we share that too mothers who had high expectations for us its a lot
bb i still dont know what my end goal is going to be
cr can i say how impressive barbara is its one thing to work at a 100 year old organization like planned parenthood trying to shift the boat into the 21st century but its another to say i see a problem and im going to start an organization to fix it
bb since i was born in 1981 weve had the drugs to save the millions of kids around the world who die every year yet the number of deaths hasnt dropped at all we have the tools to keep people healthy but the systems are broken
cr all my life ive been lucky to work in social justice starting as a labor organizer working with low wage working women theyre the same ones we see at planned parenthood now women trying to raise their kids many of them single moms working two jobs and if you dont have access to health care women will put their health after everyone elses its like dinner was in texas women took the chicken legs after everyone else had eaten women will go without cancer screenings or family planning which causes unintended pregnancies barbara knows this from global health if women are healthy their families are healthy their communities are healthy its one of the most powerful ways to make social change
bb thanks to my parents i got lots of exposure i traveled with them when they launched pepfar an amazing program that saves the lives of people with hiv around the world at that time if you were hiv positive in the united states it was just another chronic illness but in a developing country it was a death sentence i met people who were mourning the deaths of their children and sisters because they didnt have access to drugs that exist that blew my mind we have the tools to solve these problems we just need to use them more effectively
cr its the same in reproductive health we have the technology but its not enough unless theres public policy that supports getting women access to care
pg i cant imagine anyone in america disagreeing with the idea that we should all have health care so why is this conversation so poisonous
cr theres a total disconnect between political rhetoric and where the american people are they believe folks should have access to health care and family planning they believe young people should have sex education no parent wants their child to get an infection or get pregnant before theyre ready were at a 30 year low for unintended pregnancy in america in any other moment folks would go wow lets do more of that its good for women and saves money but the political environment is tough right now
bb its crazy and sad to think that health care is a polarizing issue because its not a polarizing space as a human i hope everyone is healthy and what happens in other places matters here we saw that with ebola everyone started paying attention when it seemed like it might impact us but diseases dont respect international borders
pg do you see big roles for storytelling and empathy
cr so much shame has been placed on women for having sex or using birth control or choosing to end a pregnancy when women tell their stories it makes a big difference we learned that from the lgbt community in terms of knowing people women come up to me all the time and thank me for telling my story and sometimes they tell me theirs but i was with three women in pennsylvania where they were trying to pass an outrageous restrictive bill on abortions these women desperately wanted their pregnancies but learned at 20 weeks about severe fetal abnormalities and here they were at a press conference sharing their anguish in front of clicking cameras i had two thoughts what bravery then why should they have to bare their souls i see empathy every day but im sorry that women still have to share their most personal stories
pg the much loathed millennials play big roles in both your organizations
bb we think millennials are great so many young people want to work on social change they want to do good global health started because this great talent pipeline was not moving into health care its hard to know how you fit in if youre not a doctor or nurse if we can demystify that and create channels into planned parenthood and other exceptional organizations then well have an army of people working to solve health problems
cr ten years ago when i came to planned parenthood i met these young kids who were called peer educators they provided sex education in schools and talked to their principals about access to health care they were in every town i thought what you really are is leaders and the great thing about bringing in thousands of young people to an organization is they begin to change it one of the things im proud of at planned parenthood is the number of health centers providing trans care which was largely driven by young activists
bb i didnt know what was in front of me when we were starting global health corps we didnt even know if anyone would apply we could never have predicted that a few years in wed have gotten to work with 600 amazing young people 97 percent of whom stay in global health or social justice issues related to it our challenge is to keep growing as responsibly as we can but we see a huge demand
cr my biggest hope is that we can take partisanship out of this arena not to get too political but we have republican patients and staff members and board members the need for health care doesnt come with a party label under the affordable care act every woman who has health insurance gets birth control at no cost thats 55 million women we dont have to invent a new kind of birth control we just have to close the lid between needing it and delivering it and im optimistic that were on the cusp of making that happen
bb youve got to be an optimist
pg lets end with nina tasslers book what i told my daughter cecile wrote an essay and barbara is the subject of her moms essay so what would you tell young women on the road to empowerment
cr my mom used to say she saw too many young women passing up opportunities because they were afraid of failing her message to me was this is the only life you get take every chance and run with it   even if it doesnt work out
bb when i was thinking about starting global health but afraid i wasnt ready my mom said youre in another job but always talking about global health are you going to be happy leaving this on your to do list forever its the same with young fellows i speak with theyre worried about taking the right next step at the right time but theres never a right time who knows where life is going to take us
cr exactly just do it whats the worst that could happen


you used to need 10 million to become a customer of goldman sachs
now you can get in with a dollar
at a time when many storied firms on wall street are asking themselves profound questions   such as what does it mean to be a wall street firm in this day and age   one of the most elite institutions in the business is opening an old fashioned deposit taking bank catering to the little saver
and while new accounts do not come with free toasters gs bank started in april does promise peace of mind savings and no transaction fees in short it is aimed squarely at ordinary americans   a clientele the company scrupulously avoided during the first 147 years of its history favoring instead tycoons and plutocrats
it is the crystallization of an extraordinary moment in the halls of american finance goldman like other marquee banking companies is hunting for new business as its traditional ones falter regulations rolled out since the 2008 financial crisis have put a crimp in deal making wall streets traditional expertise the high powered bond trading desks that generated most of goldmans precrisis profits now make only a fraction of what they did before
over the last year goldman executives have been preparing to introduce 401k accounts loans for people saddled with credit card debt and new investment funds that can be purchased by anyone with an e trade account it will all be online only in fact goldman thinks one of its advantages will be that it does not have the historical baggage   read expense   of traditional branches and tellers
all of this has prompted some head scratching in the industry given that goldman has so little experience in the hotly competitive field of retail banking not least among the challenges getting americans to warm to a bank that has been maligned as a symbol of wall street greed during the 2008 crisis
at least one new customer dismissed that worry of course they get blamed for stuff said daniel sigal a 24 year old college student in the los angeles area who calls himself a wall street hopeful but goldman sachs is the nike of finance he said   a brand everyone knows its foray into banking is very very positive he said
he also liked the 105 percent interest rate on savings accounts that goldman offered which dwarfed the 001 percent he was getting from wells fargo the average is 054 percent according to bankratecom
goldman will have to pull in many people like mr sigal to make even a tiny difference in its annual revenue which tends to be measured in the tens of billions of dollars
the senior goldman executive overseeing all of this said that none of these businesses were lines that he could have imagined the firm getting involved in even five years ago we had an opportunity to take a clean sheet of paper and draw out what we might do said that executive stephen scherr the chief of strategy for goldman and the chief executive of its federally insured bank
before the crisis goldman did not even have a federally insured bank it was forced to open one as a condition of receiving bailout funds during the financial crisis initially the bank was viewed by executives as a drag more recently though goldman has come to view the bank as one of its brightest opportunities
over the years it became clear that the bank had greater potential to help grow the firm mr scherr said
behind the scenes goldman executives have been debating how far they want to expand their new retail offerings and if they eventually want to end up with something that would look more like a full service online bank the company is in the earliest stages and it could back off if the initial experiments fail
so far interest has been strong mr scherr said that the bank had opened tens of thousands of new accounts in its first few weeks in addition to the 150000 accounts it acquired from ge capital goldman bought the online banking arm of general electrics financial services subsidiary this year acquiring about 16 billion in deposits as part of the deal
although goldman has a 50 person call center in cedar rapids iowa it was unprepared for the surge of interest in its fledgling retail bank soon after the banks debut a columnist at the wall street journal wrote about the many hiccups he encountered while trying to open an account including error messages and confused call center representatives
goldmans way forward is likely to be anything but easy even with billions backing it it faces lots of entrenched competitors and has almost no experience in the human elements of this kind of banking such as customer service
jay sidhu the founder of one of the many new competitors goldman is facing bankmobile is skeptical of goldmans prospects given the importance of customer service in retail banking and goldmans lack of experience in the area he said it would have to offer something more than good prices to attract and keep customers i have a lot of respect for goldman   but you cannot be great at everything said mr sidhu who is also the chairman and chief executive of bankmobiles parent company customers bank
goldman is betting that its investments in technology will help it take advantage of big changes in the financial industry over the last five years during which banks have moved away from a business model based on relationships and branches and toward one that is more reliant on smartphones and software
mr scherr said that goldman was looking broadly at businesses where it could use its technology to provide a cheaper banking product he cited small business lending as a particularly attractive area for potential expansion calling it ripe for technology disruption
the strategy of offering what are essentially discount financial products is a somewhat unexpected one for goldman given that it has long been known as the most upscale firm on wall street this is somewhat like maserati making a push into the motorized bicycle market but the offerings if successful could provide a valuable public perception payoff for goldman by softening the firms image as a remote bastion of power and wealth
the first big test will come later this year when goldman starts offering a lending product targeting people who need relatively small personal loans of around 15000 to 25000 overseeing that effort is an executive hired from the credit card company discover harit talwar who runs a team of about 50 people working on the so called mosaic project on the 26th floor of goldmans headquarters in manhattan many of the employees are coders working on sophisticated ways to gauge the credit quality of potential borrowers
last fall goldman introduced its first low cost exchange traded funds which are managed according to computer algorithms and can be purchased through any brokerage account then a few months back goldman purchased a small start up honest dollar that offers inexpensive accounts for retirement savings aimed at freelancers and other part time workers in the so called gig economy
these products are not all being run out of the bank but mr scherr said that the new offerings were being built with a common technological infrastructure that will make it easier for them to interact and potentially integrate mr scherr is working closely with the head of technology at goldman marty chavez who has been trying to open up the bank to new customers and business strategies
mr sidhu of bankmobile said he was not expecting big things but was watching with curiosity if goldman wants to be a retail bank for every six pack joe i wish them a lot of luck because they will need it


albany   months after being halted by the new york attorney general daily fantasy sports won a major victory early saturday as state lawmakers moved to legalize the online games
gov andrew m cuomo a democrat has not yet indicated that he will sign the bill but the final legislation included proposed modifications from his staff suggesting at least some degree of support
eric t schneiderman the attorney general who first declared war on the industry in the fall by declaring daily fantasy sports to be illegal gambling laid the groundwork for a deal in march when he suggested a june 30 deadline for the legislature to act to address the games legal status
mr schneiderman was neutral on the legislatures action on saturday calling it a law that it will be my job to enforce and defend but he added that his office would continue to pursue claims against draftkings and fanduel the industrys two biggest companies over allegations of consumer fraud and false advertising
the businesses legislative backers in new york have insisted that fantasy sports is not gambling   which is mostly barred by the states constitution   but rather is based upon the skill and knowledge of the participants the widely advertised games in which players create imaginary teams using real players and win or lose depending on the players statistics would be classified as games of skill not chance a distinction under a 2006 federal law governing online wagering
under the deal agreed to by lawmakers highly skilled and high volume players will have to be clearly identified on the sites a provision intended to protect casual players from being targeted and taken advantage of by more sophisticated players something that some class action lawsuits have alleged takes place and that law enforcement has investigated
companies will pay the state the equivalent of 155 percent of their revenue to operate an amount that supporters have estimated to be nearly 6 million a year funds collected by the state will be directed to an education fund run by the state lottery
the battle over daily fantasy sports has been fought hard in albany the state capital culminating in a protracted wait   stretching past midnight   as supporters of the legislation cemented enough support for the bill to pass the state senate it had passed the assembly earlier friday
the new york deal is a lifeline for an industry so battered that fanduel and draftkings once bitter rivals are in merger talks according to two people familiar with the negotiations both companies declined to comment about the talks
new york had more than 10 percent of the nations daily fantasy players at the time the businesses were barred by the state and the companies bottom lines have taken a beating since they pulled out under the march agreement with mr schneiderman
there have been meaningful reductions as well as difficulty raising capital said adam krejcik of eilers  krejcik gaming a financial research firm that covers fantasy sports
he added that the hope is new york could serve as proxy or benchmark as to how attorneys general and legislators proceed
when draftkings and fanduel blitzed broadcasts with hundreds of millions of dollars in commercials at the beginning of the nfl season last year daily fantasy sports appeared to be a virtual cash machine each company was valued at more than 1 billion and their investors included major league baseball the nba and the nfl owners jerry jones and robert k kraft as well as major media companies like nbc
new york is the eighth and most important market to pass legislation to legalize the games which are under scrutiny in other player rich states such as florida illinois and texas
the lobbying and litigation expenses show no signs of abating said dan wallach a gaming and sports lawyer at the commercial law firm becker  poliakoff who added that while more than two dozen states had introduced daily fantasy sports legislation only a small number had passed laws how many more years of this can both companies withstand
such concerns did not seem to affect the enthusiasm of state senator john j bonacic the chairman of the racing gaming and wagering committee
football season is around the corner mr bonacic a hudson valley republican said were going to make a lot of football fans very happy


q i vaguely recall an old political story that compared franklin d roosevelt to the staten island ferry could you tell me how it goes
a there are several versions of that story but perhaps the most famous involves hyman schorenstein a longtime brooklyn democratic district leader and the boss of brownsville early last century a word about mr schorenstein after world war i he helped keep brownsvilles jewish population firmly democratic and away from the socialists for this he was put on the payroll as the countys register of deeds elliot willensky wrote in when brooklyn was the world 1920 1957 published in 1986 mr schorenstein could neither read nor write but a challenge to remove him on those grounds failed when a judge ruled that he had been doing a fine job
a local democratic candidate asked why he was getting no help with posters lawn signs or anything else when mr schorenstein was plowing all the campaign money he controlled into the re election of president roosevelt above he explained it this way
ah youre worried listen did you ever go down to the wharf to see the staten island ferry come in you ever watch it and look down in the water at all those chewing gum wrappers and the banana peels and the garbage when the ferryboat comes into the wharf automatically it pulls all the garbage in too the name of your ferryboat is franklin d roosevelt   stop worrying
that version came from jews in american politics edited by l sandy maisel and ira n forman who got it from theodore h white other versions have mr schorenstein telling it when he was supporting roosevelt for governor in 1928 still others say mayor jimmy walker told it to mr schorenstein
but william safire in safires political dictionary 2006 traces it back to the republican national convention of 1912 when supporters of former president theodore roosevelt and president william howard taft were battling columbias president nicholas murray butler asked a pennsylvania delegate how such a low class of people could have been selected to choose a presidential nominee the delegate boies penrose supposedly replied oh those are the corks bottles and banana peels washed up by the roosevelt tide
q new york state has a kings county brooklyn a queens county and a dutchess county why doesnt it have a dukes county
a it used to but dukes county comprising marthas vineyard and the elizabeth islands to the northwest is now part of massachusetts
in 1683 the royal counties of kings after king charles ii queens after queen catherine of braganza his wife dutchess after mary of modena duchess of york and dukes after the duke of york were created as administrative entities of the province of new york in 1685 the duke of york was crowned king james ii that year he formed the dominion of new england which combined the massachusetts bay and plymouth colonies marthas vineyard was made part of the dominion according to the history of marthas vineyard by arthur r railton 2006 squabbling continued for several years over which colony dukes county belonged to but massachusetts won


havana   just before midnight on a recent thursday here along the malecon the capitals five mile concrete sea wall boardwalk wilder calderon pena 24 a bartender and airbnb agent was doing his thunder dance
so that lightning hits me and my cigarette will be lit he said sure enough a charitable stranger soon obliged welcome to planet cuba mr calderon who identifies as bisexual said after his first puff this is how the universe works here you give good you get good its karma its the laws of attraction
he then crossed the street to attend a drag show at myxto a gay friendly bar where he would stay until about 5 am
attraction drives the malecon which is a popular hangout for all habaneros especially for those who are gay   including escorts another habitue jorge luis ramos medina 30 a gay information engineer described its broad appeal as havanas sofa
its what cities in the united states and europe pre internet once called cruising grounds   areas that have for the most part become quaint artifacts of the gay past replaced by hookup apps like grindr jackd and scruff havana is gay night life before grindr
on an island of communists gay cubans were long havanas have nots the last among equals that began to change in 2008 when after a gay rights speech by mariela castro espin the daughter of president raul castro the capital staged its first gay pride parade which has continued annually less as a shirtless spectacle and more as a protest kingbar which opened last year in the hip vedado neighborhood harks back to a time when american gay bars still had a bit of a renegade quality
its like freedom of expression said manuel subarez 27 a sandwich maker at a cafe who is also a full time lena dunham superfan its like we can do anything we want today because we are gay he said at this years parade tugging proudly on his keith haring tank top homosexuality was legalized here in 1979 but a 1988 law prohibits a publicly manifested presence
the revolution continues said dr castro 53 a sex educator at the official post parade festival as she held a rainbow placard of this years motto yo me incluyo i include myself until there is equality and diversity for all cubans in all aspects of our society
a dedicated gay bar   as opposed to one with say a night devoted to gay clientele   debuted here in 2013 the first ever in havana but its closure last october was met with a collective roll with the punches shrug more places catering to gays are coming joining a dozen weekly parties and mi cayito a beach popular with gays and the malecon itself is too vital a scene to be shut down gay clubs frequently swell with the roaring titular anthem of a jacob forever pop song until the malecon runs dry
wi fi bandwidth is another matter cuba has up to 4000 active daily grindr users said jennifer foley shields a publicist for the app but a recent series of grindr check ins here by this reporter revealed on average 11 online users in this city of two million a population roughly equivalent to houstons
even in a five star hotel along the malecon with four bar wi fi reception one typical check in after several false starts required 14 minutes to open the app
the experience is even more uphill for locals who pay 2 cuban convertible pesos per hour for internet use cuban salaries on average 20 cuban convertible pesos a month apple users additionally once their iphone is unlocked must pay middlemen to install apps with several gay cubans saying they were either too poor or too embarrassed to request an installation of grindr or its ilk
joel simkhai 39 grindrs founder and chief executive has touted the apps reach in nations struggling technologically this year after a visit to the island mr simkhai told on cuba magazine that gay cubans still havent got it 100 percent during that trip he hosted a party sponsored by grindr at a bar on its gay night
in a phone interview mr simkhai said he would not share the minimum bandwidth grindr needed to function adding our numbers are ok its not a huge market for us cuba is a growth opportunity in a market dying for grindr he added
last year the cuban government created public for pay wi fi zones verizon began cubas first data roaming deal with the united states last september in march google announced plans for a technology center here offering 70 megabytes per second as opposed to the normal one megabyte per second speed that is standard here
mr calderon who goes by the nickname wild has accounts with grindr hornet planetromeo uncut and scruff and claims to be the only man in havana on daddyhunt he finds the apps unappealing
gay life is about being open being unlimited he said im bisexual because i prefer the unlimited why would anyone   bisexual gay whatever   want to be trapped as a photo as an internet profile in an app thats a different kind of closet a box so boring
his friend juan carlos godoy torres 25 a saxophonist and flutist with an 8 year old son agreed
i didnt fight through five years of slow development in the gay community to end up spending two or three cucs an hour maybe meeting a virtual person mr godoy said i prefer the magic of the streets someone who can trap me with his eyes who can dance with me who can touch my face i want more than sex
i was married and i want that moment of revelation of that day when you see someone for the first time the surprise of it thats not possible if they are sending me messages that begin with photos of their chest thats not romance thats shopping


blossom bettles is 12 years old and lives on a tree lined street in brooklyn her father who is british is a photographer her mother is a meditation and mindfulness teacher from new zealand she has a little brother named sunny blossom is petite with blue eyes and a dimpled smile and wavy light brown hair her name seems to suit her perfectly until she straps on skates dons her gear and becomes dark pixie a fierce competitor in a gritty junior roller derby league in bushwick
gotham girls roller derby a womens organization with four competitive teams serves as the sponsor for the junior league which was created in 2012 for girls ages 8 to 17 to provide a positive empowering space for girls to learn practice and play a contact sport said tracey debenedictis gothams coaching director the juniors do not compete for gotham but they skate in exhibition games or bouts at halftime in adult league competitions
in keeping with roller derby tradition the rockabilly rosie the riveter riot grrrl aesthetic is in full effect throughout the gotham organization from the tattoos and piercings to the fishnets and tutus and of course there are the irreverent skater names like smacklemore and evilicious
but at the heart of the sport is a gracious and openhearted feminist ethos wrapped in wrist guards by loving hands and this is particularly evident in gothams junior league
without gotham girls junior derby i have no doubt that i would not have finished high school said joanna acevedo also known as mercy killer who is now 19 roller derby has been a constant in my life giving focus to what would otherwise be a very scary uncertain time
ms acevedo now a college student rose up through the junior ranks she discovered roller derby in 2012 after attending a bout and decided to join on the spot without ever having been on skates
ms acevedo dedicates her weekends to helping the current juniors who practice for three hours on saturdays at gothams crash pad a 10000 square foot former storage space in bushwick in the center of the pad is an uneven oval the flat track made of sport court a hard plastic with regulation markings a disco ball dangles above along the periphery are training stations and some bleachers an office by the entrance is painted blood red illustrations and images of powerful women cover the walls the space smells of sweat soaked gear and is filled with the cacophony of wheels on flooring panels stuttering stops that sound like rivet guns and of course bodies hitting the ground
if youre hurt let me know one coach yells to a fallen skater if not get back in line
the physical training is intense and demanding one day this spring about 10 skaters were practicing the techniques that allow each sides primary skater or jammer to completely circle the track and score points   and techniques to stop her contact is inherent in the sport and for some is its primary appeal
clare higgins 16 who was once known as clare beware but goes by her real name now grew up on the jersey shore playing a variety of sports she found her passion for roller derby in 2011 and joined the juniors two years ago she commutes from eatontown nj about two hours away for training sessions several times a week in addition to saturdays
roller derby has given me satisfaction like no other said clare who will travel to the junior olympics in nebraska with a regional all star team in july i can never go a day without thinking about it
jatuan flash or juggernaut jatuan 10 was never a fan of traditional sports or sweating in general but became interested in roller derby after seeing the 2009 film whip it about a misfit teenager who finds her identity through the sport
the movie made me feel like i would be really good at that sport because it was pretty much knocking people over on roller skates and i can knock people over but what i really like is that ive made a lot of new friends and we all support each other jatuan said it is my thing
this spirit of camaraderie and personal empowerment appeals to most of the participants and gets many novices past their fear of the physically demanding sport
when i first walked into the roller derby area it was kind of intimidating said blossom um dark pixie
there were girls hitting into each other aggressively and women skating backward and doing jumps she explained but now i love it i love that one minute you can hit your friends off the track and onto the floor and the next youre hugging each other and arranging sleepovers


alan tony schatz 72 who has been cutting meat for 60 years initially in his fathers shop in the bronx is better known by his nickname
schatzie thats my name schatzie the butcher   nobody knows me by anything else said mr schatz who last year opened a place on broadway near 101st street that is both butcher shop and restaurant
on one side is schatzies prime meats a butcher counter with display cases full of flesh on the other is richies burger joint named for and run by mr schatzs son richie 33 who resembles his father in stature and personality
customers who wander in are asked meat or burgers
mr schatz is constantly grinding meat in the back to send into the kitchen for burgers he uses a refurbished machine that has been cutting meat even longer since more than 80 years ago in his grandfathers shop on jerome avenue in the bronx
to mr schatz a good burger is made with freshly ground prime beef he will tell you that the rage over all the fancy foodie add ons   grass fed this free range that   is unprintable nonsense
if you think youre going to live longer by ordering it im happy for you he said im not going to tell a customer with money that theyre full of it
as for the veggie burgers on his sons menu who would want to eat a veggie burger he said on monday evening as he sat in the restaurant a stained white butchers shirt draped over his hulking frame
he bantered with customers while polishing off a plate of veal and stuffing
an hour later a waiter brought mr schatz two hefty lamb chops sizzling on the plate with no sides the waiter wore a t shirt with mr schatzs familiar observation printed on the back thats a beautiful piece of meat mr schatz said he spent 3500 to establish legal control of the expression
mr schatz has used much of the same equipment   the band saw the meat grinder the cash register   that has served his family since before he was born on the wall is a wooden freezer door that dates back to his grandfathers old shop along with old photographs of men in hats and white aprons standing in front of storefronts or behind counters with cleavers
many are relatives or employees of the schatz meat cutting empire that mr schatz said stretched back to his great great grandfather in germany
mr schatz recalled a childhood in upper manhattan and the bronx he said he delivered meat for his father by bicycle and by 11 was running the register and cutting meat in the jerome avenue shop which his grandfather max opened that business was taken over by mr schatzs father harold and then mr schatz himself in the 1970s he moved it to madison avenue and 35 years later to amsterdam avenue
young schatzie tried other ventures briefly including boxing that did not please his father who knew maxie rosenbloom the light heavyweight champ from the 1930s who was known as slapsie maxie they found a tough fighter who knocked the boxing dream out of mr schatzs head
when he was offered the chance to become a debt collector for the mob his father asked him you want to be an animal or a human being mr schatz recalled
he said he served during the vietnam war as a military police officer guarding a brothel in germany to keep troops from patronizing it i had so much fun you have no idea he said
mr schatz always fancied himself a singer and at 21 decided to drive to california to pursue a singing career he turned back after receiving word that his father had died he took over the butcher shop and shelved the singing career
he settled for crooning to customers from behind the counter and occasionally booking performances at nightclubs for friends and patrons his plan is to build a small stage in the shop to give performances after the meat counter closes
i could have retired long ago but i just love this said mr schatz who owns a couple of apartments in manhattan and a farm in pennsylvania
after he had a flirtatious exchange with a woman buying a steak on monday evening two female diners at a restaurant table nearby seemed amused and asked are you schatzie
no im his cousin he replied unconvincingly
when they asked him for wine suggestions he said i know about meat and i know about women
one of them asked playfully oh what do you know about women
mr schatz who has been married three times paused adopted an angelic look and said that i follow instructions very well
the women cracked up and schatzie the butcher walked back behind the counter


a german flag with a barely noticeable strip of lace added to its bottom serves as a stage curtain at the beginning of the underpants a comedy adapted by steve martin from a german farce by carl sternheim at guild hall in east hampton
that delicate edging is the last bit of subtlety to be found in this production which almost immediately devolves into a loud in your face spectacle that shamelessly begs for laughs and applause
two beer hall girls not usually part of mr martins play come skipping out to lead the rest of the cast in a prancing musical introduction clapping their hands emphatically in a way that suggests that audience members put their hands together too the jolly clapping by all the actors pops up during every scene change as well
mr martins satirical play which had an off broadway run in 2002 and has often been revived seems more strained than it has to be in this version directed by bill fennelly the production originated at syracuse stage last year with largely the same cast the stylized acting is actually carried off nicely by the performers including those who introduce the show hollybeth gourlay and margot plum the charming dirndl clad madchen its all just too unrelenting
the story centers on an incident that befell a naive young housewife named louise maske whose underpants somehow slipped down to her ankles as she stood on her toes trying to see the king pass by in a parade the year is 1910 and the mere glimpse of billowy bloomers causes a sensation everyone in dusseldorf knows about it including louises surly civil servant husband theo i cant believe this happened to me he blurts out in outrage
marianna mcclellan deftly portrays louise a sweet young woman who later learns about the conniving ways of the world and how to deal with them she even manages to keep an innocent demeanor as louise experiences extreme lust and later is seen copulating in choreographed simulations the plays schoolboy smuttiness also comes from mr martins script which abounds in double entendres though it also contains several respectably amusing and clever jokes like one involving a newspaper headline mark david watson plays theo as blustery rather than dangerous though its hard to say how he is supposed to be interpreted since he also turns out to be anti semitic
that jew hating aspect of a germans psyche   which mr martin clearly intends as a foreshadowing of the nazi era not a characters personal quirk   reveals itself after two men visit theo and louises apartment both seeking to rent an extra room that is being advertised it turns out that the two men had witnessed louises accident had become smitten and simply wanted to be near her
louise rents the room to frank versati a flamboyant poet who woos her aggressively daniel passer though he overdoes the foppish part wrings all the humor he can from a hat and coat tossing shtick whether he hits the hooks he aims for or not but theo has promised the room to one benjamin cohen who is forced to deny that he is jewish michael brian dunn who plays cohen is also gifted at physical comedy in particular his mastery of wobbly legs
mr martin no doubt meant well in highlighting the mistrust and distaste of jews by non jewish countrymen in early 20th century germany but his approach is discomforting he has benjamin making mistakes that would give him away saying or almost saying words like oy or shalom and then attempting to cover them up in an american vernacular that is both unlikely and stereotypical
an annoying affectation that runs through the play is the use of german accents for comic effect by characters who are after all speaking their native language in which they would not have accents the exception is versati who speaks with an exaggerated italian accent the production looks good with the help of raquel barretos delightful costumes and william bloodgoods bright period set
in another major role sabrina profitt plays gertrude deuter a nosy upstairs neighbor who encourages the browbeaten and sex starved louise to have an affair both to have some fun and to liberate herself ms profitt tackles the brassy part with gusto landing her comic lines and frequently lewd gestures with superb timing gertrude helps to highlight some of the feminist aspects that mr martin has interpolated into the sternheim comedy the play by mr martin is very much an adaptation not a translation as a summertime production in a resort town it is suitably lightweight   and might feel lighter if it didnt try so hard to be funny


its long been said that weddings bring out the best and the worst in people in a society where divorce has become commonplace and where the accompanying hurt has been longstanding some couples and their complicated families are finding that a wedding can present the perfect opportunity to break the emotional logjam
jacqueline sweet 26 was married last month at carmel valley ranch in carmel calif with no fewer than eight eager parents her fiances parents were also divorced and remarried cheering on the couple
i knew my father would be walking me down the aisle mrs sweet said im a daddys girl and the oldest of three he was paying for the wedding and walking me was extremely important to him
not wanting to exclude her stepfather kevin smith who has helped raise her since she was 3 mrs sweet decided to give him the pivotal role of officiant convinced however that he would be too overtaken with emotion mrs sweet said that he agreed to a smaller role that of giving the ceremonys only reading
as the two dads walked down the aisle mrs sweets father robert hirt 55 recalled passing mr smith her stepdad when i saw kevin he had tears in his eyes and i thought how can i not love this man he said my daughter has twice the love and twice the caring and that means youve done your kid right
and the reading that was chosen it was from first corinthians love is very patient and kind never jealous or envious never boastful or proud never haughty or selfish or rude
stephanie warner 32 has two stepdads in addition to her father whos going to walk me down the aisle has been a huge question ive thought about my entire life she said
as a wedding march played at her september 2011 marriage at the testarossa winery in los gatos calif mrs warners father got the show started by walking her down the aisle to the front pew he then gave her to her mother and current stepfather who were waiting on one side of the aisle while the other man who had been part of the brides upbringing her former stepfather stood to the other side
at that the four of us linked arms like in the wizard of oz and we walked the rest of the way mrs warner said then they handed me off to my husband when the priest asked who gives this woman they all in unison said we do
mrs warner was 2 when her biological parents divorced by age 5 her mother remarried but she divorced again a decade later mrs warner was 24 when her mother married for a third time
her own wedding proved to be the perfect place to acknowledge her three fathers as the couple cut the cake mrs warner said i love you dad i love you dad i love you dad when she did the entire room erupted in laughter she recalled everyone knows i have a very blended family
her mother lorie arkley 60 added walking the way we did was right for us it was an amazing moment and it made me realize how lucky i am to be part of these men each who love her
this healing trend received a big boost last september when a series of photos were posted on facebook from the wedding of brittany peck showing her biological father grabbing her stepfathers hand as the procession began the images quickly went viral and caught the attention of more than 60 million viewers
the visual of two men walking their child down the aisle is a powerful statement said nicholas h wolfinger a professor of family and consumer studies and an adjunct professor of sociology at the university of utah its about coming to terms with your parents divorce which often has been hard on kids its also a very positive statement and is something people can relate to and aspire to
professor wolfinger attributes the rise in these shared multifather moments to the fact that divorced biological dads are more involved in their childs lives than they used to be he said in the 80s most dads vanished one third had not seen their kids in five years thats no longer the case especially for the millennials
todays blended family is as complex as a cocktail made from a variety of ingredients each supplying a different flavor and texture
thirteen hundred new stepfamilies are being formed every day said michelle crosby a lawyer and mediator quoting data from the pew research center ms crosby who founded wevorce a website that seeks to make divorces more amicable added that four in 10 couples remarry and that based on statistics gathered by smartstepfamiliescom 40 percent of children are living in blended families
speaking of mrs pecks viral wedding photo ariana niver 27 who married last december at the meritage resort and spa in napa calif said i was so touched by it i shared it on my facebook page its a blessing to have two father figures and i remember being impressed with how mature and selfless the decision to share that moment with this womans father was
mrs niver whose parents divorced when she was 2 and whose mother remarried a year later had both her father and stepfather walk her individually each give a speech and each have his own fatherdaughter dance
deciding who should go first and who should give me away was extremely stressful she said mrs nivers stepfather was assigned the lead and was met at the halfway mark by her father when my stepdad walked me i felt calm and relaxed he was the perfect person to start me off she said transitioning to my dad i remember feeling proud that he was the right person to lead me to my husband
as families merge and morph so do the relationships within them couples   both straight and gay   are now revamping or reinterpreting wedding traditions how many male figures walk a child down the aisle or who does a thoughtful handoff is one of the most recent of these reconfigurations
my generation is very open to sharing this moment mrs niver said we dont care about following an exact tradition
alicia zani 29 is very close with her stepmother melissa zani and stepfather when alicia was married last september in new hampshire her father and stepfather both walked her down the aisle
it was alicias idea to ask her father if he minded that she also ask her stepfather melissa zani said who added that the brides father was not only on board but said hed be disappointed if his daughter had failed to give a major role in the ceremony to her stepfather
melissa zani a divorce lawyer mentioned that not all families function as cohesively as they do this is a culmination of hard work paired with the goal to make your child happy she said there is no step in our family thats this generations gift to be able to do that
james h bray an associate professor and a psychologist at the baylor college of medicine in houston said theres a real cultural shift happening the loyalty conflicts and competition biological fathers may have felt in the 90s toward other men raising their children has dissipated fathers understand another person is helping to raise their child and a lot of fathers are learning to be ok with that that loyalty shift is also happening to the children of stepfamilies as they learn its ok to love both men they realize their stepfathers are making more contributions to their lives socially psychologically and financially
while some families affected by divorce are openly embracing weddings as a healing moment others find themselves only tentatively moving in that direction
for mrs warner her wedding was the first time her three dads had been in the same room together they put their differences aside for the day she said having them all in one place doesnt mean its a lifetime change for them its still a tender spot for everyone
its about love and equality she said
i own these relationships mrs warner said it was important not to remove anyone from this day because theyve all been a part of my life each man is deeply significant and deserves to be a part of my special day


click on the slide show to see this weeks featured properties in the new york region
 in fort lee nj a three bedroom three bath house built in 2005 on 016 acre with an open livingdining area a large master suite an attached one car garage and a sloping yard with a rock garden and a reflecting pool
 in millwood ny a four bedroom three and a half bath 1969 colonial on 192 acres with a large eat in kitchen a finished lower level and a multitiered wood deck with several seating areas that runs the length of the rear of the house and encircles an aboveground pool


the story of oslo begins with a norwegian diplomat in a restaurant with an american playwright
in early 2012 as my play blood and gifts was finishing its run at lincoln center theater my director bartlett sher arranged for me to have a drink with a friend of his terje rod larsen who was then a united nations special envoy focused on lebanon
the two men and their families had become friends through their daughters who attended middle school together mr sher had invited his friend to rehearsals of blood and gifts to talk to the cast about his work as a diplomatic negotiator in the middle east
late on a bitterly cold january night we met for warm drinks at an upper west side haunt a few blocks from the theater mr larsen had just seen my play he was vivacious and charming draped in understated european finery   including dress shoes so elegant i filed the detail away under the mental heading interesting character trait
peppering him with questions i learned that his wife mona juul was ambassador deputy permanent representative of the norway mission to the united nations further that they had both been deeply involved for years in the politics of the middle east
as we ordered our second round he got to the point we were part of a historic event mr larsen said which we have waited 20 years to see written about i leaned in closely eager to hear everything
as a playwright i look to tell stories that are framed against great political rupture i am obsessed with putting characters onstage who struggle with and against cascading world events   and who are changed forever through that struggle while journalism sharpens our minds the theater can expand our sense of what it means to be human it is where we can come together in a communal space to hear ideas that grip us surprise us   even infuriate us   as we learn of things we didnt know for me that is a deeply thrillingly political act
i hunt perpetually for these kinds of stories i look for them everywhere but sometimes the story finds you
in that bar mr larsen explained that he and his wife were intimately involved with the making of the oslo accords i knew of the first ever peace deal between the state of israel and the palestine liberation organization ill never forget watching the signing ceremony in the white house rose garden on television sept 13 1993   seeing president clinton preside over that historic handshake between the bitterest of enemies yitzhak rabin the prime minister of israel and yasir arafat the chairman of the palestine liberation organization i already knew the joy and the rage that handshake caused around the world
then he told me something i did not know that there was a clandestine diplomatic back channel that had made the accords possible that without a handful of men and women   israeli palestinian and norwegian   working in secret to try to alter the political reality of two peoples those accords never would have happened
and when i heard that i knew the writing of my next play had begun
i contacted ms juul and asked if we could meet she was surprised at my interest in these events but eventually agreed to talk to me in person she was charming as well but far more reserved than her husband she deftly steered the conversation away from her own career and achievements graciously but firmly keeping herself from being the center of attention
i began a yearslong process of reading travel and interviews with multiple participants as i sought to understand the full history of the secret channel   what came to be known as the oslo channel   through which the accords were birthed everything that mr larsen and ms juul had told me turned out to be in the public record   but they had downplayed their own involvement
in our conversations they had focused on the accomplishments of the israelis and palestinians who were involved but mr larsen and ms juul were the ones who midwifed the entire process and like the agreements themselves their involvement proved to be deeply controversial
there are those who saw the oslo channel as a necessary and bold attempt to bring peace to the middle east there are others who saw it as reckless naive meddling that only added to the anguish in this region
the further i dug the more gripped i became as a dramatist here was the stuff of theater   events that were almost preposterous in their strangeness clandestine meetings often run by those who had no experience with such things peoples lives constantly put at risk governments threatened with calamity emotions rising and falling at an operatic scale people pushed to the brink of what they thought possible as friendships were fused and torn apart
it became clear that mr larsen and ms juul would be characters at the very heart of the play these were the sort of protagonists a writer looks for two complicated articulate people driven to achieve something far greater than themselves   who stumble make mistakes but keep pushing on
as i researched i drew a tight bracket around the historic events directly preceding and occurring during the time of the channels existence i burrowed into this sliver of history as deeply as i could to summon a specific moment in time and place
then i took the who what when and where of journalism and threw them into a blender i wanted to write a play not a textbook or a re enactment i sought to capture the spirit of those real events   their craziness fear joy and heartbreak i wanted to tell a story about men and women risking their own lives and challenging their own beliefs as they struggle without a road map toward peace
the historic events in oslo are all true but i have taken dramatic liberties when mr larsen and ms juul come to see the play at lincoln center theater directed by bartlett sher they will see my terje rod larsen and my mona juul i have theatricalized and reinvented   all to focus my play on the radical act at the center of the actual oslo channel
in the middle of endless bloodshed and hatred members of the israeli government and the plo chose to sit across from their enemy and see them as human beings each side listened to the other and was permanently changed by that listening i am awed by the personal and political courage that took it is a moment of history that i do not want forgotten


peoples hearts dont break a character claims in i remember mama then she adds only in books
shes mistaken on both counts because i had my own broken a little during this lovely and peculiar production indeed though her words are wrong almost everything else in the play at two river theater in red bank feels right
i had no desire to revisit i remember mama since seeing a community theater production ages ago this well worn story has gone in and out of favor often as a staple of high school theaters but in this cast you wont find anyone within 40 years of adolescence
the production originally staged by the transport group in 2014 in new york features 10 actresses all of whom are youthful despite being in their 60s 70s and 80s at first this may appear to be a gimmick these older women playing more than 20 roles many written for men and for younger actors yet a few minutes into it youll wonder why more troupes dont take such strange and smart chances
i remember mama had its broadway premiere in 1944 and ran for over 20 months marlon brando made his broadway debut as nels the familys young son in the story set in 1910 katrin the oldest of three daughters yearns to become a published writer she struggles toward her dream as her family undergoes several ordeals illness strikes the youngest daughter a marriage proposal brings about some stress and theres always a lack of money in the home
through it all the extended family prevails affectionately the immigrant parents at the center far from their roots in norway after moving to san francisco sacrifice everything for their children but they get just as much in return as written by john van druten based on a novel by kathryn forbes the play is so gummy sweet that my fingers seem to stick to the keyboard just writing about it
yet something marvelous happens when these women inhabit their roles in everyday clothes instead of period costumes such a staging urges the audience to exercise its imagination making us all partners in the production rather than mere spectators granted theater always relies on the suspension of disbelief but here the immersion is deeper and more satisfying because of the actresses ages all these characters seem to be simultaneously recalling the past and living in it
barbara andres as the mama of the title has traveled with the show from its 2014 production shes the bedrock of this family and of the play and her scenes with mia katigbak as katrin are poignant the one in which katrin learns her mother traded an heirloom for a gift for her is deeply touching
lynn cohen as both mr hyde a boarder and uncle chris a man whose cranky exterior hides a golden soul is a joy as she savors these bombastic roles rita gardner as the timid aunt trina is a fine contrast and just as exciting to watch heather mac rae as nels drives a gentle early scene as the boy appeals to his family in hopes of attending high school
alice cannon marjorie johnson susan lehman louise sorel and dale soules round out the cast whose rapport is all the better for being so unforced reading the cast biographies is also a treat   ms lehmans first broadway role was in 1962 ms andress in 1969 ms gardner originated the role of the girl in the fantasticks in 1960 several of the cast members were in the 2014 production directed by jack cummings iii who also directs this one
they perform on dane laffreys set   10 tables that hold various objects everything here too spurs the imagination only the theater itself can be problematic for its initial run the play opened at the gym at judson in manhattans west village a welcoming space for such an intimate show the larger two river however leaves far more distance between the performers and audience i worry for those in the upper rows
still the actresses are remarkably crisp and handle the staging with skill theyve also taught me a thing or two about expectations while i had no wish to see the play it now feels that had i missed this production a wonderful opportunity would have been lost


if residents of the inkwell a new condominium in hells kitchen find themselves instinctively raising their hands for permission to speak it might be understandable
the 18 unit development from the gotham organization is housed at 520 west 45th street inside a former grade school with enough vintage flourishes to make it feel as if a teacher is going to walk around the corner at any second
though most of the institutional details like chalkboards caged fans and cubbyholes arent original to the 1905 beaux arts building the effect is convincing all the same
its like that picasso saying about how art is the lie that reveals the truth said matthew goodrich the chief creative officer of avroko the design firm behind the inkwells interiors its not a restoration but it has the feeling and power of the original use
with 13 foot ceilings tall windows and either two or three bedrooms the apartments at inkwell have the roominess of a turn of the last century school with extras thrown in to buttress the theme
all but two of the units have a tall narrow chalkboard by the entry which is not so much for spelling lessons as for grocery lists the idea is you could leave a note for your spouse saying go buy dog food  said melissa pianko gothams executive vice president for development
next to the chalkboard will be a long low row of cubbies for stashing sneakers and other shoes to reach storage cabinets by the ceiling inkwell will supply the kind of rolling ladders one might spot in a campus library transom windows over doors also look the part
kitchen counters are made of soapstone a material common in school science labs said mr goodrich who added that he studied old photographs of schools at the new york public library for inspiration
on the ground level the small gym which opens to an outdoor lounge also evokes the past a tile mosaic on the wall spells out ps 51 the public school that was the previous occupant and that moved to west 44th street and the gyms ceiling fans are encased in cages as if to insure that no stray basketballs get shredded
the lobby features a card catalog type mailbox which resembles the menu stuffed card catalog avroko installed in public the nolita restaurant the firm designed
though reproductions may fill inkwell some mementos were preserved elsewhere for instance a wall mounted pencil sharpener wound up in avrokos conference room mr goodrich said along with a 1990s era fire drill poster a claim to fame for the school is that in 1908 it was one of the first to serve lunch to its students according to a site study by akrf an environmental planning and engineering consulting firm
prices at inkwell which is being marketed by brown harris stevens development marketing start at about 178 million for two bedrooms and average about 1600 per square foot sales are expected to begin in late summer and the condominium is expected to open in the fall
if that price seems to be on the low side in a borough where new condos sold for an average of almost 2400 a square foot in the first quarter of this year according to the brokerage douglas elliman real estate it might be explained by gothams relatively low land costs the firm has owned the site which is part of the gotham west megadevelopment for years but ms pianko would not disclose inkwells specific cost
with inkwells completion the development of gotham west which occupies three quarters of a city block between 10th and 11th avenues will draw to a close in addition to its 1238 apartments more than half of which are income restricted housing gotham west also contains gotham west market an avroko designed food hall
the below average price could also be a function of location brokers say since the billboard dotted area is still fairly industrial and less than convenient to subway lines
but the growth of hudson yards to the south means its only a matter of time before the far west side becomes an established luxury address said kurt bauccio a douglas elliman agent who works in the area but is not affiliated with the project
i love that area he said because it is still up and coming


after years of work and study culminating in an assistant conductorship at the metropolitan opera orchestra kazem abdullah decamped to aachen germany where he became the citys general music director four years on he has programmed and conducted a wide range of symphonic music and opera from the core western repertory
but mr abdullah 36 who was born in indianapolis and grew up in washington and dayton ohio said he would like to return to the united states next year after his contract in germany is up the only problem he said is that he is most likely to find his opportunities limited in part because of his outsider status as an african american and a muslim in the world of classical music
there is greater openness in germany he said over thai food in manhattan recently i had hoped that by working abroad and doing so well that would translate into more opportunities from where im from
a lot of people say diversity is great and those are all nice taking points he added but as far as making sure the opportunities are given to everyone   that still falls quite short
that is why he jumped at the chance when the westchester philharmonic contacted him more than a year ago about conducting brahmss piano concerto no 1 and mozarts jupiter symphony the concert would provide the opportunity to conduct a first rate regional orchestra in the core repertory which he said some orchestras were patronizingly reluctant to offer minority guest conductors
its just a straight program he said thats why i said yes i love to do that
the concert which will take place on june 19 will feature alon goldstein as soloist mr goldstein a native of israel said that despite having played about 40 concertos in the past 27 years he had not met mr abdullah and had performed under only one other african american conductor isaiah jackson with the youngstown symphony orchestra of ohio
the lack of diversity in american orchestras is an issue of long standing but it has gained fresh currency the league of american orchestras held a major conference on the subject this month in baltimore reporting that only 18 percent of members of american orchestras are african american and 25 percent latino
also this month the new york state council on the arts has been holding events around the state including in new rochelle where it has been promoting a new diversity initiative arts career development fellowships for underrepresented communities under it financing is available to arts organizations to hire diverse administrative staff members or creative artists
theres a real sense of urgency in the music community among those concerned about those issues said robert baron the arts councils director of music and folk arts programs
the councils meetings follow two conferences convened this spring at which those who work in the arts discussed increasing orchestras diversity at the april conference mr baron said joshua worby executive director of the westchester philharmonic made a compelling case for taking immediate action by recruiting diverse guest artists
mr baron said of mr worby he has been a strong advocate and voice for diversity and addressing it right now
mr worby said that the lack of diversity reflected passivity by well intended people of good will who dont necessarily see or understand how lack of action or failure to be proactive can be part of the problem
the westchester philharmonics roster of 59 musicians he said includes three african americans and four latinos which translate into percentages that are higher than the league of american orchestras averages but turnover is slow mr worby said
since becoming executive director in 2006 he has recruited a diverse group of guest artists the black artists include three singers four instrumentalists and three conductors chelsea tipton iii kwame ryan and mr abdullah the latinos include the conductors alondra de la parra tito munoz and jorge mester a principal conductor jaime laredo is from bolivia
mr laredo who was guest conductor twice before becoming a principal in the 2014 15 season is a prominent figure on the classical music scene signing him has been a boon to the orchestra the other diverse artists among them up and coming musicians have been readily accepted by orchestra members and audiences alike mr worby said
mr abdullahs booking makes sense musically mr worby said given his work with the metropolitan opera orchestra in aachen and as a guest conductor with the likes of the cincinnati and pittsburgh symphonies it also strikes a blow for diversity and with mr goldstein on board for pairing artists who come from communities who are in conflict elsewhere in the world
mr worby speaking before the massacre in orlando occurred repeated remarks made by leonard bernstein after he conducted mahlers second symphony in the days following the assassination of president john f kennedy this will be our reply to violence to make music more intensely more beautifully more devotedly than ever before
the matching of mr abdullah and mr goldstein seems a promising one they share training having both attended the peabody conservatory in baltimore in separate interviews they expressed similar ideas about interpreting the brahms concerto both likening it to a kind of chamber music rather than a showpiece for a soloist and both said they were eager to get to work
but beyond the westchester concert mr abdullah said he had no concerts booked in the united states all of his guest conducting for the 2016 17 season will be in europe and asia   a fact he wryly characterized in an unsolicited email sent while he was in an airport waiting for a plane to visit his mother in indiana in the run up to the westchester concert as very interesting
i do not know and cannot say if that has any relevance he wrote but i will say that i am grateful for the westchester phil giving me the chance to work in my own country and the chance to do a nice program with a great soloist kudos to mr worby


william sanford nye got his start doing sketch comedy made his name as bill nye the science guy in childrens television and now runs an organization dedicated to sending spacecraft to other planets two years ago he added the title of bicoastal new yorker dividing his time between los angeles and manhattans upper west side where he is finishing work on a book called everything all at once how nerds solve problems and a series of childrens books called jack and the geniuses among his favorite things about life in new york the subway system are you kidding me mr nye 60 said its amazing carries a billion people a year for 275 you can go anywhere come on people
the aging guy i get up in time to watch meet the press theres three ways to know that youre old when i sit on my porch in studio city in los angeles i yell at cars to slow down slow down then its not uncommon to be out there in shorts pulling weeds with one hand and a cup of coffee in the other hand talking to the neighbors about how hot its going to be and the third thing is when you decide that watching meet the press is a valuable use of your time
the java guy coffee is the focus coffee is the whole thing i have multiple technologies but the main coffee thing here is this dutch brand that really is good its the moccamaster and the brand is technivorm
the cowguy i buy boxes of fisher scone mix online from amazon and i make scones and usually a poached egg and the thing that goes on in the background is ranger dougs classic cowboy corral its on sirius xm satellite radio when i was a kid i had a cowboy hat and six guns on my belt im not saying its politically correct or good they celebrate that music because almost all of it has this optimism of give me a home where the buffalo roam and the skies are not cloudy all day
the handy guy and then almost always i come up with some reason to go to the hardware store i live in an apartment in new york   what could you possibly need at the hardware store i come up with things
the exercise guy in my building theres a gym and having a gym in the building is just fantastic cause you use it i started working out a few years ago when i got worried about my posture
the peanut butter guy for lunch i might have a sandwich or peanut butter and apples thats a big thing with me
the writer guy i gotta get 1000 words a day but i try to get 1200 or 1500 a day i write for an hour then walk around the apartment and do something that doesnt need to be done put away dishes or something then i write for another hour
the podcast guy often on sundays i record five minutes for planetary radio which is the podcast for the planetary society we have 50000 members around the world and were growing and you should join our niche is planetary missions spacecraft going to other worlds
the space guy were trying to get a mission to europa at nasa two weeks ago i was at cal poly in san luis obispo and we had the latest test of our lightsail spacecraft which will be pushed through space by sunlight we hope to launch in the spring on the spacex falcon heavy spacex is elon musks company and we are whats called a secondary payload
the dinner guy four times in the last six weeks my close friend robert picardo has come over and cooked he played the doctor on star trek voyager otherwise my girlfriend and i will go out to dinner at some of the little restaurants
the philosopher guy i was legitimately criticized for an offhand remark about philosophy so ive been reading books about philosophy trying to catch up the process of science you could make a reasonable claim is actually natural philosophy
the sleep guy i do not have a television in the bedroom bedrooms for other things


slumped in his chair dmitry krymov seemed the personification of the brooding russian director on the first day of the third week of rehearsals his new play the square root of three sisters had just completed its first run through and with less than three weeks of rehearsals left before its world premiere it was still very much a work in progress
i want to say something good but its difficult to do today he told the cast and crew through an interpreter at yales iseman theater in new haven where the production will run june 21 through 25
the play mr krymov said still lacked the kind of rhythm that would transform it from a nascent script punctuated by improvised exercises   ones he allowed that were often brilliantly executed by the cast of students and recent graduates of the yale school of drama   into a coherent work of art
when you dont have that particular rhythm he said relaxing in a lounge after the rehearsal you understand cerebrally but you cannot understand through your heart
despite mr krymovs penchant for intellectualizing   at moscows experimental dmitry krymov lab which he heads meditating on the art of theater comes with the territory   the human heart and the thwarting of its needs is his subject in square root and that subject he said is embedded in chekhovs plays like three sisters from which he draws
its the formula of the human desire to be happy and the voice that tells you not today he said
but square root is hardly formulaic while it is populated by recognizable characters from three sisters and other chekhov works its narrative is not a linear retelling of any of them rather its a distilling of their elements which are accessed impressionistically and condensed into moments said liz diamond chairwoman of the drama schools directing department and a collaborator on the project
at the rehearsal those moments could be enjoyed on the level of spectacle in one the action proved explosive when julian elijah martinez as captain solyony of the russian army devoured the scenery in a hyperbolic display of rage against baron von tuzenbach his competition for the affections of irina the youngest of the three sisters
in another moment the mood turned poignant when the army which had provided solace and suitors for the lonely sisters was banished from their country village   stripping away everything the women had come to value not least among those was the exiled colonel vershinin with whom masha the middle sister had found love
such moments played as isolated adaptations of scenes from three sisters but shaping them into a singular piece of theater was complicated by the demands of mr krymovs universe in which the action operates on multiple levels and every word or gesture reflects both the characters and the actors playing them said luke harlan the assistant director
mr krymovs play is about the perils of making art its a story he said about a company of actors who are coming into this space and creating in front of our eyes their version of three sisters that they must show to us today right now and while theyre trying to do that theyre essentially being kicked out of the theater
the main instrument by which mr krymov advanced this conceit was the voice played by mr harlan wielding a megaphone offstage the final production will employ prerecorded tapes the voice amounted to an authoritarian figure intervening at inopportune moments and dashing dreams along the way
attention the plane is leaving on platform 5 the disembodied voice intoned ushering the soldiers and the actors who played them out of the picture change mashas it bellowed compelling the actress annie hagg to supplant annalise lawson in the role of masha which in turn prompted niall powderly as the departing vershinin to plead for my masha   not ms haggs impostor   as he was swept away with his brigade
it gets into the meta theatrical area mr harlan said not only are you getting moved away and you have to leave this theater you cant even play your part anymore
mr krymov acknowledged that his multilevel approach could be difficult to assimilate even ms diamond who was first dazzled by mr krymovs work on a trip to russia in 2006 and brought him to yale said she required a eureka moment to grasp it fully
ms lawson said that she and mr powderly with whom she had previously worked in other productions at yale were still having trouble distinguishing between their own feelings and those of their characters in square root
are these theatrical personas of actors exploring a little flirtation she asked when do the lines start blurring
mr krymov who has also worked as a set designer and an abstract painter said he hoped his unconventional aesthetic would become clearer as he added some of the phantasmagorical lighting video and other effects for which he is known the effects he said would be added in the run up to the opening
but at the rehearsal his focus was on establishing the plays rhythm he often turned to the production staff to sharpen the cues for the voice and the music   shostakovichs haunting waltz no 2 became a recurring backdrop   quickening the pace and adding urgency to the story
given mr krymovs pedigree   his father the renowned director anatoly v efros had been subject to soviet censors   it was no surprise that he felt that urgency he expressed concern about the threat to creative freedom in todays russia and in that context the voice could easily be seen as the heavy hand of the state
its your fate your destiny he said of the voice sometimes youre allowed to do what you want to do youre allowed to be part of the profession youve chosen sometimes without any explanation youre kicked out its something thats above us all


huy bui has an unusual design specialty so unusual in fact that its hard to explain but it has to do with creating little structures   vertical villages really   that house vegetation rather than people
i call them modular ecologies said mr bui 40 who studied architecture at the parsons school of design and now spends his time making intricate wooden terrariums under the name plant in city a collective he founded with two partners they all have their own little world within but you can stack them to create a bigger interconnected piece
among his latest projects is a room size installation on view at the lowline lab on the lower east side a plant sprouting scaffold that can be reconfigured to serve as a jungle gym a studio or a wine bar
at home however mr bui appreciates the simplicity of a plant in a pot   and the easiest way to achieve that is with a good planter there are just a few things to keep in mind he said
 know your roots if you have a cactus for example the root system is small and you can have a planter with a really short base mr bui said but if you have a tree with a complex root system you want something deep
 consider a range of sizes a planter is a temporary host like a hermit crabs shell he said once a plant outgrows it you might want to upgrade to something larger
 take the long view planters are something you dont just throw away even if your plant dies he said so make sure you choose something you think youll still like years from now
mossed redstone pots  350 to about 15 each at jamali floral  garden supplies 212 244 4025 or jamaligardencom
i have a lot of terra cotta pots at home mr bui said because theyre just classic and a great color but these go one step further he added because the moss on them gives them a weathered timeworn appeal thats genius

flavia aged white concrete planter  1200 at mecox 212 249 5301 or mecoxcom
in terms of both appearance and price this piece suggests permanence its very bold strong and weighty   it has a rooted feel to it mr bui said it also appeals to his interest in architecture its the brutalist planter

weathering steel origami planter  from 575 to 650 at trey jones studio treyjonesstudiocom
the rusted steel look is very on trend right now said mr bui who found this piece especially compelling because its sculptural form was inspired by folded paper with such an eye catching container he said the plant is almost secondary

mossy fiber globe planter  128 to 188 at terrain 877 583 7724 or shopterraincom
with its basic spherical shape this planter should never look outdated its a globe thats so simple and so beautiful mr bui said made from fiberglass cement and stone powder it has a natural looking streaky finish

babylon planter  220 to 1385 at dedon 212 334 3345 or dedonde
for an unexpected touch mr bui liked this planter designed by harry  camila for dedon with its deep asymmetrical ripples it comes in four sizes the largest more than three feet tall   ideal for a tree the biggest one is polyethylene the rest are frost proof ceramic you wouldnt necessarily think it was a planter he said it could be sculpture


forget the necktie
to make fathers day more memorable this year consider giving dad something providing a little more fun   like a beer or two
its really cool to go out and have a beer with your dad said michael mcmanus the owner of powder hollow brewery in enfield its one of those things you can do some serious bonding over
with 40 some breweries now operating in connecticut and many of them open this sunday for fathers day the options for obtaining a fresh locally made mugful have never been greater and at a cost of about 2 per sample or 5 to 7 per pint its probably cheaper than a tie
like most of the states newest craft breweries powder hollow which opened in 2014 operates a small taproom adjacent to its 10 barrel brewing system
despite the limited capacity of its production plant its tasting area handsomely paneled in knotty pine with seating for about 40 maintains about 13 beers on tap mr mcmanus often tends the bar serving up ipa porter stout and occasionally a basil lime flavored ale
every day more and more people are converting from bud light to craft beer mr mcmanus said
to entice those raised on american style pale lagers duvig brewing company which opened in branford in 2014 included in a recent product line five easy drinking ales none of which exceeded 5 percent alcohol
we do an occasional ipa but our focus is on session beers for people who are not that adventurous said kim vigliotti a co owner referring to a kind of everyday low alcohol brew
with a best selling grainy light cream ale duvig may one day grow beyond its three barrel batch size whether that would mean leaving its current quarters in a nondescript industrial park however remains to be seen
were very cognizant of keeping the mom and pop feel to our brewery ms vigliotti said
across town from duvigs 300 square foot tasting room is the colossal stony creek brewery with a bocce court an abundance of outdoor seating overlooking a tidal inlet off branford harbor and a 2500 square foot taproom complete with a granite faced fireplace stony creek has become one of the areas most popular destinations since its opening in march 2015
we didnt realize how thirsty connecticut was said ed crowley jr company president
stony creek is doing its best to quench that thirst with 14 draft lines of its various ales and lagers belgian big and big cranky weigh in at just under 10 percent alcohol
youve got to make a few beers that are off the wall for a small but influential group of drinkers said mr crowley who estimated that the brewery cost around 20 million to build
stony creek relies on the expertise of an in house microbiologist to ensure its beers consistency
veracious brewing in monroe takes a different approach with the dozen plus beers it serves in an oak paneled beer hall like setting that abuts its brew house
we havent done one of those the same twice mark szamatulski the companys brewer and co owner said of his brews well keep tweaking them until theyre the best i can make
such experimentation is to be expected from a man who with his wife has operated maltose express a home brewing and winemaking store for the last 25 years among the 22 different beers mr szamatulski has made since the brewery opened a year ago are a bohemian pilsner an imperial style stout and a watermelon beer made from freshly crushed juice
the best thing about the tasting room is hearing what people think and working on my craft he said were trying to make beers that when you finish them youll want to drink a second
that palate pleasing effect is likewise the aim of black hog brewing which opened in august 2014 in oxford its brewer tyler jones said he was making beers that paired well with food four recent offerings were variously brewed and seasoned with kumquats ginger grapefruit peel sage and oats
racks of barrels and sacks of grain are adjacent to furniture made from pallets providing black hog with a cozy ambience that belies its setting deep within a sprawling industrial park the tasting room is certainly part of the brewery experience mr jones said
if the basement like tasting room of overshores brewing in east haven is slightly claustrophobic its several belgian inspired brews including quad with a potent 10 percent alcohol may well transport your spirit across the atlantic
overshores which opened in may 2014 appeals to a niche market but its founder christian amport believes connecticut can support its increasingly wide array of small breweries if the culture of locally made products continues well not have any trouble at all he said
kyle ondrush a co owner and vice president of brass works brewing in waterbury agreed we all do different takes on different styles so hopefully we can all be successful in sharing the market he said
so far that appears to be the case for brass works although it opened just six months ago with a seven barrel system the brewery intends to double that capacity soon
mr ondrush noted that not all the fathers who visit his tasting room have the patience to wait for their children to be of age and invite them
we have one guy whose young son loves the sodas we make he said so that father always has an excuse to bring his kid on down and have a beer


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in the new york times book review michelle goldberg reviews susan faludis in the darkroom goldberg writes
on this weeks podcast faludi discusses in the darkroom alexandra alter has news from the publishing world james lee mcdonough talks about his new biography of william tecumseh sherman listeners share some of their favorite summer reading memories and gregory cowles and parul sehgal on what people are reading pamela paul is the host
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say seafood restaurant and many long islanders will think of flynns fire island a mainstay in ocean bay park since 1937 about three months ago the flynn family opened a very different spot in bay shore salt  barrel oyster and craft cocktail bar is not a rustic by the water keep it casual place like flynns it is much more upscale has a new american seafood based menu and is within a brand new apartment complex on west main street
there is nothing nostalgic about salt  barrel sleek and stylish with french doors and a pressed tin ceiling in the bar area the spot draws quite the crowd
in it there is a u shaped bar with 24 bar stools while other stools are scattered around the room and a few couches sit in front of a two sided gas fire
the fire can be seen from the dining room a space that is less striking than the bar its decor includes stylized paintings of sea creatures and macrame like hangings that hint at waves tables are bare wood with place mats and cloth napkins
in a telephone conversation after my two visits ryan flynn one of the owners said that the salt in the restaurants name referred to oysters and the barrel to bourbon of which 40 brands are on offer
start the meal with raw oysters most are 3 each and there is usually a selection of six from the east coast and six from the west coast my oysters arrived on a bed of ice with lemon and two sauces the baked bacon and bourbon oysters were not as satisfying similar to oysters rockefeller with creamed spinach and chunks of house made cured bacon atop the bivalves three of the six served were gritty
at flynns a bowl of new england clam chowder is just that at the fancier salt  barrel a similar chowder is laced with leeks and the plate includes a split marrow bone and a slab of toasted bread
enjoy that bread the restaurant does not offer it for free there are house made tarragon biscuits on the menu 225 for two 4 for four or 6 for six they were warm and tasty but i hate paying for bread
we liked the chowder and also gave high marks to the crispy rock shrimp served with a sinus clearing spicy mayonnaise
the bar menu is not automatically presented to diners but graciously provided upon request it has casual fare like deviled eggs burgers and a warm lobster roll that lobster roll was truly a disappointment the meat was mushy
on the regular menu which changes frequently there are several non seafood dishes as well as a vegetarian selection the braised short ribs were appropriately tender but i kept thinking i was eating dessert they had been braised in ginger beer and the parsnip puree on the plate was flavored with vanilla the organic chicken read like a dream on the menu confit of thigh duck fat roasted cabbage pearl onion caramelized apple but alas the meat was not as meltingly tender as confit should be and the cabbage was overwhelmed by the sweet apples
an ever changing item on the menu called dock to table featured soft shell crabs on both my visits they were a success so too was the lightly cooked salmon although its accompanying saffron fennel puree clashed rather than complemented the fish
desserts like the rest of the meal were sometimes fussy the buttery goodness of butterscotch pudding was diminished by coffee soil chocolate pearls and toasted cashews which were listed as accompaniments the tangy lemon curd parfait was a better bet
salt  barrel is a stylish new spot with an impressive raw bar and good service many of the dishes though are overorchestrated sometimes less is more


nine new books recommended by the editors of the new york times book review this week
homegoing by yaa gyasi knopf 2695 this wonderful debut by a ghanaian american novelist follows the shifting fortunes of the progeny of two half sisters unknown to each other in west africa and america
end of watch by stephen king scribner 30 the gloriously fitting final installment of kings trilogy featuring the retired police detective bill hodges is a big genre busting romp
elizabeth the forgotten years by john guy viking 35 a deliciously human queen copes with war abroad and political machinations at home in this fresh thrilling portrait
witness to the revolution radicals resisters vets hippies and the year america lost its mind and found its soul by clara bingham random house 30 a powerful and moving oral history of the years 1969 70
aeneid book vi a new verse translation by seamus heaney farrar straus  giroux 23 this marvelous translation by heaney who died in 2013 follows aeneas into virgils underworld
the big picture on the origins of life meaning and the universe itself by sean carroll dutton 28 a theoretical physicist offers new information and a vivid exposition of theories
the sport of kings by ce morgan farrar straus  giroux 27 three kentucky dynasties   black white and equine   converge in this vitally written if melodramatic novel
magic and loss the internet as art by virginia heffernan simon  schuster 26 an enjoyable look at design text images video and music
goodnight beautiful women stories by anna noyes grove 24 new england women confront hardship in this artful debut collection


the first time i went to destination bistro i was with a girlfriend and we sat at the bar for dinner because a private event had taken over the dining room we had a lovely time chatting with everyone from the friendly bartender to other guests to a chef who came out of the kitchen to say hello
the next time i visited the yorktown heights restaurant i was with family and we wanted to have a more intimate conversation but every time we began to engage a staff member came over no fewer than six people from a busboy to the owner himself approached our table within minutes after our entrees came out to ask us if we liked the food we had barely had a chance to taste it
it feels ungenerous to complain about too much attention but theres a tyranny to the constant refrain is everything all right
destination bistro is not alone in this and i hardly object to restaurants that want to make sure diners needs are met but sometimes that includes giving people a little privacy paying attention can mean knowing when people dont want to be disturbed
the restaurants food is similarly exuberant most dishes reflect an abundance of ideas and influences starting with appetizers like the slider trio that features not just a mini beef burger but a zucchini cake with roasted red pepper and horseradish aioli and chipotle pulled pork with apple slaw chicken carol the house specialty offered in memory of chef and owner rob del balzos mother is a seasoned chicken breast in a white wine and tomato reduction that also includes caramelized shallots and garlic artichokes olives and mushrooms   mixed with horseradish mashed potatoes the dessert menu includes something called coconut rice pudding creme brulee that is basically a mashup of two different dishes
but if it sometimes feels as though the kitchen needs to pull back   or drop an ingredient or two   it also is possible to revel in mr del balzos enthusiasm those sliders were delicious all served on warm brioche buns a honey wasabi crusted salmon struck just the right balance between sharp and sweet and came with fragrant black rice that helped keep the flavors from becoming overpowering
there are wonderful starches like the cilantro parsnip puree that accompanied tender braised short ribs the panko mac and cheese that came with the honey teriyaki baby back ribs and the disk of manchego polenta placed under a meaty and large crab cake appetizer
mr del balzo also frequently uses liquors in his cooking and they can give the dishes unexpected and welcome flavors an appetizer special called lobster mojito was created with meat from a lobster tail mixed with fresh lime mint and simple syrup and then deglazed with a shot of rum served around a fresh and creamy guacamole and fried plantain slices the tastes complemented and amplified each other shrimp and grits billed as new orleans meets italy could have been a mess it started with prosciutto di parma polenta and bacon fried brussels sprouts then gave the shrimp a sambuca tarragon glaze i wondered about overkill but it was so well executed and the intention so generous it won me over
mr del balzo opened destination bistro a little over two years ago after several years as a caterer often for television cooking shows such as chopped and roccos dinner party his company nuttin to it is still going strong he describes compliments from chefs rocco dispirito for his meatballs and bobby flay for his ribs as career highlights its easy to imagine his big personality and flavor filled food creating a lively atmosphere on a set that can be true at his restaurant too you just have to be in the mood for a party


though i hadnt eaten it yet i was almost sure that the pizza at aumm aumm pizzeria and wine bar in north bergen would be a winner my dining party was sitting at a table near the entrance and perusing the menu when a family of four walked in speaking italian we ended up engaging in small talk and i found out that they were tourists from bari a seaside city in italys puglia region they had been to the restaurant two days before they told us and had enjoyed the pizza so much that theyd come back for more
if the pizza was a hit with the italians it would most certainly be with us too oh and how it was
arriving first was the ortolana which had a light layer of tomato sauce made from san marzano tomatoes bite sized pieces of eggplant zucchini rounds and red and yellow pepper strips all of which had been perfectly roasted fresh basil and house made mozzarella with its lightly charred paper thin yet fluffy crust made with flour from le 5 stagioni an established company in parma italy and its abundance of high quality toppings finding fault wasnt an option
a white pizza of mozzarella and mascarpone cheeses diced eggplant and quartered cherry tomatoes was scarfed down just as fast the margherita with tomato sauce basil mozzarella and grana padano a hard cheese similar to parmesan released a medley of flavors that belied its simple ingredients
pizza tends to be a crowd pleaser and aumm aumms superb neapolitan style pies made with mostly fresh or imported ingredients and baked for just 90 seconds in a wood burning oven have kept the crowds coming ever since massimo delle donne a longtime food importer encouraged his wife paula to open the restaurant last november with their friend davide profeti
i was born in naples and our idea was to serve genuine neapolitan cuisine with a modern twist mr delle donne said in a telephone interview after my visits aumm aumm in the neapolitan dialect means hush hush and we named it that because we want the secret out about what our food is like
many of the ingredients for the dishes including some of the cheeses oils and canned tomatoes for the sauces are imported from italy said mr delle donne the help is too the executive chef antonio savino and the pizza maker raffaele marzello moved from naples to new jersey for the venture in 2013 and 2014 respectively
aumm aumm offers 130 wines by the bottle mainly from italy and more than 50 by the glass options since the knowledgeable staff happily provide samples you should find at least one to your liking in my case that was a 2014 tenuta di frassineto a crisp white from tuscany of vermentino grapes and a smooth and fruity 2013 azienda agricola fabiana a red from puglia made of primitivo grapes
wine and pizza aside other enjoyable dishes included a heaping pile of baby clams and prince edward island mussels a starter in a white wine sauce which had a nice garlicky finish salads burst with fresh flavorful produce the aumm aumm of baby arugula endive radicchio roasted artichokes eggplant marinated in extra virgin olive oil and cubes of tangy caciocavallo cheese tossed in a balsamic vinaigrette was delightful and big enough to share so was the citrus and avocado salad with juicy orange and grapefruit segments halved red grapes thin fennel slices and avocado tossed in a mint dressing
there is the option to add grilled shrimp steak or chicken to these salads for a more substantial meal but then diners would miss out on entrees like the beautifully grilled plate of shrimp calamari scallops clams and mussels that reminded me of seafood feasts on italys amalfi coast equally tasty was the thinly pounded chicken breast hiding underneath halved cherry tomatoes mozzarella balls and basil leaves all drizzled with a thick balsamic vinegar
only the special of a rosemary crusted grilled tuna steak with its dry texture didnt have us cheering
the della donnes son joshua is in charge of the desserts you cannot go wrong with his flourless chocolate cake and his tiramisu and ricotta cheesecake had an airy texture and as you would find in italy werent sugar bombs
authenticity reigned right until the end


the filmmaker beth b was 13 in 1969 the year the fraught event occurred that would become a family secret that was when her mother ida horowitz checked herself into the mental ward of mercy hospital in san diego ida was then a chevy driving mother of four and a struggling artist who kept a suicide contingency plan   a plastic bag just the right size to fit snugly over her head   at the bottom of her purse
incoherent ida spent much of her six weeks at mercy hospital drawing what would become her salvation over 100 fantastical images in which abstract forms   some recognizable as ida   collide float somersault and are engulfed by others an emotional reckoning in india ink watercolor and pastel her daughter beth struggled to understand the sudden disappearance of the mother she knew
five years later ida applebroog as she christened herself burst onto the new york art scene at the age of 45 eventually becoming a feminist boundary breaker her technical prowess as a painter has been accompanied by a fierce commitment to questioning business as usual the cliched concepts of female beauty and sexual pleasure the power dynamics between men and women the violence that percolates like bubbling lava through ordinary life anchored in dark humor her work resides in the collections of the whitney the guggenheim and the museum of modern art
but her extraordinary drawings from mercy hospital were forgotten in a basement locker for 40 years until studio assistants unearthed them in 2009 they are the centerpiece of an exhibition opening july 8 at the institute of contemporary art miami the first solo show of ms applebroogs work in the united states in nearly two decades it will travel next year to the karma gallery in new york
for her daughter whose film career grew out of the east village 1970s punk era her mothers demons and eventual breakthrough from the chrysalis of depression are the underpinnings of her moving new documentary call her applebroog at the metrograph theater through thursday june 23 a schedule is at callherapplebroogcom fifteen years in the making the film is an intimate portrait of a formidable artist who continues to innovate at 86 in fuzzy slippers at her soho studio but perhaps more than anything it is the story of a mother and a daughter exploring the tumultuous years of their shared past
its very difficult to see a film about yourself   plus by a daughter ms applebroog said on a recent morning wigs from one of her digital art projects poking out from the bookshelves i was positive it would be something that beth would put out after im gone it never occurred to me shed say oh i finished the film
for beth   the b is a homage to b movies   the process has finally brought an appreciation for her own difficult history i think i spent a lot of my childhood protecting my mother she said sitting in a white room at the school of visual arts where she teaches the backdrop set off her vivid blue hair
the pair share many of the same preoccupations almost telepathically but beth b had not seen the mercy hospital drawings until they looked at them together before the camera what a profound treasure she said it was like seeing the shell of who my mother was when i was 13 then looking at her today as this powerful strong artist
since beths 1979 film letters to dad a collaboration with her husband at the time scott b in which actors read aloud letters written to jim jones by cult followers she has hardly shied away from tough subjects   juvenile sex offenders the united states penal system and her more recent exposed which examines sexual taboos through the subculture of contemporary burlesque still taking on a film about ones mother is arguably a category unto itself my god she exclaimed the fear the fear of disappointing her or making her angry
at one point ms applebroog asked to be involved in the editing hoping her daughter could omit material that made her uncomfortable after several sleepless nights beth b said no i was interested in portraying idas mind her passion and yes sometimes her insanity she explained i think thats what makes her such a fascinating artist
i was there she added so i knew what happened
beth bs father gideon horowitz to whom the film is dedicated was a viennese born psychotherapist who died of cancer last summer ms applebroog whose maiden name is appelbaum met him when she was 15 and they were married for 60 years both had lost family members in the holocaust the artist grew up speaking yiddish in an orthodox household in a bronx tenement i didnt have to wear a burqa but i had to follow the rules she said which she did   usually i would sneak out to a luncheonette and order bacon sandwiches she recalled i should have been struck dead
ms applebroogs father was an imperious furrier who terrified the household and unlike her beloved older sister frieda she was not a fighter until recently when she became a geriatric as she puts it the artist was shy to the point of near paralysis
theres not a peaceful day as a child when you are shaking in your boots and afraid to enter the house she said her mother who was illiterate was a crazed creative figure ms applebroog recalled who added fur accents to her daughters hand sewn clothes her mother would spend hours staring out the window did i mention she was depressed ms applebroog inquired
attuned to gender expectations early on ms applebroog recalled working for her father modeling fur coats for buyers those sons of bitches would feel me up pretending to stroke the pelts she said
her gift for drawing has always been effortless she compares the ease to making instant coffee she attended commercial art school and after moving to chicago with her young family she made the bold decision to go back to school at the art institute a renegade move in an era when finding a balance between motherhood and being an artist was next to impossible
in 1968 the family moved san diego where ms applebroogs mental health began to unravel like many women who had nipped their creative potential in the bud she felt trapped   like an empty house inhabited by hungry tenants she would write
the film by beth b takes a nuanced look at her mothers triumph over depression combining a daughters impressionistic images with her mothers journal entries to convey the depths of her harrowing descent it was triggered in part by ms applebroogs residual grief over friedas death from rheumatic heart disease 20 years earlier
in a series of devastating poems called the green dress ms applebroog recalls the dress she wore the morning everything started to fall apart as she drove her two young sons to the zoo   unable to distinguish traffic lights and guided by two tiny voices in the back seat she committed herself to mercy hospital that day
beth cried while editing passages from the green dress my mothers illness was hidden from us she said depression was a taboo subject the siblings were told their mom had a bad back my most vivid memory is sitting by my mothers bedside trying to talk to her but not getting any response she added a great sadness was palpable but unexplained
when ms applebroog left the hospital for good she moved alone into an apartment her priority became her art there was of course a sense of loss and confusion beth b said my mother was searching for herself in a place that was foreign to me yet on some deeper level she understood and supported her she too knew she wanted to be an artist
they wound up moving to new york at the same time with the family joining them later the feminist art movement was in full flower and ms applebroog joined the heresies collective which published a journal of art and politics she would show up at meetings with hip length black hair tied into a bun she barely spoke recalled elizabeth hess an art writer and founding member but when she spoke everybody listened
womens gender roles and the tipping points of power remain searing touchstones of ms applebroogs work mona lisa 2009 sketches of her vagina have the delicacy of asian brush painting and modern olympia scrolls 1997 2001 a five panel riff on olympia edouard manets controversial nude celebrates womens freedom to revel in the pleasures of their bodies
as a filmmaker beths major challenge was to capture her mothers tenacity and fearlessness as an artist while persuading her to be open about her past at times tension crackles between the women yet the painter knew that beth bs talent for revealing the melancholy truths beneath lifes placid veneer was learned at the foot of the master
ms applebroogs increasing physical frailty is poignantly illustrated she no longer climbs ladders to paint relying on assistants to position the canvases yet she continues to enthusiastically embrace new media and is steeping herself in taxidermy for her current project   an applebroogian twist on john james audubons birds of america series to be called angry birds of america she is poring over taxidermy catalogs full of long needles and other tools i havent told anybody because it would be laughed out of the art world she said
but like a hawk she is circling


late last month the new york city police commissioner william j bratton as if he were a burdened star too often besieged by paparazzi delivered critical words about our reliance on cameras the commissioner had been speaking at a conference of police chiefs in manhattan and was asked about an investigation into a cellphone video that had materialized showing a police officer in harlem pointing a gun at a group of people looking on as he was trying to make an arrest without defending what the officer had done mr bratton spoke of the practice of ordinary people filming unsettling behavior by the police as a very serious issue that had reached epidemic levels in this country wayward law enforcement was not the problem it was all these aspiring weegees inciting citizens sometimes completely innocent ones to resist arrest
transparency is not the reflexive urge of governments and their functionaries mr brattons comments came only two months after he had expressed strong concerns about police actions stemming from video shot by witnesses in the matter of glen grays a mail carrier taken into custody for no apparently valid reason as he delivered a package in brooklyn
since the deaths in recent years of eric garner on staten island and michael brown in ferguson mo many cities have moved to outfit police officers with body cameras in an effort to facilitate greater accountability last year seattle received a 600000 federal grant to expand its program after it made some of its body camera footage available on youtube but in various places there has been little consensus   and some deep ambivalence   about what to do with the images once they have been collected
earlier this month a bill in the north carolina state legislature to prevent the police from releasing body and dashboard video passed a house committee currently making its way through state supreme court in manhattan is a lawsuit by the time warner cable television channel ny1 against the police department for failing to produce five weeks of footage from its body camera pilot program which began late in 2014
in april of last year a reporter for ny1 requested the footage through the states freedom of information law but was denied by the police departments records access office on the grounds that the department itself had not reviewed the footage and could not offer a redacted sampling which would remove any images that might violate the privacy of victims or bystanders the department would turn over the footage however for a fee of 36000 representing the estimated cost of the labor required to examine the digital images and locate and copy those that it could make available lawyers for ny1 argue that the demand has no basis in the freedom of information law and effectively bars public access to footage whose entire purpose is to subject the nypds actions to public supervision as their petition put it
as the lead lawyer for ny1 saul shapiro remarked in court two weeks ago the body camera program was a voluntary initiative by the police department and it would have to live with the consequences of a plan it chose to devise the presiding judge justice kathryn e freed seemed almost bewildered by the citys resistance pointing out more than once that the departments unwillingness to make the footage easily available seemed to undercut the entire premise of transparency on which the program was based
lawyers for the news organization had also pointed out that there were modern technologies available to make the task of redaction cheaper in a letter to the judge following the hearing city lawyers countered that the court had no authority to force the police department to adapt such technologies which was like hearing someone say that although he was fully committed to losing 20 pounds no one was going to tell him to eat less and to go to spin class
the case is not the only one casting doubt on the citys commitment to transparency on the part of the police about the same moment that mr bratton was complaining about cellphone videos the city filed a brief in a suit brought against it by the legal aid society seeking a summary of prior substantiated complaints filed with the civilian complaint review board against daniel pantaleo the police officer whose illegal chokehold resulted in eric garners death we still know almost nothing about him
after a judge granted the societys request for the documents the city appealed police personnel records are typically shielded from public view under a law section 50 a of the states civil rights code that essentially protects the privacy of police officers above all else shrouding them from humiliation and embarrassment in its appeal the city argues that the policy debate about the state statute is vital and acknowledges that there are several proposals before the legislature to appeal or amend it but until that time the city seems to be saying as long as it is here lets keep using it smoking is bad for you sure but as long as there are cigarettes at the bodega lets keep lighting up
a mayoral administration truly committed to generating greater trust in its police force wouldnt waste its money fighting efforts to build the openness it claims to value it would instead work tirelessly to remove the hindrances


halfway though the neon demon nicolas winding refns new film about envy duplicity and cannibalism on the los angeles fashion circuit a smarmy designer forces a young man to judge two models one of them an icy product of plastic surgery is manufactured the designer says the other a 16 year old waif elle fanning who transfixes everyone she meets is an example of being born beautiful her boyfriend says that a persons insides are what really matter
if she wasnt beautiful the designer retorts you wouldnt have even stopped to look
audiences may soon feel the same about the neon demon which opens friday june 24 a jarring visually arresting fairy tale about self worth in the selfie age its full of shocks that are delivered like razor blades hidden inside cotton candy mr refn wraps rape necrophilia literal blood baths and a disturbing appearance by keanu reeves around brightly colored fluorescent sets audiences and critics at this years cannes film festival were outraged a critic for the daily mail called for the film to be banned in britain but mr refn insisted that his funny movie is more than just a vessel for titillation
you dont get very far with being nice mr refn 45 said in a phone interview from milan creativity is meant to inflict opinions on you or points of views or leaving it up to you to make your own decisions but its never meant to satisfy you
mr refn who is danish but was raised in new york has been drawn to extremes since his debut film pusher 1996 the first of a grim trilogy focusing on copenhagens underworld he attracted international attention with bronson 2009 a comically brutal portrayal of britains most famous prisoner with tom hardy in the title role and with ryan gosling in the lead role for drive 2011 a hazy tribute to american car chase films mr refn finally achieved commercial and critical success winning the award for best director at cannes mr refns name has at various times been attached to big budget remakes but his follow up to drive was widely panned the garishly violent only god forgives 2013 featured mr gosling as an impotent mamas boy and a foul mouthed kristin scott thomas as his cruel mother facing off against a stoic bangkok detective who sings karaoke when hes not mutilating victims with a sword
mr refn also shot fashion and advertising campaigns for gucci and lincoln a series of commercials with matthew mcconaughey immersion in what he called an alice in wonderland world gave mr refn an opportunity to create the horror film he had long sought
about two years ago i woke up one morning and i thought i wonder what it would be like having been born beautiful because i wasnt born beautiful but my wife was said mr refn who is married to the danish actress and filmmaker liv corfixen now there was a way in i could make a horror film about beauty the obsession with beauty having two daughters and a wife i can see how beauty very much steals a lot of time
the neon demon in mr refns mind is a twisted take on a star is born ms fannings character jesse is an orphan trying to establish a modeling career in los angeles everyone she meets from a macabre makeup artist jena malone to a lecherous motel owner mr reeves sees her as the personification of natural beauty but as she begins to outshine more experienced models and becomes intoxicated by her own power their insecurities manifest themselves violently
mr refn who wrote the script with the british playwright polly stenham and mary laws said he was inspired to make a film that would celebrate narcissism after watching his 13 year old daughters relationship to the digital revolution
i think my daughters generation and the generation of elle fanning are not really bound by the same taboos that i grew up under of narcissism as a critique he explained theyre exposed to the digital world of images that of course they are reacting toward but theyre all unattainable because its an artificial world   its dead in a way it kind of creates a form of insanity
in a phone interview ms fanning elaborated on this concept youre constantly looking at your phone and these images that arent alive she said and pointed out apps her friends use that allow them to appear thinner with clearer skin in photos then when you see a person in the flesh with normal skin then its automatically ooh thats not perfect that becomes not real and then the image becomes what is the real thing the connection to death and beauty that combination is big in our movie
the gruesome results of jesses descent into a superficial community involve scenarios that wouldnt be out of place in fantasies of a teenage goth boy lesbian shower scenes medieval looking corsets and human sacrifice aside from jesse the films female characters are conniving bloodthirsty and often topless but even though it is filtered through a male gaze mr refn says the film is beyond feminism given his treatment of its male characters he likens them to the minimal girlfriend role in many hollywood movies
that was like the standing joke mr refn said they were only there for plot devices and once this film was done with all those characters it had no need of men anymore the male existence no longer functioned in the movie and it became only about women
referring to the films female characters ms fanning said i loved it because theyre not talking about a guy that they like each guy represents a different type of man and its very much cut and dry whereas the girls in our film the characters are much more complex and you cant describe them as easily as you can describe the men
mr refn said his wife has never really been the biggest fan of my films he added im married to a true scandinavian feminist but she saw the movie and she said to me at cannes its better than drive and that was probably the biggest compliment ive ever gotten
alejandro jodorowsky the 87 year old chilean director of the holy mountain and el topo has become a mentor of sorts to mr refn he offered tarot readings nearly every weekend during the filming of the neon demon mr refn said mr jodorowsky pointed out that in mainstream films the directors imprint is often invisible the director is like an employee not really a poet here you see a personality he said of the neon demon the photography and the style is like the style of publicity he uses this style of publicity to criticize publicity
the film can be ham fisted in its use of metaphor perhaps most strikingly with the presence of mr reeves who mr refn says represents a certain aura of the mythology of hollywood casting such a symbol as a predator functions as a bit of a trojan horse he said using keanu in that world is very subversive because you automatically react one way when you first introduce him
at cannes people were applauding the minute he opens the door there was this kind of familiarity in a very pleasurable way but then once it starts to evolve into a completely different arena everything in our expectations change
mr refn sees the neon demon as a film about something everyone has a very strong opinion about certain people will call it shallow other people will see the complexity and both are very true being singular he says is the only way artists can distinguish themselves in a world full of distractions so theres no room to tread lightly
ego and vanity and paranoia   thats part of what its like being creative he said those are great virtues you just have to embrace them self indulgence is a great thing


everybody knows that chief executives receive bounteous pay as a matter of course in 2015 for example the median pay for a top corporate executive at 200 large american companies was 193 million
less discernible though is who actually earned their pay the most by increasing the value of the companies they run by a commensurate amount such performers are not to be confused with executives who work to propel their companys stock price this pursuit can have fleeting benefits and disastrous consequences as valeant international the beleaguered drug company has shown
one reason its so hard for shareholders to determine a chief executives value is that companies descriptions of their pay packages are complex for example the discussion of general electrics compensation practices took up more than 20 pages of its 65 page proxy this year
any investor who plows through these pay documents will recognize a common corporate theme the amounts awarded to the chief executive are aligned with shareholders interests because the pay is grounded in the companys performance
but companies use a bewildering array of benchmarks in their compensation decisions these gauges often vary even within the same industry making apples to apples comparisons difficult and hampering an investors ability to determine when an executive is overpaid
it is amazing how complicated companies make the proxy and how studiously they avoid the simple informative presentation of relative pay for relative performance said stephen f obyrne president of shareholder value advisors a firm specializing in compensation design and performance measurement
the most common performance metrics used by companies can be problematic total shareholder return according to a recent study by equilar a compensation analysis firm in redwood city calif is the single most popular measure related to pay at big public companies
companies love total shareholder return in part because it is easy to calculate but a companys stock can rocket even when its operations are being run into the ground so basing pay on total shareholder return can encourage an executive to manage more for a companys share price than for its overall health
when you look at total shareholder return relative to pay youre not looking at the underlying returns of the business said mark van clieaf managing director at mvc associates international a consulting firm that can take investors down the wrong path
a better way to measure whether a ceo has created value at a company is to look at its return on capital over a period of years this reveals how effectively a company is using its own money to generate profit in its operations
when you compare these returns to an executives compensation you see where pay is justified and where it isnt
i asked mr obyrne and mr van clieaf to analyze returns on capital among the top 200 companies whose compensation was reported by the new york times three weeks ago the goal was to see how the executive pay at each company stacks up against its corporate performance and highlight which companies are giving away the store to their chief executives and which are getting their moneys worth
mr obyrne and mr van clieaf began by examining each companys return on capital over the last five years and then comparing it with companies in the same industry this resulted in a relative return on capital for each corporation
the experts then compared each companys ceo pay last year with that of its peers this produced a relative pay figure that could be set against its relative return on capital over five years the calculations were adjusted for company size
among the top 200 companies the study concluded that 74 overpaid their chief executives in 2015 based on five years of underperformance in return on capital the total overpayment last year to the ceos at these companies the study found was 835 million
industries with the greatest outsize pay were energy technology media health care and consumer products the study said
companies high on the overpayment list included salesforcecom a software company vertex pharmaceuticals and the vector group a tobacco concern
all three companies had a return on capital below that of their peers over the last five years the analysis showed nevertheless the pay received by these companys chief executives was lush
for example at salesforcecom return on capital fell 23 percent over the last five years as a result marc benioff its chief executive received almost 31 million more last year than was warranted by the companys performance against its peers
jeffrey m leiden of vertex pharmaceuticals received 27 million in excess pay based on the companys negative 35 percent return on capital over the period and howard m lorber the head of the vector group was overpaid by 35 million last year when judged on the companys 45 percent decline in return on capital during the previous five years
representatives for all of the companies challenged the idea that return on capital was the best way to measure their operations
chi hea cho a spokeswoman for salesforcecom said that because its business model was based on recurring revenue return on invested capital was not the right way to measure performance we have created a thoughtful executive compensation structure based on total shareholder return which aligns executives interests directly with those of our stockholders and over the last five years salesforce has delivered returns of 111 percent more than double the sp 500 index
paul caminiti a spokesman for the vector group said in a statement from 2010 to 2015 vectors common stock produced total annualized returns of 216 percent as compared to 126 percent for the standard  poors 500 over the same five year period
a vertex spokeswoman heather nichols said in a statement that successful earlier stage biotech companies were measured largely on research productivity and shareholder returns over the last five years she said vertex has delivered three breakthrough medicines to people with serious diseases and a 259 percent total shareholder return
the analysis also identified more than 70 companies whose chief executives were delivering outsize returns on capital for fair or even undersize pay
this group included mastercard overseen by ajaypal banga which had a 40 percent premium compared with its peers and the tjx companies the retailer run by carol meyrowitz with a 36 percent excess return on capital
philip morris international a tobacco company headed by andre calantzopoulos generated excess return on capital of almost 30 percent compared with its peers
gary lutin a former investment banker said it was crucial for investors to assess whether their companies were generating more wealth for management than for shareholders as overseer of the shareholder forum an independent creator of programs to provide information investors need to make astute decisions he has convened a workshop to focus investor attention on basic measures of corporate performance that generate long term shareholder wealth
both investors and corporate directors need to measure performance based on the profits a company generates from its competitively successful production of goods and services mr lutin said thats the only real foundation there is for investment value and for national prosperity


perhaps its fate that today is the fourth of july and you will once again be fighting for our freedom not from tyranny oppression or persecution   but from annihilation
maybe you remember the patriotic climax of independence day in 1996 it was a doozy of a speech but has it become iconic enough to resonate after 20 years how many moviegoers really recall that moment when bill pullmans unshakable president thomas j whitmore proclaims were fighting for our right to live to exist as he sends a young squadron of pilots and a drunken one played by randy quaid to do battle with murderous alien invaders who have destroyed much of the planet
even if you dont recall it roland emmerich the outspoken director of the original as well as the new independence day resurgence doesnt really care im always against sequels he said via phone theyre exactly the same he sees resurgence out june 24 as a new film that just happens to be anchored by some of the same actors but he was coaxed into franchise land by the tremendous advances in visual effects the original won the oscar in that category we had to wait for it to catch up he said
for those who dont remember the first it earned more than 800 million at the global box office and made will smith then 28 a worldwide summer brand its success kicked off the first barrage of big budget disaster films since the early 70s heyday of the poseidon adventure and the towering inferno mega grossers like armageddon owe it some respect
still 20 years between the same part is a challenge for an actor jeff goldblum who is reprising his role as the wisecracking scientist david levinson cant remember many actors who have taken on the same role two decades later its like paul newman in the hustler and the color of money he said via phone even he had to rewatch the original film making a ton of money and being iconic are probably not the same thing mr goldblum admitted adding blithely who knows how deep an impression it really has made and how welcome it will be
what has changed on and offscreen will surely play a role in the films fate   if not the earths   this time around heres a sampling
plus this ones in 3 d and imax 3 d the ships are bigger the aliens scarier and more bloodthirsty and the technology is more advanced we even have bases on the moon and saturn well briefly
minus the notion of an independence day without will smith is to some like well men in black without will smith he stole the first id by punching out an alien welcome to earth but hes not around for this one while his characters absence is explained in the new film and his son played by jessie t usher has taken over the family business of flying through space its certainly conspicuous
minus ever since i was kidnapped by aliens 10 years ago ive been dying for some payback and i just want you to know i wont let you down randy quaid says when volunteering to pilot a jet in film 1 hes gone this time around and sorely missed
plus maika monroe star of the horror film it follows plays the former presidents daughter and liam hemsworths fighter pilot jake morrison is errol flynn like
plus the glass ceiling has shattered not only is the president of the united states a woman sela ward but vivica a fox mr smiths wife in film 1 is also no longer an exotic dancer shes a staid health care worker
plus gay heroes prevail dr brakish okun brent spiner wakes from a 20 year alien induced coma did we win and hes loud proud and armed with lasers okun greets a benevolent super intelligent orb with the streisand ian hello gorgeous
minus but where is harvey fierstein who played mr goldblums colleague in film 1
plus supersize globalism nations have put their petty differences aside in the wake of the first round of devastation earthlings now live in a virtual one world state americans share space stations with the chinese consult with the germans and enlist the help of african warlords
minus after 911 the tsunami of 2004 and hurricane katrina is watching the utter destruction of cities on film as entertaining as it was back in 1996 quite honestly no
plus and minus cineaste hipsterism has gone mainstream charlotte gainsbourg is in this film and von trier less she smiles


click on the slide show to see this weeks featured properties in new york city
 in the west village a one bedroom one bath on the top floor of a townhouse a nonsmoking building
 in the gramercy area a two bedroom two bath in a prewar elevator building with a live in superintendent
 in crown heights brooklyn a three bedroom two and a half bath rowhouse with a back garden


two more luxury aeries officially closed at 432 park avenue the tallest residential tower in the western hemisphere at 1396 feet and a bastion of the worlds superrich the sales were also the weeks most expensive transactions according to city records
the pricier of the two sponsor units at 2889048175 was no 71a which sits 915 feet up the 96 story concrete and glass building on billionaires row between 56th and 57th streets and offers panoramic park river and city views
the apartment has 4019 square feet and includes three bedrooms four and a half baths and a library its monthly carrying costs total 15986
the identity of the buyer who was represented by elese reid of brown harris stevens was shielded by the limited liability company cupid properties
the other unit no 42a less than halfway up the building sold for 2143062076 according to property records and has 17622 in monthly carrying charges there are four bedrooms and four and a half baths spread over 4430 square feet
the buyer was identified as keith r gollust the chairman of the biotechnology company synta pharmaceuticals
all of the 104 residences at 432 park feature 126 foot ceilings 10 by 10 foot windows and private elevator landings
the super tall building was designed by rafael vinoly architects and developed by macklowe properties and the cim group macklowe properties sales and douglas elliman development marketing are handling sales for the building
another high priced sale at 1912368532 according to city records was a full floor penthouse at the greenwich lane a new luxury condominium complex at the site of the former st vincents hospital campus in greenwich village
the sponsor unit ph1 on the 14th floor of 150 west 12th street a converted 1920s building has 4636 square feet with three bedrooms three and a half baths and a spacious windowed eat in kitchen there is also a 799 square foot private rooftop terrace
monthly carrying costs are 18519
the buyer identified as lincoln walker owner llc was represented by ann weintraub a broker with her own firm
the corcoran sunshine marketing group is handling sales for the 200 unit greenwich lane development between seventh avenue and avenue of the americas by the rudin family and global holdings the complex designed by the architect fxfowle with interiors by thomas obrien has five apartment buildings and five townhouses
big ticket includes closed sales from the previous week ending wednesday


prince died in april leaving behind an estimated 300 million estate a vault full of unreleased music and an untold number of people looking to lay claim to his fortune more than 20 tupac shakur albums have been released since the rapper was gunned down in 1996 with the death of his mother afeni shakur davis in may the future of his catalog is uncertain the fate of unreleased kurt cobain recordings has had his former nirvana bandmates and widow courtney love fighting and reconciling in public for two decades
musicians estates can be managed effectively or run into the ground thats why people call jeff jampol who specializes in managing the performers that the music business calls legacy acts and that the general public refers to as dead people
the roster of his privately held company jampol artist management or jam inc is chock full of rock and roll hall of famers including janis joplin otis redding the ramones muddy waters jefferson airplane and the doors some of those bands have surviving members but are missing key personnel and have no hope of ever reuniting a new addition to the client list mr cobain whose work is going to be relevant for centuries mr jampol said
a lot of people approach these legacies as vultures winging around this decomposing body looking for little islands of still pink flesh they can consume he recently said matter of factly from his west hollywood calif office i take the opposite approach i believe in reanimating the body and then all the revenue streams will come with it mr jampol has done well with his business model his office has a half dozen full time employees and he says that he hasnt needed to pursue a client for 12 years
his methods have fans in the music industry jeff has carved out a really interesting niche in the management business and done a stellar job with it said mark pinkus president of rhino entertainment in the united states back in 2007 he came to us with all these ideas for the 40th anniversary of the doors we all thought it was going to be a mess and he pulled it off beautifully a doors gala on the sunset strip was such a hit mr pinkus said that he was barely able to squeeze into the closing event at the whisky a go go
sales of recorded music have been dwindling for all artists living and dead in recent years while legacy artists can make up some of the gap with deluxe boxed sets mr jampols primary goal is not to prop up his clients on the billboard charts but to make sure that the public remains aware of them that can mean documentary films books museum exhibitions iphone apps and broadway musicals like a night with janis joplin that show halfway between a jukebox musical and a blues concert opened on broadway to mixed reviews in 2013 and is still touring
the focus for most contemporary managers is radio touring and tour merch mr jampol said thats their troika we do everything except those three mr jampol 57 likes to point out that a song like the doors light my fire will always be new for an 11 year old somewhere marketing to potential new fans is much more effective than marketing to existing fans he said because there are many more of them
intellectual property is a more substantial asset than anyone dreamed of in the early days of rock n roll david bowies estate for example was calculated as being worth around 100 million when he died in january and the michael jackson estate has generated over 1 billion since his death in 2009 almost as much as he earned while he was alive
the ramones achieved fame without selling truckloads of records their debut album didnt go gold until 2014 38 years after its release the bands largest income stream these days is from clothing   specifically t shirts bearing the classic logo designed by arturo vega that played off the united states presidential seal
i love merch said linda ramone the widow of the guitarist johnny ramone when you went to a ramones show theyd sell drumsticks banners posters with all the original ramones dead ms ramone said now its more about books and movies just to keep the legacy alive and having great stuff come out there
laura joplin janiss sister said mr jampol improved the quality of projects involving the singers memory the people he was choosing to bring in were better more skilled more capable better artists she said mr jampol ticked off ways the joplin family benefited from the musical although its broadway run was brief we sell janis merch there we get royalties on the show obviously we get paid for the music and it drives everything else   its a marketing exercise to connect people with the idea of janis that enables brand extensions like a clothing line called made for pearl not t shirts with the singers face but apparel inspired by the clothes she wore
mr jampol isnt the only person to recognize the value of expired celebrities jamie salter at authentic brands group for example handles both elvis presley and marilyn monroe the entertainment lawyer john branca manages the michael jackson estate and has done legal work for many jam inc clients there are a couple of other guys but they dont really do what jeff does or i do or jamie does mr branca said they dont create broadway plays they dont create movies he refers to mr jampol as the professor hes very scholarly very intellectual
mr jampol said he grew up in los angeles a short fat nonathletic jewish loner kid he skipped several grades which only furthered his social isolation but he found a community in 1972 at the age of 13 when he saw david bowies ziggy stardust tour at the santa monica civic center there were 1900 other weirdos there exactly like me he recalled it was the first time in my life i felt like i wasnt alone
childhood lessons on guitar and bass had revealed he had no particular musical aptitude but he resolved to be closer to the source of rock n roll he dropped out of college to manage punk bands and became he said a stark raving mad heroin addict by 1989 he had cleaned up a few years later he started a management company he never had a blockbuster touring artist so while stuck in the office he developed his expertise on less glamorous parts of the business like music publishing and licensing
one of his friends was danny sugerman who started out answering the doors fan mail and ended up managing the band after jim morrisons death in 1971 when mr sugerman learned he had lung cancer mr jampol handed all his bands over to his management partner and in 2002 teamed up with mr sugerman to work on the doors together danny knew everything mr jampol said he became what i call the thing between my gun and my foot
the doors drummer john densmore said that one of mr jampols precepts is that in the long term saying no to crass exploitation increases the value of a band
in 2010 mr cobains widow ms love reportedly signed over her rights to his name and likeness to the trust of their daughter frances bean cobain that same year ms cobain turned 18 and took control of her trust fund she was an executive producer on last years documentary kurt cobain montage of heck now working with the cobain family mr jampol is organizing a touring exhibition of kurts works and his art and his possessions he said hes got some amazing canvases that a lot of the world has never seen or even heard of
looking ahead mr jampol is interested in branching out beyond music what we do for the ramones or for otis redding we can also do for robert rauschenberg or richard neutra or jack kerouac he said the jam inc client list now also includes the shaw brothers producers of hundreds of movies in hong kong
most people in the industry avoid specializing in deceased artists either because they find it distasteful or because they prefer the spark that comes when musicians actively engage the public although there clearly will be an increasing need for necromanagement ive always been more drawn to the living creative process says martin kirkup a founding partner at direct management who represent katy perry kd lang and adam lambert
the inexorable forces of human mortality and actuarial tables mean that in the years to come the business of legacy acts will grow ever larger mr jampol said hes long been interested in buying stakes in estates but he was waiting to find investors who would pursue a buy and hold strategy he is now partnering with shamrock capital advisors which in may announced its 250 million entertainment ip fund
publishing catalogs are a prized investment right now mr jampol said explaining that their performance is fairly steady at 10 percent a year and unaffected by fluctuations in the stock market he contends that artists estates can be a similarly strong stable investment
he added im open to buying something less than 100 percent   i believe in having the families and benefactors involved this business is rife with opportunists and money wolves people just want to get hold of something and exploit it content and exploit are two words that i forbid people from using we use the word art we use the word utilize or deploy it really changes your thinking
mr jampol said that part of what gives him confidence is knowing that hes repeating history with artists who have proved their appeal its up to a potential fan to decide is this relevant for me do i love whats behind the message do i love the music we know that a certain percentage will and a certain percentage wont im not trying to massage those percentages he insisted but i already know whats going to happen because i know what happened


los angeles   in say anything cameron crowes 1989 film about an unambitious teenager trying to win the love of the beautiful class valedictorian the kid john cusack asks his sour divorced sister a seemingly simple question
how hard is it to decide to be in a good mood and just be in a good mood
that sunny side up take on life has permeated mr crowes films ever since jerry maguire almost famous aloha and last month that mood was manifested on the manhattan beach set of roadies the first tv show mr crowe has created
wearing cargo shorts and converse sneakers the preternaturally youthful and rumpled mr crowe 58 jumped in the air pumping his arms in celebration of one take after another take yielded the desired result he playfully tagged the director jon kasdan on his arm
that feeling of exaggerated joy permeates roadies which stars luke wilson and carla gugino and debuts on sunday june 26 on showtime the series follows a tour of a fictional pearl jam like group called the staton house band but focuses on the nearly invisible folks behind the scenes who ensure that the fans and artists enjoy a smooth concert experience
for mr crowe who typically takes years between his movies the faster pace of tv has been his biggest revelation whats in your gut shoot it he said and the result is roadies is whats in my gut
the series is also a neat piece of counterprogramming and not just for showtime many critical and audience darlings on the streaming and more prestigious cable networks are replete with alienated antiheroes morally blinkered protagonists and straight up evildoers even most of the acclaimed comedies like hbos scabrous veep are dark
mr crowe doesnt do brooding or biting even if there can be a strain of melancholy in his work but his brand of entertainment   veined with optimism and concerned more with characters than plot   has not fared particularly well at the multiplex lately aloha his most recent film was not just skewered by critics and ignored by moviegoers it was accused of cultural misappropriation and was badmouthed by its studio
television might just prove a more hospitable environment
the time is right for a pay cable show that makes you feel good said david nevins the president and chief executive of showtime networks that is life affirming and is emotional and makes you feel better for the hour you spent in front of it
for mr crowe who was just a teenager when he started writing for rolling stone and other music publications in the 1970s rock music has meant more than a soundtrack to life it has inspired his movies plots and themes and most iconic moments like mr cusacks boom box serenade of ione skye in say anything but the idea that sparked roadies actually came from someone else
waiting for a concert to begin the writer and director j j abrams an executive producer on roadies spotted a woman perched on the rigging who vanished as soon as the band appeared his curiosity piqued he called mr crowe wouldnt her story and that of the rest of the behind the scenes crew be fascinating to tell
mr crowe was intrigued a subsequent backstage visit at a fleetwood mac concert where he glimpsed a family atmosphere among the crew cemented the shows tone in his imagination
i always knew that the roadies were more pure music geeks than crews on movies are movie geeks he added and i wanted to honor that
though mr crowe invented a 16 page history of the headlining staton house band viewers never hear the groups songs live music will come from the real acts performing before them which will be a constantly changing group mr crowe said
like the drummer joke in spinal tap our band cant hold on to an opening act mr crowe said
that comedic conceit allows roadies to bring in an eclectic list of singers and bands including the head and the heart lindsey buckingham halsey and lucius
mr crowes movies often feature main characters grappling with classic coming of age concerns of identity and purpose whether theyre adolescents or well into adulthood searchers like those inhabit roadies most notably kelly ann an electrician technician played by imogen poots who in the pilot is wrestling with leaving the tour for film school
but the two main characters mr crowe created   bill mr wilson the tour manager and shelli ms gugino the production manager   allow him to push into new terrain
cameron has said hes always wanted to write about marriage and ironically this may be the opportunity with two people who actually arent married ms gugino said
the workplace marriage can feel in some ways more authentic than many official ones and early on he told winnie holzman my so called life his main writing partner and an executive producer that he wanted to explore that kind of platonic relationship shelli is married since his girlfriend left him seven years earlier bill a recovering alcoholic has hooked up with a series of age inappropriate women
mr crowe has nothing but raves so far for his television experience but that doesnt mean it has been devoid of typical new series bumps the roadies pilot was originally shot with christina hendricks mad men in the role of shelli but test audiences reacted poorly to the character finding her too harsh and the character was recast and softened
compared to some of mr crowes recent films television may prove to be an oasis aloha took in a mere 21 million at the domestic box office despite having bradley cooper as its star mr crowe ended up apologizing for casting emma stone as an asian american character named allison ng who was one quarter chinese and one quarter hawaiian and emails made public by the sony hack detailed the studios angst over mr crowes script and test screenings
coming off the mixed success of we bought a zoo starring matt damon in 2011 and the disappointment of elizabethtown 2005 mr crowe finds it tougher to get a traditional romantic comedy off the ground
for right now i think studios are very scared about spending money on a character rich story that doesnt have a lot of tentpole sensational kind of appeal he said
put it like this he added youd never get almost famous made right now
the doggedly upbeat mr crowe hasnt given up on making movies for the big studios and he believes wholeheartedly that the hollywood pendulum will swing back to the sorts of movies he loves and loves to make   like those of billy wilder james l brooks and wes anderson
they are classic timeless stories about characters that you fall in love with and transport you he said thats what i love to do and i think there will always be an audience for that when done correctly
in the meantime roadies will be his canvas for what ms poots calls the hope within his work though some may see syrupy sentimentality the backstage setting is an apt pairing for someone who speaks about the transformative power of music
i love writing about what it is to be an optimist in an often cruel world mr crowe said its a tough but satisfying road


florence italy   for his debut at pitti uomo the twice yearly mens wear trade fair that draws 1222 brands and accounts for an overwhelming portion some say as much as 80 percent of the sales volume in this particular and expanding part of the fashion business matteo martini dressed with fastidious care
he wore a pair of white summer jeans with rolled cuffs a custom tailored white button down shirt from the robert friedman label left untucked over it he wore a mid gray super lightweight wool blazer with a notched lapel
to accessorize he selected a chunky swatch wristwatch from a growing collection and a pair of royal blue adidas trainers with yellow stripes he styled his hair himself with a side part lightly gelled tucked into his breast pocket a pink piped white pocket square signaled to an observer his assured sense of style and fashion
unlike most of the 30000 others who attended the fair he came with his mother obviously it could not be otherwise matteo is 6
although in miniature matteo was attired not unlike most of those who attend pitti uomo   that is those likely to go through life comfortably embracing the masculine pronoun he looked the way traditionally we have become used to men looking albeit one who stands a shade under four feet
an event like pitti uomo seems like such an obvious laboratory for the study of evolving gender archetypes that it is a wonder the place isnt crawling with academics and social anthropologists
instead during a week in january and again in june florence is overrun with men who identify as men demonstrating to their fellow men their current notion of how a man of today ought to look
sometimes the results are quite silly sometimes they are ineffably stylish sometimes they betray the ornate workings of an individual psyche and sometimes they challenge basic assumptions we all tend to have about what is suitable to wear outside the confines of ones home
yet seldom does anyone at pitti uomo appear to question traditional gender binaries if a guy happens to show up here wearing a kilt you can bet he will have balanced the look with some lavish chin whiskers just to underscore the presence of his y chromosome
look you dont go to the hardware store for oranges said the retailer and instagram star nick wooster standing in a booth representing the italian tailoring label lardini for which he has served as a consultant and designer for the last several years
its a mens wear trade fair mr wooster added noting that in another few days the fashion flock will move on to milan and paris where   at least for now   fashion houses led by gucci are scrambling to get in on the gender blur vogue
talk to me about gender in another two weeks mr wooster said before walking a reporter through his latest collection which while it subjected traditional italian tailoring to a certain feminization   peplums twin sets boucle knits from the mill that produces chanel woolens   hardly tested the limits of what constitutes masculine attire
this is my senora moment triple senora mr wooster said facetiously pointing out elements that included a pair of baggy shorts that resembled culottes im not going to lie because of gucci and bruce   or rather caitlyn   jenner were having this conversation but at the end of the day guys want to be guys
what is almost perverse about the routine cultural reading of the ways guys have dipped into fashions that at first glance look like feminizing choices is the obliviousness to how often the ones they settle on originated in archaic macho archetypes
samurai warriors and sumo wrestlers favored topknots or man buns as anja aronowsky cronberg editor in chief of vestoj a scholarly journal about fashion pointed out in an email scottish warriors wore kilts blackbeard rocked an earring
women have had a much easier time adopting masculine coded garments than men embracing potent feminine symbols ms cronberg wrote
there is something inherently almost risibly bogus about the proposition that designers like alessandro michele at gucci are revolutionizing gender presentation havent we been there before
consider that on the 20th day of may 1859 the protagonist of fathers and sons by ivan turgenev encounters at a post house along a russian high road a round cheeked servant with dull eyes and a chin adorned with a tuft of pale colored down everything about the servant telegraphs to the narrator that he is a part of the modern the rising generation most notably his turquoise earring his dyed pomaded hair his mincing gait
that fellow is everywhere at pitti uomo vain and often wearing an earring or some generous inking with hair pomaded and fingers barnacled with rings
he is probably not mincing because to a substantial extent a hyper macho bruiser look has supplanted that of the dandies who held sway in recent seasons many fewer guys resemble the foppish writer gabriele dannunzio than they do bluto popeyes musclebound nemesis whether from japan or south korea or romania or australia the men here have in common with 6 year old matteo martini a tropism toward traditional forms of masculine presentation
its easy for girls to dress like guys said jared acquaro a tailor and blogger who had flown here from melbourne australia drawn as many are by the fact that this fair remains ground zero for mens wear
for guys its not really so interesting in the end to wear girls clothes said mr acquaro 33 whose outfit was perhaps by conventional standards a mite feminine pale blue linen trousers and vest jaunty newsboy cap leather handled tote bag in marine blue
at pitti people who are into fashion who are passionate about it can dress a bit more outrageously he said
you can pull it off here he said and yet notably few made any effort to do so in the macho culture he comes from added mr acquaro who is also lavishly tattooed gender role play has yet to gain traction
the cross dressing thing is not so interesting he said people are still into dressing quite masculine


in the park there are 9485 of them you sit on them to rest read a book sip coffee polish off a pulled pork sandwich feed the pigeons wait for a friend maybe a spy or its a sluggish day when you have nothing to do and this is a delicious place to accomplish absolutely nothing
or you can drift off and muse on the plaque affixed there representing a story behind the bench the central park bench you arent just sitting on wood you are sitting on memories
there is for instance a bench on the mall that reads two red foxes and a pup
what could that possibly mean
it means this last year karen may wanted to adopt a bench as a surprise 65th birthday gift for her husband tony a retired investment banker she inscribed it tony win lose or break even you always have me love karen when their two sons were young and he came home from his work on wall street they would rush to greet him and ask hey poppy did you win lose or break even and he would reply that he broke even because that was what much of life was about breaking even
while ms may was so inclined she figured she would adopt an adjoining bench for her children
when her elder son theodore proposed to his girlfriend lucinda he wrote a brief childrens book for her called two red foxes because foxes were a recurring theme in her upbringing as when a fox sped across the field when her father proposed to her mother the foxes were stand ins for ms mays son and his fiancee and there was the fact that her younger son thornwell ms mays maiden name went by the nickname pup
so she adopted the benches and engraved them with memories people will sit there and not know but she knows
caitlin lamorte was in the park one morning the weather obligingly balmy though rain was possible later as development manager for the womens committee of the central park conservancy which manages the park she runs the adopt a bench program it began in 1986 as a way to finance the maintenance of the benches and their immediate surroundings for those with different park preferences orphan benches are up for adoption in parks elsewhere in new york and some other cities
if you can afford it its simple enough pay 10000 it began at 5000 and you get to put a plaque on a bench saying almost whatever you want within limits of decorum no cursing no advertising up to a suggested maximum of four lines of 30 characters each and then its there forever
ms lamorte consulted her tablet for the latest count 4223 of the benches adopted about 250 go each year she said while plenty of benches remain unadopted some areas are sold out for instance all the benches facing the lake the ones lining the mall those near the great lawn those along wien walk
there are three styles of benches the simple wood and concrete version the worlds fair style with its circular armrests dating to 1939 and the central park settee based on the benches used during the parks creation circa 1858 there are also several dozen handmade rustic benches with those you have to fund a restoration of an entire park area and the cost starts at about 500000 not something to rush into
quite often ms lamorte said benches are adopted to remember a relative or friend who has died or on occasion a pet generally a dog though a few cats are honored as well something like 840 of the plaques have memory in their wording there are some sept 11 remembrances
three years ago a woman chose a bench in memory of herself for when her final date comes it hasnt yet the plaque set to go sits in one of ms lamortes desk drawers
increasingly ms lamorte said we have more plaques that are happy graduations or birthdays or birth wishes or wedding gifts a japanese couple when they returned to japan after a lengthy stretch in the city adopted a bench that reads we leave our hearts in new york after 23 years of our adventure here
there are a lot of benches in the playground areas commemorating births one man adopted five benches one for each of his grandchildren who received them on their 16th birthdays
last year victor schiller required a birthday present for his wife nancy she told him emphatically no jewelry thereby ruling out his go to category
he thought and thought and then he had it give her one of the benches
they didnt even live in new york they lived in charlottesville va but they had bought a place in manhattan that they inhabited roughly a week each month they think central park is truly wonderful mr schiller 59 is retired from creating technology start ups ms schiller 57 is retired from investment work focused on bulgaria
he gave her the bench and was she happy he waited on the inscription so she could have a say they conferred and agreed on we would make the same mistake all over again vic  nancy schiller still best friends
they did not reveal what the mistake was understandably their three mystified children asked them but lips sealed each has guessed umm did you mean me well of course not no
was it waiting so long   11 years   to have children wrong
how about buying the apartment in new york incorrect not even close
so they dont know
thats what reporters are for to crack open mysteries shine flashlights into dusty corners sometimes thats very hard other times less so in this case the schillers were ready to give it up it was possible to find out in the most ordinary way   by asking them
the two met when she was 20 and he was 22 they got engaged a year later mr schiller called his mother to break the good news his mother dropped the phone when she calmed herself enough to pick it up she told him youre making a big mistake
ms schiller called her mother her mother said what are you thinking
those withering cautions of course are what mothers are legally required to say and of course 20 somethings are under well established protocol to ignore them
which is what the schillers did went ahead and got married and never looked back
lou young is a rugged affable man of 59 with a bald head and a well behaved beard for 33 years he has worked for the parks department almost all of that time immersed in central park he gives his title as bench guy he affixes the plaques to the benches a few at the beginning were handled by others but since then theyve been all his doing
in the stinging sun the other day he was out getting it done on a bench in the ramble as usual the park was bubbling with activity wordlessly and with focused attention he lined up a spot in the direct center meticulously routed out a hole then screwed in the plaque four screws in less than 10 minutes he was done the inscription read you are the image of the rose shining within me like the flame within a lamp ... a line modified from the little prince
mr young paints the benches too spiffs them up fixes them when weather chews them up
he came to new york from birmingham ala after the plant he worked in making slats for train boxcars shut down not long after he got to new york he was riding in an elevator and noticed that it passed the 12th floor and then went to 14 no 13th floor the unlucky thing
now wait a minute mr young thought i was born on the 13th on a friday no less to him its a lucky number so he went to a dentist and had a front tooth plated with gold and 13 engraved on it he likes to play the numbers every day for 25 years he has played 1313 at 5 a pop never hit but he keeps at it
how did he like his work i just love the park he said best place to be since im from the south it reminds me of home
once he put on a plaque that a man had ordered to propose to the woman he was dating the man must have missed some important signals her answer was a flat no benches arent returnable lou young had to remove the failed plaque and replace it with one bearing nonmatrimonial expectations you can always change your plaque but thats another 1000
one day about 10 years ago the bench guy was out in earnest with newly arrived plaques he had one to do at the southwest corner of the great lawn he screwed it on then took a look and saw it said louis young he thought interesting this guy has the same name as me
turned out one of the recurrent donors to the park who had adopted 18 benches and given them as gifts had gotten to know and admire lou young from watching him do his bench work so she gave him a bench
the plaque reads louis young for his care and dedication to central park since 1985
its not cheap to adopt a bench you could buy a decent used car for the cost but there is fund raising nicole vest battled leukemia for two and a half years before she died in february 2015 she was 34 her family and friends debated what to do to honor her memory she was cremated and there was no place to go and pay respects someone suggested a bench and everyone liked that idea
they set up an appeal on a fund raising website family and friends chipped in as did others people who had never met ms vest but knew one of her friends or relatives the effort kicked off on march 10 of last year it attained its goal by april 1 about 90 people donated some giving as little as 20 they adopted a bench just north of the sailboat pond
what to put on it they wanted something original i didnt want something that was used all the time like beloved sister and daughter said michelle lapworth ms vests sister
ms vest loved butterflies she had a butterfly tattoo on her ankle wore a butterfly necklace her best friend found a quotation from hans christian andersen and that met with approval just living is not enough said the butterfly one must have sunshine freedom and a little flower in memory of nicole e vest 1981 2015
another story pet included when chris branca died much too young in an accident at 33 last april his family wanted to remember him with a bench they also wanted to remember his dog
buddha a bulldog had died a year earlier mr branca delighted in going to the park with buddha he lived further downtown he drove there with buddha he was particularly fond of the sheep meadow
dogs are prohibited from the grass there nonetheless that expanse beguiled mr branca weekend after weekend he went there with buddha he would get a ticket all the time and just pay it said lindsey branca his sister that was his personality he was a little bit defiant
so the family which runs a real estate company adopted adjoining benches one for mr branca and one for buddha
mr branca was an abiding fan of maurice sendaks where the wild things are with great frequency he wore a wild things t shirt his best friend suggested a wild things line that was adapted for the inscription for chris branca in all of us there is fear hope and adventure in all of us there is a wild thing
the adjoining bench bears the plaque for buddha branca chriss bulldog forever by his side
a memorial service was held at the benches some 80 people attended subsequently friends have visited the benches taken pictures sent them on to the family
a few weeks ago his mother went to check on the benches and two of his childhood friends were sitting on them chatting away she sat down slipped into the conversation another time she looked in on the benches and a high school friend of mr brancas was resting there it turned out that he was in town visiting he lives in puerto rico
benches benches benches they can serve many purposes he came to new york from bogota colombia she arrived from st petersburg fla they met in march 2014 at a friends birthday party chrissy crawford made such an impression on enrique corredor that on the way home in a cab he texted her to ask her out things went excellently from then on
as a boy he used to play in the park dissolving into the ramble for years he had had a dream that when he proposed to a woman he would do it with one of the benches whose inscriptions he read right where he used to play he just needed the woman
now he was set
what to put on it he trawled the internet looking up love poems romantic sayings i was surprised but some of the best love lines were in letters written by henry kissinger he said
yes of course
nonetheless he kept going he came across something from gone with the wind rhett butler proposing to scarlett ohara say youre going to marry me say yes say yes ms crawford was from the south that would do it he altered it somewhat and made the plaque my dearest chrissy say you will marry me with all my love and promise enrique june 2015
he picked a day for the surprise he had gotten the engagement ring of ms crawfords grandmother that he was going to use but it rained he had to push it back he didnt know but the new date was the wedding anniversary of her grandmother
he suggested they run in the park ms crawford made it clear they had to leave by a certain time for she had a business meeting she has an online art gallery he is an investment banker
they ran he kept stalling and wanting to walk around and get coffee explore she remembered i was so angry with him by the time we got to the bench
he told her hey chrissy look at that bench the anger dissipated he dropped to his knee she said yes
it was an expensive way to propose considering it can be done free but he didnt see it that way well i didnt have to pay for an engagement ring so i get off on that he said but i looked on it as a creating an heirloom leaving our mark on the city
something like 43 million people visit the park every year once a month or so the couple will swing by sit on the bench their bench and amid the parks placidity contentedly gaze at the humanity filing past and feel good


michael pietsch is the ceo of hachette book group and well known for his work editing david foster wallace and donna tartt among many others but in 1980 he was just another young assistant at scribner fighting to have his voice heard when he tried to acquire the river why a debut novel by david james duncan about a young fly fisherman on a spiritual quest in the pacific northwest
i still have david duncans submission letter with the word no in my bosss handwriting pietsch said in an email interview pietsch wrote to duncan at the time telling him of scribners concerns about marketability and of the director of publishings idea that at half its present length the novel would probably be just as good and much more likely to make us some money duncan wrote back that he had come close to cutting the novel in half   from top to bottom with my chain saw   mailing both halves and inviting your director to take his pick right half or left
the sierra club published the book which has become a cult classic in 1983 it was the first work of fiction the environmental outfit had ever published more than three decades later the sierra club folded its publishing program and pietsch seized his chance reissuing the river why with a new afterword by duncan
pietsch called the book the big one that got away but another big one is on its way pietsch has acquired duncans third novel sun house which little brown aims to publish in 2017 if that schedule holds it will appear 25 years after duncans last novel the brothers k a book with its own sizable cult of readers about a large family baseball religion and the vietnam war
pietsch calls sun house another big ambitious comic and serious novel about faith and ultimate questions involving a gang of oddballs who form a kind of farmartspirit commune im having the time of my life working with david at last
quotable
i came from a very formal old school background that said you can never write about yourself i thought well im never going to be a real reporter anyway i might as well just set myself on fire   jillian keenan author of sex with shakespeare in an interview with vogue
no romantic
this week heidi julavits reviews in gratitude a memoir by the prolific author jenny diski who died in april at 68 in a 2008 interview with the scottish newspaper the herald diski spoke of her calling in unromantic terms at some level there is no point in writing she said the world really doesnt need more half good books im totally arrogant but im not arrogant enough to think im good enough and in a sense thats what keeps me writing every book i write is a failed book i feel that very strongly otherwise why write another one


for the first time in over a decade the death rate in the united states is getting worse the centers for disease control and prevention has reported the news is the latest in a string of headlines about the shortening lives of americans particularly the white middle aged disparity in life spans of the rich and the poor is growing white americans are dying younger as drug and alcohol abuse rises us suicide rate surges to a 30 year high
but there are happier trends that have received a lot less attention the health of american children is improving sharply and the health gap between the rich and the poor among children and young adults is shrinking the research suggests that future generations of americans may not reach old age with the same ailments and inequalities as todays older americans
death rates among children always tend to be low but the new data show large reductions in the number of american children who die the mortality rate for children has declined by 52 deaths per 100000 children between 1990 and 2010 according to new research in science to put that in context the recently reported rise in suicides was an increase of less than 3 per 100000 people and the death rates fell faster for children living in the poorest counties in the country
the good news for children suggests that its possible that todays distressing trends can be stopped or even reversed a growing body of evidence indicates that good health early in childhood can pay dividends later in life that means that todays children and young adults may grow up to enjoy longer lives and fewer health problems than their parents
there are also new signs that public policy can help reduce inequality in the health of rich and poor americans a gulf between the life spans of rich and poor americans who have reached middle age is widening but among children the gaps between rich and poor are narrowing substantially if those trends hold income level may turn out to be less predictive of life span than the studies of adults suggest
we know theres a relationship between economic inequality and health but its not a completely mechanical relationship said janet currie an economics professor and the director of the center for health and well being at princeton university who conducted two recent studies on the reduced death rates among american children there are things we can do to make the health of poor people better and we actually have done a lot of these things very successfully and no one is talking about it
ms currie cant be sure what precise factors have led to the reductions in death rates for poor young americans but she has some theories public health insurance through the medicaid and childrens health insurance programs expanded to cover more children and pregnant women throughout the 1980s and 1990s research has shown measurable benefits to the children with access to the program there was less infant mortality they were hospitalized less often as they grew older they were more likely to finish high school and attend college and they earned more money in early adulthood those studies all suggest a real health benefit from the insurance program
laura wherry who has studied the long term health benefits of medicaid expansion said she thought the timing of the mortality declines was in line with these big social policy changes
its very encouraging to see that these improvements are happening at younger ages said ms wherry an assistant professor of health services research at the university of california los angeles
recent public health interventions may also be giving poor children a health boost weve known for decades that smoking is bad for peoples health but richer americans were quicker to quit than their poorer neighbors that means that poorer older americans are more likely to have smoked at some time in their life and probably had more exposure to secondhand smoke from their parents when they were young as smoking rates have declined among lower income groups and fewer parents smoke around their children the poor may see benefits from having less lifetime exposure to smoke
other forms of air pollution that tend to disproportionately affect poor children have also declined so has the frequency of fatal accidents another major cause of death for children the death of infants in their first year of life while higher in the united states than in many other countries has fallen thanks to a number of changes in medical practices
the largest mortality declines were for black boys the paper documenting the reductions published by the national bureau of economic research called the change in death rates for african american boys and men stunning declines research on more recent mortality trends shows continued reductions in death rates among black americans since 2010
most of the recent research on life expectancy is calculated using information about americans who have already reached middle age in many ways thats a sensible approach most deaths occur among the old
a recent landmark study of middle aged people covered extensively in the new york times and elsewhere used a trove of income records to link americans age of death with their hometown and precise earnings that study found a growing divide in life expectancy between rich and poor americans though there were some places that were better than others in order to use that rich data the researchers needed to look at the longevity of americans who had already reached the age of 40 that means that the trends did not capture changes in health patterns that might be affecting younger americans
the new research on children was conducted using a less precise method instead of tracking each child ms currie and her co author hannes schwandt an assistant professor of economics at the university of zurich looked at the counties in the united states with the greatest concentrations of poor and rich children by examining the rates that children died in those places over time they were able to infer differences in the death rates of children at different places on the economic ladder
if american children are growing up with less exposure to cigarettes and other environmental toxins its possible that they will remain healthier than their parents even as they get older ms currie said there was reason for optimism that current life expectancy estimates undercounted the health todays children might enjoy as adults
there are reasons for caution too obesity rates among children and young adults are much higher than they were a generation ago obese children will be at higher risk for a range of ailments as they age particularly heart disease
david cutler a health economist at harvard who worked on the study of older americans said the research on children was heartening he also pointed to his own recent research on older people which showed declines in deaths from heart disease and in disability from blindness the medical system and expanded social services may be making big improvements for young and old he said but he still worries about todays middle aged americans whose rates of suicide drug overdose and alcohol related deaths have been rising those are causes of death that may be less sensitive to health care interventions
the social part is the part that scares me he said


economists like physicians sometimes confront a patient with an obvious problem but no obvious diagnosis that is precisely the situation we face right now
lets start with the problem
there is no simple way to gauge an economys health but if you had to choose just one statistic it would be gross domestic product real gdp measures the total income produced within an economy adjusted for the overall level of prices
here is the sad fact over the last decade the growth rate of real gdp per person has averaged just 044 percent per year compared with the historical norm of 20 percent at a rate of 20 percent incomes double every 35 years at a rate of 044 percent it takes about 160 years to double
it may be tempting to blame the great recession of 2008 9 for the paltry 10 year growth rate indeed this recession was a deep one
yet the explanation for the poor long run performance is not that simple the recession of 1982 was also a deep one the unemployment rate peaked at 108 percent in 1982 compared with a peak of 10 percent in 2009 but by the first quarter of 1989 as ronald reagan was leaving the white house the 10 year growth rate was up to 21 percent
the difference the 1982 recession was followed by a robust recovery whereas the recession of 2008 9 has been followed by a meager one
so whats wrong with the economy no one knows for sure but numerous theories are being bandied about here are five of them
a statistical mirage some silicon valley economists suggest that there really isnt a problem when quality improvements and new products are pervasive and so different from what came before the national income accountants who construct gross domestic product might underestimate how much life is getting better think of how your smartphone now replaces your camera gps music system and various other previously stand alone devices according to this theory the problem is not in the economy but in the statistics
there is however reason to doubt that this is the whole story polls indicate that most americans think the country is on the wrong track and that the economy is their top concern this dissatisfaction comes not from studying the national income statistics but from their day to day experiences which are not living up to their aspirations
a hangover from the crisis the recession of 2008 9 was caused by the worst financial crisis since the great depression of the 1930s maybe something about financial crises makes recovery from a downturn all the more difficult
during the recent crisis many feared another great depression would follow we averted that catastrophe but the anxiety may linger causing businesses to be reluctant to borrow to finance risky investments and banks reluctant to finance them the good news is that hangovers eventually dissipate but patience is required
secular stagnation lawrence h summers former economic adviser to president obama has suggested that the problem predates the recent financial crisis he points to the long term decline in inflation adjusted interest rates as evidence of reduced demand for capital to fund investment projects he cites several reasons for the change including lower population growth lower prices for capital goods and the nature of recent innovations like the replacement of brick and mortar stores with retail websites the result he says is secular stagnation   a persistent inability of the economy to generate sufficient demand to maintain full employment
his solution more government spending on infrastructure like roads bridges and airports if the government takes advantage of lower interest rates to make the right investments in public capital   admittedly a big if   the policy would promote employment in the short run as projects are being built and make the economy more productive when they are put into use
slower innovation robert gordon author of the rise and fall of american growth the us standard of living since the civil war believes the pace of innovative activity has declined previous generations introduced electricity indoor plumbing and the internal combustion engine this generations innovations like the smartphone and social media are just not as life changing
this theory is the most pessimistic if hes right we may have little choice but to get used to slower growth
policy missteps when barack obama took office in 2009 the economy was in the midst of the great recession president obamas advisers relied on standard keynesian theory when they proposed a large increase in government spending to energize the economy the stimulus package was the administrations first economic policy initiative as the economy recovered the administration supported tax increases to shrink the budget deficit
but even at the time there were reasons to doubt this approach a 2002 study of united states fiscal policy by the economists olivier blanchard and roberto perotti found that both increases in taxes and increases in government spending have a strong negative effect on private investment spending they noted that this finding is difficult to reconcile with keynesian theory
consistent with this a more recent study of international data by the economists alberto alesina and silvia ardagna found that fiscal stimuli based on tax cuts are more likely to increase growth than those based on spending increases
so there they are one sickness five diagnoses unfortunately i have no idea which one is right the truth may well involve a bit of each


john leguizamo has in his own words a great therapist and a while back this estimable health care professional offered his intense patient some very solid advice get a hobby
acting was my everything said mr leguizamo 51 who is a new addition to the cast of the netflix series bloodline season two was released late last month he also stars with bryan cranston in the feature film the infiltrator to be released july 13 but i need distractions because show business is stressful man theres a lot of stress and pressures and criticism
eight years ago mr leguizamo came up with a surefire distraction he would sell his brownstone on the lower east side and buy another one in the west village then with the wavering support of his wife justine 47 who he said favors apartments with doormen he would fix it up eventually this led to an idea for yet another distraction he would become the faithful caretaker of the 150 year old or thereabouts wisteria with medusa like tendrils in the backyard
i have a special business technique mr leguizamo explained i wouldnt recommend it to everyone but i buy high and sell low i bought this place in 2008 right after the crash not after the prices went down but before the prices went down no word on whether he sold his previous place using the same canny tactic
the house had been cut up into apartments but the leguizamos who have been together for almost 20 years and have two children   allegra 16 and lucas 15   could see what it had been and what it could be it was so rococo it had power man and it had presence mr leguizamo said and it wasnt too nouveau riche we have a picture of the original owner who looks like someone out of a monopoly game standing in front of the house and he looks like a modestly rich stockbroker
he diligently studied coffee table books to get a sense of how houses of the period looked   i wanted to respect the history he said   and because the property next door was a twin of his new acquisition he went knocking the owner this lovely british lady was so kind and let us walk through every room and take photographs and we were able to use them to restore our own house mr leguizamo said it was archaeological almost
back at his place chunks of molding were broken railings and balusters from the once elegant mahogany stairway had gone missing and rooms had been haphazardly divided mr leguizamo an impassioned student of the the franklin report a directory of contractors architects and other specialists used it to assemble his dream team of artisans
im from queens baby so you know im a negotiator he said im going to praise everyone for their great work im going to say i love what you do youre a master craftsman can you do it for half the price 
mr leguizamos delight in the finished product is palpable he points to the salvaged door knobs and glass paneled pocket doors the radiators and the fireplaces
there are alcoves for displaying his african and native american art and lots of wall space for showcasing the work of a high school classmate the graffiti artist known as crash and there are many ways to show how well midcentury modern mr leguizamos chandeliers and womb chairs ms leguizamos platner chairs looks in a house thats anything but
i dont like the look of something thats hyper designed mr leguizamo said it looks impersonal like you were trying to buy taste i like keeping things i value they may not look the best but i like an eclectic look
youll likely find mr leguizamo in one of three places   effectively three time zones try the second floor room that he refers to as the orange parlor which would make the original owners feel right at home its got the brownstones only original fireplace of carrara marble an antique arched floor mirror and three baronial english antique chairs that the philanthropist jayne wrightsman left behind in a long island house purchased years ago by ms leguizamos family
theres the cavelike dining room which has venetian plastering in gunmetal gray so its got an arty 70s rock n roll feeling mr leguizamo said a wall of gray acoustic curtains that doubles down on the dark theme an art deco mirror and a fireplace with faux marbling a slender library table that was suggested as a dining table by the couples interior designer jennifer vaughn miller is mr leguizamos special joy
now at dinner parties you can have conversations with the people across from you not just the people next to you which you cant do with a regular table he said and i love to have conversations my daughter does her studying for the sats at the table my wife and i will sit there sometimes to talk about the family its a great place for a meeting of the minds
when mr leguizamo wants a meeting with only one mind   his   he retreats to a basement office thanks to a zebra patterned cowhide rug and eames molded plastic side chairs it has a 1960s bachelor pad vibe on the wall are playbills from mr leguizamos celebrated one man shows mambo mouth spic o rama and freak
shelves are crammed with books and photographs i met prince charles and i called him man  mr leguizamo said pointing to a photo that shows him in conversation with the prince of wales and then i said dude i mean sir i mean your majesty oh man im so sorry he was so charming and chill
from his office mr leguizamo can walk out to the backyard and gaze upon his much loved wisteria when i moved in everybody from the block association said dont cut it down please take care of it and i was like sure i welcome any kind of responsibility i hired an arborist to tell me what to do i give it vitamins i water it
when the boiler broke down some weeks back mr leguizamo made arrangements to have it replaced ms leguizamo he reported wanted to make arrangements to put the house on the market and move to an apartment
were like an urban version of that show green acres  mr leguizamo said with a laugh referring to the 1960s sitcom about a city dweller who buys a farm much to the displeasure of his chic wife
ive got my yard i go out there to decompress and sit next to my wisteria i planted hydrangea i planted some variegated ivy and ive got my house
he added its kind of narrow so its kind of cozy its not one of those im here to impress you houses its more like an im here to take care of you house


baku azerbaijan   judged by location alone the setting for this weekends inaugural european grand prix in baku azerbaijan would be considered a bright new venue for formula one as it expands around the world
in some ways it would feel like the short lived turkish grand prix but while that race run between 2005 and 2011 was too far from downtown istanbul on a circuit on the asian side of the bosporus the baku city circuit has a dream setting through the streets of this scenic city on the caspian sea
it courses along ancient city streets near the old city walls and the beachfront promenade among the colorful towers of the oil built metropolis there has never been a circuit quite like it it is also designed to be the fastest city circuit in the world with a two kilometer straight the maximum allowable length by the standards of the international automobile federation or fia motor racings governing body
all the circuits have their own unique features and this one will be the longest straight in the calendar the longest straight on any circuit in the world fernando alonso a driver with the mclaren honda team said last week
jan magnussen a driver with the renault team placed the circuit somewhere between the series slowest track and its fastest
its kind of a mix between monaco and monza he said with these really long straights and these twisty narrow bits as well
many drivers expressed concern that the narrow parts of the track may just be too narrow and that there are insufficient runoff areas in some parts making it potentially dangerous
but as jenson button the other mclaren honda driver said nothing you can do about it you cant move the buildings
charlie whiting the fia technical delegate said after visiting the track before last weekends canadian grand prix in general i must say that the standards of the circuit built so far are absolutely superb and personally i am getting quite excited about the idea of coming here to race
if it were only a matter of the outward beauty of the location and the circuits extraordinary features the view before the race would be one of a major success in the making but there is controversy given azerbaijans poor human rights record and the fact that its disputed territory of nagorno karabakh   also claimed by armenia   is a war zone
azerbaijan a country of more than nine million at the crossroads of europe and asia that shares borders with armenia georgia russia iran and a small sliver of turkey sees itself as a part of europe for that reason the country bid for the race and requested the title of european grand prix   rather than azerbaijan grand prix the name had been free since the last race in valencia spain in 2012 according to arif rahimov the chief executive of baku city circuit operations company the promoter of the event
azerbaijan also hosted the eurovision song contest in 2012 and the inaugural european games last june and baku is one of 12 cities scheduled to host soccer games in the uefa european championships in 2020
but despite the professed european outlook the nations president ilham aliyev who succeeded his father heydar aliyev in 2003 has long suppressed political opposition and according to freedom house has pursued a harsh campaign to silence his critics in the media
amnesty international called on thursday for formula one to raise awareness of the human rights problems in azerbaijan
the arrival of formula one in baku must not steer attention away from the azerbaijani authorities human rights crackdown said kerry moscogiuri director of campaigns at amnesty international uk behind the glitz the authorities are locking up their critics have shut down ngos and arrested or harassed their leaders the recent release of some of those jailed on trumped up charges should not fool anyone into thinking that the wind in baku is blowing in a different direction
but the formula one event is part of a larger trend of major sporting events being hosted in rich countries with poor human rights records like sochi russia hosting the winter olympics in 2014 qatar organizing the 2022 world cup and almaty kazakhstan and beijing being the final bidders for the 2022 winter olympics
we ended up in azerbaijan purely because europe went into an economic downfall and they were the only country viable that could run it at that time said patrick hickey president of the european olympic committees who was instrumental in bringing the european games to baku in an interview with the new york times last year
and the thinking of course was the same for formula one whose promoter bernie ecclestone said in baku on thursday that his conscience was clear about racing in baku
as far as we are concerned not having any races where there is corruption in the country can you tell me where we are going to be racing he said
as has been the case previously when formula one has been criticized for selecting a given location most drivers seem reluctant to address the issue of human rights concerns in azerbaijan deferring to the authority of the fia which sanctions the event
we completely rely on the fia in terms of the places and the venues we race said alonso of the mclaren honda team on that aspect   at least in my case   i think we never think any further than that i totally put all my trust and my confidence on the federation and on the decisions that they make
he added we are promoting the sport around the world and we are promoting the values of the sport around the world and that will always be welcome in any country


life at 800 feet
for this years new york issue we concentrated on the tiny sliver of new york life that happens 800 feet or more above the ground turning the magazine on its side to reflect the height of the tallest 21 buildings in the city
social media has been buzzing over the last few days with images of another special edition of the new york times magazine published last weekend the high life issue is their latest annual issue about new york and celebrates the height of the city a nice idea thats made special by the simple device of rotating all the content by 90 degrees 
of course the magazine has a huge team and great resources  not to mention a fantastic locale to focus on but to do it so well and make it appear so simple is the special part of the project 
i can imagine the general reaction to the suggestion of rotating an entire issue in most magazinenewspaper offices would it ever get beyond that first suggestion maybe now it might but  too late jeremy leslie magculture
we must keep print formats was my first thought after savoring the articles and images in todays vertically formatted magazine your reporters and their subjects expressed themselves with spot on images and prose the whole issue is a bewitching mix of history aesthetics human interest engineering architecture   and the list goes on
sometimes the topics with the most resonance are so much a part of our environment that they become invisible to our examination new york city skyscrapers celia carroll santa monica calif
while respectful of the challenges of producing content for multiple platforms   the print version of the times and the digital   one would hope that content would be readable in both this weeks print version of the sunday magazine is simply unreadable magazines are not meant to be read as if they were wall calendars and some of the typefaces were illegible in print
the digital version of the times provides much material that obviously cannot be included in the print version but creating material for the digital platform should not render the print version unreadable harold rosenthal delmar ny
as a newspaper professional myself i have to say that i enjoyed the selection of stories in this weeks magazine about buildings that top 800 feet in height it was an interesting perspective both in the words and the photos that most of us will never experience in real life which is exactly why i read the times
i also appreciated the attempt to do something interesting and unique with the design for the issue to try and highlight the staggering heights of these buildings by changing the layout perspective it was clever
but that said perhaps it was a bit too clever as it really made the stories difficult to read so much so that it was easier to go online as a newspaper guy that hurts my heart i enjoy the print edition and subscribe to it and avoid the early postings of stories so that i can spend my sunday morning reading it but this was such a pain to read that all i could think is that you were actually giving people a reason not to read your product brian beckley renton wash
your special issue seemed like a glorification and barely disguised advertorial for the extreme income disparity that is ruining this city what new york desperately needs is affordable housing what its getting instead are these spires that figuratively tear the heart out of a disappearing middle class teachers nurses social workers   the types of people who actually contribute to the public good   have necessities more worthwhile of your attention these buildings may indeed constitute high life but only in the eyes of people like donald trump
it is woeful and disappointing to see the times pay such glossy and excessive homage to it doug brin new york
while the profiles of the buildings were fascinating from an architectural and construction perspective i found the people who own and less frequently occupy them to be off putting especially in light of the current political discussion on addressing inequality frankly who cares whether these hyperwealthy individuals views from their apartments are better or worse than those in newer buildings amy s rich orange conn
the sideways issue was very cute never do it again it kept slipping off the counter when i tried to read it in the diner it was impossible to keep flipping back to see which building was being discussed the cover came unstapled and fell off with all the stress i still finished the puzzle in half an hour though linda lashbrook west long branch nj


he was hard pressed to explain it even to himself possibly the whole idea was daft his rugby dream the aspiration to start a professional rugby league in north america had taken over his life it had him raiding his bank account to pay for logos trademarks websites for visa specialists branding wizards a high powered sports lawyer it had him hacking through jungles of marketing jargon his midtown manhattan office was cluttered with cartons of new business cards boxes of hats sample jerseys there was a litter of unorganized receipts on the desk in 18 months hed racked up 250000 frequent flier miles hed watched the rugby world cup in london from the royal box at olympic stadium someone joked he could plunge new zealand into a national depression if he lured their stars to america hed delved into venue contracts hot dog sales projections and turf heights on rugby compliant fields in conversation after conversation on the phone by email and in person at mixers and conferences in airports and foyers and hallways he pitched his plans parried critics and cajoled skeptics into the fold some guardians of amateur rugby were threatened by the prospect of losing prized club players to a pro league some just wondered who the hell he was   douglas schoninger a not particularly athletic 55 year old former bond trader who had never played rugby who dimly remembered seeing a few games 30 or 40 years ago but didnt know a ruck from a maul or a lock from a hooker until he bought a copy of rugby union for dummies
last fall he was thinking of his late father and the national football league games they used to attend at the old giants stadium in the meadowlands on cold days they sat on copies of the sunday paper and used phone books to keep their feet from freezing on the frigid concrete they saw the same people every weekend in the stands they felt they were part of the game in a way that was hard to put into words all his life schoninger had been going to nfl games   10 last year with his teenage son charlie charlie loved football but to schoninger it seemed that on the professional level the ethos of the game which evolved from rugby more than a century ago had curdled materialism and profiteering had eaten away any nobility the nfl game once possessed leaving in its place a violent vainglorious 13 billion a year entertainment spectacle staged by helmeted mercenaries for the enrichment of grasping billionaires rugby was different or seemed so even in the nature of the game players vied for the ball in scrums bulled it forward in mauls booted it through goal posts or dashed with it across the try line in the course of 80 nearly continuous minutes of free flowing improvisation versus what unfolded in the three plus hours it took to play a 60 minute nfl game where the actual amount of action averages only 10 minutes 43 seconds in football specialists did the same thing over and over in rugby you played offense and defense   anyone could score
one day in february schoninger confided to me that his secret ambition was to supplant the nfl he was kidding or not it was hard to tell
the nfl is on top right now and rugby is at the bottom he said but things always look better at the top and worse at the bottom than they really are
pro rugby his new league for a sport that in america has a fan base that would barely register as an nfl rounding error was just two months from kicking off its 30 game season in april with clubs in denver sacramento san francisco san diego and obetz ohio opening day was marked d day on a wall calendar
what if nobody comes i asked rugby dream stress was showing on schoningers face in a way it hadnt when i asked the same heartless question in october
you mean what happens if i dont sell a single ticket or a single hot dog or a single parking space if nobody buys any pro rugby t shirts or hats if i dont get one sponsor if nobody wants to broadcast a single game
he shuddered
im all in he said ive become a rugby believer if i fail its not the money ive spent   well its the money ive spent but its also that i was wrong wrong about the support from the rugby community wrong about the time being right thats what would hurt its like opening a restaurant and then no one comes that would hurt but then if this were easy it would have been done already
why it took so long has a lot to do with the history of the game legend has it that rugby sprang into being one day in 1823 at the rugby school in rugby england when 16 year old william webb ellis with a fine disregard for the rules of football as played in his time first took the ball in his arms and ran with it until the beginning of the professional era in 1995 the main branch of the game known as rugby union held fast to its amateur status and to a manly aristocratic ethos that idealized the carnage of concussions and separated shoulders as unselfish character building sacrifice for team god and country vestiges of those values are still celebrated by club players and boosters who credit rugby with fostering a rare fellowship and mutual respect rugby brawls notwithstanding players often call the ref sir stars have been known to help clean up the locker room when the mayhem on the pitch is over its customary for adversaries to share a pint at a pub of what is sometimes called the game they play in heaven the english rugby champion jason leonard once wrote there is a way of life that comes with it and a way of thinking that believes in honor sacrifice pain and love of teammates and country we can never compare sport with war but we can perhaps discover here the wellspring of those beliefs
the first bona fide rugby in the united states was played in 1874 between harvard and mcgill university six years later at yale the future t rex of american sports was hatched when walter camp the innovative coach and writer known as the father of american football separated the rugby scrum into footballs line of scrimmage both rugby and football were popular in american colleges and universities in the early 20th century and at one point alarmed by the prevalence of injuries stanford and berkeley gave up football for rugby   a programming decision that was reversed after new zealands mighty all blacks on a tour in 1913 humiliated a squad of all stars in california 51 3
new zealand and other top teams were not represented when the united states won olympic rugby gold medals in antwerp in 1920 and paris in 1924 the 17 3 victory in paris over a heavily favored french team by a united states squad made up mostly of california collegians was one of the greatest upsets in olympic history but the outraged reaction of some 40000 french fans at the stade colombes jeopardized the very principle of the better and more peaceful world through sports on which the modern olympics were based david wallechinsky recounts the scene in the complete book of the olympics after two french players were injured the us team was booed and hissed the remainder of the game fighting broke out in the stands and gideon nelson an art teacher from illinois   and a united states reserve player   was knocked unconscious after being hit in the face with a walking stick the americans left the field under a police escort and a barrage of rocks and bottles
rugby was dropped from subsequent olympics in america the game went into a long dormancy from which it did not emerge until the 1960s when it began to catch on again with colleges and clubs ed hagerty whose life before rugby included a turn as an altar boy in grace kellys wedding in 1956 discovered his passion for the game at holy cross in 1963 it was kind of countercultural he recalls we wore discarded football jerseys after graduation hagerty played for local clubs in new york and was working as the publisher of popular science when he quit to eke out a living as editor of scrumdown a rugby newspaper started in 1975 by jon prusmack one of the first scrumdown editorials summed up the state of the american game suggesting that ruggers from new zealand australia and britain were to their american counterparts what rudolf nureyev was to zorba the greek
to close the talent gap promote and govern the sport at all levels and establish a united states national team the 115000 member organization known today as usa rugby was formed in 1976 this august rugby is returning to the olympics after a 92 year hiatus the united states will defend its gold medal in rio de janeiro playing a shorter less complex form of the game that features seven players on a side instead of the traditional 15
a professional rugby league is about the last thing doug schoninger imagined he would be pouring time and money into hockey basketball and tennis were his games growing up in great neck long island his father a voracious reader who left high school early to help put a brother through college worked six days a week running an extermination company somewhat like its a wonderful life but with no angels schoninger recalls he was 25 when his father died at 66
reflecting his faith and his cool appraisal of numbers schoninger spent a year at emory university studying theology then transferred to tulane from which he graduated in 1982 with a degree in mechanical engineering he landed a 13000 a year job as a runner on the floor of the new york stock exchange and later worked as a construction manager for morse diesel the general contractor for the marriott marquis hotel in times square he returned to wall street in 2000 to trade stocks and bonds at morgan stanley and oppenheimer bearish by temperament with a keen feel for risk he eventually started his own shop djs capital management managing a bond portfolio of several hundred million dollars for more than a dozen clients
in 2013 schoninger bought an inactive company called stadium capital financing group that morgan stanley needed to unload to comply with new banking regulations trying to revive the business he began shopping for undervalued second tier sports teams minor league baseball lacrosse d league basketball whose revenues might be leveraged to raise capital for new stadiums he wasnt having much luck when in the autumn of 2014 he was introduced to jason moore an australian sports marketing impresario who for years had been trying to raise up to 300 million to create an american rugby league drawing on the nfls gladiatorial entertainment template we wanted to showcase rugby the way americans consume sports marketing it with american pizazz and style moore told me he aimed to sell franchises host games in midsize soccer venues and pay players upward of 100000 but he had yet to secure the all important sanction from usa rugby without which it is difficult to hire referees coaches or players or to get insurance
moore arranged for schoninger to attend a match in chicago featuring the united states national team the eagles and new zealands all blacks the titans of the sport beyond the score   the eagles were slaughtered 74 6   what impressed schoninger was the choreographic precision of the all blacks and the fervor of the crowd
there were 61500 people at soldier field the largest rugby crowd in american history he recalls that was the moment things changed for me i realized that if great teams wanted to play here and you could fill soldier field you could do well building a professional league
schoninger met with usa rugbys chief executive nigel melville a former scrum half captain of the english national team in fall 2014 using usa rugbys demographic and event data schoninger spent the winter doing due diligence he drew up budgets for what he envisioned would be six league owned franchises he would start modestly building around cities with vibrant rugby clubs and prominent teams among the hundreds of college and university rugby programs salaries ranging from 20000 to 35000 would be on a par with other second tier professional sports vying for sunlight in the shadow of the nfl through facebook he could reach rugby fans with a precision never before possible i couldnt have built a league on my budget without social media he says
the expenses for each team   salaries coaches training facilities venue costs marketing uniforms   would run to about 15 million per year schoninger didnt have or want partners and would be financing everything himself the first year revenues   who knew could he get sponsors sell broadcast rights how many people would buy tickets when professional rugby began in england the first harlequins game at stoop stadium drew around 1400 fans now routinely fill all 14800 seats and games at the national stadium in twickenham attract capacity crowds of 82000 a survey by the sports and fitness industry association found that there were 13 million rugby participants in the united states some 431000 of them hard core devotees who played or watched the game more than eight times a year the nfl for comparisons sake estimates its fan base at 202 million
in april 2015 the usa rugby board which had considered many proposals over the years agreed to sanction schoningers plan schoninger intended to kick off exactly a year later   hoping to ride the public interest generated by the rugby world cup in the fall of 2015 and the return of rugby to the olympics in rio this summer first he needed a name and a logo he couldnt use the word league because rugby league signified a much less popular version of the game that developed after the so called great schism of 1895 when working class players from northern england who wanted to be paid split off from teams adhering to the supposed purity of amateur competition a branding firm in san francisco proposed a number of logos and names some like the national rugby association or nra were red carded for unwanted connotations logos that looked decent on a ball or jersey might look crummy on a trailer or a pitch he finally settled on a red oval shaped like a rugby ball with the winning name in block letters pro for professional rugby organization he added the word rugby below the acronym lest there be any confusion about what pro actually stood for
having never been the public face of an organization schoninger found himself in some novel situations in december he sat down in the pig n whistle bar in manhattan with matt mccarthy a host of a webcast called rugby wrap up mccarthy reached across the table and palpated schoningers arm
doug i just want to make sure youre real   
im as real as you are schoninger said
  because youre like sasquatch to most american rugby fans
the leagues initial website and its facebook page went up in october and sasquatch had been living and dying on the number of likes he was relieved that only one fussbudget had taken issue with the redundancy in the name pro rugby he hired a director of operations stephen lewis a well connected scotsman who was named usa rugbys 2014 coach of the year dominic defalco a recent penn state graduate who played rugby there came aboard over the summer as assistant director just before christmas schoninger organized a skills combine in san diego to assess domestic prospects and shoot footage for video spots
there were setbacks schoninger couldnt find a venue for a team in new york and his hopes were further hindered by the states exorbitant workmans compensation insurance rates philadelphias rugby community was not as vigorous as hed hoped venues in the boston area didnt pan out by january it was clear that the first season would feature no teams on the east coast but sacramento proved fertile ground having three teams in california meant that players could travel to some games by bus instead of plane saving schoninger 1500 a game on transportation
when i stopped by the office in february coaches had been hired the schedule set but schoninger wasnt sure how many players   drawn mostly from the us with a sprinkling of international stars   would sign contracts and he hadnt found a national sponsor or settled on a broadcast deal
i was always the downside guy he said you cant take risks if you dont understand the downside but here we are two months away and no one can tell me what our revenues are going to be
lewis the director of operations came in to say hed heard from the san francisco coach paul keeler that no one liked the colors of the teams uniform
too much gray lewis said
the designer wanted gray   its supposed to be evocative of san francisco fog schoninger said
no one likes it
we can change it
defalco pulled up computer photos of all the proposed league uniforms   a palette of bold colors meant to evoke the geography of each teams city
are we paying this guy to come up with these designs said lewis who had already dubbed his boss the mad couturier because he insisted on putting a line across the jerseys to mark the upper limit of a legal tackle
whats our rule schoninger said
criticism is only accepted with suggested solutions defalco said
in some ways the reason you have a season 1 is so you can fix things in season 2 schoninger said sighing
d day at last before sunup on april 17 schoninger and his son charlie drove from their downtown sacramento hotel to the local abc affiliate for a 610 interview schoninger took along a rugby ball and some home team jerseys
i feel like im running for court clerk in one of those elections where theres only one candidate he said as he parked
when he finished explaining why viewers might want to witness the fruition of his rugby dream instead of say assess the structural features of finnish lapphunds at the sacramento dog show also taking place that day he headed to bonney field the temperature was climbing to near record levels he was frazzled from weeks of cross country travel and negotiations the cable channel one world sports would be broadcasting a third of the season aol was live streaming the sacramento game hawk eye innovations a sports technology company was producing the seven camera video feed thanks to a payroll imbroglio hed recently spent seven hours manually entering salary information for his 130 new players where was the credit card machine bank of america had promised and why oh why had he scheduled opening day games in two cities the ohio teams flight barely got in to denver in the midst of a blizzard
maybe itll be like a snow day and people will show up he said
douglas wakes up every morning and the glass is half full said his wife abigail asher a noted art consultant
when the gates of bonney field opened early arrivals huddled in the shade of the press box in the vip tent waitresses were loading tables with dishes of salsa and colored tortilla chips
at 330 the players were announced   sacramento in green and white san francisco in fog free red and black its a risible misconception that rugby is populated by athletes inferior to high level american footballers the boys as they are called by coaches fans and even the players themselves are built like a herd of genetically modified water buffalo and seem as inexhaustible as a class of adhd preschoolers
for all the finesse and savvy the players need to succeed in a game that they not the coaches on the sideline control rugby still has a brutal heart lest there be any doubt an ambulance was parked behind the bleachers but its a paradox of the sport that helmetless rugby players may actually suffer fewer concussions than their cousins in the nfl the concussion rate at last years world cup according to usa rugby was 11 per 1000 player hours compared with an estimated 54 per 1000 player hours last season in the nfl the nfl calculates concussions per game not per player hour credit below the shoulder tackling rules and self preservation   not having a helmet lessens the temptation to deploy your head as a spear
at 4 oclock dan power a loquacious former rugby player with a gift for decoding the chaos on the pitch leaned into his press box mike and said ladies and gentlemen the wait is finally over
preseason odds had made the talent laden san francisco team the heavy favorite and at first the game unfolded accordingly it was all a bit bewildering to the untutored eye the ball would vanish in a clot of bodies and then mysteriously reappear on the grass like a giant egg and a scrum half would pluck it up and fling it underhand across the field in what might become a series of thrilling laterals that delivered it to a speedster on the wing who would hie down the sideline and fling himself across the try line jabbing the ball onto the ground for the proverbial touch down the heat began to afflict players on both sides with cramps and occasionally some of the boys were leveled by head on collisions that left them looking as if the next game they played might in fact be the game they played in heaven
at the half san francisco led 17 13 schoninger went onto the field for an interview with dan power who called him the man behind the madness he had been following the game on his iphone roving from the press box to a vip tent table where his wife and son were sitting he was buoyed by reports from denver where the home team won in overtime before a snow day crowd of 2300
when play resumed san francisco lock nick grass evidently having missed the memo about fellowship and respect was sent off with a yellow card after he appeared to gouge the eyes of sacramento flanker kyle sumsion a little bit of hows your father going on out there said the color commentator lou stanfill framing the fisticuffs in sports talk fashion as an exchange of pleasantries grass was later suspended for six games when san francisco hooker tom coolican was yellow carded sacramento used its two man advantage to pull ahead the crowd of just under 3400 drummed their feet on the aluminum bleachers the home team closed out the win 37 25 the fans stood and clapped and then the players from both teams lined up in front of the stands and applauded the crowd
schoninger lingered at the stadium long after the game already next season was on his mind   what he needed to fix change invent what had to be done to get teams in canada houston boston new york elsewhere the weeks to come would flesh out the rugby dream replacing theory with praxis he would soon learn for example never to schedule a sporting event on mothers day otherwise attendance was what he expected   between 1500 and 3000 per game paying 20 to 30 per ticket with vip seats fetching 100 more than 6000 fans entered the leagues online team naming contest by late may undefeated denver was the leagues surprise star san francisco the preseason favorite was a disappointment in many ways negligible media coverage a skilled but poorly conditioned squad with a pitiful 0 5 record hopes for a turnaround were riding on the arrival of the new zealand star mils muliaina the 35 year old former three time captain of the all blacks the citys recreation and park department wanted to charge schoninger 18000 for installing a rugby goal post removing one and making a few other improvements at boxer stadium he had been pleasantly surprised by the interest in the league in europe pro rugby stats were being published in french newspapers he had always known money wouldnt be the initial index of success   what he hoped for was something different like maybe being mentioned in a joke on a late night talk show he planned to add more teams but if he didnt he could see the league almost breaking even next year
for the moment as the heat of a sun baked afternoon ebbed he lingered in the afterglow of the days success reviewing the debut with anyone who wanted to talk about it he fell into conversations with the announcers as they packed up and the coaches and one of the stadium managers who said 800 people had paid for parking even the mad couturiers jersey tackle line had gotten good reviews he chatted with the players who were gathered under the vip tent swigging beer and carbo loading plates of lasagna in preparation for their professional responsibilities next week a few fans who recognized schoninger waited patiently to thank him and he fell into conversation with them too it was getting dark his wife and son were waiting to go back to the hotel but he kept getting tangled in talk   in essence the same conversation hed been having day after day for the last year and a half a rolling jabbering maul of rugby rugby rugby sure it was all in a days work but it was more than that it was what needed to be done it was part of what hed come to think of as his mission spreading the gospel of the professional game one convert at a time
these he said still a bit amazed are my people


duration is very important says damien leger a doctor who runs the sleep research center at the hotel dieu hospital in paris aim to sleep for 20 minutes anything longer and you risk drifting into what scientists call slow wave sleep a state of languid brain wave activity considered important for consolidating memories set an alarm clock a slow wave encounter is likely to leave you with what leger calls sleep drunkenness instead of a feeling of rejuvenation
think of napping as a basic right not a petty luxury for a french think tank leger wrote a recent report arguing that all workers should be permitted naptime an especially important respite for those working night shifts or anyone who routinely sleeps six or fewer hours daily such chronic sleep deprivation is associated with hypertension diabetes depression obesity cancer and even an increased risk of death research shows that short periods of sleep increase cognitive performance reaction time and mood in one study subjects who took an afternoon nap were nearly twice as likely to solve a video game problem as those who didnt
establish a few basic preconditions find a safe space like an unoccupied office or a dedicated rest area where youre unlikely to be bothered block out light with an eye mask absolute quiet is not a requirement for sleep but if you are in a particularly noisy place like a factory use earplugs you dont need to lie down napping can be achieved sitting upright cheek on the desk bring along a small pillow for your head leger says the ideal snooze time will depend on your sleep schedule but most daytime workers experience peak drowsiness in the afternoon leger hopes that someday a quick slumber will replace the post lunch coffee napping is much more powerful than caffeine he says and there are no negative side effects
patients often tell leger how they sneak into the bathroom or into their parked cars to nod off during the workday their fatigue embarrasses them do your part to destigmatize naps by talking openly about how pooped you feel tell your co workers you intend to sleep for 20 minutes there is nothing shameful about a nap leger says


nani ma was standing in a white sari outside her hut a bare concrete block with a tin roof when i arrived the villagers who told me about her had described her accurately   a slender british woman in her late 60s who radiated calm for 16 years she had meditated alone in a cave in the indian himalayas recently she had broken her vow of silence and moved to this hut in uttarkashi in the foothills of the mountains i had hiked four kilometers through a dense forest to meet her
six months earlier in late 2012 i had left my job in new york to learn meditation first in a sivananda ashram in southern india then in a forest ashram in the uttarkashi district i grew up in shimla also in the himalayas and always thought i would return one day to live a silent contemplative life my mothers death from cancer fast forwarded the plan 20 years i wanted a more urgent answer to my questions about the nature of life suffering and death but despite practicing six hours of yoga and meditation every day for months i hadnt glimpsed the transcendence i read about in the buddhist and yogic scriptures now i had a rare chance to ask a saint what more i could do
nani mas kind face was marked with bright splotches of red and she was mostly bald for a period of years she had subsisted on two bottles of cows milk that the villagers left for her every day perhaps living on a milk only diet irritates your skin and makes you lose your hair her good temper was intact though she greeted my intrusion with a warm smile as if she had been expecting me i bowed and touched her feet she went inside her hut and got me water in an earthen pot i was sweating after hiking down steep trails for a few hours and took it gladly we sat down on a rock in front of her hut next to the ganges river across the river the mountains rose high above the mist a colossal tower of green speckled with snow
unlike the grim bearded yogis i knew from my childhood she was open and welcoming but words failed me they seemed too limited and impersonal to articulate the questions in my mind what have you learned about the nature of reality while living in complete silence your face looks so serene   are you enlightened what does enlightenment feel like and how does one achieve it
she filled the silence by asking me questions about myself in a gentle smiling voice i told her i left india to pursue a corporate career in the united states a decade ago now i was back for spiritual reasons but in the six months i spent meditating in these ashrams all i thought about was petty material concerns like whether i would have a job when i returned to new york and whether my fiancee and i should have a traditional indian wedding i was tired of my trivial thoughts and was thinking of taking more drastic measures like living in a cave alone for a month
in the middle of my rant a mechanical whirring sound came from the hut
nani ma excused herself she returned a few minutes later with a sheet of paper and a cellphone in her hand
i have to make a phone call she said
i stared at her of course i said ill leave
im on the board of a hospice now she said we have a meeting and ive received two prayers for review
i stood up from the rock wondering vaguely how she managed to get a cellphone connection so soon after spending 16 years in a cave it took me three weeks of submitting and resubmitting documentation about my identity and residency as well as references before finally being granted a connection
thank you for your time i said can i support the hospice in any way
nani mas face brightened
oh yes she said with a broad toothless smile come inside for a minute
i followed her inside her hut stooping to enter through the small wooden door on one side of the 6 by 10 foot room was a mattress with a brown blanket and five or six articles of clothing in a neatly folded pile opposite the bed were a saucepan one clay glass a bag of rice and a printer
nani ma bent down and got a packet of greeting cards from under the printer she showed them to me with delight
the children in the village designed them she said the cards had a picture of a long stemmed marigold flower on them with ganga prem hospice written under it
we sell these to raise funds she said do you want to buy one the packets were 50 rupees about 75 cents each
nani ma had returned to the world it occurred to me that maybe it was time for me to do the same i bought 30 cards and went on my way


david sedaris the author of lets explore diabetes with owls and when you are engulfed in flames spends his time in west sussex england when he isnt on his twice yearly 45 city lecture tours hotels figure highly in his repeat vacation spots he returns to the four seasons resort the biltmore santa barbara again and again everyone there looks like mitt and ann romney and he loves the ambassade hotel in amsterdam ive probably stayed there at least a dozen times and they keep the same people there its a nice feeling to go to another country and have people remember your name and be so warm
his favorite thing to do while traveling shop i was recently in lisbon with a friend he said and our driver would constantly say david look out the window to your left thats a statue of    i wanted to say whatever made you think that i care youre talking to the wrong person heres a list of shops i want to go to 
he calls tokyo the top city for shopping it really is the best usually youll go to a city and it has one street with interesting exciting shops but in tokyo it just goes on and on and on its harder now though when i first moved to paris i could bring people back a diptyque candle or chocolate from maison du chocolat now those things are everywhere but in japan there are still things you can buy that people at home havent heard of
and his dream trip is a brief   very brief   visit to india you know how everyone goes to india for three months i want to go to india for three hours so i can leave when i get thirsty and then i can get back on the plane without any risk of getting a stomach bug
more recently i was doing a tour of australia and qantas had a deal that if you were flying from sydney to london you could stop in dubai for free i went to the uae and oman just for a day hugh my boyfriend accuses me of going to countries just so i can cross them off my list and thats exactly why i went
heres what he packs on every trip
a wooden hanger that folds in half its for washing clothes in the sink because in a crummy hotel you cant disconnect the hangers when you go to 45 cities in a row all you think about is laundry i always bring hanro t shirts theyre a swiss brand and they dry really quickly
laguiole metal cutlery i bought this in japan but its french sometimes someone gives me an apple and i cant eat it im not confident about my top front teeth so i bring this cutlery that folds in half this goes in checked luggage
vicks vaporub i once spent a week at a medical examiners office and they would put vicks on their top lip to stop the smell i use it when someone is wearing one of the handful of perfumes that give me an instant headache i bring a handkerchief too and use it with the vicks as a nosegay
an extendable backscratcher the scratching part looks like a bear claw i bought it in an airport i have one at home and i have another one for travel because you dont want to be without it airplanes dry your skin out and when youre suffering like that you dont even have the sense to be embarrassed about using a backscratcher in public
trudon room spray its the ernesto fragrance which has something to do with hemingway my sister amy gave it to me i dont use it all the time but sometimes youre in a hotel room that smells of sorrow
set editions stop talking cards they say stop talking i travel with 25 boxes and give them out at book signings sometimes people misunderstand and think i want them to stop talking but theyre gifts if people are on their phones or if someones bothering you you can hand them one


who doesnt love a hotel room upgrade the chances of getting a better room than the one you booked arent a pipe dream according to jack ezon a hotel specialist at the new york city based travel consultancy ovation vacations there are lots of ways to get upgrades at a hotel he said
below he shares tips for snagging better accommodations for no extra cost but cautions that travelers should make sure that they actually want the upgrade theyre getting ive had clients who booked a junior suite and got upgraded to a duplex suite that they hated because of the steps in another instance i had four couples traveling together who booked separate rooms and got upgraded to a four bedroom villa they were irate because they wanted space from each other on their vacation he said
book with a travel adviser booking the old fashioned way has its privileges according to mr ezon because many advisers have close relationships with hotel managers an adviser can call or email the manager and instantly get you an upgrade he said and he said travelers usually dont have to pay an adviser a fee to make the hotel booking
some travel agencies are also part of agency only hotel loyalty programs like the dorchester diamond club from the dorchester collection which has 10 upscale properties travelers who book a stay at a dorchester property like the hotel bel air in los angeles through one of these agencies receive an automatic upgrade when they make their reservation
additionally travelers who reserve a hotel through a virtuoso adviser   there are more than 11000 globally   are guaranteed a space available upgrade when they check in
ask on arrival it sounds almost too simplistic but its not according to mr ezon because very few hotel guests outright ask for a better hotel room usually if rooms arent booked the person checking you in is open to giving you an upgrade he said in some cases he said hotels may be willing to upgrade you to a significantly better room for a minimal charge instead of paying 1000 or more a night for a fabulous suite they may ask you to pay 100 for an upgrade he said
play the special occasion card if you mention that youre celebrating a special occasion such as a birthday or anniversary at the time of booking many hotels make a note of the event in your reservation said mr ezon and may upgrade you when you check in
book a new hotel when hotels first open they usually have low occupancy according to mr ezon and actually make it a point to upgrade guests new properties want to get as many people buzzing about their hotel as possible and want to spoil you with an upgrade with the hope that you will come back he said
travel off season since hotels have lower occupancy when its not the peak season they are more apt to upgrade guests to a room that is several categories higher than what they booked mr ezon said its no consequence or lost revenue to a hotel to let you stay in a better room thats sitting empty if anything its going to make you so happy that youll book another stay at the property he said


sometimes cruise shopping feels like car shopping you know theres a deal out there you just have to find it cruise lines regularly run sales and the current batch will reward procrastinators and shoulder season sailors
if you can travel later this month adventure life is offering 50 percent off its 10 day arctic trip to north spitsbergen in norway departing june 29 billed as an eco volunteer cruise the trip assigns 50 passengers to pick up ocean garbage in the remote svalbard archipelago while the other 50 take part in an excursion they swap roles in the afternoon and cancel cleaning entirely if polar bears are in the area discounted rates start at 2450 a person
head to the caribbean this summer with msc cruises which is offering an all inclusive package on its msc divina ship priced from 798 a person for a seven night trip that includes unlimited drinks wi fi and one shore excursion the offer starting at 798 a person is good on select summer sailings starting the week of june 25 as well as a few fall and winter dates travelers must book by july 9 to get the deal
the luxury line silversea is running a silver select promotion through july that includes a 1500 per suite spending credit on its ocean going itineraries that can be used for shore excursions spa treatments and more or travelers skip the credit and get a two category suite upgrade or 50 percent off a second cabin the deal is good on many sailings including a nine day trip from athens to monte carlo on the silver spirit departing aug 31 with rates starting at 7050 a person the fare includes round trip economy air travel transfers two nights in a hotel before the cruise shore excursions and wi fi
through july 6 princess cruises red white and blue sale waives the gratuities usually added to cabin rates and offers discounted fares on select north american departures in the fall including a four day getaway from los angeles priced from 299 a person and five days visiting canadas atlantic provinces from 599
boston based vantage deluxe world travel is offering 11 day french river cruises from 2399 a person september through november the trips to the burgundy beaujolais and provence regions offer wine tastings tours of avignon and lyon and lectures on board to book travelers must call 888 342 2402 and mention the promotional code wb66600
another opportunity in the arctic offers a deal based on a late season departure sept 13 poseidon expeditions is holding a sale on its 11 day east greenland trip that starts and ends in reykjavik iceland the fall timing aims to provide glimpses of the northern lights rates start at 3395 representing a 1500 savings
some sales benefit the farsighted abercrombie  kent is offering 1000 off per person on new cuba by land  sea cruise departures next march if booked by july 31 discounted fares start at 9995 a person


when nathaniel peters goes for a walk he often sings aloud which may be a genetic trait his great grandparents were maria and georg von trapp who founded the trapp family singers with their children and whose story was the basis for the sound of music
mr peters 30 also appears to have inherited maria von trapps exuberant climb every mountain attitude you know that look that a golden lab has when chasing a tennis ball   thats how nathaniel chases life said ryan sayre patrico a friend
growing up on marthas vineyard mr peters was bookish and interested in existential questions and distinctive clothing from an early age hes the kind of person who wants to wear bright orange shoelaces in his very fancy dress shoes said clare rose a friend hes often seen in a bow tie or some kind of hat
ms rose added he knows what he likes and nothing he likes is run of the mill
by the fall of 2013 he was a graduate student in theology at boston college fluent in latin fond of three piece suits and living in a house on the edge of campus that was full of people studying religion and philosophy
when asked for words to describe himself and his friends he replied you could try heady on the one hand we are people who enjoy lots of books and investigating particular questions having to do with the human existence or god or the nature of beauty but at least three of us are capable of cooking dinner to taylor swift and enjoying that too
barbara jane sloan a fellow graduate student in theology at boston college who is known as jane lived in a house across an open field from mr peters
the two had met briefly during the summer of 2012 at a mutual friends wedding and he remembered her as quiet and thoughtful there was an introverted loveliness about her he said by contrast jon petkun a friend said mr peters possessed an ear piercing loveliness
that fall ms sloan and mr peters got to know each other better she wore warby parker eyeglasses that were almost identical to his she appreciated both liturgical music and ella fitzgerald as he did
growing up in carmel ind she was a bookworm with an early curiosity about god when she was small shed say things like this summer im going to read the bible said her father dan sloan
the two began walking back and forth to each others houses for long talks about early christianity her specialty or the pros and cons of joining a religious order sometimes i could hear him coming because he would be singing to himself usually opera said ms sloan 31
when she visited his house she generally arrived with an armful of baguettes and pastries leftovers from the bakery where she worked i started referring to her as our friend with breadifits he said
he did not own a car but she did which also helped forge a bond between them she often gave him rides to trader joes for groceries
it was always an adventure she said hed get in the car and hed have a cd or a magazine article he wanted to read to me or biscuits he baked that morning i was like who is this guy im a more slow plodding contemplative person and hes always on the go
one day he borrowed her car and got into a minor accident which left a bumper dented and a headlight wobbling like a loose tooth when she saw the damage she just laughed and got out some duct tape which really impressed him his words to me were mom shes being saintly about this said his mother elizabeth peters
still neither thought of becoming more than friends partly because one or the other was usually dating someone else also ms sloan said it took a while for me to wake up to how great he was it took a year of friendship
during that year they created several traditions together sunday nights were sherlock and downton abbey or when those were not on shakespeare he said they formed a group that gathered regularly at his kitchen table to sing in harmony and he taught her how to cross country ski on the trails outside the trapp family lodge in stowe vt
eventually ms sloan said the two were spending so much time together that she asked him is this fair we are not too close right he said no we are just two pilgrims along the way traveling together for a while
early in the summer of 2014 he invited her and some other friends to his familys house on marthas vineyard it was a disaster weekend for me she said my hat blew off while we were sailing i lost my sunglasses in the water nathaniel and i went swimming and there was a riptide he ended up carrying her out of the waves i had this moment of this is really nice she said but at the same time i thought we have to not be holding on to each other anymore
not long after she recalled he asked her remember our conversation about being two pilgrims along the way well i would like to make a slight amendment id like to take you down to the public garden and have a picnic and read from pg wodehouse for once both were single at the same time
on july 23 2014 they arrived at the garden carrying a picnic basket and something fresh a novel by wodehouse which he read aloud to her under a willow tree it was the best first date ever she said
over the next few days they continued reading the book together near the conclusion mr peters said there is a great description of a kiss we both got impatient so i thumbed to the end of the book read it and kissed her he said
it wasnt long before they were musing about marriage which mr peters imagined would be like entering into a deep mystery with my best friend
ms sloan who is now a phd student in theology at marquette university in milwaukee said she could never have conjured up a partner who could cook analyze medieval texts climb trees and dance as adroitly as mr peters if someone asked me for a list of qualities i would want in an ideal person my list would fall so short of who nathaniel is so far short she said
on may 31 2015 he proposed in a tiny stone chapel that his great uncle werner von trapp built in the woods behind the family lodge he asked her to wait outside while he decorated the floor with beeswax candles arranged in the shape of a heart and a cross which glowed in the dark like a constellation
i came in and the first thing i remember is this beautiful smell of beeswax this lovely warm smell she said i gave him a hug for support like we both know whats happening you can do it
by the time his proposal was over and she accepted all of the candles had melted i said i have a feeling this is what marriage is going to be like he said weve just had this moment of intimacy and now were sitting here scraping wax off the floor
on june 4 they were married at blessed sacrament church in stowe he in a vintage morning coat and she in a gown that was both subtle and sparkly like her the couple created a 16 page illustrated pamphlet to guide the 172 guests through the carefully curated nuptial mass which was led by the rev brian e daley a roman catholic priest along with many prayers blessings and readings there were 15 different pieces of music performed mr peters described the music as joyful rich lush lush like a forest not like an alcoholic
mr patrico the best man watched the groom throughout the ceremony he is sitting very erect in his chair and hes swerving and bobbing just like a conductor he said he picked out all the music and he knows it by heart and its the music he chose to express these feelings he has for jane he was crying at the end of every piece
afterward there was a reception in the wedding meadow outside the family lodge with views of the worcester mountains and maple syrup in little leaf shaped bottles as gifts for guests
in the days leading up to the wedding the groom said ive felt like im wading into a pool of joy and i dont know the depth of the joy yet


valparaiso ind   by most measures john acosta is a law school success story he graduated from valparaiso university law school   a well established regional school here in northwestern indiana   in the top third of his class this past december a semester ahead of schedule he passed the bar exam on his first try in february
mr acosta 39 is also a scrupulous networker who persuaded a former longtime prosecutor to join him in starting a defense and family law firm a police officer for 11 years in georgia mr acosta has a rare ability to get inside the head of a cop that should be of more than passing interest to would be clients
i think johns going to do fine said andrew lucas a partner at the firm where mr acosta rents office space hes got other life skills that are attractive to people running into problems
yet in financial terms there is almost no way for mr acosta to climb out of the crater he dug for himself in law school when he borrowed over 200000 the government will eventually forgive the loan   in 20 years   if hes unable to repay it as is likely on his small town lawyers salary but the internal revenue service will probably treat the forgiven amount as income leaving him what could easily be a 70000 tax bill on the eve of retirement and possibly much higher
mr acosta is just one of tens of thousands of recent law school graduates caught up in a broad transformation of the legal profession while demand for other white collar jobs has grown substantially since the start of the recession law firms and corporations are finding they can make do with far fewer in house lawyers than before squeezing those just starting their careers
nationally the proportion of recent graduates who find work as a lawyer is down 10 percentage points since its peak of the last decade according to the most recent data and though the upper end of the profession finally shows some signs of recovering the middle and lower ranks remain depressed especially in slower growth regions like the rust belt
as of this april fewer than 70 percent of valparaiso law school graduates from the previous spring were employed and fewer than half were in jobs that required a law license only three out of 131 graduates worked in large firms which tend to pay more generous salaries
people are not being helped by going to these schools kyle mcentee executive director of the advocacy group law school transparency said of valparaiso and other low tier law schools the debt is really high bar passage rates are horrendous employment is horrendous
even as employment prospects have dimmed however law school student debt has ballooned rising from about 95000 among borrowers at the average school in 2010 to about 112000 in 2014 according to mr mcentees group
such is the atavistic rage among those who went to law school seeking the upper middle class status and security often enjoyed by earlier generations only to find themselves on a financial treadmill and convinced their schools misled them that there is now a whole genre of online writing devoted specifically to channeling it scamblogging
belatedly many schools are starting to respond to this brutal reality or at least the collapse in applications it has set off in february valparaiso announced it was offering buyouts to tenured professors as of may 14 of 36 full time faculty members had either accepted the package or retired the law school plans to reduce its student body by roughly one third over the next few years from about 450 today
to the faculty at valparaiso and the roughly 20 percent of the 200 or so american bar association accredited law schools that have cut back aggressively in recent years these moves can feel shockingly harsh
maybe i was naive but i didnt think it would be as stark said rosalie levinson a longtime constitutional law professor at valparaiso who recently headed a committee on restructuring the school the number of tenured faculty that would be leaving   not gradually but immediately   just personally that was difficult
but from the perspective of the students caught up in the explosion of unrepayable law school debt the shake up at the school and others like it look rather pedestrian
given the tectonic shifts in the legal landscape the relevant issue may not be how much law schools like valparaiso should shrink today the more important question is whether they should exist at all
if you drove west from the eastern edge of valparaisos campus early this spring you would have passed a pawnshop a discount cigarette outlet and intriguingly a sign announcing cafe available for rent before reaching the heart of the citys downtown which includes the county courthouse and a handful of law offices
when i met mr acosta at one of the offices on an afternoon in late april he was moving the last of his lawyer swag into the windowless space that will house his practice he wasnt scheduled to start work for another few weeks until after he was sworn into the state bar but he had the giddiness of a man eager to try on his new professional identity
mr acosta who retains the erect manner and intense stare of his former colleagues in law enforcement applied to law school planning to become a prosecutor but he changed paths after briefly testing the local job market and finding his prospects grim
unfortunately the market for defense lawyers in the area was only slightly better although he received a few offers none came with a salary or benefits the firms offered him little more than a desk and a business card any revenue he brought in would have to be shared with the partners 50 50 and they would not be reciprocating
it was at this point that he decided to start his own firm if im going to split the money and theyre not doing anything im going to split the money with myself he said
actually there are others who will be sharing in his income mr acosta recently became engaged to another valparaiso law student erica melendez who graduated this spring and plans to open her own firm specializing in immigration work between them they will be nearly half a million dollars in the red while trying to run two businesses and raise ms melendezs 5 year old daughter
still mr acosta and ms melendez who speaks fluent spanish are better positioned than many of their classmates who dont have uniquely marketable skills that would allow them to set off on their own
earlier that day i joined five valparaiso students for lunch at a mexican restaurant near campus the main topic of conversation was whether they were more concerned about passing the bar exam which valparaiso graduates have struggled to do in recent years or finding employment
a student named ethan legg said that if he could just pass the bar he could probably find something somewhere to which his classmate daria anderson responded that she didnt see what good passing the bar would do if you were working at starbucks for less than 40000 per year
ms anderson had been planning to buy a house for herself and her two children when she was accepted to law school she had graduated from indiana university in bloomington with minimal debt thanks to scholarships and managed to save about 10000 working a variety of jobs over the next decade although she knew law school would be a financial strain she decided she would regret not trying
i would have been sitting at some desk in somebodys office with some type of job wondering should i have gone she said
today she is over 100000 in debt and her job search has been taxing with few leads on a legal position ms anderson has set her sights on a so called jd advantaged job such as vetting and negotiating a corporations contracts with suppliers the starting salary is likely to be in the mid to high five figures but she hopes such a job could lead to a more senior position
for students like ms anderson the problem isnt just that the market for valparaiso law graduates is saturated although it is mr lucas the law partner who rents space to mr acosta complained of a large oversupply of lawyers in the area
its that the market for all recent law school graduates has been relatively saturated
a decade ago a large majority of graduates from the top 10 to 15 law schools who wanted full time work at a big law firm could get it said paul f campos a law professor at the university of colorado at boulder who has written extensively about the economic prospects of law school graduates
with big firm jobs drying up however many of these graduates began competing for lower paying spots at midsize firms which also downsized and certain government jobs they wouldnt have sought in an earlier era
that takes those jobs off the table mr campos said it has ripple effects all the way throughout the profession so that a small law firm in northwest indiana can say to recent grads we want you to work for free we wont pay you
law schools for their part seem strangely oblivious to all this officially many stress the growing availability of jobs for which a law degree is preferred rather than required   the kind of job ms anderson has been searching for but given the vagueness of the category mr campos said discounting the number of these jobs by 50 percent is a good rule of thumb
i counsel a lot of students and try to make them realize that a jd advantaged job can be extremely useful said del wright jr a valparaiso tax law professor who is one of the schools most popular instructors
you see all these businesses we buy liens   what exactly is going on there he continued explaining that buyers of tax liens can earn hefty state sanctioned interest rates as well as fees to get the liens removed if you are entrepreneurial but not the best lawyer you might look into it
the law school at valparaiso occupies two buildings at the southwest corner of campus a sprawling brown brick structure that looks as if it might house overflow personnel from a federal bureaucracy and a smaller much more elegant red brick building that sits cater corner from the main compound i toured them recently with bruce berner a longtime law professor and associate dean at valparaiso who retired in 2014 but remains a beloved presence on campus
strolling through the corridors mr berner could not help pointing out the offices of colleagues who had accepted the buyout and would not be back in the fall ivan if it hadnt been for something like this situation wouldnt have stopped he said of ivan bodensteiner a professor who had recently served as interim dean
when mr berner joined the valparaiso faculty in 1971 he was one of nine professors and the school focused primarily on legal instruction but in the mid  to late 1980s he said the school put an increasing emphasis on legal scholarship and recruited faculty members who could produce it across the country many law schools were undergoing a similar evolution
its no coincidence that the average law school faculty began to grow quickly around this time each professor was teaching fewer courses to make time for research mr berner said he went from teaching 15 or 16 credit hours a year   typically five classes   to no more than 12 every law school seemed to want to emulate harvard and yale valparaiso said the growth of its faculty was due in part to an american bar association mandate to make its curriculum more comprehensive
its also no coincidence that law schools raised the cost of attending which helped cover the additional expense against the backdrop of a healthy demand for lawyers fast rising tuition did not discourage students who could borrow most and eventually all of the cost from the government and frequently pay it back with relative ease law school applications generally increased over the next two decades
for valparaiso the upmarket strategy had the desired effect although the school had long enjoyed a solid reputation in northern indiana producing a thick roster of judges politicians and business leaders it began to attract applicants from a wider geographical area median scores on the law school admission test began to creep up eventually moving several points above 150 roughly the median for all test takers nationally
when we were in our heyday in the late 80s 90s mr berner said we could always say to the top 10 percent you could hit something big in chicago if you wanted or dc or new york
in 2004 former president george h w bush spoke at a gala celebrating the schools 125th anniversary it was around this time that valparaiso like many law schools approached its peak competitiveness law school applications topped out at just over 100000 nationally in 2004 and gradually began to decline
for valparaiso the bottom fell out in two stages applications dropped from over 3000 in 2007 to under 1600 in 2009 although this was partly because of a change in recruitment strategy then below 1200 a few years later
after this second drop faculty members and administrators became anxious i was chair of the admissions committee and were sitting there watching this mr berner said its a mess
the committee agonized over whether it should accept fewer students or keep its class size roughly constant and admit weaker candidates in the end it opted for the latter a decision mr berner admits wasnt entirely on the merits since fewer students would have meant less revenue
there was a lot of pressure of course from the central administration to keep the numbers up he said mark a heckler the university president said that admissions decisions were entirely up to the law school but that the financial model was for the school to fund itself
by 2014 the limitations of the strategy had become apparent the figures the school reported for the rate at which its graduates passed the indiana bar exam which had already been dipping crashed to about 61 percent from about 77 percent the year before an enormous number of students wouldnt be able to work as lawyers in the state even if jobs were theoretically available
andrea lyon who was just beginning her first semester as dean of the law school called a mandatory meeting for all third year students to review the grim numbers and urge them to take a handful of remedial bar courses the school was offering it was a panicked meeting said chris freiberg who graduated from the law school in 2015
i felt i had to address this right away dean lyon said some students may have viewed it as panic but thats not what it was
but the following year bar passage rates ticked up only a few points the problem was that these rates tend to be a broadly predictable function of scores on the law school admission test with average test scores dropping as the school relaxed its entry criteria there were limits to how much the school could improve its bar results
valparaiso was in effect caught in a deflating financial bubble one most law schools were slow to heed because of the governments role in financing legal education applications ultimately tumbled about 40 percent nationally between 2010 and 2015 and by a roughly similar percentage at valparaiso
one telltale sign of the bursting bubble was that more prestigious schools began poaching the students of lower ranked schools after their first year we were losing students to indiana university said professor levinson at valparaiso we lose two to three a year of our honors students to notre dame
by the fall of 2015 the universitys central administration began to debate several options for overhauling the law school among the more drastic alternatives were to close it or merge it with another school in the end the leadership decided that shrinking the school would suffice
by that point the faculty put up little resistance i dont think its moral to take someones money who cant make it dean lyon told me its just wrong
mr berner for his part feels a tinge of regret when he looks back on the years after the 2009 recession everyone had good intentions he said if we could go back i think we should have erred a little more on the side of turning people down
one side of the top row in prof stephen wilkss secured transactions class last semester belonged to a group of five students he named the legion of boom
if you teach at valparaiso law school its the legion of boom that makes you believe you are on the path of righteousness the students radiate intelligence and prepare for class scrupulously
unusual among their classmates four of the five had lined up jobs well before graduation including a broad shouldered iowan named jeremy hahn who will be joining the general counsels office of a large corporation in des moines
you dont have to talk to mr hahn for very long to figure out that he would succeed in just about any terrain you airlifted him into in addition to being near the top of his class he was president of the business law society editor in chief of the student law journal and head of the graduation steering committee
on the day i turned up professor wilks had stumped his students with an obscure question about collateral if youd missed this you would have lost one third of the available points for this essay question he gently chided the class when i later asked mr hahn if he had known the answer he admitted that he did but said he preferred not to call attention to himself for validation
its easy to assume that valparaisos decision to scale back its class size means that going forward the law school will consist much more of people like mr hahn and his fellow legionnaires if that were the case the decision might be completely rational
but in reality that stands almost no chance of coming to pass thats because the way valparaiso and other lower ranked schools lure students like mr hahn is to offer sizable scholarships and the only way they can afford these scholarships is if a large proportion of other students pay full freight
inevitably many of these sticker price payers are weak students who lack better options research by prof jerome m organ an expert on law school economics at the university of st thomas school of law in minneapolis shows that students with low test scores and undergraduate grade point averages tend to subsidize the stars this is especially true of third  and fourth tier schools like valparaiso its the marginal students who pay the bills not students like mr hahn
and this dynamic is very likely to continue for the simple reason that there is still too much law school capacity chasing too few good students while law school applications have dropped by nearly 40 percent nationally since 2010 enrollment has dropped by only about 30 percent and the number of full time faculty members has dropped by less than 15 percent according to data compiled from aba filings by the law school analyst matt leichter
in such a world schools like valparaiso essentially face the following choice admit a large number of marginal students or shut down
professor organ believes that some law schools will in fact shut down he draws an analogy to dental schools which experienced a similar collapse in applications in the 1970s and 1980s leading to the eventual demise of about 10 percent of all schools by the early 1990s
in the meantime valparaiso must keep taking risks on a lot of students a reality the administration does not exactly hide
i dont think we should stop taking chances i just think we need to take chances intelligently and thoughtfully dean lyon said if youve taught for any length of time you know pretty quickly if someone has that hunger to do a good job that makes up for a lot
a few hours after i spoke with dean lyon i drove about 75 miles east to a meijer store in goshen ind where i met a 2015 valparaiso law school graduate named sarah tapia
as a child ms tapia had siblings who were in and out of jail she decided in high school that she would become a lawyer to help people like them i kind of grew up with that my whole life she said because of money because of race they never really got a fair chance at justice
she attended goshen college where she studied history and was admitted to two law schools valparaiso and a for profit school in north carolina charlotte school of law that won full american bar association accreditation only in 2011
ms tapia struggled her first semester at valparaiso but she said her grades steadily improved after that after graduation she took a bar prep class and threw herself into studying full time undeterred by her massive debt load when she found out she failed she took a job in the clothing department of meijer while she prepared to take the test again this past february but not long before i showed up she found out that she had failed that test too
ms tapia is a small woman with long brown hair who often looks down when she speaks but it would be a mistake to confuse this with a lack of conviction she urged me to watch the netflix documentary series making a murderer which raised questions about the murder conviction of a man named steven avery its exactly what i went to law school to do she said
from the perspective of an admissions committee looking to take a chance on a high risk applicant ms tapia must have presented a compelling case she had already defied long odds by graduating from college she had an obvious passion for the law
she had that unteachable impulse to succeed that dean lyon said she was looking for even today with two strikes against her she is determined to keep taking the bar exam until she passes it there is no doubt in her mind that she will one day be a practicing lawyer and she may well be right
still in the meantime she has a crushing amount of debt and a job that doesnt pay her enough to so much as dent it
why does valpo have an economic structure that looks like harvard law schools asked mr campos the university of colorado expert on the prospects of recent law school graduates it makes absolutely no sense to do it its why they have to charge harvardesque prices
two generations ago someone like ms tapia could have attended valparaiso and still made it financially even if her legal career didnt pan out today thats simply not possible
the bottom line here is that institutions like valparaiso clearly were fulfilling a valuable role until they were swept up in various forms of craziness in higher education mr campos continued
i asked ms tapia if she ever regretted her decision to go to law school she said she sometimes wondered if maybe i shouldnt have done this maybe this isnt what i was supposed to do with my life but those moments are pretty fleeting
i wouldnt trade my law degree for anything she added i would trade the debt


three weeks before my wife ingrid and i were to move to mexico where a coveted job awaited me my doctor phoned with results from my latest ct scan my thyroid cancer had spread to my lungs he suggested i see an oncologist right away
i let the phone go silent my excitement over the job as foreign correspondent for the associated press had been building for months we had sublet our brooklyn apartment put a deposit on one in mexico city and sold our car
we had also married   not just for love but so that ingrid a colombian doctor on a student visa could travel freely across borders with me my cancer had been stable in recent years and i was itching to start my new life
suddenly everything felt shaky how could this happen now was the time for packing and saying goodbye to old friends not visiting new doctors
something hardened inside me when ingrid arrived home that evening i played down the news i had spots on my lungs but they were all under a third of an inch nothing i cant take care of in mexico i said we leave in three weeks no way im squeezing in another appointment
ingrids eyes glistened have fun in mexico she said because im not going anywhere if you dont take care of yourself first
a passionate woman who speaks from the gut ingrid is no stranger to setbacks she had watched her father die in a colombian hospital the victim of a carjacking gone awry speaking little english she had fled the violence there to become a doctor in america cleaning houses to pay her way she married me knowing all about my disease a rare incurable form of thyroid cancer which had required three neck operations but she wasnt about to watch another man she loved die
make the call she said
a few days later an oncologist was urging me to start a drug regimen at his clinic as soon as possible
i had a better idea just give me the recipe i told him i would share it with a doctor in mexico and get treated there
ingrid shot me a scolding look the doctor frowned its not like youre making enchiladas he said these drugs can have nasty side effects this is not the time to move to another country
on the ride home i said to ingrid why doesnt anyone understand being a foreign correspondent is my dream its like when you moved to america to practice medicine dreams are good for your health
i didnt have lung spots and i wasnt moving to the air pollution capital of latin america she said if you dont take care of yourself nothing else matters
the next week i canceled the appointment with the international movers forfeited my deposit on the apartment in mexico and scanned the classified ads for a used car in brooklyn i settled back into my position on the aps international desk editing articles by reporters in exotic places that reminded me painfully of the job i had given up
my ordeal had barely begun with chemotherapy starting in two months the oncologist suggested i freeze my sperm for later use because the regimen can damage sex cells
ingrid had another idea we could make a baby now the natural way she said
i suppressed a laugh with my career sandbagged and chemotherapy looming i couldnt even contemplate becoming a father i would be nauseated and balding in no shape to chase after a baby with a leaky diaper
ingrid stood her ground thawed out sperm are notoriously unreliable she said she had delivered hundreds of babies in colombia and believed bearing a child was a privilege not to be taken lightly this could be our last chance
i threw up my hands i could only hope we would fail to conceive in the narrow window before the start of my regimen
but wouldnt you know three weeks later ingrid waved the positive test strip in my bewildered face and our marriage entered a new phase around the time i underwent my first treatment ingrid was hit with morning sickness our side effects and symptoms were suddenly on parallel tracks
i woke up one morning feeling queasy and achy from my first treatment listening to the whir of a portable pack pumping the drugs through a steel medical port in my chest bile crawled up my throat as i staggered to the bathroom and vomited into the toilet
seconds later ingrid burst in looking as pale as i felt and vomited too
after gargling she said do me a favor and vomit more softly i dont want to hear your inner pig you dont know how sick i feel
oh but i think i do in fact i was that rare husband who knew exactly how sick my pregnant wife felt
a week later our symptoms overlapped again i discovered a clump of hair in the shower drain and a bald patch on my head at the same time ingrid her body flooded with hormones discovered peach fuzz growing in surprising places around her navel and on her neck she was wide eyed with concern
i reached into the shower drain and grabbed my hairball you think thats bad i have a clump
she touched my scalp smiling weakly we both have nausea she said youre losing hair i have hair in new places we both have growths inside us dont you see me and you were connected
in no mood to celebrate our newfound solidarity i drew away
if your bad hair bothers you let me shave you she said lots of sexy men are bald bruce willis agassi no need for your head to look like a bad lawn
i said sure go ahead but first let me shave your peach fuzz
she turned away so it will grow back as stubble youre not helping one bit
ingrid and her hormones stalked out sucking the air out of the bathroom it wasnt so much that i didnt sympathize with my wife but my own misery left me less able to cope with hers
our similarities then dovetailed even more as we both struggled to hold down food i lost weight and ingrid didnt gain enough in fact she was eating even less than me preferring hot chocolate instead of dinner
i pictured our tiny child trapped in her womb pumped up with sugar for the first time i started to worry more about the growth inside of her than the one in me ingrid listen to me i said the baby needs to eat and youre the only restaurant in town
that night i dreamed that ingrid gave birth to a tumor while a surgeon extracted a fetus from my throat i jerked awake to the glare of the morning sun feeling famished and nauseated pulling a baseball cap over my patchy scalp i went out to forage for food that wouldnt make me gag at a bodega an idea struck me i bought a loaf of bimbo a crunchy hispanic style bread ingrid once told me she liked and brought it to her
she closed her eyes and took a bite then blinked as if waking from a dream wait until i tell my mother youre feeding our baby colombian food she crunched some more reminiscing about how she ate bimbo as a girl and the fruits in colombia the papayas are so ripe and sweet a tear slipped down her cheek as she rambled on nostalgically
youre eating i whispered as i also ate a slice feeling the tension in me dissipate maybe we can get a group rate on lumpectomies i joked
please dont call our baby a lump she said cracking a smile
as the months to ingrids due date fell away our baby grew big and strong inside her alas in this too my wife and i were on similar paths despite the harsh chemotherapy regimen the spots on my lungs were growing inside of me too and the doctors seemed powerless to stop them
finally on a glorious evening in february ingrid gave birth by cesarean section to a healthy eight pound girl named sophie whose screams filled the room as a nurse handed her to me in a tightly wrapped bundle i handed her to ingrid who brought her to her breast as pale streetlight filtered in all i heard was suckling
our story could have ended here with sophies face scrunched against my wifes milk swollen bosom that would have been enough for me
but it didnt end there i went on medical leave to become a stay at home father i switched from chemo to an experimental drug that despite a few setbacks and scares managed to hold my cancer at bay the three of us moved from brooklyn to upstate new york where come summers we sow tomato and basil in our garden and where our chemo baby now 15 fills our home with art laughter and piano music
lumps and all not a bad deal


the listing nadia krivickova and michael krivicka had been waiting for popped up early last september a pristine 2500 square foot 1924 colonial with a child friendly backyard in the lower westchester county village of pelham manor then living in an apartment in manhattan the couple shes an accountant hes a founder of thinkmodo which creates viral video campaigns were in need of more space for their two toddlers after their real estate agent arthur l scinta an associate broker with houlihan lawrence advised them to move quickly they went to see the house the very next day
by 5 pm they had submitted an offer for the full asking price of 942000 the sellers wanted to give it more time after several days the couple raised their offer to 999000 the sellers wanted another week we asked them to give us a number they would take it off the market for ms krivickova said they said no
the couple really wanted the house they huddled with mr scinta who analyzed recent sales prices of similar properties to help them strike a balance between a strong offer and an overzealous offer which if it exceeded the banks appraisal could cause problems with financing
finally on a monday morning they submitted their highest offer 1087000 a full 15 percent premium mr scinta heard back that afternoon
arthur called and told us there were nine other offers ms krivickova said but we got it   by three or four grand and fortunately the bank appraisal came in on the nose
the family moved in last december a third child is expected to arrive in august they are delighted with their new home but as for the angst involved in buying it it was awful ms krivickova said
the bidding wars that have become the norm in new york city are now also common in select suburbs within easy commuting distance buyers priced out of the city are heading for the burbs driving up demand and creating a more fraught buying process in close in towns that have long enjoyed reputations for good school systems lively downtowns and ready access to the city
the city is this pot of water thats spilling over on the sides and that excess demand is going to the suburbs said jonathan miller the president of miller samuel a new york appraisal and research firm its all being driven by the lack of affordability
across westchester northern new jersey parts of long island and lower fairfield county conn the competition is fiercest for move in ready homes toward the lower end of the price scale   under 1 million in some markets under 2 million in others   in places within a 40 minute rail commute to the city walking distance to a lively downtown a train station or both heightens the appeal
well priced homes in good condition in these markets often draw multiple offers within days of coming on the market an analysis of first quarter sales this year conducted by miller samuel showed the highest percentages of westchester properties 23 percent to 44 percent selling at or above asking price   signs of likely bidding wars   in places like larchmont irvington bronxville white plains and pelham the average premium ranged from 17 percent to 4 percent actually lower than a year ago at the same time when buyers were paying more like 5 percent or 6 percent over the asking price
fairfield county and long island could not claim the same intensity in sales activity in the first quarter mr miller said in fairfield county stamford norwalk greenwich fairfield westport and darien 2 percent to 13 percent of properties sold at or over the asking price on long island garden city huntington levittown port washington franklin square and manhasset showed signs of bidding wars on 1 percent to 3 percent of transactions
mr miller said he suspects bidding wars may have been more prevalent in those towns a couple of years ago while now westchester is center stage
mr millers firm does not cover new jersey but there the housing market is looking better than it has in a very long time said jeffrey otteau the president of the otteau valuation group in east brunswick nj among the briskest markets are hoboken glen ridge maplewood montclair and south orange judging by their very low levels of inventory he added
generally speaking buyers are not lining up for luxury properties high end homes   upward of 2 million or 3 million depending on the location   are still going begging across the metropolitan area agents said demand for these homes is weakest in affluent suburbs without a train station the reason is clear the high paying jobs in the region are now disproportionately located in manhattan mr otteau said and if thats where youre going theres just not enough hours in the day to involve a car in that commute
at the same time the luxury market in rail centric towns is also slow as they vie for fewer wall street bonus dollars and compete with a growing preference for urban living said mr otteau because of the dramatic improvement in urban life in the last 20 years its no longer a given that when youre ready to raise a family you need to go out and buy a house in the suburbs
but many buyers who would prefer to stay in new york city simply cant afford to in pelham almost all of our buyers are coming from the city increasingly from brooklyn mr scinta said they are being priced out in terms of the additional space they need theyve outgrown their apartments and cant afford to move up to the next size apartment
in their search for a home anil and smita abraham who are moving from the washington dc area for mr abrahams financial services job in new york have hit many of the market hot spots like greenwich conn and numerous places in lower westchester but on a sunday in mid may the abrahams and their two children ages 6 and 4 were concentrating on open houses in pelham pelham is our top choice i would say ms abraham said we really loved greenwich but its too far to commute
they were among a dozen or so buyers checking out a six bedroom georgian colonial that had been listed for 1465 million the previous thursday the couple were smitten with the updated house particularly because of its ample bedroom space   room for visiting grandparents   and large basement playroom although the open house wasnt busy the listing agent caroline baccellieri an associate broker with mcclellan sothebys international realty already had two offers in hand before it began by that night she had two more   including one from the abrahams
but the sellers took one of the earlier offers it came in at over asking the day the house went on the market ms baccellieri said we felt like they were going to see it through and there werent going to be any problems
earlier this month the abrahams were in negotiations for another house in pelham but werent certain they would reach a deal with the spring season slowing and fewer properties coming on the market now mr abraham said they would buy elsewhere in lower westchester if need be
mike and wendy buzzeo of jersey city were outbid three times as they searched recently for a home in montclair maplewood and south orange nj during a crowded open house at a five bedroom queen anne victorian in montclair last month the buzzeos who have two sons ages 1 and 3 said based on their previous experiences they suspected the list price of 539000 was set deliberately low to spark a bidding war
we figure you have to add at least 100000 to the list price to get an idea of what the house is really going for and usually its more than 100000 said mr buzzeo the head of international marketing for fxcm an online brokerage firm
betsy ceccio of keller williams in montclair who had the listing along with her business partner joyce slous disputed the notion that homes were being underpriced to spark a frenzy but she acknowledged that many homes were selling above their list prices especially in the 500000 to 900000 range even with older bathrooms in need of updating the victorian which is within walking distance of downtown and a train station wound up netting 13 offers all over asking and several a full 20 percent higher well beyond what the sellers expected ms ceccio said
buyers were waiting and waiting for inventory to open up and theyre looking at the school calendar and thinking they need to get settled before the school year starts she said the clock is ticking
the buzzeos were not among the bidders on that house but ms buzzeo the director of digital marketing for metlife later said that they had made an offer that had been accepted on a house in maplewood
the dearth of lower priced inventory relative to demand is sometimes sparking bidding wars in towns where they are usually few and far between in weston conn for example which has no train station or downtown and where sales have been sluggish this year joann and doug cohen found themselves in an unexpected bidding war earlier this spring for a three bedroom split level listed for 635000 having sold a large house in westport two years ago the cohens who have an 11 year old daughter had been renting in weston while they looked for a modestly sized house priced under 850000
i didnt want another large house said ms cohen who works for an accounting services firm her husband is a talent scout for a recruiting firm were on a seven year plan   were going to move to a different area when our daughter graduates from high school
the split level was the nicest house they had seen others in their price range had tended to need a lot of work the median sales price in weston from february through may averaged around 780000 this one had an open floor plan with lots of natural light a newer kitchen and a flat two acre yard on a cul de sac
there just arent a whole lot of these out there said gabrielle dibianco the agent with the higgins group who represented the cohens
still the cohens were surprised when they made an offer under the asking price and were told they were competing with two others they raised their bid enough to secure the house and closed earlier this month
at the same time in some of the rail towns on long island houses sell so quickly that some agents arent even bothering with open houses said maggie keats an associate broker with douglas elliman real estate in manhasset and port washington
they have sufficient traffic by appointment she said
calling manhasset and port washington the it markets for buyers moving from the city ms keats said the towns were benefiting from highly rated school districts a quick commute to penn station true downtowns and waterfront access
in both of these communities some of the movement you see is people within the community whether up or down she said you dont see a huge amount of turnover and we do not get a great amount of inventory so when something new comes on theres high demand
in garden city properties in good condition for under 1 million routinely draw multiple bids as buyers are waiting in the wings according to stephanie cullum an associate broker and manager at coach realtors in 23 years of selling real estate ms cullum said she had never seen first time buyers as determined to get a home as they were at the beginning of the spring market
a lot of them have bid on something and lost it she said they get out to see homes right when they come on
in her opinion not only the high prices in the city are driving demand rising rents on long island are as well two bedrooms are asking 2900 to 4500 a month she said referring to garden city you could get a nice mortgage for that
not all buyers are motivated solely by budget considerations of course george and brooke antonopoulos have spent most of this year looking for a home in darien conn theyve lived in manhattan for 10 years but as they consider having a family they are looking for more square footage for their money along with the lifestyle they grew up with yards and barbecues said ms antonopoulos who works in accounting
they have made offers on two houses so far neither worked out for various reasons said mr antonopoulos who works for a hedge fund but theyre not frazzled they dont have to stand in line for a good property under 15 million like so many other would be darien buyers given their budget of up to 4 million the antonopouloses say the market in their case is tilting in their favor


coming up with a winning bid requires foresight here are some tips for navigating a fast moving market
get preapproved for a mortgage not to be confused with a prequalification preapproval from a lender is a pretty strong indicator of your ability to obtain financing without that assurance sellers may discard your bid
enlist seasoned professionals an experienced real estate agent can give you a heads up about coming listings and guide you through the process working with a mortgage professional who knows the local market can also help
go in strong at the start figure out the most you can afford and bid accordingly if its meant to be youll get it says caroline baccellieri of mcclellan sothebys international realty in pelham ny but dont go to a point where you think its going to be too much to handle also if youre offering more than the asking price be aware that your mortgage lender may appraise the home at a lower value   which could leave you on the hook for the difference
consider waiving the mortgage contingency in hot markets sellers often discard offers that are contingent on the buyers ability to obtain financing but beware buyers run the risk of losing their deposit if they waive the contingency and their financing falls through consult a lawyer
cash is king if you can make a cash offer sellers like that certainty
dont put too much stock in heartfelt letters its fine to include a fawning letter and photos of your adorable children with your offer but dont expect them to distract the seller from the bottom line


when samira wiley was first cast as poussey washington in orange is the new black she kept her night job
i bartended the entire time that i shot season 1 because i didnt know if i was going to be in the next episode ms wiley said id been recurring on another television show before and after the second episode they never called me again id thought i was the main characters best friend she laughed i was not
four seasons later poussey has become the litchfield penitentiary inmate everyone wants to be best friends with and not just because of her high octane hooch the true crime of poussey a military brat whose teenage sin was falling in love with the base commanders daughter has always been hazy but this season available on netflix on friday june 17 promises to be a revelation when poussey meets her idol judy king blair brown a martha stewart inspired lifestyle guru who has landed in the clink
in an interview at the new york times in early june the soulful juilliard trained ms wiley 29 discussed role models and the love that calls itself pousoso these are edited excerpts from the conversation
this is a huge season for poussey what can we expect
i dont know about everyone else but im just really wanting her to find some love and she finds this connection with soso kimiko glenn im also excited about the whole judy king of it all they say never meet your heroes and judy is like beyonce to poussey you really see that pousseys mind is leaving prison even though her body is physically here shes just living in that place of hope
poussey seems like a prime example of the trouble with heavy sentences for low level drug crimes
her original sentence was six years for having a backpack with joints in it when you see someone like poussey who has so much potential its sad because it really does mirror life
you recently earned great reviews for the off broadway play daphnes dive did you go into juilliard for theater
i always had theater in mind i have yet to do broadway but it is still my no 1 dream theres something about a play in which every single night is going to be different that makes me feel alive
danielle brooks who plays taystee on orange was also at juilliard
i sometimes get a talent crush on people because im so drawn in that i become enamored with them and danielle is definitely one of them shes just so vibrant
and your girlfriend lauren morelli is a writer on the show do you ever find your relationship playing out onscreen
no laughs the writers are 3000 miles away in los angeles and thats where everything happens
your parents are pastors were they accepting when you came out
my parents were the first black baptist church in dc doing union ceremonies before gay marriage was legal and they lost probably half of their congregation but theyre strong in their convictions and they are people i really truly look up to
how did their experience affect you
ive seen my parents dragged through the mud but i wouldnt be the person i am today without them i have a responsibility as a potential role model that i take very seriously its one thing to live my own life and know that im ok but theres another thing i want to take on and that is letting people know that theyre ok too
whats the moral of your story
we can climb mountains with self love


last sunday morning americans woke up to news of a shooting at a nightclub   49 people dead most of them gay men hours after the news broke the gunmans father suggested to the news media that the sight of two men kissing may have prompted his son to kill
jon collins a tv producer in los angeles was one of the many gay men who heard this theory and decided to respond with an act of defiance a kiss
he posted a picture of one he shared with his husband tom hietter during their wedding reception and captioned it with the hashtag twomenkissing his message became one of more than 14000 tweets shared with that hashtag since the shooting according to dataminr a monitoring service
i wanted to defy that homophobic thinking mr collins 44 wrote in an email its natural its normal its just love
its just love and yet in the days after the shooting twomenkissing became a reminder that the kiss   a small universal symbol of love   has become more a strike against homophobia a show of solidarity among lgbt people an uprising of peaceful resistance to violence
for decades the same sex kiss has been used as a tool by artists actors and entertainers to subvert gender and sexual norms but never before has it been so powerfully seized as a weapon of mass reflection
social media is just the latest platform for the political kiss the twomenkissing hashtag and its compatriots twowomenkissing and gaysbreaktheinternet have deep roots that predate internet activism
many say credit for the hashtag goes to k m soehnlein a san francisco based author and activist in the 1980s he helped organize kiss ins to protest homophobia and hivaids discrimination
mr soehnlein 50 saw the kiss in protests he said this week as a kind of activism that was in peoples faces but it wasnt yelling
the online kisses shared after orlando have made it easier for people in the gay community to reach one another across geography there are lot more of us who are willing to put a face to the movement said mr soehnlein a founder of the activist group queer nation he joined the organic campaign sharing a photo of himself kissing his husband kevin clarke
gran fury an art collective that placed subversive art in public spaces as a protest against homophobia designed a poster in the spring of 1988 to spread word of the original kiss ins emblazoned with the words read my lips and a photograph of two sailors kissing the poster was distributed around new york
avram finkelstein 64 an artist and former member of gran fury said the words written on the back of that poster a long declaration titled why we kiss was something of a harbinger of this weeks hashtag activism gay men and lesbians exist we exist in all cultures we always have we always will the posters text reads in part
the photos shared on social media are just a way to keep reinforcing that idea mr finkelstein said people are using their bodies to register their presence in the world its like going on the record with the one thing youre born with and die with your body
but mr collins the television producer who has been with his husband for 22 years said that social media support cant completely eradicate the real life worry of physical danger for those who express public affection
one stray kiss or a moment of my husband and i holding hands runs the risk of someone saying something awful he said or being attacked
mr soehnlein said that the responses to his social media posts were overwhelmingly positive though he noted that the negative comments were vehement on instagram one stranger commented beneath a kissing photo they should have killed all of you mr soehnlein said he deleted the comment
other online critics said that children should be shielded from such images he said which didnt surprise him
homophobic bigotry mr soehnlein said is always about protecting the children my 12 year old goddaughter was incredibly proud to show her friends when one of the images popped up in her snapchat feed


twice a year my husband and i drive eight hours to visit our son his wife and baby their place is small so we stay at a hotel nearby i have always been afraid of cats and dogs they have a large cat but the playroom is in the basement it would be easy to close the door so the cat stays upstairs when i suggested this my daughter in law said why should i the cat lives here i was insulted but did not say anything next time i am not planning to visit their home i do not feel welcome thoughts
susan
so youre going to drive eight hours and just stay at the hotel the whole time i hope it has a good spa and pay per view selection may i suggest downloading catastrophe from amazon   a terrific show in which a terrier comes to a sad end
i get why your back is up it would have been kinder for your daughter in law to accommodate you but many folks consider their pets members of the family the idea of shutting them away may strike them as odd as placing their less pleasant children under quarantine and some pets go nutso if their territory is shrunk spell it out you cant possibly want to blow up your relationship with your daughter in law over one insensitive episode
try to feel less aggrieved and call her say this may sound crazy to you but i have always been terrified of dogs and cats im sure socks is terrific but i would so appreciate it if you could keep us separated next time if you care to go the extra mile inquire at your local animal shelter about gradual immersion for your fear of pets for a small donation the excellent one in my neck of the woods animal rescue fund would probably welcome you with open paws
i am a strong animal rights advocate my sister knows this she has had a string of bad relationships but now seems to be getting serious with a man who hunts she claims he does so for food and conservation which i dont buy i also see on his facebook page that he mounts animal heads on his walls and disturbingly decorates them for the holidays she is angry that i am unwilling to have a relationship with him but i dont feel i can help
tiffany queens
look its animal planet week at social qs i am no hunter and dont get me started on automatic weapons but i have enjoyed venison osso buco and rabbit stew on many occasions i have no illusions about how those creatures came to sit on my dinner plate would you refuse a friendship with me too whether we kill the animal or merely consume it we meat eaters are part of one continuum thats a lot of people to snub
i have sat at tables with hunters who gave thanks to the animals that died for our supper they seemed respectful and a million times more thoughtful about the food chain than most of us mounting heads may be part of this respect or proof that your sisters new beau is a creep only one thing is certain you are never going to find out unless you get to know him
staying open for calm discussion on our big ticket issues has been as big a gift to me as rigidity has been a hindrance and if you want to stay close with your sister you have to make a sincere effort that doesnt mean quail hunting with him but respecting him enough to discover the man in full would be a start
my daughter had a serious boyfriend in high school he went far away to college in the fall but promised to keep in touch she broke up with him at christmas because he didnt he recently came home for the summer and told her that he is gay my daughter is devastated she truly loves this guy and i believe he loves her any advice
janet michigan
hes gay they can be close friends but a sexual relationship seems unlikely sympathize with your daughter the mismatch of her hearts desire will not lessen her pain but dont demonize the boy he may feel vulnerable enough and as many people can tell your daughter she is better off learning the truth now than discovering it at 40
my husband and i often invite friends to dinner when they ask what they can bring i say just yourselves these arent potlucks but if my husband fields the question he assigns them actual dishes vegetable side please this is embarrassing please make him stop
jenn
not my jurisdiction im afraid though i share your sentiment guests should not be expected to bring anything thats what makes them guests still many refuse to come empty handed if they ask or insist respond how about a bottle of wine or a pie from the farmstand keep it simple but asking them to blanch broccoli seems a step too far try bribing your husband to keep him quiet


gefilte fish of course potato kugel sure but sushi
yes sushi which you wont find in most 20th century jewish cookbooks let alone the torah has become a runaway hit in the citys hasidic and other orthodox jewish precincts
orthodox jews are eating dragon rolls rainbow rolls tsunami rolls and california rolls using imitation crab in sushi bars like sushi meshuga in brooklyn or in more eclectic kosher restaurants and supermarkets weddings and bar mitzvahs arent complete without a sushi station and a sushi platter has become the gift of choice for hanukkah and purim or to congratulate parents who are marrying off a child
pincus yoel freund a managing partner of the firm that runs a leading sushi distributor sushi maven estimates that there are over 50 sushi bars in restaurants and grocery stores just in borough park the citys largest hasidic neighborhood with at least another 50 in other parts of brooklyn like williamsburg crown heights and midwood he says most have cropped up in the past five to 10 years
rabbi moshe elefant chief operating officer of the kosher division of the orthodox union the worlds largest kosher certifier said 80 to 90 percent of the citys 100 kosher restaurants now serve sushi
it used to be that what defined a jewish community was a synagogue and a kosher butcher he said then it was a kosher pizza shop now its a kosher sushi shop
rabbi elefant said he recently visited the family of his daughter malkie in waterbury conn for a traditional friday night meal for appetizers she paired gefilte fish with a platter of sushi that she rolled herself those were eaten with gusto as were the sabbath standards like chicken soup roast chicken and potato kugel its friday night its a mitzvah to eat rabbi elefant said defending the size of the meal
the reasons for the sudden explosion are not certain i can tell you the when and the what rabbi elefant said but not the why
interviews with sushi customers and purveyors suggest that a major motivation is that sushi offers a relatively quick meal that is pareve   neither meat nor dairy according to ancient jewish laws that keep those categories of foods strictly separate most orthodox jews in new york will not eat a dairy product like ice cream for six hours after eating meat nor eat a meat product for a half hour after consuming dairy
but fish can be eaten with both meat and dairy as long as it is a kosher species like tuna salmon and yellowtail which meet the biblical requirement in leviticus 119 that consumable aquatic creatures have fins and scales eel and catfish do not qualify and all manner of shellfish are verboten its dietary flexibility gives sushi a distinct advantage over such fast foods as hamburger or cheesy pizza
you can eat it anytime chiya yosopov owner of the snug noribar at the corner of 13th avenue and 54th street in borough park said as he scribbled down takeout orders through a telephone headset and from groups of bewigged hasidic women and bearded hasidic men with ritual fringes hanging below their shirts all the while tony zhang a chinese born sushi chef was expertly slicing those orders mealtime at noribar is a phenomenon to behold
at one table diane weinberger 18 was wielding wooden chopsticks on a salmon avocado roll and chatting with leah heiman also 18 the friends had decided to take a coffee break from classes at bnos yaakov high school and to stop in noribar for a snack
you dont have to be hungry to eat it ms weinberger said its very easy you have your protein carbohydrates and vegetables all in one
another diner elliot schreiber a vice president of a travel agency in borough park said his office periodically ordered in a lunch for its staff of about 30 and where once a plate of bagels lox and cream cheese was the piece de resistance now it is a sushi platter his 10 year old daughter ilana he said prefers sushi to pizza and french fries
while the orthodox have grown more fastidious about making sure the products they consume are rigorously kosher they also increasingly take notice of foods popular in the wider culture adapting french indian italian and steakhouse dishes to kosher specifications now its sushi
it takes us time to catch up said rabbi elefant
according to elan kornblum publisher of the trade magazine great kosher restaurants three kosher restaurants started offering sushi in the mid 1990s others slowly added sushi to their menu but it took many years to assure that all the ingredients used in sushi meals like rice paper wasabi and sesame seeds could be manufactured in volume to kosher standards said mr freund of sushi maven his firm freunds also operates a traditional fish market and a restaurant rabbis are sent to inspect the products and practices of suppliers in distant lands like vietnam where freunds rice paper originates
so passionate are some connoisseurs for their sushi that on passover   the eight day holiday when grain products are forbidden and ashkenazi jews will not eat rice as well because it is seen as too similar to grains   they will use quinoa a botanical relative of spinach and beets to satisfy their craving for salmon and tuna rolls
the varieties of sushi eaten in kosher restaurants are not quite the same as those found elsewhere sushi restaurant owners acknowledge that many orthodox jews have not quite cottoned to raw salmon tuna or yellowtail so the restaurants offer smoked salmon or cooked tuna in various combinations with seasoned rice as well as the raw form
people are still apprehensive said mr kornblum the trade magazine publisher raw fish was something were not used to we eat herring but its pickled but people watch the food network and you kind of fantasize if only i could ever have that
there remains much about sushi to make a kosher jew uncomfortable using the word crab on a menu has proved controversial even if the substitute is actually shredded alaskan pollock so some restaurants refer to mock crab by the japanese name kani sushi meshuga even had to change the name of its borough park branch to sushi meshuna which means strange in hebrew because local rabbis did not like the association of kosher food with the yiddish word for crazy
borough park politics nathan etgar manager of the six year old store on 13th avenue said with a cynical chuckle
some restaurants wont even use the word dragon for their rolls even though the dragon is a mythical reptile thats because actual reptiles are not kosher
sushi still has the power to surprise sushi maven has been wholesaling fish and sushi supplies for 10 years with 50 pound bags of special rice boxes of ginger and sesame seeds piled high in its warehouse all certified by rabbis as kosher
its a business now said moshe stern the warehouse manager as he looked over the heaping shelves sushi who would have imagined years ago


the markets have been sending out distress signals stock volatility has risen sharply and bond yields have fallen below zero in part of the world while rising sky high elsewhere   all indications of distress as britain approaches a pivotal vote on whether to exit the european union
with turmoil like this its easy to see why the federal reserve would stand pat on interest rates as it did on wednesday safety first with the global economy looking shaky it must have seemed unwise to tighten the monetary policy screws further
but the fed faces difficult choices a look at its own data suggests that its policies have led to financial imbalances that place it under pressure to raise rates as it has repeatedly said it will do
one problem is that the purchases of trillions of dollars of bonds by the federal reserve and other central banks in a strategy known as quantitative easing have contributed to the extraordinarily low yields in much of the bond market
another less obvious problem is that by helping to engineer such low rates the fed has helped create a surge in american household wealth that has far outstripped growth in wages and incomes low interest rates increase bond values directly because rates also known as yields and bond prices move in opposite directions those low yields have made many other investments from stocks to houses and other real estate much more appealing in comparison this increase in wealth may have helped stimulate the economy but because wealth has grown so much faster than wage income since the last financial crisis measures of inequality in both wealth and income have worsened
the feds policies are largely responsible for creating a wealth cycle said joseph g carson director of global economic research at alliancebernstein its past time that the fed took some action
yet the case for holding rates steady and not touching the fed funds rate the central banks crucial short term rate is easy to make and the fed made it on wednesday in a statement it warned of risks facing the still fragile domestic economy and in a news conference janet l yellen the fed chairwoman said that next thursdays british referendum could have consequences for global markets she said it could have consequences in turn for the us economic outlook that would be a factor in deciding on the appropriate path of policy 
polls indicate it is quite possible that british voters will decide that their country should leave the european union the british pound britains global trade the status of the city of london as a world financial capital   all could be threatened and so could the stability of the rest of the european union in merely two days monday and tuesday the vix index a measure of expected volatility in the stock market leapt 20 percent yields of bonds of troubled countries on the eurozone periphery like greece and spain rose to levels not reached in months as investors demanded more rewards for the risks of holding them
whats more the yields of sovereign bonds in core countries like germany and france plummeted as global investors sought a semblance of safety this has produced some strange results for the first time in history the yield on the 10 year german bond moved into negative territory on tuesday
what that means is difficult to comprehend buy a bond and you get an investment that erodes in value people who buy bonds that pay negative rates are essentially accepting that deal much of the bond market has been living in a bizarro world of negative interest rates in which the traditional relationship between lender and borrower is inverted as i wrote in march over the last few months as global economic weakness has persisted the zone of negative yields has expanded from around 7 trillion worth of global bonds to more than 10 trillion with no end in sight
yields on numerous sovereign notes of shorter maturities of say five years have been negative for some time the list includes switzerland germany austria sweden finland japan denmark the netherlands belgium and france a saving grace for investors in such bonds is that if yields keep dropping prices which move in the opposite direction will rise and handsome profits can be made when the securities are sold
the united states treasury is not selling bonds with negative interest rates but yields on 10 year treasuries have plummeted as well dropping close to 15 percent on thursday since 1981 such securities have yielded more than 63 percent on average a staggeringly large gap the current ultralow treasury yields make sense only when compared with the even lower yields available elsewhere around the world
while the fed influences the entire fixed income market it directly controls only short term yields through the fed funds rate which it raised to 025 percent from nearly zero in december the fed has repeatedly said it would increase that rate further only to backpedal on wednesday it did so again forecasting that the rate would reach only 16 percent next year down from a projection of 19 percent made in march and only 24 percent in 2018 down from a march projection of 3 percent
while wage inflation appears to be on the increase and the unemployment rate is quite low at 47 percent some recent data on the labor market and on inflation has been disappointing gross domestic product has been growing slowly and the fed has decided to be extremely cautious in setting rates
yet from the perspective of household wealth and asset prices the dangers of fed inaction are readily apparent by keeping interest rates low for so many years the fed has not merely reduced fixed income yields it has increased the value of other assets to spectacular effect
in the first quarter of this year the feds report financial accounts of the united states shows total household wealth rose by 837 billion to 881 trillion that figure which includes the value of financial assets and homes owned by american households and nonprofit corporations increased 325 trillion or 58 percent since the end of the last recession in june 2009
growth of household wealth has outstripped income enriching those lucky enough to have houses and financial investments and leaving those who rely solely on wage income far behind asset prices may not be high enough to call them a bubble but they are high enough for ordinary people to exercise caution that wasnt the case in 2009 when the fed embarked on its loose monetary policy deliberately encouraging people to buy riskier assets
in mr carsons view its past time to raise rates both to stay ahead of inflation and rein in speculative excess
higher interest rates would even have a stimulative effect for a while he says because people with savings would benefit from higher interest payments
yet with the threat of disruptions abroad and economic growth tepid at best in the united states arguments for waiting longer prevail central banks are in a tough spot dealing with economic problems for which quick remedies are not readily apparent


when scott and missy tannen were putting the final touches on their home renovation in summit nj a few years ago they embarked on a seemingly pedestrian chore choosing sheets for their new king bed
ms tannen set off to the mall in search of quality bedding but quickly fell down a rabbit hole where were the sheets made were the cotton farmers well compensated were the factory workers well treated
with consumers increasingly concerned about such matters ms tannen expected sales associates at stores like bloomingdales and bed bath  beyond to be fluent in answering such queries instead she said when we started looking for information at the retail level we realized that no one knew what they were talking about
nearly five years later the tannens quest for answers has made them unlikely entrepreneurs in the luxury bedding industry they are partners in a three year old company boll  branch that they say is on track to sell 40 million worth of sheets and towels this year and is profitable
in building boll  branch the tannens have tried to create a supply chain that improves the livelihoods of farmers and factory workers in india they also have followed the lead of recent consumer goods companies like the eyeglasses maker warby parker and the mattress maker casper by going all in on e commerce
mr tannen 38 previously founded a video game company and worked in the marketing departments of wrigley and kraft ms tannen 39 was a third grade teacher who had become a full time mother but once they began thinking about where their sheets came from the problem nagged at them provoking radical career changes
in 2013 they decided to take a gamble and use the profits mr tannen had made from the sale of his video game company to start boll  branch their goal was to make high end sheets while using good farming and labor practices doing so would put them on the moral high ground just as important it would make boll  branch stand out in a crowded marketplace other companies including parachute also sell bedding directly to consumers and some boast that they follow socially responsible practices
the tannens began buying thousands of dollars worth of sheets to examine different weaves and spent their spare time researching the cotton industry the more they learned the less they liked what they found
in india one of the largest cotton and garment producers many farmers are dependent on genetically modified crops those seeds and the necessary pesticides may increase yields but they also cost the farmers money further eroding their slim profits
it does not get much better further along the supply chain according to a recent report by the center for research on multinational corporations a dutch nonprofit organization and the india committee of the netherlands forced labor child labor and poor working conditions are common in indian garment factories
if the tannens were going to create a high minded bedding company they would have to do better than the status quo
the first step was to find a reliable source of organic cotton besides being more expensive for farmers conventional cotton farming methods   particularly the use of pesticides   may be taking a toll on the health of field workers
after some searching the tannens found chetna organic a nonprofit organization that works with cotton farmers in central and southern india the chetna members grow their crops without genetically modified seeds or pesticides and they use significantly less water than conventional farmers chetna is certified by fair trade usa the global organic textile standard and fairtrade international and it maintains stringent internal controls
the tannens had already settled on using organic cotton when a tragedy prompted them to raise their sights still higher in april 2013 the rana plaza garment factory in bangladesh collapsed killing more than 1100 people that disaster and others in recent years prompted many big retailers to pay closer attention to conditions in garment factories the tannens hopped on that bandwagon resolving to carefully scrutinize their factories too
they opted for rajlakshmi cotton mills an organic and fair trade certified textile factory in kolkata india with which chetna has a partnership
the approach they are taking has its costs mr tannen estimates that using organic cotton and fair trade labor doubles those expenses and so far the demand for organic sheets is not great in the united states but they have resolved to press on
nicole bassett former director of sustainability at prana and former manager of social responsibility at another apparel company patagonia said boll  branch had a leg up on many other retailers
people are creating brands all the time these days she said but they asked if there was a better way to do this at prana we were taking years to convert these supply chains they got to start from the beginning
in may 2013 the tannens placed their first order for 1500 sets of ivory and white sheets the ivory sheets arrived with a green hue but after eliminating such kinks boll  branch sold its first sheets in january 2014 and it has been growing fast since sales were about 17 million that year and jumped to 135 million last year the tannens said this year they predicted sales should roughly triple
for chetna boll  branch was a godsend previously demand for organic cotton was spotty at best cotton is a commodity at the end of the day said arun chandra ambatipudi one of the founders of chetna if you dont show access to markets interest will wane
but now boll  branch is buying more than half of the organic cotton chetnas 15000 farmers produce about 1200 metric tons this year and because boll  branch will need the cotton to keep coming it has begun giving chetna farmers cash advances injecting a welcome degree of financial stability into an often volatile occupation
though it has accepted higher costs for materials and labor the company has found ways to increase margins instead of selling at wholesale prices to retailers boll  branch primarily advertises online and sells directly through its own website
on its own boll  branch will not solve the plight of indian farmers compared with the sales of the big wholesalers of sheets the companys sales remain a rounding error even so mr tannen contends it is only a matter of time before many more consumers start expecting the cotton in their sheets towels and even clothes to be organic and ethically sourced
theres a change in consciousness among some consumer segments mr tannen said theyre thinking about the people on the other side of the product


brussels   nato is discussing how to step up its response to the european migrant crisis by expanding its presence in the mediterranean region secretary general jens stoltenberg said this week
but the proposals discussed during a meeting of the alliances defense ministers are being questioned by turkey which says limited resources would be better used to protect member nations from more traditional threats like russia turkey is also pressing for an end to the limited effort by the alliance to combat the smuggling of migrants in the aegean sea from turkey to greece
the confusion and division are emblematic of natos inability so far to deal comprehensively with threats washing up on its southern tier terrorism radical islam anarchy in north africa and uncontrolled migration
after two decades in which its relevance has been questioned the alliance has found new life in an old mission deterring russia but debating what to do in the south has exposed some of the old schisms and anxieties about the extent to which an american dominated alliance should openly engage in parts of the world that european nations once ruled and have traditionally managed
when president obama and other leaders of nations in the alliance meet in early july in warsaw terrorism and migration will be high on their list of concerns but they appear unlikely to take substantive steps to deploy the organizations military might to deal with the problems ringing the mediterranean
the alliance which must act by consensus is constrained by differences among its 28 members and by tensions with the european union which has had prime responsibility for the mediterranean and north africa
france italy and spain are reluctant to have nato expand its influence and believe that too much alliance involvement would be unpopular with muslims and north africans those nations also fear that an expanded mission would make it harder to reach an agreement with russia over syria or over the broader fight against the islamic state and other islamist terrorist groups
russia is still angry about the alliances intervention in libya in 2011 charging that the united states and its allies went beyond a united nations security council resolution which russia accepted through abstention in order to overthrow col muammar el qaddafi and his government france and italy do not want an alliance operation in libya and germany does not want an alliance operation against islamic state militants
and everyone wants to make sure that turkey an alliance member does not overreact to russian combat jets over syria   even though russian incursions into turkish airspace have dropped to nearly zero since turkey shot down a russian su 24 jet in november
so the alliance remains without an agreed strategy for the south even as its most important members play roles in confronting the biggest crises plaguing the region
the united states is already leading a multinational coalition against the islamic state also known as isis or isil that effort includes a number of alliance members and europe is working with its member nations to rescue migrants at sea and limit migration from turkey and north africa alliance ships are helping to deter the smuggling of migrants across the aegean sea from turkey to greece
yet in neither issue is nato the first responder said the american ambassador to nato douglas e lute
mr stoltenberg the secretary general said the struggle against the islamic state militants requires a long term comprehensive approach involving military means policing intelligence and ideological struggle
nato has a big role to play and does he said beginning with the fight against al qaeda and the taliban in afghanistan and the long process of helping local forces defend themselves
but in fact the role is not very big at all given the scale of the terrorist threat to alliance members
the organizations role is to project stability in the middle east and north africa mr stoltenberg said helping jordan and iraq in particular with military training nato is now training iraqi officers in jordan but hopes to move that training back into iraq soon perhaps if falluja and mosul are retaken from the islamic state
libya is considered the most dangerous of what mr lute called the eight branch offices of isis but until there is an established libyan government that can ask for aid the alliance is constrained instead to work with tunisia libyas neighbor many islamic state adherents have come from tunisia but it will help the alliance with intelligence and training of special forces   what alliance officials like to call defense capacity building in neighboring states
nato is in regular contact with the american militarys central command which runs operations in the middle east mr lute said but its more asking what do you need and what can we offer so far given divisions in the alliance the answer has been largely limited to gathering intelligence and training missions
while most countries know that defense capacity building will not change events in libya only some favor using force there eventually and few want it under the alliances auspices
nato must be ready in the future to deploy forces in libya as it did in afghanistan and the balkans mr stoltenberg said but more important is to train local forces to fight terrorism themselves which is more sustainable
training missions also avoid exacerbating tensions among alliance allies some of which are supporting rival militias to fight the islamic state in libya undermining support for a unified government said mattia toaldo of the european council on foreign relations
on the migration issue the alliance has six ships patrolling the seas between turkey and greece and providing information to the coast guards of both countries and to europe about the movement of migrant boats
in addition given the traditional animosity between greece and turkey over cyprus a nato ship offers what mr lute calls a round table where officials from both countries and europe can sit together in what can be considered a neutral space
were the convening authority mr lute said and the alliance is exploring whether it can be of similar use to europes operation sophia a naval operation intended to interrupt migrant smuggling routes in the mediterranean sea especially from libya and north africa to italy
but new alliance roles also require more money and european nations struggling to cut their budgets are not enthusiastic france which has been trying to reduce its deficit regularly asks the alliance to work within existing resources and tells other member nations dont make a fetish of using nato for every problem
the inevitable response one alliance official said is dont make a fetish of not using nato


ojai calif   peter sellars hugs everyone friends strangers people hes seen just a few hours before people he hasnt seen in years
embrace is his ethos as an artist   a stage director and multifaceted cultural curator   he seems to hug his collaborators and hug his audiences the results can sometimes veer toward the sentimental even the saccharine but they always have wide ranging warmth and inimitable gusto to hear him talk everything he touches is the best piece hes ever heard the most important project hes ever worked on
as the music director of this years ojai music festival which ended sunday june 12 he included both carnatic singing from southern india and french spectralism voices from cairo and from mexico a toy piano and a block party while mr sellars 58 has been an impresario many times over   one devotee here this weekend wore a t shirt from the raucous los angeles festival he led in 1990   the directorship at ojai gave him perhaps the purest and most concentrated possible vessel for his dizzying range of enthusiasms
in part because this 70 year old festivals musical leadership changes each year its audience   loyal and attentive with a bourgeois bohemian vibe that aptly reflects the sheltered fragrant ojai   is unusually open to variation and exploration and just four days long the event is compact enough to give the sense that its offerings are the product of a single mind rather than a committee this was mr sellarss personal playlist leave it or   more often   take it
most striking about the program he created was that almost all of the music was by women when i noted this in a review of opening events on thursday june 9 the composer vocalist and pianist leila adu added on twitter that women of color were especially prominent
for mr sellars this was clearly not a matter of meeting quotas or checking demographic boxes he has been promoting the full diversity of world music for decades freely juxtaposing traditions in a way that can sometimes seem designed to flatter liberal pieties about multiculturalism but more often simply feels vibrant his ojai wasnt set up to prove the influence of say classical indian singing on contemporary american a cappella vocalism the weekends performances and styles seemed to inform one another without imposing themselves on one another
rare even in the most progressive new music circles ojais robust helping of female composers seems not to have been the outcome of a particular goal and it went mostly unmentioned over the weekend unsurprising for a festival modest about its self presentation and inclined to let audience members reach their own conclusions
as the people filed into the outdoor libbey bowl on friday afternoon june 10 mr sellars stressed this point no one has to say good evening and welcome to a concert written by men no one needs to say that about women either thomas w morris who as ojais artistic director is a constant as music directors come and go added we never had a meeting where we decided not to emphasize the festivals gender breakdown
the finnish master kaija saariaho whose lamour de loin arrives at the metropolitan opera this fall was a focus this year and has long been resistant to being classified as a woman composer mr sellars said her feelings were taken into account too in underplaying talk of gender two concerts devoted to decades of her shimmering chamber music were highlights of the weekend
terrestre an intimate kind of flute concerto for five players begins with quivering in the solo instrument here played by claire chase the fearless founder of this years house band the international contemporary ensemble kesapaiva a summer day five songs for a cappella voices   members of another resident ensemble roomful of teeth   combined plainchant simplicity with tumbling overlapping commotion
adjo finds keening percussive synchronicity between voice martha cluver flute ms chase and guitar dan lippel the iridescent aqueous nymphea surrounds a string quartet here the calder quartet with a barely detectable electronic humidity setting in motion cycles of sounds evaporating and condensing in the surging solar the birds audible around the bowl flickered in and out of the instrumental textures as did the quaking flute line ms chase yet again and peerlessly vivid
a stream of harp bridget kibbey lent a mystical vibe to sombre settings of ezra pound cantos camilla hoitenga played the bass flute with unnatural lightness one moment caramel liquid weight the next davone tiness baritone floated through the text like a dense fog
the festivals planned centerpiece ms saariahos only the sound remains a pair of noh inspired operas that had an acclaimed premiere in amsterdam in march was canceled here because of a lack of sufficient rehearsal time with it out of the lineup the main events were three loosely even abstractly biographical oratorios ms saariahos ruminative la passion de simone about simone weil julia bullock and tyshawn soreys josephine baker a portrait and claude viviers kopernikus
with the premiere of a portrait the festival produced something with the heart   if not quite yet the proportions   of a masterpiece mr sorey a brilliant avant jazz composer and musician has arranged a set of songs once performed by baker the celebrated singer dancer french resistance operative and civil rights activist as if hes channeling the composer morton feldman its a landscape of glacial melancholy shot through with glinting fragments from an ensemble of six players solemn resonances in the piano and shudders of drums
this is a ritual of mourning not a gay paree nostalgia trip and it is one of the most important works of art yet to emerge from the era of black lives matter si jetais blanche if i were white a suavely swinging two and a half minutes as baker recorded it is here a haunting quarter hour dirge as harrowing as strange fruit
her soprano mellow and flexible somber yet with a crucial undercurrent of youthful hopefulness ms bullock was a magnetically still presence   until a sensational climactic break into sinuous baker esque choreography by michael schumacher the pitiless words of bye bye blackbird and terre seche were caressed yet starkly clear
one problem however is the interstitial spoken text newly written by the poet claudia rankine citizen and recited by ms bullock dully underlining points about bakers relationship with race its more obvious and stolid than the ambiguous music and it keeps pulling us out of mr soreys hypnotic textures and tempos making the piece   at 90 minutes already too long with a particularly unwieldy cloying late instrumental interlude   feel even longer
it might be advisable in what i hope will be many future performances to flesh out the visual element perhaps fractured or slowed footage of baker dancing could convey her artistry without sacrificing mr sorey and ms bullocks elegantly spare stylization but a portrait is already in this early form a work that demands to be heard and wrestled with a space of pain and contemplation
mr sorey who alternated between piano and drums was far from the only dual composer performer over the weekend caroline shaw a member of roomful of teeth sang the music of others as well as her own pulitzer prize winning partita for eight voices as blissed out as ever but also with an exhilarating recklessness in her performance on june 10 her new this might also be a form of dreaming set to enigmatic texts by ms rankine about connection requires many of the same techniques as in partita grand plush harmonies droning on tangy bendable pitches sighing exhaling babble
carla kihlstedt a violinist vocalist led a group from roomful of teeth and the international contemporary ensemble in a series of pensive numbers with texts drawn from dreams ms adu who sings and plays the piano offered a late night set of her earnest intimate songs her voice trembling with childlike vulnerability
a relaxed sunny presence dina el wedidi and her cairo based band explained little about their music or their arabic texts making their entertaining show on june 10   ostensibly an evocation of the revolutionary sounds of tahrir square   feel oddly glib the next night aruna sairam was a more informative therefore more rewarding guide to the fundamentals of indian song her improvisations witty and joyful
on june 12 in the wake of the shooting in orlando fla mr sellarss longstanding vision of art as social justice and a way to think and feel slowly and carefully in a time of superficial rushes to judgment was deeply consoling a morning concert on a hilltop high above the ojai valley featured international contemporary ensemble members playing from pauline oliveross sonic meditations the musicians moving around the audience leaving passing fragments of sound as they passed
an even more poignant meditation came back in town when phyllis chen performed an enchanting recital of music for toy piano in the courtyard of the ojai art center the audience full of children young musicians from the los angeles philharmonics youth orchestra program modeled on venezuelas el sistema performed later at the bowl that concert also showcased the orchestras talented teenage composer fellows
viviers kopernikus a cult classic from the 1970s getting a belated american premiere charts a transition from life to something after in a surreal mixture of astronomical facts and invented languages   too politely staged by mr sellars with the performers all in eerie cultish white death embracing the work also felt life affirming in its proud strangeness
mr sellarss most characteristic move of all was to close the weekend with a street party in santa paula a gorgeous half hour drive through the mountains it was the first time organizers could remember the festival venturing beyond its hometown and a large crowd gathered in the mild evening singing and dancing for a taste of the years artists
as the sun went down mr tines dedicated a roaring spiritual to the victims in orlando mr sellars watched from the side of the stage his eyes wet then pressed mr tines back onstage for another selection and another
the los angeles band cambalache which has deep ties to veracruz mexico later ripped into a tight set of sweet danceable songs its lead singer cesar castro thanked the crowd for coming and enjoying my culture then corrected himself enjoying our culture lets make it ours


over the weekend that ended with hamilton winning 11 tony awards lin manuel miranda and his family stayed at the mandarin oriental a luxury hotel near columbus circle
mr miranda and his wife vanessa nadal miranda were staying on the 46th floor while his mother and father were on the 47th the day of the awards ceremony a sunday began with the playwright and his father luis a miranda jr having a room service breakfast at 615
later that morning the creator and star of hamilton along with fellow cast members rehearsed for the awards ceremony at the beacon theater about 15 blocks north of the hotel during downtime as the first grim reports out of orlando fla were circulating mr miranda took out his phone and began to tap out the sonnet he would read aloud that night while accepting the tony for best score in 14 lines he paid tribute to his wife his son and the victims of the massacre
back at the mandarin oriental before curtain time he realized he would need a printout of the verse he had written he called the suite where his father was staying and asked him if he wouldnt mind taking care of it luis 61 said yes and traveled down a flight where his son handed him a thumb drive lin manuel had one stipulation he said can you please not read it luis said recounting the night by phone from the office where he works as a political consultant
the playwrights father along with his mother luz towns miranda 65 a clinical psychologist had exposed the miranda children early on to broadway musicals and their soundtracks and he was happy to help with such an errand
he went down the elevator thumb drive in hand toward the concierge desk there employees of the mandarin oriental sprang into action
back in the elevator with the printout the father did the very thing his son had asked him not to do he read the sonnet
thats like asking me not to drink water when its 90 degrees out luis said i thought it was very moving and pretty and important for the moment
back in the suite luis listened as lin manuel read it aloud practicing for the big moment
it had already been a busy weekend for the miranda family twenty five relatives nearly a dozen of whom had flown in from puerto rico had come together for the tony festivities the day before the awards on saturday at matinee time a group of 13 went to the richard rodgers theater to be in the room where hamilton happens then a group of 12 attended the 8 pm performance
between shows the clan gathered for dinner at the glass house tavern near the theater lin manuel joined the group
we now go there all the time luis said the food is great the service is great they know we need to get to the theater
a family feel permeated the two suites at the mandarin oriental said benjamin macklowe the owner of macklowe gallery on madison avenue he arrived at the hotel on sunday at about 4 pm accompanied by a 6 foot 5 bodyguard and a bag of vintage jewelry worth several million dollars
in the parents suite a tv set was tuned to reporters and pundits giving the latest from orlando when lin manuels father bemoaned the news that had been streaming from the television over the last six hours mr macklowe   like lin manuel an alumnus of hunter college high school   asked if he would like him to play from his iphone a juan luis guerra album it turned out that mr guerra is a favorite artist of luiss the tv was shut off the music was turned on and the mood lifted
mr macklowe presented dr towns miranda with a number of diamond and rubies in gold pieces on a beautiful pillow like she was a queen he said she put on everything and then took off half of it which is exactly what she should have done
her gown was by cenia paredes a new york designer whose line will be available on the home shopping network june 24 ms nadal miranda a lawyer and scientist also wore cenia that evening
the miranda men outfitted themselves in tuxedos they had had made especially for the tonys we went to a place in yonkers called san marko luis said we have been going there for a very very long time
lin manuel who won a 2016 pulitzer prize for hamilton went for an understated look he worked with robert forchetti an owner of san marko on a simple black tuxedo opting for a treble and clef music symbol stud set and puerto rican flag cuff links
my son is very square luis said
the elder mr mirandas tuxedo was dark burgundy with a bright burgundy lining i also wore a very loud burgundy tie with rhinestones he said
mr macklowe offered both men a choice of lapel pins lin manuel said no no no its too much for me but i of course wore mine luis said nothing is too much for me
ms nadal miranda wore jewelry selected for her by the stylist stacy london an emerald ring diamond and sapphire chandelier earrings from cartier and diamond and sapphire bracelets to match
close to 5 pm while helping lin manuel tie his bow tie mr macklowe asked him if he intended to chop off his founding father ponytail once he leaves the hamilton cast this summer
he said to me i have been having dreams of going to the barbershop mr macklowe said
then mr macklowe took note of large trays of sushi and fruit that were untouched the jewish bubbe in me came out and i said have you eaten enough youre going to be at the tonys during dinner lin manuel and his wife ate a few pieces of sushi and headed to the beacon theater for the coronation of hamilton
after the show lin manuel luis and their wives took a limousine to the plaza hotel for the official post awards party but the main event was the hamilton party at tavern on the green in central park the mirandas arrived about 45 minutes after the tonys had ended people were telling me this is your sons bar mitzvah luis said the miranda family is catholic
the highlight of the party for luis was meeting barbra streisand she waited for us which was incredibly humble he said i dont think barbra streisand needs to wait for anyone she posed for photos with the family that was up there with meeting julie andrews and debbie reynolds luis said
back at his upper west side apartment at 130 in the morning mr macklowe received a call from ms london the stylist to come fetch the borrowed jewels he summoned the 6 foot 5 bodyguard and the three of them crouched in a corner of the packed tavern until about 3 am taking inventory of the returned gems
outside with no taxis in sight mr macklowe and the bodyguard walked back to mr macklowes apartment with the booty
as for luis he and his wife returned to the mandarin oriental at about 3 am real life resumed he went to work later in the morning
the proud father said he hopes to see hamilton a few more times before his son exits the stage
i have only seen it 18 times he said its very difficult to get tickets


betsy cox is sort of a planner for those getting unhitched   a divorce concierge   and jose barcelo a scion of the ron barcelo rum company in the dominican republic is currently her most active client
earlier this year ms cox 52 escaped the cold of new york city to take a daylong meeting with mr barcelo 53 who has separated from his wife of 23 years ms cox and he played 18 holes of golf toured his new properties around casa de campo and punta cana and joined him for dinner at an italian restaurant
between golf and rum shots she took notes a lot of them typing away on her blackberry as she used her iphone to do quick searches and to respond to texts from other clients
this is what ms cox jotted on the digital to do list mr barcelo wants to travel to a different country every month for the next year he wants to study philosophy he wants one daughter to get set up with a cool job in new york and to find for the other daughter a summer camp to attend in switzerland he also wants to meet a woman and fall in love
ms cox who is laid back in a very can do sort of way and who calls the business blackbook divorce specializes in making it all happen he wants to completely remake himself which makes him a perfect client she said
she is arranging for his travel   to four continents 12 countries and at least one health spa i need to send him to a fat farm she said i was thinking about the ashram but im not sure he can handle it shes looking for a monthlong philosophy course for him in london
shes not my wife but i dont have a wife anymore and i need someone to take care of me said mr barcelo who is paying ms cox 350 an hour
ms cox is hired by men and women who need help navigating the turbulence of leaving one life behind and building a new one my job is to fill the void for what they dont have she said im a temporary fixer they really need someone when they suddenly have no one
as technology works to ease so many of lifes quandaries divorce remains one of the most logistically complicated and emotionally wrought events but a small marketplace of fixers mostly so far middlewomen are starting businesses meant to simplify the ancillary processes associated with a marital break up
liza feiler started a company called divorce concierge group in the washington area after her own marriage ended in 2012 i was lost after my divorce unsure where to begin said ms feiler 44 she is hired post divorce for a starting flat fee of 350 most often by ex wives she helps clients with tasks like putting their homes on the market and hiring accountants
you come to me and say i need new health insurance and i will come back to you with two plans to choose and a start date she said
digital entrepreneurs are also marrying in divorceify a web platform created by three lawyers pairs members to services that fit their individualized needs therapists mediators parenting coordinators and financial consultants divorce is not a one size fits all process and you need a holistic approach said sonia queralt 34 and a divorced divorce lawyer and coach in miami who is one of the founders
ms coxs service is also personalized and touches on different facets of her clients lives her clientele is well to do often international with multiple homes the sort of people who frequent gstaad and greece if not soulcycle and sagaponack
the services ms cox provides tends to fall into stereotypical silos for men she helps them get set up to manage their own homes and to prepare for parenting challenges
for women ms cox works to get them on a budget to make sure they have insurance and wealth managers and to give them tough love lectures about the importance of getting a job she helps them sell country homes for some extra cash for real estate transactions she gets a cut from the broker
for men and women she offers herself as a sounding board and friend she arranges visits to spas and nutritionists for weight loss and to psychiatrists to treat depression
the need for ms coxs services is perhaps best explained by the man who helped introduce her to this potential market her own ex husband kevin cox 53 they were divorced in 2000 after seven years of marriage and have amicably raised their son kevin jr 18
when you look at a couple there are generally speaking two people with very distinct responsibilities said mr cox an investment banker suddenly one side is thrust into taking care of what the other side has always taken care of i have seen men whose careers fly off the rails amid a divorce
it was thanks to her own marital breakup that ms cox met the man who has become her closest professional partner the prominent divorce lawyer bernard clair they regularly refer business to each other
shes tied into a dirty little secret and that is that even moneyed spouses the so called masters of the universe need a lot of help before during and after the divorce process said mr clair 65 a guy has had everything done by the homemaking spouse and is suddenly living alone and he doesnt know what the hell to do
exhibit a a client shared by ms cox and mr clair a father of two young children who is a wealthy financier who travels frequently for work his wife had wanted the divorce and the combination of her leaving him and him finding himself living alone for the first time in more than a dozen years left the client mr clair said emotionally bereft
while mr clair hammered out the legal settlement ms cox got him settled
mr clair said she connected him with an agency for nannies and he hired help she also introduced him to other divorced parents with children of similar ages to his he was overwhelmed with the responsibilities of filling all the free time with the children mr clair said
ms cox created a freshdirect account for the man and put together a list of foods for regular delivery she taught him how to use grubhub she found him a psychiatrist and a girlfriend
i work a lot with people on issues that can help ease the transition for kids ms cox said i encourage men to get an apartment thats in walking distance to the moms and to make the new home feel very familiar for the kids
ms coxs friends and clients say she is suited to this specialized high end niche in part because she had worked at a wealth management and investment firm and as an event planner who traveled abroad extensively givng her connections all over the world
she is also nurturing when ms cox takes on a client she offers a full service operation
what she is doing with divorce is very smart said ana luiza rego 57 as she sipped coffee at her manhattan pied a terre if you leave men alone they die have you ever seen a man at the supermarket they have a cart filled with peanuts
ms rego is an old friend and current client she is long ago divorced twice from the same man but she is just now trying to rebuild her career as a painter and make a new life a resident of rio de janeiro ms rego wants to move to new york with her daughter filippa paulson its ms coxs job to facilitate that
i want two very different things ms rego said i want to catch up with my career and to make my daughter successful i dont have anyone else to help me and it can be very lonely sometimes   350 an hour is worth it
ms paulson 21 spent about six weeks in new york earlier this year to study with her cox procured american tutors and to experience local culture she got me a great table at catch downtown ms paulson said she gets me into 1 oak
middle of the night demands are part of the gig i sleep with my phone on the pillow ms cox said kids of clients are always texting me asking can you get me in then i go back to sleep if i cant do the little things then i lose my credibility and then no one calls at any hour


i feel horribly disloyal telling you this but i have been having a glorious long distance love affair and this weekend i finally had to admit i was having doubts
this relationship has involved some of the sweetest spots imaginable a riverside house wviews stately property wrolling hills sheep in the pastures four poster beds and homemade breakfasts there was excitement delight generosity of heart oh airbnb i am not ashamed to proclaim it before the world i was crazy about you
then this weekend after an unsuccessful attempt to find an airbnb in pennsylvania this guy id been going out with and i checked into a hampton inn and as we were walking to our room it just slipped out
you know it is kind of nice to be able to go to your room without having to have a conversation with anyone i said to him
a nerve had been struck he went into a rant about an airbnb owner whod shown us her two horses explaining how lonely the older one had been before shed gotten it a friend
the horse was standing out there in the pasture alone it was so depressed he said
horses have stood in pastures alone for centuries its what theyre supposed to do theyre horses you know what i love about this place for miles around there are farms with horses standing alone in pastures and i do not have to hear one word
i was amazed
i thought you liked that place i said that woman was great i loved that woman
her bedroom was right across from us he said
horrible right to have doubts at this point in our relationship im sure its me not them because the people i have met through airbnb have been terrific there were the owners of an airbnb outside troy ny who took me to dinner and gave me a tour of the city there was the host in the maryland countryside who was so concerned that i would get lost on my way to a medical appointment she led me there in her car
but you cant help your feelings as the therapists used to say when we had hopes they could fix us and these dreadful ones about airbnb have been begun popping up
boy its depressing hearing how the taxes are killing him and hes not sure he can carry this place
i miss being able to throw all the towels on the floor
why am i making the bed i wouldnt make the bed in a hilton its because the bed is in somebodys house
she would have accent pillows where did this hexagonal one go on the left or the right
the somebodys house thing is of course the crux of the problem it doesnt matter that you have paid for the room airbnbs are homes in a way that the old bed and breakfasts were not theres not that commercial demarcation line the sign out front the dogs drooling on you the cats scratching at your door youre in the bedroom of the kid whos at college and his books are still there
then theres the matter of your grades
host and guests get to review one another at airbnb do you want your review to read could barely hide her indifference when i spoke of our depressed horse
that was just an example by the way i was extremely empathetic when i met that horse and it sensed it that horse liked me so much i am surprised it didnt hop in my car and try to come back to new york
and because airbnb is so personal you have to consider the hosts emotional needs sure they may say theyre doing it to make a little extra money but the truth is theyre often also lonely or bored
the tipoff in my experience is the cheese plate the more impressive the cheese plate the longer its been that the host hasnt been able to get in to the city if the cheese plate has three kinds of crackers and cute little sprigs of grapes theyre going to want to hear all about the latest production of long days journey into night and you wont be having dinner till 10
youve been driving for five hours you want to shower but faced with a cheese plate you cannot beg off it is unspeakably rude in any culture you remember that scene in lawrence of arabia when a british officer declines a cheese plate offered by his desert host and his hand   his cracker eating hand that is   is chopped off
no matter my point is that with airbnb it is not all about you you must be sensitive to the needs and feelings of others
you cannot imagine how well i slept at that hampton inn


the director julie taymor was on a quiet rooftop in shanghai late one recent saturday night talking on the phone she was in china with the lion king but the topic of conversation was the taming of the shrew
its a play she relishes partly because she sees it as being about a profound love and partly because shakespeare put at its center not the alluring bianca a young woman with a queue of eager suitors but biancas older sister kate who is prickly and brilliant and whom no man will have
he actually wrote a play about the unmarriageable or the undesirable said ms taymor who played kate at oberlin college in the early 1970s and directed the play in 1988 at theater for a new audience its not about the beautiful princess or the lovely daughter and i think thats astounding
this is what good directors do isnt it   persuade you to consider a work in a way you hadnt before id need more convincing to buy the bit about true love between kate and her petruchio but the undesirability argument is intriguing
my own position is this though i have always hated the taming of the shrew
of all of shakespeares plays its the only one that upsets me just to think about and ive been thinking about it a lot ever since i saw phyllida lloyds current all female production which continues through june 26 at the delacorte theater in central park
shrew is supposed to be a comedy the ending which finds kate docile at last is meant to be winsome but when she gives her final speech reminding women of their duty to their husbands   to be pretty grateful and above all obedient   it always makes me feel sick it always makes me cry
whatever ive hoped walking into a theater i inevitably despair of the play by the end of that speech right at its most toxic line kate newly wed to petruchio exhorts the other wives to place your hands below your husbands foot in submission
i know its not like im alone in my unease open your program at the delacorte and youll find a prominent note from the public theaters artistic director oskar eustis shakespeare in the park has done shrew in the past   meryl streep played kate opposite raul julia as petruchio in 1978 and tracey ullman teamed with morgan freeman in 1990   but not on mr eustiss watch
until ms lloyd talked him into it he writes shrew was the only major shakespeare play hed never produced or directed   because hed never been able to get behind the central action of the play which is well taming a woman
for her part ms lloyd said shed declined many many times to stage the play before finally agreeing to do it in 2003 at shakespeares globe in london also with an all female cast
a play that climaxes with an apparent happy ending in which a woman is offering to make herself a doormat for her husband   any well educated woman in the 20th or 21st century should approach with great caution she said in an interview earlier this month because you might be in grave danger of reaffirming a patriarchal society
single gender productions   like ed sylvanus iskandars all male shrew in washington right now starring maulik pancholy as kate   are one way directors have tried in recent years to deal with such trickiness back in 2003 when mark lamos directed shrew at yale repertory theater i hoped in vain that the all male cast would lessen the endings sting without straight ahead naturalism the gender dynamics of the play automatically translate differently but only to a point
ms lloyds version starring cush jumbo as kate and janet mcteer as petruchio begins by gleefully mocking donald j trump and ends boisterously with a defiant joan jett song ms lloyd who directed the all female julius caesar and henry iv seen at st anns warehouse also did mamma mia on broadway the productions framing device   which posits female existence as one long maddening beauty pageant   gives ms lloyd not shakespeare the last word
yet it left me profoundly sad because the misogyny onstage which ms lloyd doesnt wink at or try to mask the way so many directors do didnt feel like a relic of the late 16th century it felt much more immediate than that
this i am beginning to believe is part of the ugly brilliance of shrew writing about the play in 1897 george bernard shaw admired its realistic comedy with a nod to the sylvan romance as you like it he pronounced petruchio who pursues kate out of lust for the cash that comes with her worth fifty orlandos as a human study
shaw had no trouble with petruchios taming kate by the methods used in taming wild beasts but the plays last scene which he deemed both unrealistic and altogether disgusting to modern sensibility ruined it for him
no man with any decency of feeling can sit it out in the company of a woman without feeling extremely ashamed for two reasons the bet petruchio makes against other husbands each trying to prove he has the most obedient wife and the speech put into the womans own mouth by the woman of course shaw meant kate and he is right that this feels like a violation
the director tina packer in her book women of will calls the taming of the shrew a nightmare because the sexism is so completely accepted still she has directed it three times and produced it three more
i see it as a painful play and i think theres a hell of a lot of use in us doing it ms packer said by phone from shakespeare  company the theater she founded and ran for decades in lenox mass for her as for ms lloyd and ms taymor the enduring resonance of the plays misogyny whether shakespeare endorsed it or simply depicted it is an argument in favor of putting it on
its the way it is ms taymor said so its good that we show it and talk about it a loudmouth woman with a strong opinion is still considered a shrew in our society
during rehearsals ms lloyd said she did several online searches for hillary clinton and the word shrew and got thousands and thousands of results
what you see in the play is that a man can get away with murder and a woman has to tread very carefully in order not to become a social pariah she said noting that the same rule applies among theater directors you know men can be mad bad and alcoholic and still be eminently employable but you really do have to be quite well behaved as a female director
so there is unquestionably an emotional cost to working on the play especially for the actor cast as kate ms lloyd said the more appallingly petruchio behaves the more the audience seems to love him and the more kate rails the more she gets crushed by the play
ms packer currently directing another so called problem play the merchant of venice said there is always a toll to doing shakespeare sounding jovial yet not quite joking she referred to shrew as an emotionally wrecking play
i dont even know whether ill go and see the one in the park she said i might ill see how my psyches doing she laughed a long laugh
here is the thing about theater though each new production is a chance to reconsider even before i saw ms lloyds shrew i knew i was hoping she would solve the play for me now i think it may be untamable and thats probably good
ms taymor   who sees kate and petruchio as in cahoots by the end equals merely pretending the kind of dynamic that their society expects   considers shrew fun to her kates defiance makes it an amazing play about a woman who has said i am not going to go with the flow ms taymor would like to direct it again perhaps as a movie with a theatrical production first
and if she does maybe ill come around to seeing it her way too


if the dance landscape were a venn diagram reid bartelme a dancer turned costume designer who cant seem to stop performing he has tried would fill the center space mr bartelme bridges worlds
with his design partner harriet jung he has brought a fresh sense of fashion to the dance stage working with justin peck at new york city ballet and with contemporary choreographers including jack ferver liz santoro and pam tanowitz but his contribution to the art form is more valuable than costume design alone
mr bartelme 35 also bridges two dance worlds that of uptown the sometimes rarefied universe of ballet and downtown contemporary dance where conceptual ideas risk and bare feet are key ingredients historically the two dont intersect much but mr bartelme is an undeniable link
hes friends with everyone ms tanowitz said he is a trained ballet dancer and also works in downtown dance his costumes are at new york city ballet and abrons and everywhere in between i think it has to do with his personality his inclusiveness
mr bartelme whose mild mannered elegance is anchored by humor is responsible for inspiring ballet dancers including david hallberg isabella boylston and james whiteside of american ballet theater and many at new york city ballet including mr peck adrian danchig waring and gretchen smith to broaden their artistic horizons
i wanted my friends in ballet to know more mr bartelme said in a recent interview i wanted them to have a broader understanding of what dance means especially in new york if i bring justin to a beth gill piece   ms gill is a respected downtown formalist   its because i think that work is going to be really valuable for him to see and because i admire his work i want him to have information thats going to help him grow
mr ferver a writer director choreographer and actor has under mr bartelmes tutelage become obsessed with city ballet specifically he has fallen hard for the choreography of george balanchine who died in 1983 but still remains the guiding light of city ballet as well as for two dancers sara mearns and teresa reichlen
i would never say im the next thing for ballet mr ferver said that would be like someone from the ballet world saying im going to write a script because ive gone to see a lot of plays 
nevertheless he is trying to choreograph a ballet in his i want you to want me which opens at the kitchen on june 30 as part of the american dance institute   he described it as a horror play and goth ballet   the costumes are by mr bartelme who is also a cast member his presence as a dancer in the studio has influenced mr ferver to push himself choreographically as he works in the ballet vernacular
theres a solo for reid in the beginning of the piece mr ferver said i gave him some ballet steps and he did them and then he said its too easy youre better than this you have to think of something better i love that
mr bartelme grew up in soho as a new york music kid he said it gradually dawned on him that he didnt relate to the theatrical elements of singing and embodying a character as a voice student in high school at interlochen arts academy in michigan   he first met mr ferver there   he enrolled in a class called general dance it was a gym credit and it was only 45 minutes and it was my favorite period of the day he said i kept taking it over and over until there was a point at which i was like i am very good at this
long and lean with flexibility and line mr bartelme has a natural facility for ballet he attended suny purchase college briefly but soon realized if youre going to be a ballet dancer you go be a ballet dancer
he was accepted into the school of american ballet at 18 but opted for the school at pacific northwest ballet where he was in its professional training program before joining balletmet in columbus ohio and then the alberta ballet in calgary after returning to new york he danced with shen wei dance arts for two years his transition to design came through his love of making things namely halloween costumes   mr ferver recalled the time mr bartelme went as a pregnant male sea horse   rather than a fascination with fashion
at the fashion institute of technology where he met ms jung he found his point of view my direction was simplicity he said i wouldnt say minimalism he added i knew i wasnt going to be designing anything super futuristic or uncomfortable or bizarre i was interested in clothes that were beautiful and comfortable and modern
while still at the institute he began receiving commissions for costumes from choreographers initially he brought in ms jung only for mr pecks costumes now they collaborate full time and have a studio at abrons arts center
like mr bartelme ms jung 31 arrived at the institute with life experience she had studied visual art and earned a degree from the university of california berkeley in molecular and cell biology quickly she and mr bartelme bonded a lot of kids get to fit and they walk into class day one and they look like normal kids and a month and a half in theyre fully wearing witch outfits because theyre experimenting with whats going to be good for them mr bartelme said harriet and i came in day one in sweatpants and left school in sweatpants
coming commissions include costumes for dances by matthew neenan and pontus lidberg and for mr pecks scherzo which is to have its premiere with city ballet in july at the saratoga performing arts center
costumes are challenging for many choreographers who in the dance world does mr bartelme think could most use his design help i feel like often the companies that need help i dont want to help that company mr bartelme said with a chuckle i feel like a lot of people who get it as dancemakers also often get it aesthetically
whenever they have a break and its increasingly uncommon mr bartelme and ms jung work on developing clothing   simple wearable   to sell online they have no aspirations to develop a big brand dance is their base
mr bartelme said that while he and ms jung love the fashion world they see the misery and the greed and the insecurity and the pretentiousness but dance is different theres a joy and creativity and lack of pretension he said so many fashion people are so overly concerned with their status i cant get on board its too painful


when vik was in his late 20s blood started appearing in his stool he found himself rushing to the bathroom as many as nine times a day and he quit his job at a software company he received a diagnosis of severe ulcerative colitis an inflammatory condition of the colon steroids which suppress inflammation didnt work for him mesalamine suppositories offered only the slightest relief a year and a half after his diagnosis viks gastroenterologist warned him that because his disease was poorly controlled he risked developing a condition called toxic megacolon his inflamed intestines might rupture leading to blood infection septic shock or death
the doctor recommended infusions of cyclosporine a powerful immune suppressant drug vik looked it up and learned that the drug often given to transplant recipients in rare instances can increase the risk of fatal infection and certain cancers and if cyclosporine didnt work the next intervention would probably be the surgical removal of his colon vik might have to wear a colostomy bag for the rest of his life
i had a feeling there had to be a better way he told me recently worried about being stigmatized vik asked that i identify him only by his first name he began researching ulcerative colitis and discovered that the prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease   an umbrella term that includes both ulcerative colitis and crohns disease   had increased markedly in the united states over the 20th century yet the disease was less common in the developing world he learned that exposure to dirt and unsanitary conditions early in life seemed to protect against these and other inflammatory diseases later and then he encountered an explanation for the correlations in the research of a scientist named joel weinstock
weinstock a gastroenterologist now at tufts university thought that parasites were to blame but it wasnt their presence in the human digestive system that was causing the rise it was their absence to survive for years in another animal parasitic worms known as helminths counter their hosts defenses because an out of control immune response against native bacteria was thought to drive inflammatory bowel disease weinstocks insight was that parasites ability to disarm the immune system might prevent the disorder the broader implication was that the disappearance of parasites   largely eradicated from american life in the early 20th century through improvements in sanitation   might have left our immune systems unbalanced increasing our vulnerability to all types of inflammatory disorders
to vik weinstocks idea was the first cogent explanation for his disease it also pointed toward a solution weinstock was already experimenting with re parasitizing people with inflammatory bowel disease using a helminth called trichuris suis the pig whipworm he had chosen the species because in theory it cant reach sexual maturity in humans and spread from one person to another early small studies yielded impressive results with 43 percent of colitis patients seeing improvement after 12 weeks of whipworm eggs but vik thought the use of pig whipworm had a flaw it required continual dosing and it could cost tens of thousands of dollars a year a german company was producing the eggs for human consumption in the united states selling them to treat a disease is illegal and most important if he expected a parasite to change his immune system he believed a species adapted to humans not pigs was likely to do a better job
vik wanted human whipworm this helminth which reaches about 15 inches in length fixes itself into the wall of the large intestine and feeds off the organs secretions for perhaps two years the potential results of severe whipworm infection include anemia clubbed fingers and in children stunted growth but after exhausting his other options vik began to think of infecting himself with parasites as the most rational course of action after all the parasite had been with people since prehistory otzi the iceman the 5300 year old mummy found frozen in the italian alps had whipworm besides the worst possible outcome of a whipworm infection was a kind of inflammatory bowel disease and he already had that
his doctor was dead set against the idea vik told me so was his wife a doctor in training they later divorced vik is a driven entrepreneurial type though and undeterred he began emailing any expert who would listen to my crazy ideas in 2004 he flew to bangkok to meet a parasitologist who agreed to hear him out he brought along his father a professor and internist for gravitas viks father who worked in southeast asia as a young doctor told me it was common then to leave light whipworm infections untreated
the thai parasitologist later handed him a vial of fluid containing whipworm eggs microscopic in size they had come from an 11 year old girl in southern thailand he was told vik flew home
next began what vik describes as the most difficult part of his life he set up a lab in his parents southern california home and stocked it with a microscope petri dishes slides and flasks purchased on ebay but he couldnt get the eggs to embryonate just as chicken eggs need to incubate to hatch helminth eggs require embryonation to produce infective larvae parasite eggs are excreted in feces and in their native tropics that embryonation occurs naturally after the eggs spend time in warm humid conditions but reproducing those conditions in his parents house proved difficult he tried various conditions   warm wet cool dry light dark   to no avail the eggs remained inert swallowed in this state they would pass right through his gut without hatching
the breakthrough came when imagining defecation under a tree vik abandoned his goal of antiseptic incubation and began using nonsterile tap water in the petri dish now the eggs football shaped and translucent under the microscope began to display a knotted ropy shape within   developing larvae   indicating embryonation months after returning from thailand he finally drank a glass of water containing a few hundred whipworm eggs
three months later he swallowed another thousand eggs ova began showing up in his stool indicating that his body now hosted living breeding parasites when he tapered off his drugs his colitis remained quiescent instead of triumph though vik felt doubt was this real or was it a natural ebb in his disease i wanted proof he told me thats when vik began searching for what he calls the team
in his interactions with scientists vik had noticed that parasitologists the scientists most familiar with the dangers of parasitic infection were the most receptive to the idea that parasites might help with disease so in 2006 after poring over numerous faculty web pages he emailed a young parasite immunologist at the university of california san francisco named png loke
when loke heard viks story   his disease his trip to thailand his trouble incubating the parasites   he found the tale compelling he didnt seem crazy just someone who had really done a lot of research had his back up against the wall and decided to take a plunge says loke who now has a microbiology lab at new york university
loke agreed to monitor vik a decision that would alter the course of his own research over the following four years vik relapsed twice whenever his whipworms grew old the colitis flared then he drank more eggs and his disease came back under control a gastroenterologist periodically examined viks colon taking tissue samples and when loke and his colleagues analyzed which genes were expressed during flares and remission   an indicator of immune activity   they discovered a pattern that may change how scientists think about ulcerative colitis
when the disease was quiescent production of one protein in particular called interleukin 22 increased il 22 encourages intestinal mucus to flow in inflammatory bowel disease the protective mucous layer is often eroded scientists think this allows native microbes usually held at a slight remove from the intestinal wall to get closer to the gut wall leading to inflammation and further impeding the flow of mucus viks whipworms apparently interrupted that vicious cycle by restoring the mucus barrier parasites it seemed could heal the gut
over the past decade thousands of people around the world have introduced parasites into their bodies on purpose hoping to treat immune related disorders some have drawn inspiration directly from viks case study which appeared in the journal science translational medicine in 2011 but many more have been inspired by the same research that inspired vik a confluence of factors is driving what is essentially an amateur quest to rewild the modern body and restore it to an imagined prelapsarian state the internet has facilitated the sharing of information both reliable and not but maybe more important scientists are wrestling with germ theory a cornerstone of modern medicine and beginning to articulate a more nuanced idea that the organisms in our bodies not only make us sick but also keep us healthy participants in the parasite underground see themselves as acting on this new emerging paradigm
when i first began exploring the movement a few years ago two self styled providers supplied most of the parasites theyd read some of the same research as vik found it promising and acquired helminths in the developing world after treating their own conditions they claimed they began advertising helminths online for thousands of dollars they saw themselves as pioneers
since then competition has come to this niche market new providers offer lower prices users read about the science in online forums share their experiences and learn where to get helminths like vik a growing contingent of users has learned to cultivate parasites for self treatment circumventing the providers altogether they trade incubation methods in facebook discussion groups occasionally arrange for the exchange of starter material including eggs or fecal material from worm infested donors and post photos of their homegrown eggs and larvae
anecdote fuels the movement because no large randomized double blinded placebo controlled studies have produced evidence that parasites can cure anything and because parasites arent fda approved paranoia is common nearly everyone i interviewed requested some measure of anonymity not only to avoid stigma but also because they worried about losing access to a treatment they said had changed their lives
scientists i queried tended to emphasize the dangers of helminth use i do not advocate self experimentation when the risks have not been clarified stephen hanauer director of the digestive health center at northwestern medicine told me in an email joel weinstock whose research partly inspired the movement ticked off more reasons purchasing unregulated parasites is a bad idea you dont know that youre getting the species promised even if you are you dont know if the specimens are alive or if youre getting the appropriate numbers of them or even what the appropriate numbers are
still a few experts also expressed sympathy i certainly cant condone it but i completely understand alex loukas a parasitologist at james cook university in australia told me youre talking about people with debilitating disease modern medicine has just failed them this is perhaps the best way to understand helminth use as one grass roots response to an epidemic the prevalence of autoimmune and allergic diseases has increased between two  and threefold in recent decades roughly one in five americans has an allergic disease ranging from seasonal hay fever to life threatening food allergies roughly one in 13 has an autoimmune disease   a disorder in which the immune system tasked with our protection instead attacks our own bodies these disorders often strike in the prime of life or earlier causing decades of suffering and current therapies fall short continuing research offers reasons for hope says daniel rotrosen the director of the national institute of allergy and infectious diseases division of allergy immunology and transplantation but currently he says we are really not where we would like to be in terms of treating many of these diseases
theres an apt historical precedent for the current unregulated experimentation with parasites the underground pharmacies and smuggling rings dramatized in the movie dallas buyers club they sprouted during the 1980s aids crisis serving a demographic mostly gay men who were ignored by mainstream medicine and who in an effort to treat themselves began importing non fda approved drugs from mexico many of the drugs they used didnt stand up to later scientific scrutiny its worth noting but the calculus leading them to take unproven drugs was similar to that driving helminth users today if you are stricken with a terrible disease for which medicine has little to offer then what really do you have to lose by turning to a parasite
one day in september 2010 amy a 46 year old teacher in the eastern united states found herself struggling to read and to see peoples faces she thought she was going blind but then she was given a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis her immune system was stripping the fatty coating called myelin from her nerve fibers impeding their ability to transmit signals as the disease progressed it could cause paralysis and incontinence but what worried amy most was not being able to read my no 1 activity is reading she told me i lost part of my life for a while
her neurologist recommended a drug called copaxone she says but the injections killed fat cells leaving unsightly indentations and bruises along her thighs and new brain lesions showed up on scans indicating that the disease continued to advance amy tried another drug called beta interferon but it triggered fevers and after injections she felt ill for hours it was just this weird nightmare of life she says
then amys thyroid gland important in regulating metabolism started failing stressed by the interferon treatment her doctor recommended that she take thyroid replacement hormone this was the last straw each treatment caused new problems it seemed and none really helped she wanted another option
a co worker recommended a 2011 book called the wild life of our bodies by a biologist named rob dunn it discussed therapeutic helminths the notion that wed co evolved with parasites for so long that our immune system needed them appealed to amys holistic mind set she joined a yahoo group dedicated to helminthic therapy thats where she discovered an extraordinary study from argentina
in the early 2000s some multiple sclerosis patients at a neurology clinic in buenos aires began showing up with parasite infections aware of the potential for parasites to help inflammatory disease the presiding neurologists proposed an experiment dont treat the parasites and see what happens twelve patients agreed and for nearly five years the doctors monitored them disease progression as measured by brain scans slowed significantly blood work showed an elevation of suppressor cells that prevent autoimmune diseases and when more than five years later the doctors dewormed four patients who complained of malaise those suppressor cells disappeared and the disease started up again
inspired by these findings which were published in 2007 small exploratory studies testing the pig whipworm on multiple sclerosis patients began around that time at the university of wisconsin madison that helped to reassure lisy amys partner who initially thought the idea reeked of quackery amy contacted wormtherapycom a site run by man named garin aglietti aglietti wasnt a doctor   hed dropped out of medical school   but hed treated his own psoriasis he said with hookworms acquired in belize his breadth of knowledge impressed amy i felt this immediate trust amy told me two years worth of hookworms cost 2500
in january 2012 amy and lisy flew to san diego aglietti picked them up at the airport in an suv and drove them across the border to a two story building in tijuana where amy met a warm doctor named jorge llamas his spare basic office didnt have shiny modern medical equipment but as amy says helminths were pretty low tech
hookworms penetrate the skin and after a weekslong odyssey through the body arrive at the small intestine where they feed on blood and grow to about a centimeter long llamas applied gauze to amys arm containing 35 nearly invisible hookworm larvae there was a remote possibility of a severe potentially life threatening allergic reaction as they entered her body aglietti explained he had an adrenaline shot handy should that occur they waited an hour chatting until aglietti deemed things safe and then he drove them back to san diego
about 10 weeks later amys bone deadening exhaustion a symptom of multiple sclerosis began fading she told her neurologist what shed done to her surprise he was familiar with the background research but he was nervous about her decision whenever she visits he offers new drugs i have politely declined amy told me
amys neurologist didnt respond to my queries but her family practice doctor corroborated her account adding as long as a patient is making an informed decision and understands the risks then something is worth doing if they decide its worth doing
what most frustrates amy vik and other helminth users i spoke with is that while they have found something that helps them theres little willingness from mainstream doctors to consider it vik laments that sick people might be removing lengths of their intestines when a therapy exists that might help
as it happens a company called coronado biosciences did test joel weinstocks pig whipworms it ran the largest trials conducted to date comprising 250 participants with crohns disease but in contrast to weinstocks earlier smaller studies which showed an almost miraculous curative effect in crohns   72 percent experienced remission   these studies showed no benefit at all the company now called fortress biotech hasnt released details from the study but it has dismissed criticism   weinstock for example thinks the trial should have started over because of an unusually high response among those taking a placebo   as wishful thinking these believers are being fooled by randomness a spokesman for the firm said in an email
last year however alex loukas the parasitologist in australia published a small study in which hookworm infection seemingly cured celiac disease an autoimmune disease of the gut triggered by the gluten protein found in wheat and other grains he gave 12 celiac volunteers 20 hookworm larvae each once the worms established themselves he began feeding the volunteers incrementally larger quantities of foods with gluten at the one year mark eight participants who previously couldnt eat any gluten without diarrhea and worse could now eat a bowl of pasta without problems
celiac disease occurs when a persons immune system mistakes wheat protein as dangerous and attacks this unbridled aggression begins to destroy the gut how exactly the parasites stopped the disease remains somewhat mysterious studies suggest they hijack white blood cells transforming them into soothing cells that prevent inflammatory disease but research by png loke also indicates that they commandeer the microbiota the community of microbes in the intestinal tract in animals parasites increase counts of anti inflammatory bacteria thought to prevent a range of disorders including asthma and colitis and deworming people causes an immediate decline in those same bacteria loke has found perhaps increasing their vulnerability to inflammatory disease he thinks parasites do this in part by increasing the secretion of mucus which selectively feeds anti inflammatory bacteria loukas and his colleagues have received funding for a larger celiac trial but he sees the field moving away from the use of live parasites toward the identification of the molecules they secrete
for helminth users this push toward worm derived pharmaceuticals is cited as justification for the undergrounds existence people are sick and suffering today they argue are they to wait for years or decades that they may not have for a worm based pill when theres something that might work now
a few years ago i acquired my own hookworm colony i was researching what would become my 2012 book an epidemic of absence about the rise in allergic and autoimmune diseases i have a number of immune related disorders   peanut allergy hay fever and an autoimmune condition called alopecia universalis that has left me mostly hairless   that would serve as test cases
was i afraid i knew that a number of parasitologists well versed in the terrors of hookworm infection had intentionally infected themselves when you learn enough about a parasites biology amazement and curiosity gradually replace fear and revulsion
so one cool early winter day i walked across the border to tijuana accompanied by garin aglietti in jorge llamass clinic i riffled through several months of tests showing that aglietti my hookworm donor didnt have hiv hepatitis or strongyloides stercoralis a particularly unpleasant parasite that like hookworm infects through the skin but which unusually among helminths can also multiply in the body then llamas pressed a bandage against my arm containing he said 30 larvae i felt the well known hookworm itch a slightly tingly almost stinging sensation as they burrowed into my skin
over the next few weeks as the larvae made their way to my small intestine i felt as if i had a mild flu cramps a little diarrhea headaches and malaise followed the symptoms lessened over time and for a month or so during hay fever season that spring my sinuses were remarkably clear seemingly overnight a patch of eczema on my hand also disappeared fine peach fuzz sprouted here and there on my body
but those were the extent of the benefits and late in hay fever season i was suddenly stricken by full blown seasonal allergies my eczema returned with a vengeance i thought id lost the parasites but they slowly reasserted control over my sinuses although never quite as powerfully as during that initial period i kept the colony going for over a year during which time the benefits gradually waned while the symptoms   an occasional ache in the pit of my stomach and sporadic malaise   never completely dissipated ultimately the benefits were too variable and the side effects too unpleasant to justify continuing
when people have written me over the years asking for advice i point out that im not a doctor and i urge skepticism its possible i say that parasites worsen your condition i interviewed one young man with crohns who gave himself hookworm lost weight and became so anemic that he required emergency blood transfusions i spoke with others who improved for a while but then relapsed
but i dont think that my warnings have dissuaded many people for the simple reason that theyre desperate its tempting to dismiss them because of this desperation and certainly its possible that cases of remission are a result of the placebo effect that parasites dont help and that the community of helminths users is gripped by a self reinforcing delusion its also possible though that parasites can treat a subset of patients with autoimmune and allergic diseases and that through self experimentation sick people are figuring out whos in that group
today the members of the underground community infecting themselves with parasites find one another on facebook groups with names like helminthic therapy support and helminth incubation they ask questions about which diseases respond to helminths or see wrenching posts from people who recently acquired hookworm felt terribly ill and now wonder why their joints hurt more than before others cheer them on sharing their own experiences and pointing out that symptoms often worsen before they feel any better
success stories when posted invariably inspire a chorus of congratulations followed by questions   which species worked the best moderators curate up to date lists of these successes some of which link back to their authors making them somewhat checkable they also include failures in an attempt at balance documents list substances that users have found may accidentally kill parasites like oregano oil and nitrous oxide
the operating assumption in this world seems to be that parasites usually work a moderator once politely asked that i stop referring to helminths as parasites and call them symbionts instead and the social dynamics of these forums can strike some as odd theres pressure to be positive and cheerful about it all the time a 30 something librarian who successfully treated her autoimmune thyroid problems with hookworm told me
at the same time these groups direct participants to a remarkable amount of scientific information including numerous peer reviewed articles particularly intriguing are the protocols based on users experiences if you have a terrible reaction to hookworm   which isnt uncommon   you might start over with smaller doses and gradually introduce larvae over a longer period of time different organisms might also work for different disorders i spoke with one british scientist a biologist who found that hookworm helped an inflammatory condition affecting his liver but not his ulcerative colitis only when he introduced whipworm which lives at the site of the ulcerations did his colitis diminish
at some point i learned of a private online group where parents discussed treating their children with helminths after my own experience i couldnt imagine intentionally giving my child a parasite so i was surprised many members were mothers some had immune disorders themselves a few incubated their own parasites everyone i spoke to had given helminths to themselves before their children their children had disorders like eosinophilic esophagitis which can make swallowing food difficult severe food allergies and a neuropsychiatric disorder with ocd like symptoms called pandas in several instances conventional treatment had failed the parents viewed the potential side effects of parasite infection as milder than the diseases already afflicting their children and less dangerous than some of the drugs they had already tried and they claimed to have seen impressive results with parasites
some were experimenting with a new organism a tapeworm native to rats called hymenolepis diminuta a british company called biome restoration sells it depending on the dosage an order can run just 40 don donahue a radiologist in eastern tennessee founded biome with two other passionate helminths users he had long suffered from nasal inflammation and obstructive polyps but just three weeks after acquiring 30 hookworms in tijuana he told me the symptoms improved overnight it was like someone slapped me in the face he says he started cultivating them at home for his own use spurred in part by the sick people he saw at work donahue then decided to make helminths more widely available
the hookworm necator americanus american murderer wasnt ready for prime time in his view i really honestly hate hookworm he says because some of the side effects are so bothersome but im sick without it so donahue settled on what he considered a gentler organism hymenolepis diminuta yet even as he put most of his life savings into starting biome restoration he has kept giving away parasites freely of everyone i spoke with donahue perhaps most fully expresses the ethos of enthusiastic sharing so often evident among the community of parasite users i interviewed one young woman suffering from crohns whom he met running at the park and gave a supply of the rat tapeworm her crohns eased she gained weight and after years of trying she became pregnant i spoke with a former snowboarder in portland ore stricken with a painful autoimmune disorder of the spine called ankylosing spondylitis that man scotty wittlake   he wanted me to use his full name   told me his condition improved following his self innoculation with donahues hookworm
citizen scientists are pushing this forward says donahue who acts more like an evangelist than an entrepreneur he seems to want to share the miracle hes found to spread the word and help others biome restoration has no robust safety data nor any evidence that rat tapeworms help with anything and parasites that find themselves in unfamiliar hosts can in theory cause significant disease and in rare cases even death in march the fda extended an import alert which already applies to hookworm and whipworm to tapeworm but the company which seeks to make a more affordable helminth available to more people is trying something few others have it is engaging with regulatory authorities to legally sell its product in britain the underground is pushing its way aboveground


julia hlinkas mother was tired of making pierogies shed already dug up the potatoes on her small slovakian farm harvested the wheat and milled the flour so who could blame her for enacting a pierogi succession plan she gathered her kids around she kneaded and rolled the skins out thin she mashed potatoes with sheeps cheese and drew the dough around them dumpling after dumpling hundreds at a sitting one day she turned the task over to the children hlinka was 10
shes 87 now and she still makes pierogies every friday she told me this her granddaughter helena fabiankovic translating as she peeled potatoes with an eight inch chefs knife in her brooklyn kitchen the motion seemingly hard wired into her fingers
fabiankovic made a face though when baba as she calls hlinka pulled out milk for the dough thats not how she taught me she said before continuing in mild protest she told me to use sour cream and water its a difference that goes beyond dairy choices last year fabiankovic quit her career as a preschool teacher to open a restaurant in gowanus with her boyfriend called babas pierogies dedicated to her grandmothers specialty but baba just kept kneading sometimes mastery of a dish means that you make it the same every time and sometimes it means that things change you wing it and you know itll work out in the end
baba has seen a lot of change she told me stories from her years in her village litmanova about the government assigned teacher whose pedagogy included making his students catch frogs for him to cook for his girlfriend about the songs her mother and aunt sang in the fields about the call she got in 1969 from her husband mikulas whod set out for america two years earlier to make a living away from the eyes of the communist regime come he told her bring the children and open the barn set the animals free before you go grandpa always cries when he tells that story fabiankovic said
baba came to brooklyn living alongside scandinavians in sunset park there were more slovaks in astoria and among the polish families of greenpoint and clustered with the germans in yorktown communities as old as the 1880s but if new york is actually a galaxy of tiny cities in 1969 sunset park was out of those orbits some of hlinkas in laws lived nearby though and a few slovak friends still grandma cried a lot in the early days fabiankovic said baba mentioned that she couldnt find the sheeps cheese for her pierogies a friend took her to the grocery store and pressed a pack of american singles in her hand
after the fall of communism in czechoslovakia in 1989 fabiankovic remembers slovak families began moving to her neighborhood and nearby bay ridge it was great she says i got to experience my culture head on get smacked in the face with it they all went to the same church shopped at polish markets for almost tastes of home made pierogies sang and danced but over time those families moved away
fabiankovic who has lived her whole life in sunset park used to make pierogies with her baba as a little girl using play doh and a gumball as the filling but is also at home around won tons pot stickers and shiu mai for as long as she can remember her neighborhood has been brooklyns chinatown as chinese immigrants started arriving in the 80s i asked whether her community ever felt any tension being suddenly surrounded by such a different culture but her grandfather replied from the couch hes always felt a connection to the mexicans the chinese to the immigrants theyve seen move into their neighborhood he feels as if he understands how they came here and are trying to figure out their lives theres a word in slovak susid fabiankovic said it means neighbor but where they grew up your neighbor is your family so i think they brought that feeling with them my dad cooks lo mein at home
we finished making the pierogies baba and her granddaughter showing me how to knead the dough so it has just the right amount of chew how to pack them full but not too full we ate them a pliant tender skin giving way to a smooth creamy mash of potatoes delivering the gut level satisfaction of starch on starch the salty bits of bacon and lashes of fat on top were strictly speaking unnecessary but why resist
i was lucky i thought to have this moment not only because i got to compulsively eat a dozen superb pierogies but because baba and grandpa were just about to go back to slovakia for six months do they ever think about just staying there i asked
nah they like it here fabiankovic said they love that theres someone selling vegetables on the corner and that theres a bus you can take anywhere this is their home now then i remembered something else fabiankovic told me they can get sheeps cheese here now but baba still makes her pierogies with american
recipe potato cheese pierogies with bacon


the punishing rents of new york city breed unusual compromises sophomore year of college i snagged a one bedroom at the top of a seventh floor walk up in lower manhattan the week i moved in a neighbor pulled me aside and offered wisdom on the climb your legs will get used to it she said but your heart never will how literally she meant this i was never sure
the apartment was tiny   i had to shuffle sideways like a crab to get into my bathroom   and i was intent on justifying the unreasonable rent so the day before i moved in i ordered a bunk bed on amazon i figured that with an extra berth i could effectively double the apartments holding capacity allow out of towners to avoid hotels and offer refuge for friends whether locked out of their own homes or weary of the slog back to brooklyn
the bed arrived as a sprawl of metal poles each embalmed in white lacquer i had picked a model with a full size bed on bottom and a twin on top while a traditional twin on twin evokes the accommodations of childhood and camp prison and the military   a sign somehow of both playfulness and austerity   the twin over full variety signals something entirely different and possibly even transgressive instead of two sleepers the bed seemed to beckon heterodox groupings of three or four
most evenings the bunk bed offered itself up as a choice did i want to transcend worldly concerns swaddled and suspended in a criblike twin bed that enveloped my lanky build or did i prefer to brave the open expanse of the full bed like a taxpaying adult the decision involved a touch of foresight the bed was wedged against three walls and waking up on the twin meant either shimmying down the ladder and having my ribs played like a xylophone by the rungs or taking a morning death leap from the top more invigorating than a cup of coffee
during the trial run close friends took the bottom and i rather religiously took the top i was convinced i would be horribly maimed should the contraption collapse   please you take the bottom i insisted shrouding my dread in panicked largess but once the lights were off youthful exchanges about life love and the cosmos raged we were recumbent along an intimate vertical axis and our words unmarred by dubious glances spilled into the air all night the whoosh of cars outside echoed through the room like waves against a hull until sleep finally took us we were out at sea together stowed away safely
the bed swiftly earned its claim to being one of my most prized possessions then my parents came to visit
one evening i left the apartment to pick up milk for the mornings cereal when i returned they were absent from the living room and the bedroom door was closed i opened the door and i regret it as those who open doors so often do my parents stumbling through a defense confessed that the bunk bed had sparked dormant passions   the beds latticework of metal poles both the kindling and the match that ignited their love aflame freuds primal scene is supposedly a trauma specific to childhood but i am now no longer sure
in the years to follow the bed exerted something like a centripetal force on the space nearly all memorable activity in the apartment spiraled around it regardless of how close any two or more people are beforehand on bunks they fall asleep together they wake up together they hear each other sleeping snoring babbling rolling around each person is made to be vulnerable before the other and in doing so bonds in an unusual and meaningful way the twin over full arrangement did not militate against the orgiastic as my parents had proved but much more often it fostered friendship
in the summer small boozy gatherings in the apartment migrated to the air conditioned bedroom as many as six of us would distribute ourselves across the beds and occasionally someone would be dispatched to the bottom bunk if the metal moaned too much under our weight treasured memories of childhood mischief and sleepaway camp inevitably surfaced cementing new friendships and shedding light on old ones
each morning when visitors were below i craned my neck over the side of the safety railing to check on them some consulted my eyes as if inquiring about what was in store for breakfast others instinctively reached out a hand to meet mine halfway even though the bed proved to be reliably sturdy i was always delighted to find that no one perished in the night that no limbs and organs were compromised by loose screws or buckled metal
word eventually got around campus and the questions kept finding me is it true that you have a bunk bed does it really have a full and a twin i had bought the thing in the name of economy but it had become an attraction in itself perhaps bunk beds in an age of individuation tap into our latent desire to share a world   they urge us after all to cohabitate and to explore the pleasures and challenges of unfamiliar intimacies


after decades spent transforming the tenets of mens wear for women imbuing the traditional savile row trouser suit with a sexual insouciance stella mccartney is finally doing the inevitable making mens wear for actual men on thursday   as the mens fashion circus swirled in florence at the pitti uomo trade fair   the designer confirmed long rumored plans for a mens line to debut nov 10 in london alongside her spring womens collection the one that used to be presented in may but that has now moved to a see nowbuy now schedule with the show taking place just before the clothes go on public sale similarly the mens wear will be sold a month after the big reveal hitting shelves in early december
the desire to marry the stella woman to a man has been inside me since the very beginning said ms mccartney herself a stella woman married to a man on announcing the news
my time on savile row   she trained with the tailor edward sexton after graduating from central st martins   inspired so much of what i do and it feels like the right moment to talk to men and give them what they deserve she said i want to deliver to men what i deliver to women
and what is that
a wardrobe a choice and effortless modern clothes she said
translation like her womens wear the mens wear will be leather  and shearling free and like her womens wear it will be a full collection encompassing suits and separates outerwear and accessories eyewear is in the works
however unlike her womens wear the mens collection will not be associated with any particular season the line which will continue to be shown with ms mccartneys pre collections and not on the classic mens wear schedule will be called something like collection one and collection two it will be sold to wholesalers a few months before it is shown to the press and public the theory is that men buy differently from women they see something and if they like it they want to get it immediately and they do not think in trends
as to what the clothes might look like thats still a secret but some clues may be found in ms mccartneys past
the designer has dabbled in mens wear before making suits for both her husband alasdhair willis a jazzy midnight blue double breasted tuxedo with black lapels and her father paul mccartney a single breasted tartan tux atop classic black trousers to wear to the met gala in 2011 she has done bespoke pieces for guy ritchie and david bowie and she makes all the competition and off duty olympic village clothing including some urban athleisure sweats for the male and female members of britains olympic team in collaboration with adidas the overall look for both is kind of tailored no fuss hipster
if those men buy it why wouldnt everyone else
after all there is nothing new about brands making their names in womens wear and then segueing into the mens market often very successfully much like lanvin christian dior and louis vuitton and though all those brands have named mens wear designers running the mens side of the business lucas ossendrijver kris van assche and kim jones miuccia prada has been as influential in mens wear design as she has been in womens wear and at hermes the long term mens creative director veronique nichanian has given the mens line its own clear identity
the biggest risk may lie in the fact that ms mccartney has built her identity as a designer on the idea of being a woman designing for women as she told the guardian in 2014 and there is some ambivalence around how that will translate for men part of her calling card has been a willingness to eschew capital f fashion statement making for real life statement making focusing on clothes that allow a customer to move seamlessly from breakfast waffles to power meeting to margaritas in ibiza with seemingly effortless aplomb thats not necessarily a gender specific aesthetic but it has been sold that way in the past
of course we no longer live in such gender specific days so perhaps the real question is what took her so long


st paul minn   garrison keillor was riding shotgun in a rented chevy motoring east through the steamy midwestern heat
his linen suit was appropriately rumpled   everything about this public radio legend suggests disregard for crisp lines   and his gangly legs were jacked up against the glove box as he resisted suggestions to slide his seat back hitching a ride with a reporter from minneapolis to his home here he filled the yawning silences with a weird little singsong bomp bomp bomp bomp
he had just spent hours rehearsing for the following night may 21 when he hosted a prairie home companion at the state theater in minneapolis before a packed adoring crowd for the last time
after more than four decades of hosting this homespun americana musical variety program which he created and which in turn created him mr keillor is retiring he has done this before in 1987 though that retirement ended up being a sabbatical in 2011 there were rumors   baseless mr keillors people said   that he was thinking of abandoning ship then too
but this time mr keillor 73 said he means it he has named a successor and lined up meaty post prairie projects among them columns for the washington post a screenplay and a book while he has a solo tour planned through the year along with a prairie esque labor day weekend show at the minnesota state fair he will host his final official prairie home companion on july 1 at of all places the hollywood bowl
its very much real and its simply a matter of wanting to rearrange ones life mr keillor said after we had arrived at his large handsome georgian house and he had eased his stooping 6 foot 4 frame into a porch chair in order to do these things ive got to clear out the big buffalo in the room which is the show
at his home mr keillor looms a melancholy presence and doesnt make much eye contact keeping his bespectacled eyes averted under scraggly eyebrows rather than savor the conversation he seems to cordially endure it his mellifluous voice likened to a down comforter or a slow drip of midwestern molasses feels warmly familiar to any public radio listener who has heard him sing tishomingo blues which opens his show each saturday evening
yet as familiar and cherished as prairie has become to millions it was always about mr keillors fascinations rather than the inner tickings of its host
it was never about self expression never mr keillor said
everything about prairie home   the guy noir and lives of the cowboys sketches the spots for powdermilk biscuits and the ketchup advisory board the monologues about the fictional lake wobegon   sprang from mr keillors imagination but the man spinning the plates at the center of it all managed to stay a mystery even to people who know him well
garrison in person is quite different said his longtime friend the writer mark singer garrison does not express emotion in interpersonal conversations the way the rest of us do
performers often cultivate alternate personas but with mr keillor the difference is startling that night onstage in minneapolis he was garrulous and affable and afterward ventured out onto the sidewalk to meet his hundreds strong admirers many of whom feel they know him intimately
as fans flocked around him mr keillor graciously deflected questions directing queries back to the scrum this helps him gather story ideas but also serves as a bridge from his onstage personality to his default setting the introverted removed man who seems miles away even when youre sitting two feet from him on his porch eating the jelly beans he has set out
his gaze is often floating and takes you in from a strange distance said the writer and editor roger angell who in 1970 edited mr keillors first piece for the new yorker he is certainly the strangest person i know
there is debate about whether mr keillor should have exited a while ago his weekly radio audience peaked 10 years ago at 41 million and has since dropped to 32 million while that does not include listeners on sirius xm or the shows three million monthly digital requests many stations have dropped their sunday repeat broadcast of his show
prairie home captured a time before tweets and facebook posts when people talked more over fence posts and pots of coffee but nowadays feels increasingly removed from many listeners lives
a lot of the conversation has been did garrison wait too long should garrison have done this years ago said eric nuzum former vice president for programming at npr the problem of prairie home companion is its part of public radios past not their future mr nuzum said american public media distributes prairie home npr member stations air programs from apm as well as from other distributors
still mr keillor played an outsize role in shaping what public radio has become
he was a pioneering force and taught public radio valuable lessons mr nuzum said the live performances and touring built audiences and kept them connected and deeply loyal that proved lucrative as did sales of prairie home companion recordings books clothes and tchotchkes mr keillor also became one of public radios earliest celebrities appearing on the cover of time in 1985
the show itself with its singing quirky sidekicks stealthily dark humor and fart jokes forged a new path
prairie home companion came on the scene just as public radio was trying to figure out what its identity was said ira glass the host of this american life the fact that here was such a visibly weird funny idiosyncratic show opened up the space of other weird idiosyncratic shows like car talk and our show
adored as he has been by millions mr keillor drove a few critics around the bend
detractors view prairie home as excruciatingly hokey syrupy and dull in a 1993 episode of the simpsons homer bangs on the television   the disney channel broadcast the show in the late 80s   hollering be more funny in a withering review of robert altmans 2006 film a prairie home companion rex reed called mr keillor a myopic doughboy and his program a lumbering affected and pointless audio curiosity
yet mr glass believes that many people mistake prairie home for quaint homespun nostalgia even though the tales from lake wobegon are as often as not richly emotional contemporary and quite dark
in recent monologues mr keillor has lambasted the gun lobby told of peoples relatives being buried alive and mentioned a would be suicidal woman left bald after she accidentally set her hair on fire in her gas oven a presumably fictitious anecdote that is trademark keillor equal parts alarming heartbreaking and funny
like howard stern garrison keillor created a packaging that nonlisteners took as real mr glass said and the actual show is so much more complex and human and complicated than nonlisteners think it is
mr keillor has had health concerns suffering a stroke in 2009 and less than a week after the minneapolis show a seizure but he insists its his other projects that compelled him to step away after july he will continue to have a small radio foothold hosting the writers almanac a stand alone five minute radio program he started in the early 90s and prairie home reruns will continue to air jon mctaggart chief executive of american public media group the parent of american public media said that as much as prairie home contributed financially he has faith in the allure of the new version of the show and that this transition has been planned for a while
still the future of prairie home companion and public radio without mr keillor remains somewhat of an open question
mr keillors handpicked successor the folk musician chris thile 35 who first performed on the show as a teenager cheerfully admitted in an interview that it could all go down the drain if audiences reject him after he begins hosting on oct 15 details are still being hammered out but mr thile plans to do musical numbers and comedy bits there will be no lake wobegon
public radio always wondered what it was going to do when garrison leaves mr nuzum said its about to find out
for all his radio fame mr keillor has always seen himself first as a writer though that legacy was largely overshadowed by the success of prairie home
stripped of the sentimental trappings of the show which he writes almost entirely by himself mr keillors words leap off the page and bite in an excoriating book review in the new york times he called bernard henri levy a french writer with a spatter paint prose style and the grandiosity of a college sophomore thrice wed   he and his third wife jenny lind nilsson a violinist have a daughter maia who just graduated from high school   he once described marriage as the deathbed of romance
throughout his career mr keillor penned columns stories and books he wrote regularly for the new yorker where he had a desk until tina browns arrival as editor in 1992 the day i heard that she would replace bob gottlieb i packed up my stuff in a couple cardboard boxes and left in a cab and have not looked back he said in an email but it was radio his plan b that came to define his life
born in 1942 in anoka minn mr keillor grew up the third of six children his family was plymouth brethren a fundamentalist christian sect that forbade dancing and going to the movies but mr keillors youngest sister linda keillor berg said theirs was a happy home where family members routinely gathered to sing hymns
becoming a star of any kind wasnt an ambition our parents seeded in any of us ms keillor berg said but mr keillor could not be contained in junior high rather than signing poems with his given name gary he began using the more regal sounding garrison it stuck he went on to write for the local paper majored in english at the university of minnesota and in 1969 took a job at a radio station as a classical music announcer
there he began breaking from convention interspersing mozart overtures with songs by the beach boys and grateful dead one morning he aired a live predawn show featuring a cowboy singer and a performer who made wine glasses sing he later asked his boss bill kling who founded minnesota public radio and also started american public media to weigh in i said i thought it was awful that it was one of the worst ways to wake up i had ever remembered mr kling said he said well you know its a beginning
mr keillors big break came when his short slyly racy short story about local parents hiring a live in prostitute for their teenage son fell into the hands of mr angell at the new yorker i thought it was brilliant mr angell said the nearest thing to e b white that had come along
it was mr keillors wildest dream come true but it also made him miserable
writing for the magazine put me in thrall to their reputation to their style to having fathers who were more talented than yourself said mr keillor who at that time was supporting his first wife and their son jason he recalled sitting frozen at his typewriter in his bedroom in minnesota wondering how do you measure up to the gods
in 1974 the new yorker gave him what would turn out to be a pivotal assignment covering the grand ole oprys final show at the ryman auditorium before its move to opryland mr keillor was struck by the musicians rapport by minnie pearls wry humor he soon called mr kling telling him this was the kind of show they had to do back home
scant months later the first prairie home companion was performed live in st paul before an audience of 12 mr keillors new yorker colleagues were astonished wondering how this painfully shy man could possibly host a radio show let alone divert his energies from a burgeoning literary career but mr keillor adored the socializing the camaraderie and the musicians gregariousness and generosity
with radio i owned it i owned it nobody else was doing this mr keillor said you find yourself on new ground and you are so free you are so free
onstage a new side of mr keillor shone looser less aloof at times even jolly margaret moos pick mr keillors early producer and former longtime girlfriend said his lake wobegon monologues put him into something like a state of hypnosis in them he could lose himself
i dont think hes necessarily a happy man mr angell said but the time he is happy is when he is doing his monologue
as audiences embraced the show more stations picked it up and it began broadcasting nationally in 1980 mr singer a friend from the new yorker said the show appealed to baby boomers and felt like a counterweight to the reagan era when images of american life suddenly felt scripted and controlled it was an antidote to all that mr singer said there was just a deeply wonderful feeling that this was speaking to many of us
curiously mr keillor has always found it difficult spending so much time with the strong good looking above average people of lake wobegon which he based on his relatives past and present
in the keillor reader 2014 he complained bitterly about their industriousness their infernal humility their schoolmarmish sincerity their earnest interest in you their cliches falling like clockwork   it can be tiring to be around
speaking on his porch mr keillor said of lake wobegonians ie his relatives i am frustrated by them in real life they were too controlled by good manners he said and have a very hard time breaking through
so why devote so much of his professional life ruminating about them its the people i think i know he replied
will he miss them and the weekly jolt of the show
no he replied no
and yet it was gloriously warm and sunny in minneapolis for his last show there in the state theater the audience   nearly all white and middle aged or older the very midwesterners mr keillor has such a fraught yet close connection with   packed the auditorium
after his show drew to a close mr keillor stayed onstage and began leading the audience in song keeping them singing and swaying for perhaps half an hour
then he stepped offstage and swept through the wings heading toward the lobby where he would greet his people like a preacher he stood for photographs with fans for nearly two hours
as he passed by backstage striding purposefully he glanced at me registered no recognition and continued on muttering bomp bomp bomp bomp


when they married nearly two years ago melissa and jesse peretz were living in a 2500 a month rental in a new building in gowanus brooklyn a one bedroom it had 700 efficient square feet   none of those weird quirks where a long hallway counts for 100 square feet and isnt usable mrs peretz said they outgrew it quickly
the couple had a dog and adopted a cat mrs peretzs company relocated so she began working from home she writes for a convenience store trade publication using her maiden name melissa vonder haar mr peretz works in market research in manhattan
the peretzes both 33 also brew beer they have acquired assorted equipment   brew pots a chest freezer   and hundreds of bottles of rare beer some purchased during their busmans honeymoon brewery hopping in northern europe they are chefs too well stocked with cooking equipment the couple have won firsts in both the brooklyn chili takedown and the brooklyn homebrew takedown
the obvious next step was a bigger home though friends told them they could wait to have a baby before upsizing i cant imagine having a newborn and trying to go to open houses mrs peretz said
a year ago the couple began seriously hunting for a place to buy in brooklyn they needed an elevator or a place on the ground floor should their dog colby eventually have trouble with stairs they avoided williamsburg and other l train neighborhoods with the l you have to transfer no matter where youre going mr peretz said
with a budget of 750000 to 900000 they found a predictable pattern for two bedroom co ops and condominiums sellers had either a growing toddler or a second baby you could see the toy explosion mrs peretz said they could see into their future too we would be those people moving out in five years mr peretz said
they were alarmed to find that in many cases the property in question already had offers above the asking price
friends put them in touch with kirsten syrett an associate broker at halstead property and her business partner sarah chamberlin in kensington where single family houses fell within their price range they saw a newly renovated detached house with a basement and an attic on east eighth street the price was 849000
compost for brooklyn a community composting project was next door they worried the plot might be developed with any new structure encroaching upon their windows the house sold for 820000
in clinton hill they liked an enormous one bedroom in a mansion on clinton avenue that had been converted to a 10 unit co op the basement unit included a shared yard the price was 550000 with a monthly maintenance fee of a little more than 600 mrs peretz was interested even knowing they would be moving in a few years i thought thats what people have to do but jesse vetoed it immediately she said his dream was to never have to move again
a small condominium building on lefferts avenue in prospect lefferts gardens was an option the two bedroom ground floor apartment with yard space was around 839000 monthly charges were just under 400 but the couple share a car with mr peretzs mother who lives in park slope brooklyn because there is no direct transportation between the two neighborhoods car sharing would be inconvenient
ms syrett suggested a two family the couple would be able to count a percentage of the rental income toward their qualifying income allowing them to secure a mortgage for a higher amount they raised their budget to 12 million
they had been eyeing a handsome two family barrel front limestone rowhouse in kensington it was listed for 128 million over four months they watched the price drop last fall when it hit 1198 million they went to visit
it wasnt perfect but it was close with spacious rooms a big backyard and a large unfinished basement
the sellers had already moved and were ready to sell but they didnt want to give it away ms syrett said
the peretzes offered 115 million but the sellers accepted another offer the situation was heartbreaking because it felt like our house mrs peretz said
then the deal fell through if the peretzes raised their offer by 15000 the sellers said the house was theirs so they did
at that point we were also totally naive about the mansion tax which applies to purchases of 1 million or more and all of the extra costs that go into a free standing house mrs peretz said you are responsible for the roof and the boiler people say its a money pit and i dont think you can fully get it until you buy
the inspection she said was terrifying as a first time home buyer ending with a list of things you are going to be paying for the rest of your life there were so many sleepless nights
the peretzes arrived earlier this spring agreeing to let the upstairs tenants stay but raising the rent to 2200 a month from 2000 besides going from renters to owners going from renters to landlords is an intense thing mrs peretz said
the basement offers plenty of room for their brewing equipment and they can now order grain in bulk
the backyard with assorted plants sprouting in the warmer weather has been a glorious surprise mrs peretz said some of the old house details they have met with have been less so including termites but they were prepared a one year service contract with an exterminator was part of the deal
in the yard the couple have a propane setup for brewing beer and four barbecue grills i dont think we would have been as happy moving anywhere else mr peretz said


when teams from 39 nations were to convene in london on saturday for the world ultimate championships the scene quite likely looked like many other international sports competitions there would be 3000 athletes competing in mens womens and mixed divisions there would be flags and an opening ceremony
but one key element of a major sporting event would be missing referees
players of ultimate popularly known as ultimate frisbee pride themselves on being a little different from athletes in other sports that mentality is embodied in a concept referred to as the spirit of the game
ultimate relies upon a spirit of sportsmanship that places the responsibility for fair play on the player the rules state prominently highly competitive play is encouraged but never at the expense of mutual respect among competitors adherence to the agreed upon rules or the basic joy of play
the spirit of the game is embodied most prominently in the sports lack of referees in most ultimate competitions players make their own calls
but as the sport grows   it was formally recognized last year by the international olympic committee and could one day be an olympic sport   there has been tension between the increasing professionalism and the freewheeling ethos on which the sport was founded
ultimate was developed in the late 1960s at columbia high school in maplewood nj the original rules allowed for a referee but early games seldom if ever had one the first world championship was held in 1983 in goteborg sweden and that event is now held every four years
the rules of the game are simple teams of seven try to pass the disc up the field running with it is not allowed a team that makes it into the end zone gets a point fouls can occur when there is physical contact or an improper pick or screen
for many years the players decided if they had been fouled but as the sport became more competitive players were accused of taking advantage of the system extended disputes threatened to spoil the game for spectators and television audiences so a debate about adding officials began
many big tournaments including the world championships have found a middle ground they use an official known as an observer or adviser who acts more like a mediator than a judge or executioner
the observers are not empowered to make calls on their own as a referee would rather they can mediate if two teams cannot come to an agreement
maybe two players are going up to catch a disc and the offensive player feels they were fouled while the defender feels they kept their proper distance said nob rauch the president of the world flying disc federation which runs the world championships the observer makes sure the players advance to a quick conclusion its a way to keep the game on track
tom crawford the chief executive of usa ultimate which runs the sport in the united states said that self policing could remain a big part of the game
one of the things the ioc found intriguing about ultimate is that it kind of embodies the olympic ideal he said the athletes treat each other with dignity and respect its a really unique ethos it is baked into the sport the ioc saw that right away
opponents of adding full fledged referees also contend that the players are simply best equipped to make the calls athletes take an online test to make sure that they know the rules
the athletes know exactly whats going on rauch said you know when a guy is taking a fall or feigning injury we want to give the responsibility for calling the game to the athletes
indeed the observer or adviser is far from universal in ultimate players still make their own calls in a vast majority of friendly high school and college games
two american mens semiprofessional leagues which are not under the usa ultimate umbrella have gone in the other direction and use full fledged referees
once you move the sport from being player focused to being fan focused referees are able to facilitate the game and make sure it operates at the best pace and the best spirit of fairness said nic darling executive vice president of major league ultimate an eight team mens league playing in its fourth season
we wanted to focus our players on playing and not playing two roles darling said adding its very difficult to make a call accurately when youre trying to fend off a defender
tim debyl the marketing manager of the american ultimate disc league a 26 team league playing in its fifth season said fan friendliness and communication were important reasons to have referees without officials debyl said sometimes a call between two players happens quickly and you dont know whats going on
he added games occasionally fall apart there are some bad calls by players and thats a bad fan experience
debyl a longtime player said he did not enjoy watching ultimate as much without referees
officials of both leagues said that maintaining the spirit of the game was important to them
other top american ultimate officials have declined to endorse the referee model though
we believe its unnecessary and theyre missing a big marketing opportunity to promote ultimates unusual culture said rauch of the world flying disc federation
crawford of usa ultimate said that having a referee changes the spirit of the game and that the absence of referees is one of the things that is appealing to the young people being drawn to the game
usa ultimate gathered players from around the country for the world championship teams much as olympic or world cup teams are selected the teams have been together for about six months though the players have had to fit in practice times with their full time jobs the united states is the defending mens champion japan and canada hold the titles in the womens and mixed events
the finals will be shown june 25 on the cbs sports network organizers hope the observers will actually be part of the appeal observers will wear microphones and the back and forth between players and the observers intercessions could be part of the show


theodore rousseau 1812 1867 ranks high on the list of underappreciated 19th century european painters a mystic who thought trees spoke to him and a materialist prone to unorthodox mixtures of media on canvas panel and paper he was a leader of the barbizon school yet his name is far less familiar than those of jean baptiste camille corot or jean francois millet not interested in the human figure rousseau attended to natures textures and moods zeroing in on details of leaves and bark while using light and weather to render nature as a source of terror and contemplation
his heady combination of romanticism and realism   which helped lay the groundwork for impressionism   was very popular with american collectors in the late 19th century even so unruly nature the landscapes of theodore rousseau which opens tuesday june 21 at the j paul getty museum in los angeles is the first thorough review of his restless career especially the way he sometimes made painting and drawing all but merge gettyedu


thats not tango may seem like an odd title for a musical biography about astor piazzolla after all no other composer did more to pluck tango out of the seedy seething bars it was associated with and translate it into sophisticated concert music bursting with erotic energy but this show which opens at subculture on wednesday june 22 seems willing to question everything
written by lesley karsten and stephen wadsworth it assigns the part of piazzolla to a woman   ms karsten   in a twist that plays on the quicksilver exchanges between male and female partners in tango in between narrated stations in piazzollas biography from his birth to italian parents in argentina to his childhood in new york and back again are musical performances by a stellar lineup among them the bandoneon player jp jofre the pianist brandt fredriksen and the violinist and fiddler nick danielson through june 25 subculturenewyorkcom


after the tony awards broadway gets quiet as shows announce closing notices and openings become scarce but a distinctive screeching sound around times square will raise the volume in the area for at least a night when gilbert gottfried performs at carolines on thursday june 23
with a career in comedy that spans four decades mr gottfried has done just about everything reality shows roasts saturday night live movies with andrew dice clay and one with disney he is perhaps most famous for crossing the lines of good taste in his epic joke in the documentary the aristocrats or when he told what the columnist frank rich wrote may have been the first public 911 gag
he rarely does stand up sets in the city but when he does its usually at carolines where he shows off his creative filthy and utterly singular mind in a superb profile the critic jay ruttenberg wrote that his stand up evokes the stars of the old borscht belt it is their anarchic sensibility that gottfried covets reveres and upholds he wrote of the fabled funny old men he is the youngest 212 757 4100 carolinescom


werner herzog whose enthusiasm for human development led him to some of mankinds earliest communications in cave of forgotten dreams extends his fascination in lo and behold reveries of the connected world colored in both awe and whimsy this documentary explores the internet and the technologies it has spawned or aided from a brief history of the internets beginnings in the 1960s to stories of abusive cyberbehavior to interviews with roboticists astronomists and spaceflight futurists the film muses where this new age might be headed
lo and behold screens on sunday june 19 the start of the last week of the eighth annual bamcinemafest always a fine survey of indie documentaries comedies and dramas among other worthy views this week are joshy an amusing bro medy by jeff baena wednesday and morris from america friday a coming of age story that won two awards at sundance including a special jury prize for craig robinsons touching performance as a father raising his son in germany bamorg


its a perfect show for the age of brexit a woman is found dead at the midpoint of the channel tunnel half her body in france and the other half in britain and detectives from both countries are called to investigate but what begins as one murder becomes two with the bodies bisected at the waist and positioned to form a single corpse in the tunnel debuting sunday june 19 on pbs look she comes apart like the eurozone the butcher   nicknamed the truth terrorist because he claims to kill to shed light on societal woes   later taunts
adapted from the bridge the scandinavian noir set on the oresund bridge linking sweden and denmark and centered on the socially inept detective saga noren the tunnel hews closely to the original clemence poesy portrays the french detective elise wasserman standing in for noren as a brilliantly odd bird stephen dillane is her british counterpart karl roebuck who half jokingly wonders if her bad manners are because shes gallic above ground the setting volleys between the white cliffs of dover and the beach of calais you might have seen the story before an adaptation on fx placed the body on the united states mexico border but not played out quite like this


florence italy   like baby rabbits so pale and unformed are the teenage models cast by the russian street style phenomenon gosha rubchinskiy   whose rapid ascent to cult design status was slyly overseen by the marketing masterminds of the japanese designer rei kawakubos company comme des garcons
response to an instagram call for potential models for mr rubchinskiys show at pitti uomo the mens wear trade show here was so overwhelming that it crashed an assistants email account
selfies flooded in from around the world they were sent by mr rubchinskiys impassioned followers self styled citizens of the virtual world he has conjured up online
and that is how quinn straw a 17 year old from santa ana calif found himself loafing in a makeshift backstage area at the vast and semi abandoned manifattura tabacchi   a former tobacco factory that is the least well known perhaps of the rationalist masterpieces by the italian engineer and architect pier luigi nervi
gosha thought i had a strong look said quinn who said his parents both nurses sacrificed a family vacation to help pay for his trip to florence
like all the underage models and they were almost uniformly underage he was accompanied by a chaperone in quinns case it was his mother cat the budding model added that his 76 year old grandfather vincent quinn happily provided funds for the trip because he is a fan of mr rubchinskiys clothes and even bought one of his sweaters
in a sense a fascist era cigarette factory long abandoned was an obvious place for mr rubchinskiy to hold a show given his aesthetic debt to the bleak final days of the soviet union
the moscow skate rats and street boys who have inspired his designs ever since mr rubchinskiy   a former hairdresser stylist and costume designer   first turned his talents to producing a mens wear line in 2008 were well represented by boys like anton schmidt a 16 year old from denmark and valtierri niemala another 16 year old from helsinki finland
with their white lashes complexions as smooth as a linoleum floor and their scrawny chests they embodied perfectly the age cohort that marketers of all kinds have been desperate to tap into the generation of true digital natives people who have never known a world without social media
their allegiance is fundamentally to the internet ether a no place place where lauge koch a 16 year old from copenhagen for instance can make common cause with samuel nicholas a 16 year old from yorkshire england
i dont know anyone whos done anything the likes of this from bradford mr nicholas said referring to his hometown to come to italy and model with guys from all over the world for one of the worlds biggest brands of the moment is something no one ive ever known has ever done
the success of mr rubchinskiys designs owes much to his canny and largely intuitive apprehension of the tastes of a generation for whom the circumscribed borders that traditionally defined our world have little meaning
the consumers he appeals to seem innocent of historical context homegrown brands like kappa and fila with which he collaborated for his pitti uomo outing may be cultural touchstones for millions of male italians and equally united states hip hop fans of the 1980s and anathema to rappers who insist on fetishizing french designer labels
but for millennial naifs mr rubchinskiy is the ideal interpreter of culture a designer who like them can see the inherent cool in budget labels and is able to detect the down market appeal of a drawstring fila hoodie or the old school style celebrated by the swedish rappers laettis weed or young bjorn borg
the designs are not about russia or russian style mr rubchinskiy said sitting in cutoff shorts on bleachers outside the factory building on a gorgeously bright and unusually cool florentine summer afternoon
with frenetic activity all around him   lighting people sound engineers hair burners makeup artists flacks security guards and the photographer juergen teller working in high diva mode on a top secret editorial assignment   the cherubic mr rubchinskiy seemed focused and calm
what we are doing is very internationally about this idea not of separation or isolation but of collaboration he said its about different boys from different cultures who are more about the things that put them together than that keep them apart


looking for a summer dance festival try going outside more and more new york city parks are becoming outdoor festival sites and every friday through july 8 bryant park presents modern dance hosts companies representing many contemporary styles
on friday june 24 nicole philippidiss emotionally driven inside outoutside in for her 277 dance project includes a film of an industrial space in the mott haven section of the bronx and its dancers could be factory workers earl mosleys diversity of dance presents three spirited pieces mr mosleys wild and free draft 7 clifton browns lestro armonico to vivaldi and in contrast matthew rushings red white  blues set to the star spangled banner the amy marshall dance company juxtaposes the calm of my love and solstice set to flowing music by bach with the turbulence of askew which divides dancers into two groups with constantly shifting allegiances 6 pm free bryantparkorg


a dolly parton concert can be a rapid fire event in which she appears not entirely trusting of your patience or the depth of your interest in her as one of country musics greatest singers and songwriters but last fall in nashville she played a few benefit concerts at the ryman auditorium billed as pure and simple performing with only four musicians onstage
no surprise that it was received well if you like her musicality the strength in her voice and conviction in her songs you want that and not the moat around it when she played at radio city music hall in 2008 her band was twice that size not counting the backup singers
now comes what is billed as her first major north american tour in more than 25 years with the same scaled down concept and a record also called pure and simple made up of new songs and greatest hits due in august she heads to forest hills stadium in queens on saturday june 25 and pnc bank arts center in holmdel nj on june 26 foresthillsstadiumcom banksartscentrecom


a man looks up and sees his wife expresses delight
hello my love where have you been
such a sweet and ordinary query yes but context is all as the most memorable line in incognito the cryptic new play about memory by the young british playwright nick payne it is fraught with mystery and anguish repeated on a number of occasions by the same character with more or less the same inflection of wonder and happiness it becomes a testament to the mans profound amnesia a condition that prevents him from remembering just about anything for more than a moment   aside from the face of his wife and his adoration of her
the character called henry is built on an amalgam of two famous patients in the history of neuropathology for the audience henrys plight and that of his desperate and finally defeated wife is baffling and heartbreaking but for charlie cox the 33 year old english actor who plays him it created a particular problem how do you portray a man with so few evident qualities
what is henrys character if you take away the experience of his life thus far and if you take away a feeling of knowing where he is and what hes striving for mr cox asked in a recent interview at city center where the manhattan theater club production runs through july 10 people who dont suffer from memory loss were always striving for something buy the dream house pay the mortgage something henry doesnt live in a world where thats possible because he cant build up a catalog of memories
mr cox who is making his new york theater debut is the son of a publisher of books about parliament he studied at the bristol old vic and has performed at the donmar warehouse in london he was introduced to american television audiences as owen sleater a bodyguard and criminal enforcer in the hbo series boardwalk empire
indeed as the mild tempered and largely docile henry mr cox is playing what many might consider against type a spirited conversationalist he has the bounce in his step of the soccer player he was in school and the athletic build youd expect of a superhero in his best known role he is after all the star of the netflix series daredevil based on the marvel comic book in which he plays matt murdock the blind lawyer whose alter ego is the title character an extra sensory heightened battler against international evil
among the shows distinctions are its strenuously gymnastic and violent fight scenes some of which mr cox performs   rather proudly   himself
theres a fight sequence in episode 7 of the second season where i get thrown across the room onto a coffee table which then collapses he said the first take chris did   chris brewster his stunt double   worked wonderfully well so they said i could do the second one and i did it and they used that one
henrys impaired brain aside incognito   which ben brantley of the new york times called a lively self examining drama of ideas   is a considerably more cerebral challenge structured in tantalizingly brief scenes that skip back and forth in time over a number of decades it uses minimal props and four actors mr cox geneva carr heather lind and morgan spector who play a total of 21 roles to tell three stories
one is about henry one is about albert einstein his family and the doctor who studied his brain and one is about a clinical neuropsychologist her love life and an amnesiac patient all resonate with ruminations about the relationship between character and the brain as the neuropsychologist ms carr explains to her much younger lover ms lind
the brain builds a narrative to steady us from moment to moment but its ultimately an illusion there is no me there is no you and there is certainly no self we are divided and discontinuous and constantly being duped the brain is a storytelling machine and its really really good at fooling us
in addition to henry mr coxs other roles include a conniving journalist an unpleasantly macho lawyer and hans albert einsteins son
if im totally honest with you i have to say it seems more impressive than it is its just muscle memory he said about the difficulty of playing multiple roles what has been much more difficult he said was mastering mr paynes surprising writing the leaps in logic   or illogic   that characterize his dialogue
when ive done plays in the past you get to the first performance and youve identified three or four moments where you think thats where ive really got to concentrate he said in this play there are countless moments like that
obvious examples are the moments when henry blanks out in midconversation and in mr coxs word resets
to help him with the essentially incomprehensible nature of henrys inner logic he consulted with a neuroscientist and studied   through books and videos   the real people who inspired the character henry molaison the amnesiac known in medical literature as h m who died in 2008 at 82 and clive wearing a british musicologist and musician now 78 who has had severe memory problems since 1985 because of encephalitis
in mr coxs performance the moments are characterized by a blankness of expression perhaps a faint eyelid twitch and a hiccup of silence as if the needle on a record had been lifted quickly and moved back
what i didnt want to do was always find a reason for him to look away he said because thats an easy way of doing it were having a conversation henry looks over there and when he looks back he doesnt remember you but thats not what happens to henry   the real henry
and that interested me because what i didnt understand is if youre talking to someone and suddenly you have no idea what conversation youre in or who this person is presumably that would be very frightening if that happened to me right now if we were talking and suddenly i had no idea who you were i wouldnt just continue the conversation id be confused how did we get into the room but in the play its not written in a way where henry freaks out or even wonders whats going on
heather lind who plays henrys wife said that the problem of having to make the same line fresh several times a night is simply an intensified version of the stage actors job which is performance to performance finding newness in repetition
for charlie the challenge of playing henrys character is realizing as charlie that he said the same line 10 seconds ago but that as henry hes saying it for the first time she said for me working on stage with him i get to watch the mechanism at play i get to watch him make the subtle switch i can tell hes consciously doing it but then some freshness comes out of him each time
perhaps in the end this was simply a part mr cox was destined for as he tells the story of his career a crucial moment occurred at the end of the first of what was to be a three year stint at bristol old vic he had been cast as a shepherd in a nativity play and over the summer break was instructed to learn to play the recorder
he never did however and was rescued from embarrassment only by being cast at the last moment as lorenzo in the 2004 film of the merchant of venice which starred al pacino a role that altered the arc of his professional life
why hadnt he learned to play the recorder
i had forgotten he said


when the lower east side was teeming with garment shops even a decade ago new era factory outlet had plenty of foot traffic the neighborhood today however is hardly recognizable orchard street has just as many art galleries restaurants and bars as clothes sellers and new era now does most of its business online but a few years ago robert zaiger new eras owner noticed a new kind of customer at the shop the young man looking for a tuxedo often for his first formal occasion and usually a procrastinator it wasnt the bubble gum pink suit in the window that caught his eye but a couple of dozen impassioned yelp reviewers who raved about mr zaigers service and low low prices
mr zaigers customers range from doo wop groups to costume designers from shows like saturday night live and all kinds of special event goers   a few tony awards attendees were in recently to buy tuxedos the store sells hats dress shirts and suits in nearly every color imaginable and some   red burgundy lime green   unadvisable but this time of year tuxedos are the most popular item and prom and wedding shoppers the most frequent visitors
on a recent weekday morning isaac bernstein came in for a tuxedo for a wedding at the st regis the next day mr bernstein explained his predicament and was promptly handed a size 36 short black tuxedo jacket it fit of course after more than three decades in the business mr zaiger has developed an uncanny ability to guess anyones size we always joke that i should be at coney island he said
mr bernstein climbed around cardboard boxes and brushed against rows of plastic wrapped suits to make his way to a fitting room his pants fit too and after a brief debate about a notch collar versus a shawl collar mr bernstein paid for his tuxedo he went with the notch mr zaigers wife vivian even threw in two bow ties   a pre tied one and one he would have to tie himself in case i learn to tie a bow tie in the next day mr bernstein said
the only issue mr bernstein saw was with the price the whole outfit was 99 it wasnt too much but perhaps too little a tuxedo shouldnt cost this little so for me i have to blow off a lot of questions i might have mr bernstein said mr zaiger 60 said he finds bargains at closeout sales and through importers whom he has known for ages
the whole process took no more than 15 minutes   and that was actually a long visit for a new era customer many patrons come here shopping for tuxedos they plan to wear that evening so they are on even tighter schedules later that day a young man came in two hours before his prom was scheduled to start mr zaiger said
sharjil akhter 17 had a bit more time when he came in with his mother nasima on a recent sunday morning the prom for his school bronx high school of science was in six days
mr zaiger fit him in a classic black tuxedo jacket and sent him to the dressing room to try on the full suit 99 for the tuxedo and 39 for the shoes
a few moments later mr akhter called his mother over to the dressing room to approve the fit she returned to the front of the store more than a little sentimental
he looks like a man she said


a three bedroom villa with lake views near salzburg
249 million 22 million euros
this villa built in 2012 overlooks the small town of mattsee and two lakes mattsee and obertrumer in upper austria situated on a third of an acre the property is about a seven minute walk from the shore of lake mattsee with a population of roughly 3000 mattsee is 12 miles outside the city of salzburg
the 4100 square foot three level home features a glass elevator and geothermal heating as well as programmable power switches and a high tech alarm system
the lower level is divided by a central hallway on one side of which is an apartment with a bedroom a kitchen and a bath this floor also has a sauna wardrobe areas a storage room a wine cellar and access to the attached two car garage
the ground floor which has a separate entrance is the main living area it has an open floor plan nearly 10 foot ceilings a glass front wall a fireplace and a large terrace with an automatic awning the kitchen cabinets are by siematic a thick marble slab tops the center island the appliances include many extras such as a steamer a warming drawer and a wine refrigerator
the upper level has two large bedrooms one full and one half bath a library and two private terraces reached by sliding glass doors
the grounds include a landscaped garden and a heated swimming pool with a counter current system for training
the home is well suited to people who are older or have disabilities according to a spokesman for marlies muhr real estate in salzburg which has the listing as no steps are required to enter from the driveway and all floors may be reached by way of the elevator
mattsees proximity to salzburg makes it a popular recreation spot the town of mattsee a two  or three minute drive from the house has a full array of shops and restaurants lake mattsee has beaches and a sailing school and is ringed by a walking trail mattsee is also less than an hours drive from austrias official lake district the salzkammergut with numerous lakes rolling hills and soaring mountains
market overview
the austrian housing market is quite strong with the total number of residential property sales last year up nearly 17 percent over the previous year according to a may analysis by the austrian national bank in the fourth quarter of 2015 sales prices rose nearly 8 percent over the same period in 2014
in vienna what had been robust price growth slowed to about 4 percent in the fourth quarter but since 2010 prices in the capital city have risen by more than 50 percent lately driven by sales of new condominiums the report said outside vienna prices have increased by 30 percent during that period
the inventory of available homes on or near major lakes tends to be very limited most houses are owned by families and they pass from one generation to the next said linda harpham who works with delta immobilien in bad ischl a spa town in the salzkammergut that really stops the market moving supply is further limited by restrictions on new development
properties directly on a lake   if you could get something at all   typically start at 750000 euros to 1 million euros or around 848000 to 113 million she said
who buys in austria
foreign buyers are usually looking for either a holiday retreat or a place to retire ms harpham said british buyers have traditionally made up the largest share of foreign buyers in austrias lake areas but over the last five years or so those areas have begun to attract more eastern european buyers including hungarians czechs and russians who view austria very much as a safe haven because of its stable home values she said
the foreign buyer mix is even more diverse in super prime markets like vienna which is lately attracting more buyers from the middle east switzerland the united states and hong kong according to richard buxbaum the head of residential marketing for the otto immobilien gruppe a real estate firm based in vienna
buying basics
each of austrias nine bundeslander or provinces has different regulations governing what can be built and how it may be used buyers should be aware that not all properties may be used as holiday homes but instead must be permanent residences this mattsee property is currently used as a second home and may continue to be according to the muhr agency
there are additional restrictions on buyers from outside the european union these buyers must apply for a special permit from the land transfer authorities granting them permission to acquire real estate
transaction costs usually add up to around 10 percent of the purchase price this includes the 35 percent property tax a 11 percent land registry fee about 2 percent for lawyers fees and 36 percent to the agent mr buxbaum said
citizens of european union countries should not have trouble obtaining financing   usually for up to 60 percent of the purchase price   but other foreigners may find the banks more reluctant ms harpham said
websites
town of mattsee mattseeat
guide to buying property in austria ottoatdownloadsottobuying guide austrianaspx
austrian tourist office austriainfous
languages and currency
german euro 1 euro  113
taxes and fees
there is no annual property tax
contact
marlies muhr marlies muhr real estate 011 43 662 431 545 muhr immobilienat


ono island ala
what a beachfront cottage with three bedrooms and three bathrooms
how much 800000
size 1664 square feet
price per square foot 481
setting ono island is a residential community on perdido bay and the old river on the florida border the island is about five and a half miles long and a half mile wide with about 1100 houses development started in the early 1970s after a bridge connected the island to orange beach ala most of the older houses are like this one simple frame cottages newer construction varies this house faces south on a sandy lot dotted with pin oaks with 100 feet of frontage on the river the nearest grocery stores and other services are in orange beach pensacola fla is about 25 miles away
indoors the single story cottage was built in 1982 it has an open floor plan and faces south over the old river with oak floors and extensive knotty cypress paneling throughout
the ceiling in the great room pitches up to about 16 feet in addition to a wood burning fireplace which has a brick chimney stretching to the roofline the room has french doors opening to a sunroom overlooking the river the sunroom is heated and cooled though its 240 square feet are not counted in overall square footage the kitchen has butcher block countertops and a wood breakfast bar separating it from the dining area
the master bedroom is set away from the other two both the master and one of the other bedrooms have french doors opening to a deck that runs across the back of the house also connecting to the sunroom theres a storage room below the house
outdoor space the lot is four fifths of an acre with a wooden walkway leading from the house to a dock and a small boathouse on 100 feet of deepwater frontage deck space totals 2200 square feet
taxes approximately 1870 a year
contact barbara mcdaniel remax of orange beach 251 978 8639 barbaramcdanielnet

pikesville md
what a contemporary with four bedrooms and three and a half bathrooms
how much 829000
size 3577 square feet
price per square foot 232
setting pikesville is a census designated place with about 30000 people within 15 miles of downtown baltimore and the inner harbor this contemporary is on a sloping wooded lot off a dead end road surrounded by wooded space entrusted to the county the property is about a five minute drive from shopping around man made quarry lake and from i 83 which leads into the city
indoors the house was built in 1985 and updated within the last 10 years the exterior is cedar with sharply angled roofs and walls of glass facing the woods
the interior is bright and open plan with few interior walls and a mix of vaulted and pitched ceilings rising more than 25 feet there are an entry level and two lower levels following the grade of the land floors in most rooms are bamboo parquet
the front door opens to a foyer followed by a living area and a den on one side and a dining area and a kitchen on the other the living area has a wall of windows and a tall pitched ceiling the den has a fireplace and sliding glass doors opening to a deck the kitchen is a skylit area with stainless steel appliances including an aga range and an asko dishwasher the house runs on a geothermal waterfurnace system drawing on three wells hidden at the end of the driveway
one of the bedrooms is on the first floor from the foyer one can look over a partial wall into the lower level where there are three additional bedrooms and a family room the master one of the three bedrooms downstairs has a wall of glass facing the woods and is part of a suite with a bathroom with a soaking tub and a sauna
the family room has a double height wall of windows stretching up through the entry level on the lowest level is a recreation room with doors that open to the yard
a spiral staircase in the foyer leads to a sitting room with a wall of glass and a small balcony the property also has a two car garage
outdoor space the lot is 121 acres mostly wooded
taxes 7388 a year
contact harriett wasserman berkshire hathaway homeservices penfed realty 410 458 5300 wassermanteamcom

providence ri
what a victorian with six bedrooms and three and a half bathrooms
how much 835000
size 3747 square feet
price per square foot 223
setting this house is on a tree lined residential street in college hill a historic neighborhood that is home to brown university and the rhode island school of design the area is architecturally mixed but has many victorians and other late 19th century styles across the street from this house is the moses brown school a private quaker school for children from prekindergarten through 12th grade on a 33 acre campus thayer street the neighborhoods cafe restaurant and gallery corridor is a few blocks away downtown providence is within two miles
indoors the three story house was completed in 1886 and updated within the last seven years a hefty victorian with a brick walled exterior on the first floor and clapboard on the second and third it sits back from the street with a gabled roof and a turret to the right of the entryway
most of the interior has been preserved including wood floors molding and paneled wainscoting the living room in the turret has a rounded wall of windows with southern exposure both it and the adjoining dining room have fireplaces a sunroom has walls of windows on three sides
the kitchen updated during renovations has stainless steel bosch appliances and white wood cabinets lighting is contemporary throughout there is a wood paneled butlers pantry with an additional sink and counter
bedrooms are on the second and third floors the master is in the turret with a rounded wall of windows and a gas fireplace it is in a suite with a walk in closet and a bathroom which like the others in the house was updated with stone and marble during renovations
outdoor space the lot is about a quarter of an acre with front and back yards
taxes 15100 a year
contact kevin fox residential properties ltd 401 688 5556 residentialpropertiescom


chicago   as soon as charna halpern walked backstage at the io theater here the 20 or so comedians in the room got quiet their eyes focused on her they were about to perform for a full house but she was the only audience that mattered
every year ms halpern 63 the co founder and owner of the io sees hundreds of performers do five minutes before she picks 15 to present to the producers of saturday night live in a summer showcase getting to this final 15 is the golden ticket of chicago comedy and there are many stories of unknowns like the current cast members cecily strong and vanessa bayer cashing it in for stardom ms halpern wearing a blue shirt with slits down the arms and comfortable slippers told the comics to not be nervous then asked for questions silence walking out the door on her way to her front row seat ms halpern described what she just saw with characteristic bluntness young and afraid
the name del close is better known and second city here and the upright citizens brigade in new york get the lions share of attention but ms halpern is the overlooked powerhouse of improv the woman who with little fanfare has played a major role in shaping the current comedy boom she provided a launching pad to some of comedys most famous names   she introduced tina fey to amy poehler who took her first improv class from ms halpern   and helped transform improvisation from a marginal art form into a bustling business with five theaters in new york alone devoted to it and thousands of students taking classes around the world and cultural force that rivals stand up
adam mckay the director and former improviser who thanked ms halpern when he won an oscar for the big short compares her to the producers who brought hip hop to the mainstream in the early days it was an art in the neighborhoods but you needed entrepreneurs like russell simmons to provide a framework for it to explode he said thats what charna did for improv
yet outside chicago ms halpern remains an obscure figure overshadowed by mr close who died in 1999 the subject of many books a new documentary and countless apocryphal sounding stories mr close has become mythic the che guevara of comedy the upright citizens brigade whose original members like ms poehler got their start at io begins its annual del close marathon on june 24 ucb really pushes him but you dont hear about charna said megan gray artistic director of magnet theater in new york del makes for a better image in part because hes not around
improv comedy had long been a male dominated field and mr close had a reputation for sexism one ms halpern disputes but part of the reason she remains obscure may be because their relationship tracked a certain gender stereotype the man as genius guru supported by the tough woman who does the less glamorous behind the scenes work
she was not the artist that del was nor did she pretend to be said ms strong whom ms halpern encouraged to audition for saturday night live
shes great at choosing the right people and creating this home ms strong added
ms poehler described her as an inspirational model of female leadership at io there were a lot of funny powerful women onstage and charna was running the joint ms poehler said adding that when ms poehler started the upright citizens brigade she gained a new appreciation for ms halpern its incredibly hard to maintain the longevity she has people come and go but she stays and cleans up the mess literally and figuratively
its a sign of the complexity of her public profile that ms halpern is seen by some as a godmother of the current explosion of women in comedy but a symbol of its sexism by others
ms halpern stopped improvising years ago after experiencing hearing loss   she wears two aids   but offstage she performs the part of the gritty old school producer with brio and charm bring up new york comedy with ms halpern in an interview at the io and she says with swagger if you want to get good you come to chicago this is mecca
the first time i heard from her it was via a january email chastising me for not mentioning her in reviews of the improvised shakespeare company and tj and dave two inspired io shows after i defended myself she playfully wrote you can now say you are one of the many to get yelled at by charna halpern
a week later however ms halpern did receive publicity though not the kind she wanted a comedian in a private facebook group for women said that she had been sexually harassed by james grace at the time the artistic director of io west in los angeles and that ms halpern responded by offering her free classes ms halpern who denied doing so responded on her facebook page saying falsehoods hurt real claims of harassment adding there are times when women just like to either cause trouble or get revenge or just want attention so they make up stories
this comment set off a ferocious backlash in the comedy world that migrated from her page to the news media and theaters across the country where a discussion about sexism had been moving into the open as long as ive been in chicago the conversation about creepy dudes at io has been a constant julia weiss a comedian said in an interview charna pretends she had no idea ridiculous
susan messing a former student and improv teacher and performer here offers a slightly more sympathetic view charna comes from a world of suck it up she said sitting in the lobby of second city she trusts her employees and when you run a 7 million theater and want to think the best of people you get selective hearing
at first ms halpern stood by mr grace who has denied the accusations but as more women came forward with stories about being harassed by him she reconsidered fired him apologized for her initial comment and created a new system to field accusations of harassment
among other things the episode illustrated the challenge of transforming a scrappy comedy clubhouse into a huge institution that now includes a new complex with four theaters event spaces and beer garden she did not have the human resources department or the management which results in the problems they had said andrew alexander chief executive and executive producer of second city ms halpern said people felt scared to come to me   that broke my heart adding that the claims of sexism surprised her when i started we never thought of that i never thought about men women i was never harassed or assaulted or mistreated but i see it now she also said speaking of the backlash as horrible as it was for me in the long run something great came out of it in la everyone is much happier
improvisation is as old as creativity itself but the modern improv theater began in a very specific place and time 55th street on the south side of chicago in 1955 when the compass players put on a cabaret revue after second city opened it dominated the scene by the 1980s the second city style focused on short scenes and using improvisation as a tool to make sketches del close who joined the compass players at 23 had a more ambitious vision that improvisation could lean on longer narratives take on more elements of theater and stand alone as a distinct art form
while he dabbled in the 1960s in the harold   the long form structure of interweaving scenes that is a foundation of improv today   he didnt test his theories until he paired up with ms halpern in 1982 i told him i thought it was the future she said
together they brought structure to the harold adding an element from a short form game called time dash that moved scenes forward or backward in time we came up with the idea ms halpern said that three time dashes would be the body of the harold
ms halpern who grew up in a lower middle class jewish home in the west rogers park neighborhood of chicago started producing shows as a kid in her backyard she knew parents would pay the quarter ticket price if their children were involved so she hired a big cast after a stint teaching juvenile delinquents   where she said she learned improvisation by dealing with students   she took an improv class from the teacher jo forsberg in the 1970s and became inspired
even then mr close had a storied reputation as a teacher of john belushi and bill murray a former drug addict mr close had fallen on hard times estranged from second city and living in an apartment with no electricity ms halpern suggested they go into business together she took classes from him found him a new place and helped him open a bank account while they were never romantically involved he called her his old lady and acted like a jealous boyfriend when she brought dates around i had someone who told me you will never have a boyfriend as long as del is alive said ms halpern who is not married
in the early years ms halpern ran a school at the io known as the improvolympic before the international olympic committee threatened litigation taught classes and was one of the few female improvisers mr close was the face of the theater the resident genius while she was the approachable one del was a curmudgeon while charna explained things to you said rachel dratch who studied and performed at the io before being cast on saturday night live in 1999 charna was warm and human del was on a cloud
ms halpern encouraged mr close to codify his theories and write them down when he refused she took the initiative and wrote the first draft of truth in comedy the first long form improv bible it explained basic improv concepts like agreement known as yes and
in chicago when that book came out there was a lot of criticism that it name dropped celebrities and this and that mr mckay said but i remember going to dallas and seeing an improv troupe doing a damn good harold based purely on that book
the year after the book was published in 1994 ms halpern opened her first permanent theater space which became a magnet for talented performers like mr mckay ms fey ms poehler and david koechner anchorman ms halpern still considers this her golden era and when mr close died in 1999 the same year the upright citizens brigade opened its first permanent space in new york she worried her teachers and audience would vanish they didnt
one thing i learned early on its not about money its about your army   and thats where i was strong she said even when i was thrown out of a place in the early days andy richter would call and say where are we going i got the set and the truck sometimes i felt were going where im the leader wait for me
last month ms halpern received the ultimate honor in comedy a reference on the simpsons during our interview an employee from the ios financial division a former boyfriend handed her a screen shot of homer simpson holding a copy of truth in comedy with her byline displayed yet only del closes name was mentioned it bugs me a little she said sighing nothing i can do about it
a pioneer benefiting from and occasionally haunted by the demons of her charismatic former partner ms halpern can at times evoke a certain presidential candidate and while she rejects the idea that gender has held her back when the subject turns to the double standard facing hillary clinton she nodded her head telling a story about a female improviser who thought her notes were meanspirited but accepted similar ones from a male competitor i was a bitch and he was the genius who inspired her and told her things she just would not hear from me ms halpern said her eyes glassy she added that she understands this comes with the territory
what shes more worried about she said is how her intimidating reputation could affect her performers thats why she said she goes backstage before shows to put performers at ease people are scared because i can make decisions about who can get up in front of lorne michaels but that doesnt work she said pausing before driving home a point theres no place for fear onstage


one night in early january a little after 9 oclock a dozen netflix employees gathered in the cavernous palazzo ballroom of the venetian in las vegas they had come to rehearse an announcement the company would be making the next morning at the consumer electronics show the tech industrys gigantic annual conference for the previous year netflix had been plotting secretly to expand the availability of its streaming entertainment service then accessible in about 60 countries to most of the rest of the world up to this point netflix had been entering one or two countries at a time to lots of fanfare now it was going to move into 130 new countries all at once including major markets like russia india and south korea the only significant holdout for now was china where the company says it is still exploring potential partnerships netflix executives saw this as a significant step toward the future they have long imagined for the company a supremacy in home entertainment akin to what facebook enjoys in social media uber in urban transportation or amazon in online retailing
ted sarandos who runs netflixs hollywood operation and makes the companys deals with networks and studios was up first to rehearse his lines pilots the fall season summer repeats live ratings   all hallmarks of traditional television   were falling away because of netflix he boasted unlike a network which needs shows that are ratings home runs to maximize viewers and hence ad dollars he continued netflix also values singles and doubles that appeal to narrower segments of subscribers its ability to analyze vast amounts of data about its customers viewing preferences helped it decide what content to buy and how much to pay for it
sarandos can be an outspoken even gleeful critic of network practices in his zeal to promote what netflix views as its superior model   on demand and commercial free streaming on any device that glee was on full display in these remarks for years he said consumers have been at the mercy of others when it comes to television the shows and movies they want to watch are subject to business models they do not understand and do not care about all they know is frustration that he added is the insight netflix is built on
when sarandos was done reed hastings netflixs chairman and chief executive took the stage a pencil thin man he seemed swallowed up by the empty ballroom he squinted uncomfortably under the lights he and a number of other netflix executives had spent the morning at a meeting in laguna calif where a rare torrential rainstorm grounded air traffic forcing them to make the five hour drive to las vegas they arrived only a few hours earlier to make matters worse hastings was feeling ill
haggard and tired he stumbled irritably through his presentation but as he neared the finale hastings broke out into a small satisfied smile while you have been listening to me talk he said reading from a monitor the netflix service has gone live in nearly every country in the world but china where we also hope to be in the future even though this was only a practice run   and even though it would be a long time before anyone knew whether global expansion would pay off   the netflix executives sitting in the ballroom let out a loud sustained cheer
they had good reason to celebrate netflix since its streaming service debuted in 2007 has had its annual revenue grow sixfold to 68 billion from 12 billion more than 81 million subscribers pay netflix 8 to 12 a month and slowly but unmistakably these consumers are giving up cable for internet television over the last five years cable has lost 67 million subscribers more than a quarter of millennials 70 percent of whom use streaming services report having never subscribed to cable in their lives those still paying for cable television were watching less of it in 2015 for instance television viewing time was down 3 percent and 50 percent of that drop was directly attributable to netflix according to a study by moffettnathanson an investment firm that tracks the media business
all of this has made netflix a wall street favorite with a stock price that rose 134 percent last year easy access to capital has allowed the company to bid aggressively on content for its service this year netflix will spend 5 billion nearly three times what hbo spends on content which includes what it licenses shows like amcs better call saul and original series like house of cards its dozens of original shows more than 600 hours of original programming are planned for this year often receive as much critical acclaim and popular buzz as anything available on cable having invented the binge streaming phenomenon when it became the first company to put a shows entire season online at once it then secured a place in the popular culture netflix and chill
but the assembled executives also had reason to worry just because netflix had essentially created this new world of internet tv was no guarantee that it could continue to dominate it hulu a streaming service jointly owned by 21st century fox disney and nbc universal had become more assertive in licensing and developing shows vying with netflix for deals and there was other competition as well small companies like vimeo and giants like amazon an aggressive buyer of original series even the networks which long considered netflix an ally had begun to fight back by developing their own streaming apps last fall time warner hinted that it was considering withholding its shows from netflix and other streaming services for a longer period john landgraf the chief executive of the fx networks   and one of the companys fiercest critics   told a reporter a few months ago i look at netflix as a company thats trying to take over the world
at the moment netflix has a negative cash flow of almost 1 billion it regularly needs to go to the debt market to replenish its coffers its 68 billion in revenue last year pales in comparison to the 28 billion or so at media giants like time warner and 21st century fox and for all the original shows netflix has underwritten it remains dependent on the very networks that fear its potential to destroy their longtime business model in the way that internet competitors undermined the newspaper and music industries now that so many entertainment companies see it as an existential threat the question is whether netflix can continue to thrive in the new tv universe that it has brought into being
to hear reed hastings explain it there was never any doubt in his mind that as he told me during one interview all tv will move to the internet and linear tv will cease to be relevant over the next 20 years like fixed line telephones viewers in other words will no longer sit and watch a show when a network dictates according to hastings netflix may have begun as a dvd rental company   remember those red envelopes   but he always assumed that it would one day deliver tv shows and movies through the internet allowing customers to watch them whenever they wanted
now that future has begun to take shape the television industry last went through this sort of turbulence in the late 1970s and early 1980s when cable television was maturing previously of course television had been mostly transmitted via the public airwaves and the major networks made the bulk of their money from advertising but cable provided an indisputably better picture and the proliferation of cable networks came to offer a much greater variety of programming in time consumers concluded that it was worth paying for something   tv   that had previously been free this meant that in addition to advertising dollars each cable channel received revenue from all cable customers even those who didnt watch that channel by 2000 685 million americans had subscriptions giving them access to the several hundred channels the industry took to calling the cable bundle
hastings knew the internet would eventually compete with that bundle but he wasnt entirely sure how and so he had to be flexible sarandos says that in 1999 hastings thought shows would be downloaded rather than streamed at another point netflix created a dedicated device through which to access its content only to decide that adapting its service to everything from mobile phones to tv sets made more sense the netflix device was spun out into its own company roku in 2007 even as netflixs dvd by mail business remained lucrative and long before the internet was ready to deliver a streaming movie without fits and starts hastings directed netflix to build a stand alone streaming service
netflixs approach to what it streams has been similarly flexible at first the company focused on movies logically enough 80 percent of its dvd rentals were films but despite deals with two premium movie channels starz and epix netflix found the distribution system to be largely inhospitable netflix usually didnt get access to a new movie until a year or so after it ran in theaters it then held the distribution rights for only 12 to 18 months eventually the movie went to free tv for the next seven or eight years this frustrated customers who couldnt understand why something was there one month and gone the next or why for that matter so many titles were missing entirely from netflixs catalog
so the company shifted to television cable networks like fx and amc were developing expensive talked about dramas the kind hbo pioneered with the sopranos and the wire but these series with their complex season long story arcs and hourlong format seemed to be poor candidates for syndication unlike self contained half hour sitcoms like seinfeld which can be watched out of order
hastings and sarandos realized that netflix could become in effect the syndicator for these hourlong dramas we found an inefficiency is how hastings describes this insight one of the first such series to appear on netflix was amcs mad men which became available on the site in 2011 between its fourth and fifth seasons knowing from its dvd experience that customers often rented a full season of the sopranos in one go netflix put the entire first four seasons of mad men online at once bingeing took off
television networks lined up to license their shows to netflix failing to see the threat it posed to the established order its a bit like is the albanian army going to take over the world  jeff bewkes the chief executive of time warner famously joked back in 2010 the occasional voice warned that netflix would become too big for the industry to control but mostly the legacy media companies viewed the fees from netflix as found money streaming video on demand rights as they were called hadnt even existed before netflix asked to pay for them and because the networks didnt understand how valuable those rights would become netflix got them for very little money
everyone seemed to be a winner including the shows themselves in 2012 for instance netflix began streaming the first three seasons of breaking bad the dark drama produced by sony that ran on amc though praised by critics breaking bad had not yet found its audience
when the folks at sony said we were going to be on netflix i didnt really know what that meant vince gilligan the creator of breaking bad told me i knew netflix was a company that sent you dvds in the mail i didnt even know what streaming was gilligan quickly found out it really kicked our viewership into high gear he says as michael nathanson an analyst at moffettnathanson put it to me  breaking bad was 10 times more popular once it started streaming on netflix
this was around the time that network executives started to recognize the threat that netflix could eventually constitute to them five years ago says richard greenfield a media and technology analyst at btig who happens to be netflixs most vocal proponent on wall street we wrote a piece saying that the networks shouldnt license to netflix because they were going to unleash a monster that would undermine their business thats exactly what seemed to be happening
worse they realized that netflix didnt have to play by the same rules they did it didnt care when people watched the shows it licensed it had no vested interest in preserving the cable bundle on the contrary the more consumers who cut the cord the better for netflix it didnt have billions of legacy profits to protect
yet the networks couldnt walk away from the company either many of them needed licensing fees from netflix to make up for the revenue they were losing as traditional viewership shrank negotiations between a network or a studio and netflix became fraught as the networks understanding the value of their streaming rights sought much higher fees in some cases those negotiations broke down the starz deal for example was not renewed after it ended in 2012 chris albrecht the chief executive of starz would later describe the original deal as terrible
this was also the moment that netflix started to plot its move into original programming in 2012 sarandos began to argue internally that to stand apart from the crowd and to avoid being at the networks mercy netflix needed exclusive content that it fully controlled if we were going to start having to fend for ourselves in content sarandos says we had better start exercising that muscle now in short netflix needed to begin buying its own shows
we could see that eventually amc was going to be able to do its own on demand streaming hastings says or fx we knew there was no long term business in being a rerun company just as we knew there was no long term business in being a dvd rental company
still hastings was cautious producing original material is a very different business from licensing someone elses shows new content requires hefty upfront costs   one show alone would most likely cost more than the 30 million a year netflix reportedly once paid starz for its entire library of movies developing its own series would thrust it into the unfamiliar business of engaging with producers directors and stars back in 2006 the company set up a way to distribute independent films called red envelope entertainment but it failed and hastings shut it down we would have been better off spending the money on dvds he told me now it was going to give original content another try   with much higher stakes
sarandos had a show he was itching to buy house of cards a political drama that was being pitched by david fincher the well known director and would star kevin spacey sarandos knew that according to netflixs vast database many of the companys subscribers liked the kind of drama that fincher and spacey wanted to make but algorithms alone werent the deciding factor he and hastings figured that fincher who directed films like fight club and the social network would create a critical and popular sensation
in any case sarandos said the potential reward vastly outweighed whatever financial and reputational risk house of cards represented if it is a flop we will have overpaid for one series he told hastings but if it succeeds we will have changed the brand
in winning over fincher sarandos faced two other obstacles a competing offer from hbo which also wanted house of cards and the fact that no one had ever made a show for a streaming service before for decades when movies went straight to video without a theater run they were ipso facto failures in hollywoods view for a seasoned director like fincher picking netflix presented the same risk of marginalization sarandos overcame both by offering freedom and money there are a thousand reasons for you not to do this with netflix he told fincher but if you go with us well commit to two seasons with no pilot and no interference sarandos also offered fincher a reported 100 million for 26 episodes at the high end for an hourlong drama
the first season of house of cards became available in february 2013 it was an immediate hit with viewers and critics five months later netflix posted the first season of orange is the new black which sarandos had ordered before house of cards went into production critics lavished praise on the new show as well having begun its life as a silicon valley tech company netflix had somewhat improbably become a television network
reed hastings doesnt have an office my office is my phone he says i found i was rarely using my cubicle and i just had no need for it it is better for me to be meeting people all around the building on the several occasions i interviewed him at the companys headquarters in los gatos calif we met in the cafeteria although netflix employees describe him as an intense blunt boss hastings comes across in public as relaxed and undefensive he spent our interviews leaning back in his chair his arms folded and legs crossed tossing off answers to my questions as if it were a day at the beach
born and raised in the boston suburbs   his great grandfather was the wealthy investor alfred lee loomis who played a critical role in the invention of radar   hastings now 55 is one of those tech executives who came to california to attend stanford grad school for computer science in his case and never left the tech company he ran before netflix was called pure software which made debugging tools for software engineers before netflix hastings had no experience in the entertainment industry
although news coverage now tends to focus on its shows netflix remains every bit as much an engineering company as it is a content company there is a reason that its shows rarely suffer from streaming glitches even though at peak times they can sometimes account for 37 percent of internet traffic in 2011 netflix engineers set up their own content delivery network with servers in more than 1000 locations its user interface is relentlessly tested and tweaked to make it more appealing to users netflix has the ability to track what people watch at what time of day whether they watch all the way through or stop after 10 minutes netflix uses personalization algorithms to put shows in front of its subscribers that are likely to appeal to them nathanson the analyst says they are a tech company their strength is that they have a really good product
it is no surprise that hastings given his engineering background believes that data above all else yields answers   and the bigger the data set the better the worst thing you can do at netflix is say that you showed it to 12 people in a focus room and they loved it says todd yellin the companys vice president of product innovation he likes to note that customers will at most consider only 40 to 50 shows or movies before deciding what to watch which makes it crucial that the company puts just the right 50 titles on each subscribers screen all the data netflix collects and dissects can yield surprising correlations for example viewers who like house of cards also often like the fx comedy its always sunny in philadelphia
there is another underappreciated aspect of netflix that hastings views as a competitive advantage what he calls its high performance culture the company seeks out and rewards star performers while unapologetically pushing out the rest
one person who helped hastings create that culture is a woman named patty mccord the former head of human resources at pure software she was also hastingss neighbor in santa cruz she car pooled to work with him and socialized with his family on weekends i thought the idea for netflix was kind of stupid she told me but she trusted hastingss instincts and wanted to keep working with him her title was chief talent officer
the origins of the netflix culture date to october 2001 the internet bubble burst the year before and netflix once flush with venture capital was running out of money netflix had to lay off roughly 50 employees shrinking the staff by a third it was reeds first layoffs mccord says it was painful
the remaining 100 or so employees despite working harder than before enjoyed their jobs more mccord and hastings concluded that the reason was that they had held onto the self motivated employees who assumed responsibility naturally office politics virtually disappeared nobody had the time or the patience there was unusual clarity mccord says it was our survival it was either make this work or were dead mccord says hastings told her this is what a great company feels like
as luck would have it the dvd business took off right around the time of the layoffs by may 2002 netflix was doing well enough to go public selling 55 million shares at 15 a share with the 825 million netflix reaped from the offering hastings started hiring aggressively again this time he and mccord focused on hiring fully formed adults in their words go getters who put the companys interests ahead of their own egos showed initiative without being asked and embraced accountability dissent and argument were encouraged even demanded
for those who fit in netflix was a great place to work   empowering and rational there are no performance reviews no limits on vacation time or maternity leave in the first year and a one sentence expense policy do what is in the companys best interest but those who could not adapt found that their tenure at netflix was stressful and short lived there was pressure on newcomers to show that they had what it took to make it at netflix those who didnt were let go reed would say why are we coming up with performance plans for people who are not going to work out  mccord says instead netflix simply wrote them a check and parted ways
mccord also convinced hastings that he should ask himself a few times a year whether he would hire the same person in the same job if it opened up that day if the answer was no netflix would write a larger check and let the employee go if you are going to insist on high performance mccord says then you have to get rid of the notion of retention youll have to fire some really nice hard working people but you have to do it with dignity
i held the hands of people weeping saying i want to be here forever  mccord says i would tell them nothing lasts forever i would say to reed i love them too but it is our job to be sure that we always have the right people 
in 2004 the culture was codified enough for netflix to put it on a sequence of slides which it posted on its corporate website five years later it is an extraordinary document 124 slides in all covering everything from its salaries it pays employees what it believes a competitor trying to poach them would to why it rejects brilliant jerks cost to effective teamwork is too high the key concept is summed up in the 23rd slide were a team not a family it reads netflix leaders hire develop and cut smartly so we have stars in every position
after hastings the executive i spent the most time with at netflix was yellin a former independent filmmaker who joined the company in early 2006 when he was in his early 40s yellin quickly distinguished himself by pushing back hard whenever he thought hastings was wrong about something there was a culture of questioning but i pushed the envelope he says he also helped develop a style of meeting that id never seen before at the one i sat in on there were maybe 50 people in a small circular room with three tiers of seats like a tiny coliseum allowing everyone to easily see everyone else the issue at hand seemed pretty small to me they were discussing whether montages on the opening screen of the user interface would be more effective in keeping subscribers than still images or trailers but the intensity of the discussion made it clear that the group took the matter very seriously various hypotheses had been tested by sending out montages to 100000 or so subscribers and comparing the results with another 100000 who got say still images this is classic ab testing as its known every person present had something to say but while there were strong disagreements no ones feathers seemed ruffled
one of my last interviews at netflix was with tawni cranz the companys current chief talent officer who started under patty mccord in 2007 five years later mccord her mentor left when i asked her why she visibly flinched she wouldnt explain but i learned later that hastings had let her go
it happened in 2011 after he made his biggest mistake as chief executive he split netflix into two companies   one to manage the dvd business and the other to focus on streaming customers were outraged for many the move meant a 60 percent price increase if they kept both the dvd and the streaming service with complaints mounting and subscribers canceling hastings quickly reversed course and apologized in the three weeks following this episode the price of netflix shares dropped 45 percent and wall street questioned the companys acumen hastings decided to re evaluate everyone in the executive ranks using the litmus test mccord taught him would he hire them again today one of the people this led him to push out was mccord
it made me sad she said when i called to ask her about it i had been working with reed for 20 years netflix had just given the go ahead to house of cards and mccord said she didnt want to walk away in the middle of the next thing
but she also felt a sense of pride she was gratified that hastings had taken her advice so thoroughly to heart
bill murray wearing a tuxedo with no tie stepped out of a black car and meandered through a throng of people toward ted sarandos it was a crisp night in december and murray had just arrived at the new york premiere of a very murray christmas a loosely structured thinly plotted musical comedy special directed by sofia coppola and including guest appearances by george clooney chris rock michael cera and others in the fall of 2014 when coppola and murray first cooked up the idea they went straight to sarandos by then a year and a half after house of cards became available netflix had a reputation for deep pockets marketing savvy and a hands off policy with the talent the idea of doing away with a pilot born of desperation when sarandos was wooing fincher had now become netflixs standard practice much to the delight of producers and directors
ted murray said as they shook hands warmly you should get a promotion he grabbed sarandos by the lapels pulled him close and added loudly you are the future the two men laughed uproariously
from the time he arrived at netflix in 2000 sarandos has had the final say on both netflixs licensing deals and its original programming an arizona native sarandos was working for a large video retail chain when hastings hired him to negotiate dvd deals directly with the studios sarandos had been in love with movies all his life he worked his way through college by managing an independent video store if he had chosen a different path its easy to imagine him having become a traditional hollywood executive instead of an industry antagonist
when the networks complain about netflix sarandos is the one who usually shoots back netflix doesnt publish ratings ratings he says are irrelevant to netflix because the only number that matters is subscriber growth netflix doesnt need to aggregate viewers for advertisers and it doesnt care when consumers watch their shows whether its the day they are released or two years later netflix spends too much money for its shows big data helps us gauge potential audience size better than others sarandos told me
at an investment conference late last year david zaslav the chief executive of discovery communications which operates the discovery channel articulated the case for having networks rethink their relationship with netflix streaming video on demand platforms only exist because of our content zaslav said in an obvious reference to netflix to the extent that our content doesnt exist on their platforms   not to be too pejorative   they are dumb pipes we as an industry are supporting economic models that dont make sense
sarandos who had spoken earlier in the day had clearly anticipated the criticism zaslav says that we built a great business on their content he said thats just not true we did not renew their deal when they wanted a premium so we replaced it with other programming that got us just as many viewers for less money
those who think netflix will come to dominate television have a simple rationale netflix has exposed and taken advantage of the limitations of conventional tv the more time people spend on netflix   its now up to nearly two hours a day   the less they watch network television our thesis is that bingeing drives more bingeing says greenfield the wall street analyst once people start watching shows that dont have commercials they never want to go back waiting week after week for the next episode of a favorite show he says is not a good experience for consumers anymore
still despite the rise in netflixs share price over the past few years the company has no shortage of doubters on wall street some distrust netflixs numbers arguing that millions of people no longer watch the service anymore but keep their subscriptions because they are so inexpensive netflix has announced that it will raise prices this year and the netflix skeptics believe the price increase will cause subscribers to cancel in droves other critics note the slowdown in the growth of domestic subscribers by far the companys most profitable segment in addition netflix between its content costs and the cost of adding subscribers is spending more than it collects in revenue how long can that continue
finally the pessimists point out that netflix makes very little profit in the first quarter of this year for instance netflix had nearly 2 billion in revenue but only 28 million in profit despite the significant moves by netflix into original programming wall street still values netflix more like a platform company   a business that uses the internet to match buyers and sellers like uber   than a content company like a studio or a network its valuation is currently 5 billion more than sony for example hastings who has been very blunt about the companys strategy of plowing money back into the business has promised bigger profits sometime in 2017 whether he can deliver on that promise will be a significant test of investors faith in him
one of the most prominent netflix skeptics is michael pachter a research analyst at wedbush securities a los angeles based investment bank in his view netflixs true advantage in the beginning was that it had the entire game to itself and the networks not realizing how valuable streaming rights would be practically gave them away he had a buy on the stock from 2007 to 2010 he told me but he added referring to those years when netflix had streaming all to itself if its too good to be true then it will attract competition
now he said the networks and studios are charging higher fees for their shows forcing up netflixs costs netflix doesnt own most of the shows that it buys or commissions like house of cards so it has to pay more when it renews a popular show in addition to the money it now spends on content it also has more than 12 billion in future obligations for shows it has ordered the only way it can pay for all of that is to continue adding subscribers and raise subscription rates and even then pachter says the networks will extract a piece of any extra revenue netflix generates it is naive to think that netflix can raise its price by 2 a month and keep all the upside he said i defy you to look at any form of content where the distributor raises prices and the supplier doesnt get more thats the dumbest thing i ever heard
netflix pachter concluded is caught in an arms race they invented he compared netflix to a rat racing on a wheel staying ahead only by going faster and faster and spending more and more as its costs continue to go up it needs to constantly generate more subscribers to stay ahead of others
and if that doesnt happen if subscriber growth were to stall for instance then wall street would stop treating it as a growth stock and its price would start falling slower growth would also increase the cost of taking on more debt to pay for its shows the company would be forced to either raise subscription prices even higher or cut back on those content costs or do both which could slow subscriber growth even further netflixs virtuous circle   subscriber growth and content expenditures driving each other   would become a vicious circle instead
five years from now will the networks have taken the steps they need to prevent netflix from dominating television will they have improved their technology withdrawn most of their shows from netflix or embraced streaming without sacrificing too much of their current profits or is netflix in the process of disintermediating them offering consumers such an improved viewing experience that the networks will instead be pushed to the sidelines
matthew ball a strategist for otter media who writes often about the future of television thinks the latter is more likely he says that today when you have a cable subscription you have access to hundreds of channels   in effect they all share you as a customer the cable bundle puts you in a television ecosystem and you flip from one show to the other depending on what you want to watch in the emerging on demand world television wont work that way all the networks will have their own streaming service and customers will have to pay a fee for every one the days when networks could make money from people who never watch their shows will end
one consequence is that networks will have to have one on one relationships with their viewers   something they have little experience with and which netflix with its ability to personalize its interactions with its 81 million customers has mastered another consequence is that as streaming becomes the primary way people watch television they are highly unlikely to pay for more than a small handful of subscription tv networks what they will want ball believes is a different setup companies that offer far more programming than any one network can provide netflix clearly has already created that kind of ecosystem netflix is abc it is discovery it is amc it is usa and all the other networks ball said its subscribers dont say i love netflix for westerns but ill go somewhere else for sci fi the old model just doesnt work in an on demand world
in this vision of the future netflixs most potent competitor is likely to be amazon which is also developing an extensive array of content including many of its own original shows early on it too produced a highly praised series transparent it too has no allegiance to the cable bundle and it has the kind of revenue   exceeding 100 billion   that neither the networks nor netflix can approach compared to the networks netflix may have an imposing war chest but in a fight with amazon it would be outgunned
according to ball what netflix is counting on to maintain its primacy and to start making big profits is unprecedented scale thats where the effort to create a global network the one that was announced in january at the consumer electronics show comes in in april when the company announced its first quarter results it said it had added 45 million international subscribers yet success and profits are still some way off as hastings is the first to acknowledge
youtube he notes is available in more than 50 languages netflix can be seen in only 20 languages netflix was primarily attracting people in its new countries who speak english as it races to localize its service in each country netflix is ordering shows with an international flavor like narcos but so far it has only a handful up and running netflix wants to make the best bollywood movie thats ever been produced hastings told an indian publication it wants to make japanese anime it wants to make local films for every market it wants global rights when it licenses shows   something that once again contravenes hollywoods conventional business model in which rights are sold on a country by country basis the company still has much to learn about each countrys quirks and tastes and customs and it will be a while before it can hope to earn a profit from its global customers
to my surprise hastings spoke to me about the current moment as a period of stability it took me a while to understand what he meant given how unstable the television industry seems to be right now but netflix has spent much of its existence zigging and zagging responding to the pressures of the marketplace
when we were in the dvd business hastings said it was hard to see how we would get to streaming then it was hard to see how to go from a domestic company to a global one and how to go from a company that licensed shows to one that had its own original shows now it knew exactly where it was going our challenges are execution challenges he told me
asked what the competitive landscape would look like five years in the future he returned to the analogy he used earlier with the evolution of the telephone landlines had been losing out to mobile phones for the past 15 years he said but it had been a gradual process the same he believed would be true of television
there wont be a dramatic tipping point he said what you will see is that the bundle gets used less and less for now even as hulu and amazon were emerging as rivals he claimed that the true competition was still for users time not just the time they spent watching cable but the time they spent reading books attending concerts
and hastings was aware that even after the bundle is vanquished the disruption of his industry will be far from complete prospective threats he mused when i asked him about all the competition movies and television could become like opera and novels because there are so many other forms of entertainment someday movies and tv shows will be historic relics but that might not be for another 100 years


a friend whom i like and admire a great deal applied for a teaching job at a private school where my wife used to work and where she and i maintain friendly connections with top decision makers on the face of it our friend exceeded all qualifications for the job and my wife and i each wrote glowing recommendations for him including to the head of the department to which he was applying we thought he was a slam dunk for the position
to our surprise he didnt get it and in the aftermath he was eager to know what went wrong emailing me twice to ask whether i had heard anything my wife subsequently had lunch with the department head who told her frankly that he had made a bad impression that he seemed too full of himself alienating several people who interviewed him and watched him teach a class
i still believe that the school missed out on an exceptional teacher yet knowing him i can understand how he might have created this impression hes a person who works too hard to impress and his energy can be over the top at times you want to find the volume knob and turn him down a notch im guessing also that hes the kind of teacher who is effective in a cult of personality way   a teacher who is a character and whom many students will revere but some may resist this may have turned people off
the friend knowing that my wife was having lunch with the department head emailed me again to ask how it went my question is whether to tell him what i learned a couple of things concern me first while the department head did not specifically request that my wife not pass along the content of her conversation it is quite possible that she assumed my wife wouldnt do so and my wife is reluctant to do so second i have to admit that im reluctant to give my friend news that will vex him he and i had each assumed that he was passed over for a targeted hire and not that he had in fact been judged adversely learning that he was in fact personally rejected will be upsetting to him on the other hand it might help him adjust for such situations in the future
its interesting and a bit perplexing to find yourself in this kind of ethical quandary you tend to think you should always have a gut instinct for what is right to do but in this case i dont name withheld
just as you are morally bound to respect a reasonable expectation you have created whether or not you used the formula i promise so the demands of confidentiality extend to cases in which there is a reasonable expectation that youll honor it even if you werent explicitly asked to the person who spoke to your wife would have been well advised to be explicit however what goes on in job interviews is usually the business of only people in the decision making chain you clearly feel the force of this consideration but you also think the information could help your teacher friend adjust his style in future interviews for this prospect to weigh against the presumptive breach of confidentiality it would have to be a good thing is it
notice that youre not worried the interviewers got a misleading impression of your friends temperament and teaching style you believe they got an accurate one and didnt take to it if thats so you may be able to help him interview better   by hiding the side of him that put the interviewers off yet the school may have had good cause to avoid a teacher who is as you put it effective in a cult of personality way
theres another reason it might be good to tell him what happened though our country is full of people convinced that theyve lost out through affirmative action to less qualified minorities sometimes they have very often they havent for one thing you can be right that a white candidate lost out to a targeted hire but wrong to think that you were that white candidate its not just his self esteem thats being defended by this consoling thought its a false belief that relates to an important social question i would say the expectation of confidentiality wins out here but the reason youre having a hard time deciding is that its a close run thing
i just discovered that my upstairs neighbors in my very small co op of five units are renting their apartment on airbnb i only discovered this when my partner recognized a guy from the neighborhood in our stairwell and asked if he was a friend of the neighbors he said that he wasnt his mother is in town and has been renting the apartment through airbnb rather than staying in a hotel
upon finding their actual listing on the site i learned that they are renting the apartment for nearly 400 a night and have had at least six renters based on the reviews on their page they didnt alert anyone in the building that they were doing this and it violates our co ops rules i believe it also violates new york city law but im a little vague on that
my real issue is that there are strangers in our building and it makes me feel unsafe my partner says that no one who can afford their price would do anything damaging to us or the building and thinks im crazy for being annoyed with them obviously im also jealous of their extra income who wouldnt want an extra thousand dollars at least a month
how do i confront this do i confront it at all i dont necessarily want to get them evicted but i do want them to know they are violating my trust and not being good neighbors thoughts cs brooklyn
your co op has rules your neighbors are violating them to their financial advantage if they want a change in the rules they should ask for a change putting your anxiety and envy to one side the real issue here is that your upstairs neighbors are not doing their part in a common enterprise based on a shared understanding of course you have to figure out how to handle this even if affluent short term renters arent dangerous angry neighbors can be no doubt a printout of the airbnb page mailed to the co op board anonymously would force the issue
i am a filmmaker and recently graduated from a university i was shocked when by a stroke of good luck hard work and fortunate timing i managed to get myself booked onto a huge advertising job the work was extremely fulfilling fast paced and well paid
despite this i couldnt shake the feeling that the company i was working for a giant tech company was using me to sell a product that is made by employees who make very low wages and work very long hours not only did i feel bad for my role in pushing products onto consumers but worse i felt very guilty knowing that the extremely high figure i was being paid for a weeks work might be two years worth of work for the people who made the things i was selling at the same time this job fell from the sky at a time of extreme financial need and i really enjoyed it
my question is how can i navigate this situation in the future i enjoy the fast pace of advertising and the creative opportunities it brings but i am acutely aware that i am becoming part of the inequality machine every time i accept work like this name withheld
i commend you for your concern about the moral standing of your employer but your characterizations are pretty broad brush big corporations like every collective human endeavor have good effects and bad ones and sometimes it can be hard to be sure which predominates on a global level extreme poverty has decreased by more than 50 percent since 1990 as countries like china and india entered the world economy could your tech company have played a role in that is it really just a wart on the face of history still if you remain convinced that giant tech is evil you might spare yourself some anxiety and step aside for someone who will do the work with a less  burdened heart if this company wants you there are bound to be plenty of other bidders for your services


your show united shades of america debuted this year on cnn but one of your side gigs is co hosting a podcast called denzel washington is the greatest actor of all time period when you ask whos the greatest of all time period you hear a lot of the same actors de niro pacino dicaprio why cant it be denzel the podcast has also become in part about diversity in hollywood but the people who listen to the podcast get really mad if we dont talk about denzel washington enough
recently you were on the radio show wits and you did a speed round of the am i racist game where you joked that you could do it for hours part of me thinks that could be really handy but it must be a burden ive turned the annoying questions that white people ask into a career so i understand thats where i live
do you have white friends who ask you about their racism a lot you know that quote some people are born into greatness some people have greatness thrust upon them some people are born into racism some people have racism thrust upon them i spent a lot of my youth not knowing how to answer all those questions feeling like i didnt have access to the black experience because i wasnt black the way i was told the black experience was going i was like dude im in the same private school that you are im not around a lot of black people either
how did you get out of that mind set i started reading a lot about muhammad ali i thought this is the guy i relate to i felt like i could find my place in blackness
alis death like princes sparked another conversation about the idea of celebrities transcending race i got so offended by that if you say i dont care if muhammad ali was a muslim or not he was just great what youre really saying is i dont care about muhammad ali same with prince being black when you say i dont care about muslims or blacks this person was great what youre saying is i hate muslims and blacks but in this one case i like this person so much im making an exception
its a privilege of whiteness not to think of yourself as white or as having a race yeah part of the next stage of my career is sort of encouraging liberal white people to claim their whiteness when the good white people of the left wont claim their whiteness they think theyre doing a good thing when theyre actually opting out of americas biggest and most defining problem
your wife is white and youve talked about how that relationship has informed your view of how white people get to choose a narrower slice of whiteness i have an upfront sort of in the trenches knowledge of white peoples trying to avoid their whiteness and replace it with something else when i met my wife we went through the whole race slash ethnicity conversation and she told me she was italian later on i find out shes a quarter italian at best for me to find out that level of detail i got to go talk to skip gates and get some dna swabs even if i find out its not something thats going to help anybody understand anything about me im african american i was born and raised in america
during the run of your one man show in the bay area you offered two for one tickets to people who came with a friend of a different race that is a thousand percent true
that sounds like a gimmick of sorts yeah its a gimmick its a gimmick to end racism if martin luther king jr had thought of it the march on washington would have looked completely different not that im criticizing martin luther king jr
did it work it did audiences were 50 percent people of color sometimes which meant that when i did jokes about racism the right people could hear the jokes i needed everybody in the room to make this work and it did i ended racism every time its just then people left and went back to their regular lives and started being racist again


thomas writes my wife and i play a game with our 5 year old in which i pretend to be a man obsessed with salad called the saladetarian she calls herself the lollipop lady and will only eat food on a stick searching for a food that could satisfy both of us my daughter suggested a miniature caesar salad wrap on a toothpick i think this is an elegant solution but my wife argues that a salad inside a tortilla is no longer a salad please resolve this dispute
i promised myself i wouldnt adjudicate this sort of thing ever since ruling in these pages that a hot dog is not a sandwich but i am simply too fascinated by your familys bizarre fantasy life to not weigh in first congratulations on teaching your 5 year old that it is her job to find some way to keep your strange needs satisfied and save your marriage given the work shes doing i think your stick itarian wife should ease up a bit whatever its called that food is unquestionably on a stick and you all should eat it


each years class of new roller coasters promises to break speed and height records this years models are no exception but this time around virtual reality is thrown in for good measure for maximum thrills dare to ride the following new rails
if whipping around on a coaster with a 90 foot high loop and twists and turns at 55 mph isnt scary enough what if that ride took you through a post apocalyptic world of alien invaders wearing virtual reality headsets passengers on the new revolution at six flags magic mountain experience the ride from the point of view of a fighter jet in the animated action scenes synced to the movement of the coaster sixflagscommagicmountain
the new egyptian themed cobras curse at busch gardens tampa bay which was to open june 17 will start with a 70 foot vertical lift that deposits riders before a giant sculpture of a snake with four foot fangs from here the twisting ride rockets off in rotating cars that go forward for a third of the ride backward for another third and then spin freely at the end park goers will pass through an egyptian ruin site that includes live snakes on display seaworldparkscombuschgardens tampa
fittingly the new roller coaster mako at the aquatic theme park seaworld orlando is modeled on a shark billed as orlandos tallest coaster mako which rises 200 feet aims to mimic the movement of a shark reaching speeds up to 73 mph the three minute thrill is classified as a hypercoaster one that offers successive hills and drops at high speed to produce a sensation of weightless suspension seaworldparkscomenseaworld orlando
six flags over georgia has just added a virtual reality experience to its dare devil dive ride you can ride it tech free or strap on wireless virtual reality headsets to whip around in a battle with aliens viewed on the screen the dc super friends themed area also new includes five family friendly rides and attractions inspired by superman and the joker among others sixflagscomovergeorgia
the new joker ride at six flags great adventure the parks 14th coaster takes passengers on a wild ride in cars that hang off the side of the track with feet dangling riders spin in their seats forward or backward regardless of the direction of the ride a motion known as free fly while the track itself rises 12 stories with two 90 degree plus drops sixflagscomgreatadventure
at more than 20 stories tall valravn the 18th roller coaster at cedar point is considered the highest coaster in the world with the fastest dive at 75 mph riders who climb the 223 foot initial hill are suspended overlooking the drop for a full terrifying four seconds before making that speedy plunge three inversions or upside down flips follow over 3415 feet of track cedarpointcom
the hot rod themed lightning rod at dollywood which was to open earlier this month goes from 0 to 45 mph on its initial 20 story climb before falling and reaching speeds up to 73 mph making it the fastest wooden coaster in the world according to the park riders will get 20 seconds of air time over the course of the 3800 foot track dollywoodcom
virtual reality comes to superman krypton coaster at six flags fiesta texas on this ride passengers are transported to a battle between superman and lex luthor via wireless headsets with movement synchronized animation you can keep up the adrenaline by making a seven story and temporarily weightless loop on the parks second new ride fireball sixflagscomfiestatexas


hotels near theme parks do more than offer a convenient respite from the lines and crowds largely aimed at families the most elaborate of them operate as park extensions with immersive design and enough amenities to ensure that you can retire to your room after a busy day and wont have to leave it again till morning the following new and improved resorts champion proximity and entertainment and many come with perks such as free shuttles to the theme park on site ticket sales early park admission and line jumping status
carlsbad calif
for extra immersion into the world of brick built characters the legoland hotel at legoland california resort has introduced rooms themed after the lego friends collection of cartoon character girls from fictional heartlake city the 12 rooms which sleep up to five include an adult bed and either a pull out trundle or bunk beds a beach house themed bathroom and lego bricks of course the 250 room hotel also offers rooms themed after its pirate adventure and kingdom or medieval collections of toys guests get early access to the nearby park free breakfast and nightly childrens entertainment friends themed rooms from 325 others from 175 legolandcom
garden grove calif
less than two miles south of disneyland the new great wolf lodge southern california above offers a sprawling 105000 square foot indoor water park to retreat to after a day with mickey and friends the entertainment at this 600 room resort gives the bigger park a run for the money it has a nine hole miniature golf course a laser lit maze and kiddie bowling along with aquatic attractions that include a six story water slide surf simulators a wave pool and a lazy river in addition to standard rooms the resort offers themed suites with cabin decor and bunk beds dining choices range from wood fired steaks to poolside hot dogs though its an attraction in its own right the resort offers a disneyland shuttle and sells tickets to the park on site rooms from 249 greatwolfcomsouthern california
orlando fla
modeled on the waterfalls and lagoons of the caribbean the new loews sapphire falls resort right is to open in july at universal studios florida water and the tropical outdoors are central themes of the 1000 room resort which will include a pool with a water slide sand beach fire pit and childrens play area in the central courtyard food leans exotic here too including a ceviche bar and rum tastings in the lobby lounge and a pool bar and grill with a seafood menu a stay at the resort includes early access to universal studios florida and universals islands of adventure with transport via land or water taxi rooms from 179 loewshotelscomsapphire falls resort
pigeon forge tenn
decorated with musical instruments and the album covers of its owner dolly parton dollywoods dreammore resort opened last summer at her great smoky mountains theme park dollywood drawing on the family and musical traditions of the south the 300 room hotel above resides on 20 acres and has childrens play areas indoor and outdoor pools a restaurant specializing in family style dinners nightly storytelling sessions and rocker lined porches on which to while away balmy evenings perks include free shuttles to the nearby park passes to reserve spots in line at its attractions and early entry each saturday rooms from 170 dollywoodsdreammoreresortdollywoodcom
shanghai
the new shanghai disney resort above top offers two hotels next to the park and to disney town an entertainment district on wishing star lake shanghai disneyland hotel offers views of the parks castle from many of its 420 rooms disney characters are everywhere from bronze statues of mickey and minnie mouse in the three story lobby to headboards that light up to evoke tinker bell amenities include indoor and outdoor pools a hedge maze and dining options ranging from buffet meals with costumed characters to refined asian cuisine with views from the top floor of the hotel rooms from 1650 renminbi about 250 shanghaidisneyresortcom
nearby the 800 room figure eight shaped toy story hotel above is filled with references to the disney pixar movies with statues of woody and buzz lightyear a splash park modeled on an alien battle and a play room with character themed slides and toys a cafe serves dim sum and noodles rooms from 850 renminbi about 130 shanghaidisneyresortcom
williamsburg va
a feeder for the thrill park busch gardens williamsburg and the living history attraction colonial williamsburg williamsburg woodlands hotel and suites has expanded its appeal to families with a new splash park right featuring water cannons and slides near the outdoor pool for adults its new huzzahs eatery restaurant serves 18th century style beers brewed locally by frank clark colonial williamsburgs master of historic foodways lodging includes breakfast access to the fun zone with activities like mini golf volleyball and storytelling and free shuttles to both parks rooms from 129 colonialwilliamsburgcom
wisconsin dells
known as the water park capital of the world the wisconsin dells combines sprawling resorts with lavish water parks one of these the 600 acre wilderness hotel and golf resort has a variety of accommodations themed after the north woods including log cabins above each with three to five bedrooms fireplace deck and gas grill next year it is to add 13 treehouses each with a slide to connect its two levels access to the resorts water parks   five indoors five outdoors   is included for all registered guests a new attraction known as a slideboard combines a tunnel water slide and an interactive video game allowing riders to earn points by pressing buttons corresponding to lights as they whiz past rooms from about 225 cabins from about 500 wildernessresortcom


the bad reputation of theme park food has been lets face it pretty well deserved all the negative aspects you might find at a state fair   sugary greasy and overpriced   minus any of the quirky homespun charm mass produced and joylessly prone to corporate tie ins its the ultimate iteration of the theme parks overriding mission to separate you from every last dollar in your pocket
but theres good news on theme park menus while the old standbys are still standing by theres been a shift recently toward food thats actually well edible your old favorites are still there funnel cakes cotton candy turkey legs but there are some decent restaurants now too some of which border on the downright respectable i sampled a bit of everything on an impulsive three park tour that included knotts berry farm and universal studios in southern california as well as dollywood in pigeon forge tenn here are some rides worth sending your taste buds on
knotts berry farm in buena park owes its success directly to the boysenberry a hybrid berry that would soon become the familys calling card walter knott began propagating the berry and his wife began selling chicken dinners on the property of their modest farm by the 1940s the dinners had become so popular that knott created a small old west town to entertain waiting diners and voila   what they call americas first theme park was born
well start with the bad news many of the vendors at knotts sell rehashed variations of the same combinations   burger hot dog chicken sandwich fries   despite having enticing names or being situated in different themed areas in the park for example i ordered a western bbq bacon burger 879 a la carte 1599 in a combo with fries and drink at sutters fine family fare in ghost town it had an unappetizingly stringy texture and didnt make up for that in flavor
so i moved on walking through camp snoopy over to the grizzly creek lodge it was a nice space with a large dining room and i was excited but the menu was almost identical burger hot dog chicken sandwich as was the menu at coasters diner at boardwalk barbecue there wasnt a barbecue item anywhere on the menu no matter where i went it was just the same burger hot dog and chicken sandwich to be fair sometimes theres a pizza and sometimes chicken tenders but its all more or less the same menu
it wasnt all bad   i had some good carne asada nachos 1059 from cantina in fiesta village the guacamole that topped them was flavorless but the meat was great it was hot and tender and had a peppery quality almost like jerky i also managed to find some actual barbecue at firemans brigade barbecue despite the disgruntled employee manning the grill who was cursing sotto voce while cooking the ribs turkey corn and garlic toast that i ordered the food was decent the giant turkey leg 1029 in particular was the best i sampled at all three parks if only because it was the only example that wasnt overwhelmingly salty
the good news is that mrs knotts chicken dinner restaurant which closed last year for renovations is open again and its well worth your time the best part you dont even have to pay for park admission 47 online by far the cheapest of the parks i visited to go the restaurant is right outside the gates of the park service is good i sat at the bar and the decor is appealing if trying a little too hard wooden tables lighting fixtures made with old ladders and mason jars lets call it modern barn
i had a traditional fried chicken dinner for 2199 that included four pieces of fried chicken a small dish of mouth puckering cherry flavored rhubarb cabbage with ham six buttermilk biscuits mashed potatoes with gravy and a slice of boysenberry pie its an absurd amount of food for the price and most of it was quite good the chicken was hot and juicy the biscuits were warm and buttery theres also a shop next door called chicken to go where you can get many of the menu items for takeout as well as large chicken buckets 22 pieces with sides for 5059 for parties
when i flew into knoxville tenn and picked up my car from the rental kiosk paula behind the desk asked me what i was doing in town i told her i was there to go to dollywood you came all the way from los angeles to go to ... dollywood she said with a disbelieving stare i nodded well you should go see my boyfriend he works there he can give you recommendations
maybe as a local she had become slightly immune to its charms but i found the 150 acre park pretty delightful dollywood founded in 1961 as rebel railroad has a very light up with people kind of vibe the music is bouncy and cheerful and the employees positively exude classic southern charm down to the parking lot tram driver who called out after us i hope you make memories worth repeating and i hope you love every moment
i dont know about memories worth repeating but i definitely found food worth re eating dollywood excels as one might expect in traditional southern fare the wonderfully titled granny ogles ham  beans is named after the grandmother of one of dolly partons close friends i ordered the fronies sampler for 1599 which came with pot roast pulled ham mashed potatoes turnip greens and a blackberry cobbler the meats were very good   not overcooked but still very tender in their own juices
i managed to find paulas boyfriend reid working at a small gift kiosk and asked where he thought i should eat personally i think backstage has the best food in the park he said get the fried green tomatoes the backstage restaurant tries to recreate the look and feel behind the proscenium at a place like the grand ole opry house or ryman auditorium there are lots of old knickknacks chests ropes lights and doors marked prop master i sat down at a table and ordered the coca cola infused ribs along with some fried green tomatoes and a banana pudding for dessert
the ribs 1899 were solid but unspectacular   a bit dry and the coca cola marinade gave them a confusing sweetness the fried green tomatoes 699 were better generous slices perfectly fried in a cornmeal batter which was a bit thick for my taste but i picked some of it off the banana pudding made me feel like an 8 year old back at my babysitters house   sweet creamy pudding with big chunks of banana mixed with crumbled up nilla wafers and topped with cool whip i noticed the name tag of my nice waitress read koke my mama named me after a coca cola bottle she said and when she went down to the courthouse she spelled my dang name wrong
other areas where dollywood really shone were with the casual finger foods the funnel cake 699 was the best of the three parks i visited   crispy on the outside hot and moist on the inside with a generous dusting of powdered sugar the cinnamon bread 599 from a place called the grist mill was a loaf of sloppy decadence about the size of my two fists together an incredible bargain by the way the loaf fresh out of the oven almost burned my hands through the paper bag i received it in the hot bread dripping with a syrupy butter mixture had a nice savory component to it as well balancing out the sweetness
lets cut to the chase at universal its all about the wizarding world of harry potter which opened last year to epic lines and mobs of robe wearing wand wielding fans it accomplishes an ambitious goal to make you feel as if youve been transported to another place the buildings are beautifully designed the shops are carefully done with great attention paid to detail a woman selling small stuffed animals called pygmy puffs rang a bell when a little girl bought one attention everyone the employee said casey here is adopting a pygmy puff and hes going to a wonderful home can i get a round of applause people clapped and the little girl positively beamed
three broomsticks is the main place to get grub and its really the only one worth your time   and that applies to the entire park exception there are a couple of decent places in the simpsons themed area including some very respectable 899 carnitas tacos from the bumblebee mans taco truck i was again impressed with the decor old lanterns and caldrons abound members of the staff are all dressed like dobby the house elf though   i wasnt sure how i felt about that my dining companion and i made a couple of friends in line and decided to order the great feast for four people 5499 it was one of the best dining bargains of any of the three parks i visited and i would go so far as to say that its objectively a good value   in or out of a theme park
you get an enormous fresh salad with italian dressing that is easily enough food for six people thats followed by the main event a gargantuan tray of food brought out by one of the cooks heres the great feast she said smiling magically prepared for you guys i asked her do they make you say that she smiled even bigger yes they do
on the tray were four big ears of corn a mountain of roasted red potatoes with grilled onions four slabs of ribs a big roasted chicken and various steamed vegetables the undercooked veggies were the only thing that was underwhelming everything else was excellent the ribs were moist and juicy the meat coming effortlessly off the bone the roasted chicken was also tender and flavored nicely with pepper lemon and garlic the potatoes were soft and savory dripping with butter
the accompanying drinks were almost as good as the food itself butterbeer the drink made famous in the novels is creamy and indulgent its essentially cream soda topped with a thick layer of foam that resembles melted ice cream the pumpkin juice is also tasty   refreshing and not overly sweet its like a nice spiced apple juice
wow said our new friends amy and kyle through mouthfuls of chicken and ribs this is pretty impressive the kitchen staff may not actually be able to work magic but with the respectable decently priced fare theyre churning out they just might fool you for a second


wooden coasters towering majestic beautifully designed classic but the same woodies that look so wondrous from afar can be rickety shaky and head jangling to ride as trains wear down their wood tracks a coaster that was once smooth becomes more and more difficult to handle over time how do you solve the problem the answer used to be to call in experts to repair the tracks but now park owners are turning to a new option replacing the wood tracks with bendable pliable steel and turning the coaster into a thrilling hybrid
one company in northern idaho rocky mountain construction has forged a business out of this practice and in the process has become responsible for turning a handful of existing wooden coasters into some of the most thrilling contemporary and innovative rides in the coaster world the rides often keep much of their look intact maintaining a lot of the wood that makes up their basic structure but now running through them is a sleek shiny colorful steel track that stands out from the wood and makes the overall attraction feel more 21st century
a signature project by the company founded by fred grubb and suanne dedmon 15 years ago is its rehabilitation of colossus a giant white wooden coaster near the parking lot at the edge of six flags magic mountain in valencia calif the dual track racing coaster had been a staple at the park since 1978 thrilling generations of riders and undergoing generations of wear and tear
the ride closed in 2014 for an ambitious reprofile a term that means taking an existing ride and changing the track to create a new experience much of the wood stayed along with the dual racing track concept but the company turned the dual track coaster into a mobius loop track where the racing happens all on one continuous track instead of on two separate ones riders leave the station riding on a blue track but instead of going back to the station their ride continues on the green track right next to the blue one they complete the second section of the ride while a new train is sent out to race theirs this extends the ride time by a full minute from the original
the track has elements that would have been unheard of on the old version of colossus like a top gun stall an inversion where the train slows down while upside down it also has a high five a part of the ride where the two tracks hit overbanked turns at the same time facing each other giving the illusion that you can reach out and high five the other riders the interactive elements make for a roller coaster experience that is as social as it is exhilarating
the work of reprofiling coasters rather than building a ride from scratch can engender creativity in interesting ways as designers must work within the limitations of an existing coaster to come up with fresh ways to improve it
one of many of the surprising elements on twisted colossus which opened in 2015 occurs before the ride gets to its first lift on the way out to the lift hill the track has a series of small bumps and curves
we thought why dont we mix it up a little bit said jake kilcup chief operating officer of rocky mountain construction its almost like its a little kiddie coaster on the way out to the lift
the creativity was born of a very technical need mr grubb and ms dedmon formed rocky mountain construction in 2001 after mr grubb realized that he was spending much of his time fixing the same wooden coasters over and over again
he collaborated with the coaster engineer alan schilke to come up with a new track technology one that wouldnt require consistent repairs one of those tracks called the ibox also known as iron horse is made up of an all steel track system that replaces the wood stacks that many wooden coaster tracks sit on the steel is more stable and more malleable allowing for wild and innovative coaster elements like inversions or overbanked turns where the train goes up on its side that traditional wood tracks had not been able to handle
the first use of the ibox track was in 2011 on the texas giant at six flags over texas in arlington this mammoth wooden coaster which originally opened in 1990 was transformed into an even more intense ride that included steeper drops and more aggressive turns
six flags took a risk on this partnership that was at the time fred working out of his garage and alan working out of his house mr kilcup said in a phone interview
that risk paid off the new texas giant was a hit garnering strong reviews and generating a renewed popularity at the park six flags went on to work on a number of collaborations with rocky mountain that involved reprofiling a coaster the six flags reprofiles have included the iron rattler at fiesta texas wicked cyclone at six flags new england and the behemoth of the bunch twisted colossus
in addition to doing reprofiles rocky mountain is continuing to innovate with original designs as well like lightning rod their newest ride at dollywood billed as the worlds fastest wooden coaster with a top speed of 73 mph and the first wooden coaster with a launch
for a while it seemed that the golden age of wooden coasters was over that theyd be outshone by their hardier steel competitors but this company may be ushering in a wooden coaster renaissance


while chris wilson 59 was moving to bushwick from clinton hill brooklyn with his husband karl brown 57 and their two children a year ago he was amazed that a nearby resident offered to move his car to accommodate the moving truck
this is a place where street parking is prime said mr wilson who bought a two bedroom two bathroom condominium with mr brown at 330 bleecker street for 750000 and somebody said would you like me to move my car so we could fit the truck in there and that says a lot about a community
mr wilson a registered nurse who spent part of the 1980s and 1990s living in the east village said bushwick has that same flavor to it and were really enjoying it
bushwick with about 113000 residents according to united states census data has seen quite a bit of change in recent years the number of hispanic residents grew to 73608 more than 65 percent of the population in 2010 an increase of 49 percent from 2000 with the number of puerto ricans declining and mexicans and dominicans growing the number of white non hispanics more than tripled from 2000 to 2010 to 9560 while the number of black non hispanics fell by almost 9 percent to 22686
the number of residents ages 20 to 34 grew by around 28 percent to 34227 from 2000 to 2010
paris smeraldo 47 who opened perhaps the first trendy restaurant in bushwick northeast kingdom in 2005 with his wife meg lipke said they recognized that another couple of stops on the l train werent going to keep people priced out of manhattan from checking out bushwick
wed been living in williamsburg and we saw what happened there   that in a few years it just blew up   and we knew it was inevitable here mr smeraldo said
now the couple have closed northeast kingdom for various reasons and moved upstate to the hudson ny area ms lipke an artist keeps a studio in bushwick mr smeraldo said northeast kingdom was thriving but he wanted it to go out at the top of its game
bushwick in the past two or three years has really become a completely different neighborhood he said theres so much more in the neighborhood   easily 30 or 40 businesses have opened in the past three years kevin adey a former executive chef of northeast kingdom and his wife debbie adey own one of them a restaurant called faro they opened last year in an old warehouse on jefferson street
bushwick a working class neighborhood that suffered looting and arson after the blackout of 1977 began gentrifying around the early 2000s when artists started looking for cheap large industrial spaces there to use as studios now the area has become associated with colorful street art
the bushwick collective is an outdoor gallery founded by joseph ficalora a local resident who gets owners to donate space on buildings for street art one main area is troutman street between cypress and irving avenues
many artists in bushwick are having problems these days with rising rents and finding studio spaces mr ficalora said he said the bushwick collective and other artists groups are working with brooklyn community board 4 which represents the area to keep bars clubs and restaurants from becoming as large a presence as they have in williamsburg we want an eclectic community he said
bushwick is a sprawling neighborhood in northern brooklyn that has broadway with its elevated train as its southwestern boundary with bedford stuyvesant that broadway boundary stretches from flushing avenue in the north down to stewart street where it runs into the beautiful evergreens cemetery then borders the cemetery to about irving avenue the northeastern boundary of the neighborhood which separates it from ridgewood queens meanders up the avenues including irving wyckoff st nicholas and cypress avenues
the avenues have a lot of art galleries boutiques restaurants and bars largely because of the proximity of the l train the area north of myrtle avenue has much more industry and a lot of heavy truck traffic
south bushwick has two  and three family houses mostly clapboard although there are some brick and limestone and even the odd brownstone this part of bushwick is more residential said justine lee mills a local resident and an agent at the corcoran group
bushwick may be one of the few neighborhoods in brooklyn where you can buy a two family rowhouse for less than 15 million and sometimes substantially less depending on the homes condition ms lee mills said
condo prices are harder to pin down they can go as low as 400000 for a studio or a small one bedroom she said a two bedroom condo in a walk up building might go for about 700000 or about 750 per square foot three bedroom condos can be hard to find she added and co ops are few
prices over all rose roughly 15 to 20 percent from 2013 to 2015 said jerry minsky an agent with douglas elliman real estate who specializes in brooklyn
as for rentals ms lee mills said many are in rowhouses with a one bedroom about 1850 to 2300 and a two bedroom around 2300 to 2800
nurtureart is a nonprofit gallery at 56 bogart street where many emerging artists are exhibited
tinas place on flushing avenue is a diner that has been in the same family since the 1930s its odd hours from 330 am to 4 pm were initially intended to cater to factory workers although the diner is now a hot spot for artists lucys vietnamese kitchen which opened last year on irving avenue has a strong following for food and entertainment under one roof a 50 seat movie theater bar and restaurant called syndicated on bogart street opened in january
the kings county brewers collective plans to open on troutman street by midsummer
the nearly seven acre maria hernandez park was named after a woman who was instrumental in fighting drug dealers with her husband carlos until she was fatally shot in 1989 the park includes basketball and handball courts and playgrounds
there are about two dozen public schools in bushwick one public school 116 elizabeth l farrell serves about 510 students in kindergarten through fifth grade according to the citys 2014 2015 school quality snapshot 22 percent of students met state standards in english compared with 30 percent citywide 38 percent met standards in math compared with 39 percent
another ps 86 the irvington serves about 410 students in kindergarten through fifth grade according to the citys 2014 2015 school quality snapshot 11 percent of students met state standards in english compared with 30 percent citywide 19 percent met standards in math compared with 39 percent
the achievement first university prep high school one of several achievement first public charter schools in bushwick serves about 275 students from grades 9 through 12 its average sat scores in 2015 were 507 in math 448 in reading and 478 in writing versus 466 in math 444 in reading and 439 in writing citywide at the bushwick leaders high school for academic excellence which serves around 280 students average sat scores were 393 in math 368 in reading and 382 in writing
the subway trip to midtown manhattan takes about 30 minutes the l train runs along wyckoff avenue and to 14th street in manhattan the m train goes to midtown the j and z to lower manhattan
from around the 1890s to 1915 brooklyn was the beer capital of the united states and we had about 45 beer breweries just in brooklyn said ron schweiger the official brooklyn borough historian since 2002
that led to the creation of brewers row along bushwick avenue where many of the brewery owners and other industry moguls built large homes


belfast northern ireland   it was just a few days shy of his 13th birthday but michael oneill was old enough to recognize that the goal he was celebrating meant more than just victory
it was june 25 1982 and the world cup was taking place in spain oneill the future coach of the northern ireland national team was in front of his parents television awaiting the biggest soccer match in his countrys history
they went there without many expectations oneill said adding but sometimes a team comes together
what happened that day in valencia would go down in northern ireland folklore gerry armstrong scored the only goal in a 1 0 group stage victory against spain and a divided country erupted in wild celebrations
it was an unbelievable night oneill said and everyone forgot about the other stuff
the other stuff euphemistically known as the troubles was a near three decade sectarian conflict between northern irelands roman catholic and protestant communities that led to hundreds of deaths at the hands of the british government and rival terrorist groups on both sides cities like belfast were divided along religious lines   sometimes literally by so called peace walls that kept the factions apart
yet for a brief moment in the summer of 1982 armstrongs goal brought them together
it didnt matter what religion they were they were totally behind us said armstrong who grew up near the staunchly nationalist falls road in west belfast everybody who was irish supported us we did what the politicians couldnt do we united the country
oneill was transfixed he went on to play for northern ireland more than 30 times and he is trying to repeat that earlier teams success as he leads northern ireland in its first ever european championships appearance in france
northern ireland qualified by finishing at the top of its group overcoming the obstacles inherent with being the second smallest nation by population at the tournament after iceland the northern ireland football league premiership is only semiprofessional leaving oneill with a tiny pool of players
we are a country with less than 40 professional players to choose from oneill said most are drawn from the lower reaches of the english and scottish league system
ive been everywhere looking for players fleetwood town burton albion doncaster luton morecambe he said at times it is not the most glamorous
player recruitment is complicated further by northern irelands history fifa the sports world governing body has a unique eligibility provision that allows players born in northern ireland to play for ireland if they choose so despite the 1982 teams containing several catholic players   notably armstrong and martin oneill who is coaching the republic of ireland at euro 2016   representing northern ireland remains problematic for some players
two members of the ireland squad competing in france   shane duffy and james mcclean   were born in northern ireland and played for its youth teams before switching to the republic for their senior debuts
mccleans decision led to his receiving several death threats representing northern ireland with its historically pro british supporter base had become too difficult he explained you are looking around as a catholic and seeing all the union jacks and listening to the fans songs and i just didnt feel at home at all he said at the time neil lennon a catholic who once captained the northern ireland side also retired as a player after receiving death threats and later received them anew as a coach at glasgow celtic
yet northern ireland today oneill and others said is almost unrecognizable the good friday agreement that brought peace has been in place for nearly two decades and the irish football association the governing body for soccer in northern ireland now runs youth tournaments every saturday on the grounds of stormont house the seat of northern irelands power sharing government that bring together children from catholic and protestant areas
we have a very mixed squad in terms of religious backgrounds and where they come from oneill said of the national team northern ireland is a different place to the northern ireland i grew up in and this team is a reflection of that
even in the most traditionally fraught areas attitudes appear to have changed on a saturday afternoon in march in south belfast the biggest soccer match of the nifl premiership season   the belfast derby between linfield and glentoran   took place at the home of the national team windsor park the match is referred to as the big two and it regularly attracts the leagues biggest crowd of the season about 5000 fans
this is always a big game said drew mccoubrey the president of the linfield supporters trust this would be a strongly unionist protestant area and that ethos is sort of in the club this is a spiritual home to us
belfast remains a patchwork of allegiances and murals but the streets no longer contain the guns and the british troops that characterized the worst of times many of the walls around windsor park are painted with murals supporting loyalist paramilitary groups alongside the faces of northern irish sports heroes like the snooker player alex higgins known as hurricane and the former manchester united star george best
but the teams themselves believe they no longer represent that divide glentoran is from the heavily protestant area of east belfast in the shadow of the harland and wolff shipyard which built the titanic it once counted best as a boyhood fan and michael oneill as a late career player but it has long been a mixed side
half the team is catholic the manager is catholic the clubs secretary ricky rea said of the current northern ireland team i dont care if its the pope and 10 cardinals playing as long were winning every week
many have the same opinion of the national team
it is a country we can all be proud of   look at the different backgrounds of the players said linfields coach david healy after his sides 3 0 victory in the derby healy had himself only recently retired from playing for northern ireland and he still holds the national teams scoring record including a 2006 hat trick against spain
people made a deal of it years ago that it used to only be protestant players selected and protestant fans watching he said the fans theyll forgive you anything on the pitch if you are 100 percent committed
northern ireland dropped its opening match in france last sunday falling by 1 0 to poland but put itself in position to advance with a victory over ukraine on thursday but it is the final game against germany on tuesday   and the prospect of another improbable victory and a place in the knockout stages   that revives memories of valencia 34 years ago
if we go into that last game and we are still in it anything can happen oneill said i hope the whole country will be behind us


los angeles   the rage was immediate as soon as the hollywood trades reported that sony pictures was going to reboot ghostbusters with women in the lead roles internet trolls tumbled out of their caves to insta condemn the effort
as with most online nastiness the face of the outcry was a blank one most of the negative comments and social media posts were anonymous courtesy of peaches like grungemaster93 gargoylephlegm and neanderthal101 reinventing their beloved 1980s era comedy with women busting the ghosts not on their watch
then came james rolfe and with him arrived a lesson about the digital age
mr rolfe whose youtube channel cinemassacre has 21 million subscribers posted a video last month that takes aim at the new ghostbusters which is set for release on july 15
looking into the camera he criticizes the visual effects shown in an early trailer and with flashes of anger condemns sony for sweeping the 1984 original movie under the rug like it didnt happen
mr rolfe 35 advised his followers that cinemassacre known for movie and video game reviews would be sitting this one out
i refuse to watch it he said sitting with his rimless glasses amid a gumball machine star trek memorabilia and bookcases stacked with old vhs tapes
with that the furor around ghostbusters had a focal point his video racked up 737000 views in its first day on its way to 17 million mr rolfe who sometimes posts videos as a character called angry video game nerd became a nerd king among a certain crowd
he will almost certainly be on the right side of history read a sympathetic article on heat street a libertarian website owned by rupert murdochs news corporation reflecting the tenor of many of 22000 comments on the video nonreview
this isnt about feminism danika lee massey a youtube star known as comic book girl 19 said in a supportive post this is about greed this is about a bad idea
but a lot of people including a significant number of men immediately blasted mr rolfe as a jerk with some of the blowback taking on a very personal tone i keep fixating on his wedding ring the film critic and humorist eric d snider wrote on twitter someone married this man baby mr snider later deleted his tweet
writing about mr rolfes tantrum on the website death and taxes part of the spinmedia empire maggie serota said he looked as if he were sitting in a wet diaper
my swift reaction to mr rolfes video was similarly severe without so much as pressing play i decided that his position was garbage and that he represented the worst about geek culture and the internet i considered leaving a hissy comment on his site somebodys mom apparently forgot to teach the judging books by their covers lesson
instead i did something very old fashioned
first i watched his six minute video which surprised me while not saying much that i agree with mr rolfe does express his opinions in a rather calm and articulate way its not overtly sexist   though there are whiffs   and his points are rather tame compared with a lot of the other ghostbusters muck online hard stare toward reddit
next i sent him an email i wanted to know what he made of the furor his response was astonishing he was offended by some of the blowback   because as he wrote in an email it seemed to him that those angry over his video have not watched it or have been misquoting me or twisting my words
mr judging before seeing was mad because people were judging before seeing
mr rolfe also seemed agitated that the people ripping him apart some of whom went so far as to threaten his life had no interest in his complexity as a human being
yes he makes a living through sometimes caustic reviews and rants a former wedding videographer mr rolfe sells ads on cinemassacrecom and on youtube where his videos have a cumulative 858 million views but he is also a husband and a father his daughter darcy now a toddler was injured at birth
my good deeds go largely unknown he said in an email i just had a charity event auctioning itemspropsmemorabilia from my show the auction which concluded on may 6 raised about 20000 for shriners hospitals for children
hmm
when finally coaxed to the phone mr rolfe who works from his east coast home did not want to talk about his ghostbusters video saying he thought it spoke for itself and he didnt want to address the fallout when people attack me its always about trying to get a reaction he said
but he did talk about his childhood as a high school student growing up in new jersey mr rolfe said he was extremely shy and didnt have too many friends movies both the hollywood kind and the homemade variety got him through
he used the family camcorder to make horror films later studying cinema at the university of the arts in philadelphia where his junior year movie was called curse of the cat lovers grave
i wanted to make a really big cult sensation he said with a laugh
the new ghostbusters which by the way has been generating positive reactions in test screenings according to sony executives finally gave him his wish
even the comedian patton oswalt weighed in on mr rolfes nonreview review i really wanted to hate this cinemassacre ghostbusters review but im such a fan of noisy thick saliva swallowing it won my heart mr oswalt wrote on twitter
getting serious he added i like cinemassacre im just tired of pre emptive criticism society imploding its gross


two thousand sixteen marks the 100 year anniversary of my father leroy mosleys birth he was and is my inspiration the man who taught me to bob and weave in life and art i came into being shaped by the stories about his childhood in louisiana and the grinding poverty he endured there the bloodletting and laughter in the fifth ward in houston and the harsh enlightenment he received in the army
my father was born in the middle of one world war and served in the next but his true battles like those of so many african americans were fought closer to home rural life in southern louisiana was a threnody of destitution and racial oppression but leroy and his two half sisters were protected and fed by family that loved them and strangers who understood their pain in the old south subjugation brought out the generosity in many of those persecuted and black folk were masters of making something from nothing be it that days jambalaya or a suit of clothes stitched together from rags
leroy named me for a ghost a fiction   after his father who had committed a mysterious and terrible crime back in tennessee and went by the alias walter mosley walter was a logger and would leave for weeks at a time working on crews hewing trees and floating them downriver to new orleans the boy was close to his mother the fount of warmth in the home she died when he was only 7 and shortly after walter went to work one day and never returned leroys half sisters were shuffled off to their blood mothers relatives and he was left to live with cousins who mistreated him at 8 years old he jumped a freight train headed for houston where his mothers father was purported to live
the two didnt get along leroy was permitted to sleep on the porch but he had to find his own food and money he grew up quickly in the fifth ward learning to carry two guns and one razor at all times he could fight hard and run fast cook and sew clean do carpentry and fix any engine he learned to type and write and he was a masterful storyteller but thats not unusual for poor people living under the thumb of history my jewish relatives from eastern europe were no different theyd sit up all night regaling one another with the horrors they had survived
it was leroys dream to write for the popular pulp magazines he even sent a cowboy story to a magazine   only to see it published a year later under someone elses name he gave up it was not possible he concluded for an impoverished black man in the deep south to become a writer at that time its hardly easier now
but it took world war ii for my father to truly quit the south when he realized that more of his draft age friends had died back in houston than in the war he headed for los angeles there he met and married my mother and became a fiercely loving father who prepared our every meal when i was 13 i asked him what he wanted me to be when i grew up he said he wanted me to do whatever i wanted that he had no directive i took his lessons from poverty and decided to become an artist   someone who makes something from nothing i decided to make something from the stuff of his stories of pedestrian tragic life like the time he decided to eat at an all white cafe in the late 1940s making it as far as the counter he ordered a tuna melt that sandwich tasted like freedom he told me but suddenly the white man sitting next to him dropped dead i realized right then and there that freedom aside no man no matter who he is can escape his death
my fathers life intersected with a century of conflict horror and invention he deciphered these histories for me making me his scribe in a new century my successes were his successes and his stories thrum in every word i write he taught me to see like a writer to be attentive to the stories that spring up everywhere the epileptic guy on the corner medicating his condition with wine the man lamenting his cheating wife a woman passing by sheltering a child in her arms to say nothing of his own tales   leroy came to own three apartment buildings but his tenants assumed he was the handyman its an attentiveness to the world to ordinary suffering to the love that persists in its midst my sense of the world of history and humanity flows from this awareness   and the attendant grim humor   my father used as his guiding lamp in the darkness cast by racism and poverty
he was riddled with cancer the last few times i saw him on one such day my mother and i were leaving the house in her car my father who we were told was too sick to stand had somehow made it to the back porch as we drove off i saw him leaning heavily against the banister but when we made eye contact he suddenly smiled and lifted his hand this was his gift to me an indomitable spirit and the talent of taking the beauty and refusing the rest


for some american fans the world cup is the be all and end all of international soccer there is no close second
across the atlantic though many fans soccer writers and even some players have contended that the european championships or euros produce better soccer than the world cup
the pro euro argument is that many more teams compete in the world cup including some from countries that have rarely done well at the international level this can create too many lopsided games and drag down the overall quality of performance so while there have been many great games in the world cup the thinking goes the standard of play has been lower on balance
there are reasons for assuming this is true the best players from around the world overwhelmingly play for european clubs which helps bolster the standard of european players european national teams have won four of the last five world cups and seven of the 10 finalists were european
but is the game in fact better when the europeans play only against one another
before trying to answer that it is worth acknowledging that there can be no definite conclusion when played at an elite level soccer like art contains so much that is unquantifiable that it defies numerical ranking and subjective opinion saying that spain plays a better style of game than argentina is akin to declaring matisse better than manet
and numbers fail to capture another quality that makes a soccer game compelling   the intensity that often exists when a victory will eliminate the other team or when two longtime rivals play each other like mexico and the united states or germany and the netherlands
still there exists a wealth of data on soccer games and it would be a shame not to see how far it can take us
opta a sports data firm that tracks passes shots and other plays within games provided the data for the past five euros and the past five world cups i have chosen to compare the world cup with the euros and not the copa america also going on now and in which the united states is doing well because opta has less historical data on the copa
selecting metrics to determine quality is tough even so here are six yardsticks that attempt to do that
margin of victory a smaller margin is better with this one because if teams win by fewer goals the games are most likely more competitive and exciting
goals scored except for a few purists we want to see goals
total shots this is here because we like to see teams put themselves in a position to shoot
successful passes the bread and butter of good soccer
successful passes in the final third of the field the passes that matter most when attacking
shots per possession a period when a team has control of the ball this matters because possession needs to be turned into an attempt on goal
so heres what the numbers say anyone who has ever said the euros can easily match the world cup can give themselves a tiny pat on the back although there is no indication that they are significantly better
comparing five tournament averages for the euros 1996 through 2012 and the world cup 1998 through 2014 shows almost no difference on four of these measures passing accuracy was almost identical with the euros having 623 successful passes per game on average versus 634 for the world cup in the euros 242 goals per game were scored against 245 in the world cup in both competitions there was on average 28 shots per game the euros had an average of 013 shots per possession compared with 014 for the world cup
but the euros look slightly stronger on two of the yardsticks euro games averaged 160 successful passes in the final third against 151 for the world cup and the euros had a narrower average margin of victory 123 goals versus 133 in the world cup
comparing the most recent completed euros from 2012 with the 2014 world cup makes the euros look even better
the 2012 euros had 742 successful passes per game more than the 2014 world cups 666 when it comes to successful final third passes the euros 188 was higher than the world cups 153 the euros margin of victory in 2012 was 123 goals compared with 142 goals for the 2014 world cup the only yardstick that the world cup did better on was goals with the 2014 competition notching 263 goals per game against 245 for the 2012 euros
in case copa america fans are interested opta did provide data for the tournament that took place last year but margin of victory at 112 goals was the only metric out of our six on which the 2015 copa did better than both the 2014 world cup and 2012 euros
the big question now though is whether the quality of the soccer at the euros will slip in the current and future tournaments this year 24 teams are competing up from 16 teams in the previous five euros allowing potentially weaker teams to compete the world cup has had 32 teams since 1998
the standard of the euros may decline for another reason some teams that are in third place in their starting groups can progress to the knockout stage of the competition
the lesson of this exercise there isnt enough bad soccer in the international tournaments to discredit them so go ahead watch them all


los angeles   in swiss army man hank paul dano a castaway stranded on a deserted island spies a body washed up on the beach driven half mad by hunger and despair he rushes into the surf only to discover that the body played by daniel radcliffe is lifeless or is it to hanks surprise the corpse breaks wind loudly and lustily moments later hank whoops with glee as he pilots the gas powered mr radcliffe across a sun kissed ocean
when swiss army man had its premiere at sundance in january it became one of the festivals most talked about films eventually winning a directing award but despite positive reviews variety said it was constantly inventive and the hollywood reporter called it bizarrely poetic festivalgoers walked out in droves and vanity fair wondered if it wasnt the strangest film in sundance history for online commentators who hadnt seen the film swiss army man aka daniel radcliffes farting corpse movie became an easy target
the premise kind of lends itself to that acknowledged daniel kwan the films co director a lot of the knee jerk reactions online have been about how stupid this movie sounds
known professionally as daniels mr kwan and daniel scheinert have created some of the most inventive and visceral shorts and music videos of the past decade other directors like spike jonze and antoine fuqua have graduated from music videos to feature films but few have made music videos as unsettling as daniels work which was why no one was pounding on their doors to make swiss army man
the film which opens friday june 24 is the first feature from mr kwan 28 and mr scheinert 29 the two are here in the backyard studio of mr kwans highland park neighborhood home which he shares with his fiancee kirsten lepore an award winning animator mr kwans brother james lives here too hes an animator and childrens book writer and illustrator dear yeti mr scheinert lives less than a quarter mile away when we were editing the film here i would just walk over with my dog every day mr scheinert said
the directors who often finish each others sentences and stories or clarify each others points met in a 3 d animation class at emerson college in boston we didnt like each other at first mr scheinert said adding that he overparticipated and that mr kwan underparticipated coming off like a wasting his parents money film kid
but they soon bonded after they discovered they shared similarly twisted artistic sensibilities mr kwans final school project was an animated short about an insomniac who undresses people while they sleep and does their laundry for them mr scheinerts starred a dead boy whose body is piloted by small tigers
they began directing music videos and short films together fantastical pieces in which small dogs are ridden like skateboards dogboarding a man kills a red ball after it makes love with his wife interesting ball and a drunk partyer vomits sparks pigeons by the band the hundred in the hands several went viral many featured the directors in starring roles
swiss army man began as little more than a joke it was kwans idea originally mr scheinert said he pitched me this idea of a guy stranded on a desert island finding a corpse and feeding it beans through a funnel then riding the farts off into the sunset as beautiful music plays the idea was too expensive to film as a short but the two kept it in their voluminous backlog of weird ideas
and then another idea hit them why not make the corpse an amnesiac who must be reminded of the life he left behind to coax him to find his way back to civilization that could be a feature they thought they toyed with various scenarios and in 2014 the pair entered the sundance institutes screenwriter lab on their off hours looking for a mental respite from talking to all those genius filmmakers about how to make your script better they pitched a music video for turn down for what a dance track by lil jon and dj snake we were like this is the stupidest song weve ever been sent mr scheinert said lets pitch the stupidest video weve ever pitched
in the videos opening moments mr kwan simulates sex with a neighbors tv set melts a police officers face and smashes potted plants against his crotch in my head i was like this might be the last music video anyone asks us to do he said
instead turn down for what became one of the most popular and critically acclaimed music videos of 2014 landing multiple mtv video music award nominations and receiving nearly half a billion youtube views
after completing the script for swiss army man daniels began searching for the two leads i was in from the second or third page from the moment hank rides the farting corpse across the ocean mr dano said it was so funny and absurd and beautiful and glorious i was like why didnt i think of that
mr radcliffe soon followed and the two began working 14 hour days in half moon bay south of san francisco and in the redwood forests outside eureka calif the atmosphere that the daniels create on set is like no other ive ever worked on mr radcliffe said theyre so collaborative everyone there had either worked together for years on their music videos or theyd known since college
working with actors of that caliber was a rare treat for the directors it spoiled us mr kwan said were used to working with bands whove never acted before or with us and our friends who dont really act but just happen to be around
the result is not your typical zombie flick or screwball comedy if anything its a bromance of the purest sort even though one of the bros is dead sort of its also a love story complete with an underwater kiss and the discovery that mr radcliffes penis can be used as a field compass
as teenagers the directors were subjected to hazing in high school mr kwan said we were both very expressive boys neither of us were that good at sports and that was just something we lived with and kind of accepted so its funny that we tried to make a survival film which is the most masculine story there is but ended up making the least manly survival film ever the two of them sit in the woods and they talk about their feelings


golf is deceitful above all things it hovers over your late 20s shaking its head as terms like shin splints and plantar fasciitis filter into your vocabulary when the chubby ex frat boys who flock to the ymca basketball courts after market close make fun of your old man moves golf clears its throat and lets loose a short condescending whistle and when the litany of bodily ailments has grown long enough but you havent quite accepted the inevitable golf sidles up next to you with a pamphlet fit for a pyramid scheme and a reassuring smile life is long golf says forget the bodys betrayals golf is a game of the mind
my first sustained encounter with golf came three months ago i had just started a new job in a new city where my only friend was a fellow gambler who once took me for 2500 in scrabble this friend plays only golf now which meant that if i ever wanted to recoup my debt i had to play golf too
honestly i assumed i would be a natural i am not a coordinated man but i have an unusual tolerance for pain if there were a sport in which the athlete moved a stack of cinder blocks across a field while listening to a podcast i might have been able to ride the pine for a minor league team i won my college pubs corned beef eating contest i can stand in freezing cold water for long periods i know a few mantras and spent my early 20s stinking of cheap incense on a doomed path to enlightenment or at least something that looked like it novelists whether wodehouse or updike taught me that the best golfer is a contented quasi zen idiot who blissfully ignores the games myriad mental anguishes the shorted putts the drives that hook into the trees   which when you watch them make you feel as if youve been kicked in the groin if your groin were in your brain the model golfer best exemplified by chevy chase in caddyshack in which he walks the course barefoot and talks about basho gave me the confidence that with time i could at least keep up with my more athletically talented acquaintances
it didnt start off so bad after work and on weekends my friend and i would drive out to the citys cheapest courses where surrounded by overgrown willow trees and the kindly septuagenarians of the pacific northwest i would hack my way from rough to trap to adjacent fairway every time i went out i noticed some small improvement however fleeting on an unusually sunny day in april i finally had a breakthrough every club felt light in my hands and half of my shots flew straight and true by the end of the round i had clawed back 250 of my scrabble debt from my friend who accused me of hustling him the next day hoping to build success upon success i drove to the practice range
the ground was hard dusty and unforgiving but i didnt think about it much as i lined up with a pitching wedge the first ball flew like a wing shot duck low for about 30 yards before diving hard to the right into the turf my second shot did the same then the third and the fourth of the 200 balls i hit that day 190 died on impact sometime in the 20 hours that had passed between my two trips to the course i had caught the dreaded slice i could feel the fog of failure in the roots of my teeth it didnt lift for two days
my temporary home in the new city is on the second floor of a hotel for vagabond corporate executives it is a terrible place the lobby littered with bowls of individually wrapped breath mints and the garage stuffed full of midsize american rental cars but it is just two short blocks from one of the countrys best bookstores during my slice induced depression i went there to seek the wisdom of golf literature
most golf books are either koany little things filled with visualization techniques and pastoral aphorisms or hagiographies of professional golfers also filled with visualization techniques and pastoral aphorisms a third type largely written by former staff writers at sports illustrated or esquire tells the duffers side of things all three varieties raise the same mystical question what must happen in the brain to coordinate the eyes the shoulders the forearms the elbows the wrists the hands and the torso into one repeatable golf swing is it mindlessness or mindfulness is it a lifetime of practice or a gathering up of the will that cleans out the chattering connection between the body and the brain
harvey penicks little red book a short manual of pithy anecdotes and golf tips from a lifelong caddie is not a buddhist text but its not all that far from it penick is a terrible name dropper but once you forgive him for all the mentions of golf legends like tom kite and ben crenshaw and what they learned from him his prose hums along at a grandfatherly crotchety pace as for your grip pressure keep it light penick advises arnold palmer liked to grip the club tightly but you are not arnold palmer later on the topic of anxiety on the course versus unthinking serenity penick cautions against being too languid be at ease if you are at ease you are relaxed   but ready he writes the secret is the feeling of controlled violence as jackie burke jr says
penick didnt cure my slice i kept going to the range and my shots kept flying to the right in the same low slung arc as my frustration deepened i began muttering bastardized sutras under my breath which did nothing to quiet my harping inner critic
all form is emptiness
ok kang address the ball set your shoulders straight
all emptiness is form
nice and easy backswing dont jerk it
everything is emptiness
you definitely just jerked it why cant you listen
in emptiness there is no form
please dont overswing youre strong enough the tiny korean women on the lpga tour can hit the ball 250 yards
there is nothing to attain
youre definitely overswinging good christ theres nothing that can be done
all form is emptiness
ball right again guy next to me definitely laughing i am a disgrace to the korean people
seeking solace i began reading the bogey man by george plimpton a founding editor of the paris review who wrote a series of books about competing as a quixotic amateur athlete in professional sports including golf plimpton whose lanky frame looked as if had been pieced together out of random lengths of industrial piping starts on page 1 with an extended metaphor that involves a crew of japanese admirals screaming at all the unwieldy parts of his body to act in unison as plimpton goes from tournament to tournament he talks to an array of pros caddies and loiterers all of whom impart one bit of wisdom or another none of these maxims help plimpton at all he is an 18 handicap at the start of the book and he is a humiliated 18 handicap at its end plimpton talks to arnold palmer and walks up the fairway of the 18th hole at pebble beach with a huge gallery watching his swing but the japanese admirals never stop their yelling
plimpton more than penick or any other sunburned golf philosopher seems to understand the games one lesson all philosophy is ultimately meaningless no profound thought actually works on the course and nothing that does work on the course whether standing a couple of inches closer to the ball or relaxing your grip or keeping your left arm straight is actually profound
despite all this i have bought into golfs pyramid scheme i seem to gain three to five pounds every month my left knee buckles every time i step onto a basketball court and my swimming stroke which once wasnt half bad now looks like what might happen if you stapled a pair of flapping hands onto a filing cabinet and threw it into the ocean buddhism tells me to accept these physical changes because even a mountain will ultimately melt down into the soil like a sugar cube under hot water golf on the other hand prods me to keep inventing new theories because its easier to come up with one that explains my perpetual failure than it is to keep my left arm straight
buddhism of course is ultimately right   my slice will fix itself when it feels like it or it wont   but as ive grown older and lifes perpetual suffering has gone from an abstract concept to slow creeping reality i much prefer to believe that i can fix my bodys failings through tricks gadgets and philosophy to heed the lying but calming voice that assures me once you fix this goddamn slice you can still improve not only in golf but in all things


in the land rush to digitize the world the home is the new frontier over the past few years practically every household item within reach has been technologically upgraded and rendered smart toothbrushes cutlery baby monitors refrigerators thermostats slow cookers sprinkler systems sex toys even the locks in doors before they achieved enlightenment they could perform only their rote mechanical duties now they can do so while connected to the internet in the case of the telephone this has been nothing short of revolutionary but no other smart object has managed to replicate its success the absurdity of the phenomenon was made unavoidably apparent in may when a start up unveiled a smart tampon called myflow if women wear the myflow and the sensor that attaches to the tampon by a string and clips neatly onto your waistband and use the myflow app they could now at last track their periods duration and flow
smart has been slapped onto everything from cups that analyze what youre drinking to surfboards that let you check your text messages between waves to clothing that tracks calorie expenditure the word is flattering to both the objects and their users even as it threatens to become a hazy banality
the vogue for smart traces at least as far back as the smart bomb precision guided munitions made to be more accurate than the dumb bombs of wars past which tumbled out of planes and exploded wherever they happened to land smart bombs were first used in vietnam but during the persian gulf war they became media stars with generals and news anchors presenting footage of the weapons in action until the moment the screen went to static as the bombs obliterated their internal cameras along with the target much like that well timed static the smart in smart bomb does some ideological work masking the inherent violence and mayhem of aerial bombing a smart bomb is an unerring one it adds an aura of sensible technocratic efficiency to an inherently messy bloody affair occluding the simple fact that bombs are horrific creations
it also conceals a basic oddity the word smart has roots in a proto germanic word for pain it wasnt until the 20th century in north america that smart came to be synonymous with brains smart bombs combine both meanings of the word mingling intelligence and harm better accuracy may save lives on the margins but it doesnt make us consider all the political choices leading up to the decision to kill people half a world away
when applied to the latest consumer gadgets smart performs a similar sleight of hand what is presented as an upgrade is actually a stealthy euphemism for surveillance while a smart lighting system promises to adapt to an owners preferences or help the environment by lowering electricity bills what it also does is provide a company a permanent foothold in a persons home from which he can be monitored that smart lighting company knows when the owner of its product comes home when he goes when he dims the lights for a date and when he leaves them on
the intelligence given to these devices really serves twin purposes information collection and control smart devices are constantly collecting information tracking user habits trying to anticipate and shape their owners behaviors and reporting back to the corporate mother ship data is our eras most promising extractive resource and tech companies have found that connecting more people and devices collecting information on how they interact with one another and then using that information to sell advertising can be enormously profitable
and so the makers of smart devices encourage us to make their creations smarter by confessing more to them by exposing more of ourselves as we open our lives to increasingly self aware autonomous devices we are encouraged   particularly in the case of all purpose personal assistants like siri and alexa   to use them as much as possible feeding them more useful data that will allow our gadgets to learn who we are and what we like and to make decisions that might anticipate our needs
but the true ingenuity of a smart device is the way it upends traditional models of ownership we dont really buy and own network connected household goods in essence we rent and operate these devices on terms set by the company because they run on proprietary software and because they are connected to the internet their corporate creators can always reach across cyberspace and meddle with them in 2009 amazon deleted from customers kindle readers copies of 1984 that were sold without authorization dealers have begun installing starter interrupt devices on cars bought with loans so that they can kill the engine from afar should the borrower be late on his payments consumers will have little possibility for redress much less rebellion   no way to outsmart these once dumb objects
using a smart device for anything but the purposes explicitly sanctioned by its manufacturer risks violating a warranty bricking a device or even breaking the law its fitting albeit a touch melodramatic that unauthorized tinkering with an iphone is called jailbreaking the very same elements making these things smart   connectivity sophisticated software semiautonomous intelligence   can also make them more frustrating than any devices weve ever seen
at its most expansive smart produces a world where we no longer exert control over objects weve bought from corporations but corporations exert control over us through things we pay for the privilege of using and when smart is crudely applied to the cities we live in   to our crumbling infrastructure and militarized police forces   we give in to forces of privatization algorithmic control and rule by corporate contract it seems an indelible symbol of the times that new york city neglects essential but mundane services like public restrooms while promoting other putative municipal innovations like the mass conversion of pay phones to wi fi kiosks as with other smart devices which subsidize their costs with data collection these kiosks are free   provided you submit to the collection of your personal information and location data the commons becomes simply another site for private companies to spy on people
whether its the routes we drive the songs we listen to or the prices we pay for airline tickets our lives are increasingly shaped by opaque systems that assess and sort us according to inscrutable criteria every one of these systems is in some sense smart but that label elides the more important judgment of where power lies and how it operates a smart tampon may provide some useful information but many women simply need better access to health services and laws that preserve their ability to control their reproductive lives fitness trackers might help some folks but they have also become favored tools of insurers and corporate wellness plans while doing nothing to address the underlying causes of obesity self driving cars represent a potentially lifesaving innovation but they are increasingly cast as replacements for embattled mass transit systems that millions of people rely on amid the ritual enumeration of tech specs and price points we risk ignoring how smart devices represent another example of consumer capitalisms bulldozing past political questions
one of the animating myths of american capitalism is that of the savvy consumer informed discriminating wise to manipulation and deceit this person fluidly navigates the waters of everyday consumption and through these small decisions replicated over and over again by millions of others the free market improves life for all essential to this myth is the notion that influence and power work transparently experience shows that this isnt the case yet we continue to flatter ourselves by adorning our bodies homes and cities with smart gadgetry and claiming that it serves us perhaps the real smarts on display here are those of the tech industry mandarins who convinced us that we needed all this stuff in the first place


since ending his turn as an amiable wizard in a certain long running film franchise daniel radcliffe has played an accused rapist with horns growing out of his forehead horns a morphine addicted physician during the russian revolution a young doctors notebook and the beat poet allen ginsberg kill your darlings
but until now mr radcliffe had never tackled a character who wasnt in the strictest sense alive
in swiss army man hank paul dano is stranded on a deserted island when manny played by mr radcliffe washes ashore although lacking a pulse mannys otherwise lifeless body can be used to fish chop wood and hunt wild game you just sort of have to use your imagination when youre playing something that doesnt exist he said but thats a good thing as long as youre giving the directors what they want theres no really wrong answer
mr radcliffe explained recently how to bring to life a not quite dead guy here are edited excerpts from his tips
find your voice i started out wheezy like if a bellows had a voice box then i had to imagine that rigor mortis has set in so his jaw is kind of stiff but starts loosening up as he comes more to life
work on your dead guy stare maybe have one eye really big like an owl and the other one nearly closed i came up with that when i was playing around with stupid facial expressions in the mirror i thought it was something everybody could do but when i showed it to the directors they were like do that
keep your face really still theres really no trick you just do it there was also an element of not wanting to mess up the take and ruin pauls beautiful performance
know when to go to the stunt corpse we used a dummy when the raccoon was attacking manny the moment they set the raccoon free it would just jump on the dummys face and start scratching at his eyes raccoons are vicious
embrace your postlife superpowers paul uses my teeth to shave that one was actually my idea i ended up with a load of fake beard in my mouth
robert ito


it was at coney islands freak bar in the summer of 2010 where i last thought that riding a roller coaster was a good idea
what followed would forever be known as the cyclone incident at least to my loved ones and me including the friend who after we shared a steady stream of sangria convinced me that coney islands creaky landmark was the perfect beginners coaster it wasnt
at nathans famous after the most terrifying one minute and 50 seconds of my life nauseated and strangely sore i conceded roller coasters were not for me
its something i always knew to be true but could never fully admit i still wanted to believe that i could have fun at an amusement park because whats the point of going if i couldnt get my thrill on after all i could enjoy a nathans hot dog elsewhere minus the nausea embarrassment and price of admission
it still pains me to think of my high school senior class trip to universal orlando in 1999 where i was the only member of my class who refused to ride an empathetic friend kept me company and we tried to replace the coaster experience with 3 d rides featuring the likes of spider man and the terminator but the charity case vibe took much of the fun out of that
but as a recent trip to hersheypark to reclaim some lost childhood joy confirmed amusement parks and theme parks in particular can still be fulfilling especially if you can shed the shame that often accompanies those of us who prefer both feet on the ground
i always assumed that coasters were the main draw at amusement parks but it turns out that having an appealing theme may be the most important factor in a parks success
while maybe roller coasters are the single most popular type of attraction theyre really not the things that drive attendance to the top parks in the country said robert niles the editor of themeparkinsidercom its more the characters the brand names its the stuff you go to disney and universal to see
the resulting focus on noncoaster activities is an obvious boon to folks like me
while disney has mickey and universal studios has harry potter hersheypark and its related attractions have a common thread with even more widespread appeal chocolate
i just happen to really like chocolate as does my wife who joined me on this trip so you can imagine our joy in being able to build our own custom chocolate bars right down to the labels design at hersheys chocolate world if you must know i went with classic milk chocolate with pretzel bits and chocolate cookie bits no sprinkles
parks that can offer these types of one off experiences along with an assortment of other engaging activities are the ones to look for
were really three parks in one said kathleen mcgraw director of communication for hershey entertainment and resorts referring to hersheypark its boardwalk sections water attractions and the zooamerica north american wildlife park
in addition just outside the park in hershey pa is the before mentioned chocolate world which also offers a chocolate making tour a tasting session and a huge gift shop also nearby is the hershey story museum which offers a chocolate lab class and the 23 acre hershey gardens which in addition to its botanical offerings has a great view overlooking the town
the most surprising activity available the falconry experience and it has absolutely nothing to do with chocolate
one does not have to scream to have a good time at an amusement park
screaming is usually associated with horror films and roller coasters this is why i usually look like ive just watched a horror film on a roller coaster the comedian jim gaffigan wrote in his book dad is fat
i do enjoy horror films but the great thing there is i dont have to have an actual encounter with say a demonic clown to get a rush with coasters watching a clip of others scream while dropping 300 feet at over 100 miles per hour is enough to get my blood flowing
our trip to hersheypark was the first time that i felt guilt free heading into an amusement park experience because i have since accepted that people are just wired differently and not liking roller coasters is nothing to be ashamed of
the old me would have come up with excuses like kim jong un apparently loves roller coasters and that kind of bothers me the new me approached the parks other attractions with fresh eyes
i was able to enjoy lovely views from the parks 250 foot high kissing tower and ferris wheel rides that used to feel like a lame consolation prize
i also indulged in mild thrills at the boardwalk like a leisurely float down the intercoastal waterway and traditional park games like skee ball and pro shot satisfied the kid in me though the giant stuffed animal prizes still eluded me
it certainly helped that there was zero peer pressure from my wife to reconsider coasters
mr niles the expert from themeparkinsider has visited about 40 parks around the world and doesnt pressure his friends or family either though he does encourage people who have never ridden a coaster to try at least once
if theyve done coasters before and they say no i just dont like them i respect that and then point them toward something else mr niles said thats why good parks have a variety of things to do
some things you will always be able to get at an amusement park cotton candy hot dogs fried dough a really bad stomachache in fact chicken tenders remain one of the most popular orders at hersheypark ice cream being the most popular according to ms mcgraw but many parks have also responded to the continuing popularity of fast casual restaurants by offering higher quality options
most parks at this point have really tried to upgrade food over the years mr niles said you can still get a lousy cheap meal at any theme park if thats what youre looking for but if youre looking for something nice its there at the major theme parks
along these same lines parks have continued to work in popular local brands and area specialties for example coney island added a grimaldis pizza in 2012 and last year carowinds in charlotte nc introduced carolina staples like shrimp and grits to its menus
were always looking at incorporating chocolate but also local and regional favorites said kathy burrows a manager of public relations for hersheypark
among the highlights there are the crabfries seasoned crinkle cut fries with a cheese dipping sauce from chickies  petes a popular sports bar chain based in philadelphia that opened its second stand this year
the whoopie pie which nearby lancaster county claims among its creations is another park fixture it traditionally consists of two mound shaped chocolate cakes brought together like a sandwich by a vanilla cream filling but starting this season customers can get them with ice cream filling or create their own choosing from 12 fillings and eight cake shells this allowed us to try what i am calling the inverted whoopie pie which has vanilla shells and chocolate filling
mr niles said that themed food was another trend thanks to the success of universals wizarding world of harry potter and its three broomsticks restaurant
the most chocolately dining option at hersheypark is simply chocolate where you can eat all kinds of things that are dipped in chocolate from twizzlers to bacon or overindulge with one of its 32 ounce king size shakes
while i am at peace with the fact that i will most likely never again ride a coaster i could change my mind maybe something less traumatic than the cyclone would yield different results
i could also run for president but i probably wont but for those considering another try there are tips that can help
dont close your eyes mr niles said your eyes can help your body to be balanced if youre closing your eyes youre losing all of that input that your body needs to adapt
you can also pretend youre driving a car   one thats really long and extremely fast
put your hands on that grab bar and put your foot down like youre pressing the gas mr niles said because youre just trying to create the feeling that you have control
i passed this advice on to my wife who also does not like coasters but has yet to give up on them and she said it worked
what also helped is that she chose a coaster the trail blazer which is on the lower end of the thrill meter
hersheypark conveniently rates its adult rides on a scale from mild to aggressive thrill so we were able to easily identify a coaster that was less likely to overwhelm
my wifes success gave me a little bit of hope but for now im still rating every coaster i see a 0 as in there is a zero chance im getting on that thing but the chocolate covered bacon easily a 10
the closest airport is harrisburg international airport roughly a 20 minute drive to hersheypark we drove from new york city which took three hours parking is 15
hersheypark 100 west hersheypark drive hershey pa 844 330 1813hersheyparkcom 6295 for regular one day admission
hersheys chocolate world attraction 251 park boulevard hershey 717 534 4900 hersheyscomchocolateworld
the hershey story 63 west chocolate avenue hershey 717 534 8939hersheystoryorg 10 for museum experience 10 for chocolate lab class 1750 for both
hershey gardens 170 hotel road hershey 717 534 3492 hersheygardensorg 1050 750 for children 12 and under
the falconry experience hersheypark 717 508 1959hersheypacomthingstodofalconry 75 65 for hershey resorts guests25 for ages 15 and under
the hotel hershey 100 hotel road hershey 717 533 2171thehotelhersheycom rooms from 279
hershey lodge 325 university drive hershey 717 508 1957 hersheylodgecom rooms from 249


london   nobody would deny that germany is a worthy world champion but watching the germans evolve through a major tournament does not make them easy to enjoy thursdays 0 0 tie against poland the first goalless game of the european championships had an air of helping thy neighbor
it was goalless and almost guileless the tournament format invites contrived draws because in its new bloated concept 16 of 24 nations advance to the next stage   and with four points from their opening two games germany and poland are practically assured of reaching the knockout rounds
then perhaps they might really play
with 73648 fans watching at the stade de france germany had three shots on goal and poland missed the best two scoring opportunities it was a stalemate with the german keeper manuel neuer not forced to make a single save
watching that reminding oneself that germany is the champion of the world ones thoughts drifted to the copa america tournament in the united states there lionel messi had treated the customers to a hat trick of goals in less than half an hour in chicago and there mexicos jesus corona ruiz known as tecatito had decided on impulse to take on the entire venezuelan defense and score a most beautiful golazo   an amazing goal
now do we wonder why barcelona hires a forward line of messi argentina neymar brazil and luis suarez uruguay to provide the fantasy and finishing touches to their attack
to be sure the euro has shown us some fine technical players germanys toni kroos again on thursday achieved passing efficiency with at one point 96 percent of all the passes he made finding the intended teammate
dimitri payet a late developer from the french island of reunion in the indian ocean brings a touch of fantasy not just in his creativity but with two spectacular goals in two games so far
and when luka modric is on the field for croatia or andres iniesta for spain we know there will be subtlety and supreme ability to find a colleague with passes invented out of their imagination
yet we say again germany is the world master it proved this in devastating fashion by the way it scored seven goals in one game against brazil   in brazil   during the 2014 world cup
so we assume that coach joachim low has something more up his sleeve than germany showed us thursday
his defense aside from when it allowed arkadiusz milik to somehow miss two gaping scoring opportunities pleased low but in attack he again started with mario gotze a player who has become a reserve with bayern munich and when that didnt work the coach tried moving thomas muller into the center forward position and only toward the end did he summon mario gomez much more of a physical presence to lead the attack
we did not have many solutions in the attack and we could not create many chances low admitted to reporters the problem was that the whole of our game in the last third was not very fast we could not accelerate we interrupted our attacks and then there were 10 polish players behind the ball it was not what i expected we simply could not impose our game style
adam nawalka the polish coach saw the same stalemate differently we controlled the game well he said germany had the initiative for a couple of spells because we allowed them space but we created some good chances on the counter im happy with our performance and our tactical discipline a 0 0 draw is a fantastic result
for the coaches maybe but soccer is a spectator sport too and thousands of people are paying huge money and enduring difficult travel and security worries to fill these 10 stadiums while france is on continuous terrorist alert
there has surely to be a greater emphasis on entertainment
germany we expect will again be good when the time is right poland undoubtedly is improving on the period when it lost its best strikers   miroslav klose and lukas podolski   who were persuaded to represent germany rather than their birth country
klose is retired from national team soccer which is part of lows dilemma in finding a goal scorer to fill his shoes to many it seems that the germany coach is being too loyal to gotze the player who came off the bench at the world cup final to strike the winning goal against argentina
gotze though is only 5 foot 7 in every sense a false no9 he hasnt the height the instinct or the physicality to play as a lone striker
the team in any case lacks speed on the wings and even when players do get in position to fire the ball into the goal mouth they are reluctant to do so with so diminutive a target in the middle
it is no coincidence that pep guardiola the man who practically invented the false no9 tactic at barcelona seldom picked gotze during three seasons in charge of bayern munich guardiola had of course a real central striker in polands robert lewandowski as the focal point of attack
and he used as other coaches including low have done mullers remarkable ability to drift from the shadows to score goals but muller is the classic second striker a man who makes himself invisible before he exploits time and space when opponents are trying to defend against more obvious central attackers
either low is biding his time and waiting to reveal his true no9 or he is a champion waiting for something to happen in that sense we might all be on snooze control at these european championships   and switch furtively to the highlights at the copa america


here are the top 10 comments of the week on our digital platforms as selected by our readers and the journalists who moderate nearly every comment
1 this is how gun free zones kill
after taking out the door security there was no one left in the club that could shoot back
  spencer in georgia reacting to an article about the shooting at a gay club in orlando which left 49 people dead
this comment received more than 40 reader responses
2 a question for republicans why do you pass laws to stop non existent bathroom attacks and almost non existent voter fraud but you do nothing to act against gun violence when hundreds die every week
of course you do send your prayers how nice
  david buchmueller in el paso
this comment received more than 2500 reader recommendations
3 as an older lgbt american living in orlando you are our youth we love you and will do anything we can to help and protect you stay strong
  fred will wallace on the timess facebook page
this comment received more than 130 likes
4 the terrorist hated gay men and so does isis that attack in orlando was brutality at its worst in our homeland
we have to protect ourselves by any means necessary because they will kill us by any means available the desire by the left to be politically correct at the expense of our people is dangerous
donald trump and people like me are tolerant but we are realists
to us americans come first whether black white latino muslim jew gay or straight
stop being politically correct and put your country and family first
  reagan in boonton nj reacting to an article about donald trump blaming muslims in the orlando shooting
this comment received more than 180 reader recommendations
5 the source of too many problems killings domestic violence is not limited to a race or a religion a political persuasion as some want to say
the common denominator that we seem to avoid is that source seems to stem from aggrieved angry men with a gun
the angry man with a gun is a much broader problem that exists across the races religion politics until we recognize that we are avoiding the elephant in the room
  marie gunnerson in boston reacting to an article about the correlation between domestic violence and mass murder the ex wife of the gunman in orlando said he beat her severely during their marriage
this comment received more than 220 reader recommendations
6 i was at disney world two months ago staying at the polynesian resort right next door to the grand floridian
my 5  and 2 year olds loved the beach there they made sand castles ran up and down the shore pulled sea grass from the water and stuck their toes into the lagoon with the dozens of other children doing the same thing
there was a no swimming sign i thought it must be because the water wasnt clean enough andor there was no on duty lifeguard
it never occurred to me until reading this story that i needed to be concerned about alligators i am not from florida and it never occurred to me
if i had been alerted to the danger by disney i would not have let my kids play on the shore i am sure these parents would not have either
  lw in california reacting to an article about a 2 year old nebraska boy lane graves who was drowned by an alligator while playing at a disney world resort
this comment received more than 1200 reader recommendations
7 the politics of assassination exist because they work
anyone who lived through the sixties in america knows that
kill the leaders and no one is left to inspire the people and then the dogma of fear mongering takes over and the right is in power for decades
i celebrate the courage of our political leaders in times like this
  hugh massengill of eugene ore reacting to an article about jo cox a member of british parliament who was fatally shot thursday after meeting with her constituents
8 i am a lawyer in practice for 25 years make no mistake the american bar association created this mess
the aba has certified too many law schools and has placed ridiculous standards on these schools thus driving up tuition to back breaking levels
now law schools are admitting unqualified students to keep their numbers up
it is scary to observe many of these recent graduates
they are poorly read lack critical thinking skills and are loosely educated
you better believe there are dozens   yes dozens   of law schools that need to close
  peter in albany reacting to an article about the glut of recent law school graduates who having racked up hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt cannot find jobs in their field
9 i grew up in the 50s when there were no plus sizes for a fat girl
from the age of 10 not a day didnt go by without a parent or sibling admonishing me to stop eating look in the mirror or ask if i wasnt ashamed to go out looking like that
the cruelty and ridicule could have been expected from other kids but my own family my mother once took me shopping for clothes when the salesgirl blurted out youre the most beautiful child ive ever seen yes i had such a pretty face why dont you slim down
my mother laughingly scolded the salesgirl telling her not to give me ideas about being beautiful since i was so fat
the ensuing years were a constant frenzy to lose weight by artificial means diet pills diet camps diet candy to expand your stomach support groups atkins etc i have probably lost and regained a million pounds in the last 55 years
im obese with extremely low self esteem
so yes im scarred
  joanna in edison nj reacting to an article about harmful comments parents make about their childrens weight and the recommendation in a study that the topic be avoided
10 during a very painful time i starting walking my friends dogs and taking on dog sitting jobs
i wasnt in a position to have my own dog but even just this contact kept me going while my life slowly pieced back together
we humans are awfully lucky to have dogs and cats
  sarah d in monague mass reacting to a modern love column about learning to love via pet ownership


minneapolis   the minnesota twins left hander pat dean grew up a yankees fan in naugatuck conn the same hometown as 1940s yankees star francis shea known as spec dean had eagerly anticipated his first career appearance against the yankees on friday night at target field
sadly for dean it was not memorable dean lacks a cracking fastball and the yankees figured him out quickly every yankee but one had a hit by the time twins manager paul molitor removed dean with one out in the third with masahiro tanaka delivering a strong outing on five days rest the yankees won for the second straight night 8 2
dean took a businesslike view on the experience of pitching against the team he had rooted for as a boy
im out there to do a job he said it doesnt matter who it is
the yankees took a 4 0 lead in the first two of those runs from a carlos beltran homer and led by 5 1 when dean left the game
that was plenty for tanaka 4 2 after the second when the twins cobbled together two hits and a groundout for a run tanaka did not allow another runner into scoring position until eduardo nunez and joe mauer singled back to back in the eighth
as well as tanaka has pitched this year he has been most dominant on five or more days of rest   3 0 with a 149 era in eight starts compared with 1 2 and 470 in his six starts on four days rest pitchers in japan often go a week between starts tanaka gave up five runs in six and a third innings against detroit in his last start his third straight on four days rest
girardi let tanaka pitch into the eighth and throw a season high 110 pitches because he had the extra days rest and will not pitch again for a week two off days next week will bump tanakas next start to friday against the twins at yankee stadium
its not like his numbers are horrible yankees manager joe girardi said referring to regular rest its not like he has an 800 era but its something hes more accustomed to its kind of how he grew up we had 40 games in 41 days and that was kind of rough on everyone
girardi noted that the livelier offense had finally provided some support for tanaka the yankees had scored only three runs while tanaka was in the game in his last three starts he left those games with two losses and a no decision after a 10 start unbeaten streak to open the season
its nice for him because we have not scored him a lot of runs girardi said you always worry when you have a long first inning how a guy is going to come out but he did a good job and then continued to push well
tanaka was grateful for the support
absolutely it helped me out mentally obviously he said through an interpreter as a starting pitcher you want to put up as many zeros as possible thats what i tried to do all night
a passing shower delayed the start by 35 minutes and it took the yankees only another 10 minutes to score four times jacoby ellsbury singled on deans third pitch rob refsnyder doubled ellsbury home on the fifth and beltran pulled a two run homer to left on the 13th the fourth run scored when dean broke late to cover first enabling didi gregorius to beat out an infield hit
dean departed with one run in and two men on in the third austin romine doubled in two more runs against reliever neil ramirez and starlin castro added a sacrifice fly in the fourth dean was charged with seven earned runs on eight hits while recording only seven outs after the game the twins sent him to class aaa rochester
beltran went 3 for 4 with singles as the other two hits in his second game back after missing time with an inflamed left knee girardi removed him in the sixth for pinch runner ike davis brett gardner got a day off against a left hander but should be back in the lineup saturday girardi said
beltran said he was feeling better
im a little bit more comfortable in my mind he said i dont think its an issue i still have a little fluid but the pain is not there which is good
the yankees are 18 5 at target field since it opened in 2010


new york
a map on thursday with an article about a proposed expansion of ferry service in new york city omitted one of the proposed ferry terminals one is planned for roosevelt island the map also misidentified two proposed terminals in manhattan and failed to label an existing one the third stop from the bottom of the map a planned stop is grand avenue not stuyvesant cove the planned stop above that is stuyvesant cove not east 34th street and the existing stop above that is east 34th street a corrected map can be found at nytimescomnyregion

an article in some editions on tuesday about an outing on long island sound that left two people dead after a kayak and paddleboard were swept far from shore transposed the given names of the two survivors using information from the authorities the mother is delfina reynoso of hartford and her daughter is damaris

because of an editing error an article on tuesday about a second vigil at the stonewall inn in new york for the 49 people who died in an attack on a gay nightclub in orlando fla misstated in some editions the surname of a 25 year old man from brooklyn who was one of those killed he was enrique rios not ross
business day
a headline on friday with an article about the appointment of stacey snider as chairman and chief executive at 21st century fox misstated ms sniders current job as the article correctly noted she is co chairwoman of 20th century fox the film studio   not its parent 21st century fox

an article on the square feet page on june 8 about activist investors who are taking an interest in real estate investment trusts rendered incorrectly the name of the company with which new york reit a target of activist investors plans to merge it is jbg companies not jbp companies
the arts
the books of the times review on june 7 about ordinarily well the case for antidepressants by peter d kramer referred incorrectly to the antidepressant trials conducted at a facility that is not named in the book they were commercially sponsored not conducted by the food and drug administration the fda does not conduct drug trials
weekend
the friday file on friday about the new york timess review of james joyces ulysses in 1922 misstated the name of the agency that burned copies of the novel in the 1920s though it is now the united states postal service at the time the copies were burned it was known as the post office department the current name came into being in 1970

a picture caption on friday with the antiques column misidentified the object shown it is a vase made around 1895 at the dorflinger glass factory in white mills pa not a wine ewer from 1899
arts  leisure
an article on page 8 this weekend about j t rogerss account of how his new play oslo evolved misstates the circumstances under which he conceived the project it was during a meeting with terje rod larsen then a united nations special envoy who had been involved in the making of the oslo accords it was not with mr larsen and mona juul an ambassador and representative to the united nations norway mission ms juul who is married to mr larsen joined the project later a revised version of the article in which mr rogers clarifies his dealings with the diplomats can be found at nytimescomarts
obituaries
an obituary on friday about kenneth walton a top official in the new york office of the fbi in the early 1980s referred incorrectly to the 1981 robbery of a brinks armored truck in rockland county it was carried out by a coalition of groups that included members of the weather underground and the black liberation army it was not carried out solely by the weather underground
opinion
an opinion article on june 5 about opioids and depression incorrectly described the approved uses of buprenorphine it is fda approved for the treatment of acute and chronic pain as well as opioid addiction it is not approved only for the treatment of opioid addiction
the times welcomes comments and suggestions or complaints about errors that warrant correction messages on news coverage can be e mailed to nytnewsnytimescom or left toll free at 1 844 nyt news 1 844 698 6397 comments on editorials may be e mailed tolettersnytimescom or faxed to 212 556 3622
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for newspaper delivery questions 1 800 nytimes 1 800 698 4637 or e mail customercarenytimescom


rio de janeiros governor declared a state of financial emergency friday and requested federal funds to help fulfill obligations for public services during the olympics which start aug 5
emergency measures are needed to avoid a total collapse in public security health education transport and environmental management a decree in the states official gazette said
the states revenue largely tied to the petroleum industry slumped in the last two years as global oil prices collapsed rio states debt has been downgraded several times and since late last year the state has been forced to delay pension and salary payments and close some schools and hospitals
the mayor of rio the local organizing committee and the interim president of brazil have all said the conduct of the games will not be affected by the financial crisis of the state which is responsible for most day to day security and health services in rio reuters
the defending champion lexi thompson fought through back pain to take the second round lead in the meijer lpga classic
it just came on last weekend and it was really bad today thompson said im not really one to complain about pain because i just fight through it but yeah its hurting im going to go and get a rubdown and see if it goes away
thompson 21 shot a four under par 67 rebounding from bogeys on 15 and 16 with birdies on the final two holes to reach 10 under 132 at blythefield in belmont mich
alena sharp of canada bogeyed her final hole to drop into a tie for second at nine under with the south korean players in gee chun so yeon ryu and q baek they all shot 67 the top ranked lydia ko and the no 2 brooke henderson coming off a playoff victory over ko in the kpmg womens pga were together at seven under after matching rounds of 68
the calgary flames hired glen gulutzan an assistant coach for the vancouver canucks for the past three seasons as their new head coach gulutzan 44 was head coach of dallas from 2011 to 2013 the stars went 64 57 9 under gulutzan and missed the playoffs both seasons he replaces bob hartley who was fired may 3 after the flames finished 35 40 7
tom benson owner of the new orleans saints and the pelicans has reached a settlement in a lawsuit involving his effort to remove shares of his pro teams from trusts for his estranged daughter and her two children
an announcement by the two teams said terms of the settlement would not be public a federal trial over the matter was scheduled to open monday benson 88 was expected to be compelled to testify at trial
in january 2015 benson announced that he no longer wanted renee benson his daughter and rita and ryan leblanc her children to inherit shares of his professional teams benson said at the time that he intended to leave the teams fully in the hand of his third wife gayle whom he married in 2004 benson fired his daughter and her children from executive positions with the clubs
oher gets new deal the carolina panthers signed left tackle michael oher to a three year contract extension oher whose story was the basis of the blind side a book by michael lewis and a 2009 movie starring sandra bullock played for the baltimore ravens and the tennessee titans before joining the panthers last year
the semiretired wrestler jerry lawler known as the king and his girlfriend lauryn mcbride were arrested at lawlers home thursday night in east memphis tenn on charges of domestic violence the police said lawler 66 was released and mcbride 27 was about to be records showed
world wrestling entertainment said it had suspended lawler who is a color commentator and a member of the organizations hall of fame known for wrestling the comedian andy kaufman in the 1980s lawler is a prominent figure in memphis where he ran for mayor in 1999
new york red bulls coach jesse marsch has received a multiyear contract extension from the major league soccer team marsch took charge in 2015 and then was voted coach of the year this year the red bulls are in second place in the mls east with a 6 7 1 record
delvin perez a 17 year old puerto rican shortstop who fell to the 23rd pick in the draft after testing positive for performance enhancing substances signed with the st louis cardinals perez played at the international baseball academy in ceiba puerto rico
the cardinals also recalled second baseman kolten wong from class aaa memphis after a brief demotion during which he played center field to add to his versatility when he was demoted wong was batting 222 with one homer and five rbi in 49 games and had lost his starting spot he hit 429 with four homers and 11 rbi in seven games in the minors


for muhammad hannan and other muslim high school students in new york city this has been a ramadan of contrasts and conflicting emotions
the joy of breaking a 16 hour fast with the first bite of a sweet date the horror of hearing about the attack on a gay nightclub in florida that left 49 dead the drudgery of reviewing a years worth of earth sciences and trigonometry notes the frustration of defending islam   and the right to be in this country   after another terrorist attack carried out in the name of the islamic state
i just dont get it said muhammad a 17 year old junior at abraham lincoln high school in coney island brooklyn who immigrated from pakistan with his family in 2014 islam is all about peace in ramadan we dont even curse youre not supposed to do anything bad
ramadan is usually muhammads favorite time this year though the holiday which encompasses a month of fasting from dawn to dusk has not offered its usual refuge already ramadan coincided with the regents the series of state tests that most high school students in new york take
then on sunday a muslim man born in new york omar mateen called 911 to proclaim his allegiance to isis and opened fire in the pulse nightclub in orlando
within a day donald j trump the presumptive republican presidential nominee was renewing his call to ban muslims from entering the united states
and the day after that another student in muhammads english class started echoing mr trumps call
he was talking a lot of bad things with no proof muhammad said of the classmate muhammad replied that there were differences between muslims like muhammad ali and those like omar mateen
if you can tell the difference between white people and kkk you can at least differentiate between muslims and isis muhammad recalled arguing in class
how did that student respond he said because donald trump said so muhammad said everybody in the class was laughing
salwa mozzeb 15 who is finishing her freshman year at millennium brooklyn high school in park slope soundly dismissed mr trumps proposal thats messed up she said on tuesday wearing a hijab and speaking in a brassy brooklyn accent a naturalized united states citizen she came with her mother from syria when she was 9 months old i was raised here she said america is my home
salwa lives in a bay ridge apartment with her parents grandmother and four younger siblings she has uncles and cousins who live in the same building and on the same block she volunteers at the arab american association of new york whose headquarters are in bay ridge her mother who is from syria has a brother who escaped the civil war there and made his way to sweden another relative has been waiting 10 years for a visa to enter the united states
once populated largely by scandinavian immigrants as well as those of italian and irish heritage bay ridge has been transformed like so much of new york there are nine mosques in the area now according to tony carnes a sociologist who publishes an online journal a journey through nyc religions many of the store signs on the avenues are written in arabic
after the killings in orlando salwas father abdulnoor mozzeb 39 a naturalized american citizen originally from yemen warned his daughter to be especially careful on the subway and to sit near the conductor the idea annoyed her im just like any other 15 year old here she said i want to hang out and chill i dont want to stress about feeling like im different because im muslim
mr mozzeb approved of her convictions shes strong he said when it comes to your identity somebody is going to disrespect you you got to stand up
salwas mother manar al ahamar said that in april outside a pharmacy in bay ridge an older woman had confronted her telling her to go back to her country and cursing her in front of her 10 year old son ahmed
ms al ahamar 32 said she had just walked away but had gotten so upset later that her blood pressure soared and she began to have severe chest pains salwa had helped her mother into in an ambulance it was not until wednesday that her mother revealed what had caused the emergency
salwa did not understand how a woman could verbally attack her mother especially in what she considers her own neighborhood if she doesnt want to be surrounded by muslims salwa said why is she in this community
as for muhammad he spends his days in two brooklyn neighborhoods dotted with mosques he and his family live in brighton beach and he volunteers at the council of peoples organization a group in midwood that serves muslims arabs and south asians
in brighton beach he and his older brother hassan often attend a turkish mosque up the block from their house or one of three smaller mosques in the area though from the outside ramadan might seem to be a hardship   rising before dawn to eat then going back to sleep before getting up again for school   muhammad and his friends say it is more like a sweet respite
we get to fast we get to stay close to allah we pray five times a day muhammad said and after when we pray at night we go out with our friends and stay out till 1
muhammad described the communal outdoor prayers in his hometown karachi and how with the streets closed he and his friends would play cricket late into the night
he said he missed the ramadan of his childhood but understood why his family moved to the united states
my parents wanted us to have a good education he said he and hassan 21 who attends the borough of manhattan community college are permanent residents
salwas parents want the same for their children if you have education you are a different person said salwas father who works as a doorman at a hotel in midtown manhattan
the family lives half a block from their mosque at the islamic society of bay ridge decorated on the outside this month with strings of colored lights at 10 pm every night salwa and her friends go through the womens entrance and bypassing the hot crowded third floor climb to the roof
they stay there in the soft breeze as the last embers of sunset fade and the lights of the verrazano narrows bridge twinkle in the background like most high school girls they check their phones compliment one another on their outfits and discuss their exam schedules while younger children turn cartwheels nearby
when the prayers begin the girls go into the stairwell so they can hear through the speakers kneeling on the cold linoleum to be closer spiritually to allah
muhammad and his family usually pray at home before going to the mosque for evening prayers then often until early morning he and hassan engage in philosophical debates in the room they share discussions about american values versus their pakistani upbringing
usually muhammad said its about sneakers
he wants to add to his air jordan collection even at 250 a pair his brother counters you can feed four to five homeless people with that
because of ramadan the brothers were awake before dawn on sunday when the first reports of the massacre in orlando began to appear on their phones i was literally praying dont be a muslim hassan said
just the week before the brothers had watched as america mourned one of its most famous muslims muhammad ali they were proud now they are hurt and angry
it takes people like muhammad ali to do good things for islam muhammad said and then it takes seconds for people like omar mateen to destroy everything


east rutherford nj   it is traditionally one of the weirder features of the copa america there is no extra time in case of a 90 minute draw in the quarterfinal and semifinal knockout rounds teams skip the 30 minute overtime and go directly to penalty kicks unless a tie occurs in the tournaments final
and so as the clock tick tocked along at metlife stadium on friday night the possibility grew into the probability that this frustrating scoreless quarterfinal between colombia and peru would end up in one of those unfortunate nearly random shootout results
that is exactly what happened in a match that did not quite live up to the exuberance or expectations of the capacity crowd colombia somehow hung on for a 4 2 penalty kick victory after goalkeeper david ospina made an improbable diving save with his left foot off a shot by peru defender miguel trauco to hold a 3 2 edge the clinching miss occurred when christian cueva perus no 10 leaned too far back and sailed an attempt high over the net
for that one kick save ospina the keeper for arsenal was named player of the match
the game was very intense very divided colombia coach jose pekerman said i had no doubt this match would be like this luckily in the end i think we deservedly took the win even if it was on penalty kicks we know that we can do better
paulo guerrero arguably perus best player asked to take the teams fifth penalty kick and never had a chance to step up to the spot
to be eliminated by penalty kicks hurts more peru coach ricardo gareca said both teams did a good job of holding back their opponent we need to develop more goal scoring opportunities i think the game was less exciting than the three others we played
earlier in the tournament it appeared that this scheduled quarterfinal might well feature a showcase brazil united states match then brazil crashed out losing to peru on raul ruidiazs infamous handball goal and the americans surpassed colombia in the group a standings suddenly friday night at the copa america was an all south american affair and a fairly dreary one the match became a soccer haters best argument against the sport there were many exaggerated flops and virtually no scoring chances
this turn of events did nothing to deter the crowd announced at 79194 which filled the stadium with cheers of hope at impressive decibels considering the dismal behavior by crowds at the european championships in france these supporters remained remarkably good natured throughout trading chants and sharing organized red and yellow waves
colombia was the clear favorite and had the advantage in possession throughout the first half when it came to penetrating the final line of peruvian defenders however colombia lacked the imagination or the commitment to create new lines of attack peru appeared to lack the skill or the nerve to take the necessary risks
by the fifa rankings colombia known as los cafeteros or the coffee growers was a heavy favorite it was ranked no 3 in the world before the start of the tournament in its hundredth year it also won the copa america in 2001 peru which won the title in 1975 stands at no 48 in the fifa rankings
we know that we can do better pekerman said well acknowledge the negative sometimes we were rushed we have to have a sense of patience
colombia now advances to a semifinal next week in chicago against the winner of the chile mexico match if mexico wins that game the colombians can expect a decidedly more hostile crowd maybe an edgy atmosphere will create some sharper soccer


two and half months into the season and matt harvey remains an enigma his improvement over past two weeks offered a glimmer of hope that he had solved the problems behind his wretched start but friday in a 5 1 loss to the atlanta braves harvey lapsed
in harveys previous 20 innings entering fridays start he had allowed only two runs his velocity breaking balls and demeanor were better but facing the second lowest scoring offense in the major leagues harvey gave up four runs on seven hits over six innings his shrinking era skipped up to 476
well continue to make sure he stays positive because i dont think it should affect him mets manager terry collins said hes been pitching too good
harvey did maintain strong velocity a reassuring sign for the mets but his command and his slider were not consistently sharp he walked two batters and gave up four doubles   all on pitches up in the strike zone or over the heart of the plate
its one of those things where youre up in the zone and leave balls over the middle of the plate and sometimes you get away with it and sometimes you dont harvey said
in the three innings in which harvey allowed runs he undermined himself he walked the leadoff batters in the third and the fifth he gave up a leadoff double to jace peterson in the fourth each runner eventually scored
maybe thats guiding the ball harvey said of the walks when you go up against a team that is super aggressive you might try and change some things i think that kind of got the best of me
one subpar start does not quickly erase three previous stellar games but harvey has walked a fine line of uneasiness since the start of the season some mets fans remained unsatisfied offering a smattering of boos after harvey gave up a run scoring single to nick markakis in the fifth that gave the braves a 4 1 lead
the pitching matchup was an intriguing pairing harveys pitching remains at the core of the mets concerns the braves rookie starter john gant is tied to the mets magical 2015 season
the mets used gant and robert whalen both lower level prospects to pry juan uribe and kelly johnson from the braves the two veterans helped inspire the mets second half surge last season on friday with a funky and halting delivery gant kept his former organization off balance
i was here once for a predraft workout said gant who was picked by the mets in the 21st round of the 2011 draft this was a little more intense than that
gant allowed only one run on two hits over six and two thirds innings the mets scored first scratching out a run in the first with groundouts after curtis grandersons leadoff double but they did not notch their second hit until asdrubal cabreras two out double in the sixth inning
the mets inconsistent offense has offered sporadic support to the pitching staff creating little margin for error earlier in the week against the pittsburgh pirates the much injured lineup piled up 17 runs on 30 hits in a two game stretch but the mets could barely string together a rally against the rebuilding braves pitching staff
even one of the mets hottest hitters could not rescue a fruitful opportunity wilmer flores david wrights short term replacement at third base did not start because of a bruised left hand flores was hit by a pitch in thursdays game so johnson started at third base on friday instead but when the mets loaded the bases in the seventh with two outs pinch hitter flores struck out
we just didnt have very good swings collins said
the game ended on a strange play james loney was called out by the umpires according to collins for making contact with peterson above the knees at second base on a double play attempt a violation of the new slide rules


rio de janeiro   the police in rio de janeiro said friday that they had asked for charges to be filed against seven people in the gang rape of a 16 year old girl the case attracted international attention after videos showing men posing with the unconscious victim were posted on social media
the attack took place on may 21 in an abandoned building in the morro do borao district of rio de janeiro
the officer overseeing the investigation cristiana bento said evidence collected so far showed that three men and a minor took part in the rape not 33 people as the victim initially suggested ms bento said she believed that the victims statement was a false memory perhaps the result of her drugged state during the attack or the trauma she suffered the victim is now in a witness protection program
ms bento said a video that circulated online might have confused the victim in the video a suspect says this one here she got pregnant by more than 30 gesturing toward the naked and unconscious teenager
the videos and other material that appeared on social media and message sharing sites alerted the police to what happened and helped them to identify the suspects
ms bento has asked for charges to be brought against two other people who are accused of helping to circulate the videos online she is also seeking charges against a gang leader in the rio de janeiro area where the rape took place accusing him of giving the attack his blessing
two suspects have been arrested and the rest remain at large
in brazil a defendant convicted of raping a vulnerable victim can be sentenced to a maximum term of 15 years in prison and a conviction for making a pornographic video of a minor carries a maximum eight year sentence distributing such videos carries a six year maximum sentence


the photo was featured on the cover of new york citys tabloids a man in shorts and sunglasses sitting on a water scooter a smile on his face middle fingers extended to the sky
the man glenn lieberman was among more than 130 people who were charged as part of a scheme in which people collected disability payments based on fraudulent health claims more than 85 of them like mr lieberman were former police officers
prosecutors highlighted the picture at a news conference in january 2014 and said that it had been taken when mr lieberman claimed he was too mentally incapacitated to leave his house then mr lieberman became somewhat of a symbol of the abuses that prosecutors attributed to the scheme
on friday mr lieberman 50 pleaded guilty to third degree grand larceny as part of a plea bargain he was expected to be sentenced to 250 hours of community service and had already paid the 250000 he owes in restitution and fines said gerald j mcmahon his lawyer
also on friday kevin hurley 56 who was convicted of second degree grand larceny during a trial in may was sentenced to two and a half to seven and a half years in prison and geoffrey davila 50 a former officer in the new york city correction department pleaded guilty to attempted third degree grand larceny
earlier four people accused of directing the operation had pleaded guilty in exchange for prison sentences of between one and nine years
of those charged more than 100 have pleaded guilty to a felony charge eight cases were dismissed and 15 remained open according to the manhattan district attorneys office
the charges in the case were incendiary that a large group of people many of whom were already collecting new york city pensions used fraudulent psychiatric claims   some connected to sept 11   to bilk social security for disability payouts averaging 30000 to 50000 a year in a scheme dating back to the 1980s
the district attorneys office said mr liebermans guilty plea signified that he admitted to stealing at least 50000 from social security mr mcmahon said that it meant only that his client could not defend the charge that he was not entitled to the payments
the overwhelming reaction is that hes pleased its finally finished he thinks its an appropriate resolution and hes happy to move on with the rest of his life he said
mr mcmahon reiterated friday what he had said before that the water scooter photo was taken before mr lieberman was on disability
prosecutors said that mr lieberman like most of the other defendants was awarded disability based on claims of mental illness some of which were related to sept 11 investigators believed mr liebermans involvement on the day of disaster was minimal
mr mcmahon disagreed saying he thought that they had showed it was not
its not true he said
a representative from the district attorneys office said that the overwhelming majority of defendants who pleaded guilty to felony charges related to the scheme did not receive any jail time though they were ordered to pay fines and restitution for the benefits they were given a spokeswoman said the office has already recouped about 25 million lost from the fraud
the photo of mr lieberman was just one piece of visual evidence that the district attorneys office had in its case against people who were receiving disability benefits other photos depicted people fishing teaching martial arts or sitting in the cockpit of an aircraft
mr mcmahon said he believed the case would have been different without the photo of his client
that picture singularly made this case twice as hard as it would have been he said it was a cross that we had to bear for two and a half years


oakmont pa   third ranked rory mcilroy the 2011 united states open champion equaled his worst start in eight appearances in the event with a seven over par 77
mcilroy who finished his opening round on friday morning found five fairways and eight greens and had 34 putts seven more than the englishman lee westwood who finished 10 strokes better
mcilroy did not try to hide his disappointment after matching the 77 he shot in the first round of the 2012 tournament at the olympic club in san francisco where he missed the cut
i think for me the toughest thing is just trying to stay positive and not get too down on myself he said
lacking confidence in his driver mcilroy hit irons off the tee on the first three holes
and missed three fairways he said so that doesnt help either
he added i dont need to swing perfect but i just need to be able to play one shot and know that i know where its going to start and i know where its going to finish and just try to go from there
a long wait to play late danny lee completed his rain interrupted first round at about 9 am friday with a one under par 69 he was tied for fifth
but lee 25 was troubled that his scheduled tee time to start his second round was friday at 834 pm he did not know when he was going to have dinner and he was worried about getting to sleep
thats way past my dinnertime and i should be in bed rolling around about to fall asleep lee said i know ive never swung the golf club at that time
lee added that he customarily eats a hefty dinner usually around 6 or 7 pm
so this one is going to be a problem for me lee said
other players were puzzled about the wisdom of having groups tee off so late that they would only play a few holes before returning early saturday morning to resume their rounds
about 90 minutes after lee left the grounds tournament officials announced that those golfers who started their first rounds on thursday morning - most did not finish until friday morning   would not begin their second rounds until saturday morning bill pennington


spain the defending european champion booked a place among the final 16 of the 2016 european championships on friday with a convincing 3 0 win over turkey in nice france
spain coached by vicente del bosque controlled the group d match from the kickoff with two goals by juventuss alvaro morata and a first competitive international goal from nolito sealing a comfortable win
we showed our winning mentality and great team spirit here tonight said andres iniesta who was named man of the match
it depends on ourselves how far we go here he added the feelings we have are very positive at the moment
turkey needs to beat the czech republic in its final match and hope other results go its way to have any chance of progressing as one of the four best third place sides from the six groups
before the game turkey coach fatih terim had called for more fight from his side
today our national team threw in the towel he said i didnt like it afp


halle germany   as dominic thiem has cemented his place this year as a rising star of mens tennis his quality has been matched with quantity
thiem 22 attained his career high ranking of no 7 after reaching the french open semifinals he has scored several notable victories along the way pulling off the impressive double of beating rafael nadal on clay in buenos aires in february and roger federer on grass last week in stuttgart germany
but between his flashiest results thiem has labored through an unrelenting churn of matches at smaller tournaments far surpassing the workload of any other man in the top 50 while other top players rest between the biggest events thiem has entered and won smaller tournaments racking up four titles this year across all three surfaces and building up the third best winning percentage on the tour
thiems 6 4 6 1 victory over teymuraz gabashvili on thursday here at the gerry weber open was his 57th singles match this year 10 more than top ranked novak djokovic who has the second most matches on tour
if you always experience new and better things than before then you dont get tired at all said thiem who got a break friday when he moved into the semifinals with a walkover against philipp kohlschreiber this year i have the feeling that every week i develop myself and thats a really happy situation for me
federer who has lost two of his three matches against thiem this year praised the young austrians durability and consistency
i think young guys have to be able to do that federer said of thiems scheduling youve got to grind it out and get used to it then everything after that is easy i spoke to him about his schedule coming up he knows what hes doing i think its unbelievable to see how hes backing it up but i think hes definitely playing with confidence right now
the grinding work ethic was instilled in thiem from a young age by his coach gunter bresnik who would go to their training center near vienna on saturdays and sundays for additional sessions that emphasis on constant hard work has stayed with thiem even when his superlative ability could allow him to rest on his talent
i know that its necessary and i dont know something else thiem said of the strenuous schedule gunter he did it with me for a very young age and it was his plan that i get used to this because the tour is very hard you have to take a lot and he was preparing me from a very young age now its at a point where i dont know anything else working hard its like normal for me
although bresnik instilled the philosophy he can no longer keep up with thiems travel schedule and is on a vacation this week joakim nystrom a swedish coach who had previously worked with the austrian tennis federation now travels with thiem for about 12 weeks of the year
hes playing well and he wants to play nystrom said he went to stuttgart and of course he didnt expect to win the tournament and beat federer he was more there to get used to the grass and hopefully have a decent wimbledon then confidence from the french open and before that made him win that tournament hes very fit he never complains that hes tired and i think he likes to play matches and why not
nystrom said that thiems poorer results on grass in previous years had lowered expectations and pressure last week in stuttgart   until thiem found himself unexpectedly leading federer a seven time wimbledon champion by 4 3 in the third set of the semifinals and having to wait through a rain delay
he looks at me and says joakim i was not supposed to feel any pressure coming here nystrom recalled now i am 4 3 break up against federer the best grass court player ever i need to serve two good service games and i beat him now i feel pressure
pressure on thiem will only continue to mount as he continues to raise his profile in the sport entering a landscape with few other players his age as djokovic and andy murray near 30 a threshold nadal and federer have already passed no younger players have been able to meaningfully join them atop the sport thiem attributed most of the stagnation of the wave of players now in their mid 20s to the steep incline presented by the games best
they were just unlucky that they played most of their careers at the peak of djokovic at the peak of federer nadal and murray thiem said those guys are just so good
thiem recognizes that opportunities will come as the older generation ages out but he wants to be able to improve himself to the point where he can compete with the current best while theyre still playing their best
for sure djokovic and murray and also the other two they have a couple more very good years he said the goal for the young players also me has to be to compete with them at their peak theres nothing better than that level so we have to work hard to be able to compete with them when they are at their peak
im really happy about the situation right now but the thing is you can never rest you always have to continue working because everybody is once you stop the others will overtake you im very happy how everything is but at the same moment i try to make everything better


minneapolis   c c sabathia was surprisingly upbeat friday his beloved golden state warriors had lost to the cleveland cavaliers in the nba finals on thursday night but that could not tarnish his sense of accomplishment in having thrown six demanding innings to beat the minnesota twins 4 1
besides it was only game 6 one more to go
sabathia grew up in vallejo calif in the bay area he attended warriors games as a child and held season tickets for several years as an adult but he has also been friends with lebron james since sabathia was pitching for the cleveland indians yet ask sabathia which team he is rooting for in game 7 on sunday and the answer comes without hesitation
warriors he said got to go with the home team i know what it means to the bay area it would be good to see them to be able go back to back
sabathia stole peeks at game 6 in the visitors clubhouse at target field on thursday after the yankees won much of the team watched the final minutes and stephen currys ejection in the lunchroom during the postgame meal
but the timing for game 7 for the yankees and sabathia is not good their charter back to new york is scheduled to be airborne when the game tips off the teams travel director ben tuliebitz said the plane could not pull in the television feed though players might be able to watch the live stream on laptops and personal devices some could get home in time to catch the final minutes
james of course is a well known yankees fan who caused a commotion in cleveland by wearing a yankees cap to game 1 of a 2007 american league division series game at jacobs field sabathia pitching for the indians won 12 3 though james left the park before the final out the indians went on to win the series the following year james correctly predicted that sabathia would sign with the yankees as a free agent
sabathia in turn entertained the notion of enticing james to sign with the knicks in 2010 as a free agent james landed in miami before returning to cleveland two years ago
when i see him its always friendly for sure sabathia said
thursday sabathia continued his seven start run of effectiveness reinventing himself by relying more on his cut fastball than a diminished four seamer since may 4 he is 4 2 with an 086 era
eduardo nunez a former teammate singled in the only run sabathia allowed punching a fastball off the plate to right field in the fourth sabathia could not spot his sinking fastball where he wanted but worked out of jams with a cutter and a backdoor curve while sabathia pitched the twins left nine runners on and went 2 for 9 with runners in scoring position
manager joe girardi said sabathia looked like an all star
i thought it took him a little bit to get going but hes been consistent the whole year girardi said and its really been since last september him putting some good months after september of last year back to back you feel really good about c c he seems to have command of everything you know the guys every once in a while arent going to have it but hes been as consistent as any guy weve got


when paul a x bologna heard that a local fisherman had brought a dime size jellyfish to a new jersey aquarium he had a hunch that it might be a gonionemus vertens or clinging jellyfish
so dr bologna a biologist and ecologist at montclair state university brought the animal back to his lab there scientists extracted analyzed and sequenced its dna and determined that it was indeed the clinging jellyfish spotted in new jersey for the first time
while he was testing the dna he heard that a swimmer had been stung in the shrewsbury river and that more jellyfish had been found in a third location raising the prospect that there could be a sizable population
ive worked in eelgrass beds the animals preferred habitat for about 15 years and ive never seen them dr bologna said but theyre so small maybe i just overlooked them
while these particular jellyfish mostly live in the pacific ocean they have been found in the atlantic ocean since 1894 when they were discovered near woods hole mass according to mary carman an ecologist and researcher at the woods hole oceanographic institution
the population has fluctuated over time dr carman said possibly after a wasting disease infected the local eelgrass population causing much of the grass to die off and leaving the clinging jellyfish without enough habitat
but dr carman who has studied these jellyfish since the first sting on the east coast was reported in 1990 said they had never totally disappeared from the water around new england
it was only after 1990 that they popped up regularly leading dr carman to believe that a second wave of jellyfish was introduced to this part of the world this one with a higher level of toxicity than the first population
dr carman and dr bologna dont have a definitive answer to how the jellyfish got to the east coast in first place maybe they arrived in the water used for ships ballasts or as polyps attached to barnacles on ships hulls in shellfish imports or perhaps they drifted across the arctic ocean
dr carman said that clinging jellyfish from japan and russia were known to have powerful stings but that those from the northeast pacific   california and elsewhere   were relatively harmless
toxic or not new jersey is virgin territory for the animal which prefers relatively sheltered water unmoved by winds wave and tides with plenty of eelgrass
dr carman said they are unlikely to be in places where most people swim open coastline sandy beaches places with waves not very many people choose to swim in eelgrass she said
but some people cannot avoid it annette govindarajan a research associate at woods hole who works with dr carman said most of the people who get hurt are eelgrass researchers including dr carman who was stung on the lip in 2013 while looking for clinging jellyfish in eelgrass
she described the pain as like being stabbed with five hypodermic needles at once
dr carman and dr govindarajan who are among a relatively small number of jellyfish researchers said there were no definitive explanations for seemingly growing jellyfish populations and the spread of many species beyond their traditional habitats
jellyfish blooms seem to be enabled by warmer temperatures dr carman said but beyond that one of their big research questions is whether climate change has enabled the spread of this and other species of jellyfish
some effects of human activity such as ocean acidification could also have an impact on jellyfish habitats and populations but dr govindarajan said that remains a mystery however both researchers said that overfishing of populations that feed on jellyfish was not the cause of range expansion or of population growth in this case
while most recreational swimmers at beaches in new jersey and northward are unlikely to get stung by this particular ocean creature all of the scientists stressed that its sting can be particularly painful which is why appearances often make the news
there are many different reactions to the sting dr carman said but it was so painful that i wont forget it anytime soon


a 94th minute penalty rescued a point for the czech republic in its 2 2 draw with croatia as flares were thrown onto the pitch during a euro 2016 match in st etienne france
with croatia leading by 2 1 and with one foot in the last 16 the referee mark clattenberg briefly halted play late in the game when flares thrown by croatian fans landed on the field
when the match resumed croatia defender domagoj vida was penalized for a handball and tomas necid drilled home the resulting penalty deep in added time to claim the czech teams first point in group d
uefa soccers governing body in europe could impose further sanctions on the croatian football federation for the crowd trouble
these people are terrorists they are not fans croatia coach ante cacic said
afp


the state senate has confirmed two people recommended by mayor bill de blasio to serve on the metropolitan transportation authority board strengthening new york citys voice at the state run agency that oversees subways and buses
as the legislative session wound down on friday evening the senate confirmed several people to serve on the board including david r jones the president of the community service society whom mr de blasio recommended another mayoral choice veronica vanterpool the executive director of the tri state transportation campaign was confirmed on thursday
over the past year mr de blasio a democrat has had only one representative on the board   polly trottenberg the citys transportation commissioner   even though the mayor is allowed to select four members he recommended ms vanterpool and mr jones more than a year ago but the legislative session in 2015 ended without the republican led senates confirming his choices
at a time when the subways are increasingly overcrowded and the authority is weighing the closing of the l subway tunnel between manhattan and brooklyn for repairs city officials and transit advocates had argued that the city needed a full voice on the board a third person mr de blasio nominated ydanis rodriguez a member of the city council had not been confirmed by the senate on friday night
on friday several other people were confirmed to serve on the board including peter ward the president of the new york hotel and motel trades council who was appointed by gov andrew m cuomo a democrat
another cuomo appointee charles phillips the chief executive of infor a manhattan software company had not been confirmed by the senate on friday night a spokesman for the governor james allen said mr cuomo planned to nominate mr phillips to serve on a different board for the empire state development corporation
the senate also confirmed john samuelsen the president of the transport workers union local 100 to serve john j molloy andrew m saul james e vitiello carl v wortendyke and neal j zuckerman were approved to represent suburban counties
the authoritys board makes decisions for the regional transit system   which includes the long island rail road the metro north railroad and the staten island railway   and votes on issues like fare increases in recent months mr jones and other transit advocates have pushed for reduced fares for low income riders
the governor names six representatives to the authoritys board including the chairman the executives of nassau suffolk and westchester counties each recommend one member while the members that represent dutchess orange putnam and rockland counties share one vote several nonvoting board members represent riders and labor unions


the brazil born italian striker eder citadin martins overcame an otherwise patchy performance hitting a late winner in a 1 0 victory over sweden on friday in toulouse france that sent italy into the final 16 of the 2016 european championships
eder playing in his first major tournament for italy since becoming a citizen last year came close to being substituted by manager antonio conte after a dismal opening half up front alongside southampton striker graziano pelle
im very happy with the goal said eder who has struggled to make an impact this season at inter milan after moving from sampdoria in january
im delighted for the team and im very happy the coach has kept faith with me he added
italy a 2 0 winner over belgium last week now tops group e with 6 points leaving sweden whose late claims for a penalty were rejected in need of a victory over belgium on wednesday to have any realistic hope of making it to the knockout phase afp


birstall england   the police in britain on saturday charged a 52 year old man with murdering jo cox the lawmaker whose death shocked britons and led to a suspension of campaigning in a referendum on whether britain should leave the european union
in a statement issued early saturday detective superintendent nick wallen of the west yorkshire police said that officers had charged a man with murder and several other offenses including grievous bodily harm and possession of a firearm
the suspect thomas mair of birstall a town in west yorkshire county is expected to make an initial court appearance at westminster magistrates court in london on saturday
once charges have been made british media law prevents any reporting about the case that might prejudice a trial
the shooting and stabbing death of ms cox 41 a member of the opposition labour party left britain stunned and set off a debate about the tone of britains increasingly fractious politics ahead of the plebiscite regarding the european bloc
ms cox was killed early thursday afternoon after getting out of her car outside the public library in birstall where she had been scheduled to hold a meeting with constituents the police said on friday in their most detailed description of the attack some media accounts citing witnesses said on thursday that ms cox had been coming out of the library after the meeting when she was attacked
issues of immigration and national identity have been central to the occasionally bitter clashes over the referendum on european union membership and have resulted in a tone that critics say verges on racism and xenophobia
ms coxs death was the first killing of a sitting member of parliament since 1990 her death brought prime minister david cameron a conservative and the labour leader jeremy corbyn together to the site of the killing to honor her
both sides in the european union debate suspended campaigning on thursday out of respect for ms cox though vote leave which supports departure from the 28 nation bloc said friday that it would resume campaigning over the weekend
speaking in birstall mr cameron said he first met ms cox in 2006 in the darfur region of sudan at the time she worked for the humanitarian organization oxfam parliament has lost one of its most passionate and brilliant campaigners he said
mr corbyn called ms coxs killing an attack on democracy blaming the well of hatred
kathryn pinnock a liberal democrat councilor from birstall who was appointed to the house of lords in 2014 said she was scheduled to campaign with ms cox on thursday afternoon for britain to remain in the european union
there has been growing concern about threats british lawmakers have received in the line of their work and ms pinnock said ms cox had mentioned receiving some very unpleasant messages on social media
the west yorkshire police said ms cox had gotten two threats in the past including one of a sexual nature at her offices in london the metropolitan police who protect the capital said ms cox had alerted them in march to malicious communication by a man whom officers detained and released with a warning that man was not the murder suspect the police said
ms cox who would have turned 42 on wednesday was elected to parliament for the district of batley and spen in may 2015 in just over a year she had already established a strong reputation speaking on behalf of refugees children in poverty and children with autism
hundreds of people packed st peters church in birstall on thursday night for a memorial service ms coxs husband brendan cox said on friday that a charitable fund had been set up in her memory


oakmont pa   for an old cantankerous blue blood of a course oakmont country club has shown a surprising tolerance of youth it has accommodated a 22 year old jack nicklauss coronation at the 1962 united states open at the expense of the older more popular arnold palmer a 26 year old johnny millers crowning in 1973 and a 24 year old ernie elss major title baptism in 1994
the deep bunkered hunchbacked dowagers patience for golfers who got to the top in a mad rush has apparently worn thin in the first round of the 116th united states open which took two days to complete oakmont smiled on the fields elders and spanked some young stars
the englishman lee westwood led the 40 something brigade with a three under par 67 westwood henrik stenson angel cabrera jim furyk retief goosen phil mickelson and els average 449 years their first round scores averaged 713
westwood whose sense of humor is drier than a baked green said he would lean on his 20 plus years of experience to ride out a long week that became more mentally and physically challenging when the tournament lost almost a full day of play on thursday to a series of electrical storms
yeah ill probably cut down on the gym sessions and save the energy in my legs he said with a straight face westwood later laughed when he finished describing himself as the finely tuned athlete that i am
it is early of course but when the light turned green at oakmont the family sport utility vehicles with the balding tires were off the line faster than the sleek late model sedans
the south korean born new zealander danny lee led the 20 something upstarts with a 69 the drop off after that was precipitous lee top ranked jason day second ranked jordan spieth third ranked rory mcilroy fifth ranked rickie fowler ninth ranked danny willett and 11th ranked patrick reed average 260 years their first round scores averaged 741
after signing for a 72 spieth said youve got to stay patient recognize pars a good score thats something were not used to
day 28 came into the week head and shoulders above the rest of the field with three victories and a 6992 stroke average of his 37 competitive stroke play rounds in 2016 16 were in the 60s
i feel good about where im at right now with regards to my game he said tuesday and oakmont rolled her eyes on friday he opened with a 76 a little over an hour later day returned to the course for his second round where he needed to shoot a low number to make the cut
it was days first competitive interaction with oakmont and she welcomed him by cutting him down like the tall trees on the course that distorted everybodys view days first round was capsulized by his fortunes at the par 4 17th where he hit his approach pin high and three putted for bogey
day found nine fairways and eight greens and had 31 putts surprising numbers for someone who had posted only one round higher than two over par all year a 79 in the third round of the rbc heritage the week after the masters
before oakmont swallowed up day he said the most stressful round he had endured in 2016 was the final round of the arnold palmer invitational where he scrambled for a closing 70 to hang on for the win
i felt out of control day said about that invitational it was just one of those weeks where i did not know where the ball was going
his distress friday took a different form tee to green he was fine days caddie colin swatton said between rounds he chipped it three times on one hole twice on another had two three putts
the first round was days fifth in a major since he claimed the world no 1 ranking from spieth for the second time in late march it was also his fifth since winning the pga championship last year his average score in those rounds was 730
is day trying too hard in the majors to live up to the super golfer image that he associated with being a major winner and the world no 1 when he was a kid growing up in australia
swatton said he did not believe that was the case but at his tuesday news conference day acknowledged that the pressure didnt peel away after his major breakthrough last august at whistling straits it remains a constant companion
im no 1 in the world im probably one of the favorites to win this week still thats a lot of pressure day said but its good pressure to have id much rather have that pressure than be at the end of the field and no one is expecting you to win
days strategy he said then is like ok ive just got to somehow survive this week and hopefully it works out
perhaps oakmont was less harsh to the old guard because she knows it has dealt with so much worse than her tangled rough divorce parents deaths childrens disabilities legal entanglements or maybe it takes decades of experience to handle a 113 year old oakmont which still possesses all her teeth


so the bear will be left to wander the athletic wilderness this august
for years haltingly at first and now with eloquence some elite athletes have spoken of ridding their sports of doping and the accompanying clouds over grand accomplishment
last march in oslo i talked with the american biathlete lowell bailey are we supposed to just accept that were not nearly as clean as we thought he said
he answered his question with a shake of the head you want repercussions some sort of retribution
repercussion and retribution arrived friday with a thud the chiefs of international track and field barred the participation of russia in the 2016 olympics in rio de janeiro a global superpower russia had engaged in top down and systematic doping of its elite athletes and covered it up they said
rune andersen an antidoping specialist for the international association of athletics federations which governs track took a seat in a room in vienna and spoke in soothing scandinavian accented english his message was unyielding
the system in russia has been tainted by doping from the top level and down he said
in a system this broken and corrupted he added you cannot know who is clean and who is not
that there was justice to be heard in andersens every word was indisputable grigory rodchenkov the former director of the moscow lab that tested thousands of russian olympians has turned whistle blower he recently spoke to the new york times of his handiwork he described concocting exotic doping cocktails with the brio a top bartender brings to mixing a mean mojito
victories in the war on doping come encoded with risk and worry olympic politics are inseparable from national and global politics and president vladimir putin a cobalt eyed sort has embraced sporting dominance as a symbol of russias re emergence as a global power
the whole doping scandal is a painful blow for the kremlin and humiliation for russia lilia shevtsova a senior fellow at the brookings institution told me in a situation of gradual exhaustion of resources putin has been especially keen on making sport a building block of russian greatness
putin did not stamp his foot and rumble on friday as he is in a conciliatory phase of late he did sound indignant as he made clear his displeasure
there was not and cannot be any support for violations in sport or in doping on the state level in russia he said in st petersburg russia this cannot be a foundation for building anti russia policy
putin prides himself on strategic unpredictability and mixes the statesmanlike with the frankly intimidating so long as the international sports chieftains hold strong russia could feel pressure to reform its laboratories the better to get its runners and high jumpers swiftly back on the world stage
as ever its worth noting that doping is a problem afflicting athletes in every nation and that many americans have been suspended over the years russia however remains among a relative handful of nations plausibly accused of having state run doping programs to compete as a clean russian athlete is to risk the anger of your coach and discipline from your federation
andersen and the iaaf president sebastian coe had no sooner finished talking than eyes turned to thomas bach the president of the international olympic committee bach wears his imperial hauteur like a winter overcoat during the sochi olympics in 2014 he shared a flute or five of champagne with putin bach who is german was defensive of his russian friend and he pointedly warned the world to keep its nose out of russias business
people have a very good understanding of what it really means to single out the olympic games to make an ostentatious gesture which allegedly costs nothing but produces international headlines bach said
next week bach and his committee must ratify the decision of the iaaf
perhaps with an eye toward uncertainty coe set down survey sticks on friday that demarcated his power its entirely the decision of the iaaf he declared of the decision to bar russia it is a very clear proposition that the eligibility sits and lies with the iaaf
coe and andersen were careful friday to murmur encouragement noting that the russians had made progress in their rehabilitation the reality is that they are at best surly reformers
yuriy borzakovskiy a former middle distance runner and olympian coaches the russian national team to listen to russian ministry of sport leaders he is just the man to lead a new generation of clean athletes
to embrace that notion requires a double dose of amnesia pills as the iaaf report released friday noted the same borzakovskiy repeatedly insisted that no particular doping problems afflicted russian athletes he attributed an unfortunate spate of adverse findings to poor biometric analysis
the coach and his fellow olympian yelena isinbayeva dismissed a damning world anti doping agency report on russia as groundless isinbayeva recently wrote an op ed essay for the new york times in which she argued that she and clean russian athletes should be allowed to compete in the olympics how do we know that they are clean they passed all their urine tests she said this elides the fact that investigators found that her nations laboratory had tinkered with many hundreds of urine tests substituting the clean for the dirty
in interviews with the task force the iaaf noted dryly it emerged that neither of them has ever actually read the report
the rehabilitation of the bear could prove a lengthy and imaginative process


the past few years have not gone smoothly for g4s the giant security firm based in britain that employed the orlando nightclub killer omar mateen
just before the 2012 summer olympics in london the british government had to enlist its own troops because the company initially could not provide enough security which its chief executive at the time called a humiliating shambles
the next year a coroners inquest in britain found that an angolan father of five was unlawfully killed while in the custody of g4s guards who held his head down during a deportation flight despite his crying out i cant breathe
the guards were acquitted of manslaughter but the companys image was not aided by the disclosure of virulently racist and anti immigrant texts on the guards phones
and in 2015 another inquest revealed that a g4s subsidiary improperly vetted an employee with a criminal record who later was convicted in iraq of killing two colleagues
this week the company has faced scrutiny over its handling of mr mateen who was employed by g4s for nine years and was most recently stationed at a guard house in a residential golfing community
shares of g4s stock have dropped 6 percent since monday amid investor fears of another controversy calling into question the competence of the company which with more than 600000 employees is among the worlds largest private employers
it now faces questions about its vetting practices   a paramount skill for a security company   with the disclosures that mr mateen remained an employee after it learned in 2013 that he had been investigated by the federal bureau of investigation and that a local sheriff that same year insisted on his removal from the courthouse where he was a contract security guard
at a news conference on monday james comey the fbi director said mr mateen alarmed his court co workers in 2013 with claims of a connection to al qaeda assertions that he was a member of the shia militant organization hezbollah and statements that he hoped the police would raid his apartment and assault his family so that he could martyr himself
what exactly took place in the courthouse is not clear in a statement this week the sheriff of st lucie county ken mascara said mr mateen had been removed after inflammatory comments and that his office requested the fbi investigation
sheriff mascara declined an interview request but during a meeting on wednesday of residents of the golfing village where mr mateen had been working the sheriff said that after a deputy at the courthouse said something to mr mateen about the middle east he threatened the deputy
omar became very agitated and made a comment that he could have al qaeda kill my employee and his family sheriff mascara said according to an account published on a local newspaper website tcpalm a sheriffs spokesman bryan beaty confirmed that the sheriff made the comments at a homeowners meeting
if that wasnt bad enough sheriff mascara was quoted as saying he followed it up with very disturbing comments about women and followed it up with very disturbing comments about jews and then went on to say that the fort hood shooter was justified in his actions
in 2009 maj nidal hasan an army psychiatrist opened fire at fort hood tex killing 13 and wounding more than 30
nigel fairbrass a spokesman for g4s said that when courthouse officials sought mr mateens removal they never told the company about specific terrorism related comments instead mr fairbrass said they said that his behavior was not conducive to a courthouse environment and that he had developed strained relationships with other workers
but when the company interviewed mr mateen about the situation he acknowledged making inflammatory statements to courthouse workers saying he did so only in anger because he had been continually harassed mr fairbrass said
mr mateen also told the company about being questioned by the fbi but he said that the agency had cleared him mr fairbrass said this was the first time the company heard about the fbi interview the company spokesman said
fred burton a former counterterrorism official with the state department said that if mr mateens employer knew that he had made the sort of comments described by the sheriff then it should have taken action
at minimum that was a termination offense said mr burton the chief security officer at stratfor a political risk and security firm in austin tex i know cases where security guards have been terminated for a heck of a lot less just because they are not the right fit for that kind of job
g4s officials say mr mateen who was hired in 2007 into a subsidiary then known as wackenhut was subject to various checks in his years of employment without adverse findings including a criminal background check in october 2013 the same month courthouse officials requested his removal
the florida agriculture commissioner adam putnam who oversees security officer licensing in the state also said mr mateens applications and examinations were in order
there was nothing in that record that would have disqualified this individual who was a us citizen who had a clean criminal record who underwent a background check and mental health screening from receiving those licenses mr putnam said in a statement
but other florida officials had seen red flags with mr mateen before g4s hired him
records released late friday by the state department of corrections where mr mateen trained as a prison guard suggested that he was a poor trainee who days before the april 2007 massacre at virginia tech that left 33 people dead suggested he might bring a weapon to the training academy
a warden recommended firing mr mateen who repeatedly slept in class and had also been absent without leave he was fired in late april 2007
in light of recent tragic events at virginia tech officer mateens inquiry about bringing a weapon to class is at best extremely disturbing the warden powell h skipper wrote in a letter
g4s said late friday that it did not talk to mr mateens prison employer before his hiring but did talk to four other previous employers who confirmed his employment including one he was simultaneously working for during his probationary period with the prison the company said mr mateens application indicated he had been dismissed from the prison job for taking two days off because of a fever


visium asset management a multibillion dollar hedge fund that is the focus of an insider trading case will wind itself down
the firm will sell one of its funds to the money management firm alliancebernstein and return money from its remaining three funds to investors many of which are state pension funds according to a letter sent to investors on friday
two days earlier federal authorities filed criminal and civil securities charges against three traders at the firm including sanjay valvani a top lieutenant to the founder the charges included insider trading and mismarking securities
citing the government investigation negative publicity and requests from investors to redeem their money jacob gottlieb the firms founder told investors that it became clear that maintaining the status quo was increasingly untenable for the firm
i am obviously deeply saddened by these recent developments mr gottlieb wrote in a letter to investors reviewed by the new york times
the announcement is a stunning and unexpected outcome from the investigation it is rare for a hedge fund to shut down over a government investigation when the founder has not been accused of wrongdoing
in march mr gottlieb informed investors that visium was under investigation by the justice department and the securities and exchange commission adding that the firm would work through this matter
the governments insider trading case centers on a former food and drug administration official gordon johnston who is accused of providing inside information about a generic drug approval process to mr valvani a portfolio manager for visiums balanced fund in all mr valvani is said to have made 32 million in illegal gains from tips mr johnston provided
mr valvani then passed on some of those tips to christopher plaford a former colleague who used this information and other insider tips to garner illegal gains according to the government
separately mr plaford and another visium employee stefan lumiere who was formerly mr gottliebs brother in law have been accused of conspiring to inflate the value of the securities they were managing to charge investors higher fees the government alleges that in all the inflated prices led to 59 million in performance fees
both mr johnston and mr plaford have pleaded guilty
barry h berke a lawyer representing mr valvani said his client was innocent a lawyer for mr lumiere has previously declined to comment on the case
alliancebernstein will acquire visiums global fund and its investment team in the deal announced on friday the terms for the fund and its investors are expected to remain the same mr gottlieb said
the price of the deal was not disclosed a spokesman for alliancebernstein did not respond to requests for comment
visium will liquidate its balanced fund as well as its equity alpha and institutional partners funds all requests for redemptions will be delayed and money will be returned starting july 1 mr gottlieb said
visium was founded in 2005 and has 170 employees based in new york london and san francisco mr gottlieb has a medical degree from new york university but turned to finance soon after graduating starting as an analyst at sanford c bernstein
some of visiums pension fund investors include the new jersey state investment council the school employees retirement system of ohio and the missouri state employees retirement system


is the massacre in orlando the worst mass shooting in united states history news organizations and government officials have said so since sunday when a gunman killed 49 people and wounded 53 others at a gay nightclub there
the question has reverberated online and in news broadcasts with some protesting that characterizing orlando as the worst ignores an ugly history of attacks that claimed more lives most often involving white aggressors and black or indian victims
experts who study violence caution that terms like mass shooting mass killing or even active shooter can be murky and that different people use them differently but by the definitions generally used in their field they say the carnage in orlando does make it the worst mass shooting
there have been worse acts of violence that did not involve guns of course like the sept 11 2001 attacks and the oklahoma city bombing in 1995 and in the more distant past there were outbursts that were deadlier than the orlando shooting whether in the category of terrorism race riot pogrom ethnic cleansing genocide or military action
in colfax la in 1873 in east st louis ill in 1917 and in tulsa okla in 1921 mobs of white people attacked and killed large numbers of black people in 1857 a mormon militia attacked settlers in a wagon train at mountain meadows in the territory of utah in 1890 a cavalry regiment gunned down lakota men women and children on the pine ridge indian reservation in south dakota in each case there is disagreement over how many people died and no certainty about how many were shot but by most estimates the death toll was higher than in the orlando attack
as a result some have objected to calling the orlando mass shooting the worst the national association of black journalists and the national association of hispanic journalists for example issued a joint statement asking reporters to stop using the superlative which negates several other incidents in us history many involving minority victims
you can probably point to some incidents where more people were shot than in orlando said j pete blair the executive director of the advanced law enforcement rapid response training center at texas state university and an author of an fbi study of active shooter attacks but for our purposes theyre in a different category we would consider this to be the worst mass shooting in the united states
disputes over how to define mass shootings are serious enough that experts disagree about whether they are on the rise some researchers exclude domestic attacks but not others some say that only the acts of lone gunmen can qualify others say that a small group of people can carry out a mass shooting if they prepare and act together
thats quite different from having a militia or a mob said james alan fox a criminology professor at northeastern university and the author of multiple books on killers mob violence in particular is often spontaneous reactive and all the people who are shooting arent coordinating their actions
dr fox said that to him hallmarks of mass killings included planning and the specific intent to cause a blood bath
deborah azrael an author of a harvard school of public health study of mass shootings said that making such distinctions was often a judgment call but necessary
if you want to get at why these things happen you want to compare apples to apples as much as you possibly can so you try to disaggregate to distinguish between different kinds of incidents said dr azrael director of the harvard injury control research center
but detailed caveat laden definitions do not roll off the tongue as readily as mass shooting
by the definitions used by people in his field dr fox said the mass shooting in orlando was the worst in united states history but he added i dont think theres any value in saying so
whether its a record or not really shouldnt matter it doesnt make it any more tragic he said and if we talk constantly about records someone out there is going to want to break the record


united nations   the middle east peace process is stalemated in part because of disagreement over the appropriate land borders for israel and a future state of palestine now the palestinians are taking the first steps toward establishing what their state would claim at sea
the palestinian ambassador to the united nations riyad h mansour said friday that his government had begun preliminary negotiations with egypt to define the extent of palestinian claimed territory in the mediterranean off the roughly 25 mile long coast of gaza the strip bordering israel and egypt where roughly 18 million palestinians live
mr mansour said the negotiations which he described as having begun recently were possible because of the palestinian territories united nations status as a nonmember observer state which the general assembly recognized in november 2012
that status empowered the palestinians to achieve membership in united nations bodies and treaties like the convention that created the international criminal court much to the irritation of israel and the united states its most important ally
in this case mr mansour said the palestinians have taken action as signers of the law of the sea convention a 1982 treaty that codifies international law concerning territorial waters sea lanes and ocean resources
the ambassador said the palestinians were entitled to declare an undersea exclusive economic zone in the mediterranean under provisions of the treaty while neither israel nor the united states has signed the treaty it still has the force of international law
we are heavily involved in the law of the sea because among other things it deals with issues related to our borders and our exclusive economic zone off the coast of the gaza strip mr mansour told a group of reporters at the united nations
and we are negotiating particularly with egypt the demarcation of our border of the sea mr mansour said the goal he said is to declare our exclusive economic zone and to survey our wealth in that economic zone and to give the declaration to the united nations agency that administers the law of the sea convention
it remains unclear how or whether the actions could affect the borders of a future palestinian state in territories now occupied or controlled by israel negotiations for a two state solution to the conflict collapsed more than two years ago each side has blamed the other for the impasse
the palestinians use of their united nations seat to advance the cause of statehood has long angered israel which has insisted that only direct talks between the two sides will produce a solution
the israelis have described the palestinian effort as a public relations campaign that has created a false impression that palestinian statehood is becoming a reality whether israel accepts it or not
mr mansours declarations on the law of the sea were sharply criticized by israels united nations ambassador danny danon
this is yet another attempt at hollow victories by the palestinian representatives mr danon said they are once again avoiding direct negotiations and instead turning to the international community this meaningless statement does not bring any stability to our region and more importantly will not better the life of a single palestinian
mr mansour described the law of the sea negotiations as the latest signal that the palestinians intended to use the levers of the united nations to help achieve their aspirations
the israeli occupying authority would like us to show that we are not a state and what we did in november 2012 is a gimmick he said they want to keep us in the realm of nothing happened we are showing something historic and significant happened


orlando fla   the city announced friday that the 7 million it collected after the nightclub shooting would be given directly to family members and survivors instead of being distributed through charities and nonprofit groups
the change was necessary mayor buddy dyer said because survivors of the nightclub attack and relatives needed help immediately with expenses like rent and groceries
we are working through exactly the way they are going to do that mr dyer said the most important thing is to do it right do it transparently and make sure our funders are comfortable with how we are doing this
a charitable and advocacy organization the national center for victims of crime which is based in washington had criticized orlandos plan to distribute money via nonprofits saying that too little money donated in that manner had made its way to victims and their families after similar tragedies of the 7 million collected for the oneorlando fund mr dyer said 65 million came from corporations
with the move orlando is the latest to shift away from established charities and opt for direct donations a move that has become increasingly common in part because of questions about how some charities use donations
the shooting early sunday at pulse a gay nightclub left 49 people dead and more than 50 wounded the gunman omar mateen 29 claimed allegiance to the islamic state during a phone call to the authorities in the midst of the attack mr mateen was killed in a gunfight
here in orlando the families of victims are already receiving help with funerals and airfare mr dyer said in puerto rico a representative of the governors office said each family was receiving 7500 to bury loved ones
mr dyer made the announcement at the camping world stadium once known as the citrus bowl where 35 agencies have set up to offer services to the family members already 94 families and 256 people have received help mr dyer said the city has also established a board led by alex martins chief executive of the orlando magic basketball team to develop a plan to distribute the money
the outpouring for orlando has raised millions through traditional charities and online campaigns including through crowdfunding websites on one such site gofundme more than 300 campaigns have raised 62 million including 52 million by equality florida an advocacy group for gay lesbian bisexual and transgender people a gofundme spokesman dan pfeiffer said
there is a real power to being able to give to an individual story and being able to follow that story mr pfeiffer said it is the power of those individual stories
charity officials said the individual campaigns were also a reflection of the publics concern that their donations get to the people for which they were intended
after the terrorist attacks in september 2001 the american red cross came under intense criticism for collecting millions of dollars in the name of the victims and then making plans to use the money elsewhere eventually the red cross agreed to use all of its 543 million liberty disaster fund to assist those affected by the attacks
specialists in charitable giving said orlandos decision could alter how local governments handle the sudden outpouring of money from the public after natural disasters like hurricane katrina and mass shootings like the one in newtown conn
there have been so many scandals weve seen after these sorts of situations so it is a big deal that theyve bypassed nonprofits because it shows a distrust in how nonprofits are doing things said stacy palmer editor of the chronicle of philanthropy this sends a big message too because other cities might decide to use this as a model in the future
mai fernandez executive director of the national center for victims of crime said friday that the group as well as some family members had told city officials that they feared donations from oneorlando would not get to victims if a traditional nonprofit was placed in charge
the organization founded a charity the national compassion fund in 2014 to ensure that donations made after tragedies go to victims the group has raised about 5 million for orlandos victims ms fernandez said and will start to distribute the money in the next several weeks
kenneth feinberg a lawyer who oversaw the federal governments 911 victim compensation fund and has become the administrator for a number of such accounts said friday that he had consulted with officials in orlando but had not taken a formal role
mr feinberg said he believed that people who donate money after tragedies intend it to go directly to victims
there is the understanding that it is a special fund for a special tragedy requiring a special effort he said


washington   for a cabinet member whose department had just erupted into open disagreement with the white house secretary of state john kerrys reaction to a critical memo on syria policy signed by 51 diplomats was remarkably mellow its an important statement he told reporters in copenhagen on friday and i respect the process very very much
mr kerrys mild tone could be explained by the fact that he had not yet read the document or maybe it was because the dissent channel is a prized institution at the state department   one that guarantees employees a way to air objections without fear of reprisal but the most plausible explanation is that mr kerry more or less agreed with his diplomats
their urgent call for the united states to take stronger military action against president bashar al assad of syria closely resembles the arguments that administration officials say mr kerry has been making in situation room debates as he has tried to force mr assad to abide by a cease fire and agree to a transition of power
mr kerry these officials said has told president obama that he is operating without any leverage in syria and that unless the united states increases the pressure on mr assad the embattled leader will simply wait out the end of mr obamas term
for quite some time secretary kerry has had real reservations about the presidents approach to syria said frederic c hof a former special adviser to the administration on syria who works for the atlantic council a washington think tank his mellow reaction might indicate sympathy but he added it might also indicate a desire not to breathe oxygen into the story
to the extent that mr kerry differs from the authors of the memo said an official familiar with his thinking it is that he would consider a wide range of military operations to alter the equation in syrias civil war the memo simply recommends that the united states carry out targeted airstrikes on mr assad as a way to force him into negotiations
few analysts expect mr obama to shift his policy which makes the military campaign against the islamic state a priority rather than any efforts to oust mr assad mr obamas military commanders back that position arguing that removing the syrian leader would leave a dangerous security vacuum they also worry about a more direct conflict between the united states and russia which began to use air power last fall to bolster mr assad
we are always open to new and different ideas when it comes to the challenges in syria jennifer friedman deputy white house press secretary said to reporters traveling with mr obama on a weekend family tour of national parks in new mexico and california but ms friedman added that the president has always been clear that he does not see a military solution to the crisis in syria and that remains the case
still the disclosure of the memo could roil the waters in an election year the presumptive republican nominee donald j trump has tried to tie his democratic opponent hillary clinton to what he calls the foreign policy failures of mr obama whom she served as secretary of state neither mr trump nor mrs clinton directly addressed the memo on friday
but mrs clinton has staked out a tougher position on syria than mr obama   and in some respects than the diplomats who signed the memo they advocate a judicious use of standoff and air weapons against mr assads forces she would impose a no fly zone over northern syria   a much more extensive military operation   to protect civilians from mr assads bombardment and to increase pressure on him to enter negotiations
while mrs clinton has said little about the proposal in recent weeks people familiar with her position said she still favored it
the memo also served to underscore the differences between the united states and its allies in the region over how to deal with mr assad both saudi arabia and turkey have argued for making his removal a top priority while the united states has kept the focus on the islamic state
the saudi foreign minister adel al jubeir who is visiting washington said friday he heartily supported the conclusions of the state department memo yes yes yes he said we have been arguing from the beginning of the syrian crisis that there should be more robust intervention in syria including airstrikes he said at a news conference
only more aggressive military approach he said could change the balance of power and lead to a political settlement
the administration has discouraged open dissent on issues of war and peace but white house officials insisted mr obama was not angered by the disclosure of the memo ms friedman said it was predictable that there would be a wide range of views about an issue as thorny as syria
some syria experts said the recommendations in the draft memo were quite conservative
they are not advocating invasion or occupation mr hof said they are not calling for a strategic bombing campaign they are not asking for piloted american aircraft to go up against the russians or even the regime what they are suggesting is the consideration of using standoff capabilities   cruise missiles   to make assads application of mass homicide something other than a free ride
the state department said five dissent cables were filed in 2014 and 2015 even though the process is sanctioned and mr kerry appeared to be unruffled by the leak mr hof said the 51 officials who signed the memo had taken a considerable professional risk
they no doubt feel the moral responsibility for having facilitated policies they know to be wrongheaded counter to american interests and disastrous for syrians their neighbors and for western european allies he said we owe them a lot
in the 1990s secretary of state warren christopher expressed frustration when dissent cables about the clinton administrations balkans policy were leaked and in 1971 when american diplomats in dhaka in what was then east pakistan sent the first formal dissent cable   condemning the nixon administrations policy toward east pakistan   officials at the white house and the state department exploded in rage even though the cable was not public
henry was just furious about it said samuel hoskinson a junior aide to henry kissinger nixons national security adviser as quoted in the book the blood telegram by gary j bass


america is getting a new stock exchange from the most prominent critics of high frequency trading
after months of delays and a brutal lobbying battle that divided wall street the iex group won approval on friday from the securities and exchange commission to become the nations 13th official stock exchange
iex is run by the people at the center of the michael lewis book flash boys a wall street revolt which profiles the early efforts of the iex team to create a trading exchange that would be somewhat shielded from high frequency traders
other exchanges and trading firms had urged the sec to reject the iex application to become an exchange
opponents of iex including the other stock exchanges have argued that the structure of the new exchange will add unnecessary new complexities into an already complex stock market and potentially end up hurting small investors
but the three sec commissioners all voted on friday to approve the iex exchange with one commissioner michael s piwowar a republican dissenting on a few points
todays actions promote competition and innovation which our equity markets depend on to continue to deliver robust efficient service to both retail and institutional investors mary jo white the sec chairwoman said in a statement
the most novel and controversial feature of the iex exchange is a so called speed bump that would slow down trading slightly to throw off traders that rely only on speed
the speed bump slows trades down by only 350 microseconds   or millionths of a second   but that is an eternity in a stock exchange universe in which computers can buy and sell stocks in nanoseconds   or billionths of a second
the nasdaq and other existing exchanges have said that the iexs speed bump will violate rules mandating that exchanges make their prices available to all parties at the same time
iexs critics have also said that the speed bump could add new complications into a stock market infrastructure that is already criticized for its complexity
in a statement the sec said that the commissioners determined that a small delay will not prevent investors from accessing stock prices in a fair and efficient manner
the sec did say though that within two years it will do a study to examine whether the delays lead to problems in the markets
if nothing else the approval of the exchange will provide an opportunity to test the many competing theories about what impact the iexs speed bump will have on the pattern of trading
the iex has been a flash point in the broader debate over technological changes that have altered the basic functioning of the american stock markets over the last two decades
iex won support   and financial backing   from several large mutual fund companies which said that the exchange would help them trade more cheaply and efficiently as well as from hundreds of small investors many of whom read flash boys and wrote in to the sec
brad katsuyama the chief executive of iex said on friday night that the company was grateful and humbled by the support weve received from the investor community without it we may have faced a different result
in addition to the speed bump the iex has said it will not offer the same fees or rebates that other exchanges do to attract traders a common practice at other exchanges that has been criticized for distorting trading incentives the iex also offers fewer complicated ways to enter trades than other exchanges in an effort to simplify trading
mr katsuyama has argued throughout the application process that iex would provide a market based solution to the problems created by high frequency trading rather than requiring the sec to change the rules governing the markets
the other exchanges have complained that the iex was essentially asking to be exempt from rules that governed them
in a letter written in may nasdaqs lawyers suggested that the sec could face a lawsuit if it approved the iex application a spokesman for nasdaq said on friday that the exchange company had no comment on the secs decision
larry tabb a market analyst with the tabb group said the iex speed bump could end up benefiting more sophisticated traders like high frequency traders who can find ways to take advantage of the small delays
it hurts the broad middle who may not have access to the best tools mr tabb said
the hedge fund and trading firm citadel has been one of the most outspoken critics of the iex application on friday a spokeswoman for citadel said that the secs decision will test and potentially reverse the gains in fairness efficiency and transparency that have been made to our markets over the last decade we must be vigilant to identify unintended consequences
another relatively new american stock exchange company bats global markets initially supported the iex application but earlier this year withdrew its support pointing to gross omissions of fact by iex bats wrote that the problems call into question the applicants professional judgment
on friday a bats spokesman randy williams said that the company congratulates iex and appreciates the significant changes they made to their application to address industry concerns
iex has already been operating as a private trading pool and has recently been attracting about 16 percent of all daily trading volume


washington   inside an opulent palace in riyadh late one evening in february 2004 two american investigators interrogated a man they believed might hold answers to one of the lingering mysteries of the sept 11 2001 attacks what role if any did officials in saudi arabias government play in the plot
the man under questioning fahad al thumairy had been a saudi consular official based in los angeles and the imam of a mosque visited by two of the hijackers the investigators staff members of the national 911 commission who had waited all day at the united states embassy before being summoned to the late night interview believed that tying him to the plot could be a step toward proving saudi government complicity in the attacks
they were unsuccessful in two interviews lasting four hours mr thumairy a father of two then in his early 30s denied any ties to the hijackers or their known associates presented with phone records that seemed to contradict his answers he gave no ground saying the records were wrong or people were trying to smear him the investigators wrote a report to their bosses saying they believed mr thumairy was probably lying though no government investigation into the sept 11 attacks has ever found conclusive evidence that mr thumairy   or any other saudi official   assisted in the plot
but nearly 15 years after the attacks on new york and washington the question of a saudi connection has arisen again amid new calls for the release of a long classified section of a 2002 congressional inquiry into the attacks that discusses a possible saudi role in the terrorist plot   the so called 28 pages whose secrecy has made them almost mythical
american officials who have read the 28 pages say that of all the investigative leads in that section of the report the unanswered questions about mr thumairy and the two hijackers remain the most intriguing if there was any saudi government role whatsoever some still believe it most likely would have gone through mr thumairy
the fact that years of investigation found no hard proof of official saudi involvement has led some notably the saudi government to argue that it is now the stuff of wild conjecture and conspiracy theory the material in the 28 pages has been thoroughly investigated the saudi foreign minister adel al jubeir said during a news conference here on friday and those investigations have revealed that these allegations are not correct
there is no there there he said
john o brennan the director of the central intelligence agency said during a recent interview with the saudi owned al arabiya television network that while he supported the release of the 28 pages people shouldnt take them as evidence of saudi complicity in the attacks american investigations into 911 he said concluded that the attacks were the work of al qaeda of bin laden and others of that ilk
but to some all the circumstantial evidence provides a glimpse of a truth that has yet to be unearthed
its one of those cases where there are an awful lot of very troubling coincidences said richard l lambert who oversaw the investigation into the hijackers contacts as the assistant agent in charge of the fbis san diego office in the year after the attacks
at the fbi the sept 11 plot officially remains an open case while there is broad agreement on how it unfolded there are aspects of the investigation that remain unresolved and the mystery begins with the arrival at los angeles international airport on jan 15 2000 of two saudi men who more than year and a half later would be among the hijackers who crashed american airlines flight 77 into the pentagon
apart from their proven devotion to the jihadist cause the men nawaf al hazmi and khalid al mihdhar seemed unlikely choices for a pair of terrorists who would have to survive and plot for months in the united states neither spoke english or had experience navigating american life
that circumstance would make it all the more critical for the fbi after the attacks to find out whether the two hijackers received help after reaching los angeles but after an exhaustive canvass of hotels investigators were unable to find any definitive evidence of where and how mr hazmi and mr mihdhar spent their first two weeks in the united states by some accounts however they worshiped at the king fahad mosque in the culver city area where mr thumairy was an imam and they may have stayed in a nearby apartment rented by the mosque
an fbi document from 2012 cited last year by an independent review panel concluded that mr thumairy immediately assigned an individual to take care of al hazmi and al mihdhar during their time in the los angeles area the review broadly upheld the conclusions of the 911 commission on saudi involvement and the fbi has still not been able to fill other gaps in the timeline of those initial two weeks in january 2000
when the two hijackers reappeared in early february they were eating at a restaurant mediterranean gourmet near the mosque there they encountered omar al bayoumi a fellow saudi who was on the saudi government payroll through the countrys civil aviation authority possibly with an assignment to keep an eye out for saudi dissidents in california
mr bayoumi later told the fbi that the meeting was happenstance   that he overheard mr hazmi and mr mihdhar noticed their gulf accents and struck up a conversation but the bureau believed that mr bayoumi had met with mr thumairy at the mosque just before he met the hijackers in the restaurant and investigators wondered whether mr thumairy had arranged the meeting
at the time mr thumairy was part of a network of representatives of the saudi ministry of islamic affairs which finances mosque building trains clerics and proselytizes the conservative and intolerant strain of islam known as wahhabism during his interview in riyadh in 2004 mr thumairy spoke fondly of his six years in los angeles praising the warm weather and friendly people his job at the consulate and the nearby mosque he said was to answer religious questions
but investigators wrote that mr thumairy appeared to be deceptive when questioned about his contacts notably with mr bayoumi he denied knowing mr bayoumi despite telephone records that showed 21 calls between them over two years
whether out of charitable instincts or at someones direction mr bayoumi then 42 helped the two future hijackers settle in san diego in the apartment building where he himself lived he co signed the lease and paid the security deposit and first months rent though they reimbursed him
mr lambert the former fbi official in san diego said he was skeptical that the assistance was given by chance with the 911 plot riding on the hijackers ability to manage daily life he said qaeda leaders would most likely have made arrangements to get them help
i have to believe something was planned for the care and nurturing of these guys after they arrived he said they werent too sophisticated and they didnt speak english they needed help getting settled and making preparations
there were other tantalizing suggestions of a possible network of supporters mr hazmi and mr mihdhar began worshiping at a san diego mosque where the imam was anwar al awlaki an american cleric who years later would became an infamous online recruiter for al qaeda a yemeni student named mohdar abdullah drove them around helped them open bank accounts and connected them with flight schools two saudi naval officers living in san diego had telephone contact with mr hazmi
but it was the thumairy bayoumi connection that some investigators found to be the most suspicious
the first independent panel investigating the attacks the congressional joint inquiry compiled a list of leads into the california part of the plot that it turned over to the fbi and cia and eventually became part of the 28 pages withheld from the public version of the report that section has remained classified even though the saudi government has long called for its release mr jubeir the saudi minister reiterated that call on friday because he said his government could not respond to blank pages
the questions about his governments possible role are coming from several sources the senate unanimously passed a bill last month that would make it easier to sue the saudi government for any role in the terrorist attacks and the house might take up the bill next week a lawsuit filed against saudi arabia on behalf of the families of those killed in the attacks continues its slow progress through the courts
eleanor j hill the staff director for the congressional inquiry cautioned that the 28 pages were not a rosetta stone that would decipher the enduring puzzles of 911
what the 28 pages are is a summary of the information given to the agencies for further investigation she said nobody should be expecting that the 28 pages will give a final conclusion
in a statement in april thomas h kean and lee hamilton the 911 commissions co chairmen insisted that they took all questions about a possible saudi role in the plot seriously following up on the leads in the 28 pages they said that while the commission had not found evidence that mr thumairy assisted the hijackers he was still a person of interest in the case
the commissions final report said that we have found no evidence that the saudi government as an institution or senior saudi officials individually funded al qaeda today some commission staff members point out that the wording did not rule out the possibility that lower ranking saudi officials had assisted the hijackers they also said the commission operated under extreme time pressure and was not able to follow up fully on every lead
mr thumairys visa was quietly revoked in 2003 because american officials believed he was a radical imam documents show when he tried to return to los angeles from a trip home he was detained for two days and sent back to saudi arabia but he told his interrogators that night in 2004 that he would never have knowingly assisted terrorists
he said that he has always spread the message of peace both in the us and here in saudi arabia and especially since 911 the two commission investigators who questioned him dieter snell and rajesh de wrote in their report on the interview
he said he wants to work with the us and the saudi government because terrorism hurts everyone


washington   senator marco rubio of florida is leaning heavily toward running for re election to the seat he swore he was giving up after six often frustrating years and a failed presidential run associates said on friday a reversal that would upend one of the most competitive races in the country
mr rubio could make his decision public early next week after he spends the weekend with his family in florida weighing the personal political and financial considerations of another campaign one adviser who described the senator as all in said mr rubios staff members had already begun scouting a site for a possible announcement
the likelihood of a re election bid seemed to grow on friday when one of mr rubios potential rivals representative david jolly suddenly dropped out of the race and said he would seek another term in the house instead earlier in the day mr jolly foreshadowed his move telling cnn marco is saying hes getting in
ever restless strategic and ambitious   and only 45 years old   mr rubio has spent the past few weeks discussing with his friends and colleagues the difficulties he would face maintaining his political profile if he left the senate he would like to run for the presidency again either in 2020 or 2024 and is concerned that his opportunities would be far more limited if he were no longer in office
mr rubios desire to get into the race and his reasons for doing so were described by three people inside his political operation two of whom have spoken with him directly in recent days all insisted on anonymity because mr rubio had not yet completely made up his mind a spokesman for mr rubio had no comment
there are some sobering drawbacks none of which mr rubio is naive about these people said florida is one of the few states with a true purple political hue a quintessential swing state in which democrats and republicans often win in statewide elections largely depending on the national mood and like many republicans who face election on the same ticket as donald j trump the presumptive presidential nominee mr rubio is said to be concerned about the possibility that mr trump could drag him down to defeat
mr trumps poor standing among minorities could be especially problematic in florida a state with 18 million registered hispanic voters or 15 percent of the states total electorate and it is a group that has become less cuban and republican and more puerto rican mexican and democratic in recent years
still despite his misgivings about mr trumps politics and temperament mr rubio has said he will vote for mr trump and speak at the republican convention in july if asked
mr rubio has personal factors to consider as well he has told people that he is eager to spend more time with his four children and that he wants to make enough money to be able to provide for them comfortably well into the future he had been planning to spend the next few years giving speeches and doing other civic and political work that would allow for that to help sift through the offers coming in he retained the hard bargaining washington lawyer robert b barnett
mr rubios thinking has taken a quick and dizzying turn from just last month when he was still insisting that he had no desire to run again on may 16 he wrote a sarcastic message on twitter i have only said like 10000 times i will be a private citizen in january
he has often complained   privately to his colleagues and publicly when he was a presidential candidate   that the stagnant and highly polarized senate frustrated him he lamented the inability to get much done in congress saying at one point were not going to fix america with senators and congressmen words that are sure to come back to haunt him in democratic attack ads if he chooses to run
mr rubios critics have said that his distaste for the job could be seen in his absenteeism mr rubio racked up the worst attendance record in the senate while he was running for president another potentially damaging issue for democrats to use against him
without mr rubio on the ballot though republicans stand a greater chance of losing the seat to democrats and jeopardizing their majority in the senate
he and his aides have carefully set the stage for a possible re election candidacy first he floated the idea on monday on the radio show of hugh hewitt a respected conservative radio host saying he had been deeply impacted by the massacre at a gay club in orlando on sunday then one of mr rubios friends and potential rivals in the race lt gov carlos lopez cantera said in an interview that he would bow out if mr rubio wanted to run
but by the time mr rubio stepped in front of a group of reporters at the capitol on wednesday to announce that he was reconsidering the challenges he faces were immediately apparent before he could utter a word about himself he was asked about mr trump


for dweezil zappa one name change was not enough
in april mr zappa a guitarist and one of the four children of the rock composer frank zappa changed the name of his project zappa plays zappa   a tribute to his fathers music   to dweezil zappa plays frank zappa clunky perhaps but he said it was necessary to avoid legal conflict with his brother ahmet who controls the zappa intellectual property through a family trust
now after yet another legal tussle between the brothers dweezil is rechristening the show again his next tour starting july 1 in el prado nm will be called 50 years of frank dweezil zappa plays whatever the heck he wants   the cease and desist tour instead of heck the tour uses a vulgarity
we are incorporating the absurdity mr zappa said in an interview
the 50 years refers to the anniversary of freak out the debut album from his fathers band the mothers of invention
the zappa brothers once musical partners have clashed since the death of their mother gail last year the zappa family trust now has two trustees ahmet and diva zappa dweezil and his sister moon are beneficiaries frank zappa died in 1993
after dweezil revealed the first name change in april in an interview with the new york times ahmet zappa told his brother in an open letter that he could use the name zappa plays zappa a registered trademark if he paid a nominal fee of 1 a year
dweezil responded with a long open letter of his own and in a statement said that he could not accept that offer because the trust owes him 25 million in merchandise sales
this week a lawyer for the trust informed dweezils lawyer that the name dweezil zappa plays frank zappa infringed on the trusts trademarks of the terms zappa and frank zappa dweezils lawyer responded that they qualified as fair use the use of frank zappa merely serves to accurately describe the nature of the show and is in no way misleading or defamatory but that the tour was being renamed again to avoid further problems
im not changing the name because ive done anything wrong dweezil said im changing it because i dont want to keep having to pay 30000 every time they write me a letter he said referring to his legal expenses
ahmet zappa could not be reached for comment


charleston sc   a year after nine members of a historic black church were killed here politicians and pastors joined with congregations from around the region on friday to mark the occasion with prayers tambourines and clapping hands but also with impassioned almost desperate calls for action in the face of unceasing gun violence
a memorial service at the td arena on friday morning mourned the victims and evoked the glory of god dozens of times to shouts of amen from the crowd but it was the demand for greater restrictions on the nations guns that drew the loudest applause from the mostly black audience
words alone no matter how sincere or well intended cannot be substituted for sustained and meaningful action mayor john tecklenburg said at the event cant we at least remove the availability of assault weapons from those who have broken the law those who have mental issues cant we at least complete reasonable background checks
the ceremony played out against the vitriol and division of the presidential election and came less than a week after yet another atrocity the massacre of 49 people at a gay club in orlando fla like the shooting in charleston and the many before it that attack has renewed debate over the nations gun laws which remain a point of fierce contention even here where grief over the killings at emanuel african methodist episcopal church is still raw
none of the republican speakers at the event said anything about guns in her remarks gov nikki r haley said i dont have anything political to say
instead she called for unity invoking the victims who invited the white supremacist accused in their killing dylann roof into their sanctuary and prayed with him for an hour before he opened fire
there are people who are going to want to divide us ms haley said and its all the more reason to remember these people who talked about love and acceptance
it was a much smaller and less illustrious crowd than a year ago when 6000 mourners packed the arena to eulogize the churchs murdered pastor in a ceremony that culminated in president obamas singing of amazing grace that gathering was marked by a rare flash of political comity bringing together the likes of hillary clinton then beginning her campaign for the democratic nomination to the presidency and john a boehner a republican on the verge of ending his tenure as speaker of the house of representatives
many here insist that despite the acrimonious political climate in the country today the good will and unity that arose in south carolina after the shooting remains if only in interactions among people in the street
any given day theres someone outside the church taking pictures saying a prayer leaving a token of love said the rev betty deas clark who has assumed leadership of the church and so all of those things helps us to know that were not in this by ourselves
only the most dedicated parishioners remained at the church that evening on june 17 2015 when mr roof a stranger to those inside came to the door asking for the minister investigators said he was admitted and welcomed into the basement for bible study where he lingered for more than an hour as the group sang and prayed then according to investigators about 9 oclock he pulled out a 45 caliber pistol and opened fire killing nine including the pastor the rev clementa c pinckney who was also a democratic state senator three survived
in a moment the church and charleston were changed forever and reverberations from the shooting and its implications for race relations in the united states were felt nationwide if blacks were not safe even in their own church how far had the country really come since the civil rights era
the fierce debate that followed led to the removal of the confederate battle flag from the grounds of the state house but few would call the issue of race settled it has underpinned the regions politics for hundreds of years
state representative robert l brown a democrat said that while race relations had improved since the shooting he was frustrated by the deep poverty of many black communities as predominantly white areas have prospered
lowering the flag   thats just the beginning he said theres a list of needs damage from last years storm insurance problems from it failing septic tanks bad water wells expanding medicaid so people in my district can be insured
there are perhaps more reverberations ahead the first of two death penalty trials for mr roof set to begin in november could reignite the fierce racial debates that broke out after the shooting federal prosecutors have said that mr roof 22 expressed hatred and contempt towards african americans and showed no remorse mr roof himself has said that he carried out the attack to foment a race war
race relations could be further strained by the october trial of a white police officer accused of killing an unarmed black motorist walter scott during a traffic stop last year
and then there is the gun issue
efforts to strengthen restrictions on gun sales since the shooting have had little traction in congress or the south carolina legislature these include a bill that would expand background checks and a measure that would make it harder for people who are on or have been on terrorist watch lists to buy a firearm
here much of the discussion has centered on the so called charleston loophole a federal provision that allows buyers to purchase a gun after a three day waiting period regardless of whether a background check has been completed because of a drug arrest mr roof would have been barred from buying the weapon used in the attack but his background check was not completed in time
at the td arena debra young and a group of five friends who had driven 100 miles from columbia for the event said they were heartened by the politicians and clergy members who spoke out about gun violence
they said the same thing i was thinking ms young said you cant even take water on a plane thats bad but you cant ban assault weapons
later a multiracial crowd gathered at emanuel ame church for an event coordinated by the civilitas group a coalition of pastors university presidents and journalists that formed after the massacre
there were discussions of faith forgiveness and the burden of americas racial history the names of the dead were read one last time and again the focus found its way to guns and their horrific toll
the rev claude alexander of the park church in charlotte nc noted that the second amendment was written at a time when the common american firearm was the musket
the founding fathers could never have imagined what the right to bear arms would become he said it was trying to hit one person it was not one on 50


phillipa soo currently starring in hamilton on broadway will leave the show and take the title role in a musical adaptation of the film amelie
amelie which began its life at berkeley repertory theater in california last year is scheduled to have a second production this winter at the ahmanson theater in los angeles and then to come to broadway next year like the 2001 film on which it is based it is a romantic comedy about an altruistic waitress in paris
the show directed by pam mackinnon a tony winner for whos afraid of virginia woolf features a book by craig lucas an american in paris music by daniel messe of the band hem and lyrics by mr messe and nathan tysen tuck everlasting
ms soo played amelie in initial workshops for the musical in berkeley samantha barks played the role
ms soos performance as eliza hamilton in hamilton is her broadway debut and she was nominated for a tony award for the role she is expected to leave the cast of hamilton on july 9 the same date that lin manuel miranda is departing her casting in amelie was previously reported by the daily news


ever since jack ruby killed lee harvey oswald on live tv in 1963 broadcasters have worried about accidentally showing an act of violence on camera with tools like facebook live and periscope available to anyone with a smartphone the chances of unexpectedly streaming a grisly moment have drastically increased
in the latest example antonio perkins 28 was taking his friends through a quiet evening in his neighborhood in chicago on wednesday using facebook to broadcast video live when suddenly gunshots were heard
the camera fell to the ground first showing grass then darkness but the audio continued screams followed oh my god call the police tony no
mr perkins was declared dead a short time later in a hospital a police spokeswoman laura amezaga said friday that detectives had confirmed that mr perkins was the man mortally wounded in the video
as the video shows the ability to broadcast live carries with it risks that once were considered only by tv stations
the allure of live television and live facebooking is partly in not knowing what will happen next which is why car chases get frequent live coverage said mike conway an associate professor at indiana university
but when they have time to edit tv stations have generally avoided showing the grisliest of footage because viewers complain when they see it he said
now in this world theres no gatekeeper he said
facebook moderators take videos down if they glorify violence but allows them to remain if they appear to be trying to raise awareness in some cases as in the video of mr perkins facebook adds a disclaimer warning   graphic video videos that contain graphic content can shock offend and upset are you sure you want to see this
whether for advocacy or for mere voyeurism the video of mr perkins has been shared thousands of times on social media though relatively infrequent the list of gruesome violence accidentally captured through live streaming is growing
 in march a video appeared to show a chicago man capturing his own shooting on facebook live his selfie mode video was interrupted by the sound of gunshots the camera appeared to fall to the ground and a gunman appeared to step over the camera and fire more shots
the chicago police said they suspected the video was linked to a shooting in the south side but have not confirmed it the city has been besieged by gun violence as documented by new york times journalists over memorial day weekend
 an ohio teenager marina lonina 18 was accused in april of streaming a video of her friends rape on periscope she pleaded not guilty to a litany of charges as severe as the rape suspects ms lonina told the police that she had filmed the encounter to gather evidence
she was swept up by the gravity of the situation her lawyer sam shamansky said in april and as she immediately told the police she was filming in order to preserve not to embarrass or to shame or to titillate anybody
 in february marvin lancaster iii was broadcasting from a tampa fla strip club on periscope when he was shot and killed according to wfla tv as music pulsed and lights flashed a dancer came off the stage to warn him about fighting shortly before gunshots can be heard seven other people were also shot one seriously according to wfla tv
 the police in lakeland fla said whitney marie beall 23 broadcast herself on periscope while driving drunk in october at least 57 people watched and some called the police
officers used her live stream to determine her location and she was charged with drunken driving
 the old tools of course are just as susceptible as the new ones to bearing witness to sudden violence in august vester lee flanagan ii an ex employee of wdbj in roanoke va shot a tv reporter and a cameraman live on the air before later shooting himself the disturbing video shows her screaming and eight shots are heard before the broadcast cuts back to the station


the justice departments pursuit of angelo r mozilo one of wall streets most recognizable names tied to the subprime mortgage crisis is ending with a whimper
after dropping a criminal investigation of mr mozilo earlier federal prosecutors recently decided against filing a civil fraud case against him his lawyer david siegel confirmed on friday
prosecutors in los angeles in coordination with those at the justice department in washington spent more than two years reviewing the merits of pursuing a civil fraud case against mr mozilo a co founder of countrywide financial which was one of the largest originators of subprime mortgages in the run up to the financial crisis
mr mozilo 77 and several other former countrywide executives received letters in the last few weeks from federal prosecutors notifying them that the prosecutors had officially ended an investigation into the sale of billions of dollars of mortgages to home buyers with questionable credit histories mr siegel said he added his client was pleased to see the investigation concluded
news of the justice departments decision was first reported on friday by bloomberg news
the decision by federal prosecutors to not proceed with a civil fraud case under the financial institutions reform recovery and enforcement act is not too surprising given the length of the review process
the possibility of the justice department filing a so called firrea lawsuit against mr mozilo came to light when bank of america reached a 1665 billion settlement of its own firrea case in august 2014 the inquiry by the justice department of mr mozilo was seen by some legal critics as a way for prosecutors to address complaints that little had been done to hold individuals accountable for the financial crisis
bank of america acquired countrywide and assumed its liabilities in 2008 as the financial crisis erupted
but lawyers for mr mozilo argued a civil fraud case would duplicate the efforts of the securities and exchange commission which sued mr mozilo and two other former countrywide executives in 2009 on the eve of the trial in 2010 mr mozilo and the other defendants reached a settlement that required the mortgage financier to pay 675 million in fines and restitution
over the last few years federal prosecutors used the threat of a firrea civil fraud lawsuit to extract tens of billions of dollars in settlements from other big banks the law proved to a be a useful tool for prosecutors because of its 10 year statute of limitations for bringing a case   much longer than the standard three  or five year statute of limitations for most civil fraud lawsuits
but in may prosecutors suffered a blow when an appellate court in manhattan overturned a jurys verdict that had found rebecca mairone a former countrywide executive liable under firrea the appellate panel said that although countrywide may have sold flawed mortgages to two government sponsored mortgage finance firms there was insufficient evidence that the firm and ms mairone had engaged in any deliberate deception
in the past the justice department had used the potential of filing a civil fraud lawsuit against mr mozilo as the basis for denying freedom of information act requests seeking details about the decision by los angeles prosecutors to drop their criminal investigation into countrywide and mr mozilo
presumably it will now be possible for those who want to learn more about the aborted criminal investigation to seek information from the government


oakmont pa   a wave of golfers trudged off the oakmont country club golf course at midmorning friday looking weary but happy to have finally finished a round that for many had started 24 hours earlier stepping from grass saturated by a deluge the previous day they stamped their feet on pavement near the clubhouse trying to shed the dampness from their shoes
passing them on a path to the course for their first round of the 116th united states open was a separate wave of golfers a rested group that had watched thursdays downpours through the windows of secure shelter dozens of these players were doing something that would have been unfathomable a day earlier applying sunscreen
as more than a few golfers observed the first two days of americas national championship were as different as night and day although it might have been more accurate to refer to a sodden thursday as nightmarish and a sunny friday as dreamy
but that described only the weather because there was one imperative that was constant to both days everyone had to play the menacing oakmont course while the first wave   the dozens of players forced to return to the course just after dawn friday   might have been rain soaked and sleep deprived those in the second wave had to play in confounding course conditions they had never prepared for
at the end of the day with roughly half the field still waiting to start or finish the second round the quirky unconventional nature of the 2016 us open continued even when it came to the two way tie at the top of the leaderboard andrew landry the pga tour rookie whose entire competitive contribution to fridays event was a single stroke of his putter was at four under par with dustin johnson who played 36 holes friday and shot two rounds in the 60s
landry ranked no 624 in the world was approaching a birdie putt on his 18th hole when thunderstorms stopped play late thursday afternoon after a nights sleep he came back and shortly before 730 am he rolled in the putt which turned out to be the stroke that gave him the first round lead landrys 66 was the lowest score for an opening round in the nine times that oakmont has hosted the open
johnson who finished second at the open last year after he three putted the final green shot a first round 67 on friday and in his second 18 holes of the day had two birdies and a bogey for a 69
landry will tee off for his second round saturday at 711 am
when play was suspended shortly before 9 pm only 13 players were under par that group included lee westwood who trailed landry and johnson by a stroke after he completed his first round on friday morning tied for fourth place at two under were scott piercy sergio garcia and shane lowry seven players were at one under including a local favorite and former open champion jim furyk the two time masters champion bubba watson was also at one under
officials from the united states golf association which conducts the championship said they still expected to complete the tournament by sunday evening the usga announced that those golfers who had started their first rounds on thursday morning would not begin their second rounds until saturday morning those golfers who played their entire first rounds friday but did not finish their second rounds would also return to oakmont on saturday morning to finish
after the cut the third round for the entire field was scheduled to begin saturday afternoon while the leaders after the second round who tee off last in the third round may not complete their third rounds on saturday the usga said it expected the third round to be finished by sunday morning setting up the final round for later in the day
there was not much agreement about which wave of golfers had an advantage in the first two days the golfers who played the majority of their first round on friday were facing soft fairways that kept more tee shots from rolling into the punishing rough they also were firing to receptive greens
but there were hidden consequences to the spongier greens that surprised the field approach shots spun so much that balls ended up out of position if not entirely off the green
on the green at the par 5 fourth a pitching wedge shot by the defending champion jordan spieth spun backward 35 feet when his shot was in the air he said he thought he would have a tap in birdie he ended up three putting for a bogey
i never spin it back with a pitching wedge said spieth who shot a two over 72 but thats what we dealt with from one day to the next its a shame because oakmont was so great during those practice round days when it started to firm up
now you know its still great but its a different golf course
johnson still chasing his first major victory played with a relaxed confidence and was still at ease after his 36 holes
i just need to stick with what im doing and keep this up he said ive got a good plan for this golf course if i keep driving the ball like this ill be tough
a handful of prominent players were lurking near the leaders including angel cabrera who shot an even par 70 cabrera won the event the last time it was at oakmont in 2007 four winners of major championships were at one over adam scott furyk zach johnson and geoff ogilvy
several notable players also struggled in the first two days phil mickelson was at seven over the masters winner danny willett and jason day the world no 1 were both at five over


roughly 1 percent of recent blood donors in puerto rico showed signs of active infection with the zika virus suggesting that a substantial portion of the islands population will become infected federal health officials reported on friday
from april 3 to june 11 testing of 12700 donations at blood centers in puerto rico identified 68 infected donors according to the centers for disease control and prevention
over all about 05 percent of donors had active zika infections but the prevalence rose to 11 percent in the week ending june 11 the virus carried by the yellow fever mosquito has been linked to birth defects in infants and neurological problems in adults
there are a lot more zika positive people than we would anticipate this early in the outbreak said phillip williamson an author of the cdc report and the vice president of operations at creative testing solutions a blood donor testing laboratory
based on prior experience dr williamson said he would not have expected so many zika infected donors until late june or early july
the cdc has estimated that as many as a quarter of the islands 35 million people may become infected with the zika virus this year
its possible that thousands of pregnant women in puerto rico could be infected dr thomas r frieden the agencys director told reuters on friday leading to dozens or hundreds of infants being born with microcephaly in the coming year
zika contaminated donations are removed from the blood supply in the continental united states where local transmission of the virus has yet to be reported most blood banks are not yet using the experimental screening test used in puerto rico which was made by roche diagnostics


as the zika virus swept north from brazil into the caribbean bringing with it frightening risks for pregnant women and their unborn children united states health officials decided in february that all expectant women who had visited the countries affected should be tested for the disease
but after the guidelines were put in place public health officials and doctors in new york city found that large numbers of women many uninsured or low income immigrants from the caribbean and latin america were not being screened and tested in a systematic way
the problems facing the citys health care providers in ensuring that all of those who need testing can get it illustrates the monumental challenges involved in reaching those considered most at risk and as summer approaches the reach of mosquitoes that carry the virus is expected to extend to florida and other states along the gulf of mexico
the exact number of people missed is not known because nobody really keeps data on how many women who traveled to a zika area should be tested said dr jay varma deputy commissioner for disease control at the new york city department of health and mental hygiene
but officials found that a disproportionate number of those tested were from higher income neighborhoods compared with a smaller figure for lower income neighborhoods with large populations of immigrants from zika associated places dr varma said
in february after the new guidelines were put in place 1166 tests were performed in the city 505 of them on pregnant women but even as awareness grew about the virus and its ties to microcephaly abnormally small heads and brain damage in infants of infected mothers the number of tests performed fell in march 233 pregnant women were tested and by may that number had edged up to only 318
the reasons for that lag are complicated officials said and include the absence of an effective commercial test the resistance of doctors to performing the tests when they deem the risk minimal and a lack of resources for overwhelmed public hospitals and clinics
one of the biggest stumbling blocks arose from an effort to fix another problem some 70 percent of early samples sent to public health labs for testing were rendered useless because they were mislabeled or improperly collected or handled doctors therefore were required to telephone the health department for every sample that they wanted to submit according to dr mary t bassett the city health commissioner
and ordering a single zika test in new york city requires a call that lasts on average 13 minutes health officials said
the average visit to an obstetriciangynecologist lasts only six to 15 minutes according to studies and the requirement set off an immediate backlash especially in places that were already strained for resources and where doctors felt they could not handle the burden
one doctor who spoke on the condition of anonymity in part he said because of patient confidentiality rules and in part out of fear of repercussions from his hospitals management said that at the two brooklyn hospitals with which he is affiliated 20 percent to 25 percent of the pregnant women had a travel history that would make them eligible for testing this would add up to hundreds of patients
for several months this spring virtually none were being tested he said his account was backed up by a dozen other doctors and health care experts who described varying degrees of noncompliance in the testing
last week dr ramanathan raju the president of nyc health  hospitals which operates the citys public hospitals collectively the largest municipal health care system in the nation acknowledged the problem in an email sent to the staff
dr raju wrote that every provider in our health system has a duty to be vigilant and follow guidelines from the federal centers for disease control and prevention and from the citys health department to screen for zika and offer testing when appropriate
he said in the email that the citys public hospitals were working with the health department on an electronic system for initiating the tests
in the meantime he warned in no way can we allow process issues to prevent us from meeting our responsibility to screen and offer testing in every point of entry to our system   including our emergency departments ambulatory units and obstetrical settings
the health department has offered to pick up all specimens submitted for testing from any practitioner or institution and dr bassett said the agency had been engaged in increased public outreach the doctors interviewed said that recently they had seen more attention from their institutions to ensuring that testing took place
but many doctors and experts said that until testing could be made a part of routine treatment with a commercial test available there would be problems
we still dont have timely specific and efficient tests available there will not be a vaccine in the foreseeable future and the public messaging is confusing said dr irwin redlener of columbia university and its national center for disaster preparedness to make matters worse many health care providers citing significant bureaucratic challenges are resistant to making sure that at risk individuals are screened appropriately some cities are struggling to get testing done at all others are making due with procedures that are still at best a work in progress
dr bassett said that the problems were not wholly unexpected given that zika came onto the scene so suddenly but that testing was crucial not only for the health of the mothers and their babies but also for gaining a better understanding of the virus
zika is transmitted by certain species of mosquito and through sex with an infected partner eighty percent of those who contract the virus do not show symptoms so the safest course of action is to get tested
more people   over 200   have tested positive for zika in new york than in any other state about 150 live in new york city where tens of thousands of residents have ties to the nations of the caribbean and latin america of the confirmed cases 19 involve pregnant women nationwide the number of women infected with zika during their pregnancies has risen to 234
there are essentially three tests used to detect the virus doctors must send three blood and urine specimens from each patient in case multiple tests are needed the simplest known as a polymerase chain reaction test can find traces of the virus in the blood up until about a week after infection and in urine for about 10 days
the more complicated test and the one that can be done only in public labs looks for antibodies to the virus in the blood and is supposed to be conducted two to 12 weeks after infection giving the telltale antibodies time to develop
however since zika is in the same family of viruses as yellow fever and dengue the tests can provide false positives if a patient has for instance been vaccinated for yellow fever more detailed testing must then be performed
if an expectant mother tests positive for zika there is no treatment but doctors will perform serial ultrasounds to detect problems in fetal development signs of birth defects are not visible until midway through the second trimester at the earliest microcephaly has been the most prominent birth defect associated with the disease scientists are also looking at whether zika might be associated with other developmental disorders which would not manifest themselves until after birth
the risk that a woman infected with zika will pass it on to her fetus leading to birth defects is between 1 percent and 29 percent according to various studies a number that borders on useless for many practitioners and makes decisions about whether to terminate a pregnancy even more fraught
reflecting the urgency of the situation the world health organization recently suggested that millions of women in the affected countries consider delaying pregnancy
so far all of the reported cases in the united states have been contracted elsewhere experts predict that by the end of the summer there will most likely be cases of transmission by mosquito in florida and the gulf coast states further expanding the universe of people who will need testing


the new prime minister of ukraine appealed to european countries to maintain economic sanctions against russia warning that those who might ease pressure would serve as the aggressors accomplices
the prime minister volodymyr b groysman said friday that any softening or removal of sanctions may take place only when the aggressor returns national borders and stops violations of international law
his remarks in an interview at the ukrainian mission to the united nations came as senior european officials and executives made a rare visit to russia apparently in a bid to temper the worst estrangement in relations between russia and the west since the cold war
in the aftermath of russias annexation of crimea in march 2014 and the kremlins support for insurgents in eastern ukraine the european union and the united states imposed wide ranging economic penalties against russia
european officials on friday extended sanctions on doing business in crimea and are scheduled to consider next week whether to extend broader sanctions but some european officials appear keen for a thaw with russia
if our relationship today is troubled and marked by mistrust it is not broken beyond repair jean claude juncker the european commission president said thursday on a visit to st petersburg we need to mend it and i believe we can
on that the ukrainian prime minister was adamant he said it was imperative to maintain the strictest penalties and he repeatedly referred to russia as an aggressor that threatens the security and sovereignty of other countries
countries that support the removal of sanctions will turn into the aggressors accomplices he said
president vladimir v putin of russia commemorated mr junkers visit by posting a photograph of their meeting on twitter
trade between russia and europe is still vital for both but it has plummeted since 2014 the western sanctions prohibited oil equipment exports to russia and barred some of russias largest banks from european capital markets russia struck back by banning vegetable dairy and meat from europe
mr groysman acknowledged the hit that european businesses had taken but he insisted that moral and political stakes were higher
the economic impact of the sanctions on the european economies is negligible compared to the damage from the encouragement of the aggressor he said
mr groysman was appointed to lead the ukrainian government in mid april and this was his first visit to the united states since taking up his post
ukraines bid to keep its conflict with russia at the center of the western diplomatic agenda has been frustrated ukraine has long wanted united nations peacekeepers sent to its embattled east but russia a veto wielding member of the security council has blocked any consideration of that idea ukraine this year joined the council as a temporary member
ukraine has lobbied for the council to visit the contested area in the east but russia has blocked that too


the dramatic climax of game 6 of the nba finals on thursday night came when stephen curry picked up his sixth foul hurled his mouthpiece in protest and was ejected
it was the first time curry had fouled out of a playoff game but his 10th time over all
curry reached six fouls four times in his rookie year a time when players are often said not to get the benefit of the doubt from referees he had not fouled out of a game since 2013 before his first season as the leagues most valuable player
the nba folk wisdom is that the better the player the more referees supposedly favor him with calls coach steve kerr alluded to that perceived pecking order after the loss three of the six fouls were incredibly inappropriate calls for anybody much less the mvp of the league he said
the finals other superstar lebron james has picked up six fouls only six times despite having played many more years and at a more foul prone position than curry in his career james has 17 fouls per 36 minutes curry 26
james fouled out twice in the playoffs when he was with miami once in 2012 and once in 2013 both games were losses
the foul statistics at basketball referencecom go back to 1983 84 in that time the leader including playoffs is shawn kemp with 123 foul outs well ahead of second place otis thorpes 89
the playoff leaders are all big men kenyon martin with 15 followed by vlade divac bill laimbeer and rik smits


as he wages legal battles in multiple states to keep his position in sumner m redstones media empire philippe p daumans legal bills are being paid by viacom
the company disclosed on friday that it entered an agreement this week with mr dauman viacoms chief executive and george s abrams a viacom director to pay the expenses related to continuing court battles in massachusetts and los angeles
the total costs which include legal bills and fees to public relations consultants were not disclosed but industry analysts described them as likely to be significant the agreements were approved by viacoms independent directors
mr dauman 62 was awarded 541 million last year in total compensation if he is forced out of his position he stands to make tens of millions more in severance
also on friday viacom disclosed that its profit for the quarter ending june 30 would fall well below wall street expectations the company has reported persistent weak results and its stock price has tumbled 33 percent in the past year
the company which owns the mtv nickelodeon and comedy central cable networks and the paramount pictures film and television studios said it expected its adjusted earnings per share for the quarter to be about 1 to 105 analysts had expected 138 per share on friday viacom shares declined 14 percent
in a statement mr redstones national amusements company characterized viacoms payment of the legal bills as a misuse of company resources and said that the need for strong independent oversight of viacom could not be more apparent through national amusements the private theater chain started by his father mr redstone controls about 80 percent of the voting stock in viacom and cbs
viacoms disclosures reveal that under philippe daumans leadership viacom is diverting valuable corporate resources to mount a legal and pr campaign against sumner redstone despite the fact that redstone is viacoms founder chairman emeritus and controlling shareholder said justin dini a spokesman for national amusements
he said the action was particularly troubling in light of viacoms announcement that its fiscal third quarter earnings will fall short of estimates
in response carl folta a viacom spokesman said that actions by mr redstones daughter shari are impeding viacom and that the issue concerns the control of the company it is certainly in the interests of all of viacoms stockholders that the massachusetts actions be pursued in order to preserve the independence of viacoms board he said
the legal disputes roiling mr redstones media conglomerate center on the dismissal of mr dauman and mr abrams from the trust that will control mr redstones companies after he dies or is declared incompetent mr dauman and mr abrams filed suit in massachusetts challenging mr redstones mental capacity to make decisions related to his businesses and asserting that he had been manipulated by his daughter
lawyers for mr redstone have maintained that he is competent and acting independently they filed a separate petition in the superior court of california in los angeles to validate the changes
in the company filing this week viacom stated that mr dauman and mr abrams would be required to repay viacom if a court found that they had breached their fiduciary or other duties or had not acted in the best interests of viacom in filing the massachusetts suit
that case is just the beginning of the legal bills for viacom as fights erupt in courtrooms across three states in the fierce power struggle for mr redstones 40 billion media empire
viacom is also covering the legal costs for frederic v salerno viacoms lead independent director who filed suit thursday in a delaware court seeking to block moves by mr redstones national amusements company to replace five directors on the viacom board
and on friday yet another front emerged in the legal battle eric gilbert who owns nonvoting stock in viacom filed a class action lawsuit in delaware against national amusements viacom and viacom directors mr gilbert filed on behalf of all nonvoting shareholders asserting that the defendants have breached their fiduciary duties and that control of the company should go to public stockholders
representatives for viacom and national amusements declined to comment
viacom attributed its revised financial expectations in part to the dismal box office performance of its film teenage mutant ninja turtles out of the shadows paramount pictures had high hopes for the film which cost about 135 million to make and at least another 100 million to market worldwide yet the film took in a disappointing 353 million its opening weekend
another factor affecting results was a delay in completing a significant streaming video deal viacom said completion of a deal was negatively impacted by the highly public governance controversy the company also said that its domestic advertising sales for the quarter would drop about 4 percent the eighth consecutive quarter of decline in advertising sales in the united states
industry analysts said the numbers signaled that viacom leaders would face significant challenges regardless of who ends up in charge we believe that viacoms portfolio of assets is structurally challenged in an evolving media world michael nathanson an analyst with moffettnathanson research said in a research report titled we interrupt the circus ... for fundamentals


st petersburg russia   when a global governing body for sports barred russias track and field team from the 2016 summer olympics on friday over a wide ranging doping scandal it was greeted in russia as is so often the case here these days with a deep sense of victimhood
president vladimir v putin of russia called the decision unjust of course
russia mr putin said is strengthening antidoping controls and athletes should bear personal responsibility for using performance enhancing drugs but punishing the whole team he said doesnt fit any norms of civilized behavior
outside russia sporting officials viewed the unanimous decision as a long overdue restoration of some fairness in competitions after all in some sporting events russian athletes had been trouncing competitors for years before it turned out they were using performance enhancing drugs
but here the decision only added support for a narrative in russias political culture of grievances that revolves around perceived slights and anti russian conspiracies taking place in the outside world particularly in western countries
only people who are lazy dont kick russia in sports these days dmitry svishchev the chairman of the parliamentary committee on sports culture and youth affairs told r sport a sporting news agency in response to the ban unfortunately there is such a tendency now
the ban is the latest setback in mr putins efforts to shed russias pariah status on geopolitical issues like the ukraine crisis and the war in syria when the news broke mr putin was seeking to win allies among european politicians friday at an economic forum where he recited in a speech a long list of grievances against russia including the expansion of the north atlantic treaty organization after the breakup of the soviet union
russia he said expected an era of benevolence but was double crossed
in 2014 the european union and the united states imposed sanctions on russia over the conflict in ukraine russia annexed crimea in march of that year and intervened in the war in the east of ukraine the bloodiest in europe since the balkan conflicts of the 1990sthe sense of bottled up humiliation over the post soviet period has been felt in sports too and the olympic ban prompted some russians to uncork their anger
the chairman of the russian parliaments foreign affairs committee aleksei pushkov wrote on twitter that the rio games ban for our track and field team is an act of political revenge against russia for its independent foreign policy
the decision caps a glum week for russian sports during which soccer hooligans rioted in marseille france after russia and england played to a draw videos showed fans streaming through the streets wielding the weapons of choice of soccer hooligans   beer bottles and folding chairs   in running melees that left property smashed and dozens injured
i dont see anything scary in the fighting of fans igor lebedev a member of parliament who is also on the executive committee of the russian football union said in a post on twitter on the contrary good job boys stand strong
also on twitter the spokesman for the investigative committee a powerful law enforcement agency responded to the assertion of a marseille prosecutor that the russians were apparently trained fighters a normal man as a man should be surprises them wrote the spokesman vladimir markin they are used to seeing men at gay parades
officials also found themselves on the defensive when it emerged that a prominent extreme rightist aleksandr shprygin who has been photographed raising his hand in a nazi salute led a formal russian fan club the union of supporters to france groups that monitor hate speech regard mr shprygin as someone who has played a leading role in introducing neo nazi ideals into russias soccer hooligan culture
the global governing body for track and field the international association of athletics federations announced the olympics ban on friday ruling in a unanimous vote that russia had not done enough to restore global confidence in its athletes integrity
speaking before the announcement mr putin said the allegations of doping against his countrys athletes were part of a politically motivated anti russia policy by the west
there should be no collective punishment of athletes mr putin said of the allegations that russias athletes engaged in the extensive use of performance enhancing drugs sports doping is a global problem he said and russia has been unfairly singled out sports area cannot be politicized mr putin said friday this cannot be a foundation for building anti russia policy
mr putin denied state sponsorship of doping one of the pivotal accusations against russia there have never been and cannot be any support for violations in sports in particular in the field of doping at the state level in russia he said we have cooperated and will cooperate with all international organizations that work in this field
after the announcement mr putin added i hope that we find some solution here but that certainly doesnt mean we will become insulted and say we wont fight against doping its the other way around we will strengthen the fight against doping
russias sports ministry which has alternatively stonewalled investigators and conceded that abuses had taken place but said they had been addressed issued a statement saying it would appeal the decision and expressed disappointment
the russian side has done everything to restore trust of the international sports community in our athletes it said a laboratory in britain now tests the urine of russian athletes every russian athlete undergoes three additional tests
a russian champion pole vaulter yelena isinbayeva 34 said that she would sue the iaaf for a breach of human rights for barring her from the olympics and that the ban was particularly painful as the 2016 games would be the last for her
russian commentators said the sporting scandal could be seen as a microcosm of russias broader struggles in the world today
officials share this view of russian society a society on the defensive sergei markov a former lawmaker with the ruling united russia party said of the soccer riots in marseille why should we trust the french authorities that these russian hooligans are more guilty than the british hooligans no if we believe we are under attack then we believe that russian soccer hooligans are under attack they had a right to defend themselves
partly they fought for crimea on the marseille streets mr markov said


track and fields world governing body the international association of athletics federations still has a very long way to run before earning back our trust its former president lamine diack faces charges of corruption in france its new president sebastian coe who received diacks electoral stamp of approval is back to answering prickly questions about what he knew and when he knew it
but at least coe and his fellow iaaf council members did the right thing on friday ruling unanimously that they would not lift the ban on the russian federation in time for its athletes to compete under the russian flag at the olympic games in rio de janeiro
i think it was institutional necessity said john hoberman a professor at the university of texas who is a sports historian and doping expert
but even if coe needs every clear break with the past that he can muster maintaining russias ban was also justified
the russians have no monopoly on doping as those of us from the land of lance armstrong and marion jones must acknowledge but the breadth and depth of russias top down doping culture has still been shocking at a stage when international sports have seen enough scandals and fallen angels to turn even pollyannas into cynics hunched over their coffee and the smoldering butt of a gauloise in a dark corner of the global internet cafe
it takes something special   and not in a good way   to get a whole national team banned from the olympics an event that still likes to bill itself as a refuge from politics and exclusion
there is plenty of propaganda in that in the 120 years since baron pierre de coubertin a french aristocrat revived the greek games in 1896 there have been bans and boycotts professionals were long barred from competing women were long restricted to shorter distances and lesser billing south africa was kept out   and rightly so   for its racist apartheid policies
but there has never been an exclusionary moment quite like friday in vienna until now no country has had its athletes banned from an olympics for doping   not even east germany whose shameful and state sponsored system was not fully revealed until the country ceased to exist
the politics of doping in the 70s and 80s were nothing compared to what they are now and the rest of the olympic nations were essentially helpless with regard to cleaning up the east germans hoberman said it wasnt even imagined there was no leverage and the evidence base was patchy
fridays ruling is likely to be definitive although the international olympic committee will meet next week to consider the iaaf decision it would amend it at its peril in light of the reports that show russias continuing resistance to true reform
i think we need to be clear here coe said in vienna the eligibility of athletes to compete in international competition is entirely a matter for the iaaf
there are also the excellent arguments being made by federations and athletes from other nations even russian dopers who might be cleaning up their act now are still potential beneficiaries of past doping
after investigation it was found that the russian federation cheated on the most egregious level said jenny simpson the former womens 1500 meter world champion from the united states how the iaaf acts on this case communicates to the sport and the world that there are either going to be consequences for cheating or not for me its that simple
the repercussions are far from straightforward however the pity and injustice is that the ban on russia for now applies only to track and field the system in place that fostered a culture of doping clearly involved other sports particularly those whose athletes were based largely in russia and subject to its dubious safeguards
that is a procedural issue linked to the fact that the investigation by the world anti doping agency that led to the suspension last november was restricted in scope to track and field the scope has since widened with another wada inquiry now looking into a new york times report that the russian authorities manipulated drug testing results at the 2014 winter olympics in sochi
that investigation headed by richard mclaren was set to deliver its findings in mid july shortly before the rio games begin they could be damning with mclaren confirming his preliminary findings on friday that the russian ministry of sport was involved in instructing the moscow antidoping laboratory not to report positive sample results before during and after the 2013 world track and field championships there
even so it will require quite a leap   in terms of due process and timetable   to ban russias olympic team as a whole from rio
there also is an opening for russian track and field athletes to compete although not under a russian flag the very tiny crack in the door is they have to be subject to a reliable drug testing regime outside of russia said rune andersen the chairman of the independent task force appointed by the iaaf to monitor russias federation
that very tiny crack could create some very loud legal debate in the less than two months that remain before the opening ceremony even if andersen made it clear that there wont be many athletes who will manage to get through
one of them could be darya klishina a russian long jumper based at img academy in bradenton fla one of her coaches there is dwight phillips the 2004 olympic mens long jump champion from the united states who has been an outspoken advocate for tough antidoping measures
for phillips the iaaf taking on a country and its system is much more impactful than taking on individuals but he also believes klishina deserves a chance at the olympics
i see the blood sweat and tears he said you have to raise your eyebrows when athletes are training in russia but when you have athletes training abroad and undergoing the same rigorous testing program as our americans or europeans i think we need to take a look at that it just doesnt seem reasonable to ban everyone when you do have innocent people who are doing things the right way
innocents suffer all the time in sports see relay team members stripped of their medals because a teammate tested positive or would be champions of the past who missed their olympic moment because of boycotts
the challenge this time is how to determine on very short notice precisely who is doing it the right way without undermining the strong message sent by the ban phillips is correct about the impact penalizing a country even at the risk of politicizing the process seems a much more effective method of ensuring rapid and enduring change
but russia however culpable in this instance is a pillar of global sports and the olympics
as in the soviet era russias president vladimir v putin has used sports as a promotional tool for the state he also has formed strong connections with many sports leaders including the ioc president thomas bach and the world cup finals in soccer are still set to be staged in russia in 2018 such deep ties might once have been enough to avert a blanket ban such as fridays but the paper trail and the current climate were too hot this time
though russia and its track and field program are hardly the only parties at fault in a global sports chain full of weak links the iaaf deserves credit for bringing the hammer down not too much credit though
i hope simpson said that immediately following their announcement they went back to work


philippe p dauman the chief executive of viacom may be on the verge of pulling a gilded ripcord
sumner m redstone the media mogul who controls viacom the owner of mtv and paramount pictures says he has lost his trust in his chief executive and just threw him off the board to make the point if cut loose altogether mr dauman would leave with a pay package worth an astonishing 84 million
mr daumans tenure atop viacom is probably coming to an ignominious end the ailing mr redstone fired off a terse missive on wednesday expressing wariness about mr dauman his handpicked steward of the company but also those who support him being removed as a director makes mr dauman a rare chief executive without a seat in the boardroom
mr redstone who controls 80 percent of viacom through his national amusements holding company has been good to mr dauman who has received over 400 million in salary bonuses equity awards and other benefits in his nearly 10 years with the company according to an analysis by equilar a compensation consultancy
those are handsome sums for having done so little for investors since 2006 when mr dauman was appointed chief executive viacom has generated a total shareholder return of about 40 percent that pales in comparison to rivals over the same span the comparable figure at cbs which is also controlled by mr redstone was 132 percent at time warner it was 177 percent and at the walt disney company 277 percent
whats more according to viacoms latest proxy mr dauman would be entitled to nearly 95 million if terminated without cause or resigning for good reason that includes 12 million of salary 60 million in bonus and 19 million in accelerated equity awards after factoring in what mr dauman had already been paid under his contract the total package is about 84 million
its a golden parachute that would rival those of michael ovitz who was fired as disneys president after just a year and walked off with 130 million and carly fiorina who departed a weakened hewlett packard with a 40 million send off rewards for failure are among the most troubling staples of executive suites mr daumans may be one of the more egregious examples given the results considering the corporate governance debacle at viacom however it may be an oddly fitting coda to his story


after prince died on april 21 one of the most urgent questions for the music industry was how quickly the estate could hire professionals to handle the stars vast collection of songs and other media content
the answer was two months on friday bremer trust a minnesota bank that is acting as the special administrator for princes estate confirmed that it had appointed two seasoned executives l londell mcmillan and charles a koppelman to manage princes entertainment assets according to marcia a jensen a spokeswoman for the bank
the appointments for an initial term of 90 days were announced a week after the probate judge overseeing the estate gave the bank authorization to name experts from the entertainment industry who could take all prudent steps to monetize the estates intellectual property
prince who died at age 57 from an accidental overdose of fentanyl an opioid painkiller left no will and estimates of his estate have varied widely in a recent court hearing a lawyer for bremer trust said that the estates tax bill in january could range from 47 million to 146 million depending on the estates ultimate value
both mr mcmillan a lawyer who had a long association with prince and mr koppelman a former chairman of emi records are well known figures in the entertainment world and their appointments should establish confidence in the handling of the music side of the estate prince also had tens of millions of dollars in real estate holdings
much of the estates value could depend on the management of princes music including his storied vault of unreleased recordings contained at princes studio complex outside minneapolis the sheer size of the vault is legendary in the music world musicians and producers who have worked with prince say it may include thousands of recordings and even unreleased films
the material in the vault could supply years worth of posthumous releases but it would need to be handled tastefully music executives said
for mr mcmillan and mr koppelman the job should involve quickly organizing the unreleased material as well as setting up appropriate deals to manage princes music assets although prince was well known for maintaining strict control over his music rights he also died with few of the standard licensing and management deals in place that would be necessary for further releases
mr mcmillan represented prince when he battled warner bros records in the 1990s and he is now the chief executive of northstar enterprises worldwide a media company while at emi mr koppelman negotiated with prince to release emancipation his first album after leaving warner bros
both declined to comment on their appointment
for mr mcmillan and mr koppelman the standard they will be compared to is the management of the michael jackson estate it had more than 500 million in debt when jackson died in 2009 but it was righted through a series of media deals
this year the jackson estate also reached a deal with sony to end its partnership in the sonyatv music catalog for 750 million which according to representatives should leave the estate debt free


albany   state lawmakers on friday reached a long awaited deal to conclude the 2016 legislative session that included a modest ethics package state funding for supportive housing for the homeless and a one year extension   with major caveats   of mayor bill de blasios control of new york city schools
consensus on the ethics reform seemed to come quickly on friday the day after the last official day of the legislative session the deal would among other things strip state pensions from public officials convicted of corruption and strengthen prohibitions on political campaigns ability to coordinate with independent expenditure committees
but a similar consensus kept lurching out of reach on the issue that mattered most to mr de blasio mayoral control in the end he ceded significant concessions to his albany antagonists in exchange for an extension of a single year down from the three years he had hoped for
bowing to demands from the state senate majority leader john j flanagan a republican who is not disposed to be helpful to a mayor who has openly worked to flip control of the chamber to the democrats the mayor and his allies in the democrat dominated assembly agreed to disclose more information about city school districts spending and to accept a change to the oversight structure for more than half the citys charter schools
a one year extension with few or no caveats had seemed all but cemented when lawmakers went to bed on thursday evening but the morning found mr flanagan pushing for the funding transparency requirement followed by the charter school provision in the afternoon it would effectively create a parallel system of charter schools within the city allowing high performing charter schools in good standing to switch to join the state university of new york umbrella or the board of regents of the state education department
city hall gritted its teeth
this extension is a recognition of the unprecedented progress and achievements mayoral control has delivered for our school system austin finan a spokesman for the mayors office said in a statement
for people outside city education circles however there was plenty of meat in the agreement that mr flanagan gov andrew m cuomo a democrat and the assembly speaker carl e heastie a democrat announced on friday evening
lawmakers also agreed to require school districts to test for lead in drinking water with the state paying for some of the testing costs the adoption of the lead testing bill was a victory for assemblywoman catherine t nolan a queens democrat who heads the education committee and who had been criticized for blocking a previous bill that she considered too broad
under the new bill schools would be required to periodically test for lead   though some already do   and notify parents in the event the dangerous element is discovered
the state will also provide an additional 50 million in capital funding for suny and the city university of new york
but the governors announcement that the state would release 570 million in state resources to build and operate 1200 units of supportive housing for the homeless was immediately dissected and dismissed by advocates for the program who said it fell far short of mr cuomos initial commitment to pay for 20000 units
tonights plan would appear to be a betrayal of the most vulnerable new yorkers and the latest broken promise from a governor who makes sweeping announcements that lead to paltry results the campaign 4 nyny housing a supportive housing group said in a statement
mr cuomo and the legislative leaders had already agreed to funding for 6000 units over five years as part of the state budget passed in march but another deal was required to release the first infusion of money for spending the 570 million figure included only 150 million of new state funding said assemblyman andrew hevesi the chairman of the assemblys social services committee with the rest coming from existing capital funds and tax credits
in january it was 20000 units he said in april it was 6000 units now its 1200 units and its only 150 million in new money all the rest is smoke and mirrors
early saturday morning the lawmakers were in the process of passing the new legislation at about 215 am the legislature finished its last remaining substantive task the senate passed a bill to legalize daily fantasy sports which had been considered illegal gambling in new york the assembly had approved the measure on friday afternoon
other high profile bills won both houses backing on friday
the legislature passed a bill that aims to ensure equal access to legal representation for the poor by reimbursing counties for indigent legal services drawing praise from the new york civil liberties union
the hotel industry in new york city cheered the passage of legislation that would keep people from advertising stays shorter than 30 days in unoccupied homes a measure that the bills supporters said would restrict commercial operators of illegal hotels but that airbnb   the company that prompted the bill   said would affect regular city residents it is already illegal in new york to rent out an empty apartment for less than 30 days at a time
the legislature also passed bills that would increase penalties for using software known as ticket bots to scoop up large numbers of tickets to concerts games or other events a practice that the state attorney general eric t schneiderman highlighted in a recent report doing so is already illegal but the bill would make it a misdemeanor
the agreement on friday which came after a flurry of deals at the march budget deadline including an increase in the minimum wage and the establishment of a paid family leave program did not please corporate leaders like heather briccetti the president of the business council of new york state who called it devoid of any major pro growth or cost reduction measures
nor did it mollify government watchdogs and other advocates of ethics reforms who had high hopes that the convictions last year of sheldon silver the former assembly speaker and dean g skelos the former senate majority leader would finally shame the legislature into acting to prevent corruption
but of all the measures on ethics that lawmakers did discuss this session pension forfeiture a straightforward and broadly popular measure was the only prominent one to survive mr cuomo had proposed but failed to win support for more ambitious proposals that included eight different bills for closing a campaign finance loophole that allows limited liability companies to donate to political candidates up to the limit for individual contributors rather than for businesses
in order for pension forfeiture to become a constitutional amendment two consecutively elected legislatures must approve it before voters consider the measure on the ballot
the announcement about the ethics agreement highlighted what were called strong protections against the independent expenditure committees empowered by the citizens united ruling the supreme courts 2010 campaign finance decision the governor had made a push to tighten restrictions on such committees over the past few weeks
the ethics package will also require political consultants who simultaneously advise elected officials or candidates and work with companies that have business before the state to register with the state and disclose their clients it strengthens disclosure requirements for lobbyists and for tax exempt nonprofits that lobby the state to disclose financial support from other nonprofits that are not supposed to engage in political activity
blair horner the executive director for the new york public interest research group said the deal was a smorgasbord of elections ethics and lobbying reforms that nonetheless was not focused at the heart of whats wrong with albany including the nearly unchecked flow of money through multiple limited liability companies that said mr horner said the move to define coordination between independent expenditure committees and candidates was an improvement no one has defined what that means he said and this does
the greatest source of friction on friday appeared to be the mayoral control issue
there was concern within city hall that the charter school provision would significantly change how such schools in the city run
charter schools can be authorized by three agencies   the state education department the citys education department and suny   but all operate according to the same state law although the announcement of the agreement did not offer details the senates proposal would exempt suny schools from the usual state standards and free to set their own rules two officials with direct knowledge of the negotiations said
there are 111 charters authorized by suny in the city another 55 are authorized by the citys education department and 39 by the state department


with the climactic game 7 of the nba finals on tap for sunday   and with lebron jamess cleveland cavaliers recently outplaying stephen currys golden state warriors to even the series   there is a business question looming along with the basketball ones
are we about to see a new version of the infamous sneaker wars that nike and adidas fought in the 1990s
back then nike beat back adidas indeed it now has more than 90 percent of the basketball shoe market   a number that compares to microsofts monopoly over operating systems in its heyday now however nike has a new challenger a cocky upstart named under armour
in case you hadnt noticed curry one of the most popular players in the nba wears shoes made by under armour but that wasnt always the case when he first entered the league in 2009 he was under contract with nike over the next four years he showed he was a terrific player but in part because of ankle problems hadnt yet become what he is now the nbas marquee player   an amazing shooter with a transcendent game and an appealing down to earth personality
in 2013 with currys contract up for renewal under armour which had been selling basketball shoes for only a few years sensed an opportunity under armour offered him 4 million a year to switch nike which was paying him a reported 25 million declined to match the offer the rest as they say is history
at a time when sales of basketball shoes have been sluggish under armours have taken off they were up 95 percent in the fourth quarter of last year compared with 2014s fourth quarter and another 64 percent in the first quarter of this year its footwear revenue was 678 million in 2015 up from 127 million in 2010 although nike dominates the business of basketball shoes under armour has made inroads
much of that growth is directly attributable to currys enormous popularity since the beginning of the year according to jay sole who follows the company for morgan stanley curry basketball footwear has accelerated meaningfully in a note he wrote to clients a few months ago sole said that shoes with currys name on them are likely to see 160 million in sales this year that would put his signature shoes ahead of every other current players including nikes marquee endorser lebron james who has a lifetime contract with the company worth a reported 500 million
in the nba finals under armours guy curry plays for the defending champion warriors while nikes guy james not to mention another key nike athlete kyrie irving plays for a team that lost to the warriors in last years finals and is still looking for its first nba championship but in the world of business nike is still the 800 pound gorilla of the sportswear industry with 30 billion in revenue last year and tentacles in every sport imaginable under armour which is on track to generate 5 billion in revenue this year is very much the striving newcomer
but under armour is the first company since the 1990s to knock nike off its stride for instance earlier this year nike hired away a key under armour shoe designer   only to have under armour rehire him two months later before he worked a single day for nike last year when nike discovered that under armour was trying to get the university of texas to switch allegiances it swooped in and re signed texas with a 15 year 250 million contract earlier this week nike announced the departure of michael jackson who ran its 37 billion global basketball business
under armour was founded 20 years ago by a former university of maryland football player named kevin plank his is a classic entrepreneurs tale he started the company at age 23 in his grandmothers basement in washington his original idea was to replace the heavy cotton t shirt that football players wore under their pads and uniforms with one made of microfibers that would wick away sweat in its first year under armour took in 17000
there are two things that are striking about planks initial business model the first is that his shirts were aimed strictly at elite athletes rather than the general public he was making performance wear as they say in the trade the second was the way he built the under armour brand in the early days by handing his shirts to football players he knew from high school or college who had gone on to the nfl
my contacts among these nfl players were a vital part of my strategy he later wrote in an article for the harvard business review although i was able to interview several top under armour executives for this column plank was unavailable a company spokeswoman said
in other words endorsements have been critical to under armours success from the very beginning the nfl players who wore his shirts talked them up which led teams beginning with the atlanta falcons and the giants to start buying them for all the players when the miami dolphins asked him to supply the team with free shirts plank said no he needed to be able to sell to teams because they were his target market the dolphins ended up buying the shirts
endorsements have been critical to nikes success too of course   indeed theyve been as much a part of the companys marketing as the just do it commercials
nike started with running shoes in the companys early days the great university of oregon runner steve prefontaine who was close to the nike founders phil knight and bill bowerman oregons track coach for many years wore its track shoes john mcenroe was an early endorser of its tennis shoes when nike started selling basketball shoes in the late 1970s it came up with the idea of paying college coaches to have their teams wear nikes and of course in 1984 nike landed the greatest sports endorser of them all michael jordan his first signature shoe the air jordan 1 was an instant success and his appeal has continued well into his retirement today the jordan brand which is a nike subsidiary is a 3 billion business
flush with cash nike now tries to corner the market on big name basketball players   kevin durant and russell westbrook also have big nike contracts   while also trying to tie up as many other players as possible almost three in four nba players suit up with nike shoes nikes approach is to have all the right guys to defend its position said david abrutyn a partner at bruin sports capital to put it another way it spreads its bets
under armour doesnt have the money to play that game so it has to make choices sometimes they pay off   as when the company signed cam newton out of college   or when it added jordan spieth to its roster of endorsers not long before he won the 2015 masters and occasionally they dont its first nba endorser was brandon jennings who has been in the league since 2009 but never became the star under armour hoped he would be
now of course it has captured lightning in a bottle with curry during under armours first quarter earnings call in april plank couldnt stop dropping currys name
our footwear mvp is stephen curry he said at one point the companys revenue had risen 30 percent in the quarter he claimed somewhat absurdly that when steph curry decided to put up 30 points a game and wear the number 30 we thought putting up 30 percent growth was our way of showing our support currys deal with under armour was extended last year to 2024   and includes stock in the company
heres the thing though nike didnt become a 30 billion company solely by relying on michael jordan at a certain point in the 1980s it went well beyond performance wear and began making shoes and clothes for people who had no athletic aspirations at all according to matt powell the sports industry analyst for the npd group only 25 percent of athletic shoes are used for athletic activities walk through an airport and just look at how many people are wearing nike shoes   not fancy athletic shoes but everyday walking shoes comfortable shoes that have nothing to do with michael jordan
there is not much doubt that kevin plank wants to build under armour into the next nike in my conversations with under armour executives they never uttered the word nike   they simply referred to the company as our competitor sole the morgan stanley analyst has said that if curry does indeed turn out to be an endorser akin to jordan it could be worth 14 billion in under armours stock market valuation
but thats still a long way from nike which currently has a market value of 90 billion to under armours 23 billion plank has said that the company wants to reach 7 billion in revenue by 2018 nike is on record as wanting to hit 50 billion in revenue by 2020
under armour has spent 20 years selling itself as a performance company marketing to athletes and wanna be athletes to become a company generating nike type revenue it will have to become a brand that appeals to everybody which means that steph curry hot as he is right now can only get them part of the way to the place they want to go


a new experimental airplane being built by nasa could help push electric powered aviation from a technical curiosity and pipe dream into something that might become commercially viable for small aircraft
at a conference on friday of the american institute of aeronautics and astronautics in washington charles f bolden jr the nasa administrator announced plans for an all electric airplane designated as x 57 part of the agencys efforts to make aviation more efficient and less of a polluter
the x 57 will take the first giant step in opening a new era of aviation mr bolden declared
the steps taken by nasa will not translate into all electric cross country jetliners but the agency hopes the technology can be incorporated into smaller general aviation and commuter aircraft some years from now
the x 57 will look more like a cessna unlike some of nasas earlier sleek futuristic x planes its cruising speed might hit 175 miles per hour its wings however will be unique   far skinnier than usual and embedded with 14 motors
the problem with traditional aircraft design is you have to size the wings so that you have safe takeoff and landing speeds and so the wing tends to end up bigger than you need for cruise flight said sean clarke co principal investigator for the project at nasas armstrong flight research center in edwards calif
for the x 57 the nasa researchers are designing narrower wings that are efficient during cruise flight powered by two 60 kilowatt electric motors at the wingtips that spin five foot wide propellers
for takeoff and landing 12 smaller 9 kilowatt motors powering two foot wide propellers will kick in to blow extra air over the skinny wings to generate the necessary lift in flight the smaller propellers are folded away
nasa has already purchased the italian designed tecnam p2006t twin engine four seat aircraft that it will transform into the x 57 in the first step nasa will replace the gasoline powered motors with electric ones aiming for takeoff in about a year swapping out the wing will take another one to two years mr clarke estimated
the x plane designations are handed out by the united states air force for experimental cutting edge aircraft starting with the x 1 that broke the sound barrier in 1947 nasas last x plane effort more than a decade ago was the x 43a a pilotless black dart that accelerated to almost 7000 mph which set the record for a jet powered aircraft
the nasa researchers have nicknamed the new plane maxwell after james clerk maxwell a 19th century scottish physicist who came up with the basic equations underlying electromagnetism
the x 57 is far from the first electric airplane and a solar powered electric airplane called solar impulse is currently making a series of flights that will take it around the world but solar impulse cruises at 30 to 40 mph of which mr clarke said i dont think anyone would classify as high speed
at 175 mph the x 57 would be as fast as the original p2006t and other similar general aviation planes thats a speed that could enable much greater market share for a technology like this mr clarke said
operational costs could be cut by as much as 40 percent and electric motors are much quieter
the design does not overcome the shortcomings of electric propulsion its 800 pounds of batteries will replace the rear two passenger seats and the seat next to the pilot will be replaced with instrumentation leaving space for only the pilot and no passengers it can stay aloft for only about one hour
mr clarke said the technology could be scaled upward for commuter or regional airliners and nasa is investigating using fuel cells rather than batteries to provide the electricity but limits in the speed of propeller driven aircraft means they are unlikely for cross country airline flights i think all electric would be a stretch for jetliners he said
but nasa has four other x plane projects in the pipeline part of a 10 year aviation research program proposed by the obama administration in february this will be nasas moonshot for aviation mr bolden said
that includes a supersonic airplane that would not generate supersonic booms talking about going around the world in six hours or going from dubai in new york in an hour mr bolden said thats absolutely incredible


brussels   to the sort of dysfunction that provokes frustration with the european union add its highest appeals court
when member states could not agree on the hiring process for new judges to deal with a backlog of cases they simply gave one to each of the 28 countries in the bloc they originally planned for just nine wary of the ballooning bill
this unwieldy club of nations   and such costly compromises   are a constant flash point in the debate over the european project as britain heads to the polls on thursday over whether to leave the european union many supporters of the so called brexit consider brussels a bloated bureaucracy that sucks funds and resources
they have a point at least in some examples while the group of nations professes mutual support it is often hobbled by a lack of consensus that leads to dubious decisions
there are duplicate parliament buildings in france and belgium the unions digital security agency is on a remote greek island with direct flights to crucial european capitals only during the summer months and a plan to streamline the top layer of the european commission the executive body in the administrative capital of brussels has been undermined by national infighting
the european courts are particularly good fodder for critics
perched on a plateau above the city of luxembourg the court is composed of two main tribunals the court of justice is a sort of supreme court for the bloc while the general court is the top appellate court and the first stop for companies like microsoft when appealing fines imposed by brussels for breaking antitrust laws
the headquarters is adorned with ostentatious read pricey flourishes a number of entryways are decorated with baccarat crystal chandeliers and glittering chain mail wall coverings translators and administrators work in gold tinted office towers judges are chauffeured to work and to meetings in a leased fleet of more than 80 cars
when the court first pushed to hire new judges in 2011 the political wrangling started immediately
at that time the general court was facing a serious backlog files of pending cases took up a third of a mile of shelving vassilios skouris the former president of the court of justice proposed hiring 12 new judges on top of the existing 28
wary of the potential bill governments agreed to nine new judges but progress stalled when member states bickered over which of them would get to make the appointments
the deadlock eased three years later in 2014 when mr skouris proposed one additional judge for each country as a structural and lasting response to the backlog the enlargement would mean justice is speedier more efficient and of consistently high quality and also allow the court to handle any sudden surge in filings koen lenaerts the current president said in a statement to the new york times
it was the sort of national horse trading and jockeying for influence that has pervaded a number of decisions
twelve times a year under european law more than 750 lawmakers and thousands of assistants shuttle from brussels to a second locale 220 miles away in the french city of strasbourg the arrangement adds at least EUR114 million every year to the blocs budget to maintain a gleaming glass building used for legislative sessions less than two months a year
sovereign priorities have also hindered efforts to streamline the european commission since the bloc has mushroomed to 28 members from its original six there are not enough influential jobs to go around portfolios overlap creating tensions
during the last decade member states moved to cut the commissions size by about a third and to take turns occupying fewer seats but that idea mostly collapsed when irish voters sensitive about being left unrepresented in brussels for any length of time voted in a 2008 referendum to reject a revised european union treaty containing those changes
margaritis schinas the chief spokesman of the commission said the makeup of the body and its size was determined by governments the commission had taken important organizational steps he said by grouping commissioners into teams and by focusing more resources on issues of major concern
quarreling over jobs and influence led in 2003 to the parceling out of 10 new agencies to member states some of them far from brussels greece won the right to host the digital crime agency and put it on crete
the greek island is better known for tourism and farming than for 21st century law enforcement even the head of the group the european union agency for network and information security udo helmbrecht calls the location a problem for attracting people and estimates that consolidating it with a second office in athens would save money
hiring more judges also meant spending more money
the new judges at the general court will earn basic monthly salaries of about EUR20000 or about 22460 with staff and offices each judge costs about EUR1 million each year and the expansion will add roughly 5 percent to the courts budget after other savings are taken into account by contrast the original plan for nine judges would have cost about half as much
naturally the proposal provoked fury among some european lawmakers
the plan showed deep contempt for european taxpayers money and would be poorly received by the european public antonio marinho e pinto the lead negotiator on the issue at the european parliament wrote in october 2015 german concerns about cost helped push the court to make additional internal savings
governments finally reached a consensus late last year   or at least what counts for consensus in the european union
last december a majority of member states including germany approved the plan belgium and the netherlands abstained britain protested that it would result in greater demands being made on member states it voted against the plan
european institutions have so little good will to spare so bulking up the court is shortsighted in the extreme said alberto alemanno a law professor at hec paris a business school and a former clerk at both tribunals but i cant imagine governments being able to agree to anything else and thats just as worrying
because it took five years to reach an agreement the judges had already begun trying ways to streamline the workload they hired new clerks and cut back on hearings
the backlog has fallen slightly and they are closing more cases some figures suggest a surge in productivity
now critics are warning that the new judges might not have enough work to do
by the end of 2014 the court had already eaten into the backlog without the addition of a single additional judge one long serving judge of the general court franklin dehousse wrote in a critical report published in april by egmont a research organization the doubling of the size of the court was manifestly excessive
but the incapacity to compromise on eu appointments is not limited to judicial ones he added saying this weakness has clearly become a source of useless spending by the eu


london   as the shock of the brutal murder of a young member of parliament began to subside on friday there was a growing sense in britain that something ominous had been unleashed in the country
the increasingly ugly anti immigrant tone to the campaign over next weeks referendum on britains membership in the european union coupled with the violence of english fans at the european soccer championships and now the killing of a lawmaker on the streets of a small town has left many here feeling that the boundaries of acceptable behavior are breaking down
what we are just seeing generally is a very disturbing shift in british politics said simon tilford the deputy director of the center for european reform which favors british membership it is quite upsetting to me what is happening
with next thursdays vote on the referendum only days away campaigning was suspended as a gesture of mourning and respect for the victim jo cox 41 a rising star in the opposition labour party who not coincidentally was a strong backer of britains remaining inside the bloc
while it is still too early to say how the attack will change the dynamics of the campaign it has unquestionably shifted the focus from the growing momentum of those in favor of leaving to the anti immigrant tactics they have employed as the vote has drawn closer
the suspect arrested in the killing thomas mair 52 has a history of mental illness but he was also reported to have been in contact with far right groups in the united states and britain and to have said britain first several times as he attacked ms cox britain first a far right nationalist group denied any links with mr mair but a united states civil rights group said he had been associated with an american neo nazi organization called the national alliance
in a widely distributed piece written for the magazine the spectator which favors leaving the european union alex massie drew a connection between the leave campaign which has featured outlandish assertions xenophobia and islamophobia to the death of ms cox
sometimes rhetoric has consequences mr massie wrote if you spend days weeks months years telling people they are under threat that their country has been stolen from them that they have been betrayed and sold down the river that their birthright has been pilfered that their problem is theyre too slow to realize any of this is happening that their problem is theyre not sufficiently mad as hell then at some point in some place something or someone is going to snap and then something terrible is going to happen
mr massie cited a poster that had been issued earlier on thursday by one of the campaigns for british exit led by nigel farage the leader of the uk independence party which has been strongly anti europe and anti immigration from its inception and won 13 percent of the vote in the national election in may 2015
in the last stages opponents say the leave campaign has essentially become a ukip campaign on the putative dangers of immigration   given that membership in the bloc means freedom of travel and work for all its citizens   softened around the edges by conservatives who say that as a great nation britain will be truly sovereign only away from brussels
the poster showed a long line of middle eastern refugees waiting to cross a european border the text said breaking point the eu has failed us all we must break free from the eu and take control of our borders never mind that the border in question was that between croatia and slovenia and that britain as an island nation is largely insulated from the immigration crisis that roiled the continent last year
the message mr massie said was not subtle vote leave britain or be overrun by brown people take control take back our country you know what i mean dont you if you want a turk   or a syrian   for a neighbor vote remain
the official and unofficial leave campaigns have suggested that turkey and its 77 million muslims are soon to join the european union which is untrue and that despite britains restrictions on free travel for european citizens membership in the european union has made britain more vulnerable to waves of refugees and terrorism
while the claims may be unsubstantiated pollsters suggest that the focus on turkey and on regaining control over immigration was behind the movement toward a british exit or brexit which is now narrowly leading most polls
when you shout breaking point over and over again you dont get to be surprised when someone breaks mr massie wrote when you present politics as a matter of life and death as a question of national survival dont be surprised if someone takes you at your word you didnt make them do it no but you didnt do much to stop it either
some observers like mr tilford say there is blame to be spread across the political spectrum while the tenor of the leave campaign is pretty xenophobic he said both of the major mainstream parties labour and the conservatives now regularly discuss the potential menace of foreigners that has made it socially acceptable to voice anti immigrant or xenophobic sentiment in a way that it wasnt 10 years ago he said
the more practical question is whether the murder of ms cox will alter the trajectory of the campaign some analysts like mujtaba rahman of the eurasia group said it will hurt the momentum of the leave campaign which has been gaining steadily in recent polls
but others drew the opposite conclusion until its clear who was responsible and what their motivation was or might have been said john curtice a political scientist from strathclyde university all it does is stop the campaign when the remain side probably would not want it to be stopped
polly toynbee a columnist for the left leaning guardian newspaper said that the murder of a public official could not be seen as an isolated episode it occurs against a backdrop of an ugly public mood in which we have been told to despise the political class to distrust those who serve to dehumanize those with whom we do not readily identify ms toynbee wrote
of course many who are campaigning to leave are honorable democrats she said but there are others whose recklessness has been open and shocking i believe they bear responsibility not for the attack itself but for the current mood for the inflammatory language for the finger jabbing the dog whistling and the overt racism
ms cox herself wrote a column in the yorkshire post published just a few days before her death in which she sympathetically discussed peoples concerns about immigration this doesnt mean to say they are racist or xenophobic she said but concerned about pressures on health and social services and competition for jobs she added most people recognize that there are positive sides of migration too
but the benefits of european union membership are huge and far outweigh the costs ms cox wrote explaining that i strongly believe that concerns about immigration   as legitimate as they are   are not a reason to vote for brexit in large part because leaving itself would not solve the problem
please dont fall for the spin prior to june 23 that the only way to deal with concerns about immigration is by voting to leave   that simply is not the case she concluded
her husband brendan cox issued a statement after her death saying that his wife would have wanted two things above all else to happen now   one that our precious children are bathed in love and two that we all unite to fight against the hatred that killed her


scottsdale ariz   i usually start behind the neck grace granatelli said from her plump brown sofa theres two pressure points back behind the ears that help relax them a little bit in her lap she held the head of sketch her mixed beagle rat terrier as her fingers traced small circles through his fur
ms granatelli whose passion for dogs can be glimpsed in the oil portrait of her deceased pets and the bronzed casts of their paws started an animal massage business during the recession after taking several courses and workshops her primary form of advertising was her car with its k9 rubs license plate and her website pawsitive touch stenciled onto her rear window
but in 2013 arizonas veterinary medical examining board sent her a cease and desist order demanding that she close up shop for medically treating animals without a veterinary degree if not the board warned every swedish doggy massage she completed could cost her a 1000 fine
to comply with the ruling and obtain a license ms granatelli would have to spend about 250000 over four years at an accredited veterinary school none require courses in massage technique many dont even offer one
animal masseuses are hardly alone over the years states across the country have added licensing requirements for a bewildering variety of jobs requiring months or years of expensive education along with assessing costly fees
today nearly 30 percent of the american work force needs a license to work up from about 10 percent in the 1970s according to morris kleiner a professor of public affairs at the university of minnesota who has studied the issue
the obama administration and the conservative political network financed by the koch brothers dont agree on much but the belief that the zeal among states for licensing all sorts of occupations has spiraled out of control is one of them in recent months they have collaborated with an array of like minded organizations and political leaders in a bid to roll back licensing rules
on friday the white house announced that it would provide 75 million in grants to organizations interested in working with states to reduce overly burdensome licensing and make it easier for licensed practitioners to work across state lines an issue of particular importance to military families
this grant is the first time the federal government has directly gotten involved to help states that want to reform their licensing practices jason furman chairman of the white house council of economic advisers said in an interview it was something a democratic president proposed and a republican congress passed
economists on both the left and the right argue that excessive licensing raises prices for consumers without improving services it can also deter potential workers from moving across state lines dragging down employment growth
there is no labor economist who thinks it is good for the economy said lee u mcgrath legislative counsel in minnesota for the institute for justice a libertarian organization whose lawyers are representing ms granatelli in a lawsuit against the arizona veterinary board
in tennessee a license is required to shampoo hair in florida to sell a yacht in montana you need the states approval to be an egg candler in utah to repair upholstery in louisiana to be a florist
no one disputes that health and safety concerns make licenses indispensable in certain demanding professions like nursing or flying a commercial airplane and they are sometimes helpful in improving standards and providing quality assurance to consumers
but the current mishmash of requirements is too often inconsistent inefficient and arbitrary a white house report concluded last year many of them the report said have little purpose other than to protect those already in the field from further competition
requirements for the same job often have whiplash level variation south dakota requires 2100 hours of education and a cosmetology license to braid hair   a popular entry point into the labor force for african american women south carolina demands only a six hour course
security guards in michigan need to have three years of training none is needed in new hampshire and ohio
why in the world do we regulate barbers asked mark hutchison a republican and the lieutenant governor of nevada which shares billing with arizona as one of the states with the most burdensome licensing requirements according to the institute for justice a bad haircut is the last thing that a person is going to put up with and return to it is the ultimate example of self regulating industry
the problem is particularly acute for military spouses who move frequently as well as veterans and immigrants who may have extensive training but lack a particular states seal of approval and there are at least 27000 different licensing restrictions across the states affecting people with arrest and conviction records most of them permanently disqualify applicants meaning a minor transgression as a teenager can prevent someone from working in many fields decades later
the most regulated states paradoxically are red even republican governors with republican legislatures in pretty conservative states have still found it extremely difficult to effect change said dick m carpenter strategic director of the institute for justice when there is an effort to dial back legislation then the licensed industry turns out with huge counterattack this is the same story that plays out in every state
only rarely are licensing requirements removed last month though arizona agreed to curb them for yoga teachers geologists citrus fruit packers and cremationists
but dozens more professions escaped the ax arizona is perceived as a low regulatory state but this was the most difficult bill we worked on this session said daniel scarpinato a spokesman for the republican governor douglas ducey
licensing boards are generally dominated by members of the regulated profession and in arizona more than two dozen of the boards are allowed to keep 90 percent of their fees turning over a mere 10 percent of the revenue to the state
they use that money to hire contract lobbyists and pr people mr scarpinato said this is really a dark corner of state government
they are often joined in their campaign by lobbyists from industry trade associations and for profit colleges which sell the required training courses
economists like mr kleiner say there are less burdensome ways to highlight quality for example certification with an exam to ensure a certain skill level could be required to use a particular job title   like certified tour guide or chartered financial analyst   without prohibiting others from offering the service perhaps at a lower price
the power of licensing boards was challenged last year when the supreme court ruled that the north carolina dental board could be sued under federal antitrust laws for shutting down teeth whiteners because they were not licensed dentists
the courts decision may prompt some states to monitor licensing boards more closely said robert c fellmeth executive director of the center for public interest law at the university of san diego
at the state level the institute for justice has filed lawsuits arguing that various licensing boards are unconstitutionally interfering with the right to earn a living that includes the one brought by ms grantelli and two experienced horse massagers celeste kelly and stacey kollman in arizona
victoria whitmore executive director of the vet board in arizona said the boards decision had been misinterpreted it issued a cease and desist to stop practicing veterinary medicine not to stop massaging she said the problem the institutes lawyers say is that there is no way for practitioners to figure out where to draw that line
once the lawsuit is finished ms whitmore said it is possible the board will offer more guidelines
ms kelly whose strong hands can zero in on a knotted muscle like a heat seeking missile said she was continuing to work despite the order from the licensing board she grew up around horses at her fathers riding stable in long island and has taken several courses and workshops in equine massage
local veterinarians have frequently referred horse owners to her they dont want to do it said ms kelly who charges 55 for an approximately 90 minute massage it takes too long


climate change habitat destruction extinctions   the earth has seen it all before thousands of years ago and humans may have been partly to blame for many of those changes in nature too
a new study published friday in science advances shows that the arrival of humans in patagonia combined with a changing climate led to the extinction of many species of megafauna about 12000 years ago in the southern portion of what is now south america the research offers a significant moment in the natural history of the continent a definitive date of the mass extinction of megafauna   large or giant animals like mammoths and giant sloths   in this part of the world it also suggests a potential relationship between threatened species and climate change in our own time
the authors of the study from the university of adelaide in australia with help from scientists from south america and elsewhere found that the presence of humans in patagonia was not enough to drive extinction but the one two punch of humans and a warmer climate led to the collapse of many species
the scientists sequenced the mitochondrial dna from 89 megafaunal bone and teeth samples that had been excavated from caves and rock shelters in patagonia they were able to date 71 of those samples and then looked into whether the extinctions of those species were associated with other known events   ice ages or warming periods for example   in the annals of either climate change or human existence
humans had been in patagonia for at least 1000 years before this mass extinction and they overlapped with megafauna during a cold period known as the antarctic cold reversal after that climatic period a rapid warming phase followed and much of the ice that carpeted the region began to melt allowing for a beech tree forest to creep across the land reducing their original habitat
according to this study the extinction began soon after patagonia began to heat up humans played an important role too their presence put pressure on the animals through hunting and a smaller habitat range scattering the megafauna throughout the region
and it all happened pretty quickly the scientists found that the extinction of these big animals occurred within a relatively narrow time frame   about 300 years of the areas large mammal species 83 percent died out including some that the scientists discovered in the course of their work the researchers also identified a species of puma related to some cats still around today
the scientists concluded that the extinctions of these patagonian megafauna were initiated by an environmental change but it became an ecosystemwide change because of mankind
for alan cooper one of the authors of the study the results help put our modern climate change and extinction dilemmas into context
over the last 100 years he said the earths atmosphere has warmed enormously largely because of the emissions of greenhouse gases from human activity some modern megafauna have become extinct or are now in a great bit of trouble dr cooper said because of human action   deforestation or hunting   but warming may be a cause too directly and indirectly
periods of warming and the collapse of megafauna seem to happen at the same time over much of history dr cooper said
he paused before asking what is it about warming that amplifies humans destructive instinct


hong kong   in china cheap smartphones made by relatively obscure companies aping branded designs are ubiquitous
usually it is the major brands that go after the smaller companies for patent infringement but one of chinas low cost phone makers recently filed a patent complaint against apple in the city of beijing   and for now it has won
with an appeals process ahead the ruling is unlikely to have a major impact on apple still the action spotlights the growing number of cases of municipal patent offices in china backing local companies against larger international brands
according to a statement from the beijing intellectual property office apple infringed on a design patent used in a phone called the 100c made by the chinese phone maker baili the statement ordered apple to stop selling certain older versions of the iphone within beijing though an appeal of such a ruling to the courts in china usually forestalls any sales injunctions
apple said it had appealed and a sales clerk at the apple store in the sanlitun area of beijing said on friday evening that the store had received no instructions to stop selling the iphone models and that it is business as usual at the store a handful of iphone 6 models stood mostly unused as shoppers tapped on the newer 6s models at a nearby table
iphone 6 and iphone 6 plus as well as iphone 6s iphone 6s plus and iphone se models are all available for sale today in china apple said in a statement we appealed an administrative order from a regional patent tribunal in beijing last month and as a result the order has been stayed pending review by the beijing ip court
the new headache for apple comes after increased regulatory pressure and problems in china recently a chinese company won the right to sell leather goods under the iphone trademark after years of legal back and forth and apples movie and book services were shut down in the country shortly after they were introduced a sign of more serious scrutiny from chinas media regulator
the baili patent case pales in comparison to those troubles though it underscores the day to day annoyances that can come with running a tech business in china
the country has had its fair share of cases in which low level manufacturers take on global brands in perhaps the most famous apple paid 60 million to use the ipad trademark
patent issues like the one apple has with baili are common enough that a recent paper in the vanderbilt journal of entertainment  technology law examined the topic while the paper found that chinas patent system was not structured to benefit chinese companies it said there had been a number of recent high profile patent suits filed by relatively unknown chinese firms against high profile foreign tech companies like apple samsung and dell
once a local intellectual property office in china finds an issue of infringement companies can decide whether to appeal the matter at that point the issue typically is litigated or resolved via a settlement of some kind


donald j trump rarely if ever acknowledges he might be losing at anything he expressed bewilderment at a poll during the primary race that showed him behind in the iowa caucuses he often invokes unscientific polls as examples of his strength and mentions surveys that have questionable methodology
so it was surprising when mr trump the presumptive republican presidential nominee said on thursday night that he is not beating hillary clinton in the most recent presidential polls
im four down in one poll three and a half in another that just came out and i havent started yet mr trump the presumptive republican presidential nominee said in a phone interview on thursday night a thought he volunteered as he dismissed concerns from senate republicans that he may be a drag on their candidacies in the fall
and i have tremendous republican support mr trump said unfortunately they never talk about that they talk about the few rebels
mr trump did not specify which polls he was referring to although he mentioned the real clear politics average at another point but mr trump has not led a national poll throughout the month of june with mrs clintons lead ranging from 3 to 12 percentage points depending on the survey on friday afternoon mr trump posted on twitter a poll and added thank you but even that survey showed him a couple of percentage points behind mrs clinton
despite his historically high negative ratings mr trump suggested he has plenty of time to turn things around
i think im going to help mr trump said of the senate candidates and he suggested that senators who were lagging in polls themselves had troubles long before he became the nominee
certain of these senators youre talking about are not doing well mr trump said referring to a group who are being aided by former president george w bush with fund raising
then if they lose theyll pin it on donald trump he said but i dont let that happen easily


amsterdam   what is left of the dream of european unity said ruth mckenzie gesturing broadly
ms mckenzie the british director of the holland festival was sitting last sunday in the busy cafe of the stadsschouwburg the late 19th century theater here that is one of the hubs of the annual three week arts festival she was explaining one of the events themes edges of europe around which much of the programming had been built
having this as a focus exploring european issues and how the continent is changing seemed like a great idea a year ago ms mckenzie said now it seems absolutely urgent i did not know that brexit was going to be a major issue and that the refugee crisis would be even worse than it was in 2015 and when we had the idea of reuniting the syrian national orchestra we did not realize how dire the syrian situation would be
the festival opened on june 4 at the stadsschouwburg with a wordless play by two estonian directors based on a work by peter handke when it closes on june 26 it will have offered 45 pieces of theater music dance and digital works 12 of them premieres   and dozens of talks events encounters and parties organizers expect to have roughly 75000 visitors this year
the holland festival like the edinburgh festival was founded in 1947 in the shattered wake of world war ii as a demonstration of a belief in the power of art to heal and restore notions of common humanity i find it incredibly moving that in 1947 people who were literally starving   they were eating bulbs because there was nothing else   turned to culture and decided they needed international artists to inspire them ms mckenzie said
unlike the edinburgh festival however the holland festival has not acquired a serious international following though it is regarded by theater programmers and culture seekers as an important place to discover new often experimental work as ms mckenzie talked she often paused to greet theater directors and artists from all over the world many coming to see a matinee of joel pommerats epic french revolution drama ca ira
perhaps the holland festivals lower profile has to do with the perception of a language barrier though performances are multilingual and always subtitled in english and dutch if in another language or perhaps it has to do with the festivals history of a consistent taste for the experimental and the avant garde ms mckenzie who ran the cultural olympiad program that accompanied londons 2012 olympic games is in her second year as festival director and holds fast to that line she succeeded pierre audi the director of the dutch national opera who stepped down in 2014 after 10 years to become the artistic director at the park avenue armory in new york
amsterdam is a city with the most fantastic cultural life and several world class institutions   the opera dutch national ballet the koncertgebouw orchestra the toneelgroep ms mckenzie said in bringing international work here you have to be adventurous surprising and different one of my aims is to find you an experience that you wont forget
you wont forget mr pommerats ca ira 1 fin de louis a sweeping account of the run up to the french revolution which recently won frances prestigious moliere awards for best play best director and best playwright the play is based on historical documents but both the language used and the appearance of the actors is contemporary mr pommerats stroke of genius is to place many of his actors in the audience clapping shouting declaiming and heckling those on stage from their seats so that the theater public becomes implicated in each argument and process
over four and a half hours we move from the attempt by louis xiv and his finance minister to raise taxes for the bankrupt state of france their efforts to get the nobility and clergy to pay taxes alongside the bourgeoisie or third estate the eventual formation of the representative assemblee nationale the fight to write a declaration of the rights of man versus the urgent needs to address famine fear and lawlessness
mr pommerat whose work should be much better known to english speaking audiences manages to make a thrilling edge of the seat drama out of the political infighting and partisanship that forged a democratic process it is politics as riveting theater the best history lesson youve ever attended it is also entirely relevant to the issues now confronting europe austerity nationalism refugees the rise of ultraright political parties and conflicting ideas about the meaning of freedom equality and fraternity
on the same weekend i saw simon mcburneys the encounter another riveting theater piece that combines old fashioned what will happen next narrative with 3d audio that takes the audience into the amazon rain forest via headphones mr mcburney who created the show last summer for complicite the theater company he co founded in 1983 was inspired by petru popescus book amazon beaming the true story of a 1969 encounter between loren mcintyre an american photographer and the mayoruna tribe who live deep in the forest
mr mcburney is alone on stage alternating between incarnating loren mcintyre and reverting to himself as he muses on the workings of memory and the nature of time and deals with his invisible 7 year old daughter who keeps demanding food drink and stories it is a compelling and often moving performance and a work that asks you to think about technology belief systems social customs rapacious materialism the environment and theater itself you can see mr mcburney creating the effects before your eyes you know a team of technicians is hard at work nonetheless its the imagination that does the transporting
that wasnt the case with privacy a coproduction by two dutch theater companies die warme winkel and wunderbaum which featured two naked actors wine dierickx and ward weemhoff talking about their sex lives toilet problems and fertility issues it was clearly an attempt to explore the boundaries of what can be said onstage the fertility conversation feels most painfully wrong but it felt more like a workshop than a realized piece
there is lots more to come over the festivals remaining days simon stones stage adaptation for the toneelgroep of woody allens husbands and wives gardens speak a sound installation by tania el khoury in which syrian graves tell the stories of their occupants three new works from the dutch national ballet and perhaps most fascinatingly a one off concert on wednesday of the syrian national orchestra for arabic music which brings these musicians many in exile together with the singer songwriter damon albarn they will also appear in london glastonbury istanbul and cologne in june
for those who cant get to amsterdam there is an online premiere commissioned by the festival the transmigration of morton f a film directed by sjaron minailo and composed by anat spiegel which combines music theater and computer gaming in a homage to the american composer morton feldman a brief preview showed a mysterious woman played by the singer joan la barbara on a kind of quest that the viewer gradually begins to enter via interactive tools i love turning audiences into participants ms mckenzie said thats probably my thing


baltimore   in opening the states case against caesar r goodson jr the driver of the police van in which freddie gray suffered the spinal cord injury that killed him the prosecutor uttered two crucial words rough ride
officer goodson the prosecutor said intended to bounce mr gray a black man around in the van that morning
officer goodson who is also black is facing the toughest charge   second degree depraved heart murder   of the six officers accused in mr grays death and legal experts say the prosecutions chances of a conviction on that count hinge in large part on being able to prove that officer goodson intentionally and with disregard for mr grays life drove him dangerously the defense rested its case friday and closing arguments are set for monday
but just before the state rested its case earlier this week a crucial prosecution witness said he could not say whether a rough ride had occurred   another indication of just how difficult the prosecutions case may be
it has different names around the country including screen test and nickel ride since it is a colloquial term not a legal one the precise definition can vary but legal and policing experts say there is an element of intent
a rough ride is basically the police driving in such a manner to inflict injury or pain on the person being transported said a dwight pettit a lawyer in baltimore who has represented dozens of plaintiffs in police brutality cases because they have knowledge that the person is not secure in the vehicle and is usually handcuffed or possibly leg chained and therefore has no way to protect themselves
geoffrey p alpert a criminology professor at the university of south carolina said the tactic was known anecdotally as a form of punishment for unruly prisoners normally he said its just kind of they end up with a few bruises or worst case its a broken arm
on wednesday stanford franklin a retired baltimore police officer who was the prosecutions key policing witness listed some possible elements of a rough ride during cross examination sudden acceleration sudden stops quick turns
it is difficult to assess the frequency of the practice but cities including chicago philadelphia and aurora ill have settled lawsuits related to accusations of rough rides
in baltimore tessa hill aston president of the local branch of the naacp and mr pettit said they had both received complaints about rough rides although they were not always substantiated in court those complaints have dropped off somewhat since mr grays story took over the headlines increasing scrutiny of the police and raising calls for working cameras inside police wagons
charles j key a retired baltimore police lieutenant said that he never saw a single instance of a rough ride in 26 years of his career there beginning in 1970
but in 1997 a black man named jeffery alston was paralyzed during a ride in a baltimore police van in 2004 he received a 6 million settlement from the city in 2005 another black man dondi johnson sr died after suffering a spinal fracture during a police ride a jury awarded his family more than 7 million but the award was later reduced to 219000 mr key testified as an expert witness in both cases
officer goodson faces seven charges including second degree depraved heart murder   meaning murder born of willful disregard for human life   and three counts of manslaughter
prosecutors allege that officer goodson failed to buckle mr grays seatbelt or call for medical attention which they say could have saved his life to them those omissions were tantamount to a crime and they allege officer goodson rolled through a stop sign and took a sharp right turn so fast that the van could not stay in its lane
he was injured because he got a rough ride michael schatzow a prosecutor said during opening statements adding there was no good reason for the officer to repeatedly fail to seatbelt mr gray except to bounce him around
legal experts said it could be difficult for the prosecution to secure a murder conviction against officer goodson without proving that a rough ride had occurred the rough ride is important said david jaros an associate professor of law at the university of baltimore because it tells us something about the drivers mental state and his willingness to risk human life
the state has presented evidence of mr grays devastating injuries and with a detective michael boyd on the stand prosecutors presented a series of surveillance videos showing the van making its way through baltimore
but on tuesday during cross examination matthew fraling one of officer goodsons lawyers asked detective boyd if he had observed the van at any point make an abrupt start an abrupt stop or an abrupt turn
no sir detective boyd answered
on wednesday mr franklin the prosecution witness testified that leg shackles made it hard for passengers to brace themselves in a van and that without a seatbelt your ability to limit yourself from being a projectile in that van is very limited
its extremely important mr franklin added that that ride be as smooth as possible to prevent the person in the back from being tossed to and fro
mr grays legs were shackled during most of the ride and he was not wearing a seatbelt but prosecutors did not draw direct connections between those facts and mr franklins testimony   a point that officer goodsons lawyers sought to emphasize
is it not your contention today that officer goodson in any way engaged in a rough ride mr fraling said
mr franklin paused
i cant say
on wednesday officer goodsons lawyers moved to have the charges dismissed while it is a common move by defendants the lawyers focused on the rough ride during their oral arguments on thursday
there was no evidence introduced by the state to support a theory that officer goodson gave mr gray a rough ride said andrew graham another lawyer for the officer calling it a centerpiece of the states argument
when the judge barry g williams asked mr schatzow to elaborate on how the prosecution had supported its case including the murder charge the prosecutor turned not to the rough ride but to what they said was officer goodsons failure to buckle mr grays seatbelt on five different occasions suggesting a possible pivot in the states strategy
five times is enough to demonstrate depraved heart mr schatzow said
later judge williams asked mr schatzow if the state was acknowledging that it had not presented evidence of a rough ride
the no 1 piece of evidence is the fact that the man suffered a broken neck and it killed him said mr schatzow adding that that injury combined with the limited video evidence and that mr gray was shackled handcuffed and not wearing a seatbelt made it possible to infer that a rough ride had occurred
but he added a rough ride was not a necessary element of the charges there are lots of ways to cause people to move about the compartment in the van he said
judge williams allowed the case to continue with all the charges intact but said it was a closer call to let the murder charge move forward
mr jaros the law professor said that the rough ride theory had flatlined but that doesnt mean that they dont have a case at least for manslaughter based on his failure to buckle and then his refusal to get medical attention
theres no question mr jaros said that youve got really a horrific level of callousness to the experience of the people who are being shuttled through the system
the problem is that doesnt necessarily satisfy a criminal charge


the year is only half over and already it has been so eventful and even traumatic
the next obvious challenge heading our way is the question of britains exit from the european union or brexit which will be voted on next week
the departure of any nation from the european union would be significant - as we saw with greece a few years back even opening the door to departure would be disruptive yet the british case is special london after all is the financial capital of europe and along with new york a major center of global finance in general
from the debt side of things britain is of particular importance because most debt instruments are either governed by new york law or english law this is true of traditional debt as well as debtlike things like swaps where the international swaps and derivatives master agreement calls for a binary choice between these two jurisdictions when picking the applicable law that will govern
on the restructuring side london is the obvious competitor with new york and delaware as the forum of choice for restructuring global businesses
as i have written elsewhere because chapter 11 of the bankruptcy code contains few barriers to filing by a foreign corporation and its results are binding on any financial institution that does business in the united states it provides a useful tool to restructure global enterprises
in britain the insolvency law is not so much the attraction as the reliable scheme of arrangement process under english corporate law which can be used to impose the terms of a workout on dissenting creditors this avoids the holdout problem that so often plagues out of court restructurings and the english courts have been quite willing to bless plans involving companies that have but the slightest connection with britain
would brexit change any of this in the short term i doubt it would london would remain an attractive locale for restructuring european companies even if it were outside the european union it is nearby and offers a reliable process
in the longer term however that could change if london lost its status as the financial hub of europe there presumably would be less of a concentration of banks and lawyers in the city as a result the reasons to negotiate a workout in london and present it to a british court would decline it is one more consideration as we move toward the vote


every friday the new york times pop critics weigh in on the weeks most notable new songs and videos   and anything else that strikes them as intriguing   in the playlist you can listen to this playlist on spotify here like this format let us know at theplaylistnytimescom
a new five song ep by the olympia wash hardcore punk band gloss titled trans day of revenge came out last monday the day after the shooting in orlando fla its not a specific response   it had already been set to be released then   but can certainly be understood as a general one from a band speaking directly to lgbt issues and pointedly clear in its lyrics about violent aggressors and systems that might abet them your calls for peace are ignorant and basic goes one of the more diplomatic lyric lines some of these songs are calling in an unapologetically punk way for retribution we live calls among other things for safe spaces we live for nights like thisbasements packed with burning kids stream the songs at the groups bandcamp page or buy the seven inch ep either from total negativity records or nervous nelly records ben ratliff
maybe you have been paying attention to the nba finals maybe you are an enthusiast of the game or even a newbie maybe you have found ways to introduce basketball into various facets of your life   office conversations wardrobe dream themes
so if you want commentary on your nba finals rivalries you can turn to jeff van gundy or craig sager but isnt it more fun to hear from nicki minaj even if you was curry bitch theres still a lebronlets face it im curry with rings like lebronadded my rings up thats mike jordan
thats ms minaj on dont hurt me the new tidal exclusive single from dj mustard titan of the springy bleepy warm weather track which also features the misty rb singer jeremih the beat is bulbous and joyous in that 2014 era dj mustard way and jeremih floats above it smoothly but its ms minaj who shows up second who takes control at first shes somewhere between gum snapping singing and rapping then shes singing with sultry force then she returns with a choice verse casually dismantling copycats and bringing her love of the game into her work just like the rest of us jon caramanica
shawn mendes got his start on vine posting short clips of cover songs often playing an acoustic guitar it was a familiar gambit   endless numbers of young singers do the same   but an effective one it scored him a major label deal
since then hes succeeded by preserving some of that same immediacy in more polished environs as on stitches one of last years slyest and most effective pop songs treat you better is mr mendess lovely new single and like stitches its a song that highlights his maturity while constantly showing off signifiers of his youth
the object of the song is his crush his antagonist is the guy she inexplicably craves i wont lie to youi know hes just not right for you its a slick refined pop production   the drums are authoritative and agenda setting the guitars thickened to approximate something like rock and mr mendes who still has a slightly wobbly voice is often amplified with technological assistance to sound more intense but on the most effective parts of the song hes largely left alone   his voice sounds thin and vulnerable and you can hear the guitar strings plucked loud and sharp as if theyre coming right out of your phone jc
a lone electric guitar playing two arpeggiated chords a bass drum and a shuddering trap beat introduce hendrix wyclef jeans grim song about surviving the limited options of poverty drug dealing sports pop fame we all are from the danger zonethe devil pulled a card and he said choose onei chose music he intones its autobiography as archetype a paean to the electric guitar as both a tool and a rescuer jon pareles
warning contains modified content reads the cover of earth neil youngs new live album from his 2015 tour a concert recording that isnt entirely documentary its a collection of his songs about the environment as far back as after the gold rush and as recent as seed justice a song he introduced on the tour mr young is backed by promise of the real the band led by the guitarist lukas nelson willies son meanwhile per the album concept nature sits in with sounds of birds insects and tumultuous weather sometimes overdubbed into the foreground for some wacky moments the finale introduced by cawing crows is a doozy 28 minutes of love and only love remade from mr youngs 1990 album with crazy horse ragged glory it bristles with distortion like the old crazy horse version but delves much further into lead guitar duels with mr nelson into mudpits of noise and midway through into a rhythmless echoey realm of drone feedback blues licks seismic buildups and sustained reflections as eerie as it is noisy listen on tidal jp
the cuban percussionist pedrito martinez has been a major contributor to new yorks live music scene for so long now   nearly 20 years with regular residencies at guantanamera and sub rosa for half that time   that its odd to be singling him out as any kind of new thing but for his new record habana dreams he was able to return to cuba and make a record entirely legally thats a new thing the result is excellent   not just because of the opportunity to record in areitoegrem studios with his band and family but because of the participation of others ruben blades wynton marsalis angelique kidjo the guaguanco compa galletano with mr martinez singing hard against mr blades one of the great voices in latin music of the last half century is one of the records strongest tracks rearranging a favorite tune of drums and vocals rumba groups into complex shifting harmony full band style its a glimpse of whats going on in mr martinezs world and indicative of what you might hear when he and his band play on tuesday night at the mckittrick hotel br
cuba isla bella is the single that announces the reunion after six years of orishas a trio of cuban rappers and singers based in france who have frequently returned to their birthplace on the four albums they released from 2000 2008 they merged acoustic cuban traditions with rapping rock scratching and loops cuba isla bella which yotuel of the orishas originally wrote for ricky martin whos from puerto rico is more traditionalist than much of the orishas catalog   more sung than rapped paced by hand played instruments declaring blood deep ties to cuba you always return to your roots as a measure of the respect orishas earned in its first decade it gathers all star cuban guests to sing a round robin among them descemer bueno isaac delgado the vocal group buena fe and   in the torchiest verse   laritza bacallao jp


shanghai   on broadway timon and pumbaa have entertained audiences for years with their brooklyn accents
but in china the famous meerkat warthog duo not only speak chinese but they also do so with a distinct beifang or northern twang
the rough around the edges chinese accent is one of several localized elements that infuse a mandarin language production of the lion king at the new 1200 seat walt disney grand theater the theater is an anchor of the colossal 55 billion shanghai disney resort which opened on thursday
sitting in the audience at the premiere on tuesday was a contingent of disney executives including the chairman and chief executive robert a iger local officials and a sprinkling of celebrities including yao ming the former nba player also attended
there were other elements added to enhance the show for shanghai different regional dialects riffs on chinese pop songs and for the first time a new character the monkey master who is based on the monkey king a figure of chinese legend
the monkey king is chinas favorite character said julie taymor the shows director in an interview the day before the premiere these little touches of familiarity are absolutely what you have to do it makes the show recognizable
the character wears a red and yellow chinese inspired costume designed by ms taymor two feathers protrude from the monkeys hat like antennae while monkey master doesnt speak he bursts in to help fight for simba the lion protagonist in several action scenes
since its broadway debut in 1997 the lion king has been translated into eight languages including japanese portuguese and mandarin in each translation producers have sought to adapt the script to the local culture while maintaining the spirit of the original altogether the lion king has taken in 72 billion from domestic and international productions
localizing broadways top grossing musical has been the focal point for the shanghai disney resort disney officials have repeatedly asserted they would create a resort that is both authentically disney and distinctly chinese
around the resort chinese elements abound at the wandering moon teahouse the signature restaurant for example visitors can honor the restless creative spirit of chinese poets in the garden of the twelve friends 12 mosaic murals reimagine disney characters as the signs of the chinese zodiac
still the challenge to be distinctly chinese can be difficult to overcome in china where audiences especially film audiences have become adept at sniffing out imported cultural products that plop in so called chinese elements with little sensitivity
producers of the lion king say they are confident that audiences here will find a seamless integration of chinese elements into the show
the lion king is from conception a very universal piece both the story and the physical world of it said felipe gamba director of international production and strategy for the disney theatrical group its an experience that transcends the musical theater genre which has made it successful in places where musical theater is not a deeply rooted tradition
discussion about bringing a mandarin version of the lion king to china began in 2011 mr gamba said the same year officials broke ground on the shanghai resort the company had decided that it would build a theater as an anchor for disneytown the retail and dining area of the complex
within the first few hours of the discussion mr gamba said it became quickly obvious that the lion king would be the choice it helped that the company had toured an english language production of the show in shanghai in 2006 to great success
soon after disney began a search in china for performers who could act sing dance and in some cases operate the animal masks ms taymor designed casting however proved to be far more difficult in china where broadway style musical theater is still relatively new the experiences of earlier adaptations of other musicals like cats and mamma mia were helpful
but chinese actors are typically affiliated with theater companies and schools which limits their availability for outside jobs disneys reputation in china as an entertainment company mr gamba said didnt help
a lot of it was about us showing the artistic directors and the actors what a piece of art julie created he said
like most people in china i had only watched the movie version of the lion king said zhao lei 28 who plays mufasa in the show even as a graduate of the shanghai dramatic arts center i hadnt seen an original production before i joined the show
in the end casting took about two and a half years   more than three times the average mr gamba said the cast of more than 50 features mostly mainland chinese actors and actors from countries including the philippines and south africa
according to mr gamba decisions about the length of the shows run and future productions at the theater will depend on how the lion king fares
right now he said were thinking lets just get through the opening


max martin the swedish producer and songwriter who worked on hits for taylor swift blank space britney spears ... baby one more time and katy perry teenage dream has been awarded the 2016 edition of swedens polar music prize along with the italian mezzo soprano cecilia bartoli the award comes with a cash prize of one million swedish krona about 119825
you blew my cover the famously spotlight averse mr martin born martin sandberg said in his acceptance speech on thursday according to the bbc ive managed to hide between two speakers in a basement for over 20 years but you got me
the songwriter has refined and developed the worlds popular music according to an announcement by the foundation that administers the prize in the last 20 years no composer in the world has written melodies as sustainable or as widespread as those of max martin
ms bartoli was cited for her vocal range of three octaves and a unique ability to live a role with fullness of expression
stig anderson of abba established the polar music prize in 1989 aiming to celebrate music in all its various forms king carl xvi gustaf of sweden attended the ceremony as did members of the backstreet boys for whom mr martin has also written songs


madrid   a baby born to syrian refugee parents in jordan last year has received approval to go to spain to undergo emergency facial surgery the familys lawyers said friday
the baby girl sham aldaher was born last july without an eye and with a severely disfigured face a barcelona childrens hospital offered in march to perform the complex surgery required to repair her disfigurement but bureaucratic hurdles have kept her from traveling to spain
spains interior minister jorge fernandez diaz said the government decided to grant a travel visa on thursday shortly after the new york times published an article about the babys plight
speaking in barcelona on thursday the minister told efe the spanish news agency that shams family was expected to stay in spain only for the babys treatment at sant joan de deu hospital in barcelona
shams family   her parents and three siblings   fled syria in 2013 and have been living as refugees in jordan since then they have received conditional approval to resettle in the united states but their american applications are subject to background checks with no date set for their completion according to the familys lawyers
they have spent months trying to help sham get medical treatment overseas on thursday they say the spanish embassy in the jordanian capital amman notified them that it had received authorization for special visas for sham and her family the process is still expected to take between eight and 12 days as the familys visas are open to review by spains european partners under the schengen rules
assuming there are no further bureaucratic hurdles the family is expected to arrive in barcelona later this month said jorn halling a german lawyer with reed smith who is working on shams case


a private school in texas has been sued for more than 3 million by the family of a black girl who accused three white classmates of wrapping a rope around her neck and dragging her to the ground during a school trip   leaving her with severe rope burns and a mark that looked like a necklace
lawyers for the girl who is identified in court papers filed on monday only as kp said evidence suggested that race played a role in the episode which occurred during an overnight outing in april by students from the live oak classical school in waco the girl was 12 at the time
but while lawyers for the girl and the school agree that something happened to the student they disagree about virtually everything else   whether what occurred had been a deliberate act the severity of her injuries who was to blame and if race was a motivation
the girls mother sandy rougely said in an interview on thursday that she thought her daughter was wearing a necklace when she first saw her after the trip she said when she learned that the marks had been caused by a rope that just tore me into pieces
it looked like somebody ripped my daughters neck off and stitched it back together ms rougely said the marks are still visible she added
ms rougely said she took her daughter to an emergency room where she was treated for severe rope burns and the police were called
lawyers for both sides said the blanco county sheriffs office was investigating sheriffs officials could not immediately be reached
i dont think this happens a lot of places other than waco tex a lawyer for the girl levi g mccathern ii said
but david n deaconson a lawyer for the school said the plaintiffs lawyers were exploiting the hot button issues of race and bullying he said what had happened to the girl was purely an accident
anyone can allege anything they want in a lawsuit no matter how inaccurate they may be he said thats the case here
according to the lawsuit the girl had transferred in 2014 from a public school to live oak which has about 400 students in junior kindergarten through 12th grade and affirms the principles of christianity it is made up predominantly of white children the suit says ms rougely said her daughter had a partial scholarship to attend the 7000 a year school
the girl had been flourishing in fifth grade the suit said but in sixth grade she reported that her classmates would not talk to her and physically bullied her she was pushed to the ground and a classmate kicked and shoved her when a teacher was not looking court papers said ms rougely said school officials blamed her daughter and when the mother met with administrators and counselors she felt rebuffed
it was against this backdrop that the girl and 21 other students went on the trip to a bucolic property near johnson city tex for an end of year school trip on april 28
the lawsuit said the episode occurred at a swing a disc shape basket hanging from a tree with a separate rope that the children pulled to lift the swing higher the girl said she had been pulling on the rope but then became tired and stood to the side she then felt the rope around her neck and she was violently jerked to the ground
when it got around my neck no one helped me so i had to pull it off by myself she said in an interview with the dallas morning news
the lawsuit said three boys   including one who previously targeted the girl   were standing behind her she said that her neck was really hurting afterward and that a chaperone put vaseline on the wound and gave her motrin
mr mccathern the girls lawyer said of school administrators they froze and they didnt tell anybody that officials did not notify the girls parents he said reeks of race
mr deaconson the schools lawyer said he had investigated what happened and gave this account as many as a dozen children were pulling on the rope to give the swing height and when they let go the rope whipped past the girl hit her in the neck and left her with a rope burn
he said that the girls lawyer sent emails on may 11 that said the plaintiffs would settle for 27 million and remain quiet about the case and that if a settlement was not reached by 5 pm may 12 mr mccathern would begin releasing information to the news media to coincide with observances of the 100th anniversary of the last lynching in waco on may 15
mr mccathern however called mr deaconsons description of what happened cockamamie as for the emails he said he sent them because the school wanted details of the damages being sought in writing so that they could be passed on to an insurer
lawrence l germer the owner of the property where the students went on the trip and a defendant in the suit said from any perspective its sad because the little girl got hurt but he added that her injuries were the result of terrible bad luck and that the lawsuit misrepresented what had happened
mr germer who is also a lawyer and says his daughter is a dean at the live oak school said that he had hosted boy scouts and church groups at his property before without incident
the swing remains in place he said
ms rougely who said she had hoped the situation at the school would improve had signed up her daughter for seventh grade but after the trip she withdrew her daughter and the girl completed her sixth grade studies at home


its all up to a delaware court now
in the most telegraphed corporate move of the year national amusements the company controlled by sumner m redstone moved on thursday to remove five directors of viacom including philippe p dauman viacoms chief executive who remains in his job for now
litigation promptly ensued as national amusements filed in a delaware court to validate these actions and viacoms lead independent director frederic v salerno countered with his own suit
we have the beginning of the end of a messy legal battle as a delaware court will determine whether these five viacom directors stay and by implication mr dauman as chief executive
the question is who has the better case
national amusements legal argument is relatively straightforward the company will argue that it is the controlling shareholder of viacom and has been since the mid 1980s as a controlling shareholder it has wide discretion to remove and replace directors that was always the premise of mr redstones viacom mr redstone was thoroughly in control through national amusements having had five chief executives in the last two decades
the idea that a majority shareholder can name the directors of a company is uncontested under delaware law the law even allows mr redstone to remove directors without cause
national amusements will thus argue that it validly exercised its authority through a written consent to remove and replace these directors under delaware law
this narrows the grounds on which mr salerno can dispute his removal but there is still one opening
i say mr salerno because he is the only one who brought a countersuit suing mr redstone and his daughter shari redstone for good measure
i would like to read something into the fact that it is only mr salerno who sued but its hard to know whether this is a sign that the remaining viacom directors are backing down they certainly are not racing to resign and two of them   george s abrams and mr dauman   have filed lawsuits in massachusetts
the gist of mr salernos countersuit is that life is unfair he asserts that mr redstone always wanted independent governance at viacom and did not want to have his daughter in charge but things have changed and mr salerno and mr dauman are on the outs this change is attributed to mr redstones poor health and his daughters influence included in court filings are titillating accusations like mr redstone is suffering from severe dementia and cannot do simple arithmetic
but mr dauman gave an affidavit in november 2015 stating that mr redstone was engaged and attentive mr salerno countered that this statement was made to help his longtime friend and colleague maintain his choice of health care agent
this type of talk may be a manifesto of poor treatment but it is not much of a legal basis for overturning national amusements action and a court is not likely to care that mr salerno and mr dauman are getting a poor deal
the directors and officers of viacom have profited handsomely from viacom mr dauman alone has probably been paid over a half a billion dollars over the years yes they had to curry favor with mr redstone but they knew his mercurial side and the bad corporate governance as they bought into this arrangement when they benefited it is hard to see a court sympathizing with them
but all is not lost for mr salerno and his allies their legal case is more apparent in the motion filed by mr salerno to expedite the case in that motion mr salernos lawyers at skadden arps slate meagher  flom state
mr salernos lawyers then cite three cases for this principle these cases generally stand for the idea that a court will look to see whether the consent was properly authorized when it was delivered and that the court will invalidate them only if they were improperly obtained typically with a wrongful act that arose to a breach of fiduciary duty in a case involving the pharmaceutical company bigmar for example the companys president was found to have lied and breached her fiduciary duties to obtain a delegation of authority to vote a controlling block of shares to remove the companys directors the court in that case invalidated the presidents actions which had involved a breach of fiduciary duty by the president
in this case though it is hard to see how mr salerno can argue that national amusements did not have the corporate power to do what it is doing instead the argument will devolve into whether national amusements itself is under undue influence from ms redstone and whether that is a breach of ms redstones fiduciary duty to viacom
national amusements however has its own working board and is an operating company so mr salernos argument   that mr redstone would normally act to stop this conduct but did not because of his daughters inappropriate conduct   is likely to be a hard one to make
to put this another way mr salerno will have to show that ms redstone is in some way breaching her fiduciary duty to viacom in procuring this action if she is indeed the main actor here but it may be hard to show that ms redstone is acting inappropriately she may have great influence over her father but that is not a breach of fiduciary duty absent harmful action to viacom itself
this is where the argument for the sale of viacoms paramount movie studio is likely to come in mr salerno is arguing that paramounts sale is being blocked by national amusements and that mr dauman has asserted that the sale can add 10 a share to viacom moreover mr salerno argues in his legal papers that ms redstones conduct has destabilized the company
national amusements has anticipated this argument it has appointed independent directors to replace the current ones how can one argue that the courts need to resolve a corporate governance issue when the new directors can simply take up this issue national amusements will also argue that this is a simple business dispute and that paramount should not be sold because mr dauman is wrong and the projected benefits of the sale are a financial trick that highlights the lack of a business strategy at viacom in such a situation there is no breach of fiduciary duty the majority shareholder wins
there are other reasons that the delaware court may be hesitant to act first the court would have to litigate the capability of mr redstone something it may be loath to do indeed the crucial fight will be over whether mr redstone can be deposed
such a deposition is really the only chance mr salerno has because it could establish mr redstones incompetence and perhaps aid the litigation in massachusetts but even then the other trustees of the redstone trust which would administer mr redstones shares if he were declared incompetent have endorsed ms redstones actions
so this litigation truly depends on whether the court is willing to stop at national amusements actions as properly authorized the place where the case has seemed to stop in previous instances this would certainly be the neatest way to deal with this dispute
and it would avoid some thorny questions if national amusements cannot act here what about the next election of directors and what about the fact that the court would be acting to entrench the current directors over national amusements new slate of independent directors
if mr salerno is going to win he is going to have to give the delaware court a clear path to a neat solution but what that is i have no idea


geneva   doctors without borders one of europes biggest charities said friday that it was turning its back on millions of dollars from the european union to protest the blocs policies on refugees and migrants
we will no longer take funds from the eu and its member states in protest at their shameful deterrence policies and their intensification of efforts to push people back from european shores the charity said in a statement
it has sharply criticized the agreement between the european union and turkey that will provide more than 6 billion to turkey in return for stopping the flow of refugees to europe and taking back migrants who cross the aegean sea to greece that deal the charity said made aid to turkey contingent on tighter border controls not on the basis of humanitarian need
what we are doing here is taking a decision not to take funds from states and institutions that actually jeopardize the very ability to provide one of the main forms of assistance jerome oberreit the secretary general of doctors without borders said in a telephone interview
european union policies are jeopardizing the very concept of the refugee mr oberreit said were talking about individual human beings here we cant accept the collateral damage of broader policies
doctors without borders also known by its french initials msf received 56 million euros 63 million from european union institutions member states and norway in 2015 mr oberreit said the decision would not affect the charitys ability to assist refugees and migrants
those contributions   including EUR19 million from the european commissions humanitarian aid office   make up less than 8 percent of the charitys global budget which comes mostly from private sources mr oberreit said doctors without borders operations would continue drawing on its reserves and an emergency budget
the european unions chief spokesman margaritis schinas told reporters in brussels that the bloc took note of the charitys decision but insisted that its aid was aimed at addressing the basic needs of migrants in turkey including protection and was focused on the most vulnerable
the number crossing the aegean sea has fallen since the agreement with turkey came into effect in march and european countries decisions to close borders along the main routes taken by migrants has left more than 50000 people stranded in camps in greece
those who still manage to reach the greek islands from turkey are held in overcrowded camps in poor conditions mr oberreit said
we will not be instrumentalized into a system that is doing more harm than good through detention he said
he expressed fears that the deal with turkey could set a dangerous precedent kenya had cited that agreement as a reason for closing dadaab one of the worlds biggest and oldest refugee camps with 330000 people mr oberreit said
the european union is now working on agreements similar to its deal with turkey with 16 other countries in africa and the middle east from which many of the migrants trying to reach europe have fled
deterrence policies sold to the public as humanitarian solutions have only exacerbated the suffering of people in desperate need mr oberreit said in a statement there is nothing remotely humanitarian in hiding this despair offshore


donald j trump is heading west this weekend for rallies in las vegas and phoenix and a fund raiser at barry goldwaters old estate known as be nun i kin navajo for house on top of the hill
but it was the prospect of mr trumps gathering with members of the navajo nation that was creating the most intrigue around the trip of the presumptive republican presidential nominee
navajo leaders had extended an invitation to mr trump as they have to other candidates to meet with them despite objections from a number of members over his repeated use of the name pocahontas to deride senator elizabeth warren of massachusetts on friday navajo officials said the meeting was not going to happen during mr trumps trip
nevertheless mr trumps words have stirred a debate among native americans about how they should deal with him for many his mention of the historical figure is offensive and a sign that mr trump who has been accused of being anti immigrant also has problems with the people who first inhabited the country
this year the nickname has become mr trumps favorite pejorative for punching back at ms warren a progressive democrat who is one of his most vocal critics in 2012 the former harvard law school professor came under fire when it emerged that during her academic career she identified herself as a minority citing native american roots
shes got about as much indian blood as i have mr trump said in march her whole life was based on a fraud
in rallies at news conferences and on twitter mr trump has repeatedly called ms warren pocahontas and goofy last month when an indigenous canadian journalist told him his use of the name was rude mr trump kept repeating it at some of his campaign events mr trumps supporters chant indian war cries
native americans have taken notice
i think he definitely says it as a slur said jacqueline pata executive director of the national congress of american indians no matter how he feels about elizabeth warren to throw that out there is disrespectful to real native americans
ms pata noted that the portrayal of pocahontas in disney movies is a caricature and that the real pocahontas has a deep and even painful legacy for native american tribes such as the powhatan in virginia in powhatan lore pocahontas gained hero status for saving the life of a white man and was later kidnapped by the english after being held hostage and forced to marry she died in 1617 in england at the age of 21
its tragic way that she died away from her people and of a disease that was brought by the europeans said debra haaland the chairwoman of the new mexico democratic party and a member of the laguna pueblo who takes offense at mr trumps use of the name it discredits her memory she said
for ms haaland using the term pocahontas is like calling native americans redskins and it suggests that mr trump thinks that all tribes are the same
its as if any person who identifies as native well just call them pocahontas ms haaland said
some native americans have felt the wrath of mr trump before as a casino mogul in the 1990s mr trump sued the federal government arguing that allowing tribes to open casinos discriminated against him
this guy is unbelievable george schneider a lawyer who represented 2000 ramapoughs in northern new jersey and new york said at the time
his father hands him a multimillion dollar empire the native american indians are lucky if they can give their children food clothing and a roof over their head
as he has done with ms warren mr trump also questioned whether the casino operators benefiting from their native american status were pure blooded
they dont look like indians to me mr trump said at a congressional hearing in 1993
despite this history the leaders of the navajo nation who represent about 250000 tribal members across 27000 square miles in arizona new mexico and utah reached out to mr trump in hopes of meeting him during his visit to arizona
but on friday afternoon jared touchin a spokesman for the navajo nation said the meeting would not take place because of prior obligations of the navajo nation leadership
mr touchin acknowledged that some tribal members were not interested in having their leaders meet with mr trump after his recent remarks but he said that many members thought it would be valuable to talk to him about education water rights tribal sovereignty and coal
the navajo nation relies heavily on the struggling coal industry for revenue and reviving it could be an area of potential partnership with mr trump who has vowed to put miners back to work
carlyle w begay a republican state senator who lives on the navajo nation said that he hoped to meet mr trump so that he could help educate him about how to more appropriately talk about native american issues
the term that he used should be changed mr begay said he should use a different rhetoric and this is an opportunity to help him understand that
still not all navajos are turned off by mr trumps tone
shawn redd a navajo republican who is running for congress in arizona suggested that his fellow native americans were being too politically correct and that ms warren deserved to be ridiculed for calling herself a minority
i think donald trump is within his full rights to make fun of her for it mr redd said
it is a scandal


if you have something to insure there is probably coverage for it
endorsements as additions to insurance policies are called can cover specific items like jewelry or wine or specific events like floods and earthquakes
but what about pets injured in a car crash or a collection of hermes birkin bags which start at about 12000 apiece and go up from there or dealing with the psychological consequences of online bullying there are endorsements for that too
some of this coverage is surely necessary expensive earrings get lost water damage is costly to clean up but other coverage offered by insurers particularly those that cater to the affluent may represent a niche market at best
at worst it is the equivalent of buying an extended warranty on a new flat screen television chances are youre never going to use it
the coverage insurance experts said may be too expensive for the risk or it may seem to be affordable but provide little additional coverage
its a buyer beware situation patti clement senior vice president for high net worth private client services at hub international northeast said of the various endorsements its not about price its about risk people have to understand that first
insurers that cater to the affluent like the american international group chubb and pure along with the private client groups at mainstream insurers like nationwide regularly introduce new types of coverage to add to their property automobile and excess liability policies
here is a look at an array of endorsements rated by how broadly applicable they are likely to be
extras you may need most homeowners policies offer little coverage for personal property like watches and rings let alone collections of wine cars or art if they do the limits are low which is where endorsements come in
there are generally two ways to cover those items   through a blanket endorsement that insures a dollar amount of say jewelry or wine or by scheduling the items individually
most industry experts suggest a combination of the two what i recommend is you take your most expensive items   your top jewelry your most expensive art your most expensive bottles of wine   and put those on a schedule said janet ruiz the california representative for the insurance information institute the rest of them youd put on a blanket policy for say 50000 any item that gets lost stolen broken youll get it covered up to that limit
but the value of those items must be periodically reappraised the price of rebuilding a house in the case of a total loss is easy to determine but the value of someones diamond ring or vintage ferrari is a different matter it is going to appreciate or depreciate based on a mix of market forces and demand for a particular object
we try to make it as simple as possible by locking in what well pay said jim fiske north american marketing manager at chubb personal risk services if you havent kept up in the value we give you an extra 50 percent
in many cases thats fine but as mr fiske pointed out his wifes engagement diamond is probably worth two to three times what he paid for it 25 years ago
but you could also be paying for items you no longer have or paying a higher rate for the coverage than you would be paying if you had obtained new quotes
mark galante chief marketing officer of pure insurance said most people would be well served to insure any risk associated with water from floods to mold he said the damage caused by a backed up sewer drain could cost as much as 100000
thats a real issue for people he said you want to make sure you have comprehensive coverage you also want to check where your carrier has been tightening coverage
flood coverage is something separate insurance can be bought through the national flood insurance program with coverage of up to 250000 for a home and 100000 for its contents but through specialty carriers homeowners can increase coverage on their houses and property
unlikely events big payouts excess liability policies or umbrella policies are used in conjunction with homeowners and automobile policies they kick in at levels above the liability in more general policies and pay out when someone is sued
of course people are not sued every day but when they are the wording of the endorsement will determine what is covered
liability insurance covers claims against you in the event of a bodily injury   you hurt somebody physically   or libel or slander or you damage someones property said jonathan crystal executive vice president of crystal  company an insurance broker it could come while youre driving or from your personal activities if youre entertaining
the pricing depends on the person mr crystal said the more prominent a person is and the more assets that person has the higher the price
his firm developed a website whatsmyliabilitycom to help people begin making that assessment
earthquake coverage is for another event that is unlikely but potentially costly its going to provide significant coverage in a catastrophic event said mr galante at pure the problem is there is a meaningful deductible attached to it
through pure he said the deductible could be 5 to 25 percent of a dwellings value
fraud or identity theft coverage can be valuable it pays claims to cover the costs of helping people recover their identity aig private client offers an endorsement that pays up to 250000
this is just for you if you are thinking of taking your yacht to rio de janeiro for the summer olympics your yachting insurance may not cover it most insurance is limited to certain navigable waters like the eastern seaboard and the caribbean
in response to requests from clients jeremiah hourihan president of aigs private client group said the company created endorsements for existing clients to take their yachts to rio the cost is about 10 percent above the existing premium for a yacht based in florida
the company did the same for liability involving horses standard homeowners doesnt protect you if youve got horses on your property mr hourihan said or if the polo pony gets out of control at the polo ground and injures a third party
the cost for that starts at 250 a year for 1 million of coverage
in the case of the birkin bags an art adviser working for aig noticed them while appraising a clients art that was already covered
that sort of coverage has a niche clientele a broader niche is coverage for people who work out of their homes ms ruiz of the insurance information institute noted that her husband had a business repairing guitars at home their homeowners policy did not cover a home business so they bought an endorsement
probably redundant insurance for so called lifestyle related risks has been popular whether it is worthwhile is hard to say in some cases it may be redundant or unlikely to be used
online bullying insurance falls into this category chubb added it this year to its family protection coverage which also insures against carjacking hijacking child abduction stalking home invasion and air or road rage
but despite the name it does not provide coverage if your child is the bully which would most likely need to be covered under an excess liability policy written to include bodily and personal injury
online bullying insurance covers the related medical and psychological expenses from an incident up to 60000 mr galante speaking as one of chubbs competitors said most of those expenses would already be covered by health insurance
only one in 10 teens tells a parent if theyve been a cyberbully victim he said we need to do more to create conversations around these incidents than creating products that arent necessarily going to help people reclaim their lives
while its not expensive   110 yearly for the whole package   it may be a waste for an individual but a boon for an insurer which can collect premiums from thousands of people with little likelihood of paying a claim
cyberbullying or cybersecurity or enhanced fraud protection or travel insurance   theyre all good things to have mr crystal said but theyre part of a broader effort for insurance companies to differentiate themselves thats going to go against what clients need which is something tailored to them
whatever endorsements people buy its good that they at least know what they are and are not covered for people ms ruiz said think more is covered under their homeowners policy than actually is


basel switzerland   the most talked about installation at the 47th edition of the art basel fair which opened this week in switzerland and runs through sunday could hardly have been a more extreme metaphor for the current trepidation of the art market
the belgian artist hans op de beecks gray plaster interior the collectors house is a private museum completely covered in what appears to be volcanic ash it seemed to sum up the markets uncertainty in the face of political and financial tensions
the economy is so volatile the world so precarious at the moment said arianne levene an art consultant in london people want to play it safe and buy a solid investment
mr de beecks walk in installation was one among a record 88 artworks in the fairs huge unlimited project space which is adjacent to the fairs main galleries section unlimiteds buyer base for reasons of scale tends to be restricted to private and public museums
its a unique opportunity to present large scale installations that cant be presented anywhere else said adrian turner a partner at the marianne boesky gallery in new york one of three dealerships collaborating to present the piece sharing with other galleries helps with the burden of cost and gets more collectors in front of it the collectors house was priced at 750000 euros about 820000 and as of thursday was still available
some eyebrows were raised by the gargantuan scale of some of these unlimited projects given the more selective mood in todays art market despite year on year totals that were down by as much as 64 percent at last months impressionist modern and contemporary auctions in new york works like frank stellas 50 foot wide damascus gate stretch variation i from 1970 sold to an asian collection on thursday for 14 million james rosenquists 46 foot wide four new clear women from 1982 was available for 4 million
a preponderance of such historical pieces was also noted at unlimited theyre here because of the conservative nature of todays market said michael short an art adviser in berlin if youre going to spend 5 million you want to spend it on something that will get you 5 million back
some significant sales were made after unlimiteds monday night preview paul mccarthys 1994 sculpture tomato head green presented by hauser  wirth and priced at 475 million was bought by an american private collection and the new york dealer skarstedt found a home for mike kelleys 50 part work on paper reconstructed history from 1989 at 15 million
the tuesday preview of the main galleries section which features 286 exhibitors from 33 countries was a far more telling indicator of how the worlds leading art dealers are faring in todays uncertain times as collectors filed through the rain into the two floor messe basel it soon became clear that the primary trade in new works by contemporary artists and secondary re sales by dealers and auction houses   usually at significantly higher prices   are two distinct markets even though visitors were moving with less urgency than they had been in recent years and the lunchtime lines looked shorter new primary market pieces by bankable names were selling steadily
a 2016 degenerate art abstract by the romanian born auction favorite adrian ghenie priced at 460000 was among the numerous early sales by the paris dealer thaddaeus ropac helped by the knowledge that a 2014 canvas by mr ghenie sold for 45 million at sothebys in february the los angeles new york and tokyo gallery blum  poe sold the typically stylized yoshitomo nara figure painting mia also dated 2016 for 700000
chantal crousel of paris sold a new wade guyton inkjet on linen painting of the metal frame of a marcel breuer chair the artist owns this was bought for 600000 by a french collector it was one of five new large scale works offered by different dealers at the fair in 2014 at the height of the last art market boom five such guyton works sold for 350000 each
back then many collectors and advisers would rush upstairs to the cutting edge galleries on art basels first floor to snap up the latest abstracts by artists in their 20s and 30s but the speculative mania for young abstraction has cooled
instead collectors this year were focusing on work like rodney grahams painstakingly devised 2016 lightbox photograph artist in artists bar 1950s showing the 67 year old vancouver artist sitting pensively in an imaginary bar surrounded by 20th century modernist abstracts which he himself had painted two of the four examples of this editioned work were sold by new yorks 303 gallery priced at 275000 each with the remaining two on reserve
basel was more conservative this year both in terms of what people brought and what people were buying said ms levene the london art consultant clients are nervous about buying works by younger artists if theyre not sure where their careers are going
collectors would however love to acquire new works by njideka akunyili crosby but at the moment museums which dealers regard as the key to building an artists long term reputation are the only buyers
ms crosby 33 is a los angeles artist of nigerian birth who makes large scale figurative portraits using a range of media on paper in march the whitney museum of american art bought a diptych portrait shown by the london dealer victoria miro at the armory show in new york here at basel the dealer sold the serene nine foot wide portrait of a woman in an interior super blue omo for an undisclosed five figure sum to another as yet undisclosed american institution victoria miros co director glenn scott wright said the dealership has a waiting list of 18 museums for examples of ms crosbys work
the continuing desirability of new art bought directly from galleries was emphasized on wednesday in an art market confidence survey published by the london analysts arttactic based on responses from 122 experts the surveys confidence indicator for dealers in the primary market stood at 64 up 32 percent over the past six months while that for the auction market stood at 42 a decline of 7 percent over the same periodthe market has changed said andrew fabricant a partner at the richard gray gallery of chicago and new york which was exhibiting at basel the auction houses have been marketing b quality works as masterpieces and people are waking up but mr fabricant added that the secondary market for works re offered by dealers has also become more price sensitive
a 2014 rudolf stingel gold brocade pattern wallpaper painting on his booth priced at 2 million attracted at least 50 inquiries at the tuesday preview but no sale by thursday another gold example but dating from 2004 and almost twice the size was bought at auction in 2014 for 14 million prices will continue to change mr fabricant said
but high quality secondary market works by blue chip artists were selling at art basel if perceived to be at a fair price the new york and london dealer dominique levy for example sold a totally market fresh white kaolin on pleated canvas achrome by piero manzoni from 1958 1959 for just under 7 million an example of the same size and date sold at auction in february for 81 million according to the artnet database of salesroom results
a few booths away on the ground floor the london dealership hazlitt holland hibbert sold the 1981 sean scully canvas enough one of the first of the british american based irish artists trademark striped abstracts to a new york collector for about  1milliontheres a lot going on in the world at the moment but wealthy collectors have enough money to ride out this situation said the gallerys director james holland hibbert who deals almost exclusively in secondary market works but they are price sensitive at the moment if a good work doesnt sell you know youve just priced it too high


john hickenlooper the democratic governor of colorado whose name has been floated as a potential vice presidential candidate for hillary clinton strongly denounced donald j trump for his response to the deadly attack in orlando fla
we went through the same kind of thing mr hickenlooper said in an interview this week recalling the mass shooting in aurora colo in june 2012 in which 12 people were killed
he said that he was struck by mr trumps instinct to turn the orlando shootings of more than 100 people nearly half of whom were killed into an exercise in self congratulation as opposed to one of empathy
his meanspirited response and trying to seize the political opportunity mr hickenlooper said of mr trump was unfair to the injured victims and their family members
he cared nothing for compassion there was no sense of dignity and those are the things that generally a community grieving finds nourishing mr hickenlooper said
mr hickenloopers denouncement could serve to highlight for mrs clintons team his instinct to battle the rival nominee an important role that vice presidential candidates play for the top of the ticket
so far the role of attacking mr trump has been filled with relish by senator elizabeth warren democrat of massachusetts who early on painted him as dangerous and a fraud
mr hickenloopers use of words did not rise to that level but the governor said he believed that mr trump had shown his true self this week
to a certain extent peoples behavior in a campaign is generally a reflection of how they would act in office he said


on thursday britain votes on whether to leave the european union two of the upshots financial reporters neil irwin and peter eavis discussed the potential consequences of what is being called brexit
peter neil so summers coming and that usually means a crisis brewing in europe of course right now thats the brexit vote do you think the markets have priced in a vote to leave and how is brexit different from greece crashing out of the euro the crisis of last year
neil greetings to the upshots resident brit from an american who just likes going to pubs
the funny thing about brexit and markets is the gap between the polling evidence which has decisively swung in the last couple of weeks toward britain leaving the eu and the comparative equanimity of financial markets yes the pound is down since late may from around 147 to 142 british stocks are down british government bond yields are down substantially as well though that could cut either way in what its telling us but none of this is panic alarm type of activity in financial markets of the sort we saw surrounding the more intense phases of the greek crisis the way i see it there are two possibilities either markets think british voters will come to their senses by election day and the polling should be ignored or investors just think the financial and economic ripples of a leave vote are overstated
but im not sure which theory i place more weight on
peter lets take up your second option   that investors think brexit possible but do not fear a broad impact in the global economy and in the markets i can see a scenario in which that stance makes sense its in the interests of the eu and britain to work out a smooth transition leaders would make soothing remarks and central banks would ease policy to offset economic weakness and turmoil in the markets the storm would pass but there are gloomier scenarios the shock of brexit could reinforce deflationary forces in europe which the european central bank has struggled to overcome over time brexit might stoke the popularity of movements in other countries that want to leave the european union the prospect of say the netherlands a member of the euro voting to leave would be very bearish
neil thats all true in general markets are a whole lot better at pricing in short term ups and downs   say a possible central bank rate increase or a bad quarter of earnings   than they are longer term existential risks like in a hypothetical sense if brexit is going to subtract 2 percent from british gdp forever and has substantial probability of unraveling the european project risk assets should be down way more than they are but in practical terms i think the people who drive stock and bond and currency markets are thinking in terms of well if the vote is to leave the bank of england will do more quantitative easing and protracted negotiations will take place and so forth not really offering any informed prediction of the future of europe
peter which takes us back to the greek crisis of last year the american markets did not have a big freakout in response to the tensions between greece and the eu i think investors bet on a deal even at times that it looked remote what really caught the markets out was china and its surprise currency devaluation in august investors took a long while to figure that out the chinese authorities calmed things down eventually through better communication and they made it clear that they werent going to let the renminbi spiral downward global markets picked up till early 2016 when they plunged then they picked up and now they look wobbly again looking at that pattern it would seem that there are still some significant limits to the power of the central banks even in the era of quantitative easing
neil id draw another parallel during the standoff over raising the american debt ceiling in the summer of 2011 markets went completely haywire on the latest hints of whether a deal would happen or not and whether a debt default might happen but by the fall of 2013 when it happened again the impact on markets was much smaller i think its similar to what happened with greece pessimistic investors who predicted the whole system would blow up lost their shirts and so became less and less willing to bet against the authorities eventually figuring it out but frequently it is wild swings in financial markets that help prod government authorities into action as in 2011 in the united states and also with the bank bailout bill in 2008 but that works until it doesnt i wonder if what an anti brexit brit should be rooting for is a 10 percent drop in sterling and a 20 percent drop in the ftse index in the couple of days before the vote to scare everyone silly
peter that might do it so far the remain camp has really struggled to get enough people concerned about the economic consequences of brexit i have just written an article looking at polls that ask brits about the repercussions and a surprising number of people think little will change in a sense then they may be aligned with the markets right now
neil the thing about markets is that theyre really efficient except when theyre not and those are the times that are brutal
peter but for it to be lastingly brutal you need more than just surprise you need surprise that reveals a large flaw in 2008 it was the extreme fragility of the banking system i dont know what that is right now
neil the fear here is that the big flaw will turn out to be that nationalist currents run deeper and european unity shallower than anyone realized just maybe the entire superstructure of pan european institutions and the peace free trade and free movement of people across europe that we take for granted will turn out to be temporary but as an american who has only lived in a world with a peaceful and economically integrated europe a force for good in the world i really hope thats wrong
peter i do too but europeans are very fond of the european union as an idea its actually quite impressive how wedded theyve been to the whole project through the ups and downs of the past eight years i think it would handle brexit


the money talk capital m and capital t is overrated as with the sex talk children can sense that one is coming and if they get antsy your words will go in one ear and out the other
tempted to hand over a notecard instead your first principles may fit on it and making one for a new graduate is a fine thing to do but there isnt much space for storytelling
so in this season of transitions consider the old fashioned letter its long enough to tell some tales to bolster your advice and if its written with enough soul theres a good chance the recipient will keep it for a long time plus its a literal conversation piece since the good letters will inspire more curiosity about how the writers oversee their own financial affairs
kimberly palmer still has the money letter her mother wrote her and her two younger sisters 13 years ago and in her new book smart mom rich mom how to build wealth while raising a family she offers a template that parents or grandparents can use to pass on similar wisdom
a good letter according to ms palmer should include at least one story about a large financial challenge and another one about a big money triumph then include a list of crucial habits and the tangible things they have helped the family achieve
heed your ignorance quite often the best stories and takeaways come from the biggest mistakes and so it is with gail shearer ms palmers mother lesson no 6 in her letter is this one never invest in anything you dont totally understand
how many times did she and her husband ignore this advice oh three or four she said in an interview this week ms shearer 65 a retired consumer health advocate who spent years at consumers union proceeded to tick them off
there was the tax shelter in the 1980s they were the thing she said we drank the kool aid just a little bit and then suffered through many years of complex tax filings which nobody tells you about during the sales pitch
then there was some variable life insurance and an annuity and an adviser who promoted a black box investment strategy as if that were a good thing
the couple did not lose a lot of money though if they had put it all in indexed mutual funds in the first place see lesson no 5 in the letter as they did with most of the rest of their savings they would have more money now
so better that their daughters avoid any such blunders from the beginning
beware of genius the palmer shearer clan is not the only one with a letter writing tradition four years ago john d spooner an investment adviser and writer collected an entire book of them called no one ever told us that money and life letters to my grandchildren
in it mr spooner takes to its logical conclusion ms shearers advice about not understanding something dont trust the person who claims to be omniscient either
in a chapter titled beware of genius mr spooner tells the story of an impenetrable alan greenspan speech he once heard he instructs his grandchildren to consider the following hypothetical if someone cannot explain his economic concepts to you in several simple paragraphs then you should view those concepts as probably being dangerous to your financial health
stick to your selling plans the most memorable tale in mr spooners book is about his failure to sell his seven figure holding in citigroup stock before the economic collapse in 2008
as an investment adviser with the firm he thought he knew it well enough he had made plans to sell after any change in leadership but the new chief executive liked him we can be blinded by flattery from the seats of power he wrote to his grandchildren be aware of this in your business lives
selling something that is still valuable is the hardest part of any trade he added so if you cant name three good reasons to continue owning something he warned his grandchildren then its time to sell in retrospect he did not have three good ones but he kept the stock anyway as it fell to 1 a share it had been above 55 he held on to it as the stock rebounded and made some money buying shares of other blue chip companies during the downturn
another idea that ill include in my own letter someday you could just follow ms shearers lead and invest in a variety of index funds that own every stock in a particular market thus avoiding this sort of concentrated stock risk
budgets are about values it may be tempting for any of ms shearers daughters to gloss over lesson no 8 where she exhorts them to keep track of their spending how boring right but almost in passing she seizes on one of the least understood yet most essential pieces of money wisdom
when daddy and i first got married we kept the roughest of notebooks and would sit down once a month and try to figure out what happened to our finances she wrote communication and shared valuesgoals about money are really important
budgets are about dollars sure but theyre also about values what you spend says a lot about what you stand for and if you dont like what your own notebook says about you try to make it look different next month
fortunately for ms shearer and her husband christopher palmer 68 a filmmaker and professor they mostly agreed on what they should see saving for their daughters education was the big goal and retirement was a close second they managed the first with some parental debt which theyve now repaid as for the second theyre waiting until age 70 to collect social security so the checks will be bigger
with the publication of their daughters book written correspondence may be among their biggest legacies mr palmer would leave a letter for the girls for each night he was away from home when they were growing up the family eventually collected them in a bound volume
ms shearers money letter is now a public document thanks to her daughters own writing if any of you have written or received your own money letters or plan to write one now id love to see them and perhaps include them in a future article you can upload them via a tool on our website
ms palmer who is 36 writes letters to her own children now and her book is itself a sort of open letter urging mothers in particular to take a leading role in their familys financial lives she argues that heterosexual families who fall into traditional gender roles where a father runs the investing and taxes while the wife handles everyday expenses may inadvertently teach their children that men should take on the more consequential money tasks
as part of lesson no 6 ms shearer encouraged her daughters to read good personal advice books what she did not anticipate however was that she would help inspire her eldest to write her own


dhaka bangladesh   the bangladeshi police on friday ended a week of mass arrests in response to the three year campaign of killings by islamist militants saying that among the more than 11000 people detained in the sweeps 194 were believed to be linked to militant networks
the arrests came under sharp criticism from human rights activists and opposition leaders in bangladesh who said the authorities hoped mainly to show the public they were taking vigorous action to stop the killing the police they said often round up men without providing evidence of wrongdoing or due process
a bangladeshi nationalist party leader said more than 2700 people were detained because they were critics of the government the government is responsible for identifying the real militants and arresting them said ruhul kabir rizvi the partys senior joint secretary general now they are arresting a large number of bnp leaders activists and supporters to hide their failure
the sweeps reflect pressure on the bangladeshi authorities to respond to the broad daylight killings of bloggers academics and other secularist voices
the police say that 151 of the 194 they arrested and consider militants are associated with a single group jamaatul mujahedeen bangladesh all of them figure on a police list of 800 important suspected militants and 20 are considered very significant arrests said monirul islam director of counterterrorism for the dhaka metropolitan police
when the attacks began occurring regularly in 2013 little known figures were singled out but recently the killers have edged closer to the governing elites
the sweeps have received heavy television coverage here one photograph released by the police showed a village where officers had distributed bamboo truncheons to local men to use if they spotted militants
despite the roundup a new attack took place on wednesday when three men with machetes attacked a hindu math instructor his neighbors heard his screams and intervened saving his life and catching one attacker said uttam kumar paul superintendent of the police in madaripur a district in central bangladesh
the police say they have made some breakthroughs on thursday mr islam announced the arrest of sumon hossain patwari 20 accused of cutting the throat of a publisher ahmedur rashid tutul last october he survived
human rights watch an advocacy group based in new york said the sweeps sought to compensate for what had been a slow and complacent response to these horrific attacks
brad adams the groups asia director said demonstrative arrests often left thousands of innocent people coping with criminal cases in the best case scenario they are taking all these people and trying to put them through a sifter he said


my saint laurent is not going to be hedi slimanes saint laurent its time to start afresh   kind of
thats the fairly clear message from anthony vaccarellos first public statement as creative director of ysl which is to say his first ad campaign
released on friday the campaign is attached to no particular season or product indeed there are pretty much no products visible at all perhaps because mr vaccarello has not yet shown any products for the house an ad campaign for a fashion house without any real fashion in it
indeed think of it as a mission statement instead of a marketing exercise and as far as a mission statement goes it can be mostly summed up as 15 unknowns women and men stripped to their bare skin he is paring away the fuss the better to rebuild
much was made when mr slimane left after months of speculation and breast beating in the fashion community over the question of whether mr vaccarello would as mr slimane did when he arrived in 2012 change everything at ysl or whether he would be charged with effectively continuing a pallid version of the aesthetic mr slimane had created the campaign would indicate the answer is neither one nor the other but somewhere in between
it was not shot by mr vaccarello himself the way most of the ad campaigns under the famously controlling mr slimane were shot by mr slimane but by the american photographer collier schorr it continues mr slimanes focus on youth and is black and white as were many of mr slimanes ads but the youth it celebrates is not that of the grungy los angeles music scene one of mr slimanes obsessions it is not youth identified with any particular place or fetish except for a certain comfort and delight in the body which suggests we may be in for some sex
well all of mr vaccarellos past work under his own name suggested the same thing so thats not really a surprise
the ads are the beginning of a carefully orchestrated rollout of mr vaccarellos vision for ysl they will be followed on monday by an updating of the ysl website and instagram account which somewhat controversially got wiped clean of its slimane content after the designers departure the rollout will culminate in october with mr vaccarellos first saint laurent womens wear show in paris
at which point everyone may have become so used to mr vaccarellos messaging they will have forgotten mr slimanes version fashion memories are pretty short and whatever shape the new collection takes it may have less the shock of a freezing plunge in a pool than the pleasant embrace of a warm bath there are currently a lot of complaints going around about how social media is to blame for consumer product saturationboredom but when it comes to getting people inured to a brands new identity it does have its uses


russias track and field team is barred from competing in the olympic games this summer because of a far reaching doping conspiracy an extraordinary punishment without precedent in olympics history
the international association of athletics federations the governing body for track and field announced the decision friday ruling in a unanimous vote that russia had not done enough to restore global confidence in the integrity of its athletes
russia won 18 medals in track and field   including eight golds   at the last summer olympics but when the rio games begin on aug 5 no track and field athletes will compete under the russian flag not even east germany which conducted a notorious doping scheme throughout the 1960s 70s and 80s faced such a penalty
politics was not playing a part in that room today sebastian coe the head of the track and field organization said about the vote friday it was unambiguous
the case against russia has advanced over the last seven months reports by the world anti doping agency and by news organizations have detailed a state run doping scheme that punctured the integrity of the olympics seemingly upending many of the results from the 2008 beijing games the 2012 london games and the 2014 sochi games
the allegations were wide ranging and detailed athletes were given a three drug cocktail of banned substances and liquor authorities helped athletes evade drug tests by surreptitiously swapping out tainted urine thousands of incriminating samples were destroyed drug testers were threatened by members of russias federal security service
but perhaps the most influential force in the track organizations decision was the outcry from athletes outside of russia a groundswell of olympians across sports agitated for penalties after wada had been slow to respond
athletes have been losing sleep said lauryn williams a track and field and bobsled athlete from the united states you cant have faith in anybody who is russian
the russian ministry of sport said in a statement friday that it was disappointed in the ruling we now appeal to the members of the international olympic committee to not only consider the impact that our athletes exclusion will have on their dreams and the people of russia but also that the olympics themselves will be diminished by their absence the ministry said
the ioc the ultimate authority over the games was scheduled to discuss the decision on tuesday if olympics officials amended the ruling against russia it would be an unusual move as they have historically deferred to the governing bodies of specific sports
russian track and field athletes have been suspended from international competition since last fall after publication of a wada report accusing the nation of an elaborate government run doping program although russia denied those accusations the countrys track and field authorities did not contest the suspension when given an opportunity in november
since then however russian officials have striven to persuade global decision makers that they could be trusted in coming olympic competitions volunteering to go beyond standard eligibility requirements and to send only athletes who have not been disciplined for drug use
global track officials said friday that individuals who could clearly and convincingly show they are not tainted by the russian system   because they have been outside the country and subject to rigorous testing   could individually petition to compete for a neutral team
such a policy could prove controversial the sophistication of russias operation whistle blowers have said has made some athletes on steroids appear clean because incriminating urine samples have been swapped out or because athletes imbibed drugs with liquor to minimize the period during which the drugs can be detected
two or five or 100 negative tests do not mean an athlete is clean rune andersen chairman of the iaaf task force that is monitoring russia said friday
he said that the loophole for individuals had been created at the recommendation of lawyers who were mindful of possible court challenges russian athletes will have the opportunity to appeal to the court of arbitration for sport in switzerland
we do not believe that every russian athlete cheated said stephanie hightower the president of usa track  field who took part in fridays vote it is unfortunate and regrettable that some may pay a penalty for the serious transgressions of their federation
on friday hours before the vote russias sports minister vitaly mutko made a final appeal releasing an open letter to the iaaf that had been sent privately on wednesday russia fully supports fighting doping mr mutko wrote citing independent drug testing of russian athletes that had been conducted by authorities from britain in recent months and a new law that would make it a criminal offense for an athletes coach and entourage to support doping
those overtures were not enough
mr andersen said friday that mr mutko had privately acknowledged that russia had inherited a doping culture from the soviet union
perhaps further contributing to officials skepticism wada released information days before fridays vote that called into question the credibility of russias reforms the agency said that the testing authorities from britain had been threatened by members of russias federal security service and that many athletes   a significant number of them track and field competitors   had evaded drug tests with the help of sports officials as recently as this month
whistle blowers have provided further details on the clandestine doping scheme the report described fearing for their safety at least three of them have fled to the united states
in los angeles grigory rodchenkov russias former antidoping lab director told the new york times that he had worked for years at the direction of the russian government to ensure the countrys dominance in international competition
he said he had provided a three drug cocktail of steroids and liquor to sports officials who in turn provided those drugs to the countrys top athletes according to dr rodchenkov russian athletes took that cocktail to prepare for the 2012 summer olympics in london they stopped taking the drugs one or two weeks before they were scheduled to be tested he said to avoid being caught
if youre fighting doping russia should be withdrawn from the olympics dr rodchenkov said in los angeles last month doping is everywhere many people in russia dont want to tell the truth lies and fear are absolute
russian authorities have vehemently disputed dr rodchenkovs account calling it the slander of a turncoat
in a phone interview friday dmitri svishchev head of the state dumas committee on sports culture and youth affairs of russia called the decision an injustice adding russia has never denied that it has problems with doping just as any other country
in general nations have been barred from the olympics because of geopolitical considerations not doping after both world wars losing nations were kept out of the next games south africa was barred from 1964 to 1988 because of its policies of apartheid yugoslavia was prevented from entering team events in 1992 because of united nations penalties over the war in the balkans
it is unclear whether the ioc can or will overturn the iaafs ban when it meets on tuesday the iocs president thomas bach has emphasized in recent weeks the difficult decision between collective responsibility and individual justice suggesting sympathy for russian athletes with clean histories who are seeking to make it to rio
still mr bach has also emphasized a zero tolerance policy and said that if other russian sports organizations were proved to be ridden with state sponsored cheating they too could be kept from the olympics
katie uhlaender a skeleton racer from the united states said it was difficult to react to fridays decision because the ioc had yet to respond
if there are russian athletes that can prove beyond reasonable doubt that theyre clean let them compete she said but i literally started crying at the details of the sochi scandal she said referring to dr rodchenkovs account of having substituted out russian athletes incriminating urine
what does it even mean to ban russia she said is sending them to their room or putting them in a timeout going to solve the problem


a hacker on friday siphoned more than 50 million of digital money away from an experimental virtual currency project that had been billed as the most successful crowdfunding venture ever   taking with him not just a third of the ventures money but also the hopes and dreams of thousands of participants who wanted to prove the safety and security of digital currency
the attack most likely puts an end to the project known as the decentralized autonomous organization which had raised 160 million in the form of ether an alternative to the digital currency bitcoin while the computer scientists involved in the project are aiming to tweak the code that underpins ether in a way that will recover the money the theft is nevertheless prompting a bigger debate about the viability and principles of virtual currencies like bitcoin and ether
this is one of the nightmare scenarios everyone was worried about someone exploited a weakness in the code of the dao to empty out a large sum emin gun sirer a computer science professor at cornell who co wrote a paper pointing out problems with the project said on friday
central banks and financial firms have been exploring how to use the technology underlying virtual currencies   known as blockchain   to improve their own internal systems the technology is considered to have advantages in terms of transparency and security just last week janet l yellen the federal reserve chairwoman told central bankers at a trade industry conference that they should accelerate their efforts to explore blockchain
but the incident on friday provided another reminder of how the code can be just as vulnerable to human greed and mistakes as paper bills
the dao was meant to be a standard bearer for online currency ventures it was funded by investors from around the world using ether which has become popular over the last year but just before the project stopped raising money in late may computer scientists pointed out several vulnerabilities in its underlying code   effectively warning that what happened to the experimental consortium would be possible or even likely
the dao is being attacked griff green a community organizer with the company that wrote the projects software slockit wrote on a chat channel for the project friday morning this is not a drill
the money that the hacker moved appeared to be frozen on friday as a result of a safeguard previously built into the code the thief was caught in what might be thought of as a digital version of the airtight double doors that sometimes protect valuable sites known in security circles as man traps
programmers working on the ethereum network which hosts ether were debating on friday whether to make a one time change to the code to recover the frozen money that faced immediate opposition from many virtual currency purists who were attracted to the technology because of its ostensible freedom from human meddling
the strength of blockchain tech is that it is a ledger a statement of truth bruce fenton a board member with the bitcoin foundation wrote on friday that ledger is only as good as its resistance to censorship change demands or attack
if the leaders of the ethereum project decide to move forward with a change to the code   known as a fork   they will need to win the support of the people who lend their computing power to the network and who have what amounts to a vote over any changes to the ethereum software
the hacking on friday underscored the complicated governance structure employed by so called cryptocurrencies these currencies are not run by any company or individual but by the computers of anyone who chooses to support the network
the dao was supposed to be a further extension of this concept of group decision making thousands of people around the world financed the project by sending in ether the dao was supposed to act as a sort of venture capital fund investing in projects that were voted upon by people who contributed money the attack on friday took place before any projects had been funded
the specific mechanism the hackers used is known as a recursive call vulnerability   essentially a malicious transaction that moves money away from the dao into a side fund in an endlessly repeating loop
the attack led to chaos on the online message boards where dao investors and ether users gather
how can we help and protect our funds one user wrote on the slack chat channel for dao investors
the programmers who wrote the dao code immediately suggested that investors vote to move their money to another unrelated project known as congo split primarily to protect their investments
the community needs to spam the network so that it can mount a counterattack stephan tual an employee with slockit wrote on that companys website programmers with slockit wrote the code for the dao but said they had no formal continuing role with the project
by the time it was over the hacker had managed to gain control of 36 million ether   more than a third of the 115 million that were there at the beginning of the day
the daos journey is over mr tual said in an email on friday
the incident on friday was a reminder of the dozens of hacking attacks and thefts that have rattled bitcoin since it was released in early 2009 in 2014 mt gox which was previously the largest bitcoin exchange announced that it had lost nearly half a billion dollars worth of bitcoin
the attacks on bitcoin have generally led to a temporary lull in public interest in virtual currencies but bitcoin has bounced back each time over the last week the price of bitcoin has risen swiftly to the highest level since the mt gox fiasco it stood at 770 on thursday night
some of the recent demand for bitcoin has come from anticipation of a coming event known as halving currently the bitcoin software releases 25 new coins   a block   every 10 minutes or so to computers helping support the network in mid july the blocks will shrink to 125 coins the shrinking supply has led some to assume that the price will go up
the price of ether had been rising alongside bitcoin over the last month in part because of the interest generated by the dao on thursday both were up more than 60 percent over the previous month but the attack friday morning sent the price of ether into a downward spiral
by friday afternoon the price of ether had fallen 33 percent from its high a day earlier to around 13 bitcoin had also fallen though less sharply to around 750
the founder and lead programmer on the ethereum project vitalik buterin wrote on friday that he supported a change to the code that would reclaim the money from the hacker but he said he recognized that he might not win the argument
i recognize that there are very heavy arguments on both sides and that either direction would have seen very heavy opposition mr buterin wrote on reddit
mr sirer the cornell professor wrote there is no good solution here


us stocks closed out a disappointing week on a modestly lower note friday as investors continued to monitor britains frenzied debate on whether to leave the european union
the debate took on a new level of concern after the killing of a member of parliament
technology stocks were among the biggest decliners apple fell as a patent dispute in china threatened to jeopardize future sales of iphones in the worlds second largest economy
the standard  poors 500 stock index fell 677 points or 03 percent to 207122 and the nasdaq composite fell 4458 points or 09 percent to 480034
the dow jones industrial average lost 5794 points or 03 percent to 1767516
anxiety over the british referendum on thursday continued to dominate trading stocks have fallen six out of the past seven trading days this week the dow and sp 500 each lost 1 percent and the nasdaq gave up almost 2 percent
the campaigning in britain took an alarming turn when a well regarded politician in favor of staying in the eu was killed polls have been tight or have shown on occasion a slight likelihood that britain could leave many have predicted that could harm the british economy
the pound rose against the euro and dollar to 14375 compared with 14205 the day before in european stocks germanys dax index rose 08 percent frances cac 40 rose 1 percent and the britains ftse 100 index rose 12 percent
technology giant apple fell 222 or 23 percent to 9533 after chinese officials ruled that apple infringed on a patent of a major competitor which could cause iphone sales to be suspended in the country
elizabeth arden rose 457 or 49 percent to 1388 after hair and makeup company revlon said it would buy the company for 14 a share or 4193 million
in economic data the commerce department said that construction of new homes had nudged down slightly in may a drop of 03 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 116 million units
home construction has improved much of this year with single family houses accounting for much of the gains housing starts have climbed 102 percent compared to the first five months of 2015
benchmark us crude added 177 to close at 4798 a barrel on the new york mercantile exchange brent crude used to price international oils gained 198 to close at 4917 a barrel in london
in other energy commodities heating oil rose 6 cents to 148 a gallon wholesale gasoline rose 4 cents to 151 a gallon and natural gas rose 4 cents to 262 per 1000 cubic feet
us government bond prices fell the yield on the 10 year treasury note rose to 161 percent from 158 percent a day earlier in other currency trading the dollar fell to 10423 yen from 10431 yen while the euro gained slightly to 11275 from 11236
the price of gold slipped 360 to 129480 an ounce silver lost 20 cents to 1741 an ounce and copper was little changed at 205 a pound


beijing   the chinese police have detained three more people in a widening investigation into the creation and distribution of liquor bottles that bore the image of a lone man blocking a line of tanks a reference to a figure of resistance to the deadly 1989 military crackdown on the tiananmen democracy movement according to a friend of the detainees and the wife of one
images of the bottles with a label showing an altered tank man this time sitting on the ground apparently looking at a computer began circulating on wechat in may shortly before the 27th anniversary of the june 4 killings according to a friend of the detainees the three   a poet a freelance advertising designer and a former driver   all lived in the southwestern city of chengdu
the friend who communicated by online message asked not to be named for fear that he also would be detained
the liquor was called eight liquor six four a play on the chinese name for the crackdown based on the dates numbers 8964 in mandarin the word for liquor jiu is a homophone for nine
the inscription on the label was also laced with meaning it said the liquor was from beijing was 64 percent volume and had aged for 27 years it also said never forget never give up
some people bought the commemorative liquor in may but it had not spread widely before the police made their first arrest according to the friend
the first person taken into custody was a worker named fu hailu who was formally detained on may 29 on suspicion of inciting subversion of state power according to friends and human rights groups
they did this to remember the pain of the people said the friend of the detainees who was also in chengdu
this wasnt a commercial thing the friend wrote the liquor was made by a small distillery in sichuan and they sold it at cost
chinese people have the tradition of using liquor to commemorate the souls of the dead he wrote a reference to the practice of leaving offerings at shrines or graves the blood of those who died on 64 was a start for the chinese peoples search for freedom although it failed
gao yan the wife of the detained freelance advertiser luo fuyu said in a telephone interview that the police came on thursday to the nail salon where she works and took her away for questioning about her husband she said she had not seen him for several days he was very busy and hadnt been home she said
the police handed her a detention notice saying mr luo was in custody as of wednesday on suspicion of inciting subversion of state power
i dont know what he did ms gao said adding that the police refused to tell her although they said it wasnt robbery arson or pickpocketing
ms gao said that as word of her husbands detention spread his friends contacted her to say it had to do with the liquor
the detentions demonstrate the governments enduring sensitivity to any commemoration of the 1989 killings beijing declared the demonstrations a counterrevolutionary rebellion and did not apologize for the bloodshed which left hundreds possibly thousands dead
also detained was ma qing a poet who friends said shared images of the bottles online on charges of picking quarrels and provoking trouble and zhang junyong who has no current fixed employment but has worked as a driver and in a tourism company mr zhang was also detained for inciting subversion the friends said
although the center of the demonstrations and the subsequent military crackdown was beijing protests broke out and were suppressed in chengdu and other cities as well
a woman who answered the telephone at the chengdu city detention center said the center could not confirm mr luo was being held there as was said in the detention notice a copy of which was seen by the new york times
we dont accept information requests by telephone fax or email there are too many people here said the woman who would not give her name you have to come here to the big hall with your id card to get information


the mexican soccer star javier hernandez known as chicharito has condemned it in a public service announcement hashtags have spread to raise awareness of its offensiveness and to try to put an end to it and after the massacre in an orlando nightclub popular with gay latinos commentators have urged fans to abandon it once and for all
but still as is customary when the mexican national team is playing in an international tournament it could be heard the roar of eeeh ... puto by mexican fans trying to distract the opposing goalkeeper punting the ball upfield
puto roughly translated as male prostitute is a slur often hurled at gay men in mexico but fans who chant it say they use it out of the more generalized meaning of coward or in the adjective form simply an unpleasant thing
on monday two days after a gunman killed 49 people in orlando fla including at least four mexican nationals the chant could be heard during mexicos match against venezuela in houston during the copa america regional tournament being held in the united states for the first time
some people even believe they heard it chanted with a little more gusto as if in defiance over the criticism of the term
mexicos national team was fined 20700 in january by fifa the world soccer body over fans use of the chant in a world cup qualifying game against el salvador in november in theory fifa could move to take away points in the world cup standings which could derail the teams advancement to the 2018 finals
on thursday without mentioning mexico concacaf the governing body for soccer in north and central america and the caribbean issued a statement denouncing chants or actions that are derogatory or offensive and said that they must be stopped it did not mention what action if any it would take
mexico next plays on saturday night in a copa america quarterfinal match against chile at levis stadium in santa clara calif
in mexico the chant is largely seen as much ado about nothing and penalizing the team over it a sign of political correctness
luis fernando lara the editor of the diccionario del espanol de mexico dictionary of mexican spanish said in an interview that the word derives from a latin root that means child in its feminine form it came to mean prostitute and its male form took that meaning as well particularly in the gay community it evolved to mean coward or scaredy cat
in soccer matches he said it is intended simply to insult the goalkeeper not to call him gay
it seems to me that fifa is wrong in judging the shout as an insult to homosexuals he said it is indeed an insult but it is not aimed at the gay community i think unfortunately they are making a cause out of the shout all through a politically incorrect mistake
many gay advocates consider such reasoning nonsense
the whole point is that the choice of this word is absolutely linked to a negative homophobic meaning said enrique torre molina a mexican who is campaign manager at all out an international gay rights organization puto is the word many gay men have been called in school or even by family members to mock us or put us down puto is the word many gay men hear as theyre being beaten sometimes to death in the daily homophobic crimes committed in latin america
he added what is kind of infuriating especially after tragedies like the orlando shooting and any other homophobic crime that happens is to read and hear people refusing to let it go after having so many gay men literally asking for them to drop it if you have a group of people saying hey when you use this word it hurts why not drop it
some fans are trying to do just that
sergio tristan a mexican american and the founder of pancho villas army an austin tex based fan club for the mexican team said the group had tried to persuade the vocal minority backing the chant to drop it
tristan said that he had once chanted it too but that he had eventually acknowledged that it was offensive and not worth the penalties that have been or could be imposed on the team he said the vitriol directed by american fans offended by the chat could actually backfire
they actually are making it worse he said pointing to the perceived louder volume of the chant at recent matches its a mexican problem that should be solved by mexican fans
he added whether or not it is offensive it really is a matter of perspective we want to stop it because we are at the juncture where our team could suffer fines or lose points in our world cup spot


new delhi   eleven men were sentenced on friday to life in prison for participating in a mob that set fire to a housing complex in western india where scores of muslims were taking refuge killing 69 people inside
thirteen other men convicted in connection with the crime received sentences of seven or 10 years
the killings occurred during riots in 2002 in the state of gujarat then under the leadership of an ambitious politician narendra modi who is now indias prime minister
mr modi was blamed by many at the time for failing to take swift action to stop the riots but a court ruled that there was no evidence to prosecute him
the site of the massacre was the gulbarg housing society a residential complex in the city of ahmedabad that was home to ehsan jafri a muslim politician witnesses said that mr jafri made repeated telephone calls to officials for help but that the police did not arrive in time to prevent the killings
the special court set up to try the case acquitted 36 people for lack of evidence
jakia jafri mr jafris widow told reporters that the sentences were too lenient and that she would appeal them and continue to fight to hold state officials accountable for the crime
the riots in gujarat followed the burning of 59 hindu pilgrims in a moving train near a station in godhra a locality largely inhabited by muslims


seattle   jurgen klinsmann could barely contain his glee late thursday night after a tense scrappy quarterfinal encounter with ecuador in the copa america
during the game klinsmann had stormed along the sideline in front of his united states teams bench waving his arms and exhorting his players
the united states players responded with an impressive 2 1 victory which put the united states in the final four of the copa   something klinsmann had set as the teams mission
but the coach wanted everyone to grasp exactly what that meant and why he was so happy
with this tournament being not that popular yet because its difficult for us here to understand what a copa america is all about that learning curve is coming through and people understand it more klinsmann said before adding with emphasis shoot this is big time
the united states last reached this lofty stage   a semifinal of the copa america   in 1995 when soccer in the united states was only just regaining its footing after several decades in hibernation
the games of that copa america had to be watched on pay per view television and few in the united states had a firm grasp of what the copa really was
while soccer has grown significantly in the united states since then many people here still only had a passing understanding of the rich 100 year history of the copa america south americas grand and sometimes rough around the edges continental tournament
this is the first time the copa america has been held in the united states   a way to celebrate its 100th anniversary   and it is only the fourth time the united states has been invited to participate
the most notable result came in 1995 when the united states on its way to the semifinals shocked argentina in the group stage by punching well above its weight some called it fluky the argentines had already secured passage into the next round so they did not compete as hard as they could have and several of their star players did not start that game
it was still a remarkable victory for the united states which won convincingly 3 0
that victory may have to be repeated if the united states is going to reach its first copa america final
the united states will play the winner of saturdays quarterfinal between argentina and venezuela in foxborough mass but with players like lionel messi sergio aguero and gonzalo higuain this edition of the albiceleste is more talented than the one that took the field 21 years ago
should it advance argentina will not take the game as lightly as its predecessors did
when klinsmann was asked about the potential of facing either argentina or venezuela he never entertained the possibility that it would be venezuela argentina to many is the best team in the world right now
we dont need to talk about argentina any bigger than they are klinsmann said
but he also knows something about beating argentina klinsmann was on the field on a muggy night in 1990 when the former west germany beat argentina to win the world cup in rome
that was one of the uglier world cup finals a game decided by a lone penalty kick one of klinsmanns contributions was to get fouled by pedro monzon who was sent off for the infraction leaving argentina with 10 men and no hope
but the united states is now the one with a limited list of eligible players jermaine jones a key midfielder who set up the first goal by clint dempsey on thursday was shown a red card during a fracas in the second half
he cannot play in the next game and neither can alejandro bedoya or bobby wood both carried yellow cards into thursdays game and received cards again so they are ineligible
bedoya who was carded in the 73rd minute lamented that he would not be able to play next week but he said the players had discussed the matter before the game
we knew going into this game that some of us were on yellow cards he said but we all spoke before that   who cares the most important thing was to make the semis and we did
after jones was sent off michael bradley the united states captain called the players together to reorganize and refocus
bradley said he had no issues with his teammates accumulating the yellow cards under those circumstances particularly wood who wore scratch marks on his cheek as evidence of the games passion
bobby spilled his guts for the team tonight bradley said
but dempsey was the man of the match he opened the scoring on a header off a pretty feed from jones
gyasi zardes scored for the united states in the 65th minute on a ball sent across the goal mouth by dempsey but then ecuador began to push forward with more consistent pressure and michael arroyo scored in the 74th minute
the last quarter of an hour was dicey for the united states but klinsmanns men held on to advance and gathered more confidence with another step in a major tournament
they are just getting more and more of those messages klinsmann said they understand what the next level up there is about the copa america is after world cup and together with the euros the next level to play at what they did was absolutely outstanding


washington   with congressional leaders once again at a stalemate over how to respond to a mass shooting the senates most moderate republican susan collins of maine is developing a compromise measure that would prevent some terrorism suspects from purchasing weapons while sidestepping partisan flash points that have doomed similar legislation in the past and threaten to do so again next week
the senate majority leader mitch mcconnell republican of kentucky has already scheduled votes for monday on four proposals   two sponsored by republicans and two by democrats   but all four are expected to fail in a nearly identical replay of votes last december after the attack in san bernardino calif
thats what i am trying to avoid ms collins said in a brief interview riding the subway from the capitol back to her office on thursday evening i dont want groundhog day here i dont want us to go through the same thing we went through last year with no result
with lawmakers feeling extreme pressure to take some action in the aftermath of last weekends shooting massacre in orlando fla the proposal by ms collins is a long shot but it seems to stand at least some chance of forging an agreement that has generally eluded lawmakers for decades amid a debate over how to balance gun rights and public safety
the legislation being drafted by ms collins would bar the sale of guns to terrorism suspects who appear on either the governments no fly list or the so called selectee list in which individuals are subjected to additional security screening before being allowed to board an airplane those lists are far more narrow than the federal terrorist screening database which is the focus of a proposal sponsored by senator dianne feinstein democrat of california one of the four measures to be voted on monday
but while the gun restrictions proposed by ms collins would target a narrower group of individuals her measure does not require federal prosecutors to demonstrate probable cause of criminal terrorist activity which is required in an alternative to the feinstein measure sponsored by senator john cornyn of texas the no 2 republican
democrats say mr cornyns measure which will also be voted on monday sets such a high burden of proof that it renders useless the underlying gun restrictions
instead ms collins has proposed an appeals process that would award attorneys fees to anyone who successfully challenged the governments effort to prevent the sale of a firearm
if you are either on the no fly list or the selectee list which is the list where you are subjected to additional screening before you are allowed to board a plane then you would be prohibited from purchasing a gun ms collins said
she said she agreed that mr cornyns measure set a standard too difficult to meet
if probable cause is found then probably law enforcement could arrest you she said if you have got that you are going to be arrested unless they are leaving you out there in order to catch others
ms collins has already succeeded in piquing the interest of senator heidi heitkamp a centrist democrat from north dakota who has had a strong hand in some of the senates more unexpected bipartisan deals in recent years including a measure that lifted the 40 year prohibition on crude oil exports
a spokeswoman for ms heitkamp abigail mcdonough said the senator was in talks with ms collins and hopeful that an agreement could be reached
senator heitkamp believes there needs to be a real bipartisan discussion about what any bill to address the terror watch list issue would look like so that it actually addresses the issue at hand and gets enough bipartisan support to pass in the senate ms mcdonough said
shes currently participating in discussions to try to reach such a compromise
ms collins said she had also been talking to senator feinstein as well as to an array of republicans including senators kelly ayotte of new hampshire jeff flake of arizona and lindsey graham of south carolina
ms collins and ms feinstein have each added language to their proposals aimed at addressing the situation in orlando in which the gunman omar mateen had been on a government watch list but was removed before he bought his guns though they focus on different lists their proposals would flag for the fbi gun purchases by anyone who had been on the designated watch list within the past five years
the fbi is immediately notified that you have bought the gun and that you formerly were on one of these two lists she said most likely that is going to lead them to put you back under surveillance or do other investigation and watch you closely thats an important provision


cleveland   after it slowly sank in on thursday night after stephen curry realized he had been ejected from a game for the first time in his nba career all he could do was perform penance for his behavior
it began with a long deliberate exit from the court curry was jeered by a ravenous capacity crowd in cleveland as he passed the scorers table and then his own bench where he paused for a moment before continuing his perp walk to the locker room
there curry sat as he considered his circumstances he had to wait out the final 4 minutes 22 seconds while the cleveland cavaliers put the last touches on their emphatic 115 101 game 6 victory over currys golden state warriors and sent the nba finals back to oakland calif for a deciding game 7 on sunday
i just sat in my chair curry said later at a news conference ive never been ejected before so it was a weird feeling it was just frustration and also kind of like you said i thought it was kind of hilarious the way the last two fouls and me blowing up kind of unfolded and some of the things that were said out there
it was as if all of the events of the last week had congealed for curry the suspension of his teammate draymond green for game 5 the loss of another teammate andrew bogut to injury the jousting with lebron james and finally his brief but startling loss of cool late in game 6 when he flung his mouthpiece into the stands after he had fouled out and was immediately tossed from the scene by the referees
on friday the nba fined curry and warriors coach steve kerr 25000 each for their outbursts about the officiating in the game
specifically curry was fined for throwing his mouthpiece which hit a person in the stands and kerr was fined for his public criticism of the officiating at a postgame news conference
no team has ever lost a three games to one lead in the nba finals but the mighty warriors who for the past week have been on the cusp of back to back titles are now in danger of doing just that
and it showed the depths of the warriors exasperation that it was not the combustible green or the sometimes feisty kerr who blew up as game 6 slipped away for good but the cherublike curry
there is nothing in his entire time in the league that would tell you this is anything other than frustration that had built up warriors forward harrison barnes said of currys mouthpiece misdemeanor
curry said i had some stuff i wanted to get off my chest tonight after the way the game went and that was it
watching game 6 unfold the way it did was apparently too much for currys wife ayesha as well she wrote on twitter that game 6 was rigged for either money or tv ratings i wont be silent she wrote
but then she was she deleted the post shortly after it appeared and as she and currys parents waited for him outside the locker room she wiped away tears and shielded her eyes while they were affixed to her phone
she waved away a reporter who approached saying im fine thank you
the nba was powerless to fine currys wife but curry was a different story although he did quickly apologize to the fan he had struck with the mouthpiece and kerrs fine was a no brainer as he had opened his postgame news conference by calmly but directly criticizing the officials for three of the six fouls called on curry terming them absolutely ridiculous kerr also called out the official who levied the sixth foul jason phillips by name
let me be clear we did not lose because of the officiating kerr said but three of the six fouls were incredibly inappropriate calls for anybody much less the mvp of the league
kerr seeking to set the tone for the officiating in game 7 was not the only one playing mind games lebron james whom kerr accused of flopping on currys final foul went out of his way to bump curry after making a layup on thursday night and in another sequence barked at curry after swatting away his shot near the basket
curry whose layup attempt after the buzzer in game 5 was also blocked by james answered with little other than a smile late thursday when asked about his star rival
however he wants to celebrate or whatever he wants to do to kind of take in that moment it is what it is curry said i stay aggressive   dont let him get in my head
the warriors have not been the aggressors in three of the last four games it took them more than five minutes to score in game 6 and they missed 21 of their first 25 shots they trailed by as many as 24 points in the third quarter and the cavaliers withstood each run the warriors made
curry was whistled for his fifth foul with 949 left in the fourth quarter after he had poked the ball away from kyrie irving later came the sixth foul when james and curry made contact with each other at that point the mouthpiece went flying
nobody on the warriors seemed bothered by currys outburst in fact some players said they were buttressed by it
absolutely klay thompson said when asked if the warriors needed to play angry on sunday play angry but dont play with so much emotion it takes you out of your focus but 100 percent play angry we feel like we could have closed it out a long time ago but here we are
when the locker room opened 30 minutes after game 6 had ended curry was still in his uniform he got up from his locker to toss a banana peel in a trash can then sat down to take off his sneakers remove his jersey shorts and compression wear and peel away the bandages on his right knee
his mood seemed light as he joked with teammate brandon rush
later as he sat on the podium and answered questions he took comfort in the thought of returning home where the warriors have thrived all season playing in front of raucous crowds of their own he said it was all he and his teammates could ask for the chance to win one game and a championship
and if it happens curry will not be walking off the court alone


in case you think marijuana hasnt gone mainstream microsoft is now weed  compliant
as nathaniel popper writes the company better known for instigating a mind expanding number of powerpoint presentations has thrown in with a los angeles start up to offer software that helps governments monitor sales and commerce in states where pot is sold legally
its a sensible move considering how widespread the legal marijuana industry has become in the past few years and how rapidly it is growing this fall five states will vote on legalizing marijuana to one degree or another the largest vote is in california where pot is already allowed for a wide range of medical complaints
marijuana legalization follows an interesting and little noted curve in americas relationship with vice major recessions which lower tax revenue tend to create the legalization and heavy taxation of commonplace illicit practices the great depression brought back drinking state lotteries became widely popular in the long downturns of the 1970s the recession of 2008 seems to have lit a million legal joints who knows what well get with the economic shock that doubtless lies a few decades hence
of course legal marijuana is very much a vice of its time too with high tech features even before novembers vote on fully legalizing marijuana in california there are meet ups for budding forgive me marijuana start ups involved in branding delivery systems and cookbooks a site called cannabis reports says it tracks the genetic characteristics of over 9000 varieties industry conferences are frequent even before there is an industry
microsoft isnt doing anything quite so bong friendly of course but rather providing another service in its capacious offering of software for managing government functions that is still a pretty big deal because the official and vocal involvement of a mainstream american company in any part of the business helps legitimize it
it may have been easier for microsoft than others because it is headquartered in seattle voters there said yes to legal marijuana in 2012 and the first store opened in 2014
or maybe it could be one of historys oldest legal highs the prospect of making a lot of money as mr popper reports legal marijuana sales are expected to hit 65 billion this year a 35 percent increase from 2015 if california and some others come in for recreational use that figure could reach 25 billion theres good money in software to tax big weed


valerie valdez now 60 was separated from her husband ted and living in a converted garage apartment in santa cruz calif when he died of a heart attack in 2014 she faced a sudden loss of income and wondered how she was going to support herself
she owned a home in noe valley an upscale san francisco neighborhood occupied by a tenant renting month to month she gave the tenant notice and moved back into the house which she had cleaned and repainted she invited the friend of a friend as a paying guest for 60 a night placed a listing on airbnb and received two additional bookings right away
this is going to work she remembers telling herself im going to be ok
ms valdez now lists the four bedroom home she occupies one bedroom on airbnb as well as vacation home rentals homeaway and vrbo the three bedrooms each list for 105 to 155 a night on airbnb on other sites she lists the entire house last year she said she hosted about 400 guests from 100 cities
owning a cozy bed and breakfast in an idyllic location has long been a common dream of many 9 to 5 employees but its hard work many baby boomers though are finding another way to become de facto innkeepers
its an ingenious way of making money off this asset that you otherwise cant monetize said richard w johnson director of retirement planning at the urban institute in washington
airbnb in a 2015 study identified people over 60 as the fastest growing cohort of its hosts increasing by 102 percent that year compared to its overall growth rate in the united states of 85 percent worldwide the company estimates that about 260000 of its roughly two million listings are offered by hosts 60 and older of those 64 percent are women the company doesnt track marital status
other home rental companies also have older hosts they say but dont break down statistics by age or gender there is even a co op specifically aimed at older people some 1500 individuals pay a 75 annual fee to belong to the evergreen bb club which advertises bed and breakfast homestays for people over 50 members are expected to be hosts as well as paying guests contributing 20 a night to cover the cost of breakfast and incidentals
while some may have concerns about lost privacy or living with strangers those who have taken the plunge say their experiences are largely worthwhile
divorced in 2012 jacque schultz 66 heard about airbnb at a party and looked at the furnished but unused downstairs of her duplex which has a separate entrance as a potential profit center it was more house than i needed she said of the property which is in nashville she added a luggage rack
her guests have included european tourists performers who come to the area for a gig and recent college graduates on job searches during winter months she visits family in florida
ms schultz says that the unit which rents for 110 a night is booked about 15 to 20 days a month
airbnb says the average senior host receives about 6000 a year for about 60 days of work the company charges hosts a 3 percent booking fee as does vacation home rentals fees at other companies vary
having strangers nearby doesnt faze her ive not had a single negative experience she said she turned away one persistent guest who wanted to circumvent the registration process she relies on airbnbs screening to weed out undesirable guests
a potential host or guest is disqualified if he or she appears on state or national sex offender registries terrorism designations or if they have been convicted of a violent crime serious sexual offense and prostitution or felony related drug offenses nick shapiro an airbnb spokesman wrote in an email
the company said its hosts can require guests to provide a government id like a drivers license or passport and they created a program called verified id for guests which connects this offline identification to their airbnb profile the company says adding publicly available reviews and feedback also helps create an atmosphere of trust
experts say hosting provides some nonmonetary benefits as well it allows you to stay in your home longer adds a level of social engagement and provides some level of daily purpose said ken smith director of mobility at the stanford center on longevity
opening your home to guests can mean almost always being on as elle la forge 65 found out when she began renting out the ground floor of her townhouse in the st george neighborhood of staten island a short walk to the ferry to manhattan
she invested 5000 painted and installed a new floor and added appliances glasses dishes and a microwave for a private space that sleeps up to three she charges 80 a night for one person and 10 a night for each additional person
it does tie you down ms la forge said i have my phone with me all the time
one guest she recalled phoned after departure for a lesson in paying tolls on the new jersey turnpike but her solicitousness and the general enjoyment she takes in helping point her guests to tourist attractions and other options pays off she is almost fully booked through september she said
airbnb said women over 60 are consistently the highest rated in the companys star system
edward lemay 73 a retired accounting professor is another popular host he has augmented his pension and retirement income by renting out rooms in his rowhouse in the south end of boston the extra income has provided him with the means to take piano and voice lessons and travel to israel and turkey with the boston gay mens chorus
in comments online guests praise his warm welcome and engaging conversation
still his hospitality has limits for two couples looking to stay together during the crowded boston marathon event he agreed to give up his own room but then he received a belated four page complaint letter from one of them about some minor repairs that were going on at the time
he did not need to reimburse the guests but it still left a sour taste that they hadnt recognized that he had gone out of his way to help them even if someone is very nice they arent necessarily going to be a good guest he said
others prefer the reciprocity of evergreen bb club nancy kennedy 78 a weaver from eureka calif drives to shows to display her handmade rugs and stays with club members en route its a way to cut costs and make new friends she said she discussed politics and life with one host at another destination the host told her where to find the key and left food in the refrigerator
ms valdez has told friends and relatives about her experiences and encouraged them to join airbnb as well she has entertained german french and chinese tourists simultaneously
it makes me feel like i am traveling around the world she said


detmold germany   in many ways it is fitting that germanys last trial of a former ss guard at auschwitz played out far from the spotlight in this pretty provincial town of 70000
it was from places like these   a rural corner of north rhine westphalia modern germanys most populous state   that the nazis formed their bedrock the millions of men and women who signed up to hitlers apparently triumphant cause and with little questioning executed its murderous maxims
they were people like reinhold hanning 94 who on friday was sentenced to five years as an accessory to at least 170000 deaths during his time as an ss guard at the auschwitz birkenau camp from january 1943 to mid 1944
after world war ii mr hanning was in british custody and he was released in 1948 to live out his life in his hometown lage six miles from detmold he said he never spoke about auschwitz to anyone not even to his wife two sons and grandchildren
his four month trial yielded a brief carefully crafted apology of sorts from him for being a member of a criminal organization which is responsible for the death of many innocent people for the destruction of countless families for misery torture and sorrow on the side of the victims and their relatives
that apology fell far short of the reckoning sought by 57 co plaintiffs holocaust survivors like leon schwarzbaum also 94 who on the trials opening day in february urged mr hanning to break his silence since we will both soon meet our maker
his statement does not go far enough for me mr schwarzbaum said as the trial neared its end he should have talked more about what he did what he took part in saw i learned nothing
on that same day i sat with thomas walther the german lawyer most responsible for the recent handful of prosecutions   seven decades too late   of ss guards at auschwitz birkenau the death camp where more than one million people were killed   gassed shot hanged injected
after he retired as a judge mr walther went to work at germanys office for nazi crimes in ludwigsburg for decades german jurists had argued that prosecution of death camp guards was possible only if they could be tied to specific crimes that was a corollary to the dilatory pursuit of war crimes prosecutions by a west german justice system that was riddled with lawyers and judges who were former nazis
only last year was this failing clearly portrayed in a hit movie the state vs fritz bauer which chronicled the lonely fight of the frankfurt state prosecutor who instigated germanys only auschwitz trials in the 1960s and who tipped off mossad that adolf eichmann was in argentina
of approximately 6500 ss guards who had worked at auschwitz only 29 people were tried in west germany twenty more were tried in the communist east
working with eli rosenbaum an american investigator at the united states justice department mr walther reinterpreted german law to allow for the prosecution of john demjanjuk the ukrainian born american who was eventually extradited to germany and sentenced in 2011 to five years in prison as an accessory to approximately 28000 murders in the sobibor death camp he died the next year
the ludwigsburg office pursued other former guards resulting in the trial and sentencing last year of oskar groning 95 and now of mr hanning another two people have been charged but ill health has made completion of their trials unlikely
another former auschwitz guard died in april just before his trial was to start in hanau near frankfurt
whether in 30 or 40 years these few trials will appear in political and juridical history as a footnote or a real chapter only the future will show mr walther said
mr groning who had talked in interviews of his auschwitz past a decade before his trial and mr hanning were typical of lower class germans who saw joining the ss as a way to rise even shine
many of the underlings came from the provinces mr walther said unlike city dwellers students or employees at big firms who had a certain openness to the world
openness to the world affected post nazi justice too at my first war crimes trial in cologne germany in 1980 many spectators were from france where serge and beate klarsfeld had led the fight to prosecute one of three former nazis who were sentenced to six to 12 years for assisting in the deportation of 73000 french jews to auschwitz
en route to that sentencing i encountered a middle aged west german man who like so many germans still refused to give his name but knew that he resented foreign meddling
it just brings it all up again he complained if we did not have these trials then foreigners might forget the nazis
in 1981 i reported the end of the last big war crimes trial of nine defendants who worked at the maidanek death camp where 250000 people were killed after six years in court hermine braunsteiner ryan who married an american man after world war ii was the only one sentenced to life
the courtroom emptied out once the sentence was pronounced hours later i was almost the last person left listening to the judges reasoning it all felt thorough   west germany working through its history serving justice   but there was no escaping an impression of living a footnote
my next encounter with war crimes trials came in the soviet union in june 1986 in the crimean capital simferopol
fyodor fedorenko a ukrainian and the first war crimes suspect extradited from the united states to the soviet union was on trial accused of working for the nazis in the treblinka death camp hailing from the same region as mr demjanjuk mr fedorenko received nothing like the thorough hearing of a german court
his long estranged peasant wife was produced and suggested that mr fedorenko had opposed soviet collectivization he was depicted as a willing servant of the invading nazis soviet justice was summary pronounced guilty he was executed
the trial last year of mr groning in another pretty provincial town luneburg might have seemed unspectacular yet like all the others it was a reminder of how 20th century history marched through the lives of perpetrators and victims   and that we all always have choices and make them
mr hannings choice was the ss he was wounded in fighting around kiev wound up in convalescence at a facility used by auschwitz guards   and then joined them under circumstances not clarified by the trial
leonie figge 16 and stina ulbrich 17 among 25 teenagers who had visited israel in march came to mr hannings trial a few times i am so glad to have had the opportunity to be here ms ulbrich said it simply moves you
they were avid to learn from leon schwarzbaum who like other holocaust survivors and co plaintiffs regularly visits schools to pass on his experiences of the death camps ms ulbrich imagined in turn passing his words to her own children someday
perhaps that will be this trials most lasting achievement
in the meantime mr walther and i sat in detmolds pristine old town which has fine timberwork buildings when the nazis held sway in places like these he reflected there were so many swastikas hanging that they covered all the beams


baghdad   iraqi forces quickly entered central areas of falluja on friday after weeks of battling the islamic state fighting that had forced thousands of civilians to flee and overwhelmed the ability of aid agencies to care for them
reporting little resistance from islamic state fighters counterterrorism forces raised the iraqi flag over the main government building in central falluja officers and state television reports said they said that pro government forces moved on to besiege the citys main hospital which was the first target of american forces when they invaded the city in 2004 and in recent months has served as a headquarters complex for the islamic state
the rapid and unexpected gains suggested a shift in tactics by the sunni extremists of the islamic state also known as isis or isil or perhaps a sign of their weakness as they abandoned their dug in positions and regrouped in western neighborhoods of falluja that allowed thousands of civilians who aid groups had said were being held as human shields to flee across two bridges over the euphrates river beginning on thursday
though the battle appeared far from over iraqi commanders on the ground were optimistic that the advance which had slowed in the face of islamic state snipers roadside bombs and tunnel networks that allowed fighters to move around undetected would continue
isis has lost its power to defend falluja col jamal lateef a police commander in anbar province said in an interview its defensive lines have collapsed and the battle of falluja will be over in no time
lt gen adbulwahab al saadi a commander of iraqs counterterrorism forces who is in charge of the falluja operation said in a brief telephone interview that isis has collapsed in falluja very fast and that his forces were moving to northern and western neighborhoods
the united states which has led a coalition targeting the islamic state with airstrikes for almost two years in iraq has supported the battle for falluja with air power even as it has raised concerns about the role of shiite militias backed by iran in the fight washington has expressed fear that the participation of shiite forces in assaulting a sunni city like falluja would heighten sectarian tensions
col christopher c garver an american military spokesman in baghdad said coalition airstrikes on friday aided the taking of the government building in falluja by knocking out two heavy machine guns nearby that were slowing the advance of iraqi forces
there will still be tough fighting ahead in the days coming colonel garver said referring to the islamic state in falluja he said its certainly not one big amorphous mass you have different fighters making different decisions for themselves
prime minister haider al abadi was quick to declare victory even as he acknowledged that there was still resistance in the city in a speech friday night he said falluja has come back to the countrys bosom and vowed to focus on the next islamic state target the city of mosul
falluja a major population center just 40 miles west of baghdad has been in the hands of the islamic state since the end of 2013 longer than any other settlement in its so called caliphate that straddles parts of iraq and syria the city was a stronghold and something of a birthplace for al qaeda in iraq the precursor of the islamic state that formed after the united states invasion in 2003
in falluja the islamic state exploited the grievances of the sunni population toward the sectarian policies of the former prime minister nuri kamal al maliki and was able to rapidly take control of the city two and a half years ago after iraqi security forces assaulted a protest camp in the city
officials speculated that the change in the complexion of the battle might have been because local tribal fighters who had been loyal to the islamic states leadership and its transnational ambitions had now distanced themselves from the groups foreign fighters or at least the officials surmised the tribal fighters had come to believe that victory by the iraqi government was inevitable and were trying to get their families to safety
lise grande the united nations humanitarian coordinator for iraq said she was receiving reports that perhaps 10000 families or 60000 people were on the move toward government held areas of western anbar province where camps for the displaced are already overwhelmed and lack basic supplies such as tents and clean drinking water
karl schembri a spokesman for the norwegian refugee council in baghdad said that beginning on thursday islamic state militants had been withdrawing from positions inside the city allowing civilians to begin fleeing
mr schembri said they had withdrawn from checkpoints at two bridges on the euphrates and then people could just walk out he expressed concern for the thousands of civilians stuck in the city including those that are unable to walk out on their own   the elderly disabled and pregnant
referring to the militants he said we dont know where they have gone to or what their plan is
tens of thousands of civilians have now fled falluja since an offensive began late last month and most have reached bare bones camps that are running low on supplies there are also growing concerns of diseases because of a lack of clean drinking water civilians in falluja had also lived for months under siege conditions without enough food or medicine and many children have not been vaccinated for conditions like measles according to mr schembri who has spoken to doctors recently in the camps the majority of displaced civilians arrive with ailments like diarrhea the flu and skin rashes
the latest exodus of civilians has not only added to the grave humanitarian crisis that has been unfolding for weeks in anbar province but it has also presented a serious security challenge to the iraqi governments ability to carry out security screenings of civilians so that islamic state militants are not able to escape by blending in
it has been a longstanding and controversial practice of the iraqi authorities to separate men and boys from women children and the elderly among those fleeing islamic state areas the boys and men are taken to detention centers where they are interrogated about any ties to the islamic state
the process is seen as necessary for security reasons but vulnerable to abuses especially if the shiite militias take part there have already been some abuses sunni officials have said that many men have been tortured by the militias and the governor of anbar province has said that 49 men have been executed a spokesman for prime minister abadi has said that some people suspected of abuse have been arrested as a result
but with so many people fleeing in recent days the ability of the security forces to carry out adequate screening has been strained raising concerns that militants are also escaping amid the flow of the civilian population
sajad jiyad who runs an iraqi research organization the al bayan center and who sometimes advises the office of mr abadi wrote on twitter on friday referring to the arabic acronym for the islamic state daesh fighters escaping as civilians is a massive concern


parents looking forward to having their newly licensed teenagers drive themselves on errands this summer may be less enthusiastic when they see the familys new insurance bill
families adding a teenage driver to their auto insurance policy will see their premium increase by an average of 79 percent the latest analysis from insurancequotescom finds thats a bit lower than the average increases seen in recent years but it is still a hit to the wallet
in some states the average premium doubles and even in states with relatively modest increases premiums can balloon by double digits parents need to understand its very expensive to add a teenager said laura adams senior insurance analyst with insurancequotes
the higher premiums reflect teenagers greater likelihood of being involved in an accident research shows that they have the highest crash rate of any group in the united states
quadrant information systems a provider of data and analysis to the insurance industry conducted the analysis on behalf of insurancequotes using state data from large auto insurance carriers the study looked at the impact of adding a driver who was 16 to 19 years old to a familys policy the hypothetical parents were married 45 year olds with clean driving records and good credit
the five states with the largest average increase when adding a teenage driver were new hampshire 125 percent rhode island 119 percent arizona 109 percent wyoming 106 percent and ohio 100 percent
in some states because of regulations on how insurers set rates the increase after adding a teenager is less severe hawaii for instance doesnt allow insurers to consider age gender or length of driving experience when considering premiums ms adams said so teenage drivers dont pay much more than adults the average increase in the state was 17 percent
new jerseys average increase was 79 percent in line with the national average while new yorks was 52 percent a full list is available at insurancequotescom
teenagers tend to be poor drivers mainly because theyre learning something new said deborah hersman president and chief executive of the national safety council the reason why teens are not good drivers she said is that theyre inexperienced
driving involves complex decision making she said particularly in situations like merging into traffic on a highway and making left hand turns across oncoming traffic it takes practice to get it right teen drivers she said struggle to correctly assess some of the risks
but they improve as they log more miles behind the wheel as people gain experience ms hersman said they become better drivers
research also suggests that teenage boys are more likely to drive recklessly particularly when there are other teenagers in the car
the largest premium increase occurs when a 16 year old driver is added to a policy ms adams said the premium gradually drops each year as the driver logs more driving miles
here are some questions and answers about teenage drivers
can i just buy my teenager a separate auto insurance policy
you could but the cost would generally be more than adding your teenager to your own policy ms adams said thats because the auto premium even with the new inexperienced driver added benefits from the parents hopefully good driving history and sometimes from other factors like their higher credit scores
how can i keep my premium affordable when adding a teenager
some insurers offer good student discounts of as much as 25 percent for young adults including teenagers who maintain at least a b average and can document their academic achievement typically students must submit a report card or a copy of a published deans list every six months discounts for taking a drivers education class are less common but its worth asking
how can i help my child stay safe while driving
parents can adhere to the rules of their states graduated drivers licensing programs which give new drivers incrementally more responsibility as they log hours on the road ms hersman said rules can vary by state so parents may want to discuss their own rules as well the national safety council has created a sample contract called the new driver deal that parents and teenagers can sign to help reinforce safe habits the teenager agrees to rules like no texting while driving no driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs and no driving late at night
its important to pay attention to who is in the car with your teenager ms hersman said having just one teenage passenger in the car increases a teenage drivers crash risk by 44 percent for the first six months to a year after teenagers get their license the safety council recommends that they not have any young passengers in the car that may be inconvenient   forget having your teenager carpool with friends or drop off a sibling at soccer practice   but it can help keep teenagers safe ms hersman said
parents must model good behavior by not talking on cellphones while driving and obeying speed limits most important parents need to keep riding with their teenager acting as a sort of coach while they practice driving youre not off the hook the minute your child gets a license they still need you in the car ms hersman said youre not done


hong kong   when a book publisher disappeared off the streets of hong kong in december only to show up in the custody of the police in china a few days later residents from across the political spectrum voiced alarm that the safeguards protecting this citys 72 million people from beijings harsh and arbitrary legal system were under grave threat
months passed the case of what eventually became five missing booksellers all affiliated with the same company which specialized in publishing and selling rumor filled tales of political intrigue among chinas leadership faded from the headlines three of the men returned to hong kong making implausible statements about having voluntarily cooperated with the police on the mainland only one remains in custody
but on thursday night a dramatic news conference held by the fifth bookseller lam wing kee brought the story front and center again in hong kong conversations
mr lams account of how he was grabbed at a border crossing handcuffed blindfolded taken hundreds of miles away by train put in solitary confinement and forced to confess to an act   selling books   that is not a crime in his native hong kong renewed fears that harsh chinese justice or lawlessness is seeping into a metropolis steeped in the british legal tradition right down to the white wigs worn by court officials
many of the political parties in hong kong that support more democracy and are wary of beijings power strongly condemned chinas treatment of mr lam
the civic party in a statement called mr lams experience the most serious case of political abduction since the handover referring to the 1997 return of hong kong from british rule to chinese sovereignty in which the citys robust protections of civil liberties were to be guaranteed for half a century the youth focused party demosisto called for hong kong to stand up to the chinese communist partys encroachment and unlawful interference
about 50 people held a protest in the searing midday sun on friday outside the central governments office and political groups were organizing a march on saturday
we are all lam wing kee said one lawmaker james to demonstrators shouted publishing is not a crime and reading a book is not a crime
living in an environment where democracy and freedom is a given it just shocks me that hong kong a place seemingly free can have something like this happen said jeff feng lee 18 a canadian citizen interning for hong kongs democratic party
even the citys government which has come under withering criticism because it is perceived as looking out too much for the interests of beijing felt the need to assure nervous residents john tsang the financial secretary told reporters that it is unlawful for any law enforcement agencies from outside hong kong to take law enforcement action here
that would be unacceptable he added
beyond the protests and official statements many other people reacted to mr lams story in their own ways on friday
on thursday evening mr lam described how the chinese police had zeroed in on the mailing lists of causeway bay books the shop where he worked and that is now closed the police were interested in the bookstores customers in mainland china he said and so allowed him to return to hong kong on tuesday after more than seven months in custody to retrieve a hard drive with customer information
on friday employees at hong kong reader bookstore one of the dwindling number of shops that sell volumes banned in the mainland said they had separated records of peoples purchases from their personal information including names email addresses and telephone numbers
wed like to stay low profile to protect our customers and ourselves timmy wong an employee at the store since 2007 said by phone were not as brave as mr lam we didnt think we could be in any trouble until mr lam came forward
mr lams account of his apprehension and detention contradicted statements made by several of his colleagues who maintained that they were voluntarily helping the chinese with an investigation
one colleague lee bo whose disappearance from hong kong on dec 30 brought international attention to the case insisted that he had slipped into china of his own free will avoiding border controls that was hard for many people to believe because it countered statements mr lee had made before his disappearance maintaining that he was safe because unlike his associates who had vanished weeks earlier he had avoided going to the mainland for many years he told the south china morning post
but on thursday night mr lam said that mr lee had told him privately that he had indeed been taken into china against his will moreover mr lam said mr lee had given the chinese police a list of the bookstores customers mr lee on his facebook page on friday said that he had never told mr lam that he had gone to the mainland against his will and had not given a list of the bookstores customers to the mainland police
also rebutting mr lam were his chinese jailers
on friday sing tao daily a newspaper in hong kong reported that a mainland chinese police officer in charge of the investigation had said that mr lam was suspected of illegal activities for his work in cross border book selling the unidentified officer also claimed that mr lam had asked for the help of public security because he did not want to return to hong kong for family reasons
during this time lam put forward that because he was on poor terms with his wife and son it was difficult for him to reside in hong kong and he asked the public security organs for help the official said according to sing tao accordingly the public security organs made appropriate arrangements
when asked several times about the episode at a routinely scheduled news conference on friday a spokeswoman for the chinese foreign ministry hua chunying said lam wing kee is a chinese citizen and when he broke chinas law in the mainland of china the authorities had the right to take actions in accordance with the law


carlsbad caverns national park nm   as his professional and parental duties approach a new phase president obama is taking a family vacation this weekend to the caverns here and to yosemite national park echoing a similar trip he took seven years ago when his daughters were smaller and his hair not nearly so gray
the first family headed out a week after the obamas elder daughter malia 17 graduated from high school mr obama has said many times that malias looming departure   she has been accepted by harvard but will take a gap year first   is causing him great emotional turmoil and during the graduation ceremony on june 10 he wept behind dark sunglasses
the family spent about two hours at carlsbad caverns on friday before flying to california where they will remain until the afternoon on sunday which is fathers day most of the weekend is devoted to family time
at the caverns which were closed for the obamas visit the family took an elevator down 754 feet they toured the big room the fifth largest natural limestone chamber in the world which maintains a year round temperature of 56 degrees
mr obama and michelle obama asked their guide questions but malia and her sister sasha were quiet at least while they were near reporters how cool is this mr obama asked the reporters with the enthusiasm of a father trying to encourage similar excitement in his children spectacular he added
in august 2009 the obamas took their daughters to yellowstone national park and the grand canyon pictures from the trip show two little girls now malia is about as tall as her father and sasha is not far behind
mr obama was criticized then for taking a vacation during the worst economic slowdown since the great depression but administration officials said at the time that part of the reason for the trip was to draw attention and lure tourists to the national park system
this time the family vacation came days after the massacre at a nightclub in orlando fla administration officials said the trip was intended in part to highlight the extraordinary economic benefits of national parks in their centennial year in 2015 more than 305 million people visited national parks in the united states a record and spent an estimated 169 billion in nearby communities according to the white house
the weekend park visits will become part of mr obamas legacy on conservation he has given protected status to more land and water combined than any of his predecessors and while much of that comes from his additions to a huge marine monument in the pacific ocean near his native hawaii he trails only president jimmy carter in the number of acres of public lands that his administration has protected
mr obamas designations have largely come under the antiquities act a 110 year old law that allows presidents on their own to declare places to be monuments such declarations sometimes infuriate local residents and conservatives who oppose federal ownership of vast stretches of land
the president is considering protecting more land including a possible designation of monument status to 19 million acres in southeastern utah that are sacred to at least five native american tribes
what he has done for conservation is good but what he does next will determine whether his legacy is remembered as great said sharon buccino director of the land and wildlife program at the natural resources defense council


cleveland   a series of delays and questions about security and fund raising are causing republicans to scramble as they finish planning their nominating convention just weeks before the party gathers in cleveland
among the complications facing donald j trump the presumptive nominee and his team is that only on friday were they finally able to gain access to quicken loans arena where the convention will be held because it was being used by lebron james and the cleveland cavaliers who won game 6 of the nba finals there on thursday night the series will end on sunday night with a decisive game 7 on the golden state warriors home court back in california
lebron good luck in the series mr trump said the other day as he noted the predicament with a sense of resignation of course the longer it goes the less time we have but thats ok
mr trump will have only four weeks to convert the sports arena into a red white and blue decked theater for his political ambitions usually the republican national committee likes to allow campaigns six weeks to prepare and at this point in 2012 mitt romneys campaign had been in place in its arena for weeks republican officials though said they planned to move quickly
we can literally be in the arena within hours of the last game said kirsten kukowski a spokeswoman for the republican national committee our trucks will be pulling in as the espn trucks are pulling out
but even if the arena was not still covered in cavaliers signs and advertisements for budweiser mr trump and the republican party would have a lot of ground to make up before the july 18 21 event
the conventions host committee is short of its 64 million fund raising goal shortly after mr trump became the presumptive nominee in april one major sponsor rescinded a contribution of about 1 million though the committee said it had since made up that amount and more it still had to collect 7 million as of last week
there is also some concern about security as the city prepares for large protests similar to the one that erupted in san jose calif this month the head of clevelands largest police union has repeatedly criticized local officials for being slow in their efforts to train and equip officers several cities including cincinnati and greensboro nc have decided against sending members of their own police forces to assist   support that local law enforcement was counting on
the trump campaign whose team of about a dozen staff members arrived in cleveland after memorial day is still working on its plans for where mr trump will deliver his speeches he has said he may speak each night from a different city before arriving here
as for the convention program the lineup of speakers is still very fluid during meetings last week staff members for the trump campaign and the national committee sat down to draft a wish list of celebrities and prominent political figures they would contact they broke it down into ones mr trump should call himself dick cheney and condoleezza rice for example and those who would be left for aides to handle kenny rogers jack nicklaus and diamond and silk the african american sisters who gained notice after making youtube videos praising mr trump convention planners said
the building of the stage usually one of the most extensive mechanical undertakings of any convention is taking place at an undisclosed location outside of downtown and the stage will have to be moved into the arena in pieces shortly
one recent afternoon a walk through the arena bore no signs that the republican national convention was coming to town crews of workers were not only preparing for the cavaliers return but also setting up for one of the final games of the season for the lake erie monsters a minor league hockey team like the cavaliers they also made their league championship giving republicans one more logistical headache the monsters won on saturday capturing the american hockey leagues calder cup
the club level bar where mr trump and his family will sit during the convention smelled pungently of popcorn and was covered in advertisements for effen vodka and its sponsor the rapper 50 cent the large scoreboard and video display known as the humongotron will need to be hoisted higher into the rafters once mr trumps team moves in and the suite at the top level of the arena that will be handed over to radio hosts and producers is for now still the budweiser penthouse
the production teams for major arenas and the convention producers that the national committee use have plenty of experience under tight deadlines programs and events are regularly scrapped and upended at the last minute as happened in both 2012 and 2008 because of hurricanes
but a higher than normal level of uncertainty has surrounded this years convention in no small part because of how many people in the republican party object to mr trumps candidacy that has hurt fund raising efforts with corporate sponsors like microsoft coca cola and hewlett packard either declining to give or significantly reducing their contributions
david gilbert chief executive of the cleveland host committee said donations had slowed down after mr trump became the presumptive nominee and one giver whom he declined to name pulled out of a nearly 1 million contribution
its fair to say that the effect of the presumptive nominee was fairly small for our overall fund raising effort mr gilbert said adding that he was confident the committee would hit its 64 million target
still he said obviously youre never breathing easy until every dollar is raised
by their telling the dozen newly dispatched members of the trump campaign in cleveland are working closely and collaboratively with the national committees staff members who have been in place here for months
and despite mr trumps reputation for being a demanding micromanager he has taken a fairly hands off approach so far aides said
they havent changed a thing said ms kukowski the rnc spokeswoman
actually there was one thing after he reviewed the designs for the stage mr trump sent them back for unspecified revisions


the classic folk song this land is your land may literally belong to you and me
thats the case being pressed by the same law firm that persuaded a federal judge last year that happy birthday to you belongs in the public domain
the new york firm wolf haldenstein adler freeman  herz also hopes to do the same for the civil rights era protest song we shall overcome
but the suit filed tuesday over woody guthries classic this land is your land is aimed at liberating a song known to generations of schoolchildren who have raised their voices to sing about a free country belonging to one and all sprawling from california to new york island from the redwood forest to the gulf stream waters
the suit was filed on behalf of the brooklyn band satorii which recorded two versions of the song it argues that the music belongs to the public and not to the richmond organization and its subsidiary ludlow music the publishing company that collects licensing fees to use the composition ludlow did not return phone calls or answer an email message seeking comment on thursday
the law firm seems to be developing a specialty in liberating classic musical works an earlier lawsuit also filed against ludlow in april focused on we shall overcome a song long associated with the folk singer pete seeger who died in 2014 the firm also successfully liberated the happy birthday copyright from warner music group
interestingly seeger may have performed guthries song more than anyone else over the decades including the so called forgotten verses in which the narrator ignores a private property sign those lyrics are not in the versions cited in this lawsuit
mark rifkin one of the firms lawyers who joined two colleagues in filing the class action suit on behalf of the band and anyone else who paid fees to license the work explained their thinking somewhere along the way we got sidetracked by giving corporations the right to own copyrights and to profit from them long after the creators of the work have died and long after anyone else has an interest in protecting the work
as with the earlier cases the this land suit filed in the united states district court for the southern district of new york traces what the firm calls a winding path of missed or illegitimate copyright claims
guthrie wrote the song in 1940 in response to the irving berlin song god bless america which he felt inadequately addressed land and wealth inequality according to the library of congress originally titled god blessed america for me the song earned its modern name after guthrie introduced the refrain this land was made for you and me
in 1945 he published the song with a copyright notice that was never renewed satorii and their lawyers say as a result that copyright would have expired   and the song would have entered the public domain   28 years later in 1973 they say
despite guthries publication ludlow filed for its own copyright of the song in 1956 according to the suit it asserted that copyright in 2004 when it threatened to sue jibjab media over its now famous this land parody of that years presidential contest between the democrat john kerry and the republican george w bush
the groups reached a settlement that summer in which jibjab was allowed to continue distributing its parody
but satorii and its lawyers argue that ludlow never had a right to claim the copyright in the first place
guthrie they said borrowed the melody from a baptist gospel hymn from the late 19th or early 20th century known variously as fire song when the worlds on fire what you gonna do when the worlds on fire and o my loving brother
and even if he or ludlow had rightfully secured the copyright to the lyrics the band and firm note multiple occasions in which the words were printed in album liner notes without a copyright notice in effect forfeiting rights to them they argue
the band is not only seeking a judicial declaration that the song belongs in the public domain but also that the publisher return all fees related to the licensing of the song paid by any individual or group since 2010


cairo   the flight data recorder from egyptair flight 804 which crashed in the mediterranean last month has been recovered egyptian investigators said on friday one day after announcing that the cockpit voice recorder had been found
the crew of the john lethbridge a research vessel involved in the search found the wreckage of the plane the cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder
the vessel equipment managed to pick up the memory unit which is considered as the most important part of the above mentioned recorder the egyptian aircraft accident investigation committee said
it added that investigators had been notified and that the two data recorders would be transferred in alexandria egypt to the committee to carry out analysis and unload the voice conversations
the recorders are now on their way to the investigative committees lab in cairo for inspection investigators said
an egyptian aviation official said friday that the cockpit voice recorder appeared to have been crushed during the crash but that the flight data recorder looked fine more or less
it will take several days to determine the extent of the damage the official added the official was not authorized to speak to the news media about the investigation and requested anonymity
all 66 people aboard the airbus a320 jetliner bound for cairo from paris were killed in the still unexplained crash on may 19


donald j trumps supporters in congress have struggled for weeks with a daily deluge of questions from reporters about the latest comments by the republican partys standard bearer
but this week seemed to be a turning point
instead of defending mr trump people like senator bob corker republican of tennessee and a rumored vice presidential contender told reporters that he was disappointed with mr trumps call for a sweeping ban on muslim immigrants and for intensive profiling of muslim citizens in the united states
senator john cornyn republican of texas and the no 2 in senate leadership said i just dont have enough time to provide running commentary for everything a candidate running for president says mr cornyn citing scheduling said he would not attend mr trumps events in texas on thursday
even representative duncan hunter republican of california and the co chairman of mr trumps house leadership committee sought some distance from him i am not a surrogate he told the hill
such acrobatics may not be sustainable for republicans many of whom have tried to lightly embrace mr trump with one arm while using the other to shove him away after a string of controversial and racially incendiary remarks
those republicans fear the backlash from mr trumps voters in their own races if they reject him but they also know that his remarks are providing a daily distraction
but in a substantial change mr trumps most vocal supporters seem to have drawn a line they are no longer willing to cross


beijing   two longtime members of chinas beleaguered democratic opposition each received prison sentences of over a decade on friday after being pronounced guilty of subversion by a court in hangzhou an eastern city that will host a gathering of world leaders later this year
the court gave a sentence of 11 years to lu gengsong after declaring him guilty of subversion for publishing pro democracy essays on overseas websites and promoting the banned china democratic party and it handed down a sentence of 10 and a half years to chen shuqing another supporter of the party for the same charges said fu yonggang a lawyer for mr chen mr fu said that mr lus main defense lawyer could not be in court for the verdict because of another trial
chen shuqing didnt say much after the verdict mr fu said by telephone from hangzhou but before the verdict hearing he said that hed appeal if he was found guilty no matter how short or long the sentence was
the heavy sentences for the relatively obscure activists came after a trial in september in which prosecutors dwelt on essays by the men that were published on overseas chinese websites and on their support for the china democratic party a small but determined group that a wave of arrests and trials in the late 1990s largely extinguished
their defense lawyers challenged the view that these activities amounted to subversion one of the most serious charges that can be used against political dissent in the country
patrick poon a researcher on china for amnesty international in hong kong said the rulings indicated that president xi jinping was even more determined than his predecessors including most recently hu jintao to stamp out anti communist sentiment
my take is that the sentence is unusually heavy mr poon said by email these two people were also imprisoned for similar charges during the hu jintao era but they were only sentenced to four years at that time
the punishments may also send a warning to other dissidents and liberal activists around hangzhou the prosperous capital of zhejiang province which will hold the group of 20 summit meeting of global leaders in early september the city like the chinese government has gone to great lengths to make the gathering a showcase for the success of government policies
mr lu 60 and mr chen 50 have been stalwart supporters of the china democratic party despite past detentions and imprisonments both were detained on the most recent charges in 2014
mr lu a former teacher at a police academy was sentenced in 2008 to four years in prison on charges of inciting subversion he was released in august 2011 as a student mr chen took part in the pro democracy protests that swept china in 1989 and in 2007 he received four years in prison on charges of inciting subversion he was released in september 2010


lingan china   nestled in verdant hills amid bamboo forests and feathery grass meadows the sun commune is a thriving eco farm about 60 miles from the eastern chinese city of hangzhou its centerpiece is a pig barn
yet this home for 30 or so black hogs is no ordinary outbuilding an open air bamboo lined structure it has pyramid shaped thatched roofs and a swimming pool on a recent afternoon the swine snoozed to the soothing sounds of soft jazz in their custom built residence which has been called chinas most beautiful sty
the sty was designed by chen haoru an architect and professor at the architecture school of the china academy of art in hangzhou he is part of a wave of architects who as funding for projects in big cities has dried up in recent years have turned their attention to chinas other frontier the rural outback
ten years ago there werent that many opportunities to do projects in the countryside mr chen said as he led a tour of the sun commune grounds all of the focus was on the cities there was no interest in the rural areas
several factors have combined to create opportunities for such projects restrictions on the transfer of rural land have been relaxed urban residents weary of repeated food safety scares and environmental crises have become increasingly interested in rural lifestyles and organic farming domestic tourism bolstered by the growth of the middle class is booming
president xi jinping has endorsed the shift in emphasis during a speech in 2013 he called for the construction of a meili xiangcun or beautiful countryside one in which money is not squandered on unnecessary things like tasteless exterior enhancements
the nature of the projects varies some focus on tourism others on farming or community development in addition to mr chens pig barn notable examples have included a village library near beijing by li xiaodong a rural community center and museum in henan province by he wei and a rural regeneration project near hangzhou recently completed by wang shu who was awarded the pritzker prize architectures equivalent of the nobel in 2012
but they all have a common goal to revitalize the countryside and enhance its appeal to young people farmers visitors and educated workers
the most important thing is to make the villages attractive to people again said mr wang who also teaches at the china academy of art the farmers have lost confidence in their own way of life he added they think villages are backward and that cities are good
he wei an architect and professor at the central academy of fine arts in beijing said these projects are not just about making beautiful buildings theyre about function and stimulating economic activity
opportunities to build in the countryside have expanded even as mass urbanization continues to hollow out chinas villages
the countrys rapid urbanization has led to groups of villages being razed to make way for high rises from 2000 to 2010 the number of villages in china dropped to 26 million from 37 million a loss of about 300 villages a day according to research by tianjin university
in zhejiang province the site of the sun commune thousands of villages have been destroyed according to research by mr wang only about 30000 are left in the province and most he said are in danger of disappearing in the next decade
everyone including the local government is interested in this topic of how to revive chinas villages he said
architects see an opportunity to play a special role in this revitalization for one thing their designs can enhance the reputation of a rural development project and stimulate tourism or agriculture
thats what the shanghai businessman chen wei had in mind when he turned to his friend mr chen the architect to help him build a barn for pigs as part of his organic farm this was in 2013 at around the same time that 16000 dead pigs were found floating in the nearby huangpu river after having been dumped by farmers upstream
in china the city people never really interact with rural people so theres very little social trust said mr chen the businessman and now the director of the sun commune the barn is a major draw   its part of our brand it attracts people from the cities to come to the farm so they can actually get to know the people who are growing their food
others like mr wang and his wife lu wenyu have taken on rural projects with the aim of creating a model for sustainable development in the countryside
in 2012 mr wang and ms lu began working on wencun a village about an hours drive from the sun commune through constant negotiation and consultation with local government officials and villagers mr wang and ms lu oversaw an expansive regeneration project that included the construction of two dozen new houses and the refurbishment of some of wencuns existing homes and public spaces
the new homes completed this year combine elements of traditional houses in the wencun area   like an inner courtyard and a room where families pay respects to their ancestors   with modern amenities like an access road for cars and a space designated for watching television mr wangs signature design elements are woven throughout narrow rectangular windows unfinished concrete exteriors and patchwork masonry
as of a few weeks ago only a few of the houses had been occupied but a villager who poked her head out of one said so far its been nice living here its cleaner and the walls are whiter
while the wencun project is still getting off the ground mr wang is already trying to work out how this type of design based development might be replicated on a larger scale
with wencun weve created a research and work method that can be copied but the challenge is still scalability he said in terms of implementation every village has different traditions and vernacular architecture theres no one template
perhaps the biggest challenge when it comes to building in the countryside though is unpredictability rural land use rights are especially tricky since property in the countryside is collectively owned and technically it is illegal for urban residents to own rural land even when an outsider reaches an agreement with a villager to buy or rent land there are very few legal protections
that was a problem that the artist ou ning encountered when he and his family were recently forced to leave their home in bishan a village in rural anhui province though villagers credit mr ou with helping to rejuvenate the community and attract tourists some suspect that the social aspect of his project   which focused on art and rural reconstruction but also touched on ideas like anarchism and utopia   may have rattled local communist party officials according to a report by the times of london
in february just after mr ou and his family had celebrated their third lunar new year at their restored home in bishan the paper reported that the local government had shut off the electricity and water at the house without warning contacted by telephone mr ou declined to comment citing the sensitivity of the situation
in the countryside said mr he of the central academy of art the government can cut off a project much more easily than in the cities in one night all of your work can be torn down and theres nothing you can do about it


birstall england   the suspect in the killing of a member of parliament in northern england is being investigated to determine whether he had ties to far right extremist movements and a history of mental illness the police in britain said friday
the suspect thomas mair 52 was arrested quickly after the shooting he is a part time gardener and once taught english as a second language to immigrants a neighbor said
the shooting and stabbing death of the lawmaker jo cox 41 a member of the opposition labour party left britain stunned a week before the nation votes on whether to leave the european union the police believe that ms cox who supported keeping britain in the union had been targeted for political reasons according to a person who had been briefed on the investigation
this appears to be an isolated but targeted attack upon jo said dee collins the temporary chief constable for the west yorkshire police she said there was no indication at this stage that anyone else was involved in the attack
ms cox was slain early thursday afternoon after getting out of her car outside the public library in birstall a town in west yorkshire county where she had been scheduled to hold a meeting with constituents the police said friday in their most detailed description of the attack some media accounts citing witnesses said thursday that ms cox had been leaving the library after the meeting when she was attacked
hichem ben abdallah who runs a cafe near the site of the killing said ms coxs attacker had pulled a gun from a bag that  looked like an old sawn off shotgun probably an old vintage one
the attacker he said was shaking it very violently perhaps because it had jammed next minute he fired a shot
mr ben abdallah said he then ran into the cafe and heard another shot a few seconds later after the firing stopped he raced outside
it never crosses your mind that you are going to see your mp on the floor he said she had her head back bleeding and her knees up blood down her legs her hair was ruffed up from when he was pulling at her hair
investigators were looking into witness accounts that mr mair had used the phrase britain first in speaking to ms cox before the shots were fired the accounts suggested that he used the words in the context of a longer statement and not to express support for the far right group known as britain first
issues of immigration and national identity have been central to the occasionally bitter clashes over the referendum on membership in the european union and have resulted in a tone that critics say verges on racism and xenophobia
ms coxs death was the first killing of a sitting member of parliament since 1990 her death brought prime minister david cameron a conservative and the labour leader jeremy corbyn together to the site of the killing to honor her
on thursday night the southern poverty law center which is based in alabama released receipts showing that mr mair had paid 620 for materials from national vanguard books the publishing imprint of a neo nazi organization called the national alliance in 1999 he bought manuals for making a gun and improvised explosives the gun used in the shooting was not homemade according to the person briefed on the investigation who said mr mair also had a hunting knife
in a statement on friday the west yorkshire police said examining mr mairs possible ties to right wing extremism was a priority line of inquiry along with reports of mental illness
both sides in the european union debate suspended campaigning on thursday out of respect for ms cox though vote leave which supports departure from the 28 nation bloc said on friday that it would resume campaigning over the weekend
speaking in birstall mr cameron said he first met ms cox in 2006 in the darfur region of sudan at the time she worked for the humanitarian organization oxfam parliament has lost one of its most passionate and brilliant campaigners he said
mr corbyn called ms coxs killing an attack on democracy blaming the well of hatred
a number of neighbors described mr mair who lived in birstall as quiet and reclusive diana peters a retired nurse said she first met mr mair more than 40 years ago she said he liked to garden and took in stray cats and had told her that he spent most evenings on his computer or watching television
ms peters said she was absolutely devastated to learn of his arrest if you had told me he had turned into father christmas i would have been more likely to believe it she said she recalled that they never ever spoke about politics
kathryn pinnock a liberal democrat councilor from birstall who was appointed to the house of lords in 2014 said she was scheduled to campaign with ms cox on thursday afternoon for britain to remain in the european union
ms pinnock said ms cox had mentioned receiving some very unpleasant messages on social media the west yorkshire police said ms cox had gotten two threats in the past including one of a sexual nature at her offices in london the metropolitan police who protect the capital said ms cox had alerted them in march to malicious communication by a man whom officers detained and released with a warning that man was not the killer the police said
ms cox who would have turned 42 on wednesday was elected to parliament for the district of batley and spen in may 2015 in just over a year she had already established a strong reputation speaking on behalf of refugees children in poverty and children with autism hundreds of people packed st peters church in birstall on thursday night for a memorial service ms coxs husband brendan cox said on friday that a charitable fund had been set up in her memory


senator harry reid and senator mitch mcconnell often have unkind things to say about each others senate leadership skills but mr reid the democratic minority leader from nevada says he is becoming increasingly impressed by mr mcconnells skills of persuasion as the majority leader sort of impressed anyway
in an interview mr reid said he doubted he could have ever persuaded his fellow democrats to go on a fools errand such as stonewalling the supreme court nomination of judge merrick b garland refusing to schedule hearings and in multiple cases deciding against even a courtesy meeting with the nominee
if anybody can get his senators to all agree to go over a cliff and kill themselves thats pretty good mr reid said in his deadpan manner boy i will tell you that guy has a lot more sway with his caucus than i ever had if i ever suggested something as absurd and bizarre as that to my caucus they would revote and kick the hell out of me out of the caucus i mean really
mr reid added that he believed the republican refusal to take up the garland nomination has already put democratic contenders ahead in some senate races
mr mcconnell in his new book the long game did acknowledge that mr reid can be thoughtful friendly and funny
but as soon as the cameras turn on or hes offered a microphone mr mcconnell wrote he becomes bombastic and unreasonable spouting things that are both nasty and often untrue forcing him to later apologize
but it is doubtful that mr reid will want to apologize in this case for complimenting mr mcconnells abilities sort of


the call went out as a code 100 a sex crime a man was masturbating in a gray hyundai near some children on a street in borough park
responding to the radio alert several members of the brooklyn south safety patrol a hasidic watch group hopped into their vehicles and headed toward the scene arriving in their uniforms and skullcaps they surrounded the hyundai but the driver tried to flee when they chased him down and tackled him the man pulled a gun four of the patrolmen   known as shomrim for the hebrew for guards   were injured in the melee in the days that followed they were hailed as heroes by a parade of politicians
that was in september 2010 but within three years as the case of the gunman david flores made its way to court a very different narrative emerged
when mr flores went on trial his lawyer argued that he had not exposed himself but instead had been pre emptively attacked and fired his gun only in self defense an audio recording entered into evidence featured a 911 call from a witness reporting that the shomrim repeatedly kicked mr flores after dragging him from his car
when the jury reached a verdict it acquitted the defendant of assault attempted murder and the underlying lewdness allegation he was convicted only of a gun possession charge as the jurors left the courtroom some of them were so upset they stopped to hug the defendants mother the shomrim cant decide if theyre going to be judge jury and executioner in the middle of the street one of the jurors told the daily news
the flores case was neither the first time nor the last that contradictory stories have been told about the shomrim who since the 1970s have served as a sort of auxiliary police force for the ultra orthodox jews who live in brooklyn neighborhoods like borough park crown heights flatbush and williamsburg
the independent nonprofit groups tend to see themselves as 21st century security outfits charged with protecting an insular population whose culture is rooted in preindustrial europe they use modern tools like twitter feeds and two way radios to chase down burglars guard against vandals find missing alzheimers patients and control crowds at torah processions and other large events
given the communities they serve the shomrim also act as intermediaries for the secular authorities negotiating language barriers and complex social mores for a segment of the citizenry given to speaking yiddish and yet in their desire to be as they like to say the eyes and ears of the police they have occasionally found themselves on the wrong side of the law
last month two men linked to the shomrim in williamsburg admitted taking part in the assault of a black man in their neighborhood and in april as part of a federal inquiry a former member of the borough park shomrim was arrested on charges of trying to secure handgun permits by offering bribes to the police
that investigation led last week to the arrest of norman seabrook the powerful head of the new york city correction officers union who had dealings with an upper west side real estate developer with ties to the new york police department and to mayor bill de blasio several police officials who have come under scrutiny in the investigation had at one time or another held high ranking posts in the 66th police precinct which covers borough park and has in the past come under pressure from the orthodox community
in 1978 a mob angry over the murder of an elderly hasidic man stormed the station house demanding better protection thirty years later a similar crowd destroyed two police cars after a jewish caterer was arrested during a traffic stop
the recent spate of disciplinary actions against police commanders with ties to the precinct or to the patrol command that covers southern brooklyn has focused new attention on the shomrims connections with the police such as official training sessions and informal meals of cholent a traditional barley stew
amid the attention shomrim officials rarely speak to the news media these days but jacob daskal president of the brooklyn south safety patrol agreed to discuss the criticism of the groups he dismissed the recent episodes as the work of a few bad apples who should not tarnish the dozens of upstanding volunteers who regularly break away from jobs or family dinners to assist in say the arrest of a man caught stealing from a charity box
its a very sad reality in our community that you have many people dedicated to helping and a small minority of critics on the sidelines questioning our motives mr daskal said its always the good ones who get criticized
mr daskal and other shomrim leaders said similar things when mr flores was acquitted and a few years earlier when a member of a crown heights shomrim group called the shmira fled to israel to escape charges of beating a black man with a nightstick and a decade before that when two men from another crown heights shomrim were convicted of assaulting another a black man with their radios
the tensions play out in the crowded ethnic landscape of central brooklyn where blacks and hasidim have lived in proximity for decades critics of the shomrim say the groups have leveraged this friction in one of their recruitment videos ordinary scenes from borough park   people shopping a young boy learning torah   are intercut with the image of a black man walking through the neighborhood and eventually stealing a womans purse
every summer for the last six years members of the borough park shomrim and officers from the 66th precinct have come together for a softball game called the greenfield classic the annual event with its free kosher hot dogs and chummy competitive spirit is named for david g greenfield a city councilman who represents the district
they improve police community relations councilman greenfield said of the games hundreds of people show up thats why when you walk down the streets of borough park people have respect for the police
in many hasidic neighborhoods shomrim groups court the police honoring them at breakfasts at kosher bakeries and attending   sometimes planning   retirement affairs for officials who are leaving the department when stephen mcallister took command of the 66th precinct in 2002 a crowd of hasidic men many from the shomrim stood in line for hours at the station house to welcome him
it was a weird but great experience said mr mcallister now the police commissioner in floral park ny all of them came in saying hi im so and so im the most important guy around dont pay any attention to the next guy
in his three years running the precinct commissioner mcallister worked closely with the shomrim and came to respect them as liaisons to a community where he would always be an outsider once he recalled a controversial rabbi came from israel to speak at a synagogue and some angry members of the audience threw eggs i told the shomrim you go into your own people and shut that down he said  if the police had waded into that scenario it could potentially go bad
of course this sort of hands off treatment has led to accusations that the shomrims ties to the police can be corrupting while building relationships with local precincts has been vital for communities where 40 years ago calls to the police might have been dealt with slowly some opponents say that the shomrim have wooed officials into deference
who is really controlling the borough park police station asked joe levin a hasidic private investigator who has clashed with the shomrim its not the nypd
a few years ago mr levin said he handled a divorce case where a husband was beating his wife one day he added the woman was hurt so badly that an ambulance removed her from her home on a stretcher the police and the shomrim were also at the scene he said but no one did a thing when the husband rushed out flipped the stretcher and knocked her to the ground
i saw this with my own eyes   everybody did mr levin said
another case that is mentioned in discussions of the shomrims bonds with the police is that of leiby kletzky an 8 year old boy who in 2011 was murdered after being kidnapped from the streets of borough park leibys parents initially reported his disappearance to the shomrim who waited at least two hours before calling 911 though the killer was eventually arrested raymond w kelly the police commissioner at the time said the delayed notification was a longstanding issue with the shomrim
many shomrim members have attended the police departments citizens police academy a 14 week program where students go through role playing games and policing simulations officials of the organizations say
mr daskal the safety patrol leader in borough park said the shomrim got nothing from their bonds with the police maybe a mitzvah   a blessing   he said or a feeling that our community is safe
but aside from training and certifications the shomrim have received quite a lot in 2012 state senator simcha felder then the citys deputy comptroller helped secure money from the city council for a 300000 mobile command center for mr daskals group the custom truck like some that the police department owns has a 12 person conference room and advanced communications technology this year mr greenfield alone gave 30000 to the borough park shomrim according to a council website other patrons like state assemblyman dov hikind have also earmarked tens of thousands of dollars to the shomrim over the years
were not talking about a lot of money and its money well spent mr hikind said there are real things that the shomrim needs money for   insurance phones vehicles
while mr hikind said the long marriage between the shomrim and the police had been a good one he acknowledged that the relationship had gone through rocky patches
sometimes if you get very close you forget the fact that they are the police and we are the shomrim he said there has to be a barrier has it sometimes not been healthy that could very well be
the case of alex lichtenstein seems like one of those times mr lichtenstein 44 was charged in april with approaching a police officer he knew and offering him thousands of dollars for help obtaining gun permits which are difficult to obtain in new york when the officer met with him a second time according to court papers he was wearing a recording device and caught mr lichtenstein saying he had already paid a contact in the department 6000 apiece for nearly 150 licenses mr lichtenstein suggested court papers say that if the officer assisted him he could earn as much as 900000 a year
according to mr daskal mr lichtenstein joined the shomrim 20 years ago and once served as borough parks liaison to the police department but left the group in 2012 when he moved to suburban rockland county mr daskal said mr lichtenstein occasionally returned to the neighborhood playing in last years greenfield classic where james p oneill the chief of department threw the first pitch but mr daskal said the criminal case involving the gun permits had nothing to do with the shomrim
shortly before 5 am on dec 1 2013 a young black man named taj patterson was walking home through hasidic williamsburg after a night out with his friends mr patterson a fashion student was drunk as he made his way up flushing avenue a local shomrim group received a call about someone vandalizing cars what was soon a throng of more than a dozen people stopped mr patterson on a quiet stretch of flushing in between spencer and walworth streets he resisted there was a scuffle mr patterson soon lay on the ground with a crushed eye socket a torn retina and permanent blindness in his right eye
despite his injuries police interviews with four witnesses and a license plate number of a vehicle that some of the suspects fled in mr pattersons case was quickly marked closed
it was just outrageous said zahra patterson his mother in my heart i feel like there was favoritism with the police when it comes to this community and members of this shomrim group
so mrs patterson approached a friend in the news media who put her in touch with reporters at the news the reporters wrote an article in which mr patterson said his assailants had kicked him and taunted him with homophobic slurs as a crowd cheered them on it was enough to reopen the investigation and four months later five men who prosecutors said were linked to the williamsburg shomrim safety patrol were charged with gang assault and unlawful imprisonment
but within a year of the indictments the case began to falter in march 2015 charges were dismissed against one of the defendants after a witness who initially identified him failed to recognize him in a lineup nine months later charges were dropped for similar reasons against a second defendant
just last month again citing problems with the witnesses the brooklyn district attorneys office reached a deal with two of the three remaining men in which they pleaded guilty to the indictments lowest charge in exchange for serving no prison time the last defendant is set to go on trial in august
disturbed by mr pattersons plight michael lesher a new jersey lawyer wrote an opinion article for the forward last month urging hasidic jews to finally speak out against the shomrim
for too long mr lesher wrote weve allowed a system of jewish run patrols to dominate the heavily orthodox jewish enclaves of brooklyn usurping the role of the official police force with key support from vote hungry politicians despite their record of violence toward non jews
mr lesher who is jewish also questioned the consensus that the watch groups were formed to protect hasidic residents against anti semites or an indifferent secular police force instead he argued the patrols date from a period when the ultra orthodox were already politically ascendant shomrim were never products of jewish vulnerability he wrote they were and are creatures of jewish power
this is a theme that mr pattersons lawyer andrew stoll intends to explore in a lawsuit that accuses the five original defendants of assault and alleges that the williamsburg patrol was negligent in hiring them while the group has said that not all of the men charged in the attack were formal members mr stoll maintained that the difficulties with the criminal case were without question caused by the shomrims ties to the police
to some extent it is true that only a few bad apples have been involved in all these cases mr lesher said in a recent interview most people in them are not out there beating anyone up
the deeper problem he suggested was a vestigial fear in the hasidic community that is used to validate abuses by the shomrim
were not living in ghettos anymore mr lesher said that is a piece of history that only lives in peoples imaginations   but its not what we face today the fact is we now have enough clout to run our own semiofficial police forces and we do


orlando fla   the night was a getaway a young woman fresh out of high school was on vacation with her cousin and close friend dancing without a care it was latin night at the gay nightclub she had suggested that the three come here and was so excited that she sprang onto a stage to dance as strangers tossed dollar bills her way
the night was a reunion two old friends who had drifted apart bumped into each other in the swirl of salsa and hip hop beats on the dance floor they apologized hugged made plans to have lunch the next day as they got ready to leave one of them joked about being so young the span of years lying before them
the night was a party at the back bar another three friends sipped their final drinks of the night   vodka soda and lime a vodka and red bull   and scrawled playful notes to the bartender on their receipt sexy kitten you the best
the night was ending just before 2 am a dj on the club patio was spinning reggae to wind things down then a noise firecrackers the dj lowered the volume
gunshots
jeannette mccoy was standing at the bar when the room exploded boom boom boom she said
she was hit with a flurry of debris as bullets tore into walls and plaster a woman next to her was shot and ms mccoy 37 ran for the patio climbing over people tripping over them as they crouched to avoid the spray of bullets trying somehow to brace her body to take the bullet she feared was coming her way
when she got outside she ran to the front of the club now crowded with police officers and scores of the wounded and im screaming at them to go in the building she said she found a friend juan who had been shot in the leg she took off her shirt and used it to stanch the bleeding
angel colon was hit three times in the leg as he raced for the door he fell and was trampled by fleeing patrons as he tried to get back up his left leg was shattered all he could do was lie on the floor hearing screams and bangs as the gunman left the room when he returned he started shooting people on the floor to make sure they were dead
i look over and he shoots the girl next to me mr colon said speaking to reporters at orlando regional medical center this week where he was being treated and im just there laying down and im thinking im next im dead so i dont know how but by the glory of god he shoots toward my head but it hits my hand and then he shoots me again and it hits the side of my hip i had no reaction i was just prepared to just stay there laying down so he wont know that im alive
the gunman turned his attention to arriving police officers exchanging gunfire before backing off to another room one officer dragged mr colon through broken glass to the street and then to a nearby wendys
i wish i could remember his face or his name mr colon said of the officer im grateful for him
eighty miles away in spring hill fla santos rodriguez was up late playing rainbow six siege a first person shooter video game when his phone lit up with texts from his older brother jeff
i beenx shot at club... dying i love u
dead bodies on top of me... tell everyone i lovethrm
huh santos replied
theirs was a relationship of sarcasm santos said always cracking jokes this had to be another one
but jeff who was bleeding persisted
love u
santos 29 searched the internet and saw it was no joke he woke his parents told his wife to watch the children and raced to orlando skimming across the dark freeway at 100 miles per hour
it wasnt until 7 that night that the family found out that jeff rodriguez 37 had survived
as leydiana puyarena raced from the gunshots people fell around her some tugging at her feet and pulling off her shoes
ms puyarena 33 saw a woman standing frozen looking back toward the shots she grabbed the woman and they ducked into one of the bathrooms in the club the one closest to the back patio she tried to listen over the panicked noise of the 15 people in the bathroom telling the others to calm down or they would all die
she sat on the toilet huddled with the bloodied group she heard gunshots she heard the gunman screaming in what sounded like a foreign language she heard the gunshots getting closer
god forgive me for everything that ive done she prayed take care of my kids please
the gunman never came into their bathroom she said and after about half an hour ms puyarena said she looked to a man next to her and they decided to try to run but as they got up to leave she said a police officer banged on the bathroom door the officer rushed them out through a back exit
it was only after she was outside that an officer pointed out her bloody left calf and she realized she had been shot only then did the pain set in
stanley almodovar iii 23 was shot three times staggered out of the club and fell to the ground he was one of 49 people killed
when norman casiano 25 heard the shots he dropped to the floor and crawled toward the two bathrooms at the back of the club he crammed himself into a handicapped stall with maybe 20 others
a young man stumbled into the bathroom bleeding and groped toward the stall mr casiano tried to pull him in underneath the partition but there were just so many people and the young man was in such pain mr casiano tried to reassure him saying that maybe the gunman wouldnt find them in the bathroom
he looks me in the eye and said i dont want to die i dont want to die  mr casiano said
then the gunman was in the bathroom he laughed
i just hear one solid gunshot and you see the boy just completely you saw the life leave him
he started shooting at the stall two shots pierced mr casiano another cut down a young woman who had been standing next to him people begged him to stop to spare them trying to assure him they hadnt seen his face he reached his gun over the stall wall and shot into the cluster of people
as the screaming died down people slumped to the floor some were playing dead others were not playing
when the gunman left the bathroom mr casiano knew it was time to go he climbed out of the stall stepping on bodies to make it out he saw flashlights from police officers who were trying to penetrate the club and rescue people he escaped it was less than an hour into the three hour siege
akyra monet murray 18 was celebrating her high school graduation on a weeklong vacation from philadelphia with her cousin tiara parker and her close friend patience carter both 20
ms murray a basketball point guard who wanted to study criminology and ms carter a new york university student had made it out of the club but when they realized that ms parker was not with them they went back in for her i told her lets get tiara weve got to get tiara  ms carter said at a news conference at florida hospital orlando recalling her words to ms murray
when they realized their way out was blocked the three retreated to the cramped bathroom struggling to fit their bodies inside an overcrowded stall
the gunman entered the bathroom grumbling that his gun had jammed ms parker said in an interview some of the people around her thought they could seize the opportunity and rush him but as they tried to open the stall door he began shooting hitting the three young women and many others
ms carter fell to the floor her femur shattered by a bullet
over the course of the siege the gunman asked his hostages if they knew about the shooting last year in south carolina in which a white man had killed nine african americans inside a prominent black church ms parker said he got on the phone with the authorities pledged his allegiance to the islamic state and said he had enough bombs to light up a city block ms parker said then he asked about race the three women are black
he asked if there are any black people in here i was too afraid to answer ms carter said but there was an african american man in the stall where most of my body was and he said yes there are about 6 or 7 of us and the gunman responded by saying you know i dont have a problem with black people this is about my country you guys have suffered enough 
all through this the three women devised a signal to show one another they were still alive they began patting one another on the arm scratching a wrist grasping a hand and waiting for an answered grip for three hours pat pat pat pat a morse code of silent touches
every time a phone rang or a text message went off he would say give it up where is it  ms carter said when someone elses phone rang he demanded to have it she slid hers out from the stall hoping to appease him finally right before the police burst in there was another round of gunfire someone shielded ms carters body with his or her own taking a bullet to spare her
ms murray was bleeding and the last time ms parker saw her was as the police broke through the walls of the bathroom and pulled ms parker away as they left the club she said she pleaded with them to take ms murray out first on monday morning the family learned she was listed among the dead
ms carter racked with guilt is second guessing herself if i would have just told akyra to stay outside she said her voice trailing off
ms parker knows everything that happened is all too real but sometimes it does not feel quite that way ms murrays things are still in their vacation condo the family is still in this palm fringed world they had dreamed of visiting for the past six months
i want her to just walk through that front door ms parker said i didnt expect her to leave me like this its not real to me i know it but i dont believe it


chappaqua ny   first came the grimaces   the disbelieving eyes trained upon his shirt his signs his car window stickers broadcasting a local betrayal
then his teenage son refused to drive the family car without redecorating hiding the three make america great again hats that usually sit atop the dashboard
and there are deeper indignities still   more piercing than any parking lot glowering or dinner table slight   when john nadler feels the full weight of his status as americas loneliest supporter of donald j trump acquaintances in the hometown mr nadler has known for nearly three decades will not look him in the eye
people ive known for years mr nadler 63 said just nod or wink or something anything
across the country every election introduces a measure of neighborly strain allegiances splinter eyes roll conversations curdle
but mr nadlers case is unique his neighbors include bill and hillary clinton perched behind a white fence about a mile away on old house lane and the town is proud and fiercely protective of its most famous residents
we love her said dawn greenberg the founder of chappaqua friends of hillary before adding a clintonian hedge she reportedly loves us back
mr nadler is unmoved focusing his daily energies almost exclusively on helping to defeat mrs clinton and extolling her opponents virtues
he was jeered last month at the towns beloved memorial day parade where the clintons marched to warm applause mr nadler abandoned his plan to approach the former president and ask him to put on a trump hat
he has taken local administrators to task for prominently displaying images of the clintons on the town website
he has founded an opposition group on facebook neighbors of hillary clinton in chappaqua for donald trump for president whose hundreds of members mostly live elsewhere
his connection to the candidate he said is unmistakable
we have a symbiotic understanding trump and i he said its spooky in a way
it is an admiration fostered over many decades trained in engineering and building construction mr nadler   a bronx native who shuns the boootiques of chappaqua but not the accent of his youth   has followed mr trumps career since the 1970s dazzled by his redevelopment of the commodore hotel now the grand hyatt in midtown manhattan
he tracked mr trumps ups and downs personal and professional in the news he never missed an episode of the apprentice
mr nadler with thinning hair and an iced tea stain on his white polo shirt was once something of a hippie playing folk music in central park as a teenager and identifying most strongly with democrats like the kennedys he never took to the clintons though he said the former president was gracious once when mr nadler introduced himself and his son at a supermarket
he could charm the pants off a snake mr nadler said
speaking from his back porch mr nadler described a lifetime of hard and often physical labor interrupted in recent years after a fall from a ladder that left him with a broken hip
mr trump he said is the candidate he has been waiting for he identified several parallels between himself and the presumptive republican nominee
there is rhetorical strategy he has exaggerated to compensate for people who dont like him mr nadler said i do that too
there is the nose for deal making being in construction ive negotiated he reasoned
and when mr trump announced his bid last year railing against unauthorized immigrants and promising a wall mr nadler marveled at how similar their instincts were
a lot of things i said i mentioned isis i mentioned obama with refugees and illegals mr nadler said
seeking an analogy mr nadler invoked the 1988 movie twins the story of physically mismatched brothers separated at birth mr nadler is the danny devito character in his telling with mr trump as arnold schwarzenegger
across town where mr nadler has long earned a reputation as a gadfly he has found little solidarity
along almost every stretch of this exclusive hamlet there is a clinton story   the injured boy whose cast was signed by mr clinton the salon on king street that styles mrs clintons hair the time a little girl chased the clinton family dog into the back of a security vehicle
locals cheer the famous family at langes little store and delicatessen where mr clinton is known to prefer fruit salad and a honey bran muffin and at hip kid boutique which keeps a hillary sign tucked discreetly beneath the register
democrats enjoy an overwhelming voter registration advantage in the upscale zip code and since the clintons purchased their home in 1999 even many voters who lean right like mr nadler have come to appreciate the couples affection for this woodsy patch of new york real estate and its quaint downtown some 35 miles from the city
not everybody wears their politics on their sleeve said robert j greenstein the town supervisor for new castle which includes chappaqua he tends to
the rest of mr nadlers family is less vocal his wife maria has embraced mr trump if not her husbands dedication which has elevated his status in several trump centric facebook groups and online chats
my infamous husband sighed ms nadler a teacher its consumed a lot of his time
her most daring act of political protest came at a diner she said when she flashed a menacing glare at gov andrew m cuomo who lives in nearby mount kisco and supports mrs clinton
mr nadlers 17 year old son stephen the youngest of their three children remains the homes chief trump skeptic
i find it hard to believe the side that says hes very intelligent he said from the front seat recently with his father driving
he has a 156 iq mr nadler shot back his source was not immediately clear
the teenager said the familys chevy tahoe is now more famous than its owner appearing often in the snapchat videos of high school friends who are surprised at its trimmings mr nadler has glued some of his pro trump stickers to the back window to prevent theft
another aesthetic choice   mr nadlers plot to frame and hang a trump sign inside the house   was felled by spousal veto
surely ms nadler said there are other trump supporters in their midst but they have remained perhaps wisely a virtually silent minority
were quiet ms nadler said except for john


people have flocked to the small headstone for years leaving flowers and love notes at what they believe is the final resting place of the man who inspired leonardo dicaprios doomed character jack dawson in the 1997 film titanic and you can see why the inscription reads j dawson died april 15 1912
not quite though while the grave does belong to a victim of the worlds best known shipwreck he was not a handsome artist named jack who won his passage in a poker game but an engine room worker named joseph who probably had little time for onboard dalliances the producer of the film denies any connection between the crewman and the fictional heartthrob
mr dawson is one of 121 people from the titanic buried at fairview lawn cemetery in halifax nova scotia their graves arranged in the shape of a ships hull it is the largest collection of titanic graves in the world an additional 29 are buried in two more local cemeteries
this somber stewardship came about largely by chance halifax happened to be the closest major port with good rail connections when the ship sank 700 nautical miles away in the north atlantic
three ships sent from halifax to find the titanics dead recovered more than 300 bodies about 100 were buried at sea but families who could afford the cost had 59 others transported elsewhere by rail the rest were buried locally some of them attended to by a funeral home that is still in business
titanic devotees travel to halifax for the maritime museum of the atlantic which holds a large collection of artifacts from the wreck including a deck chair a balustrade from the ships main staircase and the leather shoes of a drowned toddler who remained unidentified until 2007
about 160000 people visit the museum each year a figure that reached 220000 just after the film came out fairview lawn cemetery became so inundated with tour buses that it barred them from the grounds a few years ago visitors on foot are still welcome
richard macmichael a coordinator at the museum said that 104 years later people still have intense feelings about the ocean liner and its fate
the story is the greatest self perpetuating phenomenon in human history he said the titanic is one of those things thats never going to leave our consciousness


aughnacloy northern ireland   with nothing to mark the point where one country ends and another begins there is little sign of the border between the united kingdom and ireland a frontier that was once controlled by military checkpoints
at the diamond bakery and tearoom in aughnacloy customers can pay in british pounds or the euros used in ireland and visitors often ask the staff members which country they are in
glenn robinson who owns a nearby computer business said that he had made two journeys into ireland that day and that one of his employees commutes to work from there you dont see it as a border he added
yet this least intrusive of frontiers could become a lot more visible if britain votes next week to leave the european union quitting a 28 nation bloc in which its neighbor ireland will remain
customs posts could spring up again as could some form of immigration controls to prevent migrants from using northern ireland as a backdoor route to the rest of britain and the possibility of a hard border with ireland is just one of the issues thrown up for britains regions by the vote on thursday
polls suggest that voters in scotland and northern ireland are likely to favor remaining in the european union while their english counterparts appear to be leaning in favor of leaving views in wales are thought to be consistent with those in england
yet the scots and the northern irish could find themselves unwillingly outside the european union if their votes are outweighed by those of the more numerous english
a british exit known as brexit would most likely stoke renewed pressure in scotland for independence from britain   an idea rejected in a 2014 referendum but one that has not gone away
a vote to leave the bloc would also put northern ireland on the external frontier of the european union and it would present challenges to the formal and informal integration of north and south that has accelerated in the wake of the complex 1998 peace agreement that defused the long sectarian conflict between pro british protestants and pro irish catholics in the north
in doing so it could risk reversing a process during which in the words of mary mcaleese a former irish president customs and border controls have melted away while northern ireland is unlikely to opt for new constitutional arrangements with the british government in london and the irish government in dublin anytime soon were it to feel the cold winds of a serious economic downturn after a british divorce from europe there might be a new political dynamic there she added
even a vote to remain could have constitutional implications if scottish and northern irish votes swung a close result in favor of staying antagonizing english supporters of leaving
such outcomes could force voters to re examine what binds england scotland wales and northern ireland
the uk is in some ways inherently unstable because of the mixture of different national groupings and also the asymmetry of the size of england relative to the others said andrew blick lecturer in politics and contemporary history at kings college london
in northern ireland which remained part of the united kingdom after ireland became independent nearly a century ago the prospect of pulling out of the european union has provoked fierce debate
two former british prime ministers john major a conservative and tony blair of the labour party have predicted that withdrawal from europe would mean the return of border controls between the north and the south and could undermine a peace process that healed decades of violence in northern ireland at risk mr major said is the complicated and multilayered constitutional settlement that underpins the present stability in northern ireland
his assertion was rejected as highly irresponsible by theresa villiers the secretary of state for northern ireland a british cabinet member who supports leaving the european union   unlike the leader of her conservative party prime minister david cameron who wants britain to remain ms villiers said she believed it would be possible to keep an open land border with ireland
but some form of customs controls seems very likely given that britain and ireland would no longer be members of the same trade bloc and given the focus placed on curbing migration by pro brexit campaigners it would be logical to recreate immigration controls for people entering northern ireland there are none between northern ireland and mainland britain
the debate has stirred memories of life in aughnacloy during the years known as the troubles when the sectarian conflict led to violence and a large british military presence
stephen salley an architect grew up here in the days when it hosted a british army base when several fatal shootings took place and when military helicopters often hovered overhead sometimes causing domestic chaos by blowing soot down the chimney of his family home
in those days mr salley rarely traveled to ireland and he worries that todays easy mobility could be impaired i dont think it would be exactly the same as it is now   there would have to be more controls he said
in scotland advocates of independence suggest that a decision to leave the european union would generate political pressure for another referendum on scotland breaking away from britain scotland is now dominated politically by the scottish national party which is dedicated to independence though the partys leader nicola sturgeon has been vague about whether she would move quickly to seek another referendum in the event of a decision by britain to leave the european union
if we are taken out of the eu then a lot of scots would want to be taken out of the uk said henry mcleish a former first minister of scotland from the opposition labour party
yet with most senior scottish politicians wanting to remain in the european union the referendum appears a strangely muted affair in scotland   a pale shadow of the independence plebiscite of 2014 that divided friends and families
humza yousaf a minister in the scottish government and a rising star of the scottish national party said scots were turned off by the debate in england with its focus on immigration its warring among english conservative politicians and what he described as a negative smearing name calling scaremongering type of campaign
migration is not as hot an issue in scotland as in england because fewer people have entered the country from the continent immigrants have been better dispersed and their labor is needed to sustain the scottish population said mr yousaf who was born in scotland to immigrant parents
he is more cautious than some colleagues such as the former scottish national party leader alex salmond who has predicted a rapid second referendum on scottish independence if england drags scotland out of the european union
in the 2014 scottish independence referendum it was assumed that both countries would stay in the european union were england to quit the bloc while scotland wished to remain their relationship would be more complex
there are clearly questions that would be asked about the currency question about the border question mr yousaf said adding that while circumstances would be different from 2014 the potential complications could be successfully addressed


hong kong   an american man who had been convicted of growing marijuana in taiwan killed himself in a courtroom after he was sentenced to a four year prison term according to court officials
the man tyrel martin marhanka 41 slashed his throat with a pair of scissors on thursday the changhua district court said in a written statement he was rushed to a hospital but could not be saved
he had been convicted of growing marijuana at his home in changhua in central taiwan and of importing marijuana and opium poppy seeds a prison term of up to seven years was possible but the court gave him the lesser sentence because he had not sold marijuana and was growing it for his own use
when a court interpreter told mr marhanka the sentence he replied four years the taipei times reported quoting witnesses he said he did not want to appeal
i dont want to live anymore he said taking out two metal objects apparently a disassembled pair of scissors and then cutting his neck the newspaper reported
the court expressed deep regret an initial inquiry found a magazine that he seemed to have used to conceal the scissors a metal detector apparently did not uncover them the court said that the building did not have enough space for a more advanced scanner but that it would install x ray machines in a new building
mr marhanka was not in detention before the hearing and did not show suicidal impulses the court said mr marhanka had a wife and two children in taiwan and had lived there for several years he had worked as an english teacher but his neighbors said he lost his job after he was charged in the marijuana case the central news agency reported
his death is likely to raise questions about security in taiwans judicial system last year inmates in southern taiwan used scissors from a workshop to take guards hostage they broke into a prison armory to seize firearms which six inmates used to kill themselves


rome   when it was founded seven years ago the five star movement was the voice of anti establishment protest in italy and its biggest voice was the movements often bombastic founder and president the comedian beppe grillo
today it is a measure of the movements maturity that its most prominent new face may be virginia raggi a 37 year old lawyer and municipal councilor who appears poised to become romes mayor in a runoff election on sunday
in a first round of voting almost two weeks ago ms raggi a lawyer whose campaign website describes her as a catholic and bicycle enthusiast got more than 35 percent of the vote but not enough to win outright she now faces roberto giachetti a longtime lawmaker backed by italys governing party the democrats in a runoff on sunday
how ms raggi came this far despite her relative inexperience she was first elected three years ago has much to do with the widespread disenchantment with traditional political parties that still pervades in italy
but it is also an acknowledgment that the five star movement has positioned itself as a viable option for moderate voters with the ultimate goal of leading the country
i think voters see us as an alternative they understand were not just a protest movement ms raggi said in a recent interview in her electoral office in rome
ms raggis campaign has been decidedly more restrained than the take no prisoners approach of mr grillo who has grown detached from the movement   even removing his name from the party logo   apparently in an effort to let it step outside his outsize shadow
hes said for some time that he was stepping aside ms raggi said in the meantime the movement has grown and is able to walk with its own legs
still the movement has not lost its bite and continues to denounce the political and institutional classes and to demand their renewal with a new generation unsoiled by what it views as the countrys corrupt establishment
in the two houses of parliament where it holds 126 of 945 seats the movement has ceaselessly censured government policies and produced numerous though often ignored bills to push its agenda that includes a referendum on the euro a guaranteed income for all environmental sustainability and free access to the internet for italian citizens
the movement has elected mayors in 15 cities including parma and livorno receiving mixed reviews a five star movement mayoral candidate is in a runoff election in turin but rome is the main prize a steppingstone to a direct challenge to prime minister matteo renzi
like other candidates ms raggi has peppered her pledges about local administration with hints of the movements broader vision for the country she attributes her success so far to years of grass roots campaigning and political activism
but her good showing was also undoubtedly helped by back to back political disappointments and unfulfilled promises first with the center right government of mayor gianni alemanno now standing trial for corruption then with the center left government of ignazio marino who resigned after two years under the shadow of fiscal improprieties rome has been run by a commissioner since november
both the left and right have been tainted by the mafia capitale scandal in which a de facto criminal organization infiltrated various aspects of romes municipal services
born and raised in rome where she studied law ms raggi works as a civil lawyer in a rome studio and lives in a suburban area with her son matteo her political activity dates from 2011 just after his birth when she understood that she couldnt sit back any longer and just watch she said in the interview
in the spirit of mothers who want to change the world for their children she became involved with a neighborhood group and then with the movement
her challenge if elected will be to show that she and the movement can govern a city as complex and problematic as rome
by all accounts italys capital is a mess the transportation system is hobbled and nearly bankrupt the government administration is bloated public works remain unfinished and streets are filled with potholes garbage collection is spotty municipal debt has soared to at least 13 billion euros about 146 billion and could be much higher even as romans pay the highest property taxes in italy
we dont know what the debt is theres never been an audit said paola taverna a movement senator who has been advising ms raggi
even worse suburban areas of the city have been neglected and their problems must be addressed urgently according to daniela de leo a professor of urban planning at sapienza university of rome
we have to counterbalance the deficiencies and disparity that have made rome unlivable for entire sectors of the population ms de leo said warning of a potential chain reaction that could have even more widespread decline potholes are just the tip of the iceberg
for many the five star movement   which has made honesty and legality its political calling card   is a way to break with the system that led to the citys decline
we have unmasked a falsely democratic system where left and right alternate and assist each other to preserve the status quo said fabio massimo castaldo a five star movement member of the european parliament
though ms raggi has a significant lead over mr giachetti pollsters said sundays vote was difficult to call
in a runoff personalities more than political parties count said enzo risso the research director of swg a trieste based market research firm voters will opt for the force of change identified in raggi or giachettis greater governing experience its very complex
already some of ms raggis proposals like encouraging the use of washable diapers to decrease garbage and a return to a barter system for low income families have raised eyebrows her opposition to bidding for the 2024 olympics   which she said was not a priority given the problems rome faces   brings howls of protest from those who see the olympics as a financial boon
ms raggi has been accused of being controlled by the milanese consulting firm that co founded the movement and her intense consultations with other elected members has been criticized as showing a lack of independence
she bristles at the charge that she is under anyones thumb competence before nepotism has been the guiding light of her choices she said as she prepared her team of city hall councilors
its positive to have the opinion of other competent people who share your vision she said


pilzone italy   it was a long held dream but finally this week the conceptual artist christo walked on water
on thursday he tried out his latest project the floating piers a walkway stretching three kilometers or nearly two miles that connects two small islands in lake iseo in italys lombardy region to each other and to the mainland
christo stepped out on the floating walkway of puckered yellow orange nylon fabric designed to change color according to the time of the day and the weather on thursday it was pockmarked with bright orange blotches left by footsteps treading on the rain drenched fabric
its actually very painterly like an abstract painting but it will change all the time christo 81 a bulgarian born american said of his project
the floating piers is his first outdoor installation since 2005 when he and jeanne claude his collaborator and wife installed 7500 saffron paneled gates in central park in new york city like his other environmental artworks which try to reframe familiar landscapes the 15 million euro project or 168 million will be funded through the sale of his original drawings and collages
i think this is a record in the history of christos special projects because he and the team realized it in 22 months normally it takes decades the curator germano celant the projects director said so i will say that its an italian and american miracle at the same time
walking on the floating pier as i discovered is akin to being on a lightly rocking boat without feeling wary about suddenly toppling over should a strong wave arrive shoes are optional and its probably worth taking them off at least for a moment to feel the fabrics texture there is a layer of felt beneath the saffron cover when wet the walkway is a little squishy when sunny it should feel warm to the toes
look christo said pointing to a juncture where two pathways joined to form a bright saffron colored v contrasting against the deep blue of the lake you see it falls in that way so you can see the movement he said its actually breathing
getting the walkway to both gently undulate and remain securely affixed to the uneven lake bottom was a feat that has occupied engineers construction companies french deep sea divers and even a team of bulgarian athletes drafted over the past two years the walkway is assembled from 220000 high density polyethylene cubes that form its 16 meter wide 53 feet spine covered this week with a waterproof and stain resistant fabric made by a german company for the project
each project is like a slice of our lives christo said and part of something that i will never forget
from saturday through july 3 the project will be open and free to the public 24 hours a day with a legion of boat hands lifeguards monitors and information officers standing guard to avert unintentional dips in the lake
its really a physical thing you need to be there walking it on the streets here christo said and its demanding the route which laps around the small island of san paolo also includes pedestrian areas in the towns of sulzano on the mainland and peschiera maraglio on monte isola an islet rising out of the lake
the project he said is all this   the piers the lake the mountains with the sun the rain the wind its part of the physicality of the project you have to live it
i know these projects are totally irrational totally useless he added the world can live without them nobody needs them only me and jeanne claude she always made the point that they exist because we like to have them and if others like them its only a bonus
christo whose full name is christo javacheff and his wife who died in 2009 envisaged a floating piers project 46 years ago when they were approached by an argentine art historian who suggested the rio de la plata basin in south america as a site but the plans fell through drawings for that version are on display at the museo di santa giulia in nearby brescia
in 1995 they considered reviving it in tokyo bay but that project too was never realized yet christo was determined some projects remain in your heart he said
apart from the sporadic protests of labor unions and a national environmental organization that was worried about the impact on the lake the italian project went smoothly after local officials and administrators came on board
christo said it was about positively exploiting the incredible chemistry of humans from all walks of life each member of the team focusing energy on something that does not exist   to the point where it does he was also relieved that there was never a discussion with officials about installing a safety fence along the sides of the walkway allowing visitors to walk to the edge of the water the moment you have a parapet forget it he said the feeling of walking on water is gone
other concerns about the ability of a small lake community to deal with the avalanche of visitors that the walkway is expected to draw   an estimated 40000 people a day   appear to have been muted for now by enthusiasm for the project lake iseo is perhaps northern italys least famous lake overshadowed by the neighboring lake garda but hotels and other lodging options here and in nearby towns are nearly booked for the duration of the run
lake iseo wont be the same after this event said fiorello turla the mayor of monte isola monte isola will change skin as its exposure to the global spotlight puts it on the map he added its a great opportunity that weve been given and that we want to seize and bring forward
at the close of its 16 day run the walkway will be dismantled and its parts recycled and resold the important part of this project is the temporary part the nomadic quality christo said the work needs to be gone because i do not own the work no one does this is why it is free


sodertalje sweden   when elisabeth and peter sjogren decided to retreat from city life in stockholm they searched for their dream home in the country elisabeth a regional planner yearned to take up gardening and cooking   and live in a sunny rustic setting finding nothing suitable peter gave his wife an architectural consultation for her 60th birthday in 2005 plans fell into place and within three years their dream home became a reality
garden house   on the outskirts of sodertalje 26 miles southwest of central stockholm   is configured in a triangle and wrapped by a trellised vertical garden gardens exist on three sides as well as a dramatic winter garden sunroom and a rooftop sundeck with a view of lake malaren swedens third largest beyond the plotline lies a vast stretch of dry brush heather and boulders which the couple sometimes climb when heading to the lake a 15 minute walk away
we have sun on all sides said mrs sjogren whose front garden   called swedish summer dream   is planted with black and red currants gooseberry bushes and apple trees planted in the back garden which has a japanese theme are rhododendrons asian rowans and japanese cherries that surround a bubbling pond and three bird feeders attracting finches magpies woodpeckers and doves
while strong winds and sandy soil hinder lush greenery on the south facade the couple are pleased this was my last chance to have a newly built home and grow a garden said mrs sjogren who grew up in the countryside i want to be out working with my hands mr sjogren a retired encyclopedia editor calls himself the homestead farm hand responsible for all heavy lifting and clearing he also barbecues on his weber jokingly tagging it on to the so called swedish dream of a villa a volvo and a vovve dog
from their architects perspective the garden concept had to take precedence our focus was not on the building but rather on the garden as the primary space said bolle tham the stockholm architect who together with his partner martin videgard have won architectural awards for eclectic conceptual design including a district award for this project
what was left over became the house he said
because the 1200 square meter or 12900 square foot site included a steep slope the architects needed an infill for their three sided footprint that would avoid the dilemma of a shady northern side while at the same time creating a particularly long southern facade their solution a concrete wall was initially opposed by neighbors as unsightly while the complaints have stopped the sjogrens still struggle with climbing vines that dont easily grip the wall in dry windy conditions
within the 180 square meter envelope of interior space the architects created an airy open plan ground floor where spring and summer light streams into full length windows sliding glass doors and a glassed sunroom   the homes third corner   that is mrs sjogrens favorite place to read and relax she said that the homes eco friendly design blurs the boundary between house and garden
the homes first front corner is lined with floor to ceiling bookshelves while other walls are notably left as exposed plywood   a feature mr videgard says extends the inner logic of being close to nature adorning those walls is an upright piano as well as several artworks and a specially designed nook for a sculpture made in secret by her uncle during the nazi occupation of paris
tucked into the second corner is a simple galley kitchen with smeg appliances accented by apple green counters and backsplashes and a large island with extra storage and counter space that doubles as a buffet when entertaining they also scouted out a dishwasher with two drawers that operate independently
within the main living space separated by a partial interior wall two round glass tables   one a heirloom   sit on colorful carpets atop a gray concrete floor each has four chairs including a set of artek armchairs by the finnish designer alvar aalto its here that the couple enjoy morning coffee and homemade jams on toast along with sweeping views of both gardens weve seen moose deer hare and red foxes said mr sjogren who also keeps an eye out for the wild boar that are known to destroy neighboring gardens
the upstairs level also lined in oiled plywood includes mr sjogrens office a bedroom reserved for visits by the couples 12 year old grandson and the main bedroom with a balcony facing onto the sunroom when it gets hot i can open the balcony doors to catch a cross breeze said mrs sjogren noting the home has no air conditioning its my romeo and juliet balcony
a staircase positioned behind the interior wall links the levels and is cordoned by a soccer goal net held taut in an aluminum frame and extending to the rooftop terrace door the net is a very simple straightforward way to solve the need for security and openness mr tham said
standard materials used throughout the house also kept costs down a lot of money went into the garden explained mr videgard and that lowered the budget for the house running costs he said are also low especially because of an inexpensive heat pump
while the owners declined to reveal the projects price tag mrs sjogren says she believes her architects reputation has lifted its modest value thats despite concerns about the heavy migrant influx into nearby sodertalje one of swedens oldest cities dating from the 11th century and a current magnet for syriac christians from syria and iraq
separately the firm tham  videgard is creating swedens most sought after home based on data analysis called the hemnet home it is a byproduct of analyzing 200 million clicks and 86000 properties on hemnet a popular property site the statistics provide average values that determine size price number of rooms while the exterior merges swedens two iconic facades   the red wooden cottage and the white functionalist box the first homes will be ready in 2017
that approaches the time when the sjogrens may consider selling garden house to stay we have to be two and we have to be healthy said mrs sjogren fearing harsh future winters when they must shovel snow every morning going into the project we thought we could stay 10 years   almost for sure   and 15 maybe of course we would be really happy with 20


wadhurst england   the imposing marling house is an unusual home to find in the county of east sussex in southeast england the seven bedroom house is the larger portion of a victorian country mansion according to nick kimber the area sales partner at the real estate agency chewton rose
most of the period properties in this part of the country are either very old elizabethan houses with much smaller rooms and lower ceilings or edwardian homes which also have much smaller proportions he said marling house is victorian but has more of a georgian style with high ceilings and large windows
refurbished in keeping with its age by its owners simon and amanda dunn marling house with an asking price of 15 million pounds or 21 million sits on approximately two and a half acres on the edge of the village of wadhurst overlooking the undulating and protected landscape of the high weald
classified as an area of outstanding natural beauty by the international union for the conservation of nature this 564 square mile stretch of wooded rolling hills covers parts of kent and surrey as well as east and west sussex
we have been here for 15 years now said mr dunn a corporate financial adviser one of the main attractions for us was the position of the house it is set back with these beautiful views over the extensive gardens and parkland grounds as well as the weald and we are within walking distance of both wadhurst village and the mainline station which is a wonderful asset the train journey from wadhurst to central london is just under one hour
marling house has 5610 square feet of living space in three stories in addition to the main residence there is also a detached 455 square foot double garage with a 317 square foot game room or studio above
the main house dates back to the mid 19th century and is believed to have been built by an industrialist mr dunn said it still retains many of its beautiful original features from sash windows and shutters to stripped floorboards and fireplaces it also benefits from a spacious cellar with a high ceiling where there are three rooms that we use as a wine cellar for the storage of sports equipment and as a laundry
a lobby with circular windows leads into the generous entrance hall at the center of the property which has a wooden floor and open fireplace as well as the original elegant staircase and banister this leads to a 490 square foot farmhouse style kitchen and breakfast room with an aga range painted cupboards a central island and granite work surfaces
we did extend this part of the house to create a space that was a living kitchen mr dunn said there are now french windows in here opening on to a double terrace where it is nice to have breakfast
the hall also leads to a 177 square foot sitting room which in turn opens to a grand 583 square foot drawing and dining room with an inglenook fireplace deep skirting boards cornicing and seven sets of sash windows
apparently this was added by a previous owner for his daughters coming out party mr dunn said it has a sprung floor making it superb for dancing we do not use it every day but it comes into its own at certain times of year such as christmas easter and other family occasions
there are five bedrooms and two bathrooms on the second floor of the house at 350 square feet and encompassing a bay window the east facing master bedroom is particularly spacious stairs from the generous landing then lead up to the third floor where there are two more bedrooms and another shower room
the house is so large that people can have the peace and privacy to do whatever they like whether that is getting on with schoolwork or playing the piano we have five children and even when everyone is home and the house is full it works very well mr dunn said it is also a splendid party house
the grounds at marling house include a private driveway and mature parkland gardens as well as a tennis court timber garden room chicken coop vegetable patch and a fruit cage


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1 russia was hit with an extraordinary punishment for its doping scandals the governing body for track and field barred the russian team from the rio olympics president vladimir putin denounced the decision as politically motivated it appears possible that the international olympic committee might ease or amend the suspension when it meets on tuesday

2 britains shock over the killing of a member of parliament deepened with reports that the 52 year old suspect had ties to far right and neo nazi groups and may have suffered from mental illness the victim jo cox had been urging britons to vote to stay in the european union and had been receiving threats ahead of next weeks brexit vote

3 the senates most moderate republican susan collins of maine drafted a compromise gun control measure that aims to sidestep partisan stalemates it would ban gun sales to a smaller portion of people who are on the terrorism watch list than the democrats current proposal but more than the existing republican plan

4 this is the most uplifting story weve read in awhile a construction worker happened to get in a new york taxi driven by an old colleague   and found out that the city had been trying to find him for years to award him 50000 he was cheated out of by a former employer and he in turn tracked down three other affected men   all immigrants   who got the same awards you never know the things that may be going on inside cabs rolling through the bronx our columnist wrote

5 george w bush has quietly returned to politicking the former president is helping a handful of republican senators with re election campaigns that have been complicated by the rise of donald trump mr trump is heading to rallies in arizona this weekend but a planned meeting with navajo indians has been thrown into question over his use of the term pocahontas to deride senator elizabeth warren

6 the nba fined stephen curry and the golden state warriors coach 25000 each for outbursts over officiating in game 6 of the playoffs on thursday night curry threw his mouthguard into the stands hitting a fan after fouling out for the first time in his professional career his coach steve kerr called three of the six fouls absolutely ridiculous currys wife even accused the nba of rigging the game to ensure a game 7 with the cleveland cavaliers sunday 8 pm abc

7 good news for sustainable air travel nasa unveiled plans for an experimental all electric airplane that a top official said would take the first giant step in opening a new era of aviation the space agency aims to get an early version of the x 57 a craft resembling a cessna with strangely skinny wings off the ground in a year

8 a rift over syria policy widened between the state department and the white house dozens of diplomats signed an internal memo pushing for a far more aggressive strategy including strikes to stop the government of president bashar al assad from continuing to violate a cease fire what does the country look like now devastation is widespread but bits of almost normal life remain according to our correspondent check out a startling visual journey of his recent visit

9 in neighboring iraq government forces made decisive gains against the islamic state retaking the center of falluja after weeks of fighting thousands of civilians took the opportunity to flee the city overwhelming aid agencies falluja has come back to the countrys bosom the prime minister said

10 president obama met privately with saudi arabias defense minister above officials said they spoke of saudi economic reforms and the fight against the islamic state the meeting came as the saudis are under new scrutiny for a possible government role in the sept 11 attacks another saudi official gave a news conference in washington to dismiss such accusations there is no there there he said

11 finally a big big piece of art is in place the floating piers christos latest perception shifting installation is undulating on the surface of an italian lake for the next few weeks inviting as many as 40000 visitors a day to effectively walk on water its actually very painterly like an abstract painting he said but it will change all the time
have a great weekend

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welcome to watching the new york timess what to watch guide we comb through releases big and small famous and esoteric to email readers twice a week with our timely recommendations our most recent suggestions also appear below to receive our guide straight to your inbox sign up here
exciting news theres a new member of team watching please welcome monica castillo here to bring you movie insights and delights today shes scheduled a mini brian de palma film festival for you
fathers day is sunday so we have you covered if youre looking for stuff to watch with your dad or stuff to watch that makes you feel more dad ish than usual ah if only all the old episodes of this week in baseball were handily archived somewhere
thanks to all of you who wrote in with truly fantastic tv influenced pet naming stories the most common show your pets are named after the wire this week was just brutal so ive been rewatching a bit of friday night lights and thus of course have been crying my eyes out among its other amazing achievements i think it might be the cryingest show ive ever seen even over the great but inferior parenthood
ill cop to being a huge crier in general so i know my personal scale is off which makes me curious what show or episode has made you cry the most team watching and i are stocking up on tissues watchingnytimescom
... between one and 12 hours and my father and i like history
secrets of great british castles and tales of irish castles netflix
castles and battles battles and castles all explained through earnest perhaps overly reverent presentations and loving slow pans over bumpy rocks and worn down thresholds   ml
... two hours and we like sports and pop culture
oj made in america part 5 saturday 9 pm espn or watch all five episodes on espns app
this is the final installment of the superb documentary series and you should watch it even if you didnt see the other parts this one goes from the oj murder trial verdict to present day covering the civil trial the seediness the subsequent incarceration there are some odd disclosures from people who were formerly close to simpson and the whole series especially this part nudges its audience to consider the ethical balances between candor self preservation and self service
whats gripping here are the specific ways these supremely ordinary human drives   i was lonely i was broke   created what became this epic cultural legend the rest of the episodes cover race police brutality and the criminal trial itself but this episode is mostly about fame and how poisonous it can be   ml
... six hours and we like european television and world war ii
the heavy water war netflix
war espionage the atomic bomb skiing   this danish british norwegian production about germanys plan to build an atomic bomb using the substance of the title and the allied attempts at sabotage has it all especially skiing you cannot commit sabotage in norway without a heavy dose of skiing the series is a mix of military procedural the planning and practicing of various missions and scientific intrigue werner heisenberg the german physicist plays a main role this is suspenseful television done compactly   gilbert cruz
 hulu has a nasa channel of nasa made documentaries about how great nasa is
sundance is airing a marathon of the classic wild west series the rifleman on from 6 am to 4 pm on sunday
 showtime has made the first episode of cameron crowes new series roadiesavailable for free why cant things still be about rock n roll man
 heres a youtube channel of a red hot nickel ball destroying various materials it is absolutely entrancing and i would nominate it for an emmy if i could
james franco for some reason reimagined the 1996 camp classic mother may i sleep with danger with a lesbian vampire angle and its star tori spelling now in the role of protective mother i dont know how to begin assessing it its terrible but the point is to be terrible so i guess it achieves its objectives but its not juicy funny bad just mostly bad bad saturday 8 pm lifetime
first came bronbroen the swedishdanish crime drama next came the bridge an american adaptation on fx that moved the serial killer series to the american mexican border soon after came the tunnel the britishfrench version thats making its stateside debut this weekend
each of the shows starts the same way the body of a public official is found cut in half on the precise border between two countries detectives from each side team up for what turns into a sprawling challenging investigation our leads are a gruff dude and a non neurotypical blonde woman
all three shows are good but they are all deeply similar to each other   to the point where they do feel redundant my favorite of the bunch is still bronbroen but if youve never seen any of them the tunnel is a perfectly absorbing thriller youll still respect it if youve seen its brethren but its not as compelling without the suspense or surprise sunday 10 pm pbs
finding dory
as often happens in adventure stories the hero was occasionally upstaged by his sidekick we rooted for nemo and choked up when he was found but the best lines and sweetest grace notes belonged to dory ao scott writes of finding dory a sequel to 2003s finding nemo now dory has her own movie
 read the full review
 rent finding nemo on itunes
central intelligence
to call central intelligence juvenile is to miss the larger point   namely that juvenile was most likely the goal jeannette catsoulis writes of this buddy action comedy starring dwayne johnson and kevin hart it is an odd couple caper of staggering dopeyness that makes you long for the snap and sizzle of the buddy movies of the 1980s
 read the full review
the release of the new documentary de palma directed by noah baumbach and jake paltrow has inspired several movie theaters across the country to program brian de palma retrospectives if you dont live near one of those theaters or cant make it out its easy enough to stream several of the filmmakers most interesting movies heres our quick guide   monica castillo
if youre looking for weird de palma
the fury this 1978 movie borrows the adolescent angst and telekinetic teenagers of carrie but mixes in covert government agencies john cassavetes and kirk douglas star watch on netflix and amazon prime
phantom of the paradise the rocky horror picture show meets phantom of the opera in this over the top horror musical about an aspiring lyricist out for revenge after a producer steals his work real life songwriter paul williams weve only just begun and rainbow connection plays the villain and provides the movies outlandish soundtrack rent on itunes
if youre looking for sexy de palma
dressed to kill there is a strong undercurrent of hitchcock obsession in much of de palmas work especially the vertigo like film obsession and this twisted homage to psycho in which a therapist michael caine and a prostitute nancy allen track down a cross dressing murderer takes many of the master of suspenses recognizable moves and adds a fair amount of sex on top watch on hbo
body double de palmas tribute to hitchcocks rear window rewrites the leading man as a peeping tom who enjoys watching one of his neighbors striptease until the night shes murdered by an intruder he then teams up with a porn actress played by melanie griffith to catch the killer rent on itunes
if youre looking for unlawful de palma
scarface the movie that launched a thousand dorm room posters was a remake of a 1932 film of the same name that was loosely based on the life of al capone here the title character is a cuban criminal turned drug kingpin in 1980s miami al pacino stars along with his many quotable lines watch on netflix
the untouchables in this cops and crooks tale de palma takes on the real al capone played by robert de niro the men of the title   eliot ness and his enforcers   are played by kevin costner sean connery and andy garcia its a surprisingly chaste movie from the often overheated director but one of his most purely entertaining rent on itunes
and a few more
carrie watch on amazon prime and hulu mission impossible watch on amazon prime the black dahlia watch on amazon prime passion watch on netflix
having begun its life as a silicon valley tech company netflix had somewhat improbably become a television network in the new york times magazine joe nocera looks at how netflix became netflix
this is a full length parody of the new yorker including the ads its astonishingly good
and finally heres a long thorough and occasionally ribald vulture interview with louis ck


i was born in the shadow of the 21st century so i never knew o j simpson as an athlete or as an actor i wasnt quite a year old on jan 1 1989 the day simpson beat his wife nicole brown simpson so badly that she fled their house screaming hes going to kill me i was only 6 on june 17 1994 when the nba finals broadcast cut away to a shot of simpsons white ford bronco creeping down a california highway escorted by a line of black and whites as if in a funeral procession that was four days after brown simpson 35 and her friend ronald goldman 25 were found dead in pools of blood nearly decapitated some of my earliest memories are of that white bronco and of the trial of the century that followed and of my parents happiness when simpson was acquitted
i understand now that i was watching simpsons fall as recently as a few months ago though i still couldnt contextualize simpson the things he had accomplished or the lofty position he occupied in america   in white america i approached older friends people who had grown up watching simpson move from a hall of fame nfl career to mainstream megastardom and asked them who his modern equivalent would be
but there arent any few american athletes have been as widely beloved as simpson was even today his popularity seems inconceivable o j made in america the espn 30 for 30 documentary directed by ezra edelman that is airing this week busies itself with the making of the man at the myths center and with the country that helped him become a monster its the best thing espn has ever produced and it answers my question simpsons story is that of a black man who came of age during the civil rights era and spent his entire adult life trying to transcend race   to claim that strange accolade bestowed on blacks spanning from pele to prince to nelson mandela to muhammad ali which is to say its the story of a halfback trying and failing to outrun his own blackness
this country was built on the backs of black slaves whose lives and labor were stolen by their white masters that theft created a caste system in which both groups of people could occupy the same spaces yet have completely different experiences a white america and a black america this was true in 1619 in 1865 and in 1947 when simpson was born it holds true today
yet there are a few blacks   the most singular and spectacular among us   who have unique and priceless gifts to offer racial transcendence happens when white america takes these gifts for itself in exchange for acceptance within white culture it is the mechanism through which whites acknowledge the humanity of black superhumans and which allows these few to move supposedly beyond blackness their talents granting them safe passage through white spaces mouths and memories every black person successful or not has to overcome a steep handicap the idea of racial transcendence is anchored in the fallacy that the handicap is blackness itself rather than a society that terrorizes and undermines blacks at every turn
racial transcendence is a lie but its one that simpson believed in deeply in the first installment of o j made in america a sociologist and activist named dr harry edwards describes his efforts to recruit simpson into a collective of black athletes working for civil rights in the late 1960s   people like muhammad ali lew alcindor later kareem abdul jabbar jim brown and the olympic sprinters tommie smith and john carlos who raised their fists in a black power salute at the 1968 olympics
simpson refused after just one season at the university of southern california it was obvious that he was a priceless talent it wasnt just that he was stronger and faster than everyone else was simpson ran almost daintily tiptoeing through seams visible only to him leaving defenders diving at air he had emerged from nowhere fully formed already one of the best college running backs of all time and already more famous than most of the athletes in edwardss collective
his response edwards remembers in the documentary was im not black im o j  in 1968 the same year martin luther king jr was assassinated simpson believed he could escape race in america
for as long as there have been negroes in the country there have been exceptional negroes when joe louis was boxing in the 1930s and 1940s his talent and humility allowed him to be thought of his son claimed as an american not as a black by winning he became white americas first black hero the sportswriter jimmy cannon called louis a credit to his race   the human race this is the same fraudulent race blindness that remains widespread today found in people who claim that they dont see color or that all lives matter its a nasty bit of gaslighting   the denial of racism through the denial of race itself at its best edelmans documentary reveals what made simpson unique not simply that he tried to outrun his blackness but the herculean efforts he made to do so simpson with his team of friends and hangers on erected a self contained race free universe one he inhabited for much of his adult life
at no point is this more obvious than when the documentary recounts the shooting of his famous 1978 hertz commercial to advertise the rental car giants speed of service the companys chief executive frank olson enlisted simpson to run through newark international airport that simple conceit required that an entire false reality be built to support it no other black people could be included in the shot fred levinson who directed the scene instead added white bystanders who cheered on simpson as he sprinted through the empty hallways telegraphing that he was safe and therefore that they were too
hertzs universe was like simpsons held together with lies ever on the verge of collapse levinson was able to look at a man with hickory skin full lips a wide nose and a nappy afro and say this hes african but hes a good looking man he almost has white features olson continues for us o j was colorless none of the people that we associated with looked at him as a black man
one of the most alarming anecdotes in the documentary comes from robert lipsyte a former sportswriter for the new york times he was telling me a story about being at a teammates wedding with his wife and sitting at a table of mostly as he said it mostly negroes lipsyte recounts and he overheard a white woman sitting at the next table saying look theres o j sitting with all those niggers and i remember in my naivete saying that must have been terrible for you and he said no it was great dont you understand she knew that i wasnt black she saw me as o j 
in a time of black revolution simpson was a counterrevolutionary as blacks embraced black power and self love simpson surrounded himself with white people there were plenty of great black football players around his time but simpson was special not only did he play better than most he also used his wit and charm in the service of making white people feel safe in a period of nationwide change and unrest he was one of the good ones
he played the role happily and it brought him a level of fame as unprecedented as his eventual fall o j made in america makes it very plain that simpson almost certainly committed the murders and that he almost certainly was going to be acquitted from the beginning the los angeles police departments collection of evidence from the crime scene was botched as was the prosecution itself the trial was held just two years after rodney kings beating by lapd officers their acquittals and the ensuing riots the two cases further divided the city along racial lines laying bare the way that blacks and whites could occupy the same space yet live in separate worlds when simpson left the courthouse a free man blacks across the country rejoiced his white friends and fawners abandoned him and the universe around him crumbled
simpson seems to have understood many things about how so called racial transcendence works he understood how black talent could be co opted for white gain and how by denying his blackness he could exercise a perverse control over his image he understood that racial transcendence is less about who you are and more about who you arent in this country racially transcendent blacks are used as exemplars direct foils to creeping black counterculture some blacks are complicit in the caper simpson was the perfect portrait of an anti angry black athlete when richard pryor was lacing his sets with the word nigger bill cosby was beginning to peddle respectability politics he remained transcendent until the world was reminded of allegations that he had spent his career drugging and raping women when allen iverson was popularizing cornrows baggy shorts and tattoos in the nba tiger woods was the respectable black athlete on the golf circuit even now the nbas most valuable player steph curry   who transforms from a trash talking showman during the game to a humble god fearing introvert minutes after   is the subject of all manner of racial projection and notes on skin tone a white friend of mine once called him the leagues first great white hope since larry bird
what simpson may not have recognized though is that the united states history is a story of theft and theft doesnt require cooperation talents you dont trade can be stolen through your silence through your absence or after your death and once youve been marked as having transcended race the success youve earned in spite of white racism can be twisted into an example of white magnanimity muhammad ali was a menace a black fighter who engaged in psychological warfare with his opponents changed his name after joining a black supremacist sect and gave up the best years of his career in exile rather than killing for a country he decried as racist   yet after his death the sportscaster chris myers could tweet that when you saw ali you didnt see color you didnt see religion martin luther king jr harassed by the fbi and ultimately assassinated is now deployed as a symbol of a nation that has achieved colorblindness whitney houston a black woman who made black music after finding her voice in a black church was congratulated on transcending race after her death you can imagine the barack obama obituaries to come
i grew up in a different america from the one in which simpson did but one thing still unites our two worlds the highest compliment america will pay black people today is to say they escaped their blackness which is to say they escaped themselves as long as simpsons shortcomings were kept to cheating in golf against wealthy white businessmen and his physical abuse of brown simpson was kept behind closed doors he could pretend that he wasnt black   just o j but when he stood trial for murder he did so as a black man racial transcendence is above all probationary


for his bookshop and website one grand books the editor aaron hicklin asked people to name the 10 books theyd take with them if they were marooned on a desert island the next in the series is ari shapiro the co host of nprs all things considered who shares his list exclusively with t
1q84 haruki murakami
i read this book when i was working a night shift going to sleep at 6 pm and waking up at 2 am each day my surreal hazy existence during those weeks was a perfect fit with the world of 1q84 where everything seems just a little bit off its recognizable as the world you live in and also somehow not
birdsong a novel of love and war sebastian faulks
i never quite understood world war i in the way that ive understood other 20th century wars it always felt a bit too distant and complicated i read this book during the 2014 centenary commemorations of the war and suddenly the conflict snapped into focus for me in a way it never had before
vegetarian cooking for everyone deborah madison
years after i left vegetarianism behind this is still the cookbook i reach for more than any other
the gilded gutter life of francis bacon daniel farson
im not really a fan of biographies or of francis bacons art so why do i love this book it brings mid 20th century gay london to life and it helps me understand why people appreciate bacons work so deeply even if i still cant say id hang his paintings on my living room wall
the wake paul kingsnorth
the tale behind this book is as riveting as the book itself the first time novelist cant get a publisher so he crowdfunds this book the story is set 1000 years ago and written in a slightly made up version of old english of course nobody will buy it except that they do it gets rave reviews and awards when you read it youll understand why
the amazing adventures of kavalier  clay michael chabon
i almost never reread novels its just not something i do this is the only exception i can think of
cloud atlas david mitchell
mitchell is one of the few writers whose catalog ill read beginning to end hes a stylistic acrobat and cloud atlas is his most beloved work for good reason
tales of a shamans apprentice mark plotkin
when i was a teenager this book briefly convinced me to become an ethnobotanist i almost chose my college based on whether it had a good ethnobotany program really
in the light of what we know zia haider rahman
i can open this book to any page and find a passage that i want to read aloud to the person next to me its about mathematics and war and finance and relationships and everything else in the world
mil besos ruven afanador
my husband and i were in seville spain during a citywide celebration of flamenco massive stark black and white photographs of passionate female flamenco dancers lined the street we looked into buying a print they were way out of our price range the next year all of the prints were published in this book it was my birthday present to myself


sam sifton emails readers of cooking seven days a week to talk about food and suggest recipes that email also appears here to receive it in your inbox register here
good morning a terrible week comes to an end with an awful anniversary of last years massacre at emanuel african methodist episcopal church in charleston s c in which a gunman killed nine black parishioners during a prayer service hatred dogs us still here and across the globe offering violence delivering grief hope for many these days is thin on the ground
cooking can help i think it can just follow a recipe the process is mindful and therapeutic at once a form that allows you to get outside your racing thoughts and self in order to provide for others and providing for others is good it counteracts those who would take away from others instead
maybe anyway its worth a shot its what we can do spend tomorrow baking pies or assembling a paella or roasting chickens or smoking beef ribs and see what happens
you could make soft serve ice cream for the kids or the people in your life who act like kids you dont need an ice cream maker you could make lobster mac and cheese just because or bavarian style soft pretzels or gluten free banana chocolate muffins or loaded nachos how about a strawberry fool
you could make something youve made forever a familiar kata performed a thousand times or you could make something new and difficult and surrender yourself to the magic of transformation oats into granola basil into pesto pigs feet and madeira into the fantastical jellied pork stock the chef fergus henderson calls trotter gear
perhaps its a weekend to make asparagus soup or a buttery breakfast casserole you could make crab newburg or some whole wheat spotted dog
there are thousands of other recipes to choose from on cooking browse them for inspiration then save the ones you like to your recipe box cook them and revel in the peace that activity can bring when youre done you can rate your work and if you like you can leave a note on the recipe to help yourself in the future or to help others as they cook
as always well be standing by to help if you run into trouble with the technology or the recipes were at cookingcarenytimescom outside of the times bubble you can find me on twitter and facebook pinterest and instagram where i use and monitor the hashtag nytcooking
now heres a podcast to round us out from gastropod who invented the cherry tomato have a great weekend


times insider delivers behind the scenes insights from the new york times below are highlights from radio interviews featuring times reporters and editors
rukmini callimachi a times reporter covering al qaeda and isis joined nprs all things considered to discuss the islamic states claim of responsibility for the attack at the pulse nightclub in orlando fla
richard perez pena a reporter for the times discussed his coverage of the aftermath of the orlando shooting with wnyc radios the brian lehrer show
julie hirschfeld davis a times reporter covering the white house joined wcbss newsradio to discuss the politics of the orlando shooting and her recent piece obama denounces donald trump for his dangerous mind set
jonathan weisman a washington editor for the times joined wnyc radios the leonard lopate show to discuss the racial politics of trump supporters and the anti semitic abuse he experienced on twitter


florence italy   more is the order of the day at pitti uomo the italian mens wear trade fair where exhibitors cram the fortezza da basso in the center of the city in hopes of catching a buyers eye once upon a time suits ruled here but that was long ago
the bustling fair still has plenty of italian tailoring but new pavilions have sprung up like mushrooms to cater to any and all variegated tastes the area labeled born in the usa by liberty fairs spotlights brands that are just that i play is inflected by athletic wear unconventional has a faintly gothic bent officially luxury underground style throughout you can find t shirts and track pants along with jackets and vests
at the fashion shows and presentations given by the fairs invited and sponsored guests there is similar breadth on wednesday evening those who wanted to sample the full menu of pitti options made their way to a presentation by the sicilian designer fausto puglisi before moving on to catch a show by the russian designer gosha rubchinskiy
two designers at greater aesthetic odds would be hard to imagine mr puglisi works in a molto maximalist style a cheerful open arm embrace of italianate kitsch invited by pitti he took the opportunity to show his first mens collection and his womens pre collection beside it
so many buyers ask for it from me mr puglisi said and some of his stores that carry his clothes report men buying oversize garb from the womens department for themselves when pitti invited me to show the collection here i said lets do it
he cast a rough crew to model it including local prison inmates according to his press team making a one night only appearance and players of the ultraviolent florentine sport calcio storico fiorentino essentially a mix of rugby and football with a bit of bare knuckle brawling for good measure heavily tattooed and barely attired the models wore leather bermuda shorts decked with gold charms tattered jeans and floral printed robes
i cant stand the hipster look mr puglisi said sipping from a glass of vodka i wanted it to be strong this is my vision of humanity
by coincidence or kismet mr puglisis name is a near anagram for pugilist
as an inspiration he cited pier paolo pasolini the italian poet and filmmaker who died in 1975 pasolini is an unexpected muse for a fashion designer as a committed marxist he would likely have bristled at the connection in an infamous interview before his death he compared consumerism to nazism and said that he considered it to be a fascism worse than the classical one
nevertheless mr puglisi said pasolini whose adaptations of oedipus rex the decameron and the marquis de sades 120 days of sodom are grisly lusty classics of italian cinema is my obsession for me this is what i want to do as a designer
like the filmmaker who often used nonprofessional actors and appreciated the rough and the rustic mr puglisi proclaimed his allegiance to outsiders many times when i go to the south and talk to the simple people   someone whos selling fish in the middle of the street   were talking and talking and it gives you more than any celebrity or stylist he said
nearby mr rubchinskiys show was about to begin in the sun dappled courtyard of a former tobacco factory mr rubchinskiy offers a reclaimed soviet chic his logo an imposing block of cyrillic and his models a gawky lot of pale teenagers found via an instagram search he has been feverishly embraced by both young buyers and fashion editors teenagers like those in his shows and a wide following of adult men who still think of themselves as teenagers the financial times wrote
and such is the elasticity of inspiration that mr rubchinskiy too said he was most inspired by pasolini
after the show which mixed his usual collection with collaborations in re reappropriated black market gone real market style with fila kappa and levis mr rubchinskiy screened the day of my death a 17 minute film created for the occasion it starred the designer his stylist lotta volkova a handful of models and renata litvinova the russian filmmaker who directed it
we were inspired by pier paolo pasolini his story his poems his films and finally his murder which has been sealed for 10 years ms litvinova told vogue his reputation was being blackened and we decided to bring the justice back pier paolo is a genius an artist who suffered for his principles
pasolini was found dead in ostia a short distance from rome the circumstances of his murder originally believed to be at the hands of giuseppe pelosi a 17 year old whom pasolini picked up are now clouded by conspiracy theories and mr pelosis recanted confession
by sundown copies of a paperbound book of black and white photos were appearing in possession of certain key fashion editors packaged in a plain brown sleeve chilly and elegant the photographs were shot by mr rubchinskiy during the film shoot the book is the designers third with the london based publisher idea books made in an edition of 1000 and certain to be a collectors item among his most rabid fans
the books only text apart from its end credits is this to pier paolo


front page
an article on may 20 about the setback to egypt delivered by the fatal crash of an egyptair airbus a320 that was flying from paris to cairo omitted a reporting credit kareem fahim and nour youssef contributed reporting from cairo
international
because of an editing error an article in some editions on may 20 about the inauguration of tsai ing wen as president of taiwan referred imprecisely to the 92 consensus which chinese state media outlets have called on ms tsai to endorse under the consensus the kuomintang and chinas ruling communist party currently recognize taiwan and mainland china as part of one china but each has its own understanding of what that means it is not the case that the parties have yet to reach the consensus and that doing so would bring them to a common understanding

an article on may 20 about the nomination of binali yildirim a loyalist to the conservative president of turkey as the countrys new prime minister quoted incorrectly from comments by mr yildirim about his opposition to the mixing of genders at istanbul technical university he said i was taken aback by the sight of young people girls and boys sitting together on the lawn not sitting on the together on the lawn mr yildirim was confirmed on may 22

an article on may 19 about an uproar in iran prompted by a visit by faezeh hashemi daughter of a prominent ayatollah to a female leader of the persecuted bahai religious minority misstated the number of bahais worldwide there are five million to seven million not about 300000

an article on may 18 about a decision by australias national science agency to dismiss john church a pre eminent scientist in the field of rising global sea levels as part of deep cuts at the agency misstated part of the name of the san diego research center where dean roemmich is a professor mr roemmich who said the dismissal was absolutely inconceivable is with the scripps institution of oceanography not institute
national
an article on tuesday about the victims of the orlando nightclub massacre misidentified the country where the family of one victim jerald arthur wright lives it is ecuador not colombia

an article on monday about the sexual assault case at stanford university referred incorrectly to the punishment for brock turner the assailant in the case under california law mr turner will likely be released   not paroled   after three months in county jail there are no parole procedures for county terms

an article on tuesday about global reaction to an attack on a gay nightclub in orlando fla that killed 49 people misspelled the given name of a chinese lawyer who expressed concern about her daughter a student at the university of minnesota who was at the shanghai airport when explosives were detonated there on sunday the lawyer is gao junlan not gao junlian
new york
an article in some editions on monday about a gathering at the stonewall inn in new york after the mass shooting in florida misidentified a gay rights case that the supreme court decided a year ago it was on the right to same sex marriage   not the defense of marriage act which it struck down in 2013
sports
because of an editing error an article last friday about molly huddles competing in the new york city marathon in november referred incorrectly to the events she is hoping to compete in at the rio de janeiro olympics they are the 5000 meters or the 10000 meters   not middle distance events middle distance typically refers to the 800 and 1500 the error was repeated in an accompanying picture caption
the arts
the books of the times review on june 8 about end of watch by stephen king the third novel in his mr mercedes trilogy misidentified the book in the series in which holly attacks brady hartsfield and there is an attempted attack on a stadium it is the first book mr mercedes not the second finders keepers
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for newspaper delivery questions 1 800 nytimes 1 800 698 4637 or e mail customercarenytimescom


colby lewis took a no hit bid into the ninth inning for texas before max muncy broke it up with a leadoff double that glanced off right fielder nomar mazaras glove as the rangers won at oakland 5 1 on thursday
lewis was perfect until walking yonder alonso with two outs in the eighth
muncy began the ninth with a drive to deep right field mazara a rookie who had made a running catch to rob muncy of a hit in the third ran hard toward the corner and tracked down the ball but could not hold on as he crashed into the padded wall
mazara looked at his glove as he retrieved the ball david feldman the official scorer immediately called the play a double ending lewiss quest for texas first no hitter in 22 years
two batters later lewis 6 0 lost his shutout when left fielder ryan rua could not make a diving catch on a blooper by coco crisp that went for a run scoring double
torre to lead team usa the former yankees manager joe torre will serve as the general manager for team usa in the 2017 world baseball classic
torre now major league baseballs chief baseball officer managed team usa in the 2013 world baseball classic in which the team lost in the second round
im excited to be involved again torre said in a statement i had a taste of international play in 2013 and was disappointed that we didnt advance further
torre led the yankees to four world series titles
jim leyland was previously picked to manage team usa in next years tournament
phillies minor leaguer suspended the phillies minor league pitcher alec asher was suspended for 80 games by major league baseball after testing positive for a banned performance enhancing substance
asher 24 tested positive for an anabolic steroid used to increase speed and strength he was on the disabled list at class aaa lehigh valley
the phillies acquired asher as part of the deal that sent cole hamels to the rangers last july he was 4 2 with a 230 era in eight starts at aa and aaa this season
the former baylor coach art briles accused the school of wrongful termination and indicated no interest in settling a federal lawsuit filed against him and the university by a woman who was raped by a football player
as part of a request for new legal representation separate from the university briles said baylor had used him as a scapegoat for its failings in handling allegations of sexual assault
the conclusion is inescapable that the motive of baylor and the board of regents was to use its head football coach and the baylor athletic department as a camouflage to disguise and distract from its own institutional failure to comply with federal civil rights protections briless personal lawyer ernest cannon wrote in a letter to the universitys lawyers that was included with the motion
baylor fired briles and demoted its president ken starr to chancellor on may 26 after receiving the results of a university commissioned investigation into baylors response to sexual assault allegations in recent years starr later resigned
briles was named as a co defendant with baylor in a lawsuit filed in march by a former student who was raped in 2012 by tevin elliott a football player who was later convicted and sent to prison the lawsuit alleges that baylor knew elliott had a history of assaults failed to protect the victim and others who were attacked and ignored her when she sought help
panthers extend riveras deal the panthers signed coach ron rivera to a contract extension that will keep him with the team through the 2018 season
the panthers went 17 2 last season before losing to denver in the super bowl rivera a two time nfl coach of the year has led the panthers to three straight nfc south championships
sandusky granted hearing the former penn state assistant football coach jerry sandusky was granted three days of hearings in august to develop more information about the claims and arguments he has made in seeking to have his child molestation conviction overturned
a pennsylvania judge said the proceeding would address whether prosecutors had improperly leaked information about the investigation and whether defense lawyers should have called sandusky to testify
sandusky is serving a 30 to 60 year sentence
top seeded roger federer overcame a 4 1 deficit in the second set to beat malek jaziri 6 3 7 5 in his bid for a ninth title at the gerry weber open in halle germany
federer caught up and broke serve for a 6 5 lead before serving out the match he will play fifth seeded david goffin who advanced when sergiy stakhovsky retired with a back injury in the quarterfinals
third seeded dominic thiem breezed past teymuraz gabashvili 6 4 6 1 to advance to the quarterfinals he will play eighth seeded philipp kohlschreiber who beat ivo karlovic 6 7 7 6 4 7 5
a wimbledon winner falls in tuneup petra kvitova a two time wimbledon champion joined a list of well known names who have been beaten amid the rainstorms at the aegon classic in birmingham england
kvitova who was preparing to seek a third wimbledon title lost to jelena ostapenko 6 4 4 6 6 3
agnieszka radwanska the tournaments top seed and belinda bencic the youngest player in the world top 10 had already been ousted from the tournament
the defending champion lexi thompson shot a six under par 65 on thursday for a share of the lead at the meijer lpga classic in belmont mich
thompson shot par on her first nine holes before an eagle on the par 5 first started a blistering run that tied her with laura davies sei young kim carlota ciganda and paula reto


the british have been warned many times over
the international monetary fund the bank of england britains treasury david cameron the countrys prime minister top bankers like jamie dimon scores of economists and even benedict cumberbatch and keira knightley have said that a vote to leave the european union would hurt the british economy
yet the warnings so far have not worked a stream of recent opinion polls suggests that britons will vote thursday to leave the european union but the polls were wrong in britains general election last year and betting markets are saying there is a 64 percent chance that britain will vote to stay
what is clear is that the gloomy forecasts of economic pain have not resonated with voters thats partly because the referendum has mostly become about national sovereignty and curbing immigration a country in the european union has little control over the movement of people between other countries in the union the british have long been concerned about this freedom and the leave campaign has focused on those worries
still the extent to which the economic question has taken a back seat is surprising
true voters are sometimes willing to accept some economic pain to achieve other goals they consider important a stark example in the lead up to the iraq war that began in 2003 most people said they expected the economy to suffer even as they strongly supported going to war
a not insignificant proportion of the british voters who support leaving the european union expect significant economic pain if it were to occur a recent poll from comres found that 21 percent of leave voters thought a recession fairly likely and 5 percent very likely
over all 49 percent of respondents said a recession was likely and 48 percent said unlikely that suggests there was enough economic fear circulating to benefit the remain camp
still other polls suggest the british people are not particularly nervous about the economic impact in a recent yougov poll 37 percent of people said britain would be worse off if it left the eu while 22 percent said the country would be better off but 26 percent said it would make no difference to the economy in other words almost half the respondents thought the economy would be better or no different in this poll 15 percent were dont knows
if british voters do feel unfazed its understandable the countrys economy has done relatively well in recent years unemployment is low and the share of the working age population with jobs is at record levels
also british business owners and executives especially those at smaller companies are mostly unworried by the prospect of leaving the european union according to a recent survey of 3394 firms nearly 40 percent said brexit would make no difference to the economy and another 25 percent said it would be a positive development
certainly there appear to be big contradictions in the minds of the leave camp when it comes to economic questions britain relies heavily on immigrants so restricting immigration could hurt the economy and leaving the european union might also reduce british companies access to an enormous trade area
but maybe voters do not expect strict curbs on immigration if britain leaves the eu a survey from ipsos mori this week which attempted to measure conviction levels for an opinion and outcomes suggested that leave voters are not strongly convinced that a british exit would actually lead to lower immigration its also possible that some of the leave voters just want more control over immigration rather than actually using that control to slash the number of migrants the polls offered no clarity on that
but what about brexits threat to trade voters may simply find it hard to gauge the importance of trade agreements or they may believe that the european union would seek to maintain most of the current trade arrangements rather than taking a sharply retaliatory line thats not a crazy expectation
a lot is still in flux especially because of the murder of jo cox a member of parliament who supported staying in both sides of the issue have suspended their campaigns despite the strong economy it is always possible voters may begin to fear economic consequences of brexit in these final days of the campaign leading to a victory for the remain camp a big stock market plunge would provide a jolt there are five trading days left until the brexit polls close


minneapolis   one pitch one swing prevented the yankees from wasting another effective start from c c sabathia
a three run homer by didi gregorius in the seventh on the first pitch from the minnesota twins left handed reliever fernando abad lifted the yankees to a 4 1 victory on thursday night at target field that ended a four game losing streak winning the first of four games against the worst team in the american league provided the inconsistent yankees a measure of relief and a mathematical chance of getting back to 500 by the end of this trip
that the big hit came from the left handed batting gregorius the clubs best hitter against left handed pitching did not surprise anyone in the yankees clubhouse abad had been especially effective against lefties allowing only three hits in 30 bats a 100 batting average before gregorius stepped in and pulled a pitch into the right field seats to break a 1 1 tie
he threw me a fastball right down the middle gregorius said i wasnt looking to hit a home run but it happened you want to at least drive one run in thats what you always look for in that situation
sabathia 5 4 did his best andy pettitte impression while extending the best stretch of his career he threw a season high 116 pitches in six innings putting runners on in four of them yet allowed only one run and struck out seven so his era over his last seven starts actually rose to 086 from 071
my command was off all over the place sabathia said
it took sabathia 46 pitches to get through the first two innings he begged manager joe girardi to let him go out for the sixth even though he had thrown 104 pitches
he had done the job so i felt good about it girardi said
baserunners are going to happen he added the pitches you make when baserunners are on are the most important pitches and he made his most important pitches when runners were on tonight he could have given up a lot of runs fifty pitches almost after two innings he just kept fighting
until the gregorius homer the yankees in typical fashion struggled offensively twins starter kyle gibson winless in an injury interrupted season limited the yankees to two hits through five scoreless innings the yankees loaded the bases with none out in the sixth but managed only one run on jacoby ellsburys single
gregorius began the night with the second highest batting average in the majors by a left handed batter against left handed pitching the homer his 15th hit in 33 at bats against lefties since may 7 raised that mark to 368 he batted 247 against lefties last year
youve got to make adjustments to try to get better gregorius said when im facing lefties i try to keep my front shoulder in as long as i can so i dont fly open second half of the season last year thats when i figured out everything hitting wise its still working for me so i dont see why i have to change it
carlos beltran returned to the yankees lineup two days after having fluid drained from his inflamed left knee he went 0 for 3 playing right field and girardi took him out as a precaution in the seventh once the yankees had taken the lead
i didnt feel any pain after they took me out of the game beltran said i came inside and the knee looked the same as it was when i showed up to the ballpark i took it as a positive day


cleveland   the golden state warriors have challenged lebron james in every possible way they have thrown waves of defenders at him called him a crybaby and made fun of him on social media during one memorable exchange draymond green even took a swipe at his groin
through all the noise and extracurriculars of the nba finals a series that has played out with the elegance of a mudslide james has remained the steadfast captain at the wheel of the cleveland cavaliers guiding his team away from elimination   twice now   and filling this championship starved city with hope
on thursday night james guided the cavaliers to a 115 101 victory over the warriors at quicken loans arena to even the series at three games apiece
game 7 is scheduled for sunday night at oracle arena where the league will crown a champion if only because the series will have run out of games and exhausted its supply of drama
ill take it james said two of the greatest words in the world and thats game 7
james appearing in his sixth straight finals and his seventh over all has made these games count he collected 41 points 11 assists and 8 rebounds kyrie irving added 23 points and tristan thompson had 15 points and 16 rebounds the cavaliers ran out to a 22 point lead in the first quarter and then stifled every rally that the warriors mustered
at the end of the third quarter james approached his coach tyronn lue and said im not coming out
said lue i didnt have any intention of taking him out anyway i dont care what yall say were going to ride him
if the cavaliers win it all they will become the first nba team to have claimed the championship after trailing in the finals by three games to one
before fouling out   and earning a technical foul for good measure   stephen curry scored 30 points for the warriors and klay thompson finished with 25 but their teammates struggled harrison barnes missed all eight of his field goal attempts green returned from a one game suspension to finish with 8 points 10 rebounds and 6 assists
when the warriors threatened in the second half trimming clevelands lead to 7 james made every critical play putbacks jumpers layups during one sublime stretch that bridged the third and fourth quarters he scored 18 straight points for his team he even blocked a layup by curry punctuating the play with some unkind words
special irving said of his teammate very special
the warriors meanwhile appear to be coming apart in their quest for back to back titles after all the 3 pointers and record setting totals including 73 regular season wins they are grasping for solutions and losing their cool
with 4 minutes 22 seconds left curry was called for his sixth foul because of what appeared to be phantom contact against james curry reacted by swinging his arms in disgust throwing his mouthguard and screaming at an official the crowd delighted in his slow impassioned walk to the locker room
i thought it was kind of hilarious the way the last two fouls and me blowing up kind of unfolded curry said
warriors coach steve kerr was sharply critical of the officials   jason phillips in particular   after the game with league imposed fines sure to be coming kerr should have brought his checkbook to his news conference
he gets six fouls called on him and three of them were absolutely ridiculous kerr said he steals the ball from kyrie clean at one point lebron flops on the last one jason phillips falls for that a flop as the mvp of the league were talking about these touch fouls in the nba finals
the cavaliers have now avoided elimination twice on monday night james and irving combined for 82 points as the cavaliers capitalized on greens suspension for collecting too many flagrant fouls in the postseason green returned for game 6 vowing to be a better teammate smarter and more productive
from the moment green stepped on the court though the crowd expressed its disapproval booing him when he was introduced when he touched the ball and when he breathed
kerr had no choice but to go small without starting center andrew bogut who was lost for the series when he sustained a knee injury in game 5 as a result kerr moved green to center and started andre iguodala at power forward kerr was hoping his team could compensate for boguts absence but the cavaliers exploited mismatches from the opening minute green picked up his first foul 50 seconds into the first quarter when he reached at james in transition
the warriors missed their first seven shots and the cavaliers kept applying pressure james backed his way inside for a bucket irving drained a 3 pointer curry picked up his second foul lobbying the officials as he meandered to the bench
the first quarter was an all consuming nightmare for the warriors they trailed 31 11 after shooting 5 of 22 from the field the cavaliers outrebounded them by 16 7
the warriors surged behind curry in the second quarter after he sank a 3 pointer green followed with a layup in transition to trim clevelands lead to 8
but problems kept emerging for golden state iguodala one of jamess main defenders came up limping but stayed in the game curry was whistled for his third foul and james kept coming prodding the cavaliers to a 59 43 lead at halftime the warriors shot 295 percent from the field in the first half they could not recover
its either win the whole thing or bust for us klay thompson said i mean its no fun getting second place
the series has felt endless at times extended by lengthy breaks usually two days between games as a result the warriors have had to wait for their opportunities to close this thing out and have failed both times kerr said his message to his team before the game was simple no heroics necessary he said just be rock solid
the cavaliers had other plans and so did their crowd which exploded when james corralled a lob from jr smith in the second half and then slammed the ball in one fluid motion
ill sleep very well tonight james said
one more win from an improbable title cleveland believes


seattle   the first time the united states mens national soccer team played in the copa america was in 1993 in ecuador in its second game of that tournament the hosts soundly defeated a united states team that was still largely composed of former college players
nearly a quarter century later with the united states playing host to the tournament for the first time and featuring a team laden with experienced professionals the americans reversed the outcome and beat ecuador 2 1 in a contentious quarterfinal that reflected how far the united states has progressed in soccer over the past two decades
on a night when both teams were shown red cards and ecuador coach gustavo quinteros was ejected in the final minutes it was the american players who celebrated by jumping into one anothers arms and dancing in the center circle having secured a vital win on a grand stage
the victory propelled the united states into the semifinal stage of the copa america for the first time since 1995 in uruguay and it will play the winner of saturdays quarterfinal between argentina and venezuela
this was arguably the biggest result for the united states on home soil since it defeated colombia in the 1994 world cup the copa america is an irregularly contested championship of south american teams older than the world cup and the european championships and features some of the worlds most formidable national teams
to celebrate its 100th anniversary the copa came to the united states and the home teams coach jurgen klinsmann said before it began that the goal was to reach the semifinal stage
clint dempsey who plays locally for the seattle sounders helped make that possible when he scored in the 22nd minute to give the americans the lead heading home his 52nd goal for the national team five shy of landon donovans record
gyasi zardes scored in the 65th minute poking home a ball played across the goal mouth by dempsey while both teams were playing with only 10 men each ecuador finally scored in the 74th minute setting the stage for a nerve racking finish
the first goal was executed with clinical precision and it seemed that the americans might take an easy path to victory with the united states forcing the action on a swift counterattack the ball was fed back to jermaine jones outside the 18 yard area to the left of ecuadors goal and he lifted a perfectly placed ball back into the box dempsey split two defenders and redirected the ball into the back corner of the goal
this performance tonight from him was unbelievable obviously in front of his home crowd klinsmann said he is special and he deserves every compliment
the announced attendance was 47322 almost all of whom appeared to be supporting the home team
later the teams were reduced to 10 men each after a brief skirmish resulted in two red cards antonio valencia who plays for manchester united tripped alejandro bedoya after the whistle igniting a minor fracas involving a number of players
during the pushing and shoving the referee wilmar roldan of colombia appeared to have judged that american defender jones had slapped ecuador midfielder michael arroyo in the face
roldan showed jones a red card and then presented a second yellow card to valencia who had also been carded in the first half because of the accumulation of cards jones bedoya and bobby wood will not be able to play in the semifinal
it was an absolute joke klinsmann said of the ruling against jones i was right there and the fourth referee made that decision not the referee the referee didnt see it he followed the advice of the fourth official out there its a disgrace a decision like that
with more room to operate the game opened up at first for the americans and then for ecuador
in the 65th minute the americans pushed the ball into the ecuadorean area with zardes heading back down to the right of goalie alexander dominguez dempsey fought to retain possession and then sent a low shot under the left hand of dominguez the ball might have crossed the line for a second dempsey goal but zardes was taking no chances and slotted it home
its the strikers mentality zardes said with a smile
but in the 74th minute ecuador struck back with a goal off a unique set piece the ball was placed just outside the box to the left of american goalie brad guzan and it seemed that he and the rest of the united states defenders seemed to be expecting an elevated cross in front of the goal
but instead walter ayovi passed it along the ground back through the penalty area where arroyo drove a low shot with his right instep into the goal to guzans right then things began to get very hectic as enner valencia missed a chance to equalize on a header that barely missed the goal
in the first half the us dominated the ecuador assistant coach luis suarez said in the second half it was all ecuador
that might have been a slight exaggeration but ecuador was pushing the action and klinsmann began waving his arms to pump up his players and the crowd and then got into a shouting match with some of the ecuadorean players along the touchline
things became even more chaotic in the 90th minute when the ecuador bench became enraged at a foul call and a bottle was thrown onto the field quinteros who was yelling and waving his arms frantically while running along the sideline paid the price and was sent to the tunnel the final indignity on a wild night
the united states which had played the patsy 23 years ago in ecuador was left on the field to celebrate and share the moment with its fans some of whom may be too young to remember the last time their country reached this stage at the copa america
this was a huge step forward tonight klinsmann said
the next step is a semifinal of a major tournament in houston on tuesday


albany   state lawmakers were assembling the skeleton of a long awaited deal on a number of issues on thursday evening including a one year extension of mayor bill de blasios control of new york city schools and an ethics reform measure that would strip state pensions from elected officials convicted of a felony
a final announcement seemed just out of reach as the legislature settled in for a late night on thursday the last official day of the 2016 legislative calendar and lawmakers were told to return on friday for a final gallop of votes
still the silhouette of the package started to appear on thursday with lawmakers in serious discussions about supplying extra funding for the state university of new york and the city university of new york and releasing millions in state money for supportive housing for the homeless
the chairman of the assembly committee on racing and wagering j gary pretlow a democrat from mount vernon announced on thursday that there would be a vote on a bill to legalize daily fantasy sports the multibillion dollar sports betting industry that was bulldozed from new york last year after the state attorney general eric t schneiderman ordered its two largest purveyors draftkings and fanduel to stop operating it was unclear how gov andrew m cuomo a democrat would receive the proposal though its sponsor in the state senate john j bonacic a hudson valley republican said late on thursday that the governors office had reviewed it and suggested changes that were incorporated
a few once promising items seemed to have lost their momentum in the closing days of the session a proposal to bring ride hailing apps like uber and lyft to upstate new york though popular was snarled on an insurance issue supporters of a bill that would require schools to test for lead in water were trying to overcome the concerns of a single assemblywoman catherine t nolan a democrat from queens who is chairwoman of the committee on education but the assembly speaker carl e heastie a bronx democrat said his chamber would pass it if the senate did
for a state capitol that began the legislative session shellshocked by the convictions on corruption charges of two of its most powerful leaders sheldon silver and dean g skelos the most significant action was perhaps the pension forfeiture measure which had fizzled last year the assembly passed a resolution approving pension forfeiture late thursday and the senate was expected to follow suit on friday
yet the ethics deal was also conspicuous for its gaps despite discussions early in the session about more ambitious reforms that would limit the income legislators could make from other jobs or even transform the legislature into a full time institution lawmakers could ultimately muster agreement only on what many described as a no brainer more than 30 new york elected officials have been forced to leave the legislature after corruption scandals or other misconduct since 2000
with the major reforms he had proposed struggling to make it out of theoretical territory mr cuomo suggested a more manageable campaign finance measure that would tighten rules surrounding independent expenditure committees he was still pushing for it on thursday evening
the republican led senate approved a broad version of pension forfeiture last year only for it to wither in the democrat dominated assembly where some have worried that it could affect members of public employee unions as well as elected officials
in order to become a constitutional amendment the resolution must pass both houses this year and after a new legislature is seated next year it must then be approved by the voters
the legislatures workweek   which began on tuesday because the jewish holiday shavuot fell on monday   was preceded by a symbolic lowering of expectations from the governors office which issued a letter to lawmakers with six end of session priorities
while his administration can claim several major accomplishments from the session including raising the minimum wage and establishing paid family leave the scope of mr cuomos end of session wish list seemed somewhat diminished next to the vision he outlined at his state of the state address in january which included nearly 150 proposals
mr cuomo seemed to anticipate this unfavorable comparison in his letter with all we have done we have more to do he wrote
as the old skeptics adage goes thats great but what have you done for me lately he continued we cant rest on our laurels
the deals he and the legislative leaders struck earlier this week included a package of efforts to combat opioid and heroin addiction a growing scourge across the state a push to expand access to mammograms and other methods of breast cancer detection and an agreement on improving safety at rail crossings which carried all the political excitement of well rail crossings
a fourth effort enjoyed even broader public support a measure called the brunch bill that would let restaurants and bars serve alcohol at 10 am on sundays two hours earlier than is currently allowed
watchdogs however fumed that precious time had been spent debating mimosas instead of ethics reforms
but there was much else for lawmakers to consider
advocates for the homeless were urging the governor and legislative leaders to sign an agreement that would release millions of dollars in state funding for 20000 supportive housing units statewide saying that with lawmakers headed home to campaign for re election this fall there was little chance that the deal would materialize after the session ended
though lawmakers had also promised to revisit an expired tax break known as 421 a that was supposed to spur affordable housing development in new york city it too seemed to be languishing in the end of session rush


the wedding guests sat on bales of straw lined up evenly in rows heads of wheat served as boutonnieres for the groomsmen two flower girls actually cows named mona and lisa were led by their handler
the bride walked down the aisle to john lennons imagine a glittery headband held her platinum blond hair in place while a so called cowboy preacher flown in from colorado began a prayer
the wedding at a farm near the town of nassau in upstate new york in may 2014 was beautiful according to witness accounts and though the event may also have been a bit unusual it would seem an unlikely candidate to draw the scrutiny of the federal government
this week though federal prosecutors filed a civil complaint against the brides father j felix strevell 54 an official in the administration of gov george e pataki and the bride herself nicole strevell childrose 30 saying the wedding was paid for with money that belongs to the state
mr strevell a deputy new york secretary of state from 1997 to 1999 pleaded guilty to fraud in 2007 for diverting money from a nonprofit institute that the state had created to help small businesses and entrepreneurs and that he ran mr strevell spent the money on himself and family members including buying airplane tickets for ms strevell childrose and paying her and her boyfriend wages as interns according to the civil complaint
after entering his plea mr strevell was ordered to pay restitution of 111500 in monthly installments of 100 or 10 percent of his income whichever was greater under the orders terms he was to pay the full amount if he became able to at any time
mr strevell instead diverted money to his daughter to pay for her wedding and to satisfy a tax debt on a property she owned according to the civil complaint
the complaint says mr strevell had transferred 157646 to his daughter from 2012 to 2014 while paying only 6750 in restitution during the same period
in march mr strevell was charged with five felony counts of making false declarations under oath stemming from his misrepresentations of what he could pay to the government according to a federal indictment filed in the northern district of new york the indictment says he spent another 75000 as a down payment on the farm where the wedding was held
the civil complaint accuses mr strevell of transferring 28000 to his daughters checking account for the wedding he also paid for three wedding gowns 1400 to 2500 each a wedding tent tables and chairs 1043575 in cash a wedding photographer 2246 and the couples honeymoon at the four seasons hotel in santa fe nm the complaint says
i remember the wedding because i really loved it trisha millier the photographer hired by ms strevell childrose said she recalled the tables at the reception having a horseshoe motif and invitations hand sewn onto handkerchiefs
i have certainly done more extravagant weddings ms millier said it seemed down to earth
except perhaps for the multiple dresses she added
the civil complaint seeks payment of mr strevells restitution in part by voiding transfers from him to ms strevell childrose while testifying under oath in 2014 according to the criminal indictment mr strevell said he had given his daughter a couple of thousand dollars for the wedding and no wedding gift
if people try to avoid their restitution obligations we will investigate thomas spina the assistant united states attorney supervising the civil case said in an interview this week we will take whatever steps necessary to repay the victims
ms strevell childrose according to her facebook profile is an assistant professor of history at columbia greene community college where she has lectured on topics such as how to envision a more just compassionate world under the pen name n c childrose she wrote a childrens book mona and lisa come home about a father and daughter who buy two cows for their farm
mr strevell still owes the state just over 102000 on his restitution judgment as of june 14 according to the civil complaint his criminal lawyer paul evangelista declined to comment
matthew kelly a lawyer for ms strevell childrose said the government was grossly overreaching in its lawsuit
while the government has a right to enforce the judgment i think its beyond the pale for them to seek to enforce it against the daughter mr kelly said i think its a way to try to punish the daughter for the sins of the father
ms strevell childrose declined through mr kelly to comment herself but her appreciation for her father was evident on the wedding program
to our dads it read thank you for your love you have given us all you have


it was understandable if the mets entered thursdays game with the pittsburgh pirates with as much self esteem as a charlie brown led team after david wright their anchor for the last 13 years at third base had neck surgery with no timetable for a return
as fate would have it bartolo colon the source of so much baseball joy was scheduled to start
colon delivered on the mound and at the plate boosting the mets to a 6 4 win aside from throwing seven scoreless innings before allowing two runs in the eighth colon led off the third by ripping a stand up double into the right center field gap after beating a throw to third base on a curtis granderson single to center field colon scampered home on a sacrifice fly by yoenis cespedes
anytime youre entertained it helps and hes entertaining manager terry collins said adding he scored and came in and went out and pitched great
colon said through an interpreter after the game that he does not enjoy running a lot but was happy to provide a boost
i didnt see it personally but i was watching just now on tv colon said it looks like they enjoyed themselves
the run delighted and awakened the mets offense neil walker followed with a two run homer and michael conforto contributed a solo home run prolonging the inning and enabling the heavy footed colon to regroup in the dugout
thank god for walker and confortos home runs colon said that gave me a little bit of chance to catch my breath and i was able to come back even stronger after that
after missing the last three games with back pain walker drove in three runs but it was colon who provided the key spark on thursday
i dont think he ever ceases to amaze us walker said
granderson led off the bottom of the first inning with a home run the 17th time he has done so with the mets setting a club record
despite colons efforts to enliven the mets there were times of concern addison reed gave up two runs in the ninth before jeurys familia stopped the pirates attempted comeback with his 22nd save
wilmer flores started at third base but left in the third inning after getting hit by a pitch on the outside of his left hand in a rare piece of good news concerning the health of the mets players x rays were negative flores said he hoped to be able to play friday but he was unsure of his status after the game
there were more encouraging signs that conforto may be fully healthy after injuring his wrist he returned to the starting lineup for the first time since saturday and prevented an extra base hit by jung ho kang in the first inning with a diving catch in left field he added a single in the fifth inning for his first multihit game since may 20
i saw much better bat speed today than ive seen collins said hopefully its a sign of good things to come


from the mid 1950s to the early 1970s police surveillance of political organizations in new york was extensive enough to require more than half a million index cards simply to catalog and cross reference the many dossiers but over the ensuing decades the dossiers themselves were presumed missing or lost police department lawyers said they had no idea where the files had gone
now a significant portion of the missing files have been discovered during what the city said on thursday was a routine inventory of a queens warehouse where archivists found 520 brown boxes of decades old files believed to be the largest trove of new york police department surveillance records from the era
its the whole mother lode said gideon oliver a civil rights lawyer who two years ago filed a lawsuit on behalf of a historian seeking records about a group that was a target of surveillance
the boxes according to a written index contain extensive files about the black panthers the nation of islam and the young lords as well as public demonstrations and civil unrest files on individuals are also among the documents at least 15 boxes primarily contain photographs mr oliver said
the citys records department in a statement said it was working to develop rules regarding public access to the documents though no timetable or process has been set
the files are bound to resonate not only among those subjected to surveillance decades ago but also among current activists and organizations that have faced police surveillance and infiltration in the years since sept 11 2001
after the terrorist attacks the police department bolstered its spying capabilities muslim organizations and mosques in particular reported extensive surveillance others including activists associated with causes ranging from the antiwar movement to cycling have also found themselves watched
the files discovered in queens are from a secretive police unit that began as the anti communist red squad during the 1960s it was called the special services division today it is called the intelligence division
its activities are subject to rules intended to limit the circumstances under which the police can begin investigating political groups or maintain surveillance files that capture political activity the rules put in place in the 1980s and modified after sept 11 emerged from a long running lawsuit brought by political activists
pablo guzman an early member of the young lords said he hoped to have a chance to inspect the police departments records on the group which was the target of extensive surveillance and infiltration he said
we would be most interested in discovering who they sent in to infiltrate us   who were the undercovers and who was subverting what we were doing mr guzman a longtime television reporter in new york said but were not going to find out who the turncoats were who the agents were theyre going to redact all that
for the past 30 years the files were supposed to be open to the public as part of the settlement of the lengthy lawsuit the city had agreed to release portions to people who asked to see their own file one of the lawyers jethro eisenstein recalled but a significant number of those who sought access were rebuffed he said by the time the files were to be made public they were in disarray rendering the indexing system useless
civil rights lawyers claimed it reflected a clear effort on the part of the police department to stymie public access they scrambled the entire system so it was impossible to find anything mr eisenstein said
but the index card filing system described in various old court documents offers insight into the extent of surveillance
a court filing from 1989 provides a sampling of the material in the dossiers one card referred to signers of a communist party petition while another mentioned a catholic lay teacher who was involved in labor negotiations with the archdiocese there are index cards for those who spoke at rallies against the vietnam war there is an index card for the person seated at table 8 in albert ballroom americana hotel paying 15 for dinner held by emergency civil liberties committee 121562
for years the files were believed to have been stored in two rooms at police headquarters the rooms a10 and 1206 became a topic of fascination and frustration for civil rights lawyers over time the files were said to become increasingly disorganized ultimately they disappeared
in affidavits from the past two years the current occupants of those two rooms or the detectives who searched them reported finding none of the surveillance files
throughout the 80s we were pressing for this stuff mr eisenstein recalled and then it fell from view
over time he said the people who were concerned about what was written about them in the 60s were onto other stuff
when the documents resurfaced this week among the first to learn of the discovery was johanna fernandez a professor at baruch college who is writing a book on the young lords a puerto rican organization that began as a reformed street gang in chicago before evolving into a radical social justice movement she had requested surveillance files relating to the organization from the police department as well as from the federal bureau of investigation which she said was far more responsive in providing records
in 2014 she sued the city to gain access after years of letter writing had yielded little
in court affidavits police officials said they found little despite searches lasting more than 100 hours the judge alice schlesinger dismissed the lawsuit in may expressing frustration at the outcome
in an interview professor fernandez said she had been told by the records department that the documents would soon be made accessible not only to scholars but also to the public at large
taken together she said the files tell the story of thousands of people and organizations in new york city who fought to make the city more just and democratic and were systematically obstructed by the police
her own book is largely written but she said she hoped to incorporate the records into an epilogue


burlington vt   the primaries are officially over hillary clinton and donald j trump are attacking each other over the orlando tragedy final touches are being made to convention plans running mates are being vetted
but on thursday night senator bernie sanders stood at a podium in a small chilly television studio here pointing his index finger at a camera and insisting to his supporters that his campaign was fighting on with five bright lights illuminating him mr sanders delivered a shortened version of his stump speech via livestream to his supporters saying his political revolution was just beginning and reeling off the many injustices it would set about to end
although it covered a lot of ground from the influence of money to poverty wages to fracking to the cost of college the speech did not include the one thing some democratic leaders have awaited an endorsement of mrs clinton who last week became the presumptive nominee
the major political task that we face in the next five months is to make certain that donald trump is defeated and defeated badly mr sanders said i personally intend to begin my role in that process in a very short period of time
but if that sounded like a hint he would get behind mrs clinton in his next breath he made clear that helping her was not necessarily his top priority
defeating donald trump cannot be our only goal he said we must continue our grass roots efforts to create the america that we know we can become and we must take that energy into the democratic national convention on july 25 in philadelphia
mr sanderss advisers say he wants assurances mrs clinton will fight for his ideals before he throws his support   and potentially the support of millions of his voters   behind her throughout the speech mr sanders seemed defiant as he repeated his critiques of economic racial and environmental inequalities in the country this time with the spotlight a bit dimmed
as mr sanders spoke of continuing his political revolution much of the mainstream media that he regularly bemoans had moved on cnn dedicated its coverage to the orlando massacre while fox news hosts discussed the scourge of terrorism msnbc aired the beginning of his remarks live and then cut away
but mr sanderss core supporters who have given his cause voice on twitter for more than a year were still there for him the hashtag ourrevolution became the fourth most popular in the united states as he spoke some of his fans quoted his every word others expressed nervousness that he might formally drop out of the race
one die hard supporter of mr sanders summed up his feelings for the candidate by invoking the batman movie the dark knight the president we needed but didnt deserve
the sanders campaign said the speech was streamed to at least 218000 people some were gathered at bernie watching parties like one in the east village of manhattan where 20 supporters in the upstairs dining room of the bareburger restaurant broke into raucous applause when he said his 12 million votes proved that his was not a radical campaign but rather mainstream
jessica stokey 43 a television editor shed tears when mr sanders suggested he might eventually endorse mrs clinton to help beat mr trump
i dont know if its just my imagination but it looked to me like the bags under his eyes got bigger and his face grew more thin she said thats when i started crying
its like knowing the zombies are here and you have to save your child thats how heartbreaking it is she added
despite not endorsing mrs clinton on thursday night mr sanders showed signs that he was pivoting to other races imploring supporters to run for school boards city councils county commissions state legislatures and governorships he kept his feud with the democratic party leadership on a low boil criticizing it for letting republicans dominate state legislatures
we need new blood in the political process and you are that new blood he said i have no doubt that with the energy and enthusiasm our campaign has shown that we can win significant numbers of local and state elections if people are prepared to become involved
at 23 minutes the speech was one of the shortest mr sanders had given since beginning his campaign last year afterward mr sanders left the studio walking briskly with his wife jane and campaign spokesman michael briggs to a waiting car without answering questions shouted at him by reporters including several who asked when he planned to endorse mrs clinton


washington   federal regulators on thursday took up the fight for their right to label certain financial institutions as too big to fail after a federal district court threw out their designation of the insurance company metlife earlier this year
the financial stability oversight council a body of regulators led by the treasury department said in april that it would contest the decision shortly after the ruling was handed down late thursday the government filed its first substantive brief in its appeal
the dodd frank act gave the council which includes the heads of the banking agencies the authority to designate large nonbanks as systemically important to prevent the kind of fallout seen from the near collapse of american international group during the height of the financial crisis the institutions so designated will be subject to greater capital requirements and regulatory scrutiny
the district court overturned the collective judgment of the heads of the nations financial regulatory agencies that material distress at metlife could pose a threat to the countrys financial stability the council which is being represented by the justice department said in the brief the courts ruling leaves one of the largest most complex and most interconnected financial companies in the country without the regulatory oversight that congress found essential
in addition to metlife regulators have designated aig prudential financial and general electrics finance unit though ge has applied to have the systemically important label removed after shedding significant assets
metlife which filed its case against the government in january 2015 is the only company to combat the label in court so far judge rosemary m collyer of the federal district court for the district of columbia ultimately ruled in favor of the insurer in march
the judge said that the council had failed to assess the likelihood of metlifes going under and the impact that severe material distress at the company would have on the financial system at large judge collyer also said that regulators should have weighed the costs and benefits of the designation
the council sought to address those concerns head on in its filing on thursday with the united states court of appeals for the district of columbia circuit calling the lower court judges analysis of its efforts profoundly mistaken it also argues that the financial reform law does not require the council to take into account costs or any other effect of designation on the company as part of its decision process
a metlife spokesman declined to comment except to say said that the company will respond to the governments brief in its own filing by aug 15
supporters of the council will file amicus briefs with the court next week a date has not been set for oral arguments though the hearing is likely to be scheduled for sometime this fall
we continue to believe that the council acted well within its legal authority in designating metlife and are vigorously defending the councils work on appeal the treasury said in a statement


the city university of new york reached a tentative contract agreement with its faculty and staff members on thursday ending a six year stalemate and staving off a threatened walkout at the start of the fall semester
the deal would give 25000 employees represented by the professional staff congress the universitys largest union 1041 percent in compounded salary increases over seven years from october 2010 through november 2017 it would also provide bonuses of up to 1000 for workers
beyond salary issues the agreement would offer adjunct faculty members   whose ranks have swelled in recent years especially at cunys four year colleges   longer appointments of up to three years rather than subjecting them to yearly or even semester renewals cunys professional staff which includes program directors and student service providers would also be given more chances for career advancement
the deal must still be approved by cunys board of trustees as well as union members in a process that could last several weeks but both sides expressed optimism and relief that a deal had finally been struck
great faculty are at the heart of every great university and cuny is certainly no exception chancellor james b milliken said in a statement
this agreement provides not only a much needed increase in pay for our many faculty and staff but it also includes additional provisions important to cunys competitiveness for talent at all levels
barbara bowen the unions president who is also a professor of english at queens college and at cunys graduate center said we were able to negotiate a strong imaginative contract in a period of enforced austerity for public workers because our members mobilized the fight for our contract was a fight for investment in quality education at cuny
cuny a collection of 24 community undergraduate and graduate schools is the largest urban public university in the country approximately 45000 employees help to educate 274000 students annually
but cuny has confronted fiscal pressures in the last decade as aid from albany which supplies the bulk of its funding has dropped in line with national trends in public higher education
cuny employees had been working without a new contract since 2010 and had become increasingly frustrated by the lack of salary increases during that time that frustration was exacerbated by mounting concerns over workplace conditions including overcrowded classes crumbling facilities and shrinking course options as described in a recent investigation by the new york times
last year the university made an offer for a six year contract beginning in 2010 which would include salary increases totaling 6 percent but it fell short of the raise the union desired so cuny asked the state to intervene and the public employment relations board selected kim moore ward the chief regional mediator and director to handle the talks
then last month the union voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike in the fall if no contract deal was reached   such an action would be illegal under state law and could lead to the arrest of union leaders and fines against union members
in an interview ms bowen said the unions strike authorization vote among other factors most likely prodded state and cuny officials to resolve the contract before the end of the legislative session in albany
and this past weekend cuny announced that it had reached new contracts with several smaller unions including district council 37 with salary terms that ended up being virtually identical to the ones agreed to on thursday by the professional staff congress


los angeles   a newly democratized nominating process for the board of governors of the academy of motion picture arts and sciences which awards the oscars has produced a more prominent if not more diverse field of candidates including steven spielberg mike medavoy and james l brooks
on thursday the academy posted on its members only website a list of more than 60 candidates for 17 open spots on its 54 member governing board candidates may now self nominate rather than wait for a committee to name them as a possible representative of a craft branch representing directors actors writers and such
over all the four candidates for each of the open spots are roughly one third women including laura dern among actors and amy pascal an incumbent among executives edward james olmos and lou diamond phillips are running against ms dern for a spot held by ed begley jr who is also in contention
others in the running include john badham and lisa cholodenko in the directors branch michael apted and liz garbus among documentarians william m mechanic and peter h schlessel among executives carter burwell and alan bergman in the music branch larry karaszewski james schamus and robin swicord among writers and stephanie allain mark johnson hawk koch a former academy president and paula wagner among producers


in a rush to get home to the bronx one afternoon in march and hoping to save a few dollars jose lopez scanned the traffic near 116th street for the livery cars that pick up riders and do not fuss with a meter but no such luck
he gave up stuck out a hand and a green cab pulled over
a good thing he didnt find another taxi by the time mr lopez got out on east tremont avenue in the bronx he had effectively scored about 200000 for himself and three friends
on thursday he and the three other men   all immigrants who worked construction in largely untamed territories of new york city   were handed checks of up to 50000 by the city comptroller scott m stringer
a decade ago they were ripped off by a contractor who had hired them to work on renovations of rundown apartment houses owned by the city the city recovered the money but the hunt for many of the workers ran into one blind alley after another
then mr lopez got into that green cab on 116th street
the cabdriver glanced once in the mirror then turned to face him
hey jose the driver mody camara said
as mr camara and mr lopez recalled the moment mr lopez seemed uncertain
you dont remember me mr camara said you know me
oh yeah yeah mr lopez said we worked together
for several years they had done interior demolition of city owned apartment buildings in harlem they were paid about 60 a day by a contractor mascon restoration
we were looking for you guys mr camara said those people were cheating us
mr camara said he had successfully made a claim with the city getting more than 40000 i bought a cab he told mr lopez
he insisted that if mr lopez filed a claim he too could get what was owed
and dont go by yourself   bring the other guys mr camara said what about gordito you hear from chiquito
noted in passing mr camara an immigrant from mauritania whose native tongue is a variant of arabic plus some french was calling his honduran workmates by their spanish nicknames you never know the things that may be going on inside cabs rolling through the bronx
by city law gordito and chiquito and mr lopez should have been paid salaries comparable to the prevailing wages that big builders pay on union jobs instead of the 60 a day they were getting from mascon restoration for instance the demolition workers should have been getting 45 an hour according to the city comptrollers office
it turned out that virtually none of the construction workers were being paid the prevailing wages
during the administration of the former comptroller john c liu the city calculated that the workers had been cheated out of about 11 million by mascon and the companies that oversaw its work mascon pleaded guilty in state court to a related felony and went out of business the companies made restitution to the city which held the money on behalf of the workers but those workers who were being paid off the books had scattered to the winds
an investigator from the comptrollers office frank gonzalez went to the job sites from 2006 to 2009 before the workers were sent scurrying by their boss they told us we would be fired if we took the fliers that frank left us mr lopez said they were also told falsely that mr gonzalez was an immigration agent who was really there to deport them said the workers and mr gonzalez
so only a few workers filed for the money they had coming to them despite efforts by mr gonzalez and others to find them
then mr lopez got into the green cab driven by mr camara
the connections began mr lopez contacted reynaldo castillo in turn mr castillo skip the nickname please got in touch with elio barrios chiquito and martin diorisia mr gonzalez had taken pictures a decade ago and was able to verify that they had indeed worked on the mascon jobs
to much merriment they picked up checks on thursday mr diorisia who now lives in north carolina had taken an overnight bus to new york and gone directly to the municipal building the others live in the bronx most still doing construction
all of them marveled at the fortune that landed mr lopez in mr camaras cab
he didnt even charge me for the ride mr lopez said
in fact the meter ran backward


brasilia   less than two months before brazil hosts the olympics the countrys tourism minister resigned thursday becoming the third minister in a month to step down amid a sweeping graft investigation of the state oil company petrobras
tourism minister henrique alves was one of two dozen officials named in plea bargain testimony by a former petrobras executive linking the interim president michel temer and several of his closest allies to brazils biggest corruption scandal ever
while mr temer dismissed the accusations as frivolous lies the latest resignation emphasized the risks that come with the sweeping petrobras investigation which has thrown brazils politics into chaos and deepened its worst recession in decades
sergio machado a former senator from mr temers party who ran the shipping arm of petrobras for more than a decade was the latest of several politicians and executives who when pressed by investigators offered information about friends and allies
mr machado told prosecutors that mr alves who served four decades as a congressman had solicited about 450000 in campaign funds from the scheme mr machado said the contributions were made legally but resulted from kickbacks owed by engineering companies that received petrobras contracts
mr alves denied the accusation and said late wednesday on twitter that contributions to his campaigns had been made through official channels and declared to election authorities
his resignation adds to recent upheaval at the tourism ministry in brazil where a global marketing campaign for the olympics was delayed for months because of a revolving door of ministers and secretaries caused by the political crisis
i dont want to create embarrassments or any difficulties for the government mr alves said in a letter to mr temer provided to journalists on thursday explaining that he had resigned to focus on defending himself from the accusations
mr temer also dismissed the graft allegations as dishonest and reckless pledging in a national address on thursday morning that his government would not be distracted from fiscal efforts to revive the economy
mr temer said it was irresponsible ridiculous mendacious and criminal to suggest as mr machado did that he had sought campaign funds for his party from the graft scheme the first direct link implicating mr temer in the scandal
the plea bargain testimony implicating mr temer and senior members of his governing coalition stole the thunder from a landmark fiscal initiative revealed the same day
on thursday brazilian newspapers splashed the bribery allegations across their front pages pushing the governments proposed 20 year constitutional cap on public spending far below the fold
mr machados plea deal included allegations that mr temer had sought campaign funds for his partys 2012 sao paulo mayoral candidate from the graft scheme at petrobras the biggest ever uncovered in brazil
the accusations provide more fodder for the suspended president dilma rousseff and her allies who accuse mr temer and his party of mounting an impeachment process against her to distract from their own roles in the corruption scandal
ms rousseff faces a trial in the senate on unrelated charges of breaking budget rules
as many as a dozen of the 55 senators who voted last month to put ms rousseff on trial are now undecided according to surveys by brazilian news media if just a couple of them change sides the temer camp will fall short of the 54 votes   equivalent to two thirds of the 81 seat senate   needed to convict ms rousseff
if she is convicted in mid august as many analysts still expect ms rousseff will be permanently removed from office and mr temer will serve out her term until the 2018 election


oakmont pa   the first rain delay thursday morning at the 116th united states open was greeted like recess in grammar school except in reverse golfers dashed from their playground to the nearest dwelling some impishly pilfered chocolate chip cookies from the media center as a gaggle of their european colleagues watched soccer broadcasts from their home continent there were smiles and laughs and selfies posted on social media
play resumed after about 75 minutes only to be suspended 45 minutes later when that delay dragged on for hours the playful mood began to fizzle
not only was andrew landry a 28 year old texan ranked 624th in the world leading the tournament he was threatening to post the lowest score in any round at a major championship bryson dechambeau an amateur two months ago was only two strokes behind landry
but after the second delay ended dechambeau catapulted off the leaderboard with consecutive double bogeys and landry misfired on back to back birdie putts the two players were emblematic of what was going on all over the golf course the field looked wet and wilted
when thunderstorms caused a third and final interruption it was almost welcomed like a boxing referee stopping a lopsided fight by late afternoon when play at the oakmont country club was suspended until friday there seemed to be a sigh of relief
with only seven players under par and more than 30 at five over par or higher a host of players looked as if they needed to cool off among them were the defending champion jordan spieth who was loudly muttering on the course and the world no 3 rory mcilroy who seemed exasperated as he bogeyed his final two holes to stumble to four over
landry however was one player who probably wished he had had another five minutes on the course he led the tournament at three under but the air horn signaling the end of play blared as he was approaching a 10 foot birdie putt on his final hole
i was trying to get that last hole in said landry who will have to return at 730 am friday after he putts out he will probably not begin his second round for many hours
but landry knew what was coming
i heard it thunder as we were coming up the last fairway he said
rain was in the forecast but landry a rookie on the pga tour unquestionably sneaked up on the field he has made the cut in only three of nine starts with his best finish a tie for 41st landry who was an all american at arkansas is 5 feet 7 inches and 150 pounds but had an average driving distance of 303 yards on thursday which was nearly 20 yards farther than the field average
landry hit nine of 13 fairways and 12 of 17 greens in regulation
because of the rain the golf course was playing way easier today than it was earlier this week landry said a sentiment not shared by most of his competitors on the first hole for instance we could actually land the ball on the green and it stayed there he said two days ago we had to land it 30 or 40 yards short of the green and run it up there
not many other golfers felt that oakmont was being generous bubba watson a two time masters champion and danny lee who has four top 20 finishes this year on the pga tour were one stroke behind landry watson had completed 14 holes and lee 13 tied for fourth at one under were kevin streelman harris english lee westwood and scottie scheffler a 19 year old amateur playing in his first united states open who was the only golfer in the top five to finish his round
scheffler will be a junior at texas next fall and is a former united states junior amateur champion his caddie is his sister callie who began an internship a week ago but asked off from work to carry her brothers bag
hopefully she doesnt get in trouble scheffler said
spieth another texan had an adventurous day with two bogeys and a birdie in the 11 holes he played spieth was clearly displeased by the results of some of his shots which may have been because oakmont played so differently thursday than during the practice rounds
completely different golf course than we played in the practice round spieth said afterward i mean night and day
rain might have made the greens softer and the fairways more receptive but it also made the rough heavier and more penalizing and spieth also just seemed to be getting into awkward spots which is common at oakmont at one point on the 15th green spieth had a putt of more than 118 feet which is nearly 40 yards he two putted which was a major accomplishment
but late in the afternoon when he was finally out of the rain and wind spieth took solace in the idea that he had only seven holes to play tomorrow morning to finish his first round so many of his competitors had yet to hit a shot in the first round
those other guys have to play 36 holes in a row at a us open spieth said which isnt easy
staying on schedule united states golf association officials said thursday night that they expected to finish the tournament sunday night with the weather expected to improve the plan is to complete the first round friday and then start the second round around 2 pm the second round is expected to be completed saturday morning
the goal is to start the third round by 145 pm saturday and finish before darkness


after eight years of largely abstaining from politics former president george w bush is throwing himself into an effort to save his partys most vulnerable senators including several whose re election campaigns have been made more difficult by donald j trumps presence at the top of the ticket
in the weeks since mr trump emerged as the partys presumptive presidential nominee mr bush has headlined fund raisers for two republican senators and has made plans to help three more among them are senators john mccain of arizona who was one of mr trumps earliest targets of derision and kelly ayotte of new hampshire who has struggled to respond to mr trumps inflammatory talk
friends say that the former president is deeply bothered by mr trumps campaign message especially his derogatory remarks about muslims and immigrants at the event with mr mccain mr bush stressed the importance of preserving the republican held senate as a check and balance on the white house suggesting that such a check was needed whether the next president is mr trump or hillary clinton the presumptive democratic nominee
mr bush announced through a spokesman last month that he would not support mr trumps candidacy and would not attend the republican convention in cleveland next month his father former president george bush and his brother jeb bush who was defeated and ridiculed by mr trump in the primary campaign are also staying away
it has been a painful year for the bushes as mr trump has not only upended the party that they dominated for decades but has done so by publicly repudiating the 43rd presidents legacy mr trump denounced the 2003 invasion of iraq as a foreign policy disaster blamed mr bush for the sept 11 2001 attacks and painted his presidency as a failure yet mr trump suffered little backlash from voters in the republican primaries as a result
while mr bush raised money for his brother jeb and appeared at a south carolina rally for him he has largely refrained from taking on mr trump or overtly engaging in politics in any way but he is motivated to try to shore up republican control of the senate which he views as a force for stability at a chaotic time in politics and to help those who reflect his more inclusive brand of conservatism
president bush believes that its critical to keep the senate in republican hands said freddy ford mr bushs spokesman who confirmed the heightened activity he is actively helping some senators in tight races who are strong leaders and share timeless conservative values
the fund raisers held by mr bush are expected to generate hundreds of thousands of dollars for the candidates in total
next week he will appear in st louis at a fund raiser for senator roy blunt of missouri and similar events are being planned for senators ron johnson of wisconsin and rob portman of ohio
im pleased he is coming mr blunt said in a brief interview this week on capitol hill he added he hasnt given a political speech since he left so i am interested to hear what he has to say in missouri he is still very popular as he is more and more all over the country
mr johnson said he was looking forward to his reception with mr bush in part because he has never even had a conversation with the former president underscoring how much mr bush has withdrawn from politics
all the bushes are people of integrity said mr johnson who is locked in a difficult race with former senator russ feingold
on thursday night mr trump said he was just fine with mr bushs activities i like that hes helping certain republicans mr trump said adding that mr bushs brother had a great chance to beat me and did not
mr bushs effort to help down ballot candidates fill their campaign coffers underscores how fissures in the republican party are affecting fund raising the senators are not receiving any fund raising help from mr trump a typical role for the partys standard bearer and few congressional candidates have sought mr trumps endorsement given his high negative ratings in polls and unpredictable nature
the support from mr bush also reflects his rising standing he was toxic to his own party in the final years of his presidency and left the white house deeply unpopular after two wars and a financial collapse that plunged the nation into recession
few candidates were clamoring for his help outside of helping his brother and his nephew george p bush the texas land commissioner and his friend ed gillespie in a virginia senate race mr bush has largely stayed away from campaigns since returning to texas in 2009 writing only a handful of personal checks for candidates who visited his dallas office
but 47 percent of people nationally view him favorably now according to a february poll from quinnipiac university mr trumps favorability was at 31 percent in a june 15 national poll from bloomberg politics
further mr bush is highly popular among republicans especially the party elites who are big campaign donors the hosts listed on the invitations for the fund raisers for mr mccain and mr blunt include some of the countrys leading republican contributors who have recoiled from mr trumps candidacy
in retirement unlike former president bill clinton mr bush does not devour daily political developments and intrigue and largely shuns television news coverage but mr trump has presented a message starkly different from the one offered by mr bush especially on terrorism and racial tensions
at a debate in february mr trump said that mr bushs administration lied about intelligence to justify the war in iraq and he excoriated mr bush for the sept 11 attacks
the world trade center came down during the reign of george bush right i mean it came down mr trump said at a news conference we werent safe
at a rally that night in support of jeb bush the only public event that he appeared at for his brother the former president seemed to refer to mr trump without naming him
i understand that americans are angry and frustrated but we do not need someone in the oval office who mirrors and inflames our anger and frustration mr bush said we need someone that can fix the problems that cause our anger and frustration
this week after the deadly shooting in florida by a united states citizen whose parents were from afghanistan and who had pledged allegiance to the islamic state mr trump called for an expanded ban on muslim immigrants
we need to tell the truth also about how radical islam is coming to our shores mr trump said accusing muslims in the united states of not doing enough to stop terrorism
mr trumps speech was in stark contrast to the approach mr bush took after the 2001 attacks
the face of terror is not the true faith of islam mr bush said in a speech on sept 17 2001 at the islamic center in washington islam is peace
he criticized reported attacks against muslims in america they need to be treated with respect mr bush said
this week the candidate who most echoed mr bushs message was mrs clinton
president bush went to a muslim community center just six days after the attacks to send a message of unity and solidarity mrs clinton said in a speech in ohio adding it is time to get back to the spirit of those days spirit of 912
mr bush declines to praise or criticize either mr trump or mrs clinton in public settings my candidate lost he tells audiences referring to his brother


archbishop fulton j sheen known by millions as the emmy award winning host of a television show in the 1950s made one of his last public appearances at st patricks cathedral in manhattan rising from his chair and kneeling before pope john paul ii during a visit in 1979
but his burial in a crypt at the cathedral after his death a few months later at age 84 has been at the center of a dispute that has held up his 14 year journey toward sainthood relatives want his body moved to peoria ill where he was ordained a priest and where officials of the roman catholic church have been behind the effort to make him a saint
now his family has turned to the courts to compel st patricks cathedral and the archdiocese of new york to turn over archbishop sheens body
a petition filed on monday in state supreme court in manhattan by the archbishops niece seeks permission to disinter remove and transfer his remains because consent cannot be obtained from the archdiocese
the niece joan sheen cunningham seeks to inter his body at the cathedral of st mary of the immaculate conception in peoria the church that archbishop sheen attended in his youth and where he became a priest in 1919 the family believes that archbishop sheens beatification   the step before canonization   is imminent
bishop daniel r jenky of the diocese of peoria who initiated the canonization process for the archbishop in 2002 but announced that it had been postponed after officials in new york would not relinquish the body said in an affidavit included with the lawsuit that he supported ms cunninghams effort
ms cunningham believes her uncle would have wanted to be interred at the church in peoria if he had known he would be declared a saint according to court documents
still church officials in new york have resisted efforts to transfer the body of the archbishop who is considered a hero of cardinal timothy m dolan joseph zwilling a spokesman for the archdiocese where cardinal dolan is the archbishop said it had been the personal wish of archbishop sheen to be permanently buried beneath the high altar of st patricks cathedral
the archdiocese recently offered a compromise to which it said ms cunningham had agreed it would send archbishop sheens remains to peoria for his beatification if they would then be returned at an appropriate time to the crypt at st patricks according to mr zwilling
but a statement distributed by alan s zigman a lawyer of ms cunninghams said the archbishop had never wished to be permanently buried in new york mr zigman said ms cunningham had not agreed to the compromise
while mr zwilling said the archdiocese would need time to review the court petition he said in a statement that it was definitely encouraging that the diocese of peoria seems ready to reopen the cause so that the much desired process toward beatification and canonization can resume
at the time of his death archbishop sheen was among the most famous catholic figures in the united states known for his evangelism on radio in newspapers and on television as the host of life is worth living the show that ran in the 1950s he reached tens of millions of viewers each week taking positions against racism nuclear proliferation and communism
after his death the archdiocese asked ms cunninghams permission to bury the archbishop at st patricks cathedral to which she agreed according to her court petition
but the lawsuit argues that the archdiocese had no interest in pursuing the lengthy and involved effort to canonize the archbishop the lawsuit includes a letter from cardinal dolans predecessor cardinal edward m egan to bishop jenky in 2002 in which he called peoria the ideal diocese to initiate the canonization process
with the process well underway by 2009 cardinal dolan responded to questions about the archbishops body by pointing out that bishop sheen only spent a few years in peoria
a year later bishop jenky suspended the campaign for sainthood citing the issue with the body but he later picked up the cause again in 2014 he announced that it was postponed once more
matthew sutton an associate professor of theology at st johns university in queens said the battle harked back to the middle ages at the time the internment of a saint could secure a stream of pilgrims   and a prosperous future   for a small town dr sutton said he pointed to st catherine of siena whose body was split after a dispute between rome and siena her head was sent to siena where it remains
it seems like from a different time many centuries ago he said


in the eight months since the new york attorney general eric t schneiderman announced the first investigation of exxon mobil over its past research statements about climate change nearly 20 other state attorneys general have voiced their support
but exxon mobil has increasingly been pushing back fighting subpoenas in court and winning the support of lawmakers and friendly state attorneys general who have attacked the investigations as flashy political prosecutions dressed up as legal inquiries
the company for example filed a motion on wednesday in federal court in texas to block a demand for documents by the massachusetts attorney general maura healey calling it a fishing expedition
the filing argued that ms healey was abusing the power of government to silence the company and that she made statements in a march news conference with mr schneiderman and other state law enforcement officials that suggested she had already made up her mind about what her investigation would find
on thursday exxon mobil followed up with a petition in state court in massachusetts asking the court to recuse ms healeys office from pursuing the investigation because it is impermissibly biased against the company
exxon mobil also argued that the state law that ms healey relied in her investigation has only a four year statute of limitations
alan t jeffers a spokesman for the company said the great irony here is that weve acknowledged the risks of climate change for more than a decade have supported a carbon tax as the better policy option and spent more than 7 billion on research and technologies to reduce emissions
a spokeswoman for ms healey cyndi roy gonzalez said in a statement that exxon mobils legal efforts are an unprecedented effort to limit the ability of state attorneys general to investigate fraud and unfair business practices
the law enforcement officials actions also have been questioned by lamar s smith of texas the republican chairman of the house science committee and more recently by a coalition of state attorneys general who called the investigations a grave mistake that raises substantial first amendment concerns
mr schneiderman has consistently argued that he is trying to determine whether the company committed fraud by telling investors and consumers one thing while its research showed the opposite the first amendment does not give any corporation the right to commit fraud said eric soufer a spokesman for the attorney general
mr soufer added everything weve seen this week is ripped straight from the big tobacco playbook delay deflect and distract from any serious investigation into potential fraud or corporate malfeasance
mr schneiderman has called the pushback from the company and its supporters first amendment opportunism
state attorneys general have been at odds over many issues including the obama administrations affordable care act and clean power plan but the sniping among conservative and liberal attorneys general has been especially heated over exxon mobil
the letter this week from the coalition of conservative state attorneys general led by luther strange of alabama stated that mr schneiderman and his allies are using law enforcement authority to resolve a public policy debate that is not suited to the courts
exxon mobil went to court in april to oppose subpoenas issued by claude e walker the attorney general of the virgin islands the competitive enterprise institute a libertarian advocacy group that also received a subpoena from mr walker filed a motion against him under a law limiting malicious or frivolous lawsuits intended to suppress speech
mr walker who had tried to reassure the group it was not a target withdrew the subpoena in a news conference on thursday kent lassman the institutes president said that maura healey is on a witch hunt and mr schneiderman is involved in a conspiracy to punish dissent
during exxon mobils years of funding organizations that undercut climate science the competitive enterprise institute received about 2 million from the company and its affiliated foundations according to records obtained by the climate investigations center
the reason cei is so up in arms about these subpoenas is their fear of revealing their dirty laundry said kert davies the founder of the investigations center in reference to competitive enterprise institute
sam kazman the general counsel for the institute said that the organization does not disclose donor information he called mr daviess suggestions about the groups motives whistling in the dark
while it has fought some investigators fiercely exxon mobil has provided hundreds of thousands of pages of documents in response to mr schneidermans office
and robert c post the dean of yale law school and a constitutional scholar rejected the notion that exxon mobil is being gagged by the state efforts
debate is not being suppressed in any way by this he said adding that citing first amendment rights has become a weapon in the arsenal of those who would seek to unravel the regulatory state
theyre bringing it up because it sounds good


kissimmee fla   his hair was carefully styled a chestnut wave atop his head slicked to the left his slender face looked pale under heavy makeup a rosary with white beads and a gold crucifix threaded his hands which rested on the white t shirt bearing his image and name luis omar ocasio capo
and suddenly for those close to him his death became real so much so in fact that alberto capo his uncle could hardly bear to look he raced out of the funeraria san juan here on thursday afternoon into the stifling air and took refuge beneath a sprawling tree at the side of the low slung building he squatted close to the ground dipped his head and wept
i didnt believe it he said sobbing i did not believe it at all whatsoever i see him in that box and its just totally different
days after grappling with the shock the anger the politics the questions about what could and could not have been done the families and friends of the 49 people fatally shot in a gay nightclub in orlando early sunday now find themselves confronting the raw emotions of saying goodbye
the long procession of funeral services which started wednesday continued thursday with send offs for mr ocasio capo 20 and eric ivan ortiz rivera 36
the ceremonies played out as short services in the funeral homes followed by lengthy wakes
during a roughly hourlong service on thursday mr ocasio capos loved ones reminisced about a man who sought hollywood stardom he loved to dance and wanted to be a famous choreographer
he never left us fernando torres another uncle recalled telling the mourners now hes in heaven shining like he always wanted to be like a star
mr ocasio capos open coffin sat in a dim room brightened by a pink lamp and large bouquets of flowers some provided by disney much of the funeral arrangements are being paid for through an online fund raising page that has raised millions of dollars
several companies have contributed including target and airlines that have provided flights to immediate family members and are flying some of the deceased back to puerto rico starbucks where mr ocasio capo worked provided coffee for thursdays gathering
mr ocasio capo moved to orlando about two years ago from cleveland to live with his mother who was seeking a warmer climate mr capo said mr ocasio capo will be cremated and returned to his hometown ponce pr mr torres said where his mother will sprinkle his ashes on la guancha an entertainment boardwalk that suited his festive personality
he always wanted to look real good said his cousin nayshka dejesus ocasio
she joked that although his hair looked pristine in the coffin it was done with gel rather than the way he usually did it blow dry first then straighten with a flat iron
if he was here he would have been like no boo do it the right way do it omar style she said
mr ocasio capo had four brothers each with the same first and last names but a different middle name and one sister asked what he thought made his brother special luis arberto ocasio capo shook his head and put his hands over his eyes
i dont know he said i mean im just trying to process this
a group of motorcycle riders some with american flags staked on their rides posted themselves in front of the funeral home for protection as rumors swirled that anti gay protesters would show up at the funerals none did not here or at funeraria san juans other location in kissimmee where mr ortiz riveras close relatives from puerto rico wore t shirts with the smiling face of the man they had lost
he was a joker and an artist they said a great friend with a creative streak that could not be suppressed
he liked to dance so much said his mother maria de los angeles rivera who flew from puerto rico he liked any kind of music that let him move his body
to see him lying still at only 36 in an open coffin in a small funeral home in a strip mall brought great pain to many for several hours on thursday night through sun and rain showers dozens of friends and family members came to pay their respects a priest said a small private prayer gov rick scott visited hugged ms de los angeles and told her to call him if there was anything he could to do help
mr ortiz rivera was special said orlando gonzalez sr 57 a cousin whose son was close with mr ortiz rivera its hard to understand
asked for a memory he took out his cellphone and scrolled through a series of photos one showed an elaborate nativity scene that mr ortiz rivera who worked at party city and sunglass hut had designed another showed a room of mr gonzalezs house that mr ortiz rivera had painted with the colors and logos of mr gonzalezs favorite team the pittsburgh steelers
he had a ton of imagination mr gonzalez said he could make something out of nothing


northern ireland secured its first victory in a major competition in 34 years on thursday beating ukraine 2 0 in lyon france
building on a strong finish to the first half gareth mcauley headed in a free kick from oliver norwood in the 49th minute niall mcginn a substitute added a second deep in stoppage time as ukraine was trying to tie
the victory northern irelands first since beating host spain in the 1982 world cup means the team has a good chance of qualifying for the knockout stages of the european championships
following its opening 1 0 loss to poland northern ireland now has 3 points
northern irelands next group c game is against world champion germany on tuesday at the parc des princes in paris
we put it right and weve got a big game to look forward to in paris mcauley said
northern ireland grew more confident through the first half and when mcauley scored recorded its first goal in an international competition since the 1986 world cup
for ukraine it was a second straight 2 0 loss and it left the team languishing in last place in group c with zero points ukraine plays poland in its next match on tuesday in marseille


germany and poland played out the first scoreless draw of the european championships on thursday in a dour match at the stade de france in st denis france
arkadiusz milik who scored polands winner against northern ireland on sunday misplayed a header as he fell to his knees in germanys goal mouth and the ball bounced just wide of manuel neuers right hand post
that error less than 20 seconds into the second half hinted at better things after a lifeless first period
but neither team could sustain any attacking pressure
at the final whistle adam nawalka polands coach turned and applauded his staff and the substitutes in the dugout
nawalka said his players were not happy just to have drawn with the 2014 world cup winner
it just shows our ambition he said through an interpreter every match it looks better and better
germany leads the group and if it finishes at the top its reward will be a game against a third place team in the knockout rounds that its coach joachim low already seems eager to experience
in knockout games he said the opponents will be more open and have to invest more in attacking


yaphank ny   a long island man was arrested on weapons charges on thursday after police officers found assault rifles bomb making instructions over 40000 in cash and nazi paraphernalia in his house the authorities said
the man edward perkowski 29 of mount sinai also faces drug charges after the police recovered marijuana and mushrooms during the search
mr perkowskis brother sean 25 who also lives in the home was arrested on an unrelated outstanding bench warrant the police said
todays search warrant might have prevented a deadly violent incident like the one we recently saw in orlando the suffolk county police commissioner timothy d sini said at a news conference in yaphank
among the items the police found when they entered mr perkowskis house around 6 am on thursday was a black binder filled with instructions on bomb making some handwritten six assault rifles a handgun a shotgun four rifles and a stun gun were also found mr sini said
in a photo taken by the police at the house a framed picture of adolf hitler rests next to a lineup of assault rifles
we neutralized a clear public threat mr sini said
john leonard who said he lives on the same street as mr perkowski said the police were frequently at the home
theres been trouble at the house for a long time mr leonard said before the news conference
the brookhaven town supervisor edward p romaine said the house was infected with the disease called hate
and we want to stop hate in this country he said theres enough


washington   more than 50 state department diplomats have signed an internal memo sharply critical of the obama administrations policy in syria urging the united states to carry out military strikes against the government of president bashar al assad to stop its persistent violations of a cease fire in the countrys five year old civil war
the memo a draft of which was provided to the new york times by a state department official says american policy has been overwhelmed by the unrelenting violence in syria it calls for a judicious use of stand off and air weapons which would undergird and drive a more focused and hard nosed us led diplomatic process
such a step would represent a radical shift in the administrations approach to the civil war in syria and there is little evidence that president obama has plans to change course mr obama has emphasized the military campaign against the islamic state over efforts to dislodge mr assad diplomatic efforts to end the conflict led by secretary of state john kerry have all but collapsed
but the memo filed in the state departments dissent channel underscores the deep rifts and lingering frustration within the administration over how to deal with a war that has killed more than 400000 people
the state department set up the channel during the vietnam war as a way for employees who had disagreements with policies to register their protest with the secretary of state and other top officials without fear of reprisal while dissent cables are not that unusual the number of signatures on this document 51 is extremely large if not unprecedented
the names on the memo are almost all midlevel officials   many of them career diplomats   who have been involved in the administrations syria policy over the last five years at home or abroad they range from a syria desk officer in the bureau of near eastern affairs to a former deputy to the american ambassador in damascus
while there are no widely recognized names higher level state department officials are known to share their concerns mr kerry himself has pushed for stronger american action against syria in part to force a diplomatic solution on mr assad the president has resisted such pressure and has been backed up by his military commanders who have raised questions about what would happen in the event that mr assad was forced from power   a scenario that the draft memo does not address
the state department spokesman john kirby declined to comment on the memo which top officials had just received but he said mr kerry respected the process as a way for employees to express policy views candidly and privately to senior leadership
robert s ford a former ambassador to syria said many people working on syria for the state department have long urged a tougher policy with the assad government as a means of facilitating arrival at a negotiated political deal to set up a new syrian government
mr ford who is now a senior fellow at the middle east institute resigned from the foreign service in 2014 out of frustration with the administrations hands off policy toward the conflict
in the memo the state department officials wrote that the assad governments continuing violations of the partial cease fire known as a cessation of hostilities will doom efforts to broker a political settlement because mr assad will feel no pressure to negotiate with the moderate opposition or other factions fighting him the governments barrel bombing of civilians it said is the root cause of the instability that continues to grip syria and the broader region
the moral rationale for taking steps to end the deaths and suffering in syria after five years of brutal war is evident and unquestionable it said the status quo in syria will continue to present increasingly dire if not disastrous humanitarian diplomatic and terrorism related challenges
the memo acknowledged that military action would have risks not the least further tensions with russia which has intervened in the war on mr assads behalf and helped negotiate a cease fire those tensions increased on thursday when according to a senior pentagon official russia conducted airstrikes in southern syria against american backed forces fighting the islamic state
the state department officials insisted in their memo that they were not advocating for a slippery slope that ends in a military confrontation with russia but rather a credible threat of military action to keep mr assad in line
once that threat was in place the memo said mr kerry could undertake a diplomatic mission similar to the one he led with iran on its nuclear program
the expression of dissent came a week after mr assad showed renewed defiance of the united states and other countries vowing to retake every inch of his country from his enemies the cease fire which mr kerry helped negotiate in munich last winter has never really taken hold mr assad has continued to block humanitarian convoys despite a warning that the united nations would begin airdrops of food to starving towns
there is an enormous frustration in the bureaucracy about syria policy said andrew j tabler a syria expert at the washington institute for near eastern policy whats brought this to a head now is the real downturn in the negotiations not just between the us and russia but between assad and the opposition
last month mr kerry rejected the suggestion that the united states and its allies would never use force to stop the bombings or enforce humanitarian access if president assad has come to a conclusion theres no plan b he said then hes come to a conclusion that is totally without any foundation whatsoever and even dangerous
still mr obama has shown little sign of shifting his focus from the campaign against the islamic state   a strategy that probably acquired even more urgency after the mass shooting sunday in orlando fla
in the memo the state department officials argued that military action against mr assad would help the fight against the islamic state because it would bolster moderate sunnis who are necessary allies against the group also known as isis or isil
while the state department has a tradition of being open to dissent   in the 1990s secretary of state warren christopher met with foreign service officers who had written a 30 page dissent on the clinton administrations balkans policy   mr christopher and his successors have been frustrated when these classified memos become public
in this case the memo mainly confirms what has been clear for some time the state departments rank and file have chafed at the white houses refusal to be drawn into the conflict in syria
during a debate in june 2013 after the assad government had used chemical weapons against its own people mr kerry brandished a state department report that argued that the united states needed to respond militarily or mr assad would view it as green light for continued cw use
three years later the sense of urgency at the state department has not diminished the memo concludes it is time that the united states guided by our strategic interests and moral convictions lead a global effort to put an end to this conflict once and for all


donald j trump is holding a fund raiser in new york city next week to be hosted by a whos who of the financial world including john a paulson whose hedge fund made billions betting on the collapse of the housing market
joining him are stephen a feinberg the secretive financier and founder of cerberus capital management and peter kalikow the politically connected real estate magnate neither man had publicly announced his support for the republican presidential candidate and presumptive party nominee until now
the joint republican national committee and trump fund raiser will take place on tuesday at an undisclosed location in the city according to an invitation seen by the new york times tickets are going for 50000 a person though the hosts are paying 250000 a couple additional details the invitation said will be disclosed when a reservation for a seat is made
it is a sign that a small but growing crowd in the financial world is warming up to the idea of backing mr trump the financial industry represents a crucial group for the presidential candidate as he prepares to face off with hillary clinton his well financed political rival before the general election in november mrs clintons donor network includes the former hedge fund star george soros who recently warned against the siren song of the likes of donald trump she also has the backing of some well known wall street executives
with enormous coffers hedge fund and private equity founders have become some of the biggest political donors in this election some of these executives have already pumped tens of millions of dollars into super pacs supporting candidates often with the hope of helping to shape the views of the political candidates they have backed
other hosts of the fund raiser next week will include the distressed debt specialist wilbur l ross who was named by the republican national committee to its finance committee to help raise money for mr trump and the party and anthony scaramucci the hedge fund executive and political operative who runs an annual hedge fund conference in las vegas called skybridge alternatives conference or salt
mr scaramucci said on thursday that he expected about 50 or 60 people to attend the dinner which is expected to be held at someones home although the secret service will not disclose the location until the day before the event as to who else might emerge as trump donors in the next few weeks he said there are a lot of people saying maybe and im considering it
mr scaramucci was among the first on wall street to publicly announce his support for mr trump and has been instrumental in introducing mr trump to the hedge fund and private equity world in may he invited mr trump to make a surprise guest appearance at his salt conference which has been called the hedge fund super bowl instead the former goldman sachs executive steven t mnuchin mr trumps campaign fund raiser flew to las vegas to meet with hedge fund managers at the bellagio hotel during the conference
but for some executives on wall street supporting mr trump has been tricky until recently the candidate has spoken out against the hedge fund industry and the generous compensation packages hedge fund managers give themselves saying that they get away with murder at one point mr trump said he planned to end a tax advantage called carried interest that allows private equity and hedge fund executives to pay lower taxes by treating their income as capital gains which is taxed at a lower rate than ordinary income
these executives and the candidate may find other issues to debate mr feinbergs cerberus capital management has come under pressure from large pensions for its controlling ownership of remington outdoor the manufacturer of the gun used in the newtown conn school shootings in 2012 mr trump has boasted about his endorsement from the national rifle association


zadar croatia   it was not et tu brute more like et tu et tu et tu
after less than six months in office prime minister tihomir oreskovic of croatia was ousted on thursday in a no confidence vote called by the very party that selected him in the first place
the move brought down the government in zagreb and ended a brief tense union between reformers and the croatian democratic union the countrys nationalist right wing party which chose mr oreskovic to lead with the approval of reformers
never in the history of croatias democracy has the ruling majority or a portion of it moved to recall the prime minister it has chosen mr oreskovic said
the no confidence vote in parliament passed 125 to 15 with two abstentions croatia could face another election if a government has not formed within 30 days
mr oreskovic 50 a pharmaceutical executive and political novice emerged after november elections forced the nations largest party the croatian democratic union to join with most a reformist group riding a wave of voter disaffection he took office in late january
the convoluted power sharing plan saw the two party leaders   the democratic unions tomislav karamarko and mosts bozo petrov   sharing deputy prime minister roles mr oreskovic an outsider who was raised in canada cited his business experience and executive know how as qualities that would help him guide the economy out of the doldrums at the same time the country was also grappling with the arrival of hundreds of thousands of migrants
the small nation of 42 million people emerged from a six year recession last winter and showed promising signs of growth mr oreskovic proposed a battery of changes the economy has continued to improve and the tourism season has begun but unemployment remains stubbornly high about 15 percent
during the no confidence vote on thursday the prime ministers business background and political inexperience once welcomed were used against him croatia isnt a corporation said domagoj ivan milosevic a croatian democratic union member who had been one of mr oreskovics supporters
yet his downfall came about not because of economic or migration policies but rather through a rupture in the government partnership over a scandal mr karamarko stepped down as deputy prime minister on wednesday after an ethics committee found that he had a conflict of interest over his wifes business dealings with a lobbyist for a hungarian energy company that has a controlling stake in croatias national oil company ina
the hungarian company mol has been locked in an arbitration suit with the croatian government over accusations of corruption in inas sale mr karamarko had suggested that croatia pull out of the arbitration hearings which was opposed by mr oreskovic
the dispute led to a falling out between mr karamarko and mr oreskovic which the latter claimed led to his downfall as members of the croatian democratic union mr karamarkos party turned against mr oreskovic
i did not expect this who would have expected it mr oreskovic said after his removal i came with global experience in the financial and economic sectors i had a lot to offer


despite the name on its airplanes united airlines is anything but fully unified
more than five years after united merged with continental the combined carriers 24000 flight attendants are still operating as if the company were running two airlines that disconnect has made scheduling crews and flight routes more complicated and has contributed to operational challenges including flight delays
now after three years of negotiations the airline and its flight attendants seem to be near an agreement that could integrate the work force
united management and the association of flight attendants the union representing the airlines cabin workers are scheduled to meet for four days in chicago next week in what both parties hope is a final mediation session a new contract would unify all the flight attendants on issues like health care plans wages and scheduling
we feel optimistic said sara nelson the unions international president and a united flight attendant for 20 years
still the union has sought to keep up the pressure it has staged demonstrations outside major airports eight times over the last year including informational pickets on thursday from newark to hong kong
united said it was committed to getting the flight attendants a new contract
while uniteds pilots dispatchers and machinists have all reached new agreements with the company the flight attendants have operated under separate contracts that has meant pre merger united flight attendants working exclusively on legacy united planes and the former continental flight attendants on continental planes
new hires and new airplanes are also divided between the two
since the merger in october 2010 about 6 percent of united flights have been delayed because of complications within the airlines control like crew scheduling or maintenance problems according to the department of transportation but in 2009 that number was 4 percent
the chief executive oscar munoz returned to his job in march after a lengthy absence during which he had a heart transplant and industry analysts are watching for the airline to turn a corner on time rates started inching up earlier this year which is one indication of improvement said craig jenks president of airlineaircraft projects an airline consulting firm in new york
investors are keeping their fingers crossed that positive change is happening at united and that comprises both employee morale and customer issues mr jenks said
but in other areas the company is still struggling united has reported declines in passenger revenue for every seat mile a key metric in the industry
the airline blames a strong dollar which has contributed to weak demand in international markets and low oil prices which have reduced revenue from fuel surcharges and curbed traffic in houston an energy center that is one of uniteds largest hubs
james compton uniteds chief revenue officer said in april that the passenger revenue for every seat mile could decline another 65 to 85 percent year over year in the second quarter which ends in june after falling for several quarters that is a gloomier revenue forecast than those of the two larger united states carriers by revenue delta air lines and american airlines
both employee morale and customer satisfaction have suffered in a survey by skytrax an air travel research group passengers have given united a grade of 3 out of 10 compared with grades of 5 for delta and 6 for southwest lufthansa the german airline received a 7
labor peace is at the top of mr munozs agenda he was named to the post last fall after the previous chief jeffery a smisek resigned in the face of a corruption investigation related to the companys dealings with the port authority of new york and new jersey
in april united reached an agreement with its 30000 on the ground airport workers represented by the international association of machinists  aerospace workers those workers will receive a 30 percent pay raise over the next five years
while the flight attendants are also pushing for a raise united rejected their initial compensation plan saying the proposal was significantly more costly than at american and delta and would have a negative impact on uniteds ability to operate the airline
the association of professional flight attendants negotiated a 6 percent pay increase for american airlines group flight attendants earlier this year under that contract american will adjust its pay scale once united reaches a deal with its flight attendants ms nelson said she hoped the provision would lead to higher wages throughout the industry
one provision that is not an issue in these negotiations is employee seniority a point of contention for pilots in recent airline mergers because it factors into how pilots and flight attendants can be scheduled on their preferred routes in uniteds case the flight attendants agreed early on to base seniority on the original hire date without regard to whether the employee worked for pre merger united or continental
united also has yet to strike a deal with its 9000 mechanics represented by the international brotherhood of teamsters it is scheduled to meet with that group later this month
on his first official day back on the job in march mr munoz met with the major unions and the change from the previous leadership was like night and day said ms nelson the flight attendants leader
she added once he was engaged and pressing for an agreement there was movement at the table


revlon said on thursday it was buying elizabeth arden for 4193 million in cash a deal uniting two well known names in cosmetics
the companies value the deal at 870 million including debt revlon is paying 14 for each elizabeth arden share a premium of 50 percent over the closing price on thursday
revlon said the combined company would benefit from having a presence in more markets worldwide it estimated savings of 140 million from the combination
elizabeth arden opened her first red door salon on fifth avenue in 1910 the company now based in miramar fla sells skin care products and fragrances in 120 countries it has been trying to turn its fortunes around posting a loss of 284 million on revenue of 1919 million in its most recent quarter
revlon was founded in 1932 with the release of its nail enamel this year it posted a first quarter profit of 11 million on sales of 4396 million
it has a new chief executive fabian garcia who came from colgate palmolive in april
e scott beattie elizabeth ardens chairman president and chief executive will join the revlon board as nonexecutive vice chairman he will be senior adviser to mr garcia
the companies predicted the deal would close this year
elizabeth arden shares jumped 467 or 50 percent to 1398 in after hours trading after the deal was announced revlon gained 15 cents or 05 percent to 3130


houston   texas efforts to bar syrian refugees from settling in the state were dealt a legal blow on wednesday when a federal judge in dallas dismissed the states lawsuit against federal officials and a nonprofit group that assists refugees
after the terrorist attacks last year in paris texas became the first state to try to block the resettlement of syrian refugees by suing the obama administration texas republican leaders   including gov greg abbott and senator ted cruz   cited security concerns and said they believed that people with ties to terrorist groups were exploiting the refugee program officials in other states including indiana and oklahoma have publicly refused to accept syrian refugees as well but only texas and alabama filed federal lawsuits
the texas lawsuit accused the state department and other federal agencies of violating the refugee act of 1980 by failing to consult with state officials before resettling refugees it also charged that the nonprofit relief group the international rescue committee had breached its contract with the state
in his opinion released thursday judge david c godbey of federal district court ruled that texas claims had no legal merit judge godbey did not rule on whether federal officials violated the refugee act the judge ruled more narrowly finding that texas lacked legal standing to enforce the refugee acts requirement on advance consultation with states and failed to prove sufficient facts to establish a breach of contract
the goal of this wasteful lawsuit had nothing to do with public safety and everything to do with scoring political points on the backs of desperate refugees said terri t burke executive director of the texas branch of the american civil liberties union which represented the relief group along with the national immigration law center and southern poverty law center we trust judge godbeys ruling will dissuade other states contemplating similar discriminatory measures
the texas attorney general ken paxton suggested in a statement that further legal action was possible
i am disappointed with the courts determination that texas cannot hold the federal government accountable to consult with us before resettling refugees here mr paxton said we are considering our options moving forward to guarantee the safety of texans from domestic and foreign threats
in court documents texas questioned the effectiveness of the screening procedures for refugees and cited statements by officials that those with ties to terrorist groups in syria had tried to enter the united states through the federal refugee program in january texas officials publicly seized on the arrest in houston of an iraqi born refugee from the palestinian territories as a reason the lawsuit was necessary the refugee omar faraj saeed al hardan was charged with attempting to provide material support and resources to the islamic state
texas has a right to know who the federal government is bringing to texas where they are being placed and what they are doing to guarantee the safety of all texans lt gov dan patrick said in a statement
lawyers for the department of justice had called the states security concerns speculative and uninformed in court filings and advocates said the syrian refugees who have been resettling in houston dallas and elsewhere in texas do not pose a security risk
refugees are fleeing violence and persecution and want nothing more than to live a safe and peaceful life said jennifer sime senior vice president of united states programs with the international rescue committee


did you celebrate bloomsday on thursday yes yes yes you neednt have read the book in many bloomsday celebrations huge chunks of the book the incomparable ulysses are read for you and to you its a perfectly good way to experience the odyssean slog without having to you know do the work
and work it is and always has been in the 1920s it was work just to get hold of ulysses because the post office department burned any copies arriving on these shores it had been serialized in an american magazine called the little review starting in 1918 but the review went on trial on obscenity charges after it published the masturbation episode and the postal service burned copies of the magazine too
the book and its irish author james joyce had their american champions from the outset however one of the biggest was joseph collins who reviewed ulysses in the new york times dr collins was a prominent new york neurologist but he also wrote books and wrote about books
he wrote this in the times on may 28 1922 when ulysses was first published as a book although it was banned in the united states until 1933
a few intuitive sensitive visionaries may understand and comprehend ulysses james joyces new and mammoth volume without going through a course of training or instruction but the average intelligent reader will glean little or nothing from it   even from careful perusal one might properly say study of it   save bewilderment and a sense of disgust
that was not an indictment dr collins was simply acknowledging that the book was tough going
he was unequivocal when he got to his opinion of the work ulysses is the most important contribution that has been made to fictional literature in the twentieth century he declared
as for the disgust many readers might have felt mr joyce has seen fit to use words and phrases that the entire world has covenanted and people in general cultured and uncultured civilized and savage believer and heathen have agreed shall not be used and which are base vulgar vicious and depraved mr joyces reply to this is this race and this country and this life produced me   i shall express myself as i am
what impressed dr collins most and many others after him was the sheer comprehensiveness of the undertaking
mr joyce is an alert keen witted brilliant man who has made it a lifelong habit to jot down every thought that he has had whether he is depressed or exalted despairing or hopeful hungry or satiated and likewise to put down what he has seen or heard others do or say it is not unlikely that every thought that mr joyce has had every experience he has ever encountered every person he has ever met one might almost say everything he has ever read in sacred or profane literature is to be encountered in the obscurities and in the frankness of ulysses
and then there was joyces manner of assembling his jottings
he is the only individual that the writer has encountered outside of a madhouse who has let flow from his pen random and purposeful thoughts just as they are produced
dr collins hastened to add that he was not trying to impugn the sanity of mr joyce rather let me say at once that he is one of the sanest geniuses that i have ever known
joyce even helped him be a better doctor i have learned more psychology and psychiatry from it than i did in ten years at the neurological institute there are other angles at which ulysses can be viewed profitably but they are not many


a 24 without jack bauer believe it its coming this winter but theres more unimaginable news on the secret agents named jack front jack decker is dead
a new season of adult swims ridiculous decker franchise begins at midnight on friday moving to the broadcast block for the first time from adultswimcom it opens on july 4 in the distant year 2076 decker old and gray is fading fast he enjoys a last cigarette and then joins thomas jefferson and john adams on the list of great american patriots who died on the fourth of july
dont hurl spoiler complaints at me that scene merely sets up the season and is a way for newcomers to get up to speed on this odd show a grieving president marks the sorrowful occasion by opening up the classified decker files and thus we arrive at the title of the new season decker unclassified and a 50 year flashback to an airplane hijacking in which decker saved the day
decker is a special ops type played by tim heidecker who created the series with his frequent collaborator gregg turkington its a parody of 24 and every other show and movie in which macho men do heroic deeds to preserve the american way the acting is deliberately wooden and the special effects are laughably cheesy how cheesy the new season may have blown most of the budget on deckers old man makeup for that opening scene
the show is an inside joke wrapped in another inside joke in a different series on cinema mr heidecker and mr turkington play inept film critics and a few years ago that alter ego heidecker decided he could make better entertainment than he was seeing on the movie screen and proceeded to create decker
the decker web series episodes were often only three minutes or so which was about right for what is essentially a one joke show the 15 minute demands of adult swims broadcast band might overstretch the bit but the after midnight audience apparently isnt very demanding
we know this because right after the decker unclassified premiere an equally low budget show check it out with dr steve brule begins its fourth season teetering on the line between idiotic and offensive check it out stars john c reilly as the title character who in each episode examines some everyday subject in a skewed barely coherent fashion in the season 4 premiere its cars he tries to buy one talks about vintage ones and attempts a little engine repair   with disfiguring results
the best thing about the show is the editing it is made to look like the worlds worst community access program the screen fritzing out periodically random bits of unrelated video cropping up like interference on the radio dial dr steve though is hard to take he never seems to know where the camera is and talks in a sort of brain damaged stream of consciousness funny or just cruel its a tossup


nairobi kenya   human rights groups expressed outrage on thursday over a kenyan courts decision to uphold mandatory anal examinations of men who are suspected of being gay
in kenya a colonial era law prohibiting carnal knowledge of any person against the order of nature is widely understood to prohibit anal sex or sex between men on thursday a court in mombasa denied a petition to overturn the governments practice of subjecting men to forced anal exams
while human rights groups criticized the exams as abusive and medically worthless government officials argued that they were a useful way to tell if a man was gay
this ruling is a devastating precedent that has now heightened the risk and fear of similar anal testing on many lesbian gay bisexual transgender intersex and queer persons in kenya said eric gitari executive director of the national gay and lesbian human rights commission a kenyan advocacy group
suspecting someone of being gay should not be grounds for stripping them of their dignity and their fundamental rights
in many african countries homosexual sex acts are illegal a few years ago some ugandan politicians tried unsuccessfully to pass a bill to impose a death penalty for homosexual acts later it emerged that a team of american evangelical christians had helped the ugandans shape their anti gay campaign
in kenya the case involving the anal exams began last year when two men were arrested at a bar near mombasa by police officers who suspected them of being gay the police obtained a court order for the anal examinations
the two men signed consent forms for the exams and hiv tests they have since claimed that they did so under duress
the men with the help of gay rights groups filed a petition asking the court to declare anal exams unconstitutional and to throw out evidence collected from them
but justice anyara emukule of the mombasa high court ruled against them saying that it was clear to him that the men willingly and voluntarily consented to the exams
an appeal of the ruling is likely


black america has a lot of anthems if youre at a wedding in the philadelphia area for instance and hear the opening keyboard blasts of before i let go by maze featuring frankie beverly the secular spirit might compel you to the dance floor spilling the woah woah ohhh ho of the first few seconds behind you as you sprint
for more than a century gospel oriented children have had a hard time escaping this little light of mine and then theres james weldon johnson and john rosamond johnsons lift evry voice and sing regarded as the black national anthem and so beautifully deceptive in its uplift that it makes you think you can sing even when you cant
but the blackest anthem that doesnt seem all that obviously black might be the one that opens the greatest the biopic from 1977 of muhammad ali starring muhammad ali its the greatest love of all a song of such earnestness and fulgent self esteem that under no circumstances could it also be cool under no circumstances could it be before i let go its sense of hope borders on the axiomatic   who doesnt believe that children are the future
if you were young black and near a classroom in the late 70s or the 80s this was the song you sang especially to commemorate a matriculation benchmark i sang it at least twice going from one grade to the next george benson recorded the original which twinkled in 1985 whitney houston recorded the astronomical feel great version everybody knows   a comet wrapped in cheese that was the version my class had to sing but i didnt feel particularly black when i did it for one thing there were a few white kids at my school but when youre 9 or 10 and into lyrics you notice how empowering   and how fun   these are to belt learning to love yourselfit is the greatest love of all
thats so ali
he didnt write the song that was michael masser and linda creed two white people two weeks after she underwent a mastectomy its nondenominational radiance is the reason for its longevity we should all be loving ourselves but ive been hung up on what for me is the operative word learning thats the black part overcoming the institutional myth that theres less   or nothing   to love ali overcame it he learned then he taught
weve come some way since both 1977 and 1985 now american culture is as much black culture as its ever been from handshakes and slang to the embrace of the booty weve learned to love it and sometimes thats a problem other races refract themselves through the predominant prism of black culture but in the years between barack obamas election and donald j trumps presidential candidacy with the concentrated accretion of seemingly wrongful black male deaths with outspoken activist movements with more black people speaking so blackly   influentially   on social media platforms artists have put their blackness at the center of american popular culture
and yet its a change from simply having just the artists there theyre learning to explore the politics of their blackness theres too much going on at the moment for them not to things have taken such a turn into this sort of self consciousness that the charisma and racial stratagems of the flamboyantly ideological johnnie cochran have reappeared in two different o j simpson television events
the black people shaping the culture have grown not just comfortable in their blackness but also defiant in its depiction insistent in its inextricability from their art theyre investigating blackness not exclusively in terms of racism but as a matter of ontology what is it thats the question that keegan michael key and jordan peele transferred from their old comedy central show to keanu a disposable but slyly deep action comedy in which a black stoner and his preppy friend impersonate gangstas to rescue a cat
abcs black ish took its black existentialism into current events and pop cultural criticism for its most recent season black creators are making work that follows and reflects black life on the ground the protests over the deaths of black americans often involving the police the demands for reforming prisons and changing the way the justice system treats black and hispanic men the fury over hollywoods indifference to sectors of the populace that straight white men dont exclusively inhabit
the visual side of lemonade beyonces two month old visual album steeps the songs in african americana from the attire of the antebellum south to the legacies of black female struggle and strength hey im a keep running she sings cause a winner dont quit on themselves thats ali too
in that same song freedom kendrick lamar raps about himself as an object of persecution by the news media and consequently by law enforcement theres blackness   the mere state of ones racial self   and theres being politically black which amounts to the degree to which one wields or weaponizes or calls attention to ones blackness freedom constitutes a wielding this kind of blatant statement is new for beyonce who before the advent of the black lives matter movement was thoughtful about the politics of the beauty of black womens bodies and since its arrival has wed the complexities of feminism and the vicissitudes of marriage with political blackness shes learned and people are listening lemonade is the no 2 album in the country
george c wolfes new musical shuffle along centers on that sort of wielding but he wants you to do the learning the musical rebuilds one of the first black shows to make it to broadway a forgotten pageant of song dance and romantic comedy that ran for 484 performances 95 years ago and was also called shuffle along mr wolfe works from the inside out making his show about the making of the original show his ambition gives the new musical a nesting doll quality its set entirely in its era yet every mouth that begins to sing   and the singing here is astounding   seems to open a portal that whisks 2016 back to 1921 bringing with it several eras in between
the history here lives breathes and tap dances and at its best it cagily uses the pride of the present against the prejudice of the past theres some suspense among the show within the the shows creative team about whether white audiences will tolerate seeing two of the musicals stars embrace during a number mr wolfe casually juxtaposes that question with an affair between one of the stars lottie gee audra mcdonald and eubie blake brandon victor dixon the married half of the shows songwriting duo the only person whod be offended by this nowadays would be mrs blake
the tensions in the show are entirely self aware black people performing in blackface is the one thing that everyone in both periods would agree is a problem and mr wolfe doesnt overthink that it is what it was and what it was is soul curdling
mr wolfe is after something sophisticatedly didactic if less immediately rousing   the shows subtitle is or the making of the musical sensation of 1921 and all that followed he wants the razzle dazzle of the old show to inform his winking reproduction it also presumes the core ticket buyer is white as was the case in the previous century to that end the 2016 show critiques celebrates and speculates about the 1921 version while also finding the elated white audiences on both ends of the timeline inevitable
instead of rage you get affectionate hindsight that cuts the pervasive melancholy the shows four man creative team ended their collaboration more over money than racism if it had managed to stay together mr wolfe wonders imagine what it could have done for blacks in the american theater thats a question more or less asked during the encyclopedia entry of a finale but a poignant one the historical irony look at all the people of color on broadway now cries out for the emotional pragmatism that closes the greatest love of all
its a low note for a soaring self esteem anthem houston sang it as if she were taking us to the moon but its also black in that like mr wolfes musical its got a touch of the blues
the matter thats also got mr wolfe bummed out   downright angry   is the question of appropriation it insinuates that george gershwin stole from shuffle along its a spurious charge but one meant to address the wider historical swamp of race influence and theft in the shows most chilling wink he makes the white harlem renaissance gadfly carl van vechten into a villainous scold who attacks the show while damning it to irrelevance maybe van vechten is right yet his condescension feels wrong
black parlance has a word for all of this waking up woke the meaning has expanded from black peoples discovery and maintained awareness of trouble stay woke to white peoples acknowledgment of black trouble and also their awareness that sometimes the trouble lies with them theres a symbiosis at work at the same time that black artists are coming into a sharper phase of their blackness white americans are coming into their whiteness reckoning with it and embracing it part of whats brought them to this identification of politicized whiteness is whats brought so called minorities to their racial politics oppression and injustice and anger
earlier this week louis ck told the writer david marchese in a long illuminating q and a on vulture that white guys are doing fine he was responding to a question about the sense of oppression coursing through the white male electorate these guys feel they cant speak their mind anymore so theyre glad that bernie sanders and mr trump are speaking for them but louis ck suspects cultural hypochondria nobodys turning us down for a job he said theres nothing thats being taken away from us
of course thats not entirely true some of the stuff being taken away from white people is stuff they previously took some of that stuff is being challenged by the likes of macklemore and ryan lewis who in february released a brick of an album that in part atones for white privilege by incorporating white guilt but that reclaiming is being done by filmmakers as well
ava duvernays selma shouldnt have seemed all that subversive but the movies so frequently favor black stories from white perspectives that placing a crucial moment of the civil rights movement in the hands of black leadership constituted revolt
the actor nate parker has directed a film due in the fall about nat turners slave rebellion that sets up a contrast with william styrons novel the confession of nat turner from 1967 and implicitly rebukes d w griffiths racist landmark from 1915 which seduces you to root for the ku klux klan theyre both called the birth of a nation theres even a revisionist version of roots that isnt more than serviceable but is remarkably more handsome and better acted than the original its as much about black power as the original was concerned with narrative racial balance hey beyonce kunta kinte now breaks chains all by himself too
the gist of some of this rethinking is defensive some of its tentative even the very best of it black ish it does also feel however like artists learning   how to be politically black and commercial entertaining and listenable and some of the country is learning with them but having to learn also feels weirdly new in the 1970s when ali owned american culture and black movies and music werent shy about black politics there was nothing to be ish about


moscow   inside the fight nights gym just off kutuzovsky prospekt a street named after the russian general who defeated napoleon a few dozen pugilists were in training recently it was late morning and an instructor barked commands to the men as they grappled punched ducked and sweated on the front line of moscows mixed martial arts scene
to jump on the bandwagon for mixed martial arts nearly all the fighters had left behind other less glamorous martial arts such as wrestling kickboxing and especially sambo a russian combat sport which is an acronym that translates to self defense without weapons many of the competitors hoped fight nights which is the largest promoter in russia would serve as a way station en route to the fame and fortune of the ultimate fighting championship the sports most prestigious battleground a continent away in the united states
some of their friends had already made the leap the fighters in this gym had gravitated to moscow from across the vast reaches of the russian federation with the desire to join them
there was rasul mirzaev 30 a featherweight from dagestan the republic in the caucasus famed for its fighters including olympic wrestling champions there was vladimir mineev 26 a light heavyweight from the volga region both of them were undefeated and hopeful though mirzaev 15 0 had a serious run in with the law and mineev 6 0 has yet to be tested by a top notch adversary
in another corner wearing a red and white putin t shirt and knocking dents into a punch bag stood vitaly minakov one of russias best mixed martial arts fighters minakov 31 is the former heavyweight champion of bellator a small rival promoter to ufc he is undefeated after 17 fights and in his last match in december in moscow he crushed josh copeland of the united states an ex ufc fighter into submission in the second round
on friday night minakov and mirzaev will put their undefeated records on the line at a fight nights event at sibur arena in st petersburg russia


basel switzerland   an art fair like the one here this week can feel as hermetic and all consuming as a casino so focused are the crowds on buying art   arguably its own form of gambling   and double kissing that they lose track of time or whats happening outdoors in this case gray skies and sporadic drizzle
that laser focused quality was particularly true on tuesday vip opening day at the fair art basel 2016 when even boldfaced names were willing to wait in a long line in the rain to be first to sample the wares of more than 280 international dealers in the sprawling exhibition hall on messeplatz
i feel like im in oklahoma in 1900 said richard armstrong director of the guggenheim museum referring to the land rush there in the late 1800s
because of the decline in auction houses guarantees said neal meltzer a new york art adviser a lot of top quality material has shifted to the dealers
some collectors would also rather consign their artwork privately industry experts say so that it wont be shunned if it fails to sell at auction
the resulting bumper crop of good material along with many items priced under 1 million made for brisk sales even before the first hour was up though gallery tallies must be taken with a grain of salt since some pieces have been presold
indeed dominique levy arrived without the centerpiece of her booth   a large canvas by the russian artist nicolas de stael 1914 55   because a collector bought it before the fair began she would not say who or for how much her gallery also sold its frank stella and its alexander calder each for about 5 million
the collector peter m brant bought claes oldenburgs four pies in a glass case 1961 from paula cooper for more than 1 million the collector and dealer adam lindemann purchased a cast aluminum sculpture by nairy baghramian an iranian born artist from marian goodman for 100000 euros or about 112000
jack shainman in the main part of the fair for the first time sold barkley l hendrickss the twins 1977 for 450000 kerry james marshalls untitled looking man 2016 for 350000 and lynette yiadom boakyes peregrine 2016 for 100000
some dealers tested demand by bringing high priced items like sigmar polkes 1988 great luck which david zwirner sold to a private european collection for 65 million euros or more than 72 million acquavella sold a 1964 tom wesselmann still life for 35 million mitchell innes  nash sold one from the same year for 2 million
marc glimcher the president of pace proudly showed off the section of his booth devoted to julian schnabel whom the gallery just started representing again
this is how you relaunch an artist mr glimcher said referring to the walls covered by mr schnabels new series of purple paintings priced at 375000 each this is julian 30 he said to edward j minskoff a real estate developer and collector who passed through
we had the julian who changed art history the julian who made films mr glimcher added now we have julian reborn as a painter by wednesday three had sold
christophe van de weghe a madison avenue dealer specializing in blue chip work said he sold two basquiats one for 4 million and the other for 55 million and that the market was much better than six months ago
you can feel that people are coming here to buy art he said
luhring augustine had built its booth around a 6 million christopher wool from 1999 lawrence luhring a founder of the gallery said mr wool didnt like to introduce his newest work at a fair because you have less control over who buys it by thursday it hadnt sold
mr luhring said that six to seven pieces in his booth did sell quickly   including a rachel whiteread and a glenn ligon both priced under 1 million   adding that buying was more immediate than last year
there was life   and art   outside the main exhibition hall namely the highest number of installations 88 in the fairs unlimited sector devoted to large scale works for sale and located in a hangar like space near the main fair
curated for the fifth year by gianni jetzer of the hirshhorn museum unlimited offered a number of attention getting pieces at the vip opening including hans op de beecks eerily monochromatic the collectors house and davide balulas mimed sculptures featuring performers in white uniforms and hot pink gloves
the dealer per skarstedt said he had sold his mike kelley installation at unlimited 50 illustrations from the artists reconstructed history to an unidentified american museum trustee for 15 million
nicholas baume the director and chief curator of the public art fund said he was particularly struck by william popels performance at unlimiteds opening in which the artist wandered through the fair in a white gorilla suit before departing in a white limousine
one of the things this fair can do is bring together galleries curators and artists from all over the world and create some unique experiences mr baume said
across the rhine on rittergasse street   seemingly a world away from blue chip booths like mr van de weghes with his henry moore and magritte   the tennessee born artist virginia overton had installed a dismantled pickup truck in the parcours sector of art basel its collection of site specific sculptures and performances
as it happened the artist was present having placed her truck piece before heading back to new york   she lives and works in brooklyn   for the opening this week of her exhibition sculpture gardens at the whitney museum
i wanted recognizable pieces   oh theres the windshield or thats the radio speaker she said of her basel artwork for which she piled the vehicles parts into the truck bed ive got the grease on my hands


balletomania a form of madness to be found in many cities round the world traditionally reaches an annual peak of jubilant clamor in june when american ballet theater performs swan lake and romeo and juliet at the metropolitan opera house love in each ballet leads to the deaths of both heroine and hero you may be sure that the fans greet each star partnership as if the dancers had truly sacrificed themselves
in all four of its main scenes the full evening swan lake is a formally poetic dance drama watching three performances this week   gillian murphy and marcelo gomes monday misty copeland and daniil simkin wednesday matinee veronika part and james whiteside wednesday evening   i was struck all over again by how completely the drama can change depending on the lead couple romeo by contrast which returns to repertory next week in kenneth macmillans three act version is largely about vivid acting in terms of intense dance prose theres virtually no poetry   and not much noteworthy dancing   after the first act
a further dimension of swan lake lies in the ballerinas double role how alike or unalike does each ballerina make odette the enchanted queen of the swan maidens and odile her alluring counterpart
although misty copeland has become the most renowned person in american dance her offstage story is much more discussed than her onstage dancing and the difference between the two is large the ms copeland we read about and see in publicity is an inspiring heroine who has struggled bravely against adversity but the ms copeland we see in the theater tends to be sparky humorous a good colleague with flashes of naughtiness last week in the golden cockerel she was the funniest of four interpreters of the queen of shemakhan this week as odile a lively minx with nice timing i didnt count her fouette turns still she certainly did several more than at her debut last year and crowned them with an exultant grand jete
 alastair macaulay explains the fouettes in swan lake the most notorious step in the ballet repertory 
her swan queen danced at funereal tempos had beautiful moments but tedious minutes some quick large arabesques taken with the support of the princes arm were piercing the rapid quivers of one foot at the end of the main duet were softly enchanting but neither characterization nor storytelling made much of an impression and though in her odile they did ms copeland remains a pleasant but immature executant of that double role
mr simkin partners her efficiently but no great stage chemistry is apparent between them though their bows together show appealing camaraderie despite his virtuosity his dancing has nothing adult about it its lightweight and flashy
ms murphy and ms part both bring considerable experience to swan lake one of the worlds foremost technicians ms murphy has often revised aspects of both heroines over the years with results both good and bad on monday she was a noble odette a powerful odile to both roles she brought extraordinary moments of sudden stillness like those bette davis employed in jezebel as if allowing feelings of shock recognition and danger to register before movement could continue mr gomes is appealing authoritative an unsurpassed partner his dancing admirably musical combines panache and stylishness
this was an exalted swan lake but not a gripping one ms murphys way of playing odile as if to say im bad and you like it tends to make siegfried who thinks odile is odette look none too bright and the marvelous instants of the performance didnt convert into cohesive drama
ive seen ms parts odette odile before without being excited this time however her interpretation had urgency and the naturally heroic scale of her dancing became suspenseful her odette was doom laden without melodrama poignant without heaviness her odile coolly joyous had mystery and allure there are brash aspects to mr whitesides playing of prince siegfried but at every moment he shows you a mind at work the sheer enthusiasm of his dancing is winning and his partnering is valiant and ardent
for the sake of these dancers and the entire company i wish ballet theaters swan lake production staged by the artistic director kevin mckenzie and new in 2000 were 10 times better the first scene clumsily concocted from disparate sections of music is limp in the way it lets siegfried depart for the lake when nobody is noticing and then carries on pointlessly after hes gone lev ivanovs choreography for odette has been smudged adjusted diluted
little of marius petipas choreography for odile is left except for those accursed fouettes soviet cliches abound the final scene   wholly of mr mckenzies making   is just a string of dull effects focused on odettes intention to die
zack browns designs however are handsome duane schulers moonlit effects in the first lakeside scene are lovely ballet theaters dancing in this classic tends to be lucid clear lovely but bland whats missing principally is dynamic contrast on wednesday evening the end of the first odette scene was glorious the corps of swan maidens conducted by ormsby wilkins seemed to catch fire from odettes new hope
and the company seems more full of talented individuals than ever before has there been a performance this season now in its sixth week in which gabe stone shayer has not taken part sometimes the program hasnt named him and sometimes hes danced corps and principal roles in the same evening but that vivid engagement and large bright face are always unmistakable


charleston sc   a year ago the nation was transfixed by a different horrific crime the shooting deaths of nine church members during bible study at the emanuel ame church here with the backdrop of the orlando shootings survivors and family members of the victims of the charleston slayings on june 17 2015 sat down to reflect on forgiveness race relations gun violence and the suspect dylann s roof called prime evil by some of the survivors on friday they joined parishioners from emanuel ame church political leaders and congregations from around the region for a memorial service at the td arena in charleston where a year earlier president obama delivered a eulogy that culminated with his singing amazing grace
the conversation led by michael schwirtz and chris dixon of the new york times included
felicia and tyrone sanders the parents of tywanza sanders 26 who was killed felicia sanders was present at the shooting shielding her 11 year old granddaughter from the assailant
polly sheppard a retired nurse who survived the attack
the children of ethel lance who was killed they are the rev sharon risher esther lance nadine collier and gary washington
daniel simmons jr the son of the rev daniel l simmons who was killed
michael schwirtz nadine you gained some fame and notoriety when you stood up in court during the bond hearing and publicly forgave dylann roof do you have any regrets about that statement
nadine collier i stand behind it all the way i dont have no regrets at all i just believe in god and didnt have that hatred in my heart
esther lance i dont forgive him because my heart aint there it aint going to be no time soon i cant forgive him
the rev sharon risher forgiveness is a personal journey for everybody i have not gotten to that point where i could forgive dylann roof thats just me being in clergy im mandated to forgive yet i understand that god is a loving god and that he gives everybody an opportunity to reach that path of forgiveness
felicia sanders forgiveness is not for the person the person doesnt care whether you forgive him or not forgiveness is for you forgiveness is growth if you dont have any forgiveness in you it makes you stagnate you will never grow youre giving the individual the power over you so that means youre still a victim to the person i want to say that we refuse to be a victim i want him to know prime evil to know that just because you took our loved ones you dont have us i believe we can get more done now than before
tyrone sanders i want to put on the record that im not there yet i dont know if ill ever forgive
mr schwirtz is there any wisdom or insight you have gained over the last year and what challenges are you still trying to overcome
daniel simmons over the past year there are a lot of things that transpired positive and negative for all of us one of the things that happens out of tragedy   as people we have a choice of whether were going to be active or how were going to respond so one of the great things and im so proud of my daughter is that we began a nonprofit the hate wont win movement its a nonprofit thats going to provide opportunity services programs initiatives about hate related crimes violent crimes gun control and empowerment initiatives
everybody is doing something whether its going back to school with their children providing scholarships whether its changing their lifestyles to have an opportunity to give back to speak in different places to travel to talk about their personal experiences to sit down and do an interview with the new york times god chose the right place the right families and the right individuals and most importantly the time god does what he hates to accomplish what he loves
mr schwirtz reverend risher what has it been like to be directly involved with the gun issue pressing for legislation have you felt any frustration
ms risher right after june 17 i became very vocal and involved in grass roots advocacy groups on gun control so ive been on capitol hill i testified before the judiciary committee in oregon i have lent my voice to different bills this is what that year has brought for me an opportunity and a platform to beg our american people to look at the gun laws look at background checks
its long hard frustrating work the results arent something tangible that you can put your hands on but laws are being changed and the attention to gun reform is out there im always optimistic
mr schwirtz the shooting prompted fierce debate over the issue of race in south carolina and culminated with the removal of the confederate battle flag from the state house grounds how has the issue evolved over the last year
ms risher the racial tension and history of charleston is there it took hundreds of years to build it it will probably take hundreds of years for people to look at charleston south carolina as a different place
mr sanders i had a confederate flag like about 10 doors down from me i was tempted to go on the porch and ask them to take it down but i said no im going to go ahead and leave them alone just like ms polly says if you leave them alone theyll eventually settle down and they took it down theyve got the state flag up now
chris dixon did you expect the confederate battle flag at the state house to come down
mr sanders i was in awe because i didnt expect it to happen but that flag coming down wont bring my son back or my aunt or the other seven
mr dixon how has the shooting changed charleston and the way people relate or interact with each other
mr sanders if they know who i am theyre a little kinder when i went back to work it seemed i got a lot of embracing from the white guys
ms sanders i still think that there is a lot of unity ive met so many people within this year that i would have never met so many people still coming giving their condolences thats unity right there i see a lot more smiles
ms sheppard the same people are a little kinder to each other
ms sanders june 17 2015 was the first racism ive ever encountered and i got it all at once
ms sheppard theres unity in more ways than one if you look on sunday youll see about seven or eight of those trucks with those confederate flags going across the bridge so theyre unifying too
mr schwirtz can you speak about your relationship with emanuel are any of you still active in the church
ms sanders ive been trying to go its not easy its a preparation for me when i go there i have to not eat at night or drink anything in the morning so that i wont have to go downstairs to the bathroom
emanuel is not emanuel no more emanuel is the new emanuel the church for some reason thinks its about the church the fellowship hall where it all happened at they didnt give it no respect i was in line to go into my sons funeral and i heard somebody say oh you should go downstairs now it smells like blood how do you think that made me feel
ms sheppard this happened on wednesday and they were back in church on sunday which i thought was terrible
ms simmons i dont feel the church should have been opened that soon because when i went to the church a couple of days after i could still sense and smell blood so it wasnt a good feeling for me it was one of my weakest moments ive experienced throughout this whole process
ms collier the last time i was there was aug 30 2015 my mothers birthday and i havent been back since
growing up i was on choir at the church since this happened its like everything my whole life changed my mom was assassinated for the church
my momma when she was not ushering we got a little seat we sit at two three rows from the back id come around and sit on the side of her can you imagine me coming in and sitting in the front it just freaks me out took everything out of my body just to do that on her birthday i havent been back


it was nearly 18 months ago shortly after the charlie hebdo attacks in paris when a reporter for national public radio mara liasson observed at a white house press briefing that president obama and his aides had bent over backwards to avoid using the phrase radical islam the press secretary josh earnest said this was because these terrorists are individuals who would like to cloak themselves in the veil of a particular religion opening a debate over the phrase that has taken on new rancor amid the massacre in orlando
in his remarks today president obama disgracefully refused to even say the words radical islam  donald j trump said in a statement within hours of when omar mateen killed 49 people at a gay nightclub and invoked the islamic state in a 911 call for that reason alone he should step down
the next day mr obama called the focus on phrasing a political distraction
what exactly would using this label accomplish the president asked calling a threat by a different name does not make it go away
what does radical islam even mean and why has it become so controversial is this argument just semantics or does it go deeper
lets start with the words islam is a 1500 year old religion whose 16 billion followers worldwide observe a spectrum of customs and traditions radical can mean something very different or against tradition or be defined as extreme views practices and policies
the words absent political context could be read as trying to distinguish fringe interpretations of islam including justifications for violence from the mainstream majority view which is peaceful but that context   including who shouts the phrase and who studiously avoids uttering it   has ladened it with pernicious meaning in particular quarters
shadi hamid a scholar at the brookings institution in washington said that before the controversy began he did not use the phrase radical islam much but neither did he find it overly objectionable after two years of politicization though mr hamid and other analysts say the phrase has worrisome connotations potentially maligning all muslims or islam itself
why would you feel such a need to use this particular combination of words when the vast majority of us agree that this is terrorism and that it should be stopped or countered he asked these terms are being used as dog whistles
will mccants another brookings scholar told the washington post in december 2015 that every bit of that phrase is analytically unhelpful because of its lack of specificity is this the wine drinking islam of the poets he asked the court islam of the caliph what kind of islam are you even talking about
republicans who invoke radical islam seem to be trying to telegraph certain arguments about muslims political correctness and the united states failure to stop the march of extremist groups across the middle east at the same time democrats who reject it are also making a political statement one touching on islamophobia and inclusiveness
if it seems unlikely that a single phrase with no fixed definition could contain all that information the fight over radical islam becomes easier to understand when examined in its initial context as a way to make sense of the rise of the islamic state
throughout late 2014 as the group also known as isis and isil conquered much of iraq in a campaign of shocking violence americans struggled to discern what role if any religion played in its ideology because only 38 percent of americans personally know someone who is muslim according to a 2014 pew poll most have little firsthand knowledge to go on
mr obama then and now has tried to separate the terrorists from islam urging tolerance of muslims in the united states and abroad
and all of us have a responsibility to refute the notion that groups like isil somehow represent islam because that is a falsehood that embraces the terrorist narrative he said in february 2015
republicans slammed him for either ignorance or a misplaced sense of political correctness in part because the president refused to use it the phrase radical islam became a shorthand for everything he would not say about isis and therefore a way to accuse him of privileging sensitivity over forthrightness when discussing the threat the group posed
in its simplicity the phrase reframes the daunting confusing litany of problems that contribute to terrorism   faraway failed states complex ideologies a prevalence of guns   as something much easier to understand
we are at war with radical islam senator marco rubio of florida then a candidate for the republican presidential nomination said after the attacks in paris last november he likened mr obamas avoidance of the phrase to saying we werent at war with nazis because we were afraid to offend some germans who may have been members of the nazi party but werent violent themselves
over time the phrase morphed into a way for critics to explain why the obama administration had failed to anticipate or stop the rise of the islamic state
you cannot fight and win a war on radical islamic terrorism if youre unwilling to utter the words radical islamic terrorism  senator ted cruz of texas said in january back when he too was clamoring for the white house
over time radical islam has taken on darker connotations mr trump according to mr hamid of brookings invested these words with new meaning
as his campaign of anti muslim policy proposals and speech gained traction mr trumps republican rivals sought to match him mr cruz for example urged refusing syrian refugees if they are muslim ben carson suggested muslims should be barred from the presidency they often invoked radical islam at the same time
the phrase does not explicitly say there is an intrinsic link between terrorism and islam but it suggests religion is the core issue and by using the vague modifier radical there is an implication that any adherent can be suspect on grounds that are unclear and open to interpretation
to term something radical islamic violence condemns a religion steven cook a middle east scholar at the council on foreign relations wrote in december and leaves one with the erroneous impression that the competing modern interpretations of islam that specifically refute violent islamisms worldview do not exist
mr obama and others say that condemning radical islam does not make clear who is being condemned that they argue risks exacerbating anti muslim sentiment in the united states which has already grown violent
it also risks alienating muslims abroad washington has long battled a perception in the muslim world that it is at war with islam a perception that can feed anti american sentiment and politics
at the same time labeling isis radical islam in some eyes legitimizes the groups claims to represent an entire religion when in fact most of its victims and enemies are themselves muslim
if we fall into the trap of painting all muslims with the broad brush and imply that were at war with an entire religion then were doing the terrorists work for them mr obama said on tuesday
even before mr trump took up the phrase as a mantra mr obama and others resisted it as part of a larger hesitation to discuss the islamic states use of religion as anything but false and cynical
but it is impossible to understand the islamic states ideology and recruiting power without acknowledging the role of religious beliefs that while rejected by the overwhelming majority of muslims are often earnestly held
ive always been of the view that isis does have something to do with islam mr hamid said we just have to talk about what that something is and do so in a nuanced constructive way
he called it problematic that many americans including the president do not seem comfortable speaking about religion as a motivating force or how it inspires violence or extremism or that religion has a certain kind of power in everyday life in the middle east
hillary clinton perhaps in tacit acknowledgment of these concerns has this week tried to take a middle path she described the orlando attack as radical islamism   a small but meaningful distinction islam is a religion whereas islamism a political ideology calling for islamic government she also declared it matters what we do not what we say
when i asked mr hamid this he countered with a different question given how many labels already exist to describe terrorists that draw on islam why insist on this one
he listed several   radical jihadists salafis islamist extremists jihadis jihadi salafists   none of which he said carry the baggage of radical islam
but if its that baggage that repels scholars it may also be what draws others radical islam has come to imply certain things about issues that are closer to home than abstract terrorist ideology political correctness migration and the question of who belongs
those same issues have animated debates over terrorism and terminology in other societies in germany multiculturalism has become shorthand for larger questions of how to absorb migrants and whether there is a degree of minimum assimilation there is endless sparring over british values and what sort of burden this puts on migrants before they will be welcomed into society
france has had its own parsing of radical islam though the fight over secularism is even fiercer
even majority muslim societies have had versions of this same argument mr hamid pointed out in egypt he said the struggle over terms is in part a way of litigating whether parties like the muslim brotherhood are ideologically akin to terror groups   and therefore whether they should be allowed to participate in society
what these debates have in common is that arguing about how to define terrorism becomes a way to push and pull the contours of national identity determining who is invited in to that identity and who is kept out
in every case the debate is framed as one of pluralism versus security pinning terrorism on multiculturalism or non secularism or foreign values or radical islam all portray inclusiveness as somehow threatening and exclusiveness as safer
the question of whether pluralism and security are indeed in tension or whether pluralism in fact enhances security is one that people around the world have long grappled with but its hard to discuss because it is so core to national identity debating semantics is much easier


what is happening on friday
track and fields governing body the international association of athletics federations will announce if russias track and field team will be barred from the olympics this summer in rio de janeiro
the entire track team
yes that is what is being considered even athletes without past drug violations would not be permitted to compete
where and when will the decision take place
at a meeting of iaaf officials at the grand hotel wien in vienna a news conference is expected at about 11 am eastern time 5 pm local time
what led to this
in december 2014 the german broadcaster ard released a documentary that said the russian government had helped procure drugs for athletes and cover up positive test results
a world anti doping agency commission then released a report in november 2015 that described systematic state sponsored doping in russia the findings were largely focused on track and field athletes
after that report russian athletes were suspended from international competition including the indoor world championships in portland ore in march
what were the reports revelations
members of russias secret service intimidated workers at a drug testing lab to cover up top athletes positive results they impersonated lab engineers during the winter olympics in sochi in 2014 a lab once destroyed more than 1400 samples athletes adopted false identities to avoid unexpected testing some paid to make doping violations disappear others bribed antidoping authorities to ensure favorable results and top sports officials routinely submitted bogus urine samples for athletes who were doping
what was russias response
the russian ministry of sport vigorously denied many of the allegations but russian sports officials have grown more contrite in recent months after hiring crisis communications experts out of washington russia has said it is working tirelessly to improve antidoping efforts insisting that its track and field athletes should be cleared to compete in rio
hoping to influence fridays vote the russian track and field federation announced last month that if its athletes were allowed to compete no athlete with a history of doping violations would be chosen as a member of russias olympic team
what are the latest revelations
wada released more information about russia this week charging that a track and field athlete tried to smuggle in a clean urine sample for drug testing concealing a container inside her body and offering a bribe when her scheme failed it also said that armed police officers threatened drug testers who showed up to collect athletes urine and packages containing doping samples were tampered with by customs workers
such behavior was happening as recently as this month wada said
if russia is barred which top medal contenders will miss the games
russia won four medals at the 2015 world championships two of them gold   sergey shubenkov in the mens 110 meter hurdles and mariya kuchina in the womens high jump
russia won 18 medals eight of them gold in track at the 2012 london olympics though some of those athletes have been implicated in the doping scandal and might not be allowed to participate anyway including the womens 800 meter winner mariya savinova the womens steeplechase winner yuliya zaripova and the womens hammer winner tatyana lysenko
russias highest profile track athlete is yelena isinbaeva who won pole vault gold in 2004 and 2008 and is hoping to participate in her fifth games in an op ed article in the new york times on wednesday she pleaded for a chance to compete noting that she had never failed a doping test
werent top iaaf officials involved in the scandal
the former iaaf president lamine diack was suspended and then resigned from an emeritus position in november amid accusations that he had taken bribes to cover up russian drug cheating the french authorities opened a criminal case against him and his son   papa massata diack who worked as a marketing consultant for the iaaf   in connection with those accusations
the former head of russias track and field organization valentin balakhnichev also served as treasurer of the iaaf he resigned from the iaaf after the 2014 ard report amid allegations that athletes were being made to pay bribes to cover up dirty drug tests
the allegations have also called into question the integrity of the iaafs current president sebastian coe who has repeatedly denied knowledge of wrongdoing
and havent the antidrug agencys actions also been called into question
the antidoping agency wada mishandled allegations of corruption failed to investigate rigorously and was hampered by politics to the point that it was largely ineffective in its mission to protect the integrity of sports the times reported this week
what are they saying in russia
russian athletes like ms isinbaeva have pleaded to be allowed to compete the russian olympic committee athletes committee sent a letter this month to the president of the international olympic committee asking for his support
among the people who signed the plea was alexander zubkov a russian bobsledder who won gold at the 2014 games in sochi russias former antidoping lab director grigory rodchenkov who ran the sochi lab told the times that he had surreptitiously substituted mr zubkovs urine samples during the olympics to keep his steroid use from disqualifying him
mr zubkov has denied dr rodchenkovs claims
have other teams or countries ever been kicked out of the games
in general nations have been barred because of geopolitical considerations not doping
after both world wars the losing nations were kept out of the next games south africa was barred from 1964 to 1988 because of its policies of apartheid yugoslavia was prevented from entering team events in 1992 because of united nations sanctions over the war in the balkans
what happens next
the ioc is meeting on june 21 four days after the iaaf vote to discuss athletes who are eligible for the rio games
it remains to be seen whether the ioc can or will amend the iaafs decision on russian athletes olympics officials have said they are waiting for the result of fridays vote


the sleepy town of white mills in northeastern pennsylvania relied for decades on one family the dorflingers from the 1860s to the 1920s hundreds of locals worked 11 hour shifts at the dorflingers glass factory where they shaped products with molds and acid and stoked furnaces sending plumes of smoke from brick chimney stacks with a train station and canal dock nearby the company imported raw materials from overseas and shipped crystal vessels worldwide and its employees and visitors provided a stream of customers for hotels stores and even an opera house
a handful of the companys dozens of buildings remain and james k asselstine a glass collector and scholar has spent nine years restoring two of them now filled with dorflinger glass they will open on july 2 as mr asselstines new dorflinger factory museum visitors may need to wear sunglasses for all of the sunlight being reflected off the cut glass facets
the companys founder christian dorflinger born in 1828 in alsace france worked at a glassworks as a child before moving with his family to the united states in the 1840s he was sent to make bottles at a factory in camden nj by the 1850s he had set up his own workshops in brooklyn but after about a decade there running the long island flint glass works and the greenpoint flint glass works he had become so exhausted that physicians advised him to retire to his hilltop farm in white mills
though he made the move mr dorflinger didnt quite retire he created a factory compound at the base of his farm he built cottages for his workers his clients commissioned personalized etched patterns on their drinking vessels cuban officials wanted palm tree motifs and robber barons asked for their monograms and the names of their yachts white house staffs beginning with the lincoln administration filled formal dining settings with all manner of dorflinger goblets and decanters
the glassworkers almost never signed their pieces mr asselstine said that it has taken years to distinguish some dorflinger wares from products by competitors
immigrants from france germany england ireland and scandinavia took jobs at the white mills site mr dorflinger also recruited at the nearby schoolhouse he would walk into classrooms and tell the more muscular boys as young as 10 i expect to see you at the factory on monday
in 1892 a major fire probably arson broke out on the property mr dorflinger had made enemies because he fired workers who expressed interest in joining labor unions
after his death in 1915 his family kept the company going for only a few years most of its drawings and bookkeeping records were thrown away descendants did preserve glass pieces made as far back as the 1850s when the operations were still in brooklyn manufacturers of baseball bats broom handles and baking equipment ended up using the buildings in white mills when mr asselstine first visited in 1988 the complex was largely used for storage
he devoted himself to this project after he retired in 2013 he had worked in the fields of government nuclear regulation and investment banking in calculating how much he and his wife bette davis asselstine have invested in the dorflinger buildings and glass collection mr asselstine said that 3 million is probably not a bad number he also is chairman of the dorflinger suydam wildlife sanctuary in white mills which was set up in the 1980s on the familys farm and features a display of dorflinger glass
rare objects in the field can cost six figures in 2014 at goldin auctions in runnemede nj mr asselstine paid about 113000 for a glass bat that the dorflinger company made in 1913 as a gift for the baseball player eddie murphy who had grown up in white mills mr murphy played for the philadelphia athletics winners of the 1913 world series
the bat will be on view at the new museum as will snippets of a movie made at the factory in the 1910s that gives a sense of the dusty noisy and hot working conditions some machinery and tools will be kept in working order for demonstrations keystone college in la plume pa will lend its portable glassworks furnace
ian simmonds a glass historian and dealer in carlisle pa said mr asselstine is a rare example of a glass collector who focuses on one maker and manages to display the material on former factory grounds
dorflinger artifacts including molds and tools that belonged to family members have also ended up at institutions including the metropolitan museum of art the philadelphia museum of art the corning museum of glass and the brooklyn museum the met owns a silver tea set given to mr dorflinger in 1863 when he was supposedly retiring the silver is sculpted with images of glassblowers and the brooklyn factory
works by dorflinger competitors are on display through july 15 at hirschl  adler gallery in manhattan and through december at the museum of american glass at wheatonarts in millville nj the wheatonarts show contains artifacts found during archaeological excavations by the engineering company aecom in philadelphia near demolished glassworks facilities and factory workers homes the digs are part of highway improvements along interstate 95 by the pennsylvania department of transportation and the federal highway administration
mary cheek mills the historic glass specialist at aecom said future exhibitions will focus on glassmaking practices in the region and the workers who almost never signed their wares


the printers buzzed to life in every firehouse in new york city last week and each spit out an identical bulletin it bore the worst sort of news the fire department must relay to its members the code 5 5 5 5 a death in the line of duty
with regret the department announces the death of battalion chief lawrence t stack the note read as a result of injuries sustained while operating at manhattan box 5 5 8087
that box number was grimly familiar to all firefighters it was followed by the time of the call from that box   847 am   and the date september 11 2001
the announcement and the four fives as the code is known had not until now been made for chief stack for an important reason his remains had not been found for his family this is the end of a frustrating and ultimately fruitless wait of nearly 15 years
chief stack 58 had served almost 33 years his funeral will be held friday at ss philip and james church in st james on long island with the expansive pageantry and huge turnout of firefighters and officers that accompany all departmental ceremonies
its timing this week alongside the first funerals of the shooting victims in orlando fla is accidental but weighted bringing an added poignancy as the country mourns the latest victims of a terrorist attack on its soil a funeral in new york lays to rest another
chief stacks family came to learn where and how he perished that day but they put off the funeral hoping that some trace of him would be identified from what was recovered at ground zero
weeks turned into months said lt michael stack 46 one of chief stacks two sons both firefighters months turned into years two years turned into five turned into 10 now its 15
the catholic funeral mass requires the presence of remains of the deceased this requirement was satisfied unknowingly by chief stack in an act of generosity 18 months before his death
mom came home and said theres a little boy in east islip and he has cancer im going to donate blood he needs it lieutenant stack recalled
chief stack joined his wife theresa he added his name to the bone marrow registry as a possible donor on march 6 2000 and in doing so gave a blood sample for type matching chief stacks marrow was not a match for an immediate transplant and the blood sample was put into cold storage
on the morning of sept 11 2001 chief stack was in his office in brooklyn near the waterfront filling out a report on a recent fatal fire that brought three code 5 5 5 5 transmissions that fire in an astoria warehouse on june 17 2001 became known for the day it happened the fathers day fire
word arrived at the office immediately after the first plane hit the north tower of the world trade center chief stack and others hurried to the roof with binoculars they saw the second plane strike the south tower
he lowered his binoculars and said guys i think theyre going to need us lieutenant stack said recalling what he has been told of that day
chief stack and others hurried to the scene he wound up in the lobby of the marriott world trade center which was being evacuated wreckage collapsed into the lobby nearly striking chief stack and leaving him momentarily trapped his coat stuck he wiggled free and left the coat behind it would be recovered three months later
a lieutenant came up to him and said can you help me i was with someone and i cant find him lieutenant stack said they go back to this collapsed mess and start calling his name out
they heard a faint voice in the rubble   the missing man a firefighter the lieutenant grabbed his ankles and chief stack grabbed the lieutenants and they pulled the firefighter out
my dad is like its time to leave weve got to get out of here lieutenant stack said they stepped outside you can see bodies jumping falling my dad said theres the command post go there
those firefighters who lived to tell this to lieutenant stack did so chief stack stopped he had come across a fallen businessman from iowa injured the firefighters looked back as the north tower fell
the last thing they remember seeing is my dad on one knee with this man lieutenant stack said staying with him
lieutenant stack hurried to the world trade center site that day i came up and i go oh my god he said it was just so vast so big
he knew from the accounts of others that his father was dead and he returned to the pit day after day
dig and look search hope he said thats what i had in mind im going to find him
nothing
i always wanted that department phone call saying remains had been found he said the family visited a memorial site in hauppauge ny on his birthday and sang to him but it wasnt like visiting a grave
finally last year mrs stack said enough she drew a line in the sand where she said were not doing it past 15 years lieutenant stack said
the office of chief medical examiner has identified 65 percent of remains recovered from the world trade center the rest is damaged enough that current identification technology is of no use and remains in storage
the new york blood center examined its list of donors after sept 11 and discovered that 143 firefighters who died that day had signed up to be marrow donors most of them while still in training as rookies the center notified the families and set aside their blood samples over the years it has given the small vials of blood to some relatives some put the vials in their freezers at home some bury them at funerals as with firefighter michael paul ragusa in 2003
mrs stack and her sons visited the blood center last year the center located chief stacks blood in a storage facility in minnesota the vial will be buried on friday at calverton national cemetery in recognition of chief stacks service in the united states navy
we will have someplace to go mrs stack 71 said on thursday
the family chose june 17 because it would have been the stacks 49th wedding anniversary coincidentally it is the 15th anniversary of the fathers day fire the event front and center on chief stacks mind before the first plane hit it is the first funeral for a firefighter killed that day in 10 years
my mother she just wanted a nice small catholic mass lieutenant stack said he and his brother brian took this idea to commissioner daniel a nigro in may
he said were doing it the right way lieutenant stack said were going to have a funeral there would be full departmental honors
brian and i looked at each other like moms not going to like this lieutenant stack said but in the weeks since it feels right
he noted the timing of the orlando massacre
who knew the war was going to come to us on sept 11 he said no one knew the war was coming and then we wake up june 12 and find out the war is still here


philippe p daumans days as the chief executive of viacom may be numbered   unless court battles go his way
on thursday sumner m redstones national amusements company announced that it had moved to replace mr dauman and four other directors on the viacom board the development sets the stage for the firing of mr dauman as the companys chief executive escalating the war for control of mr redstones 40 billion media empire
the new directors are most likely aligned with mr redstones daughter shari redstone who has publicly opposed mr daumans leadership of viacom on his watch the company has delivered weak results and its share price has fallen about 35 percent in the last year viacoms stock price rose nearly 7 percent thursday on the news
the moves do not take effect immediately and the changes are subject to a court ruling in delaware until then viacoms current board remains intact and mr dauman is expected to remain as chief executive national amusements said in a statement that the newly constituted board would evaluate current top executives and take steps to ensure that viacom has in place strong independent and effective leadership
through national amusements mr redstone controls about 80 percent of the voting shares in viacom and cbs by removing directors loyal to mr dauman the redstones would have a clear majority on the 11 member board giving them the power to oust him
national amusements said none of the new directors are affiliated with national amusments viacom or any redstone family trust they include kenneth lerer a venture capitalist co founder of the huffington post and chairman of buzzfeed and nicole seligman a former sony executive and lawyer who represented president bill clinton during his impeachment trial
thursdays development is the latest in a series of moves by mr redstone to shake up his media empire which includes cbs and viacom properties like mtv nickelodeon and the paramount pictures film and television studio and it incited yet another legal dispute over whether mr redstone who is 93 and in poor health has the mental capacity to make decisions about his companies already the issue of his competency is the subject of court battles in massachusetts and los angeles
national amusements filed documents in delaware court on thursday seeking to validate its changes to viacoms board the move pre empted a lawsuit to block the changes filed in delaware court by frederic v salerno viacoms lead independent director
this is a brazen and demonstrably invalid attempt by ms redstone to gain control of viacom and its management in disregard of sumner redstones wishes and to undermine the current boards ability to represent the best interests of all of the stockholders of viacom mr salerno said in a statement
heres a look at who is in who is out and who remains on the viacom board
kenneth lerer mr lerer is a well known new york venture capitalist and digital media executive he is the managing partner at lerer hippeau ventures which has backed dozens of consumer tech companies mr lerer also is the chairman of buzzfeed and on the board of business insider
previously mr lerer was chairman and co founder of the huffington post about 20 years ago mr lerers corporate communications firm did work for mr redstone
thomas j may mr may lacks the media industry name recognition compared with the other new directors he is the chairman of eversource energy one of new englands largest energy delivery companies and previously was chief executive of the company until he retired in may
mr may also is on the board of bank of america and the liberty mutual holding company
judith mchale ms mchales career has spanned business and diplomacy she was general counsel for mtv networks in the 1980s ms mchale was chief executive at discovery communications from 1995 to 2006
ms mchale worked in the state department from 2009 until 2011 she now is the chief executive of cane investments a private investment company based in irvington ny she also is on the boards of seaworld entertainment the ralph lauren corporation and yellow media limited
ronald nelson mr nelsons background is a mix of business and media he is the executive chairman of avis budget group the rental car company where he was chief executive from 2006 to 2015 mr nelson was co chief operating officer of dreamworks skg from 1994 to 2003
nicole seligman ms seligman has worked in journalism law and business in the late 1970s she was the associate editorial page editor of the asian wall street journal she later was a law clerk to justice thurgood marshall on the supreme court and was a partner at the washington law firm williams  connolly where she represented president clinton during his impeachment trial
ms seligman later became president of the sony corporation of america and sony entertainment she stepped down in march
ms seligman also is on the board of wpp the worlds largest advertising company
philippe p dauman the embattled chairman and chief executive of viacom has been on its board since 1987 he formed a close bond with mr redstone in the late 1980s while working as a young corporate lawyer and that relationship fueled his ascent to the top of the company
george s abrams mr abrams is the lawyer and longtime confidant of mr redstone and has been a viacom director since 1987 in may along with mr dauman he was ousted from the trust and the national amusements board and is challenging the dismissals in a massachusetts lawsuit
frederic v salerno mr salerno was named viacoms lead independent director in march and has been on viacoms board since 1994 he is the retired vice chairman and chief financial officer of verizon communications until this year mr salerno was a director of cbs he is aligned with mr dauman
blythe j mcgarvie ms mcgarvie has been on viacoms board since 2007 she is a former faculty member at harvard business school former chief of leadership for international finance a consultant group
william schwartz mr schwartz has served on viacoms board since 1987 he is a counsel in the new york office of the law firm of cadwalader wickersham  taft and has known mr redstone for decades
sumner m redstone in february mr redstone ceded his positions as chairman of viacom in the face of questions from shareholders about his health and competency he remains chairman emeritus and a director of viacom and cbs and controls the two companies through national amusements
shari e redstone ms redstone is the long estranged recently reconciled daughter of mr redstone she is the vice chairman of viacom and cbs president of national amusements and managing partner of the venture capital firm advancit capital ms redstone opposes viacoms current leadership
deborah norville ms norville the anchor of the newsmagazine tv show inside edition has been on the viacom board since 2013 while she is classified as an independent director her show is produced by cbs and mr redstone also controls cbs
charles e phillips jr mr phillips the chief executive of infor global solutions has been on the viacom board since 2004 previously he was president of oracle
thomas e dooley mr dooley is the chief operating officer of viacom and has been a member of viacoms board since 2006 he started at viacom in 1980 and had been part of mr redstones inner circle since the media mogul took over the company in 1987
cristiana falcone sorrell ms sorrell the senior adviser to the chairman at the world economic forum has been a viacom director since 2013 she is married to sir martin sorrell chief executive of wpp the worlds largest advertising company which does business with viacom
 signifies one of the six directors who signed a letter vowing to fight any moves to oust viacoms board


you put the question to sanya richards ross a gold medal runner who has come back from so many injuries and who hopes to make another olympic team before she retires
would she let russia which carries about it the odor of state sponsored doping into the 2016 olympics in rio de janeiro
she shook her head
you think about everything that happened and how far up the chain it has gone there she said of russia last month missing the olympics for sure thats a reasonable punishment for the crime
the accumulating evidence of a state sponsored doping program filled with duplicity and evasion lay exposed to the sun
a russian athlete a former state official and even the director of russias main drug testing laboratory say the world should not believe the results produced by russian athletes as illegal chemistry underlies them the doping corruption begins at the highest reaches of the ministry of sport they assert and extends downward accompanied by the suspicious deaths of two potential whistle blowers
the good news is that the worlds best athletes are rising in revolt and demanding investigations nearly 600 british athletes the guardian reports have called for a sweeping worldwide investigation american european and canadian skiers swimmers and runners have added their insistent voices
the not so good news is that the regulatory bodies of world sports are like so many somnolent detective bureaus the chiefs wag their heads and rummage through desks for musty reports and murmur yes yes what a shame ...
craig reedie the chief of the world anti doping agency recently explained his regulatory approach to my colleague rebecca ruiz were not going to turn around to people and say these are the rules if one of our stakeholders comes and says can you advise us on how to proceed then clearly we will advise them
i know sir craig is a knight and all that so please just this once let him pull out his broad sword and slay a dragon
this week its the turn of another world body with a not so illustrious record the international association of athletics federations on friday the iaaf which governs track and field will announce whether russia and its athletes can participate in the 2016 olympics in rio de janeiro
the iaaf is run by another knight the former olympic gold medal runner lord sebastian coe in 2015 lord coe a longtime vice president in the organization replaced lamine diack who had served as president for 16 years soon after he left the iaaf diack was arrested he has been accused of taking many many bribes to cover up positive doping tests by russian athletes
diack held a seat on the international olympic committee as sir craig does currently international sport is cozy olympic reform is best pushed genteelly not to mention gingerly honk too loudly about transgressions and your country might find its hopes of hosting an olympics dashed
wada has taken a few important steps last year its report uncovered systemic corruption in russian track and field and pointed to many strands of corruption in winter sports however agency leaders resisted for many months calling in investigators to plunge down the necessary alleyways
all the while the agencys own athletes committee and the heads of various national federations pleaded for full investigations
now my colleagues ruiz juliet macur and ian austen reported this week that wada not only sat on detailed tips from russian whistle blowers but also passed along word of one such whistle blower to the same government officials accused of running the doping program
you need to have proper corroborated evidence in order to prove things sir craig said secondly we didnt have powers under the old code to investigate
both of his claims are baffling wada had since 2010 two firsthand witnesses a top athlete and a top official in the russian antidoping agency testifying to corruption in doping now there is another witness grigory rodchenkov who ran the laboratory that handled the tests of thousands of russian olympians and who described for the new york times how he developed a powerful three drug doping elixir
rodchenkov sounds an awful lot like the joe valachi of russian sports valachi was the first great mafia informer the good doctor estimated that by the end of the 2014 winter games in sochi he and his work mates had expunged 100 dirty test results
russian athletes won a splendid number of medals at those winter games
im no district attorney but that strikes me as powerful firsthand testimony as well wada was explicitly charged with monitoring code compliance by its signatories which include russia
in december 2014 the chief of the united states anti doping agency travis tygart wrote a tough four page private letter to wada he suggested that it strap on its police cap and badge and get to work
anything less than a full complete and successful investigation by wada ... would constitute an abdication of wadas responsibilities he wrote in a letter also signed by the board chairman edwin moses we do not believe that wada lacks the power to conduct an investigation protect witnesses or take steps to investigate whether national agencies have become corrupted
throat clearing is necessary here
russian athletes are not uniquely fallen creatures the list of american runners and bikers and skiers who have doped is long and desultory although there is no evidence that this is state directed the salt lake winter olympics in 2002 was a festival of bribes and doping an italian doctor was the dr frankenstein of sports doping the finns had a major doping scandal a decade or so back the kenyan and ethiopian long distance runners would be a heartwarming marvel were it not that so many keep getting nabbed by blood doping
athletes everywhere face justifiable doubts but that narrative coexists with a more hopeful one save for russia and a few other nations the battle against doping has taken many strides forward circumstantial evidence for this is found in the fact that in most disciplines athletes no longer set records every few years that was true during the 1980s and 1990s the popeye and bluto home run years in major league baseball offered a direct corollary replete with complicity by the owners and rulers of that sport
its much harder to dope and the advantage you can gain is less than it used to be notes max cobb director of us biathlon and a longtime reformer in the arena of world sport micro dosing can take an athlete from 10th place to first place but youre no longer seeing those extraordinary oh my god how did that guy finish two minutes faster moments
the question now is what to do when a nation goes rogue and dedicates itself to systematically undermining doping regulations the russians under vladimir putin have lashed their national pride to the mast of athletic achievement
russia is a global superpower and not easily sent stomping to its room
but even the latest interim report from wada this week gives not much cause for hope a large number of athletes continue to evade tests and when asked their whereabouts as is required of every athlete worldwide so that drug testers can find them a striking number of russian athletes list so called military cities
testing officers need special permission to enter these cities which delays and in some cases prevents testing
when in eugene ore last month i talked about this with the american runner richards ross im literally tested at least two times a week she said at least im happy to live up to those standards i just want that standard to be the same all around the world including russia
that seems a reasonable request on friday well see if the cops of sport are up to the task of walking their beat


orlando fla   when dr joseph ibrahim heard that the attack at the pulse nightclub may have been linked to terrorism he caught himself fearing any kind of link to his own muslim middle eastern roots
please he thought dont let ibrahim appear anywhere in the gunmans name
dr ibrahim   who heads the trauma unit at orlando regional medical center and generally goes by joey   had already spent hours repairing gunshot wounds in the bodies of latino men and women many of whom were the sons and daughters of immigrants too
yanked from bed by a phone call at 215 am he was doing what he had trained for his old friends from his hometown in tennessee were pulling for him but it was hard to escape the pairing the son of one muslim immigrant from the middle east trying to save the lives of mostly gay latinos whom another son of muslim immigrants tried to kill   all in a chunk of verdant florida built on disney joy
maybe were a target because of our diversity and tolerance dr ibrahim said after a morning of surgery on wednesday here you constantly see people from all over the world and its wonderful
this is the orlando that the shooting tore right through a place that sees itself as a model of diversity at ease with difference with room for everyone and every ride even now as the conversation outside orlando zeros in on radical islam this city is awash in american flags vigils with republican and democratic politicians trying to speak spanish and signs on churches strip clubs and restaurants with two catchphrases orlando strong and orlando united
it is hardly a perfect union one without pain or frustration some latinos have wondered why the shooting that left 49 people dead has become a gay rights touchstone and not a latino one some immigrants with loved ones among the dead have collapsed in the arms of local leaders desperate for financial help wishing for more of the support found in the larger puerto rican community
there is some confusion too many countries in the hemisphere are still trying to figure out if any of their citizens were killed a challenge since many of the victims had united states citizenship even if they were originally from somewhere else
but all of these issues   the intersecting identities the struggles for recognition   only make more obvious just how much this most american of places has rapidly changed
walt disney had the vision to cobble together a resort with secret land deals in a quiet cow town of lakes and mosquitoes now orlando and its suburbs in orange county point to where this country is headed when it comes to demographics and the degree to which immigrants and their offspring are woven into every aspect of american life
what orlando looks like today is what the united states will look like in 30 years   that is what local republican party officials tell newcomers in simple terms the white non hispanic population is shrinking it is now at 43 percent in orange county and cultural and ethnic diversity is expanding and evolving as foreigners new arrivals from puerto rico and the children of earlier immigrant waves all find their footing in orlandos affordable sprawl
at valencia college more than two thirds of the 80000 strong student body is nonwhite on wednesday black and latino students with the schools gay straight alliance   including jorge lanza 23 a son of immigrants from honduras who goes by george   gave out free hugs and candy near the library seven of the people killed at pulse were current or former valencia students
most of them had not been here for long which is typical nearly two thirds of the 13 million people in orange county arrived post epcot center which opened in 1982
i happen to have been born about 1000 yards that way but there is not a large population in orlando that are third generation residents said mayor buddy dyer of orlando a democrat standing near the pulse nightclub
teresa jacobs the mayor of orange county who is a republican said that newness along with the lack of a single dominant group   plus nonpartisan elections   have pushed orlando toward tolerance
we have to get along ms jacobs said
the shooting shattered the areas image as a welcoming place it is why at the public memorials here many residents said the attack had been particularly hard for people to accept
and yet immigrants and the children of immigrants from the caribbean and beyond played a role at every stage of the tragedy
the gunman omar mateen was a first generation american his parents who got married in new york in the early 1980s and briefly lived in flushing queens before moving to florida were quick to assimilate after moving from afghanistan
his first wife sitora yusufiy was from uzbekistan his second wife noor zahi salman was born in california to palestinian parents from the west bank
many of the people mr mateen killed had similar stories of hyphenated existence
jerald arthur wright 31 whose family was from colombia worked at walt disney world and never seemed to run out of energy helping guests in both spanish and english
luis s vielma 22 juan chevez martinez 25 joel rayon paniagua 31   they were all immigrants from mexico working mostly in tourism too if you visited the wizarding world of harry potter at universal studios you might have seen mr vielma
among those who survived and saw their friends die or be wounded there are even more   including adrian lopez an immigrant from cuba he stood up before orlandos hispanic chamber of commerce on wednesday night and through tears after apologizing for his rusty spanish told his heroic tale of escaping the shooting then running back in to try to save his husband who was wounded
the police swat team that killed mr mateen also included at least two latino officers the orlando police department is about 18 percent hispanic and includes officers from just about every latin american country and other parts of the world said deputy police chief orlando rolon
then there is the orlando regional medical center the tall modern hospital a few blocks from pulse
dr ibrahim who is 39 and speaks with a drip of tennessee drawl said that as he worked on victim after victim early sunday morning he was surrounded as usual by colleagues with ties to other parts of the world   nurses of asian and hispanic descent technicians from jamaica and members of the lesbian gay bisexual and transgender community
we worked side by side without question he said
in the days that followed he said he heard many arguments for taking the country back and keeping out muslims it was mostly on talk radio as he drove to work for surgery and while the hosts focused on mr mateens father dr ibrahim contemplated his own dad an immigrant from egypt who married an american and practiced medicine in tennessee
its difficult dr ibrahim said noting that he would not be here if that kind of policy had been in place when his father wanted to leave cairo i just have to believe that those people have not met the right individual there are a lot of people who never meet muslims who are kind gentle and giving
stephen miller a policy adviser to donald j trump said mr trump   who has spent months condemning immigrants from mexico and the muslim world   simply wants to select immigrants who support defend and uphold our values
mr miller described mr trumps proposal to stop all immigration from muslim countries until a broad security assessment could be put in place as about as mainstream and common sense as it gets
but dr ibrahim said what he heard was mostly an appeal to ignorance and fear he said he moved to orlando from tennessee in part so his twin boys who are 11 could grow up around different kinds of people like their father whose looks make him hard to place in terms of ethnicity they represent a mixture of cultures their mother is white anglo in the lexicon of orlando born and raised in tennessee
but as a family with ibrahim for a last name they are still sometimes seen as outsiders dr ibrahim said his wife was once denied a loan because her name was confused with someone on a european terror watch list
he and his wife also struggled with whether to continue the tradition common in the middle east of passing on his second name abdellatif to their oldest son in the end they went for it abdellatif now links grandfather father and son three generations of egyptian americans
dr ibrahim is hoping that he wont regret it hopefully by the time hes of age he said people will be even more tolerant


los angeles   capping months of speculation about major executive changes 21st century fox said on thursday that stacey snider the co chairwoman of its film studio would succeed jim gianopulos as chairman and chief executive when his contract expires on june 30 2017
ms snider a longtime film executive who earlier headed universals film operation joined foxs studio 20th century fox in 2014 after leaving dreamworks studios where she oversaw that company in partnership with one of its founders steven spielberg her hiring was widely viewed as an attempt to bolster foxs presence among filmmakers after the departure of a previous co chairman tom rothman who had shared equal footing with mr gianopulos
mr gianopulos is expected to remain in a strategic role fox said in a statement on thursday
though well liked and respected for relationships with powerful filmmakers like james cameron mr gianopulos has been known as a solid operator better attuned to industry issues and economics than star relationships and narrative story points
fox ranks second at the domestic box office with over 900 million in ticket sales for the year much of that from the arch antihero hit deadpool but it is well behind the industrys box office leader walt disney whose stack of hits has brought in nearly 15 billion
last year fox ranked fourth among studios in domestic ticket sales but in 2014 it was no 1 with major hits in x men days of future past and dawn of the planet of the apes
in its latest nine months ended march 31 21st century foxs filmed entertainment revenue fell to about 65 billion from 76 billion while operating income dropped to 921 million from about 12 billion for the period
ms snider 55 joins a new generation of senior leadership at fox as rupert murdoch its executive chairman passes control of his businesses to his sons lachlan and james
she oversaw films as impressive as lincoln and the help during an eight year run with dreamworks but she spent much of that time wrestling with the inevitable funding struggles that confine the output of small companies
as she assumes leadership from mr gianopulos she will face decisions about structure and personnel in an operation that has long dispersed power among the heads of individual units and brands like fox 2000 fox searchlight pictures and the 20th century fox film studio
an obvious problem for mr gianopulos has been the repeated delay of mr camerons plans for a set of sequels to his avatar a 2009 hit that is set to become a major film franchise if and when the next movie takes shape ms snider who has not counted mr cameron among her closest filmmaking allies will very likely find herself still facing avatar issues when she takes charge
on another front fox has been strong in the annual film awards race this year three of its films   brooklyn the martian and the revenant   were nominated for a best picture oscar bridge of spies another best picture nominee was distributed abroad by fox


a rebellious boy and his foster uncle go on the run in the woods of new zealand in the new comedy adventure hunt for the wilderpeople opening june 24 the film was written and directed by taika waititi who in a recent interview discussed a scene from the film that consists primarily of one shot below are edited excerpts from that conversation
tell me a bit about the scene
at this point in the film ricky julian dennison and hec sam neill have been on the run for a couple of months theyre really feeling the pressure of the mounting search and the government trying to bring them in at this point we have an in camera one shot montage to show the passing of time and to recap on all the characters that have been involved in the film
did you initially plan for a winter setting for the scene
this was about midway through the shoot and we were down in the middle of the north island we didnt expect any snow at all we were deep in army land and the army really came and helped us out giving us tanks and equipment for a big car chase one of the other things they helped out with was giving us access to parts of new zealand that had never been captured on film before when we were driving into this area we were planning to do a bunch of other scenes but it started snowing really heavily by the end of the morning we had six inches of snow so we regrouped to figure out what we were going to do i quickly rewrote parts of the script to take place in the snow and use it as a seasonal change and i thought while were figuring out our next move why dont we try this big montage shot that i had in my head for a while i was just lucky enough to have all the actors there on the day
how did you do it
we basically put the camera on the tripod and we planted it in the ground and we just slowly turned the camera 780 degrees we hid all the actors beneath the camera and in the bushes each time we passed the camera by an actor either an actor would pop up into frame or would run around the camera to take their place for another pass we had a fire that was going on in the beginning someone would run in and put that out we had doubles who were in different costumes i think in the end we had three hecs and three rickys in the shot the real ones and then two doubles each so it was a real choreography


as a conservative republican leader in utah spencer cox may be an unlikely luminary for the lesbian gay bisexual and transgender community
but the lieutenant governors speech at a candlelight vigil in salt lake city for the orlando shooting victims has been widely shared on social media and he said in an interview thursday that the response has been uniformly positive   including from fellow conservative republicans
im hopeful if nothing else i can give some cover for other politicians who feel things but dont say them for whatever reason mr cox 40 said
in the speech monday he acknowledged that as a balding youngish middle aged straight white male republican politician he was an unexpected speaker at the event but he was praised for confronting his past attitudes toward gay people and apologized for his past treatment of gay students at his small rural high school
there were some kids in my class that were different mr cox said at the vigil which was attended by about 1000 people sometimes i wasnt kind to them i didnt know it at the time but i know now that they were gay i will forever regret not treating them with the kindness dignity and respect   the love   that they deserved for that i sincerely and humbly apologize
mr cox said the fact that many among the 49 victims in orlando were gay shouldnt matter but im here because it does he said that change would happen through personal change not through politicians and praised the lgbt community for welcoming him at the vigil despite their political differences
you have treated me with the kindness dignity and respect   the love   that i very often did not deserve he said and it has made me love you
the decision to invite mr cox to speak at the vigil was not without controversy said troy williams the executive director of equality utah which organized the gathering the lgbt community in utah has had a largely adversarial relationship with the current administration which has joined a lawsuit against the obama administration over the use of bathrooms by transgender people and opposes same sex marriage
mr williams said he did not know what mr cox would say when the politician was invited to speak but said the lieutenant governor had long been open to discussion he called the result a beautiful speech
we hope that this will set a new standard of discourse with republican leadership he said
mr cox said he had mended his relationship with those students he teased in high school one of them reached out to him after the speech and thanked him he said
he said his attitudes changed as he got to know people in the gay community whom he praised for their patience with him he said he would sometimes say the wrong things because im not sure how to say the right things but they laugh and kind of help me through it
when you actually sit around and really get to know someone it makes it much harder to demonize or discredit people he said we can have disagreements over policy and still love each other and still be friends and thats something i think is getting lost more and more in the partisan world we live in


donald j trump has slipped markedly in polls against hillary clinton amid a cascading series of self inflicted controversies culminating with his heated call after last weekends massacre in florida for a crackdown on muslim immigration and for stricter scrutiny of muslim communities in the united states
pollsters caution that it is too soon to know the precise impact of mr trumps response to the attack in orlando fla in which a gunman declaring allegiance to the islamic state killed dozens in a gay nightclub
but mr trump has plainly faltered in his attempts to seize the upper hand over mrs clinton at the start of the general election campaign his fiery speeches targeting muslims have discomfited republican party leaders in washington only days after elected officials in both parties chastised him for his denunciations of an indiana born federal judge for his mexican heritage
batting aside criticism from democrats and other republicans including speaker paul d ryan mr trump has repeatedly since monday offered a slashing critique of muslims including american citizens he has argued without evidence that many muslim communities in the united states had advance knowledge of terrorist attacks and declined to report them
on wednesday mr trump renewed his call for surveillance of american muslims we have to go and we have to check respectfully the mosques he said at a rally in atlanta
mr trump who was effectively even with mrs clinton after becoming the presumptive republican nominee in may has trailed by varying margins in the most recent round of polls
a cbs news poll conducted after the orlando attack found that 51 percent of americans disapproved of mr trumps response to the shootings while only a quarter approved mrs clinton drew split marks for her response
yet a poll by bloomberg news also found that by a slim margin voters said they would trust mr trump over mrs clinton to handle an orlando like attack a year from now
the republican pollster neil newhouse an adviser to mitt romneys 2012 presidential campaign said mr trump might yet tap into americans unease about national security and described the electorate as frustrated and anxious about security issues
theres no question that many americans are ready for something other than standard political patter mr newhouse said but he added that mr trump had gone too far with his conspiratorial language after orlando
former gov frank keating of oklahoma a republican who led the state after the 1995 bombing of a federal building in oklahoma city by domestic terrorists said mr trump had not met the traditional expectations of political leaders responding to violent events
frequently mr trumps tone is hysterical and there is simply no reason for that mr keating said leaders whether theyre governors or presidents need to make sure they dont create a blood lust hysteria
mr keating said that some of mr trumps ideas like scrutinizing people who enter the country were sound but that he was unsure he could support the presumptive republican nominee in a crisis he said the one thing you dont do is shout fire in a crowded theater
the stakes for mr trump in how he responds to a national crisis may be higher than those for a more typical candidate having won the republican nomination with a combative populist campaign mr trump entered the general election widely seen as a tempestuous figure with none of the conventional seasoning for the presidency
in polls voters have consistently questioned whether he has the right temperament to be president and he is intensely unpopular with most voting groups other than white men
mrs clinton has sought to amplify voters concerns about mr trump describing him both before and after the orlando attack as a loose cannon who lacks the judgment to be president
campaigning along the virginia coast on wednesday mrs clinton pilloried mr trump for his twitter rants and conspiracy theories and called his approach to national security entirely unserious
not one of donald trumps reckless ideas would have saved a single life in orlando she said
there have been scattered indications that mr trump understands that he must to some degree adapt his approach for the general election even as he has publicly dismissed suggestions that he revise his policy proposals and campaign style he has seemed at times to seek a wider audience for his message
in his speech in new hampshire on monday while warning ominously about muslim immigration mr trump also pitched himself as a champion of gay and lesbian americans whom he described as acutely menaced by the rise of radical islam
while he did not abandon his call for a full stop to muslim immigration to the united states mr trump described his proposal in somewhat more clinical language instead of explicitly demanding a religious test for all migrants he said he would favor cutting off entry from countries with a history of exporting terrorism
and in a nod to the growing calls   from democrats and a handful of republicans   for new gun control measures mr trump said he would meet with national rifle association officials and reiterated his past support for restricting gun purchases by people on terrorism watch lists
still mr trumps anti muslim language and explosive personal style have overshadowed those comparatively modest concessions to mainstream politics in the tenor of his speeches and his most consequential policy demands he has hewed closely to the model of his insurgent primary campaign in which he strung together victories by appealing to a zealous faction of the republican base that applauded his rejection of political norms
despite his comments over the last week mr trump is unlikely to lose any support from that constituency in the general election however he must win over a much larger and more diverse collection of voters who have so far rejected his signature proposals
in the primaries exit polling showed that strong majorities of republican voters supported mr trumps suggested ban on muslim immigrants but in the cbs and bloomberg news polls this week more than three fifths of voters said they either opposed the ban or were troubled by it
professing indifference to the rebukes he has received from his own party mr trump said at his rally in atlanta on wednesday that republican leaders should be quiet and support him and raised the prospect of essentially running a one man campaign if they do not
our leaders have to get tougher he said this is too tough to do it alone but you know what i think im going to be forced to


philadelphia   forty times city or state governments had proposed taxes on sugary soft drinks failing each time then in 2014 liberal berkeley calif passed such a tax but most people saw it as an aberration several measures including one in new york never won much support
but on thursday a measure to tax sweetened drinks passed in philadelphia one of the countrys largest cities   and also one of its poorest indeed raising revenue was the winning argument in philadelphia
jim kenney the mayor took a different tack from that of politicians who have tried and failed to pass sugary drink taxes he didnt talk about the tax as a nanny state measure designed to discourage sugar saturated soft drinks and he didnt promise to earmark the proceeds for health programs instead he cast the soft drink industry as a tantalizing revenue source that could be tapped to fund popular city programs including universal prekindergarten
this is the beginning of a process of changing the narrative of poverty in our city he said in a news conference after the vote
the advocates who have pushed for the policy say the victory is a sign of growing public acceptance of soft drink taxes and presages more such measures around the country though city officials didnt talk much about the health consequences of soda experts said that sugary drinks increasingly bad reputation made it an appropriate political target
if we go five years ahead and look back i think this is going to be a watershed moment said jim krieger executive director at healthy food america an organization that is helping cities around the country that are considering soda taxes this is going to really provide momentum
san francisco oakland calif and boulder colo are considering soft drink taxes this year mr krieger said the list of interested cities included some that were as large and diverse as philadelphia
mr kenney said he hadnt yet spoken directly with officials from other cities but he had advice for them tie your efforts to tangible initiatives that people care about he said in his news conference when it comes up acknowledge that it is a good thing to drink less sugar sweetened beverages but tie it to things that people care about
the philadelphia tax of 15 cents an ounce will apply to all sugary or artificially sweetened drinks sold by distributors in the city it is expected to increase prices   the tax is about 30 cents for a 20 ounce drink or 216 for a 12 pack if passed on to consumers the increase is expected to substantially reduce sales of sweetened drinks the city finance department estimates it will raise 91 million a year
sugary drinks have been linked to health problems including obesity diabetes and tooth decay but the public health effects of the taxes are still unclear philadelphia is likely to become the site of public health research thomas farley the citys health commissioner said the city had already planned to measure the taxs immediate effects on sales longer term studies will measure any impact on obesity
the soft drink industry and its allies including the teamsters union and local grocers spent nearly 5 million on lobbying and advertising to fight the tax in philadelphia they held rallies and demonstrations downtown and ran anti tax ads on television and the radio right up until thursdays final vote they branded the drinks tax measure a grocery tax suggesting that more food products were next
the soda industry has argued that philadelphias politics are unusual and that the vote here cant be seen as predictive the american beverage association a trade group has vowed to fight the measure in the courts its still a bad idea said lauren kane a spokeswoman for the group people still oppose it nothing has changed
thursday the industry and its allies vented frustration daniel grace the secretary and treasurer of the teamsters local said advocates had snookered city council and he described the tax as a brazen cash grab from one industry
the promise of prekindergarten energized the citys education advocates who joined with public health advocates the coalition spent about 2 million on advertisements according to kevin feeley a spokesman for philadelphians for a fair future a group supporting the tax that total included 16 million in donations from michael r bloomberg the former new york mayor who has long supported soda taxes but mr kenneys focus on revenue also allowed him to help cut deals with skeptical city councilors ultimately the soft drink tax revenue wont pay just for prekindergarten but for a host of city programs reflecting the priorities of the council members who voted for it


paris   more than 300 people have been arrested in france since the euro 2016 soccer tournament began last week and 24 are being deported after violent clashes between fans the french authorities said thursday the violence has marred the start of the event and heightened security concerns in a country that is still under high alert for terrorist threats
bernard cazeneuve the french interior minister said in a statement on thursday that 323 people had been arrested in connection with instances of violence theft and vandalism since the tournament began on june 10 and that 196 of them had been temporarily detained
eight of those detained have already appeared in court and were sentenced to prison mr cazeneuve said and three received suspended prison sentences
on thursday three other men all russian citizens were sentenced to one to two years in prison and barred from returning to france for two years after their release for their role in violent clashes in the southern port city of marseille
french law gives prosecutors the ability to put people on trial immediately after their temporary detention ends but only for some offenses not serious crimes and only when the facts of the case are clearly established like when offenders are caught in the act for instance
twenty four people are being deported from france in connection with violence during the euro tournament mr cazeneuve said
twenty of them are russian men 25 to 40 years old who clashed with english soccer fans and the french police in marseille on june 11 said stephane bouillon the regional prefect
uefa the body that oversees european soccer has already fined the russian soccer federation and warned that the russian team could be disqualified from the tournament if similar incidents continued inside stadiums
supporters use of flares in stadiums and the repeated presence of fans on the field have prompted security concerns
the russian men who are being detained were arrested in mandelieu a city in the alpes maritimes administrative department that is about 100 miles east of marseille mr bouillon said they are expected to leave french territory on monday
new incidents involving soccer fans and the police have occurred this week although none have reached the levels of chaos and violence in marseille
in lille where the authorities worried that english and russian supporters would clash again on wednesday during russias game against slovakia the local prefecture said in a statement that there had been limited scuffles provoked mostly by drunken british nationals
the police used tear gas to disperse the fans the prefecture said even though there were no brawls between english and russian citizens or between supporters of the teams and the police no one was severely hurt the police arrested 37 people and put 15 of them in temporary custody the statement said
in lyon a frenchman and a belgian were lightly wounded by unidentified assailants wielding sharp objects in a fan zone where supporters had gathered to watch france play albania
the assailants are thought to be albanian supporters but no arrests have been made and the weapons used to wound the two men were not found according to local authorities
the euro soccer tournament which runs until july 10 has magnified worries about security in france which is still under the state of emergency that was declared after the nov 13 attacks that killed 130 people in and near paris
the killings of a police officer and his companion near paris on monday by a man who said he acted in the name of the islamic state have compounded those fears
the man identified as larossi abballa 25 was killed by an elite police unit he warned in an online video beforehand that the euro will be a cemetery referring to the soccer tournament although it was unclear whether mr abballa had specific knowledge of a plot
france eased its gun rules in response to the attack announcing on wednesday that it would allow off duty police officers to carry their sidearms even after the state of emergency comes to an end in late july


los angeles   years in the making a screen version of the broadway musical wicked has finally been scheduled for release by universal pictures for dec 20 2019
stephen daldry who will direct has flirted with the project since at least 2012 and at one point appeared poised to make a version for release this year hollywood has long had its eye on the show which tells the wizard of oz story from the viewpoint of its witches
the writer winnie holzman who is credited with the book for wicked and its lyricist composer stephen schwartz are collaborating on a script for the film of which marc platt will be a producer mr platt and universal stage productions are among the producers of the long running musical which had its premiere in san francisco in 2003


washington   the number of women infected with the zika virus during their pregnancies in the continental united states has risen to 234 health officials said on thursday
officials from the centers for disease control and prevention declined to say how many of the women had given birth citing confidentiality concerns for the women and their families but they did cite six cases with abnormalities   three babies with birth defects and another three who died before birth with evidence of defects
the numbers raised more questions than answers without knowing the total number of births officials cannot know if the babies with birth defects represent a tiny fraction of the total or a large part the agency said some of the defects were related to microcephaly a condition linked to zika that causes brain damage and abnormally small heads others like eye problems were zika related but not caused by microcephaly
dr denise j jamieson one of the leaders of the pregnancy and birth defects team which is part of the cdcs zika response effort said the release of the numbers was the first in what will be weekly updates on birth outcomes in zika pregnancies as the number of births rises she said the agency will be able to release more detailed information
were sort of in a hard place dr jamieson said we cant provide a lot of information about where these women are in their pregnancy we dont want to inadvertently disclose information about difficult decisions these women are making about their pregnancies
she said the numbers included the nine pregnant women the cdc had reported on in february of the babies in those cases at least one was born with microcephaly
the cdc also reported on thursday that the total number of pregnant women who had been infected with zika in united states territories including puerto rico and the virgin islands was 189 but the agency did not report birth outcomes for that group
microcephalic babies are beginning to be born dr jamieson said the disease seems to be very similar no matter where it is
dr jamieson said some of the microcephalic births they were seeing were among women who had no symptoms of zika a troubling pattern roughly 80 percent of people who contract the virus never display symptoms
she estimated that the approximate risk of having a baby with birth defects   based on findings from brazil colombia and other countries including the united states   was between 1 percent and 15 percent
a study published wednesday in the new england journal of medicine found no cases of microcephaly among infants born to women in colombia who were infected in the third trimester of pregnancy
the pattern we are seeing in other places is the same as in us travelers   that zika is causing birth defects is real she said its not confined to one location or one time period


after orlando and san bernardino and paris there is new urgency to understand the signs that can precede acts of terrorism and with the islamic states prolific use of social media terrorism experts and government agencies continually search for clues in posts and twitter messages that appear to promote the militants cause
a physicist may not seem like an obvious person to study such activity but for months neil johnson a physicist at the university of miami led a team that created a mathematical model to sift order from the chaotic pro terrorism online universe
in a study published thursday in the journal science dr johnson and miami colleagues searched for pro islamic state posts each day from mid 2014 until august 2015 mining mentions of beheadings and blood baths in multiple languages on vkontakte a russia based social media service that is the largest european equivalent to facebook ultimately they devised an equation that tries to explain the activity of islamic state sympathizers online and might they say eventually help predict attacks that are about to happen
experts who study terrorism and online communication said that the new research was informative and that they appreciated that the authors would make their data available to other researchers but they cautioned that the actions of terrorist groups are extremely difficult to anticipate and said more information was needed especially to substantiate any predictive potential of the teams equation
this is an interesting approach this is a potentially valuable approach and more research should be done on the approach said j m berger a fellow in george washington universitys program on extremism and the co author of isis the state of terror but to jump ahead to the utility of it i think takes more work
dr johnson who also heads the complexity initiative an interdisciplinary research program at the university of miami said the studys goal was to start a proper quantitative science of online extremism to replace the black box narrative that is currently used
instead of focusing only on large social media groups or trying to track millions of individual users the researchers suggest focusing on small nimble groups because they reflect groundswells of new activity and if followed can potentially point to where that activity is going while such tracking in itself might not prevent individual acts like the massacres in orlando or san bernardino it can help identify when conditions are ripe for such acts to happen the study said
the tracking of terrorists on social media should take a cue from nature dr johnson said where the way transitions happen is like a flock of birds a school of fish
theres no one fish saying hey i want everyone to be about five inches away from someone else and were going to have this shape  he said
the researchers   including experts in international covert networks who spoke arabic chinese french german russian and spanish   analyzed activity on vkontakte because facebook shuts down pro islamic state discussions very quickly dr johnson said and because vkontaktes 350 million users are diverse including many chechen members who have been targets of islamic state propaganda for comparison the researchers tracked groups promoting civil unrest in latin america including strikes and protests and found both similarities and differences to online activity supporting the islamic state
the study focused on small groups of islamic state supporters that formed online and found about 200 such groups with more than 100000 members combined the groups postings included pledges of allegiance to the extremists fund raising appeals and survival tips like how to protect oneself during drone attacks the pull of small groups is strong so called lone wolf sympathizers do not remain alone long the study said they usually join a small group within weeks
quashing these groups the study found can prevent their members from fusing with larger pro islamic state groups which can quickly distribute inciting videos or statements to much broader audiences but when small groups are blocked by vkontakte about a quarter of them reinvent themselves   changing their names reincarnating or briefly going dark before re emerging the researchers found
the researchers also said there might be a spike in the formation of small online groups just before an attack takes place this is based on the one major unexpected attack by the islamic state that occurred during the months the researchers studied the attack on kobani a syrian town on the turkish border which came under siege in september 2014
just before the kobani incursion the rate of creation of pro islamic state online groups accelerated dr johnson said after all the data on small groups was plugged into the teams equation the kobani attack was the only one the formula would have predicted showing that the equation matched real world occurrences during the period studied he said
faiza patel a director of the liberty and national security program at new york universitys brennan center for justice said the study showed that there are ways to look at narrow groups rather than the entire population of internet users
but because the kobani attack was the only example cited she said frankly at this point i dont think theyre predicting anything
there may be five other independent reasons for the spike in this pro isis propaganda she noted and i dont know they have taken into account the other possible explanations
mr berger said kobani aside from being the sole example cited was a military style operation not a terrorist attack so the formula should it hold up might only apply to large scale sieges
with military action if their strategy is to use social media to intimidate then it makes sense that there would be a spike in online groups forming just before he said but with a terrorist attack were often talking about one two sometimes a dozen people who are operating out of conditions of secrecy
attacks like the one in orlando are still rare ms patel said with so many different variables that its very very difficult to come up with any predictive formula
both mr berger and ms patel noted a tricky question raised by the research when is it best to try to suppress small groups so they do not mushroom into bigger groups and when should they be left to percolate letting them exist for a while might be a way to gather intelligence ms patel said
dr johnson said that was one of many questions for further research if i break the groups up too quickly he said i have the risk that im liberating out these individuals scattering them like a virus to infect other groups
other questions involve how fast information travels among small groups and the role of women   who the researchers reported in a previous study accounted for about 40 percent of group members and were likely to communicate about twice as many pieces of information through the social network as men were
mr berger praised the researchers transparency
there are a lot of companies that claim to be able to do what this study is claiming and a lot of those companies seem to me to be selling snake oil he said if the predictive theory holds up he added it would be the silver bullet everybody in the government and everybody in the private sector has been chasing for years


washington   the supreme court on thursday unanimously ruled that a thai student who in 2013 won a copyright case involving imported textbooks should have another chance to persuade a lower court that the textbooks publisher should pay his legal fees
the usual rule in american civil litigation is that each side pays its own lawyers regardless of who wins but the copyright act allows judges to award a reasonable attorneys fee to the prevailing party
federal appeals courts have applied different standards in deciding when fee awards in copyright cases are warranted the judge in the students case in new york awarded him nothing relying on a decision from the federal appeals court there that focused on whether the losing sides position had been objectively reasonable
the publisher easily met that standard the judge said as it had won a 600000 judgment against the student won an appeal in 2011 and lost in the supreme court by a 6 to 3 vote in 2013
justice elena kagan writing for the court said whether the losing sides position was objectively reasonable should play a major role in the analysis but she said the united states court of appeals for the second circuit in new york and the district courts it supervises may have placed nearly dispositive weight on that one factor
justice kagan said other considerations   including motivation deterrence and compensation   must also play a role in the analysis but she appeared to suggest that the student supap kirtsaeng was unlikely to prevail under the correct standard
this was mr kirtsaengs second trip to the supreme court in 2013 he prevailed with six justices agreeing that he had been entitled to help finance his american education by selling textbooks imported from thailand since publishers charged different prices for essentially the same books in the two markets justice kagan wrote on thursday there was a ripe opportunity for arbitrage
the 2013 ruling which clarified an ambiguous phrase in the copyright act said imported copyrighted goods were subject to the same rules as goods bought in the united states owners of particular copies can do what they like with them
in the new case kirtsaeng v john wiley  sons no 15 375 mr kirtsaeng sought more than 2 million in legal fees from john wiley  sons the publisher that had sued him
even as the supreme court handed mr kirtsaeng a modest victory on thursday it rejected his main argument he had said courts should give special consideration to whether the lawsuit in question had helped clarify a difficult and important legal issue awarding legal fees to the winning side he said would encourage such cases to be litigated
kirtsaengs proposal would not produce any sure benefits justice kagan wrote fee awards are a double edged sword they increase the reward for a victory   but also enhance the penalty for a defeat
in a footnote justice kagan considered how mr kirtsaeng himself might have calculated whether to proceed in the earlier case concluding that the decision probably turned on his appetite for risk among his possible reactions she wrote were six of one half a dozen of the other depends if im feeling lucky that day and the higher the stakes the greater the rush
mr kirtsaengs proposed standard she concluded was entirely speculative


you dont have to be alive to go extinct
geologists in sweden have found what they call the first ever extinct meteorite buried within a 470 million year old limestone slab the new space rock belongs to a family of meteorites that once bombarded earth but no longer plunge to the planet according to a paper published tuesday in the journal nature communications
no similar meteorite is known on earth of the 50000 meteorites that have been found said birger schmitz a geologist from lund university in sweden and lead author of the paper
half a billion years ago two asteroids between jupiter and mars are believed to have collided spewing celestial shrapnel across the solar system countless pieces flew past earth but some crash landed in its ancient oceans following millions of years of sediment buildup and compression the meteorites fossilized much like the trilobites and shellfish that shared the seafloor
eventually miners in a swedish quarry came across the fossilized meteorites among limestone that was destined to be made into floor panels at first they began throwing the ugly black rocks into the dump until a geologist finally got a look at one and realized its significance
over the past 25 years dr schmitz and his colleagues collected more than 100 fossilized meteorites from the swedish quarry they classified all but one as l chondrites a common type of meteorite these space rocks came from the same parent rock and provided evidence for the first asteroid from the collision
but the team was stumped by the one leftover the so called mysterious object landed on earth around the same time as the other meteorite fossils but it had different chemical signatures and grain patterns all clues indicated that it might have been a new type of meteorite possibly belonging to the second asteroid from the smash but the team was skeptical of their findings
extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence dr schmitz said
for four years they studied the 3 inch wide black rock to find its origins and prove themselves wrong instead what they found only strengthened their theory the oddball space rock was exposed to identical levels of cosmic rays as the l chondrites which indicated that both meteorite types were ejected from their parent asteroids around the same time then they analyzed the fossil for isotopes of the elements oxygen and chromium to determine if it had a composition that was similar to any existing meteorite
the chromium isotopes are the nail in the coffin dr schmitz said this is really really strong confirmation that this is something completely different than what is known among meteorites on earth today
dr schmitz and his team concluded that the new space rock which they named ost 65 came from the asteroid that smashed into the same l chondrite parent rock that littered the ancient seafloor with debris they think ost 65s parent asteroid was annihilated in the collision which is why they call the meteorite extinct because it can never again rain down on earth
our result gives a hint that the types of meteorites that normally fell on earth 470 million years ago he said might have been very different from the meteorites that fall to earth today


a 10 billion american health care merger may not leave shareholders feeling better
the amsurg corporation and envision healthcare holdings are combining in an all stock deal that will leave each with about half of the merged company they are keeping two headquarters and still promising 100 million of annual synergies there is little obvious value being created on the financial operating table
amsurgs ambitions precede the announcement on wednesday late last year the company which owns walk in surgery centers and supplies emergency anesthesiology and radiology services embarked on an unsolicited 53 billion bid for its larger rival teamhealth a physician staffing provider teamhealth was already buying the national group physician practice ipc an acquisition that amsurg supported teamhealth was not persuaded by the logic and amsurg eventually backed off
the latest transaction effort is similarly confounding for starters the exchange ratio means envision investors   who will end up with 53 percent of the combined company   are getting less than their closing stock price on wednesday though the shares already jumped this month when a possible deal was reported moreover rather than being fully integrated the newly named envision healthcare will be run from both tennessee and colorado
that is one reason cost savings will be limited the total synergies expected amount to only just over 1 percent of combined sales of 85 billion a meaningful amount is projected to come from new revenue a dubious prospect in any merger but especially so in medical services even giving the companies full credit though 100 million of annual benefits translates into little more than 600 million of value today once capitalized on a multiple of 10 and taxed at envisions 39 percent effective rate
without much apparent reward in store that leaves risk mergers of equals often devolve into battles for control envisions chairman and chief executive will be chairman of the combined company while amsurgs chief executive will keep that job with an evenly divided board presiding over matters the wide eyed acquisition attempt last year revealed amsurgs zeal to expand its empire its just not clear that this sort of dangerous elective procedure will bring shareholders the desired result


youtube and google
instagram and facebook
tumblr and yahoo
linkedin and microsoft
twitter and ... 
in the relentless push toward consolidation in technology and social media twitter the social networking site that allows users to send and receive short messages or tweets has been the perennial bridesmaid but this weeks megadeal between microsoft and linkedin has renewed speculation on wall street that twitter needs to attract a suitor or risk being overtaken by ever larger competitors
if current trends continue its inevitable that twitter will get acquired robert peck managing director and internet equity analyst at suntrust robinson humphrey told me this week mr peck has long considered a twitter deal likely and he renewed that prediction last week even before the microsoft linkedin deal was announced this week numerous analysts piled on to the notion
investors seem to agree at one point this week twitter shares were up 17 percent on deal speculation pushing the companys market capitalization to nearly 115 billion
but investors expecting a big deal at a linkedin premium in the next few months may want to think twice
given the similarities between linkedin and twitter its not hard to see why shareholders would be betting on a sudden windfall until mondays announcement both companies stocks were trading at relative bargain prices both down about 42 percent in the last six months before this weeks rally twitter shares were barely half their 26 initial public offering price
both offer global reach and a large number of users 433 million registered members worldwide for linkedin and 310 million active monthly users for twitter the numbers arent directly comparable because not all linkedin members are active users
apart from facebook and several chinese social networking companies twitter has the largest user base among independent social network companies according to statista statista estimates linkedins active monthly users at 100 million
twitter solidified its place as a hub of the global news conversation during and after last weekends massacre at a gay nightclub in orlando
that kind of reach is extremely difficult to replicate in an increasingly crowded digital world we continue to believe that twitter remains a platform with massive opportunity said ken sena managing director and consumer internet analyst at evercore
mark mahaney technology analyst at rbc capital markets agreed theyve got a great brand a large platform and a unique value proposition
a megadeal with a much bigger partner would give twitter scale which is becoming all important in a silicon valley now dominated by a handful of tech giants
as the linkedin chief executive jeff weiner put it in his memo to employees explaining the deal imagine a world where were no longer looking up at tech titans such as apple google microsoft amazon and facebook and wondering what it would be like to operate at their extraordinary scale   because were one of them imagine a world where were not reacting to the intensifying competitive landscape   were leading it with advantages most companies can only dream of leveraging
for jack dorsey one of twitters founders and its chief executive the right deal wouldnt even mean giving up his leadership role or independence following the lead of alphabet and facebook which have given considerable autonomy to the large operations theyve acquired microsoft promised mr weiner that he could run linkedin as a fully independent entity
the microsoft chief executive satya nadella had me at independence mr weiner wrote in his memo
but if the reasons for a twitter deal seem so obvious and compelling why hasnt it happened yet the fact is that twitter faces some unique challenges and just because its a big social media site and prominent silicon valley denizen doesnt mean its going to attract a suitor yahoo has been openly shopping itself for months and would be buyers havent exactly been beating down its door
in april twitter reported disappointingly flat user growth and worse than expected revenue and said it was still operating at a substantial loss under generally accepted accounting rules investors fled driving the stock to new lows and media critics piled on the slate technology columnist david auerbach went so far as to say twitter as we know it is over
for at least some of the all important to advertisers millennial users that may well be the case jacob shiansky 24 who was visiting manhattan from south carolina told me this week that he couldnt remember his twitter password and hasnt visited the site in six months
its too much business and political promotions rather than a social media site he said if you want to see trumps ridiculous tweets you can go on facebook or cnn you dont have to bother with twitter
he said his friends feel the same way its all facebook instagram and snapchat he said theyre quick and theyre fun you dont have to waste your time typing
i cant say my own twitter use has been all that prolific even though i sometimes use it to comment on my column and to recommend stories by other journalists but ive stopped following some people who spew what seems a constant stream of drivel days go by when i dont look at the site
user engagement has become an increasingly important metric for advertisers because it enhances ad exposure and gives the site more information about its users enabling it to target ads better
on that front twitter is a clear laggard users spent an average of nine minutes a day on all of yahoos sites two minutes on linkedin and just one minute on twitter according to recent data from comscore facebook reported last quarter that its users were spending on average 50 minutes a day
we regularly survey advertisers and ask them to rank internet platforms mr mahaney of rbc capital markets said google ranks first facebook second and twitter is somewhere down the list thats been true for every survey he said
linkedin had the advantage of a clearly defined user base   business professionals   that fit neatly into microsofts current strategic focus this deal is all about bringing together the professional cloud and professional network mr nadella said in a recent report in the new york times
twitter is increasingly seen as a source of news and information more than user interaction that makes it a natural fit for a news organization seeking to extend its digital footprint and rumors that news corporation was interested briefly buoyed the stock this year news corporation denied the reports and no bid materialized
few traditional media companies though are big enough to swallow twitter at its current market value news corporation one of the richest has a market capitalization of just under 7 billion
mr peck and mr mahaney cited alphabet as the most likely buyer the two companies already have many ties several twitter executives used to work at alphabets google tweets appear in google search results and advertisers can buy ads on twitter through googles doubleclick bid manager
googles own social networking effort google plus hasnt caught on google undoubtedly has the size and scale to absorb twitter
but alphabets founders have said repeatedly they dont want to create content so if twitter is increasingly seen as a real time news and content site rather than a social media network it doesnt fit into googles strategic objectives those of course could always change
both google and facebook have reportedly looked at twitter and passed neither company would comment on those reports jim prosser a twitter spokesman also declined to comment for this column
but facebook has in many ways emerged as twitters biggest competitor a deal would raise antitrust issues and its not clear why facebook would pay a premium for something it could largely build on its own
from a strategic standpoint the cable media giants verizon communications and comcast might make sense both are big enough both are already content providers and both have shown interest in expanding their digital presence but its not clear either company has the expertise to solve twitters major problems which are far afield from the cable network business
a lot of this weeks deal talk seems more like wishful thinking among twitter investors desperate for a linkedin style exit strategy that may be slow in coming even mr peck of suntrust doesnt expect a deal before 2017 at the earliest because its still early in mr dorseys latest turnaround effort
others are even more skeptical i can see the argument for it but im not betting on a deal mr mahaney said there just arent many logical buyers


chiles alexis sanchez has played in 52 games for club and country in his 2015 16 season which began last summer his arsenal teammate germanys mesut ozil has taken part in 55 and the argentine ironman lionel messi   despite missing a number of games this season to injury   racked up his 56th appearance this week
a game a week might not seem like a lot to a casual fan but soccer is one of the worlds toughest endurance sports and clubs and national teams are testing the limits of what players can handle
the very best players now appear in as many as four major club competitions in a season tournaments that have expanded under pressure from television and even more games as members of their national teams in each game a top player will run an average of seven and a half miles
make up for all that with a restful off season good luck those have virtually disappeared from the modern game if there is not a continental or world championship on the calendar club teams travel to the united states or the middle east or asia on marketing trips whenever they have a break
summer tournaments also have swelled this years european championships grew by eight teams to 24 from 16 meaning more slots for more national teams   but also more games the copa america includes many of the same stars who competed in the same tournament last summer in chile this summers international champions cup exhibition circuit will send top club teams to a half dozen countries on four continents
there are now more games and more competitions and what the data is showing is that the games have gotten faster as well said dave tenney who leads the sports science and performance program for the seattle sounders of mls there is more money more pressure there are managers that also dont rotate players as often all that has a higher cost on the players
there have always been tensions between the clubs   which pay the players multimillion dollar salaries and rely on them for their own success and revenue   and the national teams and governing federations injuries bring those tensions to the surface barcelona fearing overwork persuaded brazil to leave neymar off its copa america roster and it probably wishes argentina had done the same with messi who has yet to start a game in the copa as he recovers from an injury
and while ozil remains a fixture in germanys lineup at the euros arsenal manager arsene wenger openly criticized the sanctioning of back to back copa americas saying last years tournament led to the hamstring injury that dogged sanchez for much of the gunners season
it had an impact on him this season i think wenger said on the eve of arsenals final league game i think he suffered physically this season from that
clubs and leagues share blame for what is known as fixture congestion a team in englands premier league the worlds richest domestic league will participate in three guaranteed competitions   the league the fa cup and the league cup and if a team is lucky it also will take part in one of europes two continental club tournaments the champions league or the europa league
tenney said that sevilla winner of this years europa league played a staggering 62 games this season
argentina manager gerardo martino laid some blame on that arduous schedule for the injury angel di maria picked up against panama last friday that may sideline him for the rest of the copa america di maria who plays for paris st germain has sustained significant injuries in each of the last three summer tournaments
he has the obligation to push the game faster and run longer for us a clearly frustrated martino said after the panama game so perhaps the fact that he has been playing a lot of games may have something to do with it
tournament travel especially in a country as large as the united states is another factor the united states national team crossed the country for its first three copa america games   from santa clara calif to chicago to philadelphia   before it turned around and flew to seattle for a quarterfinal match against ecuador ecuador and chile another quarterfinalist also have crossed the country twice
thats huge tenney said the average player in the copa america is not used to these extensive changes in climate and distance and you have to think about time zones as well all that affects practice times sleep cycles when you travel to a game   these are some major things
the retired american goalkeeper brad friedel the premier leagues record holder for consecutive appearances with 310 games said those travel demands were the major reason he ended his national team career early
you only have a certain shelf life as a pro and i retired from international play at an earlier age to help prolong my life at the club said friedel who is covering the copa america as an analyst for fox sports flying back and forth thousands of miles for a game was a possible problem i saw and you have to take that into consideration
marcelo balboa a starter on the 1994 united states world cup team said playing too frequently nearly cost him his spot on the squad and effectively shortened his career i ran myself into the ground he said from 1991 to 1993 i played in everything possible because i wanted to play but i paid the consequences
players who persevere through a full cycle of games are susceptible to what is increasingly known as a tournament hangover the fatigue that carries over from the summer into a players league season
the tournament itself isnt the hard part friedel said its monitoring the vacation then going into the preseason and then getting into the actual season fully fit the physical stuff isnt always the hardest part its once it is over how do you get focused and re established
tenney said that while sports science had made big gains in player health there was only so much that could be done
the game has become so fast and become such a grind that guys get worn down he said despite the advances in sports science and nutrition and sleep were just playing catch up
he said players in the optimal age range   about 23 to 29 years old   could stand a threshold of about 50 games a season the problem he said is with the increases in group stage play and qualifying for various tournaments the number of games just keeps going up
the easiest solution   fewer games   is not in the cards the new fifa president gianni infantino has floated the idea of expanding the world cup to 40 teams from 32 and uefa is examining expanding the champions league
for the manchester city players competing in the copa and the euros   a group that includes argentinas sergio aguero frances bacary sagna and spains david silva   that tournament kicks off in mid august


in another sign that streaming has become the music industrys most important format the grammy awards have announced a set of eligibility tweaks for next years ceremony
on thursday the national academy of recording arts and sciences the organization behind the awards said that it would now accept music released only in streaming form not just as downloads or on physical formats like cds and vinyl the fine print is that they must have come out on paid subscription full catalog on demand streaminglimited download platforms in existence for a year which greenlights spotify apple music tidal and a few other outlets
so far the change would seem to have only one major beneficiary chance the rapper whose mixtape coloring book made history in may as the first streaming only release on the billboard album chart opening at no 8 but with artists increasingly experimenting with how they release music online there could very well be more
the grammys arent just peer awarded theyre peer driven bill freimuth the academys senior vice president of awards said in a statement throughout the year members of the music community come to us asking to make changes to the awards process and we work with them to figure out how those changes might work
adjusting the rules for best new artist often one of the most controversial categories the academy eliminated a requirement that a candidate have a full album under his or her belt accepting instead five singles or tracks it is the second time in six years that this category has been tweaked in 2010 after an uproar when lady gaga was disqualified the academy allowed nominations for artists who had already been up for another prize
among the other changes
the rapsung collaboration category is now rapsung performance allowing a single artist to win if his or her style bridges rapping and singing hello drake
the number of categories in which academy members may vote has been reduced from 20 to 15 in addition to the top four categories album song record and new artist in its explanation the academy said the change would encourage members to vote only in those categories in which they are most knowledgeable passionate and qualified
the blues genre has been split into two awards best traditional blues album and best contemporary blues album the academy was clearly listening when buddy guy accepted the best blues album prize this year and remarked at least i know the blues is not dead yet
the next grammy awards the 59th annual will be held on feb 12 for music released between oct 1 2015 and sept 30 2016 this week the academy also renewed its longstanding broadcast deal with cbs keeping the awards on that network through 2026


a few years ago it would have been hard to imagine judge jed s rakoff and roomy khan a government informant as speakers at the same conference
but thats exactly what happened this week when judge rakoff kicked off the association of certified fraud examiners 27th annual global fraud conference in las vegas on monday and ms khan closed it with her talk on wednesday
ms khan is known for helping investigators crack open the governments case into insider trading at the galleon group hedge fund
judge rakoff is a highly respected judge for the federal district court for the southern district of new york and is known for his sharp wit and command of the law he was also the judge responsible for sending ms khan to a year in prison in 2013 after she was convicted of illegally passing inside information and obstructing justice over the course of a decade ms khan supplied corporate secrets to raj rajaratnam the founder of galleon and in some instances traded on the information herself
though many cooperators in the galleon case like anil kumar a former mckinsey  company senior partner and rajiv goel an intel capital executive avoided prison terms judge rakoff took a hard line with ms khan in handing down the sentence judge rakoff cited her whole series of lies
you cannot have it both ways to cooperate and obstruct justice he concluded
that was three years ago
since getting out of prison in the spring of 2014 ms khan has been busy refashioning her image giving lectures to students at business schools and delivering talks to compliance officers
when ms khan spoke at the fraud conference on wednesday she was not compensated for the engagement she told the 2500 lawyers internal auditors forensic accountants and others how she threw away some lucky breaks and a ton of hard work by making some reckless choices in her life
sitting in the audience was her 17 year old daughter priyanka who was only 10 when the galleon case broke
two days earlier judge rakoff opened the conference by railing about the lamentable lack of prosecutions of individuals involved in the mortgage fraud bubble nearly a decade ago
before starting his speech judge rakoff said he was sorry he could not stick around to listen to ms khans talk
the last time i saw roomy was when i sentenced her to prison he noted as the audience erupted in laughter and applause
but in all seriousness he continued i understand she has become a very articulate spokesman for the more aggressive prosecution and the detection of fraud
judge rakoffs assessment was on target
ms khan described gathering inside information as part of her job training and also part of the job requirement and expectation of a wall street investment analyst
she explained that she did not consider that she was doing anything wrong because there was no visible victim in insider trading were not stealing from anybody we are not putting our hand in anybodys pocket she said and like others on wall street she believed that the law was messed up
but as i learned over time disagreeing with the law doesnt give us a right to break it she said
perhaps the most powerful part of ms khans speech was her focus on the impact the galleon case had on her family she said her daughter had confided in friends at school about the possibility of her mother going to prison
she became a pariah in her school ms khan told the audience her guidance counselor called us to discuss this matter
ms kahns father who lived in india and had worked hard so she could have a career had to come to terms with the idea that his daughter was a felon she told the audience
and the breach of the faith of honesty with my own spouse it is hard for me to explain how it has impacted my own life she said
a few years ago it was difficult to imagine ms khan ever rehabilitating herself even she doubted it often in the course of conversations she would break down crying at the prospect of her life ahead
many of the cooperators in the galleon case have struggled adam smith who went to harvard and rose to be a portfolio manager at galleon before pleading guilty to securities fraud faced challenges finding steady work mr kumar the mckinsey consultant had to return to india to find paid work
but ms khan may turn out to be the one cooperator in the galleon case who succeeds in landing a second act in life


hong kong   blindfolded and handcuffed the bookseller was abducted from hong kongs border with mainland china and taken to a cell where he would spend five months in solitary confinement watched 24 hours a day by a battery of chinese guards
even the simple act of brushing his teeth was monitored by minders who tied a string to his toothbrush for fear he might try to use it to harm himself they wanted him to identify anonymous authors and turn over data on customers
i couldnt call my family the man lam wing kee said on thursday i could only look up to the sky all alone
months after he and four other booksellers disappeared from hong kong and thailand prompting international concern over what critics called a brazen act of extralegal abduction mr lam stood before a bank of television cameras in hong kong and revealed the harrowing details of his time in detention
it can happen to you too said mr lam 61 who was the manager of causeway bay books a store that sold juicy potboilers about the mainlands communist party leadership i want to tell the whole world hong kongers will not bow down to brute force
although mr lams assertions could not be immediately confirmed his revelations contradicted beijings claims that the booksellers had voluntarily entered the mainland to cooperate with an investigation by the chinese authorities
one of the men gui minhai vanished from his seaside apartment in pattaya thailand in october another lee bo a british citizen disappeared from the streets of hong kong in december
mr lams account highlights the lengths to which the government of president xi jinping is willing to go to silence critics outside mainland china   at the risk of damaging its standing on the international stage
to back up the governments claims that the booksellers had voluntarily entered china state run television broadcast confessions by the five men mr gui for example tearfully said he had returned to china to face justice for his role in a fatal 2003 hit and run car accident in the chinese coastal city of ningbo
mr lam said his own words   that he had broken mainland law by publishing salacious books about chinese leaders   had been crafted by the authorities but that he had no choice but to cooperate
it was a show and i accepted it he said of his confession i had to follow the script if i did not follow it strictly they would ask for a retake
his revelations open a rare window into the workings of chinas security apparatus which frequently uses forced confessions by lawyers rights advocates and even celebrities to sway public opinion and justify the detentions of those who have dared to defy the party
mr lams claims are also likely to confirm the worst fears of hong kong residents who say that beijing has been intensifying efforts to erode the prodigious liberties enjoyed by the former british colony since it was returned to china in 1997
lam wing kee has blown apart the chinese authorities story mabel au amnesty internationals director in hong kong said in a statement he has exposed what many have suspected all along that this was a concerted operation by the chinese authorities to go after the booksellers
the booksellers were key players in an industry that produces racy rumor filled books focused on the sex lives and power games of chinas top leaders although such books are banned on the mainland where the message about politics and politicians is controlled they are eagerly sought by visitors to hong kong who return home to china with the books stowed in their luggage
in the months since mr lam and his colleagues disappeared the industry has fallen on hard times causeway bay books has closed and many hong kong bookstores have pulled titles about chinese politics from their shelves
the disappearances shocked people in hong kong and reverberated internationally many saw the episode as an expansion of chinas authoritarian legal system beyond its borders in clear violation of the one country two systems framework that allows hong kong to maintain a high degree of autonomy from beijing
thousands of people took to the streets of hong kong to demand the booksellers release diplomats from britain the european union and the united states also registered concern
three of the men including mr lee have since been allowed to visit hong kong but later returned to the mainland during their visits they refused to publicly discuss the details of their disappearances mr gui who holds a swedish passport is the only one still in custody
mr lams ordeal began on oct 24 during what he said was a routine trip to see his girlfriend on the mainland as he crossed the border at the chinese city of shenzhen he said he was seized by security personnel blindfolded and with his hands bound he was put on a train that traveled hundreds of miles north to ningbo
the next few months he said were spent in a dingy cell where he signed away his right to a lawyer and the right to contact his family he said he was questioned 20 to 30 times about his role in hong kongs publishing industry
at one point he said he was forced to sign a confession that incriminated mr gui saying his colleague had orchestrated the unlawful sale of books that harmed chinese society
he said the cells furniture was covered in padded fabric an apparent attempt to prevent him from committing suicide after about five months he was moved to an apartment
they wanted to lock you up until you go mad he said
on thursday mr lam told reporters that mr lee had told him privately that he too was taken to china against his will mr lam said mr lee was able to get him the equivalent of about 15000 for living expenses and as compensation for the loss of his job after the bookstore closed
mr lee did not respond to a request for comment
the authorities apparently thought that mr lam would continue to cooperate he said they let him travel to hong kong on tuesday after he promised to return to the mainland with a hard drive full of information on customers
instead mr lam decided to meet with the news media i dare not go back he said i dont plan on setting foot in mainland china ever again


washington   hoping to dramatize the issue of campus sexual assault 18 members of the house took turns on wednesday night reading portions of the 7200 word letter a woman known as emily doe wrote to the former stanford university student who raped her
the letter   which the victim read at the sentencing of the former student brock turner   described her anguish after the assault and during mr turners trial and went viral after it was published on buzzfeed it attracted attention to the case and to the light sentence that a california judge gave mr turner causing national outrage and leading to a petition campaign to remove the judge aaron persky
reading the letter in its entirety on the house floor was an attempt to share the voice of sexual assault victims and to build support for legislation that would require the department of education to provide a list of institutions under investigation for sexual assault said representative jackie speier the california democrat who organized the reading and is the sponsor of the bill
we dont sweep murder cases under the rug but we have for decades been sweeping rape cases under the rug ms speier said in an interview wednesday night
twelve of the 18 readers were women but the group was bipartisan bringing together lawmakers who rarely cooperate they included liberals like ms speier and three republicans representative paul gosar of arizona a conservative republican said he had been horrified when he read emily does statement
people need to learn from this mr gosar said im a father too i have two daughters this should matter to everyone
mr gosar said that he was not sure whether adding a rape victims testimony to the congressional record would lead to legislation to better address campus sexual assault but that he thought it would at least help promote awareness
previous attempts to pass legislation related to sexual assault on college campuses and in the military have not ended well
the fair campus act and the safe campus act never made it past committee in 2015 an amendment that would have transferred decisions on whether to prosecute military sexual assault cases from commanders to military prosecutors   introduced by senator kirsten e gillibrand democrat of new york   was blocked during a recent vote
representative cheri bustos democrat of illinois who helped ms speier organize the reading blamed the lack of diversity in the house for the inaction
this is why we need more women in congress ms bustos said if the makeup of congress truly represented the full makeup of the public the issue of sexual assault would be on the forefront
the house members who took turns reading wednesday night promised that there would be more efforts to keep sexual assault in the spotlight
representative ann mclane kuster democrat of new hampshire plans to host another special order in the house on tuesday at which members of congress will share personal stories related to sexual harassment and assault
we are all emily doe ms kuster said everyone of course knows someone who has been sexually assaulted we need to demonstrate that this is a bipartisan issue and we need to make progress on this urgently
representative anna g eshoo democrat of california said she had watched as outrage over the sentencing of mr turner spread from her district which includes stanford across the nation stanford is accustomed to being no 1 at a lot of things but this is not a source of pride ms eshoo said
she said she was appalled that so many cases of rape resulted in sentences equivalent to those for a misdemeanor when sexual assault is a felony in all states
ms bustos said she hoped that a few members of congress could amplify the voice of the woman who was attacked by mr turner
this is a horrible horrible epidemic ms bustos said i so admire this woman who had the guts to expose what she is going through and share it with the world weve had many wake up calls but this one has really done a service to prevent other rapes


need a dermatologist today online tools can show you which doctors are in your plans network as well as rank them by the likely cost of a visit
still not sure which one to pick the tools also show whether you have already met your plans deductible and offer yelp like reviews of the doctors
the idea behind these web tools which have been available from health insurers and start ups for several years is to harness the power of so called big data the companies cull medical claims and other sources of information to help people become sophisticated shoppers for medical care   and they promise to curb the overall cost of health care in the process by some estimates the savings from this newfound transparency could run in the billions of dollars a year
yet the limits of this data are becoming increasingly clear even when people have access to the newly available information they may not use it and when they do they may not rely on the insight it is impossible to know for example whether a dermatologist who costs twice as much as another can more successfully diagnose skin cancer
price transparency tools are not likely the panacea that many have hoped for with respect to controlling health care costs dr kevin volpp the director of the center for health incentives and behavioral economics at the leonard davis institute wrote in an editorial for the journal of the american medical association the editorial ran with a study of two large employers that found no decrease in outpatient spending as a result of workers use of online transparency tools
this datas limits are exemplified by castlight health a san francisco technology company and an early proponent of price transparency
castlight which started eight years ago ignored the resistance from health insurance companies hospitals and doctors to make the prices they negotiated available castlight told employers it would help their workers make better medical decisions by giving them better information
when it went public in 2014 it earned a valuation of about 3 billion today castlights stock has fallen nearly 90 percent as it has found that changing how people pick doctors and hospitals is much harder than expected obtaining prices and other crucial information has proved difficult and trying to engage employees when they are deciding where to go and what care they need has been daunting for everyone in the industry and many fewer people are shopping than employers had hoped
castlight executives insist is it still very early we overestimated the speed here said dr giovanni colella the companys chief executive and one of its founders
transparency hasnt even started he said
castlight says its tools continue to evolve and some of its customers say their employees are using the tools to save money on labs or to steer them to certain providers
castlight executives insist that a huge unmet demand remains we are many years from the ideal but the reality is if youre a patient today and going to be prescribed an mri the default is a situation where you roll the dice said john doyle castlights chief operating officer
castlights problems are echoed elsewhere
you cant save money if people arent shopping said mitch rothschild the executive chairman of a competitor vitals his company offers tools that let workers earn cash when they select a less expensive option for a service like an mri
its a heavy lift he said it really requires behavioral change for most of america
people may not shop around for a variety of reasons if they have an urgent medical need for example they may not have time to use the tools to decide which emergency room to visit or where to seek treatment for a heart attack much of their care may be more expensive than their plans deductible making the price largely moot in some markets there may not be another specialist or the prices may not vary much and if the health plan wants its users to get care from a specific group of providers to coordinate care better shopping may not make sense
for these reasons and others a study from the health care cost institute a nonprofit research group that studies health care costs concluded this year that the potential gains from the consumer price shopping aspect of price transparency efforts are modest
castlights tools are available only to customers with direct access it uses a mix of insurance claims and outside quality measures like consumer reports rankings to develop the price and quality comparisons it presents for those providers in an insurance plans networks employees can weigh in with their own satisfaction ratings
as a result the tools may be useful but may not encourage people to shop kristin voyles of wagoner okla says she and her husband appreciate that castlights site shows all of their sizable medical claims in one place one of their children has a rare form of hemophilia that easy access helped when the family was preparing its taxes and needed the information to deduct medical expenses   offering a great alternative to the binders she and her husband had used to keep track of their medical bills
once we figured out all of what it could do it made life easier she said
since they know that their costs exceed their insurance plans deductible ms voyles said they did not use castlight to look at a doctors prices instead they use it to try to validate the specialists recommended to them by other doctors
while castlight and other companies say they are committed to improving the quality ratings they assign to individual physicians and doctors the lack of reliable measures makes it hard to use these tools to shop
its hard to make heads or tails out of all the quality information out there said suzanne delbanco the executive director for the catalyst for payment reform
companies like castlight have shifted even more emphasis to employers offering them the technological ability to sort through their claims to find ways to control costs while castlight says it has not abandoned its focus on helping employees make better choices it has joined a growing number of companies offering employers ways of explaining benefits to their workers and identifying the sources of rising medical bills castlight says information about individual employees is never shared with the employer
by sifting through medical claims castlight can try to identify people at a time when a recommendation might make a difference someone going to the doctor to seek help for back pain for the first time might be reminded that the plan covers physical therapy for example or someone about to get back surgery may get a suggestion to consider a second opinion
while employers are an important fuel for our business mr doyle said castlight still wants to help people pick the provider that delivers high quality care for the lowest cost
if we cant do that he said at the end of the day all of the complexity is for naught


lin manuel miranda confirmed on thursday morning that he would leave the cast of hamilton on july 9 and be succeeded by his longtime alternate javier munoz
mr miranda said he would turn his attention to other projects including finishing work on the score and songs for moana an animated disney film completing an album of hamilton covers and hamilton inspired songs called the hamilton mixtape and preparing to begin rehearsals for a live action sequel to mary poppins which he will star in alongside emily blunt
im leaving because i have other opportunities that are going to need my mental real estate he said
he said he expected to spend much of next year in london where the movie will be filmed and he said he planned to cut his hair which he had grown out for the role of alexander hamilton
he said that before he leaves the cast the current production of hamilton would be filmed for preservation purposes but that he was not sure when or how the film might be available to the public he also confirmed that a documentary about hamilton would air on pbs this fall
he said he expected to rejoin the cast of hamilton at times either in new york or elsewhere   the show has announced productions in chicago and london and two north american tours   but that he is not sure when where or for how long he would do that
this is a role i am going to be going back to again and again he said i plan to revisit this role a lot
in a conversation with reporters at coogans irish pub in washington heights mr miranda said he would spend some time this summer encouraging hispanics to vote in the presidential election he said he had already appeared in a video for the hispanic federation encouraging voter participation
our issues are on the table from puerto rico to a wall to keep half of us out being a party platform he said its important that we get out and vote
he defended the decision by hamilton producers to raise the price for premium tickets on broadway to 849 saying that price was still lower than what many people were paying on the secondary market and that the increase would allow the show to more than double the number of tickets available for 10 by lottery he also said that he hoped that the addition of new productions of hamilton would make the show more accessible to more people
this is the second time that mr miranda has turned over a role to mr munoz who also succeeded mr miranda as the lead actor in in the heights last year mr munoz learned he had cancer and took some time off from hamilton for treatment but he has been back for months and he said on thursday that he was fit and ready
my last treatment was january he said and im back in the game and ready to go


over the past few days mets manager terry collins had a feeling it would come to this   that neck surgery to repair david wrights herniated disk was inevitable and would be one more blow for the teams cornerstone third baseman
on thursday collinss apprehensions proved to be accurate with the mets announcing that their 33 year old captain would have surgery which was performed later in the day with the operation done in california by dr robert watkins an orthopedic spine surgeon wright had been sidelined since may 28 and the surgery could keep him out the rest of the season
wright who joined the mets as a rookie in 2004 became a model of elite consistency in the seasons that followed and then gradually began having trouble staying on the field is now facing new questions about his future as a player
its hard to watch collins said before the mets played the pittsburgh pirates at citi field on thursday because in your mind you know how good he is   at least how good he was
the mets and wright had been hopeful that weeks of rest and anti inflammatory injections would allow him to avoid surgery but that did not happen
after trying every way to get back on the field ive come to realize that its best for me my teammates and the organization to proceed with surgery at this time wright said in a statement issued by the team my neck simply did not respond to any of the treatments of the past few weeks
though he called the turn of events incredibly frustrating and disappointing wright said i am determined to make a full recovery and get back on the field as soon as i can to help the mets win
wright was already dealing with spinal stenosis a daunting and chronic back condition that was diagnosed last season and required him to go through extensive pregame preparation to enable him to play the neck setback has only intensified the challenges he faces in remaining a productive player
because of his stenosis and disk problems wright has played in only 75 games over the past two seasons this season he was hitting just 226 with seven home runs and a 788 on base plus slugging percentage through 37 games
in addition wrights defense at third base has gradually become a concern because of the sidearm throws he has been forced to make to first base
none of this of course has escaped his manager
you feel bad for a guy who is good as he is who had to go through what he went through just to go out and play every night collins said then some of the skills are diminished a little bit due to some of the injuries
the mets said wrights timetable for a possible return to the roster hinges on how well the procedure goes and his recovery time however in a number of past instances players have missed at least three months after surgery similar to wrights in late may 2014 prince fielder the texas rangers first baseman had fusion surgery on a herniated disk in his neck he did not return that season
a similar recovery timetable for wright would make his return this season unlikely
in wrights absence the mets have primarily used wilmer flores at third base and so far he has done well entering thursday nights game flores was hitting 320 with five extra base hits and a 835 ops in 16 games since may 29
collins said flores with some help from the recently acquired kelly johnson would continue to handle third base for now but the team has not ruled out other possibilities like a position change second baseman neil walker who has not played third base since 2010 has volunteered to move across the diamond if needed
i want whats best for the team said walker who has yet to take any pregame ground balls at third base
collins was appreciative of walkers offer but said the mets need to carefully consider any downsides of such a move including breaking up the solid double play combination that walker and shortstop asdrubal cabrera have established this season
general manager sandy alderson noted that full time third baseman are not typically available this time of year
the mets may need help at more than one position as wright is part of a growing list of injured players outfielder juan lagaress nagging injury a sprained left thumb landed him on the disabled list thursday the mets recalled infielder outfielder ty kelly from class aaa las vegas and now must weigh whether lagares needs rest rehab or surgery
but regardless of the approach taken with lagares he is expected to return healthy at some point wright is far more of an uncertainty he is owed 87 million through the 2020 season but how much longer he can keep going is anyones guess


the technology to make autonomous cars a reality may be ready but american drivers dont seem to be
from smartphone addicted teenagers to researchers designing the next generation of self driving vehicles theres a fair amount of skepticism among consumers when it comes to letting go of the wheel and allowing a car to do the driving several surveys over the last year have found even engineers have some qualms
i have no problem letting a car take control said jeffrey miller an associate professor of engineering practice at the university of southern california but having a car take my kids to school youre talking about people who dont have the ability to take over if something goes wrong im not that comfortable with it
that sentiment was echoed in a survey of over 400 respondents by ieee the professional engineering organization that grew out of a round table that professor miller took part in on a scale of 1 to 5   with very comfortable being a 5   more than two thirds of the experts in the study said they werent ready to have a robotic car play nanny giving the concept a 3 or lower not exactly a ringing endorsement from engineers of the state of the art in self driving cars
its not the technology its user acceptance thats holding us up right now professor miller said
this is not to say experts and consumers dont see potential benefits
scott fischer 55 the chief executive of a privately held recruiting firm in chicago foresees a variety of situations in which autonomous vehicles would be a major advantage im not skeptical at all mr fischer said
mr fischer who took part in a study of older drivers conducted by the massachusetts institute of technologys agelab and the hartford center for mature market excellence part of the insurance company the hartford said autonomous cars could give him more peace of mind about his two daughters who are in their 20s and have limited driving experience they dont drive as much they take uber he said so i see the safety aspects
for his father who is in his early 80s and facing driving challenges because of vision issues an autonomous vehicle would be a way to get around on his own mr fischer said and for his own part mr fischer would let the car take over when he was tired on a long drive or needed to read email
but i want to see proof of concept that the technology actually works he added
joseph coughlin director of the mit agelab said that for the studys participants who ranged in age from 50 to 69 there was no reflexive aversion to technology assisted driving if they see it as useful or enhancing safety he said theyre willing to pay for it
jodi olshevski a gerontologist and executive director of the hartford center said that in general people over 50 expressed the most interest in technology that alerts drivers to vehicles in their blind spot said it was naturally appealing to them since theres often a reduced range of motion in older drivers ms olshevski noted
still even older drivers were hesitant to give up total control in the mit study most were less likely to accept automatic parking and cruise assistance systems worried that they would become overly reliant on the technology at the expense of their driving skills
theres also the route 66 romanticism many older americans still have with the automobile baby boomers have a love affair with the car said raj rajkumar an engineering professor at carnegie mellon university and a longtime researcher on autonomous vehicles on the other hand the current generation would rather be snapchatting and they are a lot more receptive to technology
and in the autonomous vehicle age established automakers may be on an equal footing with technology companies a nielsen automotive study of over 1100 participants 8 to 18 years old found there was an equal interest in buying a self driving car from a technology company such as google or apple as there was from purchasing one an automaker like ford or general motors
according to a 2016 autotrader car tech impact study about two thirds of consumers would switch brands to get the technology they want but completely brand agnostic i dont think people are shopping that way yet said brian moody executive editor at autotrader
more telling perhaps is that roughly two thirds of the consumers in the autotrader survey acknowledged that they still would not feel confident enough in a self driving car to take their eyes off the road
even the young participants in the nielsen study seemed reluctant to take their hands off the wheel especially high school students with licenses roughly three out of four drivers of high school age would prefer to drive themselves according to the nielsen study and one third said self driving cars were unnecessary
that may reflect the fact that those with freshly minted drivers licenses may be particularly reluctant to give up their newfound independence says mike vannieuwkuyk vice president automotive at the nielsen company mr vannieuwkuyk also noted that younger drivers have not yet logged hundreds of annoying hours stewing in traffic or had to suffer through the daily ritual of monotonous commutes
and yet young people are the ones who are going to be the potential beneficiaries of this technology mr vannieuwkuyk said the youngest have more acceptance theyre already passengers and theyre more engaged with technology
the various studies also reflect a sharper divide between those who love to drive and those who find it a stressful activity
there are people who want to hop into the back seat and go to sleep said ken washington vice president of fords research and advanced engineering division and others who say no robot is going to drive my car
most of the researchers and automotive experts say driver attitudes will shift as more advanced safety and semiautonomous systems are introduced into new models education about how the systems work and their benefits will also help
and just think of being stuck in a traffic jam said professor rajkumar of carnegie mellon then you start to see the light


lens france   the forward danced the fans sang the goalkeeper ran a hundred yards to leap on the dog pile in the corner
when england finally broke through on thursday   or put another way when wales finally broke   the combination of relief and release looked like pandemonium daniel sturridge who swept home the winning goal two minutes into the three allotted for stoppage time shook his hips the players on the england bench poured out onto the field like giddy children grown men in the stands of varying ages and weights stripped off their shirts and waved them around and around and around
the welsh contingent wept england 2 wales 1 in this european championship group stage match was not decisive for either team inasmuch as the fates for both in the round of 16 still depend on what happens in their next matches but there was all the same a feeling that the result could be defining late round knockouts tend to linger
england is hoping to carry forward what happened here at the stade bollaert delelis and why not frustrated after allowing a late goal in a draw with russia in their first game the three lions dominated possession against wales but fell behind after a sharp free kick from gareth bale eluded a fumbling joe hart
unbowed england was inspired by roy hodgsons two halftime substitutions   both of whom scored   and came back to record its first victory in a major tournament in a game in which it trailed at the interval
jamie vardy provided the first of those goals sturridge then offered the coda
it is a brilliant feeling sturridge said
it surely is   just not for wales which will hope desperately to move on from this nightmare a defeat that was both sudden and cruel
playing in its first major tournament wales pulled off a surprising victory over slovakia in its opener and appeared to be on course to earn at least a point against england if not all three a victory would have assured passage to the next round a draw would have put wales on the cusp
instead the team left this town in northern france with uncertainty and more pointedly the sort of gash that never quite heals
were gutted after today absolutely devastated chris coleman the wales manager said for the dying seconds to lose it there   i cant say ive felt as disappointed too many times in my career as i did when that goal went in
englands victory capped a heated buildup to the match which was only the fifth between the countries in soccer since 1984 in addition to the basic intra britain antipathy there was increased scrutiny of the behavior of fans after violence earlier in the tournament heightened anxiety about englands chances for advancement after slovakia handled russia 2 1 on wednesday and most enjoyably a rousing discussion about the relative passions and abilities of both teams after bale stoked the embers by opining that no one from the england team would be fit to play for wales
if that seemed ridiculous   wales after all has several players employed by second division clubs   bale clarified sort of that the sum of his teams parts was such that no one would ever want to upset waless mix this seemed stinging all the same particularly since bale also suggested that waless players were more patriotic than englands perhaps underlining the notion that he was fully aware of the mental games he was playing
in the end the banter made little difference the english seemed focused the welsh were not cowed and the atmosphere was electric yet sporting the wales fans who were largely contained to half of one end of the stadium were outnumbered but remarkably vocal particularly during their national anthem   which the england fans gamely applauded   and then of course when bale scored the opener just before halftime
to that point the match had been dull england was pushing the ball around but did little with it as wales remained compact
on one of the few surges forward for wales however wayne rooney fouled bale in the middle of the field about 35 yards from the goal after taking his typical power stance   legs splayed arms tensed   bale sent a dipping if not altogether fierce shot over the england wall that deflected off harts outstretched hand into the corner of the net
hart understandably looked mortified bale understandably did not care sprinting to the side of the field as his teammates surrounded him the red end of the stadium was in histrionics the white portions stood still
faced with a deficit and ever increasing irritability from the fans hodgson   who acknowledged that changes had been pushed on to me maybe a bit earlier because of the goal   made an aggressive double substitution at halftime by inserting vardy and sturridge into the attack he was rewarded almost immediately
england looked livelier from the restart and 10 minutes in a scramble in front of waless goal ended with the ball falling to vardy who lashed it past goalkeeper wayne hennessey the wales players screamed for offside   vardy was indeed in an offside position   but the german assistant referee smartly kept his flag down as the final touch before vardys had come from a welsh head not an english one meaning vardy was free to play the ball
that goal was followed by 35 minutes of england pressing for more and wales digging in all the statistics showed englands dominance   england had 432 completed passes to waless 145 21 shots to 7 64 percent of possession to 36   but there was no payoff sturridge blasted high a shot by rooney was blocked gary cahill headed over
it seemed wales would hold
but then sturridge ran through the penalty area slipped past a defender who tumbled backward and slipped the ball inside hennessey at the near post
hodgson nearly cracked his head on the roof of the england dugout as he jumped up to celebrate rooney leapt in the air hart took off sprinting from his end of the field to join the celebration
he had been saved the game had been saved england had been saved
why do you want to talk to me hart asked reporters afterward im the villain go talk to the heroes


as state after state has legalized marijuana in one way or another big names in corporate america have stayed away entirely marijuana after all is still illegal according to the federal government
but microsoft is breaking the corporate taboo on pot this week by announcing a partnership to begin offering software that tracks marijuana plants from seed to sale as the pot industry puts it
the software   a new product in microsofts cloud computing business   is meant to help states that have legalized the medical or recreational use of marijuana keep tabs on sales and commerce ensuring that they remain in the daylight of legality
but until now even that boring part of the pot world was too controversial for mainstream companies it is apparent now though that the legalization train is not slowing down this fall at least five states including the biggest of them all   california   will vote on whether to legalize marijuana for recreational use
so far only a handful of smaller banks are willing to offer accounts to companies that grow or sell marijuana and microsoft will not be touching that part of the business but the companys entry into the government compliance side of the business suggests the beginning of a legitimate infrastructure for an industry that has been growing fast and attracting lots of attention both good and bad
we do think there will be significant growth said kimberly nelson the executive director of state and local government solutions at microsoft as the industry is regulated there will be more transactions and we believe there will be more sophisticated requirements and tools down the road
microsofts baby step into the business came through an announcement on thursday that it was teaming up with a los angeles start up kind that built the software the tech giant will begin marketing kind   one of many small companies trying to take the marijuana business mainstream   offers a range of products including atm style kiosks that facilitate marijuana sales working through some of the state chartered banks that are comfortable with such customers
microsoft will not be getting anywhere near these kiosks or the actual plants rather it will be working with kinds government solutions division offering software only to state and local governments that are trying to build compliance systems
but for the young and eager legalized weed industry microsofts willingness to attach its name to any part of the business is a big step forward
nobody has really come out of the closet if you will said matthew a karnes the founder of green wave advisors which provides data and analysis of the marijuana business its very telling that a company of this caliber is taking the risk of coming out and engaging with a company that is focused on the cannabis business
david dinenberg the founder and chief executive of kind said it had taken a long time   and a lot of courting of big name companies   to persuade the first one to get on board
every business that works in the cannabis space we all clamor for legitimacy said mr dinenberg a former real estate developer in philadelphia who moved to california to start kind i would like to think that this is the first of many dominoes to fall
its hard to know if other corporate giants have provided their services in more quiet ways to cannabis purveyors new york state for instance has said it is working with oracle to track medicinal marijuana patients but there appears to be little precedent for a big company advertising its work in the space it is still possible   though considered unlikely   that the federal government could decide to crack down on the legalization movement in the states
the partnership with kind is yet another bold step for microsoft as its looks to replace the revenue from its fading desktop software business on monday it announced that it was buying linkedin
microsoft has put a lot of emphasis on its cloud business azure the kind software will be one of eight pieces of preferred software that microsoft will offer to users of azure government   and the only one related to marijuana
the conflict between state and federal laws on marijuana has given a somewhat improvisational nature to the cannabis industry
stores that sell pot have been particularly hobbled by the unwillingness of banks to deal with the money flowing through the industry many dispensaries have been forced to rely on cash for all transactions or looked to start ups like kind with its kiosks that take payments inside dispensaries
governments too have generally been relying on smaller start ups to help develop technology that can track marijuana plants and sales a florida software company biotrackthc is helping washington state new mexico and illinois monitor the marijuana trade inside their states
kind has no state contracts but it has already applied with microsoft to provide its software to puerto rico which legalized marijuana for medical purposes earlier this year
twenty five states have now legalized marijuana in some form or another with pennsylvania and ohio the most recent the biggest business opportunity though will come from states that allow recreational use of the drug as colorado oregon and washington already do
this fall five states   including most significantly california   will vote on whether to join that club
mr karnes the analyst said he expected legal marijuana sales to jump to 65 billion this year from 48 billion last year he says that number could climb to 25 billion by the year 2020 if california voters approve the recreational measure this year as is widely expected
the opening up of the market in california is already leading to a scramble for the big money that is likely to follow and microsoft will now be well placed to get in on the action
ms nelson of microsoft said that initially her company would be marketing the kind software at conferences for government employees but it could eventually also be attending the cannabis events where kind is already a regular presence
this is an entirely new field for us she said we would have to figure out which conference might be the premier conference in this space thats not outside the realm of possibility


the choreographer mark morris who has long been drawn to the arts and culture of india has programmed a 10 part series exploring the music and dance of south india that will form the centerpiece of this falls white light festival lincoln center announced thursday
the series will include performances by bombay jayashri who trained as a carnatic vocalist and became internationally known for the lullaby she sang in ang lees 2012 film life of pi and the all male kerala kalamandalam kathakali troupe performing an elaborately costumed dance drama
there will also be a concert by the percussionist v selvaganesh and the mark morris dance group will perform two works inspired by india o rangasayee from 1984 and serenade from 2003 as well as the premiere of a new work set to music by terry riley
the festival which was announced by jane moss lincoln centers artistic director will include 41 performances in 10 venues over the course of a month
it will open oct 16 with simon halsey conducting the rundfunkchor berlin in the united states premiere of human requiem an interpretation of brahmss ein deutsches requiem conceived and staged by jochen sandig and arranged by phillip moll for two pianists the intimate choral work will be performed at synod house at the cathedral church of st john the divine with the soprano marlis petersen and the baritone konrad jarnot as the soloists
it will also include the return of an innovative production of monteverdis opera il ritorno dulisse the return of ulysses by the south african artist william kentridge and with puppetry from the handspring puppet company which appeared in the play war horse the festival will also have gianandrea noseda leading the london symphony orchestra in verdis requiem which has already been announced a new work by the liz gerring dance company and a performance of samuel becketts radio play all that fall by irelands pan pan theater
the festival will close nov 16 with the pianist jeremy denk playing music from medieval times through the present day


jerusalem   the commander of an israeli soldier who fatally shot an already wounded palestinian attacker in hebron testified in court on thursday that the palestinian had posed no danger to anyone in the moments before he was killed and that there was no justification for firing
the company commander maj tom naaman said he did not feel any danger from him when he stood near the palestinian man lying on the ground no one brought to my attention that the terrorist endangered anything major naaman said in court according to the israeli website ynet there was no such claim
major naaman testified that afterward he had asked the soldier sgt elor azaria who had authorized him to shoot the wounded man in the head he said the sergeant replied the terrorist was alive and he has to die
sergeant azaria is being tried in a military court in jaffa on a charge of manslaughter in connection with the death of the palestinian abdel fattah al sharif on march 24 he has pleaded not guilty
the episode began when mr sharif and another palestinian man stabbed and lightly wounded an israeli soldier at a checkpoint in the southern west bank city of hebron other soldiers opened fire seriously wounding mr sharif and killing the second palestinian
sergeant azaria was not present for the initial attack or the gunfire in response but arrived about six minutes later a video shows him cocking his gun and shooting mr sharif in the head as he lay in the road still moving
the killing and the manslaughter trial have prompted a nationwide debate in israel over the conduct of sergeant azaria a member of perhaps the most respected institution in israel the defense forces that debate probably played a role in the political machinations that led to the resignation of moshe yaalon the defense minister avigdor lieberman now holds that post
sergeant azarias lawyers have maintained that he shot mr sharif in the head because he was afraid the man was carrying an explosive device but major naaman told the court there was nothing about mr sharifs clothing that indicated that he might be wearing an explosive belt according to the english language website of haaretz a leading israeli newspaper
the terrorist dressed in black was moving his head major naaman said i see the knife it was relatively far away not within his grasp
at that point major naaman said citing a platoon commander other soldiers had already fired six bullets at mr sharif and he appeared to be dead haaretz reported the major testified that it seemed at first as if one of the civilians in the vicinity had fired the fatal shot to mr sharifs head and that he learned later it had been sergeant azaria who fired
i was angry at him for doing this major naaman told the court essentially a shooting had been conducted at the scene that i was in charge of without my permission
speaking on israeli radio one of sergeant azarias lawyers ilan katz disputed the majors account and said it had changed over time his first utterance which he repeated many times had the soldier telling him the terrorists moving  mr katz said but that has gradually changed to hes alive hes got to die  mr katz added that from sergeant azarias point of view the terrorist was alive endangering the force endangering the soldier and thats why the soldier shot him
a pathologist from the national center of forensic medicine dr hadas gips testified that mr sharifs heart was still beating when he was shot in the head according to israeli radio his other injuries were not immediately fatal dr gips said
had he received medical care immediately he would almost certainly have survived dr gips testified according to haaretz even without it the deceased might have survived
the doctor said no conclusions could be drawn from the autopsy about the number of people who shot mr sharif before he died the number of weapons or the order of the shots


tallinn estonia   in the six months since part of ukraines power grid came crashing down turned off by highly sophisticated hackers cyberspace allies of president vladimir v putin of russia have been leaving their mark here in the baltics and across the sea in finland and sweden
perhaps to discourage the traditionally neutral finns and swedes from growing closer to nato   this past week nato conducted a naval exercise from finnish territory for the first time   hackers disabled the finnish ministry of defenses website that was preceded by electronic espionage against a dutch commission that had concluded that a russian made buk missile brought down a malaysian airliner two years ago killing 298 people and germanys intelligence agency the bnd recently told american officials that it believed russian hackers had been behind a cyberattack that destroyed a german steel mill
here in estonia where nato maintains a center to explore the alliances cyberspace vulnerabilities and potential responses to attacks there is a widespread recognition that the western alliance has yet to develop a strategy to counter russias increasingly aggressive action in cyberspace
while there are frequent conferences and papers there are no serious military plans apart from locking down the alliances own networks russia china and iran have increasingly sophisticated offensive cyberforces nato has none and no established mechanism to draw on united states cyber command or its british equivalent
that stands in sharp contrast to natos strategy for dealing with more familiar threats the alliance is expected to agree at a summit meeting in july to deploy four battalions in poland and the baltic states to deter land invasions though there is no agreement on who will supply troops for the fourth battalion and it regularly rehearses the procedures for requesting that its nuclear armed members roll out atomic weapons if a crisis erupts those weapons are stored near nato headquarters in belgium among other places
two years ago nato declared that it could rule a cyberattack on one of its member states to be the equivalent of an armed attack which would lead to a commitment by all nato members to respond
but when it comes to deterring the kinds of low level probes espionage and attacks that flow through european computer networks every week nato commanders do not seem prepared to take aggressive countermeasures
jens stoltenberg the nato secretary general has taken a low key purely defensive view of what the alliance should do in cyberspace in an interview with the german newsmagazine der spiegel last week he talked of sharing information and expertise but nothing of the kind of sophisticated probing and early warning deterrence strategies that large and small powers have begun to develop
in short it sounded like a strategy from a previous age before cyberattacks were regularly used as a weapon and as a tool of espionage
james lewis of the center for strategic and international studies in washington who has written about how nato could use offensive cyberweapons said there was a huge reluctance to share capabilities the united states and britain say little about their offensive cyberweapon abilities even to their nato allies
the russians get that mr lewis said and they know that there is lots they can do without triggering any response
in part that is because the russians are experts at hiding their tracks almost all of the studies of the ukraine power grid attack in late 2015   both unclassified and classified   have pointed to hackers in russia but american intelligence officials say they have never been able to track the blackout which affected 225000 ukrainians directly to mr putins government and probably never will
instead american officials are giving cyberutility firms and cybersecurity groups around the united states confidential presentations of an analysis of what happened to the ukrainian utilities as a warning of what could occur on home soil
at united states cyber command which has expanded rapidly since the united states carried out cyberattacks against iran in 2010 russias networks are a regular target of surveillance by next year cyber command will have more than 130 teams fully in operation around the world integrated into army navy marine and air force units in addition to teams that work alongside the national security agency at fort meade md
it has built up a vast early warning network placing tens of thousands of implants   sensors that can also be used to insert malware   into networks around the world but nato is only beginning to explore what it delicately calls active defense and says it is not focused on offensive cyberweapons
the russians have no such compunctions but it is unclear what russian hackers hope to achieve here in the baltics other than to make the point as they did in 2007 when they brought estonia to an electronic halt that they can get into any system anytime
whatever the russians have in mind   mostly intimidation   it usually fails said estonias president toomas hendrik ilves who grew up in new jersey before coming here to turn this small nato country into a pioneer in introducing new web based technology for governing a nation the 2007 attacks backfired he noted because they drove estonians far more solidly into the european and nato camps
in sweden and finland neutral nations in the cold war the politics are more complex as the nato exercise began in finland last week the finnish foreign minister was in moscow meeting his russian counterpart sergey v lavrov
the more sweden and finland turn to nato the more their networks their news sites and their government ministries come under cyberattack as adm john richardson the chief of united states naval operations said at an event at the council on foreign relations in may the fact is its a pretty hot war in the cyber domain going on right now
a hot war but a kind that suits russia well it is part of what military strategists call gray zone combat for mr putin cyberespionage and cyberattacks keep nato and its partners off balance they are enormously difficult and expensive to defend against and at least for now they have operated below the line that is likely to prompt a military or economic response
it stays below the radar martin libicki of the rand corporation told a conference sponsored this month by the nato cyber center here officially known as the nato cooperative cyber defense center of excellence
for the russians mr libicki said cyberespionage and weaponry are part of a larger strategy of information warfare and a blitz of propaganda that makes sorting out fact from fiction   say the causes of the malaysia airlines crash in ukraine   all the more difficult but the attacks also remind the smaller nations here of their vulnerability even if russias troops stay on their side of the border
so far nato has found few effective means of deterring attacks
the biggest problem in cyber remains deterrence said mr ilves the estonian president who has made the issue of avoiding cyber conflict one of the main themes of his time in office we have been talking about the need to deal with it within nato for years now
his fear he said is that russia or other cyberattackers will soon move to the next frontier subtle manipulation of data like medical records the operations of weapons systems and navigation data
but for now europes focus is on keeping its secrets safe and its weapons working germany issued a warning last month about russian attacks its parliament was targeted last year in an operation that sought to install software that would have given russia continuous access to the parliaments computer networks hans georg maassen the head of the german domestic intelligence agency told the financial times that the russians were showing a readiness for sabotage
now germanys defense agency has done what nato has not it has started its own cyberwarfare unit


peter parker aka spider man grew up in queens and several superheroes have lived in manhattan including captain america a son of the lower east side but this saturday and sunday brooklyn will pack the most kapow of any borough producing dozens of its own young challengers ready to vanquish evil and soar to great heights at least in their imaginations
these transformative powers will come from the brooklyn childrens museum whose superhero weekend invites small visitors to exercise their creativity and learn some science too
we have this wonderful live collection said hana elwell the museums director of exhibits and interpretation referring to the animals housed there some she pointed out have adaptations that might be considered superpowers if exhibited by a human
spike jeremy for instance a bearded dragon belongs to a species that can change color and shed its skin isis a python possesses extraordinary strength and then well use an eastern box turtle to demonstrate the power of camouflage ms elwell added patches the turtle can draw in her legs and head making her indistinguishable from a rock
children can handle these reptiles as well as the sea stars urchins and crabs in aquamans touch tank marine species that all have the ability to regenerate body parts they can meet a tarantula during spider man science a workshop in which theyll also build string webs and young fans of superman may be inspired by kryptonite and other radical rocks a program that includes fluorescent geological specimens like uranium this sample is protectively encased
well talk about how igneous minerals are born from volcanic eruptions   kind of the superpowers of rocks ms elwell said
other programs will emphasize the fantasy world of superheroes   and superheroines the museum will provide fabric trimming and glitter for creating capes and materials for masks badges headbands and crowns once appropriately attired little crusaders can take part in superdrama a workshop to practice superhero moves well probably hold up cards with words like stomp and bam and wham ms elwell said
as for flying it will be practiced safely   and vicariously   through up up and away a workshop to make small parachutes from tissue paper and paper cups tiny plastic bears will do the sky diving
the weekend will also emphasize the power to just give your all in an everyday way ms elwell said that means honoring sundays biggest superhero dad
from 10 am to 5 pm 145 brooklyn avenue at st marks avenue crown heights 718 735 4400 details and schedule brooklynkidsorg


donald j trumps campaign schedule is being driven by his fund raising needs prompting him to appear in heavily republican states like georgia and texas and diverting his attention from battlegrounds where hillary clinton is spending her time
mr trumps aides scrambling to raise money to compete against mrs clintons cash juggernaut and extensive donor network have scheduled fund raisers in places like georgia north carolina and texas this week the private events for donors were often scheduled first followed by his campaign rallies according to two people involved in mr trumps fund raising who insisted on anonymity
even some of mr trumps appearances in battleground states have been tied to fund raisers a new hampshire rally on monday night was planned in conjunction with a fund raiser in boston but both events were canceled after the deadly shooting in orlando fla on sunday
mr trump has informed people raising money for his campaign that he is not interested in traveling to states for donor events unless there is a rally scheduled as well according to the people involved those rallies have often garnered mr trump national cable news coverage the type of news media attention that fueled his primary campaign
but the result for now has been that mr trump is campaigning in states where he has far less risk of being defeated by mrs clinton than states that are likely to be competitive like michigan ohio and wisconsin rust belt states with large numbers of the white working class voters who have been most receptive to mr trumps message
a travel schedule driven by fund raising needs that takes you away from battleground states is one thats full of missed opportunities said kevin madden a republican strategist and former mitt romney adviser
with mr trump in the south mrs clinton has been spending her week in ohio and virginia two of the most crucial states for winning the presidency she was also in pennsylvania another state where mr trumps brand of populism could be effective but where he has spent little time since becoming the presumptive republican nominee
mr madden noted that mr trump was uniquely able to generate national television coverage and newspaper headlines wherever he happened to be but he needs to flip states like colorado ohio virginia and florida in order to win he added id rather be driving national coverage from those locales than not
mrs clintons campaign is also beginning an advertising blitz in battleground states this week on top of commercials that have already been run in those places by the super pac supporting her priorities usa
mr trump remains confident that he can flout conventional campaign practice by relying on a small staff and heavy news coverage but even so and despite his reliance on assistance from the republican national committee his campaign faces heavy potential costs for television advertising polling and building operations in key states
raising money to pay for those items through the campaign is difficult donors may give no more than 5400 a person through the party convention in july after that they are limited to donating 2700
at this point in the presidential cycle in 2012 mr romney was raising more than 1 million a day for himself and the party there is no indication that mr trump is approaching that pace
moreover while mr trump lent his campaign more than 43 million in the primaries he has shown little inclination to self finance his general election campaign in a large scale way yet many republican fund raisers have openly questioned why they would donate to a candidate who has claimed a net worth of 10 billion
hope hicks mr trumps spokeswoman called his fund raising operation a tremendous success adding that the money is pouring in for the party she declined to answer specific questions
mr trumps campaign has carefully guarded information about his fund raising his aides telephoned attendees for the boston event to call it off rather than emailing them the people involved said and have closely held lists of coming fund raising events another candidate might distribute those dates widely to help build interest
unlike mrs clinton who has been able to tap a long established network of allies and donors mr trump is trying to build one from scratch and on the fly but he has struggled to sign on some of his partys top donors local party figures in different cities have declined to add their names to his invitations meaning many have been sent without lists of co hosts a standard practice according to veteran fund raisers in both parties
that has kept mr trump in new york raising money as he did last week or heading to california for fund raising events while he has said he will put both states in play neither has been in reach for a republican presidential candidate in decades
other concerns have been the potential for protests outside the fund raisers prompting organizers to choose out of the way sites an arizona fund raiser for mr trump on saturday will be held at the former home of senator barry goldwater the conservative firebrand and republican nominee in 1964 who is often blamed for exacerbating racial tensions
in texas where mr trump will hold fund raisers over two days campaign aides had sought to hold events in two cities irving and grand prairie but they were rejected by local officials who told the dallas morning news that they had been approached only a few days ahead of time and cited concerns about security they eventually found a location in dallas for a thursday rally
on twitter beth van duyne the mayor of irving tried to soften the blow
i trust and support the opinion of irvings police chief she wrote on tuesday that said trump is welcome to visit any time


jensen beach fla   the gunman who committed the massacre at a popular gay nightclub in orlando used multiple facebook accounts to write posts and make searches about the islamic state now taste the islamic state vengeance he declared denouncing the filthy ways of the west he even searched for references to the massacre while he was carrying it out a united states senator said
in his posts the gunman omar mateen called on the united states and russia to stop the bombing campaign against the islamic state the extremist group that controls parts of syria and iraq he pledged allegiance to the groups leader abu bakr al baghdadi and said may allah accept me senator ron johnson of wisconsin wrote in a letter to mark zuckerberg facebooks chief executive
you kill innocent women and children by doing us airstrikes mr mateen wrote according to the letter now taste the islamic state vengeance and in what mr johnson described as the gunmans final post he wrote in the next few days you will see attacks from the islamic state in the usa
mr johnson a republican who leads the homeland security and governmental affairs committee wrote in his letter to mr zuckerberg that officials had found that five facebook accounts were apparently associated with omar mateen the letter asked facebook to share all data on accounts tied to the gunman
mr mateen frequently used facebook to search for information on law enforcement agencies and terrorist groups mr johnson wrote and on sunday morning during the siege at pulse mateen apparently searched for pulse orlando and shooting
more information came to light thursday about mr mateens troubled work and school history and about his actions leading up to the slaughter at pulse nightclub on sunday that left 49 people dead and 53 wounded in the worst mass shooting in united states history
in the weeks before the shooting mr mateen 29 went to a gun store here in jensen beach fla and tried to buy high grade body armor and at least 1000 rounds of ammunition said a co owner of the store robert abell he said the store lotus gunworks did not stock the type of armor sought by mr mateen who lived nearby and a salesman grew suspicious of mr mateens behavior during a visit that lasted perhaps five minutes including a telephone conversation he conducted in a foreign language and refused to sell him bulk ammunition
something in his gut told him it was wrong mr abell said of the employee he said the store contacted the fbi but had no information by which to identify the customer only after the killings did an employee recognize mr mateen who used an assault rifle and a handgun in the attack
unfortunately nobody connected the dots and he slipped under the cracks and this is where were at now he said
school records released under public records requests showed that mr mateen who was born in queens and grew up in florida was frequently in trouble as a child and struggled to keep pace academically especially in the early grades he was disciplined 31 times in elementary and middle school with one report when he was in third grade including a sweeping list of concerns he was constantly moving verbally abusive rude aggressive the report said often put his hands on other students disrupted class and engaged in much talk about violence  sex
in high school he was repeatedly suspended for a total of 48 days in a span of less than two years and attended three different schools the last suspension came two days after the sept 11 2001 attacks the martin county school district found no detailed records of what prompted the penalty said kim sabol a lawyer for the district but former classmates have told news organizations that he celebrated the attacks sparking conflicts with other students
in may 2001 when he was 14 he was suspended twice for fighting and one of those times he was arrested according to personnel records from his later work for the state department of corrections in a note explaining the incident to the department he wrote he was not taken to jail and the charge of battery was adjudicated and the charge of disturbing school function was dropped
from october 2006 to april 2007 mr mateen worked for the florida department of corrections as a corrections officer trainee earning 112335 every two weeks according to state records he was dismissed but the records do not say why except that it was not for misconduct he received middling scores on a performance evaluation
he worked for a private security company where according to law enforcement officials and a former co worker he talked of killing people and claimed to support or belong to islamist extremist groups he also expressed hatred of gay people
the leader of the orlando police swat team added new detail to accounts of the massacre and defended the handling of the siege saying that a lot of people believe wrongly that we werent doing anything for a long period of time
from the beginning of this officers were running inside and trying to save people capt mark canty said they were setting up around the outside trying to figure out how to get people out
officers rescued people escape throughout a three hour standoff including removing an air conditioner from a wall to allow several people in one room to climb out
officials decided to storm the club after mr mateen threatened to strap himself and hostages with explosives which later turned out to have been a bluff law enforcement teams used explosives to try to blow a hole in the outer wall of the club but they did not completely breach it then they used an armored vehicle to make a hole by ramming the building but they had to do it repeatedly mr canty said trying to find the spot where some people were trapped
a battery pack that officers saw through the bomb squad robot camera   which led them to believe there were explosives inside   turned out to have been from an exit sign or a smoke detector mayor buddy dyer said
federal law enforcement officials said thursday that the fbi is increasingly skeptical of reports that mr mateen was gay but closeted that he had been visiting gay clubs or that he had used gay dating apps the bureau has recovered the samsung phone he used the night of the attack and is trying to retrieve data from it
investigators believe his wife noor zahi salman drove mr mateen to pulse within a week or two of the shooting apparently to assess the target the officials said she has told agents that she tried to talk her husband out of mounting an attack and justice department say it is not clear if she will face criminal charges
officials and eyewitnesses have said that during the siege at pulse mr mateen a son of afghan immigrants declared allegiance to mr al baghdadi
officials say he was influenced by radical propaganda that he found online but so far have found no direct connection to any larger organization
on thursday the central intelligence agency director john o brennan gave a grim assessment of the prospects for more attacks though the islamic state has been pushed back on battlefields in the middle east he said in testimony before the senate intelligence committee our efforts have not reduced the groups terrorism capabilities and global reach
the islamic state is intensifying plans to attack in the west he said and continues to use propaganda to inspire lone wolf attacks like mr mateens


a federal judge in manhattan on thursday rejected a request that a gold trader from turkey be granted an unusual form of release pending trial that would have allowed him to sign a 50 million bond secured by 10 million in cash and to live in a kind of self financed gilded cage
judge richard m berman in denying bail to the trader reza zarrab said his proposal to live in a recently leased apartment under 24 hour armed guard and gps monitoring all at his own expense is unreasonable because it helps to foster inequity and unequal treatment in favor of a very small cohort of criminal defendants who are extremely wealthy such as mr zarrab
judge berman said prosecutors had shown that mr zarrab 32 posed a risk of flight and that no conditions including privately funded armed guards will reasonably assure his appearance at trial
mr zarrab who was born in iran and moved to turkey as an infant was arrested in march during a trip to florida with his wife and daughter and sent to manhattan to face charges that included conspiring to violate the united states sanctions on iran mr zarrab has pleaded not guilty
his lawyer benjamin brafman had asked that judge berman grant mr zarrab the special bail conditions arguing that he was not a flight risk
prosecutors in the office of preet bharara the united states attorney for the southern district of new york had objected vigorously arguing that mr zarrabs proposal was an attempt to use his tremendous wealth to obscure the flight risk through a facade of security that is beyond the reach of all but a small subset of fabulously wealthy defendants
the government has said that mr zarrab had amassed a considerable fortune which included ownership in about 20 properties seven sea vessels horses luxury automobiles a private airplane and more than 10 million worth of artwork
the case had fueled a continuing debate in the united states over the disparity in how rich and poor defendants are treated in the criminal justice system
the proposed bail conditions were unusual but not unprecedented in new york where a few extremely wealthy defendants have been allowed to await trial in a form of home confinement including electronic monitoring and round the clock armed guards with the costs covered by the defendant
mr brafman said in a statement we are deeply disappointed by judge bermans decision but are intent on continuing to vigorously defend mr zarrab who we believe to be innocent we are also carefully reviewing the courts decision on bail to see if an appeal is appropriate
mr bhararas office had no comment
mr zarrab is being held in the metropolitan correctional center a federal detention facility in lower manhattan his case has been watched closely in turkey where three years ago mr zarrab was detained by the turkish authorities as part of a wide ranging corruption investigation of businessmen with ties to recep tayyip erdogan who was then the countrys prime minister and is now its president
judge berman said that while he was not reaching any conclusion about mr zarrabs guilt or innocence the evidence against the defendant appears strong for the purpose of setting bail
the court concludes that undermining us sanctions against iran may well pose a threat to the united states the judge added and that mr zarrabs release may exacerbate that threat by for example enabling him to communicate with business associates or others at or from his new york city apartment
the judge said that in deciding the bail issue he found most persuasive mr zarrabs lack of ties to the united states his significant wealth and his substantial resources his extensive international travel and his strong ties to foreign countries including countries without extradition
such factors the judge wrote provided him with the incentive and the wherewithal to flee and render him a flight risk
the judge also noted that the use of private security raised serious issues of liability surrounding the use of force to restrain mr zarrab if he were to try to flee
quoting a judge in another such case judge berman wrote what more compelling case for an order of detention is there than a case in which only an armed guard and the threat of deadly force is sufficient to assure the defendants appearance


cairo   the cockpit voice recorder from the egyptair flight that crashed in the mediterranean last month has been recovered according to a statement thursday by egyptian investigators
the recovery of the so called black box came a day after the egyptian aircraft accident investigation committee announced that searchers had found wreckage from the doomed flight 804 scattered along the seabed the french bureau of investigations and analyses at the civil aviation authority confirmed that the cockpit voice recorder had been found
all 66 people aboard the airbus a320 jetliner bound for cairo from paris were killed in the still unexplained crash on may 19 as the plane was near the end of its trip in egyptian airspace
the investigation committee said in a statement that the cockpit voice recorder had been found in a damaged state a team aboard the search vessel john lethbridge owned by deep ocean search was able to recover parts of the recorder including its memory card
the statement said that the device would be sent to prosecutors and investigators in alexandria egypt and then to the investigative committees lab for analysis
investigators are expected to spend the coming days removing drying and testing the circuits of the voice recorders flash memory chip before trying to download its contents for analysis
if the recordings are readable investigators can begin transcribing the conversations of the crew and other cockpit sounds captured   roughly two hours of data which could provide clues about what happened during the planes descent
air traffic controllers have said the crew did not communicate any emergency to the ground before radio contact was lost and the plane disappeared from their radar screens
underwater search teams will also continue to scour the wreckage for the second black box the flight data recorder which tracks more than 1000 different data points including the planes position speed altitude and direction when it began to experience difficulties
investigators located the cockpit voice recorder along with several sections of aircraft wreckage less than two weeks after search teams first detected signals from its battery powered underwater beacons which emit a distinctive metronomic ping
provided the second recorder is found undamaged investigators can try to synchronize its data with the voice recorders to make a timeline of what happened in the flights final moments
since the start of the underwater search however investigators have only been able to isolate the pings of a single recorder suggesting that the beacon on the flight data recorder either may not be emitting a signal or that something   perhaps a large piece of wreckage or rock formations on the seabed   is muting or obstructing its propagation egyptian investigators have said that the batteries powering the egyptair jets beacons should last until around june 24
the chairman of egyptair safwat musallam said thursday that the search team has not picked up anything from the flight data recorder but he welcomed the news of the recovery of the cockpit voice recorder of course thank god they found something mr musallam said i was worried they wouldnt but i just want quick results i just want to know what caused this
mr musallam also said that he had been in touch regularly with the families of the passengers aboard flight 804 and that after the discovery thursday they are doing better after this more or less
wagdy gerges a relative of one of the victims said families were hoping that the information from the voice recorder would settle things and help them process what happened
we want to know what will be heard mr gerges said was it a bomb the exact details dont matter to us because they are all gone we just want to know the main cause


stocks staged a late afternoon rally to close moderately higher on thursday ending a five day losing streak
the standard  poors 500 stock index rose 649 points or 03 percent to 207799 and the nasdaq composite rose 998 points or 02 percent to 484491
the dow jones industrial average rose 9293 points or 05 percent to 1773310 it had been down more than 100 points earlier in the day
investors who remained focused on next weeks vote on whether britain will remain a member of the european union continued to shift money into assets considered less risky in times of volatility high dividend utility stocks rose nearly 1 percent gold also rose nearly 1 percent and american government bond yields remained at lows not seen in four years
its all about de risk right now taking chips off the table said rob bernstone a managing director and head of trading at credit suisse
overseas japanese stocks plunged 3 percent after the bank of japan once again voted not to further ease monetary policy to help the countrys faltering recovery the bank of japan is pumping about 80 trillion yen 769 billion into the countrys economy each year with purchases of japanese government bonds and other assets
the yen jumped nearly 2 percent against the dollar reaching its highest level in two years japanese officials have said they may intervene in currency markets if the yen appreciates too much
as a result of bank of japans actions the dollar fell sharply against the yen trading at 10432 yen compared with 10601 the previous day the euro fell to 11238 from 11251
the price of benchmark crude oil sank 180 to 4621 a barrel on the new york mercantile exchange brent crude used to price international oils shed 178 to 4719 a barrel in london
energy stocks fell along with the price of oil transocean marathon oil and murphy oil all drilling or oil exploration companies fell 3 to 4 percent each
the entertainment conglomerate viacom jumped sharply in the last hour of trading closing up 285 or 68 percent to 4505 after national amusements controlled by sumner m redstone said it planned to replace five of viacoms 11 directors including the chief philippe p dauman the mental competency of mr redstone viacoms controlling shareholder is being challenged in court
in other energy trading heating oil fell 5 cents to 142 a gallon wholesale gasoline fell 4 cents to 147 a gallon and natural gas fell 2 cents to 258 per 1000 cubic feet
gold rose 1010 to 129840 an ounce silver rose 10 cents to 1761 an ounce and copper fell 4 cents to 205 a pound


on the monday following the orlando massacre 12 golden retrievers arrived in the florida city
they had come to offer comfort to some of the victims of the attack the families of those killed and the emergency medical workers as well as anyone else in the city in need of some canine affection after the deadliest shooting in american history
the animals are part of the k 9 comfort dogs team a program run by the lutheran church charities based in northbrook ill founded in 2008 the team has comforted victims of the 2013 boston marathon bombing and the 2012 sandy hook shooting
tim hetzner the president of the charity said that the dogs in orlando were helping to provide a feeling of safety allowing those in distress to relax their guard and express their vulnerability during a difficult time
weve had a lot of people here that start petting the dog and they break out crying he said
the dogs and their 20 handlers have visited hospitals and churches and attended vigils and memorial services
on wednesday they visited some of the hospitalized victims and met with the staff of pulse the gay nightclub where the shooting occurred
people couldnt get out of their bed so we had to bring the dog up so they could pet the dog while laying down mr hetzner said they start smiling and in a couple cases they started talking as much as they could
comfort dogs also known as emotional support dogs have become a familiar sight in nursing homes on college campuses and even occasionally in airports though many are not considered to be service animals under the terms of the americans with disabilities act they are often employed by therapists and medical doctors to help soothe patients
while its not entirely clear whether comfort animals provide long term benefits to those in pain studies have shown that they can help to reduce feelings of anxiety and depression as well as the symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder
there are more than 120 dogs in the k 9 comfort dog unit in 23 states all of them have received extensive training similar to that of a service dog mr hetzner said and have been taught to provide comfort without barking jumping or getting agitated
in orlando they have helped to provide a temporary calm during a traumatic week
with the family members we spent time with them and they just appreciate having something positive thats taking place after the last few days mr hetzner said adding dogs show unconditional love


leeds england   a member of parliament was gunned down outside a library in northern england as she was wrapping up a meeting with constituents on thursday afternoon a rare act of gun violence in a nation that strictly regulates firearms
the lawmaker jo cox 41 who was considered a rising star in the opposition labour party and a passionate advocate for victims of the civil war in syria was shot in birstall a town about six miles southwest of the city of leeds a 77 year old man was slightly injured in the attack
a 52 year old man was arrested in ms coxs killing and the police said they were not looking for any other suspects no motive has been established officials said
the suspect was identified in the british news media as thomas mair
on thursday night the southern poverty law center reported on its website that mr mair was a dedicated supporter of the national alliance a neo nazi organization in the united states the center which tracks hate groups said mr mair bought a manual from the alliance in 1999 that included instructions on how to build a pistol it based its reporting on invoices it said it had obtained copies of which were published on its website
mr mairs brother scott told the daily telegraph that he was struggling to believe what has happened
my brother is not violent and is not all that political i dont even know who he votes for he has a history of mental illness but he has had help the newspaper quoted him as saying
gun ownership in britain has been tightly controlled since a 1996 massacre at a school in scotland and historians said it was the first time a sitting member of parliament had been killed since 1990 when the irish republican army assassinated a conservative lawmaker ian gow
the killing occurred one week before a referendum on whether britain should leave the european union and both sides immediately halted campaigning out of respect for ms cox
the death of jo cox is a tragedy prime minister david cameron of britain wrote on twitter describing ms cox as a committed and caring mp and a great star he said its right that were suspending campaigning activity in this referendum
jeremy corbyn the leader of the labour party wrote on twitter the whole of the labour family and indeed the whole country is in shock and grief at the horrific murder of jo cox
ms cox like most other labour politicians supported britains continued membership in the european union in her maiden speech in parliament last year she spoke of the diversity of her district which includes irish catholics and indian muslims we are far more united and have far more in common than that which divides us she said
last week she wrote on twitter immigration is a legitimate concern but its not a good reason to leave the eu on wednesday her husband brendan cox took part in a joust between campaigners from both sides an event nicknamed the battle of the thames
mr cox issued a statement on thursday evening saying hate doesnt have a creed race or religion it is poisonous
in birstall where the last census recorded nearly 17000 residents the police cordoned off the area around market street where the suspect was arrested
the police were summoned at 1253 pm and found ms cox with severe injuries she was taken by an air ambulance to leeds general infirmary where paramedics tried to save her a doctor pronounced her dead at 148 pm dee collins temporary chief constable of the west yorkshire police said at a news conference
constable collins said that several weapons including a firearm had been recovered from the scene and were being analyzed this is a very significant investigation with large numbers of witnesses that have been spoken to by the police at this time she said adding we are not in a position to discuss any motive at this time
speaking at the same news conference mark burns williamson the police and crime commissioner for west yorkshire described the killing as a localized incident albeit one that has a much wider impact
the bbc quoted a witness hithem ben abdallah 56 who was in a cafe next to the library when the attack occurred as saying he heard screaming and went outside there was a guy who was being very brave and another guy with a white baseball cap who he was trying to control and the man in the baseball cap suddenly pulled a gun from his bag mr ben abdallah said
ms cox was shot while trying to intervene he said his account could not be independently verified
in a telephone interview sanjeev kumar an employee at the kwik save store near the library where ms cox met with constituents said he saw her lying on the ground after her attacker fled
she was lying on the floor and two girls were helping her mr kumar said she was bleeding from the mouth and nose   the ambulance was on its way she couldnt talk or move or do anything it looked serious
mr kumar said the attack was the sort of event that never never happened here
according to the southern poverty law center mr mair sent about 620 to the national alliance for items from its publishing imprint national vanguard books including works that instructed readers on the chemistry of powder and explosives also purchased was a copy of ich kampfe a book published by the nazi party in the early 1940s
heidi beirich the director of the centers intelligence project which tracks and produces reports on extremist groups said in an interview that it had found the invoices in a database of records it maintains
when mr mairs name surfaced on thursday ms beirich said the intelligence project matched it with invoices in its possession she said those records were authentic because they had been leaked by members of the national alliance further she said she was confident the records were linked to mr mair because the address on the invoices matched his home address
the west yorkshire police could not be reached for comment early friday on the law centers report and there was no indication that mr mairs apparent ties to the national alliance had anything to do with the shooting
ms cox was elected to parliament in may 2015 to represent batley and spen a generally safe labour seat the district has a large number of retirees and a substantial population of people of south asian origin
ms coxs colleagues have described her as an eloquent and effective lawmaker she was to celebrate her 42nd birthday next wednesday and had been spoken of as a potential future minister
according to her personal website she was born and raised around dewsbury england she graduated from cambridge in 1995 the first in her family to complete university
ms cox was involved in pro european causes she was an aide to joan walley a british member of parliament who supported european integration and to glenys kinnock a former labour member of the european parliament
she also worked with oxfam the anti hunger charity with sarah brown wife of the former labour prime minister gordon brown to reduce child and infant mortality and with the bill and melinda gates foundation to combat modern slavery she was married with two children and lived part of the time on a boat on the thames
the campaigns representing the two sides in next weeks european union referendum   britain stronger in europe which favors remaining in the european union and vote leave which advocates departure from the 28 nation bloc   halted their campaigning opponent of britains departure said they would suspend their campaign until the weekend
mr cameron called off plans to visit gibraltar the british territory to rally residents to vote in favor of remaining in the bloc
the killing of ms cox triggered an outpouring on twitter by politicians past and present although no member of parliament has been assassinated since 1990 there have been two attacks on lawmakers meeting constituents as ms cox was doing
in january 2000 a mentally ill man attacked a liberal democratic lawmaker nigel jones with a samurai sword killing an aide to mr jones
in september 2010 stephen timms a labour member of parliament for the east ham district in london was stabbed and critically injured by an islamist extremist angered by his support for the 2003 invasion of iraq
gabrielle giffords a former member of congress who survived an assassination attempt in 2011 by a gunman who killed six others wrote on twitter that she was absolutely sickened to hear of the assassination of jo cox she added she was young courageous and hardworking a rising star mother and wife


software is the strangest invention in economic history a great wealth creator and an industry destroyer but software is also insubstantial no one can bring you a bucket of software code is a series of propositions about arranging transistors in a computer
apple became one of the worlds biggest companies thanks to this paradoxical invention and now it may also be threatened by where software is headed
as brian x chen reports this week apple held its big meeting for outside software developers the people who make apple products essential for many by creating new things that apples phones tablets computers and watch can do for the rest of us its a week to imagine what will spring from this apple developers pairing a few months from now
but this session was more about catching up to rivals apple offered a new way to send sketches and handwriting new ways of photo organizing and a limited incorporation of siri apples virtual assistant with third party software the watch loads apps faster and has some more social functions
but other companies from google to independent messaging services have for the most part been there already as farhad manjoo writes apple appears to be taking a cautious step by step approach focusing more on devices than on this kind of software
google maps more popular than the apple version works well by pooling the experiences of millions of users often in real time to deliver accurate information on things like traffic jams echo amazons virtual assistant masquerading as a new wave pepper mill does a great job of playing your songs buying stuff for you or reading you recipes because it trawls in lots of peoples data
these are just two examples of a big trend in software the application of real time artificial intelligence in ordinary products
ai which is fundamentally the recognition and leveraging of all sorts of behavioral patterns works well by using very large and diverse sets of data often the more personal the better to make software with ai features you have to be able to access lots of information obtained by various means
timothy d cook apples chief executive has positioned his company as one that values customer privacy as a key feature something exemplified in his battle with the federal bureau of investigation over access to an iphone after the san bernardino shootings thats perhaps great from a brand perspective but it may conflict with the way a lot of software is going to be written
apple fans who could see their products have relatively less magical software functionality may end up experiencing something else getting their privacy at the expense of the the consumer delight offered by apples competitors


davao city philippines   residents who are 18 or younger are not allowed on the street without an adult between 10 pm and 5 am liquor cannot be sold after 1 am smoking is banned throughout the city except in a few designated areas
a party town maybe not but many people who live here in davao city where president elect rodrigo duterte has been the mayor for most of the past two decades say thats not the point
they believe that mr duterte who will begin his term on june 30 has brought safety and calm to a city that is surrounded by areas where violence is rife
at magsaysay park along the waterfront children roller skate at an outdoor rink near stands where brightly colored pomelo mangosteen and other tropical fruits are sold young couples sit on shaded benches giggling and holding hands
nearby police officers with automatic weapons patrol along the waters edge looking warily at the island of samal in the distance it was there that four people were kidnapped by islamic rebels in september two canadian hostages john ridsdel and robert hall were later beheaded
even at night its ok here its safe said irish ricaforte 19 a college student sitting in the park on a recent afternoon its not safe there she said gesturing toward samal thats not duterte
mr duterte said repeatedly on the campaign trail that davao city was a model for the policies he will carry out nationwide during his six year term as president
in the freewheeling philippines where smoking drinking and staying out late are time honored traditions in big cities and small towns alike mr dutertes policies might be a tough sell but in davao city many residents say they feel proud of the tough talking mayors stance
there is a liquor ban a curfew no smoking no crime said patrick seldar 20 an aircraft maintenance student and avid duterte supporter who was spending the day at the park with his girlfriend recently
in manila there are all these crimes and problems he said referring to the sprawling capital we dont have that here
at the beereaucracy bar in the middle of town 60 types of craft beer line the walls above comfortable couches and wooden tables keep calm and drink beer one sign says
nick lopez one of the bars owners says that last call is strictly enforced at 1 am and that customers accept it
people go back to their homes he said there arent bar fights or drunken people wandering around at night its quiet at night in the city
asked whether the law can work elsewhere he said i think it will work to have this same system in manila there will be resistance at first but people will get used to it
located on the coast of mindanao island in the southern philippines davao city with 16 million inhabitants is an enclave of peace and relative prosperity
it is surrounded by islamic rebel groups communist separatists and kidnap for ransom gangs that operate over vast stretches of the countryside firefights with the police and military roadside bomb attacks and kidnappings take place throughout much of mindanao but rarely happen in davao city
mr duterte has been accused by the roman catholic church and human rights groups of using vigilante gangs to kill suspected criminals drug users street children and in some cases people who had been mistaken for someone else
mr duterte even boasted during the campaign that he had killed criminals himself while his remarks led to bafflement abroad his vaunted toughness had a different effect on many at home where the criminal justice system is broken violent criminals are rarely convicted and the police are often corrupt
many filipinos even say life under the dictator ferdinand e marcos was a golden age of peace and prosperity
at the public safety and security command center here 170 closed circuit television cameras are constantly being monitored tyrone gutierrez a supervisor said he can spot a crime as small as someone trying to have a quick forbidden smoke on a side street
when a crime is detected even one as minor as littering a police officer is dispatched to the scene to deliver a warning or to write out a citation if the person is a repeat offender mr gutierrez said a swat team can be deployed to the scene of a major crime in minutes he added
cameras cant be everywhere of course in isla verde a densely populated muslim neighborhood in this predominantly christian city bearded men in traditional robes walk along narrow pathways as the afternoon call to prayer rings out
lakaw andag 16 a pedicab driver was enjoying an illegal smoke break on the sidewalk after dropping off a passenger when asked if he supported the mayors ban on public smoking he replied enthusiastically that he did and displayed a clenched fist the symbol used by duterte supporters
i think its good to prohibit smoking because its bad for your health mr andag said after taking a drag but its ok to smoke here because there are no police around
one of mr dutertes more contentious social policies can be observed on a clean well lit street where about two dozen young women stand in front of the philippine central banks davao city office
periodically a car will drive up and one of the women will get in the prostitutes called central bankers because of where they gather walk the street without fear of arrest unlike in manila and most of the philippines here there are no pimps present and the women are not darting from the police
the police dont bother them says jigs aponte 24 who works at the gas station near the bank sometimes the health department comes by and checks them but there are no problems around here
although forced prostitution and trafficking in women are illegal nationwide prostitution in davao city is considered a health issue for the women involved not a police matter
we have a city ordinance that they should have a health card but prostitution is not considered a crime by the woman said andrea dela cerna a police spokeswoman
across town in the crowded bankerohan public market a fetid canal full of sewage runs through the area where vendors sell fruit vegetables and meat at a makeshift construction site concrete pipes will be used to cover the open canal and keep the area from flooding
rthe origines 21 who sells rice in the market said that the construction was a nuisance but that the project would be completed within six months
mayor says it will be done by then so it will be done ms origines said exhibiting confidence in a public works project a rare sentiment in the philippines where deteriorating infrastructure is the norm
her optimism extended to mr dutertes crime fighting agenda which he has said will be bloody
hes only going to go after the killers and the drug dealers ms origines said with a smile dont be afraid


macys and the union representing thousands of its workers in the new york city area reached a tentative deal for a new labor contract on thursday avoiding what would have been the first strike at the nations largest department store in more than 40 years
the president of the union hailed the four year agreement as a major victory that included substantial wage increases a more affordable health care plan and new scheduling rules that would not require employees to work on holidays including thanksgiving and christmas
it raises the bar for what retail jobs can be and should be said the unions president stuart appelbaum its a major step forward for the entire retail industry and it shows the importance of what our union does to empower retail workers
a macys spokeswoman elina kazan said we are pleased with the outcome of our overnight negotiations
macys and union leaders initially had until midnight wednesday to agree on a new contract for workers at four locations in new york state including the retailers flagship location in manhattan talks extended beyond the deadline
the price of health care coverage was one of the most important issues to labor organizers said mr appelbaum who leads the retail wholesale and department store union in an interview on wednesday he said more than three quarters of macys employees could not afford the retailers health insurance
the premiums are just too high for people said mr appelbaum who added that the deductible was 3000 for an individual worker and 6000 for a family
the union also pushed for changes to the macys commissions policy in particular union leaders wanted macys to shrink the window during which returns of merchandise could reduce an employees paycheck under the current policy any merchandise returned within six months can count against a workers sales which are used to calculate commissions a spike in returns over the last few years has made the issue more urgent labor officials say
there were no significant changes to the commission policy according to a spokeswoman for the union janna pea
the union said it expected its workers to ratify the deal within a week
the previous labor contract   covering nearly 5000 employees including sales representatives cleaning staff and stock room workers   expired on may 1 within weeks workers at macys stores in manhattan the bronx queens and white plains voted to authorize a strike if a new deal could not be reached by wednesday
macys workers have not gone on strike in new york since 1972 according to mr appelbaum
while labor negotiations often come down to the final hours macys had shown signs that it took the threat of a strike seriously the retailer placed ads seeking new employees which mr appelbaum viewed as a strategy to scare workers into thinking they could lose their jobs
ms kazan said in a previous email that the company had taken out similar ads during contract talks in the past and that it was a practical solution to be prepared in case of a strike
traditional department stores have struggled more than the rest of the retail industry to recover from the 2008 financial collapse
macys nordstrom kohls and j c penney all reported weak sales last quarter department stores as a whole employed 13 million workers as of may the smallest number in a decade and 10 percent fewer than in 2009 according to the bureau of labor statistics discount department stores like t j maxx marshalls and ross on the other hand have been thriving
the retail industry as a whole employed 159 million people as of may up more than 9 percent since 2009


among the many peculiarities of the 2016 election this one ranks high the presumptive republican nominee has signaled that he would spend more and make the deficit larger than president obama
you read that correctly
republicans have devoted years to attacking mr obama as a debt expanding spendthrift even as the deficit has declined by more than two thirds as a share of the economy since 2009 yet primary voters sidetracked those concerns in backing donald j trump as their candidate to succeed him
the combined effect that mr trumps spending and tax cut commitments would have on the size of government and the volume of red ink confounds veterans of republican policy debates
there is no way said douglas holtz eakin an economic adviser to president george w bush to describe him as a fiscal conservative
mr trump has made cultural conservatism not fiscal restraint the leading edge of his campaign from the beginning
his calls for a wall along the mexican border and a temporary ban on the entry of muslims have rallied voters unsettled by the changing face of the united states the massacre in orlando fueled those concerns and mr trumps insistence on a more muscular national security stance
yet mr trump also relishes the opportunity to break the partys ideological mold calling himself different from most republicans
the outlines of his agenda   he has provided few specifics   prove it
like many republicans he accuses mr obama of weakening united states defenses mr trump says the pentagon can spend existing funds about 16 percent of the federal budget more efficiently but he has also vowed to spend more
republicans typically try to offset pentagon increases with proposed cuts elsewhere the house speaker paul d ryan for instance calls curbing medicare and social security expenditures vital to restoring fiscal responsibility
even mr obama has conceded the need for some curbs on benefits as part of a bipartisan grand bargain on the budget
not mr trump he opposes restricting benefits for medicare and social security which together represent roughly 40 percent of the budget
mr trump also breaks with other republicans by embracing large scale spending on infrastructure to create jobs and drive growth by modernizing roads bridges and airports
mr trumps embrace of major spending proposals isnt new in 2009 he praised the economic stimulus bill that congressional democrats and mr obama enacted over fierce republican opposition
his position on health care spending remains fuzzy last fall mr trump vowed to take care of everybody after repealing mr obamas health plan much better than theyre taken care of now
later assailed by primary rivals for failing to provide details he posted some familiar republican health policy proposals on his website
to be sure mr trump could spend more in some areas without increasing the deficit by making big cuts in other programs or increasing taxes but the cuts he identifies remain vague waste fraud and abuse or confined to small corners of the budget
and instead of tax increases mr trump proposes a gigantic cut in personal and business tax rates which he maintains would stimulate so much economic growth that it wouldnt increase the deficit at all
but the conservative tax foundation estimates that even accounting for economic growth such a cut would add 10 trillion to the deficit over 10 years that would more than double the 92 trillion in deficits that the congressional budget office projects through 2026 under current policies
in turn higher deficits would increase spending for interest on the debt   the same debt mr trump says he wants to reduce
all this flummoxes policy analysts long committed to reducing debt and deficits
hillary clinton has barely mentioned the debt said maya macguineas president of the committee for a responsible federal budget a centrist watchdog group she has a long list of increased spending but to her credit she pays for her spending what she wouldnt do is make it worse
as for mr trump she said the good thing that hes done is acknowledge the debt
at the same time hes laid out policies that would push us in the wrong direction make the situation worse ms macguineas added much much worse


geneva   islamic state forces have committed genocide and other war crimes in a continuing effort to exterminate the yazidi religious minority in syria and iraq united nations investigators said on thursday urging stronger international action to halt the killing and to prosecute the terrorist group
the investigators detailed mass killings of yazidi men and boys who refused to convert to islam saying they were shot in the head or their throats were slit often in front of their families littering roadsides with corpses dozens of mass graves have been uncovered in areas recaptured from islamic state and are being investigated
the investigators have produced 11 reports documenting wide ranging crimes against humanity and war crimes committed by many parties to the five year old civil war in syria but in a report released on thursday they invoked the crime of genocide they based their findings on actions taken by the islamic state since august 2014 against 400000 members of the yazidi community followers of a centuries old religion drawing on many faiths
genocide has occurred and is ongoing paulo sergio pinheiro chairman of the panel the independent international commission of inquiry on the syrian arab republic said in a statement
isis has subjected every yazidi woman child or man that it has captured to the most horrific atrocities he told reporters in geneva using an acronym for the islamic state isis permanently sought to erase the yazidis through killing sexual slavery enslavement torture inhuman and degrading treatment and forcible transfer causing serious bodily and mental harm
those acts he said clearly demonstrated its intent to destroy the yazidi community in whole or in part
more than 3200 yazidi women were still being held by islamic state fighters mostly in syria the panel found
the crime of genocide must trigger much more assertive action at the political level including at the security council mr pinheiro said calling for the case to be referred to the international criminal court in the hague or to another international tribunal
nothing has been done to save these people and we hope for stronger action by the international community mr pinheiro said highlighting the obligation for countries under the 1948 genocide convention to take action to prevent it
the report compiled by the panel   based on interviews with survivors religious leaders smugglers and medical personnel among others   had identified individuals responsible for acts of genocide and provided a road map for prosecution said carla del ponte a swiss lawyer on the commission and a former prosecutor for the international criminal tribunal for the former yugoslavia
the commission on syria has repeatedly recommended referral of the crimes to the international criminal court but no action has followed from the security council where russia a permanent member and the closest ally of syrias president bashar al assad wields a veto
the commission had collected names and details of perpetrators and had shared information with some national authorities said vitit muntarbhorn a thai legal scholar on the commission who called the report a wonderful gift to the five permanent members of the security council so that they can consider acting together
secretary of state john kerry said in march that the united states had determined that islamic state had committed genocide against yazidis christians and shiite muslims but andrew clapham an international law professor at the graduate institute of international and development studies in geneva said the rigorous analysis presented by the commission of inquiry would carry more legal weight
the yazidis came to broad public attention after islamic state fighters captured mount sinjar in northern iraq in 2014 and engaged in systematic slaughter kurdish and yazidi fighters retook sinjar last fall
mass killings were only part of the islamic states systematic campaign to eliminate the yazidi community the panel found citing documents that revealed careful planning for treatment of the community after it was overrun and a massive organizational effort to coordinate the actions of fighters across iraq
isis made no secret of its intent to destroy the yazidis of sinjar and that is one of the elements that allowed us to conclude their actions amount to genocide ms del ponte said
in addition to the killings islamic state fighters systematically separated yazidi men and women and carried out rape sexual mutilation and sterilization to prevent the birth of yazidi babies and they transferred captured yazidi children to the fighters families and training camps cutting them off from yazidi beliefs and practices and erasing their identities as yazidis
the panel reported in harrowing detail the acute trauma experienced by women and girls as young as 9 who were sold off as spoils of war to become sex slaves of islamic state fighters routinely raped and punished with extreme violence if they resisted or tried to escape islamic state fighters often targeted younger yazidi children as a means of punishing their mothers the report said it cited an account of a fighter who killed several children after their mothers effort to escape failed the mother was then beaten and raped because she cried over their deaths
no other religious group present in isis controlled areas of syria and iraq has been subjected to the destruction that the yazidis have suffered the report said


washington   this is no longer mr smiths washington or even strom thurmonds
most filibusters in the united states senate these days do not involve any talking at all the upper chamber of congress is now so partisan that the majority leader anticipating the inevitable will move to break a filibuster before it even begins
and then there are filibusters like the 15 hour marathon led by senator christopher s murphy democrat of connecticut on gun violence which involve a whole lot of talking but do not try to block a vote   as the actor jimmy stewart did in the movie mr smith goes to washington   or like mr thurmond who set a record for the longest filibuster 24 hours 18 minutes in a bid to stop the civil rights act of 1957
in the case of mr murphy who seized control of the senate floor for more than 15 hours beginning at 1121 am on wednesday the goal was to force the majority leader senator mitch mcconnell republican of kentucky into doing something that was once a matter of routine allowing votes on amendments to an annual appropriations bill   in this case on democrats amendments to the annual commerce justice science appropriations bill seeking to tighten the nations gun laws in the aftermath of the massacre in orlando fla
mr murphy whose personal outrage at gun violence was heightened by the murder of schoolchildren at sandy hook elementary school in newtown conn in december 2012 claimed victory shortly before 2 am on thursday when he announced an agreement between mr mcconnell and the democratic leader senator harry reid of nevada to hold votes on two gun control amendments
it is our understanding that the republican leader and the democratic leader have spoken and that we have been given a commitment on a path forward to get votes on the floor of the senate mr murphy said as he prepared to finally wrap up
now we still have to get from here to there he added but we did not have that commitment when we started today and we have that understanding at the end of the day
but while mr murphy made a long and often eloquent case for tightening the nations gun laws democrats almost certainly would have gotten their votes anyway   without the more than 15 hours of speeches by him and by at least 40 other senators who helped sustain his effort by asking him to yield time for questions
indeed versions of the two amendments favored by the democrats   one aimed at preventing individuals who have appeared on the governments terrorism watch list from buying guns and the second aimed at expanding background checks   received votes in the senate in december after the terrorist shooting in san bernardino calif each failed
under senate rules once a senator is recognized on the floor and gains control of debate she or he can hold it as long as humanly possible   a part of the senates long tradition of unlimited debate refusing to relinquish the floor for any other senate action a filibuster typically requires standing there and speaking but the rules also allow the senator to yield the floor without giving up control for questions or comments from colleagues a strategy that mr murphy used repeatedly on wednesday and into thursday morning
this allowed fellow democrats like his connecticut counterpart senator richard blumenthal to take over for substantial chunks of time offering lengthy commentaries that made forceful and emotional points about gun violence in america mr murphy could have taken a quick break but he never left the floor and did not go to the bathroom throughout the 15 hours according to a spokeswoman for the senator laura maloney
the democrats continued the tag team effort refusing to adjourn the proceedings even as senior officials from the obama administration gave senators a classified briefing on the orlando shooting
this was another sense in which mr murphys effort was not a classic filibuster mr thurmond was said to have taken onlyone bathroom break during his marathon one person effort against the civil rights act similarly thanks to yielding to a colleague for some procedural matters and the longest one person filibuster without a break is attributed to senator wayne morse of oregon then an independent who spoke for 22 hours 26 minutes to stop the tidelands oil legislation in 1953
to prevent things from getting entirely deadlocked the senate has adapted its rules to allow 60 senators to vote to break a filibuster and end debate on any given matter the so called cloture motion because either party has rarely held 60 seats in the senate cloture essentially upholds the senates requirement of at least some bipartisan agreement
it also allows a majority leader to effectively declare that a filibuster is underway anticipated really and that majority does not have the votes to move forward even before any talking has occurred
aides to mr mcconnell said that his plan all along was to allow votes on the proposals largely because republicans want votes on their own amendments to the appropriations measure and not just on the gun issue the aides said that mr murphy and the democrats were killing time to score political points
democrats would not necessarily disagree many of them have been infuriated over the refusal of congress to tighten gun laws despite a continuing epidemic of mass shootings and smaller scale gun violence that has made the united states an outlier among developed nations for its huge number of shooting deaths
when we dont act there is a quiet signal that is sent to people whose minds are becoming unhinged mr murphy said at one point almost every one of us has had a conversation with a family member who lost a son or daughter to gun violence
mr murphy added just speaking personally i need to be able to tell them something they need to be able to hear something that helps in their healing the fact of the matter is every single day there are 80 sets of families who begin the process of grief surrounding the taking of a life through a firearm and their process of healing for many of them is encumbered by the fact that their leaders are not doing anything to stop it
throughout mr murphys long effort mr mcconnell made no effort to stop him mr mcconnell did not file for cloture nor were republicans trying to conduct any other floor business senator richard shelby republican of alabama who will manage the annual commerce justice appropriations measure had no real plan to begin floor work on wednesday
asked by reporters if the democrats were delaying anything he replied nonchalantly tomorrow is another day
that was largely because mr mcconnell and mr reid were still in the process of negotiating how the debate would be carried out and which amendments would be offered because the republicans do not control the 60 votes needed to defeat a filibuster mr mcconnell cannot end debate on the bill and move to a vote on final passage of the legislation without democrats assent
this is why mr murphy almost certainly would have gotten his votes anyway as part of a deal to move the entire bill forward
given the political tension after the orlando shooting   and the heightened pressure of a high stakes presidential election year   mr mcconnell and the republicans understood it would be impossible to deny the votes
when the gun control amendments were voted on in december they were part of a similar agreement also similarly to december republicans know they have the votes to defeat the democrats proposals
for all the theater mr murphys main achievement beyond delivering the democrats message on c span   and creating a sensation on social media   was to force at least one republican to remain in the chair as presiding officer as well as to keep all of the essential senate clerks and other floor staff members at work for a long night
once mr mcconnell and mr reid assured mr murphy of a tentative deal all of those people got to go home


orlando fla   it was a wrenching ritual that has become all too familiar for president obama
one by one on thursday inside an arena in downtown orlando where friends and relatives of the victims of the nations deadliest mass shooting had congregated mr obama embraced mourners sick with loss he told them that the nation stood with them and that his own heart was broken offering words of comfort for a tragedy that he confessed he could not fathom
their grief is beyond description mr obama said after a two hour meeting with the mourners through their pain and through their tears they told us about the joy that their loved ones had brought to their lives
behind closed doors mr obama told the grieving that it was the 15th time during his seven and a half year tenure that he had had to offer these sorts of condolences after a shooting according to those who attended
there were times when he choked up said angelica jones a performer at the pulse nightclub where a gunman killed 49 people and wounded 53 on sunday and its a hard thing to do when youve got mothers crying out he was up to it
mr obama has had plenty of practice for this particularly grim task the settings vary but the pattern is chillingly constant mr obamas armored limousine deposits him at a nondescript building big enough to hold a large number of families whose loved ones have died in a mass shooting somewhere in america away from the news cameras that normally track his every interaction he enters rooms thick with grief and the hushed voices of people in shock
he grasps for words of sympathy comfort and condolence and offers long tight embraces that the mourners will remember far more vividly than his words
his visit to orlando came four days after the massacre accompanied by vice president joseph r biden jr the president entered the amway center about two miles from the club and the two men took turns hugging and grieving with the scores of people who lost sons daughters siblings partners and friends
our hearts are broken too mr obama said he told them after placing 49 white roses at a makeshift memorial nearby to commemorate each of those killed
in an emotional statement to reporters before he returned to washington mr obama said the encounters with mourners underscored his determination to change the debate over gun restrictions and enact the sort of measures that might have prevented the tragedy
as has been true too many times before i held and hugged grieving family members and parents and they asked why does this keep happening mr obama said they pleaded for more to be done to stop the carnage he said adding those who defend the easy accessibility of assault weapons should meet these families
beyond politics the trip was a moment for the president to play the somber official role of consoler in chief it was also the setting for a deeply personal and private set of encounters in which mr obama better known for his cool and unruffled temperament dispenses with the trappings of his office and becomes an emotional father identifying with parents who have lost children
the president understands that he is a symbol of the country and when he travels to a community and meets with a family that has endured a terrible tragedy hes offering a message of condolence and comfort on behalf of the american people josh earnest the white house press secretary said on wednesday
but it would be impossible for him to not be personally affected by these kinds of conversations and these kinds of interactions he added in such instances mr earnest said the president draws on his faith
as mr obama comforted the mourners his critics in washington were blaming him for sundays tragedy senator john mccain republican of arizona and his 2008 presidential rival told reporters on capitol hill that mr obama through his policy decisions was directly responsible for the carnage because he had failed to thwart the rise of the islamic state
the president has called visits like the one to orlando among the most difficult duties he performs spending time with families who lost young children in the shooting rampage at sandy hook elementary school in newtown conn in 2012 was the hardest day of my presidency he said afterward and ive had some hard days
so over and over again on thursday the president hugged the mourners tightly relying on body language almost more than words to convey his support
he took time to go to each family individually and embrace them and there was no rush or a sense he wanted to be anywhere else said azsia finn a manager at pulse it was embracing hugging just very warming it felt like he cared
amid a blur of sorrow and disbelief these embraces have stood out to many of the mourners mr obama has met after earlier tragedies
he hugged each one of us individually   and i mean hug so that i was able to smell his cologne said the rev sharon risher 57 who lost her mother ethel lance and two cousins in the shooting in charleston sc last year and met privately with mr obama the next week it was not a little pat on the back the intimacy of that hug is what ill always remember
mr obama takes his time with each family listening to details that mourners are eager to offer about their lost loved ones it is at once intimate and awkward he is aware of how disorienting it is for people to be meeting the president of the united states at the worst moment of their lives many of them forget they are talking to the president
at a high school in newtown conn in 2012 mark barden whose 7 year old son daniel was among the 26 killed at sandy hook two days earlier decided in what he now calls a fog of shock and trauma to lecture mr obama on the importance of spending time with his children
he looked me in the eyes and said im coming from a recital right now  mr barden said in an interview adding that he now finds the episode horrendously embarrassing but mr obama could relate he said
he was looking at this 100 percent as a father mr barden said he feels it in his heart as a human being and it transcends his role as the leader of our country
roxanna green   whose 9 year old daughter christina taylor green was one of six people killed in a 2011 shooting in a supermarket parking lot in tucson where representative gabrielle giffords was holding an event   said she had campaigned for mr obama with her daughter and mother and had often dreamed of meeting him
but you never want to receive a visit like that from anybody ms green 50 said in an interview
he said she was a beautiful girl and hes so sorry and it was just a horrible loss and his girls are about the same age she recalled


ginchi ethiopia   in a grassy field a group of would be 12th graders kills time under the midday sun
no one is going to school anymore out of fear in a town crawling with federal and local police officers even talking in a large group can be dangerous the young men say
seven months ago protests erupted here in oromia a vast region in central ethiopia that surrounds the capital addis ababa on all sides
since then more than 400 people have died with thousands wounded and tens of thousands arrested in a campaign marked by the lethal force of the ethiopian security forces according to a new report by human rights watch nearly all of those killed were civilians it found
many of those interviewed for this report described the scale of the crackdown as unprecedented in their communities the group said
getachew reda an ethiopian government spokesman called the figures baseless but acknowledged that scores of lives had been lost
the government regrets the fact that people were killed because these were avoidable deaths he said but we believe in many parts of oromia region where the protests were quite common security forces conducted themselves in a very professional and responsible manner
ethiopia has claimed double digit economic growth rates over the past decade but the demonstrators argue that members of the oromo ethnic group ethiopias largest were increasingly marginalized as the government displaced small farmers suppressed local languages and leased communal land to outside investors   all in pursuit of its singular vision for state led development
our rights were being abused and we are the owners of this region said lb 20 a student in ginchi who would not give his full name for fear of reprisal by the government we are only demanding our rights
tensions between oromia residents and the federal government are not new to ethiopia africas second most populous country but this outbreak of violence is particularly bad demonstrations have erupted in cities and small towns across the region and security agents stand accused of responding with reckless often fatal violence
it all started here in ginchi last november when citizens say the government sought to clear space for foreign investors by cutting down trees in a nearby forest and taking over a patch of land that children used to play soccer
when local high school students protested in the streets lb and his classmates said police officers responded quickly with gunshots tear gas and arrests demonstrations spread quickly to the nearby city of ambo and then across the region they continued in ginchi too where students gathered in december to march in the streets once again
that time the young men said security agents shot indiscriminately into the crowd hitting three men one got a bullet to the hip they said another was wounded in the arm and their classmate aschalew warku 20 was shot in the head
in the human rights watch report mr aschalew is no 75 on a list of 314 fatalities across the region over the last seven months dozens of unnamed others have died in the unrest as well the report estimates
the government spokesman mr getachew countered with numbers from the ethiopian human rights commission which reported this month that 173 people had died during the oromia protests and concluded that the police had responded proportionally
felix horne the researcher who wrote the human rights watch report voiced serious concerns about the commissions impartiality
to suggest that the shooting of protesters was a proportionate use of force seriously undermines their credibility as an independent institution he said
the protesters have seen at least one of their demands met a so called master plan to link addis ababa with neighboring towns in oromia which protesters saw as an incursion into oromo territory was canceled in january the government has also met with residents and leaders to discuss their concerns
but many activists say that their ultimate goals which now include justice in the wake of brutal clampdowns have not been achieved
in shashemene a town in central oromia a 17 year old student who asked to be identified only by his first initial m said that what had begun as a movement for basic rights had been reduced to a struggle to escape persecution by ethiopias security agents
they are eager to traumatize us and kill us and we dont know how to overcome that he said adding that he had lost two family members in the unrest and had been injured twice by baton wielding police officers
protesting now he said would be too risky
the young men who live in ginchi feel the same lb said
these protests brought the end of the master plan and we stopped them from cutting down trees in our forest he said but that doesnt change the fact that people are still getting arrested all the time


as the horrors of the shootings in orlando continue to dominate the presidential race the clinton campaign is beginning its advertising campaign for the general election on thursday morning with new ads offering an optimistic message
themes of togetherness unity and family dominate mrs clintons ads part of an eight figure six week initial buy with a particular emphasis on her record of working for families and children
the first of the ads a 60 second spot titled always serves as a biographical introduction and a platform for her work with families mrs clinton the ad says is one of the most recognizable women in the world but less well known are the causes that have been at the center of her life
the ad describes her work as a private lawyer as the first lady working for childrens health care and as secretary of state fighting human trafficking
the second ad a 30 second spot titled quiet moments focuses more on her work with children with a narrator saying at one point its always been about kids
both ads make mrs clintons work as first lady central to their argument in particular her effort to get the childrens health insurance program passed by congress
mrs clintons campaign had already released on 60 second ad over the weekend titled who we are that focuses mostly on donald j trump the presumptive republican nominee and on calls for unity
the clinton campaigns early and aggressive advertising buy suggests it is confident that it can either build on or establish early leads over mr trump
the initial campaign is spread across eight battleground states colorado florida iowa nevada new hampshire north carolina ohio and virginia   the same eight states where priorities usa a super pac that supports mrs clinton has spent about 9 million on negative ads against mr trump
mr trump has not countered with his own ads so far and the only super pac support he has is a national cable advertising buy from the rebuilding america pac


each week nate cohn the upshots elections analyst and toni monkovic an upshot editor will discuss the 2016 race and post a lightly edited transcript of their written exchange
the primary season is over hillary clinton is the presumptive democratic nominee yet the question of bernie sanders and just what he will do next   and what he expects   remains unresolved
toni you recently tweeted a fun thought experiment imagine sanders winning but clinton refusing to endorse unless he adopted her views etc
sanders will speak to his supporters via videoconference tonight at 830 pm eastern from burlington vt he still hasnt endorsed her and hes still pushing hard for his policies but what kind of leverage does he have
nate i think its an interesting kind of leverage the clinton camp would certainly like his full throated endorsement on the other hand the longer he holds off endorsing the less valuable it becomes and the more he risks marginalizing himself as the conversation moves on to the general election
toni his goal of opening all primaries so that independents and others can vote   its more complicated than he makes it out to be particularly if the gop has a lot of closed primaries right
nate its certainly debatable personally i think that there are very good arguments on either side of the closed versus open primary debate both have advantages and disadvantages
i think the national mix of open and closed primaries reflects that well that said   and this is somewhat subtle   i think the case for requiring one party to have open primaries everywhere is a little worse than the case for open primaries in the abstract in states where the gop has closed primaries conservative registered democrats or registered unaffiliated voters who lean toward republicans will be able to participate only in democratic primaries that can make democratic primaries more conservative not less
toni same day voter registration is another sanders goal and it sounds like a laudable one but the democratic national committee cant wave a magic wand to make it happen
nate no the democrats would probably wave a wand to make it happen if they could it would help them a lot in the general election i believe clinton goes even further and supports universal automatic registration laws but voter registration laws are set by state governments not by the state or national parties sanders is barking up the wrong tree
toni weve covered the issue of superdelegates lets get back to the question of leverage everyone is wondering about the end game for sanders but maybe hes on the right track if he can drive a hard bargain at the convention maybe he can help smooth the path to unity by showing his supporters that hes won concessions he may have more credibility with his supporters when he eventually comes around to supporting clinton hes not the typical politician   in many ways he may never run again hell be 78 in 2020 so why not drive a hard bargain
nate whats he asking for
and what could he ask for that he could plausibly get that would have the effect youre imagining
i think the danger for sanders is that he loses leverage as the election moves on without him especially if clinton leads trump
toni his persona has been as a fighter and he probably feels this is his last shot on this kind of stage im not clear either on how important the specific goals are to him but it seems important to him not to be seen as rolling over
but speaking of something specific beyond his policy preferences he would like changes in the leadership of the democratic national committee especially the removal of debbie wasserman schultz the early debate schedule set by the committee has long been a sore point with sanders and his supporters there were fewer debates than sanders wanted   conspicuously fewer than the republicans had   and most were on weekends when fewer people would tune in
nate i think thats a fair complaint but my suspicion is that sanders isnt withholding an endorsement because of debbie wasserman schultz
toni so then why do you think sanders is withholding his endorsement
nate i dont know
i thought he would have dropped out by now maybe well find out tonight
toni id like to follow up on your big project last week there are more white voters than people think thats good news for trump im curious about the reaction to it whether some people might have misunderstood it ann coulter for example who drove quite a few readers to the article among her supporters on the right said it confirmed what shes been saying all along
nate i dont know what she said
toni well there were a lot of tweets about 10 like this
and this
a lot of criticism of mitt romneys strategy and a feeling that republicans should focus on the white vote and not the hispanic vote
nate i dont think shes necessarily misinterpreting it from what i see here
i do think its wrong to assume that trump can mobilize a large pool of white voters who havent voted in any recent election especially with virtually no field operation to register and mobilize them
but i do think coulters basic point in that link from march   that theres a lot of room for trump to gain among white voters in the north and that the national white vote in 2012 is misleading   is basically right
i doubt the gop will make big gains among northern whites by pursuing the sort of messages and policies that coulter prefers but thats a separate question
toni but you also agree with harry enten of fivethirtyeight that your data about the electorate is largely a reason to think current polls are correct and the current polls show a fairly significant move in clintons direction
nate sure whether trump is taking advantage of the theoretical opening for a conservative populist candidate to win among white voters is a very different question from whether such an opening exists hes burning way too much support among well educated and nonwhite voters at least right now
toni on the question of missing white voters you have suggested that they are more likely to be young white democrats people more likely to feel the bern than to vote for trump
nate yes
toni and the announcement last week that president obama and clinton would travel together to green bay a trip postponed because of the terror attack seemed to dovetail with your conclusions whites in wisconsin are fairly fond of obama or at least more fond than people might have thought
nate wisconsin was a great state for obama and its never been a great state for clinton he beat her by almost 18 points there in the 2008 democratic primary and she lost it to sanders by 14 points this year obama won the state by seven points in 2012 which was much better than john kerry or al gore did
toni were going to try hard not to focus on individual polls   the average of polls is what people should look at the recent bloomberg survey showed clinton ahead by 12 but as you pointed out on twitter almost exactly four years ago bloombergselzer shows obama up 13 points over romney obama wound up winning by only four points
still some of the numbers are scary for trump the percentage who say they could never vote for him 55 and the percentage of women who say they could never vote for him 63
nate most of the polls right now show a tighter race than bloomberg does so i think most of those numbers should be taken with caution
toni what about recent ratings that show trump at a staggering 70 percent unfavorable should we shrug because its too early
nate well this has been his big problem for months in march and april the same poll had his unfavorable rating at 67 percent its obviously going to be very difficult for him to win if he cant change the publics view
in particular i think its very hard for him so long as a majority of americans have a strongly unfavorable view the abcpost poll hasnt had it less than 48 percent all year and its 56 percent in this particular survey
toni the bloomberg poll numbers show that people trust trump slightly more on terrorism than clinton so thats one potential way he could improve his numbers but are you in the camp that believes its too early to tell how the issue will play after orlando
nate im not a big fan of issue questions in analyzing the race so i dont think its worth spending too much time dwelling on who can best handle the economy or terrorism i think the biggest indicator i would watch is president obamas approval rating if the attack takes a toll on his numbers as the san bernardino and paris attacks seemed to then thats probably a good sign for trump
toni nbc news reported that the clinton side is putting up ads in colorado florida iowa nevada new hampshire ohio north carolina and nevada but not pennsylvania
nate yeah which is a little strange to me there are basically two views of pennsylvania one is that its sort of fools gold for the gop since its fairly close but the democrats have a big party registration advantage and generate huge margins out of philadelphia
the other view is that it was pretty close in 2012   closer than iowa nevada new hampshire and basically the same as colorado   it has trended slightly toward the gop with respect to the country over the last decade or so and it doesnt have very many nonwhite voters
i have a slightly different view which is that i think pennsylvania is as good a state as any for trump even if its not a great one
so i take the point that its a huge long shot but just about everything is a long shot for trump at this point and im not convinced its harder for him than a state like colorado or virginia which are better educated and more diverse even if they have less democratic voting traditions
toni trump recently said i think ive made polling a very important thing cause i never used to hear about polls
he seems so obsessed with polls that i wonder if it will drive him nuts if he stays behind
if hes trailing into the fall i could imagine an attempt by his side to say the polls are inaccurate   like the unskewed polls movement from many republicans in 2012 they insisted that the polls were wrong and that romney would win if it comes to that you and analysts like nate silver and others will be asked repeatedly to assess that claim and address the accuracy of polls i could see that becoming a big part of your life for a few months   sorry
nate absolutely
it was pretty annoying in 2012
toni are you ready
nate ill make it
in recent weeks nate and toni discussed whether the superdelegate system should survive looked into claims from sanders supporters that elections were rigged and looked askance at surveys showing sanders outperforming clinton in polling against donald trump


it has been 365 days since donald j trump lit the 2016 presidential race on fire
on june 16 2015 mr trump stood in the pink marbled lower lobby of trump tower tossed out his planned remarks to deliver a diatribe against president obama and the nations he believes are lifting unfairly from the united states and promised to build a wall along the border with mexico to keep out rapists and those bringing in crime
as the new york times wrote of the kickoff if mr trumps ideology has proved flexible the cornerstone of his worldview has not he has consistently been a passionate believer in donald trump and his own capacity to bully and badger his way into the best possible deal that skill set mr trump has argued would be an asset to america
in the intervening year mr trump has made a mockery of the republican establishment that sought to stop him and the pundits who guffawed at his prospects he vanquished 16 candidates using a nativist appeal with a strong emphasis on ending trade deals deporting 11 million immigrants and ending the george w bush era approach to foreign policy
yet mr trump has refused to evolve from the candidate whose position rose on his rallies his debate performances and his expert ability to mock a rivals weak points instead of curtailing his language from the primary he has doubled down he has picked fights with republican leaders trying to get behind his candidacy and he has warned that the party needs him more than he needs it
republican leaders do not share that supposition in the month before the partys convention mr trump has bounced from one incendiary statement to the next republican foreign policy leaders have compared him to european fascists and his poll numbers have fallen sharply
a year ago mr trump may have set fire to what was predicted to be a sleepy national race but over the many days since it is his chances at the presidency that he has risked dousing in flames


cleveland   steve kerr the coach of the golden state warriors recently recalled the first time he watched stephen curry play basketball
it was december 2007 and kerr who was the general manager of the phoenix suns traveled to anaheim calif to watch ucla play davidson which was led by curry kerr came away impressed by the young guards skills even though he shot just 6 of 19 from the field but he was also struck by his size   something like 6 foot 1 and 145 pounds
after the game kerr ran into currys parents dell and sonya sonya curry had a pointed question for kerr do you think steph can make it in the nba
as the years passed that question stuck with kerr because it sounded so reasonable at the time how could this small man possibly survive in a league of giants kerr shared this anecdote last month when curry was collecting his second straight most valuable player award curry has not only survived of course he has thrived
but while curry has physically matured since his days at davidson   golden state lists him at 6 3 185 pounds   he still wrestles with behemoths on thursday night curry will appear in his 197th game dating to the start of last season when the warriors face the cavaliers in game 6 of the finals at quicken loans arena
this one just happens to matter more than most with the warriors who lead the best of seven series by three games to two looking to clinch their second straight championship
the toll on curry has been immense since the season started in late october curry has logged 3240 minutes of playing time   54 hours of inviting and absorbing contact from defenders the warriors are on the cusp of more history having already set an nba record by winning 73 games in the regular season but curry is feeling the weight of injury and fatigue
as the playoffs have worn on he has adopted the garb of a weekend warrior sweating it out at noontime hoops protective sleeves on both knees a gargantuan ice pack occasionally strapped to his right shoulder yet he has continued to dismiss questions about his health
i cant even keep a straight face curry said last week whoever said i was getting shoulder surgery and all that kind of stuff   weve got bumps and bruises but well be all right
three questions remain his mysterious shoulder ailment and his tender right knee his sloppy decisions in the finals which have led to 22 turnovers over five games and his matchup with kyrie irving who was able to shake curry and a host of other defenders en route to 41 points in the cavaliers 112 97 victory in game 5
as for expectations i dont really worry about it curry said wednesday i mean theres kind of an historical expectation of the all time greats in this league that have had great finals moments and have had these numbers none of them played for this team and understood how i try to help my team every single night
for four years curry avoided serious injury   a stretch of durability that came to an end last month in the warriors first round series against the houston rockets after spraining his right ankle in game 1 curry returned for game 4 and sprained his right knee when he slipped on a wet spot shortly before halftime bad luck bad timing
even the biggest strongest athletes in the league get hurt curry could not remain immune from injury forever he just happened to go down as the warriors were readying themselves for a run at back to back titles after missing two weeks curry returned to help the warriors close out the portland trail blazers in the western conference semifinals he was explosive at times   in his first game back he set an nba record by scoring 17 points in overtime   but he lacked his usual consistency
it has been more of the same in the finals consider the numbers in the regular season curry averaged 301 points 67 assists and 54 rebounds he shot 504 percent from the field and 454 percent from 3 point range he also sank 402 3 pointers obliterating the nba record that he had already held all while coping with a spotlight that burned brighter than ever
but in the finals curry has averaged 222 points 46 assists and 54 rebounds while shooting 424 percent from the field and 423 percent from 3 point range credit the cavaliers for playing stout defense and the officials for allowing physical play
yeah i want to honestly play better and be more consistent curry said but the situation is that were one game away from winning a second championship and i personally have 48 minutes to do what i need to do to help my team win
curry said he could live with the missed shots the turnovers bother him most
just 48 more minutes   a task that somehow seems more daunting given everything that curry has endured in recent weeks he has already announced that he will forgo the rio olympics so he can allow his body to mend over the summer which is the closest he has come to acknowledging that all is not well
the huge workload the lengthy playoff runs   these are the products of his success but for so many reasons he can only hope to leave it all behind in cleveland


wolfsburg germany   volkswagen on thursday outlined an ambitious plan to increase profit after an emissions scandal by sharply increasing the production of electric vehicles and reducing costs
the announcement was an attempt to move the conversation away from the diesel scandal but it is not that simple
the carmaker said battery powered vehicles could account for as much as 25 percent of total sales   three million vehicles a year   within a decade up from a negligible level now it then announced cuts to research and development necessary spending for such a drastic shift
cost cutting is a big piece of the plan but labor has an unusually powerful voice at volkswagen so major cuts to the companys huge work force are taboo
and the diesel deception in which the company admitted to rigging 11 million vehicles worldwide to cheat on emissions tests isnt going away anytime soon volkswagen is in intense talks with lawyers for its united states customers about how much it must compensate them for manipulating emissions tests to make its diesel vehicles seem cleaner than they were a court deadline to outline terms of the settlement was extended on wednesday to june 28
he said all the right things ferdinand dudenhoffer a professor at the university of duisburg essen said of matthias muller volkswagens chief executive now we have to see if he can get it done
mr dudenhoffer who is often critical of the company praised mr muller for recognizing moves underway in the auto industry which include changes in driving habits and advances in self driving cars
but referring to the jobs issue he warned that mr muller still has a problem he cant solve
the markets appeared to share such concerns the companys shares fell as much as 36 percent on thursday
at a news conference mr muller said little about jobs referring to continuing talks with labor representatives about how to make the company more efficient
instead he focused on what he called a transformative strategy one he said would increase operating profit to as much as 8 percent of sales by 2025 from 6 percent last year
volkswagen is much more than diesel mr muller said
even before the emissions scandal volkswagen had a cost problem in part because it cannot easily cut its work force
compared with other carmakers the companys labor representatives hold exceptional power under a 1960 law in germany that applies only to volkswagen workers can veto plant closings and other changes
volkswagens employees also have a majority on volkswagens supervisory board which oversees top management ten of the 20 members of the board are employee representatives in accordance with german laws that apply to all companies workers can rely on support from the state of lower saxony which owns 20 percent of the companys voting shares and has two seats on the supervisory board
the officials who occupy those seats almost always side with employees so in practice volkswagen workers control 12 of the 20 seats on the board
there is speculation that the company may need to find a creative solution to cut costs now in the early 1990s when volkswagen was close to bankruptcy german employees agreed to a four day workweek
the plan unveiled on thursday also calls for volkswagen to combine operations that produce automobile components putting the operations into a single division could reduce labor costs if volkswagen later spun off the businesses as united states auto manufacturers did years ago the company did not announce any definite plans to do so
those operations employ 67000 people at 27 factories and are a reason that volkswagen employs far more people than toyota with about 610000 employees volkswagen produces about the same number of vehicles as toyota which has 344000 workers
volkswagen faces another problem that its rivals do not have the cost of the emissions scandal the company has set aside 162 billion euros or 182 billion to cover fines and compensation to volkswagen owners mr muller said on thursday that the amount appeared to be adequate
the company has also been losing ground to competitors in europe while it remains the largest carmaker in the european union its share including other brands like audi fell to 24 percent in may from 255 percent a year earlier
because of its high cost structure volkswagen earns almost no money selling cars with the vw brand most of its profit comes from the audi and porsche luxury car units which are able to command a higher margin profit companywide has been declining falling 19 percent in the first quarter to EUR24 billion


with the obama administration nearing declassification of the still secret 28 pages of a congressional report on the sept 11 2001 attacks new worries have surfaced that the white house might hand congress the responsibility for releasing the document which is said to suggest high level saudi complicity in the episode
that possibility has alarmed advocates for disclosing the pages since there was no clear cut avenue for congress to do so they had always assumed that the white house would act once it had completed its declassification review and they now fear that involving congress again is a stalling attack
hoping to clarify the situation sponsors of the initial legislation calling for the release of the 28 pages introduced a separate house resolution on wednesday urging the house intelligence committee to declassify the pages and publish them in the congressional record the resolution introduced by representative walter b jones republican of north carolina and others says that justice and truth must prevail over the embarrassment or protection of enemies of the american people that aided abetted or materially assisted the gruesome international terrorist murders of 911
the resolution is a long shot but advocates hope that it helps point a way for handling the pages once the intelligence community finishes its review which could be in a matter of weeks
i have read these pages and can say that while their release will not harm national security the contents are critical to our foreign policy moving forward mr jones said


hong kong   for a childrens choral group it was a big stage singing the national anthem at the inauguration of president tsai ing wen of taiwan last month but it came with a cost the puzangalan choir had been scheduled to perform in guangdong province in southern china in july but the organizers of that event canceled the invitation according to the official central news agency of taiwan
tsai yi fang the choirs executive officer said the organizers of the guangdong concert said that the choir had become too sensitive after the performance on may 20 in taipei the newspaper the liberty times reported the students are members of the paiwan an indigenous group from southern taiwan they performed an adaptation of the national anthem of the republic of china taiwans official name that included elements of traditional paiwan song
singing the national anthem at the presidential inauguration was a great honor for us so we decided to go ahead with it although someone had warned us of the possible consequences wu sheng ying the choirs musical director told the central news agency
while taiwans previous president ma ying jeou pursued closer relations with china ms tsai has called for a much more cautious approach to cross strait ties china has taken several steps to put pressure on her new government including holding military drills days before her inauguration and resuming diplomatic ties with gambia a country that previously recognized taiwan
china which considers self ruled taiwan to be part of its territory tries to limit international recognition of the island and is harshly critical of expressions of taiwans own identity after a mei a pop star from taiwan sang the national anthem at the inauguration of president chen shui bian of taiwan in 2000 she was barred from performing in mainland china
mr chen was the first president from the traditionally pro independence democratic progressive party which ms tsai now leads
an fengshan a spokesman for the taiwan affairs office of china said on wednesday that people in china did not have an anti taiwan sentiment but that they were instead opposed to supporters of taiwan independence the chinese state run news agency xinhua reported
the cancellation was not without a silver lining for the childrens choir the group had been short of funds to travel to hungary for a performance in august but after the news emerged that they would not be able to go to china ms tsai said she would contribute 500000 taiwan dollars or about 15500 toward the trip after a lawmaker announced a fund raising drive an additional 20000 was raised in a day the liberty times reported


percolator french press aeropress espresso pour over vacuum pot automatic brew tin can people go to great lengths for a good cup of coffee a friend of mine filters his cold brew with pantyhose but to achieve consistent flavor you may just need to chill your beans before grinding them colder beans produce smaller more consistently sized particles when ground yielding more flavor from less coffee according to a study published in scientific reports
in busy cafes temperature matters as room temperatures vary and grinders heat up with use the consistency of the resulting grind changes thats a problem because water extracts flavor from smaller coffee grounds faster than bigger ones an inconsistent grind means sour taste from the small grains and a bitter one from the big all at the same time for a more flavor driven sour and sweet cup baristas adjust grinder settings for finer particles throughout the day
but colonna and smalls a specialty coffee shop in britain used science instead they got together with chemists at nearby university of bath to see how temperature affected how coffee beans break they started at room temperature and went down to that of liquid nitrogen  321 degrees fahrenheit it turned out the colder the bean the more uniform particles it produced and the more even the flavor
its important that all the particles in there are extracted at the same rate said chris hendon a chemist who worked on the study and is now at massachusetts institute of technology its kind of cute that you can do that just by cooling the beans down before you grind them
baristas gearing up for the world barista championship which takes place in dublin from june 22 to 25 might want to bring some liquid nitrogen but the home barista can just put the beans in the freezer   just keep them packed air tight to avoid staleness and moisture
in the end coffee is just coffee it doesnt matter if you like it hot or cold or how you grind it as long as you do it the same way every time said dr hendon


some days the sun doesnt come up until 10 am or later people eat lunch after 2 pm or even after 4 if theyre not in a rush the school day stretches so late that children cant get home in time to catch their favorite cartoon shows
why are the clocks in urumqi china so far out of kilter with the cycles of the sun because of a legacy of mao zedong and the communist partys desire for unified control though china is almost as wide as the continental united states the whole country is officially in just one time zone   beijing time
so when its 7 am in the forbidden city its also officially 7 am 2000 miles to the west in urumqi the capital of the xinjiang region   even if the stars are still out there
that can lead to headaches   and lost sleep its hard to adjust says gao li a sanitation worker in urumqi i often think we must be the only people who eat dinner at midnight
so schools airports and train stations operate at odd hours national exams are sometimes given in the dead of night and restaurants stay open for dinner into the wee hours
the eccentricities of the clock also tend to divide people in xinjiang by ethnicity the uighurs turkic speaking muslims who consider the region their homeland tend to set their clocks two hours earlier to more closely match the local day but the han chinese who live there members of chinas predominant ethnic group generally follow beijing time the discrepancies can be a source of confusion and frustration especially for younger people who frequently socialize across ethnic lines
jin xiaolong 28 who teaches parkour a french athletic discipline says scheduling classes with his uighur friends in urumqi can be a challenge
i used to arrive early all alone he said id go to a restaurant to eat wait some more and eventually grow impatient and start practice by myself
now he makes a point of clarifying to his friends he only deals in beijing time


shanghai   mickey maose has officially arrived
in a rain dampened ceremony attended by chinese dignitaries the walt disney company on thursday opened its 55 billion shanghai disney resort a theme park and hotel complex that represents a hard fought victory in china for the singularly american entertainment conglomerate our dream comes true a beaming robert a iger disneys chief executive said in mandarin at the ceremonys start
the park   disneys first on the chinese mainland   was held up as nothing less than a historic symbol of united states china relations mr iger read aloud a letter sent by president obama that heralded the resort as capturing the promise of our bilateral relationship in a letter of his own chinas president xi jinping called the project which took nearly two years of bruising negotiations to realize a sign of chinas commitment to cross cultural cooperation and our innovation mentality in the new era
on a lighter note wang yang one of chinas vice premiers stood onstage in front of the parks lavish storybook castle and joked that the rain was a sign of good luck   the rain of us dollars and rmb he said referring to chinas currency the renminbi disney owns 43 percent of the resort with the majority stake held by a chinese state controlled consortium
with that fireworks exploded fountains danced and jubilant performers dressed as disney princesses took to the stage as more than 30 dancers and flag twirlers frolicked
it was a discordant scene with happenings elsewhere in the disney empire mr iger was awakened at 4 am on thursday with the news that the authorities in florida had found the body of a toddler lane graves who had been dragged by an alligator into a hotel lake at walt disney world on wednesday mr iger phoned the childs parents and said in a statement that as a parent and a grandparent my heart goes out to the graves family during this time of devastating loss
mr iger and his public affairs teams working nearly round the clock from shanghai in recent days also had to contend with the mass shooting on sunday in orlando fla which is in many ways a disney company town disney employees were among the shooting victims it was subsequently reported that the gunman omar mateen had earlier made a surveillance trip to a disney world shopping complex
in shanghai more than a year of meticulous planning resulted in an opening that was surprisingly smooth so far the park here has suffered none of the cultural missteps that marred disney openings in france and hong kong over the decades
i brought my daughter here because she loves mickey said zhang yan 28 who came on opening day with her daughter li xinyi 7 who was wearing pink princess regalia ms zhang said she had driven three hours from yangzhou
mr igers goal for shanghai disneyland was nothing short of immediate perfection but no amount of experience planning and focus group research could prepare disney for what would happen when chinese patrons began to pour through the gates would they buy mouse ear headbands how long would they stay would they understand that waiting in line was part of the experience
on a lot of things we had no idea mr iger said striding through the park on saturday an extremely sticky day on which roughly 35000 people turned out as part of a soft opening
so far the answers have been mostly positive turkey legs corn dogs hamburgers popcorn   what you might call american food   is blowing the doors off mr iger said we didnt expect that
mouse ears are one of the biggest sellers in stores ive even seen men wearing them mr iger said
the monumental task of opening the park which included planting 24 million shrubs stocking 7000 pieces of merchandise and training 10000 employees has had its challenges in recent days engineers were racing to finish an elaborate white water raft ride and soaring over the horizon a flight simulator that whisks riders to world monuments like the eiffel tower was having some technical difficulties resulting in four hour lines at one point
on the other hand the explorer canoes called davy crocketts explorer canoes in the united states have been lost in translation for some
when people first got into the canoes they didnt realize they had to paddle mr iger said so we had the two cast members   disneys term for park employees   paddling like 30 people
although disney holds only a minority position in the park the profit potential for the company remains nothing short of spectacular analysts say it will receive a 43 percent share of revenue from the park which includes merchandise food sales and hotel income single day adult ticket prices cost 75 on weekends and holidays a healthy price in china and 56 for nonpeak days that compares with 125 and 105 at disney world
disney will also receive a fee for its role in managing the resort and royalties for the use of its characters moreover disney expects shanghai disneyland to increase interest across china for its movies toys clothes video games and books
even a little growth in china would have a big financial impact on disney the entertainment conglomerate generated 525 billion in revenue in its last fiscal year and asia represented about 75 percent of that total disney does not release more detailed information but anthony diclemente an analyst at nomura securities estimates that disney had 1 billion in revenue in china in 2015 excluding hong kong the total is closer to 700 million   a drop in the disney bucket
with so much at stake mr iger deeply involved himself in the preparations he tasted the food in advance including mickey mouse shaped peking duck pizza and what he called distinctly chinese turkey legs with hoisin sauce he gave feedback on ride operator costumes and personally chose the spot where a statue of walt disney would be placed i said no no no - i want it closer to the castle he recalled
on his tour mr iger walked through a 15 acre garden in the center of the park designed for older visitors in part because of chinas longtime one child policy shanghai disneyland must have strong intergenerational appeal as lets go fly a kite from mary poppins played on the fantasia carousel sound system mr iger pointed toward a grove of cherry trees where 12 mosaics depicted disney characters in chinese zodiac style
we think this will be a very popular photo op he said disney learned at hong kong disneyland which opened in 2005 that the chinese love to take pictures of themselves in front of whimsical facades mr igers zodiac symbol   he was born in 1951   is a rabbit represented on the wall by thumper from bambi
next it was on to the castle the largest and the tallest 197 feet that disney has ever built upstairs is an ornate princess themed restaurant with leaded glass windows intricately painted ceilings and chandeliers that look as if they belong at versailles
mr iger cited the opulence as an example of what he calls the disney difference which means a presentation so time consuming and expensive that most rivals cant come close to mimicking it
suddenly however mr igers ebullience faded upon exiting the castle he had spotted a dozen people crouched in the buildings vestibule
this is because we still dont have enough benches or shade yet he said believe me thats getting fixed


dakar senegal   samba thiam knew exactly what would happen after his older brother drowned with 800 other migrants last spring in one of the worst mediterranean shipwrecks in recent history
soon enough mr thiam would have to test his luck too
now that his brother is gone mr thiam 23 is the oldest male in the family the one expected to support his brothers widow and three daughters not to mention his mother and his own wife and son
so instead of making mr thiam recoil from such a treacherous journey his brothers death has actually made him more likely to set off on the same perilous course
im quite sure if he would have made it to europe our life would have changed mr thiam said if i dont get a job i will take the risk and do the same
more than 1300 people have died trying to cross the mediterranean in boats from north africa in the last few weeks alone most of the people who risk everything to make the crossing come from places like eritrea gambia ivory coast nigeria senegal somalia and other african countries where the job market is decimated
the global debate over migration often focuses on the desperate treks of syrians fleeing a horrible civil war but the latest deaths at sea are a powerful reminder that the journey africans take to escape the hardships of daily life in their countries is significantly more dangerous   and increasingly common the united nations says
getting to europe from places like senegal often requires crossing hundreds of miles of barren desert terrain patrolled by thieves and the most fearsome of terrorist groups   offshoots of al qaeda and the islamic state
on thursday the government of niger reported that the bodies of 34 migrants including 20 children had been discovered in the sahara near the algerian border
those who make it to libya or algeria then step aboard overcrowded shoddy boats that head out across the mediterranean but the odds of dying at sea on the way to italy are grim as high as one person for every 23 who try
despite the risks three to four times as many migrants as usual have been streaming into libya from niger a popular place to cross the sahara in recent weeks according to giuseppe loprete chief of mission in niger for the international organization for migration as many as 17000 people made the crossing in a single week in june
about 240000 migrants are now in libya looking for work or waiting to cross he said the ones getting on boats in recent days are just the tip of the iceberg
more than 2800 migrants and refugees have died crossing the mediterranean sea this year a 56 percent increase from what was recorded in the same period last year according to the migration organization
to stop people from boarding boats for europe the european commission said last week that it would give as much as 70 billion for projects in several nations in the middle east and africa that have the largest numbers of migrants
for west africans just getting to niger on the arduous trek to europe costs about 400 a sum often gathered from relatives who sell their livestock or personal belongings then to carry on from niamey the capital they must pay another bigger fee which catches many people off guard they often get trapped scrambling for more cash to push on
mr thiam got a call from his brother amadou 25 when he arrived penniless in niger the family sold cattle and sent him money to keep going halfway to libya robbers attacked his group but amadou managed to flee before anyone could take his cash he finally made it to the overcrowded boat carrying 800 people only to drown when it sunk off the coast of libya as a cargo ship was coming to its rescue
he had never been on a boat before he could not even swim
mr thiam tried to make a living for his family in their home village after his brother died his small farm   the only option he had for work there   was already struggling then a few cows finished off the patch of corn he had managed to coax out of the soil
so he came to dakar from his village nearly 400 miles away to look for work he and more than a dozen other men now live in a concrete house in parcelles assainies unite 8 a development on the outskirts of dakar created in the 1970s to shelter the poor the rooms consist of nothing but straw mats crammed together to fit as many people as possible
across africa the treacherous journey to europe often begins in houses like this one   a halfway house of sorts an in between spot for men who have left their families to look for work but are not yet desperate enough to cross the sea the men cram five or more to a room everyone scraping by with odd jobs if they are lucky in places with some of the highest unemployment rates on the planet
one by one the men peel away to try their luck getting to europe
amadou konte 26 has been hunting for work in dakar for weeks living hand to mouth he has never been on a boat and cannot swim either but he is certain if he can make it to italy an uncle living there will help him find a job
like the other men mr konte has a sense of fatalism about what he knows to be a dangerous journey
if youre going to die youre going to die he said
the situation is replicated in house after house throughout the neighborhood the city and the entire region what few good jobs there are go to those with an education
you know if you havent been to school you cant pretend like youre going to have other jobs said mr thiam who attended religious school but has no other education
each day mr thiam who has the timid gait of a wide eyed tourist in the big city is out the house by about 7 am wandering the streets and knocking on the doors of homes and businesses to ask if he can clean toilets and floors
sharing the floor in mr thiams room is a man who works as a money changer two men who take a rag and shoe polish downtown to look for customers and another young man who cannot find work at all
its very hard here to find a job not just here in senegal but in africa generally said mouhamed ndao 35 one of the shoe shiners if you want to think about your childrens future you have to go to europe
forced together by circumstance the men take care of one another chipping in on medicine if one is sick or more of the 40 monthly rent if one cannot afford it sometimes at night they drink tea and talk about their problems but mostly tired from their long days they just go to bed
we dont have family and friends to support us said mr ndao who brought his three young daughters with him because they are seeking medical treatment in dakar we have mercy for each other
all the men at the house said they know someone who has made it to italy or france   an uncle or a friend the fruits of their journeys are on display in their home villages where the beneficiaries have new smartphones televisions or houses the families of the men here wonder why they cannot have this too if they return home empty handed they fear they will be rejected
as his daughters huddled nearby mr ndao stood in the center of a dozen men a bare bulb serving as his spotlight and spouted a migrants soliloquy
if you dont have money in our society they dont even see you as human if your kids come to you and want even just one dollar and you cant give it to them you are ashamed what if your parents need something and you cant support them at a certain point you become overwhelmed with bitterness to take the risk will be better than doing nothing even if you die its worth the risk


south benfleet england   the topic of the local debate was britains imminent vote on whether to leave the european union and the discussion in this english town on the southeastern coast turned to the influx of european citizens into britain
why do they all want to come here demanded one woman angrily making the case for britain to leave the bloc at the debate in south benfleet organized by the local council they want our wages and our benefits were too bloody soft
paddy ashdown a former leader of the liberal democrats and a supporter of remaining in the european union in the vote next thursday shook his head and responded with a touch of bitterness well ive not seen much evidence of that here
if britain votes to leave it will be in large part because of strong anti europe sentiment in much of england the heart of the movement to divorce britain from the continent pollsters and analysts say that while scotland and northern ireland are expected to vote overwhelmingly to stay in the bloc england far more populous is likely to go the other way reflecting a broad and often bluntly expressed view that english identity and values are being washed away by subordination to the bureaucrats of brussels
that sense of resurgent englishness is palpable in places like south benfleet in the heart of a district that is the most ethnically english part of the united kingdom according to the office of national statistics based on the 2011 census with nearly 80 percent describing themselves as purely english while 95 percent are white they are older than the national average and only about one quarter of 1 percent are foreign citizens very low compared with the rest of britain
south benfleet is a suburban and largely working class town in the castle point district of essex full of people who have made it out of londons tough east end to a kind of english paradise with lots of single family homes lawns beaches seaside amusement parks and fish and chip shops
the people here are fiercely english fiercely conservative and fiercely pro brexit as the possible exit is being called and many feel that their sovereignty and identity are being diluted by a failing european union and an uncontrolled influx of foreigners
their nationalism is proving to be a key part of the exit debate it embodies national pride nostalgia and a sense that something precious to these islands is being destroyed by the many european union citizens who allowed by the blocs rules to move to any member nation without a visa have come to britain to live and work attracted by a vibrant economy and jobs
people here are self reliant and very hardheaded and they have sacrificed for our independence and want to retain it said bob spink a former conservative member of parliament from essex who was an early supporter of a british exit he compared essex which is often the butt of dumb blonde jokes in the rest of britain to texas
the first legislator to defect to the anti immigration anti europe uk independence party or ukip back in 2007 mr spink quit the tories because he wanted a referendum on leaving the european union while he lost his seat in 2010 to rebecca harris a conservative he still speaks for many here
people want to vote for the people who make our laws and set our taxes they want to talk to them and be able to throw them out and they dont want to give up sovereignty independence and democracy to brussels at any price he said
english nationalism is growing and it is being encouraged by the referendum this united kingdom of four nations may be split in the end with england and wales voting narrowly to leave and scotland and northern ireland voting heavily to remain that could create further calls for pushing more governmental power to the local and regional levels scottish independence or the creation of a separate english parliament as scotland wales and northern ireland already have
england makes up about 85 percent of britains population and so dominates but the english identity while subsumed into the british one is not entirely the same drawing as it does on its own rich history and deeply embedded political and cultural traditions in particular the english are considerably less willing than their fellow britons in scotland and northern ireland to see themselves as a subset of europe   there is more nativism and more little england nationalism which can veer into xenophobia
robert tombs a professor at st johns college cambridge and the author of the english and their history said he saw the emergence of something deeper in what has become a debate fueled more by emotion than fact
the campaign seems hardly about europe at all but its all about us and the english identity professor tombs said there is a deep seated sense that we the people ought to make decisions and not be led by an elite and not be told what to do by foreigners even by the ones we like like obama and there is a stubborn resistance to parades of international institutions telling us how to vote
every nation has its myths professor tombs said but myths are important and the notion that the people decide   magna carta and the reform act   mean that those who rule us have to do what we say
ms harris the current member of parliament here supports leaving the european union a position that puts her at odds with prime minister david cameron a fellow conservative who is leading the campaign to stay in the bloc people can sense that politicians are not in control anymore that they cant deliver and people have a very strong feeling that theyre no longer in control of their politicians she said
the working class feels that it is slipping behind people here said and construction jobs that used to be theirs in london are now going to skilled european immigrants who work more cheaply people say to me that we have to control the numbers to protect what we have  ms harris said they say were a tiny nation and were full rebecca were full and theres anger that europe wouldnt let us agree to have more control over who comes that theres a loss of control
david manclark 58 who attended the brexit debate in south benfleet said that a lot of people feel exiled in their own country around here he said we feel we need to be able to control our own borders and bring in the people we need
robert baron 67 said its being british its knowing that other people cant understand our way of life as well as you can living in your own country
colin maclean 45 a local council member who helped organize the debate was one of the few to speak out in favor of britain remaining part of europe he runs a real estate agency with 30 employees think of the shock brexit would create he said mortgage rates would rise and prices drop and all the good work of the last few years would go to waste
though he said he felt british and not particularly european mr maclean added but i like the privileges eu membership brings and i dont see problems at the borders   i see people there
tom tugendhat a former british army officer and new conservative legislator from kent said englishness was more an attitude than a political stance a confused emotion wrapped up in identity  we few we happy few we band of brothers   theres a bit of henry v in all of us he said
but we forget that shakespeare emerged from the tradition of courtly love that emerged from the continent and perhaps the arab world he said and that magna carta was a latin document immediately translated into the vernacular which was french and signed by a french king under pressure from mostly french barons who didnt include most people who were anglo saxon
at the same time mr tugendhat said globalization has prompted questions among the english like who are we and are we less of ourselves than we used to be
clare foges a former speechwriter for mr cameron described the conservative dilemma this way there is the strong element in the tory character that is sensible utilitarian financially pragmatic and there is the part that thinks to the strains of elgar and stirs at the words destiny democracy and nation 
thats the dilemma of england too how much economic damage are voters willing to risk for the ability to feel fully sovereign and in control of immigration
essex clearly wants out and so do the most recent legislators mr spink and ms harris but both think that despite the tide of opinion in essex mr cameron and other proponents of staying in europe will eke out a victory ms harris laughed and said cameron always wins
until of course he doesnt


it started as a lone voice for gun control in the senate but the message was amplified in real time to millions on facebook and twitter
the term filibuster was trending on twitter on wednesday night and thursday morning as senator christopher s murphy of connecticut and fellow democrats held the senate floor hammering a message about the need for stricter gun control measures in the wake of sundays shooting in orlando fla
the 15 hour marathon began shortly after 11 am wednesday when mr murphy interrupted the consideration of an appropriations bill and ended shortly after 2 am thursday
mr murphy began his speech by saying ive had enough he went on to speak at length about the 2012 newtown shooting in his home state i couldnt just come back to the senate this week and pretend like this is business as usual
he was joined by almost all of his 44 democratic senate colleagues including richard j durbin of illinois claire mccaskill of missouri cory booker of new jersey elizabeth warren of massachusetts and jeff merkley of oregon
mr merkley shared a personal experience telling the story of a teenage cousin rebecka ann carnes who was killed in a shooting last year at umpqua community college in roseburg ore
she was a beautiful spirit but her adventure ended so shortly after graduating from high school before she could really get started on the journey of life he said
the senators were not always speaking to a full chamber but they found a significant audience online with many twitter users cheering them on with hashtags like filibuster and holdthefloor
but critics questioned the validity of gun control measures in the context of constitutional rights
mr murphy accompanied his speech with a stream of twitter posts on gun violence statistics and excerpts from his speech
how many people have to die before we decide the death toll is too high he said in a post early thursday we cannot wait to act
shortly before 2 am mr murphy announced on twitter that he had achieved what he set out to do win commitments from republican leaders that they would hold votes on the gun control measures he wanted he thanked those who had supported him in phone calls twitter posts and emails about 20 minutes later the filibuster ended at 211 am


hong kong   with more internet users than any other country and a fast rising middle class china is one of the most sought after markets in the world
recent fund raising rounds in the ride sharing market show it is also one of the most expensive
the chinese car hailing app didi chuxing said on thursday that it had brought in 73 billion in its latest round of fund raising which included apple alibaba and softbank as investors the new funds give the company a total of 105 billion in disposable funds and put its valuation at 28 billion according to a person familiar with the fund raising
that didis valuation is now almost half that of the 625 billion valuation of its main rival in china uber shows how much potential investors see in china yet the size of the cash infusions also underscores the markets difficulties
in part because of chinas widespread blocking of foreign websites the competition between uber and didi marks the first time in recent history a major foreign tech company has vied so intensely with a local chinese business
in other markets the contest over ride sharing has focused on regulation and technology but in china it has been much more about cash with the two companies spending billions the most recent round has also pulled in apple pitting americas biggest tech company against americas best known start up uber in a tricky chinese market both see china as critical to growth
the fund raising comes as executives from didi and uber have signaled that they are focusing on profitability in china
although didi has attracted investment from some of the largest technology companies in the world uber has vowed to plow profits from other markets into china and this month announced 35 billion in new money from saudi arabias sovereign wealth fund
uber gained first mover advantage by introducing its business model which relies on enlisting drivers to shuttle around passengers complementing it with big subsidies didi quickly responded with its own service offering similarly big inducements
since then both companies have been locked in a spending war though it has primarily taken the form of subsidies both companies have also tried to develop technology specific to china and have actively wooed both local and national government officials
didi has focused on technology that better predicts car arrival times given chinas unruly traffic while uber has developed a commute function that links drivers with riders based on where they live and work
although both companies have said they plan to dial back spending the new war chests accumulated by each may make that hard didi has said it is profitable in half of the 400 cities it operates in while uber has said it is spending a quarter what it was spending per ride in china last year and providing four times as many rides
uber continues to press didi in smaller cities uber said in a recent news release it is now in 60 chinese cities and in zhengzhou a provincial capital in central china uber said it hit a million trips less than a month after it entered in late may
in its statement didi said it had procured 45 billion in equity investment from apple china life ant financial and other existing shareholders like softbank tencent and alibaba china merchants bank offered a syndicated loan of up to 25 billion as a part of the fund raising and china life offered 300 million as a long term debt investment


lake buena vista fla   lane graves was doing what any 2 year old boy would be doing on a hot florida evening   splashing around in the shallow waters of a lagoon his parents and sister nebraskans all were nearby on the beach at a disney resort here relaxing carefree
suddenly an alligator sprang from the water and clamped its jaws around the boy lanes father matt graves bounded into the lagoon to wrestle his son from the animals steel trap grasp but lost the battle according to an account by the orange county sheriff jerry l demings
the alligator made off with the boy and an intense search for him yielded nothing in the wide murky expanse of water until more than 16 hours later early on wednesday afternoon when divers found him about six feet below the surface and only 10 to 15 feet from where he had last been seen he was placed in a marine patrol boat covered with a white sheet and turned over to the medical examiner for an autopsy
during a news conference less than a mile from the lagoon sheriff demings said that he and a catholic priest had delivered the tough message of the boys death to mr graves his wife melissa and their 4 year old daughter who live in the elkhorn section of omaha neb
the family was distraught but also i believe relieved that we were able to find their son said the sheriff who noted that there was no question in his mind that the child was drowned by the alligator
lane had been splashing about the sheriff said despite a sign that said swimming was not permitted in the lagoon his father also summoned a lifeguard from a nearby pool but he too was unable to rescue the boy
the medical examiner ruled thursday that the cause of death was drowning and traumatic injuries
in a statement on thursday the family expressed their appreciation for everyone involved in the search and asked for privacy we are devastated the statement said
the recovery ended a search that began shortly after 9 pm on tuesday in the lagoon at disneys grand floridian resort and spa the artificial lake which covers about 200 acres is 14 feet deep in parts and feeds a series of canals that wind through the disney complex it lies across from the magic kingdom theme park
alligators are a common sight in florida ponds lakes lagoons and canals the sheriff said five alligators were taken from the lagoon after the boy went under they have been euthanized to determine if any of them killed the boy
sheriff demings noted that disney had been in business in the area for 45 years and had never had a similar incident and that no nuisance alligators had been reported in the area recently
everyone here at the walt disney world resort is devastated by this tragic accident jacquee wahler vice president of the walt disney world resort said in a statement our thoughts are with the family we are helping the family and doing everything we can to assist law enforcement
ms wahler said on thursday that the beaches at the resort were closed and would remain off limits to guests we are conducting a swift and thorough review of our processes and protocols she said this includes the number placement and wording of our signage and warnings
the resort has a wildlife management team that monitors alligators and other animals and regularly removes any that appear to be troublesome according to nick wiley executive director of the florida fish and wildlife conservation commission he said that alligator attacks were not common at all but that alligators were capable of moving across land and underwater so fencing them off was not a feasible option
but some visitors to the resort on wednesday said disney could have done more to protect the child and other visitors beyond simply posting the no swimming signs that dot the periphery of seven seas lagoon and others like it
disney should always have these lakes patrolled with all the money theyre making jerome powell a hotel concierge who works for a disney competitor said as he waited for a shuttle bus near the magic kingdom that alligator should never have been in that water for the alligator to be able to walk right out of the lagoon and grab that child thats crazy
kaitlynn michaud 16 from ellington conn who was visiting with her mother kim said a mere no swimming sign isnt really helpful enough when alligators were known to be part of the natural population
you can still be near the water she said and get into trouble
thomas scolaro a partner at the miami law firm leesfield scolaro which has represented families after alligator attacks elsewhere said that in this case the facts look horrible for disney
while this is a tragedy it was entirely preventable had disney acted reasonably and not left unwitting tourists at the mercy of dangerous and wild animals that roam its resort he said
the childs death was another blow to an area already on edge after the shootings at an orlando nightclub early on sunday and the murder two days earlier of a popular singer a state tourism official did not respond to a request for comment
wildlife experts estimate that there are 13 million alligators in florida and that they can be found in all 67 counties they prefer freshwater lakes and slow moving rivers and their associated wetlands but they can also be found in brackish water habitats said tammy sapp a spokeswoman for the state fish and wildlife commission
anywhere there is standing water an alligator might be found she said
last year the central florida area had its first reported fatal alligator attack since 2007 the body of a swimmer james okkerse 61 of debary fla was pulled from a lake in volusia county north of orlando and it was determined that he had been attacked by a 12 foot gator
also last year a 22 year old man who authorities said was fleeing a burglary was killed by an alligator in brevard county east of orlando the man matthew riggins drowned the sheriffs office said and his body showed signs of having been mauled
ed frank visiting from charlotte nc with his wife and two sons said wednesday that he was sure the graveses had been careful but were in florida and there are alligators in bodies of water he said alligators in their natural environment are good at camouflage its what they do


swan lake rejoined american ballet theaters repertory this week   and with it the most notorious step in the ballet repertory the 32 fouette turns odile the dangerous but seductive antiheroine returns to the stage near the climax of her grand pas de deux with the hero prince siegfried and revolves on one leg 32 times her raised leg never touching the ground provides most of the propulsion after the first 16 bars the music changes character she carries on regardless
fouette is french for whipped and its that whiplash motion of the raised leg that gives the turn its brilliance that quick up and down of the ballerinas foot sometimes sends her traveling downstage but the ideal sequence of 32 fouettes never travels from a single spot
men can do fouette turns too but part of the excitement with a ballerina is that she does most of the turn on point she comes off point as her raised working leg shoots out to the front and sweeps around to the side but then as she rises up onto point that working leg whips inward
heres a youtube clip of a ballet student taking us through the mechanics of a fouette turn
and heres video of pacific northwest ballet principal carrie imler one of the americas strongest ballet technicians rehearsing the swan lake sequence
you may also want to consult 32fouettescom where you can see an anonymous dancer in practice costume doing 32 at the top with an ensuing analysis and history of the step go to youtube and hunt swan lake fouettes and though individual performances come and go youll usually find several examples of odiles grand pas de deux with the fouettes near the end
gillian murphy dances the role on monday and friday on wednesday afternoonms murphy returns to the role on monday and friday on wednesday afternoon misty copeland new to it last year dances it again how will her fouettes be last year she did only the first 16 how much does this matter my chief reservation was not about her turns but about her interpretation which was too contained and cliched but amid the general brouhaha about ms copeland for many people one issue alone mattered those damned fouettes
the 32 fouettes arent the hardest assignment in ballet but theyre the most exposed example of virtuoso technique if something goes wrong the audience will see i remember one ballerina falling flat on her backside around turn no 14 and several who stopped or switched to another step after about 20 there used to be great ballerinas who avoided them anna pavlova alexandra danilova alicia markova maya plisetskaya did alternative steps margot fonteyn who delivered them for over 34 years in swan lake laughs in her memoirs about how an american critic described her wandering path during them as her cooks tours of the stage
for some of us 32 fouette turns   which became famous in the 1890s   have long been a bore the rare artist is not the one who does the most turns but the one who makes them interesting and above all musical
just now however theyre part of a noteworthy moment in our perception of the sexes in ballet a recent twitter discussion proposed with good reason that its male rather than female dancers who post selfies of themselves doing difficult steps some american women have been changing the pattern though showing themselves in   you guessed it   fouette turns
on saturday ms murphy posted for her 53400 instagram followers a short video of herself doing them in practice costume onstage at the metropolitan opera house amid the decor for ballet theaters the golden cockerel she titles this black swan in the golden cockerels nest listen with the sound up and you hear a piano playing the famous music that accompanies the fouettes in swan lake
more remarkably on april 26 the new york city ballet principal ashley bouder 40700 instagram followers posted footage of herself doing fouettes when 39 1/2  weeks pregnant it has been viewed over 200000 times ms bouder is back in class but has not yet posted any postbaby fouettes on april 24 isabella boylston 143000 another american ballet theater principal generously posted video of eight other women at the company doing fouette turns and other bravura steps simultaneously in a rehearsal for her huntress companions in frederick ashtons sylvia two of the hashtags she gave the clip were squadgoals and womenpower
of these examples its ms murphys fouettes that are worth arguing about technically theyre phenomenal   in the instagram rehearsal she does the first fouette after a triple pirouette preparation and after several doubles along the way she ends her 11th with no fewer than four revolutions on point but all those embellishments take her way off the music
ms copeland by contrast was always musical in the 16 fouettes she did during her first metropolitan opera house performance of odile last year shes a shrewd dancer she quickly did another step   very rhythmically   to fill in the space of the other 16 for me shell have made progress if she deepens the role in terms of music drama for many her fouettes are all that count


a gunman who claimed allegiance to the islamic state killed 49 people and wounded 53 more when he opened fire in a crowded gay nightclub in orlando fla early sunday it was the worst mass shooting in american history
president obama was in orlando on thursday to meet with victims families
here is the latest
 the gunman omar mateen 29 was killed in a shootout with the police mr mateen an american citizen whose parents were from afghanistan claimed allegiance to the islamic state in a 911 call he made at the time of the attack law enforcement officials said he lived in fort pierce fla
 on tuesday a senior fbi official said investigators suspected the gunmans second wife noor zahi salman might have been aware that he was plotting an attack and the agency was trying to determine her level of involvement ms salman the mother of his young son told the fbi that she had driven him to the pulse nightclub at some point before the attack and that she had also been with him when he bought ammunition nbc which reported the development said ms salman 30 lives in port st lucie fla with mr mateens father the woman told officials she had tried to talk mr mateen out of any attack but whether she knew of his true plans was unclear
 mr mateen was born in queens new york according to public records his ex wife sitora yusufiy said her marriage to mr mateen had been abusive and that he had at times displayed erratic behavior there were definitely moments when hed express his intolerance toward homosexuals she said the marriage ended in divorce
 mr mateen was removed from his job as a security officer at the st lucie county courthouse in fort pierce in 2013 at the request of county sheriffs officials who had grown concerned about his demeanor and his inflammatory comments the sheriff then informed the authorities prompting an investigation by the federal bureau of investigation the sheriffs office said tuesday mr mateen was transferred to a job as a security guard at a nearby residential golfing community leading him to lodge a discrimination complaint an official with the private security company that employed him said on tuesday
the fbi director james comey said monday that the gunman was on a terrorism watch list from 2013 to 2014 but that months of investigation into his foreign travels his inflammatory remarks and his motives did not produce enough evidence to charge him
 the global security company g4s based in britain said mr mateen had worked for it as a guard since 2007 a co worker said he had repeatedly complained to the company that mr mateen used racial ethnic and sexist slurs and talked about killing people
 the bureau of alcohol tobacco firearms and explosives said mr mateen had legally bought both weapons used in the attack a handgun and a long gun in florida within the last week
 mr mateen opened fire inside the pulse nightclub in orlando a popular gay club at about 2 am he was armed with an assault rifle similar to the ar 15 and a handgun
 mr mateen shot about one third of the people in the packed club hundreds of panicked clubgoers escaped and fled into the streets
 as more police officers rushed to the scene mr mateen retreated to a bathroom where he is believed to have held four to five hostages about 15 to 20 people were in another restroom frantically texting friends and family for help
 the police chief john mina said that when police negotiators began to talk with mr mateen he appeared cool and calm the gunman made statements that led officers to think he was going to begin killing more people the chief said and he spoke of having explosives mr mateen was killed by a police swat team when it raided the building about 5 am with an armored vehicle and stun grenades one police officer was wounded and at least 30 people were rescued
 president obama said that the attack was a kind of homegrown extremism because it appeared the gunman had been inspired by extremist information he found on the internet but that there was no clear evidence he was part of a wider terrorist plot
 the city of orlando set up a special web page where it released the names of victims the new york times has compiled brief portraits of the victims
 a staggering 90 percent of the 49 victims were hispanic or of hispanic descent including mexican colombian and dominican community leaders said of those killed 23 were puerto rican
 medical officials said the victims had deep gaping wounds from the rounds fired from the assault rifle and handgun in some cases the rounds bounced around inside their bodies inflicting internal injuries
 more people were killed in orlando than in any previous mass shooting in the united states the 2007 shooting at virginia tech killed 32 people while 26 people were killed in the 2012 shooting at sandy hook elementary school in newtown conn
 this is the second mass shooting in the united states linked to sympathizers of the islamic state since december when a married couple killed 14 people in a rampage in san bernardino calif the orlando shooting was the worst terrorist attack on american soil since sept 11 2001
 the islamic state claimed responsibility for the massacre in a statement released over an encrypted phone app the group said the attack was carried out by an islamic state fighter according to a transcript provided by the site intelligence group which tracks jihadist propaganda
 the gunman made a series of facebook posts according to senator ron johnson the chairman of the homeland security and governmental affairs committee including one in which he raged against the filthy ways of the west and another that warned of more attacks by the islamic state in the next few days he even searched for references to the massacre while he was carrying it out the senator wrote in a letter to mark zuckerberg facebooks chairman and chief executive
 mr mateens father seddique mir mateen posted a video on his facebook page early on monday in which he expressed regret and confusion about why his son had carried out the mass killing i dont know what caused this said mr mateen speaking in dari a language spoken in afghanistan i did not know and did not understand that he has anger in his heart
 at a news conference on monday a lee bentley the united states attorney for central florida said the investigators had collected a large amount of electronic and criminal evidence and were trying to determine whether mr mateen acted alone the statement by the islamic state did not provide details about its relationship with mr mateen
 the fbi director mr comey said monday that there was no evidence directly linking the gunman to an outside group though he appeared to be self radicalized   that is he claimed allegiance to the islamic state but had no direct tie   like the husband and wife team behind the attack in san bernardino last year
 investigators continued looking into whether mr mateens wife knew what he had planned but officials have deflected questions about possible criminal charges against her they are also scouring his past movements and possible accomplices
 mr mateen told the police by phone that he would strap explosives to four hostages and place them strategically in the corners of the building mayor buddy dyer said on wednesday but investigators have not found any evidence of explosives


michael landy has been a fixture of britains art scene for more than 20 years born and raised in london he studied art at goldsmiths in the late 1980s with damien hirst tracey emin and other students who became known as the young british artists their specialty was using unusual techniques to create art most of mr landys installations involve kinetics and often revolve around destruction break down a performance from 2001 saw him systematically destroy 7227 items representing all his belongings more recently he transformed a gallery in london into a 130000 gallon trash can called art bin in which he threw stacks of artwork he selected from online submissions
this month his first solo exhibition outside britain opens in basel switzerland at the museum tinguely showing most of his works since 1990
mr landy spoke recently in his very bare home and studio in east london
q how did the basel exhibition come about
a i saw an exhibition of jean tinguely in 1982 when i was a textile student and i really loved it years later i partly curated an exhibition at tate liverpool and had some of my own works in it and i had a conversation with the director of the tinguely museum about one of my collages that is a machine designed to destroy the tinguely museum the idea is that i broke into the museum stole all tinguely sculptures and cannibalized them into this huge machine that will destroy the tinguely museum thats how we started our conversation really
q youve often talked about how inspired youve been by jean tinguely so that this exhibition is held at the museum dedicated to him must be such an accomplishment
a this is my first major exhibition outside of the uk obviously people know my work in this country but not abroad itll be interesting to see what people make of it it really is like a homecoming in a way when tinguely did his sculptures he was in his 30s i dont think he imagined that 40 years later a museum would have his name obviously in 1982 i didnt even know what an artist was i didnt know you could become an artist i was just a fan of tinguely
q how much did tinguely influence your career
a tinguely is the first artist i had a real visceral reaction to and thought wow i saw people laughing and smiling and it just had a massive effect on me later on after i destroyed all my worldly belongings in 2001 i also became very interested in a work he made called homage to new york a piece of work that destroyed itself in 27 minutes i started a documentary about it made lots of drawings fake fragments because at the end of the exhibition people could take pieces of the sculpture with them it was one of the first happening pieces
when i did my show at the national gallery saints alive in 2013 some people even mistook my pieces for tinguely sculptures i wanted the public to engage in a different way to how they engage with the paintings at the national gallery i wanted people to literally participate but at the national gallery youre supposed to keep quiet if you touch a painting the conservation team are called in my things were breaking down bits were falling off they didnt know what to do with it the emails between the national gallery and the people fixing the machines were very funny
q youre 53 how does it feel to have a retrospective of your work
a i never thought id get to this point so its quite scary looking back over my career i always thought id never do a retrospective i thought i would have destroyed works myself or they were design to be destroyed a lot of my stuff doesnt last anyway and some of things were just too expensive to store
im sort of in denial of it so i tried to create something with it all a whole thing with all the pieces otherwise its landys greatest hits and its boring creatively its dull somehow you need to look at it afresh and make it come alive for yourself otherwise its just some turgid thing that one has to do when you get to 50 they make you do it
q the exhibition runs during art basel do you go to many art fairs
a no not really everything has sort of morphed into other things these days auction houses are now galleries art fairs and now exhibitions artists are now entrepreneurs collectors sell as well there is no clear delineation when i left art school the first art fair i went to suddenly made me realize that its a huge international business until then the scale hadnt really hit me now you hear of artists that have a team of people that go from one fair to another fair i find it quite difficult to think of an artwork without the artist and the rest of his work his studio around it its hard and at the same time art fairs are interesting in the end people do the fairs because they sell apparently people dont buy in galleries anymore they only buy in fairs
q youre still referred to as a young british artist did you ever consider yourself part of that movement
a no obviously i am part of it but when all of that was going on i was making cut out figures from rubbish for about two and a half years no one was interested in me and i felt sorry for myself i never really felt part of it but im sure if you ask all those people as a whole it was just a sticker that we got
q this exhibition showcases a lot of your pieces for someone who tried to destroy everything he ever owned youve still got a lot of your work left
a yes i was thinking that but i recreated a lot of things like the markets piece and most of this work is from 2001 onwards
q at the end of the show in june will you be tempted to run a wrecking ball through it all
a it depends on how the exhibition goes no some of this stuff belongs to people some of it will get destroyed but in the end break down was an artwork not a way of life i want to carry on making things as long as possible


theres a story that simon pearce the founder behind the celebrated glassware brand of the same name likes to share about the time vogue featured his childhood home in ireland in the 60s it was evening the editor was there   this very grand lady   and we were all sitting about with cheese and wine my parents had opened and she said to my mother how lucky you are the editor was referring to the bucolic picturesque setting and the stylish well appointed house at its center simon explained the result of his parents shared appreciation for scandinavian modern design his father was a potter and his mother had a childrens clothing line the story culminates with his mothers plucky response oh there was no luck involved
indeed a similar kind of deliberate intention can be seen in simons own life in rural windsor county vt where he and his wife pia have lived and worked for the past 35 years they originally settled into the companys flagship location   a 200 year old woolen mill situated on the ottauquechee river in the sparsely populated village of quechee   in 1981 there they quickly opened a glassblowing studio and retail shop   and soon after an on site restaurant while living in a loft space upstairs
the three things i wasnt prepared to compromise on was somewhere beautiful to live and work and raise a family second was somewhere we could have our own hydroelectric power and the third was somewhere you could have a good retail business simon says
finding a hydro site was especially imperative for simon who opened his first glassmaking studio in kilkenny ireland in 1971 only to close it during the oil embargo crisis of 1973 we couldnt fund it when we finally made the move i said the one thing i want to get a handle on is energy i dont want to deal with that again
the hydro powered turbine he installed is the 30000 square foot mills sole energy source providing enough power for the glassmaking studios furnace which produces temperatures as high as 2400 degrees fahrenheit as well as the brands flagship store and its adjacent restaurant some might consider simons pursuit of alternative energy a visionary notion for its time but for the quiet mannered glassmaker it just made sense the same could be said of his restaurant which has become a tremendously popular destination for its seasonal locally sourced menu featuring produce grown within 40 miles of it weve been working with local farmers since we opened 30 years ago so i laugh now at this whole fad of farm to table says simon adding that locavore cooking was simply a way of life in ireland
in 1984 the couple moved from the mills loft to a 120 acre property in nearby hartland there they constructed a house converted from a barn which they purchased in new hampshire and reassembled on the land simon wanted character of course being from ireland and england houses with sheetrock werent his thing pia says explaining the impressive undertaking and houses authentic rusticity
the space turned out to be an ideal setting for raising their four sons andrew adam david and kevin both indoors and out case in point a thick rope for climbing dangles from the 14 foot ceiling of the open kitchen and living room weve had that rope forever since the boys were born thats why kevin ended up being such a daredevil of course it started right here in the house says pia referring to her and simons youngest son kevin pearce the world champion pro snowboarder whose career cut short by a traumatic brain injury was captured in the recent award winning documentary the crash reel
as the family grew a new wing was added on to the houses original structure including a living room showcasing simons predilection for scandinavian modern design neutral tones natural materials and simple streamlined furniture pieces contrast with a bright green tapestry from aubusson france that had been made for his parents in the 70s it was his parents artistic tastes and the vogue worthy collection of mostly danish design pieces throughout their southeast ireland home that first influenced simons own fondness for the style his appreciation deepened during his early adult years spent at glassmaking factories in denmark and sweden thats where i really learned to blow glass he recalled
over the decades the company has grown to include a larger production facility in windsor where its design and creative teams are based meanwhile other local artisans and spinoff businesses have emerged nearby including son andrew pearces own wooden bowl making studio mores happening around the area says simon who at 69 hasnt slowed down much himself this fall simon pearce design for living 50 rizzoli will debut a book featuring the glassmakers most iconic handblown pieces and classic designs


five shadowy ominous twisted wooden sculptures loom over the neo classical backdrop of the downing college chapel in cambridge england ai weiwei has come to town   and hes brought his trees and cubes with him earlier this week the artist wearing an equally dark linen suit was unperturbed by the fact that two trees were still at large en route from london where they went on view last summer as part of his blockbuster show at the royal academy before that theyd been hidden inside his beijing studio for years weve been getting a tree a day quipped john tancock the guest curator of ai weiwei trees and cubes which opens today during the installation the artist caught up with t   until being stopped short by a fire alarm weiwei maintains he had nothing to do with it
what is your first impression of cambridge and how does it feel to see your trees in the setting of cambridge university compared to the royal academy in london
my first impression of cambridge is that its a very comfortable school its serene   its a nice place to be its very different from the city of london here its more like the countryside being a university space its very quiet and undisturbed
is the artwork any less valid in this very comfortable and privileged setting
any kind of work can be valid when it has a contradiction to different realities i think artworks need to be challenged by very different human conditions thats an interesting part of our work we are living in a very complex society it puts me in a complex frame of thinking
this exhibition also features a short film shot on the island of lesbos where you have spent many months in refugee camps is it a taster of the feature length film you are in the process of making on the plight of the refugees in europe
thats a work i produced at the beginning of many long months deeply entrenched in refugee conditions as my first gesture i jumped onto an abandoned boat in the middle of the ocean to try to feel what its like to be alone out there and it feels very tense you feel very fragile and hopeless even though there was very good weather and no wind you can imagine if there are 50 people on that boat in much worse conditions i saw childrens milk bottles a womans scarf and even a bible abandoned on the water
do you feel hope for the refugees in europe
i think its never as they imagine they leave the war zone but this is a different war they leave behind the bombs and explosions but they see deeply in their hearts and their minds how humanity is a wasteland when they enter europe they see how theyve been abandoned its really tragic children have to stay out of school for years and all they know is the camp their parents have no jobs and no money except for the few euros of support from the un
what is the role of the artist in this kind of humanitarian crisis
the artist is someone who is involved but detached at the same time we are parallel to the conditions and we try to examine and learn from them we give our passion and our sensitivity to another person who has to pass the night in a cold tent with wet socks and no light and for the children no milk they cant even find a place to take a shower or use the bathroom they stay there for months but no one tells them where to go or what to do ive been told there are 60 million refugees in the world a few of them have been really taken care of very few less than 1 percent maybe
can you see a similarity between the idea of britain leaving the eu and the rising popularity of donald trump in the states
you can see this intention to go toward the right wing in politics thats taking place but it will only bring us to a darker place and a rainier season whenever humans lose their courage its always followed by all kinds of tragedies
tell me about the progress of your feature length film about the plight of the refugees whose working title is human flow
the film is almost bigger than i can manage the topic is so complex and has such a long history its so much about humanity and this large historical development right now we have around eight teams filming in different location some very remote places in the middle east and across europe i have hundreds of hours of footage and hundreds of interviews 90 percent of which i conducted myself its still ongoing   we have many more places to go
whats the most shocking thing about arriving in the refugee camps in lesbos
the most shocking thing has always been the fact that its a very different world the rest of the world is still separated there are these two very different layers   one has purposefully been cut off from the other one is very indifferent and very cold to whats happening i dont know how long that can go on
you are a prolific instagram user how important is it to you as a medium
i dont enjoy it so much but its a way to relate to reality sometimes you think maybe this goes too far so you always want to see or turn back to the place from which you started this is why i keep posting its like a diary for me when you sit down you have to have some solid sense of time and place and image   you have something in your mind no artist has a sketchbook now ill use it not only for my feature film but for writing a book or compiling images for an exhibition in the future instagram will be used as a way of understanding mammals
fire alarm sounds
this interview has been edited and condensed


readers will swarm downtown brooklyn for the 11th annual brooklyn book festival on sunday sept 18 and we now know many of the authors they will be there to see on thursday the festival announced nearly 200 of the 300 authors who will appear including margaret atwood sherman alexie russell banks salman rushdie and joyce carol oates
those veteran boldface names will be joined by many emerging writers including nicole dennis benn stephanie danler angela flournoy and phil klay
as usual the festival will include a strong international focus with writers from australia helen garner chile lina meruane denmark dorthe nors israel sayed kashua mexico alvaro enrigue and nigeria okey ndibe among many other places
the many panels readings and performances that will compose the event have yet to be announced


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1 the focus in orlando was on comforting the bereaved president obama met with families of the scores of people killed and injured in the attack on a gay club early sunday their grief is beyond description mr obama said after he and vice president joe biden met privately with mourners for two hours

2 a new analysis of federal data shows that gay lesbian bisexual and transgender people are the most frequent targets of hate crimes in the us that was true even before the attack in orlando one analyst suggested that as society becomes more tolerant of lgbt people some opponents become more radical

3 a 15 hour democratic filibuster led by senator christopher murphy of connecticut above forced the senate majority leader mitch mcconnell to allow a vote on two gun control amendments in coming days but our congressional correspondent writes that given election year politics neither is likely to pass

4 british campaigning over the so called brexit vote next week was halted after a rising member of parliament was killed in her district of northern england jo cox 41 was wrapping up a meeting with constituents at a library near leeds when she was stabbed and shot a rarity in a country where guns are tightly controlled a 52 year old man was arrested but the authorities did not immediately comment on a motive

5 donald j trumps campaign is so focused on fund raising for the general election that his appearances are being mostly kept to southern heavily republican states where he is already popular that puts him at a disadvantage in battleground states where hillary clinton has been campaigning vigorously in a sign that a small but growing crowd in the financial world is warming up to the idea of backing mr trump a whos who of financiers will host a fund raiser for the candidate on tuesday at an undisclosed location in new york city

6 senator bernie sanders spoke to his supporters via videoconference he didnt drop out of the race or endorse mrs clinton choosing instead to deliver a shortened version of his stump speech mr sanders pledged to make certain that mr trump is defeated but added that defeating him cannot be the only goal

7 it was a busy day in sports the the united states mens national soccer team above beat ecuador 2 1 advancing to the semifinals of copa america lebron james scored 41 points leading the cleveland cavaliers in a rout of the golden state warriors 115 101 and sending the nba finals to a decisive game 7 and rain halted play at the us open as jordan spieth began defending his title this year the golf tournament is at oakmont in pennsylvania one of the toughest courses in north america

8 microsoft became the first major us corporation to plan a role in the burgeoning marijuana industry announcing a project to create plant tracking software the announcement of the new cloud computing offering came just days after microsoft signaled its intent to diversify with a 262 billion deal to buy linkedin

9 lin manuel miranda the creator and star of hamilton confirmed that he would leave the broadway blockbuster on july 9 and get a haircut among his more immediate projects working on a disney film and preparing for a live action sequel to mary poppins with emily blunt he said he would rejoin hamilton or its touring arms from time to time this is a role i am going to be going back to again and again he said

10 gone from lake wobegon garrison keillor hosts his final official prairie home companion on july 1 one of our best read stories today looks at how he flourished on the radio show for four decades known for a garrulous persona that is in fact a far cry from his introverted own his gaze is often floating and takes you in from a strange distance the writer roger angell said he is certainly the strangest person i know above mr keillor in the 1970s

11 investigators recovered the cockpit voice recorder from egyptair flight 804 after locating wreckage on the mediterranean floor the recorder was in a damaged state an official said but may still be able to provide valuable clues as to why the airbus 320 veered off course a month ago and plunged into the sea killing all 66 aboard above a diving robot at work

12 finally orlando got an infusion of unconditional love from specially trained experts lutheran church charities sent 12 golden retrievers from its k 9 comfort dogs team to make the rounds of hospitals churches and vigils weve had a lot of people here that start petting the dog and they break out crying a charity official said

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i sort of long to live in the 1950s or 60s... or 70s id take any one of those decades muses the denim designer nicole najafi her pining for classic americana runs through industry standard her jeans label inspired by unfussy mid 20th century silhouettes   and was stoked during a recent spur of the moment trip to cuba with her best friend the artist mary corman shes also very nostalgic perhaps even more than i am she called me on a friday and said its about to be summer and its too hot to go then and who knows how different itll be by the fall so we booked it and they were en route to havana two weeks later
the duo roamed the old city admiring both the historic architecture and automobiles stopped by the studio belonging to the cuban contemporary artist glenda leon shadowed local fan painters and printmakers and browsed the bookstores they also caught the ferry to regla a residential neighborhood left untouched by tourism and toured finca vigia ernest hemingways former home just east of havana   with najafi documenting it all looking at my photographs the bright color combinations were so stunning normally for me gray is a color and medium gray is wild says najafi who wore a pair of white jeans of her own design every day of her trip the pink and red  the pistachio green she lists thinking aloud am i getting into color now
here najafi gives t an exclusive look at her seven day stay in cuba


this year more than most offers plenty of excuses to celebrate the life and work of james joyce this january marked the 75th anniversary of his death bloomsday - june 16 - is the date on which his novel ulysses is set and december is the 100th anniversary of the publication of his first novel a portrait of the artist as a young man
i followed joyces trail earlier this year a challenge because he was always on the move but i pared my itinerary down to dublin where the joyce family house hopped to avoid creditors london where he married and paris where he joined fellow literary lions
dublin
joyce was born in 1882 the eldest of 10 children in dublin and lived in as many as 20 homes during his familys downward mobility which coincided with his childhood
a great place to contemplate his life in dublin is with an overview the james joyce tower and museum on sandycove overlooks the coast as i stood outside the museum beneath the flag fluttering in the strong wind i surveyed a hill beyond the water and felt the sea air washed over me
the author in 1904 briefly stayed in the museums tower which is featured in the opening of ulysses but fled it after an altercation the museum which opened on bloomsday 1962 now houses a trove of joyce memorabilia including photos handwritten letters and first editions of ulysses and other books
a few weeks after his departure from the tower joyce left ireland as i left the museum i imagined a slim joyce walking nimbly down the small and narrow steps down to the rocks and onto the street running not only from the tower but from his country
though joyce essentially exiled himself from ireland dublin celebrates the life of the native son who wrote about the city as both a setting and character the james joyce centre on north georges street has three floors of information memorabilia and documentaries of the authors life both the joyce centre and the museum at sandycove display busts of joyces death mask made two days after his death in zurich in 1941 they also host the joyce circular tour around the north inner city which visits significant places in the authors life and work the dubliners tour is a walk to locations from the the dubliners short story collection and joyces life
a guide named marty gilroy took us on the circular tour which is not quite circular it begins at the center and ends at james joyces statue on north earl street there he quoted from a letter joyce sent to his brother stanislaus in 1905 while he was living in trieste when you remember that dublin has been a capital for a thousand years that it is the second city of the british empire that it is nearly three times as big as venice it seems strange that no artist has given it to the world
london
after living with a woman named nora barnacle for 27 years and having two children with her joyce traveled to london in 1931 to marry her to settle his familys inheritance by then he was famous and though the couple tried to keep their nuptials secret journalists followed them to their residence at 28b campden grove in kensington joyce so disliked the place that he called it campden grave nevertheless a blue plaque hangs at the building 28 campden grove distinguishing it as an english heritage site
from campden grove you could take walks that pause at other literary heritage sites five minutes away is the former home of the poet ezra pound joyces friend at 10 kensington church walk another 10 minutes in the opposite direction is the former home of t s eliot joyces contemporary at 3 kensington court gardens and about three minutes away is the home of the novelist ford madox ford at 80 campden hill road
paris
joyce lived in the city for more than 20 years becoming an essential part of a literary community that included pound eliot ford ernest hemingway gertrude stein and f scott fitzgerald
it is also the place where he finished writing ulysses and finnegans wake thanks to financial support from the editor harriet shaw weaver and the publisher sylvia beach beach owned an english language bookstore and lending library called shakespeare and company which opened in 1919 at 12 rue de lodeon the bookstore was closed during the german occupation of france during the second world war and never reopened at the old location is a plaque that says in french in 1922 in this house sylvia beach published ulysses by james joyce
a new shakespeare and company bookstore is near the seine down a small curved street and overlooks the notre dame cathedral it was opened in 1951 and renamed in honor of beach by george whitman and is now run by his daughter sylvia beach whitman it too has become a literary hub with regular readings and events in addition to a cache of books for sale
the hotel lutetia the last place joyce stayed in the city is currently under construction covered in taupe and scaffolding but is still worth a visit to see the vast architecture peering above the covering
joyce completed ulysses at the french writer valery larbauds apartment on 71 rue cardinal lemoine larbaud was also one of the translators of ulysses to french a plaque at the building acknowledges its two famous residents
but perhaps the best way to commune with joyce is to open up his books no airfare is required for that


last week the parisian gallerist almine rech announced that her son paul de froment will be the director of her forthcoming new york outpost the news brought to mind another recent opening lissons new york gallery where the second generation dealer alex logsdail serves as the international director his father the british art dealer nicholas logsdail co founded lisson in 1967 brought alex into the business in 2009 and made him director in 2011 logsdail and rech are not alone many major players including david zwirner arne glimcher and sean kelly have made room for their children in their businesses
as the son of arne glimcher   the dealer who nurtured the careers of robert rauschenberg and jean dubuffet   pace president marc glimcher now effectively runs his fathers international gallery schooled in molecular biology and immunology marc initially stayed away from the gallery at his fathers request but found himself habitually returning at some point if your parent is arne glimcher or paula cooper or rudolf zwirner you have to confront two things you have to come to peace with the idea that youre going to do the same thing that your father did and your father was pretty great at it marc says you also have to come to grips with the fact that he started it from scratch and you are never going to do that its an internal struggle that took me 20 years to untangle
marc had to call in his longtime friend matthew marks to vouch for him but eventually convinced arne when my children were little i said id support them with anything but coming into pace arne says if anything marc did this in spite of me he has very much his own identity and i feel at this point that i work for marc more than he works for me im very privileged marcs first assignment a book on picassos sketchbooks eventually led him to start a publishing house of his own called second sons
lucas zwirner 25 is attempting to do the same thing at the recently established david zwirner books the imprint of his fathers namesake gallery a third generation gallerist lucas will inevitably face the same scrutiny his father endured in trying to outrun the legacy of rudolf zwirner the legendary german dealer who revolutionized cologne with artists like cy twombly and joseph beuys in the 60s i look at it this way the publishing house is this post that every artist passes through over the course of five years youve probably worked with 80 percent of the artists in the gallery stable says lucas who studied philosophy and literature lucass younger sister is now interning at david zwirners pop up bookshop too
communications departments are also a common entry point for art dealer offspring lucas cooper just recently left the music industry to help his mother paula cooper with press and when josie nash started at her parents gallery mitchell innes  nash she worked in communications though she has since graduated to associate director nash admits that she sought advice from lauren kelly the daughter of sean kelly and director of his eponymous gallery   who was happy to share her experiences its definitely a learning curve lauren says when im interacting with sean hes my father first and foremost but hes also my boss weve had to come to our own terms of what it means to be personal and professional
any concerns the children have the parents have twice over nepotism is a dirty word its incredibly complicated because one has to wear all these different hats sean kelly explains one has to be a parent and a boss you want your children to do a great job but you dont want them to seem enfranchised in a way your other employees are not it takes time but when you get the balancing act right its incredibly rich and rewarding kelly should know both his children thomas and lauren have influenced the gallery and its ever growing roster of artists when she first joined i was surprised by how much she already knew lucy mitchell innes says of josie children know their parents better than anyone else at the gallery so they know in an unspoken way the viewpoint and value system of the gallery its not something that has to be learned
the phenomenon is evident across the art globe the brazilian gallerist nara roeslers sons alexandre and daniel have helped grow their mothers business into an international program the berlin based dealer max hetzlers son also named max is still in school but works at the gallery in his spare time tina kim who operates an eponymous space in chelsea has carried the legacy of her mother hyun sook lee from seoul to new york cristobal riestra of mexico citys galeria omr recently transitioned from being a director to a managing partner of the gallery with his parents patricia ortiz monasterio and jaime riestra now taking a more advisory role art basel 2016 on now is the first fair cristobal has tackled on his own i hope to develop the eye theyve had because i think its priceless for any gallery he says i also hope i inherit their capacity for change its resilient to change its how you stay relevant especially in context of contemporary art


i was 19 the first time i held an assault rifle it was on a concrete court inside a national guard armory in bloomington ind where id gathered with fellow rotc cadets for weapons training a sergeant opened an olive drab arms case and handed out m 16a2s we each took one apart and reassembled it learning the sequence learning how to safely clear it learning to check its functions it has been years since i held one but regardless of the model   an m 16 an m 4 or a civilian variant like the ar 15 or sig sauer mcx   im confident i could disassemble it blindfolded
that sounds more impressive than it is in truth its simple ensure the selector lever is on safe drop the magazine clear the chamber find the takedown pin lift the upper receiver the rest is just a series of pushes or pulls on particular parts the charging handle the buffer spring the bolt carrier group the retainer pin my brain might forget the names of the pieces but my hands remember even if i just pantomime the act of holding that rifle my hands know where to rest index finger over the trigger well   never inside it   thumb on the selector lever ready to switch and fire
the massacre in orlando this week in which the shooter used a sig sauer mcx has renewed arguments for banning assault weapons but even talking about these guns in america can become a game of semantics people obsess over terminology like literary scholars ive taught college english for almost two years now and for all the fulminating against the culture of political correctness ive never seen language scrutinized like the language of armaments and gun control there is a mechanical difference between the m 4 i carried in afghanistan and a civilian assault rifle but given the way we trained and shot using semiautomatic mode there is almost no distinction when i look at a photo of myself in afghanistan   on a combat mission in july 2009   i find myself examining the gun i could buy that rifle online including all the accessories with minimal difficulty i cant go back to afghanistan at least not now i cant be 25 again i cant recapture the fear or the wonderment or the grief   for a recently deceased friend   that i felt in that instant but the weapon i carried could be mine again with only slight variations i could once again own a little part of that regrettable era
but i dont want an assault rifle i dont want to be back in afghanistan either ive shot thousands of rounds and ive seen the effects of the bullets impact and i want nothing of it a friend of mine himself an army special forces officer with numerous combat deployments agonized over the massacre in orlando people who say they need an ar for hunting or home defense often dont understand the weapons ballistics or overpenetration he said ars cause horrific damage to humans thats why the military developed them he continued if you want to shoot an ar so bad please feel free to join the fight against isis in the military
another friend a young soldier i once supervised told me that he prefers ar 15s for home defense   and he has worked as a civilian firearms instructor with the small size of the bullet the high velocity and low recoil its easier to be accountable for each shot you fire than with something like a pistol or shotgun he said ive seen a corpse with its organs knocked out from the impact of 556 millimeter rounds from an m 4 but my former soldier has a point too when the bullet hits paper youd think someone had poked a hole with a pencil
when my unit returned from afghanistan i rented a house in anchorage it was the first time id slept alone since leaving america i woke up in sheer terror i wanted my m 4 i was unarmed and i could hear pedestrian traffic they could just walk into my house and shoot me if they wanted
a few days later i forgot to check my blind spot while driving and i nearly struck a pickup truck the driver ran out of his vehicle to scream at me i reached for my ghost appendage for the m 4 that i would have held between my legs had i still been on a convoy mission still inside a humvee i felt naked without it he could have just shot me
this fear may seem irrational it wasnt at the time i carried an m 4 because i was an infantryman in a combat zone fighting a brutal and fruitless war of occupation and i had to be ready to fire rounds into human targets in an instant lest they shoot me first these weapons are intended for the battlefield i dont want an assault rifle because i dont want to think of my home country as a battlefield i dont want civilians to own assault rifles because i think the risks outweigh the rewards if people really do believe that they need them maybe its because they see a battlefield where others dont
a few days after the traffic incident in anchorage while jogging amid melting march slush on a park trail i found myself startled   a teenage kid was running close behind me a kid clad in all black just playing around in the instant before recognition before i processed that this was an adolescent without a weapon before i identified him as safe i raised my arms as though moving my rifle to the high ready position i slid my thumb across the screen of my music player as though it were the selector lever moving from safe to semi ready to put rounds downrange because my hands remembered
i dont want to believe that we live in a place so dangerous as to require these weapons maybe im naive maybe im just waiting to be victimized id rather be naive and hopeful than face the alternative the howling terror the sensation that danger is kept at bay only by that familiar weight those familiar clicks and what comes after


theyre not your everyday vacation incidents but they do happen on tuesday evening a 2 year old boy lane graves was dragged into a lake by an alligator at disneys grand floridian resort and spa and found dead on wednesday afternoon and last month a 4 year old boy was tossed around by a gorilla at the cincinnati zoo after he slipped through the exhibits barrier the gorilla was shot and killed the boy survived
while such episodes may be rare safety can be an issue on any vacation no matter the destination and should be a top priority for any traveler according to judy stein the co president of the new york city travel consultancy ovation vacations every aspect of your personal safety including your health are at potential risk when youre on the road she said
here ms stein along with crime and health experts share their recommendations for how to stay safe on your next trip
comply with age and height restrictions on activities age and height minimums on certain activities such as white water rafting and horseback riding are in place for a reason and help prevent accidents ms stein said you might want to go white water rafting with your 8 year old on your trip to colorado but if he or she isnt old enough dont push the operator to bend the rules which travelers sometimes try to do because theyre caught up in the excitement of wanting to do the activity she said compromising your safety isnt worth it
when it comes to crime protection multistory hotels are best chris e mcgoey a security expert based in los angeles who has traveled to more than 110 countries says that properties with multiple levels are safer than motels and single story hotels multistory hotels tend to have lobbies with a front desk where there are employees as well as video surveillance thats a more challenging scenario for a criminal to navigate than a motel where you dont have to pass through a lobby to get to your room he said
also he said theres minimal risk of someone climbing in through your window if youre in a room that is above ground level and buildings with more levels tend to have hotel rooms with heavy doors to comply with fire regulations making them harder for perpetrators to kick open
be alert when sightseeing vacations are a time to relax but mr mcgoey says that its wise not to let your guard down completely to prevent against two common vacation crimes pickpocketing and having your entire bag swiped he advises being in physical contact with your bag at all times you can have it on your lap or hang it off your shoulder you can even put it on the floor but make sure the strap is around your foot which makes it less likely that someone will try to grab it he said
also he suggests that when dining at restaurants you face the room not a wall so youre aware of your surroundings and anyone who make try to approach you
pack a mini first aid kit it doesnt have to take up a lot of space but dr jahangir rahman a professor of clinical medicine at columbia university said that travelers should pack a first aid kit with hydrogen peroxide to clean cuts bandages of varying sizes and a painkiller such as advil or tylenol also if youre visiting a developing country he suggests getting a prescription from your doctor for an antibiotic such as ciprofloxacin to treat travelers diarrhea
make photocopies of personal documents mr mcgoey advises making backup copies of all the documents such as your drivers license and credit cards youre taking with you on your trip and leaving them with a family member or trusted neighbor back at home you can also scan and email them yourself if your bag or wallet containing these is stolen having backup copies allows you to find the card companys customer service phone number on the back of the card and report it stolen and if youre flying you wont be left without the identification you need to get back home
he also suggests having a copy of a backup credit card and leaving that card back at home with someone you trust that person can overnight you the card and having another card to rely on ensures that your entire vacation wont be ruined he said
arm yourself against food  and water borne infections diarrhea vomiting and dehydration are the three most common health issues on most trips according to dr rahman stay safe by sticking to bottled or boiled water even on some domestic trips if youre going to yellowstone national park or any countryside destination in the us there are parasites in the water that can make you sick he said
be even more cautious if youre traveling abroad by eating cooked food as much as possible which puts you at a lower risk of contracting a bacterial infection like e coli and salmonella and in developing countries such as thailand mexico india and many countries throughout africa avoid salads altogether because they could be washed in water of questionable cleanliness for the same reason dont eat fruits that need to be washed like grapes and strawberries those that require peeling such as mangoes and oranges are safe
avoid contact with animals outside of controlled settings dr rahman says that unless youre interacting with an animal in a controlled setting like in a bookable vacation activity such as an elephant ride minimize your chance of infection and injury by not touching any animals even cats and dogs there are too many risks he said that cute kitten for example roaming the street on your vacation to a developing country may be tempting to pet but could also be carrying a bacteria known as bartonella that can manifest in cat scratch disease characterized by swollen lymph nodes fatigue and high fever
take physical limitations into consideration when planning your trip santorini may sound like a dream vacation but its an island with lots of hills and long unavoidable stairways leading to the main towns and many hotels   not ideal for travelers who have issues with climbing or walking you are at higher risk for falling and hurting yourself and its not worth going there ms stein said similarly skiing in aspen at about 7900 feet above sea level may be on top of your wish list but isnt suited for travelers who suffer from altitude sickness   ms stein says whistler in british columbia has equally favorable skiing conditions minus the altitude its at about 2200 feet factor in physical requirements before heading to a destination


grace wales bonner the 25 year old breakout star of the london mens wear scene who has become known for collections that explore black culture and identity has won the lvmh 2016 prize for emerging talent
she is the third london based designer and the third graduate of central saint martins in a row to win the prize which was introduced in november 2013
ms wales bonner will receive a grant of 300000 euros about 335000 plus a year of coaching and mentorship from lvmh executives the french luxury group announced thursday at a ceremony at the louis vuitton foundation art museum in paris
the jury for the prize included karl lagerfeld marc jacobs phoebe philo and jonathan anderson ms wales bonner was awarded the gold star prize by lea seydoux the french film actress and a brand ambassador for louis vuitton
the prize the most lucrative in the industry is open to designers younger than 40 who have produced at least two ready to wear collections this year more than 1000 applied
ms wales bonners win was announced just days after she showed her spring 2017 collection at london collections men to broadly ecstatic reviews the clothes   rich in narrative as always   were inspired by the 1930 crowning of haile selassie as emperor of ethiopia and by traditional ceremonial dress used to push the boundaries of contemporary tailoring
finely tailored and gender fluid ms wales bonners work was the subject of an exhibition fashion in motion at the victoria and albert museum last year when she won the british fashion councils emerging mens wear talent award
the seven other finalists for the lvmh prize were aalto by tuomas merikoski alyx by matthew williams brandon maxwell facetasm by hiromichi ochiai koche by christelle kocher vejas by vejas kruszewski and yproject by glenn martens mr kruszewski a young canadian designer was also awarded a special jury prize of EUR150000 as well as a year of mentorship


for years opening ceremony the pioneering new york concept store has produced special collections for lgbt pride month this years collection a celebration of new yorks historic gay bars was well underway when the june 12 terrorist attack at pulse an orlando fla gay club provided a chilling reminder of how crucial such clubs are as all too rare and fragile safe spaces for generations of gay men and women
for this pride i thought it would be a really good time to celebrate a lot of these founding places said humberto leon opening ceremonys co founder speaking by phone from paris where he will show the new kenzo mens collection next week as a gay man these are all really important places
for opening ceremonys pride capsule collection mr leon teamed with landmarks like the stonewall inn favorites like the eagle and the monster and the once great since departed lesbian bars meow mix and cattyshack on a limited collection of t shirts sweatshirts and caps they are available at opening ceremony stores in new york and los angeles and online prices range from 25 for a tank top to 60 for a hoodie all of the profits from the collections sales will go to a fund to benefit pulse victims and their families
in the days since the massacre tributes to gay bars as havens have proliferated but in recent years many people have lamented the fading interest among younger generations in gay bars scores of which have wilted in the digital glare of meet ups by app mr leon who spent early nights in new york at julius and barracuda employs a young staff at opening ceremony and has witnessed the phenomenon firsthand
but where others see cause for complaint mr leon sees opportunity
more than half my store doesnt know what julius is doesnt know what the monster is he said for me its exciting instead of thinking how do you not know about that its exciting to say you have to check it out this is my way of saying lets go
discovery is one of the key words that we always try to think about at opening ceremony he said and rediscovering is as important as discovering something thats brand new


last july president obama announced in a video message that he was commuting the sentences of 46 nonviolent drug offenders in federal prison not since the johnson administration had so many sentences been commuted in a single day it was a small corrective obama said to the inequities in the criminal justice system and the unnecessarily harsh sentences with which these men and women had been saddled he had already commuted 30 such sentences the previous winter and has since kept going the latest 42 grants of clemency announced by the white house two weeks ago brings the total to 348 more than a third of these prisoners were serving life sentences often with no possibility of parole
in a letter to those granted clemency last july president obama conceded how difficult reentry might be perhaps even you are unsure how you will adjust to your new circumstances he wrote the office of the white house counsel was already exploring ways to give those released a shot at success and on a more basic level how to get from whichever federal prison they had wound up in to a halfway house near their homes often hundreds of miles away one person the administration approached was michael romano director of the stanford three strikes project a criminal justice group at stanford law school romano had been dealing with a similar problem in california after petitioning for the release of thousands of prisoners under recent changes to the states three strikes law the only solution romano knew of was the one he arrived at himself somewhat inadvertently so when the white house called he remembers i just started telling them about carlos and roby
i wrote about carlos cervantes and roby so in the magazine the same week that obama made his video announcement since 2014 these two young men had been driving around california picking up third strikers the morning they got out of prison and ushering them through their first day of freedom stanford originally hired carlos and roby just to transport these people from point a to point b but carlos and roby each spent more than a decade in prison themselves and their own experiences re entering society along with their extraordinary big heartedness allowed them to do a lot more they quickly proved to be hypercompassionate sherpas guiding shell shocked third strikers through the terrifying enormity of our world
for someone who has spent the last 15 or 20 years behind bars daily life is fraught with potentially demoralizing challenges riding along with carlos and roby i watched one man wrench the front off a soap dispenser in a dennys mens room because he didnt understand it was motion activated then later freeze up trying to decide between the colgate 2x whitening action and colgate 360 degree whole mouth clean and oral b indicator contour clean in the toothpaste aisle at target bungle enough of these encounters and a certain insecurity or even despair can quickly set in compounding a feeling typical among those recently freed from prison that they have no legitimate place in society
the response to the article was moving carlos and roby received email from people around the country some had recently gotten out of prison others were asking for advice about helping a formerly incarcerated loved one readjust a high school theater class in pittsburgh wrote and performed a one act play about carlos and roby or rather about carla and roberta our class is almost all female the teacher explained and hollywood pitched them television shows and documentaries one day carlos and roby texted me a selfie with eva longoria whose production company ultimately optioned the story then last december i received another selfie this time carlos and roby were at the white house the ride home program as they call their work was going national
the three strikes project had offered to expand the program to help the presidents clemency recipients since last fall carlos and roby have been crisscrossing america picking up and mentoring as many clemency recipients as they can together with four new drivers hired by the three strikes project all of them formerly incarcerated this new and improved ride home program has picked up 21 people at prisons the day of their release and visited with another 70 men and women shortly after one of the teams new drivers is stanley bailey a former third striker whom carlos picked up from ironwood state prison in california in october 2014 bailey a former heroin addict who did 25 years was studying for his truck drivers license and had just run a marathon when i met him last year he was also the subject of a short film that accompanied the article online
the scenes of disorientation joy and adjustment that they have been witnessing around the country feel somehow familiar by now the man for example who had apparently forgotten what a seatbelt was or had been away so long that he never knew or the man who after returning home to louisiana confessed that he sometimes slept in the shed next to his house because he had grown so accustomed to cramped spaces two weeks ago carlos picked up a clemency recipient named exdonovan peak from a federal prison in north carolina and delivered him to brooklyn where peaks best friend since grade school   a man who he spoke to from prison once a week for 20 years   swept him into his arms one of the greatest hugs weve seen carlos said
but the sudden cross continental expansion of their service has pushed carlos and roby into some unfamiliar and befuddling situations too they both grew up in los angeles in poor mexican and cambodian families respectively and spent most of their adult lives in prison theyve only been free for five years before they flew to miami together for a kind of trial run last fall roby had been on an airplane only twice in his life and one of those times was when he was transferred between prisons in arizona and oklahoma chained up wearing a paper jumpsuit
zipping all over the country navigating rental car counters and tiny regional airports in kentucky or missouri or texas didnt come naturally nor did driving through epic rain storms in florida or new hampshire country roads flanked by five foot high snow banks traveling deep into parts of america that they never expected to see its like jungles carlos told me describing tennessee forests you can see the nature in maine roby said i almost ran into a moose there was a big big moose
even more surreal have been their visits to the white house in december carlos and roby traveled to washington with romano and other three strikes project staff members to meet with officials of the white house counsels office and the department of justice they were taken to lunch at the white house mess next to the situation room and drank coffee out of to go cups branded with the presidential seal then in march carlos spoke at a white house briefing on life after clemency along with valerie jarrett senior advisor to the president and the white house counsel neil eggleston mc hammer was also there carlos fist bumped him carlos told me he spent the morning before the event hustling around a ross dress for less with one of the clemency recipients they had picked up trying to find the guy a sport coat the man had been invited to speak too but was tripped up by the phrase business casual the following month roby who wasnt able to go to the event because he couldnt get off work at his day job in television production was invited back to receive a champions of change award in an email eggleston told me carlos and roby are two examples of why president obama believes so strongly in the importance of second chances
one thing i learned riding along with carlos and roby last year was that the fundamental stable sense of self that most of us take for granted doesnt switch back on all at once when a person walks out of prison after so many years it takes some coaxing to remember what being free even feels like carlos and roby admitted they were still going through that process themselves every time a bunch of lawyers at stanford trusted them to pick someone up they told me it reinforced their image of themselves as responsible ordinary members of society now i asked carlos given everything thats happened in the last year were there moments when he caught himself feeling this kind of validation even more profoundly he told me that honestly somewhere along the way he must have stopped registering those milestones maybe he didnt need those reminders the way he used to he said
sometimes my wife stops me and tells me youre talking like youre from the outside world youre talking like a normal person carlos said the other day for example they were at a little doughnut shop in los angeles and carlos flummoxed asked the person behind the counter you guys dont make americanos he wasnt being snooty just genuinely surprised it was the sort of place he expected to make americanos
gabrielle his wife rolled her eyes what are you even talking about she said he spent 11 years drinking terrible instant coffee in prison now look at him holding up the doughnut line
i became an american i guess carlos told me i became a free person


times insider shares historic insights from the new york times in this piece david w dunlap a metro reporter looks back at a mural that has been given new life
every day is a fresh beginning   every morn is the world made new
for more than 40 years those words greeted everyone who worked at or visited the new york timess headquarters at 229 west 43rd street suspended in the darkness of space they orbited a 21 foot long orthographic projection of earth
it was painted by the muralist eugene kingman 1909 1975 who directed the joslyn art museum in omaha in collaboration with one of americas pre eminent cartographers richard edes harrison 1901 1994
on thursday the mural is to be unveiled a second time back home in omaha as an artistic centerpiece of the w dale clark library downtown part of the omaha public library system the library director laura marlane said in a statement that the artwork well represented the institutions mission opening your world to new opportunities and experiences
fittingly enough the poem by sarah chauncey woolsey 1835 1905 from which the inscription was taken is titled begin again
the optimistic globe girdling motto can be understood literally but in 1948 when the mural was installed in the timess main lobby viewers would have instantly grasped its larger meaning that a devastated world was beginning to recover from the trauma of world war ii
the maps viewpoint centered on the north atlantic ocean at 40 degrees west 25 degrees north also spoke volumes about the confidence   would hubris be a better word   with which the united states and western europe had assumed the mantle of world leadership after defeating the axis powers
one fifth of the total land and water area of the world is shown in this view the mural caption read and it is safe to say that it is the most important fifth
by the late 80s the notion that the worlds future turned solely on the north atlantic had been discredited by the rise of asian powers the murals artistry   stunningly realistic for a generation that had never seen earth from space   was looking out of date the words from a 19th century poem rang hollow in a times square where every day brought a fresh mugging and every morn a drugged hangover
the canvas itself was showing signs of strain and age so it was rolled up and tucked away its place was taken by easy to maintain unembarrassing marble panels
we brought the rolled up mural with us when we moved two blocks south in 2007 to 620 eighth avenue but no one knew what to do with a 147 square foot artwork that needed tens of thousands of dollars of restorative work dollars that the times no longer had
fortunately we werent the only ones who knew about the mural
kingman was a wunderkind who had commissions from the national park service while he was still an undergraduate at yale and eight of those paintings won international awards at an exposition in paris said maureen mccann waldron the chairwoman of the kingmannew york times mural committee in omaha and a retired administrator at creighton university
working with mr kingmans daughters elizabeth kingman and mixie kingman eddy ms waldron and others persuaded the times in 2014 to part with the mural for which it had originally paid 3600 it was understood that the artwork would be restored and placed on public display ownership was transferred to the nonprofit joslyn castle trust
after about a year of fund raising we had more than 100 donors who put almost 65000 in the fund to restore and hang the mural ms waldron said two donors she said were arthur sulzberger jr the chairman of the new york times company and michael golden the vice chairman she didnt reveal how much the times executives gave
the conservation job was entrusted to kenneth be of the gerald r ford conservation center in omaha among the challenges he faced was removing decades worth of cigarette smoke residue
im thrilled that this stunning artwork that greeted employees and visitors to the new york times for four decades has found such a fitting home tom bodkin the timess creative director said on wednesday its universal life affirming message will again be accessible and inspirational to a large audience
though the map does not depict political boundaries   part of what makes it timeless   it does show major cities they appear as red splotches on the topography much to the delight of the murals recipients when they unrolled the artwork two years ago they found a dot just where omaha should be


though best known as a top makeup artist and the organic beauty mogul behind rms beauty rose marie swift has a semisecret side hobby astrological readings the thing is im an aquarian   aquarians rule astrology she explained on a recent rainy day in her union square home her fascination with celestial charts began when she was 15 i hated my stepfather and wanted to know the reason he acted the way he acted i went lets look up scorpios man   and she discovered the only astrology book youll ever need today she gives one hour readings to clients and friends in the fashion and beauty industry including linda rodin who stopped by for a reading that afternoon
usually people come to me when theres a drama that they cant answer said swift who believes astrology can explain almost everything im an aquarian therefore im a future thinker ergo her beauty line my rising sign is libra which rules the beauty industry she said my moon is sagittarius so im a truth seeker   this is why i mouth off my mars in aries makes me feisty
rodin is a pisces hence her incredible sense of style but according to swift has mercury the planet that rules communication intellect and awareness in aquarius meaning shes exactly like me in the way she speaks and opens up and its true the two fling compliments at one another like badminton players backhanding a birdie   which is to say very fast frequently and forcefully
in the same way that aversion led swift to astrology it also introduced her to alternative beauty sources i wouldnt touch anything he touched swift said of her stepfather so i wouldnt use the soap when my mom let me wear eyeliner id take it off with olive oil and later coconut oil ive never used that mainstream stuff given the glut of organic and clean beauty products on the market now swift is trying to make it as easy as i can on them she said referring to her clients so they dont have to live the way i do in my head below she shares with t her easy wellness tips for a cleaner lifestyle
your skin is a mirror to your gut the first thing i tell everyone is probiotics probiotics probiotics i take some vitamins too like astaxanthin and turmeric ill do homeopathy drops for different organs too   one for the liver or the lymphatic system   and take digestive enzymes
dont be affected by marketing product claims and brand names just get cleaner makeup there are a lot of brands out there now that dont have all those chemicals ewgs skin deep cosmetic database has a list of safer sunscreens and toxicities of brands the people behind it are chemists and scientists theres also a cosmetic app called think dirty
the rebounder is really good for the body she said referring to the mini trampoline shown above it gets the whole lymphatic system going and oxygenated i do it for like five minutes 10 minutes it stimulates the organs to release toxins and doesnt hurt your body
i never eat late the later you eat the harder it is on your liver i usually eat at 530 or 6 today my diet is 60 to 70 percent raw and the rest cooked i dont do meat   i havent eaten it in over 30 years she said about her vegetarian diet its the most anti aging thing you could imagine it helps the skin
every morning i do a juice or smoothie i have a vitamix and a green star juicer sometimes i focus on vegetables or fruit depending on the day but everythings always organic
1 banana 1 handful of strawberries or blueberries 1 handful of sunflower sprouts a 2 3 inch piece of cucumber 1 floret of cauliflower 1  1/2  cups water  1/2  tablespoon chia seeds 1 tablespoon healthforce vitamineral green 1 tablespoon healthforce greener grasses
1 add all the ingredients to the blender and mix until creamy


times insider delivers behind the scenes insights from the new york times in this first in a series of postcards from texas our houston bureau chief muses on the lone star states freewheeling dont tread on me attitude
houston - everything my son needs to know about zoning he learned in kindergarten
zoning is an easy subject to grasp in houston it doesnt exist here houston is the largest city in the country without zoning laws the significance of this didnt sink in until last year when my son was in kindergarten and he came up with the idea of turning our house into a public library im not quite sure what he envisioned and whether he wanted bookcases in all our bedrooms or just his and whether we would be open on saturdays or just on weekdays
he was encouraged at school to send his idea to the mayor and he did the mayor at the time was annise d parker she wrote him a letter in response dated june 4 2015 on office of the mayor letterhead
she told him that converting his home into a library would certainly require his parents approval and she listed the addresses of three libraries already constructed near your neighborhood but ms parker   or whomever on her staff drafted the letter   made it a point to clearly state at the top that houston had no zoning laws
while houston does have a building code the city has no zoning the letter read citizens must vote to implement zoning five times zoning has been placed on the ballot and five times it has been defeated
the mayor of the fourth largest city in america seemed to be speaking to my kindergartner in texas code you may need your parents permission kid but you dont need mine this is houston go for it
my wife taped the letter to my sons closet door and it flaps there in the breeze kicked up by the ceiling fan he never followed through with his idea but i like knowing the letter is there when he needs it some hard evidence on city of houston stationery that nothing is impossible this is part of what we get out of our investment in texas   a distinct western gumption and grit that affects however fleetingly who we are and who we think we are and how our houses should look
the lack of zoning shapes houstons sprawling disjointed skyline but in a broader sense shapes the citys character randal otoole a senior fellow at the cato institute the libertarian research center once wrote in the houston chronicle that houstons lack of zoning and its limited intrusiveness into how property owners use their land made it the freest major city in america
there is a flip side to such freedom of course residents in one wealthy neighborhood near rice university continue to fight a yearslong battle to stop a proposed 21 story residential tower the so called ashby high rise you know youre in the neighborhood when you see the tower of traffic protest signs in yards and on fences
thats how it is in houston out of place is a way of life what my son wanted to do to our house with books john milkovisch did to his houston home with beer or more precisely beer cans
mr milkovisch a retired upholsterer for the southern pacific railroad spent 20 years turning his ordinary ranch house in the middle of the 200 block of malone street into a teetotalers nightmare the beer can house he cut and flattened thousands of aluminum beer cans the contents of which were emptied into his person and used the pieces to cover the entire exterior of his home with a gleaming silvery beer logo siding long strands of beer can tops hang like curtains from the eaves if youre standing on the porch surrounded by the schlitz and coors and schaefer labels it takes your eyes a while to recognize the small oval object on your right the doorbell
mr milkovisch died in 1988 at the age of 75 the house was later purchased from the milkovisch family and renovated by the orange show center for visionary art which turned it into a museum and folk art exhibit
i live five miles from the beer can house on a recent visit a docent quenton byers 29 gave me a tour we stood in the driveway as the can top curtains tinkled a metallic beat as if it were raining six packs it was a humid late afternoon in june in houston so i wiped the sweat from my face with my hands for some reason i was thirsty
i asked mr byers how many beer cans were on mr milkovischs house and property he said the estimate was 50000
he drank most of them mr byers said of mr milkovisch i like to point out this yellow can up here its falstaff 96 its a low calorie beer its the beer that his wife would drink
mr milkovischs unusual home improvement project was embraced by neighbors city officials artists and art patrons when the house reopened to the public for the first time following the orange show centers restoration in 2008 the mayor at the time bill white cut the ribbon technically the citys lack of zoning had nothing to do with mr milkovischs house and there are weird homes in every major city in america but i wonder if the beer can house would have survived anywhere else
near the end of ms parkers tenure as mayor she visited the beer can house with friends mr byers was working that day and recalled it with pride if my son starts taping dewey decimal system tags on the spines of our books at home i wont worry that much maybe shell stop by the library house too


milan   the common element to the eclectic group of works that sam havadtoy created for his exhibit only remember the future at the mudima foundation here is not immediately noticeable to the eye
overpainted so it isnt visible lace envelops his paintings and sculptures like a delicately patterned second skin it is a subtle reminder that despite a peripatetic life that at one point brought him to new york where he was yoko onos companion for two decades after john lennons death in 1980 mr havadtoys roots are hungarian
in hungary mr havadtoy said you find lace on the top of the tv on the back of the armchair on the sofa everywhere but once it gets soiled or ripped it gets thrown away because it is seen as something of little value a bit kitschy rather than one of the earliest forms of female art and a time intensive craft that dates back at least to ancient egypt
i thought by putting it on canvases or statues the viewer is confronted with something that they never knew as a source of beauty in their lives mr havadtoy said during a stroll through the exhibit which opened june 1 and runs through july 8
lace has become such a signature of mr havadtoys work that visitors to his shows often bring him treasured lace heirlooms so that they might live a second life in his art
mr havadtoy primes his canvases with handwritten personal stories that are then buried under layers of paint and lace so that they cannot be read he described the process as a confession that no one hears
so the lace is a ritual the final act of that story moving on from that story he said
as a storyteller mr havadtoy 63 is at no loss for anecdotes born in london and raised in communist hungary he escaped through the iron curtain into yugoslavia and on to italy from there he traveled to london in the summer of 1972 he moved to new york to join a boyfriend and prospered as an interior designer until an encounter with lennon and ms ono steered his life in a new direction
the couple came into the shop where he worked and selected two chairs i was included in the price he recalled with a laugh
i am the kind of person that if i see a door i want to open it he said walking around an installation titled doors a series of painted antique doors with the handles replaced by bulbous bronze self portraits that he described as my version of the 14 stations of the cross
it is a nod to the deeply rooted   if rarely followed   religious tradition of his newly adopted home italy as well as a rumination on the trials we go through in life
in this show his own have been painstakingly written concealed and consigned to posterity on canvases that pay a post pointillist nod to italian masters like umberto boccioni modigliani and giorgio morandi
his association with keith haring andy warhol and other luminaries of the new york art scene of the last decades of the 20th century might have informed his artistic development but finding his own vision was complicated by his involvement with ms ono one of the worlds most recognized female artists he only began making art full time in the mid 1980s he said
that said ms ono was an undoubted influence
being with yoko was like going through an extensive university course of life he said and i was the only student
i may have taken too long he added maybe i failed at many courses but finally i graduated and came into my own like going to university its a period that you would never replace with anything else but theres no point in going back to it its done
after their breakup in 2000   which he described as painful   mr havadtoy moved to england and then back to hungary where he set up a studio in a town outside budapest seven years ago he began visiting italy more frequently moving first to liguria and then to milan where he now lives commuting to budapest
hes authentic said arturo schwarz an italian art historian and curator
a real artist must be faithful to his inner self and his art is very personal said mr schwarz who wrote an essay in the catalogue for mr havadtoys show at mudima its his own inner world hes sincere and truthful to himself
since moving to italy mr havadtoy said his mood   and his art   have become happier and his production has flourished just this year he will have shows in milan budapest warsaw and brussels the milan exhibition will travel to budapest and bucharest he said
yet when he was asked when he thought he came into his own as an artist mr havadtoy laughed with gusto and said any day now


new york
because of an editing error an article on tuesday about joseph percoco a former aide to gov andrew m cuomo who is under federal investigation quoted incorrectly from comments by blair horner the executive director of the new york public interest research group mr horner said that the actions of mr percoco could cause harm if he was gaming the system not manipulating it

an article on saturday about the increasing presence of birds at westchester county airport using information from government officials misidentified birds that nest above hangar doors there they are cliff swallows not barn swallows the error was repeated in an accompanying picture caption
business day
an article on wednesday about ubers plans to raise as much as 2 billion through the use of leveraged securities described a leveraged loan incorrectly it is issued by a company with heavy existing debt not to that company
the arts
a dance review on saturday about the pennsylvania ballet at the merriam theater in philadelphia misidentified the designer of the lighting of the starlit sky in o zlozony  o composite one of the works performed the designer is colman rupp the assistant to the works original lighting designer jennifer tipton   not ms tipton

because of an editing error an article on wednesday about the evidence room an exhibition at the venice architecture biennale that is a reconstruction of architectural elements of the auschwitz death camp misspelled the given name of a member of the team that worked on the project she is sascha hastings not sacha
thursday styles
the scouting report column last thursday misstated the address where the metropolitan museum of art is holding a book sale it is 1000 fifth avenue not 6 east 82nd street
the times welcomes comments and suggestions or complaints about errors that warrant correction messages on news coverage can be e mailed to nytnewsnytimescom or left toll free at 1 844 nyt news 1 844 698 6397 comments on editorials may be e mailed to lettersnytimescom or faxed to 212 556 3622
readers dissatisfied with a response or concerned about the papers journalistic integrity may reach the public editor at publicnytimescom or 212 556 7652


gordie howe could break a lobster claw with his fingers one of his sons said and make people melt in his hands with his kindness and humility
howes son murray began the funeral service for his father on wednesday with a eulogy that emphasized the toughness and generosity of the man known as mr hockey who died friday at age 88
hall of famers including bobby orr wayne gretzky and scotty bowman and nhl commissioner gary bettman attended the service in detroit where howe played most of his remarkable 32 year professional career
penguins celebrate a title hundreds of thousands of fans lined the streets of pittsburgh as the penguins paraded through the city with the stanley cup   seven years to the day since the last time they held such a celebration
johnny cueto struck out nine over seven innings for his team leading 10th win and the san francisco giants completed a sweep of the visiting milwaukee brewers with a 10 1 victory
buster posey hit a bases loaded two run single in the third to get things going on a big offensive day and matt duffy followed with a run scoring single against jimmy nelson 5 6 as the giants used a balanced offensive attack on the way to their fifth straight win
around the majors jayson werth singled in the winning run with two outs in the 12th inning and the nationals beat the visiting chicago cubs 5 4 washingtons stephen strasburg and chicagos jason hammel each gave up one run in seven innings clayton kershaw struck out 11 in his 10th victory of the season as the los angeles dodgers won at arizona 3 2 kenley jansen tied eric gagne for the dodgers franchise record of 161 career saves chris sale allowed three runs in seven innings and became the first 11 game winner in the majors as the chicago white sox beat visiting detroit 5 3
three more women have filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against baylor university claiming the institution did nothing to help them after they reported having been sexually assaulted baylor has come under intense criticism over its handling of allegations of sexual assault over several years including cases involving football players


seattle   looking to get back into the final four of the copa america for the first time in 21 years the united states mens national soccer team is expecting thunderous support from fans at thursday nights quarterfinal against ecuador in seattle
i think it can be the difference the american captain michael bradley said we played here a few years ago against panama and the atmosphere was amazing i think tomorrow has the potential to be one of the best american atmospheres weve seen in a while
the pacific northwest is home to a fervent soccer community and centurylink field is infamous for the noise it can produce both for soccer games and for games featuring the seahawks of the nfl
the united states lucked into the location by winning group a a feat that did not seem likely after a 2 0 loss to the colombia in its opening game but colombia sustained an unexpected loss to costa rica so the united states won the group
on may 25 the united states beat ecuador 1 0 in a copa america tuneup in frisco tex but ecuador did not have antonio valencia or walter ayovi two of its best players for that game it will have a full complement of players thursday while the united states will be without right back deandre yedlin who received a red card in a 1 0 win over paraguay and must sit out thursdays game
jurgen klinsmann the united states coach did not announce a replacement for yedlin during his news conference wednesday but the americans were confident they could deal with ecuadors speed and skill on the flanks with the flashy enner valencia on the left and the playmaking antonio valencia on the right
it changes things a little bit united states goalkeeper brad guzan said of yedlins absence but whoever jurgen selects to come in we know they are going to do a great job and there is a ton of other players on the pitch ready to help whoever it is in that position its not just up to one guy its up to all of us
the winner of the game will travel to houston for a semifinal against argentina or venezuela the last time the united states reached the semifinals of the copa america was in 1995 in uruguay the second time it entered the tournament
that was a different era when south american teams did not always enter their best players for the copa america the united states was the surprise of the tournament in 1995 beating mexico in a penalty shootout in the quarterfinals it lost to brazil in the semifinals
for knockout round games besides the final this copa america is using the same format that 1995 tournament did with a penalty shootout occurring immediately after the second half ends in a tie rather than after 30 minutes of extra time gustavo quinteros the ecuador coach said his players had all taken three or four penalty kicks a day in preparation and klinsmann said his team had practiced penalty kicks as well
its a bit bizarre united states defender alejandro bedoya said it makes things a little bit different if it comes down to it it could go either way


baltimore ravens offensive tackle eugene monroe was released wednesday several months after he had publicly called on the nfl to let players use medical marijuana to treat injuries
though retired nfl players have advocated for the use of medical marijuana monroe is one of the few active players who have taken that stance medical marijuana he said is safer and healthier than prescription painkillers which can be addictive
monroe who is now a free agent said he would continue to call on the league to loosen its stance regardless of whether he continues to play in the nfl commissioner roger goodell has said only that the leagues advisers continue to evaluate the issue
in a statement monroe acknowledged that he had been hampered by injuries adam schefter of espn also reported that the ravens had tried to trade monroe to the giants but that the talks had fallen through
still monroe questioned whether his advocacy might have also played a role in his release
i cant say for sure whether or not my stance on medical cannabis was the reason the ravens released me monroe said however as ive said in the past they have distanced themselves from me and made it clear that they do not support my advocacy
a team spokesman said monroe had been released but declined to say whether his stance on medical marijuana had been part of the reason


noah syndergaard fell short of a shutout but still pitched strongly enough to strike out 11 and the mets amassed a season high 19 hits for a thorough 11 2 victory over the pittsburgh pirates on wednesday at citi field
syndergaard registered one out in the ninth inning before allowing a double by david freese that scored john jaso who had three of the pirates five hits off syndergaard
he deserved to go out there in the ninth inning and see if he could get the shutout manager terry collins said
after throwing 115 pitches syndergaard was pulled for jeurys familia who recorded the final two outs as the mets ended a three game losing streak
syndergaards eight and one third innings were a career high and he has allowed two or fewer earned runs in each of his last eight starts
the mets offensive frenzy came after another unexpected lineup shuffle by collins the original plan was to have juan lagares lead off on wednesday but in keeping with recent trends for the mets an injury necessitated a change
an hour before the game lagares was scratched unable to play because of lingering pain from the torn ligament in his left thumb after hitting in the batting cage lagares rested for about 20 minutes and then began to feel soreness and stiffness in his left hand lagares put on his glove could not squeeze it and notified collins
i want to get it checked tomorrow to make sure but i dont know whats going to happen said lagares who did not feel much pain after the game and was able to close his fingers while he talked to reporters
while lagaress prognosis is uncertain the mets received positive news on the status of neil walker collins had hoped to have walker back at second base for wednesdays game but walker texted the teams trainers in the morning to notify them that because of persistent back pain he did not feel able to play
walker saw a doctor wednesday afternoon received medication and told collins wednesday night that he wanted to play thursday
without lagares and walker matt reynolds played second base curtis granderson moved to the top spot in the order and kelly johnson started in left field bumping yoenis cespedes to center field the last minute switch provided a spark granderson led off the bottom of the first with a single and scored the games first run and in the third inning johnson hit his first home run with the mets this season
johnson finished 3 for 5 with two runs scored and two rbi wilmer flores drove in four runs and cespedes scored three times each starting position player for the mets scored or drove in a run including reynolds who notched three hits and two rbi


inside the brick fortress near the brooklyn bridge that is 1 police plaza the headquarters of the new york police department the auditorium is a place where officers come for jubilant events where cadets are sworn in and where members of the force shake the hand of the commissioner after a promotion
and on wednesday officers marched in with the flags of the united states new york city and the rainbow colors of gay pride for a gathering that was also one of celebration if tinged with mourning
it was the first time in more than a decade organizers said that the gay officers action league of new york has had a community gathering for lesbian gay bisexual and transgender pride month the event was planned before the mass shooting at a gay nightclub this week in orlando fla but the tragedy added a poignancy to it
it was an opportunity organizers said to improve a sometimes strained relationship with the citys gay lesbian bisexual and transgender people and show that the city had a diverse force that included officers who shared similar experiences
brian downey a detective and the president of the league since january noted that there were officers who had been shunned by their families for their sexual orientation or who had struggled to come out to their friends and colleagues there have been transgender officers who transitioned while on the job
they need to see us said detective downey who has been with the police department for more than eight years they need to see the out and proud members of the department
william j bratton the police commissioner said it was his hope that everyone who lives works and plays in the city feels comfortable approaching a new york city police officer and is treated with compassion with care and with attention
the league established in 1982 has about 2000 members from the police department federal law enforcement and other agencies
we are a beautiful mosaic inside the police department detective downey said that represents that beautiful mosaic that is the city of new york
there were references throughout the night to progress and to how much the city and the department have evolved over the decades with officers trained to interact with gay people with awareness and sensitivity
but detective downey acknowledged the tensions that have existed between the department and gay people and he said he hoped the discussions fueled by the orlando shooting could bring about an improved connection i think its not as strong as it could be and i think its not as strong as it should be he said were doing everything we can and well do more
some officers expressed fears about joining the profession because of their sexual identity
over the years accusations of discrimination have been leveled against the department and some officers have brought lawsuits against it because they believed that their careers had been impaired or that they had been harassed because of their orientation or identity
i had a certain idea of what the police department was like a pretty ignorant idea and i thought it was going to be a lot worse said carl locke a detective who joined the police department 15 years ago
brooke bukowski a patrol officer in the sixth precinct in greenwich village said she had thought that being a police officer would not even be an option for her as a transgender woman she has been with the department for five years patrolling in east new york and flatbush in brooklyn before taking the manhattan assignment
its really like a nonissue especially when they see youre a hard working officer officer bukowski said
i am transgender thats who i am she added but on the day to day i just want to be seen as a good cop


los angeles   jimmy page of led zeppelin testifying in a closely watched copyright trial on wednesday said that until recently he had never heard the song he has been accused of plagiarizing in the bands 1971 hit stairway to heaven
a couple of years ago mr page said his son in law told him that people online were comparing stairway to taurus a 1968 song by the lesser known group spirit but when mr page finally heard the other song it sounded totally alien to him
i know that i had never heard it before he said
mr page 72 and his bandmate robert plant 67 are defending themselves in the music industrys latest copyright trial a year after robin thicke and pharrell williams were ordered to pay 53 million to the family of marvin gaye over their song blurred lines
the suit over stairway to heaven was filed by michael skidmore a trustee for the songs of randy wolfe a member of spirit who died in 1997 the suit says that mr page and mr plant copied taurus for the distinctive acoustic guitar part that opens stairway and that the men had heard spirits song when the two bands crossed paths on the road
at the trial which began tuesday lawyers for led zeppelin are expected to argue that any similarities between stairway to heaven and taurus are because of generic musical patterns that cannot be copyrighted like a descending chord progression that is common to both pieces
mr page who appeared in a black three piece suit with his long white hair tied back was asked by mr skidmores lawyer whether he remembered a concert in december 1968 when led zeppelin opened for spirit
i didnt hear spirit at the denver show mr page said adding that he believed the headliner was vanilla fudge
mr page admitted that he owned a copy of spirits 1968 debut album which contains the song taurus although he said he did not know how he got it his record collection contains 4329 vinyl albums and 5882 cds he said
earlier in the day mark andes the bassist in spirit testified that taurus had been a regular part of the bands set in its early days he said he remembered drinking beer and playing snooker with mr plant after spirit played a club in birmingham england in 1970
we had a blast mr andes said
with its accusation of plagiarism in one of the most famous and lucrative songs in rock history   according to one estimate the song has generated more than 562 million in royalties   the case has riveted the music industry and the courtroom was packed with reporters and fans
the day had moments of levity as when mr page told the plaintiffs lawyer francis malofiy that he had begun playing guitar at age 12 and was in professional recording sessions by 17
you had a gift you played the guitar mr malofiy said
well yeah mr page said to laughter in the courtroom
his testimony is expected to continue on thursday


washington   president obama and hillary clinton have been in lock step in denouncing donald j trumps response to the mass shooting in orlando fla yet their united front against mrs clintons likely republican opponent in the presidential election this fall masks differences in how they portray the threat from islamic terrorism at home and how they would wage the campaign to defeat it abroad
mrs clinton who served as secretary of state during mr obamas first term has advocated a more aggressive military strategy in syria including a no fly zone to protect civilians   something the president has steadfastly rejected she has spoken more starkly than he has about the threat posed by islamic state inspired terrorism in the united states and she would overhaul the administrations efforts to counter violent extremism according to a senior campaign adviser
whatever we learn about this killer his motives in the days ahead mrs clinton said monday we know already the barbarity that we face from radical jihadists is profound mr obama has shunned such charged language arguing that it sows fear when the nation has acted out of fear after terrorist attacks he said on tuesday we came to regret it
for the most part mrs clinton and mr obama seemed to echo each other this week in condemning mr trumps call to ban muslims from entering the united states and in ridiculing his fixation on the label radical islamic terrorism
still even as mrs clinton castigated mr trump she declared that she had no problem using the term radical islamism she said it meant the same thing as radical jihadism a phrase she used regularly mr obama stuck to his refusal to utter those words he said they played into the hands of the militants by implying that islam was synonymous with terrorism
mrs clinton and mr obama are in different places to be sure one a second term president with fixed views on how to deal with terrorism the other a female democratic candidate for the white house facing a likely republican opponent who is determined to exploit fears about terrorism in a campaign suddenly dominated by national security concerns
but their response to the orlando attack illustrates the challenge both will face as the general election campaign begins as mr obama campaigns for her they will have to figure out how to navigate differences that range across foreign and domestic issues and reflect divergences in both tactics and worldview
they should both stipulate that theyre not going to agree on 100 percent of things because no two people do and if shes president of the united states shes going to set her own direction said david axelrod a former political adviser to mr obama the one thing shes not going to associate herself with is the concept that his policies have failed
during her long battle with senator bernie sanders of vermont for the democratic nomination mrs clinton has tried to play down policy differences with mr obama in part because she needed to keep the president close to appeal to the racially diverse coalition that he assembled in 2008 as she confronts mr trump the gaps will be harder to ignore
if shes going to be critical of trump then shes got to put it in the context of identifying two or three places where shes been successful with obama said david winston a republican strategist then the areas where shes similar to or different from him will emerge
trade is likely to be the most visible dividing line between them mr obama is pushing hard for congress to ratify his ambitious asian trade agreement the trans pacific partnership before he leaves office as secretary of state mrs clinton promoted the agreement scores of times but last fall facing an unexpectedly robust challenge from mr sanders she reversed course and came out against it
on national security mrs clintons differences with mr obama go back further and are rooted in more than political calculation in 2012 while still in the administration she argued for funneling weapons to moderate rebels in syria she said later that the failure to do so had opened a security vacuum in syria that was filled by the militants of the islamic state
in october mrs clinton announced that she favored a no fly zone to create humanitarian corridors to try to stop the carnage on the ground and from the air she has said little about the proposal in recent months and there is no sign that it has gained any traction in the administration
another area where mrs clinton is likely to diverge from mr obama is in how to counter the propaganda of violent extremism the obama administration has focused heavily on communications an approach that critics say has proved disappointing a former administration official who is advising the clinton campaign said mrs clinton would place more emphasis on working with teachers community leaders imams and others who have direct contact with those at risk of being radicalized
she will also put new pressure on the united states arab allies said this adviser who asked to remain anonymous because he was not authorized to speak for the clinton campaign in mondays speech she sounded that theme saying that it is long past time for the saudis the qataris and the kuwaitis and others to stop their citizens from funding extremist organizations
mr obama came under criticism for failing to express adequate fury after the terrorist attacks in paris that left 130 people dead white house officials acknowledged later that mr obama had been too modulated but the president has not wavered from his refusal to use overheated language in discussing terrorism enough talking about being tough on terrorism he said on tuesday actually be tough on terrorism
mrs clinton has consistently used harsher language than mr obama in characterizing the threat from islamic militants americans are anxious and fearful and we have reason to be she said in december after the shootings in san bernardino calif at the time campaign officials said she needed to validate the fears of americans
mrs clintons advisers are not eager to discuss policy differences between her and the president but the extreme nature of mr trumps pronouncements makes her disagreements with mr obama look relatively minor
the focus will be on the fork in the road on the path forward with trump versus the path forward with clinton said geoff garin a democratic pollster who is working for priorities usa action a super pac supporting mrs clinton the differences they have with each other will pale in comparison to the fundamental differences they share with donald trump


albany   the residents of hoosick falls came to the state capitol on wednesday with the numbers hung around their necks scribbled on their arms and described on hand drawn posters
dad 68
grandma 85
teacher 137
the numbers represented how much a toxic chemical measured in parts per billion has infiltrated their bodies as it has contaminated their villages water
located about 30 miles northeast of albany hoosick falls has been the epicenter for growing statewide concerns about perfluorooctanoic acid or pfoa the toxic chemical that has been linked in some studies to increased risk for cancer and other serious ailments
last year pfoa was confirmed in dangerously high levels in the villages drinking water which comes from municipal wells late january more than a month after a federal warning about the water gov andrew m cuomo ordered the installation of new filtration systems blood testing and other measures
in recent weeks those in and around hoosick falls have been receiving the blood test results and the news for some has been troubling on wednesday several who came to albany reported test levels as much as 100 times the national average such results have reignited fears in hoosick falls and infuriated residents like loreen hackett who denounced mr cuomo and the states reaction particularly in light of other water contamination crises in places like flint mich
we are his flint said ms hackett holding a photograph of her grandchildren corey and alyssa both of whom tested at more than 50 times the national average
moments after she spoke ms hackett and others from hoosick falls were invited to an hourlong meeting with jim malatras the states director of operations who has headed much of the states response to the pfoa crisis afterward several residents expressed gratitude for the meeting which resulted in promises to disclose more results from testing and bringing staff to hoosick falls from mount sinai hospital in manhattan to consult with residents
left unfulfilled however was a wish for legislative hearings on the states reaction to the contamination even as the legislature prepares to wrap up its session for the year on thursday mr cuomo a democrat was not available to meet with residents according to his office because of meetings with legislative leaders
the decision not to hold hearings earned the derision of state assemblyman steve mclaughlin whose district includes hoosick falls and who has criticized the state senate majority leader john j flanagan a fellow republican and while mr mclaughlin thanked mr cuomos office for the meeting on wednesday he did not ease up on senator flanagan who he said was ignoring the plight of children in the village
how do you look at them and not have hearings he said
scott reif a spokesman for mr flanagan said that our primary focus is on ensuring that the progress that has been made on behalf of the residents of hoosick falls continues and that he had been in almost daily contact with the local state senator kathy marchione about hoosick falls
michael whyland a spokesman for the assembly speaker carl e heastie a democrat said that the primary concern was getting clean water but that if hearings are warranted in the future then we can do that
the state health department in early june found that the median number for 2081 residents who were tested was a little more than 28 parts per billion or nearly 15 times the national median for those 12 or older
hoosick falls was once a center for production of products treated with teflon whose production involves pfoa the state has said that a local plant   saint gobain performance plastics   was the source of the contamination the company has said it is cooperating with the authorities and paid for a new carbon filtration system and bottled water for the village
mr cuomo declared the village a state superfund site in january but was also criticized for not visiting hoosick falls until mid march when that system became operational on wednesday mr malatras defended the administrations response and noted that the legislature deals with legislative hearings
but he also seemed sympathetic to the villages residents in any situation like this anxiety and emotions are running very high he said
before their meeting with mr malatras one resident maryann jacobs was in tears talking about test results showing her childrens levels at more than 20 times the national median her 10 year old daughter hailey wrote a letter to the governor it read in part my mom came to hoosick falls for a good reason but now she knows the whole time she was trying to raise us we were being poisoned she feels its her fault but its not her fault


washington   for a fleeting moment this week it seemed as if the massacre in orlando fla was having the unlikely and unintended impact of helping to bridge the chasm between republicans and many in the gay community
mitt romney offered a special prayer for the lgbt community after he learned of the attack senator marco rubio of florida granted an interview to the advocate the gay news magazine and expressed outrage at the islamic states persecution of gays and donald j trump repeatedly expressed solidarity with gay lesbian bisexual and transgender people declaring i will fight for you   an unprecedented show of support from a presumptive republican presidential nominee
but the deep divide over gay rights remains one of the most contentious in american politics and the murder of 49 people in an orlando gay club has in many cases only exacerbated the anger from democrats and supporters of gay causes who are insisting that no amount of warm words or reassuring twitter posts change the fact that republicans continue to pursue policies that would limit legal protections for gays and lesbians
in the weeks leading up to the killings they pointed out issues involving gays were boiling over in congress and in republican controlled states around the country more than 150 pieces of legislation were pending in state legislatures that would restrict rights or legal protections for sexual minorities a republican congressman read his colleagues a bible verse from romans that calls for the execution of gays congress was considering a bill that would allow individuals and businesses to refuse service to gay and lesbian couples
north carolina is facing a harsh backlash because of a law curtailing antidiscrimination protections for gays and requiring transgender people to use bathrooms that match the gender on their birth certificates mississippis governor signed a similar bill
gays have surpassed jews as the minority group most often targeted in hate crimes according to the fbi
the agitated reactions are just some of the ways identity politics have overtaken the tragedy in orlando with its combustible mix of issues that have long divided americans guns gays god and immigration
if one more republican tells me they have gay friends im gonna scream said representative sean patrick maloney democrat of new york and one of just a few openly gay lesbian or bisexual members of congress i dont care that they have gay friends i care that theyre voting against equality
the massacre with stunning speed has been transformed into a political wedge beginning with fierce disagreements over just what the crime should be called an attack by radical islamic terrorists as republicans insisted a hate crime in a place seen as a safe haven by gays as many democrats said
politics have taken over in washington and with particular force in florida where gay rights divisions are surfacing democrats are calling for gun controls in one of the most ardently pro gun states and mr rubio citing the events in orlando said he was reconsidering his decision not to seek re election for his senate seat
one of the most bitter manifestations of the lingering animus happened in the shadow of the massacre scene itself when cnns anderson cooper berated floridas republican attorney general pam bondi for speaking so affectionately about the dead while also being an unflinching opponent of efforts in her state to legalize same sex marriage
do you really think you are a champion of the gay community he asked her in an interview on tuesday
ms bondi who appeared rattled and caught off guard accused mr cooper on wednesday of creating more anger and havoc and hatred
amid the political sniping a profound sense of fatigue was building   a familiar coda to many mass shootings
im not doing any of the political stuff said mayor buddy dyer of orlando a democrat who has been praised for his handling of the crisis its sad that on the national level they cant just focus on what they really need to focus on
because the killings have ignited debates on so many sensitive topics there are many different opinions about what the focus should be democratic state lawmakers in florida led by state senator darren soto who is running for congress called for a special session on gun control here a hard sell in a place known as the gunshine state they also proposed a bill in the state legislature that would ban people on the terrorist watch list or the no fly list from buying guns similar to efforts by democrats in washington
but this week gov rick scott a republican stressed that it was radical islam that needed to be controlled not guns the second amendment didnt kill anybody mr scott said evil radical islam isis   they killed
republicans and democrats could not even agree on how to describe the attack mr scott was criticized for failing to mention in numerous public appearances and interviews that the victims were apparently targeted for their sexual identities he finally did on wednesday offering that the orlando incident was a clear attack on the gay and hispanic community representative pete sessions of texas told a reporter on tuesday that pulse where the attack occurred was a young persons club not a gay club his office later said he misunderstood
the speaker of the house paul d ryan made no mention of gays in his initial statement no did the senate majority leader mitch mcconnell who did note that the islamic state beheaded women and crucified children
representative rick w allen of georgia the republican who last month read the romans verse that says of homosexuals they which commit such things are worthy of death as the house was about to vote on a gay rights amendment has not apologized his spokeswoman did not respond to requests for comment on wednesday
we arent demanding that republican lawmakers genuflect at the altar of the almighty gay agenda said kirk fordham a former senior republican aide on capitol hill who has worked on gay rights causes just acknowledge the discrimination and violence directed at us as a group and sadly some republican lawmakers think that is nonexistent or wildly exaggerated
in florida activists noted that the state was still a place where gay and lesbian people could get married on a friday and fired on a monday because of inadequate nondiscrimination laws in the words of mallory garner wells the public policy director for equality florida
weve been trying to convey to people theres still a lot of work to do she added maybe this will be a wake up call


madrid   sham aldaher came into the world in jordan last july safe from the horrors of the syrian war that her family had fled but born with a disfigured face and missing an eye doctors said she required urgent and complex surgery
a childrens hospital in barcelona has offered her free emergency care but bureaucratic obstacles have left her stranded among other syrian refugees in jordan she has been unable to obtain a spanish visa despite the support of a team of international lawyers
the kind of red tape that risks leaving sham with permanent disfiguration underlines the shortcomings of the efforts of western governments to provide a coordinated and efficient response to a mass influx of syrians and other refugees according to lawyers
im seeing a lot of cases of children with critical needs who cant move anywhere because of political roadblocks said jayne fleming the pro bono counsel and the leader of the human rights team at reed smith an american law firm i dont want to demonize spain but there is certainly a need for more cooperation between governments
spains foreign ministry said that shams visa application had not been processed because it did not meet the required application criteria a spokeswoman said the ministry could re evaluate the infants case
spain like other european countries has been heavily criticized by humanitarian organizations for taking in far fewer migrants than it had said it would accept under a european union agreement last year spain pledged to admit 16000 migrants from refugee camps in italy and greece it has also agreed to receive a smaller number of refugees from syrias neighboring countries
spains interior minister jorge fernandez diaz said this month that the country planned to welcome 1000 migrants by the end of the summer
however spain has fast tracked some special cases last month the foreign minister jose manuel garcia margallo announced that the government was processing the application of osman ahmed a 7 year old afghan who has cerebral palsy and who was in a refugee camp in greece
however jorn halling a german lawyer with reed smith also working on shams case said that the spanish embassy in amman jordans capital had advised him that spains resettlement program did not cover jordan which meant that the embassy could not process her visa
sham and the rest of her family   her parents and three siblings   have received conditional approval to resettle in the united states but their american applications are subject to background checks with no date set for their completion furthermore no american hospital has so far offered the free treatment that would now be available to sham in barcelona ms fleming said
ruben diaz one of the directors of the sant joan de deu hospital in barcelona said that in late march his doctors offered to perform the surgery sham needed and provide six months of free treatment but that the hospital was not involved in resolving the visa issue
part of the reasoning to use our center is that it would be easier to get here from jordan dr diaz said as it turned out it has not because of the visa problem
the initial treatment in barcelona would leave sham needing more operations into her adult years as her face continues to grow but the first surgery is crucial to prevent permanent disfigurement ms fleming said the city of barcelona has also offered to cover all of the familys expenses while sham is in the hospital she said
the advanced surgery sham needs cannot be performed in jordan but she was examined there by doctors including a visiting american craniofacial surgeon david matthews to establish the urgency of her case
ms fleming said that she and her colleagues were still studying alternatives to resolve the visa problem the childs family she said would be willing to relocate to any european country that could both guarantee their safety and provide sham with the care she needs even as they remain on the resettlement track for the united states the family fled syria for jordan in 2013
we understand every country is overwhelmed and lacking resources but this is one case where we have identified resources and it is just a problem of a visa and administrative roadblocks ms fleming said


oakmont pa   the united states open does not sneak up on anyone but every year many players feel ambushed
the event is billed as the most demanding test in golf and yet when it predictably leaves the worlds best players struggling if not gasping they nonetheless lash out with a grating chorus of complaints about unfair course conditions
but a curious thing could happen when the 116th open begins thursday at the venerable oakmont country club ballooning scores will surely turn a few stomachs but the bellyaching might be kept to a minimum
the reason is simple no one dares to dis oakmont it is bad karma and self defeating
or as paul azinger the 12 time pga tour winner who is now the lead golf analyst for fox sports said youre cooked if you grumble your way around here
as one of the most arduous golf courses in north america oakmont is approached with a mix of reverence and fright it has been humbling golfers since before world war i this will be the ninth time oakmont has hosted the open   the most of any site   and it has never failed to show up a vast majority of the field
most players take their penance and walk away quietly before oakmont tacks on another double bogey in the parking lot for backing out of a space too carelessly
what is the point of whining about the course after a dreadful round is misadventure not to be expected here its oakmont
it would be like complaining that a marathon is tiring
the course is lengthy its bunkers are intimidating the greens are terrifyingly quick and it has odd inscrutable drainage ditches just off the fairways that resemble mass graves
a rough round at oakmont is something to celebrate because most rounds are closer to horrifying so this year for once at least protests about the severity of an open golf course might seem more comical than caustic
as mike davis the executive director of the united states golf association which conducts the championship said stern tough conditions are part of oakmonts dna and have been since day 1 i do believe there is some understanding of this by the players
just so you understand where the usga is coming from institutionally davis also said that we kind of joke internally that if we get all compliments from the players we have probably done something wrong
the golfers know what is coming they are already tiptoeing lightly around the oakmont grounds hoping that they will not accidentally insult their host
rory mcilroy was asked to assess the prevailing emotion of the players as they approached this weeks competition as a point of reference the reporter noted that the players were usually excited heading into the masters
this week its not excitement   i mean its definitely not that said mcilroy who then searched for the right word
trepidation i guess he said
phil mickelson assessed the layout that awaits the field thursday as the hardest course in the world or in america or wherever
theres no reprieve off the tee theres no reprieve into the greens and theres certainly no reprieve on the greens he said
in 2007 when the open last visited oakmont mickelson was among the players objecting to the conditions by wednesday mickelson 45 had apparently undergone a kind of middle aged reversal therapy he now wants oakmont to be harder than ever
i would love to see it cross the line the way us opens often do and become a little bit over the edge mickelson said that actually benefits me because were going to have a winner at the end of the week whatever that score is   who cares if its five under or 12 over   it doesnt matter the lowest score wins
so i would like to see it go over that edge because i feel like ive learned how to play that style of golf
the first tee shot of the open has yet to be launched and some of the best known players are already back flipping into places they have never been before wait until they hit shots in places theyve never been before
what oakmont represents is not just a demanding course established in 1904 it is ultimately a standard for elite rigorous golf
not inconsequentially oakmont over the decades has also identified and crowned some worthy major champions including gene sarazen ben hogan sam snead jack nicklaus johnny miller and ernie els
its seen as the most prestigious place to win a us open azinger said thats its reputation so the grumbling is not justified you might as well embrace it
ultimately when it comes to major championship traditions it is important to remember that oakmont has some of its own it was w c fownes son of the oakmont founder who responded to the early criticism of the courses unrelenting challenges with a pronouncement that has served as something of a mantra for the place ever since let the clumsy the spineless the alibi artist stand aside


san francisco   a california judge who was criticized for handing down a short jail term in a case involving a sexual assault at stanford university is facing a growing number of impediments both inside and outside the courtroom
since judge aaron persky of santa clara superior court sentenced a former champion swimmer for stanford brock turner to what is effectively a three month jail term a dozen jurors have objected to serving in his courtroom he was also the subject of a successful motion on tuesday by the district attorneys office to stop him from presiding over another sexual assault case
and since he handed down the sentence a petition to remove him from the bench has attracted 14 million supporters its organizers say
judge perskys sentence in the turner case gained national prominence when the victim released a powerful statement that she had made during the sentencing to buzzfeed the statement which has been read millions of times online describes her personal anguish during the assault and the trial
the case that judge persky was removed from on tuesday involved a male nurse accused of touching without any medical reason the genitals of a sedated female patient
in the motion to remove judge persky the prosecution said he was prejudiced against the party or the interests of the party said stacey capps the chief trial deputy in the santa clara county district attorneys office the prosecution was unable to have a a fair and impartial trial or hearing with judge persky hearing the case the motion said
in an interview ms capps said such motions were made with some regularity in the court but usually by the defense the motions are rarely opposed
jeffrey f rosen the santa clara district attorney said in a statement tuesday that he had lost confidence in the judge to try the case the statement also cited another case that judge persky dismissed on monday before a jury could deliberate
in that case the police stopped a woman in a stolen car and found what they said were stolen items in her bag jury selection in the case had been more difficult than usual with as many as 16 jurors refusing to serve because they said they were unsettled by judge perskys sentence in the stanford sexual assault case
ive never seen a juror tell a judge i cant be fair because of the judge said james leonard the supervising deputy district attorney it was shocking
in his statement mr rosen said he was disappointed and puzzled that the theft case had been dismissed
after this and the recent turn of events we lack confidence that judge persky can fairly participate in this upcoming hearing in which a male nurse sexually assaulted an anesthetized female patient mr rosen said
the prosecutor called the motion to dismiss judge persky a rare and carefully considered step
mr rosen also said in the future we will evaluate each case on its own merits and decide if we should use our legal right to ask for another judge in order to protect public safety and pursue justice
judge persky faces an election in november but is running uncontested
a stanford law professor michele dauber has led the campaign to remove judge persky from office ms dauber who helped release the victims statement to the media is also a friend of hers
in washington on the floor of the house of representatives on wednesday night 18 members of congress took turns reading the statement the reading was part of an effort to gain support for legislation that would single out universities that do not properly address campus assaults said representative jackie speier democrat of california who organized the reading


a former operator of flophouses who was profiled in an investigation last year by the new york times is facing additional criminal charges that he defrauded tenants and illegally evicted them prosecutors said
yury baumblit 65 and an assistant edwin elie 42 were arraigned in state supreme court in brooklyn on wednesday on felony charges of scheming to defraud and misdemeanor charges of unlawful eviction and criminal contempt the most serious charges against them could result in up to four years in prison
for years mr baumblit whose company was called back on track ran so called three quarter houses seen as something between regulated halfway houses and actual homes that cater to addicts poor people and the mentally ill the unregulated homes are typically crammed with bunk beds and are often run down with mold blocked exits and bed bugs after the timess investigation new york city formed a task force to crack down on the homes which have multiplied in recent years
on wednesday the brooklyn district attorney ken thompson accused mr baumblit and mr elie of not having the necessary court orders when they evicted more than 10 residents who had lived in the homes for more than a month mr baumblit and mr elie were accused of putting residents belongings outside removing their mattresses breaking stoves and locking the doors to prevent people from getting inside   actions also documented by the times
these defendants are charged with taking advantage of vulnerable new yorkers who were in need of assistance mr thompson said they provided them with the opposite   allegedly evicting these tenants unlawfully
mr baumblit also required tenants to attend certain outpatient treatment centers to be able to live in his network of homes according to former residents and employees in a separate case brought by the new york state attorney generals office mr baumblit and his wife rimma were indicted in may on money laundering and medicaid fraud charges because the outpatient providers were suspected of paying companies run by the baumblits more than 2 million in medicaid kickbacks in return for clients those charges are punishable by up to 15 years in prison mr elie was not charged in that case
both mr baumblit and mr elie pleaded not guilty on wednesday mr baumblit remained in jail on a 500000 bond or 300000 cash for the attorney generals charges mr elie was freed on bail
as for mr elie the charges against him are baseless said howard tanner mr elies lawyer i think the facts when they come out will show that he is not guilty
a lawyer for mr baumblit did not respond to a message seeking comment


nick denton has been relatively quiet since his company gawker media filed for bankruptcy and put itself up for sale on friday posting just a handful of tweets
but in typical denton fashion his silence did not last long
on wednesday mr denton the founder and chief executive of gawker published a roughly 3000 word blog post about the state of his company he waxed poetic about the companys future opined on the balance of power between privacy and a free press and took silicon valley billionaires to task for trying to control their image though the post was at times rambling mr dentons message was insistent gawker will be just fine
these were defiant words after what has been a tumultuous month for gawker in late may it was revealed that the silicon valley billionaire peter thiel was secretly providing financing for lawsuits against the company including one brought by the retired professional wrestler hulk hogan the company faces a 140 million judgment in that case
but mr denton expressed hope in a new owner and the possibility that the court penalty will be reduced on appeal its sites he said will thrive under new ownership with management oversight and financial underpinning from a larger company he wrote he added we remain confident that justice will be done in the hulk hogan case
still in a candid acknowledgment of gawkers circumstances mr denton said mr thiels involvement had been financially draining and had undoubtedly depressed gawker media groups valuation
whoever buys us he wrote it will not be for the sort of headline price that henry blodget or arianna huffington received when selling business insider to axel springer and huffington post to aol mr denton echoed that idea earlier on wednesday when he was asked on cnbc about a 90 million opening bid from the digital media company ziff davis business insider sold a controlling stake to axel springer for 343 million and huffington post was sold for 315 million
lawyers for gawker and hulk hogan whose real name is terry g bollea met in bankruptcy court in lower manhattan on wednesday during the hearing which lasted about two hours a judge approved certain business expenses for gawker the judge also extended a temporary restraining order to july 13 that barred mr bollea from collecting damages from mr denton and albert j daulerio gawkercoms former editor in chief
despite the trying times mr denton was optimistic in his post the spirit that animates gawker remains strong he wrote its business as usual
but his assurance was also offset by a sense of uncertainty when writing about the fate of gawkers sites under a potential acquisition by ziff davis mr denton mentioned only one of the companys blogs by name the technology focused gizmodo that could further fuel speculation that mr denton himself would try to buy back gawkercom which has been criticized at times for publishing articles that embarrassed people publicly while offering little news value
mr denton coyly addressed those rumors if it does not fit an acquirers portfolio gawkercom will find an investor with a tolerance for controversy he wrote i will happily contribute


a track and field athlete tried to smuggle in a clean urine sample for drug testing concealing a container inside her body and offering a bribe when her scheme failed sports officials refused to provide a list of the athletes who were present at a boxing training camp revealing the names after stalling for a full hour armed federal police officers threatened drug testers who showed up to collect athletes urine and packages containing doping samples sent from abroad were tampered with by customs workers
all of this happened in russia the world anti doping agency said wednesday and it happened recently   in the seven months since the country was accused of government sponsored doping the boxing episode took place only last week
on friday global track and field officials are expected to decide whether russian athletes will compete at the rio olympics which begin aug 5 the allegations made wednesday by wada the global regulator of doping in olympic sports suggested that little had changed since november when an independent commission detailed a state run doping program in russia with details like an antidoping officer climbing out of a window to avoid the police and abscond with athletes doping samples for testing
russian athletes have repeatedly given the antidoping authorities false information about where they were in recent months wada said dodging drug testers at competitions or failing to show up entirely for fear of being tested at the russian national walking championship in sochi this year 15 athletes did not show up withdrew or were disqualified
from february to may wada said 455 doping tests of russian athletes were conducted by britains antidoping agency which stepped in to conduct testing in russia this year after wada withdrew its recognition of the russian agency but 73 athletes who were supposed to be tested were unavailable the antidoping agency said in the face of repeated testing attempts two cyclists retired from competition altogether wada said
the russian sports ministry has admitted to doping problems in recent months but has emphatically denied a government supported program
ahead of fridays vote russian sports officials have sought to win back the confidence of world track and field officials the sports ministry has retained an american public relations firm to assist its campaign natalia zhelanova   the antidoping adviser to the russian sports minister vitaly mutko   took to twitter this month to advance the countrys message a mix of contrition and determination
we are working tirelessly to reform our antidoping program ms zhelanova wrote last week the day before the boxing training camp at which wada said sports officials stymied spontaneous drug testing were doing everything possible to regain trust


on fathers day in 2006 a brooklyn high school student named chanel petro nixon went for a job interview at an applebees restaurant just blocks from her apartment in the bedford stuyvesant neighborhood chanel 16 was an avid reader and a straight a student she never came back
within about a day her mother lucita petro nixon reported her missing three days after that a woman taking out the trash found chanels body strangled and partly clothed in a garbage bag on the street outside her building on kingston avenue in the crown heights neighborhood as the weeks went by posters offering a reward for information dotted chanels neighborhood but nobody came forward so every year after ms petro nixon and her husband garvin nixon have joined with friends and relatives to honor chanel at a memorial march
but on wednesday nearly 10 years to the day that chanel disappeared the authorities announced a major break a man had been indicted in her murder
prosecutors said that chanel had gone to meet the man veron primus at her interview on the day she vanished and that the two were former classmates who went to the same church while the police had long considered mr primus 29 a person of interest it was only in the last few months that they were able to make a case
at a news conference held outside the applebees on fulton avenue ken thompson the brooklyn district attorney said that mr primus who once lived in crown heights was in custody on the caribbean island of st vincent on unrelated charges of kidnapping one woman and murdering another he was deported to the island from new york last year after serving a prison term for assaulting a different woman and violating a protective order she had against him mr primus was also accused of rape in that case but was found not guilty of the charge
robert k boyce the chief of detectives for the new york police department said at the news conference that investigators from the 77th precinct tried to find evidence against mr primus for years finally last august the investigation was handed over to the departments cold case squad
then in april chief boyce said detectives working on the case received a call from the authorities in st vincent with what seemed to be a fresh lead connecting mr primus to chanels death neither chief boyce nor mr thompson would discuss that evidence
but last month the new york television station wpix interviewed the woman mr primus is accused of kidnapping in st vincent mewanah hadaway ms hadaway told a reporter that before mr primus locked her in a wooden shed for three months this year he showed her a news clipping on chanels murder
mr thompsons office is working with the state and justice departments to extradite mr primus from st vincent he said it was a complicated process that could take weeks or months
it is a bittersweet day today for the family ms petro nixon said outside the applebees with a tattoo of her daughter partially revealed under a sleeve of her dress finally we can see a little light at the end of the tunnel
after ms petro nixon spoke letitia james the citys public advocate and scott m stringer the city comptroller stood in front of the cameras asking anyone with information on the case to come forward so did the rev w taharka robinson the pastor of the new life tabernacle church
its like the t shirt says mr robinson suggested pulling back the lapels of his blazer on his shirt was a photo of chanel a number for the police departments tip line and a logo reading somebody knows something


washington   after the central intelligence agency transferred abu zubaydah to the american military prison at guantanamo bay cuba and he was brought before a panel of officers for a hearing in march 2007 he described in broken english how he had been tortured in the agencys black site prisons
he said his body had shaken when he stood for hours naked and shackled in a cold room and unable to shift his weight to an injured leg he spoke of his humiliation at having to relieve himself in a bucket in front of other people like an animal and he described being waterboarded until he stopped breathing and required resuscitation
they shackle me completely even my head i cant do anything mr zubaydah said like this and they put one cloth in my mouth and they put water water water at the last point before i die he said interrogators stood the board back up and make like this   he made breathing noises   again and again they make it with me and i tell him if you want to kill me kill me 
mr zubaydahs testimony was contained in newly declassified transcripts of military hearings for the cias former prisoners the government disclosed the accounts this week in response to a freedom of information act lawsuit brought by the american civil liberties union which provided the documents to the new york times
many details about the cias torture program including the treatment of mr zubaydah had already been made public including in the senate intelligence committees 500 page report released in december 2014 but those details were largely based on government memos the newly available transcripts add first person testimony to the growing historical record
at a time when some politicians are proposing that the torture program be resurrected its crucial that the american public have access to these firsthand statements and not only to the self serving accounts offered by those who authorized the torture said dror ladin an aclu staff attorney
defenders of the cias enhanced interrogation program say it produced information that saved lives the senate report however concluded that the programs defenders had exaggerated the value of the information gleaned from it and understated its brutality the presumptive republican presidential nominee donald j trump has proposed reviving and expanding such techniques
the cia started its black site rendition detention and interrogation program with the 2002 capture of mr zubaydah whom it mistakenly thought was a top leader in al qaeda it started to shut down the program in 2006 after the supreme court issued a ruling about the geneva conventions that put agency interrogators in jeopardy of being prosecuted for war crimes
that september the bush administration transferred detainees from prisons run by the cia to guantanamo bay after several months each man received a hearing before a so called combatant status review tribunal to establish whether they had been properly classified as enemy combatants subject to indefinite wartime detention
the government released versions of some of the transcripts in 2009 but redacted the detainees descriptions of their treatment by the cia
in a previously censored passage mr zubaydah who described making up fake terrorist plots to stop the abuse claimed that an agency interrogator had apologized to him after the government realized it had misunderstood his role
after that all they said to me was sorry we made a big mistake  he said
on wednesday the cia also posted dozens of documents that were subject to separate overlapping freedom of information act lawsuits by the aclu and vice news for memos listed in the footnotes of the senate report most of the documents were heavily redacted beyond the portions quoted in the report but there were a few new details
for example an unredacted passage in a memo from the cias chief medical official included a line quoted in the senate report which said that mr zubaydah had already started cooperating before being waterboarded and that the technique had produced no time perishable information which otherwise would have been unavailable but it also contained a sentence before that line that the senate report had not quoted a psychologistinterrogator later said that waterboard use had established that az had no further information on imminent threats   a creative but circular justification the official wrote using initials for abu zubaydah
several of the transcripts provided to the times were from the hearings of detainees who are now facing war crimes trials before a military commission at guantanamo in those cases defense lawyers strategy has been to argue that their clients should not face the death penalty as mitigation for the fact that the government tortured them so the transcripts may offer a preview of their eventual testimony
one of those detainees is abd al rahim al nashiri who is accused of helping to plot the 2000 bombing of the cole an american destroyer which killed 17 sailors mr nashiri was subjected to some of the most extreme abuse according to the cias inspector general including waterboarding and having a gun racked and a power drill revved next to his head
asked at his hearing to describe the methods used on him mr nashiri listed many being hung upside down for almost a month nearly drowned hit into a wall and forced to stand in a small box for a week so that his feet swelled he repeatedly asked himself what else did they did
there is also a transcript of a statement by khalid shaikh mohammed the accused architect of the sept 11 2001 attacks in the midst of a lengthy discourse on the victims of war and the rule of law which was previously disclosed the transcript includes the following previously censored passage
this is you see i have been tortured by cia mr mohammed said holding out his wrists nobody will believe me


the ailing media mogul sumner m redstone declared in a rare missive sent on wednesday that he no longer trusted philippe p dauman viacoms embattled chief executive or those who support him
i am being sued by my fellow board members and my wishes are being ignored mr redstone said in the 81 word letter to viacoms lead independent director frederic v salerno mr redstone went on to state that he was determined to act in the best interests of the company and all of its shareholders
i do not trust you or the current board to do the same mr redstone continued of mr dauman he said i no longer trust philippe or those who support him the letter was sent via email through mr redstones longtime assistant at viacom
mike lawrence a spokesman for mr redstone sent a copy of the letter to the new york times
the communication did not address the repeated requests for a meeting made by mr salerno on tuesday mr salerno sent a 726 word open letter to mr redstone in which he made yet another request to meet with him previous attempts have been put off or received no response viacom directors have said
in his letter mr salerno expressed concern that mr redstones views were not being heard and that they had been misinterpreted by a host of new advisers and spokespeople
they claim that strongly held views you have expressed for decades have in the past few months completely reversed mr salerno said they say you no longer trust your friends your advisers or your board they tell us to believe that you have put your daughter shari in charge of your trust and your board at national amusements despite your clearly stated wishes and planning over many years that are to the contrary
mr salerno also disclosed in the letter that new representatives of mr redstone staged a drive with him to the paramount studio last week but that mr redstone who has not been seen in public for more than a year did not get out of the car
in his letter wednesday mr redstone said there was no doubt that his two new lawyers are my attorneys and are acting at my direction
mr salernos letter prompted mr redstone to respond directly mr lawrence said when the letter was read to him today sumner was put off by both the substance and the public nature of it he said
later on wednesday mr salerno shot back in a statement we could clear a lot of this up if sumner would share his thoughts with me face to face
the exchange continues the drama engulfing mr redstones 40 billion media empire mr dauman and george s abrams a longtime viacom director are challenging mr redstones competency in court saying he does not have the mental capacity to have made the recent decisions that have shaken his media conglomerate


one of chinas internet giants tencent is near a deal to buy control of supercell the maker of the popular clash of clans game in a transaction that would value the finnish game company at more than 9 billion a person briefed on the matter said on wednesday
if completed the deal would show the growing might of chinas online behemoths tencent along with alibaba and baidu has become a sprawling empire of internet businesses with a market value of about 211 billion tencent controls wechat the popular messaging service in china as well as a number of online multiplayer games hosted through its qq portal
a deal for supercell would be the biggest takeover by any of chinas so called bat trio of baidu alibaba and tencent according to data from standard  poors global market intelligence
buying supercell which has produced a string of mobile game hits with clash of clans hay day and clash royale would further bolster tencents presence in the mobile game market tencent is already chinas dominant online game company accounting for about 32 percent of revenue from the countrys online game market in 2015 according to niko partners a research firm the company also owns riot games the maker of league of legends a blockbuster pc battle game with an estimated 984 million players and 150 million a month in revenue according to superdata research
supercell is one of a handful of standout successes in the mobile game business where it has proved difficult for many companies to make money   or at least to hold on to their prosperity clash of clans supercells best known game was introduced nearly four years ago and has remained one of the most popular apps for smartphones and tablets
on apples app store clash of clans is currently the fourth highest grossing app in the united states while clash royale is no 7 both games are free but like nearly all of the most lucrative mobile titles today they generate revenue through microtransactions   purchases of virtual currency that help players advance more quickly
and players buy a lot of virtual goodies from supercell in march the company reported revenue of 233 billion for 2015 up from 178 billion the previous year and earnings before interest tax depreciation and amortization of 964 million up from 592 million it said at the time that it had only 180 employees relatively few for a company of its financial scale
in april supercell was making just under 4 million a day in revenue from clash of clans superdata research estimates in 2015 supercell introduced clash of clans in china
under terms of the proposed deal tencent would buy the roughly 73 percent stake in supercell that is currently held by softbank the japanese telecommunications provider said the person who was briefed and who spoke on condition of anonymity supercells founders would remain at the company
a representative for supercell declined to comment representatives for tencent and softbank could not be reached
news of the talks was reported earlier by the wall street journal


cleveland   draymond green fresh off his one game suspension returned to quicken loans arena on wednesday afternoon and he had some things he wanted to say
so green the emotional leader of the golden state warriors and a vital cog in their pursuit of a second straight nba championship took a seat at the center of a scrum of 50 odd reporters and listened to the first question which was a two parter would it be difficult for him to move past the suspension and what sort of reaction would he expect from the crowd when the warriors faced the cavaliers on thursday night in game 6 of the nba finals
what followed was a 482 word monologue in which green touched on topics that included his emotional state i let my teammates down the justice that the league had meted out everybodys going to have their opinion on it his distant view of game 5 from a luxury suite at a baseball game i thank the people over at the as for having me and his regrettable absence as the warriors lost without him
i have a strong belief that if i play in game 5 we win he said
green whose larynx was as strong as ever was suspended for a collection of flagrant fouls that included a general failure to avoid punching and kicking opponents in the groin he will presumably return to the starting lineup on thursday as the warriors seek to close out the cavaliers golden state has a three games to two lead in the best of seven series
i learned a lot said green whose flagrant foul on the cavaliers lebron james in game 4 brought about an automatic suspension you cant put yourself in certain positions one thing that ive already been kind of teaching myself and trying to learn how to do is control my emotions
green said he felt like a bad teammate for not being available to play i take pride in being a good teammate he said
the league barred green from attending game 5 at oracle arena on monday so he made arrangements to watch the game on television at the oakland coliseum where the athletics were hosting the texas rangers he was joined by bob myers the warriors general manager whose presence green said helped soften a tough situation
it was brutal green said just the entire day knowing i cant go out there and help my guys i cant even be around its one thing if youre out with an injury its another thing if youre out because of suspension its a brutal day
the warriors stephen curry said he had visions of green sprinting across the parking lot and bursting into oracle to celebrate with his teammates   had they won of course instead the cavaliers extended the series with a 112 97 victory that underscored greens importance james who scored 41 points found his path to the basket unimpeded
it wasnt an ideal situation to not have him out there curry said hopefully hes not put in that situation again where hes putting his playing status in jeopardy
the warriors need green now more than ever andrew bogut the teams starting center was ruled out for the rest of the series after sustaining bone bruises to his left knee in game 5 the warriors said in a statement that the injury would not require surgery but that bogut would need six to eight weeks to recover
its bad news for our team coach steve kerr said hes a defensive presence at the rim and rebounder and a great passer so well miss the minutes that hes giving us
the warriors will probably not have much of a choice but to go small with green at center which tends to be their most effective lineup anyway   but typically in short bursts
at least the situation will feel vaguely familiar to the warriors who clinched last years championship in game 6   in cleveland
its an amazing feeling when you can quiet 20000 screaming fans and celebrate on their floor green said its hard thats what makes it feel even better because its so much harder we know the formula we know the blueprint
a big part of which involves green actually being in the building


legend has it that in 1789 george washington the nations newly elected president was riding on horseback from connecticut to new york when he was detained by a local official for violating the sunday blue law ban against traveling the president supposedly got off with just a reprimand after explaining that he was on his way to church
under a bill that the new york state legislature and gov andrew m cuomo agreed to this week instead of attending services washington could have headed to manhattan and legally had a bloody mary for brunch alcohol sales at restaurants and bars now banned from 4 am until noon on sundays would be allowed beginning at 10 am
once again the almighty dollar has intruded on a worshipful tradition that dates from at least ad 321 when constantine the first christian emperor of rome proclaimed that all judges city people and craftsmen shall rest on the venerable day of the sun
the puritans in virginia and new england transplanted the sabbatarian tradition to america they bound their religious laws in blue books which might account for the blue law label
to boost churchgoing the otherwise indifferent dutch burgomasters followed suit in new amsterdam in 1656 the british incorporated the constraints on commerce and recreation on sundays into the colonial laws of new york
there shall be no traveling servile laboring and working shooting fishing sporting playing horse racing hunting or frequenting of tippling houses a 1695 statute declared or the use of any other unlawful exercises or pastimes by any of the inhabitants or sojourners within this province or by any of their slaves or servants on the lords day
violators were subject to a six shilling fine or three hours comparable to the length of a religious service in the stocks virginia though provided for the death penalty for third offenders
dominated by republican protestants from upstate new yorks legislature fancied itself the enforcer of morality against new york city and its wards overflowing with poor immigrants who were prone to vice and happened to vote democratic
the states penal code sternly declared the first day of the week being by general consent set apart for rest and religious uses the law prohibits the doing on that day of certain acts hereinafter specified which are serious interruptions of the repose and religious liberty of the community later bowing to judaism and other religions a sabbath violator was permitted to escape prosecution if he regularly kept another day of the week as holy time and does not labor on that day
what better way to temper behavior than to deprive the mob of the devils brew   leaving no alternative on hot summer sundays but warm croton water as william steinway the piano magnate complained on behalf of his fellow german americans
but from the beginning blue laws were honored more in the breach than the observance
even constantines included an exception for countrymen tending to agriculture if farmers were the first special interests to successfully lobby for an exemption popular cafes serving brunch and bars broadcasting soccer from abroad on sunday mornings are merely the latest
in 1907 assemblyman alfred e smith of manhattan seeking to legalize sunday baseball argued that it was more ennobling for young men to watch a game at an open air ballpark than to be driven to places where they play waltz me around again willie
by 1919 baseball was permitted by local option in 1937 bowling was allowed in 1949 the legislature decriminalized football basketball and soccer after 2 pm in 1952 bans on stock car racing circuses hunting and golf were lifted in 1973 sunday horse racing was legalized
the united states supreme court upheld sunday closing laws in principle ruling that a common day of rest could be considered in the public interest but while labor unions and mom and pop retail stores opposed sunday openings big chain stores and customers seemed amenable bergen county nj remains the sole major holdout in the country
absent specific complaints in 1971 the new york city police stopped enforcing the blue laws altogether the number of summonses plunged from 25000 in 1970 to fewer than 2000 in 1972
with state lawmakers legalizing casino gambling justifying blue laws as an inducement to churchgoing has become more difficult everyone agrees that new yorkers deserve a rest on sunday but as mayor fiorello h la guardia said they could define it for themselves he advocated that they enjoy the freedom to attend church if they so desire and to occupy themselves during the remainder of the day in the lawful recreation best suited to afford them the most complete rest possible


switzerland closed in on a spot in the next round with a 1 1 draw against romania in paris
admir mehmedi scored a 57th minute equalizer with a powerful left footed shot to ensure the swiss had 4 points ahead of their final group a match against france
romania took the lead against the run of play in the 18th minute when bogdan stancu scored with his second penalty kick in two games
although romania hit the post on a first half shot by cristian sapunaru switzerland had more and better scoring chances
romania has only 1 point from two matches but should be favored to beat albania in its last match the new 24 team format means the third place teams in the six groups have a good chance to reach the round of 16
switzerland has never advanced from its group at a european tournament and it missed a good opportunity to hit coach vladimir petkovics target of two straight wins to clinch advancement ap


late goals from antoine griezmann and dimitri payet helped host france earn a 2 0 win over albania in marseille on wednesday and become the first team to advance to the knockout stage of the european championships
for the second consecutive match late pressure rescued a patchy france side that is struggling to live up to its pretournament billing as one of the favorites
in fridays game against romania it was payets superb strike from distance that proved decisive and this time   with the clock running down   griezmann placed himself in perfect position to nod in a cross from adil rami
frances president francois hollande jumped out of his seat and thrust his arms in the air and the stade velodrome crowd rose as one to hail payet after another outstanding finish
with grace and poise reminiscent of the great french player zinedine zidane payet cut in from the left and beat two players before curling in the second goal ap


washington   his unrelenting stream of incendiary remarks have left horrified congressional republicans divided into five loose categories about the problem that is donald j trump
there are the fast walkers   like senator patrick j toomey the endangered republican from pennsylvania   who try to run briskly away from questions about the partys presumed nominee for president mr toomey   never the most loquacious lawmaker   has mastered the art of twisting his face into a grimace and racing away from reporters before they can ask him about mr trumps latest statements about instituting a ban on muslim immigration
another senator in a tight re election bid kelly ayotte of new hampshire also tries to avoid talking about mr trump whom she supports as she makes her way through the halls of congress to be in this category it is very useful to have ms ayottes long legs
then there are lawmakers best described as grumps like senator john mccain of arizona who appears decidedly downbeat about his party and senator bob corker of tennessee who offered early support to mr trumps campaign but said this week i dont know that i really have a lot to say adding that he had tried to advise mr trump and was discouraged by the results add to that list senator dan coats republican of indiana who has struggled to find a single policy position he shares with mr trump
another group are doing the mcconnell taking a cue from their majority leader senator mitch mcconnell of kentucky senators marco rubio and ted cruz   as well a number of house members   rotely repeat that they are supporting mr trump and refuse to engage on his specific statements most days mr mcconnell preemptively cuts off discussion by saying things like im not going to be commenting on the presidential candidates today
a smaller group are the free speakers including senators lindsey graham of south carolina and jeff flake of arizona who openly heap scorn on mr trump mr flake called mr trumps remarks suggesting that president obama somehow had inside information about the orlando massacre particularly disgusting and like mr graham said he would not be voting for him
the final category is the vaguely upset but what can you do am i offended sometimes at the comments yes i am said representative mark walker of north carolina however what offends me more are hillary clintons actions
then there is speaker paul d ryan he is perhaps the most prominent critic of mr trump on his proposed muslim ban but has nonetheless fully endorsed him that is a category of one
mr trump has created a feedback loop in which he says increasingly outrageous and at times incoherent things about national security immigration and other issues and republicans are forced to answer for it on wednesday during a rally in atlanta mr trump addressed republican criticism by basically telling lawmakers to shut up
dont talk please be quiet he said just be quiet to the leaders because they have to get tougher they have to get sharper they have to get smarter and we have to have our republicans either stick together or let me just do it by myself
while it is not clear how much support mr trump is actually losing   house republicans continue to hide behind mr ryans embrace of the live wire as proof of their party unity   it is clear that he is not gaining support either his top surrogates remain senator jeff sessions of alabama and representative lee zeldin of new york with no sign of newcomers to the list
the toxic combination of mr trumps statements and his falling poll numbers has given signs of life to the never trump movement whose members cling to the hope that they can prevent mr trump from becoming the nominee next month
if donald trump continues to conduct himself in a way thats unbecoming of a nominee let alone a president said rory cooper a senior adviser to the nevertrump pac then delegates and party leaders in cleveland should be empowered to open the convention just as democrats are able to do if there is no such mechanism then you are essentially saying there is no unacceptable line trump can cross
however there is a big division among trump loathing republicans over whether a change in convention rules which would essentially unbind delegates from the candidate or a third party option is the best way to go
many republicans even those who appear in need of a box of chocolates or a bourbon to get through each day of mr trumps remarks oppose a rules changes thats like saying in baseball that youre a run behind and now you want to add three innings said mr coats after conceding that the process has been a slog
representative robert dold an illinois republican who has long been outspoken against mr trump said the will of the voters ought to be respected even as he openly derides mr trump weve been explicit he said we are not supporting donald trump mr dold like some other republicans said he would likely write in a candidates name
representative don young republican of alaska who straddles the line of the free speaker and anyone but clinton camps has a more novel strategy i dont listen to him and never have mr young said i may vote for myself


denver   a couple of innings after d j lemahieu lay prone after taking a fastball to the helmet he stepped into the batters box for what should have been a very gingerly at bat against aroldis chapman and the major leagues fastest fastball
instead lemahieu dismissed the beaning as a once in a career moment dug in and drove chapmans two strike fastball deep into the right center field gap racing around the bases with a run scoring triple
lemahieus eighth inning hit put the finishing touches on the colorado rockies 6 3 victory over the yankees on wednesday on a hot arid afternoon
it also represented the type of up off the mat resilience that the yankees are going to need to show soon if they are going to be a factor in the playoff race
the yankees have followed a five game winning streak with four consecutive losses sinking back into last place in the american league east
you win five games in a row you lose one then try to put three or four more in a row manager joe girardi said we havent been able to do that and thats why were where were at
he added this is an important month we cant keep having months where were not making up ground cause if youre losing ground its going to be tough to catch up these are months where we have to play better than the teams that are in front of us
the yankees tried to do so on wednesday with a lineup that was without its biggest bats alex rodriguez was relegated to the bench because there is no designated hitter in national league parks brian mccann was given the day off after catching tuesday nights game and carlos beltran missed a second consecutive game after having his left knee drained and receiving a cortisone shot
chase headley hit cleanup and didi gregorius followed him in the order
the yankees not surprisingly did not manage an extra base hit but they did take a 2 1 lead in the fourth when starlin castro singled in jacoby ellsbury and scored when catcher tony wolters threw away aaron hickss dribbler in front of the plate
the lead evaporated in the fifth when lemahieu who had earlier doubled and scored singled up the middle to score charlie blackmon lemahieu came home on nolan arenados home run to left the rockies added another run against ivan nova the yankees starter when trevor story doubled and scored on mark reynoldss two out single to give the rockies a 5 2 lead
the game then nearly took a nasty turn in the sixth when reliever anthony swarzaks fastball caught lemahieu in the helmet lemahieu lay face down for a moment before slowly rising to his feet and heading to first base
i dont know where it hit me lemahieu said i was pretty lucky it wasnt worse i was just more shocked than anything i figured all right everythings good
somewhat predictably rockies reliever miguel castro buzzed the first yankees hitter in the top of the seventh austin romine with a pair of 99 mile per hour fastballs the second one sailed to the backstop and drew a warning to both teams from gabe morales the home plate umpire
i thought it was warranted girardi said only he knows but it looked awful suspicious to me if youre trying to send a message i get that but it cant be around someones head
said lemahieu i dont think there was any message sent there other than a couple of balls got away from him but it looks bad after that inning
when dellin betances threw a curveball at rockies first baseman mark reynoldss head in the next inning morales did not eject him
whenever it goes by somebodys head when we saw somebody get hit in the head it always kind of freaks you out like oh whats going on here arenado said but it was off speed and it got away from him it happens
girardi said he would not have reacted mildly if betances had been ejected
if the ump says something im going to go ballistic girardi said
me too betances said when told of his managers comment
it remains to be seen whether the yankees can carry that type of fire to minnesota where they begin a four game series on thursday with the twins the team with the worst record in the american league but little else seemed capable of stirring the yankees a team urgently in need of it
inside pitch
mark teixeira said he expected to go on a rehabilitation assignment next tuesday and wednesday with a targeted return from the disabled list of june 24 at home against the twins teixeira said he was pleased with how the torn cartilage in his left knee had responded to shots and rest but if the discomfort returns he could have season ending surgery


anderson cooper was reading the names of victims of the orlando massacre on cnn this week when uncharacteristically his voice wavered and he drew up short for moments viewers around the country heard only silence and then the sounds of the anchor struggling to compose himself
that was horrible mr cooper recalled a bit sheepishly in an interview on wednesday accustomed to covering foreign wars and lethal hurricanes mr cooper said he did not like to show his feelings on camera
but this time he added felt different ive been surprised at how emotional this has been
as the news industry descended on florida this week in the aftermath of a mass shooting in a gay nightclub mr coopers raw activist style coverage has stood out he has held a prime time vigil of sorts reciting a list of the dead refused to name the gunman saying he wanted to focus on victims and in a widely viewed exchange grilled floridas attorney general for defending a state ban on same sex marriage
mr cooper who is gay has seemed to embrace an advocacy role rarely seen among top network anchors blending on the ground reporting with a distinctly personal and empathetic touch
until recently mr cooper did not discuss his sexuality in public on tuesday for what he said was the first time he could remember he referred to himself as gay on the air
as gay people we share strands of a common bond he said during the final moments of his prime time broadcast if this killer hoped to set us backwards to make us live in fear i think hes made a sickening mistake
speaking on wednesday from his satellite truck in orlando mr cooper insisted emphatically that he was no activist im not trying to push an agenda he said im not here to be an advocate railing at the top of my lungs at injustices thats the role other people have
but he said he had been preoccupied this week by memories of previous murders at gay nightclubs including a 1970s firebombing in new orleans and the shooting of gay patrons at a greenwich village bar in 1980
there were people who have died and no one really told their story mr cooper said i think the fact that i am gay and i am in a position where i can determine the content of a broadcast at night on cnn ...  he let the thought trail off there have been generations of reporting on gay people where that has not been the case
opinion is the coin of the realm on cable news where rachel maddow sean hannity and their brethren hold court nightly mr cooper is viewed as a more traditional on air newsman even if he does not shy away from conveying moral dismay in his coverage he made his reputation during hurricane katrina when his anguished reports from a decimated new orleans seemed to channel national frustration with the recovery effort
it is hard to ignore however mr coopers deeply felt connections with the gay community that was targeted in orlando in an exchange that spread quickly online he confronted the florida attorney general pam bondi with what he said were complaints from gay residents about her offices legal defense of floridas same sex marriage ban
do you really think youre a champion of the gay community mr cooper asked suggesting repeatedly that there was a sick irony in ms bondis saying she would now work to help relatives of gay victims
ms bondi said on wednesday that she was disappointed by mr coopers approach in a radio interview she said that all the anchors aggressive questioning had done was encourage anger and hate she said that cnn had omitted a portion of the exchange in which she discussed her fund raising for victims families and that the location of the interview in front of an orlando hospital wasnt the time nor the place
mr cooper said wednesday that ms bondi was clearly unhappy at the end of the interview adding she intimated that i didnt like her and i said i have no ill will toward you at all its just my job to ask you questions
but mr cooper who cut short a european vacation to fly to florida to cover the shooting said he preferred to keep his focus on the victims whose experiences he said he easily recognized
i cant tell you how many bars and clubs ive been to over the years mr cooper said volunteering that his longtime companion benjamin maisani owned several gay bars in new york every gay man in america remembers the first time they went to a gay bar and how they felt
i dont want to sound like im speaking for the gay community said mr cooper who publicly acknowledged his sexual orientation in 2012 but it certainly resonates very deeply for me


oakland calif   mayor libby schaaf removed oaklands interim police chief wednesday less than a week after appointing him amid a widening sex scandal involving several officers
ms schaaf said new information had led her to lose confidence in the interim chief ben fairow she appointed mr fairow a former assistant chief for the bay area rapid transit police department on thursday after chief sean whent resigned amid allegations that officers had had sex with an underage girl
the mayor called mr fairows appointment a mistake but said state law prohibited her from elaborating on her reasons
i made the decision to appoint ben fairow i also own the decision to remove him she said in a statement i firmly believe that when you make a mistake you need to own it and act quickly to correct it
two officers have resigned in the scandal and two others are on paid leave other law enforcement agencies in the area are also investigating possible sexual misconduct by their officers


domhnall gleeson recently seen in the revenant will play a a milne the author of the winnie the pooh books in a new film goodbye christopher robin the movie will also star margot robbie soon to be seen in the legend of tarzan as milnes wife daphne
the film written by frank cottrell boyce and simon vaughan and directed by simon curtis will tell the story of milne and his son christopher robin whose stuffed toys and own doings were the inspiration for the pooh tales it is set soon after milne won fame in the late 1920s for his books about the small teddy bear and his friends and will focus on how the family handled their newfound fame
in a bbc report mr curtis said that he was delighted to tell a remarkable and poignant story winnie the pooh was first featured on film by disney in winnie the pooh and the honey tree 1966 a release date for goodbye christopher robin was not announced


anaheim calif   as thousands of athletes headed to the summer olympics in rio de janeiro worry to varying degrees about the zika virus at least one american has taken a pre emptive measure freezing his sperm
john speraw 44 the coach of the united states mens indoor volleyball team said he was preserving sperm to use for a planned future pregnancy in case he is infected with the mosquito borne virus
my wife and i would like to have another kid he said recently at usa volleyballs training center and im no spring chicken i dont want to get zika and have to wait an additional year or whatever it may be for us to have kids im paying attention to zika and im concerned about it its not going to stop me from going down there but im taking measures right now
the level of anxiety over zika among athletes and coaches headed to the olympics sweeps across the spectrum the american cyclist tejay van garderen worried about contracting zika and passing it along to his wife and his unborn daughter recently removed himself from consideration for an olympic spot
in interviews with many other likely olympians most said they were not hugely concerned about zika but planned to take suggested precautions against it   generally by avoiding mosquito bites the threat has mostly altered plans of friends and family members who expected to go to rio to cheer them
my brothers wife is pregnant so if i go he wont be coming the american indoor volleyball player murphy troy said thats unfortunate thats the biggest impact   other family and friends people who may have come before may not come now
as far as an athlete perspective theres not much we can do but be as prepared as we can to be mosquito free   bug spray and long sleeves and stay inside the information that ive gotten is that maybe its not as bad in rio as the media has portrayed were kind of being optimistic but also want to be as prepared as we can
in most known cases zika has caused flulike symptoms for a few days but it has been blamed for a huge rise in brazil of microcephaly or babies born with abnormally small heads and some cases of guillain barre syndrome which can cause paralysis usually temporarily
the virus is transmitted primarily by the aedes aegypti mosquito but there have also been cases in which zika was transmitted sexually the world health organization said this week that athletes and spectators except for pregnant women should feel comfortable attending the olympics rio organizers will distribute 450000 condoms to athletes three times as many as were handed out at the london games in 2012 an increase largely in response to the zika outbreak
generally for those who participate in sports in which the olympics represent the ultimate achievement the threat of zika   or for that matter rios polluted water its propensity for random violence its collapsing economy or its scandal ridden politics   is not enough to keep them away
several of those who have expressed reservations have been golfers tennis players and basketball players stephen curry russell westbrook and james harden are among the nba players to have opted out of the olympics although none cited zika concerns as the reason
usa volleyball officials said that no players expected to make the olympic rosters men or women had suggested they might not attend
the beach volleyball player kerri walsh jennings a three time gold medalist said in an interview on wednesday that she was not concerned having been in rio for a tournament in march the threat of mosquitoes is expected to decline into august which is the heart of the brazilian winter
i took my essential oils im going to bring my honest bug repellent and i escaped all mosquito bites until the very last day walsh jennings said and i came home and i didnt get zika
she said her three children would not go to rio   not because of zika concerns but because they were young and there was not a lot for them to do
april ross walsh jenningss playing partner said zika was not a worry but her agent who is pregnant is not planning to go to rio
youve got to be smart about it and take all the precautions you can which we will said ross who is married and i plan on getting tested when we get back before we start trying to have a baby if we have to wait were going to wait in my mind theres no point in necessarily worrying about it if theres nothing you can really do take the precautions you can and forget about it
that is why speraw the mens indoor coach is taking the pre emptive measure of freezing his sperm his wife michelle and their 7 month old daughter brooklyn will not go to rio because of concerns over zika he said and an original travel party list of about 10 family members and friends has been whittled to just his parents
speraw is not the only one freezing sperm the british long jumper greg rutherford said he was too and the spanish basketball player pau gasol said he was considering it speraw said the idea had bounced around among other united states coaches and officials and even some of his players many of them married
im doing it because im 44 he said i dont want to wait and try to have a baby when im 46 you know if we want to try next february which was our original plan then at least we can still do that


orlando fla   corpses do not faze him but joshua d stephany orlandos chief medical examiner still has the image of what he saw inside the pulse nightclub on the morning of the slaughter seared into his head
strobe lights were still flashing the television was still on purses and cellphones were strewn about the floor and there were bodies everywhere
what you saw was drinks that were just served you saw bills that were about to be paid you saw half eaten food said dr stephany 41 who was called into duty hours after omar mateen barged into the popular gay nightclub and opened fire forty nine people were killed in the attack time just stopped
although he had been filling in for about a year dr stephany was officially made orange countys chief medical examiner two days after the slaughter at pulse on his first real day on the job his office completed 18 autopsies he said he performed at least seven of the 49 autopsies the exact number he is not certain of he lost count
he and his four colleagues aided by two state pathologists called in from elsewhere in florida have now conducted autopsies on all 49 victims as well as the assailant out of respect for those who were killed mr mateens corpse is being held in a different part of the morgue in an area typically used for decomposing bodies
determining the cause of death was routine in this case as all of the victims had bullet wound after bullet wound
so you kind of take a typical homicide scene multiply it by 50 even that just wont prepare you for what you see he said i dont think you can find anybody more experienced than medical examiners to go to that type of events but to see the sheer number of decedent is almost surreal
the pathologists put aside their emotions he said as they sought to identify everyone
the technicians photographed x rayed and fingerprinted the bodies to confirm their identities they inspected tattoos they washed blood off the victims faces so they could be compared to photographs from their drivers licenses and facebook profiles
the identity of one victim frustrated the team for dozens of hours until dr stephany realized that a wallet he had picked up off the ground at the club as evidence contained the persons name
in autopsy after autopsy the doctors documented every wound and plucked every bullet noting where it entered and the direction it traveled
it doesnt appear anyone suffered he said everyone went down where they were i dont think anyone had prolonged suffering
a new hampshire native dr stephany has conducted several thousand autopsies in his life he has seen his share of overdoses suicides hangings and car crashes but he said he knows this case his first as the chief will be one he will not forget
it hasnt been able to sink in yet dr stephany said i dont think theres any way it could not affect you immediately or eventually


the forthcoming matthew mcconaughey drama free state of jones lays claim to being the first hollywood film in decades to depict reconstruction the still controversial post civil war period that attempted to rebuild the south along racially egalitarian lines
but the movie written and directed by gary ross might also lay claim to a more unusual title the first hollywood drama to come with footnotes
the film recounts the true story of newton knight mr mcconaughey a confederate deserter who led a ragtag dissident army from the swamps of jones county miss and continued to fight for the rights of african americans after the civil war ended
in advance of the films release on june 24 mr ross whose credits include seabiscuit and the first installment of the hunger games is posting an elaborate website annotating some three dozen topics and scenes from the movie allowing audiences to click through and evaluate for themselves his historical sources including many primary documents
i stopped my life to read and study for two years before i even started writing a script mr ross said during a recent interview in his office in manhattan if people want to pick apart this history they can but they should know that this wasnt the glib work of a screenwriter who was inventing things
free state of jones arrives nearly a year after the massacre in a church in charleston sc renewed debate about the confederate flag that knight battled against but it also lands in the wake of bruising racially charged debates about whether movies like lincoln and selma give whites too much or too little credit for black progress
while knight is a hero mr ross said emphatically he is not a white savior of african americans but a white ally
i think we need to celebrate alliances he said and it is demonstrably true that newt was allied with african americans all through reconstruction after a lot of white people in the south had bailed
in carrying the newton knight story through the violent rollback of the promise of reconstruction mr ross is taking on the negative image of the period driven deep into american consciousness by films like gone with the wind and d w griffiths the birth of a nation as well as the lost cause nostalgia that has infused many movies since
this is not your granddaddys civil war movie said the yale historian david blight one of 11 historical consultants listed prominently in the closing credits it doesnt in any way sentimentalize any element of the confederate cause quite the contrary
mr ross first encountered the knight story when a colleague showed him a film treatment around 2006 when he was coming off seabiscuit
i had no idea there was dissent within the confederacy he said that immediately fascinated me
he read and eventually optioned victoria e bynums the free state of jones 2001 the first modern scholarly book to piece together the scattered evidence of knights story to get the bigger picture he also approached leading scholars of reconstruction starting with the columbia professor eric foner
im normally skeptical about hollywood history so i sent him off with a reading list mr foner who has not yet seen the movie said by email he diligently read the books and came back so i was happy to consult with him
eventually mr ross met john stauffer a harvard professor who has written extensively about abolitionism he set the director up with visiting scholar credentials and created what mr stauffer described as a rigorous syllabus it was like working with grad students you really like he said
the website mr ross has created from his research covers topics ranging from material details like the horrifying spiked collar worn by a runaway slave to broader issues like the racial makeup of knights military company and whether knight ever formally declared an independent state of jones that seceded from the confederacy
where mr ross has invented characters or episodes or made guesses about motivations he explains why pointing to justifications in the historical record for example the film depicts knights decades long relationship with rachel played by gugu mbatha raw of belle a former slave who once belonged to his grandfather and with whom he had several children the site shows an 1876 document in which knight who remained married to his white wife deeded her 160 acres of land   an indication mr ross writes that theirs was a loving relationship that grew over time rather than manifesting a thomas jeffersonsally hemings power dynamic knight did not own slaves
the extent of knights collaborations across the color line has been a point of sometimes hot debate among scholars including those on mr rosss team in 2009 after mr stauffer and sally jenkins published the state of jones a book inspired by mr rosss screenplay ms bynum posted a blistering three part review on her blog questioning what she called its highly exaggerated claims that knight had fought for racial equality before and after the war
ms bynum who also consulted on the film said in an interview that she didnt want to revisit the controversy but noted that since her review new documents had surfaced that lent support to the films interpretations
i would not characterize newt as a civil rights activist but the factual ground is solid and there is room to interpret beyond that she said
mr ross said he carefully considered how to depict knights relationships with african americans in a scene showing the meeting of the union league which in the south functioned as a black secret society promoting the republican party and voting rights of freedmen mr ross noted that moses washington a fictional african american character leads the meeting while knight sits to the side
the union league he writes on the site was an incubator of black political agency
another fictionalized scene   in which knight leads a group of african americans into town to attempt to vote in the fraud ridden state election of 1875   may smack to some of white saviorism but it can be justified mr ross said by a document showing that in 1875 knight was made a colonel in a unit set up by mississipis radical republican governor adlebert ames to protect the voting rights of african americans   incontrovertible proof he said of knights commitment to racial justice
it remains to be seen how mr rosss film will land with audiences kellie carter jackson an assistant professor of history at hunter college and the author of the coming book force and freedom black abolitionists and the politics of violence said there was a need for a more accurate depiction of reconstruction but noted that hollywood has a hard time divesting white men from the center of the universe
if its really about knight being an ally then shouldnt mcconaughey be the supporting actor and not the lead she said
mr ross said that knights story was just one story and that he welcomed more films like nate parkers the birth of a nation about nat turners rebellion which will be released this fall
i wish someone would also make a film about denmark vesey a film about tunis campbell a film about robert smalls a film about albion tourgee he said rattling off the names of undersung 19th century african american heroes and white allies there are a lot of stories that need to turn the lights on so we can have an objective view of history


hong kong   to buy a tiny but coveted apartment in the vertiginous towers of south horizons a middle class housing development overlooking the south china sea in the worlds most expensive real estate market would cost a family about a million united states dollars
these modest homes on ap lei chau cantonese for duck tongue island are a reason that a seemingly far off date   july 1 2047   is in fact pressingly close in hong kong under the sino british joint declaration governing the british colonys return to chinese rule on july 1 1997 china agreed that hong kong would retain a high degree of autonomy and its capitalist financial and legal system for 50 years
the current social and economic systems in hong kong will remain unchanged and so will the lifestyle the joint declaration said
a simple calculation shows the problem after july 1 2017 a 30 year home mortgage cannot be paid off before july 1 2047 when the declaration runs out and chinas promises expire along with it
hong kongs housing prices are as vertiginous as its towers and many people struggle just to afford a mortgage   even the 30 year ones that banks increasingly offered as property prices rocketed over the past decade said lee wing tat a former legislator and the chairman of land watch a land and housing think tank
now if you do a 30 year mortgage arrangement its from 2016 to 2046   thats still ok mr lee said in an interview but that could change he said predicting they will not lend out the money for a mortgage up to 2048
news outlets in hong kong have reported that most banks have yet to formulate policies for beyond 2047 and calls for the hong kong and chinese governments to address the problem are mounting
adam harper a spokesman for hsbc which was founded in hong kong in 1865 and prints most of the money in the territory said the bank monitors market and economic conditions carefully
uncertainty is back that bugbear of hong kong for decades amid the epochal changes surrounding the end of british colonial rule and todays tensions over chinas plans for hong kongs political future which some say are too like the communist system that is widely disliked here
just as in the 1980s when the capitalist city looked nervously ahead to communist rule there is once again a focus on land and finance
the banking sector and the financial sector need clear certainties to invest in the hong kong market in long term infrastructure development and housing mr lee said unless in the coming five years beijing has a clear policy for hong kong after 2047 if they cant present a clear message a safe message there will be a negative effect on confidence
this time though land leases are a lesser cause for concern he said all land in hong kong is leased by the government to a buyer a colonial government practice retained by the post handover government
as these leases expire the government is already renewing beyond 2047 mr lee said if you renew a lease today they will extend to 2066
its the usual practice he added its not 100 percent guaranteed
a spokeswoman for the hong kong monetary authority the citys de facto central bank wrote in an email that the hong kong government has already indicated that it has constitutional rights to grant land lease with tenure beyond 2047
with regard to long term mortgages wrote the spokeswoman who commented on condition of anonymity in keeping with the agencys custom when stating official policy banks should take into account the land tenure and other relevant factors she added banks have not reflected any issues relating to land tenure to the hkma so far
history repeats itself said johannes chan a law professor at the university of hong kong in the 1980s the banks were a prime driver for a solution
that demand for financial certainty led to the joint declaration and the legal framework known as the basic law that britain and china agreed to for post handover hong kong which described the citys rights for 50 years after 1997
the joint declaration was the basis for the recovery of chinas sovereignty and it clearly stated that the chinese policy was to let things go on for 50 years mr chan said there is no promise for beyond 50 years thereafter it will relapse because sovereignty has already been resumed
the very basis of the basic law will be gone he said it could continue or it could be changed
the decision is entirely up to china he said at the moment i think it is fair to say that no one in the world knows what will happen in 2047 mr chan said
and without clarity banks will quietly begin shrinking the time frame for mortgages he predicted until the interest rates get too high with 15 year mortgages and the risk of borrower default is too great


a bronx tale is broadway bound
chazz palminteris largely autobiographical story made famous in the film featuring robert de niro will arrive at the longacre theater this fall with performances beginning nov 3 and an opening dec 1 set as the title suggests in the bronx the story is about a boy who witnesses a killing and is then torn between two potential mentors his father and a mobster
its a morality tale   a fable mr de niro who directed the film and will co direct the musical said in a telephone interview i always thought it would be a wonderful musical and here we are
mr palminteri who witnessed a killing from his family stoop when he was a boy initially wrote the story as a one man play he starred in an off broadway production in 1989 mr de niro shepherded the film version in which he co starred with mr palminteri in 1993 and then mr palminteri performed the solo show on broadway in 2007 and 2008
its about the triumph of the human spirit and about not wasting your life said mr palminteri who is writing the book for the musical a bronx tale had a pre broadway production earlier this year at the paper mill playhouse in millburn nj
mr de niro who has won two oscars will co direct with jerry zaks who has won four tonys the show will feature doo wop music by alan menken a tony winner for newsies the musical lyrics by glenn slater a tony nominee this year for school of rock the musical and choreography by sergio trujillo a tony nominee this year for on your feet one of the producers is tommy mottola the longtime music industry executive and the show is expected to star nick cordero a tony nominee for bullets over broadway and a member of the current cast of waitress
mr mottola who is co producing the musical with the dodgers and tribeca productions said he first encountered the material when he worked on the soundtrack for the film he said the creative team would spend the next few months making changes in response to lessons they learned from the run at paper mill
we have great hopes and expectations and now well see he said ive learned that on broadway you have to be really good have a little bit of luck and hope that people care about and see the things that you do


washington   a polarized house committee on wednesday recommended that the house censure the commissioner of the internal revenue service john a koskinen and seek to strip him of his office and his federal pension for a pattern of conduct that betrayed the trust of congress and the public
following the house republicans vote in 2012 to hold the attorney general at the time eric h holder jr in contempt of congress the action against mr koskinen appeared to show the lengths they would go to pursue obama administration officials they oppose separately they are considering the more severe action of impeaching mr koskinen a move that has not been taken against a federal executive other than two presidents in 140 years
censure by the house would be the first step supporters say yet its impact will probably be limited to political symbolism the senate also run by republicans is not expected to follow suit or to support impeachment it is unclear when the full house might act on the censure resolution said aides to house republican leaders who are unenthusiastic about the effort against the commissioner
the house oversight and government reform committee voted 23 to 15 for his censure with republicans in support and democrats opposed after hours of exchanging condemnation and praise for mr koskinen
the roots of the case against him go back to may 2013 when republicans alleged that a politically motivated irs subjected tea party groups to unfair scrutiny as they sought tax exempt status mr koskinen was hired in late 2013 to steady the agency and restore confidence after the events in question republicans charge that he was complicit in the destruction of irs emails pertinent to the alleged targeting and that he lied about the emails in testimony to congress
mr koskinen who was not present during wednesdays meeting has denied wrongdoing and said he testified based on his understanding at the time democrats repeatedly noted that the inspector general of the treasury a republican and the justice department found no evidence of political motivation either in the handling of the emails or in the scrutiny of conservative groups
representative jason chaffetz republican of utah and chairman of the oversight committee said that mr koskinen delayed at least two months in telling congress two years ago in june 2014 that pertinent emails had been among those routinely destroyed at the irss west virginia office and then he lied to us under oath mr chaffetz said about what emails he would produce
since then mr chaffetz said mr koskinen has never made an attempt to clarify or amend any of his prior statements
while he said the commissioner should be impeached   next week the house judiciary committee will hold a second hearing on that   censure is a helpful first step
we owe it to the american people to ensure government officials are held accountable for misconduct mr chaffetz said when there is a duly issued subpoena you have to comply with it when you come to congress you must testify truthfully if you find later that there has been a mistake in your testimony you need to come and explain that and correct the record
the democratic minority put up a vigorous if doomed defense led by rep elijah e cummings of maryland the senior party member on the committee he called the case against the commissioner bogus and a travesty
john koskinen is an honorable man mr cummings said this 76 year old gentleman came out of retirement to take on the difficult and thankless job
mr cummings told mr chaffetz your core accusation against the commissioner is that he was deceitful and that he misled the congress but you completely disregard the difference between a misstatement and a lie
mr cummings also quoted praise for mr koskinen from senator orrin g hatch a republican colleague of mr chaffetz in utahs congressional delegation who is the chairman of the senate finance committee that has jurisdiction over the irs the censure resolution is going nowhere mr cummings said it has no practical effect
democrats pointed to what they described as three factual inaccuracies in mr chaffetzs resolution mr cummings suggesting the irony of that said he was sure those were honest mistakes by mr chaffetz though the same is true of commissioner koskinen
mr chaffetz acknowledged one mistake about exactly when mr koskinen learned the emails had been destroyed and amended the language of the resolution to correct it but he and the republicans defeated democrats amendments otherwise
republicans on the panel repeatedly raised the allegations of targeting of conservative groups that predated mr koskinens arrival at the irs and were not part of the case against him even as the committee met the group tea party patriots emailed a fund raising appeal tied to its push for mr koskinens punishment
representative jody hice republican of georgia referred to politically motivated scrutiny against innocent americans adding thats exactly whats happened here
democrats objected each time and complained that the committee was proceeding with censure before the judiciary committee had decided whether the complaints against mr koskinen warranted impeachment
hurry up and hang this guy   well have the trial next week said representative stephen f lynch democrat of massachusetts


new delhi   the health authorities in the southern indian state of telangana have issued a high alert in hyderabad the state capital after finding a strain of polio in sewage water there a state health official said wednesday
a polio vaccination drive will begin on monday the health authorities said with the aim of vaccinating about 300000 children in parts of hyderabad and in the rangareddy district also part of the state of telangana according to a statement from indias ministry of health and family welfare the hyderabad metropolitan area has more than 77 million people and the rangareddy district 52 million according indias 2011 census
we have to avoid any kind of risk even though nobody has been affected said rajeshwar tiwari the principal secretary for the ministry of health in telangana we want to remain a polio free nation
india was declared free of polio in 2014 after having no new cases over three years the countrys polio vaccination program in which health workers fanned out across the country to reach millions of children is widely considered a great success polio vaccination rates for indias children reached more than 90 percent said nicole deutsch the director of polio operations for unicef india
detecting the virus in sewage water is a concern because it could lead in rare cases to an infection in a child who has not been vaccinated
the polio virus was found in 14 sewage samples from different parts of the country from january 2015 to may of this year the ministry of health said wednesday the strains came from the excretions of vaccinated children and were therefore much less infectious than other forms experts say
the new effort in hyderabad will inoculate for all strains of the polio virus as a precautionary measure according to the ministry of healths statement in april there was a global shift from immunizing against one of those strains which had not been detected in india since 1999 ms deutsch said
because no one has yet been afflicted with the strains of the disease found in the sewage water india will retain its status as a polio free country experts said
india continues to be polio free the ministry of health said in its statement
ms deutsch said that transmission from the type of polio strain found in the sewage system was extremely extremely rare
almost all the cases of infection have been with compromised children that havent been immunized she said
the polio strain was found in a sewage treatment plant in a suburb of hyderabad called amberpet mr tiwari said
he said that the indian authorities contacted the world health organization and unicef after the sample tested positive this month


on a recent friday members of the improv show the cast were swept from a rehearsal space in midtown manhattan to the medieval fantasy world of hbos game of thrones after being assigned a name befitting a george r r martin character the performers improvised monologues i am chessalind algolith and i own this brothel began one
this role playing game was more than a rehearsal exercise the next night the troupe would stage an entirely improvised episode of game of thrones the shows overall conceit was that its fictional theater group had somehow acquired the script to an episode of game of thrones and decided to perform it live
most long form improv uses audience suggestions to assemble a series of loosely connected scenes like a sketch show in the cast which runs saturday nights at the magnet theater in chelsea the goal is to present a 50 minute performance every week each in a different discipline the parameters are fairly loose allowing for shows in the style of professional wrestling motivational seminars and cirque du soleil as well as films and television series
whatever the weeks selected discipline certain elements are constant the all female cast members wear black and sport bright red lipstick they arrive onstage to the barbra streisand song dont rain on my parade and their show has two narratives the onstage portion say a completely original episode of game of thrones and a peek backstage
the troupe also produces more cohesive narratives than what is seen in most improv partly because of one theatrical touch actors leave the stage when not in a scene its standard for improvisers who are not in a scene to perch along the back wall or a side wall   a practice known as sidelines   where they can watch the proceedings and jump in at any time offstage they consider the shows progress ensuring that certain genre tropes are being fulfilled or coordinating the resolution of plot threads
the cast which recently celebrated its one year anniversary began life as part of the magnets directors series a program that gives a four performance run to something were not doing right now at the theater said megan gray the theaters artistic director and a member of the cast
the shows director hannah chase who studied theater in college and sometimes performs with the group developed the idea as a way of bringing multiple styles of improv to one show both a more heightened dramatic emotional narrative style in the play portion she said and then a slightly more grounded patient realistic style in the backstage scenes ms chase also handpicked her cast selecting magnet theater performers with various years of experience the current lineup consists of ms gray geri cole ali fisher alexis lambright devin oneill elena skopetos and elizabeth slack for the game of thrones performance they were joined for the first time by carly monardo
its the rare new york city show that has an all female cast incorporates different genres and forgoes sidelines while selected disciplines and genres bring in new fans the show has also slowly built a regular audience
nick kanellis a fellow improviser at magnet likens the appeal of the cast to that of an anthology television series you get the sense of consistency because you know the performers he said itd be like i love the cast of friends and this week the cast of friends is doing game of thrones
when new performers in improv terminology play with the actors they all discuss everyones comfort level for interactions like touching   conversations the cast members say that rarely happen on other teams the highly sexualized nature of game of thrones for instance found them discussing the best way to portray sex scenes and basic etiquette for onstage kissing
each performance requires preparation and the team credits ms chase whose hours of research each week are essential the goal is to ensure that die hard fans of a particular genre leave satisfied the game of thrones show was filled with references to dragons and otherworldly creatures like white walkers for the many enthusiasts in the audience as well as plenty of meta commentary on the shows brutality in one scene ms gray portrayed cersei lannister and ms oneill was her brother and lover jaime lannister i want you to kill the people that killed our daughter cersei said to jaime and also i have a list of others
at rehearsal for the following weeks show devoted to jane austen the actors reflected on other differences that set this endeavor apart being on an all female improv team they said was a special and positive experience but one that felt incidental to the show itself
mostly they spoke of how their camaraderie fosters an environment that helps them to thrive ive been on other teams and it felt like people were being competitive ms lambright said it wasnt a team it was like this is my moment to show whoevers in the audience that i want to be on snl
while they once feared they would run out of genres to perform new ideas keep coming   future shows will derive inspiration from anton chekhov 90s sitcoms and the interactive theater piecesleep no more   and their ambitions keep growing the group would like to try outdoor theater a la shakespeare in the park or a visual album like beyonces lemonade
the fun the cast members said is the challenge of taking on such a wide variety of styles with so little time to prepare because were doing a different genre every week at least one person is terrified every week and its a different person all the time ms chase said that theres a level of risk and level of bravery required to do this show makes it feel like the platonic ideal of improv in my mind everybody is really doing something that feels sort of scary


hampton va   hillary clinton rebuked donald j trump on wednesday for proposing national security ideas that she argued would put america in greater danger and inspire more terrorist attacks
the criticism comes as mr trump is under fire for offering what democrats and republicans have called an off key response to the massacre in orlando fla
after 49 people were killed in a gay nightclub by an american born islamic state sympathizer on sunday morning mr trump expanded his proposed ban on muslim immigration to include people coming from countries with a history of harming america he also suggested that president obama was appeasing the nations enemies
during a round table discussion wednesday with military members and veterans in hampton va mrs clinton argued that such notions were nonsense
a ban on muslims would not have stopped this attack she said neither would a wall i dont know how one builds a wall to keep the internet out
she added not one of donald trumps reckless ideas would have saved a single life in orlando
in the days since the worst attack on american soil since sept 11 2001 mrs clinton has taken a more aggressive approach toward mr trump mocking his proposals as the schemes of an angry amateur while trying to project the measured authoritative tone of a president
she extended that effort on wednesday ridiculing mr trump over his fixation with the phrase radical islam poking fun at the woes of trump university and suggesting he lacked the temperament to lead the country
after all the twitter rants and conspiracy theories youve been hearing recently its time for substantive discussions about how we protect our country mrs clinton said
the latest theory that mr trump posted on twitter on wednesday came from an article on a conservative website that claimed mrs clinton had received a secret memo stating that the obama administration supported the islamic state
mr obama and mrs clinton denounced mr trump in separate speeches on tuesday calling his views un american and offensive
while mr trumps impulsive style and provocative ideas served him well in the republican primary campaign the broader electorate appears to have concerns a bloomberg politics poll this week showed mrs clinton holding a double digit lead and republican leaders are expressing growing fear about the partys standard bearer
to offer a contrast with mr trump mrs clinton spent more than an hour wednesday discussing national security at the virginia air and space center here leading a discussion and taking notes surrounded by american flags and nasa artifacts she empathized with the plight of veterans facing long waits at va hospitals and those who struggle to find jobs after returning from combat
mrs clinton also called for new approaches to stopping lone wolf terrorists and said that people on terrorist watch lists should not be able to buy guns
but with the final primary election finally behind her it was evident that mrs clinton had mr trump on her mind and she repeatedly brought him up without prompting from the small friendly audience
his comments have become even more inflammatory in recent days mrs clinton said after ruminating about how mr trump wanted to halt muslim immigrants from entering the country this approach is not just wrong it is dangerous


when the rockefeller university in manhattan wanted to expand its campus it bumped up against the same problem other developers in the jam packed city face a lack of space
crammed hard against the franklin d roosevelt drive from 62nd street to 68th street on the upper east side the university had limited space for new construction and no real estate was available on any edge of its property so the university looked again to its border with the fdr drive and building over it became the best option said timothy oconnor the executive vice president of rockefeller
this is the only way that the acreage of the university was going to expand mr oconnor said it was the most creative approach
the 500 million project called the stavros niarchos foundation david rockefeller river campus initiative will straddle the busy highway and will include adding a two story building as well as two acres to the 14 acre campus the university also plans to repair the sea wall along the east river and improve the public esplanade adjacent to the campus according to its website
its a very challenging project mr oconnor said it gets everyones creative juices flowing
he said rafael vinoly architects the firm working on the project designed a building that is utterly anti new york because it is horizontal not vertical the horizontal structure should encourage collaboration between laboratories and faculty members he said
with fewer points of support than a traditional vertical structure building over the fdr drive was more expensive and technically challenging mr vinoly said
how do you create a significant expansion in a place like manhattan mr vinoly said its a clever way of dealing with the question of having a very limited footprint on the island
building over the highway meant taking advantage of the air rights which the university has owned since 1973 and represents a new frontier in the world of development and construction especially in new york said curt zegler the project executive for turner construction which is working on the expansion with rising demand for real estate and scarce access to land mr zegler said developers often looked to use a propertys air rights
on wednesday morning the first of 19 metal structures was hoisted from the east river and placed onto three columns over the fdr drive the structure weighing 800000 pounds was lifted by the chesapeake 1000 the largest marine crane based on the east coast
scientists peered through laboratory windows and university staff members snapped photos from rooftops as they watched the floating crane work
the east skyline of new york city is completely changing said david moskovich 21 an intern with lehrer llc a construction consulting firm for the project he was among 25 people perched on a campus rooftop
the whole thing is a feat in modern engineering mr moskovich said
the yellow red and white boom on the chesapeake 1000 can reach as high as a 21 story building and carry up to two million pounds the heaviest metal structures for this project weigh 15 million pounds mr zegler said
the chesapeake 1000 which was built in 1972 and is owned by donjon marine of hillside nj was used more than 20 years ago for another project over the fdr drive at newyork presbyterian hospital mr zegler said
hoping to minimize traffic problems the 50 foot wide prefabricated structures will be transported by barge from keasbey nj and lifted one by one onto the buildings foundation mr zegler said moving the structures over the highway will be done during overnight hours this summer
at 1215 am on wednesday the crane raised the metal structure about 30 feet in the air and the barge moved out from under it and headed back to keasbey
about 20 minutes later the fdr drive was closed to traffic and the chesapeake 1000 began to rotate the metal structure 90 degrees perpendicular to the fdr drive and placed it on three columns
the construction began in september and is expected to be completed in 2019
the fdr drive will be closed from 1230 to 430 am for each lift operation between 61st and 96th streets in both directions the east river esplanade will be closed to pedestrian traffic between 63rd and 71st streets the transportation department offers alternate routes on its website


geneva   an employee of the law firm at the center of the leaks of the panama papers which have revealed offshore wealth held in secretive accounts worldwide has been arrested here on charges of data theft one of the employees lawyers romain jordan said on wednesday
it was not immediately clear what connection if any the person might have had with the panama papers a trove of 115 million documents from a panama based law firm mossack fonseca a consortium of news organizations began publishing findings from the documents   some dating to the 1970s   in april and the disclosures have prompted investigations of politicians and other prominent figures around the world
on wednesday the swiss newspaper le temps reported that an information technology employee in the geneva office of mossack fonseca had been arrested on suspicion of stealing confidential information computer equipment was seized as part of the inquiry le temps reported
asked about the report a spokesman for claudio mascotto the chief prosecutor in geneva declined to comment the spokesman said only that the office had opened a criminal investigation based on a complaint filed by mossack fonseca the employees name was not made public and the lawyer did not give his clients name or provide any detail about him
le temps quoted a lawyer for mossack fonseca thierry ulmann as saying what we know is that the data were removed from his computer in geneva and that this it worker had full access privileges
the law firm filed a complaint against the worker for illegal removal of data and for violating the confidentiality of the law firm mr ulmann told le temps
mr ulmann could not be reached for comment on wednesday evening
mr jordan reached by phone confirmed that his client had been charged with data theft but said only i can confirm that my client is denying all the charges made against him
the panama papers leaks originated with an anonymous source who approached the german newspaper suddeutsche zeitung daunted by the volume of data involved the newspaper turned for help to the international consortium of investigative journalists a nonprofit group in washington that has coordinated several global projects on financial data leaks
the new york times which was not initially part of the consortium but now has access to the documents reported this month that mossack fonseca had at least 2400 clients over the past decade who were based in the united states and that it had set up at least 2800 companies on their behalf in the british virgin islands panama the seychelles and other jurisdictions that help individuals or corporations to hide wealth
in a statement last month under the pseudonym john doe the source offered to come forward if offered immunity from prosecution
bastian obermayer an investigative reporter at suddeutsche zeitung who received the original leak on the panama papers said on wednesday that the man arrested in geneva was not his source who leaked the documents but left open the possibility that there might be more than one person behind the leaks
in a phone interview mr obermayer said of the man arrested in geneva we can say that it is not the person that we have been in contact with a statement he also made on twitter
it remains possible mr obermayer said that the arrested man might have been involved in procuring the information   and that several people might have been involved in securing the information that was ultimately released
but mr obermayer emphasized that this was speculation he said that he only had contact with a single source and that he was confident that that source had not been arrested
there is still a theoretical possibility that john doe is many persons and one of them might be this person mr obermayer said
marina walker guevara the deputy director of the international consortium of investigative journalists said on wednesday that she could not comment on the arrest in geneva


beijing   women in china are sending naked photographs of themselves holding their id cards to peer to peer lenders as collateral chinese state media have reported in a trend that may involve thousands of people
the phenomenon which the beijing youth daily said was taking place on a popular online peer to peer lender called jiedaibao is provoking alarm and sympathy on social media it has also led to calls for women to protect themselves from predators who are reportedly blackmailing them with the nude photographs sometimes demanding sexual services when the women cannot repay at interest rates that can be as high as 30 percent a week
a call seeking comment to jiedaibao a leading company in chinas flourishing peer to peer lending market was not answered late on wednesday in beijing
beijing youth daily the official newspaper of the communist youth league said the practice was an open secret
an investigation by beijing youth daily shows that in some money lending groups female university students naked holding has already become an open secret it wrote referring to the practice of women photographing themselves naked holding their id card as a guarantee of repayment
a man with the online handle of beijing ninth uncle on weibo chinas twitter like social media platform said he was gathering evidence that women from many different walks of life including farmers and university students were falling afoul of the lenders demands the man said he was a writer on the finance industry
with naked holding they can get two to five times the amount of money but when they cant repay some have been threatened with publishing the photographs and some lenders are even demanding the female students provide sexual services beijing youth daily wrote
it described the case of a university student from jiangsu province in central china whom it gave the pseudonym of lin xiao her troubles began it said when she borrowed 500 renminbi about 75 from a lender in february to open an online store at 30 percent interest on the one week loan she quickly needed more money to repay the debt eventually borrowing about 120000 renminbi from 15 people a sum that soon ballooned into 250000 renminbi about 38000 at the high interest rate
eventually the woman supplied a nude photograph of herself in exchange for a larger loan to try to escape her debt including personal information such as contact numbers and addresses for family members when she could not repay the lender threatened to show the photographs to her family and friends the newspaper reported
as the circle of debt widened so did the distribution of the naked photographs until they were in the hands of three online lenders beijing youth daily reported at that point she told her family and with their help began to clear the debt but i still owe about 60000 renminbi she said
the story could not be independently verified
high interest naked holding and so on are the private actions of users this company cannot interfere beijing youth daily quoted jiedaibao as saying in response to the reports of such behavior among users risks are the borrowers responsibility it said
on wednesday beijing ninth uncle posted a weibo message calling on the public security bureau to investigate some victims had disappeared he said meaning their cellphones were off or were ringing unanswered
i call on the police to set up a special group give the victims confidence investigate thoroughly dredge out the criminals he wrote beijing ninth uncle declined to be interviewed saying he did not accept interviews with foreign media


this is the buzz saw that janet yellen the federal reserve chairwoman walked into as she addressed the news media   and by extension every trading floor on earth   wednesday afternoon
the feds official mission is to take care of the american economy and the economy is doing pretty well the unemployment rate is 47 percent its lowest in nine years and around the level federal reserve officials think is sustainable in the long run wages are rising steadily after a soft first quarter economic growth is accelerating
for ms yellen a labor economist with decades of experience it all points to a recipe for higher inflation a single month of weak jobs data notwithstanding some of her colleagues would also emphasize that keeping rates too low could create imbalances in the economy and spur new financial crises
but global financial markets arent having it if you take bond and currency markets at face value the underlying path of growth in the united states is too weak and global deflationary forces too powerful the fed will need to raise interest rates much slower than its officials say they expect
if markets could talk they would be saying we dont think youll raise interest rates as much as you say and if you do it anyway youll probably regret it
all 17 top officials of the fed expect an interest rate increase to happen this year according to projections they released wednesday yet financial futures markets price in only about a 40 percent chance that it will happen fed officials envision a 24 percent interest rate target at the end of 2018 versus 06 percent that is priced into the markets fed officials see inflation rising to its target of 2 percent by 2018 and staying there the price of inflation protected bonds implies it will be much lower
there are technical factors that distort those market signals as ms yellen noted in her news conference for example aggressive bond buying by the european central bank and the bank of japan may be sending money flooding across borders into higher yielding american bonds making american rates lower than the economic fundamentals would justify
but even with those distortions ms yellen and the fed face danger if they ignore these market signals entirely a pattern has repeated for years markets expect slower growth lower inflation and a slower path of rate increases than fed officials themselves markets turn out to be right
two years ago for example the median projection among fed officials was that its interest rate target would be 25 percent at the end of 2016 a year ago it was 168 percent at the end of 2016 now both look like pipe dreams fed leaders expect a 09 percent rate at the end of the year and markets expect 04 percent
ms yellen and the fed have been grappling with which set of signals to listen to and the tone that pervaded her news conference wednesday was one of uncertainty
were quite uncertain about where rates are heading in the longer term she said many of us believe as a base case its reasonable to assume those rates will move up over time but we arent certain about that there could be revisions in either direction
ultimately by holding off on a june rate increase and marking down rate forecasts for the months ahead the fed nudged its views toward market views
as fed officials make their decisions at their remaining four meetings of 2016 the issue that hangs over them is as complex as ever it is not merely about evaluating how the united states economy is doing and whether it remains solidly on track   and given the flaws in economic data that job is hard enough
fed officials must also weigh whether the global force of low inflation is so powerful as to continue dragging down prices in the united states even after the domestic economy has healed they have to figure out whether the feedback loops between economic weakness and easy money in other countries create unconventional risks to the united states by raising rates too quickly
the 2008 financial crisis was a profound test of the feds ability to prevent economic collapse from 2009 to 2012 the central bank made crucial decisions to keep pushing the united states economy toward recovery
this year is showing just how intricate the exit from this era of easy money will truly be


paris   searchers in the mediterranean have found the first sunken wreckage of the egyptair flight that mysteriously veered off course and plunged from 37000 feet last month the egyptian government reported wednesday
all 66 people aboard the jetliner egyptair flight 804 bound for cairo from paris were killed in the still unexplained crash on may 19 as the plane was on the final leg of its trip in egyptian airspace
news of the discovered wreckage was reported in a statement from the egyptian aircraft accident investigation committee established by the government to find out what happened to the plane an airbus a320
the statement said a search vessel the john lethbridge had found and identified several main locations of the wreckage and that investigators had been provided with photographic images taken from the seabed roughly 10000 feet below the surface
there was no immediate word on the precise location of the wreckage or whether it included the data recorders that are essential for helping determine why the plane crashed
the discovery was the first significant breakthrough in the search for the plane since investigators said they had detected signals from one of its two flight recorder beacons or pingers nearly two weeks ago
with the battery life of those beacons expiring by next week investigators are hoping to retrieve the recorders   which contain cockpit conversations and data from the planes onboard computers   before they fall silent
investigators and search teams will begin mapping the debris field on the ocean floor the egyptian committee said even in the absence of the data from the flight recorders air accident experts have said that the distribution of the wreckage would yield significant clues if the debris contains large pieces of the plane that are concentrated in a relatively small area that would suggest that the plane hit the water largely intact smaller debris scattered across a wide area would suggest that it broke up in midair   possibly the result of an explosion
remi jouty the director of frances air accidents bureau which is advising egypt in the investigation said last week that investigators were still very far from understanding what may have caused the crash earlier this week the egyptian authorities appeared to back away from suggestions that flight 804 had disappeared abruptly from radar screens   a scenario that had fanned theories that the plane might have been brought down by a terrorist bomb or other deliberate act rather than a mechanical or other failure
in a statement published monday the egyptian investigation committee said it had validated radar data provided by the greek authorities in the days after the crash that indicated that the plane had swerved abruptly off course first making a sharp left turn before veering to the right and spiraling down into the sea
with the wreckage found the french navy said it had recalled its survey ship the laplace from the search zone investigators aboard the john lethbridge will now deploy an underwater robot and sonar equipment to locate the flight recorders and bring them to the surface
the egyptian authorities this week invited experts from the united states national transportation safety board to join the egyptair crash investigation team as well as engineers from honeywell the manufacturer of the flight recorders
besides the radar tracks now confirmed by both the greek and egyptian authorities the only confirmed data received from the plane were a series of seven automated messages sent to an egyptair maintenance base those messages included two smoke alerts   one in a bathroom and another in an electronics bay near the cockpit and close to many of the planes computerized control systems but while the alerts indicate that there was an emergency on board experts have said they are not sufficient to explain the disaster


atlanta   since becoming the presumptive republican nominee donald j trump has changed little at his rallies often building on his caustic comments from the primary campaign
in an hour plus speech here on wednesday mr trump stuck to that script touring through his foreign policy proposals and occasionally offering positions at odds with decades of american diplomacy he said he would accept a visit to the united states by the north korean dictator as part of opening a dialogue and focus on the heritage of the shooter in the orlando fla massacre as a possible source of radicalization
he also reiterated his desire to temporarily bar immigrants from middle eastern countries from entering the united states
mr trump who was frequently interrupted by protesters continued to make the orlando shooting a major focal point building upon fear of muslims and threats abroad
he was born here but his parents werent and his ideas werent mr trump said of the shooter omar mateen his ideas were born somewhere else
mr trump had said previously incorrectly that mr mateen was born in afghanistan he was born in new york in 1986
mr trump also said that we have to go and we have to check respectfully the mosques a more explicit position regarding surveillance that he proposed last year after the paris attacks
he also continued to predict that there would be more terrorists attacks in the united states
ive been saying its going to happen mr trump said and i hate to say it again but its going to happen again and again and again
mr trump has used the attacks sunday in orlando to further sharpen his immigration positions continually calling for a temporary ban for certain people from where you have tremendous terrorism he also sought to contrast himself with hillary clinton who he said was too welcoming of refugees and immigrants from middle eastern countries
as to whether they assimilate or not you make the decision mr trump said but assimilation has not been exactly a positive factor
mr trump who last month said he would be open to negotiating directly with kim jong un the north korean leader went further on wednesday in his commitment to being open to talk to anyone
i wouldnt go there that i can tell you mr trump said of north korea if he came here id accept him but we wouldnt have a state dinner like we do for china and all these other people who rip us off
he tried to clarify his position on nato which he has called obsolete saying that was so only in regards to terrorism and member states paying their fair share
he also said that nato had the wrong countries and praised president vladimir v putins stewardship of the russian military
frankly putin has built up their military again and again and again he said their military is much stronger hes doing nuclear were not doing anything our nuclear is old and tired and his nuclear is tippy top from what i hear


denver   when the colorado rockies decided to swallow hard   38 million must require quite a chaser   and designate jose reyes for assignment on wednesday it was hard to know exactly how much of a role his suspension in a domestic violence incident played in their decision
the rockies had plenty of reasons to get rid of reyes
first they never really wanted him his acquisition last july was the cost they had to bear for jettisoning the even more burdensome contract of their former franchise player troy tulowitzki and reyes as he professed last september was not keen on remaining in colorado
then there was the emergence of trevor story the rookie who took advantage of reyess suspension to hit 17 home runs and drive in 45 runs entering wednesdays game
and finally the economic theory of sunk costs   once money is committed it should not affect a businesss best decision   has become more acceptable in baseball the los angeles dodgers recently ate the 35 million that remained on carl crawfords contract and designated him for assignment
still reyes who just turned 33 and is diminished from his dynamic peak was at least an asset   somebody the pitching needy rockies might have sent to a playoff contender
would we be sitting here talking about this if the domestic violence thing hadnt happened in hawaii rockies general manager jeff bridich said as he sat in the dugout before wednesdays game against the yankees so its obviously part of the overall decision
the rockies have some history with decisions involving off the field incidents in 2004 they released pitcher denny neagle and negotiated a 16 million buyout of his contract after he was issued a summons in a prostitution case
when reyes was arrested last oct 31 after his wife told police officers that he had grabbed her throat and shoved her into a sliding glass balcony door at a maui resort it was the first case under the new domestic violence policy the players union had negotiated with major league baseball
the policy gives commissioner rob manfred broad powers to enforce discipline even if the player is not arrested or convicted pitcher aroldis chapman now with the yankees was given a 30 game suspension in a domestic incident and braves third baseman hector olivera was suspended for 82 games reyes was suspended from the start of the season through may 31
thus far baseballs investigators have waited for the legal cases to unfold before handing the cases over to manfred this has made for a deliberate process that has taken discipline out of the hands of teams something that bridich said the rockies welcomed
the most important thing is that it gives weight to cases of domestic violence he said there is a firm national and international stance by major league baseball saying this is serious and were not going to leave it up to 30 different clubs to interpret things 30 different ways
but there is plenty of room for interpretation in the aftermath as teams have shown that they are balancing the costs and benefits of taking on players who have been involved in domestic violence cases
when the boston red sox and the los angeles dodgers became aware of chapmans case it quashed their interest in acquiring him and forced the cincinnati reds to slash their price as they tried to trade him the yankees swooped in to get chapman an all star reliever at a sharp discount if the yankees do not think they are contenders by the end of july they could flip chapman an impending free agent for future help
now reyes finds himself on the open market not long ago he might have had many suitors when he left the mets after the 2011 season for a six year 106 million deal with the miami marlins he was the reigning national league batting champion but after one season the marlins shipped him to toronto where the artificial turf took a toll on a player whose game was defined by his legs he is no longer the hitter the base stealer or the fielder he once was
reyes spent several weeks in extended spring training and has played nine games for class aaa albuquerque hoping to show some team that he is worth taking a chance on reyes has hit 303 with two home runs seven runs scored seven walks four strikeouts and three stolen bases
bridich had nothing but praise for reyes on wednesday he described him as being contrite and said he had behaved professionally while interacting with the rockies minor leaguers during his rehabilitation assignment
wherever he lands bridich said theres no reason to wish him anything other than good luck


for decades the buyers in some of the largest deals had come in three forms private equity firms corporations and public market investors
but over the last few years a new group of buyers has sprung up sovereign wealth funds pension funds and even private families have flexed their deal making muscles as interest rates hover near zero and in many parts of the world below zero these investors with trillions of dollars in their war chests have taken it on themselves to buy pieces of companies or in some cases the whole thing
over the last year and a half these so called emerging buyers bought about 17 percent of the assets sold by private equity firms up from 2 percent in 2007 according to data compiled by goldman sachs they were even more active as buyers than private equity firms themselves
by taking a direct stake in companies these buyers are looking for investment gains without paying management fees to private equity firms which they would have to pay if they invested in a traditional fund the risks are higher however especially because some of the newcomers do not have the same internal people who find deals and vet them that a private equity firm or a bank would have
some banks are stepping in to fill that void last month goldman sachs announced plans to expand its financial sponsors group which works with private equity firms to focus more on these emerging buyers the group run by a goldman partner alison j mass plans to spend the next several months identifying these buyers and how best to cover them she said it was recently renamed the financial and strategic investors group
it was a wake up call for us that we have to be forward thinking and innovative ms mass said in an interview from the companys offices in new york we cant sit and look in the rearview mirror and just cover private equity firms anymore
emerging buyers are investing in every sector around the world this month saudi arabias main investment fund took a 35 billion stake in the ride hailing start up uber one of the largest single investments in a privately held start up in march the jab holding company the investment arm of germanys reimann family who are heirs to the consumer goods company joh a benckiser led an investor group that completed the acquisition of keurig green mountain for about 14 billion jab recently agreed to acquire the doughnut maker krispy kreme for 135 billion
last year the ontario teachers pension plan acquired pods a container moving and storage company from a consortium led by the bahrain private equity group arcapita and the abu dhabi investment authority a big sovereign fund in the united arab emirates was part of a group of pension funds and other buyers that paid 4 billion last year for volkswagens fleet management business leaseplan
ms masss career has tracked the transformation of private equity she started on wall street 35 years ago as private equity was becoming a modern industry she worked at the now defunct investment bank drexel burnham lambert under leon black who went on to start one of the largest private equity firms apollo global management when drexel went into bankruptcy in 1990 ms mass left for merrill lynch she joined goldman sachs in 2001
her group at goldman sachs includes a number of prominent women a scarcity in the worlds of both investment banking and private equity as of this month three female partners including ms mass will be working with financial sponsor clients at goldman sachs - out of 13 total in investment banking stephanie cohen who is the global head of financial sponsor mergers and acquisitions and sarah marie martin who is joining from credit suisse are the other two
by expanding her group ms mass may be helping some of her longtime clients as well john connaughton a co managing partner of bain capital a client of goldman sachss financial sponsors group said we find ourselves more and more partnering with these institutions the more theyre advised the more theyre rational and the more they understand how deals get done
some of the emerging buyers are taking steps to make their internal deal making abilities more professional abu dhabis sovereign fund created its own group three years ago to focus on direct investments and it now has 15 people
many of the emerging buyers deals are made in conjunction with private equity firms in a practice known as co investing the private equity firms offer some investors   whom they call limited partners   the chance to buy stakes in deals directly alongside them co investing gives private equity firms access to a larger pool of capital to make bigger acquisitions while it allows investors to pay few or no fees of 140 limited partners surveyed last year by pricewaterhousecoopers 73 percent said they had co invested in at least one deal
when apollo wanted to take the adt corporation private this year it needed an additional 750 million to finance the 7 billion transaction the private equity firm called on koch industries   the conglomerate owned by the billionaires charles and david koch   to round out the investment koch invested using a special type of preferred security that was somewhat less risky than regular equity goldman advised adt on the transaction
private equity firms have come under fire for the way they choose clients to invest alongside them tending to give more opportunities to their larger investors critics say and co investors often reap the gains in these deals while other investors in the private equity fund bear the expense of due diligence and legal fees if a deal breaks
not all sovereign wealth funds and other emerging buyers will be successful many are not equipped to execute deals and help turn around struggling businesses you have to be careful that you dont lower your standards said steve feilmeier the chief financial officer at koch for the right opportunities alternative buyers are going to really do their due diligence to make sure theyre buying a security theyre comfortable with


ichiro suzuki led off wednesday afternoons game against the san diego padres by doing what he has so often done in his illustrious career in japan and the united states he beat out a ground ball for an infield single
the hit gave him 4256 for his career as a top level pro baseball player in both countries tying the record total of pete rose who of course got all of his hits in this country
then eight innings later in his fifth and final at bat of the game suzuki did what he has also done countless times   he doubled to right which moved him one hit past rose
suzukis two hits were not enough to keep his miami marlins from losing the game to the padres but that hardly mattered on a day when the 42 year old suzuki who is hitting nearly 350 this season once again made himself a big story
after his first hit which was essentially an infield dribbler he was applauded by players and the crowd at petco park more cheers came in the ninth
suzukis mark however does come with an asterisk his 2979 hits in major league baseball are supplemented by the 1278 he compiled when he played for the orix bluewave of the japan pacific league at the start of his career
while suzukis chase of roses mark has been big news in japan rose himself while praising ichiros talent has been dismissive of the feat
i dont think youre going to find anybody with credibility say that japanese baseball is equivalent to major league baseball he told usa today he made similar remarks last fall as the record first came into view if you say those hits in japan are professional hits rose said then my hits in the minor leagues are professional hits too
after wednesdays game suzuki took a more gracious tone than rose did i dont think you can compare he told reporters through an interpreter when asked about his numbers and roses of his 4257 hits he said obviously its a combined record so i always just say what people think about that record if they recognize it id be happy
by one measure suzukis career hit mark is more impressive than roses entering wednesdays game ichiro had 14334 total plate appearances in japan and the major leagues in contrast it took rose 15890 to collect his 4256 hits
on the other hand rose and suzuki do have more in common than just their gift for hitting both were rookies of the year in the major leagues though rose was 22 at the time and suzuki was 27 after arriving in seattle from japan both showed baseball longevity rose played until he was 45 suzuki three years younger is still going strong
suzuki dominated the japan leagues winning three straight most valuable player awards from 1994 to 1996 he made the switch to the majors for the 2001 season at a time when japanese players especially batters were rare but he quickly silenced the doubters leading the league in hitting at 350 in his first season for the mariners and winning the mvp and rookie of the year awards he has led the league in hits seven times in his career
at age 38 an age when many players are long out of the game he finally moved on from seattle to play for the yankees in 2015 he joined the marlins at age 41
in his long career in the united states he has just two postseason appearances he hit 600 in seattles division series triumph over cleveland in his rookie year and appeared 11 years later in the yankees 2012 playoff run
but championships have not entirely eluded him he was a part of the japan teams that won the first two world baseball classics in 2006 and 2009
the dispute over suzukis mark is reminiscent of the storm when the great japanese slugger sadaharu oh approached hank aarons 755 homer mark in 1977 some american sportswriters grumbled that the marks were not equivalent as japanese ballparks tended to be smaller
but aaron was gracious in a taped message broadcast in japan that night i would have loved to have been there tonight to put the crown on top of his head because he certainly is quite a gentleman and the people of japan have a lot to be proud of
oh ended his career with 868 homers
the next milestone for suzuki is 3000 major league hits he needs only 21 more he would be the 30th to get to that number and for that milestone the hits he accumulated in japan will be irrelevant there will be no debate about his achievement
obviously 3000 is a no doubter suzuki said on wednesday its a record here so thats a goal i want to achieve


a fantasy merger may not help fanduel and draftkings escape a harsh reality
there would be some logic to uniting the two big daily fantasy sports sites an idea that is being discussed according to news reports prominent backers that might include alphabets google kkr and the dallas cowboys could perhaps improve the odds on their collective 700 million investment in the two start ups state lawmakers however can throttle one big site as easily as two
there would be some obvious savings from putting fanduel and draftkings together any football fan who sat through the onslaught of tv commercials from the two companies last fall knows that the ad budget could be slashed together fanduel and draftkings accounted for a whopping 59 percent of third quarter united states television advertising growth according to bernstein research in september alone the two sites spent more than 100 million moffettnathanson analysts estimate
the legal defense synergies are also appealing several states have shut down fanduel and draftkings and combining the two lobbying budgets might add a little muscle as legislators continue to question the credibility of the nascent 4 billion industry of course a merger also might open up a new legal battleground antitrust together the two companies would control 95 percent of their narrowly defined market
in new york fanduel and draftkings agreed to go dark earlier this year after sparring with attorney general eric t schneiderman an appeals hearing is scheduled for september and local lawmakers are considering new proposals other states have initiated investigations into fantasy sports as illinois and nevada push to classify the business as a gambling activity rather than one of skill as the fantasy site operators argue
with so much opposition to overcome merging fanduel and draftkings might be worth a chance the odds for a sustainable and successful business model however would remain long


get ready for big increases in premiums under the affordable care act a new analysis from the kaiser family foundation examined the most popular individual plans under the new health care law in 14 major cities around the country and found that insurers were asking for increases in 2017 that are twice as big as this years there is wide variation including some places where rates will go down but the average requested increase is 10 percent
while it will be months before insurers and regulators agree to final rates for the coming year the kaiser analysis confirms the signals we have seen from industry and government experts   that consumers and the federal government are likely to see much higher prices in many markets clearly insurers are struggling to figure out how much to charge so they can cover their costs but still attract customers
as health care reporters weve been debating exactly how worried one should be about the fate of the affordable care act known informally as obamacare in the face of steep rate increases next year
reed margot you were definitely right to sound the alarm last month while its still early   and we dont know what regulators are likely to do with the proposals theyre getting   the kaiser analysis seems to me another sign that were a long way from having a stable individual market kaiser was looking at major cities after all where there is supposed to be plenty of competition and the market is supposed to work the best but in our hometowns new york city and washington the proposed rate increases were among the highest   16 percent for each market
margot seriously dc likes to brag about how it has the highest enrollment rate and the youngest healthiest risk pool in the country but it seems clear that even the insurers here are struggling i think these higher rates should remind us that this new market has proved much harder for insurers to figure out than we might expect three years in
i think the news in some rural areas could be even worse those are the places where theres far less competition among insurers and hospitals charles gaba a blogger who closely tracks enrollment and insurer filings has published a weighted average rate increase for the states with numbers and that one is way higher than kaiser   22 percent there are reasons his methodology will produce higher numbers than kaiser but hes finding much bigger increases than he did last year using the same method
reed the prices are also concerning even if the federal government ends up paying most of the bill in new york and vermont a cheap silver plan before taking into account subsidies could end up costing more than 400 a month according to the kaiser estimates in about half of the cities somebody has to pay at least 300 thats steep
margot i feel obliged to jump in and say that most people arent paying those sticker prices now and wont next year either the federal subsidies protect low income folks from the brunt of the increases but people earning higher incomes are definitely going to feel these prices
reed the question i have is whether this is a one time adjustment or whether we are likely to see these kinds of rate increases in future years what do you think
margot i dont see any signs that the market is spiraling out of control i think the insurers just underpriced to start because of some combination of bad estimates unexpected regulatory changes and perhaps unwise loss leader strategies assuming they have better numbers to work with now and a firmer sense of the regulatory landscape it seems reasonable to think this might be a one time market correction
still the increases look so high whats the pessimistic case here
reed for the insurers its that this group of people is sicker and costlier to cover than they bargained for unless the companies figure out how to manage those costs and keep premiums stable the people sitting on the sidelines   individuals who havent enrolled or even employers deciding whether to send workers to the exchange   will do their best to stay out of the market even if theres no so called death spiral the law doesnt succeed in providing coverage to the tens of millions who remain uninsured
margot well i think we definitely need to adjust our expectations of who these marketplaces are primarily for when the law was being debated the common enrollee envisioned was an upper middle class person who ran her own business and wanted to be able to buy something like employer coverage thats not this market but a lot of the eligible but unenrolled people are still very low income and are effectively insulated from the price increases i think theres room to grow here and if you look at the surveys of people in this market the customers are largely happy obviously thats not everyone but i think having this health insurance option that didnt exist before is still really welcoming for a lot of low income people who used to slip between the cracks
reed and heres where i may be at least somewhat optimistic while i wont begin to predict what will happen in the coming elections i think its possible that lawmakers could become more pragmatic in states like alaska where the law doesnt seem to be working at least theres some conversation taking place about what to do and federal officials have made it harder for plans to sell so called short term policies that siphon off healthy people who would otherwise buy coverage in the exchange
margot speaking of politics these are the sort of scary increases that republicans have been warning about for years yet it doesnt seem like killing obamacare is donald trumps top policy priority how do you think this is going to affect the election
reed its hard to know most people still get their insurance through an employer and those rates are not going up by double digits so im not sure the outrage will be so widespread about this issue at least


in december 2012 the world anti doping agency received an email from an olympic athlete from russia she was asking for help
the athlete a discus thrower named darya pishchalnikova had won a silver medal four months earlier at the london olympics she said that she had taken banned drugs at the direction of russian sports and antidoping authorities and that she had information on systematic doping in her country please investigate she implored the agency in the email which was written in english
i want to cooperate with wada the email said
but wada the global regulator of doping in olympic sports did not begin an inquiry even though a staff lawyer circulated the message to three top officials calling the accusations relatively precise including names and facts instead the agency did something that seemed antithetical to its mission to protect clean athletes it sent ms pishchalnikovas email to russian sports officials   the very people who she said were running the doping program
the tactics of the world anti doping agency which is partly funded by united states taxpayers have come under international scrutiny in recent months as major doping scandals emanating from russia have escalated into the biggest crisis in global sports the lab director of the 2014 sochi olympics told the new york times that at least 15 russian medal winners at those winter games had used banned substances as part of a state run program
only after years of mounting clues of widespread doping did wada recommend barring russias track and field program from international competition the global governing body for track and field is expected to decide friday whether to bar russias team from this summers olympics in rio de janeiro
interviews with dozens of officials and athletes in the olympic movement revealed that the global antidoping watchdog mishandled allegations of widespread corruption failed to investigate rigorously and was hampered by politics to the point that it was largely ineffective in its mission to protect the integrity of sports
multiple warnings about russia including ms pishchalnikovas email were sent to wada over the past several years and its response has left athletes and officials questioning whether the agency is willing to aggressively combat doping wadas decision making body is composed of government and olympic representatives an arrangement that presents possible conflicts because olympic officials might not be inclined to reveal doping transgressions that could mar the integrity of the games while government officials could be more inclined to protect athletes from their own countries
there are conflicts all around the table said adam pengilly an olympic athlete from britain who sits on the international olympic committees athletes commission
some wada officials defended their handling of russian doping allegations they said their powers to combat doping had been limited with scant resources and until recently no defined responsibility to conduct investigations but other officials and athletes expressed a growing distrust of the agencys leadership and a concern that the agency has shirked its responsibility to ensure clean competition
this systematic doping in russia is being spread by wada as sensational news and its not the case said arne ljungqvist a former medical commissioner for the international olympic committee and the international association of athletics federations the governing body for track and field
they could have made an investigation he said about the years during which wada received repeated tips but they didnt
regarded as one of the pioneers of antidoping in the olympic movement dr ljungqvist 85 will soon have statues erected in his honor in monaco the home of the iaaf and sweden where he worked as a medical researcher yet dr ljungqvist is confronted with the apparent futility of his efforts to put an end to state sponsored doping
we all knew about the russians dr ljungqvist said over lunch in bedminster nj at the estate of the artist sassona norton who has been commissioned to make the statues
just days before the 2008 beijing games seven female russian track and field athletes were suspended for manipulating their urine samples for drug tests an investigation conducted by the iaaf showed that the urine the athletes provided was not their own   the dna of those samples did not match that of the athletes
one of those athletes was ms pishchalnikova
it seems to be an example of systematic doping dr ljungqvist said at a news conference in beijing at the time i find it frustrating that such planned cheating is still going on i am very disappointed
a year later russian athletes were implicated again this time the biathlon world champion ekaterina iourieva and two of her teammates were barred from the world championships after testing positive for the blood boosting hormone epo
we are facing systematic doping on a large scale in one of the strongest teams of the world anders besseberg the president of the international biathlon union said at the time
the russians were left to investigate themselves the russian biathlon union was fined and promised to scrutinize its own athletes
dr ljungqvist vice president of wada from 2008 to 2013 said he repeatedly raised concerns about russia the agency considered penalties against the nation but in the end he said the inherent conflicts of interests within wada and the olympic movement won the matter was set aside because it was too politically infected he said
you could say i was to blame too he said but ive been there and i know how hard it is to prove doping on that scale
in 2011 a scientific paper written by six drug testing experts carried further clues titled prevalence of blood doping in samples collected from elite track and field athletes it examined thousands of samples collected from 2001 to 2009
one nation   identified in the papers as country a and known to wada   stood out country a had a notably higher number of suspicious samples according to an author of the report country a was russia
wada always had an excuse as to why they wouldnt move forward dr ljungqvist said citing limited money and investigative resources they expected russia to clean up themselves they hadnt fully grasped that wada had the responsibility to do this
russian sports officials have acknowledged in recent months that the country has problems with doping but they have emphatically denied charges of a state run drug program and dismissed whistle blowers specific allegations they have said that they are addressing their doping problems and that their track program should be allowed to compete in the rio games
when the world anti doping agency was created in 1999 its unstated purpose was to help win back the credibility of global sports in the wake of a huge drug bust at the 1998 tour de france and a bribery scandal involving salt lake citys bid to host the 2002 olympics its official purpose was not to drug test or punish cheaters but rather to serve as an independent watchdog for olympic sports worldwide
they were afraid sponsor money would dry up if the olympics were perceived as dirty said robert weiner a former spokesman for wada and previously the united states office of national drug control policy
sports officials and national governments gathered in switzerland home to the ioc to discuss funding the new agency
the united states government was especially wary about signing on to support an agency that did not appear independent the international olympic committee is in charge of the olympic games and derives tremendous revenue from them ioc officials   specifically the head of the marketing commission   were going to lead wada a doping watchdog
gen barry mccaffrey the white house drug policy director at the time objected loudly to what he saw as the iocs outsize influence and its lack of political will to unearth drug violations that could tarnish the olympic brand
the ioc is hiding behind wada general mccaffrey said in a recent phone interview suggesting negative attention was deflected from one organization to another and wada is hiding behind a flawed structure
in 1999 richard w pound wadas first president and an ioc member bristled when general mccaffrey accused wada of not being independent of course it would be independent mr pound wrote in a letter the month before the agency was established in switzerland
the ioc hosted the agencys first board meeting and paid for wadas first two years of existence
wada started with simple pursuits its charge was to standardize doping rules worldwide and create and oversee individual countries antidoping programs investigative powers were not explicitly written into the agencys code as time went on many expected the organization to evolve into a more active regulator and testing body separate from the ioc and the various world governing bodies overseeing olympic sports that never happened
instead drug testing was largely left to national laboratories in russia that lab was run by grigory rodchenkov who said he routinely covered up positive tests in his 10 years there
with a budget of 28 million wada is funded equally by sports bodies and governments after the ioc the united states is the agencys single largest contributor committing about 2 million a year from the national drug control budget
andy parkinson the founding executive director of britains antidoping agency said wadas structure was good in theory but too often resulted in stalemates with olympic loyalists and national officials rarely agreeing
its really hard to strip away the perception of that conflict mr parkinson said
for years vitaly stepanov who worked for russias antidoping agency wondered about the motives of wada officials he was giving them insight into an elaborate state run doping program urging them to stop it but seemingly nothing was done
everyone was telling me wada is not an organization that fights doping mr stepanov said its politics
mr stepanov who was from russia but studied at pace university in manhattan began working in antidoping education at the russian agency in 2008 the same year the agency was officially founded the more he learned about how the agency operated the more he realized that the russian system was far from the accepted standard
sports officials told him he did not need to test some athletes because they were clean mr stepanov said athletes and coaches offered him bribes to dispose of positive tests workers at the national antidoping lab were covering up failed drug tests and higher ups in the russian sports ministry were part of that scheme
mr stepanov learned even more about the ministrys methods when in 2009 he met and married yuliya rusanova a russian middle distance runner who told him about her doping regimen
the ministrys goal is not to make sports clean but to win medals for the country mr stepanov said in a phone interview
at the 2010 winter olympics in vancouver british columbia mr stepanov met several wada officials in a hotel and secretly began blowing the whistle on russia as reported in 2015 by the sunday times of london
wadas first reaction he said was what do we do
in subsequent years he sent some 200 emails to wada he said telling antidoping officials everything he knew i work at a russian antidoping agency that actually helps athletes dope he said in the phone interview im writing to wada whats going on and nothing is happening
wadas response to many of his emails was message received
inside wadas offices on the 17th floor of the former stock exchange building in montreal the agencys officials were not sure how to handle mr stepanovs claims
david howman the longtime director general whose corner office overlooks the st lawrence river wavered a lawyer from new zealand mr howman said he thought to himself we dont want to be the police we cant be the police
but he was aware that doping was becoming a criminal enterprise and investigations   perhaps more than drug testing   were a key to exposing cheaters for instance in the sprawling steroids case involving the bay area laboratory co operative or balco none of the athletes found to have been doping had failed drug tests
when wada was confronted with suggestions that the russians had resurrected an east german style system of doping mr howman said his 70 person staff seemed inadequate the agency did not even have an investigator and it claimed that it did not have the authority to conduct investigations
its really up to us to monitor everyone thats our job mr howman said in an interview in montreal last month the idea was not to do the investigations ourselves but to gather the information and share it with those who could actually do something about it thats how this whole thing started
but mr howman eventually hired a top drug investigator from the united states jack robertson who would be the liaison between wada and global law enforcement and who could also help wada untangle complicated cases
in september 2011 mr robertson was assigned to tackle doping investigations for wada his assignment was the entire world
mr robertson a former special agent for the drug enforcement administration had a resume that would make any doper shudder
he ran some of the united states biggest doping investigations in recent history including the case that helped bring down lance armstrong the seven time tour de france winner who was found to have doped for most of his career
in the months before his official hiring date mr robertson joined wadas legal director olivier niggli in meeting mr stepanov at the boston marathon to hear his account firsthand mr robertson and mr stepanov met again in turkey the next year
mr stepanov was fired from russias antidoping agency after raising his concerns internally he and his wife eventually fled russia and are now living in an undisclosed location in the united states with their young son
mr robertson who was gathering information leads and potential witnesses also encountered misfortune his wife died of cancer and he himself had throat cancer losing weight so rapidly that he needed a feeding tube but he pressed on with the case
officially wadas explicit power to investigate would begin with a new code approved in 2013 to take effect two years later   four years after mr robertson was hired as staff investigator
still there did not appear to be an appetite to look deeper into russia especially after a new president came on board in 2014 his name was craig reedie a longtime ioc official who had been involved with wada from the start when mr reedie took over as head of the agency things changed several staffers said
at the same time russia began giving an extra donation to wada with no reason earmarked on wadas financial statements   an unusual move in all in the past three years russia has given an extra 114 million on top of its annual contribution which was 746000 in 2015 a spokesman for the agency confirmed russias contributions and said countries that choose to make additional donations had never received special treatment
mr reedie a scot who once led the international badminton federation was a smooth and popular leader in the political world of the olympics
in antidoping circles he is not regarded as an aggressive crusader
were not going to turn to people and say these are the rules obey them mr reedie said in the lounge of the five star lausanne palace hotel in switzerland this month he explained that wada was better suited to offer sports federations and countries advice when they asked for it rather than pursue accusations of cheating
mr reedies predecessor john fahey a politician from australia had given his blessing for mr robertson to explore allegations involving russias laboratories
there was always in our mind a deep suspicion that the government was controlling rusada mr fahey said in a phone interview last month using the acronym for the russian anti doping agency which employed mr stepanov
when mr reedie took over the inquiry into russia stalled according to several people at wada
mr robertson needed help on the case he needed more personnel and more money to conduct a thorough investigation but again and again he was met with a wait and see attitude
frustrated he forced wadas hand according to several people in the organization he leaked information on the case to hajo seppelt a journalist for the german broadcasting company ard
mr seppelts bombshell report the secrets of doping how russia makes its winners aired on dec 3 2014
at first mr reedie told his fellow wada officials to stand back and see if the global media picked up the story according to several people at wada who were not authorized to speak to reporters but during that delay antidoping officials spoke out urging wada to investigate ards claims
on dec 8 2014 travis tygart chief executive of the united states anti doping agency sent a letter to mr reedie and mr howman at wada insisting that the agency had investigative power and that it needed to apply it to russia
wada could not possibly hand over the case to the iaaf the track and field governing body mr tygart said because multiple sports were implicated in the ard report in addition he wrote a vice president of the track organization was reported to be a part of the cover up
for wada to sit on the sidelines in the face of such allegations flies in the face of wadas mandate from sport governments and clean athletes mr tygart wrote
days later wada commissioned an independent inquiry mr pound who had a reputation as an aggressive antidoping crusader was installed as the chairman
needing investigative muscle the agency hired 5 stones intelligence a private investigations firm based in miami and staffed with former members of the dea the secret service the central intelligence agency and the federal bureau of investigation
four months into that investigation natalya zhelanova an adviser to the russian sports minister vitaly mutko received an email from mr reedie it seemingly told her and russia not to worry about the inquiry
mr reedie assured ms zhelanova that in his opinion the accusations of russian doping stemmed from a time before russia had implemented new laws and antidoping efforts he gave his assurance that russia was going to be fine because there is no action being taken by wada that is critical of the efforts that i know have been made or are being made to improve antidoping efforts in russia
on a personal level i value the relationship i have with minister mutko and i shall be grateful if you will inform him that there is no intention in wada to do anything to affect that relationship mr reedie wrote
when the daily mail in london published the email in august 2015 antidoping officials including mr pound were stunned the president of wada was seemingly undermining the credibility of the independent investigation
jeez craig what are you doing mr pound said he asked mr reedie you know those people arent your friends right theyre the ones who released this to the media
mr reedie offered a mea culpa in another london newspaper shortly after saying that his note to ms zhelanova had been misconstrued and that wada was not interfering with the independent investigation
mr reedie said he saw no conflicts in his dual allegiances to the olympics and the antidoping agency i think we manage to do reasonably well he said of the current structure of the agency it works and there is constant challenge from both sport and governments to everything wada does
the inquirys findings were published in november 2015 in an explosive 323 page report that centered on track and field russia was accused of widespread government supported doping
but not everything investigators had unearthed   including ms pishchalnikovas 2012 email and wadas handling of it   made it into the report
even so the external pressure intensified for wada to look beyond russias track and field program and to scrutinize other countries that had come under suspicion but mr reedie was reluctant according to several wada officials he said that wada did not have the money and that there was not enough evidence to pursue another investigation
you couldnt go forward because he was in charge mr howman said of mr reedie you have to rely on the people in charge and craig was in charge of the political stuff
two years earlier however mr howman was among the top wada officials who had received the email plea from ms pishchalnikova mr reedie was on the agencys foundation board at the time but he was not yet president
in her 2012 email ms pishchalnikova named dr rodchenkov the antidoping lab director whose facility had recently been flagged by wada for suspicious test results she said he was substituting out athletes steroid laced urine with clean urine i have proof the 2012 email said
the agencys decision to forward the email to track and field officials   including russian ones who were implicated in the allegations   was a function of protocol in spite of having hired a staff investigator wada did not at that time see itself as capable of conducting investigations the agency has said
four months after ms pishchalnikova wrote to wada the russian track and field federation barred her for 10 years she is retired from competition and living in russia attempts to reach her were unsuccessful
mr reedie   who said he had never heard of ms pishchalnikovas email   said he required proof before initiating investigations we need people to come to us with evidence and then we will investigate he said in an interview
he said the decision to allow russian track and field athletes to compete in the summer games was entirely up to the sports governing body thats their problem he said im one of the few people who doesnt wake up in the morning and think only about rio
in recent months athletes have agitated for further inquiries
clean athletes are at the point where we cant have faith in the system said lauryn williams a united states sprinter and bobsledder she added that she was disappointed that the november report had not immediately spurred a broader inquiry
whos defending us she said whos on our side
after ms williams and other athletes from around the world sent a letter to wada and the ioc last month detailing their concerns the agency announced a new independent investigation into the allegations about cheating at the sochi olympics made by dr rodchenkov the lab director
other specialized inquiries including one into accusations of doping by chinese swimmers have been opened investigations have become the flavor of the month mr reedie said
mr howman who is leaving wada this month said that only after the sochi investigation was complete   roughly two weeks before the rio games are scheduled to begin it is expected   should wada be judged on how it had handled the cases
its a really tense time because no one wants to mess it up mr howman said
as for mr reedie his term as wada president runs through the end of the year many antidoping experts and athletes see his dual role as a vice president of the ioc as emblematic of the conflict they say is derailing wada
after the recent interview in lausanne mr reedie handed a reporter his business card he apologized that with its five colored olympics rings logo it was an official ioc card not a wada one
its the only one i can give you he said


shanghai   it has been a roller coaster ride
six days ago robert a iger disneys chief executive was on a high beaming as he guided reporters around the soon to open shanghai disneyland then came the mass shooting in orlando fla home to walt disney world mr iger responded by tightening security at that resort releasing a statement expressing heartbreak and clearing a 1 million donation for shooting victims
but the show in shanghai went on at a festive event on tuesday night to celebrate the start of an all mandarin version of disneys lion king stage musical mr iger was surrounded by giddy lieutenants who had flown in for the party the champagne flowed freely the next morning a relaxed looking mr iger stood on the parks tarzan stage for a news conference attended by roughly 800 journalists from around the world
by wednesday afternoon however more grim news from florida cast a pall all the way to china an alligator had dragged a toddler into a lake at a disney world hotel after a search authorities announced that the boy was presumed dead after the body of the child was discovered mr iger said from shanghai in a statement as a parent and a grandparent my heart goes out to the graves family during this time of devastating loss
it was probably for the best that wednesday nights unveiling of the shanghai disneyland nightly fireworks show ignite the dream a nighttime spectacular of magic and light was canceled because of a rainstorm
the opening celebration will resume on thursday morning with a formal park dedication attended by senior chinese officials in front of the parks centerpiece castle the largest and tallest 197 feet disney has ever built at noon shanghai time disneys sixth resort its first on the chinese mainland will officially open to the public
if there was not enormous pressure before to make certain that thursdays ceremony comes off without a hitch there certainly is now
for mr iger 65 the opening of the 963 acre shanghai disney resort is extremely personal he started seeking approvals in the 1990s and now has direct relationships with people like han zheng the communist party secretary in shanghai in may chinas president xi jinping sat with mr iger in a public meeting at the great hall of the people in beijing   a rarely granted privilege that seemed to telegraph his personal approval of the arrival of a singular american brand
the resort is majority owned by a chinese state controlled consortium but the profit potential for disney remains nothing short of spectacular analysts say disney holds a 43 percent stake in the park where a single day adult ticket costs 75 on weekends and holidays a substantial price in china and 56 on nonpeak days that compares with 125 and 105 at disney world in florida disney will receive a commensurate slice of merchandise and food sales it also will receive a fee for its role in managing the resort and royalties for the use of its characters
moreover the company expects shanghai disneyland to increase interest across china for its movies toys clothes television shows video games and books


for tiffany alvord an independent singer with a youtube following of 28 million people interacting with fans in person is her favorite part of playing concerts it is also a business necessity that inspires loyalty by deepening the connections she has made online
on youtube i perform to a camera and all i see is numbers and names she said meeting fans and seeing faces makes it real
but it can come with risks not long ago ms alvord 23 said a male fan traveled to los angeles from germany to see her perform approaching her onstage with a teddy bear and trying to kiss her even after she rebuffed his advances the fan joined the line for a post show meet and greet with her
such interactions long a fact of life for performers   and especially female musicians   are becoming more fraught as artists responding to industry and fan expectations must make themselves increasingly accessible while also contending with a barrage of online harassment and the threat of violence at concerts
on friday night in orlando fla a day before the shooting at a gay nightclub that left 49 people dead a lone gunman killed the singer christina grimmie 22 in what the police have called a premeditated attack while she was selling merchandise and signing autographs after a show last month one person was killed in a shooting during a ti concert at the manhattan club irving plaza and in november 90 people died when terrorists attacked a rock show at the bataclan in paris
but while the concert industry has responded by heightening its security protocols artists say they remain concerned about navigating the need for fan engagement and their own safety anxieties especially in an age in which their every move is chronicled on instagram twitter and snapchat
everyone who follows me on social media knows when im traveling ms alvord said they know what im doing where im performing
music history is dotted with stories of stalkers and dangerous fanatics like those that killed john lennon the singer selena and the pantera guitarist darrell abbott but as record sales have fallen increasing musicians economic reliance on live shows extra face time with fans at meet and greets merchandise tables and autograph signings have become more routine
its part of the job description really said the country singer chely wright who wrote on facebook after ms grimmies murder that she couldnt count how many times ive been at the merch table signing and had a real reasonable fear that i was in danger the pop duo tegan and sara added on twitter we too feel like this its made connecting with fans such a complicated experience in recent years
in an interview ms wright who began her career in the 90s said she had seen a rise in the feeling of entitlement from audiences back in the day it used to be i cant believe youre still here signing autographs she said now its become required they expect it
the singer   who recalled a fan breaking into her home while she was in the shower with hopes of reading her a poem   said her team has worked with law enforcement and keeps a file of potentially dangerous individuals she also has a secret signal with her tour manager to indicate that she feels unsafe during fan interactions
in light of recent events im really nervous about the shows that i have coming up that are lgbt specific said ms wright who came out as a lesbian in 2010
ninety nine point nine percent of the time its a really lovely experience she said of meeting fans but she added its incredible the vulnerability that that exposes an artist to
while canvassing with audiences is especially crucial for smaller acts even megastars have made themselves more available in recent years though with more fame comes tighter security
still after justin bieber canceled the vip meet and greets on his purpose tour earlier this year bkstg the company behind the vip packages priced between 900 and 2000 cited a security incident that caused our team to have to meet and rethink how meet and greets were handled
on instagram mr bieber added of stressful fan interactions i always leave feeling mentally and emotionally exhausted to the point of depression
bethany cosentino of the band best coast said in an interview that a majority of her negative interactions occur online but because a lot of females are attacked based on appearance it feels a lot more personal
while she is a proponent of blocking and reporting anonymous trolls on social media ms cosentino said they could be a very real person with a very real problem and what feels like a very severe lack of boundaries online she added can extend into the physical world as with the overeager fans who have tried to board her tour bus
it can be really scary she said
ms alvord started her youtube channel at the age of 15 she knew ms grimmie from what was a fledgling youtube scene at the time and they first collaborated in 2010 so ms grimmies death has left her especially rattled
the first thing my parents said is one youre staying home she said and two is following your dreams worth it if it means risking your life she added of ms grimmie we share a lot of the same fans any one of us couldve been in this situation
ms alvord always tries to travel with a family member who is looking out for her she said that now along with a heightened sense of personal awareness and increased communication with venue security she may need to institute additional rules and restrictions for when she meets her followers
for all the thousands and thousands of fans that say i inspire them and help them there is probably just a handful that have a twisted perspective she said but it only takes one of them to be a threat it only takes one to pull the trigger


toronto   police shootings and abuses are all too familiar flashpoints in the united states tense national conversation about race privilege and power but until recently many canadians believed that those problems stopped on the american side of the border
that belief has been eroded by a growing protest movement in toronto fueled by several police shootings of black canadians the protests have laid bare the frustrations of black residents who say their complaints about discrimination and abuse including being singled out for a police practice called carding have been ignored for too long by the canadian establishment
amadeus marquez 29 who is black said that ever since he was in elementary school the police had regularly stopped him to ask what he was doing as he grew older he said they also demanded identification asking why he quickly discovered was not an option
ive had a cop throw me onto the hood of a car or tell me hes going to break my jaw just to see my id said mr marquez a chef and a dancer who grew up in toronto canadas most populous city many of his friends have experienced similar treatment from the police he said
the street checks called carding were supposed to be colorblind but canadian studies have found that blacks are far more likely to be carded than whites and mr marquez said his mother had taught him early on that it could be dangerous to refuse black parents biggest fear is their kid getting shot by a police officer he said
accusations of racism and police brutality have been fanned by a number of police killings of black men in and around toronto in recent years and charges have generally not been brought against the officers involved
black lives matter toronto led by a small group of young activists began in 2014 as an expression of solidarity for michael brown an african american teenager who was fatally shot by a police officer in ferguson mo but the movement has grown in size and anger with the recognition activists and residents say that black people in toronto and across canada face the same types of prejudices as their american counterparts while a similar pattern of impunity protects the police
people in the us might be surprised or not to learn that racism doesnt respect the imagined line of the 49th parallel said sandy hudson 30 a graduate student at the university of toronto and a founder of the chapter
on social media and through street protests black lives matter activists in toronto are pushing for changes in how the city and the province of ontario treat black residents they want greater police accountability and the abolition of a provincial policy that permits the government to keep secret the identities of officers involved in shootings
yet some canadians have criticized the group saying that racism toward blacks is an american problem ms hudson said
as in the united states the canadian protest movement erupted after police shootings of black men
jermaine carby 33 was fatally shot by the police in september 2014 after he was pulled over in a city outside toronto and the police said he refused to drop a knife investigators from the provincial special investigations unit an independent civilian agency that examines serious injuries sexual assaults and deaths involving the police did not find a knife at the scene a police sergeant turned one in several hours later in what the units director later described as evidence tampering none of the officers involved in the episode were charged disciplined or even identified publicly
andrew loku 45 a mentally ill black man who had immigrated from south sudan was shot dead outside his apartment in july after he refused to put down a hammer a few days after his death protesters blocked a local highway and demanded that the officers be identified and charged
when officials decided in march not to charge the officers activists camped outside toronto police headquarters for 15 days going home only after the provincial premier kathleen wynne met with them and agreed to hold a public consultation and the city council voted unanimously to have the provincial government review the investigations unit through an anti black racism lens
facing intense pressure the coroner announced an inquest into mr lokus death and mayor john tory of toronto agreed to meet publicly with activists in april after months of refusing to do so
there have been a couple of bumps along the way mr tory said in a telephone interview during which he promised to change policies that marginalized blacks nobody should feel targeted or left out or unfairly treated
grass roots organizers say they have no intention of laying down their banners until deeper systemic problems are addressed including high rates of poverty and unemployment among black canadians a lack of educational opportunities and police harassment particularly against gay or transgender black people
theres so much more to do said pascale diverlus 21 a journalism student and a founder of the black lives matter chapter we know were in for a long battle to see an end to anti black racism in this city and country
while canada is often lauded for its past role as a haven for black slaves fleeing the united states the canadian government historically tried to prevent black immigration out of fear that it might prompt a backlash from whites an order issued in 1911 barred any immigrants belonging to the negro race which is deemed unsuitable to the climate and requirements of canada according to an archived government document
from a canadian standpoint race is an american phenomenon said grace edward galabuzi a political science professor at ryerson university in toronto who studies race and poverty as for the activists accusations of racism he said were supposed to be a colorblind society so when a small minority of the population makes this claim theyre met with denial
government statistics illustrate the challenges black canadians face they make up less than 3 percent of the national population but 10 percent of the inmates in federal prisons and represent the fastest growing group in such prisons just 8 percent of torontos youth population is black but 41 percent of the children who are removed from their families and placed in the care of the childrens aid society of toronto are black
the issues raised by black lives matter toronto are not new nor is black activism
a wave of police shootings of black men more than 15 years ago prompted residents to form the black action defense committee and the government to form the special investigations unit to look into the shootings but according to reports from the ontario ombudsman the units work has been hampered first by pro police bias and then by interference from the provincial ministry of the attorney general when the unit has tried to introduce changes
high on the list of grievances among black toronto residents is carding which police officers have used to collect personal information for a vast secret database the toronto police service says it does not compile or release race based data on carding stops
the practice was suspended by the toronto police last year and the provincial government issued regulations meant to end arbitrary police stops particularly those based on race but black residents say the police in toronto and elsewhere continue to question them arbitrarily or claim they fit the description of a suspect
i feel that im obliged to do what the police want said michael upfold 21 who is studying for a real estate brokerage license if you dont something could happen theyre holding their guns
the stops are not unique to toronto mr upfold said that in quebec where he lived until recently the police would stop him every other day and ask for identification
meaghan gray a spokeswoman for the toronto police service wrote in an email that carding was initially intended to help solve crimes but the agency recognized that it had evolved into a random collection of information which has strained relations between the police and black residents
ms gray said the police had met with black residents and with the provincial human rights commission to develop procedures that addressed police discrimination she said the police force urged officers to explain to the people they stopped why they had done so and to tell them the reason for collecting any personal information a mutually respectful engagement between the public and the police officer is always the goal she said
still many black toronto residents say that more needs to be done
shirley bowens a black real estate agent who lives next to the apartment building where mr loku was fatally shot last year said she was appalled that officers had not tried to talk him into dropping the hammer or failing that to use a taser rather than lethal force
they just love the gun ms bowens said


after meeting with a group of gay people who said they had been bullied prince william the duke of cambridge appeared on the cover of attitude a gay magazine and urged young people to report instances of abuse to an adult
no one should be bullied for their sexuality or any other reason and no one should have to put up with the kind of hate that these young people have endured in their lives prince william said in an accompanying statement you should be proud of the person you are and you have nothing to be ashamed of
the cover was planned weeks before a shooting at a gay nightclub in orlando fla killed 49 people but the magazine said in a statement that the type of hatred exhibited by the gunman omar mateen begins at an early age
such violence does not exist in a vacuum but snowballs from intolerance and bullying that begins in classrooms too often comes from politicians religious leaders and is often not treated with respect by the media the statement read
for prince william the decision to meet with members of the lesbian bisexual gay and transgender community appears to be a further venture into gay rights issues and an extension of a broader effort to combat bullying in april he established a task force to help combat cyberbullying   on tuesday kensington palace announced that sir tim berners lee the creator of the world wide web had joined the effort
prince william is not the first royal to champion a high profile cause but arianne chernock an associate professor of history at boston university who specializes in modern british history said that prince william his wife catherine the duchess of cambridge and his brother prince harry had gravitated toward more sensitive topics than others had in the past
lgbt issues ms chernock said might have been seen as an underdog cause until relatively recently and was perhaps the kind of work that would have attracted the dukes mother diana the princess of wales
i think theyre building on diana ms chernock said who really championed the other causes other people didnt want to touch
ms chernock said that diana understood that the news media could be used to bring awareness to her causes she also knew that it could help keep the royal family relevant and fashion her image as a royal when she chose to shake hands with an hiv positive man in 1987 she was credited with helping to shed light on a cause that had been shunned and ignored
that was a really huge turning point for her ms chernock said and really did change a lot of the public attitude toward hiv aids in particular but as a consequence the gay community more generally
her sons have largely followed her blueprint in march prince harry made headlines when he spoke about the need for gender equality while on a visit to nepal but prince williams decision to allow himself to be photographed for a gay magazine ms chernock said shows a royal pushing the envelope further than weve seen before


washington   the federal reserve is struggling to adapt to an economy that refuses to boom
the fed said on wednesday after a two day meeting of its policy making committee that it would not raise its benchmark interest rate and that future increases were most likely to unfold at a slower pace
the seven year period since the end of the great recession has become one of the longest economic expansions in american history and at the same time one of the most disappointing the fed in a statement announcing its decision noted what had become a typical mix of good news and bad
economic output has increased while job growth has slowed the fed said consumers are spending more while companies are making fewer investments exports are rebounding but britains june 23 referendum on whether to leave the european union could set off another round of disruptions
recent economic indicators have been mixed suggesting that our cautious approach to adjusting monetary policy remains appropriate the fed chairwoman janet l yellen told a news conference
the decision to wait was unanimous even esther l george the president of the federal reserve bank of kansas city who voted to raise rates at the feds last few meetings agreed this time that the moment was not ripe the labor market appears to have slowed down and we need to assure ourselves that the underlying momentum in the economy has not diminished ms yellen said
investors already are heavily discounting the chances of a rate increase at the feds next meeting in july or at the following meeting in september those chances derived from asset prices stood at 12 percent and 28 percent respectively on wednesday according to the chicago mercantile exchange
in this environment of tepid growth and weak inflation fed officials once again dialed back their expectations for future rate increases the fed in december had predicted four rate increases this year on wednesday the fed released new projections showing that 15 of its 17 policy makers now expected no more than two increases this year and six of those officials predicted just one
even more striking the median prediction of fed officials was that the central banks benchmark rate would rise to just 24 percent by the end of 2018 down from the march median of 3 percent that suggests officials increasingly regard mediocre global economic growth as an enduring malaise
the fed also appears increasingly open to the view that a shift in basic economic dynamics driven by factors like lower productivity growth and an aging population is holding down interest rates that means low rates are less stimulative than they would have been in earlier eras it means that long rates can remain low without causing the economy to overheat and therefore the urgency of tightening is very substantially diminished said andrew levin a dartmouth college economist
markets are even more pessimistic than the fed the yield on the benchmark 10 year treasury fell to 1574 percent the lowest level since 2012 that is part of a broader decline in global rates that in recent days also has sent the yield on 10 year german debt below zero for the first time
equity markets which in recent years have often celebrated when central banks hold down rates also declined modestly on wednesday the standard  poors 500 stock index fell 018 percent to close at 207150
fed officials increasingly think the economy has exited its postcrisis period according to economic projections the central bank published on wednesday the recovery in other words may not be complete but it is over most officials predicted stable growth around 2 percent over the next few years and they foresaw little if any additional decline in the unemployment rate which fell to 47 percent in may the lowest level unemployment had reached since 2007 before the recession
but economic growth has disappointed expectations and the feds benchmark rate remains in a range between 025 and 05 percent after a single rate increase last december
as recently as late may ms yellen predicted the fed would raise rates in the coming months on wednesday she downgraded a summer move to not impossible
jon faust an economist at johns hopkins university and a former adviser to ms yellen said the fed was standing still because the basic economic situation had been remarkably stable for the last several years the labor market has gradually improved while inflation has been sluggish
i suspect that the core policy developments have never been so static for so long mr faust wrote
under those circumstances it makes perfect sense for the fed to watch and wait
consumer spending has driven domestic economic growth and ms yellen said she expected the trend to continue on the back of job growth and rising wages but fed officials were surprised by the slow pace of job growth in may when the economy was estimated to have added just 38000 jobs and a fed index that summarizes labor market conditions has fallen to the lowest level in seven years
officials also have expressed increased concern about inflation expectations which play a significant role in determining future inflation workers for example may seek larger raises if they expect prices to rise more quickly the university of michigans consumer survey reported last week that consumers expected 23 percent annual inflation in five years the lowest level in the surveys history
ms yellen emphasized again on wednesday that fed officials also saw significant risks in moving too quickly because interest rates already are low the fed has little room to ease conditions if growth falters officials say it will be easier to respond to faster inflation than to an economic downturn
some economists see evidence that the fed itself is playing a role in the slowdown the fed raised rates in december for the first time since the financial crisis and officials have made clear that they would like to keep raising rates moreover the decline in the feds projection of long term interest rates suggests that the fed may have underestimated the impact of its actions in december
but ms yellen said on wednesday that the feds move in december amounted to a small adjustment in rates and that she did not agree with critics that it had an outsize impact i really dont think that a single rate increase in december has had much significance for the outlook she said


like so many decisive moments in british history the question of whether to leave the european union devolved on wednesday into a naval confrontation
only this time the brawling was on the thames the cannons shot only water and the blare of trumpets came from an enormous speaker system aboard a pleasure cruiser blasting the song the in crowd
this was london a week before one of the most critical political decisions in a generation
in what has been dubbed the battle of the thames a flotilla of scottish fishermen led by the united kingdom independent party leader nigel farage and agitating for britain to leave the european union was met by an armada of dinghies and pleasure cruisers in support of remaining in the bloc
leading the group opposed to a british exit or brexit the man blasting the music was bob geldof the irish impresario and activist
the scene floated past some of londons most iconic sites including tower bridge and the palace of westminster where parliament was debating the issue as the boats circled one another members on both sides took turns trading barbs on twitter yelling over microphones and in one case blasting a ship with a water hose
here are the facts about fishing mr geldof said from his vessel rigged with an enormous set of speakers intended to drown out mr farages protest and broadcast interviews one britain makes more money than any other country in europe from fishing two britain has the second largest quota for fish in europe after denmark three britain has the third largest landings four you are no fishermans friend
mr farage said of the counterprotest according to the bbc as a spectacle i think it is pretty disgraceful
what multimillionaire mr geldof did was to show his absolute contempt for the men and women who have come here from right across the uk asking demanding to be listened to as their communities are destroyed by the common fisheries policy he said
thirty fishing vessels left port at dawn arriving in london around 11 am and were soon met by mr geldof and the in demonstrators
the flotillas circled each other just as prime minister david cameron was taking the last round of questions from members of parliament before the referendum scheduled for june 23 some lawmakers and staff members watched the flotilla from westminsters ornate balconies
the police intercepted the boats asking them to keep their distance from one another and the noise levels down
when asked about the fishermens claims mr cameron who opposes leaving the european union said british fishermen would not get a better deal outside the union according to the bbc
londoners many also opposed to leaving the bloc took to twitter mostly to express exasperation that their politics had devolved into a boaters brawl
its just like dunkirk if dunkirk had consisted of 30 idiots having a pub argument flotilla one user wrote


sizing up the honesty of small business owners is one of the internal revenue services most vexing problems
the agency estimates that it collects 458 billion a year less in taxes from all americans than the government is actually due most of that tax gap is income that goes unreported and the biggest chunk of it by far   125 billion   is individual business income
taxpayers in this category primarily sole proprietors pay taxes on the money their operations make through their personal returns thus their cash flows can be particularly opaque
take owners like rebeca mojica a chainmaille jewelry designer in west hollywood calif who was audited in 2011 her sales fluctuate significantly from year to year and she takes some payments in cash were she so inclined she could easily hide a chunk of that income
the dreaded audit is the main way the irs catches scofflaws and ferrets out unreported income but it is a time consuming and imperfect tool short on resources the agency collected just 73 billion from audits last year its lowest total in 13 years
what the irs really wants is for business owners to voluntarily pay more of what they owe but 63 percent of low visibility income the kind that isnt captured by outside parties on tax information documents is not disclosed on tax forms the agency says
so for the last four years the taxpayer advocate service an independent office within the irs has been running studies to help it figure out how more small business owners who pay their taxes can be persuaded to report their earnings more accurately
one finding suggests that audits the agencys most powerful compliance tool seem to have little lasting deterrent effect on tax cheats and could even backfire for honest taxpayers
that discovery and others could help inform the agencys future collection techniques
for one those suspected of tax dodging tend to cluster in certain geographic areas the agency mapped out 365 communities with notably low tax compliance rates among sole proprietors many were based in the south and west california alone makes up a full third of the list georgia and texas were also heavily represented
the researchers tried to compile a similar data set of high compliance places where business owners are likely to report their earnings accurately but it found only three those in mott haven a neighborhood in the south bronx west somerville mass and portersville ind appear to be unusually law abiding
what is behind the clusters community norms play a major role the tax researchers theorized business owners who were less compliant in paying their taxes were more likely to be active in civic groups and religious congregations and they appear to exhibit a stronger association with local institutions than national ones such as the federal government
in other words if people at your neighborhood potlucks or trade group meetings take a dim view of washington you might be more inclined to do some fudging at tax time
another surprise was the effectiveness of audits
self employed individuals who went through an audit and were found to be clean reported less income in subsequent years a different study found the drop wasnt small three years after their audits the studys test group of taxpayers reported 35 percent less in taxable income than a control group of similar taxpayers who had not been audited
the researchers could only guess at a cause the audit may have been a discouraging experience and sapped the subjects tax morale or perhaps it inadvertently offered insight into previously unknown tactics for both legal tax avoidance and illegal tax evasion
most audits are not random the irs has a secret algorithm that it uses to calculate how likely each taxpayer is to have unreported income those with high scores are more likely to be audited   and once the auditors start digging they usually find things of the 12 million individual returns that the agency audited including sole proprietorships in 2014 only 13 percent emerged without any tax adjustments
for those who dodge their taxes and get caught the sting seems to fade fast in the years right after an audit taxpayers who had to make additional payments appeared to become a bit more compliant but the effect diminished over time and disappeared entirely by year 5 another study found
any initial impact of the audit on compliance is short lived the researchers concluded
that doesnt surprise fred daily a florida tax lawyer who specializes in audits and tax crimes
ive had people who got caught by the irs and got serious damage   hundreds of thousands of dollars of damage   and at first theyre like people just out of jail im never going back again a few years later theyre right back to doing what they had done before he said peoples character doesnt change
still mr daily says that only a minority of those he encounters actively intend to cheat many people especially business owners run into problems in an audit simply because they kept bad records or did not understand all of their tax obligations
its so easy to call yourself a sole proprietor just put up a website or print a business card he said they dont realize all the requirements like quarterly estimated reporting and the self employment tax the tax laws are impenetrable
but even for law abiding owners an audit is unnerving and time consuming ms mojica the jewelry designer estimates that she spent 500 in accounting fees and 15 hours of her and her staffs time dealing with her 2011 audit the process lasted seven months
in the end she owed nothing   which provided an unanticipated psychological boost
i had this feeling of yay im doing all right ms mojica said i also felt motivated to keep even better records i spent an hour or two trying to find information on a very small number of transactions and i could have been spared that if wed kept a better paper trail
the good news for business owners is that audits are extremely rare around 15 percent of self employed taxpayers are audited each year the agency says
in any case businesses should always brace for the possibility of an audit document everything is the advice vanessa kruze an accountant who focuses on start ups gives her clients expense reports draw particular scrutiny from auditors and using a program like expensify to track receipts makes it much simpler to back up claims she said
mr daily who has been steering clients through audits for 35 years said the biggest surprise to him is how rarely the irs checks back on the worst offenders
the agencys budget cuts have taken a noticeable toll he said
its really counterintuitive how they do not stay on some of these people and audit them year after year mr daily said ive had people where as we finish an audit ive said this very likely isnt the last time you will see the irs   and actually it is


orlando fla   amid the massacre at a gay nightclub here while the gunman held dozens of people hostage the police got word from multiple sources that the killer had booby trapped himself hostages and the building with explosives orlandos mayor said on wednesday
holed up in pulse nightclub early sunday the gunman omar mateen told the police by phone that he would strap explosives to four hostages and place them strategically in the corners of the building mayor buddy dyer told reporters people trapped inside made panicked calls and text messages to 911 operators friends and family members also warning that mr mateen was talking about bombs he said
we had a lot of information from the inside and they independently were saying yes the bomber is about to put on an explosive vest mr dyer said
so far investigators have not found any evidence that mr mateen 29 had explosives senior law enforcement officials said wednesday his rampage with an assault rifle and a handgun left 49 people dead and 53 wounded the worst mass shooting in united states history and he died in a shootout with law enforcement officers
investigators continued looking into whether his wife noor zahi salman knew what he had planned but at a news conference officials deflected questions about possible criminal charges against her
im not going to speculate with respect to any charges that might be brought said a lee bentley iii the united states attorney for the middle district of florida were not sure what charges will be brought or if charges will be brought
ms salman has told fbi investigators that she had tried to talk her husband out of some kind of attack according to senior law enforcement officials but she also told them that she had gone with him to buy ammunition and that she had once driven him to pulse they said
ronald hopper an assistant agent in charge of the fbis tampa office urged patience with investigators who he noted were still analyzing a complex crime scene he also appealed for the publics help in retracing mr mateens movements as investigators scour his past for motives or possible accomplices
efforts to parse mr mateens motivation have revealed strands of islamist radicalism bigotry mental illness and even self hatred   one possibility being investigated was that he was gay mr mateen had expressed hatred of gays and made contradictory claims of links to terrorist groups his former wife has said he abused her
in talking with the police on sunday he pledged allegiance to the islamic state news 13 a local cable news channel reported that the gunman also called the station during the siege and declared his allegiance to the group
mr dyer confirmed reports that mr mateen had been driving around the night of the slaughter visiting locations possibly casing potential targets for an attack but mr hopper said investigators believed that pulse was the gunmans intended target
one woman who escaped the nightclub unharmed said wednesday that she was angry that after an initial exchange of gunfire with mr mateen police officers pulled back and settled into a standoff rather than quickly forcing a confrontation
by the time i came out and came around i told the officers that hes already shot at least a hundred rounds and i told the officers on my way out that there was already at least 20 people that were dead said the woman jeannette mccoy 37 of orlando
i wanted this guy dead she said but instead they gave him so much time and im yelling at the officers like this is what my tax dollars go to youre supposed to be there to protect and serve you cant tell me this occurred at 2 oclock in the morning and finally at 5 oclock in the morning is when you finally decide to go ahead and shoot him
on wednesday signs flowers balloons candles and beaded necklaces dotted the area some with inscriptions for loved ones lost in front of the fire departments engine no 5 firehouse less than 150 feet from pulse on orange avenue dozens of american flags were planted in the grass
law enforcement agencies shrank the cordon around the nightclub allowing access to several blocks most businesses in the area remained closed wednesday although a chipotle restaurant reopened across the street an ace hardware store was open this week supplying water and battery powered fans to officers but traffic has been sparse
we usually get about 450 to 600 customers per day but weve only pulled in about 300 over the last three days said mike williams an assistant manager
the immediate area around the club remained off limits with mobile command posts parked nearby and fbi agents combing through the crime scene several cars that were abandoned in pulses parking lot on sunday still had not been removed
the possibility that mr mateen might have had bombs sheds some light on the decision by police commanders to storm the building sunday morning breaching an outer wall with explosives and an armored vehicle john mina orlandos police chief has said that they had reason to believe they were facing an imminent loss of life but he did not offer details
survivors of the siege said they were searched by the police when they escaped the club or were rescued to make sure they did not have explosives or guns on them
the threat of explosives also accounts for the delay of several hours before the building was cleared and bodies removed because all indications were that it was booby trapped mr dyer said
when the shooter was killed you could see a battery pack right next to him which would indicate to us that theres a detonator of some sort he said there was also a bag near his body so you would logically lead to the conclusion that the bag contained explosives and he had some type of detonator that could have been a pressure detonator that was under the body
officials in florida have been reluctant to discuss mr mateens academic career including his stint at an alternative school but on wednesday tcpalmcom a local news site published excerpts from his elementary and middle school records that depicted him as a troubled student
the main factor prohibiting omar from success in school is not that the work is too hard but rather his difficulties in conforming to classschool rules one document addressed to mr mateens father said
according to the website which did not say how it had obtained the documents mr mateen talked frequently of violence and obscenities as a child and was the subject of 31 disciplinary actions from 1992 to 1999


many soccer aficionados   which means pretty much half the world   are focused right now on the uefa euro 2016 championship a big event that has brought together two dozen teams from countries across europe that makes it an opportune time to look at some apps that can help fans keep up with news of the sport understand the championships and get a flavor of what it is like to play soccer
for straight from the horses mouth news about the euro 2016 championship the official uefa app is the first place to look it aggregates news and is a social media portal and source for official championship information the app provides information about coming games scores in earlier matches and data on individual players and their history
the app is easy to navigate but if you are new to soccer there is little to explain what is going on and not much in the way of emotionally charged content to pique your interest the app is free at least and available on both ios and android
for a more entertaining look at euro 2016s news and other soccer data check out the onefootball app this is an image heavy program that pulls together soccer news stories into a scrollable list tapping on a link takes you to the full story and the app has a live section that updates with news about matches as they are being played and offers real time analysis
the app sometimes lacks polish and if you are using it on a bigger device like an ipad the menus can look small and the images sometimes seem low quality but for a news source that is up to date and dynamic and includes video this app   which is free on ios and android   is the one the ios version of the app also has an apple watch app so you can see the latest news on your wrist
like forza football another soccer app that is free on ios and android and that is well known as a news source for the sport onefootball is likely to be useful after the euro 2016 games end continuing to bring news from football leagues around the world
if you want to play a soccer game on your mobile device one excellent option is the dream league soccer 2016 app which is free on ios and android with in app purchases for additional content
this is a third person style football simulator you observe a soccer match from the same point of view as a television camera and move your players around using an onscreen joystick and three simple buttons to control how they kick or pass the ball or intercept opposing players the game automatically swaps players for you so you control only the one nearest the ball which keeps things easy to manage
the app makes soccer feel surprisingly real and it captures the flow of play the players are shown as 3 d graphics and are well animated and when you score a goal there is an option to see a replay from many different angles there are even convincing crowd noises and commentators who mention details of the action including players names
there are plenty of options to control the layout of your chosen team to improve players skills add custom logos and even change stadium designs you can choose to progress through layers of a championship or just play a quick game in short this app is sophisticated enough to keep your attention for hours or to satisfy urges to get in a little soccer action if you have just a few minutes
one thing dream league does not have is any sort of female representation in the game though womens soccer has become increasingly popular the game sticks to just mens
for a less serious but nonetheless fun and weirdly realistic game of simulated football check out the stickman soccer 2016 app 1 on ios and free with in app purchases for android this game plays much like dream league albeit with slightly simpler controls and less in the way of team management options
it has a 3 d cartoon look and a faster pace of play games last only a few minutes it still manages to pack in some convincing soccer tricks like slides diving saves goal scoring celebrations and some neat tackling moves plus the option to replay some recent games
the one quirk is the games look which as its title suggests places you in control of stick figures   3 d animated versions of the line drawn human shapes we all know that takes a little getting used to
food52 has been a popular crowdsourced recipe website and it is now officially packaged in an app called notrecipes the app pulls together its ever growing list of user submitted menus into one place you can search for ideas by ingredient upload your own recipes and even see how popular they are among other people the app is free on ios


a multibillion dollar hedge fund focused on health care had an inside view of the drug approval process at the food and drug administration through a former high ranking official turned consultant
the information flow turned out to be lucrative leading to 32 million in trading windfalls federal prosecutors said on wednesday
in an insider trading case that harks back to the height of a federal crackdown on the hedge fund industry six years ago federal authorities filed criminal and civil securities charges against three current and former traders at visium asset management including sanjay valvani one of the firms top portfolio managers and the former brother in law of the firms founder
at the heart of the case is a former fda official gordon johnston the consultant who prosecutors say leveraged his contacts at the agency where he was deputy director of the office of generic drugs until 1999 mr johnston also abused his role at the generic drug trade association to glean information on behalf of mr valvani prosecutors said
in his quest to provide mr valvani with valuable information mr johnston went as far as to arrange speaking panels and teleconferences between fda officials and generic drug manufacturers in order to discuss issues that directly concerned his hedge fund client the government said
through this arrangement mr valvani was able to reap the nearly 32 million in illicit gains based on information about coming fda approvals for a generic version of a drug that helps prevent blood clots according to court filings prosecutors have accused mr valvani of passing on the tips to christopher plaford a former colleague who used this information and other insider tips to garner illegal gains
mr johnston and mr plaford who is also charged with trading on illegal tips from a former official at the centers for medicare and medicaid services pleaded guilty and are cooperating with the government
valvani and his hedge funds made millions by trading on nonpublic fda drug approval information not available to the rest of the stock market said andrew j ceresney the director of the securities and exchange commissions division of enforcement
mr valvani 44 and mr johnston 64 were introduced through a so called expert network in 2005 and quickly entered into a private arrangement that spanned more than five years during that period mr johnston received a monthly payment that started at 3000 and later went up to as much as 5000 for his inside information the government said from 2009 to 2010 mr johnston received 108000 for information
their scheme is reminiscent of a time when expert networks   firms that connected hedge fund managers with experts in various fields   were commonly used by the industry to get an investing edge these networks were the focus of a relentless and multiyear crackdown on insider trading in the hedge fund industry brought by preet bharara the united states attorney in manhattan his prosecutions resulted in the convictions of more than 80 traders consultants and analysts in the hedge fund industry several of those convictions involved traders at sac capital advisors the former hedge fund owned by billionaire investor steven a cohen
barry h berke a lawyer representing mr valvani said his client was innocent and added that his investment decisions were always based on rigorous and entirely appropriate research and analysis consistent with his high integrity
the prosecution of mr valvani is yet another example of this united states attorneys office stretching the facts and law to try to transform entirely innocent trading decisions into a crime said mr berke who also represented michael s steinberg the highest ranking sac capital employee to stand trial for insider trading
last year the government was forced to drop mr steinbergs conviction after a federal appellate court decision to overturn two prominent convictions in 2014 the ruling dealt a blow to mr bhararas office prosecutors argued that it was the greatest setback in decades and warned that it would stall any new cases
in charging visium employees and mr johnston on wednesday the government is sending a strong signal that it can still bring new insider trading cases the government has gained momentum over the last month having filed criminal charges against william t walters the high rolling las vegas gambler and thomas c davis a former dean foods chairman in a case that also ensnared phil mickelson the champion golfer who was named a relief defendant
the government on wednesday brought separate charges against mr plaford and stefan lumiere who are both former visium employees accusing them of conspiring to inflate the value of certain stock positions to extract bigger payouts from visium investors mr lumiere and mr plaford are accused of engaging in a fraudulent scheme over an 18 month period using fake quotes from a broker to hide the real value of at least 28 securities each month they used a personal cellphone or a flash drive that was delivered by courier to pass along the inflated price quotes their compensation was based in part on the valuation of these securities in all these inflated prices led to a 59 million payout of performance fees
mr lumieres lawyer declined to comment
sadly these are schemes we see time and time again where lies and use of nonpublic information profits those conducting the crimes and everyday investors lose out said diego rodriguez assistant director in charge at the fbi
jacob gottlieb the founder and chief investment officer at visium which had as much as 8 billion of assets earlier this year told investors in march that the firm was being investigated by the justice department and the sec he said the government was looking at the firms trading of certain securities and its use of a consultant more than five years ago mr gottlieb was until recently married to mr lumieres sister mr valvani was put on paid leave in april
on wednesday mr gottlieb said in a statement i am deeply saddened by todays events
at one time visium was among the top performing hedge funds in the industry founded in 2005 it has long focused on investments in health care companies and was one of more than a handful of hedge funds that piled into shares of valeant pharmaceuticals international last year so far this year it has lost investors money
mr johnstons source at the fda was a mentee and employee that he supervised when he worked at the agency prosecutors said during conversations with this source who was not named and other experts mr johnston engaged in banter with professional discussions the government said as well as gossip about mutual friends and colleagues in order to hide his efforts to obtain nonpublic information


in an unusual act of cooperation between rival networks craig sager tnts vividly attired nba sideline reporter will be on abcs broadcast for game 6 of the nba finals from cleveland on thursday night he is scheduled to cover the golden state warriors
sager has never worked the sideline for an nba finals because tnts rights do not go past the conference finals the opportunity to work for espn which produces the games for abc comes as sager continues to be treated for acute myeloid leukemia which recently returned after being in remission admired for his idiosyncratic work at turner sports he has become an inspiring presence around the league and will receive the jimmy v perseverance award next month on the annual espys awards show which will be shown on abc
i feel good he said in a telephone interview my energy is there im able to do my job with no complications
espn began its internal discussions about inviting sager to work on the finals about six weeks ago
referring to espnabcs lead announcing team tim corrigan espns senior coordinating producer for the nba said my first conversation was with jeff van gundy and then with mike breen doris burke and mark jackson everybody said weve got to do that
with no objections from espn executives corrigan approached turner during the western conference finals which were carried by tnt he added when i talked to craig he said i dont want to interrupt anything youre doing and i said interrupt were thrilled to do it
but sager was available only for game 6 because of his chemotherapy at md anderson cancer center in houston where he ended his most recent eight day course of treatment on monday and because he will be in florida with his family for fathers day on sunday when a possible game 7 is scheduled
corrigan said the discussion had never gotten to whether sager would work more than one game
our thing was he had to do a finals game and we didnt want to disrupt anything regarding his health he said
under very different circumstances 10 years ago cbs sports asked espn if it could borrow the analyst dick vitale during the ncaa mens basketball tournament espn for the first time refused to let vitale call the tournaments games believing his value was in its studio
sometimes things stand between networks corrigan said but this couldnt have gone any smoother
but sager almost lost his chance at working in cleveland interviewing golden state coach steve kerr or his players during and after game 6 because the warriors had taken a commanding lead over the cavaliers last week
as the series got to 3 1 sager said i thought my god this might not get to game 6 so maybe it wont happen then i watched game 5 intensely and found out there would be a game 6
he said that his doctors were pleased with his progress with the chemotherapy and that it had not affected his organs or tissues
im in a clinical trial he said eight days of chemo every three weeks i just finished the fifth cycle and theres no recipe for how long it will go on its month by month after game 6 he said ill go home to atlanta for some platelets and then to florida for the weekend
sager is renowned for his colorful wardrobe which has only one rival in nba peacockery walt fraziers outlandish clothing on msg network
for game 6 sager said i cant bring out something ive already worn so i went shopping yesterday and was quite pleased with what i found i want to make sure people say man he looks good i want to look lively
he is scheduled to appear on another network nbc during the summer olympics from rio de janeiro where he will be on the sideline for the united states mens basketball games he is arranging for twice weekly blood transfusions


when astronomers announced in february that they had detected the ripples in space time known as gravitational waves from a pair of black holes colliding the discovery was hailed as the advent of a new window on nature
it is a way of hearing the universe instead of just looking at it as well as a long sought vindication of einsteins theory of gravity general relativity
at the time there were rumors that the discovery was not a fluke and that other gravitational wave cataclysms had been recorded now it seems that black hole collisions may be frequent facts of nature with humanity at least tuned in to the darker deeper vibrations of nature
on wednesday the same group of astronomers announced that they had detected a second pair of black holes that devoured each other in another cosmic cataclysm 14 billion years ago
in the new merger black holes roughly 14 and 8 times as massive as the sun circled and combined into a single spinning black hole 21 times as massive as the sun the collision spilled an amount of energy equivalent to the entire mass of the sun into the roiling of space time
after traveling 14 billion light years across space those ripples shook the twin detectors of the laser interferometer gravitational wave observatory or ligo on dec 26 causing it to emit a chirp about a second long
the new discovery was announced at an astronomical meeting in san diego it is being published in physical review letters by about a thousand scientists in the ligo and virgo collaborations which analyze data from the gravitational wave detectors
there are presently two ligo detectors in hanford wash and livingston la which have l shaped arms in which lasers monitor the shrinking and stretching of space and time caused by gravitational waves they were built and operated by a consortium led by the california institute of technology and the massachusetts institute of technology
the first black hole collisions announced in february involved black holes 36 and 29 times as massive as the sun
in a statement released by the ligo team albert lazzarini the deputy director of the ligo laboratory at caltech said that this discovery had truly put the o for observatory in ligo with two detections in four months he said scientists could begin to make quantitative predictions on how many events they might observe and how many black holes there are in the universe
ligo he said is bringing us a new way to observe some of the darkest yet most energetic events in our universe
more gravitational wave detectors including one called virgo in europe are scheduled to come online in the near future allowing astronomers to pinpoint the locations of these events in the sky and feel the emanations of doom ever more sensitively


villeneuve dascq france   late wednesday afternoon seconds after russias denis glushakov had scored with a sharp well placed header a fan in the russian supporters end of stade pierre mauroy lit a flare the flame was dark red the fan held it above his head while other spectators danced and cheered the sparks licking the air while the smoke rose
stewards quickly confronted the fan and the flare was extinguished but the questions now lingering over this european championship group stage match   which slovakia won 2 1   are obvious did the use of a flare which is prohibited under uefa rules constitute another instance of a crowd disturbance by russian supporters and if so does that mean uefa european soccers governing body will follow through on a last chance warning it issued tuesday and eject russia from the tournament
it seemed unlikely that a single fan and a single flare would send home an entire country especially one set to host the next world cup yet the vagueness of the language uefa used on tuesday in giving russia a suspended disqualification for the violent behavior of its fans after an earlier match in marseille left murkiness over what might come next
in an email a spokesman for uefa pedro pinto quickly sought to play down the possibility that the flare could be seen as a crowd disturbance
a flare qualifies as the use of fireworks and not as crowd disturbances he said after the match
language in uefas disciplinary articles does list the use of fireworks alongside other examples of fan behavior for which a club or federation can receive punishment but another uefa representative said that at present there was no specific definition for what constituted a crowd disturbance
the incident came near the conclusion of what had been a largely genial afternoon with the vast majority of fans on both sides showing good will inside and outside the stadium but after the match the police used tear gas in the center of neighboring lille to disperse a group of about 300 fans and a spokesman for the regional government in northern france said three russians and one ukrainian would be expelled from the country for disturbing public order sixteen people were arrested wednesday including six russians connected to violence in marseille the authorities said
local officials and the police were on alert in this region as russia played on wednesday a day before england   whose fans fought with russians last week   was to face wales in nearby lens but while there were a few isolated confrontations in lille on tuesday and more in the combustible mix of fans after the match to that point there had been nothing close to the violence that took place in marseille
on wednesday morning fans of slovakia and russia posed for pictures together as they boarded trains in paris headed to the match in villeneuve dascq natalia fekete a 33 year old slovakian fan said that she was a little scared to attend the match but that she felt comforted because russian fans had far less antipathy toward slovakian fans than they did toward the english
they are more aggressive in front of the english she said
russian fans largely agreed with that premise with many saying that the behavior of the russian fans in marseille on saturday had been incited by disrespect from england supporters
i was sitting behind the goal in the russian zone said iurii shabanov who attended the game in marseille and i saw how after the english fans began to throw popcorns into the russian zone
at the stadium on wednesday some russian fans struck mixed tones alternately frustrated by being painted as universally violent and disappointed at the focus on their fan base fans from other countries including germany croatia turkey and england have been questioned or arrested by the police in other cities for unruly behavior they said but russia has been the only team to be punished
of course the difference uefa said was that the violent acts of the russian fans took place inside a stadium as opposed to on the city streets
it was deplorable it was terrible to see that kind of violence said maksim trnovs a russian fan attending the slovakia match some people come to fight not watch football and that is wrong but to say we may be disqualified it is the fan who fights and the fan who should go home not the team
the team may well go home sooner than later but mostly as a result of its poor play russia gave a largely stunted performance on the field wednesday with little precision or pace despite playing in perfect conditions under a closed roof slovakia which lost to wales in its opening game frequently took advantage of a disjointed russian defense
just after the half hour mark marek hamsik sent a gorgeous diagonal pass from midfield into the space behind the russian defense the ball bouncing perfectly for vladimir weiss to take it in stride weiss cut back toward the middle of the penalty area and after waiting a beat for the russians to run past him blistered a shot past goalkeeper igor akinfeev to give slovakia the lead
just before halftime hamsik received a pass from a short corner kick and again cut inside before whipping a perfect shot into the far corner of the goal behind akinfeev the slovakian fans roared while those in the russian end headed for the concourses to beat the halftime lines
russias coach leonid slutsky spent much of the game looking pained on the bench although the last 10 minutes were lively and tense after glushakovs goal the teams captain roman shirokov has been injured and unable to start and slutsky has clearly been uncomfortable about having to answer for the behavior of his teams fans as well as his players
he was in such a position again wednesday when asked about the flare in the stands slutsky frowned
i was totally concentrated on the game he said i was watching for the events on the pitch
pressed as to whether he was concerned about the flare   even if he had not seen it   slutsky looked helpless it seemed there was little for him to say
i repeat he said i didnt see it


washington   donald j trump said wednesday that people on the terror watch list should be barred from buying firearms putting himself in the center of a gun control debate in congress revived by the worst mass shooting in united states history
mr trumps stance expressed in a twitter post does not necessarily jibe with the positions of the republican party and the national rifle association whose endorsement mr trump frequently boasts about on the campaign trail his tweet could be read to support measures pushed by democrats and opposed by republicans in congress reflecting the unusual nuances of the issue which touches on public safety and civil rights beyond the second amendment
i will be meeting with the nra who has endorsed me about not allowing people on the terrorist watch list or the no fly list to buy guns mr trump the presumptive republican presidential nominee wrote wednesday morning on twitter his comment came three days after 49 people were killed when a gunman who pledged allegiance to the islamic state stormed an orlando nightclub
on the same morning a group of democrats took to the senate floor in a filibuster to protest the lack of improvement in gun safety measures in recent years
ive had enough said senator christopher s murphy democrat of connecticut who spoke on and off for more than 14 hours i couldnt just come back to the senate this week and pretend like this is business as usual
when he finished talking shortly after 2 am on thursday mr murphy said he had secured agreement for votes on the measures
i am proud to announce that after 14 hours on the floor we will have a vote on closing the terror gap  universal background checks mr murphy said in a twitter message posted around 150 am
the filibuster drew significant attention online with supporters tweeting support and encouragement as the hours dragged on mr murphy acknowledged that support after ending the filibuster
this would never have happened without you he said in a separate twitter post without your outpouring of support   your calls tweets  emails
the democratic legislation sponsored by senator dianne feinstein of california would seek to prevent individuals on the governments terror watch list from purchasing guns on the recommendation of the justice department alone ms feinstein unsuccessfully proposed a similar measure last year after 14 people were killed by an islamic extremist couple in san bernardino calif
the legislation she is now proposing goes even further covering not just people on the watch list at the time of purchase but anyone who had been on the list in the preceding five years the orlando gunman omar mateen had been on the list but was removed after an fbi investigation turned up no evidence that he was plotting any crimes
nra officials said on twitter that they would be happy to meet with mr trump but that the group had not changed its position withholding guns from people on the terrorist watch list the vast majority of whom have not been charged with a crime would give the government too much power to deny people of their second amendment right at one point in 2014 the list had 800000 names and in the past famous americans like senator ted kennedy and representative john lewis had undergone additional screening at airports because their names were similar to those on the list
the group has supported a competing measure put forward by republicans led by senator john cornyn of texas under the proposal when someone on the watch list tried to buy a gun federal prosecutors would have three days to persuade a judge that there is probable cause to deny the purchase democrats say that burden is too high
the nra believes that terrorists should not be allowed to purchase or possess firearms period said chris w cox the executive director of the groups institute for legislative action in a statement at the same time due process protections should be put in place that allow law abiding americans who are wrongly put on a watch list to be removed
a spokeswoman for mr trump confirmed that he met with mr cox in new york on tuesday though the terror watch list was not on the agenda
mr trumps campaign did not clarify wednesday how far his proposal would go or articulate which of the dueling measures   mr cornyns or ms feinsteins   mr trump most agrees with
democrats were not counting on mr trumps support and almost seemed not to want it they have been more than happy to associate him with the nra which democrats view as the biggest obstacle to gun control
republicans are under pressure to show some action in response to the orlando shooting and mr cornyn said on wednesday evening that he was working with ms feinstein on a potential compromise but ms feinstein speaking to reporters after a classified briefing on the orlando shooting that mr cornyn also attended said she doubted a deal would be reached
as for mr trumps role she was dismissive oh trump just makes everything worse ms feinstein said
during the primaries mr trump who is a gun owner spoke often about his affinity for guns as a way to prove his conservatism he is in step with the nra on virtually all other gun issues including his opposition to a ban on assault weapons by the way im going to save your second amendment he said wednesday at a rally in atlanta
as he has after other mass shootings mr trump said wednesday that more gun ownership was the answer not less he said that the carnage could have been minimized if some of those great people that were in that club that night had guns strapped to their waist or strapped to their ankle and if the bullets were going in the other direction
actual floor debate on any of the proposals in congress was not expected until thursday at the earliest
mr murphy was aided by a large cast of democrats but especially his fellow connecticut senator richard blumenthal as well as cory a booker of new jersey and richard j durbin of illinois the minority whip
they yielded briefly for questions from republicans but otherwise talked incessantly about the need for tighter gun control by early evening the democrats brought out a poster showing photographs of victims of the orlando shooting senator tammy baldwin democrat of wisconsin stood next to the poster reading out the victims names and speaking about their lives
a spokesman for senator mitch mcconnell of kentucky the republican leader said that the speechmaking by democrats was merely delaying the consideration of the gun related measures as well as proposals on fbi financing and other amendments to the senate appropriations bill
jonathan lowy director of the legal action project of the brady center to prevent gun violence said that while the democratic legislation was a very promising step in the right direction none of the proposals currently under consideration go far enough
we need to require background checks for all gun sales if we truly want to keep guns out of the hands of terrorists and other dangerous people mr lowy said
mr lowy added that he still does not entirely understand what mr trump is proposing you certainly cant enact the tweet into law   you need more specifics than that he said well have to see what actual legislation if any trump actually supports


fallout continues over the controversial stanford sexual assault case here are highlights of the latest developments
# in an unusual move prosecutors on tuesday had judge aaron persky of the santa clara county superior court removed from hearing a case in which a male nurse was accused of sexually assaulting an anesthetized female patient
prosecutors filed a peremptory challenge to judge persky after he dismissed charges against a woman in an unrelated misdemeanor theft trial on monday that objection automatically prevented him from presiding over a preliminary hearing in the sexual assault case
we are disappointed and puzzled at judge perskys unusual decision to unilaterally dismiss a case before the jury could deliberate the santa clara district attorney jeff rosen said in a statement after this and the recent turn of events we lack confidence that judge persky can fairly participate in this upcoming hearing in which a male nurse sexually assaulted an anesthetized female patient
the nurse cecil webb is accused of touching the genitals and breasts of a sedated woman in 2014 at kaiser permanentes santa clara medical center according to the san jose mercury news he was charged with a felony count of sexual battery
the backlash has also grown over what critics have denounced as the judges too lenient sentence this month for brock allen turner 20 a former stanford student and champion swimmer convicted of sexually assaulting an intoxicated unconscious woman behind a dumpster in january 2015
judge persky 54 had been harshly criticized and even threatened for sentencing mr turner to six months in jail and three years probation for three felony counts intent to commit rape sexual penetration with a foreign object of an intoxicated person and sexual penetration with a foreign object of an unconscious person
# on monday the palo alto weekly published a scathing anonymous letter from a juror in the stanford case who said he was absolutely shocked and appalled by the sentence the publication said it had verified the letter writers identity by inspecting his court issued attendance certificate
after the guilty verdict i expected that this case would serve as a very strong deterrent to on campus assaults but with the ridiculously lenient sentence that brock turner received i am afraid that it makes a mockery of the whole trial and the ability of the justice system to protect victims of assault and rape the juror wrote clearly there are few to no consequences for a rapist even if they are caught in the act of assaulting a defenseless unconscious person
# at least 16 potential jurors have refused to work with judge persky in the theft trial because they said they were uneasy about his sentence in the stanford sexual assault case
i cant believe what you did one juror said to the judge
the judge responded to each complaint with i understand and dismissed the potential jurors
# eighteen members of the house took turns on wednesday night reading portions of the courtroom statement by the stanford victim representative jackie speier democrat of california organized the reading and is the sponsor of legislation that would require the department of education to provide a list of institutions under investigation over sexual assaults


for all of us who were worried that the conservative backlash in this country would bring about unnamed terrible things the future is now
the words appeared on the front page of a gay newspaper heralding an article about bar patrons being gunned down where they stood they were not written this week but 36 years ago describing a spasm of violence that fewer and fewer people now recall
they were written by the reporter andy humm as he told readers of the new york city news on nov 28 1980 what most of them already knew that a former transit police officer had rampaged through greenwich village killing two men and wounding six
west street massacre the headline read
shortly before 11 pm on wednesday nov 19 a 38 year old former transit police officer named ronald k crumpley opened fire outside a deli at washington and charles streets cutting down richard huff 30 and rene matute 23
the gunman then made his way to west street between 10th and christopher streets a blockfront shared by the ramrod a popular leather bar and sneakers a gay dive
he aimed his uzi at a group of men standing in line outside the ramrod bar and squeezed the trigger edward m alwood wrote in straight news gays lesbians and the news media
blood spattered against the wall and door as bullets ripped into one mans shoulder and another mans arm mr alwood wrote in barely the time it takes to light a cigarette 40 rounds tore into the crowd
as bullets sprayed the front window of the bar panic swept the crowd inside customers dropped to the floor several crawled to a stairway at the back of the building in a desperate attempt to survive
vernon kroening 32 an organist at nearby st josephs roman catholic church was killed instantly jorg wenz a 24 year old dutch immigrant working as a doorman at the ramrod died at st vincents hospital after an hourslong struggle by doctors to save his life
olaf gravesen 37 and john litaker 36 were wounded out on the sidewalk john gamrecki 27 was hit inside the ramrod thomas ron 54 was hit inside sneakers different accounts give varying name spellings and ages for the victims
mr crumpley made it plain to the police that he would have been satisfied with a higher toll
ill kill them all   the gays   they ruin everything he was reported to have said
though nowhere near as deadly as the shooting at the pulse nightclub in orlando fla or the arson fire at the upstairs lounge in new orleans that killed 32 in 1973 the west street rampage chills those who remember it
it was especially stunning because it was hitting at the heart of what was the epicenter of gay life mr alwood said this week
mr humm recalled on monday that the attack occurred 15 days after ronald reagan had been elected president and the republicans had taken control of the senate from the democrats it was like a bomb had gone off in new york he said
a vigil drew 1500 mourners to sheridan square in greenwich village mr humm reported at the time there were few if any calls for the blood of ronald crumpley he wrote anger was directed at the system which treats gay people as a subhuman species
at a memorial service david rothenberg a member of the citys human rights commission spoke tenderly of mr kroening i recall my last seeing him and my instinct was to hug him goodbye but i have been sufficiently trained not to make such public demonstrations he said i think in the future when i want to hug someone i wont deny myself that
the next night a mass for mr kroening was celebrated at st josephs without mention of the fact that he had been killed because of his homosexuality when mourners confronted the pastor mr humm said he replied everyone is welcome here but not if they wear big hs on their backs
in 1981 a jury found mr crumpley not responsible by reason of mental disease or defect for the murders and attempted murders he was confined to secure psychiatric hospitals and died in april 2015 at 73
the ramrod and sneakers are long gone andrea cohen an owner of bongo restaurant where the ramrod was said numerous patrons knew about the killings actually she said they told me what happened early on when i was opening bongo at this location she has posted a sign in the bathroom with a short narrative of the event and a photo of the bar
still it seems that the ramrod killings have largely been forgotten when mourners gathered spontaneously on sunday to show their solidarity with orlando they came to the stonewall inn on christopher street   not to the site of new yorks own massacre
perhaps though overshadowed may be a better word than forgotten eight months after the killings on west street an article appeared on page a20 of the new york times
rare cancer seen in 41 homosexuals the headline read


prepared foods are an increasingly important part of the grocery business delivering fat margins at a time when sales of traditional packaged foods are lackluster but the strategy also comes with serious risks
in the clearest example yet the food and drug administration this month sent a stern warning letter to whole foods market a longtime champion of fresh and healthy foods saying that the company had failed to address a long list of food safety issues at its food processing plant outside of boston
among the problems cited condensation dripping from the ceiling near food an ammonium based sanitizer used on a work surface near the preparation of a salad and a failure to separate dirty dishes from ready to eat salads
the letter from the fda is just the latest headache to afflict whole foods over the last couple of years the company has struggled with slower growth as competitors have gotten better at copying what it did to distinguish itself in the grocery market other wounds have been self inflicted like last year when the new york city department of consumer affairs called it out for mispricing some merchandise based on weight
prepared foods which have almost double the profit margins of packaged foods sold on grocery shelves have remained a bright spot at the company   at least for now such foods accounted for almost 20 percent of its sales in 2014 ringing up 27 billion in revenue
but the letter from the fda is the second black eye for health issues at the plant outside of boston known as its north atlantic kitchen and could put some of those sales in peril
phil lempert an expert on grocery store operations and marketing said that the food safety crisis at chipotle mexican grill late last year should have been a wake up call for whole foods and anyone else in the business of preparing fresh foods for sale
for whole foods to be in this predicament frankly there really is no excuse mr lempert said because wall street has put it under such pressure to expand growth i think whole foods has gotten sloppy   theres no reason anyone should have water dripping into foods
last fall whole foods voluntarily recalled batches of curry chicken salad and classic deli pasta salad after a sample prepared at the north atlantic kitchen tested positive for listeria monocytogenes a pathogenic strain of the bacterium the plant is one of three preparation kitchens that help stock its stores in the northeast mid atlantic and south most of the companys foods are prepared at the stores themselves
in february the inspectors spent five days at the plant and then shared their findings with whole foods which responded within 15 business days the company told the fda that it had retrained employees to address most of the issues the agency raised
that response however failed to satisfy the fda we do not consider your response acceptable because you failed to provide documentation for our review which demonstrates that all your noted corrective actions have been effectively implemented the agency wrote in its june 8 warning letter
whole foods said the letter came as a surprise the company said it had taken steps to correct the problems and would meet on thursday with the fda to discuss what the issues are and how to address them
whats confusing to us is the fact that the letter identifies issues weve already corrected said ken meyer the companys executive vice president for operations
we worked with a third party consultant and our own global food safety team he said to address their concerns and assumed we were in good standing with them until this letter arrived on friday
whole foods now has about two weeks to provide evidence to the fda that steps it has taken bring the company into compliance otherwise the company might have to pay the agency to reinspect the facility
groceries have long offered prepared foods like rotisserie chickens and broccoli salad but as business has declined in the center store companies have upped their game adding sophisticated meals that consumers can take home or eat in the store
research this year from the food marketing institute and technomic found that sales of prepared foods in groceries increased 104 percent from 2006 to 2014 making the prepared foods department one of the highest performers in the food business
while only 8 percent of the supermarkets responding to that survey reported sales growth of more than 5 percent more than two thirds of them said they had growth at that level or higher in their prepared food businesses
the risk for grocery companies is that preparing food receives a higher level of scrutiny from regulators than selling food made and packaged by others a bad inspection in one location or reports of food illnesses can damage an entire brand shares in whole foods fell nearly 5 percent on wednesday
last year costco recalled celery sticks and turkey dinners king sooper recalled curried chicken salad and raleys recalled its asian blue cheese potato and bacon salad after e coli was found in celery supplied to all by a single supplier
still perhaps no company has been more aggressive about integrating prepared foods than whole foods the company has long put bars and restaurants into its stores   a new store in hawaii will have about 200 seats for shoppers to sit and enjoy a meal and a drink
whole foods is one of the pioneers in providing restaurant quality meals to consumers said joe pawlak managing principal at technomic
now stores like shoprite and safeway are opening so called groceraunts too the oyster bar at one of the marianos groceries in chicago has become a place for a friday night date and a shoprite in morris plains nj added a 4000 square foot atrium where people can enjoy a meal
supermarkets tried moving into the food preparation business in the 1990s mr pawlak said but offered too broad a menu and ended up throwing a lot of food away
now whats happened over the last five or six years theyve hired food service professionals who understand restaurants and how items move on a menu he said thats taken the quality up to where i can get just as good a meal at the grocery store as i can in many sit down restaurants   and for a lot better value
an fda spokeswoman said the agency could not comment on whether its inspection of grocery food preparation operations was increasing a yahoo news analysis of the fdas food safety recalls in 2015 found that prepared foods accounted for more recalls than any other food category


cbs will broadcast the grammy awards through at least 2026 the network announced on wednesday
this contract extension is for five years cbs already had the rights to the grammys through 2021
the network has broadcast the grammys since 1973 and the contract extension ensures cbs will have the show for 54 consecutive years which cbs said was the longest continuous relationship between a single broadcaster and an awards show
on sunday cbs aired the tonys which received a 15 year high in ratings with 87 million viewers earlier this year the grammys was watched by 25 million people its lowest viewership since 2009
next years grammys will take place on feb 12 2017 returning the awards program to its traditional sunday night slot it was shown on monday night this year


paris   france eased its gun rules on wednesday to allow off duty police officers to carry their sidearms even if the nation is not in a state of emergency the move was a response to an attack on monday in which an islamic state assailant fatally stabbed a policeman and his companion at their home while their child was there
the eased rules welcomed by frances police unions came as the authorities in belgium alerted police that more attacks appeared to be in advanced planning stages and could be imminent
a group of extremists have left syria and divided into smaller groups headed for belgium and france the warning said
the information was reported by a belgian newspaper la derniere heure which said police had received an alert that combatants left syria about a week and a half ago in order to reach europe via turkey and greece by boat without passports
belgian counterterrorism officials tried to play down the significance of the warning
the belgian coordinating body for threat analysis which reviews and evaluates intelligence and other terrorism related information did not raise the countrys alert level and said in a statement that the warning leaked to the newspaper had not been contextualized and in its current form has no direct impact on the current threat level
brussels the capital was virtually shut down in november after attacks in and around paris left 130 people dead and the authorities warning of the possibility of an imminent attack in belgium
officials did not dispute the authenticity of the new warning which described the would be assailants as armed and poised to strike
among the possible targets in belgium were embassies restaurants hospitals hotels concert halls and pedestrian streets according to the warning
when pressed about the information paul van tigchelt the director of the threat coordinating body   known by its french initials ocam as well as its flemish initials ocad   described it as raw intelligence
raw intelligence generally refers to information that is largely unverified may originate from a single source and has not yet been corroborated
however with the euro 2016 soccer tournament underway in france and drawing huge crowds to city centers and areas around stadiums the report from belgium was consistent with assessments by security officials that its neighbor faces a persistent and serious risk
there are already a number of belgian and french citizens or residents who have fought for the islamic state or other groups in syria or iraq and then returned home as was the case with a number of people who took part in either the paris or brussels attacks
in testimony before belgiums parliament on wednesday justice minister koen geens said that as of june 7 114 belgian fighters had returned from the syrian iraqi conflict zone and that seven of them had since died the number of returnees in france is about 244 one of the top french intelligence officials patrick calvar told lawmakers last month
french officials did not respond specifically to belgiums most recent warning of returning jihadists
but prime minister manuel valls of france speaking on france inter radio wednesday made clear that the country must be prepared for more attacks
other innocent people will lose their lives he said you could accuse me of making society even more anxious than it already is given all the events that have happened but sadly this is the reality
he was referring not only to the november attacks but also to the fatal stabbings in france on monday by an extremist who asserted loyalty to the islamic state
this is generational we have hundreds of individuals who are radicalized mr valls said
there was no change to the threat level in france on wednesday france has maintained a state of emergency since the nov 13 paris attacks and considers the risk of attack high
however french police officers were particularly on edge after stabbings on monday of an off duty officer and his companion an interior ministry employee
the countrys police unions met with interior ministry officials on wednesday and emerged saying they had received indefinite permission to carry their work guns even when off duty
they are permitted to do so now under state of emergency provisions but those will expire on july 26 many police officers had worried that the expiration would make them more vulnerable
the extended permission for off duty carrying given by bernard cazeneuve the interior minister is not permanent but does not have an end date
a far less nervous and combative mood prevailed in magnanville the small town west of paris where the stabbings took place about 200 people gathered at noon on wednesday for a moment of silence at the end of the street where the policeman lived with his family
they listened quietly to remarks from the towns mayor and sang the national anthem la marseillaise only a few of the mourners complained that france had too many mosques a not uncommon sentiment expressed in parts of france in response to fears of islamic extremists
men representing area muslim groups came to pay their respects standing a bit apart as if they were outsiders although they were from neighboring towns
one of them abdelaziz el jaouhari who is the secretary general for the council of muslims for the department of yvelines said france needed more proper mosques to help fight radicalism a department is a local unit of government similar to a county
we do not have enough official places of prayer for the community and it is much better for young people to be in official places of worship rather than with those networks they find in basements and i dont know where mr jaouhari said


new delhi   while investigating a rare cluster of deadly lion attacks the authorities in an area of forested hills in the western indian state of gujarat took the unusual step of capturing and caging an entire pride of 17 lions sending their dung to a forensic laboratory to be tested for traces of human remains
when they came in the results mainly in the form of strands of human hair pointed directly to one adult male who was immediately handed a life sentence   in the zoo
the evidence was not nearly so clear cut in the case of two subordinate lions who will be given a fair trial and remain under close observation for some time said anirudh pratap singh chief conservator of forests in the junagadh wildlife circle near the area where the killings occurred
the rest of the pride presumed innocent will be released to the forest
it is rare for lions to attack humans but in the first six months of 2016 there have already been six killings in the area around the gir forest which is home to indias only population of wild lions
in three cases the lion ate only part of the person which is even more unusual said uday vora the states forest conservator
wildlife officials say the lion population is 523 nearly double the parks capacity of 300 pushing hungry prides into adjacent villages and into range of unsuspecting laborers in april 2013 the india supreme court ordered a number of lions to be transferred to another wildlife sanctuary in a neighboring state but none have yet been removed
mr vora said the attacks on humans this year were puzzling
among the theories because of a heat wave laborers have been more likely to sleep in the open air under blankets and the lions may have mistaken them for buffalo calves another possible explanation is that when wildlife officials captured the adult male that eventually proved to be the killer the group dynamics in the remainder of the pride were disturbed leading the subordinate lions to attack humans mr singh said
we are closely observing he said there is no shortage of prey in the forest why they became man eaters is a concern for us as well
among the victims was valaiben lakhnotra who was pulling weeds near a sugar cane field on an evening in late may her son pithabhai lakhnotra 41 said he called out to her that evening but received no response when he ventured into the field he said he found her slippers and a blood soaked head scarf a few steps away he saw a lion crouched over his mothers body with her back totally ripped apart
babubhai gaadhe the chief of vadnagar village said that lion sightings were common in the area as are the killings of cows but that ms lakhnotras death marked the first time a lion has killed a human that same morning he said the lion had been surprised by villagers while trying to eat a cow and as a result it may have still been hungry


with new york citys subway trains jammed to capacity and more people than ever pouring into neighborhoods outside manhattan mayor bill de blasio is embarking on an ambitious and expensive plan to create a fleet of city owned ferryboats that would crisscross the surrounding waterways and connect all five boroughs
at a cost of more than 325 million mr de blasios expansion of ferry service would be one of the biggest bets any city in the world has made on boats as vehicles for mass transit the mayor predicts that the ferries would carry 45 million passengers a year about twice as many riders as san franciscos ferry system handles
mr de blasio has promised new yorkers that ferries will start running on three new routes serving south brooklyn and astoria and the rockaways in queens by the end of june 2017 four months before he would stand for re election additional routes to the lower east side of manhattan and to soundview in the bronx will be added in 2018
our aim is to make this thing as big as possible said alicia glen the citys deputy mayor for housing and economic development no guts no glory
simply put city officials believe that if new york is to continue thriving it must have a robust transportation network and that ferries can play a critical role just as they do in many waterfront cities around the globe
were still living with the footprint of an early 19th century transit map that didnt contemplate the kind of job growth were seeing along the waterfront ms glen said the administration she said is trying to create a transportation network for the new new york
the city has already spent 6 million on four commuter boats in 2016 and could own more than 30 in a few years mr de blasio also plans to spend at least 85 million to create 13 additional landings for the ferries and a home port for them at the brooklyn navy yard
but the mayor has raised the stakes in ways few other places have by pledging that a ferry ride would cost the same as subway fare 275 that is a departure from san francisco sydney australia and other cities where extensive commuter ferry systems have long operated they tend to charge more to ride ferries than buses or trains and their ferry fares are based on the length of the trip
the one fare plan fits with the liberal agenda of mr de blasio who has championed transit equity for all new yorkers to fulfill the mayors promise the city will have to contribute a substantial operating subsidy a commitment that several of his predecessors were unwilling to make
mr de blasios former rival for the mayors job christine c quinn applauded his embrace of ferries as a form of mass transit theres a little bit of a whimsical historic notion of ferries they seem to be a lot more fun than other modes of transportation said ms quinn the former city council speaker you dont want ferries to just be the fun fancy transport of people with money
of course new yorks waters were once clogged with ferries in the early 1900s when there were few bridges and no car tunnels as many as 147 boats carried people across the hudson and east rivers
the only vestige of that era is the staten island ferry nine hulking boats that make regularly scheduled point to point crossings of new york harbor for routes from brooklyn and queens city officials have largely relied on private companies operating their own ferries to deliver workers to manhattan every weekday
city officials have been leaning on hornblower cruises and events the san francisco based company they chose in march to operate the service to order the boats it will need hornblower which runs cruises to the statue of liberty has settled on a design for 149 passenger boats and is negotiating with a few boatyards around the country to build 18 of them at a cost of nearly 4 million each
one of the challenges is to stand up a new fleet said terry macrae hornblowers chief executive but its better than bringing a bunch of widows and orphans together he said alluding to the alternative of rounding up a group of used boats
cameron clark who is overseeing the start of the ferry service for hornblower said the 85 foot boats were designed by incat crowther an australian company to be fuel efficient and spacious the first of them are scheduled to be completed early next year he said
they will have all the 21st century stuff mr clark said including wi fi and power outlets for laptop computers
maria torres springer the president of the citys economic development corporation said hornblower was chosen primarily for its experience in starting ferry services around the country as well as on the canadian side of niagara falls the company however has limited experience with helping commuters get to and from work every day though city officials said that did not weigh heavily against it
the citys choice of hornblower stirred some controversy including warnings from another ferry operator new york water taxi that it would go out of business after losing its bid for the citys contract
billybey ferry a part of the new jersey based new york waterway has been operating the subsidized east river ferry service for the city since 2011 that service will be integrated into the citywide system after this year and will be operated by hornblower at a reduced fare equal to a metrocard swipe city officials said
paul goodman the chief executive of billybey said his company was disappointed to lose the bid but he added were still big believers in the expansion of ferry service and we hope that its a success
mr de blasio announced that the home port for the expanded service would be a pier in the brooklyn navy yard but that pier is so dilapidated that it may not be rebuilt before 2018 ms glen said if the city owned service starts next summer as scheduled the home port is likely to be in new jersey at first ms glen said the citys ferry system however will not serve new jersey
homeporting is a terrific benefit of the system ms glen said adding that it would create jobs in brooklyn and save on fuel costs if that takes another nine months thats not the priority
hornblower will need nine boats to cover the three new routes none of which it has now
mike anderson former chief executive of washington state ferries which runs a large fleet of ferries in the seattle area said that to have that many boats built would normally take a few years but hornblower hopes to cut that schedule to one year by using three or more shipyards including two on the gulf coast mr clark said
thats a bit of a heavy lift said mr anderson an executive with kpff consulting engineers who consulted with new york city on its planeverything has to go right and they need to get started pretty soon
city officials have made provisions for delays in the production of new boats allowing hornblower to charter additional boats to get the service started
the city estimates that it will cost about 70 million to have 18 ferries built once they are done the city plans to buy them from hornblower which will operate them for six years with a possibility of renewing the contract for an additional five years
ms glen said the city was employing good smart economics in deciding to own the boats if for some reason hornblower doesnt perform she said the city would either find another operator or run the system itself as it does for the staten island ferry and she added even if the service werent to be that successful the city will have hard assets that it could sell to recoup some of its investment
before the service begins ms torres springer hopes to find one or more sponsors for it similar to the citi bike bike sharing program but she added it would be premature to call the ferries citi boats


the metropolitan opera has been transmitting performances live for a decade the national theater in london jumped on board a few years later but broadway facing both financial and philosophical obstacles has been slow to join the trend
now after years of start and stop progress broadway is passing a milestone on wednesday the nonprofit roundabout theater company which with three broadway theaters is one of the industrys most prolific producers said it had agreed to allow a live stream of a much praised musical revival she loves me which is running through july 10 at studio 54
the event will be streamed by broadwayhd a new company seeking to broadcast theater performances on june 30 it will be the first time a broadway show has been streamed live the company said unlike the broadcasts by the met the national theater and several european opera and ballet companies it will be available not in movie theaters but on the internet roku and apple tv
i think it will create more interest in broadway said todd haimes the longtime artistic director of the roundabout there used to be this feeling if a movie was made of a broadway show that would kill the broadway show then something happened it was called chicago they made the movie and the chicago sales went through the roof
the theater industry has been inching in this direction for years there have been broadcasts on pbs a roundabout production of the man who came to dinner was shown in 2000 and on commercial television legally blonde was once on mtv post closing broadcasts were screened in movie theaters of mice and men was shown in cinemas by nt live the national theaters program and recently off broadway shows buried child at the new group and old hats at signature theater have been live streamed by broadwayhd
but the complications are daunting theater is a highly unionized industry and figuring out how to compensate performers and creators has been hard despite widespread evidence that broadcasts increase ticket sales many producers remain concerned about discouraging potential ticket buyers and it is not clear whether any individual broadcast can be profitable the met opera the national theater and the roundabout are all nonprofits
the most difficult part of this is the cost   everyone has to get compensation   and the challenge is determining the value of the live stream said ken davenport a producer who last year streamed a performance of an off broadway musical daddy long legs he said the broadcast was watched by about 150000 people and built buzz for the show but was not profitable
mr davenport said that as technology has improved the value of broadcasting theater has increased it will never replace live performance he said the theater has survived the radio the television the internet and every other form of entertainment out there but for people that cant experience it live its a great first taste
nonprofit institutions with subscribers have an incentive to support the broadcasts both as part of their mission   to reach wider audiences   and because they are building long lasting brands for commercial producers the calculus is different
its definitely much harder there because there is an expectation that it has to be a success immediately said emma keith the head of nt live in london here everybody was happy to say lets take a risk and it might take time to generate profits whereas on broadway it has to make money from day 1
nonetheless interest appears to be growing we see it as a great opportunity to have an additional revenue stream to the actors and it also helps to raise the profile of american theater said lawrence lorczak a senior business representative at actors equity
the actors in she loves me who include laura benanti gavin creel jane krakowski and zachary levi will be paid extra under contracts by both equity and sag aftra for the broadcast of their work broadwayhd also had to reach agreements to compensate the authors of the musical or their heirs since some of them are no longer alive
ms benanti said she welcomed the decision to broadcast the production the theater is such a vitally important part of our culture she said in an email the more people able to experience it the better off we will all be
she loves me which was first presented on broadway in 1963 is a much loved musical with music by jerry bock and lyrics by sheldon harnick who are best known for fiddler on the roof adapted from a hungarian play that also inspired the film youve got mail she loves me is about lovelorn parfumerie workers in budapest who feud and flirt and sing and dance
the she loves me broadcast is being financed by broadwayhd roundabout said it is spending nothing on the venture   in fact it will receive a small amount of compensation
the founders of broadwayhd stewart f lane and bonnie comley said that the broadcast would be costly but that they were optimistic it would be profitable the stream will cost 999 to watch on the website or is free to broadwayhd subscribers at some point it will be available through broadwayhds on demand library
mr lane and ms comley said they chose she loves me because of the quality of the production because its cast members are well known and because they had been looking to work with roundabout hoping to forge a continuing relationship with a producing entity that presents multiple theatrical works
making the broadcast will require nine or 10 cameras in the theater for three performances two are to test camera angles lighting and sound some seats will be left vacant for the cameras killed in industry parlance and audience members who are unhappy with the camera presence will be allowed to exchange their tickets although many people welcome the opportunity to be at a performance that is broadcast


the collector leon black is the legal victor in a dispute over the ownership of a famed picasso sculpture and will take possession of it
on wednesday the parties who had been fighting over the plaster bust of the artists muse and mistress marie therese walter announced that they had agreed that mr black would get to keep the work bust of a woman and a rival owner representing the qatari royal family would receive financial compensation of an undisclosed amount
we are pleased that the dispute has been settled and mr black will receive his sculpture a spokesperson for the gallery said in a statement todays settlement shows without question that gagosian gallery purchased and sold this sculpture in good faith
a settlement had been announced in may but the court did not disclose any details regarding who would keep the sculpture
in a legal action filed in january against the qatari familys agent mr gagosian said that he had bought the 1931 sculpture in may 2015 for about 106 million from picassos daughter maya widmaier picasso and then sold it to mr black who expected to receive it after the closing of the museum of modern arts acclaimed picasso sculpture show   in which the piece was featured   on feb 7
but pelham holdings the agent for the qatari family run by guy bennett maintained in its own court documents that it had secured an agreement with ms widmaier picasso to buy the work in november 2014 for 38 million euros or about 42 million on behalf of sheikh jassim bin abdulaziz al thani who is married to sheikha al mayassa bint hamad bin khalifa al thani chairwoman of the qatar museums authority
the seller in both cases was ms widmaier picasso 80 who apparently sold the artwork twice
in a joint statement the parties said pelham europe ltd maya widmaier ruiz picasso diana widmaier picasso gagosian gallery inc lawrence gagosian leon black and seydoux  associes fine art sa are pleased to report that the parties have reached a good faith global settlement resolving all matters and actions relating to pablo picassos buste de femme marie therese boisgeloup 1931


london   oscar pistorius the olympic runner removed his artificial legs and shuffled his way to the front of a courtroom in south africa on wednesday the third day of a hearing to determine his sentence for the 2013 murder of his girlfriend
trembling and tearful he rested his right hand on a desk for support as his lawyers pleaded with a judge to sentence him to community service rather than prison
dressed in a t shirt and athletic shorts mr pistorius 29 was under five feet tall without the j shaped carbon fiber prosthetic legs that earned him the nickname the blade runner it was an image far more humble than that of the world class athlete who successfully challenged able bodied athletes
mr pistoriuss defense lawyers had asked him to take off his prosthetic legs to highlight the sense of vulnerability they say he felt when acting out of fear and confusion he fatally shot his girlfriend reeva steenkamp early on feb 14 2013 but the tactic appeared to also be meant to generate sympathy from the judge and a lighter sentence than the 15 years mr pistorius faces for murder
it was the most dramatic moment of the day in a proceeding that both the prosecution and the defense have sought to inject with pathos a defense psychologist testified on monday that the athlete was unfit to testify because of a severe mental condition that included symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder on tuesday the victims father barry steenkamp a diabetic testified that his grief was so severe that he plunged his insulin syringe into his stomach and arms to see if i could feel the same type of pain but no
mr pistorius has long maintained that he thought an intruder had entered the home he shared with ms steenkamp in pretoria and that he had no intention of killing her when he fired four shots through a locked bathroom door after she had taken cover inside
it is mr pistorius the double amputee and not mr pistorius the world class athlete who should be judged said one of his lawyers barry roux
south african sentencing guidelines call for a minimum term of 15 years in prison for murder but they give the judge leeway mr roux argued that there were substantial and compelling circumstances to show leniency judge thokozile matilda masipa who is presiding over the televised hearing in the north gauteng high court in pretoria said on wednesday that she would issue her ruling on july 6 according to news reports
in 2014 after a trial that riveted south africa judge masipa found mr pistorius not guilty of murder but convicted him of culpable homicide the legal equivalent of manslaughter she sentenced him to five years in prison and he served one year before being released in october to serve the rest of his sentence under house arrest
however prosecutors appealed and the countrys top appeals court convicted mr pistorius of murder in december finding that he was guilty because he knew that firing through the locked door would kill whoever was inside   even if he did not believe that it was ms steenkamp the court referred the case back to judge masipa for sentencing
marius du toit a south african criminal defense lawyer and former prosecutor and judge who is not connected with the case said in a phone interview that both sides had made fairly naked appeals to emotion   the defense by having mr pistorius walk around on the stumps of his legs and the prosecution by bringing forward ms steenkamps tearful relatives   because the legal issues had already been resolved
all the legal facts in this matter have been settled we have the rulings from the courts and all of the evidence that has been adduced he said the only thing thats changed is that were dealing now with murder instead of culpable homicide and on murder the court has to impose a mandatory 15 year sentence unless the court finds substantial and compelling reasons for a different sentence
in a decision that could add to the charged emotions around the case judge masipa on wednesday agreed at the request of prosecutors to release photographs of ms steenkamps body that investigators took after the shooting the case has highlighted fear of violent crime in south africa and raised questions about whether the criminal justice system treats all defendants equally
the chief prosecutor gerrie nel has portrayed mr pistorius as a man given to fits of anger and self pity on wednesday he summoned kim martin a cousin of ms steenkamps to testify about what the prosecution contends is a lack of remorse
all weve ever wanted was the truth ms martin said i know people said that youve got the truth but we didnt oscars version changed so many times and ive never ever heard him say that i apologize for shooting and murdering reeva behind that door 
ms steenkamp a law school graduate and model was 29 when she died
besides the obvious anxiety and depression as a family well never ever be able to carry on like normal ms martin said just standing on a queue at a shopping center poses difficulty people dont recognize you and theyll start mentioning the trial or theyll start mentioning oscar or theyll start mentioning reeva
the family has expressed outrage that mr pistorius taped an interview   his first about the killing   with the british television network itv but declined to testify at the sentencing hearing the interview is scheduled for broadcast on june 24 the sentence had been expected to be handed down before that date
mr roux suggested that his client was also a victim with his career and life ruined
the accused has lost all of his assets and his career is gone mr roux said the accused can never ever resume his career the accused has punished himself and will punish himself for the rest of his life far more than any court of law can punish him
mr nel the prosecutor was unmoved he said that mr pistorius had not shown remorse and that his decision to give the itv interview without informing the court showed utter disrespect
its the duty of this court not to follow public opinion but to lead public opinion in the public interest he said


turn off your cellphones unwrap your candy and put on those headsets
an immersive stage show that makes heavy use of binaural technology 3 d audio for drama is coming to broadway this fall after a sold out run in london and arts festival appearances throughout europe
the encounter inspired by petru popescus novel amazon beaming is loosely about a national geographic photographers experience with a mystical tribe in brazil in 1969 but as directed and performed by the british director simon mcburney it is also an exploration of the nature of reality and the meaning of storytelling
i became fascinated with the whole process of memory   what the relationship is between the actual way memory works in the brain and the effect of that in our lives mr mcburney said in a telephone interview i had this story and my own personal obsession and they started to wind around each other like a double helix and gradually i began to find a form which seemed to me to be deeply dramatic and theatrical   compelling as a story but also as a set of things that provoke and question the imagination of the audience
mr mcburney who created the show for complicite a company he co founded said the encounter is partly about solitude it is very intimate because of the technology and i want people to go on that journey he said
the show began its life last summer at the edinburgh international festival and then was staged at the barbican theater in london early this year it has also been performed at festivals in britain greece switzerland austria france and the netherlands in a review of the london production in the new york times ben brantley wrote that the encounter is one of the most fully immersive theater pieces ever created and described it as a journey to the center of your mind that begins in your auditory nerves and keeps burrowing deeper
the broadway production will begin previews sept 20 and open sept 29 at the john golden theater it is scheduled to run through jan 8 mr mcburney said he hoped to do most of the performances but another actor richard katz will step in as needed eight shows a week is steep with this show mr mcburney said its difficult to explain but its very tough
mr mcburney has worked on broadway twice before as the director of a 1998 revival of the chairs by eugene ionesco and of a 2008 revival of arthur millers all my sons


the stock market fell for a fifth straight day wednesday as investors set aside the federal reserves interest rate decision and remained focused on next weeks vote on whether britain would remain in the european union
the standard  poors 500 stock index fell 382 points or 02 percent to 207150 and the nasdaq composite fell 862 points or 02 percent to 483493
the dow jones industrial average fell 3465 points or 02 percent to 1764017
as expected the federal reserve voted to keep interest rates unchanged at their current level of 025 to 050 percent in its statement the fed said that while united states economic activity continued to strengthen the pace of improvement in the labor market has slowed a reference to the april and may job reports that were weaker than anticipated
kristina hooper head of united states investment strategies at allianz global investors said after the decision was announced they needed to hit the pause button for june but i think a july rate hike still remains a distinct possibility
united states government bond prices remained high keeping yields low the yield on the 10 year treasury note fell to 158 percent from 161 percent a day earlier bond investors said the uncertainty about the british vote had forced european investors to buy up united states government bonds in a search for yield and security pushing bond yields to their lowest levels in years
we are in a rare moment where the highest quality creditor the united states is also the creditor with the highest interest rate said brandon swensen senior portfolio manager and co head of united states fixed income at rbc global asset management
most investors remained focused on the other side of the atlantic there is considerable uncertainty about whether british voters will choose in a june 23 referendum to leave the european union referred to as a brexit the repercussions of such a move are not clear
during her news conference the feds chairwoman janet l yellen said the coming vote was one of the reasons the central bank kept interest rates unchanged
ms hooper of allianz said a potential brexit had not loomed as large with investors as it should have
in economic data the fed said on wednesday that industrial output   which includes factories mines and utilities   dropped 04 percent from april the decline reversed the 06 percent gain seen between april and march an improvement that was taken as a sign the industrial economy was turning around
the industrial side of the us economy remains under pressure said gus faucher deputy chief economist at the pnc financial services group
manufacturing fell 04 percent last month as motor vehicle production tumbled 44 percent mining production rose 02 percent helped by a rebound in coal but remained down 115 percent from a year ago utilities slipped 1 percent
in a separate report the labor department said that its producer price index which measures inflation pressures before they reach the consumer increased 04 percent in may after a 02 percent rise in april it was the biggest gain since a similar 04 percent increase in january
core inflation which excludes energy and food was up 03 percent in may an acceleration from a modest 01 percent rise in april indicating that inflation which has been below the feds preferred 2 percent pace could be starting to accelerate
among individual companies whole foods market shares fell 162 or 5 percent to 3090 after the food and drug administration said there were serious violations at a kitchen in massachusetts that may have resulted in contaminated food and the grocery chain had not done enough to fix them
benchmark united states crude oil fell 48 cents to close at 4801 a barrel in new york the price has fallen 63 percent over the last five days brent crude used to price international oils fell 86 cents to close at 4897 a barrel in london
in other energy commodities wholesale gasoline futures fell 2 cents to 150 a gallon heating oil closed down 2 cents to 148 a gallon and natural gas fell 1 cent to 2595 per 1000 cubic feet
the dollar fell to 10601 yen from 10612 yen the euro edged up to 11251 from 11204
gold prices rose 20 cents to 128580 an ounce silver rose 8 cents to 1750 an ounce and copper closed up 5 cents to 2091 a pound


hong kong   a chinese court has sentenced the wife and son of the countrys former security chief to prison a year after the family patriarch was sentenced to life in prison for corruption and leaking state secrets
the yichang city peoples intermediate court about 800 miles south of beijing handed down a nine year term to jia xiaoye whose husband zhou yongkang was until 2012 one of chinas most powerful officials his son by a previous marriage zhou bin received an 18 year prison sentence from the same court on wednesday chinas central television reported
the courts official social media site announced ms jias sentence on june 8 but it was reported by chinas state news media only on wednesday
zhou yongkang 73 was the highest ranking official felled so far in president xi jinpings crackdown on corruption now in its fourth year until november 2012 mr zhou was a member of the communist partys elite politburo standing committee overseeing the countrys criminal justice system and its huge police force the sentencing of mr zhous wife and son was announced on mr xis 63rd birthday
news of the trials of zhou yongkangs wife and son was not made public but neither were the trials a surprise when mr zhou was sentenced last june the official news agency xinhua said that ms jia and zhou bin had accepted bribes amounting to more than 20 million
the elder mr zhous downfall was especially thorough dozens of his close political associates have also been imprisoned and several of his family members disappeared into police custody a 2014 new york times investigation found that relatives of mr zhou including zhou bin his sister in law and several other family members controlled stakes in dozens of companies across china with combined assets of at least 150 million the whereabouts of a second son zhou han are not known
no pictures accompanied the terse announcement from the court on ms jias sentencing but chinese state television did broadcast a clip from zhou bins trial balding expressionless and bearing a striking resemblance to his square jawed father he was flanked by two police officers he confessed to accepting more than 33 million in bribes and was fined more than 53 million an indication of his wealth
the china central television report said that zhou bin had used his fathers power and status to accumulate wealth through bribes and that he had received a reduced sentence because he had confessed had returned illegal gains and had expressed repentance
ms jia also accepted her sentence which included a fine amounting to about 152000 the court said in its statement both said they would not appeal
ms jia who is believed to be 47 worked at china central television as a presenter and was mr zhous second wife his first wife wang shuhua died zhou bin 44 studied in texas and married an american woman of chinese descent who lived in southern california he was the majority owner in a beijing company that sold oil services equipment to a state owned petroleum company once run by his father


twenty years ago broadband might have been confused with a style of cummerbund now a federal court has ruled it is an essential part of american life
but of what kind
as cecilia kang writes the appeals court for the district of columbia decided by a vote of two to one that companies providing consumers with internet service like att or comcast cannot discriminate among the bits they ship
that means netflix google and your neighbors gardening blog all get treated the same in terms of how fast they make it to a customers device and the company sending high definition films which use a lot of bits cant be charged more or discriminated against by the service providers
that all bits are treated equal approach is why this dispute which became a legal case after the federal communications commission issued rules in 2015 is usually termed one of net neutrality
it is clear that the netflixes of the world and probably most consumers like this decision since it means there arent impediments on what can be shipped and seen
equally clear is that the service providers are not happy since this means they cant control their biggest users whose increasingly heavy usage can force them to make expensive upgrades
count on an appeal and most likely a final decision by the supreme court because the concept of net neutrality touches on key philosophical and pragmatic aspects of modern life
is fast internet service now essential since we need it to get a job or find out when the movie is on is broadband so essential that companies providing it must be regulated by the fcc in how they treat customers
what sort of essential commodity is the delivery of bits   is it like electricity which is often priced against periods of peak usage is it like water which must be provided at all times but has different costs around the country based on difficulty of delivery is it something new
on the other side shouldnt a company developing a new product have to consider how many bits it will be using or other constraints it is putting on a system counted on by millions of people when companies build a network for one purpose and the network is overwhelmed by a new digital product that uses more bandwidth should the old pricing rules apply
the last is not an idle question just as high definition video challenges a network used to say text based email the online gaming and virtual reality systems planned by the likes of microsoft and facebook will likely tax most existing service providers systems


amman jordan   jordans national census takers made something of a stark discovery earlier this year when they found that nearly a third of the countrys 95 million residents are not technically speaking jordanians
for decades the country has absorbed successive waves of people fleeing war and chaos
lately it has been the syrians but before them came iraqis sudanese and palestinians not to mention those from egypt and as far away as pakistan and the philippines who have come to amman to work
they have made the once sleepy jordanian capital an unlikely unsung city of refuge for people ejected from their homes
it has not always been smooth hundreds of thousands of palestinians who came after the arab israeli wars of 1948 and 1967 are now jordanian citizens but some of the more recent arrivals are not
some jordanians blame the newly arrived syrians for driving down wages others say the newcomers have made amman a better city to live in
where in the arab world do you have this kind of mixture said annemarie jacir a palestinian filmmaker who moved to amman six years ago after stints in riyadh ramallah and jerusalem thats what makes amman special
the debate echoes the tense conversations taking place in capitals all over the world on whether and how to integrate migrants
on a recent visit to amman we met some of the people who are changing the cultural fabric of amman
in the window of the abou arabi haider damascene gourmet sweets shop sat an intricately terraced mountain of baklava glistening in syrupy sweat it had a caramel colored layer then another layer bulging with pistachios and on the base a handful of bright raw cashews
it is the handiwork of omar awad a marble artist from damascus who decamped to amman four years ago to escape the civil war in syria instead of designing the marble accents for mansions back home he now arranges sweets in the shop window
wherever you put us as syrians we will learn and we will do mr awad said bullishly
syrian sweets are among the new luxuries in the capital and the lines at abou arabi haider shop stretch out the door on fridays jordanians make the same kinds of sweets filled with the same pistachios and almonds but even the most xenophobic jordanian would admit that syrians have a special touch
mr awad 27 said he could not imagine leaving amman anytime soon he helped establish the sweet shop and a cafe next door on the wall hung a photograph of the original shop in damascus
it took a lot of effort to open and run this branch of abou arabi in jordan and we will not abandon it mr awad said no matter what happens in syria in the future
on a shaded garden patio in an upscale neighborhood of amman munira ghanem of sudan took out her henna cone and began to paint the slender bare forearm of a loyal customer she drew a vine curling upward then decorative leaves topped by a flower
the sudanese introduced henna painting to ammans ladies of fashion and ms ghanem is among the most coveted artists
she came to amman 20 years ago with her husband she began to work in the citys beauty salons threading waxing and eventually painting henna sometimes she paints an arm other times a shoulder occasionally the small of a womans back
even after her husband returned home ms ghanem stayed raising their four children on her own
many more sudanese arrived from darfur then from the nuba mountains as the conflicts there intensified
we asked her where she felt most at home wherever i can find work i feel its home she replied where i can improve my life and my children can get an education   thats whats important
a crow cawed from the top of a date palm a breeze broke the heat of midday one of her fellow beauticians brought her newborn daughter to the salon other beauticians emerged from the salon rooms to coo at the baby an ethiopian a filipina a second sudanese woman from the nuba mountains
only one thing ms ghanem confessed made her feel adrift   living as a tenant under someone elses roof here we dont own a house in sudan we dont own a house she said its like youre living in the air
shahad dawood 27 is trying to get a toehold in ammans art scene much of it built from scratch by iraqi exiles like her who transplanted the high culture for which baghdad was once widely known
ms dawood was barely 2 years old when her family fled the iraqi capital on the eve of the first gulf war in 1991 they returned briefly in 2003 just before the city was plunged into chaos by the american led invasion
her familys business a cosmetics factory expanded to jordan and like many of their compatriots they brought their fortunes to amman and built homes in one of the citys most affluent enclaves with streets named basra and baghdad
returning is not an option i would never go back to iraq ms dawood said even if things ever get better i dont know it
she knows even less about her familys ancestral home in mosul which remains a stronghold of the islamic state
ms dawood considers amman home she speaks with a jordanian accent she delights in the fact that she can pass for a local
jordan gave me many things she said i am safe here
alaa abu quta 36 crawled out from under a toyota suv at the garage where he and his brothers work bared his grease stained palms and flashed a broad smile
i like to figure out whats wrong with cars to find what their faults are and figure out how to fix them he said
mr abu quta and his palestinian compatriots are known for keeping ammans cars driving smoothly there were about a dozen palestinian car repair shops on just one street in the northern outpost of amman when we visited his shop on a recent thursday evening it was filled with the chatter and smell of working men
mr abu qutas brothers have joined him in the familys business imad 34 after a brief time fixing computers and ali 30 who earned a diploma in automotive repair their father mohammad was a child when he arrived in amman in 1967 his sons were born in jordan and are jordanian citizens
we asked if they see themselves as jordanians or palestinians
alaa put his sooty palm on his chest and smiled jordan is in my heart he said palestine is in my heart dont ask us to choose
imad said palestinians were not like syrians in jordan the syrians miss their country he said he has no country to miss
he also blamed syrian refugees for driving up unemployment in jordan still he admitted to having a weakness for syrian sweets three times a week he goes to his favorite syrian sweet shop
alaa laughed he said he goes every day


jakarta indonesia   indonesias national medical association has told its members not to cooperate with a presidential decree authorizing the countrys courts to punish convicted child molesters with chemical castration escalating a nationwide debate over the legality medical ethics and efficacy of the procedure after a series of recent rapes and murders
in chemical castration drugs are used to reduce a mans sex drive despite widespread skepticism about its effectiveness a number of countries have employed it as a punishment for convicted sex offenders and pedophiles in many cases in exchange for more lenient prison sentences they include australia russia south korea and the united states
but the indonesian doctors association in a statement late last week rejected the procedure as superfluous
based on science and scientific proof chemical castration doesnt guarantee the loss or reduction of desire and potential sexually violent behavior the organization said
dr prijo sidipratomo the organizations ethics council chairman said on wednesday that the appropriate punishment should be longer prison sentences
that is our message to the indonesian government he said referring to the organizations rejection of the decree by president joko widodo
if you do chemical castration for how long dr prijo said if you do it for a long time it causes health complications such as weakening muscles it causes osteoporosis slowly the person will die
based on the oath of medical doctors we cannot do that   its against our oath secondly its against our ethical principles and this is not just in indonesia but universally
with its defiance the organization has created an unlikely alliance against mr joko made up of medical professionals womens and human rights groups and legal experts
on may 25 the president abruptly announced that he had signed the decree authorizing chemical castration as well as doubling sentences and even permitting the death penalty for sexual assaults on children amid public uproar over the brutal gang rape and murder in april of a 14 year old schoolgirl on the island of sumatra
seven teenage boys were each sentenced to 10 years in prison for the crime which revived calls for chemical castration as an appropriate punishment in such cases
mr jokos decree amended a 2002 law on child protection to enable judges to hand down the punishment at their discretion
but the decree itself prompted an outcry
the chemical castration penalty in our view will not reduce sexual violence against women since violence against women is born from the viewpoint of demeaning women placing women as sexual objects said azriana rambe chairwoman of indonesias national commission on violence against women
sexual violence against women is not always the case because of the encouragement of sexual desires but also because of the desire to subjugate humiliate or even for revenge against women she said
this is not the first foray into legal controversy by mr joko who took office on october 2014 on a wave of a populist rebellion against the countrys political elite
last year indonesia executed 13 convicted drug traffickers by firing squad including 12 foreigners saying it was facing a drugs crisis despite widespread condemnation abroad that the trials did not meet international standards the government has announced plans to execute more people convicted of drug offenses after the end of the islamic holy month of ramadan in early july
this time mr joko said sexual assaults in particular those against children would be handled in an extraordinary way although he did not offer any data that such crimes had increased significantly
critics say the new policy is nothing more than a stunt to mollify and distract an anxious public
womens rights organizations are in line with the views of human rights organizations in terms of punishment said devi asmarani chief editor of magdaleneco an online publication based in jakarta the capital that focuses on womens issues
its a knee jerk reaction of the government with what happens in the moment she said there was no thought put into it
indonesias minister of health nila f moeloek declined to comment on wednesday on the medical associations declaration saying instead that she would hold private talks with its leaders to resolve the issue according to one of her senior aides
kartono mohamad a former chairman of the association who remains an adviser to it said judges in indonesias legal system which analysts have long accused of being corrupt and incompetent should not have unchecked power to unilaterally hand down chemical castration penalties
if its just a punishment without any medical investigation and does not follow medical procedures its not ethical he said the court must give the doctor the sole authority to determine whether medically its correct
indonesias institute for criminal justice reform lauded the association for refusing to carry out chemical castrations without further research
human rights watch released a statement on wednesday in which it denounced castration chemical or otherwise as a cruel and degrading form of corporal punishment
both the convention against torture and the international covenant on civil and political rights the statement went on both ratified by indonesia prohibit cruel inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment
refly harun a constitutional law expert at gadjah mada university in the indonesian city of yogyakarta in central java asserted that the countrys constitution forbids cruel punishments for lawbreakers
the problem is that sometimes lawmakers dont realize the constitutional provisions when they draft laws on certain issues he said
sometimes we have irrational thinking in indonesia like a quick response to a sudden phenomenon mr refly said referring to the gang rape and murder of the schoolgirl in sumatra and the similar rape and murder of an 18 year old factory worker in tangerang just outside jakarta in may
the public mood right now is a little bit in favor of this law he said


hong kong   a chinese official warned on wednesday that a scheduled meeting between president obama and the dalai lama in washington would undermine mutual trust and cooperation between the two countries
hours later mr obama met with the exiled tibetan spiritual leader at the white house as planned
beijing routinely pressures foreign leaders not to meet the dalai lama whom it accuses of seeking tibets independence from china the dalai lama however says he merely wants to protect tibetans and their homelands identity
tibet affairs are part of chinas internal affairs and no foreign country has the right to interfere lu kang a spokesman for chinas ministry of foreign affairs said on wednesday he accused the dalai lama of long conducting anti china splittist activities on the world stage under the cloak of religion
foreign leaders have increasingly declined to meet with the dalai lama fearing retaliation from beijing china protested and canceled high level visits to britain after prime minister david cameron met with him in 2012 when the dalai lama visited britain again three years later mr cameron avoided him something the tibetan spiritual leader suggested was because of concerns about trade
united states officials have continued to meet with the dalai lama though the white house avoids turning such exchanges into high profile affairs mr obama has met the dalai lama on multiple occasions during his administration most recently in 2014 in 2015 both men attended the national prayer breakfast in washington although they did not meet individually
as he has on previous occasions mr obama met with the dalai lama on wednesday in the map room of the white house considered part of his residence rather than the oval office located in the west wing where he conducts official business and typically receives heads of state
reporters were not allowed access to document any part of the meeting even to take a picture although the official white house photographer released his own image of mr obama warmly gripping the arms of the dalai lama who promptly shared the picture on his instagram account
the setting reflected that the visit was personal rather than official said josh earnest the white house press secretary since the dalai lama is not a foreign government leader
but the president does have a personal affection for the dalai lama and for his teachings mr earnest said the president does support the preservation of tibets unique religious cultural and linguistic traditions so thats why the president had the meeting
he added that as in the past the visit should not be read as a change in united states policy with regard to tibet tibet per us policy is considered part of the peoples republic of china mr earnest said and the united states has not articulated our support for tibetan independence
according to a white house statement the president accepted the dalai lamas condolences for the mass shooting in orlando fla and mr obama encouraged direct dialogue between the dalai lama and his representatives with chinese authorities to lower tensions and resolve differences
in recent years many tibetans have demonstrated against chinese rule over their homeland and more than 140 have set themselves on fire more than 100000 tibetans live in exile most in india which has been the dalai lamas home since he fled tibet in 1959


florence italy   next time youre debating whether to pack lightly or check a bag give a thought to mike hodis
flying here from his home in eagle rock calif on monday for the 90th edition of pitti uomo the huge mens wear trade fair mr hodis did as most travelers seem to do these days pushing to the limit what can reasonably be crammed into an overhead compartment he hauled two bags onto his air berlin flight and paid 210 to check another bag that contained nearly all of the samples from runabout his sportswear collection that he planned to exhibit at the fairs born in the usa pavilion
surely it is clear by now where this is leading the checked bag vanished at this writing it remains missing it may be worth pointing out as a cautionary aside that florence airport   formerly called amerigo vespucci   is a notorious bermuda triangle for luggage
despairing mr hodis questioned whether it made sense to pull out of the fair rather than put up racks and risk humiliation to hang the seven items he had to show to the fairs 30000 expected visitors
in the end mr hodis stuck it out and as it happens its a good thing he did almost immediately after the fair opened on tuesday buyers from several major american retailers and from the influential japanese retailer united arrows stopped by his booth to talk about carrying his line attracted by the striped polo shirts knit on vintage machines the patterned cotton sports shirts made from reversed floral chintz and the spare installation
the clothes themselves mr hodis characterized as very 60s central cali presumably he was referring to that part of the golden states midcoast that by then hard core surfers had already begun to explore trying to escape the gidget types crowding malibus famous right hand point breaks
minimal as the installation was   you could have driven a woody between the shirts mr hodis had on hangers   there was something immediately appealing about say a knit polo shirt with fat stripes in off kilter hues like ecru rust and turquoise or a short sleeved floral sports shirts typical of something reyn spooner would have done said mr hodis referring to the fabled american label founded in the mid 20th century by reyn mccullough and ruth spooner
despite the archaic chin whiskers and idiotic neo edwardian foppishness that has characterized the crowds attending recent editions of the trade fair which itself managed to successfully ride the recent wave of a resurgent mens wear business after foundering so badly it almost became defunct there is no escaping the dominant influence american sportswear has exerted on global fashion
even one of the fairs major players brunello cucinelli is quick to credit american merchants for the success that vaulted him from a mere purveyor of cashmere sweaters to a billionaire whose quietly stylish blazers and sports clothes now stand as a sartorial emblem of arrival for the global 1 percent
fifteen years ago i was just knitwear mr cucinelli said on tuesday he was seated in a slipcovered club chair in one of the fairs central pavilions in a roomlike installation chic enough to have passed for the cabin of the private jet he recently acquired
barneys saks the department store buyers urged me to expand mr cucinelli said of his labels offerings 15 years ago based on the accurate intuition that traditional suits were headed the way of the dodo soon to be supplanted by what is now the default uniform of the new businessman a tailored blazer and jeans
i felt it was the right idea at the time mr cucinelli added speaking through the translator who is always with him i did realize this could be the key to my success


beijing   one of chinas best known imprisoned dissidents yang maodong is putting his already fragile health at risk after weeks on a hunger strike his wife and sister said on wednesday after his sister said she had unsuccessfully asked the prison authorities to be allowed to see him and beg him to stop fasting
mr yang better known by his pen name guo feixiong has been among chinas most persistent and combative campaigners for expanding democratic rights and he has continued his resistance while confined in guangdong province in southern china for more than a month he has refrained from eating to protest his conditions especially what he said was a humiliating rectal examination and to demand sweeping political change according to his family
during a routine monthly visit from his brother last week mr yang 49 appeared to have lost a great deal of weight which may have exacerbated his chronic illnesses his sister yang maoping said by telephone on wednesday as she waited at the prison in the hope of seeing him
i want to tell him to stop the hunger striking ms yang said but they have said they have laws and regulations to follow and this breaks the rule of a visit once a month i want to beg him to stop before he really puts himself in danger
mr yangs wife zhang qing who lives in midland tex with their two children said by telephone that her husband had declared on may 9 that he would refuse to eat although the family could not be sure if he had eaten occasionally or was being force fed his severe weight loss was alarming and she had written to him urging him to begin eating again she said
yesterday the prison management said they would pass him my letter begging him to stop hunger striking ms zhang said
he was not well when he saw his big brother last week rambling and difficult to follow and were worried about what will happen she said he can be very determined
mr yang formerly a stocky man of about 150 pounds had recently shed about a third of that weight said ms zhang citing estimates from her brother in law who had visited him officers who took calls at the yangchun prison in guangdong where mr yang is being held refused to answer questions or referred calls to another number
mr yangs latest protest has prompted international concern as well as fasting protests to support him in china and abroad a spokesman for the united states embassy in beijing benjamin weber said on wednesday we urge china to release him immediately on humanitarian grounds
the chinese government appears extremely unlikely to do that under president xi jinping the authorities have pursued an intense drive of detentions trials and convictions to stifle political dissent
mr yangs fasting is the latest episode in a career of dissent punctuated by run ins with the government and a previous term in prison he started as a publisher and writer before devoting himself to political activism
he first won national prominence among rights advocates in 2005 for helping to organize villagers near guangzhou to protest what they said were corrupt land seizures while other advocates used court cases and lobbying as attempts at expanding citizens rights mr yang was among those who favored street action and public gestures
he was convicted and imprisoned in 2007 on charges of illegal business activities because of his publishing after his release in 2011 he resumed political agitation and in january 2013 he was among the activists in guangzhou who offered support to journalists there protesting what they called the heavy handed censorship of an editorial in the newspaper southern weekend
mr yang was detained by the police in august 2013 in november 2015 he was sentenced to six years in prison on charges of disturbing public order and picking quarrels and provoking trouble a sweeping charge often leveled at dissidents for his role in two peaceful protests in 2013 after his arrest in august that year mr yang also held a hunger strike one of his lawyers said at the time
late on wednesday mr yangs sister said that she had not been allowed to visit her brother but prison officers had shown her a note which they said was from mr yang in which he vowed to continue refusing food
because none of his demands have been met he cannot halt his hunger strike ms yang said summarizing her brothers message which she was not allowed to keep or copy


sydney australia   an australian businessman who was jailed in china after a dispute over his company there has been granted early release from a prison in australia 19 months after being returned to his home country to complete his sentence under a treaty between the two countries
the businessman matthew ng was released from a sydney prison on wednesday afternoon said tom lennox a lawyer who had campaigned for his release it is very good news mr lennox said by telephone hes out its just great
mr ng was sentenced by a chinese court in 2011 to more than 12 years in prison on bribery and fraud charges mr lennox has said the case was fabricated to allow a chinese state owned company to confiscate mr ngs travel business
australias justice minister michael keenan said in a statement on wednesday that he had approved mr ngs early release based on his exceptional family circumstances since his arrest mr ngs eldest daughter has died and his wife learned she had cancer
mr ngs troubles in china began when he tried to sell his travel company et china based in the southern city of guangzhou while building the company he had bought a majority stake in a subsidiary of lingnan a hotel and travel conglomerate owned by the guangzhou government
in 2010 after the swiss travel company kuoni offered to buy et china for 125 million lingnan demanded to buy back the shares of its subsidiary at the original selling price and mr ng refused
he was arrested later that year and jailed for 13 months before being brought to trial he was convicted of misappropriating company funds misstating his companys registered capital and bribing a director charges that his trial lawyer described as ridiculous
in 2013 he was stripped of his business assets in a civil case
lingnan eventually acquired et chinas assets according to a businessman who managed the company after mr ngs arrest
mr ngs family life spiraled into tragedy after his arrest his 15 year old daughter fell into a deep depression developed anorexia and died his wife who learned she had breast cancer was harassed by the chinese authorities and forced to bring her three youngest children back to australia without their father according to mr lennox since then tests showed she had bone cancer mr lennox said
in 2014 mr ng became the first australian to be returned under a prisoner exchange treaty with china that allows people to serve prison terms in their home countries since then mr lennox who said mr ng had been convicted of offenses that would not be crimes in australia has campaigned for mr ngs release he appealed to mr keenan and to attorney general george brandis to pardon mr ng and to let him resume life with his family in sydney
under the terms of the treaty prisoners are supposed to serve their full sentences in their home countries but mr lennox had argued that an early release for mr ng on certain grounds including compassion would not violate the accord he also said that mr ng might have become eligible for parole in august
a spokesman for chinas foreign ministry lu kang expressed disappointment that australia had granted mr ng early release suggesting that it violated the treaty
it is hoped that australia can properly handle the issue according to the treaty and the understanding reached by both sides mr lu said on wednesday at a regularly scheduled news briefing after all it is only when both sides abide by the consensus reached that they will have the mutual trust for further cooperation
mr lennox said the conditions for mr ngs early release included reporting regularly to a parole officer and some restrictions on travel


madrid   inditex the worlds biggest clothing retailer beat forecasts on wednesday with a 6 percent rise in profits driven by strong sales as fast turnover allowed the owner of the fashion chain zara to react quickly to unseasonable weather
the first quarter results sent shares in inditex one of the most expensive retail stocks globally up 32 percent outperforming its swedish rival hm which reported a pickup in sales growth in may after a fall in its first quarter profit
inditex known for whisking the latest trends from runway to stores in a matter of days is bucking a broader industry trend as other major fashion retailers complain of weak demand
the group said its full stable of brands   from the housewares store zara home to the upmarket clothing label massimo dutti   would have an online presence in all european countries and turkey by the end of this financial year
inditex reported a net profit of 554 million euros or 623 million for the three months to april 30 beating a reuters forecast of EUR541 million as sales jumped 12 percent above the same period a year earlier however results were tempered by negative currency effects
sales of lingerie inspired dresses oversize shirts and other items from zara also helped push sales across the groups brands up 15 percent at constant exchange rates in the first weeks of the second quarter from may 1 to june 13 the company said
in a market environment where most retailers are bemoaning the weather inditexs results demonstrate the strength of the business model and its ability to deliver superior results said jamie merriman an analyst at sanford c bernstein


terrorists dont set out only to kill
they also aim to intimidate civilians as the fbis definition of terrorism states law enforcement officers have labeled the orlando shooting sunday which left 49 victims dead domestic terrorism the same label was affixed to the murder of 14 people in san bernardino calif in december in both cases the attackers pledged allegiance to the islamic state
the deaths and the pain inflicted on families and friends are clear enough but has terrorism achieved its other goal of intimidating americans
the question itself is not simple americans have their individual answers a sampling of data shows that by many measures people say they are very concerned but they are not acting like it
polls suggest americans are more concerned about terrorism than they have been in years soon after the san bernardino attack a gallup survey found that 16 percent of respondents said terrorism was the most important problem facing the country
no other problem scored higher   and it was the highest such number for terrorism in 10 years gallup also found in december that 51 percent of people polled said they were very worried or somewhat worried that they or someone in their family would become a victim of terrorism the highest reading since right after the sept 11 attacks in 2001
the chances that an american will become a victim of terrorism are tiny about the same odds that a heavy piece of furniture will crush them to death people may implicitly recognize this because they are not leading crimped fearful lives the vigils after the orlando massacre are an immediate example of this
nor do traditional economic indicators like consumer spending show evidence of a cowering population in april inflation adjusted personal consumption expenditures rose 3 percent compared with a year earlier which is considerably higher than the 22 percent average for the previous five years this makes sense economists from the university of southern california and the university of alabama found that large diverse economies can absorb and adapt to terrorist attacks fears that companies and consumers would freeze spending for a long time did not come to pass after sept 11
today americans are still traveling abroad in large numbers last year 126 million americans traveled to europe up 135 percent from 111 million in 2010 according to data from the commerce department just over two million people traveled to the middle east in 2015 a big jump from 13 million in 2010 and in january and february this year the most recent numbers available travel to europe was up 7 percent compared with the year earlier figures and up 11 percent to the middle east
large sporting events potential targets for terrorists as the attacks in paris in november showed are still hugely popular attendance at national football league games totaled 349 million people last year an increase from 331 million in 2010
admissions to movie theaters were also up last year even with the competition of streaming services like netflix box office revenues are up 4 percent so far this year according to box office mojo
attendance at live concerts sends a mixed message at least going by figures from the live nation entertainment a large concert organizer in 2015 438 million fans attended live nations north american events a big jump from 31 million in 2011 according to the companys financial filings estimated attendance was down in the first quarter by 11 percent
but fear of terrorism may have prompted a darker reaction an increase in hate crimes against muslim americans and mosques according to brian levin a professor and director of the center for the study of hate and extremism at california state university san bernardino there was a spike in such attacks after the terrorist attacks in paris and san bernardino a line of demarcation seems to be the sept 11 attacks there were 154 anti muslim hate crimes in 2014 according to mr levin in 2000 there were 28
and donald trumps proposed temporary ban on muslim immigration has attracted supporters especially republicans half the respondents in a march poll said they would support such a ban
terrorism may have eroded the quality of life in certain ways the wait times in security lines at airports are an obvious example along with ubiquitous warnings of see something say something a lot more video cameras are watching citizens spending on security and defense has made the deficit bigger terrorist attacks allowed the federal government to gain new powers that have eroded legal rights so called national security letters for example give federal investigators the power to seek certain customer records without court approval or oversight in 2015 the investigators issued 12870 such letters containing 48642 information requests
still at a gay pride event in los angeles after sundays shootings eric garcetti the citys mayor said this march goes on we go on and despite their fears about terrorism americans have pretty much done that since the sept 11 attacks


four significant things happened in the last 24 hours of the 2016 presidential race
president obama forcefully denounced donald j trump the republican running to succeed him for playing to the nations worst fears in the wake of the deadly mass shooting in orlando fla mr trump stood by his insinuations that mr obama is sympathetic to terrorists
hillary clinton defending mr obama whom she also wants to succeed painted mr trump as something of an oddball in addition to criticizing his statements about immigration and aggressively profiling muslims and yet another national poll this time from bloomberg politics showed mrs clinton opening a double digit lead over mr trump
according to the survey 63 percent of women said they could never vote for mr trump a staggeringly high number that presents him with a daunting challenge
mr trumps drop in some national polls is most likely connected to self inflicted wounds including his comments that the indiana born federal judge overseeing a case against trump university could not be partial because he was mexican but there is another explanation
since shortly after mr trump became the presumptive nominee in early may the super pac supporting mrs clinton priorities usa has aired ads in battleground states portraying him as disrespectful and even offensive to women
those ads have gone unanswered by mr trumps campaign for a month now as his team plagued by internal battles has struggled with fundamental staff moves like naming a political director and with raising money as donors decline to lend their names to fund raising events


interest rates in europe got a little crazier this week when the yield on the 10 year german government bond fell below zero
what this means is that investors buying the bond and holding it until it is repaid are guaranteed to lose money this would seem to turn finance on its head lenders usually charge borrowers interest investors buying a bond with a negative yield are in effect paying the borrower not much in germanys case because the bonds yield was only minus 0003 percent on tuesday but the benchmark bond crossed a historic line
negative rates may not be as strange as they look indeed interest rates may not be as low as they look
in economics it is important to look at the value of something   gross domestic product wages the stock market   after it has been adjusted for inflation the same can apply to interest rates a company borrowing at 5 percent when inflation is 2 percent is paying a real interest rate of 3 percent if the real borrowing cost goes up by a lot companies will borrow less and the wider economy will suffer
europe recently faced that danger but for a reason that might not be obvious
at the start of 2015 the average corporate loan had a nominal interest rate of 244 percent according to european central bank data down from nearly 3 percent a year earlier but in real terms that 244 percent was actually 3 percent thats because deflation   a decline in prices   was 06 percent in january 2015 deflation unlike inflation makes loans cost more in real terms
in the last 18 months the ecb has introduced more measures that have helped bring down the average cost of a corporate loan nominally its interest rate was 199 percent in april but the real cost was 224 percent however this is still not particularly low from 2003 till 2008 when interest rates were considered normal the real corporate borrowing rate was on average 21 percent
a caveat a sharp decline in the real interest rate may not lead to more borrowing if other factors depress companies appetite for debt the real cost of borrowing declined below 1 percent in 2012 because interest rates were falling while inflation remained relatively high but europe was then gripped with fears of sovereign debt defaults the economy stagnated and investors and corporate managers feared deflation lending slumped in that period
demand is high for german bonds in part because investors see them as safe investments nervousness about britains vote on leaving the european union was probably behind the latest surge in demand for the bonds bond yields are also low in europe because the ecb has been buying a huge number of bonds in an attempt to stimulate the continents economy
anyone holding bonds is probably doing pretty well right now remember the price of a bond rises as bond yields decline still some investors contend that these negative yields are distorting markets and are doing little if anything for the economy
but there are now signs of life in europes credit sector one way the ecb can blow on those sparks is to keep buying bonds this does crazy things like turning german bond yields negative but it also pulls down borrowing costs for corporations   and as we have seen when adjusting for inflation companies are still not getting particularly cheap loans


florence italy   the 15th century palazzo pitti by the banks of the arno is one of the great storehouses of italian renaissance painting an embarrassment of riches by raphael titian and tintoretto but the fashion industry is never shy of gilding the lily this week on the occasion of the semiannual pitti uomo mens wear fair an installation of photography by karl lagerfeld fashions own renaissance man joined the work of the past masters hanging or posted among them beside them and in some cases over them
karl lagerfeld visions of fashion catalogs a small part of the designers prodigious output unparalleled among his fellow fashion polymaths
in 1984 for the shooting of the collection of chanel he was complaining to the director of images said gerhard steidl mr lagerfelds publisher who with eric pfrunder that director of images for chanel curated the exhibition mr pfrunder told mr lagerfeld it would be best to buy you a camera to do the photo shootings yourself mr steidl added mr lagerfelds shutter has been blinking continuously since
about 200 photographs have been installed in light boxes or printed onto fluttering lengths of translucent paper the same sort used for coffee filters an exhibition coordinator said and dangled from the ceiling of the palazzos sala bianca one of the birthplaces of modern italian fashion they are images mr lagerfeld has shot for chanel where he has been creative director since 1983 and fendi also creative director since 1965 and for magazines like numero for which he gamely photographs the work of his fellow designers as well as his own
the show also includes selections from mr lagerfelds personal photography which he orchestrates for his own ends a multipanel take on the voyage of ulysses a retelling of the greek romance of daphnis and chloe starring mr lagerfelds favorite model baptiste giabiconi in a loincloth of his design as a youth being inducted into the mysteries of love a german voice narrates the accompanying soundtrack in a whisper mr giabiconi also stars in the beauty of violence a video and photograph series of paroxysms eike d schmidt the director of the uffizi gallery who also worked on the exhibition connected it with 18th century theories about expressive movement
though he added dryly about mr giabiconis frantic and underdressed spasms this is a 21st century version
mr lagerfeld famously avoids looking to the past this is one of the sicknesses of our period to look back he said in an interview last year but mr steidl said the designer was only too happy to sift through his photographs for the exhibition
from the beginning he said yes lets do it  mr steidl said when we were looking through these photos and he selected them we saw they had not aged at all so it doesnt matter if you look back or not if theres a future or the past the photos have not aged thats it
like karl like karl he agreed
mr lagerfeld was not present at the opening tuesday night other duties are keeping him in paris until thursday when he is due to arrive in florence but he did appear in the exhibition in a large digital self portrait hanging in one of the galleries among renaissance treasures   above and several times the size of one of the great raphael portraits la velata
however the italian masters might have felt about that juxtaposition guests sipping aperitivi on the palazzos terrace appreciated it
it italy they can be very conservative about classic art said erica pelosini the jean shorts clad florentine firecracker behind louis leeman shoes with a touch of chagrin its rare to find modern photography its a perfect mix


guobin yang is a sociologist at the university of pennsylvania best known for his research on the internet in china but in his latest book the red guard generation and political activism in china he turns back to examine the upheavals of the 1966 76 cultural revolution and the imprint they left on a generation of chinese who became radicals and red guards in the name of mao zedong the book explores the cultural background to the violence of the cultural revolution and how those experiences nurtured dissenting ideas and the cultural experimentation that burst into flower after maos death in 1976 in an interview mr yang explained how that happened
the cultural revolution is often considered a time of fanaticism and blind obedience but you write that undercurrents of dissent arose quite early in the red guard movement how did that happen
ironically the cultural revolution itself provided the conditions it endorsed the use of so called big character posters for mass criticism and a red guard press flourished several thousand titles of red guard papers appeared around the country these publications gave them channels for expression they couldnt have dreamed of before
dissent was also a direct result of factional conflicts red guard factionalism didnt start with physical violence but with debates   verbally or in their small papers for example yu luokes famous essay on family origin was written in 1966 in response to the notorious couplet that stated that if you came from a revolutionary family then you must be a revolutionary and if you came from a bourgeois family then you were a counterrevolutionary
yus ideas were revolutionary and utterly subversive in that context in essence he was calling on people to rise up and fight for equality these ideas struck a chord among people who had suffered discrimination or persecution because of their family background later in the democracy wall movement in the late 1970s these ideas began to be expressed in the language of human rights i should add though that the ideas yu challenged and the people who embodied those ideas are well and alive in china today
chinese of yu luokes age who were in beijing then have said that reading his essays was an electrifying experience what was it that he and other young dissenters were challenging
they were challenging unequal political treatment on the basis of family background they were also challenging the privileged new class of party elites and cadres
at the start of the cultural revolution the first red guards were generally the children of high ranking officials in beijings elite middle schools but yu was a factory apprentice and he argued in his essay on family origin that china had a feudal caste system if you happened to come from a family considered to be anything other than red then you were doomed to second class citizenship for life yu also attacked the born red mind set among children of the party elites in august 1966 some students of the elite middle school attached to peking university issued a statement with the title the born reds have stood up it claimed if their fathers had taken over the ruling power of the country then they would be the natural heirs to this power
yu argued that this was a reactionary position that violated maos teachings and marxist theory others especially yang xiguang in hunan challenged the political status quo they believed that chinas communist power elites had formed a new red capitalist class and called for its overthrow by means of revolutionary violence
were they were disillusioned with mao even if they dared not say so
not yet in fact they were emulating mao they wanted to become young revolutionary theorists like mao yang xiguangs most influential essays copied maos rhetorical style and language
disillusionment came later with the beginning of the sent down movement and then the lin biao incident in 1971 lin biao was minister of defense and maos designated successor when lin suddenly died in a plane crash on sept 13 1971 and was declared a counterrevolutionary it struck doubt into millions of young people
im fascinated by the role previously restricted books played in sowing the seeds of new thinking among the red guard generation these were the translated yellow cover and gray cover books originally meant to be read only by select officials so they could understand the thinking of ideological foes
the yellow cover books were mainly works of post stalinist russian literature such as ilya ehrenburgs the thaw there were also some works of the american beat generation and the british angry young men variety such as jack kerouacs on the road and salingers the catcher in the rye the gray cover books were works of social science philosophy and political analysis such as the revolution betrayed by leon trotsky and the new class by the yugoslav dissident intellectual milovan djilas these were translated and printed in the first few years of the 1960s as internal publications they allowed officials to study ideas considered too dangerous for the public only top ranking party cadres and intellectuals had access to them the purpose was to prepare party cadres for the polemical war with the soviet union which intensified in 1963 and 64
chinese youth began to read them in the middle of the cultural revolution when control broke down and books from officials homes and offices began to circulate their ideas were subversive to a generation that had learned nothing about the dark side of stalinism or the irreverent style in western modernist literature
how did they spread the internet of the 60s and 70s was the social networks among sent down youth the sent down movement had scattered them around the country but they were connected because they had been classmates schoolmates or friends they wrote letters to friends in different places
a great opportunity for exchanging information was when they visited homes during holidays especially during the lunar new year they would bring information back home to share with one another then when they went to the villages they would bring new information and books and food back to their villages or farms they borrowed books from one another copied books onto their notebooks and sometimes stole books from libraries that had been sealed during the cultural revolution
you trace how the schools of artistic experimentation and intellectual dissent that emerged in china in the 1970s and flowered for a while after maos death emerged from this undercurrent in the cultural revolution the generation that started out as fervently loyal to mao ended up 10 years later producing this outpouring of dissent
it is the biggest irony in modern chinese history it was a gradual process of the profanation of what was once held as sacred red guard factionalism resulted in nothing but violence many people felt betrayed like puppets being used by the power elites after they were sent down to villages from late 1967 disillusionment deepened they also saw a china unknown to them before very poor and harsh
many people used family connections or feigned illness to try to move back to cities the more intellectually oriented ones thought and wrote about their experiences in poems stories letters and diaries throughout the 70s people like the now famous painter xu bing practiced their art after a days labor tilling the fields some entertained themselves by circulating hand copied manuscripts of spy stories or erotic literature others took to singing romantic songs especially russian folk songs the most apolitical kind of activity like singing a love song was an expression of political dissent because it was a rejection of politics when politics was supposed to be in command of everything
these were small things small but happening more and more often in more and more places together they made up the undercurrent that eroded the ideology of the cultural revolution and primed chinese society for radical economic and political change when opportunities arose


tokyo   the governor of tokyo resigned on wednesday after he admitted using funds intended for political campaigns to pay for personal travel and entertainment setting off a public furor
the governor yoichi masuzoe is the second leader of the japanese capitals metropolitan government to leave office over a financial scandal in two and a half years an especially embarrassing development because the city will host the summer olympic games in 2020 and counts on the governor to act as an organizer and global ambassador
anger at mr masuzoes spending had been building for months but the governor told the tokyo metropolitan assembly that he had hoped to stay on long enough to attend this years games in rio de janeiro where tokyo will receive a measure of attention as the events next host
i thought it would be disruptive to have an election with the rio olympics right around the corner he said in the assembly after submitting his resignation my main concern was for the games
plummeting approval ratings and defections by political allies ultimately persuaded him however
the amounts that mr masuzoe has been accused of spending improperly on himself and his family are hardly vast by the standards of modern politics and money scandals there are reimbursements of a few hundred dollars here for restaurant meals and a few thousand dollars there for hotel stays
in a report issued this month lawyers hired by the governor to review his spending found 44 million yen or about 41000 in expenses over several years that they called inappropriate but not illegal mr masuzoe apologized and said that there had been some mixing of public and personal in his spending but that he had not knowingly broken any rules he has not been charged with wrongdoing
still the relatively minor scale of his reported excesses did not help him
if anything the publics antagonism appears to have deepened the word that has perhaps been most frequently used to describe the episode is sekoi meaning cheap or petty that mr masuzoe might nickel and dime taxpayers and contributors for spa trips seems to have struck a rawer nerve than if he had engaged in wholesale theft
im angry this is sekoi   too sekoi shigeru kamibayashi a member of the assembly from the right leaning liberal democratic party where mr masuzoe has spent most of his political career and which supported his bid for governor said after the lawyers issued their report the word has been ubiquitous in newspaper and social media references to the scandal
among the spending that the lawyers labeled inappropriate were purchases of manga comic books some worth just a few dollars and a silk calligraphers robe from a shanghai tourist gift shop mr masuzoe charged them to his campaign organization which by law is supposed to finance only political activities though experts say the definition is vague enough that politicians routinely stretch it to cover private expenses
mr masuzoes travel costs in office have also come under criticism he has taken large groups of aides on trips to london new york and paris flying first class and staying in upscale hotels japanese news outlets have reported that he has used government limousines to travel back and forth to a home he owns in a spa town southwest of tokyo 48 times since april last year
is the leader of a major global city supposed to stay in a second rate business hotel he said on one occasion defending his global travels as necessary to burnish tokyos brand ahead of the olympics later after an outpouring of complaints he began expressing more contrition but the damage had already been done
mr masuzoe 67 entered politics after a career as a political scientist and television commentator and served as health minister in the mid 2000s he won the governorship in 2014 after his predecessor naoki inose resigned over a campaign funding scandal
mr inose quit in december 2013 after he acknowledged receiving a loan of more than half a million dollars from a hospital operator during an election he denied that the money was for political purposes but critics called it an undisclosed campaign contribution
liberal democratic members of the tokyo assembly were among lawmakers from seven parties who were preparing to pass a no confidence motion against mr masuzoe on wednesday a threat that appears to have cemented his decision to resign a series of recent newspaper opinion polls showed that three out of four voters wanted him to quit
his last day in office will be tuesday and an election to replace him is expected to take place on july 31 or aug 7 it will add to a busy political calendar in japan with elections for the upper house of the national parliament set for july 10
like mr inose mr masuzoe is a supporter of the olympics but he made reining in its growing cost a signature issue his refusal to shoulder the expense of a main stadium that was increasingly over budget was a major reason that its design by the iraqi british architect zaha hadid who died in march was scrapped in favor of a cheaper plan last year
his repeated promises not to waste taxpayer money ultimately bounced back at him
ive eliminated waste he said in response to initial criticism of his travel spending in march but when you have to spend you have to spend


the 229th time i scraped the bottom of our volkswagen over a tope   mexicos brand of speed bump   i swore as though id just been rear ended by a truck
there was no sign to warn of the giant mound of pavement which meant that i hit the thing at full on launch velocity and its size practically guaranteed damage in my rearview mirror i could see deep lines scraped by my cars chassis and many others before me
must have just been poorly fashioned you say a mistake if only
there are thousands maybe millions of these misshapen risers on back roads and highways all over mexico the biggest of the bunch look like fernando botero sculptures before he slimmed them down
when i arrived in mexico as a new york times correspondent i thought the topes were just infrequent oddities but over time layers of meaning emerged as they do with so many things in mexico
topes pronounced toe pace are suspension killing wonders that fill a void in law and order in a country where impunity rules topes are screams of frustration theyre a means of enforcing speed control and civility on the road and they cant be avoided they cant be bribed to look the other way
but topes also reflect the same failures that they aim to fix there appear to be few rules governing what they look like or where they go ive seen makeshift topes materialize in upper class neighborhoods from one day to the next and ive seen topes that were built im convinced just to make drivers slow down for vendors who sell candy and water
other topes seem to have been created more with vengeance in mind which now makes me wonder was someone after a corrupt gang member or businessman who sped by every morning or was the target really me   a foreigner from that country up north that never seems to give mexico the respect it deserves


willingboro nj   the peacocks were rooting around in the bushes strutting and pecking and ruffling their trains occasionally one   boy or big boy say or snow white   struck a pose tipping its beak up to emit a banshee shriek
theyre just a bunch of drama queens honey said pat cleveland as she sat in the backyard of her house in a rural part of new jersey sipping on a sinister looking juice drink the color and texture of algae drama queens as it happens is a topic on which ms cleveland has some stories to tell
this she does in walking with the muses a picaresque new memoir about a tall skinny mixed race girl not black enough to be black or white enough to be white hailing from a section of east harlem that she terms the golden edge
in her 1950s childhood ms cleveland writes that neighborhood was still representative of a now largely bygone city a place where the jews the blacks the irish and the puerto ricans all had a corner of their own
ms cleveland took her leave from childhoods haunts fairly early and through the kind of cinematic turn of fate that seems to have characterized much of her life a vogue editor discovered the then 14 year old on a subway platform chased her down and set her on the road to becoming a fashion model
model is probably too limited a job description for a woman who through a singular combination of moxie off kilter beauty and preternatural energy spent the next five decades romping across continents and stamping her imprint on an industry that if it didnt always know what to do with her inevitably succumbed to her goofball appeal
pat was a muse for halston stephen burrows giorgio santangelo and antonio lopez diane von furstenberg the designer and chairwoman of the council of fashion designers of america wrote in a recent email from tokyo where she had paused briefly on her way to bhutan she was and is still magical
whether on catwalks in new york or the various european capitals of fashion ms cleveland made for an unconventional model one not classically beautiful and yet a more gorgeous version of josephine baker as ms von furstenberg said
dancing twirling strutting on a runway and moving like no one else as the designer added ms cleveland had an effect on the catwalk best captured by another top model of the era janice dickinson when she moved she painted the air around her with the clothes
to comprehend what ms cleveland is to the recent history of fashion it probably helps to consider what fashion is not anymore an insular and largely tribal business dominated by cliques and elites compelling to a largely cult fan base fashion in ms clevelands 1970s prime was anything but the corporate juggernaut and global entertainment spectacle it has since become
american fashion in particular during the era when ms cleveland first appeared was also more porous and racially diverse than it would be in the subsequent decades success in the business was measured in those days not by social media metrics but by an ability to bewitch the cognoscenti to make yours a name they whispered about
and seemingly ms cleveland has been an object of fascination for those around her almost from the time she was born 65 years ago to a white swedish saxophonist and an african american artist from the south soon after ms clevelands father johnny johnston returned to sweden leaving her mother lady bird cleveland to raise her freckle faced young daughter alone
if youre a single black woman and have a swedish lover life is never going to be easy and lady bird didnt have the opportunities in life ms cleveland said but her lesson to me was always whatever your circumstances are its up to you to create your own world
she was sitting at a picnic table in the mild spring sunshine behind her was a clutch of the tame peacocks that had strayed from a nearby farm and into the yard of her modest split level house one day and somehow remained
set amid a row of cookie cutter plots carved from rich local farmland the house was lady birds until her death last year from alzheimers disease more than a decade ago ms cleveland and her husband the photographer paul van ravenstein returned to the united states from the italian mountain village where theyd been living to care for the ailing woman
i tell my kids i expect them to do the same for me ms cleveland said of her son noel van ravenstein a sometime model and yoga teacher and her daughter anna cleveland who herself has cut a considerable swath through the modeling business in recent years
throughout the house hang scores of the prolific lady bird clevelands paintings and drawings images of black historical figures crowd the walls there stand five deep in a storeroom and are even taped inside kitchen cabinet doors
a parallel domestic presence is that of gurumayi chidvilasananda the hindu spiritual leader who counts ms cleveland among her devotees dressed in a raspberry colored t shirt and snug plum jeans ms cleveland looked surprisingly fresh that day particularly given that shed driven home from manhattan at 6 in the morning after a marathon all night photography session with anna cleveland for a catalog
the prosaic suburban setting seemed a far cry from her glamorous work life and from the high life haunts ms cleveland depicts in her book
it was not easy to square the serene figure at the picnic table with the goofball naif who over the years found herself on coke addled jaunts through the serengeti with tempestuous models and photographer divas who spent a thousand nights clubbing in new york or paris fueled by lavish quantities of champagne and other stimulants who embarked on nearly that many libidinal adventures along the way
i practically killed myself at the tenth floor she remarked offhandedly referring to a members only 1970s gay dance club made famous in andrew hollerans novel dancer from the dance i was wearing platform shoes and went up on a ladder and started laughing and dancing because we all had poppers and i almost fell off
walking with the muses a densely peopled and illustrated volume is studded with the boldface names of ms clevelands acquaintance diane vreeland was a freak and she liked the freaks she remarks and amorous partners   mick jagger jack nicholson and warren beatty make appearances   but also with cultivated figures from her mothers harlem renaissance coterie it was carl van vechten who snapped some of ms clevelands earliest photos
whats notable about ms clevelands story is its grounding in an untutored wisdom her own canny powers of observation and a willingness to write with candor about professional challenges that as often as not were rooted in race
when she first appeared on the scene according to andre leon talley a contributing editor of vogue ms cleveland was a type of model people hadnt seen before a skinny girl from harlem with no boobs and a frizz of hair is how she describes herself
at the height of her powers that same skinny girl from harlem was transformed into a star on the evening of nov 28 1973 when she   one of 30 black models chosen to participate in a benefit runway show held at the palace of versailles outside paris   took to the stage in front of 800 guests many of them prominent or titled and spinning and twirling left little doubt in the minds of observers that the immediate future of fashion belonged not to the old world but to the new
pat was never a parody of the high class model mr talley said the way she walked her sense of theatricality wasnt something she acquired whether she was being zany goofy pat or ethereal ephemeral gossamer as the wings of a butterfly pat what she did was natural to her it came from within
so too ms cleveland said does the memoir which she composed in multiple drafts across a dozen years employing notes made so long ago that most were written on a typewriter
i wrote this book myself honey said ms cleveland as she glided indoors and into a sunlit studio where stacks of early drafts lay piled alongside snapshots of a freckle faced girl in pigtails and scores of magazine tear sheets showing a glamorized ms cleveland as captured by nearly every late 20th century fashion photographer of any note richard avedon irving penn bruce weber and steven meisel
ms cleveland doesnt shrink from facing down in her book an industry not always welcoming of black beauty then or now in the beginning people said you shouldnt use her you shouldnt use her the designer stephen burrows explained recently by telephone but her personality was so electrifying and inspirational you could imagine anything you designed on her like a sketch come to life
it is dismal to note that as ms cleveland said the racial discrimination she experienced at the start of her long career persists its still out there my darling said the model who decades ago fled new york for paris where she vowed to remain until a black woman appeared on the cover of vogue beverly johnson earned the distinction in august 1974
it was early on during her sojourn in paris that ms cleveland fell in with the star making fashion illustrator antonio lopez and through him that she met the model donna jordan the designer karl lagerfeld and many others from among an impossibly glamorous faction the writer alicia drake characterized as the icarus generation in her 2006 book the beautiful fall lagerfeld saint laurent and glorious excess in 1970s paris
most favored of the perches for that group were the banquettes of the cafe de flore on the boulevard saint germain there as ms drake wrote designers models and muses all came seeking notice arrayed on one side of the room a cluster of beautiful and seductive yves saint laurent loyalists   people like loulou de la falaise and betty catroux   and opposite them half hidden behind potted palms a dazzling throng of americans from the camp of mr lagerfeld
we were just like two little girls from little rock ms cleveland says of herself and ms jordan a reference to the beautiful provincials in gentleman prefer blondes we were comrades and we were going to get that vogue cover she adds
failing that they would win the embrace of designers like valentino and oscar de la renta and thierry mugler and ms von furstenberg and of mr burrows and kenzo and yves saint laurent so besotted was halston with how ms cleveland looked and moved in his clothes that he drew her into his inner circle anointing her a halstonette
it is a challenge to conjure in an age of anonymously interchangeable and often robotic creatures her effect on those lucky enough to have observed her working her ephemeral magic on a runway
for those who did she remains unforgettable i still have a visceral electric memory of her said michael gross the author of model the ugly business of beautiful women and focus the secret sexy sometimes sordid world of fashion photographers which will be published on july 5
it wasnt just dancing it wasnt leaping it certainly wasnt mere walking mr gross said she was the living embodiment of not just the clothes but the joie de vivre the energy and enthusiasm everything that was great about that particular moment in fashion and the joy of being alive


one of the first things we learned about omar mateen the gunman in the nightclub massacre in orlando fla was that his ex wife said he had beaten her severely until she left him in 2009
if it sounds familiar that a gunman in a mass shooting would have a history of domestic violence it should
in february cedric ford shot 17 people at his kansas workplace killing three only 90 minutes after being served with a restraining order sought by his ex girlfriend who said he had abused her and man haron monis who holed up with hostages for 17 hours in a cafe in sydney australia in 2014 an episode that left two people dead and four wounded had terrorized his ex wife he had threatened to harm her if she left him and was eventually charged with organizing her murder
when everytown for gun safety a gun control group analyzed fbi data on mass shootings from 2009 to 2015 it found that 57 percent of the cases included a spouse former spouse or other family member among the victims   and that 16 percent of the attackers had previously been charged with domestic violence
social scientists have not settled on an explanation for this correlation but their research reveals striking parallels between the factors that drive the two phenomena
there are of course a tangle of factors behind every murder especially terrorism inspired by foreign groups but research on domestic violence hints at a question that often arises from seemingly inexplicable events like mr mateens massacre of 49 people at an orlando nightclub   what drives individuals to commit such mass attacks   and sheds light on the psychology of violence
domestic violence often follows a pattern in which an abuser seeks to control every aspect of a victims life the scope and intent of this are hinted at in one name experts use for it intimate terrorism
the perpetrator is engaging in a general pattern of control over the victim   her finances her social contacts the clothes she wears said deborah epstein who runs georgetown university law centers domestic violence clinic violence is the perpetrators means of enforcing that control   and of punishing any attempts to break it
mr mateens brief marriage to sitora yusufiy seems to fit this model she has said that he forced her to hand over her paychecks to him forbade her to leave the house except to go to work and prevented her from contacting her parents even small perceived infractions were met with a violent response
he would just come home and start beating me up because the laundry wasnt finished or something like that ms yusufiy told the washington post
take this dynamic of coercive violence to its most horrible extreme and it looks an awful lot like how the islamic state treats women in its self proclaimed caliphate as my times colleague rukmini callimachi has reported the group has created a vast infrastructure of rape and slavery in which women are held captive and bought and sold by its fighters it is intimate violence on an industrial scale
domestic violence experts say is also often a way for male abusers to impose their view of traditional gender roles ms epstein said such traditions in the united states were rooted in the idea of men having control over women
thats our culture its all about men controlling women in their lives she said intimate terrorism stems from that desire to control
this bears striking similarities to how the islamic state presents its treatment of women as a recruiting tool promising young men abroad   particularly in europe   that its caliphate will allow them to restore traditional gender norms of male dominance this dominance is exercised in part through violence including systematic rape and the threat of rape the group often presents this violence as a means to measure and protect mens honor
it seems natural then that the islamic state might appeal to men who desire that sort of control over the women in their lives separate from any ideological draw   the kind of men who might have domestic violence in their past
nimmi gowrinathan a visiting professor at the city college of new york who studies womens roles in insurgent and terrorist conflicts said that restrictive norms about gender and sexuality could be a pull factor for terrorist organizations   but that people who are drawn to them are also often pushed by their own pre existing attitudes or desires
terrorist attacks and mass shootings garner attention and frighten the public much more than episodes of domestic violence but domestic violence has a much higher death toll in the united states
according to the violence policy center 895 women in the united states were murdered by their current or former intimate partners in 2013 and this does not include those killed amid mass shootings that single year tally is more than nine times the 92 people the new american foundation has counted as killed in jihadist attacks on american soil in the past decade
but there are striking parallels between the intimate terrorism of domestic violence and the mass terrorism perpetrated by lone wolf attackers like mr mateen seems to have been both at their most basic level are attempts to provoke fear and assert control
domestic violence experts say often occurs when an abuser concludes that violence is the best tool to solve his or her grievances that might mean a husband who perceives his wifes failure to do the laundry as a challenge to his rightful authority leading him to try to reimpose his will through violence
clark mccauley a professor at bryn mawr college who studies the psychology of mass violence and terrorism said he was not aware of research finding a causal relationship between domestic violence and terrorism but he has found that a characteristic common to mass killers is a sense of grievance a belief that someone somewhere had wronged them in a way that merited a violent response
that grievance could be personal or it could be political   a sense that the perpetrator needed to act in the name of a larger group
paul gill a senior lecturer at university college london who studies the behavior of lone actor terrorists said that violence was in a sense a learned psychological skill having a history of violence might help neutralize the natural barriers to committing violence
from that perspective domestic violence can be seen as a psychological training ground for someone like mr mateen to commit a mass attack
a domestic abusers desire to impose by force supposed traditional gender roles also sometimes includes sexuality such abusers experts say may see homosexuality as a threat to their masculinity
there is an idea that what it means to be masculine is to be vigilant of your sexuality and hypervigilant towards keeping anyone from perceiving you as gay said gillian chadwick a fellow at georgetown university law center
intimate terrorism in that sense rests on a broader spectrum of violence meant to preserve the traditional dominance of heterosexual men and coerce those who are perceived as threatening that order that spectrum at the extreme end includes mass shootings
this connection makes it somewhat easier to understand an apparent contradiction that mr mateen targeted a gay nightclub and that his father and ex wife have said he had a history of homophobic remarks but that he also had been seen visiting pulse the gay nightclub he targeted and according to some news reports used a gay dating app
could mr mateen have been trying to use violence to reimpose rules about gender and sexuality that he himself was troubled about violating if so he would not be the first
ms chadwick said there was an entire category of legal argument called gay panic and trans panic claims in which defendants say that they turned to violence because they were so upset about being perceived as gay or about discovering they were attracted to a transgender person
ms gowrinathan who studies gender and terrorism warned against making assumptions based on mr mateens having been a muslim raised by afghan immigrants to the united states saying that domestic violence and homophobia are prevalent across cultures
he is the outcome of the united states political culture not the islamic states she said
ms epstein of georgetown agreed people in the us throw acid in the faces of their wives who have betrayed them she said anything you could find overseas happens here too


last saturday in the middle of the london mens wear collections a happening of sorts occurred on the strand at the emerging designer daniel w fletchers off schedule showdemonstration just outside the official venue a group of models in warm up suits and other kinds of eye catching streetwear emblazoned with the word stay staged a quasi sit in while carting european union flags and banners
message brexit   shorthand for britains possible departure from the european union which will be decided in a referendum on june 23   would not be in fashions best interests
mr fletcher was not the only designer to wear his politics on his sleeve after the sibling show on sunday the founders cozette mccreery and sid bryan took their bow wearing t shirts printed with the word in as in stay in ditto patrick grant of e tautz it was about time
a few weeks ago vivienne westwood posted on her instagram account a photo of herself wearing a t shirt urging everyone to register to vote the deadline was originally scheduled for june 7 and then extended to june 9 and in february christopher bailey of burberry was among more than 100 business leaders who signed a letter published on the opinion page of the times of london stating britain will be stronger safer and better off remaining a member of the eu
but otherwise until now british fashion has been largely quiet on brexit   just as it was in 2014 during the referendum on scottish independence which was voted down
it was as if afraid to offend customers fashion industry members were keeping their opinions under a well crafted hat
yet on monday the british fashion council which does not have an official position on the issue completed a poll of 500 member designers and of the 290 who replied 90 percent were in favor of remaining with only 43 percent in favor of leaving the rest were undecided or said they would refrain from voting
the industry appears to be waking up to brexits potentially damaging implications practical and philosophical
if it happens said christopher kane the recipient of three british fashion council awards the fashion industry is not going to know what hit it its quite scary
the most obvious assumption when it comes to fashion and brexit is that a leave vote would be the end of free trade with a resulting cost wallop hsbc holdings has predicted the pound could depreciate by as much as 20 percent and given that most catwalk designers source fabrics in italy and produce in europe that could send manufacturing prices soaring which will ultimately be passed on to the end consumer which is to say you and that doesnt even get into the possibility of import and export taxes
while my aesthetic is global my make is definitely european emailed zowie broach a founder of the fashion label boudicca and head of fashion at the royal college of art now i buy most of my fabrics from europe but when i go outside to switzerland or the us thats when my costs go through the roof
less discussed but potentially even more damaging for fashion is what may happen if eu citizens no longer have the right to live and work freely in britain and vice versa fashion is an industry whose roots are embedded in continental soil and the other fashion capitals and those who were trained there occupy an outsize space in the designer imagination british and otherwise   and a physical space in many of their ateliers   that cannot be underestimated
though mr kane is scottish and his company is based in london for example it is owned by the french conglomerate kering many of whose executives including francois henri pinault the chief executive actually live in london though the group is based in paris
mr kane has he pointed out all these amazing seamstresses from italy from all over europe that have been working with us for five years ... how much would it cost for us to get them visas the answer is unclear few specifics have been laid out as to how an exit might take place other than that they will have two years to figure out the logistical decoupling
according to peter pilotto who founded his namesake brand in london in 2007 even though he is austrian italian and his partner christopher de vos is belgian peruvian 70 percent of their team is as they are international if brexit occurs people will have to migrate again mr pilotto said in fact the whole company might
indeed some of the most influential names on the london fashion week schedule especially in womens wear are not british mary katrantzou winner of the british fashion councils 2015 new establishment designer award is greek daniela and annette felder of felder felder are german roksanda ilincic whose color block dress was recently worn by the duchess of cambridge at a street party to celebrate queen elizabeths 90th birthday is serbian serbia is in the midst of membership negotiations with the eu
london has long been a magnet for fashion students from across europe all of whom benefit from reduced tuition costs and have gone on to populate fashion teams throughout the industry
currently there are students from more than 65 countries at the royal college of art its our international reach our partnerships and collaborations that makes us the worlds number one university of art and design ms broach said referring to the qs world university rankings in the art  design field if britain exits europe ill wager good money on our no longer occupying that top spot our students want fewer borders not more
likewise at central saint martins alma mater of riccardo tisci creative director of givenchy and an italian undergraduates from europe make up a considerable intake to all our fashion pathways said willie walters csms director of fashion program
their studios are now decorated with posters given to them by the photographer wolfgang tillmans a prizewinning artist who lives in london and berlin they feature a shoreline and the words no country by itself or a skyscape and what is lost is lost forever
at the recent central saint martins ba collections the student philip ellis overtly addressed the subject twinning eu flag armbands with badges reading stay and salut on cropped punk rock leather and army green jackets over matching miniskirts and gray hoodies under ruffled peasant blouses
my agenda is to increase discourse on brexit he wrote as part of his collection development process the better to make a difference in the referendum that i feel so passionately about birds of a feather flock together britain should not leave the eu
the rest of the european sector is holding its breath the chambre syndicale french fashions governing body would not respond to questions about how brexit might affect their industry which employs numerous britons including phoebe philo who runs the celine design studio from london and clare waight keller creative director of chloe in paris saying we do not comment on political matters
but carlo capasa president of the camera nazionale della moda the national chamber of fashion was less circumspect the italian fashion looks at a possible brexit with concern he wrote in an email its effects would be very negative
beyond the logistics there is a more abstract but perhaps even more important issue related to brexit that goes to the heart of fashions power and identity the clothes we see and desire   the clothes that resonate beyond need   are most alluring when they reflect the wider world and describe an individuals place within it when they take the maelstrom of questions and crosscurrents surrounding us and give them coherent form and beauty
this is why design teams like those at christopher kane and peter pilotto are so multicultural not only because of the practical skills they may bring to the pattern cutting table but also because of the life experience they add   their unique heritage and identity mixed in and blended with other worlds and tastes this creates what we think of as contemporary fashion closed borders threaten that aesthetic landscape render it parochial and potentially irrelevant the result could be creatively hobbling
maybe its time we all take a stance mr kane said no designer is an island even if he lives on one


the latest polling suggests the british are inclined to drop out of the european union throwing the future of the worlds largest trading bloc into doubt
the united states in november may elect a president who promises to abandon many norms of governance and a horrendous terrorist attack has opened up new talk in the presidential race of upending the nations longstanding economic and diplomatic relationships with the rest of the world
oh and last month the united states experienced its weakest job growth in six years
if there was a good time for financial markets to show signs of fear for global economic and political stability this would seem to be it
in the last several days there has been some evidence if you look carefully enough of the risk that some big disruptive events will become priced into markets the british pound has fallen steeply on currency markets reflecting the risk of brexit and government bond prices in advanced nations have soared and their yields have fallen as investors have plowed money into safe assets
but many other financial market conditions are more consistent with what you expect to see when everything is basically going fine   not indicative of a major risk of financial economic or geopolitical upheaval
the american stock market as measured by the standard  poors 500 index is hovering just below record highs a measure of expected market volatility the vix has spiked in the last few days but remains well below its level of just a few months ago oil prices have been rising steadily since february and havent moved much in the last week let alone shown the drop you might expect if a collapse in global demand seemed imminent
there are two possibilities of what is going on at best the markets are telling us something important that excitable journalists and pundits arent call this the markets are smart theory
at worst markets are complacent and deep seated flaws in how financial markets work mean that current stock and commodity prices arent reflecting the major risks that lie ahead
the markets are really efficient story goes like this britain when all is said and done will probably vote to remain part of europe as betting markets suggest donald trump probably wont be elected president as polling suggests the american economy will probably keep doing ok despite the weak may jobs numbers
and even if any of those forecasts turns out to be wrong the consequences for the economy and corporate profits wont be as severe as fearful headlines suggest the british economy will remain basically sound as the nation renegotiates its trade relationships mr trump will govern more like a conventional president than his words now suggest and any economic slump in the united states will be short and mild
in this story stock bond and currency traders have the wisdom to look past the noise that the aforementioned excitable journalists and pundits dont
the other argument is scarier
markets are very good at incorporating news into asset prices when its clear and straightforward how one should affect the other when a company releases an earnings report analysts can quickly figure out what it should mean for the stock price and the stock moves accordingly when data comes out that makes a federal reserve rate increase 10 percent more likely its fairly straightforward to translate that into the proper pricing of treasury bonds and the dollar a disruption to an oil pipeline has a relatively clear cut impact on the price of crude
so traders are efficient at pricing in pieces of news that affect asset prices in predictable ways over the short and medium term theyre a lot worse at predicting which major threats to the global economy will spiral out of control and which will turn out to hardly matter
consider two examples from recent years
in the summer and fall of 2011 investors were panicked that the eurozone would unravel because of the fiscal crisis that started in greece global stock markets commodities and risky forms of debt plummeted volatility skyrocketed
but things turned out to be more or less fine more aggressive action by the european central bank and european political leaders starting late that year helped calm everyone and while the european economy is not in great shape the continent experienced no epic financial crisis if you had the nerve to buy eurozone stocks in september 2011 you have enjoyed a 51 percent return on your money
other times instead of being too fearful of cataclysmic events financial markets are too complacent what we now call the global financial crisis got its start in mid 2007 as losses on mortgage related securities mounted and global money markets froze up
but after some initial efforts by the federal reserve and other government officials to contain the damage financial markets rallied 11 percent from mid august through mid october pushing the stock market to new highs and suggesting all was well of course as it turned out a severe recession and catastrophic financial crisis were just around the corner people who bought into any risky assets whether stocks or mortgage backed securities at the october highs lost their shirts
some smart people like strategists at goldman sachs are advancing the possibility that markets could be in a similarly precarious state right now it may even be that the normal mechanisms through which those fears would translate into lower stock prices and higher volatility indexes are broken right now many macro hedge funds that bet on big seismic changes in the global economy have been losing money for the last few years and some have closed
even if thats so the next few months will be a great test of just how much markets really know about the future and given the precarious headlines of the last few months anyone who wants to make sure they dont lose their shirts again should hope that theyve got it right


among those who manage gobs of money the possibility that britain might actually disavow the european union seemed until recently like a remote and even outlandish possibility
but about a week before voters go to the polls to determine their future masters of finance are suddenly absorbing the prospect that britain might really walk unleashing anxiety and uncertainty throughout the global economy
like local responders readying sandbags as a hurricane menaces their shores financial industry overseers have been quietly drawing up contingency plans while surveying the expensive havoc a so called brexit is already wreaking central bankers from london to washington have been monitoring the tempest while making preparations to unleash credit should markets seize with fear
angst has seeped into the calculations as investors digest the possibility that the largest marketplace on earth may be days away from a messy alteration they have been yanking money out of riskier storehouses like stocks and putting it into safer instruments like bonds the british pound and london stocks have been falling in frenzied trading
the conversation is now focused on managing the risks of brexit the trouble is that the worries are so diffuse and rife with unknowns that any attack plan amounts to an exercise in guesswork and hope executives bankers and bureaucrats are grappling with something that could be minor or momentous and has never happened before
maybe the brexit   for british exit   would merely lop value from the pound before traders turned their attention to a more consequential plot twist elsewhere perhaps it would inspire separatist movements from scotland to spain embolden anti trade populists across the continent and reinvigorate existential questions gnawing at the common euro currency that could sow fear across world markets
a brexit might spook investors into entrusting their money only to the safest repositories like american treasuries that could strengthen the american dollar and weaken american exports while starving riskier emerging markets of investment
whatever stories policy makers and businesspeople tell themselves the only certainty is a surplus of uncertainty whatever provisional plans they sketch they will find themselves mostly just wishing that nothing terrible happens
on the financial markets there is nothing they can do it will just hit them said adam s posen a former member of the rate setting committee at the bank of england and now president of the peterson institute for international economics in washington if my house is going to catch on fire i can plan to have some water on hand but theres only so much you can do
if you run a central bank water comes in the form of liquidity most experts assume the bank of england and its counterparts have readied plans to lend to financial institutions that could face cash shortages in recent days european central bank officials have signaled readiness to inject money into the financial sphere in a speech last week the federal reserve chairwoman janet l yellen warned that a brexit could have significant economic repercussions
much of the business world once shrugged off the brexit vote as noisy political theater that would eventually be muted by economic common sense but recent polls have showed the leave camp slightly ahead
that kind of threw the cat among the pigeons and panicked everyone said jeremy cook chief economist at world first a london company that manages foreign exchange for multinationals weve seen a pickup in client hedging
a company that say imports goods from china to sell in britain fears that the pound is about to drop making those chinese goods more expensive so it buys contracts that essentially lock in todays exchange rate for the future
according to laurence wormald head of research at fis which provides technology and market intelligence to financial services companies british stocks would most likely fall 15 percent after a brexit with the pound dropping by a similar proportion
if a brexit vote hurts the british economy the central bank might feel compelled to lower rates to motivate businesses and households to borrow and spend but the bank might well do the opposite raising rates to stop a currency slide
the most nettlesome variable may be trade britain sells nearly half its exports within the european union multinational corporations have set up headquarters in britain using those bases to serve customers across the continent
those campaigning for a brexit assure that a vote to leave would change nothing right away britain would remain a fully fledged member of europes marketplace for two years as it negotiated a new arrangement with the 27 remaining members of the union
but if britain failed to secure a deal commerce with europe could be governed by the terms of the world trade organization which gives member nations the authority to impose potentially steep tariffs on imports
the debate over the brexit is full of references to sundry alternative models norway enjoys access to the european market although it remains outside the union switzerland has achieved similar status through a thicket of treaties but in both cases they must accept something supporters of brexit want to eliminate   european rules that allow people to move liberally from country to country
those urging a brexit insist britain can negotiate a tailor made deal many economists describe that notion as somewhere between fanciful and delusional eager to discourage other members from considering an exit europe would seek to ensure that britain paid a price
if britain dumps europe they are not going to say well ok heres a good deal said paul johnson director of the institute for fiscal studies an independent research institution in london
nowhere are preparations more intense than in finance london has parlayed expertise in banking and inclusion in europe to secure dominance over large areas of trading as the referendum approaches financiers are now consumed by a jigsaw puzzle of diabolical complexity they are mapping out what assets they hold and where seeking to anticipate what jurisdictions and rules might apply post brexit
investment banks and asset managers are pre booking law firms consulting firms and accounting firms for july said william wright managing director of new financial a research institution in london if we do vote to leave on june 23 no one is going to have the faintest idea what impact it will have
jamie dimon chief executive of jpmorgan chase recently visited britain with a pointed warning if the uk leaves the eu we may have no choice but to reorganize our business model here he said brexit could mean fewer jpmorgan jobs in the uk and more jobs in europe citigroup offered a similar caution
if the sun rises on june 24 with britain on its way out such a shift could happen sooner rather than later at a time of crippling uncertainty banks would feel a compulsion to at least eliminate variables by quickly announcing their plans moving people within the european union   to amsterdam dublin frankfurt and paris
in the end contingency plans may be devised more as salves for frayed nerves than bona fide operational blueprints britain may be on the verge of refashioning the world map if that happens the vote will set off proceedings so complex that the only guaranteed winners are the lawyers
all plans will be subject to change


none of the 108 board members of the us chamber of commerce came forward to explicitly support the lobbying groups policies on tobacco and climate change according to a new report from a group of eight senate democrats including senator elizabeth warren and senator bernie sanders
the report which was written by senator warren and senator sheldon whitehouse followed on reporting by the new york times that revealed the chambers international campaign against antismoking laws and its efforts to undermine policies aimed at curbing global warming
the chambers lobbying is at odds with its own public positions the report found it noted that the organization strongly professes that it is anti tobacco and has claimed to support efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
in a statement the chamber described the reports contents as a partisan line of attack that was egregiously false and recycled old myths and tired talking points
the times reported that the chamber had focused on antismoking measures advanced by health advocates from ukraine to nepal to australia the measures targeted by the chamber included restrictions on smoking in public spaces bans on menthol and slim cigarettes curbs on tobacco advertising excise tax increases and graphic warning labels thomas j donohue the head of the chamber personally lobbied the speaker of the house the united states trade representative and the irish prime minister on the tobacco industrys behalf
the chambers campaign has aroused the ire of the world health organization and it put the four health care companies that serve on the chambers board   anthem the health care service corporation the steward health care system of boston and the indiana university health system   in an awkward position cvs health corporation quit the chamber over the revelations
another report from the times last year focused on the chambers efforts to dismantle president obamas climate change regulations the chamber convened regular meetings of corporate lawyers coal lobbyists and republican political strategists more than a year before the regulations were introduced
the report highlights that even though the board is described as the principal governing and policy making body of the us chamber of commerce the members are often left in the dark
approximately half of the companies on the chambers board of directors have adopted anti tobacco and pro climate positions that contrast sharply with the chambers activities according to the report not a single board member explicitly supported the chambers lobbying efforts it said
ten companies serving on the board told the senate inquiry that they had no knowledge of or input into the chambers lobbying activities on tobacco or climate issues
the report was also backed by senators barbara boxer of california sherrod brown of ohio jeff merkley of oregon richard blumenthal of connecticut and ed markey of massachusetts it was undertaken to determine whether the chambers board actually supported its secretive lobbying activities and to further publicize the gap between the chamber and its board
the chamber has found itself in a difficult position under the leadership of mr donohue the chamber has become the countrys largest lobbying organization and a stalwart of the republican party that has made keeping control of the senate a priority but it has been thrown off its stride by the elevation of donald trump who opposes chamber priorities like the trans pacific partnership
in a december interview with bloomberg mr donohue said mr trump wont be the next president adding that he is entertainment but hes not leadership for the american people in may he said i hear mostly concern from our members who is this guy what do we know about him how will he behave


the new musical bright star will be shining for just a few more weeks
the broadway show a collaboration between steve martin and edie brickell will close on june 26 the producers said tuesday at that point it will have played 30 previews and 109 regular performances
the musical inspired by a newspaper article about a baby found in a valise tells the story of a pregnant teenager whose baby is taken from her and what happens in each of their lives
it received some positive reviews particularly from charles isherwood in the new york times who said the musical is gentle spirited not gaudy and moves with an easygoing grace where others prance and strut and it was nominated for five tony awards including for best new musical best original score and best leading actress carmen cusack but won none
the show has struggled to find audiences since it began performances on feb 25 last week which was its best to date it grossed 527807 which is 58 percent of its box office potential and its average paid admission was a modest 7911
the musical with joey parnes as lead producer cost 105 million to capitalize


they have names like wise women for clinton cool people for hillary bros 4 hillary   giveemhill and one that rhymes with witch
some are small with just a couple of hundred members while others number into the thousands all of them began as a secret   or as secret as one can be with an invite only facebook group
the groups are safe spaces members say a way to discuss policy and celebrate good news without having to defend a place to bring up doubts about their candidate   whats the deal with the emails what about her changing stance on gay marriage   and work through them together with a nuance not typically afforded on the internet
in some members strategize about how to respond to criticisms keeping spreadsheets of articles that correspond with each
others function like support groups complete with finger snaps and hillary cat memes and engulfing bosom like support
should any members decide to come out   that is post publicly on their facebook feed outside the group   they could do so knowing that they had an army of defenders ready with likes emoji and articles to back them up
its like a secret society said ashley kreamer 37 a film editor in brooklyn who is a member of two such groups on facebook a secret society of hillary clinton supporters
for most of 2016 to be a vocal supporter of mrs clinton   in certain circles of bernie sanders supporting progressives anyway   was to be the square in the lacoste shirt cast to the corner of the hipster prom
i was yelled at when i wore my hillary shirt to a grocery store in west hollywood possibly the most accepting neighborhood in the whole world said kate hess a 38 year old producer in los angeles
danielle thomson 34 a writer in new york said the first time i posted about hillary i couldnt even function for 24 hours i kept refreshing my feed   sweating
and if you were young and for hillary forget about it
im treated like a traitor to my generation said 22 year old patrick ross a playwright in philadelphia
and those were just the people you knew in real life online the vitriol was worse moderating comments on a single facebook post was like a master class in nonviolent communication said lori white 33 a writer at upworthy and a founder of cool people for hillary
strangers commented on your feed trolls spammed your wall with threats called you a warmonger a corporate whore and many terms reserved for female supporters that were far worse said laura bogart a writer in baltimore
older supporters were not immune either robert stanton a 53 year old actor had a friendship severed after he liked a photo of mrs clinton and courtney love on facebook his former friend told him he couldnt be friends with someone for whom he had no respect which was quite a blow mr stanton said
martha harrison 24 a medical student at new york university said she was pretty sure a guy she was dating broke up with me over my clinton support
im all for lively debate said 32 year old andrea gabbidon levene a program manager at a community college but this was something else
for many clinton supporters a result was a kind of shrinking answering when asked but never volunteering their support calling yourself anti trump instead of pro hillary as brandt hamilton 23 did buying clinton swag but never wearing it dutifully picking up an im with her bumper sticker at the local democratic headquarters but never actually sticking it on your car
as opinionated as i am about movies tv shows and the yoga world i learned to be quiet during this primary season  said maria cristina jimenez 43 a yoga instructor in los angeles i decided it wasnt worth it so i hid with millions of others in plain sight
luckily for her there was a facebook group willing to welcome her bitches for hillary which has nearly 5000 members its name a play on a tina fey quote bitches get stuff done which went viral during the 2008 primary
there members like ms jimenez could geek out over mrs clintons wellesley speech discuss her record on gun control and ask how best to respond to attacks about her war record the shared memes photos and their favorite hillary gear
the groups guidelines included dont be a butthead if you need to disagree focus on the substance of the argument not the person making it and a nod to the complexity of the word bitch which they say that   for purposes of the group   they treat as a badge of honor and pride
we were tired of having to deal with bernie splainers and hillary haters said natalie miller 38 a yoga instructor outside of washington who founded the group with a friend an english professor
ms thomson the new york writer who labored over her first public facebook post said id liken it to how centuries ago women made quilts to express their political beliefs in a way that wouldnt ruffle any feathers my secret group was an email chain   which is you know clearly the quilt of our modern times
when mrs clinton clinched the nomination last week the journalist ezra klein suggested that she had relied on the traditionally female approach to politics creating coalitions finding common ground winning over allies behind the scenes
it was perhaps not so dissimilar said the democratic political consultant will robinson to what many of these secret groups were doing from the outside it may have seemed that there was more enthusiasm for mr sanders than mrs clinton   his supporters saturating your facebook feed   but mrs clintons supporters were there as well albeit not shouting
i think sometimes being silent and not participating in the social media fights can be a form of sincere self care said tanya tarr 38 a health coach and former political organizer i dont want to waste my energy fighting or getting upset   i would rather quietly organize or go about my business getting my candidate elected
mrs clinton is not there yet but as she took the stage at the brooklyn navy yard last tuesday group members said they noticed an outpouring of public support that wasnt there just days before
i volunteer at local democratic hq and after the nomination we had a bunch of women walk in and say is it safe now i want to volunteer said clio tarazi 61 a retired urban planner in california one woman broke into tears it was all the same sort of feeling i think of wanting to be comforted of wanting to know that it was ok to be public now
mr stanton the actor said after hillary clinched the nomination i made my first public post about her it felt good


standing near an ice sculpture of a phallus encased in a condom charlie sheen took the stage at an event on monday evening in manhattan to help introduce a prophylactic called hex from a swedish luxury sex toy brand
he emerged through a glass door in the corner of the room shortly after a video of him speaking frankly about his diagnosis of hiv played on a television in the center of the room
as the real thing suddenly popped into the room dressed in a charcoal suit and seeming smaller and far more upbeat than the man who last made public rounds in november when he announced to the world that he was hiv positive the crowd gasped
it was a surprise appearance at the midtown party for hex a latex condom with a resilient honeycomblike structure developed by the brand lelo before mr sheens appearance the event had consisted of photo booths and party games like pricking a pin through condoms stretched across lelo vibrators
mr sheen acknowledged the reaction asking the crowd what business does a man who has five children and hiv have hawking a contraceptive well he continued one of those things he wished he never had
the emergence of mr sheen as a hybrid spokesman activist at the party where dancers in hexagon pattered leotards performed erotic dance routines signified a new act for the troubled actor
since confirming his hiv status on the today show mr sheen has not just begun to engage in hivaids activism he has also started to participate in a clinical trial of a new anti hiv drug and become its de facto spokesman
steve thomson lelos chief marketing officer said in an email that mr sheen was the perfect choice for lelo a tragic reflection of the current situation in sexual health of today but more importantly a symbol of change with the strength and the courage to confront key issues head on
after mr sheens announcement internet searches about the disease spiked mr thomson said at this point mr thomson said he realized that there is potential to do more on the issue much more than to tend to his personal interests
the condoms are available online for 20 for a pack of 12 mr sheen will travel to several cities across the globe for the company in the coming days to promote the product
the structure of the condom the company says reduces breakage and slipping and equally important   looks cool according to filip sedic lelos founder who spoke at the event mr sedics hope he said is that those three factors and mr sheens role as spokesman will persuade people to not just buy his product but to use condoms as a matter of safety
on a video on lelos website mr sheen sits alone in a warehouse speaking of the product and his condition it is filled with lingering uncomfortable pauses


the actress lisa bonet has been appearing on television screens for decades memorably in her role as denise huxtable on the cosby show and a different world this summer shell be the featured guest star on season four of ray donovan returning on june 26 on showtime born in san francisco ms bonet 48 now lives in los angeles she has a daughter the actress zoe kravitz 27 with the musician lenny kravitz and a daughter lola 8 and a son nakoa wolf 7 with the actor jason momoa here she shares her health and beauty favorites
i use pretty active things at night to keep the cells turning over i use a scrub by my facialist dayle breault a couple times a week or ill use derma peel by rhonda allison i alternate between the two for cleansing especially in the morning when im looking to sweep the dead cells away i use dayles face soap or rhonda allison pumpkin cleanser
then ill use a couple of serums i switch back and forth between dayles truthful serum or le mieux tgf b booster i change it according to whatever my skin is needing that day then i use dayles spritz just to push the serums in deeper i owe a lot to dayle for my sustained youthfulness but ive always taken skin care very seriously   from when i was a kid and would go to the drugstore and buy that apricot scrub i also have really sensitive skin that requires a good amount of care im not one of those people who can go to sleep with their makeup on and wake up and be fine
i use a tinted sunblock by epicuren and i add a squirt of sorme liquid concealer and mix that together zoe has turned me on to this glowy highlighter its laura mercier tinted moisturizer illuminating i use dr hauschka tinted day cream on my eyes it moisturizes lids and looks pretty thats basically what i wear during the day
if im going out at night i usually pick my eyes to accentuate my go to is a black sparkly pencil by sisley it adds a little sparkle and its very easy to play with i use shiseido mascara and i have this beautiful gold shadow by dior if i need it i might use cle de peau concealer
my brows are natural i guess i got lucky if you overtweeze they might not grow back ive always kept them quite full although as young women we like to experiment and i did tweeze them once i have a school picture for proof its amazing how brows can change your face i remember my mother was flabbergasted when i came out of the bathroom i would tell my daughters not to overtweeze   maybe zoe did it once   but youve got to let them fly too
ive had my hair in dreadlocks for a really long time its probably been 20 something years now i went for it because i couldnt stand the hours of tending and unraveling my hair it would knot up and i dont like going to salons it seemed the natural solution its hilarious when people who dont know about dreads wonder do you wash your hair the answer is of course
i usually use the wen cleansing conditioner if im looking for a really deep clean i use the phyto products after i wash i oil my hair up if i dont add oil or overwash it can become brittle i like the weleda rosemary hair oil and i use organic coconut oil which is what i use on my body as well i was using coconut oil before the current craze its simple and pure why put a lotion on your body that has 10 ingredients when you can put on one that is from nature and smells divine and does the job
i usually stick with essential oils theres a wonderful company called living libations and they have a fine fine selection theyre based in canada i actually heard nadine artemis one of the founders speak at a breast health symposium and i got turned on to her wealth of knowledge i love her breast oil as well
i might not tell you all the essential oils i use   you do have to keep a little mystery   but you cant go wrong with rose theres a beautiful gardenia too i also like the neroli i tend to gravitate toward the flower essential oils
im all about putting food in my body that nourishes me i used to be more skeptical about the gluten free thing but then my daughter lola had a cough and shed wake up in the middle of the night it got worse and worse and the doctor had to give her an inhaler well my own doctor suggested maybe its gluten we took the gluten away and its been such a big change i pay for a gluten free sourdough bread thats baked fresh every week a typical breakfast at home would be seasoned bone broth from real food devotee scrambled eggs cooked in coconut oil and the sourdough bread toasted with raw butter
my favorite form of fitness is dance i take an african dance class that i live for i just walked in one day and i have been doing it pretty regularly for seven years now i also do pilates twice a week yoga once a week and i go to the gym twice a week i was a gymnast when i was very young i ran track and field and cross country when i was in school i probably would have been an athlete if i hadnt become an artist


more than any other company in tech apple prizes physical objects   expensive perfectly designed self contained nuggets of aluminum and glass that you buy today use for a couple years and replace
until recently that view worked quite well over the past decade through its own products and the many copycats that piled on apples device centric aestheticism has made computers easier to use and more accessible to more people around the world   and raked in eye popping profits while doing so
yet apples view increasingly feels like an outdated way of thinking about tech
many of its competitors have been moving beyond devices toward experiences that transcend them these new technologies exist not on distinct pieces of hardware but above and within them they are things like alexa amazons ambient assistant which lives on the internet and is ready to help you on the amazon echo but also on any other device that a programmer adds it to in an era of flat iphone sales apple too has been talking up the importance of online services which it sees as a crucial part of its future growth
so the primary question apple had to answer at its annual developer conference this week was whether it could expand its worldview could it break free from the limiting perspective of individual devices
the answer yes but slowly   and its hard to tell if apple is thinking big enough
what was obvious in the hurricane of new features unveiled by timothy d cook apples chief executive and his lieutenants was that they understood the importance of cloud based services many of apples announcements featured some role for the internet to integrate peoples experiences on disparate apple devices often with the help of artificial intelligence
but a lot of these features felt small bore apple still seems to view online services as add ons to its devices   not as products or platforms that rise above them the best way to see the shortcomings of this position is through siri the voice assistant that is apples best chance to create the kind of transcendent cross device experience that its competitors are now pushing
analysts and developers were expecting big improvements to siri apple did show off a way for some apps to integrate with siri and for siri to perform a few new functions on apple tv siri also found a new home on macintosh computers but the way apple presented the changes with each siri advance positioned as a feature of one of apples devices left unclear what apples ultimate aims were for the voice assistant
the new features fall short of remaking siri into something fundamentally different from what it is today siri as apple is positioning it is becoming a better app launcher for your phone   you can use it to call for an uber ride or to respond to a message but its not clear that its becoming a truly intelligent assistant one that understands you across your devices that can comprehend complex queries and get things done for you regardless of which apps you happen to have installed on any particular machine
these shortcomings are not terrible though many competitors have shown off some interesting demos at the moment no rival voice assistant approaches the accuracy and ease of use of an actual human assistant siri is hardly behind and there is still room for it to become the leader yet the way apple approaches siri is a proxy for the way it plans to approach online services generally
before we get to the limitations here are the details on whats new with siri first the voice assistant can now control some third party apps on your phone you can send text messages through apps like whatsapp or slack using your voice   in the past you could do so only with apples own messaging app depending on which developers add siri to their apps you might also be able to use your voice to call a ride from uber or lyft to pay someone through venmo or to tell a fitness app to start tracking your workout
siris other new trick is mac compatibility you can now ask your desktop or laptop to search through your files or email for instance
these are all fine improvements but i am struck by the deliberate way apple is rolling them out one problem is that the new siri will not integrate with all kinds of apps it will be able to control only a handful of app types including messaging apps ride sharing apps payment apps and fitness apps yet siri wont let you control music apps for example   you cant ask siri to play a song on spotify a feature reserved for use with apples own music subscription service
this limitation could be relaxed with time apple reps told me the third party integrations they had outlined so far were the start of a new effort   one that could be expanded to new app types in the future still the lack of music support was a letdown its hard to shake the suspicion that apple is using siri to give its own apps a leg up
another problem is that siri is still hopelessly tied to each apple device siri on your iphone doesnt really know anything about siri on your mac or apple tv on each device siri has different capabilities on your iphone it can call an uber if you have the uber app installed but siri on your mac cant siri on your apple tv can search youtube for clips of stephen curry but siri on your iphone cant
for now this isnt a big problem   you will learn what siri can do on each device and adjust your queries accordingly but thats a curious thing to have to do if siri is an intelligent assistant why does she need to be tied to apps you have installed on your device why cant she call uber from the cloud regardless of which device you happen to be using
the device centric view gets particularly limiting when you think about asking your assistant complicated questions for instance what if you ask can you see if theres a room at my favorite seattle hotel for my wedding anniversary weekend   and can you book it if its less than 200 a night
google in its demo for home a forthcoming voice assistant device meant to rival amazons echo seemed to be able to handle such questions two start ups   viv which was founded by members of the team that created the original siri app that apple bought in 2010 and soundhound have also unveiled systems that can tackle such complex queries
to handle these questions an assistant would need to pull information from multiple online services for instance booking that seattle hotel would involve knowing your favorite place to stay your wedding anniversary date and current hotel prices it wouldnt make sense if that question worked only on certain devices or only if you had certain apps installed ideally it should work on any device
and that would be very useful one of the frustrations of the era ushered in by the iphone is app overload   there are too many apps to download install and switch between to get anything done a lot of these apps are of little use you might tap that hotel booking app once a year so why does it have to sit there on your phone
voice interfaces could usher in a new paradigm in computing one that would break free of the tyranny of apps on devices they could get a lot done for us without much tapping and switching google amazon and several start ups seem to be rushing headlong to build such a system
but based on its developer conference im not sure apple is its taking a more moderate app based device centric path many of its voice features will be fine   useful even but it sure isnt pushing for a revolution


a mass shooting takes place followed by emotional vigils intensive news media coverage and sorrowful statements by politicians but what does it actually mean for laws and policies around guns
lots of gun laws are proposed in the aftermath of an attack new research shows but in terms of what actually is enacted the results arent what you might expect
in states where a mass shooting happened 15 percent more gun related bills were introduced in state legislatures three harvard business school professors found in a working paper published last month but in states with legislatures that were led by democrats or divided between the parties a mass shooting wasnt followed by any statistically significant increase in gun laws enacted
it was different in states with republican controlled legislatures after a mass shooting the number of laws passed to loosen gun restrictions rose by 75 percent in other words in places where mass shootings lead to any legislative changes at all it tends to be in the direction of guns becoming more easily available like lowering the minimum age to buy a handgun to 18 from 21 or eliminating a waiting period for a gun purchase
the scholars michael luca deepak malhotra and christopher poliquin had examined the aftermath of 167 mass shootings with 1428 victims including both deaths and injuries in the united states from 1989 to 2014 they analyzed that data alongside 20409 gun policy proposals introduced to state legislatures and 3199 laws that were passed
theres no doubt that there is a surge of attention around gun policy when a major shooting takes place polling data from the pew research center shows sharp but temporary swings in public opinion on gun control after particularly high profile emotionally resonant attacks like the ones at columbine high school in 1999 and sandy hook elementary school in 2012
the harvard researchers found that mass shootings had a vastly higher impact on state level lawmaking than other gun deaths a death from a mass shooting generated 66 times as much gun related legislation as a more routine gun death like in a robbery or domestic dispute
mr luca argued that high profile shootings create a policy window in which an issue comes to the forefront for media and politicians alike even if mass shooting doesnt automatically translate into more restrictive gun laws mr poliquin notes a couple of recent high profile counterexamples virginia tightened gun laws after the 2007 virginia tech shooting and connecticut did the same after sandy hook but says they are too rare to amount to a statistically significant evidence of a bigger pattern
the researchers methodology included shootings in which four or more people other than the perpetrator die in a case neither related to gangs nor other criminal activity nor to a purely domestic matter it is possible that most shocking attacks that cause the most deaths and receive the most news media coverage like the recent one in orlando create different political dynamics from the smaller attacks that form the bulk of the researchers sample but those are rare enough that they dont lend themselves to statistical analysis
its easy to see why laws in republican controlled statehouses enacted in the aftermath of a mass shooting tended to loosen gun restrictions gun advocates and many conservative politicians have argued that more widespread availability of firearms is a key to stopping mass shootings donald trump the presumptive republican presidential nominee embraced just that message in the aftermath of the orlando fla attack
pews research shows that the proportion of self identified republicans favoring more gun control has fallen from a recent high of 55 percent in march of 2000 to 26 percent in july 2015 among democrats support for gun control has been relatively stable in the 65 to 75 percent range over that period
the results that the harvard researchers found could be less predictive this time it is too early to say whether the sunday shooting at an orlando nightclub that left 49 dead will result in legislation either in florida or nationally republicans control floridas legislature but the sheer number of deaths the shooters terrorist motivations and the fact that the attack was on a gay club could make its effects different
timing is another factor
many legislatures are not even in session when shootings happen mr poliquin said florida is currently out of session and wont reconvene until march 2017 unless there is a special session will the people who are angry about easy access to guns still be angry next march
and given that both houses of floridas legislature have republican majorities any changes could well cut toward greater access to firearms if the lessons from this research do turn out to apply


san francisco   apple customers have a lot to digest this summer
the iphone maker kicked off its annual conference for software developers on monday with major upgrades for the operating systems powering its computers mobile devices smartwatch and tv box
technology enthusiasts and gear heads are usually excited about big upgrades but for average consumers the changes can be overwhelming will devices get better or worse will the software change so much that it will disrupt the tools we use for work
thankfully apples four upgraded operating systems   ios tvos macos and watchos   are due out in the fall so there is plenty of time to research and prepare
at apple we believe that technology should lift humanity and should enrich peoples lives in all the ways they want to experience it   whether its on their wrist in the living room on the desk in the palm of their hand timothy d cook apples chief executive said during mondays keynote presentation
here is a guide to how your devices will change if you install the software upgrades in a few months
apples next version of its mobile operating system called ios 10 will have an impact on how you communicate and potentially reduce the amount of time you spend fiddling with the phone
among them the messages app that iphone and ipad users primarily rely on for sending text messages will get a major overhaul in the app you will soon be able to draw sketches and hand write notes to others as well as attach animations like confetti or fireworks apple is also letting third party software developers offer modifications to the messages app meaning you might be able to add special messages like stickers special emoji or animated gifs
apple is also making major changes to its photo app included on iphones and ipads similar to google photos apples photos app will automatically scan your photo album and organize the photos based on when and where the photos were taken in some cases it may automatically combine images from an occasion like a trip to japan into video montages called memories
another significant change is the evolution of siri apples voice assistant third party app developers can take advantage of voice commands so you should be able to use voice commands to summon an uber car send a message through whatsapp or map a jog with a fitness app among other tricks
other changes will not require a significant reset with ios 10 the iphone screen will wake up when you raise it up   no need to press a button anymore apple also redesigned its music app with new colors and navigation features its default maps app will let outside developers integrate their services into the mapping app so you might be able to book a restaurant table by tapping on a restaurant inside the map for example apple is also adding the ability to search for nearby points of interest like gas stations and coffee shops similar to googles waze app
apples macs will soon work more seamlessly with other apple devices among other changes the mac operating system called macos sierra will gain access to siri so most of what you can do with siri on your iphone should also be doable on mac computers
sierra will also have tighter integration with other apple devices if you are wearing an apple watch you can log into a mac computer without typing in a password when shopping on the web you can use an iphone to pay with apple pay the companys mobile wallet service by taking out the iphone and registering your fingerprint to complete the purchase
any owner of an apple watch is familiar with this situation try to open a third party app like instagram or twitter on the watch and it takes at least five seconds to load at that point you might as well just take out your iphone and open the app there instead
apple is now trying to address this problem with watchos the next version of the operating system for apple watch the company says third party apps will open instantly with the new update
another important change is coming to the fitness portion of apple watch with the update you will be able to see the fitness activity of other friends wearing apple watch like the number of hours they have stood up and calories they have burned apple also added some new watch faces letting you tailor the look to your liking
the next version of tvos the apple tvs software system caters largely to sports fans a new feature called live tune in will let you immediately access a live broadcast speaking a command like watch espn2 can load a live sports game
other than that apple made several improvements to areas that were the most frustrating about apple tv for one it will support a feature called single sign on if you have multiple apps that offer programming from the same pay tv provider you can log in just once and all of those apps will be authenticated that will spare you the headache of entering the same user name and password repeatedly for each of those apps
apple also expanded its apple tv remote control app that it offers for iphones basically the remote app will gain the same capabilities as the physical remote for the apple tv which includes a button for accessing siri so in the event that your remote control vanishes between your couch cushions you can launch the remote app on your iphone and use siri to find something to watch or swipe around on the phone screen to select an app
when the upgrades are released this fall consumers would benefit from a somewhat cautious approach often with big software upgrades bugs creep into earlier versions so its wise to wait at least a few weeks to assess whether the coast is clear before jumping in


a year after anna wintour staged a fashion intervention on broadway a decidedly more glamorous crowd headed sunday night from the tony awards to the various after parties
the first stop for the nights winners losers and hangers on was the plaza hotel for the official post awards party it was the biggest starriest and most louche tony night many could recall though many were shaken up by the mass shooting in orlando fla less than 24 hours earlier
i do believe the thing of you cant let them win said reed birney holding a tony for best featured actor for his role in the humans as stars like jake gyllenhaal and jane krakowski piled into the plaza
oprah winfrey arrived shortly after midnight positively beaming its pretty unbelievable she said describing what it felt like to see the color purple which she co produced with scott sanders and roy furman take home a tony for best musical revival
nearby clutching her tony for her role in long days journey into night was jessica lange did she plan to attend the nights other parties oh no she said citing her difficult work schedule its a long play and i need a lot of rest
the band played vintage donna summer and the ballroom kept filling but by 1 am guests including andrew rannells and michelle williams were already making their way to tavern on the green where the nights biggest winner hamilton was celebrating
there questlove was the dj on a platform next to a packed dance floor lupita nyongo was barefoot in the center of it close by was the actress amy landecker doing an impromptu lip sync to pump up the jam that ended only because her boyfriend bradley whitford decided it was time for a little mouth to mouth resuscitation
lin manuel miranda the creator and star of hamilton was nearby posing for selfies and accepting congratulations has he had time to sleep a friend asked from 1 to 3 he said
many still wore the silver ribbons that were handed out at the tonys to express solidarity with the victims of the orlando massacre you have to celebrate acknowledge what happened and move forward said okieriete onaodowan who plays james madison in hamilton before disappearing into the dance floor
that party would go on till 5 am
also going strong into the wee hours was the annual party held by the broadway public relations firm dkcom which took place this year at the baccarat hotel there in a 12th floor suite was diane lane seated by a grand piano belting out show tunes like maybe this time with a handful of tuxedo wearing theater types
in the bedroom were the tony winners mr birney and ivo van hove playing with their statues
fresh off his win for directing a view from the bridge mr van hove was clearly having a good time when he left sometime after 4 am his tony was still on the bed ivo forgot it said rick miramontez of dkcom though it turned out that mr van hove had simply left it with his agent


everything im wearing tonight shes chosen   so said james corden host of the 2016 tony awards in a burgundy burberry tuxedo on the red carpet it was the first of four outfits including a green crystal encrusted dolce  gabbana number that the comedian would model throughout the night
the she was anna wintour editor of vogue and artistic director of conde nast who decided to give the theater awards a makeover last year with william ivey long the costume designer and head of the american theater wing to heighten the evenings fashion content much brouhaha surrounded the result at the time but while her involvement continued this year things appeared to have settled down a bit
it was as if the two worlds   style and stage   had finally found their mutual groove one where the clothes were less costume than backdrop to the content where they werent about marketing this isnt the oscars after all or outrageous statement making its not the mtv video music awards but rather taking the high road to each award show its own wardrobe identity
in a night overshadowed by the tragedy of the mass shooting in orlando fla and marked by heartfelt statements   lin manuel mirandas sonnet of thanks and love cynthia erivos call out to her mother when she won for best leading actress and frank langellas denouncement of hate   it was the right role for fashion to play
sure a few designers represented joseph altuzarra dao yi chow and maxwell osborne of public school and dkny zac posen and some models were in attendance joan smalls jourdan dunn liya kebede but over all the look could best be characterized as ponytail black tie high elegance worn with a laid back line or red carpet without the ad campaign stuffing
there were exceptions diane lanes vintage zebra stripe dazzle camouflage jumpsuit which made her look as if she had taken a wrong turn on her way to the set of wild kingdom ms erivos all in gold ruffle tiered side cut out extravaganza but renee elise goldsberrys strapless buttercup oscar de la renta with jet embroidery her hair up in an elastic band pretty much encapsulated the tone
after all oprah did the fancy ponytail plus gown look too so did audra mcdonald and so did mr miranda well minus the gown whose show hamilton was the big winner of the night
otherwise the trends were red laura michelle kelly in zac posen with a sort of bustle at the back jane krakowski in sequined michael kors glenn close in paule ka and an inexplicable red santa claus tux momentarily on mr corden and yellow lucy liu in sparkling butter halter neck zuhair murad danai gurira in cool rosie assoulin with a peekaboo diamond cutout at the breastbone tuxedos in blues from midnight to dawn were omnipresent as worn by mark strong and josh groban among many others
what else claire danes debuted a black bias cut satin slither hot off the racks of narciso rodriguezs resort collection unveiled last week there were select flowers in the form of laura benantis lace oscar de la renta and sophie okonedos off the shoulder zac posen jacquard shoulders were the focal point of the night also bared by lupita nyongo in a mosaic boss gown
cate blanchett and michelle williams went high runway in louis vuitton ms blanchett in a black leather breastplate over a black and white lace and silk collage dress ms williams in long ruched white mousseline covered in micro paillettes and tavi gevinson went high rockabilly and short hemline in coach the silver fringe alberta ferretti flapper frock that adrienne warren chose had a noteworthy flare ditto akosua busias head wrap
but one accessory was ubiquitous on lapels and gowns alike a twist of silver ribbon designed by mr long worn in solidarity with the victims of orlando and a visual reminder that as mr manuel said nothing here is promised not one day
it was the single most resonant fashion statement of the night


london   the designer paul smith was contemplating whether britain would leave the european union as he stood in the basement of his albemarle street store on thursday night the eve of the spring 2017 season of the london collections men shows
i suppose whatever will be will be the designer said of the june 23 national referendum but if it does happen then you and i can still sit down and have a drink together our lives will go on
the designer was hosting the opening event of the show schedule a party celebrating 40 years of punk and showcasing work by the british photographer derek ridgers whose black and white photographs documenting the era lined the shop walls
long term the whole world wont end although in the short term of course the effects of an exit would hit a lot of people mr smith continued but ultimately it is still too soon to say what will happen or what the outcome will be
the designers sentiments on brexit as the referendum is called here might as well have been burbexit the decision by burberry britains largest luxury brand by sales to leave the mens show schedule it said in february that it would combine its mens and womens wear shows and display the result in september during the traditional womens wear week
so the brief era of burberrys blockbuster mens show held on monday as the climactic anchor of the four day event and a major draw for the worlds biggest buyers and editors is now over a low key cocktail party took its place this season hosted by christopher bailey its chief executive and chief creative officer on friday night in the burberry flagship store on regent street
this shift in direction along with the decisions by a number of other brands to present their mens collections off the official schedule or in a mixed gender format prompted fresh musings about the future of london collections men from the front rows of its shows this weekend now in its ninth season the four day event organized by the british fashion council will feature 57 designers down from 65 in january and from 77 last june
i dont think a dedicated mens wear event here will disappear because of the burberry decision susie lau the british blogger known as susie bubble said as she sheltered from the rain outside the jw anderson show on sunday yes there is a lot of uncertainty at the moment but the strength of london has always been in its young avant garde design talents and i think people recognize that all the same faces both local and international are still here
lulu kennedy the founder of the talent incubator fashion east which held presentations of young designers work on saturday afternoon added that she believed those truly interested in progressive fashion would continue to come to london and to the pitti uomo trade fair in florence italy which takes place the week after the london mens shows
personally i only go to a handful of shows at lcm which interest me she said as lcm has grown over the years there does seem to be a lot of filler doesnt there
some streamlining and compromising is going to have to happen which is a good thing and im open to these conversations and ready to adapt accordingly so that our young designers get seen and bought ms kennedy continued
grace wales bonner who presented her first stand alone show titled ezekiel on sunday afternoon also stressed the citys position as a creative hub for mens wear i grew up in london so i am proud to be able to present here she said london feels like the natural place to explore the space between tradition and modernity
nevertheless changes are quietly afoot dylan jones chairman of london collections men and editor of british gq told reporters on friday that next season the events name would become london fashion week mens
as the fashion industry changes we need to open our doors and become more consumer facing mr jones explained noting the increase in the number of designers selling their styles right off the runway as well as those combining their mens and womens shows on saturday jermyn street the home of such prestigious mens wear brands as hilditch  key and turnbull  asser became a catwalk open to the public where more than 30 local brands showed their current wares
back in the basement mr smith applauded the changes taking place in the industry   and the alternate approaches some brands have been adopting
everyone is searching for something at the moment in this world where we are totally oversupplied overstocked and where it feels like everything has been done before he said a lot of companies are reassessing their size and costs as they realize that in order to survive in this current climate character and originality above all else need to shine through


london   what does it mean to dress like a man this is the essential question of every mens wear season increasingly complex as the wider conversation around gender fluidity has filtered down and out onto the catwalks
indeed it is probably not coincidence that just before the london collections men that began friday channel 4 in britain broadcast all man a much discussed television series written and hosted by grayson perry the award winning potter and broadcaster and one of the countrys best known cross dressers mr perry has been exploring the relationship between identity sex and the power of personal style in various art forms including clothing for years
as a lifelong sissy myself i have never felt at ease amongst macho men he announced at the start of the series before putting himself in the midst of various stereotypical male social tribes like cage fighters prisoners gang members and bankers
after each encounter he would create an artwork in response culminating in the final episode with a 22 foot tall glazed ceramic phallus in the image of the city of londons bankers featuring photographic transfers of bank notes and stencils of the face of george osborne the chancellor of the exchequer
still as the morning sun streamed down through the skylights of his north london studio on a friday in may mr perry was reluctant to play dress up
i started cross dressing at the age of 12 and it used to be something i did purely for pleasure said mr perry in a navy t shirt and paint splattered gray chinos i would go months without doing it
the whole process takes hours he said and frankly now is something entirely bound up to my work or social engagements that i have to do at least once a week of course i wouldnt do it if i wasnt still a bit turned on by it but my transvestitism today is more of an aesthetic exercise than an erotic one
this may be true but by persistently painting and reshaping himself in the same manner as the beautiful and stealthily subversive ceramics on which he first made his reputation mr perry a 56 year old married father of one has also proved himself an astute chronicler of contemporary society
ive explored the idea of default identity for a long time and specifically how the straight white middle class default man has taken control of society said mr perry by way of explaining the tv series adding that the bankers had by far the most negative reaction to the work they inspired men in power have always gone out of their way to obfuscate around identity so it cant be used as a subjective standpoint it was important that someone scrutinized that
he believes that no particular tribe has a monopoly on self awareness and that an emotional numbness continues to define the modern male psyche as many young men are undone by an inability to see themselves as ongoing constantly evolving projects to this end he thinks that the growing acceptance of explorations of gender on catwalks design studios and sidewalks alike is a good thing though not so fast fashion or high street as its known in britain
the top end of fashion is like art but the high street is just horrendous a huge huge industry of churn based on making the average person feel unhappy about what theyve got in their wardrobe he said leaning forward suddenly and placing his palms on the coffee table in front of him
it is so regimented so bland at any one point in time 50 percent of the world is wearing denim like you are now he added staring pointedly
with mens wear it is even worse he said its in the nature of the modern male psyche that men are both the prison guards and the prisoners themselves all eying each other up to make sure they behave speak and dress exactly like other men
himself excepted of course mr perrys flamboyant headline grabbing alter ego claire seems fashioned from a crayola box hued more is more aesthetic that has referenced everything from pantomime housewives to fetish queens and even little bo peep over the years
mr perry is a star within britain whose initial industry ascent came alongside such names as damien hirst tracy emin and the young british artists phenomenon of the 1990s his works regularly sell for millions on the global contemporary art market today shows at major public institutions including the national portrait gallery and british museum have further broadened his popularity
but it was only after he began making television programs in 2005 exploring taste and class two years after winning the prestigious turner prize in 2003 for his pottery that his name really made it into the mainstream
i think grayson perry completely changed the art world in england said stephen jones the milliner with whom alongside the singer boy george mr perry lived a hand to mouth existence after he graduated from portsmouth polytechnic with a degree in fine arts in 1982
many people understand him as being somebody who dresses up in womens clothes mr jones said but grayson is also the person who introduced the world of ceramics the world of tapestry   all these artistic expressions which were once deemed highly unfashionable and that is maybe one of the most exciting things about him
born into a working class family in essex an unaccepting environment for an experimental teenager with cross dressing tendencies mr perry was thrown out of his childhood home an outsider to the art world by virtue of his class and an outsider to conventional society by nature of his transvestism he has taken it upon himself to educate and occasionally provoke the masses
grayson has an astounding ability to speak for the maker the student and the audience of art said nigel carrington vice chancellor of university of the arts london after mr perry was appointed its chancellor last august
mr perry has long taught a fashion course at central saint martins second year students design dresses for him and each year he buys up to 14 outfits before wearing them to high profile events the project is now in its 12th year
we talk about britain as having lost its manufacturing base but we do manufacture an awful lot of students mr perry said it is a huge industry for this country i dont want to be an old fuddy duddy i want to learn about students influences their cultural world how they operate as artists i dont actually think this generation of students is thinking as much about commercial success as previous ones they have this tumblr like attitude to culture today and in how they portray it they all appear committed to not committing
yet for all of his attempts to broaden minds and conceptual conversations about art in the spotlight grayson perry is not a brand that has traveled far beyond british borders there was a retrospective of his work this year at the museum of contemporary art sydney with smaller scale exhibitions in places like istanbul and maastricht the netherlands but he has never had a major show in the united states where he is a relative unknown its something im working on he said
one criticism regularly hurled at him by a barbed art media is that his is a fusty hollow and parochial aesthetic that simply cant translate universally and is largely propped up by his public eloquence wit and theatrics
i am a public figure and this is england so the knives are inevitably out he said anyone here who ever puts their head over the parapet risks getting shot at and it can be a bit scary but i feel like i am on track
he stood up ready to have his picture taken there was finally a whisper of vulnerability behind the polished veneer this is for america right he said i have my bitchy resting face ready where do you want me for my close up


london   did italy fool everyone even themselves about how prepared they were for the european championships
italy coach antonio conte had spoken for months about his teams first opponent belgium and how it had a golden generation of talent that might go all the way and win the tournament at the same time others wrote off contes group of players as italys worst in 50 years
teams should know by now to be wary of italians who come to the party wearing pessimism like a cloak of deception they flatter opponents and lure them in and then strike them down on the field
italys 2 0 win over belgium in lyon france on monday was the first unexpected result of this years euros france germany and spain all won their opening games but the fourth of the pretournament favorites belgium could not
it was more what italy did than what belgium failed to do emanuele giaccherini who was maybe italys fourth choice to play the midfield role epitomized the teams effort on monday with his determination to convert a chance that no one expected him to get
giaccherini stands just a little over 5 foot 5 he is 31 which is par for italys lineup and he spent his past 12 months playing on loan with bologna
he is there because italy no longer has a playmaker like andrea pirlo who instead is counting down his career with new york city fc in major league soccer nor does italy have anyone as creative as alessandro del piero or roberto baggio were for teams of the past
but giaccherinis heart is big and his lungs are sound in the 32nd minute he burst forward perhaps in hope rather than expectation leonardo bonucci whose main job is to defend spotted giaccherinis run through the belgian defense and struck a pass from the halfway line it caught giaccherini in stride and he controlled the ball with his left foot waited maybe half a second for belgiums goalkeeper thibaut courtois to rush toward him and then calmly struck with his right foot for a goal
after that it was down to belgium to prove that it was the sum of its lauded parts where was eden hazard the most gifted of this new generation for belgium where was kevin de bruyne the player described as a mastermind by belgiums injured captain vincent kompany
where indeed was the belgian gold
the answer is that they were outfought outrun and outplayed by the italians ive been repeating from the beginning that this is a group first and foremost of men   and then of footballers coach conte said at the postgame press conference you need an alchemy of people who get on well together and the biggest satisfaction for me tonight is to see how happy they all were including those on the bench
marc wilmots his coaching counterpart for belgium had no answers for the reporters he said his main striker romelu lukaku didnt have a great night and that his main playmaker de bruyne maybe was tired after a long season
tired de bruyne 24 is a decade younger than some of the italians who managed to channel his running into areas where he could not pose a threat unless he is sold hazard 25 will come under contes demanding rule next season when he takes over at chelsea on monday hazards play looked pretty on occasions but it also lacked effort compared to some of the veteran italians
the coach told us we had to prove ourselves on the pitch giaccherini said and today we did we have to know how to suffer how to help each other and be united and compact
one imagines that message is one that wilmots could pin up on the wall of the locker room for the belgians to read and digest
once belgium did gain some momentum after halftime italy regrouped with its customary defense it had elements of none shall pass brusqueness four italians   bonucci giorgio chiellini thiago motta and the striker eder   were more than happy to receive yellow cards for basically denying the belgians the right to run at their defense with the ball
and then in the dying moments of added time at the end graziano pelle volleyed in the second goal just to nail down the message that italy could score with less opportunity than belgium had throughout the night
this second strike similar to what germany did to ukraine the previous day was a message of ruthless finality an indication that experienced winners do not often let opponents off the hook
we have big intentions and our objective remains the same to get into the last 16 concluded conte weve got to be happy today and a bit happy tomorrow and then we have to prepare for sweden because the memory of two years ago remains a wound in our minds
two years ago italy beat england in its first game at the world cup in brazil but lost the next game to costa rica
conte reminded his men of that while wilmots insisted his golden generation is far from done if you make mistakes at this level wilmots told reporters you pay dearly but nothing is lost weve got two games more to reach the knockout stage


times insider delivers behind the scenes insights into how news features and opinion come together at the new york times
when news breaks editors must decide quickly how much coverage to give it is the story important what are the broader implications will the situation get worse
in a digital age new information comes quickly our job is to respond to it just as fast stories are updated photos are added details are swapped in then homepage editors give it increasing prominence on the website and apps to cue in readers to its importance
the gif above shows how the timess treatment of the orlando shooting evolved as we learned more and discovered the scope of the horror
as you can see from the gif it went in stages as our reporters on the ground began to understand the immensity of the tragedy ian fisher the timess weekend editor said the day was directed by julie bloom the weekend deputy who was one of the few people in the newsroom as the story was first breaking as the initial sketchy details came in she published it as a small story in the middle column then it became the main story on the site then we went to what we call a banner headline which goes above the picture and is usually the largest headline
in this case though we needed to show more mr fisher continued we stripped two lines of all capital text across the entire homepage moving down the opinion section thats exceedingly rare   it happens once or twice a year at most and except for elections its never news you might welcome
steve kenny a senior editor on the news desk had finished his shift an hour before the story broke   and returned to the office to help with the coverage he explains how times editors handled the story


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1 a fuller picture of the orlando attack emerged the citys mayor explained the decision to send a swat team into the gay club under siege early sunday saying that the gunman omar mateen was threatening to strap bombs to hostages it was not clear whether he had explosives the fbi asked the public to help in tracing his history and movements

2 more republican politicians were under scrutiny over their attitudes toward gays on tuesday anderson cooper the cnn anchor who has made a point of representing the gay perspective in coverage of the attack grilled the floridas attorney general above over her fight against same sex marriage democrats took over the us senate floor on wednesday shortly after 11 am and held it into the early hours of thursday morning arguing for stricter gun control measures donald trump set up a meeting with the nra to discuss an initiative that it has rejected banning gun sales to people on terrorist watch lists

3 a few miles southwest of orlando a family was in shock after a heartbreaking loss the remains of a 2 year old boy dragged away by an alligator tuesday night were found he had been playing by his parents and 4 year old sister at an artificial lake at a disney resort by the magic kingdom theme park

4 our special report examines the failings of the world anti doping agency which has been overwhelmed by doping scandals involving russia the agency hamstrung by conflicting allegiances has been lax in following up on reports of corruption and doping when this olympic medalist wrote to wada in 2012 offering to reveal details of russias systematic doping the agency turned the email over to russian officials who themselves were said to be implicated in the cheating

5 what could have been a new york nightmare turned into a lesson in whats right with the world a man who fainted in the subway and plummeted to the tracks was rescued by strangers who leaped down to lift him out without even knowing the person who he is no matter what denomination he subscribes to said a witness it was beautiful to see

6 the federal reserve did not raise its benchmark interest rate instead it acknowledged that the us economy remained weak and dialed back forecasts for future increases the labor market appears to have slowed down and we need to assure ourselves that the underlying momentum in the economy has not diminished the fed chairwoman janet yellen said

7 a much anticipated film hits theaters thursday our reviewer says that finding dory is not at the level of its forerunner pixars 2003 masterpiece finding nemo but he writes what dory lacks in dazzling originality it more than makes up for in warmth charm and good humor analysts forecast a blockbuster box office for the opening weekend that could top 100 million

8 one of our best read stories today asks whether netflix can survive the world it created networks and studios once grateful for its streaming fees now see the company as an existential threat theyre developing competitive platforms and charging more for streaming rights forcing netflix to chase more subscribers and raise fees netflix is caught in an arms race they invented as one analyst put it above the companys ceo reed hastings

9 the us took a major step toward including women in the draft after intense debate the senate approved a broad military bill that included a requirement for young women to register for selective service when they turn 18 just as 18 year old men must a struggle with the house lies ahead since its version of the bill did not include the draft provision

10 mayor bill de blasio believes ferries can ease new york citys commuting hassles hes putting more than 325 million of the citys budget surplus into a municipal fleet that he predicts will eventually carry 45 million passengers a year among the five boroughs our aim is to make this thing as big as possible a deputy mayor said no guts no glory

11 finally good news for the frequently caffeinated a special panel of the world health organization dropped its classification of coffee as a possible carcinogen saying instead that drinking coffee regularly could help protect against uterine and liver cancer that accords with a large body of research showing that coffee can have a multitude of benefits lowering rates of heart disease type 2 diabetes and neurological disorders not to mention getting us to work on time

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in this episode of modern love the podcast the actress alysia reiner orange is the new black how to get away with murder reads the modern love essay those arent fighting words dear about a woman who chooses not to react when her husband tells her i dont love you anymore im not sure i ever did
you can also hear the episode on itunes and stitcher
the 2009 essay was written by laura a munson the best selling author of this is not the story you think it is and the founder of haven retreats you can follow her on twitter instagram and facebook
ms reiner is on twitter instagram and facebook she is filming season 1 of better things for fx which debuts this fall and michael showalters new series search party ms reiner also starred with the emmy winner anna gunn in equity the first female driven wall street film which she also produced and introduced at the sundance film festival in january


child soldiers abductions infant mortality earthquakes caches of kalashnikovs   in teenage hands
shortages of food water electricity hospitals where surgeons operate without water gloves antibiotics or soap
during his first months on the job the timess andes bureau chief nicholas casey experienced a full spectrum of disasters
in this podcast nick who is stationed in caracas venezuela but was briefly in new york talks about his experience in and reporting on a country on the brink of collapse
highlights of the discussion include nicks description of the week he spent at a jungle camp with members of the revolutionary armed forces of colombia or farc a guerrilla group that has been engaged in a 50 year conflict with the government during which more than 220000 lives have been lost
nick got to the remote camp by small rental plane motorcycle and on horseback and was most surprised not by the outfits militarism but by their 1960s style ethos of free love not what youd expect from marxist leninist guerrillas he says
nicks remarks provide a sharp birds eye view of a times foreign correspondent in action
susan lehman is host


when the magazine published my article on how my husband and i navigated selecting a school for our daughter in new york city   one of the most segregated school systems in the country   it certainly touched a nerve since it went online last thursday it has garnered hundreds and hundreds of comments emails facebook shares and twitter conversations
its clear that people felt compelled to share criticize and consider the arguments put forth in the article and discuss their own school decisions and mine below are some comments and questions from readers with responses from me
segregated is most definitely a poor word choice it has a connotation implying that the lack of diversity in new york city schools is imposed by law how is a predominantly latino school in a predominantly latino neighborhood segregated the school demographic is based on who lives in the neighborhood new york city has had specifically ethnic neighborhoods since its birth to use the term segregated is dangerous if you dont like the schools in a particular neighborhood choose another neighborhood that suits your needs better margaret elizabeth
some readers objected to my use of the word segregation to describe schools in new york city that are almost entirely black and latino they believe that segregation occurs only when mandated by law but both legally and culturally we have always recognized varying forms of segregation   de jure by law and de facto by fact in the north the lines between de jure and de facto segregation have long been muddied because while laws requiring segregation were not common as my article points out segregation still often resulted from the intentional and discriminatory policies and actions of public officials to say that the segregation in new york city or any city is simply a result of individual housing choices assumes a free and open housing market where people can simply choose where they want to live we have never had a free and open housing market in this country and that is why it was important for me to show the story of the farragut houses and how federal and local policy constrained the choices of black and puerto rican residents and how it socially engineered housing segregation where it did not exist before
further we know from record lending discrimination settlements in the last decade and from fair housing testing done by the federal department of housing and urban development and many other agencies that potential black and latino home buyers still face rampant discrimination when trying to move into communities with better opportunities for readers who want to understand the history of housing segregation in this country and particularly how the segregation experienced by black americans is different from that experienced by italians polish irish and other immigrant groups id suggest the book american apartheid by douglas s massey and nancy a denton
another times school desegregation article ignoring asian students why ms hannah jones do asian students thrive equally well in either a segregated or integrated setting sean fort lee nj
id need a lot more space than this to address why the experience of asian americans as a whole is different from black students the history of a group of people brought here as slaves for whom the entire american racial caste system was built is necessarily going to be very different from the experience of a group who chose to immigrate to this country though americans like to group everyone who is not white together different racial groups have always had vastly different experiences in this country there is a reason most school desegregation law does not address asian students but to try to sum it up quickly asian americans by and large are the most integrated of all racial groups in this country both in terms of housing and schools and they are the most likely to live next to and attend schools with white children they do not typically experience the intense segregation that black students face nor are they typically concentrated in high poverty schools with few resources as a result their educational experiences again generally speaking are quite different from those of black and latino students
the author neglects to describe the condition of the three other local public schools she considered in bedford stuyvesant where she lives were these schools so inferior that even ps 307 seemed a better option i suspect so and the author should have come clean about this
im african american and grew up in bedford stuyvesant in the 70s and 80s my parents sent me to private and public schools outside the neighborhood because the local schools were so bad my mother who also grew up in bedford stuyvesant was sent by my grandparents to a parochial school in the neighborhood and then a public high school outside the neighborhood my four children all born and raised in bedford stuyvesant were sent to a wonderful independent montessori school in cobble hill my point being that middle class black residents of bedford stuyvesant seeking better educational opportunities for their children have been abandoning the neighborhood public schools since the 1960s this history coupled with recent gentrifiers continuing the tradition of not sending their children to the local public schools reveals that this is more of a class phenomena than it is a race thing
im sure the author doesnt want to appear culpable like me and many other residents who have abandoned the local bedford stuyvesant public schools for better schools but shes no different sending her child to a better though still predominantly black school in another neighborhood reveals that she is just like the rest of us edepass croton on hudson ny
in case it was not clear in the article my husband and i applied to three neighborhood bedford stuyvesant schools in addition to ps 307 which actually had lower test scores than the three neighborhood schools the reason we picked ps 307 as our first choice was simple mathematics we did not want to pay for another year of preschool and ps 307 had 100 prekindergarten seats while our neighborhood schools had between 16 and 32 before sibling preferences ps 307 offered us better odds had we gotten into one of the other schools instead najya would be in a neighborhood school
with that said i understand why parents make a different choice than i did this article was not intended to separate myself from other parents there are certainly black and white and asian and latino parents in this city who have made similar choices as my husband and me and many who did not what i did hope to do was get people to grapple more with those choices to think about the role of public education and to open their eyes to the devastating consequences for those families who have the least choice
and quickly i think its important to point out that as much as wed like to negate the role of race we simply cant it is true that the problems facing the new york city public schools are those of both race and class mounds of research shows that race has its own effect if class were the only issue there are enough poor white children in this country to have schools that are poor and integrated but that is not the case in fact what we know is that the typical poor white family lives in a wealthier neighborhood than a middle class black family and therefore is more likely to have access to middle class schools than middle class black families
dear nikole
thank you for your article on school segregation we are living a similar experience here in philadelphia where our son is one of a small but growing number of white andor middle class kids heavily concentrated in the younger grades at our neighborhood public school where about 85 percent of the overall population comes from economically disadvantaged families it is frankly a school we did not envision sending our future children to when we bought our house nearly nine years ago despite it being down the block then we went inside got involved and were thrilled to find that the school is amazing and a wonderful fit for our family
we are in the school zone catchment next to a school that is predominantly white and affluent drives higher property values and has developed a tradition of parental engagement and financial investment this year for the first time some of these families are being redirected to our school because of overcrowding there are so many nuances opportunities and challenges and we are lucky to have an amazing and clearheaded principal to navigate the local landscape basically we cannot do anything about the other schools overcrowding which is likely to impact us so for now we keep our focus on improving our thriving school and building our community
in this light i have been working with others to lead community engagement and get families and other community members to walk through the doors and see the school for themselves we have a small mixed income and diverse pocket of the city   the catchment is only 25 square blocks   where conventional wisdom among families that can choose otherwise is not to even look at the neighborhood school this is true but rapidly changing for many schools in philadelphia especially around center city
we love our school we love our kids teachers and his friends and he delights in seeing them around the neighborhood the idea is to have the school reflect our neighborhood but i think a lot about how that happens responsibly respectfully and for everyone over the next few years what we and other families have started with the best of intentions is likely to snowball more and more white andor middle class families with prekindergarten age kids are showing interest also no matter the eventual solution for the adjacent catchment schools overcrowding redrawing lines lotteries etc our school will be impacted
reading your story felt like reading our own in a way and it very much spoke to me so thank you thank you thank you ben schindler philadelphia
i have heard from so many families who have wrestled with these choices and i commend you i think your concerns about the unintended consequences of your school possibly gentrifying show just how hard building and maintaining an integrated equitable system will be but it is worth the work
i loved your piece there were so many echoes of my own familys journey twenty years ago my wife mari matsuda and i decided to send our children to our local public school in washington dc which was 96 percent black two weeks ago our daughter kimiko graduated from harvard college   phi beta kappa and summa cum laude   and is still a young freedom fighter and activist artist i wrote about the early years of our experience in a yale law journal article titled forbidden conversations thank you again for all of your thoughtful brave and loving writing thank your husband too id love the chance to meet you both if you are ever in hawaii please look us up and we will have you over for dinner charles lawrence
these are the types of stories that make this reporting worth it and that tell me what i know logically but worry about emotionally   that my daughter will be just fine and that enrolling her in the ps 307 was the right thing to do and if we are ever in hawaii wed love to meet you too


i think the descriptor we used for the video was weimar acid trip says elizabeth bougerol the lead singer of the jazz collective the hot sardines of the visual accompaniment to when i get low i get high an ella fitzgerald cover thats the centerpiece of the bands new album french fries and champagne as we were brainstorming what exactly we meant by that our director alex peacock brought us these rorschach blotch smoke puffs and created fantasia style animations of the band and we were off and running
both the song and video also prominently feature someone who knows a thing or two about weimar fantasy the actor alan cumming who won a tony for his portrayal of the mc in cabaret back in 1998 bougerol and the groups co founder and bandleader evan palazzo got in touch with cumming through their producer eli wolf who reached out about a collaboration only to find that cumming was already a fan of the bands work he said yes immediately bougerol says he knew the song and dug into it with the same verve he brings to everything
its a deceptively peppy cut whose melancholic lyrics are offset by a swingy horn line and the give and take of cummings and bougerols vocal parts for bougerol who was educated at the london school of economics and worked as a travel writer before founding the band the song has a feminist appeal too it was written by the actress and lyricist marion sunshine one of the only female songwriters of her era you didnt hear many tunes written by women nearly a hundred years ago much less ones with these kinds of subversive themes bougerol says so we wanted to call that out with the extra twist of alan cumming singing lyrics originally written from a female perspective
the video shot in black and white with occasional splashes and plumes of vivid illustrated color plays off the natural chemistry bougerol and cumming discovered while creating it we wanted something a little darker and abstract with alan as a kind of puck figure at the center of this woozy fever dream bougerol says   but all figured out on the fly we shot very fast in a studio that shares a bathroom with the epoch times offices you had to go through their kitchen where thered be a dozen chinese women chopping carrots and chicken feet for this massive staff meal and theyd freeze as i teetered through on my insane 6 inch heels in full makeup so this videos for them


ask the times a times insider feature draws on new york times staff members expertise to answer questions about current events science sports culture and whatever else is making headlines
a reader asks an obit for the woman who invented the beehive hairdo how did that come about
bruce weber the times reporter who penned it responds
margaret vinci heldt was a natural subject for a times obituary she created something that affected the culture and carved out a place for itself in social history   just about a texbook definition for changing the world no as for how it came about i cant say that we keep an eye on famous hairdressers who have lived beyond their prime and im afraid we cant claim in this instance anyway to have mined any secret resources to learn of ms heldts death she was a chicagoan the chicago sun times published her obituary which is where we in the department read about it the associated press also ran a brief item i will note that the editors were going to give the obit to another writer because as one of them said to me it isnt exactly in your wheelhouse but then i reminded him that four years ago i had written the obituary of vidal sassoon   on deadline
one famous beehive left unrecognized in the obit was perhaps the tallest one of all marge simpsons
and the b 52s the new wave rock band whose members wore the style posted our obit of ms heldt on their facebook page with the message whatever would we have done without her ourhero ournamesake oddly enough some people refer to the beehive as the b 52 ostensibly because its shape is similar to that of the nose of a b 52 bomber aircraft
have a question for ask the times submit it using the form below


instead of a stateside getaway for the long july 4 weekend why not get into a different kind of american spirit by heading to south america
courtney regan a south america specialist at brownell travel an agency in san francisco says that in july the continent offers a variety of trips for every kind of traveler you have fabulous skiing this year because there is plenty of snow or can go hiking or visit wineries she said and because its not the peak travel season there the prices are lower and youre going to get good value for your money
below are six packages to south america bookable over july 4
  ski trip outfitter powderquest has a four night skiing package in bariloche a city in the foothills of the andes mountains in argentina travelers can choose to stay at either the three star las marianas hotel in the town of bariloche or the four star pire hue lodge a ski in ski out property within the nearly 3000 acre cerro catedral ski resort and also receive four days of lift tickets and airport transfers prices are 1200 a person for the three star property and 1400 a person for the four star
  vina vik an 11000 acre luxury resort and winery in millahue chile about a two hour drive from santiago airport has a three day package over july 4 that includes a guided tour of the winery followed by a tasting a chocolate and wine pairing class a horseback riding trip through the surrounding valleys a half day of foraging followed by a cooking class with the executive chef rodrigo acuna bravo a traditional south american barbecue lunch and a spa treatment prices from 730 per person per day inclusive of all meals and activities
  the travel company upscape is offering the ultimate south america skiing  riding tour heli ski cat ski  chiles top resorts a five day trip where travelers visit three ski resorts   la parva valle nevado and portillo   and also spend a day heli skiing and at ski arpa a resort where they go cat skiing they are transported to deep powder in a snowcat 6222 a person inclusive of luxury accommodations some meals lift tickets heli skiing cat skiing and ground transportation
  the alto atacama desert lodge  spa in chiles atacama desert has a three night package offered in july when the days are warm and sunny but the evenings are chilly where guests can take excursions to flamingo studded salt flats lunarlike landscapes of salt mountains and sand dunes the worlds highest geyser fields and natural hot springs come evening the deserts clear skies are prime for stargazing prices from 1892 per person inclusive of ground transportation lodging excursions and all meals and beverages
  for active travelers mountain lodges of peru a network of eight lodges in peru has the five day lares adventure which includes five daily hikes with a guide that lead to machu picchu the trip takes guests along the sacred valley of the incas and the lares trail and includes stops at local villages along the way available from june 28 to july 4 prices from 2250 a person inclusive of accommodations and meals at each lodge
  the belmond hotel das cataratas inside iguazu national park in brazil and a short walk away from the renowned iguazu falls has the enjoy cataratas offer over july 4 where guests who book four nights or more get 25 percent off their room rate rates begin at 358 after the discount and include breakfast


earlier this month the istanbul international arts and culture festival known as ist festival brought together an eclectic mix of international artists and fashion folk for a three day program of symposia film screenings and live performances but for three women of the fendi family the festival also presented a rare opportunity to reunite for a family trip
for silvia venturini fendi   the third generation designer at the historic roman house   and her daughters the jewelry designer delfina delettrez fendi and leonetta luciano fendi who is based in london family get togethers are limited to their yearly vacation in their holiday home on the italian island of ponza delfina has attended three out of the five festivals since its inception in 2010   and suggested that her mother take part in this years event every time delfina returned from the festival she looked so happy so i thought why not says silvia adding that the weekend also allowed them to explore their ancestral roots this city means something to us as a family it is said that many generations ago we were turkish
both generations present felt an immediate affinity with istanbul i love cities with water   i am roman and turkish and water is very important water gives me energy says silvia who has been to the city only once before with her own mother when she was a child i do feel there is something in my dna something reconnecting adds delfina
outside of the busy festival program which saw the fendis dining dancing and enjoying a sunset boat ride down the bosphorus with the artist jose parla the actress parker posey and sonic youths thurston moore the trio found time to take in such majestic sites as the hagia sofia and the blue mosque as well as stock up on local loot delfina sought out the celebrated turkish jeweler sevan bicakci and took home a hoard of carpets at the grand bazaar while her mother unfortunately found herself face to face with fendi counterfeits i had to look away silvia says with resignation still the visual opulence of the metropolis and its artistic traditions proved to be inspiring we are both very visual says delfina nodding toward her mother we really wanted to seek out the same things on this trip so its been easy


sam sifton emails readers of cooking seven days a week to talk about food and suggest recipes that email also appears here to receive it in your inbox register here
good morning theres a brand new cooking guide up on cooking this morning how to make pancakes theres excellent instruction in it for beginning cooks and good actionable intel for experts as well just taking a run through it today at lunchtime may suggest recipes youll want to make as soon as tomorrow morning or for breakfast this coming weekend heres hoping
for dinner tonight im thinking that a smoky bowl of braised kale would be nice either alongside melissa clarks recipe for grilled sweet and spicy chicken breasts or to accompany mac and cheese or just to eat with rice
you dont need a recipe and you could make the dish with collards if you like or any big leafy green place a big heavy bottomed pot with a lid over medium high heat and put a few glugs of olive oil in it when the oil shimmers saute a diced onion and a few cloves of minced garlic in it until they soften then hit the mixture with a couple of tablespoons of tomato paste and a good heavy shake of smoked paprika if you have any regular paprika if you dont
stir that together and cook until it all begins to darken then add a couple of cups of stock or water to the mix along with a splash of red wine vinegar as it comes to a boil add to the pot as many stemmed and chopped greens as you need to feed your crowd and cover the pot to steam stir the mixture a few times as the greens soften then season with salt pepper and red pepper flakes and serve holy moly its fine
or how about melissas recipe for stir fried beef and sugar snap peas or tara parker popes recipe for a springtime spaghetti carbonara i like a midweek salmon burger sometimes it has been an exhausting week thus far you may prefer martha rose shulmans recipe for a frisee salad with a poached egg on top
maybe you need some recipes for iftar the breaking of the days ramadan fast julia moskins recipe for dates and chopped pistachios is a good place to start tunde weys vegan take on jollof rice isnt shabby either and if you have the time david taniss recipe for spicy corn pakoras with mango tamarind chutney is flavorful and filling and good
you can find many more things to cook tonight on cooking of course check out this cool new recipe for sichuan chicken from chris buckley in chengdu china which accompanies his report from the capital of sichuan cuisine save the recipes youre interested in cooking to your recipe box - and then cook them when youre done you can rate your work on a scale of one to five stars and if you have a note to leave about preparation or ingredient substitution you can do that as well
as always if you run into trouble with the technology or the recipes you can reach us at cookingcarenytimescom were here to serve or you can find me on twitter and facebook pinterest and instagram where i struggle to answer questions and field comments in something approaching real time
now if youre going to read one poem this terrible week make it allen ginsbergs howl you could rewrite that a little no the way romero gomez riffed on david hockneys los angeles paintings but with a new moloch with different pain its something to think about over dinner anyway see you soon


the 29 women sitting in the former dining room of a historic upper east side townhouse reflected flags from across the world some were naturalized citizens from mexico vietnam the democratic republic of congo others were first generation americans with roots in sri lanka or china
addressing the group on friday sayu bhojwani founder of the new american leaders project which helps train people of immigrant heritage to run for public office let loose a battle cry ladies she said this is what american leadership looks like
with that she sent the prospective candidates off to hone their messages claim their stories and network for a full weekend
it was the first all female training for the national organization which ms bhojwani the first commissioner of immigrant affairs under mayor michael r bloomberg founded five years ago in new york the program included only a few women who planned to run in the next year most were considering races ranging from school board to city council sometime in the next five years
among the participants were 12 new yorkers including alejandra sorto 28 who escaped violence in el salvador twice to move to long island and became a united states citizen last year shabana sharif 33 an indo guyanese muslim who grew up in richmond hill queens and amanda farias 26 from a large dominican puerto rican family in the south bronx who is planning to run for city council next year
ms farias did not think the political climate of hostility swirling around women and immigrants would stop her or anyone else in the room i think this is the moment ms farias 26 said she has worked for councilwoman elizabeth s crowley a queens democrat the last three years if its not now then it will be never
melissa mark viverito of manhattan the first latina speaker of the city council and representative grace meng of queens the first asian american representative from new york state spoke about the burden and pride of these firsts at the conferences opening panel both are democrats appropriately the conference was held at the home where franklin d and eleanor roosevelt once lived
ms meng who grew up in the bayside neighborhood said she still marveled how during her first campaign for the state assembly a woman approached her to say she did not know ms meng spoke english and that was in queens ms meng said eliciting wows of disbelief from the audience
ignorance persists ms meng said relating how a congressional colleague recently asked her what currency was used in puerto rico but more alarming she said is the super offensive rhetoric now emanating from one person
thats really terrifying ms meng added we need to combat hate speech   we are all american
ms mark viverito named the person donald j trump the presumptive republican presidential nominee who has said he wants to build a wall to keep mexican immigrants out and has proposed banning muslims from entering the country she said he had spurred many latinos to register to vote against him this climate she said should be galvanizing for female leaders
we dont have enough women in elected office ms mark viverito said adding that only 14 of the 51 council members are women compared with 18 a decade ago its not a good reflection of us in the city
after the opening remarks trainers facilitated discussions of american values identity and xenophobia as well as fund raising the weekend built toward the saturday afternoon development of stump speeches in small groups invited elected officials and staff members gave gentle critiques of the participants performance less american idol than new american aspirant
some women were poised and ready to deliver others looked nervously at their notes almost all forgot to repeat their names at the end and tell people to vote for them
one of the judges was councilman carlos menchaca a democrat from sunset park brooklyn and the first mexican american elected official in new york once a graduate of this same training he is now a board member of new american leaders project
mr menchaca said that when he first started his own training to run he did not realize that there was a formula to giving a stump speech the key was to make it look as though there was none
the goal of the speech is not to solve all the worlds problems he told six women in his group its to connect to people
samelys lopez 36 an affordable housing activist who once lived with her mother in a homeless shelter spoke of being teased by schoolchildren for that and of finding a new life in the bronx thanks to governmental assistance
mr menchaca urged her to relate her experience to current events
homelessness in new york city is an epidemic a problem that everyones feeling right now he said if you can summon the city feeling in your own story that not a lot of people can do that will make a connection
ms lopez who graduated from barnard college and earned a masters degree from new york universitys robert f wagner graduate school of public service is planning to run for democratic district leader in the 78th district in the bronx this fall she first must collect 500 signatures to qualify for the ballot
ms lopez said she wanted to further the liberal movement after campaigning for bernie sanders she was surprised how many latino and black residents in the south bronx said they were voting for mr trump
the same issues that bothered them   poverty inequality lack of educational resources   these are progressive values ms lopez said i told them you have more in common with us
she said she was born in puerto rico and her mother an immigrant from the dominican republic without a high school diploma worked in a sewing factory in new york were hardworking people we have pride in where we come from ms lopez said isnt that what being american is the power of overcoming adversity and being the best you can be with little resources
at times the training took on the air of a sorority meeting   a room full of young women clapping in unison to show attention and snapping their fingers to show affirmation
other times it felt like a support group with women telling their familys painful story of immigration of abuse of resilience tears fell and napkins were passed
as the conference was winding to a close on sunday ms bhojwani stepped out of the room encouraged and yet concerned
what this affirms is that if women have a space where their voices are validated they will speak out she said
the thing that im struggling with is how can we take this affirmation and strength and solidarity that a womens only space provides and carry that into spaces that are coed


denver   it had to be nostalgic for joe girardi when he arrived at coors field on tuesday in the other dugout was colorado manager walt weiss who developed a close friendship with girardi when they were members of the expansion franchise and helped the rockies to the playoffs in 1995 their third season
those were the days before baseballs were placed in humidors and when the thin mountain air the canyon like outfield gaps and bulked up hitters made the place a horror house for pitchers
but girardi was surely reminded of those no lead is safe evenings when the rockies outlasted the yankees 13 10 on tuesday night
the yankees rallied from a 12 3 deficit with seven runs in the eighth inning and they had the tying run on base when didi gregorius who earlier in the game had hit a three run homer grounded out against reliever jason motte to end the inning
the rockies added to their cushion in the bottom of the eighth when carlos gonzalez blasted a home run to center field off andrew miller it was the third home run of the night for the rockies including a 454 foot homer by trevor story deep over the center field wall the rockies had five other extra base hits
carlos estevez the rockies seventh reliever of the game pitched a drama free ninth to finally finish the yankees off sending them to their third consecutive loss the 13 runs the yankees allowed were a season high
this is a crazy place to play girardi said if youve got a 10 run lead youd like to say you feel pretty good about it but thats not always the case here
the yankees found themselves fighting uphill against colorado starter jorge de la rosa who continued his mastery of the yankees who must be thankful that they rarely see him in the american league temporarily banished to the bullpen last month de la rosa improved to 4 0 against the yankees and he has not given up a run in 22 innings in four career starts against them
the yankees did not get a similar outing from nathan eovaldi he was outstanding in winning five consecutive starts in may but eovaldi has allowed 16 runs in his last three starts
eovaldi has had trouble with his split fingered fastball in all three starts thats his big pitch girardi said thats the pitch that he gets swings and misses right now hes struggling with it
when de la rosa left gregorius provided a brief spark lining a two out full count three run homer to right that brought the yankees to within 6 3 in the sixth aaron hicks followed with a single before pinch hitter alex rodriguez grounded out carlos beltran who leads the yankees with 16 home runs was unavailable after waking up with a swollen left knee he had the knee drained and is unlikely to play on wednesday
but the rockies pushed across three more runs against kirby yates and richard bleier in the bottom of the sixth and added three more in the seventh against bleier two scoring on daniel descalsos triple that 12 3 lead was a necessary surplus
the yankees rally in the eighth had an unusual element especially here the yankees simply strung a series of singles together   eight in all along with a hit by pitch
obviously when youre down nine runs you need to hit a lot said chase headley who was here with the padres when the rockies scored three runs in the bottom of the 13th to beat san diego closer trevor hoffman in a one game playoff in 2007 but theres a lot of real estate to get hits
rob refsnyder had two hits in the yankees rally which also included a pinch hit single by ike davis the former met who was making his debut for the yankees


front page
because of an editing error a news analysis article on may 18 about signs that the islamic state is on the defensive in iraq but by no means in its death throes carried an erroneous dateline the reporter tim arango reported from istanbul not baghdad
international
an article on may 17 about the eurovision song contest in which a singer from ukraine unexpectedly upset the odds on favorite a russian referred incorrectly to changes in the contest this year contest organizers changed the way the votes were tabulated votes by viewer polls and by a five member jury in each participating country were presented separately instead of being combined the popular votejury vote system was not introduced this year
new york
because of an editing error an article in some editions on saturday about expectations of a quieter belmont stakes this year misstated the projections for attendance that day while 46000 tickets had been sold as of friday more people were expected to attend the number of attendees was not expected to be 46000 officials later announced that paid attendance was just over 61000 more than 100000 have attended some years
sports
an article in some editions on saturday about san jose sharks goaltender martin jones referred incorrectly to the playoff performances of his teammates logan couture and joe pavelski couture was the postseason leader in points and pavelski was the leader in goals not the other way around

the on boxing column last wednesday about the golden era of the heavyweight division misspelled in some copies the given name of one of muhammad alis opponents he is earnie shavers not ernie

a report in the scoreboard column in some editions on june 4 about the united states mens soccer teams 2 0 loss to colombia in the opening game of the copa america tournament misstated the frequency of the tournament while it has been played the past two years it is not an annual event the tournament has been played at various intervals during its 100 year history
the arts
a theater review on tuesday about the taming of the shrew at the delacorte theater in central park misstated the date the play opened it was monday night not tuesday night

a critics notebook article on saturday about some museum quality shows at art galleries in manhattan misstated a date in the title of the show at the edward tyler fine art gallery it is ed ruscha ribbon words 1966 1973 not 1967 1973 the error was repeated in an accompanying picture caption
science times
the personal health column on tuesday about transgender individuals used an outdated psychiatric term in some editions to refer to feeling a mismatch between ones gender identity and biological sex it is gender dysphoria no longer gender identity disorder

a picture credit on june 7 with an article about a new theory on black holes misstated the photographers middle initial two photographs of several scientists were taken by anna n zytkow not anna m
opinion
an op ed article on friday about the efforts to recall the judge in the stanford rape case misidentified the site of an online recall petition it is changeorg not changecom
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maria sharapova appealed her two year doping ban to the highest court in sports on tuesday and an expedited ruling will be issued next month ahead of the rio de janeiro olympics
sharapova filed an appeal to the court of arbitration for sport in lausanne switzerland seeking to overturn or reduce the suspension imposed by the international tennis federation last week sharapova tested positive for meldonium at the australian open in january having taken it before each match even though the substance was banned at the beginning of 2016
if the suspension is thrown out sharapova will be eligible to compete for russia at the rio games which open aug 5
murray survives at queens club top seeded andy murray of scotland struggled to a 7 6 8 7 6 1 victory over nicolas mahut of france to begin the defense of his title at the aegon championships at the queens club in london
second seeded stan wawrinka lost to the spanish left hander fernando verdasco 6 2 7 6 3
the american mare tepin won the queen anne stakes at the royal ascot in england her first race in europe
trained by mark casse and ridden by julien leparoux the 5 year old tepin won by a half length at 11 2 odds in front of queen elizabeth ii
tepin won the breeders cup mile last year and casse said he was planning to run her there again in november
josh donaldson hit a grand slam and finished with five rbi edwin encarnacion hit a two run homer and the toronto blue jays routed the visiting philadelphia phillies 11 3
donaldson doubled and scored in the first doubled home a run in the second and hit his third career grand slam in the third he reached for a fourth time in the seventh when he walked and scored on encarnacions homer
cubs edge nationals albert almora jr drove in the go ahead run with a ninth inning double dexter fowler had two hits and visiting chicago defeated washington 4 3 to even a three game series between division leaders
longoria keys rays rally evan longoria and corey dickerson had three rbi apiece and tampa bay came back from an early four run deficit to beat the seattle mariners 8 7 in st petersburg fla longorias seventh homer in his past 10 games a three run shot off nick vincent tied it at 7 7 in the seventh
fister propels astros doug fister pitched effectively into the eighth inning and gave houston breathing room with a two run single in a 5 2 victory over the cardinals in st louis fister 7 3 allowed five hits and two runs in seven and a third innings his longest outing of the season to win his sixth consecutive decision
as their contract stalemate with von miller dragged on the denver broncos locked down another key defender signing linebacker brandon marshall to a four year 32 million extension
marshall will make about 25 million in 2016 and his new deal kicks in the next year and runs through 2020
marshall posted back to back 100 tackle seasons for the broncos
anaheim rehired randy carlyle welcoming back the teams only stanley cup winning coach four and a half years after firing him
carlyle replaces bruce boudreau who replaced carlyle on nov 30 2011 and was fired on april 29
carlyle 60 led the ducks to the 2007 stanley cup title
tina charles scored 28 points and sugar rodgers added 18 to help the liberty 6 4 defeat the visiting dallas wings 91 88
charles broke an 85 85 tie with a jumper from the top of the key with 40 seconds remaining after kiah stokess offensive rebound dallas 3 7 had a chance to take the lead but plenette piersons 3 pointer was short and stokes grabbed the rebound with 21 seconds left rodgers hit two free throws a few seconds later to make it a two possession game
the slovak peter sagan maintained the overall lead at the tour de suisse as the argentine maximiliano richeze led a south american one two finish ahead of sagan during the fourth stage
richeze crossed the finish line ahead of his etixx quick step teammate fernando gaviria of colombia with sagan finishing third after a 120 mile run from rheinfelden to champagne switzerland
agence france presse


eduardo vargas and alexis sanchez each scored twice and chile advanced to the copa america quarterfinals with a 4 2 win over panama on tuesday in philadelphia
chile 2 0 1 the defending copa champion will face mexico on saturday in santa clara calif panama 1 0 2 was eliminated
argentina 3 bolivia 0 erik lamela and ezequiel lavezzi scored two minutes apart early in the first half victor cuesta scored his first international goal later in the half and argentina dominated bolivia 3 0 in seattle to win group d
the argentina star lionel messi subbed on at the beginning of the second half for his most extensive playing time since barcelona beat sevilla 2 0 to win the copa del rey on may 22
brazil fires coach brazils soccer confederation fired the national coach dunga in the wake of the teams elimination from the copa america gilmar rinaldi the teams general manager was also fired


orlando fla   the citys civic and religious leaders gathered on tuesday night for prayer and song at the first baptist church of orlando to mourn the 49 victims who died at the pulse nightclub early on sunday
the service began with a salute to members of before you exit the band that performed on friday night at a music venue in orlando where a gunman shot to death the singer christina grimmie after the performance
but pastors   representing black hispanic and white congregations   and the mayor insisted that despite a weekend that had begun with one horror and ended with another orlando would resist being labeled by its latest tragedies
hate will not define us mayor buddy dyer said hate will not defeat us   because we are one orlando united
mr dyer was making a reference to the oneorlando fund created to raise money for the victims of the shooting the mayor said the money would go to nonprofit organizations serving the victims and their families as well as gay hispanic faith and other affected communities the city will also open a family assistance center on wednesday
among those in attendance along with local politicians was cornell william brooks the president of the naacp the crowd gave resounding applause to the citys police chief john mina and county sheriff jerry l demings
a standing ovation went to a young man introduced as joshua who survived the shooting


when the mets arrived back at citi field on tuesday afternoon they were confronted with several notable changes since the last time they were home
to start the outfield grass was discolored and cut up because of a series of beyonce concerts here last week manager terry collins and his players inspected the jagged triangles in the outfield where new patches of sod had yet to take root and tested how the ball might bounce off the seams
the lineup was also conspicuously different kelly johnson acquired from the atlanta braves last wednesday moved back into his old locker in the corner of the mets clubhouse and was playing second base neil walker and michael conforto were on the bench because of injuries a development that had general manager sandy alderson fielding questions before the game about how active the mets might be in upgrading their offense before the trade deadline
nature dictates that the grass should eventually grow into form the mets offense however showed no signs of a breakout their bats silenced in a 4 0 loss to the pittsburgh pirates
our lineup is what it is because thats what we have collins said after the game im not going to sit here and complain about it weve got to get it done
jameson taillon in his second major league start defused the mets lineup allowing two hits in eight innings the mets first hit did not come until curtis granderson led off the seventh with a single
when taillon woke tuesday morning he was a member of the pirates class aaa affiliate in indianapolis by dusk a confluence of events had led him to the citi field mound
after juan nicasio threw 44 pitches in relief friday effectively making him unavailable for his scheduled start tuesday the pirates placed gerrit cole on the disabled list with a right triceps strain to make room for taillon
tommy john surgery and a sports hernia had delayed taillons major league debut until last wednesday when he threw six solid innings against the mets at pnc park
in his first road start taillon looked much more like a cant miss prospect even against a diluted mets lineup
he pitched like a big leaguer collins said
carried by a mischievous curveball and an active fastball taillon retired the first seven batters he faced kevin plawecki was hit by a pitch and taillon walked yoenis cespedes in the fourth inning but otherwise the mets offense was neutralized of the 24 outs collected while taillon was on the mound only one came on a fly ball to the outfield
despite taillons brilliance a more distressing takeaway for the mets was their inability to make solid contact in the game taillon was not overpowering   he struck out five   and after having pitched last week against the mets he was not a complete mystery either
taillon did not try to confuse the mets early he threw all fastballs in the first inning but the mets were muted nonetheless
it started out as establishing the fastball and then they never really adjusted too well off of that taillon said i was commanding it well i was throwing a lot of two seams getting good movement weak contact i didnt really need to get away from it
jacob degrom was almost as stifling shutting the pirates out for the first five innings but with two outs in the sixth he allowed a single to starling marte and jung ho kang sent a fly ball over the center field wall for the first two runs of the game
other than that i felt good out there degrom said i think that was probably the best ive felt on the mound all my pitches were working its kind of frustrating to feel that good and end up giving up two
marte added a two run homer of his own in the eighth inning off reliever jim henderson
taillon had only 91 pitches through eight innings but he had not pitched past the seventh inning all season given taillons injury history pirates manager clint hurdle cautioned against letting him finish the game
while the mets struggle with the uncertainty of assembling a potent lineup in the near future the pirates hope that this is just the beginning for taillon
if he doesnt throw a complete game shutout the rest of his career hurdle said ill wear this one to my grave


bismarck nd   north dakota voters on tuesday rejected a move by the state to loosen its depression era rules prohibiting corporate farming
the north dakota farmers union had led a campaign to overturn the legislatures decision last year to exempt pork and dairy businesses from the ban on corporate farming
supporters of the so called ham and cheese law said it would revitalize dairy and swine farms after years of decline
those who opposed the law criticized it is an invitation to large out of state companies to set up operations in north dakota


denver   if the yankees who have gone through first basemen the way spinal tap went through drummers seem intent on trying to find a first baseman who can stay out of harms way their most recent candidate is a curious one
on tuesday they welcomed into the clubhouse ike davis who needs little introduction to new yorkers
davis a former met saw his once promising career take a turn south on the infield here five years ago when a seemingly innocuous collision with third baseman david wright caused a season ending ankle injury
then came a debilitating bout of valley fever a sudden inability to hit for average a trip to the minors a loss of his spot in the lineup to lucas duda and finally a couple of mediocre seasons in pittsburgh and oakland ending with hip surgery last september
the operation was so extensive that davis was not able to walk for three months he then sprained a knee ligament during spring training
so it was understandable that what left davis so enthusiastic tuesday was simply being back in a big league uniform
every week and every day i started feeling better and better and more confident said davis who exercised an out clause in a minor league deal with texas to sign with the yankees its been a long but rewarding road so far just being healthy and making it back to the big leagues thats really all i can say   that its awesome
the expectations are modest on the yankees part
for davis to stay healthy would not be a bad start just over two months into the season the yankees have lost the first basemen mark teixeira torn knee cartilage greg bird shoulder surgery dustin ackley shoulder surgery and chris parmelee hamstring bird and ackley are out for the season and teixeira could also be if his knee does not respond to rest
parmelee is expected to be out at least a month
the plan for now calls for davis a left handed hitter to share first base with rob refsnyder a right handed hitter who is learning to play the position davis a slick fielder will be a defensive replacement
thats the thing about the game   if youre producing youre going to play manager joe girardi said tuesday before the yankees game against the rockies in which davis pinch hitting had a run scoring single in the eighth inning girardi said he planned to start davis on wednesday against the right hander chad bettis
ill get him in there girardi said and well go from there
in an unsentimental twist neither new york team turned to a familiar face when it needed reinforcements at first base the mets could have turned to davis when duda was injured last month but instead they acquired james loney the yankees signed nick swisher to a minor league contract at the start of the season but did not recall him when injuries to ackley teixeira and parmelee arose
davis said he relished returning to new york   especially to play for the yankees whom his father ron represented in the 1981 all star game
i loved it davis said it was tough obviously because i was going through some really tough times as a baseball player being so young and wanting to do well thinking back besides the year in pittsburgh when we made it to the playoffs i had my best seasons living and enjoying playing   it was in new york
davis 29 now was the mets first round draft choice in 2008 and had a promising debut two years later with 19 home runs and 71 rbi his made for the back pages first name and his being half jewish gave him an identity on a team that was searching for a positive one amid the madoff scandal and on the brink of a management housecleaning general manager omar minaya manager jerry manuel and the scouting director rudy terrasas were all fired
davis started strong in 2011 hitting 302 with a 925 on base plus slugging percentage and 25 rbi through 36 games when he and wright collided near the pitchers mound may 10 at coors field
it was a freak injury said davis who considered the possibility of having microfracture surgery which is sometimes risky it took a whole year to recover   some guys never even come back from that injury
davis has hit 224 since then
it is hard to know how much the injuries   his back locked up at the start of last season   and illness have kept davis from fulfilling his early promise and how much has been because of a lengthy swing that big league pitchers have exploited since his initial success
davis described his swing as quieter now and a little bit shorter he is standing up taller and is not as closed off toward the pitcher but his hands are doing the same thing he is not the pull hitter he once was using more of the field but he does not believe that will prevent him from taking advantage of the alluring right field wall at yankee stadium
my swing has changed like every game since 2012 davis said yeah its different this year i like it a lot better than what ive been doing the last couple of years im excited for a fresh start and hopefully i can help the team in any way possible
at the moment that may be just staying in one piece


greensboro nc   in his first campaign rally since the massacre at a gay nightclub in orlando fla donald j trump again attempted to portray himself as a better friend of lgbt americans than hillary clinton in part because of his opposition to immigration from middle eastern countries
we want to live in a country where gay and lesbian americans and all americans are safe from radical islam mr trump said which by the way wants to murder and has murdered gays and they enslave women
as he did on monday mr trump claimed mrs clintons immigration policies would open the floodgates to jihadists pointing to her plan to increase the number of syrian refugees admitted to the country by 550 percent over president obamas plan
we dont know who they are where theyre coming from theres no documentation mr trump said mrs clintons plan does call for more refugees from syria but also intense vetting processes of which one is already in place
crooked hillary wants to increase these immigration numbers very very substantially he said shes no friend of women and shes no friend of lgbt americans no friend believe me
in the past mr trump has been more accepting of sexual minorities than his partys leaders have been but his particular emphasis on gay and lesbian communities and calls to embrace them even shrouded in caustic comments toward middle eastern immigrants was notable in north carolina which is the epicenter of the debate over transgender bathrooms it should be noted that mr trump still opposes same sex marriage
mr trump said in april that transgender people should use the bathroom they feel is appropriate but later said the issue should be left up to the states
mr trump later recalled a story accusing soldiers of skimming money in iraq also notable in north carolina a state home to fort bragg
iraq crooked as hell mr trump said at the tail end of his normal screed about isis controlling some of the highest grades of oil in the world how about bringing baskets of money millions and millions of dollars and handing it out i want to know who are the soldiers that had that job because i think theyre living very well right now whoever they may be
his campaign said he was referring to iraqi soldiers although previous reports had found that some us soldiers were convicted of bribery and fraud it was an accusation mr trump who has made support for veterans such a key part of his campaign has levied before but never as the presumptive republican nominee and one who has made support for veterans such a key part of his campaign
but as he sought to shore up support in the wake of the tragedy in orlando mr trump continually emphasized his anti immigration proposals
every year we bring in more than 100000 lifetime immigrants from the middle east and many more from muslim countries outside of the middle east he said a number of these immigrants have hostile attitudes
he said that his stand was a major reason for the support he has received
weve admitted four times more immigrants than any other country in the world mr trump said we cant do this not surprisingly wages for people working in our country real wages real numbers havent increased for 18 years
he added and then they wonder why i have packed houses all over the place
those in the crowd were mixed on mr trumps plan on immigration nancy alford 51 from greensboro said that it was a very sensitive issue but that she wanted everyone to be treated and vetted equally
others thought mr trump didnt go far enough
they need to round them up and let them get out of the country said lance shafley 61 of liberty nc who also referred to camps from world war ii this country is at war against isis and the hostile muslims


the name graces one of new york citys engineering marvels it stares out from scores of local road signs it is all but synonymous with a steep toll
and it might have been misspelled all along
the verrazano narrows bridge which connects brooklyn and staten island was named after an italian explorer there is just one problem the man is widely known as giovanni da verrazzano with two zs
more than a half century after the bridge opened some new yorkers are calling for the spelling error to be corrected an online petition taking up the cause has brought renewed attention to the enduring discrepancy
by rectifying verrazzanos name were really saying to all italians and italian americans that we respect them and appreciate them said joseph v scelsa the president of the italian american museum in lower manhattan
the metropolitan transportation authority does not appear eager to tackle the issue a spokesman for the authority christopher mckniff said adjusting the bridges name would be an expensive and labor intensive undertaking
at this time we are not considering any name change for the verrazano bridge mr mckniff said in a statement that hewed to the one z spelling
when the triborough bridge became the robert f kennedy bridge in 2008 to honor the former senator from new york state officials said it could cost 4 million to change the name on road signs the queensboro bridge has since been renamed the ed koch queensboro bridge after the former new york mayor and the brooklyn battery tunnel is now the hugh l carey tunnel after the former governor
the verrazano narrows bridge which opened to much fanfare in 1964 was named for the explorer who in 1524 became the first european to sail into new york harbor and who anchored his ship in the narrows when it was built it was the worlds longest suspension bridge
even before the first car traveled across the 6690 foot bridge officials fought publicly over the spelling the name has appeared both ways in books historical documents and newspaper archives
a monument in battery park dedicated to the italian has two zs in his name so does a bridge in florence italy that opened in 1967 the mariners museum and park in virginia uses two zs as does the castle of verrazzano in italy where he is said to have been born
but in 1960 john n lacorte the executive director of the italian historical society of america who pushed for the bridge to be named after the italian insisted that one z was the proper spelling mr lacorte said he had consulted with authorities in italy and photographed the explorers signature in the latin form janus verrazanus
and so the bridge was christened with a single z gay talese the reporter who covered the opening for the new york times and wrote a book about the bridge said he now considered the spelling a typo set in stone
i dont know what theyll do mr talese said of the transportation authoritys current predicament its a little damn late
the quandary recalls the fate of many european immigrants in the late 19th and early 20th centuries whose names ended up changed sometimes by mistake sometimes by choice in the course of their entry into the united states
when the transportation authority celebrated the bridges 50th anniversary in 2014 the complaints focused not on the name but on the toll cars crossing into staten island are charged 16 or 1108 with an e zpass trucks that cross the bridge many en route to new jersey are charged more people who live on staten island and use e zpass pay as little as 624 per trip no one pays to travel the other way into brooklyn
allen p cappelli an authority board member from staten island supports changing the name he visited the winery at the verrazzano castle on a trip to italy years ago and noticed the extra z
i havent hired an investigator to go back centuries to definitively prove it but the family in italy clearly spells it that way mr cappelli said
asked about the petition last week mayor bill de blasio who has celebrated his familys ties to italy joked that he would create a task force to examine the issue
i need to look into that as a proud italian mr de blasio said i need to go back and do my research
in lower manhattan near the northern edge of battery park a tall bronze bust of the explorer displays the verrazzano name in large gold letters the city continues to use two zs because that is how it was spelled when the statue was dedicated in 1909
we have not altered it in keeping with historic preservation practices said jonathan kuhn the director of art and antiquities for the citys parks department
the bridges name would not have to change overnight said mr scelsa of the italian american museum workers could replace road signs over time as part of regular maintenance but the misspelling should not persist just because the name is less familiar to new yorkers
whether its kennedy or verrazzano he said i think it should be spelled correctly


albany   housing advocates are frustrated and ethics watchdogs are positively morose but lawmakers here have made at least one demographic happy this week the mimosa set
with precious little time remaining for the legislative session which is to end on thursday the antepenultimate day in albany was marked by the usual closed door negotiations among democrats who run the state assembly and republicans who rule the state senate
among the major issues still hanging in the balance were proposals to hem in the corrupting influence of money in elections a proposal that could encourage more affordable housing and a bill to address the threat of climate change
in the meantime however there was the issue of brunch
in a joint agreement between the legislature and gov andrew m cuomo   announced on tuesday just after the breakfast shift but before the lunch rush   the state will allow restaurants and bars to start serving drinks on sundays at 10 am
establishments with liquor licenses outside new york city will be allowed to apply for up to 12 special permits a year for even earlier sales beginning at 8 am   perfect for international soccer matches and unexpected visits from your in laws
the alcohol beverage control law which dates to the great depression had made thirsty diners and dipsomaniacs wait until noon
in a statement mr cuomo a democrat cast the deal as a blow against this states archaic blue laws and part of a larger more long term policy of his administration to support new yorks alcohol industry which he said created some of the best beer wine cider and distilled spirits in the world
the first call for alcohol which was packaged along with a range of other changes to the law came as a peculiar bookend to an agreement on how to deal with another addictive substance heroin
the drug which has rapidly spread across the country in recent years was the subject of a large package of programs and policies outlined on tuesday including easing access to treatment expanding wraparound recovery services and limiting opioid prescriptions for acute pain to seven days with some exceptions
state senator john j flanagan a long island republican and majority leader whose party has been aggressive in response to the heroin crisis said the plan would bring hope to communities battling opioid abuse throughout new york
hope however was fading elsewhere if any part of the legislative session seemed bound to disappoint it was the failure thus far to pass major ethics reforms despite the recent corruption convictions and sentencings of two former legislative leaders sheldon silver and dean g skelos
the inertia has deeply frustrated government watchdog groups who have repeatedly gathered in the capitol to push for anticorruption measures and did so again on tuesday their priorities closing the campaign finance loophole that allows limited liability companies to donate like individuals rather than businesses limiting legislators ability to earn money for jobs held outside the legislature and making the state budget process more transparent
but the two reforms that mr cuomo and the legislature have discussed   stripping pensions from legislators convicted of felonies and limiting the reach of independent expenditure groups   amount to little more than a distraction from the real issues the watchdogs said
one advocate barbara bartoletti the legislative director of the league of women voters appeared ready to concede defeat for now leaving it to the voters to demand change during the fall elections and make sure some of these people dont come back next january
other issues seemed increasingly likely to be pushed to next year such as ride sharing   its backers were pessimistic they would get a deal to allow an upstate expansion   and the tax break and development program known as 421 a which was the subject of some last minute negotiations with little progress the issue of when and how long mayoral control of new york citys schools would be extended was also still a mystery
daily fantasy sports meanwhile seemed to be pushing hard for a deal to become legal in the state complete with paid appearances from the former national football league quarterback stars vinny testaverde and jim kelly
and while the session has had little in the way of recent excitement the assembly speaker carl e heastie a democrat from the bronx said much could happen between now and the thursday deadline
weve still got two days he said


a brooklyn teenager was sentenced on tuesday to 19 years to life in prison for having set fire to a mattress in a hallway of his apartment building resulting in the death of a police officer who responded to the blaze
the young man marcell dockery sat still and silent in state supreme court in brooklyn as justice danny k chun issued the sentence after scolding him for having killed the officer dennis guerra and having gravely injured his partner officer rosa rodriguez the saddest thing about this case justice chun said was that the two officers had responded to the fire because of their love for the job and their love for helping people in trouble and because of that officer guerra is dead
after a two week trial in april and may mr dockery now 18 was convicted of murder assault and arson the officers went to the apartment building at 2007 surf avenue in coney island after receiving a report about the fire on april 6 2014 when the two entered the lobby they saw no sign of flames and took an elevator to the 13th floor prosecutors introduced surveillance video at the trial of the thick black smoke that awaited them and officer rodriguez testified that she had been unable to breathe in the hot chaotic scene
when mr dockery was arrested shortly after the fire he told the police that he had set it because he had been bored before the trial began however he accused the police of having coerced his confession he continues to maintain that he is innocent
even though the prosecution acknowledged from the start that mr dockery had not intended to kill or injure anyone he was charged with what is known as felony murder a provision of the law that permits a death to be considered a homicide if the killing occurs during the commission of another felony   in this case both arson and assault
before justice chun issued the sentence cathy guerra officer guerras widow addressed the court saying that she often went to sleep crying and woke in the morning forced to put on a strong face for her children of mr dockery she said we know he did not mean to hurt anyone on that day but she added there are others suffering the consequences
then howard jackson who prosecuted the case told justice chun that he was bothered and disturbed that mr dockery still refused to take responsibility for his crimes or even to show remorse instead of blaming himself mr jackson said mr dockery had placed blame on a shifting cast of others the police the district attorney and his own lawyer i find it quite alarming judge he said
the district attorneys office had recommended a sentence of 18 years to life in prison in part because mr dockery had a history of arson reaching back to junior high school when mr jackson said he created a makeshift blowtorch in his school cafeteria he has a problem that has lasted years setting fires mr jackson said and yet refused to admit it
jesse a young mr dockerys lawyer in turn told justice chun that it was his clients right to profess his innocence even to show no remorse he is innocent mr young said and will appeal
in a sentencing memo filed before the hearing the prosecution noted one bright spot in mr dockerys behavior after he had set the fire he valiantly ran through the 13th floor hallway warning his neighbors
but justice chun his voice unusually firm took issue with that finding
i find nothing valiant about the defendants actions that day he said


berlin   the commemoration of war is frequent enough in europe and it is tempting sometimes to ask whether time is turning historys cataclysms into the commonplace
yet the importance of some lessons cannot be ignored in recent months the centenaries of great battles of world war i have recalled the cruel paradox that human loss does not necessarily equate to strategic or tactical gain   a conclusion just as valid now as then
those murderous frays at the somme and verdun in 1916 confirmed the arrival of a new kind of warfare battles fought over a day in the previous century gave way to lengthy campaigns that consumed unparalleled casualties
the battle of the somme lasted from july to november verdun from february to december between them they accounted for hundreds of thousands of dead but the war had almost two years still to run
the year 1916 both defined how we see world war i and redefined how warfare itself was understood hew strachan a british historian said in a recent study the napoleonic ideal of a campaign ended with a decisive battle he said while the somme and verdun ended with a whimper not a bang and proved more indecisive than decisive
professor strachan made the same point in london the other day at an exhibit   fields of battle lands of peace   by a british photographer michael st maur sheil showing the battlefields of northern france as they are today
strikingly aerial images revealed the scars of trench lines and craters still clearly visible despite an overlay of bucolic verdancy nature it seemed had sought to soothe the physical wounds but like the landscape sculpted by the erstwhile fortifications their memory could never be so easily erased
i thought of those images when i arrived in berlin last week as the same continent that witnessed two world wars over the past century prepared for a single day that might change the course of history   almost in the napoleonic manner   and potentially unravel what many see as its greatest accomplishment
on june 23 britain will vote in a referendum to determine whether it will leave the european union and the potential outcome seemed to preoccupy germans almost as much as britons
two of germanys biggest and most influential weeklies der spiegel and die zeit devoted their cover stories to the possibility that britain might leave commonly known as brexit
der spiegel went so far as to translate pages of articles into english to underscore the plea on a cover emblazoned with britains union flag please dont go why germany needs the british
coincidentally last week was also the 72nd anniversary of the d day landings when the allies began the campaign that ended the war in europe
soon afterward europeans began rebuilding creating the forerunners of the european union the enemies of two world wars became allies trading partners neighbors   often uneasy or even fractious it is true but at peace
the british vote next week der spiegel said is about nothing less than the peace project started in 1946 by erstwhile enemy nations on a devastated continent without the british the union of european peoples becomes pointless and lost
for some there is a degree of incredulity that the debate has reached this point when europe faces myriad challenges including a huge influx of refugees and migrants that reinforces the anti immigrant arguments of those who want britain to leave
of course europes peace has been far from comprehensive think only of the balkan fighting of the 1990s and the struggle with islamic militancy for 15 years   longer than the two global conflagrations combined   western soldiers have been at war yet they have been unable to forestall attacks whose targets now include orlando fla
as in 1916 the campaigns linger flare but do not end simply britains decision next week   in or out   could raise just as many imponderables


washington   in the latest and perhaps decisive battle over the role of women in the military congress is embroiled in an increasingly intense debate over whether they should have to register for the draft when they turn 18
on tuesday the senate approved an expansive military policy bill that would for the first time require young women to register for the draft the shift while fiercely opposed by some conservative lawmakers and interest groups had surprisingly broad support among republican leaders and women in both parties
the united states has not used the draft since 1973 during the vietnam war but the impact of such a shift reflecting the evolving role of women in the armed services would likely be profound
under the senate bill passed on tuesday women turning 18 on or after jan 1 2018 would be forced to register for selective service as men must do now failure to register could result in the loss of various forms of federal aid including pell grants a penalty that men already face because the policy would not apply to women who turned 18 before 2018 it would not affect current aid arrangements
the fact is said senator john mccain republican of arizona and the chairman of the armed services committee every single leader in this country both men and women members of the military leadership believe that its fair since we opened up all aspects of the military to women that they would also be registering for selective services
the supreme court ruled in 1981 that women did not have to register for the draft noting that they should not face the same requirements as men because they did not participate on the front lines of combat but since defense secretary ashton b carter said in december that the pentagon would open all combat jobs to women military officials have told congress that women should also sign up for the draft
its my personal view gen robert b neller the commandant of the marine corps told the senate armed services committee in february that with the complete lifting of the ban on women in combat roles every american whos physically qualified should register for the draft
while most republican senators   including mitch mcconnell of kentucky the majority leader and the women on the armed services committee   agree with the move it has come under fierce attack from some of congresss most conservative members
the idea that we should forcibly conscript young girls in combat to my mind makes little sense at all senator ted cruz republican of texas and the father of two young daughters said on the senate floor last week
after voting against the bill on tuesday mr cruz said in a prepared statement i could not in good conscience vote to draft our daughters into the military sending them off to war and forcing them into combat
the debate will now pit the senate against the house where the policy change has support but was not included in that chambers version of the bill
in april representative duncan hunter republican of california offered a provision related to women and the draft for the house version of the defense policy bill to highlight the issue even though he opposes the idea   then voted against his own amendment it passed with bipartisan support but was stripped from the final bill in a procedural move
if he didnt do this in the committee and spur the national debate who was going to do it joe kasper mr hunters chief of staff said so mission accomplished
senator mike lee republican of utah made a mild attempt to strip the language from the senate bill on the floor after the armed services committee overwhelmingly rejected a similar effort but his amendment never received a vote
the two bills will now be reconciled in a conference committee between the house and the senate where a contentious debate is expected
it may well be a topic of great controversy said senator richard blumenthal democrat of connecticut who serves on the armed services committee but it should not be
military experts say that even if the efforts to compel women to enlist fails in congress the issue is not going away
i think the change is inevitable said nora bensahel a military policy analyst at american universitys school of international service whether in this debate or through the courts it just seems that now that you have women allowed to serve in any position in the military there is no logical basis to say women should not be drafted
conservative groups which threatened to target senators who voted for the policy bill reacted with anger on tuesday to the bills passage allowing our daughters to be forced into combat if there is a draft is a clear example of washington placing more value on liberal social engineering than military objectives and preparedness one such group heritage action for america said in a news release
but supporters of the policy change say opponents are oversimplifying the issue what people dont seem to understand is just because there is conscription that does not mean that all women would serve in the infantry senator deb fischer republican of nebraska said there are many ways to serve our country in the event of a national emergency
the senate is expected to hold its ground as conservative members defend the status quo mr mccain whose family has a long and storied history in the military and whose daughter in law is a captain in the air force reserve said to mr cruz on the senate floor i respect the senator from texass view too bad that view is not shared by our military leadership the ones who have had the experience in combat with women


gabor kiraly set an age record at the european championships and helped hungary beat austria 2 0 on tuesday in bordeaux france
kiraly hungarys goalkeeper became the first 40 year old player to participate in the championship
adam szalai gave hungary the lead with his first goal in 12 appearances
i dont want to talk about myself szalai said the whole team won everyone worked together i think we managed to do everything our manager told us in terms of advice and strategy
the substitute zoltan stieber scored hungarys second goal after austria was reduced to 10 players when aleksandar dragovic was shown a second yellow card
austria thought it had tied the score moments after hungarys first goal when martin hinteregger put the ball in the back of the net but it was waved off for a foul and dragovic was sent off
kiraly made some good plays including a diving stop of zlatko junuzovic in the 35th minute


a goal from birkir bjarnason earned iceland a shocking 1 1 tie with cristiano ronaldos portugal in st etienne france in icelands first match at a major tournament
iceland trailed after a first half strike by nani but bjarnason slotted home the equalizer in the 50th minute with a curled volley at the far post moments after ronaldo missed a chance to make the score 2 0 when he shot wide
nani put portugal in front with a clinical finish from close range on a day when ronaldo equaled luis figos portugal record of 127 caps
nani turned portugals early dominance of possession into a goal when he collected a cross from the right by andre gomes and steered the ball home at the near post in the 31st minute
portugal had wasted chances before then notably in the 22nd minute when ronaldo found nani in the box with a precise cross nanis powerful header hit the feet of keeper hannes halldorsson


orlando fla   hanging out at home with a friend last saturday demetrice naulings decided there was still night enough to party it was a snap decision so he and his friends headed to pulse the gay nightclub where he often worked as a host arriving just before 2 am he was the last person to walk into the club   a decision that shatters him still
we never even got a drink said mr naulings 34 shots rang out from the next room pop pop pop pop to the sound of the loud syncopated music
everyone kept dancing until the next volley of shots he heard screams pandemonium the people around him dived for the floor
and then the music stopped the gunman had shot at the dj booth and the chandelier in front of it the lights went off for a bit and then came back on next to him was one of his best friends eddie justice
you could hear complete silence said mr naulings a hair stylist with a fondness for hats in the silence you could hear bullets hitting the ground you could hear a clip being taken out and hitting the floor and him putting a new one back in
then the bullets sped through the air in the next room again and another moment of silence
it was devastating he said you dont know whether you will lose your life should i run to the exit what do i do next you think he may be coming here so people started to run
they ran as a pack into the womens bathroom but we said we are going to die here  mr naulings said so me and eddie just ran he said
they went into a narrow hallway hidden away that led to a side door that mr naulings familiar with the layout knew opened to the outside people were climbing and stumbling and pushing mr naulings said they could see the door like 90 people were pushing towards it
in the mayhem of the hallway mr naulings lost sight of mr justice still the bullets flew one penetrated the wall and hit a young woman who was frantically trying to get out she fell and people just stumbled over her in the panic of the moment he said
suddenly with the pressure of dozens of people pushing on it the door burst open and the crowd poured out mr naulings ran into a bartender shot in the shoulder he started looking frantically for his friends mr justice and another buddy mr naulings figured mr justice had stayed behind and was in the mens bathroom
he reached out to him on snapchat where are you the police are outside send me a message back
five minutes later he saw a response from mr justice ive been shot im going into shock please tell them to hurry up call the police
his other friend was also in the bathroom he was hiding behind a dead body at one point the gunman poked at a girl right next to him she flinched and he shot her
mr naulings found himself hugging everyone   strangers friends co workers i didnt think this was a slaughterhouse he said it was a safe zone
later he heard that mr justice had died desperately texting his mother as the killer stalked the building he meant everything to me mr naulings said of his friend he didnt just die for nothing
mr naulings never saw the gunman he only heard the bullets the shouts the killer reloading it lingers as a horrific soundtrack he cant keep out of his head hes not sure when or if it will stop
its like the boogeyman when you are in your closet or under the bed mr naulings said you cant see him but you can hear him


by rights on a bright friday afternoon in late spring sumeja tulic had every reason to relish walking the streets of new york a city she moved to nine months ago from london for graduate school when the weather is good its very hard to find a reason to be depressed or melancholic or dissatisfied with the city ms tulic said
yet her time in new york has coincided with a season of ceaseless ugliness in politics and serial acts of terrorism around the world one day you laugh and then youre really angry said ms tulic a bosnian libyan and a muslim
as she walked toward the subway station in tribeca on friday she hoped for a fair fresh wind
i was saying please god just something nice   i want to see something nice she said enough of this craziness
at the city hall station for the r train she settled onto a bench it was just after 2 pm only a few people were at the station the space was quiet the lack of noise and bustle a substrate for the events about to unfold a man leaned against a pillar the way anyone might waiting for the train that would go uptown in manhattan and later turn east for queens the stillness was interrupted with an announcement they said the next train was two stations away ms tulic said another long moment then out of the corner of her eye she glimpsed the man at the pillar collapsing forward but the movement did not register as much as the sound
the echo of him falling was just horrible she said others on the platform also heard it
a large thump said miriam gonzalez a lawyer who was going to queens
i thought someone carrying a heavy duffle bag dropped it on the platform said rachelle peterson a researcher this man waiting for the train called out what was that sound he ran over peered over the edge and immediately jumped onto the tracks
the man who had fallen was not moving the guy was out cold said brenda soriano who was on her way home to the bronx from her job at a college one of the gentlemen was trying to wake him up and he just couldnt
in what seemed like an instant two more men jumped down to help
i dont know where these men got the wit and the quickness ms tulic said the man who fell was about six foot tall a heavy man by default he was kind of jammed in the tracks
ms tulic a human rights worker now studying in the graduate journalism school at the city university of new york pulled out her cellphone and recorded the events
it was nerve racking to know that the train was coming ms tulic said will it stop will they succeed to pull him out
some people ran to the end of the platform to be ready to signal to the train operator ms gonzalez dashed to what used to be known as the token booth workers in the station sent an alert to trains in the area but power to the track was not shut off a transit official said
on the tracks the unconscious man was propped to a sitting position by the three men who then lifted him from below to others who hoisted from above and rolled him onto the platform then the rescuers were themselves rescued hauled back to safety by helping hands it seemed that as soon as they were all clear the r train pulled in slowly ms peterson said people getting off the train walked around this unconscious man on the platform she said
he was not however alone among others two of the men who had jumped onto the platform were holding his hand they were saying buddy youre going to be fine ms tulic said this was an additional layer of goodness
paramedics arrived and the man was taken to bellevue hospital center with serious but not life threatening injuries officials said
ms tulic provided her video to gothamist and it has been seen more than two million times one of the men who went onto the tracks david tirado told rebecca fishbein of gothamist that he had visited with the stricken man who had no recollection of being in the subway or that a congress of strangers had gathered to save him
that is the greatest thing ms tulic said the infrastructure in this city of millions is the people themselves providing being there for others without even knowing the person who he is no matter what denomination he subscribes to it was beautiful to see


of the mets many recent health concerns one had resolved itself by tuesday manager terry collins was back on the job delivering the lineup card as usual before the mets played the pittsburgh pirates at citi field he had felt disoriented before sundays game in milwaukee   dehydration he guessed   and was taken to a hospital but his tests had found nothing alarming
freaky things happen collins said before batting practice im just glad its done and im glad im sitting where i am right now
if only the mets injured players could recover as quickly as their 67 year old manager the lineup was missing five starters from opening day to the usual disabled list trio of david wright neck travis darnaud right shoulder and lucas duda back the mets began tuesday without neil walker back and michael conforto left wrist
for six innings their patchwork lineup had no hits off jameson taillon a heralded right hander making his second major league appearance curtis granderson rolled a single to right to start the seventh but the mets went quietly in a 4 0 defeat collins said he would not criticize his offense which managed just three hits in all
our lineup is what it is because thats what we have he said im not going to sit here and complain about it weve got to get it done
walkers back flares up every year and always recovers collins said though walker could not get loose enough to pinch hit on tuesday confortos status though is more tenuous
conforto had a cortisone shot in his wrist on monday and struck out as a pinch hitter tuesday after hitting 365 in april he has batted 150 in the month and a half since with just 10 walks in 132 plate appearances collins said conforto would start again on thursday but general manager sandy alderson acknowledged that he might benefit from a stint in the minors
thats sort of a gut feel theres no perfect answer or formula for when its right for a player to go down and when its right for a player to fight through it alderson said if you remember when we brought him up one of the reasons we did was because of his approach and his foundation in terms of decision making at the plate and thats probably something hes struggled with over the last few weeks and something weve got to get back   and continue to remind him thats how he got here
alderson said a brief demotion seemed to help darnaud after a prolonged slump two years ago darnaud was 25 then two years older than conforto is now if they so choose the mets may have a good option to replace conforto in brandon nimmo like conforto he is a left handed hitting outfielder and former first round pick and he has been on a tear at class aaa las vegas lately hitting 474 in his last 10 games before tuesday
alderson said nimmo was putting himself in position to be considered for new york which could be significant the promotion of conforto last july and the professional at bats he brought with him proved an important part of the mets surge
elsewhere the mets choices seem limited they have already found veterans from outside the organization during the season catcher rene rivera first baseman james loney and infielder kelly johnson all are best as bench players but they are more capable fill ins than the mets early replacements last season when injuries also decimated the lineup
the deficiencies are similar alderson said the question is whether were better positioned to overcome them
that is not the only question though the other concerns the competition last summer the mets were chasing an underachieving washington nationals team that was plagued by injuries and led by an overmatched manager matt williams this year the nationals are healthy and thriving under the sage dusty baker
the mets lag five games behind in the national league east standings though they are leading for the second nl wild card berth
weve got a lot of games with the nationals left   a lot of them he said accurately the teams meet 13 more times
the mets extraordinary rotation and the recent resurgence of matt harvey will keep them in contention upgrading the offense is tricky now for many reasons few impact hitters are available yet alderson said and the team is still assessing its needs
at least wrights status seems likely to be resolved soon he has been in limbo since his last game on may 27 wright is in los angeles with a back specialist and alderson said the team would know by the end of this week whether to proceed with conservative rehabilitation for his herniated disk or opt for surgery
one third baseman became available monday when major league baseball declared yulieski gourriel a free agent gourriel 32 was a star in cuba who defected in february cautiously alderson indicated some level of interest
our preference has always been to kind of diversify a little bit and spread our risk and thats typically not possible in the cuban market he said but were taking a look at that situation and well look at that market in the future
the mets will clearly explore the trade market for splashier acquisitions than they have already made acquiring yoenis cespedes from detroit last summer cost the mets pitcher michael fulmer who has been dominant for the tigers the mets farm system is not as deep now but they hope they have enough
will we be as aggressive i dont know the answer to that at this point alderson said are we able to be as aggressive i still think we have the prospects if necessary in our system to move and from a financial standpoint i think we also have what is necessary well just have to see what happens late in july
the path to get there could be more daunting though even at their lowest point last season the mets never trailed the nationals by more games than they do now


donald j trumps hair is the latest point of contention between gawker media and hulk hogans lawyers
in a letter sent last week to gawker on behalf of a hair treatment clinic charles j harder who is representing mr hogan the retired wrestler in his invasion of privacy lawsuit against the media company said a recent article about mr trumps hair made numerous false and defamatory statements about my clients
mr harder demanded that gawker immediately remove the article and publish a public apology and full retraction the letter also threatened legal action on behalf of the clinic ivari international and edward ivari
the letter continues a legal battle between mr harder and gawker his los angeles based law firm harder mirell  abrams was thrust into the spotlight last month when it was revealed that the silicon valley billionaire peter thiel was secretly providing financial support for lawsuits against gawker
it is not clear whether mr thiel who is a pledged delegate for mr trump for the 2016 republican convention is behind the letter
the letter which was obtained by the new york times lists 19 false and defamatory statements in the article many of which were taken from two lawsuits it contends that gawkers actions intentionally inflicted emotional distress invaded mr ivaris privacy and constituted tortious interference with actual and prospective business relations
the article which was published in late may under the headline is donald trumps hair a 60000 weave a gawker investigation said a tipster had suggested that mr trumps hair was not his own costs tens of thousands of dollars for installation and upkeep and comes from a man as mysterious as trump is bombastic
in the article the anonymous tipster said mr trump relied on microcylinder intervention a hair restoration treatment that is only performed by one clinic that we know of   ivari international the article which was peppered with pictures of mr trumps golden mane also claimed that ivaris new york location was in trump tower on the private floor reserved for donald trumps own office
in the letter mr harder wrote that gawkers actions exposed the company to substantial monetary damages and punitive damages
he also appeared to want the letter to stay out of the public eye this letter is confidential and protected by applicable copyright law he wrote
in gawkers response heather dietrick the companys general counsel and president said mr harders order that the article be removed was a vastly overbroad demand to be made for mr ivari who plays only a part in the article about donald trump
ms dietrick called the demand surprising because mr harder took no issue with the central thesis of the piece   that mr ivari has worked on donald trumps hair


washington   a fierce debate over tougher gun control laws ignited by the mass shooting in orlando fla began in the capitol corridors on tuesday afternoon as the senate moved to take up an annual appropriations bill that covers the fbi and other federal law enforcement programs
senate democrats have pledged to force a vote on an amendment that would generally bar anyone who has appeared on a government terrorism watch list or who is otherwise suspected of ties to terrorist groups from buying a weapon
republicans however said that the democrats proposed restrictions were overly broad and that they would push their own measure it would give federal prosecutors three days to prevent a weapon from being sold by demonstrating probable cause that the person attempting to buy a gun has committed or is conspiring to commit an act of terror according to drew brandewie a spokesman for senator john cornyn of texas the chambers no 2 republican
democrats said that standard would impose too great a burden of proof effectively rendering the restriction useless
even before floor debate began on the appropriations bill the fight over gun rights was underway in the hallways of the capitol where lawmakers held dueling news conferences
the lessons that weve learned all across america with these horrible mass shootings we need to do a better job in america of keeping guns out of the hands of those who would misuse them said senator richard j durbin of illinois the no 2 democrat in the senate felons the mentally unstable and people with a terrorist connection have no business owning guns in america
democrats said they would block a final vote on the commerce justice and science appropriations measure unless the majority leader senator mitch mcconnell republican of kentucky allowed a vote on their amendment
but even as democrats criticized republicans for having blocked a similar amendment in december republicans on tuesday accused the democrats of trying to exploit the orlando shooting to score political points and insisted that their proposal would be more effective
right now our democratic friends seem to be more interested in opportunistically using this tragedy to advance their agenda rather than looking to work with us to solve problems mr cornyn said
mr mcconnell said of the democrats proposal our suspicion is this is basically a politically motivated effort but were open nobody wants terrorists to have firearms we are open to serious suggestions from the experts as to what we might be able to do to be helpful
in the house democrats on the judiciary committee wrote a letter to the panels chairman representative robert w goodlatte of virginia complaining of inaction and urging him to convene hearings on gun violence


detroit   they came by the thousands to honor gordie howe but this time they did it with silence instead of cheers
four days after howe died at 88 hockey fans streamed somberly into a darkened joe louis arena to say goodbye to mr hockey the prolific goal scorer who played here for a quarter century made the detroit red wings a dynasty in the 1950s and is considered by many to be the greatest player hockey has ever known
red wings faithful waited an hour or more to reach the arena floor where they proceeded down a red carpet to howes brown closed coffin which was topped and flanked by large arrangements of roses   red of course
in what is normally one of the most raucous arenas in the nhl the only background noise was the murmur of hushed voices
i just keep losing it said paul bigler 54 tears streaming down his cheeks a white howe jersey hanging from his burly frame he said he grew up watching howe and attending red wings games with his father
now living in knoxville tenn bigler drove 10 hours to pay his last respects to his idol
he was just the epitome of what every kid wanted to be bigler said
that was a view that was shared by wayne gretzky the superstar who broke howes goal scoring and points records and served as a pallbearer in a private ceremony at joe louis arena before the doors were opened to the public
canada has lost a really good person gretzky said he never asked for anything from anybody but he would do anything for anyone
the event was attended by howes three sons mark marty and murray and his daughter cathy as well as the former red wings steve yzerman and kris draper and the former detroit coach scotty bowman the tigers great al kaline a contemporary of howes also served as a pallbearer
a funeral for howe will be held wednesday at the cathedral of the most blessed sacrament in detroit
mark howe said he was moved by the outpouring of affection for his father
he meant a lot to a lot of people he said what youre seeing today is what weve seen all our lives
among fans and some in the detroit news media calls are increasing to rename the red wings new arena after howe now named little caesars arena after the pizza chain that built the fortune of the red wings owner mike ilitch the new stadium is still under construction and is scheduled to open for the 2017 18 season
ken holland the red wings general manager said it was early times for any such decision
we expect to do something to honor him and what he meant to this city holland said at some point we will get together the red wings and the ilitch family
mark howe said he has not been involved in any talks about renaming the new arena calling it little caesars arena is fitting in view of all the red wings and the ilitch family have done for this city he said
regardless of whether the new arena will be named after howe the hall of famer is already set to be honored in the region a new bridge linking detroit and windsor ont is under construction and has been named the gordie howe international bridge located just south of downtown detroit it is expected to open in 2020
gordie howe played 26 years in the nhl all but one with detroit compiling 801 goals and 1049 assists in his late 40s he played six seasons in the world hockey association when he finished his final season in 1980 with the nhls hartford whalers he was 52 years old
he was everything to me he was a father figure and a great friend recalled gretzky who came to know howe when he was playing junior hockey in canada howe took a liking to the rising talent and they two formed a strong bond
when gretzky joined the wha as a 17 year old howe told him he would have to work even harder as a pro
gordie never thought he was better than anyone else gretzky said he wanted to prove that he was he had an ambition hes going to be the best player every night
pressed to name the best player of all time gretzky said its a close call between howe and bobby orr but admitted he had an opinion i happen to be a little biased because i was a forward gretzky said ill take gordie
long after his playing days ended howe remained in the detroit area and was a regular at wings games book signings and charity events forging ties with younger generations which never saw him play
hes called mr hockey for a reason said paul kinney cade an 18 year old from wyandotte mich without him this city wouldnt be what it is today
for both fans and players howe represents a link to a bygone era a simpler time before million dollar salaries lockouts and expansion to sun belt cities he was the babe ruth of hockey the sports greatest star when the nhl consisted of six teams and almost every one of the players was canadian
al pelgus a retiree from sterling heights mich wearing a red no 9 jersey said his farewell to howe was emotional i just remember my youth and gordie doing his thing he said
he added he cherishes a stick that howe signed for him nearly 50 years ago pulling out his cellphone he showed a picture of it hanging on a wall in his home that stick is my prized possession ill have that forever he said


united nations   for years diplomats were more comfortable talking about nuclear warheads than sexual orientation
sexual orientation was one of those subjects burdened with too many cultural sensitivities american officials even if they wanted to advance it on the diplomatic agenda were wary of offending their allies not least in the islamic world
the attack on a gay nightclub in orlando fla moved the needle
in its aftermath the united states corralled an unlikely group of countries to support a united nations security council statement that condemned the attack for targeting persons as a result of their sexual orientation even egypt and russia   not known for embracing their gay and lesbian citizens   signed on after what diplomats called intense consultations
earlier in the day the united states delivered a pointed rebuke to countries that block gay rights at the united nations urging them to contribute more than condolences and condemnations after the orlando attack
and american embassies in several countries including india which still has an anti sodomy law on the books draped themselves in the colors of the rainbow flag that signifies gay pride
the security council statement which was drafted by the united states and issued monday carries no legal weight but it is the first time that the powerful institution with the capacity to authorize wars weighed in on sexual orientation
homosexuality is still a crime in 73 of the worlds 193 countries according to the international lesbian gay bisexual trans and intersex association in 13 the death penalty can be applied in some countries like egypt laws against debauchery are used to target gays russian law prohibits what it calls propaganda on nontraditional sexual relationships which critics call a thinly veiled measure to harass gay men and lesbians
were hopefully moving into an era when gross acts of violence are condemned by global leaders rather than when violence motivated by sexual orientation or gender identity is dismissed as irrelevant or unworthy said jessica stern the executive director of outright action international an advocacy group
still she said the united states will be able to sway others only if it can protect its own citizens the more we demonstrate respect for muslim americans and the more violence we prevent domestically by passing meaningful gun control the more credible we are likely to be as a global leader she said
gay rights have steadily moved up the foreign policy agenda in recent years
in 2011 the united nations human rights council for the first time passed a resolution condemning discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in 2014 secretary general ban ki moon an outspoken advocate for gay rights announced that the united nations would recognize same sex unions of employees who are married in a jurisdiction where same sex marriage is legal including new york
but gay rights still remain a point of contention
just last month many countries including dozens belonging to the organization of islamic cooperation blocked the participation of 22 advocacy groups some representing gay lesbian and transgender people from an international meeting devoted to stemming the aids epidemic the united states lobbied to allow them to participate
gay rights have been front and center in american diplomacy at least since 2011 when hillary clinton then the secretary of state declared at the united nations in geneva that gay rights are human rights and human rights are gay rights
in 2015 the state department appointed randy w berry as its first envoy for the human rights of lesbian gay bisexual transgender and intersex people
the attack in orlando on sunday enabled the united states to elevate the issue on the diplomatic agenda on monday morning as the world was still absorbing the news of the attack the alternate united states ambassador to the united nations david pressman told the 193 member general assembly that condolences were not enough
if we are united in our outrage by the killing of so many   and we are   let us be equally united around the basic premise of upholding the universal dignity of all persons regardless of who they love not just around condemning the terrorists who kill them mr pressman said


you never know whats going to cause donald j trump to officially ban a news organization from his presidential campaign events
for the washington post it was a headline on monday saying donald trump suggests president obama was involved with orlando shooting mr trump said mr obamas refusal to say the words radical islamic terrorism meant that theres something going on he did not say what mr obamas secret agenda might be leaving it to others to interpret the post later changed its headline to read that he seems to connect mr obama to the shootings too late   banned and of course sad
for the politico reporter ben schreckinger it was apparently a story about internal trump dissension over his campaign managers quick temper and heavy handed leadership that got his credentials revoked for the des moines register news team it was the editorial boards call for mr trump to exit the race then there was buzzfeed news the huffington post univision the daily beast and so on
there is no obvious consistency to it from a candidate who can also be as accessible as any in history after all the wall street journals similar headline that mr trump links obama to extremists didnt cost that paper its official entree
only mr trump knows whether the bans are the result of pique or some carefully thought out strategy he denies the latter
but that doesnt matter
as of now there is only this the all but confirmed standard bearer of one of the united statess two major political parties is actively stripping credentials from news organizations that report things that he deems unfair or inaccurate he has a black list and unlike the one that nixon kept this is not a secret quite the opposite
i called and sent email to the republican national committee a couple of times on tuesday to see whether the party mr trump will soon be nominated to lead would carry out the same bans but i did not get a return call
i did get a call back from mr trump who said that he was exercising his right to choose whom he grants credentials to as he runs a campaign that he has mostly paid for himself im from a different world other than politics he said in my world when people dont treat you fairly ...  he didnt finish the sentence but he didnt have to you cut them off
i dont want good stories he said i want fair stories
to his mind the post had not been fair in its coverage of his speech as evidenced by its decision to change its headline but why i asked him was that the incident that led him to ban the paper it was the last straw he told me at the washington post he said virtually every article is negative even when i have big victories
the new york times was not much better mr trump said citing a recent article about his relationship with women over the years he rebutted the article after it was published and his lawyer demanded unsuccessfully that the paper retract it when i noted that mr trump had not removed the timess credentials mr trump said youre marginal youre marginal apparently meaning we too were close to losing credentials to cover him he added its always possible anythings possible
i asked mr trump what exactly will prompt a credential ban
if people dont cover me fairly or if they actually make things up i dont know why anybody should be allowed he said
fairness and increasingly accuracy is in the eye of the candidate and his or her supporters that is worrisome especially if mr trump takes his strategy to the white house
but mr trump said he would not impose similar credential bans if he won the presidency thats different from me taking something away   there im taking something away where im representing the nation he said as for the post he said if they start covering me accurately not even well just accurately   i dont want anything   they will get the credentials back
martin baron the posts executive editor said the newspaper was not going to change the way it covered mr trump which he described as fair honest and honorable
i dont think we have to seek a good housekeeping seal of approval from a presidential candidate   thats true during a campaign and thats true during a presidency he said
there needs to be mutual respect between the media and the candidates he said and in this instance clearly no respect toward our role is being shown mr baron noted that the post changed the headline of its own volition to make it more accurately reflect mr trumps remarks which happens frequently across the media
anybody who aspires to be president of the united states should exhibit behavior as a candidate that he or she would display as president of the united states he said
the idea of a presidential campaign after all is to give the public a sense of how a candidate will behave in office and yes hillary clintons resistance to news conferences does not exactly augur an open hand with the news media either and i dont add that as mere false balance she should do more
republicans more than democrats have used the news media as a foil for decades and neither of the last two republicans to hold the white house   george h w bush and george w bush   loved the news media but neither of them denied credentials to reporters covering them a notable exception vice president dick cheney who tended to not make room for new york times reporters on his plane i personally was on the wrong end of that deal once
but the campaign still gave us credentials for his events and either way we made do because it is the job of reporters to get the facts   and present them fairly and accurately   regardless of the obstacles mr trump made the same point noting that reporters without official credentials were welcome to come to his events on their own and report from the crowd should they manage to obtain entree
were not locking the doors where they cant get in he said though mr schreckinger of politico was recently escorted out of an event
but doesnt stripping credentials from out of favor reporters send a chill they send a chill by showing what a disgrace the medias been mr trump said
though mr trump said his scraps with the media were not strategic he noted they played well with some of his supporters some people think they dont like it he said many people like it   they say theyre being punished for being dishonest
brrrr


in 2009 bill de blasio and mark green both democrats running for public advocate were asked to name the most interesting new yorker they knew
mr green paused a moment then singled out john sexton the erudite jesuit trained magna cum laude graduate of harvard law school former chairman of the federal reserve bank of new york best selling author and president of new york university at the time
mr de blasio responded with the name of another if lesser known native mary sansone
mrs sansone a 4 foot 11 daughter of italian immigrants celebrated her 100th birthday this week still dispensing political wisdom and homemade meatballs from the home she and her husband bought in 1956 in borough park brooklyn her headquarters as godmother to liberal candidates she deems deserving
i took part in every movement for justice whether it was union rights civil rights human rights womens rights or gay rights she said
in 2014 when he last feted her mayor de blasio said of mrs sansone no matter how much the times change she is relevant to the times because of the way she lives there are some great people whose time passed them by mary is urgent and vibrant to this day
as hundreds of her fans prepared to personally congratulate her on tuesday night at the dyker beach golf course in brooklyn mrs sansone complained that the world had become more hypocritical and that people were afraid to tell each other the truth
still she said let me tell you its not bad to be 100
my biggest accomplishment was that i had the strength to do what i wanted to do and stand up for what i believed she added as my father said when you die you cant take your money with you you can only take your integrity
at the celebration mr de blasio proclaimed mary sansone day in new york and former mayor michael r bloomberg presented mrs sansone with a t shirt emblazoned with bloombergsansone 2016 and the slogan a meatball in every pot
born mary crisalli on june 12 1916 in what was then south brooklyn and is now called carroll gardens she began her lifelong commitment to social activism as an 8 year old when her father perched her on a soapbox in union square as he addressed potential recruits to the industrial workers of the world a prominent union she recalled the moment in a 1976 book nobody speaks for me self portraits of american working class women
when she was 12 she joined the junior wobblies the youth contingent of the socialist inspired labor organization still she said she had voted for hillary clinton over bernie sanders who identifies as a democratic socialist in the new york democratic presidential primary
she later organized workers in grime filled sweatshops served with the red cross and directed american relief to italy after world war ii
in 1964 mrs sansone and her husband zack founded the congress of italian american organizations a statewide social service federation known by the acronym ciao
mrs sansone rose from borough park folk hero to greater fame through a flurry of introductions to the powerful from detective sgt ralph salerno an authority on organized crime to nicholas pileggi the journalist and author who wrote wiseguys to mayor john v lindsay who in the late 1960s had been accused of favoring minority groups and was trying to woo whites
a visit by the black civil rights leader bayard rustin in 1971 heralded an ambitious effort to unite the citys black hispanic and so called white ethnic communities in a common agenda working with the new york urban coalition
mrs sansone invited mr rustin and other black and hispanic leaders to her home and publicly confronted challenges her community often did not make public many italian groups did not like us becoming involved with other ethnic groups she recalled
her biggest run in was with joseph colombo the organized crime leader who had formed the italian american civil rights league he proposed that they join forces mrs sansone refused
at its height ciao ran two dozen programs with a multimillion dollar budget provided scholarships and operated a day care center and a senior center it suffered a setback in the 1977 mayoral race when mrs sansone supported mario m cuomo while the brooklyn democratic organization backed edward i koch who won
and she was fired by the board after it accused her of nepotism which she freely admitted during the early days when some undesirable italian american organizations wanted to take us over they were the only ones i knew i could trust she said


federal prosecutors claim that andrew caspersen ran a ponzi like scheme to defraud friends family and a hedge fund foundation of nearly 40 million over an 18 month period
but on tuesday mr caspersens lawyer contended that his client a former wall street executive with an ivy league pedigree was the victim of an uncontrollable gambling addiction that drove him for more than a decade so gripping was mr caspersens addiction the lawyer said that he checked his phone throughout the day for updates on the stock markets direction and his all in bearish bets that ran into tens of millions of dollars
dressed in a black suit and pink tie at his arraignment in a manhattan federal courtroom tuesday afternoon mr caspersen 39 told a judge that he had been treated for compulsive gambling and mental health illness issues since his arrest in march
the case of mr caspersen the son of a wealthy financier finn m w caspersen who committed suicide in 2009 has captivated wall street in part because the scheme targeted friends relatives   including his mother   and a charitable foundation established by louis m bacon the billionaire investor and hedge fund manager
mr caspersen appeared on tuesday before judge jed s rakoff of federal district court and pleaded not guilty to a criminal document that included one count of securities fraud and one count of wire fraud however negotiations have been taking place for several weeks and he is expected to plead guilty at a july 7 hearing
after the short proceeding mr caspersens lawyer paul shechtman described him as remorseful and relieved mr caspersen has been cast as a man of privilege who took advantage of his social standing and professional position to fuel his trading addiction
he had every intention of paying everyone back mr shechtman said this is a pathological gambling addiction
before his arrest mr caspersen was seen as a successful wall street executive with the right credentials and pedigree he had attended the groton school princeton and harvard law school and had gone on to become an executive at the park hill group a division of pjt partners
mr caspersen leveraged his ivy league connections and reputation to undertake what the authorities have called a brazen scheme to seek to defraud investors of tens of millions of dollars
on tuesday mr shechtman described mr caspersens addiction as having started with casino gambling and sports betting and quickly turning into betting on the stock market while he was a student at harvard law mr caspersens father and brothers all attended harvard where a student center at the law school is named for the family
over the last decade mr caspersen squandered more than 20 million of his own money including a family inheritance mr shechtman said adding that mr caspersen and his wife christina were essentially broke and were selling their multimillion dollar bronxville ny home
mr caspersens trading strategy was not particularly sophisticated he almost exclusively traded one week put options betting on a decline in the standard  poors 500 stock index what was remarkable was the bold nature of the bets in which mr caspersen would instruct his broker to trade all the cash available in his account each week his lawyer said
as recently as feb 11 mr caspersen had 1128 million in a brokerage account and could have easily paid back the 385 million he had owed family and friends instead the very next trading day he ordered his broker at an unnamed wall street firm to place a new round of all in bets that the market would fall that week
as stocks rose earlier this year and the market turned against him mr caspersen lost all the money in what the government described as aggressive bearish options trades by march 9 his account had dwindled to 335 million on march 26 he was arrested after representatives from mr bacons foundation became suspicious when he would not return their money and they reached out to federal authorities
mr caspersen even took about 1 million from the family of a longtime girlfriend catherine f macrae who died on sept 11 2001 during the terrorist attack on the world trade center his lawyer said on tuesday together with ms macraes family mr caspersen had created a memorial fund to benefit education programs for children from low income families the lawyer said the money in the scheme was not from that fund
mr caspersen has also been charged with taking advantage of a college classmate at princeton university who worked for mr bacons firm the friend james mcintyre invested 400000 of his own money in mr caspersens scheme and also gave the green light for a charitable trust affiliated with moore capital to invest close to 25 million
prosecutors working for preet bharara the manhattan united states attorney added more details on tuesday to the criminal complaint they filed in march
the authorities now say that mr caspersen had sought to defraud investors out of 150 million up from the 95 million cited in the criminal complaint the new criminal filing said he used some of the money he raised to make periodic interest payments to earlier investors
mr caspersen promised investors an annual return of 15 to 20 percent by putting up money that he said would be used to make secured loans to private equity firms the authorities said
in all prosecutors said he used five fictitious investment vehicles to raise money to carry out the scheme they said he also doctored documents and made up an employee at one firm as part of his bluff when he was questioned by investors
an internal investigation by pjt partners concluded that the amount of money mr caspersen actually took in from investors in the last two years was about 40 million of which 14 million came from friends and relatives including his mother barbara caspersen
the securities and exchange commission has filed a related civil fraud complaint against him
mr shechtman said news media reports have wrongly characterized his client as a man driven by greed and self interest
this is not about wall street greed he said this is about addiction and mental illness


oakmont pa   with his gait wobbly his eyes struggling to focus and his head spinning so quickly he eventually collapsed to the ground jason day would be forgiven if he remembered last years united states open as a house of horrors
a persistent case of vertigo had left day lying on his back as he struggled to complete the final hole of his second round a day later rubbing his eyes and trying not to make any sudden head movements day shot a 68 to improbably share the tournament lead
it was a brief respite in the final round the vertigo returned and sent him reeling down the leaderboard until he finished tied for ninth for day the disappointment might have seemed overpowering because he had contended at five previous major championships and had always come up short
but tuesday when asked to summarize his memories of last years open day answered it was great it was a good experience
perhaps no other comment better exemplifies how day not only overcame a troubling few days but used the events as a springboard to new achievement because on tuesday day prepared for this years open as the worlds top ranked golfer and the favorite to win the tournament which begins thursday
last august he recovered to win the pga championship and he has two tournament victories this season when he reminisces about last years united states open he smiles   although day smiles easily anyway he makes the case that his setback a year ago forged all the success that has come afterward
when you have certain things like that going on it helped me to learn that youve just got to keep pushing   just keep pushing the 28 year old day said to be able to know that i can push myself a little further than you think you can was so important and that its a mental barrier more than anything you can break through it
day conceded that he nearly withdrew from last years open
there were a few spots out there where i thought i was going to quit he said because i cant handle it anymore because i felt like i was going to throw up and just felt ill but thats why i call it a good experience
he did not say it was an enjoyable experience he would call it in the end a fruitful one
i had been getting close to winning a major and was putting myself in position there day said but the most important part is believing you can win one if you dont believe in yourself somewhere or another you sabotage yourself
in the oddest of ways being able to contend at last years open despite his sometimes blurred vision his occasionally wavering balance and a stomach in turmoil gave day the confidence to aggressively chase his dream of a major championship title
its ok to fail he said just keep putting yourself there once i started saying that and really believing that over time it just gradually gave me confidence
it is a lesson for dustin johnson who is still chasing his first major victory after finishing tied for second at the open last year day had a close up view of johnsons three putt on the final hole the one that handed the championship to jordan spieth
i putted out first on the last green trying to give him the opportunity and the glory to fist pump or do whatever he wanted to if he holed that putt to win the us open day said of the first of johnsons three putts last year the scenery was there   the grandstands and everything it was just set up for it to finish like that with him holing the putt
not obviously three putting
day who a year ago was one of the best pro golfers yet to win a major offered a bit of advice to johnson he should embrace what went wrong last time in the same situation he might try to make the championship winning putt but also try to mosey it down there some way
youve got to learn from it day said try to get better for the next time
day meanwhile is chasing his first united states open victory he called the week so far the most stress he had endured in his life and it has given him a cold
sometime your immune system gets a little heated and youre more susceptible to getting some illnesses that way he said but i mean this shouldnt be news and noteworthy that im battling a cold
he has endured worse in the event something not far from his mind
im fine its not an excuse day said im going to be ready for the start thursday


orlando fla   in a scene more like a battlefield than an emergency room in a large american city dozens of people hit by gunfire poured into the orlando regional medical center in the dark predawn hours of sunday morning lining the hallways and filling the operating rooms
the largest mass shooting in american history happened just a few blocks from the regions only major trauma care hospital   an event that illuminates the new challenges facing emergency medicine the gunman fired on his victims in a packed gay nightclub with an assault rifle that caused deep gaping wounds he also shot at them with a handgun whose smaller caliber rounds in some cases bounced around inside their bodies inflicting internal injuries
if they had not been three blocks from the hospital they might not have made it to the hospital said dr william s havron a trauma surgeon at the center
specialists in emergency medicine say the escalating severity of mass shootings in the united states calls for a re evaluation of the medical response in the past disaster drills have focused on crises like bus accidents or plane crashes which involve blunt trauma injuries not gunshots from high powered weapons capable of mowing down dozens of people at a time
recognizing that more mass killings are likely dr jay a kaplan the president of the american college of emergency physicians said the group created a task force in january to determine how to improve the responses using the military as a model the group wants to study patterns of wounding in civilian shootings to help find the best ways to save lives
the battlefield has been brought to our communities in terms of the kind of injuries were seeing said dr kaplan who is also vice chairman of emergency services at ochsner health system in new orleans he added we need to learn and we need to be better prepared
on sunday the casualties came to the medical center in two waves the first around 2 am shortly after the shooting started victims arrived several to an ambulance or in cars or trucks driven by people on the scene the second wave victims who had been trapped in the club with the gunman arrived about 5 am after police blasted through a wall in the club and killed the assailant
of the 44 victims brought to the hospital nine died within minutes of arriving dr michael l cheatham a trauma surgeon at the center said of the remaining 35 eight have gone home and 27 were still hospitalized on tuesday six of those 27 are in critical condition in the intensive care unit five others are in guarded condition and 16 are stable
at a news conference at the hospital on tuesday trauma surgeons emergency medicine specialists nurses and one of the victims recounted the horrific events that began with the attack at the gay nightclub that left 50 dead including the gunman in interviews doctors gave more details
this is not a drill dr chadwick p smith a surgeon at the center said he told the trauma surgeons he woke up at home with phone calls summoning them to the emergency room
the surgeons went from one operating room to the next performing 28 operations on sunday eight on monday and eight on tuesday
one victim rushed into surgery on sunday had a severe abdominal wound and was also close to bleeding to death from shots to the arm and leg said dr matthew w lube another trauma surgeon at the center
dr cheatham said that he would not be surprised if one or two of the six victims who are in critical condition do not survive and that he had concerns about whether others would recover fully at least one had been shot in the head
eleven victims were taken to other hospitals in orlando
the patient who attended the news conference angel colon was saying goodnight to friends at the club when the shooting began he was shot three times in the right leg fell and was trampled shattering bones in his left leg as he lay on the floor the gunman shot a woman next to him and then shot him twice more seeming to aim for his head but striking him in the hand and the hip mr colon remained motionless hoping the shooter would think him dead
when the police arrived mr colon was unable to stand so an officer hurriedly dragged him out of the club across broken glass that cut his legs and back but im grateful for him mr colon said
to the doctors and nurses at the briefing mr colon said i will love you guys forever
when it came to rescuing victims at the site the usual rules did not apply dr george ralls the medical director for orange county where orlando is located said in an interview at most sites with multiple casualties emergency medical technicians assess the victims and color tag them according to how urgently they need to be evacuated yellow can wait red means hurry up black means its too late
but that night unless someone obviously needed urgent help for hemorrhaging or breathing trouble technicians skipped the assessments and loaded people into ambulances and rushed them to the medical center dr ralls said because it was so close the technicians realized they could drive patients there several at a time faster than they could assess them and for critically injured people the thing most likely to save their lives is getting to the hospital as fast as possible
a doctor waited in the driveway outside the emergency room performing triage on patients as they arrived and told the technicians where to take them
at one point we had 90 plus patients in the emergency department said dr timothy b bullard an emergency physician at the center and a member of the command structure that is activated to manage mass casualties some patients were already at the hospital for reasons unrelated to the attack at the nightclub
at the peak of the crisis there were eight emergency doctors six senior trauma surgeons and several residents a few orthopedic surgeons a vascular surgeon a neurosurgeon at least two specialists in critical care respiratory therapists chaplains counselors x ray personnel and countless nurses working dr bullard said police officers and security guards were also on duty
with so many patients critical medical decisions had to be made quickly and doctors had to act more aggressively than they normally would dr bullard said for example if a patient showed any signs of breathing trouble instead of waiting to see if it would resolve doctors would put in a breathing tube so they could move on to the next patient
initially we had four operating rooms going dr bullard said then they opened a fifth and after 3 am they may have opened more
the hospital is well stocked but with so many patients supplies dwindled and hospital officials went across the street to a childrens hospital to restock so many people were shot in the chest that one item in short supply was special tubing needed to help reinflate the lungs
ive been here 31 years at the trauma center and ive not seen anything like this nothing on this scale nothing of this nature dr bullard said i guess being its the largest mass shooting in the history of the united states nobody else has either


people around the world expressed solidarity with the 49 people killed and scores injured by omar mateen at a gay nightclub in orlando fla   the worst mass shooting in united states history
the tributes took the form of songs vigils and colorful light displays at buildings and landmarks such as the eiffel tower and one world trade center
here is a look at some of the scenes and images from around the world
early tuesday a tearful lady gaga posted to twitter after a tribute outside los angeles city hall where she had attended a vigil and rally the day before in a statement read before the crowd she asked the audience to pledge an allegiance of love to the victims and their families
on tuesday the singer wrote on twitter we can always count on one anothers pain to remind us what strength is all about unitedashumans unitedasfriends
in london on monday hundreds of people gathered in the streets for a vigil
the london gay mens chorus sang bridge over troubled water
on sunday night the singer adele dedicated a concert in antwerp belgium to the shooting victims
the dixie chicks also dedicated a concert
on tuesday the designer clothing company calvin klein offered its condolences on twitter
in new orleans on sunday night people gathered along the mississippi river for a candlelight vigil
in seattle the rainbow colored pride flag for the lesbian gay bisexual and transgender community on the space needle was lowered to half staff
in tel aviv city hall was lit up with the colors of the american flag and the pride flag
a premier from new south wales australia posted a photo on twitter of a bridge colorfully lit
other buildings and landmarks were similarly decorated including the eiffel tower
in manhattan it was the spire at one world trade center
in orlando the orlando eye
and in toronto a sign for the city looked like this


the olympic games should go on as planned the world health organization said tuesday and athletes and spectators except for pregnant women should not hesitate to attend so long as they take precautions against infection with the zika virus
pregnant women were advised not to go to brazil for the event or the paralympics the who previously told them to avoid any area where zika is circulating
some attendees may contract the mosquito borne infection and even bring it back home but the risk in august   midwinter in rio de janeiro   is relatively low who officials said
travel related to the olympics accounts for only a fraction of the travel already occurring to and from countries with zika transmission the officials noted
mass gatherings like the world cup or the muslim pilgrimage to mecca can amplify a disease or can raise the risk that it will spread to other countries said dr bruce aylward who is leading the who response to zika you cant dismiss that but the committee felt there should be a much lower risk from the olympics
the who was acting on the advice of its emergency committee but essentially repeated the olympics related travel advice it gave on may 12 which implied that the games should go on the agency expects zika to spread from northern argentina to the southern united states whether or not the games take place
the aedes aegypti mosquitoes that spread zika are rare in europe and in nontropical regions of north america the virus is believed to be endemic in africa and asia though it is not certain how many people have had it or whether they are immune to the strain circulating in the americas a descendant of the asian strain
dr karin nielsen an infectious disease pediatrician at the university of california los angeles who is studying zika infections in rio de janeiro with the oswaldo cruz foundation said the foundation had reported no new cases in nearly eight weeks since the weather began cooling mosquito borne diseases run a cycle and are not continuously present so zika should not be a problem for the olympics she said
but other experts disagreed
amir attaran a public health and law professor at the university of ottawa called the decision scientifically ill considered
the people going to rio are the elite the athletes and the global 1 percent who can afford tickets and can take precautions he said but the people shouldering the risk if this spreads will be the slum dwellers in mumbai kinshasa and lagos who arent going to be able to take precautions
dr attaran has been urging the who to advise postponing nonessential travel to affected areas the agency did not but said that officials in brazil should continue to intensify mosquito control and that insect repellent condoms and health advice should be available for all athletes and visitors
arthur l caplan a bioethicist at new york university who wrote in february that holding the olympics in brazil would be irresponsible said the who was betting on the weather responsible behavior by visitors adequate mosquito control and a low sexual transmission rate by returning visitors all are gambles
also on tuesday the centers for disease control and prevention released a proposed plan for fighting zika if it starts spreading in the continental united states
the agency expects some local mosquito transmission this summer in florida and along the gulf coast to texas the plan outlines steps if even one case appears
because aedes aegypti mosquitoes do not fly far officials can provide a large margin of safety by concentrating efforts within a one mile circle around each known infection the plan said
one case with no further transmission would require a 45 day effort the cdc said but if the infection spreads the agency will help local officials investigate and warn residents if needed it will send emergency teams
the who convened its emergency committee by phone to consider the olympics because under regulations adopted in 2007 the declaration of an international public health emergency requires that the committee that recommended it meet every three months to assess the situation
on feb 1 the committee advised the who director general dr margaret chan to declare an emergency over the possibility that the zika virus had caused a cluster of birth defects in large numbers of babies in brazil
the who and the cdc have concluded that zika causes microcephaly abnormally small heads and brain damage in infants


iran has reached an agreement with the boeing company for the acquisition of new passenger planes to help modernize its outdated fleet state run iranian news media reported on tuesday
such an agreement if completed would potentially be worth many billions of dollars to boeing and amount to the most prominent commercial transaction between an american company and iran since sanctions linked to irans nuclear program were lifted six months ago it also would send a strong signal that iran and the united states despite decades of antipathy might be moving toward normalized ties
numerous obstacles remain to such an agreement most notably other american sanctions on iran that are not related to the tehrans nuclear program including a ban on using dollars in trade with the country the restraints have dissuaded many international banks and financial companies fearful of running afoul of american laws from venturing into the iranian market
many republican lawmakers and others who opposed the nuclear agreement and who have long warned of any reconciliation with iran could object to a boeing deal
also unclear is whether irans supreme leader ayatollah ali khamenei who often describes the united states as his countrys most dangerous threat would countenance such an agreement
nonetheless boeing with the united states governments permission has been in discussions for months with iranian aviation officials about their dire needs for new airplanes
iranian officials have said they will need to acquire at least 400 planes in coming years to replace their commercial fleet one of the worlds oldest it includes some boeing models that predate the 1979 islamic revolution that overthrew the american backed shah
irans minister of roads and urban development abbas akhoundi was quoted by iranian news agencies on tuesday as saying that a deal with boeing had been completed and that details would be announced within the next few days
asked about mr akhoundis assertion a spokesman for boeing at the companys chicago headquarters john dern did not deny it
in an emailed response mr dern said we do not discuss details of ongoing conversations we are having with customers and our standard practice is to let customers announce any agreements that are reached
mr derns statement also cautioned any agreements reached will be contingent on us government approval
boeings most important foreign competitor airbus announced a deal worth roughly 27 billion in january to sell iran 118 aircraft there has been speculation that boeing has been negotiating a similar transaction involving roughly 100 planes
but the airbus agreement has not been completed partly because it also requires united states regulatory approval since a significant portion of airbus plane components are american
asked about the status of the airbus deal a spokesman justin dubon said in an emailed response as with any agreement it takes some time to finalize
some american critics of iran expressed skepticism about the iranian reports of a boeing deal describing them as an exaggeration and part of what they called irans attempts to portray itself as a legitimate economic partner
these deals are more aspirational than a reality said mark dubowitz executive director of the foundation for defense of democracies a washington based group that is highly critical of iran
mr dubowitz said aircraft deals with iran were tricky in part because some areas of the countrys civilian aviation industry were controlled by iranian businesses linked to the islamic revolutionary guards corps which remain subject to american sanctions
its a due diligence nightmare he said not just for the companies but for the banks that finance the deals
at the same time mr dubowitz and others also noted that president hassan rouhani of iran an architect of the nuclear agreement will be up for re election next year and needs to show that the agreement has been economically beneficial
under that agreement completed in january with the united states and other world powers many economic restraints on iran were rescinded or relaxed in exchange for verifiable guarantees by iran that it is engaged in only peaceful atomic work
mr rouhanis promised benefits however have been slow in coming iranian officials have complained that nonnuclear american sanctions remain a major impediment dissuading many foreign companies from investing in and trading with iran
the boeing deal would be really important said cliff kupchan chairman of the eurasia group a washington based political risk consulting company
proponents of the nuclear deal mr kupchan said have been wagering that it will help iran evolve in a direction less hostile to the united states and other western powers
for that iranian elites have to know that the us wants constructive interaction he said if boeing sells 100 planes to iran it would send exactly the right vibe
united against nuclear iran a new york based advocacy organization has claimed some responsibility for irans frustration through a campaign that warns companies that they could risk incurring american legal problems by engaging in business with iranian entities
the organization claimed responsibility for the cancellation of an international forum on opportunities in irans natural gas industry that had been scheduled for thursday and friday in barcelona spain
anthony bright operations manager for inconnect a czech company that had organized the forum said in an emailed statement that it had been postponed until december mr bright did not provide a reason


shanghai   chinese stocks had seemed poised to join an important global benchmark paving the way for overseas money to pour into the countrys markets
but the provider of the index msci decided that china was not yet ready again holding off on adding mainland stocks to its influential emerging markets benchmark
the decision announced on tuesday was a blow not only to despondent local investors but for the chinese government more broadly for several years china had been pushing hard to increase its sway in global financial markets an effort that recently resulted in having its currency the renminbi included in the exclusive club of currencies at the international monetary fund
a year ago china seemed close to having won over msci whose remaining major concern was the difficulty for foreigners to buy and sell stocks in china where the government has significant influence over markets
one stock market crash later however the governments grip has grown tighter
the heavy handed government intervention after the crash raised questions about whether chinas volatile and highly speculative local markets could pass muster with global investors and regulators tactics used included banning big shareholders from selling stocks detaining investors who bet on falling share prices and even suppressing independent economic information
the extra money flowing into mainland stocks or a shares would have provided a much needed boost despite the government intervention chinese stocks have been in a deep slump off about 40 percent in the last 12 months
international institutional investors clearly indicated that they would like to see further improvements in the accessibility of the china a shares market before its inclusion in the msci emerging markets index remy briand the global head of research at msci said in a statement on tuesday
msci said it would reconsider a shares for inclusion in 2017
the index providers decision to delay for another year highlights persistent concerns among global investors about government meddling in local markets as well as the quality of regulation and company accounts
accounting in china is a state secret said hugh young who oversees investments in asia for aberdeen one of the worlds largest emerging markets investors our money goes into companies and we have had trouble finding the right ones to invest in
most large investors get their china equity exposure by investing in large companies listed in hong kong or other overseas markets   like the internet giants tencent and alibaba   where companies must adhere to globally accepted financial rules and regulations mscis weighing toward china was already 25 percent the largest of all the countries it tracks analysts were guessing that chinas inclusion would add another 1 percent of chinese exposure
msci said investors were also bothered by the stiff limits imposed on foreign investors withdrawing their funds from china
the verdict will do little to lift the mood in chinas once bustling brokerage halls
on a recent afternoon inside a poorly lit trading hall near peoples park in shanghai a dozen or so elderly investors were chatting among themselves as the final minutes of another trading day ticked away
as the stock prices flashing on a bank of 21 lcd screens attested the main shanghai share index had staged a modest rally to recover from its earlier losses but once again the index had slumped back down into negative turf by the 3 pm close
its not about waiting it out because if you try you will probably get wiped out said mr ye a 62 year old retiree who declined to give his full name when speaking critically about the governments stock market rescue efforts
it is really painful he added estimating that most of the investors at the shanghai trading hall had lost money over the past year this market isnt really regulated
the msci decision speaks to the caution signs in the market
when the index company delayed its decision a year ago mainland stocks were at their frothiest they had more than doubled over the previous 12 months
at the time the company said it was concerned about a number of restrictions in china certain rules made it challenging for global investors to move money in and out of the country or even to prove with certainty their ownership of shares
global investors also fretted about the curious ability of chinese companies to stop trading in their stock whenever it seemed to suit their own needs the practice stopped shares under pressure from falling further but it did so by preventing investors from cashing out
with an eye on making the cut at msci china sought to address these concerns in recent months
last month chinas stock exchanges published new rules that discouraged companies from halting trading in their own shares china also took steps to give foreign investors greater access to its markets by increasing investment quotas
last week china said it would grant an initial renminbi denominated investment quota to the united states allowing american funds to purchase stocks worth as much as 250 billion renminbi or 38 billion american investors could previously buy into chinese stocks through other methods but the new quota provided significant direct access and ranked as the second biggest of its kind under the renminbi program after hong kongs
this follows previous moves to open up mainland markets through a newer link between the hong kong and shanghai markets although it is also subject to investment caps and quotas chinese officials have said they plan to make stocks listed in shenzhen eligible for the same scheme connecting them to the hong kong market later this year
still efforts to improve market regulations may be cold comfort for ordinary chinese investors who are still nursing losses from last years stock market fallout
mr tao a 63 year old retiree at the shanghai brokerage who declined to give his first name because he spoke critically of the governments actions said he used a bit of his monthly pension of 1600 renminbi or 243 to dabble in the stock market
taking a break outside the brokerage to chat over a red double happiness cigarette mr tao said he was sitting on tidy profits until the market turned downward last june
since then his investments have given back more than 70 percent of those gains
in investing one misstep and youre nabbed mr tao said
he added that it could take years to recover his lost profits now i just want to wait it out he said


twitter has invested about 70 million in the streaming music service soundcloud in a deal that may help both companies attract more users
jack dorsey twitters chief executive confirmed that the companys investment in a statement to the technology news site recode on tuesday
he did not specify the amount and a spokeswoman for twitter declined to comment but the figure was confirmed by a person who had been briefed on the deal
earlier this year we made an investment in soundcloud through twitter ventures to help support some of our efforts with creators mr dorsey said theyve been great partners of ours over the years and their community supported approach mirrors ours in many ways
the deal will mean needed funds for soundcloud which has struggled with losses despite establishing itself as a popular online outlet for new music it could clarify how twitter deals with entertainment an area in which the company has stumbled in the past
soundcloud opened in 2008 and became a favorite of musicians and fans attracting what it says are 175 million users worldwide at the same time the company drew the ire of the major record labels for hosting unlicensed content which made it vulnerable to copyright liability
in 2014 twitter considered buying soundcloud but abandoned the deal since then soundcloud has struck new licensing deals with record companies and publishers helping to legitimize the service with the mainstream music business
in march soundcloud introduced its long promised subscription service soundcloud go making a catalog of more than 125 million songs available to people at 10 a month with a free version supported by advertising
in soundclouds financial filings for 2014 released early this year the company reported 195 million in revenue but a loss of almost 44 million and said it would need to raise money to stay in business last year it raised 77 million in debt
in a statement a soundcloud spokeswoman said the investment from twitter would enable soundcloud to remain focused on building value for creators and listeners alike


just before 9 am on tuesday while the cafe at zabars in manhattan was still busy with the breakfast rush an unmistakable sound interrupted the chatter a gun was fired
the authorities said the shooting was an accident a man who had just bought a bagel and a cup of coffee was adjusting his waistband causing the gun he had tucked in his pants to fire shooting himself in the leg
about 30 people were inside the cafe which is part of the upscale market on the upper west side when the gun went off workers in the store said
the man identified by the police as louis lester anderson 48 hurried away from the store on the corner of broadway and 80th street and took himself to mount sinai st lukes where he was treated and found by the police he has been taken into police custody officials said the matter was being investigated
officials said mr anderson told the police that he had found the gun in midtown and had dropped it in a grassy area near riverside drive where the police found it they said mr anderson who is homeless had been arrested nine previous times mostly on drug related charges
for about three hours after the shooting the cafe was cordoned off by police tape keeping out regulars but before too long they returned and were back shopping its business as usual the stores general manager scott goldshine said
it was very quick mr goldshine added nobody got hurt our staff is fine and were back open for business
jim wintner was among the first customers to buy a sandwich after the cafe reopened people were flying in here before i could even get in the door he said were new yorkers   we have to have our zabars
but with the mass shooting in orlando fla fresh on the minds of many in the neighborhood they said they could not help but fear at first blush that something worse was happening
my mind is still on orlando because my wife lives there mr wintner said
beryl swados usually comes in for coffee every morning
im literally there every day and i would have been there had i not been with clients said ms swados who works at canine styles the grooming service and pet product store but whats horrifying is this isnt just being in a bad neighborhood this is the upper west side for gods sake
marlene silva said she heard about the shooting while at physical therapy at a nearby gym but still came by the store after it had reopened
no one is safe anymore she said nothing is sacred anymore
but she was sanguine in her approach to handling her fears what can you do ms silva said be a hermit in your own house


the federal bureau of investigation has identified possible suspects in its long running investigation into the murder of a banker in puerto rico but it is now asking the public for help in solving the 2011 killing
five years ago this week maurice spagnoletti a top executive at doral financial the holding company that owned a puerto rico bank was gunned down on his way home from work in san juan
the fbi announced on tuesday a 20000 reward for information that leads to an arrest and began advertising the reward on billboards across puerto rico
an fbi spokesman said that investigators had identified suspects but that the agency was looking for more information to put the finishing touches on the investigation
we are attempting to connect the dots carlos osorio a media representative for the fbis san juan field office said in an interview
mr spagnoletti who grew up in jersey city started as a teller and worked his way up through small and midsize banks before being recruited by doral financial whose doral bank had been one of the largest banks in puerto rico before it was shut down by federal regulators in february 2015
mr spagnoletti had been at the bank only a few months when he was killed while driving home in rush hour traffic in san juan on june 15 2011 the killer shot into his car multiple times and fled at the time of his death mr spagnoletti who had a young daughter was 57
mr spagnolettis widow marisa is raising money to contribute to the reward fund starting with a 10000 contribution of her own in a news conference at the law offices of mccarter  english in midtown manhattan ms spagnoletti appealed for the public and specifically banks to contribute to the fund
he devoted his life to the banking community because he strongly believed it was the cornerstone of the american economy said ms spagnoletti who has set up a fund raising page on gofundmecom
over the last five years theories have swirled around puerto rico about who might have wanted to kill mr spagnoletti friends and former colleagues described him as affable and a fastidious banker
in a statement on tuesday the fbis san juan office said the agency had conducted hundreds of interviews and generated scores of leads
through these efforts the fbi and the police have obtained a great deal of information about this murder and those who are responsible for it the agency said in the statement
doral one of several banks that have failed on the island in recent years was taken over by the federal deposit insurance corporation before its closing doral had reported losses over eight consecutive years


its hard to get ones head around it an initial public offering that would value a company in the trillions of dollars thats trillions with a t
saudi arabia is considering selling shares in its state oil company with 261 billion barrels of oil in reserves and a yearly output of over three billion barrels of oil the company saudi aramco is a behemoth by any measure
its so big that the companys valuation is estimated at 1 trillion to 2 trillion some put the figure as high as 10 trillion
a sale of a 5 percent stake would be the largest ipo ever with proceeds most likely approaching 100 billion the investment banker fees may exceed 1 billion which has prompted a feeding frenzy at this once in a lifetime sale
even so the real eye opening development may not be the amount of money involved but where the saudi government chooses to list the shares
if it decides to list only on the home country exchange it will be a conservative choice with minimal impact but if it seeks a listing in new york london or hong kong it could be revolutionary
the choice matters so much because this can really be thought of as an ipo of the whole country
the oil company generated an estimated 180 billion in profit per year to the state which represented over 40 percent of its economy at least before the recent slump in oil prices we dont know the exact figures because they arent published but we do know that about 90 percent of the saudi governments budget comes from oil profits so saudi arabia is effectively aramco the company founded in 1933 by standard oil of california now chevron
if aramco lists only on the saudi exchange the ipo will swamp the current market capitalization of the exchange which is 300 billion to 400 billion and dominate trading in this environment where the company is the dominant one and is a creature of the state aramco can set its own rules on disclosure and other regulation providing little comfort to foreign shareholders
but the latest indications are there will be a global listing in new york hong kong and london
if aramco goes to new york it will be subjecting itself to the full array of united states securities laws applicable to foreign companies this will require extensive disclosure and will subject the company to the scrutiny of the public market
it would also mean that american investors both big and small could easily invest a new york listing would be a way of bringing the company   and by implication the country   into the full financial sphere
this may be why the saudis are considering such a move the kingdom knows that its centurys worth of oil reserves may very likely never be used as the world shifts to greener carbon free energy so it is selling now to reap some money while the going is good moreover given the state of the saudi budget and its current budget deficit   98 billion last year   a successful ipo will help ease local economic woes
a new york times editorial said buyer beware about an ipo citing the state of oil and the saudi kingdom indeed the stock sale is no panacea and will not radically change what is by all measures a repressive regime
nonetheless an offering is a step in transitioning the kingdom toward a more sustainable and more open post oil economy
having aramco subject to united states financial reporting will itself be something of a shock to the saudi system it would be as if an entire country suddenly became listed and regulated by outside capital markets
that new york is even being considered for the offering highlights the continued strength of american capital markets in the years after the financial crisis
when issuers choose to list abroad these days for the most part they go to new york the only other real competitor is london and when these global ipos happen it is american banks that largely organize them in this case the lead adviser for aramco is jpmorgan chase which has worked with the kingdom for decades it stands first in line for what could be more than 1 billion in fees
this is a remarkable turn of events after the sarbanes oxley act was enacted in 2002 there was a loud outcry that the united states was losing its stock listings
yet foreign listings have remained robust in 2014 and 2015 they accounted for 22 percent and 18 percent of all ipos in the united states according to jay ritter a professor at the university of florida
and these were listings by prominent companies like alibaba manchester united and ferrari
hong kong and singapore at the same time have not drawn foreign ipos in any significant measure last year singapore had four
this is where it gets interesting for the aramco ipo if it does decide to list to the united states a difficult task awaits audited financial statements for a public company would need to be prepared work that could take years aramco would have to decide which assets to keep and which would remain private
the states control will have to be formalized including whether the offering will include an interest in the kingdoms oil reserves or be confined to other assets
aramco which is generally regarded as well run for a state enterprise will have to adopt a board that may have outside members and to prepare for the criticism of the market some trimming of fat will also be needed in recent years the company has invested far afield in chemical and solar assets
because of this i am skeptical that an ipo will happen soon but i am also optimistic that if it does and it goes to list in new york or london or hong kong this can be a game changer for a country that is seeking to diversify its economy and yes like all emerging market offerings this is a risky one   perhaps even more so given the state of the middle east and world oil   so retail buyers should beware
i may be overstating the potential for saudi arabia which is still very much a closed regime and will probably remain one for some time but the attraction of the united states stock market   and the disclosures and changes the saudis would have to make to take part   show the transformative power of global capital an aramco ipo could be a victory for new york


orlando fla   ortiz rivera gonzalez almodovar as the names of the victims of sundays massacre here rolled out this slice of the united states   known as the unofficial 79th municipio or municipality of puerto rico   felt a communal shudder
it was a roll call of puerto ricans gay and straight who had gathered to dance and hear salsa music at the club and died in the barrage of bullets like so many others they were here in this booming central florida metropolitan area of nearly 400000 puerto ricans because it has become a puerto rican touchstone spanish flows freely the smells of mallorca pastries and mofongo waft from bakeries and restaurants the hot and humid weather feels like home
its as though it had happened in our own family said yolanda rivera 71 who works at the melao bakery a popular shop in kissimmee just south of orlando we are praying to god he heals their pain for the loss of their children we hispanics have become a little closer because of this
a staggering 90 percent of the 49 victims killed by omar mateen the gunman who opened fire in a gay nightclub were hispanic or of hispanic descent including mexican colombian and dominican community leaders said of those 23 were puerto rican this has stunned puerto rican residents across florida   where there are a million islanders rivaling the number in new york state   and on the island where the deaths have set off a national mourning
for puerto ricans here the heartbreak is especially strong orlando was meant to be a haven for puerto ricans who fled the island because of its imploding economy and spectacularly high crime rate the fact that so many young puerto ricans died in a spasm of violence during a night of dancing seems a particularly bitter twist
ramona nazario 67 who arrived three years ago from ponce pr said the shooting reminded her too much of what she had left behind the same things are happening here   the killings the drugs ms nazario said in spanish you dont feel so well when these things go on people here fail too
across puerto rico flags remained at half staff and gov alejandro garcia padilla extended the mourning to friday victims family members on the island are streaming into orlando or trying to do so either to fly home with the dead or to help other grieving relatives some have set up gofundme sites asking for help with the cost of taking victims home to be buried on the island
the puerto rican community in the kissimmee orlando area has quickly pulled together some funeral homes have offered discounts jetblue has offered to fly victims relatives to and from orlando business and social service groups have put out calls for interpreters to help relatives navigate the thicket of paperwork particularly difficult during a time of grief they are also mobilizing to help those from latin american countries including the families of three undocumented immigrants who died said zoe colon director of florida and southeast operations at the hispanic federation a nonprofit group
one of the victims franky jimmy dejesus velazquez 50 came here in 2010 for the same reasons that have driven tens of thousands of puerto ricans in recent years better jobs health care housing friends relatives and in his case greater acceptance of his sexual identity but he was a proud puerto rican   a jibarito a professional dancer on the island with a fierce devotion to jibara a folkloric dance created long ago by workers on coffee plantations and inland farms latin night at the club was a natural fit for him
they come here come to kissimmee where you have lechon asado and you can hear latin music you can hear our language said maria hernandez who is puerto rican and was a close friend of mr dejesus this is little puerto rico thats what its called
but like many others mr dejesus had a hard time initially although some puerto ricans here are bilingual many struggle with english jobs are not always plentiful housing is pricey and getting pricier by the month social services are limited and schools particularly in the kissimmee area are bulging with new arrivals
in the last couple of years some puerto ricans unable to make ends meet have returned to the island mr dejesus went on interview after interview and landed a few jobs most recently in visual media
puerto ricans when they come from puerto rico they hear so much you need to follow your dreams  ms hernandez said in reality when they come here they are lost
their presence has made the orlando area a remarkably diverse place so many puerto ricans arrived that the puerto rican government opened up a branch here to help islanders and recently the hispanic federation long active with puerto ricans in new york city set up shop as well not all of the puerto ricans in the area came directly from the island many ventured here from new york and chicago
businesses that cater to puerto ricans   be it food health care training moving needs travel language instruction   have also opened and spread across the area valencia college is expanding to accommodate the growing numbers seven current students or recent graduates died at the club on sunday
puerto ricans have also expanded their political foothold in 2012 there was one puerto rican in the florida house now there are four in the house and one in the state senate and commissioners in orlando and kissimmee
the growing population of puerto ricans is expected to have an effect on the presidential election although puerto ricans here tend to be less reliably democratic than puerto ricans in new york they still favor democrats and many are displeased by the anti immigrant rhetoric of the presumptive republican nominee donald j trump while puerto ricans are united states citizens they are sensitive to racism and anti latino references
state senator darren soto a puerto rican who represents this area and is running for a house seat said the shootings had deeply shaken the community
to see one of the staff members of pulse waving the puerto rican flag on the stage mr soto said recounting the monday evening memorial service at the dr phillips center for the performing arts here it struck us quite deeply it was recognition that our community was particularly hit
the profound sense of loss clings to the community as relatives plan funerals or arrange to bring the dead back home ana disla is reeling from the death of her nephew anthony luis laureano disla who loved to dance so much that he moved here from puerto rico three years ago to pursue a job as a dancer and choreographer she wishes now that he had not come at all
he came here to try to have a better quality of life she said and look what happened now


uber has raised more than 14 billion using all sorts of creative funding sources now it may add something new to the list the leveraged loan market
the ride hailing start up is looking to issue as much as 2 billion in securities to investors said a person briefed on the discussions who spoke on the condition of anonymity morgan stanley barclays goldman sachs and citigroup are managing the process said the person adding that the deal has not begun yet and may still fall apart
representatives from all four banks declined to comment the discussions were earlier reported by the wall street journal
by tapping leveraged loans uber is adding to its trove of billions made up of many types of securities which the company has been spending as it expands worldwide uber has raised equity from traditional venture capital sources strategic corporate investors and private equity this month the company said that it had raised 35 billion from saudi arabias public investment fund uber has also raised billions in convertible debt which can be exchanged for equity at a future date
uber has redefined private fund raising drawing hundreds of millions in new cash or debt at a rapid pace of once every few months the company needs financing as it now operates in at least 69 countries and is fighting an expensive battle in china against a rival didi chuxing which is also raising money to expand
leveraged loans are rarely used among start ups a leveraged loan is a security issued by a company that has a lot of debt on its books already and thus is perceived by investors as being a higher risk the loans are typically used for leveraged buyouts and are seldom seen in silicon valley
uber has been able to tap less traditional funding sources because investors think its size and scale make it a safer bet than other silicon valley companies ubers valuation of 625 billion   making it the highest valued venture backed start up in the world   would not change with this new investment
leveraged loans also allow uber to raise money without diluting the holdings of its many equity investors   some of which have been through more than a dozen rounds of financing


the american civil liberties union of ohio sued the city of cleveland on tuesday saying that it was violating protesters free speech rights with undue restrictions on demonstrations during next months republican national convention
at issue are a set of special rules that the city adopted on may 25 that are meant to be in effect during the convention which runs from july 18 to 21 and cover an area of about three square miles in downtown cleveland referred to by the city as an event zone
the lawsuit challenges a number of the restrictions including limits on street marches to 50 minutes per group and to a single approved route over a bridge and on three of the four convention days to the hours of 9 am to 2 pm hours before the major convention activities the suit also contests the citys refusal to issue any park use permits for the event zone except for art and public installations in two small parks
severe limits imposed by the city on the rights of the people to freely assemble and to express their political and other views are arbitrary unduly restrictive and without rational justification lawyers for the aclu wrote in a complaint filed in federal district court in cleveland on behalf of a pro donald trump group an anti poverty group and a homeless advocacy group the lawsuit said cleveland was also further trampling first amendment rights by delaying the processing of applications for permits required to engage in first amendment activities during the convention
dan williams a spokesman for the city declined to comment in a letter last week the citys chief counsel gary singletary responded to some concerns aclu lawyers had raised during a previous meeting saying the city was not unreasonably limiting free speech within the event zone though the city is limiting the number of street marching permits to 18 he noted that absolutely no permit is required for a sidewalk parade that does not obstruct vehicular or pedestrian traffic
past attempts by cities to balance security and free expression have led to legal battles before and after national conventions
republican conventions in 2000 2004 and 2008 were accompanied by mass arrests occasional street skirmishes between the police and protesters instances of property damage and millions of dollars in payouts to people who said their civil rights were violated by wrongful arrests
with the expected nomination in cleveland of donald j trump whose campaign appearances have drawn demonstrators and sometimes included violence by both supporters and detractors preparations in cleveland have drawn close scrutiny a cleveland official said that the city had solicited bids to provide items like protective gear for the police batons and tactical hard knuckle gloves
beginning in february representatives of groups with various political leanings began asking the city for permits to rally or march city officials did not respond publicly to those requests sometimes declining to tell reporters in ohio how many permit applications they had received and saying that they would make permit decisions about two weeks before the convention


in the wake of the horrifying killings in orlando last weekend the dixie chicks like many musicians tweeted their condolences writing in part its so important during these times to stay united as people against this misguided hatred
for some that was not enough some right leaning websites zeroed in on the fact that the dixie chicks didnt use a specific word that many other country artists emphasized pray
such is the plight of the dixie chicks who more than a decade after the incident   when the frontwoman natalie maines declared on the eve of the iraq invasion we do not want this war this violence and were ashamed that the president of the united states is from texas   remain an arena friendly act but still a pariah to many
the group is touring for the first time in several years   it played madison square garden on monday night   returning into an equally contentious political environment if not more so
but todays country music world is far more welcoming than the one the group was effectively expelled from female artists still face many obstacles in a genre dominated by the concerns of male artists but music coming from nashville is more expansive and at least on the surface more politically tolerant this dash of progressivism is embodied in the career of kacey musgraves who performed at mccarren park in brooklyn on saturday night and has become one of the genres most beloved tweakers of its own orthodoxy
the twists that both ms musgraves and the dixie chicks provide to country music have been so meaningful because at root theyre genre traditionalists loyal to its structures and its mythologies both are from texas and both began their careers as keepers of old school flames the dixie chicks are bluegrass fluent and ms musgraves performed western swing music as a teenager
now ms musgraves is a polished smooth refabricator of classic country with forward thinking political values shes not a polemicist but a nudger someone who delivers homilies with a shrug and an exasperated amused eye roll
at ms musgravess concert   as part of the northside festival in williamsburg   she performed in a sea of kitsch neon cactuses dotted the stage and her band was outfitted in gunslinger cum mariachi chic at the end of the show she wore cowboy boots illuminated with white lights can we just get really weird tonight she asked
ms musgravess idea of weird though is to use slashes of bold color firmly inside the lines her show was breezy and precise one masterwork of sly songwriting after the next she has a sweet voice   never tart   and she sounded lovely when winking im always higher than my hair on pageant material or on the hee haw esque family is family sighing exaggeratedly about kin who own too much wicker and drink too much liquor
this is ms musgravess rebellion polite knowing exuding a weve all been there embrace as countrys mainstream has become more distanced from its heritage ms musgraves has somehow become both the keeper of the genres old rules and also its leading internal dissenter
in that she differs from the dixie chicks who were by and large country centrists right up until the moment ms maines bad mouthed president george w bush the groups first two major label albums went diamond the third six times platinum
at this show the dixie chicks   ms maines and the sisters emily strayer and martie maguire   were part arena act in diminished comeback mode and at times vivid and scrappy especially when digging back into their earliest rootsiest material like sin wagon and white trash wedding
ms strayer primarily on banjo and ms maguire primarily on fiddle are exceptional musicians bringing intensity dexterity and attitude in equal measure and ms maines is still a powerful singer but there was a malaise that all too often crept into the set   a lack of enthusiasm among the bandmates and a fatigue that clouded even some of their most incendiary songs as when they listlessly pumped their fists during the anti domestic violence anthem goodbye earl
big musical umbrellas have lately become de rigueur in country and both ms musgraves and the dixie chicks flaunted their pop fluency for ms musgraves it was covers of bob marley and tlc and a hank williams duet with a shaky conor oberst who shared the bill a collision of nashville professionalism and indie shambles the dixie chicks showcased a couple of patty griffin songs and flatly performed their version of fleetwood macs landslide but also delivered a superfluous prince cover and during a bluegrass instrumental interlude wove in snippets of beyonce and the weeknd
ms maines also wore her sympathies on her chest in the first half of the concert she sported a t shirt bearing an illustration of beyonce hoisting two middle fingers a scene from the formation video in the second half she switched to one with an image of kanye west
there were also brief flashes of the dixie chickss formal politics during this show during goodbye earl donald j trump was depicted with devil horns and beard on the large backdrop screen and the group closed with a passionate energetic cover of ben harpers better way dedicated to the orlando shooting victims
weve got to put positivity out there in the universe to counterbalance all these crazy nut jobs ms maines said as ms maguire draped a rainbow flag on stage the group also removed a cover of patty griffins dont let me die in florida from its set
ms musgraves performing the night before the shooting introduced her breakthrough hit follow your arrow with its plea for inclusivity and tolerance regarding sexual orientation with a question where my gays at
the next day she reacted to the tragedy on twitter lets go back to saloon days she wrote where everyone is carryin a revolver and anyone walkin in to disturb the peace might maybe think twice within minutes and after some backlash she had deleted it posting emotions are high today mine included just hating hate
unlike ms mainess controversial comment which was a burst of liberal disruption in a traditionally conservative space ms musgraves had cut her anti establishment brio with a dash of texas friendly conservative thinking making her an outsider two times over   or a secret insider who peeked out ever so briefly


this season alvin ailey american dance theater welcomes three new company members to its mix one is the first former aileycamper to make it into the main company another will set aside her beloved pointe shoes for a coveted spot and the third she has two young children but she cant get dancing out of her system shes returning to the fold
solomon dumas was introduced to dance through aileycamp in chicago aileycamp is a summer program for the young combining dance training with classes in communication and personal development ashley mayeux a regal 5 foot 10 comes from complexions contemporary ballet and constance stamatiou danced with ailey for five years before starting a family this week mr dumas and ms stamatiou are performing in featured roles in aileys 1960 masterpiece revelations among other works ms mayeux currently finishing her complexions contract will appear with the ailey company at the saratoga performing arts center in july
ms stamatious return is particularly gratifying for robert battle the companys artistic director she left just as he was taking over job its fun to have her back but its also a statement   that you can follow your own sense of necessity he said recently in his office at the ailey studios there doesnt have to be one way to do things
hometown chicago
age 27
mr dumas never wanted to be an aileycamper his mother forced him into it i dont think i had a choice he said with a laugh she always kept me in some sort of program im from the south side of chicago so she kept me busy at the time he was 12 and involved in community theater his mother he said came from the school of knowing everything   not just being an actor and a singer
he may have enrolled reluctantly but when camp was over he missed it aileycamp was more than just a dance camp it was a personal development camp he said he went on to train at the chicago academy for the arts and the russell talbert dance studio and later in new york studied at the ailey school and was a member of ailey ii before joining ronald k brownevidence
mr brown who fuses among other forms modern and traditional african dance is also one of the ailey companys leading choreographers at mr dumass ailey audition mr battle could sense that influence my eye kept going to him mr battle said the looseness of the torso the sense of not pushing but being in his movement
when he auditioned mr dumas was a freelance dancer and working at barrys bootcamp a gym specializing in high intensity interval training i was the last one to walk into the audition he recalled even in the chaos and in the procrastination there was a sense of calm it wasnt me trying to prove myself or to compete with anybody else
hometown houston
age 27
ms mayeux began dancing at 6 or 7 at the instigation of her mother who told her to pick one thing do it for a year and then decide whether she liked it or not from the first day that i took a dance class i knew that i was going to be a dancer she said ms mayeux trained at the high school for performing and visual arts in houston where a teacher recommended that she audition for the summer program at the ailey school there at 15 she fell in love with ballet thats so late to even start thinking about a serious ballet career because people are getting into companies at 17
she kept at it and after graduating from suny purchase and performing in the tour of the broadway musical aida she joined complexions the contemporary ballet troupe led by the former ailey dancers dwight rhoden and desmond richardson they shaped me into the dancer that i am now she said
while she didnt think shed be hanging up her pointe shoes so soon joining the ailey company has long been a dream everything has been leading up to this moment she said and while ailey specializes in modern dance isnt there always the possibility that a dance could require pointe work well see she said with a smile maybe i can change that
hometown charlotte nc
age 31
when ms stamatiou left the ailey organization in 2011 she had spent four years in the company   but she had also been in the school for two years and a member of ailey ii the organizations second younger company for another two i just felt like id spent a lot of my life here and i wanted to explore and do something different she said i wanted to try acting
she dabbled in commercial dance work and was a dancer in dan pritzkers 2015 film bolden but she said there was still something missing   it was the fulfillment of being onstage and just letting everything out rather than dancing for two minutes cut another two minutes and cut then seeing the company performing at city center this past christmas i was like oh everybody looks so great i miss that feeling
soon after those performances she received a call from masazumi chaya the ailey companys associate artistic director asking if she would be interested in coming back i made myself a student again and i was just training taking ballet and horton classes every single day she said i was even telling the teachers get on me treat me like your student help me out i started to see my body coming back together
back with the company ms stamatiou is thriving though she hasnt started touring yet aileys tours are arduous the dancer who lives in bergenfield nj   her husband is a personal trainer with flexible hours   has the support of her extended family who live nearby to help with her daughter 4 and son 2 ill always have a little bit of anxiety about it she said but i know that theyll be well taken care of
for ms stamatiou its about being a complete person dancing again is making me a better mother and me being a mother is making me a better dancer i have so much to share


venice   on a recent afternoon the historian robert jan van pelt was standing in a quiet room at the 15th venice architecture biennale explaining the significance of an unassuming steel mesh column that visitors to this sprawling survey of global design might walk right past
this is one of the most deadly things so far created mr van pelt said and it was the handiwork he noted of an architect
the column   painted like everything else in the room a pristine white   is a reproduction of one of the eight chutes used to lower zyklon b poison pellets into gas chambers at auschwitz it was built on the basis of historical documents introduced in the 2000 libel case brought by the british historian and holocaust denier david irving at which mr van pelt a leading authority on the construction of that nazi death camp was an expert witness
now it is also a centerpiece of the evidence room a haunting installation that stands as a reminder of architectures potential both to do unspeakable harm and to argue for truth against lies
alejandro aravena the artistic director of this years biennale calls mr van pelts expert testimony a powerful example of reversed architectural logic
mr van pelt has studied the camps as if he had the problem of designing them and used that knowledge in the trial to triumph over negationism mr aravena said in a telephone interview
the evidence room he added achieves the delicate balance between being subtle and respectful and communicating the horror walking in you feel something on your skin
the room based on mr van pelts nearly 600 page book the case for auschwitz evidence from the irving trial 2002 is one of the more unusual installations in a biennale dedicated to the ethical dimension of architecture and one of the few featuring the work of a nondesigner to give his research concrete form mr van pelt turned to donald mckay an architect and fellow professor at the architecture school of the university of waterloo in ontario the team also included anne bordeleau and sascha hastings
i wanted it to have a kind of ideal quality like we were inside the architects mind mr van pelt said
entering the room which uses four shades of white feels like walking into a combination of an architectural model and a fossil specimen hall the walls are lined with plaster reliefs based on photographs drawings blueprints and other documents introduced during the trial to counter mr irvings claim that there were no gas chambers at auschwitz
one photograph shows a group portrait of the auschwitz central construction management team including the head of the design department walter dejaco an inscription near the entrance describes the death camps as the greatest crime committed by architects but there is minimal explanatory text in the room itself
some people are going to just walk through and we respect that mr mckay said were not shouting to get peoples attention its more like breadcrumbs in the forest
the nazis who evacuated auschwitz in early 1945 as soviet forces approached did their best to hide those evidentiary crumbs before leaving they blew up the gas chambers and crematories no surviving documents from the camp label the gas chambers as such deniers argue that auschwitz was just a brutal work camp with a high death rate not a death camp
but the material gathered by mr van pelt and cast in plaster in the room speaks to a deadly purpose there are letters and memos requesting the construction of gas tight doors and shutters this order must be considered as very urgent one letter says
an aerial photograph taken by allied planes in august 1944 shows four dots on the roof of crematorium 3 at auschwitz   hatches for the gas columns mr van pelt said   in a zigzag pattern that matches an eyewitness account of the location of the columns
the most striking elements of the room which will remain on view here until nov 27 are three full size reproductions or monuments as the team calls them the gas column a fragment of wall from a crematory and a gas chamber door they are unlabeled but their details once explained are almost unbearably chilling
the door known from a photograph taken by a soviet soldier and other documents has on one side a bolt a handle and a peephole on the other side there is only the peephole covered by a protective mesh cage   the sort of thing mr van pelt noted that you normally only see on the outside of a door
a document reproduced in the exhibition indicates that the peephole was added when rooms designed as morgues were retrofitted as gas chambers at which point the hinges were adjusted so the doors opened out rather than in mr van pelt said
when they were opened as many as 2000 corpses would be piled against the walls and door with strongest adults on top children on the bottom
many people died because there was a stampede mr van pelt said we dont need to go into the details but this wasnt breathe in breathe out and go to sleep
the evidence room by contrast has an almost ethereal calm that for some may come uncomfortably close to beauty and perhaps to violating the shoah director claude lanzmanns injunction against directly representing the holocaust
i always had that in the back of my mind said mr van pelt who has been critical of preservation efforts that turn death camps into a kind of theme park as he once put it
the column also raises tricky questions of authenticity the eight used at auschwitz mr van pelt said were dismantled by the nazis in late 1944 and vanished their general appearance is known from accounts by some of the perhaps 100 people by his estimate who saw them and lived including prisoners tasked with clearing corpses
we know how this thing could have been built but we dont know for sure how it was built mr mckay who made the construction drawings for the reproduction of the column said its still a ghost
the historian deborah lipstadt whose book about holocaust deniers prompted mr irvings libel suit said the re creation of the gas column had initially made her uneasy but she was persuaded by the carefulness of it while still the product of someones imagination it is based on the evidence she said
as for the all white scheme ms lipstadt who was not directly involved with the project said if it was just a room of photographs and documents it wouldnt take your breath away it has an audacious quality
it also has an enigmatic one during a reporters visit to the room frances holliss an architect from london lingered nearby as mr van pelt and mr mckay explained various details she had visited the previous day and had felt drawn to return she said but hadnt grasped the significance of the gas column
now i know what it is and its horrible she said she echoed the text on the wall its the greatest crime that architects have ever committed


467 million
222 livingston street between hoyt street and elm place
downtown brooklyn
a local investor has bought this four story mixed use 1920 building with vacant retail space on the ground level and the second level occupied it has two vacant three bedroom apartments the 5837 square foot building in an area of downtown construction is next to a 300000 square foot building to be completed next year
buyer jeff gerson
seller 238 livingston street realty corporation
brokers andrew sasson and evan street eastern consolidated

13920sq ft
87000 approximate annual rent
60 west eighth street between avenue of the americas and macdougal street
manhattan
sees candies based in san francisco is to open its first new york shop toward the end of the summer in a 625 square foot retail space with a 325 square foot basement in this five story walk up which was built around 1900 in the greenwich village historic district
tenant sees candies
tenants brokers joshua j roth donald zucker company
landlord return to home
landlords brokers william abramson and matthew olden buchbinder  warren realty group
155 million
1750 1752 second avenue between east 91st and 92nd streets
manhattan
these two five story mixed use yorkville walk ups totaling 15070 square feet offer 20 apartments 14 free market three rent stabilized and three rent controlled they also have four retail spaces   one vacant   with 50 feet of frontage
owner 1750 second avenue
brokers michael a tortorici victor sozio jesse deutch and howard raber ariel property advisors


theme parks in orlando like disneys magic kingdom park and epcot universal orlando and seaworld orlando are being more vigilant following the shooting in the city early sunday morning at pulse nightclub that left 49 people dead
in an email a spokeswoman for disney jacquee wahler wrote unfortunately weve all been living in a world of uncertainty and during this time we have increased our security measures across our properties adding such visible safeguards as magnetometers metal detectors additional canine units and law enforcement officers on site as well as less visible systems that employ state of the art security technologies
few of the representatives for the other parks were willing to comment on any specific security measures being implemented following the catastrophe over the weekend but a handful did say that they were being more vigilant
in an email a seaworld spokeswoman suzanne pelisson beasley said the safety of our ambassadors guests and animals has always been our top priority our security teams work closely with law enforcement and we have enhanced security measures at all our parks
also a universal orlando spokesman tom schroder said that guest safety is the parks top priority but that the company doesnt discuss security plans and procedures
although the theme parks may be more hesitant to share specifics on extra security measures since the weekend many including universal seaworld and the four walt disney world theme parks started giving security increased attention last december by adding metal detectors at entryways
legoland a lego themed park in winter haven fla about 45 minutes from orlando added metal detecting wands and also began searching guests bags before they entered
a legoland spokesman david brady said that the new measures went into place to prepare for the heavy attendance expected during the december holiday season
orlando is one of the top tourist destinations in the united states and continues to grow in popularity according to statistics from visitorlando the citys official tourism association in the last week of january occupancy rates in the city were up 18 percent over 2015 also 661 million people visited orlando in 2015 making it the most visited destination in the united states


after years of research into dolphin behavior and countless protests from activists about their life in captivity the dolphins at the national aquarium in baltimore will be moved to an oceanside sanctuary
the aquarium announced its decision on tuesday noting that the new environment would become the nations first dolphin reservation and said the transition is expected to be complete by the end of 2020 although there are already sanctuaries for elephants chimpanzees and other animals this will be the only one in north america for dolphins
the change is the result of a five year debate among aquarium officials who weighed various options on how best to deal with the animals the aquarium stopped offering shows in which the dolphins performed a few years ago but tourists and visitors can still watch them in captivity
scientists say dolphins which are highly intelligent need the freedom to express themselves in their own habitat and need to be able to form the tight social groups essential to their well being
a site selection team is evaluating locations in florida and the caribbean which will be significantly larger and have more natural stimuli like fish and marine plants than the dolphins living space in the aquarium pool
the animals will remain in human care for the rest of their lives as only one of the aquariums eight atlantic bottlenose dolphins has ever lived in the ocean still the conditions would be an improvement for the warm blooded marine mammals which can suffer psychological damage and exhibit aggressive behavior when kept in captivity
up until now the alternatives did not include having an oceanside seawater facility that dolphins could go to and not be engaged in something like a swim program or some other kind of revenue producing model said john racanelli the aquariums chief executive officer weve set the criteria that the needs and interests of the dolphins will come first and that hasnt really been tried yet
the marine mammal pavilion at the national aquarium has been operating for 25 years as a tourist attraction and the decision is something of a philosophical change for the institution as it shifts toward running as a nonprofit aquatic conservation organization
the announcement is also widely seen as a victory for animal welfare activists who have made sustained efforts over the past few years to raise awareness about animal captivity and turn public opinion against it documentaries like blackfish which depicted the treatment of orcas within the sea park industry have also helped fuel that notion
were thrilled and we think that this is really a breakthrough decision said lori marino the president of the whale sanctuary project this is going to improve the animals welfare enormously its going to restore to them a little bit of what was denied them all these years living as performers in an aquarium
aquarium officials said they had yet to determine how much the new sanctuary would cost and hoped to rely on philanthropic donations to cover the expense
in the meantime as arrangements are made for the big move the public will be able to view the dolphins transition process which includes watching as they learn to swim in and out of the transport unit as they are lifted to docks by cranes and as they adjust to a temporary outdoor tank intended to acclimate them to being outside for the very first time


geneva   a russian diplomat at the united nations human rights council in geneva has been accused of sending a threatening message on twitter to a member of a human rights organization that supports activists in russia according to rights activists
the intimidating message was sent in march to florian irminger the head of advocacy for the human rights house network it showed an image of a flayed and bloody body from the popular television show game of thrones and said our blades are sharp
the council president choi kyong lim of south korea denounced the message as completely unacceptable and told the council during its opening session on monday that he had taken up the issue with the head of an unnamed mission
an investigation traced the message to a diplomat seated at russias place in the council during a discussion of a resolution promoting the protection of human rights defenders mr irminger said
we dont think theres a physical threat here he said but it has symbolic importance because this is how russia acts with people who dissent the real target is people who do human rights work in russia
i want to know if this is russian policy or not mr irminger added
the russian ministry of foreign affairs said its geneva mission had examined the episode and dismissed the message as basically a joke albeit an unfortunate one the message had ended with a smile and used a widely circulated image the ministry spokeswoman maria zakharova said
we believe its unacceptable to threaten civil society this incident doesnt deserve the importance that is being artificially attached to it she said
the director of the international service for human rights phil lynch told the council on tuesday an online threat made by a state representative albeit one hiding behind the cowardice of anonymity is a threat against both the targeted individual florian irminger and the integrity of this important institution
though he did not name the country involved mr choi the council president said the countrys ambassador had acknowledged that the member of the delegation committed this extremely regrettable act but not in his professional capacity and without the intention of it being a threat he said the ambassador had issued an administrative reprimand to the diplomat concerned
activists from china sri lanka bahrain and other countries have faced intimidation sometimes inside the united nations but officials said they could not recall such brazen harassment by a diplomat in the council
rights groups said the episode was an example of a pattern of intimidation and likened the threat to the tactics they say repressive governments use regularly against defenders of human rights
human rights groups have called on russia to take responsibility by publicly acknowledging the diplomats action apologizing for his message and specifying how he would be sanctioned
instead the rights groups said the diplomat had taken his place with the russian delegation at the councils session on monday
thats a slap in the face of the institution its saying we dont care mr irminger said


a federal judge ruled on tuesday that the merger of two large illinois hospital systems could proceed despite the efforts by the federal trade commission to block it the decision represents a significant setback in the agencys continuing attempts to police the industry during a flurry of deal making among hospitals and physician groups
without explaining his reasoning the judge jorge l alfonso denied the agencys request for a preliminary injunction to block the proposed merger of advocate health care the states largest health system and northshore university healthsystem his decision will be made public after the parties have the opportunity to redact sensitive competitive information the case was heard in the federal district court for the northern district of illinois eastern division
last december the ftc sought to prevent the merger arguing that the 16 hospital system would dominate the north shore area of chicago federal officials said the combination could result in people there paying higher prices for medical care and receiving lower quality care
but the hospitals justified the merger by pointing to the major changes occurring in health care including health systems being held more accountable for the overall cost of care for their patients hospital executives said the proposed merger was in keeping with the federal governments goal of promoting alliances among hospitals and doctors so they could better coordinate care and improve quality while reducing prices
without the judges reasoning it was unclear exactly how damaging the decision would be to related cases the agency is pursuing but the decision raised hopes among advocates for the spate of mergers that it wouldresult in more courts ruling in their favor accepting their argument that the combinations were being encouraged by the affordable care act known informally as obamacare
i really believe this case was precedent setting mark r neaman president and chief executive of northshore said in an interview it really reflects the first time a decision is grounded in the realities of the affordable care act
federal officials said they had not decided whether they would appeal the judges decision the courts ruling is disappointing and we will be considering our options debbie feinstein director of the ftcs bureau of competition said in an emailed statement a spokeswoman for the agency declined further comment
if the merger takes place the combined systems will serve more than three million patients a year and will be the 11th largest nonprofit health system in the united states according to the hospitals
the agencys challenge to the advocate north deal was its third attempt in recent months to stop a proposed hospital merger the ftc took similar action to halt the merger of two hospitals in west virginia last november and joined state authorities to try to halt a deal in pennsylvania in last december
the agencys willingness to try to stop these deals came off a winning streak for the ftc said lisl dunlop a partner and antitrust expert for manatt phelps  phillips a law firm in new york while hospitals were arguing that the federal health care law was forcing them to combine the courts were ruling that the aca made me do it was not a defense
but tuesdays ruling is the second time a federal judge has found the hospitals argument more persuasive in the pennsylvania case which the ftc is appealing the judge ruled last month against the agencys efforts to block the merger between penn state health milton s hershey medical center and pinnaclehealth system
advocate and northshore argued that the merger would benefit consumers saying they could offer a health plan priced 10 percent below the lowest cost hmo in the chicago area the savings would come by being able to better manage care in their network of hospitals and doctors
advocate is already able to offer a less expensive plan said james h skogsbergh advocates president and chief executive where real savings are being generated not theoretical
such efficiencies are routinely promised in mergers but they frequently do not materialize ms dunlop said the evidence of savings would be weighed against any possible decrease in competition in the market
the illinois hospitals also emphatically denied the agencys contention that the merger would result in less choice for patients in the area they had gerrymandered the geography to make their case mr neaman said
skeptics of these combinations argue that hospitals can achieve the benefits of collaboration and coordination which is encouraged by federal officials without having to formally combine
the question remains if even all of that is true do you need the merger to achieve those things said martin gaynor an economist and health policy professor at carnegie mellon university who is also a former ftc official thats a big question mark


toronto   a month ago italy manager antonio conte made it clear that forward sebastian giovinco of toronto fc and midfielder andrea pirlo of new york city fc would not play for italy in the current european championships that is he named his roster and they werent on it
nobody in italy cared much pirlo is 37 and giovinco was not a regular when he played for conte at juventus but when somebody asked conte about the players exclusion he was witheringly dismissive of major league soccer which currently employs both of them
we evaluated him and giovinco conte said in response to a question about pirlo its normal that if you choose to go and play there then you can pay the consequences in footballing terms
we evaluated them technically we didnt leave anything to chance anyone who thinks otherwise is wrong
the comments sent the north american soccer machine into a giant sulk hurt feelings abounded important men talked in hushed hurt tones about conte being so wrong so misguided mls deserved respect pirlo wasnt past it and giovinco was a top goal scorer and well they seemed to be saying to conte you will be sorry when these other people you like so much better turn out to be losers
but if italys magisterial dismissal of belgium on monday and the manner in which it was achieved proved anything it was this conte was correct
his italy team   which to be fair baffled even some in italy when it was revealed   was expertly chosen to meet and conquer the three opponents it would face in group e belgium sweden and the republic of ireland belgium was thought to be the strongest of the three by far yet in lyon on monday italy stifled the red devils 2 0 with canny efficiency surprising athleticism and a pragmatic tactical approach that served as an emphatic retort to any critics of contes approach
this was teamwork done with a fanatical insistence on unifying to close down any space belgium might covet and on replying with a lightning fast counterattack emanuele giaccherinis opening goal was the product of a glorious 50 yard pass and it left belgium looking bewildered that such a move was even possible
while belgium mustered promising moves for a period in the second half the result was never in doubt a series of cynical but efficient italian fouls stopped any possible breakaway thrusts and when graziano pelle sealed the victory in stoppage time the result was so emphatic and expert that it looked ridiculously easy
the tactics italy employed were simple but merciless contes preferred 3 4 3 formation calls for midfielders pressing forward and both midfielders and strikers hustling for the second ball that returns from an attack in this method there simply isnt room for a small nimble player of giovincos style time and space are everything and giovinco would have neither conte talked about needing warriors to fulfill his plan and giovinco is far from that
in truth neither giovinco nor pirlo belongs on contes italy team pirlos strength is a stately control of midfield precise passing and imposing delivery of free kicks this current italy team while not young is all about speed and physical rebuff of the opposition theres nothing stately about it
giovinco at 29 and in his prime is the core issue after his arrival in toronto last year from juventus he scored 22 goals in his first season and was named the leagues most valuable player this season he has added eight more though he still has only one in 21 games for italy in mls he has sprezzatura the spirit of casual artistry that makes him charismatic
in this forceful and muscular italy team though there is no place for sprezzatura giovinco fleet of foot but slight of frame might easily be suppressed by taller stronger ruthless defenders from belgium sweden or ireland
besides since conte managed giovinco with both juventus and italy his assessment was based on experience not mere snobbery about mls
after mondays win italy looks capable of storming through the group stages of euro 2016
after the tournament conte becomes manager of chelsea in englands premier league there he may become a mini jose mourinho of ruthless prudence tactical judiciousness and blunt talk
the incoming italy manager giampiero ventura is 68 and has managed 17 teams in italy perhaps giovinco and pirlo can try to impress him to make their case for future inclusion with the national team perhaps they need not bother
a man as experienced as ventura can see what conte is achieving at euro 2016 and conclude that contes judgment about italys mls players was correct


at a time when more chefs are interested in food policy the environment health and leadership a group of them descended on the yale campus in new haven this week to talk about food issues
called the mad yale leadership summit the gathering is an outgrowth of mad the copenhagen based nonprofit organization   spearheaded by the chef rene redzepi of noma   that holds events around the world
for this event which began with a dinner june 13 but is not open to the public chefs like mr redzepi david chang kylie kwong jessica koslow alex atala april bloomfield and rosio sanchez are attending lectures and salon like discussions on topics including fermentation law food security agriculture and gender
a few years back i called up one of the professors at yale and told him i have this crazy idea why dont mad and yale together create an annual gathering for cooks at yale to learn about the world of food in a way that we dont get to learn normally mr redzepi said the idea was that wed come together once a year and challenge ourselves to become better to understand the world of food more to get inspired in a different way than we usually get visiting a farm or going fishing
paul freedman is the history professor and the editor of a collection of essays called food the history of taste who received that original approach from mr redzepi he and mark bomford the director of the yale sustainable food program are leading the event with mr redzepi
dr freedman pointed out that academia has a lot to learn from chefs too since they confront food issues hands on and day to day studying food is a useful lens through which to understand history and culture at large he said only recently have historians recognized the crucial importance of taste even frivolous taste in driving historical change dr freedman said
the event which will end with lunch june 17 includes topics like women food and culture the ethnic restaurateur and the american city soil and fermentation nurturing growth and leadership and culinary fight or flight why stress leaves a bad taste


the economy stupid
with the threat of terrorism dominating the headlines hillary clintons campaign advisers may not have stuck that slogan to the wall at their headquarters in brooklyn as james carville did for her husband bill in little rock ark nearly a quarter century ago
but they might as well have for one thing mrs clinton the presumptive democratic nominee and strong favorite to win the presidential election come november proposed to draft mr clinton as an economic adviser moreover she has hitched the economic strategy of her presidential bid to the animating principle that defined his presidency jobs jobs and more jobs
her lodestar the economy of spring 2000 when unemployment reached its lowest level since the inauguration of richard nixon 30 years before and when the real earnings of american households in the middle   white black or hispanic   achieved a peak that has not been reached again to this day
you can aim for a lot of targeted policies in life said gene b sperling a former top economic adviser to president bill clinton and president obama who has offered advice to mrs clinton during her two presidential campaigns but few come close to what you get from tight labor markets
true enough her general proposition   that creating economic conditions in which employers are desperate to attract workers to fill jobs is the best way to improve wages and benefits   is correct and with todays jobless rate still close to 5 percent who wouldnt like to see 38 percent unemployment
but the mantra that worked in the 1990s is nonetheless ill matched to the momentous challenges posed by a nation split by vast inequities of income and opportunity where the very idea of getting ahead has become an abstraction to tens of millions of americans
she needs one or two big ideas that are proportionate to the scale of the problems we are facing said robert reich who served as labor secretary during president clintons first term yet endorsed bernie sanders in the democratic primary her instinct is to be incrementalist
a big part of the problem is the erosion of americas working class it has been hollowed out as trade and technology have done away with most of the well paid jobs once available to americans without a college degree tipping many of them into a service economy of low wages uncertain hours and little job security
some of mrs clintons proposals   such as tax incentives for businesses that share profits with their employees or invest in forlorn bits of the country like appalachia or a clawback of tax benefits when companies move jobs overseas   could help
her plan to increase federal investment in infrastructure is a particularly good idea approved by most economists labor unions and even the chamber of commerce it would not just lift employment but provide decent wages to those who need them most infrastructure occupations often pay up to 30 percent more than other jobs to workers with a high school diploma or less
with interest rates near zero infrastructure amounts to a slam dunk investment opportunity continuing to defer the maintenance of americas crumbling highways and water systems will certainly be more costly than fixing them now
still there is something anachronistic about mrs clintons focus
i am really totally committed to bringing back manufacturing sounds great in youngstown ohio ahead of the states primary but it is not a policy to revive a struggling working class there are only 300000 steel workers in the united states how many can be added by threatening to slap anti dumping tariffs on imports of chinese steel not many
her turn against the trans pacific trade agreement with asian countries   a deal she once supported   makes sense within her overall strategy why waste time and political capital on an agreement that might make the economy more efficient but will not create lots of jobs still this does not amount to a strategy about global trade
to be sure mrs clinton has been pushed to some of these positions by donald trump and bernie sanders their show of force in politically crucial rust belt states underscored how important it was to strike a pro manufacturing trade hostile stance
and yet mrs clintons careful collection of tweaks and prods is no match for the challenge
for instance she is proposing 275 billion in federal infrastructure investment over five years that is less than 10 percent of what the american society of civil engineers estimates will be needed
mrs clintons entire tax plan would raise only 11 trillion over the next decade according to the tax policy center half a percentage point of the nations gross domestic product
that might make her look judicious mr sanderss plan would raise 153 trillion in new taxes mostly to pay for government financed health care for all mr trump would cut tax revenue by 95 trillion promising impossible growth in return but excessive judiciousness can hamstring progress
what about dismissing the deficit scolds who shape the outdated washington beltway consensus and borrowing 1 trillion or so to sharply increase the spending on infrastructure letting states and municipalities select the investments and manage the job
how about taking advantage of the cheapest oil prices in a very long time to propose a carbon tax or how about imposing a progressive wealth tax to tap into the good fortune of 160000 american families at the very tip of the wealth pyramid who are on their way to pass 12 trillion to the next generation much of it untaxed
the money could be spent on high quality and universal early education providing the next generation a better shot at a level playing field it could be spent on training to provide workers with needed skills or job search services to help match workers and jobs these strategies have been successfully employed by other advanced nations but remain a rarity in the united states
mrs clinton of course is not the only candidate indulging in nostalgia witness donald trumps bombastic appeal to white working class men uncomfortable in an america where one must dial 1 for english
still she has a rare opportunity if she wins she may well come into office with the political wind at her back a senate returned to democratic control and a divided republican party with only a tenuous hold on the house
americans have just lived through perhaps the most progressive presidency since the 1960s president obama raised tax rates on the rich and expanded health insurance for millions of americans facing stubborn resistance in congress he leaned on his executive powers to improve working conditions
yet the nations enormous inequities just got bigger the income of the richest 1 percent grew 27 percent from 2009 to 2014 the average gain for everybody else barely exceeded 4 percent a future projected along these lines does not look promising
bernie sanders talks about a revolution mrs clinton might want to try to deliver one


only days after a mass shooting at a gay nightclub in florida the judge in a hate crime murder case in new york invoked the massacre on tuesday as he sentenced a man to 40 years to life in prison
the defendant elliot morales 36 was convicted in march of murder as a hate crime for killing mark carson a gay black man in the west village in manhattan three years ago after spewing homophobic invectives at the victim and his companion
i cant help but perceive or observe the parallel tragedy in orlando the judge a kirke bartley jr said as he imposed the sentence in state supreme court in manhattan that parallel is revealed in hatred self loathing fear and death
mr morales was convicted after a two week trial during which he represented himself assuming the dual roles of defendant and defense lawyer addressing mr morales justice bartley said the defendants ability to appear calm intelligent well prepared well behaved could not deter from the fact that he also seemed to be something worthy of a character in a stephen king novel   in short a monster
mr morales yours is a legacy of death and fear nothing more nothing less the judge said
looking at a stone faced crowd of mr carsons family and friends mr morales insisted that the killing was neither bias motivated nor purposeful
what happened is a tragic accident he said in no part was it based on my bias toward anyones sexual relationship
then turning toward the judge he added it is beyond my comprehension how someone like myself who happens to be bisexual and part of the lgbt community can be falsely accused and then convicted of a hate crime
jurors deliberated for two days before rejecting mr moraless contention that his intimate relationships with transgender women proved he was not homophobic and that he did not kill mr carson 32 out of hatred toward gay people
instead the jurors saw mr moraless behavior that evening as underscoring such prejudice
before his fatal encounter with mr carson in may 2013 mr morales stormed the annisa restaurant on barrow street shouting antigay slurs and brandishing a weapon after an employee there upbraided him for urinating on the sidewalk
mr morales left enraged and soon spotted mr carson and danny robinson a pair of friends from brooklyn dressed in shorts and tank tops mr morales taunted the men calling them gay wrestlers and faggots the friends challenged mr moraless mocking tone and the confrontation moved into the shadow of a closed bookstore there mr morales pulled out a revolver and shot mr carson in the face while mr robinson called the police
mr morales often flailed in offering explanations for his actions after fleeing the scene of the murder he told apprehending officers that he shot mr carson because he tried to act tough in a video taken during his arrest that judge bartley described as chilling mr morales laughed maniacally and exclaimed diagnosis dead doctor
at the trial itself mr morales claimed he acted in self defense afraid that the phone mr robinson had retrieved was a weapon the prosecution thwarted that notion saying mr morales had acted out of bigotry and unjustifiable rage not fear
during the sentencing mr morales first said that the shooting was more so reckless than intentional then in an inexplicable tirade insinuated that emergency medical technicians had mistreated mr carson leading to his death
the jury countenanced none of those justifications and the manhattan district attorney cyrus r vance jr lauded the stiff sentence any life lost to gun violence is a tragedy for our city mr vance said in a statement but homophobic hate fueled incidents like this one are particularly unconscionable as we mourn the lives lost in orlando we remain committed to doing everything we can to combat and prevent crimes against lgbt new yorkers
the federal bureau of investigation reported in 2015 that 186 percent of the 5462 so called single bias hate crimes in the previous year were because of the victims sexual orientation 47 percent were attributable to race a study by the national coalition of anti violence programs shows that 24 killings of gay lesbian bisexual and transgender people and of those who are hiv positive were reported in 2015 a 20 percent increase from the previous year but their advocates have long contended that such numbers are underreported
shannon lucey the lead prosecutor described mr morales in court as having a lot of self loathing issues she noted that while he had sexual relationships with transgender people he never appeared with them in public seeing mr robinson and mr carter together ms lucey argued may have prompted mr moraless discomfort with his own sexuality
after the verdict was rendered in march one juror said that mr moraless actions that night showed that he was kind of categorizing people in a manner that exposed his bias against gay people and that culminated in the shooting of mr carson
still for many the ruling provides little solace
sometimes a criminal case gives people a feeling of closure but what happened in orlando just overshadows everything at the moment and may well for a long time said donna lieberman the executive director of the new york civil liberties union
mr robinson was not able to attend the sentencing but offered a statement saying the guilt of asking him to go out with me that night its like i feel its my fault he said
outside the courtroom florine bumpars an aunt of mr carson spoke through tears as she castigated mr morales
he got what he deserves ms bumpars said if he was sorry he wouldve never did it


the composer john adams and his frequent collaborator the librettist and director peter sellars are getting the band back together with girls of the golden west a new opera about the women of californias gold rush it will receive its world premiere at san francisco opera in 2017 the company announced on tuesday
the two men have collaborated on operas that have become part of the american canon mr sellars directed the first productions of many of mr adamss works including nixon in china the death of klinghoffer and doctor atomic which was also set to his libretto
their new opera which is drawn from historical sources will weave together the stories of women living in a small mining community in the sierra nevada mountains in 1850 mr sellars said he was drawn to the period after he came across a trove of historical material while he was working on a production of puccinis gold rush opera la fanciulla del west which is usually translated in english as the girl of the golden west
these true stories of the forty niners are overwhelming in their heroism passion and cruelty telling tales of racial conflicts colorful and humorous exploits political strife and struggles to build anew a life and to decide what it would mean to be american he said in a statement
mr adams who lives in california noted that the gold rush was californias first economic bubble and said in a statement that it brought out the very best and the very worst of human traits from scenes of ugly nativist racism and casual violence to examples of nobility generosity and ingenuity   and of course there was always that great humor gritty and self deprecating
to be able to set to music the authentic voices of these people whether from their letters or their songs or from newspaper accounts from their time is a great privilege for me he added
the work is a coproduction with the dallas opera amsterdams dutch national opera and the teatro la fenice in venice it was commissioned by david gockley the retiring general director of san francisco opera who also commissioned the 1987 premiere of nixon in china when he led the houston grand opera
as san francisco opera announced the premiere of this new work by one of americas best known composers opera philadelphia and new yorks music theatre group announced the newest member of its three year composer in residence program rene orth 30 who studied at the curtis institute of music and wrote a chamber opera empty the house she will be the sixth composer in the program following missy mazzoli lembit beecher andrew norman david t little and david hertzberg


washington   every day in fbi offices around the country agents leaf through classified counterterrorism documents on american citizens one last time they reread informant reports and review surveillance logs and then they close the case and walk away
it is a weighty decision one that supervisors closely review but with up to 10000 fbi terrorism investigations open at any given time there is little time for hand wringing
the nightclub shooting in orlando fla in which a gunman killed 49 people has brought unusual attention to a seemingly mundane process for 10 months fbi agents investigated the gunman omar mateen but closed the investigation after following a standard checklist fbi supervisors approved the decision managers in washington who can reverse any decision to close a case were notified
officials said there was nothing particularly remarkable about the decision   until sundays predawn shooting
on tuesday the fbi was scrutinizing mr mateens computer use trying to learn how much his wife knew before the attack attorney general loretta lynch pledged a thorough investigation that would also address if there are lessons we can learn to prevent another tragedy but perhaps the biggest question raised by this episode   as it was after the boston marathon bombing in 2013 and the shooting in garland tex last year   is why the perpetrators behavior was alarming enough to attract the fbis attention but could not be stopped
the answer is in part a reflection of american vigilance in the era of see something say something tens of thousands of counterterrorism tips flow to the fbi each year some are legitimate others come from vengeful ex spouses or people casting suspicion on arab americans
thousands of investigations are opened and closed right now law enforcement officials say the fbi is investigating 1000 potential homegrown violent extremists the majority of whom are most likely tied to or inspired by the islamic state fifty to 100 are considered the highest priority
the flood of leads is so relentless that years ago counterterrorism agents hung an 18 inch section of fire hose outside their office suite in northern virginia as a symbol of their mission
intelligence agencies in europe and the middle east face similar challenges particularly with the rise of the islamic state but in the united states americans enjoy the unique protections of the first and second amendments criticizing or even hating the american government is not a crime neither is declaring support for the islamic state or buying a gun
the number of agents working on terrorism cases is classified and changes with the threat but across the country it amounts to several thousand along with countless analysts sorting out angry americans talking tough from would be terrorists is among their biggest challenges
in mr mateens case co workers said in 2013 that he had boasted of ties to the terrorist groups hezbollah and al qaeda the remarks prompted the local sheriff to request his removal from the st lucie county courthouse in fort pierce fla where he worked as a security guard the security contractor transferred him to work at a residential golfing community and the sheriff alerted the fbi
government officials said his claim had been dubious from the beginning hezbollah is a shiite group al qaeda is sunni but agents opened what is known as a preliminary investigation they secretly followed him and monitored his movements they interviewed him twice and dispatched an informant to get close to him in an investigation that spanned nearly a year
i think the fbi has an incredibly hard job because this guy seems like a lone wolf said caroline fredrickson the president of the american constitution society a frequent critic of the agency he was an american citizen born in the united states law enforcement has been working its butt off to figure out what else could be done
this dilemma is not new but it has become more acute in recent years for years after the 2001 attacks on the world trade center and the pentagon the fbi used al qaedas rigid hierarchy against the terrorist group government experts knew how plots were hatched and who approved them they knew the terrorism pedigree of the key figures and monitored travel to watch for people training in camps
today the islamic state encourages anyone to take up arms in its name travel and training are unnecessary veteran counterterrorism agents ruefully note that the difference between americas latest school shooting and its latest terrorist attack is whether the gunman praised the islamic state   regardless of whether he had any actual ties to the group
preventing those attacks is a fundamentally different mission said james w mcjunkin a former senior fbi official who oversaw terrorism cases for years during al qaedas heyday its the counterterrorism equivalent of how do you prevent someone from robbing a liquor store he said
after receiving a briefing tuesday from investigators representative adam b schiff democrat of california said mr mateen appeared to have been motivated by a mixture of violent radicalization and hatred for gays and lesbians the picture is filling in though there are still a lot of unanswered questions he said
among those questions is whether mr mateens wife knew about his plans his wife noor zahi salman told the fbi that she had driven him to the pulse nightclub at some point before the attack and that she had been with him when he bought ammunition a senior law enforcement official said she said she had tried to talk him out of waging an attack the official said
her statements were first reported by nbc news
theres an indication that she was with him in certain parts of the process and were sorting through it said the official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation is at an early stage we dont know whats true and whats not
ms salman is not in custody the official said while a person who withholds knowledge of a crime could face criminal charges she is not facing imminent arrest and no decisions have been made on whether she might be prosecuted the official said
neighbors of ms salmans parents in rodeo calif who are of palestinian descent said she had grown up in a muslim household she and her sisters were not allowed to drive they said they said they understood mr mateen to be a controlling husband who frequently forbade his wife to visit her family
as the fbi pieces together details of mr mateens life lawmakers and lobbyists are already questioning whether the authorities missed any leads senator charles e grassley republican of iowa and chairman of the judiciary committee sent a letter to obama administration officials demanding information about mr mateen his family and the dates he was on a terrorism watch list
james b comey the fbi director has said mr mateen was on a watch list during his investigation once it was closed he was removed from the list as is required we dont keep people under investigation indefinitely he said
even if mr mateen had remained on the watch list it would not have stopped him from buying a gun congress blocked an attempt last year to give the fbi the power to block gun sales to people on terrorism watch lists
had he been on a watch list however agents would have been alerted to the gun sale certainly in retrospect in this case we would have liked to have known about it deputy attorney general sally q yates said she said the justice department would consider a new policy in which the fbi is alerted on gun sales to people who were previously under investigation for terrorism
the national rifle association moved quickly to quash discussion of new gun policies in a piece for usa today chris w cox the groups executive director blamed the federal authorities for not doing more to stop mr mateen his former co workers reported violent and racist comments mr cox wrote unfortunately the obama administrations political correctness prevented anything from being done about it


it was one of george w bushs most viscerally powerful commercials against john kerry in the 2004 presidential race a pack of wolves lurking in a forest as a narrator accused mr kerry of slashing intelligence gathering against terrorists weakness attracts those who are waiting to do america harm the ad warned as the wolves started running toward the camera
turns out the metaphor was subtle at least by donald j trumps standards
in his apocalyptic speech on monday warning that terrorism could wipe out the united states   there will be nothing absolutely nothing left he said   mr trump substituted muslim immigrants for the wolf pack a single gunman carried out the orlando massacre he said can you imagine what theyll do in large groups which were allowing now to come here
exploitation of fear has been part of the american political playbook since colonial pamphleteers whipped their neighbors into a frenzy over british misrule it took on new potency in the nuclear age with lyndon johnsons daisy ad against barry goldwater in 1964 and jimmy carters warnings about ronald reagans finger on the button in 1980
but mr trump   who drew harsh condemnation from president obama on tuesday   has intensified the power of fear in presidential politics by demonizing an entire religious group and he has expanded the use of that power by stirring up fear in the aftermath of national traumas like the san bernardino calif attack and now the orlando shooting that traditionally elicited measured and soothing responses from political leaders
no more judging from his speech on monday his statements throughout the campaign and interviews with historians and psychologists mr trump has committed himself to denigrating if not steamrolling the conditioned responses that have long served to help unite the country in times of crisis and offer americans a chance to grieve and heal and regain a sense of safety
at a time when other leaders would avoid divisive language and seek to unite both their admirers and detractors as mr bush did by visiting a mosque after the sept 11 terrorist attacks mr trump appears wholly focused on the idea that america has reached an existential moment and that only he can save the country a classic tactic of demagogy the orlando gunman who was born in new york to afghan immigrants has given mr trump his biggest opportunity yet to ask his own version of reagans famous question from the 1980 presidential debates are you safer now than you were eight years ago
julian e zelizer a professor of history and public affairs at princeton said mr trump was using the attack as an i told you so moment he would see this as a confirmation of all the things he has been saying about the threat the united states faces and the need to be more aggressive he said
professor zelizer cast mr trump as part of a political strain dating at least from the 1950s when the united states is faced with national security threats or national security crises you play to fear you play to the anger of the electorate and you offer promises of military might as the solution he said
in the jittery aftermath of a terrorist attack people find themselves leaning on emotional reasoning as opposed to thinking through these kinds of issues rationally said samuel justin sinclair an assistant professor of psychology at harvard medical school and a co author of the psychology of terrorism fears
its dangerous to think about making major policy decisions reactively and from a position of fear dr sinclair said
he added whether you agree with his politics or not i think mr trumps more aggressive tactics may be one attempt at trying to assert some level of control in a situation where people feel scared and a loss of control   as a means of helping them to feel safer the dilemma then becomes whether supporting these more extreme policies justifies the ends   particularly in terms of how it changes us as a society
the 36 hours after the orlando attack showcased a stark divergence between mr trump and hillary clinton in going about an essential presidential task leading in a time of crisis
mr trump wasted no time in casting the massacre as evidence of the accuracy of his warnings about the threat america faced and the obama administrations ineptitude appreciate the congrats for being right on radical islamic terrorism he wrote on twitter on sunday though he also said he did not want to be congratulated he issued a statement again patting himself on the back because our leaders are weak i said this was going to happen   and it is only going to get worse
and on cnn the next morning he warned that syrian refugees were going to cause big problems in the future adding ive been a pretty good prognosticator as to whats going to be happening
mr trump relied on a prepared text for his speech on monday and he lightly struck some of the more familiar notes often heard after tragedies he said that the united states needed to respond to the attack as one united people and that it would remain a tolerant and open society
but he also argued that the determination of mr obama and mrs clinton not to use phrases like radical islamic terrorism   which would surely antagonize muslims   was tantamount to minimizing or ignoring tough truths about the enemy facing the united states and much of the west
the current politically correct response cripples our ability to talk and to think and act clearly he said later he added about mr obama and mrs clinton they have put political correctness above common sense above your safety and above all else i refuse to be politically correct
while mr trump assailed mrs clinton in his speech mrs clinton did not mention him by name in her own address on monday
laying out her plan to combat jihadists mrs clinton spoke of the gravity of the threat facing america but refrained from predicting doom i have no doubt we can meet this challenge if we meet it together she said
she warned against scapegoating and eroding trust she pointedly said that the united states was not a land of winners and losers and in calling for unity she reached back to the revolution recalling how 13 squabbling colonies managed to join together
as i look at american history i see that this has always been a country of we not me she said we stand together because we are stronger together
to punctuate her point mrs clinton cited the days after the sept 11 attacks recalling that mr bush had warned against mistreating american muslims
lets make sure we keep looking to the best of our country to the best within each of us she said
michael signer a democratic activist and the author of demagogue the fight to save democracy from its worst enemies lamented that the orlando attack had afforded mr trump a new opportunity to stoke fears this was what we were all worried about that some kind of national disaster would come along that would give him what he wants he said
but some voters after listening to mrs clinton as well as mr trump said both of them were seizing on the massacre in orlando for political purposes
i think those two are just using this as a way to push their campaigns ahead said rob stecz 34 who works in the health care industry in chicago and is not planning to vote for either candidate
clinton advisers argued emphatically that mrs clinton was not exploiting orlando but rather approaching the attack with nuance and avoiding simplistic conclusions or easy answers
trump advisers for their part said mr trump was simply leveling with the american people after eight years of mushy national security policy from mrs clinton and mr obama
but leveling with the american people can mean different things the historian doris kearns goodwin recalled that the aroused demagogic fear after pearl harbor had led to the internment of tens of thousands of japanese americans during world war ii   something mr trump has said that while he hated the idea he might have supported at the time
ms goodwin recalled the words of a young japanese american man from seattle who had expressed shock at america as he was being herded off to a camp if we continue down this demagogic path she wrote in an email millions of our citizens may well be asking a similar question is this the same america we have known


washington   by john a koskinens reckoning at nearly 77 years of age he might finally have his best job ever commissioner of the internal revenue service
if its a job where the first thing people say is why would you do that then its got to be a good job he said in an interview
little could mr koskinen have imagined how good the job would get
on wednesday morning the house oversight and government reform committee plans to draft a resolution of censure accusing mr koskinen of engaging in a pattern of conduct inconsistent with the trust and confidence placed in him urging his resignation or removal and requiring forfeiture of his government pension and any other federal benefits for which he is eligible
and that some republicans say will just be a prelude to his impeachment besides two presidents no federal executive has been impeached since william w belknap the secretary of war in 1876
meantime though thank you for your service
anybody whos willing to take on the job of being head of the irs well you know i can only think of one other job with a lower approval rating and thats being a member of congress said representative mark meadows of north carolina a republican in the house freedom caucus the conservative faction pushing for impeachment so kudos to him for being willing to do that
mr koskinen became the nations top tax collector in december 2013 to steady an agency rattled by political upheaval the latest in a string of knotty assignments he has gotten from presidents of both parties since then things have not gone so smoothly critics say mr koskinen obstructed justice and misled congress as house republicans continued their inquiries into allegations that irs employees discriminated against conservative groups seeking tax exempt status in 2010 and beyond   scrutiny that began before mr koskinens arrival
he has denied the allegations and said his testimony about missing agency emails that turned out to be wrong was based on what he believed to be true at the time other investigators   including the treasurys inspector general a republican and a bipartisan senate finance committee   criticized mr koskinens lapses but found no evidence politics played a role
censure by the house because it does not require senate action could well be the most severe punishment that republican critics goaded by influential tea party groups can exact if the house votes to impeach mr koskinen the senate would not hold a trial and could not muster the necessary two thirds vote to convict him if it did senate republicans say
however it ends the turmoil has been a harsh introduction to the broader public for mr koskinen beyond his narrow world of senior management and one that belies the reputation he acquired over decades as a go to first responder for management crises
the genial septuagenarian has long enjoyed a sort of behind the scenes prominence well known to washington insiders and business leaders he is also well known to fans of soccer and duke university   his dual passions   and the soccer stadium there koskinen stadium is named after him mr koskinen won the prestigious elliot l richardson prize this year for excellence and integrity in government service timing that suggested the selection panels indifference to the well publicized complaints of congressional republicans
people like that who are sort of turnaround specialists and willing to take on hard jobs there arent that many of them and people know who they are said alice m rivlin an economist who worked with mr koskinen in the clinton administration then in overhauling the government of washington dc after congress stripped city officials of their budget power after years of mismanagement
in mr koskinens telling he does not get hired he is dragooned   he used the word more than once during an interview in a spacious if drab office with few personal touches besides family photos and mementos from previous jobs
i never apply for jobs   i just keep getting them mr koskinen said i say im going to go into the witness protection program and theyll never find me again
he has a physics degree from duke and a law degree from yale and held various government jobs from the mid 1960s to early 1970s clerk to the chief judge of a federal appeals court adviser to a national commission on urban riots aide to mayor john v lindsay of new york a republican and then to senator abraham a ribicoff democrat of connecticut
next came 21 years in the private sector at the palmieri company where he ultimately became the chief executive and revamped failed entities among them were the penn central a teamsters union pension fund and mutual benefit at the time the largest life insurance company to have failed
clinton administration recruiters enticed mr koskinen to re enter government in 1994 first as the deputy for management at the office of management and budget and later as president clintons so called y2k czar in 1998 leading the governmentwide effort to prevent a technological breakdown if computer coding malfunctioned in the transition to the year 2000
when the y2k job ended without computer chaos ms rivlin recommended mr koskinen to washingtons newly elected mayor anthony a williams mr koskinen became city administrator and deputy mayor helping local officials reclaim powers that congress had transferred to a board of outsiders headed by ms rivlin
who in their right mind would want to take on a job like that asked joel l fleishman a longtime friend of mr koskinens and a law professor at the sanford school of public policy at duke he put that question to mr koskinen then and again 13 years later when his friend told him about the irs job offer
john said well somebodys got to do it mr fleishman recalled
in september 2008 mr koskinen received an emergency call from the administration of president george w bush as a snowballing financial crisis threatened the global economy an assistant to the treasury secretary henry m paulson jr summoned mr koskinen for a new job
the administration then announced the takeover of the nations two failing housing finance giants fannie mae and freddie mac   with mr koskinen becoming freddie macs new chairman
i dont know how they even got my cellphone number mr koskinen said
for a time he was also freddie macs chief executive and chief financial officer he spent three years rebuilding the entity until he reached 72 the mandatory retirement age
freddie needed some stronger management so we selected him and he accepted the job said james b lockhart iii mr bushs chief housing finance administrator and we were thankful
at the irs mr koskinen continues to try to meet even hostile lawmakers in their offices   115 to date   though several house republicans chose to come to him including mr meadows and representative peter roskam republican of illinois and chairman of a subcommittee with jurisdiction over the irs
the lost opportunity was for someone with his experience to come in do a clean slate and just start over mr roskam said but my experience was he chose to be very defensive of the institution at a time when the institution didnt deserve defending
only after mr koskinen accepted the irs offer did he learn that four years remained on a five year term i leave nov 9 of 2017 but who counts he said   implicitly unconcerned about being ousted before then


is the landmark serbian orthodox cathedral of st sava in manhattan going to be demolished
not so fast
the 161 year old church building was gutted on may 1 in a tremendous blaze captured in dramatic photos and videos that devastated new york citys serbian community for whom the church had been a spiritual home since the 1940s
all that remains on the church site just west of madison square park is a gothic revival shell open to the sky   reminiscent in a small way of coventry cathedral in england
despite reports that the city had ordered the ruins to be taken down the buildings department said on tuesday that the investigation of the compromised structure was not finished and that no decision had been reached on the next steps
we dont see that its impossible to stabilize the structure and preserve what remains while ensuring that public safety is not compromised alexander schnell a spokesman for the agency said
on sunday the cathedral posted a bulletin on its website that read as the remaining church walls are determined to be unstable during inclement weather and winds exceeding 25 mph the dob has based on engineering recommendation reached a decision to demolish the church
the new york post picked up the report on tuesday saying the cathedral will be demolished by order of the city
however mr schnell said we have not reached that decision
the brownstone gothic revival church was designed by richard upjohn and completed in 1855 as a chapel of ease for trinity church in lower manhattan it was designated an official city landmark in 1968
because of its landmark status an extra layer of scrutiny would apply to any request by the cathedral for permission to demolish the building under an emergency declaration from the buildings agency
the situation   as we see it right now   does not pose a hazard to the public mr schnell said


salt  char after about 10 years in hong kong the acclaimed former lespinasse chef gray kunz is back in new york that is upstate new york he has joined the adelphi hospitality group which owns the newly renovated adelphi hotel in saratoga springs and his new steakhouse next door i always wanted to do a steakhouse he said this is in an area where there are farms and local markets filled with meat and produce he knows the territory well having had a home in the hudson valley for decades he expects to serve what he calls forgotten cuts the lesser known steaks that are attracting attention in new york his executive chef is braden reardon who was at the nyy steakhouse in manhattan christophe chatron michaud who may be familiar to many new york restaurantgoers is returning from asia to be the general manager mr kunz will not sever his ties with cafe gray deluxe his restaurant in the upper house a boutique hotel in hong kong as for a new york city encore there are plans to come back to manhattan he said but not right now opens friday 353 broadway saratoga springs ny 518 450 7500 saltandcharcom
cafe medi the dramatic new skylit hotel restaurant done in bright splashes of blue evokes the mediterranean the chef vincent chirico who owns vai on the upper west side offers cucumber tartare fluke ceviche octopus and grilled fish with fruit  and herb based cocktails by allen katz wednesday hotel on rivington 107 rivington street ludlow street 212 796 8040 cafemedinyccom
carla halls southern kitchen a very on again off again soft opening including friends and family nights has been in progress but now carla halls taste of nashville notably the hot chicken at various notches up the scoville scale depending on the chile treatment is about to be fully up and running the restaurant is a first for ms hall the chef and host of the chew with well burnished chicken there are many sides including potato salad collards coleslaw biscuits cornbread a kale salad and pickles lemonade iced tea beer wine and cocktails are on tap the space is compact with a diner look at the front counter where orders are placed and communal tables beyond with an open kitchen pass countrified touches include a white hutch filled with goods for sale ms halls business partner evan darnell said he was surprised at the demand for takeout which is more than half the orders friday 115 columbia street kane street columbia street waterfront district brooklyn 718 855 4668 carlahallsouthernkitchencom
chuck  blade buns bar as its name suggests this steakhouse highlights some less common cuts and a sandwich shop sibling around the corner specializes in unusual sliders like shrimp tempura both are the work of sam weinstein a son of the ark restaurant founder and principal michael weinstein and several partners 184 eighth avenue 19th street 646 370 3494 chuckandbladenyccom 263 west 19th street 646 370 4321
market ipanema this compact brazilian cafe is an outpost of a pair of spots in rio de janeiro all owned by beatriz lobato grabowsky salads bowls tartines and tapioca crepes are the specialties 66 kenmare street mott street 646 329 6144 marketipanemacom
1633 a playful take on greek food this restaurant from james paloumbis and the chef dionisis liakopoulos also conveys an air of mystery the windows are blacked out and you enter through the kitchen which is actually a traditional greek way of doing things and you might even be treated to a taste of the food look for dishes with names like mousse aka and wildly eclectic decor thursday 1633 second avenue 85th street 212 837 8285 1633nyccom
vin sur vingt a group of gallic wine bars with casual sandwiches salads and the like has opened its fourth location 66 west 84th street 646 895 9944 vsvwinebarscom
jackson hole after 42 years as an upper west side fixture this outpost of the burger chain has shuttered
chuko ramen in late july jamison blankenship is moving this restaurant across the street to the space occupied by bar chuko which he will close the new chuko ramen will open in august 565 vanderbilt avenue dean street prospect heights brooklyn
fish cheeks high end thai seafood by the owners of the obao restaurants will move into the former le philosophe space in a few months 55 bond street bowery
white gold a butcher shop and restaurant by april bloomfield and ken friedman is coming to the upper west side in the space that was risotteria details are scant in an email mr friedman wrote we arent ready to say anything till we are much closer to opening 375 amsterdam avenue 78th street


for two years a group of families in newtown conn quietly laid the groundwork for a legal case against the maker and sellers of the assault rifle that on dec 14 2012 claimed 26 lives   and shattered their own   in less than five minutes
the shooting at sandy hook elementary school was carried out with an ar 15 a military style assault rifle that has surfaced in recent mass shootings like aurora colo and san bernardino calif on the eve of a hearing to determine whether the lawsuit can proceed a rifle similar to the ar 15 was used yet again   in an attack early sunday at a gay nightclub in orlando flathe deadliest shooting in american history
the legal challenge faces long odds and a key hearing next week will determine its future but the lawsuit has already progressed further than many had expected   a connecticut judge has set a trial date and has ordered the defendants to turn over documents   and no matter the outcome it represents a muscular campaign against the powerful gun industry
the lawsuit seeks to overcome the broad immunity given to gun makers and sellers under a 2005 federal law protecting them from liability when guns are used in a crime but there is a small window for holding companies accountable including instances of so called negligent entrustment in which a gun is carelessly given or sold to a person posing a high risk of misusing it
the 10 newtown plaintiffs argue that the ar 15 is a weapon of war   its cousin the m 16 was the rifle of choice in vietnam   and therefore should never have been marketed to civilians they say in effect that the availability of a high velocity weapon capable of inflicting such rapid carnage constitutes such negligence
the novelty of the approach is that it doesnt depend upon an argument that the manufacturer knows that a particular shooter is a high risk buyer said heidi li feldman a professor at georgetown university law school who has followed the newtown litigation the novelty is that it substitutes the general public for a particular individual
the timing of the attack in orlando where 49 people were fatally shot may invigorate and inflame the legal challenge against the gun industry gun control advocates and victims rights groups have embraced the case as a way to knock down stalwart gun protections while gun makers and dealers are watching the case intently
eighteen months after it was filed the lawsuit   naming the manufacturer remington the wholesaler and a local retailer   is still in the early stages but the case has not yet been tossed out of court even some plaintiffs were startled when judge barbara n bellis of state superior court who has yet to rule on a final effort to quash the case set a trial date   two years from now   and ordered the defendants to disclose marketing materials and other internal documents
also central to the case is the way that gun makers and dealers promote assault rifles just before a hearing in april bill sherlach whose wife mary a school psychologist was killed in the sandy hook shooting said he was eager to see company memos
we look forward to the discovery process where we can see what goes on behind the curtain mr sherlach said outside the courthouse in bridgeport
the defendants have been vigorously seeking to have the lawsuit thrown out and they have one last chance at a hearing on monday in which both sides will make their cases the judge has until october to decide whether the case will go to trial
the gun companies had asked judge bellis to delay the discovery phase until she ruled on the defendants motion to strike the case the judge denied the defendants request saying that the plaintiffs had waited long enough and that the parties should start exchanging information immediately
the sandy hook families legal team has requested numerous documents relating to the marketing of the ar 15 as well as the companies desired customer base and use of video games for promotion among other things
mark barden recalled watching his wife jacqueline at the computer in the first weeks after their 7 year old son daniel died in the 2012 shooting she was trying to research how the kid around the corner got his hands on a military rifle designed for combat mr barden said and carried it into our sons school to murder him
using an ar 15 model known as the bushmaster adam lanza a disturbed 20 year old who lived near the bardens shot his way into sandy hook elementary school in less than five minutes he fired 154 rounds his mother nancy lanza whom he also killed had legally purchased the weapon
the bardens were stunned they said to see how gun companies advertised the weapons online to the general public using militaristic language and macho phrases like get your man card and the opposition will bow down
the plaintiffs lawyer joshua d koskoff contends that the ar 15s overwhelming firepower makes it a poor choice for home defense hunting and recreation but there is one civilian activity in which the ar 15 reigns supreme mass shootings the lawsuit said assailants have unleashed the rifles lethal power into our streets our malls our places of worship and our schools
on sunday mr koskoff said the carnage of the orlando attack showed how unreasonably lethal the ar 15 is its no more a gun than a tank is a car he said in an interview
the ar 15 which dates to the 1950s is one of the most popular weapons in history with dozens of gun makers issuing their own models several million are in american hands according to expert estimates despite a 10 year assault weapons ban that expired in 2004 the national rifle association calls the ar 15 americas rifle
as the assault weapons ban was ending congress began debate on the gun immunity bill a university of michigan law school professor sherman j clark wrote a letter to lawmakers arguing against the proposed law more than 70 law professors signed the letter which said the bill represented a substantial and radical departure from american tort law
the law provides to firearms makers and distributors a literally unprecedented form of tort immunity not enjoyed or even dreamed of by any other industry the letter said
in late 2005 the house of representatives voted to approve the immunity law officially called the protection of lawful commerce in arms act and six days later president george w bush signed it into law
remington the company based in north carolina that made the bushmaster gun used by mr lanza sold one million firearms last year according to company filings but while sales of handguns rose the bushmaster ar 15 style rifles languished
typically mass shootings and terrorist acts bolster sales of assault rifles in its most recent financial filing remington wrote that after the tragic events in paris and san bernardino the company noticed a strong but disciplined demand for a lower priced version of its bushmaster rifles
dr garen wintemute a public health researcher at the university of california davis said sales of all types of guns rose after mass shootings as for why purchases of assault rifles increase he said our informed guesswork is that its strategic buying   buy it now because you wont be able to later one unanswered question is when there is such a spike how much of that is new purchasers and how much is people buying additional firearms
in a motion filed on friday to strike the newtown lawsuit remington called the plaintiffs arguments a strained effort to evade the immunity provided to firearm manufacturers under the 2005 federal law the brief argues that the negligent entrustment exception applies to gun sellers and dealers not a gun maker like remington
of course if judge bellis does allow the case to proceed the eventual outcome is uncertain trial court judges do not really go for far out theories or highly novel adaptations of established theories said professor feldman of georgetown it goes against their experience and the nature of their job


washington   two groups of russian hackers working for competing government intelligence agencies penetrated computer systems of the democratic national committee and gained access to emails chats and a trove of opposition research against donald j trump according to the party and a cybersecurity firm
one group placed espionage software on the committees computer servers last summer giving it unimpeded access to communications for about a year the committee called in crowdstrike a cybersecurity firm early last month after the democratic party began to suspect an intrusion
a senior government official said hillary clintons presidential campaign based in brooklyn also appeared to have been targeted but it was not clear whether it lost any data the breach at the democratic committee was first reported on tuesday by the washington post
the committees systems appeared to have had standard cyberprotections which are no challenge for determined state sponsored hacking groups the attackers were expelled last weekend with crowdstrikes help the committee said it did not provide a detailed account of what had been copied from the systems and it may never know
the connection to russia may be explained simply by the global fascination with the presidential campaign and the mystery surrounding mr trump who has not been a major subject of foreign intelligence collection but it also recalls a subplot to the race paul manafort mr trumps campaign chairman previously advised pro russian politicians in ukraine and other parts of eastern europe including former president viktor f yanukovych of ukraine
opposition research itself is not all that valuable to a foreign government but it can point to a candidates vulnerabilities to a foreign government fascinated by an american election any intelligence a campaign develops on an opponent could be exploited
dmitri alperovitch a co founder of crowdstrike said he believed that the group that first hacked the committees servers   a group his firm had named cozy bear long before the breach   appeared to be the same that downloaded communications in recent years from unclassified email systems used by the state department and the white house
in 2014 and 2015 the effort to clean the state department systems after those intrusions resulted in several shutdowns some in the midst of delicate negotiations with iran the administration has never confirmed that the russian government was behind those intrusions but it has briefed officials on the details in classified sessions
these are incredibly sophisticated groups mr alperovitch said they covered their tracks well it wasnt until the second group came in stealing the opposition research on mr trump that their presence was detected
the second group named fancy bear which appeared to have attacked in april is believed to be operated by the gru the military intelligence service its past targets have included military and aerospace organizations from the united states europe canada japan and south korea
crowdstrike concluded that neither russian group knew the other was attacking the same organization one would steal a password and the next day the other group would steal the same password mr alperovitch said
mrs clinton said on telemundo that she had learned of the breach only after news outlets reported it she called it troubling but said she was unsure about the hackers goals
now why she asked we dont know yet so far as we know my campaign has not been hacked into and were obviously looking hard at that but cybersecurity will be an issue that i will be absolutely focused on as president because whether its russia or china iran or north korea more and more countries are using hacking to steal our information to use it to their advantage and we cant let that go on
the office of personnel management whose files on about 22 million americans with security clearances or applications for them were breached by chinese hackers is still trying to assess the damage first detected last year
the democratic committee avoided any discussion of its vulnerabilities
the security of our system is critical to our operation and to the confidence of the campaigns and state parties we work with said representative debbie wasserman schultz of florida the democratic national chairwoman when we discovered the intrusion we treated this like the serious incident it is and reached out to crowdstrike immediately our team moved as quickly as possible to kick out the intruders and secure our network
the party did not say how it came to suspect the intrusion
cyberattacks by foreign governments are a constant threat to political campaigns because campaign operations are temporary they often do not invest heavily in the kind of security that financial institutions large companies and government agencies spend millions or billions of dollars on each year
and because campaigns are so far flung with volunteers connecting through laptops and cellphones they are particularly vulnerable in 2008 hackers traced to the chinese government infiltrated the campaigns of both barack obama and john mccain
it should come as no surprise to anyone that political parties are high profile targets for foreign intelligence gathering representative jim langevin a rhode island democrat who has been deeply involved in cyberissues said in a statement nonetheless it is disconcerting that two independent operations were able to penetrate the dnc one of which was able to stay embedded for nearly a year


after an extended hiatus hbos hit comedy curb your enthusiasm is coming back the premium cable channel announced on tuesday
the eighth and most recent season of the show created by its star larry david was broadcast in 2011 mr david who was also a creator of seinfeld has said for years that he was unsure if there would be a ninth season
hbo did not announce when the series ninth season would begin filming or when it would air
curb your enthusiasm was broadcast from 2000 to 2011 with a total of 80 episodes mr davids vaguely autobiographical character became a beloved avatar of misanthropes everywhere the show was nominated seven times for the emmy award for outstanding comedy series  and it won the golden globe for best comedy in 2002
with the show officially returning it becomes hbos longest running scripted series
speculation kicked off in recent days that the show would return when the actor jb smoove who played leon on curb your enthusiasm said he had spoken to mr david about the shows possible comeback
in a statement mr david said in the immortal words of julius caesar i left i did nothing i returned
in the years since curb your enthusiasm last aired mr david wrote and starred in a broadway play fish in the dark and portrayed bernie sanders in the most recent season of saturday night live a performance that earned him wide praise he also helped write and starred in the 2013 hbo movie clear history
hbos new president of programming casey bloys said in a statement were thrilled that larry has decided to do a new season of curb and cant wait to see what he has planned


chengdu china   the tang of the famed cooking of sichuan wafts through streets crowded with restaurants hot pots of chile and oil simmer like restless volcanoes chicken rabbit and frog bathe in stews tingling with red and green peppercorns favorites like pock marked grandma tofu abound
but along with all the pungent aromas a whiff of panic is in the air here in chengdu the capital of sichuan province in southwest china
sichuanese cuisine really faces a crisis said wang kaifa a 71 year old chef who has been leading a campaign against what he sees as the creeping debasement of the regions celebrated cooking
the scene feels like its booming but this is a chaotic boom that has had a lot of negatives he said drawing out his vowels and emphasizing high notes in the regions lilting accent finally they could become a sickness that brings down sichuanese cuisine
such gloom seems surprising chengdu has a bustling food scene with many thousands of restaurants from chic newer ones to hole in the wall places called fly diners tourists go there just for the food
sichuanese cooking has been conquering the world it has become chinas favorite out of home dining sold in countless restaurants that often advertise its trademark chile heat it has made major inroads in new york london and other intensely competitive dining cities abroad
but many cooks and food enthusiasts in chengdu worry that like a once humble hometown band dazzled by sudden stardom their tradition risks betraying its roots and selling out for easy but fleeting hits
rapid growth especially in the last decade has debased much restaurant cooking drowning the tastes and textures of dishes like fish fragrant eggplant in gobs of acrid chile oil and monosodium glutamate menus are often narrowed to dauntingly spicy dishes like boiled duck blood curd and tripe in chile broth ignoring the great variety and nuance of the cuisine
our taste buds have been battered into decline so that we demand it to be spicier and spicier said shi guanghua a gravel voiced food writer and former restaurateur in chengdu sichuanese cuisine has become shallow and flattened
in chengdu people dissect their meals with the reverence that other cities devote to sports teams everyone in the food business here offers solutions to the problem lively debate has broken out especially about finding the balance between preserving tradition and embracing new ways and new customers
and in this country where almost every problem prompts a state plan the provinces government last year upgraded its guidelines for standard sichuanese dishes the guidelines advise for instance that strange flavored chicken strips a cold dish that includes dark vinegar should use the meat of a one year old rooster
news websites mocked the effort as futile kitchen meddling but in april the government announced a plan to award sichuanese restaurants at home and abroad michelinlike ratings   gold silver and bronze pandas   to encourage standard bearers for good cooking
shocks from commercialization and the simplification of tastes have created a crisis said mr shi who is on a supervisory panel for the restaurant rating plan sichuanese cuisine cant survive without its traditions but how to preserve them and reinvigorate them at the same time thats the focus of discussion
to outsiders this alarm may seem over the top but the angst over sichuan cooking distills wider anxieties about the place of tradition as china becomes increasingly unmoored from its past
some defenders of old school cooking look to president xi jinping of china known for dining out on cheap steamed buns who has called for restoring homegrown traditions in politics they hope to see the same in kitchens
too many of the old ways have gone by the wayside but the trend now under xi jinping has been to restore chinese traditions said the chef chen baiming sichuanese food is a part of chinese culture and we need to protect it
early this year dozens of retired chefs formed the sichuan old chef traditional artistry society to restore time honored ways they say are under assault its 160 members most in their 60s and 70s meet weekly in a clubhouse above a restaurant to swap recipes promote traditional skills and play mah jongg even more of an obsession here than in much of the rest of china
they gripe about young cooks who use lashings of new ingredients like mayonnaise and recall neglected classics like sliced pig kidneys fried in fermented bean paste mr wang said he was inspired to start the society after watching in dismay while a 30 year old chef from a five star hotel added celtuce also called asparagus lettuce to kung pao chicken
i was furious he said with a grimace the dish should be an uncluttered mix of chicken peanuts stubby dried red chiles and spices he said young chefs these days just dont understand what tradition is
of course no cuisine stands still classic french food evolves as does every other cuisine in sichuan the question is what elements to preserve and how to change without betraying the culinary heritage
a camp of chefs here hopes to remake sichuanese cooking for urbane middle class tastes building on the core of traditional ingredients and techniques some have opened airy modern restaurants that serve recipes with contemporary twists and presentation
you do have to maintain tradition but its not a display in a museum said yang wen a chef whose restaurant lotus shadow features refined dishes like braised shrimp infused with jasmine tea that are a world away from the homespun fare favored by old school revivalists theres no survival without innovation
ms yang who is also a gastronomy teacher plans to open a cooking school and research institute in chengdu called the chinese food academy and information center to help restore and reinvent local cooking a mundane dish like twice cooked pork a classic sichuan dish made from boiled pork belly could be remade for new tastes she said
its preserving the essence of tradition while meeting modern expectations said ms yang a rare woman among the legions of male cooks here sichuanese food has never stood still
ms yang has a point sichuanese cooking is classified as one of the eight great cuisines of china but its roots are relatively recent over several centuries of war trade and migration outsiders brought in chiles fermented bean paste sugar and other spices and their own cooking traditions
these influences melded only several generations ago to create an unusually aromatic and versatile toolbox of flavors sichuans historic openness to other influences should be seen as a virtue say some food lovers here
the truest sichuanese food has only about a century or so of history behind it said wang shiwu a food critic at sichuan gastronomy a monthly magazine the attractiveness of sichuanese food is that its a big melting pot whatever is attractive in your cuisine i can absorb and adapt it
nowadays a sichuanese cook uses the zesty green or red local pepper scallions earthy fermented broad bean and chile paste black fermented soy beans dried tangerine peel and dozens of types of chiles big and small red and green fiery and mild prepared in several ways fresh dried and pickled
these and other condiments can be combined to create dozens of flavors many of which defy quick description in english each dish its own 100 flavors in 100 dishes goes the saying repeated by the chefs who fear that those tastes will vanish
sichuan chengdu in particular has an incredibly high concentration of restaurants and a fiercely competitive restaurant industry so people are always looking for the next new thing said fuchsia dunlop the english food writer and consultant who spent many years in sichuan but its certainly true that since the late 90s the pace of change has really accelerated
from that time sichuanese food took off in national popularity first inspiring a love for a spicy hot pot and then bringing a burst of chain restaurants that consolidated the cuisine as the national favorite for dining out lately the craze has been for freshwater lobster in chile hot pots
but in chengdu xiong abing a chef who runs a chain of restaurants called rustic impressions specializing in robustly traditional dishes said people would tire of the race toward spicy novelty
weve also felt the many changes in china since 2012 the year mr xi came to power he said while making bowls of boiled beef strips under heaps of surprisingly fragrant ground chile now many people especially those born after the 1970s are turning back to eat traditional sichuanese food theyre returning to their roots
recipes san hua kao ji three flower roast chicken  more dishes


the commodity futures trading commission is overreaching in its quest for market safety and soundness
the agency wants the power to obtain access to the source codes of trading companies without a subpoena record retention is a worthy goal but it is unclear whether the strapped regulator can protect such intellectual property worse it may open the door for other officials to ask for the same unusual gateway
market participants are justified in their concerns about the agencys proposal as part of its plan to rein in the risks of automated trading the regulator which mainly looks after commodities markets wants companies to store their source code in a repository which would be easily accessible to its officials the justice department would also be granted access
the intentions of the commission led by its chairman timothy g massad are valid given recent market manipulation cases one worry is that traders could spoof the market the practice of making and then quickly canceling orders and make the algorithms disappear but the agency could require traders to maintain records without being given extraordinary powers the commission has already successfully pursued several spoofing cases with its current authorities
there is reason to wonder whether the agency could protect the source codes it might obtain like the securities and exchange commission it is perennially underfunded every year lawmakers either cut its expense requests or leave its budget flat even government entities with fewer resource problems like the white house are vulnerable to hacking
other agencies could see this as an opening to push for unfettered access for example the federal trade commission could argue it needed to regularly inspect the search algorithms of alphabets google when examining antitrust concerns the justice department was viewed as pushing legal boundaries when it sued apple to force the company to provide access to a mass shooters iphone
the commodity futures trading commission has been hearing out the concerns the agency reopened the comment period for the proposal and held a discussion with industry participants last week officials have repeatedly said they wanted to ensure that the rule enshrined confidentiality protecting the integrity of the markets is an important goal but so is preventing the government agency from starting down a dangerous and slippery slope


washington   president obama angrily denounced donald j trump on tuesday for his remarks in the aftermath of the shooting massacre in orlando fla warning that mr trump the presumptive republican presidential nominee was peddling a dangerous mind set that recalled the darkest and most shameful periods in american history
we hear language that singles out immigrants and suggests entire religious communities are complicit in violence mr obama said at the treasury department without mentioning mr trump by name his statement an extraordinary condemnation by a sitting president of a man who is to be the opposing partys nominee for the white house came after mr obama met with his national security team on the status of the american effort against the islamic state a meeting that the president said had been dominated by discussion of the orlando rampage
where does this stop mr obama said of mr trumps approach noting that mr trump had proposed a ban on admitting muslims into the united states and that the orlando assailant like perpetrators of previous domestic terrorist attacks in san bernardino calif and fort hood tex was an american citizen
are we going to start treating all muslim americans differently are we going to start subjecting them to special surveillance are we going to start discriminating against them because of their faith mr obama asked his voice rising with frustration do republican officials actually agree with this because thats not the america we want   it doesnt reflect our democratic ideals it wont make us more safe it will make us less safe
appearing in pittsburgh as mr obama spoke hillary clinton gave a blistering denunciation of her own she echoed many of the presidents points and even some of his language assailing mr trumps temperament ridiculing his proposals and arguing forcefully that he had failed to meet the gravity of the moment
history will remember what we do in this moment she told hundreds of supporters inside a union hall asking responsible republican leaders to join her in condemning mr trump what donald trump is saying is shameful
her half hour speech was a point by point rebuttal to mr trumps remarks a day earlier when he issued a searing broadside implying that all muslim immigrants posed a threat to american security the nearly simultaneous condemnations of mr trump from the president and the presumptive democratic nominee to succeed him had the feel of a coordinated assault although the white house insisted there had been no preplanning
mr trump unbowed by the criticism said mr obama was coddling terrorists
president obama claims to know our enemy and yet he continues to prioritize our enemy over our allies and for that matter the american people he said in a statement on tuesday when i am president it will always be america first
members of mr trumps party were themselves critical of his rhetoric and proposals speaker paul d ryan the nations highest ranking elected republican said at a news conference tuesday that mr trumps proposed ban on muslim immigrants was not in the countrys interests nor did it reflect the principles of his party
theres a really important distinction that every american needs to keep in mind this is a war with radical islam its not a war with islam mr ryan said the vast vast majority of muslims in this country and around the world are moderate theyre peaceful theyre tolerant and so theyre among our best allies among our best resources in this fight against radical islamic terrorism
senator jeff flake the arizona republican who has been among the most outspoken in his party about withholding his endorsement of mr trump said in a twitter post that he was appreciative that mr ryan had spoken out
senator mitch mcconnell of kentucky the majority leader flatly refused to talk about his partys presidential nominee on tuesday an indication of the precarious position in which mr trump has placed republican elected officials
mr obama bitterly rejected criticism from mr trump and other republicans about his steadfast refusal to use the term radical islam to describe the islamic state which is also known as isis or isil
if theres anyone out there who thinks were confused about who our enemies are that would come as a surprise to the thousands of terrorists who weve taken off the battlefield mr obama said at the treasury theres no magic to the phrase radical islam its a political talking point its not a strategy
mrs clinton echoed the idea asking pointedly in her speech is donald trump suggesting that there are magic words that once uttered will stop terrorists from coming after us
the president said he would not use the wording because he was unwilling to give the islamic state the victory of acceptance of its vision that it is the leader of a holy war between islam and the west
if we fall into the trap of painting all muslims with a broad brush and imply that we are at war with an entire religion then we are doing the terrorists work for them mr obama said
mr obama is scheduled to travel to orlando on thursday to visit with the surviving victims and the families of those killed in the rampage on sunday morning he was to have traveled to wisconsin on wednesday for his first campaign appearance with mrs clinton since endorsing her last week but the event was canceled in light of the shooting
still tuesdays one two punch left little doubt that mr obama and mrs clinton plan to savage mr trump on the campaign trail the president was careful not to cast his criticism in political terms and never mentioned mr trumps name even as he clearly targeted him   at one point referring derisively to politicians who tweet   and his policy proposals
instead mr obama spoke ominously of the stakes for the nations security and its very identity if the ideas espoused by mr trump and many in the republican party are widely accepted
weve gone through moments in our history before where we acted out of fear and we came to regret it mr obama said weve seen our government mistreat our fellow citizens and it has been a shameful part of our history
mrs clinton in a striking departure from her speech on monday when she refrained from saying mr trumps name and said it was not a day for politics took direct aim on tuesday at his penchant for conspiracy theory she reminded the crowd that he was a leader of the birther movement questioning mr obamas birthplace
after the orlando attack she noted mr trump suggested on television that mr obama sympathized with islamic terrorists
just think about that for a second mrs clinton said even in a time of divided politics this is way beyond anything that should be said by someone running for president of the united states
we dont need conspiracy theories and pathological self congratulations she added we need leadership common sense and concrete plans
mr obama staunchly defended his administrations approach to countering terrorism listing gains that the united states has made against the islamic state in iraq syria and libya killing the groups top leaders capturing more of its territory and whittling away at its financial resources
he also called on congress to enact gun restrictions that it has so far resisted including the resurrection of a ban on assault weapons and a measure that would bar people on no fly lists because of suspected terrorist ties from buying a gun
enough talking about being tough on terrorism mr obama said actually be tough on terrorism and stop making it as easy as possible for terrorists to buy assault weapons
the last time a president so aggressively injected himself into the race to succeed him was in 2000 but bill clintons criticism of george w bush the governor of texas and the republican nominee that year illustrates just how jarringly different this race is from a normal white house campaign
how bad can i be mr clinton said at a fund raiser that summer mimicking the voice of mr bush ive been governor of texas my daddy was president i own a baseball team they like me down there
everything is rocking along hunky dory he added their fraternity had it for eight years give it to ours for eight years
the ridicule while tame by todays standards infuriated mr bushs father former president george bush who warned that if mr clinton continues that then im going to tell the nation what i think about him as a human being and a person


talk show hosts talk after a mass murder the pattern goes they take a moment to talk more seriously they talk about grief love and hope and then   this being their job   they move on to talk about something else
monday night as late night shows aired their first episodes after the mass shooting at a gay nightclub in orlando fla there was a recurring theme talk is not enough anymore
from more freewheeling cable shows to the mainstream broadcasters the prevailing message was that late night hosts had been here so many times after so many mass murders the sad comics display of apolitical grief response had become shtick you realize that you know what to say stephen colbert said on cbs because its been said too many times before
samantha bee the host of full frontal on tbs said that she was too angry to deliver some well meaning words about how we will get through this together how love wins how love conquers hate she continued love does not win unless we start loving each other enough to fix our expletive problems   starting she argued with restricting access to guns like the semiautomatic that omar mateen used to kill dozens of clubgoers
ms bees political comedy has been blistering from the second full frontal began in february and taking sides is her mission much as it was on her alma mater the daily show in his own commentary on the terrorist attack trevor noah declared america needs to make it a lot harder for people who shouldnt have guns to get guns
what was new was the quaver in ms bees voice   the barest suggestion that it was all she could do to keep it together even as she lashed the national rifle association and politicians who oppose gun regulations ms bee has been a one woman punk band of rage sarcasm and urgency mondays show added an acoustic note of heartbreak
ms bees channel mate conan obrien made a bigger departure never a particularly political host he told his audience i have really tried very hard over the years not to bore you with what i think but on this night he said i simply do not understand why anybody in this country is allowed to purchase and own a semiautomatic assault rifle
hosts evolve over the years   david letterman became more political in his later seasons   and mr obrien has been at this since 1993 but he also now has the latitude afforded by a smaller cable audience its questionable whether were he still hosting the tonight show he would have been able to speak out the same way
compare the emotional but conventional plea for peace and understanding offered by the current host of the tonight show jimmy fallon maybe theres a lesson from all this a lesson in tolerance we need to support each others differences and worry less about our own opinions
on cbss late show mr colberts reaction captured his delicate effort over the past year to find a middle ground between the sharp point of view of the colbert report and the more typical neutrality of late night
his monologue wasnt as prescriptive as ms bees or mr obriens but it tiptoed up to the edge of ... something opening behind his desk   a departure for his show   mr colbert talked about love fighting despair but with the suggestion that feeling in itself wasnt enough love the families and the victims and the people of orlando but lets remember that love is a verb and to love means to do something
mr colbert was saying not that love is itself an action but that love requires acts to mean anything it was an idea that wouldnt be out of place in a church group and indeed the former sunday school teacher seemed to be trying to bring that experience to late night not to punt on the moral question or preach about it but to think through a problem with his congregation
he continued that approach with his first guest fox newss bill oreilly who had been scheduled before the attack the conservative host was more eager to talk about the islamic extremism angle of the killings whereas it became clear that for mr colbert do something meant in part getting powerful guns off the streets
conservatives will notice correctly that late night was not exactly an nra friendly zone in his a closer look segment seth meyers touted a harvard study that linked more gun availability to more gun deaths which should be obvious mr meyers continued thats like saying where theres more white people theres more brunch
but the late show exchange was strikingly civil mr oreilly signaled openness to restrict some guns mr colbert gently shushed his less conservative audience when it grumbled at his guest listen to what he has to say please
trying to come to some mutual understanding about guns and terrorism at any time let alone in an election year seems quaint and quixotic and it symbolizes the tough job mr colbert has had in synthesizing the comedy central and cbs audiences on his new show he might be too political for the car pool karaoke crowd too accommodating for partisans who want viral clips of their enemies being totally destroyed
whether he succeeds or not there was a growing exhausted sense monday that the usual emote and move on approach wasnt cutting it as mr obrien put it its time to grow up


australia has a plan to rid its waterways of a destructive fish species by making the fish their own worst enemies
the targets are european carp also known as koi toothless mud sucking bottom dwelling fish that breed like crazy destroy the habitat of other species and go unchecked by native predators and the weapon is a dose of venereal disease
the carp got loose accidentally in the 1960s released from farm dams their habit of stirring up tons of silt as they foraged for food turned the once clear murray and darling rivers murky cutting the sunlight for aquatic plants and preventing some native fish from spotting prey these days the rivers seethe with the highly adaptable carp which make up as much as 90 percent of the fish biomass in the river systems
now scientists are turning to a virus cyprinid herpesvirus 3 that they hope will kill all the carp but spare other species the government has allocated 11 million in grant money to test the idea
european carp spread herpes when they mate but not quite the way mammals do the fish jostle and bump one another in a swirling tight knit mass as the females lay eggs that are fertilized by males the skin grazing frenzy leaves carp susceptible to infection
cyprinid herpesvirus 3 kills the carp by destroying its skin kidneys and gills but it does not harm humans even if they eat infected carp scientists say it was discovered among carp in israel in 1998
australia has had some success with biological control agents and some stunning failures two viruses managed to cull around 600 million of australias infamous feral rabbits but officials came to regret the introduction of bony headed hawaiian cane toads to eat insects that were blighting sugar cane crops
the toads also eat anything else that fits in their mouths including birds frogs snakes and small mammals and they do it more greedily than native amphibians do and when other animals like crocodiles quolls or goannas eat a hawaiian cane toad they soon die from a poison secreted by glands in the toads shoulders
some of the grant money for the anti carp virus test will go toward cleaning up the mess afterward there is commercial interest in turning thousands of tons of dead carp into farm fertilizer


boston   when general electric decided to leave its longtime home in connecticut and chose the waterfront district here for its new headquarters it thrust a once windswept province for fishermen and dock workers into the spotlight
still beyond the arrival of ge long a bellwether of the american economy the south boston waterfront is growing at breakneck pace a sign of this citys popularity with global investors and solid reputation as a fountainhead of research and development
thomas m menino a city mayor who died in 2014 had envisioned the area just across the fort point channel from downtown as an innovation district with state of the art office space plenty of walk to work apartments numerous restaurants and pedestrian friendly streets and parks since 2000 the area has gained 10 million square feet of development and more than 4000 residents and in recent years the appetite for a seaport address has only increased such that 2700 residential units and 13 million square feet of office space are now in some stage of construction according to the boston redevelopment authority
from upstart technology companies to cutting edge biomedical firms to traditional corporate giants the seaport is attracting businesses to both brick and beam style office space in old industrial buildings and to new glass office towers overlooking boston harbor
among the more notable newcomers is vertex pharmaceuticals which moved its global headquarters into twin glass towers on the waterfront in 2014 pricewaterhousecoopers took 13 of 17 floors in an environmentally friendly office tower 101 seaport last year and this year ge will move its headquarters into temporary seaport space as the company begins rehabilitating two brick warehouses and constructing a new building in the seaports historic industrial era fort point neighborhood to make permanent offices
ge had considered dozens of locations including new york before announcing in january that it had settled on boston the decision was helped along by a state incentive package expected to total 80 million to 120 million and a city offer of as much as 25 million in property tax breaks but in announcing its selection of the seaport area in march the company said it was excited to be a part of such a dynamic and creative ecosystem that is leading the future
ge is not buying a place or a location said dennis frenchman a professor of urban design and planning at the center for real estate part of the massachusetts institute of technology ge is buying into a culture that they want their employees to be a part of
mr frenchman chose a barren stretch of parking lots in the seaport as a study site this year for students in his real estate development studio program the students were tasked with creating mixed use proposals for the 22 acre site which is not actually for sale inspiring visions of robotics production spaces beneath apartment houses waterfront maker spaces like breweries and chocolatiers and co working spaces for entrepreneurs
the city really has developed this concept of an innovation district we wanted students to think about what it means to innovate said peter roth a lecturer in real estate development who helps run the program and theres so much activity in the seaport right now that the students had a lot of projects to reference
a portion of the seaport is still reserved for maritime and industrial uses including a cruise ship terminal but the completion of the 15 billion big dig highway rerouting project in the mid 2000s literally paved the way for new development by connecting the area to logan airport and interstate 90 said richard mcguinness the redevelopment authoritys deputy director for waterfront planning
other crucial public investments included a new sewer treatment plant to help clean up boston harbor new mass transit service via the silver line of the massachusetts bay transportation authority and construction of the boston convention and exhibition center
in devising a master plan for the area the authority has taken care to avoid mega blocks by requiring building frontages to be active with retail and local services mr mcguinness said in addition the plan integrates the street grid system that was part of the historic district into the new district and requires developers to build public parks that connect with pathways to the waterfront
one of the most active developers in the seaport and an alumnus of the mit center for real estate is shawn hurley the chief executive and president of skanska us commercial development in boston the company claims three projects totaling 13 million square feet on seaport boulevard facing the harbor in addition to 101 seaport skanska recently completed the residential tower watermark seaport which has about 280 luxury apartments and 65 loft style units rents range from 2300 to more than 7000
skanska is now building another office tower with an unusual elliptical design and two floors of retail space at 121 seaport that project is scheduled for completion in 2018
mr hurley cited the infrastructure developments in the seaport and the strength of the existing fort point neighborhood home to many artists as catalysts for the investment by skanska which is based in sweden
if you walk around fort point at least 80 percent of those old buildings have been repositioned to new residential retail office but its kept the historic nature of the area he said those people are the anchor for the seaport were building off of that its a great juxtaposition of old versus new
other global investors agree this year skanska sold 101 seaport to a german real estate fund for 452 million a price comparable to values in bostons pricey downtown financial district
investors are trying to find yield and the seaport with all that it has to offer is one of the hottest submarkets in the country said glenn verrette an executive managing director in the boston office of cushman  wakefield were seeing capital from all over the world trying to invest in the seaport and downtown boston
alexander shing the chairman and founder of cottonwood management in los angeles says his company drew on an international investor base to purchase two blocks in the seaport for development of three 20 story towers just approved last month by the redevelopment authority cottonwoods project will include roughly 450 condominiums 285 rentals and 125000 square feet of retail space around a central courtyard
directly on the harbor on pier 4 known to longtime bostonians as the former home of anthonys restaurant a local landmark tishman speyer is teaming up with two chinese insurance giants to build a 13 story office tower and a nine story condominium building both with ground floor retail located next to the institute of contemporary art the development will also include a one acre public park at the tip of the pier
with so many more people moving in and out of the seaport now additional infrastructure investments are again being eyed this time for transit mr mcguinness said the city was considering expanding its largest transit hub south station as well as adding water transportation and increasing public awareness of the areas highway access points
mr shing said the transportation crunch should not be a big concern solutions will evolve over time he said adding that given what it signals about the seaports vibrancy its an excellent problem to have


kanye wests living breathing ever changing seventh album the life of pablo which was released in a wonderfully unpredictable manner this year is coming to arena stages expect an elaborate show
my tour game is strong mr west said in a radio interview after the albums debut my tour game is unprecedented
the saint pablo tour of north america will begin on aug 25 in indianapolis and keep the rapper on the road through oct 29 when he is scheduled to play the new t mobile arena in las vegas along the way mr west will perform two nights sept 5 6 at madison square garden in new york   where pablo had its premiere with a hybrid fashion showlistening party   as well as two nights in his hometown chicago oct 7 8 and two shows in los angeles oct 25 26
tickets for all 32 dates go on sale friday via livenationcom
the life of pablo which is available only digitally was released exclusively to the streaming service tidal in february   a soft launch followed by multiple musical revisions his label def jam called it a continuous process when the album became available more widely it made its debut atop the billboard chart almost entirely based on streams
mr west had been scheduled to give his first major performance of songs from the life of pablo on the final night of the governors ball festival this month but the event was canceled because of weather instead he appeared briefly at hot 97s summer jam event and teased a secret late night manhattan concert that same night an eager crowd congregated on a downtown street until well after 2 am but the show never happened
on his last arena tour which supported his 2013 album yeezus mr west performed wearing a mask alongside bodystocking clad female dancers and at one point an actor portraying jesus


emma cline remembers driving past san quentin state prison in marin county calif with her family when she was 7 years old thats charles mansons house her parents would say
too young to catch the joke ms cline now 27 believed for years that the hulking complex was really his home in her mind mr manson californias resident boogeyman was a sinister looming presence
he didnt feel like something from the past she said he was very much in the air
that was the start of her manson obsession as she grew older she became fixated on the young women who orbited mr manson a charismatic cult leader who orchestrated killings in southern california in 1969 including the murder of the actress sharon tate it bothered ms cline that his female accomplices and devotees seemed like footnotes in his story
the girls and the women involved were relegated to bit players in the narrative she said thered be these little details but i never got a sense of them as full characters
ms clines urge to understand the dark impulses that drove mr mansons acolytes gave rise to her debut novel the girls which came out on tuesday
the story begins in northern california in the summer of 1969 as a lonely 14 year old girl evie becomes mesmerized by group of carefree feral looking girls she sees laughing in a park she later learns that they are followers of a charismatic musician and prophet named russell eventually they take evie to a run down ranch where the girls live in squalor evie is so desperate to belong and to win the approval of a sultry older girl that she ignores signs of abuse and brainwashing
the narrative shifts between the summer of the murders and evies later years as an unemployed middle aged home aide who was spared the worst but still cant escape her past
the enduring fascination with mr manson has spawned countless books shows and movies and the girls is arriving in the middle of a new wave of manson themed entertainment in february mansons lost girls a made for tv movie about his female followers was broadcast on lifetime on thursday nbc will begin the second season of aquarius a series about a fictional detective who is circling manson there are at least two feature films in development about mr manson who still has a small circle of followers he communicates with through letters from prison
mansons more famous than ever said jeff guinn author of the 2013 biography manson
the girls stands apart from other treatments of mr manson though in a recent interview at a coffee shop near her apartment in gowanus brooklyn ms cline said she wasnt interested in writing about him as a historical figure instead she wanted to explore violent acts committed by women ms cline deliberately stripped her fictional cult leader russell of the glamorous sheen that she feels mr manson acquired over the decades
i felt like everyone had heard enough of that story the charismatic cult leader said ms cline who has long strawberry blond hair light blue eyes and a habit of staring into space while formulating her thoughts
ms clines fascination with commune life stems partly from her childhood she is one of seven siblings and the oldest of five girls growing up in sonoma county calif where her parents own a winery the cline children lived in a state of happy and comfortable chaos and learned to fend for themselves on their birthdays the children would get a box of cereal that they didnt have to share with their siblings ms cline always chose frosted cornflakes
it really was like a little commune   extremely chaotic and slightly feral she said
she escaped the bedlam through books and devoured novels by stephen king and arthur conan doyle she and her sister hilary shared an obsession with cults and california in the 1960s they read helter skelter the 1974 book co written by mr mansons prosecutor and tore through memoirs by former cult members
ms cline found her niche as the creative one among her siblings the others have pursued a dizzying range of careers including biomedical engineering aeronautical engineering and rodeo management ms cline took up acting she appeared in a few local commercials and played the young billie jean king in a television movie about the tennis star that was as close to stardom as i got she said in college at middlebury she wrote fiction and studied visual arts
after graduating she spent six months in los angeles auditioning for films and television shows but felt discouraged by the limited roles she was trying out for she moved to berkeley calif where she worked on a novel and supported herself with odd jobs in one truly odd job she worked for a tech millionaire who paid her to find him interesting dinner companions the best guests she booked were a dolphin language expert and the filmmaker les blank known for shorts like the bizarre accurately named 1980 film werner herzog eats his shoe
around that time she decided to pursue writing seriously when she enrolled in columbia universitys mfa program in 2011 she had already written 200 pages of a novel set in a commune heidi julavits who taught ms cline at columbia recalls being riveted by the novels first chapter what grabbed me was this tension between innocence and a sense that something very sinister was going to happen she said
bits and pieces of the commune novel made their way into the girls ms cline finished the draft a year after she graduated while working as a fiction reader at the new yorker to save money she lived rent free in a spruced up garden shed in her friends backyard near the gowanus canal in brooklyn
it didnt take long for publishers to pounce in the fall of 2014 her novel set off a bidding war among 12 publishers random house won the auction with a seven figure three book deal publication rights sold in more than 30 countries and scott rudin optioned the screen rights before the book even sold
the novel has been buoyed by a handful of ecstatic reviews and embraced by high profile novelists like jennifer egan and richard ford who in an interview praised the girls for its daring and aspiration and its acute writerly attention to physical and emotional details
there have been a couple of blisteringly bad reviews too including one from the new yorker critic james wood who called the prose overstylized and self conscious in a deflating review in the new york times dwight garner wrote that this humorless book whispers when you wish it would scream
but ms cline seems unfazed it helps that she is social media averse staying off twitter and facebook and that she is busy working on her next novel
in so many ways my life hasnt changed at all she said
of course in significant ways it has shes under contract for two books from random house more job security than most novelists enjoy and she no longer lives in a shed


as a child i read and reread a ray bradbury short story about a hunter who traveled back to the distant past to bag a dinosaur illegally stepped off a levitating walkway and mistakenly crushed a butterfly when he returned to his time everything was the same and everything   language culture politics   was subtly off
so it is with the golden state warriors ordained as the champions after game 4 of the nba finals a jaguar smooth blend of speed and shooting and strength then draymond green the defensive heart of this team took one too many shots at the groin of an opposing player and was suspended for a single game monday nights game 5
change one thing and everything changes
the cleveland cavaliers primed for extinction staged an inspiring stand lebron james and kyrie irving big and little poison poured in 41 points each irving scored from every angle a spinning top of a shooter while james offered his amalgam of magic johnson and bill russell passing with precision while yanking down 16 rebounds and repeatedly chasing down and blocking the shots of warriors who threatened to steal this game away from him james hauled his jump shot a tetchy instrument in these playoffs out of the closet he hit 4 of 8 3 point shots
he remains the best hoop playing specimen on the planet
a keening home court crowd was not enough for destinys darlings the warriors golden state applied pressure pushed the ball spun it round and round the perimeter and watched klay thompson hit shots from a dinghy in san leandro bay the warriors still could not crack the spine of the cavaliers
so the series returns to the frenzied shores of lake erie and maybe back again to oakland for a game 7 the warriors champagne remains in cold storage perhaps shipped back to a napa vineyard under cover of night
or not
the grassy knoll conspiracists were in full array monday night on twitter and television their eyes gleaming as they propounded ornamented theories the league and the networks wanted a longer series the league is in a hopeless lebron james embrace the kenyan born barack obama called nba commissioner adam silver and ordered this travesty ok i did not hear that last one as i neglected to call donald trump for comment
it was a bit much the warriors sometimes lose a game once this season they lost two consecutive games they never lost three in a row for cleveland to win the championship it needs to beat them three straight
coach tyronn lue applied a tourniquet to his cavaliers rotation monday night james and tristan thompson the jumping jack forward center who somehow plays fine defense on stephen curry the whippet point guard each logged more than 41 minutes irving clocked in at a hair under 40
only two players off the cavaliers bench played more than four minutes as the longtime basketball writer peter vecsey noted on twitter lue adhered to pat rileys old playoff axiom use seven players put six in the rotation and trust five kevin love apparently decided to retire while playing in this series that erstwhile power forward played 32 minutes and finished with 2 points and 3 rebounds
love in fairness sustained a concussion in this series the warriors offense located him with the alacrity of a pride of lions searching for a weakened water buffalo so in the second quarter curry found himself covered by the slow of foot love he played the big man like a yo yo on a string and hit a loose limbed jumper in his face
on the other side of the court curry klay thompson and andre iguodala played more than 40 minutes forty minutes is regarded as the point at which players bodies start to cough and shimmy and are at imminent risk of overheating reporters asked coach steve kerr a survivor of more than one nba finals series about that and he shrugged thats kind of what you do with your star players he said
lets return to the conspiracy narrative which frames the leagues suspension of nutcracker green as a destiny changing move it bears some interrogation long ago and far away   as in the first game of the finals   much celebration was reserved for iguodala a former all star who seemingly dips his hands in stickum and has an uncanny ability to strip opponents of the ball
iguodala filled in monday for green and scored 15 points doled out 6 assists and pulled down 11 rebounds green is a buoyant and smart player and id want him out on a court with me but in several games in this series he has all but disappeared at the offensive end james scored 25 and 32 points in games 3 and 4 suggesting that somehow he managed to dribble and shoot even in the presence of green
more to the point teams lose players last season the cavaliers lost irving and love and james strapped the remaining players to his back like a piano and they took two games against the warriors stuff happens
kerr the warriors coach offered a sensible take monday night
draymond wasnt here he told the news media im not going into all that stuff
he added that last season the warriors returned to emotionally fraught cleveland for game 6 the warriors took that game and claimed the championship i like our position a lot better than theirs kerr said
unless that is some warrior stepped on a butterfly


washington   lawmakers say washington is dithering while a dangerous epidemic threatens american shores they suggest darkly that the government is playing down the risk to avoid panic they warn dont wait for it to arrive at the airports and establish a perilous foothold
fear of the zika virus today no those were republicans in 2014 as they hammered the obama administration in the final weeks of the midterm campaign for failing to react quickly and decisively enough to the possible spread of the ebola virus which never really became a domestic threat the politically heated attacks cooled quickly after the election but the message was credited with helping republicans sow unease about the administration as they chalked up big wins in congress
now it is the republican led congress moving slowly on providing money to combat the spread of zika alarming some lawmakers who fear that their colleagues do not recognize the potential consequences if the mosquito borne disease begins to spread in the united states
there is just a lack of urgency about it said senator marco rubio republican of florida who added that lawmakers could find themselves facing difficult questions about a flat footed congressional zika response as election day looms this fall
people are going to be asking why didnt you do anything he said in an interview you are going to have to have a pretty good answer and i am not sure there is going to be one
mr rubio has a special interest in the disease given that the climate and conditions in his state are well known for breeding mosquitoes he worries that even the smallest of outbreaks could send his states economy into a spiral as visitors stay away
i tell people we are one mosquito borne infection away from serious damage to our tourism industry he said
he has not been alone in clamoring for a federal fix in february president obama asked congress for more than 18 billion in emergency funds to step up prevention efforts and speed a vaccine for the disease which has been linked to serious birth defects and other health problems
last week   almost four months later   the senate voted to begin negotiations to try to resolve differences among the house senate and white house approaches democrats are demanding a resolution by the fourth of july recess but there is no guarantee that the funding legislation can be completed by then
i just think theyre long overdue representative nancy pelosi of california the house democratic leader said last week an emergency bill could have passed   were over 100 days since the request she noted that the public health community could have been well down the road to what needs to be done in terms of prevention in terms of research and the other aspects of stopping the epidemic
the issue is particularly grating at the white house which came under siege in october 2014 over what republicans called a lack of preparedness for ebola the administration believes it was unfairly maligned for political purposes by republicans who saw an opening to make voters anxious close to the election mr obama said recently that he was having difficulty squaring republicans position on ebola with their much more casual approach to zika given that i have at least pretty vivid memories of how concerned people were about ebola
republicans say there is no need for a furious rush since the administration agreed in april to redirect nearly 590 million most of it previously allocated for ebola prevention to the effort against zika easing the pressure to act quickly some democrats now think that move perhaps wise from a policy and prevention standpoint may have been a strategic mistake because it let republicans off the hook
i think we are fine said senator jeff flake republican of arizona predicting that republicans had done what they needed to avoid a political backlash he said that shifting the money had provided public health experts with the resources they needed and that the necessary funds will be there in the end
negotiators working on a compromise are expected to move toward the 11 billion approved by the senate as opposed to 622 million allocated by the house mr rubio and others favor providing the full amount sought initially by the white house
as of last week the centers for disease control and prevention had identified nearly 700 zika infections in the continental united states though all appeared to have been contracted elsewhere more than 1000 have been counted in puerto rico public health experts are now preparing for the first case of someones being infected by a mosquito in the united states
mr rubio worries that the federal response has fallen too far behind
i think in some ways we are already too late he said it takes time to get this implemented every day that goes by is wasted
as they try to hold on to control of the house and senate republicans should hope that mr rubio is wrong and that the disease does not become a crisis in the united states if it does it could be democratic attacks on republicans for moving too slowly that go viral


he cuts a striking figure in a johnny cash like ensemble of black boots black jeans black shirt and black overcoat but ravi derossi remains enough of an unknown that customers pay no attention to him as he gives a tour of his various bars in the east village
there are a lot of bars by the way over the course of a decade or so mr derossi 42 has quietly quirkily built up an empire of 15 drinking establishments and restaurants in downtown manhattan mostly as well as in brooklyn you could say hes a stealth prince of the east village and the corner of avenue a and east sixth street is his versailles
roughly a decade ago mr derossi was one of the first people to recognize that there was a new model of bars in new york said david wondrich the author of the cocktail bible imbibe
after other entrepreneurs paved the way with spots like milk  honey and employees only mr derossi teamed up in 2007 with a young cocktail fanatic named david kaplan their death  company was the third bar that mr derossi built but it was the first of his places that truly captured the spirit of the moment since then mr derossis portfolio has expanded and his mission has changed but his particular wedge of the east village remains a magnet for young drinkers with disposable incomes
mr derossis spots tend to have explicit alcohol specific themes rum tequila bitters and an ambience that mirrors them hes creating these worlds   he plays to these fantasies that we have said leslie pariseau one of the authors of a new cocktail book called spritz what is rum what do we think about when we think about rum if youre looking to lose yourself in some themed world this is a great way to do it its epcot center but in new york
lately though mr derossi has shifted his attention to food on a recent friday he got dinner at avant garden the vegan restaurant he runs a few steps away from his apartment on seventh street he intends over time to convert all his places to vegan menus he sampled a rice pudding and made a quizzical face
mr derossi has a sharp eye for detail and he does not hesitate to speak up when he notices anything awry he doesnt censor himself very much said daniel kessler a member of the band interpol and an investor in several of mr derossis enterprises including mayahuel and bergen hill which is relocating this month from brooklyn to the east village hes going to be very direct when somethings not working i think you have to be that way when youre managing that many spots
at mother of pearl a tiki hangout mr derossi owns on avenue a he strolled into the kitchen and began chatting with the cooks hows omars hand he asked is he better is he going to work tomorrow this is the second time hes cut his finger off
he bit into a steamed bun with tofu a snack that is vegan like the entire menu at mother of pearl he was not wowed vegan food always needs more salt he said it needs more stuff inside the bun overpowers the flavor
like ray liottas character in goodfellas navigating hidden passageways mr derossi then slid through a swinging door into amor y amargo his bar where all the libations are based on bitters he walked up some back stairs into cienfuegos where the specialty is rum punch he ambled a few yards down sixth street to check in on death  company
as much as he seems to embody the leadership principle of management by wandering around he brushes off any suggestion that his booming network of properties hints at the mind of an astute capitalist
he attributes his success to dumb luck and random impulses although he has occasionally brought in outside investors he tends to prefer an independent model that allows him to invest his own profits in new projects
unmarried and fond of casting himself as a man who values his solitude mr derossi may act as if his accidental success makes him the opposite of danny meyer but lately his ambition has been showing
by the end of the year he plans to have three or four new spots in manhattan hes talking about opening a branch of death  company in denver and he is closing in on property in los angeles
as empire builders go though he does very little to promote himself
ive never been on twitter ive never been on instagram he said my company is really bad at the social media thing weve got to figure that out mr wondrich said people are used to the donald trump empire builder and hes the antithesis
but its more than his lack of self promotion his personal background doesnt necessarily hint at an aptitude for success in business ive been dumb most of my life mr derossi said im not going to lie
his italian sounding surname is a pseudonym he adopted it in his 20s when he was trying to land work as an actor and didnt want hollywood to typecast him in convenience store roles his real surname is lalchandani the son of immigrants from india he grew up in boulder colo he achieved some success as an abstract painter in his early 20s but hes the first to admit that he squandered a good portion of his post collegiate years in a drunken fog
he bounced around new orleans paris and the greek islands and for a while in the early 2000s he ran a deli with his mother in boulder his primary focus involved an unwise combination of alcohol and riding around on a harley davidson that he called jessie
i was blackout drunk every night he said i would drink a bottle of jack daniels every single night i was so stupid drunk i would stop at a red light and fall over it was a rough time in my life
that dark phase hit a nadir in november 2001 when he was arrested in santa fe nm he later pleaded no contest and was found guilty of driving under the influence
when his family sold the deli and he found himself with a windfall mr derossi moved to the east village with a vague urge to get back into painting instead he found himself studying the foot traffic on seventh street from his window above a funeral home
he noticed that people liked bars he liked bars too he decided to spend 40000 to open one of his own the bourgeois pig because that seemed a smart way to cut out the middleman
i just liked to drink he said i was a big drinker i wanted to have an income and not have to worry about selling my artwork
he felt at home in the bar i would have so much fun he said i would get wasted and wait on tables i kind of got addicted to it i worked 700 nights in a row
he has cut back on the drinking and he has experienced something of an epiphany regarding health environmental impact and the treatment of animals
he has become a vegan and after a moment of sadness and insight following the death of his cat at christmas he has decided that he wants the menus at all of his bars and restaurants to evolve gradually toward a vegan focus
its risky but that doesnt seem to bother him lifes a risk he said the restaurant business is like the dumbest risk in the world he said that food sales at mother of pearl had doubled since it went vegan in february
hes not yet sure how the vegan transformation is going to play out at his other places bergen hill for example was originally conceived as a seafood place it would have to become a completely different concept with a different name mr kessler said
mr derossi can only insist that hes going to continue paying close attention to the details remember the rice pudding we had at avant garden he said in a phone call a few days after giving a tour of the east village gone i cant eat that rice pudding ever again


washington   a coalition of prominent social conservatives is banding together in an effort to nudge the republican platform further to the right at the partys convention next month
the organizations involved include those that have been front and center in the culture wars over abortion and same sex marriage like the family research council action the march for life and concerned women for america
tony perkins president of the family research council and a platform committee delegate from louisiana said that while he expects the republican party to remain committed to the core values of life marriage family and religious freedom there are new questions that need to be addressed because they have arisen in the four years since the platform was last revised the 2012 platform many republicans believe was one of the most conservative on record
over the last four years a number of issues have surfaced that social conservatives say they want to see included in the platform those include the 2015 supreme court decision legalizing same sex marriage the passage of religious liberty legislation that allows businesses to refuse certain civil rights protections to gay and lesbian couples as well as the recent debate over transgender rights
mr perkins said he also expects the platform to contain an explicit call to abolish the federal department of education
a statement by the members of the newly formed coalition which will include other platform committee delegates from texas arizona and oklahoma said they will have a strong policy presence in cleveland to assist and advise delegates who are coalition members on a variety of public policy matters and platform committee procedures
the platform will be drafted and made final in the week before the july 18 21 republican convention in ohio


london   the young thin model wore a bright yellow bikini and stared seductively at passers by
are you beach body ready asked the ad for protein world a maker of dietary supplements the ad was defaced in subway stations across london when it appeared in april 2015 and it drew strong protests
on monday londons new mayor sadiq khan announced a ban on such ads   which critics call fat shaming   from londons public transportation system starting in july saying the messages encourage unhealthy body images for young women
as the father of two teenage girls i am extremely concerned about this kind of advertising which can demean people particularly women and make them ashamed of their bodies mr khan said nobody should feel pressurized while they travel on the tube or bus into unrealistic expectations surrounding their bodies
the move is the latest effort by the authorities in europe and elsewhere to address concerns about unrealistic or unhealthy body images in advertising and the effect that impossibly thin models can have on the self esteem and health of consumers france israel italy and spain have enacted policies aimed at preventing models with stick thin bodies from working in the industry
the mayor who said he wanted to send a clear message to the advertising industry said the new guidelines would apply to any form of transit run by transport for london that could create body confidence issues
an estimated 12000 ads appear annually in londons transportation network and mr khan was following through on a campaign pledge in imposing restrictions on them
transport for london said in a statement that it would not allow ads that could reasonably be seen as likely to cause pressure to conform to an unrealistic or unhealthy body shape or as likely to create body confidence issues particularly among young people
graeme craig the agencys commercial development director said the new rules were necessary because passengers were a captive audience
unlike ads that appear in other forums like television online and print he said passengers on public transportation cannot simply switch off or turn a page if an advertisement offends or upsets them   and we have a duty to ensure the copy we carry reflects that unique environment
the announcement of the ban inspired mixed reactions with some saying that mr khan a member of the labour party had performed a public service by fighting the regular portrayal of unrealistic body types
a great start for londons feminist mayor  womens equality party wrote on twitter
but some critics suggested that mr khan a muslim was using the ad ban to clamp down on racy images of women because they were counter to the norms of conservative islam mr khans office declined to comment when asked about that line of criticism
mr khan is the son of a bus driver who grew up in public housing and his religion drew attention in the mayoral race with a rival candidate zac goldsmith accusing him of giving oxygen and cover to extremists
ian twinn a spokesman for the incorporated society of british advertisers which represents about 450 british companies said he had no problem with the regulation as long as it focused solely on not promoting unhealthy body images
parents dont want their children to see ads of models who are unhealthily thin children and send out a message that this is what you should look like he said equally we dont want people who are comfortably chubby threatening to ban perfectly reasonable ads we are not meant to go around with excessive fat on our waists if fat is the new normal we dont want that to be the reason to censor people who are not fat that seems barmy
mr twinn said the model in the protein world ad had a toned and athletic body a perspective that was echoed by the advertising standards authority
after receiving 378 complaints last year about the ad the advertising board ruled that it was not offensive or irresponsible it did however ban the ad because of concerns about its health and weight loss claims
protein world for its part told the board that the phrase beach body was commonly used and understood to mean looking ones best
it said that the model in the ad had a healthy figure and that the company did not believe that the ad implied everyone should look like the model or that the text and image were irresponsible
last year the french parliament approved measures aimed at preventing modeling agencies from hiring models deemed dangerously thin
under the law models need a doctors certificate to certify they are fit to work and employers are at risk of jail or fines of 75000 euros or about 85000 if they break the rules


washington   high speed internet service can be defined as a utility a federal court has ruled in a sweeping decision clearing the way for more rigorous policing of broadband providers and greater protections for web users
the decision affirmed the governments view that broadband is as essential as the phone and power and should be available to all americans rather than a luxury that does not need close government supervision
the 2 to 1 decision from a three judge panel at the united states court of appeals for the district of columbia circuit on tuesday came in a case about rules applying to a doctrine known as net neutrality which prohibit broadband companies from blocking or slowing the delivery of internet content to consumers
those rules created by the federal communications commission in early 2015 started a huge legal battle as cable telecom and wireless internet providers sued to overturn regulations that they said went far beyond the fccs authority and would hurt their businesses on the other side millions of consumers and giant tech firms rallied in favor of the regulations president obama also called for the strictest possible mandates on broadband providers
the courts decision upheld the fcc on the declaration of broadband as a utility which was the most significant aspect of the rules that has broad reaching implications for web and telecommunications companies that have battled for nearly a decade over the need for regulation to ensure web users get full and equal access to all content online
after a decade of debate and legal battles todays ruling affirms the commissions ability to enforce the strongest possible internet protections   both on fixed and mobile networks   that will ensure the internet remains open now and in the future tom wheeler chairman of the fcc said in a statement
the two judges who ruled in favor of the fcc emphasized the importance of the internet as an essential communications and information platform for consumers
over the past two decades this content has transformed nearly every aspect of our lives from profound actions like choosing a leader building a career and falling in love to more quotidian ones like hailing a cab and watching a movie wrote david tatel and sri srinivasan the judges who wrote the opinion
but the legal battle over the regulations is most likely far from over the cable and telecom industries have signaled their intent to challenge any unfavorable decision possibly taking the case to the supreme court
att immediately said it would continue to fight
we have always expected this issue to be decided by the supreme court and we look forward to participating in that appeal said david mcatee ii the senior executive vice president and general counsel for att
for now the decision limits the ability of broadband providers like comcast and verizon to shape the experience of internet users without net neutrality rules the broadband providers could be inclined to deliver certain content on the web at slower speeds for example making the streams on netflix or youtube buffer or shut down such business decisions by broadband providers would have created fast and slow lanes on the internet subjecting businesses and consumers to extra charges and limited access to content online the fcc has argued
this is an enormous win for consumers said gene kimmelman president of the public interest group public knowledge it ensures the right to an open internet with no gatekeepers
the 184 page ruling also opens a path for new limits on broadband providers beyond net neutrality already the fcc has proposed privacy rules for broadband providers curbing the ability of companies like verizon and att to collect and share data about broadband subscribers
google and netflix support net neutrality rules and have warned government officials that without regulatory limits broadband providers will have an incentive to create business models that could harm consumers they argue that broadband providers could degrade the quality of downloads and streams of online services to extract tolls from web companies or to promote unfairly their own competing services or the content of partners
the courts ruling was a certainty for the fcc two of the three judges who heard the case late last year agreed that wireless broadband services were also common carrier utility services that were subject to anti blocking and discrimination rules a decision protested by wireless carriers including att and verizon wireless
in the opinion the two judges in favor of the rules said internet users dont feel the difference between fixed wire broadband and mobile service to an ipad user whose device switches automatically between wi fi and wireless networks the governments oversight of those technologies should not differ they said
tech firms cheered the decision which they said would be particularly helpful to start ups that did not have the resources to fight gatekeepers of the web
today marks a huge victory for the millions of microbusinesses who depend on the open internet to reach consumers and compete in the global marketplace said althea erickson the senior director of global policy at the online crafts marketplace etsy
in a statement the cable industrys biggest lobbying group highlighted the comments of the dissenting judge stephen williams and said that its members were reviewing the opinion the group also said broadband legislation by congress was a better alternative to the fccs classification of internet business as a utility
while this is unlikely the last step in this decade long debate over internet regulation we urge bipartisan leaders in congress to renew their efforts to craft meaningful legislation that can end ongoing uncertainty promote network investment and protect consumers the national cable and telecommunications association said in a statement
in his lengthy dissenting opinion mr williams called the rules an unreasoned patchwork that will discourage competition in the broadband industry
the biggest threat to broadband providers is the potential of any regulations to hurt the rates they charge for the service analysts said the fcc has promised it will not impose rate regulations on the firms like it does for phone companies
the pendulum has today swung a bit further in the direction of long term price regulation said craig moffett an analyst at the research firm moffettnathanson
the fcc was divided along party lines on the rules it began its quest for net neutrality rules in 2009 with two previous attempts at creating rules overturned by the same court
in a statement ajit pai a republican commissioner who was among a minority who opposed the regulation of broadband as a utility urged cable and telecom firms to keep going with their legal challenge
i continue to believe that these regulations are unlawful and i hope that the parties challenging them will continue the legal fight he said


london   rupert murdochs sun tabloid britains most popular came out on tuesday in favor of a british exit from the european union as a series of opinion polls suggested that the campaign to leave the bloc is picking up support inducing anxiety in the financial markets and in no 10 downing street
the country will decide the issue in a referendum on june 23 and there is a growing sense on both sides that the early confidence of those who support remaining in the european union has given way to recognition that the vote could go either way with historic if hard to predict consequences for britain and the continent
measuring public opinion has been difficult both because of problems plaguing pollsters everywhere and because there is no sure way to compare this referendum with previous votes although different polls using different methodologies have found widely varying results established pollsters have generally given the edge to those favoring remaining in the bloc
but after a push by the leave campaign and its allies focusing on immigration and islamist radicalism including the possibility that turkey and its 77 million muslims might one day join the european union the polls are showing signs of a shift
a respected poll of polls averaging voting intentions in the previous six major polls now shows the leave campaign with a lead of two percentage points 51 to 49 as recently as three weeks ago the remain camp held a 10 point lead 55 to 45 the poll of polls is directed by john curtice professor of politics at strathclyde university and a senior fellow at natcen an independent social research institution
a similar aggregation of polls by the financial times also shows the leave campaign with a two percentage point advantage 47 to 45
three polls released on monday including online and telephone polls all showed the leave campaign with leads inside the polls margins of sampling error two guardianicm polls   one conducted using traditional telephone sampling of voters the other based on an online survey   both found the leave campaign with a six percentage point advantage 53 to 47
bookmakers are also showing an increased probability of a british exit or brexit with betfair putting the probability of leaving at 42 percent compared with 25 percent on friday but at the moment despite the narrowing odds bettors and many investment banks still think the remain camp will win
on the news of the polls the pound fell by more than a cent to 141 while a measure based on the cost of insurance options taken to protect investors against movement in the pound over the next month jumped to a record high
if the polls are accurate they suggest the urgency of the efforts by prime minister david cameron who is leading the charge for staying in the european union as the campaign heads into its final week mr camerons conservative party is deeply split on the issue which has initiated debates about national identity sovereignty immigration and economic integration
the sun is mr murdochs flagship and he decides its editorial policy its editors say in a front page editorial under the headline beleave in britain the tabloid argues that staying in the european union would be worse for immigration worse for jobs worse for wages and worse for our way of life it said that free from dictatorial brussels britain could become richer safer and free to forge its own destiny instead of engulfed by a relentlessly expanding german dominated federal state
trevor kavanagh the suns associate editor columnist and former political editor told the bbc that the editorial represented a long and legitimate campaign on the part of the newspaper going back more than 40 years
while declining in circulation the sun has a daily circulation of about 18 million according to figures in january the daily mail which has also been siding with the leave campaign sells nearly 16 million copies daily and it is also considered the countrys most popular online newspaper other murdoch properties including the times and the sunday times of london have been more neutral in their news coverage and have not yet taken editorial positions
mr cameron has stepped back somewhat from campaigning this week to let the opposition labour party which officially supports the remain campaign get more news media attention as it tries to motivate voters
the labour party leader jeremy corbyn who admitted last week on television that on a scale of 10 he was only seven seven and a half for the remain side has been criticized as not doing enough to support the campaign he is giving more speeches this week and gordon brown the former prime minister who intervened successfully in last years scottish referendum has also stepped up campaigning to remain
in an open letter to the daily mirror which supports labour leaders of 12 trade unions including the powerful unite argue that leaving the european union would be a disaster for jobs workers rights and the national health service


more than a century after georgetown university used some of the profits from the sale of 272 enslaved african americans to help ensure its survival john j degioia the universitys president took a first step on monday toward making amends to their descendants
he walked into the public library in spokane wash for a private meeting with patricia bayonne johnson a great great great granddaughter of nace and biby butler two of the slaves who were sold in 1838 to help keep the college afloat
the 45 minute meeting which was followed by a lunch at the nearby davenport hotel may well have been a historic one
more than a dozen universities have recognized their ties to slavery and the slave trade but historians say they believe this is the first time that the president of an elite university has met with the descendants of slaves who had labored on a college campus or were sold to benefit one
i came to listen and to learn mr degioia said in an interview describing the discussion as moving and inspiring
ms bayonne johnson an amateur genealogist and retired teacher said she believed mr degioia was willing to take necessary steps to honor the sacrifice and legacy of her ancestors
he asked what could he do and how could he help she said in an interview it was a very good beginning
the meeting comes as officials at georgetown continue to grapple with how to address the colleges complicity in the slave sale the slaves who were owned by the jesuit priests who founded and ran the college were sold for about 33 million in todays dollars
a portion of the profit   about 500000   was used to help pay off georgetowns debts at a time when the college was struggling financially the slaves who had lived on jesuit estates in maryland that had helped to finance the colleges operations were uprooted and shipped to plantations in louisiana
a working group assembled by mr degioia in september has been considering whether the university should apologize for profiting from slave labor create a memorial to those enslaved or provide scholarships for their descendants among other possibilities the report is expected to be released this summer mr degioia said
craig steven wilder a historian at the massachusetts institute of technology who has studied the roots of elite universities in slavery said he did not know of another instance in which a university president had reached out to descendants
georgetown has made a decision to recognize the humanity of the problem theyre dealing with to treat it as more than a public relations problem mr wilder said
the search for descendants of the men women and children sold in 1838 intensified in the fall after georgetown students called on the university to remove the names of the rev thomas f mulledy and the rev william mcsherry from two campus buildings the priests were two of georgetowns early presidents both were involved in the slave sale mr degioia who had already called for a campuswide discussion about the colleges roots in slavery agreed to change the names of the buildings
the student protests inspired a georgetown alumnus richard j cellini to found a nonprofit the georgetown memory project to help identify and support the descendants of the people who were sold mr cellini hired eight genealogists including ms bayonne johnson and several researchers who are working with her university officials are also identifying descendants of the slaves
ms bayonne johnson said that she made a point of telling mr degioia what she knew about her ancestors and emphasizing the importance of the universitys archival records this year georgetown created an online archive that includes records that describe the slave sale and the jesuit and louisiana plantations
these were real people ms bayonne johnson said of her enslaved forebears and i wanted to put faces on them for him


oakland calif   the day after klay thompson accused him of being too sensitive and marreese speights posted an emoji of a baby bottle on social media lebron james showed up at oracle arena and was showered with boos as soon as his face appeared on the massive video screens the game was about a half hour from even starting
james one of the most famous athletes in the world widely celebrated for his feats with the cleveland cavaliers arrived for game 5 of the nba finals on monday and settled in for an evening as the subject of the bay areas ire fans screamed at him calling him a whiner and a player past his prime just hours from another postseason exit
then they watched james reach into his bag of basketball greatness to steer the cavaliers away from the edge of a cliff
the golden state warriors had goaded james   mocked him even   before he delivered for the cavaliers in their 112 97 victory which underscored that it was probably a huge mistake to pick on him in the first place
there was something about the energy in the building that fueled james whose cavaliers narrowed the warriors lead in the best of seven series to three games to two with game 6 scheduled for thursday in cleveland in fact james sounded as if he had relished the experience he turned almost wistful talking about life after basketball whenever that time comes
no matter how loud you turn the stereo system up in your house youll never be able to get it back james said you just dont take these moments for granted
amid the din james collected 41 points 16 rebounds and 7 assists becoming the fourth player in nba history to finish with at least 40 points 15 rebounds and 5 assists in a finals game according to elias sports bureau james had loads of help from kyrie irving who had his own transcendent game with 41 points on 17 of 24 shooting
its probably one of the greatest performances ive ever seen live james said of irving just calm just calm for 48 minutes
as the building seethed around them james and irving operated with calculated cool feasting on the absence of the warriors draymond green who served his one game suspension by watching the game on television from a luxury suite at the baseball stadium next door where the oakland athletics were playing the as won
it was james of course who had played a role in provoking green in game 4 by stepping over him after a tussle in the fourth quarter green retaliated by swiping at jamess groin and the league which had seen enough of that from green over the postseason assessed him with a flagrant 1 foul on sunday triggering an automatic suspension
ahead of game 5 some of the warriors suggested that the cavaliers and james specifically had lobbied the league to punish green james laughed it all off saying he intended to take the high road once the game began that road   unimpeded by greens steamer trunk frame   led straight to the basket the cavaliers shot 53 percent from the field
well hes their best defender cavaliers coach tyronn lue said of green ive said it all along that hes the best guy in the nba as far as reading when to help triple switches and kicking guys out of mismatches knowing when to go and when not to go hes an underrated shot blocker and he can guard one through five so that definitely hurt their defense
it was a mouthful and give credit to lue for being candid the cavaliers benefited from greens landing in baseball purgatory where a simple trip to use the restroom drew huge crowds
the good news for the warriors is that green will return for game 6 and they have been in such a situation before last year they clinched their first championship in 40 years by winning game 6 at quicken loans arena soaking the visiting locker room with champagne they delighted in the familiar aroma when they returned there for the first time this season
i like our position a lot better than theirs warriors coach steve kerr said monday night
but the cavaliers must feel confident too after staving off elimination on the warriors home court forget that no team has ever come back from a 3 1 deficit in the finals james likes being first and helping the cavaliers win three straight games to claim the first championship in franchise history would be his greatest stunt in an all world career
last season james had to wrestle the warriors without the aid of irving who injured his left knee in the first game of the series now both are playing well and heading home emboldened apparently undaunted by the task ahead of them
irving whose partnership with james has been the source of so much scrutiny over the past two seasons was asked how they had been able to strike the right balance
when we stopped caring about what everyone else said irving said honestly what goes on in our locker room   and ive said it multiple times   as long as were taking care of whats going on in our locker room internally we can power through anything
on monday the cavaliers powered through the noise and their critics and a depleted opponent a new challenge awaits just the way they like it


stocks in the united states and global markets fell for a fourth day on tuesday as investors awaited the federal reserves decision on interest rates and continued to worry about britains expected close vote on whether to leave the european union
credit card company stocks fell sharply after synchrony financial the countrys leading issuer of store brand credit cards warned that more of its customers were falling behind on payments
the standard  poors 500 stock index fell 374 points or 02 percent to 207532 and the nasdaq composite fell 489 points or 01 percent to 484355
the dow jones industrial average fell 5766 points or 03 percent to 1767482
united states government bond yields remained at their lowest levels since 2012 as investors sought safety ahead of the fed meeting and the vote in britain the yield on the 10 year treasury note was 161 percent up slightly from a day earlier
in europe benchmark german government bond yields fell below zero percent for the first time a signal that skittish investors are willing to pay to park their money in investments they consider supersafe
the federal reserves two day meeting started on tuesday with a decision on interest rates to be announced on wednesday the fed had been expected to raise interest rates but after some weak economic data including the most recent monthly jobs report it now appears likely to wait
most investors are focused overseas right now there is considerable uncertainty about whether british voters will choose to leave the european union in a referendum on june 23 polls show the vote could go either way and investors are starting to worry about the consequences
a british exit from the european union known informally as brexit would probably hurt the british economy most and destabilize the rest of europe the repercussions however are not clear
investors are brexit proofing their portfolios right now said anastasia amoroso a global markets strategist at jpmorgan asset management
in individual companies synchrony financial plunged 399 or 13 percent to 2645 after the company disclosed that more of its customers were falling behind on payments the company is also taking losses on more accounts than anticipated
in commodities benchmark crude dropped 39 cents to 4849 per barrel on the new york mercantile exchange brent crude used to price international oils fell 52 cents to 4983 per barrel in london
gold rose 120 to 128560 an ounce silver fell 2 cents to 1742 an ounce and copper fell 1 cent to 204 a pound
the dollar fell to 10612 yen from 10617 yen the euro edged down to 11204 from 11294


london   oscar pistorius the south african olympic star convicted of murdering his girlfriend in 2013 has to pay for what he did the victims father told a judge on tuesday while emphasizing that he and his wife had forgiven the athlete
in tearful testimony that was broadcast live across south africa the father barry steenkamp said that the death of his daughter reeva steenkamp had plunged him and his wife into an abyss of grief and contributed to his having had a stroke
mr steenkamp 73 who is diabetic and uses a cane said the pain from his daughters murder had been so severe that he would use his insulin syringe to hurt himself i would take the needle and shove it into my stomach and my arms to see if i could feel the same type of pain but no he said weeping
many others in the courtroom cried including mr pistorius who pressed his head into his hands
ms steenkamp a law school graduate model and aspiring reality television star was 29 when mr pistorius fired four shots through a locked bathroom door in their pretoria home on feb 14 2013 killing her mr pistorius at the time a gun enthusiast said that he thought an intruder had broken into the home and that the killing was an accident
in september 2014 judge thokozile matilda masipa of the high court in pretoria found mr pistorius not guilty of murder but she convicted him of culpable homicide a charge equivalent to manslaughter he was sentenced to five years in prison and after serving one year was released last october to serve the remainder of his punishment under house arrest and under correctional supervision
prosecutors appealed judge masipas ruling to south africas top appeals court the supreme court of appeal in bloemfontein in december the court convicted mr pistorius of murder finding that judge masipa had misinterpreted the legal concept of dolus eventualis under that principle the appellate court found mr pistorius was guilty because he knew that firing through the locked door would kill whoever was inside   even if he did not believe it was ms steenkamp
the court referred the matter back to judge masipa for sentencing the proceedings began on monday and a decision is expected this week on monday a psychologist for mr pistoriuss defense team said mr pistorius was unfit to testify because he had depression and anxiety among other disorders
mr steenkamps testimony revived strong emotions in south africa the country suffers from high rates of violent crime sentencing guidelines suggest a minimum of 15 years in prison for mr pistorius   as prosecutors have recommended   but the judge could conceivably issue a lighter sentence
i dont really go to church but im a christian mr steenkamp said alternating between addressing judge masipa and mr pistorius he said his wife june frequently awakened with nightmares june has forgiven she feels its right in her heart to forgive oscar he said but then you must understand why forgiving like that   it still does not exonerate you from the crime that you committed
mr steenkamp declined to specify how much time in prison he thought mr pistorius should get we will go by the decision that the court hands down to oscar he said but he has to pay for his crime i dont want to say that he has to go to the maximum or whatever it is but he has to pay
mr steenkamp said he was haunted by the thought that his daughter had suffered in her final moments what she must have gone through in those split seconds   she must have been in so much fear and pain he said that is what i think of all the time i can see it myself it must have been absolutely and utterly awful
in addition to mr steenkamp judge masipa heard on tuesday from charlotte mashabane a health official at the prison where mr pistorius served part of his sentence for manslaughter that testimony focused on mr pistoriuss occasional outbursts of anger toward the staff and on the question of whether he might have had illegal prescription drugs in his cell as the prosecution has argued
the court also heard from two defense witnesses ebba gudny gudmundsdottir an icelandic woman who has a son with a disability similar to mr pistoriuss who she said had been inspired by the defendant and mr pistoriuss pastor the rev marius nel prosecutors are expected to call a final witness to testify on wednesday
gareth newham a criminal justice researcher at the institute for security studies in pretoria south africa said the pistorius trial has not been seen so much along racial lines as about wealth and class that if you have lot of money you can afford to buy justice
he added i think most south africans believe in retribution for crimes we do have a crime problem and most south africans do support strict sentencing now that hes been found guilty of murder the public are generally expecting that hell receive at least 10 years


moscow   after 55 years of preparation a landmark effort to promote unity among the worlds 300 million orthodox christians turned into a showcase of disarray on tuesday after the russian church the biggest of 14 orthodox jurisdictions announced that it would not take part in a historic conclave of church leaders scheduled to start this weekend
the gathering known both as the holy and great council and as the pan orthodox council is scheduled to begin sunday on the greek island of crete and to run through june 26 it had been under discussion since 1961 and has been billed as the first council of its kind since the eighth century
while it did not rule out participating in a future gathering the moscow patriarchate the leadership of the russian orthodox church said late monday that it was impossible to participate in the council because not all orthodox churches would be present at least four branches of the orthodox faith mostly with historically close ties to russia like the serbian orthodox church had complained about aspects of the crete council and indicated that they might stay away
the russian decision threw into doubt the opening of the gathering and highlighted longstanding doctrinal disagreements among orthodox christians as well as a struggle over the direction of the church between the moscow patriarchate and a rival leadership based in istanbul the seat of the ecumenical patriarch of constantinople
ecumenical patriarch bartholomew i in istanbul as constantinople is now called has been the driving force behind the crete gathering which some priests in russia view as an attempt to diminish or usurp their authority while elevating the standing of their rival
unlike the roman catholic church which has a single undisputed leader in the pope the orthodox or eastern branch of christianity is divided into self governing provinces each with its own leadership as heir to the traditions of the original orthodox or byzantine church based in constantinople before the 15th century muslim conquest of the city the istanbul based patriarch has traditionally been viewed as the first among equals by the orthodox faithful a role that has long nettled russian church leaders
the russian orthodox church which also controls affiliated branches of orthodoxy in much of the former soviet union has many more followers than the istanbul based hierarchy headed by patriarch kirill a close ally of president vladimir v putin the russian church has increasingly sought to assert itself as the pre eminent voice of the orthodox faith in tandem with a push by mr putin to assert russias influence as a global power
sergei chapnin the former editor of the moscow patriarchates official journal said that the disarray leading up to the crete gathering flowed in part from genuine disagreements over draft texts on theology and other issues but that it also showed serious lines of tension between moscow and bartholomew
the moscow patriarchate and the ecumenical patriarch of constantinople are embroiled in a long struggle over property notably in france where the russian orthodox church has won court orders to gain control of a cathedral in nice previously controlled by and loyal to the istanbul archbishop they have also squabbled over efforts by orthodox churches in some former soviet territories to break their links with the moscow church hierarchy and to establish their own independent orthodox churches
while delivering a heavy blow to bartholomew by pulling out of the meeting the moscow patriarchate sought to avoid criticism that it wanted to sabotage the crete gathering the russian news agency tass quoted vakhtang kipshidze a deputy chairman of the synodal department for relations between the church and society and mass media as saying the russian church wanted the council to be held at some point and was offering a soft way out of the crisis by merely postponing the conference
planning for the crete meeting has been dogged by doctrinal and political disputes the orthodox church which broke from the catholic church in the so called great schism of 1054 has held several smaller councils over the centuries but the crete gathering at least as originally conceived would have been the first full council since 787 when church leaders resolved a bitter dispute over whether icons could be used for liturgical purposes those favoring icons won
but decades of planning began to unravel in recent weeks as orthodox churches in bulgaria serbia and several other places threatened not to attend
the gathering was originally to be held in istanbul but the russian church among others asked that it be moved for security and other reasons russia has also complained about representation in crete asking that all 700 orthodox bishops be invited to attend instead of small delegations from each church according to mr chapnin the russian orthodox church has nearly 400 bishops many more than other orthodox churches have
metropolitan hilarion of volokolamsk chairman of the moscow patriarchates external church relations department told russian television that the crete gathering should be postponed because there are many problems among various orthodox churches he added that the disagreements might seem small but for historical churches these are important issues
the disagreements include arguments over seating arrangements at the crete conference squabbles over the cost of the holy and great council and substantial discord over how orthodox churches should interact with christians in the catholic and other christian churches
mr chapnin the former journal editor said the orthodox church divided into what are essentially national church hierarchies had always been prone to infighting and power struggles for orthodoxy this is a very traditional mess he said


the terrorist attack that killed 49 and wounded 53 in orlando fla was the largest mass killing of gay people in american history but before sunday that grim distinction was held by a largely forgotten arson at a new orleans bar in 1973 that killed 32 people at a time of pernicious anti gay stigma
churches refused to bury the victims remains their deaths were mostly ignored and sometimes mocked by politicians and the media no one was ever charged a joke made the rounds in workplaces and was repeated on the radio where will they bury the queers in fruit jars
outpourings of grief from politicians and everyday people have followed the orlando shooting but for those who remember the fire in the new orleans bar the upstairs lounge its lonely memory has loomed large over conversations about the carnage this week at the pulse nightclub
mike moreau 72 who lost several friends in the fire said he was struck by all the differences between then and now but also by the familiarity of tragedys dull ache
what happened to us had to be kept so private said mr moreau the public didnt want to know about it and if they heard about it they didnt care   thank god theyre gone they deserved it
to see the outpouring of love and support that these poor families have gotten is fantastic he added about the orlando massacre they are hurting the same way we hurt but at least they know that the world supports them and understands their grief
mr moreau was with friends at a nearby bar on june 24 1973 when an arsonist doused the stairs of the upstairs lounge with lighter fluid set it aflame and rang the doorbell when someone answered the door a fireball burst into the room
one group of patrons fled out a back exit but another was trapped across the room caught between the flames and floor to ceiling windows fitted with metal bars when firefighters extinguished the blaze they found a pile of charred bodies some embracing and others pressed against the windows
congregants from the new orleans chapter of the metropolitan community church an lgbt affirming group were meeting there after services the rev bill larson was among the dead his charred body was left slumped against the window bars in full view of passers by for hours
he was one of many who died without ever coming out to their families and his mother would not deal with his remains said robert l camina who directed a documentary upstairs inferno about the blaze
his mother refused to collect his ashes because she was too embarrassed that she had a gay son mr camina said and that is just one example there are three people who were never identified at all why somebody has to miss them
those three were buried in unmarked graves in a potters field along with a fourth person ferris leblanc whose family did not know his fate until last year mr camina said
they dug a hole in the ground and put a bag in it and covered it back up mr moreau said
public figures were unsupportive the mayor moon landrieu did not cancel his vacation forty years later a son of his the current mayor mitch landrieu declared a day of public mourning for the fires victims on its anniversary
lgbt people have a place at the table now that they did not have then said clayton delery edwards who wrote a book about the arson that was published in 2014
the fire was an open wound for the gay community in new orleans for years no one was charged with the attack and a man viewed by many as the primary suspect was never arrested he committed suicide a year after the blaze
there was never any sense of justice said sebastian rey the president of the lgbt community center of new orleans
survivors had to deny any connection to the fire including the loss of loved ones because they could lose their jobs or apartments if bosses and landlords suspected they were gay mr rey said people who lived through that period did not talk about it for decades as time passed the tragedy became a rumor to new generations of lgbt people he said
johnny townsend who interviewed survivors in the late 80s and finally published their accounts in 2014 said the 40th anniversary commemoration gave it a kind of public attention it had not had before people now feel more of a sense of their own history he said
for mr moreau the outpouring of support for the victims in orlando has been an uplifting sign of progress he said
in orlando those poor people know at least that the whole world is behind them he said nobody cared about us


terekeka south sudan   in the shade of a fishing supply store by the rivers edge a group of young men has little to do but chat drink glasses of sugary milk and wait for trucks that rarely arrive
alfred lado 29 and his friends used to earn cash by unloading goods transported from juba the capital of south sudan about 50 miles to the south but after civil war broke out in december 2013 trade was disrupted and the trucks grew scarce
there are no jobs no good food and nothing to work on mr lado said
the brutal war cost tens of thousands of lives and displaced more than two million people but in april riek machar south sudans rebel leader and former vice president returned to juba to become deputy to his wartime rival president salva kiir as part of a transitional government
that fragile peace could bring the traders back to terekeka but first the formerly warring parties must agree on what terekeka is a county or a state
the parties agreed to a peace deal in august but mr kiir threw a wrench into its implementation in october when he announced the formation of 28 states instead of the 10 that had existed before the capitals state central equatoria for example was divided into yei jubek and terekeka
the rebels cried foul arguing that mr kiir had divvied up the land in ways that favored members of the dinka ethnic group of which he is a member
yet the president moved quickly to make his decree a reality governors and ministers were appointed in december to manage each of the new states even though south sudans roster of officials and civil servants was already bloated because of a sharp decline in oil revenue in recent years most government workers have not been paid in months
the presidents decree has left terekeka in limbo members of what used to be known as the county government still roam the dusty roads in a roaring convoy of four by fours while civilians struggle to survive on small plots of land unsure of which officials will represent their interests
terekeka which covers about 4000 square miles is also home to the mundari ethnic group whose members are known for their reliance on the ankole watusi a species of large cows with long curved horns
farmers who live in small mud huts without electricity complain that their harvests of sorghum ground nuts and beans have been meager after disappointing rains and as inflation jumps the prices of basic goods are rising too fast for families to keep up poverty food insecurity and child mortality are rampant all across this chronically undeveloped country
mr lado would like terekeka to remain a state but hesitates to endorse the idea fully
it isnt recognized yet by the international community he said we dont know whether the presidents decision is going to be reversed
since 2011 when south sudan became the worlds youngest country terekeka has seen its share of conflicts over resources often pitting the mundari against the dinka and other ethnic groups
the capital terekeka town is a three hour drive from juba along a deeply rutted dirt road it sits just west of where the white nile river unravels into a web of interlocking tributaries and is the midway point between the capital and the conflict scarred town of bor
the towns main drag is not much longer than a football field mundari and dinka people mingle here but many of the small shops are run by foreigners including ugandans and ethiopians local eateries serve mostly bread and beans though they sometimes run out of both
the only substantial buildings belong to the government sporting south sudanese flags that hang motionless in the stifling heat
they include the cement block primary schools on the edge of town where a dedicated team of teachers is struggling to adapt the curriculum from arabic into english they say they have no idea when their backlog of unpaid salaries will be addressed
the new governor juma ali malou has an air conditioned office in juba and stays in a lodge when he visits terekeka he says the area has potential for oil exploration and agricultural development he also envisions turning the riverside town into a tourist attraction even though it has barely any infrastructure no paved roads and no electricity except from privately owned generators
the governors deputy and information minister both resigned in may accusing mr ali of nepotism and misuse of funds
during south sudans civil war terekeka experienced clashes for only a few days it was spared the scale of atrocities that befell juba where the conflict began and bor where territorial battles led to massacres of civilians
but in recent months the announcement of statehood has caused problems here on may 7 a flag raising ceremony in mongalla a county that borders terekeka but now falls within the boundaries of jubek was interrupted by armed assailants over a territorial dispute four people died
supporters of mr kiirs decree remain adamant james mori 37 a farmer and civil servant argued that a localized government system could make officials more accountable if the government is big at the top and small at the bottom thats not good he said
for the moment the united nations does not formally recognize the 28 states said ellen margrethe loj the head of the united nations mission in south sudan
its very clear that there are challenges around the country in relation to how the borders have been drawn in the 28 states proposal and that has led to ethnic tensions she added singling out the areas around malakal in the north
it will be up to the transitional government to reach an agreement on these borders a 15 member committee was formed this month to decide on the division of states by the beginning of july
but confusion still reigns supporters of the president say the committee exists only to redraw the 28 states borders while opponents say a return to the 10 state system is on the table
terekekas residents hope that whoever is left in charge of their area will bring development soon
people at the grass roots level are very happy about the creation of this state mr mori said but the top politicians dont care about the people here they are complicating everything


so what does microsoft get for 262 billion
on monday the worlds largest software company paid that much for linkedin the worlds premier online job site reports nick wingfield it is by far the largest acquisition in microsofts history though not the biggest deal of 2016 that is shires 30 billion purchase of baxalta another pharmaceutical company
drug company deals are more straightforward though and the price is usually based on what the acquirer hopes to squeeze out of the products and talent technology mergers tend to require a little more imagination to justify their cost
linkedin may have 400 million members as the people who post their job data there are called but in 2015 it had revenue of about 3 billion and posted a net loss of 166 million the year before it lost only 15 million on 22 billion in revenue it is hard to see why microsoft paid a premium of about 50 percent of fridays linkedin share price
but think like a tech chief executive using the key values of relevance synergy data and growth microsoft is in the midst of an epochal transition from the time of personal computers and computer servers to machine based intelligence everywhere via cloud computing and mobile devices where once it owned the desktop now it strives with the likes of google and amazon for a 1 trillion prize the global market for corporate computing
at the end of last march microsoft had 105 billion in cash far more than the competition spending some of that on a well regarded cloud company it can transition over to its own enormous cloud system makes microsoft ever more relevant in this world
unlike google and amazon microsoft already has a large presence in corporate software and some of linkedins functions will fit nicely into its human resources and financial planning products microsoft is also trying to increase the corporate utility of skype the online communications company it bought for 85 billion in 2011
bolted onto linkedin it could be a means not just of recruitment but of organizing teams much of linkedins proposition has been that it will be the core of a future in which there is much less lifetime employment and lots more freelancing consulting and other independent contracting across the globe
linkedin already has probably the worlds best trove of data on the work people are doing and looking for and one of the best regarded teams of data scientists in tech that information and those people will now work with counterparts in areas like online search gaming and artificial intelligence or ai
data is not just inherently important these days it is a key asset for improving the performance of ai systems big data sets lend themselves to better results incidentally a reason many in tech are starting to worry about the data owned by the biggest companies buying linkedin didnt just improve the likely performance of microsofts own algorithms it took a large potential data resource off the table for amazon and google
that is in large part the positive situation   which is how such enormous acquisitions should begin now for the hard part of making it all work as planned


in what has become a sadly familiar ritual many of americas late night tv hosts who generally respond to the news with levity and one liners used their shows monday night to address the attack at a gay nightclub in orlando fla in which 49 people died in the worst mass shooting in united states history
in tones that were sincere and sober sometimes gentle and sometimes strident these performers tried to make sense of the massacre they spoke openly about how strange they felt to be talking about it on their shows at all and they expressed their frustrations that these shooting deaths   and the hosts perplexed coverage of them   were becoming routine events they tried to offer viewers messages of hope and inspiration
here is a look at what some of the late night hosts said
on tbss conan conan obrien began the evening with an impassioned monologue that asked why sales of military style semiautomatic assault rifles like the kind used in the orlando killings and in other mass shootings were permitted our goal obviously night after night is to be funny and silly if youre in the mood for that late at night he said however sometimes events are so horrifying and bleak that to come out here and tell jokes its not really possible
mr obrien added i am a father of two i like to believe i have a shred of common sense and i simply do not understand why anybody in this country is allowed to purchase and own a semiautomatic assault rifle it makes no sense to me
his voice rising mr obrien said these are weapons of war and they have no place in civilian life i have tried to understand this issue from every side and it all comes down to this nobody i know or have ever met in my entire life should have access to a weapon that can kill so many people so quickly
at the start of her tbs show full frontal with samantha bee a visibly exasperated ms bee asked hey is it ok if instead of making jokes i just scream for seven minutes until we go to commercial
anticipating the kinds of remarks that the orlando shooting was likely to elicit from her and other hosts she said after a massacre the standard operating procedure is that you stand on stage and deliver some well meaning words about how we will get through this together how love wins how love conquers hate and that is great that is beautiful but you know what
ms bee added i am too angry for that love does not win unless we start loving each other enough to fix our problems she used an expletive before problems for emphasis
she mocked elected officials including gov rick scott of florida whose advice after the massacre was to pray we pray after every mass shooting ms bee said and yet they keep happening maybe were not praying right can we check the instruction manual
an image of the bible appeared on screen and ms bee read from the book of james thus also faith by itself if it does not have works is dead
stephen colbert the host of cbss late show began his program seated at his desk with his stage lit by the rainbow colors of a gay pride flag
we each ask ourselves what can you possibly say in the face of this horror mr colbert said but then sadly you realize you know what to say because its been said too many times before
in the aftermath of these shootings he said its as if theres a national script that we have learned and i think by accepting the script we tacitly accept that the script will end the same way every time with nothing changing except for the loved ones and the families of the victims for whom nothing will ever be the same
rather than give into despair which he said would be a victory for hate mr colbert urged his viewers to find love love does not despair he said love makes us strong love gives us the courage to act love gives us hope that change is possible love allows us to change the script so love your country love your family love the families and the victims and the people of orlando but lets remember that love is a verb and to love means to do something
beginning with a clip of president obama addressing the orlando attacks trevor noah observed in his daily show monologue that mr obama was making this speech   his 16th after a mass shooting event   from a press room named for james s brady the press secretary who was wounded in a 1981 assassination attempt on president ronald reagan thats how much gun violence is a part of american life mr noah said even the room that the president talks about gun violence from is named for a victim of gun violence
mr noah who is from south africa a country that suffers from high rates of violent crime said that americans did not have to rid the world of terrorism before addressing their own problems with gun violence just because theres a problem with terrorism doesnt mean there isnt also a problem with access to guns he said and i understand that americans love guns but this love comes at a cost
mr noah added its clear here america needs to ask itself the question do you want to be a country that takes reasonable measures to protect its citizens or should we tell the president to prepare speech no 17
in his opening monologue on the tonight show jimmy fallon urged his viewers to be tolerant at a time when he said i know everyone is angry right now and not really knowing how to react
but he added this is a time where people are looking to us as a country and how we will react
mr fallon said that america was built on the idea that we do not all agree on everything that we are a tolerant free nation that encourages debate free thinking believing or not in what you choose
noting that he is a father and unsure of what to tell his children mr fallon said we need to get back to being brave enough to accept that we have different opinions and thats ok because thats what america is built on   this idea that we can stand up and speak our minds and live our lives and not be punished for that or mocked on the internet or killed by someone you dont know
he concluded his remarks by saying keep loving each other keep respecting each other and keep on dancing


menlo park calif   when carrie simmons opened her facebook app one day in late 2014 she saw a status update from a high school friend she had not seen in years that alarmed her it read like a suicide note
thank you for everyone who tried to help me ms simmonss friend whom she declined to name wrote
ms simmons immediately called a mutual friend a police officer who reached out to the local authorities in their friends town in california there the police found the friend in a parked car with a pistol in his lap he did not pull the trigger and is alive today
if i hadnt already been educated in suicide prevention or hadnt seen the post on facebook i dont know that i would have picked up the phone and known to call said ms simmons who is a real estate broker in seattle
with more than 165 billion members worldwide posting regularly about their behavior facebook is planning to take a more direct role in stopping suicide on tuesday in the biggest step by a major technology company to incorporate suicide prevention tools into its platform the social network introduced mechanisms and processes to make it easier for people to help friends who post messages about suicide or self harm with the new features people can flag friends posts that they deem suicidal the posts will be reviewed by a team at the social network that will then provide language to communicate with the person who is at risk as well as information on suicide prevention
the timing coincides with a surge in suicide rates in the united states to a 30 year high the increase has been particularly steep among women and middle aged americans reflecting widespread desperation last year president obama declared a world suicide prevention day in september calling on people to recognize mental health issues early and to reach out to support one another
facebook has long thrust itself into major societal debates because of its vast reach and the enormous diversity of human behavior it sees about 72 percent of americans   and 77 percent of american women   use facebook according to a 2015 study by pew research
yet facebook is walking a tightrope trying to explore its role as an arbiter of social change without upsetting the hundreds of millions of people who regularly use its services some of the suicide prevention tools may trouble groups that have concerns about digital privacy many of those groups have already become wary of what they see as facebooks overreach in peoples personal lives
in october 2014 the company was embroiled in a scandal after it emerged that facebook researchers used its news feed feature to try to manipulate the emotions of its users the incident resulted in an overhaul of its user research methodology last month facebook grappled with accusations of political bias and fears about how much it could influence the views of its members
the company really has to walk a fine line here said dr jennifer stuber an associate professor at the university of washington and the faculty director of forefront a suicide prevention organization they dont want to be perceived as big brother ish because people are not expecting facebook to be monitoring their posts
facebook said it had a role to play in helping its users to help one another about a third of the posts shared on the site include some form of negative feelings according to a study released in february by the companys researchers posts with negative associations tended to receive longer more empathetic comments from facebook friends the company said
given that facebook is the place youre connected to friends and family it seemed like a natural fit said dr jennifer guadagno a researcher at facebook who is leading the suicide prevention project facebook has a team of more than a dozen engineers and researchers dedicated to the project
facebooks new suicide prevention tools start with a drop down menu that lets people report posts a feature that was previously available only to some english speaking users people across the world can now flag a message as one that could raise concern about suicide or self harm those posts will then come to the attention of facebooks global community operations team a group of hundreds of people around the world who monitor flagged posts 24 hours a day seven days a week
posts flagged as potential self harm notes are to be expedited and reviewed more quickly by the team members who also examine posts that facebook users have reported as objectionable community operations team members who evaluate potentially suicidal content are given special training facebook said
the person reporting a suicide note is given a menu of options including the ability to send a facebook message directly to the friend in distress or to a mutual friend to coordinate help facebook will provide a suggested text message to send or users can fill in their own words
people really want to help but often they just dont know what to say what to do or how to help their friends said vanessa callison burch a facebook product manager working on the project users are also provided with a list of resources including help lines and suicide prevention material that they can click through to gain access
if facebook evaluators believe a post is a call for help or a distress signal the person whose message was reported will be presented with a similar list of options the next time that person logs into facebook and view the news feed including tips and resources on what to do if the person feels suicidal such people are also prompted to reach out to friends who may be able to support them on facebook
the company said its work on suicide prevention started about 10 years ago after a number of suicides in palo alto calif the former location of facebooks headquarters and the city in which mark zuckerberg its chief executive lives palo altos two public high schools have suicide rates between four and five times the national average
over the past year facebook has conducted a small test with suicide prevention tools in some countries in conjunction with outside entities like forefront nowmattersnoworg and saveorg a group of suicide prevention organizations the company declined to share data on the early results
theyve been very reluctant to release data on the project even to partners like us because of the privacy issues said dr stuber of the university of washington
facebook is becoming more forthcoming on other internal practices and how it conducts user research on tuesday in a move separate from the suicide prevention tools facebook laid out its research review methods in a study conducted by two of its researchers the company is hoping that the study which is being published in washington and lee law review will be used by other academics to help with their research methodologies
some nonprofit organizations and researchers that have pushed facebook to be more aggressive in its suicide prevention efforts hope the changes push other tech giants to act similarly
were losing more people to suicide than breast cancer car accidents homicides said dr dan reidenberg the executive director of saveorg wed be fortunate for other companies to get on the bandwagon


sydney australia   australian researchers say rising sea levels have wiped out a rodent that lived on a tiny outcrop in the great barrier reef in what they say is the first documented extinction of a mammal species due to human caused climate change
the rodent was known to have lived only on bramble cay a minuscule atoll in the northeast torres strait between the cape york peninsula in the australian state of queensland and the southern shores of papua new guinea the long tailed whiskered creature called the bramble cay melomys was considered the only mammal endemic to the great barrier reef
the key factor responsible for the death of the bramble cay melomys is almost certainly high tides and surging seawater which has traveled inland across the island luke leung a scientist from the university of queensland who was an author of a report on the species apparent disappearance said by telephone the seawater has destroyed the animals habitat and food source
this is the first documented extinction of a mammal because of climate change he said
anthony d barnosky a professor at the university of california berkeley who is a leading expert on climate changes effects on the natural world called the disappearance of the melomys a cogent example of how climate change provides the coup de grace to already critically endangered species
i think this is significant because it illustrates how the human caused extinction process works in real time dr barnosky added noting that storm surges and rising seas had wiped out a species that had no route of escape on land were seeing the same thing except rather than water barriers the barriers are the 51 percent of the earths land surface that has been taken over by people
warming seawater temperatures have caused significant coral bleaching along the northern sections of the great barrier reef of australia this year scientists have reported that bleaching has led to the death of some corals and that climate change is the main long term threat to the health of the reef
dr leung and natalie waller another university of queensland scientist along with ian gynther of the queensland governments threatened species unit conducted surveys of bramble cay which dr leung described as not much bigger than an average football field in 2014 they found no evidence of the melomys which had been listed as endangered
the scientists recommended that queensland declare the species extinct the assertion that australia has lost another mammal species can be made with considerable confidence they wrote in the report to the states government which released it last week the studys findings were previously reported by the guardian
accounts of the melomyss presence on bramble cay date to 1845 when european sailors encountered what they described as large rats and tried to kill them with bows and arrows researchers found hundreds of the creatures on the island during the 1970s
but within a few decades their numbers had fallen drastically with just 10 melomys captured during a 2002 survey and 12 in 2004 none at all were caught during a 2011 survey but that expedition was cut short for fear of damaging green turtle nests
the melomys had to compete for food with nesting seabirds and turtles on a shrinking island according to the new report by march 2014 the islands livable habitat   that is the area above the high tide mark   was the smallest ever recorded and refuge sites for the melomys in rock caves crevices and overhangs had begun to disappear the report said
in august and september 2014 the scientists used traps and cameras to try to determine how many melomys were left and they found none no tracks were seen and no scat was discovered
available information about sea level rise and the increased frequency and intensity of weather events producing extreme high water levels and damaging storm surges in the torres strait region over this period point to human induced climate change being the root cause of the loss of the bramble cay melomys the researchers said in their report
dr leung said flooding would not have had to occur frequently for the rodents to be wiped out   just often enough to kill the plants they need which rely on fresh water but he also said that flooding was likely to have drowned the mammals
there is a small possibility that the rodents may yet be discovered in some parts of papua new guinea dr leung said scientists are not sure how the animals first arrived at bramble cay but they theorize that they may have floated there on driftwood or arrived in sailing vessels
they may have been marooned on high ground at bramble cay dr leung said and they were thriving there for a long time but now they are gone
dr leung said one reason the report was released so long after the research was conducted was to verify that it was the first such extinction due to climate change caused by humans he said the scientists had collected data looked extensively at other research and left no stone unturned before making that assertion
dr barnosky who was not involved in the research said the claim seemed right on target to me
darren grover a spokesman for wwf australia said that a toad in costa rica was thought to have been lost to human caused climate change but that the melomys appeared to be the first mammal sadly it wont be the last he said


orlando fla   with dozens of survivors of the massacre at a gay nightclub here still hospitalized some of the wounded on tuesday gave gripping accounts of terror and pain on a night that turned in an instant from joyous to deadly
the survivors told of fleeing hiding using their phones to plead for help watching friends die   and thinking that they would also   as a man with an assault rifle and a handgun went through the pulse nightclub firing more shots than they could count the slaughter early sunday left 49 victims dead in addition to the gunman and 53 wounded   the worst mass shooting in american history
the guilt of feeling lucky to be alive is heavy said patience carter who was shot in the legs and saw her friend akyra murray killed i was begging god to take the soul out of my body because i didnt want to feel any more pain i didnt want any more shots
more than 30 of the wounded remained in hospitals on tuesday including at least six who were in critical condition all of the dead had been identified and most of the autopsies were completed
as the injured and the doctors who treated them told their stories the fbi continued looking into the actions of the gunman omar mateen 29 who died in a shootout with police seeking evidence of a motive and any possible accomplices   in particular whether his wife may have known he was planning the assault his wife noor zahi salman has told investigators that she once drove him to the nightclub that she was with him when he bought ammunition and that she tried to talk him out of mounting an attack law enforcement officials said
mr mateen had voiced hatred of gays minorities and jews and had claimed links to islamist terrorist groups during the siege at the nightclub he declared allegiance to the islamic state but investigators were also looking into reports that he might have been gay himself
his ex wife sitora yusufiy said that mr mateen had told her that he had frequented nightclubs before their marriage but had not described them as gay clubs
in washington president obama on tuesday reiterated that investigators had found no evidence that mr mateen had actual contact with a larger terrorist group like the islamic state
it is increasingly clear however that the killer took in extremist information and propaganda over the internet mr obama said he appears to have been an angry disturbed unstable young man who became radicalized the president said
these lone actors or small cells of terrorists are very hard to detect and very hard to prevent mr obama said we are doing everything in our power to stop these kinds of attacks
referring to lesbian gay bisexual and transgender people the president said i want to remind them that they are not alone the american people and our allies friends all over the world stand with you and are thinking about you and are praying for you
on sunday there were about 320 people most of them latino in pulse shortly after 2 am when mr mateen entered with an assault rifle similar to an ar 15 and a semiautomatic handgun
angel colon was exchanging goodbye hugs with friends when the shooting began and like much of the panicked crowd he ran for the door but three bullets hit his leg and he fell
i tried to get back up but everyone started running everywhere   i got trampled over and i shattered and broke my bones in my left leg he said at orlando regional medical center where he was being treated all i could do was just lay down while everyone was just running on top of me trying to get to where they had to be
he heard more gunshots and screaming as the gunman apparently went to a back room and then returned
hes shooting everyone thats already dead on the floor making sure theyre dead mr colon said i look over and he shoots the girl next to me and im just there laying down and im thinking im next im dead so i dont know how but by the glory of god he shoots toward my head but it hits my hand and then he shoots me again and it hits the side of my hip i had no reaction i was just prepared to just stay there laying down so he wont know that im alive
then the killer traded gunfire with arriving police officers retreating to another room an officer entered found mr colon still alive and dragged him through broken glass cutting his back and legs to the street and then to a nearby wendys where he recalledtheres just bodies everywhere
i wish i could remember his face or his name mr colon said of the officer im grateful for him
ms murray 18 arrived in orlando on saturday from philadelphia with her friends ms carter and tiara parker on a trip to celebrate her high school graduation and they had just ordered an uber car to take them back to their hotel when they heard a barrage of gunfire ms carter said that she and ms parker fled the club then realized ms murray was not with them and ran back inside to get her
by then the way out was blocked she said and the three of them ran deeper into pulse like a number of other people including angel santiago jr they took shelter in a bathroom several including ms carter and her friends cowered in a large handicapped stall she and mr santiago told their stories to reporters on tuesday at florida hospital where they were being treated
we just continued to hear gunfire and i just remember thinking when is it going to stop mr santiago said it kept getting louder closer and i could actually start to smell i dont know i guess it was gunpowder
then the gunman entered spraying the room with bullets aiming primarily at the walls of the toilet stalls
he was shooting his machine gun so were all scrambling around the bathroom screaming at the top of our lungs ms carter said people were getting hit by bullets blood is everywhere
a bullet went through her right thigh shattering the femur and lodged in her left thigh both of her friends were also hit lying on the floor in a spreading pool of blood she looked under the divider into the next stall
i could see piles of bodies laying over the toilet seat and slumped over and the bottom of the toilet was slumped over with handprints and blood she said turning her head in other directions she saw more dead and wounded at that point i was just like i really dont think im going to get out of here 
mr santiago was shot in the left foot and right knee and the friend he was with was more seriously hurt the gunman left the room he said and we were just trying to be as quiet as possible because we didnt want to attract him back to us
unable to walk mr santiago dragged himself out of the bathroom past prone and broken bodies to the front room of the club where he found police officers waiting i yelled i said there are people shot people who are killed in the bathroom we need help he recalled
mr mateen returned to the bathroom and it was there ms carter said that he called 911 to talk with the police and she heard him pledge allegiance to the islamic state he said that the reason why hes doing this is because he wants america to stop bombing his country
later he addressed his victims directly asking if any of them were black explaining you know i dont have a problem with black people this is about my country you guys have suffered enough
he got angry when peoples cellphones beeped or rang and demanded that people turn them over she said and he made comments like weve got the snipers outside indicating that he was not alone or that he was talking with accomplices
after a three hour standoff she heard explosions as the police started their final assault on the club trying to blow a hole in an outer wall his rifle had apparently jammed she said and he used the pistol to resume firing shooting three people who lay on the floor someone   she did not know who   got between her and the gun and was shot
it wasnt for that person shielding me i would have been shot i wouldnt be here she said
doctors at orlando regional medical center said they ordinarily would get some warning that wounded were coming as well as information about the number of patients and their conditions but not in this case with a chaotic mass shooting just blocks away patients arrived in trucks and cars and on foot as well as in ambulances
we quickly got about five patients and that was a lot for us and we thought maybe that was going to be it dr kathryn bondani said and then they started lining up in the hallway
forty four patients were taken to the medical center the regions only trauma center and nine of them died quickly no other patients have died since that night
of the six patients in critical condition dr michael cheatham said i suspect that they will survive but my concern is that they will have lasting harm from this in terms of their functionality
on monday night thousands of people gathered on a grassy knoll in downtown orlando for a candlelight vigil that was by turns defiant and melancholy
we have come together as a force here in orlando that cannot be broken said terry decarlo the executive director of the lgbt center of central florida
mourners joined in the sports chant i believe that we will win
but moments later during about 10 minutes of silence tears flowed and embraces tightened as the crowd lifted candles into the air and a church bell tolled
numb elayane merriwether a 25 year old bartender who lost a co worker in the shooting said of the citys mood people just keep crying people dont know what to say to each other i think a lot of people are still in shock


a conservative donor who has been scouring republican ranks for a third party candidate is pressing ahead with a group to get on the ballot in dozens of states the candidate will come once the group sees that the ballot access is possible
the donor john kingston a bundler and ally of mitt romney said he will bankroll a ballot access project to create a path for someone to run as another option the effort is being called better for america
the idea is to do a proof of concept for everybody mr kingston said it exists there is a pathway there is a road that you can be going down
the massachusetts man was heavily involved in efforts led by the weekly standard editor william kristol to find a challenger to both hillary clinton and donald j trump for a third party line his approach is similar to one used by a group americans elect in 2012 when it tried creating a ballot line unattached to a major party
better for america has mr kingston working with the pollster joel searby as the chief strategist as well as the lawyers mohammad jazil and matthew sawyer mr sawyer was the general counsel for the texas business magnate h ross perots reform party presidential run in 1996 anne macdonald who was the chief of staff to the first lady laura bush is also advising the group
members of the group said the project gives a shot at getting on the ballot almost everywhere even with deadlines to do so having passed for texas and north carolina
this week is crucial because a number of the states ballot access deadlines are due
on the ballot access side of this were all heads down and focusing on this as much as we can mr sawyer said
he and mr jazil said that about a dozen lawyers are working on the project and that they believe they can still get on the ballot in north carolina and texas through the courts
the effort remains quixotic and is plainly in part a stop trump effort despite the failure of such attempts in the past mr searby in an interview acknowledged that he became serious about this since february as he watched mr trumps rise in the primaries and as his comments have become more incendiary
we do not have to be boxed in by this hobsons choice moment of evil no 1 or slightly less evil no 2 mr kingston said referring to the major parties presumptive nominees mr trump and mrs clinton
he would not say how much he is spending although he said it is less than seven figures
this doesnt become real unless people get behind it mr kingston said
that has been his problem so far while mr romney and senator ben sasse of nebraska were aggressively recruited by mr kristol both have declined
mr kingston does not see the libertarian party ticket as viable either despite the presence of william weld the former massachusetts governor as the vice presidential candidate
you saw the convention mr kingston said referring to the florida based political event in late may when mr weld and gary johnson the former governor of new mexico were selected one of the conventions participants a candidate for party chairman took his clothes off
i just dont think thats where the american people are mr kingston said i think if bill weld was at the top of the ticket and it would be a totally different framework then it would be something


london   for the first time in its 170 year history the smithsonian institution will establish a permanent presence outside the united states the washington based smithsonian and the victoria and albert museum in the british capital announced on monday that they would collaborate on a new exhibition space in the queen elizabeth olympic park in east london the site of the 2012 games
a new branch of the victoria and albert museum will share space with the smithsonian outpost   alongside a cluster of other institutions including sadlers wells theater university college london and the london college of fashion   in a major cultural complex called olympicopolis due to open in 2021
in january 2015 the smithsonian had announced that it was considering opening a 40000 square foot or roughly 3700 square meter exhibition space in the park it had been reported that the london authorities promised to contribute an estimated 50 million to support construction and the shipping of exhibits for an independent smithsonian building instead the american institution will run a jointly organized permanent gallery space according to press materials with the new victoria and albert branch which will be called va east
is the contribution from the city of london still on the table in a telephone interview albert g horvath the smithsonians under secretary for finance and administration sounded vague the support of the former mayor boris johnson was tremendous he said and we are feeling the same support from the new mayor sadiq khan
in a joint news release the institutions said the smithsonian exhibitions and programs in london would be supported by contributions from the private sector with the help of foundation for futurelondon a new charity established for queen elizabeth olympic park
tim reeve deputy director and chief operating officer of the victoria and albert said the museum had been eager to work closely with the smithsonian ever since it heard about the institutions interest in olympicopolis a 45 acre waterside site close to the olympic stadium
its a great institution enormous with an incredible collection that is complementary to ours he said referring to the smithsonian it seemed obvious to us from early on that some of the subjects we were keen to investigate would be better done together
the smithsonian started to move away from the idea of a real estate transaction and to the idea of a collaborative project mr horvath said
the amount of annual operating overhead cast a big shadow over the primary objective how do we get broader exposure for the smithsonian internationally he said but one of the main attractions early on was to be connected to a number of other cultural institutions
referring to the victoria and albert mr horvath added it was astounding to us how similar our visions for the future are we are both thinking about what a 21st century museum should do presenting content differently through digital media and technology engaging audiences who might not be inspired to visit our institutions to us it seemed like a marriage made in heaven and as time went on we began to feel that it would be preferable to collaborate
mr reeve said that the two organizations had lots of ideas about possible exhibitions that would be planned over the next year while there was no decision on how the roughly 195000 square foot building would be divided up he said the smithsonian would have significant space
its super super exciting he added i think its great news for london


villeneuve dascq france   the russian soccer federation was fined about 170000 and given a suspended disqualification from the european championships on tuesday as punishment for in stadium fan violence the sanction essentially leaves the russian team on the verge of being kicked out of the continents most prestigious tournament two years before russia hosts the world cup
the penalties were issued by the disciplinary committee of uefa which oversees european soccer and put russia one further incident away from the extraordinary possibility of being sent home in the midst of a major competition russias next game is wednesday in a group stage match here just outside lille against slovakia
in a statement the disciplinary committee said that russias disqualification from the tournament was currently suspended   in other words not being enforced   but that such suspension will be lifted if incidents of a similar nature crowd disturbances happen inside the stadium at any of the remaining matches of the russian team during the tournament
the statement did not specify what would constitute a violation though other uefa documentation defines crowd disturbances broadly including actions ranging from fighting to throwing objects to disrupting national anthems to the use of gestures words objects or any other means to transmit any message that is not fit for a sports event
tuesdays punishment was the result of ugly incidents at the end of russias first match in the tournament a 1 1 tie with england on saturday in marseille just after the final whistle video showed a mass of russian fans   many of them wearing gloves more common in mixed martial arts fighting and with shirts or scarves covering their faces   streaming into a nearby section full of english fans and attacking them fireworks and flares were also set off inside the stadium during the match
the two groups of fans had clashed with each other local residents and the police in the streets of marseille in the days before the match   resulting in a slew of arrests   but the in stadium violence was unexpected both for its scale and its coordination the russian soccer federation said it would accept the punishment announced tuesday but that it considered it extremely severe
a spokesman for vladimir v putin russias president denounced the rampages in marseille the spokesman dmitry peskov added its absolutely unacceptable and we certainly expect our citizens to respect the countrys laws
vitaly mutko russias sports minister and a senior official with fifa which governs world soccer said he supported the deportations from france of any fans who were seeking to cause trouble but the violence flared anew in lille on tuesday videos posted online showed england and wales fans in a confrontation with russian supporters outside a sidewalk bar though helmeted riot police officers quickly moved between the groups
a bus containing 29 russian fans on their way to lille for russias next match was stopped by local law enforcement officials earlier tuesday and it was expected that french authorities would deport the fans
we know that 29 people will be deported as they have arrived not to watch football mr mutko said according to tass a russian news agency
russias problems with fan violence and hooliganism have been a recurrent issue for many years but the issue has received greater scrutiny because the country is set to host the next world cup russian officials frequently play down the problem often citing bias by the western news media but governing bodies like uefa and fifa are concerned in official statements noteworthy for their strong language uefa expressed utter disgust at the stadium violence and fifa blamed idiotic troublemakers
the reaction in russia to the fan violence has been ambiguous with some officials cheering on the violence in their comments and on social media the kremlin on tuesday sought to clarify that the more bellicose comments by officials did not represent official policy i cant agree with these statements from my colleagues mr peskov said in any case they cannot reflect the official points of view
uefas disciplinary committee did not sanction england on tuesday   only russia was charged for the in stadium incidents   but uefas powerful executive committee warned both russia and england that they faced expulsion after saturdays incident the executive committee can issue punishments for incidents that take place away from stadiums if it determines it appropriate
roy hodgson englands manager and wayne rooney its captain recorded a video asking english fans to behave appropriately for the rest of the tournament the message was pointed as england and russia fans will cross paths again this week
russia will play here on wednesday afternoon a day before england faces wales in lens about 20 miles away many english fans are staying in hotels in lille a larger city while they are in the region
fabienne buccio who manages the police and security in the region said at a briefing tuesday that more than 2400 security officers would be assigned to the england match in lens enhanced procedures are also expected at russias match near lille and restrictions on alcohol sales have been put in place throughout the region
at a news conference here tuesday afternoon russias manager leonid slutsky and one of its top players artem dzyuba struck variable tones initially both men noted that russias fans had given them strong support during the teams first game and urged them to behave this week we have to follow the rules mr slutsky said addressing the fans we do need your support but we have to focus on the support of our team and do it in a legal framework
as the news conference went on however the sentiments from mr slutsky and mr dzyuba seemed to shift a high ranking official with russias soccer federation igor lebedev had previously praised russian fans for fighting in the stadium   he told a russian news agency the fans were defending the honor of their country   and while neither mr slutsky nor mr dzyuba echoed mr lebedevs sentiments mr dzyuba did criticize the british news media for portraying english fans like angels he also questioned reports from the french police that russian fans were the aggressors in the stadium disturbances
you have your information from the french i have other information he said without elaborating mr dzyuba then speculated that russia was being targeted because of lingering controversy over its being awarded the hosting rights for the world cup a bid it won over a group of competitors that included england
mr slutsky said that russian fans were incited by english fans being disrespectful during the russian national anthem before the game as well as for gestures the russian team received while on its bus to the stadium when the russian anthem was played people were shouting mr slutsky said it was unethical
after the news conference mr slutsky led the russian players through a short training session at the stade pierre mauroy the players seemed in good spirits and during the portion of the practice open to the news media bounced around and laughed with one another particularly as they participated in a small sided game of rugby
russia won the euros in 1960 as the soviet union and finished third at the 2008 tournament it qualified for this years tournament by finishing second in its group and after salvaging a tie against england in its opening game is in good position to advance to the knockout rounds in france
we are not at a street fighting championship over here mr dzyuba said we are talking about the euro 2016 football championship


after combining for 82 points monday night in game 5 of the nba finals lebron james and kyrie irving of the cleveland cavaliers sat down to answer questions from members of the news media and seemed relaxed for the first time since james returned to cleveland they joked with each other bantered with reporters and made the drama of the last few days seem like a distant memory
of course it is easy to be relaxed after stealing a road victory over the 73 win golden state warriors in one of the most hostile environments in professional basketball while also becoming the first teammates in nba finals history to score 40 or more points in the same game
you tip your hat to them stephen curry said after the game they had a great night
it would be difficult to decide which player was more effective james had a line of 41 points 16 rebounds and 7 assists irving also had 41 points   on only 24 field goal attempts   and seemed to bury the warriors with crucial shots each time the game grew close
james was effusive in praising irvings performance
just calm james said of irvings demeanor just calm for 48 minutes obviously he played 40 minutes but even in the eight minutes that he was sitting down he was just calm timely bucket after bucket that led our team
some will try to put an asterisk on the performance by the cleveland stars because of the absence of draymond green golden states most important defensive player but throughout the game a warriors team known for its depth could not come up with an effective solution to slow james or irving they were a combined 9 for 15 from 3 point range and seemed just as adept at getting to the hoop for easier baskets or setting up their teammates when the coverage tightened the two scored or assisted on 97 of clevelands 112 points while the entire golden state lineup combined to score 97
there was a great deal of discussion about jamess and irvings dual 40 point games the feat had been accomplished four times previously in the playoffs but not in the finals in fact it is rare for teammates to have even 35 or more in a finals game that has occurred only three other times since 1964 according to basketball referencecom the last pair to do it were shaquille oneal and kobe bryant of the los angeles lakers in game 3 of the 2002 finals against the nets
the most famous of those games is game 6 of the 1980 finals when magic johnson a point guard filled in at center for an injured kareem abdul jabbar and contributed 40 points and 15 rebounds in a series clinching win over the philadelphia 76ers jamaal wilkess 37 point effort in the win was relegated to a footnote
the combined 82 points by james and irving put them third on the list for scoring by a duo in a finals game the top spot belongs to jerry west and elgin baylor who had 87 points baylor had 61 in game 5 of the 1962 finals of the 17 pairs to combine for 70 or more points in a finals game since 1964 west has been a part of seven of them
the second highest combined total is from a different golden era for the warriors with rick barry and jim king combining for 83 points   barry had 55   in game 3 of the 1967 finals
the cavaliers will have to hope they can break a trend as both the 1962 lakers and the 1967 warriors went on to lose the finals
well were in the same place we were last year up 3 2 heading back to cleveland if you told me this before the series i would have taken it so were in a good spot
steve kerr the warriors coach golden state will travel to cleveland for game 6 on thursday none of the 32 teams to take a 3 to 1 series lead in a best of seven finals have failed to win the championship


hong kong   a book written by gao zhisheng a chinese human rights lawyer who spent years in prison has made it out of china and been published in taiwan
in the 446 page book mr gao describes his time as a prisoner from 2009 to 2014 when he was released and sent to his home in the northwestern province of shaanxi to live under round the clock police surveillance with his older brother a farmer the book was introduced in hong kong on tuesday by his daughter grace geng
mr gao an army veteran rose to fame taking on cases that pitted ordinary people against powerful interests defending farmers from land seizures and suing the police for abuses he became one of the best known lawyers in the country but his advocacy for practitioners of the banned falun gong spiritual movement put him at odds with the government which shut down his beijing law firm in 2005
mr gao 52 became increasingly critical of the communist party and renounced his membership detained in 2006 he recanted his confession upon release and described the abuse he received from the police in early 2009 he disappeared with the government providing no explanation of his whereabouts for more than a year prompting international condemnation after being briefly released from prison in 2010 he disappeared into police custody again only to be released again in 2014 and transferred to house arrest
mr gaos imprisonment was a prelude to the far more extensive crackdown on chinese human rights lawyers under president xi jinping the widespread detentions of rights lawyers last year with the police this month asking to charge one with the serious crime of subverting state power illustrates the gap in china between language promoting rule of law and its actual practice
mr gao devotes about half of the book whose chinese title translates to the year 2017 stand up china to describing his treatment while he was detained and imprisoned he writes extensively about how he was threatened beaten and given electric shocks
he stepped on my shoulder and the severe sound of an electric shocker burst out he then placed it under my chin mr gao wrote of one of his torturers i heard another strange sound without a doubt that was from me i cant find a more apt description it was like a sound a dog would make if stomped on its tail by its master and other times it was as if the dog was being held upside down by its tail
a christian and now a passionate anti communist mr gao spends the middle part of the book arguing why the chinese communist party will collapse in 2017 for this he appears to draw on a kind of numerology that came to him in a dream he devotes the last part of the book to describing china after the fall of communism when the country will become democratic led initially by a transition government
asked whether the incendiary content might put mr gao into more danger in china or even result in his re incarceration ms geng said her father was prepared to face the consequences
my father is already determined he wont come to america she said hes already made up his mind that whatever comes comes
ms geng said the family was concerned about her fathers health his teeth are falling out and he can only eat liquid food she told reporters in hong kong ms geng has not seen her father since before his disappearance in 2009
ms geng and albert ho a lawmaker in hong kong who hosted the meeting with reporters would not say how the manuscript for the book made it out of the country ms geng said she talked to her father by telephone about every two months and only when none of the several police officers who stand vigil over his home was present mr gaos wife and children left china in 2009 and now live in the united states
mr gao published his memoir a china more just in chinese and english in 2007 the book introduced on tuesday was in chinese but mr ho said an english version would be published as well


paris   he stabbed an off duty police officer and left him bleeding to death on his own doorstep he forced his way inside the home and stabbed and killed the officers female companion he then sat down and videotaped himself live on facebook declaring allegiance to the islamic state according to the french law enforcement authorities
sitting just behind him was the couples son a terrified 3 year old boy of whom larossi abballa the killer said dismissively i have not decided what to do with him according to david thomson a french journalist for radio france internationale and the author of a book on jihadists who saw mr abballas online posts before they were taken down
the events that unfolded between about 8 pm and midnight on monday   when elite police forces broke into the house in the small town of magnanville fatally shot mr abballa 25 and rescued the boy   were the second time within 48 hours in which a person appearing to act alone claimed to kill in the name of the islamic state
in the attacks in both magnanville and orlando fla the killers had more than just brushed up against the authorities before in what has become a distressingly familiar pattern   from the set of attacks in paris in november to those in brussels in march and beyond the orlando gunman omar mateen had been interviewed twice by the federal bureau of investigation for his possible links to terrorism and mr abballa had been convicted for having links to a terrorist network and served about two years in jail before being released
further complicating the job of protecting western nations are governments dual goal of preserving civil liberties while trying to make people feel secure
the attack in france was shocking not only to neighbors in magnanville about 35 miles from paris but across the country because it underscored that extremist attacks can happen in the most ordinary places above all in those where people believe they are safe
mr abballas facebook post from monday night made clear that he wanted to terrify and destroy those he deemed unbelievers people he had come to hate he also wanted to encourage other lone wolves to do the same
its super simple he said looking into the camera its enough to wait for them in front of their offices dont give them any respite know this whether you are a policeman or a journalist you will never feel calm again one will wait for you in front of your homes this is what you have earned
boasting that he had just killed a policeman and i just killed his wife he called on fellow believers to give priority to killing police prison guards journalists he specifically named several writers and journalists adding rappers to the list because he said they are the allies of satan
even more chillingly he warned that jihadists had reserved some other surprises for the euro i am not going to say more
the euro will be a cemetery he said referring to the euro 2016 soccer tournament being played over the next several weeks in 10 french cities
it was unclear whether mr abballa had specific knowledge of a potential attack on the matches or the crowds gathered for them
the version of the video released by the islamic states amaq news agency was trimmed by a couple of minutes to omit images of the boy and mr abballas references to him on twitter opinion was divided between those who thought the images of a defenseless child were tasteless even by the standards of the islamic states hardened propagandists and those who speculated that the extremist news agency did not want to show mr abballa as unwilling to kill a child
as the special police forces surrounded the murdered officers house where mr abballa was holed up cordoning off the modest neighborhood that is home to both non muslims and muslims mr abballa asked his brothers to pray to allah that he might become a martyr
the video was posted a little before 9 pm on monday as the police began to try to negotiate with him
by the time the security forces reached the couples son three hours later he was in a stunned state as people are after a profound shock said bernard cazeneuve the french interior minister
many questions remain about mr abballas path from his birth and early life in nearby meulan france as the child of parents of moroccan origin to his death at the hands of a police swat team along the way he spent time in prison and proselytized to other inmates about islam said francois molins the paris prosecutor
when he was released he started a small fast food business which he named dr food it delivered sandwiches according to a facebook clip he posted
he was one of eight men convicted in paris in 2013 of aiding a group that had been intending to commit terrorist acts and had planned to go to pakistan for training
he received a three year sentence on sept 30 2013 including a six month suspended sentence he was allowed to go free after his conviction because he had spent two years and two months in jail awaiting trial
however he was under surveillance for another two years and two months until nov 30 2015 said mr molins the prosecutor
at the trial abballa seemed like someone who was not dangerous but was rather stupid said herve denis a lawyer who represented zohab ifzar one of the other defendants
the officer killed on monday had nothing to do with the investigation that resulted in mr abballas imprisonment mr denis said
he appeared to be the perfect soldier mr denis said   someone who would do whatever was needed to help the effort   and was very determined
more recently mr abballa came to the attention of the french law enforcement authorities when he was among several people questioned in a counterterrorism inquiry that mr molinss office began on feb 11 into a group believed to be planning to go to syria
as part of that inquiry investigators gathered intelligence from telephone intercepts and various geocoding technologies but none of the findings indicated that mr abballa was on the verge of violence mr molins said
three men in mr abballas circle   ages 27 29 and 44   were detained for questioning after the killings on monday
the attack in magnanville has already prompted calls in france for more stringent handling of those convicted of terrorism related activities
on early morning broadcasts on tuesday some members of parliament called for all people suspected of potential terrorist leanings to be placed in detention
but france is already stretched to the limit both in prison capacity and in the numbers of suspects it can monitor the police and intelligence agencies are described as working constantly to track would be jihadists
the antiterrorism directorate of the judicial police and of the internal security department of the interior ministry have detained 100 people this year over their suspected ties to terrorism mr cazeneuve the interior minister said tuesday he added that the terrorism threat in france was very high
in testimony before members of the french parliament on may 10 patrick calvar head of domestic intelligence said about 2000 french citizens or residents were of concern to the security forces
he testified that at least 645 french citizens or residents of france were in syria and that about 400 of those were fighting with militant groups
in addition mr calvar said 244 french citizens have returned to france from syria or iraq and the french intelligence services say they have identified an additional 818 people who they believe want to join extremists
the french authorities have repeatedly said it is impossible to monitor all of them at all times


donald j trump has repeatedly promised a pivot toward a softer gentler more refined version of his candidacy since he emerged as the presumptive republican nominee but on monday mr trumps television interviews and speeches made clear that such a pivot would never come
in four morning interviews mr trump stood by his ban on muslim immigrants and said that president obama was incompetent or knew much more than he was letting on about the type of terrorist threat the country faces that statement which mr trump declined to completely clarify in a statement to bloomberg politics late in the day was taken by some as implying that mr obama whose critics have tried to smear him as a muslim in disguise was sympathetic to terrorists
later in the day in a speech in new hampshire mr trump expanded on his proposed immigration ban and also called for large scale surveillance of activities of muslims in the country
the speech was a stark contrast to one delivered shortly before by hillary clinton who made no direct mention of mr trump and urged the type of conciliatory notes that the nation struck immediately after the sept 11 2001 terrorist attacks she made a muscular defense argument similar to the one mr trump struck but she proposed a more globalist view of the world than he did
mr trump is making a bet that a nation terrified of another attack like the one at a gay nightclub in orlando fla over the weekend will be open to proposals that are fundamentally different from anything any major party nominee has recommended in modern history that bet will not be clear until closer to election day


members of congress and the news media often go at one another in the hallways of the capitol but this week they will be taking it to the softball diamond as well
the annual congressional womens softball game will take place wednesday evening pitting members of the house and senate against a team made up of representatives from news organizations including cnn the huffington post nbc the los angeles times roll call npr politico pbs and ahem the new york times
among lawmakers on the bipartisan bicameral roster are senators kelly ayotte of new hampshire shelley moore capito of west virginia and joni ernst of iowa all republicans and senators kirsten e gillibrand of new york and heidi heitkamp of north dakota both democrats house members include representatives debbie wasserman schultz of florida cheri bustos of illinois and donna edwards of maryland all democrats along with representatives renee ellmers of north carolina mia love of utah martha e mcsally of arizona and kristi noem of south dakota all republicans
since its inception in 2009 the game has raised more than 700000 for the young survival coalition an organization for women age 40 and under who have breast cancer
the game will be played at the watkins recreation center not far from the capitol and the news media representatives are hoping to put an end to the lawmakers mini winning streak


hong kong   the alibaba group of china has disappointed investors since its record breaking american stock listing nearly two years ago as volatile financial results and regulatory run ins have driven the price of its shares down almost to where they began
now the e commerce giant is trying to reassure
for the first time alibaba on tuesday offered investors financial guidance for the coming year saying that it expected revenue growth to accelerate from last years pace at a meeting at its hangzhou headquarters alibaba cited strength in its core business despite chinas slowing economic growth as well as benefits from new ventures that have raised eyebrows among some investors
the forecast comes as alibaba seeks to demonstrate that its strategy which has long focused on growth is good for business
in china alibaba operates online sales platforms that connect consumers with mom and pop stores as well as with global brands like burberry and zara it has been showing sales growth on its platforms using a measure called gross merchandise volume a yardstick for transactions across its platforms
alibaba said on tuesday that it would de emphasize that figure saying it would no longer report it quarterly it will continue to report an annual figure and offered a target for 2020
it had provided the measure at the request of investors but actually in our heart we know this is not exactly the only index said jack ma the companys executive chairman who spoke at the investor event
alibaba has invested in a wide array of new businesses including movies and video food delivery services and news outlets on tuesday the company stressed that its deals would help it retain chinese consumers who increasingly use their smartphones for daily tasks still maggie wu the companys chief financial officer said that in the near term revenue from new businesses would reduce the companys profit margin because it was still in building mode
last month alibaba said the united states securities and exchange commission was investigating the way the company accounted for the sales data from singles day an unofficial online shopping holiday in china officials are also investigating how the company accounts for a logistics initiative called cainiao alibaba has said that it is cooperating and that new disclosures would help the sec answer its questions
mr mas decision to attend and speak at the meeting   he rarely speaks publicly on behalf of the company these days   appeared to be aimed at soothing investors mr ma who founded alibaba has concentrated in recent years more on philanthropy than on the day to day operations of the company
in a wide ranging speech mr ma recalled anecdotes from the history of the company said he was confident about the growth of alibabas main businesses and mused about its push into health and entertainment
mr ma also defended alibabas efforts to fight the trade in counterfeit goods which he said was not easy   partly because fakes have become much better
the problem is that the fake products today they make better quality better prices than the real products than the real names he said adding that many of the factories tapped by foreign brands had turned to websites like alibabas to distribute fakes and sometimes their own brands
mr ma said it was not fake products but the business model of selling those products online that was the real threat to major foreign brands
we also have to think about one thing the way of doing business has changed he said
if he seemed to be giving credit to the factories that churn out fakes he quickly changed tone making a fist over his heart as he vowed that alibaba would win the war against counterfeiters
we cannot solve the problem 100 percent because its the fight against human instinct he said but we can solve the problem better than any government than any organizations than any people in the world
in recent years some counterfeiters have become more sophisticated making products so similar to the originals that only experts familiar with details like stitching can tell the difference between the real and the fake
alibaba has been the focus of criticism from some international brands because of the availability of fake goods on its sales platforms particularly taobao which hosts goods from numerous small vendors last year it faced criticism from the chinese government on the issue and in may it was suspended from a united states based coalition against fake goods after accusations it had not done enough to stop counterfeiters
ms wu the chief financial officer said on tuesday that the company expected revenue for the current fiscal year which runs through next march to rise 48 percent from the year before which is more than analysts had estimated excluding some new businesses now rolled into its operations alibaba said it expected revenue to rise 36 percent compared with 33 percent the year before


manila   philippine officials confirmed on tuesday that a canadian man held captive by the militant group abu sayyaf had been decapitated the second hostage from canada killed in the war torn southern philippines this year
the man robert hall was abducted in september with three other people   one of dozens of such abductions carried out in the last few decades by abu sayyaf an organization of several hundred fighters that has functioned as a hostage for ransom gang the group has pledged allegiance to the islamic state
the severed head of a man believed to be mr hall was found in a plastic bag near a roman catholic church on the southern philippine island of jolo on monday night the philippine police said on tuesday
a one minute 35 second video of mr halls beheading was released on tuesday according to the site intelligence group which monitors extremist activity online the video shows a masked man quoting the quran while an unmasked man pushes mr halls head to the ground and decapitates him
we strongly condemn the brutal and senseless murder of mr robert hall a canadian citizen after being held captive by the abu sayyaf group in sulu for the past nine months sonny coloma a spokesman for president benigno s aquino iii said on tuesday we extend our deepest sympathy and condolences to his bereaved family
we truly regret that our peoples cherished tradition of extending gracious hospitality toward foreign nationals has been marred by a small band of criminals mr coloma added
mr hall a former welder who was sailing around the pacific was abducted in september with his companion marites flor a philippine citizen from a resort on samal island in the countrys south also abducted from the resort at the time were john ridsdel a canadian mining executive and kjartan sekkingstad a norwegian hotel manager in april mr ridsdel was beheaded after ransom demands were not met ms flor and mr sekkingstad are thought to be alive
officially the canadian and philippine governments do not pay ransom but philippine officials said last week that family members of those who had been abducted were negotiating to pay about 65 million each for the release of mr hall and mr sekkingstad abu sayyaf militants had said they would behead mr hall on monday afternoon if the ransom was not paid
in march abu sayyaf abducted 10 sailors from indonesia and in april the group seized four sailors from malaysia the indonesians were released in may and the malaysians in june according to local news reports both groups paid ransoms but the philippine government has not confirmed this
a philippine police official said during a news briefing in manila on tuesday that only the head believed to be mr halls had been found and that it had been brought to manila for dna testing the philippine military is looking for mr halls body to help with identification and to be able to return his remains to canada
in canada prime minister justin trudeau vowed on monday to find those responsible for killing mr hall and mr ridsdel
we are more committed than ever to working with the government of the philippines and international partners to pursue those responsible for these heinous acts and bring them to justice however long it takes mr trudeau said
he reiterated canadas policy of not paying for the release of hostages as doing so would endanger the lives of more canadians
both mr ridsdel and mr hall lived in calgary alberta for some time
mr ridsdel was a former journalist and oil industry executive with a large circle of friends that included many prominent canadians
mr hall generally worked as a welder and acted in community theater productions sometimes in starring roles according to several canadian accounts a statement from his family to macleans magazine gave his year of birth as 1949 before sailing across the pacific in 2014 mr hall was said to have been living in at least two communities in british columbia


on a cloud free day just as the sun is rising and dew drops cling to blades of grass go out onto your lawn
turn your back to the sun
now look at your shadow a dazzling white light will glow like a halo around your head
this optical phenomenon is known as heiligenschein which is german for holy light or saintly appearance and early in the morning when the air is moist and the temperature is still cool enough to prevent dew from quickly evaporating   about 55 to 70 degrees fahrenheit   is a lovely time to become a shadow angel check out this map to know what temperature is best for dew at what time of day
its best viewed when the sun is low and you have a nice long shadow said steven ackerman an atmospheric scientist at the university of wisconsin madison who has experienced the phenomenon numerous times
the heiligenschein is created by retro reflection the same process that makes cats eyes glow when light peeks into a dark room when light shines through a spherical object attached to some kind of background material like a cats eye which has a reflective layer at the back of it on the retina or water drops suspended on blades of grass this apparitionlike glow can appear in the case of holy light the nearly spherical dewdrop acts as a lens focusing the light onto one point on the blade before shooting it back out the same way it entered
light bouncing like this appears brighter around your head because your eyes are directly opposite the sun or located right at what is called the antisolar point every person has their own antisolar point this is why you wont see a halo around someone standing beside you unless theyre peeking over your shoulder making their shadow near your eyes or why if you take a photo and hold the camera at your hips instead of your eyes the halo will appear there in the picture
the aura appears white not green because the sunlight doesnt fully penetrate the blade and absorb its color before bouncing back out anything bright and reflective tends to wash out and go to white really quickly dr ackerman said
and the light that creates heiligenschein isnt restricted to reflecting off grass you can also spot an airplanes heiligenschein from an airplane window just around the planes shadow as it passes over bare fields as long as the sun is behind it on the moon light that creates it bounces off moon dust   just look at neil armstrongs shadow


shanghai   disney had pushed china too hard putting the companys plans for a new theme park here in limbo now robert a iger wanted to kick the yearslong negotiations into high gear
mr iger disneys chief executive took a corporate jet to shanghai in february 2008 to meet with the citys new communist party boss yu zhengsheng over dinner at a state guesthouse mr iger offered a more conciliatory approach setting the tone for the next phase of talks
after that disney substantially dialed back its demands in addition to handing over a large piece of the profit the control obsessed company would give the government a role in running the park disney was also prepared to drop its longstanding insistence on a television channel
for disney such moves were once unthinkable giving up on the disney channel meant abandoning the companys proven brand building strategy were kidding ourselves if we think were going to get everything we want mr iger recalled saying at the time
mr igers trip and the new attitude in the talks that followed appeased chinese officials before long they had struck a landmark deal to build the 55 billion shanghai disney resort opening china to a singularly american brand and setting the pace for multinational companies to do business in the country
the shanghai park which opens on thursday has become mission critical for disney as it faces business pressures in other areas like cable it is designed to be a machine in china for the disney brand with a manicured magic kingdom style park toy story themed hotel and mickey avenue shopping arcade more than 330 million people live within a three hour drive or train ride and disney is bent on turning them into lifelong consumers
but disney is sharing the keys to the magic kingdom with the communist party while that partnership has made it easier to get things done in china it has also given the government influence over everything from the price of admission to the types of rides at the park
from the outset disney has catered to chinese officials who had to approve the parks roster of rides and who were especially keen to have a large scale park that would appeal to adults as well as children the shanghai resort which will ultimately be four times as big as disneyland has a supersize castle a longer parade than any of the other five disney resorts around the world and a vast central garden aimed at older visitors
worried that importing classic rides would reek of cultural imperialism disney left out stalwarts such as space mountain the jungle cruise and its a small world instead 80 percent of the shanghai rides like the tron lightcycle roller coaster are unique a move that pleased executives at the companys chinese partner the state owned shanghai shendi group who made multiple trips to disney headquarters in california to hash out blueprint details
disney then ran with the idea infusing the park with chinese elements the shanghai resorts signature restaurant the wandering moon teahouse has rooms designed to represent different areas of the country the restaurant is billed as honoring the restless creative spirit of chinese poets
such accommodation is becoming increasingly common a growing number of multinationals have agreed to cooperate with the chinese state through alliances joint ventures or partnerships all in the hopes of garnering more favorable treatment and gaining access to the worlds second largest economy after the united states
and they are doing so at a time when the chinese government is growing more assertive and nationalistic emboldened by the size and breadth of its economy china is stepping up its demands pressuring companies to lower their prices hand over proprietary technology and help advance the countrys development goals even if that means financing the growth of local rivals
ibm has promised to share technology with china linkedin has agreed to censor content inside the country even google has been scrounging for a way back into china after withdrawing in 2010 in the face of accusations of government censorship and intrusions by state backed hackers
this is part of the china trade off said aswath damodaran a professor of finance at the stern school of business at new york university if your market is so big well accept rules and regulations we wouldnt in other parts of the world
for disney if all goes as planned the shanghai park will create an ecosystem of demand in china for movies toys clothes video games books and tv programs mr iger has called shanghai the greatest opportunity the company has had since walt disney himself bought land in central florida in the 1960s
that site of course became walt disney world a group of four theme parks that attracts roughly 40 million visitors annually about 11 million visitors are expected next year at the shanghai park with annual attendance estimated to reach 20 million within a few years according to jessica reif cohen an analyst at bank of america merrill lynch
if all doesnt go as planned disney will suffer the wrath of wall street which expects the resort to offset slower growth at espn the companys longtime profit engine and some of its other theme parks the last thing disney wants is another disneyland paris a money pit that suffered from cultural miscues and after 24 years is still struggling to turn a profit hong kong disneyland which is relatively small has had mixed financial results since opening in 2005
mr iger has staked his personal legacy on disneys partnership with the chinese government last september he brought a group of disney board members to shanghai to show off the park they took in the worlds largest disney castle looking on as 11000 construction workers raced to finish a pirates of the caribbean themed underwater voyage his signature is quite literally on the place he autographed the castles golden spire before it was attached last year
while he delegated certain duties to lieutenants mr iger has been the guiding force he pre tasted the food which will include items like pork knuckles and donald duck shaped waffles and decided which characters would appear in the parade he has held face to face talks with chinese presidents prime ministers and propaganda officials
mr iger 65 has sought a personal relationship with chinas paramount leader president xi jinping after mr iger learned that mr xis father xi zhongxun a revolutionary leader had visited disneyland in 1980 he pressed his staff to find a photograph a color photograph shows the presidents father who died in 2002 wearing a mao suit shaking hands with mickey mouse mr iger presented it to the chinese leader as a gift and a symbol of their partnership
when mr xi stopped in seattle last september mr iger was among the american executives on hand to welcome him at the white house state dinner a few days later mr iger was seated at mr xis table just last month mr iger flew to beijing to meet the president at the communist partys leadership compound
its good to see the fruits of efforts over the years a smiling mr xi told mr iger at a public meeting between the men at the great hall of the people in early may and i believe the new cooperation will continue to yield new outcomes
it may be all smiles now but mickey mouse knows all too well what can happen when the middle kingdom gets mad
the year was 1997 and disney had finally found a bit of success in china the dragon club a disney cartoon series was popular in chinese homes and the lion king had given disney its first big hit in chinese cinemas but then came kundun
as part of a now defunct effort to make films for more sophisticated audiences disney agreed to back the director martin scorsese who wanted to make kundun about chinas oppression of the dalai lama the tibetan spiritual leader the chinese government which considers the dalai lama a separatist denounced the project and pressured disney to abandon it
in the end disney decided that it could not let an overseas government influence its decision to distribute a movie in the united states kundun was released and china retaliated by banning disney films and pulling the dragon club
all of our business in china stopped overnight disneys chief executive at the time michael d eisner recalled
although snow white and the seven dwarfs was screened in shanghai in the 1930s disney really had no measurable business in china until decades later when mr eisner secured sunday evening placement for mickey mouse and donald duck cartoons on the countrys biggest state run broadcaster that led to mickeys corner kiosks that sold consumer goods like minnie mouse branded shampoo and to more television shows
by the time of the kundun debacle the demand was clearly there mr eisner just needed to undo the damage
disney hired former secretary of state henry kissinger and mounted an intense lobbying effort in october 1998 mr eisner met zhu rongji who had just been named prime minister at chinas leadership compound in beijing mr eisner apologized for kundun calling it a stupid mistake according to a transcript of the meeting
this film was a form of insult to our friends but other than journalists very few people in the world ever saw it mr eisner said during the meeting kundun bombed taking in just 57 million against a production budget of about 30 million
mr eisner said the company had learned a lesson and he introduced mr iger then disneys international president as the person who would carry on negotiations for a theme park the chinese prime minister responded favorably land in shanghai he said had already been set aside
and just like that the door to china started to reopen
the negotiations that followed were slow and painful disney had to navigate a thicket of agencies bureaucrats and officials at one point disney essentially had to start over in shanghai after a senior chinese official was abruptly arrested on corruption charges unrelated to the park
there were sticking points large and small who would control the park what kind of transportation infrastructure would support it how were disneys nightly fireworks shows going to work in smoggy shanghai there was also the not so minor matter of introducing disney characters to a country whose icon since the communists took power in 1949 was mao
disney had to educate the chinese government on how they operate and the government wanted to persuade disney that they needed a local partner to make this thing work said tang jun one of mr igers former lieutenants in china
by 2009 the chinese government was finally on board it took a 57 percent stake in the shanghai resort which includes revenue from hotels restaurants and merchandise sold on the grounds disney also gave the government a 30 percent piece of the disney management company that runs the property
it was in stark contrast to the deal with hong kong desperate to end a tourism slump hong kong had given disney breathtaking terms including providing a majority of the construction funds disney gave up no management control
at the groundbreaking ceremony for the shanghai resort in april 2011 mr iger and thomas o staggs then disneys theme park chief posed for a cliched photo holding shovels the disney executives stood alongside two of shanghais most powerful leaders han zheng and mr yu and ceremoniously scooped up loose dirt from an indoor stage
confetti was blasted into the air a 50 member childrens choir sang as chinese dancers and drummers paraded onstage mickey and minnie mouse frolicked in traditional chinese costumes
this is a defining moment in our companys history mr iger said along with our partner the shanghai shendi group today i am very proud to announce the official launch of the shanghai disney resort
when the communist party first invited overseas companies into the country in 1979 global businesses had to team up with the state it wasnt pretty
as commercial interests clashed with socialist principles there were wage disputes allegations of intellectual property theft and conflicts over corporate strategy to put it in the parlance of a chinese proverb it was like two people sleeping in the same bed dreaming different dreams
pepsi found itself managing a tanning factory as part of its chinese partnership mcdonnell douglas claimed that some machine tools had been diverted to a factory that made missiles in violation of united states rules the american and chinese partners in beijing jeep disagreed over quality control
i now tell people if you dont have to do a joint venture dont said don st pierre sr an american businessman who worked for beijing jeep
after the blowups china started to allow some companies to go it alone but disney didnt have a choice the communist party maintains strict control over media companies
the partnership has significant perks for disney state run construction companies cleared a 1700 acre tract to build the resort which will ultimately include two additional disney theme parks and thousands of disney hotel rooms analysts say authorities have relocated residents moved graves and closed more than 150 polluting factories the government built new infrastructure including a subway line that goes directly to the parks front gate
officials have also taken unusual steps to protect disney from piracy in china a country where copyright infringement is common and the government rarely intervenes whether the state can stand by that pledge is uncertain but early signs are promising last november regulators fined five copycat disney hotels located near the theme park around the same time nearly 2000 counterfeit disney items including hundreds of winnie the pooh shirts were seized in hangzhou the government is even sending regulators to disney for special training to help them better identify counterfeits
the partnership is structured so that it will work said mr iger they have a tremendous amount riding on it
but disney is stepping into a potential minefield state leaders are growing more confident about exerting influence over multinationals the government is pushing to upgrade chinas economy and it wants state owned companies to learn from partners like disney while amassing a large share of the profits
along with its stake in the park shendi stands to make a fortune from a 4000 acre plot of land that it controls around the resort in other locales disney has typically maintained a firm grip on the immediately adjacent real estate shendi wants to use such land for hotels spas and retail like its new shanghai village a 590000 square foot outlet mall with luxury shops selling armani kate spade juicy couture and other brands
the shanghai government sees disney as just one piece of a broader effort to redevelop pudong the citys easternmost region by creating industrial parks and tourist destinations just 30 miles southeast of disneys site the government has promoted winterland which bills itself as the worlds largest indoor ski resort and entertainment facility nearby haichang polar ocean world promises performances by beluga whales dolphins polar bears and arctic wolves
china wants shanghai to be this kind of dragons head a showcase city for all the world to see said robert lawrence kuhn an american businessman who has worked with the shanghai government disney is part of that grand strategy
the partnership structure puts disney in a complicated spot shendi is really a consortium of four powerful government owned companies the shanghai radio film and television development company jin jiang hotels bailian retail shops and a property developer the lujiazui group and each of those companies has separate business ties to disneys new resort
the jin jiang group has a contract to provide tourism services for the park the lujiazui group helped develop the worlds largest disney store the shanghai media group a division of the development company is positioned to capture a big share of the parks television and advertising budget since it controls the citys biggest television stations as well as major newspapers magazines and radio properties
so disney will have to deal with a bewildering array of state affiliates acting as partners suppliers and even competitors making contract negotiations complex and raising thorny conflict of interest issues shendi for instance has set up its own energy company to supply natural gas to the theme park site and shanghai media group has formed alliances or made investments with disney competitors like sony warner bros and dreamworks animation
the more partners you have the more potential conflicts said oded shenkar a professor of business at ohio state university and an authority on chinese joint ventures
each of those state companies may come with multiple other affiliations he added a multinational must then contend with a whole network of relationships and interdependencies they often cannot decipher
when disney unveiled the website for the shanghai park in march the fervor was instantaneous the site registered five million hits in less than half an hour tickets for the first two weeks sold out within hours over one weekend in early may with the opening still a month away more than 100000 people visited the resort to peek through the park gates and explore a shopping area that doesnt require a ticket
but criticism has begun too disney has been pilloried in local media for its prices 1 for a single steamed bun or about five times the street price some initial visitors trampled the public gardens and disney has had to deploy uniformed security guards to maintain order at popular rides where lines during the soft opening stretched up to three hours shanghai authorities recently published an etiquette guide
the frenzy of mickey mouse and donald duck and the era of blindly following them have passed wang jianlin the chairman of dalian wanda group which operates a chain of chinese theme parks said on state television in may
mr iger brushed off mr wangs criticism as patently absurd and said media reports about food pricing complaints were overblown we made a decision with our quick service restaurants to go higher end and theres a cost to that he said
disney needs to avoid getting lost in translation an especially difficult proposition in china it is a deeply american brand trying to break into a country where the government wants to suppress western ideals
already shanghai disneyland is triggering concerns about american cultural imperialism at a gathering of chinas political leaders in beijing in march an official called for limiting disneys expansion and growth
i suggest that we shouldnt allow too many disneyland theme parks to be built in china said li xiusong the deputy head of culture in the eastern anhui province if children follow western culture when they are little they will end up liking western culture when they grow up and be uninterested in chinese culture
the countrys leaders have also grown more nationalistic in recent years everything must serve the states interest the communist party is using disney to bolster the countrys own media and entertainment companies as well as to improve chinas image abroad and the chinese government is a master of control known for strictly censoring western media this spring with little warning or explanation chinese regulators shut down apples digital book service and disneylife a four month old subscription based movie streaming service operated by alibaba
disney is going to extraordinary lengths to prove its commitment to china and the communist party during a 2010 meeting with chinas propaganda minister mr iger pledged to use the companys global platform to introduce more about china to the world and he has done just that
disney is working with chinas ministry of culture to help develop the countrys animation industry and has agreed to work with shanghai media group to make films for global audiences notably disney partnered with the state to produce born in china a film that promises to showcase to the world the spectacular wildlife and natural beauty of china which a trailer depicts as snuggly baby pandas snow leopards and lavish aerial shots of pristine mountain ranges
when global brands ask me what they need to do to improve their chances in china i often paraphrase john f kennedy ask not what china can do for your business but what your business can do for china said john a quelch who teaches at harvard business school and has extensive experience in china they need to demonstrate that they are willing to promote things the government is interested in
mr iger is trying especially to give shanghai disney some chinese flair he instructed park designers to infuse as many chinese elements as possible
builders collected indigenous trees from all around china including a 59 foot chestnut oak from zhejiang province to adorn the grounds a tarzan show was directed by li xining an acrobatics expert who once worked for the chengdu military area command under the peoples liberation army the broadway version of the lion king will be performed entirely in mandarin   a first
mr iger even came up with a new slogan for the shanghai resort calling it authentically disney and distinctly chinese he repeats the phrase constantly when talking about the site and disney executives in shanghai have posted it around their offices it is supposed to be a sign of respect for china and its people
what are we doing here that will make this park successful in china mr iger said at an investor event in may one of the critical elements was making it distinctly chinese making sure that the people who visit this park feel that its theirs


washington   with little affection or trust between them hillary clinton and senator bernie sanders met privately for nearly two hours on tuesday night to size each other up as they started exploring what kind of alliance they might build for the general election battle against donald j trump
yet mr sanders chose to withhold his endorsement of mrs clinton several sanders advisers said because he wants her to take steps to win his confidence before the democratic convention where his supporters expect him to speak and clinton advisers hope he will give her his full throated backing
aides to mrs clinton said she had never expected his endorsement tuesday night a statement from the clinton campaign after the meeting described it as a positive discussion about their primary campaign about unifying the party and about the dangerous threat that donald trump poses to our nation they discussed issues like raising wages and reducing college costs and agreed to continue working on their shared agenda including through the platform development process for the upcoming democratic national convention
the sanders campaign released a nearly identical statement though it emphasized that the two candidates also spoke about how best to bring more people into the political process   a reflection of the strong support for mr sanders among young people and independents
neither democrat entered the meeting on sure footing and both were a little tense advisers in each camp said beforehand at the end they left the capital hilton through separate exits without speaking to the roughly two dozen reporters gathered there
mrs clinton who became the presumptive democratic presidential nominee last week spent the meeting trying to deduce what it would take to earn mr sanderss endorsement and whether he would seek policy concessions or political promises several advisers said mr sanders focused on gauging the depth of mrs clintons commitment to progressive goals like a higher minimum wage and lower financial burdens on college students and to making the democratic nomination process more open in the future
the chemistry between the two candidates was strained in part because mrs clinton and mr sanders had not had any real chances to air grievances or blow off steam with each other away from the television cameras during their 14 month fight for the nomination
mrs clinton had a few such moments with barack obama before they sat down for their own post nomination tete a tete in 2008 which made it a little easier for them to come together unite their party and win that november
in a sign that they are still adjusting to each other mrs clinton and mr sanders were joined in their meeting by jane sanders mr sanderss wife jeff weaver his campaign manager john d podesta mrs clintons campaign chairman and robby mook her campaign manager
two advisers to mr sanders said he thought mrs clinton had said many of the right things at the meeting but described him as concerned that she might embrace more politically moderate positions later if she thinks it necessary to win states like florida ohio and virginia
the advisers who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the campaign had not authorized them to speak said mr sanders felt no pressure to endorse mrs clinton quickly and he has leverage he accrued about 12 million votes and nearly 1900 delegates and in a new york timescbs news poll last month 28 percent of his supporters said they would not vote for mrs clinton if she was the democratic nominee mrs clinton picked up nearly 16 million votes and 2800 delegates
whether mr sanders endorses her enthusiastically and campaigns for her or recognizes her as the nominee but otherwise withholds his blessing is a significant concern for some clinton advisers others in her campaign think that democrats will ultimately unite because the possibility of a trump victory is too great to ignore
mrs clinton and mr sanders met on the day of the democratic primary in washington dc the final contest of the nominating process mrs clinton won 79 percent of the vote
mr sanders received a standing ovation when he dropped in at the senate democrats weekly lunch to speak about his campaign and pose for an official senate photo with his colleagues he has not been in the capitol much of late according to his website he has not cast a vote since jan 12
it was very upbeat very optimistic said senator gary peters democrat of michigan


long before omar mateens victims had all been identified the presumptive nominees for president of the united states were clashing on a seemingly narrow question was the massacre an act of radical islam
donald j trump and other republicans have long used the phrase partly as a way of suggesting that president obama privileges political correctness over keeping americans safe democrats have avoided it for fear of exacerbating islamophobia and legitimizing terrorists claims to represent a religion on monday morning hillary clinton broke with mr obama using the term herself to describe mr mateen the florida security guard who perpetrated the mass shooting
this debate over terminology might seem like a distraction but it also speaks to the hardest and most contentious question of all when a troubled young man murders dozens of people invoking a group with which he appears to have few real links how do we classify and thereby make sense of what he did
orlando like previous attacks has prompted an obsessive search for clues that might allow us to place this violence within a familiar context
mr trump by citing radical islam urges a narrative of clashing civilizations and war on terror mr obama meanwhile has focused his outrage on what he sees as the laxity of americas gun laws and gay rights groups have placed the attack within a long history of homophobic violence
the question of mr mateens motivation has ramifications that go well beyond orlando those who seek stricter gun control have an incentive to emphasize his history of domestic violence threatening statements emotional problems and contact with the fbi those who desire a stronger american response to islamist terrorism are motivated to see evidence for his ties to the islamic state the extremists he cited in a 911 call as the attack was underway
and for gay rights advocates who yearn for recognition of the scope of their persecution mr mateens targeting of a gay club during gay pride month is paramount
but as more details of mr mateens life emerge   including reports that he visited the nightclub pulse and used a gay dating app   they have blurred rather than clarified these competing narratives the question of why this attack happened and the underlying question of what to do about it have only become harder to answer
the discussion of these scattershot and contradictory clues to mr mateens motivations has become a proxy for an argument over whose narrative is truest and most urgent
as social media networks and cable news shows in the united states inevitably split along partisan lines already widened by the presidential campaign these narratives are increasingly framed as exclusive rather than complementary
efforts to divine a motivation speak to something deeper than politics a desire to make sense of seemingly senseless violence offering an explanation   whether it is radical islam or mental illness or homophobia or gun access   is also a way of trying to comfort ourselves by asserting false clarity over something that is ultimately unknowable the chain of personal experiences and decisions that led this man to murder 49 people in orlando
there is a strong impulse particularly in america to do something after a tragedy like this said will mccants a terrorism expert at the brookings institution in washington if we know why the tragedy happened well know what to do
in truth mr mccants said terrorist attacks have a confluence of causes and because were dealing with the human mind and the interplay of complex social and political factors its difficult to separate the crucial from the incidental
this uncertainty is particularly acute with the islamic states strategy of inspiring so called lone wolf attacks through propaganda that encourages supporters around the world to act on their own
this decentralization has given the group a seemingly global reach but put decision making in the hands of individuals who identify with it for their own reasons and with their own agendas it has blurred the distinction between the motivation of the group and of the individual between violence that is strategic or that is senseless between terrorist attacks rooted in ideology and other mass shootings reflecting more personal grievances
the motives of lone wolves are tough to pin down mr mccants said by definition theyre not part of an organization so their motives for attacking are bound to be more idiosyncratic
the holy grail of terrorism studies has for years been to identify a standard model or road map for why individuals attack but repeated scholarly attempts have all failed it is a deeply personal decision that people make for reasons that are almost entirely individual and which may or may not even be political
how individuals get to this point is really complex and if we try to boil it down to one factor were going to miss a lot of that complexity said paul gill a lecturer at university college london who studies terrorism and its in that complexity that were going to really understand what happened
this reveals a difficult truth external factors such as ideology and access to guns though important cannot fully explain why someone decides to lash out even if every detail of mr mateens life were ultimately revealed it would still not fully answer that most crucial question
by shoehorning these attacks into familiar narratives   gun violence homophobia jihadism   we can make sense of them helping us to grieve and also to process the danger and how to respond to it even more it allows us to validate a pre existing worldview or belief whose truth we feel has gone unacknowledged
but because no single narrative is ever sufficient the debate is always unsettled   and always raging
its not just americans who are grappling with this
in western europe terrorism has become interlocked in debates over immigration and cultural inclusivity   how traditionally secular societies can or should tolerate growing muslim minorities
as in the united states these debates hinge on questions of individual motive that are impossible to pin down are terrorists motivated by religion by economic marginalization
we want to live in a world where these questions have identifiable answers and politicians are happy to tell us that they do so that they can present themselves as the solution
appreciate the congrats for being right on radical islamic terrorism mr trump wrote on twitter on sunday i dont want congrats i want toughness  vigilance we must be smart
the radical islam narrative of all those available offers perhaps the clearest appeal it portrays attackers and potential attackers as a monolith identifiable by common features that are alien to americas non muslim majority and it frames terrorism within the familiar context of a war   something that can be won
mr obamas emphasis on access to deadly weapons however presents terrorism as an extension of crime and therefore something that can only be managed still this approach offers its own villains   politicians and lobbyists who oppose tighter gun regulations   as well as a simple way for thinking about the threat and how to curtail it
what these narratives all tend to play down or deny is the degree to which terrorism is driven by individual people making individual decisions
political leaders do not want to admit this as it requires conceding that violence is never fully preventable nor can the islamic state acknowledge that its soldiers might sometimes be little more than disturbed individuals grasping for justification and victims   who could be said to include all citizens of any country targeted by an attack   do not want their trauma to be robbed of meaning
that may be what is so disturbing about the ultimate unknowability of mr mateens motivations not just that there will inevitably be another attack on another soft target in another unsuspecting city but also that its cause can and will be guessed at but never really understood


millions of migrants have fled war and poverty in their homelands but two reports released on tuesday highlighted the perils they face as they seek refuge and a better life in other countries
in one of the reports the international organization for migration said that thousands of migrants had died trying to cross seas and deserts many of their bodies were not found and those that were recovered were often impossible to identify along one of the busiest sea routes to europe a third of the dead were children in the second report the united nations childrens fund warned of growing threats of abuse exploitation and death for unaccompanied minors fleeing to europe
here are a few conclusions of the international organization for migration report fatal journeys
counting the dead a grisly record was set last year with 5400 migrants worldwide dying in their attempts to cross national borders up from 5000 in 2014 in the first five months of 2016 3100 people died
where they are dying the mediterranean was especially treacherous 3770 died trying to reach the shores of europe and 130 more died on european soil including 71 who suffocated in the back of a truck in austria they were among more than a million migrants and refugees who crossed the mediterranean in 2015
southeast asia recorded 800 migrant deaths mostly in the turbulent bay of bengal
on the united states mexico border an estimated 300 people died from 1998 to 2015 6571 bodies were found on the american side of the border
how many people have died in the vast sahara remains a mystery because there are no official search and rescue efforts there in june 2015 the remains of more than 30 migrants were found in the desert in niger their bones revealing just a small tip of the iceberg the report said
the nameless increasingly the dead cannot be identified either because they are not found because their bodies have badly decomposed or because they were not carrying identification papers this means that tens of thousands of families of missing migrants are living in limbo not knowing the fate of their loved ones the report said
the young as many more families tried to cross the aegean sea from turkey to greece children accounted for a third of the dead most were under the age of 10 and at least 40 percent were younger than 2
much is still unknown it is still a struggle to arrive at basic estimates of the number of migrants who die   lost bodies bodies buried in unmarked graves left in deserts or washed under the waves make the task of counting a daunting one and one that will never be complete the report said
the unicef report told of the many threats faced by vulnerable young people
alone among strangers more than 90 percent of refugee and migrant children who arrived in europe via italy this year were unaccompanied at least 7009 unaccompanied children made the crossing from north africa to italy in the first five months of this year   twice as many as in all of last year
victimized twice an unknown number of migrants were sexually abused and exploited based on information from italian social workers the report said that both girls and boys had been sexually assaulted and forced into prostitution in libya and that some of the girls were pregnant when they arrived in italy because they had been raped


the gun control debate could hit a sweet spot for donald trump his position has appeal to a group that he needs to gain the white house   less educated white democrats   without doing much to alienate traditionally republican voters
mr trump made the issue a big part of his response to the mass shooting at an orlando nightclub saying that his probable opponent hillary clinton wants to take away americans guns and promising to meet with the national rifle association to discuss how to ensure americans have the means to protect themselves in this age of terror
according to an upshot analysis of pew research data nearly half of white working class democrats think its more important to protect gun rights than to control gun ownership thats a larger percentage of democratic voters than agree with mr trump on many of the other issues that he stresses on the campaign trail
at the same time mr trumps position has considerable support from republican leaning voters about three quarters of republican leaning voters side with gun rights over gun control according to the pew data
thats even better for mr trump than a lot of his other populist wedge issues like trade and immigration its about as good as any issue for republicans   even general conservative attitudes such as whether the government is wasteful
mr trump has a narrow path to the presidency run up the score among white working class voters so that he can overwhelm losses among well educated and nonwhite voters so far polls show he isnt pulling it off his gains among working class white voters have come at an equal or greater cost among other voters
this makes gun control a potentially useful issue for mr trump its something he can stress to white working class democrats without suffering too much attrition among traditional republican voters
mr trumps proposal to bar muslim immigration might be riskier back in 2014 only a quarter of white working class democrats agreed that islam was likelier to encourage violence and only slightly more than half of republican leaners agreed more recent surveys about mr trumps proposal to bar muslims from entering the united states show a split over whether a majority of americans support his position
whether the gun debate actually has the power to sway traditionally democratic voters is another question the issue has been debated for decades and yet these white working class democrats have continued to stick with the party that takes a more restrictive view of gun rights and the specific proposals advanced by president obama and mrs clinton might be more appealing to these voters than a debate over gun control in the abstract
but no single issue needs to do all of the work for mr trump and gun rights probably do nudge his target voters in his direction


hong kong   the president of taiwan does not travel much china which claims the self ruled island as part of its territory tries to block its leaders from visiting other countries so trips are largely limited to the 22 countries that recognize taiwan with occasional stopovers in other places on the way
less than one month after he stepped down the former president ma ying jeou has found that even out of office his travel is restricted this week taiwans new government barred him from traveling to hong kong for a speech at a news association awards dinner
the government made the decision based on a 2003 law that limits the travel of high level officials for three years after they leave office concerns about mr mas previous access to classified information and the short time between mr mas application and the event on june 15 prompted the decision said alex huang a spokesman for president tsai ing wen of taiwan
hong kong is a place with a high level of sensitivity for taiwans national security and the risk of a former president visiting hong kong is difficult to control mr huang said in a written statement
mr ma is the first former president under which the law that governs travel by top officials applies another former president chen shui bian was barred from traveling after he left office in 2008 because he was under investigation for corruption he was later convicted and sentenced to prison he was released last year on medical parole
mr ma who described his trip as a way to bring attention to taiwan questioned the move this decision has aroused a lot of debate in society he told reporters in taipei on monday is this necessary is it fair is this reasonable people nationwide are looking at this i believe society has its own just appraisal
some politicians in mr mas kuomintang or nationalist party have accused taiwans new government of political manipulation in blocking the trip mr huang the government spokesman cautioned against political interpretations and said the decision came after a recommendation by a task force that included representatives from several ministries
as president mr ma pushed a series of trade deals with china and met president xi jinping of china in singapore the first ever meeting between the leader of the peoples republic of china and the leader of the republic of china as taiwan is officially known the two sides of the taiwan strait have been separately governed since 1949 when chiang kai shek fled to the island after losing a civil war to mao zedongs communists mr mas efforts eased tensions between the two sides but also stirred concern in taiwan about growing chinese influence over the island
ms tsais democratic progressive party has traditionally supported taiwans formal independence she has said that she wants to maintain the status quo between the two sides and is expected to be far more cautious than mr ma was toward china even before she assumed the presidency china had taken steps to put pressure on her new government holding military drills before her inauguration pursuing criminal suspects from taiwan abroad and renewing diplomatic ties with gambia which formerly recognized the island beijing has repeatedly called on her to accept the 92 consensus which holds that mainland china and taiwan are part of one china each side with its own interpretation of what that means
one possible concern over the proposed visit to hong kong a semiautonomous chinese territory was that mr ma might have engaged in his own cross strait diplomacy at a time when ms tsais government is trying to determine how it will handle relations with china said jonathan sullivan associate professor and director of research at the school of contemporary chinese studies at the university of nottingham
if ma had asked to appear in a less sensitive venue like tokyo for example permission may have been granted although we shouldnt forget the lack of trust that persists around ma mr sullivan said by email the dpp does not trust him and nor does the public at large   as demonstrated by the support for denying his application request
an editorial in the south china morning post a newspaper in hong kong criticized the decision as a blot on taiwans image
it is ironic that a place with a thriving democracy and with a vibrant media should be blocking the attendance of a twice democratically elected leader at a regional showcase for excellence in journalism the newspaper said
the society of publishers in asia the news organization that invited mr ma to hong kong said it planned instead to arrange a video link for mr ma on wednesday the new york times is one of more than 30 members of the association


frankfurt   at first it seems illogical to buy bonds at prices practically guaranteed to lose money
but there are good reasons that the yields on 10 year german bonds dipped below zero percent on tuesday for the first time meaning investors are essentially paying berlin to keep their money
fear is probably paramount a sluggish global economy and uncertainty surrounding the coming vote in britain over whether to leave the european union have some investors rushing for safe havens
the european central bank is also printing money to buy bonds in an effort to bolster the eurozones weak growth that has pushed prices higher and made yields go down
it has all created a topsy turvy world for bonds where investors are actually paying governments for the privilege of holding their debt the german 10 year bonds are just the latest to fall into negative territory after those in switzerland and japan yields on german five year bonds fell below zero last year
while many central banks are pushing for low or even negative rates the new world order could create unexpected consequences much of the global financial system is based on above zero interest rates banks pension funds and insurance companies depend on interest bearing investments for a big part of their profits
stock prices around the world have been falling since last week and european shares are near three month lows some investors are preferring to hoard cash until conditions improve
the surge of fear lately stems from the so called brexit vote recent polls are showing that support in britain for leaving the european union is on the rise more voters are backing a departure from the bloc than are opting to stay if britain drops out the future of the european union could be in doubt and financial markets would be in for a rough ride
top officials of the european central bank including mario draghi the president have said they have contingency plans if voters in britain choose to leave the bloc the central bank is battle tested after enduring a series of crises since 2007 and it already has mechanisms in place to ensure that banks and businesses will be able to get access to all the pounds or euros they need the ecb is ready for any outcome mr draghi said this month
still investors are nervous and the cash   or liquidity in technical investment terms   that is sloshing around the eurozone looking for a home is not helping for that the european central bank is partly to thank or to blame depending on your point of view for a year the central bank has effectively been printing money and using it to buy government bonds this month the bank began buying corporate debt as well spending about 80 billion euros or around 90 billion per month
all that buying drives down interest rates across the board more so for the safest assets investors trust germany because the government has a budget surplus a healthy economy and a long history of fulfilling its obligations
the low inflation environment is another important part of the equation for investors at least for now bondholders do not need to worry about their money losing too much value when prices are weak investors can even come out ahead despite paying negative interest rates the real buying power of their euros can increase enough to more than compensate
and most economists do not see any risk that inflation will pick up soon anyway the global economy is simply too weak the organization for economic cooperation and development has warned that the world is locked in a low growth trap the international monetary fund lowered its economic expansion forecasts at its last meeting in april and the federal reserve in the united states meeting on tuesday and wednesday is likely to postpone an interest rate increase
the outlook is so dismal that some investors may be betting that yields will fall even further the yield on the german 10 year bond went as low as minus 003 percent at midday an investor who bought at that price could make a profit if market rates dropped below that level in june 2015 the yield was 092 percent a rate that once would have been regarded as ridiculously low
from the european central banks point of view low interest rates are the whole point the bank set a precedent for negative interest rates two years ago when it began charging banks to keep money in its virtual vaults instead of paying them interest as it did in the past the so called negative deposit rate is currently minus 04 percent
the lower borrowing costs take pressure off government finances and ripple through financial markets italian and spanish 10 year bonds for example were trading at yields around 15 percent on tuesday compared with more than 7 percent in 2012
in theory businesses and consumers will spend more stimulating the economy low rates also help depress the value of a currency bolstering exports and they increase the attractiveness of stock markets which are considered riskier investments than bonds
but very low interest rates also create tensions in germany where many people are savers rather than borrowers low rates make it hard for them to earn a return some economists particularly in germany argue that central bank policies have encouraged dithering by political leaders in countries like italy that need to do more to improve the performance of their economies by removing obstacles to hiring and firing or by investing in infrastructure
the ecb has allowed politicians to sit on their hands with regard to growth enhancing reforms and necessary fiscal consolidation david folkerts landau the chief economist of deutsche bank said in a note to clients recently


london   on friday the worlds most popular modern art museum the tate modern opens a new 10 story wing designed by the swiss architects jacques herzog and pierre de meuron called the switch house the extension will show off contemporary work including film installation and live performance and will add 60 percent more space to the already enormous former power station on the banks of the thames
few anticipated when the tate modern opened in 2000 that it would transform both the idea of a museum and the nature of museum going its director nicholas serota hoped for two million annual visitors more than five million have passed through its doors each year they have flocked to its gigantic turbine hall to watch a glowing sunrise from hundreds of tungsten lights in olafur eliassons the weather project sifted ai weiweis hand painted sunflower seeds through their fingers and heard actors telling intimate stories in tino sehgals these associations among many highlights
what will be in the new space and what should you see first here is a users guide to planning your first trip
navigating the switch house the new extension adapts parts of the original power station that the 2000 renovation by herzog  de meuron didnt touch adjacent to this older layer is a pyramidal tower 212 feet tall clad in perforated brick that the architects have described as looking like knitwear you can enter from the huge turbine hall in the older building passing through the subterranean tanks which once held a million gallons of oil to power the refinery
the rehabilitation of the tanks was the first phase of the new building in 2012 they are dedicated to performance art and experimental film a sculptural concrete staircase curves up to three levels of exhibition space a bridge on level 4 connects back to the older building now called the boiler house higher floors are devoted to education offices and a members room so after gorging on art head for the new restaurant on level 9 and for dessert savor the wraparound balcony on level 10 with a 360 degree view of london
thinking outside the cube
it starts from the 1960s when art became very active said catherine wood tate moderns senior curator international art performance there was a lot of rethinking of sculpture creating objects that could be manipulated rearranged walked through and also listened to the idea is really to show the global scope of what the museum has acquired in the last 10 years and the kinds of pieces that dont need or want a white cube space
at what cost the new building cost 260 million pounds about 370 million from public and private funding with the largest donation PS50 million or 71 million from the british government
the new exhibitions in the east tank and some adjacent spaces look for light sound interactive sculpture and video works by original voices including marvin gaye chetwynd video dominique gonzalez foerster shadow art wen ying tsai and apichatpong weerasethakul film in the south tank is interactive sculpture by robert morris charlotte posenenske and rasheed araeen the south tank is also the anchor point for live performance art more about that later
levels 2 3 and 4 present individually themed exhibitions
on level 2 between object and architecture looks at the way post 1960s artists employed geometric shapes and ordinary building materials like bricks or cubes and includes artists from latin america and china as well as europe emphasizing the museums commitment to what frances morris the director of the tate modern called a more global story of art
level 3 offers performer and participant   how artists began to engage audiences in participatory activities
on level 4 in living cities artists comment on their experiences in urban centers artist rooms louise bourgeois demonstrates a renewed interest in narrative themes minimalism denuded the artwork of its storytelling potential the artists from bourgeois onward started putting personal experience and gender identity back in ms morris said
what and where is live art
live art or performance based work has been a swelling current in the art world during the last decade with roots in the 1960s the tate will showcase six pieces throughout the new and old buildings from friday to july 3 in tania brugueras piece mounted police will perform crowd control techniques on horseback
whats new in the old part
in the boiler house the collection   from 1900 to the present   has been reorganized by theme rather than chronology with an emphasis on an international perspective in art history you will still see works by picasso gerard richter or and mark rothko
i think doing it in this way is novel and different from paris or new york and corresponds to the way artists think mr serota said
what the pros like best
mr serota you cant visit the tate without going to the rothko room level 2 of the boiler house then look at a wonderful room of work by the german artist rebecca horn on level 3 of the switch house next door ana lupas a romanian artist who has been working from the mid 1960s embalmed rural straw sculptures its very striking then go up to the louise bourgeois room on level 4 where you can see some of the most important work of her career made in the last 10 years of her life
ms wood take time to see some of the live performance in the south tank walk up the fabulous staircase to level 2 to see the sculpture display then go to level 4 and walk across the bridge that connects the two buildings pausing to admire ai weiweis 22 foot sculpture created from parts of dead trees in the turbine hall below travel by escalator back down to the hall and take part in david lamelass interactive piece time
ms morris in the boiler house the new introductory start gallery offers matisses snail in the studio features work by a great group of british artists antony gormley anish kapoor and bridget riley then head to the switch house begin in the tanks and walk up the staircase to the between object and architecture exhibition finally take the elevator to the 10th floor look at the view of london and remind yourself that its the most cosmopolitan city in the world


in recent years the ar 15 has become simultaneously one of most beloved and most vilified rifles in the country
it is no surprise why the gun is so reviled by gun control advocates omar mateen the gunman in the attack this weekend on a gay nightclub in orlando fla used a spinoff of the rifle produced by sig sauer to kill nearly 50 people
the military style weapon has also been the gun of choice in several other mass shootings at an elementary school in newtown conn at a movie theater in aurora colo at a holiday party for county health workers in san bernardino calif and at the campus of umpqua community college in oregon
but the national rifle association has taken to calling the ar 15 americas rifle though the federal government does not keep track of exactly how many ar 15s are in circulation experts estimate that there are easily several million in the nations rifle racks and gun safes   a huge number given that the gun along with other so called assault weapons was banned under federal law from 1994 to 2004
the rifles extraordinary popularity can be traced to a number of factors including the ease of its use its embodiment of a certain military glamour and the aggressive marketing of the gun industry
the weapon was first built in the late 1950s by eugene m stoner a former marine and the lead gun designer at the armalite division of the fairchild engine and airplane corporation it was an unusual rifle for the era made of lightweight plastics and aluminum instead of traditional materials like wood and metals it also fired a 223 caliber bullet which was smaller and faster than the typical ammunition at the time
partly for those reasons the pentagon under defense secretary robert s mcnamara purchased the ar 15 in bulk in the 1960s and after renaming it the m 16 turned it into the standard issue for american ground troops in vietnam around the same time a civilian version of the rifle which unlike its military counterpart could not shoot automatically also went on sale today dozens of companies produce their own version of the weapon
back in the day people called it the plastic rifle because it felt like a toy said sam andrews the owner of tier one weapons systems a gun engineering company in eureka mo but thats evolved now people realize that light can be good
because of its gas operated system mr andrews said the ar 15 has a fairly gentle recoil the weapon is also fast and accurate he added able to fire under capable hands eight rounds in a second
the reason its so popular mr andrews said is that if you bring a handgun to a fight where theres an ar 15 youre going to lose and it doesnt matter if youre a 240 pound man like me or a 90 pound girl
gun owners say that the ar 15 is used for hunting sport shooting and self defense the rifle is also easily accessorized with custom add ons like flashlights infrared scopes and a variety of grips and is called the lego set of the gun world its owners swap product reviews or share personal hacks on a wide variety of blogs and online bulletin boards
according to a 2010 survey by the national shooting sports foundation ar 15 owners tend on average to have three different versions of the rifle and spend more than 400 per weapon on accessories and special modifications though the ar 15 can be bought as cheaply as 600 the average retail price was slightly more than 1000 the survey found
this demand has been accompanied   some would say caused   by vigorous mass marketing campaigns by gun manufacturers which often refer to the ar 15 not as an assault rifle but as a modern sporting rifle groups like the civilian marksmanship program run well attended target competitions each year that attract scores of military veterans one of the guns chief sales demographics
youve got lots of returning servicemen who knew the m 16 very well   how to shoot it clean it take it apart said jim scoutten the executive producer of shooting usa a shooting sports television channel and when they come back in many cases they acquire the civilian version
the ar 15 is also heavily marketed to younger gun enthusiasts who are attracted to the highly militarized special operations culture that has become increasingly prevalent in action movies and shooter style video games like call of duty
in 2014 the violence policy center which advocates gun control did a study of the marketing efforts by the freedom group one of the worlds largest gun manufacturers it found that many of the companys advertisements used martial images of men in tactical gear and slogans like built to be as tough as the job and bravery on duty
the study quotes an article in shooting sports retailer a gun industry trade magazine warning salesmen to be wary of certain first time buyers many of the new shooters attracted to tactical guns for their first firearms purchase will think that they know guns because theyve played a lot of first-person shooter video games the article says gamers inspired by call of duty to purchase their first gun will eventually discover that they have a lot to learn
but despite such admonitions the gun industry has used the popularity of these games to sell its products to a youthful aggressive technologically savvy generation said josh koskoff a lawyer representing the families of newtown conn in a lawsuit against the industry in researching his suit mr koskoff said that he found screen shots from call of duty of ar 15s that bear the names of well known gun manufacturers
to josh sugarman the founder of the violence policy center the manufacturers attempts to push the ar 15 among the younger set stem from a stark realization about the future of the industry
the traditional gun buying demographic   white males   is aging and slowly dying off mr sugarman said so theyre marketing the ar 15 to the next generation as the new shiny thing


pasta colored black with cuttlefish ink is handsome and delicious but perhaps not for everyone now a company that specializes in legume and rice based products has introduced black bean pasta that tastes mild looks stunning and is gluten free use it for your next cacio e pepe they call it spaghetti though it is more angel hair explore cuisine organic black bean spaghetti 30 for six 8 ounce packages explorecuisinecom


i treasure my japanese nakiri knife the blade is rectangular making it like a cross between a chefs knife and a light cleaver and thinner than a standard chefs knife all the better for juliennes and it efficiently scoops up whatever you have cut the knife is designed for vegetables and in summer with fresh zucchini cucumbers tomatoes peppers and herbs its a must have for slicing peeling and chopping wusthof the german knifemaker has introduced hollow edge nakiris in two sizes 5 inch with the standard classic handle and 7 inch in three styles classic gourmet and a curved handle version called classic ikon shown wusthof nakiri knives 7995 to 15995 cutleryandmorecom


la brea bakery has started using heirloom wheat called fortuna in three new breads it has brought together as la brea bakery reserve the breads are struan made with some emmer and spelt and dusted with sesame seeds pain de campagne with a crisp crust and great complexity from rye and fortuna somewhat denser and riddled with cracked wheat berries dean folkvord head of wheat montana the grower near big sky said the grain is cultivated on a high plateau from tall stalks making it more difficult to harvest la brea bakery reserve 8 to 10 amazonfreshcom


a hefty wedge of watermelon can glow on a summertime table or a picnic at the beach the candle from an australian company that specializes in warm weather accessories has a mild watermelon scent which i didnt mind watermelon candle 32 annies blue ribbon general store 232 fifth avenue president street park slope brooklyn 718 522 9848 blueribbongeneralstorecom


founded in 1707 by hugh mason a grocer and william fortnum a royal footman the english purveyor fortnum  mason is famous for its teas preserves and cookies for the first time since 1929 some of its products are being sold in america in an exclusive arrangement with williams sonoma among the teas are classics like english breakfast and newer ones like a delicate green earl grey jams include raspberry strawberry and grapefruit and the standouts in the category of biscuits which we call cookies are chocolate macadamia nut chocolate dipped and pistachio with clotted cream the companys lavish gift assortments in wicker hampers are also available and in late fall there will be christmas puddings fortnum  mason williams sonoma stores williams sonomacom


this collection of intense fruit squares a confection the french call pates de fruits is from casey hickey a candymaker and chocolatier based in charlotte nc who studied in paris what makes them shine is the fruit she uses mostly locally grown berries along with passion fruit kalamansi and sour cherries they come in a clear box lined up in a vibrant gradation of color twenty degrees chocolates pates de fruits 20 for 12 pieces from mouthcom


san francisco   taralli are like the potato chips of southern italy according to the chef rocky maselli who runs the a16 restaurants in the bay area you get them at gas stations but also at fancy hotels mr maselli said theyre just the ultimate bar snack
they are crisp melting rounds of dough made with just flour water olive oil for taste and richness and a little wine for crunchiness if you are a fan of grissini the thin long italian breadsticks taralli will taste pleasantly familiar
but the taralli at a16 are far from plain they are rich salty and crumbly like the best pie crust and they arrive with a gust of heat studded with more cracked black pepper than would seem possible or sensible
our taralli are the perfect thing to eat with an aperitivo said shelley lindgren the restaurants wine director and co owner bitter and sweet with pepper and salt is an ideal combination
popular italian aperitivos pre dinner cocktails like the spritz and the americano are often based on bitter liqueurs like campari luxardo and aperol topped up with thirst quenching soda water or fizzy wine taralli also pair nicely with fortified wines like sherry and lillet with champagne cocktails like the kir royale and with rose and white wines as long as the wine is not bone dry
taralli are easy enough to buy here but the packaged variety is usually skimpy on the olive oil and boiled before baking making them dry hard and about as much fun to eat as a wood chip also imported taralli are often flavored with fennel seed which   lets face it   is not a favorite flavor of most americans
all of which helps explain why this peppery little a16 snack has such a big impact
black pepper is taken for granted in our cooking we add it unthinkingly in mild quantities to almost every dish but a16s taralli are a reminder that black peppercorns can be a powerful exhilarating spice the more the heat grows the more you want to reach for the next one   and then for your aperitif repeat as desired all summer
recipes black pepper taralli  more snacks


in spain golden shallow fried croquetas are served in tapas bars to the diners delight they may be made of any number of things salt cod shellfish serrano ham potatoes or cauliflower sometimes spherical sometimes cork shaped the best are small enough to devour in two bites
what differentiates the spanish croqueta from the sometimes stodgy canned salmon croquettes once popular in the united states has mainly to do with texture not only is the croquetas exterior beautifully crisp but its interior has a lovely creamy consistency this is primarily because of the binding rather than relying on bread crumbs or crumbled saltines to bind the filling as is common with american style fish cakes croquetas are typically held together with a well seasoned white bechamel sauce
the process is not difficult but it is a bit of a production the savory croquetas are composed of crab meat roasted red peppers scallions and a good pinch of cayenne freshly made bechamel is gently folded into the mixture which then must be chilled until it is firm this takes an hour or more but if you prefer to make your life easier it may be assembled a day ahead
once the crab mixture is cooled and ready it is formed into little balls which are dipped in flour and beaten egg then rolled in bread crumbs the entire process can be completed well in advance of serving
when the guests arrive heat the oil and begin frying the pieces in batches holding them in a warm oven until you have enough to pass the recipe makes about 24 one ounce croquetas size them down to half ounce spheres if you wish youll have twice as many to fry but theyll cook more quickly a neutral vegetable oil is fine but olive oil gives them an authentic flavor
youll want a garlicky dipping sauce allioli the spanish version of aioli is the usual choice i suggest an almond garlic sauce easily assembled in a food processor any bright tasting flavored mayonnaise would be appropriate or simply serve them with lemon wedges
these crab croquetas are perfect for a summer gathering eaten out of hand with drinks
recipe red pepper crab croquetas with garlic almond sauce  summer cocktails
and to drink 
here are two solid approaches for pairing these crab croquetas first a good dry sparkling wine would be great cava is the perfect cultural pairing especially any of the top quality cavas available today you could also choose champagne a good american sparkling wine or a sparkler from alsace or jura so long as its dry second if your group is open minded enough for a little exploration try a top fino sherry especially those labeled en rama suggesting the wine has been lightly filtered at most these finos are full of savory umami flavors that will go beautifully with the croquetas but fino is an acquired taste for some if sparkling wine and sherry seem too extreme a dry rose will go just fine eric asimov


one of the great joys of homemade ice cream is eating the just churned custard straight out of the ice cream maker
silky and ethereal with the texture of soft serve its a treat usually reserved for the cook before the ice cream is packed into containers and stowed away in the freezer
but not so with this honey vanilla ice cream which is designed to be served at its softest and most satiny best of all you can make it without an ice cream maker getting one of the creamiest frozen treats imaginable without giving up any of your kitchen real estate
part of the reason this ice cream stays so smooth   sans the ice crystals that plague other no churn ice creams   is that it begins with a very stable custard commercially produced ice creams use gums to this effect here a little cream cheese melted into the custard does the same job its a trick i picked up from jeni britton bauer of jenis splendid ice creams whose ice creams are notably rich and supple
cream cheese gives body to ice cream making it thicker she said
ms bauer also recommends that home cooks use part regular granulated sugar and part liquid sugar to increase the elasticity of the ice cream
corn syrup is one liquid sugar possibility but i prefer honey not only does it improve the texture of the ice cream but it also adds its inimitable caramelized sweetness to the mix turning plain vanilla into something much more aromatic and lush use a full flavored honey here one with personality and verve lavender flower chestnut linden buckwheat are all good options
once you have made your custard you will need to freeze it a standard no churn method is to solidify it in ice cube trays and then puree the frozen cubes in a blender or food processor the ice cube pieces break down more quickly and easily than a solid frozen block would so dont skip this step adding a little milk to the food processor as it whirls helps smooth out the ice cream as well
and if you do have an ice cream maker you can still make this recipe just be sure to time it so you can serve it to your waiting guests straight from the machine for the maximum fluffiness billowy light and deeply flavored it is an ice cream that you will want to make all summer long   whether you have an ice cream maker or not
recipes vanilla honey soft serve ice cream  more ice creams


hudson ny   zak pelaccio the chef associated for years with the flavors of malaysia at fatty crab is returning to the food of southeast asia
mr pelaccio became known for cooking southeast asian food in downtown manhattan in the early 2000s but in 2011 he parted ways with the company behind fatty crab and its sibling restaurants and transplanted himself to this artists magnet in the hudson valley to open fish  game a high end tavern where his vigorously local work won a james beard award in may
he seemed to have moved away from the malaysian thai and vietnamese accents that had once put him in the spotlight i always liked cooking that food he said but i thought it would be in poor taste for me to depart from the organization and then open up a shop that was somewhat similar
now some time has passed on hudsons main drag warren street mr pelaccio and his partners recently took over backbar an open air cocktail spot squeezed between an antique shop and a patio full of picnic tables
at backbar this month mr pelaccio and his co chef at fish  game kevin pomplun plan to introduce a lunch and dinner menu they are calling bakar at backbar bakar is a reference to ikan bakar roadside spots throughout malaysia where people can snack on grilled fish
on the lineup are dishes like a spicy laab salad made with pork shoulder a curried crab and fish chowder asparagus folded into an omelet with homemade xo sauce and a sesame panna cotta made with palm sugar from borneo mr pelaccios wife the chef and fermentation specialist jori jayne emde is responsible for many of the from scratch condiments like fish sauce red chile sauce vinegar and sambal that bring an extra punch of heat and funk to the dishes
mr pelaccio hopes to debut the new menu about june 21 he said he expects the restaurant to seat 76
change is also afoot at fish  game where mr pelaccio and mr pomplun recently introduced a rustic a la carte menu that might feature depending on the day spit roasted duck beans cooked in a fireplace and a dry aged rib eye steak with bearnaise sauce a meal at fish  game is expensive but the chefs want bakar at backbar to be the opposite   nothing on the menu will cost more than 20
this is for locals mr pelaccio said we need a place where people can come and eat lunch for a reasonable price this has a vibe where its sort of easy its not so buttoned up this could be by the beach


montreal   the top seven finishers of the canadian grand prix over the weekend all race for the top four teams in formula one those also happen to be the four teams that have signed lucrative deals to get tens of millions of dollars a season for simply showing up for races
the last place finishers in sundays race all race for the poorest teams in the circuit not only do they lack the lucrative deals signed by the top four but they are struggling so much financially that they have teetered on the edge of survival over the past few seasons
the top four teams   ferrari mercedes red bull and williams   enjoy an advantage with their special deals though their deals are different ferrari   which finished second sunday with sebastian vettel and which is second over all this season   receives more than mercedes whose driver lewis hamilton won sunday mercedes also leads this seasons standings and also won the series last year
the top teams in formula one are among the highest rewarded in world sports but the commercial structure of the series is among the most lopsided in sports too and much of the talk leading up to sundays race was about the unequal financial situation in the circuit
the talk began last thursday after the beer company heineken announced it was signing on as a major sponsor heineken would not say how much the deal was worth but said it represented about 10 percent of its marketing budget for a company that reported more than 23 billion in revenues last year with heineken spending an estimated 70 million a year to sponsor soccers champions league the deal is likely to be a lucrative one for formula one
we are in formula one because we believe formula one will help us to grow said gianluca di tondo senior director of marketing at heineken contrary to the other brands we have a strong commitment and investment we are putting behind this when you talk about 10 percent of your global media budget you are talking about serious money
one of the bottom teams sauber along with force india filed a complaint to the european union over how formula one distributes the nearly 1 billion it receives annually from all of its deals
just over 60 percent goes to 10 of the 11 teams with the rest going to cvc capital partners the majority owner and to bernie ecclestone the circuits promoter and a minority owner
the heineken deal last week also raised the question of the top teams financial arrangements with ecclestone the current contracts run through 2020
its still some way away christian horner the director of the red bull team said but i would envisage that talks would start over the next 12 months or so   or 24 months   but impossible really to predict
an initial contract in 1981 laid out the financial terms among the teams ecclestone and the international automobile federation the ruling body of the sport terms have been renewed or renegotiated every five to seven years
the first three decades of the deals set up a solid financial base for the teams as they all competed under the same deal
but car manufacturers and legacy teams pressed for changes in the last negotiations in 2013 when ecclestone decided to sign individual deals with teams rather than a blanket deal with them all it guaranteed the top teams would continue participating but much to the detriment of the rest
today even among the top teams financial success does not correspond directly with success on the track mercedes does not receive as much money as ferrari the italian team that has been around since formula ones start in 1950 and that receives 70 million a year because of that legacy ferraris special payment just for taking part is more than the total earnings of all of the bottom five teams in last years standings
the full payments from the formula one promoter to the teams is done through a complicated system linked to how they finished the previous few seasons along with the separate deals for certain teams based on their importance to the series
according to figures published last tuesday by autosport magazine ferrari earns 192 million a season compared with 171 million for mercedes 144 million for red bull and 87 million for williams manor the bottom team earns 47 million new teams or those that finish outside the top 10 receive no money for that season manor currently is in last place in 11th
haas the first american team in decades joined as the 11th team in formula one this season so it is ineligible for a payout
next time we will be involved gunther steiner the director of the haas team said of the negotiations this time we knew what we were going into so we cannot be happy or unhappy we took the fact it is what it is because other people negotiated   but next time we will play a part in it and voice our opinion
but with the top teams having annual racing budgets of more than 250 million   the rest comes from their sponsors   and the bottom teams spending less than 100 million the disparity is striking and the smaller teams complain that they cannot compete
the difference between the front teams and the back teams is too big said the dave ryan the racing director of the manor team which finished last on sunday two laps behind hamilton i do believe the leading teams should get more money but i think the gap is just massive at the moment and it needs to be looked at in a slightly different manner
robert fernley the director of the force india team which is having financial difficulties and relying largely on its billionaire owner vijay mallya for its survival agreed
i would like to think the commercial rights holder this time does it in a more transparent way fernley said adding a comparison to english soccer the premier league is a perfect example of where youve got a performance related program thats very fair and transparent theres no need for negotiations weve got a pot of money that needs to be done split it in a proper manner make it transparent teams take it or leave it


this week the third edition of los angeless homegrown biennial survey of art from socal made in la opened at the hammer museum in westwood curated by the institutions own aram moshayedi with hamza walker from chicagos renaissance society this years show is tighter than previous iterations in the number of artists featured   just 26   but somehow more expansive in the breadth of disciplines and practices that are integrated case in point the subtitle of the show is itself an artwork a poem by the biennials most senior artist the minimalist writer aram saroyan it goes a the though only a string of words that evoke particularity and universality at the same time here are four other highlights from made in la 2016
swooping over the hammers courtyard are a suite of tenuous new sculptures by kelly akashi called eat me long pieces of rope stretched across or hung from ledges on the museums upper level variously cradle and dangle a pink shell bronze castings of hands miming hoisting gestures and threadbare shavings of rope that look something like a nest of human hair making an exhibition space out of a seemingly impossible void suspended in the air akashi captures her disparate organic subjects at different points of degradation freezing them in an artful aerial limbo
around the corner is a new installation by rafa esparza tierra its foundation is a swarth of roughly hewn adobe bricks which he fashioned with the assistance of his father and others in northeast los angeles following a tradition of brick making common in mexico before moving to the united states esparzas father constructed a home in mexico by the very same means here it serves as a kind of stage upon which a silent play unfolds esparza invited peers and collaborators to dig up items buried in elysian park   the site of the dodgers stadium which was once a traditionally mexican neighborhood those they elected to contribute to the exhibition   a cactus a tin mailbox a retro blue armchair   sit on the brick flooring as a metaphoric reoccupation
inside the museum lauren davis fishers set tests is a dynamic installation which will change throughout the course of the summer but visitors will not actually see her reconfigure the boxes or their contents and thats precisely the point to underscore the invisibility of labor to begin a cartoonish sculpture that resembles an egg yolk splashing into a white will take center stage   but throughout the show what is at center stage one day will likely end up waiting in the wings the next
kenneth tams new video breakfast in bed an excerpt of which is above continues the artists work drawn from encounters with strangers in this case tam solicited men from craigslist reddit and other proto social networking online forums to bring them together for a thoroughly analog workshop of sorts in male bonding rather than having the participants led by an expert or curriculum of some kind he leaves the nonactors more or less to their own devices to role play team build dance and otherwise generate intimacy in a process that resonates on screen as both authentic in its loosely directed realness and bizarrely stilted by ritual


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1 president obama angrily responded to a speech monday by donald j trump in which mr trump appeared to broaden his proposal to bar muslim immigrants mr obama called the republican presidential candidates comments about the massacre at a gay nightclub in orlando fla dangerous mr trumps appeal to fear breaks with the way most american political leaders have reacted to this kind of crisis but his stance on guns may help his outreach to working class democrats

2 harrowing accounts of the attack which left 49 people dead continued to surface i look over and he shoots the girl next to me and im just there laying down and im thinking im next im dead  said angel colon who was shot multiple times doctors spoke of bleeding patients lining hospital hallways after arriving in trucks and cars and on foot

3 the fbi investigation turned to the second wife of the orlando gunman omar mateen to determine whether she had been aware of his plot the wife noor zahi salman is not in custody but indicated she had accompanied him on one trip to the club and to buy ammunition and tried to talk him out of waging an attack a senior law enforcement official said

4 in france the killings of a police officer and his companion on monday by a a knife wielding assailant who swore allegiance to isis have raised new concerns about radicalization and the handling of people convicted of terrorism related activities the attacker was a frenchman who was previously found guilty of aiding a group planning terrorist activities but he was released immediately after his trial ended in 2013

5 as hillary clinton and bernie sanders met privately amid the largely inconsequential primary contest in the district of columbia the democratic party confirmed that russian hackers had breached the computers of the democratic national committee for roughly a year the targets included the trove of opposition research against donald j trump

6 high speed internet can be defined as a utility a federal appeals court ruled the decision upheld net neutrality rules by the fcc that signal a shift in how the government views broadband as a service that should be equally accessible to all americans rather than as a luxury companies are banned from blocking or slowing the delivery of internet content to consumers and theyve indicated they may pursue their case all the way to the supreme court

7 disney is sharing the keys to the magic kingdom with chinas communist party   at least in shanghai where a new resort that will be four times as big as disneyland opens on thursday the control obsessed disney has given the countrys government an unusual role in running the park and in doing so has set the pace for how other multinational companies can do business in there

8 an influential critics refusal to review the new ghostbusters film   starring women in the lead roles   drew more than a million views on youtube and lots of comments essentially blasting him as a misogynistic jerk but when our writer dug deeper he found the reviewers positions to be less polarizing than he expected   a reminder that in this age of speedy public judgment withholding expectations can be worthwhile for all parties

9 lets take a moment to remember the beehive   not the insect nest but the 1960s hairstyle made possible by hair spray and lots of it the dos creator margaret vinci heldt died on friday at 98 ms heldt was an eisenhower era hairstyling celebrity when she created the look which was inspired by a black fez like hat and has never really gone away even making it onto the heads of beyonce and adele

10 lastly here are a couple of weasels black footed ferrets specifically they might look cute but they are also remarkable predators badgers ferrets and otters are part of the mustelid family quick witted carnivores who are capable of competing for food with much larger predators like big cats wolves and bears maybe its time to rethink what it means to call someone a weasel

jonah engel bromwich contributed reporting

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cocooning the entire lower floor of zurichs galerie gmurzynska an installation conceived by zaha hadid opens this week that is part iceberg part cave and part shrine created in homage to the influential dadaist artist kurt schwitters inspired by schwitterss destroyed merzbau 1923 1937 an ever changing collage sculpture that consumed his entire workspace hadid designed an all encompassing grotto on which to show the artists works as with the merzbau hadids structural collage includes artworks as well as readymade furniture and architectural features here the artworks are assemblages and reliefs from across schwitterss career as well as a selection of illustrated and often surreal personal correspondence theyre offset by hadids furniture undulating marble tables modular seating elements and hybrid shelving systems that swoop and curve like melting glaciers
hadid worked on the show which is timed to coincide with citywide centenary celebrations of the dada movement with the gallery director mathias rastorfer before her untimely death in march obviously she died before it was finished all the ideas were there the concepts were there we had talked about every detail but it hadnt been realized rastorfer explains its literally the last project of zaha finished by her team patrik schumacher senior designer and director of zaha hadid architects led the studio in completing the project following an emotional conversation with rastorfer at hadids funeral
schumacher had worked closely with hadid since 1988 and sees the architects deep interest in modern art as having played a formative role in her vision zaha hadids most radical expansion of design repertoires for architecture and urbanism is inspired by an explosion of possibilities through early abstract art movements at the beginning of the century he explains schumacher identifies a number of signature elements in hadids design vocabulary that can be traced back to dada and allied art movements from the manipulation of perspective through the explosion of shapes away from a fixed point to the concept of a building as a single flowing landscape he also sees hadids appreciation of chance and chaos as coming directly from the thought experiments of the modern avant garde every now and then we need radical brainstorming mutation sessions where we have to give ourselves up and allow ourselves to be thrust and pushed out of that space of preconception he says i think thats the profound message of dada
this is not hadids first collaboration with gmurzynska seven years ago she designed a kazimir malevich exhibition for the venerable gallery and her relationship with director mathias rastorfer was apparently both close and forthright during the planning stages of this project hadid contacted rastorfer requesting that he intercede to rescue the only schwitters structure still in existence the merz barn in englands lake district he dutifully obliged i made a donation of PS25000 to have merz barn restored   it was all zahas idea


this summer on long islands east end one exhibition features artwork thats a far cry from the stereotypical blue chip hamptons summer style with utopian aspirations and often provisional aesthetics radical seafaring organized by the parrish art museum curator andrea grover brings together 25 artists and collectives who create as she writes land art only afloat installations and performances designed to be experienced off dry land the show traces the history of the genre from midcentury conceptualists such as bas jan ader who was tragically lost at sea during a 1975 sailing performance chris burden and the obscure japanese collective the play to contemporary makers like mark dion duke riley and swoon and for two weeks this summer the new york based artist mary mattingly brings the exhibition truly offshore with wetland a houseboat sculpture docked beside yachts at the long wharf in sag harbor
mattingly 37 follows the tradition of environmental artists who devise alternative ways of living in the face of impending ecological disaster she seeks to explore what you can do on the water that you cant do on land she says and considers the sea an extension of the commons in a 2009 work the waterpod project mattingly and four others lived on a self sustaining barge that navigated new yorks waterways kitted out with solar energy edible plants a water filtration system and chicken coop mattingly initially conceived wetland   a repurposed 1971 rockwell whitcraft houseboat   for the philadelphia nonprofit fringearts in 2014 collaborating with over 30 organizations mattingly gutted the 45 by 12 foot vessel outfitting it with solar panels and varied species of wood stripped from a gym floor in iowa she describes the dramatically sloping boat as something between sinking and rising a shack and a palace it symbolically evokes the housing market crash and is literally reminiscent of collapsing homes
at the parrish as in philadelphia wetland functions as a semi sustainable residency and a platform for mattingly to demonstrate diy solutions the boat contains a rainwater purification system a composting toilet a bathtub a library and edible perennial plants the project and mattingly herself attract a loyal following   last wednesday a duck even spontaneously laid eggs on the vessel and the utopian thinking that informs wetland carries through to mattinglys next venture swale which launches at the end of this month a floating food forest host to perennial crops like figs and huckleberries on a 130 by 110 foot barge that will sail around the city


last year i clocked 14500 miles just driving upstate says kate orne who crisscrosses from the catskills to the berkshires even down to connecticut to interview and photograph subjects for upstate diary the art oriented publication she launched in 2014 that figure on her odometer is more or less the distance from new york city to new delhi and back again and yet orne betrays not the slightest hint of fatigue as she describes her project with an almost evangelical passion
when orne a former fashion and editorial photographer first moved from manhattan to the hudson valley in 2009 she sometimes found herself feeling isolated and began seeking out conversation with other creatives in the area from this informal back roads networking eventually emerged an online journal documenting the lives and gorgeous cabins farms and studios of the painters writers and designers who have made the region beyond new york city their home the first print issue of upstate diary followed in august 2015 and the second this past april issue three is slated for august
soon after the publications debut orne also began holding a parallel series of salons to get creatives to come out of the woods both literally and figuratively get to know one another and even collaborate which is why one recent evening found orne   who in person is a commanding presence with no shortage of opinions please dont call upstate diary a magazine she insists its a publication because i see it as something more timeless   at the hillsdale ny home of the art dealer paul morris and his partner dr sam grubman guests included the artists duncan hannah josephine halvorson and carlos vega the photographer jeannette montgomery barron the young filmmaker blair dorosh walther and the gallerist jack shainman as everyone gathered over cocktails and dinner to toast morriss new role as an upstate diary contributor talk swirled around living and working in the countryside and its many joys the quiet the beautiful light as well as challenges the frigid temperatures
shainman who represents such talents as carrie mae weems a subject of upstate diarys inaugural issue and the late malick sidibe relayed his misadventures in purchasing and renovating the 30000 square foot 1920s school building in kinderhook ny that now serves as his sprawling exhibition space called the school the first winter was so cold he said that he and his partner vega burned through 30 gallons of oil per day despite never heating the space above 60 degrees and morris   who along with the dealers matthew marks colin de land and pat hearn founded the armory show in 1994   described how being in the mountains in recent years has freed up his mind and inspired him to take up rustic pastimes such as knitting he makes throws and scarves with wool from sheep on an adjacent farm
and while upstate is a big draw for many marquee names   from richard prince who once owned a house in the hudson valley that famously burned to the ground in a lightning storm in 2007 to ryan mcginley whose recent photographic series took him to locales such as albany and the finger lakes   those present at the salon agreed that the region attracts artists who prefer to lay low morris who traded in his and grubmans fire island home in 2009 joked in gay culture first youre at fire island then you go to the hamptons   and then to die you go upstate because its seen as so isolating and boring but in fact there are so many interesting people that come here for similar but very personal reasons hannah who was a stylish fixture in the early 70s punk scene in new york city added ive spent summers in the hamptons and the artists i knew they were just going to parties the creative people ive met up here seem a bit more under the radar
people really seek out privacy here orne notes echoing these sentiments so much so that the former art world agitator terence koh who was not present at the salon but whose catskills hideaway is featured in the current issue of upstate diary made sure his location remained unnamed kohs latest show bee chapel takes its title from a small treehouse like structure at his wooded retreat and is currently on view at andrew edlin gallery in manhattan elsewhere in the issue gregory crewdson speaks of the sense of peace he found hiking in the berkshires in the wake of a divorce and how that inward turning period led to his latest body of work cathedral of the pines
if upstate diary has a bit of the feel of the laid back conversation at one of ornes salons thats entirely intentional we are not aspiring to be an intellectual art publication she notes we are about life and the human aspects behind the creations the living spaces and the landscape and despite the geographic specificity of its title orne says she intends to expand her scope to explore the lives of creators in other rural areas of the world i see this not as a regional publication but more as a frame of mind she explains we are really discovering and defining a cultural community which is beyond the metropolitan areas


times insider delivers behind the scenes insights from the new york times in this piece the reporter nikole hannah jones details her experience writing a magazine story that involved her daughters school
ive spent the last four years writing almost exclusively about school segregation so when two brooklyn schools became embroiled in an integration battle last fall my email twitter and cellphone lit up with messages are you watching this thing in brooklyn are you going to write about it
yes i was watching
but no i did not plan to write about the fight over the rezoning of ps 8 an affluent mostly white school and ps 307 a low income school whose students are predominantly black and latino at least not initially
thats because unknown to most people my then 5 year old daughter was a student at ps 307
its strangely surreal to find yourself in the middle of the very thing you write about last summer i spent many evenings attending parent meetings at which mostly white residents expressed anger that their child had been assigned to my daughters school during the day i was busy writing a story about a missouri school integration in which parents were voicing precisely the same sentiment about similar school assignments
id long wanted to report on school segregation in new york city but i had decided early on i was not going to write about my daughters school for one thing it seemed like a good idea to have a wall between my personal and professional lives and i thought it important to keep some distance from the subjects i cover
but as the months went on i felt increasingly compelled to tell a story about the battle to integrate ps 307 precisely because i was both personally involved and deeply aware of the history of contemporary struggles against school segregation
so i pitched the story to my editor who loved the idea and then i immediately regretted having done so
to do the story justice i would have to be honest about the arguments i had with my husband about where to send our daughter to school and about my own internal conflicts about it i would have to open our lives not just to all the times readers i will never know but to all of our acquaintances as well not only was i giving up my privacy but i was giving up some of my childs privacy too and id have to navigate carefully with parents teachers and staff at my daughters school id have to decide when i was there as a parent and when i was there as a journalist i did not want anything i wrote to change the way my daughter was treated at school
as a journalist i am used to putting words out to the world and having the world respond both kindly and harshly but its different when you put yourself   and your personal choices about your child   into the world and subject them to scrutiny and criticism
in some ways writing about your own experience is the easiest thing your story is theoretically anyway the one you know best but by writing about yourself you expose your choices in ways that can be discomforting plus the people with whom you have to interact daily may not like what you are writing about them
in the end i felt it was important to tell the story i could tell about segregation in this most liberal of cities through the eyes of a journalist and a parent who is trying to navigate complicated waters so despite my qualms i pursued the story
i started reporting it full time in october and filed a first draft in early february i then spent months rewriting re reporting rewriting some more i was trying to balance so many things a story that was personal but also deeply reported that was about one family and one school but also about the entire nation a story that was past and present that was both familiar and unknown
in the end what i produced is probably my most nuanced exploration of the challenges of and the mandate for integration and as i expected it touched a nerve with readers prompting hundreds of emails comments and social media posts i am proud of it but mostly i am relieved it is done


ask the times a times insider feature draws on new york times staff members expertise to answer questions about current events science sports culture and whatever else is making headlines
a reader asks ive noticed that when referring to donald trump the times usually uses his middle initial j ive also noticed that this is notwas not the case for the other candidates like hillary rodham omitted clinton and john richard omitted kasich so why the initial for mr trump
charles v bagli a metro reporter who writes about the intersection of politics and real estate   and has covered mr trump for years   responds
i dont care what the newspapers say about me as long as they spell my name right
words to live by for many politicians businessmen authors and con artists even if no one knows whether this bit of insight originally came from pt barnum mae west george m cohan or someone else
but which of the potentially many versions of a persons name does a newspaper like the times choose to use when it refers to an individual in a story
the name of that brash kid from queens first appeared in the times on jan 28 1973 in a story about his father fred c trump he was simply donald trump
his middle initial premiered in another story 10 months later both versions were in play for a couple of months before the times settled on donald j trump
mr trump whose business has largely become his name long ago perfected a signature with a distinctive dense string of vertical lines and a machine like precision if not legibility seeming to spell out donald j trump the j stands for john
mr trump has on rare occasions resorted to the diminutive donald as he did in a 1998 letter when he asked former mayor rudolph w giuliani for a favor
the gray lady of course has rules about this sort of thing although it does not appear that the timess editors have been plagued by that hobgoblin of little minds   consistency
in the good old days the saying was that ever e body got a middle initial in the times explains the papers chief copy editor jill no middle initial taylor but that blanket practice has given way to preference
so the other presumptive nominee for president made her first appearance in the times as hillary rodham clinton in 1984 depending on the article she appeared as either hillary clinton or hillary rodham clinton for many years before ultimately choosing the latter
her insistence on using three names may have represented an attempt to assert a separate identity from that of her husband by the same token her more recent request that we jettison rodham may have been an attempt to reassert her connection to her popular husband
hillary did in fact use rodham for the longest ms taylor notes but last fall she confirmed to several news outlets that she preferred to be simply hillary clinton
and it was her choice to be mrs rather than ms a policy that many readers assume we imposed on her ms taylor adds referring to an option offered to all women who are quoted in the times we did not
bernie sanders on the other hand has been bernie sanders since a times story in 1981 about the new socialist mayor of burlington vt
have a question for ask the times submit it using the form below


front page
a headline last tuesday with a capsule summary about the jail sentence for a former stanford university swimmer brock turner misidentified the crimes for which he was convicted as the article correctly noted the three felony counts were sexual assault of an unconscious person sexual assault of an intoxicated person and sexual assault with intent to commit rape the case did not involve a rape sentence
national
an article on thursday about a bill to create a federal control board to oversee a reboot of puerto ricos economy referred incorrectly to the sovereign status of puerto rico it is a commonwealth not a country
new york
a picture in some editions on saturday with an article about the environmental protection agencys plan to install a sewage tank near a brooklyn warehouse studio owned by eastern effects was published in error the photograph was of one of the buildings for sale near eastern effectss studio not of the warehouse
the arts
a critics notebook article on thursday about the human rights watch film festival in manhattan which includes the documentary sonita misidentified the school where the subject of the film is studying it is wasatch academy in mount pleasant utah   not utah valley university the article also misidentified the site of the university the main campus is in orem utah not wasatch while the university also has a wasatch campus it is in heber city utah there is a wasatch county in the state but no town of that name

an article on saturday about symbols used online by white extremists misspelled the surname of one who reverses a symbol used to designate jewish heritage in order to signal that she is not jewish she is lana lokteff not lotkeff
weekend
a classical music entry in the listings pages on friday about two concerts by the new york philharmonic in central park this week misstated the date of the program featuring mozarts clarinet concerto and richard strausss ein heldenleben it is scheduled for wednesday not thursday
inside the times
because of an editing error the quotation of the day on saturday taken from an article about a wildfire that broke out last week in yarnell ariz and the memories it prompted of a devastating 2013 wildfire there misidentified the person who said i was like a fire were still recovering from a fire as the article correctly noted the comment was by chuck tidey president of the yarnell peeples valley chamber of commerce   not by ben palm chief of the yarnell fire department
obituaries
an obituary on friday about the venture capitalist thomas j perkins misstated part of the name of a company in which he invested it was tandem computers not tandem computer the obituary also misstated in some editions the year that hewlett packard on whose board mr perkins served bought the computer company compaq it was 2002 not 2001
opinion
an op ed article on may 31 about the far right in europe misstated an element of germanys economic collapse during the great depression it was deflation not inflation
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the st louis blues have hired mike yeo as the successor in waiting to their head coach ken hitchcock the teams current coach has declared that next season will be his last behind the bench before retiring
the blues general manager doug armstrong announced monday that yeo would be an associate coach for one year under hitchcock and take over the team for the 2017 18 season hitchcock 64 who led the blues to the western conference finals this season will enter his sixth year with st louis and his 20th as an nhl head coach
i feel really confident that the team and the franchise is going to be in great shape with mike at the helm hitchcock said
yeo was fired feb 13 by the central division rival minnesota wild after compiling a 173 132 44 record over five seasons under yeo the wild made three trips to the playoffs including a first round victory over the blues last year
the wild who rallied to return to the postseason under the interim coach john torchetti were mired in a 3 12 4 slide when the 42 year old yeo was let go
rick wilson a former blues defenseman who was on hitchcocks staff in dallas in 1999 when the stars won the stanley cup and on yeos staff in minnesota was also hired as an assistant coach yeo and wilson were picked as replacements for the assistant coaches brad shaw and kirk muller who decided not return to st louis
the blues had 107 points last season before eliminating the defending champion chicago blackhawks and the central division champion stars in the playoffs they lost to san jose in six games in the conference finals
the detroit red wings and the family of the hockey legend gordie howe are encouraging fans to attend a public visitation at joe louis arena
mark howe said in a release monday that his father always had a special connection with the fans so it was important to us to allow the public into the funeral service because its the way he would have done it
gordie howe died friday at 88 he led the red wings to four stanley cups during his 25 years with the team
the public visitation is scheduled from 9 am to 9 pm tuesday gordie howes body will lie in repose inside the arena bowl
max scherzer retired the first 16 batters he faced and threw seven innings of two hit ball striking out 11 in a pitching masterpiece that carried the washington nationals past the visiting chicago cubs 4 1
scherzers bid for his third career no hitter ended with one out in the sixth when addison russell hit a 3 2 pitch into the left field seats the only other batter to reach against scherzer 8 4 was anthony rizzo who doubled in the seventh
he has won three straight starts
around the majors ryan howard and odubel herrera homered jerad eickhoff pitched six spotless innings to win consecutive starts for the first time this season and the philadelphia phillies ended a four game losing streak by beating the blue jays 7 0 in toronto tyler holts bases loaded walk off closer arodys vizcaino forced in the tiebreaking run in the ninth inning and the cincinnati reds beat the braves 9 8 in atlanta five braves pitchers combined for eight walks including three by vizcaino 1 2 in the ninth
fletcher cox the standout defensive tackle for the philadelphia eagles agreed to a six year contract with the team that could earn him nine figures
cox a first round draft pick in 2012 has been a starter since midway through his rookie season one of the nfls most versatile defensive linemen cox has 308 tackles and 22 sacks in his four pro seasons
he is coming off his best nfl season with 104 tackles 80 solo and nine and a half sacks
around the league the buffalo bills shuffled their roster before opening a mandatory spring minicamp by signing defensive end leger douzable and offensive tackle chris martin douzable has seven seasons of nfl experience including three with the jets he is reuniting with rex ryan who took over as the bills coach last year after spending six seasons coaching the jets martin rejoins the bills after spending part of last season on buffalos practice squad buffalo freed up room by releasing defensive end claudell louis and offensive tackle keith lumpkin the seattle seahawks have given nate robinson a former nba standout and a former college football player a tryout the seahawks confirmed that robinson went through a tryout on monday which was first reported by the washington post
yales rowing coach said a committee would determine whether the bulldogs won the 151st regatta with its archrival harvard or if the decision would go down in the books as no contest
yale was leading the heavyweight race in poor conditions on the thames river on sunday when harvards shell began taking on water and the crimson crew had to be evacuated into launch boats yale went on to finish the race but was informed two hours later that because a judge had put up a red flag when the incident occurred no winner would be declared
yale coach steve gladstone said the regatta committee which includes officials from both universities could take a few weeks to decide


oakland calif   the key to a series saving victory for the cleveland cavaliers in game 5 of the nba finals could be reasonably traced to game 4 three days and three time zones removed that was when and where lebron james tangled with draymond green which eventually led to a flagrant foul on green that kept him out of game 5 with a suspension
and without green around to verbally harass and defensively challenge james the golden state warriors lost their spunk as james scored 41 points and pulled down 16 rebounds to lead the cavaliers to a 112 97 victory monday night
kyrie irving added 41 points of his own creating a two man attack that the cold shooting warriors could not contain and could not match james and irving became the first teammates to score 40 or more points in a finals game
we just wanted them to attack to be aggressive like weve been talking about all cleveland coach tyronn lue said and they had two great games two breakout games
james accustomed to carrying teams in big games handed the credit to irving
its probably one of the greatest performances ive ever seen live james said
the cavaliers who trail the best of seven series by 3 games to 2 kept the warriors from clinching their second straight nba title and dragged the series back to cleveland for game 6 on thursday
now mind you to repeat a performance like this would definitely be tough but whatever it takes to win irving said adding were not satisfied we understand the magnitude of what game 6 means to us at home
playing a physical game filled with hard fouls sprawling bodies and constant arguments with officials the cavaliers turned a halftime tie into a blowout victory they slowly deflated a crowd expecting a coronation for a team that won a record 73 regular season games and beat the cavaliers in games 1 and 2 by a combined 48 points the largest differential for the first two games in finals history
golden state coach steve kerr had foreshadowed the possibility before the game
what weve learned the last couple of years is that were a team that sometimes lets down when things are going well he said but were also a team that has responded every single time weve been faced with adversity in the playoffs the last two years
the warriors were led by klay thompsons 37 points and his splash brother stephen curry added 25 but they got uneven contributions from teammates and the warriors shot just 364 percent from the field the best 3 point shooting team in history shot just 3 of 21 from behind the 3 point line in the second half
the warriors were glum afterward knowing that one opportunity had slipped but tried to see the bigger picture in the series
i like our chances going forward curry said
the cavaliers rekindled hope that they could bring a long awaited championship to a title starved city the cavaliers have not won an nba title in their 46 season history and cleveland has not won a major league sports championship since the browns won the nfl title in 1964
if they should end that curse however the cavaliers would have to win twice more including a game 7 back at oracle arena on sunday
the warriors whose 50 home victories in the regular season and the playoffs tied an nba record now look to repeat their winning methods of last year when they clinched the championship in a game 6 victory in cleveland
they will do it presumably with green in the lineup on monday he was not allowed inside oracle arena and watched the game next door at oakland coliseum where the as played a baseball game his hope was to sprint into the arena after the final buzzer to take part in a championship celebration that did not happen
lue clevelands coach called green golden states best defender and kerr said the absence   which he has not publicly criticized   was a factor
we werent very good defensively kerr said we obviously knew we were without draymond so theres no point in harping on that we had to play better and we didnt
the league suspension stemmed from an altercation with james last friday night in cleveland the two beefy forwards got tangled and green tumbled to the court when james emphatically stepped over him green took a swipe at james the two discussed their differences animatedly as play continued around them
on sunday the nba described greens actions as a retaliatory swipe of his hand to the groin of james and two days after the game issued him a flagrant foul his third of the postseason it led to an automatic one game suspension
for game 5 the warriors owner joe lacob was among the fans wearing a green jersey some held oversize cardboard cutouts of greens face a free draymond chant percolated through the crowd now and again james was booed whenever he had the ball which was often and sometimes sustained the boos long after he gave it up
andre iguodala the most valuable player of last years finals started in greens place and scored the games first basket on a break after stealing the ball from james by the time the first quarter ended he had 8 points 4 rebounds 3 assists and 2 steals the kind of score sheet smorgasbord green often supplies iguodala finished with 15 points 11 rebounds and 6 assists
the warriors had a 32 29 lead after the first quarter but with james resting the cavaliers began the second quarter with a 7 0 run intensity grew and the game turned more physical testing the officials as bodies banged and sprawled in desperation thompson unknotted the scrums with a barrage of 3 pointers the lead changed several times and by the time the half ended on a last second miss by james it was tied 61 61
without green kerr jostled his substitution patterns further limited by first half foul trouble and a third quarter left knee injury to center andrew bogut who was helped off the court and played less than eight minutes he was scheduled for a magnetic resonance imaging test on monday night
a small lineup has been golden states not so secret weapon at times in the playoffs but the cavaliers exploited it with force james often drove hard to the basket and forward tristan thompson hauled in 15 rebounds against his shorter opponents
by games end james and irving were on the bench their season extended the seats at oracle arena were emptying quickly and there was no sign of green running over for a celebration


from a thousand miles away they watched as the horrors replayed in an endless loop the death count climbing to an unimaginable high for lesbian gay bisexual and transgender new yorkers coping with news of the massacre in orlando fla the grief was compounded by a sense of helplessness donations of money could do only so much and calls for gun control are so often unheeded even giving blood was not an option for gay men who are largely barred from donating
so despondent but not despairing thousands converged on the west village in manhattan on monday night for a vigil at the stonewall inn where the modern gay rights movement was ignited by a series of riots in 1969 for many new yorkers this was the most powerful form of demonstration possible reclaiming this sanctum of gay life that had so recently been transformed into a war zone in orlando
going to the bars now is an act of activism and defiance said nico medina 34 a book editor from orlando who now lives in south slope brooklyn its a powerful reminder to people that were standing together
the crowd on monday night wedged tightly together in the triangle of streets facing stonewall listened intently to a group of speakers including top new york state and city elected officials openly gay city council members as well as the singer nick jonas and the actor tituss burgess
the speakers bemoaned not only the assault on the gay club but also the lack of action in congress to pass comprehensive federal gun control legislation necessitating vigils like this too often
gov andrew m cuomo mayor bill de blasio police commissioner william j bratton and other city officials joined the commemoration calling for calm unity and gun legislation that would ban nationwide   as they are in new york   the military style automatic weapon used in the attack and others like it
we passed gun control in this state said mr cuomo a democrat standing before a lectern festooned with a sign declaring we are orlando and flanked by an american flag and a gay pride flag we outlawed assault weapons in this state we know it can be done
he added until we have a national policy none of us are safe
mr de blasio welcomed the thousands of people who had come all in solidarity all in common cause and he criticized those who were using the tragedy to turn americans against one another
we do not accept anyone who would sow division or hatred mr de blasio a democrat said we do not accept the notion of any of our leaders sowing hatred and division part in the wake of tragedy and that means you donald trump
the crowds grief seemed magnified by the fact that omar mateen who was born in new york perpetrated the killings and that at least two victims identified by the authorities had roots in the city as well
the new yorkers who died at pulse a gay nightclub in orlando included enrique rios 25 a student who lived with his grandmother in brooklyn and was on vacation in florida and shane tomlinson 33 a singer from queens who had moved to orlando
standing guard at the rally was a large squad of new york city police officers many wearing counterterrorism gear mr de blasio said that no credible threats had been directed at new york though the orlando shooting had city officials here on high alert
the authorities deployed hundreds of specialized officers and added uniformed police at heavily trafficked areas of manhattan and at places popular among gay people officials said
i can remember the days when cops were raiding this place said william drummer 91 watching the crowd thicken it touches my heart to see this kind of solidarity
stacey lentz a co owner of the stonewall said she felt comforted by the added protection but also by throngs of people who have been gathering at the bar since sunday morning bedecking its red brick facade with flowers and cards and overwhelming the street out front for the vigil
the lgbt community has survived so much before from aids to hate crimes said ms lentz 46 and were continuing to show that were strong and love wins
still ms lentz acknowledged that like pulse her business was a potential target those victims couldve been any lgbt person at any bar around the country she said but gay bars have always been one place where we can feel free we refuse to have that taken from us
austin wade said he had expected to spend june celebrating gay pride month with parades and other celebrations instead last night he joined the demonstration unable to shake the feeling that he could have been one of the 49 victims
i go to gay clubs all the time said mr wade a 27 year old writer from prospect lefferts gardens brooklyn it couldve been me on that dance floor
as day turned to night each victims name and age was read aloud while a stiff gust of wind whipped through the crowd one by one mourners lifted a hand to guard their candles unwilling to let anything extinguish the flames


a restaurant in modena italy won the top prize monday night as the 2016 edition of the influential worlds 50 best restaurants list was unveiled at a new york city gathering attended by hundreds of chefs from around the world
last years top two winners exchanged places osteria francescana became the first italian restaurant to reach no 1 while el celler de can roca in catalonia spain dropped to no 2 eleven madison park in manhattan moved up from no 5 to no 3
but the biggest surprise was the announcement that the copenhagen restaurant noma was chosen no 5 it had been in the top three every year since 2009
two other american restaurants made the list for the first time saison in san francisco with a high debut at no 27 and estela on the lower east side of manhattan was no 44 le bernardin in new york fell to 24 from 18 alinea in chicago moved up to 15 from 26 and blue hill at stone barns in pocantico hills ny rose to 48 from 49
three other american restaurants landed on the organizations long list of 100 for the first time chefs table at brooklyn fare benu in san francisco and cosme in new york one of the few restaurants on the list with a woman daniela soto innes in charge of the kitchen
in april dominique crenn was named worlds best female chef despite the fact that her san francisco restaurant atelier crenn has never appeared on the list the new york chef april bloomfield cooked for the event though she has so far been excluded
the list of restaurants ranked 51 through 100 was announced last week both per se and the french laundry showed up there dropping their esteemed american chef thomas keller from the top 50 three american restaurants fell off the list altogether coi in san francisco and masa and the nomad both in new york
since it began in 2002 the list has proved its power making international stars of chefs like rene redzepi magnus nilsson and andoni luis aduriz whose culinary innovations or remote locations or both would have once kept their restaurants from being internationally famous it has become so popular and profitable with the opportunity for multiple sponsorships that sub lists   50 best restaurants in asia 50 best restaurants in south america   have been established with more to come
this was the first time since the awards began that the event took place outside london a move intended to highlight haute cuisines increasingly global and decreasingly eurocentric focus next years awards ceremony will be held in melbourne australia
putting the chefs all together in new york allows for amazing conversations that wouldnt happen otherwise said sean brock a chef from charleston sc whose adventurous southern restaurant husk has yet to crack the list being around the people that operate the best restaurants in the world helps me see the big picture
with success has come scrutiny some chefs on and off the list have asserted that lobbying plays a part in how the list is compiled last year a short lived movement called occupy50best protested what it called the awards cronyism and sexism the honored chefs are overwhelmingly male and on the world list overwhelmingly white
many other chefs are uncomfortable spending time and money to jockey for a higher position
traveling to prepare dinners for journalists or voters hiring specialized pr targeting special media   playing the game can be fun but ultimately it is a distraction from who we are and why we work at manresa said david kinch whose bay area restaurant is at no 83 this year
william reed media the british media company that administers the awards has made steps toward transparency including hiring the deloitte firm to oversee the ballots that come in from 27 regions and more than 1000 voters worldwide
this year some academy chairs the regional chiefs who choose the voters who had potential conflicts of interest stepped down boris yu chairman for china and korea who is also a restaurant owner in hong kong roser torras chairman for spain who is a well known restaurant publicist and andrea petrini chairman for france who is an organizer of prestigious culinary events all were replaced by journalists
but the voting system in which voters are not necessarily anonymous and are allowed to accept free meals and trips is still a consistent target of criticism so is the lists tendency to elevate cutting edge gastronomy above traditional cuisine
and so is the very notion that all the restaurants in the world   of every kind in every country   can be ordered according to which is best
andre chiang a chef in singapore who consistently appears on the list said that the lists embrace of the new is more important than its rankings
i always say that this list is not about rank or whos on top of the other he said but it is an indication of trend and direction because these 50 chefs who choose to step out from their comfort zone are pushing the boundaries and leading the culinary scene of tomorrow
a complete list of winners is on the organizations website


henry aaron it begins
bernard aaronson william aaronson charles i abady pasquale v abate victor emanuel abate
on it goes this roll call of brooklyns dead in world war ii through 11500 names including 19 katzes   abraham abraham abraham w adolph daniel harry harvey herbert l irving joseph leonard lester a louis h morris morris n murray philip robert and solomon   before reaching william a zwolski
in sheer numbers the roster of the brooklyn war memorial in cadman plaza dwarfs that of the national september 11 memorial at the world trade center it fills 15 walnut panels almost 20 feet high with countless three quarter inch bronze letters dedicated in 1951 six years after the war the display was meant to overwhelm it still does
but you have probably never seen it because the roster occupies a hall into which the public is rarely admitted you may have assumed as i did that the limestone exterior   two colossal allegorical figures war and peace or victory and family flanking a dedication to the men and women who fought in world war ii   was the monument in its entirety
in recent years however memorial day ceremonies outside the structure have underscored its fundamental purpose all of a sudden people in the community realized wow this is a memorial said toba potosky president of the nonprofit cadman park conservancy
the conservancy and the new york city parks and recreation department hope to reopen the main hall of the brooklyn war memorial while there are still world war ii veterans alive
it becomes more of a debt as the years go by to honor what theyve done said stephen a varone president of rand engineering and architecture which is surveying the structures condition for the conservancy the building   now reached by steps   must be made accessible to wheelchairs a process that includes the construction of a ramp the installation of an elevator and the alteration of bathrooms
money is in hand to begin that work said martin maher chief of staff in the brooklyn parks office 35 million from the federal government as compensation for using part of cadman plaza as a construction staging area 1 million allocated by eric l adams the brooklyn borough president and 500000 allocated by state assemblywoman jo anne simon
five million dollars gets us what we need to get people inside mr maher said
over the years the hall was used by the heights opera company the marionette theater company and the creative artists public service program which held a competition in 1971 that gave the place the look of a gallery that has been in a collision with a rummage sale as the new york times described it
it was the setting in 1973 of the induction of 230 new officers of the housing authority police department including cynthia brown the first female recruit and it was at the center of a 2006 controversy over artistic censorship when the brooklyn parks commissioner ordered the closing of a brooklyn college student show as being inappropriate for families
the art and antiquities unit of the parks department has a workshop in the basement of the building and the kings county jewish war veterans keeps a part time office there but for the most part the hall has gone unused since the mid 1980s
restoration and rehabilitation will proceed by baby steps mr maher said adding we wanted to build a constituency first there are a few impromptu exhibits in the hall showing how it might focus on subjects like other wars in history branches of the armed forces and recipients of the medal of honor
in 2008 the parks department cleaned and stabilized the 24 foot high exterior sculptures by charles keck a female figure sheltering a child and a male figure wearing a laurel and holding a sheathed sword
but the agency doesnt always make repairs on such a large scale more than a decade ago parks workers located a bronze o in the workshop said jonathan kuhn the director of art and antiquities they refinished it and swapped it out for an a upstairs
with that marton finkelstein became morton finkelstein at long last


oakmont pa   dustin johnsons final competitive stroke before taking aim at winning his first major was a thunderbolt out of the blue he holed a 21 foot chip in his weather delayed final round in memphis last week for a 63 and another top five finish on the pga tour
johnson ludicrously long off the tee is ranked 105th on the tour around the greens which is the short answer for why he has eight top five finishes but no victories in 20 starts since his second place finish at last years united states open
johnson has strung together a dozen top 10 finishes like beads on a necklace since his inglorious defeat last year at chambers bay suggesting he has more than a prayer to win the 116th united states open beginning thursday at oakmont country club but he has to be sharper around and on the greens
johnson is 160th on the tour inside 10 feet this season raising the question was his three putt on the final hole at chambers bay which left him one stroke behind the winner jordan spieth a referendum on the courses brown bumpy greens or on his brown thumb with his putter
in the days leading up to the years second major johnson described his game as really good and said i feel like i got control over all my clubs
he added i think the only thing thats really held me back from winning a bunch of times this year is making a few more putts
he could have been parroting adam scott before scott changed the narrative with a victory at the 2013 masters or angel cabrera who rewrote his well worn script in 2007 the last time the open was held at oakmont by winning the first of his two majors with great ball striking and putting that was merely good enough after prevailing with a five over 285 cabrera memorably said most of the time im not making any putts but this week it was like everybody was missing the putts so that gave me an advantage
the greens are expected to be faster than a blink this week if nobody can putt on them everybody can contend johnson who averages 3095 yards off the tee used his driver on seven holes including the 667 yard par 5 12th when he played the course for the first time this month he has the strength to ride the bucking bronco that is oakmont into the winners circle but does he have the fortitude
johnson told reporters in memphis that he was comfortable at oakmont and that he shot a good score in his first 18 hole practice round on the course i think it sets up well for me he said
what course doesnt johnson 31 had pebble beach on the ropes at the 2010 open before the course scored a final round knockout he dropped from the lead with a closing 82 two months later he missed a playoff at the pga championship at whistling straits after he was penalized for grounding his club in a fairway bunker on the 72nd hole
johnson was a stroke off the lead in the last round of the 2011 british open at royal st georges when he hit a long iron out of bounds on a par 5 he led last years british open at the halfway point before wild winds and the old course knocked him down at one point during the final round of this years masters johnson was a stroke off the lead he tied for fourth
hes been so close so many times spieth said at the memorial tournament i believe hell be there it will happen soon with dustin
spieth added if you take a poll of tour players they believe hell win the major in the next couple years i would say well over half of them will believe that
if not for johnsons miss of a 3 foot birdie try at chambers bay he and spieth might be tied with the worlds no 1 ranked player jason day with one major apiece three behind the world no 3 rory mcilroy and four behind phil mickelson who was 33 when he won his first
spieth had his third major crown in his grasp at the masters in april ahead by five strokes with nine holes to play he lost his composure and gave up the lead for good with two balls hit into the water on the 12th hole
spieth was asked at the memorial which was the tougher way to lose a major with two bad swings on the 12th hole at augusta national or with two missed putts on the 72nd hole like johnson at chambers bay
i thought that maybe what i had to go through is easier spieth said
johnson talks as if he is ready to win a major but until he turns his belief in himself into action the hole in his record will be the heckler he cannot escape


the principal of stuyvesant high school   among new york citys finest schools   will be taking a new job as superintendent of a struggling military academy near west point a school whose most prominent alumni include donald j trump
the new york military academy a 127 year old military themed boarding school in cornwall on hudson ny announced on monday that jie zhang who has been principal of stuyvesant since early 2013 will become superintendent in july
grappling with bankruptcy the military academy was bought at auction in september for 16 million by a nonprofit conservation group run by vincent tianquan mo a real estate entrepreneur based in china and great neck ny the school which once had an enrollment of 500 had just 10 students this past semester and expects 100 this coming fall by contrast stuyvesant has 3000 students
jin xu secretary of the academys board of trustees said the school had hired ms zhang because it felt she could recruit a top flight staff that would in turn bring in first rate students half of them foreign and half local
this is a chance to turn this school into one of the best schools in the country mr xu said shes a world class educator
in an interview ms zhang noted that at 56 she was eligible to retire with a sizable pension that she could add to her salary at the academy which she said was comparable to her current stuyvesant salary of 157000 she said she was excited by the challenge of revamping a private school with the authority to hire staff and shape matters in a way she could not within a large municipal bureaucracy influenced by powerful unions
the fact that the schools owner is chinese and that many of the students are expected to be chinese was also a factor said ms zhang who was born in china
i always dreamed for years of doing something that combined the two cultures she said for the first time my cultural background and language will be part of my job


the national endowment for the arts has named its 2017 nea jazz masters the musicians   dee dee bridgewater dave holland dr lonnie smith and dick hyman   and the jazz historian ira gitler each will each receive 25000 and be honored at a tribute concert at the john f kennedy center for the performing arts in washington on april 3 2017
all of the honored musicians still perform ms bridgewater is a grammy  and tony winning singer who recently appeared as billie holiday in lady day off broadway charles isherwood a new york times theater critic wrote of her performance i sank back happily into my seat and let her artistry which melds her own sophisticated style with an effective vocal impersonation of holiday seduce me into a state of bliss mr holland a bassist played extensively with miles davis and anthony braxton and this year toured internationally with his trio
the organist lonnie smith started his career in the 1960s and currently leads a band stocked with young talent which can be heard on evolution an album released this year dick hyman a pianist has played a wide range of styles over his career and collaborated with woody allen on many of movies including the purple rose of cairo and stardust memories
gary burton pharoah sanders archie shepp and wendy oxenhorn received the 2016 award the 2017 concert will be open to the public and broadcast via a live webstream more information is available at artsgov


the board of regents new york states highest education authority voted on monday to make it easier for some students with disabilities to graduate from high school
under a new regulation students with individualized education plans would need to pass two regents exams   english and math   rather than five they would still have to take three other exams in social studies science and one optional subject but if they did not pass their district superintendent could still grant them a diploma if they demonstrated proficiency in those subjects through coursework the students would not receive the more rigorous regents diplomas but would receive local diplomas which are accepted by colleges the military and employers these students would have to achieve scores of 55 or higher on the english and math exams or successfully appeal scores of 52 to 54
schools start administering regents exams on tuesday and the regulation will take effect immediately the chancellor of the board of regents betty a rosa said in an interview that the state education department estimated the change would help 1300 to 2000 students graduate this year
ms rosa who was elected chancellor in march has criticized what she has called an overemphasis on standardized tests in evaluating both students and teachers she said on monday that the regents were going to take a broad look at the states graduation requirements asked if they might decide to let students without disabilities show proficiency through coursework she said it was too early to say
the regents also voted on monday to allow school districts to apply for a waiver to a requirement in the states teacher evaluation law that teachers and principals be observed by independent evaluators as well as their direct supervisors the requirement could be waived if the districts can show that compliance would cause financial hardship among other conditions


the victims identified so far by the city of orlando
stanley almodovar iii 23
amanda alvear 25
oscar a aracena montero 26
rodolfo ayala ayala 33
antonio davon brown 29
darryl roman burt ii 29
angel l candelario padro 28
juan chevez martinez 25
luis daniel conde 39
cory james connell 21
tevin eugene crosby 25
deonka deidra drayton 32
simon adrian carrillo fernandez 31
leroy valentin fernandez 25
mercedez marisol flores 26
peter o gonzalez cruz 22
juan ramon guerrero 22
paul terrell henry 41
frank hernandez 27
miguel angel honorato 30
javier jorge reyes 40
jason benjamin josaphat 19
eddie jamoldroy justice 30
anthony luis laureanodisla 25
christopher andrew leinonen 32
alejandro barrios martinez 21
brenda lee marquez mccool 49
gilberto ramon silva menendez 25
kimberly morris 37
akyra monet murray 18
luis omar ocasio capo 20
eric ivan ortiz rivera 36
joel rayon paniagua 32
jean carlos mendez perez 35
enrique l rios jr 25
jean c nives rodriguez 27
christopher joseph sanfeliz 24
xavier emmanuel serrano rosado 35
edward sotomayor jr 34
yilmary rodriguez sulivan 24
shane evan tomlinson 33
martin benitez torres 33
jonathan antonio camuy vega 24
franky jimmy dejesus velazquez 50
juan p rivera velazquez 37
luis s vielma 22
luis daniel wilson leon 37
jerald arthur wright 31


orlando fla   one of the survivors of sundays attack at the nightclub pulse a man closeted from his family called his latin american parents abroad to tell them that a close friend   who was actually his partner   had died in the bar their response you werent in that bar were you
that attitude a throwback to an earlier era seemed the rare exception as relatives of those gunned down in the club many of them puerto rican mourned their deaths and celebrated their lives on the streets of orlando
the moments of mourning seemed to show how far gay culture has progressed from a time when it was frequently hidden from loved ones
and so eddie justice a 30 year old gay accountant texted his mother mina mommy i love you as bullets flew and the gunman omar mateen headed toward the pulse bathroom where he was hiding according to the associated press mr justice was confirmed dead on monday
in the hours since the attack there have been countless homages on social media posted by friends and relatives who extolled the accomplishments of their loved ones and embraced their sexual identity
and there were the families of the anguished victims who gathered around tables and in conference rooms to await word about whether their sons daughters cousins or uncles   gay or straight   had died
it is a seismic shift from the atmosphere four decades ago after the firebombing of the upstairs lounge in new orleans back in 1973 some relatives refused to claim the bodies of their gay sons banishing them to potters fields and the new orleans community joked that the ashes of the dead would be buried in fruit jars thirty two people died
it is not necessary to reach that far back to feel the progress which has galloped swiftly ahead in the past 10 years despite setbacks and plenty of lingering hate a new generation of gay people and lesbians feels far less weighed down by stigma and fear in todays rapidly evolving embrace of gay rights
a mother texting with her son and saying he was afraid and he was going to die said juan cantu a theatrical director of mexican descent who lives here and was once a disney world performer that is a milestone in my generation im 42 i kept it hidden and i didnt have the kind of relationship with my family that i would have told them that i was at a gay bar
but he said we are not there yet
it was latin night at pulse on saturday which meant that a large number of latinos   gay and straight   came out to dance salsa and listen to music most of them were puerto rican a half a million live in the orlando area with a sprinkling of mexicans and colombians in the mix while the club advertises as a gay bar and has a large gay clientele it has always attracted a diverse group
orlando has been one of the countrys most gay friendly cities with progressive anti discrimination laws and aggressive advocates in mayor buddy dyer and patty sheehan an openly gay councilwoman the city hosts gay days every year huge gatherings that draw people from around the world also local companies like universal and disney are gay friendly at least one shooting victim was a disney performer
among latinos acceptance of gay culture has moved ahead less assertively an overlay of machista culture remains making it more difficult to come out for fear of rejection and discrimination
certainly there are pockets of cultural resistance   be it the hispanic community or the black community said tim vargas the president of the board of glbt community center of central florida who is half mexican both of those have had cultural hindrances to acceptance i do think we have made a lot of progress
luis daniel wilson leon 37 who died at the club was harassed for being gay as a young man growing up in puerto rico a close friend daniel gmys casiano wrote on facebook on monday
carlos guillermo smith 35 an orlando resident who is of peruvian and french canadian descent and is government affairs manager for equality florida the statewide gay rights organization called the massacre inside pulse an attack on the latino gay lesbian and transgender community
when you look at the list of names of victims 90 percent of them are young latino men said mr smith who is running as a democrat for an orlando seat in the state house it is so devastating to our community because for me it is so personal not only because this is my home its my community its against my identity as a gay latino
as relatives waited on sunday outside a hospital they spoke lovingly of the young men and women who had been shot and killed words that bespoke the transformation that has taken place
barron serrano said his brother juan p rivera velazquez 37 who loved bodybuilding and karate had been married to luis conde 39 for 13 years a partnership he said they had worked hard to nurture both were puerto rican
they had a bumpy relationship at first it was not easy and they had ups and down but they always forgot about their problems and stuck together mr serrano said they were a very happy couple
al ferguson the owner of a travel agency that caters to gay people said he had kept vigil with families at the hospital in support of his friend edward sotomayor jr a puerto rican man who died in the shooting
what struck me in the room is the vast majority of family and friends there were not gay said mr ferguson who is gay there were not lots of gay people supporting gay people there were families that didnt care they were gay or didnt care they were in a gay club they loved their son and their friend that is a phenomenon that happened in the last six seven eight years public acceptance of the gay community


washington   when a young american man from coastal florida drove a truck packed with explosives into a hilltop restaurant in syria in may 2014 fbi agents scoured his online postings and interviewed his contacts in florida in a scramble to determine who if anyone might try to launch a similar attack inside the united states
one of the people they spoke to was omar mateen a young security guard from a nearby town who had attended the same mosque as the suicide bomber and had been on a terrorism watch list for incendiary comments he once made to co workers at a local courthouse but the fbi soon ended its examination of mr mateen after finding no evidence that he posed a terrorist threat to his community
that hopeful conclusion was upended in a bloody spasm of violence early sunday morning when mr mateen fatally shot dozens of people at a nightclub in orlando fla before being killed by police officers who stormed the club to end the standoff the horrific events at the pulse nightclub left 49 dead and have left family members neighbors and federal investigators trying to piece together clues about what might have led mr mateen 29 to carry out such unspeakable violence
the government investigation could take months but an early examination of mr mateens life reveals a hatred of gay people and a stew of contradictions he was a man who could be charming loved afghan music and enjoyed dancing but he was also violently abusive family members said he was not overly religious but he was rigid and conservative in his view that his wife should remain mostly at home the fbi director said on monday that mr mateen had once claimed ties to both al qaeda and hezbollah   two radical groups violently opposed to each other
investigators now face the question of how much the killings were the act of a deeply disturbed man as his former wife and others described him and how much he was driven by religious or political ideology whatever drove him to carry out the shootings his actions highlight the difficulty for the american government in trying to address a new style of terrorism   random acts of violence that may have been at least partly inspired by the islamic state but were not directed by the groups leaders
unlike al qaeda which favors highly organized and planned operations the islamic state has encouraged anyone to take up arms in its name and uses a sophisticated campaign of social media to inspire future attacks by unstable individuals with little history of embracing radical islam president obama said monday that there was no evidence that the islamic state actually directed sundays attack which would make mr mateens case part of a pattern of domestic radicalization
american officials have said that those under surveillance in the united states for possible ties to the group usually have little terrorism expertise or outside support which makes thwarting an islamic state inspired attack less like stopping a traditional act of terrorism and more like trying to prevent a shooting at a school or movie theater
the son of afghan immigrants mr mateen was born in new york in 1986 moved to florida with his family in 1991 and spent his early years there in the port st lucie area near the states east coast he made friends as a child at a local mosque and built friendships during slumber parties and basketball games and playing video games he bounced between jobs in high school and college in court documents connected to a 2006 name change   from omar mir seddique to omar mir seddique mateen   he said he had held eight jobs in about four years including work as a grocer and as a salesman at a computer store
he earned an associate degree in criminal justice technology from indian river state college in 2006 the year he began working for the florida department of corrections at a facility just west of port st lucie
he left that job six months later and within six months he had found work with g4s a large private security company that has won large government contracts for work both in the united states and abroad he was assigned to protect at least two properties during his years at the firm pga village a golf club and the st lucie county courthouse complex
mr mateen had a home in fort pierce on the atlantic coast on monday morning a reporter told the police that the houses sliding glass back door was open officers went to the home and discovered the door open possibly by force creating suspicion of a burglary a police spokesman said detectives will follow up to determine if in fact it was a burglary
mr mateen met his future wife sitora yusufiy on myspace in 2008 both were on the site looking for love and eventually marriage and she was drawn to him because of his alluring and funny messages
during an interview monday at her home in boulder colo ms yusufiy said he seemed perfect   american enough for her free spirit and muslim enough to please her traditional family
this man was a simple americanized guy that was also from my culture and you know had the same religion she said so i was like ok this could potentially satisfy my parents
she moved to florida and they married in a quiet courthouse ceremony in 2009 but the short lived marriage was marred by violence and isolation she said she had no friends or family in florida and mr mateen preferred that she stay in the house
she said he sometimes returned from work angry and agitated including one night when she fell asleep on the floor waiting for him to return home
all i remember is being woken up by a pillow being taken from under my head she said i hit my head on the ground and then he started pulling my hair
he almost killed me she said because he started choking me and i somehow got out of it and i tried to tackle him
she said that mr mateen might have been gay but chose to hide his true identity out of anger and shame a senior federal law enforcement official said on monday that the fbi was looking at reports that mr mateen had used a gay dating app and patrons of pulse were quoted in news reports as saying that he had visited the club several times
ms yusufiy said that her ex husband had told her that he frequented nightclubs before their marriage but that he did not tell her they were gay clubs
the couple separated within a year and in 2011 mr mateen filed for divorce in the court filing mr mateen said the marriage was irretrievably broken he did not elaborate
he came to the fbis attention in 2013 when some of his co workers reported that he had made inflammatory comments claiming connections to overseas terrorists and saying he hoped that the fbi would raid his familys home so that he could become a martyr
the fbi opened an investigation and put mr mateen on a terrorist watch list for nearly a year
james comey the fbi director said during a news conference on monday that agents used various methods to investigate mr mateen including sending an undercover informant who made contact with the suspect wiretapping his conversations and scrutinizing his personal and financial records
they also sought help from saudi intelligence officials to learn more about his trips to the kingdom in 2011 and 2012 for the umrah a sacred pilgrimage to mecca made by muslims more than 11000 americans make pilgrimages to mecca each year and mr comey said the fbi found no derogatory information about his trips
during interviews with fbi agents according to mr comey mr mateen said he had made the incendiary remarks in anger because his co workers had ridiculed his muslim background and he wanted to scare them the fbi closed its investigation and took him off the terrorist watch list
but two months later in july 2014 his name resurfaced in connection with the young man from coastal florida moner mohammad abusalha who had traveled to syria and carried out the suicide bombing at the hilltop restaurant during the course of that investigation fbi agents learned that the two men had attended the same mosque and knew each other casually mr comey said
the fbi interviewed mr mateen a third time but determined that his ties to the suicide bomber were not significant the bureau had no further contact with mr mateen
mr comey defended the work of his agents although the bureaus handling of the case is likely to be the subject of scrutiny and criticism in the coming weeks
still cases such as these rankle fbi counterterrorism agents who believe they draw criticism for any choices they make   either for leaving cases open too long or for closing cases that dont seem to have enough evidence
don borelli a retired fbi counterterrorism supervisor in new york said there was a danger in criticizing agents who close investigations for lack of evidence
can we allow peoples futures to be affected if there is no proven basis for it thats the flip side to all this he said
sally yates the deputy attorney general told reporters on monday that the justice department might look to adopt new procedures that would alert counterterrorism investigators if someone who had been on a terror watch list tried to buy a gun
mr mateen bought the two weapons used in the attack just this month officials said one would have liked to have known about it ms yates said
federal investigators are now left to sift through disparate clues in search of any clear motive for sundays killings
the islamic state has tried to turn the bloody event into a propaganda coup and on monday the groups daily news bulletin boasted about the great victory carried out by our brother omar mateen
mr mateens father seddique mir mateen was unequivocal on monday that his son had committed an act of terrorism but the elder mr mateen and other family members said they were still puzzled why a young man who had never been particularly religious is now being tied to the islamic states murderous ideology
they said that at this point they can find no easy explanations
why did he do this his father asked he was born in america he went to school in america he went to college   why did he do that
i am as puzzled as you are


goals from emanuele giaccherini and graziano pelle combined with excellent defending in lyon france helped italy beat belgium 2 0 in its first match at the european championships on monday
described as one of the worst italian teams ever by the countrys news media manager antonio contes aging squad defied the odds to take the lead in group e with an impressive display
second ranked belgium which fielded a team with top premier league players including eden hazard kevin de bruyne and romelu lukaku dominated the games early stages but was forced to pay for errors by a makeshift defense and a lack of finishing up front
italy the 2006 world cup champion finally broke the deadlock in the 32nd minute when leonardo bonucci found giaccherini inside the belgium penalty area with a lofted long ball over the defense giaccherini controlled it with a fine touch and curled his shot past goalkeeper thibaut courtois
pelle made it 2 0 in extra time with a well struck volley after a counterattack
spain 1 czech republic 0 gerard pique finally broke down the czech republics stubborn defense in the final minutes in toulouse france giving spain the two time defending champions an opening victory at the european championships
pique ran behind the defenders and headed the ball into the net after a well placed cross by andres iniesta in the 87th minute
spain had created a series of scoring chances throughout the group d match at the stadium de toulouse but victory looked unlikely after a combination of poor finishing and a superb performance from czech republic goalkeeper petr cech
the czechs had a chance to break the deadlock in the 65th minute but midfielder cesc fabregas saved spain with a goal line clearance after a header by theodor gebre selassie
mexico 1 venezuela 1 jesus manuel coronas goal in the 80th minute in houston gave mexico a 1 1 tie against venezuela and first place in group c of the copa america centenario by winning the group el tri most likely avoids a quarterfinal matchup with the tournament favorite argentina
after missing several opportunities to score corona took on five defenders and fired a shot from 10 yards out to thrill the overwhelmingly pro mexico crowd
jose manuel velazquez gave venezuela the early lead by volleying in a headed assist from christian santos in the 10th minute venezuela had a chance to take the lead in the 84th minute but goalkeeper jose de jesus corona saved a bicycle kick by josef martinez
uruguay 3 jamaica 0 uruguays abel hernandez and matias corujo scored and jamaica added an own goal in santa clara calif in a battle between two group c teams that could not advance in the copa america
sentencing for rioters a marseille court convicted six english soccer fans and handed prison sentences ranging from one to three months to five of them for involvement in rioting at the european championships in recent days
the swift trials and sentencing appeared aimed at sending a message to potential hooligans for the rest of the monthlong tournament being played throughout france


scores of people were already lying dead or injured inside a crowded orlando nightclub and the police had spent hours trying to connect with the gunman and end the situation without further violence but when omar mateen threatened to set off explosives the police decided to act and pushed their way through a wall to end the bloody standoff
that was a critical decision   one of many made by the police early on sunday during the mass shooting at pulse a gay nightclub that left 50 people dead including the gunman the authorities said
a day after the shooting many details of the police response remained in question and the police account continued to contain crucial gaps   perhaps most critically what happened during the hours that mr mateen was hiding in a nightclub bathroom as he spoke intermittently to the police by cellphone
but law enforcement experts said that based on the initial accounts the orlando police appeared to have acted appropriately following well established tactical protocols that may have prevented further carnage despite a nearly three hour gap between when the shooting started and when mr mateen 29 was killed by police officers
the officers acted very heroically and courageous and saved many many lives during this operation said john mina orlandos police chief at a news conference on monday jeffrey l ashton the orange county state attorney announced on monday that his office would work with the florida department of law enforcement to investigate the use of force by the police once the criminal investigation led by the fbi was concluded
the authorities on monday described a complicated series of events and a changing crime scene that forced them to shift their tactics protocols have changed since the columbine high school massacre in 1999 but the evolving situation in the club led the police to use both the current tactics of moving forcefully against a gunman and the former strategy of stalling and buying time to draw the gunman out
according to the authorities the first police officers arrived on the scene not long after mr mateen opened fire with an assault rifle and pistol shots were exchanged in two separate bursts but then mr mateen retreated to the bathroom where he connected with the police by phone the police waited for nearly three hours they said to try to convince mr mateen to surrender
that approach continued until mr mateen threatened to deploy explosives including what the authorities described as a bomb vest which prompted officers to discard the notion that they were facing a barricaded hostage situation no explosives were found
if there is a window of opportunity for us to resolve the situation peacefully well take advantage of it said ed allen training program manager at the national tactical officers association but when the suspect escalates the level of violence we are forced to intervene
police special weapons team members initially sought to detonate a bathroom wall where mr mateen was holed up with several hostages but when the explosion did not bring the wall down chief mina said the swat team plowed through with an armored bearcat as dozens of hostages fled through the approximately three foot hole the police said mr mateen came out too firing mr mina said eight or nine officers shot back
it was not immediately clear if any hostages were injured during that final gunfight or whether gunfire from the police had struck anyone inside the club during the two earlier shooting exchanges autopsies will be performed on victims
police tactical experts said that before columbine when two students fatally shot 13 people before committing suicide the police would have hunkered down
before columbine you would set up a perimeter and wait for swat before you even thought about moving in said jim bueermann president of the police foundation now as soon as you have an active shooter you move in even if its just one or two officers the idea is if you dont take action hes going to kill people
james r waters the chief of the new york police department counterterrorism bureau said officers are trained in role playing exercises to engage the shooter once they arrive on a scene
first police car rolls up there are two officers there he said they have vests on sidearms they are trained to move to the shooter an experienced cop he will know the difference between an active shooter or a barricaded perp
but louis r anemone a former chief of department for the new york police said that the nature of the situation might have been unclear in orlando
is it an active shooting case or a hostage case its a very fine line he said what are the facts initially if there were shots being fired inside when the police arrived they had a moral obligation to go in
james preston president of the florida fraternal order of police said the orlando attack underscored the need for militarized equipment
when the shooting stopped and hostages gathered in the bathroom they needed to go in with the right amount of resources to do that and sometimes it takes a few minutes to get to that point he said they went in as quickly as they could with the knowledge they had


san jose calif   during the stanley cup playoffs the pittsburgh penguins captain sidney crosby did not have as many goals or points as his teammate phil kessel he had one fewer assist than another pittsburgh center nick bonino he did not come out of nowhere to save the day like the rookie goaltender matthew murray
but when the penguins defeated the san jose sharks 3 1 to capture the stanley cup on sunday night it was crosby who was named the winner of the conn smythe trophy which is given to the postseasons most valuable player
nobody had to explain to those who played with crosby why he was a deserving winner
hes a special player for a reason he can adapt and change his game to different things said pittsburgh forward chris kunitz a sometimes linemate of crosbys over the past eight seasons early in his career he went out and got points and did everything but that didnt make him satisfied he had to go out and lead through example and became a better player
conor sheary the rookie penguins forward spoke of crosby similarly hes our leader he said if hes not scoring goals or putting up points hes our guy in the locker room i know the conn smythe means the best player and hes been our best player and he has been all year
some might take issue with shearys statement the penguins and crosby struggled early in the season in mid december he was scoring at a 068 of a point per game pace   respectable enough for most players but well below the standard he has set for himself with a 13 points per game average over 11 seasons
but a coaching change on dec 12 when mike sullivan replaced mike johnston seemed to change everything for crosby and the penguins
pittsburgh which was 15 10 3 when sullivan took over went 33 16 5 the rest of the way crosby who had six goals and 13 assists in 28 games before sullivan arrived recorded 30 goals and 36 assists in his next 52 games
our core guys they can all really skate they want to play fast sullivan said sunday in explaining the changes he enacted that benefited crosby and others they want to come through the neutral zone with speed sullivan added we tried to implement a game plan that allowed them to play to their strengths
crosbys defensive game improved too in the penguins cup clinching victory over the sharks he blocked four shots including one against the heavy firing defenseman brent burns that led to pittsburghs empty net goal by patric hornqvist
crosby did not score a goal against san jose but his two assists in game 6 gave him four for the series over all crosby finished the postseason with six goals and 13 assists
not long after that empty net goal crosby hoisted the stanley cup high over his head as the penguins   who are for sale   celebrated their fourth championship
as captain he controls the order in which the 35 pound cup is passed from player to player he defied convention by giving it first to the injured defenseman trevor daley who came to pittsburgh in a midseason trade and missed the san jose series after breaking his left ankle in the eastern conference finals
daley crosby said in explaining his handoff choice had taken time off after being injured to visit his ailing mother
she wanted to see him with the cup he said that was important to her i think that kind of stuck with me after he told me that we were motivated to get it for him even though he had to watch
after giving the cup to daley while tv cameras were focused on the moment crosby also made two more nontraditional choices   forward pascal dupuis who was forced to retire in december because of a medical condition related to blood clots and marc andre fleury the starting goalie who was replaced by murray after being concussed and could not win his job back
he just handled it better than youd expect crosby said of fleury all three guys its about your team those guys showed it the best way you can
sullivan agreed that crosby deserved the conn smythe trophy
his numbers dont indicate the impact he had on helping this team win or the impact he had on a game to game basis sullivan said adding i could tell as we went through this postseason that he knew that our team had something special he was going to will this thing


the wind off the coast of hammonasset beach state park in connecticut ratcheted up to more than 20 miles an hour by sundown on sunday but in the early evening it felt still enough to a group of four people to head out into long island sound by kayak and paddle board for a dusk ride on the water
but the four including a little girl were swiftly overwhelmed by buffeting winds and strong tide that hauled them across the wide sound by morning two were dead and the other two   a woman and her 8 year old daughter   were rescued nearly 20 miles away from where they launched the police said the two were found by a resident who heard them screaming for help after they washed up on a beach on long island
according to the southold town police department the four all connecticut residents spent the night battling waves as the vessels were carried across long island sound
the woman delfina reynoso of hartford was found around 4 am on monday at mulford point in orient ny with her daughter damaris said martin flatley the police chief they had hypothermia and were taken to eastern long island hospital for treatment
the excursion began at 6 pm on sunday ms reynoso her boyfriend abdias ventura 30 also of hartford and damaris were in a kayak and a companion ferdinand lagos 39 of manchester was on a paddle board as soon as they left shore chief flatley said ms reynoso told the police that they get caught up in the tide and the wind and they start getting drawn out
they are paddling furiously and cant get back into connecticut he continued
around 9 pm after three hours of fighting the current mr lagos decided to swim for shore chief flatley said his body was discovered monday afternoon about five miles from the mouth of the connecticut river according to the united states coast guard
chief flatley said that the three others stayed with the kayak but that it was taking on water they drift with it across the sound he said adding that at some point the adults got out of the kayak and clung to it leaving the girl inside the water temperature at the time was below 60 degrees hypothermia was most likely setting in the chief said
around midnight chief flatly said mr ventura said he cant hold on anymore mr venturas body was found on a private beach a quarter mile west of where the woman and her daughter were rescued
all four were wearing life jackets chief flatley said
if you dont respect the water he said and know how the tides run and how the wind affects it it can be very dangerous


teams needing an impact hitter this summer   and perhaps for the next few years   have a new opportunity
yulieski gourriel a third baseman who defected in february from cuba was declared a free agent on monday gourriel 32 was widely considered the islands best player
he is also known to be a yankees fan and the yankees badly need an impact hitter in the middle of their order the mets are also missing several important hitters in their lineup
one scout who has seen gourriel but who requested anonymity to candidly share his evaluation called him advanced   a very good hitter who profiles as an everyday player
but teams have had mixed results with cuban players in recent years some have been bargains like jose abreu of the chicago white sox six years 68 million and the mets yoenis cespedes whose first contract with oakland was for four years and 36 million
but others have been busts so far like bostons rusney castillo seven years 725 million and atlantas hector olivera who signed for six years and 625 million with the los angeles dodgers before being traded to the braves and is now serving a suspension for violating baseballs domestic abuse policy
the yankees bid aggressively last spring on yoan moncada a second baseman who signed with the red sox for 315 million moncada 21 was hitting 299 with 36 steals in class a through sunday
gourriel defected with his younger brother lourdes gourriel jr an infielder and outfielder their father was a star player who once managed the cuban national team and other relatives have been prominent players
yulieski is one of the most beloved we have here from the people to the government ismael sene a baseball historian who hosts a weekly television program in havana said after the brothers defected in february its a sad day because it means our baseball is falling apart
cubas loss could soon be a major league teams gain for this pennant race and beyond


ted elliott a gay college senior from maine said he was not jumping to conclusions that the orlando mass shooting was a hate crime against gay people or an act of terrorism mr elliott a self described liberal blamed weak gun laws for endless violence
shooting a is the same as shooting b is the same as shooting c said mr elliott 21
yet for leonard faucher a donald j trump supporter in houston the rampage was clearly terrorism
all of this is a clash between the cultures said mr faucher 69 referring to islam and the united states
the location of the attacks a popular gay club proved the killers motive to corrie yackulic a lawyer who lives near seattle
its an anti gay bias said ms yackulic 58 if youre trying to take down the american government you dont attack a gay bar in orlando
rarely has american reaction to a human tragedy been as divided as the striking and complex array of opinions about the deaths of 49 people in orlando while gun violence often cleaves people into predictable politically identifiable camps and terrorist attacks tend to unite countries in grief and resolve orlando has so far defied easy categorizations and conclusions
mr trump the presumptive republican presidential nominee for instance seized on the attacks on monday to renew his call for a ban on muslim immigration but he also lavished empathy on gay people   many of whom oppose his bid   and defended their desire to love who they want and express their identity
his democratic opponent hillary clinton and many party leaders argued that fighting homegrown terrorists required tougher gun laws yet some liberals and intellectuals argued that gun control was not the only problem noting that there were parts of islam and the quran hostile to homosexuality
the left is very worried about homophobia but its also very worried about islamophobia so there is going to be some real cognitive dissonance on the left as people talking about a muslim killing many gay people said jonathan haidt a social psychologist and professor at new york universitys stern school of business
and many gay people while agreeing that orlando was a terrorist attack said they were offended that some republican officials have refused to acknowledge that the massacre could be considered a hate crime   or even to use the word gay in talking about it in remarks from the capitol on monday senator mitch mcconnell the senate majority leader condemned the islamic state as a group that crucifies children and beheads women but notably omitted any mention of gays
in britain on sunday an openly gay journalist stormed off the set of sky news program which was founded by rupert murdoch after becoming frustrated that the shows host was portraying orlando as an attack on the freedom of all people rather than discussing it as an attack on lgbt people
the conversations in america and overseas were in stark contrast to the aftermath of the killings of 26 children and staff members at sandy hook elementary school in 2012 when virtually everyone was talking about gun control and mental health after the attacks last fall in paris and san bernardino calif the global conversation turned to radicalized muslims bent on terrorist attacks and violence against gay lesbian and transgender people has led to frequent and alarmed discussions among gay people
no such clarity exists around orlando at least for now as people absorb the dimensions of the attack it is hard to predict how most americans will be talking about it in a week or month let alone around the presidential election in november
its probably along the lines of all three equally said tina weidenhammer 33 of chicago a lesbian who has a dog walking business she said she and her friends were inspired by the support from family members but worried that orlando could have a ripple effect for gay people
our concern is this is open hunting season if you really wanted to go after gays ms weidenhammer noting the many gay pride month festivals in june we are more concentrated and congregating publicly with literally our colors
in interviews with about 20 americans across the country on monday most said they were still trying to make sense of the attack and viewed it as more complicated than other recent terrorist events several also predicted that it would become a defining part of the presidential race ioanna hawk 41 a schoolteacher and costume designer who lives in pasadena calif said she was concerned not only that the access to guns is too much for potential terrorists and others in america but also that orlando would be exploited for political gain
one of the first things i thought when it happened was trumps going to use this to get more votes she said
trump campaign advisers insisted on monday that the candidate was not trying to use the gunman omar mateen for political advantage but attempting to speak bluntly about the ties between recent attacks and muslim immigration
and several supporters of mr trump called his comments refreshing because he was willing to highlight radicalized muslims   rather than speak more generally about terrorism and gun violence they also praised his comments on monday noting that gay people like other americans were targets of muslim terrorists
obviously the lefties immediately see an opportunity to yell about gun control and somehow think people will believe that gun confiscation will end all this violence said paul chevalier a retired officer in the marines who is active in republican politics in new hampshire obama refuses to link any of this terrorism to islam or even radical islam so i think most americans are beginning to think that trump is our best hope for ever defeating this scourge on the world
deirdre mccloskey a transgender woman who is an economist at the university of illinois at chicago said she shuddered at the thought of mr trump gaining mileage as a result of the shooting
i take orlando as terrorism that is violence for a political purpose it especially disturbs me as a citizen of a democracy not as a queer that is why the donalds immediate use of the fears it arouses to further his plans for fascist leaning populism alarms me she said it can happen here
the breadth of reactions did not surprise some experts in human behavior professor haidt noted studies showing that peoples reaction to scientific evidence was very different depending on whether they saw the policy implications of the science as politically desirable
so when we hear news reports we dont decide what happened and then decide what to do about it he said rather we know what we want to do and we interpret what happened in the way that will best help us do what we want to do


paris   a police captain was fatally stabbed and his companion was also killed at their home in a small town northwest of paris on monday evening and within hours the islamic state claimed responsibility for the murders
the police captain who was not otherwise identified was outside his home in magnanville when he was stabbed by an unidentified assailant who appeared to have then entered the house and took the captains companion and 3 year old son hostage according to a statement on the website of the french interior ministry and a statement from president francois hollande
members of an elite french police unit arrived and raided the home they fatally shot the attacker found the woman dead and rescued the boy the statement added that the woman was an employee of the interior ministry
a statement issued in arabic by the amaq news agency which is linked to the islamic state said islamic state fighter kills deputy chief of the police station in the city of les mureaux and his wife with blade weapons according to a translation provided by the site intelligence group which monitors jihadist websites
it is the second attack during ramadan this year that has been tied to the islamic state the first was the shooting on sunday in orlando fla in which 49 died making it the worst mass shooting in american history before he was killed by the police the gunman omar mateen pledged his allegiance to the islamic state
ramadan a holy month for muslims dedicated to fasting and prayer has historically been a time when both al qaeda and now the islamic state have escalated attacks in his annual pre ramadan speech an islamic state spokesman abu muhammad al adnani   who had not issued a statement in approximately seven months   re emerged to call on the groups followers to carry out assaults in europe and america
the smallest action you do in the heart of their land is dearer to us than the largest action by us mr adnani declared in the audio speech which was uploaded to telegram and twitter on may 21
mr hollande called the attack a cowardly murder in a statement issued late monday saying he would be briefed on the case early tuesday and that the interior minister bernard cazeneuve would travel on tuesday morning to the area where the killings took place
magnanville is about 35 miles from central paris
with the euro 2016 soccer tournament underway in france and multiple warnings of the possibility of terrorist attacks during the monthlong event the authorities have been on alert for possible attacks extraordinary measures have been put in place to ensure that the crowds of visitors at the soccer matches will be safe
much of the public focus has been on avoiding a repeat of the sort of attacks that killed 130 people in and near paris on nov 13 in that case a network of former islamic state fighters from belgium and france staged the attacks along with a few people who expressed loyalty to the extremist group but had not traveled abroad to fight
however perhaps the risk that is harder to protect against are the lone wolf attacks encouraged by the islamic state such would be jihadists are harder for the authorities to detect
a similar case arose in june 2015 when an employee at a small trucking company beheaded his boss and attempted to set off an explosion at an american owned chemical and gas factory near lyon the man yassine salhi appears to have had a friend who had gone to syria to join the islamic state and mr salhi sent him pictures of the beheading
mr salhi killed himself in prison in december while awaiting trial
the beheading like the stabbing on monday evening took place during ramadan


the yankees may not know for years whether blake rutherford can develop into a power hitting center fielder nick solak can blossom into a speedy second baseman or nolan martinez can become a mainstay of their pitching staff
but sooner or later the farm system must begin bearing fruit and the yankees must start relying on younger players   similar to what the boston red sox have done   if they are to build the type of sustained championship contender they fielded for so much of the 1990s and early 2000s
the yankees farm system has not been entirely unproductive
two homegrown players reliever dellin betances and left fielder brett gardner have made an impact in the major leagues and the yankees flipped young pitchers they developed adam warren and shane greene for the teams current double play combination starlin castro and didi gregorius they also sent several other prospects to cincinnati in a trade for closer aroldis chapman
there could be help on the way if first baseman greg bird successfully returns from shoulder surgery next season pitcher luis severino recovers from his sophomore slump and catcher gary sanchez outfielder aaron judge and shortstop jorge mateo fulfill their promise
but to date the yankees inability to develop elite prospects has been a significant hindrance in the age of the luxury tax when young talent under a teams long term control is a virtual necessity for sustained excellence even if your payroll exceeds 200 million
the red sox emergence this season has been so promising because it has been fueled by three all star caliber players   mookie betts xander bogaerts and jackie bradley jr   who are not eligible for free agency until at least 2020
the yankees hope they have a similar sort of prospect in rutherford a 19 year old outfielder from simi valley calif who was listed as a top 10 pick in several mock drafts but fell to the yankees at 18th over all last week that was the second highest draft slot the yankees had used on a position player since derek jeter was taken sixth in 1992 they took shortstop c j henry 17th in 2005
where we had blake evaluated said the yankees amateur scouting director damon oppenheimer yeah we were a little surprised hed get to us
so surprised that the yankees broke from their habit of avoiding high school players four of the yankees past five first round picks had been college players and after they took rutherford and martinez among their top three picks this year only 11 of their next 37 picks were high schoolers
when youre dealing with the college guy you obviously get more data and looks oppenheimer said it does help
solak 21 a second round pick who finished his junior season at the university of louisville is viewed as an excellent line drive hitter who has the speed to be converted to the outfield if he cannot play adequate defense at second base the yankees expect martinez a third round pick from culver city calif who turns 18 this month to fill out his 6 foot 2 165 pound frame and add oomph to his fastball and his curveball which oppenheimer described as plus pitches
if rutherford solak and martinez contribute to the yankees they will be bucking a recent trend jacob lindgren who was taken in the second round in 2014 is the only player the yankees have selected in the first three rounds since 2009 to have played for the major league team
the yankees continued to invest heavily in pitchers using 23 of their 40 selections on them that strategy has at least somewhat paid off with several pitchers taken after the fifth round proving able to fill spots at least temporarily in the yankees bullpen branden pinder james pazos nick goody and nick rumbelow have all been drafted since 2011 and reached the big leagues with the yankees oppenheimer identified two pitchers who might fit that mold brooks kriske a sixth round pick out of the university of southern california and taylor widener a 12th rounder out of the university of south carolina
the yankees also drafted a pitcher they may see soon   but may not sign bo weiss a high school pitcher taken in the 29th round is the son of walt weiss the manager of the colorado rockies whom the yankees play on tuesday in denver
oppenheimer described the younger weiss as a quickly developing pitcher but said his father had indicated that he was likely to attend north carolina
oppenheimer also said two center fielders   dom thompson williams a fifth round pick out of south carolina and jordan scott a 14th round pick from the img academy in bradenton fla   were intriguing for their speed
inside pitch
the yankees who sent chad green to class aaa scrantonwilkes barre after sundays game announced the signing of first baseman ike davis and added him to the roster as expected pitcher layne somsen was designated for assignment to clear a spot for davis on the 40 man roster


the jockey russell baze who has the most career victories in north american thoroughbred racing history announced his retirement monday effective immediately
baze 57 has had 53578 mounts compiling 12842 first place finishes 9600 seconds and 7855 thirds and 1993 million in purse earnings during a 42 year career
baze a native of vancouver was inducted into the national museum of racings hall of fame in 1999 and the canadian horse racing hall of fame in 2012 his fellow jockeys honored him with the george woolf memorial award in 2002 and he was given a special eclipse award in 1995 for becoming the first jockey to win 400 or more races for four years in a row
in 2013 the new york times profiled baze in an award winning multimedia project titled the jockey
baze won his first race on oct 28 1974 at yakima meadows in yakima wash he posted his final victory saturday in the 10th race at golden gate fields in berkeley calif
he was inducted into the national museum of racings hall of fame in 1999 and the canadian horse racing hall of fame in 2012 his fellow jockeys honored him with the george woolf memorial award in 2002
baze overtook laffit pincay jr as north americas top rider by wins when he recorded career victory no 9531 on dec 1 2006 at bay meadows in san mateo calif he is the only jockey to win 400 or more races for seven straight years from 1992 to 1998
for decades russell dominated the jockey standings at golden gate fields and other northern california tracks joe morris senior vice president of west coast operations for the stronach group which owns golden gate fields said in a statement his 12842 wins in north america is a record that may never be broken


let me explain why
jeff weiner linkedins chief executive wrote a lengthy memorandum to his employees monday morning ticking off a list of reasons behind the surprise decision to sell the company to microsoft for 262 billion most important he said was the heft that microsoft gives linkedin to control our own destiny
but there may have been another reason that he left unspoken
that would be the companys struggling stock price and its reliance   some might say overreliance   on stock based compensation
on one grim day in early february linkedins stock price plummeted more than 40 percent after it forecast weaker than expected growth for the year the share price had hovered at 225 at the beginning of 2016 a month later it briefly got close to 100
the rapid devaluation has posed more than just a problem for investors linkedins employees are paid largely in stock and therein lies the rub around the companys new 26 story skyscraper that opened in downtown san francisco in march as well as the corporate headquarters in mountain view calif there have been persistent whispers about whether linkedin could retain its top talent as the marketplace clobbered their incomes
among silicon valley companies linkedin is among the most aggressive in using share based compensation   there is no question about that mark mahaney a veteran technology analyst at rbc capital markets said in an interview on monday if the stock had stayed down it would have seen employee churn
mr weiner   who took over as linkedins chief in 2009 succeeding reid hoffman the founder   has done a tremendous job in the past years building the companys business which is primarily about helping people connect to one another for employment and conduct business oriented social networking but despite all the headlines about growth and profits linkedin has been a money losing operation for the last two years
you wouldnt know that if you only glanced at linkedins news releases thats because linkedin steers investors to focus on whats known as its adjusted ebitda or non gaap earnings the company purposely strips out the cost of stock based compensation which has the effect of turning losses into gains linkedin paid out 510 million in stock based compensation last year over the last two years that stock based compensation represented a whopping 96 percent of operating income or 16 percent of revenue according to mr mahaney companies like google amazon and facebook paid out about 15 percent of operating income or well under 10 percent of revenue
linkedin justifies the practice by saying that stock based compensation is noncash in nature and that excluding it from its earnings calculation provides meaningful supplemental information regarding operational performance and liquidity
but investors like warren e buffett have been highly critical of the practice it has become common for managers to tell their owners to ignore certain expense items that are all too real mr buffett wrote in his annual report published this year stock based compensation he said is the most egregious example the very name says it all compensation if compensation isnt an expense what is it and if real and recurring expenses dont belong in the calculation of earnings where in the world do they belong
mr buffett also criticized analysts who play their part in this charade too parroting the phony compensation ignoring earnings figures fed them by managements
in april facebook which also used to steer investors to use adjusted ebitda earnings numbers that also excluded the cost of stock based compensation announced that it was changing its policy stock based compensation plays an important role in how we compensate our employees and therefore we view it as a real expense for the business david wehner facebooks chief financial officer said in an earnings call
facebooks decision to change its practice was seen as a shot across the bow at companies like linkedin other companies like amazon and intel also account for stock compensation as an expense
it is not hard to believe that linkedin barring this deal with microsoft would have soon been using the more realistic version of its earnings   and in so doing reporting more losses the company certainly deserves credit for building a global network with 430 million users and becoming a household name but absent this accounting method uglier headlines would have dragged down the stock price even further along with the morale of all those employees whose incomes were dependent on it
mr mahaney the rbc analyst said the use of so much stock based compensation was a negative signal there are a variety of ways to look at this issue but our general bias is that the lower the dependence on stock based compensation the higher the quality of the pl he wrote in a report in april using shorthand for the income statement
linkedin twitter yahoo and alibaba which have the most dependence on stock based compensation also have results of relatively lower quality mr mahaney said
other stock analysts took note that microsoft which includes stock based compensation in its non gaap earnings calculation made a point on monday of saying that the combined company would follow microsofts practice in other words from now on linkedin employees will no longer enjoy results that looked rosier because their stock based compensation was not figured in though as a unit of microsoft it is unclear whether their results will even be broken out for investors to see
a spokeswoman for linkedin declined to comment pointing to comments mr weiner made in a memo he sent to employees
in that memo and in conversations with employees on monday mr weiner said that the impetus for the deal was not about the stock but was more about a larger trend that he and linkedins founder mr hoffman had noticed late last year the biggest companies in the valley   facebook google and a few others   had pulled way ahead of the pack by increasing and earning the largest valuations making it harder for smaller tech companies to attract top talent ultimately they decided that linkedin was in a better competitive position if it ahem linked in with microsoft


baltimore   the baltimore police officer whose manslaughter trial in the death of freddie gray ended with a hung jury returned to court on monday   but this time as a witness in the murder trial of a fellow officer who drove the police van in which mr gray suffered the spinal injury that killed him
speaking calmly if at times reluctantly officer william g porter whose retrial is scheduled for september told the court that although mr gray asked him for help he did not initially believe mr gray was truly injured he took a long pause when the prosecutor michael schatzow asked whether there had been an opportunity to put a seatbelt on mr gray
i guess so officer porter said testifying for the prosecution in the trial of officer caesar r goodson jr the van driver
the death of mr gray a 25 year old black man set off riots arson and looting here in april 2015 prompting the governor to call in the national guard to secure the streets and putting this city squarely at the center of the national debate over race and policing the announcement of charges against six officers   three black and three white   calmed the city but prosecutors have been unable so far to secure a conviction officer porters trial ended with a mistrial in december and another police officer edward m nero was acquitted last month of four charges relating to mr grays initial arrest
the case against officer goodson is the prosecutors most ambitious they contend that officer goodson a veteran police officer who is also black committed second degree depraved heart murder by intentionally giving mr gray a so called rough ride in the police van while he was not secured by a seatbelt they have also alleged that officer goodson failed to obtain medical help for mr gray when he asked for it they considered officer porter a material witness against officer goodson because he could tell the court what the two discussed about mr grays condition during the van ride
mr gray was arrested by police officers after he fled from them in the blighted neighborhood of sandtown and was eventually placed shackled and handcuffed into a police wagon with officer goodson at the wheel the van made several stops throughout west baltimore   including one when officer porter responded to help officer goodson check on mr gray which was a major focus of officer porters testimony monday   before he was discovered unresponsive in the van at the western district police station he died a week later of a broken neck
much of officer porters testimony was familiar from his own trial he said that mr gray asked him for help getting up and that when he asked mr gray if he wanted medical attention mr gray said he did but officer porter said he did not think mr gray looked unwell
still he said he suggested that officer goodson take mr gray to the hospital calling mr grays request for medical attention the magic words
if someone says they want to go to the hospital they automatically reject them from central booking officer porter said
officer porters testimony was the second time that one of the six officers charged in mr grays arrest and death has taken the stand against another compelled to do so by an unusual ruling from the states highest court that bars prosecutors from using their testimony against them in their own trials that ruling has caused delays in the already complicated prosecution
one key question has been exactly when mr gray suffered the fatal injury prosecutors contend that it occurred between the second and fourth stops made by the van and that the officers could have done more to save mr gray defense lawyers say that it happened between the fifth and sixth stops and that there was nothing to be done
officer porter said mr gray looked lethargic at the fifth stop   a description that an expert witness called by the state dr morris marc soriano said would be a symptom of the opening moments of mr grays spinal injury
faster medical attention dr soriano said would have been lifesaving for him
but on cross examination a defense lawyer amy askew pressed dr soriano to admit that he did not know exactly when the injury occurred and could not say exactly how long it would have taken to get to a hospital


albany   theirs was a relationship built on nearly three decades of unswerving loyalty absolute trust and near constant interaction it was all but impossible to imagine gov andrew m cuomo without joseph percoco his closest aide and the enduring mainstay of his life in politics
it took only a few days to send it crumbling to the ground
by the end of april it had become clear that mr percoco was in trouble federal investigators had subpoenaed records related to him from a state ethics board then the governor learned that federal agents had raided mr percocos home in westchester county looking for evidence that he and his wife had improperly received thousands of dollars from companies that had done business with the state
later after some 72 hours of intense strategizing the governor effectively cut ties with mr percoco in a jarring public statement acknowledging that the actions of some individuals may have defrauded the state mr cuomo has been even more overt since then repeatedly naming mr percoco and another former aide todd r howe as the prime targets of the investigation led by preet bharara the united states attorney for the southern district of new york
as mr cuomo a democrat rose from politicians son to washington prodigy to attorney general and governor his life and career have been grounded by mr percoco whose role as mr cuomos all purpose troubleshooter alter ego and capitol ambassador involved him in virtually all that the governors office touched from its multibillion dollar upstate economic revitalization efforts to its short lived anticorruption commission   both of which have drawn the attention of federal investigators
the scope of mr bhararas investigation remains hazy what does seem clear however is that mr percocos success in the administration belied growing financial struggles and other pressures going back to a personal bankruptcy filing in 1995 friends and associates often heard him and his wife imply that his government salary never stretched far enough
and after it became known that mr percoco was to leave his post as executive deputy secretary to take a job as a senior vice president at madison square garden the governor explained then that he had been influenced by familial and financial concerns
mr percoco has not been charged with any crime and he did not respond to requests for comment his lawyer barry a bohrer has called his client a dedicated and effective public servant who was proud of his work for the people of the state of new york
but for both the governor and the man who had always taken care to do his bidding   no more no less   their split was an emotional waterloo
for mr percoco being cut off from the cuomos is probably particularly painful he started working for mr cuomos father former gov mario m cuomo as a 19 year old the suggestion that he may have gone astray has rattled cuomos circle especially the governor who is said to have been blindsided by the news of his aides investigation
if it turns out that his closest adviser was gaming the system for his personal enrichment it strikes at the heart of how the governor describes his own administration said blair horner the executive director of the new york public interest research group a government watchdog mr horner added that although the direction of the investigation remained unclear if it plays out badly for percoco it plays out badly for the governor
for mr cuomo 58 who has been steeped in politics since he was a teenager the political is the personal that made mr percoco 47 part of the family and therefore profoundly powerful
in his 2014 memoir published just before mr percocos return to the administration after a stint running the governors successful re election campaign mr cuomo praised him as the total package trained as a lawyer he had the guts brains and stick to itiveness necessary to attack any project   hard during the worst of times mr cuomo recalled he could make us laugh
interviews with two dozen former colleagues political associates and albany veterans depict mr percoco as the consummate logistics and operations ace guided by the same get things done now ethos as mr cuomo he was the verbal assassin tearing down relationships one day and asking favors the next the governors combination lieutenant and fishing buddy to whom mr cuomo could turn for a soothing dose of guy talk   and when the job required for political warfare
as an enforcer and organizer he was indisputably effective helping to whip a slim majority out of a republican led senate to pass statewide marriage equality in 2011 working to coordinate the states response to hurricanes irene and sandy and choreographing mr cuomos events and by extension his public persona
he was a no nonsense type of gentleman james p molinaro the former staten island borough president said he said something to you and it stuck
with a bodyguards build and a bouncers demeanor mr percoco has been making things stick for the cuomos for more than two decades
stories of his menacing punch are everywhere in albany where mr percoco dealt with labor and lobbyists environmental advocates and business leaders teachers unions and charter school activists alike
a frequent opponent was the administration of mayor bill de blasio the governors principal sparring partner in politics
shortly after the mayor   whose open feud with the governor has dominated new york politics in recent years   won funding for new york citys prekindergarten classes in 2014 mr percoco ran into a mayoral aide at an event
expecting a hello the aide received a warning instead according to a person who was present and requested anonymity because of the investigation of mr percoco
you got us this time but were coming for you mr percoco said according to the person were going to destroy you
in a sign of his once central place in the cuomo family firmament mr cuomo once referred to him as my fathers third son who i sometimes think he loved the most
their closeness sprang in part from natural affinities despite an age gap of more than 10 years both knew their way around a car engine both were italian and had daughters not sons both liked to fish mr cuomo may have been the son of a governor comfortable in the public spotlight but mr percocos middle class roots in rockland county resonated with what mr cuomo saw as his own bootstrapping queens past the governor loved to talk about driving a tow truck to help put himself through law school
the men eventually came to live within about 15 miles of each other in 2012 the percocos moved from their modest staten island home to a roomy blue house in the well groomed westchester enclave of south salem using a two year 800000 balloon mortgage from a company led by abraham eisner a prominent liaison for the states orthodox jewish community for the governor the house cost the percocos 815000 only a little more than the amount of the mortgage
the move put them in the same lush horse farm studded landscape as mr cuomo and his girlfriend the television hostess sandra lee who live in mount kisco
with his old school almost military bearing mr percoco had a profound respect for hierarchy though he might privately criticize mr cuomo he would brook no criticism of the gov or the governor as he called him from others
yet for all mr percocos unquestioning loyalty mr cuomo   known as a demanding boss   did not hesitate to criticize him calling out his shortcomings professional and otherwise
mr percoco seemed to take the jabs in stride at a birthday party for mario cuomo in 2012 mr percoco joked about andrew cuomos frequent digs at his weight and his sartorial choices
andrews the older brother that i never had he said and never wanted
he stuck by mr cuomo in the bitterest period of his career after his humiliating withdrawal from the 2002 governors race and subsequent divorce from kerry kennedy it was mr percoco who set up the announcement where mr cuomo dropped out of contention it was mr percoco who went with mr cuomo on a therapeutic fishing trip to long island sound a few days later and it was mr percoco who served as mr cuomos divorce counselor as the governor later wrote in his memoir joe was among the first people mr cuomo turned to for advice on mounting the comeback that brought him to the attorney generals office in 2007
i think you are crazy for wanting to go through it again mr percoco said when mr cuomo floated the idea of running during another fishing trip to the hamptons according to the memoir but im game if thats what you want to do
once mr cuomo was elected governor in 2010 mr percoco rarely touched on the intricacies of policy but his passion for perfecting every last detail of events   and for burnishing mr cuomos image   was well known on the capitols second floor where he occupied an office near the governors
if the governor did not recognize someone mr percoco standing at his shoulder supplied the name if an announcement on long island needed staging he made sure the banner looked good the right people were there and the wrong people were not and the room was cool enough to prevent a sweat if a negative quote appeared in the press he would be on the phone irreverent humor shifting to a lacerating bark when he sensed a lack of cooperation
at an event in ithaca during mr cuomos 2010 campaign for governor an anti fracking protester handed one of mr cuomos daughters a cd with information about the controversial drilling technique
it was not long before walter hang an anti fracking advocate received a phone call mr hang recalled mr percoco was on the line
they saw this as an affront recalled mr hang who had been expecting to meet with mr cuomo that afternoon he barks at me theyre your people
the meeting was permanently off
some appreciated his direct style which made mr percoco the most feared man in state government   perfect in other words for the job
it seems everyone in politics and government likes candor and honesty until you tell them something they dont want to hear robert zimmerman a democratic strategist who knows mr percoco said joe was upfront with political figures and new york state officials that enabled him to be an effective negotiator
in april 2014 he left the administration   where he was earning 155974 a year   to run mr cuomos re election campaign earning 225725 in salary and expenses including a 120000 bonus sometime that year mr percoco also began consulting for cor development and cha consulting companies with business before the state later reporting in a financial disclosure filing that they had paid him between 70000 and 125000 both have been subpoenaed in the federal investigation cor has denied paying mr percoco
that same year mr percocos wife lisa toscano percoco a schoolteacher from staten island and his college sweetheart was paid between 75000 and 100000 by a democratic party operative in connecticut with ties to competitive power ventures a massachusetts based company seeking to build a power plant in the hudson valley of new york subject to state approvals
the timing of the couples earnings   and mr percocos employment by the state   is believed to be a focus of the investigation
while he was running the campaign he still periodically played the role of bodyguard during a labor day parade in 2014 mr cuomo was repeatedly approached by zephyr teachout his liberal challenger in the democratic primary for governor without so much as a word from the governor mr percoco physically blocked ms teachout
mr percoco may have thought he was done with the cuomo administration after the election but he returned in late 2014 with a substantial raise and to a looming personal crisis for the governor indeed mr percoco was often at mr cuomos side as mario cuomo was dying at the end of 2014 according to the governors schedule later helping to arrange funeral services and acting as the guest list gatekeeper at the funeral as mr cuomo consoled his mother matilda mr percoco could be seen standing just nearby
by the time mr cuomos second term began last year he was a rare member of mr cuomos original inner circle remaining in the administration the governors counsel his chief of staff and his director of state operations had all departed for the private sector making mr percoco more crucial than ever
that october the two men flew to kansas city mo for the mets appearance in game 1 of the world series mr percoco finally left the administration for good on jan 4
less than four months later federal investigators served a subpoena on mr cuomos office in albany seeking a range of information about its dealings including the buffalo billion the governors signature economic initiative
by this spring the inquiry had appeared to focus on mr percoco
now mr percoco the problem solver could hobble both the administration and the legacy of the man who was everything to him
has it been a deeply troubling situation for myself certainly mr cuomo said on may 2 less than a week after the federal raid i know joe percoco for many years and he is a good man and i would be shocked if he did anything wrong but lets get the facts and then we can all make our own decisions


donald j trump on monday said his campaign would revoke the press credentials of the washington post effectively prohibiting journalists from one of the nations largest newspapers from joining the traveling press corps of the presumptive republican nominee
barring journalists is an almost unheard of practice for a modern presidential candidate the post is the latest major news organization that mr trump has barred from his rallies and events this year following politico buzzfeed news the huffington post and others
in a facebook post on monday mr trump accused the post of incredibly inaccurate coverage and reporting and deemed it phony and dishonest although he has granted frequent interviews to the papers editors and reporters in the past
it was not immediately clear if mr trumps announcement meant he would end all his communications with post journalists mr trump has a propensity to attack the news media but he is also a keen cultivator of journalists and he has been known to criticize reporters then meet with them cordially shortly afterward
combined with mr trumps promise to open up the nations libel laws his punitive attitude toward the press has prompted concern among media and free speech advocates martin baron the executive editor of the post issued a statement on monday calling mr trumps action nothing less than a repudiation of the role of a free and independent press
when coverage doesnt correspond to what the candidate wants it to be then a news organization is banished mr baron wrote referring to mr trumps practice the post will continue to cover donald trump as it has all along   honorably honestly accurately energetically and unflinchingly
mr trumps pique stemmed from a post headline on monday that suggested that the republican candidate had linked president obama to the orlando fla shooting massacre the article published on monday cited vague but insinuating comments made by mr trump in a fox news interview in which he said mr obamas response to the shooting meant he doesnt get it or he gets it better than anybody understands
the trump campaign cited the post headline in a statement adding we no longer feel compelled to work with a publication which has put its need for clicks above journalistic integrity the campaign added mr trump does not mind a bad story but it has to be honest
on twitter news outlets facing similar treatment from the trump campaign reached out in sympathy welcome to the club ben smith buzzfeeds editor in chief wrote to mr baron
this was not mr trumps first run in with the post last month the candidate accused jeff bezos the papers owner of using the post to avoid high taxes and stricter regulation on amazon the company he founded mr trump repeated those claims which are unsubstantiated in his statement on monday mr bezos has said that mr trumps comments about him were not an appropriate way for a presidential candidate to behave
journalists without credentials can attend trump events by obtaining tickets available to the general public but a politico reporter ben schreckinger said he was ejected from a trump rally in california earlier this month by a campaign staff member and a private security guard mr schreckinger like other politico reporters had been denied credentials to that event


for dolly partons latest tour the security procedures include not just the usual pat downs and bag checks at the door but also two dogs trained to sniff out bombs and firearms wherever the singer performs
there are certain artists said steve martin ms partons longtime agent who take security very seriously
precautions like these once rare are becoming more common as the concert business adjusts to a new reality in which the threat of violence must be met through heightened security screening
after the weekend attack at a gay nightclub in orlando fla additional security procedures like dogs and metal detectors are likely to become more common at events around the country executives and artists representatives say making the experience of going to a concert more like waiting in line at the airport
these changes will also bring increased costs for things like insurance and labor which will ultimately be borne by consumers but audiences may come to demand more stringent security as a sign of basic safety
there will be a ripple effect of increased costs said mr martin a veteran talent agent in new york clubs that dont have metal detectors will have to get them insurance costs are going to go up all that is ultimately going to get passed along to the ticket buyers
the rampage in orlando on sunday which killed 49 people was the latest episode in recent months to focus attention on violence in crowded concert venues where injuries related to drugs or alcohol have long been more common than altercations with guns
on friday night the singer christina grimmie was killed while signing autographs for fans after a show also in orlando last month one person was killed in a backstage shooting at a rap show at the manhattan club irving plaza and in november 90 people died when terrorists opened fire at a rock concert at a paris theater
paris was a bit of a wake up call to the entertainment industry said russ simons a security expert with venue solutions group a consulting company for sports and entertainment in brentwood tenn many smaller facilities looked at that and said we need to start adapting to the current situation and really examine safety and security
some artists canceled or postponed european concerts following the paris attacks but with musicians now drawing more income from touring they face increasing pressure to stay on the road
security procedures vary widely with performing venues larger spaces like arenas and stadiums use metal detectors pat downs and phalanxes of wand wielding guards most smaller clubs lack the resources to conduct thorough screening which could make them more vulnerable to attacks security experts said
but the latest round of shootings may force promoters and venue operators to put more precautions in place and hire more guards all of which brings additional costs promoters the people who take the financial risk to put on a concert are already accustomed to higher insurance fees for events featuring certain genres of music like hip hop a practice many of them call unfair
representatives of live nation entertainment and aeg live the two biggest concert promoters in the world declined to comment monday about any changes to their security procedures
larger venues have been gradually increasing their security measures for years led by the demands of sports leagues like the national basketball association and the national hockey league which require the buildings where their teams play to use metal detectors but these procedures also have critics who argue that they are insufficient to prevent attacks
the shootings in orlando illustrate how random and vulnerable we all are in a society where guns are easy to get and soft targets are everywhere said gary bongiovanni the editor of the concert industry publication pollstar security is already a top concern for major events but how much can be done to protect a few hundred kids at a teen oriented show
but greater security at entertainment events may soon become commonplace
michael marion the general manager of the verizon arena in north little rock ark which seats 18000 but does not have any sports team as a tenant said he began to consider adding metal detectors after other arenas installed them last fall he said he had made the decision after the paris attacks in november and the shootings in san bernardino calif in december which left 14 people dead
the arena installed 29 machines at a cost of a little under 100000 mr marion said the arena raised its facilities fee one of its ticket surcharges by 50 cents to help pay for the machines
the additional security will certainly affect our bottom line mr marion said but i havent heard anybody say we dont want to spend that money


earnestine gay a longtime worker in the fragrance department at macys in herald square clearly remembers a bottle of perfume that was returned recently it was practically empty
there was maybe a spray left ms gay 50 said
yet ms gay knew that the bottle bought weeks earlier would probably lower her commission because it would count against her sales for that week
the perfumes return was not terribly unusual these days people are returning goods in record numbers and often in worse condition encouraged by the flexible return policies adopted by e commerce sites like amazon and the brick and mortar stores trying to keep pace
but unlike returns at online retailers those at many department stores have a side effect they can unexpectedly lower a workers paycheck weeks or months after a sale is made
if youre thinking this is my income for the week and then you find out a month later oh that wasnt my income at all you have to plan pretty far into the future said stephanie luce a professor of labor studies at the city university of new york
some of the countrys leading department stores allow returns for up to one year like nordstrom or set no time limit at all like macys the commissions paid to sales representatives at macys can be affected by returns made within six months while returns at nordstrom affect workers for up to a year
these windows union leaders say are too long and fuel a culture of returns that has added instability to the paychecks of retail workers
macys used to have a 10 day return policy said ken bordieri president of local 1 s which represents macys workers in new york one of the largest organized groups of the retailers workers in the country macys eliminated its time limit on returns which had been six months in 2010
when you have a return policy that says well take anything back anytime well then returns go up mr bordieri said
the union which provided the statements and arranged for the interview with ms gay says that changing the return policy is among its top priorities as it negotiates with macys for a new contract by wednesday
in an email a macys spokesman jim sluzewski called the companys return policy fair and equitable to employees a spokeswoman for nordstrom tara darrow said in an email that we provide our employees with a commission agreement when they are hired that explains how we calculate commissions and they can always get a copy of the commission agreement
for decades department stores have used commission as a way to motivate employees hone your sales skills help customers and you too can share in the rewards returned merchandise has also long counted against an employees sales which are used to calculate commission
such policies help protect retailers from some legitimate concerns for example it prevents an employee from trying to game the system by selling a product to a friend knowing the product will be returned after a commission is paid mark a cohen director of retail studies at columbia business school said companies commission policies can help stop employees from overselling products that consumers would be more likely to bring back anyway
it may create a distortion over a period of time he said of the variable paychecks but at the end of the day the sales associate is being compensated for their net sales and that is a typical practice
still the surge of returns has changed the dynamic online retailers many of which have made generous return policies a prime selling point to shoppers   and which do not pay employees based on commissions   have led the push amazon the worlds largest virtual merchant and many other e commerce sites offer flexible and sometimes free returns
online only retailers have conditioned consumers to be able to touch and feel products and then return them if they change their minds hassle free kevon hills vice president for research at stellaservice a customer research firm said in an email
it is becoming best practice mr hills said for retailers that want to provide consumers with the best possible experience to allow this same ability to take products home and make a final decision at a later point in time
americans returned 284 billion in merchandise in 2014 up 53 percent in five years according to the most recent data available from the national retail federation an industry trade group returns generally make up about 8 percent of overall sales according to the group
department stores have among the highest return rates according to the retail equation which collects shopping data
theres pressure on them to take these things back but you cant charge that back against the workers said mr bordieri the union local president
worker advocates have had some success in changing return policies in 2012 union leaders in new york pressured bloomingdales which is owned by macys to reduce the time employees could be affected by returns to 150 days from 180 days and then to 120 days last year according to a copy of the labor contract reviewed by the new york times
these return policies have taken on added meaning as department stores have cut jobs and increasingly relied on part time workers with less control over their own schedules and therefore income labor advocates say
i have two sons that i was proud to raise while i was at macys ms gay said thank god theyre old now because i wouldnt be able to make it
department stores employed 13 million workers as of may the smallest number in a decade and 10 percent fewer than in 2009 at the height of the financial crisis according to the bureau of labor statistics
mr sluzewski the macys spokesman said that macys employees had the opportunity to make their own schedules within some guidelines that ensure that our stores are well staffed during the busiest shopping periods he noted that the companys scheduling processes had been praised in the past by worker advocates
ms darrow of nordstrom said in an email that the company had increased its reliance on full time workers and that some return policies   like buy online return in store   could actually benefit employees by creating an opportunity to serve a customer on the spot and potentially make a sale
but many employees still complain that return policies have become so lax as to encourage people to essentially borrow products maybe for a one time event like a vacation or a party
in 2011 and 2013 ms luce the cuny professor surveyed hundreds of retail workers as part of two separate studies and said that many said that they felt return policies had gotten too lax while she cautioned that the studies did not include enough commissioned workers to identify statistical trends there were some repeat complaints
we were pretty consistently hearing that for workers who had been in the industry for 10 or more years they felt that first your commission rates are smaller and that this returns issue was more and more of a problem she said
ann pascarelli 60 who works in macys luggage department and has been at the store for nearly four decades would be one of those employees she gets particularly worried when customers announce plans for a trip
we call ourselves the rental luggage department she said
im going on my trip tomorrow and ill be back in a week ms pascarelli said repeating what she said was an oft heard refrain you can time it in one weeks time theyll be back


orlando fla   as the sound of gunfire in the nightclub grew louder a patron named orlando and a female friend took cover in a cramped bathroom stall contorting their bodies on top of the toilet so their feet could not be seen the gunman burst into the bathroom went straight to the stall next to them and shot the people inside
people were screaming begging for their lives orlando 52 said in a telephone interview asking that his last name not be used out of fear of retaliation from terrorist sympathizers
the gunman omar mateen was silent then left the bathroom
he went out and started shooting outside again orlando said
for three sickening hours on sunday morning a life or death game of deception played out in a bathroom where the assailant holed up with hostages after killing dozens of people inside the pulse nightclub orlando and his friend desperately tried to avoid becoming two more victims
orlando said he listened as the gunman warned his hostages not to text anyone took their cellphones called 911 to calmly pledge his allegiance to the islamic state spoke about a need to stop american bombing in syria and threatened greater bloodshed if the police moved in
orlando described moments of surreal quiet as the siege went on and the killer fiddled with his weapon and used the sink and the hand dryer mr mateen checked on the bodies around him orlando said at one point orlando switched positions and played dead and he felt something poking him he believed it was the gunman checking to see if he was dead
around 5 am the police blew a hole in the wall enabling some of the hostages to escape and officers engaged in a fatal final confrontation with the assailant
much of orlandos account corresponds with new information released by the police on monday other witness accounts and video evidence which combined to paint a chilling picture of the hostage crisis that unfolded after the attack
the first bursts of gunfire around 2 am were captured on video by 25 year old amanda alvear the footage uploaded to snapchat
in the video she is recording herself and others as they dance to the last song of the evening at the popular gay club then she turns the camera toward her own face she is staring into the lens as the first few shots are heard they do not seem to faze her but as they continue unrelenting roughly 20 rounds the video abruptly ends she was listed among the dead on monday
just before the shooting began 28 year old ashley summers and her friends went to their bartender kate at pulses back bar to order one more round   a vodka soda and lime for ms summers a vodka and red bull for one friend and a specialty drink for the other
one of ms summerss friends was polishing the credit card receipt with all sorts of pleasantries for the bartender   sexy kitten muah you the best   when the popping started for 15 seconds through the pulsing of the salsa music they thought it might have been firecrackers ms summers said in an interview but they eventually figured out it was gunshots ms summers said a friend pulled her to the ground they felt glass shattering over their heads
they were near a back exit and crawled out concerned about what might be behind the seven foot high white privacy fence out back they turned left into a storage area but they heard more gunshots coming from that direction so they went back out onto the patio and used some furniture to vault over the fence they dashed to safety
at that point it was shock it was disbelief it was fear but it was urgency said ms summers a ballroom dance instructor there was knowing that we had to get out of there
soon after mr mateen first opened fire he was confronted by an armed security guard who was an off duty police officer said john mina the orlando police chief at a news conference monday morning they exchanged gunfire the security guard was then joined by an unknown number of police officers the first to arrive on the scene
during these early rounds of gunfire the police said many patrons were able to escape but the assailant retreated deeper into the club eventually barricading himself in the bathroom where some patrons had gone to hide
when the shots erupted norman casiano dropped to his knees and crawled to what was apparently a different bathroom seeking safety in a stall where many people were already crammed together he tried to call 911 then his mother shouting mom mom mom mom into the phone before the call dropped
as mr casiano 25 and the others huddled together a wounded man staggered into the bathroom and dropped to the floor they urged him to try to stay quiet at one point as the gunman approached mr casiano said he could hear shells clattering to the floor and the gun reloading then mr mateen entered the bathroom
just firing firing firing mr casiano said in an interview at his parents apartment about two hours after he was released from the hospital on monday afternoon
he was hit once in the back and felt a hot pulse of pain tear into him as if his leg had been severed he ended up being shot twice in the back both bullets passing through his body he said
mr casiano said the gunman did not say anything but laughed as people begged him not to shoot and assured him that they did not know who he was and had not seen his face
all i heard was a laugh mr casiano said he laughed like an evil laugh something thats just going to be imprinted in my head forever it was he said a laugh of like ha i did it
when the gunman left the bathroom mr casiano tried to urge others to leave he said and was able to slip away and escape he said he was in a hospital bed by about 3 am two hours before the siege ended
orlandos escape took much longer hiding with his friend he could hear the gunman drawing closer the sound of each round getting louder
as he and his friend positioned themselves on the toilet orlando said he also braced one foot against the stall door
around this time mina justice was asleep at home when she received a text from her 30 year old son eddie justice she told reporters he was also hiding in a bathroom at the club
mommy i love you the first message read it came in at 206 am in club they shooting
only two minutes later he wrote im gonna die
another 30 minutes would pass before he sent a text begging for help
call them mommy he pleaded
hurry he wrote hes in the bathroom with us
orlando said he never looked mr mateen in the eye but recalled his calm voice at one point after noticing that some of the hostages in the bathroom were texting the gunman ordered them to surrender their phones
he spoke again according to orlando asking the hostages are you guys black
he said i dont have an issue with the blacks orlando said
early in the siege the gunman called 911 to pledge his allegiance to the islamic state chief mina said
he was cool and calm when he was making those phone calls to us he said
orlando could hear the gunman speaking on the phone presumably to the police he spoke about how america should stop bombing the islamic state
he got mad and hung up orlando said he never heard mr mateen mention gay people   he spoke only about the islamic state and syria and about the damage he still intended to do
the gunman made several calls and at one point orlando said he told whoever was on the other line that there were people in the club with bombing vests as well as three snipers outside ready to take out officers if they advanced on the club
our negotiators were talking with him and there were no shots at that time chief mina said but there was talk about bomb vests about explosives throughout and there were statements made about imminent loss of life
near the end of the siege mr mateen began to shoot the hostages in the bathroom orlando said
by some miracle he said he once again avoided detection but a person in the neighboring stall was not so lucky a man who had just been shot crawled under the stall grasping at both orlandos and his companions legs pulling them down   and exposing their hiding spot they played dead my face against the toilet bowl he said
in those moments orlandos phone would not stop ringing as friends called to see if he was safe he worried that the rings would draw attention and give him away
as the final battle with the police began orlando could hear the gunman loading his weapon at one point shouting ive got plenty of bullets
then there were explosions and chaos
the police had blown a hole in the bathroom wall but orlando said his muscles were so cramped he could barely move my shoulders got caught he said a cop grabbed me and pulled me out through the hole
his female friend was also rescued when he looked at his clothes he was covered in blood but it was not his own he does not know if anyone else made it out of the bathroom alive
mr justice whose last text to his mother was just before 3 am did not survive his death was confirmed by the orlando authorities early monday morning


since its inception linkedin has been hailed as the professional network considering itself a facebook for business
linkedin a silicon valley start up chugged along for years before going public in 2011 wall street bought the story that linkedin was a facebook for professionals and its shares traded at 50 times earnings at their peak
but while the company based in mountain view calif has grown tremendously mondays announcement that it will be acquired by microsoft makes clear that linkedin was not destined to be as big as facebook as an independent entity here is a look at linkedins biggest moments
2003 in 2002 reid hoffman formerly chief operating officer of paypal had formed a small team with colleagues to work on what would become linkedin the site was introduced in 2003
2004 and 2005 linkedin reached roughly one million members and began introducing products to generate revenue among these were a job search function and tools for recruiters the latter would become one of the companys most successful business lines
2008 and 2009 linkedin opened an office in britain and introduced versions of its site in different languages after nearly two years as chief executive dan nye stepped down in january 2009 mr hoffman returned as ceo and was then succeeded by jeff weiner who remains in the position to this day mr hoffman is executive chairman
2011 linkedin debuted on the new york exchange shares soared to more than double the initial offering price of 45
2012 linkedin disclosed it was infiltrated by hackers while initially the company said only about six million passwords were stolen linkedin acknowledged in may 2016 that the number was more than 100 million passwords
february 2016 after years of strong performance linkedin shares plunged by 44 percent after a weaker than expected earnings report the drop wiped out nearly 11 billion in market value in a single trading day
june 2016 linkedin agreed to be acquired by microsoft for 262 billion shares of linkedin surged more than 46 percent on the news


microsoft on monday unveiled a smaller less expensive xbox one and plans for a new console that can offer virtual reality games as it seeks to catch up with sony in video game hardware
the new xbox one s starts at 300 and costs up to 400 for a 2 terabyte hard drive the xbox one previously started at 349 the new device supports 4k video and is about 40 percent smaller than the original model a special edition will be available in august and standard versions will come out later this year
microsoft also revealed a product called project scorpio a console with high fidelity virtual reality that will be available by the end of next year the announcements were made at e3 the electronic entertainment expo a video game trade show held annually in los angeles
microsoft is competing fiercely against sony in the console market which has lost some of its shine as new forms of play   such as mobile games   come to the fore but which remains a lucrative area with a dedicated demographic of hard core gamers sony has sold about 40 million playstation 4s which are its latest generation of consoles with microsoft estimated to have sold about 21 million xbox one consoles according to superdata research
the console makers are also trying to keep ahead of technology trends with virtual reality regarded as a promising direction facebook htc and others have released virtual reality headsets and an early use of the technology is for games sony has already announced a virtual reality headset that will work with its playstation 4 console
mondays xbox announcements are microsofts attempt to catch up with sony said joost van dreunen the chief executive of superdata research
in a presentation the head of xbox phil spencer called project scorpio a serious inflection point and said he was announcing the console months ahead of its release in order to give our developers and partners the ability to take advantage of that capability now
the new machine will be the first xbox to offer virtual reality and will most likely be more expensive so it is unlikely to cannibalize sales from the lower priced xbox one said michael pachter an analyst with wedbush securities
microsoft also said that it expected more xbox games to be compatible across all of its hardware products and that many could also be played on platforms made by apple google and microsoft pc
the company also announced new communities and groups for xbox game players including realms for the popular minecraft game that allow players to collaborate whether they use xbox ios android or pc operating systems
xbox has become aware that it has to engage customers more mr van dreunen of superdata research said


microsofts blockbuster 262 billion takeover of linkedin might be an attempt to travel through time specifically to the heady heights of yesteryears technology valuations
and if other beleaguered tech companies think that suitors will pay such handsome sums more transactions may be coming down the pike
how generous is microsofts takeover bid it puts linkedins enterprise value at 79 times the social networks earnings before interest taxes depreciation and amortization or ebitda for the 12 months that ended on march 31
on the basis of that multiple the transaction is more expensive than any big internet deal paid with cash according to data compiled by bloomberg
microsoft is paying 220 for each of linkedins monthly active users by comparison when facebook acquired whatsapp for 19 billion two years ago it spent 40 for every user
for linkedin the attractions of the deal are obvious its shares fell nearly 42 percent from the beginning of the year through last week as investors expressed disappointment over a weak earnings forecast for 2016 finding a buyer with deep pockets dulls the pain of being a publicly traded company
mondays deal wasnt the only richly valued technology takeover in recent days on sunday symantec said that it was buying blue coat a provider of cybersecurity products for 465 billion that transaction valued blue coat at roughly 20 times its adjusted ebitda and nearly 78 times its sales
the question is whether other suitors will emerge with rich offers in hand
one perennial subject of deal rumors is another social network twitter
shares of twitter jumped nearly 7 percent in trading on monday borne aloft by investors hopes that the struggling tech company might finally receive a takeover offer twitter shares have fallen 64 percent since the company went public in 2013 as the social network has struggled to show growth in the face of tough competition from the likes of facebook and snapchat
potential buyers for twitter include google and facebook analysts say though they caution that twitters valuation may need to fall more before a suitor steps up
at the price to sales multiple that microsoft is paying for linkedin roughly 72 times the social networks revenue for the last 12 months twitter would fetch roughly 187 billion   or nearly double its current market value of 10 billion
some are skeptical though that the combination of microsoft and linkedin at that price makes sense no one wants to consummate the last big deal before a sector collapses   as was the case in 2000 when time warner merged with aol a 165 billion internet deal that became a nightmare after the tech bubble burst
microsofts bet on linkedin   which less than five months ago was trading above the acquisition price of 196 a share   suggests that tech has more room to run even as some bears are projecting that another bubble is bound to pop
microsoft just paid on the assumption that were going back to the multiples we had a year ago but i dont think thats happening said max wolff chief economist at manhattan venture partners


twenty countries are triply cursed they have serious levels of malnutrition diet related anemia and obesity according to the global nutrition report published on monday
only china vietnam and south korea had no serious problems with any of the three indicators that health experts used as harbingers of poor nutrition stunted toddlers anemic young women and obese adults the united states germany and 12 other countries have significant obesity
malnutrition has many causes beyond insufficient food said the report by experts who were convened by the international food policy research institute in washington the causes include diarrhea spread by dirty hands and open defecation a failure to breast feed and foods deficient in iron vitamin a folic acid and other micronutrients
for every 1 spent to prevent babies from growing up physically and mentally stunted a nation eventually saves 16 the report found
in the united states extra health care for one obese household member costs a family 8 percent of its income on average in china someone with diabetes typically has 16 percent less money at years end than someone without the disease
the report is the third since health ministers at the 2012 world health assembly agreed on aggressive nutrition improvement targets for 2025 including specific reductions in obesity type 2 diabetes stunting low birth weight womens anemia and salt intake and a 50 percent increase in exclusive breast feeding for the first six months of life
donor countries give about 1 billion a year to fighting malnutrition but the amount has not increased in recent years
the report praised seven countries for making the most progress nepal for fewer stunted children suriname for fewer underweight children jamaica for fewer obese children peru for less female anemia and more breast feeding nauru for fewer adults with a body mass index over 25 north korea for fewer adults with a bmi over 30 and israel for less adult diabetes


san francisco   with sales sluggish and stiffening competition from rivals like google and facebook apple announced on monday coming improvements to the software that runs its devices including a revamped music app an easier login process and better information sharing across devices
more significantly it also made it easier for app developers to tap the full power of apples technology   from its siri voice assistant to instant messaging and apple pay   in their own apps
we believe it is crucial that we provide the best tools so you can produce the best apps apples chief executive tim cook told a crowd of about 5000 assembled here for the companys annual worldwide developer conference
third party developers write the apps that make an iphone or a mac more useful and personal as the company struggles with flat sales of its products apple has been trying to mend its sometimes troubled relationship with the people who have filled its app store with two million apps
on monday apple said it was allowing access to two of its crown jewels   siri and its messaging app imessage   hoping that the creativity of outside developers will spur a round of innovation to make the iphone seem as magical as it did when the first apps were introduced eight years ago
showing off how developers could use messaging an apple executive opened the food delivery app doordash from inside apple imessage and put together a joint order with friends
earlier this year facebook opened up messenger to bots automated software assistants that can accomplish various tasks google also announced plans to introduce a messaging service with similar capabilities
a lot of the messaging apps are moving toward this said brian blau a technology analyst with gartner who attended the event if apple hadnt announced developer access to messages i would have been really surprised
developers were also pleased to get access to siri so they could incorporate voice commands into their own apps until now siri has mostly been limited to apple services and has been used for tasks like conducting searches getting directions or asking the virtual assistant to make a call
faizan buzdar chief executive of convo a business collaboration software maker said his company had already been using siri to a limited extent so that customers could bookmark items that pop up in the convo app
but my vision would be to say whats our revenue this week he said adding that siri would then open convo which would pull in data from its app and partner apps and provide the answer that kind of natural language can really push the barriers of business
initially siri will only be available for certain categories of apps like those providing ride hailing messaging and photo search services
apple has been a leader on mobile devices since the introduction of the iphone a decade ago but in some critical respects it is now playing catch up
for example google whose android smartphone software is more popular than apples globally uses sophisticated facial recognition technology to organize a users photos and googles mapping service works closely with other apps to identify important locations and automatically provide directions to appointments
apple said on monday that it would offer similar features in the next version of its iphone software ios 10 which will be released in the fall with a new crop of iphones
similarly apples integration of other services into imessage mirrors what facebook has done with messenger and what tencent a major apple rival in china has done with wechat messaging
unlike google and facebook which rely on uploading a users data to the cloud apple said the new features will keep data on the phone to protect user privacy
in some ways the star of the show wasnt a particular product but apples refutation of accusations that it cant compete with google and facebook in artificial intelligence and deep learning said jan dawson chief analyst of jackdaw research in an email after the presentation
apple is a clear leader in some areas particularly the nascent field of smartwatches announcing improvements to its year old watch platform apple said that the new version of the watchs operating system would start apps instantly users will also be able to scribble responses to messages one letter at time instead of relying on the canned responses that are currently available
the watch remains tethered to the iphone for most uses and the company seems to be repositioning it as a healthy living accessory offering improved activity tracking and sharing there is even a new deep breathing app
in an attempt to persuade customers to buy more apple products the company also introduced a host of planned features to share data between devices the documents on the desktop of a mac for example will be accessible on ipads and iphones photos taken with the iphone can be viewed on the apple tv
apple signaled its desire to be a player in global e commerce where sales are expected to total 2 trillion this year according to the research firm emarketer
apple said that retailers websites would soon be able to use apple pay as a checkout method and customers could authorize a purchase with their fingerprint on their iphone currently the digital payment service is restricted to physical stores and apps where it has gotten a lukewarm response
a few days before the conference apple made two other major announcements affecting developers it will begin testing paid search ads in the app store which will allow developers to buy a slot at the top of the search results when a user looks for an app apple also said it would reduce the cut it took from subscriptions in apps to 15 percent from 30 percent after the first year
whether apples improvements will be enough to keep developers happily writing apps for the iphone and other apple products remains to be seen
if it continues to be difficult for apps to stand out in the app store more developers will concentrate on developing great mobile websites instead said cathy boyle principal analyst for mobile at emarketer a research firm
creating an iphone app typically costs 50000 to 200000 and some cost as much as 1 million according to an emarketer report last june a website is cheaper and while it lacks some convenience of an app there are techniques to make a site easy for web users to find
developers are asking what is the additional revenue i can get from an app ms boyle said


austin tex   norman lear his signature white canvas hat firmly in place sat in an emptying theater here on friday marveling at the embarrassment of artistic riches his once maligned medium has become
it awes me how much great television there is and great performances the veteran writer and producer said the women in orange is the new black theres more talent there than used to grace three networks back when there were just three networks
mr lear 93 who practically invented the notion that television could amount to more than mere diversion with his boundary pushing sitcoms like all in the family and maude was here for the atx television festival the emerging confab now in its fifth year is intended to celebrate market and critically examine an exponentially expanding medium whose extraordinary creative fertility is now taken for granted
the festival which concluded on sunday has grown considerably drawing 2500 attendees up from roughly 700 in its first year as well as ever more rarefied tv luminaries like mr lear and aaron sorkin who presided over a raucous 10 year reunion of his landmark political drama the west wing
the goal say the atx founders caitlin mcfarland and emily gipson is to connect fans and tv professionals to both celebrate beloved series and their showrunners   the rock stars of this festival ms mcfarland said   and discuss issues facing the industry to us it seemed that more than any other medium television was a community whose members needed to talk to one another she added
the festivals rapid growth is the latest sign of televisions pop cultural ubiquity both in the broader conversation and in sheer volume more than 400 scripted series ran in 2015   with hundreds more reality shows and docu series   and some of the most popular like game of thrones and the walking dead are among the most discussed topics of any sort online
in its focus on series past and present and the increasingly activist nature of tv fandom atx is both an outgrowth of and a real world analog to the contemporary viewing experience when new series sit alongside still popular old ones in streaming queues at the packed west wing reunion filling the 1200 seat paramount theater here mr sorkin marveled at the large numbers of younger fans who would have been in kindergarten when the show ran on nbc
the thing about television is you never get to see the audience he said its great to finally meet you
while established festivals like south by southwest sundance and the toronto international film festival have added television programming in recent years events devoted to the medium are relatively rare the paley center has its long running paleyfest and new york magazines newer vulture festival is heavily focused on tv others like the new york television festival are dedicated to promoting smaller independent works or like the festival de television de monte carlo marketing international ones
in atx ms mcfarland and ms gipson sought to split the difference between industry events like the annual upfronts in which networks present new shows to advertisers and sprawling fan extravaganzas like comic con but with the mingling and general summer camp feel of many film conferences but unlike film festivals intended largely to build buzz and secure distribution deals for new offerings the idea was to blend nostalgia for old series with excitement about current and future ones
ms mcfarland a former assistant to directors like betty thomas and nora ephron was working in retail when she mentioned the idea to ms gipson in 2011 roughly a year before the first atx festival ms gipson was an assistant at discovery communications at the time soon they reached out to industry people whose enthusiasm led to discussions with potential sponsors and a kickstarter campaign that exceeded their 25000 goal still it wasnt until the final day of the first festival when various attendees announced their intentions to return the following year when it was like ok this is going to work ms mcfarland said and oh were doing this again
atxs mix of fan service with more substantive discussions offers a glimpse at the deep ties viewers form with beloved shows across the emotional spectrum at an old football field outside austin where friday night lights was shot former dillon panthers braved the heat and posed for dozens of pictures we have new fans finding us every year and the old fans continue to talk about it said scott porter who played the paralyzed former quarterback jason street
a panel on the representation of gay characters on the other hand sprang from fan outrage specifically over televisions tendency to kill them off at a disproportionate rate the deaths of such characters in the past year on shows like empire the walking dead and the cw science fiction series the 100 especially enraged and galvanized many viewers leading to renewed calls on twitter and elsewhere to end the trope the issue took on terrible new relevance when hours after the panel a gunman killed 49 people at a gay nightclub in orlando fla the festival canceled a panel on violence on television after the shooting
the discussion brought up the challenges of making provocative shows that viewers want while also respecting historically marginalized fans every lgbt person has that character that you first saw who you were like oh this is me and this is my story said megan townsend a representative of glaad a lesbian gay bisexual and transgender advocacy group
mr lear was on hand to accept an award and discuss norman lear just another version of you a new documentary based on his 2014 autobiography currently producing a cuban american version of his family sitcom one day at a time for netflix he finds himself a patron saint of modern tv trends as well as a participant
but even though im a professional in the field im an audience member first he said my experience is the same at 93 that it was when i was a kid


at birth the least weasel is as small and light as a paper clip and the tiny ribs that press visibly against its silvery pink skin give it a segmented look like that of an insect a newborn kit is exceptionally underdeveloped with sealed eyes and ears that wont open for five or six weeks an age when puppies and kittens are ready to be weaned
a mother weasel it seems has no choice but to deliver her young half baked as a member of the mustelid clan   a noble but often misunderstood family of carnivorous mammals that includes ferrets badgers minks and wolverines   she holds to a slender elongated body plan the better to pursue prey through tight spaces that most carnivores cant penetrate bulging baby bumps would jeopardize that sylphish hunting physique
the solution give birth to the equivalent of fetuses and then finish gestating them externally on mothers milk
if you want access to small environments you cant have a big belly said william j zielinski a mustelid researcher with the united states forest service in arcata calif you dont see fat weasels
for dr zielinski and other mustelid minded scientists weasels exemplify evolutionary genius and compromise in equal measure the piecing together of exaggerated and often contradictory traits to yield a lineage of fierce fleet quick witted carnivores that can compete for food against larger celebrity predators like the big cats wolves and bears
researchers admit that wild mustelids can be maddening to study most species are secretive loners shrug off standard radio collars with ease and run close to the ground like small bolts of brown lightning as one team noted now you see them no you didnt
nevertheless through a mix of dogged field and laboratory studies scientists have lately made progress in delineating the weasel playbook and its a page turner or a page burner
researchers have been astonished to discover that the average mustelid is like a fur covered furnace its metabolic rate exceeding not only that of other carnivorous mammals but also that of its twitchy ever gnawing rodent prey
if you compare a least weasel to a meadow mouse theyre the same weight but the weasel has the higher metabolic rate said roger powell an emeritus professor at north carolina state university and doyen of weasel studies
the weasel heart beats at up to 400 pulses per minute said mark linnell a faculty research assistant who studies mustelids at oregon state university theyre geared to run at full speed and theyre always high strung
that keyed up metabolism is another example of a grand mustelidian compromise if you have a high metabolic rate you can be more active and search farther for food in more places and in more diverse ways dr powell said but you have to catch more food in order to do that
big cats must eat the equivalent of roughly a third of their weight each week weasels must eat a third or more of their weight each day theyre living life on the edge dr powell said
weasels also have big brains relative to body mass and they apply their neuronal bounty to continuously fine tune their movements during a hunt a strategy that allows them to attack prey up to 10 times their size
the fisher a particularly fearless weasel in the marten branch may be the only north american carnivore to have mastered the art of dining on adult porcupine   a large rodent that in addition to being protected by a formidable quill sheath weighs a good 12 pounds more than the eight pound fisher
its got to be one of the great predator prey matchups in history said roland kays a biologist at the north carolina museum of natural sciences and north carolina state the fisher must encounter the porcupine on open ground at which point it can start running circles around its quarry the fisher tries to dart in and bite the porcupines vulnerable face the porcupine pivots to turn its shielded back toward its attacker dart and spin dart and bite
after several deep wounds to its face the porcupine grows weak loses its footing and   match over the fisher will then flip the punctured pincushioned animal onto its back and carefully tear into a quill free patch of belly gaining access to desirable organs like the small intestine which is not only rich in protein and lipids but also contains the partially digested plant matter that even carnivores need
dr kays and a former student scott lapoint have found that fishers are far more behaviorally flexible than biologists had thought possible at least in the northeast hunted and trapped to near extinction until the 1930s fishers   a misleading name derived from dutch colonists word for polecat a european weasel   began recovering in their traditional setting of deep forests where they could easily avoid humans
in the last few years though the weasels have apparently shaken off their reserve and begun showing up in suburban and urban areas   a shopping mall in schenectady ny a parking lot in downtown albany two years ago a sizable male fisher made its way to the bronx startling anybody who saw it slinking along the sidewalk and raising hope that a solution to the citys rat problem might have finally arrived
the fisher alas soon disappeared i dont know how that one ended up in the bronx in the first place dr powell said but its no place for a fisher and im sure he wished hed turned left when he turned right
for their part researchers wish they could overturn the publics generally poor opinion of weaseldom to call someone a weasel means the person is shifty untrustworthy weasel words are those squishy defensive qualifiers beloved by well journalists
in a recent brewster rockit space guy comic strip a closet of nightmares is opened to reveal aahhh weasel juggling clowns
researchers speculate that the negative image may result partly from the mustelids serpentine silhouette in some parts of central america weasels are called furry snakes or maybe its the distinctive mustelid musk most weasel species communicate with one another over large home ranges through frequent daubs of a pungent fluid excreted by their anal glands
shihab shamma who uses ferrets to study the mammalian auditory system at the university of maryland and descartes university in paris said of the ferrets at his paris lab we give them the names of smelly french cheeses
but mustelid enthusiasts emphasize the familys beauty and diversity some 60 living species across all continents except antarctica and australia ranging in size from the least weasel the worlds smallest carnivore weighing less than half a stick of butter as an adult to the mighty wolverine which can weigh up to 70 pounds
many weasels spend time in water and one species the sea otter is a marine mammal that rarely comes on land sea otters are also among the only nonprimate mammals to use tools cracking open a recalcitrant mollusk shell by banging it with a stone most of the time though the sea otters teeth do the job
their teeth are amazing like no other living carnivore said adam hartstone rose who studies mammalian bite forces at the university of south carolina theyre big and rounded and with no pointy cusps that might break off they look like pillows or gum drops but the teeth with their thick coat of enamel can easily crush open a crab clam or snail
most weasels have dentition more typical of carnivores with a few sharp slicing teeth and fewer smaller molars which other animals use to grind plants as a result of their compact dental layout many weasels have foreshortened snouts that make them look young and cute they can also act young weasels are among the few animals that play as adults
if theyre well fed dr powell said theyll bounce and ricochet around pounce stalk wiggle and change shape and just about turn themselves inside out they put kittens to shame
many weasels live in cold places and because their long thin shape has a high surface area relative to volume they lose heat easily to tackle the cold without relying on fat as an insulator many weasels grow luxurious fur coats some of the densest in nature
a good head of human hair has about 350 hairs per square inch on a mink the fiber count per square inch is 44000 small wonder that people have historically coveted weasel pelts   mink sable and ermine the fur of pomp and royalty taken from the animals in winter when their coats turn white
weasels also appreciate the value of co opted fur in winter voles and mice build little dome shaped nests under the snow when a weasel finds one of these nests its a genuine jackpot lunch and lodging combined better still with a few tweaks after eating the residents the weasel lines its new dwelling in rodent fur to improve insulation
if you pop open one of these nests in springtime you discover a macabre scene dr zielinski said what was once occupied by a vole is now covered with vole hair wallpaper
a rodents closet of nightmares no clowns no juggling just one cold and hungry weasel knocking at the door


rome   by monday morning the grim if now familiar global ritual had begun leaders across europe asia and elsewhere sent messages of sympathy and outrage editorialists opined against extremism and violence symbolic gestures   another special lighting of the eiffel tower   were announced solidarity hashtags circled the virtual globe
the orlando attack now ranks as the deadliest mass shooting in united states history and the horrific slaughter early sunday at a gay nightclub has a uniquely american component again demonstrating an easy access to assault weapons that stupefies much of the rest of the world
but judging from the initial reaction the attack in florida resonated globally on monday not as an american anomaly but because it felt so universal orlando now takes a place with paris brussels beirut bamako san bernardino and other cities struck by different incarnations of terrorism in recent years candles were once lit in their honor too
the orlando attack is already stirring debate on some of the most visceral fault lines of american politics terrorism and islamophobia security and civil liberties gun control and gay rights but absent guns those issues also resonate across the world especially in many developed countries wrestling with how to maintain their freedoms in the face of violent attacks on their values
in an interconnected world what seemed most relevant was what bound together the satirists of charlie hebdo the rock music fans at the bataclan the tourists at the brussels airport and the young people dancing early sunday at the pulse nightclub in orlando   not what divided them and their societies
but that connectedness also meant that orlando quickly became politicized globally as well as in the united states one organization campaigning for britain to leave the european union in the june 23 national referendum posted a campaign message on twitter that showed islamic state fighters warning of an orlando style atrocity if britain remained in the european bloc the group deleted the message after the person who posted it was widely condemned
for many gays lesbians and transgender people the orlando attack was a searing moment highlighting the continued threats they face from an ideologically varied array of sources even as much of the world grows more inclusive about sexuality
in london owen jones a liberal columnist who is gay walked off the set of a sky news program after arguing with the host on how the orlando attack should be defined mr jones argued it was both a terrorist attack and an anti gay hate crime while the programs host sought to make a distinction between the two
this guy however he dresses up his bigotry and hatred is someone who hates gays mr jones said of the killer if he went into a synagogue and killed innocent jewish people as people have done disgusting anti semitic terrorists wed call it out for what it is
this was a homophobic hate crime as well as terrorism
the day before the orlando attack thousands of people took part in gay pride parades in croatia and poland amid concerns about rising right wing political trends in brazil a spate of killings of gay and transgender people has started an intense debate with some brazilians arguing that the rising clout of evangelical christian legislators is increasing intolerance in the country
these killings in orlando were motivated by the most sordid homophobia said jean wyllys an openly gay congressman from rio de janeiro
this could have happened to any of us to me to a friend a work colleague a neighbor a cousin they could be dead if they had been in orlando enjoying themselves at a club without harming anyone else
europes mainstream political leaders were quick to offer condolences on monday and affirm their friendship with the american people chancellor angela merkel of germany condemned such a murderous attack and declared a determination to continue our open tolerant life
tel avivs city hall was bathed in the colors of the rainbow and the american flag on sunday night the town hall in sydney australia was lit in pink in britain the cities of blackpool and liverpool said they would light local landmarks with rainbow colors on monday night in memory of the victims
even so the orlando killings come as far right political parties in europe are stoking anti immigrant anti muslim sentiments in a similar vein to donald j trump the presumptive republican presidential nominee in the united states as mr trump quickly seized on the massacre to renew his call to view muslim immigrants as a threat some politicians in the european right did the same
hungarys right wing government has been in the vanguard on resisting migrants and championing a so called illiberal democracy on monday lajos kosa the parliamentary leader of the governing party invoked the orlando attacks as a cudgel to repeat the partys campaign against migrants from syria and other muslim nations
uncontrolled migration forced resettlement the inflow of crowds into european society who not only cannot but do not want to integrate come with enormous dangers mr kosa told a plenary session of the hungarian parliament on monday
in recent years as europe has struggled to respond to islamist terrorism security in the united states was regarded as more efficient and better organized europes national security agencies were poorly coordinated and blamed for failing to root out cells of homegrown islamist terrorists especially in france and belgium
now after the attacks in orlando and san bernardino calif the united states also seems likely to confront difficult questions about the governments ability to track and stop determined killers especially those who operate largely on their own drawing inspiration but not practical support from groups like the islamic state the questions are likely to be especially pointed for the fbi given that it had twice investigated the orlando killer omar mateen for possible terrorist ties
for years americas liberal gun laws and the unwillingness of congress to change them have mystified people in many other countries
in japan the american gun issue is treated as a bizarre aberration and much of the news media coverage of the orlando killings focused on the terrorism angle only one person was killed by a gun last year in japan according to the national police agency and there were only eight reported incidents of a gun being fired
in china news of the orlando shooting came only hours after a man set off primitive explosives in the check in area at an airport in shanghai four people were slightly injured showing the gulf between the two countries in the lethality of the weapons available to the public in china where ordinary citizens have no access to firearms the weapon of choice is often a large kitchen knife
more than 300000 chinese students are studying at american universities and the orlando shooting brought on new concerns from chinese parents gao junlan a lawyer from southwestern chinas sichuan province was concerned about her daughter a third year chemistry student at the university of minnesota her daughter was at the shanghai airport when the explosives were detonated there waiting to catch a flight to the united states
i think the american government should tighten its gun control ms gao said by telephone yes it is a free society for people with all religions and beliefs but not everyone is capable of controlling their behavior and the governments lax regulation is making killing a lot easier


mets manager terry collins who missed his teams game sunday after feeling ill that morning in milwaukee will be back in the dugout tuesday
collins was seen by a doctor at froedtert hospital in milwaukee on sunday and the mets said that all tests had come back negative he was cleared by the doctor and by the mets medical staff to fly back to new york
with the bench coach dick scott managing in collinss absence on sunday the mets lost 5 3 to the brewers the mets were off on monday and start an eight game homestand tuesday at citi field against the pittsburgh pirates the atlanta braves and the kansas city royals
collins who turned 67 last month is the oldest manager in the majors he signed a two year contract extension through 2017 after guiding the mets to the world series last season


nairobi kenya   the eritrean embassy in kenya sent a text message alert monday morning the ethiopians had attacked fighting on the border situation unfolding
the jagged line separating eritrea from its former ruler ethiopia has been one of africas most combustible flash points tens of thousands of soldiers died from 1998 to 2000 in a war that had been called as pointless as two bald men fighting over a comb
as the news of renewed clashes in the rocky barren frontier began to spread on monday many ethiopians and eritreans feared the worst witnesses said both sides were rushing troops to the tsorona border area and heavy artillery was apparently fired from both sides on the eritrean side several people were reported to have been killed the reports of fighting and the lack of solid information raised fears that the two countries could be sliding once again toward all out war
but by monday afternoon the extent of the fighting was unclear the ethiopian government said eritrea started it getting more information out of eritrea is like trying to see into a pitch dark room the government is one of the most secretive isolated and repressive nations in the world
just last week a united nations panel accused eritreas leaders of committing crimes against humanity including murder rape and enslavement
according to meron estefanos a journalist and activist from eritrea living in sweden who maintains a large network of contacts in africa anger at the government is steadily rising within eritrea and the shelling across the border may have been started by eritrea as a distraction
there is no reason for ethiopia to start a war right now ms estefanos said it just doesnt add up when everything is going their way
but she added if there is a war or the rumor of a war it could be a way for the eritrean government to get support and divert attention
eritrea is a tiny country with about one sixteenth the population of ethiopia against which it won a celebrated war of liberation in the early 1990s since then the governments isolationist policies have created dire economic conditions with shortages of electricity water gas and bread many young people in eritrea have said they are virtually imprisoned in a national program that requires them to serve indefinitely in the military or other branches of government
each year thousands of young eritreans try to flee to europe in recent months hundreds have drowned in the mediterranean sea adding to the anti government feelings ms estefanos said
recent talk of another border war against ethiopia has opened a nationalistic vein
here in asmara its peaceful despite ethiopianattacks against eritrea on the tsorona front one eritrean american using the handle red sea fisher wrote on twitter on monday referring to asmara the eritrean capital and you wonder why theres national service
a ruling by an international commission which both eritrea and ethiopia agreed to respect awarded a piece of the disputed territory near the border to eritrea but ethiopian troops still occupy that territory more than 10 years after the ruling was issued and eritrea has complained that the international community   especially the united states and britain   has exerted little pressure to get the ethiopians to leave
eritrea has used the dispute over the border to justify its war footing and the suspension of many civil liberties
analysts have said the discontent in eritrea could erupt at any time
mutinous soldiers staged a coup attempt in 2013 which was quickly crushed in that case like the border clashes in the past two days little is known about what really happened


the gunman in a shooting rampage at a florida nightclub identified as omar mateen would seem in retrospect to have been the kind of person who should not have been able to buy a gun
his former wife described mr mateen as mentally unstable and abusive a co worker at the security company where he worked recalled him talking about killing people all the time and the federal bureau of investigation investigated him for possible ties to terrorism
yet just as was the case with a long line of other mass shootings nothing prevented the orlando gunman from legally buying the weapons he used
the explanation as confounding as it may be for those who favor tougher gun restrictions has its roots in a civic value that crosses the political divide the right to due process
the pattern is by now numbingly familiar
jared loughner who in 2011 shot representative gabrielle giffords in the head and killed six others in tucson had exhibited alarming signs of mental illness yet legally bought the glock handgun used in the shooting just a few weeks earlier
a month before aaron alexis killed a dozen people in 2013 at the washington navy yard the police in rhode island visited him after he called them to complain that he was hearing voices and that people were following him and harassing him with a microwave machine nevertheless shortly after he was able to legally buy the shotgun he used in the shooting
the phenomenon occurs again and again on a more humdrum daily basis involving far less spectacular shootings
in 2010 in oklahoma barbara diane dye was shot and killed by her husband in a bank parking lot two weeks earlier she had filed an emergency order of protection against him explaining that her husband had repeatedly threatened to kill her and that she feared he would turn violent when he received divorce papers as they waited for a court hearing needed for a full protection order ms dye and her family begged the local police to take away his guns
the issue with these cases and countless others is the way federal gun prohibitions have been drawn up seeking to balance what the supreme court decreed in 2008 was a constitutional right to bear arms against the potential threat to public safety
most of the federal criteria that bar people from buying or possessing guns under federal law require some sort of legal adjudication a felony conviction for instance an involuntary commitment to a mental institution a process that typically requires a judges decree a full protection order that includes the opportunity for a hearing
it is a relatively high bar given the range of behaviors that might set off alarms about someone having a gun
while mr mateen might have exhibited worrisome red flags his behavior had never risen to the level that involved a full fledged court process or some other official proceeding that would have blocked him
the same applies to mr loughner and mr alexis as clearly mentally unstable as they both were in retrospect in ms dyes case in oklahoma her husband had not yet been given the opportunity to contest the allegations against him in a court hearing on the order of protection which could have led to his being barred him from having guns
the issue of due process in fact is at the heart of why gun rights advocates have resisted so strenuously a proposal to bar people on federal terrorism watch lists or who have otherwise been suspected by the authorities of ties to terrorist groups from buying guns mr mateen was on a watch list from 2013 to mid 2014 james b comey the fbi director said but not earlier this month when he bought the guns used in the shooting
people on the watch lists which can include tens of thousands of names have no opportunity to contest their inclusion in a court of law gun rights proponents point out and taking away a constitutionally protected right they argue should carry a much greater legal bar
the measure was defeated six months ago by republicans in congress but senate democrats including dianne feinstein of california and bill nelson of florida said on monday that they would renew their push for a vote on the legislation
i hope every member of the house and senate had time for quiet reflection yesterday to ask what we could have done to prevent this tragedy senator harry reid of nevada the democratic leader said on monday im so sorry im heartsick im basically sick by our inaction its shameful the united states senate has done nothing   nothing   to stop these mass shootings
just one republican senator mark s kirk of illinois voted in favor of the proposal in december but democrats said that they believed that republicans would come under new pressure
it is a sign of where the gun debate is in this country at the moment that even the manchin toomey gun bill of 2013 the most ambitious proposal for tightening federal gun laws in recent years would have been powerless to block mr mateens purchase of a gun
that is because the measure proposed after the school shooting in newtown conn was focused on expanding existing federal background checks on guns to a greater array of gun transactions particularly those made through private sales at gun shows or online
only in a handful states   new york and california are among those that stand out   have lawmakers sought to tighten the legal threshold to include red flags that extend substantially beyond the federal criteria
new york passed a law in 2013 after newtown that compelled mental health professionals to report any patient likely to engage in conduct that would result in serious harm to self or others a process that could lead to the person being prohibited from buying and possessing firearms
but by late 2014 the list had swelled to some 34500 names raising concerns even among some mental health professionals that some in the database were not truly dangerous
california for its part introduced this year something lawmakers called a gun violence restraining order in which family members or law enforcement officials can petition a judge on an emergency basis to order people to surrender their firearms pending a full hearing because the individuals pose a danger to themselves or others the weapons could then later be returned if a person successfully contests the removal in court
gun control proponents seeking to expand the restraining orders to other states hope the hearing process for the orders give them a convincing way to counter the due process arguments from opponents an alliance of gun control supporters are now trying to secure enough signatures to get a similar firearm restraining order on the ballot in november in washington state
ultimately it is a question that promises to resurface given the protracted nature of the gun debate in the united states where should the line be drawn


earlier this month chef corey lee strolled through the ground floor of the newly reopened sfmoma past one of richard serras swirling imposing sculptures and said whether we like it or not food has started to occupy a new role as art its a statement that underlies every aspect of lees new restaurant in the museum where he will serve not only as chef but also curator when it opens tomorrow in situ will be a first of its kind gallery where diners can order faithfully replicated dishes from restaurants the world over past and present
there might not be a better person for the job than lee he is one of the greatest chefs to have come out of thomas kellers kitchens and has earned three michelin stars at his own restaurant benu just across the street from the museum in the foreword to the benu cookbook the momofuku chef and lucky peach editor david chang expresses awe at his peer theres no better cook technician on the planet ... rarely do you come across the super talented person who is matched with a superior work ethic when you do you get a supernova
since getting the green light for the idea lee has had to tap into that work ethic and technique perhaps more than ever traveling the world and learning how to cook a range of dishes from changs spicy pork sausage rice cakes served at momofuku ssam bar in new york to a braised octopus and seaweed by chef virgilio martinez served at the restaurant central in lima as curator lees also had to count on the trust of each person lending their dish to the menu you put together an exhibition based on relationships he said these are not interpretations my cooks and i are shepherds of these chefs works befitting an exhibition the menu lists the chef and restaurant responsible for each dish as well as the year it was produced it also includes descriptions   cogent as the finest museum labels   of each chefs contribution to gastronomy
the opening menu will feature 25 dishes but lee has amassed a repertoire of 90 with the intention of changing things up often he envisions an accessible environment where museumgoers can stumble upon the restaurant and order from the snack menu in the front of the space or sit down for a full dinner in the main dining room imagine someone who had no idea they would discover this place coming in and ordering something lee said you can help them reimagine something about the world or evoke an emotion they didnt plan on experiencing theres an amazing opportunity to surprise people


st denis france   there was the time zlatan ibrahimovic suggested that his own dominance sent an entire country denmark into retirement there was the time he denied rumors he had purchased a porsche by saying he actually bought a plane because it was much faster there was the time he described an opposing team chelsea as 11 babies
and of course there was the time ibrahimovic was asked what sort of gift he had given his longtime partner helena for her birthday
nothing he said with a straight face she already has zlatan
ibrahimovic has always had the gift of chatter he is among the most quotable players in the world a giant of a man with a never ending braggadocio that comes off most of the time as amusing instead of arrogant he is as he will tell you a legend
he is also old at least in soccer terms he will turn 35 this fall a number that is not insignificant for a player who turned professional in 1999 and who on monday night here at the stade de france made his 114th appearance for sweden in a 1 1 tie with ireland in the european championships
this was an important game for ibrahimovic in an important tournament this is his home after all at least for a little bit longer yes he said goodbye to paris st germain last month typically he told the news media he would consider staying if paris gave him the eiffel tower but paris has been his city and france his country for the past four seasons
it feels too as if this could be ibrahimovics send off from the biggest stages of international soccer sweden did not qualify for the world cup in brazil two years ago an absence that grated on ibrahimovic in an interview that spring ibrahimovic did his best to make light of how he would feel not being in brazil   he said he was planning to go hunting and might not even watch the tournament   but in a quieter moment he allowed that he was aware there might not be many more chances
here at the euros he has one more chance to shine with the world watching there could be opportunities at his next club   though manchester united thought to be the leading contender is not playing in the champions league next season   but that will be different with sweden ibrahimovic is the singular focus the captain the sun around which the rest of the team revolves and the light that envelops everything around it at manchester united even if he helps claim a premier league title ibrahimovic will never be bigger than the club
so he has these few weeks these few chances on monday he looked focused as he waited in the tunnel before the game a fierce gaze on his face as he led his teammates onto the field then as he often does he slumbered into the early phases of the game jogging and walking and shouting at his teammates as the pace of the game rarely went faster than a canter
earlier in his career ibrahimovic was a firecracker liable to explode at any moment there were free kicks and bicycle kicks charging headers and whistling shots that needed little more than an inch of space to be unleashed ibrahimovic would stalk and plunder a defenses back line he would pounce
now it is a bit different ibrahimovic can still shred a truly inferior defense   as was evidenced on more than one occasion in the french league   but he frequently needs time to build into a match to get his legs and his body rolling downhill
in mondays match the signs began to show close to halftime ireland essentially man marked ibrahimovic hounding him away from the ball and near it yet before the halftime break there was a moment near midfield when ibrahimovic came on to a bouncing ball and controlled it deftly at his feet spinning all the way around and going away from an irish midfielder while the crowd gasped at the fluidity of his whirl nothing much came of it   a long pass followed and rolled out of play   but the magic was there
then on the hour there was more a cutting run into the penalty area by ibrahimovic left him just in front of an ireland defender as martin olsson crossed the ball toward the goal ibrahimovic lashed at the ball with his left foot slashing it out of the air with power but the ball skipped just wide of the post another gasp another moment
finally 10 minutes later and with ireland leading through a wes hoolahan volley ibrahimovic delivered a precise passing sequence around the ireland penalty area led to ibrahimovics sprinting on to a pass near the end line and astutely curling the ball back across goal it was one of those crosses that are disasters for a defense too close to let go and too tight to the goal to try to spin away while retreating ciaran clark the closest defender did his best but his momentum was too much and the ball caromed off his head and into his own net
ibrahimovics speed carried him into the advertising boards behind the goal where his teammates surrounded him as if he had scored sweden had its goal and a bit later its first point of the tournament with games against italy and belgium still to come advancement is hardly guaranteed but then with ibrahimovic defeat is never a certainty either
for his part ibrahimovic does not want to say whether this will be his final international tournament he has hinted he would like to play at the rio olympics in august and qualifying for the 2018 world cup begins in the fall his age and the difficulty of world cup qualifying may conspire against him but ibrahimovic ever quotable refuses to concede
in his mind there is plenty still yet to come
i have been dominating wherever i go he said the legend can still deliver


it turns out that winning 11 tony awards wasnt the only milestone for hamilton on sunday
the musical also wrapped up its biggest box office week ever grossing over 2 million for the first time
the grosses for hamilton are likely to continue to rise over time because the show raised prices for a new block of tickets released sunday night just after the tonys broadcast the tickets which included premium seats for a record 849 sold strongly overnight the shows producer said monday that the production went through the purchases to flush out any bought in excess of limits canceling those sales and putting the tickets back on sale
hamilton still lags behind the industry leader the lion king which has proved amazingly dominant over more than 18 years on broadway during the week that ended june 12 the lion king grossed 2071899 just ahead of the 2028208 earned by hamilton according to figures released monday by the broadway league
over all it was a strong week for broadway as pleasant weather and vacationing families increased attendance the 35 shows running last week grossed 28477730 up from 27019163 grossed by 36 shows the previous week
six other shows grossed over 1 million wicked aladdin the book of mormon paramour school of rock and waitress for waitress a musical featuring songs by sara bareilles it was the best week yet and the show reported strong sales on monday in the wake of a performance on the tonys by its star jessie mueller
the play blackbird starring jeff daniels and michelle williams closed on saturday after the strongest week of its run grossing 552394
the tonys did not offer much comfort to many shows   the awards were concentrated on the musicals hamilton and the color purple and the play the humans   so other shows will now look to marketing and word of mouth to bolster their outreach to audiences


london   filipe graca hovered over an espresso machine at the british food chain pret a manger and frothed out a cafe latte for a waiting customer until last year he had struggled to find any kind of a job in his native portugal but when he arrived in london he was able to work almost right away
so were the young women from hungary france and albania who cheerfully tended the cash registers and the staff from poland spain and italy cleaning tables and preparing sandwiches for the lunch crowd only one thing seemed to bother them the prospect that britain might actually leave the european union
i dont think the uk will vote for a brexit but if they do it would be bad said mr graca who was working to help finance his studies for a computer science degree
look around he added gesturing to colleagues who hailed from 10 nations across europe everyone here is from another country
step into nearly any london restaurant hotel or retail shop and chances are that most people serving your meal checking you in or ringing up your sale are not british peer inside a construction site and a hive of nationalities is busy building even the british farm vegetables on your plate were probably harvested by european immigrants
as britain prepares to vote on whether to retain its membership in the european union dire warnings have been multiplying about the punch to the british economy and especially the vaunted financial industry should the so called brexit happen but some of the hardest hit businesses are likely to be in the goods and services that britons deal with every day
for decades the hospitality retail food and construction industries in particular have taken advantage of the blocs rules allowing freedom of movement meaning europeans like mr graca can work legally in any of the 28 countries that are members non europeans must obtain work visas under immigration rules that require graduate level skills and a minimum annual salary of 20800 pounds
should britain leave and start requiring european citizens to clear the same visa hurdles as other foreign workers three quarters of the 22 million people from other eu countries currently working in britain wouldnt make the cut according to the migration observatory at oxford university more than 90 percent of the 442000 european migrants working at british hotels and restaurants also would not qualify
while european nationals working in britain make up just 5 percent of the 315 million strong work force compared to 11 percent from overseas they have become a visible flash point in the overall debate about whether and what type of immigration really works for britain
the leave camp argues that it has been too easy for migrant workers from europe to waltz into the country and take british jobs we have absolutely no power to control the numbers who are coming with no job offers and no qualifications from the 28 eu countries boris johnson the former london mayor said in a recent speech rallying for a brexit
british businesses have faced criticism for hiring them greencore britains biggest sandwich maker drew fire for seeking hundreds of hungarian employees for a new sandwich factory in northampton an hour north of london pret a manger whose stores dot street corners across britain has been faulted for employing relatively few british workers a spokesman for pret a manger declined to comment
critics also point to the low wages that many eu workers seem willing to take in labor intensive industries especially people fleeing struggling economies nearly 40 percent of the more than two million european workers in britain hail from low wage nations such as poland and romania and since a debt crisis struck the european south growing numbers of italians greeks spanish and portuguese have left for a chance at any employment in britain
but for many europeans grateful to have a job what is considered a low wage in the eyes of some british is better than what they would get back home there are no jobs in portugal said mr graca who was hoping to be promoted to barista which pays PS920 an hour more than prets base pay of PS850 and higher than the PS720 rate considered a living wage im here to work and earn money he said
any out vote would not force europeans to leave britain at least not right away for the next two years the british government would negotiate new treaties with the european union over labor movement and other matters
still with the referendum looming thousands of workers across the city are bracing for a potentially murky future employers are grappling with uncertainty about whether they will be able to hire europeans as easily as before
what we dont know is what is going to be the status of those people going forward said keith howells the chief executive of mott macdonald a major construction services firm with projects in britain and worldwide around 20 percent of his workers in britain are from elsewhere in the european union
will they be welcome or not will they be subject to quotas or wont they he said its potentially hugely destabilizing
thats especially true for londons restaurants bars and hotels since europeans make up most employees
a british departure from the bloc would impact the industry big time and those who work here said filippo castellana an italian who manages the french restaurant le garrick in covent garden on a recent day patrons were served steak frites and onion soup by staff members from poland latvia hungary lithuania and france
we depend on european workers he said it would be insane for britain to leave
around the corner at suvlaki a greek restaurant specializing in grilled meat skewers and stuffed pitas the owner yannis theodorakakos was preparing to tally the impact if he needed to obtain work visas for the 13 european citizens working on his staff
it wouldnt be the end of the world mr theodorakakos said a former banker he expects that an independent britain would start operating like switzerland whose relationship with the european union is framed by bilateral treaties giving it greater control over immigration but if i had to use visas in the future to hire from the eu it would cost us money as employers he said
that argument riles backers of the leave lobby who argue that european citizens distort the labor market in part because they are able to come into britain with virtually no checks and start looking for a job
recently britains popular curry houses aligned themselves with pro brexit campaigners complaining that skilled chefs from places like bangladesh must get expensive time consuming visas while europeans with little restaurant expertise can work right away a brexit would even an unfair playing field they say
but to those who claim their business could be crippled without european labor such talk is a feeble diversion from the elephant in the room in the brexit debate
the fact is were doing jobs that most british people dont want to do said anna pawelec the manager of pillars of hercules a 150 year old pub on greek street near soho that has british owners but is run almost entirely by poles
most of them wouldnt get out of bed for the money we earn added ms pawelec standing behind a row of beer taps as the song we didnt start the fire blared from loudspeakers
foreign people work hard she added we contribute hugely to this country so everyone is thinking the same thing dont tell me to leave


i remember my therapists advice when i was a 22 year old not yet out of the closet gay man living in washington   uncertain unhappy unready
she knew that i wasnt prepared to walk into a gay club   wasnt prepared to acknowledge what that meant   so she recommended a kind of emotional compromise go into one walk around and then leave test the waters see how it feels
i did it worked it usually does doesnt it
to fully grasp the unique horror of what happened inside pulse   a gay nightclub in orlando fla that became the site of the worst mass shooting in america   you have to understand the outsize role that gay bars play in the history lives and imagination of gay people
they are refuges and havens places where the moment you cross the threshold there is an unspoken understanding you will feel accepted and safe
in orlando that concept was perverted and upended in the most brutal way imaginable the safe harbor became a bloody death chamber
it was a gay bar that had liberated me and so many of my peers once we finally summoned the courage to stick around and take a seat putting us on a long path toward self acceptance
will that change now
murderous attacks on gay establishments are not new of course arson at a gay lounge in new orleans in 1973 killed 32 people a number that was surpassed on sunday in orlando smaller scale attacks have occurred at bars across the country
they are shocks every time precisely because these spaces exist to shelter their inhabitants from the slights and sallies of the world
it is no accident that a major turning point in the modern gay rights movement took place at a gay bar the stonewall inn in manhattans west village was a refuge in a city where bars frequently refused to welcome gay men lesbians and transgender patrons when the police raided it in 1969 the gay community rebelled this was their sanctuary
on sunday night in front of the stonewall inn i met a 52 year old gay activist david drake older and wiser than me im now 36 he described the outrage he felt about the orlando gunmans decision to carry out his massacre at a gay nightclub his frame of reference was telling
its like when the gunman goes into a church and shoots people he said this is completely wrong
its sacred he said of the bar behind him draped in rainbow colored flags these spaces even though they are quote unquote bars or clubs are those spaces for people in the lgbtq community those are the spaces we come to
he spoke of the thousands of young gay bisexual and transgender people who flock to bars and clubs in the west village night after night after night these kids come down here because they feel like its their safe space the queer kids from various colors various communities come here because its their space they can be who they want they can be who they are to themselves and each other to reflect each other to know each other to love each other to discover each other to grow with each other in order to become grown up people
the gunman who killed 49 people inside pulse may have wanted to rob gay bars of that hard fought role but he did not he could not


paris   if 11 is soccers dominant number   as in which 11 players should be on the field   then 10 is its perpetual pursuit for after every match at the european championships or the champions league or the copa america as well as a vast majority of league matches played around the world the most pressing question for fans and participants alike is this
what were the ratings
in some countries they are called marks others label them grades or notes but whatever the name in an era of progressively more complex statistics and analytics the premise for this sports most discussed scale has remained remarkably rudimentary each player is given a rating based on his contribution to the match by a reporter or analyst who watched it usually ranging from 0 unforgettably bad to 10 unforgettably amazing
the ratings are then published and debated in all languages on radio television and perhaps more shrilly the internet as well as in bars restaurants taxicabs and occasionally the players locker room
do not be confused just because the system is basic does not mean it is simple at lequipe the signature news media outlet of these euros as many as six journalists will give their marks for the french national team after each of its games the papers so called official ratings will be an average of these scores
vincent duluc the papers longtime reporter covering les bleus and one of the countrys most respected soccer writers chuckled when he described this setup but noted with a sigh that these marks are the heart of what we do they are the first thing anyone talks about
duluc continued describing a frequent gripe from players some people will say how can you grade them if you never played professional football i have a colleague who used to say you dont have to be half naked to write about french cancan so for me it is the same
most graders begin from the same place starting each player with a 5 or a 6 if they are generous before adjusting up or down during a game a player who does not make much of an impact but does little wrong most likely stays in the middle a catastrophic mistake that leads to a goal can drop a defender to a low mark like a 3 even if the other 89 minutes of the players performance were decent likewise scoring a goal can elevate a forwards pedestrian day to a 7 or an 8
these days ratings matter to fans even more because in many countries the evaluations from the top newspaper are factored into the scoring of soccer fantasy leagues
thomas muller the veteran star for germany said he still checked his ratings after a match he added quickly i dont make a lot of research on it or anything
we play in a fishbowl and it is part of that everyone likes a clap on the shoulder but you cannot be too emotional about these things
mullers approach seems measured but that could be because he generally receives good ratings germany is the defending world cup champion other players can be more sensitive for example joey barton the veteran english defender was once peeved at even being mentioned in someone elses rating
jose maria rodriguez who frequently covers barcelona for marca spains most popular sports daily said it was not uncommon for him to hear from players or people connected to them
rodriguez recalled covering celta de vigo earlier in his career and being accosted by the teams coach who pleaded with him to give the players better ratings because the low marks the team was struggling at the time were affecting the players confidence after one game the teams goalkeeper accused rodriguez of turning fans against him
i told him its just a rating in marca  rodriguez said this did not seem to help
superfluous as they may seem these ratings do matter duluc said he often heard from agents   typically those representing players who were seeking new contracts   trying to lobby for their clients to receive good ratings conversely there have been journalists hopeful of landing an interview with a certain player who might artificially inflate a grade as a way of smoothing the way
the former french international willy sagnol used to text or call reporters   sometimes even at halftime but more generally right after a match ended   duluc said demanding to know what marks would show up in the next days paper
he would always say what am i getting what am i getting  duluc said one time it was bad and he was told youre getting a 4 he said forget you know my phone number and hung up
in general perfect 10s are rare as are zeros duluc said somewhat proudly that 10 players received a 1 during the recently completed french league season and that he had handed out three of them rodriguez said the last perfect score he gave was to barcelonas lionel messi when he scored four goals against arsenal in the 2013 champions league and duluc added that he believed that game was the last time any player received a 10 in lequipe as well
marco guidi a writer for italys gazzetta dello sport recalled diego militos display in the 2010 champions league final   when he scored two especially pretty goals in inters defeat of bayern munich   as an example of what is needed to receive a 10
obviously there has to be a majestic performance guidi said
marking the superstar players can be difficult should say portugals cristiano ronaldo be judged against the other players in the game or against his own body of work but rodriguez who generally rates messi as many as 40 times a season said that he tried his best to balance the two
i dont ask messi for more to get an 8 or 9 he said the thing is messi tends to play better more frequently so he usually gets a good rating you see what you see and you try to be honest its all you can do
since rating a full game of players every week can become banal the journalists doing the marking like to try to have a bit of fun one of dulucs favorite marks came in a game 20 years ago when one of the players he was watching had turned in a particularly wretched performance
instead of a 10 point scale lequipe at the time was using a system that required reporters to give each player a number of soccer balls   1 through 5   as the grade duluc thought for a bit as he pondered his marks then called his office
i asked them to give him one tennis ball duluc said laughing he had been so bad he didnt deserve a football at all


washington   the fbi director said on monday that the gunman in the mass killing in orlando was on a terrorist watchlist from 2013 to 2014 but that months of intense investigation into his foreign travels his inflammatory language with co workers and his possible motivations did not produce enough evidence to arrest him
the director james b comey jr defended his agencys handling of its past inquiries into the gunman omar mateen telling reporters that there had been no indication that fbi agents in florida missed any chances to apprehend or prosecute mr mateen before the deadly rampage in which he proclaimed his allegiance to the islamic state
the attack highlighted the difficulty the american government faces in addressing the threat from the terrorist group unlike al qaeda which favored highly organized and planned operations the islamic state has encouraged anyone to take up arms in its name often that means the fbi is looking to identify people who have committed no crime
once the fbi closes an investigation agents are required to remove the targets from terrorism watchlists that rule is intended to prevent the united states from keeping secretive open ended watchlists based on suspicions that are ultimately unfounded
in 2009 the justice department inspector general criticized the fbi for not moving quickly enough to purge those lists
but for the fbi which also investigated one of the brothers who carried out the boston marathon bombing in 2013 before the attack its dealings with mr mateen once again threaten to raise questions about its ability to effectively intercept terrorist threats   or even suspects who have made it onto the bureaus radar before
donald j trump the presumptive republican nominee for president speaking in a television interview on monday blamed terrible intelligence gathering for the attack mr comey curtly declined to comment on the criticism when asked about it
while mr comey promised a full review of the fbis interactions with mr mateen he said that so far i dont see anything in reviewing our work that our agents should have done differently
mr mateen seems to have been inspired and radicalized by the islamic states radical ideology mr comey said but he did not appear to have received support from anyone overseas or from others in the united states based on the evidence to date that lone wolf approach made it much more difficult to head off the attack he said
the fbis most intense investigation into mr mateen came in a 10 month span beginning in the spring of 2013 mr comey said
co workers at the security firm where mr mateen worked reported that he had made incendiary comments claiming connections to overseas terrorists including al qaeda and hezbollah saying he hoped that the fbi would raid his familys home so that he could martyr himself
the fbi opened an investigation putting mr mateen on a terrorist watchlist for nearly a year
fbi agents in florida used multiple investigative tools including an undercover informant who made contact with the suspect wiretapping his conversations and pulling personal and financial records on him
they also sought help from saudi intelligence officials to determine whether mr mateen had contact with any known terrorist suspects during his travels for the umrah in 2011 and 2012
for muslims the umrah is one of the sacred pilgrimages to mecca the holy city in saudi arabia unlike the annual pilgrimage known as the hajj the umrah can be made at any time of year more than 11000 americans make pilgrimages to mecca each year and mr comey said the fbi found no derogatory information about mr mateens trips
investigators interviewed mr mateen twice in person as part of the investigation while he acknowledged making the incendiary remarks to his co workers he maintained he had made the comments in anger because he was upset about his colleagues ridiculing his muslim background mr comey said unable to determine that he had planned violence the fbi closed the investigation and took his name off the terrorist watchlist
but just two months later in july 2014 his name surfaced again in connection with an investigation into a florida man moner mohammad abusalha who had gone to syria and killed himself in a suicide bombing
fbi agents learned as part of the abusalha investigation that he and mr mateen had attended the same mosque and had known each other casually mr comey said they interviewed mr mateen for a third time but determined that his contacts with the suicide bomber were not significant he added
it looks like things were done well mr comey said of the fbis handling of mr mateen
mr comeys remarks echo those made after the 2013 boston marathon bombing the fbi had investigated one of the two bombers tamerlan tsarnaev but found no evidence to pursue a criminal case some in congress criticized that decision
the russian government told the fbi in 2011 that tamerlan tsarnaev was a follower of radical islam and was associated with unspecified underground groups in russia the fbi said the fbi investigated and ultimately found no links to extremists the cia conducted a similar review
another report by the inspector general concluded that the fbi had followed its guidelines in that case though internal investigators said the agent involved could have been more thorough the final report said there was no evidence indicating that those additional steps would have uncovered a crime or justified keeping the investigation open
such cases rankle fbi counterterrorism agents who say they are criticized both for leaving cases open too long and for closing cases that do not have enough evidence
don borelli a retired fbi counterterrorism supervisor in new york said there is a danger in criticizing agents who close investigations if agents become reluctant to close cases on innocent people he said it threatens the constitution and civil liberties can we allow peoples futures to be affected if theres no proven basis for it thats the flip side to all this he said imagine if you cant get a job because youre on some watchlist and theres no basis for it
sally q yates the deputy attorney general also told reporters at the news conference that the justice department might look to adopt new procedures that would alert counterterrorism investigators if someone who had been under investigation and on a terror watchlist tried to buy a gun
mr mateen bought the two weapons used in the attack just this month officials said when he went to buy those guns after having come under investigation one would have liked to have known about it ms yates said


washington   the orlando fla massacre reignited on monday the debate over whether americans like omar mateen who have appeared on the governments terrorist watch lists or who were otherwise suspected by the authorities of ties to terrorist groups should be allowed to buy a gun in congress even some supporters of gun rights seemed to be having second thoughts
six months after republicans in congress defeated a measure that would have closed the so called terror gap after the san bernardino calif attack senate democrats moved swiftly on monday to renew the debate over tightening federal gun laws
as a first step the democrats demanded that republicans take up legislation aimed at banning the sale of guns or explosives to people who have appeared on watch lists or who have been suspected by the justice department of ties to terrorist organizations
i hope every member of the house and senate had time for quiet reflection yesterday to ask what we could have done to prevent this tragedy senator harry reid of nevada the democratic leader said on monday im so sorry im heartsick im basically sick by our inaction its shameful the united states senate has done nothing   nothing   to stop these mass shootings
mr reid said democrats would force a vote as soon as possible on the measure that republicans defeated in december there is no excuse for allowing suspected terrorists to buy guns mr reid said
other democrats including senator chuck schumer of new york insisted that the legislation that failed in december could have prevented mr mateen identified as the orlando gunman from buying the weapons used in the attack we are now living with the consequences of that vote mr schumer said how many more people have to die at the hands of a terrorist with a gun before the senate acts
just one republican senator mark s kirk of illinois voted in favor of the legislation in december but democrats said on monday they believed that republicans would come under new pressure indeed there were signs that some republicans might be reconsidering
representative michael mccaul republican of texas and the chairman of the house homeland security committee said monday that the fbi should have the ability to interview people like mr mateen who had been terrorism suspects and to obtain full access to their records as part of a gun purchase application   an idea at odds with the national rifle associations position on the issue
if indeed these were terrorism leads that opened up i think the fbi should have access to interview him as they did on multiple occasions during two earlier investigations mr mccaul said on cnn
i dont think that would preclude them from interviewing him mr mccaul said lets not forget what the real threat is many of these terrorism cases involve stolen firearms ak 47s an outright ban is not going to solve the problem but i do think that the fbi should have full access to any potential terrorist in this country that is looking to purchasing a firearm
also on monday the nonprofit brady campaign to prevent gun violence renewed its call to impose tougher restrictions on the sales of high powered rifles and other firearms
we cant allow it anymore dan gross the organizations president told reporters we cant let it be so easy for people to get guns we can do so much better than this
he acknowledged the gun industrys powerful support in congress theyre only concerned about selling more guns he said we have to reject and call out the politicians who support that dark vision for america
the rev dr betty deas clark the pastor of the emanuel african methodist episcopal church in charleston sc where an attacker killed nine people last year said its a duty to speak up against the violence that were experiencing
ms clark added its a call that has been placed upon us and we must collectively answer that call
while senate democrats including dianne feinstein of california and bill nelson of florida said they would begin by pushing for a vote on the measure to bar the sale of weapons to those suspected of ties to terrorist groups senator richard blumenthal of connecticut a democrat also called for an all out ban on assault weapons
they are designed for the battlefield which is where they belong mr blumenthal said during the conference call with mr schumer and reporters they are weapons of war designed for mass destruction not hunting or recreating
after meeting in pittsburgh with gay and lesbian constituents senator bob casey democrat of pennsylvania also proposed banning the sale of guns to anyone convicted of a misdemeanor hate crime as defined in state federal or tribal law
the push for new legislation nonetheless seemed like it would continue to be an uphill climb republican lawmakers largely focused their remarks on the need to combat islamist extremism and to prevent terrorists from reaching the united states or militarizing americans
there may be an element of homegrown extremism to the orlando attack senator john mccain republican of arizona said in a statement but there is little question that this massacre was inspired by the foreign terrorist ideology that isil espouses from its physical sanctuaries in the middle east he said using another name for the islamic state
congress has refused repeatedly to take any significant legislative action to tighten gun laws after other mass shootings including the murder of 26 people mostly schoolchildren in newtown conn in december 2012
james b comey the director of the fbi said that mr mateen had been on a watch list beginning in 2013 but that he had been removed from it in 2014 after an investigation of him was closed the fact that mr mateen had come to the attention of the authorities and was still permitted to buy high powered weapons presented a remarkably different set of circumstances from previous attacks by lone gunmen previously unknown to the police
some security experts have cautioned against legislation that would block the sale of weapons to people who are on government watch lists saying it could alert suspects that they are under scrutiny other experts have pushed for banning the sale of weapons to anyone on the no fly list since those people already know they are prohibited from air travel
josh earnest the white house press secretary noted that president obama has long supported banning assault weapons that would bar people from buying weapons of war and said he would renew his push for a measure that would block those on no fly lists because of suspected links to terrorism from purchasing a firearm
the responsibility right now lies with congress mr earnest said


satya nadella the microsoft chief executive may have abandoned his prudent approach
his 262 billion deal to buy linkedin could reinvigorate the software giants slipping grip on corporate computer systems and employee interactions paying a nearly 50 percent premium for a flawed business raises several red flags however
the windows operating system and office software suite once gave microsoft a chokehold over corporate computing but the growth of the cloud and mobile devices has thrown the market wide open   first to alternative operating environments and more recently to new collaborative software that threatens microsofts email word processing and spreadsheet revenue the companys efforts to move users to cloud versions of its programs may help but its traditional dominance is under attack
buying linkedin means microsoft will control the best known network where companies and employees   especially potential employees   interact making the linkedin bazaar operate smoothly with tools like office skype and other services run on microsofts azure platform is the overarching vision
linkedin has problems though less than a year ago its stock was trading nearly 30 percent higher than the agreed offer price of 196 a share a growth warning the reputational damage of a huge security breach and the introduction of new features that provide revenue but annoy users have hurt the company the boards decision to sell suggests the stand alone outlook was not especially alluring
microsofts history with acquisitions raises questions too it has written down essentially the entire 95 billion it paid for nokia in 2012 it wrote off nearly all the 63 billion shelled out for digital advertising agency aquantive those deals were sealed by mr nadellas predecessor steven a ballmer and it may be that the current chief executive will prove more attentive to integration
but the linkedin deal is the biggest microsoft has ever tried making such transactions pay off is tough especially when the sellers adviser frank quattrones qatalyst partners is known for scoring improbably high prices
its also hard to see past the news release drivel mr nadella says the merger could increase growth as we seek to empower every person and organization on the planet as for linkedin today is a re founding moment according to reid hoffman a co founder and board member concrete indications of the deals financial benefits are in worryingly short supply


there may be no more fertile ground for obtaining damaging information in an investigation than from a lawyer about a client people tend to be more open with their lawyers or perhaps worse try to lie to them to use legal advice to keep from getting caught
the issue about how far prosecutors can go in requiring a lawyer to testify against a client was on display last week in two cases that show how tempting it can be to get evidence from lawyers in white collar crime investigations
the new york times described how two lawyers were called to produce documents and testify before a federal grand jury investigating their client morris e zukerman for tax evasion they represented him in filing a tax protest letter with the internal revenue service appealing a determination made in an audit that he failed to report income from the sale of an oil company
the lawyers were required to disclose information about their interactions with mr zukerman because the communications were no longer protected by the attorney client privilege under a doctrine known as the crime fraud exception if the government can show a client sought a lawyers advice to engage in a current or future crime or fraud then the protections normally afforded to those communications fall by the wayside
the federal district court in manhattan concluded that mr zukerman used his lawyers to mislead the irs an appeals court upheld that decision last october in a terse order that is typical in such cases the appeals court provided few details about the case with nothing identifying mr zukerman or his lawyers because the investigation may not develop into a prosecution so anonymity must be maintained
the justice department did later file charges that gave a more detailed description of how mr zukerman used his lawyers to try to dupe the irs according to the indictment he lied to the lawyers about the existence of documentation for the oil company transaction which they in turn described in their filing with the irs
a letter from federal prosecutors to the court indicates that mr zukerman intends to plead guilty in the case and he agreed in a hearing to continued representation by the two lawyers despite the fact that the lawyers were called to testify creating the potential for a conflict of interest because the case is likely to end with a plea bargain the court allowed the lawyers to represent him
judges are much more likely however to disqualify a lawyer called to testify against a client if there is a likelihood that the case will go to trial because of the problems with having a lawyer as both a witness and an advocate in the same proceeding
the growing presence of lawyers in all aspects of deals means there are more situations in which they may be called on to testify against their clients as part of a white collar crime investigation the release of the panama papers showed that work performed by the panamanian law firm mossack fonseca on behalf of clients for whom it helped set up shell companies included arranging repairs for a car and hiring a contractor to fix pool tiles as the new york times reported that level of involvement in the lives of their clients exposes lawyers to being hauled in front of a grand jury to explain what was done if there is evidence their services were misused
the specter of having to testify against a client can have a chilling effect on the attorney client relationship because clients may come to fear that their secrets will be exposed the defense bar has protested that the government has been too willing to seek information from lawyers at the risk of undermining their representation
the american bar association tried to limit the potential for the government to call lawyers to testify about their clients in its model rules of professional conduct a provision of rule 38 which deals with the special responsibilities of a prosecutor prohibits subpoenaing a lawyer for information about a client unless the prosecutor reasonably believes it is not privileged it is essential to the case and there is no other feasible alternative to obtain the information
putting the protection in the ethics rules is a backdoor means to regulate how often prosecutors can pursue lawyers for information about their clients because the provision is adopted by the courts in each state not the legislature moreover a 1998 rule called the mcdade amendment requires federal prosecutors to adhere to the rules governing lawyers to the same extent and in the same manner as other attorneys in that state
the rule could stymie an investigation because trying to compel a lawyer to provide information about a client puts the prosecutors license to practice law at risk something few would chance doing the limitation on trying to obtain evidence about clients from their lawyers is only applicable to prosecutors not defense lawyers or in private litigation so it focuses on only one area that makes it more difficult for the government to pursue a case
new mexico adopted this requirement in 2013 which the justice department challenged as an infringement on the power of the federal government to pursue grand jury investigations the united states court of appeals for the 10th circuit in denver found that the rule violated the supremacy clause of the constitution and could not be applied to federal prosecutors during the investigation of a violation
because such heightened requirements for attorney subpoenas would impede the grand jurys broad investigative mandate   which the framers specifically envisioned in enacting the grand jury clause of the fifth amendment   the challenged provisions of rule 16 308e conflict with federal law and are pre empted the appeals court ruled
a few other states adopted similar rules in the 1990s including a requirement that a court approve a subpoena to a defense lawyer before it is issued the appeals courts split on the question of its application to federal prosecutors the united states court of appeals for the first circuit in boston found such a requirement in rhode island permissible while the united states court of appeals for the third circuit in philadelphia held that the same rule in pennsylvania violated the supremacy clause
that kind of division in the lower courts is often the basis for the supreme court to step in to clarify the law but the decisions did not result in further review one reason may be that there was not a broad trend to follow the american bar associations lead in adopting rule 38s limitation on prosecutors and those provisions do not appear to have hampered the justice department to any great degree so there was no pressing need to address the issue
but if a state like new york or california where a number of prominent federal white collar investigations take place were to try to restrict the prosecutors authority to obtain information about clients from their lawyers then that could set the stage for the battle to move to the supreme court if the justice department could not prevent the rule from being enforced against its lawyers
the decision of the united states court of appeals for the 10th circuit may serve as a deterrent to other states to adopt provisions along the lines that the bar association has in its model rule mr zukermans case shows how the government will pursue information from lawyers if there is a hint that legal services were misused and any effort to blunt that power is guaranteed to draw a quick challenge from the justice department


the brokerage industrys overseer the financial industry regulatory authority on monday named a former markets regulator robert w cook as its president and chief executive officer
mr cook had been a partner in the washington offices of the law firm cleary gottlieb steen  hamilton since 2013 before that he was director of the securities and exchange commissions division of trading and markets where he oversaw the staffs review and analysis of the flash crash in may 2010 he also oversaw the carrying out of new rules for wall street arising from the 2010 dodd frank financial regulation overhaul and the 2012 jobs act he had been at cleary gottlieb for 18 years before joining the sec in 2010
finra is splitting the roles of chairman and chief executive now that richard ketchum is scheduled to retire later this year mr ketchum has held both titles since 2009 and he announced last fall his intention to retire in the second half of 2016 the regulator said in a statement on monday that its board which is led by the former vanguard group chief jack brennan would name a new chairman in the coming months
as a lawyer at cleary gottlieb mr cook focused on the regulation of the securities markets as well as broker dealers exchanges alternative trading systems and clearing firms
he will join finra as the agency is in the middle of a review of cultural values in the brokerage industry asking more than a dozen brokerage firms earlier this year to answer questions about their own practices including how executives identify rogue employees whose actions contradict company policy
finra said the appointment would take effect in the second half of 2016


samuel k wasser 62 a zoologist at the university of washington is a sherlock holmes of the wildlife trade with modern biochemical tools and old fashioned shoe leather he sleuths out the merchants behind the market for poached animal products
dr wassers work is funded by the paul g allen foundation the state department and the united nations office on drugs and crime we spoke for three hours at the annual meeting of the american association for the advancement of science in washington and later by telephone
a condensed and edited version of our conversations follows
q what is your actual profession
a im a conservation biologist a professor and a research scientist among things my lab does is forensic analysis using dna to determine the origins of elephant ivory seized by international law enforcement
if customs officers in singapore or vietnam intercept a large shipment   lets say a half ton or more   of poached ivory ill be called in to see what we can learn from it lately people in my lab have started applying what weve learned about how the ivory trade works to pangolins
pangolins
they are an african and asian mammal the size of a cocker spaniel it is probably the most poached animal in the world it is killed for its meat and its scales which in asia are thought to have medicinal value they are highly threatened
how did you become a wildlife detective
long story in the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s i was in mikumi national park in tanzania studying competition among female baboons as part of that i developed a technology to extract hormones from baboon feces this was useful for measuring their stress fertility and nutrition without actually handling them
at the same time i did this ivory poaching was exploding all over africa these were the years when more than 700000 elephants were slaughtered i worked in a protected area and yet wherever i went i saw elephant carcasses i started thinking god if only i could apply the baboon tests to elephant conservation that would be wonderful
figuring out how to do that took many years however in 1997 my lab and others published papers showing how to extract dna from feces because elephant stools are large and easy to find this allowed me to map elephant genetics across the continent
a year later we succeeded in getting dna out of ivory now i could compare the dna in the seized tusks to the genetic map it was finally possible to use science to show where the contraband had originated
how accurate is your test
i can take a tusk from anywhere in africa and trace its origins to within 300 kilometers of where that elephant was killed often to the very park or reserve
this has given us a new understanding of how ivory trade works from what weve learned organized bands of poachers appear to kill over and over again at the same sites they operate in places with lots of elephants where they can move in easily without getting caught and where they have a way of getting the tusks out of the country which implies often some kind of high level corruption
this is actionable intelligence if you know that contraband ivory comes from one pinpointed site it tells you where the next poaching event will be sometimes you can stop it by sending in armed rangers
however the poachers are often better armed theyve got ak 47s night goggles sometimes even helicopters
this is major organized crime interpol says that the wildlife trade is the fourth largest type of transnational crime right after weapons narcotics and human trafficking
where are the poaching hot spots you mentioned
poaching is going on all over africa over the last decade all of the large ivory seizures ive analyzed showed that 22 percent of it came from forest elephants in gabon and the congo and 78 percent from an area centered in tanzania between 2002 and 2007 we identified zambia as another poaching hot spot
knowing this can impact policy for example in 2007 and 2010 tanzania and zambia applied to the united nations agency regulating trade in wildlife products   it is called cites   for permission to sell their stockpiled ivory their diplomats claimed that they were working rigorously to curb poaching
forensic reports from our group and from colleagues showed that large amounts of contraband came from tanzania and at that time zambia both petitions were unsuccessful
have your investigations helped with the prosecution of poachers and smugglers
so far weve had one major conviction in africa with our dna evidence this was someone alleged to be the largest ivory dealer in west africa he was caught in togo they raided his warehouse and i analyzed those samples
i showed the tusks came from multiple countries and a colleague showed that the ivory was from recently killed animals he got the stiffest sentence in togo two years in prison and a fine hes already out
is the sale of ivory legal in the united states
there are several states that have bans on ivory sales   new york california washington and just a week ago the federal government enacted a near total ban on selling african elephant ivory across state lines that means that someone in kentucky cant legally sell an ivory piece to someone in virginia
however they can sell permitted ivory to a kentucky buyer also there are some exceptions to the ban musical instruments furniture and firearms that use less than 200 grams of ivory antique pieces game hunters with permits can bring two elephant trophies into the country every year
in my opinion we need legislation that says no sales period because the loopholes can be a problem if you go to hawaii the stores are full of gleaming white ivory when you ask if its legal the salespeople say its antique
does your work ever get to you
not long ago id just returned from singapore where id sampled a 46 ton seizure of ivory in three rushed days id washed weighed aligned and tested representative samples of what was left of about a thousand dead elephants
there are probably only about 400000 still alive in all of africa some of these tusks were so little they didnt even weigh a pound   babies
back home after i arrived in seattle there was a celebration with paul allens people about having won a washington statewide initiative banning ivory sales i looked at all these nice people in the room drinking wine and thought you have no idea how bad this is i had to leave


archaeologists have been combing the ancient city of petra in southern jordan for at least two centuries now with drones and satellite imagery they have discovered new features including a monumental platform of nearly 30000 square feet or roughly half a football field
pottery shards nearby date from the second century bc through the sixth century ad
it was large significant given its location and significant resources were used to construct it said sarah parcak a professor of anthropology at the university of alabama at birmingham but its exact function we dont know


london   after years of international isolation under the rule of col muammar el qaddafi libya sought to emulate its middle eastern neighbors by creating a sovereign wealth fund in 2006 to invest the proceeds from its sale of oil
the north african nation soon turned to goldman sachs to help it invest some of the more than 35 billion in funds it had available in late 2007
that relationship soured after the libyan investment authority said it was misled by the wall street bank in 2008 about a series of derivatives transactions and ultimately lost 12 billion when those contracts came to maturity in 2011
goldman sachs by comparison earned more than 200 million in eye watering profit on the transactions the sovereign fund asserted in a trial that began on monday in london
the libyan investment authority unlike many sovereign wealth funds said that it was an unsophisticated investor with a staff that had little experience with investment banking and that goldman sachs preyed on the naivete of its staff to persuade the fund to invest in complex transactions that they didnt understand or desire
on monday roger masefield a lawyer for the libyan investment authority argued that goldman used training programs gifts trips to dubai london and morocco and an internship for the younger brother of the funds deputy executive officer to win favor and convince the fund to engage in the investments
this is a highly unusual case mr masefield said
the trial is being heard in the high court in london before justice vivien rose and is expected to last about seven weeks the lawsuit was first filed in london two years ago
goldman has disputed the claims and says that the libyan investment authority had the financial sophistication to understand the disputed transactions and other similarly complicated transactions it engaged in
the dispute revolves around nine derivatives transactions tied to the stocks of citigroup the french utility edf and other companies
the libyan fund entered into the transactions in 2007 and in 2008 in the months before the financial crisis and ultimately lost its investment as the economic downturn weighed on the stock prices of the companies in the disputed transactions
at the time libya was looking to engage with the global markets after years of political isolation and stagnant development
the libyan investment authority soon developed a close relationship with goldman and by mid 2007 considered it not only a trusted adviser but as almost an in house bank according to the libyan investment authoritys assertions
the libyan investment authority like the sovereign wealth funds of other developing countries was seeking to purchase strategic stakes in global companies that could be partners for its future development according to court filings that included financial companies
in its filings the libyan investment authority argued that goldman was aware of the financial naivete of its staff citing emails in which one banker said the fund had zero level sophistication and another banker who said you just delivered a pitch on structured leveraged loans to someone who lives in the middle of the desert with his camels
much of the funds arguments centered on the actions of youssef kabbaj a former goldman sachs banker
the libyan investment authority said that mr kabbaj wined and dined members of the funds staff on training trips to london which included accommodations in a stylish hotel and frequent expensive meals out at many of londons best known restaurants
in one instance his expenses for entertaining and hotels exceeded 22000 pounds or about 31000 and he was reminded internally at goldman that any expenses incurred with respect to the libyan fund needed prior approval according to court filings
mr kabbaj also bought staff members of the fund presents and took them on vacation to morocco according to the court filings
mr masefield argued that mr kabbaj also worked on both sides of the derivatives transactions ghost writing documents for staff members of the fund to be used to convince its board of directors to invest and then separately making presentations to the fund on behalf of goldman sachs
the libyan fund also argued that goldman tried to win influence by providing an internship to haitem zarti the younger brother of mustafa zarti the funds deputy executive officer
this very internship has been and may still be the subject of investigation by the securities and exchange commission and goldman sachs appears to be carrying out its own internal investigation into its hiring practices the fund said in court filings
according to court filings mr kabbaj entertained haitem zarti in london on his goldman sachs expense account and took him on vacations to morocco the libyan fund said that goldman sachs paid for haitem zartis business class flights and 5 star accommodations on a trip to dubai and mr kabbaj arranged for a pair of prostitutes to entertain them both one evening on that trip


in a tony awards night shadowed by the tragedy in orlando fla prizewinners and other performers worked hard to strike a balance between joy and reflection here are some moments to remember
soon after delivering a tremulous speech addressed to the tv audience hate will never win the tonys host james corden dove into a breathless mash up of 20 broadway hits concluding with some elegant hoofing to were in the money from 42nd street
think of tonight as the oscars but with diversity mr corden joked in his opening monologue and the show delivered in a first for broadway tony voters gave the four musical performance awards to black actors cynthia erivo of the color purple and leslie odom jr renee elise goldsberry and daveed diggs of hamilton
in his acceptance speech for best score for hamilton lin manuel miranda provided the broadcasts emotional high point reading a sonnet he had written that cited senseless acts of tragedy and included the repeated and love is love is love is love is love that brought down the house
asked later why he decided to address the situation this way he said we live in this world where beautiful and horrible things exist at the same time you cant let that go by particularly when theater doesnt exist without the lgbt community
not only did a pregnant audra mcdonald tap her heart out in the shuffle along production number she later presented the prize for best actress in a musical   a category in which she was overlooked with six tonys already its easier to take things in stride
in winning best leading actor in a play for the father frank langella tied boyd gaines for the most tonys won by a male actor he used his acceptance speech to movingly remember the victims of the massacre in orlando fla
im now a 78 year old man and i react to things a lot more profoundly than i did when i was 60 when i was 50 or 40 mr langella said this constant violence and sense of madness that seems to be pervading this country is terrifying
he continued i urge you orlando to be strong im standing in a room full of the most generous human beings on earth and we will be with you every step of the way
mr langellas other tonys were for his roles in seascape 1975 fortunes fool 2002 and frostnixon 2007
the costume designer william ivey long said he scrambled to make some 3000 commemorative ribbons in the basement of the beacon theater where the ceremony was held
in an interview on the red carpet mr long said the ribbons were a small way for broadway to show its support for the victims and their families in orlando
youre helpless because youre here he said we wanted to open our arms and show love that we understand
mr diggs almost upstaged his own acceptance speech by wearing a jacket with gaudy patchwork sleeves that you almost couldnt take your eyes off meanwhile barbra streisands vintage lace look seemed almost a spoiler giving the nod to hamilton as best musical before shed even opened the envelope
she joked thank god i picked the right outfit
as the camera panned to show nominees for best director of a musical it focused on the actor christopher fitzgerald not michael arden the director of spring awakening
mr arden later tweeted
if you know anything about me ive spent the last 10 years of my life   what some would consider the lifeblood of a womans career   just trying to have children and i get to testify in front of all of you that the lord gave me benjamin and brielle and then he still gave me this thank you
  ms goldsberry accepting her tony
from the shows opening number in which mr corden glanced back fondly on his formative years as a bespectacled kid with big dreams parents were paid tribute throughout the night for the encouragement they offered and sacrifices they made for their now successful sons and daughters in his acceptance speech mr diggs thanked his father for joining him in a preschool gymnastics performance in which they both wore matching rainbow tights and his mother for permission to do something that everyone else wasnt doing
later in the program mr corden found his father in the audience and asked him how he thought the show was going its great mate he replied but its going on a bit isnt it
compiled by mike hale scott heller charles isherwood dave itzkoff and erik piepenburg


the archerfish two to three inches long hunts for food by shooting down insects with jets of water but its real claim to a place in the bizarre behavior hall of fame the fish can apparently distinguish one human face from another
using a computer monitor above their aquarium researchers showed pictures of two human faces to four archerfish and trained them to shoot only at the image that produced a food reward it didnt take long the smartest fish was adept after only 30 trials
then the researchers presented the fish with 44 color images of faces they had not seen the archerfish were up to 89 percent accurate in shooting only at the one that they knew would produce in an insect meal


the sterling and francine clark art institute in the berkshires has chosen olivier meslay a longtime curator at the dallas museum of art and before that at the louvre as its new director to succeed michael conforti who led the institution for more than 20 years
he takes over at the clark after an ambitious physical and financial transformation of the museum which is renowned for its collection of impressionist 19th century american and european paintings and many superb renaissance works mr conforti oversaw the growth of the museums endowment to 357 million from 128 million and completed a dozen year 145 million expansion designed by the architect tadao ando which opened in 2014
mr meslay who is associate director of curatorial affairs and senior curator of european and american art in dallas also served as the museums interim director in 2011 and 2012 his connection with the clark goes back to 2000 when he and his wife laure de margerie a scholar of french sculpture spent a year at the museum on fellowships an experience that mr meslay said sparked an interest in coming to work in the united states and a deep regard for the clarks focus on research
when michael retired a light started to shine for me said mr meslay 59 who was born in morocco and was raised there and in toulouse in france he worked at the louvre for 17 years as the curator in charge of british american and spanish paintings and also as the chief curator of louvre-atlanta a collaborative project with the high museum in atlanta the clark is a place that combines qualities that are rarely combined he said its a collection that stays true to its original mission and philosophy and a place that draws scholars from around the world
mr meslay who will take over in august added i think my vision over the next years is to maintain the identity of the clark in this new environment i dont have to think about any building or expansion i have only to think about adding to it without changing the magical aspect of the place


drakes views is no 1 for a sixth straight week on the billboard album chart as the album continues to post huge streaming numbers even as its cd and download sales plunge
views young moneycash moneyrepublic sold just 32000 copies last week in the united states according to nielsen a sum that a few years ago might have kept it at the bottom of the top 10 by sales alone views is only the fifth biggest album this week
but with streaming and track downloads now part of the chart formula the album holds its ground at no 1 last week 122 million songs from the album were streamed   meaning that for as long as views has been out it has notched better streaming numbers than any other album has had in a single week since the album came out songs from it have been streamed just under one billion times
paul simons latest album stranger to stranger concord opened at no 3 his highest chart position in 29 years   he was last at no 3 when his landmark solo album graceland peaked at that spot in april 1987 in britain stranger to stranger opened at no 1
also this week beyonces lemonade parkwoodcolumbia is no 2 in its seventh week out the danish hard rock band volbeat is no 4 with seal the deal  lets boogie republic and the country singer maren morris is no 5 with her new record hero columbia nashville


london   looking for a dead medieval king you might want to check under a parking lot
that theory at least is on the minds of archaeologists and historians in reading about 40 miles west of london who this week will begin searching for the high altar of the abbey founded by king henry i they believe that the altar   and they hope the kings remains   could be under the parking lot of a local prison near the abbey ruins the area around a nearby nursery school will also be searched
nearly four years ago archaeologists discovered king richard iiis grave under a parking lot in leicester about 100 miles northwest of london on the site of a former monastery
henry i who ruled from 1100 to 1135 reportedly died after eating lampreys a kind of jawless fish a son of william the conqueror who ascended to the throne after the death of his elder brother william ii henry has been described as a usurper because he seized the crown while another elder brother was away on a crusade henry also had a reputation for cruelty he is said to have had the tips of the noses of two of his granddaughters cut off but he is also credited with strengthening the monarchy and putting in place efficient   if sometimes oppressive   administrative policies
john mullaney a historian who is part of the team undertaking the search said that archaeologists knew within a few yards where henry was probably buried he said the team would use ground penetrating radar to search the area around the prison and around a nearby nursery school
we know from burial records that henry was buried in front of the high altar in the old abbey mr mullaney said in a telephone interview the aim is to find the footprint of the old abbey we dont know if his remains will still be there
as to whether a former monarch would roll in his grave at the prospect of spending eternity under a parking lot mr mullaney was philosophical
im afraid that england is a nation of car drivers he said we are a small country and most people travel by cars so we need lots of car parks henry was a reforming king and would have been fascinated by the idea of cars and transport and may well have liked being buried under a car park
the historians wife lindsay mullaney a linguist and amateur historian who is also involved in the search said that henry was a ladies man who fathered 24 children outside of marriage he was addicted to lust she said by telephone he died in normandy which at the time was part of his realm his decaying body was brought back to britain and he was buried in reading abbey which she said he had hoped would become the mausoleum of future kings
mr mullaney said that henry as a man of learning would have preferred being buried under a school or even better in a place of worship he was a religious man and so i think he would have preferred being buried in a church
until richard iiis bones were discovered in leicester his grave had been unmarked for over 500 years he was buried by men who killed him at the battle of bosworth the bones were transferred with much ceremony to a new tomb in leicester cathedral in march 2015


donald j trump addressed the massacre in orlando fla on monday one day after the deadliest mass shooting in american history as part of a broader national security speech in manchester nh where he also contrasted himself with hillary clinton
here are the highlights from mr trumps speech
 mr trump began his remarks saying he initially planned to focus on hillary clinton and all of the bad things and we all know whats going on adding especially how poor shed do as president in these very very troubled times of radical islamic terrorism he promised that speech would come very very soon
 mr trump called for a moment of silence for the dead in orlando saying it was an attack against people and an attack on the right of every single american to live in peace and safety he continued we need to respond to this attack in america as one united people
 as his first policy proposal if elected president mr trump reiterated his plan to temporarily ban muslim immigration he said in particular that he would ban immigration from countries where terrorism was a threat he said referring to the assailant in orlando that thousands and thousands of people many of whom have the same thought process as this savage killer are pouring into the country and that the ban will be lifted when and as a nation we are in a position to properly and perfectly screen these people coming into our country
 even though he said at the top of his speech that it would not be about mrs clinton mr trump criticized his likely opponent for her foreign policy again sowing some conspiratorial bent on mrs clintons grasp of the terror threat she has no clue in my opinion what radical islam is and she wont speak honestly about it if she does in fact know he quickly pivoted his criticism of mrs clinton to the debate over gun laws falsely saying she wants to abolish the second amendment leaving only the bad guys terrorists with guns he added not gonna happen
 mr trump repeatedly framed the threat of terrorism in the realm of immigration claiming that there were hundreds of thousands of muslim immigrants who are coming into the united states unscreened the united states does indeed have a screening process
 mr trump referred to himself as a better friend of women and the lgbt community than hillary clinton referring to his immigration ban against muslim immigrants as one against people who reject our values while it was notable how far mr trump went in his efforts to embrace the lgbt community often using inclusive pronouns like our and we he remains opposed to same sex marriage
 making blanket statements against an entire religion mr trump said that the muslim community know whats going on regarding terrorism despite no evidence of that in the orlando killings he said the muslim community had to work with us he added they knew the person in san bernardino was bad they have to turn them in he was referring to the shooting in san bernardino calif last december when a muslim couple shot and killed 14 people and wounded 22
 mr trump concluded his remarks with a promise if he were to be elected president for a safe society and he riffed on his campaign slogan we will make america rich again we will make america safe again we will make america great again

hillary clinton addressed the massacre in orlando on monday during a speech in cleveland where she outlined her broader plans to combat terrorism
here are the highlights from mrs clintons speech
 mrs clinton invoking a nightmare thats become mind numbingly familiar said it was not a day for politics the shooter may be dead she said but the virus that poisoned his mind remains very much alive
 mrs clinton said that despite some progress in combating islamic state forces on the ground in iraq and syria the group would seek to stage more attacks wherever it could she pledged to make the targeting of lone wolves a top priority as president
 noting that the shooter in orlando fla had been on the fbis radar mrs clinton said the country required more resources for this fight and called for the removal of weapons of war from the streets
 mrs clinton noting the acrimonious national debate over guns said everyone should be able to agree that if the fbi is watching you for suspected terrorist links you shouldnt be able to just go buy a gun
 mrs clinton said it was long past time for the governments of saudi arabia qatar and kuwait to stop allowing their citizens to finance extremists
 mrs clinton observing that the shooting targeted a gay nightclub said that an attack on any american is an attack on all americans addressing gay americans she said you have millions of allies who will always have your back and i am one of them
 seeking to contrast her approach with the self promotional impulses of donald j trump mrs clinton said america was not a land of winners and losers calling it a country of we not me
 mrs clinton called to mind the sense of national unity after the sept 11 attacks reminding voters that president george w bush quickly sent a message of unity and solidarity to muslims it is time to get back to the spirit of those days she said the spirit of 912


the tony awards ceremony had its highest ratings in 15 years on sunday night with nearly nine million viewers tuning in to cbs
viewership was fueled by the popularity of the hit hamilton which won 11 tonys the ceremony was also broadcast within 18 hours of the mass shooting in orlando fla giving award winners and presenters a platform to address a national tragedy
the host james corden opened the ceremony with a poignant 45 second speech addressing the shooting hate will never win he said together we have to make sure of that tonights show stands as a symbol and a celebration of that principle
the show then kicked off with a hamilton spoof with mr corden host of cbss the late late show at the center
the 87 million viewers represented a 35 percent jump over last year which drew 65 million
in an interview last week with the new york post cbss chief executive leslie moonves said that the tonys were a money loser for the network but that it had no intention of dropping the broadcast  i know this sounds corny but part of being a broadcaster is public trust he said in the interview and i believe it is important for us to show america what is happening on broadway


dannel schwartz was agonizing over his wifes 60th birthday gift when she proposed an idea herself
she said you know i dont want to wait on another tsa line i want a private plane said mr schwartz a retired rabbi who splits time between florida and maine we laughed then comes this email about how it would cost 4 a flight
intrigued by the all you can fly model offered by blackjet the couple in march paid 15000 for a membership that would allow them cheap seats on private jets with empty spots scheduling their first trip for the weekend of april 30
but it quickly became clear that the schwartzes would not be making the flight to new york the company stalled when mr schwartz tried to confirm the flight a few days before it was scheduled
a few days later came even worse news in an email from blackjet
it is with great regret and personal disappointment that i need to report the following wrote the companys chief executive dean rotchin recent events have resulted in abruptly ceasing blackjet operations
the schwartzes 15000 was gone they said they had wired the money to the company which told the couple it was no longer accepting credit cards
not even one trip said mr schwartz 70 its embarrassing to go through this
the schwartzes experience is a warning to travelers considering start ups that offer relatively inexpensive access to private jets once out of reach to the average customer new companies pop up frequently many with apps that allow travelers to book seats in minutes but not all of them will survive
blackjet was founded in 2012 and aimed to apply the uber model to private jets it was backed by a founder of uber garrett camp and celebrities like ashton kutcher but about a year after it began it laid off staff and suspended service it later shifted to the membership model which allowed customers to find unused seats on nearby jets that is what enticed the schwartzes who found that travelers who join can be on the line for thousands of dollars
in his email to clients last month mr rotchin said inaccurate bad press had caused blackjets sudden closing a reference to a techcrunch article in april that incorrectly reported that the company had expired which dented membership sales he also blamed delays in short term and long term financing
but in an interview late last month he said the collapse happened mainly because a blackjet official who was crucial to operations left the company though he would not name the executive
mr rotchin acknowledged that the private jet business was inherently risky and said that the company stopped accepting credit cards late last year because of high fees
everybody knew when they signed up that there would be no refunds he said there is some risk when you pay upfront for anything
another company beacon shut down this year after finding that its membership based all you can fly model for private flights between new york and boston was not sustainable
for travelers looking into private jet services robert mann an airline industry analyst and consultant suggests considering companies that have a history and own their own planes as opposed to blackjet which acted as a broker matching travelers with empty seats several major or developing players   some of which have evolved since their founding   have their own fleets including the 10 year old xojet and the 2013 start up surf air
too many start ups are playing fast and loose with both safety and finances said mr mann citing the 2005 crash of a platinum jet plane at teterboro airport in new jersey federal authorities said the accident which led to several felony convictions illustrated the need for better oversight of charter companies
it really is the wild west mr mann said referring to recent charter jet accidents in massachusetts and ohio
executives who have tried   and sometimes failed   to democratize private aviation are not giving up mr rotchin first tried out the plane hailing concept with greenjets which fell into financial trouble and reorganized becoming blackjet he is now considering his next move but he said he realized that failures like these raise investors skepticism and make it more difficult for start ups to raise money
a founder of beacon wade eyerly is now at wheels up which counts the tennis star serena williams and the sports broadcaster erin andrews among its members mr eyerly wheels ups managing director acknowledged that beacon had miscalculated the demand for flights between new york and boston
beacon was a failure to execute he said theres no way to sugarcoat that
but he remains optimistic about consumers desire for private air travel he said wheels up he noted is offering a range of memberships and more destinations and it operates its own fleet through contractors he also advised consumers to conduct thorough research before choosing a company
in a technology driven world little companies and big companies can look similar said mr eyerly who also helped start surf air
with so many competitors in the private aviation world travelers can have difficulty telling the difference between stable and shaky companies mr schwartz for example said he looked into blackjet before buying a membership but nothing he found indicated that the company would crumble so suddenly
red flags should have gone up but they didnt he said adding that he should have looked deeper into the company before paying
those kinds of failures threaten to erode trust in the industry said alex wilcox chief executive of jetsuite a seven year old jet charter company based in california with its own fleet
were all going to be painted with the same brush he said but i think people understand the difference between spirit airlines and singapore airlines hopefully we can distinguish ourselves in the same way
mr wilcox mr eyerly and others in the industry said potential customers should look as closely as possible at a companys financial backing before paying talk to the executives and ask tough questions they said which is more easily accomplished at small start ups
a lot of newer companies just do not have a chance of surviving because the cost of operating jets is so high said sergey petrossov the founder and chief executive of jetsmarter which several industry insiders said was a successful example of an aviation start up allows members to reserve seats on charters and other private planes using an uber like app although it allowed nonmembers to book seats until last week only members may use the service now
this industry as a whole really operates in an unsophisticated way he said anyone who isnt implementing sophisticated math and yield management isnt going to survive


the mass shooting in orlando on sunday was appalling in scale 49 killed in a single attack but its not unusual for dozens of americans to be killed by guns in a single day
gun homicides are a common cause of death in the united states killing about as many people as car crashes not counting van truck motorcycle or bus accidents some cases command our attention more than others of course counting mass shootings that make headlines and the thousands of americans murdered one or a few at a time gunshot homicides totaled 8124 in 2014 according to the fbi
this level of violence makes the united states an extreme outlier when measured against the experience of other advanced countries
around the world those countries have substantially lower rates of deaths from gun homicide in germany being murdered with a gun is as uncommon as being killed by a falling object in the united states about two people out of every million are killed in a gun homicide gun homicides are just as rare in several other european countries including the netherlands and austria in the united states two per million is roughly the death rate for hypothermia or plane crashes
in poland and england only about one out of every million people die in gun homicides each year   about as often as an american dies in an agricultural accident or falling from a ladder in japan where gun homicides are even rarer the likelihood of dying this way is about the same as an americans chance of being killed by lightning   roughly one in 10 million
in the united states the death rate from gun homicides is about 31 per million people   the equivalent of 27 people shot dead every day of the year the homicides include losses from mass shootings like sundays orlando attack or the san bernardino calif shooting last december and of course they also include the countrys vastly more common single victim killings
to give you a sense of how unusual americas gun violence problem is consider the daily death toll compared with other western democracies the chart below imagines that the populations of those countries were the same as the population of the united states
international comparisons help highlight how exceptional the united states is in a nation where the right to bear arms is cherished by much of the population gun homicides are a significant public health concern for men 15 to 29 they are the third leading cause of death after accidents and suicides in other high income countries gun homicides are unusual events last years paris attacks killed 130 people which is nearly as many as die from gun homicides in all of france in a typical year but even if france had a mass shooting as deadly as the paris attacks every month its annual rate of gun homicide death would be lower than that in the united states
the accompanying table shows the mortality rates for gun homicides in a variety of countries along with a correspondingly likely cause of death in the united states
our gun homicide numbers come from the small arms survey a swiss nonprofit affiliated with the graduate institute of international and development studies and represent the average gun homicide death rates with data available in those countries between 2007 and 2012 data was unavailable for some countries in later years of that period the united states death rates come from the centers for disease control and prevention over those same years there are more recent statistics on american gun deaths like the fbi number at the top of this article but we chose these years to provide fair comparisons we focused on the rates of gun homicides the overall rate of gun deaths is substantially higher because suicides make up a majority of gun deaths in the united states and are also higher than in other developed countries
the table is not meant to make light of rare causes of death instead we show them as a way to help think meaningfully about the differences among gun death rates
the rate of gun violence in the united states is not the highest in the world in parts of central america africa and the middle east the gun death rates are even higher   close to those from heart attacks and lung cancer in the united states in neighboring mexico where a drug war rages 122 people per million die in a gun homicide a rate slightly higher than americans death rate from pancreatic cancer but the countries with those levels of gun violence are not like the united states in many other ways including gdp life expectancy and education among developed democracies the united states is an outlier
editors note a version of this article was first published in december 2015 and was updated after the orlando shootings


san francisco   when steven p jobs ran apple the companys devices were distinguished by their polished software and famous itunes store today critics and even loyal fans are taking shots at apples buggy software and apple music its new streaming music service
with its hardware sales now slowing apple is under pressure to fix its software and online services which have become increasingly important to consumers so at its annual conference for software developers on monday the iphone maker tried to demonstrate that it was still a purveyor of high quality software and services
brian x chen farhad manjoo and vindu goel attended apples conference keynote in san francisco and analyzed what matters about the announcements that apple made
apple announced
# improvements in the apple watch operating system
# changes in the operating system for apple tv called tvos
# a rebranding of its mac operating system
# an expansion of apple pay
# opening up siri to developers
# improvements in photos and maps
# subscriptions through apple news
# opening up its messaging service to developers
# a new interface for apple music
here were the main points
farhad apple divided its presentation into four segments focused on each of its computer operating systems   one each for iphone the mac the apple watch and apple tv
that segmentation suggests apples worldview this is a company that still sees the tech world as defined by separate physical devices sure it will integrate these devices through some cloud based features including some new ones it showed today but fundamentally each apple device is its own and the internet is merely the glue between them
that is a startlingly different   and really a kind of old fashioned   view of tech especially compared to the view that google presented at its recent developer conference in googles view the internet is the central operating system   its the place where all your data and tech intelligence reside the next era of the tech industry will be defined by which of these worldviews becomes dominant
brian one big takeaway was that apple has a lot of catching up to do in online services most of apples noteworthy announcements on monday matched features already offered by other internet companies namely amazon and google
following the footsteps of amazons echo smart speaker apple expanded siri its voice assistant by allowing third party app developers to take advantage of voice controls after googles photos app won fanfare with its automatic organization features apple announced that its photos app would have some smarter organization tools too like the ability to stitch photos automatically into video montages called memories in addition apple added some smarts to its maps service like the ability to find nearby points of interest such as gas stations   a feature long supported by googles waze mapping service
apple executives have repeatedly said the company doesnt strive to be first it prides itself on coming up with better solutions later the iphone for example came out much later than previous smartphones the question is does it pay for apple to be late in improving its online services which only get smarter over time
farhad though lots of developers create apps for the iphone apple has long been careful about how much access it gives developers to crucial parts of its operating system that seems to be changing this presentation was marked by much greater access   apple now allows third party developers to create new experiences in apple maps to interact with siri to get access to its messages service and to get access to the lock screen and phone interface similar access has been available to developers on googles android operating system now apple seems to be going out of its way to cater to developers too
brian apple announced a new version of its operating system watch os powering apple watch notably apple started the keynote with apple watch which signifies the increasing importance of the gadget the first brand new piece of hardware introduced by apple under the leadership of its chief executive timothy d cook
vindu apple repositioned the watch as more of a health monitor putting the activity tracker in a more prominent place and encouraging competitive sharing of workouts with friends
brian the new fitness features of the apple watch place the product in more direct competition with fitbit the largest wearables maker
brian eddy cue head of apples software and services announced improvements in the operating system powering apple tv called tvos that includes a feature called single sign on people have complained about how long it takes to log into individual services like hulu netflix and showtime now users will be able to sign into all network apps with a single universal login
apple essentially believes the future of the television screen will be driven by apps third party apps could make the big screen smarter than the interface of standard cable boxes
vindu over all the improvements in apple tv are modest but some tighter integration with live tv networks does set up apple to possibly become a tv provider for cord cutters as more channels offer their services over the internet
brian apple rebranded its mac operating system which was called os x for 15 years it will now be called macos bringing it in line with the branding schemes of apples other software products tvos watchos ios
with its new mac operating system called macos sierra apple is putting the clout of its mac operating system behind the apple watch users wearing the apple watch will be able to unlock their macs without entering a user name or password
apple also expanded siri its voice assistant to become available in the mac operating system the move is a response to google which recently said it would expand its voice powered virtual assistant to many products including a chat app called allo and a smart speaker called home
vindu apple is trying to make apple pay more useful for retailers the company said apple pay its payment service is coming to the web for the first time with dozens of retailers already lined up to use it
however it may not be easy enough to use to succeed in transforming online checkouts where other services like paypal have failed buying a product using apple pay on a mac still requires you to authenticate the purchase by putting your finger on your iphone   an extra step and extra device to pull out
brian apple unveiled a big upgrade for siri allowing outside app developers to take advantage of voice controls now siri can do things like summon an uber car send a message through a chat app like whatsapp or send someone cash with apps like square cash
the move helps apple play catch up with amazon which already lets third party developers add capabilities to its smart speaker echo google also has said it plans to allow outside developers to make their apps and services work with its smart speaker home due for release this fall
farhad this opening up of siri is an improvement but apple was unclear about how expansive this system will be how many apps will be able to use siri what functions will siri be able to handle for them can siri handle very sophisticated requests like ones that depend on multiple apps   for instance call an uber five minutes before my next meeting apple hasnt specified given that voice is becoming an increasingly important interface for the next generation of computing apples progress here could be a key benchmark for its future
vindu good news for publishers apple news which has 50 million monthly active users will let people subscribe to get every article from their favorite publications including those with pay walls like the wall street journal apple news has been a bit of a stepchild with publishers largely focusing their efforts on facebook twitter and googles amp to speed up the display of articles on the mobile web will this get news organizations on board
vindu apple is challenging facebook messenger one of the most popular messaging apps in the world by opening up its messages service to outside developers facebook has made a big play to establish messenger as a place to conduct all kinds of activities from ordering an uber car to watching videos apple is now matching that but with the full array of developers that use ios instead of the handful that have chosen to work with facebook
it wont hurt the appeal to users that apple is making emoji triple their previous size and automatically suggesting emoji replacements for words in messages
vindu apple said it had 15 million subscribers to apple music but the streaming music service has gotten off to a slow start apple said it had learned from the experience so far and unveiled a redesign of apple music that simplifies navigation and makes it easier to find your favorite music but with more popular apps like spotify soon able to tap siri its unclear whether the changes will be enough to dislodge competitors apples much criticized itunes software for buying and organizing music saw no upgrades


at the outset of the nba finals adam silver the leagues commissioner paid tribute to stephen curry by comparing him to of all people roger bannister
what bannister was to track silver believed curry had become to professional basketball a barrier crasher and culture changer who is reconfiguring the basketball courts scoring contours
silver chose bannister as his example because his running of the first sub four minute mile in 1954 wasnt something that then nobody touched for 20 years
after bannister running a sub four minute mile at the high end of the sport became a common occurrence of curry as well as klay thompson silver said what theyre doing when it comes to 3 point shooting theyve overcome a psychological barrier i think for a lot of players who just never thought the kind of shots they would make were possible
magnificent performances by lebron james and kyrie irving along with the suspension of draymond green lifted the cleveland cavaliers to a 112 97 victory in game 5 on monday night at oracle arena in oakland calif at least delaying curry and the golden state warriors from clinching their second straight nba title but silver had left no doubt whatever the postseasons outcome that he believed curry especially and thompson had already altered the whole dynamic of our game
use of the 3 point shot has been drastically rising for years but the question   invariably asked by basketball purists and by those wondering if curry is a unique talent or a new paradigm in the approach to offense   is this is it for better or for worse
is the sport enhanced or debased when the possibility of a successful layup or a dunk is skirted for a 3 point attempt by a player who might be converting roughly three in 10
iman shumpert made such a decision with james leading a fast break in game 4 before jamess pass to him in the left corner went awry
in december mark jackson a network analyst and former warriors coach raised this issue largely to a chorus of jeers from those who thought his takeaway comment   hes hurting the game   was specious criticism of curry
it wasnt jackson also said curry was the leagues most valuable player and a champion because he was a complete player he was lamenting the imitative effect high school players everywhere pulling up from behind the 3 point line thinking they can be him
you are not steph curry jackson said work on other aspects of the game
we took jacksons argument to two coaches of successful public school teams steve finamore of east lansing high school in michigan and ron naclerio of benjamin n cardozo high school in queens
while naclerio after 35 years of high level scholastic coaching leaned old school finamore nixed the notion that the game was in danger of turning into a 3 point shooting bricklaying circus
i totally disagree with that quote from mark jackson he said
finamore has been at east lansing for six seasons the most recent concluding with a 23 1 record he formerly worked on coach tom izzos staff at michigan state where he developed a working relationship with green
knowing his players are watching the nba closely finamore admitted that the games occasionally had their wince inducing moments   j r smiths backing up behind the 3 point line and shooting an air ball in game 4 came immediately to mind
and steph at times does take what we would consider to be bad shots finamore said but he has actually influenced the way we play we run a high powered offense look for the 3 point shot even from way back if they can make them we encourage our kids to take them practice them and i use a lot from steph   mostly quotes about how hard hes worked at it   with my guys
the sport finamore argued is not trending as much as it is evolving de emphasizing traditional low post play even slashing on the break in favor of finding the 3 point line
pete newell who ran a longtime summer camp for big men focusing on footwork and post moves must be rolling over in his grave finamore said
we have a sophomore 6 foot 8 going to be a division i player with the body type of a klay thompson people ask why i dont put him in the post i tell them because thats not his game and thats not where the game is going
like finamore naclerio said he had players who were red lighted on shooting the 3 until they put the work in to demonstrate a reasonable proficiency unlike finamore he had more reservations about predicating a high school offense on the long ball
i still think the high school game is won by getting layups he said he sounded leery about relying too much on 3 point shots on good days the best high school players make a decent amount on bad days they miss most of them
and when i see kids just flinging them up from deep in a game or just practicing its scary i tell them the pro game shot is a lot longer than the high school game its a whole different world
naclerio also agreed with jackson that curry might be a historic exception more than the eventual rule
when you say that there are going to be a lot more guys like curry how many have ever had the handle that he has he said how many can create space off the dribble and shoot like that or come off the screen and get it up that quickly and thats without a high release point
but naclerio ultimately applauded curry and the warriors citing them as role models as practitioners of a team oriented style worth watching and yes emulating
theyre not just running a high screen and shooting the ball he said currys not just standing in the corner golden state is getting their 3s in motion with five guys working together and thats why its really hard to guard they play the right way
in essence naclerio was saying that judgment on curry and the warriors legacy should be focused as much on how they have achieved as much as on what theyve achieved
naclerio who began coaching before there was a 3 point shot admitted that his offense next season at cardozo   his team just graduated three division i players   would feature a penetrating point guard and two really good sophomore shooters spreading the floor looking for the 3
consider the cardozo barrier crashed
the game is changing naclerio said and im changing with it


london   with nine days left before britain votes on whether to remain in the european union the possibility of turkeys becoming a member of the bloc has inflamed the debate injecting divisive issues of race religion and tolerance openly into the campaign
supporters of a british exit from the european union say allowing turkey in would leave britain exposed to a new wave of muslim immigration and more vulnerable to islamic radicals while turkey has been pushing for membership it faces considerable hurdles and its entry if it ever happens would be many years if not decades away
the debate over the vote which has split prime minister david camerons conservative party has largely played out around fear so far those in favor of remaining in the bloc including mr cameron have emphasized the economic risks of a vote to leave
those in favor of leaving including other leading conservatives have stressed the social cultural and economic risks of continued immigration from other european union countries whose citizens are entitled to live and work in britain most of the recent european immigrants to britain have come from poland the baltics spain and greece
the emphasis on the supposedly imminent membership of turkey however adds a new and darker aspect to the arguments for britains leaving turkey would be the blocs second largest country after germany and it is poor is muslim and borders syria where young british muslims radicalized by the islamic state travel to enter the netherworld of terrorism
the debate is happening when attacks like the one in orlando fla have raised concerns about both islamic radicalism and islamophobia an unofficial group advocating britains departure from the european union posted a controversial message on twitter on monday warning of islamist extremism and urging an exit from the bloc before we see an orlando style atrocity here before too long after immediate criticism the message was deleted
in the vote leave campaigns official leaflet which will go to some 40 million britons turkish accession is a prominent theme and a map shows how turkish membership would mean a european union border with syria and iraq vote leave has also asserted that turkey has higher levels of criminality gun ownership and gangsterism
since the birthrate in turkey is so high we can expect to see an additional million people added to the uk population from turkey alone within eight years vote leave said
trevor phillips a former chairman of the equality and human rights commission in britain said that there really isnt any doubt that what they are appealing to here is straightforward prejudice
the opposition labour partys shadow justice secretary charles falconer said the claims are dangerous and inflame racism
none of this needs decoding philip stephens a columnist for the financial times wrote arguing that the implicit calls to racism have become explicit the dog whistle has made way for the klaxon eu membership talks with turkey we are to understand will soon see britain overrun by millions of muslim turks   most of them thugs or welfare scroungers
tim farron the leader of the opposition liberal democrats said that coded nudges and winks like this are utterly horrific he added vote leave is just playing the politics of division and it has no place in british society
yvette cooper a labour member of parliament and former shadow foreign secretary accused the leaders of the vote leave camp justice secretary michael gove and the conservative former mayor of london boris johnson of lying to voters and putting social cohesion at risk with their exaggerated warnings about immigration from turkey and assertions that turkey could be a full european union member by 2020
ms cooper said the discussion was utterly shameful since both men know that turkey is many years away from joining the european union any member nation also could veto the countrys entry including historical enemies like cyprus and greece
they are deliberately manipulating the facts they are deliberately telling lies she said it is shameful utterly shameful
in the past mr cameron who is the leader of the remain campaign has said it is government policy to support turkish membership in the bloc when the country qualifies a position that mr johnson himself whose great grandfather was turkish also embraced enthusiastically at one point
now mr stephens wrote mr johnson lets the islamophobia hang in the air
mr cameron and his deputy george osborne the chancellor of the exchequer have pointed out that turkeys membership is unlikely to happen and would be decades away even if cyprus and greece went along the authoritarian shift of president recep tayyip erdogan is driving away even turkeys previous allies in europe
i dont think its going to happen in my lifetime said mr osborne who has just turned 45 is it going to be a member of the european union no its not
asked about mr camerons past support for turkish membership mr osborne said turkey has gone backwards there are concerns about democracy and human rights there british government policy is that it should not join the european union today
further the government points out britain is not part of the schengen area of visa free travel so even if the turks won some form of visa free travel for schengen countries which mr erdogan is seeking in return for helping europe control the flow of syrian refugees such a deal would not affect britain
in response the leave campaign denied charges of racism and said the government must now urgently clarify whether its policy on turkey has changed is it now promising to veto turkish membership
on sunday the visa issue surfaced again with some leaked british diplomatic cables in the sunday times of london discussing the debate over whether to grant turkey european union visa liberalization in return for its efforts to house and control syrian refugees
one cable from a british diplomat in ankara turkeys capital discussed whether britain might itself grant visa free status to 15 million turkish special passport holders who are mostly civil servants as a significant and symbolic gesture to turkey in part to keep mr erdogan from carrying out his threat to open the floodgates to europe for migrants
the government responded by calling the article selectively leaked quotes that are designed to give a completely false impression that the uk is considering granting visa liberalization to some turkish citizens
both mr cameron and mr osborne have suggested that the leave campaign has devolved from a more high minded discussion of britains role in the world and its sovereignty to the anti immigration theme that has been the calling card of the uk independence party and its leader nigel farage
mr osborne called mr farages vision of britain mean and divisive
mr farage in a television debate last week said british women could be at risk of sexual assaults from immigrants if britain voted to remain in the european union referring to reports of sexual assaults by migrants on german women in cologne on new years eve in 2015 mr farage called this the nuclear bomb of the referendum campaign
mr gove said the european union should be protesting turkeys erosion of democratic freedoms instead of granting it concessions
the referendum on june 23 mr gove said is the only chance for britons to have their say on the free movement of turks
with the terrorism threat we face only growing it is hard to see how it could possibly be in our security interests to open visa free travel to 77 million turkish citizens and to create a border free zone from iraq iran and syria to the english channel he said
mr johnson who was attacked by the former conservative prime minister john major for a squalid and deceitful campaign including depressing and awful arguments on immigration and turkey responded frankly i dont mind whether turkey joins the eu provided that the uk leaves the eu
asked about his previous support for turkish membership mr johnson said both turkey and the european union had changed that was back in the days when some of us thought that widening the eu would not mean this federalizing centralizing deepening process that we have seen he said


paris   the designer karen chekerdjian is known in her native lebanon for modernist objects made with traditional materials and techniques now two exhibitions in paris   at the institut du monde arabe and at the private dutko gallery   offer a close look at an artist who addresses the divide between art and function and the wider gap between western and arab cultures
the show at the institut du monde arabe respiration opened on may 30 and runs until aug 28 the exhibition at the dutko with the same title closed on sunday with pieces offered for sale through august
the idea was to show the positive elements of the arab world said philippe castro the chief adviser to jack lang the president of the institute and a former french culture minister today that can only be shown through arab art there is real creativity coming out of the arab world especially lebanon given the geopolitical context we felt it was important to give a voice to this narrative
ms chekerdjian 45 who is of armenian descent was raised in lebanon the regions most diverse society a land unsettled by decades of conflict and turmoil most recently by fallout from the syrian war she began her artistic career in film then moved on to graphic design before earning a masters degree in industrial design from the domus academy in milan where she said in an interview in paris she learned to think rather than design
my objects do not have a traditional arab feel in that they are not folkloric or ornamental she said they have emotion ambiguity and search for meaning beyond their function mine is not a structured rigid approach to objects
i guess this ambiguity is typically lebanese ms chekerdjian said beirut is a place that is both fragile and violent my objects represent beirut
at the institute show ms chekerdjians pieces are interspersed among objects from the permanent collection an effort to confirm her place within arab heritage said mr castro whose visit to her studio in beirut three years ago led to an invitation to exhibit her work
her spaceship stools and tables are organic shapes with geometric angles threatening to take flight arched light fixtures bisect the space they occupy and plates carved with arabic calligraphy are displayed alongside pieces representing the birth of arabic writing
her use of traditional materials namely gold and copper fabricated with local smithing techniques places her work within its regional provenance
there is always a lebanese element but i push further she said i do not reinterpret
scott longfellow the director of ddays an annual design festival in paris said what is interesting is karens relationship to lebanese savoir faire
her pieces are exceptionally well made he added noting that her designs reference a wide range of eras including midcentury italian and 1960s brazil
ms chekerdjians show at the institut du monde arabe is the first solo exhibition for a designer there mr castro said in a low key way he said her work embodies a modern progressive edge within arab tradition
despite her orientalism karen is a universal artist mr castro said arab artists like her are the fresh breath that will shape the future of the region


the technology industry is kicking off this weeks news with a flurry of action
earlier monday microsoft announced a 262 billion acquisition of the professional social networking site linkedin writes nick wingfield it is the biggest deal in microsofts history and is another move by the software giants chief executive satya nadella to reinvent the company linkedin which has more than 400 million members has been struggling with a stock price decline amid questions about its long term growth
and later on monday apple will hold its annual developer conference in san francisco one of its biggest yearly gatherings while apple has long had an understanding with mobile developers   they make games and other programs for the iphone and ipad and get to be featured on the worlds most carried devices and apple reaps the benefits of many different apps   the company has more recently had to launch a charm offensive to woo developers given how crowded the app store has become write vindu goel and katie benner
farhad manjoo brian x chen and vindu goel will be at apples developer conference to give insight into what you need to know   not what you dont   from the event stay tuned


washington   president obama said monday that while the gunman in the orlando massacre had declared allegiance to the islamic state and appeared to have been inspired by extremist information on the internet there was no clear evidence that he had been part of a wider plot directed by the terrorist group
as far as we can tell right now this is certainly an example of the kind of homegrown extremism that all of us have been so concerned about for a very long time mr obama said speaking in the oval office after a briefing with law enforcement counterterrorism and homeland security officials
mr obama said the mass shooting in orlando   which he will visit on thursday to pay his respects to victims families the white house announced on monday night   was being investigated as an act of terrorism the president said the attack on sunday by omar mateen who killed 49 people and wounded more than 50 was similar to last years rampage in san bernardino calif in which the perpetrators claimed allegiance to the islamic state beforehand but had no direct connection to it
the president said of mr mateen that we see no clear evidence that he was directed externally by the islamic state although he declared fealty to the group at the last minute
still mr obama said the attack underscored the islamic states power to inspire hateful acts
one of the biggest challenges we are going to have is this kind of propaganda and perversions of islam that you see generated on the internet and the capacity for that to seep into the minds of troubled individuals or weak individuals and seeing them motivated then to take actions against people here in the united states and elsewhere in the world mr obama said
law enforcement officials were scrutinizing the material mr mateen had come across online to better understand his path to murder the president said
mr obama anguished by the latest mass shooting during his tenure   a period in which congress has rejected calls to enact tougher gun rules   said the orlando massacre should prompt americans to think about the risks that we are willing to take by being so lax in how we make very powerful firearms available to people in this country
we make it very easy for individuals who are troubled or disturbed or want to engage in violent acts to obtain very powerful weapons very easily and its a problem mr obama said he noted that it appeared mr mateen had carried out the rampage with guns obtained legally including an assault rifle he took out of the store the day it was purchased
but the attack highlighted how the politics of gun control has thwarted the presidents determination to enact stricter measures
the white house said mr obama would be a forceful advocate for congress to tighten gun restrictions he supports legislation to bar firearms sales to people placed on no fly lists because of suspected terrorism links and to require background checks for purchases at gun shows
but his aides strongly suggested that the president was out of options to impose additional limits on his own
the president is quite intensely frustrated that we havent seen the kind of congressional action that we know would have an impact on mass shootings said josh earnest the white house press secretary the responsibility right now lies with congress
mr obama also said the federal bureau of investigation which has faced some criticism for failing to stop the attack even though mr mateen had been investigated in recent years for potential links to terrorist groups had acted appropriately
the white house declined to respond to suggestions from donald j trump the presumptive republican presidential nominee on monday that mr obama had refused to acknowledge islamic terrorism and might have ulterior motives for doing so
when you are focused on something as big as safeguarding the country and combating violent extremism mr earnest said of the president its important not to get distracted by things that are so small
he said mr obamas record speaks for itself and that record includes a lot of dead terrorists


money is an interesting actor that plays two roles in our lives
in the first money equals money it fits in a spreadsheet its something to be calculated in the other money equals stories its what we tell ourselves about our relationship with money
let me share a story ive told myself for six years we have rented a home in park city utah and put off making any long term real estate commitments we knew we would get to it   eventually well eventually arrived and we looked at the spreadsheet
even after entering conservative assumptions guesses really about income savings housing prices and the renting versus owning calculation in utah the numbers dont lie the spreadsheet shows that if we want to stay in the community we love the best thing we can do is buy thats great news right
but heres the story ive told myself the moment i carl richards buy a single family home this one action will cause a global financial meltdown the housing market will crash the financial markets will collapse its a powerful story based on strong emotions around my experience losing a home in las vegas
i know i am not alone here in telling myself stories that are almost certainly not true so what stories are you telling maybe you have told yourself a story that you dont need to worry about the spreadsheet if you just try a little harder or get a little luckier things will be fine you dont need to bother with the actual dollars and cents i think we know how that will turn out
or maybe your spreadsheet is perfect you live within your means you have even saved enough for retirement but that doesnt stop you from telling the story that youre a day away from living under a bridge
even when the numbers add up fear and anxiety can still drive our stories so dealing with money is both a science and an art we need the cool logic of the spreadsheet to help us separate fact from fiction but we cant ignore that we tell ourselves stories to figure out how we relate to that money it may seem like a small thing but paying attention to and understanding both roles can be the difference between feeling good or feeling miserable about money
i choose to feel good check back with me again once we have moved into our house


the lesbian gay bisexual and transgender community is no stranger to violence
from the 1969 police raid at the stonewall inn in new york city that set off riots and helped touch off the modern gay rights movement to the 1998 murder of matthew shepard to near epidemic levels of violence against transgender women the community has been marked by flashes of trauma
after the massacre at a gay club in orlando fla that left 49 dead and 53 others injured richard kim the executive editor of the nation wrote on sunday that gay bars and clubs have often been sanctuaries and sometimes those sanctuaries have come under siege
here are a few significant examples
thirty two people died when a fire swept through the upstairs lounge a gay bar in the french quarter on june 24 1973 after the blaze some churches refused to bury the victims the arsonist was never caught
it was horrible arthur lambert a firefighter who responded to the blaze said in a video interview in 2013 these people they were literally roasted alive
the new orleans times picayune wrote in 2013 that the lounge was not just any bar but as a gay community hangout where locals could gather without fear of social persecution at a time of intense anti gay stigma
five people were injured when a bomb exploded at a lesbian bar the otherside lounge in february 1997 a second unexploded bomb was later found outside
it was one of four attacks by eric rudolph a right wing extremist who also bombed two abortion clinics and the 1996 summer olympics in atlanta where one person died and 111 more were injured he was sentenced to life in prison in 2005
mr rudolph who has a gay brother said in a statement during his sentencing that he did not mind homosexuality that remained private but he said any attempt to drag this practice out of the closet and have society accept it should be ruthlessly opposed
a former marine shot and killed danny overstreet 43 and injured six others in the backstreet cafe in roanoke va in 2000 the gunman ronald edward gay 53 opened fire when he saw two men in the bar hug each other
when it happened i was not out to my family joel tucker who was shot in the back during the rampage told the washington post last year i was not out to my job i wasnt out to anybody except my very close friends
mr gay who told the police he was on a mission to kill gay people said he was upset that his last name had made him the target of anti gay jokes he was sentenced to four life terms in 2001
musab mohammed masmari 30 poured gasoline on the stairs of a gay club and set it alight shortly after midnight on new years eve more than 700 people were in the club at the time including much of the citys gay and transgender leadership but no one was hurt
mr masmari pleaded guilty to arson and was sentenced to 10 years in prison in july 2014 he told the court that he could not remember setting the fire because he had blacked out after drinking an entire bottle of whiskey
the stonewall inn played a central role in the modern gay rights movement but it has also seen antigay and anti transgender violence in recent years
two men attacked another man in the restroom in 2010 after he informed them that they were in a gay bar the assailants were arrested and one was later charged with hate crimes
the reality is if people are looking to perpetrate anti gay bias and violence there are very few places in this world that are safe once that intent has formed sharon stapel the former executive director of the new york city anti violence project said at the time of the attack
in march this year a transgender woman said she was sexually assaulted in the unisex restroom


donald j trump left little doubt on monday that he intends to run on the same proposals on immigration and terrorism that animated his primary campaign using his first speech after the massacre in orlando fla to propose sweeping measures against muslims that pay little heed to american traditions of pluralism
without distinguishing between mainstream muslims and islamist terrorists mr trump suggested that all muslim immigrants posed potential threats to americas security and called for a ban on migrants from any part of the world with a proven history of terrorism against the united states or its allies he also insinuated that american muslims were all but complicit in acts of domestic terrorism for failing to report attacks in advance asserting without evidence that they had warnings of shootings like the one in orlando
mr trumps speech delivered at st anselm college in manchester nh represented an extraordinary break from the longstanding rhetorical norms of american presidential nominees but if his language more closely resembled a european nationalists than a mainstream republicans he was wagering that voters are stirred more by their fears of islamic terrorism than any concerns they may have about his flouting traditions of tolerance and respect for religious diversity
mr trump who drew criticism last fall including a sharp rebuke from house speaker paul d ryan for first suggesting a constitutionally questionable ban on muslim immigration on monday described islamic extremism as a pervasive global menace that was penetrating the united states through unchecked immigration
citing the boston marathon bombing in 2013 by two men with ties to chechnya and instances of radicalization in minnesotas somali immigrant community mr trump painted a bleak portrait of the country as under siege from within and abroad
theyre trying to take over our children and convince them how wonderful isis is and how wonderful islam is mr trump said referring to the islamic state and we dont know whats happening
he accused american muslims of failing to turn in the people who they know are bad effectively blaming other muslims for the shooting in orlando and the attack last year in san bernardino calif that was carried out by a married couple inspired by the islamic state
they didnt turn them in mr trump said and we had death and destruction
mr trump carefully read his remarks from a teleprompter and offered more detail than his stump speeches generally contain but his speech was still rife with the sort of misstatements and exaggerations that have typified his campaign
he repeatedly stretched the facts for example in describing the united states as overrun by dangerous migrants he claimed the country has an immigration system which does not permit us to know who we let into our country brushing aside the entire customs and immigration enforcement infrastructure and he asserted that there was a tremendous flow of syrian refugees when just 2805 of them were admitted into the country from october to may fewer than one third of the 10000 syrians president obama said the united states would accept this fiscal year
mr trump described the gunman in the orlando shooting as an afghan though he was born an american citizen in new york city to parents who had emigrated from afghanistan to the united states over three decades ago
mr trump assailed the presumptive democratic nominee hillary clinton accusing her of favoring immigration policies that would invite a flood of potential jihadists to the united states which he warned could be a better bigger more horrible version than the legendary trojan horse ever was
mrs clinton speaking in cleveland earlier in the day argued that engaging in inflammatory anti muslim rhetoric made the country less safe delivering the sort of conventional speech that most presidential contenders would offer in the wake of tragedy she did not mention mr trump but while saying the murder of innocent people breaks our hearts tears at our sense of security and makes us furious she described proposals to ban muslim immigration as offensive and counterproductive
america is strongest when we all believe we have a stake in our country and our future she said calling to mind the bipartisan spirit that took hold after the sept 11 2001 terrorist attacks when she was a senator from new york
mrs clinton has sought to present herself as the default choice of mainstream voters including republicans disturbed by mr trump and on monday she stressed the importance of building relationships between law enforcement agencies and american muslims
our open diverse society is an asset in the struggle against terrorism not a liability mrs clinton said
as mrs clinton reached for the mantle of statesmanship mr trumps speech amounted to a rejection of the conventional wisdom that he must remake himself for the november election as a more sober figure and discard the volcanic tone and ethnic and racial provocation that marked his primary campaign
yet mr trump has showed little interest in assuaging those concerns he used the hours after the orlando massacre to claim prescience about the attack and to demand mr obamas resignation then in a television interview on monday morning mr trump darkly suggested that the president was sympathetic to islamic terrorists
were led by a man that either is not tough not smart or hes got something else in mind mr trump said there is something going on
some republicans said mr trumps determination to play to his hard line base was undermining his standing as a general election candidate
he has to do what reagan had to do reagan eventually had to make a sale that he was not a risk said thomas m davis iii a former republican congressman recalling the 1980 election there is time but the way hes going about it now doesnt do it at all it keeps him in the hunt but it doesnt get him elected
john f lehman a former navy secretary and an adviser to john mccains and mitt romneys presidential campaigns said he anticipated that mr trumps standing would improve after the orlando attack
but he said mr trumps muslim ban went too far and questioned whether he had made any effort to learn about national security
mr trumps remarks may come as an acute disappointment to republican leaders in washington who have spent the days since he claimed the partys nomination pleading with him to button down his campaign only to see him intensify its racial tenor
it is enough to convince senior republicans that talk of an eventual pivot is folly   that he is unwilling or incapable of being reined in
everybody says look hes so civilized he eats with a knife and fork said mike murphy a former top adviser to jeb bush and then an hour later he takes the fork and stabs somebody in the eye with it


if youre a man in china between 20 and 45 the government has a message for you for the sake of your country please donate sperm
chinas sperm banks are facing severe shortages for a variety of political and cultural reasons comparatively few chinese men offer to donate and a study found that almost half of those who do volunteer are screened out
now that government policy allows more chinese couples including older couples to have a second child officials are concerned that the sperm shortages will get much worse   and they are doing everything they can to find new recruits
on social media young men are bombarded with endorsements from video game characters and promises of cash up to 1000 in some cases and even better a coveted rose gold iphone
some sperm banks have tried to appeal to feelings of patriotism as china grapples with an aging population and a diminishing work force show your compassion an article on a state run news site urged men this year help mitigate the countrys aging problem
still its a tough sell for one thing chinese traditional medicine has long associated high levels of semen with vitality making some men reluctant to give any away in addition despite rising rates of infertility many families are uncomfortable with using an unrelated mans sperm to father children arguing that it goes against confucian values
recent ads have tried to counter those deep seated attitudes donating sperm and donating blood are the same thing said one message from a beijing sperm bank its all about giving back to society


washington   the supreme court on monday rejected an effort in puerto rico to allow public utilities there to restructure 20 billion in debt striking down a 2014 puerto rico law
justice clarence thomas writing for the majority in the 5 to 2 decision said the law was at odds with the federal bankruptcy code which bars states and lower units of government from enacting their own versions of bankruptcy law
puerto rico is struggling with 72 billion in debt and has argued that it needs to restructure at least some of it under chapter 9 the part of the bankruptcy code for insolvent local governments but puerto rico is not permitted to do so because chapter 9 specifically excludes it although it is unclear why
in 2014 the island tried to get around that exclusion by enacting its own version of a bankruptcy law intended for its big public utilities which account for about 26 billion of the total debt but that attempt called the recovery act ran afoul of the part of the code that says only congress may enact bankruptcy laws
puerto rican officials had argued that the recovery act addressed a gap in the way its debts are treated under the bankruptcy code they said states may authorize their cities counties public utilities and other branches of government to restructure their debts under chapter 9 of the code but that law excludes puerto rico and all branches of its government including its public utilities
utility creditors challenged the recovery act in federal court arguing that the bankruptcy code displaced or pre empted it the justices agreed
the federal law justice thomas wrote bars puerto rico from enacting its own municipal bankruptcy scheme to restructure the debt of its insolvent public utilities chief justice john g roberts jr and justices anthony m kennedy stephen g breyer and elena kagan joined him
justice thomas wrote that the decision was compelled by a straightforward reading of the federal law
in dissent justice sonia sotomayor joined by justice ruth bader ginsburg said the majoritys approach was too mechanical and failed to take into account the purpose of the bankruptcy law and the impact of its decision the recovery act she wrote is the only existing legal option for puerto rico to restructure debts that could cripple its citizens
the commonwealth of puerto rico and its municipalities are in the middle of a fiscal crisis she wrote the combined debt of puerto ricos three main public utilities exceeds 20 billion these utilities provide power water sewer and transportation to residents of the island
with rising interest rates and limited access to capital markets their debts are proving unserviceable soon puerto rico and the utilities contend they will be unable to pay for things like fuel to generate electricity which will lead to rolling blackouts justice sotomayor added other vital public services will be imperiled including the utilities ability to provide safe drinking water maintain roads and operate public transportation
the majoritys approach ignores those realities she wrote rejects contextual analysis in favor of a syllogism and leaves puerto rico powerless and with no legal process to help its citizens
pedro pierluisi puerto ricos nonvoting member of congress said the practical significance of the courts holding is crystal clear only congress can provide the puerto rico government with the authority to restructure its debts he said action by congress is essential if the territory is going to overcome its severe   and worsening   economic fiscal and demographic crisis
the case has been vexing for all parties because when congress amended the bankruptcy code to exclude puerto rico in 1984 it left no written record explaining why yet the rule barred the island from the only way under united states law that a debtor can legally reduce debt over the objections of creditors
besides passing its own bankruptcy law in 2014 puerto rico tried to persuade congress to delete the 1984 exclusion it said the provision was inexplicable and may have been inserted by mistake
those arguments did not sway congress but last year lawmakers realized the united states constitution gave them the power to make all needful rules and regulations for territories including puerto rico using that approach the house of representatives passed a quasi bankruptcy bill this month that would apply to all territories though only puerto rico is in dire need at the moment
obama administration officials have expressed hope that the senate will take up the measure quickly and enact it before july 1 when puerto rico is supposed to make debt payments totaling nearly 2 billion it is expected to default which would normally prompt creditors to sue as now drafted the bill would stay such lawsuits put puerto rico under federal oversight and give it other legal powers similar to those found in bankruptcy
in the majority opinion justice thomas noted that puerto rico had also been seeking help from congress after the parties briefed and argued these cases he wrote members of congress introduced a bill in the house of representatives to establish an oversight board to assist puerto rico and its instrumentalities adding that the bill does not amend the federal bankruptcy code
justice sotomayor responded that the government and people of puerto rico should not have to wait for possible congressional action to avert the consequences of unreliable electricity transportation and safe water   consequences that members of the executive and legislature have described as a looming humanitarian crisis
justice samuel a alito jr recused himself from the cases puerto rico v franklin california tax free trust no 15 233 and acosta febo v franklin california tax free trust no 15 255 as is the courts custom he did not explain why


its not easy to forecast where bill murray might turn up next maybe a new wes anderson movie a netflix christmas special a karaoke bar or a kickball game but it can be more safely said that this unpredictable comic actor will appear at the kennedy center in washington on oct 23 when he is presented with its annual mark twain prize for american humor
mr murray who parlayed his years on saturday night live into a film career that includes caddyshack ghostbusters groundhog day rushmore and lost in translation will be the 19th recipient of the mark twain prize the kennedy center announced on monday
in a statement deborah f rutter the president of the kennedy center said that mr murray was being celebrated for work that has gratified audiences with unforgettable performances from an eclectic cast of characters that have become ingrained in our cultural vernacular which is nice
ms rutter continued an award winning writer actor and comedian his brilliant wit and infectious spirit continue to inspire our laughter across generations both on and off the screen his unique brand of humor seems to defy time itself   always remaining relevant and relatable to new audiences   much like our awards namesake
mr murray said in a statement im honored by this award and by its timing i believe mark twain has rolled over in his grave so much for so long that this news wont disturb his peace
the kennedy center said that the ceremony where mr murray will receive the award which includes a bust of mark twain will be broadcast at a later date past winners of the prize have included eddie murphy jay leno carol burnett ellen degeneres will ferrell and tina fey


san francisco   microsofts 262 billion acquisition of linkedin is one of the biggest and most prominent technology deals of the year so far
yet it will provide a windfall to just a handful of advisers   including the boutique investment banks on linkedins side
microsoft drew on two traditional advisers morgan stanley one of the top investment banks in silicon valley has often worked for companies selling themselves to the tech giant including the digital ad company aquantive and the voice recognition provider tellme networks but the bank was also one of microsofts main advisers in its ill fated pursuit of yahoo nearly a decade ago
the law firm simpson thacher  bartlett has long advised microsoft on a number of transactions including its acquisitions of skype and nokias handset and services business
linkedin however drew on boutique investment banks to dispense advice on its sale
qatalyst founded by the veteran deal maker frank quattrone has long been a go to for tech companies looking to sell themselves among them the streaming site twitch which was sold to amazon for 1 billion the blogging site tumblr sold to yahoo for about 1 billion and the travel site orbitz sold to expedia for about 13 billion
the investment bank allen  company has long counted linkedin as a client dating back to the social networks initial public offering in 2011 linkedins co founder reid hoffman and its chief executive jeff weiner are mainstays of the boutique investment banks annual media and technology conference in sun valley idaho mingling with the likes of rupert murdoch and larry page of alphabet
the law firm wilson sonsini goodrich  rosati which provided legal counsel to linkedin had previously advised the social network on its 15 billion takeover of the online learning company lyndacom


washington   how unusual is the republican blockade of the nomination of judge merrick b garland president obamas pick for the supreme court after a comprehensive look at every past supreme court vacancy two law professors have concluded that it is an unprecedented development
senate republicans say they will not consider any nominee offered by mr obama to replace justice antonin scalia who died in february the power to appoint justice scalias successor they say should belong to the next president
that categorical stance is new in the nations history the professors robin bradley kar and jason mazzone wrote in a study published online by the new york university law review the senate has never before transferred a presidents appointment power in comparable circumstances to an unknown successor they said   an argument that many democratic lawmakers have also made
in every one of the 103 earlier supreme court vacancies the professors wrote the president was able to both nominate and appoint a replacement with the senates advice and consent this did not always happen on the first try they wrote but it always happened
there really is something unique about the position republican senators are taking with respect to the scalia vacancy said professor mazzone who teaches at the university of illinois
you really cannot find any single comparable case he said we really did not find any precedent for the idea notwithstanding the senates very broad powers in this area that a sitting president could be denied outright the authority to offer up a nominee who would receive evaluation through normal senate processes
the study was the subject of a thorough critique by edward whelan a prominent conservative legal blogger who said professors kar and mazzone had to perform semantic gymnastics to discern a consistent historical practice
the study considered only nominations to the supreme court though the senate must also confirm other federal judges and senior executive branch officials
it is nonsensical to read into the constitution one rule governing supreme court justices and another rule for everyone else mr whelan wrote in a series of posts on national reviews bench memos blog
the professors also excluded nominations from three presidents who gained office by succession rather than election saying that the constitutional status of unelected presidents was contested until the adoption of the 25th amendment in 1967 in addition they excluded three presidents who started the nomination process after their successors had already been elected
you can make a decent case for both exceptions it is harder to ignore president lyndon b johnsons failure in 1968 an election year to fill chief justice earl warrens seat johnson ultimately withdrew his nomination of justice abe fortas
the studys authors gerrymander their way around this inconvenience mr whelan wrote by saying that there was no actual vacancy to fill because warren had merely declared in a letter to johnson that he was prepared to step down effective at your pleasure
the fortas affair helps both sides in the debate some senators opposed his nomination on the grounds that the next president should make the appointment but the senate judiciary committee held confirmation hearings and sent the nomination to the senate floor the nomination failed but mostly on the basis of an individualized assessment of fortass qualifications to be chief justice
there is a difference professor mazzone said between the senate rejecting as its quite entitled to do a particular nominee on the merits and the senate taking the position that a president cannot exercise a constitutionally delegated power
should it matter if the senate has always given presidents a real shot at appointing a supreme court justice at a minimum the authors say the historical precedents establish a benchmark of fair dealing more controversially they say that historical practices can ripen into constitutional rules
that is not obviously true but the supreme court seemed to say something similar in 2014 in a case on recess appointments but even if the constitutional argument is a stretch tradition counts for something
history draws a distinction between rejecting a candidate and rejecting a presidential power said professor kar who also teaches at the university of illinois its a norm of fair dealing in the senate procedure matters and this breach is a dangerous one
mr whelan wrote that the study supplied an answer to the wrong question the right one he said is how to deal with a a nomination by an opposite party president b in an election year c that threatens to dramatically alter the ideological composition of the court
that is a good description of current political realities professors kar and mazzone say they instead tried to discern a neutral principle from centuries of unbroken practice
i asked professor mazzone what he would tell a republican senator to do in considering judge garlands nomination
you do what the senate has always done in comparable circumstances he said which is you proceed with a good faith evaluation of the candidate on the merits


peshawar pakistan   pakistani and afghan forces exchanged heavy gunfire on sunday and monday in an unusually serious escalation of tensions at the border leaving at least 13 people wounded on the pakistani side and killing at least one afghan police officer according to the police and military officials in both countries
the fighting which began on sunday night and resumed monday forced the closing of the torkham border crossing the busiest between the two countries
the escalation followed the closing of the torkham crossing last month after afghan border security guards objected to the construction of a gate on the pakistani side that objection also apparently contributed to the conflict on sunday according to official accounts from both sides
the border remained closed for five days last month but was reopened after a meeting between the afghan ambassador to pakistan hazrat omar zakhilwal and pakistans army chief gen raheel sharif
an official statement by the pakistan army late on sunday accused the afghan border guards of resorting to an unprovoked attack when work began on the installation of a gate on the pakistani side
torkham is the most frequented crossing point at pak afghan border and recently even most of the terrorists have been found using this gate for entry the brief statement said in order to check movement of terrorists through torkham pakistan is constructing a gate on own side of the border as a necessity to check unwanted and illegal movement
the pakistani army statement said that one pakistani soldier had been wounded but that security forces responded to afghan firing effectively
a senior civil officer of the khyber tribal region of pakistan the site of the torkham crossing claimed that the afghans had fired mortars rockets and artillery into pakistani territory starting at 920 pm sunday
shortly before beginning the construction work we duly informed the afghan side although we are under no obligation to do so under international law the top civilian administrator in khyber khalid mehmood said by telephone from the area
the afghan commander went back switched off the lights on the other side and before we could figure out what had happened they started shelling and firing in our direction mr mehmood said
a mortar shell hit a house in a nearby pakistani village wounding six civilians the administrator said two more civilians were hit by splinters and two paramilitary soldiers were also wounded in the exchange of fire he added
after a lull of several hours on monday fighting resumed in the late afternoon zarawar zahid the police chief of nangarhar province on the afghan side of the crossing posted a video on facebook saying that he was near the front line and ordering a mortar barrage against pakistan
he appears next to two mortars shouting to his men strike hard enough to blow up nawaz sharifs home referring to the prime minister of pakistan who lives in islamabad the capital 150 miles from the border
when fighting resumed monday afternoon both sides began firing with heavy weapons and pakistani authorities reported that two paramilitary soldiers were wounded there is a heavy exchange of fire mr mehmood said by phone from the area he said the firing resumed from the afghan side when the pakistanis continued construction of the disputed border gate
afghan officials blamed pakistan for initiating the fighting saying the pakistanis had fired after the afghan border police tried to stop work on the gate the afghan border police officers body was flown to kabul the afghan capital
haroon chakhansuri the spokesman for president ashraf ghani of afghanistan said pakistan was violating agreements to work jointly on construction of border crossing facilities
they opened fire first then the afghan security forces responded to them he said we emphasize that afghan security forces should always be ready to defend their people
mr chakhansuri said diplomatic efforts were underway to resolve the dispute but officials on both sides of the border said the situation remained tense
contributing to the tensions has been an intensifying offensive by the afghan taliban whose leadership shelters in pakistan afghan officials from mr ghani on down have blamed pakistan for the collapse of peace talks with the taliban and for continuing to provide sanctuaries for taliban leaders and fighters inside pakistan
pakistan has responded by cracking down on afghan refugees in pakistan and tightening controls along the normally porous border making it more difficult than usual for afghans to travel to pakistan for education medical care or trade


it is the first thing you learn in peewee soccer dont touch the ball with your hand
peru broke the cardinal rule on sunday night but got away with it and mighty brazil was eliminated from the copa america in the group stage
brazil needed only a draw in their game in foxborough mass to advance and that looked extraordinarily likely it had not lost a competitive game to peru since 1985
but with the game scoreless in the 75th minute andy polo of peru crossed the ball to raul ruidiaz in front of the net and ruidiaz batted it in with his arm
the replays were unambiguous but after a four minute discussion involving the referee his assistants and a headset the goal stood despite several good chances brazil could not tie the score and was eliminated
brazil had 66 percent possession outshot peru by 14 4 had 10 corner kicks to perus two and outpassed peru by 593 320
dunga the embattled brazil manager said after the game the fans saw how brazil was eliminated the goal was scored with his hand the associated press reported but asked if he feared dismissal he replied i only fear death
it was an impressive accomplishment for peru polo and ruidiaz are among the 17 players on the 23 man team who play in the unheralded peruvian league while brazil is packed with players from the best teams in europe
peru stands just eighth among 10 south american teams in world cup qualifying and has not played in the world cup since 1982 yet it has punched above its weight recently in the copa finishing third in each of the last two events still those performances did not involve a marquee victory over a team like brazil
the surprise result combined with ecuadors 4 0 win over haiti means that the united states which before the tournament might have expected a quarterfinal game against brazil will instead face ecuador potentially a much easier opponent on thursday in seattle
brazil was last eliminated in the group stage of the copa in 1987 when only four teams made the knockout round and brazil was second in a three team group in the 11 copas since brazil has made 11 knockout round appearances and won the event five times
it is not a golden age for brazilian soccer playing at home the team was favored to win the world cup in 2014 only to be embarrassed in the semifinals by germany 7 1 in world cup qualifying brazil unusually stands in sixth place in south america with six of 18 games played
the history of the hand ball is as old as the history of soccer itself probably the most famous one came in the quarterfinals of the 1986 world cup when diego maradona flagrantly fisted the ball into the net in a 2 1 argentina victory over england he later credited the goal to the hand of god
in a world cup playoff game in 2009 thierry henry handled the ball in the box before kicking it to william gallas for a goal that sent france on to the tournament and eliminated ireland the referee missed that one too
in a 2010 world cup quarterfinal luis suarez used his hand to save what would have been a winning goal by ghana this time the infraction was caught suarez was ejected and ghana was awarded a penalty kick but asamoah gyan missed it and uruguay won the game in a penalty shootout keeping ghana from becoming the first african team to reach the semifinals
suarez was unrepentant to say the least the hand of god now belongs to me he crowed after the game
whether human or divine hand balls continue to play a controversial part in big games


united states and global stocks fell for a third day on monday as concerned investors waited to see what the federal reserve would do with interest rates later this week and anxiously awaited britains decision on membership in the european union
linkedin shares jumped after microsoft announced plans to buy the company
the standard  poors 500 stock index fell 1701 points or 08 percent to 207906 and the nasdaq composite fell 4611 points or 09 percent to 484844
the dow jones industrial average lost 13286 points or 07 percent to 1773248
the federal reserves two day meeting will start on tuesday and a decision on interest rates is expected wednesday afternoon the central banks chairwoman janet l yellen is scheduled to hold a news conference after the interest rate decision
for months the fed had said that once economic data showed a consistently healthy economy it would be time to resume raising interest rates but after the government issued a surprisingly bleak hiring report for may most fed watchers predicted the next rate increase would be put off until the fall
on wednesday the fed is expected to echo the message ms yellen sent in a speech last week while the united states economy looks fundamentally solid and higher rates will come eventually too many uncertainties exist
among them is a june 23 referendum in britain nicknamed brexit over whether to leave the european union a yes vote could roil financial markets and the fed is unlikely to want to further unnerve investors with a rate increase just a week before that vote
some recent polls have shown that a majority of british voters are in favor of exiting the eu
given the interest in brexit this weeks fed meeting feels like a bit of a sideshow said john briggs head of strategy for the americas at rbs in a note to investors
economists who foresee no rate increases before september say the fed will not have a clear enough picture of the economy before then the biggest uncertainty is whether the job market has succumbed to a prolonged slump or is merely enduring a brief pause other economic barometers have also sowed doubts like tepid consumer spending and stresses from china and other major economies
while the global economy has stabilized in the sense that it is not dropping like a rock global economic growth remains anemic at best said sung won sohn an economics professor at california state university channel islands given all the uncertainties on economic growth and continued low inflation there is no need to rush to hike interest rates
however the fed does not want to lead investors to inflate the prices of stocks and other assets out of a mistaken belief that it will keep rates ultralow well into the future the need to discourage such excessive risk taking is why even analysts who think the economy still faces challenges predict that the fed will nevertheless raise rates at least once this year
the fed wants to keep markets feet to the fire but they do not want to hike rates so much that they exacerbate an economic slowdown said brian bethune an economics professor at tufts university they want to turn the crank slowly
the uncertainty over the feds plans could be seen on monday in bonds and the dollar the yield on the 10 year treasury note fell to 161 percent from 164 percent on friday its lowest yield so far this year the dollar while off its lows is still trading near its lows for the year against other major currencies
brexit combined with the weight of the fed decision kept stocks in europe under pressure the dax in germany closed down 18 percent the cac 40 in france fell 19 percent and the british ftse 100 fell 12 percent
shares of the professional social networking site linkedin soared 6113 or 47 percent to 19221 after microsoft announced it was purchasing the company for 262 billion in cash shares of microsoft fell 134 or 26 percent to 5014 after the deal was announced
twitter shares jumped as well up 53 cents or 4 percent to 1455 on speculation that linkedins buyout could mean better buyout prospects for that social media service
the security software company symantec jumped 91 cents or 5 percent to 1821 after it said it would purchase another security company blue coat for 46 billion blue coat had plans to go public later this year symantec was the biggest gainer in the sp 500
in currencies the dollar fell to 10621 yen from 10679 yen the dollar fell slightly against the euro to 11291 and rose slightly against the british pound to 1423
united states crude fell 19 cents to 4888 a barrel brent crude the benchmark for international oil prices fell 19 cents to 5035 a barrel in london oil prices had reached 11 month highs in the last few days
in other energy commodities heating oil was effectively unchanged at 1515 a gallon wholesale gasoline futures fell 2 cents to 1536 a gallon and natural gas rose 3 cents to 2585 per thousand cubic feet
in the metals markets gold rose 11 to 128690 an ounce silver rose 11 cents to 1744 an ounce and copper rose 2 cents to 2054 a pound


lincoln centers organizations spent 7854 million last season in large part on the salaries of their 4547 employees their offerings attracted 45 million people a third of whom attended free events and those ticket buyers from outside the city who said in surveys that visiting lincoln center was a very important reason for their trips spent an estimated 669 million elsewhere in new york
those were among the findings of a report that lincoln center released on monday outlining its economic contributions to new york city as a cultural complex major employer and tourist attraction the report was shared with city officials as lincoln center prepared to seek some city funding for its coming renovation of david geffen hall home of the new york philharmonic which is expected to cost about a half billion dollars
some findings based on extensive surveys may interest anyone who has ever stood at the fountain trying to figure out where everyone else was from city residents bought 51 percent of tickets people from the metropolitan area bought 24 percent visitors from elsewhere in the united states purchased 16 percent and tourists from abroad 9 percent
the report also has policy ramifications the de blasio administrations support for smaller cultural institutions in all five boroughs and its emphasis on making art accessible to all have been eyed warily by some larger manhattan institutions including those like lincoln center that receive some city support so the new report noted that 148 million people came to free events there last year and that 1500 school and other groups attended offerings
the report got a warm reception from city officials some of whom will be part of the discussion of the extent to which taxpayers should help revamp geffen hall alicia glen the citys deputy mayor for housing and economic development said in a statement that lincoln center boosts tourism helps define the citys cultural life and inspires our young people
many cities have been exploring new or revamped concert halls london for example is debating the price and location of a new hall sought by simon rattle the conductor who will be the next music director of the london symphony orchestra
it is unclear how much city support lincoln center will seek the renovation of geffen hall expected to begin in 2019 was started with a 100 million donation by mr geffen officials have noted that they want the new hall to have more spaces for educational presentations and community events the city contributed 240 million toward the 12 billion redevelopment of the other parts of lincoln center a project completed in 2012
lincoln center and the philharmonic are working to keep the renovation moving forward now that the center is without a president jed bernstein stepped down this spring after having failed to disclose a personal relationship with an employee in violation of center policy
the report estimated that lincoln center generated roughly 1135 million in taxes for new york city last year other estimates were more difficult to assess independently for instance it projected that with indirect spending factored in   say what its employees spend in the city   lincoln center and its tourists contributed 24 billion to the citys economy last year and generated 15802 jobs in the city that jobs projection was much higher than the one in a 2004 economic impact report which used a different methodology and estimated that lincoln center had generated a total of 10200 jobs in the city
city councilman jimmy van bramer a queens democrat who is chairman of the councils committee on cultural affairs said in an interview that he was impressed by the reports findings i am a firm believer that we have to invest in all of our cultural institutions and organizations large and small in all five boroughs in every neighborhood he said
if an organization is driving so much in terms of what is good about the city of new york is actively engaged in the work of making this city all that it can be and is equally committed to making sure that every child in every neighborhood has access to world class performances and facilities then that organization is worthy of consideration for support from the city of new york he continued absolutely


mexico city   back in the late 1980s the air got so dirty in mexico city that birds would emit a final chirp before they tumbled from the trees onto the sidewalk their small still bodies a sad testament to some of the worlds worst air pollution
i heard this story a lot when i first arrived in the city a few years later nobody had actually seen it happen of course but the urban legends black humor revealed a perverse pride in survival
then the smog began to lift the government shut down a big oil refinery and pushed heavy industry out of the city regulations stripped the lead from gasoline and created incentives for people to buy cleaner new cars
and the birdsong resumed
until now the city has registered only 20 clean days so far this year on all the other days particulates and ozone rose above the governments limit
what accounts for the backsliding a central reason is that pollution simply dropped off the publics radar
as long as people dont complain and its not high visibility the government doesnt put a high priority on it said mario j molina a nobel laureate in chemistry and the director of a mexico city research institute that bears his name who is advising the authorities about the next steps they should take
without a sense of urgency antipollution measures that could have made a difference years ago have stalled the federal government for example has dawdled over raising the emissions standards for new vehicles
although the region was able to reduce levels of major pollutants well into the 2000s ozone and particulates remained stubbornly high over the past decade and even increased
in april the regional environment commission forced the issue by sharply lowering the level at which it declares an emergency
suddenly talk of pollution is everywhere radio reports give hourly updates as ozone levels climb each afternoon noting how close the city is to another emergency newspapers plaster their front pages with photographs of vast urban landscapes shrouded in a gray yellow murk on twitter drivers post photographs of vehicles coughing filthy fumes a longtime laissez faire approach to outdoor activities has given way to anxious checks of the citys pollution map
there were rumors that the government was importing dirty gasoline from china which officials quickly denied
the smoggy reality has led the authorities to clamp down emergency measures are in force until the end of the month when the summer rains come
every day roughly 20 percent of the regions cars are grounded ozone and particulates have climbed so high that the environment commission has declared eight pollution emergencies since march imposing special rules that include taking 40 percent of the cars off the road
but drivers waiting at an emissions inspections station recently said that they were taking all the heat
keeping cars at home does not resolve absolutely anything said oscar rojas ayala 50 a criminal defense lawyer who uses his 2009 mitsubishi sport utility vehicle to visit his clients in the citys far flung jails they should prove it
this is all just a business for the government to make more money said armando cortes de la rosa 58 who does not live in the city but needs an inspection sticker to visit relatives you take two million cars off the road and the pollution has continued
whats the strategy asked elsa pliego 46 some antipollution measures just create more traffic she argued like the bike lanes that herd cars into single file today they do one thing tomorrow another
to understand why having a car here is so important consider the daily commute of iris venegas maldonado she leaves no later than 615 am from her parents house in the northern suburb of tlalnepantla catching two lurching microbuses before she reaches a subway station
she takes exaggeratedly crowded subway trains before emerging back onto the street where she boards yet another bus to arrive at her job as a physician assistant at 9 am
its frustrating because i spend so much time during my day traveling said ms venegas 26 who just completed medical school
on a recent day a protest march had diverted traffic and she spent seven hours on public transportation i could have been doing something else she said in something of an understatement
at the heart of the problem is how this megalopolis of more than 20 million people has evolved
about 85 million people live in mexico city and the rest inhabit an endless sprawl that encompasses everything from gated communities to concrete slums but residents of both rich and poor neighborhoods are often far from their jobs as soon as any family can afford to buy a car it does
the mario molina center estimates that there are now more than five million cars in the metropolitan area
mexico citys mayor miguel angel mancera said old regulations have inhibited the construction of low income housing inside the citys limits the people who want to live here cannot he said in an interview the city has to become more compact so that people do not make these crazy trips
leonardo martinez flores an urban planning expert who coordinated the areas 2011 20 regional air plan said the problem was about much more than housing the entire city must be reconceived
if you dont attack the problem of the urban structure it doesnt matter how much you invest in public transport warned mr martinez who is also advising the city on emergency pollution measures it doesnt resolve the underlying issue
the path of least resistance means the city has accommodated itself to cars a long ribbon of elevated highway circles much of the city before expanding north into the neighboring state of mexico where public transportation is at its most haphazard in my years here i have seen developments the size of a small american city spring up with only a four lane access road   plus speed bumps   built to reach them
developers erect skyscrapers with a dozen floors reserved for parking the mexican institute for competitiveness an economic think tank estimates that 42 percent of space in new developments built between 2009 and 2013 was designated for parking
we are constructing housing for cars said gabriela alarcon an urban planning expert at the institute
some people blame new speed limits for the pollution given that the average driving speed at rush hour is between three and seven miles per hour the mario molina center dryly noted that the new regulations did not require priority attention
last week the federal and local governments announced new emissions inspection rules which for the first time apply to trucks and buses cars will no longer be automatically grounded but emissions levels will be stricter and inspections tightened to prevent widespread corruption
the city has pledged to install new sensors to detect dirty vehicles which the police would then stop and tow
mayor mancera promised that the new rules on dirty trucks and buses among other measures would constitute a before and after for the city
he has also proposed a crackdown on industrial emissions and programs for cleaner taxis and delivery vans and has begun negotiations to limit cargo trucks to nighttime hours
back at the emissions inspection center drivers debated what   or who   was to blame
gerardo sanchez 40 who sells salads to office workers from the back of his 2007 volkswagen pointer and loses income when his car is grounded named a favorite culprit
the politicians have two or three cars of bodyguards behind them he said how much do they pollute


washington   advocates of trophy hunting and even the united states government have long justified the killing of protected wildlife in africa by saying that taxes and fees from the hunts help pay for larger conservation efforts
but a new report by the democratic staff of the house natural resources committee challenges those claims finding little evidence that the money is being used to help threatened species mostly because of rampant corruption in some countries and poorly managed wildlife programs it concludes that trophy hunting may be contributing to the extinction of certain animals
it has been almost a year since an american hunter killed a beloved lion named cecil in zimbabwe setting off an international debate over sport hunting and widespread anger on the internet since then the obama administration has placed lions in africa under the protection of the endangered species act france has banned the import of lion trophies and more than 40 airlines have said they will no longer transport hunting trophies
the 25 page house report called missing the mark says that while poaching remains the gravest threat to animals like lions rhinoceroses and leopards trophy hunting also removes a significant number of animals from these rapidly declining populations
as the tragic death of cecil the lion showed us the report says trophy hunters do not always play by the rules and the trophy hunting industry needs to be regulated and held accountable for there to be any hope of a consistent conservation benefit
in theory elaborate big game hunts   which can cost tens of thousands of dollars including trophy fees professional guide payments transportation and lodging   could help poor countries maintain robust conservation programs and give aid to residents in the past the money has been used to repair degraded environments and the revenue from trophy hunting has been seen as deterring local residents from killing animals because they consider them a nuisance or a danger
however the report says in assessing the flow of trophy hunting revenue to conservation efforts we found many troubling examples of funds either being diverted from their purpose or not being dedicated to conservation in the first place
the endangered species act says hunted trophies can be brought to the united states only if they do not contribute to the extinction of a species that standard is not always met the report says and it recommends that the fish and wildlife service improve its permitting process so that only trophies that actually enhance the survival of species are allowed into the country
the service has the authority to require an import permit for any species listed as threatened or endangered in 2014 the agency suspended imports of elephant trophies from tanzania and zimbabwe because of catastrophic population declines but according to the study it has been reluctant to use its authority to restrict other trophy imports that do not meet the standards on protecting species
the agency has also used special rules to exempt from permitting requirements many imports of animals listed under the endangered species act the report says for the species covered in the house report the fish and wildlife service required only one import permit from 2010 to 2014 though more than 2700 trophies eligible for permitting were imported during that time for the 1469 leopard trophies that could have required an import permit the agency required none
because americans bring home more trophies of protected species than hunters from any other country some conservationists believe that the united states government has the responsibility and the leverage to force a change the urgency for such change however can be largely credited to cecil the lion
before cecil there was a certain complacency surrounding what to do about the lion almost an indifference said craig packer a lion expert who ran the serengeti lion project in tanzania for 35 years and has been critical of hunting practices in that country
after cecil it became clear that the public was much more skeptical of sport hunting he said it shows the power of public opinion


a man who investigators believe was trying to rob a bar in queens was fatally shot on monday by a retired new york city officer who was there the police said
the police were called just before 4 am to the parkside pub a bar on 149th street in the whitestone neighborhood where they found a 24 year old man with a gunshot wound to his head the authorities said the man who was identified by the police as andrew mcclean was pronounced dead at the scene
the authorities said mr mcclean who lived in the neighborhood about a mile away had come into the pub with a gun and was trying to rob patrons when one of them the retired officer a 69 year old man fired a single shot that shot struck mr mcclean in the head
the police said the shooting remained under investigation


a judge in oregon has granted a petition allowing a person to legally choose neither sex and be classified as nonbinary an important development for transgender americans while civil rights and sexual identity are in the national spotlight advocates and legal experts said
though the petition was granted with little fanfare in a two paragraph decision on friday the experts said that to their knowledge the ruling was the first of its kind in the country
kris hayashi executive director of the transgender law center in oakland calif described the decision in an email as a historic step toward the governments recognizing nonbinary members of our community and ensuring they have access to identity documents that reflect who they are just like everyone else
the petitioner seeking the new designation jamie shupe of portland ore is a retired united states army sergeant born with male anatomy who had successfully battled the military to be given discharge papers that reflected the female sex
jamie   who prefers to use only a first name and the pronouns they and their instead of singular pronouns   underwent hormone treatments to transition to a woman but ultimately neither sex fit jamie said in an interview on friday
expecting the judge to challenge the bid for nonbinary status the petitioner went to court with letters from two doctors attesting that jamie is neither male nor female
instead the moment was mostly understated the judge amy holmes hehn of circuit court in multnomah county ore told lake perriguey the lawyer who represented jamie that mr perriguey was pushing the envelope with the petition he said
mr perriguey said he replied were not really the envelope just needs to get bigger
oregon law does not specifically limit gender choices to male or female for decades the legal process for a change of sex has been similar to the process for changing a name mr perriguey said
a petitioner can submit the paperwork and pay the filing fee and a notice of the proposed change is posted for 14 days a judge can approve a change of sex if it is determined that the person has undergone surgical hormonal or other treatment appropriate for them according to the law
judge holmes hehns ruling could help call attention to other issues such as gender neutral bathrooms advocates said north carolina for example enacted a law that bars transgender people from using public bathrooms that do not match the sex on their birth certificates that drew intense criticism and prompted many businesses and entertainers to boycott the state
jamie described the ruling which was reported by the daily dot on friday as totally being liberated from the boundaries of being male or female
it was the culmination of a nearly 50 year journey growing up as one of eight children jamie strongly identified as female that identification was suppressed by jamies mother an 18 year stint in the army   when gay men and lesbians were banned from the armed forces and later under the dont ask dont tell policy   offered little relief for jamies gender dysphoria
it was like totally living in fear jamie said it was like a pandoras box that i couldnt open
it was not until 2013 at the age of 49 and after retiring from the military that jamie had to decide whether to begin living authentically as the woman that i have always been for my remaining years according to transgender lives your stories a collection of essays that appeared with editorials about transgender experiences in the new york times
i was denied the right as a child and while in the military to ever explore my gender identity because of the hostility of society for violating gender norms or for expressing any form of gender variance jamie said in an email so i was literally doing in my 40s and early 50s what children are doing nowadays
jamie lived for a year in pittsburgh got hormone treatments and a name change with help from the transgender legal defense and education fund but the city felt inhospitable to transgender people jamie declined to provide a birth name and that information has been sealed under court order
i had neighbors yelling at me for being in womens clothing jamie said it was just horrible
after researching places friendly to the transgender community jamie moved to portland in 2014 and decided it was the place to embrace being nonbinary nobody cares who or what you are in portland
jamie has been married for 29 years to a woman and has no plans to undergo surgery im at peace with my biology
the next move will be to get the state agency that issues drivers licenses to change its forms to include a nonbinary choice mr perriguey said
foster noone 19 a student at tulane university in new orleans and a member of the national youth council for the transgender law center said the ruling was heartening news for young nonbinary people
gender is frequently treated as if there are two different types of bodies and two types of genders and thats the way its been since the beginning of time and thats just not true noone said


seattle   microsoft has made its most ambitious move in years to reassert itself in a technology market it once dominated
the software giant said monday morning that it would acquire linkedin in a 262 billion cash deal the acquisition by far the largest in microsofts history unites two companies in different businesses one a big maker of software tools the other the largest business oriented social networking site with more than 400 million members globally
the deal is microsofts biggest bet yet that the traditional software business is shifting quickly to cloud computing a model in which customers rent software and other services delivered over the internet while linkedin does not have the household name of facebook a much larger and more lucrative social network it is the most widely used site for people to advertise their professional skills and work history
it is also further evidence that satya nadella microsofts chief executive sees the companys future further and further removed from the pc software that once helped the companys co founder bill gates turn microsoft into the worlds most valuable company
though they operate in different businesses microsoft and linkedin make most of their money by catering to professionals executives involved in the deal said that the common thread prompted the acquisition
this deal is all about bringing together the professional cloud and professional network mr nadella said in a telephone interview
so valuable is the data that recruiters spend thousands of dollars a month to use it to fill job openings
they know the interconnections of the business world said brian blau an analyst at gartner a technology research firm that could really benefit microsoft from a sales standpoint
microsoft has bought its way into new businesses before though most of its largest deals have not turned out well in 2014 it paid nearly 94 billion for the smartphone operations of nokia and some years earlier spent more than 6 billion for aquantive an internet advertising company but ended up writing off most of the value of those deals after they performed poorly
mr nadella who took over as chief executive in february 2014 was not involved in those deals since assuming leadership of the company he has made mostly smaller acquisitions with the exception of the 25 billion deal to acquire the maker of the game minecraft
mr nadella said that when microsoft pursued deals that hewed closer to a strict set of criteria one of which is that the acquired company operates in areas that are core to microsofts business the deals have worked out
every time weve gotten it right weve had success in those dimensions mr nadella said
in a joint interview mr nadella and jeff weiner the chief executive of linkedin said that their conversations began in february when the two began talking about different ways in which the companies could work together
mr weiner for his part said he began thinking about a linkedin combination with microsoft long before he sat down with mr nadella he and mr nadella first met a couple of years ago at a conference for chief executives at microsofts headquarters
ive had a lot of admiration for the work satya had done since taking over as ceo mr weiner said
microsoft was once a reviled company in silicon valley where linkedin is based but as its dominance in the industry ebbed it came to seem far less threatening
mr nadella has further improved microsofts image in the technology industry by being more open to partnerships with once bitter tech rivals like salesforcecom he has accelerated the companys shift from traditional software to cloud applications and services and its stock has risen significantly under his leadership
and with more than 100 billion in cash and short term investments as its disposal microsoft is an attractive suitor for companies that decide they are better off joining forces with a bigger entity
microsoft is paying considerably less for linkedin than it would have just last fall when linkedin shares were trading over 260 a share disappointing earnings helped slash the value of the company the deal calls for microsoft to pay 196 a share to buy linkedin a healthy premium to the 13108 its shares closed at on friday
this is a good time for linkedin to sell said michael a cusumano a professor at the sloan school of management at mit they lost money last year theyve found its very expensive to keep growing theyre probably as valuable as they will ever be
microsoft could have acquired linkedin for even less a little over a decade ago microsoft held discussions with linkedin about acquiring it for 250 million the venture capitalist and former linkedin executive keith rabois tweeted on monday mr rabois confirmed in an email that linkedin was receptive to such a deal
yet big challenges remain for the company in todays technology landscape where new powerhouses like amazoncom the leader in cloud computing have a significant head start
linkedin could help microsoft accelerate its shift to the internet by giving it a large online property that has became the de facto standard for posting resumes online the site is heavily used by recruiters for finding new workers microsoft is one of linkedins biggest customers
the mission statements of linkedin and microsoft have different words but are essentially the same mr weiner said weve come at it from different perspectives linkedin built a professional network microsoft built a professional cloud
linkedin will give microsoft access to a lot of potentially sensitive information that it will have to be careful about guarding   for example when linkedin users are talking to job recruiters
the burden will be on them to put controls in place to ensure privacy is maintained said dimitri sirota chief executive of bigid a start up that provides privacy management tools
microsoft was advised on the deal by morgan stanley and the law firm simpson thacher  bartlett while qatalyst partners allen  company llc and the law firm wilson sonsini goodrich  rosati advised linkedin
microsofts courtship of linkedin began to heat up in april wary of microsofts missteps with past acquisitions the companies decided that allowing linkedin to operate independently was best
mr weiner will remain chief executive of linkedin which will operate as an independent brand following the lead of other technology acquisitions like googles purchase of youtube and facebooks buy of whatsapp
in april mr nadella and mr weiner had dinner to dig into details for how the deal would work joined by reid hoffman the co founder and executive chairman of linkedin and qi lu a microsoft executive who used to work at yahoo with mr weiner
on sunday night the microsoft and linkedin executive teams had a final meeting together at mr hoffmans house before the deal was announced as a conversation starter each participant had to share something with the group that was not on their personal linkedin profile


a man accused of setting off primitive explosives at pudong international airport in shanghai injuring four bystanders was dogged by gambling debts and had threatened to do something totally crazy before he detonated a bomb made from firecrackers police investigators said on monday
a statement from the shanghai police was the first account of the motives behind the attack on sunday afternoon when travelers scattered as cracking sounds rang out in terminal 2 of the airport four people were slightly injured from shards of glass and the suspect subsequently slashed his throat with a knife he survived but was in critical condition
the official account implicitly ruled out the idea that the suspect zhou xingbo nursed broader political grievances instead according to the investigators mr zhou a 29 year old migrant worker from guizhou province in southwest china lashed out after becoming mired in debt
while working in an electronics factory in kunshan an industrial district outside shanghai mr zhou indulged in online gambling and lost all his savings said the police citing the initial investigation into the attack he regularly borrowed from friends to get by they said
before the attack mr zhou sent a message on wechat a mobile messaging service popular in china i owe a lot of money to a lot of people he said
getting ready to do something totally crazy sure to lose little life he added apparently referring to his own life
on sunday morning the police said mr zhou caught a bus to shanghai and went to the airport in the afternoon when he detonated at least one beer bottle packed with the powder from firecrackers investigators found remnants of firecrackers in mr zhous rented room in kunshan the police accounts did not say how many homemade bombs mr zhou set off caixin magazine reported that according to a witness he used two empty beer bottles packed with explosives
the police account offered no explanation of why mr zhou chose the airport
in a similar attack at the beijing airport in 2013 the perpetrator had a longstanding dispute with officials who he said had not punished government employed security guards for beating him so badly that he was paralyzed and had to use a wheelchair
but initial checks on chinese websites revealed no previous documents or comments suggesting that mr zhou harbored any grudge against officials
on monday the pudong international airport instituted extra checks for arriving travelers and warned them to leave more time to get through the added security according to a chinese civil aviation news website


a 22 year old dutch woman detained for three months in qatar on suspicion of adultery after she reported being drugged and raped was given a one year suspended sentence on monday and will be allowed to return home the dutch foreign ministry said
the woman identified only as laura and described as being from the dutch city of utrecht was held and prosecuted on charges of adultery and alcohol consumption she has been fined about 750 euros or nearly 850 and will be sent back to the netherlands said daphne kerremans a spokeswoman for the dutch foreign ministry
the ambassador is with her now and is making sure that she can go home as soon as possible ms kerremans said it was quite overwhelming for her
doha news an internet news site in qatar reported that the ambassador to the netherlands yvette burghgraef van eechoud said outside the courtroom that the woman would be released from prison in coming days
news reports said that the man laura accused of sexually assaulting her had also been detained and that he had told the qatari authorities that the sex was consensual
the man a syrian citizen identified by doha news in court papers as omar abdullah al hassan was sentenced to 140 lashes for illegal sex acts and public drunkenness
the womans lawyer brian lokollo told the dutch news media that she had gone in march to a hotel in doha where alcohol is permitted
she felt unwell soon after taking the first sip of a drink and realized that something was wrong he said the next morning she awoke in an unfamiliar apartment and realized that she had been raped
after reporting the attack to the authorities in qatar mr lokollo said she was detained according to the associated press
the case captured global attention over the weekend after the womans family spoke in the dutch news media about her arrest and reports of the accusations and imprisonment she faced drew a campaign on social media calling for her release
the decision by soccer organizers to award the 2022 world cup to qatar brought increased scrutiny to the human rights record of the tiny oil rich nation and the rape case added to those concerns
among the concerns of rights groups are the treatment of women and the labor conditions of migrant workers helping to build the infrastructure for the games
the dutch embassy in qatar said it had been helping the woman from the moment it learned of her arrest
we have provided assistance to her since the first day of detention it said in a statement issued before the verdict for the sake of the defendants case we will not make further comments at this point
although alcohol consumption is largely illegal in qatar a conservative muslim country it is legally available at some upmarket hotels adultery is also illegal
in 2013 a norwegian woman who was working in the united arab emirates received a 16 month prison sentence for illegal consumption of alcohol unlawful sex and perjury after reporting to the police that she had been sexually assaulted by a colleague she was eventually pardoned and allowed to leave the country to return home


considering how much we already pay for health care you have to wonder why doctors hospitals and insurance providers so often fail to coordinate their patients care
your primary care doctor the hospital you visit and the various specialists you are sent to are typically part of different organizations that do not communicate effectively with one another balls get dropped and care suffers in part its a consequence of siloed medical practice
thats why the standard advice for patients who are hospitalized or have complex medical conditions is to monitor their own care this means tracking what each specialist advises and prescribes ensuring it gets done and informing other doctors about it failure to monitor communicate and coordinate care increases the chance of errors and omissions that can harm health
this is hard to get right even for health care experts including my upshot colleague dr aaron carroll
complicating matters you may have to coordinate your own care while you are sick unless you have help from a loved one another alternative is a professional patient advocate who may charge 100 or more an hour to coordinate care some employers may pay for the service but neither medicare nor most health insurance plans do
increasingly however health care organizations are trying to solve this problem another way one approach   though there are others   is to consolidate more of the health care you need in one organization called an integrated delivery system an ids owns one or several hospitals and also employs physicians across multiple specialties it may also provide nursing home and rehabilitation care in some cases an integrated delivery system may offer its own health insurance plans
advocates of this approach claim that the coordinated care an ids offers is not only better for patients but also reduces duplication and avoids unnecessary services thus lowering costs kaiser permanente intermountain healthcare the mayo clinic and geisinger health system are some of the integrated delivery systems with reputations for high quality and low costs
however the evidence suggests that an ids doesnt always improve patient care and keep costs down
some studies have found an ids is more likely to use evidence based care or is better able to manage care but other studies offer more mixed conclusions a study published in health services research found that after minneapolis st paul area hospitals acquired physician practices there were small improvements in cancer screening and emergency room use but it also found more unnecessary hospitalizations
other research that examined 15 nationally prominent integrated delivery systems found no meaningful differences in the quality of care provided by their flagship hospitals compared with their main competitors and it turned out that the ids hospitals were more costly
a study published last year in jama internal medicine found that prices paid for outpatient care by private insurers are higher for organizations that employ more physicians as integrated delivery systems do one reason is that insurers pay an additional facility fee for care provided in a hospital setting even if the same care could be provided in a community clinic many have presumed that consolidation is a prerequisite for higher value said dr michael mcwilliams of harvard medical school an author of the study but the only consistent finding from good research is higher prices
another reason prices are higher when hospitals and physicians join forces is that the larger organization has more market leverage a study published in 2014 in health affairs found that when hospitals employ physicians their market share increases and their prices and spending along with it another study published in jama in 2014 examined patients in california it found that hospital ownership of physician practices is associated with 10 to 20 percent higher spending older studies relying on data from the 1990s also found that hospital employment of physicians was associated with higher prices
the affordable care act and other legislation encourages though does not require the formation of larger health care organizations like integrated delivery systems for example electronic health care record requirements included in the law are hard for smaller health care organizations to afford so practices band together to spread the cost over greater volume medicares accountable care organization programs pay organizations bonuses if they provide more coordinated higher quality and lower cost care
but bigger health care organizations arent necessarily better another study by dr mcwilliams found that over all medicares largest accountable care organization program has not saved money once bonus payments are factored in though a few aspects of health care quality   like higher rates of eye testing for diabetics   were better among accountable care organizations than comparable health care organizations for many other measures the study found no differences
but accountable care organizations that are led by primary care physicians not employed by hospitals did save money dr mcwilliams said this suggests that an arms length relationship between doctors and hospitals may be more efficient medicare has started a program to pay primary care physicians more for care management though a recent study found that a similar predecessor program has not appreciably improved quality or yielded savings
why arent new ways of organizing health care better an answer came as long ago as 1966 from the physician and university of michigan researcher avedis donabedian he realized that its a long way from how health care is organized   whether an ids or some other arrangement   to better patient health just because an integrated delivery system has theoretical benefits of better coordination does not mean it achieves them integrated organizations are larger and more diverse as anyone who has worked in a large company or has managed a large group knows the more people involved the harder it is to coordinate activities in short the theoretical benefits of an integrated delivery system may be swamped by its sheer size
the lesson is simple coordinating your own care is still a good idea dont count on the health system to do it for you


join us for live updates and analysis
the worst mass shooting in united states history did little to halt the politicking of the 2016 presidential election if anything in some respects it accelerated it
fifty people died in the shooting at a gay nightclub in orlando fla and the suspect who was born in the united states to immigrants from afghanistan was reported to have pledged allegiance to the islamic state president obama called the shooting both an act of terror and an act of hate and he postponed an appearance with hillary clinton scheduled for wednesday in wisconsin
mrs clinton issued a statement after the president spoke offering similar thoughts and condolences to the victims and their families and a quick plea to curtail the availability of guns before concluding this is a time to stand together and resolve to do everything we can to defend our communities and country
donald j trump took a different tack mr trump offered prayers for the victims but he swiftly criticized mrs clinton and mr obama throughout the day he also posted praise for himself on twitter for his call for a ban on muslim immigrants must be tough mr trump wrote in one post calling for mr obama to resign in another post for not using the phrase radical islamic terrorism
mr trumps proposed ban would not have prevented this attack the suspect was a united states citizen still mr trump is forging ahead with a speech on monday that had been about mrs clinton but will now focus on national security
mrs clinton had plans to deliver a speech condemning mr trump as a demagogue but she is now expected to broaden it toward national security
nearly four years ago when a gunman killed 12 people in aurora colo mr obama halted his campaign and mitt romney then the republican nominee canceled a speech the nature and tenor of national politics has changed a great deal since then


london   the art world traditionally descends on europe in june first for art basel widely regarded as the essential fair for collectors then on to london for the summer auctions
but the mood this year is unsettled there has been a significant contraction in the auction market for impressionist modern and contemporary art and sothebys christies and phillipss high end auctions in london all take place within a week of britains referendum on membership in the european union
here is a look at some of the events that are driving the art market this summer
for many serious collectors particularly in a year without a biennale in venice art basel and its various satellite fairs and events remain the main draw the economics of art fairs are hard to quantify   art basel publishes attendance figures but not sales results   but this years edition featuring 286 galleries from 33 countries which previews on tuesday should give some sense of how dealers are being affected by the changed mood in the market year on year totals at last months impressionist and contemporary sales in new york were down by as much as 64 percent
the previews ive received from galleries have been different this year said heather flow an art adviser in new york theyre bringing more historical material and very little by young artists
but ms flow and other art advisers said they saw little evidence that galleries were lowering prices for new works
theres a growing rift between price and value she said in some cases gallery prices are higher than the levels at which similar works are being flipped meaning resales at auction
but a select group of living artists still remain hot the new york dealer jack shainman exhibiting in the main art basel area for the first time will be showing a small 2016 painting by kerry james marshall of a male figure untitled looking man priced at 350000 that number might seem imposing but a larger 1992 work by mr marshall   currently the subject of a solo show at the museum of contemporary art in chicago   sold for 22 million last month at christies
another trend is an emphasis on artists estates the new york dealer james cohan one of 32 galleries in the feature section devoted to curated projects is presenting a solo booth of 1960s works from the estate of the american conceptual artist robert smithson these range in price from 45000 for drawings to 750000 for the 1965 mirror sculpture four sided vortex
todays art world is confused about the canon mr cohan said explaining the attraction of artists estates an estate allows a collector to look at an artists reputation and sees how it stacks up in the face of art history its not speculative its fresh to the market and leads to artists being reassessed
the ups and downs of the market are event driven by fairs said mr cohan but the environment is different now works need to be exceptional to gain the interest of the collector
the fear of britain voting to leave the european union on june 23 and what that might do to the value of the british pound has rattled some potential sellers at londons summer auctions many financial analysts view departure from the union as a bad move for the british economy that could potentially trigger a further decline in the pound reducing the value of british goods against other currencies
it was a factor but it wasnt the whole story said jay vincze the head of impressionist and modern art at christies in london whose june 22 evening sale contains 36 lots with a total low estimate of 383 million pounds about 56 million the equivalent event last june raised PS715 million from 50 works
potential currency fluctuation was a worry for overseas consignors he said other people took a view that it just wasnt a good time to sell in the middle of this year
the christies sale does contain a group of seven works by paul klee and wassily kandinsky from a swiss private collection carrying a total minimum estimate of PS9 million
but such was the shortage of big name lots that christies has included the 1991 canvas les clowns musiciens le saxophoniste by bernard buffet   an artist some dismiss as kitsch   valued at PS700000 to PS12 million
sothebys impressionist and modern sale on june 21 is even smaller with just 28 lots nonetheless the sale does include picassos femme assise a museum quality 1909 early cubist head and shoulders study of his lover fernande olivier which had been bought by its anonymous seller in 1973
a picasso cubist painting of this importance hasnt appeared on the auction market for almost 20 years with an estimate of PS30 million and no guaranteed minimum price both sothebys and the seller are clearly confident it will achieve a trophy price regardless of wider uncertainties
the seller of modiglianis languid 1919 three quarter length portrait jeanne hebuterne au foulard back on the market after being bought at auction in 1986 was rather less confident of success and accepted a minimum price from sothebys of at least PS28 million
the scope of londons contemporary art auctions which take place the week after the european union vote has contracted even more sharply sothebys evening sale on june 28 carries a low estimate of PS355 million compared with the PS1304 million the equivalent sale achieved last year christies june 29 offering has a low estimate of PS403 million less than half its june 2015 total of PS957 million 
christies has however diverted some major contemporary works such as francis bacons 1968 version no 2 of lying figure with hypodermic syringe valued at PS20 million into a sale on june 30 defining british art to celebrate the auction houses 250th anniversary
by then depending on what effect the referendum result has on the pound international buyers could view british art like the bacon as the best or the worst value in europe
with art not quite the force it was in the market luxury goods are becoming a growth area for international auction houses
on may 30 in hong kong christies sold an hermes birkin himalayan crocodile handbag for an auction high of 300000
on june 29 sothebys london is looking to raise the bar for a diamond at auction when it offers the 1109 carat uncut lesedi la rona in a stand alone sale found in botswana in 2015 by the lucara diamond corp it is the largest rough diamond to have been discovered for more than a century and is estimated to sell for more than 70 million the current auction high is the 575 million achieved in may for the 1462 carat oppenheimer blue diamond at christies in geneva
lucara and sothebys have been very clever in this sale by offering the stone rough to the public said guy burton a director at the london jewelers hancocks who said that large uncut diamonds have hitherto been privately auctioned to the trade
now there is the option to offer the stone as the largest diamond on earth mr burton said this could drive competition between experienced cutters and traders against collectors


forensic scientists have long used dead pigs and other animals as stand ins for humans to better understand how the body decomposes after death
their research on decomposing animals has informed the views of forensic experts in police investigations expert witnesses have cited studies in court testimony and the research has enjoyed star turns on television shows like csi
but recent work by a team of scientists at the university of tennessee suggests that for anyone trying to draw conclusions about a persons time of death or the way that decomposition progresses pigs may be a poor substitute for humans
the study conducted at the universitys famed forensic anthropology center widely known as the body farm compared the decomposition rates of pigs rabbits and humans during different seasons the speed at which the three species decomposed differed significantly the researchers found and the human bodies varied more in how rapidly they decomposed than the other animals
what were saying is that to estimate the time since death for human forensic cases our results indicate that human subjects are best because the pigs and the rabbits do not capture the variation we saw in the humans said dawnie wolfe steadman director of the center who led the research
she added that pigs or other mammals might be suitable for some types of forensic research like determining the types of insects or scavengers in a particular region
the study financed by the national institute of justice a federal justice department agency was presented at the annual meeting of the american academy of forensic sciences earlier this year
for forensic scientists estimating the time of death from human remains has always been a somewhat iffy business
in 1981 william m bass a forensic anthropologist founded the body farm the first outdoor research facility of its kind in the nation because some of his estimates had been off by decades or even longer
in one case dr bass was called to look at well preserved remains that had been dug up during the renovation of a house in nashville in 1976 he estimated that the man had been dead for a few months but the remains turned out to be those of a civil war colonel killed in battle in 1864
eric bartelink a professor of anthropology at california state university chico and the president of the american board of forensic anthropology said pigs were often chosen for decomposition studies because they had little body hair and their fat ratios were similar to those of humans
the assumption was that it cant be that different dr bartelink said referring to the decomposition rate of pigs
a 2007 study conducted at the tennessee facility appeared to support that view finding that a range of insects choosing between dead pigs and dead humans showed negligible preference suggesting that pigs were not much different from humans in the way they decomposed
the results confirmed the claim that pig carcasses can substitute for human corpses in research and training programs concluded the authors led by an entomologist dr kenneth g schoenly who is now at california state university stanislaus
but that study included only one human and two pigs   a very limited sample as dr schoenly and his colleagues noted
in contrast dr steadmans research tested decomposition in 15 pigs 15 rabbits and 15 human bodies that had been donated to science that were divided into three trials of five subjects of each species left to decompose in spring summer or winter
the remains were placed outdoors on the ground at least 10 feet apart at the research facility the researchers monitored temperature and humidity and cameras documented scavenging by raccoons or other animals insect activity and the degree of decomposition were recorded twice a day
but dr steadman and her colleagues found that estimates based on a formula often used to calculate time since death correlated weakly with the actual time that the pigs rabbits and humans in the study had spent decomposing and that decomposition rates differed sharply among the species and from season to season
in spring and summer the peak seasons for insects like blowflies that are attracted to carrion the pigs decomposed more rapidly than the human subjects but in winter humans decomposed faster largely as a result of scavengers like raccoons which seemed to prefer the human remains
all of the areas of interest for the pigs are in the trunk dr steadman said where with humans its all in the limbs and that affects the scavenging
dr steadman said one of the most striking findings was how much the decomposition patterns of one human body differed from another all of us have various diets our body composition varies widely and its not just weight she said individuals who have a lot of fat decompose faster than lean individuals
she added that chemotherapy drugs and other medications could also affect how quickly a body decomposes
dr bartelink said studies like dr steadmans were extremely important and showed that we need to be doing studies on humans not animals
daniel j wescott director of the forensic anthropology center at texas state university also praised the new research but he added that the findings needed to be replicated by other studies and that scientists still had much to learn about what happens to a body after death
its kind of strange dr wescott said things have been decomposing since the beginning of time and its remarkable how little we know about how things decompose and why they decompose


boulder colo   sitora yusufiy thought she was done with her ex husband omar mateen
after a marriage in which she said he beat her confiscated her paychecks and isolated her in their florida home ms yusufiy said she fled in 2009 with the help of her parents the last she remembers of mr mateen is that he grabbed her arm to stop her from getting into the car and leaving him forever
he tried to reach in his back pocket i dont know if he had a gun with him but my mother felt that and she screamed out ms yusufiy said at an interview at the home where she lives with her fiance here in the steep green hillsides above boulder that was the last time i saw him
early sunday morning his presence ripped back into her life when ms yusufiys mother called her to say that the man she had met through myspace in 2008 and quickly married had committed the deadliest mass shooting in united states history
i had let that chapter of my life go a long time ago she said its somebody that hurt me and traumatized me
she spent part of sunday being interviewed by fbi agents who were inside the home for about an hour although officials said they had investigated mr mateen in 2013 and 2014 ms yusufiy said that sunday was the first time she had been approached by law enforcement officials to talk about him
she answered phone calls from her mother and watched as her online photographs and social media profiles were scattered across the internet as she sat to speak of her memories of mr mateen she lightly touched a tree of life necklace her brother had given her and held a bracelet from her mother that she wears for protection
ms yusufiy said she had immigrated to the united states from uzbekistan in 2000 following her father who had come a year earlier she grew up in northern new jersey and met mr mateen around the time her parents started to talk to her about marrying
i had already started getting hints from my family   oh its time for you to get married we want to set you up with somebody she said she said she figured if she was to marry young she would do it on her own terms i wanted to find somebody that i could relate to and find him for myself
she said mr mateen seemed nice at first he joked around had a decent job aspired to become a police officer and respected his family she said he was an american but had roots in their shared culture she said after a few dates she said their parents met to make formal marriage plans
i didnt have any knowledge or feeling of his instability she said my parents actually did not feel good about it but i guess i was in a stage of really wanting to make my own decisions and be independent so i decided to go on with it anyway and go to florida and marry him
after about six weeks she said she began to notice erratic behavior and a temper that would flare sometimes without warning or provocation she said he became verbally and physically abusive he forbade her to call her parents and he allowed her only to go to her job as a day care teacher he made her hand over her paycheck
he was totally two different people sometimes and would turn and abuse me out of nowhere when i was sleeping ms yusufiy said
she said that mr mateen was religious but that he had never expressed sympathies for terrorist organizations or radical islamists but he did make anti gay comments when he was angry she said
there were definitely moments when hed express his intolerance toward homosexuals she said
he kept a silver handgun in the house and he went target shooting with friends ms yusufiy said that some of his friends were in law enforcement and that he sometimes went shooting with them he never threatened her with the gun but its presence worried her
in 2009 ms yusufiy said her parents began to sense the depth of the trouble and flew to florida to intervene after her parents extricated her from the marriage they flew back to new jersey
im blessed to have the family that i do because they saved me from death she said
ms yusufiy said she had last heard from mr mateen when he sent her a facebook message about a year ago casually trying to reconnect she said she told him never to contact her again and blocked him


london   oscar pistorius the double amputee olympic runner who shot his girlfriend to death in 2013 is unfit to testify at his sentencing for murder a defense psychologist said as a hearing opened on monday in a court in pretoria south africa
currently in my opinion he is not able to testify the psychologist jonathan scholtz told judge thokozile matilda masipa of the high court in pretoria arguing that mr pistorius should be hospitalized rather than imprisoned his condition is severe
under questioning from mr pistoriuss defense lawyer barry roux dr scholtz gave a largely sympathetic account of mr pistoriuss background personality and mental health
dr scholtz said mr pistorius showed symptoms of depression anxiety and post traumatic stress disorder he also said mr pistorius was taking psychiatric medication and had problems with short term memory
gerrie nel the chief prosecutor rejected that argument saying that mr pistorius had not expressed remorse for the death of his girlfriend reeva steenkamp
mr nel also questioned dr scholtzs assertion that mr pistorius was unable to testify given that mr pistorius recently gave an interview his first about the killing to the television network itv the interview is scheduled to be broadcast on june 24 which is probably after his sentencing
guidelines call for a sentence of at least 15 years but the judge has discretion to render a lighter or tougher sentence the decision which is not expected until later this week will bring to a close a case that has riveted and divided south africa
mr pistorius 29 was found guilty in december of murdering ms steenkamp after south africas top appeals court overturned a lower courts conviction on the lesser charge of manslaughter
the court found that the earlier conviction had been based on a misinterpretation of laws and an erroneous dismissal of circumstantial evidence
the appeals court said mr pistorius who insists that he accidentally killed ms steenkamp under the mistaken belief that an intruder had broken into his home should have foreseen that his actions would kill someone he fired four shots through a locked bathroom door killing ms steenkamp who was on the other side
in a country with a high crime rate the fear of home intrusion cuts across social and racial lines and high walls and security guards are common in gated communities like the one where mr pistorius lived in pretoria
mr pistoriuss arrest in the killing of ms steenkamp on feb 14 2013 sent south africans reeling known as the blade runner for the flexible carbon fiber prosthetic legs he used when competing mr pistorius achieved worldwide fame by challenging able bodied athletes most notably at the 2012 london games he won medals at the 2004 2008 and 2012 summer paralympics
ms steenkamp who was 29 at the time of her death was a model a law school graduate and a budding reality television star
in september 2014   after a lengthy and highly publicized trial that was likened to the 1994 95 trial of oj simpson in the united states   judge masipa convicted mr pistorius of culpable homicide but found him not guilty of murder she found that prosecutors had failed to present strong circumstantial evidence and to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that mr pistorius had shown intent to kill
prosecutors and ms steenkamps family argued that mr pistorius had deliberately killed his girlfriend after an argument
although mr pistorius was regarded as a hero to many in south africa the trial revealed another darker side a man with a mercurial temper given to jealousy and occasional anger an aggressive driver an irresponsible gun owner and a celebrity who was used to getting his way
in their appeal prosecutors argued that judge masipa had misinterpreted a crucial legal concept in finding mr pistorius not guilty of murder
they argued that under a legal principle known as dolus eventualis mr pistorius should be found guilty because he should have known that firing through the locked door would kill the person inside the supreme court of appeal in bloemfontein agreed
mr pistorius was released from prison in october after serving one year of the five year sentence for manslaughter and he has been living under house arrest
dr scholtz called mr pistoriuss relationship with ms steenkamp a normal loving relationship with no signs of abuse or coercion
dr scholtz said that mr pistorius has found some solace in the belief that the deceased is with god and that he was enrolled in a degree program at the university of london
he argued that further incarceration would not be psychologically or socially constructive and that mr pistorius was not a threat to society
mr pistorius once a gun enthusiast has sold his firearms dr scholtz said
he is adamant that he never wants to touch or handle a firearm again the psychiatrist said
but mr nel who cross examined dr scholtz suggested that mr pistorius had not expressed remorse
does he understand that he committed murder mr nel asked
yes dr scholtz said
in what way mr nel asked
the prosecutor then made it clear that he was unconvinced


the mass killings in orlando will overtake events in washington and dominate congress this week as lawmakers seek answers and possible responses in the wake of the united states deadliest shooting attack
public and classified briefings were already being scheduled on sunday to allow lawmakers and others to hear from law enforcement officials on what happened as well as on whether any links to terrorism contributed to the attack
the house and senate will honor the victims of the shooting and the emergency personnel who responded and lawmakers will no doubt take their opportunities to offer condolences and perspectives
the political aspects of the attack were inescapable given an episode that contains elements of islamic extremism gay rights gun control and more in the final months of an already heated national campaign year
senator christopher s murphy a connecticut democrat and gun control advocate said on sunday that congress had become complicit in these murders by failing to act to limit the availability of guns senator ben sasse republican of nebraska said the killings showed that violent islam whether its card carrying members of isis or al qaeda or its crowdsourced attackers must be defeated
whatever ones view the killings meant a summer legislative week in washington that was supposed to be devoted mainly to pentagon policy has been tragically changed


ivoryton conn   if new york had an attic it could well be the sprawling complex of old brick buildings on main street in this sleepy village a two hour drive northeast of the city
there is no sign to indicate that inside this former piano key factory is one of the largest collections of architectural artifacts salvaged from city buildings
its the sixth borough joked the owner evan blum 59 who has spent four decades as a collector and dealer of architectural remnants
mr blum has been filling the buildings over the past few years with newly rescued items as well as overflow from an inventory acquired over the decades
inside is a sea of ornamental fixtures and furnishings that have been pulled from buildings being demolished or renovated   and most of it is for sale
there are a pair of carved oak transoms that once hung over the main entrance to the first helen hayes theater on west 46th street in manhattan cost 14000 each including restoration
for 15000 you can pick up a carved oak fireplace reclaimed from john d rockefellers estate in lakewood township nj for another 15000 you could buy a bank of seven phone booths from the roseland ballroom which closed in 2014
there is the centuries old carved oak paneling that once adorned a room in gertrude vanderbilt whitneys mansion on fifth avenue price tag 75000
in a city that is constantly evolving the business of architectural salvaging is well established and perhaps no one in the field is better known than mr blum his eclectic showroom at demolition depot  irreplaceable artifacts on east 125th street in harlem is popular among collectors and designers
the showroom is vast but contains only a tiny percentage of the immense stock that mr blum keeps mostly in connecticut which few people even many of his most devoted clients have seen
the motherlode lies in a complex of seven large buildings that mr blum bought several years ago for its 15 acres of indoor floor space he says his is the largest private collection of architectural ornaments in the country and it is growing faster than ever as new york citys construction boom yields more artifacts than he can save
theyre taking down and gutting buildings faster than we can keep up with right now he said i have 25 churches to do before the end of the year
the sheer quantity is staggering   tens of thousands of artifacts from windows doors toilets tubs and light fixtures to entire saloon bars building facades and paneled room interiors
mr blum has about 65 of these interiors some of which are set up in the huge storage areas like museum exhibits including a paneled room from an apartment on west 12th street where the publisher malcolm forbes once lived
then there are the nearly 500 ornate fireplaces many of them from prominent manhattan mansions there is a rare french marble fireplace from the new canaan conn home of huguette clark the reclusive heiress who died in 2011 and another from ms whitneys mansion in manhattan
i got 90 of these out of the plaza mr blum said pointing out marble fireplaces taken from the plaza hotel their details were highlighted with gold paint which he described as being ivana ized a reference to ivana trump who helped run the hotel in the late 1980s when her husband at the time donald j trump owned it prices for the fireplaces range from 6500 to 19500 depending on size and type he said
other fireplaces have severely distressed finishes and cracked paint a look that attracts some of the high end designers who are mr blums clients he said he had pulled about 30 of the fireplaces from a hotel on houston street that had been boarded up for decades
nearby were some old panes of tudor style stained glass recovered from a penthouse on 57th street where the actor errol flynn once lived they would soon be installed in a p j clarkes restaurant set to open in philadelphia said mr blum who offers design services for restaurants hotels and other spaces that incorporate his pieces
he paused at the transom from the helen hayes theater which was torn down in 1982 despite heated opposition from preservationists
he said that back then he had been hired by the citys landmarks preservation commission to dismantle the theater and put the artifacts into the agencys salvage collection program when the program folded he said he bought much of the inventory including the theater transoms
some preservationists have criticized mr blum and other salvagers arguing that selling reclaimed artifacts induces developers to sell original elements of buildings and creates a vibrant market for items that might be better placed in museums
but mr blum said he acquired pieces only when buildings were being torn down typically he makes agreements with companies that gut or demolish buildings he said sometimes for a fee
i hate to see a building come down but i dont have the authority to stop it he said so i pick up the pieces and save what i can from going to the landfill
by background im a preservationist he added i dont loot   i dont need to
in one of his storage buildings he pointed out the front and back bars from ginos a restaurant that had been a fixture of lexington avenue until it closed in 2010 elsewhere were the reception counter and several display cases from the 21 club as well as a vast expanse of bathroom furnishings that he said was merely one twentieth of his reserve of such materials
i have the largest collection of vintage plumbing in the world he said
moving on he came upon the phone booths from the roseland ballroom covered with rock band stickers and graffiti mr blum recalled one of his workers asking if they should be stripped clean
i said no dont touch it   thats the best part of it he recounted
on the grass outside the old factory buildings were entire building fronts that had been removed piece by piece there was the terra cotta facade from the savoy theater on bedford avenue in brooklyn and next to a stream the disassembled facade from the old rko jefferson theater that once stood on east 14th street in manhattan he said
mr blum owned a manhattan showroom on second avenue and houston street which became mired in controversy in 2000 after a partial collapse the authorities attributed the collapse to dubious construction and later charged him with negligence
mr blum denied the charges he said they were retaliation for a lawsuit he had filed against the city for barring him from the property after the collapse which he said facilitated the theft of artifacts by a city employee the building was eventually knocked down and while mr blum was acquitted of the most serious charges he was convicted of a misdemeanor count of reckless endangerment
over the years mr blum said he has held onto the property and turned down lucrative offers from developers because he plans to build a museum for architectural art and preservation with educational programs
its going to be one giant mosaic of a lot of pieces ive saved over the years he said adding that the size of the ivoryton buildings had allowed him to spread out his collection and take stock of it as he develops his museum design
its about leaving a legacy behind and creating a public awareness about our architectural history and culture and preserving what we can before it gets eradicated mr blum said referring to how the extraordinary pace of development in new york city is accelerating the demise of older buildings he added were losing it by the boatloads i wish i had more staff and more warehouse space


when the unemployment rate falls below 5 percent it usually means things are going pretty well it was 47 percent in may a level last seen in november 2007
a different measure of the economys health however is beeping and flashing red it says that labor market conditions have deteriorated with each passing month this year in may it fell to its lowest level in seven years
called the labor market conditions index it has been billed as a more complete measurement than that old war horse the unemployment rate there are two possible explanations for the indexs decline one somewhat comforting and the other scary
lets do comfort first its possible were not making progress because weve more or less arrived at our destination   what economists call full employment this somewhat misleading term doesnt mean that everyone has a job it means that the reservoir of people seeking work has receded to a historically normal level
there is some evidence for this notably the low unemployment rate
but there are also some pretty strong reasons for skepticism my personal favorite in 2007 about 88 percent of men between the ages of 25 and 54 were working now roughly 85 percent of such men are working
thats a difference of about two million men most of whom probably would like jobs
the scary explanation job growth is slowing because the economy is losing steam
fed officials and other economists have been grappling with the divergence between relatively weak reported economic growth and relatively strong job growth those at the fed have largely taken the view that labor market data is more accurate which has been true over time
but this time some economists say the broader economic data may be closer to the truth of course the bond market understands this perfectly clearly michael darda chief economist at mkm partners noted recently investors have continued to discount the feds hints that it plans to raise rates this summer and again later this year they are betting the fed will once again be forced to wait longer than it wishes
it has not escaped the notice of these pessimists that the feds labor market index started showing weakness after the fed increased rates in december
the truth may be somewhere in between
the federal reserve introduced the new measure of labor market health a few months after janet yellen became the feds chairwoman in 2014 it created the index because the unemployment rate is too simple even the name is too simple it doesnt actually measure unemployment it counts only people who are actively looking for work moreover a low unemployment rate doesnt tell you how many part time workers would like full time gigs it doesnt tell you how many full time workers would like a better job at higher pay
in short particularly in the aftermath of the great recession the unemployment rate has improved much more quickly than the actual labor market
the feds corrective however is also imperfect the central bank mashed together 19 kinds of labor data including high profile stalwarts like the unemployment rate and less familiar esoterica like the conference boards help wanted advertising index and it tried to clean that data scrubbing away the noise to reveal the underlying trends but there is no perfect method for telling the difference and a recent goldman sachs analysis suggests the fed scrubbed too hard
daan struyven and zach pandl economists at goldman concluded that the fed is scrubbing away some of the economys actual progress but they caution that is only a partial explanation economic growth still appears to be slowing
this is not to say that the labor market is still firing on all cylinders they wrote the labor market is still making progress but at a meaningfully slower pace
so there you have it
the economy isnt great the economy isnt terrible were just chugging along and apparently thats about as good as it gets


orlando fla   the gunman who went on a shooting rampage in a popular gay nightclub here shot nearly all of his victims in the first stages of the assault then was utterly cool and calm while he talked by phone to law enforcement officials about further carnage claimed allegiance to the islamic state and praised the boston marathon bombers officials said on monday
as officials offered new details about the worst mass shooting in american history which left 49 people dead and 53 wounded chief john mina of the orlando police department said that the gunman omar mateen 29 told police negotiators   falsely they later discovered   that he had explosives and accomplices at pulse nightclub
mr mateen eventually made comments persuading them that there would be an imminent loss of life chief mina said prompting the chief to end a three hour standoff and order the assault that killed mr mateen and freed dozens of people trapped in the club
president obama speaking to reporters at the white house said it appeared the attack was an example of the kind of homegrown extremism that all of us have been concerned about with a gunman who was inspired by radical material he found online
even as american military forces and intelligence agencies attack the islamic state and other extremist groups mr obama said one of the biggest challenges we are going to have is this kind of propaganda and perversions of islam that you see generated on the internet
new information also emerged monday on mr mateen including frightening statements he made three years ago to co workers at a local courthouse about being tied to terrorism and that the resulting fbi investigation was extensive lasting 10 months
first he claimed family connections to al qaeda which like the islamic state is a sunni muslim terrorist group james comey the fbi director said monday he also said he was a member of hezbollah a shiite group in conflict with al qaeda and the islamic state
he said he hoped that law enforcement would raid his apartment and assault his wife and child so that he could martyr himself mr comey said
our investigation involved introducing confidential sources to him recording conversations with him following him reviewing transactional records from his communications and searching government records for mentions of him the director said we then interviewed him twice he admitted making the statements his co workers reported but explained that he did it in anger because he thought his co workers were discriminating against him and teasing him because he was muslim
the fbi closed the investigation and mr mateen continued working as a security guard for a private firm g4s
the florida department of corrections revealed on monday that before working for g4s mr mateen worked briefly as a state prison guard alberto c moscoso a department spokesman said that mr mateen worked at martin correctional institution from october 2006 to april 2007 but did not say why he left
the government of saudi arabia reported on monday that mr mateen had traveled to that country twice to make a religious pilgrimage known as the umrah the interior ministry said he had visited in march 2011 for 10 days and in march 2012 for eight days
investigators were hunting for any indication that mr mateen might have had help in planning or carrying out the slaughter and they continued combing through the battered blood spattered wreckage of pulse for clues
so far we see no indication that this was part of a plot directed from outside the united states mr comey said
after a night in which dozens of bodies were removed from the scene mayor buddy dyer said on monday that 48 of the 49 dead victims had been identified and the families of 46 of them had been notified
mr mateen had a chilling history that included talking about killing people beating his former wife and voicing hatred of minorities gays and jews most of his victims were gay latino or both his father seddique mir mateen an afghan immigrant has said that he was particularly enraged by seeing a same sex couple kiss though the elder mr mateen said in a video he posted online that he believed that it was up to god to punish gays but on monday the father teary eyed told reporters that he had no inkling of what was to come
if i knew 1 percent about what he was doing i would have called the fbi the elder mr mateen said he went against my principles as a father and as a us citizen
chief mina said that an off duty officer who had been working at pulse responded to shots fired at about 2 am sunday additional officers rushed to the scene he said and entered the nightclub where they engaged in a gun battle with mr mateen forcing him to retreat to a bathroom where officers believed he had four to five hostages about 15 to 20 people were in another bathroom
at that time we were able to save and rescue dozens and dozens of people and get them out of the club chief mina said a swat team was called and took up positions in a bathroom across from where mr mateen had taken cover
from that point it kind of stabilized and the suspect had barricaded himself in the bathroom and there was no shooting during the subsequent standoff the chief said mr mateen called 911 beginning a series of calls and conversations with the police in which he declared allegiance to the islamic state the terrorist group that has taken over parts of syria iraq and libya the attackers who killed 14 people in san bernardino calif in december also stated their allegiance to the group
he was cool and calm when he was making those phone calls to us chief mina said we had a team of crisis negotiators that did talk to the suspect just trying to get as much information as possible and they focused on what they could do to resolve the situation
but he added he really wasnt asking for a lot and we were doing most of the asking asked about reports that mr mateen was laughing or celebrating the chief said there was no sign of that in the phone conversations
there was talk about bomb vests about explosives throughout and eventually there were statements made about imminent loss of life
law enforcement officials decided to mount an assault on the club but an explosive placed on the wall did not penetrate completely so officers used an armored vehicle to punch a hole about two feet off the ground allowing hostages to flee the chief said mr mateen also came through the breach in the wall chief mina said and was killed in a shootout with the police
when asked during the news conference if there was a chance that people might have been struck by friendly fire or in the crossfire chief mina said i will say that is all part of the investigation but i will say when our swat officers about eight or nine officers opened fire their backdrop was a concrete wall and they were being fired upon so that is all part of the investigation
at hospitals and gathering spots nearby relatives and friends of the clubgoers who remained unaccounted for began to lose hope that their loved ones had somehow survived and those who had already learned that their loved ones had died began to plan for funerals
i cannot imagine being one of the parents or knowing your loved one may be among the deceased and waiting to find out mr dyer said the authorities adjusted the death toll on monday saying that the 50 people killed included the gunman orlando health which has a network of medical facilities in the area said 43 victims remained in the hospital including six who would undergo operations on monday
investigators continued on monday to scour the crime scene for evidence and piece together the gunmans motive thirty victim witness specialists and crime reconstruction experts were on the scene fbi officials said
mr mateens father seddique mir mateen posted a video on his facebook page early on monday in which he expressed regret and confusion about why his son had carried out the mass killing
i dont know what caused this said mr mateen speaking in dari a language spoken in afghanistan i did not know and did not understand that he has anger in his heart
my son omar mateen was a very good boy an educated boy who had a child and a wife very respectful of his parents he said
at mondays news conference a lee bentley the united states attorney for central florida said the investigators had collected a large amount of electronic and criminal evidence and were trying to determine whether mr mateen acted alone
if anyone else was involved in this crime mr bentley said they will be prosecuted
the attacker who was born in new york turned what had been a celebratory night of dancing to salsa and merengue music at the crowded pulse nightclub into a panicked scene of unimaginable slaughter the floors slicked with blood the dead and the wounded piled atop one another terrified people poured onto the darkened streets of the surrounding neighborhood some carried wounded victims to safety and police vehicles were pressed into service as makeshift ambulances to rush people to hospitals
joel figueroa and his friends were dancing by the hip hop area when i heard shots bam bam bam he said adding everybody was screaming and running toward the front door
it was the worst act of terrorism on american soil since sept 11 2001 and the deadliest attack on a gay target in the nations history
gov rick scott of florida said on monday that he had asked mr obama to issue a federal emergency declaration for his state
yesterdays terror attack was an attack on our state and entire nation mr scott said in a statement this morning i have asked president obama to declare an emergency so that the full resources of the federal government can be made available for all those impacted by this horrific massacre
in a letter to mr obama mr scott sought two forms of federal aid provision of health and safety measures as well as management control and reduction of immediate threats to public health and safety an emergency declaration would give florida up to 5 million in initial federal funding
the toll is larger than the number of murders in orlando over the previous three years of an estimated 320 people in the club nearly one third were shot the casualties far exceeded those in the 2007 shooting at virginia tech where 32 people were killed and the 2012 shooting at an elementary school in newtown conn where 26 people died


beijing   the chinese police have recommended prosecution on a charge of subversion for zhou shifeng a prominent lawyer whose arrest last year formed the focus of a campaign to discredit and dissolve networks of rights focused defense lawyers who challenged the government one of his former colleagues said on monday
nearly a year has passed since mr zhou and other lawyers legal associates and rights advocates were rounded up by the authorities who accused them of abusing court proceedings and stirring up protests in a bid to win personal fame and discredit the communist party about 25 remain in detention or missing presumed detained and their families and supporters have adamantly rejected the allegations although they have had no access to the detainees
over the weekend the police told mr zhous family that they had recommended indictment on suspicion of subverting state power said liu xiaoyuan a former colleague of mr zhous citing word from mr zhous family mr liu said the subversion charge was particularly serious and if successfully prosecuted could lead to a prison term of at least a decade
the charge suggested that under president xi jinping the government would continue its intense drive to silence organizations and activists who even a few years ago survived in a margin of official tolerance said maya wang a researcher on china for human rights watch
this kind of grave political crime reserved for organizers of political parties in the past is now used on a much wider range of civil society actors showing how much space for activism has shrunk under xis reign in just three years ms wang said by email
on monday the chinese government and communist party also jointly issued broad guidelines for reforming the legal profession in a document that stressed demands for lawyers to be both honest professionals and loyal enforcers of the communist partys policies
always make adherence to the leadership of the communist party and support for socialist rule of law a fundamental requirement for serving as a lawyer said a summary of guidelines issued by xinhua the official news agency
mr zhou led a law firm in beijing that took on many contentious cases about legal rights as well as conventional commercial work one other lawyer at his firm as well as an intern and an assistant were also arrested on subversion charges in january
liberal critics of mr xi and foreign officials have also raised worries that a recently passed law on foreign nongovernment organizations may be used to cut back the room for international groups to operate in china secretary of state john kerry raised those concerns in meetings in beijing last week
last week prosecutors also revealed a trial date for xia lin a prominent lawyer in beijing whose clients included ai weiwei the famed artist whose work often takes up politically charged subjects mr xia would face trial on fraud charges in beijing on friday ding xikui one of his defense lawyers said by telephone on monday
he will maintain his innocence mr ding said
mr xia was detained by the police in november 2014 and later charged with fraud over a loan but his wife lin ru and other rights lawyers have said the charges are groundless and an attempt to silence mr xia
now prosecutors have up to one and a half months to decide whether to take mr zhou to court on the charge of subversion mr liu said chinese courts rarely find defendants innocent especially in politically contentious cases
they could send it back to the public security organs for additional investigation or they could initiate prosecution if they decide the facts are clear and the crime has been established mr liu said in a telephone interview there is the possibility that theyll send it back for more investigations the case has already dragged on this long
but mr liu said that it was unlikely that the police and prosecutors would decide to prosecute mr zhou on a lesser charge and that sticking to the more serious one subversion would set an example for the other lawyers and activists under investigation
mr zhou and many other people detained in the crackdown last year are being held in tianjin a port city near beijing his court appointed lawyer there yang yufu did not answer repeated phone calls on monday


orlando fla   louis omar ocasio capo was 20 worked at a starbucks in a target store and lived to dance stanley almodovar iii a 23 year old pharmacy technician had posted a snapchat video of himself singing and laughing on his way to the pulse nightclub on saturday eric ivan ortiz rivera 36 nicknamed shaki had been married to his husband for about a year worked at a party city and a sunglass hut and was entranced by interior design
the dead were mostly young mostly latino and mostly gay   though some were none of those and a fair number were straight men and women enjoying an evening of latin music and on monday when their names were read aloud in the auditorium of a red brick senior center the worst fears of their families came true as the roster of the victims of the orlando attack became horribly real
juan ramon guerrero was less than a month shy of his 23rdbirthday and in his third year at the university of central florida in orlando he was quiet and kind his uncle robert guerrero 51 recalled like other members of his dominican family he liked latin music which is why he went to pulse on saturday night
he was not a party boy mr guerrero said the family found out that juan had been hurt when someone saw him being carried out of the club and into an ambulance family members began a frantic search finally a hospital confirmed the awful news the bereft uncle like so many other relatives turned to facebook to pour out his rage
once again the tentacles of death have touched our family this time at the hands of a coward a scoundrel a disgusting human being without any scruples he wrote
cesar flores who moved to the united states from guatemala in 1984 to chase what he called the american dream learned around 1 am monday that his only daughter mercedez marisol flores 26 had died in the club along with a girlfriend amanda alvear 25
she was my best my only girl mr flores who has two sons said quietly with evident grief outside the beardall senior center where he was to receive help with arrangements to receive his daughters body for burial she was a happy girl all the time but now shes gone
the attacker mr flores said should be forgiven i cannot hang on to that hate he said its not weapons that kill   its the heart that kind of hate is in the blood
as he spoke two people nearby hugged each other for a long time and sobbed from the front door of the building a procession of relatives and friends emerged after the briefing heads bowed each family was surrounded by a team of church volunteers in bright t shirts their hands linked to protect their charges from reporters questions
one woman eileen villega said the name of a family friend who had been in the nightclub angel l candelario padro 27 had not appeared on any of the lists of dead or injured his boyfriend is in the hospital but he doesnt appear anywhere she said later after she had left his name was indeed found listed among the dead
orlando is a city that cannot be divorced from its tourist attractions among them disney world and universal studios where some of the victims were employed xavier emmanuel serrano rosado 35 was the father of a young son and worked at disneylive according to his facebook page the atlanta journal constitution reported that he had danced in the atlanta bachata fest a celebration of latin dance and music
luis s vielma 22 worked on a harry potter ride at universal studios and was mourned on twitter by the author jk rowling he was also an emergency medical student at seminole state college whose president e ann mcgee was among several college presidents who found themselves issuing statements of sorrow on monday a testimony to the youth lost in the rampage
we are saddened by the tragic events this weekend and the loss of one of our own dr mcgee said
shane evan tomlinson who often sang with his band frequency at orlandos blue martini nightclub performed just hours before he was killed friends and fellow singers struggled to process the news of a charismatic life cut short
were all really feeling that numbness right now and just the shock said deejay young who met mr tomlinson in a gospel show at epcot it could have been any one of us
jerald arthur wright 31 was one of those disney world cast members who seemed to never run out of energy for helping guests and who as a spanish speaking man whose family was from ecuador forged a particularly close bond with latin american visitors
he was also straight two friends who worked with mr wright said he had gone to pulse on saturday night to celebrate the birthday of a friend cory james connell 21 who was also killed
its a great atmosphere said jessica weyl 23 a friend who is also straight and goes to pulse occasionally people arent judgmental people arent feeling the need necessarily to impress each other
she added at pulse its just calm cool and collected no one felt pressure to be anyone they werent im straight and i love going there my brother is gay and he loves going there
ms weyl had just finished training for a job in tomorrowland when she met mr wright
he took me under his wing and kind of showed me everything she said she turned to him for questions about disney policies but especially when she encountered a guest who spoke spanish he really connected with a lot of guests   we do have a lot of south americans come she said he connected especially to those people
mexicos foreign ministry confirmed monday that three mexicans were among the dead the mexican consulate in orlando was working to determine if a fourth victim was of mexican origin
president enrique pena nieto said the tragedys origins lay in expressions of hatred of discrimination of phobia against certain people
many latinos in orlando are of puerto rican descent edward sotomayor jr 34 was among them he was proud of his heritage and had made it his lifes mission to open doors for gay travelers especially in latin america as the national brand manager for alandchucktravel an agency that caters to gay people he organized what the companys owner al ferguson called the first ever gay cruise to cuba he fell in love with cuba mr ferguson said
during the trip in april mr sotomayor and mr ferguson met with mariela castro raul castros daughter and a prominent gay rights activist there the two men also posed in front of a poster left over from president obamas recent trip
on sunday morning at pulse mr sotomayors boyfriend of about three years had gone outside to put some things in his car when the shots broke out mr sotomayor texted him that he was hiding but safe and told him not to come back inside mr ferguson said about 25 minutes later he texted his boyfriend again saying he was still hiding that was the last message the boyfriend got
mr ferguson said the boyfriends parents who live in mexico do not know he is gay
its a double catastrophe he said you face such horrible loss and then cant share it


paterson nj   brenda pitts sat stiffly in an emergency room cubicle her face contorted by pain an old shoulder injury was radiating fresh agony down to her elbow and up through her neck she couldnt turn her head her right arm had fallen slack
fast relief was a pill away   percocet an opioid painkiller   but dr alexis lapietra did not want to prescribe it the drug she explained to mrs pitts 75 might make her constipated and foggy and could be addictive would mrs pitts be willing to try something different
then the doctor massaged mrs pittss neck seeking the locus of a muscle spasm apologizing as the patient groaned with raw guttural ache and fear
quick prick said dr lapietra giving mrs pitts a trigger point injection of marcaine used as a numbing non opioid analgesic
within seconds mrs pitts blinked in surprise her features relaxing as if the doctor had sponged away her pain lines she sat up gingerly moving her head then beamed and impulsively hugged the doctor vigorously and with both arms
since jan 4 st josephs regional medical centers emergency department one of the countrys busiest has been using opioids only as a last resort for patients with common types of acute pain   migraines kidney stones sciatica fractures   doctors first try alternative regimens that include nonnarcotic infusions and injections ultrasound guided nerve blocks laughing gas even energy healing and a wandering harpist
scattered ers around the country have been working to reduce opioids as a first line treatment but st joes as it is known locally has taken the efforts to a new level
st joes is on the leading edge said dr lewis s nelson a professor of emergency medicine at new york university school of medicine who sat on a panel that recommended recent opioid guidelines for the centers for disease control and prevention but that involved a commitment to changing their entire culture
in doing so st joes is taking on a challenge that is even more daunting than teaching new protocols to 79 doctors and 150 nurses it must shake loose a longstanding conviction that opioids are the fastest most surefire response to pain an attitude held tightly not only by emergency department personnel but by patients too
pain is the chief reason nearly 75 percent of patients seek emergency treatment the er waiting rooms and corridors of st joes where some 170000 patients will be seen this year are frequently pierced by high pitched cries and anguished moans
such pain can be quickly subdued with opioids   percocet and vicodin pills intravenous morphine and dilaudid most doctors say those drugs cant be altogether replaced in extreme emergencies   a broken bone jutting through skin a bad burn an acute sickle cell crisis   opioids provide effective immediate relief
but it is what happens after patients leave the er that public health experts believe has contributed to a crisis of addiction in the united states at discharge patients are often given opioid prescriptions since the medication has kept their pain at bay they seek refills from their primary doctors though many never become dependent others do and so although emergency physicians write not quite 5 percent of opioid prescriptions ers have been identified as a starting point on a patients path to opioid and even heroin addiction
because we are often the first doctors to provide the patient with opioids for acute pain we have set in their minds that its the right treatment said dr nelson
paterson a densely packed hard bitten city of 146000 is a heroin hub for a swarm of suburbs on a recent weekday in the er john schiraldi 25 a recovering heroin addict was grateful that his merciless kidney stone pain was ebbing not because of intravenous morphine   a conventional er protocol   but because of a regimen that included intravenous lidocaine a non opioid analgesic
at first i thought they must have given me opioids said mr schiraldi but i didnt have that euphoric feeling or the heaviness in my chest i was so glad they had an alternative
mr schiraldi is a former emergency medical technician who got a percocet prescription two years ago after he strained his back lifting a patient when he lost his job he lost health insurance and couldnt get refills so he turned to another cheaper opioid   heroin
on the streets in paterson 30 milligrams of percocet sell for about 25 a bag of heroin can be had for about 2 two cubicles away from mr schiraldi doctors were trying to revive a man who had collapsed from a heroin overdose
according to a 2013 federal study nearly 1150 people a day around the country went to emergency departments for treatment related to prescription opioids the centers for disease control and prevention calculated that in 2014 there were 10574 heroin overdose deaths and 14838 for prescription opioids
mindful of the exponential rise in opioid addiction at his hospitals doorstep dr mark rosenberg st joes chairman of emergency medicine began asking two years ago whether it was possible to treat many patients who arrive in the er without opioids he sent dr lapietra on a fellowship year to study pain management at specialty departments at st joes and other hospitals she trained the st joes staff the ers pharmacy stocked the alternative medications dr rosenberg alerted departments throughout the hospital to sustain the opioid avoidant philosophy when seeing er patients for follow up visits
so far the approach has proved effective in five months the hospital has reduced opioid use in the emergency department by 38 percent st joes has treated about 500 acute pain patients with non opioid protocols about three quarters of the efforts were successful mrs pitts the patient whose neck and arm pain was alleviated by a trigger point injection went home with non opioid patches she told er staff in a follow up call that she didnt need further medication
the other 25 percent eventually needed opioids to curb pain most of them patients with sciatica kidney stones or migraines so devastating that they resisted a non opioid headache protocol developed by the cleveland clinic upon discharge some of them were given a limited prescription for opioids er staff not only warns these patients about the medications risks but to help prevent acute pain from becoming chronic connects them with hospital physical therapists pain management specialists psychiatrists and primary care physicians who have committed to sticking to the programs goals
the er staff is beginning to embrace the non opioid options im thrilled said allison walker a nurse id hate to be the first to give percocet to a teenager who dislocated his knee at hockey practice and then he comes back a year later addicted to opioids i dont want that on my conscience
one patient in the pediatric er recently was a 17 year old high school varsity baseball player who had been treated with intravenous opioids at another er for a lower back compression fracture physicians sent him home with tapentadol a strong opioid
throughout the week the teenager was roiled by side effects including constipation and panic attacks his pain did not abate an orthopedist sent him to st joes where he arrived sleep deprived thrashing and incoherent
st joes pediatricians used a non opioid protocol including a nasal spray of ketamine a powerful drug which in low doses has analgesic and sedative properties within 30 minutes the patient was smiling quiet and without flinching able to be transferred to a gurney for scans
while changing medical culture has been difficult changing patient attitudes about opioids may be more so
one patient might come in with short lived pain like an ankle sprain and say i think i need some percocet said dr lapietra and others who are dependent on opioids come in demanding and abusive and meanwhile youve got someone in the next room having a stroke it can seem easier just to give them their prescription they get through your armor and affect morale
dr sergey m motov an emergency medicine physician at maimonides medical center in brooklyn and a leading proponent of opioid reduction said that for new approaches to succeed we need to talk with patients acknowledge their pain their suffering but ask them what if we can manage it without opioids
st joes doctors and nurses are learning to reframe discussions to educate patients that complete eradication of pain may be either not realistic or achieved at too high a price
one treatment that gets swift patient buy in is nitrous oxide which the er staff introduces with its better known name laughing gas it is short acting mildly sedating noninvasive and has countless applications in the er children hold masks to their faces grinning while having a major abscess drained teens while having a dislocated joint popped back into place older patients while being disimpacted   treated for severe constipation
the dynamics of pain are complex and also highly individual pains components are biological but also psychological the other day edie elkan wandered the halls of the geriatric er softly plucking a six pound therapy harp anchored at her waist patients would beckon her into their cubicles listening fixedly as she sifted through her vast repertoire of classical and contemporary songs of lullabies and latin pop her tranquil notes threading through the atonal squawks and beeps of a raucous emergency department
st joes is even cautiously trying therapies not typically taught in medical school a nurse practitioner is studying acupuncture for pain and another nurse lauren khalifeh the hospitals holistic coordinator does a treatment called pranic healing
one afternoon mrs khalifeh visited a brittle thin older patient whose sciatica was so inflamed she could not rise from her chair on a scale of one to 10 the woman doubled over said her pain was a 10
mrs khalifeh pulled up a chair i am going to sweep the energy she told the patient she opened a bottle of saline water the salt will destroy the negative energy
dr lapietra hard wired with scientific skepticism observed from a corner
the patient closed her eyes placing hands on lap palms up mrs khalifeh leaned intently toward her sculpting the air in figure eights she stirred and swirled the space and then passed her hands over each other then she hovered a palm near the patients heart
lets do a check insaid mrs khalifeh
the patient slowly stood she walked over to dr lapietra who watched open mouthed
much better the patient said now its a five
mrs khalifeh continued for two more minutes its a three said the patient wonderingly doing deep knee bends in her leather pants
the entire process took about six minutes
dr lapietras eyes glistened with tears
afterward in the hallway the doctor struggled to understand what she had witnessed i saw a patient with anxiety and stress who couldnt control her pain she said carefully and then someone spoke soothingly and led her into deep breathing
so much of pain is tied up with fear dr lapietra continued we can do more than we think if we can just take the time to sit with patients and let them know were present for them
then she smiled and shrugged and when we can get it right why not especially if we dont have to use opioids


london   with all of france on guard against terrorism as it hosts this years european championships the return of beer fueled violence to the streets and the stadium of marseille was the last thing the tournament needed
it happened all the same on saturday
there was actually an engrossing soccer game between england and russia in the mediterranean port city it ended 1 1 after a dramatic late goal by russias captain vasili berezutski that came in stoppage time
the tie combined with waless 2 1 win over slovakia in bordeaux earlier in the day leaves group b too close to call
wales which is built around gareth bale had a choir of 24000 fans joyously singing land of my fathers as their team played and won a game in a major tournament for the first time since the 1958 world cup contrast that with the scenes in marseille which were as sinister as they were predictable
uefa the ruling body of european soccer and french security officials had marked the england russia game as high risk before the tournament even started in englands last visit to marseille during the 1998 world cup there were running battles in the old port section of the town involving the english the french and the french riot police
add russia to the mix and the risk and chaos seemed preordained in the days leading up to the match the police in marseille used tear gas and eventually water cannons to deal with packs of unruly fans while they were only a minority of englands fans the police dont forget about the countrys history of hooliganism
on game night with the russians in town the situation was exacerbated russia which will host the world cup in 2018 has a notorious hooligan faction that is not that different from what england suffered through three decades ago
uefa said it is investigating what happened at the end of saturdays game inside marseilles wonderfully modernized stadium but images on television said enough bare chested russian fans some wearing masks broke through to kick and punch fleeing english fans on sunday the french police said that scores of people had been hurt in the violence though most injuries were considered minor according to the associated press
the inquest goes on and so must the soccer
in sporting terms stade velodrome was the scene of a great escape saturday by russias team
it had been a contest between england which aside from its captain wayne rooney has its youngest lineup at a major tournament against russia whose roster is among the oldest at the euro
both national teams bore a strong resemblance to a club in their domestic leagues england fielded five players from tottenham hotspur and the team even played in the style of spurs the fullbacks on saturday kyle walker and danny rose are sprinters in soccer shoes dashing up and down the wings to create attacking opportunities
the anchor in midfield protecting the defense and allowing rooney to maraud forward was eric dier also of tottenham to the surprise of most followers of england it was dier who stepped forward in the 74th minute to score on a free kick from the edge of the penalty area
but england with two more tottenham players in dele alli and harry kane at the forward positions missed more opportunities than it converted
manager roy hodgson left out jamie vardy and daniel sturridge and the manchester united teenager marcus rashford englands game plan was to hold what they had to contain russia and see out a victory
it didnt happen because in the second of three minutes of stoppage time russia summoned up a tying goal it was made in moscow   to be specific in cska moscow   because the club supplied five of the 11 starters on saturday in addition cskas coach leonid slutsky does double duty as the manager of the national team
that tying goal played to russias strength and preyed on englands weakness a corner kick had been cleared when georgi shchennikov a cska player launched the ball back into the goal mouth it was met by berezutski who at 6 foot 3 was head and shoulders above the nearest english defender the 5 foot 8 rose berezutski 33 knew exactly where to put the ball he guided it off his forehead in a looping arc beyond the reach of goalkeeper joe hart and inside the far post
it was a sweet header on a bitter day the tournament was only in its second day and it already had been scarred by violence
for slutsky his job with the russian national team is about love rather than money he gets only his expenses covered for leading the national team though he could get a bonus if he takes it beyond the group phase
he took over a team that had not had a russian speaking coach in almost a decade and is led by a federation that almost went bankrupt after it had to pay off its former coach fabio capello of italy
england will meet its neighbor wales in the old mining town of lens on thursday well aware that bale the real madrid superstar is a threat in the air and on the ground to everyone russia moves to lille where it meets slovakia another team built around a superstar marek hamsik the 28 year old hamsik is closing fast on the italian club napolis goal record set by diego maradona
both are intriguing encounters that will keep this group on a knifes edge if only we had have the luxury of concentrating just on the athletes at this tournament


in 1993 stephen shore traveled to luzzara a rural district in northern italy to photograph its residents the resulting portfolio paints a picture of a traditional community slowly embracing modernity in one image a young woman holds a child whose disposable diaper is visible behind the edge of his bodysuit in another a woman smokes a cigarette astride an old bicycle protected from the weather in a zippered plastic rain jacket these portraits are juxtaposed with images of ornate wrought iron work immaculately tended fields and crumbling plaster walls
forty years earlier luzzara had been the subject of a celebrated study by the american photographer paul strand who evocatively captured postwar life there for the influential book un paese in the early 1990s the reggio emilia region launched a project called linea di confine boundary lines and commissioned leading photographers to document the area and its inhabitants it was for this project that shore came to luzzara it was simply a coincidence that it happened to be 40 years after strand was there shore tells t but they thought that since this was the case they should invite an american photographer who used a large format camera so thats how i wound up there
traveling to luzzara shore   who had had his first retrospective at moma in 1971   said he had no expectation he adds i had never been to the city before never been to anywhere in reggio emilia i wasnt interested in doing to luzzara what i did in the us 20 years previously   i had moved on he knew strand and his work and owned a copy of un paese but felt no need to pay direct homage to the older artist strands work tended to be limited by his political outlook he was looking for an idealized agrarian village explains shore while he photographed luzzara in 1953 there wasnt anything in his pictures that couldnt have been made in 1913 40 years earlier there were no telephone lines there were no cars his view was to my mind highly idealized and i wanted to reveal luzzara as it was
what shore found was a town in which a peeling 16th century farm building could house an office equipped with state of the art macintosh computers the people there to my mind integrated beautifully and enjoyed that integration he recalls i couldnt help but think that they relished the contrast
this month the photographic imprint stanleybarker will publish shores stephen shore luzzara as a stand alone book including a number of images that have remained unseen for over 20 years click through the slide show for a look


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1 waves of grief shock and anger spread through the country after the deadliest mass shooting in us history most of the 49 people killed at a gay club in orlando early sunday were in their 20s and 30s anguish over the carnage exposed some of the nations deepest fault lines gay vulnerabilities fear of immigrants and muslims gun control and the limits of domestic security

2 the gunman omar mateen 29 claimed allegiance to the islamic state over the phone with negotiators before being killed in a gunfight a survivor told of cowering for hours in a bathroom stall   and hearing two people hiding in the next one being shot dead investigators pored over the gunmans history born in new york to afghan immigrants abusive to his former wife once claiming a connection to al qaeda two pilgrimages to saudi arabia

3 after a briefing president obama said the gunman appeared to be a homegrown extremist he also urged americans to reconsider gun laws that make it very easy for individuals who are troubled or disturbed or want to engage in violent acts to obtain very powerful weapons very easily and its a problem
4 the attack loomed over the presidential race donald trump seized on the attack to criticize the president calling him a fool mr trump continued to question the loyalties of muslims in the us saying that they should turn in terrorists in their midst and warning that thousands of people already in our country are sick with hate hillary clinton called for resolve and political unity saying that lone wolves could be hunted down and that weapons of war should removed from the streets

5 in orlando people lined up by the hundreds to donate blood for the victims ive been here 13 years and never seen a response like this a blood center official said

6 flags flew at half staff at us embassies and in the capital and messages of condolence flooded in from around the world tim cook the ceo of apple led a moment of silence at the companys annual developers conference that overshadowed the news there app developers will be able to incorporate messaging and the siri voice command system

7 the biggest business deal of the day microsoft is acquiring linkedin for 262 billion the move is the latest and biggest sign that satya nadella microsofts ceo is betting the future on cloud computing moving away from the traditional software business that bill gates started with

8 the supreme court delivered a setback to puerto ricos efforts to handle its deepening fiscal crisis the justices rejected the territorys bid to revive a law that would have let it cut billions of dollars in debt at public utilities above new yorks puerto rican day parade which took place on sunday

9 in the nba finals the cleveland cavaliers beat the golden state warriors 112 97 forcing a game 6 and staving off elimination in the finals big performances from lebron james and kyrie irving helped the cavaliers send the series back to cleveland

10 a judge in oregon has allowed this retired us army sergeant to legally choose neither sex and be classified as nonbinary transgender rights advocates called it a landmark ruling born male the petitioner jamie took hormone treatments to transition to female but discovered that neither sex fit im at peace with my biology jamie said

11 lastly the most ambitious solar powered aircraft yet has passed another milestone the solar impulse 2 soared over new york harbor this weekend landing at jfk at the end of its 14th leg its last in the us next up crossing the atlantic to a destination to be determined by weather and wind forecasts

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for the 26 year old nigerian designer adebayo oke lawal whose brand orange culture held a presentation in a showroom at london collections men this weekend fashion is a very personal business were trying to communicate the idea of a new generation of african men he told t of the intentions behind his gender fluid mens wear line as a child growing up i found i was very lost in trying to figure out who i was as a person i wanted to create a brand that sort of represented that sphere of men a man thats vulnerable a man thats a bit soft a man thats emotional
the result now in its 10th season is a line that combines mens wear silhouettes with traditionally feminine details cowl necks bright colors transparent fabrics for springsummer 2017 oke lawal has focused on two prints the first is faces of rebellion inspired by the faces of his own yoruba tribe and other tribes of nigeria the second is a series of illustrations of hands peppered with familiar gestures like the crossed fingers and the peace sign orange culture also sells jewelry including hand shaped pendants and earrings in bronze
from a rail of garments the designer pulls out a hybrid of a bomber jacket and a tunic in a translucent material we started making sheer pieces in nigeria two seasons ago and a lot of people really were like oh you shouldnt be making this   its feminine its wrong he recalls now weve actually started getting orders for the sheer pieces its become a staple for us
oke lawal   who has a degree in banking but no formal fashion training   taught himself to sew he studied pattern cutting on youtube and took internships with nigerian designers he designed his first collection in 2011 and was a finalist for the lvmh prize in 2014 today the brand is sold online by not just a label and at the church boutique in hollywood oke lawal is also in discussion with a new york retailer nigerian stockists include the stores alara grey velvet and stranger lagos
the fashion scene in his home city is changing rapidly its only been five years since we first had a consistent fashion week he says the lagos scene is becoming more vibrant it is awakening people are seeing it as a viable venture to get into because now it has a voice it has a face   a lot of faces you know the best thing about it is because its so fresh theres an innocence about the industry everybodys just going along with it and building it as they go


its not every day that you get a spot on the london collections men schedule straight out of school then again kiko kostadinov is far from an average central saint martins student though he graduated from the ma fashion course only last month the 26 year old mens wear designer already has a collaboration with stussy under his belt a newgen men sponsorship   and a yearlong deal to be exclusively stocked at dover street market
inspired by his hardworking parents his father works in construction and his mother does childcare and cleaning jobs as well as danish and swedish workwear catalogs kostadinov seeks to make elevated workwear for his own generation of creative men i want to do things that help me live in the city said the bulgarian born designer on a recent morning in his light filled studio in tottenham notable for its lack of mood boards you go to meetings and you need a bag that can hold a charger for your phone headphones a notebook et cetera im not saying you need to have a hundred pockets as thats fictional function but it needs to be really comfortable and interesting
the result is a concise collection of considerately engineered garments fuss free blue cotton shirts are precisely tailored with cuban collars and simple panels in the back tailored jackets and trousers are crafted from navy ventile   a british wartime innovation of oxidized cotton for resin free weatherproofing   and feature twisted pleats that cleverly conceal spacious pockets its all about the cut and finishing   i hate decoration says kostadinov whose own uniform consists of yohji yamamoto workwear theres nothing worse than finding a pair of trousers that are cut great but covered in straps and buttons that dont do anything
the highly functional collection also features subtle details that nod to his parents when i worked with my dad and we would soundproof rooms for radio stations we would use wooden frames that wed wrap with soundproof fabric and staple down he explains of the process that inspired his aggressively tie dyed shirts another poignant detail is his gesture to his mother a rendition of a japanese cleaning jacket that has an inner zip up layer and elasticated smocked cuffs both of which minimize exposure to skin without sounding dramatic i get quite worried about her health because she works with so many chemicals he says
initially rejected from the central saint martins ba course kostadinov trained with the london based designer aitor throup before sneaking into the colleges soho campus to help students that he had met along the way i knew i wanted to be there he says after being accepted to the fashion design and marketing course kostadinov unsuccessfully attempted to transfer to the mens wear course several times it was what motivated me to do a better mens wear collection than any of the mens wear designers he says with a smile throughout his studies he assisted the stylist stephen mann who introduced the designer to stussy and continues to mentor him today
considering all this its easy to forget that kostadinov hasnt officially started yet his show which was held during london collections men today will be his first collection since graduating usually you get press first and then buyers but its been the other way around for me he says just like his parents he works long hours throughout the week and will only sacrifice a late night in the studio for one of his beloved soccer matches referencing the late central saint martins professor he says louise wilson used to say theres no such thing as young designers theres only good and bad designers id rather be a good designer than a young designer


welcome to watching the new york timess what to watch guide we comb through releases big and small famous and esoteric to email readers twice a week with our timely recommendations our most recent suggestions also appear below to receive our guide straight to your inbox sign up here
last nights tonys were just a delight in addition to of course activating my hamilton pleasure receptors the show included both a knockout opening number and my most favorite thing of all winners who have clearly prepared acceptance speeches i cried the entire time plus the cast of the humans took its tony on the subway
were trying another new format in todays newsletter and id love to hear how you like it do you prefer the shows broken down by time commitment by day of the week by general vibe or some other way id also love to hear if youve named a pet after a favorite tv character no particular reason i just like pets team watching and i eagerly await your responses watchingnytimescom
spartan ultimate team challenge monday 10 pm nbc
watch if you like american ninja warrior or fitness contest shows in general
i still cant believe nbc couldnt make that american gladiators reboot work a few years ago because apparently our societys appetite for absurd competitive feats of strength has only grown heres spartan as in the company that stages obstacle course races for the ostentatiously athletic joining several very similar series its pretty good if youre looking for viewing where ordinary if very fit citizens throw spears lift logs slither through mud etc
shows like this work best when they depict the competition and become unbearable when theyre just talking head confessionals contrived spiels and schlocky backstories that scam us into caring spartan is on the correct side of this divide focusing the vast majority of its energy on the grueling physical processes and very little on the frankly worthless we can all live our dreams sidebars
also this week on broadcast
braindead from the creators of the good wife is a zombie show sort of and a political show read the new york times review here the first episode cant quite figure itself out and if you have any aversion to creepy crawly bug stuff avoid this im not ready to write it off completely but this was not the answer to my prayers for more good wife monday 10 pm cbs
uncle buck is not something that needs another tv adaptation   there was an attempt back in 1990 too   but here we are anyway mike epps is tremendously appealing as uncle buck himself but the show is otherwise nothing too special yes there are giant pancakes thank god tuesday 9 pm abc
animal kingdom tuesday 9 pm tnt
watch if you like early sons of anarchy unsettling family dramas and stories of the seedy side of california
based on the 2010 australian film of the same name animal kingdom moves its action to southern california and swaps in a silky ellen barkin for jacki weaver as the matriarch of a scuzzy crime family there are a lot of shows about scuzzy crime families but kingdom is a solid enough contribution to the genre complete with incestuous vibes dirtbags throwing pool parties and the idea that gunplay is what makes one a man
the show was originally developed for showtime and it feels that way   maybe a little more style than substance but the styles so titillating it might not matter barkins the draw here with additional intrigue from scott speedman and shawn hatosy
also this week on basic cable
the five part documentary oj made in america continues on espn its unbelievably good particularly the finale tuesday wednesday friday saturday 9 pm espn
another period one of the goofiest shows on tv returns for its second season catch up for free with season 1 the show combines the conventions of the modern day bravo style reality show with the setting of a downton abbey-esque manor ridiculousness abounds wednesday 10 pm comedy central
mr robot now on amazon prime
watch if you like black mirror psychological thrillers stories about technology and social commentary
last summers surprise breakout is finally available to stream the second season comes out july 13 so you have plenty of time to watch the 10 hourlong episodes   though try to watch them when you have time to concentrate
our hero is elliot a hoodie clad cybersecurity expert he joins a group called fsociety in which like minded hackers strategize ways to take down the massive e corp   or as elliot calls it evil corp theres a lot of accurate technobabble but a background in data security is not necessary
the most interesting parts of mr robot are the ways it teases its audience with elliots unreliability as a narrator and its aggressive anti consumerism stancesgeneral distaste for capitalism theres a slight dip around episode 6 but things pick back up significantly after that
im generally not much of a spoilerphobe but ill say that mr robot works better if you go in totally unspoiled about plot developments google very very carefully
orange is the new black season 4 friday netflix
watch if you already know and love oitnb
back to litchfield we go for another season of netflixs fantastic ensemble dramedy if you never watched the show definitely start at the beginning   the characters personal histories matter a great deal earlier seasons suggested that the show could work even without piper and this season shes definitely less present than before
comedians in cars getting coffee thursday
jerry seinfelds indulgent but sometimes illuminating web series returns with six more episodes and guests judd apatow margaret cho lorne michaels john oliver and jb smoove this weeks season premiere is with jim gaffigan
amazons new pilots friday
block out an hour on friday to watch amazons pilot the interestings based on meg wolitzers book its about a group of friends who meet as teenagers at an arts summer camp and grow up messy and complicated lauren ambrose six feet under stars and if you like relationship oriented dramas   and boy do i   you are in for a treat theres also the last tycoon starring matt bomer white collar and based on f scott fitzgeralds final work
game of thrones the larger issue is that the show burned a lot of calories over the past couple of seasons on aryas mostly uncaptivating assassin training only to have her arrive where we expected her to reaffirming her sense of self and off in search of greater adventures
the tonys the relentless march of hamilton was the news but mr mirandas megahit was overshadowed by performances from other shows
veep international diplomacy aside in sitcom terms camp david is a classic story of two dates on the same night
silicon valley in the end though the episode is another affirmation of friendship as a defining value of pied piper
outlander its really jamie murtagh and the other men of outlander that give this episode its power


times insider delivers behind the scenes insights from the new york times in this piece mark bulik a senior editor writes about recent tests designed to see what kind of headlines attract most readers
id like to think we havent started any domestic spats id like to think theres never been an occasion when two partners were sitting across from each other looking at their laptops with one saying hey did you see this times headline about trump getting 2 billion worth of free publicity and the other replying youre crazy it doesnt say anything at all about 2 billion
id like to think that but i could well be wrong   because they could both be right
in one effort to increase readership the times is using a tool that allows us to simultaneously present two different headlines for the same article on its home page half of readers on the page see one headline half see the other the test measures the difference in readers clicking on the article and lets us know if the numbers are statistically significant if so the winning headline goes on the home page for all readers
and so for a short while on march 15 one reader might have seen this
2 billion worth of free media for trump
while another saw this
measuring trumps media dominance
any guesses on which won the test and by how much
the top one got nearly three times as many readers which underlines the crucial role of headlines in the digital age
a story might be 1000 words long but tweaking the tiny handful of words that promoted this one on our home page gave us 297 percent more readers
in other cases headline tests have increased readership by an order of magnitude
when this
soul searching in baltimore a year after freddie grays death
was paired against this
baltimore after freddie gray the mind set has changed
the test showed a 1677 percent increase in readership for the second one
to some degree theres nothing new about changing headlines editors regularly tweak them in print for any number of reasons   updates greater clarity a change in the layout the difference with digital media is that there is no need to wait for the next edition and more crucially its possible to see which headline attracts more readers
weve learned a number of lessons from months of testing but the most important one is pretty obvious   clear powerful words and a conversational tone make a big difference
can you tell which of the headlines below resulted in a tenfold increase in readers
is everything wrestling
its not just wrestling thats fake its the world
it was the conversational two sentence version with fake
the times generally uses the tests when a story isnt performing as well as expected and we have a few rules both headline options have to meet our standards we dont test clickbait versions because no headline should leave readers feeling cheated when they get to the story we avoid running two tests at the same time to ensure that the only factor changing on the home page is the headline in question the alternative headline is vetted in writing by a colleague   often editors end up batting around alternatives
in writing headlines as in testing them two heads are better than one


sam sifton emails readers of cooking seven days a week to talk about food and suggest recipes that email also appears here to receive it in your inbox register here
good morning the evenings are growing long now and many of us tonight will sit in the long run to sunset thinking about the horrors of the orlando shooting mute and saddened some will pray others will editorialize some will play gay bar by electric six over and over again perhaps you could bake in order to bring comfort to others
remember lewis hyde a work of art is a gift he wrote not a commodity he might have been talking about cookies
take a look at kim seversons peanut butter cookies a recipe she learned from christopher kimball then the boss of americas test kitchen hes now running an outfit in boston called milk street kitchen
you might try the cowboy cookies that marian burros picked from laura bush during the 2000 presidential campaign in a poll put together by family circle they crushed tipper gores recipe for ginger snaps
you could take on nigella lawsons recipe for chocolate and salty peanut cookies
or you could just make good old chocolate chip cookies a balm against pain and suffering a warm embrace in difficult times amanda hesser gave us three terrific recipes for them a while back theres one for thin and crisp chocolate chip cookies another for flat and chewy ones and a third for the thick and gooey version which is your favorite
we have recipes for orange butter cookies for date and walnut cookies for tangerine scented almond cookies cue snakehips all my friends
you can return to the savory side later in the week roast chicken would be good but tonight champion sweetness bake eat a few warm cookies from the cooling rack accompanied by milk then wrap the rest nicely and give them away in the morning to friends to colleagues to anyone you come in contact with who deserves the treatment
of course if really what youre looking for here is dinner you can find lots of ideas for what to cook on cooking maybe cheese stuffed lamb burgers let us know if you run into trouble with any of them or with our site or apps were at cookingcarenytimescom
live updates on the orlando shooting can be found here


theres a maxim about comedy typically attributed to lucille ball although its one whose essence you hear echoed by almost any professional comedian people either have comedy or they dont the saying goes you cant teach it to them
on a tuesday morning at emerson college last september erin schwall was trying to flout this rule she strode around her classroom with the purposeful gait of a seasoned performer and an animation that contrasted with her students sleepy inertia schwall a faculty member in the department of performing arts asked four undergraduates to stand before their peers she told the group to pretend to be one botanist collectively then posed them a question who invented the sunflower
dr ... greg ... photosynthesis ... from cambodia the students said stumbling through the answer awkwardly like four children stacked inside a large overcoat pretending to be an adult
needless to say the sketch wasnt exactly funny its purpose instead seemed to be getting students comfortable making fools of themselves to embrace their inner clown thats not out of the ordinary for an improv class but this was no ordinary improv class it was performing improv comedy and it counts for four credits starting next academic year it will be a required course for anyone looking to graduate with emersons new bfa in comedic arts the first such program in the nation
formalizing the study of comedy into an academic degree may seem like well a joke but emerson has made strides to pre empt criticism the curriculum is heavy on theory and craft with practical classes like comedy writing for television great screenwriters wilder allen kaufman and comedy writing for late night balanced out by headier electives like why did the chicken   fundamentals of comedic storytelling
at a glance theres something absurd about the respectability laundering at work here while no serious dramatic actor would disavow the merits of acting school and few musicians the benefits of rigorous training the whole culture of comedy is invested in the opposite youve either got it or you dont humor isnt something that can be poured into an empty vessel its the product of the vessel itself being cracked open nowhere is this more apparent than in the loner mythology that surrounds the stand up comic which posits that genius comes only from private pain and public humiliation each successful comic a grinning horatio alger who pulled himself up by his microphone cord
schwalls class and others like it at emerson remind prospective comics that joke making can truly be a team sport this attitude was apparent in schwalls policy of discouraging her students from seeking laughs at the end of the lesson as the students gathered their belongings and shuffled toward the exit she offered them a word of encouragement i dont care so much about you guys being funny at all right now for now were learning to inhabit the structure of one aspect of funniness the funny is going to come
back around the turn of the millennium when i was pursuing an ultimately unfulfilled mfa in creative writing at emerson   something that should probably preclude me from rendering judgment on the economic value of any type of degree for eternity   there was a public debate about the explosion in mfas circling around a thorny question is it even possible to teach someone to become a writer that sort of discussion continues today concerning the value of a liberal arts education in general particularly as costs have continued to skyrocket at emerson for example tuition is 42144 this year were regularly reminded of the low return on investment for pursuing study in fields like literature or sociology and of the excellent return on stem degrees and then theres the slow drip of news reports about absurd courses offered at well regarded universities wesleyan has a class on hipsters rutgers offers one on beyonce and skidmore has one on miley cyrus and all of these count for credit toward perfectly respectable degrees anthropology gender studies and sociology in a sense a comedy degree is either the embodiment of all thats wrong with student as consumer liberal arts education or a rather canny vocationalization of it after all unlike poetry   or journalism for that matter - there may actually be lucrative careers out there for funny people
its difficult to quantify the extent of the current comedy boom but a glance at the statistics provides a sketch of the fields growth in 2005 to use one metric there were only 10 cable and prime time scripted comedies on air according to numbers tallied by fx networks research by 2014 that number had risen to 84 and topped out at over 90 last year according to nielsen 7 percent of around 325000 broadcast minutes were devoted to comedy programs in 2009 a number that jumped to 18 percent of almost 440000 minutes in 2014 on cable that percentage only rose to 5 percent from 4 percent over the same time period but cable as a whole exploded in those years and that one percentage point increase represents almost two million additional minutes of programming
at emerson the comedy major is the brainchild of martie cook a professor in the visual and media arts department and a former writer for full house and charles in charge for years her suggestion of a comedy degree had encountered the same objection from skeptical colleagues can you really teach someone to be funny she thinks that question misses the point what they dont understand is thats not what were doing cook says were not in the business of saying the most serious person on the planet is going to come to us and theyre going to be funny
after consistently making her case and laying out the benefits of such a degree cook got the approval to design a comedy minor which began in the fall of 2014 as a sort of trial run to see how the logistics might work and what interest from students would look like cook cobbled the minor together from a number of classes related to comedy that were already being taught as part of other majors when 45 students declared for it this past fall semester the college realized that the time for a comedy major had definitely come emerson agreed to expand the comedy program and made cook the director
one reason michaele whelan the colleges chief academic officer since 2013 embraced cooks idea was a desire to foster further interdisciplinary programs at the college another new major in the business of creative enterprises will start next year encouraging arts focused students to learn how to apply business skills to their artistic practice like the comedy major it applies a career oriented gloss to a degree that might otherwise be considered risky or even frivolous its as if they were designed specifically to placate anxious parents in order to sell the comedy degree to the board cook had to make it clear that this was a theoretically rigorous course of study that can draw on shakespeare and freud and other figures of the western canon - and just a little more woody allen than usual some courses are more clearly vocational than what you might expect more like studio arts courses than anything else for example in comedy writing for television students will enact a microcosm of a hollywood writers room creating spec scripts for existing television shows punching up one anothers work and growing accustomed to the crushing succession of indignities that make up the life of the comedic professional the first and hardest step toward learning to be funny is coming to terms with how unfunny you are today
the courses arent so different from most liberal arts electives their narrow focus gives way to more universal questions for example the evolution of comedy reaches back to antiquity on through renaissance commedia dellarte elizabethan england and the golden years of hollywood focusing on durable comedic constants like the trickster and the fool and the tools of caricature parody and farce another course has students unpacking the texts of films like mel brookss the producers or federico fellinis the temptation of dr antonio its not just an exercise in close reading but also a means to connect earlier modes of humor into the contemporary discourse about what is and isnt considered funny
though the comedic arts program is brand new it has roots in a student insurgency in the 1970s saturday night live had recently begun its run and more mainstream interest in performing comedy was beginning to take shape a group of students lead by denis leary and eddie brill started the emerson comedy workshop still one of the main comedy groups on campus today
in old pictures and videos from the time the groups brash confidence all tight bell bottoms and sideburns stands out leary had clearly discovered his comedic persona already he sports sunglasses and a scally cap with a cigarette dangling from his lips if the attitude seems a little put on for a private school student leary says it was necessary at the time they had little support from emerson and the faculty   which preferred the dramatic arts   was actually rooting against them brill a veteran comedian and longtime comedy booker for david letterman says that a faculty member from the drama department actually heckled them at one of their first shows
with all of the colleges theater space and funding going to dramatic arts the young group resorted to guerrilla tactics performing one act plays variety shows and musical numbers wherever they could find a little space   lecture rooms churches and pop up theater spaces it wasnt long before the shows all regularly sold out 300 to 400 strong and they soon became one of the hardest tickets to get much of the work focused on political themes   jimmy carter was a regular target   but the subject matter swung widely from place to place befitting what brill calls the sex drugs and rock n roll tenor of the time the drinking age being 18 they would serve free beer at many of the shows something that certainly couldnt have hurt attendance the stand up comedian mario cantone also a former member of the workshop just recently found some memorabilia from the early days while cleaning his apartment rolling papers that read emerson comedy workshop leaves them rolling in the aisle
this might have been a one time fad with no effect on later cohorts of students were it not for one english professor james randall a co founder of the literary journal ploughshares and founder of emersons writing program randall saw no reason the college should draw a distinction between serious dramatic arts and comedic performance   not merely because of the inherent entertainment value but because he figured there was little pedagogical difference both offer the same lessons in writing performing and production he helped leary and company lobby the college to give them funding and academic credit for their productions and he won
the effect on emersons student body has been unmistakable in the years since emerson has become something like princeton or duke but for class clowns for an institution of its size with roughly 3750 undergraduates enrolled per year emerson has produced a disproportionate share of professionals in the comedy world aside from leary and cantone among its graduates are the comedians jay leno henry winkler bill burr and joe mande television producers like norman lear the jeffersons max mutchnick will  grace and kevin bright friends and staff writers on nearly every comedic enterprise you can think of from the onion to the late show to the simpsons
the college leverages that extensive network of successful entertainers to help get their students into the business while many institutions feature study abroad exchange programs emerson offers a semester of study in los angeles in a program led by bright where students get a practical apprenticeship in show business bright has a saying about comedy of his own one that runs counter to balls and one youll hear regularly when talking to one of emersons many successful alumni even if i cant teach them to be funny i can teach them to work with funny
thats a lesson bright himself learned while a student at emerson under the tutelage of dan lounsbury the producer of numerous midcentury radio and television programs like your hit parade after graduation lounsbury introduced him to people in los angeles and helped him land his first job in the field its a favor bright has tried to repay to fellow alumni every since
max mutchnick who has a building named for him at emerson also says he gives precedence to emerson graduates when looking to hire people in los angeles id be lying if i didnt say when i look at a bunch of resumes that that degree from that school doesnt give a person im meeting with a leg up it just does he says i feel like its my duty as an emerson alumni to hire other emersonians
quinn marcus a 2013 graduate and star of mtvs girl code and mtvus quinnterviews agrees every single meeting ill go to in la the person will tell me they wish they had gone to emerson because they know someone who went there that they work with she says in every single office there is definitely an emersonian
back in schwalls class toward the end of the semester she offered another bit of advice before the students began a scene it should feel a little clunky but dont worry about it because your head is full of all the stuff weve been working on she said just keep pushing through it and just stay with each other
stay with each other   that may be the most important lesson students pursuing a degree in comedy learn here comedy isnt made in a vacuum its a longstanding ongoing transformative discussion both with the history of the form itself and with ones peers today its the only art we make naturally with our friends and loved ones on a daily basis a college education of any kind is no longer the guarantee of gainful employment it once was and no student today thinks shes graduating into a fixed career path but a comedy career more so than most others is a series of ad hoc improvisations and recoveries from repeated failure a degree like this seems designed to ensure that when they do end up falling there is a network in place to help students get back on their feet
in april at a performance by chocolate cake city one of the many campus sketch comedy troupes a group of students further along in their comedy training put that theory to the test they had packed the cabaret a black box theater in the basement of one of emersons many buildings lining the boston common with a full house of around 60 for their final show of the semester loud hip hop blared in between sketches as the group hustled on  and offstage setting up a relentless series of bits   a depressed jimmy fallon contemplating his poor career choices a time traveling mystery set largely in an olive garden turning on the availability of free breadsticks a willfully terrible billy joel impersonator absolutely ruining the enjoyment of everyone in the bar with his staccato robotic take on piano man and apple store employees treating a woman who cracked the screen on her iphone like they were detectives investigating her for murder another bit featured a character called netflix george a guy who was capable of bringing every conversation at a party no matter how unrelated back around to whats currently on netflix we dont want to watch a movie at the party netflix george the others yelled actually they also have a lot of original television programming on there now he replied
the room mostly fellow students howled some so loudly that it was hard to tell if they were genuinely laughing or just trying to support their friends and classmates but at this point in their lives theres almost no difference


scientists would love to know how polar bears spend their time and how much their behavior is changing as a warming planet results in less sea ice during the summer
but its not so easy to do in a few places like churchill manitoba bears congregate on land during the summer but many stay on the ice or find other places to venture onto solid ground
researchers put satellite tracking collars on some of the bears to get an idea of where they move but would also like to get a picture of their activities and energy use
anthony pagano a wildlife biologist with the united states geological survey has been testing accelerometers on the collars   something like fitbits for bears the devices respond to activity for people they are preset to recognize actions like jogging and show a user how much energy has been expended
to do something similar for bears mr pagano a phd candidate at the university of california santa cruz has mounted both accelerometers and small video cameras on bear collars he can then see what the accelerometer records when the collar cam shows the bear paddling for example
mr pagano has identified the accelerometer patterns that signal swimming walking and resting and he can use activity to determine how much energy the bear is using
video camera batteries dont last long but an accelerometer can record for a year or so that activity record combined with satellite tracking could tell scientists if bears are spending more time searching for seals or walking on land when the sea ice is diminished in the summer
as a nice side benefit the video cameras have come up with some never before seen glimpses of life from a polar bears point of view rather a female polar bears point of view the collars are all on female bears because the necks of males are wider than their heads so the collars wont stay on
recordings show killing a seal courting a mate chasing a ball at the oregon zoo and walking eating berries and lapping water on land polar bears international and the zoo collaborated with the geological survey in putting the collars on about a dozen bears
mr pagano has not yet found a clear accelerometer signature for eating he is still working on that because the ultimate goal of the research is to help understand not only whether bears are using more energy because of declining sea ice but whether they are finding less food


paris   last week the international soccer star zlatan ibrahimovic captain of the swedish national team scheduled a news conference in paris at precisely 5 pm three days before the start of the european championship in france speculation began that the 34 year old swedish striker who last month quit paris st germain of ligue 1 after four seasons was going to announce that he had signed with manchester united in the english premier league a major score in professional soccer but in zlatan style he zigged instead of zagged and faked them all out
he wasnt joining another team   at least not yet he was jumping onto the athleisure bandwagon
so began the unveiling of a z a new activewear brand in a highly limited palette navy gray white black and dark red with relatively simple lines produced in partnership with the norwegian retail group varner it will be available online in 11 european countries with plans to roll out globally
a few hours before the announcement mr ibrahimovic who is 6 foot 5 and was dressed in an a z navy training suit and white performance t shirt spoke with the new york times about the new company his life philosophy and his view of fashion
why start a clothing brand
after 15 years of working with brands including puma and nike i had the dream to see other people wear my own brand i know how brands work they say put on this shirt and youll become stronger put on the pants and youll become faster but its not about the gear at all its about you and what you want to do everybody has the possibility you just need to take it
why did you call the company a z
you can look at it in different ways in training you can bring it from a to z or it can be the time it takes from a to z or it can be from amateur to zlatan
you arent the first swedish athlete to do sportswear the tennis legend bjorn borg has a line too
he has underwear i believe
i think theres more to it than that
like those little shorts
we did love those little shorts did you get any inspiration from what hes done
of course you get inspiration from other athletes and what they do and its a challenge and a risk to go into something that you dont have experience in but i have a business partner varner who has been successful in clothing just not in the sports domain thats where i come in its a good combination
did you help design the clothes or test drive them
ive tried every single sample and given my opinion when i put my name on a product whatever it is it has to be real i want to stand in front of everybody and say this is me
how did this project come about
i was supposed to do an underwear ad for varners mens wear brand dressmann at the same time my deal with nike had come to an end we had talks but we didnt find an agreement i said why dont i have my own brand and petter varner the companys chief executive made it happen
youve started with mens and childrens clothes whens the womens line coming out
its in progress my wife helena is on the team and giving her opinion how it should look the colors she likes to train she goes to the gym and keeps herself fit keep yourself healthy and youll be happy
do you follow fashion
not really i know only one soccer player who understands fashion and that is david beckham he is fashion for me dressing is about comfort and if i feel comfortable i feel good that is my style david is pure fashion
any designers you particularly like and wear
rick owens when i see him i see myself in the body shape in the hair and hes cool his attitude he does his own thing and doesnt care what anybody else says its like when i say i believe in myself its not important what other people tell me whats important is what i believe and thats what i see in him
do you know him
no but my wife sees him at the gym he works out very well she says but in his street clothes i need to send him some of my clothes then he can send me some of his


oakmont pa   the little evil voice plagued the big easy as if mocking the nickname that had been bestowed upon ernie els because of his fluid swing on bad days the voice pounded his mind with negative thoughts even on elss best days like the monday playoff in the 1994 united states open at oakmont country club the voice cleared its throat on his backswings as he started with a bogey and a triple bogey and found only six fairways before winning on the 20th hole
it was the first of four major titles for els who went on to spend a total of nine weeks as the world no 1 in 1997 and 1998 and gain entrance into the world golf hall of fame in 2011 in 2002 when he made the british open at muirfield his third major victory his wife liezl was pregnant with the couples second child that baby born three months after elss triumph would deliver him from the little evil voice
but not right away born a libra like his father elss son was slow to crawl slow to walk and slow to talk his bright blue eyes would not meet his fathers adoring gaze the little evil voice that badgered the big easy on the course followed him home what did i do wrong els wailed to his wife
his boy was different that much was painfully obvious and soon they would have a diagnosis autism it was a word els and his wife knew only in the context of dustin hoffmans character in the 1988 film rain man
it was hard for him liezl els said i think he just wanted to know were we in any way responsible for what happened to ben he was like im supposed to take care of this family where did i mess up
ernie els 46 looks back at his 1994 self the one anointed the golfer of the future by jack nicklaus after he separated himself from his playoff foes colin montgomerie and loren roberts and he barely recognizes him he is not the same person who will return to oakmont this week for the 116th united states open
at 24 i was way ahead of my time as a golfer he said but as a man i was nowhere
he embarked on the path that would lead to personal fulfillment in 2008 when he chose to go public with his sons autism els and his wife formed the els for autism foundation to raise awareness and money for the little understood neurodevelopmental disorder which is characterized by impairments in social interaction and verbal and nonverbal communication and by restricted and repetitive behavior
according to the autism and developmental disabilities monitoring network at the centers for disease control and prevention roughly one in 68 children in the united states has autism spectrum disorder representing every racial ethnic and socioeconomic group
but many overwhelmed parents of children on the spectrum retreat into the shadows because they feel embarrassment and shame as if it is a bankruptcy of their sometimes deep investment in a perfect family tableau the elses were no different
in 1994 we were flying so high not a care in the world liezl els said but who we are now this journey from oakmont to today that journey was made even more interesting because of ben
she said her husband had undergone the most profound transformation
ernies relationship with ben has gone from what am i going to do with this kid to when can i spend time with him again she said its been a beautiful evolution
liezl els was speaking last month from behind the wheel of her sport utility vehicle as she navigated traffic on interstate 95 in north palm beach county after an autism related business lunch the drive to publicize their sons autism for the greater good began with her generally more outgoing and outspoken than her husband questioning his sense of direction
he was the brave one she said its so funny with my big mouth and all but i was the afraid one who wanted to hide my head in the sand even though it took him a longer while to come to grips with bens autism when he decided this is the way im going he went full tilt ahead
for parents of children on the autism spectrum the world becomes a giant booby trap rigged for outbursts that lead only to a minefield of scorn and judgment in 2013 liezl els was traveling with the couples daughter samantha then 14 ben who was 10 and her mother in law from london to philadelphia to watch els play in the us open at merion
the trans atlantic flight to miami was uneventful she said and the immigration officers whisked them to the front of the customs line after noticing bens fitfulness in the boarding area for the flight to philadelphia an overtired and overstimulated ben launched into what she described as one of his 2 year old tantrums
the flight attendants informed her that unless she could calm her son he would not be allowed on the plane they were able to board only after one of the pilots intervened the couples activism sprouted from a heap of such public indignities
you get to that stage where your childs autism is the elephant in the room in players dining or at the 18th green ernie els said when ben would have an outburst i could hear people whispering whats wrong with him and i decided you know what i need to tell people my son has autism hes a little different but hes my boy
bens sister samantha who will soon be a high school senior was the first to embrace her brothers separateness she would come to me and say mom why are you trying to change him ben is unique liezl els said
her husband looks at the reigning united states open champion jordan spieth who has a younger sister on the spectrum and in him sees the same compassion and forbearance as his daughter samanthas such a special kid he said adding that at times she seemed to be more of a parent to ben than he and his wife were
in 2008 the family moved from their home base in london to jupiter fla overwhelmed at times by their sons special needs the couple conceived of a nurturing place to learn for those on the autism spectrum and provided 6 million in seed money for the els center of excellence the 35 million center which took eight years to build opened last august with more than 100 students ages 3 to 14 including the elses son
the fund raising was undertaken by ernie els who left his wife to oversee the construction of the school and the development of the 26 acre property an upper school for students up to 22 years old is scheduled to open next year
wielding a borrowed club like a hammer rickie fowler the fifth ranked player in the world drove in the final metaphorical nail for the addition in march making an ace at a charity event to secure a 1 million donation that was matched by a south african businessman
from the soundproof classroom walls to the high ceilings and wide hallways the lower school was constructed to provide a warm welcoming environment during a tour of the facility last month elss son was in an exercise room working on his fine motor skills by pulling himself up on an inclined roller board
before we had to drag him out of bed to go to school els said now he cant wait he says when the sun comes up i go to school
ernie els spent four days practicing at home at the bears club before leaving for memphis his final tuneup for his 24th united states open as he hit balls on the range he said his son sat in a cart behind him and read aloud from his lion king and kung fu panda books every few minutes els said his son prevailed upon him   loudly   to stop hitting balls and read to him instead
hes 13 going on 4 said els whose sons favorite game on the golf course is to take off running around the driving range i have to chase him down and throw him in the palmetto bush after hugging him
ben accompanies him on his weekend recreational rounds he will sit in the cart and els said hes not very quiet he talks or yelps a lot on backswings and putts i used to go guys im sorry im sorry im sorry but now guys dont even hear it
els uses golf to get ben outdoors where he is free to run and exercise his mouth in february the week of the honda classic els oversaw a golf clinic at the tournament site for the students in the center it quickly devolved into a spirited free for all any learning taking place was probably happening farther down the range where some of the tour players took a break from their work to watch the students
whenever somebody asks me about ben its almost like they want to feel sorry for us els said but its like with any other family youre going to have parents who have a kid with colic or teenagers with their own challenges or something going on this is just our version of something going on
since the masters where his opening 80 doomed his aspirations of playing on the weekend els has missed the cut in four of seven starts it has been a discouraging stretch with a tie for 14th his only top 25 showing but his frustrations fall away when he calls or has a video conversation with his family
his sons chatter drowns out the little evil voice in elss head who knew that the big easy would be a nickname that better describes the son than the father
when im around my boy or talking to my boy i change els said i just go in his world im kind of at peace because im listening to my boy being himself


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joey logano 26 pulled away to win the firekeepers casino 400 on sunday and was followed by chase elliott 20 and kyle larson 23 making up the youngest top three in history for a race on nascars top series now known as the sprint cup
the threes average age 23 was lower than the 247 of the top three finishers at a race in 1951 and two races the previous year
the future of nascar is present logano said its going to be big its amazing to see
logano the pole sitter at michigan international speedway in brooklyn mich passed elliott on lap 153 and stayed ahead for the 15th sprint cup series victory of his career elliott finished a career best second but he was not in the mood to celebrate blaming himself for poor restarts
i definitely messed up he said putting it in the correct gear would be a good start
brad keselowski was fourth and kevin harvick the points leader finished fifth
hamilton narrows gap lewis hamilton took advantage of sebastian vettels pit stop strategy to earn his 45th career formula one win capturing the canadian grand prix for the fifth time vettel took the early lead in montreal with an audacious move at the start but he gave it back for good when he went to the pits   for the second time   on lap 37
with the victory hamilton cut the series lead of his teammate nico rosberg to 9 points from 24 at 116 107 vettel moved into third in the points race with 78
indycar race rescheduled the indycar driver josef newgarden broke his right collarbone in a scary crash in the firestone 600 after his car was slammed to its side and slid along the frontstretch wall with the top of the cockpit exposed only 71 of the scheduled 248 laps in fort worth were completed before rain from an approaching thunderstorm hit the track so indycar rescheduled the race for aug 27
andy murray said he was reuniting with his former coach ivan lendl who helped murray win his two grand slam titles at the united states open in 2012 and wimbledon in 2013 since splitting with lendl in march 2014 murray has lost three grand slam finals all to novak djokovic
murray and lendl parted ways after lendl an eight time grand slam singles champion decided he no longer wanted to spend 20 plus weeks a year traveling murray replaced lendl with amelie mauresmo who helped him climb back up the rankings after he had back surgery but the partnership ended last month
around tennis coco vandeweghe beat kristina mladenovic 7 5 7 5 to win her second ricoh open title in the hague netherlands vandeweghe also won the grass court tournament in 2014   her only two titles on the wta tour heavy rain forced organizers to push back until monday the mercedes cup final between dominic thiem and philipp kohlschreiber with the first set tied 6 6 in stuttgart germany
chicago cubs manager joe maddon is intrigued by the idea of pitchers including his ace jake arrieta competing in the home run derby
maddon said he would not be worried that arrieta would be hurt but stopped short of endorsing the idea on behalf of the team
thats above my pay grade right there he said
still maddon became more enthused about the idea as he mentioned the diamondbacks zack greinke the dodgers clayton kershaw and the mets jacob degrom and bartolo colon as other national league pitchers who could compete
i think it would be interesting maddon said it might even be more interesting than the regulars
the giants madison bumgarner has said he would like to participate in the event set for july 11 in san diego during the all star break on saturday arrieta said he would want to match his home run power against bumgarners
arrieta said swinging for the fences in the home run derby spotlight would probably be the most adrenaline i would ever have
milestone for hamels cole hamels became the seventh active pitcher to reach 2000 strikeouts in the texas rangers 6 4 win against the host seattle mariners joining cc sabathia bartolo colon felix hernandez jake peavy john lackey and justin verlander hamels struck out five and allowed one run on four hits in seven innings
around the majors dallas keuchel the reigning american league cy young award winner became the first major league pitcher to lose nine games this season as the visiting houston astros fell to the tampa bay rays 5 0 russell martin hit a three run homer and the host toronto blue jays used a season high seven doubles to beat the baltimore orioles 10 9 max keplers first major league homer a three run shot in the 10th gave the host minnesota twins a 7 4 victory over the boston red sox jon lester earned his fourth straight win allowing no earned runs in seven innings as the visiting chicago cubs beat the atlanta braves 13 2
bernhard langer won the constellation senior players championship for the third straight year making a 12 foot birdie putt on the final hole for a one stroke victory at windy philadelphia cricket club in flourtown pa
langer a 58 year old german won his seventh senior major title   his fifth in the last 11   to tie hale irwin for second on the career list one victory behind jack nicklaus
around golf daniel berger won the fedex st jude classic in memphis for his first pga tour title shooting a three under par 67 to hold off phil mickelson steve stricker and brooks koepka by three strokes wu ashun rallied to win the lyoness open in atzenbrugg austria for his second european tour victory improving his chances of playing for china in the rio olympics wu closed with a three under 69 for a one stroke win over adrian otaegui bronte law became the second player in curtis cup history to go 5 0 doing so in britain and irelands 11  1/2  8  1/2  victory over the united states in dublin
chris froome warmed up for the tour de france by winning the criterium du dauphine stage race for the third time froomes other dauphine wins were in 2013 and 2015   the years he also won the tour which starts july 2 froome finished with a winning margin of 12 seconds over romain bardet alberto contador finished fifth


faced with broadcasting an all singing all dancing happy faced celebration of art and commerce less than 24 hours after the deadliest mass shooting in american history cbs did about what youd expect the tony awards broadcast on sunday night began with the host james corden standing on the bare stage of the beacon theater his back to the house delivering a short and careful tribute to the victims of the massacre at a gay nightclub in orlando fla
theater is a place where every race creed sexuality and gender is equal is embraced and is loved he said hate will never win
there was no mention of terrorism or the islamic state but the appeal for tolerance and the salute to the inclusiveness of the theater community fit seamlessly into a broadcast that promoted the diversity of the tony field in the wake of oscarssowhite though when the camera ventured into the orchestra seats of the beacon the hashtag could have been audiencesowhite
then mr corden the american theater wing the broadway league and the presenters nominees and winners got down to the business of selling broadway in a polished middle of the road telecast that didnt embarrass but never caught fire it started to drag long before hamilton won the last of its 11 awards for best musical at 1113 the nominees for best revival of a musical have never been read so quickly
further mention of orlando was relatively scant with a notable exception in his acceptance speech for best score for hamilton lin manuel miranda provided the broadcasts emotional high point reading a sonnet that cited senseless acts of tragedy and included the repeated and love is love is love is love is love that brought down the house
later accepting the award for best musical the producer jeffrey seller didnt mention the shooting but his closing line look around how lucky we are to be alive right now carried a different resonance than it would have on another day
otherwise people mostly stuck to scripts and prepared speeches and videotapes as in a recorded tribute to hamilton by president obama and the first lady michelle obama jessica lange and frank langella also broke the trend referring to the sad day in their acceptance speeches and a reference was written into barbra streisands introduction for best musical
the presence of ms lange mr langella and ms streisand along with those of jane houdyshell and reed birney of the humans   who both spoke movingly of what it meant to win a tony after a long career onstage   gave a strong flavor of nostalgia and veteran professionalism to a show that was supposed to be dominated by the youthful cast and hip hop rhythms of hamilton
the relentless march of hamilton was the news but mr mirandas megahit was overshadowed by performances from other shows the musical medleys werent very interesting to look at but there was some impressive belting and crooning and scatting from cynthia erivo and heather headley the color purple carmen cusack bright star and audra mcdonald brian stokes mitchell and the cast of shuffle along
mr corden is not someone you go to for gravitas and his delivery of the opening statement was a bit tremulous but once he was on script he was an excellent host demonstrating the ingratiating personality and unassuming technique that have served him well on stage one man two guvnors for which he won a tony in 2012 and television his current gig as host of cbss the late late show
the broadcasts big opening starting with mr corden on stage with hamilton cast members segueing into some mild jokes about donald j trump and the tonys irrelevance and then morphing again into a medley celebrating non nominated long running shows was boring and too long but mr corden saved it with a few moments of writhing parody of mama rose and some elegant hoofing to were in the money direct political commentary was buried near the end of the broadcast in an on the nose gag about a trump musical called book of moron
later he presided over amusing business like the silent 15 second appearance of the awards accountants less amusing a long cross promotional segment of his car pool karaoke sketch from the late late show he also led the camera through the lobby bumping into several late arrivers and out to a sidewalk platform where commercial breaks were introduced by nominees performing snatches of classic broadway tunes this looked like a disastrous idea when mr miranda the writers of bright star and andrew lloyd webber on tambourine butchered tomorrow but it rallied to become one of the broadcasts more endearing features


it is the first thing you learn in peewee soccer dont touch the ball with your hand
peru broke the cardinal rule on sunday night but got away with it and mighty brazil was eliminated from the copa america in the group stage
brazil needed only a draw in their game in foxborough mass to advance and that looked extraordinarily likely it had not lost a competitive game to peru since 1985
but with the game scoreless in the 75th minute andy polo of peru crossed the ball to raul ruidiaz in front of the net and ruidiaz batted it in with his arm
the replays were unambiguous but after a four minute discussion involving the referee his assistants and a headset the goal stood despite several good chances brazil could not tie the score and was eliminated
brazil had 66 percent possession outshot peru by 14 4 had 10 corner kicks to perus two and outpassed peru by 593 320
dunga the embattled brazil manager said after the game the fans saw how brazil was eliminated the goal was scored with his hand the associated press reported but asked if he feared dismissal he replied i only fear death
it was an impressive accomplishment for peru polo and ruidiaz are among the 17 players on the 23 man team who play in the unheralded peruvian league while brazil is packed with players from the best teams in europe
peru stands just eighth among 10 south american teams in world cup qualifying and has not played in the world cup since 1982 yet it has punched above its weight recently in the copa finishing third in each of the last two events still those performances did not involve a marquee victory over a team like brazil
the surprise result combined with ecuadors 4 0 win over haiti means that the united states which before the tournament might have expected a quarterfinal game against brazil will instead face ecuador potentially a much easier opponent on thursday in seattle
brazil was last eliminated in the group stage of the copa in 1987 when only four teams made the knockout round and brazil was second in a three team group in the 11 copas since brazil has made 11 knockout round appearances and won the event five times
it is not a golden age for brazilian soccer playing at home the team was favored to win the world cup in 2014 only to be embarrassed in the semifinals by germany 7 1 in world cup qualifying brazil unusually stands in sixth place in south america with six of 18 games played
the history of the hand ball is as old as the history of soccer itself probably the most famous one came in the quarterfinals of the 1986 world cup when diego maradona flagrantly fisted the ball into the net in a 2 1 argentina victory over england he later credited the goal to the hand of god
in a world cup playoff game in 2009 thierry henry handled the ball in the box before kicking it to william gallas for a goal that sent france on to the tournament and eliminated ireland the referee missed that one too
in a 2010 world cup quarterfinal luis suarez used his hand to save what would have been a winning goal by ghana this time the infraction was caught suarez was ejected and ghana was awarded a penalty kick but asamoah gyan missed it and uruguay won the game in a penalty shootout keeping ghana from becoming the first african team to reach the semifinals
suarez was unrepentant to say the least the hand of god now belongs to me he crowed after the game
whether human or divine hand balls continue to play a controversial part in big games


puerto rico may be in an economic tailspin but the 59th annual puerto rican day parade was a moment to celebrate the islands joys
pint size drum majorettes dancing girls dressed as rain forest frogs and thumping reggaeton music coursed through a canyon of puerto rican flags along fifth avenue in new york city on sunday in the wildly cheering crowd there was a sense that the parade was in part a pep rally
its full of life said miriam rodriguez 63 a bookkeeper from the bronx we feel if were here present were somehow supporting the island she said a sentiment underscored by the harsh realities of life there
two of her nephews left puerto rico in the past year she said after finding it impossible to find jobs its a sad situation ms rodriguez said from under her white fedora the doctors are leaving the island the teachers are leaving the island
classic cars carried superstars of puerto rican descent like carmelo anthony of the new york knicks scantily clad women on stilts draped in red white and blue passed by followed by floats celebrating goya products and prominent puerto rican achievements like the arecibo observatory where one of the worlds largest radio telescopes is
william alexis bruno brought a squad of 22 children who were dancers from manati in the north of puerto rico each dressed elaborately as one of the islands best features el yunque the rain forest a young woman covered in leaves stood on 44th street before the parade started chatting with the beaches a girl clad head to toe in shells and a skirt of ocean water in glittery eye makeup with a miniature representation of a 16th century tower atop her head the san felipe del morro castle which is in san juan gamely posed for pictures
we can show the people no matter what is happening we can show the world that we are talented we like art so people dont see puerto rico just for its bad economic status mr bruno said
the island has been struggling with more than 70 billion in debt on saturday president obama pushed for passage in the senate of a rescue package that would help ease the islands debt of which it owes 2 billion to its creditors next month
as santos seda the mayor of guanica in southern puerto rico stood near floats getting ready to stroll down fifth avenue he said he believed there was an answer to the islands economic woes full statehood its time for us to get out of this ambiguity mr seda said in spanish its time to define ourselves
this years parade was the first time that puerto rican gay pride was officially a part of the celebration with the honoring of pedro julio serrano an advocate for human and gay rights puerto rico allowed gay people to marry this year news from orlando fla of a mass shooting at a gay nightclub in the early hours of the morning that killed 50 people also shivered along the parade route the nightclub catered to latin americans and many of the victims were of latino heritage
thats scary because thats not what america is supposed to be like said al amaro 70 an actor from manhattan on a side street as costumed performers mustered for the parade around him hatred does not give fruit to anything wonderful
and yet the parade was not somber unfurling under an unblemished sky before a crowd that cheered and shimmied for all things puerto rican along the avenue and the pride did not it seemed depend upon whether the revelers themselves were puerto rican clarence white 44 a delivery man from laurelton queens cheered loudly for puerto rico   in a thick jamaican accent
i have many puerto rican female friends he said


sammamish wash   brooke henderson beat top ranked lydia ko with a birdie on the first hole of a playoff sunday in the womens pga championship after overcoming a three shot deficit on the back nine
henderson an 18 year old canadian ranked no 4 in the world closed with a bogey free six under par 65   the best round of the week at sahalee country club   to match ko at six under 278
ko who led by a stroke entering the final round finished with a 67
in the playoff on the par 4 18th henderson hit her second shot from 155 yards to three feet while kos second left her with a 20 foot putt ko missed to the left and henderson tapped in to cap a week that started with a hole in one on her fourth hole of the tournament and ended with her first major championship
ko was seeking her third straight major title
in regulation henderson saved par on 18 with a 12 footer moments before ko missed a 4 foot birdie try on the par 3 17th henderson also made a long eagle putt on the par 5 11th and birdied the par 3 13th
henderson became the second youngest winner of a womens major championship with ko the youngest last year at the evian championship in france


san jose calif   much of game 6 of the stanley cup finals was part hockey part speedskating when it was over on sunday night the pittsburgh penguins had their second title in eight years and their fourth in franchise history defeating the san jose sharks 3 1
what turned out to be the winning goal typified the high end skill on display throughout the series the pittsburgh captain sidney crosby fed defenseman kris letang for a one timer low in the right face off circle that found its way into the san jose net at 7 minutes 46 seconds of the second period
and despite encouragement from the spirited crowd inside sap center for the sharks first appearance in the stanley cup finals in their 25 year history san jose could not find the equalizer before penguins forward patric hornqvist scored an insurance goal into an empty net with 102 left in the third period
the game ended when crosby cleared the puck the length of the ice with san jose on a power play and then the celebration began
man im going to remember this day for the rest of my entire life said the rookie penguins goaltender matthew murray who faced only 19 shots in the clinching game
murray who is 22 added i probably wont believe this until next year to be honest its so surreal
crosby who had 19 postseason points was awarded the conn smythe trophy which is given to the most valuable player of the playoffs during his postgame media conference he drew comparisons with the first cup he won in 2009 his fourth of 11 seasons in the league
i have a greater appreciation this time around the 28 year old crosby said noting that after back to back appearances in the finals in 2008 and 2009 you just think its going to be an annual thing
with the core we have he added you think everyones going to stay together the teams not going to change but it does
none of pittsburghs four stanley cup wins have come on home ice although the stanley cup presentation was made inside sap center by nhl commissioner gary bettman thousands of penguins supporters were able to celebrate at a watch party inside consol energy center in pittsburgh
center evgeni malkin said the championship felt as good as the 2009 title and he was not surprised that it took so long to win it again
its not easy to win in this league they have 30 good teams malkin said we played against a tough san jose team and they not win in 25 years its not easy san jose a great team great coaches but its tough to win im glad finally we win
malkin added we did a great job actually tonight we worked so hard we deserved to win
for the fifth time in the six games the penguins opened the scoring
with sharks forward dainius zubrus in the penalty box for tripping brian dumoulins shot from the left point eluded san jose goaltender martin jones at 816 of the first period jones who made 24 saves was more formidable later in the period however making two quick saves on crosby in a five second span after a sharks giveaway
the sharks tied the game 1 1 at 627 of the second period when center logan couture used penguins defenseman justin schultz as a screen and beat murray with a 21 foot wrist shot the goal was coutures 30th point of the playoffs the best in the league
but letang answered 79 seconds later and san jose could not draw even again
the sharks who finished third in the pacific division fell short of their goal but they went a long way toward erasing their reputation as playoff underachievers with wins over the los angeles kings the nashville predators and the st louis blues
im very proud of our group sharks coach peter deboer said i thought our guys emptied the tank gave us everything they possibly could we werent as good as them during this two week period
the challenge pittsburgh presented went beyond their well recognized team speed he added they have good sticks too they force you into quicker decisions they really challenge your execution we hadnt seen pressure and sticks like that through the first three rounds
pittsburgh had entered the playoffs as the no 2 seed in the metropolitan division defeating the rangers the washington capitals and the tampa bay lightning en route to the finals
the penguins righted their season after mike sullivan replaced mike johnston on dec 12 as coach when the team was near 500
we changed style malkin said of the coaching change before we played more d zone now we played in offensive zone we use our legs we skate with puck we skate without puck always skating


walgreens said on sunday that it was terminating its relationship with theranos dealing a severe blow to the embattled blood testing company walgreens said it would immediately close all 40 of the theranos testing centers in its arizona drugstores the source of most of theranoss customers
the giant retailer a part of the walgreens boots alliance played a critical role in theranoss early success founded by elizabeth holmes a stanford university dropout the company promised to revolutionize the lab industry by being able to offer blood tests through a simple finger prick at a fraction of the cost of conventional testing
but theranos has run into a relentless barrage of negative publicity and regulatory scrutiny and walgreens has sought to extricate itself from its relationship with the silicon valley start up federal officials identified serious problems at theranoss flagship lab in california causing walgreens to halt testing done there in january the 40 arizona locations remained open while walgreens awaited regulators final decision which included whether to ban ms holmes from the industry for two years
while regulators have not yet made a final determination walgreens appears to have lost patience
in light of the voiding of a number of test results and as the centers for medicare and medicaid services has rejected theranoss plan of correction and considers sanctions we have carefully considered our relationship with theranos and believe it is in our customers best interests to terminate our partnership brad fluegel senior vice president of walgreens said in a company statement
brooke buchanan a spokeswoman for theranos said the company would continue to do business using the stand alone retail locations it is already running apart from the walgreen stores it has five such locations in arizona and one in california and further expansion is planned for arizona she said
we are disappointed that walgreens has chosen to terminate our relationship and remain fully committed to our mission to provide patients access to affordable health information theranos said in a statement
the statement went on quality and safety are our top priorities and we are working closely with government officials to ensure that we not only comply with all federal regulations but exceed them
ms buchanan declined to comment beyond the companys statement
while theranos might struggle along with its own retail units clearly most of its customers came from the testing centers in walgreens having easily accessible locations in corner drugstores was part of theranoss grand plan to upend the laboratory testing business and it had at one time said it eventually envisioned being in walgreens drugstores nationwide
the announcement of the deal with walgreens in september 2013 was also when theranos made its existence known to the world coming out of the stealth mode it had been in since being founded by ms holmes in 2003
walgreens hoped to add lab testing to its offering drive traffic to its stores and pick up some of the cachet of being associated with a cutting edge silicon valley start up
this is the next step in walgreens efforts to transform community pharmacy giving our patients and customers convenient access to the comprehensive care they need right in their communities kermit crawford who was then walgreens president for pharmacy health and wellness said at the time
the endorsement of walgreens gave the unproven theranos some credibility that it could perform numerous medical tests on a drop of blood rather than from tubes of blood drawn from an arm ms holmes became a celebrity whose worth was estimated at 45 billion based on her half ownership of the privately held company
but it now appears that walgreens did not adequately vet the technology government inspectors and articles in the wall street journal have revealed that much of the companys testing was being done on standard machines bought from laboratory equipment vendors   the same machines used by theranoss rivals
moreover theranos did not even do those tests well lacking experience and qualified personnel in the laboratory business federal inspectors have found numerous problems with operations at the companys flagship laboratory in newark calif they have threatened sanctions which could include barring ms holmes from owning a laboratory company for two years
theranos recently voided the results from tens of thousand of tests and corrected the results of other tests forbes magazine which compiles lists of the worlds wealthiest people recently adjusted ms holmess estimated net worth to zero
when the testing problems first came to light last fall walgreens halted expansion of theranos testing sites beyond arizona and asked the company for more information the action announced on sunday suggests the drugstore chain was not satisfied with the answers it received


pasadena calif   the man who has guided mexico to international soccers longest current unbeaten streak began his coaching career with a small club on staten island
that man a colombian immigrant named juan carlos osorio traveled to the united states in the 1980s after injuries ended his playing career in south america to attend college in iowa after one semester he moved to new york where he worked in construction and food service jobs to support himself before attending southern connecticut state university after graduating in 1990 with a degree in exercise science osorio worked as a personal trainer in queens while playing for local club teams
by 1998 osorio reached a crossroads at 37 time was ticking on his dream so osorio took a risk by joining a local club the staten island vipers as a conditioning coach
we could tell almost immediately that he would be very successful because what set him apart from just about everyone was his professionalism and work ethic said adrian gaitan the vipers coach at the time who now guides a club in spain
the vipers competed in the a league the second level of american professional soccer at the time behind major league soccer but played their home games at tottenville high school and wagner college osorio devoured the opportunity
he took his job very serious and was always trying to better himself so he could better the people around him gaitan said he was also one of the most competitive people you can be around he had a great ability to relate to players and i believe that being a former player helped him a lot
when the vipers folded in 1999 osorio contacted the metrostars in mls
juan carlos knocked on my door looking for an opportunity said octavio zambrano then the teams coach i was looking for a bilingual trainer with experience he was respectful and had the acumen to become a good assistant but i needed to see his personality and ability to deal with professional players
so zambrano took osorio on the metrostars preseason tour of spain and portugal to evaluate him
the players took an immediate liking to him because of his preparation for every session and his individual care for each one of them said zambrano now the director of youth development for club deportivo el nacional in ecuador by the time we got back to new york he had earned his position
the traits refined during those early years set osorio on a path toward four club championships and two domestic cups as a head coach   and defined a meticulous intellectual collective approach that has helped mexico win or tie 21 successive games
mexico will risk that streak monday night in houston against venezuela at the copa america centenario with the victor finishing first in group c
since osorio became mexicos coach in october the team has won nine consecutive games and allowed only one goal yet when he took the job   his first as any national teams coach   osorio was criticized before his first game
i dont know how they came up with osorio but there are better coaches in mexico said cruz azul coach tomas boy who played for mexico in the 1986 world cup
hugo sanchez one of mexicos 12 coaches between 2006 and 2015 was asked whether osorio deserved the position
if he were mexican yes sanchez said but since hes not mexican hed be the ideal coach for colombias national team
mexicos players however are learning to appreciate osorios style
he knows a lot and he loves to study said goalkeeper alfredo talavera who called osorio a soccer philosopher
osorios philosophy leaves no room for the melodrama surrounding mexicos national team
the most important thing is to gain the players confidence because theyre the ones who have to implement what we plan he said i knew it was going to take time in fact i still have the responsibility to inculcate in the players the way we want them to work
osorios attention to detail extends to arranging and rearranging training cones himself he directs players with a notebook he fills with detailed color coded comments he emphasizes collective effort especially when selecting mexicos lineup
the national team is involved in a lot of games and theres not a lot of time for training osorio said its more a matter of having a defined strategy its a matter of trying to identify who complements whom in what scenario in a group like this that has multifaceted players we see how they interact with each other as a group
osorios methods reflect his postgraduate education in britain which accelerated his career in 2001 osorio left the metrostars to obtain a degree from liverpool john moores university in a unique major science and football while pursuing his degree he often observed liverpool fcs training sessions from outside a fence at the clubs melwood training center
i remember talking to him before he left for england and told him i thought he was crazy gaitan said he was going there to spend a year and take a coaching course he ended up taking the course watching training sessions i believe from his apartment and eventually working his way into the liverpool facility
osorios persistence led to a four year stay at manchester city where he rose from trainer to assistant coach in 2006 the colombian club millonarios gave osorio his first head coaching job a year later osorio returned to mls to guide the chicago fire which promptly surged from last place to the playoffs in half a season
yet in december 2007 osorio resigned to return to new jersey as coach of the renamed red bulls who reached the 2008 mls championship game but after the red bulls lost 16 of their first 22 mls matches in 2009 osorio resigned that august
colombias once caldas where osorio once played provided his next job and his first league championship in 2010 but osorio made his biggest impact when he guided medellins atletico nacional to three league championships and two domestic cups between 2012 and 2014
after firing miguel herrera last july mexico lured osorio away from his post at sao paulo fc in brazil
i guess my whole career is different from anybody else osorio told an interviewer in may now when i look back probably the hardest and most important decision was being 23 playing professional football in colombia and saying to myself no this is not good enough i have to go prepare myself to be the best coach i can be i need to go start from scratch
from that decision he built a career with mexico osorio built a team that could become the first from outside south america to win the copa
he started out being a fitness coach and look how he has evolved gaitan said not many people have that kind of passion and desire to do what he did he deserves everything that comes his way and we all take a little pride in the fact that his success started with us


four people were killed in separate shootings across new york city late saturday and early sunday the police said
the killings were a reminder of the pockets of violence that exist in the city even as it has become safer in recent years two of the shootings in the bronx and in east new york brooklyn happened in police precincts that are among the citys deadliest
no arrests had been made in any of the killings as of sunday evening
the first shooting was reported shortly after 930 pm saturday near the intersection of east 175th street and monroe avenue in the mount hope section of the bronx the police said a man identified by the police as marvin harris was shot three times in the abdomen and in an arm and a leg
mr harris 32 was taken to bronx lebanon hospital center where he was pronounced dead the police said
the police said that they had suspects and that it was unclear what prompted the shooting police officials said mr harris who lived about five miles away in the bronx had an extensive arrest history
less than an hour later the police were called to the john adams houses a new york city housing authority complex on westchester avenue in the bronx where a 29 year old woman was found with a single gunshot wound to the torso
the police said the woman jessica white was with a group of about a dozen people in a courtyard behind one of the buildings when a man wearing a black sweatshirt and a ski mask approached them and opened fire ms white was taken to lincoln hospital where she was pronounced dead later on sunday the police released a photograph from a surveillance camera of a person of interest in the killing
the shooting which investigators believe was gang related was the ninth homicide recorded this year in the 40th precinct an area of the south bronx where violence has persisted
shortly after 1130 pm on saturday the police were called to rogers place near east 163rd street in the bronx where officers found a 31 year old man who had been pushed from his wheelchair and shot in the head during a dispute the authorities said the man eric oliver was pronounced dead at the scene
mr oliver had about 30 packets of crack cocaine on him when he was found police officials said the police said he had a criminal history mr oliver was paralyzed in 2006 after he was shot in the lower back
on sunday around 3 am the police were called to linwood street near hegeman avenue in the east new york section of brooklyn where they found two men had been shot
those two and another man had been sitting on a buildings front stoop when gunshots were fired and they ran inside a 22 year old was shot several times in the lower body and a 32 year old was shot once in the left hand both men were taken to brookdale university hospital and medical center where the 22 year old whose name has not been released was pronounced dead the third man was not injured
the police said that the motivation for the killing was unclear and that they did not have any information about suspects investigators found a large quantity of marijuana and money inside the home a police spokesman said at least 10 other killings have been recorded this year in the 75th precinct which covers east new york and is among the citys most violent according to police statistics


one man in pinstripes hit a home run on sunday at yankee stadium hideki matsui who belted a david cone pitch into the second deck inside the right field foul pole on old timers day matsui turned 42 on sunday still younger than bartolo colon and ichiro suzuki but he is not coming back to save his old team
id probably last not even one game matsui said through his interpreter roger kahlon id go on the dl as well
that is a pity because matsui actually did play first base on sunday of course so did ron guidry the great left hander who is 65 for their latest first baseman the yankees plan to bring in the son of a former yankee ike davis the ex met whose father ron made an all star team as a yankees reliever
davis was hitting 268 with four homers and a 350 on base percentage for the class aaa affiliate of the texas rangers who released him from his minor league deal on sunday the yankees cleared a roster spot for davis by sending the reliever chad green to the minors nick swisher the prodigal bro hit two homers on sunday for class aaa scrantonwilkes barre   too late it would seem for a promotion
rob refsnyder played first on sunday and the yankees pinch hit for him with two outs in the ninth inning against the detroit tigers francisco rodriguez brian mccann struck out looking at a high outside curveball and protested politely with the plate umpire manager joe girardi smirked and retreated to the clubhouse
it was one of those days for the yankees a 4 1 loss to the rookie michael fulmer who extended his scoreless streak to 28 1/3  innings on saturday night they lost to a veteran master justin verlander before that they had won five straight
the loss dropped the yankees back under 500 at 31 32 it is hard to know exactly what kind of team they really are
i think we have a pretty good read girardi said we know what our formula is for winning verlanders been throwing well fulmers been throwing well and we didnt score a lot of runs these last two days and weve been in a long long stretch
sundays game was the 40th in 41 days for the yankees who will rest on monday before two games in colorado and four in minnesota they had started this stretch in crisis with an 8 15 record after a sweep in boston they have since gone 23 17 and their pitchers give them a reasonable chance to win most games
i think were playing much better and i think our starting pitching has been much better girardi said and really thats a big part of it when your starting pitchers are doing their job youre going to win a lot more games
that is true and if the yankees pitch the way they have they will compete and if they compete it is hard to imagine the team trading dellin betances andrew miller or even aroldis chapman the first two would have plenty of value in the winter anyway and chapman could bring back a high draft choice if he leaves as a free agent
the yankees next 11 games are against the rockies and the twins with the san diego padres up ahead at the start of july it is easy to imagine the yankees using the soft schedule to rise above 500 stay there for a while and keep all their veterans again they would pass on a chance to get younger for the future
with two wild cards available a winning record essentially puts a team in the pennant race the yankees believe their formula could work in october when the best bullpens can dominate do not expect them to retreat
but the yankees would also have to beat good pitching to have a real chance in the postseason where they would face pitchers like verlander and fulmer the lineup still lacks impact hitters who inspire confidence
in baseball you look for larger sample sizes third baseman chase headley said dismissing the lost weekend i think weve been swinging well the last 10 or 15 days
the yankees should be proud of their emergence from the april abyss but everything counts and their on base plus slugging percentage 693 is among the worst in the game they needed alex rodriguez and mark teixeira to avoid injury and duplicate their 2015 production which was probably too much to ask rodriguez has a 238 on base percentage since coming off the disabled list in late may and teixeira is out with torn cartilage in his right knee
injuries have really set back the team said matsui who works as a special adviser in baseball operations guys have to really grind it out so they havent had a chance to really get the full roster out there and compete but its not even halfway yet
matsui of course finished his yankees career as the most valuable player of the 2009 world series he homered and drove in six runs in the clincher which remains the last world series game the yankees have played


whether lin manuel miranda is standing with president obama in the rose garden or accepting a grammy award onstage he is known to give his audience a freestyle rap fit for the occasion
on sunday when mr miranda accepted his award for best score for hamilton at the tony awards his second tony win in this category he said he was too old to freestyle so he wrote a sonnet instead addressing his love for his wife vanessa nadal as well as the shooting massacre that left 50 people dead early sunday in orlando fla
my wifes the reason anything gets done she nudges me towards promise by degrees she is a perfect symphony of one our son is her most beautiful reprise we chase the melodies that seem to find us until theyre finished songs and start to play when senseless acts of tragedy remind us that nothing here is promised not one day this show is proof that history remembers we lived through times when hate and fear seemed stronger we rise and fall and light from dying embers remembrances that hope and love last longer and love is love is love is love is love is love is love is love cannot be killed or swept aside i sing vanessas symphony eliza tells her story now fill the world with music love and pride


fort pierce fla   omar mateens life seemed to be on a successful trajectory a decade before he carried out one of the worst cases of mass murder in american history
he earned an associate degree in criminal justice technology in 2006 a year later he was hired by one of the worlds premier private security companies g4s and then in 2009 he got married and bought a home
soon though signs of troubles emerged his wife an immigrant from uzbekistan divorced him in 2011 after he abused her
two years after that the federal bureau of investigation was called in after reports from mr mateens co workers that he the american born son of afghan immigrants had suggested he may have had terrorist ties the fbi interviewed him twice but after surveillance records checks and witness interviews agents were unable to verify any terrorist links and closed their investigation
then in 2014 the fbi discovered a possible tie between mr mateen and moner mohammad abusalha who had grown up in nearby vero beach and then became the first american suicide bomber in syria where he fought with the nusra front a qaeda aligned militant group again the fbi closed its inquiry after finding minimal contact between the two men
after the terrorist investigations cleared mr mateen he maintained both his florida security officer license and his job he also kept his florida firearms license and within the last few days he legally purchased a handgun and a long gun
the precise reason he walked into a gay nightclub in orlando early sunday morning with a handgun and an assault rifle was still under investigation with law enforcement officials fanning out from the damaged nightclub in orlando to residences in at least four states in search of clues
labeling the attack an act of domestic terrorism law enforcement officials said mr mateen had called 911 once the attacks began and swore allegiance over the phone to the islamic state
but mr mateens father suggested his son was motivated by a different hate his father seddique mir mateen told nbc news that his son had come across two men kissing in miami recently and was infuriated that his 3 year old son had seen it too
they were kissing each other and touching each other and he said look at that in front of my son they are doing that  the elder mr mateen said
mr mateens father said the killing had nothing to do with religion and he apologized for his son we werent aware of any action he is taking he said we are in shock like the whole country
equally stunned by the days events was omar mateens ex wife sitora yusufiy who said that he quickly became controlling abusive and erratic after they were married
in an interview at her home near boulder colo ms yusufiy said that when she first met mr mateen online through myspace in 2008 he was a funny charmer with a decent job and aspirations to become a police officer
but after they were married he made her hand over her paychecks from her day care job prevented her from calling her parents and hit her sometimes as she slept she said he also kept a handgun in the house
i wasnt allowed to go anywhere except work she said
mr mateen was an observant muslim but never expressed sympathies for terrorist organizations or radical islamists she said
he also made anti gay comments when he was angry there were definitely moments when hed express his intolerance towards homosexuals she said
ms yusify said she left mr mateen in 2009 after her parents flew down from new jersey and rescued her from the marriage and had no contact with him since save for one time when he tried to message her on facebook
i thought i had closed the chapter on this horrible mistake said ms yusufiy who said she learned of the tragedy from her parents
after the shooting law enforcement officials swarmed a condominium complex in fort pierce fla where mr mateen owned a unit that property records show he purchased in 2009 the complex wedged between interstate 95 and the shore now sits among some of fort pierces working class blocks
the authorities also focused on at least two other homes in the area both in nearby port st lucie and spent hours canvassing a pair of properties connected to mr mateens family
it appeared that mr mateen may have contacted another orlando club in the days leading up to the shooting
micah bass the owner of the m hotel and revere a large gay club in the area said that someone resembling mr mateen requested to add him as a friend this week on facebook he said he looked at the persons picture and noticed that a lot of his friends had arabic writing on their pages mr bass said he figured the request must have been sent in error so he deleted it
after the attack this morning mr bass thought the name of the man looked familiar when he searched the name on google he realized it was in fact the same person who had contacted him
at the fort pierce islamic center the mosque mr mateen attended as a child the imam said that mr mateen would visit three or four times a week usually at night as mr mateen grew the imam said he became reclusive
he was really quiet the imam syed shafeeq rahman said he would come the last minute and he would leave the first minute and he would not talk to anybody
the imam firmly denied that mr mateen had heard any teachings at the mosque that would radicalize him
mr mateens father is an outspoken afghan political activist but that played no part in the investigations of his son that the fbi carried out in 2013 and 2014 a law enforcement official said
his father sediqque hosted a talk show for a television channel broadcasting to the afghan diaspora
recently the elder mr mateen has taken to posting videos on his facebook page where dressed in a military uniform in front of the afghan flag he sharply criticizes the afghan president ashraf ghani
late on sunday omar mateens employer g4s acknowledged that it had learned in 2013 that he had been questioned by the fbi we were not made aware of any alleged connections between mateen and terrorist activities and were unaware of any further fbi investigations the company said
the statement confirmed that mr mateen had worked for the company since sept 10 2007 and expressed the companys sadness at sundays attack it also said mr mateen underwent screening and background checks both when he was recruited in 2007 as well as in 2013 and nothing of concern surfaced either time
yet the statement did not address whether company officials had ever asked the fbi why it had investigated mr mateen the company also did not respond to questions about mr mateens conduct raised by one of his former co workers
the co worker daniel gilroy said in an interview on sunday that he had expressed concerns to g4s about mr mateens demeanor when they both worked as security guards assigned to the pga village a resort in port st lucie
he talked about killing people all the time said mr gilroy who joined g4s after a career with the fort pierce police and later left the security firm he said he could not provide names of any other co workers who could support his account of mr mateens behavior


kampala uganda   dozens of military officers in uganda including some senior ones have been arrested over an alleged plot to overthrow the longtime president yoweri museveni a ugandan military official said sunday
more officers were being arrested over suspected acts of subversion after a colonel with the countrys air forces was detained on saturday the military spokesman lt col paddy ankunda said
the officers are suspected of having links to an opposition lawmaker michael kabaziguruka who is being questioned by the police over similar allegations colonel ankunda said
mr kabaziguruka is a close ally of the opposition leader kizza besigye who was charged with treason after a disputed presidential election in february mr besigye claiming that he had won the election refused to accept the official results which gave victory to mr museveni election observers said the polls had been marred by many irregularities
mr museveni seized power in 1986 at the end of a guerrilla war against an elected government since then many of his former colleagues including mr besigye have broken ranks with him accusing the president of becoming an authoritarian ruler others claim that mr museveni wants to rule for life or has plans to have his son succeed him which he denies
the charges against mr besigye a four time presidential challenger who once served in mr musevenis government have been criticized by some as an attempt to intimidate the opposition at a time when the presidents popular support is waning especially in urban areas
ladislaus rwakafuuzi a lawyer for mr besigye said the treason allegations against mr kabaziguruka and the army officers were stage managed in an effort to keep mr besigye in jail
their interest is in besigye mr rwakafuuzi said referring to members of the museveni government there is nothing treasonable he has done


san francisco   blue coat systems seemed poised to begin life as a public company after selling itself to a private equity firm last year
now the cybersecurity software company plans to sell itself to symantec instead
blue coat said late on sunday that it would sell itself to symantec for 465 billion as part of the deal blue coats chief executive greg clark will take over as the chief executive of the combined security software maker
to help finance the transaction blue coats existing majority investor bain capital will invest an additional 750 million in the deal the private equity firm silver lake which invested 500 million in symantec in february will invest an additional 500 million
the deal will create a big provider of security products both the traditional antivirus kind that has long been symantecs focus and the newer online protection services in which blue coat has specialized executives see little overlap between the two businesses
with this transaction we will have the scale portfolio and resources necessary to usher in a new era of innovation designed to help protect large customers and individual consumers against insider threats and sophisticated cybercriminals dan schulman symantecs chairman said in a statement
in selling itself to symantec blue coat will abandon its effort to go public after having filed plans to do so earlier this month many companies weighing an initial public offering also run a private sales process choosing to sell themselves if they receive an attractive enough offer while blue coat did not formally put itself up for sale it received interest from a number of potential buyers and held talks primarily with symantec
once combined we will offer customers around the world   from large enterprises and governments to individual consumers   unrivaled threat protection and unmatched cloud security mr clark said in a statement
blue coat has had a number of private equity owners in recent years including both bain capital and before that thoma bravo
in its ipo prospectus blue coat said that it lost 289 million on top of 598 million in sales for the 12 months that ended on april 30 that compares with a 271 million loss on top of nearly 569 million in sales for the same period a year before
but the company has sought to grow itself under bain capital having made a number of acquisitions to bolster its capabilities
this represented a compelling opportunity for us because we could realize some gains for our investors but also reinvest into the combined company said david humphrey a managing director at bain capital we believe very much in the industrial logic and strategic rationale of this transaction
symantec meanwhile has sought to turn around its fortunes after years of declining sales earlier this year it sold its veritas data storage unit to the carlyle group for 74 billion after failing to fully integrate that business into its core offerings
the acquisition of blue coat is in some ways a move out of the playbook of silver lake the investment firm previously took a stake in the publicly traded chip maker avago   and then supported that company through a string of acquisitions culminating in a 37 billion takeover of broadcom last year
roughly two months after silver lake came on board as an investor in symantec the software makers chief executive at the time michael brown stepped down amid disappointing financial performances
symantec then hired ajei gopal a silver lake operating partner as interim president and chief operating officer as it embarked on a series of cost cuts the company had also begun to look for a new chief executive and mr clark of blue coat emerged as a candidate
silver lakes investment in symantec back in february anticipated a transaction like the blue coat deal with the firm setting itself up to provide additional financing if symantec were to pursue a deal that needed private equity help and silver lake believes that other smaller acquisitions may be in the offing for the security software provider in the future
silver lake has had a history of trying to invest in and catalyze leaders in important categories in technology ken hao the silver lake managing partner who sits on symantecs board said in an interview symantec will become the most valuable profitable and deepest widest leader in cybersecurity
symantec received financial advice from jpmorgan chase barclays bank of america merrill lynch citigroup and wells fargo it took legal counsel from fenwick  west and simpson thacher  bartlett
blue coat received financial advice from goldman sachs morgan stanley and credit suisse and legal counsel from ropes  gray and wilson sonsini goodrich  rosati


last year at this time the thoroughbred horse racing community and casual racing fans alike were riding the high of a milestone american pharoah had won the belmont stakes to become the first horse in 37 years to complete the triple crown
a year later without the distraction of a triple crown or even a rematch between this years kentucky derby winner nyquist and exaggerator the preakness winner the racing industry has had to look in the mirror what it sees is still not pretty the systemic problems that existed before the triple crown have not gone away horses are still dropping dead on the track as unscrupulous trainers under pressure to produce continue to administer harmful drugs threatening the sports already fragile credibility
there has to be a correction said wayne pacelle the chief executive of the humane society of the united states
pacelle and i have spoken over the years about animal welfare and animal cruelty in his recent book the humane economy how innovators and enlightened consumers are transforming the lives of animals pacelle argues that businesses that do not adjust to consumer concerns about the treatment of animals are doomed
if a business is engaged in some sort of animal cruelty or animal mistreatment its eventually going to catch up to them he said
some are starting to pay attention ringling brothers retired its elephant herd last month after having had the animals as part of its traveling circus act for nearly 150 years in march seaworld announced that it would stop breeding orcas
the two biggest brand names have phased out or are phasing out the use of animals that are the center of their brands because of the animal welfare concerns pacelle said everything is changing yet horse racing is still resisting reform there has to be a correction
but thanks in part to social media the casual fan who tends to care about horse racing only in april may and june around the time of the kentucky derby the preakness and the belmont is taking an active interest in how equine athletes are treated their concerns   along with the specter of death at the track of still too many breakdowns of widespread doping   are also compelling some forces within the industry to take steps toward real reform beginning with doping
the powerful jockey club is working with the humane society to eliminate the scourge of doping and in the process get the fragmented racing industry to play by a single set of rules
the two groups are supporting federal legislation the thoroughbred horse racing anti doping act of 2015 that would put the united states anti doping agency in charge of monitoring the administration of race day medication at the track the organizations hope to put usada an independent agency in a position to police the sports deeply rooted doping culture
race day doping is particularly troublesome it can give horses an advantage but it can also put already injured horses who should not be racing at risk of greater even catastrophic injury
it wont solve everything but doping is the most insidious of the practices in racing pacelle said it is exhibit no 1 for the idea that people are more concerned with winning than they are with the protection and welfare of the horses
the jockey club has taken polls over the last five years that show convincingly that racing fans are paying attention to aspects of the sport beyond simply wagering
they are concerned said jim gagliano the chief executive of the jockey club with matters of animal welfare and the fairness and integrity of competition
he added those are very high among our current fans and potential new fans it is good business for racing
there are many contentious issues in the sport breeding horses for speed for example not endurance sending poor and underperforming horses to slaughter but this legislation is just about doping
you have to start somewhere pacelle said
the support from the jockey club which made up as it is of owners and breeders is the closest thing racing has to central leadership is an acknowledgment that the regulatory system in place to police doping could be substantially improved by usadas oversight
for a sport that plays by 38 different sets of rules corresponding to the 38 racing commissions nationwide a universal set of doping regulations would be a major accomplishment
theres a collective recognition that the system thats in place and has been in place for a long time hasnt been adequate hasnt been nimble enough hasnt been uniform across all the racing states gagliano said
pacelle and gagliano will no doubt face fierce opposition from within racing
some of the sports stakeholders dont want to reboot the process and surrender ome of their autonomy
change is always hard for some to contemplate gagliano said others feel this is going to require a federal act and they oppose federal intervention in our sport
but if horses keep dying on the track breaking down and being exploited by race day doping the sport could find itself up to its neck in federal intervention and deservedly so
the larger issue   the only issue really   is the care of the animals
we write quite a bit about the danger of participating in high risk sports and recreational pursuits human beings take risks whether were jumping out of planes climbing mountains playing football or boxing we go into them more or less with our eyes open but race horses are involuntary participants in a tough sport they need protection now more than ever
bringing usada into thoroughbred racing is the best idea in the sport in decades
were not unlike any other sport gagliano said except weve got a competitor   the horse   whose responsibility and welfare is really entrusted to us
from eight belles who died at the end of the kentucky derby in 2008 to scores of others that died more anonymous inglorious deaths on the track the industry has abused its horses and the trust of its fans
with this legislation racing can take a small step toward winning it back


the red brick facade of the stonewall inn has served as the backdrop to countless passages in the history of the gay rights movement
it was there that a clash between gay lesbian bisexual and transgender patrons and the new york city police in june 1969 led to a wave of demonstrations demanding equal rights people gathered there somberly in october 1998 after matthew shepard a 21 year old gay student was beaten tortured and left to die in laramie wyo and people danced and celebrated there last year when the supreme court declared marriage a right for all
but even the most battle weary stonewall devotees said they were not prepared for the mass horror in orlando fla   a shooting at a gay nightclub that left at least 50 dead and 53 injured   that brought them together on sunday at the storied west village watering hole to grieve once again
we come today because we are a community that will never be silenced again ken kidd 58 an organizer with queer nation howled to a crowd outside
hundreds of people swarmed christopher street around 6 pm for a vigil dazed by the events of the early morning and needing to come to a place that they said gave them strength and solace they held aloft rainbow banners draped their arms around one anothers shoulders and offered chant after chant of no hate watching over them was a team of officers in counterterrorism gear
in the good times weve come here in the bad times weve come here brandon cordeiro 28 said what has always been true in all those times is weve stood together
long before the vigil began dozens of lesbian gay bisexual and transgender new yorkers met inside the tavern to commiserate as a community
on sunday like so many before vinny milack carrasco arrived at the stonewall inn to spend time with some of his closest friends before the building lay bouquets of flowers and a series of handwritten cards dedicated to the victims of the massacre in orlando
gay bars and clubs are supposed to be our safe haven said mr milack carrasco 48 a store manager from brooklyn ive never felt threatened here but now im looking over my shoulder
ever since the 1969 rebellion stonewall has become the locus not only for gay lesbian bisexual and transgender new yorkers but also for people across the country and the world who crave the sense of belonging that is still not easy to find in many places
over the last year or so there were times stonewall had been filled with joyous revelers celebrating milestones they had long fought to attain   most notably a year ago after the supreme courts same sex marriage ruling more recently more than 100 people attended a town hall style meeting to support an initiative aimed at turning stonewall and its surrounding area into a national monument to the gay rights movement
this shooting opens up a lot of old wounds ron perry 66 a retiree from tribeca said as he stood in stonewall it brings back memories of when violence was regular at gay bars
joseph pierce 33 a professor of latin american studies from prospect lefferts gardens in brooklyn said that gay bars had always been some of the only places queer people can feel like themselves and that historically they had been a nexus for political organizing this just shows that being queer and proud is a radical act and one that can still put your life at risk he said
muslim leaders gay rights advocates and local politicians also gathered at a vigil in jackson heights queens city councilman daniel dromm who represents jackson heights and organized the vigil said the neighborhood had a large muslim population as well as a thriving gay community
the reason i wanted to have this vigil here tonight is because i didnt want this incident to separate our communities mr dromm said
ali najmi president of the muslim democratic club of new york said gay and lesbian advocates had been loud and reliable allies against islamophobia and he condemned the attacks
it was very frustrating to find out that the person who inflicted all of this harm was someone who came from a muslim family and likely pledged allegiance to isis or tries to maybe bring islam into this he said that is very troubling because there is no place for that type of violence in this religion
at stonewall even as throngs of mourners wept in the streets and offered words of prayer some patrons stayed inside the bar to drink and congregate in peace determined not to let the massacre wreak havoc on their lives
this is my home and these people are my family mr perry said i refuse to sacrifice my pride


when the yankees announced that they were overhauling their ticketing system this season   introducing mobile ticketing and no longer accepting print at home tickets   they said it was to enhance the fan experience
but that has hardly been the case for the fans camped out at the yankee stadium customer service window before each game having been unable to get into the ballpark because of a problem with the tickets on their phones or turned away at the gate with tickets they printed at home or at work
ultimately most of the fans have their problems resolved but not before standing in lines while the game goes on without them
its a nightmare said michael goodrich who missed the first inning of a game against kansas city last month before he could meet his friend at their seats this whole nonsense is ridiculous
the problems fans have experienced are myriad among them not being able to open mobile tickets experiencing glitches while trying to transfer tickets to friends and having bar codes register as invalid some foreign phones do not accept mobile ticketing and other obstacles include remembering the password for the ticketing account and downloading the right app to begin with
some fans acknowledging that they are not tech savvy wonder why the yankees did not consider this and give them the option of print at home tickets   at least until bugs in the mobile ticketing system were ironed out
the yankees are not alone as they try to figure out how to best use new ticketing technology the airline industry for instance is widely making use of mobile ticketing but it also still offers print at home options
im a little irritated ashley castle said while she waited in line as last monday nights game against the los angeles angels began without her her two daughters and a friend castle from jackson miss had bought mobile tickets months before their visit to new york
i can get on delta with this she said referring to the airline as she held up her phone but i cant get in here
the yankees chief operating officer lonn trost who has overseen the new ticket policies and the team president randy levine declined interview requests however the yankees said in response to emailed questions that mobile ticketing had caused few problems among the 6000 to 12000 fans who they say use that option each game
to date the overwhelming majority of real time feedback has been positive the yankees spokesman jason zillo said in a statement we have been pleased to see how quickly fans are familiarizing themselves with mobile ticket technology the vast majority of our fans picked things up quickly and we have done everything in our power to create a support system for fans who may need help navigating its interface
at the start of the season the yankees sent an email to fans who had bought tickets through the team and mentioned the new mobile ticketing policy the team said a follow up email focused solely on mobile ticketing the yankees also said they had added staff members trained in mobile ticketing to each stadium gate for the first several homestands
still the yankees seem to have created a hurdle for at least some people at a time when the team is facing new challenges in drawing fans
the mets for one thing are a formidable team again with the extra attention that brings the yankees meanwhile no longer have iconic players like derek jeter and mariano rivera to attract fans and their only playoff appearance since 2012 has been brief   a wild card game loss last season
and while they have recently played much better they have spent much of this season with a losing record which is hardly a selling point
entering sunday the average attendance at yankee stadium had dropped by nearly 20 percent compared with 2010 and by more than 2000 fans per game compared with this point last season although the yankees were still sixth in average attendance among all teams
when the yankees announced their new ticket policies in mid february just before pitchers and catchers reported to spring training they insisted they were fighting back against fraud print at home tickets could more easily be altered or sold multiple times they contended
still the move to ban print at home tickets was widely viewed as a broadside at stubhub a major resale market competitor of the yankees ticket exchange which ticketmaster runs for the team the yankees have long been bothered that exchanges like stubhub seatgeek and vivid seats have declined to set a floor on ticket prices which the yankees contend diminishes the tickets value
mobile tickets can essentially be locked to allow resale only through the yankees ticket exchange freezing out stubhub and eliminating the print at home option makes it more cumbersome for stubhub and others to disseminate tickets to their customers
yankees fans who use stubhub must now rely on old fashioned hard stock tickets that can either be delivered to them if bought far enough in advance or be picked up on the day of a game at a service center 10 blocks south of yankee stadium the office is tucked away off the street in the bronx terminal market parking garage and is not exactly a trek that fans want to make before heading inside the stadium
levine the team president suggested before the season that a deal to allow stubhub to deliver mobile tickets to its customers was imminent as of late last week however no agreement had been reached the team and stubhub said talks were continuing
i wish stubhub and the yankees would get along just like i wish comcast and the yankees would get along jon sterling of iselin nj said as he picked up two tickets to last mondays game at the stubhub outlet comcast and the yankees owned yes network are in a dispute over subscriber fees leaving about 900000 people unable to watch games
sterling said that he usually bought tickets through the yankees exchange but that these tickets on stubhub were too cheap to pass up   6 for a bleacher ticket that has a face value of about 25
stubhub maintained that its inventory was close to what it was last year but said that its customers were buying tickets earlier so they could avoid the hassle of picking them up at the bronx office
outside the stadium there is a steady murmur of discontent
emily hart stood near gate 4 at yankee stadium recently waiting to distribute the last of 35 tickets for a university of rochester alumni outing she had felt uneasy walking 20 blocks from her job to the stadium while carrying 1500 worth of tickets and she felt inconvenienced as she waited to hand over the final few tickets after the game had already begun
hart said she had the email address of everyone in her group so she would have been able to send each person a pdf for a print at home ticket but she did not have everyones phone number and did not think she could distribute mobile tickets
so she did it the old way handing out hard stock tickets
it feels like were back in the 90s her friend stephen keeley said
some fans said the yankees customer service representatives were helpful but there are only two windows available so on many days as the start of the game draws near the line grows to around 25 deep
what happened to punch it rip it chuck thomas said after he needed to go through the customer service line because his mobile ticket which had opened on his computer did not do so on his phone all this technology is doomed to fail
his friend nolan fleming who had been waiting somewhat impatiently told thomas i need a blue moon for my inconvenience
al flade had to wait far longer than thomas and fleming about 25 minutes after his wife and his son went through the gates with mobile tickets flades bar code could not be read so he had to go to customer service to have it regenerated
it was a distraction an inconvenience said flade who was using mobile ticketing for the first time hopefully it doesnt happen again
tom omalley wearing a yankees cap and a rivera jersey said his mobile ticketing problem was exacerbated because the tickets had been bought with his wifes credit card he had to call her from the ticket window
they need to make it more user friendly omalley said every other major pro team in new york   the nets knicks jets   all i have to do is buy a ticket print it out and walk into the stadium
when michael koffman showed up with tickets he said he had bought through ticketmaster and had mistakenly printed out at home he and a friend were sent to the customer service window where they were given two hard stock tickets his friend went into the stadium but koffmans ticket was rejected by the scanner so he had to go back to customer service
it ultimately worked but i was frustrated koffman said i didnt feel like i did anything wrong
goodrich who had trouble getting into the stadium for the game against the royals last month said a friend had invited him to the game and had forwarded him a mobile ticket via email to open it he said he had to open a ticketmaster account which required him to supply credit card and contact information
this bothered him goodrich said in a phone interview because the day after he attended the game he received a call from a yankees sales representative who wanted to sell him tickets
i find it ridiculous that i cant print tickets said goodrich an executive at an audiovisual company lets say ive got tickets and i cant go in the past id say to one of the guys at work here joe take your girlfriend to the game now ive got to transfer it some of my employees dont have credit cards
dan matwey had a little more patience than some of the yankees fans he was visiting last month from toronto and had bought tickets to see his hometown blue jays play the yankees he stood in three lines and waited 45 minutes before the problem with his mobile ticket was resolved
other than that i love new york said matwey who added with a wink that he at least had company as he stood in line its good to know im not discriminated against its not just being from canada


it started as a fairly simple proposition there were two schools on the upper west side of manhattan one overcrowded the other underused the citys education department proposed to redraw the schools attendance zone so that some blocks assigned to the crowded school would be shifted to the emptier one
but while most of the children at the crowded school public school 199 are middle class and white most of the children at the other school ps 191 are poor and black or hispanic ps 191 has much lower test scores and last year the state labeled the school persistently dangerous though many of its supporters argued that this was a mistake
the proposal became complicated as families in the blocks that would be affected objected to the change the department ultimately dropped the idea
now instead of a simple solution the department is considering a convoluted one that amounts to an educational game of musical chairs first ps 191 would move a block west taking over a building under construction that was originally intended for a new school the hope is that the move would provide a symbolic fresh start for ps 191 and that the gleaming campus would make it more appealing to the families moved there then another school on the upper west side ps 452 which shares a building with two other schools would move into ps 191s current home giving it room to grow the school that had been envisioned for the new building would not open
the appeal to the education department is clear ps 452s student population closely mirrors ps 199s and its principal david scott parker used to be an assistant principal there families moved out of ps 199 might be more open to ps 452 than to ps 191 and persuading them to go to ps 452 could be easier than getting them to take a chance on a completely new school
its always challenging to attract families to a brand new school particularly in a community that has a variety of well established schools elizabeth rose the departments deputy chancellor for operations said moving ps 452 she said would allow an existing strongly community supported school to grow she said the department was in a very early stage of assessing this as one of the possible options for moving forward
the proposal to be discussed at a zoning meeting at ps 452 on monday has already been met with a divided reaction
the principal of ps 191 lauren keville supports the idea of moving to the new building
a new school building will come with exciting new technology and expansive resources so we look forward to discussions about this opportunity she said in an email
ps 452 would move 16 blocks from 77th street to 61st street while mr parker the principal and some parents support moving since it would give the school its own building other parents say that the longer commute would deprive their children of the benefits of attending a true neighborhood school such as bumping into classmates on the playground
brian byrd said that his twins in first grade at ps 452 walked to school with their friends just as he did growing up in new jersey he said he was not sure whether he would keep them in the school if it relocated he might move his family to the upper east side
for us its almost a 20 block difference in an area that we have no connection to none whatsoever mr byrd said
some believe that the opposition is about more than just the commute ps 191s building is across the street from a public housing complex where many of its students live if ps 452 moved into that building its new attendance zone would probably include part of the complex
parents opposed to the move have had to defend themselves against the suggestion that they oppose a change to the schools demographics
the thing is i really do believe in integration i really do think every child that goes to public school deserves a good education and deserves to be safe and stable and all of those things sara roucloux a member of the parent teacher association at ps 452 said
but she said she did not understand why this little school on 77th street might be moved 16 blocks south
melissa birnbaum who has a son and a daughter at the school said of those against the idea theyre terrified what that would look like if the school were to be in that area abutting the projects
she said she supported the proposal
but scott edelstein who has two sons at ps 452 and opposes the relocation said he did not think that a high performing school could move into a poor area and not change
my limited anecdotal understanding of american society is that a school is ultimately and eventually a reflection of its community he said
who does a school belong to mr edelstein asked does a school belong to its principal does it belong to its current faculty
the only idea that makes any sense to me personally is that a school belongs to the neighborhood where it resides he said
the meeting on monday will be held by the zoning committee for the community education council of district 3 which includes the three schools the council votes on zone lines but the building moves would have to be approved by the panel for educational policy a citywide body
mr parker the principal of ps 452 said in an email while this is only the beginning of the process and no proposal was set forth we value that the doe is evaluating ways that we can serve the children of district 3


villeneuve dascq france   an early flurry of memorable goals at the european championships has been overshadowed by disturbing scenes of fan violence in multiple cities leading the police to ask for greater resources the tournaments organizers to open disciplinary proceedings and the french government on sunday to ban alcohol sales near stadiums for the duration of the event
the most disconcerting clash came late saturday in marseille in southern france when russia fans appeared to storm en masse into sections filled with england fans just after a 1 1 tie between those teams had ended but several days of violence involving both sets of fans as well as local residents and the police had preceded that melee and clashes between germany and ukraine fans were caught on video before germanys 2 0 victory sunday evening at the stade pierre mauroy just outside lille
while fan violence was not the foremost concern ahead of this tournament   fears of terrorism heightened after the paris attacks in november remain high   the ugly nature of the fighting has forced national agencies and soccer officials to scramble and there are related worries such as how some fans have managed to take firecrackers or smoke bombs into stadiums
in a statement uefa which governs european soccer expressed its disgust at the fight involving the russia and england fans and threatened that any instances of in game violence by fans would bring harsh punishments including the potential disqualification of their respective teams from the tournament
video of the fight in marseille was startling almost immediately after the final whistle a sea of fans from the russian section surged into an english section while stewards vainly tried to intervene fans at most high level soccer matches including games at the european championships are segregated by which team they support many of the russia fans were seen with shirts or scarves over their faces and others were reported to be wearing mixed martial arts style gloves it also appeared that at least one fan fired a flare gun during the fracas
some england fans confronted the onrushing fans while others tried to run away many simply tried to protect themselves or the children in the area more than 40 people were injured during the confrontation the police said with one england fan said to be in critical condition at a hospital
vitaly mutko the russian sports minister and a senior executive with fifa which oversees world soccer initially tried to play down the actions of the russian fans saying that everything is fine later however he acknowledged the gravity of the situation and said its clear that some people didnt come here to watch football theyve covered their faces and then brought shame on their country
this is not the first instance of crowd trouble involving russian fans russia was disciplined after fan disturbances at the 2012 european championships and apprehension about russian fans   who have been punished several times for violence as well as racist behavior   is particularly notable because russia is set to host the 2018 world cup
after the fight uefa said it would open an investigation to determine whether the russian soccer federation deserved blame for failing to control its fans the results of that investigation are expected to be made public tuesday
englands federation is not under investigation by uefa but its fans are not blameless the police said while uefas remit is limited to in stadium problems several england fans were arrested and many more questioned by the authorities after a series of clashes in the city center during the days and nights leading to the russia match
in some of the fights the fans faced off with law enforcement and the police used tear gas   a not uncommon technique in europe
while not as graphic video footage of fights between germany and ukraine fans on sunday was similarly jarring the atmosphere in lille ahead of the game each teams tournament opener was largely genial particularly around the stadium as kickoff approached but a nasty frantic confrontation on the streets of the city continued a trend that has also included more minor episodes in nice which involved local fans and fans of northern ireland and poland and in paris which involved fans of turkey and croatia
the fighting has dimmed the beginning stages of a tournament that french officials had hoped would be solely about brilliant soccer frances late goal and thrilling victory in the tournament opener at the stade de france on friday was quickly marred by saturdays events in marseille and frances interior minister said sunday that bans on alcohol near stadiums and fan zones would be enacted
the minister bernard cazeneuve called on the local police to expel all foreign supporters whose behavior disturbs public order and said the fighting in marseille was unacceptable for the authorities unacceptable for society unacceptable for football lovers
the scrutiny on fan violence and security does not figure to ease anytime soon even as the players have done their best to provide memorable moments including gareth bales free kick goal for wales luka modrics stunning volley for croatia and here on sunday bastian schweinsteigers cool finish in stoppage time
excellent as those goals were the larger focus will now very likely shift to northern france with both russia and england fans on the move england is set to play wales on thursday in lens a city of about 30000 that had already instituted strict restrictions on alcohol consumption because of its small size and the expected influx of visitors
given the relative paucity of hotels in the area many england fans are expected to stay in lille   a bigger city about 25 miles away that could be troublesome however because of the schedule
russia is set to play slovakia near lille on wednesday night


london   perhaps it is all the tourists   186 million international visitors to london last year a record perhaps it is the gradual europeanization of britain and perhaps it is just something to do with the blocked traffic on these ancient streets and all the diesel fumes in the air
cars still drive on the left and signs still instruct you to walk on the left but these days on the sidewalks staircases and escalators chaos reigns walking anywhere in london or navigating the subway during rush hour means having to make a mad dodging aggressive dance against an oncoming tide of people many of whom seem oblivious to britains long tradition of walking on the left and that is not counting those engrossed in their smartphones or blocking the exits while consulting google maps
the answer to traffic of course should be the subway or the underground but the system is chronically overcrowded and annual ridership already at 134 billion has been increasing nearly 4 percent a year
it has been rising so much that at holborn station one of londons busiest and deepest with more than 56 million passengers a year and escalators 234 meters or 77 feet tall there is an experiment to encourage people at rush hour to stand side by side on the escalators going up and merely ride them
the science is simple fill the available space on the escalators with people rather than leaving the left side of each step largely empty except for the few who choose to march up the metal mountain
the london underground has concluded that in stations with escalators more than 185 meters or about 61 feet tall much of the left side of the escalators goes unused causing blockages and lines queues at the bottom
a three week trial at holborn last year found that standing on both sides of the escalator reduced congestion about 30 percent during rush hour about 16220 people could travel on the escalators compared with 12745 in normal conditions
so a six month trial began at holborn in april it seems to be working better said kieron racher a member of the special requirements team for the london underground were slowly changing peoples minds
mark evers the customer strategy director for the london underground said results had been mixed as we expected at this stage with customer use increasing so fast and given the depth of holborn it made sense to try the experiment during the morning and evening rush hours he said when the station is particularly hellish
holborn station opened in 1906 serves a busy commercial and academic part of london near the british museum the london school of economics and bloomsbury square and two major lines the piccadilly and the central pass through it
during many evening rush hours staff members limit the number of people who can enter the station or they shut it entirely for up to 10 minutes at a time because the escalators and platforms are packed
peter mcnaught the operations director for the london underground expressed optimism about the escalator experiment we hope this can lead to improving congestion at holborn making journeys easier for all our customers he said
of course not everyone is happy some like andrew hossack are in a hurry to get to work a lot of people walk he said its about time isnt it
some like beth forrester like climbing for the exercise i always walk she said i always get my steps in
andrew brenner said he had stood that day but normally i walk because it seems so stupid just to stand there
martin dearden said he normally stood there are so many people he said i suppose in the end it does get more people out faster
the behavioral science department at the london school of economics has developed different messages to encourage travelers to stand
screens at the bottom of the escalators show a looped video of a neatly uniformed woman from the staff advising people to stand on both sides there are signs on the floors painted footsteps on both sides of the escalator stairs electronic versions of triangular stand on the right signs and of course station announcements that are difficult to hear through an inadequate loudspeaker system
but the underground has also cleverly left a third escalator   on the far left of course   for anyone to ride or climb as he or she pleases so in some sense it is stepping heaven without any official hectoring
if holborn is a nightmare victoria station is arguably worse because it is undergoing a long reconstruction project to deal better with increased traffic and work more efficiently with the hugely busy railway and bus station there
given the building work together with major construction projects nearby in an area that is being quickly built up the walkways near the station are temporary and narrow with uneven surfaces and lined with painted plywood
they are made narrower still by pillars homeless people and puzzled tourists since these pathways do not typically show up on smartphones and can be disorienting
so at normal times they are difficult and during rush hour they are a terrible obstacle course made much worse of course by the breakdown of the traditional british habit of walking on the left
instead bodies fill all available space especially as people wait at crosswalks or peer around to see if they can walk against the light and then come at you like a roman phalanx with shoulder and shopping bags instead of shields
and of course in this land of magna carta some think it is their right as freeborn english men and women to do whatever they please without brussels or the london underground telling them what to do


los angeles   corporate media giants always want whats cool and edgy until whats cool and edgy threatens the status quo that keeps the billions flooding in
the comedian bill maher was the textbook case for the bygone era of the 100 channel universe after abc bought his hit show politically incorrect away from comedy central
just after the sept 11 terrorist attacks mr maher said that it was wrong to refer to the hijackers as cowards and that the united states was more cowardly for its strategy of going after enemies with cruise missiles from afar
the white house denounced him advertisers and affiliates flipped out and a few months later abc cut him loose hbo swept in to give him a commercial free home where he continues to joke inform and offend to this day
i headed west last week to investigate what looked to me like a modern day version of the maher tale involving something more powerful than the white house the national football league
in this case our protagonist bill simmons is not a bitingly funny comedian but a bitingly influential sportswriter and commentator who for 14 years was one of espns biggest stars
espn which spends some 19 billion a year for nfl rights let mr simmons go last year after he repeatedly and colorfully criticized roger goodell the nfl commissioner over his handling of two embarrassing scandals   the new england patriots alleged cheating case known as deflategate and the leagues lackluster domestic violence investigation of the baltimore ravens running back ray rice
once again hbo swept in giving mr simmons a new talk show about sports and pop culture called any given wednesday that makes its debut on june 22 and this month mr simmons introduced his new multimedia company the ringer whose main site is inspired by the well regarded sports and pop culture hub he founded at espn grantland and features much of its main editorial team
mr mahers story was about governments potential to chill free speech during war and the redemptive power of television when it is freed from advertising pressures
mr simmonss situation is a bit more complicated especially when you take espns version of it into account which ill get to
but it does raise questions about how media conglomerates that rely on the nfl for ratings and revenue handle criticism of the league as it faces deepening concerns about its culture and the health of its players yet mr simmonss story also offers hope that firebrands like him can find ways to operate independently at this opportune time in media
when i visited mr simmons in his suite at the sunset gower studios last week he was excited for his fresh start but still a little raw about espn he had just issued a public apology to his old colleagues there for his quote in the hollywood reporter asking who would work there that you respect right now
i read it and i was like oh i dont feel that way i wish i hadnt said that mr simmons said the incident played into criticism from espn executives that mr simmons can be petulant and disrespectful of rival colleagues
yet it was also in keeping with the say anything style that espn hired him for
mr simmons 46 came to espn from aols boston digital city site where he wrote a column called bostons sports guy in that job he could not get press passes he said because it was the internet they were like what no so he set out to write about sports the way he was watching them on the tube and in the brutally honest and sometimes off color language of the sports bar   as an outsider
it meant breaking from tradition with contemporary pop culture references if a scene from 90210 came to mind hed say so praise for players he loved contempt for owners players and commissioners he didnt espn first noticed him after he eviscerated the companys own sports awards program the espys which he called a tv holocaust
over all it was a fruitful relationship that earned him accolades and made him millions he starred on nba countdown helped to create the successful espn documentary series 30 for 30 and founded grantland which earned three national magazine award nominations in 2015 his podcast the bs report was espns most popular
yet mr simmonss web bred feral side often broke glass inside espn which blanched at some of his stunts   a porn star in his fantasy basketball league   and twice banned him from using twitter after he wrote posts criticizing colleagues
things started falling apart after mr simmons called mr goodell a liar for saying the league had not known what was contained in a damning video of mr rice punching his fiancee unconscious when it initially handed mr rice a light two game suspension the tape had been leaked to tmz mr simmons followed that by daring espn to call me and say im in trouble his three week suspension followed
mr simmons says he now regrets the dare but he said he was just fulfilling his role as a disrupter if an imperfect one that was what he planned to tell disneys chief executive robert a iger   a proponent of disruption   when he went to mr igers office several months after his suspension
mr simmons did not get to make his point he was like you know when you go after roger its really hard for us we want you to do it respectfully mr simmons said of mr igers counsel and i was like i think thats fair i can be relentless on him but ive got to do it respectfully
respectfully is not what came to mind when a few weeks later mr simmons questioned mr goodells testicular fortitude in his handling of deflategate the next day espns president john skipper announced that mr simmons contract would not be renewed
mr simmons says he wonders if something else was at play a few months after his ouster mr iger emerged as a champion of a proposed new stadium near los angeles that would have been shared by the san diego chargers and a relocated oakland raiders team   with an option to buy a stake in either team one of my working theories was maybe this was driven by iger because he wants a team
disney declined to comment but when i reached out to espn for a response mr skipper sent me this
bill would rather spin conspiracy theories and be perceived as a martyr than take responsibility for his own actions let me be unequivocal and clear and take responsibility for my actions i alone made the decision and it had nothing to do with his comments about the commissioner i severed our relationship with bill because of his repeated lack of respect for this company and more importantly the people who work here
the network which has beefed up its investigative reporting staff in recent years also disputed any notion that it goes easy on the nfl sending me citations for some 70 critical items about the league and the outside the lines investigation of the rice case by don van natta jr and kevin van valkenburg which influenced mr simmons by describing a pattern of misinformation and misdirection at the league was as tough as they come
that work is definitely worth noting but so is espns decision in 2013 to withdraw from a hard charging documentary with frontline about the nfls concussion crisis under pressure from the league as my colleagues james andrew miller and ken belson reported then espn denied it was buckling to the nfl
surely when a large part of your business rests with the most powerful sports league in the country youre probably going to watch your ps and qs
mr simmons said he came up against this when he was seeking new partners and met with showtimes president david nevins and mr nevinss boss the cbs chairman les moonves i really liked moonves and he was totally honest mr simmons said he was just like you know this is my biggest partner   meaning the nfl i cant figure out how we would make this work
cbs had no comment one presumes neither mr moonves nor mr iger would ask their news divisions to stand down from real nfl reporting and espn says it keeps a church and state wall between business and journalism but wheres the line between being respectful and being overly sparing with necessary criticism
the question is important given the current national discussion about football and concussions that conversation is taking place in a media environment in which the nfl is that rare content producer that can deliver huge audiences for live programming where the power of the 30 second ad endures
expelled from the monolith mr simmons is undergoing recovery in a media market hungry for fresh programming im a proven content maker at a time when its great to be that he said
mr simmons says he will cover a range of topics including football when he joins the same program lineup as mr maher on hbo   a network with no commercials no boundaries and no slate of nfl games


heather dietrick gawker medias president and general counsel has always been close to her 90 year old grandfather a prisoner of war during world war ii who she said has taught me a lot about fielding a lot of situations
she still wears his vocational high school class ring from 1943 as a reminder that people can get through anything if they are resilient
its the kind of inspiration that has helped ms dietrick make it through the last 11 months at gawker these have been tumultuous times perhaps never more so than last friday at noon at the companys manhattan offices
after taking a few moments to collect her thoughts ms dietrick joined nick denton gawkers founder and chief executive at a companywide meeting there they told some 200 employees that gawker facing a 140 million judgment from a lawsuit by the retired wrestler hulk hogan had filed for bankruptcy and was putting itself up for sale
as she stood beside mr denton and delivered the news ms dietrick said in an interview over the weekend she looked at her audience i could tell there was initial shock seeing everyone and looking them in the eyes
ms dietrick and mr denton spent much of the 90 minute meeting answering questions and assuring the employees that the company planned to continue its operations during its bankruptcy as has recently become customary ms dietrick did most of the talking
since joining gawker three years ago ms dietrick 35 has become the main source of support during a chaotic time for the company most general counsels work in obscurity but ms dietrick with the added responsibilities of president has taken on more of a leadership role at gawker as mr denton has pulled back from the day to day operations
throughout the hulk hogan case she has been the bridge between the newsroom and gawkers legal proceedings she manages much of the companys editorial operations and has a formal role in editorial decision making and though mr denton is still arguably the public face of gawker she has been called on repeatedly to represent the company during periods of turmoil
the place would not run without heather mr denton said in a recent interview shes the person that holds everything together
in the last year ms dietrick who has both a law degree and an mba from the university of michigan has had to try to steer the company through one crisis after another
last month the silicon valley billionaire peter thiel acknowledged in an interview with the new york times that he was financially supporting the hogan lawsuit and other legal cases against the company that put gawker at the center of a first amendment battle that has captivated the media world while highlighting a deepening chasm between an ascendant technology industry and a journalism business buffeted by financial challenges
in the interview on saturday ms dietrick said that gawker began seriously considering filing for bankruptcy once mr thiels involvement in the hogan case became known
the pivotal moment came on friday at around 11 am after a hearing in which a florida judge affirmed the 140 million judgment in the hogan case and granted gawkers request for a stay but under conditions that the company found too onerous ms dietrick said the conditions included allowing hulk hogan whose real name is terry g bollea to get liens on the companys assets
gawker had considered the option of filing for bankruptcy within a few days ms dietrick said but as its lawyers in florida provided updates on the hearing by phone she and mr denton decided the company could not wait any longer because they feared it would be unable to continue to operate otherwise
the timeline was pushed forward a little more quickly than we expected ms dietrick said on saturday as of yesterday it was inevitable that we were going to go through with the sale the company still plans to appeal the judgment
gawker has had its fair share of detractors and on twitter and in comments in news articles some cheered the companys fate ms dietrick said any suggestion that gawker got what it deserved was absurd she said that the company had certainly overstepped the line a couple of times but that it was proud of nearly all of the stories it had done over the years
ms dietrick said she was committed to staying at gawker but acknowledged that its future was uncertain
the company said on friday that it would conduct a sale through an auction and expected to close a deal by the end of the summer ziff davis a digital media company has submitted an opening bid in the range of 90 million to 100 million
it was not clear whether a buyer would want all of gawkers sites and it is possible that mr denton might consider buying back gawkercom at some point
nearly everyone who works with ms dietrick who was in hearsts legal department before coming to gawker in may 2013 describes her as nice but that belies her steeliness in difficult situations they also say she has brought a sense of professionalism and diplomacy that helps balance gawkers notoriously freewheeling spirit
she has built up a team of four lawyers including herself who handle vetting contracts licensing deals and most of the companys other legal matters and she has gained the trust of editorial staff members who view her more as a partner than an adversary women at gawker say they see her as an advocate at a company that has been criticized in the past for how it treats female employees
she often works on her laptop on a couch in the lounge area near the editorial team and goes out for drinks with employees on friday evening she invited staff members to a rooftop gathering at her apartment building in the west village where she lives with her husband people ordered pizzas and drank beer
ms dietrick firmly believes in gawkers approach to news current and former employees say she is a staunch defender of the first amendment and would rather figure out a way to tell a story than prevent it from running
she believes in what we do as much if not more than i do said john cook gawker medias executive editor
last july gawker published an article claiming that a married male media executive had sought to hire a gay escort the article drew a firestorm of criticism and there was considerable debate at the company about whether to remove the post mr denton ultimately decided to take it down after a vote that he said showed that the companys management including ms dietrick was largely in favor of doing so
but ms dietrick maintained that she wanted to keep it online and that her stance was misconstrued i knew the world was going to have a discussion about it she said i think its hard to talk about things once theyve been disappeared
some colleagues suggest that her numerous roles may have stretched her too thin she actually has more jobs than one human should probably have said hamilton nolan a writer who has worked at gawker for eight years
some in the media legal community question whether it makes sense for ms dietrick to hold general counsel and president roles acting as both executive and lawyer they say can complicate attorney client privilege
ms dietrick said she did not think her dual role was that odd but acknowledged that the last year had been tough i feel like my job has been removing roadblocks she said
for all of the challenges however it is largely because of her roles at gawker that ms dietrick is now enjoying much more prominence than most general counsels ever do
if i were her i wouldnt be unhappy being in her position said sandra s baron a first amendment media lawyer and a former executive director of the media law resource center theres nothing humdrum about what shes doing now


oakland calif   the golden state warriors were practicing sunday when they learned that one of their most important pieces would be absent from game 5 of the nba finals on monday
coach steve kerr approached draymond green the teams do everything forward and told him that he had been suspended
hes disappointed kerr said
the nba announced sunday that the league had retroactively assessed green with a flagrant 1 foul for striking the cleveland cavaliers lebron james in the groin in the fourth quarter of the warriors 108 97 game 4 victory on friday triggering an automatic one game suspension per league rules
a flagrant 1 foul is less severe than a flagrant 2 which results in an automatic ejection however four flagrant foul points in the postseason two points for a flagrant 2 one point for a flagrant 1 result in a suspension green who has had trouble keeping his appendages to himself in recent weeks already had three
it was a seismic decision by the nba with the warriors heading into game 5 at oracle arena with a three games to one lead in the best of seven series and an opportunity to clinch their second straight championship greens value to the team is difficult to overstate in the finals green is averaging 148 points 93 rebounds and 58 assists while playing more than 38 minutes a game without him the warriors will need to find solutions by committee green did not address the news media
we know its going to kill him not being there shooting guard klay thompson said but were going to go out there and do it as a team and win for him
the warriors sounded edgy about the situation andrew bogut the teams starting center said he had no doubt that the cavaliers had lobbied for greens suspension bogut also described the nbas disciplinary system as one without rhyme or reason and compared it to the leagues draft lottery process
pull out a ping pong ball and make a decision bogut said they made a decision which was an interesting one
on friday after james pushed green to the court late in the fourth quarter and tried to step over him green retaliated by swiping at james and making contact with his groin after the game james said he was not cool with some things that green had said to him green in turn took offense to the way james had stepped over him
on sunday kiki vandeweghe the nbas executive vice president for basketball operations said in a statement that while greens actions in green 4 did not merit a suspension as a stand alone act he was deserving of a flagrant foul it was an accumulation of offenses that resulted in the one game suspension
the series   already physical   has reached a heightened state after sundays practice thompson basically accused james of being a crybaby
i guess his feelings just got hurt thompson said adding guys talk trash in this league all the time im just kind of shocked some guys take it so personal i mean its a mans league and ive heard a lot of bad things on that court but at the end of the day it stays on the court
when james was informed of thompsons comments he asked a reporter to repeat them then he laughed
oh my goodness james said its so hard to take the high road ive been doing it for 13 years its so hard to continue to do it and im going to do it again
green has always had a tendency to treat games like high wire acts consider his well publicized blowup inside the warriors locker room at halftime of a game against the oklahoma city thunder in february his volatility can fuel his play and that of his teammates the warriors wound up winning that game against oklahoma city but he also risks becoming a distraction
we thrive off of draymonds competitiveness and his edge kerr said and its been very important for us this year and maybe that same quality has led him to this point   just his competitiveness and his passion and thats all part of it
bogut said that green had to play with emotion otherwise he would not be nearly as effective so the warriors accept the pros while bracing for any potential cons
against portland in the conference semifinals green was borderline obsessed with psychological games after guaranteeing one win he declared that the trail blazers playoff chances were dead before the series was over his fondness for the dramatic arts bled onto the court where he swung his arms in reaction to a call and made inadvertent contact with the official ken mauer who had to seek treatment for a cut to his hand
greens fire worked out against the trail blazers because he produced averaging 222 points 112 rebounds and 74 assists over the course of the series as the warriors advanced
against the thunder in the conference finals green kicked steven adams in the groin in game 3 drawing a flagrant 2 foul and tripped enes kanter in game 4 the league did not penalize green for the latter offense and perhaps he was fortunate
but all the outside noise appeared to affect him in games 3 and 4 against the thunder green scored a total of 12 points while shooting 2 of 16 from the field
now with the warriors on the cusp of a championship they will need to find a way to cope with his absence
we know we have the personnel and the depth to come out and get a win and thats all that really matters stephen curry said it honestly doesnt matter what we think about what he did or didnt do the situation is what it is and weve got to win


 our complete coverage of the tony awards 
 and our live blog of the tony awards 
these are the winners of the 70th annual tony awards
musical hamilton
play the humans
musical revival the color purple
play revival a view from the bridge
actor play frank langella the father
actress play jessica lange long days journey into night
actor musical leslie odom jr hamilton
actress musical cynthia erivo the color purple
book musical hamilton lin manuel miranda
original score hamilton music and lyrics lin manuel miranda
featured actor play reed birney the humans
featured actress play jayne houdyshell the humans
featured actor musical daveed diggs hamilton
featured actress musical renee elise goldsberry hamilton
scenic design play david zinn the humans
scenic design musical david rockwell she loves me
costume design play clint ramos eclipsed
costume design musical paul tazewell hamilton
lighting design play natasha katz long days journey into night
lighting design musical howell binkley hamilton
direction play ivo van hove a view from the bridge
direction musical thomas kail hamilton
choreography andy blankenbuehler hamilton
orchestrations alex lacamoire hamilton
special tony award for lifetime achievement in the theater sheldon harnick and marshall w mason
isabelle stevenson tony award brian stokes mitchell
regional theater tony award paper mill playhouse millburn nj
special tony award national endowment for the arts and miles wilkin
tony honors for excellence in the theater seth gelblum
joan lader
sally ann parsons


standing before a crowded room of entrepreneurs and investors at a conference in san francisco last summer former vice president al gore described how climate change could be contained possibly even reversed
next to take the stage was kevin mandia the founder of mandiant a security company acquired by another security company called fireeye who said nothing could be done to stop hackers from conducting digital attacks
the juxtaposition did not sit well with oren falkowitz a former analyst at the national security agency i thought really we can solve global warming but we cant stop cyberattacks mr falkowitz recalled he didnt buy it
for the last two years mr falkowitzs start up area 1 security has been trying to persuade the owners and operators of computer servers that have been compromised by state spies criminals and hacktivists to allow the company to tap into those servers to monitor the attackers activities
those servers have given the area 1 team a much clearer picture of who is being targeted and what tools and websites attackers are using and the security company has started to block attackers heading them off days or even months before they hit their targets
its a new tack in an industry that in recent years has appeared less confident that it can block digital attacks most security start ups seeking funding today have resigned themselves to the inevitability of a breach and are focused more on identifying an attack as it plays out and praying that they can respond before the perpetrator makes off with something important
its as if everyone in the cybersecurity industry forgot that customers pay them to keep from being hacked in the first place
mr falkowitz and his co founders blake darche and phil syme think they have found a new way to turn attackers tools against them
for as long as there have been cyberattacks hackers have relied on a vast network of compromised servers around the globe to funnel their malicious code search out targets and steal data by watching what happens on those compromised servers at dentists offices farms welding shops and tech companies area 1 believes it has secured a unique vantage point for monitoring and even blocking attacks
area 1s technology addresses one of the most pernicious digital threats so called spear phishing attacks which bait unsuspecting workers into clicking on links in emails and unknowingly giving attackers a toehold in their employers systems
phishing attacks have become an epidemic to date more than 90 percent of breaches have begun with a phishing attack according to verizon
intelligence experts say that phishing attacks are the preferred method of chinese hackers who have managed to steal things as varied as nuclear propulsion technology and silicon valleys most guarded software code
oren does not take it as writ law that we have to live that way and he wanted to do something about it said ted schlein a venture capitalist at kleiner perkins caufield  byers which has invested in area 1
if we could look every company in the eye and say we can stop your phishing attacks mr schlein said then oren could look kevin mandia in the eye and say thanks for the inspiration but youre wrong
one of the biggest challenges in combating phishing attacks has been a lack of information sharing among victims security firms and law enforcement victims are reluctant to publicize security breaches potentially keeping competitors from heading off similar attacks
and the role of the government in sharing threat data has been constrained since the former intelligence contractor edward j snowden leaked documents revealing the scale of government monitoring the obama administration has been pushing to collect and share more threat data with the private sector but few companies want to share any more data with the government than they are compelled to by law
intelligence agencies say the lack of information sharing works to attackers advantage
we are in a very complex digital world thats only going to get more complex as innovation presents challenges we havent even anticipated said daniel ennis former director of the threat operations center at the nsa people have incredible expectations of the government to keep them safe online
my concern is that the bad guys are going to out innovate us he added the only way were going to out innovate them is a partnership between the government the private sector the victims and academia
until that happens area 1 may have found a way to circumnavigate the politics by recruiting the owners of those compromised servers around the globe
cyber is perceived as this matrix like structure but people forget that its also physical in nature mr falkowitz said the players are not just the attackers and the victim theres an entire underbelly of the web that has been subverted
area 1 discovers on average 859 new targeting phishing sites a day now it can use its unusual vantage point to help its customers stave off attacks
it is still early days but area 1 aims to eventually end phishing attacks altogether mr falkowitz said we just went to mars and found water and people are saying we cant solve this


wing nd   the wagner family farmstead in central north dakota could have been lifted from a grant wood painting bales of hay rest on a gently sloping hill cattle graze near a bright blue pond green tendrils of durum and sunflowers peek out of the dirt
the wagners fear that all of this could someday be under threat from big impersonal corporations it is a concern that is expected to drive them and other north dakotans to the polls on tuesday to vote on a referendum that would make it possible for companies to buy up farms like theirs
starting in 1932 north dakota law barred nonfamily corporations from owning farmland or operating farms but that changed in march of last year when the state legislature passed a bill that would relax the corporate farming ban and gov jack dalrymple signed it into law
citizens protested the new law with the states farmers union at the forefront which led to the referendum that voters will face on tuesday the law was set to take effect last august but its fate rests on the outcome of the referendum
a vote for the measure would uphold the new law which allows domestic corporations and limited liability companies to own and to operate dairy farms and swine production facilities on land that is no larger than 640 acres or one square mile a vote against the measure would repeal the new legislation and restore the law that had governed farm and dairy operations in the state for more than eight decades
while the debate is very much focused on maintaining the character of north dakota it also taps into widespread fears about the disappearance of family farms throughout the united states and the spread of big corporations and their farming methods into rural america
people like the wagners who support the earlier law   one of the strictest in the country   say that it protects the environment and family farmers like them
with corporate farming they just dont have the connections said laurie wagner whose husbands grandparents started the farm in the 1930s as she walked around the property on thursday they could buy up all the land and it means nothing to them they could make it impossible for people like us to compete
the issue has sharply divided north dakotans on rural roads outside bismarck the capital some fields and front yards are decorated with bright green signs declaring no to corporate farming many people are suspicious of big business and eager to preserve the states long heritage of family owned farms
agriculture remains north dakotas dominant industry with close to 30000 family operated farms and ranches in 2012 north dakota became the first state to enshrine the right to farm in its constitution
i think small towns and rural communities are at stake said state representative kenton onstad a democrat and the minority leader i think the values of north dakota are going to be given up and slowly erode
but those who support the ballot measure say that opponents are acting out of nostalgia and emotion they argue that the farming and ranching business in north dakota needs to evolve to stay competitive dairies and hog farms have declined in recent years prompting many people to argue that the industries could use a boost
we have this picture in our head of the hollywood farm with the dairy cows a couple of pigs a couple of chickens said katie heger a family farmer who favors allowing corporate farming there are very few farms that are like that farming and ranching is a business so if were looking at sustaining agriculture in the state of north dakota we need to look at how we can build business
during last years debate governor dalrymple a republican said that he hoped changes to the farming law would encourage economic growth in the struggling dairy and swine industries and he promised that the new legislation included safeguards to protect north dakotas family farms
the bill includes strict limits on the use of the business structure and we do not consider it a threat to the farm sector of north dakota as we know it he said at the time
the north dakota farmers union which opposed the bill responded by gathering more than 20000 signatures to force the measure onto the statewide ballot
the union has spent heavily on mailers and television ads in recent weeks and recruited more than 1000 volunteers to make phone calls and knock on doors to drum up support
mark watne the groups president said he believed that if the legislation went into effect it could open the door to consolidation and the possibility that smaller farms could go out of business
family farmers he said have an incentive to train the next generation while corporations could choose profits over longevity
we simply do not believe in our communities that the ownership of land in the hands of a corporate structure is in the interest of long term agricultural production mr watne said
state senator terry m wanzek a farmer and rancher who sponsored the bill last year said that opponents are driven by unwarranted fears of big business
they think monsanto or walmart is going to come in and own everything mr wanzek said i dont see this as some big bad bogeyman whos going to come in and take over the farm if i felt in any way that it was going to threaten our heritage or our way of life on the farm to any great extent i never would have supported it
some have argued that allowing family farmers to incorporate could give them more access to outside capital and investors for expansion like other businesses in the state under corporate structure
the disadvantage with north dakotas law is that you cant have any other partners once youve incorporated except for a very direct relative said state senator joe miller the chairman of the agriculture committee and a sponsor of the bill youre hamstringing neighbors to be able to come together or outside investment partners maybe a friend who lives in california who wants to invest theres all kinds of different opportunities that one could explore and thats completely off the table right now
the north dakota farm bureau a lobbying organization that has farmer members has adopted an alternative tactic in case the new law is defeated that takes aim at the 1932 law banning corporate farming earlier this month it filed a federal lawsuit seeking to overturn the law arguing that it is discriminatory and unconstitutional
the laws of our state as they stand today are forcing north dakotas farm families to make business management decisions that other businesses are not being forced to make daryl lies the president of the farm bureau said in a statement
david m saxowsky a professor of agriculture at north dakota state university said that the debate speaks to a culture in north dakota that places a heavy value on farmland
were very proud of our resources we think that our land is attractive to investors and we are very proud of our desire to be the business owner he said and for those reasons we want to provide an environment in which smaller businesses owned by families can succeed
governor dalrymple declined to be interviewed in an emailed statement he said its good that this will be decided by the people of north dakota


minneapolis   on a recent episode of his late night show stephen colbert poured himself a bowl of lucky charms cereal and then doused it in baileys irish cream jokingly referring to the concoction as an irish continental breakfast
then mr colberts first guest tom hanks demanded his own bowl sarcastically noting that it was not exactly the breakfast of champions a reference to the decades old slogan for wheaties
the sequence delighted officials and employees at general mills which makes both lucky charms and wheaties among other products
it was organic said bridget christenson communications manager for general mills noting that the company has no commercial arrangement with mr colbert or his show
the gag recalled mid 20th century radio and television advertising when companies like general mills owned or sponsored programs as vehicles to pitch their products often the shows stars did the pitching when gracie allen struggled to bake a cake on the george burns and gracie allen show in the 1950s an actress playing betty crocker stopped by to help the lone ranger endorsed cheerios which sponsored that tv show from 1949 to 1957 and children were encouraged to send away for promotional products like toy guns and miniature cowboys and indians
it also illustrated how deeply many of general mills products   and even some of its marketing slogans   have become ingrained in pop culture consciousness
to me a great brand is a story told well and a lot of general mills portfolio has done just that said dean crutchfield a branding expert in new york
their products have given a lot of children joy he said were engaged in the product he added and have allowed them to become part of our lives thats been the tremendous effect of general mills right across its portfolio
by 1980 general mills had accumulated so much brand memorabilia that the company established an archive at its headquarters in golden valley minn the archive grew with the 2001 purchase of pillsbury a minneapolis milling rival with its own rich marketing history several years ago general mills moved the archive to a former pillsbury building in minneapolis near the mississippi river not far from the site of its first flour mill
the archive which is closed to the public houses thousands of artifacts in about 3000 square feet of temperature  and humidity controlled space in honor of the companys 150th anniversary general mills made selected items from the archive available to members of the news media
among the photos packaging and promotional items are an early rendering of the character betty crocker who was created in 1921 to answer consumers baking questions cookbooks from the 1880s when general mills was known as the washburn crosby company some of the first clay animation models of poppin fresh the pillsbury doughboy and a box of cheerioats the original name of cheerios the name was changed in 1945 to settle a trademark lawsuit
ive been here 20 months said the corporate archivist jessica faucher its hard to memorize 150 years of history
ms faucher said consumers and longtime employees had contributed some items to the collection and archivists had discovered others on ebay three shelves contain two copies of virtually every printing of the betty crocker cookbook since 1950 the book is known as big red for the originals color and thickness
one item not in the collection the gold medal that gold medal flour is named for won at the first millers international exhibition in 1880 washburn crosby swept all three medals in the contest but the gold and bronze ones disappeared in the 1890s the silver medal remains in the archive
the legend goes that a couple of executives checked them out took them to an international exhibition and they never came back said thomas forsythe chief communications officer for general mills who also oversees the archive im convinced the gold medal is in someones attic or someones jewelry box somebody is going to see it say whats that and contact us
many artifacts illustrate how marketing and advertising have evolved wheaties made its debut as washburns gold medal whole wheat flakes in 1922 only to be renamed two years later in a companywide contest
washburn crosby hired a quartet to sing an early commercial jingle have you tried wheaties live on the companys radio station wcco in 1926 the call letters stand for washburn crosby company so called wheaties quartets were hired later in other cities in 1934 lou gehrig was the first athlete featured on a wheaties box   though he appeared on the back
through its sponsorship of radio programs like the betty crocker cooking school of the air and one of the earliest soap operas betty and bob general mills introduced its products from coast to coast programs often began on wcco before being syndicated nationally mr forsythe said
the betty crocker program ran on the radio for 27 years before moving to television where the actress adelaide hawley played betty it was ms hawley who offered ms allen a hand in the kitchen general mills later sponsored cartoons notably rocky and his friends and the bullwinkle show from 1959 to 1964 in a nod to the companys roots rocky and bullwinkle lived in the fictitious frostbite falls minn
you and i watch tv and every 15 minutes were assaulted with commercials said mary zalla an executive at landor associates a branding and design firm in cincinnati do you ever associate those brands with the show youre watching you dont its just an interruption before those brands were so closely tied with the tv shows and the talent surrounding them that it gave those brands an incredible start
decades later many still endure tacked to a bulletin board near ms fauchers desk is a testament to the lasting impact of the most iconic general mills character it is a life insurance solicitation addressed to mrs b crocker


albany   for skeptics of the chronically criticized members of the new york state legislature the 2016 legislative session has often seemed in danger of becoming what some albany watchdogs used to call a seinfeld session   all about nothing
bills on big issues like ethics climate change and the tax break and development program known as 421 a have languished while chronic wish list entries like the dream act a tuition aid program for undocumented immigrants popular with democrats and disliked by republicans have also foundered
of course optimists   and gov andrew m cuomos administration   will point to accomplishments announced at the budget deadline in late march which included passing a multipronged 15 minimum wage law or 1250 by 2021 in upstate areas a paid family leave law and a middle class tax cut for families earning less than 300000 and as is usually the way in albany the looming deadline of the end of session   on thursday with just three days left on the schedule   will likely result in a flurry of long nights
here is a rundown of some of the possible last minute additions to the inevitable end of session news release from the governors office and legislative leaders
heroin one of the few issues on which the three men in a room   the governor the speaker of the assembly and the senate majority leader   can agree is a pressing need for action on the rising tide of drug addicted new yorkers a crisis fed by prescription drugs and even cheaper easier to get heroin after a meeting in the executive chamber on thursday john j flanagan the long island republican who leads that partys majority in the senate was expansive on the issue saying that this is something everybody cares deeply about including the gentleman we just left the governor
indeed shortly after mr flanagan spoke mr cuomo a democrat issued the findings of a task force on the drug with more than two dozen recommendations   including changes to insurance rules limits on opiate prescriptions and an increase in treatment beds   which will most likely be reflected in legislation republicans note that their own task force which dates from 2014 has already advanced nearly a dozen bills on opioids that have become law clearly the republicans said on thursday we have been at the forefront
breast cancer the governors connection to this issue is personal his longtime girlfriend sandra lee was found to have breast cancer and underwent a double mastectomy last year mr cuomo has pushed for more screening and used it as a final emotional anecdote during his state of the state address in january since then he has repeatedly mentioned it when questioned about his end of the session priorities and on sunday announced a deal with mr flanagan and carl e heastie the bronx democrat who leads the assembly to ease access to mammograms and other means of detection
mayoral control if ever there was an issue that seemingly exposed deeper political schisms in albany the control of new york citys schools is it mayor bill de blasio a democrat has repeatedly sought multiple year deals from lawmakers in albany only to be summarily rejected by mr flanagan who meted out a single year last session and seems intent on doing the same this year mr flanagans reluctance to sign off on a multiple year deal comes despite the governors advocacy of a three year deal and the democratic led assemblys willingness to do the same
fantasy sports fans of hand to hand combat got a big victory this year when the legislature and mr cuomo legalized mixed marital arts now it seems that fans of imaginary online head to head battles may also prevail as legislative leaders seem close to a deal on making daily fantasy sports legal in the state after new yorks attorney general eric t schneiderman effectively tackled the industry last fall mr cuomo however must still weigh in though the heavily advertised sites seem likely to get back in business in new york
ride hailing apps the start ups that revolutionized cab and livery car service in new york city   uber and lyft   have not yet been able to spread their app based transportation across the state because of laws that prevent the companies from buying group insurance for their drivers there are competing bills in the senate and the assembly to allow such insurance but details over the minimums required have been gumming up negotiations as with most issues conversations between parties were continuing over the weekend though it is not yet clear if there will be a deal that the companies   which have pushed hard to expand   can abide
ethics every year seems to be the year for real ethics reform in albany until of course it is not that said 2016 was not just any year it was closely preceded by the federal corruption convictions of two legislative leaders the former senate majority leader dean g skelos a long island republican and sheldon silver a manhattan democrat and longtime speaker of the assembly both men were sentenced to substantial prison terms even as the session dragged on but even that failed to produce a push for sweeping ethics laws
the lone point of agreement   until a new push from the governor last week   seemed to be bills to strip convicted lawmakers of their pensions though even that has failed to pass both houses the governors idea for more disclosure on outside groups seems to have some chance of becoming law and common ground on pensions might still be found too
but the bigger changes   such as closing the so called llc loophole which allows almost unchecked giving to political campaigns   will like so many issues have to wait until next year or beyond


windsor ontario   it is a postapocalyptic streetscape that most canadians associate with american cities like detroit boarded up houses burned out roofs a mess of scattered shingles peeling paint and crumbling masonry in some abandoned homes the only residents are skunks raccoons rats and feral cats
but this vision of urban blight is not in an american city   it is in canada just across the border from detroit
this corner of windsor a neighborhood called sandwich was settled in 1783 and was once a terminal for the underground railroad bringing american slaves to freedom in canada many of its tree lined streets boasted majestic 19th century houses the area around indian road built largely in the last century was a thriving neighborhood favored by professors from an adjacent university
but now indian road runs through a ghost neighborhood of over 100 boarded up houses and three abandoned apartment buildings punctuated by a few lonely occupied homes a result of a long running battle between an american businessman and canadian governments at various levels
the businessman manuel moroun owns one of the last private road bridges linking canada and the united states for years he has battled to keep the canadian government from building a competing bridge and has bought up houses in the area to build his own second bridge next to the current one
the fight has raged on for more than 15 years in april one of the many legal battles it has spawned reached the supreme court of canada
the result for the neighborhood around indian road has been decay and the steady depletion of people
its very very quiet on this street said rita montgomery a factory worker ms montgomery was standing on the concrete veranda of the brick bungalow she has rented for about 10 years across the street a chain link fence surrounded an entire block of boarded up and decayed houses and empty lots where others had burned down
they say hell fix the houses up she said of mr moroun but i dont know
mr morouns canadian transit company operates the 87 year old ambassador bridge a hulking suspension bridge that sits between and looms above indian road and the nearby university of windsor at night the bridges name glows neon red from towers on the shores it connects in canada and the united states
thanks to a constant flow of cars newly assembled on each side of the border and trucks packed with the parts used to make them the bridge is the busiest border crossing in north america with 63 million trips last year according to the public border operators association
but the location of the ambassador bridge which mr moroun bought in 1979 is not where anyone would consider putting a busy border crossing today on the canadian side there is no direct expressway connection and a lack of space means that the truck inspection for customs and immigration is miles away
it is an arrangement that suits neither windsors residents nor bridge users
after years of political debate and a string of unsuccessful and messy legal challenges by mr moroun in one tussle in 2012 the businessman then 84 and one of his executives were jailed overnight in detroit for contempt of court a solution is now emerging
a recently opened expressway will link to a new bridge that the canadian government will build in an industrial area about three miles west of the ambassador bridge
mr moroun however is not yet ready to back down
for 15 years or so his canadian transit company gradually acquired houses around indian road as part of a plan to build a six lane bridge beside the four lane ambassador and to expand the customs and immigration plaza on the windsor side in anticipation an approach to the new bridge stretches for a block behind indian road with unused customs booths at one end and a ramp to nowhere at the other
but any new bridge needs approval from canadas transport minister and the province of ontario and drew dilkens windsors mayor firmly opposes the idea in a statement transport canada a federal department said it was reviewing mr morouns application but offered no timetable for its approval
because the company lacks permission to build a new bridge the city has refused demolition permits for its collection of houses and apartments city inspectors have also ordered that the houses be kept in good repair but the bridge company has ignored those orders saying an obscure piece of federal law the international bridges and tunnels act puts it above local law
we wouldnt be in this position   the condition of the houses and the nuisance there   we wouldnt be in this position if wed been allowed to tear down those homes said stan korosec a former ontario provincial police officer who is now the director of canadian government relations and security for mr morouns companies if wed been allowed to do what we want to do there would be green space there
the city which has declared some of the homes to have heritage value has resisted arguments that the houses should be demolished just because their owners let them become run down and the mayor mr dilkens is adamant that local laws apply to canadian transit just like any other property owner
i cant figure them out and why they decided to be a bad corporate citizen said mr dilkens who has been the target of unsuccessful litigation by mr morouns companies along with the previous mayor and all of the citys councilors why would they choose a path that beats up the neighborhood
in april the two sides met in the supreme court of canada which is expected to rule on the citys jurisdiction in the case this year
in the interim sandwich waits
mary ann cuderman a neighborhood activist who runs a bake shop in her large 19th century house said the growing desolation had set off an exodus of families with young children resulting in the closing of schools shops and a bank
the family aspect of the community is really being whittled down ms cuderman said its a complete loss of community
a block over from indian road on rosedale avenue a tree lined boulevard there is no plywood on the doors and windows of houses but as the neighborhood has been hollowed out most of the houses have been sold to absentee landlords the families that once dominated the street have been replaced by short term tenants often students and many houses are poorly kept
david fehrenbach who has lived on the avenue for 30 years said the bridge companys actions had affected the whole area
at halloween time people from detroit used to come over here to these streets mr fehrenbach said mr moroun set out to destroy the neighborhood in order to take it over so thats what hes done he added if you allow him to tear it down hes won
john elliott a city councilor who is descended from american slaves who escaped to sandwich said that while he would like some of the houses to be repaired and restored he was open to demolishing others in exchange for efforts by mr morouns company to do something for the community
take something out of the community put something back in he said after that were fine
in her bake shop where an old promotional poster for the ambassador bridge the fresh air and sunshine route is on display ms cuderman joked that her best bet was a big lottery win the proceeds she said would go toward buying the house next to mr morouns home in an affluent detroit suburb and then id board it up
she added laughing i bet it wouldnt stay boarded up for more than two days but i could say see how the neighborhoods youve devastated have to live


imagine if the former mafia boss john gotti who went to prison for murder and cultivated the publics fascination with his flamboyant new york lifestyle and menacing charm had a youtube channel
imagine if he used that channel to become a video star by portraying himself as a penitent hit man and regaling viewers with tales of violence while seeking forgiveness for homicides past for colombians the real life equivalent of such an unlikely youtube sensation can be found in john jairo velasquez
he is a former enforcer for the medellin drug cartel who has boasted of committing hundreds of murders on behalf of his boss pablo escobar mr velasquez spent more than 20 years in prison for plotting the killing of a colombian presidential candidate in 1989 and goes by the nickname popeye
now mr velasquez 54 is trying to rebrand himself as a sort of truth telling evangelist in a series of spanish language videos he began posting on youtube last year the underlying message there were 81 videos as of sunday is one of forgiveness
now he is known as popeye arrepentido or remorseful popeye
its not about monetizing my life story but about telling the stories the things that happened he said in an interview on sunday ive been famous for 30 years i only want to have an opinion because i am an activist i am against the venezuelan and colombian government i am against donald trump because of his hatred of latinos i just want my opinion heard
his audience cannot seem to stop watching the videos have gained more than 117000 subscribers and 95 million views the comments are filled with praise and admiration one person signed off with hugs
but not all people are enthralled by mr velasquezs budding stardom   least of all the victims touched by the cartels acts of mayhem
the son of one victim   a man who was among 107 people killed by a bomb planted by the cartel on a plane that exploded over bogota colombia in 1989   said mr velasquezs popularity overshadowed the harm he had unleashed the guardian reported the son gonzalo rojas said that the former hit man had shown no real remorse and that he was trafficking in a perverse sort of celebrity because of his crimes
most hit men do not turn up on youtube seeking a second act by spilling secrets about past misdeeds mr gotti died in 2002 while serving a life sentence but one expert described mr velasquez as an astute self promoter who had capitalized on his infamy by claiming to have been reformed while glorifying narco culture
mr velasquez however said he felt reborn after being released on parole in 2014 according to a description of his youtube account i created this channel with the intention to be able to talk day to day about my process reintegrating into society as well as my process with true remorse he wrote
being an assassin is not normal he said in the interview now he said he respects life and society
i was resocialized when i changed my way of thinking i changed my way of being he added
in one video he seeks forgiveness from a relative of one of his victims when a viewer asked when can the victims of the drug war of the medellin cartel meet you   the ones who lost brothers or fathers in the police force mr velasquez said he found the question painful
but he asserted it was the war that killed your brother but i am not going to justify that i am going to assume responsibility because your brother was defending a country an institution and we were murderers paid by the cartels
if mr velasquez who uploads videos out of his apartment in medellin is troubled that his stated contriteness is at odds with the opening graphics of gunfire and bullet holes in his videos he is not showing it and he revels in the limelight
some viewers have responded by welcoming him back to society hello popeye one wrote i love all of your statements because they are full of honesty and courage hugs
others celebrate his flair and ability to talk directly to the people you have the personality to be able to tell the truth to the colombian society
vincent t gawronski a professor of political science at birmingham southern college in birmingham ala said in an email in a twisted way we celebrate successful criminals even stone cold killers in hollywood movies cable television shows and soap operas scarface blow breaking bad the sopranos netflixs narcos
dr gawronski noted that nearly a dozen narconovelas had aired on spanish language television and that there were many narcocorridos or ballads celebrating drug traffickers we mythologize those that challenge authority and do whatever they want and get away with it he said
he added of course velasquezs fame is directly tied to his relationship with pablo escobar the stories he can tell will keep him popular but they might also get him killed
in an interview published in the telegraph in 2014 mr velasquez who said he had a wife and son living in the united states declared that he could take care of himself if anyone came after him
in a video mr velasquez recalled where he was in 1993 when the authorities killed mr escobar the ruthless cocaine trafficker who ran the medellin cartel when one viewer wanted to know what mr escobar had written in his notepads mr velasquez said those notepads were simply to write the names of the people who he wanted to kill if he wrote your name in those notepads you were a dead man
if the mobsters from mr gottis day had a strict code of silence about criminal activity mr velasquez seems unconcerned about revealing the inner workings of the cartel
in a video posted in october he said he would always be an assassin he boasted about his reputation on the streets calling himself the living memory of the cartel he said he would never speak ill of mr escobar
for me escobar was a terrorist a drug dealer a kidnapper   but he was also my friend he treated me with kindness and respect he said he was the kind of man that would look you in the eyes and do what he says everyone knows what he was but with me he was good
i loved pablo he said he never owed me money for any of my hits


palo alto calif   proud parents converged at stanford universitys commencement on sunday to hear ken burns the documentary filmmaker welcome the elite class of graduates into the wider world
but across the idyllic university grounds in the shade of a large tree is a quiet stretch of lawn that speaks to a persistent and darker side of campus life at stanford and across the country
it was here in january last year an hour past midnight on a saturday night that a young woman lay on the ground unresponsive her hair disheveled and knotted her body covered in dirt and pine needles and her dress hitched up above her waist
the assault of the 22 year old woman   she is described as jane doe in court documents   has led to a firestorm of outrage for what many saw as her assailants light punishment a six month jail term with the possibility of being released after three months
in march a jury convicted the assailant brock turner 20 a champion swimmer and olympic hopeful who was a freshman at the time of intent to commit rape of an intoxicated or unconscious person and two related sections of the law all felonies
the court papers some of them released just last week outline the complex and intense national debate over the sentence and over sexual assaults on campus yet they also portray a case that legal experts say was unusual
the assault was not hidden in a dorm room or clouded by the complex emotions of a college romance mr turner and his victim had met only minutes before their encounter the assault was taking place beneath the tree when a pair of swedish students passed by on bicycles
the men stopped and mr turner began to run away they chased him down and tackled him
it happened in full view said shanlon wu a washington based lawyer who is a specialist in campus rape cases you had unimpeachable witnesses   someone was basically caught red handed
the court papers and police reports depict an event that could be found virtually any weekend at any college   a fraternity party with free flowing alcohol
the woman who was not a stanford student was 22 working full time and living with her parents in palo alto at the time of the assault according to court documents she described the decision to go to a fraternity party on campus as a last minute lark and a way to spend more time with her younger sister who accompanied her
after she had a meal at home and four shots of whiskey she told the police her mother drove her her sister and two other friends to the stanford campus at 11 pm the women ended up at a party hosted by a fraternity kappa alpha which was also attended by mr turner
the womans sister told the police that they met several men at the party but that one of the guys was very aggressive and trying to kiss everyone according to a police report she later identified that man as mr turner and said she had twice repelled kissing and advances by him
the sister left the party to accompany an intoxicated friend back to her room and soon after the victim and mr turner left the party according to court documents
mr turner told the police that he and the victim kissed and then walked away from the fraternity house holding hands and ended up on the ground kissing he removed the victims underwear and penetrated her with his fingers he said he never took his own pants off
the swedish students who came upon mr turner and the woman said they stopped to intervene because they saw mr turner on top of her thrusting his pelvis toward her court papers and the police reports say they said she appeared motionless her eyes closed and her head tilted to the side
one of the men yelled to mr turner who looked up slowly got off of the victim and began running rapidly away from her according to a case summary by the prosecutor the swedes chased him and brought him to the ground
after the assault the woman told a police officer that the last thing she remembered was being with her sister at the party her next memory was waking up in the hospital feeling groggy and confused she told the police
the court and police documents detail the level of drinking by everyone involved
both mr turner and the woman were heavily intoxicated according to police reports mr turner reported having seven beers and a couple of swigs of whiskey in addition to the four shots of whiskey she had at home jane doe reported having two shots of vodka and some beer once she had reached the stanford campus
she remained unconscious for three hours after paramedics reached her and began giving her treatment including an intravenous drip police reports said
the degree to which the inebriation of both mr turner and the woman should have been a factor in sentencing was a central point of contention
monica lassettre the probation officer who wrote sentencing recommendations advised the judge to be lenient partly on the grounds that mr turner was drunk this case when compared to other crimes of similar nature may be considered less serious due to the defendants level of intoxication
she recommended four to six months in a county jail even though mr turner faced a maximum sentence of 14 years in state prison she also based her recommendation on what she said was his sincere remorse and empathy for the victim and his lack of a prior criminal record
alaleh kianerci the deputy district attorney who prosecuted the case saw the womans intoxication as a reason for a harsher sentence and she urged the judge to impose six years the fact that the victim was so intoxicated was an aggravating factor warranting a prison sentence ms kianerci wrote
ultimately the fact that the defendant preyed upon an intoxicated stranger on a college campus should not be viewed as a less serious crime than if he were to assault a stranger in downtown palo alto ms kianerci said
in the womans courtroom statement which went viral when it was released to the news media a week ago she described drinking too much and blacking out as an amateur mistake   but not a criminal act
regretting drinking is not the same as regretting sexual assault she said we were both drunk the difference is i did not take off your pants and underwear touch you inappropriately and run away
the victim added in her statement that she remains deeply traumatized by the assault
in a widely circulated comment in the courtroom when issuing his sentence judge aaron persky of the santa clara county superior court said there was less moral culpability for a defendant who is intoxicated his sentence was harsher than the probation officer asked for but a petition for his removal has now swelled beyond a million signatures
the court papers paint diametrically opposed pictures of mr turner family members and friends describe him in sentencing documents as gentle polite and in the words of a former high school teacher an individual of true kindness compassion and promise
adjusting to the social life at stanford was difficult mr turner said in his own statement to the court coming from a small town in ohio i had never really experienced celebrating or partying that involved alcohol he wrote
the prosecutions sentencing memo however described a man who embraced numerous forms of illicit drugs both at stanford and in high school
the memo said the police concluded from photos and text messages found on mr turners phone that he was engaging in excessive drinking and using drugs including lsd ecstasy and an extract of cannabis mr turner had a previous arrest for underage alcohol possession in november 2014 the memo said
the prosecution document also said he aggressively flirted with women detectives interviewed two women who had an encounter with mr turner the weekend before the assault the memo said he was touchy and put his hands on one of the womens upper thigh mr turner had creeped her out because of his persistence the woman told the police
ten days after his arrest the university reached an agreement with mr turner that he withdraw from the university
that was a much more expedited process than if we had gone through a formal expulsion process lisa lapin a stanford spokeswoman said it was the harshest punishment that the university can have
the womans courtroom statement continued to reverberate across the country and campus this past week michele dauber a stanford law professor who has helped create the universitys policies for dealing with sexual assault complaints called her a new rosa parks
we are at a real watershed moment in public perception of campus sexual assaults said ms dauber who is also leading the effort to have judge persky recalled
in a letter submitted to the court ms dauber said that a recent university survey found that 43 percent of senior female undergraduates said they had experienced nonconsensual sexual assault or misconduct
ms dauber is friends with the victim and said she is helping her to obtain a book contract
mr turner is banned from campus and as part of his criminal sentence mr turner will also be registered a sex offender for life


hedge fund titans once ran their firms like elite private clubs picking who made it past the velvet rope and how much they would pay for access to supercharged performance
years of poor performance have now led a number of funds to consider something more like general admission
some big name investors   metlife american international group and the new york city pension plan among them   have recently begun to withdraw their money from hedge funds in larger numbers and the investors who stay are getting a chance to sit at the negotiating table and dictate lower fees and better terms for sharing in the returns that managers make
its an unusual position for many hedge fund managers who as a group are not known for sharing well with others
for decades hedge funds operated on a 2 and 20 model investors paid fees of 2 percent of assets under management and 20 percent of any gain in any year when performance was good the founders of the biggest firms were catapulted to the top of global wealth rankings
now in a bid to persuade investors to stay some managers are sweetening the deal by lowering fees in return for locking up investor money for a longer period of time and setting certain performance targets that if exceeded investors would pay a fee for newcomers managers are even offering the favorable terms once exclusively offered to longtime loyal clients
managers are having to negotiate and investors are demanding much more than they used to in the absence of value said adam i taback head of global alternative investments at wells fargo investment institute high fees are like an expensive car he said it is fine as long as youre getting performance out of it
in recent years investor criticism of hedge fund underperformance against a roaring stock market was met with frustration by managers who complained that investors couldnt have their cake and eat it too a hedge fund managers job was to protect in down years but not outperform in good years the industry argued but when markets began to fall last summer so did hedge fund returns rendering the point moot for many investors
over the last 18 months some of the best known managers   including william a ackman of pershing square capital management and larry robbins of glenview capital management   have consistently lost money others that made bets on macroeconomic trends were caught off guard by wrong footed bets and had to shutter their firms
and many hedge fund managers found themselves crowded in the same stock that meant big returns as everyone piled in but even bigger declines when everyone sold out
valeant pharmaceuticals international for example was one of the most popular stocks held by hedge funds in 2015 and its stock price soared to more than 260 a share at one point but when news of a government investigation came to light and issues with the companys pricing strategy became apparent the stock came crashing down on friday valeants share closed at a low of 24
mr ackman who has been valeants biggest cheerleader has lost billions of dollars so far on his bet on the company his pershing square holdings is down 175 percent so far this year through june 7 in large part because of the valeant position
other hedge fund titans including paulson  company and viking global investors have collectively lost billions of dollars on the valeant trade
i see the herd mentality among hedge funds every day roslyn zhang a managing director at china investment corporation chinas sovereign wealth fund said at the skybridge alternatives or salt hedge fund conference in las vegas last month describing how some funds spend two seconds on one theme before deciding to put investor money behind the idea she added we pay 2 and 20 for treatment like this i am reflecting that maybe we are not making the right decision
all of this has prompted some self reflection within the industry
we are in the first innings of a washout in hedge funds daniel s loeb the founder of the hedge fund third point wrote to investors in a recent letter describing a catastrophic period for the industry
but for some investors acknowledgment of poor performance is not enough in september 2014 the nations biggest pension fund the california public employees retirement system or calpers announced plans to liquidate its 4 billion hedge fund holdings on concerns that the investments were too expensive and too complicated in april this year the pension fund for new york city civil employees voted to exit its portfolio of 15 billion in hedge fund investments
some insurance companies have shown their displeasure too
we had a very negative experience in hedge funds peter d hancock the chief executive of aig told investors earlier this year the insurance group plans to pull about half of its 11 billion in hedge fund holdings
metlife another insurance giant that has roughly 18 billion invested in hedge funds has been sending out redemption requests to those managers steven goulart its chief investment officer recently told shareholders that the exit was prompted by inconsistent performance the market environment will continue to be challenging for hedge funds he added
investors pulled 151 billion from the industry in the first quarter of the year but these exits are a drop in the ocean compared with the 29 trillion the industry manages other institutional investors meanwhile continue to pump money in
still the pressure is mounting
now the fact that people are willing to cut youre going to see pressure on managers who are not at the top of the pyramid are going to have to cut said mark w yusko the chief investment officer of morgan creek capital
in a move that is largely unheard of in the industry mr robbins recently apologized to investors in an attempt to stem the outflow of investor money from his firm he pledged to right the ship as quickly as possible and even offered investors the opportunity to put more money into a new fund that would waive fees
mr robbins has continued to lose money this year investors in his flagship fund have lost 65 percent as of the end of may so mr robbins is now offering more favorable redemption terms allowing existing investors that add more money into the fund to step into the shoes of investors that have left according to three people briefed on the firms plans who were not authorized to speak publicly about them
as long as performance continues to lag hedge funds will be scrutinized and hedge fund giants will be at a disadvantage
david rubenstein the billionaire co founder of the private equity firm carlyle group perhaps summed up the sentiment best when he told an audience of money managers at the salt conference in may please dont be embarrassed about the industry
in case there was any hesitation mr rubenstein added we shouldnt be upset about what we do we should be proud


a detective called tom ligon last month with the news there had been an arrest in his case three years later
mr ligon 75 was surprised he had heard the police had a suspect in custody back in 2013 but nothing more and he let it go after all the man who had tried to break into his home that day aug 1 2013 hadnt even succeeded in fleeing down the manhattan street the intruder had lost a shoe that was kept as evidence
a lady policeman went and put her hat on top of the shoe because it was starting to rain mr ligon recalled on thursday
the police were able to extract dna from the shoe and they matched it to a man arrested on may 19 after what they described as a crime spree
mr ligon thinks back on that day in 2013 with more nostalgia than fear or outrage it has been a long three years   longer actually since his wife died in 2009 leaving him alone in the waverly place apartment in greenwich village that they had shared for decades
mr ligon is an actor whose past roles include a bit part as a nephew on an episode of the honeymooners and a longtime part as lucas lorenzo prentiss on the soap opera the young and the restless but recent years have found him working less and eating and drinking more and they have taken a toll
walks in the neighborhood have became difficult he has to stop at stoops or storefront benches once or twice on every block to catch his breath he used to laugh at guys who hit 300 pounds his livelihood depended on his looks and he wondered how someone could let that happen then last month he stepped on a scale and looked at the number 292
i just let go of the reins a little too much he said
when the detective called last month it was a welcome distraction from the visits to the doctors the breathless walks the suspect was identified as kenneth wiley 34 with addresses listed in manhattan and brooklyn the police working backward said mr wiley was linked to many more crimes than the one at mr ligons home
on may 4 a woman on a downtown subway train said she was approached by a man who asked her how do i get to the c train i need to go to the hospital because of my stomach the woman saw that he was fondling himself and told him to get away the police said
the police said the same man had approached different women on different trains the same way on march 28 april 1 and on april 29 twice all in manhattan the suspect in the encounters was identified as mr wiley the police said he was also linked to 16 burglaries the most recent on may 18
the first aug 1 2013 at the apartment on waverly place
mr ligon was napping that day when he heard a noise in the next room someone was climbing through his window
he sprang from the bed crossed the room in a flash let out a piercing shriek he learned from a kendo master and punched the intruder in the face
later mr ligon saw video of that moment he ran down the block and you see me stick my head out he said recalling what a street surveillance camera recorded im ready for my close up mr demille
the detective on the phone said the police would like mr ligon to consider testifying at trial if necessary
sure he replied
things are looking up now mr ligon landed a voice over job that would have been impossible to imagine when he was on the honeymooners it was for a new podcast series called songonauts about a band that travels through time
he is working on losing weight that number on the scale scared him straight he said he stopped drinking no carbs for a while more walking no matter how many times he has to stop he thinks of the 100 pounds he wants to shed as two bulging suitcases he carries everywhere
i need my luggage to get lost he said
he thinks back on that day at the window he said and it makes him feel good about what he did and what he hopes to be able to do again
it makes me not afraid he said


heres a look at the week ahead
technology
apple will hold its annual conference for software developers on monday previewing new features that will be in the next version of the operating systems powering its devices sales of apples biggest product the iphone are slowing and there has been little in recent months to excite consumers the company is likely to show off a new version of apple music its streaming music subscription service and new photo editing features
apple is also trying to improve its sometimes testy relationship with developers one big announcement geared to that crowd developers will be able to use siri the companys voice activated digital assistant within their apps developers are also expecting the company to finally offer apple pay to online retailers as a checkout method for their websites the digital payment service is currently restricted to physical stores and apps where it has gotten a lukewarm response but the ability to pay on the web with a thumbprint would be more convenient which could drive wider use vindu goel
banking industry
the libyan investment authority the countrys sovereign wealth fund is expected to square off against goldman sachs in a london court beginning on monday in a dispute over 12 billion in derivative transactions it purchased in 2008 in its lawsuit the libyan fund claims that the transactions were rendered worthless during the financial crisis but goldman still earned 350 million in profit on the transactions chad bray
technology
the electronic entertainment expo or e3 video game convention in los angeles is usually the most cacophonous of trade shows where lots of earsplitting new games debut but the event that begins on tuesday will be a little less deafening than normal major game publishers like activision and electronic arts have decided not to exhibit on the show floor this year instead electronic arts held its own expo nearby on sunday nintendo has already told fans not to expect to see its next generation game console code named nx at e3 still sony and microsoft are likely to get gamers buzzing on monday when they hold events showcasing the games coming to their consoles analysts are also expecting the companies to announce updated versions of their existing consoles the playstation 4 and xbox one nick wingfield
retail industry
retail sales data for the united states due on tuesday is expected to show a rise in consumer spending for may still it probably will not be as robust as that in april when spending rose to the highest levels in more than a year rachel abrams
markets
financial policy makers in china will be hoping their languid stock markets get a vote of confidence on wednesday tuesday evening in new york when a decision on whether to include domestic chinese shares in a major global stock index is to be announced the msci emerging markets index a benchmark tracked by hundreds of billions of dollars in investment funds around the world is set to announce the results of an annual review on whether to include stocks listed in shanghai and shenzhen for the first time even though it is the worlds second biggest by market value chinas domestic share market remains only partly open to foreign investors and values have remained depressed since the government bungled a stock bailout attempt last summer neil gough
economy
federal reserve officials drained much of the drama from their scheduled meeting on tuesday and wednesday by making clear in recent days they were once again postponing any increase in the feds benchmark interest rate but there still will be substance in addition to the post meeting policy statement the fed will release a fresh batch of economic projections and the feds chairwoman janet l yellen is scheduled to hold a news conference on wednesday afternoon the looming question is whether the fed will raise rates this summer the feds next scheduled meetings are in july and september fed officials are likely to debate whether the recent slowdown in job growth indicates that their mission of restoring the health of the labor market is largely accomplished or a more worrisome sign of fresh economic weakness binyamin appelbaum
on wednesday at 915 am the federal reserve will report data for industrial production in may after industrial production rose 07 percent in april economists are expecting to see a slight decline for last month with the sector facing headwinds from depressed mining and drilling lagging overseas demand for manufactured goods and adverse weather in some parts of the united states nelson d schwartz
on thursday at 830 am the labor department will release data on consumer prices in may economists are expecting to see a 03 percent increase in overall consumer prices with a 02 percent rise in the less volatile core consumer price index inflation remains tame with a likely increase in may driven in part by higher gasoline prices nelson d schwartz


senator bernie sanders said on sunday that he would take our campaign for transforming the democratic party into the convention refusing to concede the presidential nomination to hillary clinton though not explicitly saying he would challenge her for it
mrs clinton earned enough delegates to clinch the nomination last week but mr sanders has declined to end his campaign he has contended that he could persuade enough superdelegates the party leaders who have overwhelmingly backed mrs clinton to switch their support to him by arguing that he would be the stronger candidate against donald j trump the presumptive republican presidential nominee
that plan became more improbable last week as high profile democrats supported mrs clinton president obama endorsed her on thursday calling her the most qualified candidate ever to seek the white house and imploring democrats to unite behind her vice president joseph r biden jr and senator elizabeth warren of massachusetts also endorsed mrs clinton senator jeff merkley of oregon the only senator to endorse mr sanders told cnn on friday that he now supports mrs clinton
in recent days mr sanders appeared to acknowledge the odds against him and began speaking less about beating mrs clinton and more about working to defeat donald j trump the presumptive republican nominee
on sunday he gathered with about 20 key supporters and advisers at his home in burlington vt to discuss how to proceed
we are going to take our campaign to the convention with the full understanding that we are very good at arithmetic and that we know you know who has the received the most votes up to now mr sanders said after the meeting standing on his front lawn with his wife jane among the dozen or so people who attended the gathering were benjamin t jealous a former president of the naacp congressman raul m grijalva of arizona nina turner a former ohio state senator and bill mckibben the environmentalist and author
notably mr sanders also said he would continue his efforts aimed at transforming the democratic party a sign that his main goal may no longer be to become the nominee
besides defeating mr trump advisers say his focus is to get his ideas like universal health care and free public college reflected in the party platform refusing to concede and release his delegates to vote for mrs clinton could be a negotiating tactic for winning concessions on the platform if his delegates tried to nominate mr sanders from the floor of the convention next month the scene could damage mrs clinton at a time she is trying to project strength and party unity
in recent days it had been unclear whether mr sanders intended to stay in the race and even on sunday he did not rule out the possibility that he would formally concede the nomination in the coming days
after he met with mr obama on thursday he said he looked forward to exploring how he could work with mrs clinton to defeat donald trump and to create a government which represents all of us and not just the 1 percent then he held a rally that night in washington urging voters to cast ballots for him on tuesday in the nations final primary
when asked by chuck todd on sundays meet the press on nbc whether he was an active candidate he responded that he wanted to see mr trump defeated
mr sanders said that he and mrs clinton planned to meet on tuesday and that he would ask her whether she will be vigorous in standing up for working families in the middle class moving aggressively in climate change health care for all making public colleges and universities tuition free
and after we have that kind of discussion and after we can determine whether or not we are going to have a strong and progressive platform he said i will be able to make other decisions
there have been signs that he was winding down his run while mrs clinton has been hiring campaign workers mr sanders started laying off at least half of his campaign staff members last week he has let go of a number of advance staff members who help with campaign logistics as well as field workers who have been canvassing for votes
according to a person who attended the meeting at mr sanderss home sunday and who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe a private gathering there was no talk from mr sanders about trying to win the nomination the group was keenly interested in how the senators meeting with mrs clinton on tuesday will turn out and whether he would get assurances that she would fight for his ideas this person said
while he is effectively no longer a threat mrs clinton and the democrats are counting on mr sanders to eventually get behind her candidacy he has a loyal base of more than 10 million voters and an enormous donor list that mrs clinton will want to tap into some of his supporters say they will not vote for anyone but mr sanders so mrs clintons success may depend on how vocally the senator supports her


the rookie right hander michael fulmer a former mets prospect who was sent to the tigers system last season as part of a trade for yoenis cespedes dominated the crosstown yankees sunday in detroits 4 1 victory at yankee stadium
fulmer 23 has been sharp recently and on sunday he gave up no runs three walks and two hits over six innings extending his scoreless innings streak to 28 1/3  and his winning streak to five games his scoreless innings streak is the second longest by a tigers rookie in franchise history behind john hillers 28 2/3  innings in 1967
according to the elias sports bureau fulmer is also the only pitcher since 1893 to record four straight starts in a single season with at least six shutout innings while also allowing no more than three hits
fulmer improved to 7 1 and lowered his era to 252 in 53 2/3  innings for the season he seems to be enjoying his success
its always fun to win fulmer said
fulmer was not upset when the mets traded him last year it was nice to be wanted he said he added that he enjoyed seeing the success of the mets major league pitchers while he was in the mets minor league system   including success among some of his former teammates
it was awesome to see guys like that succeed and get to live their dream fulmer said i knew if i kept at it and pitched the way i could then my time would come whether it was with the mets or this tigers team
now fulmer is making his own mark he said the biggest factor in his recent success was just getting outs when he needed to
if a guy gets on i try not to panic fulmer said i just try to locate my pitches and get good action on my pitches he then lets the defense do its work he added and they usually come up pretty big
the yankees tried to put something together against fulmer in the fifth inning sunday austin romine led off with a ground rule double to right field two outs later fulmer walked jacoby ellsbury and brett gardner to load the bases carlos beltran popped up to end the inning however and fulmers scoreless streak continued
afterward beltran praised fulmers fastball and slider
for me especially i was having trouble picking up the spin on the slider beltran said after the game he got me chasing a couple of times
the loss pulled the yankees to one game under 500 at 31 32 they finished their seven game homestand at 5 2 after succumbing to the strong pitching performances of fulmer on sunday and justin verlander on saturday
michael pineda went six innings for the yankees striking out eight and allowing six hits and two runs he got into trouble in the fourth and fifth innings but was able to limit the damage after pineda yielded three straight singles at the opening of the fourth nick castellanoss sacrifice fly scored miguel cabrera from third giving the tigers a 1 0 lead but after another single by justin upton pineda got jarrod saltalamacchia to line out and struck out mike aviles swinging
pineda gave up one more run in the fifth with two on and one out victor martinezs groundout toward first was enough for ian kinsler who had walked to lead off the inning to score from third base and build the tigers lead to 2 0
in the sixth pineda whose record fell to 3 7 retired the side in order striking out upton and saltalamacchia
my slider the last couple of starts is good pineda said its way better than the first couple of months im more consistent with my slider and my fastball location too
yankees reliever anthony swarzak came on to start the seventh giving up a leadoff single to mike aviles kinsler followed with a two run home run to left field making detroits lead 4 0 kinsler had also homered on saturday
the yankees scored their only run in the eighth when chase headley singled driving ellsbury in from second but it was not enough
after a stretch of 40 games in 41 days the yankees will have monday off before beginning a two game series against the rockies at coors field on tuesday


milwaukee   mets manager terry collins appeared perfectly fine about two and a half hours before sundays game at miller park speaking to reporters in his office collins reviewed his limited options off the bench second baseman neil walker stiff back and outfielder michael conforto sore wrist were not starting and collins hoped to give shortstop asdrubal cabrera his first complete day off this season
managing in the minor leagues youre used to it because it happens all the time collins said in 84 i had to activate myself to give us enough players to play if youve done it as long as ive been doing it its just part of the game
but less than an hour before the start collins 67 felt ill and headed to nearby froedtert hospital for tests accompanied by the trainer ray ramirez the bench coach dick scott who last managed with class a south bend in 1997 took over for collins the oldest manager in the majors the mets assistant general manager john ricco said collins walked out of the clubhouse and would remain overnight for observation and more tests
collins and ramirez watched on television ricco said as the mets lost 5 3 to milwaukee a mess of a game featuring five errors   three by the mets   and several head scratching plays
he was probably a bit agitated knowing terry ricco said but other than that he was feeling fine
ricco said ramirez and a brewers team doctor examined collins in the mets clubhouse
he just said he wasnt feeling well ricco said most players knew nothing about what had happened to collins until scott informed them 30 minutes before the game just before starter steven matz headed to the bullpen to warm up
i saw him walking and talking asking for his stuff when he was escorted out right fielder curtis granderson said
then the mets went out and lost for the second consecutive day to a club they had beaten five consecutive times bringing an unsatisfying end to a 5 5 road trip
brewers starter zach davies limited the mets to one hit through six scoreless innings before allowing a double to kelly johnson and a single to james loney to start the seventh davies departed and was ultimately charged with a run when johnson scored matz allowed five runs four earned on nine hits in six innings the mets trailed by 5 0 when matz left then chipped back with johnsons run in the seventh and two more in the eighth
neither club took batting practice on the field and major league teams abandoned regular pregame infield practice years ago whether that contributed to the ragged play including four throwing errors in the first five innings was up to the beholder granderson attributed the mets misplays to fatigue after a 10 day trip not concern about collins
none of that had anything to do with whatever ended up happening to terry he said
on a cool sunny afternoon the mistakes commenced almost immediately milwaukees aaron hill bounced a throw to first in the first inning mets left fielder alejandro de aza threw wildly past second in the bottom of the inning
in the second when milwaukee scored three matzs misfire on a sacrifice bunt by davies allowed two runs to score with davies on first base in the fifth third baseman wilmer flores threw away jonathan villars bunt leading to two more runs
it wasnt great for sure turning routine plays into little bit of a disaster there scott said its the first game weve had like that all year long after early in the game we could have phoned the rest of the game in but they continued to play
in the eighth villar the brewers shortstop mishandled a leadoff grounder by pinch hitter juan lagares which was generously scored a double granderson whose bat has come alive the last few days singled sharply to right for one run a long double by yoenis cespedes brought in another
a one out infield single by kevin plawecki in the ninth brought the tying run to the plate but brewers closer jeremy jeffress struck out pinch hitter conforto and retired granderson on a grounder to first
afterward the mets quietly packed their gear and headed for the airport minus their manager
it was tough matz said were all concerned about him definitely
inside pitch
before he left terry collins said travis darnaud on a rehab assignment with class a st lucie was about seven or eight days away from rejoining the mets darnaud caught saturday for the first time one of the things you would like to see when hes been out as long as he is are back to back games collins said john ricco the ranking mets executive on the trip concurred adding the mets might move him up to class aa binghamton or class aaa las vegas later in the week ... the mets added a bullpen arm sunday calling up erik goeddel and optioning logan verrett saturdays starter to las vegas


the treasurys schedule of financing this week includes mondays regular weekly auction of new three  and six month bills and an auction of four week bills on tuesday
at the close of the new york cash market on friday the rate on the outstanding three month bill was 026 percent the rate on the six month issue was 041 percent and the rate on the four week issue was 019 percent
the following tax exempt fixed income issues are scheduled for pricing this week
chesterfield county va 901 million of general obligation bonds competitive
memphis 68 million of general obligation bonds competitive
union county nj 63 million of general obligation bonds competitive
frederick county md 90 million of general obligation bonds competitive
chesterfield county water and sewer va 56 million of revenue bonds competitive
illinois 550 million of general obligation bonds competitive
monroe ny 554 million of general obligation bonds competitive
orange county fla 633 million of revenue bonds competitive
alameda county calif peralta community college district 155 million of general obligation bonds citigroup global markets
california infrastructure and economic development bank 1384 million of revolving fund revenue bonds j p morgan securities
california lancaster successor agency 518 million of redevelopment project refinancing bonds hilltop securities
california santa cruz county redevelopment 476 million of tax allocation refinancing bonds stifel nicolaus
connecticut south central connecticut regional water authority 1235 million of water system revenue bonds janney montgomery scott
cook county ill 300 million of general obligation refinancing bonds barclays capital
dutchess county ny local development corporation 378 million of health systems project revenue refinancing bonds bank of america merrill lynch
idaho health facilities authority 45 million of revenue refinancing bonds piper jaffray
idaho red river educational health facilities 747 million of revenue bonds piper jaffray
indiana hobart building corporation 672 million of mortgage refinancing bonds city securities corporation
maryland economic development corporation 333 million of light rail project revenue bonds j p morgan securities
metropolitan washington airports authority 375 million of system revenue refinancing bonds j p morgan securities
new jersey housing authority of the city of newark 57 million of police facility revenue refinancing bonds morgan stanley
new york state environmental facilities corporation 4975 million of clean water and drinking water revenue bonds goldman sachs
oregon klamath intercommunity hospital authority 50 million of revenue refinancing bonds piper jaffray
rhode island commerce corporation 423 million of airport revenue bonds raymond james  associates
snohomish county wash lake stevens school district 705 million of general obligation bonds d a davidson
spokane wash central valley school district 405 million of unlimited tax general obligation bonds
texas arlington higher education finance corporation 432 million of education revenue bonds robert w baird
texas waco independent school district 485 million of unlimited tax refinancing bonds oppenheimer
tucson ariz 44 million of general obligation bonds morgan stanley
utah county utah 573 million of hospital revenue refinancing bonds wells fargo securities
utah jordan valley water conservancy 643 million of water revenue bonds george k baum


a firearm that the authorities said was used on sunday in a mass shooting at a nightclub in orlando fla is a descendant of one of the worlds most widely distributed and familiar infantry weapons and a type of rifle that has been involved in previous mass shootings in the united states
chief john mina of the orlando police department said the gunmans weapons included a handgun and an ar 15 type assault rifle
the first ar 15s were designed in the 1950s by eugene m stoner a marine and inventor who developed the weapon to military standards and for military service
it was an atypical rifle for its time seemingly futuristic and made partly with lightweight plastics and aluminum that traditionalists scorned it fired a small caliber high velocity bullet   a 223   that was also considered revolutionary the rifle was capable via a selector lever of semiautomatic or automatic fire
in the 1960s under defense secretary robert s mcnamara the pentagon bought vast quantities of the rifle calling it the m 16 for american ground troops in vietnam the m 16s firepower and reputation for lethality were necessary in mr mcnamaras view to counter the kalashnikov assault rifles carried by the north vietnamese army and vietcong
in this way the m 16 and the kalashnikov became a related pair the assault rifle of the west springing into service as a response to the more widely distributed assault rifle of the east
a half century later ar 15s and m 16s are made in varied forms by multiple manufacturers and updated versions including the m 4 carbine remain the standard shoulder fired weapon for most american service members and many allies
civilian versions have many trade and model names but are generally referred to as ar 15s although this name is a rough description and does not indicate whether a particular specimen of the rifle is capable of both semiautomatic fire and automatic fire or is semiautomatic only
the police have not said whether the weapon recovered in orlando was capable of automatic fire such questions are politically contentious although depending on a shooters skill and the situation they can sometimes be moot as aimed semiautomatic fire from a competent shooter can be far more dangerous than automatic fire which is harder to control and is often inaccurate
ar 15s that fire only on semiautomatic are generally legal in the united states and are widely owned by assault rifle enthusiasts they are also sometimes used in crimes and have been involved in some of the most deadly mass shootings in american history including the massacre in december in san bernardino calif which killed 14 people and the attack in 2012 at sandy hook elementary school in newtown conn which killed 26 people 20 of them children that gunman also killed his mother at home before driving to the school
the ar 15s once unfamiliar caliber   commonly called 556 millimeter   also evolved into a military standard the rifle and cartridge combination can cause serious wounds though the damage is determined partly by the type of bullet fired
investigators in orlando have yet to provide details on the bullets that were fired in the attack


it was hard during saturdays belmont stakes not to think about american pharoah the colt who a year ago delivered a historic performance at the race in becoming just the 12th triple crown winner ever and horse racings first in 37 years
when the jockey victor espinoza and american pharoah turned for home they transformed this grand old racetrack on long island into a soul quaking monument to pandemonium the colt had pulled into belmont park promising greatness and over the mile and a half marathon fittingly known as the test of the champion he delivered it his five and a half length victory was simply a masterpiece
american pharoah had packed the place he made the 11 beers that the new york racing association was selling taste like dom perignon at pabst blue ribbon prices he sent strangers into one anothers arms
that is worth remembering because odds are that it will be an equally long time before we see another horse with enough talent and magic to sweep the kentucky derby the preakness stakes and the belmont stakes
we were reminded of   no bludgeoned with   that likelihood over the last five weeks as the owners and trainers of the current crop of 3 year olds measured their horses against american pharoah and triple crown history
on paper at least the most formidable challenger was nyquist he rolled into the first saturday in may as the reigning 2 year old champion and was undefeated over seven races he easily won the kentucky derby and had a resume far more impressive than american pharoahs at that point in his career
nyquist was missing something however he is a smallish colt who while consistently doing enough to win never gave anyone the sense that he was a dominant competitor he did not possess the wow factor that american pharoah had
even as a weanling   a mere child called the littleprincessemma colt after his mother   american pharoah took away the breath of frances rellihan a seasoned horsewoman who had had her hands on thousands of colts over her career but to that point had never seen one so perfectly engineered with an intricate mind to match his physical gifts it was a combination that bowled over seasoned horse people at every point of american pharoahs development and still makes his hall of fame trainer bob baffert wish he had him for one two six more races
i never got to the bottom of him baffert said he was still getting better
nyquist on the other hand although recognized as a nice horse in his formative years was treated as a commodity rather than a gift from the heavens he was sold three times before reaching the racetrack finally fetching a modest 400000 in a 2 year old in training sale in florida
luck and magic took their turn along american pharoahs career
early on his owner ahmed zayat tried to sell the colt needing cash to help settle his stables bankruptcy lucky for him the colt banged his ankle in the days before a yearling sale at saratoga zayat had thought he might get millions in the auction ring instead no one wanted the modestly bred colt with the unsightly leg
magic was bestowed on american pharoah when espinoza got on his back he was not the first choice to ride the colt nor was he the second or third martin garcia had ridden american pharoah in his debut a loss and did not get along with him baffert had hoped to get gary stevens or mike smith two hall of famers but they were not available he settled on espinoza whose happy go lucky nature and intuitive riding style fit american pharoah perfectly
for nyquist however bad luck and black magic landed on him like an anvil in the preakness a wet week in baltimore and a misty rainy race day served up a soupy track at pimlico race course one that he had never seen before
his chief rival exaggerator was a proven mudder and took to the surface which gripped hooves like peanut butter gliding over a sandwich he emphatically dispatched nyquist who developed a fever in the days afterward persuading his connections to skip the belmont and let the colt catch his breath for a second season campaign into the breeders cup classic
exaggerator a hard trying colt was out of gas in the belmont stakes he is somewhere between a nice horse and a very good one but looked like neither in finishing 11th
so the 148th running of belmont stakes turned into an entertaining race without a great deal of consequence instead of american pharoahs historic stretch drive with a capacity crowd on hand to witness about half as many people cheered on three gray horses all of them long shots as they raced home in a photo finish creator had a nose ahead of destin and lani finished third behind them
those who had the three on their betting tickets left belmont park with more money than they came with and a smile on their faces congratulations to them it is one of the most rewarding parts of a good day at the racetrack
last year though while american pharoah sent some people home with less dough he pushed all of us out of the racetrack with a priceless feeling of elation
great horses do that and they are rare so appreciate what american pharoah accomplished and be patient until another comes along


paris   gauthier charrier a graphic design student stepped inside one of pariss newest bookstores and wondered where are all the books
i saw this empty open space   just a couple of stools   and i wondered did someone mess up mr charrier 20 said
no one messed up
the pronounced stock shortage inside the librairie des puf run by the publisher university press of france or les puf for short is not the result of an ordering mistake but the heart of the shops business model
there are books but they are not delivered in advance from wholesalers they are printed on request before the customers very eyes on an espresso book machine on demand books the american company that manufactures the machine chose the name as a nod to an activity you can complete in the five minutes it takes to print a book have a quick coffee
labeled not so modestly the gutenberg press of the 21st century by its creators the machine sits in a back corner of the shop humming as it turns pdfs into paperbacks customers use tablets to select the titles for print   adding if they want to their own handwritten inscriptions   while sipping coffee in the light and airy storefront in the latin quarter of paris the customers are all surprised said the shops director alexandre gaudefroy at first theyre a little uncomfortable with the tablets after all you come to a bookshop to look at books but thanks to the machine and the tablets the customer holds a digital library in their hands
from a business standpoint mr gaudefroy said i dont have to worry about space for the stock were in a space which measures less than 80 meters squared and i can offer readers as many titles as i want and that is a lot of titles all 5000 books published by les puf are available as well as an additional three million books compiled by on demand books including titles from 10 large american publishers and the public domain
les pufs prestige in the industry has helped it secure even more titles   a group of french publishers are expected to hand over pdfs of their titles in a few weeks whats really exciting is that thanks to the on demand model we can revive old titles which we previously hadnt bothered with because theyd only sell five or 10 copies in a year mr gaudefroy said on demand its a new economy for us
about 2000 out of print puf titles will be made available to customers in the coming months mr gaudefroy said were completely revising the chain of book production because were a bookseller a publisher a printer and also a distributor he said
it is a radical reinvention of a store that first opened its doors in 1921 the original librairie des puf occupied a far larger multilevel space in the corner of place de la sorbonne and had packed window displays and a bustling intellectual crowd from nearby universities it was long a cultural and academic symbol until it was forced to close because of falling profits and soaring rents then about 10 years ago the site was sold to a mens clothing chain much to the chagrin of locals
but its closing was no exception from 2000 to 2014 28 percent of paris bookstores closed according to a 2015 report from the paris urban planning agency a body assembled by the city council in 1967 to chart social and economic evolution in the french capital crippling rent increases in pariss densely populated center were mostly to blame as well as growing competition from e commerce sites that are able to offer far more titles than a cramped city bookstore the decline in sales of newspapers and magazines also contributed since these are often sold alongside books in french bookstores
the latin quarter which has the highest concentration of bookshops in the city was among the worst hit areas in an effort to protect the neighborhoods unique character   and prevent so called blandification   the paris city council in 2008 made it the center of its vitalquartier program the program buys retail spaces across paris renovates them and rents them to small culturally significant enterprises at far below market rates les puf was leased one of these spaces on rue monsieur le prince allowing it to reopen in march just a few blocks from where it closed
were already thinking about opening in other big cities in france   in university towns like lille bordeaux and lyon mr gaudefroy said after a few weeks of business theres a real commercial motivation for doing so because well were selling a lot of books a lot more than predicted we thought wed sell 10 15 books in a day but its been more like 30 or 40
its an investment but if its well managed it can be very profitable mr gaudefroy said along with the low rent for its retail space and the elimination of the cost of overproducing books that may not sell les puf benefits from an affordable two year lease on the espresso book machine from the french printing association ireneo and frances fixed book pricing law which prohibits anyone from selling books at a discount means les puf can charge the price set by the publisher for each book a lot of publishers i know are interested in the idea especially when we tell them how little it costs us mr gaudefroy said
so far the store has relied on foot traffic and the pull of the machines novelty to draw customers but a social media and leafleting campaign aimed at students   les pufs original demographic   is planned
les pufs success is not an anomaly times are still tough for brick and mortar shops but signs of a recovery are widespread in the united states sales in physical bookstores rose by 25 percent last year the first increase since 2007 in britain the largest chain bookseller waterstones announced a return to profitability at the end of last year after the arrival of the indie book selling success story james daunt as managing director
mr daunt decentralized control of the chains 275 stores encouraging individual managers to modify their stores layouts for the local book buying audience thus scrapping an ingrained industry practice that had effectively allowed publishers to dictate which books appeared in best seller sections
independent bookstores too are beginning to carve a path out of their businesss decade of decline its an industry which is very much starting to rebound said nick brackenbury one of the founders of nearst a mobile application created in london that is helping to wean customers off buying books on amazoncom encouraging them to return instead to their local stores
bookshops are starting to do lots of little innovative things and getting people to come back into them mr brackenbury said for many bookstores that have the space like gogol  company in milan la fugitiva in madrid and java bookshop in amsterdam remaking themselves as hybrid bookstore coffee shops has become a reliable way to attract customers other shops are emphasizing something unavailable online   the experience of visiting a bookstore
the society club in londons soho district is as much a cocktail club and members lounge as a bookstore books for cooks   a store in notting hill entirely devoted to cookbooks   offers a sensory experience by cooking up one of its books many recipes in an open kitchen at the back of the store every morning
mr brackenbury and his team are allowing bookstores to innovate on a more fundamental level convenience the main feedback we get from our users is i buy from amazon reluctantly because its so easy he said everyone will say i want to support my local shops but few people actually do today because its so much hard work
nearst aims to help local shops adapt to the needs of the modern customers by making local shop inventories shoppable from a smartphone allowing customers to search for titles find local stores that sell them and see routes there we just want local stores to be able to offer customers something which is just better than amazon mr brackenbury said


kiev ukraine   gay rights groups in ukraine celebrated a milestone on sunday   holding a parade without being chased or attacked by right wing opponents but the march in kiev was guarded by police and security forces who sealed off much of the city center and warned participants not to linger afterward
about 2000 people turned out for the parade called kyivpride no violence was reported at the event but a participant was beaten in the downtown area an hour or so afterward organizers and the police said
the outcome was a striking contrast to last year when members of far right organizations attacked the 300 or so marchers injuring dozens similar violence appeared likely to unfold on sunday after right wing paramilitaries emboldened by their popularity for fighting in the war against russian backed separatists in the east vowed to shut down the march
in short it will be a bloody mess on june 12 in kiev artem skoropadsky the spokesman for one group the right sector wrote in a joint statement with another group the organization of ukrainian nationalists
that threat was too much even for ukraine a society traumatized by a war that has often sought comfort in nationalist ideology and stirred resentment far beyond the gay community so what was initially planned as a gay pride parade transformed into a demonstration for equality and against nationalists who want to impose their own version of tradition
i stood up during two maidans because i didnt want anybody to tell me how i should live daniel kovzhun a participant in the pro democracy protests in maidan square in 2004 and 2014 wrote in response to mr skoropadskys threat
i was at war to defend my family my children my home and my freedom mr kovzhun wrote and my children will be free to decide how they should live with whom to sleep and what to believe he posed with his wife and small son for an advertising campaign in support of kyivpride
lt nadiya v savchenko ukraines first female combat pilot who was freed in a prisoners exchange with russia last month also spoke in support of the parade she said her country needed no more blood in the streets
ukraines national police force long notorious for brutality and venality has been undergoing sweeping changes by hiring thousands of young officers some have pointed to that as a sign that the country can change for the better
the head of the national police khatia dekanoidze promised to prevent violence at the march she devised a security plan that minimized the possibility of clashes at the cost of locking down part the capital
the police sealed a 10 block area in the city center and entering the area was possible only after a thorough search after the march which lasted no more than half an hour the police evacuated participants by buses and through a subway station that was open only to them
ms dekanoidze later reported that 57 people had been detained during the event young men could be seen loitering around the blocked areas and as the march ended the police blocked a column of people in black ski masks moving toward the parade


it was nearing last call
the music was still pounding but the night was drawing to a close at the pulse nightclub in orlando when shots rang out
at first the crack of gunfire did not really register
i thought it was firecrackers said ray rivera 42 who was working at the club as a dj he lowered the reggae song he was playing to get a better listen
the gunfire did not let up as round after round was fired early sunday people started dropping some in panic some because they were wounded and others because they were dead
i saw bodies on the floor people on the floor everywhere mr rivera said it was a chaos everybody trying to get out
a man identified by law enforcement officials as omar mateen had come to the club to kill and over the course of the next three hours until he was shot and killed himself he executed dozens of people
by the time the shooting ended it would rank as the deadliest mass shooting in american history inside the club there were 39 dead people along with the gunman who was killed around 5 am after a shootout with the police
nine more people died either at hospitals or on their way to them another two bodies were discovered on the street just outside the club according to mayor buddy dyer of orlando fifty three people were wounded
even in a post columbine world where mass shootings have become so frighteningly common that the phrase itself is now a part of the lexicon the bloody rampage at a small nightclub in central florida was shocking not only in its brutality but for the seemingly methodical fashion in which it was carried out
one out of every three people in the club was either wounded or killed some people had to hide for hours crouched in bathrooms or in hidden corners inside the club sending frantic text messages to the outside world begging for help for others the only way to get out alive was to scramble and crawl over the bodies of the dead
the mayhem was captured on video taken outside the club moments after the shooting one group of men some shirtless carried a wounded man to a waiting pickup truck to be rushed to the hospital another group tried to help a man lying on the pavement blood pouring from his wounds a woman apparently shot staggered out into the night
the bloodshed ended only after a daring rescue operation by the police in which they burst into a room in the club and freed 15 to 25 people before confronting the gunman and freeing another group being held hostage
as the investigation into the shooting continues witnesses the police and local politicians offered a vivid and gruesome portrait of how the carnage played out
saturday was latin night at the club which bills itself as orlandos premier gay nightclub
located at 1912 south orange avenue next to a dunkin donuts the club is housed in a relatively small building on a street filled with chain restaurants and shopping centers near downtown roughly 18 miles from disney world
the club itself is divided into three separate areas each with its own theme and music selection on saturday it was a mix of reggaeton bachata merengue and salsa a video taken inside the club in the hours before the attack captured the festive mood with patrons taking shots slugging back beers and dancing under neon lights
lizbeth alvarez 31 who was in the club with her girlfriend aixa soltren 27 said people often are packed in shoulder to shoulder
the main dance floor is in a room called the jewel box where scores of gays lesbians transgender people and bisexuals from across central florida flock to party
on saturday as on all nights there was a security guard posted at the front entrance it was unclear whether mr mateen shot his way into the club or smuggled in his weapons   which included an assault rifle handgun and lots of ammunition   and then opened fire
joel figueroa 19 of orlando was with his friend stanley dancing when the first shots rang out
the only thing i could think of was to duck he said soon after the shooting still obviously shaken
the moments that followed were a blur of panic and confusion by the door he saw his friend
there was stanley on the floor he said he was shot three times but managed to stumble outside blood pouring from a huge gash in his arm his condition was unclear
in those first few frantic minutes scores of people ran out onto the street many wounded as the police rushed to the scene word spread quickly with the wounded texting friends and family
the club itself posted a message on facebook shortly after the shooting began
everyone get out of pulse and keep running
one man wrote a text to his mother saying he was shot and thought he was dying
another mother showed reporters the stream of her sons increasingly desperate text messages
in bathroom he wrote at 246 am he has us
call the police
call them mommy
im gonna die
it was unclear whether her son escaped
luis burbano who gave interviews to several television networks said that after the initial burst of gunfire there was a momentary pause that he used to jet for the door
on his way out he saw a bartender hiding in a fitting room waiting for a miracle along with other patrons
after he escaped a man near him collapsed his arm badly wounded mr burbano took off his shirt and wrapped it around the mans arm
he then saw another man with a bullet lodged in his leg and mr burbano used another piece of clothing to try to stem his bleeding
with bodies littering the floor at least 30 people remained trapped inside the club according to the police
a group of 15 to 25 people were huddled in a room isolated from the gunman mr dyer told cnn
another five to eight people were being held in a room with the gunman
the police by now swarming outside had established communication with mr mateen but it was unclear what they discussed heavily armed members of the swat team took positions around the building while other emergency medical workers rushed the wounded to a hospital which was just a block away
finally around 5 am the authorities took action
they breached the wall of the isolated room with an armored personnel carrier known as a bearcat
that is when the shooter opened the door and started shooting outside mr dyer said
one officer was shot in the head but was not seriously wounded because the bullet struck his kevlar helmet
more than a dozen law enforcement officers took aim at mr mateen and he was shot and killed
next to his body was a battery pack and the police were concerned that he might have been wearing an explosive device so they investigated the scene first with a robot
it would take another hour before they could start to assess the extent of the damage as they made their way deeper into the club the toll grew higher
it would take hours for all of the bodies to be removed from the site even as worried friends and relatives desperately sought information about people they feared might have been inside the club
brian reagan a manager at the club who was there during the shooting took to facebook to try to convey just how overwhelming it was to be caught in the center of a nightmare
i am scared nervous and concerned for every single person that was in that building he wrote please pray this can not be real


toronto   in just three and a half weeks workers here built one of the worlds largest cultural performance spaces inside an abandoned power plant there are stages for theater dance and music as well as multiple art galleries and a high end french restaurant
and after 17 days theyre going to tear it all down
the temporary site was built for the 10th edition of the luminato festival which opened on friday it is the first time that the festival has located all of its ambitious programming in a single place the hearn generating station in torontos industrial port lands area
the festival includes the only north american performances of the national theater of scotlands trilogy of the james plays the immersive situation rooms of the berlin theater group rimini protokoll and the thunderous unsound festival music events span the sonic spectrum from beethoven to a queer hip hop dance party and the power plants former control room has been transformed into le pavillon an ode to the storied new york restaurant of that name around 850 artists are participating in 162 events last years festival drew more than 600000 visitors
jorn weisbrodt the outgoing artistic director of luminato described the hearn which was decommissioned in 1983 as a creative achievement its an artwork in itself he said its not just a venue
galleries an interactive video installation and bars line a grand hallway that cuts through the towering concrete plinths of the plants former turbines and a vast mirror ball hangs in the cavernous hall
drawing on his early experiences reanimating abandoned spaces in berlin after the berlin wall wall fell mr weisbrodt sees this years festival as a live proposal for the hearns future as a new kind of 21st century cultural institution
if you look at the barbican or the pompidou these are places that try to bring all the arts closer together but they still build individual spaces mr weisbrodt said we dont separate in space but we separate in time he said referring to the events and in that way we give the audience freedom to migrate to so many different art forms and for audiences to mix
to create a space that would be responsive adaptable and accessible mr weisbrodt took inspiration from the influential british architect cedric price and the theater director joan littlewood they envisioned the fun palace a repurposed space for the arts and sciences that could accommodate different fields of creativity and ways of life
the starting point for luminatos overall design was the 1200 seat theater for the james plays which required some original thinking jerad schomer a designer with the theater consultancy charcoalblue said it was the most ambitious project he has been involved in to date because of the challenging acoustics of the power plant the designers hung almost 100000 square feet of fiberglass duct liner to absorb echoes that would make dialogue incomprehensible
fitting the theater into a space where the plants 120 foot tall boiler used to be required precision a detailed 3 d model was created by partisans the toronto architecture and design firm which spent months scanning every girder duct pipe and hole when the installation was complete they had 15 inches to spare
the key breakthrough came with a decision to repurpose shipping containers to create the balconies and wraparound box seats rolling with the idea partisans embraced mr prices ethos of off the shelf architecture by repurposing industrial items
a construction elevator provides public access to a mezzanine gallery and restaurant electronic road signs are used to display information and the grand staircase is built from scaffolding the 45 shipping containers in use are scattered throughout like gods jenga said alex josephson a co founder of partisans theres such beauty in the moduloc stock fencing put together to make the pathways he said
this is the anti bilbao he added referring to frank gehrys fantastical titanium clad guggenheim museum in spain its ready made monumentalism
the construction job fell to clyde wagner luminatos executive producer and his production team much of the labor and the 2 million budget went into bringing the decaying building which had no sewer connection water or electricity up to code in less than a month
nine cement trucks worth of concrete was used to patch the floor and more than 6000 feet of barricades were put in place to close off ruined areas elaborate temporary plumbing snakes up to the restaurants kitchen
unexpected challenges arose a planned third floor space proved too difficult to make accessible and the leaks from a torrential rain last week necessitated readjusting part of the layout
creating access to something thats forbidden to the entire city is the project mr josephson said
what will happen after the festival ends is unclear but interest in the hearns future has been growing some locals believe it could be a catalyst for development in the port lands which are to be transformed in coming decades into a mixed use community housing tens of thousands of people
cost has always been a stumbling block to development but the former plants future is further complicated by the fact that ontario power generation the government agency that owns the building leased it in 2002 to a group of private investors
in 2011 the group announced a plan to demolish the hearn that seems unlikely for now but it is still an option under the terms of the lease investors have been considering many local and international proposals said paul vaughan the president of the investors group
the festival may well have generated a new regard for the value of the physical plant one would have to think very hard before they took the building away mr vaughan said because it could never be put up again
time is a factor because the structure could quickly deteriorate torontos mayor john tory has said he would like to get the decision process moving by holding a future international competition of imagination to solicit ideas
mr weisbrodt the outgoing artistic director of the festival has his own suggestions for how the space could be used for culture of course but also hockey rinks a rock climbing wall with commissioned murals and a school it should be the worlds hearn generating station he said why dont we do something that encompasses basically everything people do in their spare time
one idea is visualized along 960 feet of wall space in the mezzanine gallery partisans has made digital renderings of an art gallery that could be built inside the turbine hall it is filled with a collection of significant objects from the citys history photographed by the toronto photographer scott mcfarland
gazing upon the images can open up a space time continuum in which the viewer contemplates the past but also glimpses the future


hollywood had a mixed weekend at the box office the conjuring 2 was strong warcraft was soft now you see me 2 was a shrug
beating this summers sequel curse the well reviewed conjuring 2 was the no 1 draw at north american multiplexes between friday and sunday taking in about 404 million according to comscore which compiles box office data the first conjuring arrived to 419 million in opening weekend ticket sales on the downside new line and its financing partners spent about 42 million to make the sequel double the production cost of the original
the poorly reviewed warcraft was second taking in about 244 million that is a dismal start for a film that cost at least 160 million to make but warcraft from legendary entertainment has been doing surprisingly well overseas where it has taken in roughly 2617 million so far the video game adaptation notably received one of the largest releases ever in china legendary was purchased by chinas dalian wanda group in january
lionsgate had hoped that now you see me 2 would officially end a box office cold streak but the studio instead had to make do with a ho hum 23 million in opening weekend ticket sales for its magic themed sequel or 22 percent less than initial results for the original film lionsgate spent roughly 90 million on the sequel the first movie cost 75 million


washington   the tableau at the white house was chillingly familiar the somber president nearing the end of his eight year term walked grim faced to the podium to offer his condolences promised action in the wake of suffering and pleaded for a new resolve that just might prevent more deaths in a hail of bullets
the list of tragedies on president obamas watch seems countless by now an elementary classroom a church a military base a movie theater and now a gay nightclub mr obama said sundays massacre by a gunman with a handgun and an assault weapon is another brutal reminder of how easy it is for someone to slaughter dozens
we have to decide if thats the kind of country we want to be mr obama said on sunday as he mourned the nations deadliest mass shooting and to actively do nothing is a decision as well
mr obama vowed to respond forcefully to what he called a devastating act of terror and an act of hate this time it was a tragedy that combined gun violence a hatred of gays and ties to islamist terrorism
in his remarks mr obama said it was still unclear to the authorities whether there was a direct link between the gunman and international terrorist groups but in the hours after he spoke law enforcement officials said that the gunman had pledged his allegiance to the islamic state and they acknowledged that he had twice been investigated for terrorism connections
it took only hours for questions about those connections to become fodder in the presidential campaign donald j trump the presumptive republican presidential nominee seized on the attacks as evidence of americas weakness in facing terrorism he demanded that mr obama resign because he refused to say the words radical islam in his remarks
if we do not get tough and smart real fast we are not going to have a country anymore mr trump said in a statement because our leaders are weak i said this was going to happen   and it is only going to get worse i am trying to save lives and prevent the next terrorist attack
hillary clinton the presumptive democratic presidential nominee called the massacre in orlando fla an act of terror and an act of hate and called for hardening our defenses at home while refusing to be intimidated and staying true to our values in the united states
mr obama pleaded with americans during his remarks not to give in to fear or turn against each other a somewhat muted reference to mr trumps previous call for a ban on muslims entering the united states
in the face of hate and violence we will love one another mr obama said rather than giving in to fear the president said we will stand united as americans to protect our people and defend our nation and to take action against those who threaten us
speaking to reporters mr obama said the country had again been traumatized by grievous violence which shattered more than 100 lives during a three hour nightmare early sunday with 50 people killed and 53 wounded in the attack
during his presidency mr obama has repeatedly mourned victims of mass shootings often expressing anger and frustration at what he has said is the countrys apparent willingness to let them become a normal part of life
that anger has been compounded by mr obamas inability to persuade lawmakers to impose new restrictions on the availability of firearms especially the assault style rifles like the one believed to have been used by the gunman in sunday mornings attack in orlando a major push for a ban on assault weapons after the 2012 massacre of schoolchildren in newtown conn ended in failure
can we say that were truly doing enough to give all the children of this country the chance they deserve to live out their lives in happiness and with purpose an emotional mr obama said after the newtown attack
mr obama on sunday gave his deepest condolences to the families of the victims and he said americans should in particular keep the countrys gay and lesbian community in mind as they offer their prayers he called it an especially heartbreaking day for the gay community
the shooter targeted a nightclub where people came together to be with friends to dance and to sing and to live mr obama said the place where they were attacked is more than a nightclub   it is a place of solidarity and empowerment where people have come together to raise awareness to speak their minds and to advocate for their civil rights
mr obama has often hailed the progress on gay rights that has been made during his presidency especially the decision by the united states supreme court to allow same sex marriage but those legal protections have not erased hatred in the country
this is a sobering reminder that attacks on any american   regardless of race ethnicity religion or sexual orientation   is an attack on all of us and on the fundamental values of equality and dignity that define us as a country he said
mr obama took no questions from reporters after delivering his five minute remarks he turned from the podium to walk back into the west wing once again left to monitor the investigation prepare a likely eulogy for the dead and wonder when he might have to come into the briefing room again
shortly after he spoke mr obama ordered that flags at the white house and other federal sites around the world be lowered to half staff again


hamilton an improbable hip hop musical about americas first treasury secretary completed its rapturous march across americas awards landscape on sunday picking up broadways highest honor the tony award for best new musical
the prize capped an amazing season for the show a smash hit that has been sold out from the start captivating audiences and the broader culture through its use of todays sounds and a largely nonwhite cast to explore americas revolutionary origins and their contemporary relevance
in all hamilton won 11 tony awards   one fewer than the record 12 won by the producers in 2001
the evening was also noteworthy for the way it contrasted broadway with hollywood all four awards for performances in musicals went to black actors
the big night for hamilton was altered by a national tragedy 18 hours before the awards ceremony began a lone gunman armed with an ar 15 type assault rifle opened fire at a gay nightclub in orlando fla leaving 50 people dead the shooting   the deadliest in united states history   added a note of sadness disbelief and anger to broadways big night
senseless acts of tragedy remind us that nothing here is promised   not one day lin manuel miranda the author and star of hamilton declared emotionally reciting a sonnet he had written as he accepted the tony for best score love he said cannot be killed or swept aside
the tony awards as well as cbs which broadcast the event dedicated the ceremony to those affected by the tragedy performers and presenters arrived at the beacon theater wearing silver ribbons   created by the tony winning designer william ivey long in the color of the award itself   to acknowledge orlando between the time of a morning rehearsal and the evening broadcast hamilton decided to drop the use of muskets in its production number yorktown while the comedianmusician steve martin cut a joke that alluded to violence
as the show began its host james corden paid tribute to the orlando victims and their families saying our hearts go out to all of those affected by this atrocity
hate will never win mr corden said together we have to make sure of that he added tonights show stands as a symbol and a celebration of that principle
but then in a razzle dazzle show must go on moment he began a rapid fire song and dance journey through 20 much loved musicals from les miserables to 42nd street
and the broadcast proceeded as planned with a series of songs and medleys introducing television viewers to the musicals of the season interspersed with awards and acceptance speeches outside the theater casts of the nominated shows performed brief tributes to their favorite musicals a nod to the sidewalk concerts performed weekly for last minute ticket lottery entrants outside the hamilton theater
the awards also found room for humor   there were at least three jokes at donald j trumps expense including one in which andrew rannells depicted him starring in a musical called the book of moron and one about hillary clinton depicted by glenn close singing the lyric i really need this job from a chorus line
hamilton which has become the rare musical to cross over into the broader popular culture was nominated for 16 tonys   more than any other show in history a reflection of the excitement it has engendered
one measure of its extraordinary stature its performance on the awards show was preceded by a videotaped tribute to the show from president obama and the first lady michelle obama mr obama acknowledging that the idea of a hip hop musical about a treasury secretary at first sounded like a joke said we all laughed but whos laughing now he called the show a civics lesson our kids cant get enough of
the show is successful not only artistically but commercially   it is earning about 600000 in profit every week on broadway and it is about to expand its reach with a production opening in chicago in september followed by two north american tours and a london production soon after the tony broadcast ended a new block of tickets for the broadway production went on sale
hamilton won tonys not only for best new musical but also for mr mirandas book and score thomas kails direction alex lacamoires orchestrations andy blankenbuehlers choreography paul tazewells costumes and howell binkleys lighting design and three of its performers won tonys leslie odom jr who plays aaron burr beat out mr miranda who plays hamilton in the race for best leading actor renee elise goldsberry who portrays hamiltons sister in law angelica was named best featured actress in a musical and daveed diggs who plays both marquis de lafayette and thomas jefferson won best featured actor in a musical
the best new musical award was handed out by barbra streisand who had not appeared on the tony awards stage since 1970 when she won a special tony as performer of the decade dressed in a lacy shirt and vest ensemble ms streisand joked as she opened the envelope thank god i picked the right outfit
the 2015 16 theater season was the most diverse in broadway history and the tonys celebrated that distinction particularly as it came during a year when hollywood faced criticism for its failure to nominate any nonwhite performers for the oscars of the 40 acting nominations 14 went to black hispanic and asian american actors
think of tonight as the oscars but with diversity mr corden said at the start of the show prompting raucous laughter he joked it is so diverse that donald trump has threatened to build a wall around this theater and then at the close of the segment he brought out a multiethnic group of children and singing this could be you replaced them with the equally diverse group of nominees for performances in musicals
mr kail accepting the award for best direction noted the diverse array of plays and musicals on broadway what weve seen this season is that there are stories to be told and there are people that want to hear them
hamilton dominated the broadcast and the theatrical season but was not the only show to win awards
a revival of the color purple a musical adaptation of the pulitzer winning novel by alice walker had a good night winning awards for best musical revival and for best leading actress for its 29 year old star cynthia erivo who is the second actress in 10 years to win a tony award for playing the books central character celie
the humans a poignant family drama by stephen karam did especially well winning best play best featured actress for jayne houdyshell and best featured actor for reed birney for their moving portrayal of a married couple struggling to love and cherish a family under stress david zinn won a tony for his design of the humans set which replicated a shabby two story apartment in the chinatown neighborhood of manhattan
and a production of arthur millers a view from the bridge won the awards for best play revival and for best director for ivo van hove a belgian director making his broadway debut
jessica lange the oscar winning actress won a tony for her portrayal of the morphine addicted mary tyrone in eugene oneills long days journey into night and frank langella picked up his fourth tony award for his portrayal of a frenchman with dementia in a new play the father
david rockwell a prolific and much admired set designer who has been nominated six times for tony awards finally won one for recreating a budapest perfumery for a revival of a cherished but less well known classic musical she loves me
the awards were concentrated among a handful of winners the new musical shuffle along or the making of the musical sensation of 1921 and all that followed which was nominated for 10 tony awards won none also going home empty were the new musicals bright star school of rock the musical and waitress each of which will have to hope that the musical numbers they performed on the broadcast will help energize box office sales
the awards ceremony followed a bittersweet day for the theater industry at the morning rehearsal as a jubilant crowd cheered run throughs of production numbers somber network and awards show administrators clustered in aisles and hallways at the beacon on the upper west side of manhattan trying to figure out how the show should respond to the mass shooting
the tony awards officially called the antoinette perry awards are presented annually by the broadway league and the american theater wing and honor plays and musicals that open each season in the 40 theaters in and around times square that make up broadway there were 36 shows that opened during the 2015 16 season and were eligible for awards 26 received at least one nomination
this years nominees were selected by a panel of 47 theater experts many of whom work at nonprofit organizations and in academia the winners were chosen by the tony voters   a mix of producers performers and other theater industry professionals   and this year there were 846 people eligible to vote on the awards
there are 24 competitive categories but the tonys also bestow several noncompetitive awards each year and those awards were announced in advance this year those included lifetime achievement awards to the lyricist sheldon harnick best known for fiddler on the roof and the director marshall w mason the founding artistic director of the circle repertory company an annual award honoring a regional theater went to the paper mill playhouse in millburn nj and the isabelle stevenson award for volunteerism to the performer brian stokes mitchell for his work with the actors fund


milwaukee   mets manager terry collins felt ill about an hour before sundays game in milwaukee and was taken to a nearby hospital for tests the mets assistant general manager john ricco said the bench coach dick scott who last managed with class a south bend in 1997 took over for collins
ricco offered no specifics about what was wrong with collins but promised to update reporters later in the day
collins 66 seemed fine speaking to reporters in his office about two and a half hours before the game at miller park he reviewed the limited options off his bench second baseman neil walker stiff back and outfielder michael conforto sore wrist werent available and collins hoped to give shortstop asdrubal cabrera his first complete day off this season
managing in the minor leagues youre used to it because it happens all the time he said in 84 i had to activate myself to give us enough players to play if youve done it as long as ive been doing it its just part of the game


washington   donald j trump on sunday sought to capitalize on the mass shooting at a gay club in orlando reiterating his controversial call for a temporary ban on muslim migration to the united states and criticizing hillary clinton for what he claimed was her desire to dramatically increase admissions from the middle east
in a demonstration of his willingness to flout convention and engage in a style of demagogic politics rarely displayed by a presidential nominee mr trump claimed he had warned of the sort of terrorism that marked the shooting which killed 50 and was the worst in the countrys history
i said this was going to happen   and it is only going to get worse mr trump said in a statement arguing that mrs clintons presidency would mean hundreds of thousands more middle east migrants
and we will have no way to screen them pay for them or prevent the second generation from radicalizing said mr trump the presumptive republican standard bearer
the suspected gunman omar mateen was an american who declared allegiance to the islamic state and was the son of an immigrant from afghanistan mr trump extended his opprobrium to that war torn heavily muslim country by noting the wide support there for shariah law
in a separate statement on twitter mr trump said that the rampage in orlando is just the beginning and noted that he asked for the ban on muslim immigration to america he has made his hard line against muslims central to his campaign and even after becoming the presumptive nominee and turning to a broader electorate refused to fully back off from his call to temporarily halt muslims from traveling to america
mr trump has faced widespread condemnation for this stance from both mrs clinton and numerous republicans but as he did again sunday he has said such vigilance was necessary and that the country cant afford to be politically correct to this end he said mrs clinton should quit the presidential race if she proved unwilling to acknowledge that the attack in orlando was the result of two words radical islam
mrs clinton did not use that phrase or respond directly to mr trumps broadsides her campaign instead sought to use the event to diminish their republican rival this act of terror is the largest mass shooting in american history and a tragedy that requires a serious response jennifer palmieri mrs clintons communications director said adding that donald trump put out political attacks weak platitudes and self congratulations
mrs clinton the presumptive democratic presidential nominee initially responded with caution sunday morning after early reports about the assault offering her thoughts to those affected as we wait for more information but after president obama spoke in the afternoon and called the orlando killings an act of terror she issued a longer statement echoing the president this was an act of terror mrs clinton said
in her statement mrs clinton said we need to redouble our efforts to defend our country from threats at home and abroad focusing on the threat of terrorism further down in her statement she called for more stringent restrictions on guns
finally we need to keep guns like the ones used last night out of the hands of terrorists or other violent criminals she said taking up the call many on the left made in the hours after the attack mr trump who made no mention of access to firearms in any of his comments said mr obama should resign for his own refusal to say radical islam
the white house declined to comment on mr trumps demand for the presidents resignation
a tragedy in the middle of a presidential race would typically force restraint on candidates but this tradition has largely vanished in the era of the superheated social media news cycle where mass shootings immediately set off debates about access to guns and if the perpetrator is muslim islamist terrorism and if the orlando massacre was a test of how willing candidates and their supporters are to pursue partisan attacks in the aftermath of horrific violence mr trump left little doubt about his willingness to push the boundaries of the countrys public discourse
he had no public events sunday and in a rarity did not appear on any of the weekly political talk shows but he made ample use of his twitter account where he said appreciate the congrats for being right on radical islamic terrorism
it was a vivid illustration of how little heed mr trump pays to traditional political standards whether it is on how campaigns are waged or on the kinds of positions he embraces but there were few republicans criticizing him for his muslim ban proposal on sunday
mr trump had planned a speech on monday in new hampshire focused on what he sees as the clintons ethical lapses but he indicated in his statement on sunday that he would use the appearance to further address this terrorist attack immigration and national security
if mr trump was characteristically bellicose in his response mrs clinton was typically restrained she used her statement to make clear she recognized that the country had suffered yet another act of terrorism but also made sure to offer her solidarity with the gay community and reiterate her support for gun control she was also off the campaign trail for the day but avoided twitter blasts and refrained from making any extended public comment until after the president delivered his remarks in the white house briefing room
mrs clinton was also planning to give remarks monday lacerating her rival she had planned to speak about what she deems as mr trumps dangerous demagogy at an appearance in ohio
it is unclear whether mrs clinton will use her speech to forcefully confront mr trump mrs palmieri the campaign aide said mrs clinton would discuss steps she would take to keep the country safe in the coming days and another aide said the candidate intended to refashion her address monday to focus on the terrorism in orlando
what is clear is that the shooting will reorient the race for at least the next week mrs clinton was to have held a campaign rally with mr obama in green bay wis on wednesday her first joint appearance with the president but she quickly postponed the event on sunday after the severity of the shooting became clear


oakland calif   the nba suspended the golden state warriors draymond green for game 5 of the nba finals on monday as a result of an accumulation of flagrant fouls over the course of the postseason
the nba announced sunday that the league had retroactively assessed green with a flagrant foul 1 for striking the cleveland cavaliers lebron james in the groin during the fourth quarter of the warriors game 4 victory on friday triggering an automatic one game suspension per league rules
four flagrant foul points in the postseason results in a suspension green who plays an outsize role for the warriors as a do everything point forward already had three
the cumulative points system is designed to deter flagrant fouls in our game kiki vandeweghe the nbas executive vice president for basketball operations said in a statement while draymond greens actions in game 4 do not merit a suspension as a stand alone act the number of flagrant points he has earned triggers a suspension for game 5
the warriors who will host game 5 have a three games to one lead in the best of seven series


paris   the art dealer and billionaire david nahmad says he is well aware of the scornful whispers that trail him when he travels to brazil to new york he says he feels the disapproving stares when he enters his synagogue at home in monaco
people say oh david stole it he should give it back immediately mr nahmad said in a rare interview at a hotel here
it is a valuable painting by modigliani an oil portrait of a dapper chocolate merchant in a hat and tie seated and holding a cane a nahmad holding company bought the work at auction in 1996 and has owned it ever since but the grandson of a jewish antiques dealer says it is the same work that was confiscated from his relatives paris shop during the nazi occupation and sold off more than 70 years ago
for almost five years the grandson philippe maestracci and a company specializing in recovering looted art have pressed a claim in new york state and federal courts for the work once estimated to be worth as much as 25 million
mr nahmad the scion of a family of international art dealers remains adamant that he will not settle he is basing much of his stance on a french court record from 1947 that he says casts doubt on whether his painting is the same modigliani that the antique dealer oscar stettiner tried to recover after world war ii
the court paper filed in connection with mr stettiners 1946 claim to regain the painting describes it as a modigliani self portrait not an image of a chocolate merchant
but there is conflicting evidence cited by mr maestracci including the provenance listed when the nahmad holding company unsuccessfully tried to sell the disputed painting seated man with a cane through sothebys in 2008
in its sale materials the auction house listed stettiner as a possible previous owner of the painting and said it had then been sold anonymously in paris between 1940 and 1945
i think the evidence is overwhelming james palmer whose mondex company is trying to reclaim the modigliani painting for mr maestracci said in an interview from italy
in recent months much of the conversation over the work has focused not on the particulars of its provenance but on whether mr nahmad went to great lengths to conceal his ownership technically the painting is owned by the international art center a holding company that controls many masterpieces from monets to picassos and has long been known as a nahmad company by art world insiders
the international art center is me personally said mr nahmad who said he uses it for security purposes to mask his name its david nahmad
nonetheless for years mr nahmads representatives avoided making that direct connection in interviews much of the court battle over the modigliani has revolved around whether the art center company is controlled by the nahmads
but the recent leak of a trove from the so called panama papers   showing documents from the mossack fonseca law firm which set up the holding company   made clear that mr nahmad was indeed its principal the resulting publicity was ugly and overwhelming mr nahmad said
looted art hidden art   they made me look like a crook instead of doing real battle in the court he said
in april a swiss prosecutor reacting to the disclosure placed a legal hold on the work which is in storage in geneva while he investigated whether the painting was stolen property last month he dropped the seizure order citing insufficient evidence
wasnt it a mistake not to have been more transparent
mr nahmad turned to his swiss lawyer rodolphe gautier who said that when you are filing a lawsuit in new york you have to go against a proper defendant
no matter who is behind the international art center he added it really does not change the lawsuit
mr nahmad 69 has long loathed publicity but he has changed his strategy he hired a public relations firm and last week set up shop at a suite in the five star plaza athenee hotel here where he met individually with several reporters
a glass coffee table was piled high with modigliani catalogs that mr nahmad in a casual blue sweater and slacks thumbed through they showed that he had lent the disputed painting to several museums including the jewish museum in new york in 2004
if you had any doubt about looted art would you really lend it to a jewish museum he asked
mr palmer of mondex says a series of documents demonstrate the stettiner ownership of the work including the catalog for the 1930 venice biennale where a portrait of a man by modigliani was exhibited and credited to the collection of a mr stettiner the listing for a july 1944 sale by the french auction house drouot which sold items taken from mr stettiner records the sale of an unnamed modigliani picture
the price was 16000 francs though far too low mr nahmad says for a large work in oil by modigliani even then today that price would be equal to almost 3000 euros or about 3375
mr nahmad said he feels his position has been strengthened by an obscure 1947 french court document located by his researcher in the paris archives amid the files of the claim submitted by mr stettiner the document had been legally sealed until 2022 but mr nahmad successfully applied for an exemption to examine it
the document is from a french bailiff who presided over mr stettiners restitution case in it the bailiff refers to the painting as a picture representing the painter modigliani painted by himself
but mr palmer who has seen the document said he is not persuaded the bailiff is not an art expert he said its pretty easy for a bailiff to make that kind of mistake
with that impasse mr nahmad said he is poised to fight on in the courts
in the meantime he is weighing invitations to exhibit his painting he said he thinks the best option is to loan it to a museum in israel for now he said he has too many doubts to relinquish the painting
but he said if its proven that this painting is looted by the nazis i will give it back


washington   in recent weeks staff members for bobby rush a democratic congressman from illinois have asked fellow lawmakers to sign a letter opposing a federal communications commission proposal to limit how broadband providers can share users personal data
last month 60 lawmakers signed a separate letter voicing their objections to an fcc regulation that would open the market for cable television set top boxes
what the actions have in common the financial connections and legwork of cable companies like comcast
the national cable  telecommunications association an industry lobbying group said it had edited the letter shared by mr rushs staff cable industry lobbyists also helped gather the 60 signatures on the set top box letter nearly all of the lawmakers who signed count cable and telecom companies as top campaign donors according to federal disclosures
the behind the scenes activity by cable companies and their industry groups is part of the biggest lobbying push by the 115 billion industry in washington since 2009 when the government drew up its net neutrality rules these days the cable and telecom industries are hiring more lobbyists issuing warnings that they may sue federal agencies and making speeches and writing scathing blog posts about policy makers
the trigger a string of proposed regulations by the fcc that has left cable companies feeling besieged
so far this year the agency has proposed reforming rules on set top boxes so that people can pick any television device to receive cable and online video which could cut into the industrys 195 billion in annual set top box rental fees the fcc also unveiled broadband privacy rules that would make it harder to collect and share data on users for targeted advertising and the agency also announced a plan to force cable and telecom companies to lease bandwidth to competitors in certain areas with potential limits on how much they can charge curbing revenue for such deals
the policy blows we are weathering are not modest regulatory corrections michael k powell president of the ncta said in a speech last month they have been thundering tectonic shifts
the cable companies frustration has been compounded by concerns that the fcc proposals punish them but reward tech companies like google the set top box proposal could give those companies access to cable and satellite television programming for their devices and let them track viewer habits for their ad businesses the broadband privacy rules apply only to cable and telecom companies tech companies are not included
the fcc has largely adopted recommendations from google on set top box reforms the cable and telecom companies said atts senior vice president for external affairs jim cicconi has called the plan the google proposal the cable companies also said the fccs broadband privacy proposal would be much stronger than any restrictions placed on web companies
so the cable industry has harnessed its vast lobbying resources in washington to fight back
in the first quarter cable and telecom companies spent 22 million on lobbying ranking 11th by industry according to the opensecrets website run by the center for responsive politics while the spending did not increase from a year earlier much of the money has gone toward fighting fcc proposals like the set top box rules with nearly 2 million paid just to outside lobbyists in the first quarter to work against the proposal according to federal disclosures
att comcast verizon and the ncta are also practicing softer forms of lobbying   such as sponsoring studies and consultants who write op ed articles   that cannot be easily traced analysts and public interest groups like free press which supports several broadband regulations say
the industrys focus has been on helping members of congress write letters of opposition to the fcc including the critical letter shown by mr rushs staff the association said an employee contributed minor suggestions to the letter from mr rush mr rushs spokeswoman debra johnson said the ncta edits did not change the substance of the letter and added that the congressman had a history of standing up for consumer protection issues
some consultants for cable companies have also criticized the fcc proposals in march henry waxman a former democratic congressman from california wrote a harsh op ed in the hill slamming the set top box plan without disclosing that he was a consultant for comcast and had business ties to the ncta
mr waxman and other lawmakers who have been critical of the set top box plan said they were not financially motivated to weigh in on the issue
i dont represent clients on issues i dont believe in mr waxman said
the cable industry has also responded with a new lobbying group the future of tv coalition which has been joined by media and movie companies as well as labor unions the group was formed on the day the fcc announced the set top box proposal with a website and statements from companies against the idea so far the organization has helped generate 300000 comments opposing the set top box plan through a tool on its website that sends complaints directly to the fcc
timothy karr a campaign director for free press said there is a huge economy of cable lobbying that is in the dark he added that lawmakers and think tanks that come out on the side of cable say nothing is quid pro quo but its hard to ignore the financial connections
comcast and att declined to comment on their lobbying activities the ncta declined to comment specifically on lobbying but said the set top box reform was widely unpopular and was also opposed by networks geared toward minority audiences as well as movie studios and labor unions
we will continue to work with policy makers companies civic groups and other interested stakeholders on ideas to promote investment and innovation in todays highly competitive marketplace for communications and media services said brian dietz a spokesman for the association which represents comcast charter communications and cox communications
the target of much of the cable industrys ire is tom wheeler chairman of the fcc mr wheeler has also been joined by president obama who endorsed the set top box proposal in april
the white house is intervening in order to direct an outcome that favors one company viewed by many as its political ally mr cicconi of att said in a blog post at the time in a not so veiled reference to google google declined to comment
the fcc said its proposals were aimed at creating more competition in the broadband market and protecting consumers
these proposals are technology neutral and do not target any one company or sector of the telecommunications industry said kim hart a spokeswoman for the fcc chairman wheelers proposals are about one thing promoting meaningful competition among service providers so that consumers can have meaningful choices


republican candidates have a model to emulate as they struggle with growing concerns that donald j trump could drag down their party in november the late muhammad ali and his famous rope a dope
ali who died on june 3 and was laid to rest last week perfected this technique in his 1974 rumble in the jungle bout against george foreman hed lean back against the ropes absorbing the punches coming at him and allowing his opponent to exhaust himself
more and more republicans are leaning away to avoid mr trump after controversies such as his racially tinged charge that the judge overseeing a fraud case against trump university is biased because his parents were from mexico a few including senator mark kirk of illinois gov charlie baker of massachusetts and senator lindsey graham of south carolina flatly declare that they wont vote for him others are waiting to see whether there will be more rants
for republicans from solidly conservative regions the deep south and some western states theres no price to pay for supporting the ticket however they view the nominee
thats not the case for republicans from blue or democratic centric places the safest course for them is to denounce trump say they are completely opposed and wont support him says whit ayres a prominent republican pollster thats the case with mr kirk who faces an uphill re election battle
its more complicated for those in purple or swing states and districts where a winning coalition would include trump champions and more independent minded voters turned off by him their best strategy is to localize the race and say it has nothing to do with the presidential race mr ayres says this is the real political rope a dope yet few politicians are as skillful as ali
take senator kelly ayotte of new hampshire where mr trump scored a huge victory in the february primary but where the general election features more centrist independent voters she said she would support mr trump but not endorse him last week she rejected his comments about the judge and demanded that he apologize mr trump tends not to do apologies
other challenged incumbent senators such as rob portman of ohio or pat toomey of pennsylvania offer lukewarm support along with criticism or they simply try to keep a distance a few of their colleagues such as richard burr of north carolina or ron johnson of wisconsin who earlier were joined at the hip with mr trump seem to be backing away
probably no one is more torn than senator john mccain whose unassailable record of heroism as a prisoner of war was mocked by mr trump and who has a solid pro immigration record but hes in a tight re election fight and cant afford to alienate the trump brigade in arizona
and house republicans now worry about what had been considered impossible only a month ago a loss of 30 seats and the partys control of the body there are two distinctly different types of districts where they fear incumbents could get swamped by an anti trump tsunami
one is upscale politically moderate suburbs outside philadelphia denver minneapolis st paul chicago or washington president obama carried most of these districts where the political profile is hostile to mr trump the other is a collection of heavily hispanic districts including several in californias central valley and one in the florida keys these are represented by republicans who support hispanic interests but these lawmakers could go down if mr trumps rhetoric generates a huge turnout of hispanic voters
to be sure there are places where mr trump might help including a few new york districts and the iron range in northern minnesota an economically distressed old mining district with a democratic incumbent
perhaps mr trump will change and become a more disciplined candidate if not and his polls slip scores of additional republican candidates will be tempted to stop leaning away and just jump out of the ring


andre brown has always been a tastemaker better known as doctor dre   the long island original not the west coast producer and gangster rapper   he has been sharing his musical tastes since the 1980s as a dj for the beastie boys a member of the hip hop group original concept and a co host of yo mtv raps he and his co host ed lover even beat ice cube to the barbershop movie genre when they starred in whos the man in 1993
being at the forefront of hip hop then often meant working in the studio all day and prowling the clubs for talent at night never a small man he ate what he could   and often   on the run i had that lifestyle of being out all the time mr brown 52 said you had to be doing what we were doing you had to be on the pulse there was no tmz or kim kardashian this was the raw beginning we had to be everywhere
ten years ago that lifestyle caught up with him he developed type 2 diabetes and has faced a series of health challenges losing a toe injuring his ankles and three years ago going blind now he is planning to have weight loss surgery   a move recently endorsed by many in the medical community for helping to reduce the symptoms of type 2 diabetes and like the dj that he has remained at heart he wants to share that experience this time through a proposed reality television show that would chronicle his surgery and recovery
my stubbornness put me where im at now my energy is going to change that mr brown said we got young people grown people old all having this we can prevent this we can cure this i have an idea how to do it
among the first people he pitched the idea to was bill adler a former executive at def jam records who is a utility player in the hip hop game mr adler knows people who have the money and connections to back such a project including some who made a dollar or two off mr browns efforts over the years mr adler thought it was a brave move for a man who had remained upbeat despite the many physical challenges of the past decade
dre is an arbiter mr adler said now he has turned that skill to something crucial theres a reason he has mostly spent his life behind the turntables or introducing other talent to the world he wants to share his enthusiasm with other folks
but first mr brown and mr adler will have to gain not only the enthusiasm of people who might know something about reality television but their support you would think that would not be too hard since mr brown has been a presence in the culture going back to his days at adelphi university where he met members of what would become public enemy at the college radio station mr adler said it was mr brown who told executives at def jam about chuck d and also the fast talking hype man flavor flav
his connections with public enemy came in handy when he was at yo mtv raps and ice cube was ready to leave nwa and go solo mr brown introduced the gangster rapper to the bomb squad the production team behind public enemys sound that went on to produce much of ice cubes solo debut amerikkkas most wanted yet when the movie straight outta compton came out last year those moments were barely mentioned
its funny you see the movie and you wonder how did ice cube get there mr brown said they might as well call it straight outta fiction im not bitter im just truthful
the truth with which he is more concerned now is the alarming rate of diabetes in black and latino communities he thinks his story could offer useful suggestions about how to live and eat healthfully and challenge parts of the pharmaceutical industry that profit from long term treatment he thinks   and recent news supports him   that weight loss surgery might have better results including remission for some people
doctor heal thyself mr adler boomed during a recent meeting with mr brown the idea excited him since he thought the whole process could be chronicled in a short term reality show yet his calls to some high profile hip hop personalities and entrepreneurs with television experience and a history with mr brown have gone unanswered
these are people ive known for 30 years and they havent gotten back to me mr adler said dre just wants to share his enthusiasm with people there are plenty of other folks who star in reality shows who are plainly narcissists who are convinced every absurd thing out of their mouth has to be captured by a television camera that is not dre


shanghai   an explosion in the check in area of shanghais pudong international airport injured at least four people on sunday according to the police and airport authorities who said the blast was set off by a man carrying a homemade explosive
the airport is one of chinas busiest and travelers described fearful moments in the early afternoon when sharp cracking sounds reverberated through the terminal 2 departure area and plumes of smoke rose to the ceiling according to local news media and video footage
the police quickly cordoned off the area of the explosion but the airport remained open suggesting that officials were confident the episode was not part of a wider attack
the police said in a written statement that a man with a homemade explosive had removed it from his backpack and dropped it in front of a check in counter the statement indicated that the explosive was contained in a beer bottle or bottles
after the blast the man also took a knife from the backpack and slashed his own throat and fell to the ground the police said the man survived but was said to be in grave condition
in addition a nearby hospital took in four casualties of the explosion who were lightly wounded by bottle fragments the police said one was a citizen of the philippines
by late sunday afternoon the airport was calm twelve of the next 18 flights scheduled to land were listed as delayed for as long as four hours the cavernous departure hall of terminal 2 was operating across two thirds of its length but aisle c where the explosion occurred was roped off and uniformed security personnel with black assault rifles slung over their shoulders stood guard making it difficult to see any damage
chinas communist party leadership prides itself on maintaining absolute control and even relatively minor disruptions of that control can prompt an intense response hangzhou a city near shanghai is scheduled to host a summit meeting of the group of 20 leading economies in september
none of the reports gave any details about the suspect or his motives
the episode was not the first apparent breach of security of its kind at a chinese airport in 2013 a man set off a homemade explosive at beijing international airport to protest what he said was lack of redress after security guards in southern china beat him in 2005 leaving him paralyzed and using a wheelchair the man ji zhongxing was sentenced to six years in prison


in her first ad of the general election campaign hillary clinton will use donald j trumps words to portray him as a violently divisive candidate who is intolerant of the diverse fabric of the american electorate
today we face a choice about who we are as a nation mrs clinton says in the ad called who we are and scheduled to air in battleground states on thursday footage then appears of mr trump the presumptive republican presidential nominee responding to a protester by saying id like to punch him in the face
mrs clinton continues do we help each other mr trump appears again telling a crowd knock the crap out of them would you seriously
in another sequence mr trump is shown mocking a reporter with a disability before mrs clinton is seen strolling through a factory meeting workers and talking to schoolchildren what kind of america do we want to be mrs clinton says dangerously divided or strong and united i believe we are always stronger together
the ads overarching theme echoes a new slogan stronger together that the clinton campaign will emphasize this week beginning with a speech mrs clinton plans to deliver in cleveland on monday in which she will accuse mr trump of racism and call for the country   including republicans turned off by their partys nominee   to get behind her candidacy
the ad also speaks to the liberal supporters of senator bernie sanders mrs clintons top democratic rival until she secured enough delegates for the democratic nomination
its time to unite behind some simple common goals   to build a strong economy that works for everyone not just those at the top she says
mrs clinton already has a significant advantage over mr trump in broadcast advertising thanks to the support of priorities usa action the main super pac supporting her candidacy
priorities usa ads have been on the air since mid may and are now running in eight states deemed essential in the general election ohio florida virginia colorado nevada new hampshire iowa and north carolina
a spokesman for the clinton campaign declined to say where the who we are ad would run
since capturing enough delegates to become the presumptive republican nominee mr trump has not aired a broadcast ad preferring to continue his campaign through large rallies that are often broadcast live giving him free media exposure
mrs clintons first broadcast ad of the general election demonstrates a change from the main themes of her primary ads her campaigns most used ad during the primary against mr sanders asserted her readiness for the presidency and she often ran ads highlighting her support in and connection to minority communities
but the campaign also ran ads about unity in one titled love and kindness original music by andra day enhanced a message of harmony
having mrs clinton narrate an ad rather than hiring a narrator or using clips from her speeches is also a departure from the primary campaign although it is not a total surprise a first ad in a general election is often meant to reintroduce a candidate to the electorate even one as well known as mrs clinton
the clinton campaign has shown a willingness to advertise on television frequently spending nearly 50 million in broadcast advertising during the primary campaign


orlando fla   a man who called 911 to proclaim allegiance to the islamic state terrorist group and who had been investigated in the past for possible terrorist ties stormed a gay nightclub here sunday morning wielding an assault rifle and a pistol and carried out the worst mass shooting in united states history leaving 50 people dead and 53 wounded
the attacker identified by law enforcement officials as omar mateen a 29 year old who was born in new york turned what had been a celebratory night of dancing to salsa and merengue music at the crowded pulse nightclub into a panicked scene of unimaginable slaughter the floors slicked with blood the dead and the injured piled atop one another terrified people poured onto the darkened streets of the surrounding neighborhood some carried wounded victims to safety and police vehicles were pressed into service as makeshift ambulances to rush people to hospitals
joel figueroa and his friends were dancing by the hip hop area when i heard shots bam bam bam he said adding everybody was screaming and running toward the front door
pulse which calls itself orlandos latin hotspot was holding its weekly upscale latin saturdays party the shooting began around 2 am and some patrons thought at first that the booming reports they heard were firecrackers or part of the loud thumping dance music
some people who were trapped inside hid where they could calling 911 or posting messages to social media pleading for help the club posted a stark message on its facebook page everyone get out of pulse and keep running
hundreds of people gathered in the glare of flashing red lights on the fringes of the law enforcement cordon around the nightclub and later at area hospitals hoping desperately for some word on the fates of their relatives and friends
more than 12 hours after the attack anguished relatives paced between orlando regional medical center and a nearby hotel as they waited for word they were told that so many were gunned down that victims would be tagged as anonymous until the hospital was able to identify them
we are here suffering knowing nothing said baron serrano whose brother juan rivera 36 had been celebrating a friends birthday with his husband and was now unaccounted for i cannot understand why they cant tell me anything because my brother is a very well known person here in orlando he is a hairstylist and everybody knows him
a tally of victims whose relatives had been notified began slowly building on a city website by 6 pm it had six names among them was juan ramon guerrero a 22 year old man of dominican descent who had gone to the club with his boyfriend christopher leinonen who goes by the name drew because they wanted to listen to salsa a friend brandon wolf watched people carry mr guerrero outside his body riddled with gunshot wounds
but no one knew what had become of mr leinonen his mother christine anxious because of health problems had woken at 3 am to news of the shooting and learned from mr wolf that her son had been inside
a three hour standoff followed the initial assault with people inside effectively held hostage until around 5 am when law enforcement officials led by a swat team raided the club using an armored vehicle and explosives designed to disorient and distract over a dozen police officers and sheriffs deputies engaged in a shootout with mr mateen leaving him dead and an officer wounded his life saved by a kevlar helmet that deflected a bullet
at least 30 people inside were rescued and even the hardened police veterans who took the building and combed through it aiding the living and identifying the dead were shaken by what they saw said john mina the orlando police chief just to look into the eyes of our officers told the whole story he said
it was the worst act of terrorism on american soil since sept 11 2001 and the deadliest attack on a gay target in the nations history though officials said it was not clear whether some victims had been accidentally shot by law enforcement officers
the toll of 50 dead is larger than the number of murders in orlando over the previous three years of an estimated 320 people in the club nearly one third were shot the casualties far exceeded those in the 2007 shooting at virginia tech where 32 people were killed and the 2012 shooting at an elementary school in newtown conn where 26 people died
in the face of hate and violence we will love one another president obama said in a special address from the white house we will not give in to fear or turn against each other instead we will stand united as americans to protect our people and defend our nation and to take action against those who threaten us
as he had done after several previous mass shootings the president said the shooting demonstrated the need for what he called common sense gun measures
this massacre is therefore a further reminder of how easy it is for someone to get their hands on a weapon that lets them shoot people in a school or a house of worship or a movie theater or a nightclub mr obama said we have to decide if thats the kind of country we want to be to actively do nothing is a decision as well
the shooting quickly made its way into the presidential campaign donald j trump the presumptive republican nominee who has accused mr obama of weakness on radical islam and has called for barring muslim immigrants suggested on twitter that the president should resign
appreciate the congrats for being right on radical islamic terrorism he wrote i dont want congrats i want toughness  vigilance we must be smart
hillary clinton the presumptive democratic nominee released a statement saying we need to redouble our efforts to defend our country from threats at home and abroad that means defeating international terror groups working with allies and partners to go after them wherever they are countering their attempts to recruit people here and everywhere and hardening our defenses at home
fears of violence led to heightened security at lesbian gay bisexual and transgender events and gathering places around the country law enforcement officials in santa monica calif confirmed the arrest on sunday of a heavily armed man who said he was in the area for west hollywoods gay pride parade the authorities however said they did not know of any connection between the california arrest and the orlando shooting
the fbi investigated mr mateen in 2013 when he made comments to co workers suggesting he had terrorist ties and again the next year for possible connections to moner mohammad abusalha an american who became a suicide bomber in syria said ronald hopper an assistant agent in charge of the bureaus tampa division but each time the fbi found no solid evidence that mr mateen had any real connection to terrorism or had broken any laws still he is believed to be on at least one watch list
mr mateen who lived in fort pierce fla was able to continue working as a security guard with the security firm g4s where he had worked since 2007 and he was able to buy guns the federal bureau of alcohol tobacco firearms and explosives said mr mateen had legally bought a long gun and a pistol in the past week or two though it was not clear whether those were the weapons used in the assault which officials described as a handgun and an ar 15 type of assault rifle
a former co worker daniel gilroy said mr mateen had talked often about killing people and had voiced hatred of gays blacks women and jews
around the time of the massacre mr mateen called 911 and declared his allegiance to the islamic state the brutal group that has taken over parts of syria iraq and libya agent hopper said other law enforcement officials said he called after beginning his assault
hours later the islamic state also known as isis or isil claimed responsibility in a statement released over an encrypted phone app used by the group it stated that the attack was carried out by an islamic state fighter according to a transcript provided by the site intelligence group which tracks jihadist propaganda
but officials cautioned that even if mr mateen who court records show was briefly married and then divorced was inspired by the group there was no indication that it had trained or instructed him or had any direct connection with him some other terrorist attackers have been self radicalized including the pair who killed 14 people in december in san bernardino calif who also proclaimed allegiance to the islamic state but apparently had no contact with the group
the islamic state has encouraged lone wolf attacks in the west a point reinforced recently by a group spokesman abu muhammad al adnani in his annual speech just before the holy month of ramadan in past years the islamic state and al qaeda ramped up attacks during ramadan
american muslim groups condemned the shooting the muslim community joins our fellow americans in repudiating anyone or any group that would claim to justify or excuse such an appalling act of violence said rasha mubarak the orlando regional coordinator of the council on american islamic relations


the owner of a weekly newspaper in vermont wanted someone to take over the business that had been his lifes passion for the last 30 years
his wife with whom he bought the paper and who served as co publisher died after a prolonged fight with cancer in 2011 their only child a son pursued a career in wildlife conservation and efforts off and on over two years to sell the paper the hardwick gazette were unsuccessful
so the owner ross connelly struck on an idea
on wednesday he announced an essay contest with a unique prize the newspaper itself
mr connelly who began working in newspapers after a career in social services and management and his wife susan jarzyna who had a background in graphic arts bought the broadsheet newspaper in 1986
mr connelly who will turn 71 on saturday said he had the passion but lacked the energy to keep up with the 60 hour workweeks demanded by the newspaper which has a circulation of 2200 as editor and publisher he is the gazettes jack of all trades he sells ads pays the bills edits and assigns articles and empties the trash
he spoke passionately of the role the gazette serves in delivering news and information to hardwick which is about 60 miles east of burlington vt and nine other towns in northeastern vermont that are mostly rural and agricultural with pockets of poverty
just because were not in the mainstream and not covering the national stories does not mean what were doing is not important he said in an interview on wednesday i feel strongly that a newspaper is a critical building block for our democracy
the 127 year old newspaper features the traditional coverage of birth announcements the police blotter obituaries high school sports and community news but it has also included hard hitting articles about the embezzlement of public funds and a scandal that led to a seven year prison sentence for a banks chief executive
if the essay contest is successful it could become a model that other aging newspaper owners might emulate chad stebbins executive director of the international society of weekly newspaper editors said in an email
the back roads of america are full of newspaper publishers well into their late 60s and early 70s he said often they stay on the job with little hope of finding a suitable replacement
andrew leckey the president of the donald w reynolds national center for business journalism in phoenix said on wednesday that the essay contest was a unique sales approach which he described as take my newspaper please
that the gazette was for sale and yielded no firm offers is indicative of the financial pressures facing the newspaper industry which has been plagued by advertising losses and circulation erosion he said
mike donoghue the executive director of the vermont press association said that years ago when newspapers were more financially flush more people would have jumped at the chance to buy the gazette
he said the paper which is one of four dozen nondaily newspapers in vermont was well regarded and had won numerous journalism awards
the newspaper which has two full time employees including mr connelly three part time workers and a corps of correspondents grossed 240000 last year it is free of liens or a mortgage the contest winner would get the newspapers building a second story that once housed an apartment where mr connelly and his wife lived is now office space its furniture and fixtures and all the materials needed to run the business
among the things a winner would not get any guarantees this is the news business and it changes every day the contest rules said
mr connelly said his efforts over two years to sell drew a number of tire kickers but no firm offers he said inspiration for the contest came from the owner of a bed and breakfast in maine who relied on such an approach in 2015 to unload her business while such contests have proved a headache for others in the past mr connelly hoped to avoid such pitfalls
he had a lawyer vet the contest rules and plans to have a panel of seven or nine people including journalism professors and members of the community review the essays
mr connelly said he was seeking a minimum of 700 submissions the entry fee is 175 meaning a potential to net 122500 the contest begins on saturday and lasts until aug 11 under the rules he can extend the contest by two months
essays can be up to 400 words and must describe the entrants skills and vision for owning a paid weekly newspaper in the new millennium according to the contest rules
the newspaper does hew to some old fashioned ways of doing things for instance the gazette has no website and contest submissions must be sent by mail mr connelly said he would provide guidance during the transition to a new owner but he was not sure if he would remain in vermont
people say what are you going to do he said i can fantasize about what i want to do but i know what i need to do is focus on getting next weeks paper out
mr leckey said the search for a new owner the effort to keep the newspaper thriving and the promotion of the value it has in the community had all the hallmarks of a frank capra movie
its a fairy tale that hopefully may come true he said


so it turns out everything with arya was more or less what it appeared to be last week
at least thats how it appeared in this weeks episode of game of thrones with those crazy faceless types you can never be sure but after lots of speculation about whether the waif attack we saw on the bridge was really what we saw that seems to be in fact what we saw arya was actually wounded and the waif was really after her
aryas flight for her life was exciting but ultimately somewhat anticlimactic in an uneven eighth episode of game of thrones the odd behavior we saw last week   arya strolling about the city as if assassins werent after her   was it turns out just odd behavior not a feint masking some clever twist to come the intriguing lady crane who seemed as if she could become more significant was killed in perfunctory fashion by the waif
in the end arya lured her pursuer as many initially expected to the hidy hole we glimpsed two weeks ago when her extinguishing of the candle presaged her plan of attack namely to use the very sightless fighting skills she learned through the waifs beatings to dispatch her former teacher before mounting her head on the wall of the house of black and white
um you passed jaqen told her either because that somehow had been his scheme all along or because she had her sword at his chest a girl is finally no one congratulations
negative arya replied im still me and im going home
im happy to hear it but i am still left wondering a few things like how she was able to perform such physical feats so soon after such a savage knife twisting in the guts attack or how did all the sweeping body cleaning and blind begging she did for the faceless men teach her parkour i suspect the answer is some form of you know magic   we did see her drinking from the poison pool and these are after all people who change faces as effortlessly as you or i might change our socks the conventional rules of physics clearly dont apply to the house of black and white or its residents and i dont want to obsess too much over details of verisimilitude
its just not all that satisfying after endless stick beatings and the events of last week it all seemed a little too tidy
the larger issue is that the show burned a lot of calories over the past couple of seasons on aryas mostly uncaptivating assassin training only to have her arrive where we expected her to reaffirming her sense of self and off in search of greater adventures will she be more adept going forward and did her apprenticeship in no one ness provide the chrysalis phase crucial to all callow youths turned formidable warriors be it luke skywalker or daniel larusso yes and yes but it also felt as if the show had her spin her wheels until things were ripe in winterfell for her return a man is underwhelmed
the needle remains similarly unmoved in the big picture at riverrun where after some saber rattling jaime took over the castle and blackfish whom we never even knew we were supposed to care about until a few weeks ago and thus didnt really died in a presumably clumsy swordfight offscreen
two armies may have been squaring off in what looked like a siege as pod helpfully pointed out but the real action was in the tents brienne who arrived full of honor and duty as well as some smoldering longing was reunited with jaime she threatened to fight him if necessary lets hope it doesnt come to that he said it didnt because later in the prisoner tent he owned the whole twincest thing so convincingly that edmure opted to betray his uncle rather than risk having his baby used as a catapult projectile then jaime and brienne shared a meaningful wave as she rowed away
one takeaway jaimes tortured but finely delivered monologue about his devotion to cersei contrasted with the swollen emotion of both his exchange with brienne and the wave destined to launch a thousand gifs left me even more persuaded that cersei is not long for this story jaimes devotion to her is the obstacle between him and the inner nobility that some part of him is desperate to embrace so farewell for now kingslayer youll be a better man soon
speaking of cersei things escalated in kings landing and it didnt work in her favor as usual on the one hand she did have the satisfaction of seeing mountainstein pop the head off a sparrow as if it was a fleshy bottle cap big week for trailer moments we got both the i choose violence line and aryas flying leap but soon she learned that her foolproof plan to win her freedom through trial by combat was not actually high septon proof
thats who i assume convinced tommen to end the procedure dooming cersei and loras to some sort of old testament tribunal adding insult to injury cersei is probably pretty sick of having her old twin pillars line thrown back in her face
in the east terrible jokes gave way to bombardment as invading slaver ships pummeled the pyramid of meereen in a scene that with its combination of gloomy hues harsh geometry and bursts of fire incongruously reminded me of blade runner another tale about culture clashes and what it means to be human in an increasingly inhuman world   plus tyrells
no more talking from you grey worm told tyrion your talking gave us this youll recall that tyrion was feeling smug a few weeks ago about his negotiations with the slavers but heres the thing tyrion theyre slavers theyre terrible untrustworthy people grey worm and missandei knew it but he waved them off
lucky for him daenerys targaryen made her fortuitous return as foreshadowed throughout the episode drogon flapped away in the distance ideally on his way to incinerate the slaver ships but knowing him probably not   perhaps theon and yara will arrive and well get what i think would be our first big naval battle the battle of blackwater was ships versus city
too bad varys wont be around to see it at this point game of thrones is just toying with us repeatedly giving us mere scraps of the tyrion and varys show one of the most sublime pairings on a series filled with great ones only to tear it asunder i guess the eunuch support group i proposed last week will have to make do with one less member
thank the lord of light we had the clegane chronicles to carry us through the week after awhile dabbling in humble service the hound was looking mighty hound like on sunday vengefully wielding his ax and rhetorically dismantling those he just axed youre not good at dying you know that he told one
it was one of several excellent lines   the guy spent the entire episode making up for lost time in the quip department it turned out that the brotherhood pillagers had defied their own group by decimating the hounds settlement we learned that from the oft killed beric dondarrion and thoros of myr his resurrector who both returned to the story for the first time since the hound killed beric briefly in season 3 we all bloody die except this one here the hound said on sunday after some negotiating about who would get to kill the scoundrels a deal was struck youre getting old clegane someone said hes not he replied kicking a condemned mans stump out from under him
which is to say brother rays preachings against violence dont seem to have sunk in now the brotherhood has its own plans for the redemption of sandor clegane involving cold winds rising in the north that weve seen ourselves a time or two
you can still help a lot more than youve harmed clegane beric said
whatever beric if you really want to help just find the man a couple of chickens
 i know aryas killing of the waif was on brand illustrating the dark fighting skills she spent her blind time refining but between that and the offscreen death of blackfish it felt as if the producers were saving up their stunt outlay for next weeks bastard brawl 2016
 it wasnt entirely clear what the surrender of riverrun means for sansas hopes for tully support in the fight in the north i dont really expect the broken edmure to rally the troops but i suppose the possibility still technically exists
 the biggest tragedy of briennes sad departure was that it robs us of further training sessions between pod and bronn lesson no 1 bronn told him assume everyone wants to hit you words to live by
 that said i was slightly disturbed by this exchange i thought youd be dead by now bronn said not yet pod replied game of thrones i beg of you dont kill off poor pod from tyrion to brienne to kings landings women of ill repute all the man has done is serve with humility and grace
 this is dany were talking about   so far shes more prone to spinning wheels than breaking them it could take her another season and a half just to get back to meereen i wrote that a couple of weeks ago maybe that fire really did transform her
 so what did you think were you as underwhelmed as i was by much of this episode any guesses what that rumor cersei and qyburn discussed might refer to whats your favorite translator joke please weigh in in the comments


at 3 oclock in the morning on sunday benjamin newbern a gay rights activist in northern alabama arrived home from a gay pride dance party he had organized glanced at his cellphone and spotted an unsettling social media post prayers for our brothers and sisters at the pulse nightclub in orlando
mr newbern flipped on the television to news he said that just kind of took my breath away and instantly he knew that his life as an activist and a gay person in america had changed
by sunday afternoon mr newbern 38   who has spent two years trying to build a gay rights community in his home city florence in part by persuading people that it is safe to come out of the closet   was struggling as were gay people nationwide to make sense of the worst mass shooting in american history committed on a latin themed night in a gay nightclub by a muslim gunman
what did it mean that it happened in june gay pride month was it a hate crime against gay people or simply evidence that gun violence is out of control   or both gay rights have been advancing at a rapid clip has that lessened homophobia or maybe made it worse and most of all should gay people be afraid
on sunday some muddled answers began to emerge the police said the gunman omar mateen 29 an american citizen whose parents were from afghanistan had twice been investigated on suspicions of terrorism as president obama called the shooting an act of terror and an act of hate mr mateens father told nbc news that his son had been angry when he saw two men kissing the east orlando post reported that mr mateen had researched at least one other gay club in orlando before attacking pulse
almost a year after the supreme court legalized same sex marriage gay lesbian bisexual and transgender americans and those working to advance their rights spent sunday grappling with the implications   at gay pride celebrations in their homes at candlelight vigils particularly awful was that the massacre had transformed what was once seen as a haven for gay people   a gay bar   into a death chamber
in los angeles the fear took on particular urgency when the police reported that they had arrested a man with weapons and explosives who was headed to the citys gay pride parade
in florence ala where mr newbern lives he said the attacks had compounded all that anxiety about being lgbt in the deep south in washington david thompson 49 woke up to three lengthy text messages from his 70 year old mother she did not want him to attend sundays gay pride festival there
it is a horror a total horror said mary l bonauto the civil rights lawyer who successfully argued last years supreme court case on the right to same sex marriage i am profoundly sad
she was thinking ahead to saturday when she will be the grand marshal of the gay pride parade in portland me her home city
on the one hand how can you not help but feel nervous ms bonauto said but on the other hand she expressed worry about islamophobia i was thinking should i wear a t shirt that says dont judge the many by the few   something to show some solidarity she said
the gay rights movement of course is no stranger to the fear of violence that includes the days when gay people worried about being branded faggots and beaten whether in small towns or in gay centers like new york the 1973 arson attack on a gay bar in new orleans that left 32 people dead the 1998 murder of matthew shepard all are cultural touchstones for the community
in 2015 the fbi reported that 186 percent of the 5462 so called single bias hate crimes the previous year were attributable to sexual orientation 47 percent were attributable to race but jay brown a spokesman for the human rights campaign said that hate crimes against gay people were underreported and that finding accurate statistics was extremely challenging
movement leaders speaking anecdotally said they sensed an increase in violence against gay people this year   perhaps some said because of the divisive presidential campaign or because of high profile policy fights like the one over the obama administrations recent directive requiring schools to allow transgender students to use the bathrooms of their choice
i sincerely believe that this is following a trend that we often see an uptick during presidential elections   particularly when the vitriol increases about our community said lorri l jean who runs the los angeles lgbt center a nonprofit advocacy health and social services organization
officials at the human rights campaign said they had been struck by a recent spate of highly publicized assaults against gay lesbian bisexual and transgender people in atlanta a gay couple was doused with boiling water causing severe burns in march the same month in iowa a transgender teenager was murdered
in los angeles also in march a gay man was murdered by his father amid debate over what role the victims sexual orientation played ms jean said his sisters asked the los angeles lgbt center for help because they feel that their father was really upset that this kid was gay and that this was nothing but an anti gay hate crime
on sunday gay rights activists around the country were trying to figure out how to move forward in jasper fla about two and a half hours north of orlando art smith a onetime personal chef to oprah winfrey said he hoped to host a benefit for the victims families
mr smith and his husband recently adopted four children and moved to florida as a parent he now worries for his children and hurts for others probably there are children that are orphaned as a result of last night he said
as someone who regards himself as tolerant he said he wonders how must muslim americans feel but it is as a gay man that he feels the most acute pain this is particularly horrible for us in the gay community because this was a gay club he said
mr newbern is planning a memorial in florence on monday night the gay pride dance this weekend was to be the first in a series of events including a panel discussion and an interfaith service at the local unitarian church now the service will be a candlelight vigil to honor the dead
i dont want to rush to judgment about what the motivation was here   if it was extremism if it was specifically lgbt hate he said it doesnt change the fact that those 50 souls and now probably more are gone
i woke up i turned on the television he said and i literally said out loud to myself we have got to do something


broadways biggest stars arrived for the 2016 tony awards on sunday night at the beacon theater the red carpet was gusty a wind tunnel as the girls actor andrew rannells described it but the mood was solemn in the wake of the mass shooting in orlando fla the most common accessory was a silver ribbon worn in memory of the victims


in january i moved from washington to our facility near baltimore where we assemble military launch systems my office is on the northeast corner of the fifth floor with views overlooking martin state airport today its a joint civil military facility but formerly it was the plant airport of the glenn l martin company one of the heritage companies that make up lockheed martin the maryland air national guard is a tenant at the airport and we occasionally see other flyover operations including the united states navys blue angels
i love roses the ones on my desk are silk but they infuse my office with warmth and joy people think they are real when they walk in and say they are beautiful i say and theyve looked like that for the last five years
i lead a diverse and geographically dispersed team so a lot of our collaboration is done virtually with video teleconferencing but when i have members of my senior leadership team here we have discussions at the small table in my office
one of my current projects involves a class of the navys littoral combat ships that operates close to shore next to the credenza are some shells fired from one of these the model of an orange coast guard helicopter reminds me of the customers we support
in a previous vice president position i held at lockheed we were working to obtain a contract for an information technology project from the british ministry of justice it took two years but we won it on one of my trips there a ministry staff member gave me a miniature barristers wig as a memento of our working together he had done quite a bit of research and educated me on its history
my office is full of family photos i have some older ones of my two daughters on my blotter protected by glass it makes me think back to their early years
one of my former groups suggested we might use a 3 d printing machine in supporting national science foundation research in antarctica and nasas international space station the nasa staff might need to print a space wrench while on the space station for example i used to say we had the longest supply chain ever when we first bought the printer my staff gave me a 3 d robotic hand that one of them printed
i have a small refrigerator in an alcove with bottled water and assorted soft drinks for guests a set of mugs embossed with photos of my daughters sits on top i have a big family and i love making items like this as holiday gifts for them
we are a sponsor of the childrens inn at the national institutes of health a residence for families with children in research studies in 2014 i chaired one of their art contests and bought one of the childrens pictures that was auctioned that night its unfinished which i found heart wrenching i wondered if the child had a setback
in 2008 i received a comet award for communications excellence at lockheed martin it means a lot to me because my staff nominated me for placing importance on open communications and employee engagement
i keep a book called the prayer of jabez breaking through to the blessed life by bruce wilkinson in my office im a person of faith being a servant leader is part of my style if you do the right thing good things will happen in life and in business


sam sifton emails readers of cooking seven days a week to talk about food and suggest recipes that email also appears here to receive it in your inbox register here
good morning id like you to consider the lobster today the stocks are good the fishery more sustainable than most and the prices are pretty fair at most markets along the east coast right now - around 10 to 14 a pound for the pound and a quarter fellows we most like to cook
thats expensive yes but cooking has stratagems for amortizing the cost buy one or two little lobsters for dinner this evening to serve four to six in florence fabricants ace recipe for linguine with lobster and avocado but please do not discard the shells after youve cooked them save them instead for stock that you could use later in the week say for a tuesday night lobster risotto or to make into lobster butter for a feast of chilled shrimp or to drizzle over fried scallops youll be living like a millionaire even on a journalists salary
on monday night perhaps you could keep up the maritime theme david taniss recipe for a seaweed salad makes great use of the dried seaweeds increasingly available in our supermarkets and always available online dulse wakame one of them is going to be as npr suggested last week the new kale
tuesday is taken care of on account of the lobster situation you set up tonight though if youre just not going to cook lobster not ever try pierre franeys simple recipe for linguine with lemon sauce instead
some stir fry for wednesday mark bittmans recipe for stir fried lamb with eggplant and chiles comes together quick - faster than it would come from the delivery restaurant and with about 10 times the flavor shop for that today
and then maybe you could pick up a roast chicken on the way home on thursday and shred it for use in my recipe for enchiladas verdes its a recipe that can be assembled in under an hour well under an hour the second or third time you make it and yields a one pan dinner of great distinction my husband said this might be the best dish ive ever made a user named nanbrand wrote on cooking this week were blushing
and by friday well be exhausted too so how about a simple kale salad with cranberries and cashews to end the week with a slow melt into the couch after dinner watching feed the beast on amc
you can find lots more to cook this week on cooking i hope youll save the recipes you like to your recipe box and share them with family and friends to boot but if you run into trouble please dont hesitate to ask for help were at cookingcarenytimescom or you can reach out to me on twitter or facebook or harass my feeds on pinterest and instagram
now where are you on virginia heffernans magic and loss the internet as art heres a review in the times and an excerpt at vice maybe youd like to read a new stephen king story cookie jar in the virginia quarterly review or listen to jessica molaskey and john pizzarelli on their radio deluxe show talking about food in the american songbook its sunday after all you should do something for yourself in and out of the kitchen see you tomorrow


forty five years ago white house officials released the plan for tricia nixons june 12 1971 wedding reception the announcement included the recipe for her wedding cake an old fashioned lemon poundcake
then the new york times tried to bake it the result was mush on the outside of the layer and soup on the inside wrote the timess food editor raymond a sokolov in an article with the headline warning it may not work
over the next days former and future times food staff members would weigh in on the recipe which had been scaled down perhaps problematically for the home cook to yield a single 12 inch round
the white house chef at the time henry haller reportedly worked all night to fix the recipe a food writer for the washington post found success baking the cake in a skillet at the washington star marian burros a future times food reporter created a successful home version under mr hallers guidance
mr sokolov chronicled it all like a prize fight in a second article the great cake controversy continued
the revised recipe called for extending the baking time and adding a paper collar to the pan but it too failed in the timess test kitchen the cake shook like jelly but tasted like a very soft french lemon souffle mr sokolov wrote
no matter the more than seven foot tall tiered wedding cake was pronounced elegant and edible in the the timess coverage of ms nixons wedding whether heinz bender the pastry chef who baked the 350 pound cake amid the hoopla altered the original recipe is not known there was no mention of that in the article on the wedding that ran on page 1 along with the papers first installment in what would become the pulitzer prize winning series on the pentagon papers


here are the weeks top stories and a look ahead
1 a gunman killed 50 people and wounded 53 in an attack at a gay nightclub in orlando fla early sunday morning making it the worst mass shooting in us history the gunman was dead at the scene and was identified as omar mateen an american citizen the police said law enforcement officials said mr mateen had pledged his allegiance to isis here is a timeline of the attack according to officials check back for more updates as we follow this story

2 hillary clinton reveled in her status as the first woman to claim a major partys presidential nomination after winning four more primaries including delegate rich california she embraced president obamas endorsement was bolstered by senator elizabeth warren and escalated clashes with donald trump bernie sanders promised to work with mrs clinton to defeat mr trump but kept campaigning

3 mr trump continued to disrupt his party saying the republican convention should feature sports stars and winners rather than politicians a times special report reveals that even as mr trumps atlantic city casinos failed he made millions   and others paid the price

4 court documents and almost daily revelations fed the furor over rape culture on college campuses after a california judge sentenced a former stanford university swimmer to just six months on three felony counts of sexual assault denunciations of the light sentence and widespread support for the victim   even from vice president joe biden and the house floor   suggest that the cultural attitude toward rape may be shifting

5 a final tribute for muhammad ali in his hometown of louisville ky celebrities and dignitaries honored and eulogized the champion whose fame transcended sport his widow delivered his special message to young people it is far more difficult to sacrifice oneself in the name of peace than to take up arms in the name of violence the sports world lost another iconic figure gordie howe 88 the longtime detroit red wings player known as mr hockey

6 will hamilton make more history tonight the blockbuster broadway production is up for a record 16 tony awards 8 pm eastern cbs and our reporting suggests it may walk away with 12 tying the high mark set by the producers 15 years ago its already a financial winner generating 600000 a week in profit a sum set to grow as touring companies start up its creator and soon to depart star lin manuel miranda is expected to make about 64 million a year

7 extremists across central and eastern europe are feeding fears about the influx of migrants to bolster their agendas some are encouraging vigilante groups to patrol borders trains and public streets even in areas where few migrants pass above a photo released in april by a group known as the organization for the protection of bulgarian citizens which shows them in an encounter with afghan migrants

8 in sports the pittsburgh penguins will try to crush the surprisingly resilient san jose sharks for the stanley cup 8 pm eastern nbc cbc tva the nba finals head into game 5 on monday with the golden state warriors leading the cleveland cavaliers 3 1 9 pm eastern abc lydia ko above is aiming for her third straight major golf title in the final rounds at the kpmg womens pga championship 430 pm eastern nbc 6 pm eastern golf channel and you can follow both the european soccer championships and the copa america centenario here
earlier we incorrectly called the golf tournament the kmpg womens pga championship

9 the powerful leader of the new york city correction officers union norman seabrook was arrested on corruption charges the shake up imperils broad reforms intended to end violence and graft at the rikers jail complex the case could have wide ranging consequences for mayor bill de blasio one of the informants is a central figure in one of a half dozen investigations focused on the mayors campaign fund raising

10 post traumatic stress disorder may not be only an emotional or cognitive problem a study of brain injuries among military personnel found evidence of tissue damage caused by blasts a former iraq correspondent says that if further research bolsters the findings one conclusion may be inescapable modern warfare destroys the brain

11 top computer scientists alarmed by the revelations of edward snowden opened discussions this week to try to figure out how to keep the web from evolving further into an arm of big brother or big business the webs creator tim berners lee cited factors like spying blocking sites repurposing peoples content taking you to the wrong websites that he said undermined the spirit of helping people create

12 ramadan the holiest month of the muslim calendar has begun able bodied women and men will fast from sunrise to sunset for a month and this fall when millions of muslims make the annual hajj to mecca the spiritual heart of islam pilgrims will find a city at the peak of almost 40 years of radical modernization

13 finally are you still using periods in your text messages probably not unless youre trying to convey being annoyed or upset the period now has an emotional charge and has become an emoticon of sorts said david crystal who has written more than 100 books on language on that note have a great week

andrea kannapell contributed reporting
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an article on may 29 about a funding crisis at the city university of new york misstated the academic discipline of stephen brier a cuny professor who spoke about the systems financial straits he specializes in urban education not education the article also omitted a word from the title of mr briers forthcoming book it is austerity blues fighting for the soul of public higher education not merely public education
metropolitan
a museums and galleries listing in the long island calendar in some editions last sunday about recess an art exhibition in east hampton misidentified the venue the gallery at 87 newtown lane is harpers books not glenn horowitz bookseller the listing also misstated contact information for the venue the telephone is 631 324 1131 and the website is harpersbookscom

an article in some editions last sunday about family run italian restaurants in westchester county misstated the given name of a daughter of maurice giliberti the owner of sams in dobbs ferry she is melissa giliberti not megan
sports
an article last sunday about garbine muguruzas victory over serena williams in the final of the french open misstated in some copies the point in williamss career when she began working with her coach patrick mouratoglou it was in 2012 after losing in the first round of the french open   not in 2014 after she lost at three major tournaments in a row
sunday business
an article on may 29 about the economic costs of long security lines at airports gave an outdated figure for the fee that the transportation security administration imposes on airline tickets it is now 650 per flight leg no longer 250 the article also referred incorrectly to a request for the tsa to publish accurate data about lines at airport security checkpoints it was a lobbying group airlines for america not american airlines that made the request also the group asked that the data be made more freely available it did not specify how the tsa should collect it

an article last sunday about signs of rising wages as the labor market tightens misspelled the surname of the economic policy institutes director of research and policy who tracks wage trends he is josh bivens not bevins
magazine
a picture caption on june 5 with an article about living in new york city at 800 feet described incorrectly the construction workers shown at 3 world trade center they are workers who install rebar in concrete and create walls they are not ironworkers
real estate
a picture last sunday with the hunt column about richard zoglins search for an upper west side apart ment was published in error the photograph showed a building at 170 amsterdam avenue   not the aire an apartment building on west 67th street that he considered a picture of the aire can be found at nytimescomrealestate
arts  leisure
an article on may 22 about the remake of the mini series roots misstated the name of the ranch where the original series was filmed it was hunter ranch   not disney ranch which was used as a location for roots the next generation

an article last sunday about the performance mix festival misstated the surname of the festival curator she is karen bernard not barnard

because of an editing error an article last sunday about recent and coming portrayals of charles manson in television and film misstated the title of karina longworths podcast about hollywood it is you must remember this   not charles mansons hollywood which was the name of a 12 part series on the podcast the article also misquoted jeremy rosen a producer of the film the family he cited making a murderer not making a murder when talking about a recent surge in interest in shows about cult leaders and serial killers
book review
a review on may 29 about from the war on poverty to the war on crime by elizabeth hinton re ferred incorrectly to the juvenile delinquency and youth offenses control act of 1961 it was passed by congress as all federal acts must be it was not established by john f kennedys executive order

because of an editing error a roundup review of cookbooks on june 5 misstated the surname of the author of vegan vegetarian omnivore at one point as the review correctly noted else where she is anna thomas not madison a book by deborah madison was mentioned in the same part of the review
travel
the cover article on may 29 about vladimir and vera nabokovs cross country journeys to the american west during which the author researched lolita misidentified the country where lolita was first published it is france not england

an article on june 5 about berlin playgrounds misidentified the location of a local playground it is behind the marketplace at winterfeldt platz a square   not at wittenbergplatz an other square where there is no playground
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daria rose foner the daughter of lynn garafola and eric foner of new york was married there june 11 to kjell magne wangensteen the son of margaret s wangensteen of white bear lake minn and william k wangensteen of minneapolis mary patricia kelly who is the brides godmother and was ordained by the church of spiritual humanism for the ceremony officiated at st pauls chapel at columbia university
the bride 28 is a doctoral candidate in art history and archaeology at columbia she graduated magna cum laude from princeton and received a masters degree in the history of art from cambridge university in england before attending princeton from 2006 to 2007 she was a corps member of the norwegian national ballet in oslo
her father is a history professor at columbia and a pulitzer prize winner for history in 2011 for the fiery trial abraham lincoln and american slavery her mother is a professor of dance at barnard college
the groom 37 is a doctoral candidate in art history and archaeology at princeton he graduated from and received an mba from yale and received a masters in art history from williams college
his mother retired as an english teacher at edina high school in edina minn and is a special education teachers aide at mahtomedi middle school in mahtomedi minn his father is a lawyer specializing in estate planning in wayzata minn
the couple met in 2014 at a seminar in new york on curatorial practice


christina victoria carter the daughter of victoria nunez carter and john m carter of bronxville ny was married june 11 to zachary darrell adams a son of deborah a logan of bowling green ky and thomas b adams of clinton ny sarah prentice swanson a friend of the couple who became a universal life minister for the event officiated at blooming hill farm in blooming grove ny
the bride 31 is a software developer at spies  assassins a software development and creative services shop in new york that is a part of mdc partners an advertising and marketing holding company she graduated from dickinson college in carlisle pa and received a masters degree from the nyu interactive telecommunications program
her father is a senior managing director for siebert brandford shank an investment banking and financial services firm in new york her mother is a real estate agent for bronxville real estate the brides paternal grandfather the late john mack carter was the editor of ladies home journal mccalls and good housekeeping
the groom also 31 is a songwriter and singer in new york in april he released his debut ep forethought a collection of four songs he graduated from macalester college in st paul and received a masters degree in international peace and conflict resolution at american university
his mother is a professor of english literature at western kentucky university in bowling green
the couple met through okcupid in 2013


jeffrey nicholas behrens and oussama zahr were married june 11 sarah e miller a friend of the couple who became a universal life minister for the occasion officiated at the inns of aurora in aurora ny samuel h perwin another friend of the couple led them in the exchange of rings
mr behrens left 34 is a concierge managing trip details for members of exclusive resorts a travel club who are visiting new york he is also an adjunct professor of voice at long island universitys post campus in brookville ny he was a professional opera singer from 2007 to 2014 performing as a tenor with the new york city opera the metropolitan opera and bayerische staatsoper in munich he graduated from carnegie mellon university and received both a masters of music and an artist diploma in opera from the juilliard school
he is the son of gail e behrens of brockport ny and george w behrens of gates ny his father retired as an associate professor of automotive technology at monroe community college in brighton ny
mr zahr 33 is the managing editor of gotham and capitol file both magazines published by greengale publishing he also writes about opera for the new yorkers goings on about town section he graduated summa cum laude from harvard
he is a son of wafaa zahr and mohamad zahr both of wanaque nj his mother is a waitress at the butler family restaurant and diner in butler nj his father owns super suds a laundromat in lodi nj
the couple met in 2007 when a mutual friend invited both to a brunch in manhattan


jennifer yen wong the daughter of annie s wong and stephen h wong of san francisco was married june 11 to joseph yao chung liu the son of mann wen liu and tai kuo liu of west newton mass rhonda nayel shafei a friend of the couple who received permission from massachusetts officiated at the massachusetts horticultural society in wellesley
mrs liu 29 is a senior associate for real estate investments at the endowment of harvard university the harvard management company in boston she graduated with distinction from cornell
her father works in daly city calif as a benefits manager for the human services agency of san mateo county her mother retired as an elections manager for san francisco
mr liu 31 manages business development and assets for his familys multifamily residential properties in the boston area and in san francisco he graduated from brandeis
his father is the managing partner of the family real estate business the grooms mother an acupuncturist in newton mass retired as a software developer in nashua nh for intel the chip manufacturer
the couple met in 2011 at a bar in new york


rebecca anne kaden the daughter of ellen oran kaden and lewis b kaden of new york was married june 11 to scott aaron friedman the son of jill ross friedman and franklin m friedman of lake worth fla rabbi april p davis officiated at the rainbow room in new york
ms kaden 30 is keeping her name she is a partner in maveron a venture capital firm that invests in consumer technology start ups she works in the firms san francisco office she graduated from harvard and received an mba from stanford
her father retired as a vice chairman of citigroup and is now a vice chairman of the asia society and the chairman of the markle foundation an organization in new york that seeks to use emerging technologies to improve lives her mother retired as a senior vice president and the chief legal and public affairs officer of campbell soup company in camden nj
mr friedman 34 is a business development manager at google in mountain view calif where he develops utility and telecom partnerships he graduated from the university of maryland and received a masters degree in international development from tulane
his mother retired as a prekindergarten teacher at daniel c beard elementary school a public therapeutic day school in chicago for children with autism and emotional or behavioral disabilities his father retired as a science teacher at hanson park elementary school also in chicago
the couple met in 2013 in san francisco at the suggestion of a mutual friend


margaret walker lind a daughter of judy a lind and edward w lind of granville ferry nova scotia was married june 11 to mark donald newey the son of mary s newey and donald a newey jr of glastonbury conn the rev lisa soshin dufour a zen buddhist priest performed the ceremony at the helen hills hills chapel at smith college in northampton mass
the bride 35 who is taking her husbands name is the associate director for academic programs and public education at the smith college museum of art in northampton she graduated from dartmouth and received masters degrees in art history from the courtauld institute of art in london and in teaching from george washington
the groom 40 is the building science specialist at the center for ecotechnology in northampton where he advises builders and architects on making homes more energy efficient he graduated from penn state
they were introduced in august 2012 through mass match a western massachusetts matchmaking service
we hit it off pretty well right from the beginning mr newey said but after seven months together he started to feel uneasy i started to question what am i looking for he said he had met someone else at a conference and wanted to give that relationship a try so mr newey broke it off with ms lind
i was pretty heartbroken and confused she said
after a month apart they met to discuss the breakup i came back to maggie and said i screwed up and that we should never have broken up he said but she pushed back telling him that he wasnt ready for a relationship
i was kind of devastated he said for a while i felt mad   mad at the whole situation mad at life so he set out to better himself and started taking karate lessons thinking it would help him become more assertive and aggressive he also started going to a psychologist
after a few months he had a breakthrough noticing that he had to stop trying to make himself someone else and find acceptance in himself i realized thats often how i felt when i was with maggie he said not only did she accept me but she helped me accept myself
mr newey set out to get ms lind back he planned to write her a letter on fancy stationery as he left the store with the last sliver of hope tucked under his arm he looked up and saw her walking down a northampton street
it was an awkward moment for me mr newey said
they hugged and talked briefly it was nice to be in each others presence again she said
as ms lind walked away mr newey had a twinge of regret that he had not used this opportunity to confess his feelings i remembered standing there trying to put my thoughts together he said but he also thought it would be odd to chase after her on the street
instead he went home and started writing the letter but as he neared its completion he put down his pen and decided there was a better way i thought who wants a letter when you can just talk in person he said
he called ms lind and invited her to meet at a teahouse in northampton where mr newey let everything tumble out that he had started to put down on paper   about his struggles to understand himself and his eventual realization of what he wanted in life he reflected on his mistakes and said that he now knew he had needed the time apart to work on himself ms lind listened intently recognizing that he had truly grown
he said all the right things she said
the note never sent is now stored in a box that holds trinkets and other keepsakes from their relationship every so often she asks me to take out the letter and read it to her he said


lindsay christine burke and edward joseph naughton were married june 11 at brignole vineyards in east granby conn by the rev matthew r bailey of the american national catholic church
mrs naughton 33 is a nurse practitioner at stamford hospital she graduated from the university of pennsylvania from which she also has a masters degree in nursing she is the daughter of linda w burke and thomas m burke of madison conn
mr naughton 32 who is known as joe is a management trainee at mastercard in purchase ny until last month he was an aviation officer flying black hawk helicopters in the army national guard he graduated from the university of new hampshire and received an mba from the university of virginia he also has a masters in international affairs from columbia he is the son of melissa l naughton and the late edward r naughton of madison conn


julie modena karaba the daughter of marsha k hoover and thomas f karaba of chicago was married june 11 to peter bert siegal the son of gretchen m p leefmans and allan m siegal of hoboken nj judge william j kayatta jr of the united states court of appeals for the first circuit for whom the groom was a law clerk from may 2013 to august 2014 officiated at the langham hotel in chicago
the couple met at northwestern university from which they received law degrees she summa cum laude and he magna cum laude she also received an undergraduate degree magna cum laude there
mrs siegal 28 is a law clerk to judge brett m kavanaugh of the united states court of appeals for the district of columbia circuit in july she is to become a bristow fellow in the office of the solicitor general in the justice department
her father a corporate and banking lawyer is the managing partner in the chicago law firm crowley barrett  karaba he is the secretary of the union league club of chicago until 2015 he was the president of the village of clarendon hills ill the brides mother is a partner specializing in intellectual property law in the chicago law firm marshall gerstein  borun and a trustee of the union league boys  girls clubs in chicago
mr siegal 30 is an associate at the washington law firm robbins russell englert orseck untereiner  sauber he graduated from the university of wisconsin
the grooms father retired in 2006 as an assistant managing editor and the standards editor after 46 years at the new york times


carolyn patricia plunkett a daughter of rosemary h plunkett and kevin j plunkett of tarrytown ny was married june 10 to sean tucker neuhaus the son of deborah t neuhaus and george w neuhaus jr of brewster ny the rev lucian clark a roman catholic priest performed the ceremony at the church of the transfiguration in tarrytown
the couple both 28 met in 2010 at a homecoming event at georgetown from which they had graduated cum laude the year before
next month mrs neuhaus is to become the rudin post doctoral fellow in the division of medical ethics at nyu langone medical center in new york she received a phd and a masters degree in philosophy from the city university of new york graduate center
her father a lawyer is the deputy county executive of westchester county ny her mother retired as a second grade teacher at the transfiguration school in tarrytown
mr neuhaus is a certified public accountant and a senior manager in the new york office of andersen tax an advisory firm based in san francisco he consults with clients on tax reporting and compliance services
his parents work from home in brewster she as a math and science tutor for high school students he as a cpa


monica elise wendel and christopher eugene dunlap were married june 11 samuel t wendel the brother of the bride who was ordained by the american marriage ministries for this event officiated at the northport village gazebo in northport ny
ms wendel 30 will keep her name she is an assistant professor of composition and creative writing at st thomas aquinas college in sparkill ny her most recent collection of poetry is english kills in 2013 she was the writer in residence for the spring season at the jack kerouac project in orlando fla
she graduated magna cum laude from the state college of new york at geneseo and received a masters degree in poetry from nyu
she is a daughter of lisa adano wendel and thomas r wendel of greenlawn ny
mr dunlap 40 is an independent installer of art in galleries museums and homes he is also an abstract painter whose work is currently in a group show at sardine a gallery in brooklyn
he graduated from the university of washington and received a masters degree in painting from the massachusetts college of art
he is the son of dr lonnie j dunlap of evanston ill and dr riley e dunlap of stillwater okla
the couple met in 2011 at a barbecue in brooklyn


meghan maire dubyak and timothy marshall belknap were married june 11 at st dominic church in shaker heights ohio the rev thomas fanta a roman catholic priest performed the ceremony
ms dubyak 33 is keeping her name she is the press secretary to vice president joseph r biden jr in washington she graduated from cornell
she is a daughter of maureen mcdevitt dubyak and george r dubyak of shaker heights the brides father is a professor of physiology and biophysics in the school of medicine at case western reserve in cleveland her mother who is retired was a clinical social worker at the louis stokes va medical center which was in brecksville ohio
mr belknap 34 is an associate at the washington law firm weisbrod matteis  copley he graduated from ohio university and received a law degree from the catholic university of america
he is a son of sharon s belknap and timothy w belknap of westerville ohio his mother now retired worked there as an analyst in the court orders and levies department of jpmorgan chase his father is a project manager in columbus ohio for trane the maker of heating and air conditioning equipment
the couple met in june 2013 at a backyard barbecue in washington


dr amanda christine delong a daughter of dr victoria yoon delong and john d delong of akron ohio was married june 11 to dr sean teshima mccormick a son of donna j teshima of concord calif and michael s mccormick of oakland calif dr drew w calhoun a friend of the couple who was ordained by the church of spiritual humanism to preside at this event officiated at the franklin park conservatory in columbus ohio
the couple received medical degrees from ohio state where they met
the bride 29 will take her husbands name she completed a residency in pediatrics this month at c s mott childrens hospital in ann arbor mich and is to begin a fellowship in pediatric cardiology at the same hospital next month she graduated from northwestern
her father a patent lawyer is a senior counsel in the intellectual property department at goodyear tire  rubber company in akron her mother is a child psychiatrist in akron
dr mccormick 31 is a third year resident in emergency medicine at detroit receiving hospital part of detroit medical center next month he is to begin at emergency medicine physicians a group practice in canton ohio his first year of practice will be at carolinaeast medical center in new bern nc he graduated from the university of california berkeley
his mother works for the city of berkeley mental health division as a crisis counselor in the public schools his father retired as a public defender for alameda county in oakland


adrienne latimer stillman the daughter of andrea gray stillman and wells stillman both of new york was married june 11 to jacob michael krausz a son of susan c krausz and f ron krausz of st helena calif kevin schmitt a cousin of the groom and a universal life minister officiated at the home of the grooms parents in napa calif
the bride 30 is a marketing manager at winedirect a company in the napa valley that provides e commerce software and shipping logistics to wineries she graduated magna cum laude from barnard college and is a certified sommelier through the court of master sommeliers in london
her father is the managing partner of access publishing company an electronic news publishing consultancy based in new york her mother was the assistant to the photographer ansel adams who died in 1984 since mr adamss death she has continued to edit books about and curate exhibitions of his photography
the groom 34 works in the napa valley as the estate director at arkenstone estate winery which is owned by his family the groom is also a founder of amb wine cellars a wine brand based in napa he graduated from expression college for digital arts in emeryville calif and like the bride is a certified sommelier through the court of master sommeliers
the grooms father is president and chief executive of the krausz companies a commercial real estate development firm in san francisco
the couple met in september 2012 at the newport mansions wine  food festival in rhode island


caroline lane young and nicholas joseph fall were married june 11 at st anns episcopal church in bridgehampton ny the rev timothy j lewis performed the ceremony
mrs fall 32 is a manager of marketing and strategic initiatives for the sheraton hotels brand of starwood hotels and resorts worldwide in stamford conn she graduated from the university of virginia and received an mba from nyu
she is the daughter of carolyn lane young and mason j young iii of oak hill va the brides father is a consultant on satellite and cyber security sales for the federal government he works from oak hill
mr fall also 32 is a director structuring high yield bonds and leveraged loans in the new york investment banking division of barclays the british bank he graduated from princeton
he is the son of deborah baldwin fall and jerry j fall of chappaqua ny the grooms father retired as a managing director in the new york office of the mitsubishi ufj financial group a japanese bank
the couple met at an independence day beach picnic in amagansett ny in 2013


dr despina stefanos tsevdos the daughter of phyllis t tsevdos and steven e tsevdos of brooklyn is to be married june 12 to dimitri constantine zavos a son of joanne zavos and gus zavos also of brooklyn the very rev damaskinos ganas a greek orthodox priest is to perform the ceremony at the kimisis theotokou greek orthodox church in brooklyn
in may the bride 28 received a medical degree from suny downstate medical center in brooklyn next month she is to become a pediatric resident at mount sinai kravis childrens hospital in manhattan she graduated from nyu
the brides father a mechanical engineer is an owner of edsal machine products a brooklyn company that specializes in metal fabrications the brides mother is the administrative assistant there
the groom 26 is a pharmacist at memorial sloan kettering cancer center in manhattan he received a doctoral degree in pharmacy from the university of the sciences in philadelphia
the grooms mother is a vice president in the treasury department in the manhattan office of nomura securities international the tokyo investment bank his fatheris a principal consultant in manhattan with tori global a london based group of information technology management consultants
the couple met in september 2006 while volunteering at the holy cross greek orthodox church festival


vanessa kyle goldstein a daughter of alicia c lazaro and gary s goldstein both of bedford hills ny was married june 11 at her fathers house there to avinash vasant khachane a son of barbara c khachane and dr vasant b khachane of woodbridge conn rabbi bradley n bleefeld officiated
mrs khachane 30 works in new york as a senior strategist at youtube where she helps producers develop youtube channels she graduated from barnard
her parents are the owners of whitney partners an executive search firm in new york the bride is a stepdaughter of jill brooke the author of the need to say no
mr khachane also 30 received an mba from yale in may next month he is to become an associate in the industrials investment banking group at citigroup in new york he graduated from richmond the american international university in london
his father is a cardiothoracic and vascular surgeon at heart care associates of connecticut in new haven
the couple met as teenagers in 2001 at choate rosemary hall the prep school in wallingford conn from which they graduated they began dating in their senior year in 2004


dr catherine sheridan spina and brigham beecher hyde were married june 11 dr orian s shirihai who was ordained by first nation ministry for this event officiated at the devils thumb ranch a resort in tabernash colo
dr spina 34 will keep her name she is an intern at mount auburn hospital in cambridge mass and is to begin a radiation oncology residency next month at newyork presbyterian hospitalcolumbia university medical center she graduated from boston university from which she also received a doctoral degree in biomedical engineering and a medical degree
she is a daughter of linda c wright of clark colo and robert j spina of denver the brides father is a software development consultant in denver her mother is the chief executive of breakfast serials which provides original serialized stories to newspapers the bride is also a stepdaughter of edward i wortis who writes young adult fiction as avi
dr hyde 35 works in new york as the chief data officer at the decision resources group a health care analytics and consulting company he graduated from northeastern university and received a doctoral degree in clinical pharmacology from tufts
he is a son of gregory w hyde of stowe vt and the late leslie bauer hyde the grooms father retired as the coordinator of the alternate assessment program for vermonts education department in barre vt the groom is also a stepson of mary b wylde a freelance human resources consultant in stowe
the couple met in 2008 while collaborating on a laboratory research project as graduate students


ashley brooke young and paul william masella were married june 11 at 14th street park in new york joseph melchiorre a friend of the couple who became a universal life minister for the event officiated
mrs masella 30 is the manager of the media and performance art department at the museum of modern art in new york and is studying for a certificate in architecture and interior design at parsons school of design she is also a chairwoman of its poprally program of events which brings art to young and diverse audiences she graduated from nyu and received a masters degree in contemporary art from sothebys institute of art in new york
she is the daughter of pamala a young and edward l young of chatham nj the brides father owns ashbert a company in new york that connects clothing manufacturers with retailers
mr masella 32 is a member of the writing staff of saturday night live in new york he was previously a writer for late show with david letterman he graduated from adelphi university
he is the son of linda a masella of melville ny and dominick a masella of merrick ny the grooms mother is the principal account clerk at the massapequa public library in massapequa ny
the couple met outside a bar in new york in august 2010


shannon leigh mattingly a daughter of valeri wiedeman dillon and mark l mattingly both of fremont calif was married june 11 to jon fredericks nathanson a son of teresa fredericks nathanson and greg a nathanson of los angeles david f nathanson a cousin of the groom and a universal life minister officiated at calamigos ranch an event space in malibu calif
mrs nathanson 33 is a strategic partner manager at facebook in menlo park calif she develops and manages relationships with public figures media outlets and nonprofits she graduated from the university of california berkeley
the brides father retired as a government and economics teacher at mission san jose high school in fremont her mother retired last week as a special education teacher at village high school in pleasanton calif
mr nathanson 36 is the senior vice president for business development at whipclip a company in santa monica calif that allows viewers to share snippets of television programs he graduated from yale and received an mba from northwestern
his mother is a director of and a volunteer for project grad an organization in los angeles that helps prepare at risk high school students to go to college his father retired as the president of the television station group at 20th century fox he worked in los angeles
the couple met in february 2015 when a mutual friend introduced the two in the hope that the bride would help the groom find a job in the san francisco area


kathleen ann collins a daughter of john d collins of naples fla and the late barbara g collins was married june 10 at st aloysius church in new canaan conn to christopher hews peterson the son of bonnie n peterson and richard c peterson of cincinnati the rev cyrus m bartolome a roman catholic priest performed the ceremony
mrs peterson 48 retired as the head of north american sales for the commercial credit card business of citigroup in new york she graduated from depauw university in greencastle ind
until may mr peterson 49 was the president of global brands at the ralph lauren clothing company until 2012 he was the vice president and chief financial officer for the global household care division of procter  gamble in cincinnati he graduated with distinction from cornell and is on the board of the inner city scholarship fund in new york he is a widower
the couple met in 2014 through a mutual friend


kerri lynn carle and benjamin sollish brierley were wed june 10 by jaroslaw chomanczuk the brides godfather and a universal life minister at the cragsmoor stone church in cragsmoor ny
mrs brierley 33 is a nurse practitioner at memorial sloan kettering in new york she graduated from fairfield university and has a masters in nursing from nyu she is a daughter of dorothy t carle and fred j carle of massapequa park ny
mr brierley 38 works on trade and investment at the british consulate in new york he graduated from the university of kent and received a masters in international relations from the university of bristol both in england his previous marriage ended in divorce he is a son of robin e brierley and paul n brierley of nether stowey england


camille suzanne mathieu a daughter of martha j mathieu and nicolas j mathieu of washington was married june 11 to eric guido daub a son of dr sandra a hollenberg and g william daub of claremont calif the rev elizabeth orens an episcopal priest performed the ceremony at washington national cathedral
the couple met at williams college in williamstown mass from which they graduated cum laude
ms mathieu 34 is keeping her name she is a visiting assistant professor in the art history and visual studies department at the university of manchester in england she received a masters degree in the history of art from nyu and holds a phd in that subject from the university of california berkeley
her father is a washington based consultant to international development organizations until 2009 he was a senior economist at the european bank for reconstruction and development in london her mother retired as a speech pathologist at the groton public schools in connecticut
mr daub also 34 is an assistant professor in geophysics at the center for earthquake research and information at the university of memphis he received a phd in physics from the university of california santa barbara
his mother a pediatrician is the senior partner in pomona pediatrics in claremont his father is a chemistry professor at harvey mudd college also in claremont
the couple met at williams college in 2000 but did not start dating until 2010


elizabeth berni schrott a daughter of susan f schrott and dr jonathan schrott of new york was married june 10 to dr adam ross abel the son of marjorie i abel and dr bruce m abel of west hartford rabbi avrohom loketch officiated at wades beach on shelter island ny
the couple met at tufts from which they graduated the groom summa cum laude
mrs abel 26 is an executive director at ccs a new york fund raising consulting and management firm she received a masters in nonprofit leadership from penn her father is a dentist in new york her mother is a clinical social worker in white plains
last month dr abel 25 received a doctor of dental medicine degree from the university of connecticut he will soon begin a residency in oral and maxillofacial surgery at new york presbyterianweill cornell hospital his parents work in west hartford his mother is a reading and math tutor his father is a dentist


margot hamilton genvert a daughter of margaret f genvert and dr harold i genvert of salisbury md was married june 6 to alexander paul tanenbaum a son of pamela b tanenbaum and steven r tanenbaum of white plains angel l lopez a staff member of the new york city clerks office officiated at the manhattan marriage bureau
the couple met at colgate university from which they graduated the groom cum laude
mrs tanenbaum 26 works in new york as a media supervisor with ogilvy  mather part of the wpp group the london advertising and marketing company her father is the senior partner in peninsula urology associates in salisbury her mother is a history lecturer on the faculty of salisbury university
mr tanenbaum 28 is a corporate counsel for david yurman enterprises a company in new york that designs and manufactures jewelry he received a law degree from georgetown his mother is the librarian at murray avenue school an elementary school in larchmont ny and an adjunct lecturer in the art of teaching program at sarah lawrence college in bronxville ny his father is a partner in the white plains law firm solomon  tanenbaum
the bride is a descendant of roger sherman the only person to sign all four great state papers of the united states the continental association the declaration of independence the articles of confederation and the constitution


amanda lee defiore a daughter of rhonda defiore and paul p defiore of scarsdale ny was married june 11 to michael benjamin singer the son of diana m singer and douglas e singer of stamford conn rabbi aliza erber officiated at the tappan hill mansion in tarrytown ny
mrs singer 29 is an accountant at rcg longview a real estate investment firm in manhattan she graduated from the university of delaware received an mba from nyu and is now a candidate for a certified public accountant license
her father is general counsel of utog corporate transportation a car service in long island city queens her mother is a certified music therapist at the lighthouse guild in manhattan which offers health care services to the visually impaired
mr singer 28 is an associate at the manhattan law firm skadden arps slate meagher  flom he graduated from hamilton college and received his law degree from fordham
his mother is a real estate agent in stamford for berkshire hathaway home services and is also a consultant who helps place people in senior living facilities his father is a partner in falcon  singer a law firm in white plains
the couple who initially met as high school students in scarsdale in 2001 did not begin dating until 2010


olivia magowan a daughter of nina magowan and mark e magowan of new york was married june 11 to dr nicholas john shea the son of dr katherine g nickerson and dr steven j c shea of dobbs ferry ny felice k shea a retired new york state supreme court justice and the grooms paternal grandmother officiated at the home of the brides parents
ms magowan 31 is keeping her name until last month she was the associate fashion director at bloomingdales in new york she graduated from harvard
her parents are the managing partners and the publishers of the vendome press an art and illustrated book publishing house in new york the bride is a great granddaughter of the late charles e merrill a founder of merrill lynch
dr shea 29 received a medical degree from columbia last month in july he will begin a cardiothoracic surgery internship at newyork presbyterian columbia hospital he graduated cum laude from columbia from which he also received a masters in biomedical engineering
the grooms parents are members of the faculty at the columbia university college of physicians and surgeons in new york his mother a rheumatologist is a professor of medicine and the vice chairman for education in its department of medicine his father an internist and epidemiologist is the senior vice dean and the hamilton southworth professor of medicine and professor of epidemiology
the couple met through mutual friends in new york in january 2015


dr ariana michelle witkin a daughter of susan d siegeltuch of maplewood nj and steven s witkin of tenafly nj was married june 11 to louis daniel bergholz a son of eleanor mallet bergholz and david bergholz of cleveland rabbi dennis s ross officiated at gedney farm in new marlborough mass
dr witkin 28 is keeping her name next month she is to begin the second year of a pediatrics residency at seattle childrens hospital she graduated from brown and received a medical degree from the icahn school of medicine at mount sinai in new york her father is a professor of immunology in obstetrics and gynecology at the weill cornell medical college in new york her mother is a psychoanalyst in maplewood
mr bergholz who is 44 and works from seattle is a founder of edgework consulting in boston where he creates team development programs for organizations he graduated from cornell
his mother a writer was a columnist for the cleveland plain dealer his father retired as the executive director of the george gund foundation in cleveland which offers grants to arts community revitalization education and environmental research organizations
the couple met in ethiopia in 2008 while working at a summer camp that provided support to children affected by hiv


britany lane salsbury and jonathan cushing noble were married june 11 at the providence art club in providence ri hanna rutz who is a universal life minister and a friend of the couple officiated
the bride 32 who will be keeping her name is the andrew w mellon curatorial fellow in the department of prints drawings and photographs at the museum of art of the rhode island school of design in providence she graduated from case western reserve university and received a masters degree in art history from the school of the art institute of chicago and a phd in art history from the graduate center of the city university of new york
she is the daughter of cheri l salsbury and james r salsbury of bryan ohio the brides father retired as a lineman for bryan municipal utilities and is now the chairman of the citys board of public affairs her mother is an administrative assistant at the williams county department of job and family services also in bryan
mr noble 34 is an associate at smith  brink a braintree mass law firm he graduated from brown and received a law degree from columbia
he is a son of ofelia ariete noble and william c noble of slingerlands ny the grooms father is an accountant for the new york state department of healths online health insurance marketplace for individuals and small businesses
the couple met online in 2008


elizabeth sherlock lewis and geoffrey norris tollett were married june 11 on the atlantica a chartered yacht as it circled the statue of liberty the rev sharon k dittmar a unitarian universalist minister officiated
the bride 26 teaches ballet at ballet school of stamford in connecticut and is a classical ballet and contemporary dancer who is a member of cherylyn lavagnino dance in new york and thomasortiz dance in new canaan conn in april she appeared in the role of the ballroom dancer in donald mahlers cinderella with new york theater ballet she graduated from nyu
she is the daughter of diane l sherlock of weston mass and alfred b lewis of newton mass and the stepdaughter of mary s troxell and of michael j grusby the brides father works in newton and new york as the chief executive of quizzify an app based in new york that teaches employees about health care her mother is an independent television producer and the director of recruitment and communications at cambridge school volunteers which provides one to one support for students from the cambridge mass public schools
the brides stepmother is an associate professor of the practice of philosophy at boston college and her stepfather is the senior associate dean for academic affairs at the harvard t h chan school of public health in boston
mr tollett 31 is a vice president of moelis  company an investment bank in new york where he specializes in mergers and acquisitions he graduated from case western reserve
he is the son of carol norris schoner of jackson hole wyo and robin m tollett of winter park colo and the stepson of e jane tollett and of philip j schoner who are all engineers retired from procter  gamble in cincinnati the grooms mother worked in the beauty care division his father in the corporate engineering department and the grooms stepmother and stepfather worked in the paper division
the couple met in march 2011 at an east village bar


christina louise ruotolo and kunal nandy are to be married june 12 at the madison beach hotel in madison conn the officiant will be preetha nandi the grooms sister who became a universal life minister for the occasion
until last month the bride 34 was a designer of residential homes for campaigne kestner architects a design firm in guilford conn she graduated from cornell from which she also received a masters degree in public administration
she is a daughter of pina rapisarda of guilford and randy m ruotolo of new haven the brides father manages compensation and wellness programs in the human resources department at the uil holdings corporation a utility in new haven
the groom also 34 is a director of project management overseeing manufacturing in the bohemia ny office of nbty a maker of vitamins and food supplements based in ronkonkoma ny he graduated from the university of north carolina from which he also received a law degree he also holds an mba from the university of pennsylvania his previous marriage ended in divorce
he is the son of indrani nandy and kailas n nandi of waltham mass the grooms mother works in cambridge mass as the associate director of biostatistics and programming for the genzyme unit of sanofi the french pharmaceutical company his father retired as a geneticist at the duke university hospital in durham nc
the couple were introduced through tinder in october 2014


kyle cannon gallary and michael patrick leahy were married june 11 at the grace church in east dennis mass the rev james david the bishop of the ecumenical catholic diocese of new england performed the ceremony
mrs leahy 32 is the senior vice president for corporate strategy and digital commerce at cole haan the shoe and clothing retailer in new york she graduated magna cum laude from georgetown and received an mba from harvard
she is the daughter of patricia k gallary and peter h gallary of wellesley hills mass the brides father is the chief operating officer of the investment company institute in washington
mr leahy 34 works in new york as a senior manager of innovation responsible for new product strategy and innovation at anheuser busch inbev which is based in leuven belgium he graduated from the university of florida and received an mba from new york university
he is a son of kathryn a leahy and e richard leahy of atlanta the grooms father retired as a supervisory special agent at the fbi in new york
the couple were introduced through an online dating site in february 2014


emily catherine driscoll a daughter of therese c driscoll and brian r driscoll of boston was married june 11 to james garret overlock a son of katharine s overlock and willard j overlock jr of greenwich conn the rev michael hahn a roman catholic priest performed the ceremony at the siasconset union chapel on the island of nantucket in massachusetts
the bride 32 is a clothing designer who operates an online clothing company from new york bearing her last name she graduated from boston college
the groom also 32 who goes by garret is a vice president of starwood capital a real estate investment firm in greenwich he graduated from dartmouth and received an mba from harvard
the couple met in 2007 on a trip to el salvador with mutual friends


cara marie sipprelle a daughter of susan m sipprelle and dwight d sipprelle of englewood nj was married june 11 to jakefield benjamin merrill a son of winky merrill and david e merrill of healdsburg calif the rev alan neale an episcopal priest officiated at the summer home of the brides family in middletown ri
ms sipprelle 27 who is keeping her name is the digital and social media manager in new york for success academy charter schools she graduated from williams college
her father is the founder and the managing partner in an investment management firm in englewood bearing his name her mother makes documentary films and commercial videos in englewood
mr merrill also 27 works in new york for oracle the california based software company he is on the team that designs and builds email campaigns for business clients he graduated from the university of pennsylvania and in august he is to begin studying for an mba at new york university
his father operates vinegrove a vineyard in healdsburg and is a partner in gradient an environmental consulting firm in cambridge mass
the couple met in 1997 when they were 8 years old on useppa island in florida where their families vacationed every year they began dating in 2011 after reconnecting during their families winter trip


juliette ida bouissou a daughter of sarah h bouissou and bernard j bouissou of ridgefield conn was married june 11 to alan william klipper a son of rosemarie klipper and mitchell s klipper of woodbury ny rabbi jon haddon officiated at the muttontown club in east norwich ny
the bride 24 and groom 23 met at babson college in wellesley mass from which they graduated
mrs klipper is a financial analyst in new york for coach the leather accessories maker her parents own bernards restaurant in ridgefield
mr klipper is a senior client service associate in new york for the wealth management unit of morgan stanley his mother is on the boards of the north shore child and family guidance center in roslyn heights ny and the henry kaufman camp grounds in pearl river ny his father retired as the chief executive for the retail group of barnes  noble he was responsible for its bookstores nationwide


elizabeth anne brodsky a daughter of katherine j brodsky of clayton mo and roger j brodsky of st louis was married on june 11 to zachary andrew portin a son of susan f portin and robert j portin of amherst ny rabbi james m bennett officiated at westwood country club in st louis
the bride 27 is a fourth year medical student at the philadelphia college of osteopathic medicine she graduated from colgate university
the groom 29 is an associate in the philadelphia office of reed smith a pittsburgh law firm he also graduated from colgate summa cum laude and later received a law degree cum laude from washington university in st louis
the couple met in 2010 at ohare airport in chicago while waiting to board the same flight to st louis on the flight they sat next to each other and upon landing both discovered that their luggage had been delayed in chicago the bride offered to pick up and deliver the grooms bags to him once they arrived he agreed on the condition that she join him for lunch after delivery the next day they made good on their deal


leslie june patterson the daughter of wendy haas patterson and gary r patterson of juno beach fla was married june 11 to william roger silverman a son of susan mohr silverman and dr mark l silverman of west newton mass rabbi marcia rappaport officiated at housing works bookstore cafe in new york
the couple met at emory university from which they graduated
the bride 28 is an account director of berlinrosen public affairs a communications firm in new york where she handles communications strategy for advocacy campaigns and nonprofit groups
the groom 27 is a senior social media strategist in new york at blue state digital a communications and digital strategy company focusing on brands nonprofit organizations and advocacy groups


ashley suzanne chavis and devin david vermeulen were married june 9 at aurora a restaurant in brooklyn t scott sanders a universal life minister officiated
the bride 33 who is keeping her name is the associate director of development at creative time a nonprofit group in manhattan that does art installations she is responsible for fund raising and event planning she graduated from the university of alabama and received a masters degree in arts administration from the university of new orleans
she is the daughter of cathy m chavis and richard w chavis of montgomery ala
the groom 35 is the creative director of wework a new york company that rents offices and work spaces where he oversees a team of interior designers who design work spaces he is also a part owner of le petit motel in new orleans he graduated from the university of kansas
he is the son of wendy k vermeulen and david l vermeulen of atlanta
the couple were introduced through tinder in december 2015


shivani kalia and nilesh jagdish patel were married june 11 in newark pandit prabhakar sharma a hindu priest officiated at the newark liberty international airport marriott
the couple met at binghamton university from which they graduated
mrs patel 28 does software marketing for a risk management subsidiary of moodys the bond rating agency in manhattan she received an mba from new york university she is the daughter of neerbala kalia and suman k kalia of graniteville staten island
mr patel 29 is a senior accountant for marks paneth an accounting firm in manhattan he received a masters in accounting from baruch college he is a son of rashminda j patel and jagdish c patel of queens village


jacqueline lee goodwin the daughter of lee goodwin and john l goodwin of hanover mass was married june 11 to alexander daniel degann the son of dr sona i degann and a david degann of new york kelly hayden wimpory a justice of the peace in jefferson nh officiated at the omni mount washington resort in bretton woods nh
the couple both 29 met at sacred heart university from which they each received a masters in occupational therapy both are now occupational therapists in connecticut she at st marys hospital in waterbury and he at rehabilitation associates in fairfield
mrs degann graduated from the university of connecticut her father is a vice president involved in lending at harbor one bank in brockton mass
mr degann graduated from the university of colorado his mother is an obstetrician and gynecologist in new york his father retired as an executive vice president at the new york office of aon consulting the chicago based insurance brokerage and risk management consulting company


roger federer of switzerland squandered two match points saturday and lost to dominic thiem of austria 3 6 7 6 7 6 4 in a rain interrupted mercedes cup semifinal in stuttgart germany
thiem beat federer in the third round of the italian open before federer took a month off to deal with a back injury that win was on clay while saturdays came on grass federers favorite surface
i cant believe that i beat him on grass said thiem who has little experience on the surface federer is a seven time wimbledon champion
thiem will play seventh seeded philipp kohlschreiber of germany for the title kohlschreiber defeated juan martin del potro of argentina 6 3 6 4
jake arrieta allowed four hits in seven strong innings and backed by four home runs led the visiting chicago cubs in an 8 2 rout of the atlanta braves
arrieta 10 1 allowed two runs after sustaining his first loss of the season last sunday he also had two hits as the cubs offense rolled
miguel montero hit a three run homer kris bryant hit a two run shot and jason heyward and anthony rizzo also hit home runs
bogaerts paces red sox xander bogaerts tacked four more hits including a two run homer onto his major league leading total bringing it to 92 as the boston red sox broke away late to beat the minnesota twins 15 4 at target field bogaerts also doubled scored four runs and drove in three
royals halt skid cheslor cuthbert hit two solo home runs danny duffy pitched six shutout innings and kansas city ended an eight game losing streak beating the white sox 4 1 in chicago
daniel berger shot a one under par 69 on a hot sticky day at the fedex st jude classic giving him a three stroke lead over phil mickelson steve stricker and d a points in memphis
berger the 2014 15 rookie of the year who had led after a pga tour round only once before this event in 2014 has now led in consecutive rounds as he looks for his first tour victory berger carded four birdies a bogey and a double bogey to reach 10 under 201
mickelson 68 stricker 66 and points 64 were at seven under
berger hit 13 of 18 greens with six straight pars at one point and finished the day with the same three stroke lead he held in the second round
kos advantage dwindles top ranked lydia ko bogeyed the 18th hole as her lead shrank to one stroke heading into the final round of the kpmg womens pga championship in sammamish wash
seeking her third straight major title ko shot a one under par 70 to reach two under she won the evian championship in september in france for her first major title and took the ana inspiration in april in california
brittany lincicome and gerina piller were tied for second they each shot a 71 with lincicome also bogeying the 18th
langer leads seniors event bernhard langer was all alone under par at the senior players championship in flourtown pa
langer a 58 year old german was in position to win the tournament for the third straight year sitting at two under 208 for a three stroke lead on jay don blake with one round remaining
south african on top in austria zander lombard of south africa squandered an early three stroke advantage because of a triple bogey but still led wu ashun of china by one after the third round of the european tours lyoness open in atzenbrugg austria
daniel suarez became the first mexican born driver to win a nascar national race passing kyle busch at the menards 250 an xfinity series race in brooklyn mich
suarez 24 moved to the united states five years ago
busch led 88 of the 125 laps but could not stay ahead of suarez for the final two
hamilton claims pole position lewis hamilton the defending champion earned the pole position for formula ones canadian grand prix in montreal for a fifth time and for the second year in a row
hamilton turned in the fastest lap of qualifying completing the 271 mile circuit gilles villeneuve in 1 minute 12812 seconds that was 15 seconds faster than his qualifying time last year
chris froome of britain held the overall lead going into the final day of the criterium du dauphine in france while the french rider thibaut pinot won the sixth stage
pinot 26 snatched the stage win ahead of his countryman romain bardet 25 after an 88 mile ride from la rochette to meribel in the french alps
agence france presse
sugar rodgers scored 22 points and tina charles added 21 to help the visiting liberty beat the san antonio stars 90 75
the liberty 5 4 rebounded from their worst loss of the season on tuesday against los angeles to beat an overmatched stars squad san antonio lost its fourth in a row and fell to 1 7


for all his accomplishments including the 2011 most valuable player award detroit tigers pitcher justin verlander had never won a start at the new yankee stadium in seven previous attempts verlander had compiled a 484 era more than a full run above his 12 year career average
but verlander was dominant on saturday night reviving the form that had once made him one of the most fearsome pitchers in the game bronx doldrums notwithstanding although no longer testing triple digits on the radar gun verlander like the yankees c c sabathia a night earlier used more deception and guile than overpowering stuff to flummox the yankees in a 6 1 win at the stadium
verlander has not exactly devolved into a soft tosser he still touched 95 miles per hour with regularity but he mixed his pitches well to stifle the yankees offense which had come in averaging 57 runs over the past nine games and had hit 316 since june 3 the loss ended a five game winning streak that had moved the yankees over 500 for the first time since april 13 when they were 4 3
what makes the difference is being able to execute pitches outfielder carlos beltran said of verlander he still has 96 in the tank but right now he feels he can save it for certain opportunities
yankees manager joe girardi said he was not surprised that verlander a former cy young award winner had found new ways to win
he mixes his pitches extremely well girardi said hes got four pitches to work with he changes eye level with his fastball he goes in and out with his fastball
yeah hes lost a few miles off his fastball but hes still really got good stuff
verlander 6 5 said he had struggled with the humidity but was pleased with the effectiveness of his curveball late in the game
once you start getting second third fourth time through the lineup if youre attacking guys the exact same way every time theyll make adjustments in a hurry he said
the tigers 31 30 scored first with a solo home run by nick castellanos in the second inning it was the first home run allowed by masahiro tanaka on an 0 2 pitch in his career
in the fifth inning tanaka was ambushed on a first pitch fastball that ian kinsler 2 for 4 with five rbi hooked around the foul pole in left for his 12th homer of the season the three run blast put the tigers ahead 4 1 and ended tanakas streak of holding opponents to under two runs at four straight starts
tanaka was pitching on regular four day rest for the third consecutive start something he had never done in the majors historically tanakas era was 324 on four days rest compared with 292 on five
tanaka 3 2 disregarded the notion that rest was a factor in his second loss in three outings
location with some of my pitches went where it should not have gone he said through an interpreter and i got hurt by that
the yankees lone run arrived with some controversy in the third inning with one out chase headley poked a fly ball toward the left field corner and it ricocheted off the wall for a triple a lengthy review appeared to show the ball glancing off the foul pole but instead of calling it a home run the umpires upheld the call on the field prompting girardi to storm out of the dugout in protest
headley appeared dumbfounded by the decision but he would not linger on the base for long the next batter rob refsnyder singled up the middle on the first pitch to tie the game 1 1
that was verlanders only blemish he went six and two thirds innings and allowed five hits he has a 247 era in his last five starts with four wins   including one finally at this stadium
i know that there were a few starts that i had here and i did pitch well and didnt get the win verlander said i also had a few clunkers so it was nice to pitch well today


philadelphia   the united states knew the copa america math days before it took the field against paraguay on saturday a win or a tie would mean advancement to the quarterfinals a loss would mean elimination
it was the solution to that problem that was surprising 10 men and one goal equaled a second life
riding a first half goal by clint dempsey and overcoming the second half ejection of defender deandre yedlin the united states held off paraguay 1 0 to seal its place in the quarterfinals later this week instead of the americans facing the ignominy of a first round exit it was the paraguayans heading home
the united states which won group a because of colombias loss to costa rica on saturday night will next play in seattle on june 16 against the runner up of group b who will be determined on sunday after ecuador faces haiti and brazil plays peru but the americans were not worried about their next opponent as they basked in a warm ovation after a gritty sometimes nasty effort at lincoln financial field
it wasnt pretty but we knew it wasnt going to be pretty goalkeeper brad guzan said but to come away with the result that we did feels great
it had all started so well a warm night a festive crowd an early lead and then it all nearly went off the rails
emerging from halftime buoyed by dempseys second goal of the tournament the americans needed only to see out the final 45 minutes to finish their job but yedlin picked up a yellow card in the 47th minute for a foul at midfield on miguel almiron and then a minute later needlessly slashed down another paraguayan player miguel samudio only steps away from coach jurgen klinsmann
the referee julio bascunan of chile reached back into his pocket and flashed a second yellow at yedlin and just like that he was suddenly stunningly gone
klinsmann put up no objection   its two yellows its fine   but he did lament that yedlin after arguing the first card just lost his head for a second
thrown back on their heels with nearly a full half to play the americans regrouped and hunkered down michael orozco replaced yedlin and dempsey came off then the defending of the lead continued in earnest
paraguay however could not take advantage a dangerous free kick soared over the crossbar guzan made point blank bang bang saves on jorge benitez and dario lezcano with 10 minutes left a goal by gustavo gomez in the 89th minute was called back because he was offside and a world class performance by united states center back john brooks took care of anything in between
klinsmann did the cheerleading when a timid chant of u s a broke out midway through the half he revved it into a roar by waving his arms whenever guzan felt the crowd lag he did the same and then with much paraguayan possession but few real chances it was over
the one goal had been enough to do the job and it had come out of nothing
collecting the ball near midfield in the 27th minute gyasi zardes drove quickly down the left side paused briefly as he reached the corner of the penalty area and then drove hard past two defenders to the end line often criticized for his wayward passing this time zardes zipped a left footed cross through a crowd and it was met by dempsey at the penalty spot where he hammered it under the left arm of goalkeeper justo villar
when clint scored that goal zardes said it makes things much easier
the united states had started in a 4 4 2 formation the same setup it had shifted to during its 4 0 demolition of costa rica on tuesday and with the same lineup it has started in each game of the copa the continuity had two advantages the two man front allowed striker bobby wood and dempsey more room to operate and the four man midfield was a bit of a hedge defensively
caution had its advantages for klinsmann earlier this week hours before the costa rica victory us soccer president sunil gulati told reporters that klinsmanns job status could be re evaluated after the tournament no one has ironclad job security gulati said
it was not so much a warning as a restatement of facts gulati had made almost identical comments about klinsmanns job security in november but given a recent run of disappointments in major tournaments the prospect of elimination from the copa and mounting frustration among american fans and some players about klinsmanns methods and tactics the timing was if nothing else curious at worst it was ominous
results are what matter and everyone understands that gulati added the last 18 months over all havent been what we would have hoped for especially in official competition were not where wed like to be and while i dont get too high or too low based on one game well look at everything at the end of this competition
for now that review will have to wait the united states is off to the quarterfinals


san jose calif   the leading scorer in the nhl playoffs offered a simple reason he was able to contribute with a goal and two assists when the san jose sharks staved off elimination thursday in game 5 of the stanley cup finals
i just dont want to go home dont want the season to end forward logan couture who has a league best 29 points in 23 postseason games said saturday as the sharks prepared for sundays game 6 against the pittsburgh penguins
couture 27 is well aware that despite san joses 4 2 victory in game 5 the penguins remain in control of the series and are one victory from making the sharks first trip to the stanley cup finals a futile one but the emergency medical situation couture went through this season might help him keep even that in perspective
couture had to leave a dec 9 game at edmonton after absorbing a hit in the second period but it was not until the plane ride back to san jose that he realized how serious the injury was
we flew back home and my leg just kept swelling bigger and bigger couture said of what was later determined to be internal arterial bleeding my leg was just continuously filling with blood and it could have gotten to the point where you dont know whats going to happen if youre going to lose your leg or die
couture who left the plane in a wheelchair said it was scary you never know i was in the hospital and i got an mri and i came out and there was eight or 10 doctors staring at my mri so i knew something was serious the doctor came and talked to me and it was tough he assured me everything was going to be ok but you never know
only after he had had surgery did couture stop worrying it was probably as bad as its been in my life thinking about something like that he said
couture missed seven games having already missed 30 because of a broken leg he sustained on oct 15 when his skate hit a rut during a morning practice in new jersey the injuries were unrelated although both were to his right leg
couture turned out to be the catalyst for san joses turnaround without him in the lineup the sharks were 14 15 1 in the regular season with him they were 32 15 5
on saturday coach peter deboer found a silver lining to the loss of couture for those 30 games
i think it was a blessing in disguise looking back at it now because it forced me to get to know the organization top to bottom said deboer who is in his first year with san jose it was a quick learn for me on the depth of the organization got to know the young guys know what they could do what they couldnt do
when couture did return deboer added he was fresh the team had a better sense of itself and the organization was better able to identify what deadline trades might help
couture said he was not sure whether missing time this season was helping him now but his 29 points in the playoffs   six more than his teammates joe pavelski and brent burns have collected and seven more than phil kessel the highest scoring penguin   indicate the time off has not hurt
couture did not dispute the suggestion that he was playing his best hockey since san jose took him ninth over all in the 2007 draft
i feel pretty good said couture who finished the regular season with 15 goals and 21 assists in 52 games things are going offensively and were at this point
in game 5 he scored a deflection goal when he got the blade of his stick on a shot from defenseman justin braun and he made a no look between the legs backhand pass to wing melker karlsson for what proved to be the game winner couture ended up with his fourth three point performance of the postseason with each coming in an elimination game
deboer recognized coutures importance at the beginning of the season though naming him an alternate captain
i think he definitely has embraced it deboer said i think hes earned it


milwaukee   expectations often drop when a team dips into its bullpen for a spot starter as the mets did with logan verrett on saturday expectations fall further on a steamy afternoon when the ball is jumping as it did at miller park where the mets and the milwaukee brewers combined for five home runs in the first five innings and seven in all
verrett surrendered three homers in four innings the last by wily peralta the opposing pitcher whose homer was his first in the major leagues verrett turned over a three run deficit to reliever hansel robles and the run starved mets never caught up wasting curtis grandersons three hits while losing to the brewers for the first time in six games this season 7 4
all three of those home runs were right down the middle verrett said its tough for them not to barrel them up
the mets also lost second baseman neil walker with what the club described as lower back tightness walker making his first start since he took a one hop grounder off his chest thursday said he felt something when he checked his swing in the first inning two innings later he came off the field threw his glove onto the bench and headed for the clubhouse kelly johnson replaced him in the fourth
walker played down the injury
ive had similar issues in the past he said from my experience it takes a couple of days
but manager terry collins said any lower back trouble worried him especially after seeing david wright and lucas duda deal with significant back problems
we didnt have any concerns about lucas duda and he ended up with a broken back collins said any time you talk about the lower back i think its a concern to me
granderson singled tripled and homered in his first three times up before grounding out in the eighth his homer in the fifth trimmed the brewers lead to 5 3 but the mets did not score again until the ninth ryan braun hit two of milwaukees five home runs
at miller park the ball generally carries well when the retractable roof is open in hot weather the conditions were perfect for it saturday   88 degrees at first pitch
mets shortstop asdrubal cabrera started the barrage in the second with a two run homer on the first pitch after he fouled a ball off his right leg cabrera batted the rest of the game with a protective guard on the leg
verrett making his fourth spot start of the season struggled to find the plate he walked four a season high and threw 87 pitches over four innings with 49 strikes
i wasnt commanding the zone as well as i thought i normally do or as well as i can verrett said the four walks i dont feel thats like me either
chris carter homered to left leading off the bottom of the second into a section filled with orange clad members of the 7 line army a mets fan group in town on an organized trip the ball landed back on the field and braun tossed it to a fan in a mets road jersey
the former met kirk nieuwenhuis a 350 career hitter at miller park entering the day followed with a double stole third and scored the tying run on a double play
braun made it 3 2 milwaukee with a home run to dead center in the third an inning later peralta drove his first career homer to left center with a runner on verrett twisted in disgust at the moment of contact and peralta leisurely circled the bases
eighty pitches in four innings thats a lot collins said if you give up homers you give up homers but hes too much of a strike thrower
collins said the mets pitching coach dan warthen had talked to verrett about issues that have to get corrected because he has to throw all his pitches for strikes
scooter gennett and braun hit back to back homers in the seventh off the left hander antonio bastardo the home run by gennett a second baseman was just the second of his career against a left hander he has 24 against righties
this is a team that can do it especially in this ballpark granderson said i watched their batting practice a couple of days ago carter and braun definitely arent unfamiliar with the long ball thats definitely part of it especially when you got guys who are strong and have the ability to put themselves in plus counts
inside pitch
jim henderson who left friday nights game had the torn nail on his right middle finger repaired at a nearby nail salon henderson had a similar problem while pitching for the brewers from 2012 to 2014 and returned to the same salon that had fixed it the previous time ... jeurys familia credited a slight change in the position of his front foot suggested by dan warthen for improving his control familia retired all six batters he faced thursday and friday with four strikeouts


paris   the mound of torn black garbage bags spilling rubbish was stacked waist high under an elegant 16th century carved turret
all up and down the rue hautefeuille a medieval street in the heart of the left bank in paris where the poet charles baudelaire was born at no 13 uncollected trash poked up from the hefty municipal garbage bins lining the narrow paved sidewalk
in the citys mean season of terrorist attacks floods unending demonstrations and work stoppages a days old garbage strike was the latest insult just as the weather warmed and noisy fans poured into france for the european championship soccer tournament no end is in sight
the unions said they would not back down as did the government many of air frances pilots announced that they too would join the strikes the crews of express suburban regional and intercity trains are all on strike and they voted friday to carry on with the work stoppage
mostly the workers are protesting much contested changes to frances rigid labor code that somewhat loosen employment regulations a huge demonstration against the changes already weakened by government concessions is planned for tuesday
france appeared to be falling apart again
weve seen everything said julien collard who helps his father run the old fashioned restaurant underneath the turret cafe de la tourelle first the attacks then the floods and now this he looked out with disgust at the disorderly mound of trash abutting his wood paneled establishment
lamenting the business the restaurant has lost mr collard said its disgusting it stinks and it brings rats people see this and they walk away
the basements of residences and businesses closer to the river flooded after the recent downpours which temporarily closed the citys museums
tourism is way down this year in paris among the worlds most visited cities it fell 155 percent in the first two months with the greatest drop among japanese visitors the threat of terrorism is the principal reason after the two major attacks of 2015
a gathering spot for soccer fans near the eiffel tower known as the fan zone is heavily policed with stringent searches the director of frances domestic intelligence agency patrick calvar recently told a parliamentary commission that france remained the no 1 target of the islamic state
this all this its not good for the tourists said omar anraoui who was looking at the overflowing garbage cans from a bar down the street from mr collards cafe weve got a lovely country here but this is how we welcome people
and then when the tourists get drunk theyll start messing with it he said gesturing at the cans
their neighborhood off the boulevard st michel one of the most popular with tourists in all of paris has been especially hard hit by the garbage strike nearby on the boulevard st germain tourists at the iconic deux magots cafe looked out from neatly trimmed boxwood enclosures onto a wall of overflowing garbage cans
this isnt exactly the best way to welcome the euro is it said carole cossart who works at an art gallery near the cafe referring to the soccer tournament garbage cans were overflowing 10 feet away ms cossart smiled slightly and on top of all the flooding oh la la
not all of paris is covered in uncollected garbage half of the citys 20 arrondissements or districts are served by private companies that continue to collect the trash and many streets are unaffected pariss city hall on friday announced the deployment of additional garbage collection trucks promising that the city would soon be cleaned up
still the largest garbage treatment center just outside paris remains picketed by workers on friday the general confederation of labor known as the cgt not the biggest but the most militant union and the socialist governments main adversary called on the workers to continue striking until the government gives in on the dispute
for the most part parisians put their heads down as they walked past chock full dumpsters doing their best to ignore the unsightly spectacle could be a lot worse said the barman at a cafe in the eighth arrondissement
one third of the trains on two of the principal suburban lines including one that serves the main soccer stadium the stade de france have been hit by the strike as have half of the intercity and exurban trains express trains are running closer to normal
the governments transportation secretary warned that he would not allow the euro tournament   which is expected to draw about 25 million visitors   to be disrupted and he threatened to force train conductors back to work fans reported little trouble in reaching the stadium on friday according to the french news media in a different kind of disruption the police in marseille used tear gas on saturday to disperse fans who were fighting before the england russia match news agencies reported fighting also broke out in the southern city of nice before northern irelands match against poland leaving several people injured according to news media reports
but things could get worse before they get better philippe martinez the mustachioed former communist party member who leads of the cgt and is orchestrating the strikes appears often in the french news media to express his disdain for the governments proposed changes to the labor law
we started with demonstrations we did one two three four he told the newspaper le parisien on saturday they didnt listen to us at a certain point the workers got mad and went on strike
on saturday mr martinez also said tuesdays demonstration would be enormous
but in this fight he is up against another public figure with iberian roots who also flaunts his toughness prime minister manuel valls recently mr valls had become sufficiently perturbed by the damage to frances image from all the turmoil that he summoned a number of foreign journalists based in paris to explain that the country was doing quite well appearances to the contrary
i want these strikes to end as quickly as possible mr valls said he said he would not withdraw the changes proposed to the labor law but he acknowledged the harm that mr martinezs offensive could cause it is true that we are concerned for the economic consequences and especially for tourism mr valls said
he tried to draw the larger lessons from the labor conflict now convulsing france
whats happening now is very important in french unions he said theres a debate in the union movement between those who are interested in dialogue and those who are not there is also a debate in french socialism how do we reform in this country can a minority block reform is possible its a question of political will
there were faint rays of hope by saturday morning the cafe de la tourelle reported that the trash had been picked up from the rue hautefeuille and the french national soccer team won its opening night match against romania
france is breathing a little easier this morning a commentary in le parisien said


washington   i really felt like the roof had caved in on me solicitor general donald b verrilli jr said the other day recalling the low point of his five years as the obama administrations top appellate lawyer
mr verrilli 58 is preparing to step down from the job this month after a tenure that included 37 supreme court arguments and a string of major victories on behalf of a democratic president facing a court dominated by conservative justices but the scathing reviews of his most important supreme court argument in the 2012 case challenging the constitutionality of president obamas health care law still sting
minutes after the presentation was over jeffrey toobin the cnn legal analyst said it had been a train wreck for the obama administration adding that this law looks like its going to be struck down
mr verrilli said reviews like that were quite rough
i wont kid you he said it was hard really hard not only because i like to think of myself as a good lawyer but also this was an incredibly consequential case it mattered to the president it mattered to the administration it mattered to the country
the supreme court upheld the law and on grounds that mr verrilli had been instrumental in pressing still he said the argument began poorly for starters he had participated in so many practice sessions that his voice was shot
it just seized up on me he said the memory fresh and then i took a sip of water and it went down the wrong way and i couldnt get any words out it affected my concentration i definitely lost my concentration at the beginning of the argument
i got off to a really bad start he added but i thought that over the course of the hour that id basically clawed my way back into the conversation and then in the last third of the argument i felt like i was making the points i wanted to make in the way i wanted to make them
the points must have landed as chief justice john g roberts jr accepted mr verrillis position that a central requirement of the law was authorized by the congressional power to levy taxes handing him a stunning 5 to 4 victory
mr verrilli said he and his colleagues had made a conscious decision to push the tax argument to the extent we did
that had always been part of the case but once it got to the supreme court we put a lot of work into making that a stronger argument he said so i thought the lawyering may have made a difference there
mr toobin for his part said last week that he had been half right i dont think i was wrong about the quality of the argument he said i was wrong about its importance to the resolution of the case
mr toobin added i think what i am guilty of is ascribing too much importance to oral argument period the justices all say the briefs matter a great deal more than oral arguments thats a lesson i keep learning
mr verrilli sitting in his favorite armchair in his hushed office at the justice department said there were no hard feelings
jeff toobin i give the guy a lot of credit mr verrilli said he came in and he apologized
mr verrilli said he learned an important lesson from the criticism he had endured its not a good or healthy thing to have your sense of self worth determined by what other people are saying he said
i wish id learned that before i was in my mid 50s but you know it helped a lot to learn it
last year mr verrilli prevailed in a second health care case a challenge to nationwide tax subsidies and he helped persuade the court to recognize a constitutional right to same sex marriage
mr toobin said mr verrilli was at his best in the marriage case that was the perfect combination of legal expertise and moral righteousness he said i dont know that i ever heard a better argument in the court
the loss he most regrets mr verrilli said was in 2013 in shelby county v holder which effectively struck down the heart of the voting rights act of 1965
there are some powerful real world consequences that followed very quickly from that decision he said it was an iconic statute and an important part of american history that was a tough loss
mr verrilli said he has made no plans beyond taking a long break that will include a trip to italy he said he would leave a gift for his deputy ian h gershengorn who will now lead the office
ive become a devotee of throat lozenges mr verrilli said ill always have one in my mouth right before i start an argument ive got a bag of throat lozenges im going to leave for him
in april before the last argument of the term mr verrilli rose to make a final request he made a motion to admit his wife gail w laster to the bar of the supreme court
mr verrilli recited the usual words saying that he was satisfied that his wife possesses the necessary qualifications
in response chief justice roberts departed from the script you better be he said warmly and to laughter
mr verrilli said the moment would stay with him the chiefs joke was really terrific he said that was really sweet of him actually
mr verrilli will be gone by the last week of the supreme court term when the biggest decisions usually land in the past he has been in his usual seat in the courtroom when justices announce their opinions
this year he said the news will reach him soon enough
ill find out pretty fast and hopefully ill have a glass of chianti in my hand mr verrilli said im good with it ive had enough moments of high drama sitting in that seat


donggeochado south korea   since last summer oh byung hwan has visited this island off southwestern south korea more than a dozen times camping out in a tent and braving monsoon rains and winter storms to watch the sea from a hilltop perch
less than a mile away a fleet of salvage ships float in a loose circle below them resting on its side on the seafloor is the 6825 ton sewol a ferry that sank more than two years ago taking with it 304 people of which 250 were teenagers on a school trip including mr ohs only child young seok
the catastrophe still haunts the families of the victims and remains a traumatic experience for south koreans many of whom still fault the governments response to the disaster
like most of the victims found huddled in the ship young seok 16 had listened to the crews repeated instructions   even when the ship was sinking   for passengers to stay in their cabins
why arent they coming to our rescue young seok called from his tilting cabin as seen on video footage recovered from the cellphone of another student victim
we are here to monitor and record every move of the salvage operation because we have learned not to trust what the government says what it does mr oh 44 said from his hilltop tent scanning the sea with binoculars and a large lens digital camera and taking occasional notes in a logbook
i recently visited this island catching a ferry from jindo the nearest island linked to the mainland by a bridge two and a half hours later donggeochado came into view ringed by rocky cliffs the island home to 150 people has no school restaurant or hotel and one ferry a day comes from jindo
the island appeared deserted except for a few old women mending fishing nets on the concrete roadside and old men idling outside a store without a signboard few people climbed the hill behind the village until the families of the sewol victims began arriving the yellow ribbons they tied to bamboo and camellia brambles along the overgrown path spoke of their pain my dear child please come visit me in dreams read one
they began coming last summer when a consortium of chinese and south korean salvage companies began a 73 million operation to raise the sewol the victims families hope that the salvaging expected to be completed this year will yield the bodies of nine missing people and more clues to what happened   a question that many suspect the government of president park geun hye has been evading
the families come to the island to make sure that nothing is covered up taking shifts in a tent used as a watching post in the hills above the salvage operation two other tents serve as sleeping quarters
the government never told us everything and is more interested in covering it up than in learning the lessons to make the country safer for children mr oh said
the operator of the sewol chonghaejin marine routinely overloaded the ship with poorly secured cargo and had done so on the ferrys final voyage prosecutors said inspectors colluded in the practice by giving the sewol and other ships a cursory check from the pier or none at all the authorities said
when the sewol capsized its crew members were among the first to flee the first coast guard boat that arrived at the scene did little more than pick up the fleeing crew members while passengers trapped inside the ferry banged on the windows as the ship slowly disappeared beneath the waves
the lieutenant who captained the coast guard ship was given a three year prison sentence for lying that he had used a megaphone to tell passengers to evacuate
the disaster united south korea in anger and sorrow but as the families and their supporters persisted in their campaign for a more thorough investigation into the governments responsibility the issue became increasingly politicized
right wing activists likened critics of the government to a pro north korean force that threatened to undermine ms parks government they argued that the authorities had done enough by reprimanding officials and tightening safety regulations
fifteen crew members were sentenced to one and a half years to life in prison several shipping company officials were given two  to seven year sentences
pro government activists also called the bereaved families dealers of corpses looking for greater financial compensation and said their demands had wasted taxpayers money they even mocked a victims father on a 46 day hunger strike in central seoul by organizing a binge eating festival nearby
the sewol incident exposed the worst naked face of south korea said kwon mi hwa mr ohs wife she was keeping her husband company in the mosquito infested tent on a recent evening
for months after the sinking young seok appeared in my dreams as the little boy he was when he protested my going to work in the morning and tugged at my pants she said choking with tears sitting alone on this hill i sometimes wonder whether he is talking to me through the birds chirping around me
the teenagers who died were born when south korea was engulfed in the asian financial crisis of the late 1990s soon after young seoks birth ms kwon found a job at a pharmaceutical factory to help augment her husbands meager wages from a textile factory in their working class neighborhood in ansan south of seoul many families had just one child because of the rising cost of education in the sewol disaster 70 families lost their only child
not long after young seok died a despondent ms kwon screamed at her husband bring my child back i dont care if you have to die for it
mr oh quit his job for one and a half years he joined other families camping out in central seoul
now that my son is gone i cant see why i have to make a living he said i cant go on with my life until the full truth is known about why and how my son died until the government is made to take responsibility it has refused to take until human lives are recognized as more valuable than profits in this country
mr oh said his hopes had risen after ms parks ruling party lost a majority in the parliamentary elections in april
months of life on the streets have taken a toll on mr ohs health still during the election he campaigned for hours every day for a human rights lawyer who championed the families cause the lawyer won a parliamentary seat by beating a former presidential aide of ms park
mr ohs wife also became a full time activist passing out leaflets about the sewol disaster the couple live off the savings for their sons education and funds pooled together by families and supporters to pay for equipment and expenses
the few nights ms kwon spends at her home she sleeps with a portrait of her son beside her she still pays to keep her sons cellphone number active on may 5 childrens day she texted him my dear only child i am sorry
on jan 12 the day her son would have graduated from danwon high school in ansan she visited the school alone at night all but one of her sons 32 classmates had died their classroom had been turned into a temporary memorial its desks overflowing with flowers chocolates and letters
my dear son thank you for letting me know what happiness was ms kwon wrote in a letter that night i will find out why you had to die i can i will because i am your mother


they hit the wire together in a blur two gray horses that had shown promise on their way to the kentucky derby but once beneath those iconic twin spires looked as if they hardly belonged in americas greatest race maybe they had excuses
the colt named destin had broken poorly that day and was roughed up early in the race and creator who had closed like a freight train in the arkansas derby barely lifted a hoof in kentucky clunking down the track as if wearing concrete shoes
it was not a hard decision for the trainer todd pletcher to bring destin home to his barn here in new york and start over it was a no brainer for steve asmussen to try to retool creator at churchill downs where he perennially leads the trainers standings
as the placing judges puzzled over a too close to call rush to the finish of the 148th running of the belmont stakes on saturday each trainer remained on edge one of them was going to look smart the other not smart enough those in the grandstand clutching betting tickets on the long shot grays were confessing their sins and saying their prayers destin went off at odds of nearly 9 1 and creator at 16 1
all however were in better spirits than the trainer keith desormeaux and his rider and brother kent who saw the heavily favored exaggerator first stall then sputter at the top of stretch ending his bid to take two thirds of the triple crown the colt that had vanquished the kentucky derby champ nyquist in the preakness was nowhere near when the real running started
in the clubhouse kenny troutt the owner of winstar farm was balancing thoughts of a belmont stakes that he lost two years ago and a decision that he had made earlier in the week in the 2014 belmont his colt named commissioner hit the midstretch looking every bit of the winner but he was run down and beaten by a head by tonalist
in creator however troutt had a late running horse who turned in his optimal performances when a fast pace softened up the front runners so troutt met with his winstar brain trust and decided to enter a swift front runner by the name of gettysburg   a rabbit in the parlance of the racetrack
we needed a fast pace and then creator could run his race said troutt who had watched his colt come from 10 lengths back to win the arkansas derby
it was tricky though troutt had to take gettysburg from the barn of pletcher one of his main trainers in fact they won the 2010 derby together and give him to asmussen to enter in the belmont troutt knew that pletcher already had destin and stradivari another contender in the race
it was not an easy decision troutt said i felt like it was the right thing to do was to realign the camps because todd had the second and third choice in the race and i just felt like it would be easier on him to answer to his other owners it would be easier on us if we realign the camp for this race
pletcher became one of the nations leading trainers by keeping powerful owners happy so his large high quality stable remains that way this time it cost him a third belmont stakes victory
gettysburgs rider paco lopez gunned his colt to the lead and laid down testing fractions of 4848 seconds for a half mile and 1 minute 1328 seconds for three quarters a pace that more often than not wobbles the legs of horses trying belmonts mile and a half distance for the first and usually last time
through a mile the pace thinned the ranks of front running challengers who did not include nyquist who was withdrawn weeks ago because of illness governor malibu and stradivari could not keep up and exaggerator he feigned a move coming around the turn
i put him down for a mad drive and said show me your stuff but there was nothing there said kent desormeaux who wrapped up the preakness winner and allowed him to galumph home in 11th place
through a mile javier castellano aboard destin had waited patiently for lopez and gettysburg to run out of gas when they did he shot past them like a bullet train and set destins gaze on the finish line
behind him however irad ortiz jr had creator in full flight they had been blasting past horses two at a time and were bounding down the middle of the stretch as if skipping from one trampoline to another
when we got clear he started running ortiz said
in the clubhouse asmussen had watched ortiz save yards by deftly slicing through openings without having to slow creator down now he knew that it was going to be a matter of inches if his colt was going to pass the test of the champion as this grueling marathon is known creator pulled alongside destin and they matched strides for 10 20 30 yards
asumussens counterpart pletcher meanwhile was alternating between his binoculars and watching the video board hoping the wire would get there soon it did not ortiz extended his arms once twice and with a final surge got past castellano and destin by a nose
pletchers onetime horse gettysburg had done his job well enough to deprive him of another belmont stakes to go along with the ones he had earned in 2007 with rags to riches and in 2013 with palace malice
tough beat pletcher said stoically
it was winstar and asmussen who looked like geniuses bringing home an 800000 first place check to boost the colts earnings past 15 million his final time of 22851 was good enough to deliver a 3480 win ticket to those who risked 2 on him
he was the perfect horse by inches asmussen said thats how you have to be on big race days


harbin china   six years ago wang huanming was paralyzed from the neck down after being injured wrestling with a friend today he hopes he has found the answer to walking again a new body for his head
mr wang a 62 year old retired gas company worker is one of several people in china who have volunteered for a body transplant at a hospital in the northern chinese city of harbin
the idea for a body transplant is the kind of thinking that has experts around the world alarmed at how far china is pushing the ethical and practical limits of science such a transplant is impossible at least for now according to leading doctors and experts including some in china who point to the difficulty of connecting nerves in the spinal cord failure would mean the death of the patient
the orthopedic surgeon proposing the operation dr ren xiaoping of harbin medical university who assisted in the first hand transplant in the united states in 1999 said he would not be deterred in an interview dr ren said that he was building a team that research was underway and that the operation would take place when we are ready
his plan remove two heads from two bodies connect the blood vessels of the body of the deceased donor and the recipient head insert a metal plate to stabilize the new neck bathe the spinal cord nerve endings in a gluelike substance to aid regrowth and finally sew up the skin
whether or not he performs the operation leading medical experts have condemned the plan
for most people its at best premature and at worst reckless said dr james l bernat a professor of neurology and medicine at the geisel school of medicine of dartmouth college
dr huang jiefu a former deputy minister of health in china said in an interview in november that when the spine is cut the neurons cannot be reconnected so its scientifically impossible
ethically its impossible dr huang added how can you put one persons head on anothers body
critics attribute such medical experimentation in china to national ambition generous state funding a utilitarian worldview that prioritizes results and a lack of transparency and accountability to the outside world
the chinese system is not transparent in any way said arthur l caplan a medical ethicist at new york university i do not trust chinese bioethical deliberation or policy add healthy doses of politics national pride and entrepreneurship and it is tough to know what is going on
some chinese researchers are also concerned that the experimentation is going too far too fast
i dont want to see chinas scholars transplant doctors and scientists deepening the impression that people have of us internationally that when chinese people do things they have no bottom line   that anything goes said cong yali a medical ethicist at peking university referring to dr rens plans
the chinese government invested 142 trillion renminbi 216 billion in scientific research and development last year compared with 245 billion renminbi in 2005 according to the national bureau of statistics
last year researchers at sun yat sen university in the southern city of guangzhou altered a gene in the human embryo that causes thalassemia a rare blood disease using a technique developed in the united states the experiment crossed an ethical line some scientists in china and abroad said because the changes would be inheritable if conducted on viable embryos the experiment used unviable embryos that could pave the way for permanent gene modification for qualities such as looks or intelligence
despite the concerns in april another team in guangzhou altered embryos to make them hiv resistant internationally some scientists criticized the experiment citing a lack of consensus on the ethics of such work
the team from guangzhou medical university said that significant technical issues remain to be addressed it added that on ethical grounds it would not advocate genome editing on viable lines until after a rigorous and thorough evaluation and discussion are undertaken by the global research and ethics communities
ethical issues have long dogged chinese researchers in the field of organ transplants where china was an international pariah for using the organs of executed prisoners while china says it no longer uses those chinese transplant doctors still sometimes submit research from prisoner organs to international conferences which is not permitted under global ethical norms
this year the international society for heart and lung transplantation said it had rejected research by a chinese team at its annual meeting in washington on those grounds
some chinese scientists and ethicists say the concerns of medical experts especially those overseas are overblown they attribute them to envy at chinas remarkable scientific and economic progress in recent decades
we see the reactions among western commentators as a misunderstanding of the current situation zhai xiaomei the dean of the school of humanities and social sciences at peking union medical college wrote in the journal developing world bioethics in january
critics were unwilling to acknowledge china as an equal partner in the international debate about proper limits to the development of new biotechnologies she wrote ms zhai declined to be interviewed
dr ren is not the only one exploring the science of body transplants dr sergio canavero of the turin advanced neuromodulation group in italy is a prominent advocate and scientists at the institute of theoretical and experimental biophysics at the russian academy of sciences are also researching aspects of the procedure neither dr canavero nor the russian institute has plans to carry it out though they say
dr ren a native of harbin spent 16 years in the united states before returning home in 2012 he was part of a team from the university of louisville that assisted in the hand transplant he later moved to the university of cincinnati according to the website of the universitys academic health center
dr ren has experimented with head transplants on mice but they have lived only for a day he said he had also begun practicing on human cadavers but declined to give details
the doctor and his supporters say the operation could help people with potentially fatal diseases affecting body function such as spinal muscular atrophy as well as those with paralysis like mr wang
some aspects of the plan are technically possible said dr abraham shaked a professor of surgery and the director of the penn transplant institute at the university of pennsylvania he said it could be possible to preserve the recipients brain and the donors body before transplant attach many of the blood vessels and muscles and control adverse immune reactions
but it is still not possible to connect the nerves of the spinal cord dr shaked said
at this stage i would call the attempt stupid rather than crazy he said in an email crazy means it may be done stupid should not be done
as for using the gluelike substance polyethylene glycol to facilitate the growth of nerve endings dr shaked said put it this way it is like if the trans atlantic phone cable is cut by half and someone wants to put it together using krazy glue
dr ren agrees that it would be stupendously difficult
ive been practicing medicine in china and overseas for more than 30 years he said in an interview ive done the most complicated operations but compared to this one theres no comparison
whether its ethical or not this is a persons life he added there is nothing higher than a life and thats the core of ethics
asked to comment chinas health commission said surgeons were required to abide by ethical responsibilities outlined in the nations human organ transplant regulations
amid the medical and ethical uncertainties mr wang and his family cling to hope
for three years his daughter wang zhi 34 and her mother hand pumped oxygen into his lungs today they have an automatic pump paid for by donations but medical bills have used up their savings ms wang said
he cannot live and he cannot die she said
the family knows that if the operation fails mr wang will die but it gives them hope amid their desperation
a medical procedure that sounds impossible may save us ms wang said


cleveland   cleveland   late saturday morning about 10 hours after the cleveland cavaliers lost to the golden state warriors in game 4 of the nba finals dozens of workers in wine colored shirts were stuffing trash bags and sweeping out the aisles inside quicken loans arena
they were getting the arena ready for a record crowd of 19665 that hours later packed the place   but not to watch lebron james instead they were there to cheer on clevelands minor league hockey team the lake erie monsters as they tried to nail down a title for a famously championship starved city
were aware of whats gone on here ryan craig the monsters 34 year old captain said during the teams morning skate on saturday
as he spoke the basketball nets and court as well as a few thousand seats had been stashed away and the monsters in their first year as an affiliate of the nhls columbus blue jackets has come out onto the freshly zambonied sheet of ice for a laugh filled and rambunctious morning skate
the monsters basketball counterparts the cavaliers trail the warriors by three games to one in the finals and few give them a chance of prevailing but the monsters were an entirely different story especially for cleveland
as they skated saturday morning they knew they needed just one more victory to complete a four game sweep of the hershey bears the washington capitals top farm team and capture the american hockey leagues calder cup finals
and with a goal by oliver bjorkstrand with just two seconds remaining in the first overtime on saturday night the monsters did just that the 1 0 victory giving cleveland its first hockey title since the barons won the same calder cup in 1964
as everyone in cleveland   and maybe the whole country   seems to know 1964 was also the last year a team from the city won a big league sports championship with the cleveland browns beating the baltimore colts 27 0 for the nfl title on dec 27 at cleveland municipal stadium which was razed 20 years ago the cleveland crunch it should be noted won three national professional soccer league titles indoors in the 1990s
i mean if youre a sports fan at all and you come to cleveland youre made aware of that stuff right away golden state coach steve kerr a former cavaliers guard saidfriday
the monsters were not pretending that a calder cup equals a stanley cup   or for that matter the larry obrien nba championship trophy an oversized replica of which was placed smack dab in the middle of the fan fest area at the cavaliers gamefriday night
but they said a trophy for cleveland would be a significant accomplishment the monsters who had been an affiliate of the colorado avalanche for eight seasons were third in the 30 team ahl in attendance during 2015 16 regular season averaging 8596 per game
it helps them get prepared for the next step   its not just a couple thousand people in an empty building said jock callander a former forward for the international hockey leagues cleveland lumberjacks who is now the color commentator on monsters radio and tv broadcasts
game 3 of the calder cup finals had been played at quicken loans arena and drew 12935 tony brown the monsters play by play announcer said the support has been great this market is so hungry for a championship
youth hockey here is big and hockey is not new the cleveland indians played in the ihl from 1929 to 1933 when they were renamed the falcons the falcons became the barons in 1936 and won the calder cup nine times before moving to jacksonville fla in 1973
the cleveland crusaders of the world hockey association opened in 1972 moving from cleveland arena to the suburban richfield coliseum in 1974 for two seasons in the mid 70s cleveland had an nhl team also called the barons which drew poorly
the lumberjacks popped up in 1992 and lasted until the ihl folded in 2001 and yet another iteration of the barons this time a san jose sharks farm team played in the ahl from 2002 6 until moving to worcester mass
a banner with callanders number with the lumberjacks 15 hangs in the rafters at quicken loans arena next to the no 1 worn by barons goaltender johnny bower the no 9 worn by barons center fred glover and another banner commemorating the barons calder cups
with the blue jackets established 140 miles away and the pittsburgh penguins 150 miles away it is unlikely that an nhl team will return to cleveland any time soon but the blue jackets and the monsters have benefited from their relationship
youre not so far away that someone gets there every once in a while so you can assess these guys as they grow said bill zito the monsters general manager and the blue jackets assistant general manager our market gets to come up there and see the young guys play
josh anderson a 22 year old monsters forward who played 12 games for the blue jackets this season said of the parent club they didnt have the year they wanted up there and now theyre rooting for us to win for the whole organization
the arena of course is still the cavaliers domain the monsters take up little space their dressing room is down a corridor carpeted with the cavs c logo from the cavaliers ornate locker room still videos pitching monsters tickets are splashed on the big screen during cavaliers games
work crews allowed giant nba playoff banners to hang from the rafters saturdaynight because the cavaliers could avoid elimination by winning game 5 of the nba finals on monday in oakland calif game 6 if necessary would be here on thursday
the monsters meanwhile are now champions whatever fate awaits the cavaliers they had even grown playoff beards the veterans on the team had lush facial hair with the promising young players trying to catch up
some guys can grow them some guys cant said craig who has played most of his 13 year professional career in the minor leagues the good thing is that weve had two months to grow them
and now a whole summer to celebrate a championship which is always remarkable in cleveland


belmont park is always awash in activity during belmont stakes week but preparations for the 148th running of the race which was won saturday afternoon by creator were temporarily interrupted by a few odd occurrences during training hours
on tuesday an unraced 2 year old reared up and landed straddling the inner rail and he could not move until a team of workers hoisted his legs over the top on friday another young horse threw his rider lost his bridle and nearly lost his saddle too before outriders closed in and one grabbed hold of the horses nose to slow him down
we tried our best to stop him and we werent able to right away but the rest of the group was able to pull him up and we saved the horse said miguel gutierrez who has been an outrider for new york racing association which also oversees saratoga and aqueduct for 28 years we make a good team
during both episodes an air raid siren blared and 20 solar powered lights around the mile and a half track the longest in north america flashed those signals alerted riders to keep horses off the track or if they were already on it to slow down and steer their mounts to safety until the situation was handled by the eight outriders who were on the track during training at least two are on the track for every race
by inexpensively adding lights similar to those used on snow plows and using remote controls so the units can be activated by outriders or clockers who have the best vantage points nyra has set a standard that rule makers in the industry are asking other tracks to emulate
when a jockeys working a horse in the morning if its a sloppy track or if theyre working against another horse between the dirt hitting them and them being in the heat of the moment they might not hear the siren going off said glen kozak nyras vice president for facilities and racing surfaces so with the flashing lights everyone quickly notices theres trouble
he added its not like i patented this or anything but it does work very well and any information that we can pass on to other racetracks it only helps everybody else in the game
kozak 45 joined nyra in 2008 after holding racetrack maintenance jobs in maryland massachusetts and new jersey superintendents are constantly sharing information with one another and kozak got the idea for the flashing alarms from a system used in maryland he worked with electricians to make nyras wireless
his crew installed the light system at all three nyra racetracks about six years ago but an incident in a race at the charles town track in west virginia in december 2014 in which a horse threw his rider and began running the wrong way as his competitors made their way around the track accelerated the adoption of emergency warning systems into the code of standards used by the national thoroughbred racing associations safety  integrity alliance to accredit racetracks alarms also go off if tractors are on the track when horses enter or if starting gates are stuck outriders have learned to be ready for anything
the industry realized they didnt have an efficient way to call off a horse race said steve koch the executive director of the alliance thats a situation where the combination of audible and visual signals can quickly alert jockeys and give racetracks the ability to call off a race midrace these things are critical in morning but they are even more critical in the afternoons
w b rogers beasley the vice president of racing at keeneland racecourse in lexington ky noticed the system while visiting the oklahoma training track at saratoga race course and asked kozak to send him a model his employees modified the system and placed units around keenelands main track when it was converted to dirt from the synthetic polytrack in 2014 the units also line the training track there woodbine racetrack in toronto has also requested one of kozaks models
they were very well reviewed by the horseman here beasley said it doesnt stop horses from getting loose but it certainly increases awareness
nyras alarms are built on breakaway poles so if a horse or a rider were to hit one it would snap and fall over a problem arose when the dealers who park cars in belmont parks sweeping lots were moving cars and the wireless remotes caused some alarms to go off otherwise the alarms have helped improve safety and awareness during training and racing
its a tiny little example of how things really can work when were sharing information and firing on all our cylinders koch said


after almost 800 nhl goals after 21 all star stints after six most valuable player awards gordie howe left hockey a bit sad he had wanted to play on the same team with his sons
and then two years into his retirement the fledgling world hockey association beckoned with a team in houston howes boys mark 18 and marty 19 were drafted and howe joined them
howe and his boys came up to the new york times to hype the new league and their roles it was 1973 and howe was 45 he was still famous a member of the hall of fame almost 200 goals ahead of anyone who had ever played
i had written about him many times awed by his dominance of his sport in a way i imagined that babe ruth had taken over baseball the way muhammad ali had overshadowed boxing everyone was in awe of howe   even opposing players
while the public thought of him as mr hockey to teammates and opponents howe who died friday at 88 was known as power he had started playing for detroit shortly after world war ii in an era when everyone in the nhl was canadian when there were only six teams just 120 players most of them were high school dropouts because of the junior system in effect at the time you wanted to make it to the nhl you had better play junior hockey which had a punishing schedule that left little time for schoolbooks
howe was the leagues official greeter his was a time when you did not complain about a hit to the head tape an aspirin on it was the general advice when the rangers future star brad park legally checked howe in their first meeting howe flicked out his stick   and park went down with a sliced cheek the blade of howes stick just missing his eye
a referee vern buffey once told me youre working a game and you see a player go down you know howe did it but how can you prove it
there were many players who believed that howe was the dirtiest player in the nhl but by no stretch of the imagination was he a goon he was a smooth as silk skater a dimaggio on the ice effortless it seemed and yet he played all out and played in 17 seasons he never missed a game in two other seasons he missed only one   and yet he played his last 20 years with a permanent twitch as a result of a concussion
i knew nothing of hockey when the times assigned me to the game in the mid 1960s and yet the first time i saw howe i understood what the superlatives were all about with his loping style he cradled the puck as if it were a baby   and then hed switch the stick to his right hand and straight arm an opponent with his left sending him tumbling all the while sailing straight ahead and then he would look to his right as if about to pass the disc to a teammate instead he would flick his wrist   and blast home a goal just like that
the numbers are so huge they almost make no sense in his 23rd season he set a record for right wings for total points and assists he appeared in 11 stanley cup finals the wings winning four during a six year span he captured six scoring championships and yet never produced a 50 goal season or a game in which he scored more than three goals he just did everything right all the time
but in 1973 in the offices of the times wearing a suit howe was a doting father and not a scary opponent in fact the old man did not look so big when he played at 6 feet and 200 pounds or so he was larger than most of his opponents
gordie was amazed at this new world of money in sports
each of my boys will earn more money on the interest of their salary than i earned after 10 years in the league he said he was slated to make more money over the next four years than he had in his first 20 with detroit
when he retired from the red wings he said his only regret was that he never had played with his sons in the big time but he was forced to quit because of something that afflicts a few other 40 year olds   arthritis still in his final year with detroit he generated more points than he had as a rookie now as he planned to return to the ice he wondered whether it would be safe so he consulted a doctor who told him howe said youre fine to play but i cant guarantee you wont get a heart attack the first time you get hit
howe did not hesitate he had been given a front office job with the red wings in which his duties apparently entailed nothing more than smiling for howe the guy who was always in charge on the ice it was demeaning
i felt like a mushroom he said i was in a dark corner and every now and then theyd come in and throw manure over me
remarkably howe went on to play seven more seasons although when you think of the big guy hes wearing a red wings uniform with the number 9 that number in fact was a badge of honor for anyone on another team you had to be the best to get that number and it generally was reserved for only a star player
but when all was said and done howes proudest moments came as a father and its how i remember him close to his two boys looking at them proudly


there may be no olympic sport as dependent on technology as cycling whose space age feather light carbon fiber bikes can cost more than a car and make the difference between a gold medal and nothing
that has also made the sport ripe for an entirely new kind of doping mechanical
it has long been rumored that riders were finding ways to hide tiny electrical motors in their frames or were using magnets in their wheels to produce a couple of extra watts of power but it was not until a young cyclocross racer was discovered to have a motor hidden in her bike frame last year that it became a prominent issue
now mechanical doping is as controversial as biological doping
i think when these rumors first started to surface most normal people thought that it was fantastical and nobody would stoop so low to cheat this way said brian cookson president of the international cycling union cyclings world governing body
but soon it became obvious the technology was available he said it was out there
that is a marked change from the past as recently as 2010 a predecessor of cooksons pat mcquaid said that using hidden motors in bikes was not practical because a battery would need to be the size of a bag of sugar
batteries these days are no bigger than a thumbnail motors are just as small and that has forced the cycling union to develop tests to detect them in major races including the rio olympics
the group will work with the international olympic committee to test bikes in rio both will use proprietary software that the governing body developed for ipads the system essentially scans a bike for magnetic fields that could indicate the presence of motors and it is advanced enough to distinguish between illegal technology and the electronic shifting systems that have become common among elite riders
the cycling group began scanning bikes in january and has already examined several thousand including every bike at the giro ditalia the groups technical manager mark barfield expects 12000 tests by the end of the year
still some do not believe the system is foolproof video has circulated from european races believed to show heat signatures within bikes that could be consistent with the presence of hidden motors
the international cycling union countered that thermal imaging x rays and ultrasonic devices had been deemed ineffective
we think we have a very effective defense against this cookson said weve all heard the rumors and seen the allegations and videos but at the end of the day our method is the only method that has actually caught somebody
usa cycling has partnered with flir systems a thermal imaging manufacturer to monitor bikes at its events cameras are set up at critical points of races to record images that can later be examined by usa cycling officials
these cameras not only allow you to see in total darkness adverse weather haze and smoke said travis merrill vice president of flir systems but they can detect unnatural heat sources like those used in mechanical doping
last april the international group set down rules for what cookson prefers to call technological fraud they include a minimum six month ban and a fine of up to 206000 offending teams face disqualification a suspension and fines of up to 1035000
your entire career is not only finished everything youve achieved up until then is brought into question cookson said
there is little to gain for riders competing in amateur races or small professional events but when the stakes are hundreds of thousands of dollars in worldtour races or a life changing gold medal from the olympics the temptation becomes harder to ignore
just like biological doping its something we have to be watchful of said usa cyclings chief executive derek bouchard hall the idea is to create a level where you keep honest people honest
while the international governing body is confident its current testing system is effective the challenge now   as with biological doping   is staying ahead of the curve new technology is developed all the time and the batteries and motors are becoming so small that eventually they may be invisible to the naked eye
it never even crossed my mind when i was participating bouchard hall who competed for the united states in the 2000 olympics said of this new form of cheating its a phenomenon in the last five years but yes its something we have to be concerned about


cairo   a political dissident from bahrain who was recently released from prison after the government there faced international outrage said on saturday that she had fled the country after she was threatened again with detention
the dissident zainab al khawaja had been one of the last vocal pro democracy activists remaining in the country amid a five year government crackdown on dissent since facing an uprising in 2011 bahrains ruling monarchy has imprisoned prominent activists and opposition leaders or stripped them of citizenship other dissidents have either quieted their criticism of the government or left the country
ms khawaja 32 a dual citizen of bahrain and denmark who was imprisoned along with her infant son was released on humanitarian grounds in may and left bahrain for denmark last week she said in an interview that bahraini officials had warned the danish embassy that if she did not leave she would be rearrested within months and separated from her son
i have been arrested 11 times she said in a telephone interview from denmark i have done all i can do inside of prison
the steady disappearance of bahrains opposition has mirrored the broader repression of political life across the persian gulf states after the 2011 revolts which unnerved the regions monarchs the rulers of saudi arabia the united arab emirates and kuwait have all taken forceful action against dissidents as part of what some analysts have termed a counterrevolution to quell domestic democratic movements
the monarchies have frequently justified these crackdowns as a reaction to external threats from either transnational islamist movements or from hostile states like iran the rulers have joined forces including prosecuting those who criticize friendly gulf nations or have shared tactics like revoking opponents citizenship
as the numbers of dissidents in exile grow they have complained that western nations with close financial and military ties to the gulf have been reluctant to press for reforms
bahrain is one of the closest allies of the united states in the persian gulf region and hosts the navys fifth fleet after ms khawaja was detained in march on charges that included ripping a photograph of bahrains king hamad bin isa al khalifa the state department publicly called for her release
bahrains government did not immediately respond to a request for comment
ms khawajas father abdulhadi al khawaja is serving a life sentence in bahrain for participating in the 2011 uprising her sister maryam al khawaja a prominent activist also lives in exile in denmark


muhammad ali told me in 1997 that he planned on living until age 90 we were on a bus in boston en route to an elementary school for an assembly devoted to teaching students about tolerance and understanding alis speech was noticeably affected by then as a consequence of parkinsons syndrome but he was still physically strong and his thought processes were clear
as we approached the school ali was reminiscing about some of the people who had played a significant role in his life his father elijah muhammad sonny liston a few others ninety would be good he told me i think ill live to be 90 but if im feeling good when im 89 i might change my mind and ask god to let me live longer
in the end ali died on june 3 at age 74 after a sad slow physical decline that lasted three decades and was witnessed by the entire world
we watched ali slowly and inexorably lose one physical characteristic after another his movement his voice his good looks once his face had sparkled with happiness in his later years it often did not instead it almost seemed as if the suffering of the world was etched on his face
alis long goodbye began in september 1984 when he checked into the columbia presbyterian medical center in new york for eight days of diagnostic tests
im not suffering ali told reporters im in no pain its really nothing i cant live with but i go to bed and sleep eight 10 hours and two hours after i get up im tired and drowsy again sometimes i have trembling in my hands my speech is slurred people say to me what did you say i cant understand you im not scared but my family and friends are scared to death
by then he was suffering from a series of symptoms   slurred speech difficulty in maintaining balance a facial mask and a tremor in his hands   known as parkinsons syndrome
dr stanley fahn is the director of the center for parkinsons disease and other movement disorders at columbia university in 1984 he was the supervising physician for alis evaluation at columbia presbyterian fahn spoke openly with me several years later regarding alis medical condition with permission from ali
his condition fahn concluded had been caused by physical trauma that destroyed cells in his brainstem
he has asked that i speak freely and completely fahn said at the time so ill tell you my diagnosis that it was a post traumatic parkinsonism due to injuries from fighting its highly unlikely that it all came from one fight my assumption is that his physical condition resulted from repeated blows to the head over time
boxing takes a heavy toll on those who practice the trade in his career ali had 61 professional fights against 50 opponents twenty nine of those men died before he did ali inflicted brain damage on his opponents too the punishment wasnt all one way
in the ring ali always got up in and out of the ring he was willing to pay the price to accomplish what he wanted to achieve and as he grew older we saw that price
twenty five years ago ali told me i dont want anyone to feel sorry for me because i had a good life before and im having a good life now it would be bad if i had a disease that was contagious then i couldnt play with children and hug people but my problem with speaking bothers other people more than it bothers me it doesnt stop me from doing what i want to do and being what i want to be
lonnie ali his wife built on that theme saying at the time its scary for anybody to experience a physical decline but when the whole world is watching and so much of your life has been defined by your physical skills to lose that is very difficult
and what happened was for the first time in muhammads life he became intimidated he stopped speaking as freely as before because he was afraid that as soon as he opened his mouth people would say listen to muhammad he cant even talk 
alis physical condition worsened markedly in the years that followed his symptoms became more pronounced in his final years when he tried to speak the words didnt come out he found it increasingly difficult to communicate not just with the public but also with those he loved it was sad for everyone who cared about ali and it was sad for ali but one had the sense that he was at peace with himself
i accept it as gods will ali told me i know that god never gives anyone a burden thats too heavy to carry what im going through now is short in time compared to eternity
still certain realities were hard to ignore
jerry izenberg knew ali as well as any writer we had a pretty good idea of what ali once was izenberg said a year ago we dont know what he is now theres a person inside i know that and he carries his personal history in him but i dont care what anyone says hes not muhammad ali anymore im fighting to block what i see now from entering my mind any more than it has to this isnt the way i want to remember him
alis second wife also struggled with what she saw
khalilah ali grew up in the nation of islam she married ali on aug 17 1967 when she was 17 and he was 25 they had four children together three girls maryum rasheda jamillah and a son muhammad jr ten years after they married they were divorced
the way it started for me in terms of seeing alis illness khalilah told me in december 2014 was i hadnt seen him for a while then i saw him at maryums wedding which was in the mid 1990s he was shaking and he was talking funny i couldnt understand what he was saying it scared me i said to him something is wrong you shouldnt be like this and he told me sometimes i dont talk clear but i aint fighting no more it will be ok 
of course it wasnt ok
he didnt deserve this khalilah said during our interview in his heart ali is a good man it hurts so much to see him like this if he hadnt gotten old so fast who knows what else he might have done
then i asked khalilah when the last time was that shed seen ali
i think it was at joe fraziers funeral which took place on nov 15 2011 lonnie and her sister marilyn were trying to walk ali in she added im thinking dont try to walk him get a wheelchair thats what wheelchairs are for
he was suffering trying to walk i worked in a hospital i know what it is to be a caretaker dont make him struggle to walk get him a wheelchair finally they got him in his seat and i went over to say hello whenever i see him i try to say something happy he kept looking at me he was trying so hard to be nice but he couldnt talk it brought tears to my eyes seeing him struggling to communicate
larry holmes was also at fraziers funeral like frazier holmes hit ali hard repeatedly
joes funeral was the last time i saw ali holmes said i went over and shook his hand ive seen him on tv a few times since then each time he looks worse than he did before
its a shame holmes continued but it was all up to him ali should have stopped fighting when he couldnt get away from punches anymore but he did what he wanted to do i thought id be 25 for the rest of my life too
mark twain once observed it is curious that physical courage should be so common in the world and moral courage so rare ali had both he didnt change the world as much as he wanted to and he didnt reach age 90 either
but he did what he was meant to do and in immeasurable ways he inspired the world


norman mailer the pugilistic literary lion opened the fight his account of muhammad alis victory in zaire over george foreman in 1974 with a ripe evocation of alis magnetism a sort of carnal electricity which made him such a compelling subject
there is always a shock in seeing him again he wrote not live as in television but standing before you looking his best then the worlds greatest athlete is in danger of being our most beautiful man and the vocabulary of camp is doomed to appear women draw an audible breath men look down they are reminded of their lack of worth if ali never opened his mouth to quiver the jellies of public opinion he would inspire love and hate for he is the prince of heaven   so says the silence around his body when he is luminous
ali captivated writers for more than 50 years and his death this month at 74 is unlikely to diminish his power as a literary muse
david hirshey the senior vice president and executive editor of harpercollins called ali the perfect prism through which to view sports race religion politics celebrity comedy tragedy hirshey who published mark krams revisionist look at ali ghosts of manila in 2001 added and at the same time hes also an extraordinary kaleidoscope   depending on who is looking at him and how you always get a different image i suspect there will be endless angles for generations to come
ali has had his life story told repeatedly he has been written about as a mystic a healer a friend to ordinary folks a rapper and an acolyte of malcolm x he put his name to a 1975 autobiography and cooperated with thomas hauser on a 1991 biography that was written as an oral history muhammad ali his life and times he was the co author of the soul of a butterfly with one of his daughters hana and the outsize star of a 75 pound tomegoat a tribute to muhammad ali that was covered in silk and leather and cost up to 7000
new entries are already being added sports illustrated is publishing a commemorative book this month composed largely of ali articles from its archive the magazine as well as time and life put out a special edition that went on sale friday
another ali book by hauser muhammad ali a tribute to the greatest   a reissue of a 2005 collection of his writings about ali with some newer pieces added   was just published and a book by josh gross about alis not so great adventure in japan with the wrestler antonio inoki in 1976 ali vs inoki   and its influence on mixed martial arts   will be available this month from benbella books
a biography from jonathan eig who has written books about lou gehrig al capone and jackie robinson is scheduled to be published in 2017 eig looked at the array of ali books about three years ago and determined that the oeuvre lacked a complete biography the closest being hausers oral history
theres a ton of new material and new information that no one has come across before eig said i found some of it in the archives of people who interviewed him over the years who left their note and tapes some in court records and some in interviews his wives had never really discussed what their lives were like with him
and in a vow that sounded almost ali like he added i think ill blow peoples minds with some of the stuff ive discovered about ali in good ways and bad ways i think people will be shocked by the book
while eig chose to re examine the full breadth of alis life and career randy roberts and johnny smith took a rigorous look at a critical slice of alis earlier years how cassius clay become muhammad ali which they delve into in their recently published book blood brothers the fatal friendship between muhammad ali and malcolm x basic books
we werent the first to recognize this but most of their relationship was clandestine so the only way to get to it was to systematically go through newspapers and fbi reports to create a day by day itinerary of each man roberts a history professor at purdue said of ali and malcolm x we got into the politics of the nation of islam the schism between malcolm x and elijah muhammad what role cassius clay played in that schism and how he was used as a pawn by both characters
once muhammad had cast malcolm x out of the nation of islam clay who had only recently taken his new name turned his back on malcolm x
when malcolm lost the contest for clays loyalty roberts and smith write he had no more moves no more pawns to sacrifice at that moment malcolm was expendable at that moment his life was in jeopardy he was assassinated on feb 21 1965
hauser a longtime boxing writer who spent considerable time with ali in the 1980s and 90s reflected with sadness that the world was able to watch ali deteriorate over the years in contrast with world figures like ronald reagan and margaret thatcher whose physical declines were largely shielded from the public ali was not ashamed of the effects of parkinsons disease and often wanted to travel and be seen
we watched this man wither in the public eye hauser said by telephone lennox lewis told me he retired when he did as heavyweight champion because of what happened to ali everyone knew the end was coming and quite a few people myself included felt it was merciful and he said younger generations who experienced ali in decline missed the sight of him healthy flicking his jab declaring his greatness admiring his prettiness and standing in braggadocio in victory over a supine sonny liston
it will take time he wrote for the image of the aging ali to fade and for the image of the young ali to be restored


with the golden state warriors a game away from winning back to back nba championships they are once again in a position where they do not yet have an obvious most valuable player candidate for the finals should they finish off the cleveland cavaliers
the casual fan would probably pick stephen curry the nbas first unanimous selection for most valuable player during the regular season who finally broke out with a 38 point barrage in game 4 but has otherwise posted pedestrian numbers the stats obsessed watchers of the game might choose shaun livingston golden states backup point guard who has had a remarkable impact on the series despite a modest amount of playing time the easiest choice might be draymond green the backbone of golden states defense who was clearly its best player in games 1 and 2 and was a thorn in clevelands side in game 4
but through four games the most intriguing candidate may be andre iguodala the veteran swingman who won the award last season for his bend dont break defensive containment of lebron james and has been at it again this year making a clear and verifiable impact on jamess ability to control a game going into what could be a decisive game 5 on monday iguodala will probably come off the bench but with the game on the line he will surely be fearlessly standing between james and the hoop a duty few have succeeded at to such a high degree
if iguodala 32 were to win consecutive mvp awards in the finals he would join michael jordan hakeem olajuwon shaquille oneal kobe bryant and james as the only players to accomplish the feat since the creation of the award in 1969 if iguodala a one time all star who has started just one regular season game in the last two years is to join those luminaries it would require those who select the finals mvp to again look past traditional statistics and judge him on his impact on james while also giving him credit for offensive contributions that do not necessarily show up in a box score
one of the most intelligent players in the nba iguodala performs a variety of duties and is capable on any given play of frustrating a defense with a perfect pass a powerful dunk or a crisp 3 pointer but he is just as happy to create space and open looks at the basket for his teammates rather than adding to his own statistics
i just happen to be one of the guys that can try to fulfill any void a team needs on any given night iguodala said ive been in the league a good amount of time and i just feel like i have a good understanding of the game and what my team needs for me to bring to the table
against the cavaliers the warriors need him to limit james as best as he can despite giving up 2 inches and at least 35 pounds to james iguodala is having a dramatic impact on the superstar in the 109 minutes a game that james plays with iguodala on the bench the cavaliers have outscored the warriors by an average of 78 points in the 291 minutes a game that iguodala and james are both on the court the warriors have outscored the cavaliers by 12 points a game
james hits 667 percent of his shots with iguodala on the bench when iguodala is on the floor james shoots 433 percent and his turnovers go up his rebounding percentage goes down he passes more and he shoots worse from virtually every spot on the floor
the strongest arguments against iguodalas being mvp are that he has seemingly had more help from green in defending and frustrating james this year and his offensive output has been a bit more modest but over all he has picked up where he left off in last seasons final
for his part iguodala credits curry for the warriors success and is quick to point out that the game is far different for players like james and curry in terms of pressure their every move is dissected and if the cost of a loss is to fall on their shoulders the credit for a victory should go to them as well
its going to be a story if one guy plays well and the other one doesnt iguodala said of james and curry and one team has to lose and one of those guys is going to get the blame
of course there is still time for things to change and for a consensus mvp to emerge curry could have another game like game 4 and make things fairly easy for the voters james could improbably lead his team to the first comeback from a three games to one deficit in finals history green whose passing is nearly as good as his defense could post a triple double in the deciding game and run away with the award
but for now it is hard to argue against iguodala who does the dirty work that helps his teammates shine


for a golf course considered one of the most arduous in the country the 18 holes at oakmont country club which will host the united states open for a record ninth time starting thursday lack many of the most fundamental golf design elements
there are no ponds lakes streams or brooks adorning the holes at oakmont in western pennsylvania in the last dozen years more than 14000 trees have been removed from the grounds a majority of the holes are straightforward arcing neither left nor right in traditional doglegs
there is however one idiosyncratic feature of oakmont that is unlike any other regularly seen in american major championship golf since the course opened for play in 1904 oakmont has had deep quirky and vexing drainage ditches that can affect the play on as many as 10 holes
the ditches waist high in some places were a functional and architecturally strategic element of the original layout funneling rainwater off the course while simultaneously ensnaring the wayward golf ball into a shadowy abyss
technically the ditches are considered oakmonts only water hazards even if the fast moving groundwater rarely remains in the trenched channels long enough to puddle but a golf hazard can come in many forms as long as it lurks to unnerve and exasperate an inattentive golfer and for 112 years many a pleasing round has lost its promise in the bottom or sloped side of an oakmont ditch
i dont know if theres any golf course that has anything quite like these ditches said mike davis the executive director of the united states golf association which conducts the united states open theyre water hazards but unlike most water hazards you can see your ball and maybe get your ball out
although that is not a sure thing either
undeniably it is the riddle of the nonwater water hazard that makes an oakmont ditch such a distinctive golf conundrum
most balls that land in typical water hazards are submerged so the golfer is routinely forced to take a stroke penalty and play on but oakmonts virtually dry water hazards while rugged and often steep are covered in a layer of fine fescue grass that can invite a player to ponder a penalty free recovery
why waste a stroke if it is possible to knock the ball to a better spot on the golf course   if not the green
mentally golfers get tricked said john zimmers oakmonts longtime course superintendent they think hey my golf ball is right there i can get a club on that
but trying to play it out creates all kinds of havoc
or as paul azinger the lead golf analyst for fox sports and a 12 time winner on the pga tour said sometimes youre just unwilling to give up a shot
azinger conceded that most times the wise choice at oakmont would be to take the punishment of a one stroke penalty but he also said that the ditches could be especially irksome
it can affect your attitude if your ball is hopping along and just goes in the ditches instead of hopping over them azinger said theyre in play and theyre very frustrating
the fescue in the ditches is wispy and unpredictable the lie most likely uneven is treacherous one swing might send the ball into another section of the ditch and bury it deeper still now what
im telling you zimmers said if there were water in those ditches they wouldnt be as difficult
oakmonts roughly 700 members have learned their lesson
the ditches are a pain in the butt but most of us know that were better off just taking a drop and the penalty said gerry hickel a member of oakmonts archive committee and one of the clubs historians we do that seven out of 10 times at least
that may be the course chosen by recreational golfers but golfers on the pga tour have exceptional skills and will not be so quick to turn away from a challenge
as good as they are there might be a belief that they can get their ball out davis said there will be some players who try that and do not get it out but there will be others who hit it out and well all be saying that was spectacular 
davis in fact said he believed that in some cases a player whose ball tumbled into a ditch would still be able to advance it 100 or 150 yards when was the last time that happened from a water hazard
thats what makes the ditches so strategically fascinating davis said yes standing on a tee at oakmont you dont see an ocean or a pond or lake but you know the ditches are out there sometimes they are literally right beside the fairway
curtis strange the last golfer to win back to back united states open championships and who will be a fox sports on course reporter during this months tournament said the players were indeed cognizant of the placement of every prominent ditch because they are so punitive
theyre narrow enough that if you get into one and get lucky enough for a lie you never have a stance said strange who finished fourth at the united states open held at oakmont in 1994
while the oakmont ditches were plainly drawn on the earliest sketches of the golf course many remain in places that might capture the drive of only a hacker not a top professional golfer but on many other holes the ditches are unquestionably in play for anyone trying to navigate oakmonts layout which is punishing for a variety of other reasons most notably for lightning fast greens and perhaps the most intimidating bunkers in american championship golf
asked to list certain holes where a ditch or ditches would most likely come into play davis last week mentioned the second and ninth holes where there are ditches alongside the left side of the fairway the 12th hole where balls in the drive zone and the layup area may have to skirt a ditch and the 18th hole where there is a ditch left of the drive zone
in general oakmonts ditches some of them cut across fairways will have to be contemplated respected and avoided in every round at the 116th united states open
that has been the case since golf was first played on the site a former pasture until teams of mules and horses reconfigured the landscape
and the ditches have been here since day 1 davis said they were always central to the architecture and to the strategy of playing the golf course
at a golf course that is not overly devious the ditches are the places where an apparently decent shot can trickle into a seemingly benign position nevertheless what follows is often a thorough unraveling
the last time the united states open was at oakmont in 2007 stephen ames a four time winner on the pga tour shared the lead in the opening stages of the final round on the par 4 no 7 ames hooked his tee shot into a ditch tried to hit his ball out and eventually walked away with a triple bogey
ames never threatened the tournament leaders again eventually shooting 76 he tied for 10th


libertyville ill   american corporations are under new scrutiny from federal lawmakers after well publicized episodes in which the companies laid off american workers and gave the jobs to foreigners on temporary visas
but while corporate executives have been outspoken in defending their labor practices before congress and the public the american workers who lost jobs to global outsourcing companies have been largely silent
until recently now some of the workers who were displaced are starting to speak out despite severance agreements prohibiting them from criticizing their former employers
marco pena was among about 150 technology workers who were laid off in april by abbott laboratories a global health care conglomerate with headquarters here they handed in their badges and computer passwords and turned over their work to a company based in india but mr pena who had worked at abbott for 12 years said he had decided not to sign the agreement that was given to all departing employees which included a nondisparagement clause
mr pena said his choice cost him at least 10000 in severance pay but on an april evening after he walked out of abbotts tree lined campus here for the last time he spent a few hours in a local bar at a gathering organized by technology worker advocates speaking his mind about a job he had loved and lost
i just didnt feel right about signing mr pena said the clauses were pretty blanket i felt like they were eroding my rights
leading members of congress from both major parties have questioned the nondisparagement agreements which are commonly used by corporations but can prohibit ousted workers from raising complaints about what they see as a misuse of temporary visas lawmakers including richard durbin of illinois the second highest ranking senate democrat and jeff sessions of alabama the republican chairman of the senate judiciary subcommittee on immigration have proposed revisions to visa laws to include measures allowing former employees to contest their layoffs
i have heard from workers who are fearful of retaliation said senator richard blumenthal democrat of connecticut they are told they can say whatever they want except they cant say anything negative about being fired
lawyers said the paragraph mr pena and other workers object to in their separation agreements is routine in final contracts with employees who are paid severance as they leave whether they were laid off or resigned voluntarily
its a very very common practice said sheena r hamilton an employment lawyer at dowd bennett in st louis who represents companies in workplace cases ive never recommended a settlement that didnt have a clause like that
but former abbott employees said the provisions had stopped them from speaking openly with elected officials or appearing at congressional hearings
it is very frustrating that you cant share your story with the public said one former abbott manager who had worked for the company for 13 years rising to an important supervisory position he had prepared a 90 page manual for his foreign replacements showing how to perform every detail of his work with a disabled child who requires medical care he said he had to take his severance and its nondisparagement clause since it extended his medical benefits so he asked to remain anonymous
ive been laid off before i can understand that he said but these visas were meant to fill in gaps for resources that are hard to find this time the company actually asked me to transfer my knowledge to somebody else that changes the equation
according to federal rules temporary visas known as h 1bs are for foreigners with a body of specialized knowledge not readily available in the labor market the visas should be granted only when they will not undercut the wages or adversely affect the working conditions of americans
but in the past five years through loopholes in the rules tens of thousands of american workers have been replaced by foreigners on h 1b and other temporary visas according to prof hal salzman a labor force expert at rutgers university
in march two americans who had been laid off in 2014 by a new england power company eversource energy spoke at a news conference in hartford even though they had signed nondisparagement agreements craig diangelo 63 and judy konopka 56 said most of the 220 people facing dismissal had been required as part of their severance to train indian immigrants with h 1b and other visas
in a protest departing employees posted american flags outside their cubicles as they left they took the flags down mr diangelo took a photograph of the flags in his final days at the utility at the time he and ms konopka spoke with reporters including from the new york times but they did not want to be quoted even without their names
in january senator blumenthal spotted the photograph in an article in computerworld a tech industry publication and was dismayed to learn of the layoffs so long after they happened in a letter to the company the senator questioned whether the dismissals were accomplished through apparent abuses of visas and he demanded assurances that former employees would not be sued if they spoke with government officials
in a forceful reply the eversource general counsel gregory b butler said the company had not violated any laws and its nondisparagement provisions were a standard form release that did not restrict former employees from discussing their layoffs with you or anyone else
mr diangelo said he was not so sure the company would refrain from legal action if he spoke to the news media but he said i finally got to the point where i am tired of hiding in the shadows
two years later his work with a local tech contracting company pays 45000 a year less than his eversource salary many of his former co workers are also struggling mr diangelo said but stay quiet to avoid provoking the company
at abbott executives announced in february that technology jobs would be taken over by the indian company wipro senator durbin who is from illinois criticized the layoffs and said abbotts nondisparagement clause was overly broad
according to a copy of the agreement that clause read in part you agree to make every effort to maintain and protect the reputation of abbott and its products and agents
a spokesman for abbott scott stoffel said the changes were part of its efforts to remain globally competitive and a strong us employer he said the company would retain the vast majority of its tech jobs in the united states nondisparagement clauses like abbotts are very common in severance agreements he said
mr pena said he could afford to turn down his severance payment because he is single and has no children i was the only one with the ability to put my foot down he said
he received consistently positive work reviews and a merit raise weeks before his layoff he said with no indication that poor performance was a factor he believed it was a measure to cut costs
anything that had to deal with technology and resolving problems that was my satisfaction my passion mr pena said but these days that has no bearing on the decision making of the executives in the higher positions
abbott tried to reduce the role of foreigners in the layoffs only about 20 percent of the workers brought in by wipro would be foreigners on h 1b visas mr stoffel said while the rest would be american workers
mr pena said he had been told at first that he would train his wipro replacements but after senator durbins rebuke wipro workers were trained only by employees who would be remaining with abbott he said
he and 13 other former abbott employees filed federal claims saying they faced discrimination because of their ages and american citizenship said sara blackwell a lawyer representing them those claims are confidential ms blackwell organized the tavern meeting where abbott workers were invited to mourn their jobs of the small group that came only mr pena spoke up
on april 20 about two dozen employees of emblemhealth a health insurer protested outside its offices in manhattan after the company announced that it would transfer about 200 tech jobs to cognizant another technology outsourcing company even though they were in the street holding signs the employees declined to have their names used in news reports


fights broke out saturday before and soon after russia earned a 1 1 draw against england with a stoppage time goal in a group b match at the european championships in marseille france
fans of the two teams rioted before the game in marseilles old port district and briefly outside the nearby stade velodrome in a third straight day of violence in the city the police fired tear gas and water cannons at the fighting fans
the clashes started again moments after the final whistle when a large group of russia fans in a stand behind one of the goals advanced on england supporters in a neighboring area throwing objects and breaking through a line of stewards england fans ran for the exits in panic
uefa the governing body overseeing european soccer will open disciplinary proceedings over the violence in marseille with russia facing a stronger punishment after the events inside the stadium
vasily berezutsky scored russias equalizer with a looping header in the second minute of injury time canceling out an eric dier goal from a free kick in the 73rd
its disappointing because we were so close to an important and big win in our first game said dier a defensive midfielder
england failed to finish any of a flurry of chances in a dominant first half performance and faded until dier put it ahead
however what happened during the match was overshadowed by the fan violence the police tried largely unsuccessfully to rein in the violence which the authorities said had left at least five people injured some fans walked through the city bare chested and with blood dripping from head wounds
about two hours before the game the police used water cannons on some fans at the old port about an hour later the police fired tear gas at a group of about 200 people heading from the old port area to stade velodrome
the trouble had largely died down by the time the match started but it reignited just as the game finished shortly before the final whistle russian fans appeared to have seized a power cable running around the front of a stand before a group attacked nearby english supporters
as england fans fled russia fans gave chase snatching english flags that had been on display large numbers of stewards struggled to restore order
in other games at the european championships wales beat slovakia 2 1 in a group b match in bordeaux france and switzerland defeated 10 man albania 1 0 in a group a match in lens france
gareth bale who about two weeks ago won the champions league with real madrid for the second time in three seasons played a pivotal role as wales made a triumphant return to a major competition after a 58 year absence he put wales ahead in the 10th minute with a curling free kick and was the driving force behind much of his teams attack
still although bale was the focus of much of slovakias planning it was a substitute   hal robson kanu   who secured waless victory a robson kanu shot in the 81st minute restored waless lead after another substitute ondrej duda had equalized for slovakia in the 61st
switzerland earned its win behind an early goal by defender fabian schar although it dominated for most of the game switzerland failed to increase its lead after lorik cana the albania captain was sent off in the 37th minute following a second yellow card
consolation for costa rica costa rica benefited from an own goal by colombia in a 3 2 upset victory in houston that wrapped up group a play in the copa america
colombia had already advanced having earned a berth in the quarterfinals with a win over paraguay on tuesday and costa rica was eliminated from contention with the united states 1 0 victory over paraguay earlier saturday
still this result made colombias path in the tournament more difficult the team will now probably have to face brazil colombia could have drawn ecuador or peru with a win
playing in front of a crowd that overwhelmingly favored colombia costa rica took a 1 0 lead in the second minute with a 20 yard strike from johan venegas the goal was the teams first in copa america play since it beat bolivia 2 0 in 2011


clint hurdle keeps a jar of chocolate covered almonds on his desk at pnc park he does not eat them anymore he said but visitors can help themselves on the side of the jar is written one word joy
i put it in here for people that want a little joy hurdle said last week its amazing how quick they get crushed
as manager of the pittsburgh pirates hurdle has presided over the kind of joy that had disappeared from his franchise for decades from 2013 to 2015   a stretch that followed a streak of 20 losing seasons   the pirates won 280 games behind only the st louis cardinals
but they did not win a playoff series in that time eliminated each october with a complete game by another teams ace the cardinals adam wainwright won the decisive fifth game of a 2013 division series the san francisco giants madison bumgarner fired a shutout in the 2014 national league wild card game and the chicago cubs jake arrieta did the same last october
now the cubs are threatening to run away with the nl central if they do the best the pirates can hope for is another wild card date to start the postseason hurdle who has a saying for every occasion has told his players not to worry about the standings
weve got a saying here if youve got one foot in yesterday and one foot in tomorrow youre taking a you know what on today hurdle said todays the only thing we have control over we dont have control of the cubs the cardinals the reds the brewers the mets   and weve played enough together to understand that standings change teams change and the seasons going to challenge everybody at different times
this season the pirates challenge has been pitching entering their game saturday against st louis they had a 422 earned run average which ranked 19th in the majors last year their 321 mark ranked second trailing only the cardinals
after their ace gerrit cole   who left fridays start with right triceps tightness   the pirates rotation has been mostly mediocre they promoted their top prospect jameson taillon for a spot start against the mets on wednesday but they quickly returned him to the minors general manager neal huntington probably needs to add a top starter in a trade this summer
the pirates who visit the mets for a three game series starting tuesday are always careful with finances they have given modest contract extensions this season to outfielder gregory polanco five years 35 million and catcher francisco cervelli three years 31 million and their opening day payroll about 100 million was the highest in team history would they add money at the deadline
neal has shown a great ability to be opportunistic said bob nutting the principal owner sometimes thats been early sometimes thats been late i dont want to prejudge what opportunities might pop up but weve always tried to be opportunistic to put the very best team that we can on the field
last winter that meant acquiring experienced players mostly coming off down seasons for about 15 million in 2016 salaries they signed david freese john jaso and matt joyce for the offense and neftali feliz and juan nicasio for the pitching staff all have helped and younger players like polanco and starling marte have continued to improve
some of the other guys that were kind of raw before theyve learned the game and just become better baseball players said chris stewart the veteran backup catcher who is likely to see more playing time now that cervelli is on the disabled list with a broken left hand polancos having an incredible year so far our bench guys are huge and then weve got kang back and hes doing what hes capable of doing i just think were really deep
third baseman jung ho kang who missed the wild card game last season with a broken leg embodies the offense he reaches base a lot and has decent but not standout power the pirates have a whole team of such players entering play on saturday with a 351 on base percentage which ranked second in the majors to the boston red sox and 485 runs per game which ranked sixth
especially the last couple of years i was a cardinal playing these guys when they had this core coming up you understood when they get in that box its go time said freese who played in st louis from 2009 to 2013 this group does not give at bats away and thats huge
it all amounted to a 32 29 record entering saturday squarely in the wild card race but far behind the rampaging cubs the hope in pittsburgh is that the offense and defense will stay strong the pitching will improve and the pirates will get another chance at elusive october success they are trying to prepare as they go
these guys have found that model for winning baseball   for october baseball   and it starts with playing that baseball in april hurdle said
thats one thing we joke about theres no such thing as october baseball why would you go to another level in october if youve got that level why wouldnt you go to it in april what we try to do is embrace that mind set all the time
weve got guys that have bought into it because we havent gotten the ultimate goal weve made progress weve shared some good things they want more
cal quantrill has the same last name as his father throws from the same side and competes with the same ferocity
i wasnt very good but i was crazy enough to win and compete and cal has that said paul quantrill a right hander who pitched for seven teams hes a hell break your ribs to win if he has to kind of guy but stuff wise its not really close
paul pitched 14 years in the majors from 1992 to 2005 with little besides a sinker he could throw a changeup but never with enough conviction for the pitch to be very useful so when paul played catch with cal starting around age 8 or 9 he insisted that every third or fourth throw be a changeup if cal could get the feel for a changeup   if he could really trust it and appreciate it   paul believed that his son could go far
the lessons paid off thursday when the san diego padres chose cal quantrill with the eighth overall pick in the draft cal was the freshman of the year in the pacific 12 conference for stanford in 2014 but he had tommy john surgery in march 2015 and did not pitch for the cardinal this season
even so paul said he had never seen cal look better than he did in his recent bullpen sessions other tommy john patients have been first round picks in recent years   like jeff hoffman chosen ninth over all by the toronto blue jays in 2014 and traded to the colorado rockies in the troy tulowitzki deal last summer   so cals stock did not drop far
if we want to ban all tommy john guys wed have to cut the league in half paul quantrill said these guys are so strong and throw so hard theyre going to blow up their arms it certainly didnt help cal but he worked as hard as ive ever seen him work to come back he did it the right way
paul now a special assistant with the blue jays was a sixth round draft choice by boston in 1989 there was much more hype for cals draft night of course but the family declined an invitation to be filmed when his name was called they had a quiet night in a hotel watching the draft together
everybody thinks they know what the deal is whos taking who but when its your boy and its his future youre on the edge paul quantrill said i rarely admit to being stressed because i dont get stressed i didnt when i played ball but i was pretty stressed
it all worked out though and the quantrills were looking forward to graduation ceremonies this weekend cal took a heavy course load while injured and is just an online course away from formally completing his degree in three years paul said he was prouder of that than anything else but could take no credit
he gets that from his mom he said
the chicago white sox designated jimmy rollins for assignment friday when they promoted tim anderson their top shortstop prospect rollins 37 hit 221 with two homers and five steals in 41 games with the white sox
if rollinss career is over he will make an interesting hall of fame case in a few years he won a most valuable player award in 2007 and is the career hits leader for the philadelphia phillies a franchise that started in 1883 he also won four gold gloves while playing a premium position and helped the phillies win a championship
rollinss low ranking in advanced metrics he has 46 career wins above replacement the same as javier vazquez and willie wilson according to baseball referencecom could hurt him with voters but few players packaged hits and stolen bases as well as rollins especially for his position
only 14 others have had as many hits 2455 and steals 470 as rollins and 11 are in the hall of fame the others are tim raines who it seems very likely will be elected in january barry bonds whose ties to steroids have kept him out and ichiro suzuki who is still active with the miami marlins
rollins whose first full season in the majors was in 2001 said this spring that he might have had many more steals had baseball been played the way it was in the prime of rickey henderson his role model growing up in oakland with the rise of analytics rollins said front offices do not want to risk giving away outs
when i came in it was youre fast get to second  rollins said it isnt necessarily that way anymore


there are cages there are escalators sometimes there is claustrophobia usually there are children milling about and in at least one instance the whole setting purposely looks like a mine shaft
in most sports the tunnel area leading from a stadiums locker room to the field or court is a sacred space the final few moments before top athletes head out to compete are generally a private preserve of calm introspection or frothy expectation a sanctuary free from scrutiny where participants can engage in a final motivating message or a last quiet confrontation with their nerves
except in soccer
in high level soccer   whether it is the world cup this summers copa america centenario in the united states the european championships being played throughout france or just about anywhere else that games are on television   the tunnel is a show this area once reserved for players and officials has become in recent years a voyeurs paradise
it is unavoidable the broadcast of seemingly every game begins with several minutes of live images of the players lining up in the tunnel the cameras   and often microphones   trained squarely upon them the players fidget they stretch they adjust their shirts they talk mostly genially though there have been confrontations they banter with officials they adjust their shorts they stretch some more they attend to any children who might be walking out alongside them they adjust their socks they take deep breaths and then finally they walk out to play
all of it is captured in high definition and nothing   nothing   gets missed a star struck child a cheeky slight not surprisingly nose picking gotcha has become a bit of a cottage industry on the internet for example spains iker casillas was once vilified after speculation arose that he had wiped something on a transfixed childs face germanys per mertesacker was similarly hounded amid allegations he ran his post pick fingers through a childs hair
stars are scrutinized the most when manchester citys yaya toure gave chelseas eden hazard a clip around the ear in the tunnel a few years back the video was quickly and widely viewed online and when argentinas lionel messi did not shake the hand of one of the child mascots before a world cup game angry videos exploded all over the internet many of them juxtaposing messis seemingly innocent oversight with images of portugals cristiano ronaldo playfully fawning over children messi found the child later to make amends
its not strange anymore germanys thomas muller said of the tunnels ubiquitous cameras it wasnt always that way but by now everyone understands there is a camera there
muller said he enjoyed the wide variety of demeanors in the tunnel some players stay light he said embracing a former teammate on the opposing team or chatting to pass the time others however are jarringly serious
like badstuber muller said referring to holger badstuber his teammate with germany and bayern munich he is the kind of guy where you make a joke to him and he looks at you and doesnt laugh
part of what makes the tunnel footage so compelling is the scenery while some stadiums have a clean nearly antiseptic runway to the stadium many tunnels have distinctive characteristics at the santiago bernabeu in madrid for example a sturdy metal screen separates the players and creates the impression of being in a cage or for the visiting team perhaps a prison berlins olympiastadion has an escalator to bring players down from the locker rooms which are a level up at selhurst park in london players have to come out single file because the tunnel is so narrow
the strangest setup may be at schalkes veltins arena in gelsenkirchen germany since the team is nicknamed the miners the club darkened the hallway used to enter the field and made the walls look like rocks to simulate a mine shaft
at other stadiums the history of the tunnel can be palpable ray hudson the former midfielder who is a commentator for bein sports recalled a day early in his career with newcastle when he and his teammates walked into the tunnel before a match against liverpool
we were coming down into that drop in the steps and theres that iconic sign this is anfield  hudson said and malcolm macdonald who was a great superstar for newcastle he tapped it and says hey lads weve found the right place 
hudson laughed at the memory of macdonalds icebreaker which for a teenager making his first professional visit to liverpool was vital to easing his nerves i wish a camera had been there when hed said it because it was the disdain   all right this is anfield yeah yeah we get it   and it was a precious moment
the routine of the tunnel has become such an embedded part of the game that the governing body responsible for soccers rules recently revamped its regulations covering prematch discipline
previously the ability of the referee to discipline a player began on the field now a referee is empowered to show players a red card   and eject them   if they fight or engage in other unsportsmanlike behavior in the tunnel
peter walton a former referee in englands premier league who now oversees professional officiating in the united states said he enjoyed the banter in the tunnel but noted that some players would not hide their feelings upon seeing a particular referee waiting to lead the teams out
a lot of times this was the first moment a player would find out who was refereeing their game walton said and so youd get the odd oh no its you again 
for viewers wondering why it frequently seems that everyone in the tunnel is waiting for an official to arrive before starting the walk out on to the field walton said that typical protocol was for the referee and one of his assistants to stand at the front of the line while the second assistant goes through and does a final check of the players making sure that all their equipment is compliant
the assistant also makes sure there are 11 players lined up on each side
i remember one game where we walked out with 10 players on one side walton said laughing the other player was stuck on the loo i think he got out just before kickoff
many clubs and federations sensing a demand now record and post their own tunnel videos on youtube but the precise history of televised tunnel coverage is difficult to pinpoint occasional access for cameras had been sporadic   as in other sports   but amy rosenfeld a longtime producer of soccer broadcasts who is leading espns coverage of the euros said it appeared that more universal access started at the 2006 world cup
since then the gladiator moment has spread to virtually all top leagues and tournaments with every match featuring a version of the tunnel gathering the walkout and the referees plucking the ball from a podium along the way rosenfeld said the importance of the tunnel sequence had even affected the way she and other producers planned their pregame shows
now we actually mandate that our producers have to be wrapped up and done and were getting to the site 10 minutes before kickoff because we want to be in the tunnel even as the players are just filtering in rosenfeld said at this point i think viewers would feel cheated if they didnt get to watch the tunnel its just become part of the game


the scenes blend like images from a kaleidoscope a woman blond jubilant in a white dress shown magnified on a convention center screen in san francisco it is geraldine a ferraro in 1984 accepting the democratic nomination that made her the first woman in the nation to be tapped by a major party to run for vice president
turn the lens a woman blond in a white tunic smiling arms thrown wide at a rally in brooklyn this past week it is hillary clinton claiming the democratic nomination the first woman to become the presidential standard bearer for a major party
there are those who now say that a woman running for president was inevitable that the 18 million cracks in the glass ceiling that mrs clinton talks about are just time moving on there are the sighs that mrs clinton is the wrong woman the unexciting woman the compromising woman and there are those who say they could never vote for a democrat particularly this one
but it took 32 years to get from one scene to the other so a look back to the ferraro campaign can tell a lot about how the country has changed and how it has not through these decades of cultural ferment over the roles of the sexes
it may be hard to remember how few women there were in public life when ms ferraro told cheering democrats if we can do this we can do anything the democrats had no female senators the republicans had two there was only one female governor   martha layne collins of kentucky a democrat dianne feinstein was still the mayor of san francisco yet to start her long senate career representative shirley chisholm of new york who unsuccessfully sought the democratic nomination in 1972 had already retired
women have since become the majority in college and women in both parties have made a steady march forward in politics some are senators and governors and three have been secretary of state all making the idea of a woman at the helm of the nation seem far less revolutionary
ms ferraro was quizzed relentlessly about arms control and about whether she could even be credible as the commander in chief should she have to step up and be president could a woman be trusted with the nuclear button
but with her background as secretary of state mrs clinton is not questioned about her toughness instead the left asks whether she might be too quick to seek military intervention and the right critiques her judgment she is the one now asking whether donald j trumps finger should be anywhere near the nuclear button
in other ways things have changed less as mrs clinton sarah palin and carly fiorina can attest female candidates are still examined not only for competence character and policy priorities but for the way they look the tone of their voice and the state of their marriages
for ms ferraro it was the tangled financial dealings of her husband john zaccaro his subsidy of her first congressional campaign and her back and forth on whether she would release his tax returns which she tried to brush off with the damaging quip you people who are married to italian men you know what its like
now mr trump promises to keep the clinton marriage and the former presidents infamous infidelities in the spotlight mrs clinton time and again had to help save her husbands candidacy and presidency tarnishing her feminist credentials for some im not sitting here   some little woman standing by my man like tammy wynette she said way back in 1992 when his run for president nearly foundered im sitting here because i love him and i respect him and i honor what hes been through and what weve been through together
and then there is the press corps politico recently wrote of the current crop of clinton reporters no one can remember a political press corps this heavily female
i can it was the ferraro press corps and i was part of it i was dispatched to the campaign   like women from most major networks and publications   because editors sought women to capture the history of one of their own at a time when we were breaking into the ranks of the campaign press perhaps we occasionally suspected some of them also thought it would be beneath a man to ride that campaign plane
as a reporter for newsday i watched the euphoric rapturous crowds mostly women and girls who showed up with to gerry with love signs even in the campaigns last days when it was going down to a decisive defeat to president reagan and george bush some campaign bands could make you wince playing five foot two eyes of blue or hello dolly
there were the strange male missteps the mayor of los angeles saying he wanted a vice president i can hug the mississippi official who called ms ferraro young lady and asked whether she could bake a blueberry muffin the grim drumbeat about her husbands finances his real estate dealings and his tax returns there was the constant watch for weakness   would the woman cry
it is easy to forget those moments these days when women in power dont seem so unusual if you have a long memory you have watched other women on the national stage too representative patricia schroeder explored a democratic race in 1987 after gary hart stood down senator elizabeth dole dropped out of the republican presidential race in october 1999 before any of the primaries former senator carol moseley braun ran in the democratic primaries in 2004 governor palin of alaska became the first republican woman nominated for the vice presidency in 2008   24 years after ms ferraro and we have been watching mrs clinton for so long through so many iterations that it can feel like we know everything about her
but in the 1980s the quest to put a woman in the white house started as a cause without a candidate it was driven by womens groups and by the numbers the notion of a gender gap was being talked about by both parties suddenly it was significant that more women than men registered to vote and that women seemed more likely to vote
the equal rights amendment had collapsed failing to win the required ratification of three fourths of the states politically active women in the feminist movement including bella abzug and gloria steinem wrote a manifesto to the democratic candidates for president in 1983 warning them to agree on an agenda for issues affecting women or face the possibility of women staying home on election day we will not hold still to be treated as an afterthought a side issue or a powerless constituency that can be betrayed without consequences by 1984 they were fighting to get a woman on the ticket
when walter f mondale selected ms ferraro as his running mate she was a three term congresswoman from queens she came from new york which had unexpectedly swung to ronald reagan in his 1980 landslide speaker thomas p oneill jr was a mentor and proponent she was pretty married 48 years old and traditional enough that party leaders thought she could excite women but might not alienate male voters
what is different says ann lewis a longtime democratic activist is that hillary clinton in the last 20 25 years has achieved national stature in ways that too few women have gerry ferraro is nominated in 1984 and she is almost unknown it isnt until 1986 that barbara mikulski becomes the first democratic woman who makes it to the senate in her own right
the mood at that convention was electric but the choreography around this first woman could also be tortured how should mr mondale and ms ferraro share the stage could they touch they shouldnt hug who should hold her pocketbook when she spoke it sounds so strange now but everything was being done for the first time ms lewis said we had until then lots of images of women and men on stage together but they were married all the stage craft we had taken for granted had to be looked at very carefully
madeleine k albright was ms ferraros issues adviser briefing the candidate on foreign policy and preparing her for her race against mr bush years before ms albright became the nations first female secretary of state in the clinton administration she remembers some of the jarring juxtapositions of that candidacy there was the business about what she had on and what her hair looked like she recalls on the other side was her being asked questions about throw weights and nuclear capabilities that they werent asking bush
on meet the press ms ferraro was once asked do you think that in any way the soviets might be tempted to try to take advantage of you simply because you are a woman
by november the disclosures about ms ferraros husbands businesses had damaged a campaign that was already an uphill battle though women and girls showed up at her rallies to the end tv network polls showed that she may have cost the democratic ticket more than she gained for it
looking back was the scrutiny of ms ferraro who died in 2011 fair game or driven by discomfort with the idea of a woman as vice president ms ferraros campaign manager john sasso calls it some of both experience matters he said noting that because mrs clinton has the deep resume that ms ferraro lacked she will run and face a very different campaign
this time of course the first woman is at the top of the ticket calling all the shots
shes been on the front lines of this process for a very long time said lissa muscatine a friend and former speechwriter to mrs clinton shes been the vessel for lots of womens hopes on the one hand but also has had to take the brunt from people who arent ready for it
mrs clintons detractors look dimly on appeals to support her as a pathbreaker im not a huge fan of identity politics and this is sort of the apotheosis of identity politics said danielle pletka senior vice president for foreign and defense policy studies at the conservative american enterprise institute basically to me hillary clinton is saying i wasnt good enough to get here on my own forget that people voted for me on the merits they voted for me because i was a woman how demeaning is that on friday ms fiorina who ran for the republican presidential nomination this year told a crowd hillary clinton news flash im a feminist and im not voting for you
maybe hillary clinton is right   that she has become our national rorschach test do you admire her perseverance dislike her compromises seek more passion question her honesty ponder her marriage love her policies hate her policies debate whether she is a feminist debate whether it matters for one night last week it was hard to deny her words that tonight caps an amazing journey   a long long journey


to the editor
in her column on 401k retirement plans when duty to retirees comes last fair game june 5 gretchen morgenson notes in the case of kodak that plan participants who file claims and lose must pay all the kodak plans fees and expenses incurred defending against the suit
surely any sense of fairness demands that the plan pay the fees and expenses of plan participants if they win
further it is not always clear which party is the winner in a lawsuit some parts of a claim may be granted and other parts denied in those situations neither party should pay the costs of the other unless the court is authorized to allocate costs based on its assessment of the merits of each partys case
peter siviglia tarrytown ny june 5
the writer is the author of commercial agreements a lawyers guide to drafting and negotiating


to the editor
in her otherwise insightful article no passion dont panic preoccupations june 5 angela duckworth takes too narrow a view of enduring career passions
as far as i know einstein didnt ask how his research would directly benefit other people neither did richard feynman and many other great scientists and technologists their passion grew out of love of the subject itself and a belief that it was intrinsically important   and perhaps a belief that the intrinsic importance would make the world a better place if only indirectly
michael n alexander lexington mass june 5
the writer is a physicist and an emeritus chief technology officer of the electromagnetics technology division of the air force research laboratory


van morrison
 its too late to stop now  volume i 2 cds or 2 lps
 its too late to stop now  volumes ii iii iv  dvd 3 cds and 1 dvd
sony legacy
van morrison released a live double lp in 1974 its too late to stop now from his 1973 tour with his caledonia soul orchestra that album reissued is now designated volume i because there was far more first rate previously unreleased live material recorded at what was a prime moment in mr morrisons career by 1973 mr morrison had consummated his fusion of rock rb gospel jazz country blues folk celtic and classical music and he had built an eager audience with hits like moondance and domino he had also crucially found flexible and attentive musicians notably john platania on guitar and jef labes on keyboards
volume i was precisely culled but the additional volumes are well justified the newly released tracks barely overlap from disc to disc harking back to an era when each concert was an experiment when titles do recur they have different tempos i just want to make love to you and very different vocal performances caravan the caledonia soul orchestra included a string section and horns playing fixed arrangements and rehearsed passages but every song made room for improvisation the dvd from london concerts shows a young mr morrison smoking cigarettes onstage and doing a few soul man kicks and jumps it also shows how grumpy he has generally looked as he performs but theres no hiding the passion and joy in this music
jon pareles
count ossie and the mystic revelation of rastafari
tales of mozambique soul jazz
count ossie  the rasta family
man from higher heights soul jazz
tales of mozambique a 1975 recording by count ossie and the mystic revelation of rastafari represents a peaceful negotiation between two languages one is count ossies vocal and percussion group playing the rhythms of nyabinghi   a rhythm arrangement he developed for rasta gatherings in his various rasta compounds in kingston jamaica the other comes from the jazz musician cedric brookss band saxophone bass organ and occasionally guitar
count ossie aka oswald williams 1926 1976 was hugely influential in jamaican musical culture he and his drummers played on the folkes brothers oh carolina from 1959 the first commercially released record using traditional rastafarian drumming in popular music and helped welcome haile selassie to jamaica in 1966 mr brooks who died in 2013 was a jamaican saxophonist who lived in the united states in the late 1960s working with sun ra and soaking up the sound of john coltrane and pharoah sanders together at their best they made something that sounded like proto reggae even when reggae was building toward its commercial peak in 1973 they produced grounation a longer looser and better known album but two years later in tales of mozambique they made more tightly spooled work with a deep warm spacious rhythmic weave at a tempo that resembles the top edge of a bodys resting pulse streaks of reggae as you know it are here and of late 60s american jazz too
the album has come out several times over the years but the english label soul jazzs new reissue on cd or double lp with new liner notes and photographs plus both sides of a more overtly ska like single from 1972 sounds gorgeous the same label has also reissued man from higher heights an album by count ossie  the rasta family released in 1983 after ossies death this is a straight ahead reggae record except for two tracks drums for wise man and chanting higher heights the drums augmented by fuzzed needling electric guitar soloing that sounds like the kind of thing michael karoli of the german experimental group can would have done were he invited very disorienting very good
ben ratliff
egyptian lover
1983 1988 stones throw
egyptian lovers dial a freak begins with a series of squealing push button phone tones moves into moist tongued rapping over spirited electro then gets punchy by mixing the two while moans and gasps bubble up from the background its sensual thrusting and lightly comic, a peak distillation of the egyptian lover sound
egyptian lover is greg broussard who began dj ing rapping and producing as a los angeles teenager in the early 1980s eventually teaming with that citys dominant live hip hop party crew uncle jamms army and helping shape for a couple of years   before the dawn of gangster rap   the sound of young black los angeles
1983 1988 the first substantial anthology devoted to egyptian lovers work is 22 tracks of genial sleaze throbbing and fantastical and slick in these songs he doesnt vary much from that template as a lyricist hes committed to character in pyramids on the nilei ride my camels through the sand with style and also to kink egyptian lover yeah thats my namesexaholism is my new game as a producer hes partial to saturated frizzy at the edges drums built on a roland tr 808 and as a dj he manipulates records with a heavy finger the scratches like smears
in his skeletal music you hear an inheritor of early electro a kin of early diy techno and also a template for the rapid fire raunch of miami bass but mostly you hear dirty talk delivered with a mostly but not totally straight face slipped atop digital pulses aimed straight at the body on my house on the nile he raps about a house so grand its bound to charm the ladies especially because of its special features a water bed 50 feet longwith solid gold speakersto hear this song
jon caramanica
sarah vaughan
live at rosys resonance
sometimes the truest measure of greatness lies in the everyday not a grand stage but a simple one live at rosys is a vibrant snapshot of sarah vaughan the magisterial jazz singer at a club in new orleans in 1978 recorded for an npr broadcast but never released or heard in full it has been released on the resonance label with the care youd reserve for a holy relic hear the music and you understand why at 54 ms vaughan is in luxurious imposing form working with the nonchalant conviction that any possibility in a song is within her reach backed by a superb trio   carl schroeder on piano walter booker on bass jimmy cobb on drums   she bends songbook standards to her will with glacial pathos or quicksilver poise at one point taking a wayward audience request she basically dunks on ella fitzgerald its playful but pointed her scat improvisations are as unerring as her intonation but some of the most jaw dropping singing unfolds in slow motion on east of the sun and west of the moon over a moseying bass line or time after time with just piano at a gently billowing tempo
nate chinen


the police on saturday identified the man who shot and killed christina grimmie a former cast member of the reality tv singing competition the voice and a viral youtube star as a 27 year old man from st petersburg fla
the man kevin james loibl shot ms grimmie in a premeditated attack the police said and then killed himself moments later the shooting happened after a performance by ms grimmie on friday night in orlando and no motive was announced the authorities said there was no indication the two knew each other
ms grimmie 22 had performed with the band before you exit at a popular orlando music venue the plaza live and was signing autographs for fans and selling merchandise shortly before 1030 pm when the gunman walked up to her and opened fire the orlando police department said in a statement
john mina the chief of the orlando police department said mr loibl had traveled to orlando with two handguns several loaded magazines and a hunting knife police officials were examining his telephone and computer to try to determine a motive
a note on the door of mr loibls house in st petersburg expressed the deepest sorrow to ms grimmies family friends and fans and said there would be no other comment the associated press reported
a spokeswoman for ms grimmie heather weiss said it is with a heavy heart that we can confirm that christina has passed and went home to be with the lord
the police department said in a statement that christina was a talented young artist and we know that her fans and supporters want as much information as possible
we will continue to update as the investigation unfolds it added
when the shooting began the singers brother marcus grimmie quickly tackled mr loibl who shot himself in the ensuing struggle the police credited mr grimmie with bringing the attack to a swift end and protecting fans there were about 120 people present at the time of the shooting chief mina said
her brother marcus is a hero and possibly saved countless other lives the police department said it said mr grimmie had not been injured in the altercation
ms grimmie was critically injured when police officers arrived at the venue on friday night and died of her injuries at a hospital at about 3 am saturday according to a police statement
ms grimmie rose to fame on youtube as a teenager performing covers of well known songs by contemporary artists like miley cyrus celine dion and usher that garnered millions of views
her profile grew in 2014 when she competed on the sixth season of the popular nbc singing competition the voice she finished third winning the praise of its celebrity hosts a broader fan base and a deal with island records
ms grimmies manager brian teefey described her as like a second daughter and said he was horrified by her death
all i wanted to do was assist her in achieving her musical dreams while protecting her from the pitfalls associated with the business mr teefey said i never could have imagined this horrific event being one of the pitfalls needing to be avoided
on saturday her fans and friends in the music industry posted messages of shock and mourning on social media
im stunned and disgusted and heartbroken that we lost that sweet little girl blake shelton a host of the voice wrote on twitter on saturday morning
adam levine another of the shows hosts and ms grimmies on air mentor wrote on instagram before her death was confirmed im sad shocked and confused
this just isnt fair he added


when the cure last played new york in 2011 the show was dedicated to the bands restless first three albums before it found its way as an innovator of stadium scale mope the group returns this week for three shows at madison square garden   part of a lengthy american tour   with a broader career spanning mandate
that means the familiar blend of morbidity and ecstatic release songs that begin near post punk and end up somewhere far more considered and theatrical and the trademark robert smith vocals which somehow telegraph both insular reckoning and utter lack of interest all at once thegardencom


as downtown theaters start their summer vacations take it as a sign its time to go outside beginning on thursday june 16 the river to river festival gracing the nooks and crannies of lower manhattan as well as governors island hosts some of the citys most rewarding dance offerings and theyre free
eiko otake who presents an installation of video material and uses her seeming fragility to explore trauma and loneliness appears in the flesh in a body on governors island sunday june 19 and a body on wall street june 21 and 22 the excellent hip hop dancer and choreographer ephrat asherie collaborates with ehud asherie her jazz pianist composer brother in riff this riff that june 20 and 21 to illuminate the musicality between jazz and hip hop and luciana achugar closes the festival with an epilogue for otro teatro true love june 26 in which she breaks down the barrier between audience and performer to create a communion ritual in which the audience   she hopes   will be moved from apathy to empathy rivertorivernyccom


the kaleidoscopic enigmatic music of the danish composer per norgard 83 has been seldom performed in america until recently being championed by the new york philharmonic and others this week a three day festival called norgard in new york offers an ideal chance to discover the visceral music of this fascinating composer
on thursday june 16 the program includes works influenced by terry riley philip glass walt whitman and allen ginsberg that mr norgard wrote during a california residency in the 1970s lost dog new music ensemble will perform pieces including the hypnotic spell which uses his infinity series compositional system on friday the momenta quartet offers four of his 10 string quartets including the haunting night descending like smoke and on saturday lost dog returns with a program including the chamber symphony night symphonies day breaks and the striking nova genitura with the soprano sarah moyer as soloist at 8 each night scandinavia house manhattan 212 779 3587 norgardinnewyorkorg


seoul south korea   the act college entrance exam was canceled on saturday for thousands of students in south korea and hong kong after the tests administrator said it had verified a breach of the testing materials
the last minute cancellation affected 5500 students at 56 test centers in south korea and hong kong said edward r colby a spokesman for act students registration fees will be refunded he said in an email
act received credible evidence of the breach on friday june 10 and made the decision to cancel the test centers soon after he said this is the first known cancellation of an act test administration in an entire country
news of the cancellation reached many students only hours before they were scheduled to take the test on saturday morning hotel expense transportation fee this is totally a disaster one frustrated chinese student in hong kong wrote on twitter
overseas applications for the act and sat exams are on the rise as more foreign students seek admission to american colleges as more students take the tests cheating on the exams has also become widespread in parts of asia
in 2013 the college board which administers the sat canceled its test in south korea after exam questions were leaked it also canceled tests in china and macau in january for the same reason this month a south korean court fined students and officials of test prep institutes up to 6 million won or about 5100 for selling stolen sat test materials on the internet between 2011 and 2013


beijing   cheng nan has spent years trying to ensure that her 16 year old daughter gets into a college near their home in nanjing an affluent city in eastern china she wakes her at 530 am to study math and chinese poetry and packs her schedule so tightly that she has only 20 days of summer vacation
so when officials announced a plan to admit more students from impoverished regions and fewer from nanjing to local universities ms cheng was furious she joined more than 1000 parents to protest outside government offices chanting slogans like fairness in education and demanding a meeting with the provincial governor
why should they eat from our bowls ms cheng 46 an art editor at a newspaper said in an interview we are just as hard working as other families
parents in at least two dozen chinese cities have taken to the streets in recent weeks to denounce a government effort to expand access to higher education for students from less developed regions the unusually fierce backlash is testing the communist partys ability to manage class conflict as well as the political acumen of its leader xi jinping
the nations cutthroat university admissions process has long been a source of anxiety and acrimony but the breadth and intensity of the demonstrations many of them organized on social media appear to have taken the authorities by surprise
at issue is chinas state run system of higher education in which top schools are concentrated in big prosperous cities mostly on the coast and weaker underfunded schools dominate the nations interior
placement is determined almost exclusively by a single national exam the gaokao which was administered across china starting on tuesday the test is considered so important to ones fate that many parents begin preparing their children for it before kindergarten the government has threatened to imprison cheaters for up to seven years
the exam gives the admissions system a meritocratic sheen but the government also reserves most spaces in universities for students in the same city or province in effect making it harder for applicants from the hinterlands to get into the nations best schools
the authorities have sought to address the problem in recent years by admitting more students from underrepresented regions to the top colleges some provinces also award extra points on the test to students representing ethnic minorities
this spring the ministry of education announced that it would set aside a record 140000 spaces   about 65 percent of spots in the top schools   for students from less developed provinces but the ministry said it would force the schools to admit fewer local students to make room
against the backdrop of slowing economic growth the plan set off a flurry of protests and counterprotests
in wuhan a major city in central china known for its good universities parents surrounded government offices to demand more spots for local students in harbin a northeastern city parents marched through the streets calling the new admissions mandate unjust
but in luoyang a city in henan province one of chinas poorest and most populous protesters countered that children should be treated with equal love and in baoding a few hours drive southwest of beijing parents accused the government of coddling the urban elite at the expense of rural students
when they need water land and crops they come and take it said lu jian 42 an electrician who participated in the protests in baoding but they wont let our kids study in beijing
the government has responded cautiously censoring news reports of the outcry and ordering the police to contain the demonstrations
analysts said the protests posed a delicate challenge for president xi whose signature slogan the china dream is a vaguely defined call for national rejuvenation that many associate with a promise of educational opportunity
the traditional chinese dream is the hope of advancement for children through a relatively open meritocratic and egalitarian system said carl f minzner a professor of law at fordham university and an expert on chinese government popular outrage is triggered when theres a perception that this is being challenged
mr xi has argued that high levels of inequality in china could shake the partys hold on power and his government has sought to ease frustration in poorer areas by investing in education health care and social services but party leaders are also wary of alienating a growing and increasingly outspoken urban middle class
the question is how far are they willing to go in reallocating the privileges enjoyed by established urbanites many of them state employees professor minzner said
over the past two decades the government has opened hundreds of new institutions of higher education and university enrollment surged to 262 million in 2015 from 34 million in 1998 though much of the growth has been in three year polytechnic programs
at the same time job prospects for college graduates in china have dimmed in recent years that has left parents worried about wasting their life savings on substandard schools and even more desperate to get their children into the better ones
dissatisfaction with the gaokao pronounced gow kow is also rising the test modeled after chinas old imperial civil service exam was intended to enhance social mobility and open up the universities to anyone who scored high enough but critics say the system now has the opposite effect reinforcing the divide between urban and rural students
the top universities in big cities like beijing shanghai and nanjing are the most likely to lead to jobs and the hardest to get into students from less developed regions are vastly underrepresented at these colleges that is because they attended schools with less money for good teachers or modern technology and because the admissions preference for local applicants means they often need higher scores on the gaokao than urban students
it is a system that benefits the privileged at the expense of the disadvantaged sida liu a sociologist at the university of toronto wrote in an email without the improvement of schools in these regions i would not expect any major change in educational inequality in china
the governments plan to address inequality by taking university spots away from local students though tapped into frustration among parents in chinas most modern cities who are unhappy with a shortage of high quality schools
xiong bingqi vice president of the 21st century education research institute in beijing described the backlash as an outburst of a long repressed grudge adding that a drastic overhaul of the system should be considered
a set of national universities could rely on the gaokao to admit students from across the country he suggested while provincial colleges could focus on recruiting local students so they would look more like public universities in the united states
but any change is likely to draw criticism given limited resources and ethnic and regional prejudices a common complaint for example is that students from xinjiang the far western region that is home to chinas muslim ethnic uighur population receive a subpar education and should not get extra exam points
a group of parents in beijing has filed a complaint with the education ministry contending that minority students at an elite high school who had been recruited from across china should not be treated as residents of the city and that instead spaces should be freed up in beijings universities for other local children
in poorer provinces like henan public anger is often directed at local governments for underinvesting in education and therefore dooming children in a society with a wide gap between rich and poor
when students from beijing get into top universities and our students fail to do so some become migrant workers said an open letter circulated by parents in henan last month who is to blame


the new york artist louise fishman was on the front lines of the early feminist movement of the 1960s and out in the streets for gay liberation she was also hard at work in the studio as she has been for 50 years now at 77 shes having her first full dress retrospective at the neuberger museum of art in purchase ny through july
ms fishman started small with fabric pieces and gridded drawings in the 1970s these exploded into the slashing angry paintings based on the names of female artists including her own she then translated that energy into pure abstraction which has become richer and more expansive turning somber after a visit to auschwitz in the 1980s and oceanic after her immersion in the work of jmw turner the neuberger show includes an exhibition of sketchbooks and miniature sculptures at the institute of contemporary art in philadelphia through aug 14 the retrospective is at purchase college neubergerorg paper louise tiny fishman rock at icaphilaorg


when vincent canby reviewed the 1989 john hughes movie uncle buck for the new york times he called the premise a good sitcom idea nearly three decades later that assessment is being put to the test by abc with a sitcom based on the film that starts tuesday june 14 but theres a big difference the title character played by john candy in the film is now black as is the rest of the central family in the show mike epps portrays buck a neer do well who is pressed into service as a weekend babysitter by his brother and sister in law james lesure and nia long
before the weekend is over their three children have had their education furthered at a bar and an unsupervised party and uncle buck has discovered his inner nanny uncle buck may look different in this incarnation but   as in the movie   hes still vexed by a backfiring car and he still makes giant pancakes for breakfast


london   on june 23 tens of thousands of young britons will be gathered at the glastonbury music festival whose headliners include coldplay muse and adele others will be avidly following the european soccer championship in france or biting their nails in anticipation of the next episode of hit teenage soap hollyoaks
oh and there is the referendum that day asking them whether britain should leave the european union
wait are we even registered to vote priya patel 25 asked her friend recently as they waited outside a theater in east london to see their favorite stars arrive at the british soap awards
would she want britain to stay in the european union
oh definitely ms patel a medical practitioner answered impatiently switching her attention to her smartphone visibly more interested in televised dramas than in the long running tensions between her country and brussels
wait what just happened she exclaimed as a hollyoaks star rolled by in a car
holding the attention of young voters   and getting them to turn out on june 23   is one of the biggest challenges for both sides in the campaign over britains place in europe especially for the advocates of remaining in the european union
polling suggests that younger people are more favorable to continued british membership in the bloc than are older voters and in a close race could decide the outcome
the problem for the pro european forces is that young people are historically less likely to vote
in this case some analysts say it could be particularly hard to motivate them not just because many of them will be immersed in summer activities but also because they are being asked to embrace the status quo rather than to take up an idealistic cause of change of the type that typically energizes young people
its hard to get them passionate about remaining said scott townsin 26 who recently directed a campaign video urging young people to vote in favor of staying in the european union
older voters tend to decide based on information they get from traditional media but with young people mr townsin said youve got to be loud youve got to compete with brands favorite friends instagram whatever to get their attention
zak reynolds 20 from london said he had yet to make up his mind one of his parents will vote to stay in the other to leave
theres a lot of propaganda stuff he said
sam hemphill 24 an engineering student from swindon in southwest england said he had not made up his mind but was leaning toward britains remaining
part of his uncertainty he said was driven by the perception that the campaigns are both lying
all the facts and figures feel manipulated which makes the decision hard he said they are both polar opposites appealing on emotions rather than facts
the in campaign used targeted facebook ads to imply falsely that a british exit or brexit could stop british soccer clubs from signing european players if we leave the eu how will tottenham be affected one ad asked
the out campaign lent its support to a pop concert in birmingham only to have three acts pull out because they did not agree with its anti europe position
the voter registration deadline was thursday prompting ambitious drives by both sides to sign up supporters
groups like bite the ballot an organization that tries to encourage youths to vote teamed up with starbucks which favors britains remaining in the european union to hold registration drives in coffee shops across the country
uber which has not taken a position on the referendum flashed ads on customers smartphones reminding them to register
some surveys indicate that half of those between ages 18 and 30 want to remain in europe with the proportion higher among those under 25
young britons are generally comfortable with a multicultural society surveys have found and they value the opportunity to work and travel in 28 european nations without a visa
a survey released tuesday by the pew research center found that 57 percent of those 18 to 34 years old in britain had a favorable view of the european union compared with 38 percent of people 50 and over
the 180000 or so people attending the five day festival in glastonbury will have to vote by mail   a relatively tedious process   or apply to have someone else vote on their behalf there will be no polling booths on the festival grounds 900 acres of farmland in somerset since people have to vote where they are registered
the same voting rules apply to the 300000 to 500000 british fans many of them under 30 who the police expect will travel to france for the monthlong european soccer championship
some of the efforts to get young people to vote are paying off
since march 1 more than a million people have registered to vote with big gains among those 18 to 34 years old according to figures published recently by the government
ashleigh breedy a 34 year old florist in favor of brexit said the referendum was so important that she would vote for the very first time
all that money were sending to belgium and them telling us what to do she said referring to brussels where the european commission is based
our queen doesnt have a say she said is belgium going to tell our queen what to do she asked puffing on a cigarette and drinking a can of red bull if enough of us stand up to leave well leave
brexit campaigners are calling for more controls on immigration and greater national sovereignty the option of remaining is appealing to voters because of the economic benefits
charlie carline 31 a british exit supporter who will be in france on referendum day said he had made sure to vote by mail
it is very important he wrote in a message on facebook i want out of the european union dictatorship look at the state of europe because of these power ridden scum leaders
by contrast some of the young people supporting britains continued membership in the european union are less passionate for them the monthslong campaign often felt more like well fed conservative politicians arguing over a dining bill
its hard not to get bored by it said josh glancy 29 who plans to go to glastonbury and who applied for a postal vote only because a friend had insisted its a kind of spat among the tory party so ive become quite fed up with it
still he said he planned to vote to stay in europe because he liked the idea of a europe that can cooperate over issues including the migrant crisis
vahan salorian 23 who juggles work as a composer primary school music teacher and pub supervisor said he would vote for britain to remain in europe
ive been watching with mild terror the possibility of a british exit he said wearing a t shirt decorated with avocados and sipping beer with friends in a park in east london im terrified it might happen
mr salorian who is from the rural town of barnoldswick in northern england said living in a cosmopolitan city like london shaped his views friends in barnoldswick he said were planning to vote out even though the area has had very little immigration
back in east london at the british soap awards jennifer burnett 33 said she was registered to vote but was unsure about her intentions
she had more definite views about the soaps i know exactly who im going to vote for she said vote hollyoaks she exclaimed raising a plastic champagne cup in a celebratory gesture


mountain view calif   after years of punishing rent increases activists across silicon valley and the san francisco bay area are pushing a spate of rent control proposals driven by outrage over soaring housing prices and fears that the growing income gap is turning middle class families into an endangered species those campaigns if successful would lead to the largest expansion of tenant laws since the 1970s
in the national picture tenants rights and housing advocacy for the poor has been pretty sleepy for several decades said michelle wilde anderson a law professor at stanford california is starting to wake up and it may lead to national change
the bay area may be a special case with the growth of technology industries driving housing costs into the stratosphere and a california initiative system that allows citizens to put proposed laws on the ballot but the state has a long history of being at the forefront of populist uprisings that spread across the country and rent control movements have already popped up in other higher cost cities like portland ore and seattle
in 1978 proposition 13 sharply reduced californias property taxes presaging a nationwide tax revolt more recently the state government adopted one of the nations most expansive minimum wage laws to 15 statewide by 2022 reflecting a populist tide against income inequality that the rent control effort is also riding
this is happening so fast that we in the advocacy community cant even keep track of it said daniel saver a housing lawyer who is helping draft rent control proposals in several towns
instead of being based in big cities like san francisco todays renters rights movement is centered in the collection of suburbs and bedroom communities that fill the peninsula south of the city here the collision of tech riches with decades of slow growth development measures has pushed rent prices up about 50 percent over the last five years according to zillow the online real estate pricing service
today as in the 1970s the economic prescription would be to build more and soon but as tales of eviction spread and landlords raise prices to the limit even people who acknowledge rent controls problems argue that it is still the best instrument to help middle class families and lower paid service employees who can no longer live close to work
the solution to the overall increase in housing prices in this area is bringing supply and demand into better balance said leonard siegel a city councilman in mountain view where google has its headquarters but until we get there   which means we need time to build housing   we keep losing people and the fabric of our community is being torn apart
silicon valley looks and feels suburban lacking in pedestrians and full of single family homes it also has many tenants in mountain view for instance renters make up 60 percent of the households and since this is a place where a 1 million starter home is considered a steal those renters also include well paid tech workers at some of the most valuable companies on earth
in many of these places rent growth by far outpaces income growth said svenja gudell chief economist at zillow and you will find that not only at the bottom of the market but even at the top of the income distribution where incomes are growing but not as fast as rents are growing
google employees routinely show up at city council meetings to speak out about rents and evictions and after a 2014 election that served as a housing referendum by bringing mr siegel and two other housing advocates onto the council mountain view is poised to add 15000 new units about a 40 percent increase in the housing stock
nevertheless a group called the mountain view tenants coalition is collecting signatures for a voter initiative in hopes of putting rent control on the november ballot one of the groups leaders and its chief spokesman evan ortiz is a 29 year old google employee who works in ad sales
thomas k bannon chief executive of the california apartment association a landlords group said his members were mobilizing a statewide response and planning to spend millions of dollars   he would not estimate exactly how many millions   to beat back the initiatives one city at a time the members message dont blame landlords blame cities for making it so hard to build new housing
we recognize that if there isnt new development and there arent dollars for affordable housing we are going to be up against the wall he said the days of the industry trying to play below the radar are unfortunately over
rent control is rare nationally and it is generally left over from decades old laws for urban areas of new york california and new jersey as well as the district of columbia about half the states have laws prohibiting localities from regulating rent prices at all according to the national apartment association while others including california have imposed limits such as making more recent buildings exempt
economists have an almost universally dim view of rent control because it does nothing to attack the underlying problem here which is that more people want to live in the bay area and silicon valley than there are housing units to put them in
indeed study after study has shown that while limits on rental increases may have helped a comparative handful of tenants stay in their apartments they only added to a shortage of affordable housing and did little to stem the tide of higher costs
rent control also comes with unintended consequences the supply of rental apartments can become tighter as landlords exit the business the properties that remain can become shabbier as owners stop keeping up with maintenance
rent control exists for a reason and its because someone gains from it said daniel fetter an economics professor at wellesley college in massachusetts the question is is that really the best policy for achieving those ends
but such abstruse arguments dont carry much weight when many people are worried about being displaced especially in the bay area where losing a cheap apartment can mean moving an hour or more from work
on a recent evening in burlingame a silicon valley bedroom community about 20 minutes south of san francisco a 66 year old legal secretary named cindy cornell sat at a foldout table in a san francisco giants visor collecting signatures for another rent control initiative
about half the households in burlingame are renters and the list of horror stories went up and down the economic ladder there was a 36 year old mother of one whose husband is an engineer who makes good money at a tech company she signed because their landlord raised the rent to 4600 from 3400 while she was pregnant
a woman with four children and a husband who paints houses signed because the rent on her two bedroom apartment had risen to 1600 a month from 1400 a month in two years
a half hour later in nearby san mateo reyna gonzalez a 57 year old nanny was going door to door with her granddaughter and a clipboard finding voters for similar proposal
whether or not these efforts are successful mr bannon from the landlords group said he expected escalating housing costs to remain one of the states central political issues for years
my members are not going to put their buildings on wheels and move them out of california mr bannon the landlord lobbyist said weve got to do something to build we cant continue like this


a tenuous peace in the upper echelons of the republican party showed signs of unraveling this weekend as a major donor compared donald j trump to hitler and mussolini mr trump and mitt romney reignited their feud and one of mr trumps aides took a shot at an important campaign ally
meg whitman the chief executive of hewlett packard enterprise and a major contributor to republican candidates railed against mr trump on friday at a closed door meeting of republicans in park city utah comparing him to the axis leaders according to several people in attendance who declined to be identified because the discussion was private
the comments first reported by the washington post came at mr romneys annual retreat of republican donors leaders and business executives mr trumps candidacy and the divisions it is causing among leading republicans was an undercurrent of the gathering mr romney has been outspoken in his refusal to support mr trump the partys presumptive presidential nominee even as other party figures have grudgingly fallen into line
no one has personified the partys divisions like paul d ryan the house speaker and the pressure on him intensified this weekend at the utah retreat on friday campbell brown a former cnn anchor pressed mr ryan on his decision to support mr trump according to an attendee saying she did not know how to explain it to her children
then on saturday dan scavino jr a senior adviser and the social media director for the trump campaign criticized mr ryan on twitter linking to an article on a conservative website that accused him of harming his party complete with the headline paul ryan is the reason the gop is losing america
the discord appeared to bring a quick end to a period of relative peace in the party that began tuesday when mr trump issued a statement in which he backed away slightly from remarks accusing a federal judge of being biased against him because of the judges mexican heritage mr trump did not apologize but said his remarks had been misconstrued
later that night after the final primaries of the presidential race he gave a restrained speech in which he refrained from offending anyone
the new approach did not last long by the end of the week he had resumed referring to senator elizabeth warren the massachusetts democrat who has called mr trump a racist bully as pocahontas because of her claims during her senate bid that she had native american heritage which has not been proved
somebody said to me one of the media mr trump would you apologize mr trump said at a rally on saturday in tampa fla i said yes ill apologize   to pocahontas i will apologize because pocahontas is insulted
mr trump also attacked mr romney calling him a choker and saying he didnt work like he should have worked when he was the nominee in 2012 once mr romney lost mr trump added he should have gone off into the sunset
you dont sit there jealous and sick to your stomach he said
a day earlier mr romney in an interview with cnns wolf blitzer said he feared that mr trumps election would lead to trickle down racism that would change the character of the generations of americans that are following
reince priebus the chairman of the republican national committee gently chided mr romney on twitter on friday writing respect mitt and differences but couldnt disagree more
adding that the supreme court was too important to lose for generations mr priebus ended his post lets stop this and unify
mr trump and the party have gotten a late start on fund raising for the general election and need as many of the partys reliable donors as they can attract at mr romneys donor retreat on saturday mr priebus was more pointed telling donors opposed to mr trump that the party would win with or without you according to an attendee present for his remarks
a representative for ms whitman did not respond saturday to a request for an interview about her comments ms whitman according to one of the people present did not stop at comparing mr trump to hitler and mussolini she also warned the gathering that if republicans compromised on their principles to win an important election they would be entering fraught territory
what happens next time she asked implying that it could lead to more compromises and more candidates like mr trump
ms whitman who ran for governor of california in 2010 and was a finance co chairwoman for mr romney in 2012 was part of a group of major donors who tried to stop mr trump during the primaries through paid advertising she has been explicit about her disdain for him
look at the comments hes made about women about muslims about reporters she told cnbc in march its just repugnant
the group at the retreat represented a mix of the republican party divided between those who have said they cannot support mr trump like mr romney and those who have tepidly endorsed him like mr ryan who was mr romneys running mate in 2012
in an emailed statement mr trump dismissed ms whitmans comments i never met meg whitman but the job she is doing at hewlett packard is not a very good one mr trump said based on the disastrous campaign she ran in california and the tens of millions of dollars she wasted i have learned a lot from her i do not want her support
mr trumps campaign did not respond to questions about its social media directors gibe at mr ryan which at a minimum showed a lack of message discipline inside the campaign whether it would endanger mr ryans support of mr trump was not clear the speakers office did not respond to requests for comment saturday
he was forced to respond friday when pressed by ms brown who now runs an education website and is married to dan senor who was an adviser to mr ryan and to one of mr trumps primary race rivals senator marco rubio of florida
turning to mr ryan during a panel discussion ms brown told him that one morning one of her sons expressing disappointment had asked why he endorsed mr trump
what she asked mr ryan was she supposed to tell her child
the attendee present for the exchange said mr ryan appeared slightly uncomfortable but handled the question well he said mr ryan had explained that while he understood the disagreement among republicans he believed that his decision to support mr trump would be better for the republican party in the long term
mr trump he said had won with large margins in some of his house members districts and many voters liked and supported the candidate
indeed mr trump ran away with the republican nomination with the same flamethrowing approach he is using today
its like what they said about his temper said brett mohnkern 29 of oil city pa who went to mr trumps rally on saturday in pittsburgh tone down for what
still the attendee who saw the exchange with mr ryan on friday said the partys debate over whether to support mr trump was like a familys struggle with a divorce
mr ryan in one of his appearances at the retreat tried to infuse what little humor he could into the situation he joked that he had recently told david copperfield that he wished the magician could make mr ryan disappear from 2016


curt west 41 is a knife sharpener at william henry in mcminnville ore
q what kinds of knives does william henry make
a we make high end folding pocketknives collectors like to buy them people who want to make a personal statement consider these knives an accessory like a high end watch its like wearing designer jeans or the difference between wearing a casio and a rolex
how did you find this job
my aunt has worked here for 12 years shes responsible for the final assembly of the knives and she was always talking up the company i was working in auto body repair and painting which i learned working on old cars with my dad i applied here and was hired almost seven years ago
were your skills transferable
they were i used grinders and sanders in the auto body business and i acquired an eye for detail and textures which helps with the work i do now
did you begin sharpening knives right away
no i started under rafael barajas a knife handle shaper here learning how to sand some of the easier handles like titanium then i moved up to handles with a black lip pearl inlay pearl is softer than titanium and will sand down more quickly and make the handle uneven if youre not careful after about a year matt conable the company founder asked me if id like to sharpen and i jumped at the chance
what is your work area like
we each have our own workstation i start with a variable speed belt grinder with 200 grit sandpaper and move to a finer 845 grit paper then i use a polishing wheel that gives the blade a mirror finish and hones the final edge to razor sharpness i get satisfaction seeing the finished knives theyre art and i like being able to say im an artisan
have you ever cut yourself
once or twice but not enough to need stitches i was mad at myself because it was my fault i sharpen about 200 knives a day and i dont wear gloves because i need to feel the sharpness of the blades edge i do wear a thick leather apron to protect my body especially when im polishing the edge the blade could catch in the wheel and kick back at you obviously you have to pay attention in this job


gas prices have been rising though you may not be aware of it because they are still extraordinarily low
in fact heading into the memorial day weekend they were lower than they were at the start of the summer driving season for the last 11 years americans are hitting the highways as a recent report in the new york times noted racking up mileage in road trips large and small
nevertheless those low price levels have masked what appears to be the beginning of a trend in the last month alone the aaa says the average price of a gallon of regular has gone up 17 cents nationally on friday that average was above 237
whats more the latest numbers suggest that many car buyers understand that gas has been getting more expensive americans on average have begun to shift back to more fuel efficient vehicles the university of michigan reported
thats good news and its an opportune time to consider whether we should take steps that would keep prices moving in the right direction upward
im not a fan of expensive gas for its own sake i drive a car mainly on weekends and prefer to pay less to fill the tank like everybody else but rock bottom prices encourage behavioral patterns that arent beneficial   not if we want to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and other pollutants
the markets are likely to do that job for a while while they have given up some ground lately oil prices have almost doubled since february so we can expect that gas at the pump which typically trails wholesale oil prices will continue to climb in the short term no one knows of course where oil or gas prices will be a year or two from now
but another measure to raise prices and affect consumer behavior has long been favored by a broad consensus of economists that is a national tax on carbon or more narrowly a booster tax on oil or gasoline   all of which have been opposed by congress on friday the house of representatives voted largely along party lines against both a carbon tax and a tax on oil
nonetheless a broad carbon tax or a narrower gasoline tax surcharge would generate revenue that could go toward neglected infrastructure like bridges tunnels trains and subways or toward improvement of renewable energy sources reducing dependence on fossil fuels directly but it could also be used to offset cuts in other taxes as proposed in washington state either method could make gasoline and other forms of carbon expensive enough to make people think twice before burning it
there is evidence that when prices drop as they did over the last few years people shift to bigger less fuel efficient cars in the recent low price gas world ive found myself dreaming about replacing my miserly compact   a little subaru impreza   with a more generously sized model one with enough space for skis and boots and boxes and luggage and other assorted pieces of paraphernalia that i might want to cram into the vehicle one day
i dont think that way when gas prices are high as they were until fairly recently recall that a gallon of regular cost more than 3 two years ago and more than 4 in 2008
those high gas prices contributed to a virtuous cycle in consumer behavior according to statistics provided by michael sivak a research professor at the university of michigan transportation research institute
here are a few important numbers
fuel economy rose fairly steadily to 258 miles per gallon in august 2014 from 201 mpg in october 2007 those figures are for newly purchased light duty vehicles   cars light trucks and sport utility vehicles then based on environmental protection agency ratings fuel economy of new vehicles reversed course as i lamented in a column in december it dropped as low as 25 miles a gallon that month as gasoline prices plunged below 2 a gallon
but as gas prices rise people are shifting back toward more environmentally friendly models this fuel economy measure rose to 254 miles per gallon in may   up 02 miles per gallon in one month in an email mr sivak said the improvement likely reflects the increased price of gasoline in may and the consequent increased interest in more fuel efficient vehicles by buyers of all vehicle classes
how you view these current fuel economy levels depends on your point of comparison he observed it is down 04 mpg from the peak reached in august 2014 but still up 53 mpg since october 2007 when his institute began compiling this statistic
in short when gas is really cheap americans are likely to buy less fuel efficient vehicles and drive more which weve already seen happen
higher fuel prices tend to make vehicles like electric cars hybrids and smaller gas sipping internal combustion engine vehicles more appealing in a separate study mr sivak and brandon schoettle a project manager at the institute calculated that a major improvement in the fuel efficiency of the nations light vehicles including old and new vehicles to 56 miles per gallon from 214 miles per gallon today would by itself reduce total fuel emissions in the united states 10 percent
big as that change would be it would not be enough to meet the goals of last decembers paris agreement on climate change which would commit nearly every country in the world to reduce greenhouse gas emissions consider that president obama has pledged that the united states will cut total emissions 26 to 28 percent by 2025 emissions from many sources particularly those from coal fired power plants would need to be reduced though the supreme court put some of those regulations into a state of limbo with a decision in february further legal challenges are underway
in the meantime gasoline prices are inching higher adding a modest gasoline tax of say 25 cents a gallon   or a more ambitious carbon tax   would magnify and consolidate that upward trend
given opposition in congress it is unrealistic to imagine that either kind of national tax will be enacted right now bernie sanders was the lone major presidential candidate in the race in june to have called for a carbon tax according to an assessment by politifact yet such a tax or a variation favored by president obama known as cap and trade makes eminent sense the world bank and international monetary fund have concluded
one problem with such taxes   aside from the glaring fact that taxes are generally unpopular   is that they tend to be regressive a gasoline tax for example burdens low wage people who must drive to work but tax credits aimed at low income car commuters could offset this
taxes and prices affect behavior in fairly predictable ways without taxes the benefits of higher prices can be expected to flow mainly to energy companies and their investors and wall street will certainly calculate those effects but we all have broader interests and it may be that the best thing we can do for ourselves and the environment is impose a tax


the police on saturday identified the man who shot and killed christina grimmie a former cast member of the reality tv singing competition the voice and a viral youtube star as a 27 year old man from st petersburg fla
the man kevin james loibl shot ms grimmie in a premeditated attack the police said and then killed himself moments later the shooting happened after a performance by ms grimmie on friday night in orlando and no motive was announced the authorities said there was no indication the two knew each other
ms grimmie 22 had performed with the band before you exit at a popular orlando music venue the plaza live and was signing autographs for fans and selling merchandise shortly before 1030 pm when the gunman walked up to her and opened fire the orlando police department said in a statement
john mina the chief of the orlando police department said mr loibl had traveled to orlando with two handguns several loaded magazines and a hunting knife police officials were examining his telephone and computer to try to determine a motive
a note on the door of mr loibls house in st petersburg expressed the deepest sorrow to ms grimmies family friends and fans and said there would be no other comment the associated press reported
a spokeswoman for ms grimmie heather weiss said it is with a heavy heart that we can confirm that christina has passed and went home to be with the lord
the police department said in a statement that christina was a talented young artist and we know that her fans and supporters want as much information as possible
we will continue to update as the investigation unfolds it added
when the shooting began the singers brother marcus grimmie quickly tackled mr loibl who shot himself in the ensuing struggle the police credited mr grimmie with bringing the attack to a swift end and protecting fans there were about 120 people present at the time of the shooting chief mina said
her brother marcus is a hero and possibly saved countless other lives the police department said it said mr grimmie had not been injured in the altercation
ms grimmie was critically injured when police officers arrived at the venue on friday night and died of her injuries at a hospital at about 3 am saturday according to a police statement
ms grimmie rose to fame on youtube as a teenager performing covers of well known songs by contemporary artists like miley cyrus celine dion and usher that garnered millions of views
her profile grew in 2014 when she competed on the sixth season of the popular nbc singing competition the voice she finished third winning the praise of its celebrity hosts a broader fan base and a deal with island records
ms grimmies manager brian teefey described her as like a second daughter and said he was horrified by her death
all i wanted to do was assist her in achieving her musical dreams while protecting her from the pitfalls associated with the business mr teefey said i never could have imagined this horrific event being one of the pitfalls needing to be avoided
on saturday her fans and friends in the music industry posted messages of shock and mourning on social media
im stunned and disgusted and heartbroken that we lost that sweet little girl blake shelton a host of the voice wrote on twitter on saturday morning
adam levine another of the shows hosts and ms grimmies on air mentor wrote on instagram before her death was confirmed im sad shocked and confused
this just isnt fair he added


perth australia   the search for malaysia airlines missing flight 370 on the floor of the southern indian ocean is nearing an end with no sign of the plane in the area that investigators had concluded it most likely went down prompting a last ditch reassessment of assumptions used to calculate its final descent and draw the search zone
at issue are estimates of how far the plane may have traveled after it ran out of fuel notably whether it followed a tight or broad spiral down as it fell or glided toward the ocean officials said
were really doing further work to test our assumption about the end of flight which defines our search area said martin dolan the chief commissioner of the australian transport safety bureau its really testing to make sure we havent missed anything and that our assumptions remain valid
the failure to find any wreckage in the area also raises the possibility that the plane began descending earlier or perhaps changed course in an attempt at an emergency landing at sea though investigators have discounted these outcomes as inconsistent with other evidence
there is still hope that the plane will be found in the search zone an expanse of 46000 square miles about the size of england but ocean survey vessels have scoured about 90 percent of the area and are expected to finish the rest in august unless new information emerges that is when the governments of australia malaysia and china plan to abandon the search leaving one of the greatest mysteries in the history of modern aviation unsolved
flight 370 disappeared on march 8 2014 while flying to beijing from kuala lumpur the malaysian capital carrying 239 passengers and crew members from 15 nations an analysis of radar and satellite communications data determined that the boeing 777 200 made several turns and then flew south for five hours with little deviation but investigators never pinpointed where the plane ran out of fuel
instead they identified a 400 mile arc from which the plane most likely sent its last satellite signal survey vessels have been going back and forth at walking speed across that swath of the southern indian ocean for two years using sonar devices towed over the seafloor to scan the stygian depths more than two miles below the waves
investigators are now asking whether they have been looking in the right place they are reconsidering an assumption that when the planes engines ran dry the aircraft spiraled into the sea without traveling a horizontal distance of more than 10 nautical miles   a relatively tight spiral
analysts at boeing and elsewhere have been re examining their models of how the aircraft operating under autopilot might have responded to an initial loss of power on one side of the aircraft and up to 15 minutes later on both sides the simulations assume the right engine ran out of fuel first because over its years of service that engine on the aircraft had tended to burn slightly more fuel than the left engine according to records from rolls royce the engines manufacturer
the three countries bankrolling the search for the missing boeing 777 200 agreed in april last year not to expand the search area unless new information provided clear clues that the plane was somewhere else
so far no evidence has emerged that would justify an expanded search mr dolan said
while the search for flight 370 is already the largest and most costly in aviation history relatives of passengers on the plane have called for it to be extended as have many scientists pilots hobbyists and others mesmerized by the mystery of its disappearance
there is no reason we should give up the search   at least they have to give us an answer said steve wang a technology company salesman in beijing who has served as an unofficial spokesman for the families and whose 57 year old mother was on the plane everything about mh370 remains a mystery   what happened and how
the search zone was calculated using the last automatic signal sent by the aircrafts engines to a satellite right before it disappeared the signal indicated that the satellite system had been reset suggesting a power failure possibly caused by the engines running out of fuel
though the signal did not include location data analysis of the time it took the transmission to travel to and from the satellite led investigators to focus on the 400 mile arc
but duncan steel a scientist on a panel of experts that has advised the australian government said the arc might have been drawn too far south investigators have assumed the plane was at cruising altitude when it sent its last signal he said but if the plane had started descending earlier as it ran low on fuel it would have covered less distance before it hit the ocean
investigators said on may 12 that two pieces of debris recovered in march from south africa and from rodrigues island part of mauritius were almost certainly from the missing plane but neither part   a piece of the interior panel in the main cabin and a piece of engine covering   provided significant information about the aircrafts final location
australias minister of infrastructure and transport darren chester announced on may 26 that two more pieces of debris had been found in mauritius and another in mozambique that would also be examined for possible links to the missing aircraft
the australian government said on friday that four more pieces of debris three found on madagascar and one on a southern australian island would be checked to determine whether they came from the missing plane
three other pieces linked to the plane were discovered on african beaches last year and early this year one was identified as clearly belonging to the right wing while another was identified as almost certainly coming from the right wing and a third as almost certainly coming from the right side of the tail
the accumulation of parts from the aircrafts right side has led some to suggest that the plane may have changed course before it crashed possibly under the control of a conscious pilot
in theory a pilot could have attempted an emergency landing by turning the plane and trying to land it just behind an ocean swell before the next swell arrived
one of the many risks of such a maneuver would be a waves snagging and tearing off a wing leaving wing debris that might end up floating far away while the rest of the aircraft landed more softly and sank
peter marosszeky a longtime aircraft engineer who advised boeing on the development of the 777 aircraft and is now the managing director of aerospace developments a sydney consulting firm said some wing parts were made from lightweight composite materials that would float easily
if a conscious pilot were still at the controls it also would have been possible in theory for the plane to glide and travel much farther after it ran out of fuel
but mr dolan said considerable data from the rest of the flight including signs that the plane maintained its speed altitude and heading hour after hour as it traveled south across the indian ocean made it very unlikely that a conscious pilot was at the controls


raeford nc   a decorated army reserve officer left bacon at a mosque and brandished a handgun while threatening to kill muslims north carolina authorities said
the officer russell thomas langford 36 also made death threats against members of the mosque which is about 20 miles southwest of fayetteville nc the authorities said
he told people at the mosque that he would kill them and bury them behind the mosque capt john kivett of the hoke county sheriffs office said on friday he brandished a weapon while he was on the property
major langford who lives in fayetteville was charged with ethnic intimidation assault with a deadly weapon going armed to the terror of the public communicating threats stalking and disorderly conduct the sheriffs office said
major langford who works full time in the army reserve served two tours in iraq while on active army duty and earned a bronze star for outstanding dedication to duty during combat while with a military police battalion a spokesman for the army reserve said he has received other decorations including the army good conduct medal
the events that led to major langfords arrest began thursday afternoon when he insulted a mosque member doing construction work near the mosque and then left packages of bacon at the mosque entrance according to the authorities and witnesses
advocacy groups say pork is often used to insult muslims whose religion does not allow them to eat it the washington based council on american islamic relations said the act constituted a desecration of the place of worship
witnesses say the suspect left and returned to the masjid al madina mosque several times in his truck prompting tense moments inside while children were sheltered in the back of the building the authorities said there were no injuries
at one point the suspect followed one member home resulting in the stalking charge according to a news release from the sheriffs office the mosque member tried to evade him but could not
a law enforcement photograph of major langford shows him with close cropped hair a tattoo resembling the united states flag on his right forearm and a green shirt emblazoned with a military style rifle emblem
the authorities found several handguns and other weapons plus about 500 rounds of ammunition in major langfords vehicle captain kivett said
he said major langford did not make specific threats about a mass shooting other than to say he wanted to kill mosque members
major langford made his initial court appearance friday posted a 60000 secured bond and was released captain kivett said
since posting bond major langford has been placed under the control of his commander on base at fort bragg said a spokesman for the army reserve capt eric connor he said that what major langford was charged with doing was totally contradictory to army values
about three miles from the mosque several people at a house listed by the authorities as major langfords address declined to comment on friday
the alleged threats came during the muslim holy month of ramadan
the council on american islamic relations asked the authorities to investigate the case as a possible hate crime and to increase patrols around the area especially during nighttime ramadan activities
before midday prayers on friday a patrol car was parked outside the mosque just off a state highway between fayetteville and raeford
the mosque has been there for about three decades
weve never had a problem with anyone said kamal allan of raeford who said he was confronted at the construction site near the mosque
mr allan a general contractor and mosque member said he was leading a crew tearing down a nearby outbuilding when a man drove up in the late afternoon mr allan said the man began insulting him and using profanity while asking white crew members do you know who youre working for
i said dont talk to him dont talk to him just leave him alone and let the police handle it mr allan said
mohammed khan a retired army officer who served three decades in the military said he was delivering tables to the mosque when the man drove up he said he spoke calmly to the man who spoke angrily and eventually flashed a gun at him
i was kind of dismayed shocked and in disbelief said mr khan who still serves as a volunteer muslim chaplain at fort bragg
he told me to go back to my country i said which country do you want me to go to give me the ticket and i will fly he said no i will not give you a ticket i will kill you and bury your body right there
mr khan said the man followed another member of the mosque to that persons home
abdu alsaidi another mosque member who said he was one of the witnesses said the police were called in the late afternoon but major langford was not arrested until sometime after 8 pm
at one point while the man was parked in front of the mosque mr alsaidi said adult members made children move to the back of the building out of fear of an attack
our life was on the line he said the way he acted he didnt care about anybody


jake anderson and deborah bialis of san francisco planned to start a family not long after their wedding in 2012 but they soon ran into a roadblock infertility at 27 ms bialis was told that her prospects for a successful pregnancy were dim because of an earlier medical condition not sure where to turn the couple sought out a fertility doctor to assess their options
after two years two doctors and three rounds of unsuccessful fertility treatments costing 75000 they gave up and decided to try on their own
it attacks you emotionally in a way thats hard to fathom mr anderson 36 said of the experience when you think youll be a parent someday and then realize it may not happen its a crisis it can drive a wedge between partners and emotionally it is pure hell
mr anderson was a partner at sequoia capital a silicon valley venture capital firm and ms bialis worked for a start up called rise a mobile nutrition app their personal experience led them to leave their jobs and start fertilityiq a website aimed at assessing fertility doctors and clinics
they saw an opportunity because we realized there was no accountability on the clinic level ms bialis now 30 said there was so much miscommunication
more than seven million women sought treatment for infertility from 2006 through 2010 according to a survey by the centers for disease control and prevention the american fertility market including treatments and drugs is estimated to be 3 billion to 4 billion and growing at 4 percent a year according to harris williams an investment bank as women wait longer to begin having children those numbers have risen fertility is tied to a womans age and by the mid 30s her ability to become pregnant declines considerably
many fertility patients need more than one treatment cycle each cycle costs 14000 to 17000 with three generally needed adding those to other treatments the total cost comes to an average of 66000 depending on where the patient lives a recent article in the journal of the american medical association reported
mr anderson and ms bialis found that the most common methods of finding a fertility doctor or clinic was word of mouth a referral from an obstetriciangynecologist or cold calling one of hundreds of fertility clinics around the country fertility patients are highly likely to leave their first doctor frustrated by a lack of chemistry and emotional support they said
i call this silent suffering said dr alice domar a psychologist and director of integrative care at boston ivf a fertility clinic with more than 20 locations in new england it has to do with sex and female parts and people dont talk about it its a huge industry but very few things are offered to patients that address the emotional aspects of infertility
fertilityiq which went online this year provides extensive assessments of doctors clinics and treatment protocols from patients who fill in detailed questionnaires about their experiences
for couples trying to make one of the most important and expensive decisions of their lives useful data has been sparse dr christo zouves a san francisco infertility doctor said fertilityiq had information that nobody has ever really collected before because of the expense time commitment and emotional stress involved you cant really afford not to have all your ducks in a row before you initiate that first cycle
though most applaud fertilityiqs efforts some in the field are skeptical of a website that offers reviews of doctors and clinics in a manner that some have compared to yelp as with yelp the reviews are subjective and may reflect individual biases that create a skewed portrait
i would not want to choose my doctor based on a website said dr michael m alper medical director of boston ivf and an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at harvard medical school if a relative needed cardiac surgery would you go to a website and choose it could be very misleading
dr alper who has practiced infertility medicine for 30 years noted that web surveys could provide inaccurate assessments and that fertilityiq being so new is relying on limited responses for individual doctors many of the doctors listed on the site have scores based on just one or two patient reviews
if you look through history doctors and ivf centers have equated quality with pregnancy statistics dr alper said whoever had the highest numbers had the best quality but the problem is you can control your statistics by how you treat and who you treat patients with complex problems may be turned away and the best doctors who take on the tougher cases will have more failed attempts and generate lower ratings he said
mr anderson is aware of such concerns and acknowledges that the site is a work in progress but it has already evaluated more than 80 percent of all american fertility doctors and includes assessments from 5000 verified fertility patients meaning they have produced a bill to authenticate their treatment he said tens of thousands of patients have visited the website he added
the website has been an important resource for christine turner an executive director at stella  dot a jewelry and accessory company married at 34 ms turner and her husband tried to conceive right away and ran into fertility problems then living in atlanta they went to a clinic recommended by her obstetriciangynecologist and met with a doctor with whom she did not feel comfortable the couple spent 40000 on two unsuccessful ivf cycles
now living in houston ms turner went to the fertilityiq website created an account and began to search for a clinic that would match her needs through fertilityiq she found a doctor at a clinic in colorado and was able to confirm through evaluations who had the best bedside manner and who would be best for me she said
if im going to be spending that much money i want to really make sure im putting the money in the right place and into the hands of the right clinic and doctor she said she called fertilityiq invaluable and game changing because it connected her to a community of people she might not otherwise know about
though he applauds the effort dr alper warned that until the sampling numbers were far higher people will end up choosing centers for the wrong reasons
for now the website is free as fertilityiq grows eventually people will pay a fee for access to the data but those who share their own data will become part of the community and retain free access mr anderson said the site is free of advertising to avoid conflicts of interest
the start up is self financed and mr anderson and ms bialis have turned away potential investors mr anderson said he was in no hurry to monetize the site he pointed to hugely successful sequoia investments like whatsapp and instagram which focused on building a large audience before generating revenue and were later acquired for a combined 20 billion
josh manchester a venture partner at foundation capital in menlo park calif favored that approach if they are able to create a customer experience where users of the site benefit and go through the fertility process in as smooth and painless a way as possible it creates high engagement and evangelical customers that leads to a fast growing user base
communities and networks are the most valuable businesses in the world mr anderson said in the early years they all build an audience not revenue the good ones are rewarded for patience and not trying to monetize early
he and ms bialis have already been rewarded for their patience in another way their first child a boy who was conceived naturally was born at the end of april


bangalore india   a court in western india on saturday ordered a member of a right wing hindu sect held in connection with the 2013 murder of narendra dabholkar a physician who spent his adult life crusading against spiritual practices he considered fraudulent
the killing of dr dabholkar who was shot at point blank range while walking near his home in pune took place at a time of rising ideological change in india when more conservative strains of hinduism have been gaining resonance nationally
the suspect virendra tawde also a doctor appeared in a pune courtroom on saturday and was ordered held until thursday dr tawde had known dr dabholkar for years and had clashed with him over his campaigns against superstitious practices according to the victims son
dr tawde is associated with a division of sanatan sanstha an organization based in goa that immerses its followers in a regimen of meditation and chanting offering what it calls an escape from addiction and materialism the groups founder a former hypnotherapist known as his holiness dr jayant athavale has called the shooting a blessing from god because dr dabholkar had escaped dying from old age
at the time of his murder dr dabholkar had been lobbying intensively for the passage of legislation banning a list of mystical practices including animal sacrifice the magical treatment of snakebites and the sale of magic stones
he had many enemies having spent decades trying to weaken the pervasive cultural influence of gurus godmen and religious activists in india among his endeavors was a roadshow in which activists performed what some people called feats of magic such as lying on a bed of nails in order to debunk them they told crowds just remember miracles can never happen
hamid dabholkar dr dabholkars son said that several years ago dr tawde and his father had lived in the same city where dr tawde led violent protests against his father over the issue of ritual immersions of hindu idols in rivers and lakes dr dabholkar opposed that practice saying it polluted natural water sources
later mr dabholkar said dr tawde confronted his father over the legislation against black magic it indicates that it was cooking for a long time planned and executed in cold blood mr dabholkar said
the police turned their attention to sanatan sanstha immediately after dr dabholkars killing searching its ashram and compiling a list of nearly 100 members to be interrogated after that however the investigation seemed to founder
mr dabholkar said he believed the political authorities and law enforcement officials had been reluctant to single out sanatan sanstha because of its religious nature he said progress seemed to be made only recently after the states high court was directed to monitor the investigation and began to apply pressure
there have been calls to ban sanatan sanstha since 2008 when people linked to the group were convicted of bombing theaters spokesmen for the organization however say it is opposed to the use of violence
inside its goa compound members live a spartan celibate life cataloging their sins each day in handwritten notes that they post on a bulletin board
the organization distributes books and newspapers promoting a movement to establish a hindu nation a step it says is needed to challenge the onslaught of western culture it encourages members to file police complaints against people who criticize hindu dharma and to take actual physical action to promote hindu practices and beliefs
durgesh samant one of the organizations trustees said sanatan sanstha held certain beliefs in common with the rashtriya swayamsevak sangh a hindu nationalist group that is the ideological branch of prime minister narendra modis governing bharatiya janata party
the main difference he said is that sanatan sanstha emphasizes spiritual practices you might say we are like minded on social issues he said


trees and neighbors
i live in a brownstone with a backyard a large branch from a tree in the rear neighbors yard came down in my yard in strong winds the branch is too large for me to move so it will have to be cut up and removed by a professional who is responsible for this expense   the owner of the house in whose yard the tree grows or me if i need to contact the owners how do i determine who that is short of knocking on their door and inquiring
prospect heights brooklyn
take a look at the tree does it seem in good condition does the branch in your yard look as if it was healthy before the wind felled it or does it come from a weak and sickly tree that looks like an accident waiting to happen
all you need to do is look up said bruce f bronster a lawyer who specializes in commercial disputes if the tree looks visibly sick then the owner should have known that the tree was falling apart and if the owner knew about this problem it should have been resolved before mother nature stepped in
tree owners are responsible for maintaining their trees so the trees do not damage property or people bob redman an arborist offered this advice to owners use common sense monitor the tree yourself get it looked at and pruned regularly to make sure theres no hazardous condition a lay person might overlook
if the tree was in poor condition before the windstorm the trees owner should pay to remove the fallen branch but if the tree was healthy then cleaning the debris from your property is your responsibility
regardless determine who owns that tree despite your reluctance the easiest way to accomplish that would be to knock on the neighbors door and ask to speak with the owner if rental tenants answer ask for the landlords contact information you could also try to find information about the property through the automated city register information system or google the address
once you make contact tell the owner about the fallen branch if the tree is unhealthy ask the owner to pay to remove the branch from your property and properly treat what remains of the tree this will also put the owner on notice about any ongoing safety risk and it will protect you should another incident transpire and you need to involve your insurance provider
you dont want your insurance company to say you knew it but you didnt notify us  said mr bronster who suggested notifying the insurance company about any ongoing hazards
you should also alert the city about any sickly or dead trees call 311 to contact the department of housing preservation and development and the buildings department it is also possible that the tree depending on its location belongs to the parks department not the homeowner contact that department as well

parking at a curb cut
on the block where i live a restaurant has an attached garage that it uses as an extra dining room the owners painted the curb cut yellow and painted no parking in large lettering on the sidewalk they posted signs on the garage doors saying they will tow cars yet they park their own delivery vehicle in that space can they claim exclusive right to park at their curb cut
park slope brooklyn
few new yorkers are blessed with a driveway and garage in the city the lucky few enjoy a suburban perk free and convenient parking everyone else must park elsewhere
whether the restaurant uses the garage for its intended purpose it can still restrict parking in the driveway and at the curb cut and post signs on its property publicizing the rules it can even block the curb cut with its own vehicles if someone else blocks the curb cut the owners can call the police and have that car towed
you get a curb cut to your driveway and nobody is allowed to park there to block access said alexander schnell a spokesman for the buildings department
the restaurant cannot however paint the curb yellow or paint a no parking sign on the sidewalk a lesson madonna learned last summer when she gave her own upper east side curb cut the same color treatment
report the painted curb to 311 and the department of transportation could issue a violation this would get the paint taken off the curb but it would not improve your parking options

forgetful shareholder
a shareholder in our co op is a senior who lives alone and is increasingly frail and forgetful this shareholder has lived here for many years and is well liked in the building recently two small fires started in this persons apartment a relative hired live in care but the shareholder fired the caregiver how do we protect the building while respecting our neighbors privacy and independence
gramercy manhattan
your concern for your neighbors autonomy is admirable but you must consider the risk what if he or she leaves the gas on and falls asleep for the sake of everyone living in your building the board needs to intervene
this is never an easy situation as our senior population ages and becomes frail said ronald a sher a real estate lawyer who represents condominium and co op boards nevertheless he added the board has a fiduciary duty to both protect the residents and safeguard the building
the board needs to send a notice to this shareholder   and if possible the family member   demanding that he or she stop causing an unsafe and dangerous condition mr sher said the board should also insist that the resident stop using a stove with an open flame if that was the source of the previous fires a home care aide might be necessary and such a stern notice could persuade your neighbor to keep the next one who is hired
the board cannot ignore the problem out of concern for the shareholders privacy or independence said howard schechter a manhattan real estate lawyer
and eventually the board could begin an eviction proceeding as harsh as this step might sound it would get the family members attention and possibly get an agency like adult protective services involved
sometimes the only way adult protective services will step in is if there is a risk that the impaired shareholder will actually be evicted mr schechter said
these actions might seem insensitive particularly given that the neighbor is well liked in the building but the goal should be to compel your neighbor to make necessary changes so that he or she can safely continue to live at home for as long as possible


each saturday farhad manjoo and mike isaac technology reporters at the new york times review the weeks news offering analysis and maybe a joke or two about the most important developments in the tech industry
mike hail farhad
did you like that intro im getting really into game of thrones this season and i think thats what people used to say when they first saw one another well that or hodor
farhad i read the game of thrones books hodor said hodor is really one of the greatest sentences ever written anyway yes hello mike
mike hodor farhad hodor anyway on with the news
i believe we have officially slipped into the doldrums of summer with slowing tech news nonetheless some stuff happened
for instance larry page googles co founder deciding to invest 100 million in a flying car start up and also investing in one of its competitors clearly this guy cares little about a winning investment and a lot about eventually getting cars in the sky
farhad flying cars the jetsons really is coming true now if only someone would create a robot maid
mike i thought thats what roomba was for if only it sucked up all the dog hair in my house
in more uh down to earth news kids aged 13 to 17 are no longer allowed to have tinder profiles or to use the service according to the company i may not be the expert on how to raise children   in fact im legally bound by the state to never procreate   but i have a hard time thinking kids using tinder is a good idea at all getting rejected every few months in high school is already hard enough much less getting swiped left on every few minutes
this was interesting facebook hired ricky van veen the guy who created collegehumorcom to be facebooks head of global creative strategy which i assume means head of getting media companies to blow up watermelons with rubber bands on live video
farhad i used to be a huge huge fan of collegehumor i totally approve of this move
mike speaking of virality i want to get to something that blew everyones minds this week three little words from the presumptive democratic presidential nominee hillary clinton delete your account
she sent them in response to a tweet from donald j trump the presumptive republican presidential nominee who dissed her on twitter after clinton secured president obamas endorsement this is par for the course for trump and occasionally it incites a bit of banter among clinton or other politicians
no this particular tweet seemed to resonate   at least in part   because clinton or one of her 823 staff handling the twitter account was speaking the language of the internet to diss trump right back the phrase was tailor made for twitter to travel far and wide to be retweeted by web pundits and blasted out by millennial outlets with subheadlines like the first burn of the general election has been scored
since we are both scholars of twitter we should muse on why this seemed to tap into the viral internet so well you first
farhad i was trying to explain this to my wife who doesnt use twitter and i failed i think the main reason hillarys tweet did so well is because delete your account has a very specific nuanced and difficult to explain meaning on twitter   and the fact that hillary seemed to know that it carried special meaning gave her some cred with twitters leading lights of which i am a member
mike farhad
farhad no but seriously delete your account is interesting for one thing it is not a literal request to delete your account i saw some commentators saying that this was like a schoolyard taunt the online equivalent of telling donald to shut up but that gets it wrong
its more like the saying what you said was a little ridiculous and sad and im going to do the hilarious thing of pretending it was so bad that you should no longer even use twitter and my hyperbole will itself be a mike drop does that make sense if not its probably because you dont use twitter which is fine
anyway as philip bump explained in the washington post what was remarkable about hillarys tweet was that she used the phrase correctly as he wrote its like your uncle suddenly turned to you and said you know whos good cool underground band youre amazed hes heard of
now as someone whos been on the receiving end of lots of delete your accounts i can tell you that its hard to recover from one and thats what we saw in responses from reince priebus the republican party chairman and from trump himself
they both tried to tie the tweet back to clintons email scandal but the comeback felt very forced like oh yeah the jerk store called ...
right
mike nice george costanza reference
and youre totally right priebus and trump came back way way later after they realized that clintons tweet landed and resonated with people like us their tweets felt like they were work shopped inside a conference room for 45 minutes with a bunch of college students the uncool ones
heres the thing its cool she got a sick burn or whatever but retweets do not equate to political activism or actual votes everyone loves to share a facebook or twitter post but look at voter turnout over the two decades the people who use twitter are probably not the people doing the voting
maybe thats the true sick burn secretary clinton
i just wonder if any of these conversations amount to anything at all other than a daily news cycle and a raise for the intern who thought it up and fun television hits for us
farhad oh i think this sort of thing has an impact any one tweet does not make a difference of course but over all what happens on twitter makes its way into the rest of the news either directly when cable news shows display pictures of tweets or indirectly in the way it colors how reporters think about the campaign
and id also add that trump himself seems to take twitter insults pretty seriously he spent several days last month battling senator elizabeth warren over some shade she threw at him on twitter so to the extent that his opponent can use twitter owns to rattle him well why not
also that reminds me of something ive been meaning to tell you delete your account
mike fine also never tweet see you next week


everglades national park fla   as the airboat skimmed across the shallow water scattering blue dragonflies and launching a heron into the air keith price squinted into the sun and relished the isolation of floridas unrivaled river of grass
then he cut off the deafening motor making the silence in the park all the sweeter turned his one working ear my way and asked isnt this beautiful
no answer was required but the question itself was a kind of lament private airboating inside the pristine everglades national park a pastime that stretches back decades will officially end with mr price and others like him for mr price 62 it is the latest broadside against the unique but dwindling culture among devotees of the park known as gladesmen their traditions curbed over time by restrictions on hunting and camping development booms and other modern day intrusions
this is the only part of the park where you can ride your own airboat said mr price who calls himself a citizen of the everglades and is the president of the 65 year old airboat association of florida why wouldnt i want to pass this on to my kids and grandkids
beginning this year federal park officials will restrict airboat use to those who in 1989 used them regularly in the eastern part of everglades national park near miami that was the year congress passed a far reaching law to protect and expand the park by nearly 109000 acres and to help it recover from engineering projects that had left the everglades starved for water
in keeping with that mission the law called for the use of airboats in the national park to be phased out regulators say the boats can destroy the saw grass prairies and disturb wildlife with their ear piercing noise
airboat owners who were 16 or older in 1989 will most likely be grandfathered and for the first time given a permit said justin unger the parks deputy superintendent but the permits expire when their holder dies guaranteeing the eventual demise of private airboat use inside the park mr unger said he expected to issue hundreds of such permits if not more mostly on an honor system adding that the park wants to be as generous as possible
the four commercial airboat concessions that ferry tourists around the park will also be affected the three that own their land will have to sell it to the federal park but all four can continue to operate under new park rules mr unger said the owners are unhappy about having to sell their land and eventually hand over their concessions
we are trying to enforce the law in the most evolving respectful way while still honoring the heritage that exists in south florida mr unger said
in addition private airboat riding is allowed in several hundred thousand acres of the everglades that are outside the parks boundaries and in stretches of the neighboring big cypress national preserve
but there is something special about everglades national park folded inside the countrys largest subtropical wilderness it is a flat 15 million acres of marshland hardwood hammocks tangled mangroves and cypress domes on the tip of florida a shallow sheet of water flows slowly south from lake okeechobee across the saw grass and into florida bay attracting a multitude of wading birds snakes alligators fish and frogs
there are no other everglades in the world they are they have always been one of the unique regions of the earth remote never wholly known marjory stoneman douglas marveled in her book the everglades river of grass published in 1947
teeming with mosquitoes and tough to penetrate or tame even the grass will cut your fingers the swampy everglades has long been inhospitable to all but the hardiest airboats built to skim atop the calf deep water with their flat bottoms and back seat propellers helped crack open the door
you cant see the everglades if you cant get in the everglades said jesse kennon owner of coopertown airboats one of the four concessions inside the national park
some of the everglades die hards trace back to the gritty pioneering gladesmen who settled in the wilderness and survived off the land much like the miccosukees and seminoles before them some of these settlers descendants live here still holding tight to traditional habits and culture
todays gladesmen a largely recreational bunch numbering in the hundreds do less surviving and more enjoying they intuit the everglades   their complaints their equilibrium they know what can be eaten the hearts of saw grass leaves they know how to read the savanna like water trails and not get lost they even know how to read the minds of alligators and wrestle them down at least some do
he wants to know if you want to go on a walking tour with him mr kennon ribbed nodding at the alligator that swam silently up to the bobbing airboat stopped and locked eyes with us for several long minutes
mr kennon wrestled his first gator as an 11 year old climbing on its back lifting its chin then tying up its mouth and legs a trick he can still handle at 73 he learned the trade from the miccosukee alligator wrestler bobby tiger who lived on a nearby reservation
mr kennon who lives in the back of his gift shop in the everglades first set foot here as a boy in the 1950s he spent summer vacations with a cousin john cooper who had moved to the everglades from missouri mr cooper built a rustic airboat so the family could ride into the swamp to gig bullfrogs they could sell to restaurants or passers by
in time the business became coopertown airboats which mr kennon took over in 1981 soon film crews and fashion photographers were following him into the photogenic everglades
this is how i make a living off the glades said mr kennon who wears a gold ring in the shape of a gator id go out of my mind working in an office
it is easy to see what the airboaters love about life inside the park the canopy of pink red and orange as the sun sets beyond the grass the bass fishing trips with buddies in isolated hammocks that once housed hunting camps the trumpet blast of the bullfrogs
when the everglades protection law passed in 1989 the members of the airboat association of florida lobbied so effectively to save their land that they got to keep it and their clubhouse of the remaining 200 or so members most are weekenders who use the clubs ramp hang out in the clubhouse and regularly host visiting boy scouts they view themselves as stewards of the park and say they will fight the law as long as commercial airboats which they argue are much larger and more damaging to the park are allowed to remain
mr price who goes by his onetime trucker handle sawgrass cowboy and who could double as walter sobchak a character from the film the big lebowski said small well driven airboats do not harm the saw grass and the wildlife adapted to the noise long ago he said
the airboat sound matches my wifes angry voice joked mr price who grew up near the park and said he took his first steps here as a baby
his friend cecil m pierce 71 who has been airboating for more than three decades said america has just too much government a common grievance among the clubs members a few minutes later mr price snatched a tiny apple from a pond apple flower on park property mr pierce pointed to the sky and said theres a little drone up there watching you
by afternoons end the airboaters navigated back to the club for a beer happy to have skirted the hustle and bustle of another day some people like the ocean mr price said we like the everglades


atlantic city   the trump plaza casino and hotel is now closed its windows clouded over by sea salt only a faint outline of the gold letters spelling out t r u m p remains visible on the exterior of what was once this citys premier casino
not far away the long failing trump marina hotel casino was sold at a major loss five years ago and is now known as the golden nugget
at the nearly deserted eastern end of the boardwalk the trump taj mahal now under new ownership is all that remains of the casino empire donald j trump assembled here more than a quarter century ago years of neglect show the carpets are frayed and dust coated chandeliers dangle above the few customers there to play the penny slot machines
on the presidential campaign trail mr trump the presumptive republican nominee often boasts of his success in atlantic city of how he outwitted the wall street firms that financed his casinos and rode the value of his name to riches a central argument of his candidacy is that he would bring the same business prowess to the oval office doing for america what he did for his companies
atlantic city fueled a lot of growth for me mr trump said in an interview in may summing up his 25 year history here the money i took out of there was incredible
his audacious personality and opulent properties brought attention   and countless players   to atlantic city as it sought to overtake las vegas as the countrys gambling capital but a close examination of regulatory reviews court records and security filings by the new york times leaves little doubt that mr trumps casino business was a protracted failure though he now says his casinos were overtaken by the same tidal wave that eventually slammed this seaside citys gambling industry in reality he was failing in atlantic city long before atlantic city itself was failing
but even as his companies did poorly mr trump did well he put up little of his own money shifted personal debts to the casinos and collected millions of dollars in salary bonuses and other payments the burden of his failures fell on investors and others who had bet on his business acumen
in three interviews with the times since late april mr trump acknowledged in general terms that high debt and lagging revenues had plagued his casinos he did not recall details about some issues but did not question the timess findings he repeatedly emphasized that what really mattered about his time in atlantic city was that he had made a lot of money there
mr trump assembled his casino empire by borrowing money at such high interest rates   after telling regulators he would not   that the businesses had almost no chance to succeed
his casino companies made four trips to bankruptcy court each time persuading bondholders to accept less money rather than be wiped out but the companies repeatedly added more expensive debt and returned to the court for protection from lenders
after narrowly escaping financial ruin in the early 1990s by delaying payments on his debts mr trump avoided a second potential crisis by taking his casinos public and shifting the risk to stockholders
and he never was able to draw in enough gamblers to support all of the borrowing during a decade when other casinos here thrived mr trumps lagged posting huge losses year after year stock and bondholders lost more than 15 billion
all the while mr trump received copious amounts for himself with the help of a compliant board in one instance the times found mr trump pulled more than 1 million from his failing public company describing the transaction in securities filings in ways that may have been illegal according to legal experts
mr trump now says that he left atlantic city at the perfect time the record however shows that he struggled to hang on to his casinos years after the city had peaked and failed only because his investors no longer wanted him in a management role
there are those here who fondly remember mr trumps showmanship the thousands he employed in a struggling city and the tens of millions of dollars in tax revenue his casinos generated
he was a great person for the company said scott c butera the president of mr trumps company at the time of its 2004 bankruptcy with his oversight his brand and marketing hes really adept
many others were glad to see him go
he put a number of local contractors and suppliers out of business when he didnt pay them said steven p perskie who was new jerseys top casino regulator in the early 1990s so when he left atlantic city it wasnt sorry to see you go it was how fast can you get the hell out of here
donald trump darted beneath the 70 gold tipped minarets and nine carved elephants that lined the roof through the lobby and across the casino floor seemingly oblivious to the spectators cries of donald donald and the gamblers clutching bricks of 100 bills at the blackjack tables
it was april 1990 and mr trump was officially opening his third gambling resort in atlantic city the biggest project of his career the 1 billion trump taj mahal
its truly going to be an incredible place he told reporters were calling it the eighth wonder of the world
the taj was certainly of outsize proportions its 42 story tower was new jerseys tallest building and the casino was the worlds largest
in a remarkably short time mr trump had become a commanding figure in atlantic city with his casinos accounting for nearly a third of its gambling revenues and employing more than 8000 people
trump plaza came first in the early 1980s mr trump gained control of a prime spot on the boardwalk unable to get financing to build a casino he forged a partnership with harrahs entertainment a national gambling operator
harrahs agreed to provide mr trump who did not put any additional money into the deal with 220 million in financing to build the project to pay him a 24 million construction management fee and to give him half the profits
the 39 story harrahs at trump plaza opened in 1984
from the start the partners were at odds over its marketing and whose name should be paramount
it wasnt a well designed partnership said philip g satre the retired chairman of harrahs we were a big company with an institutional approach to running a business and he was a real estate entrepreneur who kind of shot from the hip
then mr trump bought hiltons nearly completed casino in the marina district for 320 million calling it trump castle his company issued 352 million in bonds to finish construction and open the casino and tacked on an additional 32 million that casino opened in 1985 and competed directly against his partners first casino harrahs marina
the following year harrahs scuttled its partnership with mr trump and sold him its stake in trump plaza for more than 220 million
next mr trump went after the biggest casino of all the taj mahal which resorts international builder of atlantic citys first casino was erecting after buying a controlling interest in resorts from the estate of its founder mr trump battled the talk show host merv griffin for control of the company
in the end mr griffin got the company while mr trump won the still unfinished taj mahal
even before the taj opened the new jersey casino control commission was concerned about the casinos viability given its rapidly escalating costs and considered revoking its operating license regulators closely monitored the financial performance of the trump casinos and the developers empire
mr trump told the commission in 1988 that he could rein in expenses because conventional lenders were lining up to give him money at low interest rates he said he abhorred junk bonds which were then popular because they carried a bigger risk of default and thus came with higher interest rates
within months he reversed course issuing 675 million worth of junk bonds with a 14 percent interest rate to finish construction and get the taj open in recent interviews mr trump has said that with each financing he routinely took money out of the casinos to invest in manhattan real estate total debt on the taj exceeded 820 million
less than two weeks before the casino opened marvin b roffman a casino analyst at janney montgomery scott an investment firm based in philadelphia told the wall street journal that the taj would need to reap 13 million a day just to make its interest payments a sum no casino had ever achieved
the market just isnt there mr roffman told the journal
mr trump retaliated demanding that janney montgomery scott fire mr roffman it did
it was doomed way before the start said w bucky howard who was promoted by mr trump to president of the taj five days after it opened in a recent interview i told him it was going to fail the taj was underfunded
almost immediately mr trump had trouble making the debt payments on the taj and his other casinos it was also clear that the taj was cannibalizing the castle and the plaza whose combined gambling revenues dropped by 58 million the year it opened
after more than tripling as new casinos opened through the 1980s gambling revenues in atlantic city flattened in 1990 rising by just 135 percent as gamblers grew more cautious in light of a national recession all were hurt recalled mr perskie the casino regulator but none were in the catastrophic financial shape of mr trumps
at the same time mr trumps real estate empire in manhattan where the recession cut property values was also failing
in an august 1990 report new jersey regulators noted the sheer volume of debt on mr trumps holdings 34 billion including 13 billion on the casinos and 8325 million in loans personally guaranteed by mr trump regulators warned then that the possibility of a complete financial collapse of the trump organization was not out of the question
the taj mahal missed its november debt payment the castle was also late
by december 1990 when mr trump needed to make an 184 million interest payment his father fred c trump sent a lawyer to the castle to buy 33 million in chips to provide him with an infusion of cash the younger mr trump made the payment but the casino control commission fined the castle 65000 for what had amounted to an illegal loan
as all of his ventures neared collapse mr trumps lenders insisted that he submit a business plan appoint a chief financial officer for the trump organization and sell among other things the trump shuttle airline his yacht and his stake in new york citys plaza hotel which also filed for bankruptcy protection they also put him on a 450000 a month budget for personal and household expenses
just over a year after it opened the taj mahal was in bankruptcy court followed in 1992 by both the plaza and the castle in the plan that was worked out mr trump ceded to the lenders a 50 percent stake in the businesses in return for lower interest rates the lenders agreed to defer certain principal and interest payments and hold off on personal claims against mr trump for five years but there was little or no reduction in the enormous debts that would plague his gambling empire far into the future
mr trump now says he looks back on the period as his golden era in the casino business
early on i took a lot of money out of the casinos with the financings and the things we do he said in a recent interview atlantic city was a very good cash cow for me for a long time
others were hurt
he helped expand atlantic city but he just did not put the equity into the projects he should have to keep them solvent said h steven norton a casino consultant and a former casino executive at resorts international when he went bankrupt he not only cost bondholders money but he hurt a lot of small businesses that helped him construct the taj mahal
beth rosser of west chester pa is still bitter over what happened to her father whose company triad building specialties nearly collapsed when mr trump took the taj into bankruptcy it took three years to recover any money owed for his work on the casino she said and her father received only 30 cents on the dollar
trump crawled his way to the top on the back of little guys one of them being my father said ms rosser who runs triad today he had no regard for thousands of men and women who worked on those projects he says hell make america great again but his past shows the complete opposite of that
donald trump has said that his brushes with financial disaster in the early 1990s reminded him of a lesson his father had taught him do not leave yourself on the hook for loans
my father knew like i knew you dont personally guarantee mr trump is quoted saying in trumpnation the art of being the donald by timothy l obrien a former reporter for the times ive told people i didnt follow my own advice
his agreements with lenders and the two casino bankruptcies in those years still left mr trump personally responsible for more than 100 million in debt and his agreements had only delayed the day of reckoning to june 30 1995
he dealt with that danger by first shifting much of his personal debt onto his casinos then onto a new group shareholders
step 1 came in 1993 when his company sold more junk bonds adding another 100 million in debt to the trump plaza casino more than half of the new money went to pay off mr trumps unrelated personal loans
then in june 1995 with the risk of being forced into bankruptcy just weeks away mr trump shifted ownership of the plaza casino to a new publicly traded company trump hotels and casino resorts in the initial public offering 10 million shares were sold at 14 at the same time the company also sold another 155 million in junk bonds at a 155 percent interest rate
becoming a public company burdened mr trump with the responsibility of putting shareholders interests first but mr trump the largest shareholder and chairman of the board could generally meet that obligation by obtaining approval from his board of directors and disclosing financial details in securities filings the boards three outside members were widely seen as bowing to his wishes
a week after the initial public offering the new company began using some of the almost 300 million it had raised to clear mr trumps personal debts during his financial pinch two years earlier chemical bank had forced mr trump to give up his ownership of the trump regency a hotel next to the trump plaza he held an option to buy it back for 60 million which included debt on the hotel and 359 million that he personally owed the bank from his purchase of a manhattan property the new company exercised that option in effect transferring mr trumps debt to its own balance sheet
in 1996 the public company issued more stock and sold 11 billion in junk bonds the money was used in part to pay off 330 million in bonds on the plaza that had been guaranteed by a company mr trump controlled as well as almost 30 million that mr trump personally owed to two banks the company also bought the trump taj mahal and trump castle   soon renamed the trump marina   shifting more of mr trumps debt to shareholders
mr trump celebrated his 50th birthday that june at the taj mahal with the beach boys onstage a flurry of news articles said he was back some even quoted mr roffman the analyst whom mr trump had gotten fired giving mr trump credit for turning things around mr roffman had won a 750000 arbitration award from janney montgomery for his dismissal and settled a lawsuit against mr trump for an undisclosed sum
but some analysts   and the stock market   saw the 525 million that the public company had paid for the castle as too much the stock began a long slide falling from about 35 a share before the sale to 12 months later shareholders sued alleging that the castles purchase price which included roughly 175 million in cash to mr trumps private holding company had been a gross and unjustified sweetheart deal for mr trump he later settled the suit
another crucial deadline came in 1998 mr trump personally owed 135 million to donaldson lufkin  jenrette the investment bank that had underwritten the initial public offering in 1995 under the terms of that loan he was in danger of defaulting because the stock price of trump hotels and casino resorts had fallen so low a default would have made him lose control of the company instead the casino company lent him the money to pay back the bankers a shareholder sued accusing the board of directors of breaching its fiduciary responsibility
thcr is a casino and entertainment company the lawsuit filed in 1999 said it is not in the business of loaning money the company desperately needed and needs cash to shore up its deteriorating financial condition the suit was dropped in 2000 shortly after mr trump paid the company back
indeed the company posted losses of 66 million in 1996 42 million in 1997 and 40 million in 1998 those losses would continue
still mr trump made money receiving 1 million a year for what was essentially a part time job in 1996 he was paid a 5 million bonus the public company lent him 3 million to cover costs he had incurred while exploring whether to open a casino in indiana then forgave the loan when the stock met price targets
the casino company leased office space in trump tower in manhattan and mr trumps other businesses were paid to entertain its high end customers it was later alleged in a lawsuit that at least part of the money was paid for big name performers including celine dion tony bennett and billy joel who had appeared at mar a lago mr trumps resort in palm beach fla in its response mr trumps company did not challenge that allegation
trump casinos reported paying about 300000 a year in pilot costs to transport high rollers in mr trumps jet the company never disclosed in securities filings just how much the jet was used for casino purposes
the public companys collapse began in 1999 just three years after spending about 60 million to buy back the former trump regency hotel and pumping in millions for renovations the company closed it the company spent another 26 million to demolish the building taking a 125 million write off
in 2000 mr trump fired the chief executive and installed himself in the role promising he would turn things around the share price was by then hovering near 3
stock price is always a concern mr trump told the associated press at the time i was focused very much on my manhattan real estate over the last number of years now im going to be focused much more in atlantic city
though he has acknowledged mistakes in piling crippling debt on trump hotels and casino resorts donald trump has steadfastly maintained that his resorts were the best run and highest performing casinos in atlantic city
the casinos have done very well from a business standpoint he told playboy magazine in 2004 people agree that theyre well run they look good and customers love them
in reality the revenue at mr trumps casinos had consistently lagged behind their competitors for a decade before larger forces ravaged the industry beginning in 1997 his share of the atlantic city gambling market began to slip from its peak of 30 percent
revenues at other atlantic city casinos rose 18 percent from 1997 through 2002 mr trumps fell by 1 percent
competition grew more intense in 2003 when the borgata hotel casino and spa opened the 11 billion 40 story resort redefined the concept of an atlantic city luxury casino revenues at trump casinos dropped another 6 percent in a little more than a year
had mr trumps revenues grown at the rate of other atlantic city casinos his company could have made its interest payments and possibly registered a profit but with sagging revenues and high costs his casinos had too little money for renovations and improvements which are vital for hotels to attract guests the public company never logged a profitable year
theres something not right when every single one of your projects doesnt work out said mr roffman the casino analyst
in a recent interview mr trump attributed his declining market share in those years to the fact that his three casinos were competing with one another a tacit acknowledgment that he overbuilt
that was the bad news he said the good news is that i saved a lot of money in terms of dealing with costs
the year the borgata opened mr trump was already asking his bondholders to accept less money in preparation for a third casino bankruptcy yet at the same time he managed to pull more money out of the company for himself the times found
since taking trump hotels and casino resorts public mr trump had been bound by a contribution agreement that required him to engage in the gambling businesses only through his own company and banned him from personally owning more than 5 percent of the stock in any other casino company so when he bought 10 percent of the shares in riviera hotel and casino a company based in las vegas mr trump was required to grant an option to purchase the shares to his public corporation
however when mr trump sold the riviera shares in april 2004 the company which was entitled to the proceeds simply canceled the option without explanation
the companys description of the sale did not disclose mr trumps profit or how he had sold the shares but in its securities filings riviera reported that mr trump had sold the shares in a privately negotiated sale for 10 a share well above the going price that would have generated a gain of more than 1 million
asked to review the transaction by the times james d cox a professor at duke university law school who specializes in corporate and securities law said such material omissions of fact in the filings by the trump company could have resulted in criminal charges if it is knowing and willful though such charges are rare
i think the biggest thing is it understates his compensation mr cox said
at the time the company was also asking its lenders for a break and headed toward another bankruptcy
basically that sounds like a fraudulent conveyance said david skeel a bankruptcy law professor at the university of pennsylvania law school
the company is throwing away money professor skeel said its the equivalent of giving big bonuses to your executives right before you file for bankruptcy
but lawyers involved in the bankruptcy case said the transaction had apparently gone unnoticed
in a recent interview mr trump said that he did not recall the transaction or why the board had canceled its option
months later in november 2004 the company filed for bankruptcy protection the third such trip for trump casinos
this time bondholders took a 500 million loss mr trump who stepped down as chief executive but remained chairman of the board agreed to invest 55 million of his own money in the company perhaps his first cash investment he still received 2 million a year under a services agreement which included the use of his name
shares sometimes traded below a dollar but mr trump said the problems had been fixed
for the first time ever this will be a deleveraged company mr trump told the las vegas sun in 2005
not everyone agreed mr trumps longtime investment bankers at donaldson lufkin  jenrette had backed out of a deal with mr trump to invest in the company shortly before the bankruptcy was filed suing for 26 million in fees the bankers said in court papers that the casinos would be back in bankruptcy court within five years because mr trumps revenue projections were too rosy and the company was still carrying too much debt
the trump name does not connote high quality amenities and first class service in the casino industry lawyers for the investment bank said rather the trump name is associated with the failure to pay ones debts a company that has lost money every year and properties in need of significant deferred maintenance and lagging behind their competitors the dispute was later settled
when donald trump has been pressed on his casinos performance during his presidential campaign he has repeatedly said he left atlantic city at the right time
atlantic city is a disaster and i did great in atlantic city he said during a republican party debate last september according to a transcript i knew when to get out my timing was great and i got a lot of credit for it
that would suggest mr trump willingly left sometime around 2006 the year that revenues peaked in atlantic city and that pennsylvania allowed its first casino to open a development that marked the start of a rapid downward spiral in the city the drop off was exacerbated by the recession that began in 2008
but in early 2009 as trump casinos lurched toward bankruptcy for the fourth time mr trump was still trying to hang on at loggerheads with board members who had been selected by bondholders after the 2004 bankruptcy he offered to buy all or a part of the casino company bearing his name he was rebuffed and he quit the board soon after
testifying in bankruptcy court in camden nj mr trump argued that the company could not use his name since shortly before filing the bankruptcy it had stopped paying him the 166000 a month he received under the services agreement he testified that his brand was worth 3 billion he also testified that he was personally negotiating the settlement of a lawsuit in florida that would yield more than 100 million for the company
and contradicting what he had said after the prior bankruptcy he testified that the companys debt load was still too high
this time the debt is being cut by a lot and the company is really poised he said
there were odd moments on the stand mr trump for example vastly understated his role saying he became very much less involved with the company during years when he was actually chairman of the board and chief executive and was on the board in a very minority position during years when he had been chairman
as in previous cases others warned that mr trumps promises should not be trusted this time it was carl c icahn the activist investor who had a major stake in the company the two men now describe themselves as friends and mr icahn supports mr trumps candidacy
mr icahns team argued that the remaining debt was still unsupportable that the trump name was replaceable and that a windfall from the florida lawsuit was wishful thinking under mr trump the company had a long history of making rosy revenue projections and never meeting them mr icahns lawyer argued
but a judge approved the trump plan and noted that mr trump and his supporters had established that the trump brand is worth millions of dollars to the casinos
this time bondholders gave up about 13 billion in exchange for control of the company for the first time mr trump had no official role at the company he had founded and he owned no more than 10 percent
in a recent interview mr trump acknowledged that he left atlantic city when he did because he failed in his effort to buy back the casinos but he said the timing worked out well for him in the end
in 2009 they were worth a hell of a lot more than they are now he said sometimes youre better off lucky than good
trump marina was soon sold for 38 million less than 10 percent of what the company paid mr trump for it in 1996 the plaza was shuttered the florida lawsuit that mr trump had valued at more than 100 million produced nothing for the company mr trump and his daughter ivanka sued the company saying their brand was being tarnished by the ramshackle appearance of the taj mahal
mr trump continued to earn money from the casinos in 2011 the casinos reported leasing a trump helicopter for 390000 and spending 236000 for trump labeled merchandise including 197000 for trump ice bottled water
in retrospect david hanlon a veteran casino executive who ran merv griffins atlantic city operations at the time of the resorts battle said mr trump succeeded in repeatedly convincing investors bankers and wall street that his name had real value
they were so in love with him that they came back a second third and fourth time mr hanlon said they let him strip out assets it was awful to watch it was astonishing i have to give trump credit for using his celebrity time and time again
in 2014 the casino company filed for bankruptcy protection for the fifth time the chief executive cited the debt level after the 2009 bankruptcy as the primary reason
for a time mr trump lent a glamorous sheen to the faded resort city but some of his former investors no longer see the value
people underestimated donald trumps ability to pillage the company said sebastian pignatello a private investor who at one time held stock in the trump casinos worth more than 500000 he drove these companies into bankruptcy by his mismanagement the debt and his pillaging


twenty eight years ago jeff weaver was a lowly campaign aide driving an obscure left wing congressional candidate around vermont in a yugo
now mr weaver is well known enough from his stinging appearances in the press and on television to be slammed by cher in april the singer called jeffweaver scum on twitter and with the help of emojis more scatological epithets
cher is a devoted hillary clinton supporter mr weaver 50 is senator bernie sanderss campaign manager and his closest aide and consigliere
as the democratic race for president winds down some party strategists have complained that mr weaver is the vermont senators enabler in chief a true believer who could encourage his boss to keep fighting on after the june 14 primary in washington dc even though mrs clinton has mathematically locked up the nomination others think mr weaver may be the one person who can coax mr sanders into a conciliatory stance
he hasnt revealed much yet to reassure either camp sure there will be a roll call eventually he said in a phone interview on friday referring to the democratic convention my plan until then is to help the senator do whatever he wants to do to further the political revolution
for the moment at least mr weaver holds the political world in suspense is he going to broker a peace agreement or will he be the last man standing on the bernie barricades
its a delicate moment in the sanders campaign like the times up music that shoos oscar winners off the stage at the academy awards show the cascade of clinton endorsements this last week   president obama senator elizabeth warren vice president joe biden   are drowning out mr sanderss un acceptance speech
on television clinton supporters continue to gingerly humor the senator insisting he should take his time
in private those same strategists drum their fingers roll their eyes and look pointedly at their watches as they circle mr weaver
mr weaver who is bald bearded and wears glasses looks like many other washington political operatives who roundelay on cable news shows since the sanders campaign started he has become adept at talk show sparring but he isnt typical instead he is a rather glaring reminder of what has made the sanders campaign so different   and unpredictable
mr weaver had left politics and was running a comic book and gaming store in falls church va when mr sanders tapped him for the job he had never managed a presidential campaign before the recorded message on his personal cellphone still takes messages for victory comics
he was an unlikely choice but possibly the best one for the willful and demanding self described democratic socialist who after meeting with president obama on thursday assured supporters at a rally in washington dc that we are still standing mr sanders relies on longtime loyalists to work round the clock
mr weaver calls himself mr sanderss lieutenant he didnt say robin though when pressed he said his favorite superhero is batman
ive worked for bernie since i was 20 years old so i am still inspired by what he has to say but you know ive been with him so long mr weaver said in a deserted hotel cafeteria on june 7 the day of the california primary
i think one of the reasons why he asked me is that he knows i know how he thinks mr weaver said im here to do what bernie wants to get done by and large i understand what that is before he ...  mr weaver paused and changed tack without having to ask him about it
those who have worked with him on capitol hill say he is more influential than he lets on
he is the one staff person who is both loyal to bernie sanders and clearly not intimidated by him in the least said luke albee a former chief of staff to the democratic senators patrick leahy of vermont and mark warner of virginia mr albee met mr weaver in the 1980s when mr weaver was a boston university student lobbying senator leahy on behalf of soviet jewry
he didnt look like a typical student mr albee said he was smart a fast speaker and he looked 40 mr weaver later left bu after being suspended for among other things student protests against apartheid
mr albee said he didnt know in which direction mr weaver would prod mr sanders if any if i were to guess i would think he wants to come up with a plan to land the plane smoothly mr albee said at least i hope so
carol davis the treasurer for mr sanderss first senate campaign said she was astounded when mr weaver was appointed campaign manager but later decided it made sense with bernie and jeff its sometimes hard to tell where one ends and the other begins she said
and perhaps accordingly mr weaver has been cast as the heavy in news reports that the dwindling sanders campaign is riven between die hards and professional consultants who prefer to get back on the good side of the democratic establishment mr weaver disagreed
the senator he drives this train mr weaver said its not a staff driven or consultant driven campaign
mr weaver has made enemies on capitol hill and inside the democratic national committee but he appears to get along quite well with his opposite number in the clinton campaign robby mook in fact mr mook and mr weaver seem to have the kind of back channel entente   and camaraderie   that the soviet foreign minister eduard shevardnadze and secretary of state jim baker shared during the cold war
i get along with jeff extraordinarily well mr mook said noting that he speaks to mr weaver by phone often he is obviously a tough opponent who did a masterful job but i consider him a good and close colleague
tad devine mr sanderss chief strategist is described by some political analysts as the insider most eager to make peace with the clinton forces mr devine said he thinks of mr weaver as a friend and ally not a rival jeff looks tough and aggressive on television mr devine said hes smart and hes not afraid to stay stuff but off camera hes steady really smart and good company we laugh a lot
it was not so jolly inside the sanders war room on hollywood boulevard in los angeles on the night of the california primary the two top aides sat near each other as the returns began coming in not so much together as in parallel play mr devine watched cnn on a laptop and made droll comments about the commentators mr weaver was crouched over a different computer with the campaigns pollster ben tulchin staring at early returns
those results showed mrs clinton with a much stronger lead than the sanders team had hoped for and the room grew quieter younger campaign aides studied their screens with the strained intensity of gamblers watching a roulette ball circle closer and closer to zero mr weaver maintained good humor   albeit gallows humor   and made phone calls
mr weaver while respected by his peers isnt a clubbable washingtonian when vermonters refer to him as a st albans boy they dont mean he is an alumnus of the elite private school in washington dc that al gore and secretary of state john kerry attended mr weaver was raised in st albans vt a small rural town near the canadian border
he has french canadian roots his grandmother was named violet champagne he was educated by nuns and considers himself as social justice catholic his three children attended catholic schools from 1985 to 1989 he was in the united states marine corps reserves
while working for mr sanders he went to georgetown law school where he met his wife barbara butterworth 49 who shares his progressive politics and is a criminal defense lawyer for indigent clients
jeff enjoys taking on the powers that be ms butterworth said
mr weaver said he doesnt know what he will do after the campaign he said he wasnt sure if he would return to the comics store and he doesnt seem likely to become a hired gun on the democratic circuit
when asked what other politicians he could work for mr weaver gave the name of paul wellstone the progressive minnesota senator who died in a plane crash in 2002 the other name that came to mind was the california representative barbara lee the only member of congress to vote in 2001 against the authorization of use of force after the sept 11 attacks
post convention mr weaver could certainly pursue a career as a left of center political commentator he could also he joked make weight loss infomercials since he has lost 30 pounds during the campaign
he seems to be tickled by his sudden fame and chuckled about a recent encounter on the msnbc program hardball with chris matthews when mr matthews scolded mr weaver for not having yet released mr sanderss tax returns mr weaver pointed out that mr matthewss wife kathleen didnt release their tax returns when she ran for a congressional seat last year ms matthews lost the primary
mr matthews clearly taken aback suggested the analogy was unfair this is hardball chris mr weaver replied evenly
mr weaver too has campaigned for office in 1990 he ran as an independent against the incumbent mayor of st albans his concession words back then could turn out to be prophetic people havent seen the last of jeff weaver


this spring azara bernard 18 turned to her sister archel bernard a designer in her native liberia to whip up a dress for her prom in atlanta i wanted to wear the most beautiful and vibrant blue print i could find one that would highlight my difference she said
i feel like our generation is getting more proud of where we come from she went on were our own little african goddesses i want to represent that
julie cheeks a 17 year old high school senior from providence ri chose a stylized west african pattern on a crimson ground to wear to her prom last week i wanted to show my culture said ms cheeks who is liberian i wanted my classmates to get a taste of what african style looks like
they are two in a new breed of style stars killing it on prom night as their peers might say by showing off dresses that are as brash and sexy as they are original
more often than not their red carpet is instagram where grouped under hashtags like blackgirlmagic and blackgirlsrock they celebrate their fashion sense and their heritage in kaleidoscopically colorful african prints
until recently african style it wasnt cool said ms bernard the designer its cool now she maintained expressive of a sociocultural shift thats been years in the making
the trend stems today from the larger culture of black women embracing themselves and their beauty said veronica wells an associate editor of madamenoire a web based style guide for young black women once on that path ms wells said you start wanting to investigate your roots and your background and start distancing yourself from a strictly european standard of beauty
no question that in their shape enhancing dresses made from traditional ghanaian senegalese or liberian fabrics many of these women have become internet sensations when daniella eta 17 made her entrance at her prom in cincinnati wearing a dress of kente cloth she could not have anticipated the response the snapshot of ms eta posted on instagram on the night of her prom ricocheted around the web
all night the notifications kept on coming she said by morning i realized that over 40 famous instagram accounts had posted my prom photo
still such reactions are scarcely a match for those overwhelming the woman who arguably started it all
a year ago kyemah mcentyre 19 conceived and sketched the floor length bouffant gown she wore to her prom in east orange nj in homage to the dashiki the elaborately patterned tunic widely adopted in this country in the 1960s as an emblem of black pride ms mcentyres dress was intended to fly in the face of convention   and conventional notions of beauty
i remember growing up and oftentimes comparing myself to women with straighter hair lighter skin she said i thought why arent i beautiful in my natural state her instagram post in which she showed off her prom dress went viral and was instantly picked up on facebook twitter and in the international news media
today ms mcentyre 19 a student at parsons school of design in new york has a capsule line of her own and a client list that has included tyra banks and naturi naughton the lead in the starz drama power
i do feel ive inspired a lot of women ms mcentyre said a small catch in her voice that was actually the point of it all
in some quarters the concept of an afrocentric prom dress can still raise eyebrows after discussing how beautiful it was and that i would do an african theme with a teacher i was told it wasnt really something you wear to prom makalaya zanders posted this month on her instagram account
she stuck with her plan nonetheless i wanted to make a point that i am comfortable with my melanin and roots she wrote
one can hear in her argument echoes of an earlier era teta gorgoni a partner with her daughter maya in royal jelly harlem an african inspired fashion line recalled there was a time in the 60s when i was coming into my own identity the time of black is beautiful   the head wraps the natural hair the iconic role models like angela davis im reminded of that
today the trend derives much of its impetus from twitter and instagram hashtags like blackgirlmagic melaninpoppin and melaninonfleek said danielle canada an editor at bossip a web destination covering african american pop culture and entertainment we started to see it last year but its really picked up this year she said definitely this trend has gone national
the movement if it is that is inspired by and reflected in ballyhooed events like the afro punk festival held each year in paris brooklyn and atlanta in broadway productions like eclipsed its star lupita nyongo a dark skinned role model for many young black women swathed in a mash up of liberian prints and at art fairs around the country showcasing among other african artists works by yinka shonibare whose mannequins are draped in giddily patterned afro colonial garb
high wattage personalities have played a part solange knowles who at one time used dutch african prints as her aesthetic signature makes no secret of her motivation
fashion is political she said in my connection to prints ive been making a political statement
so many times in society black women try and blend in she added but she is determined at least some of the time to flag her difference
the moment i wear what i wear you can see me she said there is no way to avoid seeing me
others seem bent on following her lead and more recently that of her more famous sister
it doesnt hurt that beyonce is often photographed in african prints ms bernard said in fact the star and her celebrity ilk have been photographed wearing the high end riotously patterned frocks of stella jean a milan based label and african pattern designs of valentino prada and junya watanabe as well
others less established are starting to make waves in addition to its off the rack creations royal jelly harlem sells custom designed gowns in ghanese senegalese liberian and malian textiles priced at 475 to 895
the demand for african inspired dresses has been growing for the past two or three years said kimberley mensah aborampa whose ghanaian pattern special occasion and prom gowns sell on etsy for about 90 each in ghana where ms mensah aborampa works part of each year these patterns arent special she said but here african prints for prom dresses are the in thing
no need to clue in deandre crenshaw the cleveland designer who dreamed up the dashiki inspired prom dress worn by his friend and muse ms zanders when that dress went on the web he said i received calls from everywhere africa london and even china this was new for me its been a lot because im working on my own
at indelible couture his company business is surging mr crenshaw said i had to go buy a new sewing machine


stephanie danler was ready to start drinking
hey chris can we open these she asked chris bordeaux an aptly named manager of uva a cozy wine and spirits store in brooklyns williamsburg neighborhood ms danler a petite blonde with a heart shaped face dominated by piercing ice blue eyes pointed to two bottles of wine chilling in a bowl
on a sunny afternoon late last month the los angeles resident she moved there from brooklyn in january had cause to celebrate at one of her old neighborhood haunts her first novel sweetbitter published on may 24 was generating excitement in both literary and foodie circles it cracked the new york timess hardcover fiction best seller list at no 14 on june 3
a bildungsroman about a naive young woman who gets an advanced education in eats drink sex and drugs after landing a job at an elite manhattan restaurant sweetbitter is the first of a two book deal that ms danler now 32 signed with the publisher alfred a knopf for a high six figure sum in late 2014
the novel offers a dishy but acutely observed insiders view of the goings on behind the scenes at a temple of fine dining one ms danler freely acknowledges is modeled on the estimable union square cafe she worked there as a backwaiter essentially a backup to the waiters for a year after moving to new york in 2006 following her graduation from kenyon college in gambier ohio
later that evening she would head to bookcourt an independent bookstore in brooklyns cobble hill neighborhood for her first public reading and a q and a with gabrielle hamilton the chef and owner of prune and a best selling author shes one of my idols in food and in writing ms danler said nervously adding that when she was still looking for restaurant jobs shed twice sent resumes to prune
at bookcourt ms hamilton praised sweetbitter saying its so damned good she would call it the kitchen confidential of our time in a review of the book in the new york times but why she asked ms danler did she choose to write a novel rather than a memoir
ms danler who divorced in 2015 replied that fiction gave her the freedom to knead and reshape her experiences rather than merely recounting them i used a lot of facts from my real life so i didnt have to research anything she said but the liberty of writing it as fiction was so amazing it got to be this rich composite
but back to the wine store ms danlers visit there was a homecoming of sorts she worked at uva on weekends a few years back while earning her mfa in creative writing at the new school and writing sweetbitter
before that the shop had been her go to wine store when she first moved to williamsburg uva had affordable wines between 10 and 15 she said and since i had a job now at union square cafe i wanted to keep up
she did more than keep up her post union square cafe resume includes certificates earned from the wine  spirit education trust at the international wine center and stints at tinto fino a wine store now closed and as beverage director and then general manager of tia pol a well regarded tapas bar in chelsea she also worked as a waitress at buvette
not bad for a girl who to borrow ms danlers own line from sweetbitter once selected her wines by the animals on the label in college i drank yellow tail like everyone else she said referring to the inexpensive australian wine with a kangaroo on its bottles
jordan she hollered over to jordan rodman a knopf publicist who was escorting ms danler to publicity events she just got me to admit to drinking yellow tail this is a disaster
wandering the racks at uva   no yellow tail in sight   ms danler pointed to bottles as if hailing old friends oh look here are juras she said waving at a display of wines from the jura region in france it was a wine geek favorite a few years ago
she sees a symbiotic relationship between her appreciation for wine and food and love of language food and wine lends itself to adjectives to metaphor she said all youre doing when youre describing wine   i mean there arent really strawberries in beaujolais   is drawing metaphors and making allusions its so personal
time to try some wine mr bordeaux opened the winemaker arianna occhipintis sp68 bianco 2013 which is a white wine from sicily priced at 30 and lucien aviets arbois trousseau les bruyeres 2014 a red from the jura that sells for 35
ms danler called both delicious she especially admired the light crimson hue of the bruyeres oh my god look at the color on this she said theres a trousseau in my book too but not this one
she took another sip and grinned i could do this all day just drink wine and talk about it


there are many moments throughout my average day that lacking print reading material in a previous era were once occupied by thinking or observing my surroundings walking or waiting somewhere riding the subway lying in bed unable to sleep or before mustering the energy to get up
now though i often find myself in these situations picking up my phone to check a notification browse and read the internet text use an app or listen to audio or on rare occasions engage in an old fashioned telephone call the last remaining place im guaranteed to be alone with my thoughts is in the shower
finding moments to engage in contemplative thinking has always been a challenge since were distractible said nicholas carr author of the shallows but now that were carrying these powerful media devices around with us all day long those opportunities become even less frequent for the simple reason that we have this ability to distract ourselves constantly
neuroplasticity or the brains ability to change due to technological use is a hot topic usually the tone is alarmist though sometimes its optimistic
take video games one study revealed improvements in memory and focus for older adults when playing a simple road racing game in another study playing super mario 64 was observed to yield increases in gray matter in regions of the brain associated with memory planning and spatial navigation
but these cognitive abilities are distinct from mentally sequestered rumination in a world in which a phone or computer is rarely more than arms length away are we eliminating introspection at times that may have formerly been conducive to it and is the depth of that reflection compromised because we have retrained ourselves to seek out the immediate gratification of external stimuli
a few neuroscientific studies reveal the extent to which we are dependent on our electronic devices and suggest how in doing so we may be impairing our reflective abilities a 2015 paper in the journal plos one measured smartphone use via an app from participants ages 18 to 33 and also asked them to report their estimates
if the data is any indication most of us use our phones more than we think participants estimated an average of 37 uses throughout the day anything that turns on the screen from hitting snooze to making a call but the actual number was around 85 the slight majority took less than 30 seconds participants also underestimated duration of use by about an hour   the real total was 505 hours   which included phone calls and listening to music when the screen was off
if you are awake for 16 hours turning on or checking your phone 85 times means doing so about once every 11 minutes and doesnt account for internet use on a computer and 505 hours is over 30 percent of the day what might be the effect on reflection of this compulsive behavior
in 2010 researchers led by dr stephen fleming at the wellcome trust center for neuroimaging at university college london published a paper in the journal science in which they correlated introspective ability with the amount of gray matter in the prefrontal cortex introspective ability was defined for the study as the accuracy of measuring ones own performance on a visual perception task a sign of metacognition or thinking about thinking
using this information about the prefrontal cortex brian maniscalco and hakwan lau published a paper in neuroscience of consciousness in 2015 that measured introspective ability while subjects were either able to focus on one task or distracted by a difficult second task being distracted by the second task didnt hurt actual performance on the first task but it did impair the subjects ability to be introspective again by accurately self reporting how they did the finding supports previous widespread evidence that multitasking leads to lower cognitive performance with again other studies showing some beneficial effects of multitasking
it is therefore a reasonable conjecture dr fleming said if we think of navigating the world   physically as a flaneur might or mentally when pondering something   as a first task and looking at ones phone as a second task that the latter hinders our capacity to reflect
the prefrontal cortex is good at doing one thing at a time he said if you put people in a dual task setting part of the reason things become impaired is because that secondary task interferes with the functions involved in introspection
it seems counterintuitive to say that we are entering an unreflective cultural phase as our time tends to be criticized for its self absorption but our solipsism is frequently given outward expression rather than inward exploration with more emphasis than ever before on images when there is text new media such as instagram commonly sideline the role of language
the selfie is too easy a fish to shoot in this particular barrel but consider the tweet its name phonically close to thought its brevity is the perfect length for an aphorism and little more unless someone rattles off a sequence of tweets
for a certain percentage of the population the thoughts that they may have kept private in a pre smartphone age   letting them marinate and perhaps deepen till they could no longer be articulated in fewer than 140 characters   are now ejected into a public forum
moreover the internet typically rewards speed over all else a quality at odds with deliberative thought   and our appetite for velocity is only increasing as data transfer rates improve in 2006 forrester research found that online shoppers expected web pages to load in under four seconds three years later the number was shaved to two seconds slower web pages led many shoppers to look elsewhere
by 2012 google engineers had discovered that when results take longer than two fifths of a second to appear people search less and lagging just one quarter of a second behind a rival site can drive users away
that hints at the way that as our technologies increase the intensity of stimulation and the flow of new things we adapt to that pace mr carr said we become less patient when moments without stimulation arise we start to feel panicked and dont know what to do with them because weve trained ourselves to expect this stimulation   new notifications and alerts and so on
what this often translates to in the discourse of the internet is demand for immediate and perfunctory hot takes rather than carefully weighed judgments whether theyre about serious or superficial matters
mr carr also noted counterarguments formulating relatively simple thoughts on the internet can yield more complex ones through real time exchanges with others and people whose reflex is to post a notion hastily rather than let it sit may not have been the most deliberative thinkers in a pre smartphone time either
nevertheless he sees our current direction as indicative of the loss of the contemplative mind he said weve adopted the google ideal of the mind which is that you have a question that you can answer quickly close ended well defined questions lost in that conception is that theres also this open ended way of thinking where youre not always trying to answer a question youre trying to go where that thought leads you as a society were saying that that way of thinking isnt as important anymore its viewed as inefficient
mr carr observed that for decades rodins 1902 sculpture the thinker epitomized the highest form of contemplation a figure with an imposing physique staring abstractly downward hunched over to block out distraction frozen because its a statue of course but also because deep thinkers need time and dont fidget its hard to imagine a postmodern update called the tweeter being quite so inspirational


belleville wis   drive past the dairy farms cornfields and horse pastures here and you will eventually arrive at cate machine  welding a small town business run by gene and lori cate and their sons for 46 years the cates have welded many things   fertilizer tanks jet fighter parts cheese molds even a farmers broken glasses
and like many small businesses they have a dusty old computer humming away in the back office on this one however an unusual spy versus spy battle is playing out the machine has been taken over by chinese hackers
the hackers use it to plan and stage attacks but unbeknown to them a silicon valley start up is tracking them here in real time watching their every move and in some cases blocking their efforts
when they first told us we said no way mr cate said one afternoon recently over pizza and cheese curds recalling when he first learned the computer server his family used to manage its welding business had been secretly repurposed we were totally freaked out ms cate said we had no idea we could be used as an infiltration unit for chinese attacks
on a recent thursday the hackers targets appeared to be a silicon valley food delivery start up a major manhattan law firm one of the worlds biggest airlines a prominent southern university and a smattering of targets across thailand and malaysia the new york times viewed the action on the cates computer on the condition that it not name the targets
the activity had the hallmarks of chinese hackers known as the c0d0s0 group a collection of hackers for hire that the security industry has been tracking for years over the years the group has breached banks law firms and tech companies and once hijacked the forbes website to try to infect visitors computers with malware
there is a murky and much hyped emerging industry in selling intelligence about attack groups like the c0d0s0 group until recently companies typically adopted a defensive strategy of trying to make their networks as impermeable as possible in hopes of repelling attacks today so called threat intelligence providers sell services that promise to go on the offensive they track hackers and for annual fees that can climb into the seven figures they try to spot and thwart attacks before they happen
these companies have a mixed record of success still after years of highly publicized incidents gartner a market research company expects the market for threat intelligence to reach 1 billion next year up from 255 million in 2013
remarkably many attacks rely on a tangled maze of compromised computers including those mom and pop shops like cate machine  welding the hackers arent after the cates data rather they have converted their server and others like it into launchpads for their attacks
these servers offer the perfect cover they arent terribly well protected and rarely if ever do the owners discover that their computers have become conduits for spies and digital thieves and who would suspect the cate family
two years ago the cates received a visit from men informing them that their server had become a conduit for chinese spies the cates asked are you from the nsa
one of the men had in fact worked at the national security agency years before joining a start up company area 1 that focuses on tracking digital attacks against businesses its like being a priest said blake darche area 1s chief security officer of his nsa background in other peoples minds you never quite leave the profession
mr darche wanted to add the cates server to area 1s network of 50 others that had been co opted by hackers area 1 monitors the activity flowing into and out of these computers to glean insights into attackers methods tools and websites so that it can block them from hitting its clients networks or give them a heads up days weeks or even months before they hit
the cates called a family meeting people work really hard to make products and theyre getting stolen ms cate said it seemed like the least we could do area 1 paid for the installation cost about 150
shortly after installing a sensor on the machine mr darche said his hunch was confirmed the sensor lit up with attacks area 1 began to make out the patterns of a familiar adversary the c0d0s0 group
area 1 was founded by three former nsa analysts mr darche oren falkowitz and phil syme the three sat side by side at fort meade tracking and in some cases penetrating adversaries weapons systems for intelligence a little over two years ago they decided to start their own company and raised 255 million in funding from major venture capitalists and security entrepreneurs in silicon valley including kleiner perkins caulfield  byers and cowboy ventures and security veterans like ray rothrock the chief executive of redseal and derek smith the chief executive of shape security
area 1 is a new player in threat intelligence a nascent subsector of the security business that includes companies like isight partners and recorded future that track attackers in underground web forums and on social media gleaning intelligence about them
threat intelligence is still more art than science the jury is still out on whether companies are equipped to use that intelligence to thwart hackers area 1 claims that it can head off attacks through the compromised servers it is tracking it can also use its vantage point to see where attackers are setting up shop on the web and how they plan to target their intended victims
a handful of area 1 customers confirmed that its technology had helped head off attackers one client a chief information security officer at a large health care provider said the health care sector had been slammed by digital criminals and governments in recent years he asked that the company not be named to avoid becoming a more visible target
he credited area 1s sensors with blocking several attacks on his network helping his company avoid the fates of the health insurer anthem which was breached by chinese hackers last year and a growing number of hospitals hit by attacks that have forced them to pay a ransom to get important information back
mr smith the chief executive of shape security said area 1 gave his company warning of three attacks before they happened providing time to block them mr smith said he was impressed enough that he made a small investment in area 1
many of these mom and pop shops are ambivalent because the attacks dont directly impact their business and revenue he said meanwhile they unwittingly operate this attack infrastructure
but area 1s business model can pose ethical dilemmas what does the company do when it sees attacks against prominent companies and government agencies who are not area 1 customers
we think of ourselves as a bodyguard not a police force that runs around telling everyone theyre a victim said mr falkowitz area 1s chief executive were in the business of pre emption
they do warn some victims he said for instance they tipped off a law firm a manufacturer a financial services firm and electronics company that were attacked via the cates server after they saw the c0d0s0 hackers make off with their intellectual property some of those victims including the law firm later signed up for area 1 services
not all companies heed the warning a security consultant for one victim who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of nondisclosure agreements said that his client chose not to act on a tip from area 1 last year out of concern that a scandal over a successful online attack against the company would jeopardize its recent acquisition it figured its acquirer would not have been thrilled to learn that the start ups proprietary technology was now in chinese hackers hands
posted on the wall of area 1s headquarters in a historic house in redwood city calif is a list titled 45 things that are harder than cybersecurity it includes flight solar power the flu vaccine brain surgery the internet heart transplants skyscrapers the thermos and the q tip
mr falkowitz disagrees with a growing concern that it is too difficult or impossible to stop online attacks as attackers have grown more sophisticated many security companies have stopped believing they can block attacks with traditional defenses like antivirus software instead many focus on trying to detect an intrusion in real time to catch hackers before they steal too much
eighty percent of the time victims learn they have been breached only when law enforcement or someone else shows up with their stolen data according to verizon which tracks breach data
at the nsa mr falkowitz had worked with teams that detected north korean missile launches much of that early work was done with satellites that would look for sudden heat blasts
eventually mr falkowitzs team tried a more proactive approach if they could hack the computers that controlled the missile launch systems they could glean launch schedules area 1 is now taking a similar approach to digital attacks tapping into the attackers launchpads as it were rather than waiting for them to attack
hackers dont just press a big red attack button one day they do reconnaissance scout out employees on linkedin draft carefully worded emails to trick unsuspecting employees to open them and click on links or email attachments that will try to launch malicious attacks
once they persuade a target to click   and 91 percent of attacks start this way according to trend micro the security firm   it takes time to crawl through a victims network to find something worth taking then they have to pull that data off the network the process can take weeks months even years and leaves a digital trail
area 1 watches for this kind of activity and then teams up with firms like blue coat a web security company to build what it has learned into security software that can try to block attacks when they come
the owners of cate machine  welding say that living with chinese attackers in your office can be a strange feeling recently area 1 executives visited the shop and showed them some of what they had learned from watching their computer the c0d0s0 group had used their server to pilfer a law firms due diligence on an impending acquisition a financial services firms confidential trading plans a mobile payment start ups proprietary source code some blueprints and loan applications at a mortgage company
hearing that mr cate expressed pride   and maybe even a hint of schadenfreude for years the welding business that is his familys bread and butter has been migrating to china now his family is helping american businesses fight back
we want to do the right thing for these businesses mr cate said for our country


to voters in new hampshire the video of donald j trump seemingly mocking a reporter with a disability was well known by the time the feb 9 primary arrived the super pac backing hillary clinton is banking that it will be unfamiliar and off putting to a general election audience in several swing states and it is using the video in an ad called grace
the message the ad tells the story not through news reports but through the eyes of a family with a disabled daughter pictures of grace a girl born with spina bifida show her at birth and through childhood smiling broadly in her wheelchair as her parents notably from ohio a major swing state tell the story of her early life the ad segues to video of mr trump flailing his arms before cutting to a photo showing the reporter he was criticizing at the time serge kovaleski of the new york times who has a condition that limits the functioning of his joints
when i saw donald trump mock someone with a disability it showed me his soul graces father says in the ad it showed me his heart and i didnt like what i saw
the impact the ad feels a little over focus grouped as variations of the phrase mocked a person with a disability come four times in about 30 seconds but the ad was also deemed highly effective when it was tested before various audiences
the takeaway priorities usa the super pac that placed the ad was obviously confident that it would resonate putting 45 million behind it for its first week on air the group seems determined to define mr trump early and often much as the obama campaign did to mitt romney in the summer of 2012 what remains to be seen is whether the group can have an actual impact on mr trump similar lines of attack fell flat during the republican primary
while mr trump eschewed super pacs and to a lesser extent television advertising during the republican primary he is now getting the support of both at least four super pacs have sprung up to support him and one rebuilding america now pac has already gone on air with an ad linking mrs clintons email scandal to her husbands impeachment in the 1990s the group which recently hired alex castellanos a republican ad maker who was once in the stop trump movement aims to counter priorities usa throughout the election
politics is often overloaded with warlike rhetoric   launched an attack battleground states   so its unsurprising when political ads reach for warlike imagery the latest example eric greitens a former navy seal running for governor of missouri saying he will take dead aim at politics as usual literally takes aim with an assault rifle and fires off live rounds into an empty field somehow creating a billowing explosion
the advertising battle between senator patrick j toomey republican of pennsylvania and katie mcginty his democratic challenger is getting cheesy the us chamber of commerce ran an ad for mr toomey featuring a faux focus groups reaction to the choice between two cheesesteak toppings cheez whiz the preferred sauce of philadelphians or silly string the group was then asked to choose between a sandwich with ham and one with a live hamster before it was offered a choice between the bipartisan mr toomey and the polarizing ms mcginty
24 million total ad spending on the democratic presidential primary in california
117 million total spending on the nationwide democratic race
nick corasaniti


maria sharapova has been cleared of intentionally cheating by an international tennis federation tribunal but she and her advisers have hardly emerged unscathed
for a tennis champion long viewed as detail oriented from the cut of her tennis outfits to the breadth of her business portfolio there was a whole lot of bumbling going on behind the scenes in one crucial area
the system that she and her agent max eisenbud used to track changes in antidoping regulations was not much of a system at all it was dependent on sharapova opening or not and reading or not the right email it was dependent if testimony is to be believed on eisenbud   an able contract negotiator but no medical expert   taking his annual beach vacation so he could sit down and sift through the new antidoping particulars
sharapova the self styled global brand was far from world class in this sector and the last line in the itf decision is a swift kick to the chops she is the sole author of her own misfortune
it is a pithy dickensian line it is also misleading in light of the gaffes made by other authors during meldoniums precipitous journey onto the banned list
meldonium would very likely not be on that list yet if the world anti doping agency had taken the time and care it should have to determine how long meldonium can remain in an athletes system and to further analyze its true performance enhancing effects
others could have done more or better too including eisenbud whose explanations to the itf panel left it thoroughly unconvinced and hurt sharapovas cause
but the antidoping rules are clear ultimate responsibility lies with the athlete not the entourage delegate at your peril and now sharapova   a 29 year old with five grand slam singles titles   has been barred for two years by the itf panel
unfairly harsh she maintains and her appeal to the court of arbitration for sport or cas should be heard sometime in july with a final and binding ruling soon to follow
whatever the court decides an important message has been delivered nobody is above the law in a sport too long suspected of protecting its superstars through weak antidoping efforts and soft itf rulings much has changed in the last few years in both tone and approach which is for the best
sharapova got out in front of the news in march by announcing her provisional suspension and acknowledging her mistake she risked a four year suspension if she had intentionally used a banned substance the itf panel ruled that out accepting the argument that she never would have used it before every match at the australian open in january if she knew it had been banned
she now faced a suspension of one to two years to get that one year penalty her legal teams goal she needed to prove that she had no significant fault or negligence but there are plenty of rest stops on the road between the abbreviated and the full two year suspension some legal experts consulted on thursday liked her chances of reducing it on appeal
paul greene a sports lawyer has represented athletes in similar cases one of his clients the bulgarian tennis player dimitar kutrovsky had an itf suspension of two years reduced to 15 months on appeal in 2012 in a case that also hinged on proof of significant fault
maria admitted she has at least some fault here so a reduction down to 12 months is almost certain not to happen greene said the question is whether a cas panel will look at the other factors surrounding her positive and say that her degree of fault was not at the highest end of the range   and reduce to somewhere where her admitted fault can be factored in like the 15  to 20 month range
with a two year penalty the itf panel concluded she was at the highest level of fault it focused not only on the bumbling but on her decision not to declare meldonium or its brand name mildronate on her doping control forms the panel also made it clear that it believed she had used meldonium of late not for medical reasons but for performance enhancement citing her lack of consultation with doctors on the matter in recent years
sharapova has denied this but even if she had been seeking performance enhancement and it certainly looks that way from her usage patterns on match day meldonium was not banned for nearly all the time she was using it just as caffeine pills are not banned today
so though we may not like or respect that athletes push what is legal to the absolute limit that does not mean they should get a harsher sentence for it particularly when the itf panel ruled she did not cheat intentionally
sharapovas failure to declare mildronate or meldonium on doping control forms is a more complex matter and could affect the length of her suspension but at least she was consistent never declaring it on forms from 2006 to 2016 according to her lawyer john haggerty
the tribunal went out of their way to punish maria because they believed she was hiding her use of mildronate by not disclosing it on the antidoping forms haggerty said
but he said that during that same 10 year period she also had not declared two other medicines   magnerot and riboxin   her doctor had recommended
what in the world did she have to hide as all three of those medicines were perfectly legal to take and the other two remain legal to this day haggerty said
greene who has examined the itf panels decision on sharapova sees several factors that could help her on appeal the hundreds of other athletes who tested positive for meldonium in early 2016 her long history of taking the drug before it was banned and her many years of being a clean athlete with a history of checking with the wta on the legality of medicines she was considering for use there was no such double check on meldonium however
greene also cited the itfs communication strategy for changes to the wada prohibited list
the wallet cards and website posts aside which honestly no one reads or looks at on tour the itf never did an in person training or warned athletes about the addition to the prohibited list greene said
the itf panel ruled there had been sufficient notice and in an interview during the french open the itf president david haggerty said the same while acknowledging that im sure we can do more in the future
there is no guarantee the court will reduce sharapovas suspension even if it has done so in other appeals involving prominent players including marin cilic her case by all accounts is unusual
if she serves a two year suspension she will not be eligible to return to the tour until late january 2018 too late for the australian open she would be 30 years old and would have to start from scratch with no ranking although she would surely not lack for wild cards even after a drug suspension
based on precedent she would not be too old to be a factor flavia pennetta won last years united states open at age 33 serena williams remains no 1 at 34 but neither pennetta nor williams ever missed two full years of competition
the odds look reasonable that sharapova wont have to either clearly at fault she deserves her suspension but what she does not deserve is to be made an example of in any case the ball is no longer in her court


music stores encapsulate a moment in history said emily judem co director of for the records a documentary about the demise of the manhattan music mecca bleecker bobs in 2013 when you walk into one they bring you back to a time that seems to be disappearing
thats especially true in greenwich village it had been an artsy progressive area associated with social change she said many people still associate those changes with the village record stores
rebel rebel at 319 bleecker street epitomizes that funky passion it looks as perilous as it does alluring inside the coffin narrow gangplank long space cardboard boxes choke the only aisle theyre stacked into towers that buckle with lps cds eps dvds 12 inch picture discs seven inch 45s and collectibles of every kind at the front stands the owner david shebiro looking surprisingly serene
rebel rebel has benefited in recent years from a growing mania for vinyl purchases in the format leapt 30 percent last year according to nielsen soundscan generating more profit for record companies than youtube streams
enough of the money has trickled down to rebel rebel to make it marginally profitable according to mr shebiro but that margin wont be enough to keep the store from losing its place on bleecker street where it has been a neighborhood staple for 28 years
while record store closings seem as inevitable as newspaper downsizings these days june has proved to be an especially cruel month in new york rebel rebels closing set for june 30 will follow the shuttering of another cherished village sonic emporium other music on the 25th two other village music stores have died in the last two years bleecker bobs and kims music and video in the same period bleecker street records was forced from its longtime home on the street for which it was named to cheaper quarters at 188 west fourth street
rebel rebels closing is indicative of the change bleecker has undergone the seven blocks of the street between abingdon square and seventh avenue south now include nearly 70 stores devoted to high end clothing jewelry and fragrances leaving only about half a dozen mom and pop places the fashionistas have taken over mr shebiro said
the trend began over a decade ago led by marc jacobs he currently commands four storefronts on bleecker near international brands like ralph lauren michael kors and burberry before 2000 bleecker had lots of boho boutiques a small grocery store a magazine shop even a store that sold nothing but condoms condomania which closed in 2007 the rumpled era of the village evoked in all its crusty glory in the coen brothers 2013 movie inside llewyn davis seems more remote each year though the central area around macdougal street retains some of its falafel store grease and head shop scent west bleecker by contrast has become just another madison avenue said ngawang choden owner of beautiful tibet a boutique dedicated to that countrys handicrafts i feel like im the last of the mohicans here
mr shebiro says he wasnt given a chance to stay in his space to have a landlord call someone who has never had a problem paying rent for 28 years and say ive rented your space was really disrespectful mr shebiro said on the other hand if we had a pair of shoes and somebody wanted to give us 3000 for them but our friend only wanted to give us 200 wed also think about it twice
the landlord sw management llc did not return calls for comment
according to faith consolo who brokers commercial real estate along the chic stretch of bleecker for douglas elliman rents for a 500 square foot space there now average 25000 a month and turnover has increased coach brooks brothers and lulu guinness have all recently left the block more than a dozen storefronts are currently empty
mr shebiro 54 who grew up in borough park brooklyn has never had a full time job outside a record store he began by working at the village haunt record runner when it opened in 1979 and he stayed until he had enough money to open his own place in 1988 mr shebiro chose what was then a quiet stretch of west bleecker street though friends told him he was crazy to do so theres nothing there but antique stores mr shebiro recalled being told but it was really sweet and quaint
he signed the lease with his first landlord a holocaust survivor over tea mr shebiro named the store after david bowies 1974 glam rock song rebel rebel because he was the one who influenced me in music completely he said and the name had the best ring
though bowie never went to the store he did act in a movie band slam 2009 that featured a scene shot inside rebel rebel the movie was written and directed by todd graff a friend of mr shebiros the director told mr shebiro that bowie was well aware of the store but according to mr shebiro when mr graff told the star if you go there the owner would absolutely faint bowie replied thats exactly why i dont go
other music stars have happily ventured into the warren over the years prince who came with a beefy bodyguard bought a kate bush album a young disciples recording and some magazines the bodyguard paid robert plant wanted advice on the latest hits and he picked up a smashing pumpkins album jimmy page came in four times he actually collects bootlegs of his own work mr shebiro said he came up to the counter with one and slapped down his american express black card i didnt charge him another time he told me about a mash up on youtube of whole lotta love and james browns sex machine when i played it he came behind the counter practically put his chin on my shoulder and said isnt it brilliant
in his autobiography see a little light bob mould the singer of the 1980s indie rock band husker du credited rebel rebels owner with broadening his guitar driven aesthetic to include dance music inspiring a lucrative second career as a dj
over the years rebel rebel has served as a school as much as a store mr shebiro and his sole employee james wiltshire have acted as sonic sherpas guiding customers to sounds ideal for them the other night alvero yepez 32 of elmhurst ventured into the store for the first time announced that he liked fusion music thats trippy and spacey and within minutes mr shebiro and mr wiltshire played for him a new copy of a vintage album by the jazz organist johnny hammond and another from the tenor saxophonist stanley turrentine mr yepez bought them both
rebel rebels nearly impassable aisle means curation of this kind dominates over browsing the result has given the store a bespoke quality thats rare even among the most intimate independent music outlets charlie grappone who ran vinyl manias three stores on carmine street until their demise in 2007 said the beauty of someone like david is that when people come in and say what do i need he knows he listens to you and figures out where your head is at
mr shebiro who said he made 95 percent of his friends through rebel rebel plans to take a break after the store closes he does not know if another location will provide the same experience it wasnt just about what was inside the store he said it was the community that surrounded it that made it what it was


when the mets hired sandy alderson as their general manager in 2010 the team was in the dumps on the field a series of disappointing seasons off the field severe financial constraints caused in part by the owners investments with bernie madoff six years later the mets are flying high thanks largely to mr alderson 68 a former marine lieutenant and vietnam veteran with a harvard law degree he brought stability and confidence to the front office and in 2015 the team made a surprise trip to the world series this year the mets have had a solid start with a talented pitching staff and one of the best records in the national league mr alderson who lives in a penthouse on the upper east side of manhattan with his wife linda and their 11 year old golden retriever buddy is zen about it my job he said is like watching the tide come in and out   observing ruminating trying to figure out where the team is and where we should make changes
news clips i wouldnt say im addicted to my iphone but the first thing i do when i wake up is grab my phone and check the news clips about the mets i need to be aware of the odd story out there about the team or me buddy gets up at 5 am so linda or i feed him and the other one sleeps until hes ready for a walk everything is timed around when buddy needs to go out
stepping out buddy needs his morning walk but i do too i try to get in 10000 steps a day they say what you can measure you can improve i have a fitbit but just the basic model   nothing fancy we walk to central park around the reservoir if its nice or down to carl schurz park or the east river promenade its the great thing about where we live that and the fact that i can get to citi field by car in 20 25 minutes
diner dash there are two diners nearby that we like to go to the mansion and gracies if im feeling like pancakes we go to the mansion if its corned beef hash we go to gracies id say there are mets fans on staff at both places either way sometimes i get recognized but its not all that often buddy gets recognized more often hes kind of a celebrity because a few years back i talked about him on twitter
queens or new jersey if the mets are playing at home i try to be in the office by noon if theres no game or theyre away and im not traveling with them then we get in the car and head to new jersey to see my daughter and her family of course northern new jersey is yankee territory but theyre making converts one friend at a time
game day walkabout i try not to think about the specific game its in the hands of terry collins our manager before the game sometimes ill talk to the media usually after weve come back from a road trip im big on leadership by walking around   being seen without being intrusive i dont go into the locker room thats the players space
very superstitious i like to start watching from the executive box sometimes linda or my kids and their children will join once the game starts i dont have any influence over what happens im just like the average fan but sometimes there are a lot of people in the box and my blood pressure goes up so ill go from the box back to my office over right center field i can still see the game but im a bit superstitious everyone in baseball is to some extent
low key evening after the game ill usually talk with terry a bit just to go over a few basic things if everything goes right ill be back at home by 6 sometimes well watch tv right now im binge watching better call saul or else well get dinner with my son and his wife they live in the west village well go to the waverly inn and see real celebrities we saw danny devito once but usually well stay on the upper east side were like a lot of new yorkers there might be great restaurants in other parts of the city but were just not interested in hopping in a car to go someplace in a three block radius we probably have 20 30 restaurants why go anywhere else


when superman made his debut in action comics no 1 in 1938 he had to wait until the next year to take part in the macys thanksgiving day parade the new puerto rican heroine la borinquena who is secretly a college student named marisol rios de la luz will have a float in the national puerto rican day parade on sunday despite having made her first appearance at a news conference just last month her comic doesnt even come out until october
la borinquena is the creation of the graphic designer edgardo miranda rodriguez who is a community activist and a comic book fan mr miranda rodriguez whose family is from puerto rico and who grew up in the south bronx has always found the diversity of heroes lacking latinos are underrepresented in all forms of media he said if we dont tell our own stories no one else will
comic book publishers have been striving to change at dc comics the lesbian batwoman will be fighting alongside batman starting this month while cyborg who is black will star in a new series in september marvel has had success with its muslim american ms marvel the korean american hulk and the female thor but its biggest coup may have been enlisting ta nehisi coates who won the national book award for between the world and me to reimagine the black panther
in 2009 mr miranda rodriguez helped organize marvelous color an exhibition at the african diaspora institute in midtown about the minority superheroes and artists of marvel comics in february marvel published a story by him and the musician darryl mcdaniels from run dmc involving groot a laconic hero who resembles a plant and the historic ceiba tree of puerto rico the comic brought mr miranda rodriguez to the attention of several puerto rican groups including the organizers of the parade
mr miranda rodriguez then started thinking about the heroine who would become la borinquena and set about gathering the creative team for the comic i fought really hard to put together a roster that reflected the best of the comic book industry and the best of the puerto rican community he said the contributors include the illustrators elliot fernandez and emilio lopez rags morales who worked on a reboot of superman in 2011 will provide a so called variant cover which is printed in smaller quantities and is catnip to collectors
the inspiration for la borinquena connects the past and the present her costume was modeled after the grito de lares puerto ricos revolutionary flag from 1868 and her very name is the title of the commonwealth anthem of puerto rico as for contemporary sources mr miranda rodriguez cites the sense of humor and everygirl appeal of gina rodriguez in the sitcom jane the virgin and rosario dawson in daredevil in which she plays a strong and selfless nurse


on an 80 degree evening last month three beninese brothers in an afropop band performing that night set up their conga drums and keyboards in a corner of la caye
two women speaking haitian creole at the copper tiled bar settled their tab of two red wines   they had a voodoo song practice to get to
a couple enjoyed the dimly lighted patio
sitting opposite them was a group of six women with a 3 year old in tow who had just seen their teenage children off to a prom they wanted to celebrate
la caye a haitian restaurant that opened in fort greene across the street from the brooklyn academy of music in 2012 draws all kinds of people for all sorts of reasons   starting with a platter of fried plantains marinated pork and pikliz a spicy slaw
the pikliz was what brought tara pierre louis who doesnt get much haitian cooking where shes living nowadays in manassas va she and her sister in law natacha pierre louis of canarsie were part of the party of six on the patio which was adorned with metalwork and strings of twinkling lights
with the exception of a few dishes that could be found at any trendy brooklyn restaurant la cayes menu hews to traditional haitian cuisine grilled conch creole style broiled red snapper stewed goat and pen patat a sweet potato bread pudding with a rum raisin sauce
it tastes like home said tara whose parents emigrated from haiti it was fitting she added because la caye in haitian creole means home
behind the bar was the manager joshua jagmohan his forearm tattooed with a quotation he attributed to the brazilian writer paulo coelho he prepared cocktails that required some creativity because the restaurant serves only beer and wine instead of rum its mojito is made with sake and if someone is in the mood a dash of passion fruit pomegranate or lychee along with the usual mint and lime
you come in for a glass of wine or whatever mr jagmohan said then you find yourself ordering an appetizer at the bar then moving to a table for a full meal next thing you know youre here four or five hours he said its that type of place
at the bar sat leah jordano kudalis a teacher who lives in bedford stuyvesant and her friend ciara rivera an education specialist for unicef who was visiting from bamako mali
i made her come here ms jordano kudalis drinking a chardonnay said she always stays in the city but the promise of live music enticed ms rivera
every thursday night the restaurant holds concerts of mostly caribbean and african musicians playing jazz folk and twoubadou a style of guitar based cabaret music in haiti
earlier in the evening adi presume one of the performers on her way to practice spoke about the american news coverage of haiti where she was born it pained her that articles rarely failed to mention the fact that haiti is the poorest nation in the western hemisphere
the first thing you see is that negative connotation toward all of our accomplishments she said why not mention instead that haiti was the worlds first black republic
too many people she said assume that because haiti is poor it is poor in culture too when all we have is culture she said with a laugh thats what were rich in


around 9 am on june 15 1904 an overheated horde of sunday schoolers most of them from the lower east sides german american community piled onto a 13 year old paddle wheel boat giddy at the thought of a scenic church sponsored day trip to locust grove picnic ground at eatons neck on long island of the 1358 passengers mostly women and children who boarded the general slocum on that summer morning only 321 made it back alive
the causes of the fire aboard the general slocum named after a union army general and new york congressman remain murky but contemporary accounts seem to agree that it began with a lit cigarette or a match igniting straw in a storage room the enormous loss of life is attributed to passengers inability to swim shoddy lifeboats flotation vests filled with rotten cork witnesses claimed that those who wore them sank quicker an inept crew and negligent actions by both the knickerbocker steamboat company and the skipper indeed the captain william henry van schaick who did not go down with the ship was eventually sentenced to 10 years hard labor at sing sing a term reduced after a pardon by president william howard taft in 1911
the new york historical society currently houses more than 20 artifacts related to the event and its aftermath including scrapbooks the program for the outing photographs and letters from survivors
none are as quietly devastating as a pair of tiny black leather shoes worn by 3 year old anna c liebenow her family collected the shoes after her body was pulled from the east river several days after the fire they were bequeathed to the historical society by annas younger sister adella liebenow wotherspoon who survived the event upon her death in 2004
just reading history about the fire lacks the visceral punch that her sisters shoes provides valerie paley the societys chief historian and vice president said she had another sibling helen who also died and her body was never recovered but we have earrings which were located in the hull that the family believed belonged to her
the only remaining monuments to the general slocum disaster are a little fountain at tompkins square park and a slightly more prominent memorial emblazoned with both an english and a german account of the event at lutheran all faiths cemetery in queens where many of the unidentified slocum victims were buried
some have speculated that the anti german sentiment of the world war i era clamped down on public desire to commemorate a disaster that killed mostly immigrants from that country said greg young who along with tom meyers produces the popular bowery boys podcast which is devoted to new york history i do think a more modern memorial should be considered not just as a remembrance of the german presence on the lower east side but because these were new yorkers
the general slocums sinking was the single largest loss of life locally until sept 11 2001 mrs wotherspoon who was the youngest passenger saved and became the disasters last survivor was once asked toward the end of her life why this grim chapter in manhattan history was mostly forgotten
the titanic had a great many famous people on it she said this was just a family picnic


ina yalofs initiation to the culinary arts was her fathers bumble bee salmon patties on sunday nights and dinner at wolfies or juniors coffee shops in miami beach she never worked in a restaurant or wrote about recipes but after marrying a new yorker she became expert in one food related subject eating
she applied three years of expertise as a journalist to compile an appetizing oral history titled food and the city new yorks professional chefs restaurateurs line cooks street vendors and purveyors talk about what they do and why they do it gp putnams sons 28
ms yalof was inspired by wandering into a butcher shop on amsterdam avenue after a vegan lunch where alan tony schatz regaled her with his biography he was going to california to become a singer but his father died and he returned to run the familys bronx meat market and with his spiel about organic hypocrisy an organic chicken is out in the backyard and the chicken is grazing on pure organic grass and a bird flies over the yard and poops on the grass is that grass still organic
a good listener ms yalof parses this movable feast into its vital ingredients the power of memory and of the media of passion and perseverance and of the vitality wrought by the continuing infusion from everyplace else
ms yalof talks with mohamed abouelenein who runs the halal guys food cart on west 53rd street and immigrated from egypt with a doctorate in veterinary medicine and introduces readers to ghaya oliveira a former stockbroker who moved from tunisia to care for her dying sisters baby son and struggled to rise meteorically from a dishwasher to executive pastry chef at daniel
we meet amy rubenstein wife of the public relations guru howard who with her sister marilyn spiera and niece judy storch runs peter luger steak house which her father a metalware manufacturer wound up owning because he worked across the street and ate there every day and was the only buyer who showed up when the restaurant and its real estate were auctioned off in 1950 her mother who had a masters degree in music from columbia became a meat expert and handpicked all the beef until she was 80
jeb burke rupert murdochs personal chef reveals a regular white lie by the fox news boss roger ailes hell call down and request a fried chicken sandwich or a hamburger and hell say jeb if my wife calls tell her i ate the fish today
lenny berk 85 recalls that he was a certified public accountant for 40 years before he sold his practice and became what ms yalof describes as the last jewish lox slicer at zabars
some of my colleagues say oh i only have an hour to go and im off mr berk says i say i only have one hour to go but thank god im coming back tomorrow
paulette johnson isnt concerned about her customers not coming back an assistant city correction commissioner a jamaican she oversees a 40000 square foot kitchen on rikers island where most of the 47000 meals served daily to city inmates and jail guards are prepared on any given day ms johnson says the inmates probably eat much healthier than most people
as proof that they sometimes eat even better ms yalof includes the recipe for the commissarys acclaimed carrot cake its not worth the price of admission to rikers but might turn a profit if it were sold commercially off the island imagine the potential for a product made in a new york city jail and marketed as just desserts


though not nearly as famous as the beautiful orange and black monarch butterfly the eastern tiger swallowtail is a spectacular butterfly to look for throughout new york city with sharply patterned swallow tailed wings nearly five inches wide the insects often outshine the flowers they service by contrast to the well traveled monarch the eastern swallowtail is a homebody spending its several weeks as a winged adult flitting through a few flowery summer acres   if nothing eats it first unlike the monarch birds find the tiger delicious
the tiger swallowtail papilio glaucus can be abundant wherever deciduous woods include red maple black cherry spicebush sassafras tulip poplar or other suitable foods for its caterpillars with this many local host plants it is no mystery that the butterfly is seen so regularly
it ranks high on my personal list of the oddest places for wildlife sightings i can recall thinking as i watched one flit past a traffic jam on the bruckner expressway that crossing the bronx is not nearly as challenging on pretty yellow wings i have also been inches away from another sipping nectar from a flower growing from the brickwork of the interminable gowanus expressway on a whale watch one fluttered past over the open atlantic still another lapped up something leaching from behind a portable toilet in eastern queens
fortunately i have also had far more classic encounters enjoying these insects up close as they nectared in parks from van cortlandt in the bronx to the conference house in southernmost staten island
these butterflies are not shy and their large size is an invitation to examine the subtle color variations they use to communicate with a little practice we humans can learn the basics
male tigers have more intense black markings than females four black bars playing prominently across yellow orange forewings females by contrast exhibit two very different color forms one is similar to the males yellow and black but it includes a shimmering splash of blue along her rear wings trailing edge
other females are nearly black with the same light blue scales   these are insects not birds   dramatically sprinkled along the trailing edge of their rear wings this dark form is thought to mimic the related but toxic pipevine swallowtail females of this color phase can be found where pipevine swallowtails are more abundant
swallowtail caterpillars are quite interesting in their own right feeding voraciously until they reach about two inches long for their first two or three molts the animals look like bird droppings with all the appropriate brown and white markings but as they continue to develop their colors morph into a beautiful emerald green with a pair of blue and yellow false eye spots
these eyespots are part of an elaborate defense when the animal is disturbed it tucks its real head under to reveal its eye spots to their best advantage at the same time two bright orange horns suddenly flare out from behind its head to me these bright orange glands look and even smell just a little like cheese doodles there may be no better symbol of summers promise for the curious child in all of us


when i asked harold jaffe the owner of harolds new york deli restaurant in edison how much one of his pastrami sandwiches weighed he said 13 ounces
i lied he admitted quickly its really 20 ounces but i didnt want to scare you
the sandwich arrived speared with an american flag toothpick this wasnt just to hold the sandwich together but also i suspected evidence that something this huge might become a united states territory
harolds is one of the few places in new jersey where you can still get a decent hot pastrami sandwich for all the talk of authentic jewish delis going extinct i found a few that still took great pride in their pastrami we can debate hand sliced versus thin sliced another day
if the 32 ounce nine inch high extra large pastrami at harolds seems daunting dont order the triple decker which weighs in at 3  1/2  pounds i always tell customers to order the least amount mr jaffe said if they want more weve got good service and can get food to you in two minutes
sharing is encouraged at harolds a sign above the entrance to the seating area warns patrons of the humongous sandwiches and promises no fee for sharing the large sandwich is meant to feed one to three people the extra large five to seven and the triple decker eight to 10
the deli sells 8000 pounds of pastrami a week all of which is made at the restaurant mr jaffe said this is a rarity for modern delis which mostly buy from outside purveyors mr jaffe sharpened his pastrami from scratch skills at carnegie deli in manhattan where he worked for 10 years
veteran customers order their sandwiches and head for the worlds largest pickle bar as proclaimed by the green neon sign above it where they pile a plate high with half sours spicy pickle chips and health salad whose cabbage blend is mixed with oil and vinegar not mayonnaise
the bar also has slices of rye bread which customers often use to make sandwiches with their surplus of meat later i have a very high paper bill for all those doggy bags mr jaffe said but im very happy to pay it
pastrami was a new thing to avi friede an owner of the kosher nosh in glen rock when he immigrated to the united states from israel in the late 60s the other owner haim peer whom mr friede met in high school in new jersey had immigrated from israel independently the same year
after i moved here i embraced pastrami lox corned beef and all the rest of the traditional deli foods mr friede said i came to this country and i got back to the food roots of my parents from eastern europe
the kosher nosh offers hebrew national pastrami which is made from the navel of the steer he said slice it thin and it melts in your mouth he said there is also a leaner cut of pastrami available which is made from brisket mr peer said
mr friede and mr peer celebrated 40 years in business on may 26 weve had three generations loyal to the store and weve customers of every denomination said mr friede thats what makes community
sam brummer bought hobbys delicatessen and restaurant in newark in 1962 and he shared everything he knew about running an old school deli with his sons marc and michael before he died last year
our father would say buy quality goods prepare them well provide excellent service and be a mensch michael brummer said
our dad taught us to treat everybody well he continued weve served a president   bill clinton   and we have people who cant afford to pay who ask for a sandwich so we give it to them everyone deserves respect
the brothers who became the owners of the restaurant in 1988 have expanded the menu to suit modern tastes
when our dad bought the business in 1962 the menu was two pages long a salad was a bed of lettuce with some potato salad and a scoop of tuna marc brummer said today i have one page just for salads and our menu is now 12 pages long
for all the talk of new items including what the brummers say is a very popular pan seared salmon the pastrami sandwich is still the restaurants best seller
hobbys gets its pastrami from desola provisions in the bronx the brothers insist on the navel cut
we get a geschmack piece of pastrami with fat in all the right places michael brummer said using the yiddish word for tasty its so good he added you want to give it a hug
we boil it and steam the meat until its tender marc brummer said only then does it become a hobbys pastrami
when it comes to running a deli michael brummer explained that there is one other thing as important as properly steaming and slicing meat schmoozing more than once people have come in and said that eating at hobbys is like coming home for lunch he said


cruises
the polar cruise specialists poseidon expeditions is offering trips to franz josef land this summer and next the remote archipelago of volcanic glaciated islands is part of the russian arctic national park and accessible only a few weeks each summer when the ice breaks up the trips leave from longyearbyen in the norwegian region of svalbard itself an arctic attraction known for its concentration of polar bears the excursions include chances to kayak among the icebergs hike where polar pioneers explored and learn from a professional photographer while shooting glaciers bird colonies walrus and whales the company has two ships the 114 passenger sea spirit and the 128 passenger 50 years of victory and 14 day trips start at 7295 a person in july and august set to repeat in 2017
elaine glusac
tours
if youre looking for an insiders perspective on bhutan geringer global travel is offering a trip that qualifies lhatu wangchuk bhutans former ambassador to the united nations under whose leadership the united nations said that happiness was a fundamental human goal will conduct a 13 day tour departing oct 31 stops range from the cultural to the natural and include a drive to the statue of the sitting buddha at kuenselphodrang a visit to the royal textile academy of bhutan and a trek to paro takstang known as the tigers nest monastery where a temple complex clings to a cliff above the paro valley mr wangchuk also will host a traditional dinner at his home prices begin at 4960 per person based on double occupancy
diane daniel
museums
seine history in normandy
there was a time when the town of caudebec en caux along the seine river in the heart of normandy was famous for le mascaret a massive equinox wave that rolled with fury along the river and could splash water up to 30 feet high into the quay the mascaret was tamed when a sea wall was built in the 1960s but the seine still determines everyday life
after eight years of planning museoseine a small charming museum devoted to the seine opened in april among the highlights vestiges from ancient gallo roman viking and medieval eras a collection of boats videos that evoke the rivers traditions as a working water highway to the ocean and footage of the mascaret in 1947 visitors can watch the boats go up and down the river from a balcony built on a gribane   a flat bottomed wooden barge
the center of caudebec en caux was largely destroyed in a fire following bombing by the nazis in 1940 but merits a visit because of the flamboyant gothic notre dame church built in the 15th and 16th centuries 333 sculpted human figures adorn its western portal then visitors can go on to the nearby ga manoir de retival restaurant which was awarded its first michelin star earlier this year
elaine sciolino


any restaurant set directly on a harbor   where docked fishing boats and moored sloops bob just beyond the windows   makes certain implicit promises the first of course is good seafood served here
however an equally important assurance of a harbor front spot is jolly times had here a harbor isnt just any waterfront location after all its a gathering place for sailors fishermen and boating families   salty types who like to spend their days reveling in the sun and spray and like to celebrate afterward with a hearty meal and cold beer
set on a marshy point in guilford amid floating piers piled with lobster traps guilford mooring has for most of its 16 year existence largely made good on both of those unspoken pledges it has faced some serious challenges along the way though   most significantly by clinging to life after enduring two hurricanes irene in 2011 and sandy in 2012
there wasnt a wall standing said mike romei a co owner recalling the aftermath of hurricane irene mr romei and his partners spent the better part of a year rebuilding and renovating the restaurant only to get blasted again by the next storm just a few months after reopening
lets just say we got two dramatic opportunities to make improvements to the place mr romei said laughing
resurrected again in spring 2013 guilford mooring almost immediately regained its reputation as a good times dockside destination on a recent saturday night when my family and i showed up for dinner we bypassed the slightly grim dining room dun colored floor tiles walls painted an institutional green and took a high table in the much larger and far livelier barroom here a clearly fun loving crowd hoisting beers and cocktails distracted from the plain decor and windows offered broad views over the yachts and the docks outside the bar also has no fewer than nine wall mounted television screens apparently for multidirectional sightlines onto the latest ballgame scores
we ordered an array of seafood dishes from our charming young server who somehow managed to make herself heard over the gradually escalating din she also seemed to magically reappear without summoning whenever we needed something more wine a replacement for a dropped fork our choices ran the gamut from harbor side classics like fish and chips to more creative preparations incorporating caribbean asian and mexican flavors
overall we were happy with our meal but we agreed that the simpler the dishes were the better they tasted my mothers fish and chips arrived hot crunchy and gargantuan each nugget of fried cod was the size of a finger on a baseball mitt and my lobster roll   made with steaming hunks of fresh meat drizzled with melted butter and stuffed into the traditional split hot dog bun   was so delicious that i ended up curling my arm around my plate to ward off my companions forks and fingers
in other dishes though we found that the delicate flavors of the fresh seafood were overpowered by too much goopy seasoning my fathers blackened cod which was wonderfully enlivened by a topping of mango pepper salsa was also deluged with a cloying passionfruit sauce my husbands grilled salmon though perfectly moist and flaky was nearly smothered by a sticky barbecue glaze and a shared crispy tostada topped with beautiful ruby colored cubes of yellowfin tuna tartare was glopped with sriracha aioli even a starter of fried calamari was made soggy by a dousing of thai style sweet chili sauce a bowl for dipping would have worked much better
a follow up lunch visit on a sunny weekday when a friend and i took an umbrella shaded table on the restaurants breezy deck affirmed my first impressions though the vibe was far more serene only a few families and wine sipping couples surrounded us along with sea birds floating overhead we discovered that a tried and true crispy then chewy heap of fried clam strips was nearly faultless another dish of seared jerk spiced salmon tacos would have been excellent too   if not for being saturated with coconut chipotle dressing
which brings me to my final slightly contradictory assessment of guilford mooring to get the most out of its jovial harbor party atmosphere hitting the sauce may certainly be in order but to fully enjoy its seafood consider asking for the sauce on the side


name bryndon cook
age 23
hometown greenbelt md
now lives in a four bedroom apartment in bedford stuyvesant brooklyn with three roommates
claim to fame mr cook is the musician behind starchild  the new romantic a funk inspired rb solo act that got its name from a george clinton alter ego he also played guitar on solange knowless 2013 tour when he was still a theater major at purchase college his two ambitions collided last year when he was asked to play with ms knowles at the coachella valley music and arts festival in the same week he had an acting showcase he hustled and did both after graduating he signed with ghostly international
big break growing up mr cook was a big fan of dev hynes who performs under the name blood orange while in college he decided to reach out being a 1992 kind of millennial i know how to use the internet he said i found an email and i sent him some demos it took two years but they finally met in 2012 at a blood orange show at 285 kent in brooklyn the two hit it off and a few months later blood orange released a song neptune featuring mr cook rapping at the end
latest project in march he released crucial an eight track ep he describes as rb escapism futurism he is to open for nite jewel at babys all right in brooklyn on july 7
next thing he is working on a full length album language with the singer songwriter miles anthony benjamin robinson he also dreams of playing tupac shakur in a movie i tried to track down john singleton whos making one said mr cook who shares with the late rapper a maryland upbringing and theater background the list between me and him is just ridiculous the similarities the venn diagram is nasty
musical journey in his teens and early 20s mr cook was focused on rap before finding his rb inflected sound i just couldnt really write any verses any more he said then right when nothing was coming to me i just started leaning into my older sensibilities and those i think started to come more to life


two years ago the international center of photography bowed to the realities of manhattan real estate giving up its midtown home on avenue of the americas and going dark now it is set to reopen on june 23 in a new incarnation downtown after institutional introspection compelled not only by the move but also by the presiding quandary about what exactly defines photography today as the medium keeps morphing and mutating within a vast evolving technological landscape the smartphone has turned us all into photographers social media floods us with an endless array of images omnipresent video threatens the relevance of the still photograph and the hovering eye of drone surveillance chronicles our every move the center had to recalibrate
its curatorial staff has been investigating the meaning and relevance of photography for years with shows that at times either challenged the medium confirmed the stature of individual photographers or identified significant new work in 2014 the centers controversial exhibition what is a photograph didnt try to answer the question said carol squiers the shows curator but simply posed it it was the right question at the right time underscoring the challenge ahead for the institution as it searched for a new home
the center paid 235 million for 11000 square feet of exhibition space at 250 bowery across from the new museum on the lower east side and only blocks from the cluster of anti chelsea galleries and restaurants that cater to a millennial crowd an all glass street level facade is intended to draw foot traffic into a visible public space where talks and events are planned
with its new neighborhood comes an expanded identity mark lubell the executive director now refers to the center as an institution dedicated to photography and visual culture a term meant to incorporate the breadth of the technological change in which photography is a malleable part mr lubell insists that we are no longer even photographers per se but rather image makers
in the context of such multitentacled image making   350 million pictures are uploaded daily on facebook alone   the centers curators must make sense of the vast array of imagery presented on myriad platforms and to identify work that most poignantly reflects contemporary experience and warrants historical preservation
i look at icp as an arbiter in this wild wild west world that were living in right now mr lubell said in an interview earlier this spring gesturing to an illustration of the centers new facade on display in his office which is still in midtown in a world where everyone is taking pictures of everything he said there should be a place with a deep history of the understanding of photography and the power of the image in order to put some of whats happening today in context
the issue was simpler for cornell capa the magnum photographer who founded the center in 1974 in an elegant neo georgian mansion on fifth avenue at 94th street with galleries in intimate parlors the impetus to open it derived from mr capas growing anxiety in the late 1960s about the diminishing relevance of photojournalism because of the increasing use of film footage on television news it would be a center for concerned photography   the term he coined for social documentary photography in which he specified genuine human feeling predominates over commercial cynicism or disinterested formalism
the center opened just as photography was gaining stature in the art world yet it proceeded on a course parallel to the museum world   one in which subject matter took precedence over artistic intent its first show was the work of henri cartier bresson an appropriate choice given mr capas relationship to magnum   his brother robert was a co founder along with cartier bresson all three were exemplars of bedrock photojournalism
willis e hartshorn mr lubells predecessor was executive director from 1994 to 2012 and sharpened the centers goals upon his retirement mr hartshorn said he had aimed for greater awareness about how pictures create meaning and an understanding of the impact that they have on us you know visual literacy to that end in the last decade the centers curatorial program stood at the front of the art worlds dialogue about photography a different kind of order its fourth triennial in 2013 featured a roster of contemporary artists including mishka henner trevor paglen and walid raad who have a substantial influence on the making of photographic art today
the question now is whether it can keep a clear eye on what the medium is becoming without losing sight of its history the exhibition inaugurating the new bowery space public private secret is organized by charlotte cotton the centers first curator in residence it explores the ways in which self identity is intertwined with public visibility at the same time technology is yielding new breeds of photography and artists are exploiting the mediums surveillance capabilities or identifying visual patterns in social media networks
visitors will confront their reflections in mirrored partitions meant to suggest our selfie culture closed circuit television cameras will document museumgoers with live feeds projected as pixelated patterns of color on a wall in the public space the idea here is to pay attention to the visual language of machines something we are all being conditioned to read
in the main gallery there will be video based wall size projections of work by natalie bookchin jon rafman and doug rickard who represent a clear turn in artistic practice ms cotton said choosing to gather and sequence found images and footage from the vast terrain of social media she said authorship and artistry reside in the ways in which they sequence and edit seemingly disparate and unconnected visual material to tell new kinds of stories about contemporary behavior
amid construction debris as the galleries were being completed ms cotton described the heightened sensory effect she hopes to achieve with the installation i create shows for people who like to put things in their mouth to see what they taste like she said with a wry smile describing her goal to create a visceral experience in a separate gallery work will be shown by established artists who have long explored issues of identity   sophie calle lyle ashton harris nan goldin martha rosler and larry sultan among others
asked if the trustees are on board for this journey jeffrey a rosen deputy chairman of lazard and president of the centers board projected confidence im a strong believer he said in a telephone interview adding that the board does not get involved with programming the director runs the institution he said
stefano tonchi editor in chief of w magazine joined the board four years ago he doesnt think that responding to photographys digital evolution alters the centers fundamental purpose on the contrary the art of photography has really changed so much he said by phone i think icp would really like to chronicle these changes and be in step with the times
the senior curators christopher phillips and ms squiers are working on the next show perpetual revolution the image and social change planned for january were trying to take apart the online visual world and organize it in some way that is more comprehensible ms squiers said
the shows themes will include isis and the imagery of terror ms squiers is looking at the organizations intensive media campaign of propaganda designed both to lure recruits and to frighten other people the very violent material that we see all the time in the american press is only a small part of the visual material that isis puts out ms squiers said in fact the greater part of its output is a kind of utopian view of what the caliphate is doing for people now and will do for them in the future
another theme of perpetual revolution will be the impact digital media have had on extreme winter sports technology continues to alter our visual experience and even shape our activities the speed and agility with which gopro cameras for example document treacherous jumps on 500 pound snowmobiles has only increased the bravado of those athletes making them try ever more dangerous stunts ms squiers joked that the images in this part of the show might draw a new demographic of 14 year old boys into icp for my little celebration of these sports
the center is emphasizing the need to grasp the contemporary moment but what about the past as prologue after all photography evolved with technological advances that changed the look of the image from one era to another
asked about the centers formidable permanent collection mr lubell insisted that it had not abandoned the history of photography and the masters of the art still no gallery space has been set aside at 250 bowery to show work from the collection which is housed at mana contemporary an arts center in jersey city at least 85 percent of the 156000 images in the collection are scanned and students scholars and general visitors are able to access the pictures using onsite computers in jersey city
theres a millennial generation that doesnt even know some of this great work mr lubell said but some of those people will have to travel across the river from the new center to see what photography once was


last year when the actress danielle brooks moved into a bright airy one bedroom rental in a high rise in fort greene brooklyn she briefly considered throwing a big housewarming party then on second thought she decided on a painting party and a very limited guest list four close friends
at the time i had no furniture in here so i got a big old blue sheet laid it out got all these paints and we just went at it creating artwork for my home said ms brooks 26 a tony nominee for the color purple and   is crayola sponsoring her career   a standout as tasha taystee jefferson in the netflix series orange is the new black season four will be available june 17
the resulting abstract canvases which are on display in the foyer may not quite be museum ready but i do love them because theyre so personal   i dont bring too many people into my space so i wanted the people i love and who love me the most to come and add to my home said ms brooks whose version of how do you do is a hug given her expansive nature it would likely be her greeting even if she werent in show business
the apartment is one measure of how far ms brooks has come up in the world   shes 26 floors up to be exact and the view is spectacular   since leaving greenville sc to attend juilliard almost nine years ago its been a slow build she said but every place ive lived has been better than the previous one
after graduation she moved with a friend to a ground floor apartment in washington heights in northern manhattan the ceiling leaked anytime the tenants upstairs even contemplated a bath when ms brooks began working on orange is the new black she gratefully decamped for a studio in harlem on madison and 117th street
i loved loved harlem she said i could walk to my favorite restaurants and it was really close to my church first corinthian baptist but the loft bed built by a friend gobbled up a lot of space cool though it was so it was onward ho to a one bedroom in rego park queens
now it was ms brookss own space that was being invaded people were starting to recognize me and kind of follow me home and i didnt have a doorman she said thus the move to the apartment in brooklyn which has a gym and a roof deck in addition to an attended lobby
its got a lot of room but its still a new york apartment and its still an apartment for a person at the beginning of her career ive made it my own but i stay within my means she said
sometimes i stay below my means the way i live is comfortable for me continued ms brooks who places more importance on visits home and guitar hero sessions than she does on acquisitions im not one to be look what i have  she said but she is one to be keep what i have clean the mat at the front door reads if youre not god take your shoes off
the apartment is an eclectic mix of the inspirational and the spa inspired the word love appears on much of the bric a brac and a pillar in the bedroom is covered in looping cursive declarations such as we believe we trust and we laugh candles pillows and cushions are in abundance with soothing white the dominant color
theres also an enthusiastic nod to hollywood regency courtesy of an applied lattice pattern on a wall just outside the bedroom the draped fabric above the bed a sheepskin rug in the bedroom and the many geometric light bouncing mirrors then there is the sleek bar cart thats used to hold perfume bottles as well as a copy of the book vintage black glamour by nichelle gainer rocket 88 2014
to show just how much ms brooks enjoys mixing it up a wall in the living room sports a gold metallic deer head my mother doesnt like it she said but i do i like that the wall has different textures
because ms brooks loved the job that mike harrison an interior designer did on her dressing room at the bernard b jacobs theater where the color purple is billeted she enlisted him to help with the apartment
he is responsible for the deer head sorry mrs brooks the wall with the lattice pattern and the script on the bedroom pillar here is the brief from his client i wanted something really cool that represented me said ms brooks who despite a packed schedule kept her hand in
it was she who came up with the idea of a chalkboard in the kitchen for scribbling reminders to herself   for example that its time to lay in a new supply of the herbal tea throat coat she chose the furniture including the custom made heather gray sectional thats the first step to adulthood she said no more futons she also custom ordered the pillow on the sofa that reads be part of some valuable advice she received during her time at juilliard instead of getting a tattoo i got a pillow she said
ms brooks doesnt care for clutter but there are certain things that must have their place among them a bible from her mother a minister and a painting by the greenville artist april harrison that her parents commissioned as an opening night present for the color purple she diligently holds onto playbills she collects postcards some are displayed under the glass top of her dressing table and she treasures the lps that belonged to her maternal grandmother among them albums by sarah vaughan and wynton marsalis theyre played on a retro style turntable she bought on amazon
i was going to get a victrola with the horn and everything but maybe thats for next time said ms brooks whose plan is to stay put for a few years then find a place to buy i hope to be an owner before im 30 she said
she envisions a two bedroom not so much because shes expecting guests but because shes expecting stuff when you have more things going on you accumulate more things ms brooks said she recently became the face of lane bryants christian siriano collection so theyve given me the whole line she said i have clothes for days
and of course i have my awards she said pointing to the windowsill in the living room that holds trophies from theatre world and the screen actors guild
im looking forward to having another room so i can put them all away


after years as a rent regulated apartment complex washington plaza in jackson heights queens is joining the co op club
delta management opened sales last month at the six building 190 unit complex at 73 12 35th avenue for 53 renovated apartments with prices from 374000 for a 762 square foot one bedroom to 969000 for a 1801 square foot four bedroom
originally designed by sylvan bien an architect of the carlyle hotel in manhattan the property dates to 1940 the six story art deco style buildings are set back and angled into a u shape pattern around a central garden with a pond and an attended gatehouse
we had a philosophical decision to make at the outset said marilyn sollar the director of sales and leasing for delta management conventional wisdom in this day and age is to take 900 square feet and chop it up into a two bedroom but after much back and forth she said we resisted the temptation to cut them up and increase the room counts
as a result the apartments largely retain their gracious dimensions the average size of a one bedroom is 900 square feet according to ms sollar dining rooms in just one of the 36 apartment lines are being turned into second bedrooms
many original details like high ceilings archways handcrafted crown moldings and raised kitchens and dining areas were left intact or replicated said jim low the project architect at freyer collaborative architects which renovated the buildings
the goal was to respect the space preserve the grandeur preserve the spaciousness mr low said at the same time he added we were very adamant about making it a livable space for todays buyer
kitchens were opened to living and dining rooms and outfitted with caesarstone countertops soft close lacquered ash cabinetry and side by side refrigeratorfreezers curved dining alcoves were removed in all but one line to create larger more open dining spaces bathrooms were updated with kohler pedestal sinks grohe faucets and light fixtures from restoration hardware and george kovacs and where possible space was taken from extra large rooms and halls to expand closets without sacrificing the grand scale of the apartments
at times the old bones of the buildings limited what could be done the project was riddled with existing conditions mr low said for example bathroom pipes often precluded recessed medicine cabinets instead we hung a decorative oval mirror and are building a tall mirrored storage cabinet he said
as in other rent regulated conversions existing renters receive first dibs on buying their homes tenants of washington plaza have been offered a 10 percent discount though they can remain renters as long as they choose the building will market more apartments as they become available through attrition
already prices have gone up from the preliminary prospectus distributed to tenants about two years ago we knew from the outset we were coming into the market with very attractive pricing that probably from the word go had room to grow ms sollar said noting that the jackson heights market has been strengthening dramatically
of the first 23 units listed for sale more than half are now in contract remaining two bedrooms with one bath start at 575000 for a 1005 square foot space two combination units that have yet to be listed have price tags of 942000 for a 1829 square foot three bedroom with two baths and 969000 for a 1801 square foot four bedroom three bath
another price increase is in the works according to ms sollar who said new prices have been submitted to the attorney generals office for approval with several signed contracts and several more contracts out she said theres room to grow in the price


click on the slide show to see this weeks featured properties in new york city
 in yorkville a one bedroom two bath duplex with a washerdryer in a prewar walk up
 on the upper west side a two bedroom one bath with a storage unit in a prewar elevator building with a live in superintendent
 in clinton hill brooklyn a one bedroom one bath co op in a nonsmoking pet friendly elevator building with 24 hour security one of seven in the north campus of clinton hill cooperative apartments a complex built in 1938 for workers at the brooklyn navy yard


for this beauty issue we rounded up stories that come at the subject from a number of different angles theres a portfolio of individualistic fashion models whose faces we find idiosyncratic and alluring and then there are the stories that challenge the superficialities of such a complex term physical beauty is only a small part of what makes the otherworldly dancer and choreographer bill t jones so compelling hes harnessed that along with his deep well of anger and sadness to make his confrontational and often discomfiting work for over 40 years wyatt mason writes an appreciation of jones and what it means to be a late career artist whose undimmed artistic impulse is now joined with the mind and body of an aging man
often we think of natural beauty as god given but gardens whose beauty has long been rendered in painting poetry and prose represent a tussle between the will of nature and that of man or woman for 18 years the italian writer umberto pasti has been involved in a passionate love affair with the rocky inhospitable but mythically beautiful countryside south of tangier coaxing it into a sublime subtle and botanically rich paradise a garden like this one is not a vanity project   its sweet surrender
on the other side of the world michael kimmelman introduces us to the moving work of alejandro aravena the chilean architect who recently won the pritzker prize and is currently the curator of the architecture biennale in venice aravenas buildings are not flashy manifestations of outsize ego and ambition but rather address the basic desires of his clients many of whom are low income families and the displaced social architecture can seem less elevating than swooping torques of glass and titanium but who would deny the beauty inherent in an intellectually and aesthetically rigorous solution to an urban or social issue i keep thinking about a story that kimmelman was told about a woman who lives in one of aravenas housing developments her new home fits a bathtub her bedroom a queen size bed   like in the movies the woman said to aravena what she meant he elaborated was that now she can have a life of the imagination needs are not desires


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susan davidson the chief executive of the zac posen fashion house remembers seeing great potential in the raw cavernous space offered for sale in a co op conversion at 82 greene street in the late 1980s
the top floor loft in a cast iron building in the soho cast iron historic district for which she and her former husband paid nearly 460000 was once part of a textile warehouse what it lacked in walls fixtures and finishes it more than made up for in industrial charm
it was one big open space with plywood floors said ms davidson who has helped run other retailers besides zac posen including scoop nyc liz claiborne and dkny jeans
today the impeccably revamped loft now a triplex of about 3200 square feet can easily be described as rustic chic retaining some of its early 1870s architectural detail alongside modern conveniences ms davidson and her current husband allen miller a corporate lawyer spent around 4 million to painstakingly transform the space with the help of the designer todd klein and contracted tyler horsley to landscape three terraces totaling around 1100 square feet with plants flowers and fruit bearing trees
but the couple now plan to move to an even older home   a late 1830s house on 30 acres in the hudson valley where entire fruit orchards can be harvested they are putting the loft unit no 5f just off spring street up for sale the asking price is 1175 million according to rebecca edwardson and bonnie chajet of warburg realty who are listing the apartment
the monthly maintenance is an unusually low 1592 reflecting the co op buildings paid off mortgage ms davidson also noted that the five story structure underwent an extensive renovation about five years ago that included new windows and a roof
the home has three bedrooms three baths and six skylights the first level   with dark stained oak floors 13 foot ceilings and original wood columns   is entered through double doors with a glass transom just off a semiprivate elevator landing where potted kumquat and lemon trees greet visitors
the foyer flows into a gallery and a spacious dining room with a connected sitting area   a space where numerous parties have been held including fund raisers attended by hillary clinton and other dignitaries the chefs kitchen separated with pocket doors has marble countertops and high end appliances including two miele dishwashers
nearby is a marble bath that leads to a sizable dressing area and a walk in closet where ms davidson keeps her extensive collection of shoes handbags and designer frocks many from zac posen
the 31 by 16 foot living room with three oversize windows overlooking the cobblestone greene street has a wood burning fireplace with a carved marble mantel brought back from the porte de clignancourt flea market in paris modern and antique furnishings mingle throughout among them mid 18th century bulls eye regency mirrors a christian liaigre dining table a biedermeier table and chairs and an 1840 steinway baby grand piano mr miller is the one who plays
a spiral staircase of raw steel connects the other two floors the second level with exposed wood beams and built in cabinetry is made up of a librarytv room and an en suite bedroom separated by a wall of steel and glass
the third floor master suite connects to the three terraces which offer cityscape views and includes a walk in closet and a tucked away washerdryer it features a bathroom of polished concrete that leads out to a smaller terrace with a hot tub we use it every night   rain or snow ms davidson said
there are two bedrooms in the suite including one currently used by mr miller as an office both rooms have access to another small terrace as well as the largest outdoor space a 49 by 15 foot terrace adorned with an assortment of climbing white roses impatiens arborvitae and hydrangea as well as weeping cherry pear apple and ficus trees to name just a few of the plantings
its a very tranquil place mr miller said adding that he would miss the garden and the light filled rooms
ms davidson said she especially enjoyed having a ready supply of fruit for pies and crumbles
among the distinctive features on the third floor are the original steel beams that line the walls they were put in place years ago to hold up the original wooden water tank that still sits atop the buildings roof but is no longer functioning
though the couple are making plans to move out they say they likely wont be leaving the neighborhood entirely they also own another soho loft which they are currently renting out and may eventually use that apartment as a pied a terre


click on the slide show to see this weeks featured properties in the new york region
 in nutley nj a six bedroom four and a half bath 1901 house on 023 acre that has an updated kitchen a third floor that could serve as a nanny or in law suite a finished basement and a two car garage
 in garden city ny an updated six bedroom 1913 house with four full and two half baths that has a library a study a family room a finished basement a bluestone patio and a detached two car garage


an unidentified buyer paid 5914463166 for the entire 79th floor of 432 park avenue the tallest residential tower in the western hemisphere at 1396 feet and home to some of the worlds superwealthy the transaction was the most expensive closed sale of the week according to city records
the apartment is 1023 feet up the 96 story concrete and glass building and as such offers spectacular panoramic views of the city and beyond central park to the north the east river and atlantic ocean to the east the hudson river and new jersey to the west and the manhattan skyline to the south
the monthly carrying charges total 32289
the identity of the buyer who was represented by noel berk of engel  volkers was shielded by the limited liability company 432 crotona park avenue macklowe properties sales and douglas elliman development marketing are handling sales for the building
the sponsor apartment encompasses 8055 square feet and includes seven bedrooms eight full baths and two powder rooms
and like all 104 residences at 432 park on billionaires row between 56th and 57th streets the apartment features 126 foot ceilings and 10 by 10 foot windows each apartment also has a private elevator landing
the building was designed by rafael vinoly architects and developed by macklowe properties and the cim group
big ticket includes closed sales from the previous week ending wednesday


in june 1944 trains carrying 185 students from morehouse college in atlanta arrived in a northern connecticut town about 15 miles west of hartford recruiters had hired the students from one of the countrys top black colleges to harvest shade tobacco then one of the states biggest cash crops among them was a 15 year old incoming freshman named martin luther king jr
king spent two summers working in the fields around simsbury and he later credited that time with helping him decide to enter the clergy which in turn led him to join the civil rights movement he ate at the local soda shop and was invited to sing at two of the towns churches after that summer in connecticut it was a bitter feeling going back to segregation he wrote of that 1944 trip in his autobiography
and yet until a few years ago kings time in simsbury had been virtually forgotten
the major books on his life including taylor branchs three volume biography make no mention of it and even simsbury residents were only vaguely aware of their towns brush with greatness i didnt know about it growing up said elaine lang a simsbury native who now runs the simsbury historical society it was one of those footnotes of history sort of things
that changed in 2011 when richard curtiss a history teacher at simsbury high school and a group of students in his advanced placement course in united states history produced a 15 minute documentary about kings time in the town drawing on letters he wrote home and interviews with local residents who remembered the morehouse workers the cbs evening news reported on the students effort
there is a tremendous sense of pride that this was a town where one of the most important figures of the 20th century spent time and may have had an impact on the beliefs he would follow later in life mr curtiss said later this year the town will build a memorial to king to be placed on the historical societys grounds
king was one of thousands of southern black students to make the trek north for summer work in the 1940s tobacco companies like cullman brothers which hired king needed them to make up for the loss of local white labor to the war effort and they lured them with good wages and the not so subtle implication that they would be safer and freer working in the north than in alabama or georgia
the farms liked them because they werent as rebellious as northern kids and had a good work ethic said kevin gray a former president of the historical society
the male and female students lived in separate four story white clapboard dormitories on the edge of town close to the fields where they would pick tobacco and the barns where they would hang it to dry the dorms were abandoned in the 1970s ms lang said and the town fire department burned down the mens building as a training exercise in 1984 the womens dorm however still sits on the edge of a fallow field boarded up but apparently sturdy
at the time of kings visit connecticut was a leading producer of shade tobacco which is grown under cheesecloth netting and used to make cigar wrappers even today tobacco is grown on about 2000 acres in the state and many of the worlds top cigar makers swear by connecticut tobacco
but harvesting and drying tobacco is hard work king and his fellow workers rose at 6 am and toiled under the tents all day where the heat could easily reach 100 degrees tobacco juice and tar stained their hands for a days labor they received 4   a princely sum compared with what they could have earned in the south
in their free time the students cooked played basketball held prayer meetings   king was elected the leader of the groups religious activities   and most important for the future civil rights leader debated the injustices that they faced back home in a newsletter produced by black students who were working at a farm near where king worked the editors wrote that their mission was to encourage student discussion of vital problems which confront us as students and as citizens of the south
the students also went into simsbury and hartford where they were shocked they could walk through the front door of a restaurant and be served i had never thought that a person of my race could eat anywhere king wrote but we ate in one of the finest restaurants in hartford
but the return to the south was a harsh reminder of the reality of segregation it was hard to understand why i could ride wherever i pleased on the train from new york to washington he wrote and then had to change to a jim crow car at the nations capital in order to continue the trip to atlanta


the vise appears to be tightening at the for profit education giant itt educational services its profits are collapsing its stock is below 2 and last monday the company got bad news from the education department in washington a main overseer
itt which operates 138 campuses in 39 states said it had received a letter from the government demanding 44 million to cover potential obligations that might arise such as student refunds the department cited increased risks at itt as the reason for the demand
a call for 44 million may not sound like a death knell but it was just the latest in a series of setbacks at itt and if the past is prologue the companys woes could have dire consequences for its current and former students the situation has uncanny echoes of a collapse of a for profit educational institution about two decades ago
according to its most recent financial statement itt provides career oriented programs to 43000 students at itt technical institute and daniel webster college locations
in april the accrediting council for independent colleges and schools told itt technical institute that its schools had not demonstrated that they met certain standards itt said it believed that the schools were in compliance but acknowledged that if the schools lost the accreditation they would lose access to government loan programs
as a consequence the company said in a regulatory filing we likely would not be able to continue to operate our business
itt may survive these threats but if it doesnt thousands of customers will be left shouldering debt that they almost surely cannot pay off
how many students are we talking about two years ago itt had 191225 borrowers carrying 46 billion in debt a report published last fall by the brookings institution said that averages out to about 24000 per borrower
that number has undoubtedly increased since then
students who have taken out loans to attend a school that later fails encounter many problems consider what happened at the wilfred american educational corporation which operated beauty and secretarial schools back to the 1980s wilfred ran roughshod over students and profited on the taxpayers dime
in its heyday wilfred enrolled over 11000 students at 58 campuses across the country it closed in the mid 1990s after regulators uncovered routine falsification of federal student aid applications
to attend the schools wilfred students took out more than 61000 loans between 1986 and 1994 court documents show decades later many of these loans are still outstanding
the company received 405 million in federal student aid between 1980 and 1989 documents show accounting for almost all of its revenue
former wilfred students later confirmed in a lawsuit against the department of education that the company had obtained some of those federal loans without permission from students or by falsely certifying borrower eligibility
under these circumstances students qualify for whats known as a false certification discharge a loan forgiveness arrangement created by congress in 1992 in such cases the secretary of education is supposed to discharge the borrowers liability on the loan including interest and collection fees by repaying the amount owed on the loan
but the education department never notified the former wilfred students that they could be eligible for loan forgiveness lawyers for the students say for years debt collectors hounded borrowers for repayment many have had their tax refunds taken away
the departments failure to alert these students to possible loan forgiveness is the subject of the 2014 lawsuit brought by former wilfred students the suit contends that the education department violated the administrative procedure act which governs the activities of federal agencies
the education department has fought the lawsuit at every turn a spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment
nicole elam an itt spokeswoman said in a statement that the false certification that occurred at wilfred did not apply to itt its not a fair comparison to raise it in any hypothetical involving our organization she said
understandably the education department doesnt want to burden united states taxpayers by repaying wilfred students loans but the obligations are beyond onerous for the borrowers amounts owed have ballooned thanks to interest costs and collection fees and the debts have wrecked borrowers credit scores making it impossible for many to rent an apartment or buy a car
jane greengold stevens director of litigation at new york legal assistance group in manhattan represents the former wilfred students in the lawsuit she said that the average students loan was 2500 when it was taken out but the average amount now owed has grown to 24000
in an interview ms stevens said she understood the governments desire not to load forgiven student debts onto taxpayers shoulders but the department she added doesnt seem to be taking into account the harm done to students who were desperate when they were recruited and who have lost part of their lives to these schools
the education department failed wilfred students three ways the lawsuit said first it didnt take reasonable steps to determine whether students eligibility for federally guaranteed loans to attend wilfred was falsely certified it erred again by enforcing wilfred loan obligations without having taken those steps finally the agency did not send notice about possible discharges as required by statute and regulation
lawyers for the former students began their battle with the education department in 2013 by asking it to notify all former wilfred students that their loans could be forgiven
the department responded by saying it believed it had enough evidence to send notifications only to students who had attended one branch of wilfred   in philadelphia
but a 1996 documentation of wilfred violations by a loan analyst at the education department based on findings by its inspector general concluded that fraud at roughly 50 of its locations was so pervasive that students submitting a valid application for a discharge should be approved
anna bernardez of white plains is a plaintiff in the wilfred case in an interview she harked back to 1987 when she attended a school in the bronx pursuing a degree in cosmetology she dropped out after three months and soon the school closed
they made me sign papers but i didnt realize they were taking out loans in my name ms bernardez said what began as a 7000 loan ultimately grew to 22000 repayment demands were unceasing
it was a nightmare she said my credit was messed up i just started getting credit little by little now
thirty years later
last month lawyers representing these students won a major court victory allowing the suit against the education department to go forward
the whole point of our lawsuit is that there are more than 50000 people out there who have no idea that the discharge application process exists ms stevens said the department of ed is taking advantage of these peoples ignorance in the same way that the schools took advantage of their vulnerability
wilfred dispensed 60000 loans if itt and other schools fail hundreds of thousands of borrowers   maybe millions   could be in for the same treatment ugly no


on the night of june 6 michelle marks who was 23 years old and lived in the albany houses in crown heights was leaving her job at fornino a pizzeria a few miles away in brooklyn bridge park when she was shot in the head and killed the day before she died ms marks had filed a report with the police alleging that her former boyfriend a man with a criminal record who was three decades her senior had assaulted her at the albany houses trying to grab her groceries this was the third domestic incident report involving the couple within the course of a few weeks on may 16 the police said ms marks had called 911 after she opened the door to her apartment to find the man lamont wright lurking in the hallway outside
shortly after the shooting mr wright was taken into police custody and charged with assaulting and stalking ms marks on the day before the killing mr wright has not been charged in the shooting but capt sergio centa the commanding officer of the 84th precinct which includes brooklyn bridge park sent an email to community leaders in the wealthy neighborhood telling them about the case one he said the police believed had resulted from a continuing domestic dispute there was no reason to think he continued that what had happened was related to any of the issues we have had in the park this year such as overcrowding andor unruly crowds the vexing tone of reassurance reaffirmed the conventional notion that although random violence warrants our apprehension the presumption that it was a violent former consort who killed a young woman should permit us to abandon our anxieties the park remained safe for the walking of cockapoos and consumption of rose
over the past several years the issue of campus sexual assault has managed to sustain american attention in a way that few issues regarding the welfare of women or the welfare of anything have managed this was made clear again last week in the outpouring of rage over the lenient sentencing of brock turner a stanford student convicted of sexual assault there were calls for the judge aaron persky of santa clara county superior court to be removed from the bench and an old friend of mr turners who had written a letter to the courts in his support found that her band was suddenly the object of a boycott in brooklyn
the statistic that one in five women will be sexually assaulted is surpassed by the figure that one in four women will experience domestic violence in the course of her lifetime according to data supplied by safe horizon a victims services group yet there remains a distinct disparity in our collective interest sexual assault has come up during the presidential debates and during the last oscars ceremony domestic violence did not there are these moments around incidents like ray rice liz roberts the deputy chairwoman of safe horizon said referring to the former nfl running back who was videotaped punching his fiancee and then there is a fading away
part of the problem lies with rhetoric since feminists enlightened the world about the horrors of spousal abuse in the early 1970s and sought to combat it we have culturally relied on the meme that domestic violence can happen to anyone commentators invoked the line most recently when amber heard the estranged wife of johnny depp accused him of hitting her but the sentiment has a long history popularized beginning in the 1980s and 90s with a spate of genre movies that fictionalized true stories of women imperiled by their husbands the women were factory workers secretaries bankers wives and washington wives
the truth is that you are far more likely to become a victim of domestic violence if you live in central brooklyn than if you live on the upper east side or in georgetown according to city data domestic homicides are 65 percent more likely to occur in neighborhoods with high rates of poverty since 2002 more than a third of all domestic homicides have occurred in just 15 police precincts that make up only 19 percent of the population among tenants of new york citys housing authority domestic violence incident reports rose from 809 in 2009 to more than twice that figure three years later
those who commandeer the cultural conversation online are more apt to know someone who has experienced a traumatic sexual encounter in a dorm room than someone who has been beaten or shot by a disgruntled former boyfriend who did not graduate from high school
how might that change the war against campus sexual assault has taken shape as a war against male entitlement a dismissive legal and judicial apparatus an insidious culture of binge drinking what would a war against domestic violence look like to some extent it would look like a war on poverty a war against the bouts of social narcissism that afflict the upper classes i posed the question to lisa smith the former chief sex crimes prosecutor for the brooklyn district attorneys office i would like to see a national fatality review team of experienced domestic violence advocates she said whose job it is to look at these cases talk to the families and all of the relevant parties and report back not to government entities but to us by which she meant ordinary people who might intervene before something terrible happened were not as good at identifying potential killers as we think


maxwell perkins is the rare book editor who achieved lasting fame his nurture of f scott fitzgerald ernest hemingway and thomas wolfe made him something like the platonic ideal of mentorship a new movie genius is centered on his relationship with wolfe and the massive edits that preceded the publication of wolfes novel look homeward angel
the first interest in turning a scott bergs national book award winning biography of perkins into a movie came in the spring of 1978 just before the book was published in a recent phone interview berg said universal studios was developing it at the time until it landed on a particular executives desk i was told that he got to page 3 and said wait a minute this is a movie about a book editor were not making this movie 
sixteen years ago bergs friend the playwright and screenwriter john logan expressed interest in adapting it they agreed that showing too much of the act of writing on screen was a no no though if any writer had a cinematic process it was the 6 foot 6 wolfe he used to stand at the refrigerator and throw pages into crates berg said its almost like jackson pollock its action writing and every now and then hed bring the crates into max perkins and say is it a book 
bergs active pursuit of colin firth to play perkins finally set the project to full boil jude law portrays wolfe and while the diminutive actor isnt a ringer for the physically imposing novelist berg said adjustments were made weve dirtied him up a little made him more unkempt than we usually see him
quotable
i dont like neatness in anything except my house life is messy and overly explained stories dont give readers full credit   laura lippman in an interview with bookreporter
not asking permission
this week jaimy gordon reviews ce morgans new novel the sport of kings morgan who grew up in ohio before attending berea college in kentucky and then harvard divinity school has never divulged much about her biography but in a recent interview with the magazine commonweal she offered a few tantalizing notes i have not needed to go to a text to discover or ruminate on lack ive experienced it in my own life she said anyone who lives with poor health or chronic pain or who has endured poverty   real poverty   knows what it is to live with lack and a resulting fear so incessant that it becomes thoroughly normalized invisible in its ubiquity responding later to a question about the sensitivity of a white writer addressing the subject of race morgan offered this impassioned answer in part i have both experienced and witnessed a great deal of suffering in my life and that has informed my art im here today because im a fighter i didnt survive my life to ask permission to write my books


nine new books recommended by the editors of the new york times book review this week
far and away reporting from the brink of change seven continents twenty five years by andrew solomon scribner 30 some 30 travel pieces in prose sparkling with insight describe places in the throes of transformation
orson welles volume 3 one man band by simon callow viking 40 expertly and convincingly callow rejects the common disdain for welless post 1948 career
enchanted islands by allison amend nan a talesedoubleday 2695 a couple with their own secrets surveil germans in the galapagos just before world war ii in this fascinating novel
the hour of land a personal topography of americas national parks by terry tempest williams sarah crichtonfarrar straus  giroux 27 thought provoking essays on a dozen national parks investigate our relationship with nature
the bricks that built the houses by kate tempest bloomsbury 26 the poet and rappers voice never falters as her debut novel follows two young women in london
couture confessions fashion legends in their own words by pamela golbin rizzoli ex libris 3995 existing quotes are spliced together to create enthralling interviews with chanel et al
all things cease to appear by elizabeth brundage knopf 2695 this literary thrillers complex narrative involves a cursed house an unsolved murder and impeccable writing
before the fall by noah hawley grand central 26 a private jet crash leads to a media fire  storm in hawleys readable thrill ride of a novel
the girls by emma cline random house 27 an engrossing coming of age novel about a teenager attracted to a manson like group


cincinnati   in 2011 martie maguire of the dixie chicks took her twin daughters to a taylor swift concert and it churned up some melancholy
the chicks whose bluegrass roots and rock n roll spirit broke down country music barriers and made them the best selling female band of all time in the united states were in the middle of a lengthy hiatus the trio had not been heard from since scaling back a 2006 tour that suffered from continuing reverberations from the incident a remark the singer natalie maines had made about president george w bush a few years earlier
i was feeling like maybe our time had passed and this was taylors time said ms maguire then ms swift covered the chicks 1999 hit cowboy take me away much to her daughters astonishment and the crowd sang along loudly
ms maguire said the moment was surreal and super emotional apparently the world had not forgotten about the dixie chicks whose four studio albums sold more than 30 million copies now the band   ms maines ms maguire and emily strayer   is finding out how much of its fan base is still out there when the group members realized that 2015 would be their 20th anniversary together they started thinking about how to mark the occasion last week they set out on their first headlining tour in the united states in 10 years they play madison square garden on monday june 13
during the bands break ms maguire and ms strayer released two albums under the name court yard hounds and ms maines put out a solo record but they say that for now new dixie chicks music is not on the agenda ms strayer who was known as emily robison during the bands glory years and who remarried in 2013 said that she and ms maguire write regularly just to keep the muscle moving ms maines added my muscle for songwriting is like a 600 pound man right now   way flabby not exercised at all
but live the trio sounds like it has never been away i just wait for it to feel right and it felt right said ms maines 41 on the night before the 53 city dcx mmxvi tour kicked off the chicks gathered in a backstage lounge at the riverbend music center an outdoor amphitheater on the banks of the ohio river here and happily talked over one another making their decision to return to the spotlight sound casual and carefree
if the riverbend audience is representative the chicks fans are primed for this comeback the sold out show cleared more than 20000 tickets one of their biggest crowds ever forty something fans filled the more expensive seats under the roof while packs of raucous college age women in tank tops jean shorts and boots packed the lawn area
the rise and fall of the dixie chicks with its extreme highs and lows seems practically scripted for maximum drama ms strayer 43 who plays banjo and guitar and ms maguire 46 a fiddle player are sisters born emily and martha erwin who were among the co founders of the band it took its name from little feats hit dixie chicken in dallas in the late 1980s after a few independent releases and lineup changes ms maines stepped in as lead singer in 1995
the group seemed to come out of nowhere when its 1997 album wide open spaces spun off three no 1 singles on the country charts and was certified 12 times platinum its 1999 follow up fly slightly modernized the bands sound and style and sold 10 million copies
as they racked up honors including multiple grammy awards 13 to date the dixie chicks were helping transform the playing field in nashville and empowering a generation of female musicians
when we saw these women writing witty intelligent music playing instruments and basically doing it all it inspired us to do the same wrote madison marlow of the country duo maddie  tae in an email
her partner taylor dye who like ms marlow was all of 2 when wide open spaces was released added the dixie chicks encouraged us all to unapologetically be who we are
then in 2001 the chicks sued their label sony music for unpaid royalties they settled out of court but it delayed the release of the 2002 acoustic based home though the records sound was less conventionally commercial it sold six million copies
but in march 2003 in the days leading up to the invasion of iraq ms maines introduced the song travelin soldier at a london concert just so you know were on the good side with yall she said we do not want this war this violence and were ashamed that the president of the united states is from texas
a firestorm erupted back home country radio stations banned the groups music protesters smashed and burned the bands cds ms maines received death threats the chicks appeared nude on the cover of entertainment weekly magazine with some of the slurs directed at them   saddams angels dixie sluts   painted on their bodies the events were chronicled in the 2006 documentary shut up  sing
though the incident has come to largely define the public legacy of the dixie chicks often overwhelming their musical contributions the band members now seem to shrug it off they laugh when ms maguire recounts recently visiting a friend who instructed her not to go into the bathroom because she might be offended by something on the wall   a picture of the family with president bush
im really proud of what went down said ms maines i spoke up for what i believe   thats what art is about and what musicians should be about and if id known anybody was listening i would have said something to really make a mark
i look at how much more polarized and intolerant people have become now she continued with social media opinions all start becoming noise but at that point people werent really supposed to have an opinion
ms strayer said that the controversy feels like another lifetime to me it doesnt even feel real   our countrys changed weve changed the fans definitely have
she described a recent phone call from her ex husband he said well whats going to happen the day that the kids find that entertainment weekly cover what are you going to tell them   like gotcha so i said well ill probably explain to them what happened to us and how you have to stand up for yourself when something like that happens
ms maines added with a guffaw im going to tell them this is how good mommys body looked before she had you
ms maines has remained active in various social causes she has been a supporter of the west memphis three a group of arkansas men convicted of the 1993 murder of three young boys and on the current tour she is raising funds for proclaim justice an organization that advocates for the wrongfully imprisoned ms maines expressed reluctance though about getting involved in the current presidential election
i hate politics she said its become an industry it sickens me
during the concert the chicks performance of ready to run was accompanied by video screens with goofy animated images of all the candidates crosscut with shots of clowns and hot dogs but one moment in the show received particular attention in the news media while they sang their 2000 hit goodbye earl a tale of a woman and her best friend murdering an abusive husband a montage of criminals and shady looking characters through history flashed to a quick shot of donald j trump with devil horns a mustache and a goatee scribbled on in a sign of changing times it drew cheers
hes great entertainment for a reality show said ms maines hes scary as hell for president of the united states social media response was predictable with the dixie chicks facebook page instantly filling up with comments like you idiots should keep your politics to yourselves and stick to playing music
one thing that never recovered was the dixie chicks relationship with nashville their last album the 2006 lp taking the long way took a more pop oriented direction on its way to winning five grammy awards the band members claim to pay no attention to country music today ms strayer even needed to describe to the other two last years tomato gate controversy when an influential radio consultant insisted that country stations needed to limit how much music they play by female artists
the 24 song set at riverbend illustrated some of the music that is closer to the bands heart these days including covers of a song by lana del rey and by the group favorite beyonce a hoedown version of daddy lessons which became a viral hit when they first performed it just a week after the release of lemonade
ms maguire expressed the closest thing to regret about taking a decade away from the group i dont love that we didnt do anything for 10 years she said but im really proud that we focused so intently on our children
in the end the biggest deal about this tour for the dixie chicks may be that it offers the first chance for their sons and daughters   nine in total ranging in age from 3 to 15   to see their mothers at work i realized that my second oldest daughter had never even seen our videos said ms strayer so about a month ago we sat in bed and watched them all   and she was mortified you did not wear that you did not just do that
ms maines reiterated that especially after their experiences she had no problem walking away from the celebrity mountaintop you look at the stars who do maintain staying on top and honestly it looks like so much work and self involvement she said i wouldnt have done all this personal growth and become the person that ive worked on becoming theres something almost sad about that being what youre so hungry for   i just dont relate to that so i was happy to pass the baton


rising home prices set off fears that real estate will become even more expensive making it impossible ever to buy a home in a given city
its easy to understand how such worries spread but the historical record suggests that these fears are generally exaggerated cities with steep price increases today will probably have much smaller upticks in the future and for the most part differences in price increases among cities are well explained by short term variations in employment growth
consider some recent trends in the year ended in march cities like denver seattle and portland ore had employment growth of more than 3 percent according to the bureau of labor statistics along with double digit home price increases according to the spcase shiller indexes at the same time employment growth has been relatively tepid in cities like boston cleveland and new york and so have home price increases
this is not rocket science when businesses in a city have an unusually successful year and hire a lot more people new employees arrive but initially there arent enough homes for them home prices rise immediately so that demand effectively equals the existing supply inevitably causing ripple effects someone with a new high paying job will outbid someone else who will have to lower her sights and accept a less attractive house people much further down the ladder will end up living with their parents or with roommates
on a national scale this suggests that weak employment growth of the kind shown in mays jobs report with only a 38000 increase in nonfarm payrolls could eventually hurt home prices across the country thats possible but even without a national price slowdown or decline there is reason to believe that double digit increases wont continue for long in individual cities short term variations abound but for the most part the differences in long term home price increases in individual cities are about plus or minus one percentage point annually exceptions include san francisco and portland whose home prices have grown almost two percentage points above average annually since 1987
cities with big home price increases recently have issued more building permits per capita this supply response has the potential to reverse at least some of the prices when housing supply increases it tends to bring high real estate prices down though that takes time
there is another wrinkle however demand lately has tilted toward homes in central cities where land is scarce rather than in more spacious distant suburbs this creates imbalances new homes in the suburbs have often remained unsold for long intervals construction of apartment buildings has increased in cities since the financial crisis but new arrivals with good jobs often havent wanted to live in apartments this may explain 2016 data showing that permits for new buildings with five or more units have flagged despite these problems the supply response to higher home prices should moderate or reverse some of the biggest increases
yet many people assume that home prices will rise ever upward these expectations are more modest than in the years leading up to the 2008 financial crisis but they are substantial the january 2016 pulsenomics us housing confidence survey showed that expectations for home price increases over the next 10 years averaged 37 percent a year nationally which implies a 44 percent total increase by 2026 expectations were a little higher for homeowners than renters and higher yet for recent buyers   which appears to reflect a wishful thinking bias they were highest for recent buyers in high price increase cities peaking at almost 65 percent a year
historically however investing in homes just hasnt rewarded most homeowners that much as i have calculated home prices corrected for consumer price index inflation nationally were nearly flat for the century ending in 1990 and when nominal home prices are deflated by per capita disposable personal income it turns out that real prices of existing homes fell 12 percent while real prices of newly built homes fell 30 percent from 1975 to 2015
as their disposable income has grown relative to home prices individuals have bought more housing thats partly why average household size declined to 25 people in 2015 from 29 in 1975 the percent of households consisting of a single person rose to 28 percent in 2015 from 20 percent in 1975 there are other explanations for this but one is certainly that housing has been getting cheaper relative to income so we are consuming much more of it
new homes are larger median floor space has risen to 2169 square feet in 2010 from 1525 in 1973 census data shows this large increase generally holds within major metropolitan areas and outside them while living space is constrained in the heart of large high priced cities like new york builders elsewhere have usually been able to accommodate peoples demands for cheap large homes roughly where they want them
given these facts why do people still worry that home prices are getting out of reach the answer cant be found in the housing data instead these fears may reflect anxieties about other issues   like income inequality globalization and the threat of job losses because of robots and artificial intelligence in prosperous cities rising prices may connote economic exclusion
after all american society is increasingly divided according to educational attainment and income in some circles rarefied home prices may set off worries about being unable to live in choice locations shared with successful people home prices may unfortunately be viewed as a measurement of success in life rather than merely of floor space and fear of being priced out of housing may well be rooted in deeper broodings about maintaining a position in the social hierarchy


in the heart of welive a new apartment tower in the financial district created by the office space provider wework is a communal area known as the whiskey lounge
the intimate space   in a prime spot off a communal kitchen lounges and a central staircase   looks like an old speakeasy with warm lighting leather seats and a polished bar bartenders from a rotating list regularly take over the space which seats 15 people but can pack in as many as 25
one week this spring there were three events a curated whiskey tasting held by weworks own bartenders a wine tasting by a vineyard and a caipirinha night hosted by leblon cachaca an artisanal liquor brand from brazil when bartenders arent in residence tenants can bring bottles and mix their own cocktails using a number of supplies from shakers to bitters stocked in the bar
residents gather there after a long day at work or before going out often inviting friends from outside the building you tell your friends this is my little unique space and people love it said quinton kerns a 31 year old welive designer who lives in the building its not something you see very often in a residential building
while such places are still a novelty more and more new residential buildings nationwide are offering creative bars   for coffee or alcohol   for their residents the tenants and owners get an exclusive place to relax and unwind developers can gain an edge on their competitors
some of these bars operate like members only clubs and are reserved strictly for residents one of the amenities of 111 murray street a luxury condominium going up in tribeca is the patisserie a coffee bar where residents will be served complimentary breakfast every morning the food and coffee will be made by baked tribeca and the architect david rockwell is designing the space from the custom pots and artsy trays to the display area where the food will be served
every detail matters said winston c fisher a partner of fisher brothers which is developing the building with witkoff when you walk out of your apartment you have something to look forward to you have baked tribeca every morning waiting for you you have the smells this will not be the kind of place where bagels are put out as an afterthought he added
beyond new york city auberge beach residences and spa a condominium expected to open next year in fort lauderdale fla will have an exclusive wine bar curated for tenants by a master sommelier auberge residences and spa miami also with a wine bar is expected to open in 2019
palazzo del sol a condominium development on fisher island fla that opened in march with only 43 residences has an in house aperitivo bar that serves italian snacks cocktails and coffees daily the space which has front row views of crossing boats is staffed daily by a butler from 8 am to 8 pm
residential bars can offer more personalized service said one of the butlers ernesto graniero who has worked in the restaurant business for 25 years in italy france england and the united states i know when they come at 9 oclock in the morning who likes a glass of water sparkling who likes it still who likes a macchiato he said i know when they come back to me at 12 oclock who likes the ham with cheese and a touch of mustard
people living in residences connected to hotels like the plaza the carlyle and the four seasons in new york city have always been able to use the lounges as their own but thats not the same as having one for just you and your neighbors said jim ferraro a lawyer who is in the process of moving into a penthouse at palazzo del sol it is like what you would get at a top hotel a five star hotel he said but the beauty to this is its not a hotel so you dont have all these random guests going through the place it really is an extension of your home
park grove a 52 acre residential complex opening across from biscayne bay in the coconut grove neighborhood of miami offers a bar and lounge area called the oak room near its pool decks when designing it the developers david martin a founder and the president of terra and carlos rosso the president of the related groups condominium development division considered the needs of families moving there from single family homes with smaller living and dining rooms in which to entertain mr martin said they needed places where they could spend time and invite friends and enjoy and entertain and meet their neighbors
mr fisher of fisher brothers said these bars are the result of an increasing focus on lifestyle the experience of your customer has become more important than ever he said you cant take it for granted because your competition does not
this is especially true in a place like new york where apartment buildings are exploding with amenities from bowling alleys to climbing walls
some apartment buildings are trying to appeal to residents by welcoming public cafes and bars into their lobbies pike  rose a residential complex in north bethesda md will have a beer garden with 40 to 50 beers on draft open to the public
abington house at the high line on west 30th street and tenth avenue opened an independent coffee shop think coffee last year in september the shop will be joined by a whitmans restaurant with a full bar
landlords used to look for the best retail tenant that would give them no problems and pay the highest rent said larry kramer an owner of whitmans now they are adapting to what is going to drive renters to the building and i think a good restaurant a good bar operation really brings value to where people live he said
amy nardi a 30 year old talent acquisition manager at crosscountry consulting lives in abington house and visits the think coffee near the lobby at least three days a week i dont often have the time to go for a half hour walk to get something she said she says she especially enjoys running into neighbors in the coffee shop
many of these suppliers offer perks to the residents who live in the same property kava cafe a restaurant and coffee shop on the ground floor of mima a residential tower on west 42nd street gives residents a free cup of coffee every day when they show their key there is also free fika coffee for residents at the m club on the buildings sixth floor
benjamin joseph a senior vice president of the related companies which developed mima and abington house said the company was always trying to improve what we can offer to people and the ways we can offer residents additional experiences beyond just their apartments
ms nardi is especially excited about having a bar in the new restaurant downstairs at the abington house to people in manhattan the dream is having things close by and it really doesnt get closer than the lobby she said and who doesnt like a good after work drink and if you have too many its really not a problem getting home


every morning an electric powered vehicle owned by the nonprofit restaurant instock crisscrosses amsterdam to pick up food that would otherwise be tossed including produce meat fish tofu and chocolate some items might be overstocked while others have aesthetic flaws or are nearing expiration by noon the chef lucas jeffries and his staff have pulled together a three course menu that is posted several hours later on a chalkboard
on our visit an enthusiastic server told us how the restaurant was started as a pop up in 2014 by four workers at the dutch supermarket chain albert heijn an attempt to combat the food waste they witnessed with support from the grocer it became a restaurant last year serving breakfast lunch and dinner in a cheery setting
we started with delicious day old brown bread olive oil one of the few items instock buys along with dairy and a plate of perfectly pickled beets the rotating wine list comes from discontinued lines or bottles with damaged labels while beer made with bread is bought from a belgian brewery
our soup combined a sweet and sour orange base with add ons of raw radish and brussels sprouts leaves and a topping of the best onion rings ive tasted   small crisp and not greasy
my friend erik and my wife selina ordered the meatloaf served with white beans in a roasted pepper sauce and chunky potato chips roasted broccoli and pickled cucumber erik thought the loaf was brick like and i agreed but selina loved it my veggie version swapped meat for cheese covered leeks which were soft and flavorful but rendered the beans a less appealing companion
we all raved over dessert   baked apple with a rich caramel sauce served with ice cream topped with a cinnamon crumble
the next day i spoke with freke van nimwegen one of the founders apologizing for our mixed reactions but saying wed love to revisit or at least two of us would
of course im disappointed but every day is different and we do have a lot of regulars she said were really happy to take food waste mainstream if everyone has knowledge theyll waste less
so what does instock do with its leftovers it either goes to make biogas is used in staff meals or is donated


from about 260 euros about 290
this sleekly refurbished and rebranded property emerged as a rising star of the citys night life in the spring of 2015 after getting new management and a major makeover by unico hotels it had spent years off the radar despite its stellar location at the junction of madrids trendy chueca neighborhood and bustling gran via enhancing the principals appeal to both travelers and locals are panoramic views of madrids famously ebullient architecture along gran via for this reason public areas like the understated lobby and restaurant are on the top floor with all terraces and balconies optimized for dining and drinking the sprawling rooftop terrace has become a magnet for stylish madrilenos in summer matching the spectacular scenery is a newly added high tea and artisanal cocktails not to mention a modern mediterranean menu by ramon freixa who has two michelin stars at his namesake restaurant at the sister hotel unico across town
steps off gran via the broadway of madrid the principal is tucked into a quiet street leading into gallery  and restaurant dense chueca the prado thyssen bornemisza and many other museums and cultural centers are nearby with the lobby six flights up arriving in the small and discreet street entrance   painted a steely gunmetal and hung with 19th century portraits   feels like stepping into a private club
muted gray walls and upholstery accented with some pale wood tables rich brown leather chairs and the odd bench or stool in marigold velvet give the rooms a well heeled urbane vibe on the walls are clusters of figure drawings in pen and ink reinforcing the black gray and white and enhancing the feeling of being in a private domain even the smallest rooms have several seating options sofas armchairs and desk chairs besides sitting on the bed for a premium the best views   of the busy junction of gran via and calle alcala and the famous sculpture topped cupola of the frothy beaux arts metropolis building in the middle   can be seen from the sitting rooms of the junior suites
in keeping with the crisp 80s look of the rooms the ample bathrooms are a celebration of black and white tile with large rain showers and gilchrist  soames toiletries not all rooms have tubs but anyone who requests a crib in the room will find an inflatable childs tub in the bathroom as well
the hotel has an above average fitness room with treadmills and stationary bikes as well as dumbbells fitballs and other equipment there is a separate sauna and a treatment room for massages free wi fi is available throughout the property and the guest rooms have nespresso machines and a selection of teas
the expansive buffet breakfast can be eaten in the restaurant atico bar or library or it can be taken up to the rooftop mr freixas deftly updated take on spanish cuisine has been such a hit that this summer dinner service is now available on the roof previously just drinks and nibbles as well as in the restaurant room service is available 24 hours as is a limited menu of snacks and drinks in the library and glass walled galleria overlooking gran via
combining comfort and style in the rooms with a prime address for business culture and night life the principal has a lot going for it for guests who like rubbing shoulders with a steady stream of madrids creative class just head up to the roof


send your workplace conundrums to workologistnytimescom including your name and contact information even if you want it withheld for publication the workologist is a guy with well intentioned opinions not a professional career adviser letters may be edited
a member of my department has been giving me the silent treatment for a month she doesnt even respond to good morning
i know why shes mad i got upset about something she did that i felt ignored my contributions to our department when she refused to talk to me about it i sent her an email explaining
i dont need to be her best friend i just want to be able to relate to her in a normal way the original slight still sticks in my craw so its hard for me to mend the fence but the current scenario is completely dysfunctional she is an older lady quite beloved in our workplace because she works hard but she is passive aggressive and prone to tizzies
do i apologize even though i dont feel as if i did anything wrong do i confront her buy her flowers and chocolate please give me a strategy for going forward anonymous
an important side note sending an email to explain grievances is often a bad idea electronic communication has many advantages but emotional nuance isnt among them even the most carefully worded critique can easily be interpreted more harshly than intended
factor that in as you consider your next move it matters because chances are good that youre not going to get anywhere if you refuse to accept some responsibility for whatever has gone haywire here you may feel you havent done anything wrong but clearly this other person sees things differently   and you cant simply dismiss her point of view if you want to improve the situation
so yes you should apologize but only for what you genuinely regret in this case that may mean a conversation that starts with some variation of im sorry i said things in that email that probably came across in upsetting ways and i wish i hadnt but i respect you and its important to me that we have a positive working relationship so i really want to clear the air if you must rehash your own grievances do so in neutral terms i know you wouldnt intentionally slight me but because of x i felt y
many workplace disagreements can be sorted out and sometimes the resulting relationship is stronger and better than ever but someone has to step back take a longer view and recognize that such disagreements are not worth a never ending cold war that makes everyone unhappy someone in other words has to take the high road could it be you
regarding your response to the reader whose supervisor used the phrase jew the price down contrary to what you wrote the most obvious   and least inflammatory   advice would be to let it slide
ive heard the phrase used throughout the country though much less on the east coast and there is almost never any intended bigotry involved its like a new yorker saying someone gypped them without stopping to think about the words origin
the second time its heard might be the moment to say do you realize thats an offensive term im jewish and it does not sit well with me this will be followed by embarrassed apologies on the part of the speaker 99 times out of 100
for the record im jewish too calm down everybody
stephen kling larchmont ny
the workologist received dozens of varied responses to that item but this one articulates a recurring theme both the offended employee and the workologist are overreacting to a simple misunderstanding
it is plausible that the manager was ignorant of the offensiveness of the phrase and the employee who felt uncomfortable should consider that possibility several readers offered suggestions for broaching the subject in a manner that avoids an implied accusation of bigotry a lot of people dont realize it but that term can be offensive to many im sure you didnt mean to offend me but  one reader said that responding with my mother is jewish has never failed me
the best comment along these lines came from a reader who recalls having used the term in ignorance and having its offensiveness explained politely almost sweetly by a jewish friend i was shocked embarrassed and contrite but most importantly informed this person recalls so instead of assuming the worst give the guy the benefit of the doubt and just tell him why the term is offensive
fair enough but i dont think saying nothing is a good idea after all the original advice seeker walked away from the incident feeling that the manager might indeed be a bigot and readers let us agree on something we werent there the only person who knows how it felt to hear this supervisor say that phrase is the person who experienced it
there are two reasons a person   or for that matter someone who is genuinely offended by the word gypped or any such term   should not simply pretend it never happened the first is professional it could happen again in ways that might embarrass not just that person but also the whole organization
the second is personal saying nothing ultimately leaves the offended party permanently suspicious of the person who made the remark and probably nagged by self doubt for failing to speak up


re rock n roll
in an adaptation from his new book but what if were wrong cluck klosterman ponders who future historians will remember from the 20th centurys most popular musical genre
the mistake in discussing who will last in rock n roll is to assume that what rocks your world is what is likely to stand for all time its all context and perception and i think klosterman nailed it in the line everybody who was around for punk and disco is dead and buried and no one is left to contradict how that moment felt right you had to be there but be where exactly everything is relative to myriad cultural psychological and historical factors
what klosterman leaves out of the discussion is the primordial soup out of which the genre grew thats where from a white perspective the real transgression lay in rhythm and blues race music black vocal groups gospel blues and even in early country and western and hillbilly music
which is why for my money if we are going to suggest transgression as a criterion for rock durability we cant overlook little richard while nothing shocks us today what could have been more rebellious and shocking in a 1950s context than a black man pounding out secular gospel music to a white audience like his contemporary jerry lee lewis who was also eventually pulled apart by trying to exist in the contradiction between the sacred and the profane little richard violated perhaps the ultimate social decree of the time using a sacred musical format to praise the lowest of secular concerns he offended everyone now thats transgressive michael aubry evanston ill
your article stops short of recognizing what will be clear 300 years from now bob dylan will be sung read discussed and performed as the embodiment of the rock era in all its forms and permutations that he created or inspired we already recognize that like a rolling stone is by acclamation the greatest rock song it was the tip of the dylan iceberg he never made an album that rocked in any conventional way in some sense true   in every one of his albums he forged the essential rock reality that there is no conventional way there is shakespeare and there is dylan hugh e mckay solon ohio
re kamala harris
emily bazelon profiled californias attorney general a candidate for the us senate who is trying to chart a middle course on criminal justice
emily bazelons profile of kamala harris suggests another example of what i like to call the axis of difference political theory   that politicians can afford to differ from the mainstream political norm along one axis of difference but rarely two or more while maintaining national prominence so for example bernie sanders can run far to the left and remain viable as a straight white man fringe liberal views are his only axis of difference conversely hillary clinton and barack obama are constrained politically because they have already used up their allowable difference on the immutable characteristics of gender and race in the case of kamala harris who is positioning herself for national politics from the underdog starting point of difference along two axes the theory suggests even less ability to stray from the political center if the theory is compelling and examples do abound those who support more sweeping criminal justice reform should not demand leadership from harris at the cost of her political career if this means that national politicians withhold support for causes they believe to be just the fault lies not with people like harris obama and clinton who take a pragmatic approach to pursuing their political goals while maintaining political ambitions instead the true culprit is a political climate that tolerates so little difference avi frey brooklyn ny
sometimes you get to an unintended destination and so i wonder if the editors and writers intended for this issue to be a statement on the influence of women globally from the article on kamala harris candidate for us senate the photo of female kurdish fighters the photo of african health workers some of whom are female and are the first line of defense against disease the image of a female figure as a scarecrow guarding the harvest to your cover of a grieving woman perhaps having lost a husband or a son to war what powerful statements bravo well done beverley morgan sandoz pasadena calif


fear is a wound to your heart says m ellen dash who founded a national swim school for adults afraid of the water dont bother with the mechanics of freestyle or backstroke until youve dealt with the panic start slow no scrambling no hurry no tension no worry dash says walk around in the shallow end of a pool keep your mind on the present notice the sensation of liquid against skin allow yourself to feel in control dont manage your fear dash says heal it
some 192 million american adults suffer from phobias twice as many women as men fear of water is among the more common if you can talk about your anxiety in the first hours of class dashs students explain the root of their water aversion for some it stems from a traumatic experience for others its a learned trait of the 5000 adults who have been through dashs program some 90 percent have at least one parent who was afraid of water unlearn the terror before you pass it along
you wont want to initially but try putting your face underwater stand in the pool holding the edge with one hand and pinching your nose with your other dip your face in quickly repeat until youre no longer clenching your jaw until you can let go of your nostrils and allow them to fill with water celebrate youve just passed a major milestone
it might take days or even years but eventually you will need to go into the deep end where your feet dont touch the bottom the goal   what dash considers to be the mastery of aquaphobia   is to float peacefully in deep water for at least five minutes 10 feet from a wall or support first sit at the edge dangling your legs over then slide in holding on to the pools lip trust this medium of hydrogen and oxygen based molecules to buoy you up you may be an air breathing land animal yet your body is a watery one a newborn baby is about 68 percent water people dehydrate as they age and fatten but even an adult woman who is 30 percent fat will be more than 50 percent water be comforted by that   and push off from the edge see dash says you are not sinking


this interview with soledad obrien chief executive of the starfish media group a production company was conducted and condensed by adam bryant
q what were your early years like
a i grew up on long island in a small town that was somewhat rural back then i have five brothers and sisters and im no 5 and my parents were both immigrants my dads australian and my mom is cuban and my moms black and my dads white that framed a lot of my thinking about the work that i would do in my career and also how i think about big american issues
i did a lot of after school activities student council rotary club track the badminton team we didnt have a lot that you could do otherwise so if you didnt push yourself to go do something you just couldnt do it there was no sitter who schlepped you to ballet classes and then made sure that your interest in art was being nurtured
because we were middle class there was not a ton of money so if there was something i wanted then id have to be able to pay for it when i was about 13 i wanted to ride horses and i got a job mucking stalls so i could pay for riding lessons
helping kids figure out how to make things happen on their own is just good strategy anyway but i think if you want your kids to be entrepreneurial its probably critical
tell me more about your parents
my dad was a professor of mechanical engineering and my mom taught spanish and french at the local high school they were the kind of people youd turn to for really good advice
i remember when i first had kids and i was working and i just was completely overwhelmed my mother used to say you can always quit tomorrow just try to get through the day the point was to never quit when youre in the throes of feeling terrible and you should take a bit of time to get some perspective ive given that advice to so many people
they were of the era when people thought that at the end of the day hard work wins out and so i grew up on that idea if youre going to do something do it well if youre going to plant tomatoes in the garden my parents would make sure they looked good they just never did anything halfway
what were some leadership lessons you learned during your years in tv news
when i was at cnn i worked under five different news presidents over a period of about six years it was the most chaotic time id ever experienced in a corporate workplace how do you carve out a niche in an environment that is changing all the time
what i learned there was that you have to go back to the basics of thinking here is what i do well and i am going to make sure that everything i touch is good and solid
is this your first management role
yes when youre an anchor you dont really manage people you manage the ideas so it was a real challenge when i started this company three years ago because this was really the first time i was fully and utterly responsible for managing a team
it was a very steep learning curve mostly because there was not a lot of overlap between the kind of journalism i was doing and running a business a key insight for me was that if you want good feedback from people you have to create an environment where people want to come and tell you things but i had no concrete idea of how to do that
another challenge was that i was successful in my previous role because i really worked hard and took a lot of responsibility for making things good but thats not actually a great skill for being a boss the job of the boss is to help other people reach their goals and their dreams
the area where ive grown the most is that i am good at making decisions in the macro and helping other people make the decisions in the micro
the broader learning curve has been exciting but while youre in it its also kind of annoying it felt like a slog at what point will i actually grow into this job because i have the title at what point will i actually be making decisions like someone who is the ceo of the company i would say it took a solid year before i felt good about it
how do you hire
you hire for character and teach people skills and environment is very important to me its important to me that people arent unpleasant and that they treat each other respectfully its hard to be creative when theres someone or something thats really irking you
so are you a person of integrity who makes the environment a really nice space i will watch how they treat the person at the front desk versus me we have people spend time with other people who they think wouldnt necessarily be assessing them for a job
i also think there are two qualities you cant teach people you have to want to understand something and i dont think you can teach people to be curious you can interest people in a topic and they become curious but i think youre born interested in things or youre not
and im obsessed with attention to detail i dont know that you can teach that   either that triggers you to stay for the next two hours to fix something or youre the kind of person who will just let it slide
what advice do you give to new college grads
it goes back to what my parents always said i think hard work does get you really far and treating people well gets you really far   farther than i think it gets credit for in the greater world


morgan writes we are living with my in laws while we convert a bus into a motor home im grateful for the hospitality but my mother in law insists on divulging personal information at inappropriate times she once showed me a pelvic rash while i was eating please order her to desist ps it would be lovely to see you in australia
yes your mother in law is gross this is not a column of etiquette however but of fake law that i make up in my head and here is the law when adult children are sponging off parents   and especially in laws   the folks who pay the bills can live and talk in whatever disgusting way they like when you have your own home you can make your own rules about rashes until then convert faster ps i would love to see you in australia wait till you see my rickets


unlike most refugees i wasnt scared when i came to this country from ethiopia many years ago i was confused but early on i understood that the first thing you need to do is survive after a couple of months in buffalo i moved to houston for three years i worked as a waitress and did odd jobs and then i began volunteering at a refugee center in hillcroft one of the most crowded places in the city filled with social service organizations apartments and grocery stores and restaurants that sell food from around the world the refugee center hired me as its program manager and i received formal training from the state to do medical interpretation
one morning i was occupied with a client from congo who was pregnant and was having difficulty getting through the application process for medicaid just then the receptionist buzzed me a local doctor drr was on the line i need a favor he said i have this amharic speaking gentleman he has limited english can you come now to help with interpretation
i told drr that i could be free in 30 minutes when i was sure my client understood what she had to do i let her go and walked to his office three buildings away the hillcroft area is one of the few places in houston where you see people walking thats because many people there dont have cars once i reached drrs clinic he appeared almost immediately in his lab coat and stethoscope he looked relieved to see me
i followed him into the examination room where the patient sat on a chair an older man with gray hair he appeared to be in his late 60s and seemed quite fit   perhaps he was a farmer in ethiopia he greeted me with a smile making me feel as if i were the girl next door
the best situation would have been for a man to translate for the gentleman but that option was not available ethiopians are more reserved than americans especially when we talk to older people we have to be careful and we do not make direct eye contact talking in amharic i introduced myself to him and told him about the confidentiality of our conversation i then turned to drr and repeated the confidentiality statements to him even though i had interpreted for him many times before after all that was my training i also added as i always did if i dont understand   sometimes medical terminology can be different   i will pause and ask for further explanation
once the formalities were completed drr turned to the patient to ask what brings you to my clinic today
i listened to the patients response and translated for drr he says that he has pain from his belly button to his throat after translating i added i think hes complaining of gastroenteritis
drr wrinkled his brow azeb darling he said i did not ask you to diagnose my patient just ask him what hes feeling
the patient repeated that he felt pain from his belly button to his throat i pointed to myself as i explained to drr
the doctor turned to his computer and opened the mans chart i need to see his medical history he paused and said could you ask him if his testicles hurt
today i encounter awkward situations all the time but then i was still fairly new to it and i froze my face was getting a flushing sensation its not as if i didnt know the amharic word for testicles but we use the word only as an insult and my mind blocked it i remained silent feeling as if my brain had shut down
finally something came to my mind how are those two things between your legs i asked
the patient took in what i said as my words flowed through his mind he started to laugh he was laughing so much that he nearly fell out of his chair
drr looked confused are you going to kill my patient what are you asking him
now i had to say the amharic sentence in english so i translated the same question for drr and he began to laugh
when he stopped laughing he turned to me and said now you can leave the room your job is done
i walked to my office feeling embarrassed my mind was whirring but i still couldnt think of the actual amharic word for testicles i was back in my office when it finally came to me   kolet
that afternoon i kept asking myself if i should just stop doing interpretation i never wanted to say a word like kolet to a senior gentleman from my country in the end i decided to continue   and ive kept doing it to this day   with one change i now ask doctors to share patient bios with me so i can be better prepared


when a witty young woman named tracey wigfield joined the writing staff of the mindy project in early 2013 adam countee was dumbstruck
i dont want anything to appear treacly in print but i honestly fell in love with her the day i met her he said that night he texted his brother this woman is going to be your sister in law
so he was disappointed to learn that ms wigfield   a tv comedy prodigy who was about to win an emmy award for writing with tina fey the series finale of 30 rock   was already married with a small child it took several days before he along with the rest of the writers discovered that was not actually true
tracey was like what the hell are you talking about said matt warburton a former simpsons writer who oversees the mindy writing staff you could see young adams eyes light up
the mix up stemmed from a joke facebook photo involving a fake belly which had confused even ms wigfields old teachers from catholic school they were like congratulations on the birth of your child she said
mr countee and ms wigfield soon discovered they had both grown up in close knit families in new jersey she in wayne he in watchung making home movies with siblings and dreaming about careers in show business
they talked for 20 minutes about what malls they went to growing up said mindy kaling the creator and star of the mindy project in a way that i can only describe as shocking and kind of unconscionable how boring it was
for mr countee it was riveting id never heard my brother talk about anyone or anything like that in his entire life his brother brendan said
ms wigfield 32 came early to tv appearing in an ad for a toy called the glitterator when she was a child in a youtube clip that she said has haunted me always ms wigfield is seen shouting the slogan its glitter ific
after college she worked as a page at the late show on cbs directing audience members to the bathrooms david lettermans executive producer rob burnett recommended her to ms fey for an assistants job on 30 rock where she rose to become a writer and producer creating characters like dfwan an aspiring matchmaker for wealthy dogs
weirdly now she wont return my phone calls mr burnett quipped
ms wigfield moved to los angeles for ms kalings show and she was homesick mr countee who has an infectious smile and james brown caliber dance moves felt like home she said wed be sent off on writing tasks together and would just laugh until you cry
but while ms wigfield did not have a baby or a husband she did have a boyfriend back in new york whom she had dated since college mr countees entreaties fell flat
he kept inviting me to go to a farmers market with him she said im thinking do people in la just do that walk around and get their vegetables together it wasnt really on my radar
for mr countee 35 who had been rejected from nbcs page program three times finding gigs in hollywood had meant no time for a serious relationship i was getting comfortable with the idea that maybe i could be the cool uncle for the rest of my life he said bring a different chick home to thanksgiving every year
but his co worker stood out i probably laughed a little too loud at all her jokes and was a little too stung when she didnt laugh loud enough at mine he said
told this ms wigfield laughed he likes to paint this picture i never loved another woman until i met you she said he did fine every woman ive ever met who works in the entertainment industry has been on a date with him
when mindy wrapped in spring 2013 ms wigfield was headed back to new york unsure if she would return to los angeles sensing his final chance mr countee asked ms wigfield to what she thought was a casual dinner
afterward he confessed his feelings in a clumsy soliloquy   at one point he dropped his chapstick on the sidewalk and chased after it   that was delivered through the passenger side window of her car i think im crazy about you he said
ms wigfield listened in what she described as a state of mounting horror
i was like oh god this cannot be she said ive got to shut this down mr countee wincingly recalled her exact response oh ok
he went home she flew east they did not speak for three months i would have been more angry at myself for not saying anything he remembered thinking
ms wigfields relationship soon ended but when she decided to return to los angeles that summer she and mr countee their last conversation still lingering kept their distance
i just needed some space she said i had been in a long relationship i very much wanted to be single just single for a while and mr countees earnestness left her feeling very scared to reconnect
he was so sure about it almost in a way that made me kind of nervous she said why do you know this that were the one for each other is this guy crazy why is he this confident
when ms wigfield and her sister ashley moved into a new los angeles apartment around labor day she invited mr countee to a housewarming he texted do you feel like our friendship hiatus can be called off
they resumed being friends though she continued to see other people still she said on those dates in the back of my mind i was like nobodys as fun as him
mr countee meanwhile was working an inside source ashley at a thanksgiving dinner at the home of the actor ike barinholtz she advised him to be patient but persistent this was the first time i had really been invested in trying to build a serious relationship he said i didnt want to flail on the gas too hard
encouraged he sent tracey an e vite for a formal date which she found charming ok youre being stupid she said to herself you should go out with him this is a fools errand to try to find something else
they began spending more time together and mr countee visited the wigfield homestead in new jersey over christmas ms wigfields best friend lang fisher sensed a change i know youre in love with this guy and you should be with him she told her
finally mr countee heard what he had been waiting for tracey was hilariously perfunctory about it he said so do you want to just date only each other or what i was like yeah lets do that
i just started feeling like i dont ever want to not be with him she said i am sort of brash and confident and loud and quick to judgment and he softens my edges a little bit he does so much to make me a kinder better person
their professional collaboration had helped too being in a writers room is essentially just sitting around a table with 10 other people telling personal stories and eating all your meals together ms wigfield said by the time they started dating she already knew that he secretly traced disney characters into his teenage years
in march 2015 mr countee invited her to a santa monica hotel suite which he had decorated with rose petals and votive candles she was three and a half hours late he said i was sitting in the dark while the candles burned down to the wicks
unaware of his plot she had decided to try a far flung mexican restaurant when she finally arrived he proposed their siblings were waiting downstairs he knew id want my sister to be there she said
on may 21 beneath the soaring apse of the church of st paul the apostle in manhattan they were married in a formal roman catholic ceremony before 244 guests ms wigfields childhood pastor the rev kevin downey led the service
the bride wore a cascading white anna maier dress with a chapel length veil that stretched nearly seven feet the groom wore a black ralph lauren tuxedo with patent leather shoes neither could stop smiling
afterward ms wigfield switched her formal shoes for a pair of red chuck taylor sneakers guests made their way across town to cipriani 42nd street where they found cherry blossom centerpieces and a rollicking rhythm and blues band
mr countee moonwalked into the reception hall and immediately began to break dance he had swapped his tuxedo jacket for a sparkling gold blazer a wedding gift from the bride no glitterator though
by midnight ms fey had danced on a chair cheering along to a gospel number and the groom was declaring the celebration the best night of my life
it had been a big night and a big week for the bride too days earlier her new pilot great news was picked up by nbc the series for which ms fey is an executive producer is about a tv newswoman whose mother takes an internship at her station
mr countee who writes for silicon valley and is developing a project for hbo helped with the pilot its such a blessing to have a smart funny writer living in your house he said the flip side is when youve had a long day at work and just want to hide in the dark and watch an episode of fargo and your partner keeps yelling from the other room is there a funny thing where a character falls in a toilet
ms kaling in her toast at the rehearsal dinner took credit for bringing the couple to the same writers table
though it would have been nice ms kaling said smiling if people were actually focusing on working and making the show better instead of falling in love with each other


the dead man waited on a gurney
his corpulent frame after days of decomposing had turned the mottled green of a ripe watermelon he had been found alone in bed in his manhattan apartment surrounded by an avalanche of discarded bottles and trash
now dr jacqueline nunez was by his side
as a medical examiner training in new york city she had the job of finding out what had happened to him it would not be quick or easy not like television crime shows in which deaths are neatly wrapped up in under an hour the job requires examiners to break apart bodies hard physical work stomach turning too dr nunez would be on her feet for hours splattered by blood and other body fluids at times breathing an unimaginable stench she could spend weeks or even months piecing together clues that might never add up
standing on top of a metal stool dr nunez cut into the torso a thick greenish fluid oozed out she grabbed an industrial size ladle to scoop out more of it then she stuck both hands into the body to feel around for the liver she came up empty her gloves dripping
oh what a mess she said im not sure whats going on this is the worst ive ever seen
it got messier dr nunez cracked open the chest with clippers to remove the heart and the lungs she cut out the intestines then as a whirring electric saw was used to open the skull dr nunez reached in to lift out the brain
when she was finished she cleaned up then she started on her next patient
dr nunez is part of a new york city fellowship program that has become one of the countrys most renowned training grounds for medical examiners the forensic pathology fellows program has helped resurrect a long troubled agency the new york city office of chief medical examiner which as recently as the 1980s was widely accused of incompetent management and bias toward the police
the estimated 500 forensic pathologists working nationwide are roughly half the number needed according to the national association of medical examiners
everyone who passes the medical examiners boards is sought after said dr david fowler the associations president who attributed the shortage to limited training opportunities and relatively low compensation compared with the pay that pathologists receive at hospitals or in private practice
since 1990 the new york fellowship program has trained 100 medical examiners
the program has bolstered the agencys status as a national model for medical examiners offices and has been the source of a new generation of forensic experts producing the current or former chief medical examiners in more than 20 jurisdictions including washington san francisco honolulu and the states of connecticut new hampshire and vermont since the program is based in new york the city is somewhat insulated from the shortage elsewhere in the country
dr nunez 34 is one of five doctors who have spent the past year preparing to become medical examiners
a cheerful woman who favors large gold hoop earrings she is often mistaken for a schoolteacher she grew up in amityville on long island the older of two children of a landscape worker and a homemaker and she went to medical school in the dominican republic
instead of a black doctors bag she carries a red top craftsman toolbox packed with knives scalpels forceps and scissors she does not mind working on bodies not even one that is decomposing known as a decomp which is often the least favorite case for medical examiners
a lot of people   especially other physicians and other pathologists   used to tell me i would have loved to have done forensics but i cant deal with the decomp she said i actually have no problem doing them and one of the reasons is because i feel like im the last person that is going to be providing some kind of care bridging their death and their life im the last person
new york citys office of chief medical examiner is based in a squat tired looking building at 520 first avenue with letters missing from its name inside a latin inscription behind the reception desk translates to this is the place where the dead help the living
the medical examiners are the conduit for the two providing answers consoling grieving relatives and if needed informing police detectives they fill a crucial but often overlooked role in a city where 5000 autopsies a year are performed for deaths that are deemed sudden or suspicious or are a result of crimes accidents or suicides
it was medical examiners who sifted through the remains of more than 2700 victims after the sept 11 2001 attacks when there were no intact bodies the pathologists had to improvise they measured fingers to help identify people using metal ring sizers that were donated in tiffanys little blue bags
that was also the year when flight 587 crashed in queens with 260 people aboard and the year when envelopes laced with anthrax became a new terror threat
when things get bad here they get very bad said dr barbara sampson who was appointed the citys chief medical examiner in 2014
the agencys staff of 600 includes 24 senior medical examiners 20 of whom graduated from the fellowship program the agency runs offices in every borough three mortuaries and the countrys largest public dna lab along with other labs for toxicology molecular genetics and histology the microscopic examination of tissue
the agencys 75 million annual budget is the equivalent of 882 per city resident for the laboratories investigations and other activities far more than the national average of 336 per resident according to the national association of medical examiners
dr sampson herself a 1998 fellow says she looks for future medical examiners who can communicate and work well with others the fellows who have already graduated from medical school and completed a residency program in pathology are selected after a four week unpaid tryout they receive a salary of 131566 for the academic year which runs from july 1 through june
at the end the fellows sit for a nationally administered board exam nearly everyone passes some will be offered permanent positions as senior medical examiners with annual salaries starting at 159741 or invited to continue as fellows for a second year to specialize in the pathology of the brain and the heart in contrast general pathologists at hospitals and in private practice typically earn 200000 or more
in total there have been 58 women and 42 men in the program about one fifth are black hispanic or asian many have foreign backgrounds this years fellows include doctors who grew up in croatia russia and mexico
for some it is a calling dr stephen melito 32 went to medical school just so he could become a medical examiner as a teenager in farmingdale on long island he used to volunteer as an underage buyer of cigarettes in undercover police operations for a high school class he researched how to tell the time of death at a crime scene
dr kanayo tatsumi relocated to new york from vermont less than a year after she was married her husband a surgical resident stayed behind to finish his training dr tatsumi 33 was still in college when she interned at an illinois coroners office the first autopsy she observed was of a young woman killed in a car accident she could not stop thinking about her had she been wearing a seatbelt had her airbag deployed
it could have been me it could have been any of my friends dr tatsumi recalled i started realizing that we could do a lot to prevent injuries even though were getting that data if you will from death
the medical examiners in training have desks side by side in room 335   known as the fellows room   where a bulletin board is crammed with photos of fellows in hazmat suits at parties and holding babies
they alternate between a days for autopsies and p days for paperwork while squeezing in lectures on topics like firearm injuries blunt force trauma and pediatric deaths they go to crime scenes rotate through the labs and learn to handle infectious diseases like ebola and respond to terror threats
the a days begin with an 8 am triage meeting
dr nunez stood behind a lectern presenting case histories to senior medical examiners forensic anthropologists police detectives and medical students there were 11 cases that day not unusual in number or scope an older man died after falling at home a younger man with a cocaine habit was found dead by his brother
afterward dr nunez headed down to the mortuary she checked the body bags in the hallway this is one of mine she called out to a technician this is another one ive got one more
her next stop was the autopsy room which has eight stations each equipped with a metal table and a scale by 930 am dr nunez was at one of the stations engrossed in her first case a thin black man lay on the table she removed his pancreas it had dark spots where blood had pooled a possible sign that he had spent a lot of time out in the cold before he died
just before 11 am she was ready for her next case dr nunez does not take breaks or stop for lunch once i get going i just keep up the pace she said you build endurance you pick up stamina and you get used to it thats what this year is for
her scrubs were stained with blood and fluids
im not squeamish about it at all anymore she said
at 3 pm dr nunez was still working on her third autopsy when the other medical examiners reconvened to review their findings she did not have much to report yet it happens she said id rather we look at everything and not rush through anything
afterward dr nunez retreated to the fellows room to draft a report for each autopsy she would order lab tests interview relatives and consider other evidence before closing each case dr sampson reads every report
the fellowship program is the legacy of dr charles s hirsch the citys chief medical examiner from 1989 to 2013 who was known to focus not only on technical skills but also on scientific integrity common sense and compassion i still quote dr hirsch two or three times a day said dr susan ely a 1997 fellow who is now the programs director his presence is still very much felt here
dr hirsch a former chief medical examiner for suffolk county was appointed in 1989 by mayor edward i koch to lead an agency battered by conflict and mistrust the mayor had fired the previous chief medical examiner dr elliot m gross citing poor leadership and management
in 1985 dr gross was accused by defense lawyers and forensic specialists of producing misleading or inaccurate autopsy findings in cases of people who died in police custody a mayoral commission cleared him of wrongdoing but faulted a longstanding agency practice in which deaths in police custody were routinely left as undetermined
though the medical examiners office is now considered professionally run and independent it has not entirely escaped controversy the agency has been challenged for using a highly sensitive technique to analyze trace samples of dna   known as low copy number dna testing   that has been criticized as unreliable in february a former toxicology lab director sued the city claiming that she was forced out in part for raising questions about its use of the technique
each fellow is expected to complete about 250 autopsies a goal based on national standards for training medical examiners the sheer diversity of cases in a big city ensures that they see just about every kind of injury imaginable dr judy melinek who chronicled her fellowship experience in a 2014 memoir working stiff recalled that she was told to go to new york by a former fellow who noted all kinds of great ways to die there and the teaching is brilliant
dr rafael garcia 36 had barely started the fellowship program in july when he was assigned not only his first homicide but a double homicide he spent seven hours working on just one of the victims a man who had been stabbed 20 times as it happened he had attended a lecture on stab wounds the day before almost a year later dr garcia has completed 250 autopsies of which about one fifth have not been resolved its funny to see a tv show and how they do everything in the same day he said thats not reality
dr garcia a father of two who grew up in mexico and trained to be an ophthalmologist said he had no regrets about switching to forensic pathology money is important he said but id rather feel happy with what im doing than just being frustrated by an entire life doing something that i dont enjoy as much
the fellows keep track of their autopsies in excel spreadsheets that list the names of the dead brief histories and findings the most common deaths are accidental or natural the least common are undetermined in cause or manner of death or both
at one point in february when dr nunez surpassed 150 autopsies her fiance an accountant figured that she needed to complete about 25 autopsies per month in the time left in may she surpassed 215 autopsies by tuesday she was at 242
though she tries to stay positive dr nunez said the cases can take an emotional toll she tries to decompress by going out to dinner with her fiance and spending time with their extended families still she loses sleep
i feel like i want to give them more than i can and i know i cant she said of the victims families something the senior medical examiners tell me all the time is youve done a full competent exam there are limitations you have to learn to become comfortable with limitations
the other fellows have ways of coping too dr melito said he did not check the news at home in new jersey where he lives with his wife mary a teacher and their two young children on hard days he gets extra hugs
dr tatsumi said she found herself crying a lot in an autopsy she will discover that someone did not die right away and probably felt pain or fear in the final moments that just destroys me she said im not very good at hiding things and so i wear it on my sleeve i wear it on my face
the five medical examiners in training have been invited to stay on all have accepted except for dr melito who is taking a job closer to home
in dr sampsons office there are framed photos of every class of fellows on graduation day   the counterpart of the informal collage upstairs in the fellows room nearly all of these smiling group shots are arranged in neat columns running down one wall this side is all dr hirsch dr sampson said
she pointed across the room where there are just two photos of the last two fellows classes and thats my wall she said hopefully it will be long someday a photo of dr nunezs class will soon be added
even in medical school dr nunez said she was interested in the cause of a disease more than the treatment a doctor would be poring over a patients lab work while all im thinking is i really wish i could take a piece of this womans lung to see whats happening
dr nunez said that she still wanted those answers but that now her desire was to serve the families left behind i think thats definitely what drew me the most she said its being able to be useful and bring closure to families and give them answers that they otherwise werent going to have


when the olympics begin in rio during the first week of august the eyes of the world will be watching brazil the eyes of brazil meanwhile will be watching camila pitanga
a veteran of brazilian soap operas ms pitanga is typically cast as a willowy damsel who makes terrible choices when it comes to men over the decades she has swooned for a gangster a conniving executive and an assortment of feckless playboys currently she is falling for her fathers sworn enemy on velho chico which airs at 915 pm on rede globo by far the countrys largest free tv channel
on weeknights globo broadcasts five one hour telenovelas a marathon of greed passion and freighted glances interrupted only by two newscasts and a sitcom the most coveted time slot is 915 when as many as 50 million people tune in roughly one fourth of the countrys population for the sake of comparison the oscars this year brought in 34 million viewers a little more than one tenth of all americans of course the oscars are an annual event most telenovelas as soaps here are called air monday through saturday and have a life of about 200 episodes
the shows and globo are the national soundtrack the running din in living rooms and restaurants as well as countless taxis with dashboard tvs adding an unscripted element of suspense for everyone on the road for grupo globo a multimedia goliath described as brazils most powerful company by the economist rede globo is an engine of profit without peer
but for organizers of the summer olympics telenovelas are a problem last year before the zika virus made international headlines and before the wheel of impeachment proceedings against president dilma rousseff started turning the countrys international olympic committee representatives would readily profess to one worry that more brazilians would watch soaps than the games
in fact this particular olympic contest will be surprisingly close and odd as it may sound telenovelas might win
while rede globo is one of a handful of brazilian television networks with the rights to air the games the rivals have a small fraction of the audience and though the company will broadcast events throughout the day and parts of the night globo will essentially be a sports free zone during prime time
yes the opening ceremony will be broadcast live but pre empt telenovelas between 630 and 1030 no way said monica albuquerque globos head of artistic development there will be breaks for highlights and results but the schedule wont change just because the greatest athletic spectacle on earth has come to town
the country would stop she said if soaps went on hiatus its cultural its part of life i cant imagine brazil without soaps
what if some brazilian athlete is on a tear
you flash she said flicking her fingers suggesting a blip of time for a quick update
what if the brazilian soccer team is going to win gold
you flash she repeated then she paused for a moment mulling it over if its one episode maybe ok one episode
globo is just catering to its audience unless the topic is soccer or to a far lesser extent beach volleyball brazilians arent especially passionate about olympic sports but they are gaga for telenovelas and anyone who would like to understand the country and its current travails should look at the torrid affair between brazilians and their singular take on soaps
what brazil did with this format is very special and very particular different than what you will see in the rest of latin america said maria immacolata vassallo de lopes of the center for the study of telenovelas at the university of sao paulo it introduced realism it integrated the daily lives of people in a way that is almost journalistic its still melodrama but done in a realistic way
among those who take this job seriously is ms pitanga the actress not long ago she was sitting in a sort of reading room at globo studios a sprawling 175 million square foot mini city on rio de janeiros outskirts where five or six soaps are filmed each day this is brazils answer to hollywood
ms pitanga was getting ready for a wardrobe fitting and defending her characters fictional penchant for inappropriate men do i really need to explain love to you she said asked if she was looking forward to the games she frowned a bit and said that it was unlikely she would catch many events she wont have the time
we shoot about 35 scenes a day sometimes six days a week she said i just pray well get saturdays off
brazils telenovelas range from slightly comic and family oriented early in the evening to epic and sexy later on aesthetically they have more in common with bygone american evening dramas like dallas and knots landing than daytime perennials like general hospital the stories sprawl the casts are huge and before the countrys currency started declining in value a few years ago an episode could cost the equivalent of 400000
in a typical year globo produces about 2500 hours of entertainment the equivalent of more than 1000 feature length films the shows are among the countrys most successful exports viewed in more than 100 countries including china australia and serbia
i was in russia visiting the hermitage museum in 2009 said tony ramos a telenovela star for more than 50 years often called the robert de niro of brazil suddenly we were surrounded by russians in my bad english and their bad english we talked and it was very emotional they said thank you thank you eventually he said the director of the museum rescued him
on the surface the countrys telenovelas look like pure escapism the kind that might be especially appealing now that brazils fortunes have plunged along with the gross domestic product and the reputation of dozens of national politicians a bribery scheme surrounding petrobras the state owned oil giant has already landed dozens of party leaders and prominent executives in prison
that fiasco is unrelated to ms rousseffs troubles which stem from charges of illegal budgetary maneuvers that were said to help her narrowly win re election in 2014 the drop in the price of oil one of the countrys most lucrative commodities has added to a sense of doom once on every economists short list of most promising nations brazil is now in recession the optimism that defined the country when it landed the 2016 olympics seven years ago has vanished
in short the country has plenty of worries but telenovelas are not really a way to forget them in fact those worries are often embedded right in the shows
corruption and income inequality are common themes as are racism domestic violence hiv and red tape most commonly telenovelas operate as a kind of analogue for current events
for instance velho chico   the title refers to the sao francisco river where the show is set   may look like a humid saga of lust tears and unruly beards but it is also a cautionary tale about the environment as well as a critique of contemporary politics much of the action revolves around a mafia don like figure named colonel sarue who is seizing land and exploiting plantation laborers
hes basically seizing all the assets he can to accrue as big a fortune as possible said joseph straubhaar a professor at the university of texas and co author of latin american television industries
brazilians will know exactly who this guy is because the country is filled with politicians like him and some of them are pursuing dilma now he said the colonel uses violence which in the show is kind of a stand in for corruption
there are purely whimsical telenovelas in brazil like o mapa da mina the map of the mine in which the heroine has a treasure map tattooed near her buttocks but such shows are outnumbered by the heavier fare there was a crusading senator on rei do gado the cattle king a ratings monster from 1997 it was so beloved that real senators angled for cameos on the show
more recently the most popular leader in the country was arguably moses the star of a telenovela version of the ten commandments it aired on record one of globos rivals and the show actually won its time slot on a few occasions   an achievement so rare that it made news
part of the appeal was the special effects required to present the storys combination of miracles and calamities but beyond the spectacle the director alexandre avancini thinks that the production caught on because it was perfectly timed
unfortunately we live in an era in brazil with a lot of corruption he said moses is not corruptible he struggles against great power to change the situation brazilians can see a little hope in this story
record is privately held and does not release financial details but mr avancini said that during the shows run the audience grew enough that the company added a third commercial break and started to run six commercials per break instead of four by january all 175 episodes had aired but record wasnt done cashing in on this phenomenon it was getting ready to release a ten commandments movie
for a promo for the film a group of children was invited one afternoon to romp around on the set which looked like a gilded patio for a cleopatra themed vogue shoot to the surprise of the tykes guilherme winter the amiable hunk who played the grown up moses stopped by can i join you guys he said sauntering up pharoahs steps
there was a moment of baffled silence and then the children shrieked moses for the next 15 minutes they jumped on and off him as if he were a jungle gym
i thought i had lost my mind one of the boys joyfully announced
the scrum ended with the entire frolicking bunch gathered on pharoahs rug staring into a record video camera and shouting hashtag ten commandments in portuguese
like globo record is running soaps in prime time during the olympics including a sequel to the ten commandments the two networks and a third called bandeirantes reportedly spent a total of 190 million in 2009 to buy broadcasting rights from the international olympic committee for both the sochi and rio games the olympics which are privately funded make deals like this all over the world providing nearly half of all revenue sponsorships provide most of the other half
globos director of sports joao pedro paes leme said the company was contractually obligated to broadcast nine hours of the games a day and its free channel will broadcast 10 or more hours a day the company will far exceed that figure he noted when its cable sports channels become all olympics vehicles but globo has only 20 million cable subscribers its a niche product
youre a sports guy mr paes leme couldnt you negotiate for a bit more prime time space for the games on globos mammoth free broadcast channel
more than being a sports guy im a tv guy he said i understand perfectly the importance of telenovelas
the social conscience that defines brazils telenovelas began paradoxically with the military dictatorship that ruled the country from 1964 to 1985 the government hounded leftist actors writers and directors who worked in the theater and film and shut down productions it deemed inimical with nowhere else to work these artists turned to globo a safe haven because the company had a cozy relationship with the government
globo was founded as a newspaper company in 1925 by a journalist irineu marinho and was headed for decades by his son roberto who led its expansion into other media today it includes radio stations book publishers magazines music labels film productions and dozens of tv channels
rede globo started a year after the dictatorship took power and a marriage of convenience was born the military needed a pliant broadcasting partner because it wanted to spread its vision of consumer capitalism and squelch the threat of communism the government went as far as to sell tv sets on credit to citizens through its ministry of communications
rede globo provided friendly news coverage and shunned pro democracy movements in return it enjoyed something close to a monopoly on the medium critics would come to call globo the unofficial ministry of propaganda making it an odd place to find avowed communists like the celebrated writer dias gomes but he and others were considered the best in the business so mr marinho hired them
for the writers it was either join globo or cease working in his autobiography just a subversive mr gomes wrote that after he signed on with globo his days of being arrested and interrogated by the police ended   unless you count the time he was hauled in and asked how one of his telenovelas would end he refused to say
but while mr gomes and others worked for a major ally of the dictatorship they never stopped trying to sneak social messages into their scripts it became a game
when silvio de abreu the globo dramaturge wrote telenovelas he spent a lot of time in the 1970s and 80s trying to persuade humorless government censors in brasilia the nations capital that they were missing a joke   which in some cases was not actually a joke at all
i wrote a script in which i wanted to show workers striking which was totally forbidden he said in an interview so i had a boss at this factory who demands that all of the women come to work in high heels because high heels are more elegant well none of the workers want to wear high heels of course   they work at a factory so they call for a strike when i went to brasilia they said youre telling people its ok to strike i said no the situation is absurd its a joke obviously and they said ok and thats how i showed a strike on television
in 2013 globo apologized for supporting the military government calling it a mistake not everyone has forgiven that year during antigovernment protests a globo office in rio was attacked and burned in the current political crisis some have sharply criticized globo for being aligned with the right wing elite but fans have long outnumbered detractors especially in the countryside where people were given their first glimpse of a prosperous vibrant brazil through globo and its telenovelas
millennials are slightly less devoted to the shows which is one reason that ratings for the network have declined slightly over the years but broadband and cable have been slow to spread so potential rivals like netflix have yet to make real inroads last year carta capital a left leaning magazine based in rio estimated that an astounding 60 percent of all advertising expenditures in brazil were spent on globo television channels
today the company is run by three of roberto marinhos sons each of whom is worth more than 5 billion according to forbes their father died in 2003 they sit atop an organization of eight companies with about 19000 employees to sustain telenovela ratings   and fend off scares like that provided by the ten commandments   the brothers are plowing money back into globo studios
after passing through security visitors to the grounds located in a forested suburb of rio de janeiro called jacarepagua are greeted by a statue of roberto marinho around him is a sprawling collection of indoor and outdoor sets along with a medical center banks restaurants 100000 costumes 87000 props and 9000 employees ferried around by a fleet of microbuses and electric cars
a daylong trip around the studio is like a tour of brazil that ranges through time terrain and every stratum of society it includes a few acres of a favela   the classic brazilian urban slum   built for a telenovela called a regra do jogo the rule of the game the place was so detailed right down to the cats cradle of overhead electrical wires it seemed weird that nobody lived there
a 10 minute minicar drive away a small town from the 18th century was under construction the setting for liberdade liberdade freedom freedom the story centers on the fictional adventures of the daughter of tiradentes a real life revolutionary and martyr the director of the show vinicius coimbra pointed out the towns architectural highlights
weve got a church a tavern a city hall a jail he said pointing in different directions over there is a slave market
the show sounds pretty dark but liberdade liberdade which airs five nights a week at 11 pm is what millions of brazilians watch right before they go to sleep its run ends a few days before the games begin but mr coimbra would argue that the show is more attuned to the national mood than any of the coming olympic events
people here are very sad he said i hope with this soap opera people enjoy brazil again when he describes his ambition and globos it could scarcely be grander to save brazil despite its politics


i came home from work on a rainy november afternoon more than a decade ago to find a 20 foot u haul truck in my driveway and behind it a police car my first thought was fast clear instinctive are we being evicted
i had lived in the little rental home in middlebury vt with my wife for much of the previous year it hadnt been an easy year we fought constantly the fights escalating into ugly confrontations and the confrontations lasting long into the night
but that morning i had left the house suspecting nothing i was certainly unprepared for the scene i would encounter later that day the wooden headboard of my bed bobbing through the front door cradled in the arms of my father in law
whats going on i asked what are you doing
he didnt even look at me as he walked toward the truck
sir the police officer said suddenly very close were going to need you to step away from the residence
it would be another nine years before i stopped drinking and so on that night   the night my wife left me   i blamed everyone and everything except myself
i fled the house with its too sad moving van police and father in law combo and went directly to the nearest bar where i told everyone my story while downing pint after pint of tepid 2 budweiser i was not apologetic i was not ashamed
i barely remember stumbling back home what i do remember is what i found when i got there waiting for me at the door hungry and bewildered were glasgow and seismic our two st bernard dogs on an overturned cardboard box just inside the threshold i found a letter
my wife explained that she couldnt take the dogs with her she would be moving into her parents house while she got her life back in order and there wasnt room for two 150 pound animals even so she was hopeful that i would fulfill my obligations to her and to our pets as a caretaker
the dogs looked at me i looked at them we began our new lives together
that first night i went upstairs to what had been our bedroom and not knowing what else to do i turned out the lights and lay down on the floor the dogs followed they lay down as well one on each side of me glasgow the 4 year old female we had raised since she was a puppy situated herself behind my back seismic the male we had adopted from the humane society of chittenden county cuddled into the curl of my arm he stank then again i didnt smell much better
in an empty house everything is louder it seems like a small detail but it was transformative i had rented the home for nearly a year and suddenly it was completely foreign and disorienting every morning i woke up with two giant animals nuzzling me panting in my face demanding to be walked i would walk them and upon my return id check the phone hoping i had somehow missed my wifes call saying she had changed her mind and was moving back she never did
i tried to carry on i bought groceries said hello to neighbors i can see now that i was in shock pretending everything would be ok the house deteriorated the laundry hamper overflowed bags of trash clustered in the kitchen my bed was a sleeping bag
dog hair accumulated in giant clumps in the corners of rooms and in filthy patches on the rug i was commuting an hour each way for work and unmoored from my previous life couldnt manage my responsibilities i arranged for a dog sitter
you just moving in she asked surveying the near empty house
no i said unable to tell her the truth just you know minimalist living
right
one day i had to leave earlier than usual for work i called the dog sitter and told her id put the key under the mat but she never showed that night i returned to find the foyer soaked with urine the next week i got a call at the gym the dogs had broken out and were tearing through the trash at the deli down the street eating chicken salad and stale baked goods a neighbor had recognized them
i drove home terrified that they would be taken away that i would return to find them gone a police car out front once again and a trail of hairballs floating into the yard
for their part glasgow and seismic were always glad to see me always confident i would be bringing dog food or a cheese pizza providing a walk or giving them a bath they believed in me when no one else did not even myself i think i kept them for so long in that chaos because i couldnt bear to stop loving them couldnt bear for them to stop loving me but the truth was i couldnt care for them not in the way they needed
in may i heard a rumor that a family outside of town was looking for two big dogs to adopt i drove by their farm and saw a mile of white fencing a neat and tidy flower bed a freshly painted mailbox i kept their phone number in my wallet for a week before i called it was another week before i didnt hang up when someone answered
the family and i arranged to meet on a warm summer evening in june i put the dogs in my black chevy blazer along with their chew toys dog beds and food dishes
glasgow as always was excited to get in the car she loved to sit on the passenger seat id crack the window for her and she would press her nose into the small open space and start drooling leaving ropes of dried saliva along the glass that day i reached over and scratched her ears i was crying as i drove crying as we pulled into the parking lot of the grand union
the new family was there in their ford f 250 pickup a man got out and walked toward me i opened the back hatch of the blazer
these are the dogs he said
i nodded please take good care of them i said my voice cracking
losing my wife had been sudden a blow that struck with immediacy and power the loss of the dogs however had an event horizon i approached it gradually and then i was beyond it the pressure of time drawing me inescapably forward and down
on that evening at the grand union i remember shepherding seismic who didnt hesitate into the back of the other truck glasgow took more coaxing her hips had become balky and she had started moving more slowly i think that attenuated to my moods she understood at least some part of what was going on finally they were both in the other vehicle i hugged them inhaling their scent holding glasgow especially close one last time
i left vermont when the divorce was complete there was nothing to move just myself i thought everything would be different when i got out of that house when the legal issues were settled when i had a new job when i stopped expecting my former wife to call i didnt drive by the farm after i surrendered seismic and glasgow i didnt visit what if they thought i was there to take them home
it was not until i got sober and had children of my own that i felt again that awesome responsibility   the complete trust that another being places in you   the faith that you will bring the pizza and take the walks and provide the warm baths that you will be the one who guides who tends who listens
glasgow and seismic are dead now they would be twice the usual life span or more of a st bernard but they were in a way my first children they taught me how to be human or how to be a better human to put somebody elses needs before my own or maybe it was my first wife who taught me this when she decided to leave me with two dogs and an empty house
not long ago as i sat alone at home one night my daughter cried out in her bedroom she was having a nightmare i went up but by the time i reached her she had fallen back asleep
i lay down next to her anyway in her small bed and kissed the back of her head brushed the hair out of her face then i said a small prayer of thanks and gratitude for this role for this opportunity to care


in early 2012 a neuropathologist named daniel perl was examining a slide of human brain tissue when he saw something odd and unfamiliar in the wormlike squiggles and folds it looked like brown dust a distinctive pattern of tiny scars perl was intrigued at 69 he had examined 20000 brains over a four decade career focusing mostly on alzheimers and other degenerative disorders he had peered through his microscope at countless malformed proteins and twisted axons he knew as much about the biology of brain disease as just about anyone on earth but he had never seen anything like this
the brain under perls microscope belonged to an american soldier who had been five feet away when a suicide bomber detonated his belt of explosives in 2009 the soldier survived the blast thanks to his body armor but died two years later of an apparent drug overdose after suffering symptoms that have become the hallmark of the recent wars in iraq and afghanistan memory loss cognitive problems inability to sleep and profound often suicidal depression nearly 350000 service members have been given a diagnosis of traumatic brain injury over the past 15 years many of them from blast exposure the real number is likely to be much higher because so many who have enlisted are too proud to report a wound that remains invisible
for years many scientists have assumed that explosive blasts affect the brain in much the same way as concussions from football or car accidents perl himself was a leading researcher on chronic traumatic encephalopathy or cte which has caused dementia in nfl players several veterans who died after suffering blast wounds have in fact developed cte but those veterans had other nonblast injuries too no one had done a systematic post mortem study of blast injured troops that was exactly what the pentagon asked perl to do in 2010 offering him access to the brains they had gathered for research it was a rare opportunity and perl left his post as director of neuropathology at the medical school at mount sinai to come to washington
perl and his lab colleagues recognized that the injury that they were looking at was nothing like concussion the hallmark of cte is an abnormal protein called tau which builds up usually over years throughout the cerebral cortex but especially in the temporal lobes visible across the stained tissue like brown mold what they found in these traumatic brain injury cases was totally different a dustlike scarring often at the border between gray matter where synapses reside and the white matter that interconnects it over the following months perl and his team examined several more brains of service members who died well after their blast exposure including a highly decorated special operations forces soldier who committed suicide all of them had the same pattern of scarring in the same places which appeared to correspond to the brains centers for sleep cognition and other classic brain injury trouble spots
then came an even more surprising discovery they examined the brains of two veterans who died just days after their blast exposure and found embryonic versions of the same injury in the same areas and the development of the injuries seemed to match the time elapsed since the blast event perl and his team then compared the damaged brains with those of people who suffered ordinary concussions and others who had drug addictions which can also cause visible brain changes and a final group with no injuries at all no one in these post mortem control groups had the brown dust pattern
perls findings published in the scientific journal the lancet neurology may represent the key to a medical mystery first glimpsed a century ago in the trenches of world war i it was first known as shell shock then combat fatigue and finally ptsd and in each case it was almost universally understood as a psychic rather than a physical affliction only in the past decade or so did an elite group of neurologists physicists and senior officers begin pushing back at a military leadership that had long told recruits with these wounds to deal with it fed them pills and sent them back into battle
if perls discovery is confirmed by other scientists   and if one of blasts short term signatures is indeed a pattern of scarring in the brain   then the implications for the military and for society at large could be vast much of what has passed for emotional trauma may be reinterpreted and many veterans may step forward to demand recognition of an injury that cannot be definitively diagnosed until after death there will be calls for more research for drug trials for better helmets and for expanded veteran care but these palliatives are unlikely to erase the crude message that lurks unavoidable behind perls discovery modern warfare destroys your brain
the physics behind blast forces was almost unknown until the modern era and it remains so mysterious and terrifying that scientists sometimes invoke the word magic when talking about it a blast begins simply a detonator turns a lump of solid matter into a deadly fireball within that moment three distinct things happen the first is the blast wave a wall of static pressure traveling outward in all directions faster than the speed of sound next a blast wind fills the void and carries with it any objects it encounters this is the most manifestly destructive part of the blast capable of hurling cars people and shrapnel against buildings and roadsides the remaining effects include fire and toxic gases which can sear poison and asphyxiate anyone within range
the effects of all of this on the human body are myriad and more complicated than the blast itself people who have been exposed to blasts at close range usually describe it as an overpowering full body experience unlike anything they have ever known many soldiers do not recall the moment of impact it gets lost in the flash of light the deafening sound or unconsciousness those who do remember it often speak of a simultaneous punching and squeezing effect a feeling at once generalized and intensely violent as if someone had put a board against your body and then struck it with dozens of hammers from a distance a blast makes a distinctive thump the sound of air pressure clapping outward when i lived in baghdad reporting for this newspaper i would sometimes be awakened by that sound early in the morning i would sit up in bed instantly alert with a surreal and awful realization someone who was just as healthy as me 30 seconds ago has been shredded to pieces
trinitrotoluene or tnt was first used in artillery shells by the german army in 1902 soon after the first world war started in 1914 a rain of these devices was falling on the hapless men on each side of the front it was a level of violence and horror far beyond the cavalry charges of earlier wars very quickly soldiers began emerging with bizarre symptoms they shuddered and gibbered or became unable to speak at all many observers were struck by the apparent capacity of these blasts to kill and maim without leaving any visible trace the british journalist ellis ashmead bartlett famously described the sight of seven turks at gallipoli in 1915 sitting together with their rifles across their knees one man has his arm across the neck of his friend and a smile on his face as if they had been cracking a joke when death overwhelmed them all now have the appearance of being merely asleep for of the several i can only see one who shows any outward injury
for those who survived a blast and suffered the mysterious symptoms soldiers quickly coined their own phrase shell shock one period lyric went like this
perhaps youre broke and paralyzed
perhaps your memory goes
but its only just called shell shock
for youve nothing there that shows
one british doctor frederick mott believed the shock was caused by a physical wound and proposed dissecting the brains of men who suffered from it he even had some prescient hunches about the mechanism of blasts effects the compression wave the concussion and the toxic gases in a paper published in the lancet in february 1916 he posited a physical or chemical change and a break in the links of the chain of neurons which subserve a particular function mott might not have seen anything abnormal in the soldiers brains even if he had examined them under a microscope neuropathology was still in its infancy but his prophetic intuitions made him something of a hero to perl
motts views were soon eclipsed by those of other doctors who saw shell shock more as a matter of emotional trauma this was partly a function of the intellectual climate freud and other early psychologists had recently begun sketching provocative new ideas about how the mind responds to stress soldiers suffering from shell shock were often described as possessing a neuropathic tendency or inheritance or even a lack of manly vigor and patriotic spirit many shell shock victims were derided as shirkers some were even sentenced to death by firing squad after fleeing the field in a state of mental confusion
this consensus held sway for decades even as the terminology shifted settling in 1980 on post traumatic stress disorder a coinage tailored to the unique social and emotional strain of returning veterans of the war in vietnam no one doubted that blasts had powerful and mysterious effects on the body and starting in 1951 the us government established the blast overpressure program to observe the effects of large explosions including atomic bombs on living tissue one of my uncles recalls standing in the nevada desert as an army private in 1955 taking photographs of a nuclear blast amid a weird landscape of test objects cars houses and mannequins in chinese and soviet military uniforms at the time scientists believed blasts would mainly affect air pockets in the body like the lungs the digestive system and the ears few asked what it would mean for the bodys most complex and vulnerable organ
only after yet another european war broke out did scientists begin looking again at blasts effects on the brain when the balkans collapsed into fratricidal violence in the early 1990s ibolja cernak a small tenacious woman who grew up in the countryside of what is now serbia was working as a doctor and researcher at a military hospital in belgrade she soon began seeing large numbers of soldiers with blast trauma usually from mortars and artillery fire a common feature of that war as in world war i the men often suffered from striking mental impairments but few visible wounds cernak whose colleagues call her ibi has an appealing blend of briskness and warmth along with a clinicians conviction that you must listen to your patients it is easy to imagine her running around the battlefields of bosnia and serbia collecting blood samples from soldiers that is what she did for several years at no small risk to her life for a study cataloging the neurological effects of blast on 1300 recruits the blast covers the entire body she told me it has a squeezing effect ask soldiers what they felt the first thing they say is that their ears were popped out they were gasping for air like some huge fist is squeezing them the entire body is involved in that interaction
cernak became convinced that blast ripples through the body like rings on a ponds surface its speed changes when it encounters materials of different density like air pockets or the border between the brains gray and white matter and can inflict greater damage in those places as it happens physicists would later theorize some very similar models for how blast damages the brain several possibilities have now been explored including surges of blood upward from the chest shearing loads on brain tissue and the brain bouncing back and forth inside the skull as happens with concussion charles needham a renowned authority on blast physics told me post mortems on blast injuries have lent some support to all of those theories and the truth may be that several are at play simultaneously
a decade after her initial battlefield surveys in the balkans cernak took a position at johns hopkins university in baltimore where she did animal research that bolstered her conviction about blasts full body effects she found that even if an animals head is protected during a blast the brain can sustain damage because the blast wave transfers through the body via blood and tissue cernak also came to believe that blast injuries to the brain were cumulative and that even small explosions with no discernible effects could if repeated produce terrible and irreversible damage much of this would later be confirmed by other scientists
even cernaks limited conclusions about blast injuries were heresy to much of the military medical establishment at the time she presented some of her findings at a conference in vienna in the late 1990s and before she was even finished an older gentleman stood up a military doctor from the usa she recalled he said stop with this nonsense if you give soldiers fluid replacement theyll do fine after 24 hours so its not this  i was taken aback its been an uphill battle
it was not until 2001 when america embarked on what became an era of constant warfare that doctors began to move slowly toward cernaks way of thinking a new generation of more powerful roadside bombs   improvised explosive devices or ieds in military parlance   became a signature of the fighting in iraq and afghanistan yielding an epidemic of blast injury medics soon noticed an oddity of blast it reflects off hard surfaces and multiplies so that people who appear to be protected inside an enclosed space like a humvee often suffer much worse brain injuries than those outside military and civilian researchers began focusing their work on the brain rather than just the body but it was still very difficult to isolate blast from all the other physical and mental effects of being exposed to an explosion in a combat zone
a landmark advance came in 2007 when an engineering firm called applied research associates received a call from the swat team of the arapahoe county sheriffs office in colorado the officers were worried about possible neurological effects from breaching the practice of blowing open doors with small explosive charges almost every major city in the united states has breacher teams as do militaries in war zones the applied research team quickly recognized that monitoring breachers would allow them to observe blast in its pure form because the charges are too small to knock soldiers over or give them concussions they are subject to the blast wave only plus the researchers could bypass any ethical concerns about running tests on human subjects because the breachers were doing it anyway
the applied research team quickly designed and led a study on military breachers rigging its own blast gauges and subjecting the recruits and trainers to neuropsychological tests at the beginning and end of a two week breaching course the resulting report circulated in 2008 found a small but distinct decline in performance among the instructors who are exposed to far more blasts than students it was only a pilot study but one author leanne young told me it added to converging evidence that there is a cumulative effect with chronic exposure to blast even at relatively low levels
the military was still reluctant to take blast seriously or even to concede that the symptoms it caused were a matter of physical harm as late as 2008 researchers at the walter reed army institute of research published a paper suggesting that the symptoms of traumatic brain injury could be caused in large part by ptsd and brushing off theoretical concern about neurological effects of the blast wave by that time american doctors who had gained cernaks unusual blend of medical expertise and battle experience were starting to draw their own conclusions
one of the first to challenge the military from within was a 44 year old army lieutenant colonel named christian macedonia in march 2008 macedonia was in arlington va listening to a group of scientists and government bureaucrats talk about roadside bombs the talk was dry and technical and finally macedonia a square jawed man with an air of urgent candor could no longer contain himself he lashed out against the militarys inaction on brain injury using what he recalls as some pretty salty language to make his point i see no movement and im kind of sick of it he concluded as the meeting broke up macedonia expected other participants to politely avoid him instead a younger aide approached gave him a business card and urged him to get in touch with adm michael mullen then chairman of the joint chiefs of staff macedonia contacted mullen and repeated his pitch to his surprise mullen hired him
at the time you had an entrenched military medical community that did not want to go down that road macedonia told me they didnt want to give any credence to the idea that these symptoms were anything other than emotional difficulty macedonia an obstetrician as well as a soldier knew otherwise he did a tour in anbar province in iraq in 2004 and 2005 with soldiers who were being targeted frequently by mortars and roadside bombs as an officer and doctor he felt responsible for younger soldiers and their injuries kids exposed to explosions were asking for help and i was mouthing the party line youll be ok i was part of the machine that didnt help thats what haunts me
like macedonia some senior officers including gen peter chiarelli of the army and gen james amos of the marines were also frustrated they had seen too many soldiers discharged for disciplinary issues that were related to brain injury mullen hired several other experts to join macedonia asking them to monitor and improve the treatment of brain injury across the entire military they called it the gray team   partly a play on gray matter and partly because the men were mostly in their 40s and going gray they were an extraordinary group mostly military officers all of them had advanced degrees in medicine or science and almost all of them had seen combat
one of them was jim hancock an emergency physician and navy captain whose main qualification he told me was that he had suffered a traumatic brain injury himself in southern afghanistan he also suffered concussions twice as a college athlete so he had a basis for comparison the theory at the time was it was a concussive event hancock told me i said bs ive been concussed ive never had anything like blast like other members of the team hancock had noticed that soldiers exposed to blasts often had memory and focus problems that did not go away and that seemed distinct from battlefield trauma if the blasts were repeated the lapses sometimes devolved into career ending mental and behavioral struggles the gray team shared a gut level belief that a blast waves effects on the body were far more extreme and more complex than the concussion model could account for but their main task was to push the military to take brain injury more seriously whatever its causes
in early 2009 the gray teams first five members traveled to military bases in iraq and afghanistan meeting with trauma surgeons and other doctors to see how they handled brain injury they found a wildly inconsistent picture there were three extraordinary doctors who understood brain trauma and how to handle it but our fear was those three rotate out and it disappears said dr geoffrey ling another member of the gray team
when they got home the team identified the most valuable practices and along with chiarelli and amos had them codified any soldier who was within 50 meters of a blast or who was in a vehicle behind or ahead of one struck by a bomb would have to be screened for brain injury anyone who suffered a concussion would have to be pulled out of combat the gray team used a checklist to help identify concussed soldiers although they were soon forced to write six different versions of it because so many marines memorized the correct answers to avoid being pulled out of combat they also found a civilian contractor to build blast gauges like the ones used in the breacher study every recruit or officer in a combat zone now wears three of these tiny devices which weigh 20 grams each the gauges are designed to turn red if they register a force of more than 12 pounds per square inch the lower limit indicating a possible concussion or brain injury the soldiers can no longer brush it off if your sensor is red you must be screened for brain injury
the military has taken the new rules seriously less than a year after its first tour the gray team went out to the field again and found that 90 percent of the bases they visited were in compliance still the larger question of blasts residue inside the skull remained a mystery
brandon matthews is built like a tank with huge humps of muscle outlining his back and shoulders ugly scars run down his biceps and forearms cutting deep creases into the muscle others line his legs and sides the legacy of an 11 year career as an army ranger matthews registered with the military as brandon matthew sipp was exposed to so many blasts in iraq and other places that he cannot count them all the worst was a suicide bombing that sent him flying down a corridor and left him in a coma he was hospitalized for months and his military career was over but his struggles with brain injury were only starting
i have moments when i forget everything who i am where i am what im doing he told me it happens almost every day sometimes while he is driving decisions once easy have become impossible he turns the kitchen burner on and then walks out returning to discover a fire raging
matthews has 24 names tattooed down the center of his back eighteen are former war buddies who were killed in action the more painful losses in a sense are five others friends who have killed themselves since returning from the war one of them another special operations veteran with an undiagnosed traumatic brain injury threatened his wife and children with a gun six months ago matthews told me then shot himself in the head matthews spoke at the funeral undiagnosed blast injuries are common among the special operations soldiers he said because members of this military elite prize their toughness and do not want to risk losing their careers heres the harsh reality another veteran told me in the special forces especially if i fail my physical im done thats all there is to it my cool guy stuff is done so they keep their heads down say nothing and suffer more blasts until one day like brandon matthews they are too damaged to fight
i met matthews at a hotel in scottsdale ariz where he now lives and within an hour he had consumed several vodka and waters he was warm and talkative but every now and then he got a lost plaintive look in his green eyes i had the impression of a man who is clinging to a precipice before i could turn in he insisted on steering me to a series of nightclubs where he drank round after round and regaled strangers with his war stories i asked him about friends and he told me that almost all of them were dead he lives on his military pension and at 33 seems to have given up on holding down a job
all this is fairly typical of service members and veterans who have suffered serious or repeated blast injuries i was told by susan ullman who runs an outreach network called warrior2warrior ullmans own husband a green beret who suffered a traumatic brain injury killed himself in 2013 when i asked matthews about other veterans and suicide he grimaced and unleashed a string of obscenities about the cowardice of taking your own life it felt cruel and a little unnecessary to ask if he had been tempted that way himself he has his own name tattooed on his back after those of friends who have killed themselves
even if the underlying wounds of men like matthews cannot be treated the symptoms of brain injury like those of trauma can often be alleviated the distinction between organic and emotional injury can be very blurry trauma changes neuronal patterns and therapy can alter a brain that has been physically damaged everything we know suggests that people with structural lesion will also respond to pharmacological and psychological treatment said david brody a neurologist who has worked extensively with the military finding the right treatment is the key many veterans told me that they had gone to the va and been handed pills indiscriminately a number of mostly untested treatments have gained traction in the past few years from hyperbaric chambers to ergonomic mouth guards and some veterans swear by them
for all his mental confusion matthews told me that he thinks he can now distinguish between the emotional wounds he suffered   the survivors guilt the bad dreams and night terrors   and the more concrete cognitive problems that he traces to his blast exposure a number of special operations soldiers said the same thing they also said it makes a big difference to be told they have a physical wound rather than a mental one even if it is incurable some brain injuries can now be seen on mri type brain scans of living people though precise diagnoses remain elusive matthews told me he would find some solace in simply being able to see what was going on inside his head
daniel perl is continuing to examine the brains of blast injured soldiers after five years of working with the military he feels sure he told me that many blast injuries have not been identified we could be talking many thousands he said and what scares me is that what were seeing now might just be the first round if they survive the initial injuries many of them may develop cte years or decades later
perl takes some solace from the past he has read a great deal about the men who suffered from shell shock during world war i and the doctors who struggled to treat them he mentioned a monument in central england called shot at dawn dedicated to british and commonwealth soldiers who were executed by a firing squad after being convicted of cowardice or desertion it is a stone figure of a blindfolded man in a military storm coat his hands bound behind him at his back is a field of thin stakes each of them bearing a name rank age and date of execution some of these men perl believes probably had traumatic brain injuries from blasts and should not have been held responsible for their actions he has begun looking into the possibility of obtaining brain samples of shellshocked soldiers from that war he hopes to examine them under the microscope and perhaps a century later grant them and their descendants the diagnoses they deserve


last week the first tenants moved into the citys first micro apartment development on east 27th street i did too for one night
tucked into a new york city housing authority site on a spot between first and second avenues that was once a parking lot and flanked by linden and honeylocust trees and a small plaza lined with park benches the nine story building with 55 apartments between 260 and 360 square feet is an elegant design by narchitects and built by monadnock development and the lower east side peoples mutual housing association
its also adorable a compressed vision of the city in both ethos and mien eric bunge and mimi hoang narchitects founding principals imagined it as four slender stepped towers like a mini skyline
on that hot evening the benches outside were full of kibitzing men of a certain age the playground across mount carmel place the two block street that bisects the site had largely emptied out but for a few stragglers knots of pedestrians wafted by the ghost of jane jacobs hovered
carmel place formerly known as my micro ny was the winner of the small spacetiny home competition sponsored by the new york city department of housing preservation and development in 2013 for the last three years its flourishes and features   the modular units prefabricated in a factory in the old brooklyn navy yard and stacked like legos on site its capacious common areas and windowed hallways the humane and lovely elements of the apartments like 8 foot windows and nearly 10 foot ceilings   have been on display at first in renderings and finally in a model apartment that was tricked out last winter
for housing advocates the architectural community and urban policy makers the building is a trial balloon for a medley of themes the changing demographic of a city with inadequate housing according to the nyu furman center a third of the citys households are single people a culture eager to make a smaller environmental footprint by paring down belongings and sharing resources and what has become a unicorn in this city affordable housing
carmel place is no affordable housing utopia but its a start while the lions share   32   of the units are market rate with monthly rents ranging from 2446 to 3195 eight have been set aside for formerly homeless veterans and 14 units are designated affordable with monthly rents from 914 to 1873 and for which 60000 people applied in a lottery one apartment has been set aside for the superintendent fifty percent of the building is already leased
its a nice place for a sleepover the 302 square foot unit i stayed in rents for 2670 a month furnished which includes convertible and small space objects from resource furniture that companys sofa wall bed combination called penelope my destiny made in italy by clei is the linchpin of the space a murphy style bed surrounded by deep cabinets that unfolds over a diminutive charcoal gray sofa
i spent a good half hour practicing opening and closing that bed which is heavier and trickier than anything bernadette castro ever tackled but much much more comfortable because it has a proper size mattress and a firm base the two photographers who had accompanied me on my mission declined to help perhaps taking their journalistic ethics too seriously
the aesthetic vibe of the apartment is hipster scandinavian a state that had been achieved by jacqueline schmidt the director of design at ollie a company that has embellished carmel place with housewares furniture and services from dry cleaning to unique community engagement opportunities   in other words mixers day trips and other curated events geared to well employed millennials urban renters in ollies parlance
there were knobbly succulents in small ceramic biomorphic planters with leather straps hung on a wall succulents are good pets for small scale living since they dont need much attention as ms schmidt pointed out black and white prints of endangered animals and voluminous canvas baskets set here and there to hide the sofa pillows and other detritus when you unpack your bed for the night there was also a white parsons style table also from resource furniture that extends with leaves to seat 10 the leaves live in the large front hall closet
the kitchen is proportionally massive with a 27 square foot counter its total zone if you count the opposite wall is 84 square feet more than a quarter of the apartments entire volume there are a two burner stove top a very large microwave and a toaster oven but no conventional oven which concerned ginia one of five colleagues i invited to dinner and to road test the apartment
if groovy millennials are all about cooking and instagramming the vegan cheesecakes they are making she said later how do you live that life with a two burner stove
feh countered julia another of my colleagues very few people living alone use their whole stove for cooking or fill their full size refrigerators she said many of them use their ovens to store shoes or sweaters
in any event i ordered in pizzas and fennel salads from motorino on east 12th street vivian brought flowers in case someone was moved to instagram i hankered for candles and flicked off the overhead lights
the apartment comes with recessed ceiling and undercabinet lights on dimmers along with a nifty task light you tap on and off and a tough looking standing lamp with a bare bulb chosen by ms schmidt still there was no way to read comfortably in bed ms schmidt said she had been bothered by that deficiency too so shes ordered led lights youll be able to clip to the side of the cabinets on either side of the bed
we could have sat eight 10 would have been pushing it as it was there wasnt room to open the fridge or push back the chairs   these were solid italian folding chairs with a slim profile that fit in the closet you get four with your furnished apartment we didnt really notice being well exercised by office gossip and shared work trauma my guests were delighted by the penelope contraption and plopped down on the bed to test its mettle they enthused over the spare decor and shiny surfaces easy to hose down opined alexandra and julia
it is the working mothers dreamscape wrote ginia a few days later micro apartments take me away   300 lego free square feet but where do you put the books
the best part of the evening to my mind was being alone again after whisking away the pizza boxes and the bottles shrinking the table back to its slim desk size and unfolding my namesake bed i killed the lights slid open the window and raised the opaque shade so i could see a linden tree from my nest as i drifted off to sleep i imagined a life swept clean of my grubby needy possessions and instead envisioned a new improved one that was sparely accessorized by ms schmidts resilient and independent succulents neutral art prints and soft baskets so lightly encumbered i would spring easily from my tasteful and tidy micro unit into the cultural soup of the city which is the point of course
i thought too of the canon of the studio apartment   from the dreary bed sitters housing the heroines of anita brookner and barbara pym novels to laurie colwins cozy nest in the west village where she hunkered down happily alone with an eggplant and a chipped meissen dish and quentin crisps gothic and lordly squalor on east third street and i worried
perhaps this apartment is too good too soft for the demographic it purports to address how will they mature in a friction free environment it irritated me that a 25 year old would soon be lolling in my bed or in the lounge chairs on the roof deck after having fired up the commercial grill there and after a long day of networking in some shared work space or returning home from a days surfing in the rockaways tucking his surfboard into the space mr bunge and ms hoang designed for it
carmel places rent includes not just internet and wi fi but a weekly tidying service and a monthly deep clean along with dog walking dry cleaning pickup and any number of customized errands through an app called hello alfred all organized by ollie
ms schmidt said her company is about to announce more building alliances that will allow carmel place residents to avail themselves of more and more thermal pools yoga studios and barbecue pits all over town you will meet with your home manager to say what you want for your home experience ms schmidt said maybe you want your slippers by the door or your towels folded a certain way
as it happens its not just the market rate tenants who will be coddled ollie has donated its services to the veterans and offered them at cost to those in the affordable units
it was her intent ms schmidt said to think aspirationally about micro living she and her husband david friedlander sold all their belongings a few years ago and moved with their two young sons from a 1200 square  foot loft to a light and lean 675 square foot apartment ms schmidt gutted and redesigned with sliding panels instead of doors convertible beds and a few choice pieces of furniture
the single state itself is also now aspirational with boosters like sasha cagen the author behind the quirkyalone blog and book rebecca traister a writer at large at new york magazine and the author of all the single ladies unmarried women and the rise of an independent nation and eric klinenberg a professor of sociology and the director of the institute for public knowledge at new york university
a decade ago mr klinenberg set out to write a book tentatively called alone in america that would chronicle the rise of single adults in the united states   according to a pew study published in 2011 only 51 percent of adults 18 and older are married compared with 72 percent in 1960   and explore themes of isolation and loneliness what he found instead was that for the overwhelming majority of single people living alone meant being social
his 2012 book going solo examined the ways contemporary urban singletons as he called them were finding community and generally having a blast people live alone together in neighborhoods that are full of people just like them he said recently you can name those neighborhoods in cities like chicago or san francisco or new york he added because those are the places you visit to have the best time its where the bars and restaurants and galleries are its where you want to be
in his book mr klinenberg traces the history of single living in bohemian enclaves like greenwich village where at the turn of the 20th century you could live alone without stigma the male pioneers were followed by single women who had been liberated by work and evolving social norms some were buoyed by the ideals of the free and independent republic of washington square as marcel duchamp and friends famously proclaimed from the arch developers were already building so called bachelor apartments there
new york has long been a leader in social innovation mr klinenberg said the trend of living alone happened here before anywhere else
my first single persons apartment in new york city was a studio on christopher street in a prewar tenement building with a hallway that smelled of cat and scorched garlic there was a kitchen of sorts in a cubby space with a tiny royal rose stove a sink and a mini fridge   but i never cooked there
i was no laurie colwin i dont recall owning a pot and anyway the korean market on bleecker street was my cafeteria it was 1984 on weekends the young men who came downtown to showboat kept me awake until 5 am but i didnt care when i wasnt cursing them i loved watching the performance
the kitchen and bathroom windows looked out onto a grimy air shaft and right into my neighbors apartments so at night i did a lot of ducking being too slack to install a shade or even tack up a sheet if you closed the bathroom door youd be stuck until a path train rumbled past and shook it free my first night in the apartment i spent two hours trapped in there having closed the door firmly to clean the black and white herringbone tile floor
mostly my tiny apartment was a launching pad and i was thrilled to be living alone


surrounded by images of music icons billy ray cyrus the actor and country singer saw a bit of himself in david bowie
dude thats almost my frickin hairdo an elated mr cyrus said on a recent afternoon after he caught a glimpse of the late rock gods 70s mullet on a t shirt at the morrison hotel gallery in soho
im sending this to miley mr cyrus said referring to his pop star daughter while reaching for the garment
even beyond appearances its possible to see why both of them admire mr bowie that relentless pop chameleon mr cyrus though never quite respected for his music or hairstyle has managed to stretch his down home charisma distinctive look and willingness to engage with the kitschy and the lowbrow into a constantly regenerating career of nearly 25 years
by embracing his cowboy camp factor and now his aging rock dad essence mr cyrus 54 has ambled down a surreal path from his first biggest hit achy breaky heart in 1992 to a varied acting resume including roles in david lynchs mulholland drive and disneys hannah montana which made miley a star
along the way there were detours to tabloid purgatory borderline irrelevance and sharknado 2 and yet even after going hollywood mr cyrus has enough juice in the country music universe to carry an acerbic self mocking original series still the king which premieres sunday june 12 on cmt
ive reinvented a couple times in my career at least said mr cyrus who has mostly laid low since mileys post disney cultural emancipation but how do you reinvent out of hannah montana he continued and then it hit me a dysfunctional elvis impersonator who lies his way into the church that made sense
i told miley about it he added and she said dad thats exactly what you need
still the king a single camera comedy with a gritty southern feel finds mr cyrus a co creator of the show playing an exaggerated take on the worst version of himself burnin vernon a louche one hit wonder scamming his way into a job as a preacher and into the life of the teenage daughter he didnt know he had
jayson dinsmore the executive vice president of development for cmt said the show represents a new push for the network into premium scripted programming he compared mr cyruss role in still the king to that of larry david in the art imitating life comedy curb your enthusiasm   but with a star whos undeniably charming
sometimes we forget how successful billy ray has been he said hes one of those people who has multigenerational fans also mr dinsmore added mr cyrus is incredibly good looking   women flock to him a boon for a network whose viewers lean female
mr cyrus a kentucky native and politicians son whose own glad handing puts him somewhere between george w bush and joe biden in manner said that i kind of traded my musical soul to be an actor
despite never truly being welcomed into the country establishment im a singer songwriter first and foremost and not technically a one hit wonder he said
some gave all   mr cyruss first album   had four hit singles on it he insisted adding a few expletives for emphasis heres the damn truth ive had more hits than any one hit wonder in the world i dont mean that as bragging because i wish that my name wasnt even in that conversation but if you look on wikipedia itll say that
despite his early musical success mr cyrus saw the writing on the nashville wall when his third album in three years failed to match the first two i said uh oh theyre coming after me mr cyrus recalled the teeter has gone to totter   im on the way down he cited his message driven songwriting including an emphasis on the environment thats the last thing they want to hear from me he said
thus began one of the stranger recent sagas in american celebrity bootstrapping as mr cyrus willed his family six cyrus children in all   and especially the daughter born destiny hope cyrus   into becoming a household name
following in the footsteps of diversified country stars like kenny rogers and dolly parton   and more recently rappers like ll cool j and ice cube   mr cyrus aimed for longevity onscreen first in an appropriately bizarre meeting with an auteurist director
i had two stolen chickens in my agents car while i did the interview with david lynch mr cyrus said having rescued the baby birds with miley and her brother before they could become snake food at a petting zoo in malibu
after he cameoed as the philandering pool guy in mulholland drive mr cyrus was cast as the lead   a christian physician   in doc which ran from 2001 to 2004 on pax tv ms cyrus guest starred on the show and by 2006 had debuted as the meta pop star hannah montana on the disney channel with mr cyrus appearing as her father robby ray
what followed along with more fame and fortune was years of teen idol and parenting scrutiny   mileys risque vanity fair photos the bong video the twerking   that seems almost quaint in retrospect
when you work as much in the business as we do theres gonna be peaks and valleys mr cyrus said fame is a dangerous thing but when you volunteer for it you have to accept that it aint all roses
heres a lady singing about it right now he added motioning to the speakers playing piece of my heart with janis joplin
for her part ms cyrus relishes a low key relationship with her father these days the pair prefers hanging at home playing music together she bought him a tibetan singing bowl for his birthday   no tv on just us talking not on our phones or out to dinner for show she told this reporter last year i feel lucky that im his kid when i sit with my dad theres a million things i could say that he couldve done differently   as you could with any parent   but hes the best dad i couldve ever chosen
though he stresses his outsider status mr cyrus who favors distressed jeans big sunglasses and western boots also enjoys his insider connections at the john varvatos store on the bowery a staffer referred to mr cyrus as a friend of the brand gifting him an american flag scarf and leather jacket
further downtown while perusing the morrison gallerys rock n roll photos he told persuasive big fish stories as if holding court on a barstool of intimate interactions with the likes of johnny cash waylon jennings carl perkins bruce springsteen paul mccartney george jones and even kurt cobain
i wrote a poem about kurt the day he died called the circus mr cyrus said it was about life under the spotlight thats when i said to myself i need to step back from this because i dont want to die
mr cyrus eased his hard living   his only real indulgence since the mid 90s is marijuana he said but just about enough to keep me from drinking   though his ambition hasnt slowed
in addition to his 14th studio album thin line due for release in september he has been writing an environmental horror film about fracking and all the damage its doing   but with blood and guts he said
raised in a family of southern democrats mr cyrus said he follows politics probably much deeper than anyone would think though he stopped short of picking sides in the presidential election saying only that he respects both hillary clinton and donald trump whom he called a very brave and very intelligent man his promotional tour for still the king with its potential red state audience included fox news
if theres a heavenly father theres gotta be a mother earth he said echoing mileys own recent hippie activist tendencies i have to tell you she learned that off me he added he also spoke out recently on facebook against laws that regulate transgender bathroom access citing ms cyruss involvement in lgbt issues
but good natured as ever he shrugged off any suggestion that his continued relevance is due only to his headline making daughter i dont worry about it mr cyrus said aviator glasses shining on a new york street i was here first


hi violet said the man in the orange aspca volunteer shirt he set up a little folding camp stool fired up his ipad and began to read aloud in a gentle even voice
the sun coming in flat knocks a prismatic oval out of the tumbler and lays it on the ceiling
inside her glass kennel on monday afternoon violet a black and white pit bull mix lay on her bed with her head held low
after a few more sentences something shifted in violet and she cocked her head toward the man ricky gitt for a few seconds a brief moment of connection
through the doors of the american society for the prevention of cruelty to animals on the upper east side pass hundreds of dogs rescued by the police in abuse cases the societys goal is to get them adopted but many are so traumatized that they cannot handle human contact
thats where story time comes in
for 20 minute stretches volunteers read to dogs who listen through sniff holes in the glass of their kennels
we need to get the dogs comfortable with what theyll be seeing when theyre put up for adoption said victoria wells the societys senior manager of behavior and training people looking at them people walking and handling them this is the very first step in that process its hands off socialization
the reading material does not seem to matter much mr gitt 58 an interior designer happened to have started the wallace stegner novel crossing to safety other readers bring childrens books or magazines
as long as you read in a nice soothing voice they enjoy it said hildy benick 69 a volunteer who has been with the reading program since shortly after it started in late 2013
ms wells got the idea for the program after years of playing guitar   mostly beatles songs   to recovering dogs not everyone knew how to do that and i wanted to come up with something anyone could do she said
the benefits of reading are hard to measure since the dogs also get a full range of training and behavioral therapy but it makes a difference ms wells said
you know within each session the progress that theyre making she said in the beginning of the session the dog might be in the back of their kennel cowering and then they move forward lie down relax their tail might wag
the society believes that its program might have been the first in the country in which dogs are read to as part of their recovery though others have sprung up and children learning to read have been reading aloud to therapy dogs   who help by providing a nonjudgmental audience   for years
violet who is about 2 years old was found lying on a sidewalk in queens village in april unable to stand
we thought she was dying said lindsay thorson a veterinarian at the societys animal recovery center on the second floor of its hospital on east 92nd street tests showed that violet was physically healthy it turned out that she was frozen in fear and would not move dr thorson said
the society and the police do not know violets back story other dogs at the animal recovery center had been starved beaten stabbed or shot most are good candidates for the reading program said kris lindsay manager of the recovery center the police and the society would not give details of many of the dogs cases because they are subjects of open criminal investigations
around the corner at the societys canine annex for recovery and enrichment where abuse victims are transferred when they dont need as much medical care ms benick entertained another pit bull mix margarita with an adaptation of the garth stein best seller the art of racing in the rain which is narrated by a dog
he picked me out of a pile of puppies a tangled rolling mass of paws and ears and tails ms benick read margarita who was rescued in february by the police departments animal cruelty investigation squad in a neglect case approached the sniff hole and looked up adoringly at ms benick
as ms benick noted any old text will do later in the afternoon she was reading news articles off her phone in the cheery singsong tones of a kindergarten teacher to her old friend dudley yet another pit bull mix who was found in the bronx in december locked in a cage without food or water after a knee operation he is now available for adoption
another volunteer deborah lancman favors thrillers i read three ian fleming james bond books to dogs said ms lancman a part time administrative assistant they havent told me they minded
mondays selection was the john le carre page turner the night manager ms lancman quickly got down to business with chickpea an energetic pit bull mix whose medical condition requires her to be on strict cage rest
on a snow swept january evening of 1991... she read chickpea began to settle down


when dan diamond was 12 his mother gave him a book titled it all begins with a date jewish concerns about intermarriage at the time it seemed a bizarre gift for someone so young but its aim was clear
mr diamond was expected to marry a jewish woman one day and raise jewish children a view his mother later reinforced he said by asking the religion of every girl he dated
then in november 2012 mr diamond a psychotherapist met ashley mask a doctoral student researching art museum education at that time ms mask had started to reconnect with her presbyterian upbringing but after falling in love with mr diamond she agreed should they marry to raise their future children as jewish
i had this naive sense that since we had the same creation story it wouldnt be hard said ms mask 38 but it was as the relationship progressed she feared abandoning important holiday traditions at synagogue services she said she felt lost she worried she would always be an outsider
interfaith couples represent a swiftly rising demographic before 1960 only 19 percent of american married couples were of two different religions according to a 2015 study by the pew research center today its nearly 40 percent
as a result there are a number of new programs providing support to these couples given that a 2013 pew study reported that since 2000 72 percent of non orthodox jews have married outside their faith it is not surprising that many of the resources are sponsored by jewish organizations
theres a deep fear in the jewish community about losing jews about assimilation mr diamond said he and ms mask chose to work through some of their issues by signing on with honeymoon israel an organization in buffalo that offers interfaith partners including gay and lesbian couples subsidized 10 day trips to israel
the trips cost 1800 a couple   or about 20 percent of the total cost   with the remainder picked up by a jewish family foundation in boston which prefers to be unnamed as well as by jewish organizations in the cities where honeymoon israel operates
once in israel the couples who are organized into groups of 20 are encouraged to explore jewish culture and religion they stay in upscale hotels lounge by the mediterranean and visit jewish christian and muslim historic sites
they also bond with their fellow travelers other committed couples also struggling to figure out what role religion should play in their marriages their homes and in the lives of their future children
the train has left the station said avi rubel a founder of honeymoon israel which expects to send 360 couples this year mr rubel said the program has no political or religious agenda
we dont care what you believe in he said you married into our family so youre in our family we want couples to explore the issues on their own terms were not trying to dictate how anybody feels about being jewish or about israel
ms mask and mr diamond went to israel in february three months after their wedding with the first group organized out of new york city ms mask was especially relieved to meet so many other christians in her situation it helped address this fear that i will lose part of my identity she said
for mr diamond the trip was all about an open mindedness to the idea that there are many kinds of jewish families he said thats not something ive been exposed to most of my life a celebration instead of a grudging acceptance
seth preminger 31 and tracy lyons 30 each assumed they would marry within their own faiths dr preminger a child and adolescent psychologist in chicago who was raised jewish and dr lyons a pediatrician in chicago who was raised catholic met in july 2011 as a little girl the only thing id ever planned for my wedding was what church id get married in and what church music id have dr lyons said
neither realized how stressful planning an interfaith wedding would be the catholic clergyman who agreed to be an officiant wanted to marry them in a church but that made dr preminger uncomfortable it was difficult to find a rabbi willing to be part of a joint ceremony
after much searching with google they found the interfaith family school in chicago run by catholics and jews the school which offers a kindergarten through eighth grade curriculum for children whose families consider themselves both and which also has a couples counseling group invited dr lyons and dr preminger to attend a student presentation
it was really exciting for us to hear these kids talk about growing up in an environment that supports both faiths especially as we were planning our wedding dr lyons said they help you explain the different traditions to extended family
dr preminger said their wedding in may 2015 at the kenmare loft a former factory in chicago raised a few eyebrows but everyone eventually came around
another organization interfaithfamily which is overseen by rabbis demonstrates the ripple effect of this new attitude the nonprofit started as a website interfaithfamilycom to help couples plan interfaith weddings and find rabbis willing to jointly officiate ceremonies within the last five years the organization has opened offices in eight cities where the group hosts couples discussion groups religious services and social events
couples need safe spaces to be with others just like them said rabbi ari moffic who heads the chicago branch if you google interfaith marriage youll still find negative headlines
the american jewish community sees this as a public concern for jews at large said helen kim an associate professor of sociology at whitman college in walla walla wash they want to mobilize the larger community
dr kim is a second generation korean american who was raised without religion and adopted judaism after marrying noah leavitt an associate dean at whitman the couple recently wrote a book jewasian race religion and identity for americas newest jews there are no hard statistics but dr kim who said she has noticed a rise in jewish asian marriages has also found that asians in the united states who are mostly christian arent concerned about dilution of the population the way jews are
on balance there are fewer resources for couples seeking a more equitable arrangement many organizations say theyre friends of interfaith but they have a tiny asterisk that says we want you to have a jewish home said eileen ofarrell smith the founder and director of the interfaith union which holds workshops for christian jewish and christian muslim couples in chicago
in new york a group called interfaith community runs couples workshops private counseling sessions and an elementary school curriculum that teaches the fundamentals of judaism and christianity for interfaith families
in this multicultural global diverse world where people are bringing many differences into a family the old post world war ii paradigm where you married the boy next door and everyone went to the same church has completely changed said sheila gordon the groups president
some 100 children are enrolled in interfaith communitys educational programs dr gordon said but the number of couples in the premarital workshops has declined even as the percentage of interfaith marriages has increased
at least for younger couples the millennial ethos of fairness and respect means they dont feel threatened by entering into this kind of partnership she said so these couples do not think workshops are necessary
and yet such programs can be vital for some couples who do face challenges in joining different faiths
it helps to know other people in the same boat said kamran khan a muslim who joined ms ofarrell smiths group with his christian fiancee corinne atty their wedding planned for september in chicago has caused a rift with mr khans parents disapproving of his relationship and refusing to talk about it or to attend the wedding but mr khan wants to discuss the difficult questions with ms atty now instead of seven years from now he said
being a part of the christian muslim group at interfaith union he added has given him a sense of pride about creating a different kind of family we can blaze a trail for others mr khan said were at the forefront of something


my longtime partner has severe emphysema and will probably die soon he has four siblings who live in our small town over the years he has been closer with two of them but they are all ignoring him now my partner says he doesnt mind in fact he says he prefers it but his face lights up whenever any of them is mentioned i dont want or need their help taking care of him though i got along fine with them when we were in touch should i do anything here a year ago i asked his sister to call more often she said she would but she hasnt
anonymous
trying to engineer specific outcomes among adult siblings otherwise known as meddling is not usually effective or as my brother used to say to my mother when she attempted such magic hey look at your nose its in my shizzle again no one likes to feel pushed or manipulated but i spy a few openings here
the biggest and worst reasoned is that i feel terrible for your difficulties more legitimately it is helpful that there doesnt seem to have been a rupture between the siblings only a gradual drift also good you arent asking them to pitch in to the endless and emotionally grueling work that sick rooms often entail and we arent going to judge them for failing to volunteer
call one of the friendlier sibs and ask him or her to come for coffee or drinks at a specific date and time less room for blowing you off than with an open invitation you can handle the negotiations without letting your partner know how much arm twisting is required if its a flat no he never needs to hear about it but if the date goes reasonably well start on the other siblings a little meddling to make your partners final days happier seems like a minor lapse to me
a friend and i were riding our bikes in central park i saw a man and his young daughter on one bicycle with a bike seat the daughter was wearing a helmet the father was not so i shouted if you fall and break your neck who is going to help your daughter i rode on my friend said it wasnt my business what say you
rayna
when people yell criticisms at me even well founded ones the shock and awe allow me to dismiss their excellent points and focus on their aggression and my dislike for them instead but if those same folks flagged me down with a polite excuse me and made their same good point in a softer way i would accept it more easily i suspect i am not alone in this as for your friend remind her that this is new york city everything is everyones business
we are giving a wedding and face a dilemma about inviting a couple who are in the process of divorcing we care for both of them deeply and certainly dont want to take sides but they have many issues that are not yet resolved and their state may be acrimonious enough that one will refuse to attend if the other does how should we work our way through this
anonymous
assuming the couple are separated and possibly not speaking much with each other the kindest thing for you to do is to make sure that each knows the other has been invited that way they can discuss their attendance if they are speaking or send regrets if they are not and dont want to run the risk of bumping into each other at the chocolate fountain i would call them the warmth of your voice may help
also noteworthy is their relationship so acrimonious that it may spill over onto innocent guests and mar your lovely day dont be too quick to dismiss this no one makes a scene quite like a couple on the rocks in which case choosing one   or taking sides as you put it   may be the lesser evil
i am a pastor which is a wonderful profession it is my privilege to be with people during the most important times in their lives but everywhere i go if i identify myself as one people start telling me immediately about their sins illnesses and life histories usually i am happy to engage but occasionally on days off or vacations it would be nice to have a normal conversation still if someone asks what i do i refuse to lie can you suggest a solution
monica
just because someone asks you a question is no reason to answer it how much money do you earn as a pastor monica none of my business so when the stranger sitting next to you on an airplane asks what you do for a living offer the following nonreply with a friendly smile actually im on vacation and i intend to stay that way by not talking about work pause do you think theyll be bringing us those warm nuts soon


it is easy to feel small in radio city music hall on a recent weekday afternoon at a tech rehearsal for the rockettes new york spectacular the worlds largest proscenium arch dwarfed the dancers who looked less glamazon than usual in their practice leggings and tank tops but at the soundboard the choreographer mia michaels seemed in no way intimidated its so cool to have radio city as my playground she whispered its a really big playground
for ms michaels radio city is the biggest of the many big stages on which she has worked in recent years hers has become one of the most recognizable faces of commercial contemporary dance largely through her emmy winning ultraphysical and expressive choreography for fox televisions so you think you can dance she has choreographed movies stage shows for pop stars and a broadway musical finding neverland now ms michaels is directing and choreographing radio citys new york spectacular which opens on wednesday june 15 and is to run for eight weeks
it was one of those things where i was like how do the rockettes and mia michaels go together she said over coffee later that week im this banshee artist im wild im always looking for the thing that hasnt been done and then you have this brand thats very traditional very this is what it is 
ms michaels worked with the rockettes before briefly after choreographing finding neverland she was invited to create the opening number set to taylor swifts welcome to new york for the 2015 new york spring spectacular warren carlyle choreographed the rest
the new york spring spectacular wasnt a critical success charles isherwood called it a numbingly overblown 90 minute infomercial in his review for the new york times but focus group research showed that ms michaelss number was a hit it was a natural progression to ask her to come back for the whole show said colin ingram executive vice president of madison square garden productions which produces the radio city spectaculars
the new version is radio citys latest effort to mount a successful counterpart to its annual christmas show the 2015 new york spring spectacular emerged from heart and lights a show that was postponed then canceled the new york spectacular in turn is a reimagining of the new york spring spectacular audience feedback from that show had asked for an increased rockette presence and mr ingram and his team expect ms michaelss entirely new choreography   her welcome to new york number remains though updated   to show the dancers in a new light were very focused on customers feedback mr ingram said when asked about how focus groups affected a shows development weve got this community of fans and of course we want to listen to them
the hope is to also appeal to a different slightly wider audience weve shifted the demographic a bit from a younger child and family to a preteen audience mr ingram said we see these wonderful athletic ladies with a bit of sass and sexiness i think people who enjoy contemporary work and more pop culture will enjoy it
ms michaels has had experience with theatrical spectacles before in 2002 the italian belgian director franco dragone known for his work with cirque du soleil picked her to choreograph celine dions las vegas show a new day working with mr dragone was like sitting next to fellini she said before that she was a choreographers choreographer   the vocabulary and complexity of movement those were my main goals franco said no no you need to understand the eye of a child the simplicity of how to open things up in space so it becomes like visual candy
those lessons came in handy for the new york spectacular along with plenty of technical razzle dazzle immersive video projections a booming soundtrack the show has at its center a story told from a childs point of view mr ingram said one goal was to strengthen the dramatic thread the book is by douglas carter beane a playwright whose credits include the little dog laughed and xanadu
a couple who once lived in new york come back to show it to their children but become separated from them at grand central terminal the kids   a bratty iphone obsessed girl and her younger brother   follow their parents itinerary through new york with a little help from famous statues george m cohan alice in wonderland brought to life by the brothers imagination
stylistically ms michaels is something of a gamble for this show while the rockettes are known for their streamlined look and control ms michaelss movement celebrates awkwardness genius lives in the awkward she says and a sense of breaking free   an impulse she says that originated in her childhood when she wore braces to fix her turned in hips
i like sickled feet where the foot almost looks broken ms michaels said i love shoulders pulled up to the ears and i hate bevels   the neutral rockettes pose with the standing leg slightly turned out and the opposite knee drawn to the center giving the impression of one elongated leg
her process too is somewhat unpredictable the rockettes are accustomed to quickly picking up clean finished choreography but ms michaels fine tunes from beginning to end in january she began relating her movement to karen keeler the director of rockettes creative and the associate choreographer for the new york spectacular and to the assistant choreographer katie walker once a number was for the moment set ms keeler and ms walker would then workshop it on 18 rockettes going back to ms michaels for further adjustments before transferring it to the full lineup of 36 dancers
mia works from the inside out ms keeler said and my job is the exact opposite   i have to be the voice of reason dealing with the logistics and how the rockettes formations can work how the movement can have the breadth she wants but also have the precision were known for
lindsay howe a rockette of 14 years recalled that while creating money the number the rockettes were rehearsing on that recent afternoon   set on wall street and scored with a sinister remix of money makes the world go round   ms michaels stopped rehearsal she went wait   i would be disappointed if i got this far into a number and i didnt see a kick but were gonna make it a mia kick ms howe recalled so she added this giant developpe whack clearly shes thinking about creating for us as rockettes but making it new and fresh
ms michaels said she had learned plenty herself noting that even on a stage as large as radio citys coordinating 36 dancers requires her to find inspiration in constraint put me in a box and im going to create something in every single angle and inch of that box she said you will never know youre in a box by the end of it because i dont believe in boxes
the end product she said is two extremes marrying each other the structure of the rockettes rubbing off on ms michaels her own twists on dance norms enlivening the rockettes routine
i didnt go in there to change the brand ms michaels said i went in to try and infuse it with some new energy and life and vocabulary these are 36 powerful beautiful women who are much more than just a kick line


heres how to tell if youre watching a buddy cop movie has a cop on foot flagged down a civilian to borrow her car police business is there a bluesy soundtrack what about a bureaucrat absolutely losing his mind about the off the book antics of a renegade officer if the answer is always yes then you could be watching one of four lethal weapon movies or three rush hour installments or maybe even turner  hooch
but if theres a ripped cia officer who is haunted by his high school days and prone to discussing unicorns and john hughes films ill never be like molly ringwald youre probably enjoying the new genre expanding central intelligence
directed by rawson marshall thurber were the millers and due june 17 the buddies are bob a former nerd turned buff cia officer played by dwayne johnson and calvin kevin hart the unlikely civilian bob worships thanks to an act of kindness back in the 90s
hes somewhere between jason bourne and tom hanks in big mr johnson said via phone of bobs off kilter personality high school bullying has left him frozen in time even as six hours of reps every day for two decades have made a killing machine out of him though he has transformed himself physically inside hes the same guy mr thurber added people from high school still have that same power over you
when bob contacts calvin now a frustrated accountant its on facebook on the eve of their 20 year reunion call it the buddy cop genres big chill
its hard to put something new into the mix mr thurber said those grooves are very well worn
is the world ready for an oversharing duo with their souls on their ripped sleeves if you dont have heart then you dont care about the characters said mr thurber who added that he first saw sweetness enter the genre with the 2012 hit 21 jump street you have just a disposable joke machine and that can never be someones favorite film
here are other highlights and lowlights from four decades of buddy action films
directed by walter hill
the buddies the grizzled san francisco cop jack cates nick nolte bails eddie murphys flashy con man reggie hammond out of prison for two days to help him catch the cop killing members of his old gang
initial love level low we aint partners cates tells hammond we aint brothers and we aint friends
signature chase scene city bus versus cadillac
grudging respect level high but only after beating each other to a pulp hes got more guts than any partner that i ever had cates grunts
directed by richard donner
the buddies a suicidal chain smoking widower cop mel gibsons riggs is teamed with a middle aged family man danny glovers murtaugh who is getting too old for this theres a heroin ring to be foiled and hostages to be saved
initial love level tentative you ever meet anybody you didnt kill murtaugh wonders
signature scene riggs handcuffs himself to a suicide jumper and leaps off the edge of a building you wanted him down hes down
grudging respect level enormous riggs becomes a de facto part of the murtaugh clan hence three sequels
directed by martin brest
the buddies the chain smoking ex cop turned bail bondsman jack walsh robert de niro has to elude the mob the fbi and rival bounty hunters to get jonathan mardukas charles grodin a rogue accountant known as the duke to los angeles before his bond expires
initial love level low you know why you have an ulcer because youve got two forms of expressions silence and rage the duke tells walsh
grizzled captain the fbi agent played by yaphet kotto this thing is gonna give me a heart attack before its all over
signature chase scene heavily armed helicopter versus sedan on the interstate helicopter loses
grudging respect level sky high see you in the next life the duke tells jack as they arrive in los angeles
directed by brett ratner
the buddies after a diplomats daughter has been kidnapped and taken from hong kong to los angeles the showboating lapd officer carter chris tucker is paired with the clueless but courageous hong kong cop lee jackie chan
initial love level low carter determined to solve the case himself mocks lees haplessness hes only going to get in my way
grizzled captain played by the never not grizzled philip baker hall
grudging level of respect higher after a bonding moment in which carter teaches lee how to really groove to edwin starrs funky war
directed by phil lord and christopher miller
the buddies two baby faced rookies the brawny channing tatum and the brainy jonah hill as jenko and schmidt take part in a special narcotics operation and infiltrate a high school rife with drug abuse
initial love level super high can we be friends jenko asks schmidt impressed by his intellect though once back at school jenko becomes a nerd and schmidt rolls with the cool kids
grizzled captain played by ice cube who makes it clear that while he knows angry black captain may be a stereotype he happens to be black and sometimes i get angry so what
directed by paul feig
the buddies the hard living boston cop mullins melissa mccarthy clashes with ashburn a type a special agent for the fbi sandra bullock before agreeing to team up and foil a drug kingpin
initial love level low you just gotta vent that furnace mullins says aghast at ashburns spanx
grudging respect level high you are smart and you are intuitive and you are the best cop i ever worked with ashburn tells mullins they even bond by getting hammered and dancing to groove is in the heart by deee lite


while savage inequities persist when it comes to opportunities for women as directors in hollywood there have been exceptions over the decades if far too few so thank film forum for its series genre is a woman continuing through thursday june 16 which honors auteurs who paved the way pioneers include the silent film director alice guy blache   her babies from cabbages 1902 the detectives dog circa 1912 and the pit and the pendulum 1913 screen on sunday   and the indie favorite kelly reichardt whose 2011 western meeks cutoff screens on multiple days
also spotlighted the director producer actress ida lupino 1918 1995 noted for taut suspense whose the hitch hiker 1953 a gritty noir surpassing similar efforts by her male contemporaries comes sunday and monday a vacationing family man frank lovejoy and a mechanic edmond obrien pick up a psychopathic fugitive william talman later the district attorney on perry mason and a nasty cat and mouse game follows a womans touch no just a great directors 212 727 8110 filmforumorg


an isolated deeply religious settler family in the 1630s is destroyed by occult forces in the witch   an independent first feature written and directed by robert eggers and one of the most intelligent american horror films of recent years
mr eggerss movie originally subtitled a new england folktale a hit at the 2015 sundance film festival and now on disc from lionsgate feels like a story that has been waiting to be told well never know how many european pilgrims were driven mad by the american wilderness the imposingly pious william ralph ineson his equally severe wife katherine kate dickie and their brood of five stand in for all of them
the woods at the edge of the familys farm are lovely dark deep   and terrifying few american films have been so steeped in fear of the forest and its indigenous inhabitants thus the witch provides a kind of back story for movies like the shining and poltergeist as well as most obviously the blair witch project in dramatizing a primal american unease
the witch is set barely a decade after the mayflower landed and over 80 years before the salem witch trials all is new to mr eggerss characters that it is also alien is emphasized by his mainly british ensemble whatever these pilgrims are they are not yet american
the expulsion of heretics like anne hutchinson and roger williams is still in the future as is king philips war the conflict with native americans that nearly destroyed the new england colonies still mr eggers a native of rural new hampshire telescopes several atavistic traumas in the opening scene william whose strident purity has tried the patience of his fellow puritans is banished from the colony after he moves his family to a new plot of land and establishes a small farm his youngest child is abducted not by indians but by a being his other children call the witch of the woods
the witch is skillfully wrought and imaginatively conceived shot in remote ontario the movie is superbly designed impressively researched and extremely well written drawing much of its dialogue from 17th century diaries letters and prayer manuals suspense is largely a matter of premonition manohla dargis began her new york times review describing the witch as a finely calibrated shiver of a movie
an early scene in which william katherine and the children are gathered by a campfire sets the tone here as elsewhere mr eggerss camera placement provides the disquieting sense that something other than the audience is watching his characters throughout a sense of free floating demonic possession affects both woodland and domestic creatures
as the family disintegrates william and katherine inexorably turn on their eldest child thomasin anya taylor joy a girl who has just entered adolescence the witch idea is an exteriorization of a womans ideas about herself and her mother the british freudian psychoanalyst ernest jones wrote in 1931 mr eggerss film is founded on the more contemporary notion that the witch idea might be rooted in anxieties regarding female sexuality
yet the movie which mr eggers has described as a puritans nightmare is totally literal minded the supernatural is as real as the religious fears guilty desires and repressed psychological drives that tear the bewildered family asunder
less an actress than a presence hedy lamarr 1914 2000 appeared both bewitching and at times bewitched in a tribute published in december 1941 issue of the surrealist journal view the artist joseph cornell called her the enchanted wanderer
lamarr who was born in vienna into a wealthy jewish family became notorious at 18 for swimming nude in the 1933 czech film ecstasy her best known hollywood role was the old testament vixen in cecil b demilles mega kitsch samson and delilah 1949 but her remote haunting beauty nearly justifies a number of otherwise inconsequential films mostly released just before and during world war ii
warner archive has made five of these available on dvd lady of the tropics 1939 comrade x 1940 come live with me 1941 white cargo 1942 and experiment perilous 1944 none save the last   an atmospheric domestic gothic directed by jacques tourneur that features lamarrs favorite performance   are particularly distinguished white cargo in which she plays the campiest femme fatale since theda bara is however exceptionally risible
lamarr escaped austria and a rich controlling husband ahead of the anschluss once in hollywood she was typically cast as uncanny others or what her biographer ruth barton calls exotic dames these included european refugees as in come live with me a winsome communist true believer in king vidors leaden screwball comedy comrade x and characters who were meant to be of mixed race as in lady of the tropics and white cargo for which the times critic bosley crowther noted she was given a mahogany finish   fitting for an actress whose characters are often described as objets dart
although a passable actress lamarr was upstaged by her remarkable good looks she was highly intelligent with unexpected talents as an inventor that were barely appreciated during her lifetime even as she worked out her destiny in a hollywood dreamland many of her childhood friends and relations were consumed by the holocaust lamarr visibly supported the united states war effort but her feelings as a jewish survivor are unknown her beauty seems all the more mysterious as a mask concealing a complex inner life
newly released
appassionata the young ornella muti stars as a wanton wife in a semiserious sex drama directed by gianluigi calderone a former assistant to bernardo bertolucci released in italy in 1974 but apparently never in the united states until this blu ray appassionata also features the pasolini favorite ninetto davoli and valentina cortese fresh from her appearance in francois truffauts day for night twilight time
the crimson cult loosely based on h p lovecrafts the dreams in the witch house this patchwork british production from 1968 now on blu ray can boast three distinguished horror veterans boris karloff christopher lee and barbara steele as well as an orgy scene that seems cribbed from kenneth angers underground inauguration of the pleasure dome kino lorber
the dunwich horror not the least successful lovecraft adaptation daniel hallers 1970 film features a host of psychedelic special effects and dean stockwell as the sinister heir to a degenerate new england family its paired on blu ray with another american international literary horror the 1971 remake of murders in the rue morgue with jason robards as its unlikely star scream factory
mayday pagan tradition returns with a vengeance in this 2013 bbc mini series set in a rustic village in surrey england the cast includes lesley manville a mike leigh regular aidan gillen baltimores mayor in the wire and sophie okonedo currently in the broadway revival of the crucible available on dvd and acorn tv rlj entertainment
toyen jan nemecs 2005 portrait of marie cerminova the czech surrealist painter known as toyen is a fluid evocative labor of love a member of the czech new wave mr nemec employs a dense experimental style acknowledging the visionary quality of the artists imagination to depict her personal struggle to survive both during and after world war ii on dvd facets


the singer songwriter anais mitchell grew up on a sheep farm in semirural vermont to a soundtrack of folk ballads and protest music as a child she believed that if you could just write a song good enough you could change the world
that belief has never quite left her she is testing it in her first musical the theatrically frisky and musically daring hadestown a version of the orpheus myth retold in the american vernacular which just opened at new york theater workshop
charles isherwood writing in the new york times complimented her lovely music and well turned lyrics variety called the work spellbinding
now settled in park slope brooklyn with her husband and young daughter ms mitchell 35 looks like someone who knows her way around incantation and enchantment with her choppy blond hair and aquamarine eyes she has a sprite like ethereal quality which can belie her artistic savvy
for this interview she chose the twisting trees and luxuriant rose bushes of the brooklyn botanic garden it is a place she feels at home a place that suits her
ms mitchell first began work on hadestown a decade ago the orpheus myth is especially appealing for people who work in music she explained the myth tells of a famed lyre player who journeys into the underworld to rescue his beloved eurydice he can have her only if he can lead her back to the surface without turning around to look at her
shed loved the story as a child after college it began to fascinate her even more
she had graduated from middlebury as a very idealistic artistically minded activist minded student but the post college world gave her pause george w bush had been re elected president an event she described as a really a dark night of the soul for her progressive politics she had to reconcile her artistic impulses against a climate that insisted you have to have a job you have to make money you have to make it in this adult world she said could she write a song cycle using the orpheus myth to explore these ideas she could
her version of the myth takes place in a fable like world that looks and sounds a lot like depression era america orpheus is a singer who cant provide for eurydice and hadestown is not so much the underworld as a kind of infernal factory a place that guarantees money and security but at the expense of freedom
ms mitchell completed the first version in 2006 her collaborator michael chorney provided arrangements and another colleague the theater artist ben t matchstick helped to enhance and stage it with friends they took it around vermont traveling in this janky school bus that was painted silver and it was magical she said
a few years later she reworked the songs into a concept album she played eurydice and she recruited ani difranco greg brown and justin vernon of bon iver to play other parts she would travel to record with each of them a process she described as kind of like a scavenger hunt tattooed on her arm is an illustration of eurydice that would become the albums cover
while touring she met producers who expressed interest in transforming the songs into a fully realized musical but ms mitchell worried that that would mean artistic sacrifice
id seen a lot of book musicals and the cheese o meter goes off after a few minutes she said but in 2012 she saw natasha pierre  the great comet of 1812 off broadway directed by rachel chavkin a work she described as alive edgy delightful it reopens on broadway this fall she had mutual friends introduce them
over several years ms chavkin helped her to firm up the story behind the songs and to deepen the characters and relationships making a music theater piece is really hard ms chavkin said by telephone she had worried that ms mitchell might burn out on the material happily she found ms mitchell both lightning clear about what moves her as an artist but also really really open to collaboration
among other things ms mitchell has learned the importance of clarifying ideas that could be left ambiguous on the album why does eurydice love orpheus why does orpheus turn around why retell this story at all
she resolved that ultimate question at the last moment arriving at the final rehearsal with new lyrics for the narrator character of hermes which explain that if we continue to sing orpheuss song an unfinished ode that emphasizes the essential humanity within us all the world might still change
its a sad song hermes sings gotta sing it anyway
revisiting the material ms mitchell found new avenues of interest like the way that the bad marriage between hades the fossil fuel burning king of the underworld and persephone his flower child queen could reflect climate change she also discovered that orpheuss fatal glance back at eurydice could mirror ms mitchells own moments of artistic uncertainty
todd sickafoose who produced the album joked about her propensity for revisions if she hadnt opened it shed be rewriting it tonight he said by telephone its good that shes so inspiring because otherwise the actors would revolt
but the cast has come to wholly embrace this beguiling work patrick page who plays hades described his pleasure at working on material that was weird and poetic and was about big ideas he also enjoys the outrageous bass notes that ms mitchell has provided you never get to sing the notes she wrote for hades he said
one of mr pages songs will send a shiver for anyone following the presidential election why we build the wall though ms mitchell wrote it a decade a ago the song has taken on the uncanny echo of donald j trumps remarks on the campaign trail ms mitchell is unsurprised political leaders will always invoke that image when it serves them she said because it appeals at a visceral level to people who feel scared
ms mitchell is not scared and she plans to keep writing   for the concert stage and the theatrical one the orpheus like part of her insists on it whether or not you can change the world with a song youve still got to write the song she said you still have to try


the ancient romans believed in generous vacations they took sightseeing tours for two to five years at a time in more recent centuries europeans of means and faint constitutions spent multiple months languishing at spas even jesus withdrew for 40 days and 40 nights to find some peace and quiet in the desert yet so many of us today   im speaking of those fortunate enough to have the resources and the vacation days   remain slavishly attached to our 247 connectivity and take only a week at a time maybe two off work
but it can be difficult on a weeklong vacation to unwind our anxious psyches short trips require quickly shaking off travel fatigue so we can hustle through a sightseeing agenda trying and usually failing to wean ourselves off addictive phone and email checking maximizing every day of good weather hoping each flight departs on time and that no one gets sick in all that hurry theres little unstructured space to wander and investigate and without time to spare wrong turns become sources of squabbles and frustration rather than opportunities for the unexpected
when i have weeks to explore a new place i love getting lost in other countries its an amplified version of what travel already feels like decentering humbling vividly sensitizing on a lengthy trip to thailand my partner and i rode motorcycles through the mountains surrounding chiang mai at any sign along the highway that intrigued us wed turn off sometimes onto a dirt road into nothingness
but other roads led us to soak in sulfurous hot springs canoe through the frigid dark of caves sit with monks and share tea stumbling upon some full moon festivities we met a stranger at a riverbank who gave us orchids and sparklers to decorate a banana leaf our glittering leaf sailed away alongside hundreds more trailing smoke and carrying wishes for the year ahead
another night using a map scrawled on torn paper we tried to find a party out in the countryside unsurprisingly we got wildly lost riding past farms under the bright moon pulling over to show our map to confused passers by after an hour zigzagging on back roads we saw a bonfire in the distance was that the party well never know but it looked like fun we drove over and joined friendly locals in a temple courtyard settling in with paper plates of curried noodles black rice doughnuts and cold singhas as dancers performed late into the night
searching the horizon for fire deciphering maps without a shared language choosing to turn into the unknown instead of away from it this kind of travel requires more time but the gift is an acute awakening of all the senses whether you seek out wild adventure or travel at a more restful pace spending extended time away from quotidian life allows time for the secret details of the world to reveal themselves
and no matter if its not far flung adventure youre seeking but a restful vacation staying in one place a related gift is the space to finally be still more than any exotic destination stillness appears to be the elusive luxury of our age on a monthlong sabbatical from my job   a benefit that increasing numbers of american companies have started offering to longtime employees   i stayed close to home in the woods of the hudson valley trying out a daily yoga and meditation practice with a small group of friends
stripped of 3g wireless coverage freed of workplace urgencies for an entire month i had the chance to start each day with a quiet walk at dawn and watch the fog lifting off the grass the tiptoeing deer the changing green of spring leaves among my friends with all this newfound time together fresh rituals emerged silent breakfasts afternoon walks capped off with chocolate macaroons sneaking wildflowers into one anothers shoelaces while we set up for yoga
with each passing week habitual urges and anxieties subsided the afternoon walks got longer and our conversations meandered and deepened i felt greater intimacy not only with my friends but with myself pico iyer describes this kind of time off partly as a way to visit remote states of mind remote parts of myself that i wouldnt ordinarily explore given enough time this remoteness can be explored whether youre with family and friends or alone whether you travel just a few hours away or fly to the other side of the world
my most profound experience with remoteness came quite far from home midway into a himalayan trek with my brother it dawned on me just how precarious our situation was well beyond cellphone range alone with our guide days of difficult hiking away from help should something go wrong this danger had been evident in the abstract when we planned the trip but along the way i experienced a different form of knowledge   the bodily knowledge of what walking 10 hours a day day after day actually feels like our isolation measured out in steps
do people you take on this trek ever get sick i asked our guide not certain if i wanted to know the answer oh many sick many sick he immediately replied our boots beat a nervous rhythm on the trail in the subsequent pause before he added offhandedly some die
a week earlier at the trekking agency my question of whether thered be an opportunity to wash my hair during the trek produced hysterical laughter my brother and i argued over whether to bring a heavy jar of nutella so we could have something to slather on the endless meals of chapatis do people die was not even remotely on our checklist
in fact that trek landed us in real danger as an unexpected blizzard coincided with a night of altitude sickness we had to push through hours of heavy snowfall wearing socks as gloves and heaving for oxygen to make it over a 17000 foot pass i dont recommend wandering into the himalayas without proper acclimation or gear as we naively did and pro tip do bring the nutella
but it was a profound experience to be stripped of all the insulation and clutter of regular life to be reduced to a pure animal state i felt terrified raw and awake to the fragility of life   the farthest id ever been from home in both mind and body
soon the blizzard became so dense that i could only follow the footprints left by our guide gasping for air and terrified i would step off a cliff when abruptly out of the whiteness emerged the enormous head of a gaur the wild ox of the himalayas i couldnt even see the rest of his body i stopped that disembodied black head exhaled huge clouds of steam as we gazed at each other everything else blinding snow
i had to walk for many days to reach him but here he was waiting to show me what true ease looks like the awe and radical serenity i felt in that moment likely echoed that of the ancient romans when they first saw the great sphinx of giza towering over them in the desert sand or that of vacationers who have shed their familiar daily routines and taken time to come face to face with the unknown the wondrous details of the world await us all it just can take a few weeks to reach them i calmed down and took my next step


it was the stuff of a great pop song on a sunny saturday afternoon earlier this month taylor swift one of musics biggest stars and a notorious romantic joined an unsuspecting couples wedding in long beach island nj
i apologize for wedding crashing ms swift said to the couple max singer and kenya smith and about 100 guests before sitting down at a piano and performing her hit song blank space
judging by the reaction   shocked gasps shrieks and one man repeatedly shouting oh my god   her unannounced entrance was quickly forgiven
though the surprise appearance made headlines and spurred breathless tweets and instagram posts ms swift was not the couples first choice for guest of honor that distinction had been reserved for the grooms mother janey singer who died in november at 62 two months after being diagnosed with lung cancer
the grooms sister ali singer said in an interview that the couple decided to marry quietly last year in a hospice care center with mr singers mother there were no rings exchanged and no walk down the aisle but there was music the groom and his mother danced to blank space one of his favorite songs the brides father and stepmother watched on facetime from home in iowa city mr singers mother died days later
her selflessness ali singer said of her new sister in law to take a day where its all about you and drop it all to get married in a room so my mom could be there was incredible and really showed their true partnership together
it was not the wedding the couple had envisioned and they wondered if they should keep their original plans for a june wedding as well ms singer who works in advertising at facebook helped take over the planning from her mother and said she was inspired by words of support given to sheryl sandberg facebooks chief operating officer after ms sandbergs husband died last may
option a is not available a friend had said to a grieving ms sandberg before suggesting she enthusiastically embrace option b the couple decided to continue with the june 4 wedding
the couples ceremony was held saturday at the brant beach yacht club on long beach island about two hours south of new york city the bride 26 was escorted down the aisle by her father brian smith the guests dined on a raw bar ate a surf and turf dinner and enjoyed music from a dj who was definitely upstaged
the plans for the surprise began when a family friend heard that mr singer 29 had read his graduate school application essay to his mother weeks before she died an army captain who had served in iraq and afghanistan   and an unapologetic fan of ms swifts   mr singer decided to break up his essay into themes each related to song titles from ms swifts 1989 an album about the myriad ways a heart can break
the family friend asked mr singer for a copy and unbeknown to anyone sent a batch of letters to people she hoped could help reach ms swift
mr singers essay choice paid off he was accepted to cornell university and the newlyweds will soon move from colorado springs to ithaca ny
ms swift whose career suggests she knows a good love story when she sees one was a last minute rsvp approving the request days before the wedding but her appearance which included a handmade picture for the couple restored everyones faith in humanity ms singer said
in a video of the surprise performance ms swift dressed in a strapless dress covered with florals in sunset colors paused briefly to say that she never thought shed be singing the song about many loves gone sour at a wedding but she said what max and kenya want they get
despite the attention the couple have largely shied away from the media attention surrounding ms swifts visit in an interview mr smith 53 stressed that his daughter a teacher originally from sigourney iowa was a private person who doesnt want to be bugged about her wedding the details of which have been splashed across the internet by relatives friends and ms swift who posted pictures of herself with the couple on instagram
but mr smith did have this to offer about the love story behind the wedding seen around the world the first time she brought him back to iowa to meet us we knew right away that this would be the one


in bookends two writers take on questions about the world of books this week francine prose and benjamin moser discuss the difficulties of getting lost in reading after a certain age
by francine prose
an adult reading experience may be a dip compared with a childs soak
one of the hardest things to remember about childhood unless you are fortunate enough to spend time around a child is the fact that for many children the line between reality and the imagination is thinner and more porous than it is for most adults when a 4 year old talks to her mermaid doll she is talking to a mermaid i remember inspecting my cereal bowl for the tiny gremlins that set off the mini explosions that went snap crackle and pop the child who opens the cover of a dr seuss book is not just reading the first page but entering a world populated by grotesque but giddily good humored creatures
the age at which i fell most passionately in love with reading at around 9 or 10 roughly coincided with the time when i somehow sensed that the reality fantasy border was about to tighten   and perhaps close forever my desire to continue to live in my imagination contributed to my love for fairy tales and myths the most fanciful genre among my favorites were east of the sun and west of the moon a collection of norwegian tales with marvelous illustrations by kay nielsen and a volume of greek myths which i still own i also loved books preferably by authors such as e nesbit and edward eager in which children discover a garden or find a magic object or take the hand of a governess   and enter a parallel world in which wishes can be granted reading those books i was those children their wishes were my wishes i wanted to recreate in a shoe box the miniature domesticity of the borrowers theres a chapter in mary poppins john and barbaras story about babies who forget how to speak to a starling when they get older even then i sensed it was telling me something dire   something the grown ups either didnt know or wouldnt admit   about what i was going to lose
like everything else the way we read changes with time and age the books i find engrossing now still have the power to make the world around me vanish but i cant inhabit them as i did with my childhood favorites i love rereading middlemarch but i never imagine i live there not for a heartbeat do i think im karl ove knausgaard
a neurologist friend says that adults are likelier than children to cross reference when they read to compare people and things in a book with people and things they know which is why an adult reading experience may be a dip compared with the childs soak i enjoy reading a book written centuries ago and discovering a character almost exactly like someone i know and so i am cross referencing my attention is divided between the fictional character and the real life counterpart
another obstacle to immersion may have to do with my being a writer im more conscious than i was as a child of how something is written though now when i look at my childhood favorites they seem clear at once graceful and straightforward it would never have occurred to my child self to think about how a book had done in the press and on the market
despite everything immersion still happens i started the recent novel mr splitfoot by samantha hunt and there i was lost the real world seemed only marginally more real than the scary religious cult in upstate new york where the novel is partly set though it wasnt a pleasant place i was thrilled to be somewhere i would never in real life want to be
as a child i loved it when a book took me somewhere else i still do but im more surprised and grateful now to be transported by words on a page from one world to another perhaps because as grown ups we value what is harder won
francine prose is the author of 20 works of fiction and nonfiction among them the novel blue angel a national book award nominee and the guide reading like a writer a new york times best seller her new novel is lovers at the chameleon club paris 1932 currently a distinguished visiting writer at bard college she is the recipient of numerous grants and awards a contributing editor at harpers saveur and bomb a former president of the pen american center and a member of the american academy of arts and letters and the american academy of arts and sciences
* * *
by benjamin moser
ive reluctantly discovered that i dont really want to read more books i want to read the same books
like many people who later become writers i read fanatically as a child unlike most i had a mother who owned a bookstore that meant there were no real limits to what i could read or when which in turn meant that i worked my way through the childrens books and soon graduated to adult books and then to the classics perhaps like so many precocious kids i wanted to read adult books because i wanted to grow up
adult books meant a more intense reading experience and the bigger   the more like les miserables or the count of monte cristo or even war and peace   the better a real classic offered the satisfactions of childrens books   of getting lost of solving a mystery of going somewhere else   but they were bigger longer more they took me somewhere else and i wanted to be transported the problem was reading transported me into writing
most readers are content to stay readers which is probably best writing like drug use escalates not every constitution can stand it especially when you resolve to make writing a job that usually entails making reading a job since most writers live off some form of professional reading reviewing translating editing teaching if this would have sounded dreamy to my zealous 14 year old self the reality i discovered was less electrifying
for me and for many writers the problem is not that things one does for a living are less fun than hobbies pursued in the off hours or that the more one has read the higher ones standards become   though both are true the problem is that the deeper you go into your own writing the harder it becomes to enter someone elses if pursued seriously writing demands a kind of obsessive concentration that came at least for me to preclude reading
now the shelves beside my bed are littered with books i have guiltily abandoned like so many new years resolutions i bought them all hopefully i would have devoured them as a teenager but only rarely can i concentrate on reading other peoples books while trying to write my own every once in a while i take a final guilty glance at those good intentions those volumes with bookmarks stuck around page 49 and chuck them
as ive grown older ive reluctantly discovered that i dont in fact really want to read more books that doesnt mean i dont want to read i find though i want to read the same books the same pile survives my purges every time i want to read my hebrew psalter and the greek anthology i want to read emily dickinson and clarice lispector ronsard and la rochefoucauld the shobogenzo and the tibetan book of the dead if my library disappeared and i had only those books they would be more than enough
what these survivors have in common is that they do not try to drag me into a narrative i can open them to any page and read words   as many or as few as i like   that clean my brain rather than stuff it the longer i write the more i realize that stories are the last thing i need what is missing are not stories but the words to tell them these books give me those words   and they help me like the music i listen to while i write not by transporting me but by supporting me
benjamin moser is the author of why this world a biography of clarice lispector a finalist for the national book critics circle award and the general editor of the new translations of clarice lispector at new directions a former new books columnist at harpers magazine he is currently writing the authorized biography of susan sontag he lives in the netherlands


among the exhibits on display at the royal academy of music during its centenary tribute to the violinist yehudi menuhin is a single page of a bach violin sonata the printed page is darkened with menuhins pencil markings fixing the contours of a phrase the direction of bow strokes fingerings the speed and width of vibrato the expression in graphite of a players interpretation and craft
peter sheppard skaerved a violinist and scholar who organized the exhibition said in an email that the page creates a sense of digging away at the material almost as if going at it again with the pencil might reveal more find more of the vein of ore which we all hunt
that hunt is still central to the art of a classical musician but these days there are new weapons increasing numbers of players are using ipads and laptops instead of sheet music especially now that the latest generation of tablets come in the same size as a standard score and styluses like the apple pencil which was released in november are beginning to take the place of pencils and erasers
if say in the course of a summer festival a pianist plays a familiar quintet with a new set of partners she can save the groups interpretive markings in a neatly archived file without having to erase her usual dynamics and tempos a young professional hopping from one master class to the next can keep track of multiple even conflicting instructions traditions and technical tips
but the advantages of the new technologies arent just clerical mr sheppard skaerved pointed out that the advent of the mass produced graphite pencil in the second half of the 19th century coincided with profound changes in the way a performer engaged with a musical text the generation of musicians who benefited from the new tool   capable of making durable but erasable markings that didnt harm paper   were he wrote the first where practice was aimed at perfection of execution and not developing the skills for real time extemporization on the material in front of them or improvisation off book
what changes does the new digital technology reflect or enable conversations with some of classical musics most passionate advocates of the gadgets and with developers like forscore and tonara that write applications for them reveal a number of developments the traditional top down structure of teaching has been shaken loose the line between scholarly and practical spheres of influence is becoming blurred and the very notion of a definitive text is quickly losing traction   and with it the ideal of that perfection of execution
an unexpected consequence of the digital shift is that it has brought performers closer to historical sources including composer manuscripts the pianist wu han one of the artistic directors of the chamber music society of lincoln center said in a skype interview from seoul where she was leading workshops its not like the old days where you only have information passed down by a teacher now everyone is a detective
ms wu takes pride in being an early adopter of the ipad and can rattle off its benefits to the traveling musician by her own count she is performing 42 works this summer in the past the attendant sheet music would have filled three quarters of a suitcase now she carries an entire library in a sleek tablet page turns have become quiet and elegant thanks to a wireless pedal where her enemies were once awkward page turners theyre now chinese concert halls with bluetooth blockers she neednt worry about losing her scores or seeing the paper deteriorate over the course of a long tour and in master classes she scribbles notes for her students onto her tablet saving a separate file for each player
but what most shapes her music making   the myriad decisions on how to pace a phrase or to build character through articulation and dynamics   is the musicological groundwork of combing through early editions and manuscripts for clues of the composers intentions
in the old days i had to wait until i could go to the library to seek them out she said but now that foundations like the beethoven haus in bonn germany are painstakingly digitizing material its on the internet
with free downloads replacing expensive and unwieldy photostats musicians are increasingly reading music directly from manuscripts the cellist matt haimovitz has been performing from handwritten scores on his ipad including schuberts arpeggione sonata and anna magdalena bachs manuscript copy of the suites for solo cello by her husband johann sebastian
nicholas kitchen a violinist with the borromeo string quartet recalled the frustrations of his early encounters with manuscripts in the days when studying them meant visiting a librarys rare books room and donning white gloves with his fellow borromeo players he now reads the late beethoven quartets directly off a manuscript which he can display   and mark up   on his screen comparing it with respected printed editions long known as the urtext   the uncontaminated definitive version of the score as determined by musicologists   he has found all sorts of details that never made it into print
in our printed music we have about nine dynamics while in the manuscript there about 20 different ones he said describing tiny alterations to the single letter p   for piano or soft   that beethoven marked some have a cross on the stem for instance others a double cross there are 10 distinctions just in the area of piano
at the same time the traces of beethovens creative process with passages crossed out and amended sometimes with visible impatience inspire a different kind of playing for a noted improviser like beethoven mr kitchen said it was important to react to the page but just as important was the incredible freedom to go where the ear leads you
the composer dan visconti who uses ipads in his work with the chicago based fifth house ensemble said the technology is changing the culture a little bit he added now that you can get different versions of sheet music easily i dont see performers looking at something and thinking oh this is set in stone as a result you no longer have quite the same slavish worship of the text
with performers engaging in the sort of sophisticated archaeological work that used to be the province of academics professional music editors may become an endangered species or at least the nature of their work will change with revised editions released on a more fluid time scale
but ron regev a pianist and the chief music officer of tonara the software company said he does not believe that the professional editor is going anywhere as long as classical musicians demand high quality scores indeed the digital age brings with it advantages until now editors only had one chance to put what they knew into a fixed edition he said now you can continually change the score according to the most recent scholarship and instead of having to reshoot and spend millions on a new edition you update a file
with composers also in on the digital revolution their own creative process   the drafts corrections and discarded dead ends that performers puzzle over on manuscripts   is often captured in a sequence of updated files mr kitchen said that when his quartet workshops a new piece with the composer changes are sometimes made on the spot and shared wirelessly with the players
what we end up with doesnt at first glance look like the wonderfully expressive sketches of beethoven he said but there was a final version and then the really final version and perhaps the final final version a musicologist some day far from now will be doing the same thing we do now looking at corrections in a beethoven manuscript
in the cool clarity of the new medium some things may be lost the sort of expressionist fury with which menuhin marked up bach or the stenciled grace of a schubert manuscript reveal much about the human behind the artist ms wu said she enjoyed sorting through the psychological clues earlier composers left behind in their handwritten scores
if you have the neat printed score you dont see the struggle she said you can detect how brilliant mozart was writing individual parts instead of vertically mendelssohns songs without words have those beautiful paintings in them today we dont know if a composer is messy or meticulous


youre a senior editor at the federalist a relatively conservative publication but youre no fan of donald trump in march you wrote about the bad ways that people are opposing his campaign you didnt like that ad with women reading the horrible things hes said about women is there an effective way to oppose him trump and his campaign are perfectly positioned to exploit every weakness we have in the electorate if the republican party didnt want to have this opposition they should have picked literally any type of policy and just made it happen even as late as last summer if voters could have seen that the republican party was capable of doing something big and dramatic and communicated that to the people i dont think that you would have had the hunger to blow up the system like with the trump movement
you identify as a libertarian right the national convention just happened at the end of may im probably best described as classically liberal which is neither libertarian nor conservative frankly i find some of the antics that were on display down in florida to be utterly delightful i dont really think theyre behaving that much worse than either the democratic party or the republican party
i havent actually heard that before theyre not behaving any less immaturely than the other parties i will point out that someone did a striptease onstage in libertarian circles you can almost present any idea and people will let you make your case there is a spirit of debate that is really healthy
you used to write a sex column for a libertarian magazine which is a little unusual but you did it while you were writing for getreligionorg a site that focuses on how religion is covered in the mainstream press for someone on the right you talk pretty openly about sexuality i could blame everything in life on my parents they raised us to think of sex as a positive thing we were raised lutheran and i think theres something about the lutheran tradition that is much more open to talking about things
you occasionally refer to natural marriage in your political writing what does that mean im referring to the idea that marriage is the union of a man and a woman in sexual congress
do you think that the government should privilege those relationships now that same sex marriage is legal theres an order toward procreation and i think theres a reason societies throughout all place and time have privileged the family the norms associated with marriage and family life are built on certain things that are distinct in heterosexual relationships
i think the usual criticism of conservative christians is not that they hate sex its that they disapprove of certain types of sex a lot of people have this understanding that christians do hate sex everybody has a sexual ethic and sexual mores if you dont talk about it from a christian moral perspective youre just letting other people have complete domination of the subject and it weakens the overall conversation
to borrow the terminology of the dan savages of the world conservatives should be more sex positive because if they dont talk about sex then its going to be left to people like dan savage i think people should be positive about sex because it is such a positive thing when you do things that are wrong when you abuse the relationship or use it for power it causes so much damage its important that people think about sex and how to do it and how to do it right
you sound a little bit like a feminist in talking about sex that way really cause every time i hear feminists talk about sex it seems to be this thing of pain and domination i dont get a lot of happy feelings from feminists when theyre talking about sex


what would it mean to have a national drink in may the brewing company anheuser busch announced that it would temporarily rename its best known product from the summer until election day in november budweiser beer will instead be called america and the new name will be splashed across its red white and blue labels and cans as part of its america is in your hands campaign to my ears the language sounds ambiguous at best and at worst downright ominous or opportunistic or cynical or something else i dont particularly want in my beer glass but the rebranding of bud did compel me to think about this notion of an american beverage and to pull down from my bookshelf the delightful and often delightfully overwrought 1953 compendium the american drink book by ss field
its an entertaining eccentric engagingly written account of american drinking preferences and customs since the colonial era but much is embellished although it is a work of nonfiction field was not the sort of writer who let the facts stand in the way of a good story it contains significant measures of whimsy and wonder   qualities that might normally conspire to put me off drink altogether   yet i find fields book irresistible we do not learn from the author how the god fearing puritans came to be besotted with demon drink but we are told it was in the tavern over flip toddy bounce and sling   over shrub sour julep and punch all venerable drinks that americans came to grips with the moral issues of witch burning religious persecution the dignity of the individual freedom of speech civil liberties political independence and human slavery
this all may sound pretty grand and also pretty speculative but theres no denying the importance of the tavern in early america by law ordinaries   the precursors to taverns   had been widely established in new england after 1634 usually sited in the center of each settlement alongside the meetinghouse and the stocks writes iain gately in drink a cultural history of alcohol and taverns and rum went together rum was one of the few civilized benefits of the new world field writes and its temple was the tavern
to say that rum was one of the few civilized benefits of the new world is to sugarcoat its entanglement with the slave trade which field mentions quickly then drops but it is always worth considering how our food arrives on our plates and our drinks in our glasses even if it creates discomfort it should in his poem pity for poor africans the 18th century english poet william cowper tartly illustrated the hypocrisy of many of his peers who claimed to abhor the slave trade but couldnt do without the rum produced by its horrors i own i am shockd at the purchase of slavesand fear those who buy them and sell them are knaveswhat i hear of their hardships their tortures and groansis almost enough to draw pity from stonesi pity them greatly but i must be mumfor how could we do without sugar and rum
sugar gets taken for granted but it is very much a part of who we are in the americas and its presence explains why some of us are here at all the culinary historian jessica b harris writes pointedly in her book rum drinks
among rums first uses in a mixed drink is the flip in which it was combined with egg and sugar if you dont think this cousin of eggnog sounds refreshing on a summer day i assure you that it is the flip field says unquestionably has had the greatest per capita consumption and spiritual influence of any mixed drink ever made  about which was once written in a faded 18th century hand it is both food and drink   and if you have enough it is also lodging for the night  ive tried to tease out exactly what the unnamed 18th century source meant by that   whether it was an allusion to the sleeping quarters that were offered by taverns a tribute to its warming qualities or just a hint that too many flips are likely to make you very very sleepy
although field surveys the major historic drink categories   flips juleps punches shrubs and such   the american drink book isnt limited to the long ago past nor is rum the only spirit subjected to his scrutiny he turns his attention to whiskey and to the drink most americans love best beer in 1953 field claims per capita consumption stood at 169 gallons per year today it is closer to 27 gallons and the united states has more breweries than any other country
theres a fascinating list of the 100 greatest american drinks too it includes obvious candidates like the manhattan the martini the old fashioned and the sazerac but there are also surprises like the between the sheets   lemon juice rum brandy and cointreau   which field reports when properly shaken makes a ha cha sound that goes well with the rhythm section in charleston music theres the blinker whiskey grapefruit juice and grenadine obscure even in fields day if you call for this one by name and the bartender doesnt blink bow respectfully to that gentleman he is of the old school and the mary pickford named for the actress known in the 1920s as americas sweetheart never mind that she was canadian by birth   pineapple juice a tiny amount of grenadine and rum
can a book about our national drinking customs deliver a sense of clarity about being american during a political moment that feels especially fraught divisive and anxious of course not there is a reasonable and disappointing certainty that these pages on the subject of drinking will bring about something less than the absolute eradication of human ridiculousness and the resulting transformation of the world overnight into a completely delightful place field concedes but the buoyant hopeful enthusiasm of his prose   and the drinks he serves with it   are pleasures in themselves and his list of the great american cocktails may come in handy during the months leading up to the election well surely be needing a few good stiff drinks
recipes rum flip  rum sour


for years rue jean pierre timbaud in the 11th arrondissement named for a steelworker unionist and resistance fighter was known for its dualities   on one end a rowdy bar scene that attracted college students and young expats and on the other a sleepy home for hardware stores and takeout places lately creative galleries restaurants and independent boutiques many of which have been opened by neighborhood residents are tucked among design studios dining institutions like astier and the performance art center la maison des metallos transforming the street into a vibrant hash of cultural and culinary destinations
this two year old spot which takes its name from the distance in miles between paris and tokyo by plane is the neighborhoods first izakaya an informal japanese bar with food and its making a determined bid for the streets smallest restaurant seating only 14 diners are within poking distance of the chef haruka casters matchbook size open kitchen and can watch as she prepares a simple but skillful menu of small plates that might include seasonal veloute onigiri with salmon and trout eggs and fresh salads dressed in sesame vinaigrette reservations recommended
82 rue jean pierre timbaud 33 1 73 71 38 12 resto6036com
the designer chantal manoukians career has taken her from isabel marant to kookai but shes in her creative element at the neo vintage jewelry boutique and showroom she opened at the end of 2014 named after the josephine baker song la petite tonkinoise her collection features repurposed one of a kind pieces handmade from antique and recycled watch bracelets beads brooches and various curiosities discovered at flea markets
80 rue jean pierre timbaud 33 688 48 14 30 latonkinoiseapariscom
since the end of 2011 this intimate multibrand boutique has specialized in childrens wear accessories and a short array of home products with a focus on small french labels like blune and craie but recently sophie ternard the owner began to incorporate her namesake brand of clothing for mother and daughter sourcing fabrics with vibrant prints prices from about 25 euros
50 rue jean pierre timbaud 33 9 53 59 96 42 yumestorecom
once a spacious pharmacy this art gallery which opened in 2014 features limited edition silk screen prints illustrations and other graphic arts from french and foreign artists and regularly hosts private viewings a cozy cafe nook is in the back of the space encouraging visitors to slow down and savor the art on the walls and perhaps a slice of artisanal cake while sitting around a large communal table
5 rue jean pierre timbaud 33 1 43 55 44 68 slowgaleriecom
for four years rose chalalai singhs thai canteen was the darling of the north marais and a popular spot for the citys fashion industry set her operation outgrew the tiny kitchen space as she received frequent requests to cater events since last june her just like grandmas cooking has attracted a wider fan base in a roomier home that seats 70 less than 10 minutes from the previous location
4 rue jean pierre timbaud 33 1 83 56 55 00 yalamaicom


jerod coker had been to new york three times in his life most recently for job interviews his fiancee emily scheele had never been to new york
so when the couple began hunting for an apartment online from the denver suburbs where they were temporarily staying with ms scheeles parents they had no idea what they were in for weve always ever rented apartments in a college town mr coker said we knew the pricing was going to be insane and we naively thought our budget would be 2000 or 2500 max
that monthly amount was fairly arbitrary he said it wasnt based on market intelligence the going rent for a room in norman okla where they had both gone to the university of oklahoma had been around 350 a month and the idea of paying six times the rent was brutal he said
the couple had met at the university when mr coker now 25 was a senior and ms scheele 22 a freshman now after two years of graduate school in england mr coker had taken a job as a management consultant based in midtown manhattan
on streeteasy they saw reasonable looking one bedrooms for rent in their price range though they didnt initially realize how far those were from midtown they googled phrases like top places for young professionals to live in new york and found no overlap
it would have driven us insane to not draw some boundaries even if arbitrary mr coker said they already knew manhattan was too expensive preferring a high rise they narrowed their territory to long island city and brooklyn
ms scheele who now works in manhattan at organize which encourages organ donation wanted a location where frequent activities like shopping and gym visits didnt require a lot of travel time
arriving at the start of the year with seven suitcases they stayed with a cousin of mr cokers in new jersey about two hours from new york
they began their hunt in long island city they visited several rental buildings along the waterfront unpleasantly surprised to find one bedrooms cost more than 3000 a month and mr coker said they thought we should do the brooklyn brownstone prewar history thing and look at a walk up
so they saw a one bedroom for 2400 a month in a renovated building circa 1928 on eastern parkway in crown heights it was nice enough inside
but then ms scheele said the roof of my mouth started itching
a lot of old buildings are rife with mold and fungus she said i am very sensitive to mold in the walls
they moved on to the instrata opened about 2010 on traffic laden fourth avenue on the edge of park slope and gowanus an alcove studio was going for 2500 a month but with a queen bed in place in the alcove they feared the closet wouldnt open all the way
there was a common area but there were quite a few children which is fine ms scheele said but it was not really a relaxing reading room
they headed for the new construction in and around downtown brooklyn and connected with zuriel haskins a salesman at area new york whom they had found via nakedapartmentscom
until we talked to zuriel we hadnt factored in the train thing mr coker said we made a spreadsheet   because im a consultant and thats what i do   of places we thought we would want to go to fairly regularly and brooklyn was always accessible because of so many trains
mr haskins told them a studio would cost in the high 2000 range one bedrooms would be more
they liked the giovanni a 15 story rental building on fleet place in fort greene opened last fall that one was slightly farther from the train than the 48 story city tower an even newer rental building at city point a large development in downtown brooklyn rentals there start on the 20th floor with retail space downstairs they liked it too
at that point minor stuff breaks the tie mr coker said city tower offered a walk in closet and immediate availability
mr haskins urged them to take a one bedroom over a studio i said you might want to be in different rooms once in a while ive never seen a couple not have an argument
they chose a one bedroom with a 19 month lease which included one month free the lease will expire about the time ms scheele plans to start medical school she is now applying
their rent is 3150 a month   nine times their oklahoma benchmark we have been told by so many people we are not paying so much but it is hard to believe mr coker said
they moved in exactly one week after they started the hunt among the first renters to arrive and furnished the place out of ikea with an assist from target
they were excited when neighbors started appearing now we see puppies in the elevator and that makes my entire day ms scheele said she can take the f train to work but i choose to take the q because it goes over the bridge and i love the view she said
the biggest downside is the combination microwave convection oven her new cookie sheet didnt fit a frozen pizza heats unevenly ive heard that frozen pizzas are not standard in new york and people just order a pizza ms scheele said we would cook a lot if it werent for the oven we eat out more than we would like
the building is still not finished the stores beneath not yet open will include target trader joes and century 21 target is hiring ms scheele said i am very much looking forward to riding the elevator down to the grocery store and back up instead of carrying my groceries on the subway and on the street


these are grim times for cheap thrills i knew this way before i sat down for a third helping of brian de palmas dressed to kill but there was something freshly moving about listening to the poor sexually exasperated kate miller angie dickinson talk to her shrink michael caine about faking another marital orgasm shes tired of wham bang specials from her husband she wants passion the longer she goes on the more i thought hear hear
the capes remakes and movies engineered for late year acclaim stop playing footsie and make love to me
more please of the bloody film ecstasies of mr de palma the relentless american director to whom the metrograph on manhattans lower east side has devoted the month to cinematic french kissing   courtesy of a retrospective living elsewhere should deter no one from drumming up private de palma marathons or finding de palma the new career documentary that noah baumbach and jake paltrow have made
if you miss homicidal mania gonzo sexual desire cruelty lugubriously avenged camerawork and editing that never sleep or arriving at the closing credits and exclaiming again what the hell was that or sometimes both then you can certainly salute mr de palma at home
his body of work is large and varied hes given us carnal disturbances phantom of the paradise adolescent hormone horror carrie and the fury personal dramedy assorted paranoia thrillers a couple of moralist combat dramas and more crime world escapades than youd think starting with scarface and peaking with the untouchables
were talking about an auteur but a completely heterogeneous one whose thematic promiscuity ranges from counterculture era black comedies greetings and hi mom to rotten eggs like mission to mars 2000 and the notorious picked over 1990 turkey the bonfire of the vanities this is also the director who in 1996 launched the mission impossible series mr de palma promises nothing well he never seems to run out of music his movies do promise too much of that he cant even guarantee quality after almost 26 years i thought going back to bonfire would help recast it as a timely or timeless race farce nope its badness is forever
and yet heres the thing about mr de palma he never stops   never stops trying to pull the rug out from under us never stops trying to twist our arm never stops believing that nonsense can be an aphrodisiac too
i mean who has better understood the elastic power of slow motion its the sort of only in the movies effect that no ones actually experienced but that everybodys felt its the speed of dreams and nightmares   rem sleep at minimal mph with mr de palma though the dreams favor the dewy and the nightmares run red death ecstasy and humiliation can all happen at well under 24 frames per second all the better for the movies to show us what we see when our eyes are shut
thats whats wrong with that adaptation of tom wolfes the bonfire of the vanities by mr de palmas standards its bloodless in every way even real time feels too slow
in his prime which was the paranoid nixon 70s the excessive reagan 80s and just a touch beyond mr de palma made thrillers that thrilled and cheap was fine were cheap just dont treat us that way de palma didnt he winked and ribbed and elbowed but he also knew how to freak you out and turn you on theres a spot for perversity and transgression that certain moviegoers have and mr de palma knew how to hit it you could count on him to put a frame around desire and fear
in dressed to kill 1980 toward the end of her session with mr caines dr elliott kate comes on to him he declines and a scene later she is sitting alone at the met too distracted to engage with the art she scribbles in her datebook stuff like nuts eggnog and pick up turkey then a man in sunglasses sits beside her and starts sucking on a golden pen the next shot shows her with one leg wrapped around the other
he gets up and she chases after him from gallery to gallery an alex katz a frank stella rauschenberg and johns all afterthoughts as they go the score rises and falls   panting basically then he stops and cruises her and she walks past exhilarated but ultimately too embarrassed to respond when he comes up behind her and places a gloved hand on her shoulder she runs off and looks at a museum map for sexual orientation more than anything else
then she realizes that the glove was hers and she starts scanning these rooms full of art for the work of trashy masculinity whos getting away but when she exits there he is in a cab wagging that glove she goes to thank him he pulls her in and starts going to town on her right there in the back seat the turkeys picked her up
it is such obvious surface but the surface goes on for miles as a formalist mr de palma repeatedly cast his lot with the films of alfred hitchcock   in blow out body double and raising cain too the museum sequence is like an exhibitionist vertigo whipping open its trench coat and flashing its great big judith krantz
mr de palmas baldness can still be brow furrowing the wonderful ms dickinsons function here is the same as janet leighs in psycho cautionary indeed hitchcocks female trouble is also mr de palmas   judgment sexual confinement hes just not as icy indeed dressed to kill features the sort of queer killer who slays out of sexual confusion or jealousy that cropped up that year also in 1980 nypd detective al pacino went gay in cruising to stop murders in s and m communities and reached a mass media boiling point 12 years later with basic instinct if youre not straight these movies end punitively for you
but theres a kind of touching ignorance at work in dressed to kill when the movie wants us to understand transgenderism it splits the screen and on both sides plays an actual talk show featuring nancy hunt who explains her life to a live studio audience dr elliott isnt on the show hes watching at home studying it thats this movie phil donahue is its freud
mr de palma is stranger with black people in his movies theres the fascinating experimental theater sequence in hi mom in which a bunch of black actors in whiteface put white audience members in blackface so they can sample the black experience and sisters is built around an interracial relationship but until bonfire those scenes appear to have obviated a reason for black people in his films to do much more than deliver exposition and jive
but with sex no one in america is doing this kind of cheap thrill stuff anymore the accusations of misogyny against mr de palma were always complicated sexuality constitutes a survival skill and power play for some of these characters the women in a block of his films are more than victims and carnality is both weapon and currency in body double 1984 melanie griffith plays a porn actress named holly body some of the appeal in casting her had to have been that her mother was tippi hedren the popsicle at the center of hitchcocks the birds and marnie
mr de palma who wrote the movie with robert j avrech gives ms griffith a monologue about her rules for kink that is pretty much unprintable but i typed it out just to feel the tingle of ms griffiths confident obscenity
mr de palma used to conjure that vicarious kick of attraction   but also the viciousness and risk in it that the danger for women came at the hands of men if anything his true thematic pursuits were privacy and invasions of it the opening scene of sisters 1973 is from a television show he cooked up called peeping tom but ways of seeing are also crucial to casualties of war 1989 and redacted 2007
the erotics of looking gave his sex movies both some of their sensation and their paradoxical moral tinge that which feels right but is wrong there you have the engine for an entire generation of delicious de palma cousins and knockoffs the erotic thriller movies where plot and sensation went at it until some kind of soft porno orgasmic ridiculousness was achieved these films thrived for two decades jagged edge body of evidence color of night incongruously amid the fear of aids and newer sexual freedoms
they treated lust as sin but also as inevitable in dressed to kill kate succumbs to both and paying attention to mr de palmas mastery of them doesnt constitute nostalgia so much as a call to arms there hasnt been his kind of casual sex in movies for almost a decade kates moaning in the back of that cab leads only to bad news but who cares things are so chaste now that ill even have what shes having


in the spring of 2014 when our daughter najya was turning 4 my husband and i found ourselves facing our toughest decision since becoming parents we live in bedford stuyvesant a low income heavily black rapidly gentrifying neighborhood of brownstones in central brooklyn the nearby public schools are named after people intended to evoke black uplift like marcus garvey a prominent black nationalist in the 1920s and carter g woodson the father of black history month but the schools are a disturbing reflection of new york citys stark racial and socioeconomic divisions in one of the most diverse cities in the world the children who attend these schools learn in classrooms where all of their classmates   and i mean in most cases every single one   are black and latino and nearly every student is poor not surprisingly the test scores of most of bed stuys schools reflect the marginalization of their students
i didnt know any of our middle class neighbors black or white who sent their children to one of these schools they had managed to secure seats in the more diverse and economically advantaged magnet schools or gifted and talented programs outside our area or opted to pay hefty tuition to progressive but largely white private institutions i knew this because from the moment we arrived in new york with our 1 year old we had many conversations about where we would should and definitely should not send our daughter to school when the time came
my husband faraji and i wanted to send our daughter to public school faraji the oldest child in a military family went to public schools that served army bases both in america and abroad as a result he had a highly unusual experience for a black american child he never attended a segregated public school a day of his life he can now walk into any room and instantly start a conversation with the people there whether they are young mothers gathered at a housing project tenants meeting or executives eating from small plates at a ritzy cocktail reception
i grew up in waterloo iowa on the wrong side of the river that divided white from black opportunity from struggle and started my education in a low income school that my mother says was distressingly chaotic i dont recall it being bad but i do remember just one white child in my first grade class though there may have been more that summer my mom and dad enrolled my older sister and me in the school districts voluntary desegregation program which allowed some black kids to leave their neighborhood schools for whiter more well off ones on the west side of town this was 1982 nearly three decades after the supreme court ruled in brown v board of education that separate schools for black and white children were unconstitutional and near the height of desegregation in this country my parents chose one of the whitest richest schools thinking it would provide the best opportunities for us starting in second grade i rode the bus an hour each morning across town to the best public school my town had to offer kingsley elementary where i was among the tiny number of working class children and the even tinier number of black children we did not walk to school or get dropped off by our parents on their way to work we showed up in a yellow bus visitors in someone elses neighborhood and were whisked back across the bridge each day as soon as the bell rang
i remember those years as emotionally and socially fraught but also as academically stimulating and world expanding aside from the rigorous classes and quality instruction i received this was the first time id shared dinners in the homes of kids whose parents were doctors and lawyers and scientists my mom was a probation officer and my dad drove a bus and most of my family members on both sides worked in factories or meatpacking plants or did other manual labor i understood even then in a way both intuitive and defensive that my school friends parents werent better than my neighborhood friends parents who worked hard every day at hourly jobs but this exposure helped me imagine possibilities a course for myself that i had not considered before
its hard to say where any one person would have ended up if a single circumstance were different our life trajectories are shaped by so many external and internal factors but i have no doubt my parents decision to pull me out of my segregated neighborhood school made the possibility of my getting from there to here   staff writer for the new york times magazine   more likely
integration was transformative for my husband and me yet the idea of placing our daughter in one of the small number of integrated schools troubled me these schools are disproportionately white and serve the middle and upper middle classes with a smattering of poor black and latino students to create diversity
in a city where white children are only 15 percent of the more than one million public school students half of them are clustered in just 11 percent of the schools which not coincidentally include many of the citys top performers part of what makes those schools desirable to white parents aside from the academics is that they have some students of color but not too many this carefully curated integration the kind that allows many white parents to boast that their childrens public schools look like the united nations comes at a steep cost for the rest of the citys black and latino children
the new york city public school system is 41 percent latino 27 percent black and 16 percent asian three quarters of all students are low income in 2014 the civil rights project at the university of california los angeles released a report showing that new york city public schools are among the most segregated in the country black and latino children here have become increasingly isolated with 85 percent of black students and 75 percent of latino students attending intensely segregated schools   schools that are less than 10 percent white
this is not just new yorks problem ive spent much of my career as a reporter chronicling rampant school segregation in every region of the country and the ways that segregated schools harm black and latino children one study published in 2009 in the journal of policy analysis and management showed that the academic achievement gap for black children increased as they spent time in segregated schools schools with large numbers of black and latino kids are less likely to have experienced teachers advanced courses instructional materials and adequate facilities according to the united states department of educations office for civil rights most black and latino students today are segregated by both race and class a combination that wreaks havoc on the learning environment research stretching back 50 years shows that the socioeconomic makeup of a school can play a larger role in achievement than the poverty of an individual students family getting najya into one of the disproportionately white schools in the city felt like accepting the inevitability of this two tiered system one set of schools with excellent resources for white kids and some black and latino middle class kids a second set of underresourced schools for the rest of the citys black and latino kids
when the new york city public schools catalog arrived in the mail one day that spring with information about mayor bill de blasios new universal prekindergarten program i told faraji that i wanted to enroll najya in a segregated low income school farajis eyes widened as i explained that if we removed najya whose name we chose because it means liberated and free in swahili from the experience of most black and latino children we would be part of the problem saying my child deserved access to good public schools felt like implying that children in bad schools deserved the schools they got too i understood that so much of school segregation is structural   a result of decades of housing discrimination of political calculations and the machinations of policy makers of simple inertia but i also believed that it is the choices of individual parents that uphold the system and i was determined not to do what id seen so many others do when their values about integration collided with the reality of where to send their own children to school
one family or even a few families cannot transform a segregated school but if none of us were willing to go into them nothing would change putting our child into a segregated school would not integrate it racially but we are middle class and would at least help to integrate it economically as a reporter id witnessed how the presence of even a handful of middle class families made it less likely that a school would be neglected i also knew that we would be able to make up for najya anything the school was lacking
as i told faraji my plan he slowly shook his head no he wanted to look into parochial schools or one of the good public schools or even private schools so we argued pleading our cases from the living room up the steps to our office lined with books on slavery and civil rights and back down before we came to an impasse and retreated to our respective corners there is nothing harder than navigating our nations racial legacy in this country and the problem was that we each knew the other was right and wrong at the same time faraji couldnt believe that i was asking him to expose our child to the type of education that the two of us had managed to avoid he worried that we would be hurting najya if we put her in a high poverty all black school are we experimenting with our child based on our idealism about public schools he asked are we putting her at a disadvantage
at the heart of farajis concern was a fear that grips black families like ours we each came from working class roots fought our way into the middle class and had no family wealth or safety net to fall back on faraji believed that our gains were too tenuous to risk putting our child in anything but a top notch school and he was right to be worried in 2014 the brookings institution found that black children are particularly vulnerable to downward mobility   nearly seven of 10 black children born into middle income families dont maintain that income level as adults there was no margin for error and we had to use our relative status to fight to give najya every advantage hadnt we worked hard he asked frustration building in his voice precisely so that she would not have to go to the types of schools that trapped so many black children
eventually i persuaded him to visit a few schools with me before work we peered into the classrooms of three neighborhood schools and a fourth public school 307 located in the vinegar hill section of brooklyn near the east river waterfront and a few miles from our home ps 307s attendance zone was drawn snugly around five of the 10 buildings that make up the farragut houses a public housing project with 3200 residents across from the brooklyn navy yard the schools population was 91 percent black and latino nine of 10 students met federal poverty standards but what went on inside the school was unlike what goes on in most schools serving the citys poorest children this was in large part because of the efforts of a remarkable principal roberta davenport she grew up in farragut and her younger siblings attended ps 307 she became principal five decades later in 2003 to a low performing school davenport commuted from connecticut but her car was usually the first one in the parking lot each morning often because she worked so late into the night that exhausted she would sleep at a friends nearby instead of making the long drive home soft of voice but steely in character she rejected the spare educational orthodoxy often reserved for poor black and brown children that strips away everything that makes school joyous in order to focus solely on improving test scores these children from the projects learned mandarin took violin lessons and played chess thanks to her hard work the school had recently received money from a federal magnet grant which funded a science engineering and technology program aimed at drawing middle class children from outside its attendance zone
faraji and i walked the bright halls of ps 307 taking in the reptiles in the science room and the students learning piano during music class the walls were papered with the precocious musings of elementary children while touring the schools faraji later told me he started feeling guilty about his instinct to keep najya out of them were these children he asked himself worthy of any less than his own child these are kids who look like you he told me kids like the ones you grew up with i was being very selfish about it thinking i am going to get mine for my child and thats it and i am ashamed of that
when it was time to submit our school choices to the city we put down all four of the schools we visited in may 2014 we learned najya had gotten into our first choice ps 307 we were excited but also nervous id be lying if i said i didnt feel pulled in the way other parents with options feel pulled i had moments when i couldnt ignore the nagging fear that in my quest for fairness i was being unfair to my own daughter i worried   i worry still   about whether i made the right decision for our little girl but i knew i made the just one
for many white americans millions of black and latino children attending segregated schools may seem like a throwback to another era a problem we solved long ago and legally we did in 1954 the supreme court issued its landmark brown v board of education ruling striking down laws that forced black and white children to attend separate schools but while brown v board targeted segregation by state law we have proved largely unwilling to address segregation that is maintained by other means resulting from the nations long and racist history
in the supreme courts decision the justices responded unanimously to a group of five cases including that of linda brown a black 8 year old who was not allowed to go to her white neighborhood school in topeka kan but was made to ride a bus to a black school much farther away the court determined that separate schools even if they had similar resources were inherently   by their nature   unequal causing profound damage to the children who attended them and hobbling their ability to live as full citizens of their country the courts decision hinged on sociological research including a key study by the psychologists kenneth clark and mamie phipps clark a husband and wife team who gave black children in segregated schools in the north and the south black and white dolls and asked questions about how they perceived them most students described the white dolls as good and smart and the black dolls as bad and stupid the clarks also found that segregation hurt white childrens development chief justice earl warren felt so passionate about the issue that he read the courts opinion aloud does segregation of children in public schools solely on the basis of race even though the physical facilities and other tangible factors may be equal deprive the children of the minority group of equal educational opportunities we believe that it does the ruling made clear that because this nation was founded on a racial caste system black children would never become equals as long as they were separated from white children
in new york city home to the largest black population in the country the decision was celebrated by many liberals as the final strike against school segregation in the backward south but kenneth clark the first black person to earn a doctorate in psychology at columbia university and to hold a permanent professorship at city college of new york was quick to dismiss northern righteousness on race matters at a meeting of the urban league around the time of the decision he charged that though new york had no law requiring segregation it intentionally separated its students by assigning them to schools based on their race or building schools deep in segregated neighborhoods in many cases clark said black children were attending schools that were worse than those attended by their black counterparts in the south
clarks words shamed proudly progressive white new yorkers and embarrassed those overseeing the nations largest school system the new york city board of education released a forceful statement promising to integrate its schools segregated racially homogeneous schools damage the personality of minority group children these schools decrease their motivation and thus impair their ability to learn white children are also damaged public education in a racially homogeneous setting is socially unrealistic and blocks the attainment of the goals of democratic education whether this segregation occurs by law or by fact the head of the board of education undertook an investigation in 1955 that confirmed the widespread separation of black and puerto rican children in dilapidated buildings with the least experienced and least qualified teachers their schools were so overcrowded that some black children went to school for only part of the day to give others a turn
the board of education appointed a commission to develop a citywide integration plan but when school officials took some token steps they faced a wave of white opposition it was most intense in the white neighborhoods closest to african american neighborhoods because they were the ones most likely to be affected by desegregation plans says thomas sugrue a historian at new york university and the author of sweet land of liberty the forgotten struggle for civil rights in the north by the mid 60s there were few signs of integration in new yorks schools in fact the number of segregated junior high schools in the city had quadrupled by 1964 that february civil rights leaders called for a major one day boycott of the new york city schools some 460000 black and puerto rican students stayed home to protest their segregation it was the largest demonstration for civil rights in the nations history but the boycott upset many white liberals who thought it was too aggressive and as thousands of white families fled to the suburbs the integration campaign collapsed
even as new york city was ending its only significant effort to desegregate the supreme court was expanding the brown ruling beginning in the mid 60s the court handed down a series of decisions that determined that not only did brown v board allow the use of race to remedy the effects of long segregated schools it also required it assigning black students to white schools and vice versa was necessary to destroy a system built on racism   even if white families didnt like it all things being equal with no history of discrimination it might well be desirable to assign pupils to schools nearest their homes the court wrote in its 1971 ruling in swann v charlotte mecklenburg board of education which upheld busing to desegregate schools in charlotte nc but all things are not equal in a system that has been deliberately constructed and maintained to enforce racial segregation the remedy for such segregation may be administratively awkward inconvenient and even bizarre in some situations and may impose burdens on some but all awkwardness and inconvenience cannot be avoided
in what would be an extremely rare and fleeting moment in american history all three branches of the federal government aligned on the issue congress passed the 1964 civil rights act pushed by president lyndon b johnson which prohibited segregated lunch counters buses and parks and allowed the department of justice for the first time to sue school districts to force integration it also gave the government the power to withhold federal funds if the districts did not comply by 1973 91 percent of black children in the former confederate and border states attended school with white children
but while northern congressmen embraced efforts to force integration in the south some balked at efforts to desegregate their own schools they tucked a passage into the 1964 civil rights act aiming to limit school desegregation in the north by prohibiting school systems from assigning students to schools in order to integrate them unless ordered to do so by a court because northern officials often practiced segregation without the cover of law it was far less likely that judges would find them in violation of the constitution
not long after the nation began its retreat from integration richard nixon was elected president in 1968 with the help of a coalition of white voters who opposed integration in housing and schools he appointed four conservative justices to the supreme court and set the stage for a profound legal shift since 1974 when the milliken v bradley decision struck down a lower courts order for a metro area wide desegregation program between nearly all black detroit city schools and the white suburbs surrounding the city a series of major supreme court rulings on school desegregation have limited the reach of brown
when ronald reagan became president in 1981 he promoted the notion that using race to integrate schools was just as bad as using race to segregate them he urged the nation to focus on improving segregated schools by holding them to strict standards a tacit return to the separate but equal doctrine that was roundly rejected in brown his administration emphasized that busing and other desegregation programs discriminated against white students reagan eliminated federal dollars earmarked to help desegregation and pushed to end hundreds of school desegregation court orders
yet this was the very period when the benefits of integration were becoming most apparent by 1988 a year after faraji and i entered middle school school integration in the united states had reached its peak and the achievement gap between black and white students was at its lowest point since the government began collecting data the difference in black and white reading scores fell to half what it was in 1971 according to data from the national center for education statistics as schools have since resegregated the test score gap has only grown the improvements for black children did not come at the cost of white children as black test scores rose so did white ones
decades of studies have affirmed integrations power a 2010 study released by the century foundation found that when children in public housing in montgomery county md enrolled in middle class schools the differences between their scores and those of their wealthier classmates decreased by half in math and a third in reading and they pulled significantly ahead of their counterparts in poor schools in fact integration changes the entire trajectory of black students lives a 2015 longitudinal study by the economist rucker johnson at the university of california berkeley followed black adults who had attended desegregated schools and showed that these adults when compared with their counterparts or even their own siblings in segregated schools were less likely to be poor suffer health problems and go to jail and more likely to go to college and reside in integrated neighborhoods they even lived longer critically these benefits were passed on to their children while the children of adults who went to segregated schools were more likely to perform poorly in school or drop out
but integration as a constitutional mandate as justice for black and latino children as a moral righting of past wrongs is no longer our countrys stated goal the supreme court has effectively sided with reagan requiring strict legal colorblindness even if it leaves segregation intact and even striking down desegregation programs that ensured integration for thousands of black students if a single white child did not get into her school of choice the most recent example was a 2007 case that came to be known as parents involved white parents in seattle and jefferson county kentucky challenged voluntary integration programs claiming the districts discriminated against white children by considering race as a factor in apportioning students among schools in order to keep them racially balanced five conservative justices struck down these integration plans in 1968 the court ruled in green v county school board of new kent county that we should no longer look across a city and see a  white school and a negro school but just schools in 2007 chief justice john roberts jr wrote before brown schoolchildren were told where they could and could not go to school based on the color of their skin the school districts in these cases have not carried the heavy burden of demonstrating that we should allow this once again   even for very different reasons  the way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race
legally and culturally weve come to accept segregation once again today across the country black children are more segregated than they have been at any point in nearly half a century except for a few remaining court ordered desegregation programs intentional integration almost never occurs unless its in the interests of white students this is even the case in new york city under the stewardship of mayor de blasio who campaigned by highlighting the citys racial and economic inequality de blasio and his schools chancellor carmen farina have acknowledged that they dont believe their job is to force school integration i want to see diversity in schools organically farina said at a town hall meeting in lower manhattan in february i dont want to see mandates the shift in language that trades the word integration for diversity is critical here in this city as in many diversity functions as a boutique offering for the children of the privileged but does little to ensure quality education for poor black and latino children
the moral vision behind brown v board of education is dead ritchie torres a city councilman who represents the bronx and has been pushing the city to address school segregation told me integration he says is seen as something that would be nice to have but not something we need to create a more equitable society at the same time we have an intensely segregated school system that is denying a generation of kids of color a fighting chance at a decent life
najya of course had no idea about any of this she just knew she loved ps 307 waking up each morning excited to head to her pre k class where her two best friends were a little black girl named imani from farragut and a little white boy named sam one of a handful of white pre k students at the school with whom we car pooled from our neighborhood four excellent teachers all of them of color guided najya and her classmates with a professionalism and affection that belied the schools dismal test scores faraji and i threw ourselves into the school joining the parent teacher association and the schools leadership team attending assemblies and chaperoning field trips we found ourselves relieved at how well things were going internally i started to exhale
but in the spring of 2015 as najyas first year was nearing its end we read in the news that another elementary school ps 8 less than a mile from ps 307 in affluent brooklyn heights was plagued by overcrowding some students zoned for that school might be rerouted to ours this made geographic sense ps 8s zone was expansive stretching across brooklyn heights under the manhattan bridge to the dumbo neighborhood and vinegar hill the neighborhood around ps 307 ps 8s lines were drawn when most of the development there consisted of factories and warehouses but gentrification overtook dumbo which hugs the east river and provides breathtaking views of the skyline and a quick commute to manhattan the largely upper middle class and white and asian children living directly across the street from ps 307 were zoned to the heavily white ps 8
to accommodate the surging population ps 8 had turned its drama and dance rooms into general classrooms and cut its pre k but it still had to place up to 28 kids in each class meanwhile ps 307 sat at the center of the neighborhood population boom half empty its attendance zone included only the farragut houses and was one of the tiniest in the city because farragut residents were aging with dwindling numbers of school age children ps 307 was underenrolled
in early spring 2015 the citys department of education sent out notices telling 50 families that had applied to kindergarten at ps 8 that their children would be placed on the waiting list and instead guaranteed admission to ps 307 distraught parents dashed off letters to school administrators and to their elected officials they pleaded their case to the press we bought a home here and one of the main reasons was because it was known that kindergarten admissions at ps 8 were pretty much guaranteed one parent told the new york post adding that he wouldnt send his child to ps 307 another parent whose twins had secured coveted spots made the objections to ps 307 more plain i would be concerned about safety he said i dont hear good things about that school
that may as i sat at a meeting that ps 8 parents arranged with school officials i was struck by the sheer power these parents had drawn into that auditorium this meeting about the overcrowding at ps 8 which involved 50 children in a system of more than one million had summoned a state senator a state assemblywoman a city council member the city comptroller and the staff members of several other elected officials it had rarely been clearer to me how segregation and integration at their core are about power and who gets access to it as the rev dr martin luther king jr wrote in 1967 i cannot see how the negro will totally be liberated from the crushing weight of poor education squalid housing and economic strangulation until he is integrated with power into every level of american life
as the politicians looked on two white fathers gave an impassioned powerpoint presentation in which they asked the department of education to place more children into already teeming classrooms rather than send kids zoned to ps 8 to ps 307 another speaker whose child had been wait listed choked up as he talked about having to break it to his kindergarten age son that he would not be able to go to school with the children with whom hed shared play dates and sunday dinners we havent told him yet that he didnt get into ps 8 the father said as eyes in the crowd grew misty we hope to never have to tell him
the meeting was emotional and at times angry with parents shouting out their anxieties about safety and low test scores at ps 307 but the concerns they voiced may have also masked something else while suburban parents who are mostly white say they are selecting schools based on test scores the racial makeup of a school actually plays a larger role in their school decisions according to a 2009 study published in the american journal of education amy stuart wells a professor of sociology and education at columbia universitys teachers college found the same thing when she studied how white parents choose schools in new york city in a post racial era we dont have to say its about race or the color of the kids in the building wells told me we can concentrate poverty and kids of color and then fail to provide the resources to support and sustain those schools and then we can see a school full of black kids and then say oh look at their test scores its all very tidy now this whole system
i left that meeting upset about how ps 307 had been characterized but i didnt give it much thought again until the end of summer when najya was about to start kindergarten i heard that the community education council was holding a meeting to discuss a potential rezoning of ps 8 and ps 307 the council an elected group that oversees 28 public schools in district 13 including ps 8 and ps 307 is responsible for approving zoning decisions school was still out for the summer and almost no ps 307 parents knew plans were underway that could affect them at the meeting two men from the school systems office of district planning projected a rezoning map onto a screen the plan would split the ps 8 zone roughly in half divided by the brooklyn bridge it would turn ps 8 into the exclusive neighborhood school for brooklyn heights and reroute dumbo and vinegar hill students to ps 307 a tall white man with brown hair that flopped over his forehead said he was from concord village a complex that should have fallen on the 307 side of the line he thanked the council for producing a plan that reflected his neighbors concerns by keeping his complex in the ps 8 zone it became clear that while parents in farragut dumbo and vinegar hill had not even known about the rezoning plan some residents had organized and lobbied to influence how the lines were drawn
the officials presented the rezoning plan which would affect incoming kindergartners as beneficial to everyone if the children in the part of the zone newly assigned to ps 307 enrolled at the school ps 8s overcrowding would be relieved at least temporarily and ps 307 the officials presentation showed would fill its empty seats with white children and give all the schools students that most elusive thing integration
it was hard not to be skeptical about the departments plan new york like many deeply segregated cities has a terrible track record of maintaining racial balance in formerly underenrolled segregated schools once white families come in schools like ps 321 in brooklyns park slope neighborhood and the academy of arts and letters in fort greene tend to go through a brief period of transitional integration in which significant numbers of white students enroll and then the numbers of latino and black students dwindle in fact thats exactly what happened at ps 8
a decade ago ps 8 was ps 307s mirror image predominantly filled with low income black and latino students from surrounding neighborhoods ps 8 with its low test scores and low enrollment languished amid a community of affluence because white parents in the neighborhood refused to send their children there a group of parents worked hard with school administrators to turn the school around writing grants to start programs for art and other enrichment activities then more white and asian parents started to enroll their children one of them was david goldsmith who later became president of the community education council tasked with considering the rezoning of ps 8 and ps 307 goldsmith is white and at the time lived in vinegar hill with his filipino wife and their daughter
as ps 8 improved more and more white families from brooklyn heights dumbo and vinegar hill enrolled their children and the classrooms in the lower grades became majority white the whitening of the school had unintended consequences some of the black and latino parents whose children had been in the school from the beginning felt as if they were being marginalized the white parents were able to raise large sums at fund raisers and could be dismissive of the much smaller fund raising efforts that had come before then goldsmith says the new parents started seeking to separate their children from their poorer classmates there were kids in the school that were really high risk kids kids who were homeless living in temporary shelters you know poverty can be really brutal goldsmith says the school was really committed to helping all children but we had white middle class parents saying i dont want my child in the same class with the kid who has emotional issues 
the parents who had helped build ps 8 black latino white and asian feared they were losing something important a truly diverse school that nurtured its neediest students where families held equal value no matter the size of their paychecks they asked for a plan to help the school maintain its black and latino population by setting aside a percentage of seats for low income children but they didnt get approval
ps 8s transformation to a school where only one in four students are black or latino and only 14 percent are low income began during the administration of mayor michael bloomberg known for its indifference toward efforts to integrate schools but integration advocates say that theyve also been deeply disappointed by the de blasio administrations stance on the issue in october 2014 after the release of the ucla study pointing to the extreme segregation in the citys schools and nearly a year after de blasio was elected councilmen ritchie torres and brad lander moved to force the administration to address segregation introducing what became the school diversity accountability act which would require the department of education to release school segregation figures and report what it was doing to alleviate the problem it was always right in front of our faces says lander a representative from brooklyn whose own children attend heavily white public schools then the ucla report hit and the segregation in the city became urgent
the same month that lander and torres introduced the bill farina the schools chancellor took questions at a town hall style meeting for area schools held at ps 307 a group of four women two white two black walked to the microphone to address farina they said that they were parents in heavily gentrified park slope and that farinas administration had been ignoring their calls to help their school retain its diminishing black and latino populations by implementing a policy to set aside seats for low income children farina a diminutive woman with a no nonsense attitude responded by acknowledging that there are no easy answers to the problem of segregation and warned that there were federal guidelines limiting what we can do around diversity what farina was referring to is unclear while the supreme courts 2007 ruling in parents involved tossed out integration plans that took into account the race of individual students the court has never taken issue with using students socioeconomic status for creating or preserving integration which is what these parents were seeking in addition the obama administration released guidelines in 2011 that explicitly outlined the ways school systems could legally use race to integrate schools those include drawing a schools attendance zone around black and white neighborhoods
at another town hall meeting in manhattan last october farina said you dont need to have diversity within one building instead she suggested that poor students in segregated schools could be pen pals and share resources with students in wealthier integrated public schools we adopt schools from china korea or wherever farina told the room of parents why not in our own neighborhoods integration advocates lambasted her for what they considered a callous portrayal of integration as nothing more than a cultural exchange farinas silly pen pal comment shows how desensitized weve become torres told me it could be that the political establishment is willfully blind to the impact of racial segregation and has led themselves to believe that we can close the achievement gap without desegregating our school system at worst its a lie at best its a delusion he continued the scandal is not that we are failing to achieve diversity the scandal is we are not even trying
farina would only talk to me for 15 minutes by phone she told me in may that her pen pal comments had been taken out of context if you hear any of my public speeches this has always been a priority of mine she said diversity of all types has always been a priority she went on to talk about the citys special programs for autistic students and about how japanese students have benefited from the expansion of dual language programs but asian american students are already the group most integrated with white students when pressed about integration specifically for black and latino students farina said the city has been working to support schools that are seeking more diversity and mentioned a socioeconomic integration pilot program at seven schools i do believe new york city is making strides it is a major focus going forward
on may 30 four days after our interview the department of education said in an article in the daily news that it was starting a voluntary systemwide diversity in admissions program and would be requesting proposals from principals in 2014 several principals said they had submitted integration proposals and had not gotten any response from farina
the announcement of the new initiative caught both principals and parents by surprise jill bloomberg principal at brooklyns park slope collegiate which teaches sixth through 12th grade says she learned about the initiative from the news article but otherwise had heard nothing about it even though the deadline to submit proposals is july 8 about a month away i am eager for some official notification for exactly what the program is she told me
david goldsmith who has been working on desegregation efforts as a member of the community education council says he found the initiative its timing and the short deadline for submitting proposals puzzling we could be very cynical and say they are not serious  he says
last june de blasio signed the school diversity accountability act into law but the law mandates only that the department of education report segregation numbers not that it do anything to integrate schools de blasio declined to be interviewed but when asked at a news conference in november why the city did not at least do what it could to redraw attendance lines he defended the property rights of affluent parents who buy into neighborhoods to secure entry into heavily white schools you have to also respect families who have made a decision to live in a certain area he said because families have made massive life decisions and investments because of which school their kid would go to the mayor suggested there was little he could do because school segregation simply was a reflection of new yorks stark housing segregation entrenched by decades of discriminatory local and federal policy this is the history of america he said
of course de blasio is right housing segregation and school segregation have always been entwined in america but the opportunity to buy into good neighborhoods with good schools that de blasio wants to protect has never been equally available to all
to best understand how so many poor black and latino children end up in neglected schools and why so many white families have the money to buy into neighborhoods with the best schools you need to look no further than the history of the farragut houses and ps 307 looking at ps 307 today you might find it hard to imagine that the school did not start out segregated the low slung brick elementary school which opened in 1964 and the farragut public housing projects right outside its front doors once stood as hopeful integrated islands in a city fractured by strict color lines in both its neighborhoods and its schools
the 10 farragut buildings spread across roughly 18 acres opened in 1952 as part of a scramble to house returning gis and their families after world war ii when the first tenants moved in the sprawling campus   named for david farragut an admiral of the united states navy   was considered a model of progressive working class housing with its open green spaces elevators modern heating plant laundry and community center
in 1952 a black woman named gladys mcbeth became one of farraguts earliest tenants nearly three generations later when i visited her in november she was living in the same 14th floor apartment where she paid about 1000 a month in rent back then she said farragut was a place for strivers i didnt know nothing about projects when i moved in she said it was veteran housing the project housed roughly even numbers of black and white tenants including migrants escaping hardship from poland puerto rico and italy and from the feudal american south to get in everyone had to show proof of marriage a husbands military discharge papers and pay stubs
robert mcbeth gladyss husband drove a truck while she stayed home raising their four children in the years before the brown decision the oldest of the mcbeth children went to a nearby school where the kids were predominantly black and latino because the new york city board of education bused white children in the area to other schools according to the naacp school officials at the time as today claimed the racial makeup of the schools was an inevitable result of residential segregation though farragut was not yet segregated most of the city was and that segregation in housing often resulted from legal and open discrimination that was encouraged and condoned by the state and at times required by the federal government
nowhere would that become more evident than in farragut which by the 1960s was careering toward the same fate overtaking nearly all public housing in big cities white residents used federal housing administration insured loans to buy their way out of the projects and to move to shiny new middle class subdivisions this subsidized home buying boom led to one of the broadest expansions of the american middle class ever almost exclusively to the benefit of white families the fhas explicitly racist underwriting standards which rated black and integrated neighborhoods as uninsurable made federally insured home loans largely unavailable to black home seekers ninety eight percent of these loans made between 1934 and 1968 went to white americans
housing discrimination was legal until 1968 even if black americans managed to secure home loans many homes were off limits either because they had provisions in their deeds prohibiting their sale to black buyers or because entire communities   including publicly subsidized middle class developments like levittown on long island and stuyvesant town in manhattan   barred black home buyers and tenants outright the mcbeths tried to buy a house but like so many of farraguts black tenants they were not able to they continued to rent while many of their white neighbors bought homes and built wealth scholars attribute a large part of the yawning wealth gap between black and white americans   the typical white person has 13 times the wealth of a typical black person   to discriminatory housing policies
but before farraguts white tenants left parents of all colors sent their children to ps 307 gladys mcbeth who died in may sent her youngest child across the street to ps 307 and worked there as a school aide for 23 years it was one of the best schools in the district she reminisced sitting in a worn paisley chair but by 1972 farragut was more than 80 percent black and to fill the vacant units and house the citys growing indigent population the city changed the guideline for income and work requirements turning the projects from largely working class to low income
at some point ps 307s attendance zone was redrawn to include only the farragut houses ensuring the students would be black latino and poor the new york city department of education does not keep attendance data before 2000 but as mcbeth remembered it by the late 80s ps 307 was also almost entirely black and latino mcbeth who sent all four of her children to college shook her head it all changed
ps 307 was a very different place from what it had been but najya was thriving i watched as she and her classmates went from struggling to sound out three letter words to reading entire books she would surprise me in the car rides after school with her discussions of hypotheses and photosynthesis words we hadnt taught her and there was something almost breathtaking about witnessing an auditorium full of mostly low income black and latino children confidently singing in mandarin and beating chinese drums as they performed a fan dance to celebrate the lunar new year
but i also knew how fragile success at a school like ps 307 could be the few segregated high poverty schools we hold up as exceptions are almost always headed by a singular principal like roberta davenport but relying on one dynamic leader is a precarious means of ensuring a quality education with all the resources davenport was able to draw to the school ps 307s test scores still dropped this year the school suffers from the same chronic absenteeism that plagues other schools with large numbers of low income families and then davenport retired last summer just as the clashes over ps 307s integration were heating up causing alarm among parents
najya and the other children at ps 307 were unaware of the turmoil and the battle lines adults were drawing outside the schools doors faraji my husband had been elected co president of ps 307s pta along with benjamin greene another black middle class parent from bed stuy who also serves on the community education council as the potential for rezoning loomed over the school they were forced to turn their attention from fund raising and planning events to working to prevent the citys plan from ultimately creating another mostly white school
it was important to them that farragut residents who were largely unaware of the process had a say over what happened faraji and i had found it hard to bridge the class divides between the farragut families and the middle class black families like ours from outside the neighborhood we parents were all cordial toward one another outside the school though we mostly went our separate ways but after the rezoning was proposed faraji and benjamin worked with the rev dr mark v c taylor of the church of the open door which sits on the farragut property and canvassed the projects to talk to parents and inform them of the citys proposal not one ps 307 parent they spoke to knew anything about the plan and they were immediately worried and fearful about what it would mean for their children ps 307 was that rare example of a well resourced segregated school and these parents knew it
the farragut parents were also angry and hurt over how their school and their children had been talked about in public meetings and the press some white dumbo parents had told davenport that theyd be willing to enroll their children only if she agreed to put the new students all together in their own classroom farragut parents feared their children would be marginalized if the school eventually filled up with children from high income white families   the median income for dumbo and vinegar hill residents is almost 10 times that of farragut residents   the character of the school could change and as had happened at other schools like ps 8 the results might not benefit the black and latino students among other things ps 307 might no longer qualify for federal funds for special programming like free after school care to help low income families
i dont have a problem with people coming in saaiba coles a farragut mother with two children at ps 307 told those gathered at a community meeting about the rezoning i just dont want them to forget about the kids that were already here faraji and benjamin collected and delivered to the education council a petition with more than 400 signatures of farragut residents supporting the rezoning but only under certain conditions including that half of all the seats at ps 307 would be guaranteed for low income children that would ensure that the school remained truly integrated and that new higher income parents would have to share power in deciding the direction of the school
in january of this year the education council held a meeting to vote on the rezoning nearly four dozen farragut residents whod taken two buses chartered by the church filed into the auditorium of a brooklyn elementary school sitting behind a cluster of anxious parents from dumbo reporters lined up alongside them in the months since the potential rezoning plan was announced the spectacle of an integration fight in the progressive bastion of brooklyn had attracted media attention coverage appeared in the new york times the wall street journal and on wnyc brooklyn hipsters fight school desegregation the news site raw story proclaimed the meeting lasted more than three hours as parents spoke passionately imploring the council to delay the vote so that the two communities could try to get to know each other and figure out how they could bridge their economic racial and cultural divides both dumbo and farragut parents asked the district for leadership fearing integration that was not intentionally planned would fail
in the end the council proceeded with the vote approving the rezoning with a 50 percent low income set aside but children living in ps 307s attendance zone would receive priority but thats not a guarantee white children under the age of 5 outnumber black and latino children of the same age in the new zone according to census data and the white population will only grow as new developments go on the market without holding seats for low income children its not certain the school will achieve 50 percent low income enrollment
david goldsmith president of the council told me he didnt believe that creating low income set asides in only one school made sense he is working to create a plan that would try to integrate the schools in the entire district that includes ps 8 and ps 307 but benjamin greene who voted against the rezoning because it did not guarantee that half of the seats would remain for low income children said we cannot sit around and wait until somebody decides on this wonderful formula districtwide we have to preserve these schools one at a time
in voting for the rezoning the council touted its bravery and boldness in choosing integration in a system that seemed opposed to it with the eyes of the nation upon us goldsmith began voting yes means we refuse to be victims of the past we are ready to do this the time is now we owe this to our children
but the decision felt more like a victory for the status quo this rezoning did not occur because it was in the best interests of ps 307s black and latino children but because it served the interests of the wealthy white parents of brooklyn heights ps 8 will only get whiter and more exclusive the council failed to mention at the meeting that the plan would send future students from the only three farragut buildings that had been zoned for ps 8 to ps 307 ultimately removing almost all the low income students from ps 8 and turning it into one of the most affluent schools in the city the department of education projects that within six years ps 8 could be three quarters white in a school system where only one seventh of the kids are white
ps 307 may eventually look similar without seats guaranteed for low income children and with an increasing white population in the zone the school may flip and become mostly white and overcrowded farragut parents worry that at that point the projects children like those at ps 8 could be zoned out of their own school a decade from now integration advocates could be lamenting how ps 307 went from nearly all black and latino to being integrated for a period to heavily white
that transition isnt going to happen immediately so some dumbo parents have threatened to move or enroll their children in private schools others are struggling over what to do by allowing such vast disparities between public schools   racially socioeconomically and academically   this city has made integration the hardest choice
youre not living in brooklyn if you dont want to have a diverse system around your kid michael jones who lives in brooklyn heights and considered sending his twins to ps 307 for pre k because ps 8 no longer offered it told me over coffee you want it to be multicultural you know if you didnt want that youd be in private school or you would be in a different area so were all living in brooklyn because we want that to be part of the upbringing but you can understand how a parent might look at it and go while i want diversity i dont want profound imbalance  he thought about what it would have meant for his boys to be among the few middle class children in ps 307 we could look at it and see there is probably going to be a clash of some kind he said my kids not an experiment in the end he felt that he could not take a chance on his childrens education and sent them to private preschool they now go to ps 8
this sense of helplessness in the face of such entrenched segregation is what makes so alluring the notion embraced by liberals and conservatives that we can address school inequality not with integration but by giving poor segregated schools more resources and demanding of them more accountability true integration true equality requires a surrendering of advantage and when it comes to our own children that can feel almost unnatural najyas first two years in public school helped me understand this better than i ever had before even kenneth clark the psychologist whose research showed the debilitating effects of segregation on black children chose not to enroll his children in the segregated schools he was fighting against my children he said only have one life but so do the children relegated to this citys segregated schools they have only one life too


dakar senegal   babacar ndiaye 12 does not know babe ruth from bryce harper the boys favorite baseball player is ryoma ogawa who teaches senegalese children to catch throw field and hit
baseball is called americas pastime but japan has been cultivating the sport in soccer crazed africa for years ogawa 24 is the latest in a long line of japanese baseball missionaries
they have helped create leagues in burkina faso and tanzania and the japanese government paid for new fields in ghana and uganda african coaches and top players visit japan for training a few africans have earned spots on teams in japans independent leagues
volunteers are sent around the world by the japan international cooperation agency or jica which runs a program similar to the peace corps they say baseball which is one of japans most loved sports is rewarding beyond the field
children can learn about team spirit and rules in sports because there are rules in society said megumi chiba a jica volunteer coordinator in dakar we can contribute also for their health especially in dakar schools dont have sports grounds so they dont have a chance to practice sports at school
ogawas weeknight practices are held on a sandlot next to a military base in dakars ouakam neighborhood volunteers and local baseball associations are often on their own because there is little government support
there is no grass and no pitchers mound players wear jeans sweatpants or shorts a big tree sits in left center field and aircraft engines hum beyond the concrete wall in deep center the soccer game behind home plate sometimes spills over
ive had to teach the basics very slowly said ogawa a former high school outfielder theyre very energetic but its all new for them
during one informal game a tall boy in yellow rounded third base pushed aside his slower teammate and scored ahead of him an act that would be normal for taxis on dakars hectic roads but one that is against the rules in baseball
along with smiles there is discipline the boys must retrieve their errant throws before each practice they remove rocks and trash from the field
if you dont pick up you cant play said mamadou bassirou 13
at times the practices are a hot mess of linguistic and cultural misunderstandings ogawa speaks some french but the players prefer wolof a local language he calls out strike one and strike two in accented english and the boys mimic him they ask him if japan is the same as china and if everyone knows karate
babacar who has never heard of miami marlins outfielder ichiro suzuki either has barely mastered throwing and catching but he patriotically discusses his potential as a future professional
i want to go abroad he said through an interpreter i want the name of senegal to be celebrated
ogawa and a volunteer in another city instruct 50 children between them since 1970 more than 235 baseball volunteers and 54 softball coaches have been sent abroad according to jica six baseball instructors are working in four african countries uganda zimbabwe ghana and senegal there are currently no jica softball volunteers in africa
japanese grants of 120000 allowed uganda and ghana to build ball fields which opened in 2014
ghana baseball is what it is because of the help and support from japan albert frimpong president of the ghana baseball and softball association said in a telephone interview no other country can claim to be part of that success story
frimpong was an outfielder on ghanas national team in the 1990s when he lobbied his government to appoint shinya tomonari as the teams manager tomonari was working for jica in ghana at the time
tomonari later created the association for friends of african baseball which has raised more than 200000 in the last 13 years to help teams pay for travel costs and equipment
more recently tomonari built a league from scratch in tanzania and managed the countrys under 18 national team he returned to japan in 2015
there is no culture of baseball on this continent tomonari said many talented players play not baseball but soccer
access to equipment is a major obstacle donations from the united states japan or elsewhere sometimes sit idle in african ports because of bureaucratic problems
security is another problem chiba the dakar coordinator said jica decided to not replace its departing volunteers in burkina faso after a terrorist attack in january at a hotel and cafe in ouagadougou the countrys capital left 30 people dead
where there is a danger we have to stop chiba said security is the no 1 concern for us
tokyo will host the summer olympics in 2020 and japan plans to increase its global sports initiatives as the games approach the international olympic committee will decide this summer whether to return baseball and softball which last appeared in the 2008 games to the olympic roster for 2020 supporters say an olympic return would result in financial support at a local level
theres great potential pending a positive olympic outcome for 2020 to really have a boost within africa said oscar lopez spokesman for the world baseball softball confederation which is responsible for the 2020 bid the growth will depend and be boosted on whether our sport is olympic or not thats just the reality
south africa is considered to have africas best baseball program   its baseball team has played in the olympics and the world baseball classic and a handful of players have played in the minor leagues   and is the site of major league baseballs annual african elite camp among other countries uganda is widely considered the next baseball hot spot on the continent a ugandan team in 2012 became the first from africa to compete in the little league world series and richard stanley a part owner of the class aa trenton thunder built an academy there focusing on baseball and softball
tomonari said he had been trying to persuade japans top league nippon professional baseball to help in africa he said elite programs were fine but would not expand the game
the population of baseball players is quite small in africa he said we have to try to introduce baseball from a low level


paris   union militants have thrown eggs and vegetables at his head newsmagazines compete to put his boyish face on their covers one recently calling him the dynamiter he himself has audaciously insinuated a comparison to one of frances patron saints and its 15th century savior joan of arc
emmanuel macron the 38 year old economy minister whiz kid technocrat and former rothschild banker has crystallized the hopes fears and rage in the labor turmoil now unsettling france
bolstered by his showing in polls he has started his own political movement en marche in what many here consider a campaign in all but name to explore whether to challenge president francois hollande as the socialist candidate for president next year
mr macron and his supporters are ambiguous on the question of whether he will run but the bigger question may be whether he has the political skills to do for the socialists what say bill clinton did for the democrats in the united states or tony blair for labour in britain update the party and move it to the center to address the challenges of a global economy
given mr hollandes unpopularity mr macron clearly has an opening even if critics especially on the left deride him as being out of step with frances protective social model
behind his back colleagues in frances socialist government whisper about his vaulting ambition many of them see him as a capitalist interloper a traitor to socialist ideals and a threat to their traditional base among workers
on monday it was militants from the far left cgt union who greeted the young minister with eggs   one landed in his hair   and catcalls in the communist controlled paris suburb of montreuil get lost they shouted at him
the melee followed months of demonstrations in the streets by workers who have blocked oil refineries nuclear plants factories and the countrys rail network the unrest has been set off by a government economic overhaul   an attempt bold at first to loosen frances ultratight labor laws making hiring and firing easier and weakening the unions grip
as much as anyones it is mr macrons ideas that the demonstrators are protesting in addition his banking background elite education button down persona and technocratic aura   he angrily told a t shirted demonstrator several weeks ago that the best way to afford a suit is to work   have made him the focus of much of the rage ive been working since the age of 16 sir the demonstrator responded
france appears both terrified and absorbed by mr macrons ideas   making it easier to get and lose a job to move to a new job and to shake off the lifetime security of unbreakable contracts in search of something better
theres a desire for change but a fear of change too thats france said philippe aghion a harvard economist who worked with mr macron on a reform commission in 2008 and has influenced him
the ideas generated by that commission weigh in the ministers thinking mr aghion said
the t shirt incident was captured on video and quickly went viral earning mr macron a mocking hashtag untshirtpourmacron and much derision in the news media
at the same time mr macron polls far higher than his boss mr hollande whose re election prospects next year look increasingly shaky mr macron is the darling of the businessmens confederation and the favorite of right leaning pro capitalism media in france and he earned applause and rage in equal measure when he said in an interview last year we need young frenchmen who want to become billionaires
in a recent visit to the northern industrial town of valenciennes mr macron appeared to be in full campaign mode
the police blocked off the city center fearing protests at a training center apprentice welders and home health aid workers waited to take selfies with him he quizzed them attentively like a candidate about their hopes and aspirations
whats at stake for me is to inspire confidence again mr macron striking a broad theme for frances future told a worker grumbling about the labor reform law at a mattress factory nearby other workers waited patiently for pictures
to the socialist establishment mr macron is too ready to lecture much older politicians and is the man who wants to reintroduce mobility in the labor market as he wrote in an article last year but also to end our culture of paying managers more
in his characteristic rapid fire delivery he told a parliamentary committee last month weve created rigidities at the entrance point in artisanal occupations like hairdressers and nail salons weve put up barriers france needs to help in the creation of jobs for which qualifications are limited he said he was one of the youngest men in the room
an older communist representative would have none of it
there is always with you this i wont say obsession to liberate activity andre chassaigne a factory workers son scolded mr macron as a society we would lose our bearings
the french news media seemingly cant get enough of mr macron intrigued by his combination of brains he once served as an assistant to one of frances leading 20th century philosophers paul ricoeur and heterodoxy they have put him on the cover of newsmagazines more in the last six months than any other political figure despite his thin record of accomplishment so far
the macron rocket   his secret plan for 2017 was one recent cover macron why not him how he wants to break the system was another even glossy gossip magazines like paris match follow him drawn by his unusual domestic arrangements he is married to his high school teacher 20 years his senior from amiens
in the central city of orleans last month he was invited by an opposition party mayor to preside over ceremonies honoring joan of arc who made her decisive stand against the english there in 1429
jeanne was a shepherdess but she beat a path to the king mr macron told hundreds spread out in the plaza in front of the towering 17th century cathedral in the city where she led the french troops in battle
jeanne was a nobody but she carried on her shoulders the will to progress and justice of an entire people she was a crazy dream but she wound up imposing herself as something obvious he said believe in individual initiatives in courage in risk
the applause for mr macron was polite   his highfalutin style nurtured at frances best schools like the ecole nationale dadministration is peppered with references to the countrys literary and political heroes
but the audience was attentive even if his arrival was greeted with boos from union members
maybe its a crazy dream impossible he recently told a crowd in lyon but this great change necessary to our country im persuaded we can accomplish it together
the city hall in lyon was packed and the mayor there greeted him like a hero
mr aghion the harvard economist said hes a free atom one doesnt really know where he is going
the problem is mr aghion added he doesnt really have any allies
much of the challenge mr macron will face if he enters the lists in next years race was summed up in an encounter with reporters in valenciennes defending himself over the harsh t shirt encounter he said one doesnt tutoie a minister referring to the familiar form of the second person pronoun
true the tu form is generally used only with children and friends and not with ministers but a politician with national ambitions in france might be better off not pointing that out to a gaggle of journalists
hes got to separate himself from his image as a technocrat mr aghion said


she got me at the introductory video before she ever set foot on stage all those women generations of us races of us ages of us all those marches and rallies and speeches and demonstrations all that work that hard hard work filled with fury and frustration over all these many many years to get the vote to get equal rights to get to be whatever we dreamed of being
our history as liberated women is so short but it feels so painfully long and then hillary appeared making her way to take command of that podium looking as joyful and comfortable as i have ever seen her under that glittering glass ceiling in brooklyn   cracking it wide open claiming that nomination as the first woman to represent a major political party so that we may say to our daughters but of course you can run for president
there have been times during both of hillarys campaigns for the presidency when ive felt as if ive been trapped in that familiar nightmare that haunts our collective unconscious the one where youre running and running and running your heart pounding your lungs exploding   and you are not moving
that was the feeling when hillary had to cede the race to barack obama no matter how hard we tried women were frozen in place i wept in disappointment at her gracious withdrawal but then given a different gift of healing wept with pride and pleasure at the inauguration of the countrys first african american president and yet my inbox hasnt been filling with those can you believe   isnt this thrilling notes i would have expected
the responses of many of my friends and family have been tepid at best one young man i work with told me we are so exhausted by the cynical nasty fog of politics that we cant even recognize a chance for happiness when it is right in front of us my 30 year old son tried to explain it to me when i told him i was feeling a bit deflated by the general deflation mom it seems a little late for this to be happening doesnt it he said i mean it was inevitable wasnt it
yes and no how could a milestone in american history seem ho hum why are citizens of this great country choosing this particular world historic moment to yawn whine and shrug their shoulder pads
well im sending up hosannas i still dont take anything for granted when it comes to advancement in what remains an intractably sexist world ive been on pins and needles about just how far hillary would get and i will be worrying right up until election day in november
i sure havent been surprised when either of her opponents   male   started hurling new levels of double standards at her that she isnt qualified   when her resume is much much bigger than any mans hands that shes weak   because her marriage wasnt destroyed by yet another wandering husband with something to prove about the size of his hands at the end of the brooklyn rally she and bill clasped each other tightly and i choked up at the durability of that bond
ive been dismayed and disgusted to see how easy it is to be nasty pundits marvel at how nothing sticks to donald trump but they neglect to consider that theyre the ones taking the teflon pan off the burner hillary is serious she requires an attention span and like peter pan who lost his shadow we have mislaid our attention spans in a server somewhere we cant remember how to find the serious interesting especially if it comes from a womans lips but maybe were the ones with the problem not hillary
maybe the sense of inevitability comes from knowing hillary too well shes become a stand in for the archetypal women who frighten and repel us the woman betrayed the castrating woman the cookie woman the dowdy woman right now some very loud people are not ready for what hillary really is the indomitable woman barring anything unprecedented the nominee real and brave defying all caricature
and so we forget to be surprised by hillarys achievement we begrudge her and ourselves a few moments to bask we expect hillary to do great things thats always been the wellesley girl problem   no one can be surprised by her accomplishments we expect nothing less shes always among the smartest in any room and so she raises the bar how exhausting it must be how demanding we are nothing women do is ever really good enough
ive been stunned by some of the pieces ive read by women who were supposed to be her friends lacerating petty misguided judgmental and arrogant friends she isnt likable they say somehow the mean girls always grab the mike at a party
never mind that millions of us not only like hillary insofar as that means anything but we are inspired and awed by the years of service she has devoted   to us millions of us find in her a model of thoughtfulness of temperance of discretion of intelligence of diligence and resilience those most undersung of her sturdy values shes a model of sly wit of compassion and yes of integrity i wish i could spend hours picking her brains about stuff hard stuff like how to keep the perfect from becoming the enemy of the good or how she raised such a terrific daughter
i cannot fathom how she finds the energy much less the fortitude to still be slogging it out on the campaign trail it cannot ever have been easy to be hillary probably not even back in those days of waking up to chelsea mornings but there it is the hardest lesson ive had to learn over the years the trait we all have to develop to get anywhere in this world hillary is tenacity personified and it is beautiful to behold
we cant like hillary we cant know who she is the guys tell us because she doesnt know how to have fun what do you do for fun is a question millions of women hate by the way and it usually comes from men who dont have a clue about whats such fun about the things women love doing having heart to heart talks with old friends or cuddling a grandchild or watching the paint dry in the living room or yes actually even having fun at our jobs traveling the world meeting interesting people
so im celebrating i would never vote for someone just because shes a woman and thats not what hillarys asking me to do either to have someone who has spent a lifetime leaning in and been forced to lean out too   and has done so without toppling over or even carrying on about it someone ive grown up with but can never take for granted   to have all this in a person who has a shot at being the countrys first female president and this after weve had our first black president
well if this comes to pass in my lifetime then our big bulging boom of a generation will have done a few things right more than a few actually we live in amazing times we are among the luckiest and most privileged women of the world we may not be roaring quite yet were too busy knocking wood but hillary fatigue dont count on it im just starting to fall in love with her all over again


it may not have ultimately marked the turning point hoped for but the public handshake at the white house in 1993 between yitzhak rabin the israeli prime minister and yasir arafat the chairman of the palestine liberation organization was nonetheless a headline making moment oslo a new play by j t rogers at lincoln center theater dramatizes the deal making behind that historic encounter
before the two men met in washington secret negotiations took place in a castle in the woods outside norways capital mr rogerss characters are a mixture of israelis palestinians norwegians and americans all with complex aims and complicated histories and the playwright has impeccable sources for his imagined history he got the story from the two diplomats who set in motion the back channel dealings that led to what became the oslo peace accords bartlett sher who directed mr rogerss excellent 2011 play blood and gifts once again takes charge here begins previews thursday june 16 at the mitzi newhouse theater 212 239 6200 lctorg


the kenai peninsula is a 9000 square mile appendage jutting down from anchorage into the gulf of alaska at the end of the sterling highway the 140 mile winding backbone that snakes down the peninsula is the town of homer aka the end of the road   the beginning or termination of the alaska state highway system indeed with the way the road begins four and a half miles out to sea on a long narrow berth called the homer spit it feels like the beginning of all of americas roadways the highway has come to symbolize the spirit of freedom and exploration   things i felt in abundance during my five hour drive from anchorage to homer
the drive from anchorage to homer covers a wonderful area to explore   and it can be done fairly frugally much of the entertainment is free in the form of stunning natural beauty including a national forest views along the cook inlet and a visit to a glacier when i reached homer i splurged on a halibut fishing charter not inexpensive to be sure but a thrilling one of a kind experience justifiable if you plan to eat your catch which i did
i made a couple of quick stops on my way out of anchorage recommendations from the friends i was staying with south restaurant and coffeehouse for a filling 850 breakfast burrito with scrambled eggs and chorizo and a couple of day old biscuits for the road two for a dollar and across the street the south anchorage farmers market its a small market with perhaps a couple dozen vendors and a lone scraggly guy with a guitar picking out dylan covers i noted how much halibut fillets were going for   1650 a pound
from there i wound south on alaska highway 1 through the vast half million square miles of chugach state park when the road split   highway 1 continuing toward homer and highway 9 going to seward   i decided to take a short detour remembering that president obama had recently visited exit glacier in kenai fjords national park
after parking my car no fee to enter i began a short one and a half mile hike along the path there were signposts marking where the glacier used to reach a couple hundred feet here a couple hundred feet there if you had been standing here in 1998 one sign read the ice would have been right at your feet i finally reached the glacier and while incredibly impressive it was surrounded on three sides by dozens of feet of barren rock it seemed a glaring palpable example of the effects of global warming the glacier has retreated roughly one and a quarter miles in the last two centuries but with an alarming acceleration in recent years it lost about 187 feet from the end of summer in 2013 to the same time in 2014
i continued on my journey to homer passing through the towns of cooper landing and sterling needing a caffeine fix i stopped at true blue drive thru a small coffee shack on the side of the road i picked up a 2 americano and struck up a conversation with derek poppin a local musician who plays with the robb justice band i love it out here but it can be tough sometimes he said not exactly a ton of gigs
the towns on the road to homer are small but worth a quick stop cooper landing across from kenai cache outfitters is a nice place to take a rest and enjoy the clean limpid upper kenai river also interesting are the old russian orthodox settlements from around the time of the alaska purchase in 1867 ninilchik about 45 minutes outside homer has a russian orthodox church built in 1901 and an adjoining cemetery i drove through town and out to the beach where residents and visitors like to dig for razor clams i was ready to grab a few of them when i noticed a sign   because of the paucity of mature clams there would be no digging until further notice
from ninilchik homer was just a stones throw away the descent into town beginning around mile marker 170 was dazzling   a panoramic tableau of snow peaked mountains from across the kachemak bay i did a quick survey of the town up pioneer avenue north of the highway and down the old main street south of the highway closer to the water i recommend spending some time on old main street   older weather beaten buildings housing cute cafes inns and other businesses abound there is also at least one excellent restaurant two sisters bakery known primarily for its breads and pastries also does dinners featuring fresh produce and local seafood its not particularly cheap but my scallop appetizer 12 and roasted tomato and bacon spinach salad 9 were delicious and generous in size
not only that but i also picked up some good local intel from a friendly waitress alanna she gave me a newspaper with a calendar of the towns events the shorebird festival an annual celebration of spring was happening that weekend and recommended a couple of good places to grab a drink she invited me to go out with her and some of her friends later to kharacters a locals bar open until 5 am
but true to form i passed out in my room upon arriving at lands end resort at the very tip of homer spit where i had picked up a 95 rate on hotelscom i woke up around 2 am having missed my drinks date with alanna and her friends by about four hours but decided to go over to the bar anyway i was greeted by plumes of cigarette smoke and strains of some fun if slightly disjointed folk music lady gwennie and the good timers were still playing at 230 in the morning to a small crowd i grabbed a 525 bud light and enjoyed the low key scene before heading back to my room
i may have missed making new friends but the next mornings activity offered another chance i was heading out on a halibut fishing boat through inlet charters one of dozens of fishing charter companies on homer spit i spent some time on the spit taking in the boardwalk atmosphere and vibrantly colored buildings elevated on stilts and overlooking the bay then headed to inlet charters a little before 830 am and bought my one day sport fishing license for 20 necessary for halibut fishing
i bought a half day charter for 155   a full day is available for 235 frugal not exactly but the experience is undeniably worth the price especially if youre a first timer like me i boarded our 36 ton boat the whistler with about a dozen other people including a five member family with a young boy we were soon joined by our crew capt max shifler and two deckhands penick and lindsay the engines roared and we set off taking in a sunny sky and sharp clean air
we headed out to sea for about 45 minutes penick and lindsay gave us a primer on fishing basics as they chopped salted herring bait for the halibut and got the hooks and lead sinkers on our fishing poles ready i asked captain shifler why he decided to start piloting fishing boats and if he had any tips for newcomers he peered at me through dark sunglasses well i used to be a backup dancer for britney spears and i decided to hang it up and come here he said deadpanning youll be fine for whatever reason its always newcomers and kids that catch the biggest fish
we arrived at our fishing spot and captain shifler killed the engines and dropped anchor we each grabbed a pole that was baited with a chunk of herring at the end of each pole was a mean looking hook a few inches long and a two pound lead weight just drop it in until it hits bottom but keep your thumb on that reel the whole time captain max said i got a strong tug on my line immediately   but lost the fish i didnt realize that you had to throw a switch on the reel mechanism so that you could start reeling in i was bummed about what could have been the big one
during the two or three hours we were on the water i learned that fishing takes patience the halibut will more often than not eat the bait right off the end of your pole once you hook one though the crew advised us dont yank up on the pole reel up steadily but not too aggressively pulling up on the rod every so often to make sure the fish is still on the hook once out of the water the halibut thrashed violently as you might expect there were big wooden clubs aboard used to kill the fish quickly   gruesome to be sure but i liked the idea of knowing exactly where my dinner was coming from
i ended up with two good looking halibut as well as a large cod captain max worked deftly after we had returned filleting the halibut and slicing out the highly prized cheeks while the crew packed our individual catches into garbage bags once back on land we paid to vacuum seal our fish at 75 cents a pound i left homer with around eight pounds of halibut   at 1650 a pound retail that is over 130
i left homer and drove back to anchorage stopping at my friend isaacs house to share some of my bounty hes a good cook and soon we had a big plate of tender halibut cheeks and pan fried halibut fillets wow i was never really a halibut fan he said but i think its because i never had it this fresh the halibut fillets were delicate and tender the cheeks were more substantial and prepared with a bit of oil and salt and pepper tasted like a firm buttery scallop we sat at his kitchen table at 11 pm just as the sun was disappearing talking about old times and enjoying our late supper


bamboo stalks and duct tape did not work neither did cable spool and chicken wire finally the two teenagers trying to recreate the famous boulder scene in raiders of the lost ark hit on the solution a giant fiberglass ball
eric zala and chris strompolos learned this lesson through trial and error when they spent eight summers of their childhood beginning in 1982 filming a shot for shot remake of steven spielbergs 1981 adventure tale
now a documentary raiders the story of the greatest fan film ever made based on a book with the same title and following a 2004 vanity fair feature shows how two adolescents became independent filmmakers acquiring the skills techniques and problem solving abilities that rivaled those found on studio sets
these days fan films have become a popular way to pay tribute to a movie by creating a new original installment in a franchise with a few like superman requiem or spider man lost cause garnering millions of youtube views the world of star trek fan films has become so robust that a legal battle has ensued over whether one group has the right to make an independent feature but the idea of taking an existing film and recreating it in its entirety seemed like a one of a kind ambitious effort in the pre internet era and still stands as an impressive rarity
i just wanted to be indiana jones mr strompolos said in a phone interview i wanted to see what it would be like to be so self sufficient and get in and out of trouble
mr strompolos bonded with mr zala over a raiders comic book during bus rides to school in bay st louis mississippi eventually they came up with the movie project with mr strompolos 11 at the time serving as producer and star and mr zala 12 directing their friend jayson lamb pitched in as effects expert and cinematographer and their cast was made up of any child around their neighborhoods who said yes in the documentary mr zalas brother kurt recalls playing 40 parts
in the summer of 1982 when raiders of the lost ark was rereleased in theaters mr zala sneaked in a tape recorder to capture the dialogue and the soundtrack as a memory jog he used the tape and what he remembered from the visuals to create storyboards for the entire film he also sketched out the costumes
they turned parts of their homes into detailed sets and shot around town sometimes with permission sometimes without it backyards substituted for peruvian jungles mississippi flatlands for egyptian deserts and a hound dog for a monkey
scenes shot on betamax and vhs were filmed significantly out of sequence and sometimes years passed between one cut and another indy goes through puberty and back to adolescence in some segments
whatever was ready was a primary determiner of what was next mr zala said explaining their shooting schedule and the sets they built it took chris three years of persistent pestering of one captain to allow us to shoot on a world war ii submarine
it took quite a few years more than that to shoot an elaborate fight sequence in which indy battles a brutish german mechanic that scene was the only one the filmmakers didnt complete during their initial shoot as teenagers and of course the airplane blows up at the end mr strompolos said logistically it was just too much for us to wrap our heads around
raiders of the lost ark the adaptation without that scene had its first screening in 1989 at a beverage distribution company in gulfport miss then the two filmmakers went their separate ways with mr strompolos eventually moving to los angeles to pursue opportunities in entertainment and mr zala starting a career in video games years later a vhs copy of the movie began exchanging hands and harry knowles of the website aint it cool news received a copy from the director eli roth mr knowles screened part of it at his annual austin tex film festival where it was an instant hit with the audience and the full film was screened in 2003 at the alamo drafthouse in austin a copy of the film even made it to mr spielberg and he met with the filmmakers
ten years later one of the documentarys directors jeremy coon a producer of napoleon dynamite saw the adaptation at the tumbleweeds film festival in salt lake city there was something so endearing about the film i just fell in love with it mr coon said by phone from salt lake city and i felt embarrassed i didnt know more about it
mr zala and mr strompolos had been approached about documentaries before but the timing wasnt right or the director wasnt a good fit they explained mr strompolos hit it off with mr coon and felt that he along with his co director tim skousen had the right attitude background and passion for the job
the documentary raiders looks at the history of the project which was finally completed in 2014 that is when mr zala and mr strompolos raised over 50000 on kickstarter and put in some of their own money to shoot the plane explosion scene using a real plane and a professional crew though there were some mishaps along the way and the potential for danger did exist the scene is now tucked into a new cut of their adaptation
that contrast of static ridden 11th generation betamax put alongside 4k hd with a 42 year old indiana jones is funny mr strompolos said but strangely it fits in really beautifully
the documentary directors were particularly drawn to this part of the story the drama is inherent when you try to take on a production like this and to do it basically for no money mr skousen said
the documentary along with the finished version of the adaptation had its premiere in 2015 at the south by southwest film festival to an enthusiastic audience and now the backyard video project is touring the country with the documentary as a double feature arriving in new york on friday june 17 the documentary will be available on demand then too
the once fledgling filmmakers have their own production company rolling boulder films and in a fitting twist mr strompolos and mr zala are teaming up with mr skousen to produce a narrative feature he plans to direct a post apocalyptic film set in and around detroit
were going to do a film together because i know that i can trust these guys to just go for it mr skousen said doing this documentary was a reminder of the joy that comes from following your dreams


a contemporary apartment in mexico city facing chapultepec park
2875 million
this five bedroom four and a half bath apartment in a high rise 1997 development named del bosque designed by cesar pelli is in polanco one of mexico citys most exclusive neighborhoods it sits across from chapultepec park and two blocks from avenida presidente masaryk known as mexico citys rodeo drive said vivian bardavid a mexico city based agent with guadalajara sothebys international realty which has the listing between five and 20 minutes walking distance are museums and other cultural sites restaurants hotels and embassies the international airport is about 10 miles away
the apartment which is about 5480 square feet is one of two on the fourth floor past the front door and a small foyer a hallway leads to three bedrooms with en suite bathrooms an office and a half bath the master suite in the left corner has a large bathroom with a glass enclosed shower and a double sink and a deep walk in closet
down the main hallway in the opposite direction from the bedrooms the living room family room and dining room are in the center of the apartment most of the flooring is hardwood imported from norway ms bardavid said the custom designed furniture throughout the apartment is available through separate negotiation she said the art is not for sale the family room tucked next to the living room can be separated with sliding doors from the rest of the home
on the right side of the apartment are the kitchen two staff bedrooms a staff bathroom and laundry facilities the kitchen appliances are by wolf the apartment has air conditioning and ample storage in the form of multiple closets in the main hallway
the buildings amenities including a tennis court an indoor pool a childrens play area valet parking and a gym are included in the monthly fee the fee also covers security concierge service and maintenance residents can use a heliport and party and meeting rooms for a fee
market overview
mexico citys real estate market is performing very strongly this year agents said there are many new developments and prices across the board have increased this is partly because of a strengthening mexican economy and partly because sellers have adjusted to a new tax on capital gains that temporarily made them hesitant to put their homes on the market agents said
carmella peters romero an owner and broker at peters  romero bienes raices an agency in mexico city said owners typically will not sell unless they get an offer very close to their asking price homes tend to stay on the market around six months she said
the volatility of the peso which has lost about 35 percent against the dollar since 2011 and around 16 percent against the dollar since last june had an effect on the real estate market last year with lowered rents and more negotiation on sales ms peters romero said but prices are now rising as they have yearly for the last six years since she began working in this market she said
prices in polanco are around 5000 per square meter or around 465 a square foot compared with around 4000 a square meter or around 372 a square foot last year ms peters romero said for the most expensive properties in the city prices can reach 11000 per square meter or around 1023 a square foot
karen boda an owner of urp properties a boutique real estate brokerage in mexico city estimated that prices have risen at least 10 percent for both residential properties and offices since january
in polanco luxury apartments cost 25 million to 10 million she said in nearby lomas de chapultepec an area with older traditional homes the better luxury properties begin at 3 million she said people there tend to tear down homes and rebuild less expensive luxury homes are available at bosque de las lomas just to the west where quality homes are available for 800000 and the top prices run around 3 million
the citys most expensive homes are priced at 10 million to 15 million ms boda said they tend to be in lomas de chapultepec in the north and in el pedregal and coyoacan in the south location finishes whether or not a property has a garden and whether or not its on a more desirable gated or restricted street affect prices she added
ms boda also noted two trends one is that people are increasingly choosing to live near their jobs because of the citys traffic second because theres no room to develop in certain desirable neighborhoods new areas are becoming trendy including colonia roma west of the city center and new polanco next to polanco
transactions can be done in dollars or pesos but the deed must be recorded in pesos she added
who buys in mexico city
ms boda said most buyers of luxury properties are mexican foreigners who move to the city for work tend to stay in rentals but ms boda has worked with buyers from the united states france italy and spain
both in mexico city and throughout the country it is becoming more common for people to buy homes as investments or as vacation properties ms peters romero said usually those people purchase smaller condos starting at 150 square meters or about 1600 square feet in high end areas of the city she said
buying basics
only mexican citizens can buy land without restriction in mexico said jonathan pikoff the founder of pikoff attorneys which specializes in real estate and has offices in mexico and the united states if a foreigner buys residential property within 50 kilometers or 31 miles from the coastline or 100 kilometers or about 62 miles from the border it must be done by using an existing trust through a mexican bank or creating one he said
transactions are handled by notaries mr pikoff recommended that foreign buyers also hire a lawyer
closing costs which are paid exclusively by the seller include the notary fee a 16 percent value added tax on the notary fee an appraisal a zoning certificate and a land transfer tax for a 1 million property those taxes and fees add up to approximately 57000
mexico city cultural portal mexicoesculturacomen
chapultepec castle mnhinahgobmx
museum of modern art museoartemodernocom
languages and currency
spanish mexican peso 1 peso  0054
taxes and fees
monthly maintenance is 21300 pesos or about 1135 annual property taxes are 37000 pesos or approximately 2000
contact
graciela zamudio guadalajara sothebys international realty 011 52 33 3627 6437 sirguadalajaracom


parma ny
what a brick victorian with five bedrooms three and a half bathrooms and an attached lighthouse plus a one bedroom one bath carriage house
how much 1500000
size 4284 square feet in the main house and 1300 square feet in the carriage house
price per square foot 269
setting parma is a town on lake ontario within 30 minutes of rochester and 80 minutes of buffalo this property is a five minute drive north of the village of hilton which the town encompasses much of the area is agricultural or part of a land trust while the lakefront is lined with homes
indoors the lighthouse and the attached house were built about 1895 the house was updated within the last 10 years the walls of the house are solid brick and 18 inches thick the interior is high victorian with the original gumwood trim and doors hardwood floors ornate mantels wainscoting molding and pocket doors
several of the lighting fixtures are also original while other details are salvage or of the period the claw foot tub upstairs for example was custom made with whirlpool jets and painted with an image of the lighthouse nearly every room has broad views of the lake
common rooms include a family room with walls of glass and living and dining rooms both with fireplaces the kitchen has been updated with a large reproduction gas stove the rooms porcelain sink is original returned from another property in town during renovations the old lighthouse keepers bedroom is on the first floor three of the other bedrooms are upstairs and part of suites with bathrooms updated in subway tile and marble the fifth bedroom is in the finished basement
a spiral staircase in the lighthouse winds up to a sitting room at the top of the lighthouse tower with a panorama of the lake and surrounding countryside
the carriage house is a two story brick building with extensive exposed brick and wood inside the lower level is open while the upstairs is a loft with a pitched wood paneled ceiling porthole windows and skylights as well as a sleeping nook
outdoor space the property is 11 acres with 150 feet of frontage on the lake
taxes 18166 a year
contact mike franklin franklin ruttan 315 876 2262 historiclighthouseforsalecom

peninsula ohio
what a contemporary with three bedrooms and three and a half bathrooms and a two bedroom two bath cabin
how much 1500000
size 3600 square feet in the main house 1600 square feet in the guesthouse
price per square foot 288
setting peninsula is a village of about 600 people in northern ohio about 20 miles from cleveland and 16 miles from akron a bucolic area surrounded by cuyahoga valley national park the village is popular with weekenders and tourists with shops restaurants and galleries in its 19th century downtown a bicycle trail along a towpath for the ohio  erie canal leads from town into the park this property consists of 15 mostly wooded acres near the western edge of town with trails leading directly into the park
indoors the two story main house was designed by thomas p montalto an architect and built in 1997 a contemporary riff on neo classical architecture it has a symmetrical dryvit stucco facade copper trim and a peaked steel roof
the house is at the end of a thousand foot driveway lined with red maple trees the porte cochere connects to a small greenhouse that doubles as an oversize lantern at night lighted from inside
the interior of the main house is airy and open with light colored wood floors the owners are patrons of the arts and there is plenty of wall space for hanging paintings
the front door opens to a long skylit gallery with a double height ceiling that extends to the back of the house glass doors here open to an elevated walkway at the end of which is a screened twin of the greenhouse that looks over a pond common rooms are off the gallery and include a dining room a kitchen a living room and a library and media room
the kitchen has a jenn air cooktop a double door fisher  paykel refrigerator and a miele dishwasher the countertops are butcher block the cabinetry throughout the house was custom designed by mba design of peninsula the living room opens to a deck and a long bridge that ends at a path leading into the national park the kitchen and dining room also open to decks
an open staircase with oak risers leads to the second floor here there are two offices both with partial walls lofted over the entry gallery bedrooms are upstairs the master is part of a suite with two separate bathrooms the other two bedrooms are clustered together to form a guest wing the basement is finished with an exercise room and a heated two car garage
a path through the woods leads to the guesthouse a rustic cabin with an exposed wood interior its living area has a cathedral ceiling and a fireplace its master bedroom is part of a suite
outdoor space nearly all of the property is wooded with a circular clearing around the main house the landscaping includes ferns white pines and birches
taxes 24800 a year
contact fred bidwell for sale by owner 330 730 1273 slipperruncom

austin tex
what a lakefront house with three bedrooms and three bathrooms plus a one bedroom one bath garage apartment
how much 1450000
size about 3700 square feet total with about 2600 square feet in the main house
price per square foot 392
setting this house is on hudson bend a peninsula on lake travis about 20 miles from downtown austin the house is one of four in a community called back of the moon about 25 lakefront acres dotted with old growth oak trees each property is about six acres there is a communal guesthouse the community was designed by christopher alexander an architect and theoretician whose ideas found in books like a pattern language towns buildings construction oxford university press 1977 extend beyond his field
indoors the two story house was built in 1995 the interior is airy and bright with large double hung windows and views of the water throughout common areas are on the first floor anchored by large living and dining areas with intricate wooden ceilings tile floors and large windows running across the waterfront side of the house
the kitchen has marble countertops and appliances by bosch and thermador floors in this part of the house are stained concrete ceilings are coffered with exposed wood
bedrooms are upstairs here floors are pecan the master bedroom is part of a private wing with a hallway lined with built ins leading to a bathroom the master bedroom has french doors opening to a private balcony with built in seating and views over the treetops and water the bathroom has blue green tile and a tub
the apartment is over the detached two car garage and workshop the floor plan here is open with a great room with a tiled floor and walls of windows overlooking the lake and the hill country the garage building also has an indoor exercise pool
outdoor space the property has about six acres with oak elm and cedar trees as well as some stone benches near the water there is a dock and a slip
taxes 15086 a year plus 500 a month in homeowners association dues which cover lawn care garbage pickup pest control and community maintenance
contact brady miner pantheon property group 512 660 9037 pantheonpropertygroupcom


among this countrys enduring myths is that success is virtuous while the wealth by which we measure success is incidental we tell ourselves that money cannot buy happiness but what is incontrovertible is that money buys stuff and if stuff makes you happy well complete the syllogism to my mind no book better encapsulates this spirit than more than i dreamed a lifetime of collecting by malcolm forbes whose deliriously materialistic account of his own life gives the lie to the notion that success is its own end its quite clear that stuff more than anything else made malcolm forbes happy
forbess book is an oddity it was published in 1989 and though its nominally an autobiography it looks more a coffee table book than the collected wisdom of a captain of industry   and its certainly more suitable for the aesthete than for the mba in your life forbes does sketch out a biography but his possessions always elbow their way to the center a native brooklynite malcolm was born to the financial journalist bc forbes in 1919 it was bc who laid the groundwork for what became a publishing empire he celebrated his 50th birthday by handing each of his sons a 1000 bond malcolm then 10 itched to use the money on a bike bonds are not for cashing in his father said with the benefit of hindsight malcolm points out that this was just before the great depression would render the bond worthless anyway
that he never got the bike might explain everything though forbes tries feebly to reconcile with the family legacy of common sense thrift   pointing out that he saves the paper clips from papers hes throwing away   even a man rich enough to have it all cant have it both ways for a scotsman its not a comforting thought to be breaking auction records forbes writes informing us that he had done just that in pursuit of a 21000 toy boat frankly he doesnt sound uncomfortable he sounds like a 10 year old with that new bike instead of a useless bond utterly vindicated
it soon becomes clear that the point of this book the titular more is forbess stuff were given page after page of photographs of that stuff   so much so that the book grimly resembles an auction catalog indeed forbes died the year after its publication this book is forbess opportunity to tell everyone all about his things faberge imperial eggs forbes then owned more than the kremlin a hundred thousand or so toy soldiers a helicopter yachts cars a 727 which he named capitalist tool a renoir a gilbert stuart the opera glasses president abraham lincoln was using at fords theater a fleet of hot air balloons modeled after other objects of beauty   lahores minar e pakistan a faberge egg a 17th century chateau he also owned the 17th century chateau the balloon was modeled after
gay men are adept at recognizing one another and i cant help seeing forbess particular sort of connoisseurship as a tell forbes was born during woodrow wilsons administration men and women of that generation had yet to evolve to the not that theres anything wrong with that attitude after forbess death michelangelo signorile reported on his closeted life in the now shuttered outweek magazine leaving aside the question of what he was or would have called himself forbess discriminating eye his exacting and exhausting taste strikes me as distinctively gay
men like forbes   historys bachelor unclesbest palstrusted advisers   were for centuries on the cutting edge of taste they were always the ones who cared about bias cuts cloisonne murano glass   whatever they lived lives circumscribed by social convention and exerted influence mostly in determining the absolute standard of high style cold comfort for the love of stuff cant replace love itself
today this gay taste no longer has so much to do with actual gayness whether speaking of actual gay men like yves saint laurent or urbane straight men like michael bloomberg   who bankrolls brilliant interior designers   calling the pursuit of aesthetic purity gay is an act of reclamation lots of rich men and women like fast cars but its a gay sensibility that appreciates the car as an object of beauty as well as a marvel of engineering   i think of the noted straight collector ralph lauren gayness should have never been cause for shame and now in the cultures more rarefied corners it can be cause for celebration many tastemakers in fashion art interior design are still gay men   but their gayness is not a secret and may even burnish their credentials im unable to think of a more suitable adjective to describe the sensibility that would invest as forbes did in eugene kupjacks exquisite miniature of thomas jeffersons bedroom at monticello scale one inch to one foot
which is why i find more than i dreamed for all its intended boastfulness somewhat tragic its impossible to look at all the stuff malcolm forbes accrued   an 1847 townhouse on west 12th street a london manse attributed to christopher wren the aforementioned chateau the glorious palais mendoub in tangier   without thinking of what the man never got to enjoy at least not openly i dont have a winslow homer or a renoir but i do have the liberty to live as i like


for the past 10 years my husbands family has convened for an annual summer reunion at a beach house in north carolina its great fun for the many young cousins who attend and our two children spend the year looking forward to it
our 6 year old child jg is gender nonconforming we had been in denial about this fact until several months ago when jg articulated to us how scary and demeaning this felt we are now out in the open about our childs gender nonconformity and jg has blossomed from a moody secretive child into a rambunctious and irrepressible little soul we live in a liberal area in a liberal state and jg has been accepted with love and generosity in our community my husbands large southern family has also surprised us in recent months with their unconditional love and acceptance
we planned and paid for our travel to north carolina long before house bill 2 was passed but as the visit looms closer my husband and i are feeling increasingly ambivalent not only are we worried that residents might single out our somewhat ambiguous looking child but we also wonder if we are obligated to explain the situation to jg who doesnt know about the law or the extent of the animus toward lgbt people and while we want to stand in solidarity with residents of north carolina for whom hb2 is such a burden both of our children would be devastated if we canceled the trip what is the ethical thing to do in this situation mh
your worries illustrate the consequences of this absurd law although defenders of the bathroom bill often speak in the name of the children its children and teenagers who are most likely to be harmed by the hate laden atmosphere the law has fomented but you wont be able to keep the truth about these attitudes from jg forever and now that you have accepted jgs sense of gender identity you need to tell both your children whats going on if you decided not to go youd want to give an honest account of why skipping the reunion doesnt mean the issue wont come up
what you need to get across   and you may have had to do this already   is that just as you once failed to understand who jg was new people may also not be fully accepting but youll be at a beach house surrounded by supportive family and friends according to recent surveys a large percentage of people in north carolina oppose hb2 in fact because of the news coverage of the law and the moving resistance to it by so many people in the state you may encounter more expressions of support than youd expect your husbands large southern family could be more representative of the region than the state politicians who voted for the bill
my 5 month olds caretaker lives 40 minutes away by train she commutes daily we loved her when we met her but we expressed our concern over her commute we were not expecting to pay for travel time and were ready to hire a local caretaker she explained that she wasnt looking to be paid for her travel time her previous job in the city hadnt either
we recently asked her to stay late on friday after working the full day we paid her overtime after 4 pm plus 50 for staying the night to spare her a late commute i took my son into our room as soon as we got home and she was off the clock it was our first night out since he was born and the peace of mind was worth the expenditure but looking forward we would like to hire a local sitter who wont need overtime or to spend the night the expense is just too great for us when i explained this to her she offered to work the job anyway and not be paid overtime
is it ethical to hire her and underpay her at her suggestion or do we deny her the job opportunity we want to do right by her mb
if i were thinking like an economist id say you are two rational agents making a bargain you want someone who wouldnt require overtime she thinks that shes better off relinquishing overtime and keeping this job than pursuing whatever other options she has available im bracketing the spend the night part for the moment so the outcome in which she works for you is better for each of you than the one in which she goes elsewhere and you have to try to find a local person who is as good whats to object to
but im not an economist im a moral philosopher and theres more going on here than economic arrangements you and your infant son have a relationship with this woman it isnt an arms length transaction governed by self interest alone as it happens adam smith one of the first great modern economists was also a great moral philosopher he wrote the wealth of nations in which he explained economic transactions as fundamentally governed by self interest and the theory of moral sentiments which explored the role of sympathy in our dealings with others so lets enlist both sides of smith one question sympathy might lead you to ask is why shes willing to accept a job with no overtime the answer i suspect is that you and she are operating in an economy in which people doing the kind of domestic work she does often dont get overtime even when theyre entitled to it and you have to decide whether the circumstances of her choice are just
if the background conditions in a labor market are seriously unjust   as they are in much of the world   peoples willingness to work for a particular wage isnt enough to make that wage fair we exploit people when we take advantage of their vulnerabilities thats why many think that american companies cant defend the wages they pay in bangladesh by saying that the workers there are willing to accept them youre concerned that youd be taking advantage of her by accepting the terms shes offering and theres good reason for that
adam smith lectured on legal theory as well so he would have pointed out that you also have legal constraints here because people in her situation tend to be in a weak bargaining position federal and a few state statutes create widely applicable overtime provisions but the costs of commuting are generally covered by the employee and the time spent doing it is not paid time from that point of view if she stays overnight on friday and is not working you are in effect allowing her to avoid the cost and the inconvenience of a long commute late friday followed by an early commute back if shes to work on saturday morning giving up the discretionary payment of 50 would seem reasonable on her part in view of the elements of convenience to her
theres one more factor thats ethically relevant simply ignoring her own judgments about what options are best for her would be less than respectful it seems to me that you can discuss all this with her and come to a judgment together about what terms you both think are fair that might still be somewhat more than what you would pay to a new caretaker because you recognize out of sympathy the burden of her long commute and because theres a final argument of self interest here you know this woman and you trust her alone in your house with your son that peace of mind has a value too


in the days before rapid sea or air travel it could take months to travel to mecca the spiritual heart of islam lay far from its great capitals in istanbul delhi and isfahan the devout came from distant lands on foot by camel and in horse drawn carriages bedouin tribes routinely robbed these pilgrims who were the primary source of revenue for this ancient desert town now the ease of air travel and the rise of a global muslim middle class have made the journey to mecca far less arduous and far more common last year three million came for the hajj a pilgrimage in the last month of the islamic lunar calendar that is considered obligatory for every muslim who can afford it five million more came for the umrah a minor pilgrimage that can be made for much of the year and millions of saudi citizens routinely pass through meccas sacred sites as tourists
the italian photographer luca locatelli visiting mecca this year during the umrah period captured how radically the city has changed to accommodate this growing influx of pilgrims until the first half of the 20th century this was a small city of spacious stone houses famed for their mashrabiyah or latticed windows and balconies five hills known as the rim of mecca encircled the grand mosque and the kaaba or house of god located in the city center today all a visitor would recognize from older images of mecca are the ottoman domes of the grand mosque its minarets and the kaaba the ancient hills the old stone homes and many of the sites linked to the life of the prophet muhammad have been obliterated by towering shopping malls hotels and apartment blocks
it is a transformation that has been underway since the late 1970s when the wealth generated by the oil boom led saudi monarchs to devise an ambitious plan to replace earlier ottoman structures and to expand the grand mosque and its surroundings with arab style architecture at a projected cost of 266 billion the saudi binladen group has led the efforts to increase the capacity of the grand mosque adding new wings prayer areas escalators and hundreds of bathrooms before his death in 2015 king abdullah ordered the installation of the worlds largest folding umbrellas in the piazzas outside the grand mosque to shelter worshipers from the blistering sun as they offered prayers read the quran or simply basked in their proximity to this holy site his successor king salman announced plans to build a ring road subways and intercity trains to accommodate millions of worshipers
one of locatellis photographs looks as if it were taken from the air but it was actually shot from one of the highest points of the royal mecca clock tower which houses a hulking hotel and shopping complex a few hundred meters from the gates of the grand mosque   46 times taller than the kaaba and crowned by a clock five times the size of big ben throughout the history of islam no other ruler built in such proximity to the kaaba certainly none built anything to dwarf it in luxury hotels like the fairmont makkah clock royal tower and the raffles makkah palace views of the holiest site of islam are marketed as the haram view and kaaba view and a standard room can run anywhere from 1500 to 2700 a night during the hajj
locatelli who is italian and was raised catholic gained entry to mecca through his marriage to an indonesian muslim which included a ceremonial conversion and gave him a feeling of sympathy for his wifes religion in his striking images you can see experiences shared by pilgrims everywhere as well as the mix of crass commercialism and genuine faith common among holy sites across religions lourdes fatima varanasi a group of men in ihram   two pieces of white towel like cloth that the pilgrims wear to convey a state of purity and human equality   get a bite to eat in a food court a young man takes a selfie with the kaaba in the background hundreds pray inside a shopping mall i wanted to show my western viewers that being a holy tourist in mecca is not very different locatelli says that we do similar things whether we go to a great temple to st peters or to mecca
when locatelli first arrived in mecca he was anxious about his outsider status but he says mecca was truly peaceful my fear melted away within days basharat peer


driving along a winding highway in the alps in southeast france last august i thought back to the romans when they came charging down the mountains into the rhone river valley in the first century bc how did they ever maneuver their chariots around some of the hairpin curves i was navigating did they ever stall as i once did at a pivotal juncture at the foot of the vercors massif drawing the ire of gallic motorists   or the ancient equivalent   honking behind as a recent convert from automatic to stick shift it was my baptism of the road as my french wife claudie put it
one thing i knew they braked long enough to establish the colony of delphinatus viennensis which would eventually blossom into le dauphine   the one time french province where personal and ancient history are intertwined for me in a place that claudie once lyrically called the geography of my heart
i came i saw i was conquered for 31 years and counting i have had privileged access to this charmed enclave of roughly 7695 square miles in the southeast corner of france ringed by the lavender fields and olive groves of provence the vineyards of the rhone river valley and the plateaus and peaks of the alps on past visits we invariably dashed from claudies native town valence near some of the countrys finest vineyards to arrive in time for dinner at her fathers ancestral village les savoyons in the alps but my beloved in laws have died there was no one awaiting us at table this time so we took it slow
the french revolution divided the royal province into three departments   the drome isere and hautes alpes   and though the geography varies from fertile plains to rolling hills to highlands and vertiginous summits the regional identity remains distinctly dauphinois the mood is laid back down to earth modulated by a midday siesta and a chilled sip of pastis
but behind that mellow mood lie centuries of upheaval
the area was the roman military and commercial corridor of choice between the alps and the rhone the punic general hannibal passed through with his elephants up from north africa to challenge rome allegedly leaving behind the pintade guinea hen a succulent cousin of the turkey traditionally raised in the drome it also became our favorite holiday fare best roasted with chestnuts from ardeche across the rhone
in the middle ages the dauphine was a quasi independent principality its rulers were called dauphins until the impecunious dauphin humbert ii sold his holdings to the king of france in 1349 when the title fell to the kings eldest son the rugged terrain made it an optimal refuge for french huguenots fleeing persecution during the wars of religion in the 16th century in the 20th century jews fleeing the nazi army and the vichy regime hid out here it is hard for a visitor to square the scenic splendor of gorges like grands goulets and combe laval with the turmoil that took place on the vercors where the french resistance made a valiant stand
valence the capital of the drome has a restored historic center including a jewel of renaissance architecture the 16th century maison des tetes a palace in the late gothic flamboyant style featuring the sculpted heads of allegorical figures and roman emperors the future french emperor napoleon was posted in valence as a young lieutenant but the citys present claim to fame is pic a michelin three star rated restaurant run by anne sophie pic frances most celebrated female chef where we once had my mother in laws birthday over seared fresh foie gras our budget forbade a return visit on this trip
next door to valence is the rhone river town of tain lhermitage one of frances wine meccas the big names here are paul jaboulet aine and michel chapoutier the latter a seventh generation vintner we took an electric powered bicycle tour of mr chapoutiers vineyards bursting with red syrah and white marsanne grapes tended according to biodynamic principles im ashamed to admit that the steep slope and hot sun got the better of us and we were forced to park our bikes below and hike up on foot but our reward remained a chilled glass of crisp white chante alouette sipped in an old hunting lodge at the summit
we had lunch at the home of friends but should have skipped dessert our next stop was la cite du chocolat valrhona an interactive chocolate museum created by one of frances leading commercial chocolate confectioners for a sensual experience a la charlie and the chocolate factory you can touch smell and taste your way through the process of chocolate production from bean to bar
on our friends advice we rounded out the day at the domaine bernard ange in clerieux whose signature red crozes hermitage is aged in the cave of an abandoned quarry the genial monsieur ange hosts tastings in an open air wine bar decorated with vintage insignia and advertisements
that same quarry yielded the molasse rock that makes up the core of the palais ideal du facteur cheval a marvel of outsider art about 18 miles northeast of tain in hauterives i will never forget my first impression 20 years ago the palais ideal looked to me like a termite hill disgorged mid gurgle by a colossal oyster the effect has not diminished over time part khmer jungle temple part egyptian tomb part gothic cathedral crawling with all manner of sculpted wildlife it is the work of ferdinand cheval a country postman inspired by the pictures of exotic places in the magazines he delivered posthumously recognized by the surrealist andre breton and admired by picasso chevals creation was preserved thanks to andre malraux then the french minister of culture
the drome is rich in artifact complementing scenic splendor fortified hilltop villages like le poet laval la garde adhemar and la motte chalancon where local lords took refuge from passing marauders and where artists hide out today are scattered among the lavender fields and forests of a pristine preserve in the drome provencale a southern subdivision of the department much of it thankfully off limits to industry
commerce made its mark elsewhere we stopped at saillans in the drome river valley to visit a working magnanerie a facility dedicated to silk farming and extraction silk thread was the economic mainstay of the region in the mid 19th century a small grove of mulberry trees the leaves of which make up the silk worms rarefied diet is all thats left of the thousands of mulberry trees that once thrived in the region we toured the winding back streets of old saillans with a garrulous franco irish guide david gourdant a blue eyed giant who laughingly described the history of his hometown a buffer between the embattled catholic town crest and protestant die as an ass between two chairs
after stopping off as was our custom at the jaillance cave cooperative for a sip of clairette the local bubbly we visited the ramparts of die that i had long admired from afar on closer inspection i found that the walls i had assumed to be medieval were in fact of roman provenance as is the sole surviving city gate we found history going much further back in the form of a reconstituted neolithic cave at the musee historique et archeologique a rich cache of ancient stones which houses a menhir from 4500 bc the tombstones of local gladiators and fragments of lavish roman mosaics
die and the neighboring town of luc en diois were once important roman outposts but the romans located their colonial capital in vienne in the department of isere the musee gallo romain in saint romain en gal situated beside excavated ruins on the opposite bank of the rhone features remarkable gallo roman mosaics including a haunting second century depiction of orpheus stroking his lyre
modern minstrels still strum their strings every summer at jazz a vienne the annual festival held in a perfectly intact first century roman theater we were too late this time for the festival this years runs from june 28 to july 15 but i retain a vivid memory of the virtuoso guitarists george benson and gilberto gil making the old stones vibrate some years back
there is little left of the roman presence in grenoble capital of isere though the musee archeologique ingeniously conceived in the shell of a 12th century church built atop a gallo roman necropolis reveals a layered history but the locals still celebrate another conqueror in 2015 they marked the 200th anniversary of napoleons escape from elba via a route that passed through town still referred to as the route napoleon in his fleeting 100 day long return to power a grenoblois friend jean francois recalled feeling a chill at the sight of an actor impersonating the emperor i stared in disbelief he said history winked back
grenobles greatest draw is its geographic site you can hop a cable car to the bastille for a sweeping view weather permitting in winter drive a mere 15 minutes to the ski slopes of le sappey en chartreuse or seek serenity as we did about 25 miles due north at the 11th century carthusian monastery of la grande chartreuse one of frances architectural marvels you dont have to be a monk to commune with the surrounding mountains
from grenoble we took the scenic route napoleon n85 through the pretty old mountain town of corps at the border between isere and hautes alpes proceeding to a lone 11th century chapel mere eglise that pokes out of the cliff like a petrified tree above the hamlet of saint disdier it was a pilgrimage of sorts wed last stopped by years ago to sample the trout at la neyrette a country inn someone suggested a digestive hike up to the chapel
strait is the gate and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life and few there be that find it pere theo the parish priest had quoted matthew 714 with a chuckle on our first visit way back when leading us in through a narrow door pere theo died in 1999 but a plaque on his tombstone perfectly bespeaks the spirit of the place if you be christian or not from these parts or just traveling through joyous or distressed it reads this is your house too
it was the same welcoming spirit i felt at many an outdoor family banquet that lasted till the stars lit up the sky when in rome do as the romans do when in the dauphine   well though i am still lovingly referred to as lamericain i sip pastis and play a pretty good game of petanque yet though ive mastered the stick shift i still drive defensively ever on the lookout for careening chariots
les domaines de patras 2300 route de st paul solerieux drome provencale 33 4 75 00 13 89 lesdomainesdepatrascom rooms start at 120 euros about 133 breakfast included
prieure de veras oze hautes alpes 33 6 08 89 38 49prieuredeverasblogspotcom rooms start at 95 euros breakfast included
pic also maison pic or anne sophie pic is a michelin three star gem in valence 285 avenue victor hugo 33 4 75 44 15 32 anne sophie piccom
for the foodie hikerauberge de moissiere rabou hautes alpes 33 4 92 57 95 85 auberge moissierefr
cafe de la table ronde in grenoble is one of frances oldest cafes 7place st andre 33 4 76 44 51 41 restaurant tableronde grenoblecom
the bilingual franco irish guide david gourdant based in saillans knows le dauphine like the back of his hand book throughandartaorg


on the walking dead daryl dixon often can be found on a motorcycle speeding toward or away from one zombie adventure after another
its a tendency shared by the man who plays him minus the zombies norman reedus has ridden motorcycles since childhood and amc which broadcasts walking dead has channeled his enthusiasm into ride with norman reedus a motorcycle travel series making its debut on june 12 an amc executive pitched the idea and mr reedus said yes before he could change his mind he recalled recently its a dream job
each episode is based on a different road trip with the actor and his companions riding exploring and riding some more the first show tracks a jaunt up the pacific coast highway in california from los angeles to santa cruz with breaks for dune buggy rides and visits to custom bike shops among other diversions on future shows he will travel to places like new orleans and death valley
the tone is loose and informal   mr reedus mostly skips hair and makeup help he said to give the series a more authentic feel i want to have people feel like theyre on the ride with us he said
on the telephone recently he discussed wheelie mishaps biker churches and porta potty races one thing he wont address whether this show means that he has been killed off the walking dead the show dispatched a core character in the season 6 finale in april but didnt reveal who it was we shot this during the winter hiatus he said refusing to take the bait
following are edited excerpts from a conversation with mr reedus
q so is this a travel show or a motorcycle show
a its like a travel docu series what anthony bourdain does with food we do with motorcycles it has that sort of energy to it im learning as i go along and im making mistakes and its fun
what kinds of mistakes
youll see me going crawfishing with my pants full of swamp water youll see me trying to pop wheelies on a dirt bike in the desert and failing miserably im not trying to be a motorcycle expert im just an enthusiast and want to learn and with that sometimes comes mistakes
none serious i hope
oh no were really safety conscious and careful we always wear full face helmets and we dont do anything too stupid people that ride motorcycles are the best drivers on the road   you have to be completely conscious of whats happening around you you have to assume every car is texting and driving
how long have you been riding
since junior high school   i started on a friends yamaha yz 80 now i have two triumphs a honda a harley and i got a new triumph 800 tiger which is kind of my new favorite a fan starts yelling enthusiastically at mr reedus who chats with him for a moment where were we
i guess another advantage of motorcycles is the anonymity of a helmet
i do some of my best thinking with a helmet on i do that when im doing walking dead   i go over my lines as im riding to work in a helmet i decompress on my way home in a helmet i think people know my motorcycle in georgia where the show is filmed but i can escape quicker
will any walking dead co stars be appearing on your new show
i hope so we have a couple good riders on the show now steven yeun rides jeffrey dean morgan rides we actually all ride together in georgia whenever we can its such pretty riding down there   you can ride for hours and its just cows going by
what are some of the more surprising things youve experienced while shooting ride
i went to a biker church the priest was giving his sermon while sitting on a harley davidson and he was like you know life is like a harley davidson you gotta put gas in the tank or youre gonna end up on the side of the road and then we raced porta potties so theres been lots of weird stuff
you raced porta potties
we had these two big dudes on harleys pulling two different porta potties and me and a friend raced each other
you didnt try to pop any wheelies on those did you
oh no i was just holding on for dear life it was terrifying


elizabeth and nick flint were apartment hunting in brooklyn two years ago when a friend suggested they consider jersey city instead the couple who were renting in williamsburg wanted to buy a place
by the time we found something in brooklyn it was like 13 stops on the l so we started to look at other places ms flint said they soon realized that jersey city had a vibrant downtown with an accessible waterfront it was also a short commute to manhattan
the flints focused on jersey city heights at the citys northern end we found this area of the heights that was untapped said ms flint 36 a yoga instructor the sleepy enclave had a mix of one  two  and three family homes and large apartment buildings while some blocks were handsome others seemed rundown
the couple who now have a 3 1/2  year old son and a newborn daughter paid around 385000 about a year and a half ago for a house with three bedrooms two and a half baths and a small yard on jefferson avenue ms flint misses the energy of williamsburg where she lives now kind of reminds me of greenpoint five years ago she said referring to the brooklyn neighborhood
the heights is one of many neighborhoods in jersey city drawing people priced out of manhattan and brooklyn
as manhattan becomes increasingly more densely populated people are migrating to the next stop said michael j demarco the president of mack cali realty which is building 6000 residential units near the jersey city waterfront including m2 at marbella a 311 unit rental opening this month now theyre looking across the water and saying isnt that a lot closer than bushwick or williamsburg 
countless restaurants are now downtown whole foods market plans to open near the grove street path station in 2020 everywhere you look around there is something new happening said nicole sorgentoni 33 a jewelry buyer for loft who pays 2320 a month for a one bedroom in 70 columbus a luxury rental downtown
steven m fulop the 39 year old mayor said of the city weve kind of hit our stride he and his fiancee jaclyn thompson are renovating a victorian rowhouse that they bought last summer in the heights
schools remain a wild card the city has some excellent schools like dr ronald e mcnair academic high school which is ranked third in the state according to us news and world report but others struggle
the school system is one that were still focused on improving mr fulop said
popular charter schools have long wait lists mr flint 40 an actor waited in line for two days hiring someone to camp overnight to get his son a coveted spot in a prekindergarten charter program at concordia learning center at st josephs school for the blind
but many parents say schools are improving especially downtown the schools down here are getting better and theyre getting better because more parents are getting involved said jesse teeters 37 an actor whose daughter almost 6 goes to kindergarten at public school 5 downtown
mr teeters and his wife megan 37 a clothing designer bought a three bedroom rowhouse in 2011 on first street in the village a downtown neighborhood they paid 515000 similar properties in the area are selling for around 1 million today he said
jersey city with some 264000 residents over 15 square miles is a collection of neighborhoods with distinct personalities in 2010 the population was 28 percent hispanic or latino 26 percent black 24 percent asian and 22 percent non hispanic white according to united states census data
the hudson river is to the east union city north bergen and hoboken are to the north the hackensack river newark bay and secaucus to the west and bayonne to the south
the varied housing stock is dispersed along wide congested avenues and quieter side streets while high rises abound in waterfront neighborhoods like exchange place and newport other waterfront enclaves like paulus hook retain a quaint sensibility row homes and brownstones can be found in downtown neighborhoods like hamilton park and van vorst park bergen lafayette to the southwest has 19th century victorian houses and brownstones along with neglected properties
some 9700 residential units mostly rentals are under construction around the city and 16000 more are approved according to the mayors office
journal square in the north center of the city has a bustling transit hub surrounded by courthouses and shopping quieter swathes of journal square like hilltop offer a mix of homes along with larger multifamily buildings its the up and coming area said kim beier a sales woman for halstead property
on june 1 there were 529 residential properties on the market according to jcity realty with a median asking price of 399000 listings ranged from a two bedroom one bath condominium in journal square for 55000 up to a three bedroom three bath condo downtown for 25 million
bidding wars are commonplace said natalie miniard the owner of jcity realty
prices are highest downtown which includes the waterfront of the condos the largest category of sales there that sold downtown between january and may the median price was 670000 up from 583500 during the same period in 2015 according to jcity realty an increase of almost 15 percent by comparison the median price for a condo in journal square was 243500 through may of 2016 up about 26 percent from 194000 a year earlier
rents also skew to the river the median monthly rent in may for waterfront rentals was 3000 the rest of downtown was 2695 journal square was 1825 and the heights was 1650 according to urban luxe realty
liberty state park a 1212 acre park abutting the hudson river houses the liberty science center and a 911 memorial visitors can take a kayak tour of the hudson river estuary or catch a ferry to the statue of liberty and ellis island
mana contemporary an arts center in journal square is open to the public during select hours
the newport center mall has four department stores more than 130 shops an 11 screen cinema and a 1000 seat dining pavilion a pedestrian promenade along newark avenue between grove and erie streets is lined with bars and restaurants
the jersey city school district serves about 28000 children universal prekindergarten is available to all 3  and 4 year olds in the city there are 26 elementary schools and four middle schools including a magnet school for gifted students four of the citys eight high schools are magnet schools the districts average sat score for 2014 2105 was 406 in reading 407 in writing and 432 in math compared with statewide averages of 500 499 and 521 the new jersey department of education website lists 12 charter schools
private school review lists more than 30 private schools in jersey city on its website many of which are parochial
the path has stops in jersey city at exchange place newport grove street and journal square the trip to 33rd street in manhattan is around 15 minutes from newport and around 20 minutes from journal square the ride to the world trade center is around five minutes from exchange place and about 10 minutes from journal square
new jersey transit operates buses to the port authority from various points in jersey city
ny waterway ferries go to manhattan from paulus hook liberty harbor and port liberte light rail connects residents to various points in jersey city and nearby towns an entrance to the holland tunnel is in jersey city
when dutch colonists arrived on the waterfront of what is now jersey city in 1623 the lenape indians were living there according to jersey city past and present a website run by new jersey city university


just how many hamiltons can hamilton make broadways new blockbuster has only been open for 10 months but already this hip hop musical about americas founding fathers is one of the great successes in recent theatrical history
the shows cast members were invited to the white house and have become regular guests on late night talk shows lin manuel miranda the musicals creator was on the cover of rolling stone fans and enterprising line sitters camp outside the theater around the clock hoping to snag last minute seats tickets are almost impossible to come by except those resold at highly marked up prices and celebrities have streamed in beyonce barbra bernie
all that enthusiasm means a lot of money for the men and women who brought the show to broadway months ago hamilton recouped the 125 million it cost to mount it is now making an estimated 600000 a week in profit and every indication is that its touring productions which begin in chicago in september and in san francisco next march will be highly profitable too
producers and investors together stand to make tens or even hundreds of millions of dollars mr miranda will become quite wealthy and a diverse group of collaborators   from the lighting designer to mr mirandas show tune loving father   will share in the bounty
even if hamilton isnt playing in bangkok decades after its debut as was the case with phantom of the opera its not unreasonable to expect that mr mirandas unlikely hit will ultimately generate upward of 1 billion in sales
of course nothing is certain theater history is dotted with fizzled triumphs the producers for example was a must see on broadway and toured but lost steam after the june 12 tony awards hamilton will face a new set of challenges with new cast members and new markets but there is a demonstrated path to riches for the few musicals able to translate broadway success into long running and international popularity the lion king and phantom each claims to have grossed more than 6 billion worldwide and wicked has passed 4 billion
forecasting the future for hamilton is risky but the shows current fortunes and the model provided by other shows are instructive here based on documents filed with government agencies and interviews with people familiar with various aspects of the musicals finances is a look at how hamilton makes money and where that money goes
the revolutions happening in new york
on broadway hamilton is consistently selling out all 1321 seats at the richard rodgers theater and is currently grossing about 19 million a week in ticket sales simply by maintaining that pace the show would bring in nearly 100 million a year thats grosses not profits but there is reason to expect that figure to rise in a bid to blunt profiteering   the widespread scalping of tickets at highly marked up prices   the show may soon raise prices above the current ceiling of 475 for premium seating
at 100 million a year the broadway production of the show would pass the 1 billion mark in a decade the shows current pace will be tough to sustain but not unimaginable   wicked this year set a record by reaching the 1 billion mark on broadway in just over 12 years and hamilton although running in a smaller theater has higher ticket prices
we create you just wanna move our money around
the hottest ticket on broadway cost on average 172 during the week that ended june 5 but thats just what the initial purchaser paid many theatergoers pay considerably more by purchasing resold tickets on sites like stubhub craigslist and ticketmaster those tickets are being listed for as much as 5018 each but most are sold for considerably less the average resale of hamilton tickets on stubhub is roughly 872 according to a new york times analysis a markup of 700 above the current average original ticket sale price
for any given performance roughly 13 to 22 percent of the seats at the richard rodgers   somewhere between 180 and 300 tickets   are available on the secondary market according to the timess research and interviews with ticket sellers so for each performance of hamilton ticket sellers and brokers are reaping roughly 150000 with the broadway cast putting on more than 400 shows per year that means these sellers could reap about 60 million per year just in new york   money the producers investors and mr miranda will never see
tomorrow therell be more of us
if hamilton follows the pattern of other recent theatrical megahits its profits will substantially increase when it plays outside of new york the big money goes to shows that globalize by running productions in multiple countries often at the same time the phantom of the opera for example has been mounted in 13 languages in 151 cities in 30 countries
hamilton is moving quickly to take advantage of its moment the chicago production will begin just 13 months after the broadway opening and run indefinitely the privatebank theater in chicago where hamilton will play is much bigger than the shows broadway house meaning that even if ticket prices are somewhat lower revenues could be strong and that run could nearly double the shows weekly profitability
hamilton is also planning two separate north american touring productions one beginning in march in san francisco and one beginning in seattle in 2018 the theaters on the road are likely to price tickets lower than in new york but many of them hold more people so these two tours on top of chicago could dramatically increase the shows current revenues and profits
the shows producers will soon announce a fifth production in london and if hamilton follows the path of other monster musicals it will eventually explore the possibilities of productions in asia australia or continental europe profits from foreign productions are difficult to forecast and given that hamilton is a lyrically dense musical about american history its appeal outside the united states and in languages other than english is uncertain
can i buy you a drink
from t shirts to cds to books fans cannot get enough hamilton
the cast album has sold over 428000 copies domestically according to nielsen track downloads have topped 212000 on demand streams from sources like spotify and apple music have eclipsed 365 million together thats roughly 11 million in gross retail sales
more music is on the way mr miranda is working with the roots drummer questlove on a new recording of hamilton songs and more featuring pop stars like busta rhymes ben folds regina spektor and chance the rapper
hamilton can even sell books hamilton the revolution a behind the scenes book about the creation of the musical by jeremy mccarter and mr miranda went on sale in april with a list price of 40 in less than two months it sold more than 101000 copies according to nielsen and hit the no 1 spot on the new york times hardcover nonfiction best seller list other authors have benefited from hamilton fever too ron chernows 2004 biography which inspired mr miranda to write the musical has spent 33 weeks on the paperback best seller list this fall three rivers press will publish jeff wilsers self help book alexander hamiltons guide to life
many of those who manage to get inside the richard rodgers theater visit the gift stand which sells hats magnets and mugs and goodies are available even to those who cant get inside the theater bloomingdales is selling hamilton apparel in new york and plans to do the same in other cities as the show tours online there is a thriving market for unlicensed hamilton tchotchkes perfume dolls and key chains made by enterprising fans
there is even a beer gun hill brewing in the bronx has made a hamilton inspired pale ale the brew wont enrich mr miranda and his team instead some profits are going to graham windham the social services organization co founded by alexander hamiltons wife eliza dave lopez a partner at gun hill says anything hamilton sells these days
who provided those funds
the vast majority of profits from hamilton is going to the producers and investors who put up the 125 million to finance the show
jeffrey seller the lead producer will reap big financial rewards a veteran of other broadway hits including rent and mr mirandas first musical in the heights mr seller splits 42 percent of the net profits from the show with its other producers jill furman and sander jacobs they are not saying how they divvy up their share that means the producers are splitting about 13 million annually from the current broadway production
the producers are also entitled to 3 percent of the adjusted gross from hamilton which amounts to about 52000 weekly or 27 million annually from the broadway production producers commonly get both a royalty and a share of profits
for mr seller it doesnt end there his production company adventureland is entitled to another 5 percent of net profits or about 16 million a year from the current production adventureland receives these so called torchbearer points in recognition of his role in the shows development
the investors who backed hamilton   a group of about 100 people that includes robert greenblatt the nbc entertainment chairman as well as the power publicist ken sunshine   split another 42 percent of the profits or about 13 million annually from the broadway production the list of hamilton investors has not been made public
those are big numbers for the theater world but they are likely to get much bigger in the coming years as the show opens productions beyond new york
why do you write like youre running out of time
mr miranda the shows 36 year old creator wears an unusual number of hats he came up with the idea he wrote the music book and lyrics and he is for now the star that means he gets a salary as an actor as well as authorship royalties and profits that ordinarily would be split among multiple people he is expected to leave the cast this summer and will then lose his salary an undisclosed amount but he will continue to receive the royalties and profits for as long as the show runs
he is likely to make at least 64 million from the broadway production over the next year his earnings will grow considerably when the other productions begin
the show has also dramatically transformed his earning potential disney has proved particularly enthusiastic mr miranda wrote a cantina song for star wars the force awakens is writing music for the animated film moana and has been cast to star opposite emily blunt in a live action sequel to mary poppins a film version of in the heights which had stalled in hollywood is back in development and a film version of hamilton is likely
mr miranda is also the ultimate rights holder for hamilton after the shows commercial life ends he will own the rights for productions in regional theaters and schools which can generate considerable revenue over time
i never had a group of friends before i promise that ill make yall proud
mr miranda rewards loyalty the director choreographer and orchestrator for hamilton as well as the shows costume lighting and sound designers all worked on in the heights all of them   and the shows set designer   are entitled to royalties and all are likely to make millions of dollars over the life of the show
thomas kail the director has known mr miranda since the two were introduced after both graduated a few years apart from wesleyan university mr kail helped develop in the heights and hamilton he is entitled to 25 percent of the adjusted gross revenue from hamilton or about 23 million a year just from the new york production mr kail also receives 15 percent of net profits currently about another 470000 annually
andy blankenbuehler the shows choreographer receives 175 percent of gross sales and 05 percent of profits   currently totaling 17 million or so annually
mr mirandas musical partner alex lacamoire gets just under 1 percent of gross sales currently about 790000 annually and the shows costume lighting and sound designers   paul tazewell howell binkley and nevin steinberg   receive between 037 and 05 percent of gross sales currently worth about 336000 to 454000 per year
as with all of the royalty and profit sharing arrangements associated with hamilton the value of the creative teams cut will increase significantly when the productions in chicago and beyond begin
well give the world to you and youll blow us all away
this is the one late addition to the hamilton profit plan mr seller agreed in april to share some of the shows earnings with the performers who helped as the musical was being developed
the details are still being ironed out but probably the opening night casts at the public theater and on broadway and perhaps participants in pre opening workshops at the public theater will share 1 percent of the profits from the broadway production and will also share a portion of the profits of touring productions
the profit sharing is likely to affect about 30 people including not only actors and dancers but also stage managers its not clear how much they would get but perhaps about 10000 a year from the broadway production alone that is not a lot of money compared with what others are earning but it is still significant to performers many of whom work for relatively low salaries and have long periods between roles on broadway actors make a union mandated minimum of 1900 a week the performers in hamilton are making more than that but many performers spend much of their careers off or off off broadway where salaries are considerably lower
the hamilton performers worked hard to get a profit sharing promise   after they were unable to negotiate a deal as the broadway production was opening they hired a lawyer to represent them it took them eight months after the broadway production opened to win an agreement they had argued that it was not fair given their contributions to the show to exclude them from sharing in its success
dont forget from whence you came
hamilton has proved lucrative for three others who helped along the way ron chernow a historian whose biography of alexander hamilton inspired and formed the basis for the musical the public theater the off broadway nonprofit that nurtured the shows late stage development and presented its pre broadway production and most surprisingly luis a miranda jr lin manuel mirandas father
mr chernow who is the musicals historical consultant and its tireless champion gets 1 percent of the shows adjusted grosses as a royalty   currently about 900000 a year
the public theater which famously lived for years off the profits from transferring a chorus line to broadway gets 5 percent of the profits and 1 percent of the adjusted gross   currently totaling about 25 million a year the public says it is putting most of the money into its cash reserves rather than its operating budget
luis miranda jr a political consultant is the most unusual beneficiary he is an unabashed fan of musical theater who collects cast recordings and sings in the car and he introduced his son to the genre he is often present at his sons side accompanying him to events and helping him manage many aspects of his life and career he is getting 1 percent of the shows profits   currently about 312000 a year
in each case the value of their share will increase as the show adds productions
the art of the trade how the sausage gets made
even before the profits or the royalties for hamilton are distributed there is a more fundamental expense the cost of putting on the show
winches and chain motors are 3200 a week
dressers are 20000 a week
and electrics and sound cost 28000 a week
hamilton pays about 295000 per week for the richard rodgers a fee that covers rent as well as the house staff musicians stagehands and more
the shows cast and crew are paid about 220000 altogether a week advertising costs a relatively low 80000 per week thanks to all the free publicity but things like taxes pensions lawyers and equipment rentals add up
on the scale of broadway musicals hamilton with its modest set and midsize cast has moderate running costs all in all it costs about 650000 a week to present the show on broadway or about 34 million a year but its proving to be one of the best investments in town


despite his genial persona david schwimmer is drawn to characters who are struggling broken flawed and in pain but the main guy in bankerot the danish show that inspired amcs feed the beast mr schwimmers new series was so drunk and despairing that even he had to draw the line
i have to say my heart really went out to him he said laughing but it was our job to try to create a compelling character out of a man in this place of absolute sorrow and a lack of enthusiasm for life
in feed the beast mr schwimmer plays tommy a grieving sommelier raising a son who has gone silent since witnessing his mothers death in a hit and run jim sturgess is his lifelong friend dion a coked up ex con chef who thinks that the best thing for them all would be to open a restaurant in their native bronx even though he burned down their last one and owes a huge debt to the mob
its been quite a year for mr schwimmer 49 with a well received portrayal of robert kardashian in fxs the people v oj simpson american crime story and this his first role as a series regular in more than a decade now living in the east village with his wife the british artist zoe buckman and their 5 year old daughter cleo the man forever known as ross on friends talked about the art of the pour and the enduring appeal of a certain series these are edited excerpts from the conversation
youve resisted signing on as a series regular since friends ended in 2004 so why this one
when i look at making such a big commitment i look for a couple of things is the character someone that i really love and feel like ill be challenged by playing is the showrunner someone i can see being married to for six or seven years is he going to be my partner in crime and i felt that right from the first meeting with clyde phillips but the fact that it shoots locally made the decision much easier because i dont want to be away from my daughter
did you train to play a sommelier
my first call was to my buddy josh nadel who oversees all the wine and beverage for andrew carmellinis restaurants i said youve got to give me a crash course so wed do tastings and talk about the different regions and id videotape him opening bottles and pouring with that gentle turn of the wrist so theres no spill while youre presenting the label the entire time id thought i had a little knowledge about wine now i realize i know nothing
is that real wine on the set
the wine is different combinations of grape and cranberry juice there was only one scene where i requested a real bottle because they were going to use an extreme close up of the pour i bought it myself because i wanted those wine freaks out there to be happy when they watched i had to taste it so we had to be careful i had a lot of dialogue and i didnt want to be buzzed
any summer plans
im taking my daughter to chicago because my lookingglass theater company has a summer program for kids so were going to do a father daughter theater camp for two weeks
friends is hugely popular on netflix with millennials are you surprised
im amazed by it and it makes me wonder will friends have legs when my daughter is of age what is it about the show is it that sense of nostalgia wow thats what the 90s were like could it also be that its a show before texting and social media became prevalent so the idea that six people could sit on a couch and talk is just so foreign an idea to young adults these days theyre all together sitting on a couch but theyre looking at their devices instead of each other


the rain misted down and i had two choices the road up the hill or the one alongside the river i stood next to some kind of cement plant most of it hidden behind a corrugated metal fence dripping with moisture my pack pulled down on my shoulders the river engorged by two days of rain roared and echoed against the mountains a man in blue overalls emerged from behind a small fuso truck
like many people id encountered in japan he wanted to help me i was grateful i put roughly 25 percent of my japanese language skills to work
sumimasen i said excuse me
hai
tsumago
he gestured down the road i thought along the river he said quite a few things that i didnt understand i thanked him and strode off pack on back hands on straps rain on head
a half hour later after continuing along the river and then beneath a highway overpass pressing against the wall because there was no shoulder and then doubling back in confusion   this cant be right   i found myself outside the same plant beside the same fence talking to the same man he seemed mildly frustrated with me he gestured again and this time i went up the hill of course   when you have a pack on your back the destination is always up the hill
i soon came into tsumago a beautifully preserved edo era town on the nakasendo road in the kiso valley i had wanted to visit for years   35 actually   and had chosen to walk from the train so i could first experience the town as travelers had in the 19th century on foot the neat rows of wooden houses revealing themselves in diminishing perspective as i turned the corner but it was 2011 so instead i entered via the parking lot and had to negotiate my pack between an idling bus and a pair of vending machines featuring the image of tommy lee jones
my obsession with japan began in 1979 when my parents took me from our house in brooklyn to see a show of woodblock prints at the cooper hewitt museum in manhattan featuring works by the great landscape artist hiroshige
the show featured prints from hiroshiges first famous series the 53 stations of the tokaido which chronicled life along the ancient coast highway that connected edo present day tokyo and kyoto
traveling the road was an envied once in a lifetime experience and those who got the chance availed themselves of spectacular views local culinary delicacies hot spring baths and other more carnal pursuits along the way those who couldnt go or wanted souvenirs to remember their journeys bought prints like hiroshiges for roughly the price of a double serving of noodles
the strikingly modern designs the warm hues of the skies and trees the towns nestled in the mountains or by the sea the raucous joy of the travelers and the almost palpable sense of the seasons lit up something inside me   i stood there transfixed i was soon spending hours trying to draw like hiroshige i became obsessed by all things japanese   books movies i even took up japanese fencing the country had recovered from the war but was not yet the economic powerhouse it would become in the 1980s   it was something of a blank slate for my imagination
this interest never quite faded away like others of adolescence but over the decades various events college jobs children seemed timed to prevent me from actually visiting japan or maybe i just told myself that i suppose deep in my heart i didnt want modern reality to get in the way of my childhood fantasy land
so in 2011 when my wife and two children had finally had enough   why dont you just go   i screwed up my courage and went with one goal of recreating the hiroshige experience the tokaido is mostly built over but portions of the nakasendo which connects tokyo and kyoto via the interior and which hiroshige had also chronicled are still preserved
the evening after my rainy wrong turn i clumped eagerly up the road from tsumago to the town of magome i was in some kind of heaven that day in either bright sunshine or cool crisp shade but was rarely out of earshot of a highway at one point deep in the woods i encountered a vending machine tommy lee jones again i had an iced coffee
four years later as i planned my return to japan i knew i had to travel beyond the populated heart of the country if i wanted to really replicate the world i had seen in those prints going farther afield than hiroshige himself
and so i chose the kumano kodo a series of trails through deep forest and small towns on the kii peninsula several hours south of osaka its a religious pilgrimage that i came across in my obsessive reading pilgrims go to visit the numerous shrines along the way worshiping the mountains themselves theyve done so since the sixth century its said one can achieve spiritual powers by enduring the routes physical challenge
spirituality aside this seemed to have everything i wanted long walks deep in the woods beautiful towns with little hotels promising hot baths sake and great meals the idea of going alone was intimidating i could only imagine how little english was spoken but i hated the idea of being part of a group with a guide my japanese obsession is a very private thing and thats when i discovered oku japan and the self guided tour
i found it online the reviews were good for 955 oku would book my hotels and provide me with a step by step guide to the trail the company based in cheshire england had an office in japan with an emergency phone number this made my wife feel better i opted for a four day three night hike paying a little more for a single supplement but less because id take care of my own train tickets with a japan rail pass oku provided me with timetables
and so with my trusty pack on my back i set off for my second trip to japan
first i spent two days in tokyo i visited print galleries during the day and wandered shinjuku at night   to a new yorker it felt like 20 times squares   where i was carried along in a swirl of crowds neon blaring pop music screeching overhead trains weird bird tweets at walk signs and the approaches of english speaking touts who promised 100 percent naked women all the beer i could drink in 60 minutes or both
i deflected offers of the first by pointing to my wedding ring and the second by feigning indignation and announcing that i did not drink then i went off in search of a quiet cocktail bar i found several including a tiny one in the decrepit but atmospheric golden gai section where the bartender said i looked like jack bauer from 24 i dont but the name stuck and the other drinkers exclaimed goodnight jack bauer in tipsy unison as i returned to the lantern lit alley an hour or so later
at my inn in kyoto a package awaited from oku japan my 12 page itinerary a booklet detailing the kumano kodo with directions i would be taking the nakahechi route and several beautiful laminated color maps with height elevations i was all set the next morning having condensed my essentials and a few of my favorite books about japan into a shoulder bag i grabbed a boxed lunch at kyoto station and got on the super kuroshia no 7 limited express nonreserved car as per my instructions
i studied my itinerary and maps as the outskirts of kyoto and then osaka gave way to small towns and finally the blue expanse of the inland sea dotted with tiny islands as jagged and numerous as those portrayed by hiroshige the train hugged the west coast of the peninsula before arriving at the town of kii tanabe where i got off and found the bus that would take me into the interior
as i got on i noticed a group of westerners who seemed to be following the same instructions this was something i had not considered others would be taking the same self guided tour at the same time and i would be by default part of a group
the bus climbed away from the cluttered coastline into rich green mountains and eventually along a wide pebbly river soon enough and right on time we were in takijiri a tiny town in a deep ravine at the intersection of the tonda and ishifune rivers where the kumano kodo begins
i paid the 960 yen about 880 oku had prepared me for and went into a shop to get water and a bamboo walking stick i also wanted to let the others get ahead of me
i followed my instructions the first shrine takijiri oji was just behind the shop i walked toward it and then to the left around it and saw the beginning of the trail a sharply ascending ladder of logs and tangled tree roots slick with damp leaves beside a steep drop off up i went
have i mentioned that im not much of a hiker beyond my japanese fencing phase athletics have never been a priority im not outdoorsy im indoorsy but my hiroshige fantasy propelled me onward even as my chest started to ache awfully soon
im also a little anxious about heights this was an issue that first day and on the subsequent two days as the trail was often atop a towering cliff on the right side the left side or at a few spots both sides the path crowning a precipitous land bridge at one point i kicked a small rock to determine how long it would take to the reach the bottom it was still bouncing down on and on more and more distant when i resumed my trek
i got into a rhythm marking my progress on my map and at every wooden trail marker oku explained the history and legends associated with this or that shrine or landmark kept me from taking several wrong turns and warned me away from a detour that while promising a great view would have been exhausting and anyway there were already views at every break in the trees   layers and layers of mountains some smooth others rough with treetops their ridges meeting in diagonal lines each a different shade of green blue
the first day was only 28 miles soon i descended into the tiny town of takahara here two roads met on a gliding slope and there were a few shops and one hotel the organic hotel takahara kiri no sato every room in the place from the wide open lobby dining room with its bare support beams to the mens and womens baths to the bedrooms had spectacular views of the yawning valley below now tinted gold
i tossed my bag in my room and went to have a beer and take some notes on the terrace the afternoon cooled the instant the sun dipped behind the mountains it felt as if the valley became air conditioned i found the group from the bus beers half empty one of the women with a laptop and discovered that after my solitary train bus walk day i didnt mind a little company
after a bit i went for a bath joined in the wooden tub by two chatty and elderly japanese men and enjoyed the view of the darkening mountains some more before getting dressed for dinner set for precisely 630 pm
one member of the group janet invited me to sit with them and i liked the idea but my hosts said this would be impossible we were different parties after all sometimes in japan ive found rules can be intractable so i ate alone   pickles beef i dipped in boiling water and several other items including a very western avocado dish   at the next table over my back to the others it was equal parts awkward and comic how are you doing over there wendell janet asked at one point over her shoulder
the rules were relaxed as the meal ended and i shifted my chair around and joined the other table as i finished my sake not included in okus fee there were five of them janet her husband stan her aunt elvina her colleague pat and pats friend also named pat
we traded the basic details of our lives they were from canada edmonton and vancouver with jobs that included judges and lawyers in family court it made for fascinating after dinner conversation they were also fierce hikers having tackled many ambitious walks such as the camino de santiago in spain they were indeed following okus instructions and had found the first days walk a snap have you seen the elevations for tomorrow and the day after one asked me
i had and said that i was worried
the second days hike was 65 miles including 1575 feet of ascent i went down to the village to take in the view from there and to allow the canadians to get a head start i still envisioned my hike as a solitary adventure soon enough i was deep in the woods marveling at the towering and straight up japanese cedars and passing an abandoned house that looked like something out of a japanese horror movie some trees were flecked with early autumn orange i sat on a stump to eat two sandwiches the organic hotel had packed for me for lunch
at one point i paused beside an especially deep ravine the cedars stood like an infinite army of stoic and towering sentries all around and above and below me endless legions of them falling away on my hill and then rising higher on the next one their tops shimmering gently way way up there in the occasional breeze a few beams of sunlight slanted down but otherwise all was in shade there wasnt a sound not a bird not a cricket even the branches swaying in the breeze could not be heard as if they were in a silent movie
my hiking senses sharpened i came to learn that a glimpse of blue sky near the bottom of the trunks ahead meant i was reaching the crest of a mountain just as the increasingly loud gurgle of a stream meant i was reaching the bottom there always seemed to be more up than down
i encountered the occasional solitary hiker flying by with scissoring poles pilgrims with twinkling bells and small groups one was a gaggle of young women from osaka who asked me to take their picture asked me to appear in a picture with them and gave me as a reward a selection of japanese candies after they thanked me and i absent mindedly responded sure they engaged in a contest to see who could best imitate my voice each attempt getting deeper and of longer duration sure sure suuuuure
at another point i was joined by a retired japanese man who spoke nostalgically of the months hed spent in indiana studying engineering he practiced his english on me while i practiced my japanese on him sumimasen
oku had warned that the kii peninsula could be rainy but i never had anything but sun my stamina followed an arc i tired quickly then got into a rhythm magically energized i felt my mind open up and go free   it wandered through time over that print show at the cooper hewitt my family my first trip to japan even my job solutions to several vexing problems at work suddenly became clear
i tired again as i approached my destination the town of chikatsuyu where oku had booked me at a minshuku a guesthouse more modest than a traditional japanese inn it sat on the far bank of the tonda i had another long hot bath this one fed by a hot spring again with two chatty and elderly japanese men though not the same ones as the evening before
i threw in once and for all with the canadians at dinner maybe id already tired a little of my own thoughts we agreed to stick together the next day another group at the guesthouse was from spain including a stocky bald man said to be a karate expert
we started early the following morning   elvina was soon way ahead   and marked our progress on our maps we had lunch in a small field next to a stream i had two rice balls id bought at a shop in chikatsuyu and an egg that elvina made me take from the hotel saying she was worried i wouldnt have enough for lunch
we saw some wildlife a snake zipped between the feet of one of the pats three monkeys ruffled branches down a hill warning us off with ghastly shrieks and a deer with two short single pronged antlers and a straight up white tail froze on the trail ahead of us i reached for my camera but not quickly enough the karate master bounded up from behind   que pasa   and the deer bolted into the cedars as if it had been launched from a catapult
the canadians paid more attention to hiking times and progress than i did i learned a lot from them like how each of the many shrines we passed had a small box containing a stamp and an ink pad or how i shouldnt swing my hands when i hiked because they could become swollen in return i shared some of the many small facts id picked up about japan in my decades of reading like that the soft boiled egg with a velvety texture that wed had at breakfast was an onsen egg cooked in a hot spring
where did you learn that janet asked me
i dont know its just one of the obscure facts i picked up in the last 35 years
that days hike was the longest at nine miles with roughly 2000 feet of ascent i was glad for that extra egg this was the moderate option suggested by oku it included a quick bus ride there was an easier option with a longer bus ride but that felt like cheating eventually we came out of the forest and walked along paved roads in little farming towns the hike ended in the magnificent grand shrine at hongu a key stop for many of those mountain worshiping pilgrims the shrines low slung wooden buildings sat atop a towering stone staircase limned by hundreds of white flags blazing with japanese characters a fittingly dramatic finale
that nights accommodation was a modern hot springs hotel i had a bottle of kirin from the refrigerator in my room before sampling all the various sulfur smelling baths i bathed inside i bathed outside and after a farewell dinner with the canadians found one of two private baths unoccupied so i bathed there too finally alone
these baths were in a little house the damp wood wall that separated them open near the ceiling two japanese women   a mother and a daughter i suspect   had gone into the other one as i went into mine and i listened groggily in the near darkness to their mellifluous words and laughter and occasional tiny splashes as i sat in the steaming water up to my neck
if hiroshige could see me now
the emotions i experienced after my first trip to japan in 2011   and here my parents and children might want to skip ahead   were distinctly similar to those id experienced after losing my virginity something id imagined a million times had now taken place and while it wasnt exactly as id expected it was still pretty great and i was now a different person
and i wanted to do it again
my second trip made it all feel more real the fantasy japan of color woodblock prints and black and white movies was being replaced by the actual country those little encounters with the gang at the golden gai bar the hiker from indiana the men in the baths a friend i met for lunch at tokyo station on my two day race back to narita airport and home brought japan ever so slightly into focus
hiroshige probably never visited the kii peninsula in fact recent scholarship suggests he never even traveled the length of the tokaido creating some of his most famous designs from guidebooks i dont know and i dont care im certain that in those solitary moments deep in the woods my mind free the cedars like endless rows of sentries as i walked a path worn smooth by pilgrims 1400 years ago the silence complete enveloping i saw him
a selection of favorite books movies and websites about japan
hiroshige one hundred famous views of edo i cant find an in print book of the tokaido series but this volume features the artists late career high point capturing life in edo spectacular prints from the brooklyn museum george braziller 2000
the curious casebook of inspector hanshichi a detective in edo era japan solves all sorts of strange doings every word is wonderful university of hawaii press 2007
seven japanese tales the novelist junichiro tanizaki spins nerve racking tales in early 20th century japan vintage books 2001
underground the tokyo gas attack and the japanese psyche haruki murakami collects oral accounts of the 1995 terrorist attack as harrowing as it is riveting vintage international 2001
travels with hiroshi shimizu the japanese love of strenuous hikes during the day and languorous hot baths at night is captured in these simple black and white movies all shot on location before the war from the criterion collection
kwaidan the kumano trail can be spooky and no film captures japanese horror folklore better than this 1965 technicolor masterpiece by masaki kobayashi its even better on blu ray from the criterion collection
oku japan this company books guided and self guided tours that really go deep into the japanese countryside even if you cant go their website is filled with great photography and videos
pauls travel pics i have no idea who paul is but hes a great photographer writer and traveler and this very detailed website acted as a crucial guide to my first trip to japan particularly the nakasendo highway


click here for tips and videos of terrible on screen toasts
eric winikoff was pacing in a park near the white house talking to himself his childhood best friend was getting married that afternoon at the st regis hotel in washington and as the best man mr winikoff a partner in an executive compensation firm in los angeles was to deliver the wedding toast he recited his speech aloud over and over as he strolled after practicing in front of his wife dozens of times before that
i get really nervous and i kept rewording the punch line so it would have the biggest impact he said were such close friends so i wanted the speech to be good
if public speaking is the no 1 fear in america as jerry seinfeld joked then being asked to give a wedding toast can send someone into a tailspin
the thought of standing in front of friends families and strangers and pouring your heart out or trying to be funny can be terrifying there is so much that can go wrong nearly every wedding planner can tell stories of the maid of honor who listed off inside jokes with the bride as the audience stifled yawns the best man who rather than toast the groom started to roast him talking too long about former girlfriends drunken escapades and other personal details that everyone especially the groom would have preferred not to hear at that moment then there are the people who drink too much before getting up to talk which can muck things up entirely
when couples come to us and say theyre worried about someone in their wedding party giving a toast i tell them you should be worried said josh brooks a co owner of fete event planning and design in new york city so often people say the wrong thing they go on too long or they do something that detracts from the couple
part of the problem is that people dont prepare enough said peggy klaus a speech and presentations coach in berkeley calif who has helped hundreds of people both famous and not write wedding toasts people start writing the speech a few days before the wedding or they get up in front of the crowd and wing it which inevitably leads to stumbling through the speech
you should start writing a wedding toast months before ms klaus said she tells her clients and it is critical that you practice it in front of a mirror several times to nail the delivery if you dont prepare your nerves will take over she said and it just wont work
mr winikoff who was a bundle of nerves when he finally stood up to give his speech built his toast around offering the bride pieces of advice about marrying the groom each one with a punch line
when you are spending that much time with ivan remember these four words breathe and stay calm he told the crowd recalling when its junior year and everyone is applying to college and he asks you if youve ever heard of the sat breathe and stay calm when trying to dislodge a stuck passenger door from the sidewalk and he puts the car in reverse breathe and stay calm
mr winikoff who has delivered several wedding speeches since three as a best man said it was his most successful toast partly because it was good natured despite the central theme that his friend can be exasperating i roasted him but in the nicest of ways mr winikoff said
laura fenton the lifestyle director for parents magazine has given several wedding toasts and she has helped others write their own a terrible speech can stay with the bride or groom even leaving a sour note for years she said
she knows of one husband who still cringes when he thinks back to the toast his brothers gave the couple on their wedding day it was clear they didnt prepare and they focused on his hapless days how he was a lost bachelor in the city without acknowledging all that he accomplished ms fenton said they ribbed him a little too much
she said the key to a memorable toast is a hook incorporate a theme at the beginning of the toast then return to it at the end she said at the wedding of her best friend who happened to be the groom she started the speech by mentioning that she was disappointed she wasnt asked to be the best man the speech made a case for why she should be the best man despite being a woman by giving examples of all the sweet moments she had experienced with the couple having that hook to come back to made the speech more satisfying for people she said
some young people are finding more creative ways to deliver their heartfelt sentiments to the bride and groom kelsey hallerman 25 and her sister maddie 24 gave their older sister caitlin a wedding toast that brought wedding guests to tears you know the tears that come when youre laughing hysterically instead of a speech the sisters sang a goofy and out of tune but incredibly heartfelt mash up of tracy chapman the jackson 5 and backstreet boys songs rewritten with lyrics about their sisters relationship with her new husband
we didnt want to be boring or do anything too serious kelsey hallerman said performing is more in our wheelhouse than a traditional speech we were terrible but we had so much fun
of the 50 weddings hollywood pop gallery an entertainment event firm with offices in new york city london and greenwich conn helped plan last year 15 featured an untraditional wedding toast said brett galley director of special events at the company
people like to be funny and millennials are very creative she said she has helped a few best man and maid of honor pairs organize a flash mob dance   where everyone surprises the audience with a choreographed group dance others have rapped their toasts one couple allowed guests to tweet their toast assigning the wedding a hashtag the tweets were projected around the reception hall like a live ticker another maid of honor made a seven minute video about the bride and groom it was very dramatic because the lights went down people were laughing and crying ms galley said it was sweet
some of these untraditional speeches are so memorable that they become immortalized in the viral video hall of fame after a clip of the hallerman sisters was posted to vimeo it racked up millions of views and articles about their toast were posted everywhere from buzzfeed to the huffington post and cosmopolitan and people magazines
a quick search of youtube reveals numerous others that have gone viral a young woman who donned a black hoodie over her formal dress and rapped her sisters toast to the beat of an eminem song the wedding party that danced a choreographed number to kesha and pitbulls timber
these toasts make for good entertainment said ms klaus the speech and presentations coach but she cautioned anyone going in this direction because she said it can be a bit self indulgent remember the toast is not about you she said its about the couple
when writing a wedding toast experts say to think of it as an amazing opportunity not a burden its a gift to the bride and groom said sarah parker who wrote a how to book on wedding speeches after witnessing too many failed toasts
ms parker advised keep it short and simple   no more than three minutes tell one good story that illustrates the point you want to make and make sure you talk about the bride and the groom then wish them well and raise your glass
click here to watch a facebook live recording of a chat with chris anderson ted talks curator on how to give a great toast


click here to read more on how to craft the perfect wedding toast
in theory giving a wedding toast is easy just say a few nice words about the bride and groom then ask the assembled crowd to raise their glasses
but such toasts often come up short   or worse become the low point of the wedding weekend
should you be asked to give a toast there is no need for it to live in infamy here are a few guidelines with some memorable toasts from television and movies as examples of what to avoid
1 keep the alcohol at bay even dean martin sipped apple juice when performing
if there is one common denominator for the worlds worst wedding toasts it could probably be measured in blood alcohol content giving a good toast is tricky enough without trying it with half of your wits about you so wait until afterward to enjoy your favorite beverage
2 dont wing it think about what you are going to say long in advance then write it down
you should start writing a wedding toast months before said peggy klaus a speech and presentations coach in berkeley calif and practice your toast in front of a mirror several times to nail the delivery if you dont prepare your nerves will take over and it just wont work ms klaus said everyone needs an editor and if you dont have one handy ask a friend or a spouse to play one for a few minutes and show them what you plan to say
3 keep it short and simple no more than three minutes lincoln finished the gettysburg address in less time and that seemed to turn out ok
you basically want to tell one nice story about the couple and wish them well and thats all anyone wants to hear said sarah parker who wrote a how to book on wedding toasts but you should find time to identify yourself and your relationship with the newlyweds and perhaps remark upon the beauty of the ceremony 
keeping it short will allow you to spend time polishing those few sentences that you will have to deliver
4 dont rush it speak slowly and loudly enough for everyone to hear
nonprofessional speakers tend to rush through a speech or talk so softly that many people strain to hear what they are saying   if they can hear it at all some speakers post a friend at the back of the room to signal whether the speech is being heard there
5 tell one story about the bride and groom an embarrassing anecdote may be funny   but this may not be the time to share it try to say something the couple would enjoy hearing its their day not yours
some toastmasters seem to gravitate toward roasting the couple rather than praising them but sarcasm is overrated and often focuses on shortcomings rather than strengths concentrate on what is particularly nice about the bride and groom and try to celebrate that
6 if you want to get fancy by staging a skit singing a song or performing some elaborate dance be careful most of us dance more like seinfelds elaine than the jackson fives michael and remember who are the real stars of the show
ms klaus cautions anyone going in this direction since she thinks it can be a little self indulgent remember the toast is not about you its about the couple and there is a risk of trying to do too much there was a reason they kept a hook just off the stage during the old vaudeville shows
7 have fun think of giving a toast as a great opportunity not a burden
its a gift to the bride and groom said ms parker the author of a book on how to toast at weddings and if you do it just right you may start a few tears running down their cheeks


airport security lines are so long that hundreds of fliers at several airports have reported missing their flights and the head of the transportation security administration recently warned passengers to continue to expect delays over the summer while signing up for tsa precheck a program that makes preflight risk assessments is the most common piece of advice to fliers looking to shorten their waits there are other ways according to michael holtz the owner of smartflyer a global travel consultancy specializing in airfare below he shares his tips for speeding through airport screening
pick the shorter line mr holtz said that most airports have two security areas one of the areas is usually far more crowded than the other because there are more flights going out of the gates near it he said seek out the security screening point thats less busy youll likely have to walk farther to get to your gate once you get past security but youll save time not being held up at security
navigate the security line as you would a crowded bar actually getting in an airport security line can waste precious time he said there is usually a bottleneck at the beginning of the line because passengers are fumbling around trying to find their ids and boarding passes but have yours out and ready to go and navigate your way to the front of this crowd like you do at a bar when you want to order a drink he said also another time saver he said if you have a boarding pass on your email take a screenshot of it just in case the wi fi signal at the airport is weak and you cant load it
pick your flight times wisely during the weekdays avoid travel early in the morning or from 5 to 8 pm mr holtz said because these are the hours when business travelers tend to fly also saturdays in general are a good day to fly to many destinations because leisure travelers usually head out for their trips on fridays and return on sundays and there is limited business travel
pay the airlines for fliers with a more flexible budget mr holtz said that a handful of carriers in the united states have fee based programs that help travelers whisk through airport security delta for example has a separate entrance that is part of terminal 5 at los angeles international airport where delta one business class passengers can check in and are led through expedited security via a private elevator
american airlines has a five star service program for first  and business class customers its available in 12 domestic airports and five international airports for a starting price of 250 for the first adult and 75 for each additional adult services include a curbside meet and greet and priority security screening where available
jetblues program is more affordable passengers flying out of more than 60 domestic airports can buy an even more speed add on to their ticket for 10 which gives them access to expedited security lanes the expedited security perk also comes with an even more space ticket for a roomier seat


andrew beal a billionaire banker and investor called me the other day to talk trump i had been leaving messages for every prominent business executive i could find who has publicly expressed support of the republican candidate
before i could ask my first question beal told me he wanted to get something out of the way he knew that i would ask about specifics everybody wants to be real specific he said but beals support for trump has nothing to do with specifics he grants that he doesnt know much about trumps policy goals or about whom he might choose for key economic positions he doesnt even think trump knows and that he explained is exactly why he supports him all these politicians with all these specific plans he said i think its total expletive
his point was that business doesnt run this way if youre hiring someone to be a chief executive you dont ask them to lay out every decision theyll make years ahead of when theyll make it you hire someone whom you trust and you let them run things beal says he knows that trump will do the right things to make the economy perform better youre going to say how  he told me i dont know how i know that sounds crazy thats how the real world operates
now that trump has sewn up the nomination a looming question is whether he can consolidate the support of business people behind him during the last election cycle mitt romneys business background was a major reason he became the candidate of choice for corporate america he received huge donations from nearly every major bank many business advocacy groups and countless chief executives but at least so far such eminences have failed to rally around trump the only large corporate donor named in his federal election filings is aon the insurance giant when i called its public relations office a seemingly exasperated spokeswoman wanted to make very clear that one employee had given that money and that it did not reflect the views of the company
earlier this month the times reported that brian krzanich the chief executive of intel had planned a fund raiser for trump but the event was mysteriously canceled aside from a handful of real estate developers and investors who have done business with trump vocal support from the nations corporate elite has been up until now an unusual occurrence one rare exception is peter thiel the paypal billionaire and gawker persecutor who backs trump and has signed on as one of his delegates from california ive also found next to no support for trump among economists and business school professors a group that included a large contingent of romney supporters in 2012 among academic economists i could find only one peter navarro of the university of california irvine a longtime critic of chinese trade practices who says he is drawn to trumps aggressive stance on trade negotiations
i asked trumps campaign for a list of prominent businesspeople and chief executives who have endorsed him i was emailed a quote from trump i have too many to mention it read i get along with everybody after further prodding a campaign spokeswoman provided a list of 10 names including the chief executives of nascar and marvel as well as several other businesspeople like rupert murdoch and jack welch who opposed trump for most of the campaign but have recently and not especially enthusiastically made statements about party unity
when i talked to some of the few businesspeople who do support trump the common refrain was the one i heard from andrew beal that the specifics of his plans were beside the point because trumps proven instincts as a businessman were all that mattered phil ruffin a las vegas billionaire said i cant tell you his policies youre asking me questions i cant answer i dont think hes fully developed all the policies he has to develop the details of which will probably come later stephen stepanek   a new hampshire state representative and a founder of a company called hampshire paper   told me much the same thing one of his strengths as far as i see it donald trump has the unique ability to look at a problem identify that problem and surround himself with the best possible minds and solve that problem he said
does he by many accounts mitt romney did romney was an undeniable superstar in the field of private equity and former business associates praised him as someone who could see a business problem more clearly than others and create powerful profitable solutions the professional biography of trump by contrast   though the man is clearly exceptional at something   hardly inspires such confidence
trumps primary claim to fame is as a manhattan real estate developer he inherited this profession and his economic worldview from his father but its worth stressing that within the world of manhattan real estate trump is a relatively minor player yes there are about a dozen buildings in new york city that bear his name but nearly all are branding relationships not actual ownership he sits so far down the pecking order of manhattan real estate that adam pincus head of research at the industry publication the real deal doesnt recall ever including trump or his companies in their major rankings of developers owners or property managers likewise trumps importance in the industry of casinos and luxury resorts is far below what his public reputation might suggest after multiple bankruptcies trump no longer owns any casinos he owns only nine hotels with three more said to be coming soon
through trump productions he has enjoyed remarkable success with his tv show the apprentice but of course that series does not fundamentally belong to him it was created by mark burnett who cast trump in the lead and while trumps television franchise at least enjoyed one successful idea before petering out most of his brand specific businesses have simply failed outright the frenetic panicky way in which he thrusts his name on different products pell mell   steaks and ties and wine and bottled water and suits and fragrance   has engendered what any corporate branding expert would call brand confusion what are you communicating when you wear a trump branded suit   143 on amazon   to a job interview that you are brash and ambitious cocky on the cheap or that you dont know much about suits
his scattershot approach to branding might also hint at cash flow issues as a certified billionaire mark cuban recently said in a radio interview when youre putting your name on steaks youre putting your name on water youre putting your name on playing cards youre putting your name on all this nonsense right youre not going to make big bucks no matter what he recalls asking trump what the hell are you doing are you that desperate for money based on his read of trumps election filings which showed only 165 million in liquid assets cuban harbors doubts about whether trump is even a billionaire as he claims
recent revelations about trump university the failed for profit college that trump founded in 2005 have centered around the savagely cynical manner in which sales reps separated students from their money with an array of high pressure tactics that included encouraging financially challenged prospects to open up new credit card accounts in order to pay but the more striking question is cubans why a man with as much money as trump claims to have presiding over as many successful ventures as trump claims to own would stoop to start up a boiler room business like trump university squeezing out revenues from would be students a few thousand dollars at a time the fact that he did   even if that decision doesnt point as cuban suggests to an outright desperation for cash   speaks volumes about trumps utter inability to calibrate risk and reward
when you try to weigh trumps record as a businessman you quickly find that theres nothing of substance think of the characteristics you might find noteworthy in a business leader a vision of the future a single minded focus on excellence discrimination and judgment hes no visionary no steve jobs who forges new things trumps accomplishments have come from replicating the products and services of others he seems to lack any instinct for righting a sinking ship despite the declarations of his backers that hell get the best people his organizations have hardly been magnets for talent   as evidenced by the fact that his leadership teams so often consist of people whose last names are trump or whose sole accomplishment is having worked for him
despite all this trump receives extremely high marks among voters for how he would supposedly handle the economy a wall street journalnbc poll in may found he outpolled clinton by 11 points on the issue the biggest mystery is why so many voters   apparently including at least for now some who plan to vote for hillary clinton   seem to have fallen for his act perhaps its simply the fact that in the absence of real information about trump the businessman americans have spent years watching him play the part his true calling seems to be acting like a successful businessman   a performance made all the more impressive by its distance from reality


in an episode called hope on the most recent season of abcs hit sitcom black ish three generations of an african american family gather in the living room to watch the news theyre waiting to learn whether a police officer will be indicted on a charge of repeatedly firing a taser gun at an unarmed black man the characters   who have basically achieved the american dream but dont always feel comfortable living it   debate who is to blame and how much before their discussion culminates in a dispirited conclusion the system is rigged against us
the line is spoken by andre johnson the father on the show played by anthony anderson who has been invoking malcolm x his wife rainbow johnson tracee ellis ross was defending the police and the law maybe it is dre she says to her husband but i dont want to feel like my kids are living in a world that is so flawed that they cant have any hope barack obama appears on the screen waving to a crowd at his 2009 inauguration tell me you werent terrified when you saw that dre said tears in his eyes tell me you werent worried that someone was gonna snatch that hope away from us like they always do in a few strokes black ish sketched the difficulty of confronting injustices that have leached into the countrys bones without succumbing to despair
dres scalding reproof   the system is rigged   has long been a refrain of african americans this campaign season its also the mantra of bernie sanders and donald j trump yin and yang candidates with restive and largely white voting bases bellowing the charge from lecterns in their new york accents trump and sanders play up their outsider status and channel their supporters unease millions of americans are giving up on the political process sanders said at a democratic debate in february because they understand the economy is rigged they are working longer hours for low wages trump with his ear for populist rhetoric spoke in a similar key if you think about it he said at a campaign event in april the economy is rigged the banking system is rigged theres a lot of things that are rigged in this world of ours and thats why a lot of you havent had an effective wage increase in 20 years
calling the economy rigged generates outrage without saying who exactly is at fault or how to take away their power its a vaguely anti authoritarian sentiment that trump and sanders have effectively turned against the republican and democratic parties both men invite the angry conclusion that theyre being disadvantaged by the same establishment forces they blame for dooming their constituents the system is rigged in favor of the candidate whos won three million more votes nate silver of the fivethirtyeight website dryly tweeted in late may dismissing sanderss supporters claim that he is being robbed of the nomination unbelievable but however exaggerated the argument seems to be working more than half of voters now agree that the presidential nominating process is rigged according to a recent reutersipsos poll
in its current usage rigged exposes a structure that is rotten to the core and lights a match to burn it down dating back to the 19th century the word rig has meant a trick a scheme it also carries an association of expert hands setting up equipment or tinkering with machinery to rig a fleet or jury rig another conveyance connotes competence and pluck but the rigging sanders and trump have in mind involves a swindle and it has been deployed in american politics at several points over the last century including in the great depression calling for an inquiry into the stock market in the washington post in 1932 a republican senator attributed its gyrations to a rigged game of crooked gambling pools in the wake of watergate in the 1970s rigged appeared frequently in the press liberal leaders some newly elected after the scandal attacked not only nixon but also campaign finance the primary process and government agencies as being controlled by corporate and political elites
the system is rigged has served beyond politics as blunt and useful shorthand for systemic injustice and the limits of american meritocracy the congressman and civil rights activist john lewis wrote about finding in alabama in 1962 a system rigged against them in which only 2 percent of black people were registered to vote in selma black intellectuals have also used rigged to reveal the power of more hidden barriers to full citizenship and prosperity ta nehisi coates in his influential 2014 atlantic article the case for reparations enumerates the predatory lending practices redlining and restrictive covenants that prevented black people from buying homes in middle class white neighborhoods setting patterns of segregation and wealth disparity that continue to this day he describes these strategies as the plunder   quiet systemic submerged the rigged system is working as intended when it privileges the few he wrote me in an email
and yet white people may now be the most pessimistic group about the direction of the country a 2015 atlanticaspen institute poll found that 81 percent of whites believe that the american dream is suffering while 57 percent of their african american counterparts do senator elizabeth warren became a progressive hero by affirming voters sense that the system is rigged against average americans heres the painful part theyre right she said in her prime time address at the 2012 democratic convention warren took aim at oil companies guzzling billions in subsidies wealthy executives paying lower tax rates than their secretaries and ceos who wrecked our economy and still strut around congress no shame demanding favors the crowd roared warren thought about naming her 2014 memoir rigged she went with a fighting chance instead and her office issued a report this year called rigged justice arguing that corporate offenders get off easy when they break the law
while some on the left embrace the tell it like it is realism of rigged they risk leaving people despondent about the brokenness of law and government   which democrats more than republicans want the public to see as effective last august the harvard university law professor cass r sunstein took warren on in an op ed in bloomberg view titled the american system isnt rigged arguing that the united states is in a period of extraordinary reform sunstein listed a series of changes including obamacare the dodd frank rules for the financial system and the consumer financial protection bureau that warren herself helped create despite these strong examples of repair rigged still captures a widespread sense of futility   which trump milks for his own gain
hillary clinton is the single remaining candidate for president who does not call the system rigged she uses more calibrated language the deck is stacked in favor of those at the top its easier to reshuffle a deck of cards than to tear a system down and rebuild it clintons language registers on the populist meter without undermining government institutions it also seems close to obamas recent thinking on the campaign trail in 2008 the future president denounced the system for being rigged in much the same tone as warren and sanders but by his final state of the union address this past january obama was in a different mood democracy breaks down when people believe that the system is rigged in favor of the rich or the powerful or some narrow interest he said too many americans feel that way right now the rancor and suspicion that has come to dominate politics he continued is one of the few regrets of my presidency


surfing is in at least for travelers more people are signing up for surf camps and resorts are starting to give guests a chance to catch a wave four are below
witchs rock surf camp on costa ricas northwest coast was founded in 2001 but it says its number of students has jumped over 40 percent the last two years the school has programs for first time and experienced surfers ranging from two hour lessons to a weeklong immersion from 45 a person
richard schmidt surf school in santa cruz calif about 90 minutes south of san francisco offers year round surfing and has gentle waves ideal for beginners small group two hour sessions run throughout the year 90 and five night surf camps are an option in the summer they include four to six hours of daily surf instruction daily yoga classes all meals and accommodations 1200 a person
for women only las olas surf safaris in nayarit mexico has five night getaways running select weeks from november through june surfing classes twice daily yoga sessions some meals a massage equipment and accommodations are included from 2695 a person
and memmo baleeira on portugals algarve coast has surf packages ranging from two to seven nights they include accommodations instruction equipment rental some meals and excursions to nearby surf sites from 155


a few months ago the nations three major airlines quietly tweaked their fare rules the result travelers encountered notably higher prices for certain multicity round trips visiting several cities by plane and open jaw trips flying into one city traveling to another by say car or train then flying home from that city
take for instance kevin mitchell chairman of business travel coalition an advocacy organization that ran a search for a domestic trip and found a whopping 1200 coach fare the trip was from jacksonville fla to los angeles and then after taking a rental car to san francisco from san francisco to jacksonville a popular vacation route mr mitchell said in a news release if priced as two one way tickets instead the fare was one third as much 400 most consumers he said especially the majority who are infrequent travelers will not be aware and will pay dearly when booking online at an airline website
so what exactly is going on how widespread is this pricing discrepancy and are there ways to avoid getting fleeced
gary leff an airline industry expert and the author of the blog view from the wing said the issue in a nutshell is that to compete with ultra low cost carriers like spirit airlines and frontier airlines the major airlines are selling cheaper tickets in certain markets what they dont want however is for travelers to get creative and piece together a couple of cheap fares from say san diego to dallas plus dallas to orlando fla because the airlines never intended to offer rock bottom fares from san diego to orlando the fare rule changes rolled out in the spring were meant to prevent that sort of frugal workaround from happening but in the process some multicity and open jaw fares went through the roof they dont have the perfect strategy yet and theyre trying to learn mr leff said of the airlines its new territory for them
to see just how likely one is to come across these more costly fares ive been running various searches on the websites of american airlines delta air lines and united airlines on the bright side i didnt encounter many instances of these exorbitant fares for example when pricing a june ticket on unitedcom from new york to chicago and then from detroit to new york the fare was 33420 if i were to book that trip using separate flights traveling at the same times it would be 51 more 38520 the open jaw ticket was indeed cheaper than purchasing separate one way tickets
additionally much to my surprise when running a multicity search among new york fort lauderdale fla and chicago on uniteds website a note appeared using multiple one way searches may return lower fares it said a helpful and most unexpected tip
but not all searches go quite so well on the american airlines website i ran a search starting in san francisco and flying to portland ore then flying from seattle back to san francisco american priced that trip as 208120 nonstop in economy priced instead as two one way flights for the same dates on aacom from san francisco to portland and then from seattle to san francisco it was 334 nonstop in economy nearly 1750 cheaper
the business travel coalition has estimated that the airlines nascent rules could drive some fares up by as much as seven times thats the bad news the better news is that mr leff who wrote about the tightening of americans fare rules on his blog on boardingareacom in march said that such glaring price discrepancies are not as prevalent as they were even two months ago
what were seeing is testing in limited numbers of markets he said adding that it took the airlines a little while to catch on to the fact that the changes they made to solve one problem unintentionally created another eye popping multicity fares it was taking a jackhammer to swat an ant
all of this means that when flight shopping on an airlines website you must take time to price your trip in different ways as well as make use of the various search options
make sure to set your search preferences for the lowest available or best fare not a refundable fare which will be higher all three major united states airlines allow you to adjust that to be sure youre getting the best price on a multicity trip run a search for the trip as a round trip ticket as well as separate one way fares in some cases you may want to consider a round trip ticket between the cities where you plan to start and end your trip along with a couple of one way tickets in between
if sticking to your budget is the priority you may find that it makes more sense to fly with an ultra low cost carrier even for part of your trip
just keep in mind that theres no hard and fast rule when it comes to fares sometimes it will pay to book each leg as a separate one way ticket other times a round trip will be cheaper a recent search on deltacom for a multicity trip in june with flights in the main cabin from new york city to miami and then from orlando back to new york city wasnt just cheaper than booking each leg separately it was nearly half the cost approximately 320 in contrast to about 630
mr leff thinks the high prices that are turning up for certain trips as a result of the fare rule tweaks will ultimately go away though it may take some time
in the meantime people need to spend extra attention he said theres more work for the consumer to make sure theyre getting the best deal


service game when my parents met in the summer of 1959 my father was working as a busboy my brothers and i followed suit in our turn refilling water glasses at local restaurants running bread to the tables and clearing dirty dishes but im pretty sure none of us ever sold drugs to every server within a 10 block radius the way one busboy does in sweetbitter stephanie danlers racy novel about the high end restaurant world of new york city new at no 14 on the hardcover fiction list set in a fictional version of danny meyers union square cafe where danler was hired after arriving in the city in 2006 the book features lots of casual sex and substance abuse   think of it as a female version of bright lights big city with professional kitchens instead of magazine offices as a backdrop i would always think to myself as i was waiting tables danler told npr last month if the guests had any idea of the rich life that is going on behind the scene and the drama and the sexual tension and the sadness and the joy and the friendship   i think that those currents add a lot of energy to restaurants like i prefer to dine in places where i can feel the staff a little bit they have a little bit of a personality but i hadnt ever seen it written about i saw that there was a space to create something there
love game one unresolvable argument about romance novels is to what extent they can be called feminist pro theyre overwhelmingly written by women read by women and devoted to womens stories and fantasies con they tend to reinforce traditional gender roles and rely on men for their formulaic fairy tale endings in the recent book happily ever after the romance story in popular culture catherine m roach   a professor of gender and culture studies who also writes romances under the name catherine laroche   argues that in fact romance fiction is porn but its a particular type of woman oriented feminist porn in which the heros declaration of love is the climax here is the moment she writes when our hero declares i cant live without you   even if im a duke and youre a courtesan im a vampire and youre a human ive devoted my life to vengeance and youre my sworn enemy i used to love you years ago but you cruelly betrayed me and broke my heart im from the 11th century and youre from the 21st im a dragon and youre a wolf im a pirate and youre my captive im a feline alien sex slave and youre my spaceship captain slave owner   despite all such trivialities i am incomplete without you
war game sebastian jungers tribe which seeks a cultural explanation for ptsd hits the hardcover nonfiction list at no 5 war is traumatic or can be but its also a situation of incredible intense bonding junger told yahoo news recently we have to explain why soldiers miss war many of them do    and the reason that they miss it says a lot about whats missing in our society


greenwich and docklands international festival various venues june 24 july 2
this free outdoor festival takes place by the banks of the thames in greenwich in east london the event will feature puppet shows circus acts and spectacle theater pieces some geared more toward adults and some toward children scheduled performances include stilt men a circus act from togo stuck a folk dance piece by the welsh irish duo up  over it and peregrinus by the polish theater company teatr kto festivalorg
shanghai international film festival various venues june 11 19
salt and fire the latest work from the german director werner herzog will have its world premiere at this festival mainland chinas leading film competition other movies in the lineup include a mix of chinese and european films like flowers of evil by the movie and music video director antti jokinen and soul on a string a movie set in tibet that was directed by zhang yang in all 14 movies will compete for the top prize the golden goblet siffcom
roskilde festival various venues june 25 july 2
last year bouncers carried damon albarn from the stage at this festival after he refused to end a concert that ran well into the early morning mr albarn is back at this years event this time with the orchestra of syrian musicians a collective of dozens that includes refugees who fled syria wiz khalifa macklemore pj harvey and the red hot chili peppers are among the other acts in the mostly mainstream lineup roskilde festivaldk
telling tales excursions in narrative form mca sydney through oct 9
works from about a dozen contemporary artists who experiment with storytelling through their art by incorporating puppets fog and music will be on view at this exhibition the show will include lee mingwei whose sonic blossom features opera singers interacting with viewers and jitish kallat whose covering letter shows a letter that gandhi wrote to hitler projected onto a wall of fog mcacomau
the open various venues june 22 july 9
this ambitious interdisciplinary theater and performance festival features genre defying performance pieces from worldwide troupes it is the opener for the singapore international festival of arts which takes place here in august theres some edgy stuff in the lineup like ibsen ghosts by the german theater group markusmarkus the documentary theater piece focuses on margot an elderly woman with dreams of being euthanized most other works in the lineup are more playful   like club malam a rave takeover of old kallang airport by rockers and visual artists sifasg
catherine the greatest hermitage amsterdam june 18 jan 15
the prussian princess catherine the great married into the russian aristocracy in her teens one of her lasting accomplishments was the establishment of this museums older sibling the hermitage museum in st petersburg russia this exhibition includes hundreds of objects from the empresss collections like dresses paintings crafts and a jewelry box hermitagenl
glastonbury festival worthy farm june 22 26
adele coldplay beck and james blake will perform at this four day event arguably the highlight of the european music festival calendar more than 100 acts will play on various stages spread around worthy farm in the countrys verdant southwest some off kilter acts will also appear idris elba for example will appear as his dj alter ego driis bookstores vintage clothing shops and movie screens are also on site glastonburyfestivalscouk
bachfest leipzig various venues june 10 19
every year leipzig holds a festival celebrating bach who called the german city his home during his later years scheduled performances at this years event include an organ concert of bach and mozart at the nikolaikirche african reflections on bach by the malian musician vieux farka toure  and bach  mime a piece featuring mime performers and a chamber music group bachfestleipzigde
sonar barcelona various venues june 16 18
this festival sees itself as a lineup for music creativity and technology the acts that will appear include anohni and santigold some lectures by major names also figure in the lineup on the opening day the musician and visual artist brian eno will give a talk called why we play sonares
brueghel and his time fitzwilliam museum through sept 4
flemish renderings of landscapes from the 16th and 17th centuries take center stage in this show at the fitzwilliam on cambridge universitys campus artists in the exhibition include paul bril abraham bloemaert david vinckeboons and of course the eras leading light jan brueghel the elder fitzmuseumcamacuk
dark mofo various venues june 10 21
the museum of old and new art organizes this festival a lineup of installations movies and music marking the shortest days of the year in hobart a small city close to the southernmost point in australia the lineup includes a production of euripidess the bacchae a concert by the rock band savages and dark park a public art playground featuring work by tina havelock stevens patrick hall and cameron robbins among others darkmofonetau


montreal   for some drivers at the pinnacle of auto racing it can pay to move sideways or even take a step backward to jump start a stalling career
as formula one prepares for the canadian grand prix this weekend the series has had another reminder that there are more ways than one for a driver to climb the ladder to the top for the second year in a row a formula one driver hitting a slow spot in his career has found his reputation embellished by success in a different series with victory in one of the worlds triple crown of greatest car races the 24 hours of le mans the monaco grand prix or the indianapolis 500
two weeks ago alexander rossi a 24 year old american reserve driver at the manor formula one team won the indianapolis 500 race in his first try in monaco on the same day drivers at rossis manor team finished in the last two positions 14th and 15th in five formula one races last year rossi never finished higher than 12th
a year ago nico hulkenberg a german driver with the force india team took advantage of a weekend off his busy formula one schedule to race in the 24 hours of le mans and like rossi he won a triple crown race in his rookie year
the effect for both rossi and hulkenberg was to burnish their reputations and give formula one team owners another look at their talent
hulkenberg has yet to gain a top three podium spot in a formula one race but his victory in le mans clearly raised his stock
winning le mans didnt change my career but it definitely gave me a boost said hulkenberg on thursday in montreal it is a huge achievement probably the biggest in my career
rossi had spent nearly his entire career climbing a well established ladder of lower racing series in europe competing with future formula one drivers from around the world on their own turf but he never had sufficient sponsorship to ensure a full time seat in the series he spent several years as a well respected test and reserve driver and finally raced in five races last year
after winning in indianapolis rossi said he had been thinking of the race in monaco that day just as he would always seek out television coverage of the indianapolis 500 in a bar in monaco while he was racing there
but it was the surprise victory in indianapolis that will have done more than anything to raise his stock in formula one
it definitely wasnt the direction i was heading said rossi of the indycar series after the victory i didnt expect to be here three months ago and im not going to try and predict where i will be in a couple of years
the victories of both rossi and hulkenberg raise anew the question about the best way for a modern driver to conduct his career in a world that has become increasingly more professional and demanding of time commitment
until around the 1980s top drivers commonly raced simultaneously in several series in addition to formula one drivers like stirling moss would also race at le mans in italys mille miglia in rallies and other sports car races but graham hill is the only driver to have won the career triple crown
mario andretti one of only two american formula one champions raced in indycar in the 1960s where he won the indianapolis 500 in 1969 as well as in occasional formula one races and other series he began a full time career in formula one in the mid 1970s finally taking the title in 1978
in recent years formula one teams have written exclusive contracts with their drivers often forbidding them not only to take part in other forms of racing or in potentially dangerous activities like riding motorcycles or skiing
there can be a good reason for it in february 2011 robert kubica a polish driver who was a rising star in formula one had a serious accident in the ronde di andora rally race in italy and permanently lost full use of his hand and arm ending his career at the age of 26
in any case if a sidestep into a different series is not always a recipe for success the two step backward method can still work for formula one drivers romain grosjean a french driver found that by stepping down a rung he could revive a false start in formula one
before entering formula one full time in 2009 grosjean had won four of the steppingstone series beneath formula one in a fabulous start to his career but it took just seven difficult races in formula one in his rookie year for grosjean to find himself without a team the following year
so in 2010 and 2011 he drove in sports car racing and other open wheel single seat series he won the autogp series in 2010 and in 2011 he won the gp2 asia and then the international gp2 series in 2011 that series is the traditional feeder series to formula one where he had already raced in 2008 and early 2009 and his results there saved his career
they looked at me differently grosjean said in montreal on thursday of the formula one team directors they decided that maybe i wasnt that bad after all since i had won the gp2


london   if there is a dark horse outside of france germany or spain to win the european championship belgium is fancied to be that outside bet
but its team is an enigma according to fifa rankings belgium stands with argentina as one of the top two teams in the world   which may tell us all we need to know about relating worth to statistics what has belgium or argentina achieved over the last cycle of the world cup the european or the south american titles
and what must germany or spain do to achieve recognition for the trophies they won when the tournament pressure was on
belgians have for some time referred to their current crop of players as the golden generation there was no shortage of big clubs willing to spend lavishly for creative belgian stars like eden hazard and kevin de bruyne and strikers like romelu lukaku christian benteke and divock origi whose combined transfer fees totaled half a billion dollars
all of those and the goalkeeper thibaut courtois and defenders vincent kompany toby alderweireld and jan vertonghen earn their fortunes in englands premier league
good attributes for their clubs no doubt the conundrum is that when they go home or when they go to major events for their national team they havent yet jelled into the sum of their parts
that is rule 1 in tournament soccer and on monday the belgians must hit the ground running they face italy in lyon and while this is not by any means a special italian era any azzurri team coached by antonio conte will show up with plenty of tournament savvy and determination
when the teams last met belgium won 3 1 that was a friendly match in brussels back in november monday it will be down to business in lyon
and in that arena the belgian coach marc wilmots must pit his wits against contes they are two obdurate men but whereas conte has shown his effectiveness in organizing juventus to win three successive serie a titles in italy between 2012 and 2014 and will move to england after this tournament to manage chelsea wilmots has not had comparable coaching success
indeed he left soccer altogether for a time to represent the french speaking center right mouvement reformateur or reformist movement in the senate he soon returned from politics to the game that he once played as a big forceful scoring midfielder
for belgiums red devils wilmots scored 28 goals in 70 games the jury is out on him as a coach he took belgium to the 2014 world cup and narrowly beat algeria russia south korea and the united states before losing 1 0 to argentina in the quarterfinals
even wilmots said later that his team would have to be more exciting and play more to its strength which lies in attack rather than with caution the reformer hasnt yet quite got that transition into place
he is bold enough to pick youth but with key defenders notably kompany out of the euro through injury wilmots lacks a convincing leader on the field
he gave that responsibility to eden hazard who by any assessment is a talented individual gifted and beautifully balanced when he runs at defenders from the left wing hazard is the enigma inside the enigma
he was chelseas best player when it won the premier league under jose mourinho the season before last and hazard was chelseas worst player when the team still coached by mourinho imploded the following season
coincidentally or not hazard was the player who lay injured on the ground and was treated by the team doctor eva carneiro right at the start of that second season carneiro did what doctors are supposed to do when someone is hurt she rushed to hazard
mourinho jumped up and down with rage he believed hazard wasnt injured and should have been left where he lay the coach ranted at the doctor and had her removed from all duties leading to her eventually suing mourinho and chelsea
the case smoldered throughout the season mourinho was himself fired and the case ended in an out of court settlement to the doctor from chelsea mourinho by then employed again as manchester uniteds manager attended the tribunal but offered no apology
why is this of significance to belgiums chances at the european championship hazard was a symbol of chelsea under mourinho one season he was so brilliant that his fellow professionals chose him as the player of the season the next he was accused by mourinho of not defending well enough from his position on the wing and hazard appeared dulled by the hectoring he took from the manager and disillusioned perhaps by the fallout from mourinhos dispute with carneiro
yet under chelseas interim coach the experienced dutchman guus hiddink hazard regained some joy toward the end of the english season under wilmots at the belgians camp at le plan medoc near bordeaux france the winger is scoring again and has been named captain and team spokesman
wilmots is searching for a leader the coach needs these players some of whom he gave their chance for belgium now almost four years ago this for the time being is a quieter wilmots than the one who set out to dictate the way his golden generation would play
now after losing three top defenders in the weeks before the tournament wilmots told reporters its sad for the boys but thats life even with all these injured players i have a defense with toby alderweireld jason denayer thomas vermaelen and jan vertonghen its not too bad after all
ahead of that defense belgium has to find a balance a rhythm and a quicker way of moving the ball between midfield to the strikers than has been the case
italy will be the first to test belgiums chances of being the dark horse


the 78 magnitude earthquake in ecuador in april that killed at least 410 people and injured more than 2000 emotionally devastated the country and caused enormous damage a disaster that severe can often lead to a downturn in tourism but that may not be the case in ecuador
travel specialists say that the earthquake likely wont affect tourism because the epicenter of the quake was on the countrys northwest coast a region dotted with beachfront resorts that are popular getaways for locals but not with international tourists
although about half of these hotels were destroyed according to gabriela sommerfeld the general manager of quito tourism ecuador travel representatives say that their clients are still interested in visiting the country
ginny caragol an ecuador expert at the new york city based travel consulting firm valerie wilson travel said that none of her clients with coming trips to the country had canceled or postponed their plans the earthquake was devastating but it happened in a pocket of the country where not many international travelers go she said
beth jenkins an ecuador expert at mccabe world travel in washington dc said that her clients are inquiring about the earthquake but arent concerned about visiting ecuador my itineraries to ecuador never included the north coast where the earthquake happened and also none of the countrys top attractions were damaged because of it she said
although a natural disaster can often cripple a countrys tourism industry it doesnt always have to said henry h harteveldt a travel industry analyst at the san francisco based atmosphere research group it really depends on where the disaster happened and how quickly the community can recover
hurricane odile in cabo san lucas mexico in 2014 and the 2004 tsunami in asia were devastating to tourism in those areas because they were badly damaged he said in the case with ecuador the damaged area isnt where international visitors really went
although the galapagos islands in the pacific ocean off the countrys western coast and known for their spectacular wildlife are ecuadors biggest tourist draw quito the countrys capital is increasingly becoming a destination and tourism to ecuador over all is growing and is significant to the local economy
according to statistics from quito tourism the tourism industry is the fourth highest source of income in the country and brought in more than 1 billion last year also 15 million people visited last year compared with 650000 in 2007 that same year less than a half million tourists came to quito but in 2015 the city had more than 706000 tourists
a big reason for the jump in visitors is ecuadors improved infrastructure a new airport mariscal sucre international airport opened in 2013 outside of quito with more runways and facilities for passengers high end hotels have opened throughout the country such as casa gangotena a 31 room upscale property with a fine dining restaurant in the heart of quitos old city and mashpi lodge located three hours from quito in the equatorial choco bio region known for its rich biodiversity
tourists would fly through quito to get to the galapagos but now that there is better infrastructure on the mainland they are spending time there and appreciating the many sights ms jenkins said
the galapagos aside top attractions in ecuador include quitos well preserved historic center a unesco world heritage site that is full of plazas churches and convents a trip to the equator where visitors can walk on ground that is said to be precisely at earths midpoint   0 degrees latitude 0 minutes 0 seconds and an excursion to the andean alpine grasslands an hour from quito where visitors can soak in hot springs and go hiking and mountain biking
still while the major tourist draws were spared by the april earthquake there is a part of the country that was badly damaged and ms sommerfield said that travelers could contribute to a recovery by visiting ecuador the best way to help ecuador after the earthquake is to visit ecuador she said
mr harteveltd agreed tourism is a big help in recovering from a natural disaster because it brings in money to the economy he said and if you want to be more proactive you can join the efforts of a nonprofit thats hands on in helping with the recovery and make your trip a volunteering vacation


here are the top 10 comments of the week on our digital platforms as selected by our readers and the journalists who moderate nearly every comment
1 i actually found myself starting to cry just now as i saw ms clintons crowd waiting to hear her speak
this is such an important historic moment i am so emotional and excited to sit here with my two little girls and take it all in
my seven year old will grow up thinking it normal that a woman can be president she will know her teachers truly mean it could be her one day
this is an incredible moment sanders supporters please honor that this matters
  dana in santa monica calif reacting to an article about hillary clinton claiming the democratic presidential nomination after primary victories on tuesday
this comment received more than 3250 reader recommendations and more than 60 reader responses
2 half the democratic party gave bernie a mandate not only to take the fight to the convention but well beyond
the center right side of the party had better get used to the new balance of power and be ready to share
co opting or worse attempting to quash the political revolution will lead to an irrevocable split
  rima regas in california reacting to a campaign stops article about the future of senator bernie sanderss campaign
this comment received more than 250 reader recommendations
3 i tend to judge based on my personal observations and tend to shun the magic of statistics
having said that i see far more evidence of trump support here in the liberal and educated northeast than perhaps for any other candidate in my lifetime
and i tend to think the white working class story line is more media mythology
trump has tapped into a vein of anger he expresses himself much like our grandfathers did before the self censorship imposed by political correctness took over
the media does not reflect america
  lonely republican in new york reacting to an article about there being more white older working class voters than 2012 exit polls suggested which could mean a boost for mr trump
4 better get that wall built its time to start keeping these educated forward thinking individuals out of the us
  jeff foster on the timess facebook page responding to an article about two high school valedictorians in texas who revealed that they were undocumented immigrants
this comment received over 4700 likes
5 threats of violence toward a judge isnt going to fix rape culture we as a society and particularly us men need to have constructive conversation around resolving this
  kevin jack mcdonagh on the timess facebook page responding to an article about the stanford rape case the judge has been criticized for sentencing a stanford student brock turner to only six months for sexual assault
6 women can prepare themselves for reality by reading her statement   yes agreed   but it is young men who need to read her statement and then no longer pretend that they are going to be getting 20 minutes of action when they force themselves on a woman without consent or worse as in this case without the woman being conscious
let this womans brave statement peel the blinders off young men who rationalize this behavior and who have been steeped in a culture that allows these behaviors to seem normal and then go unpunished if one is white and privileged
  rachael in new york referring to the statement made by the victim in the stanford case
7 i am disturbed by the willingness of so many people to demonize a young man in the court of public opinion a man who was quite drunk and with impaired judgment
people do many stupid things when they are drunk sometimes with serious consequences
if brock turner had been driving the victim in a car and gotten into an accident resulting in the victim breaking several bones and bleeding profusely nobody would consider calling him a violent person even if the victim had been too drunk to stay out of the car
the victim has chosen to remain anonymous presumably because she doesnt want strangers who dont know her passing judgment on her i completely understand a fathers desire to speak kindly of his son
  debbier in brookline mass reacting to an article about a statement issued by mr turners father
8 over the last 22 years that my mother has struggled with parkinsons disease watching muhammad ali continue to have an impact on the world has been a source of comfort and strength to my family
he was a fighter and an inspiration in many ways rip muhammad ali
  suzanne summers lapierre on the timess facebook page reacting to the obituary for mr ali who died on june 3
9 he made me believe that as a black person in america anything was possible he showed perseverance and fought every opponent with respect even the ones who would disrespect him
he truly was the greatest
  amina acelam in jefferson city mo responding to a callout to readers on mr alis obituary that asked what did muhammad ali mean to you
10 what utter nonsense the period is not dying
whats actually happening is a new form of discourse has sprung up in online spaces that has its own set of rules conventions and implications
this happens all the time without any severe damage or radical reorganizing of formal written english
it was certainly bound to happen when a radically new medium of communication pervaded the globe this isnt a story about punctuation dying its a story about a new vernacular being born
  rabid fangirl in washington reacting to an article about a linguistics professor who contends that texting is killing off the period


show low ariz   the shooting range here has been gregg schnepps second home the place he gathers with buddies who call one another old fogy as they send shotgun pellets flying through the air
but now 70 and receiving treatment for parkinsons disease mr schnepp along with his wife joanne faces a wrenching emotionally charged question when is the right time to give up the gun
shooting is about his only interest in life said ms schnepp who has avoided broaching the topic with her husband though she knows his physical and mental abilities are likely to decline then i will have to look him in the face and say you will get dementia  she said and im not doing that
in a nation with widespread gun ownership and an aging population firearm removal has been added to the burdens of caring for older relatives   alongside seizing the car keys and taking away the checkbook
experts in public safety and geriatric care say that relatives often lack guidance in navigating these difficult conversations instead they are sneaking guns from the homes of parents with alzheimers covertly disabling pistols belonging to aging sharpshooters and in many cases avoiding the topic altogether something that concerns people working in medicine and law enforcement
the number of people who have alzheimers is really exploding in this country said karen postal a boston area neuropsychologist who has studied the prevalence of guns in the homes of people with dementia and now counsels families on removing firearms the possibilities unfortunately are endless for some very very unsafe uses of the gun
concerns are not just hypothetical in 2014 more than 5000 people 65 and older committed suicide using a firearm the same year at least 200 people in that age group killed someone else according to the fbi and while homicides committed by people with dementia are not everyday occurrences they have convulsed families across the country with spouses children and friends falling victim to loved ones who became disoriented pulled guns from hiding places and then struggled to explain their actions
last month the police say rolfe pilati 87 killed his wife before shooting himself at their virginia home a son told investigators that mr pilati had dementia in september a minnesota man with alzheimers kenneth bowser 90 fatally shot his son telling investigators that he feared the son would kill him in other recent cases people with dementia have killed or injured friends and relatives in oregon missouri texas oklahoma and tennessee
for many of those people the weapons were once a source of comfort or enjoyment but as much as 40 percent of the countrys older population has a firearm in the home according to the pew research center and about 11 percent of people 65 and older have alzheimers the disease can have an ugly trajectory beginning with memory lapses and ending with the kind of confusion that could result in a caregiver being mistaken for a menacing intruder
a few law enforcement agencies have begun to recognize this potentially dangerous combination in denver police training now involves learning to work with people with alzheimers including those carrying firearms in rural williams county ohio sheriff steven towns has volunteered to store firearms for aging residents after hearing that home health aides felt uncomfortable in the presence of disoriented people with guns
its really been growing in our concern just because of the number of elderly in our area he said
conversations around removal can be particularly thorny in places where firearms are powerful symbols of independence here in arizona they are also entrees into a social world   the shooting range   that buoys hearts and minds long after careers have ended and friends have started to die for some people letting go of a firearm can feel like losing a part of oneself and removal is emotionally fraught
the schnepps live in the white mountains a rugged woody region that is popular among retirees and hunters ms schnepp 72 was the caregiver for her father harold phinney a world war ii veteran who kept a handgun and bullets in his office for protection he also had dementia
when mr phinney began mixing alcohol with nocturnal wanderings and threats of suicide his wife began to panic she was afraid he would use the gun and kill her ms schnepp said a plan was formed and a family member removed the gun from the office but mr phinney noted its absence went to the local firearm shop and bought another one
it has literally been hell said ms schnepp a strong believer in the right to bear arms at some point if you have guns in your life you need to think about what youre going to do about that
alzheimers the most common form of dementia affects 51 million americans 65 and older a number that is expected to nearly triple by 2050 people with the disease can become aggressive and hallucinate sometimes lose peripheral vision fail to recognize loved ones and forget the purpose of an object while those in the early stages may handle a gun responsibly the risk of trouble grows as the disease progresses doctors say
the few studies that examine gun ownership among people with dementia and other cognitive disorders suggest that families are not removing guns after a diagnosis in one assessment which examined 106 patients at a south carolina clinic 60 percent of them had a firearm at home in another involving 495 people at a cleveland clinic 18 percent did
perhaps that is because many relatives do not know how to approach the subject while doctors are legally permitted to give advice about gun storage they often do not according to a paper published in may in annals of internal medicine some physicians believe it is against the law to discuss firearms the authors wrote others are unfamiliar with what to say during firearm safety counseling and how to say it
in asheville nc dr virginia templeton runs an outpatient clinic for people with dementia and said that 40 percent of clients had a gun at home she asks about this on an intake form and counsels caregivers in the appropriate method of removal
but sometimes family members do not   or cannot   follow her advice ive had people say gosh ive gotten rid of three of them but i know there is more and i dont know where they are  she said
in one case she entered an examination room to find a patient with dementia wielding a pistol in another she received a call from the spouse of a man who had just had his drivers license revoked his wife called and said i need you to know my husband just left the house and said ive got three bullets one for dr templeton one for the dmv and one for my primary care doctor 
on a thursday morning in arizona these types of threats seemed far away at the white mountain trap and skeet club the talk was all about safety
mr schnepp took a bumpy seven mile dirt road to rubber duck lane where a forest opens onto an outdoor shooting range there were his friends   scott larry tony mike tom and dave   all in their 60s and 70s all wearing noise blockers and carrying shotguns
the men joked took turns shooting clay birds and assured a visitor that they would alert one another if a member became unfit to shoot
it would be a tough thing to do mr schnepp said its something i wouldnt want to hear or want to tell anybody but if its necessary its necessary
this is a big part of my life he continued his hands shook slightly but his aim was true im not a big football fan and im not a golfer   but i love breaking clay birds


international
an article on may 20 about signs that some vietnamese are eager for the american military to return to cam ranh bay base which the united states used in the vietnam war referred incorrectly to the use of the base during the war by american warplanes while fighter jets took off from the base b 52 bombers did not
new york
a headline on wednesday for the about new york column about a lawsuit over subprime loans at emigrant savings bank referred incorrectly to those loans in the context of the banks history the assertion by howard milstein quoted in the column that his family saved emigrant referred to the familys acquisition of the bank in the 1980s it is not the case that the subprime loans from the 2000s helped save the bank

an article on thursday about jona s rechnitz a cooperating witness in a corruption case against the correction officers union leader and a central figure in one of the corruption investigations focused on mayor bill de blasios fund raising misstated mr rechnitzs age he is 33 not 26 the article also omitted a group of fbi agents who are investigating some of the fund raising issues besides the fbi squad known as c14 a squad called c4 is also part of the inquiry

an article in some editions on thursday about the renaming of a manhattan street for norman rockwell referred incorrectly to the length of time his family lived at 206 west 103rd street where the artist was born in 1894 it was until he was 2 years old not until he was in his early 20s
sports
the sports of the times column on tuesday about muhammad alis being an ungentrified black man misspelled in some editions the given name of a former sports editor at jet magazine he is greg simms not gregg
weekend
a theater review on friday about shining city at the irish repertory theater in manhattan misstated the given name of the actor who plays ian he is billy carter not jack

a jazz entry in the listings pages on friday about the international anthem summer showcase scheduled for sunday at le poisson rouge in manhattan referred incorrectly to a trumpeter scheduled to perform the trumpeter jaimie branch is a woman

an article on friday about a gift of artworks to the menil drawing institute in houston misstated the given name of an artist whose work is included in the gift she was eva hesse not eve
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brooke henderson and mirim lee withstood a wild weather day on friday to share the lead at two under par halfway through the kpmg womens pga championship in sammamish wash
top ranked lydia ko was a stroke back along with gerina piller and brittany lincicome ko scrambled to a 70 in her bid to win her third straight major piller had a 69 and lincicome shot 70
playing in the afternoon henderson and lee fought through a mix of heavy rain wind and a significant drop in the temperature at sahalee country club after six straight pars henderson an 18 year old canadian birdied the par 3 17th but she bogeyed the 18th for a two over 73 that dropped her back into a tie with lee who shot 69
around golf bailey tardy 19 and monica vaughn 21 teamed to win two matches to help the united states tie britain and ireland 3 3 after the first day of the curtis cup the united states leads the biennial series 28 7 3 having won by 13 to 7 in 2014 in st louis daniel berger shot a six under 64 and took a three stroke lead in the st jude classic at tpc southwind in memphis tom hoge was second with a 69 for 134 dustin johnson the 2012 champion and was tied with phil mickelson 65 and brooks koepka 65 at five under
the police are investigating an allegation that a philadelphia eagles wide receiver nelson agholor sexually assaulted a dancer at cheerleaders gentlemens club on thursday afternoon the day the eagles wrapped up their off season workouts
fortunato perri jr a lawyer representing agholor would not discuss the allegation but said nelson has not been involved in any criminal conduct whatsoever
the nba all star guards russell westbrook of the oklahoma city thunder and james harden of the houston rockets said they had withdrawn from consideration for the united states team for the rio olympics other united states stars who will miss the games include stephen curry lamarcus aldridge anthony davis blake griffin chris paul and john wall
canadas olympic hopes suffered a blow when minnesota timberwolves guard andrew wiggins said he would not play for his country at the olympic qualifying tournament in the philippines in july
uconn reunion alyssa thomas scored on a tip in with 06 of a second left and the connecticut sun 2 7 beat the seattle storm 77 76 in uncasville conn ending a six game losing streak breanna stewart missed a contested attempt for the storm 3 6 at the buzzer stewarts former uconn teammate morgan tuck scored 20 points for the sun and another uconn alumna sue bird led seattle with 24 points uconn coach geno auriemma was at the game
the devils acquired forward marc savard and a second round pick in 2018 from the florida panthers for two minor league players graham black and paul thompson savard 38 has not played since the 2010 11 season because of concussion related problems he has 207 goals and 499 assists in 807 regular season games with the rangers calgary atlanta and boston
joey logano posted a lap of 199557 miles an hour to win the pole in the nascar sprint cup firekeepers casino 400 at michigan international speedway in brooklyn mich its a lot of fun he said youre booking down to the corners at 200 and something
stephen strasburg struck out 10 and won his 13th straight decision despite a rocky beginning and the host washington nationals overcame a four run deficit to beat the philadelphia phillies 9 6
the nationals scored in five straight innings after trailing by 4 0 in the third wilson ramos stephen drew and danny espinosa homered off jeremy hellickson 4 4 and daniel murphy drove in three runs with a pair of doubles
strasburg 10 0 retired the final 14 batters he faced after yielding tommy josephs two run homer in the third
around the majorsthe cincinnati reds placed center fielder billy hamilton on the seven day concussion list hamilton was hit in the head while sliding into third base on wednesday the philadelphia phillies placed the right hander vince velasquez on the 15 day disabled list with a right biceps strain two days after he was pulled from a start after throwing only two pitches he is 5 2 with a 365 era


milwaukee   mets manager terry collins believed rather than fret about matt harveys shaky outings in april and may that had elicited so much angst among mets fans collins took harveys back to back effective starts heading into friday night as evidence the dark knight had emerged from his darkest period
harvey turned in another strong effort on friday allowing one run on two hits in six innings on a steamy night with eight strikeouts but as in his previous two starts the mets provided little in the way of run support the mets managed one run with harvey in the game and no more until a weird sequence in 11th scratching one across to beat the milwaukee brewers for the second consecutive night 2 1
asdrubal cabrera scored the winner when brewers shortstop jonathan villar with the bases loaded and one out dropped matt reynoldss liner instead of an inning ending double play which would have been the third time the mets had loaded the bases and failed to score villar got only one out tagging kelly johnson between first and second
reynolds was as baffled as anyone by the play
all i know is i hit a line drive to short and i wasnt out he said honestly i thought it was a double play i was just standing right there waiting for them to make a decision i was just lucky it wasnt a double play
its tough to explain right now he added im still trying to figure out what happened
collins was willing to take the stroke of luck
ive seen a lot of major league baseball games he said that might have been one of the wildest ive ever been involved in you just take the win and go get ready for tomorrow you dont try to analyze that one
matty was good again were certainly on the upside of that thats good to see
five mets relievers combined to allow one hit over the final five innings with jeurys familia closing for his 21st consecutive save
after scoring 11 runs over the last two games a hopeful sign the mets offense struggled again on friday the first run came on a sixth inning homer by yoenis cespedes his 16th ending a stretch dating to may 23 of 52 at bats without one the mets left the bases loaded in the fifth while the game was still scoreless and again in the ninth after the first three batters reached base in harveys last three starts the mets have scored only two runs while he was pitching
harvey appeared especially sharp early mixing his pitches while retiring the first six batters four on swinging strikeouts
i feel much better harvey said my fastball wasnt coming out as great as it has been the last couple of starts but i pretty much had everything else working and was able to keep them off balance
the brewers briefly appeared to have scored a run in the third on a quirky play that required two replay reviews covering almost six minutes to resolve
with aaron hill on second and two out a villar grounder struck harvey in the foot and caromed toward the left side of the infield cabrera the mets shortstop headed toward the middle but scrambled back in a change of direction to knock down the ball just short of the outfield grass villar slid home ahead of cabreras throw and the plate umpire larry vanover the crew chief emphatically called him safe
collins challenged the call which was reversed following a 3 minute 1 second deliberation then milwaukee manager craig counsell asked vanover to review whether mets catcher kevin plawecki had blocked the plate two minutes 49 seconds later the out call stood keeping the game scoreless
johnson in his first appearance since the mets acquired him from atlanta for the second consecutive season doubled in the third with a big secondary lead johnson couldnt scramble back quickly enough on harveys grounder up the middle villar tagged johnson and threw to first for an inning ending double play
the mets loaded the bases in the fifth on two singles harveys sacrifice and an intentional walk to curtis granderson who was passed despite his 091 average with runners in scoring position alejandro de aza grounded out stranding them all
the former met kirk nieuwenhuis tripled and scored the games first run in the fifth the lead lasted only three pitches into the sixth when cespedes homered to left center nieuwenhuis stole johnsons bid for a go ahead homer in the sixth with a leaping catch at the center field wall
the brewers put two on with hansel robles pitching in the seventh but cespedes in center and de aza in left ran down fly balls on the warning track
in the ninth the mets wasted a glorious opportunity with wilmer flores and johnson following cabreras leadoff walk with singles putting the go ahead run 90 feet away with nobody out
with about 100 mets fans near the third base dugout chanting lets go mets and the remaining brewers fans at miller park booing milwaukee second baseman scooter gennett ran down plaweckis pop up in shallow right the runners holding pinch hitter neil walker took a 1 2 curveball from jeremy jeffress for strike three and granderson grounded out to second
mets reliever jim henderson walked two in the ninth but milwaukee couldnt capitalize leaving runners on second and third in the 10th milwaukees ramon flores overslid third on a ball in the dirt and was tagged out a call upheld on video review


cleveland   the questions buzzed around stephen curry and klay thompson like tiny insects where was their familiar form why were they missing so many shots curry and thompson the star backcourt of the golden state warriors did what they could to evade all the noise in the hours before game 4 of the nba finals on friday night
but deep down they knew that they would need to perform
both players delivered as the warriors defeated the cleveland cavaliers 108 97 at quicken loans arena to put themselves on the cusp of another championship golden state seized a three games to one lead in the series and can claim its second straight title   a fitting final act in a history making season   when it hosts game 5 on monday night
curry finished with 38 points while shooting 7 of 13 from 3 point range thompson added 25 points and the warriors sank 17 3 pointers over all
i think we just got back to enjoying the process and the challenge of winning playoff games curry said
kyrie irving had 34 points for the cavaliers and lebron james finished an assist shy of a triple double with 25 points 13 rebounds and 9 assists
ive already told our guys that game 5 will be the hardest game of the series warriors coach steve kerr said we have to understand that this series is not over
behind irving and james the cavaliers took an 8 point lead early in the third quarter but the warriors responded andre iguodala moonlighted from his assignment as jamess primary defender to hit a 3 pointer that tied the score and curry then gave the warriors the lead with another golden state went to the fourth quarter up by 2
with painstaking precision the warriors built on their lead possession by possession shaun livingston the teams backup point guard sank a runner curry slithered free for a layup when harrison barnes buried a 3 pointer the lead was 9 the crowd fell silent the cavaliers offense had imploded like a rusty muffler
we had our chances james said
as the final minutes ticked away the setting felt tense curry and james even started barking at each other
thats just normal basketball talk curry said i wanted a foul and he didnt think he fouled theres nothing to that
through the first three games of the series curry averaged 16 points   141 points below his season average   while shooting 436 percent from the field and 40 percent from 3 point range his struggles invited a host of concerns about his health he sprained his right knee in the first round of the playoffs and his play which had suffered the spotlight was bright draymond green went so far as to say that curry had been the victim of slander in recent days
hes in a situation few go through iguodala said
on friday curry worked for space against waves of defenders finding slivers of daylight where none had seemed to exist with 544 seconds left and cleveland still somehow threatening curry hopscotched past a double team for a give and go layup that pushed the lead back to 9
cavaliers coach tyronn lue expects his team to play with resolve in game 5
if you dont think you can win he said dont get on the plane
it was the first tightly contested game in a series full of blowouts after the warriors won games 1 and 2 by a combined 48 points the cavaliers returned home to win game 3 by 30   a result unforeseen by pretty much everyone including at least half of the participants
we came in here and for whatever reason we thought ok weve got this kerr said and they kicked us in the teeth obviously for whatever reason our teams personality   and its been this way for two years   is that we cant stand prosperity we start winning and then we let our guard down i thought we did that the other night
lue made a bold move before game 4 opting to start richard jefferson instead of kevin love who was activated after missing game 3 with a concussion it was most likely a dilemma for lue who had unearthed a winning formula in game 3   without love   by going small
about an hour before game 4 the cavaliers announced that love would be active and available it was later revealed that he would come off the bench for the first time since april 2010 at the end of his second season with the minnesota timberwolves love was productive in a limited role finishing with 11 points in 25 minutes
the arena pulsed with energy from the very start with fireworks popping and flames shooting from various parts of the monstrous scoreboard at quicken loans arena james cut through the pregame din to deliver a message to irving as they embraced minutes before the tip
be special james said
bodies toppled over one another limbs went flying legs got entangled and that was just the first couple of minutes curry got lost on defense and irving made a 3 pointer
for the warriors it was an eclectic combination of foul trouble odd lineups and loud noises the combination of which was jarring   even for a team that had been so dominant this season
kerr sought solutions or at least sparks james michael mcadoo a second year forward came off the bench for his first action since game 3 of the western conference semifinals against the cavaliers he twisted past a defender for a dunk helping the warriors to a 29 28 lead at the end of the first quarter
curry continued to search for some semblance of his rhythm early in the second quarter a loose ball popped out to him in the left corner curry turned and fired in a nanosecond swish but then a few minutes later curry drove for a layup but found resistance at the rim in the form of irving who leapt and batted the ball away
i thought steph was in a little bit of a hurry kerr said he wanted so badly to break out that i thought he took some tough ones
the cavaliers leaned on their balance to take a 55 50 lead into the locker room before the warriors cleared the floor though luke walton one of kerrs assistants was assessed a technical foul for arguing with the officials
it was shaping up as that kind of night for both teams nothing easy and nothing for certain not until the bitter end


gordie howe was known to generations of players and fans as mr hockey
but after his death at age 88 many in the hockey world were remembering him as something else mr nice guy
for all the tales of howes on ice toughness   the elbows the hard checks   it was his unassuming kindness off the ice that so many recalled
unfortunately we lost the greatest hockey player ever today but more importantly the nicest man i have ever met wayne gretzky hockeys great one wrote on twitter
the word gentleman was used again and again by those around hockey to describe howe
a great player in a sport that is our favorite sport in this country brendan shanahan a former red wings player who is now the president of the toronto maple leafs told the toronto star then on the flip side when he got off the ice he was a kind gentleman
tony granato a former red wings assistant coach called howe a gentleman a true gentleman and the nicest man you could ever meet
that was not to say that hockey people were not still marveling at howes accomplishments   26 seasons in the nhl and six more in the world hockey association across five decades he held the goal scoring record until gretzky came along
i pick gordie as my no 1 all time player said scotty bowman who won nine stanley cups as a coach including three with detroit
barry melrose a former player and current broadcaster recalled on espn he was a guy who would hurt you physically and score two goals to beat you
noting that howe had recorded 41 points in his final season 1979 80 at age 52 melrose added its mind boggling how long he played the guy was just a freak of nature to be playing that good at that age
howe still holds the nhl record for regular season games played with 1767 over 26 seasons the league plans to honor howe before game 6 of the stanley cup finals in san jose calif on sunday night
gordies toughness as a competitor on the ice was equaled only by his humor and humility away from it nhl commissioner gary bettman said in a statement no sport could have hoped for a greater more beloved ambassador
few were surprised by howes passing he had received a diagnosis of dementia in 2012 and had a serious stroke in 2014
nevertheless the news hit his hometown saskatoon saskatchewan hard flags in the city   which is near floral the small unincorporated town where howe was born   were flying at half staff on friday a banner with howes no 9 was flying over the citys ice arena where fans were leaving flowers cards teddy bears and other mementos at a statue of howe
theres a real feeling of sadness in the city because even though gordie played in detroit we still know he was from here and he always kept that connection to saskatoon and still has family here said kevin mitchell a reporter at the starphoenix the citys daily newspaper
howes stature loomed over the detroit red wings for whom he played 25 seasons beginning in 1946 and won four stanley cups
in detroit some red wings fans gathered at joe louis arena the stadium named for the only other local athlete who can stand with howe in the estimation of many detroiters
calls poured into radio shows remembering howe mostly for his on ice exploits john bacon a best selling sportswriter eulogized howe for national public radio crediting him for playing a key role in popularizing hockey in the united states
when he was in his heyday it was gordie howe bobby orr and bobby hull bacon said when those three guys were playing rinks started popping up where they were playing
in bacons view that laid the groundwork for the 1980 miracle on ice
speaking in detroit prime minister justin trudeau of canada said howe had been both a gentleman and a tough guy   the best of what canadians like to think of themselves as
from washington president obama said in a statement that howes perseverance and humility personified detroit
the greatest players define their game for a generation over more than half a century on the ice mr hockey defined it for a lifetime obama said
after howes playing days were over he was a regular visitor to red wings games and team events including charity fund raisers and stanley cup celebrations
he embodied on and off the ice what it meant to be both a red wing and a detroiter the red wings owner mike ilitch said in a statement he was tough skilled and consistently earned success at the highest level
granato who played for the rangers the los angeles kings and the san jose sharks remembered the effect of howes presence
hed come to joe louis and when the guys heard he was in the building everyone perked up granato said im thankful i had the chance to shake his hand a few times
once when granato was in detroit as an assistant coach with the pittsburgh penguins he noticed howe outside the visitors dressing room and introduced himself
he was surprised that howe a giant of the game politely asked whether granato might do him a favor
do you think i can go back and say hi to the kid howe asked referring to pittsburghs then budding star sidney crosby
the news of howes death spread quickly among former red wings players who no matter what era they played in seemed to come to know him
dave shand who played hockey at the university of michigan and broke into the nhl in 1976 while howe was still playing said emails with news of howes death had spread rapidly among former red wings players friday morning
shand recalled going up against howe in a game in 1979 and howe giving shand an elbow to the face the moment of impact was caught by a photographer
it literally looked like half my face was pushed in shand said with a laugh
years later after a stint with the wings shand came to know howe fairly well and they used to joke about the play
he was the most approachable superstar youd ever run into shand said he never made you feel like you were bothering him


a year ago jeff strang a longtime horse owner braved the crowds of 90000 at the belmont stakes for a chance to witness after a 37 year drought a triple crown win
he was watching by the finish line among horse racing fans and casual observers alike when american pharoah the odds on favorite captured belmont and won the crown
everybody just went nuts mr strang said
this year with no triple crown bid the belmont stakes appears to be somewhat quieter as of friday 46000 tickets had been sold for saturdays race
still mr strang and a friend sean gerson said they had no regrets for having bought their tickets to the belmont stakes this year if anything they said the smaller crowds would mean cheaper hotel prices and some extra elbow room for the horse racing fans
to racing fans like them this years races are still a must see   even if the forecast calls for scattered thunderstorms
rain or shine were here mr gerson said triple crown or not
the smaller event could also bring slight logistical relief for race and railroad organizers
in 2014 massive crowds inadequate food supplies and poor communication during a mass exodus from belmont park led to a worst case scenario said salvatore arena a spokesman for the long island rail road
passengers were forced to wait as long as four hours to board trains heading toward manhattan creating crowd control problems for the police and a public relations disaster for the track and the railroad
it was just a horror show mr arena said
in response to the problems in 2014 the metropolitan transportation authority and the new york racing association invested 5 million in infrastructure improvements including at the belmont park station and increased the number of cars on trains and the frequency in which trains were loaded
last year attendees had all left the park within an hour and a half mr arena said and the railroad transported 30000 people home this year the railroad expects a crowd of 20000 on the trains leaving from the belmont park station
in addition to logistical and structural improvements event organizers have added entertainment offerings for the 2016 races the country music duo maddie  tae was to perform on friday night and the rock band daughtry on saturday night
youll find the millennials here for the concert mr strang said they come to drink were here for strictly horse racing
and the food mr gerson said
while food options have also increased so have the prices two cheese steak sandwiches and two beers were going for 42
last year the event was expanded from a one day race to a three day festival with 17 stakes races over the course of three days said jenny kellner the assistant director of communications for nyra
this years belmont stakes increased the number of stakes races to 19 three on thursday six on friday and 10 on saturday
we prepare for the belmont stakes as if its a triple crown every year no matter what said pat mckenna the director of communications for nyra
but without the prospect of a triple crown winner some at belmont on friday suggested that the high prices at the concessions stand and at the admission gate were out of step with the mellower day
tony zuyus who was at belmont park on friday bikes there once a week a habit he said he has maintained for 55 years he said he can recognize a fellow regular at the races because they are less likely to be fancily dressed
for the first time in 20 years mr zuyus said he would not be able to attend the races on belmont stakes day his wife is recovering from a surgery and he did not want to leave her for 12 hours and anyway this year would bring no triple crown winner
theres no excitement in the air he said comparing this year to last the place is virtually empty
but when mr zuyus paused to watch the sixth race on a giant television and his chosen horse rock eagle won he looked decidedly excited
he raised his arms in the air go on baby mr zuyus said


richmond va   donald j trump has some ideas for how to jazz up the republican national convention and he previewed one at a rally here on friday evening a winners evening of sports celebrities and champions addressing the convention rather than politicians
were going to do it a little different if its ok he told the crowd im thinking about getting some of the great sports people who like me a lot
after regaling the crowd with the long story of how he successfully courted the endorsement of bobby knight the former indiana university basketball coach mr trump rattled off a list of other names of sports figures who he said have supported him according to the candidate he also has the support of the star quarterbacks tom brady and ben roethlisberger brian france the chief executive of nascar and dana white the president of ultimate fighting championship
dana white you know dana white mr trump asked the crowd ufc guys a champion these are champions
he said he wanted to have them all address the convention to be held next month in cleveland as examples of winners rather than these people these politicians who are going to get up and speak and speak and speak
as an example he appeared to refer to the keynote speech by gov chris christie of new jersey at the 2012 convention when mr christie seemed to spend more time promoting himself than the nominee mitt romney one guy spoke for like 45 minutes he never mentioned romneys name mr trump said exaggerating somewhat
curiously enough mr christie is a trump supporter and mr romney a leading detractor
a few republican officials have said they are skipping the convention in effect protesting mr trumps brand of campaigning
our country needs to see winners mr trump told the crowd we dont see winners anymore we have a bunch of clowns running this country we have people who dont know what the hell theyre doing running our country


it is among the success stories of industrial new york a warehouse that once housed a copper company was transformed into a film studio replete with stages sound rooms and sets as the city experienced a boom in film and television production
eastern effects the company that built the studio started in 1999 with a single employee in an apartment size office and grew to include a small complex of buildings in the gentrifying area around the gowanus canal in brooklyn large segments of the americans the show on fx about cold war spies were shot there
but this week the company learned that it would most likely have to leave the warehouse home to most of its production space within five years the parcel at 270 nevins street was selected by the city and approved by the environmental protection agency to be used in its cleanup of the area part of an agreement that was made final on thursday
in its cleanup of the canal declared a superfund site in 2010 the epa worked with the city to find a location for an eight million gallon sewage tank to help curb discharge during heavy rains
while the agency had pushed to put the tank under thomas greene playground the city and park advocates balked warning that it would require closing parts of the playground and a pool for a decade the tank is now planned for a parcel just north of the film studio across the street from the park the warehouse site is needed as a staging area to build the tank officials say
scott levy the founder and co owner of eastern effects said he was formally notified of the plan in april
though the warehouse is one of four buildings his company uses in gowanus it is the largest the possibility that the warehouse will be demolished he said will drastically affect his ability to attract large productions like the americans
im distraught mr levy said by phone on friday i spent my life building this business creating this studio and being in new york city and brooklyn and i feel completely unsupported
mr levy said the loss of the building was one hurdle among many his company has faced
he said he spent five years searching for the building and was still paying off loans related to a 5 million investment he made to renovate it after signing a 20 year lease in 2009 in 2012 hurricane sandy struck flooding much of the area around the canal and requiring 100000 worth of repairs to the building he said
now because of the terms of his lease he is not entitled to any compensation if the property ends up being seized under eminent domain though he could potentially receive compensation if the buildings owner agrees to sell the property to the city
its not an easy thing to find industrial space in brooklyn he said
more than 2100 people including the actress edie falco wrote letters in support of eastern effects a company spokesman said
elias rodriguez a spokesman for the epa said it was the citys idea to use the warehouse property
mr levy identified three other parcels near his business that he believed could be viable sites two of them he said have for sale signs in front
but ted timbers a spokesman for the citys department of environmental protection defended the citys choice though he said the department would continue to look for possible alternatives
he said the other sites mentioned by mr levy had drawbacks one is owned by consolidated edison and two others consist of multiple properties he said
moreover the warehouses location immediately adjacent to the planned site of the tank would have less impact on the area and the street mr timbers said he said the other sites would have required the closing of nevins street for as long as eight years
the agreement with epa is good news for the residents of gowanus as it minimizes any disruption to one of the few playgrounds and swimming pools in the neighborhood a statement from the department said
the city has until april 2020 to acquire the properties for the project including the staging area the warehouse would not need to be vacated until may 2021 according to the agency the building would have to be demolished
mr levy said he had trouble squaring the decision with the citys often stated support for the booming film and television business
this is someones decision he said this is not a freak accident they looked at a map and put a tack down and said its a good site


anyone who grew up on long island or at least in greater new york might appreciate the mets scouting director tommy tanouss tone when he described how the team had come to choose long islanders with its first two picks in baseballs amateur draft
he was sarcastic naturally
to be honest i didnt feel like flying this year so i just scouted guys i could drive to tanous said on a conference call late thursday night
he was not far off
the mets homed in on the right hander justin dunn of freeport the 19th overall pick when he joined the rotation at boston college in early april the mets actually chose the left hander anthony kay of stony brook twice   three years ago in the 29th round from ward melville high school the same school the current met stephen matz attended and again thursday with the 31st pick kay reportedly rejected a 175000 bonus offer to attend the university of connecticut
i was really excited when he got drafted out of high school to the mets said matz a ward melville senior when kay was an eighth grader it was pretty cool to see him have a lot of success and bump up all the way to the first round im really excited for him
kay led uconn to its first ncaa tournament in four years going 9 2 with a 265 era to be named pitcher of the year in the american athletic conference uconn coach jim penders said that a curveball kay mastered late in the season had contributed to his effectiveness
hes the best pitcher ive ever had at uconn penders said in a telephone interview a legendary competitor the thing that stands out more than anybody weve had here is his competitive courage its a different level whether hes playing you at darts or checkers or ping pong he wants to beat your brains out
three years ago penders said he was shocked when kay lasted past the top 10 rounds
we thought we were going to lose him penders said he wanted to stick it   not to the mets necessarily to all 30 teams it was like you guys are going to have to pay a lot more if i go to uconn
and they will the bonus slot value for the 31st pick is 19 million
i think it was just a good opportunity to go to school and i wanted to get the experience of playing college baseball and get a couple of years of education under my belt kay said on a conference call friday i thought that it was a good trade off
kay grew up rooting for the yankees but i guess im a mets fan now he said
penders said he had also recruited dunn who attended the gunnery school a boarding school in washington conn but had considered dunn too much of a project and backed off the dodgers chose dunn in the 37th round in 2013
dunn started an ncaa superregional playoff game against miami in coral gables fla on friday dunn entered friday with a 149 era the lowest in the atlantic coast conference in 17 appearances in seven starts he went 3 1 with a 143 era he beat tulane 7 2 on june 3 in an ncaa regional playoff game striking out a career high 11 in seven innings
it was so bizarre the fact that both kids are local kids tanous said its just how the draft played out we had no intention of manipulating the draft or anything to get these players we were thrilled to get them
johnsons return the newly reacquired kelly johnson began his second stint with the mets in two years by starting at second base friday for neil walker whose chest remained sore from a one hopper that struck him thursday night manager terry collins plans to use johnson at first second and third and in the outfield
hes a quality guy in the clubhouse a veteran guy who knows his role and goes about it the right way collins said what he gives us on the bench and in the clubhouse is huge positive guy always has a smile when it comes to crunchtime your bench and your bullpen are what you turn to its nice to have some quality veteran guys on that bench
johnson uses different gloves at different positions the one for second base is the smallest so he can extract the ball quickly on double play turns johnson is only the second major leaguer to be traded between the same two teams atlanta to the mets in back to back seasons joining chad kreuter dealt from the chicago white sox to the anaheim angels in 1997 and 98
its obviously a good situation johnson said you know what youre coming into youre way more comfortable and you dont have to feel any pressure to do this or that i hope to do some stuff to contribute to some wins
lesson for lagares terry collins said he had spoken with juan lagares about sliding headfirst into second base on a ninth inning double thursday night during his first action since he partially tore a left thumb ligament june 4 in miami collins prefers lagares to slide feet first to better protect the thumb
you can ask him but youre not going to get it because it is instinctive collins said i told him its not the wisest decision and he said he never even thought about it
id just as soon bring it up as have him haphazardly make a stupid mistake and blow that thumb up i think he needs to know look i know you can slide the other way the one thing i want is him in the lineup


this article originally appeared in the new york times on nov 17 2002
deer lake pa   turn off highway 61 and drive up a winding two lane road through woods with yellow and red leaves
its on both sides of the road halfway up the hill a neighbor had said you cant miss it
and here it is muhammad alis training camp during the last decade of his boxing career if dozens of revolutionary war inns brag that george washington slept here this 80 bed compound of 18 buildings most of them log cabins is surely a historic american landmark because muhammad ali not only slept here he also lived here and trained here in the blue mountains a few miles west of allentown
hed spar right over there george dillman was saying thursday in the gym cabin as he pulled down a small white screen then hed sit here and watch fight films of jack johnson while he ate a half gallon of vanilla ice cream
dillman an internationally famous black belt karate instructor in nearby reading befriended ali in 1972 when ali bought the land from a local mink farm proprietor and began building his training camp cabin by cabin
dillman purchased the five acre camp from ali in 1997 he said he paid 114000 and invested another 400000 in remodeling the cabins alis white mosque and three cabins are now the butterfly and bee bed and breakfast
you know like bundini used to shout float like a butterfly sting like a bee  dillman said referring to drew brown alis assistant trainer ali prayed in that mosque three times a day weve had martial arts camps here weve even had two weddings people who wanted to be married where ali trained
dillman now has the camp for sale guernseys auction house in new york is the real estate agent the initial asking price is 5 million
somebody asked me what makes it worth 5 million  dillman said and i said what made mark mcgwires 70th home run ball worth 3 million what made alis robe that he wore once into the ring worth 135000 this was muhammad alis training camp this was where he trained imagine a kid being able to sleep in alis bed
ali slept in his personal cabin not far from the outdoor fireplace where his entourage would build a fire and rouse him from his nap with an ali ali chant
bundini dillman said would be out here shouting george chuvalo is going to whup you or floyd patterson is going to whup you and eventually ali would come out and yell no he aint no he aint 
ali and the others ate in the big cabin with a long table and a kitchen where his mother and his aunt coretta cooked for everybody
aunt coretta put up a sign dont ask whats in the food eat it or leave  dillman said she made great stews but she got tired of the hangers on peering into the pot and saying i dont eat carrots or i dont eat onions after a while they learned not to say anything youd see them pushing aside the carrots or the onions on their plates but they didnt dare say anything to aunt coretta
ali built a firebell that he would ring in the morning to wake everybody up for his roadwork
but it wasnt all laughs dillman said his first few years here i often ran with him in the morning after his roadwork one day he was depressed he was standing on what was just a dirt road then talking to me about how he was going to pull out of the second joe frazier fight in 1974   heres a photo my wife kimberly happened to take that day
in the small snapshot now under the glass top on dillmans desk ali appears discouraged
ali was saying you see any people around here people dont hang out with losers  dillman said he had lost to ken norton got his jaw broken and even though he decisioned norton in a rematch nobody was coming here to see him i told him get your attitude up after you beat frazier the people will be back 
ali decisioned frazier then knocked out george foreman in zaire to regain the heavyweight title and the people were back
all around the camp names painted on boulders honor alis trainer angelo dundee and champions like frazier foreman sugar ray robinson joe louis jack dempsey jack johnson rocky marciano larry holmes gene tunney jersey joe walcott floyd patterson jerry quarry archie moore willie pep rocky graziano kid gavilan
alis father painted all those names on the boulders dillman said his father and mother came here often elvis presley came here too arrived here at 4 in the morning frank sinatra was here so were sammy davis jr andy warhol sylvester stallone they just wanted to see muhammad ali everybody came here to see him
elvis hasnt been seen here since but bundinis ghost has
up in that cabin dillman said pointing across the road thats where bundini slept ever since he died several years ago you hear stories some people say theyve seen bundinis ghost around the cabin up there others say it seems like somebody else is in that cabin
and if bundinis ghost is around here maybe someday muhammad alis ghost will be here too just the possibility is worth 5 million


this article originally appeared in the new york times on oct 31 1974
kinshasa zaire   muhammad ali became today the second man in boxing history to regain the world heavyweight championship with an eighth round knockout of george foreman
under an african moon a few hours before dawn the 32 year old ali sent his 25 year old rival crashing to the floor with a left and chopping right it was a bee harassing a bear stinging incessantly until his arm weary adversary succumbed to sheer persistence
inspired by the chant of ali bomaye meaning ali kill him from the cheering assembly of nearly 60000 in the stade du 20 mai boxings most controversial champion created the most bizarre chapter in his bizarre career in a bizarre bout in which each fighter earned 5 million in africas first heavyweight title bout
despite a violent siege ali disdaining his usual butterfly tactics took foremans most powerful punches without flinching and without wobbling except for a brief moment in the second round suddenly with foreman stumbling on weary legs near the end of the eighth ali exploded a left right combination
spinning backward foreman flopped onto the canvas ali had predicted that after the 10th round foreman will fall on his face from exhaustion as it developed foreman toppled onto his rump from exhaustion in the eighth groping to his feet he was counted out by zack clayton the referee at 2 minutes 58 seconds of the round
foreman was humiliated ali said later i did it i told you he was nothing but did you listen i told you i was going to jab him in the corners i told you i was going to take all his shots i told you he had no skill i told you he didnt like to be punched
alis reaction was similar to his attitude in 1964 after he won the heavyweight title when sonny liston declined to come out for the seventh round of their miami beach bout ali then known as cassius clay was a 7 1 betting underdog at that time he was a 4 1 underdog to foreman unbeaten in 40 previous bouts
i lost the fight foreman commented but i was not beaten hes now the champion he has to be respected
ali had mentioned that this would be his last fight but he dodged questions pertaining to his retirement
foreman was scared ali said and who would want a rematch i got to get 10 million before i think about fighting
at ringside joe frazier who outpointed ali in a 15 round decision in 1971 but lost a 12 round decision to him early this year hoped to arrange a title bout with ali next year
im ready for him said frazier also a former champion i know how to fight him now
ali joined floyd patterson as the only heavyweight champion to recapture the title patterson was dethroned by ingemar johansson in 1959 but knocked out the swedish boxer the following year patterson also knocked out johansson in a 1962 bout
ali has now won 45 of 47 bouts with 32 knockouts his only losses were to frazier and to ken norton the california heavyweight who broke alis jaw in winning a 12 round decision early last year at that time alis career appeared to be waning rapidly
ali then outpointed norton in a rematch and then outpointed frazier to qualify as foremans foremost challenger
in his three title bouts foreman had needed only 11 minutes 35 seconds in dethroning frazier and successfully defending his crown against joe king roman and norton but in the ring under a canopy in the zaire capitals soccer stadium he was unable to pound ali into submission with the same punches that had demolished the other three
ali took command of the spectacle even before foreman entered the ring ali who weighed 216  1/2  pounds to foremans 220 at saturdays weigh in arrived in a white satin robe trimmed with what appeared to be an african blanket he danced and shuffled for nearly 10 minutes before foreman appeared in a red velvet robe with a blue sash
during the playing of the national anthems the star spangled banner and le zarois while two american and two zaire flags were in the ring ali mocked foreman who seemed not to see him later while foreman sat on his stool having his gloves tied on ali swooped near him and taunted him with a mock look to the delight of the crowd
at the bell foreman moved clumsily but quickly he appeared to slow ali with a long left hook to the body near the end of the first round he also pinned ali to the ropes and slammed punches with both hands to the rib cage ali covered up effectively when the round ended ali sat on his stool and winked across the ring
in the wait for the second round the ali bomaye chant began when the round started foreman again chased ali pinning him against the ropes but suddenly ali retaliated with a flurry of jabs midway in the round ali appeared to wobble and he grabbed foremans shoulder momentarily but quickly he swung a right cross and threw several jabs
during the third ali was content to lay on the top rope and permit foreman to pummel him almost at will but every so often the old bee would sting the young bear with jabs that snapped back foremans head instead of sitting on his stool after the third ali strolled over to make a face into the closed circuit tv cameras at ringside
in the fourth ali opened with quick flurry of jabs that jarred foremans head but still ali was content to lay on the ropes again foremans legs appeared weary as he walked after ali and often lunged ineffectively
when the fifth began ali maintained his strange tactics other boxers had been toppled quickly by foremans sledgehammer punches but ali obviously had prepared himself well for this task surely his body will be sore tomorrow but somehow despite the punches to his face there was no obvious sign of punishment
during the intermission before the sixth alis trainer angelo dundee hurried across the ring apron to where a zairian boxing official was trying to tighten the turnbuckle to control the top rope that ali had been laying against but instead of tightening it the zairian official was loosening it the rope sagged
perhaps on dundees orders ali avoided those ropes during the sixth had he not he might have toppled backward out of the ring and in avoiding the ropes he moved more than he had been before in jabbing foreman effectively and often
stumbling along foreman chased ali throughout the seventh but his face had puffed especially around the right eye that had been cut in training causing a six week postponement foreman was hoping to measure ali for the big punch that had finished 24 consecutive opponents but his arms were powerless
suddenly with the left right combination ali produced the knockout moments later perhaps overcome with emotion he sat down in the ring for several moments as his idolators swarmed onto the canvas to surround him the zairian police and paratroopers needed several minutes to clear up the chaotic situation
not long after that the dawn broke here but soon a heavy rainstorm crashed over the stadium it was raining on an old and a new heavyweight champion
in the carpeted dressing room for the fighters underneath the stadium the clock in each was stopped at 3 oclock the original time for the bout here before the end of daylight saving time in the united states last weekend foreman entered his room at 230 but ali didnt arrive until almost 3 oclock
somebody forgot his robe said a member of alis entourage and they had to send back to get it


michael g hubbard the speaker of the alabama house of representatives whose sharp elbowed approach to politics propelled the republican party to dominance in his state was convicted friday on 12 felony ethics charges leaving him stripped of power and facing the possibility of decades in prison
the verdict at the end of mr hubbards trial in the lee county circuit court deepened the political crisis in alabama where some of the most influential state officials are facing inquiries and threats of ouster in recent weeks the troubles of mr hubbard who had wielded a level of influence that easily rivaled gov robert bentleys power played out in public as prosecutors portrayed him as financially desperate privately frustrated and criminally culpable for misconduct under the very ethics law he had helped to strengthen
although jurors acquitted mr hubbard on 11 counts his conviction on the remaining dozen charges prompted his removal as the leader of the house mr hubbard who was convicted of improperly soliciting benefits from lobbyists and voting in favor of a measure that helped a company for which he consulted faces up to 20 years in prison on each count
we hope that this verdict tonight will restore some of the confidence of the people in the state of alabama said w van davis who oversaw the public corruption inquiry that led to mr hubbards indictment in october 2014
mr hubbard 54 had denounced the indictment from almost the moment it was released and he and his lawyers argued that he had done nothing illegal particularly because some of the lobbyists with whom he communicated were personal friends the charges they said amounted to a political assault on a strong willed elected official who often seemed to have as many enemies in the capital as he did friends
mr hubbard intends to appeal but he is expected to be sentenced next month
his conviction and automatic ouster immediately increased the political turmoil that had shadowed alabama for months and made it something of a punch line the chief justice of the state supreme court roy s moore could be removed from office this year because of his efforts to resist same sex marriage and mr bentley is a subject of impeachment proceedings over an improper relationship with an aide as well as federal and state inquiries
its a sad day in the state because people have a distrust in government when you look around all three branches state senator cam ward a republican said in an interview after the verdict was announced this kind of affirms what people have been thinking
mr bentley declined to comment through a spokeswoman but the states attorney general luther strange also a republican welcomed the verdict
this is a good day for the rule of law in our state said mr strange who added that the decision should send a clear message that in alabama we hold public officials accountable for their actions
after the verdict the associated press reported mr hubbard spoke with his team of lawyers including a former lieutenant governor before a deputy escorted him from the courtroom
jurors began their deliberations friday afternoon and worked into the night punctuating a trial in opelika that was notable as both a public spectacle and a clinic about the practice of power in a southern state with a long history of corruption prosecutions
witnesses described regular meetings between mr hubbard and lobbyists and they spoke of how he had sent emails essentially pleading for consulting work mr hubbards emails were flashed onto a screen and dissected while he sat between his lawyers
mr bentley testified as did former gov bob riley whose appearance became so tense that a prosecutor asked that he be deemed a hostile witness judge jacob a walker iii who will sentence mr hubbard declined to make such a declaration
business leaders also appeared as witnesses   and were asked to discuss why they had each invested 150000 in mr hubbards struggling printing company   and so did a former state senator who testified under an immunity agreement
prosecutors said mr hubbard had abused the power of his office
he just didnt want to be held accountable to the law a prosecutor matt hart said last month in his opening statement
defense lawyers who called mr hubbard as their only witness argued that he had taken steps to ensure that he complied with ethics standards and that his efforts to find work were permissible because he had contacted longtime friends
he tried to follow every part of the ethics law a defense lawyer bill baxley said in the first hours of the trial
mr hubbards prosecution was a crucial test for the ethics law which republicans had championed after they under mr hubbards leadership took control of the legislature in 2010
this legislation that was passed in 2010 was needed and prosecutors used it to convict based on violations of the law said paul demarco a former republican lawmaker this may be a black eye on the state of alabama but i think all eyes will be on the alabama legislature now
addressing reporters outside the courthouse on friday mr davis would not discuss other public corruption investigations
this is probably the first time in recent history that someone at this level in state government has been prosecuted he said in an apparent reference to cases brought by alabama officials for that reason i think it makes a statement


this article originally appeared in the new york times on july 19 1987
in boxing more than in other sports life is seldom easy for the great ones after they climb down from the ring for the last time but for three of the best champagne turned to vinegar joe louis couldnt knock out the internal revenue service auditors sugar ray robinson has been struggling with alzheimers disease and muhammad ali is up against parkinsons
the irony is that as youngsters growing up on the detroit streets joe louis inspired the original sugar ray whose skill and style later inspired ali
its almost as if a lineal curse has hounded ali a curse perhaps now hovering over a boxer whom ali has inspired
during an appearance at a boxing medical symposium in mexico city last week ali explored the possibility of undergoing brain surgery there to alleviate the affliction that has dulled one of the worlds quickest minds but when alis new wife lonnie and his mother learned that the adrenal transplant procedure was still experimental they objected loudly and tearfully dont be a guinea pig they pleaded ali agreed but he had brightened at having his name in headlines again and of receiving so many messages of concern in phone calls and telegrams
im shakin up the world again he said laughing
for a few hours muhammad ali was muhammad ali again but now he has drifted back into his daze as sad as alis condition is his personal physician dr dennis cope the director of general internal medicine at the ucla medical center contends that theres no reason now for the 45 year old three time heavyweight champion to consider the brain surgery performed by dr ignacio madrazo of the la raza medical center in mexico city
its still experimental said dr cope who has discussed the operation with dr madrazo of the 18 people who have had the operation two have died and theres a risk of damage to the brain the surgery should be reserved for someone whose condition is deteriorating but theres no evidence that muhammad is deteriorating i think hes very stable hes able to function independently his symptoms are quite mild one of alis problems is that he ignores his doctors advice he doesnt watch his diet he doesnt get enough exercise and he doesnt always take his medication but thats ali who as a boxer always preferred to do things his way and in the ring his way almost always turned out to be the best way
out of the ring alis genius has deserted him just as sugar ray robinsons genius has departed hes 66 years old now living in los angeles with his wife millie in an upstairs apartment in a nice neighborhood with lawns and small palm trees when visitors arrive millie prompts him he brightens and addresses his visitors by name then he slides into the stupor of the disease that has blanked his memory
i dont blame boxing millie says rita hayworth had alzheimers she wasnt a boxer two of my girlfriends have it they werent boxers
as a youngster christened walker smith jr he sometimes carried the gym bag of his detroit neighborhood hero joe louis barrow to the brewster center where each first boxed when his family moved to new york he grew into a sweet as sugar welterweight champion and a five time middleweight champion he is still described by many historians as pound for pound the best boxer ever
you are the king my master my idol a teenager named cassius clay blurted outside sugar rays nightclub in harlem in 1960 after i win a gold medal in the rome olympics i want you to be my manager
although never his manager sugar ray remained the idol of the heavyweight who would change his name to muhammad ali who often called himself a big sugar ray
one night before the alzheimers began winning the struggle sugar ray was having dinner in a los angeles restaurant when phil rosenthal a publisher and advertising executive was introduced to him since that evening rosenthal has emerged as sugar rays benefactor
what somebody once asked rosenthal are you looking to make out of this
to make myself feel good rosenthal said thats all i want out of this
to create income for sugar ray he produced 1000 color 26 by 39 inch prints for 250 each autographed by sugar ray of a bernie fuchs oil painting of sugar ray in the ring in his prime half the supply remains at sugar prints 10433 wilshire blvd los angeles calif 90024 rosenthal now is negotiating the film rights to sugar rays life
what do you want out of the movie somebody asked him
give me a walk on part rosenthal said thats all
in his last years joe louis also needed a benefactor he was a greeter at caesars palace where a bigger than life statue of him adorns the lobby elevator area in the new tower of the las vegas hotel before the heavyweight champion died muhammad ali enjoyed teasing him
im the greatest ali would say i wouldve knocked you out easy if you even dreamed it louis would reply with a smile youd apologize
when the aging joe louis was knocked through the madison square garden ropes by rocky marciano in 1951 sugar ray was one of the first to rush to the apron of the ring
youll be all right man sugar ray said youll be all right
thats what people keep saying now to sugar ray robinson and to muhammad ali but neither will ever be all right once champagne turns to vinegar its never champagne again


here is a transcript of the eulogies by lonnie ali billy crystal bryant gumbel and former president bill clinton during the funeral for muhammad ali on friday
assalamualaikum peace be upon you
you know i said something to matt lauer yesterday that i firmly believe muhammad had something to do with all of this and i think we are right thank you all for being here to share in this final farewell to muhammad on behalf of the ali family let me first recognize our principal celebrant imam zaid shakir and also dr timothy gianotti we thank you for your dedication to helping us fulfill muhammads desire that the ceremonies of this past week reflect the traditions of his islamic faith and as a family we thank the millions of people who through the miracle of social media inspired by their love for muhammad have reached out to us with their prayers
the messages have come in every language from every corner of the globe from wherever you are watching know that we have been humbled by your heartfelt expressions of love it is only fitting that we gather in a city to which muhammad always returned after his great triumphs a city that has grown as muhammad has grown muhammad never stopped loving louisville and we know that louisville loves muhammad we cannot forget a louisville police officer joe elsby martin who embraced a young 12 year old boy in distress when his bicycle was stolen joe martin handed young cassius clay the keys to a future in boxing he could scarcely have imagined
america must never forget that when a cop and an inner city kid talk to each other then miracles can happen some years ago during his long struggle with parkinsons in a meeting that included his closest advisers muhammad indicated that when the end came for him he wanted us to use his life and his death as a teaching moment for young people for his country and for the world in effect he wanted us to remind people who are suffering that he had seen the face of injustice that he grew up in a segregation and that during his early life he was not free to be who he wanted to be but he never became embittered enough to quit or to engage in violence it was a time when a young black boy his age could be hung from a tree emmett till in money mississippi in 1955 whose admitted killers went free it was a time when muhammads friends men that he admired like brother malcolm dr king were gunned down and nelson mandela imprisoned for what they believed in for his part muhammad faced federal prosecution he was stripped of his title and his license to box and he was sentenced to prison but he would not be intimidated so as to abandon his principles and his values
muhammad wants young people of every background to see his life as proof that adversity can make you stronger it cannot rob you of the power to dream and to reach your dreams this is why we built the muhammad ali center and that is the essence of the ali center message muhammad wants us to see the face of his religion al islam true islam as the face of love it was his religion that caused him to turn away from war and violence for his religion he was prepared to sacrifice all that he had and all that he was to protect his soul and follow the teachings of prophet muhammad peace be upon him so even in death muhammad has something to say he is saying that his faith required that he take the more difficult road it is far more difficult to sacrifice oneself in the name of peace than to take up arms in pursuit of violence you know all of his life muhammad was fascinated by travel he was childlike in his encounter with new surroundings and new people he took his world championship fights to the ends of the earth from the south pacific to europe to the belgian congo and of course with muhammad he believed it was his duty to let everyone see him in person because after all he was the greatest of all time the boy from grand avenue in louisville ky grew in wisdom from his journeys he discovered something new that the world really wasnt black and white at all it was filled with many shades of rich colors or languages and religions and as he moved with ease around the world the rich and powerful were drawn to him but he was drawn to the poor and the forgotten
muhammad fell in love with the masses and they fell in love with him in the diversity of men and their faiths muhammad saw the presence of god he was captivated by the work of the dalai lama by mother teresa and church workers who gave their lives to protect the poor when his mother died he arranged for multiple faiths to be represented at her funeral and he wanted the same for himself we are especially grateful for the presence of the diverse faith leaders here today and i would like to ask them to stand once more and be recognized you know as i reflect on the life of my husband its easy to see his most obvious talents his majesty in the ring as he danced under those lights enshrined him as a champion for the ages less obvious was his extraordinary sense of timing his knack for being in the right place at the right time seemed to be ordained by a higher power
even though surrounded by jim crow he was born into a family with two parents that nurtured and encouraged him he was placed on the path of his dreams by a white cop and he had teachers who understood his dreams and wanted him to succeed the olympic gold medal came and the world started to take notice a group of successful businessmen in louisville called the louisville sponsoring group saw his potential and helped him build a runway to launch his career his timing was impeccable as he burst into the national stage just as television was hungry for a star to change the face of sports you know if muhammad didnt like the rules he rewrote them his religion his name his beliefs were his to fashion no matter what the cost the timing of his actions coincided with a broader shift in cultural attitudes across america particularly on college campuses
when he challenged the us government on the draft his chance of success was slim to none that the timing of his decision converged with a rising tide of discontent on the war public opinion shifted in his direction followed by a unanimous supreme court ruling in a stunning reversal of fortunes he was free to return to the ring when he traveled to central africa to reclaim his title from george foreman none of the sportswriters thought he could win in fact most of them feared for his life but in what the africans call the miracle at 4 am he became a champion once more and as the years pass and those slowed by parkinsons muhammad was compelled by his faith to use his name and his notoriety to support the victims of poverty and strife he served as a un messenger of peace and traveled to places like war torn afghanistan
he campaigned as an advocate for reducing the yoke of third world debt he stunned the world when he secured the release of 15 hostages from iraq as his voice grew softer his message took on greater meaning he came full circle with the people of his country when he lit a torch that seemed to create new light in the 1996 olympics muhammad always knew instinctively the road he needed to travel his friends know what i mean when i say he lived in the moment he neither dwelled in the past nor harbored anxiety about the future muhammad loved to laugh and he loved to play practical jokes on just about everybody he was sure footed in his self awareness secure in faith and he did not fear death yet his timing is once again poignant his passing and its meaning for our time should not be overlooked as we face uncertainty in a world and divisions at home as to who we are as a people muhammads life provides youthful guidance muhammad was not one to give up on the power of understanding the boundless possibilities of love and the strength of our diversity he counted among his friends people of all political persuasions saw truth in all faiths and the nobility of all races as witnessed here today
muhammad may have challenged his government but he never ran from it or from america he loved this country and he understood the hard choices that are born of freedom i think he saw a nations soul measured by the soul of its people for his part he saw the good soul in everyone and if you were one of the lucky ones to have met him you know what i meant he awoke every morning thinking about his own salvation and he would often say i just want to get to heaven and ive got to do a lot of good deeds to get there and i think muhammads hope is that his life provides some guidance on how we might achieve for all people what we aspire for ourselves and our families thank you
the great maya angelou who was herself no stranger to fame wrote that ultimately people will forget what you said and people will forget what you did but that no one will ever forget how you made them feel as applied to muhammad ali the march of time may one day diminish his boasts and his poetry maybe even his butterflies and bees it may even one day dull the memories of the thrilla in manila and the rumble in the jungle but i doubt any of us will ever forget how muhammad ali made us feel and im not talking about how proud he made you feel with his exploits or how special he made you feel when you were privileged enough to be in his company im talking about how he gripped our hearts and our souls and our conscience and made our fights his fights for decades
people like me who were once young semigifted and black will never forget what he freed within us some of us like him took pride in being black bold and brash and because we were so unapologetic we were in the eyes of many way too uppity we were way too arrogant yet we reveled in being like him by stretching societys boundaries as he did he gave us levels of strength and courage we didnt even know we had but alis impact was not limited to those of a certain race or of a certain religion or of a certain mind set the greatness of this man for the ages was that he was in fact a man for all ages has any man ever scripted a greater arc to his life what does it say of a man any man that he can go from being viewed as one of his countrys most polarizing figures to arguably its most beloved and to do so without changing his nature or for a second compromising his principles
yeah you know there were great causes there were great national movements there were huge divisions that afforded ali unusual opportunities to symbolize our struggles but harry truman had it right when he said men make history and now the other way around or as lauryn hill so nicely put it consequence is no coincidence befitting his stature as the goat muhammad ali never shied away from a fight he fought not just the biggest and baddest men of his day inside the ropes but outside the ring he also went toe to toe with an array of critics a seemingly endless succession of societal norms the architects of a vile immoral war the us government he even fought ultimately to his detriment the limitations of father time
strictly speaking fighting is what he did but he broadened that definition by sharing his struggles with us and by viewing our struggles as his and so it was that at various times he accepted and led battles on behalf of his race in support of his generation in defense of his religious beliefs and ultimately in spite of his disease i happen to have been overseas working in norway this past week and my buddy matt called told me the champ had been taken to the hospital and that this time it was really serious right away i called lonnie who was as always a pillar of strength and as we discussed the medical details the doctors views and the ugly realities of mortality lonnie said bryant the world still needs him and indeed it does the world needs a champion who always worked to bridge the economic and social divides that threaten a nation that he dearly loved the world needs a champion that always symbolized the best of islam to offset the hatred born of fear and the world needs a champion who believed in fairness and inclusion for all
hating people because of their color is wrong ali said and it doesnt matter which color does the hating its just plain wrong yeah we do need muhammad ali now we need the strength and the hope the compassion the conviction that he always demonstrated but this time our beloved champion is down and for once he will not get up not this time not ever again
let me close with a quick personal story fifty years ago muhammad ali defeated george chuvalo in toronto canada the very next day he showed up in my hyde park neighborhood on the south side of chicago as ali got out of a car in the driveway at the home of elijah muhammad i happened to be next door shooting hoops in a friends backyard i of course very quickly ran to the fence and for the first time in my life i shook the champs hand i was 17 i was awe struck and man i thought he was the greatest now half a century and a lifetime of experiences later i am still awe struck and im convinced more than ever that muhammad ali is the greatest to be standing here by virtue of his and lonnies request its mind numbing
the honor that ali has done me today as he goes to his grave is one that i will take to mine god bless you champ
thank you ladies and gentlemen uh were at the halfway point crowd laughs i was clean shaven when this started
dear lonnie family friends mr president clinton members of the clergy all of these amazing people here in louisville today this outpouring of love and respect proves that 35 years after he stopped fighting he is still the champion of the world
last week when we heard the news time stopped there was no war there were no terrorists no global catastrophes the world stopped took a deep breath and sighed
since then my mind has been racing through my relationship with this amazing man which is now 42 years that i know him every moment i can think of is cherished and while others can tell you of his accomplishments he wanted me to speak and tell you of some personal moments that we had together
i met him in 1974 i was just getting started as a stand up comedian and struggling but i had one good routine it was a three minute conversation between howard cosell and muhammad ali where i would imitate both of them
ali had just defeated george foreman and regained the heavyweight title sport magazine made him the man of the year dick schaap a wonderful writer and a great man was the editor for sport and he hosted a televised dinner honoring muhammad ali so dick called my agent looking for a comedian who did some sports material as fate would have it that comedian was not available and she wisely said   its destiny man   and she wisely said but listen i got this young kid and he does this great imitation of muhammad ali and cosell he would be perfect for you i dont know why but dick said ok ill try him if he stinks i can cut him out of the show i couldnt believe it my first time on television and it would be with ali
i went to the plaza hotel the event was jammed i met mr schaap who would later become a part of my family and he said well how should i introduce you nobody knows who you are
and i said just say im one of alis closest and dearest friends and my thought was ill get right to the microphone go into my howard cosell and ill be fine and then i nervously move into the jammed ballroom and thats when i saw him for the first time in person its very hard to describe how much he meant to me you had to live in his time its great to look at clips and its amazing to have them but to live in his time watching his fights experiencing the genius of his talent was absolutely extraordinary every one of his fights was an aura of a super bowl he did things nobody would do
he predicted the round he would knock somebody out in and the he would do it he was funny he was beautiful the most perfect athlete you ever saw   and those were his own words
but he was so much more than a fighter as time went on with bobby kennedy gone martin luther king gone malcolm x gone who was there to relate to when vietnam exploded in our face
there were millions of young men my age eligible for the draft for a war we didnt believe in all of us huddled on the conveyor belt that was rapidly feeding the war machine but it was ali who stood up for us by standing up for himself
and after he was stripped of the title and the right to fight anywhere in the world he gave speeches at colleges and on television that totally reached me he seemed as comfortable talking to kings and queens as the lost and unrequited he never lost his sense of humor even as he lost everything else he was always himself willing to give up everything for what he believed in and he used amazing rhetoric about the life and plight of black people in our country that resonated strongly in my house
i grew up in a house that was dedicated to civil rights my father was a producer of jazz concerts in new york city and it was one of the first to integrate bands in the 40s and 50s jazz musicians referred to my dad as the branch rickey of jazz
my uncle and my family jewish people produced strange fruit billie holidays classic song describing the lynching of african americans in this country and so i felt him and now there he was just a few feet from me i couldnt stop looking at him and he seemed to like glow and he was like in slow motion his amazing face smiling and laughing
i was seated a few seats from him on the dais and in the room were all the athletes in their individual sports great ones gino marchetti of the baltimore colts franco harris of the steelers archie griffin who had won the heisman from ohio state literary legends   neil simon george plimpton   all in a daze fawning over ali who then looked at me with an expression that seemed to say what is joel grey doing here
mr schaap introduced me as one of alis closest and dearest friends two people clapped my wife and the agent i rose ali still staring at me i passed right behind him got to the podium and went right into the cosell hello everyone howard cosell coming to you live from zaire some would pronounce it zare theyre wrong it got big laughs and then i went into the ali
impersonating ali everybodys talking about george foreman george foreman george foremans ugly hes so slow george was slow i catch em voo voo voo swinging fists then i rope a dope i rope a dope george and im so fast 33 years of age but im so fast i could turn off the lights and be in my bed before the room gets dark
still impersonating ali however im announcing tonight that i got new religious beliefs from now on i want to be known as izzy yiskowitz i am now an orthodox jew izzy yiskowitz cha im i am the greatest of all time
the audience exploded see no one had ever done him before and here i was a white kid from long island imitating the greatest of all time and he was loving it
when i was done he gave me this big bearhug and whispered in my ear youre my little brother which is what he always called me until the last time that i saw him
we were always there for each other and if he needed me for something i was there he came to anything i asked him to do most memorable he was an honorary chairman for a dinner at a very important event where i was being honored by the hebrew university in jerusalem he did all of this promotion for it he came to the dinner he sat with my family the entire evening he took photographs with everybody the most famous muslim man in the world honoring his jewish friend
because he was there we raised a great deal of money and i was able to use it to endow the university in jerusalem with something that i told him about and it was something he loved the theory of and it thrives to this day its called peace through the performing arts its a theater group where israeli arab and palestinian actors writers and directors all work together in peace creating original works of art and that doesnt happen without him
i had so many so many funny unusual moments with him i sat next to him at howard cosells funeral a very somber day to be sure closed casket was on the stage muhammad and i were sitting somewhere over there next to each other and he quietly whispered to me little brother do you think hes wearing his hairpiece
so i said uh   i dont think so
as ali well then how will god recognize him so i said champ once he opens his mouth godll know so he started laughing it was a muffled laugh at first but then we couldnt contain ourselves there we were at a funeral me and muhammad ali laughing like two little kids who heard something dirty in church you know were just laughing and laughing
and then he looked at me and he whispered howard was a good man
one time he asked me if i would like to run with him one morning do road work i said well that would be amazing where do you run
as ali well i run at this country club and i run on the golf course early in the morning its very private nobody bothers me well have a great time
i said champ i cant run there the club has a reputation for being restricted
as ali what does restricted mean
they dont allow jews there they dont have any jewish members
he was incensed im a black muslim and they let me run there little brother im never gonna run there again and he didnt
my favorite memory perhaps was in 1979 he had just retired and there was a retirement party at the forum los angeles for muhammad and 20000 of his closest friends in los angeles i performed a piece that i had created the imitation had grown into a live story called 15 rounds i play him from the age of 18 until hes 36 ready for the rematch with leon spinks i posted it on the internet last week footage that nobody had ever seen before of me portraying ali doing his life for him all those years ago in 1979 there were 20000 people there but i was doing it only for him its one of my favorite performances that ive ever done in my life i sort of got lost in him i didint even know where i was at the end of the performance
and suddenly im backstage with another heavyweight champion richard pryor and pryor is holding on to me crying and then i see ali coming and hes got a full head of steam and hes looking only at me and he nudged mr pryor aside and he whispered in my ear with a big bearhug little brother you made my life better than it was
but didnt he make all of our lives a little bit better than they were
that my friends is my history with a man and i have labored to come up with a way to describe the legend he was a tremendous bolt of lightning created by mother nature out of thin air a fantastic combination of power and beauty weve seen still photographs of lightning bolts ferocious in its strength magnificent in its elegance and at the moment of impact it lights up everything around it so you can see everything clearly muhammad ali struck us in the middle of americas darkest night in the heart of its most threatening gathering storm his power toppled the mighty foes and his intense light shined on america and we were able to see clearly injustice inequality poverty pride self realization courage laughter love joy and religious freedom for all ali forced us to take a look at ourselves this brash young man who thrilled us angered us confused and challenged us ultimately became a silent messenger of peace who taught us that life is best when you build bridges between people not walls
my friends only once in a thousand years or so do we get to hear a mozart or see a picasso read a shakespeare ali was one of them and yet at his heart he was still a kid from louisville who ran with the gods and walked with the crippled and smiled at the foolishness of it all he is gone but he will never die
he was my big brother
thank you
thank you i can just hear muhammad say now well i thought i should be eulogized by at least one president and by making you last a long long long long line i guaranteed you a standing ovation
i am trying to think of what has been left unsaid first lonnie i thank you and the members of the family for telling me that he actually as brian said picked us all to speak and giving me a chance to come here i thank you for what you did to make the second half of his life greater than the first thank you for the muhammad ali center and what it has come to represent to so many people here is what i would like to say i have spent a lot of time now as i get older and older trying to figure out what makes people tick how do they turn out the way they are how do some people refuse to become victims and rise from every defeat
we have all seen the beautiful pictures of the humble muhammad ali with a boy and people visiting and driving by i think he decided something i hope every young person here will decide i think he decided very young to write his own life story i think he decided before he could possibly have worked it all out and before fate and time could work their will on him he decided he would not be ever be disempowered he decided that not his race nor his place the expectations of others positive negative or otherwise would strip from him the power to write his own story he decided first to use these stunning gifts his strength and speed in the ring his wit and way with words in managing the public and his mind and heart to figure out at a fairly young age who he was what he believed and how to live with the consequences of acting on what he believed
a lot of people make it to steps one and two and still just cant quite manage living with the consequences of what he believed for the longest time in spite of all the wonderful things that have been said here i remember thinking when i was a kid this guy is so smart and he never got credit for being as smart as he was i dont think he ever got the credit for being until later as wise as he was in the end besides being a lot of fun to be around and basically a universal soldier for our common humanity i will always think of muhammad as a truly free man of faith and being a man of faith he realized he would never be in full control of his life something like parkinsons could come along but being free he realized that life still was open to choices it is the choices that muhammad ali made that have brought us all here today in honor and love
the only other thing i would like to say i think we all need to really really think about is that the first part of his life was dominated by the triumph of his truly unique gifts we should never forget them we should never stop looking at the movies we should thank will smith for making his movie we should all be thrilled it was a thing of beauty but the second part of his life was more important because he refused to be imprisoned by a disease that kept him hamstrung longer than nelson mandela was kept in prison in south africa that is in the second half of his life he perfected gifts that we all have every single solitary one of us have gifts of mind and heart its just that he found a way to release them in ways large and small
ask lonnie she will remember a time when they were still living in michigan and i gave a speech in southwest michigan at an economic club there its kind of a ritual when a president leaves office you have to get re acclimated nobody plays a song when you walk in a room anymore you dont really know what youre supposed to do and this club its called the economic club or something like that theyre used to acting like you still deserve to be listened to and you need to get re acclimated so they came to dinner and they sat with me at this dinner and he knew somehow he knew that i was a little off my feet that night i was trying to imagine how to make this new life and so he told me a really bad joke and he told it so well and laughed so hard that i totally got over it and had a great time he had that feel about you know theres no textbook for that knowing where somebody else is in their head picking up the body language then lonnie and muhammad got me to come here when we had an occasion at the muhammad ali center and i was trying to be incredibly old gray haired elderly statesman i gotta elevate this guy so im saying all this stuff in very high toned language and muhammad comes up behind me and puts his fingers up behind my head
finally after all the years that we have been friends my enduring image of him is like a little reel in three shots the boxer i thrilled to as a boy the man i watched take the last steps to light the olympic flame when i was president and ill never forget it i was sitting there in atlanta by then we knew each other by then i felt that i had some sense of what he was living with and i was still weeping like a baby seeing his hands shake and his legs shake and knowing by god he was gonna make those last few steps no matter what it took the flame would be lit the fight would be won the spirit would be affirmed i knew it would happen and then this the children whose lives he touched the young people he inspired its the most important thing of all
so i ask you to remember that we all have an ali story its the gift we all have that should be most honored today because he released them to the world never wasting a day that the rest of us could see anyway feeling sorry for himself because he had parkinsons knowing that more than three decades of his life would be circumscribed in ways that would be chilling to the naked eye but with a free spirit it made his life bigger not smaller because other people all of us unlettered unschooled in the unleashing said well would you look at that look at that may not be able to run across the ring anymore may not be able to dodge everybody and exhaust everybody anymore and hes bigger than ever because he is a free man of faith sharing the gifts we all have we should honor him by letting our gifts go among the world as he did god bless you my friend go in peace


for months the de blasio administration has insisted that its top officials knew nothing about deed restrictions that were lifted by a city agency on a nursing home on the lower east side of manhattan   learning of it only in late february after the building was sold to luxury condominium developers for 116 million
the closing of the home a former aids hospice known as rivington house prompted outrage among community leaders as well as a scramble by city officials to find out how a for profit company made roughly 72 million and in the process replaced a needed nursing center with luxury apartments in a neighborhood already teeming with them
the city halted all new deed modifications in early march three investigations began soon after
in a pair of memos obtained by the new york times a top official in the de blasio administration was apprised on the progress in removing the restrictions at rivington house twice in the middle of 2015   suggesting involvement and coordination by close advisers to mayor bill de blasio a democrat months earlier than the administration has acknowledged
in the memos the department of citywide administrative services informed the first deputy mayor anthony shorris that it was working to remove the restrictions after allure group a for profit nursing home company had agreed to pay the city 1615 million to do so
the transactions that resulted in the lifting of the restrictions and the sale of the nursing home to condominium developers are the subject of parallel investigations by the state attorney general the city comptroller and the citys investigation department
landau seeks to remove the restrictions but intends to use the property as a for profit nursing home the departments then commissioner stacey cumberbatch wrote to mr shorris in a memo dated may 6 2015 referring to an owner of the company joel landau the next step is a public hearing she added prior to requesting a mayoral authorization document
after the city removed the restrictions on the property which barred any use other than as a nonprofit health care center allure group sold the home to the developers in february for 116 million
officials at city hall have said that mr shorris did not know until after the sale that the city had lifted all deed restrictions on the property the first deputy mayor learned of the transaction and the lifting of the full deed restriction in late february according to background on the deal provided by city hall in april after the transactions became public he did not know dcas had lifted the deed restriction for allure
but in the may memo   and in another on july 8 2015   ms cumberbatch updated mr shorris as part of a weekly report on items of interest
dcas is proceeding to remove two use restrictions that were imposed when the rivington house property was sold by the city in 1992 the july memo explained one limiting use to nonprofits the other to health care providers the department expects to have a formalized deed modification approved by the law department in july according to the memo copied to two members of mr shorriss staff
allure group went into contract to sell the building to developers on may 11 2015 the same day that the city ran a public notice in the city record about the plan to lift the restrictions and five days after the may memo
mr de blasio has said he did not find out about the questionable deals surrounding rivington house until he heard about it from the media city hall officials have said that mr shorris and others who were scrambling to address the issue in early march did not bring it to the mayors attention because they were still gathering facts
the subject also did not come up city hall officials have said during a meeting between mr de blasio and mark g peters the commissioner of the investigation department at city hall on march 1 the same day that officials have said the agency began its inquiry the city also halted all new deed changes that day
mr de blasio has since said that the administration was misled by allure group a contention bolstered early this week by the state attorney general eric t schneiderman who speaking to reporters on tuesday described the company as an unscrupulous player whose promises had been broken in prior sales mr schneidermans office has moved to block any new purchases of nonprofits by allure group as the investigation continues
our responsibility to protect the integrity of ongoing reviews prevents us from commenting on this said eric f phillips who was appointed as mr de blasios press secretary on friday asked if the administration was walking back from its previous statement he said no
the memos weekly agency reports that are usually circulated as attachments touched on a number of issues being handled by the department of citywide administrative services neither discussed the possibility of converting the nursing home into apartments
a spokeswoman for allure group declined to comment
the fate of rivington house had been a concern for local elected officials and community members who had wanted the building to remain a nursing home the question of what to do with the building was also discussed by the deputy mayors including mr shorris early on in the mayors term current and former officials have said
it looks like there is movement on the rivington house issue wrote ms cumberbatchs chief of staff sally renfro in an email on sept 2 2014 to the general counsel for the department of citywide administrative services she added that a staff member from dm shorriss office called to ask if there are any other steps required to remove the deed restriction on rivington house assuming village care pays the appraisal amount referring to the original nonprofit owner of the home
the city typically sets the value of removing a deed restriction at 12 to 25 percent of the propertys appraised value
but the nonprofit and the city never agreed on a price for lifting the restrictions village care entered into contract in october 2014 to sell the property to allure group for 28 million


this article originally appeared in the new york times on sept 16 1998
cameras were clicking inside united nations headquarters yesterday afternoon when secretary general kofi annan presented the greatest muhammad ali with the messenger of peace honor this was mostly a photo opportunity the secretary general presented ali with a framed citation and a lapel pin in the form of a dove ali and his wife lonnie presented the secretary general with a pair of boxing gloves this was a relationship filled with deep longstanding mutual admiration
the boxer and the secretary general shared a sports background annan had been a sprinter and soccer player at macalester college in st paul minnesota ali of course is the three time heavyweight champion of the world the greatest of all time each man has devoted his life to the pursuit of peace annan as a diplomat ali as an unofficial ambassador
annan established the messenger of peace honor as a way of recognizing that peace is not the mere province of governments but hinges on the willingness of individual citizens to use their gifts to inspire good will ali became the second former athlete to receive the honor magic johnson was honored as well
people like muhammad transcend national boundaries annan said some people transcend their environment and their profession some of the skills they learned in athletics the discipline the art of competition having compassion for those you defeat working with groups and working as a team and being part of a team knowing that you cannot achieve much without others
recognizing that you need to rely on others just as they rely on you regardless of how brilliant you are playing with others without jealousy there are certain qualities that great athletes pick up that eventually can stand them in good stead in life these are lessons these athletes can pass on
shortly after annan was named secretary general in january 1997 he initiated the messenger of peace honor to recognize a commitment to peace honor and human dignity annan recalled one of alis visits to the united nations when he drew a picture with the inscription the rent we pay here on earth is service to mankind and to other people
annan first met ali in 1979 when ali at the request of richard lapchick a un employee at the time and now the director of the center for the study of sport in society requested that he address the special committee against apartheid annan who was born in ghana had admired ali from afar for decades
i admired him first as an athlete an outstanding unique boxer annan said i also followed his own travails and difficulties and saw the way he handled himself and how he became a stronger and a better man thats quite an achievement not all of us who go through traumatic experiences are able to pick up the pieces and move on stronger and better men and muhammad did that
after the ceremony in annans office ali walked through the united nations corridors and became the magnet he has been for three decades employees stopped tourists snapped pictures the russian delegate the delegate from poland a delegate from the republic of south korea all shook alis hand ahmed kamal khan the pakistani delegate warmly greeted ali and told of the time he visited ali in the champions home in 1982 ali gave him a copy of a book of prayer and signed it
he is not a boxer or an athlete kamal khan said he is a complete man on the un plaza 200 children waited and cheered as ali arrived one hundred of them had walked from harlem to meet the champ some of them werent born their parents may not have been born when ali recorded his great triumphs
ali smiled and walked among them accepting handshakes and requests for photos with children
before the secretary general excused himself he offered one final image to put muhammad ali in proper perspective he compared ali to the wise farmer
the farmer knows instinctively that if you take something from the earth today you have to put something back to be able to return tomorrow to harvest annan said muhammad understands that


this article originally appeared in the new york times on july 21 1996
atlanta  muhammad ali floats above the summer games no longer an elusive butterfly but a great glowing icon as large as a spaceship he casts his light on every athlete every spectator every volunteer all the people who walk these humid streets with just a little more zip in their step now that they have seen ali
the whole world gasped in shock early yesterday when ali suddenly materialized on that platform at the far end of olympic stadium the perfect choice to light the caldron
who would have thought of ali who would have predicted he could stand in front of the world his body slowed by parkinsons syndrome and hold a flaming torch and transfer searing fire to a contraption that would raise the fire to the caldron
putting the old rascal prophet on the official pedestal raised the tempo of these 17 days let the games begin indeed yesterday we had glorious events scattered all over this city energized by the vision of ali   hey if ali can hold that flame without toasting himself to a crisp i can get up on three hours sleep   i went to the first gold medal event in shooting and saw an amazing reversal a polish woman beating a german woman on the last shot
my choice meant i missed the hungarians beating the russians in water polo shades of 1956 a belgian swimmer set a world record   and in a trial no less a hapless judo athlete from the other georgia went to the wrong site and missed the official weigh in and was disqualified he should have blamed the horrendous transportation problems choking this olympic city
the people from the atlanta organizing committee can be flagellated for the clogged traffic and the rampant greed and tackiness of these games but billy payne and his colleagues must be praised for their innate understanding that muhammad ali the former cassius clay was the perfect symbol for the ceremony
everybody knew the theme of these games was look how far weve come to justify this event being given to striving atlanta the ceremonys creators paid careful artistic attention to the safe black poets and singers and athletes and martyrs of the south
reviving the rev dr martin luther kings i have a dream speech was as predictable as it was proper his image makes international olympic committee members feel good about choosing atlanta who is to say that an elderly dr king would not have been outside the stadium with a bullhorn goading the smug fat cats of atlanta about housing and jobs
ali was the shocker the wild card when people speculated who would be the final holder of the flame few mentioned ali because they knew he was not healthy
nobody wanted ali to be remembered as the weakened legend who dropped the olympic torch in front of billions of people around the world ali was 100 feet tall even without his image on the message board we could all see him with our naked eye his mystical half smile lighting up the steamy night hang on to the torch ali thats what we said in my section
but ali has always been full of surprises he could float like a butterfly and sting like a bee could charm the world as a beautiful youth when he won the gold at the summer games of 1960 he could spout doggerel and he could beat bad sonny liston could be cruel to opponents could defy the draft board could come back and regain his heavyweight championship
somewhere along the line even to most of white america ali stopped being a frightening symbol of a foreign religion and a menacing black man and a threat to the welfare of his homeland and he became a fragile legend damaged by the punches of his brutal sport unable to rouse the wit and flash of his youth
putting him on that platform was a stroke of genius that transformed a very nice ceremony into a celebration a block party i was sitting with a black male colleague and a white female colleague and when we saw ali shining on that platform we exchanged high fives at the audacious perfection of it ali was at the games ali was on the hill raise the flame float like a butterfly sting like a bee all of us


in an instant less time than it took american pharoah to pull away from his rivals in the homestretch at belmont park last year 37 years of agony and heartbreak gave way to ecstasy and jubilation
employees leapt onto one anothers backs reporters cheered and cried and fans danced and howled late into the night stopping only to snap selfies and capture the moment when american pharoah became the 12th triple crown champion and the first since affirmed in 1978
american pharoahs normally loquacious trainer bob baffert however was rendered speechless i was just enjoying the call and the crowd the noise and everything happening he said after american pharoah won the mile and a half race by five and a half lengths
a year later that pure intoxication has evolved into a mild hangover as the belmont stakes is set to go off saturday without a triple crown on the line or even a showdown between the kentucky derby winner nyquist and the preakness stakes victor exaggerator
gordon edes the historian of the boston red sox who won the world series in 2004 ending an 86 year drought and then added titles in 2007 and 2013 can relate
in 2004 you saw such an outpouring of emotion   i mean bill simmons made the title of his book now i can die in peace   and you read over and over about these personal stories of people going to visit their parents graves to celebrate the world series edes said but with any state of ecstasy it runs out at some point it has an expiration date i think theres a sense that maybe people dont live and die with this club quite the same way as they might have in the past
yet horse racing has plenty of excuses to keep basking in the american pharoah afterglow the announced attendance at the kentucky derby last month was 167227 just under the record of 170513 in 2015 and preakness officials announced a record crowd of 135256 a bump up from last years 131680
to capitalize on american pharoahs belmont victory which was named sports event of the year by sports business journal the new york racing association put tickets on sale in january nearly 10000 general admission tickets were sold before the preakness officials said and a total of more than 46000 had been sold for the belmont as of friday
nbc sports coverage of the derby averaged 155 million viewers behind the 16 million in 2015 but viewership peaked at 179 million as nyquist crossed the finish line   the same as when american pharoah did so in 2015 the preakness averaged 94 million viewers up from 89 million viewers in 2015 news media credentials for the derby totaled 2200 compared with 2000 in 2015
as of april bettors had placed 34 billion on races in the united states this year a 4 percent increase from the same time in 2015 wagering from all sources on the derby program was the second highest in history totaling 1926 million 1 percent off the record set in 2015 the total handle on the preakness program was a record 941 million about 100000 more than the previous mark set in 2005
horse sales by keeneland and fasig tipton have produced returns mirroring the trend seen throughout recent sales seasons steady results indicating marketplace stability combined with selectivity among buyers who place emphasis on quality
there are other less obvious ways to measure the american pharoah effect the kentucky derby museum which opened in 1985 and had never experienced a triple crown has seen a 239 percent increase in attendance since september and the overall revenue from october through april is up 42 percent sales of american pharoah merchandise compared with california chrome items the year before increased by 744 percent
an american pharoah exhibition opened at the museum the sunday before the derby and 1300 people up from about 400 the year before attended they were treated to a question and answer session with pharoahs connections including baffert and his wife jill the owner ahmed zayat and his son justin and the jockey victor espinoza the museum had more than 50000 in revenue that day lifted by the sale of limited edition american pharoah bottles of makers mark bourbon for 8999 each that total was up from about 9500 the year before
the connections have worked very hard to share this horse that we have been waiting for for 37 years said patrick armstrong the president of the museum
the museum also offers tours of american pharoahs new home coolmores ashford stud in conjunction with mint julep tours and horse country a nonprofit organization developed 18 months ago by farms clinics and a feed mill in kentucky to support fan development in thoroughbred racing
there are 37 member organizations with 19 giving tours and patrons have included people from 49 states and five countries
more than 10300 tickets have been sold this year according to horse countrys executive director anne hardy and of those about 30 percent have been visits to coolmore which hosts one tour a day each visit is limited to about 25 people and the last group of june and july dates sold out in about 45 minutes
were still feeling the love in horse country and hope that people will fall in love even more with our members and their horses through their visits hardy said
the national museum of racing and hall of fame in saratoga springs ny redid its triple crown gallery to include american pharoah the debut at its 2016 derby viewing party attracted about 350 people compared with 200 at the 2015 event the museums annual trip to the belmont sold out last year at 55 people and was on pace to sell out this year as well
two television contracts announced in recent weeks have also made a splash with nbc landing a multiyear agreement to broadcast the royal ascot meet from britain in the united states beginning in 2017 and fox sports securing a multiyear deal to broadcast more than 80 hours of live coverage from saratoga race course on fs2
i love saratoga and to me saratoga is augusta national its fenway park its lambeau field its a chance for us to showcase one of the iconic places in american sports said michael mulvihill the senior vice president for programming and research at fox sports
this year nbc devoted more resources to horse racing including experimenting with virtual reality and ultra high definition cameras and adding figures from other sports broadcasts like rutledge wood of nascar
our commitment to horse racing has been very strong for quite a while and i think if anything american pharoah shined a bright light on just how much we do said jon miller the president for programming at nbc sports who added that interest had increased so much this year that 100 affiliates ran derby and preakness promos more than 300 times
american pharoah is living the good life as a stallion in kentucky and times have changed for his connections as well baffert and espinoza said signing autographs and posing for pictures were part of their daily routine
i hear people say i will never forget the triple crown espinoza said im sure there are little kids who dont know anything about racing but they know the triple crown ive been to new york twice since then and i cant even go out on the street
even though saturdays belmont is missing the derby winner and a chance for a historic sweep the memories of last year are sure to feel fresh then another drought will begin anew
it was bar none the greatest sports event ive ever been to mulvihill said and having the job that i have i am lucky enough to have been to over 10 super bowls 20 world series a lot of the great events in american sports but i dont think ive ever been to anything more exciting than american pharoah winning the triple crown


united states coach jurgen klinsmann promised that his team would not sit back and play it safe while taking on paraguay in philadelphia on saturday needing only a tie to reach the quarterfinals of the copa america centenario
klinsmanns team needs only a point to ensure its place after a 4 0 rout of costa rica on tuesday but klinsmann whose job status faces a review by us soccer if the united states tumbles out of the tournament in the first round said there was no chance that his team would play for a draw
we dont have the character to just sit back and let them come and hope for a counter klinsmann told reporters friday thats not us we have to be really involved in the game we have to set the tone we have to keep a high level of aggressiveness and keep the determination going from the first second of the game
klinsmann meanwhile said he was relishing the high stakes nature of the occasion confident that his players would respond to the challenge   just as they had done when they successfully negotiated a brutal group at the 2014 world cup in brazil
in that tournament the americans defied expectations by advancing out of their group behind the eventual champion germany and ahead of talented teams from portugal and ghana
we knew when the draw came out it would go down to the wire and thats what we have now klinsmann said i love that type of situation this is already a knockout kind of game in a certain way
you want your players to go through that and go in there with a big chest and take the game to paraguay and respect them with all the strengths they have but also kind of showing them that we are able to play these kind of games he added
klinsmanns commitment to an aggressive game plan   he started the same lineup in the first two games though he adjusted his formation after taking the lead against costa rica   was tempered by the attacking threat posed by paraguay
they have players that can hurt you in any second klinsmann said
chile edges bolivia arturo vidal scored his second goal of the game on a penalty kick in second half stoppage time and chile kept alive its hopes of advancing in the copa america with a 2 1 victory over bolivia in group d play in foxborough mass
chile the defending copa america champion ended a three game losing streak bolivia has lost six straight and has allowed at least two goals in each of its past 12 games
chile finished with 10 shots on goal to just one for bolivia
chile was awarded the penalty kick after luis gutierrez was called for a hand ball
vidal gave chile a 1 0 lead in the first minute of the second half when he corralled a bolivia turnover and executed a give and go with mauricio pinilla and slid a goal past carlos lampe bolivia tied it the 61st minute when jhasmani campos hooked a left footed free kick just inside the post from 30 yards out ap


after tests on friday revealed that chris parmelees strained right hamstring could displace him for at least a month the yankees were forced to swallow down a difficult question about their situation at first base whos left
that snakebitten position has turned into a trap door of sorts for the team with injuries now to four of the players who were expected to contribute there leaving the yankees precariously short of viable long term options
for now the rookie infielder rob refsnyder will be the primary starter despite never having played the position before this week austin romine a backup catcher becomes refsnyders emergency relief but things are certainly fluid already six players have made at least one appearance at first base this season and that does not include greg bird who played 46 games at first last season but had season ending shoulder surgery in february
before friday nights 4 0 victory against the detroit tigers manager joe girardi expressed as much confidence about refsnyder as he could knowing that the infielder who primarily played second base in the minors was still learning a completely foreign position
i think hell handle it fine girardi said there could be some growing pains but we dont have a ton of first basemen with a lot of experience
indeed the attrition at the position in a two week span has begun to assume darkly comical proportions first there was dustin ackley a backup utility player who was sent to the disabled list on may 30 with a dislocated right shoulder two days later mark teixeira joined him on the shelf with a cartilage tear in his right knee
then on thursday night parmelee after having hit two home runs in his first start the night before sustained a grade 2 hamstring strain after stretching to catch a throw by shortstop didi gregorius girardi said he expected parmelee to miss at least a month
hes walking around but obviously its going to take some time girardi said
the dearth of options at first would seem to present the yankees with an opportunity to bring back a familiar face nick swisher who is currently playing in class aaa scrantonwilkes barre after being signed to a minor league deal in april
swisher who played four seasons in the bronx from 2009 to 2012 and batted 268 with 105 home runs and an 850 on base plus slugging percentage had a swing that was tailor made for yankee stadiums short porch in right field and was a good clubhouse presence
but as he is 34 it is unclear how much he can help at the major league level swisher batted 196 in 76 games for the atlanta braves and cleveland indians last season with only 25 runs driven in the braves wound up releasing him   and the 15 million left on his contract   in march
asked why swisher was not brought in to help solve the first base puzzle friday girardi deferred to the front office for making certain call up decisions the yankees recalled a reliever chad green to replace parmelee on the roster girardi said the team wanted an extra arm
i go on the recommendations of our people who they think can help us the most girardi said
swisher is batting only 238 with four home runs and 17 runs driven in through 42 games in class aaa with two errors in 18 games at first base he is hitting just 178 in his last 11 games
they didnt think offensively he was doing what hes capable of doing girardi said defensively hes played some first not a ton but they think he would probably be ok there his range is probably not what it used to be but that was the recommendation
so for now the first baseman will be refsnyder and the yankees will hold their breath
inside pitch
c c sabathia continued his resurgent stretch of stellar performances with seven more shutout innings friday to lead the yankees past the detroit tigers 4 0 at yankee stadium
sabathia earned his first win since may 20 but lowered his era to 228   the lowest it has been through at least 10 starts he has allowed just three earned runs in his last six outings and his scoreless innings streak now sits at 12 hes been as good as it gets he really has joe girardi said
sabathia said that he and the pitching coach larry rothschild talked during spring training and felt good about the direction we were headed sabathias 071 era in his last six starts is the lowest over any six start span in his career according to the yes network
staying healthy is the biggest thing sabathia said
the yankees scored three runs in the first off mike pelfrey who slogged through six and two thirds innings with five walks pelfrey walked in a run with the bases loaded in the first two batters later left fielder justin upton misplayed a fly ball by didi gregorius that sailed over his head and allowed two runs to score
carlos beltran with his 11th rbi in the past five games bolstered the early lead in the third on a run scoring single


a general contracting company was convicted of manslaughter and other charges on friday in the death last year of a construction worker at a lower manhattan building site
justice a kirke bartley jr of state supreme court in manhattan found the company harco construction guilty of second degree manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide both felonies and reckless endangerment a misdemeanor in the death of carlos moncayo 22 an immigrant from ecuador who lived in queens the company was acquitted of one additional charge of reckless endangerment
prosecutors with the manhattan district attorneys office argued that harco had ignored repeated warnings about dangerous conditions at a site on ninth avenue in the meatpacking district not far from the high line the judge agreed and found that the companys negligence had contributed to the collapse of a 14 foot trench on april 6 2015 when mr moncayo was crushed by thousands of pounds of dirt
the company now faces possible fines up to 35000 and sentencing is expected on july 13 no trial date has been set in the cases against the other defendants   two construction managers and an excavation subcontractor   who also were indicted after an investigation that involved the federal occupational safety and health administration and the citys investigation department and police department
the harco case was watched closely because criminal liability has often been hard to prove in construction accidents in new york city in 2012 the owner of a crane company james f lomma was acquitted of all criminal charges in connection with the collapse of a tower crane that killed two workers but in a subsequent civil trial a jury awarded the workers families 96 million
after the judge read the verdict aloud in court on friday relatives of mr moncayo including his mother who had traveled from ecuador to attend the trial broke down in tears and were hugged by diana florence the lead prosecutor
todays guilty verdict should signal to the construction industry that managing a project from afar does not insulate a corporation or general contractor from criminal liability said cyrus r vance jr the manhattan district attorney
gary labarbera president of the building and construction trades council of greater new york which represents construction workers said it was a landmark decision because for far too long criminally negligent and reckless contractors have been merely slapped on the wrist with no real consequences
but ronald p fischetti a lawyer for harco called the judges decision extremely disappointing and vowed to appeal
there was no evidence that harco the general contractor was involved in any wrongdoing he said if the verdict stands this would have a chilling effect on all law abiding contractors in the city
construction accidents have been climbing in recent years and many of the victims were undocumented and sometimes poorly trained immigrants a recent new york times investigation into construction fatalities found that the rise in deaths and injuries has far exceeded the rate of new construction over a comparable period and that in the cases in which workers died supervision was lacking and basic steps had not been taken to prevent workers from falling the investigation also found that because of the urgency to finish these projects as quickly as possible the workers were forced to take dangerous shortcuts or lacked adequate training
as a result most of the deaths were completely avoidable federal safety investigators concluded
five construction workers have died so far this year twelve workers died in 2015 according to the new york city buildings department up from eight in 2014 the total has not been that high since the previous construction boom when 12 workers died in 2007 and 19 in 2008


this article originally appeared in the new york times on oct 2 1975
manila   in the most brutal confrontation of their five year rivalry muhammad ali retained the world heavyweight boxing championship today when joe fraziers manager eddie futch surrendered from the corner moments before the bell was to ring for the 15th round
frazier dominating the middle rounds with the fury of his youth had been battered by the champion throughout the three rounds prior to futchs merciful decision
i stopped it futch explained because joe was starting to get hit with too many clean shots he couldnt see out of his right eye he couldnt see the left hands coming
ali was far ahead on the scoreboards of the three officials using the 5 point must scoring system referee carlos padilla jr had the champion ahead 66 60 judge alfredo quiazon had it 67 62 and judge larry nadayag had it 66 62 on a rounds basis quiazon had ali ahead 8 3 with three even the others each had it 8 4 2
alis victory was recorded as a knockout in the 14th round since the bell had not rung for the final round
my guy sucked it up said alis trainer angelo dundee when he looked completely out of gas he put on another gas tank i thought we were in front my guy was hitting him better shots
futch believed that frazier was ahead which only added to the humanity of his decision to surrender
joe had two bad rounds in a row futch said even with three minutes to go he was going downhill and that opened up the possibility in that situation that he couldve been seriously hurt
wearing dark glasses to hide his puffed eyes especially his right eye frazier agreed with futch
i didnt want to be stopped i wanted to go on frazier said but id never go against eddie
frazier dismissed questions about retirement saying im not thinking that way now but the weary champion indicated that the thrilla in manila might have been his last fight
you may have seen the last of ali the champion said i want to get out of it im tired and on top what you saw tonight was next to death hes the toughest man in the world
ali attempted to register the early knockout he had predicted while dominating the early rounds but then frazier in his relentless attack smashed and slowed the 33 year old champion they resembled two old bull moose who had to stand and slam each other because they couldnt get away from each other
through the middle rounds frazier took command on the two scorecards of the new york times the 31 year old challenger won eight of the first 11 rounds but then ali searched for the knockout punch that would assure the retention of the title
moving on weary legs ali began to measure frazier in the 12th with a flurry of punches to fraziers face which resembled a squashed chocolate marshmallow in the 13th the champion quickly knocked out fraziers mouthpiece with a long left hook then landed a left right combination
frazier was shaken now wobbling on his stumpy legs but his heart kept him going but then alis straight right hand sent frazier stumbling backward to the center of the ring but somehow the former champion kept his feet his mouthpiece gone frazier kept spitting blood as he resumed his assault moments before the bell
in the 14th round frazier hopped out quickly but ali shook him with a hard right then jolted him with several left right combinations before the bell and frazier stumbled to his corner
moments later futch waved his surrender to the referee on the stool in his corner frazier appeared exhausted he didnt protest
unlike their first two fights ali frazier iii maintained a level of boxing violence seldom seen during their 1971 classic frazier earned a 15 round unanimous decision and undisputed possession of the title with a relentless assault as ali often clowned in their 12 round nontitle bout early last year alis holding tactics detracted from his unanimous decision
but from the opening bell in the philippine coliseum the estimated crowd of 25000 including president ferdinand marcos and his wife realized that ali had not come to dance
at the bell ali came out hands high in a semipeekaboo he stood flat footed rather than dancing as if looking for the early knockout he had predicted frazier in contrast moved in aggressively trying to unload his left hook but the champion tied him up effectively in two clinches
ali landed a left right combination then jarred frazier with a left hook that sent him against the ropes ali also landed a hard right hand before the bell
in the second round ali remained flat footed using his pawing jab to keep frazier at bay when he cupped his left glove around fraziers head the referee warned the champion ali then landed a hard right to the head that shook frazier then landed two more as frazier kept coming in
ali covered up against the ropes then easily pushed frazier away displaying complete control of the tempo but suddenly frazier landed a hard left hook to alis jaw before the bell
before the third round ali bowed and blew kisses to president marcos and his wife ali then taunted frazier with his pawing jab using his six inch advantage in reach to keep frazier away ali landed a series of hard punches to the head but frazier burrowed through them to land a left
ali covered up against the ropes and when frazier stepped back ali waved his right glove at frazier as if inviting him to return ali was talking to frazier now then burst out of his cocoon with a flurry of lefts and rights in a toe to toe exchange that had the spectators in a frenzy
but in the fourth round alis tempo slowed as fraziers increased by the fifth round a chant of frazier frazier filled the round arena as the struggle continued the crowd sounded as if it favored frazier one of the few times that ali hasnt converted the live audience into cheering for him
ali at 224  1/2  pounds at last saturdays weigh in had been the 9 to 5 betting favorite in the united states but he was a 6 to 5 choice here frazier had weighed 214  1/2  at the ceremonial weigh in
alis won lost record is 49 2 with 34 knockouts he has lost only to frazier in 1971 and to ken norton who broke alis jaw in winning a 12 round decision that ali later reversed fraziers record is now 32 3 losing to ali twice and being dethroned as champion by george foreman in 1973
in the decades to come ali and frazier will be remembered as two of boxings classic rivals through 42 rounds as memorable as their first two fights were in madison square garden their masterpiece developed halfway around the world from where their rivalry began


this article originally appeared in the new york times on march 9 1971
in a classic 15 round battle joe frazier broke the wings of the butterfly and smashed the stinger of the bee last night in winning a unanimous 15 round decision over muhammad ali at madison square garden
defying an anonymous lose or else death threat frazier settled the controversy over the world heavyweight championship by handing ali his first defeat with a savage attack that culminated in a thudding knockdown of the deposed titleholder from a hammerlike left hook in the final round
during the classic brawl one man in the sellout throng of 20455 died of a heart attack
when the verdict was announced ali also known as cassius clay accepted it stoically
hurried to his dressing room rather than the postfight interview area ali remained there for about half an hour suddenly he departed for flower fifth avenue hospital for x rays of the severely swollen jaw he was released from the hospital after 40 minutes and left unbandaged
but even before alis jaw began to bloat the unbeaten frazier had dulled the vaunted weapons of his revival in recording his 27th victory although he failed in his quest for his 24th knockout alis defeat ended his winning streak after 31 triumphs with 25 knockouts
i always knew who the champion was frazier his brow swollen above each eye said with a smile
the officials agreed with the philadelphia slugger judge bill recht awarded him 11 rounds to four for ali while the other judge artie aidala had frazier ahead by 9 6 referee arthur mercante had it the closest 8 6 for frazier with one round even during his uncharacteristic postfight silence ali sent this word to newsmen through drew bundini brown his assistant trainer dont worry well be back we aint through yet but regarding a possible return bout frazier said i dont think clay will want one
ali had predicted frazier would fall in six rounds and he had maintained that there was no way the recognized champion could outpoint him but the swarming philadelphia brawler battering his cherry hill nj neighbor ended the 29 year old alis credibility as a prophet
at the age of 27 frazier justified his reign for all the world to see on a television network with an audience estimated at 300 million each fighter will receive 25 million from a possible 25 million in total worldwide receipts the 1352951 gate at the garden was a record for an indoor bout
ali remained unscratched except for a slightly bloodied nose but his jaw began to swell on both sides in the late rounds from fraziers persistent hammering
in the final round frazier landed a wild left hook that sent ali sprawling onto his back in a corner but the 6 to 5 betting underdog was up almost instantly and took the mandatory eight count on unsteady feet moments later frazier jolted his 215 pound rival with another left hook
with a minute remaining ali desperately tried for a knockout but his punches had virtually no effect with the crowd roaring in the final seconds the bell rang and frazier playfully cuffed ali across his head bowed in apparent defeat
alis strategy obviously had been to let frazier grow arm weary while pummeling him but the chunky champion despite a 6  1/2  inch disadvantage in reach defied alis tiring jab and moved in under to convince the garden audience he deserved the decision
when the decision was announced a patter of boos erupted but the cheers soon thundered above them
except for the first round when the red tassels on alis high white shoes flopped in rhythm to his ballerina moves the deposed titleholder primarily used a flat footed stance a radical departure from his floating stinging style prior to his 3  1/2   year exile that ended last year
while his exile matured alis physique it sabotaged his speed but in red velvet trunks he was as arrogant as ever even before the midring instructions twice he shouldered frazier in green and gold brocade trunks as he whirled around the ring and twice frazier glared in contempt
during the early rounds frazier pounded his left hook into alis midsection but several times the deposed champion shook his head in the clinch as if to reassure his idolators
at the end of the second round ali waved his right glove in derision at frazier as they walked to their corners and during that intermission he showed his disdain by refusing to rest on his stool and moving threateningly to the center of the ring before the bell rang for the third
moments later alis voice could be heard through the microphone hanging over the ring mercante warned ali that no talking would be tolerated
soon ali wasnt talking anymore near the end of the fourth fraziers left hook bloodied alis nose and in the fifth frazier strayed from his taciturn character
frazier was literally laughing in alis face now and he was in command when the bell ended the fifth round frazier cuffed ali across the top of the head
in the tremendous tempo frazier was fulfilling his strategy to kill the body and the head will die but somehow alis head remained alive through the middle rounds as his sixth round prediction was unfulfilled but before the eighth round a chant of ali ali ali began
momentarily inspired ali waved to the crowd and pointed to them as if to show frazier it was his audience but after the round a roar of joe joe joe disputed alis confidence
more willing to trade punches ali slowed fraziers pace the champions legs were weaving instead of churning sensing a knockout opportunity ali pounced but frazier in his typical fury fought him off in the 10th ali glanced at the ringside and shouted hes out in a reference to fraziers weariness
in the 11th ali slipped to the canvas momentarily near the end of the round he was made wobbly by a left hook fraziers savage flurry sent him stumbling into the ropes he flopped around the ring on rubber legs but appeared to be playing possum perhaps to frustrate frazier further
but in the 12th frazier strengthened by the surging of joy he receives from punishing an opponent resumed his frantic pace   but soon it slowed each boxer was moving securely but slowly until frazier uncoiled the left hook that dropped ali in the final round
it was only the third time ali had been knocked down in his decade of competition sonny banks floored him in 1962 during his 11th bout and henry cooper flattened him in 1963 during his 19th bout
but the knockdown by frazier was the final embarrassment for the deposed champion the sixth ex heavyweight champion to fail in an attempt to regain his title the others were joe louis jack dempsey jim jeffries bob fitzsimmons and james j corbett only floyd patterson has succeeded in regaining it
in his failure ali not only lost but more embarrassing he was silenced


this article originally appeared in the new york times on dec 17 1979
at the time the supreme courts decision appeared to be so unanimous so harmonious so decisive that morning muhammad ali driving through the south side of chicago parked his green and white lincoln mark iii and went into a neighborhood store for a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice a moment after ali strolled out flipping an orange in the air the store owner hurried after him
i just heard on the radio the store owner said the supreme court said youre free an 8 0 vote
two hours later in a corner of a motel lobby ali quietly said im not going to celebrate ive already said a long prayer to allah thats my celebration and later he thanked the supreme court for recognizing the sincerity of the religious teachings that ive accepted for recognizing it so unanimously so harmoniously so decisively it appeared but two months earlier on april 23 1971 according to the brethren a book by bob woodward and scott armstrong the supreme court had decided by a vote of 5 to 3 that ali was not a conscientious objector that he should serve the five year prison term to which he had been sentenced in 1967 for draft evasion after the preliminary vote chief justice warren burger assigned the esteemed justice john m harlan to write the majority opinion but according to the book a supreme court clerk saved ali from jail and as it developed enabled ali to pursue his boxing career for the remainder of the decade
in the preliminary vote the book reports the five justices who had voted to uphold alis conviction were burger harlan hugo black byron white and harry blackmun those who disagreed were william o douglas william j brennan and potter stewart the ninth justice thurgood marshall had disqualified himself because he had been the justice departments solicitor general when alis case originated
the five justices had agreed with the new solicitor general erwin griswold that ali who had been stripped of the title even before his conviction was not really a conscientious objector while the boxer had been quoted as saying he had nothing against them viet congs he acknowledged that he would willingly participate in a holy war if muslims were involved
as the authors tell it one of justice harlans clerks began working on a draft of the majority opinion and a second clerk persuaded him to reconsider alis opposition to war in the book neither of the clerks is named but the second clerk according to the authors had been influenced by alex haleys autobiography of malcolm x and the black muslim text message to the black man soon the first clerk agreed that ali was opposed to all wars that his willingness to participate in a holy war was irrelevant to his conviction
at first the book states justice harlan appointed to the supreme court by president eisenhower in 1954 did not sympathize with the clerks view but after studying the background material he changed his mind to the shock of the other justices justice harlan suggested that alis conviction be reversed because the justice department had misrepresented the black muslim doctrine but a 4 to 4 vote would still send ali to prison
justice stewart according to the book was particularly disturbed he knew that no opinion would accompany a 4 to 4 vote that ali would never know why his conviction had been upheld justice stewart proposed to set ali free citing the justice departments technical error by not establishing a precedent the decision would not make all black muslims eligible to be conscientious objectors all except chief justice burger accepted justice stewarts alternative burger according to the authors relented because he feared accusations as a racist if he dissented
in an unsigned opinion announced on june 28 1971 the supreme court cleared ali by a vote of 8 to 0 with justice marshall abstaining
two months later justice harlan was hospitalized with cancer nearly blind he resigned on sept 23 after 16 terms and died in december that year educated at princeton and oxford he had law in his blood his grandfather named for the fourth chief justice of the united states john marshall had been a supreme court justice for 34 years he wore his grandfathers gold watch chain across the vests of the dark conservative suits that he ordered from a london tailor from a wealthy family he once had been a wall street lawyer after his appointment to the supreme court when earl warren was the chief justice he was known as its conservative conscience but at the suggestion of a law clerk justice harlan set in motion the liberation of muhammad ali sports most celebrated liberal
after a three and a half year exile ali had been allowed to return to boxing in 1970 when he stopped both jerry quarry and oscar bonavena before losing a unanimous 15 round decision to joe frazier at madison square garden in the memorable march 8 1971 confrontation of two unbeaten heavyweights each with a claim to the title
when the supreme court cleared him nearly four months later ali was able to continue as a boxer instead of serving the five year prison term that would have jeopardized his career in 1974 he dethroned george foreman in zaire with an eighth round knockout in 1978 he regained the title for an unprecedented third time from leon spinks in new orleans with a unanimous 15 round decision
and all because a law clerk in the supreme court believed in alis sincerity


this article originally appeared in the new york times on april 29 1967
houston   cassius clay refused today as expected to take the one step forward that would have constituted his induction into the armed forces there was no immediate government action
although government authorities here foresaw several months of preliminary moves before clay would be arrested and charged with a felony boxing organizations instantly stripped the 25 year old fighter of his world heavyweight championship
it will take at least 30 days for clay to be indicted and it probably will be another year and a half before he could be sent to prison since there undoubtedly will be appeals through the courts united states attorney morton susman said
clay in a statement distributed a few minutes after the announcement of his refusal said
i have searched my conscience and i find i cannot be true to my belief in my religion by accepting such a call he has maintained throughout recent unsuccessful civil litigation that he is entitled to draft exemption as an appointed minister of the lost found nation of islam the so called black muslim sect
clay who prefers his muslim name of muhammad ali anticipated the moves against his title in his statement calling them a continuation of the same artificially induced prejudice and discrimination that had led to the defeat of his various suits and appeals in federal courts including the supreme court
hayden c covington of new york clays lawyer said that further civil action to stay criminal proceedings would be initiated if convicted of refusal to submit to induction clay is subject to a maximum sentence of five years imprisonment and a 10000 fine
mr covington who has defended many jehovahs witnesses in similar cases has repeatedly told clay during the last few days youll be unhappy in the fiery furnace of criminal proceedings but youll come out unsinged
as a plaintiff in a civil action the negro fighter has touched on such politically and socially explosive areas as alleged racial imbalance on local texas draft boards alleged discriminatory action by the government in response to public pressure and the rights of a minority religion to appoint clergymen
as a prospective defendant in criminal proceedings clay is expected to attempt to establish that preaching and teaching the tenets of the muslims is a full time occupation and that boxing is the avocation that financially supports his unpaid ministerial duties
today clay reported to the armed forces examining and entrance station on the third floor of the federally drab united states custom house a few minutes before 8 am the ordered time san jacinto street in downtown houston was already crowded with television crews and newsmen when clay stepped out of a taxi cab with covington quinnan hodges the local associate counsel and chauncey eskridge of chicago a lawyer for the rev martin luther king as well as for clay and others
half a dozen negro men apparently en route to work applauded clay and shouted he gets more publicity than johnson clay was quickly taken upstairs and disappeared into the maw of the induction procedure for more than five hours
two information officers supplied a stream of printed and oral releases throughout the procedure including a detailed schedule of examinations and records processing as well as instant confirmation of clays acceptable blood test and the fact that he had obeyed muslim dietary strictures by passing up the ham sandwich included in the inductees box lunches
such information however did not forestall the instigation by television crews of a small demonstration outside the custom house during the morning five white youngsters from the friends world institute a nonaccredited school in westbury li who had driven all night from a study project in oklahoma and half a dozen local negro youths several wearing black power buttons had appeared on the street
continuous and sometimes insulting interviewers eventually provoked both groups separately to appear with signs the white group merely asked for the end of the vietnam war and greater efforts for civil rights
the negroes eventually swelled into a group of about two dozen circling pickets carrying hastily scrawled burn baby burn signs and singing nothing kills a nigger like too much love a few of the pickets wore discarded bedsheets and table linen wound into african type garments but most were young women dragged into the little demonstration on their lunch hours
there was a touch of sadness and gross exaggeration throughout the most widely observed noninduction in history at breakfast this morning in the hotel america clay had stared out a window into a dingy cold morning and said every time i fight it gets cold and rainy then dingy and cool no sun in sight nowhere
he had shrugged when mr hodges had showed him an anonymously sent newspaper clipping in which a photograph of the local associate counsel had been marked houstons great nigger lawyer
sadly too 22 year old john mccullough a graduate of sam houston state college said its his prerogative if hes sincere in his religion but its his duty as a citizen to go in im a coward too
then mr mccullough who is white went up the steps to be inducted he was one of the 46 young men including clay who were called to report on this day
for clay the day ended at 110 pm houston time when lt col j edwin mckee commander of the station announced that mr muhammad ali has just refused to be inducted
in a prepared statement colonel mckee said that notification of the refusal would be forwarded to the united states attorney generals office and the national and local selective service boards this is the first administrative step toward possible arrest and an injunction to stop it had been denied to clay yesterday in the united states district court here
clay was initially registered for the draft in louisville where he was born he obtained a transfer to a houston board because his ministerial duties had made this city his new official residence he had spent most of his time until last summer in chicago where the muslim headquarters are situated in miami where he trained or in the cities in which he was fighting
after colonel mckees brief statement clay was brought into a pressroom and led into range of 13 television cameras and several dozen microphones he refused to speak as he handed out xeroxed copies of his statement to selected newsmen including representatives of the major networks wire services and the new york times
the statement thanked those instrumental in his boxing career as well as those who have offered support and guidance including elijah muhammad the leader of the muslims mohammed oweida secretary general of the high council for islamic affairs and floyd mckissick president of the congress of racial equality
the statement in part declared
it is in the light of my consciousness as a muslim minister and my own personal convictions that i take my stand in rejecting the call to be inducted in the armed services i do so with the full realization of its implications and possible consequences i have searched my conscience and i find i cannot be true to my belief in my religion by accepting such a call
my decision is a private and individual one and i realize that this is a most crucial decision in taking it i am dependent solely upon allah as the final judge of those actions brought about by my own conscience
i strongly object to the fact that so many newspapers have given the american public and the world the impression that i have only two alternatives in taking this stand either i go to jail or go to the army there is another alternative and that alternative is justice if justice prevails if my constitutional rights are upheld i will be forced to go neither to the army nor jail in the end i am confident that justice will come my way for the truth must eventually prevail ...
i am looking forward to immediately continuing my profession
as to the threat voiced by certain elements to strip me of my title this is merely a continuation of the same artificially induced prejudice and discrimination
regardless of the difference in my outlook i insist upon my right to pursue my livelihood in accordance with the same rights granted to other men and women who have disagreed with the policies of whatever administration was in power at the time
i have the world heavyweight title not because it was given to me not because of my race or religion but because i won it in the ring through my own boxing ability
those who want to take it and hold a series of auction type bouts not only do me a disservice but actually disgrace themselves i am certain that the sports fans and fair minded people throughout america would never accept such a titleholder
clay returned to his hotel and went to sleep after the days activities he is expected to leave the city possibly for washington in the morning


louisville ky   muhammad ali spent the better part of a decade planning his funeral his friends and family said and by late friday afternoon it was evident what had taken him so long in a spectacle that fanned across miles of his hometown in memories that stretched over some of 20th century americas most turbulent years and in prayers from the palette of faiths that he honored as paths to truth he was laid to rest one week after his death at age 74
ali was eulogized in a grand sports arena by among others a priest and an imam a rabbi and a monk a former united states president and a famous comedian protegees and daughters and his wife remembered him as they spoke all stood beneath the flags of the united states and the olympic games symbols of a man who saw himself as a citizen of america and of the world
earlier in the day his coffin traveled through nearly 20 miles of louisville cheered and saluted by tens of thousands of people who tossed flowers onto the hearse and chanted his name on thursday a traditional muslim ceremony was held here as a prelude to fridays embrace
it was all part of a leave taking that ali had seen as a chance to lead once more by including christians jews buddhists and native americans as speakers in an emphatic if not explicitly spoken renunciation of sectarianism and embrace of ecumenism
muhammad indicated that when the end came for him he wanted to use his life and his death as a teaching moment alis widow lonnie said he was 12 years old when his bicycle was stolen she noted and a police officer encouraged him to learn boxing teachers believed in him friends backed his career
named the athlete of the 20th century by sports illustrated ali never settled for sportsman as his sole identity among the first speakers at the memorial was the rev kevin cosby of st stephen church in louisville who said ali had taken his place in history by rejecting the narrative of a country that had from its earliest days refused to recognize african americans as fully human and full citizens that mattered because of the times he lived in dr cosby said the context that helped define him just as the american revolution had for george washington and the great depression for franklin d roosevelt
he dared to love black people at a time when black people had a problem loving themselves dr cosby said he dared to affirm the beauty of blackness he dared to affirm the power and the capacity of african americans he dared to love americas most unloved race
president obama in washington for his daughters high school graduation sent a letter that said alis example had inspired him to think how far he might one day go himself
ali was a radical even in the most radical of times mr obama wrote in a letter read by his senior adviser valerie jarrett a loud and proud and unabashedly black voice in a jim crow world his jabs knocked some sense into us pushing us to expand our imagination
billy crystal a young and struggling comedian when he became friends with ali said the boxer had invited him to go for a training run one morning at a country club mr crystal said he explained that the club excluded jews ali he said was incensed to learn this saying im a black muslim and they let me run
ali never ran at that club again mr crystal said he remembered as well that the silver tongued ali had lost his speech to illness in recent years but that he continued to be a powerful force on humanitarian missions
ultimately he became a silent messenger for peace who taught us that life is best when you build bridges between people not walls mr crystal said
drafted to serve in the vietnam war ali said his faith could not countenance a combat role and ms ali noted that he refused to leave the country even though his stance cost him his boxing title and put him in jeopardy of prison mr crystal said ali had set an example
there were millions of young men my age eligible for the draft for a war we didnt believe in mr crystal said it was ali who stood up for us by standing up for himself
viewed through the lens of history alis stance on the vietnam war is now widely seen as principled at the time he was denounced dr cosby noted that at the kentucky derby gamblers cannot bet on a horse once it has reached the winners circle
there were a lot of people who would bet on muhammad ali when he was in the winners circle dr crosby said but the masses bet on him while he was still in the mud
close to 20000 people were in the kfc yum center arena for the memorial which lasted more than three hours with 13 speakers in addition to members of the clergy who prayed and chanted
if the spectacle in the arena was global the scenes on the roughly 19 mile procession were strictly local pulsing with pride for a native son alis ties to the compact quirky city of his youth never frayed all business halted as workers streamed to the sidewalk to stand vigil in gently chaotic decorum
its almost like were extended cousins said andrea meriwether 31 a native of louisville who was taught pool by alis younger brother rahman ali i cant think of anyone from here who hasnt met him or had some connection
along broadway in the heart of downtown those extended cousins and other branches of the human family stood eight and 10 deep on both sides of the street for blocks with no pens to corral them on the sidewalk the crowds seeped onto the roadway
everyone has a story said mark collins 54 who recalled working in a bank when ali then in his magic trick phase performed an illusion of levitation
an especially jammed point was the corner where broadway meets south fourth street a central shopping and dining street now featuring chiseled atriums it was a street where the young ali then known as cassius clay would not have been allowed into the cafeterias of the department stores
among those near that spot on friday was carolyn miller cooper the executive director of the citys human relations commission in louisville it was always a polite racism ms miller cooper said you couldnt go in and try on clothes children had to trace their foot on a sheet of paper for parents to bring to the store and try to buy the right sized shoes
for many in the crowd alis stature as a boxer was something they had heard about a piece of history they had not lived the appreciation of the man was for the place he claimed in the world
i wasnt around for those titles said rodrecruz hines 32 an autoworker who held a single red rose as he waited to me he had this charismatic character and he stood up for our rights for the rights of young black men
as the hearse approached chants of ali ali ali rose people swarmed forward to toss flowers onto the hearse riding with the windows down people in the limousines including members of the ali family the actor will smith and the mayor greg fischer slapped hands with the spectators as they passed
ali returned often to louisville and ms miller cooper who serves on the board of the citys muhammad ali center saw him at a gala for the center last fall with ms ali tending to him ms miller coopers admiration for both of them grew as he continued a public life even if physically diminished
he was pretty frail but he was still out there shining a light on parkinsons she said i think that was what showed he was the greatest   that he continued to live not hide


louisville ky   inside a big arena the likes of bill clinton billy crystal and bryant gumbel and a diverse range of family members and religious leaders spoke weighty and witty words about muhammad ali not long after he was laid to rest friday in a cemetery here
but it was from humble roots here that he became one of the worlds most recognizable figures and an ad hoc outpouring of tens of thousands of people turned out on the streets for a final salute more celebratory than somber
for an hourslong procession that wove 20 miles through the city to cave hill cemetery where ali was buried his hometown did not hold back with people at some points standing eight to 10 deep along the street for a moments glimpse a fleeting last encounter with their favorite son
there were no barriers to keep people off the street and they swarmed forward when the motorcade passed tossing flowers onto the hearse riding with the windows down people in the limousines accompanying it   including members of the ali family and will smith the actor who portrayed ali in a movie   slapped hands with the spectators as they passed
unlike the formal ceremonies indoors the procession was more of a street party on a downtown street people were startled to see larry holmes a former heavyweight boxing champion who had beaten ali being led along the sidewalk outside the brown hotel by a young man at his elbow neither spoke
chants of ali ali ali rose as the hearse rolled past the bystanders that included the fans in the west end where ali spent his formative years nearly everyone seemed to have a story about meeting or being inspired by ali
at a parking lot on the corner of broadway and louis coleman jr drive hundreds of people from the neighborhood gathered to await the champion who died june 3 at age 74
he was a dignitary from the sports world who traveled the globe but he never forgot where he came from said wayne simon 72 who remembered ali visiting their alma mater central high school after he had won a gold medal at the 1960 olympic games in rome
earlier friday robert mitchem was setting up a shirt stand with two friends the funeral procession carrying alis coffin was still nearly five hours away from driving past the corner in the heart of the west end about a mile from where ali grew up
but mitchem known as froot loop because people mistakenly think he likes that cereal wanted to be ready for the once in a lifetime chance to commemorate the citys most famous son and to make a few bucks selling t shirts with alis picture and his most famous catchphrases like float like a butterfly sting like a bee
i hope to sell all of them and when i die i hope someone is going to have my name on a shirt too he said with a chuckle
the shirts were hot sellers with the hundreds of people from the neighborhood who gathered to await the champion who died after a long fight with parkinsons disease
despite the searing sun and the rising temperatures the several hundred people who assembled in and around the parking lot were there to celebrate ali anew donald burress 63 remembered as a child his family crowding around a black and white television to watch ali knock out sonny liston
what he did for louisville he was our spokesman burress said his daughter and two grandchildren sitting by his side he was bigger than churchill downs the famed horse racing track that hosts the kentucky derby
as he spoke his buddy mitchem was selling shirts to people who stopped their cars on the road which was by then patrolled by a police cruiser thalisa price who wore a leather vest with her nickname ms lovely stitched on the back wanted to buy an ali shirt before leaving for memphis on saturday with her motorcycle club the naptown riders
im going to wear this shirt to let people know were from louisville she said
after the limousines had passed heading toward alis childhood home on grand avenue people trickled away mitchem though still had work to do having sold more than 10 dozen shirts he was going to rush home and print some more
in the afternoon more fans gathered downtown on a grass plaza a few blocks from kfc yum center where the memorial service was held huddled in the shade they watched the dignitaries giving their speeches on a large screen while impressed with the remarks the fans were more impressed by the chance to see ali and his family pass earlier in the day
they were in awe seeing us and we were in awe seeing them said brenda ringo who had driven from st louis with her daughter and two grandchildren to see the procession i think that helped lift their spirits and i dont regret getting up at 3 am to drive to louisville


this article originally appeared in the new york times on oct 25 1964
once upon a time a loud and charming young heavyweight contender named cassius marcellus clay jr had a recurring daydream he would win the championship the richest single prize in all sport and immediately grow a beard put on a pair of tattered bluejeans and saunter down a country lane until he found a pretty little girl they would dance in the meadows and splash through the brooks and fall in love then he would reveal himself as the heavyweight king in disguise and carry her back to his 250000 home his cadillacs his world fame and say this is all yours because you love me for what i am
eight months ago cassius x a newly avowed disciple of the separatist movement called the black muslims won the championship his seventh round technical knockout of sonny liston amazed the public especially at odds of 7 to 1 initiated a senate investigation and provoked several boxing groups to a flurry of charges and threats on nov 16 in boston a subdued and often wearyingly dogmatic muhammad ali the name was bestowed on him by the muslim leadership a few days after his fight with liston will defend his championship in a rematch with liston whether he wins the fight or not again the betting odds are against him ali will probably remain for a long time the most controversial and complex figure in modern american sports history he has long since passed the brash cassius clay who burst upon boxing on the wings of bad poetry and brilliant publicity he has even passed the convert cassius x who could only say of his new religions leader if every tree was full of ink you couldnt write all that elijah muhammad knows
he is married now to a woman with a child by a previous marriage he has been rejected by the army for reasons not fully explained he has traveled to africa and returned to state im not an american im a black man and he has sweepingly denounced american negroes in the civil rights movement as people who secretly think im gonna get me a light skinned girl nearest to white i can find and a long cigarette and a fancy car and i wont associate with those blacks
but somewhere among these cassius clays   the lovable clown cassius x the troubled and searching man muhammad ali the sociopolitical spokesman   is the 6 foot 3 inch 220 pound cherubically handsome 22 year old paradox who within minutes can be clown thinker spokesman or any combination of his public roles
there was a day in september for example at a boston motel when ali walked into a battery of television lights for the signing ceremony of the second fight with liston in sports the public signing of contracts is merely a publicity gimmick everybody smiles does a little verbal soft shoe if he can and hopes that no sudden international crisis will push the footage out of the evening news programs ali was surrounded by half a dozen tight lipped roving eyed members of the boston muslim temple and his full lower lip hung sulkily hey cassius yelled a television cameraman the name is muhammad ali mumbled the champion tiredly ok ollie ok how about a little im the greatest ill beat the bear in two huh ali stared at the cameraman and he mumbled most of my campaigning was not really me now i dont have to talk like that i see robert kennedy walking through the streets meeting everybody shaking everybodys hands and when he gets into office you gonna need a necktie to go and see him
there was a day last july when he was riding through harlem in his chauffeur driven air conditioned limousine speaking with the pompous sobriety of an elder statesman about his recent tour of africa as an ambassador of the american branch of islam he spoke softly of his meetings with nasser and nkrumah of his tumultuous welcome in ghana of the 2500 pound block of a 4000 year old egyptian pyramid he had been given suddenly his eyes lit up and he began to talk faster
the world watches me now hey you know what happened on the way to egypt i sat with the pilot thats right the pilot of a big jet plane and he talked to me about boxing while he drove the plane and i sat behind a wheel too and whenever he turned his wheel my wheel turned too and i could sit there and pretend i was driving the plane then it was time to land and thats a crucial time and i stayed in the pilots room but went to another seat and i was right there when we landed in a place where most people dont even get a chance to peek
there was a day in march in a suite at the hotel theresa littered with cardboard containers from chock full o nuts and the bodies of hangers on that ali sat for seven hours and spoke methodically about his religion its natural that the american negro should have a muslim nature those bombings and they never caught the people who did it the civil rights bill having all that trouble and all those people talking so it dont come to a vote and kennedy did so much for the negro and he died things die on out and our people forget three hundred and ten years of physical slavery the faithful slave i see on a corner in harlem and he has to ask for a dollar cause hes hungry all our lives we learn that black is evil its dirty they even call black cake devils food cake and now we learn in our muslim temples that the richest dirt and the strongest coffee is black so muslim fits us like a glove
there was feb 26 the day after he beat liston and he turned coldly on a public waiting to watch him bounce with the new joy of being the best of the biggest prizefighters in the world i dont have to be what you want me to be he said im free to be who i want
speaking almost by rote he told an uncomfortable frequently argumentative and wholly unprepared news conference that i want to be with my own kind
in the jungle lions are with lions and tigers with tigers and redbirds with redbirds and bluebirds with bluebirds thats human nature too i dont want to go where im not wanted there all the days when he petulantly snaps i know what im doing at someone who questions him and later will say im just living from day to day preparing for the hereafter - no i dont know where im going next
and of course there were all the days back in louisville ky when he ran alongside the school bus so that people would notice him and all the sundays when quiet humble and a christian he walked out of church and flinched because the white people still looked at me like i was dirty
the champ is an individualist theres no cycle or pattern in what he does says angelo dundee his trainer and the white man who has spent the most time with him but ill say this   hes one of the most dedicated and hardest working fighters ive ever seen hes still growing and he could wind up being one of the greatest heavyweights that ever lived
dundee first saw clay in louisville in 1959 dundee had brought one of his many fighters to town for a bout and the two men were lounging in their hotel room when the phone rang this is cassius clay the next heavyweight champion talking im gonna win the olympics and be heavyweight champ im in the lobby can i come up
even at 15 he was big and fast and strong he would work out with dundees fighters when they came through town and according to willie pastrano now the light heavyweight champion the young clay often made him look bad in sparring sessions an indifferent high school student clay was a superb diplomat sometimes he would spar with the opponent of dundees fighter as well and tell both boxers they were going to win
in 1960 clay won the national golden gloves heavyweight title in madison square garden and the light heavyweight championship at the rome olympics swelling with pride for himself and for his newfound belonging within a team of americans he returned to louisville when i got there i found nothing had changed he says vaguely refusing to pursue the subject because he doesnt want to name names or embarrass people but according to someone who was close to him there was at least one incident that pricked at his newfound manhood he was walking down a louisville street when a large car pulled alongside and a white man leaned out hey boy hey you boy get on over heah the man shouted ah want yoah autograph
under the sponsorship of 11 local businessmen sportsmen who guaranteed him expenses and a salary cassius turned professional in 1960 dundee felt that clay had not only the potential to become a heavyweight champion but natural instincts of extroversion and love of attention that would produce ballyhoo all along the way to the top the first few years of the louisville lip are documented by thousands of pictures of a bright eyed youngster with his mouth wide open and millions of words of which i am the greatest no im the double greatest are among the more compelling
dundee had had years of experience with colorless fighters who said ill do my talking in the ring and he encouraged and even prodded the river mouth to keep flowing a lot of it was conscious promotion and most of the poetry was awful but every bit was fun for cassius and for an amused public there was attention from adults adulation from children with whom he has that special rapport of the extravagantly absurd and many many girls the desirable ones were classified in descending order as queens princesses and foxes
even as the clown grew famous there were incidents to hasten the growth of the potential convert to islam he marched in a civil rights demonstration and someone in the crowd threw hot water on him i saw people marching for freedom and they come back with knots on their heads they go into a restaurant and beg for a cup of coffee and not get it and sit there and know theyre not wanted and dont know whats going to happen to them and sit there and not even like the music on the jukebox
boxing was in bad shape even worse than usual floyd patterson a moody sensitive introvert was the champion and his challengers included an amateur an inadequate texas hillbilly a human windmill who lost the power to defend himself and a swede who beat patterson once lost twice and went home with his money most of the other boxers around had no real drawing appeal were banned in one state or another for alleged racket affiliations or were considered too tough for patterson by his manager liston was banned in some states and was too tough but he was the only fighter who might bring a big gate clay meanwhile was coming along winning every professional fight and often predicting the round he would knock out an opponent his credentials as a possible contender were excellent he was not taken seriously as a fighter and the most antisocial things he did were sketching rocket ships on restaurant linen and leaping out of closets yelling boo at dundee
it was not until nov 15 1962 in his 16th professional bout that clay registered his first important victory he knocked out archie moore fading but still glamorous in the fourth round as he had predicted in doggerel wherever he went clay filled the arena people came to see the braggart knocked out said clay or because they hoped this handsome honest youngster would win and save the sport said his management or because he had brought back personal color to boxing said the promoters
during this period everyone who came in contact with him socially or through business said - without qualification - that he liked clay liston won the title from patterson and the pace of clays preparation for a title shot was quickened in 1963 he fought and won three times each adding immeasurably to the clay legend at the weigh in for the charlie powell fight clay became unmanageable challenged powell to a fight at the scales started screaming you wait and see youll go in three and had to be restrained it was a carefully conceived dress rehearsal for a similar mad scene staged at the weigh in for the liston fight powell went in three
malcolm x was in miami before the fight and clay shared his free time between the muslim leader and his own entourage at a rambling house filled with laughter pranks and rented hollywood movies the rumor grew that clay was muslim later he said the pressure didnt really start until i flew up to be with malcolm a few weeks before the fight and then he came to miami and into the gym and the trainers and everybody was shook up even the fight was threatened they told me they would cancel the fight if i didnt renounce my religion i got my x four weeks before the fight ...
the they has never been identified although it was reported at the time that the promoters felt that miamis largely jewish population would stay away from a fight involving a muslim it was partly true and partly an alibi the tickets were terribly overpriced and badly scaled right up until the moment cassius x stepped into the ring rumors flew that he had left the country at the weigh in during which cassius raved and ranted and practically foamed a commission doctor reported his pulse at an abnormally high 120 and irresponsibly said that the fighter was scared to death
this was generally accepted and when cassius was nowhere to be found an hour before the fight it was assumed he was either catatonic or gone actually he was standing very quietly in a corner of the arena watching his brother rudy win his first professional fight then cassius went out and won his 20th clays victory in miami beach was also his first tangible defeat as an appealing public image in this country at least the anger toward liston for quitting with an injured shoulder muscle was the expression of a public that wanted clay to lose
i cant understand it said ali sometime later i didnt go with white women i dont smoke i dont go where im not wanted and still i catch all this hell why i can go to a roman catholic church and bow to all their idols and statues and i can go into the holy roller and pound the drums and yell and nobodyll say nothing but as soon as i go to the muslim meeting where everybody is clean and righteous everyone else is jumping why
part of the reason must be the traditional role that the sporting world demands a hero to play clay violated the code as long as he was amusing his immodesties could be tolerated once he started to jerk fans back to the problems of the real world he became a spoiler of the daydream that sports is a never never land where motivation is uncomplicated and a result is final and pure who after all was cassius clay if he could be cassius x and whats in a name like muhammad ali ahmed mali mamud wally whos that taunted liston on that contract signing day last month in boston i met you as cassius clay and ill leave you as cassius clay
and for the first time that afternoon todays heavyweight champion of the world grinned first his eyes lit up and then they closed and he rested his head on his shoulder which shook slightly with laughter as he snored as loudly as he could


senator bernie sanders plans to meet with several of his most important supporters and advisers in burlington vt on sunday as he faces increasing pressure to drop out of the democratic presidential race
the vermont senator and his wife jane will both attend the meeting that will center in part on the state of the race
he and jane invited a couple dozen key supporters from around the country to come to burlington michael briggs a spokesman for mr sanders said it will be a broad ranging discussion
while hillary clinton now has enough delegates to clinch the nomination mr sanders has refused to concede
president obama endorsed mrs clinton on thursday and called her the most qualified candidate ever to seek the white house imploring democrats to unite behind her vice president joseph r biden jr and senator elizabeth warren of massachusetts who had carefully stayed out of the race also endorsed mrs clinton
mr briggs said mr sanders was committed to remaining in the race at least through tuesday when washington dc will hold the final contest of the primary season he also said mr sanders might be traveling back to campaign in washington before its primary
mr sanders may be staying in the race to pressure the democratic party to inject more progressive ideals   like the call for a 15 federal minimum wage   into the democratic platform at the national convention next month
meanwhile he did not utter mrs clintons name at a thursday night rally he held in washington and he has not commented on mrs clintons new endorsements


it was 1970 in harlem a vibrant neighborhood struggling with poverty neglect drugs and crime amid the turmoil of the civil rights era against that troubled backdrop emerged a young congressman named charles b rangel
in january for the first time in nearly half a century someone other than mr rangel who is retiring will represent harlem in congress
while harlem has sent the same man to washington all these years harlem itself is no longer the same the neighborhood and much of the rest of new yorks 13th congressional district which also includes washington heights and parts of the bronx has been transformed by gentrification immigration and other demographic shifts
the political power of dominicans is on the rise while the influence of puerto ricans has dwindled many whites have moved in and many blacks have moved out the districts boundaries were redrawn a few years ago to include areas of the bronx adding more hispanics as well as african immigrants
despite those changes two of the more prominent candidates lay claim to vital pieces of harlems political legacy seeking to capitalize both on name recognition and on the districts traditional black electorate they must also appeal to   or simply survive the challenge from   the ascendant hispanic community a dance mr rangel was adept at
they both carry the names of famous fathers names that resonate in the history of harlem and are written on its street signs one of these harlem scions is adam clayton powell iv the son of adam clayton powell jr a towering figure in black politics in 20th century america mr rangel in fact defeated mr powell then the incumbent in the democratic primary in 1970
the other is keith l t wright the son of bruce mcm wright a renowned state supreme court judge who crusaded against racism in the justice system and was known as turn em loose bruce because of his reputation for releasing defendants on little or no bail while they awaited trial
they are among nine candidates   black white dominican puerto rican   in a mosaic free for all of a democratic primary on june 28 the district is overwhelmingly democratic and the winner of the primary is virtually assured of being elected
were all pretty popular in our own little part of the world mr wright said of the candidates each of whom have bases both ethnic and geographic in the black dominican or puerto rican communities and districts distinct neighborhoods its who can break out its a study in political science
as the areas population shifts more are expecting the district to soon send a hispanic to congress
the leading contender is adriano espaillat a state senator who was born in the dominican republic and ran unsuccessfully against mr rangel in the primaries in 2012 and 2014
a super pac was recently formed to support mr espaillat and a political consultant involved with the group said it would spend more than 100000 in the two weeks before the primary to help him win the consultant chad proudlock declined to identify the source of the money mr espaillat said he had no contact with the group and did not know who was behind it
with mr rangel retiring and with mr wright and mr powell and other less known black candidates likely to diffuse the black and puerto rican vote this election could be mr espaillats best chance
in a diverse district with ethnic enclaves vying for power perhaps the only thing more important than identity politics is the ability to bridge those divides
on a recent morning another candidate clyde williams a former political director for the democratic national committee handed out team clyde leaflets at the corner of 135th street and fifth avenue in the heart of central harlem just steps from the red brick apartment buildings where mr rangel and mr wright live
he aimed a rapid fire spiel to each passer by for the first time in 46 years charlie rangels not running we need new leadership and new ideas
mr wright 60 has been endorsed by mr rangel he raised more money than any of the eight other candidates and more than twice as much as mr powell according to federal election filings submitted in april a member of the state assembly for 23 years he has the support of many other big names of the harlem establishment including the former mayor david n dinkins and former gov david a paterson
on a recent drive around harlem in mr wrights weathered 2006 chrysler which has 185000 miles on it from so many trips to the state capitol in albany and back he pointed to a section of west 138th street named for his father judge bruce wright place
during a stop to court voters at the a philip randolph senior center on west 146th street his audience eating 50 cent breakfasts of hard boiled eggs and cream of wheat perked up when mr wright spoke of his father
his father did me a hell of a favor george edwards 68 said bruce cut me loose
mr edwards said that he had been a street hoodlum as a youth and had done many bad things but that on one occasion the police arrested him for something he did not do he said he was brought before judge wright who saw through the fraud and set him free
he knew it was a setup mr edwards said adding that he would vote to send the son to congress
mr wright is a skilled practitioner of what politicians call constituent services as he travels around harlem people repeatedly shake his hand and thank him for help getting a job for writing a letter to support the immigration of a wife from yemen for paying for a childs funeral
nobody knows this congressional district better than i he said ive been living it and living in it my entire life
mr powell who has served in the assembly and on the city council has fewer endorsements than mr wright but perhaps more resentments the chip off the old block landed on mr powells shoulder he has run for mr rangels seat before and he still carries memories of previous defeats including that of his father whose loss to mr rangel put an abrupt end to a 26 year career in the house of representatives the elder mr powell died two years later
he didnt beat my dad they stole the election mr powell said as he pressed leaflets into the hands of commuters at the entrance to a subway station in east harlem some of whom did double takes at his famous name
mr powell 54 grew up in puerto rico with his mother who is from the island he speaks spanish and his political base is in heavily puerto rican east harlem where he lives he barely knew his father who died when he was nine and he bristled when asked about those who accuse him of coasting on his famous name
why is andrew cuomo governor he said why was george bush president why is hillary clinton running
mr wright and mr powell have similar policy positions on many issues they deplore the effects of gentrification soaring rents and income inequality
citizens union a government watchdog group has praised mr wright as a strong advocate for reforms intended to make government more transparent and as an effective legislative leader not so with mr powell whom the group censured when he was in the assembly saying he was disengaged from the legislative process and expressing dismay at his ethical lapses in 2004 mr powell took a 19 year old intern to a motel room for a night of drinking and sex which led to rape allegations that were later recanted he was also arrested on a drunken driving charge and convicted of a lesser charge
mr powells father who was minister of harlems abyssinian baptist church dominated the areas political life and played a key role in the civil rights era until weakened and troubled by scandal he was dethroned by mr rangel but he is still revered in the neighborhood especially among the older generation that witnessed his glory years
one of harlems principal streets is called adam clayton powell jr boulevard the district offices of both mr rangel and mr wright are in a state office building named after him at the corner of 125th street and his namesake boulevard   where a statue shows mr powell striding uphill his coat billowing behind and his signature phrase emblazoned below him keep the faith
today the younger mr powell   he is called powell the fourth because his father gave his name to two sons by different wives the elder was called adam clayton powell iii   revels in taking on the establishment that by birth he should have belonged to
charlie rangel and keith wright dont fight the power mr powell said my father fought the power


cleveland   in hockey they award the three stars in soccer the top performer is named the man of the match and in the nba   well someone often gets a bronny
in one of his most audacious feats to date lebron james has put himself in charge of more than just the cleveland cavaliers offense as they face the golden state warriors in the nba finals james has also been giving out game balls   real or imagined   to the series best players including his opponents
it just comes off the top of my mind said james who waits for inspiration to strike and then   boom   gives away a bronny you know the guys that are deserving of it
awarding game balls after big wins and milestones is a tradition in sports but that job typically belongs to the coach and he usually sticks with players on his own team
james cannot help himself so while he frequently gives bronnys   and it needs to be noted that the term is ours not his   to teammates like richard jefferson who received one after the cavaliers defeated the warriors on wednesday night in game 3 james has also been bestowing theoretical game balls on the warriors it might be the first time in the history of sports that an athlete has done so
so there he was honoring one of the warriors after the cavaliers lost game 1
obviously james said at his postgame news conference the game ball goes to shaun livingston
it was more of the same after the cavaliers lost game 2 james cited the brilliant play of the warriors draymond green who did not receive an actual game ball from james but james wanted to make clear that green deserved one
game ball to him james said
friend foe makes no difference to james the oprah winfrey of game balls bronnys for everyone everyone that is except himself
for teammates the game ball experience can be both bonding ritual and confidence builder if james a four time most valuable player is taking the time to single you out it must mean that you did something right it can have even more of an effect if the team has been struggling
when everybodys sort of down and we need a boost and a certain guy lifts us up i think lebrons just good at acknowledging it said the reserve guard iman shumpert who passes along his lebronified game balls to his mother for safekeeping i mean i would never remember to go grab the game ball thats why hes lebron
james tends to pick his spots he does not bequeath bronnys willy nilly it has to be an important moment in january for example james gave the game ball to tyronn lue after lue won his first game as the cavaliers coach teammates and members of the coaching staff never know when james will show up in the locker room with a souvenir
just out of nowhere hell bring it in before we break the assistant coach james posey said game ball goes to so and so and everyones like oh ok
game balls in general mean more to some players than others posey for example has kept just one from his long and productive player career   a ball that his teammates with the boston celtics gave him after his daughter sai was born in 2008
james jones a reserve guard on the cavaliers said the only ball that still had much significance to him was from the game when he scored his first nba points he keeps it in a case at his home jones has received plenty of other game balls over the years he said but their whereabouts are mostly unknown
some of them are probably out in the yard where my kids play he said
keith dambrot who coached james at st vincent st mary high school in akron ohio suspects that jamess affinity for game balls is a holdover from his days playing football as a teenager dambrot who now coaches the mens basketball team at the university of akron said that james did not learn the practice from him
we didnt have enough basketballs to give away back then dambrot said in a telephone interview
at the same time dambrot said james was a charitable teammate who could sense the pulse of the team st vincent st mary was involved in its share of lopsided games but james often acted as a pass first facilitator james knew that he needed a supporting cast in order to succeed
that hasnt changed dambrot said he has a knack for understanding his teammates and how to motivate them
james seemed to be delivering one such dose of inspiration after the cavaliers won the opening game of their eastern conference semifinal series with the toronto raptors last month
the game ball definitely goes to our bench tonight he said at his postgame news conference
as for his bequeathing bronnys to opponents james seems to respect good basketball   and possesses the sort of outsize self assurance required to make such declarations if there is an ulterior motive he has kept it to himself
in any case the warriors appear to be less sentimental about keepsakes than the cavaliers when the warriors won their 73rd game of the regular season to set an nba record green made sure to track down the ball a treasure that could not have foreseen its sad fate
were going to cut it up green said and give everybody a piece


this article originally appeared in the new york times on feb 26 1964
miami beach   incredibly the loudmouthed bragging insulting youngster had been telling the truth all along cassius clay won the world heavyweight title tonight when a bleeding sonny liston his left shoulder injured was unable to answer the bell for the seventh round
immediately after he had been announced as the new heavyweight champion of the world clay yelled to the newsmen covering the fight eat your words only three of 46 sportswriters covering the fight had picked him to win
a crowd of 8297 on its feet through the early rounds at convention hall sat stunned during the one minute rest period between the sixth and seventh rounds only clay seemed to know what had happened he threw up his hands and danced a little jig in the center of the ring
the victory was scored as a technical knockout in the seventh round one round less than clay had predicted liston seemingly had injured the shoulder in the first round while swinging and missing with jabs and hooks at the elusive 22 year old the fight was clays from the start the tall swift youngster his hands carelessly low backed away from listons jabs circled around listons dangerous left hook and opened a nasty gash under listons left eye
he never let liston tie him up for short brutal body punches and although he faltered several times he refused to allow himself to be cornered his long left jab kept bouncing off listons face from the beginning it was hard to believe
the men had moved briskly into combat liston stalking moving flat footedly forward he fell short with two jabs brushed clay back with a grazing right to the stomach and landed a solid right to the stomach the crowd leaned forward for the imminent destruction of the young poet
but he hadnt lied all those interminable refrains of float like a butterfly sting like a bee had been more than foolish songs the kid was floating he leaned back from listons jabs and hooks backed into the ropes then spun out and away he moved clockwise around liston taunting that terrible left hook his hands still low
then he stung late in the first round sticking his left in listons face and following with a quick barrage to listons head they continued for long seconds after the bell unable to hear the inadequate ring above the roar of the crowd it must have been somewhere in that round that listons shoulder was hurt
jack nilan listons manager said at the hospital that the former champion had hurt the shoulder during training the associated press reported he said liston did not spar feb 3 4 5 and 14 because of the injury asked why he hadnt postponed the fight nilan said we thought we could get away with it
liston strained forward with overeager hooks that struck only air for a moment in the second round liston pummeled clay against the ropes but again cassius spun out and away
then the young man began to rumble as he had promised his quick left jabs penetrated listons defenses and he followed with right hands he leaned forward as he fired rights and lefts at listons expressionless face liston began to bleed from a crescent shaped cut high on the left cheekbone
like a bull hurt and maddened by the picadors lances liston charged forward the heavy muscles worked under his smooth broad back as he virtually hurled his 218 pounds at the dodging bobbing dancing clay
his heavy arms swiped forward and he threw illegal backhand punches in his bearlike lunges once clay leaned the wrong way and liston tagged him with a long left cassius was staggered but liston was hurt and tired he could not move in to press his advantage
and now a strange murmur began to ripple through the half empty arena and people on blue metal chairs began to look at one another something like human electricity danced and flowed as the spectators suddenly realized that even if cassius lost he was no fraud his style was unorthodox but ...
there was little action in the fourth as cassius continued to circle once he opened his eyes wide as a liston jab fell short and it seemed as if he were mocking the heavy footed hunter as it turned out cassius could barely see
he began complaining to angelo dundee his trainer at the end of the round something had gotten into his eyes from listons glove from the sponge somewhere but he went out for the fifth anyway and all dundee could do was shout stay away from him stay away
clay tried to stay away sensing something liston bulled forward slamming cassius with a left hook in the nose and lefts and rights to the body blinking furiously clay kept circling away he never hit back
both fighters were sluggish in the fifth round breathing heavily listons face was still impassive but the grooves along his forehead seemed deeper and the snorting breaths through his nose harsher
he seemed even more tired in the sixth as clays eyes cleared and the younger man bore in then leapt away jabbing and hooking and landing a solid right to listons jaw clays jabs were slipping through at will now bouncing off that rocklike face opening the cut under the left eye
liston walked heavily back to his corner at the end of the sixth he did not sit down immediately then as liston did sit down clay came dancing out to the center of the ring waving his arms all alone it seemed like a long time before drew bundini brown his assistant trainer was hugging him and dundee was dancing up and down and jack nilan listons adviser was wrapping yards of tape around the former champions left shoulder
i just cant go back a liston aide reported sonny to have said
and then the crowd was cheering and booing which is something like laughing and crying because it was the wildest thing they had ever seen
lt didnt make sense for weeks clay had played the fool and been tagged at will by unworthy sparring partners this morning at the weigh in he had acted bizarre and disturbed
and tonight he had been cool and fast and without fear until the knockout the officials had had the fight a draw referee carney felix had scored the six rounds 57 57 on the 10 point must system judge bill lovitt scored it 58 56 for liston and judge gus jacobsen 58 56 for clay
but points didnt really matter after all poetry and youth and joy had triumphed over the 8 1 odds and until it had happened and perhaps until they can look it up people laughed at the thought that a night like this could happen
the crowd cheered lustily at 959 pm when cassius came jogging down the aisle toward the ring his face impassive wearing a hip length terry cloth white robe on which was emblazoned the lip nobody even snickered for everyone knew clay was a braggart not to be taken seriously
he leapt through the ropes in a sudden motion then waited in the ring for six minutes before liston started down the aisle shadowboxing in a corner of the ring he did not talk or shout liston in a long white robe glared out from a white hood and climbed heavily through the ropes
wipe my face off hey wipe my face off said clay to dundee the trainer was staring at the implacable liston and didnt hear clay until he had repeated himself
both men stood in their corners serenely as the inevitable parade of notables   rocky marciano sugar ray robinson et al   shook their gloved hands sonny in white trunks a black stripe and his name across a thigh seemed malevolent and invincible clay in white trunks with red piping seemed only big
earlier rumors had swept convention hall that cassius was not going to show that the thin line of hysteria he had trod during the morning weigh in had become full scale fear
but even as the rumor mounted that he was in a plane en route to mexico cassius was standing quietly in a far corner of the arena he was waiting for his brother rudolph valentino clay to make his professional debut
few people noticed him he was dressed in a tightfitting black tropical suit and wore a black bow tie on his ruffled white dress shirt clay was surrounded by aides   brown archie robinson his personal secretary and dundee dundee was carrying a blue suitcase and bundini kept a hand on clays back as if he might have to restrain him at any moment
but clay hardly moved despite his height 6 feet 3 inches he often had to stand on tip toe to watch the action in the far off ring once when rudy floored his opponent chip johnson of naples fla in the second round clay shouted some encouragement otherwise he was silent
even during the one minute rest periods between rounds cassius stared at the ring his face seemed tense and alert but his body was unmoving at the end of the four round bout when it was announced that rudy had won cassius turned abruptly without saying a word and followed a phalanx of miami policemen with flashy gun butts out of the arena and into his dressing room
once there at about 915 pm he was re examined by dr robbins
at the weigh in dr robbins had said that clays pulse rate was around 120 more than double his norm of 54 forty five minutes before the fight clays pulse was 64 the same as listons sonny had arrived at the hall a few minutes after 8 pm and gone to his dressing room to rest


jonathan roper once a sales manager at insys therapeutics a small pharmaceutical company had a problem the end of the quarter was near and for the first time insys was in danger of missing sales goals for its only product a spray called subsys that contains the powerful painkiller fentanyl
so mr roper sent out a blistering email to his staff members at the time in march 2014 urging them to make a final push there is no excuse for any of your docs to not take care of you at this crucial time of the quarter he wrote its time he said for the top prescribing doctors to give back for all of the hard work long days and late nights you have spoiled them with
mr roper and a former sales representative fernando serrano were arrested on thursday on federal anti kickback charges accused of paying thousands of dollars to doctors to participate in what federal prosecutors described as sham educational programs in exchange for prescribing millions of dollars worth of fentanyl criminal charges against drug company employees are unusual legal experts said underscoring the sordid nature of the case and its connection with fentanyl which is frequently abused and can lead to deadly overdoses if inappropriately prescribed
the federal indictment which quotes mr ropers emails does not mention insys by name but other details in the document   including when the drug was approved and its annual sales in 2015   make it clear that insys based in arizona is the company in question insys has previously disclosed that it is under federal investigation for its sales and marketing practices last year a nurse pleaded guilty to federal charges of accepting kickbacks from the company
federal prosecutors say that the case is particularly egregious because it involves inappropriate marketing of fentanyl a drug that is 100 times more potent than morphine and abuse of which has been skyrocketing in the united states fentanyl is the drug that the musician prince accidentally overdosed on killing him although it is not clear what form he took fentanyl is a generic drug and is sold in many forms the version sold by insys is for cancer patients
fentanyl is an incredibly dangerous and highly addictive drug that is finding its way into and destroying too many lives in our communities preet bharara the united states attorney in manhattan said in a statement as alleged roper and serrano helped feed this devastating surge of opioid addictions by tapping into another age old addiction greed
a spokeswoman for insys lisa wilson says the company holds its employees to standards that require they comply with the law insys is committed to working with health care providers patients and other stakeholders in the health care community to help ensure the proper prescribing and use of our product she said
a lawyer for mr roper 37 of commack ny declined to comment a lawyer for mr serrano 30 of manalapan nj did not return a call it is unclear why the two employees left the company
in the indictment filed in the southern district in manhattan prosecutors said that doctors were paid as much as 3000 per speaking engagement and that the events were held in fancy restaurants rather than inviting doctors who were new to using the product the guests were often friends of the speakers or were doctors who had already attended similar events and were unlikely to learn anything new sign in sheets contained signatures that were forged to make the events look legitimate the prosecutors said
after the dinners the doctors and sales representatives sometimes left for a strip club where the doctors were not asked to pay a cover charge or for their drinks instead they were entertained at a reserved table with bottles of liquor according to the indictments
but all of this attention did not come free prosecutors argued mr roper and mr serrano expected that the doctors would return the favor by prescribing more subsys
one top speaker according to mr ropers indictment was paid 147245 in speaking fees in 2014 and accounted for about 12 million in prescriptions of subsys that were reimbursed through medicare another doctor singled out in the complaint was paid 112340 in speaking fees in 2014 and prescribed 14 million worth of subsys that was paid for by medicare according to the indictment the doctors were not named in the indictment
approved in 2012 subsys is a form of fentanyl that is sprayed under the tongue and is approved for use only in patients who have cancer and experience pain even though they are already on round the clock painkillers fentanyl can be deadly if it is prescribed in large doses to someone who has not already become tolerant to opioids
despite the drugs tight restrictions sales of subsys have been strong taking in 330 million in 2015 although insys was an early favorite with wall street it has struggled as it has faced questions about its marketing practices its stock is down more than 50 percent in the last year and fell more than 12 percent on friday alone
in 2014 an analysis by the research firm symphony health found that just 1 percent of prescriptions for subsys were from oncologists those who would be most likely to treat cancer patients doctors who prescribe subsys must take a test that proves they understand the drugs risks but according to the indictment on thursday mr roper gave a doctor answers to the test questions
drug companies have paid billions of dollars in fines in recent years to settle allegations that they improperly marketed their drugs this case has unfolded in an unusual way prosecutors pursuing criminal charges against various people
in 2014 a michigan neurologist was arrested after federal prosecutors said he defrauded medicare of 7 million and improperly prescribed subsys last year a nurse at a connecticut pain clinic who pleaded guilty for receiving 83000 in kickbacks from insys acknowledged that the money influenced the prescribing of the drug the nurse who was authorized to prescribe medication was responsible for more than 1 million in medicare claims and was the highest prescriber of subsys in connecticut
were not talking about acne cream here said patrick burns the executive director of taxpayers against fraud an advocacy group for whistle blowers were talking about one of the most addictive substances known to man that puts people in a box on a daily basis
he predicted that further action against insys was likely i suspect that they are zeroing in on their scope in order to go for a larger corporate hunt he said


washington   with their nomination contests finally locked up hillary clinton and donald j trump sought to rev up their core supporters on friday during dueling speeches in which each cast the other as unfit for the presidency
mixing policy arguments with personal attacks the presumptive nominees clashed from across the capital as they previewed the arguments they will take to the country over the next five months
for mr trump who suffered perhaps the most damaging week of his yearlong campaign a forum for evangelical christians proved to be an unlikely haven while mrs clinton was greeted with cheers and pink hillary signs as she vowed to protect womens rights from mr trump and the republicans
anyone who wants to defund planned parenthood and wipe out safe legal abortions has no idea whats best for women mrs clinton said of mr trump at a planned parenthood action fund event here after all this is a man who has called women pigs dogs and disgusting animals
her first major address since securing enough delegates to clinch the nomination served mrs clinton on two fronts as she looks to mend fissures within the democratic party while turning to the general election it allowed mrs clinton the first woman to secure a major partys presidential nomination to demonstrate that a bedrock progressive cause was a top priority and it gave her a forum to press her advantage with female voters against mr trump
mr trump whose attacks on megyn kelly carly fiorina and heidi cruz during the primary campaign were widely condemned boasts that he would be better for women than mrs clinton but polls so far show that women disagree a gallup survey in april found that 70 percent of women in the country viewed him unfavorably
mrs clinton who had a private meeting earlier in the day with one of her partys most effective critics of mr trump senator elizabeth warren did not confine her own critique of him to womens issues she assailed mr trump for accusing a federal judge gonzalo p curiel of being biased because of his mexican heritage and she scolded mr trump for disparaging a disabled reporter his promise to make america great she said would set the country back decades
donald trump would take us in the wrong direction on so many issues that we care about mrs clinton said he does not see all americans as americans
while mrs clinton went on the offensive mr trump was relatively restrained in front of a group of evangelical activists as he looked to regain his footing amid the bipartisan backlash he has faced over his comments about judge curiel who is presiding over a lawsuit against trump university
before the faith and freedom coalitions road to majority conference in washington mr trump promised to uphold the sanctity and dignity of life and to restore respect for people of faith
when several young protesters disrupted his remarks mr trump watched as they were marched out by security guards his old refrain of get them out replaced with a lament about the rudeness of such interruptions and an assertion that the demonstrators were professional agitators sent by democrats
but he also used the opportunity to make his case against mrs clinton attacking her economic plans and willingness to admit syrian refugees into the country and questioning her judgment when she was secretary of state sticking mostly to policy he only briefly referred to her as crooked
shell appoint radical judges who will legislate from the bench overriding congress and ill tell you the will of the people will mean nothing   nothing he said she will undermine the wages of working people with uncontrolled immigration creating poverty and income insecurity
at one point mr trump tried to turn the tables on mrs clinton who regularly argues that he lacks the temperament to be president in a line that seemed to fall flat he said that she was unfit to lead because of her refusal to employ the phrase radical islam when talking about terrorism
referring to mrs clintons call for president obama to honor his pledge to take in more than 10000 syrian refugees mr trump challenged her to instead replace her support for increased refugee admissions with a new jobs program for our inner cities
we have to temporarily stop this whole thing with whats going on with refugees where we dont know where they come from but we have to take a rest mr trump said avoiding any discussion of his provocative plan to ban foreign muslims from entering the country we have to take a timeout we have to use the money to take care of our poorest americans and work with them so they can come out of this horrible situation that theyre in
the faith and freedom conference offered an important proving ground for mr trump evangelicals are a vital part of the republican coalition they voted overwhelmingly republican in 2012 with 79 percent supporting mitt romney according to pew research
but mr trump a thrice married manhattan businessman does not hew to traditional conservative orthodoxy and in years past he might have agreed with some of what mrs clinton had to say on friday about expanding access to prenatal care and safe abortions
during the campaign this year mr trump who previously supported abortion rights said that planned parenthood had done some very good work for millions of women and in response to north carolinas contentious new law that transgender people should not face bathroom restrictions
still he won the early endorsement of jerry falwell jr president of the conservative liberty university in lynchburg va at which mr trump spoke and successfully wooed evangelical voters in january
with polls showing mr trump facing a daunting disadvantage against mrs clinton with women and hispanic voters he will need robust evangelical turnout in november to close the gap despite some republicans expressing a sense of buyers remorse about mr trump conservative christians seem to be sticking with him
hogan gidley who was an aide to former gov mike huckabee of arkansas said that while evangelicals would love to have a true evangelical in the white house they understood that republicans required a broader coalition to win a general election
republicans cannot win without getting evangelicals and they cant win only getting evangelicals mr gidley said they have to expand the voter universe and so far trump has done an amazing job with that


the gawker media group is up for sale the question now is not just who will buy it but what exactly they will be paying for
the company on friday filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy and announced the beginning of an auction process to sell itself the decision came after a year of escalating controversies and setbacks at gawker culminating in a 140 million legal judgment in a lawsuit by hulk hogan and the revelation that the suit had received financial support from the silicon valley billionaire peter thiel
but while companys public image   and troubles   have centered around its aggressive and boundary testing flagship news site gawkercom potential buyers may be interested in a less visible part of its business e commerce
in recent years gawker media has tried to build up its e commerce revenue   earned from lucrative commissions taken from referrals to sites like amazon   as a hedge against an increasingly uncertain online news environment in which platforms like google and facebook take ever larger shares of advertising revenue
in this alternative view of gawker its lifehacker service site or kotaku a video game site are seen not just as publications with audiences presorted by interests and demographics they also become prime venues for product recommendations and affiliate links in that way they resemble something between news sites and gawkers commerce centric blog kinja deals sample headline the new king of the coffee makers is on sale today
generating more revenue through e commerce was a strategy the company adopted several years ago as a way to maintain financial independence in contrast to competitors who were backed by venture capital in 2014 the company was already generating around 10 million from consumer transactions in an interview in april gawkers founder nick denton claimed that e commerce revenue now covers our editorial spending
but while that kind of revenue was growing gawker medias commerce plans never fully came to fruition the effort was hindered by an obsessive focus on developing kinja the companys internal content management and commenting system as well as the creation of numerous subsites with distinct brands according to a person briefed on the companys financial situation who spoke on condition of anonymity
now with financial independence off the table gawker medias e commerce operation may nonetheless play an outsize role in determining the companys fate vivek shah the chief executive of ziff davis a technology publisher that entered a first bid for the company   reportedly between 90 million and 100 million   wrote in a memo to staff that like us gmg is heavily active in driving commerce based revenues and has an impressive publishing and commerce platform with kinja
mr denton also referred to the consumer component in his own announcement
while affirming his sites commitment to telling the true stories that underpin credibility with our millions of readers he also wrote a combination would marry ziff davis strength in e commerce licensing and video with gmgs premium media brands
ziff davis a major presence in the pre blog technology and gaming press filed for bankruptcy itself in 2008 and is now in a substantially different form a subsidiary of the internet services and publishing conglomerate j2 global the companys interest in a deal was fueled by gawkers portfolio of tech lifestyle and gaming sites that together through e commerce and advertising make up 85 percent of gawker medias total revenue according to another person briefed on the finances
if it was difficult to imagine gawker media the persistently antagonistic outsider as part of a larger and more risk averse company mr shahs memo provided some clues
the additions of gizmodo lifehacker and kotaku would fortify our position in consumer tech and gaming mr shah wrote in his memo with the addition of jalopnik deadspin and jezebel we would broaden our position as a lifestyle publisher
the memo did not mention gawker


bratislava slovakia   the peoples party our slovakia after months of stirring up fears about foreigners and muslim migrants decided to take action this spring the groups leader proudly stood in front of the main railway station in zvolen slovakia and announced that a new group of volunteers would begin patrolling passenger trains to keep the decent citizens of slovakia safe from criminals and minorities
never mind that vanishingly few of the hundreds of thousands of migrants who have reached europe over the last year ever set foot in the central european nation or that only 10 people last year became crime victims on a slovakian train system patrolled by 600 railway police officers
the xenophobic slovakian group has been one of a wave of such extremist organizations across central and eastern europe that have seized on last years influx of migrants through europe to advance their agenda and build popular support in some cases the vigilante groups have taken to patrolling borders streets and other public places to defend against what they portray as a menacing incursion of asylum seekers many of them muslims from afghanistan iraq syria and other poor war torn nations
the original cultures of europe are threatened by some idiots from the desert said marian magat the leader of vzdor kysuce another far right group in slovakia which has actually seen few migrants pass through its borders and fewer seek to settle
in hungary which saw nearly 400000 asylum seekers pass through its borders last year en route to germany and other more welcoming destinations istvan matyas vass a retired artist and former parliamentarian has since july led a group called the hunyadi border guard unit
the group was named for john hunyadi a hungarian military figure who won a decisive battle in belgrade against the ottomans in the 15th century mr vass and his more than 300 colleagues keep up a steady presence on social media agitating about what they see as the threat from migration
in bulgaria petar nizamov said he was proud of creating an informal group called civil squads for the protection of women and faith which a few months ago began hunting for migrants along the countrys borders pushing them back into neighboring turkey
those who come to europe now are not refugees mr nizamov said dressed in a long sleeve t shirt with the image of king simeon the great who ruled bulgaria during the late ninth and early 10th centuries their goal he said is to spread islam across europe
the groups remain relatively small as focused on stirring up political support and media attention as on confronting migrants and not all of them are actively patrolling in hungary mr vass posted a call last year to the hunyadi border guard unit to be prepared to step up for your own defense but the authorities later dropped an investigation after it became clear that the group had done nothing but prepare to take action
not only are there few migrants coming through slovakia at the moment but the government like those of most countries in the region is strongly resisting pressure from western europe to accept asylum seekers for resettlement
nonetheless peoples party our slovakia led by marian kotleba is patrolling trains so far without having to save anyone from a migrant attack and vzdor kysuce is organizing and training paramilitary groups that it says would patrol the streets if migrants ever did appear in slovakia mr magat the partys leader calls the 20 people who have signed up as paramilitaries sleeping soldiers who have been trained to protect the white majority just as people in germany took their guns and started solving problems themselves in 1930s
despite the small number of active participants the emergence of the groups has the authorities in some countries worried whenever someones trying to replace the states function in some way it creates a dangerous precedent says tomas nociar an expert on extremism from comenius university in bratislava
and the citizens groups have been more active in bulgaria whose border with turkey has been an alternate route into europe for migrants from afghanistan iraq and syria unable or unwilling to make the voyage by sea to greece
mr nizamov has been under house arrest since mid april and an investigation of his activities is underway he was detained shortly after posting a video on social media showing the apprehension of three afghan migrants their hands tied behind their backs the migrants told the police that the vigilantes carrying knives and a gun urged them to go back to turkey
while mr nizamov is the only one who has been detained by the bulgarian authorities for a citizens arrest of migrants his group is not alone in patrolling the turkish border
in april a group of volunteers known as the organization for the protection of bulgarian citizens caught 23 afghans and handed them over to the police the group which organizes charity and sports events began its patrols last year
were trying to help the state as they dont have enough people to properly guard the border said georgi bratanov 29 a bartender and regular participant in the patrols
in february dinko valev also 29 a spare parts trader became a national celebrity after a television station broadcast a report calling him a superhero for catching a group of syrian refugees including women and a child
at first the bulgarian authorities turned a blind eye to the vigilante patrols and even encouraged their activities but later after international outrage over mr nizamovs activities the government condemned the groups actions
any lawbreaking or inhumane treatment will be prosecuted prime minister boyko borisov said adding that his government had taken all necessary steps to secure the countrys border
daniel milo the coordinator of counterextremism policies in the slovakian interior ministry said self styled citizens patrols present risks to themselves and the public it can end up badly he said these people are not ready nor equipped to deal with any problematic situations
websites and social media pages for mr kotlebas party depict a slovakia awash in danger from criminals and gypsy extremists protected by patrols of tough looking men in green shirts decorated with the partys logo
until these right wing patrols do anything illegal they cannot be banned said lubomir abel vice president of the slovakian police force
people who used to fight us in the streets are now sitting in the parliament wearing white shirts mr abel said of peoples party our slovakia which won 14 of the 150 seats in slovakian parliament in march elections propelled by supporters weary of the countrys inefficiency and corruption scandals
likewise in hungary where few refugees have actually settled the far right is waging a campaign built on ethnic religious and racial enmity including encouraging supporters to be vigilant against what they portray as threats to their safety and way of life   even though the flow of refugees through the country has all but stopped this year
europe is christian they are muslims mr vass said in a telephone interview speaking of the asylum seekers who poured through the country last year its a financed and organized wave by zionist jews to destroy europe the eu has a suicidal policy in accepting them
peter kreko an analyst at political capital a budapest based research organization said groups like the hunyadi border guard unit attracted only limited popular support in part because the hungarian government under prime minister viktor orban has taken such a strong anti immigrant position leaving little political space for the extreme far right the governments own hard line towards migrants made it hard for those groups to find any air he said


pittsburgh   on friday morning the san jose sharks hopped on a charter flight from here to their home base in silicon valley happy to have found a way to keep their championship hopes alive
down by three games to one in the stanley cup finals the sharks defeated the pittsburgh penguins 4 2 in game 5 on thursday night
we found a way to stay alive and bring it back to san jose sharks coach peter deboer said after the game
the sharks did find a way to win but they may not want to repeat their strategy in game 6 on sunday they allowed 46 shots in game 5 and managed only 22 of their own the sharks were saved by a transcendent showing from goaltender martin jones who made 44 saves after a 40 save performance in game 3 which the sharks won in overtime at home jones is the first goalie since the nhl expanded from six to 12 teams in 1967 to have multiple 40 save victories in the cup finals
hes our best player every night defenseman marc edouard vlasic said thursday night
modest and unassuming jones said little after the game to suggest that he had done exceptional work in perhaps the biggest game of his life
asked if he had played his best game of the playoffs he said i dont know its hard to say
asked whether a goaltender takes pride in staving off elimination he hesitantly acknowledged that a game that saved his teams season in june was different from one played in october
undrafted out of junior hockey jones earned a spot at the los angeles kings rookie camp in 2008 as a free agent invitee those players rarely do much but fill space on a roster with the teams top prospects
but jones shined and was summoned to the teams main training camp once again he impressed the kings who signed him to an entry level contract which went into effect when jones turned professional in 2010
after toiling in the minor leagues for a few seasons jones became the backup to jonathan quick during the kings championship run in 2014 he is the only current sharks player with his name on the stanley cup
traded twice last summer eventually to san jose jones 26 became a starting goaltender for the first time in the nhl this season he finished with 37 wins the third most in the league one spot ahead of him was quick his old mentor
a lot of people unfortunately dont get to see him us being on the west coast sharks forward logan couture said after game 5 hes been unbelievable for us
jones faced quick in the first round of these playoffs as the sharks dispatched the kings in five games
hes one of the best playoff goalies around jones said of quick thats something you try to emulate
so far jones has done a fine imitation of quick posting a 933 save percentage in the finals
on thursday night the sharks jumped to 2 0 lead less than three minutes into the game only to falter evgeni malkin was able to put the penguins on the board with a fantastic shot on the power play 4 minutes 44 seconds into the first period just 22 seconds later pittsburghs carl hagelin tied the game on a deflection after a misplay by the sharks defense
jones faced another 40 shots over nearly 55 minutes of play after the penguins second goal none of them got past him once san jose retook the lead with a little more than five minutes left in the first period they held it for good
but the sharks who are down by three games to two in the finals are still one game away from elimination and jones cannot do it all for san jose to come back from the hole it dug itself it will need to possess the puck more the penguins have outshot the sharks in four of five games in the finals
we have to do a better job of taking those chances away going forward said justin braun who with vlasic forms the sharks shutdown defense pair
until game 5 san jose had not played with a lead in the championship round but help may be coming
through the first four games of the series most of san joses offensive stars   couture the postseason leader in points joe pavelski the playoffs leading goal producer and brent burns perhaps the leagues best offensive defenseman   had failed to score a goal all three put the puck in the net thursday with couture adding two assists
we have to continue to build on that deboer said


had the floors of the st pauls episcopal church on staten island not been made of slate the 150 year old house of worship might have burned to the ground on sunday when the police said a person threw a burning bottle filled with flammable liquid through an open window the bottle flamed out on the stone floor
the first central baptist church a few blocks away also in the stapleton neighborhood of the islands north shore was likewise spared destruction on thursday before dawn someone tossed a similarly crude grenade at a window but it bounced off and landed on an awning burning the structure and scorching an exterior wall the police said a passing ambulance saw the fire and called for help before the flames spread
the police are investigating both arson fires as hate crimes and the same man is believed to be responsible for the two attacks robert k boyce the chief of detectives for the new york police department said on friday
there are key pieces of evidence that link the two that i am not going to get into forensic wise chief boyce said but we believe they were four blocks away from each other the pieces of evidence we picked up are almost identical
fire marshals believed the accelerant in the bottles was gasoline chief boyce said and investigators were canvassing area gas stations and backyards   anywhere people use gasoline   for more evidence
the hooded suspect was seen in surveillance video crossing the street near the intersection of van duzer and beach streets around the corner from the baptist church after it had been set on fire
the police who released the video on thursday said the man had not been identified and remained at large
no one was injured in either attack and both churches suffered minor damage the police said
in a statement on friday state senator diane j savino called the arsonist a coward and condemned the hateful and senseless attacks
its disturbing to even think that there are people living in our communities with such malice in their hearts ms savino said first central baptist church and st paul are places where a number of my constituents have been members for most of their lives so it truly upsets me to hear what has happened
michael e mcmahon the staten island district attorney said his office was monitoring the police investigation


coal production in the united states is plummeting to levels not seen since a crippling coal strike 35 years ago according to a report released by the energy department on friday
the coal industry in recent years has been plagued by bankruptcies as power utilities increasingly moved to replace coal with cheap natural gas and renewable sources like solar and wind energy coal was once the dominant source of the nations electricity generation but consumption of the fossil fuel has declined by nearly a third since its peak in 2007
once gradual the decline in coal mining appears to be picking up momentum coal production in the united states of 173 million tons for january through march was the lowest in any quarter since 1981 the quarterly production total represented a 17 percent decline from the previous quarter the steepest quarter over quarter drop in nearly 32 years
part of the reason for the production drop were the above normal temperatures through much of the nation in recent months which lowered electricity demand utilities had stockpiled an additional 34 million tons of coal during the final months of 2015 anticipating a colder winter
but the energy department noted broader forces at play in its brief report
coal production has declined because of increasingly challenging market conditions for coal producers the report said in addition to complying with environmental regulations and adapting to slower growth in electricity demand coal fired generators also are competing with renewables and with natural gas fired electricity generation during a time of historically low natural gas prices
the biggest declines in production came in the powder river basin of montana and wyoming
the obama administration has suspended new coal leasing on federal lands and worked to tighten environmental regulations on burning of coal those efforts have been challenged in the courts but could eventually gain momentum as washington complies with commitments made last year during climate talks in paris
in recent years coal companies have pinned their hopes on exports as coal remains an important power source in asia and europe but slow economic growth and low international coal prices also depressed by the increase in liquefied natural gas trade has contributed to a decline in coal exports
the energy department recently reported that coal exports in march were 32 percent below the same month in 2015 the department forecasts an annual coal export decline of 10 percent this year and 12 percent in 2017
coal companies are not the only businesses suffering from the production cuts the association of american railroads has reported a 20 percent decline in coal railcar loads transported during the first quarter from the fourth quarter of 2015
as recently as early 2008 coal was the source of roughly half the electricity generated in the united states this year that figure has fallen to roughly 30 percent still most energy experts say that coal will continue to be an important source of power for years to come and the energy department projects a small increase in coal consumption next year as natural gas prices are projected to rise
eventually things are going to turn around said rick curtsinger a spokesman for cloud peak energy a major coal producer in the powder river basin noting that the warm winter was an anomaly he added the us and the world will continue to use significant amounts of coal going forward
private equity and other investors are already moving to pick up the remains of bankrupt coal companies cheaply and continue operating the most efficient mines
its a rapidly shrinking industry but it will continue to be an industry and there will continue to be success stories said jim thompson a coal analyst at ihs an energy consultancy


yarnell ariz   ben palm the fire chief here got a call on wednesday afternoon alerting him to a fire burning on the mountains on the edge of town those were familiar words
on june 28 2013 a bolt of lightning sparked a cluster of parched brush on yarnell hill two days later 19 firefighters were killed and half of yarnell was destroyed by flames it was the deadliest day in american firefighting since the sept 11 attacks
for those who lived or worked in yarnell then there was life as it was before the deadly fire and there is life after it forever transformed as this weeks fire roared to life growing tenfold in two hours it awoke painful memories
flames fed on the bone dry vegetation on the east side of town opposite the side that burned in 2013 sheriffs deputies knocked on the doors of homes that stood in the fires path urging residents to leave this time they did
fuel breaks carved in the vegetation after the 2013 fire stopped this weeks fire from reaching the town only a handful of structures had been lost by friday in 2013 127 homes burned
weve learned our lesson in the hardest possible way chief palm said
from a home in town an emergency shelter in nearby prescott and at the incident command post in peeples valley yarnells neighbor to the north chief palm and four others talked about what they learned from the two fires they experienced   and what they would rather forget
chuck tidey 69 president of the yarnell peeples valley chamber of commerce
after the smoke cleared and the devastation of the 2013 fire came into full focus mr tidey helped pull together a group of volunteers to rebuild homes and soothe broken hearts in yarnell he was attending one of the groups regular wednesday meetings when somebody called to tell about the follow up fire
i was like a fire were still recovering from a fire mr tidey said
im not really worried about now im worried about a week or two from now we kind of suck it up and go on but its when the time passes and people start thinking about it thats dangerous theres all sorts of dark feelings that bubble up a lot of sadness right now were just marching ahead
melody belloff 60 a school nurse from phoenix and volunteer for the american red cross
ms belloff carries a picture of her brother bob crestfallen in front of the charred remains of the house he lost to fire 22 years ago its my reminder she said of why i do this
in 2013 she cared for people and pets pushed out of yarnell by the out of control fire at an emergency shelter south of town she returned this week different fire different shelter same toil
i know that the people of yarnell went through a very difficult time three years ago the uncertainty of not knowing if they had a home to go back to the loss of the firemen i feel a little bit protective of yarnell she said
her eyes welled
in arizona people are rugged individualists ms belloff said its sometimes hard for them to ask for help they like to do everything for themselves to be self sufficient im here for whoever needs me you know
carole ryan 68 a nutritional counselor and longtime resident of yarnell
ms ryans home of 36 years an l shaped structure flanked by oak and mulberry trees was turned to ashes in 2013 she was out of the country when it happened and caught the first flight home from prague she remembers waiting for her luggage at the airport and thinking this may be everything i own
she had her luggage and later found her mothers wedding ring buried in the rubble of her house
ms ryan heard about this weeks fire while at work on wednesday a day earlier she had received the certificate of occupancy for the new house she built where the old one once stood
i got so worried about losing my new house she said this cant be happening again
ben palm 43 chief of the yarnell fire department
chief palm received state and federal grants to pay for the hard work of thinning the wild vegetation on the east side of yarnell the brush was so thick he said you couldnt walk through it
the fire in 2013 had taken care of clearing the west side of town the fire breaks built on the east side helped stop this weeks fire
yarnell is still on the mend from the damage of three years ago tax revenue is 25 percent lower than it was before everything changed in june 2013 chief palm said
the fire department has four full time employees and 15 volunteers come january im probably going to have to cut some of the full timers into part timers he said have to make ends meet
deborah pfingston 56 whose son andrew ashcraft was one of the 19 firefighters killed in yarnell in 2013
if any of ms pfingstons sons ever gave her reason to worry it was her older boy tj he is a sergeant in the united states army and has fought in iraq and afghanistan
she knew there was great risk to fighting wildfires but never imagined that andrew   her baby the firefighter   would be the one she would lose
she thought at first that the fire in yarnell she had heard about on the news was the one that burned three years ago
driving south to the command post on friday from her home in prescott ms pfingston watched airplanes dropping chemicals and water to slow down the flames
she passed crew carriers just like those that carried her son and his crew the granite mountain hotshots
the emotions are so complicated but theyre on it theyre on this fire and theyre going to get it she said


chief sean whent of the oakland police has resigned amid an investigation of sexual misconduct allegations involving several officers chief whent said in a statement late thursday that he had worked to make the city safer by forging better ties with its diverse communities and that the vast majority of oakland officers shared that commitment he gave no reason for stepping down chief whent made his own decision about leaving the job mayor libby schaaf said friday the long troubled department is investigating allegations that several officers had sex with an underage girl two officers have resigned and two others remain on paid leave prosecutors are reviewing the police departments initial investigation of the allegations the mayor said ben h fairow deputy police chief at the regional transit system replaces chief whent reuters
a navy admiral will be sentenced in august after pleading guilty to lying to federal authorities investigating a 34 million fraud scheme involving a malaysian contractor the officer rear adm robert gilbeau 55 becomes the highest ranking military official to be taken down in the widespread scandal and is believed to be the first active duty naval flag officer to be charged in federal court at a hearing in san diego on thursday admiral gilbeau stood before the judge with a small fluffy white service dog and told the court that he was guilty as charged he declined to comment after the hearing the prosecutor mark pletcher said details would emerge at his sentencing hearing aug 26 when evidence would show admiral gilbeaus pervasive attempt to mislead the investigation the case involved the contractor leonard glenn francis his company which has provided fuel food and other services to navy ships in asia for two decades overbilled the maritime branch by more than 34 million according to court documents he is awaiting sentencing so far 14 people have been charged in the case   including 11 current or former navy officials half of them have pleaded guilty ap


one morning in april 2015 at westchester county airport the main runway had to be closed unexpectedly steve ferguson the airports assistant manager and a private pilot was the only one waiting to take off when an air traffic controller made a surprising announcement over the radio a bald eagle stood at the end of the runway
you guys im waiting down here to take off are you sure its an eagle he asked the control tower im thinking theres a bird but it cant be an eagle a bald eagle it cant be
it was while many airports are accustomed to confronting birds which can present a hazard to planes westchester airport officials could do little to shoo away the bald eagle since the species is protected by the federal government
the eagle flew away on its own after several minutes and the airport was reopened to arriving and departing flights
still the airport decided it had to do something since the sighting last year was not a one time visit this year officials got permission from the united states fish and wildlife service to harass eagles using air horns and pyrotechnic guns in the application the airport said there had been nine separate bald eagle sightings in 2015
protected for decades while the species faced extinction the american bald eagle has made a remarkable turnaround and there are now an estimated 50000 eagles in the continental united states according to richard dolbeer a scientist and adviser to the federal agriculture department
but the eagles resurrection has also meant it could make its way to places where it should not be like airports
as a result the federal government has given newark liberty and la guardia airports permission to repel bald eagles while many others including kennedy airport have applications pending the permits come with an obligation the airport must make the property less welcoming to wildlife
that means different things at different airports but in westchester where the airport sits between a forested area and a golf course a second taller perimeter fence has been installed employees patrol it regularly making noise and driving off any animals they see even so the airport seems to be irresistible judging by the number and variety of animals trying to get onto the property
during a recent tour of the airport grounds derek s colbert a wildlife biologist for the agriculture department who works there pointed out where coyotes had dug under the fence and where a turtle had been seen climbing over it he pointed out mud nests that cliff swallows have built in the rafters of hangars and places where blackbirds flock in the grass and sometimes inside the airplanes parked on a ramp
were having a very large problem with starlings aggressively nesting in the tails of aircraft mr colbert said
last year the airport recorded 43 wildlife strikes most involving planes hitting small birds collisions can damage an airplanes body wings engines landing gear or windshield
an airport camera captured a compelling scene in march a private jet was racing down the runway when a coyote crossed directly in front of it just as the plane took off
the bald eagles are surprising newcomers another was spotted on a runway in april by luc piderman the airports operations supervisor who armed with the newly obtained authorization to harass it fired a noise making gun it just soared he said its a huge bird
as bald eagles have become more common at airports the potential for collisions has also increased this year four people aboard a small plane in alaska were killed when it crashed after hitting a bald eagle the bird strike is believed to have been a contributing factor
were finding them nesting around airports in cities in buildings and lots of places where we never would have thought mr dolbeer said
the arrival of bald eagles at the airport in westchester represents an environmental success story they were once threatened by the use throughout the country of the pesticide ddt which made the shells of eagles eggs too thin to sustain baby chicks the chemical is now banned
because of their size and their ability to drop from the sky without warning eagles and other large birds can be dangerous to aircraft
in 2014 a jetblue airbus a320 took off from westchester bound for west palm beach fla the plane hit a herring gull and the jetliner was forced to make an emergency landing at jfk where workers found pieces of the gull and a gaping hole in the nose of the airplane
the most famous plane versus bird encounter is probably the miracle on the hudson when a us airways jetliner landed in the river after it struck several geese disabling its engines the episode forced everybody to realize the risks of wildlife on airports said peter scherrer the westchester airport manager thats why you have wildlife officers on airports now
though the job of harassing bald eagles   perhaps americas most beloved bird   seems an unpleasant assignment mr colbert says he sees the bigger picture
we are in this field because we love wildlife and we want to see them thrive but there are conflicts occurring he said it is time he added to teach them that this is not the place to be hanging out


toyota said on friday that it had instructed its dealers to disclose which of its new cars still use airbags that may deteriorate over time and become prone to violent ruptures and the automaker said it had instructed dealers to tell potential buyers about the issue
last week a senate report highlighted the continued use of defective takata airbags in new models sold by at least four automakers toyota volkswagen fiat chrysler and mitsubishi
toyota and fiat chrysler had initially refused to name new models that contain airbags that are deemed especially risky and will need to be recalled by 2018 under a plan laid out by the national highway traffic safety administration
because the cars do not need to be recalled until then automakers are technically not required to disclose that those cars contain the defective airbags
on thursday toyota identified those models as the 2016 toyota 4runner midsize sport utility vehicle and the lexus gx 460 in its luxury line but on friday a company spokeswoman cindy knight said that toyota dealers would disclose information about the defective airbag to potential buyers of those models
toyotas 2015 model year lexus is 250c and 350c luxury cars its scion xb compact and the 2015 2016 lexus gx 460 and toyota 4runner models which may still remain in dealer inventories also contain the defective takata airbags the automaker said
at least 13 deaths worldwide have been linked to the defective airbags the defect has also been linked to more than 100 injuries many of them critical fourteen automakers are recalling more than 60 million vehicles to fix the defect in the biggest and most complex recall in automotive history
the interior of the bags is sensitive to moisture and over time it can become prone to deploying violently and rupturing sending shards of metal flying toward the cars occupants the higher risk airbags lack a drying agent that helps protect the interior from moisture
regulators have emphasized however that the newer airbags do not pose an immediate threat because it takes time for them to deteriorate
chrysler has said just one new model contains the riskier airbag on friday eric mayne a company spokesman again declined to disclose which model and stressed that the cars were not yet under recall
volkswagen earlier disclosed that its 2016 volkswagen cc and its audi brands 2016 audi tt and 2017 audi r8 models contained the riskier takata airbags mitsubishi said that the 2016 and 2017 model years of its i miev electric vehicle contained the riskier airbags


san francisco   apples iphone would be just a well made phone without the apps that allow people to personalize it with their favorite games news business social and video services software makers need apple too they badly want to be on the devices that people carry with them everywhere especially as traditional websites and desktop computers fade in importance
when apples app store opened in 2008 there were well under a thousand apps and the relationship was obviously beneficial for both sides but now when there are more than 15 million apps fighting for attention in the app store the benefits for developers particularly smaller ones have become much less apparent
is apple coasting on its relationship and lead with developers i think the answer is yes said colin gillis an analyst with bgc partners their app store is considered an unappealing experience by many people their rules are arbitrary and they take a big slice of money from sales
for a long time apple didnt have to care but now it faces flat sales of its flagship iphones a lack of excitement about newer products like its smart watch and apple tv growing competition from googles android platform and the rise of new challengers like amazons echo device which responds to a users voice commands at home with the kind of magic that used to be an apple hallmark
as the company prepares to hold its annual developer conference in san francisco next week there are signs that it wants to improve its relationship with app makers among the announcements expected at the gathering apple plans to finally give developers access to its siri voice assistant so they can incorporate it into their apps
apples charm offensive began in earnest in december after it put philip w schiller its senior vice president of worldwide marketing in charge of the app store under mr schiller the company accelerated the app approval process cutting typical review times from two weeks to a day or two
on wednesday apple announced that it would soon begin allowing app makers to buy ads that would appear at the top of search results in the app store like the ads already on googles play store and website
apple also said that it would cut its usual 30 percent commission on all subscriptions to 15 percent after an app subscriber had been active for at least a year
thats the right thing to do for developers said bob bowman president of business and media at major league baseball which makes one of the most popular subscription apps mlbcom at bat for live streaming baseball games
big outfits like major league baseball have always been treated well by apple the league had an app ready at the 2008 unveiling of the app store and mr bowman said he talked regularly with mr schiller and eddy cue apples senior vice president for internet software and services
smaller developers tend to have less satisfying experiences loni schuman a 23 year old entrepreneur in israel was frustrated by the process of getting her app fanify approved
fanify allows musicians to live stream concerts with viewers dropping tips into a virtual jar to compensate them   like a street artist but in an app as ms schuman put it she planned a june 1 release and had several artists lined up to promote the app during its first few days she submitted the app for approval 10 days ahead of time to allow plenty of time for review
apples initial response was quick but fanify ended up in an extended back and forth as it tried to address various problems at one point apple raised a fundamental objection saying that fanifys method for tipping artists which used the online payment services venmo and paypal violated apples requirement that all in app payments be routed through itunes so the company could take its 30 percent cut
ms schuman and her developer had to rewrite the app to force users to buy tokens that they could then use to tip musicians the app was finally approved on thursday nine days after the first concerts were supposed to have taken place
it ruined our whole launch she said
apple declined requests to interview mr schiller or other executives about its relationship with developers the company said in january that the app store had generated nearly 40 billion in revenue for developers since it was created
getting an app noticed is one of the biggest problems for a small developer the search function in the app store follows no apparent logic in displaying results leaving most apps lost in the pile apples system for choosing which ones to highlight on the front page of the store is similarly opaque
it used to feel like a frontier town where lots of people bought apps and tried new things said phill ryu who helped found the software studio impending now it feels more like a lottery ticket
when an app maker wins that lottery the benefits are tremendous
craig tashman the founder of liquidtext a document annotation app for the ipad and ipad pro managed to get on apples radar early when a company employee in his network made an introduction in 2012
apple asked dr tashman to keep in touch as he developed the app over the next few years and liquidtext was showcased in the app store for two weeks when the app was introduced last september we got a banner right on top of the app store he said we got 100000 downloads in two weeks when the ipad pro was introduced in november liquidtext received another round of promotion from apple
the new search ads for the app store will allow developers to buy attention if they are not lucky enough to get that kind of free publicity from apples editors although the ads will be available to everyone it is unclear whether prime search terms will end up being bought mostly by big marketers app developers most notably game makers spent 3 billion last year in the united states alone to promote downloads of their software inside facebook twitter and other apps according to emarketer
bryan wiener executive chairman of 360i a digital advertising agency predicted that airlines retailers and video streaming services would eagerly pay for advertising slots in the app store search will be table stakes he said
while overall app download trends favor a handful of top developers apple has made other moves to improve life for the smaller fry
the company is giving more guidance to developers about ways to market their apps said brian mueller who has been an apple developer for three years he makes the carrot series of apps including ones for weather exercise and to do lists
apple is also more actively choosing what appears on the front page of the app store where popular new and interesting apps are prominently featured it signals to users that the app store is a place to check throughout the week mr mueller said a lot of developers were asking and hoping for this
developers say they still hope apple will make more improvements they want the company to continue to improve search in the app store and let developers respond to user comments they also say that communication with apple is still largely one way
you cant fix overnight all of the grievances that piled up mr ryu said


london   a british judge ruled on friday in favor of six lithuanian migrant workers who said they had been lured to britain with the promise of decent employment but ended up in conditions resembling servitude catching chickens without adequate pay or access to facilities where they could bathe rest eat or drink
the judge justice michael supperstone of the high court of justice found that the men were owed compensation because among other reasons they had not been paid the minimum wage for agricultural workers had been charged illegal fees and had had wages improperly withheld
the case has been closely watched in britain parliament last year adopted the modern slavery act to crack down on the trafficking and exploitation of migrant workers and other laborers immigration has been a contentious and central issue in the debate leading up to a referendum scheduled for june 23 on whether the country should remain in the european union
the six men were employed at varying times from 2008 to 2012 by d j houghton catching services in maidstone kent about 30 miles southeast of london the company acted as a labor agent sending workers to farms across britain where they caught chickens and loaded them onto trucks the birds were taken to processing plants that slaughtered them for meat or gathered their eggs which were sold to some of britains largest supermarket and fast food chains
the work is dirty and difficult as the birds flap peck claw vomit and defecate a catcher can catch up to 1500 birds per hour the work usually takes place in the dark to keep the birds as calm as possible
at the heart of modern slavery is exploitation including labor exploitation said shanta martin a lawyer for the men our clients were trafficked to the u k and put to work in appalling conditions and without proper pay they are now in extremely dire economic straits todays judgment is the most important step toward them being able to get their lives back on track
the ethical trading initiative a british organization that promotes workers rights called the decision a landmark ruling
the authorities raided the company in october 2012 and revoked its license in march 2014 paul broadbent the chief executive of the gangmasters licensing authority a regulatory body set up to protect food processing workers called the treatment of the workers horrific saying the exploitation of the workers was prolonged and disgraceful by anyones standards their working conditions were unsanitary unreasonable and wholly unacceptable they were vulnerable people who were severely overworked and grossly underpaid
in some cases the men could rest only as they traveled on minibuses for up to seven hours to start their shifts they were often denied proper equipment or clothing some of the men also reported that they had been harassed threatened and abused by supervisors
the fact is that these workers were treated like slaves mr broadbent said in 2014 adding that the agencys scoring system rated them as the worst uk gangmaster ever a gangmaster is someone who oversees the work of casual manual laborers on behalf of another employer
although the agency took action against the company and the local police began a criminal investigation that continues today the workers had to go to court to seek compensation which they did in 2014 they ranged in age from 19 to 58
justice supperstone found that the men were paid for the number of chickens caught rather than for the hours they worked including travel time while he found houghton and its owners liable the amount of compensation still has to be calculated ten other workers are pursuing claims against the company
david wynn a lawyer for d j houghton and its owners jacqueline judge and darrell houghton did not respond to an email requesting comment on friday


the university of chicagos student body president said he would be allowed to receive his diploma and march in the university convocation ceremony saturday after a hearing on misconduct charges for allowing protesters into the schools administration building to conduct a sit in
but the student leader tyler kissinger 21 of lewisville nc said he was told by a university disciplinary committee that he would be placed on probation which would expire when he leaves the university he said he was also told he would be able to graduate only if he did not break any rules for the rest of his time on campus
mr kissinger had faced penalties ranging from a warning to expulsion on the eve of graduation
its a relief for a lot of people   it is for me it is for my family mr kissinger said after emerging from the hearing
the school did not confirm the decision to discipline mr kissinger citing confidentiality rules but a spokesman said it did not punish expression mr kissinger admitted he passed through security at the administration building by saying he was on official business then let in other students
another 200 protesters massed outside the building but mr kissinger who said he was accused of dishonesty and creating an unsafe condition is the only one known to have been charged
after the charges became known on wednesday more than 3000 people signed a student led petition and 187 faculty members had signed a faculty petition demanding that the charges be dismissed petition organizers said
the universitys hands were really tied spencer mcavoy another student said jubilantly after mr kissinger was allowed to graduate the whole world was watching and we pressured them to make the right choice mr mcavoy also participated in the sit in where students aired demands like a 15 minimum wage for campus workers and more access to campus police records
the outcry highlighted the tension between the promise of free speech on campus and the search by administrators for a way to minimize the disruption that can be caused by demonstrations
the university of chicago has been lauded for its free expression policy receiving the highest rating for its speech code from fire the foundation for individual rights in education a nonpartisan free speech group yet it also has a history of being tough on demonstrators dating back to suspensions and expulsions during the vietnam war era


san francisco   a university archaeologist a city librarian a genealogist and even a psychic are trying to solve the mystery of the little girl in the coffin
last month a construction crew unearthed a small cast iron coffin in a neighborhood here that once housed a cemetery thousands of the citys dead were removed in the early 1900s when politicians and developers pushed for more housing during the disinterment project a 37 inch coffin with curved glass windows was left behind
inside the coffin was the body of a perfectly preserved child about 3 years old wearing a white embroidered dress with a bow and a cross of lavender on her chest rose petals and eucalyptus leaves lay beside her
in todays more complex world where a girl killed by a stray bullet might receive a few tweets this mystery of a child long gone has garnered international coverage
at a ceremony last weekend the little girl in the coffin was nested into a larger coffin of handmade cherrywood and buried in colma a necropolis for san franciscos dead where others from the odd fellows cemetery were reinterred mothers and their daughters parents with small children and older couples came they said because they were touched by the little girls story we felt for her getting left behind said heather reynolds who came with her mother barbara we wanted to give her a nice send off she said
engraved on a small headstone was the name miranda eve given to her by the young children who live in the house where the coffin was found and a city administrator who helped arrange the burial the back of the headstone was left blank so that if the girls true identity is discovered her name can be added
before her second burial a few strands of the girls hair were removed for analysis jelmer eerkens a university of california davis archaeologist who is more accustomed to working with materials from ancient peoples along the nile or from native americans in california offered to investigate
i read they were planning to just rebury the body without any analysis he said as an archaeologist i thought thats not right at some point these things from the past become our collective heritage
all human societies recognize the importance of ancestry and history dr eerkens said but rather than a general story about war and history this is a story about an individual person people can understand and connect with how sad it must have been to lose a young daughter
dr eerkens who specializes in isotope analysis said a strand of hair is like a tree ring by using a mass spectrometer he said well be able to learn from the moment she died and going back in time maybe in two week to one month intervals where she was living because of the food and water that gets incorporated into hair
in the 1800s people generally ate food available in their immediate environs also there are slight differences in the composition of water which enables archaeologists to determine a biochemical signature of where someone is from dr eerkens said
if her dna survived and if genealogists can determine the little girls name he said it might offer us the possibility to track down modern descendants of this person
dr eerkens said he does not expect to be able to determine the cause of the little girls death
the small coffin was found in early may in the backyard of ericka karners home in the richmond district in the northern part of the city ms karner who grew up in the spanish style stucco house said part of her was not surprised by the discovery the house was built in 1938 atop what had once been the odd fellows cemetery and the citys residents living on old cemetery properties occasionally still find bone fragments chipped marble and sometimes even headstones in their yards
in the late 1800s san francisco politicians backed by aggressive land developers campaigned to rid the city of its sprawling cemeteries according to a 1924 article in the richmond banner it was believed the cemeteries could lead to plague and pestilence if they were not removed
thousands of bodies were disinterred and taken to nearby colma for reburial a photograph of the digging at odd fellows cemetery appears to show a methodical process but somehow at least one small coffin was missed
somebody loved this child tremendously said elissa davey founder of garden of innocence a nonprofit organization that buries abandoned children ms davey arranged for donations of the coffin and the burial plot at greenlawn memorial park in colma
the childs family must have been pretty wealthy ms davey said instead of a 2 wooden box the little girl was buried in a windowed cast iron coffin that cost 50 to 100 she said the coffin ms davey added was manufactured in 1858
if a childs identity is unknown ms davey insists that a name is given before burial as a genealogist conducting her own research ms davey has examined old maps from the odd fellows cemetery and collected the names of more than 100 girls who were buried there shortly before 1890 the year the city passed an ordinance outlawing burial at the cemetery
mortality among young children was common then in 1900 children under age 5 accounted for nearly a third of all deaths in the united states a century later that number was reduced to around 1 percent there were even more names of children who were buried at the cemetery but ms davey said she had given up
ms davey has fielded calls about the little girl from as far away as london rome and australia a lot of people are calling us who say they know who it is she said a psychic once told her that her hair was standing on her arm she knows what the childs name is ms davey discounted that claim and is not hopeful of finding the girls identity saying those chances are slim to none
thomas carey a librarian and archivist with the san francisco public librarys history center may be closer to solving the mystery
mr carey compared homestead maps of the odd fellows cemetery with more detailed cemetery plot maps from the california genealogical society closing to within 100 feet of where the coffin was found researching other documents mr carey looked for names of young people buried in that section of the cemetery he has identified four girls age 5 and under using city directories and digital versions of san francisco newspapers he plans to search death notices
it was the naming of the child that motivated mr carey whose father died recently he had a name and we knew who he was i had a bit of an issue of renaming the girl he said she once was someone he said somebody ought to figure that out
this girl cries out to me said janet mcdonald one of the mourners at the burial service ms mcdonald wants to know what took her life and how could they forget her


st denis france   the barricades went up early metal fences police officers directing traffic military personnel with guns slung over their shoulders it was hard to move around the stade de france on friday and this was by design
in packs and throngs people still shuffled toward this huge stadium on the outskirts of paris from the metro station from the cafes from the caged in basketball court a few blocks away one game ending a few hours before another in a different sport began
the fans many in the yellow of romania but most in the blue of france smiled and laughed some took selfies with other spectators or even law enforcement officers a young boy tried on a gendarmes hat
eighteen years to the day since france opened the 1998 world cup here and went on to win it six years since france was awarded this tournament and about seven months since suicide bombers and gunmen murdered 130 people   including one just outside this stadium   during a chilling night of terror the european championships are finally open
the first game was everything the french could have wanted a 2 1 victory over romania that featured a beautiful powerful majestic shot from dimitri payet in the 89th minute that rippled the top corner of the net and settled everyones nerves with an expanded field of 24 teams competing for the first time and only eight set to be eliminated during the group stage little lasting damage would have been done to frances title hopes with a tie but victory fit the script far better
it was emotional   from a psychological perspective it was in no way easy to manage didier deschamps the france manager said afterward but we were rewarded
it is a strange time here strikes involving transit workers airline pilots and gas company employees among others have crippled the gears of frances infrastructure intense rain recently caused the seine to rise over its banks flooding parts of the city and forcing relocations that included some of the most valuable pieces of art in the louvre and orsay museums which were shifted to higher floors to ensure their safety
for the past few weeks a sense of fraying has lingered over france particularly in paris delays and cancellations on buses trains and subways have become common even as demand has swollen because of the influx of foreign visitors garbage has piled up on the streets water damage is ubiquitous until recently lines at gas stations routinely stretched for blocks
all of that was fueled even more by a wariness regarding the possibility of a terrorist attack during this tournament the islamic state claimed responsibility for the attacks last winter and has said the euros are a target many countries including the united states have issued travel warnings for citizens headed to france during this period some players have expressed concerns about the safety of their families
at least one the german defender jerome boateng decided to leave his children at home because the risk is simply too big for me he said in an interview with the german newspaper bild
french officials have vowed to do everything possible to secure the tournament with upward of 100000 people devoted to the job spectators coming to the match on friday found a multilayered perimeter around the stadium with phalanxes of armed guards augmented by bomb sniffing dogs as well as undercover officers moving among the crowds
some groups mixed sports and politics chanting that france is a police state   it has been under a state of emergency since the november attacks and will remain so throughout this tournament   or voicing protests against an unpopular labor law others simply milled around in the official fan zone enjoying the significance of the evening and the smell of sausages even as the security presence loomed
one might say its going to damper the atmosphere said pierre yves cerel a 28 year old parisian but theres a feeling of security i talked to many friends to see whether it was safe to come here tonight
in the end he did come as did about 75000 other fans and what they saw was a stirring opening ceremony that concluded with a loud lively emotional version of the french national anthem they saw a stunted start in which romania nearly scored in the first few moments   the french goalkeeper hugo lloris made a stunning save on a shot from close range   and a nervy performance from the hosts in the first half
they saw ngolo kante a midfielder running everywhere they saw antoine griezmann a forward frustrated by missed opportunities they saw olivier giroud another striker make up for his own wasted chances by heading france into the lead just before the hour and they saw romania draw level on a penalty kick   bogdan stancu converting after an ill advised foul by patrice evra   about seven minutes later
and then gloriously they saw payet   who might have been the man of the match anyway with his slick play and his assist on girouds goal   send a rippling blast from about 20 yards that stopped rising only when it smacked into the goals taut netting
a year ago payet who plays for west ham in the english league was not even a certainty to be on the french team for this tournament on friday he produced the teams biggest win since the 2014 world cup in brazil
if someone had told me it would have gone like this payet said i wouldnt have believed it
minutes later payet was substituted as he ran off the field a long loud ovation washed over him and just for a second he looked around to take in the scene the fans shouted the stands shook payet stared his eyes wide and warm and wet
it had been an emotional night for everyone


every friday the new york times pop critics weigh in on the weeks most notable new songs and videos   and anything else that strikes them as intriguing   in a new version of the playlist column you can listen to this playlist on spotify here like this format let us know at theplaylistnytimescom
it is the condition of extreme celebrity to be filmed constantly there are videos that constitute your work videos filmed by friends videos surreptitiously filmed by others videos youve filmed yourself to not be documented is somehow to not exist
so its odd that the video for company the tepid justin bieber club ballad feels so pasted together and like an afterthought a modern version of the classic hair metal roadtour video its an amalgam of clips of justin doing things theres performing of course   snippets of recent appearances on the purpose tour one of the most fascinating and tragic live arena shows in recent memory though little of that pathos is conveyed in these clips   but also sleeping in a van jumping on a van skateboarding riding on a yacht walking with floyd mayweather jr modeling calvin klein undergarments and seemingly hurling an iphone into the desert symbolism
mostly mr bieber looks tired no matter the milieu such is the breadth of his fame that hes free to mope anywhere in the world he so chooses he looks the happiest when making small gestures of authority tweaking with that in mind if you would like to learn more about mr bieber perhaps check out a different video also released this week of him in a street fight outside a hotel in cleveland in which he displays more raw emotion than in the whole company clip jon caramanica
a 1960s soul backbeat a laconic electric rhythm guitar some pinging keyboard tones and backup voices going ooh ooh are all esme patterson needs in no river as she measures herself against the vast impersonal powers of nature   a theme she often returns to on her new album we were wild i cant run forever   im no river she sings and later i cant sit still forever   im no mountain instead she has consciousness i know that im alive she insists im human her voice slender but determined insists that the tradeoff is worthwhile jon pareles
a young singer and cellist from north carolina now based in brooklyn kelsey lu makes slow and spacious music confronting you with lingering tones and vocal melodies that ascend and dive she recently made an ep called church to be released july 9 which was recorded in holy family roman catholic church in greenpoint the first song from it dreams begins with multiple echoed cello lines some of them moving in contrary motion continuing until halfway through a seven and a half minute song when a steady pulse begins made by finger on cello string her voice enters shes singing about the holy ghost fair enough but then she starts to sing pop lyrics in the same measured intense manner i know youre no good but i cant get enough of you on thursday shell perform a solo concert at that same church tickets are available here ben ratliff
like juan atkins with techno and joao gilberto with bossa nova the southern california band the descendents have architect status in their field thirty four years ago on the record milo goes to college they figured out the sardonic blueprint for pop punk in short and tuneful songs with bass lines running wide patterns theyre only together on and off anymore but theyve got a new record coming out in july hypercaffium spazzinate and its first single victim of me came out this week excited self analytical middle aged realism compressed into 97 seconds ben ratliff
are we at the freestyle revival yet that fleet music   a fixture of mid to late 1980s new york dance floors and one of the countrys underappreciated latin sounds   often feels relegated to reunion shows but on crybaby the singer songwriter producer abra has found a modern way in those jaunty synths that clattering crisp percussion sweet vocals about dark things that sigh and fade crybaby has it all while retaining a touch of the cloudiness thats always been a part of her work all the way back to when she was recording goth folk gucci mane covers jc
since the early 1960s the brazilian singer elza soares has used her gritty voice like a jazz trumpet tone to scuff up samba songs after a circuitous career traveling from popular to cult status she can use it in different contexts and with different connotations a mulher do fim do mundo the woman at the end of the world produced by guilherme kastrup and featuring a slate of sao paolo musicians including kiko dinucci of the excellent band meta meta is up to date in sound strings electronics dissonant electric guitars afro brazilian grooves a raw samba rock band and its universal and tragic in its lyrics death domestic abuse drug addiction racism deep blood family ties the albums title track written for her by romulo froes and streamable at the soundcloud page of the brazilian label mais um discos is about a woman who lasts righteously   a witness a celebrant a mode of resistance it doesnt sound like an aging artist of stature airlifted in to avant gardism ms soares is pushing as hard as anyone else br


the museum of modern art has acknowledged it wrongly canceled the new york debut of under the sun a documentary about north korea that has been criticized by that country and russia
a slyly subversive look at the reclusive state by the russian filmmaker vitaly mansky the film had been scheduled to be shown at the museums 2016 doc fortnight festival on feb 19 29 but an email exchange provided by the films german producer to the new york times shows that a festival organizer sally berger an assistant curator at moma expressed concern in late january about screening the film after reading an article suggesting that any organization that did so risked retribution from north korea
in the emails ms berger referred to a major hacking attack on sony pictures that the united states has described as retaliation by north korea for a 2014 film satire of the country the interview
she followed up a few days later to tell the documentarys distributor that it would not be included in the festival it just simply came in too late to review all the possible ramifications of showing it here at moma she wrote
asked about the decision to withdraw the film rajendra roy the chief curator of momas film department said thursday in a written statement under the sun is a remarkable documentary that was wrongly disinvited he added that the decision was made by the festivals curator without my knowledge or input
the museum said on friday that ms berger was no longer working there margaret doyle a spokeswoman for the museum declined to elaborate and ms berger reached by telephone said she would not comment
while there have been dozens of documentaries about north korea few have been produced with the permission of its government mr mansky negotiated with north korea for two years before settling on a contract that allowed its government to provide the script and cast assign minders to direct mr manskys crew vet daily footage and approve the final version of the film
north korea is listed in the films opening titles as one of the five producers along with representatives from russia latvia germany and mr manskys own production company vertov films
the documentarys subversive quality lies in how mr mansky chose to shoot it with the scenes completely staged by the north koreans he simply let his cameras run all day every day thereby he captured the staging multiple takes and more general manipulation that constitutes the reality north korea reveals to the outside world
mr mansky argues that north korea nullified their accord when it canceled his third and final trip to pyongyang the north korean capital during which he planned to shoot the last part of the story they didnt allow us to finish filming as was spelled out in the contract he said in a skype interview from his home in riga latvia
mr mansky estimated that at the time that north korea stopped cooperating he had only 30 percent of the total footage he needed he nonetheless managed to edit it into a 90 minute film
under the sun has been well received on the international festival circuit winning awards and drawing admiring reviews the hollywood reporter called it a fascinating study in state propaganda and the darker truth that hovers just outside the frame in may president park geun hye of south korea watched the film in a commercial theater in seoul along with an audience of children and north korean defectors we must help the children of north korea who have lost their hopes and dreams and are struggling to survive she said afterward
under the sun has been criticized by north korea and the russian government north korea asked russia to destroy the film and punish mr mansky russias ministry of culture which helped finance the film subsequently asked for its name to be removed from the credits mr mansky declined to make the changes the ministry has not granted permission for the documentary to be screened in russia
in the email exchange from late january about including it in the moma festival ms berger drew a comparison between under the sun and the interview a sony pictures comedy in which american television journalists plot to assassinate the north korean leader kim jong un
we need to look over this very carefully before making a final commitment to keeping the film in the program ms berger wrote before ultimately notifying the distributor that it would not be included


washington   as the united states braces for an especially bloody summer fighting season in afghanistan president obama inched closer this week to allowing american forces to once again directly battle the taliban loosening restrictions on airstrikes and on ground combat in support of afghan forces the administration said on friday
the presidents decision to expand the militarys mission just seven months before he leaves office signaled just how far the united states remains from achieving his goal of ending the american military role in afghanistan
under the new rules airstrikes will no longer have to be justified as necessary to defend american troops united states commanders will now be allowed to use air power against the taliban when they see fit pentagon and administration officials said american forces will also be permitted to accompany regular afghan troops into combat against the taliban
the guidelines reflect what has been apparent for months american troops primarily special operations forces have continued to actively fight the taliban since the declared end of the american combat mission in 2014
the afghan army and police riddled by corruption and hampered by poor leadership have proved outmatched by the taliban the afghan government remains weak and unstable despite tens of billions of dollars in american aid
mr obama agreed to keep 9800 american troops in afghanistan after 2014 on the condition that the bulk of the force be focused on training and advising afghan security forces a smaller component was set aside to target militants with international ambitions such as operatives for al qaeda and the islamic state
the fight against the taliban was intended to be left to afghan forces not americans who were supposed to strike the insurgents only if under direct threat
but in the 18 months since the administration has allowed the self defense rationale to be stretched to its limits self defense was used last month as the legal basis for the airstrike that killed the leader of the taliban mullah akhtar muhammad mansour while he traveled in pakistan near the border with afghanistan
the american officials insisted that the new rules would not pull united states troops back into the kind of daily fighting that they saw before the end of the combat mission in 2014
american troops will only be supporting afghan forces not replacing them on the battlefield the officials said ground commanders will decide when and where american forces will go into battle but the idea is that it will happen only during crucial engagements not ordinary skirmishes
what this would allow is us forces to be more proactive in supporting conventional afghan forces as they take the fight to the taliban the white house press secretary josh earnest said on friday but when theyre accompanying they continue to remain focused on the advise and assist mission that theyve been carrying out for almost two years
the military had been clamoring for months for the expanded authority to go after the taliban arguing that afghanistan was growing perilously unstable it has also pressed mr obama to abandon plans to cut the number of american forces in afghanistan by nearly half by the beginning of 2017
mr earnest said that the new rules did not indicate that mr obama would approve allowing more than 5500 troops to remain in afghanistan but the administration has yet to decide on precise troop numbers said the pentagon and administration officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the white house has not made any public announcements yet
the expanded mission for american troops is intended to help afghan forces get through the summer fighting season when warm weather opens the high mountain passes and insurgents can readily move between the battlefields of afghanistan and their safe havens in pakistan afghan forces struggled against the taliban last summer and the insurgents are expected to push even harder this year


benjamin millepieds la dance project has formed a three year partnership with the luma foundation in arles france the foundation announced friday
the partnership will offer the nine member company a continuing residency and performance space in the foundations parc des ateliers a former rail yard of about 25 acres that contains several 19th century industrial buildings currently being restored by selldorf architects the architect frank gehry is building a central cultural resource building for the campus to be completed in 2018
the ambitious project is headed by maja hoffmann an heir to the hoffmann la roche pharmaceutical empire who founded the luma foundation in 2004 in an interview with ms hoffmann and mr millepied in may at the london headquarters of the foundation ms hoffmann emphasized that her goal was not to create a museum but a place of creation and collaborative exchange
she said that renovation on the building that will eventually house the dancers would begin in october and include the creation of studio space therapy rooms and accommodation the la dance project will begin its residency in july however in a newly opened building la mecanique generale a structure that will also house a photographic exhibition during the summer the company will give performances of work by merce cunningham justin peck and mr millepied from july 7 to 13 and sept 23 to 25
the residency in arles provides a continuing link to france for the french born mr millepied who was a principal dancer at the new york city ballet before founding the la dance project in 2012 and going on to become director of the paris opera ballet his surprise resignation in february shocked the dance world and he has so far said little about his future plans
residencies are rare and its lucky to have a place far from a big city where you can gather with your dancers mr millepied said we have a home in la and are obviously interested in the american repertory but now we have a second home in europe that will also welcome visual artists philosophers architects photographers the environment will do the work too i dont know exactly what will come out of it but it will be such a rich cultural context for us all


ojai calif   always a bit low key about its high ambitions the ojai music festival barely made reference at its opening events on thursday to the most striking element of this years four day program nearly all of the work is by women
other organizations would have screamed that from the rooftops the lucerne festival coming up in august in switzerland has branded itself women on the podium but ojai its vibe as luxuriantly relaxed as its sunny secluded hometown talks quietly at 70 as dependable a source of new intriguing music as any annual event in america ojai never seems to sell itself too hard
its reliability is something of a paradox since each year the festival changes music directors over the past few years the post has gone from a choreographer mark morris to a pianist jeremy denk to a percussionist steven schick this year the leader is the stage director peter sellars a constant for over a decade has been the artistic director thomas w morris who shares the planning
mr sellars first made his name in the 1980s with vividly updated productions of mozart operas including the marriage of figaro set yes in trump tower but he has pared down his aesthetic in recent years to more timeless stylizations like the spare bach st matthew passion that the berlin philharmonic brought to new york in 2014 he has long been john adamss key partner on both librettos and stagings and has also been a frequent collaborator with kaija saariaho whose lamour de loin arrives at the metropolitan opera this fall
ms saariaho born in finland in 1952 is the star of this years ojai the american premiere of a chamber version of her 2006 oratorio la passion de simone was the main offering on thursday while the festivals biggest loss was the cancellation reportedly because of lack of sufficient rehearsal time of what was to be the weekends centerpiece mr sellarss production of ms saariahos new noh inspired only the sound remains
sober yet seething la passion de simone is a more or less static reflection on the life and work of the writer and activist simone weil the great secular saint of self abasement who in 1943 at just 34 starved herself to death in a radical act of solidarity with those suffering under german occupation she was given to cheerful sayings like nothing that exists is absolutely worthy of love so we must love what does not exist
susan sontag once wrote of weil no one who loves life would wish to imitate her dedication to martyrdom nor would wish it for his children nor for anyone else whom he loves mr sellars put it slightly differently in a talk on thursday afternoon shes the friend you cant stand but you need in your life someone has to say those things
ms saariaho and her librettist amin maalouf fashioned a christ like structure for a christ like subject patiently gaining power if not much depth over the course of its 75 minutes la passion de simone is organized into 15 stations   as in stations of the cross   that offer oblique commentary on weil our guide is a nameless woman here the noble young soprano julia bullock who both embodies and quotes weil and stands apart from her an awe struck agonized sister who addresses her or perhaps her memory in the second person you have always been incapable of loving yourself
her vocal lines are surprisingly even keeled as if the expressions of a person trying desperately to keep mighty emotions under control extremity emerges more often from the instrumental ensemble which ms saariaho reduced from a full orchestra to a complement of fewer than 20 here conducted by joana carneiro this leaner group still made an impact if also in the amplification of the endearing outdoor libbey bowl a rather muddled fractured one you had such a thirst for sacrifice ms bullock sang at one point and the orchestra answered with loud whoops then a sudden drop to a sad lonely whistle a massive scraping sound traveled through the ensemble in the 12th station the final one began with savage fanfares
but among the most memorable moments were the subtlest as when ms bullock trilled over the barest hint of high strings bells and softly tolling drum a full chorus in the original version was reduced to a vocal quartet that chimed in with floating crystalline harmonies
mr sellarss staging was simpler than his 2006 original it placed ms bullock on a platform above the other performers where she shared the stage with just a box of shifting colored light   both a shrine and a coffin tender even in full cry she was a presence simultaneously youthful and mature a compelling vehicle for ms saariaho and mr maaloufs restrained work
late saturday night ms bullock will interpret songs of josephine baker in a new production that features music by tyshawn sorey and will interweave texts by the poet claudia rankine ms rankines work is also the source for caroline shaws new this might also be a form of dreaming which has its premiere planned for saturday afternoon works by leila adu du yun tania leon christine southworth carla kihlstedt pauline oliveros and others fill the rest of the weekend in addition to two programs of ms saariahos intricate glinting chamber music
given this years immersion in female composers it is particularly conspicuous that ojais artistic directors over the past 70 years have been almost entirely male dawn upshaw in 2011 has been the only woman to hold the post on her own while the festival has clearly taken note of this disparity   three of the next five years will be led by women   it has characteristically not spoken too loudly about it
thats not shame its modesty but with women still struggling to gain an equal footing in roles of artistic leadership in roles in the music industry the festivals commitment in this regard deserves to be publicized as does mr sellars and mr morriss inspiring program this year if ojai wont make a big deal about it i will


the anti defamation league added a new symbol this week to hate on display its database of prominent white supremacist imagery its called the echo and it is used online to call attention to jewish names in the news
the symbol originated in 2014 on an anti semitic podcast the daily shoah which applied a novelty sound effect to jewish names that made them echo ominously
that practice then spread to blogs and twitter where the podcasts creators and fans created a visual translation of the echo sound effect by placing three sets of parentheses around a jewish name like cohen or goldberg the parentheses later turned up in a chrome browser extension called coincidence detector which found jewish names in text and automatically trapped them in the echo google has since banned the extension from the chrome store enterprising white nationalists are now printing the echo on t shirts
this is how a hate symbol rises in 2016 a podcast sound effect becomes a twitter meme and a browser extension before it finally slithers into the physical world
the echo is the first officially recognized symbol to emerge from the alt right a movement of white and proud extremists who are as obsessed with cultural memes as they are with white nationalism they play fast and loose with white supremacist iconography remixing it with pop culture and the sardonic tone of internet subculture their regressive message cloaked in an ultramodern skin is being spread online to a new generation of race warriors
theres now an unlimited number of white supremacist memes just like theres an unlimited number of cat memes said mark pitcavage an expert on right wing extremism who also maintains the anti defamation leagues hate symbol database theyll take all sorts of pop culture memes and white supremacize them
modern white supremacist memes recast unwilling recruits with the help of digital photo editing guy fieri becomes a nazi soldier and taylor swift turns into their aryan goddess ms swifts lawyers recently shot off a letter to an alt right blog asking it to cease and desist associating her image with anti semitic rhetoric the most recent episode of the daily shoah podcast itself a twist on the daily show kicks off with an anti semitic parody of poisons ballad every rose has its thorn even a twitter ad for digiorno pizza do you ever find yourself just staring into the oven can be reframed into a reference to the holocaust just by being retweeted by an alt right account
it shouldnt surprise us that bigots are early adopters of technology said jonathan greenblatt the chief executive of the anti defamation league their noxious views are difficult to circulate openly but on social media they can post something to twitter or facebook and achieve exponential reach under a cloak of anonymity
old school bigots have been recycling offensive images electronically for decades the white supremacist movement is very visually and symbolically oriented mr pitcavage said once symbols are established they dont tend to die
he has watched racists translate klan codes into email addresses and spread nazi insignia on message boards since the 1980s as each new element of the internet emerged white supremacists were right there with it mr pitcavage said
the echo symbol is emblematic of a new class of bigotry born and bred online anti racist is code for anti white a slogan that was lifted from an early 2000s pro segregationist tract called the mantra has proliferated online as a piece of white supremacist copypasta   text thats obsessively copied and pasted across internet forums the mathematical sign for not equal has been repurposed as a statement against racial equality like the echo it leverages the computer keyboard to create the new supremacist symbolism for the modern era
the anti defamation league has called the alt right the new white supremacy and its figures poke fun at their grandfathers displays of white pride even as they create their own the hosts of the daily shoah performatively pronounce white as huh white a mocking imitation of a good ol boy the podcasts echo winks at the cheesy sound effects favored by old school right wing radio shock jocks
much of the alt rights language and imagery is borrowed from 4chan an anonymous ephemeral message board that revels in politically incorrect jokes and nihilistic posturing the roiling discussion on 4chan tends to represent a libertarian white male perspective said ryan milner a communications professor at the college of charleston who studies online groups its humor plays with outright stereotypes that veer into white supremacy
both the alt right and 4chan share favorite insults like cucks feminized men and normies the unsophisticated masses and work from the same meme palette dealing out pop cultural barrel scrapes that perpetuate racist and anti semitic tropes pepe the frog a favorite cartoon character on 4chan that has since become a mainstream teenage idol on tumblr has emerged as an unofficial alt right mascot its just that on alt right accounts pepe appears with an exaggerated hook nose or comes adorned with a trumpian toupee
the alt right takes the online subcultures discourse and dials it up to the level of political agitation the southern poverty law center has charted fervent support for donald j trump among right wing extremists who share exultant memes celebrating trumps ascension in april the center reported that some of mr trumps rhetoric can drive mainstream attention to racist memes
take it from the alt right bloggers themselves the movement is winning the meme war an alt right blogger calling himself lawrence murray wrote last month
jewish public figures are fighting back on twitter jewish writers have reclaimed the echo adding parentheses around their twitter handles in a show of defiance in turn white nationalists like lana lokteff have flipped the symbol to signal their non jewish heritage lana lokteff
out of the depths of online culture new hate speech rises cuckservative a portmanteau of cuckold and conservative its a long story has now been acknowledged by the southern poverty law center as a racist slur
but at the same time the sardonic sheen that coats everything oozing from internet subcultures helps provide cover for white supremacists true bigotry is often excused as nothing more than crude humor or nihilistic trolling the echo symbol started as a joke among us a host of the daily shoah said on the podcast this week he chided the news media for taking it too seriously
to them its humor to everyone else its hate in online collective communication you dont always have a lot of context to understand the motivations behind a message mr milner said is this earnest is this serious does it even matter
online white supremacists spread their message not through crosses burned on front lawns but through little bits of conversation shared on twitter mr milner said that then spread to classrooms and bars and living rooms who cares if the klansman is smirking beneath his hood


the professional hockey career of gordie howe who died friday at 88 stretched over five decades from his first game with the detroit red wings in 1946 to his last with the hartford whalers in 1980 in 1997 at age 69 he even played a shift for the international hockey leagues detroit vipers and could claim to be hockeys only six decade professional here are some highlights from each decade of howes career
howe signed with the detroit red wings in 1944 at age 16 then played for junior teams in galt ontario and omaha howe made his nhl debut with the red wings on oct 16 1946 against the toronto maple leafs he scored a goal in the game the first of 786 he would have for detroit that remains the franchise record
he played in his first nhl all star game in 1948 and would go on to be named to 22 more all star rosters
the wings finished fourth in the six team nhl in howes first season but they lost in the cup finals in the next two setting the stage for their dynasty of the 1950s
howe became a star playing right wing on a unit with ted lindsay and sid abel known as the production line and the red wings won the stanley cup in 1950 52 54 and 55
howe missed most of the 1950 playoffs after sustaining a life threatening head injury in detroits postseason opener against toronto he crashed into the boards headfirst when he tried to check the maple leafs captain ted kennedy just shy of his 22nd birthday howe was hospitalized with a brain hemorrhage and a fractured skull nose and cheekbone
howe returned the next season to lead the league in goals 43 and points 86 with his rivalry with the montreal canadiens superstar maurice richard at its peak howe led the nhl in goals four times and won the hart trophy as the leagues most valuable player four times during the decade
during his first hart trophy season 1951 52 howe again led the league in goals 47 and points 86 and detroit went undefeated in the playoffs to win the cup
the next year howe became the first nhl player to score 90 points in points in a season finishing with 95 in 70 games including a career high 49 goals
richard retired in september 1960 at 39 as the nhls career leader in goals with 544 howe broke richards record on nov 10 1963 by then he was also the nhls career leader in points
in the 60s howe won two more hart trophies and one more scoring title but the red wings failed to win a championship losing in the cup finals four times
in 1968 69 with the nhl expanded to 12 teams and the schedule having grown to 76 games howe had his first 100 point season finishing with 103 the day before his 41st birthday
howe 43 retired in september 1971 after his 25th nhl season to take a front office post with the red wings and was inducted into the hockey hall of fame the next year
but by 1973 he was playing again joining the houston aeros of the world hockey association an nhl rival in order to play with his teenage sons mark and marty howe who was 45 when the season began had 31 goals and 69 assists that season leading the aeros to the championship he was named the wha most valuable player an award that was later named after him
the aeros and the howes won again the next season howe scored 174 goals in the wha playing with his sons through four seasons with houston and two with the new england whalers
in 1978 79 a player named wayne gretzky who idolized howe as a child entered the wha he would one day break many of howes records
in 1979 80 howe returned to the nhl when the new england team having been renamed the hartford whalers joined the league after the dissolution of the wha he played 83 games over the regular season and playoffs and had 16 goals and 27 assists in his last nhl season
howes last nhl game was appropriately against the montreal canadiens against whom his red wings had great battles decades before on april 11 1980 the canadiens eliminated the whalers from the playoffs with a 4 3 overtime victory howe was held without a point
on june 4 1980 howe then 52 retired for good
its not an easy task to retire he said no one teaches you how i found that out when i tried it the first time im not a quitter but i will now quit the game of hockey
at the time he held the nhl records for regular season goals 801 assists 1049 points 1850 and games played 1767
howe not surprising for a man who played his last game at 52 has maintained his position in games played he is now second in goals ninth in assists and fourth in points


in 1996 derek drewery was a young man stationed at wright patterson air force base in ohio when he ran into money problems
i cant remember exactly what i needed a loan for mr drewery said but i needed to borrow a few hundred dollars or so he turned to one of the short term high interest lending businesses near the base for a payday loan in which people borrow money against their paychecks and are typically supposed to pay it back within two weeks
when i went to pay it back it was a lot more than i had borrowed so i had to borrow again to pay that back and had to borrow again to pay that back mr drewery recalled i got into the real churning situation to borrow this week to pay for last week
to help pay off the loan mr drewery cut back on food finally my dad caught wind of what was going on and sent me some kroger gift cards so i ate he said but at one point i was sharing my last box of cheerios with my little jack russell dog i couldnt afford food or anything
now mr drewery who works as an electrician and is the pastor of a nondenominational evangelical church in springfield ohio has joined an unusually diverse coalition of christians that unites conservative churches with liberal ones to oppose predatory lending one of these umbrella campaigns faith for just lending includes among others groups of black baptists and latino evangelicals the united states conference of catholic bishops and the salvation army which is considered conservative and evangelical
in 2014 the conservative southern baptist convention the countrys largest protestant denomination passed a resolution proclaiming that payday lending conflicts with gods plan for human relationships and is a direct violation of the love commandment
the broad range of christians seems to be making progress on the lending issue
last week the consumer financial protection bureau released a long awaited proposal to regulate payday loans loans against the borrowers vehicle titles and other high cost installment loans the rules which are now subject to public comment would require that before making a covered loan a lender must reasonably determine that the consumer has the ability to repay the loan and would limit the lenders ability to withdraw money from indigent borrowers bank accounts
while the rules are a good start they will not solve a problem of such enormousness said molly fleming a roman catholic from kansas city mo who leads the payday lending reform campaign for the faith based organization pico
in missouri the interest rate cap on payday loans is 1950 percent annual percentage rate she said they are charging an average of 450 percent apr
and payday lenders which tend to base themselves close to the working poor are ubiquitous in missouri we have more payday lenders than walmart starbucks and mcdonalds combined ms fleming said
the bureau released a version of their proposed rules more than a year ago in march 2015 according to ms fleming there has been massive engagement from the faith community
when ms flemings organization informally polled christians in missouri a majority of every ideological group supported interest rate caps she said but conservative republicans supported them even more than moderate republicans
ms flemings theory is that conservative republicans are more likely to be conservative christians and thus more aware of the bibles condemnation of usury   which is explicit in the old testament and often inferred from the new testament she noted that in the roman catholic tradition usury is thought to break the commandment thou shalt not kill because its impoverishing effects can deprive people of life
galen carey the vice president for government relations at the national association of evangelicals which represents about 40 protestant denominations said that many evangelical churches had established funds to help poor congregants who might be tempted by short term high interest loans now he said they are working specifically to counter the payday loan industry
there are a few cases where churches have set up no interest or low interest loans people can tap into and pay back and then its reused to help other people mr carey said when people are in a community there is some accountability for programs like that to work pretty well
jason carrier a pastor at southgate baptist church which like mr drewerys church is in springfield ohio is trying to help his church start a grace based lending program that worshipers can use in place of payday lending the program would direct any fees charged above the principal into savings accounts for the borrower not into lenders pockets
in conjunction with a credit union the money   for lack of a better word well call it interest   goes into a savings account so they are learning to save money mr carrier said to use the service you have to take some classes and you have a financial coach that will help you and walk with you along the way
mr carriers church has already tested its program with several needy members ultimately he said he would like to directly challenge the payday lenders wed like to have a storefront just like your check n gos but with space in the back for classes and financial coaching
versions of grace based lending have also been tried at churches in other cities such as pittsburgh and cleveland one of its main proponents has been the christian community development association a nonprofit in chicago that encourages christians to live among the poor they serve it was at a conference for the association that mr carrier first learned about grace based lending
if as expected the consumer financial protection bureaus new rules take effect next year they will shield many of the most vulnerable borrowers those least capable of repaying loans from being pulled into the debt spiral but the rules will not place a cap on interest rates which is outside the agencys power ms fleming said that she was hoping for legislation that would cap consumer credit interest rates for everyone at 36 percent as a 2015 revision of the military lending act of 2006 did for service members and their families
carl ruby another pastor in ohio said that nearly every christian he had spoken with was against payday lending   once they learned what it was
they have never thought about it mr ruby said but when you put the facts in front of them they all react in disgust this is an issue that cuts across political parties


the runner up in perus presidential contest conceded defeat on friday paving the way for a former finance minister to become the countrys next leader
in a news conference in lima perus capital the runner up keiko fujimori congratulated the winner pedro pablo kuczynski saying that her partys representatives would lead a responsible opposition in perus congress
we democratically accept the results of the electoral commission said ms fujimori 41 surrounded by her brother kenji and other lawmakers from her party
the second round of the election held sunday was extremely close out of 18 million votes cast a mere 42000 separated the two candidates
in the days after the election peruvians watched ms fujimori close the narrow gap between her and mr kuczynski 77 as votes came in from rural areas and peruvians living abroad one group of ballots arrived late because stormy weather had delayed a boat carrying them on the amazon
both candidates had promised free market reforms but the election was closely watched because of ms fujimoris candidacy her father alberto k fujimori led peru from 1990 to 2000 and during that time he crushed the shining path rebel group which had long terrorized the country
but mr fujimori ruled the country with an iron fist in 2009 he was convicted of human rights abuses and sentenced to 25 years in prison
mr fujimoris legacy cut both ways for his daughters standing among peruvians
growing concerns about crime in the country led many to see her as a strong law and order candidate but a large contingent feared that another fujimori presidency would mean a return to authoritarianism in peru
during the last days of the campaign mr kuczynski a former wall street banker and finance minister trailed ms fujimori by five percentage points according to polls but last minute endorsements and a campaign scandal involving aides to ms fujimori tipped the scales analysts say
mr kuczynski will take office on july 28


a researcher at the university of pittsburgh contracted the zika virus after accidentally sticking herself with a needle becoming what appeared to be the first known case of an infection in a lab officials said
the allegheny county health department said the infection was unusual because the woman had not contracted the virus after traveling to an affected area or through sexual transmission the unidentified researcher stuck herself on may 23 developing symptoms including a fever about a week later said joe miksch a university spokesman
the presence of the virus was confirmed in a blood sample mr miksch said and the researcher returned to work on june 6 she has to wear long sleeves and pants and use insect repellent for three weeks mr miksch said to minimize the chance that a mosquito would get the virus from her and spread it to others
mr miksch declined to answer further questions about the researchers condition
the centers for disease control and prevention lists four known ways the virus has been transmitted through mosquito bites from a mother to her fetus through sexual contact and via blood transfusion but it does not mention any confirmed cases related to research
we do not know of any others dr karen hacker the director of the allegheny county health department said in a telephone interview friday
there is no vaccine or medicine to treat zika in rare cases the virus has caused paralysis and sometimes fatal complications in adults in addition to fever common symptoms include rash joint pain and conjunctivitis although there may be no symptoms at all
the virus has been linked to abnormally small heads and brain damage in newborns a condition called microcephaly
the university of pittsburghs graduate school of public health announced in april that it had started a program with the brazilian ministry of healths fundacao oswaldo cruz foundation to study the zika epidemic
the researchers infection was the fourth confirmed case in allegheny county in the southwestern part of pennsylvania the other three people had contracted the virus abroad according to the health department which sought to calm fears of additional infections in the region
dr hacker said in a statement we want to remind residents that despite this rare incident there is still no current risk of contracting zika from mosquitoes in allegheny county
a statement from allegheny county urged residents to use insect repellent containing deet and to remove standing water where the insects can breed
dr hacker also warned that those traveling to countries affected by zika should be cautious the virus is primarily transmitted through the bite of an infected species of mosquito that is common in warm climates pregnant women in particular should avoid traveling to those countries she said
the researchers infection was reported by the pittsburgh post gazette on thursday
this week new world health organization guidelines acknowledged that with no vaccine available and mosquito eradication efforts failing to stem the spread of the infection delaying pregnancy may be the best prevention for women in affected areas
so far the hundreds of zika cases reported in the united states appear to have been people who contracted the virus in central and south america and in the caribbean where mosquitoes carrying the virus are widespread but experts say mosquito transmission in the united states is inevitable and almost certain to begin in southern states during the summer
the federal government is preparing to release a proposal for responding to the first homegrown cases of the zika virus health officials said friday


brasilia   the mercantile thrum at the posto da torre begins at daybreak with a rush of motorcycle deliverymen and taxi drivers who come to fill their tanks with gas and their bellies with warm puffs of cheesy bread
later civil servants come to refuel their pampered cars college graduates buy cigarettes and sun creased panhandlers collect coins for their next beer buzz
posto da torre a gritty pit stop in the heart of brazils antiseptic capital is indistinguishable from the countless other 24 hour gas stations that fleck the nations cities and highways
but hidden behind the gas stations row of storefronts was an illegal money transfer business run by its owner carlos habib chater and an associate alberto yousseff officials discovered during a 2013 drug investigation that led the federal police to the operation
in the months that followed mr yousseff encouraged by the promise of a plea deal told prosecutors about his role as the moneyman who helped funnel billions of dollars skimmed from brazils state oil company and payoffs from construction companies to some of the countrys most powerful politicians
the scandal known as operacao lava jato or operation car wash has led to the arrest of more than 150 business tycoons and elected officials plunging the brazilian elite into a crisis that continues to unfold lava jato is a bit of a misnomer the closest thing posto da torre has to a carwash is a laundromat
in the coming weeks brazils senate is expected to try president dilma rousseff on charges that she manipulated the federal budget to help her re election campaign in 2014 although her alleged crimes are not directly tied to lava jato her downfall has been fueled by public anger over the scandals revelations of epic and systemic corruption
here at posto da torre named for a nearby television tower that provides visitors with panoramic views of the capital most customers seem unaware of the gas stations notorious past few though have escaped the deprivations of an economic recession that has left 11 million brazilians unemployed and millions of others struggling to survive
soaring gas prices high taxes and rising inflation have pushed many working class brazilians to the brink of poverty petty corruption and an onerous bureaucracy frustrate the aspirations of young entrepreneurs
the birthplace of a national scandal posto da torre is also a stage where the cruelties of brazils economic crisis and political paralysis are on full display
consider tania araujo ribeiro 32 who serves sugar cane juice and manioc flour crepes at the gas stations snack bar until last year ms ribeiro and her husband gleiciano 32 were newly inducted members of the brazilian middle class they bought their first car took frequent vacations and did not think twice about dining out
all that changed after mr ribeiro lost his construction job now the couple hesitate before buying meat and they have postponed plans to have a second child im very afraid ms ribeiro said one recent morning i cant have other children if i cant provide for them
like most of the police officers landscapers and street cleaners who help maintain the modernist capital a utopian inspired creation of the architect oscar niemeyer the ribeiros live in a satellite city a 40 minute bus ride away unplanned and plagued by poor infrastructure and rampant crime the cities are home to more than two million migrants who flocked to the region in the 1960s and 1970s seeking jobs but could not afford the capitals daunting housing prices
under ms rousseff and her predecessor luiz inacio lula da silva the brazilian economy roared buoyed by global demand for commodities like soybeans and iron ore that vaulted millions of the working poor into the ranks of the middle class slowing growth in china helped bring the good times to an abrupt end but critics say ms rousseffs flawed economic policies compounded the misery
the past two years of recession and scandal have left brazilians like ms ribeiro angry and embittered we pay so many taxes and practically all of it gets thrown to the garbage she said we get nothing and everything goes into their pockets
outside the gas station fabio rodrigues lima 32 was filling up the tank of his motorcycle
told about posto da torres ignominious role in the scandal he reacted with indignation and then fumed about the everyday corruption that complicates life in brazil a migrant from the coastal state of bahia he used to work at an upscale restaurant here but quit after the owners refused to give him his share of the 10 percent service fee they charged diners with a 7 year old son to support he makes deliveries for a drugstore chain using a motorcycle he borrowed from his mother
what i cant bear and what everyone else cant bear is all this corruption he said when i see politicians i feel disgusted
posto da torres employees have been instructed not to speak to the media about the scandal but several welcomed the opportunity to unload claudenice cristiana rodrigues 37 an attendant at the gas stations laundromat is raising four daughters on the 700 she earns each month among all the laundries this one offers the best salary she said
still rising prices have forced her to cut back on nonessentials like cable television and the home internet that gave her daughters a leg up on school assignments having never completed high school she dreams of continuing her education and perhaps one day buying a motorcycle
but despite the hardships ms rodrigues is rarity among brazilians she is among the 11 percent who still support ms rousseff the embattled president dilma made many mistakes but i didnt want to see her suspended she said
ms rodrigues is a migrant from maranhao an impoverished state in brazils northeast she and her family were beneficiaries of past government programs that distributed free land part of an effort to encourage people to move to what was then a forbidding expanse of savanna she turns wistful recalling the first night they camped out on their land sleeping under the stars it was only us and the sky she said
in the right hands government can be a force for good she said noting the many relatives who received housing and other benefits during the administrations of mr da silva and ms rousseff both of them from the countrys left leaning workers party if there was an election tomorrow id vote for lula she said referring to mr da silva
ms ribeiro the snack bar employee was not as sanguine as far as she is concerned brazilian politicians are primarily interested in lining their own pockets
we could have more equality if the politicians wanted she said i hope things get better but i dont have much hope even when good people get to power the money corrodes them and they end up forgetting the brazilian people


oslo   as maritime fender benders go this one couldnt help attracting attention noahs ark crashed into a norwegian coast guard patrol boat in the port of oslo on friday morning
it was not of course the actual ark but one of two reconstructions that a dutch carpenter named johan huibers painstakingly built over seven years based on the biblical description more than a million people have visited the replicas to see domesticated animals like llamas ponies and rabbits and to hear as mr huibers intended a message of gods love
the smaller of the arks was being towed on friday when the crew lost control which led to the collision no animals were on board and no one was injured but the arks wooden cladding was damaged a small crane on the patrol boat was also damaged lt rune svartsund a coast guard spokesman said
ole herman kjernsby the head of travel at stena line a ferry company based in oslo said his staff members did not witness the accident but could see the damage to the ark afterward including what he called a huge rift in the side
we were all surprised mr kjernsby said in a telephone interview accidents happen so rarely here especially with such large vessels
jokes soon began flying on social media it is unclear what happened to the 87 million x 2 animals on board tom egeland a crime novelist who lives in oslo wrote on twitter using one estimate of the number of species on the planet
the 900 year old captain has been detained jon are rakvag a software security architect for the norwegian police service wrote in a twitter post alluding a bit imprecisely to the account in genesis that noah lived 350 years after the flood and died at 950
but the accident was no laughing matter for mr huibers or for aad peters a dutch puppeteer television producer and philanthropist who bought the smaller ark in 2010 mr peters has taken it for visits to towns across the netherlands and was preparing to do the same in norway when the collision occurred
im shaking now mr huibers 58 said by telephone from amsterdam its a terrible situation its an awful dream to have an accident with the ark of noah
he said he had spoken to mr peters who was too distraught to comment publicly i have to help him out mr huibers said i have to go to norway with wood nails and a hammer to repair it
the smaller ark was the first one he built between 2005 and 2007 mr huibers said which helped prepare him to tackle the second one at a more biblical scale   about 410 feet long 95 feet wide and 75 feet tall the bigger one has five decks and can accommodate 5000 people at a time it moved to rotterdam earlier this year from its previous mooring in the dutch port of dordrecht both arks are built on steel barges and neither has an engine they must be towed wherever they go
an american charity the ark of noah foundation based in pasadena calif was established to take charge of the larger ark which it hopes to take to rio de janeiro in time for the paralympic games in september
it brings hope and joy said herald ama janssen the foundations director and a friend of mr huibers its not only meant to bring the gospel we will also bring hope to the favelas to people living in poverty people from the streets parents drug addicts prostitutes


theres no shortage of full throated republican endorsements of donald j trump but there are several republican leaders who havent exactly swooned when describing their support of the presumptive presidential nominee
those who are more hesitant speak loudly through their softer statements they share a few common sentiments no matter their opinions of mr trump they believe that hillary clinton the presumptive democratic nominee would be much much worse some said they would support the republican nominee no matter what some said they would support but not endorse mr trump
heres a collection of some of the verbal contortions and justifications this year when it became clear mr trump was on his way to locking up the nomination
rick perry former texas governor may 5
peter king representative from new york may 6
mitch mcconnell the senate majority leader may 5
paul d ryan speaker of the house june 2
tim pawlenty former minnesota governor may 4
nikki haley south carolina governor may 4
brian sandoval nevada governor may 4
asa hutchinson arkansas governor may 4
shelley moore capito united states senator from west virginia may 12
jon huntsman former utah governor feb 22
trent lott former us senator may 4
tom cole united states representative from oklahoma june 9


washington   the federal government preparing for homegrown cases of the zika virus is planning to release a proposal for responding to them health officials said friday
the 60 page document a blueprint for action when the first cases of locally transmitted zika occur in the continental united states could be released early next week officials at the centers for disease control and prevention said they emphasized that it was a working draft that could change based on advice from state officials
sylvia mathews burwell the secretary of health and human services and dr thomas r frieden the director of the cdc spoke by videoconference with state governors thursday about the plan on friday experts with the cdc talked with state health departments
we know that zika is a completely unprecedented problem and the front line response is going to be crucial dr anne schuchat the cdcs deputy director said in an interview the summer is starting and the mosquitoes are coming
the zika virus is transmitted by the aedes aegypti mosquito   a bug that in the united states is found mostly in the south and southwest though its range can spread in the summer no one has been infected with zika by a mosquito in the continental united states but health experts expect it to happen
the health experts do not expect an explosive zika virus transmission like the recent one in brazil because many homes in the united states are air conditioned and keep their windows closed many also have screened windows that keep mosquitoes out the united states is much less densely populated than the areas of brazil where the zika outbreak occurred a hindrance to transmission given that the aedes aegypti mosquito rarely flies more than a block in its lifetime
many health experts worry however that a zika outbreak could be difficult to fight because 80 percent of the people infected with it experience no symptoms
if we have a homegrown case thats a game changer dr thomas e dobbs iii mississippis epidemiologist said in a telephone interview
zika causes debilitating birth defects including abnormally small heads and damaged brains from a condition called microcephaly health officials are focusing on protecting pregnant women from exposure to mosquitoes or people infected with the zika virus the disease can be sexually transmitted too
at the heart of the plan are the cdcs multidisciplinary rapid response teams they will provide state and local governments with technical and logistical expertise epidemiology laboratory services and advice on fighting mosquitoes the cdc has used rapid response teams for years to track many diseases
we know that this is a critical time dr schuchat said its really the time to get ready
if the disease spreads like its cousins   dengue and chikungunya   experts say they expect there to be individual cases that are essentially one offs not large clusters that spread
still dr schuchat cautioned that health officials were not going to assume that zika would behave that way
the first case is an important event she said she added that it might not be immediately clear whether the case came from a local mosquito until there were several and that doctors hospitals and local health authorities needed to be particularly vigilant
that first local transmission case is not going to come with a sign saying im the first local transmission case dr schuchat said
many states have already been preparing in mississippi health experts have been gathering mosquito samples in five places in every county since may dr dobbs said but no aedes aegypti mosquitoes have turned up
this has really jarred people out of any type of complacency they had said joseph m conlon a retired navy entomologist who is a technical adviser to the american mosquito control association theyve gotten into planning mode big time
in states like mississippi where poverty and modest tax bases make mosquito control spotty contracts with private vector control companies are being put in place such companies are commonly used in states plagued by hurricanes dr conlon said
the cdc is helping to fill the gaps dr schuchat said but the states need to own the issue and we think they really are stepping up towards that


twentynine palms calif   kilo company of the third battalion second marines was deep in a simulated firefight on a recent morning here in the high california desert
a group of marines on the aptly named machine gun hill unleashed round after round of live fire as another group of marines tried to seize the surrounding valley from an imaginary enemy
theyre dug in shouted brian somers the chief warrant officer of kilo company describing the enemy forces supposedly supported by a real state with real resources and who were theoretically returning fire this is conventional warfare
after 15 years of fighting terrorists the united states military is learning how to fight big armies again
from the middle east to south asia to africa american forces for the past decade and a half have fought counterinsurgency and counterterrorist campaigns   essentially smaller scale guerrilla warfare   rather than the large land wars of the past but russias invasion of crimea a surging china and an unpredictable north korea have led american military commanders to make sure soldiers sailors airmen and marines are trained in conventional warfare
it is part of learning how to fight what the pentagon calls the hybrid wars of the future envisioned as a mix of conventional battles insurgencies and cyberthreats
youre looking at different level of capabilities when youre talking about a higher end threat and the united states army hasnt fought against that type of enemy in a long time gen mark a milley the army chief of staff said in an interview the way we train wont be the same because the environment now is totally different
future wars he said could have conventional forces special forces guerrillas terrorists criminals all mixed together in a highly complex terrain environment with potentially high densities of civilians
in recent months the army has held training exercises with hundreds of troops tanks drones missiles and armored vehicles clashing against a supposed enemy force with similar abilities the exercises are far different from what the united states faced in afghanistan in 2001 when qaeda insurgents and taliban fighters disappeared into the hills and mountains and pulled the american military into a counterinsurgency guerrilla campaign that continues to this day
iraq which began in 2003 as a classic movement of state versus state warfare with tanks and a big invading force evolved into another counterinsurgency campaign today american forces are fighting yet another counterinsurgency against the islamic state in iraq and syria
all of us from the army to the navy to the marine corps we fought well and courageously for 15 years against a tough foe said gen robert b neller the commandant of the marine corps but now we think about who might the next fight be
it will probably be he said somebody whos got electronic warfare armored vehicles and the ability to maneuver
on the recent morning at twentynine palms general neller was joined by adm john m richardson the chief of naval operations to watch the training exercise   the first time a navy chief had traveled to the marine base to do so defense officials say the changing nature of war calls for closer cooperation between the services
when you look at this return of great power competition one of the things that we have to pay more attention to think harder about is not only power projection which is what weve been doing but also sea control admiral richardson said naval combat at sea work our way fight our way in from further out in the ocean
after the mornings live fire mortar pounding from machine gun hill the two chiefs drove 30 minutes down the road to observe another exercise the retaking of an occupied urban area marines had built a small city in the desert complete with advertising for cellphone companies on the sides of empty apartment buildings
the town in the simulation looked straight out of iraq and could have been falluja or ramadi except without people the buildings were sand colored with a distinctive iraqi look to them
what part of the world are we playing in general neller asked are the role players speaking english
the answer came back arabic sir
the interchange and the exercise showed that as american forces learn conventional warfare they continue to train in counterinsurgency tactics to take on the islamic state al qaeda the taliban   or some other group
we should not expect the chinese and russians to forgo counterinsurgency warfare said kathleen h hicks the director of the international security program at the center for strategic and international studies or she said they may mass and stand and fight


new delhi   five men convicted of raping a danish tourist in indias capital in 2014 were sentenced to life in prison by a new delhi court on friday the assault took place in the wake of a year of intense national debate on the problem of sexual violence in india set off by a brutal attack that left an indian woman dead in new delhi
nine men had been charged with raping and robbing the danish woman who was 51 at the time of the attack five of them were convicted on monday three of those charged are minors and their cases are pending in juvenile court one other man died in prison during the trial
atul kumar shrivastava the public prosecutor said the court decided that the defendants should remain in prison until their last breath
the danish woman told the police she had been abducted at knife point and raped by a group of men in a secluded park near the new delhi railway station in central delhi in january 2014 she returned to her hotel in an area popular with backpackers and told the reception desk to call the police according to the hotel manager
the womans rape occurred a little more than a year after the gang rape of a 23 year old student on a bus in new delhi who was brutalized with iron rods and later died four of her attackers were sentenced to death
raj kumar a delhi police inspector who investigated the case said the police arrested the suspects within hours of the report of the rape mr kumar described the men as petty criminals who had stopped the danish woman to rob her but then also raped her
they were under the influence of liquor and maybe some other substances as well he said
the woman tried to deter her attackers by telling them that she had aids but the men bought condoms from a nearby store mr kumar said a gardener who lived near the park helped the police identify the suspects he said
our prestige was at stake to crack this case as soon as possible he said
after making her complaint the victim left india without a medical examination she was examined by doctors in denmark mr shrivastava said and she later returned to india to give a statement in court
the convicted mens lawyer dinesh sharma told reporters after the judgment that his clients were framed and that they would challenge the verdict


the best new televised travel series isnt a real travel series and it isnt on television but dont despair traditionalists well get to one and a half actual travel programs before this article is through
the enjoyable newcomer is hidden america with jonah ray which made its premiere june 2 on the streaming service seeso its a parody of all those travel shows that pretentiously explore un touristy destinations and are determined to make anyone who takes a mere ordinary vacation feel like an idiot
in nine episodes mr ray a comedian and occasional actor visits san francisco new orleans seattle and six other american cities and gives a tongue in cheek assessment of their ambience and personality
sports   as american as misinterpreting the bible   is alive in boston he says by way of introducing a not at all complimentary segment on that citys devotion to its various teams
in chicago the improv scene draws his attention
comic hopefuls have been forcing their friends to see shows on these stages since the days of alan arkin he says in true travel show style local characters also get his attention including a legendary hot dog artisan whose death mr ray describes thus at least he died doing what he loved clutching his chest and asking god for more time
various guest stars turn up in hilarious cameos of all sorts as mr ray does his best to ensure that hell probably never be hired to do a real travel show although frankly he would liven up virtually any of the drab conventional series on the air
if mr ray gives us fake hidden sides of cities and attractions we thought we knew a series coming up on discovery family does that for real the show secrets of americas favorite places begins july 3 with an episode on   what else   the statue of liberty it relates the always interesting story of how the statue came to be but also examines less well known aspects of the great landmark like what that tablet lady liberty is holding was originally supposed to be and whether masonic symbols are lurking on the statue
later episodes give the same treatment to mount rushmore july 17 grand central terminal aug 7   ever notice all the acorns in the architecture and other often visited sites the show makes a dandy accompaniment for a family trip to any of them
then theres the new series thats sort of a travel show sort of a motorcycle worshiping show its ride with norman reedus and it begins sunday on amc where mr reedus is already a familiar presence he plays daryl dixon the motorcycle riding hunter on the walking dead
i have a cool job where i get to ride motorcycles and kill zombies he explains in the premiere on weekends i just ride motorcycles
the first episode finds him riding up the pacific coast highway to santa cruz calif pausing a few times along the way for side excursions in a halfhearted effort to make the show seem travel ly later episodes include rides through death valley and on the blue ridge parkway in appalachia
really though the point is to give mr reedus a chance to ride motorcycles caress motorcycles and talk about motorcycles and to give the walking dead fans a chance to see him doing so if you have no use for the walking dead or motorcycles and were tuning in hoping for an interesting travel show this self promotional series will be a disappointment


a police officer shot a man involved in a domestic dispute outside a baggage claim area at the dallas love field airport on friday after the man rushed at him with a rock an official said
the official assistant chief randall blankenbaker of the dallas police departments investigations bureau said the man was taken to the hospital but his condition was not immediately clear on friday afternoon
he said at a news conference that the injured man had been arguing with a woman believed to be the mother of his children the officer tried to intervene but the man rushed him with a rock in his hand and the officer fired his weapon several times
cellphone video of the shooting scene was uploaded online and it shows a uniformed man in a bright green vest pointing a gun as travelers scattered and ducked at least one person could be heard saying oh my god as the shots rang out around noon
some witnesses told local news media that nine shots were fired but chief blankenbaker could not confirm that
the officer will be placed on administrative leave a routine move after a shooting the chief said
asked whether the man had shouted shoot me as some witnesses reported he said he had no information to verify that
in an interview with cnn bryan armstrong who recorded video of the shooting said the man was told to stop advancing toward the officer or drop the rock the chief said it was seeking witnesses to the episode and was going to look at all the videos uploaded online
the airport about seven miles from downtown dallas was not locked down as some news outlets reported chief blankenbaker said but because startled travelers fled through the security zone unchecked when the shooting started officials had to round them up and bring them back out to be rescreened
passengers on flights into the city tweeted that their disembarking was delayed because of the shooting airport officials were not immediately available for comment


berlin   the german authorities are investigating a fire that destroyed a warehouse used as a refugee shelter in the western city of dusseldorf this week the fire broke out after a dispute over a decision to scale back the midday meal during the month of ramadan when many muslims fast during the day
the police say five male shelter residents are suspected of setting the fire which broke out on tuesday after the afternoon meal service was reduced in consideration for muslim residents all of the approximately 130 residents were able to escape the fire but several suffered injuries related to smoke inhalation
residents have complained for months about conditions in the shelter which used temporary walls to divide the separate living areas but did not afford migrants full privacy ralf herrenbruck a spokesman for prosecutors in dusseldorf said friday after the fire most migrants were transferred to temporary shelters set up in public gymnasiums
the blaze which caused damage estimated at 10 million euros or 113 million has received widespread attention amid fears that it will serve as further fodder for the countrys rightist populist alternative for germany party earlier this year the party passed a platform that included language against muslims
the dusseldorf police said that since the start of the year they had responded to more than 80 calls to the shelter to settle disputes including several instances of attempted arson
there were conflicts especially surrounding meals between muslims and others who were not fasting for ramadan and complained at the lack of a warm meal at midday mr herrenbruck said
following another serious fight on tuesday certain people went to the back of the shelter and shortly afterward a fire broke out and they came out with their bags packed he said the police said they had found evidence that a mattress was set alight
the police have detained two 26 year old men suspected of serving as ringleaders they were identified only as adel d an algerian who was already under investigation in a case of theft earlier this year and mohamed b from morocco who has no known police record in germany
the others suspected of involvement are a 16 year old algerian an 18 year old moroccan and a 24 year old syrian several of the suspects had entered germany under false names and nationalities and had to be identified through their fingerprints which are checked against an international database the police said
the alternative for germany party is also campaigning against the proposed construction of a mosque on the outskirts of the eastern city of erfurt where local leaders have led regular rallies warning of the dangers that islam poses to europe and germany in particular
german officials have warned of growing anti migrant sentiment in the country since the arrival last year of roughly one million asylum seekers many of them from syria iraq and afghanistan germany has seen a jump in the number of racially motivated attacks at the same time alternative for germany has attracted support with its slogans against muslims and immigrants


louisville ky   hours before some of the biggest names in sports politics and entertainment converged to honor muhammad ali at a memorial service on friday tens of thousands of people lined the streets of his hometown chanting ali and throwing flowers as a hearse carried his body to a cemetery to be laid to rest
there were no barriers to keep people off the street and they swarmed forward tossing flowers onto the hearse a gently chaotic decorum prevailed riding with the windows down people in the limousines accompanying the hearse   including members of the ali family the actor will smith and the mayor greg fischer   slapped hands with the spectators as they passed
the procession more celebratory than somber past his pink boyhood home and the museum and conference center that bear his name wove 19 miles through the city to cave hill cemetery where ali who died last week at age 74 was buried in a private service
muhammad wants young people to know that adversity can make you stronger his wife lonnie said later at a memorial service packed with dignitaries taking stock of his bouts in and out of the ring it cannot rob you of the power to reach your dreams
she added it is far more difficult to sacrifice oneself in the name of peace than to take up arms in the name of violence
at a time of controversy over police shootings of young black people lonnie ali recalled that muhammad ali got into boxing at the age of 12 after his bicycle was stolen a white police officer taking the report suggested he learn to fight if he wanted to confront the person who took it
america must never forget when a cop and an inner city kid talk to each other miracles can happen she said
president bill clinton alluded to alis long fight with parkinsons disease recalling the 1996 summer olympics in atlanta when ali with trembling arms from the ailment lit the torch to open the games
besides being a lot of fun to be around and being a universal soldier for our common humanity i will always think of him as a truly free man of faith and being a man of faith he realized hed never be in full control of his life clinton said something like parkinsons could come along but being free he realized that life was still open to choices its the choices that muhammad ali made that brought us all here today in honor and love
before they spoke a diverse group of religious leaders at a memorial service later offered prayers remembrances of ali and at times pointed political remarks
the rev kevin cosby of st stephen church in louisville took note of the racial pride ali instilled in african americans particularly during the civil rights struggles of the 1960s and 1970s
he dared to love black people at a time when black people had a problem loving themselves he said he dared to affirm the beauty of blackness he dared to affirm the power and the capacity of african americans he dared to love americas most unloved race
drawing rousing cheers rabbi michael lerner the editor of tikkun magazine and a liberal activist declared in what appeared to be a reference to anti muslim rhetoric on the presidential campaign trail we will not allow politicians to put down muslims to blame muslims for a few people
long before the remarks and eulogies by other speakers including president bill clinton billy crystal and bryant gumbel the motorcade offered a chance for ali to be cheered and honored in the city where he grew up and never seemed to forget
some of alis opponents joined in
on broadway in downtown louisville people were startled to see larry holmes who beat ali in february 1980 being led along the sidewalk outside the brown hotel with a young man at his elbow
mr holmes smiled and said little as he shook hands and handed out signed picture cards
well wishers lined up eight and 10 deep along both sides of broadway stretching for blocks office workers streamed from their desks to stand vigil as the procession neared and passed
the motorcade which included more than a dozen vehicles headed into the largely african american neighborhood where ali spent his formative years
there in the parking lot of the liquor zone nearly everyone seemed to have a story about either meeting ali or being inspired by him
robert mitchem known as froot loop because people mistakenly think he likes that cereal set up a shirt stand with two friends early in the morning
mitchem wanted to be ready for the once in a lifetime chance to commemorate the citys most famous son and make a few bucks at it
fruit or fruity as mitchem is also known had an array of different colored t shirts with alis picture and his most famous catchphrases like float like a butterfly sting like a bee
i hope to sell all of them and when i die i hope someone is going to have my name on a shirt too he said with a chuckle
at 15 the shirts which mitchem makes with a silk screen and heat press in the basement of his home were a relative bargain and word in the neighborhood was out
first a handful and then a torrent of customers came to buy the shirts then they opened lawn chairs bottles of water and other stronger beverages and awaited the three time heavyweight champion
he was a dignitary from the sports world who traveled the globe but he never forgot where he came from said wayne simon 72 who remembers ali visiting their alma mater central high school after he won a gold medal at the 1960 olympic games in rome
despite the searing sun and rising temperatures the several hundred people assembled in and around the parking lot celebrated ali anew donald doc burress 63 remembers as a kid crowding around his familys black and white television to watch ali knock out sonny liston
what he did for louisville he was our spokesman burress said his daughter and two grandchildren sitting by his side he was bigger than churchill downs the famed horse racing track that hosts the kentucky derby
thalisa price who wore a leather vest with her nickname ms lovely stitched on the back wanted to buy an ali shirt before leaving for memphis on saturday with her motorcycle club the naptown riders
im going to wear this shirt to let people know were from louisville she said
eventually the police closed traffic on broadway and helicopters circled above the big intersection the crowds on every corner swelled further one fan who held a pair a red boxing gloves yelled come on champ take your time we aint gonna see you no more
a few minutes later the motorcade arrived and as in downtown alis fans rushed into the street
the procession passed heading toward the boxers childhood home on grand avenue people started folding their lawn chairs and heading back to their own homes mitchem though still had work to do having sold more than 10 dozen shirts he was going to rush home and print some more
that was awesome he said it sent chills through me because it was like pure love


stargazers from around the globe gathered at the grand canyon this week to gander upon our galaxys grandeur the national park is hosting its annual star party an eight night event inviting the public to observe the heavens free from blinding city lights and street lamps
as the sky gets darker after sunset you start to notice something on the eastern horizon that at first you think are storm clouds said john barentine an astronomer and program manager at the international dark sky association a nonprofit group that raises awareness to light pollution then as it gets darker you realize they arent clouds in our atmosphere but they are glowing clouds of stars
what he and thousands of visitors witnessed was a sight hidden to many the milky way
one third of humanity cannot see the milky way said fabio falchi a researcher from the nonprofit organization the light pollution science and technology institute in italy it is the first time in human history that we have lost the direct contact with the night sky
mr falchi and a cohort of dark night knights have spent the last year creating an interactive world atlas that shows the global effect of artificial light on how most of us see the sky after the sun sets they released the map to the public on friday in the journal science advances the new atlas is an improved version of their original one which was released in 2001
the color coded map using data collected by the suomi npp satellite quantifies the brightness of the night sky across the world ranging from dark pristine views like that over the ocean to major cities where artificial light has completely obliterated the natural darkness
by comparing the brightness atlas with population density maps the team found that light pollution affects 80 percent of the worlds population and that two out of three europeans and four out of five americans live in areas where light masks the milky way
the hearts of major cities like london las vegas and tokyo are white hot on the atlas while their neighboring suburbs are covered in splotches of orange red magenta and pink places like the grand canyon and most of africa and australia are colored in black gray and dark blue
it demonstrates just how far lights from large metropolitan areas spread through the atmosphere said dan m duriscoe a physical scientist from the national park service who contributed to the atlas observers on the ground hundreds of kilometers away are still under the influence of that light


concerned about paying 849 for premium tickets to hamilton wondering how to stretch your entertainment dollar if thats not how you plan to spend it we asked the theater critics ben brantley and charles isherwood for some guidance
start off by figuring that if you have a reasonable life expectancy you can wait for hamilton ticket prices to settle and sink this is not contrary to what you might think a star driven show in the meantime it helps to see hamilton with a full knowledge of what youll be listening to and   hey why not   the book that inspired it
so
1699 for the mp3 cast recording
1237 for paperback of the ron chernow biography
then go to see a musical   a revival but it feels brand new   thats stirring up its audiences in the way that among current shows only hamilton does as well
the color purple 145 full price orchestra totally worth it
before july 19 you must   and i mean it you must   catch a play that like hamilton transforms a fraught slice of american history into a pulsing present tense event thats ivo van hoves genuinely scary genuinely brilliant reinvention of arthur millers the crucible for which you can obtain an orchestra seat for 150 though you can probably find it for less
another unorthodox and compelling reclamation of a historical chapter from the american past men on boats jaclyn backhauss spirited all female retelling of an all male expedition into the grand canyon in the 19th century is being brought back after its debut last year at the peter jay sharp theater 50
and if you feel the need to pay deference to the country from which we are liberated in hamilton for anglophiles the new york premiere of alan ayckbourns latest heros welcome directed by the author with the imported british cast at 59e59 theaters 75 at the same theater for only 35 you can see the iconoclastic british playwright philip ridleys new dark comedy radiant vermin
then theres the revival of the marvelous conor mcpherson ghost story shining city starring matthew broderick which gives you a chance to check out the newly renovated irish repertory theater 70
and though seats are scarce you can still probably nab a vip ticket 120 for the great enduring leading lady of the american musical barbara cook who will be performing at feinsteins54 below on june 21
be adventurous and try out the remaining two offerings from clubbed thumbs summer festival of experimental theater the tomb of king tot and tumacho 18 apiece which is what you would have paid if youd seen men on boats last year
i figure that leaves you with well more than a c note which should be spent on post theater not pre  please martinis at classic broadway watering holes like joe allen bar centrale or if youre feeling nostalgic for the days when the top ticket price was strictly double digits sardis
ben brantley
the news that standard orchestra tickets to hamilton are now being offered for a wallet busting 849 stirs mixed feelings in me it seems a scandalously high price for tickets that until now have been going for several hundred dollars less   officially at least but as is well known the resale market for this show has established outrageous limits for prices with tickets going for more than a thousand dollars   if not two or three times that and none of that extra money goes to the producers who brought the show to broadway and more important the artists who created it should you prefer to resist the offer to spend such a sizable chunk of change on a single show here are suggestions about how you might spread the wealth around
chicago   in japanese this season lincoln center festival presents a rare visit from the famed all female japanese performance troupe takarazuka a renowned attraction in its home country this company was established more than a century ago and has been dazzling audiences with its shows mostly revues but also adaptations of western and japanese shows and movies ever since this time it will be performing this john kander fred ebb musical in its entirety using the traditional bob fosse choreography 150 for prime orchestra seats david koch theater july 20 24
have you heard the 1980s are back or do you still feel youre living in them for those with a fondness for the pop music of the era you could check out the final tour of the new wave girl group the go gos hard to believe the band has been together for gulp 38 years but this is its final bow 50 at summerstage in central park aug 13
the long established city center encores series has recently been presenting a summer series featuring more offbeat   meaning off broadway   shows in small runs this summer it is presenting elizabeth swadoss runaways and the almost inordinately obscure kurt vonneguts god bless you mr rosewater but im particularly intrigued by a one night only event a concert featuring the broadway veterans sutton foster and jonathan groff singing a selection of songs from off broadway shows with jeanine tesori at the piano 150 for grand tier and mezzanine seats at city center july 16
for a little more than half of a single hamilton ticket at the new price you could buy a three performance subscription in prime seats for new york city ballets fall season as always with this great company the offerings are rich id recommend offhand and obviously without having seen it the latest from the choreographer justin peck who has a new ballet receiving a premiere and if you havent seen a classic all balanchinestravinsky program you dont know how decades old ballets can feel freshly minted 477 for top tickets at the david koch theater with the season running sept 20 to oct 16
and for just 18 you can see the target margin theaters the iceman lab a radical reworking of eugene oneills the iceman cometh   or rather one part of it the company has commissioned artists from various disciplines to tackle the plays acts one is a song cycle another is dance based and another involves puppetry take your pick 18 each at here arts center through june 25 with marathon performances   which at 60 would combine with all of the other offerings to push you about 40 past the 849 hamilton price   on saturday and again on june 18
charles isherwood


viacoms chief executive philippe p dauman proving he may be the worlds highest paid indentured servant is defying his boss
at an investor conference mr dauman said viacom the american media company is moving ahead with plans to sell 49 percent of its movie studio paramount pictures over the objections of viacoms controlling shareholder sumner redstone abrupt changes to viacoms bylaws directly related to the auction underscore how acrimonious the drama has become the dispute is a red flag for any buyer considering wading into the morass
mr dauman was replaced last month as a trustee overseeing mr redstones business interests when mr redstone the 93 year old chairman emeritus of viacom dies mr redstone cited the paramount sale as one reason for the decision he bested his rival the media mogul barry diller in a 10 billion battle for paramount two decades ago granted the mental state of mr redstone is unclear a transcript from his court testimony in may suggested an ailing man at turns fiery and grasping for responses
mr dauman in speaking to investors has acknowledged his long history with mr redstone   he referred to him as his great friend   and the sensitivities involving the studio he has been paid richly for his tenure of 30 years making 54 million in compensation last year partnering however with a hollywood minded investor could strengthen distribution and he argues unlock a 4 billion windfall worth 10 a share for the company which also operates the mtv and nickelodeon cable channels
shareholders might like some help with paramount it was ranked a dismal sixth last year in box office sales teenage mutant ninja turtles out of the shadows is its latest flop mr redstones unusual move to change bylaws   the board must unanimously approve a partial or full sale of the studio   complicates things further until this family matter is resolved only a foolhardy investor would dare scale the rock of paramount


washington   the obama administration on friday authorized six american airlines to begin direct flights to cuba as soon as fall paving the way for the resumption of scheduled air travel between the united states and cuba after more than 50 years
the department of transportation said it had approved applications from american airlines frontier airlines jetblue airways silver airways southwest airlines and sun country airlines to begin flying to cuba from miami fort lauderdale chicago philadelphia and minneapolis st paul
the action was the latest piece of president obamas push to normalize relations between cuba and the united states after more than half a century of hostility in place of american efforts to isolate cuba an island nation 90 miles south of florida the new policy encourages americans to travel there
the service approved on friday will fly to nine cuban cities including cayo largo cienfuegos matanzas and santiago de cuba the transportation department said it would announce routes to havana the capital this summer those could include service from new york washington and boston for which several major carriers have applied
american officials signed an agreement with cuban authorities in february to allow for re establishing scheduled flights   including 20 daily round trip flights to havana   and the department of transportation invited american airlines to apply interest in flying to havana was overwhelming the airlines applied for three times as many flights daily as the agreement allows and the administration is still choosing among those proposals
the flights are an example of mr obamas determination to use executive and administrative authority to get around the united states embargo with cuba including a tourism ban still in place despite his repeated calls to repeal it
the treasury department in march relaxed travel restrictions to allow americans to take people to people educational trips to cuba without special permission from the united states government and it lifted limits on the use of american dollars there
last year president obama announced that it was time to begin a new journey with the cuban people anthony foxx the secretary of transportation said in a statement on friday today next we are delivering on his promise
many republicans oppose mr obamas effort to establish warmer relations with cuba and despite bipartisan efforts to remove the statutory restrictions congress has not approved legislation to do so
still support for such measures has grown and will continue to grow when scheduled air service resumes giving lawmakers parochial reasons   including airlines airports and employees in their states and districts   to drop their opposition said james williams the president of engage cuba a group lobbying for stronger ties mr obamas advisers have long argued that the opening with cuba was bound to succeed and become irreversible once american citizens and businesses had a self interested financial reason to back it
its brought in a whole set of new powerful players to the table who now have a vested interest in this mr williams said now theres a real dollar figure and money coming into peoples districts and their airports if these flights are successful there will be a lot of pressure to accelerate that or at a minimum to preserve it so they dont lose revenue
a senate committee is expected next thursday to approve the addition of language to a spending bill that would lift remaining restrictions on travel between the united states and cuba and a provision that aims to expand agricultural exports to cuba the measures passed with bipartisan support last year but died during negotiations with the house where republicans had attached provisions to block the opening with cuba
this year some republicans who have strongly opposed mr obamas policy shift said they supported the re establishment of scheduled flights
representative rob woodall republican of georgia joined his states congressional delegation in writing to the department of transportation in march in support of delta air lines application to fly between atlanta and havana in a message at that time to his constituents he said he disagreed with the presidents foolish new policy toward a cruel authoritarian regime but had an important role as your representative to ensure their interests were heard
american airlines will also have a powerful financial incentive to lobby for greater openness between the united states and cuba mr williams argued voters are likely to be sympathetic once they experience the absurdity of a system in which tourism is technically prohibited but in practice allowed he added
i can take out my phone and book a flight to cuba and yet i still have to go through this charade that im going down for a cultural experience he said its a little over the top
in the near term the advent of scheduled air service may be less of a bonanza than many have expected michael boyd a colorado based aviation analyst said the initial travelers to cuba will mainly be adventure travelers and cuban americans visiting relatives and friends the dearth of high quality resorts and amenities will limit cubas appeal as a tourist destination for now he added
this pent up demand for cuba just isnt there said mr boyd president of boyd group international an aviation consulting and research firm


the former heavyweight champions mike tyson and lennox lewis   as well as the actor will smith who portrayed muhammad ali in the 2001 film ali   are among the pallbearers who will carry alis coffin during funeral services friday in louisville ky
the services for ali who died june 3rd at the age of 74 include a procession and private burial and a public memorial at the kfc yum center
the other pallbearers are john grady alis cousin ibn ali alis nephew komawi ali alis former brother in law jerry ellis brother of jimmy ellis who was alis former sparring partner and also a former heavyweight champion jan wadell alis cousin and john ramsey alis family friend
there will also be a number of honorary pallbearers for alis funeral the boxing legends george foreman who ali famously beat in the rumble in the jungle in kinshasa zaire in 1974 and larry holmes who is one of only five boxers to beat ali will be joined by mayor harvey sloane of louisville former gov john y brown of kentucky and alis brother rahman ali


gawker media the irreverent company that pioneered the wry tone and take no prisoners approach that came to embody a certain style of web journalism put itself up for sale on friday in an acknowledgment that its future as an independent news organization was in doubt
gawker said it had filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy and would conduct a sale through an auction the company is under significant financial pressure from a 140 million legal judgment in an invasion of privacy lawsuit by the former wrestler hulk hogan and facing a determined foe in the silicon valley billionaire peter thiel who is funding legal cases against it
ziff davis a digital media company has submitted an opening bid which a person briefed on gawkers plans said was in the range of 90 million to 100 million the person spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sale process gawker expects a sale to close by the end of the summer
but even as gawker took stock of its next steps it remained in typical fashion defiant
even with his billions thiel will not silence our writers nick denton gawkers founder and chief executive said on twitter our sites will thrive   under new ownership   and well win in court mr denton through a spokesman declined further comment
since its founding in 2002 gawker has espoused a conversational tone that came to be mimicked across the internet and on social platforms like twitter gawker and its affiliated sites   including the sports focused deadspin and jezebel which is aimed at women   have relentlessly and gleefully chronicled the lives of the powerful and often delivered attention grabbing exclusive stories some of them too over the edge for other publications the company was also an incubator of talent employees went on to found websites like the awl and work at publications like the new yorker and time
gawker also had many detractors who said it often went too far and published items with little news value that aimed to embarrass individuals but over the last year gawkercom has been going through something of a cultural transformation mr denton has vowed to make the site nicer and gawker has shifted to politics and away from coverage of the new york media world and celebrity gossip
the decision to file for bankruptcy and put itself up for sale is the latest development for a company that has faced a seemingly unending barrage of bad news in the last year there was the maelstrom last summer after gawker published and then removed an article about a married male media executive who sought to hire a gay escort that decision led to the resignations of two top editors more recently there was the lawsuit by mr hogan whose real name is terry g bollea which has roiled the company and raised questions about its path forward
it really was an incredibly bad year said hamilton nolan a writer who has worked at gawker for eight years i think theyll study this in journalism schools one day as being the single worst year in media company history
in gawkers new offices in manhattan on friday the mood was somber around noon mr denton and heather dietrick the companys president and general counsel held a meeting to inform employees of the companys plans and provide reassurance that gawker would operate as usual during the sale process
they emphasized that the future is uncertain but for now were going to keep doing what we do and that was useful for people to hear said alex pareene the editor in chief of gawker
employees said that few people had known before the meeting of the companys decision to file for bankruptcy a keg of beer was brought in and pizzas were ordered
it was not a raucous or even particularly depressing affair mr pareene said weve had more depressing meetings and weve had more argumentative meetings
gawkers sites published posts assuring readers they were not going anywhere
filing for chapter 11 stays claims from creditors including court judgments   meaning gawker will not need to begin paying the 140 million that was awarded in march to mr bollea
it also allows companies more time and more control as they reorganize themselves in its bankruptcy filing gawker listed 50 million to 100 million in assets and 100 million to 500 million in liabilities the company still plans to appeal the case
also on friday a judge in pinellas county circuit court in florida granted gawkers request for a stay of the judgment against it in the lawsuit pending an appeal that decision essentially became redundant once gawker filed for bankruptcy
weeks earlier mr thiel acknowledged in an interview with the new york times that he was financially supporting mr bolleas lawsuit as well as other lawsuits against the organization mr thiel a founder of paypal and one of the earliest investors in facebook was outed as being gay by one of gawkers blogs the now defunct valleywag nearly a decade ago he said that gawker published articles that ruined peoples lives for no reason and prompted his decision to finance cases against the company
its less about revenge and more about specific deterrence mr thiel said of his supporting gawkers legal opponents i saw gawker pioneer a unique and incredibly damaging way of getting attention by bullying people even when there was no connection with the public interest
a spokesman for mr thiel did not return a request for comment on friday gawker is also exploring at least one lawsuit against mr thiel according to the person briefed on gawkers plans
the offer by ziff davis whose online properties include ign geekcom and askmencom is what is known as a stalking horse bid essentially setting a floor in a court supervised auction money from a sale would be held aside to cover creditor claims including any damages after the appeals process
in an internal memo obtained by the new york times ziff daviss chief executive vivek shah said that under the terms of a potential agreement the company would acquire gawker medias properties but none of its liabilities when discussing its plans for gawker media he referred to the benefits of having all of the companys sites but conspicuously omitted any mention of gawkercom
he said the auction would most likely take place at the end of july other bidders which will probably include other media publishers are expected particularly with the threat of assuming legal claims removed with the bankruptcy filing
in january gawker sold a minority stake in the company to the investment company columbus nova technology partners partly in preparation for the lawsuit by mr bollea
mr bollea sued gawker media in 2012 over gawkercoms publication of a black and white tape that showed mr bollea having sex with a woman who was at the time the wife of a friend of his
in march after a two week trial a florida jury awarded 115 million in damages to mr bollea a jury later awarded 25 million more in punitive damages bringing the total to 140 million
on friday some gawker employees remained hopeful that a new owner might mean a fresh start but there was also perhaps a tacit acknowledgment that gawker as everyone knew it could soon be a thing of the past
theres not going to be the magical happy ending to the story mr nolan said it doesnt necessarily mean its going to be the worst ending to the story but were not just going to go back to everything being how it was


the second installment of the bill t jonesarnie zane companys analogy trilogy will have its new york premiere in october as part of the coming season at new york live arts the organization announced friday
analogylance pretty aka the escape artist which runs oct 25 through nov 6 will be a work of dance theater that continues the style of oral history told with movement that the troupe began with analogydora tramontane which had its debut at peak performances last year the two dances will be performed together at the joyce theater this fall
the trilogy is inspired by the w g sebald novel the emigrants part 1 told the story of dora a 95 year old who was a nurse during world war ii lance a preview of which will be shown this weekend at dancers workshop in wyoming tells the story of drug use and the sex trade in the 1980s
the season opens with pandaemonium sept 28 through oct 1 an interdisciplinary work that reflects the aim of new york live arts in recent seasons to add diversity to its performance mediums created by the dancer and choreographer nichole canuso as well as geoff sobelle and lars jan from the world of theater the work combines dance theater film and rock music performance
other season highlights include the latest installment of the live ideas series which will be curated by the cabaret and visual artist justin vivian bond who uses the gender neutral honorific mx the theme mxd messages will use a variety of talks and performances explore the possibilities of a world without binaries
the seasons full lineup is at newyorkliveartsorg


in this era of global warming when there is extreme weather like the recent heavy rains that led to flooding in paris and other parts of france and germany the question inevitably comes up did climate change play a role
not too long ago the immediate response from most climate scientists would be that while it is generally accepted that global warming will lead to more rain because warmer air can hold more moisture it is difficult to attribute any one event to climate change a more detailed answer perhaps with a definitive conclusion would come months or years later in a paper published in a peer reviewed journal
but scientists in europe have much more rapidly assessed the role of climate change in the european floods when parts of france got a months worth of rain in a few days in late may
their conclusion is that climate change made the flooding in france far more likely but they were unable to draw a conclusion about germany
the researchers from a group called world weather attribution that is coordinated by the climate change research organization climate central used similar approaches to the methods employed by longer peer reviewed studies this includes analyzing historical temperatures for the region and running many computer simulations with regional climate models including some in which it is assumed there is no human caused climate change
for an extreme three day rain event like the one that occurred in france the scientists best estimate was that global warming increased the probability of such a deluge by 80 percent for the seine river basin which includes paris where the river rose about 20 feet above normal compared with a world where the climate was not changing
for the loire river basin to the south and west of paris the best estimate was a 90 percent greater likelihood for both regions the researchers said they had high confidence that there was at least a 40 percent greater likelihood of a three day deluge because of climate change
in germany even though the rains were caused by the same meteorological conditions   essentially a zone of low pressure air that stalled over the region   the rains tended to come in shorter more intense bursts said heidi cullen chief scientist at climate central
so in their analysis of germany the researchers looked at the likelihood of one day extreme events but their analysis found no consistent link to climate change
the study by the team which includes scientists from the royal netherlands meteorological institute oxford university and other institutions will soon be submitted for peer review and eventual publication in a journal but the group has embraced this rapid response approach as a way of increasing public awareness of the effects of climate change
after every event like this theres a lot of speculation in the media about whether climate change is responsible dr cullen said the scientific community has the responsibility and the tools to analyze these things objectively


a letter that john f kennedy purportedly wrote but never sent to a woman believed to be his lover will be auctioned this month offering a glimpse into the former presidents private life shortly before he was assassinated
rr auction based in boston said the letter written on white house stationery was meant for mary pinchot meyer a family friend who was thought to be romantically linked to kennedy the top of the stationery was cut off but a faded watermark is visible under bright light
the letter reads in full
the letter is undated but rr auction said it is believed to be from october 1963 the month before the president was assassinated
the auction opens on june 16 and ends on june 23 it is estimated to sell for at least 30000 according to rr auction
robert livingston an executive vice president at rr auction said it was not known if kennedy and meyer actually met up although the president was indeed in boston on oct 19
its something you wouldnt expect to see from a president he said and the fact that he didnt send it obviously he came to his senses
kennedys secretary evelyn lincoln served as an unofficial archivist saving the presidents official documents and offhand doodles mr livingston said she identified the intended recipient as meyer
the letter comes from the estate of bob white who bought many of kennedys belongings from ms lincoln and was bequeathed more after her death in 1995
meyer was shot and killed in georgetown on oct 13 1964 the new york times identified her as a washington artist and society woman who was friends with jacqueline kennedy the man charged with her murder raymond crump jr was found not guilty and the case has never been solved
meyers brother in law benjamin c bradlee found her disclosure of an affair with kennedy in her diary bradlee later became the executive editor of the washington post


bruce picken still remembers the goal he was a gordie howe fan in southern ontario and he wanted to see the big man play one more time after all howe was 42 years old he couldnt play forever could he
picken lived in hamilton between toronto and buffalo the new city in the national hockey league in 1970 71 tickets were easier to score in buffalo so picken then 20 crossed the border and saw a goal he can still recreate
howe performed in what now seems like a prehistoric age   there were six teams in the nhl for much of his career and interest in hockey was mostly confined to canada and a few states near the 49th parallel north
fans of a certain age sometimes talk about howe the way others do about sporting deities they were lucky enough to see back in the day   chris evert and martina navratilova in a grand slam final sandy koufax or roberto clemente going around the league one last time dr j defying gravity above the rim jim brown trudging back to the huddle if youre smart you take a mental image the way picken did luminaries like howe do not come around every day
part of howes legend is his no 9 one ontario kid would never wear it as a professional choosing instead no 99 in homage to his boyhood hero the photo of the powerful howe poking the blade of his stick into the mop of hair and prominent ears of a young wayne gretzky is one of the great relics of their sport of any sport howe is often considered to be the greatest no 9 in any north american sport ted williams is second in my rankings
picken has been a steady email correspondent for a decade or so enriching me about his loves hockey canada japan birds and waterfalls he is a friend i have never met
with the awe for hockey that canadians possess as a birthright picken recalled spotting howe in public once in hamilton in 1965 while a bystander to an argument over whose greatness was greater howe or maurice richard
he was a passenger in a convertible going to dundas for some banquet picken said amazing because i was 15 and in the back seat of the car with my father driving with a friend of his they were literally arguing over who was better
he continued i looked over and saw howe i said god theres howe in the car next to us they thought i was kidding
people talked about gordie howe with reverence long before he died this week at age 88 sightings of legendary figures either confirm our image of them   or destroy it the celebrity as primo jerk we all have our stories
i knew a guy from the toronto star who picked him up at pearson airport in toronto about 25 years ago for some function picken recalled he said howe was incredible humble appreciative and modest
that is the highest praise a canadian can lavish on a great athlete from the true north strong and free humble appreciative and modest   even if he played across the border in detroit the mighty right wing was one of the fastest skaters in the league and he was a good guy its the legend of gordie howe
i bought the ticket well in advance picken continued in his email but was having a fit because hed been hurt   wrist or rib cartilage   and had missed a bunch of games the red wings were playing at buffalo on dec 27 and howe was back on a line with alex delvecchio and frank mahovlich
i saw him do two things ive never seen before or since picken said
he was at the right side of the net on a power play and started to shoot the puck picken recalled joe daley was in net for the sabres howe saw he couldnt score because of the angle so he switched from his right hand shot to his left hand and fired the puck into the far side of the net   left handed
hockey sticks are slightly curved to enable the player to better control the puck by suddenly switching grips from left hand on top to right hand on top howe had given up some power and control but he furnished surprise as well as hand eye coordination and power backed up by an ability to either skate over a defender or flit around him mickey mantle could bunt michael jordan could flick a game winning pass like that
there was stunned silence and suddenly the entire crowd went oohhhhhh at the same time picken recalled of the fans from buffalo and ontario
the other play picken remembered was a penalty kill he had the puck and was standing at the blue line two sabres came rushing at him and he never moved his feet however he moved his stick a certain way and both skated past him i have no idea what he did
grace and power and will at 42 the red wings lost that game and a week later were beaten by the maple leafs 13 0 and eventually finished last in the east division howe played 63 games had 23 goals and 29 assists and retired at the end of the season   that is his first retirement he rested for two seasons joined the world hockey association for six seasons and then roared back into the nhl for a final season this time with the hartford whalers in 1979 80 and scored 15 goals as he aged from 51 to 52
after that he was a living icon of his sport popping up at hockey events   a throwback an ambassador carrying the aura of one of the greatest stars but true to the code of modesty
i recall being at one stanley cup finals   montreal new jersey philadelphia   and spotting howe in a coffee shop and asking him a few questions while he waited for a spot at the counter he was a gentleman although not to the opponents he popped
some fans like bruce picken talk with reverence about gordie howe as the greatest hockey player ever lets put it this way they are entitled


beirut lebanon   relief trucks delivered food aid for the first time in four years to daraya the rebel held syrian town just outside of damascus that has come to symbolize civilian suffering in the war the united nations said friday
but even as the relief convoys success was announced by the world food program the united nations anti hunger agency residents of daraya were reporting that syrian military aircraft were bombing the town making it difficult to distribute the food they also said the amount delivered was roughly half of what was needed
people didnt come in large numbers to receive the convoy they were afraid of the bombing amjad abbar a member of a local council in daraya said by telephone with sounds of explosions and aircraft heard in the background several barrel bombs have fallen he said
news of the bombing nearly overshadowed the aid delivery provoking anger among some western powers hostile to president bashar al assad of syria
it is an extraordinary duplicity of the regime which we are witnessing foreign minister jean marc ayrault of france said at the united nations where he was visiting to preside over a security council meeting on protection of civilians in armed conflict
the daraya food delivery a joint operation of the united nations and the syrian arab red crescent that had been repeatedly delayed illustrated the multiple frustrations confronting relief providers in the syrian conflict
while president assad has pledged under international pressure including from his russian allies to allow aid into areas beyond those controlled by the government he has created what critics describe as a bureaucratic tangle of obstacles that has effectively stalled many deliveries
mr assad also has not stopped attacks on rebel held areas creating security risks for aid providers and in a new sign of what appears to be mr assads unwillingness to negotiate an end to the war he vowed this week to recapture every inch of syria lost to his array of enemies over the past five years
the united nations has been pressing the syrian government for unfettered access to 19 besieged areas controlled by insurgents where hundreds of thousands of people have little or no access to food and medicine
besides the daraya delivery a united nations convoy also was permitted to take food to douma another rebel held town in what seemed to be a concession by syria possibly to improve ties with egypt part of that aid was donated by syrian expatriate businessmen in egypt including some who oppose mr assad
mohamed tharwat the charge daffaires of egypts embassy in damascus confirmed that the douma delivery included food for 40 families donated by the expatriates were planning to send more in the future he said reached by telephone
the world food program said it had now provided aid to more than 14 million vulnerable syrians in the first few days of june but that is far from its goal of reaching four million people
the agency said in a statement that the daraya convoy included food baskets with enough staples   rice lentils chickpeas beans bulgur oil salt and sugar   to feed 2400 people for a month the convoy also delivered enough bags of flour to feed 4000 for a month
the operation began late on thursday and lasted until 3 am friday when the convoy departed united nations officials said
incredible feat jens laerke a spokesman for the united nations office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs wrote on twitter
while mr abbar welcomed the supplies he said that there were 8000 people living in daraya so it will be necessary to divide up the supplies when it is safe to retrieve them the food baskets wont cover the whole number he said every person wont get one whole basket
unrestricted aid delivery was a requirement in a communique last month by the international syria support group a 17 nation collaboration led by the united states and russia aimed at reaching a settlement to the war
the groups demand that mr assad allow unfettered aid to civilians by june 1 went unheeded despite its warning that air deliveries would commence if truck convoys continued to face obstacles
when or whether those air deliveries would proceed remains unclear western diplomats at the united nations have described the warning as a tactic to coerce mr assad and some said friday that it appeared to be working
i am glad that the pressure the commitment to air access is finally beginning to pay off with this improvement in land access and that will continue said matthew rycroft the british ambassadorif it doesnt work well go to airdrops


london   no owls were   or will be   harmed in the making of the new harry potter play
so producers of the production harry potter and the cursed child assured the public this week after reports emerged that a live owl had escaped backstage at the shows first preview on tuesday
audience members who attended the first performance of the highly anticipated stage follow up to the book series were urged to keep their experiences under wraps and were handed pins encouraging them to keepthesecrets of the plot
but some details inevitably emerged in the press and on social media
at one point what appeared to be a live owl flew across the stage sarah lyall of the new york times noted
it was indeed a live owl janine shalom a publicist for the production confirmed in an email on friday
owls figure heavily in the harry potter books harrys pet bird hedwig is a stalwart sidekick before being hit by a curse and killed in the final installment
but in doing what birds do best on tuesday night the owl has apparently written itself out of future stagings of the play
a statement sent by ms shalom noted the production of harry potter and the cursed child is currently in its preview stage with the process designed to allow the creative team time to rehearse changes or explore specific scenes further before the plays official opening
as part of this process earlier this week the decision was made not to feature live owls in any aspect of the production moving forward the statement continued
the statement sought to reassure any audience members who might have worried about the birds welfare
the owls that were associated with the production were expertly cared for by a team of certified trainers and an on site specialist veterinary surgeon steve smith mrcvs who ensured the owls welfare and enrichment needs were safeguarded at all times
live animals are no strangers to the stage though their use remains somewhat controversial an adaptation of king lear staged in london last summer starred one actor and nine sheep and a dutch staging of the opera de materie at the park avenue armory in new york this spring featured 100 sheep who had a custom built soundproof dressing room backstage


drug addiction is not restricted to the young donna weber now 53 turned to painkillers after undergoing simple surgery then a long tortured path to divorce made her anxious and depressed soon she found herself on a candy colored pill roller coaster
unlike street drugs the pharmaceutical pills were easy to obtain legally she got them from emergency rooms dentists psychiatrists even plastic surgeons i went to doctors with exaggerated truths explained ms weber who once had four doctors i said i hurt more and more
but constant pill popping took a huge toll a few years ago she could barely get out of her bedroom sometimes she woke up and felt like she couldnt breathe last year she began contemplating suicide
she finally called an addiction hotline and ended up taking a plane from her home in colorado to a treatment center in southern california
i didnt think i was addicted said ms weber who is now drug free and living in los angeles but sometimes the pain pills are causing the pain not the injuries so you take more i was naive
the death of prince in april from an accidental overdose of pain pills has brought new attention to opioid addiction it has also highlighted the extent of prescription drug abuse among older adults particularly those with plenty of money to spend access to multiple doctors many helping hands and lots of financial wherewithal can help cloak the warning signs of addiction experts say
theyve built a fortress around themselves said joseph garbely medical director of caron treatment centers their resources allow them to advance in their addiction without detection so the addiction progresses
more older adults are becoming addicted to powerful pain pills like oxycontin and percocet to drown out the aches and pains of aging women may end up becoming dependent on pain relievers more quickly than men according to the centers for disease control and prevention and their overdoses have been rising rapidly
as prosperous baby boomers age their prescription drug use is increasing too said indra cidambi medical director at the center for network therapy an outpatient detox facility in middlesex nj it is mostly pain pills xanax and valium she said but though wealth provides many boomers with financial freedom she explained retirement often gives them anxiety too
addiction can begin with a simple request for something to stop back pain she said but even starting on low doses of opioids can quickly turn into abuse why there are two factors for aging adults drug tolerance that builds with time and the bodys slowing metabolism which gives drugs a bigger effect
by 10 days of usage you can be addicted dr cidambi said you dont think of affluent well put together women as addicts but i see this happening constantly its out of the box
caregivers and doctors rarely notice the problem at its early stages few doctors screen for addiction said r corey waller an addiction pain and emergency medicine specialist and senior medical director for education and policy at the camden coalition of healthcare providers in new jersey its not built into treatment yet and adding that step takes lots of time also patients are usually offended when asked
so an addiction is often discovered only after a bad fall confusion or even an accidental overdose dr garbely said and even then it can sometimes be difficult to detect since signs of addiction can often be dismissed as symptoms of aging such as confusion shaky hands and mood swings
dr garbely remembers one wealthy woman whose addiction was masked she lived on a huge estate and had many staff members who cared for her they continued buying alcohol and prescription drugs for her even though her memory was fading
her helpers were bathing her changing her clothes and enabling her he said substances take their toll
finally her son who discovered her in horrible condition broke through her human fortress and the woman was checked into a caron centers senior unit for three months her cognition was fully restored dr garbely said it brought tears to my eyes
affluent people often dont seek treatment said richard taite chief executive of the luxury drug rehab center cliffside malibu in california and one of the authors of ending addiction for good they are used to getting what they want he said and may even go to multiple pharmacies and doctors and they dont understand their addiction
the loss of self worth that sometimes comes with retirement especially after a lifetime of achievement and accolades can be the spark moreover addiction thrives on a lack of structure and accountability explained brenda j iliff executive director of hazelden betty ford foundation in naples fla
a lot of baby boomers are now retired anxious and have trouble sleeping add in arthritis multiple prescription drugs and more drinks and that can be the beginning of addiction its the perfect storm she said
one wealthy woman said ms iliff even jumped on her private jet and went from town to town to pick up her pain pills and other medications you can have a fresh prescription record in some states she said or hire a doctor who will accommodate you
carol waldman 64 became addicted to xanax which was prescribed by a psychiatrist and pain pills for chronic back and knee problems an aspirin never helped me because my resistance is high she said but i knew a percocet would she didnt think the pain pills were addictive and even took some of her husbands
then last august she ended up in bed a lot and endured a series of blackouts i was in a fog she remembered and her husband was doing all the chores after she dislocated her knee an emergency room doctor told her family there was something wrong with her medications
soon after that the intervention began her family came over for dinner then the family rabbi rang the doorbell everyone wanted me to get my life back she said she ended up at a caron center in the senior unit for 10 weeks
her detox took 20 days and more than six months passed until her system was clear
detoxing older adults from prescription drugs is tricky they have to be monitored and slowly withdrawn dr garbely said opioid withdrawal wont kill you but youll wish you were dead for seniors he added treatment is also slower because there may be physical and cognitive issues too
im a nice jewish girl said ms waldman who lives in atlanta and i had no idea about detox
caron centers offer a chronic pain program where seniors are taught nonnarcotic ways to treat pain oftentimes they need new doctors too dr garbely said if they prescribe dangerous medications well find someone else
as for ms weber in los angeles she said she is now building healthier relationships and her self esteem it took work and creativity to get my prescription drugs she said now i put work into being clean and sober


a retired new york city correction captain was convicted friday of all charges for ordering the brutal beating of an inmate at rikers island in 2012
the retired captain gerald vaughn was found guilty of first degree attempted gang assault the most serious offense in a case that helped expose a pervasive culture of violence at rikers he was also convicted of other charges including attempted assault assault and official misconduct
the verdict was delivered friday morning by justice steven barrett in state supreme court in the bronx justice barrett also convicted two other correction officers harmon frierson and dwayne maynard who were not directly involved in the beating of official misconduct but acquitted them on two other charges
the three defendants are part of a group of nine current and former rikers correction officers who were tried together in connection with the beating of the inmate jahmal lightfoot and an effort to cover it up the other officers chose a jury trial and on tuesday five of those officers were convicted of the attempted gang assault and other charges another officer was acquitted in the cover up
the judge announced his verdicts without any explanation in a courtroom packed with correction officers   including several of the defendants who had learned their fate tuesday   and their supporters mr lightfoot sat in the back row and watched the proceedings intensely but did not express any emotion
afterward mr lightfoot said the verdicts would send a message to correction officers that abusing inmates would not be tolerated
it happens all the time at rikers island he said its just that people dont speak about it
the judges verdicts bring to a close a criminal trial that lasted more than two months and served as a scathing indictment of the citys long troubled main jail complex which has about 8000 inmates critics including gov andrew m cuomo have called for rikers to be closed
the outcome was a victory for the bronx district attorney darcel d clark and other law enforcement officials who have struggled to successfully prosecute correction officers accused of brutality in part because of negative perceptions and credibility problems with victims who are in jails and prisons ms clark has made prosecuting crimes committed at rikers a priority
the lightfoot case was particularly significant because of the large number and the high rank of some of the officers involved prosecutors said that eliseo perez jr a former assistant chief for security and mr vaughn a former captain ordered five members of an elite correction squad to beat mr lightfoot after he caught mr perezs eye during a search of inmates for weapons they said that mr perez thought the inmate was a tough guy and told the officers to kick his teeth in
none of the officers testified during the trial their lawyers who maintained that their clients had committed no wrongdoing rested their case without calling a single witness or presenting any evidence in contrast the prosecution called more than a dozen witnesses including mr lightfoot
mr lightfoot now 31 had testified in court that it was open season for the officers to mercilessly pummel him with their fists and boots even as he curled up in a fetal position on the floor afterward he suffered fractures to both eye sockets and other injuries
defense lawyers countered that mr lightfoot was found with a sharp metal object during the search and then disregarded the officers repeated orders to drop it they maintained from the start that mr lightfoot was injured while being forcibly restrained by officers who were simply doing their jobs
the lawyers also repeatedly sought to undermine the credibility of mr lightfoot who was sent to rikers in 2010 after snatching a womans pocketbook they brought up his ties to the bloods street gang and previous criminal history involving drugs and other minor offenses they suggested that he made up a story about being singled out and beaten and hoped to gain financially from a pending lawsuit against the city over the attack
after the beating mr lightfoot was sent to state prison he was released in 2014
after jurors rendered their verdicts on tuesday several of them explained that after reviewing all the evidence thoroughly they had concluded that mr lightfoot did not have a weapon when he was beaten
but renee hill a defense lawyer who represents one of the officers jose parra said that she did not believe the evidence in the case had risen above reasonable doubt i believe that the jury probably went more on emotion she said
mr vaughn and the other officers convicted tuesday of attempted gang assault in the first degree   mr perez mr parra tobias parker alfred rivera and david rodriguez   could each face up to 15 years in state prison on the first degree attempted gang assault charge alone
when convicted of a felony officers are automatically fired from their jobs under state law according to correction officials even with an acquittal an officer could still face discipline by the department including possible dismissal
robert feldman a lawyer for mr perez insisted this week that his client was innocent and would never do something like this
on tuesday the jury acquitted another officer jeffrey richard of taking part in the cover up a 10th officer michael pollard has also been charged in the beating but will be tried separately because of medical problems


dhaka bangladesh   a hindu man was hacked to death in northern bangladesh on friday the latest in a string of such killings in the country
the victim nityaranjan pandey a volunteer at a hindu ashram in the district of pabna was taking a walk early friday morning when he was attacked by unknown assailants said abdullah al hassan the officer in charge of the pabna sadar police station
mr pandey about 60 had been a volunteer at the sree sree thakur anukulchandra satsang ashram mr hassan said he joined the ashram roughly 35 years ago and was a volunteer priest said tapas kumar roy a priest at the ashram
we did not find any witness of this criminal incident so we dont have any more details mr hassan said we found two deep wounds of hacking on the neck of pandey
no group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack and mr hassan said the police had no suspects
pandey was a person who preferred to live alone like an isolated person said mr roy who added that mr pandey had not received any threats and that the ashram had never had any problems with local residents he used to stay away from any kind of problem
for years similar attacks in bangladesh have been directed at secular bloggers and intellectuals but more recently the assaults have targeted other groups including religious minorities gay rights activists and foreigners often they have been carried out with machetes in public places on tuesday a hindu priest was killed in the countrys southwest while riding his bicycle
both the islamic state and a branch of al qaeda have claimed responsibility for some of the attacks according to statements attributed to them by the site intelligence group which monitors extremist activity online but the authorities in bangladesh have denied the presence in the country of foreign militants and the police have said they suspect islamist militants operating inside bangladesh were behind many of the attacks
on thursday the police in dhaka the capital announced that they would begin a weeklong crackdown on militants on friday conducting raids throughout the country according to the daily star an english language newspaper


pete cordaro was creeping down a dirt road in his 2013 tesla model s electric car on a sunday outing with his wife to hunt mushrooms in the pennsylvania woods when he encountered a pothole and then heard a loud crack
the front of the car just dropped he said the left front wheel just detached from the car
when tesla picked up his car mr cordaro was at first told he would have to pay for the repairs because they were from normal wear after pressing his case with a tesla manager he was told the company would pay part of the cost   as long as he signed a nondisclosure agreement
neither the equipment breakdown nor the confidentiality demand turned out to be an isolated case and now they have tesla motors on the defensive
after the nations top auto safety regulator raised questions about reports of suspension problems with the model s tesla declared in a blog post on friday that the suspension system had no safety defects but what set the case apart from other auto safety episodes was the introduction of a nondisclosure agreement into the relationship between car owner and automaker   an unusual practice by an unconventional company whose founder elon musk has roots in silicon valley not detroit
the company acknowledged having had car owners sign such agreements and said it did so to protect itself from potential lawsuits after performing a repair at a discount or at no charge
but the practice has raised concerns that it could prevent owners from reporting safety problems to the national highway traffic safety administration which called teslas use of such agreements troublesome and told the company not to use terms that dissuade people from reporting safety concerns to the agency
on friday a tesla spokeswoman said in an email that to remove any doubt the automaker would modify the language of the documents to make clear that the goal is to benefit customers while not harming us for doing a good deed she did not elaborate on how it would be changed
the safety agency said in a statement that the changes were satisfactory without elaborating it described its review of the model s suspension as a routine data collection adding that it had not found any safety issues so far and that tesla was cooperating
in agreements like the one mr cordaro signed tesla refers to the repairs as a gesture of good will made without any admission of liability or wrongdoing or acceptance of any facts
that statement alone is uncontroversial it is standard legalese protecting tesla from admitting any wrongdoing by way of making a repair said david vladeck a law professor at georgetown university and a former director of the federal trade commissions bureau of consumer protection
but he said two other provisions in the contract were problematic in that they seemed to muzzle consumers asking car owners to waive the right to future legal action and to keep the entire incident confidential
you agree to keep confidential our provision of the good will the terms of this agreement and the incidents or claims leading or related to our provision of the good will the tesla document said
tesla said it was preposterous to suggest that it was trying to prevent owners from reporting safety problems to nhtsa or any other government agency but mr vladeck said that distinction was unimportant most reasonable consumers would interpret this as a provision prohibiting them from talking to anyone including government or lawyers or anybody else he said
tesla was founded in 2003 with the idea of establishing battery powered cars as a viable emissions free replacement for the internal combustion engine and challenging many auto industry conventions it sells cars directly to customers without franchised dealers a practice that has led to legal battles in several states
the company is also building a gigantic battery factory in nevada and often announces news in twitter posts by mr musk
the use of nondisclosure agreements with customers appears to be highly unusual in the auto industry ford general motors and toyota all said they did not have customers sign confidentiality agreements in exchange for fixing cars that have broken down
joan claybrook a former head of nhtsa said requiring customers to keep quiet about repairs aroused suspicion i dont know why theyd do that she said it makes it seem like they want to cover something up
representative leonard lance republican of new jersey introduced legislation in congress in april that would prevent companies from including nondisclosure clauses in consumer contracts california where tesla is based enacted a similar law in 2014
news of mr cordaros breakdown and the nondisclosure agreement he signed was trumpeted by auto bloggers tracking suspension problems in the model s a luxury sedan whose pricing starts at about 70000
the nhtsa website lists 33 complaints received since october about suspension failures in the car teslas top selling model
mr cordaro an auto enthusiast who used to make hot rod cars said friday that he did not think the agreement barred him from talking to the safety agency or anyone else about the breakdown his car suffered in late april when he reviewed it mr cordaro concluded that it was basically toothless he said it only keeps me from talking about the costs and filing a lawsuit
in fact he posted a short video on youtube showing the broken ball joint from his car
once his car was repaired and returned he filed details of his suspension issue with the safety agency and a few weeks later got the broken ball joint from tesla and sent it on to nhtsa
but he was nevertheless upset with how tesla has dealt with what he thinks could pose a serious safety concern if it had happened on the highway it could have been catastrophic mr cordaro 61 said by phone while driving his model s
the owner of a vending machine company in connellsville pa about 50 miles southeast of pittsburgh he said he was a tesla fan and had already put down deposits to buy two model 3 compacts when they come out in a year or so i just want them to look into this and do the right thing he said
mr cordaro said he was further annoyed because tesla in its blog post about the model s suspension and confidentiality agreements suggested his breakdown had resulted from hard driving
the company said he lived on a long dirt road and noted that his car was caked with mud when it was picked up   information that mr cordaro called a fabrication
i wasnt out four wheeling in the car he said i live on an asphalt road and have maybe driven on dirt roads 10 times
a tesla spokeswoman said the company was looking into the matter


united states markets fell on friday as a drop in oil prices took shares of energy companies sharply lower banks were falling again as bond yields continued to shrink the losses wiped out most of the markets gains from earlier this week
keeping score at the close the dow jones industrial average was down 067 percent and the standard  poors 500 stock index was down 092 percent the nasdaq composite index dropped 129 percent
the sp 500 reached an 11 month high this week and so did oil prices but investors remained cautious as they looked to a federal reserve meeting next week and britains referendum on its membership in the european union on june 23
energy united states crude oil shed 149 to 4907 a barrel in new york brent crude the benchmark for international oil prices fell 141 or 271 percent at 5054 a barrel
conocophillips shares gave up 44 percent and shares of the oil field services company schlumberger declined 18 percent chevron stock fell 08 percent
banks stumble as they did on thursday bank stocks fell along with bond yields lower bond yields drive down the interest rates on mortgages and other kinds of loans and that makes them less profitable for banks citigroup shares sank 25 percent and shares of jpmorgan chase lost 14 percent bank of america stock fell 25 percent
bond prices rose further and the yield on the 10 year treasury note sank to 164 percent from 169 percent
the drop in bond yields sent shares of phone companies higher as those stocks high dividend yields are comparable to bonds verizon communications shares rose 14 percent
drug price doubts drug company stocks fell further mylan shares lost 27 percent after david maris an analyst at wells fargo said the company might come under scrutiny from regulators because it made some exceptionally large price increases on its drugs this year mr maris said the price changes might also indicate that some of mylans other products were not selling as well as it had hoped
a number of drug companies shares have tumbled in recent months as regulators questioned their patterns of raising prices and other business practices shares of endo international which has plunged more than 70 percent this year fell 84 percent
consumer woes consumer stocks also fell with some of the sharpest losses going to big names shares of amazon declined 134 percent and netflix stock dropped 344 percent
outfitters falls shares of the retailer urban outfitters slumped after the company said that sales at established stores had continued to fall in the second quarter so far those sales are considered an important measurement of retailer performance the companys stock slid 58 percent
blood test shares of global blood therapeutics climbed after the company reported positive results from an early clinical study of its most advanced drug a potential treatment for sickle cell disease the companys stock gained 9 percent
chemical deal the ethylene producer westlake chemical said it would buy the chemical maker axiall for 33 a share or 233 billion that was a 28 percent premium to the price of axiall shares on thursday axiall stock jumped 26 percent and shares of westlake rose 277 percent
block rises the tax preparer hr block posted a bigger profit and more revenue than analysts had expected sending its stock up 124 percent
tossing and turning mattress firm holding corp the bedding maker behind serta sealy and other brands reported a bigger loss and less revenue than expected and cut its estimates for the year its stock dropped 125 percent
european markets in germany the dax tumbled 25 percent and in france the cac 40 lost 22 percent the ftse 100 slid 19 percent in britain
asias day the nikkei 225 declined 04 percent in japan while the kospi slipped 03 percent in south korea the hang seng shed 12 percent in hong kong in australia the spasx 200 lost 09 percent benchmarks in singapore indonesia the philippines and thailand also fell markets were closed in mainland china and taiwan for a holiday
currencies the dollar rose to 10685 yen from 10683 yen late thursday the euro fell to 11257 from 11331


london   guy hands the founder of the private equity firm terra firma capital partners abruptly abandoned his yearslong legal pursuit of citigroup on friday a case in which he had claimed that the american banking giant misled him ahead of a deal to buy the music label emi
the acquisition of emi in 2007 turned out to be a disastrous one for mr hands damaging his reputation as a savvy investor after his clients lost all of their investment and personally costing him 200 million euros or about 227 million according to mr hands
the storied music label which counted the beatles coldplay and katy perry among its artists over the years was seized by its lenders in 2011 as it faced a crushing amount of debt it was sold the following year to the universal music group
mr hands who first took citigroup to court in new york six years ago had claimed that he was misled by citigroup executives about the auction process ahead of the emi sale and the banks view on the music groups financial health as he moved to complete financing for the deal which was valued at 4 billion pounds or about 58 billion
at a special hearing in london on friday terra firma withdrew its fraud allegations against citigroup and agreed to pay the banks court costs
im sure this is the right result said justice michael burton the judge hearing the trial in london perhaps it will mean the parties will work together in the future
mr hands spent two days on the stand being grilled by citigroups lawyers who called his memory hazy and questioned whether claims he filed against charles o prince iii citigroups former chief executive were simply a shakedown to get the bank to settle
the claim against mr prince was dropped ahead of trial and mr hands admitted on the stand that statements attributed to mr prince in his complaint originally filed in manchester were wrong and there was no proper basis for those claims to be filed
terra firma had been seeking the entirety of its investment about PS15 billion as well as potential lost profits from other deals the firm might have made if it had not bought emi
these claims were brought in good faith mr hands said in a statement on friday however it has become evident that our documentation of the fast moving and complex events and memories of these events after nine years are no longer sufficient to meet the high demands of proof required for a fraud claim in court
mr hands who had attended every day of the trial this week was not in court when his legal team announced on friday that the case was being withdrawn
the matter is now closed mr hands said terra firma is looking to the future
terra firma declined to comment further
this is the second time he has pursued citigroup which was advising emi and providing financing for the deal
a jury in manhattan in 2010 found citigroup not liable but an appeals court later ordered a retrial the parties eventually agreed to move the case to britain
as he had in the new york case mr hands claimed he was misled by david wormsley citigroups chairman of investment banking in britain and a longtime banker to mr hands about plans by cerberus capital management to offer a competing bid in an auction for emi
terra firma ultimately was the only bidder in may 2007
mr hands also claimed in his case in london that he was misled by two former citigroup executives about the financial health of emi michael klein citigroups former head of global banking and chad leat then co chief of citigroups global credit markets
mr hands had claimed terra firma agreed to inject PS205 million in additional equity into the company after discussions with citigroup executives ahead of securing financing for the transaction citi provided PS25 billion in financing for the deal
we have always maintained that the allegations made by terra firma were entirely baseless and that citi specifically david wormsley michael klein and chad leat acted at all times with absolute honesty and professional integrity throughout the emi transaction citigroup said in a statement we are very pleased that terra firma has unreservedly withdrawn the allegations


the venture capital industry which has been instrumental in nurturing silicon valley technology start ups lost one of its pioneers this week
thomas j perkins who co founded the venture firm kleiner perkins caufield  byers died tuesday at the age of 84 he helped put venture capital on the map in silicon valley including by going beyond passive investing to taking a more hands on role in helping start ups grow
i thought that ventures could be managed like development projects within a corporation mr perkins wrote in his autobiography valley boy the education of tom perkins about a founding principle behind kleiner perkins
in silicon valley itself reaction to mr perkinss death was relatively muted though some tech executives posted on twitter about the effect he had on their careers
mr perkins belonged to an earlier era of start up investing when the companies he nurtured were still laying the foundations for the modern computing age writes michael de la merced mr perkinss arc came to symbolize silicon valleys maturation later in his life he became a more corporate figure sitting on the boards of multiple public companies and moving in elite societal circles


washington   hillary clinton assailed donald j trump on friday as untrustworthy on womens issues sharpening her tone against him in her first major speech since becoming the presumptive democratic presidential nominee
finally free to focus on the general election mrs clinton signaled that she planned to hit her likely republican opponent in an area of perceived weakness while working to mend fissures within her own party by focusing on issues dear to progressives such as protecting abortion rights and funding for planned parenthood
when donald trump says lets make america great again that is code for lets take america backward mrs clinton said at a planned parenthood action fund event in washington
in a 30 minute speech mrs clinton seized on mr trumps suggestion in march that abortion be banned and that women who violate such a ban face punishment although he later retracted the remark amid a bipartisan backlash mrs clinton made clear that she would not let it go
anyone who would so casually agree with the idea of punishing women like it was nothing to him the most obvious thing in the world thats someone who doesnt hold women in high regard mrs clinton said to loud applause
mrs clinton said that protecting planned parenthoods funding was a top priority amid an onslaught from republicans who have threatened to shut down the government over its opposition to the organization she also called for the repeal of the hyde amendment which bans the use of government money for abortions
mrs clinton has struggled at times this year to appeal to younger women but she does not expect that to be a problem against mr trump her campaign plans to regularly remind female voters about his penchant for making sexist remarks such as referring to women as fat pigs and dogs
on friday she quoted mr trump as saying that he thought paid family leave made the country less competitive and that women should work harder if they wanted to earn more
mr trump has said that he will be better for women than mrs clinton but polls show that so far he is turning them off in a big way a gallup survey from april found that 70 percent of women in the country had an unfavorable opinion him
by making planned parenthood action her first campaign stop after capturing the nomination mrs clinton demonstrated that instead of making a quick pivot to the center she is intent on rallying the democratic base after a bruising primary campaign against senator bernie sanders
another important step toward party unity came on thursday night when senator elizabeth warren of massachusetts offered a rousing endorsement of mrs clinton the two women met privately on friday morning in washington to discuss the partys path forward and how to beat mr trump in november
ms warren is a favorite of the progressive wing of the party and has become one of its most vocal and effective critics of mr trump she described mr trump as a racist bully in a speech on wednesday night and made a forceful case for mrs clintons candidacy
the meeting friday could also fan speculation that ms warren is on mrs clintons shortlist of potential running mates while she has maintained that she loves her current job ms warren did say thursday night on msnbc that she felt she had the capacity to be president
for now mrs clinton is taking on mr trump on her own and after a difficult week for him in which he drew widespread condemnation for making racist remarks about a federal judge she is not holding back
she mocked him for walking back his claim that judge gonzalo p curiel   who is presiding over a lawsuit against trump university   was biased because of his mexican heritage and lamented mr trumps disparaging treatment of a disabled reporter both were examples she said of how a trump presidency would be problematic for more than just women
donald trump would take us in the wrong direction on so many issues that we care about mrs clinton said he does not see all americans as americans


pittsburgh   if you dont have a reverse mortgage and dont know anyone who does your familiarity with the product probably comes from television commercials there often late at night pat boone and henry winkler have peddled them with great sincerity
sound sketchy the loans which allow people age 62 and older to pull some of the money from their home equity without having to make any monthly payments on the debt have a pockmarked history financial con artists have persuaded borrowers to put the proceeds in inappropriate investments and some spouses who werent on the mortgage have lost their homes
so it may surprise you to learn that some community bankers are quietly offering the loans too bringing a kind of main street respectability to a product that has long lacked it
recently i took a quick swing through the wood paneled green carpeted bank offices of pennsylvania where lending executives still wear paisley ties and measure their tenure in decades and i asked them this why risk your reputation on a product like this one
i walked into their headquarters with my own strong feeling that reverse mortgages are an increasingly necessary evil in an ideal world everyone pays for their expenses in old age from social security and retirement savings and keeps any home equity intact for their heirs or for nursing home care
but nearly every week brings new signs that many millions of americans will not have enough money to retire comfortably   or at all   in the coming decades one recent federal reserve survey of people whose employers offer a retirement plan but who do not participate shows that 27 percent of them say they cannot afford to save any money another 18 percent are too confused by their choices 18 percent more are not eligible to participate at all and another 16 percent have not gotten around to signing up
many of those people do manage to buy a home however and they may have paid off much of their mortgage by the time they retire so yes our retirement savings vehicles ought to be better until they are however home equity may end up being the biggest asset that many people have to draw on in retirement
that is where reverse mortgages come in for people who use their homes as a primary residence if you are 62 or older you can apply to extract some of that equity in a variety of ways including through a lump sum or a line of credit your age prevailing interest rates and the amount of equity in your home will help lenders determine what you can borrow the main feature   which gives the product its name   is that instead of you paying the bank as you would with a traditional forward mortgage the bank pays you
you are still responsible for the money though and have to keep up with home maintenance taxes and insurance the lender keeps a running tab of the interest and often expensive fees and once you die or move to a nursing home or sell the property the bank takes back its money or your heirs write a check to settle the debt and keep the home borrowers never have to pay additional money even if the interest has ultimately added up to more than the home is worth at that point
reverse mortgages are complicated and things have sometimes gotten messy for borrowers with surviving spouses or heirs who hoped to inherit the home federal regulators have tried to fix many of the problems in recent years and last month the federal housing administration announced its latest attempt to tighten the rules still anyone considering a reverse mortgage or who has a parent or relative who is should dig deep on educational material from the department of housing and urban development the national council on aging and the consumer financial protection bureau
fred schindler 72 had done his own homework by talking to a friend in the pittsburgh area who had used a philadelphia lender for a reverse mortgage but i dont like to do big business through the mail or email he said and randy was local
randy is randy davis the sole reverse mortgage loan officer in the pittsburgh area for dollar bank which opened for business in 1855 like all local and regional banks it hopes to have lifelong relationships with customers including while they are retired so it now originates about 100 reverse mortgages a year in and around pittsburgh and cleveland
mr schindler used his reverse mortgage to pay off the last bit of his original mortgage on his condo and to open a line of credit by tapping it he built a sizable enough down payment to get a better interest rate on a car loan the reverse mortgage also gives him some breathing room because he did not want to tap retirement money from an annuity that will be worth more if he waits longer to use it
one hundred loans a year is not many for a bank with several dozen branches and the caution appears to be purposeful dollar pays mr davis a salary not a commission you dont have an environment where people have to get that loan closed or they wont be able to pay their own mortgage next month said mike henry senior vice president for residential lending
the bank talks people out of using reverse mortgages too mr davis described an older woman he had met who was living with her adult son whats his intention when she is no longer alive mr davis asked her the son wanted to stay in the house but if his mother ran up a big reverse mortgage bill he would have to pay the balance once she died in order to stay or figure out how to borrow enough on his own to eliminate the debt so no reverse mortgage
fulton bank in lancaster pa got into the reverse mortgage business right about when many finance types were predicting that the reverse mortgage market would melt down the same way that subprime mortgages did where people were going to be taken advantage of said jill carson who runs the banks mortgage unit and started at the bank as a summer teller in 1974 we thought it made sense to have an alternative for our customers
as at dollar fulton customers sign up for about 100 reverse mortgages a year and it too has its sales agents on salaries the two have one other thing in common both try to get borrowers to come in with family members or some trusted adviser who can help ask questions and make sure that the borrower understands everything
this makes sense for all sorts of reasons many reverse mortgage borrowers are in their 70s or 80s and some of them may be in the beginning stages of cognitive decline if i were a banker i would want adult children in the room so they knew that their parent had willingly signed up   and so those same children wouldnt be blindsided by the debt later and accuse the bank of wrongdoing
ms carson mentioned another reason some adult children try to get to the cash right after their aging parents take out a reverse mortgage they may have even put their parents up to borrowing in the first place can her bankers smell ill intentions i think you can she said noting that all customer facing employees undergo training in recognizing elder abuse
one question that comes up often with reverse mortgage deliberations or ought to at least is this if you are so hard up for money shouldnt you just sell and downsize to ms carson who will retire in a few weeks herself and whose elderly father lived with her for 20 years the answer isnt always so clear is there a serious illness longtime neighbors who can look in on you is family nearby who can help you stay at home a bit longer or people who could help you pack up and move and what if there are no family or friends close to the most appropriate place to downsize
these questions dont lend themselves to hard and fast rules and neither do reverse mortgages they are the right product for the right customer for the right reason she said but if any of those things arent right then youre better off not taking the product


a few years ago the board that administers the certified financial planner designation decided to test the idea that investors will ask pointed questions of a prospective adviser and not be fooled by a slick presentation
so the certified financial planner board of standards hired a professional dj named azmyth kaminski shaved off his dreadlocks removed his body piercings and put him in a suit it taught him a few financial phrases and sat him in a conference room then it brought in people looking for a financial adviser
we gave him buzzwords like 401k is the way to go said joe maugeri managing director for corporate relations at the cfp board i talked to him about 529 plans and he said all 56 states have 529 plans i said well yes all 50 of them have them he was a real nice guy
so how did he do after mr kaminski spent about 15 minutes with each person all but one were ready to work with him mr maugeri said
while mr kaminski may have charisma he obviously had little insight into financial matters but the experience presents an interesting conundrum for people seeking advice how best to determine if a financial adviser is qualified for the job and a related question with financial advising becoming a second career for some people are they bringing something more to the table because of their previous experience
too often people fixate on ferreting out the worst advisers the financial industry regulatory authoritys brokercheck website lists brokers who have had complaints filed against them what kinds of complaints were filed and how they were resolved
but that focuses on the past and in the worst cases the broker does not appear on the list until long after a problem has been detected the bigger issue is often not whether a broker is a swindler the odds of that are not high it is whether the person advising you is qualified to do the job
and figuring out the answer takes a lot of legwork john bucsek managing partner of metlife solutions group said in a recent report that people should question prospective advisers about their qualifications their team and their commitment to staying in the industry
mr maugeri suggested asking pointed questions you give them scenarios he said you ask them questions in specific areas you want someone who is listening more than telling
john bowman managing director of the americas at the cfa institute which administers the chartered financial analyst designation said investors should ensure that the person making the investment decisions   as opposed to the adviser creating a financial plan   has the qualifications knowledge and experience to make those selections
aligning your interests with someone who had a previous career maybe one similar to what you are doing now makes a certain sense but how do you know if that person is truly qualified or just looking for a new start
one answer is that credentials help they show seriousness about the profession and that mixed with the ability to listen to and understand your particular position can help you reach your goals
gregory kasten an anesthesiologist by training finished his medical residency at the university of kentucky in 1983 and stayed on staff at the time he said the investing options offered through the university were limited to an annuity or a stock fund outside of that he was being bombarded by brokers trying to sell him partnerships or mutual funds with high fees
i wondered if i couldnt do better if i took care of that myself dr kasten said
that led to him talking investments in the doctors lounge and initially a second job advising his fellow doctors as a registered investment adviser when he hit 70 million of assets under management in 1992 he quit being a doctor today he runs unified trust a 45 billion trust company
what dr kasten brought to his financial advisory practice at first anyway was the ability to connect with his fellow doctors he knew how their income came in he understood their concerns most of all he knew they did not have the time or the desire to think about investing they wanted to practice medicine
but he backed up that trust with adviser credentials from a designation as a certified financial planner to a masters in business administration i see the two professions as very similar he said there is a series of best practices a code of ethics the doctor patient relationship its not playing professional baseball and being a doctor
joel shaps managing director at united capital in silicon valley said he came to advising after being an executive at neiman marcus and founding a consulting company that specialized in accounts payable shortly after selling that company he bought the financial adviser he had worked with increasing it in size to 325 million from 40 million
when your roots are in retailing and especially when youre a store manager at neiman marcus one of the key components of your role is to give great advice he said you need to have great client skills and understand what youre doing and how to communicate it
while he said he had an ability to connect with clients he also said he knew enough to bring in people who had expertise he did not
mr maugeri noted the value of both theres a benefit in working with someone who has experience in the business world but there is also a benefit to working with someone coming right out of college with the latest thinking on financial advising he said thats why people are moving into teams
but the measure of an adviser should be the same for those who have come from another career and those who have been in the business all along
there are a lot of successful people who are trying to leverage their success in other businesses and apply it to advice mr bowman said i would just challenge them with the same question how do you feel prepared and competent to handle this persons life savings
the risk is that someone decided to hang out a shingle and become an adviser with little knowledge or because a previous career did not work out
our profession has a low barrier to entry mr bowman said im talking about all of those people out there who arent bound by an ethical code or have certain core competence we need to start pulling up fortified walls to protect people
the chartered financial analystdesignation is about a persons ability to assess investments and provide advice on them the certified financial planner credential speaks to the persons ability to help clients create plans for their financial lives
both groups are also trying to make the argument that their designations mean more than the 176 other designations by mr maugeris count that can be placed after a persons name with few or not very rigorous requirements and the two groups are campaigning to raise public awareness about their designations
credentials no matter how rigorous go only so far of course in a recent settlement morgan stanley agreed to pay two former clients both retired professional athletes more than 800000 for actions related to aaron r parthemer a broker in miami who managed about 250 million mr parthemer who was barred from the securities industry in 2015 held the cfp designation and was also recognized as a registered player financial adviser by the national football leagues player association
as to the dj who posed as a financial adviser mr maugeri said that one person still wanted to use him as a financial adviser even after finding out the truth
it told us a lot about how consumers choose a financial adviser mr maugeri said and how so much of it is impressions and saying the right thing


the senate majority leader mitch mcconnell would not rule out the possibility of rescinding his endorsement of donald j trumps presidential bid down the road and he described the candidate as lacking knowledge in a number of areas in an interview released on friday
the comments from mr mcconnell in an interview with the masters in politics podcast on bloomberg politics came as republicans down the ballot continue to face questions about mr trumps criticism of the indiana born federal judge overseeing a case against trump university as mexican mr mcconnell has been pointed in his criticism of those remarks
it was the first time though that mr mcconnell offered anything less than an ironclad response of sticking with mr trump despite the numerous controversies that the presumptive republican nominee has instigated
asked if there was a line that mr trump could cross that would prompt mr mcconnell to rescind his endorsement mr mcconnell demurred
im not going to speculate about what he might say or what i might do said the senator from kentucky but i think its pretty clear ive been very clear publicly about how i think he ought to change directions and i hope thats what were going to see
this week senator mark kirk of illinois one of the most vulnerable republicans in the senate withdrew his endorsement of mr trump over the remarks about judge gonzalo p curiel senator lindsey graham who has not endorsed mr trump urged other republicans to follow mr kirks lead
at another point mr mcconnell said that he was comfortable with supporting mr trump at the moment suggesting that the candidate would face checks and balances that could curtail him should he get elected
for all of his obvious shortcomings donald trump is certainly a different direction and i think if he is in the white house hell have to respond to the right of center world which elected him and the things that we believe in mr mcconnell said so im comfortable supporting him
but he condemned mr trumps lack of preparedness and said that he will need to factor that into his choice of running mate
he needs someone highly experienced and very knowledgeable because its pretty obvious he doesnt know a lot about the issues mr mcconnell said you see that in the debates in which hes participated its why i have argued to him publicly and privately that he ought to use a script more often   there is nothing wrong with having prepared texts


renting out your house or apartment or even a room in your home may seem an easy way to make some money or help pay for your own summer vacation now that online rental hubs make it simple to market your property but its worth learning about the tax rules that may apply to avoid costly surprises next april
to keep things simple consider limiting the number of days you rent your home or a room in your home to no more than 14 a year if you rent out your home for fewer than 15 days you dont have to pay federal income tax on the money you earn in fact you dont even have to report the income to the internal revenue service said jonah gruda senior tax manager with weisermazars in new york
it doesnt matter if you make 400 4000 or more the money is tax free at least its free of federal income tax more later on other types of taxes that may apply
the tax exemption   one of the rare times you can earn money and not pay any income tax on it   is called the masters rule by some because it is used by those who rent out their houses in augusta ga during the professional golf tournament but it can benefit anyone living near a major event like the super bowl or the kentucky derby this summer those with homes near the major political conventions   to be held in cleveland for the republicans and philadelphia for the democrats   could potentially reap a rental windfall
the 14 days dont have to be consecutive said bob meighan the vice president of customer advocacy for turbotax so you dont necessarily need to live near a large one time event to take advantage of the exemption you can also rent for a day or two here and there and pay no taxes as long as the total is fewer than 15 days it is one of the best tax benefits available for those who know about it mr meighan said
here are some questions and answers about tax rules when renting your home
if i rent my home for 14 days or less can i deduct any expenses i incur
you cant deduct direct costs like utilities that result from the rental mr gruda said but if you usually take a deduction for home mortgage interest and property taxes you can continue to take that on your tax return
what if i rent out my home for 15 days or more
once you exceed the 14 day limit   even if its just by one day   the two week exemption goes away all the money you made must be reported and will be subjected to income tax theres no give or take on that one mr meighan said
in that case however you can reduce the tax you owe by deducting related rental expenses like cleaning fees repairs and the like said amy wang senior technical manager for tax advocacy at the american institute of cpas since the rental is now considered a business both the income and the deductions would be reported on schedule e it can be complex she said so keep good records of all your expenses
do i have to pay local taxes on money i earn by renting my home
short term rentals   typically those of 30 days or fewer   are often subject to state and local lodging or transient occupancy taxes you may have to pay these taxes usually based on a percentage of the rental fee even if you dont owe income taxes check with your local county or state government to see what rules apply in your area


when mayte lara ibarra the valedictorian of her high schools graduating class revealed her plans to attend the university of texas at austin on a scholarship she did what any graduate would do she shared her excitement on social media
ms lara also declared proudly that she is undocumented
valedictorian 45gpa full tuition paid for at ut 13 cordsmedals nice legs oh and im undocumented she wrote in a tweet posted last week hours after she gave her valedictory speech to fellow graduates at david crockett high school in austin
in an era where the presumptive republican presidential nominee donald j trump has vowed to build a wall to keep out undocumented immigrants and many latinos are rushing to seek citizenship to vote against him others are finding ways to raise their voices or step out of the shadows
ms lara whose path to the united states was not immediately clear and who didnt mention her undocumented status in her speech chose instead to talk about ap tests proms and pep rallies but on the same day a few hours north in mckinney tex another valedictorian larissa martinez did
speaking to her class ms martinez who says shes headed to yale declared that she is undocumented and indirectly addressed anti immigrant sentiments voiced by mr trump according to the website mic she crossed the border in 2010 from mexico with her mother and sister
america can be great again without the construction of a wall built on hatred and prejudice said ms martinez according to wfaa a local abc affiliate she told the station that she had a full scholarship to yale with plans to study medicine
but some observers saw the students decision to express pride in being undocumented as an affront and criticized them on social media
in ms laras case the outrage over her tweet led her to delete her twitter account one critic hillary shay davis who has a daughter who graduated with ms lara said she believed that the teenager was proud of taking advantage of the system
i have never thought about deporting a child who graduated from a us high school and fought against the odds to be successful until this moment ms davis wrote on facebook she added something else that i have never thought i would support until this moment is trump and buildthatwall
versions of this sentiment echoed throughout social media
ms lara is departing the austin independent school district where 58 percent of students are hispanic and entering a college system where hispanic students are the second largest share of the population the university of texas also offers support services for undocumented students
gary susswein a spokesman for the university of texas said that federal law prevented him from discussing the cases of individual students but he offered a statement that said that the university grants two semester tuition waivers to all valedictorians of texas public high schools regardless of their residency status
state law also does not distinguish between documented and undocumented graduates of texas high schools in admissions and financial aid decisions the statement said university policies reflect that law
jose antonio vargas the pulitzer prize winning journalist and immigration activist who revealed that he is undocumented in the new york times magazine in 2011 said that gestures like ms laras were part of a larger effort on behalf of undocumented people to be open and upfront about their status
being undocumented is part of her identity as is being a latina he said thursday he added for many undocumented people this is our way of telling people that we are not who people think we are
define american a project mr vargas started in 2011 holds events and online campaigns where people can share their immigration status an effort he said that was meant to shape the conversation around immigration so its a more human one
although people have been using twitter and youtube to make their immigration status public for years mr vargas said he thought the criticism of ms martinez and ms lara was coming at a tense time in the election cycle in the case of ms lara he said that people were circulating misinformation and he referred to the state law granting the waivers to valedictorians
this young woman is not taking somebody elses spot he said of the waivers shes not getting special treatment she is getting that because she graduated as valedictorian and thats how it is in texas


hong kong   line the japanese messaging mobile app service may want to rethink its bear mascot a bull might be more appropriate
the company which is famous across asia for its use of cute animated emoticons it calls stickers is seeking to raise about 1 billion in listings in new york and tokyo next month according to a filing on friday that would value line at more than 5 billion which could make it the biggest market debut for a technology company so far this year
line which is owned by the south korean online portal naver will be tapping capital markets at a time when tech start ups have had increasing difficulty raising funds from investors but with more than 300 million in revenue and the backing of a major south korean internet company line stands out from private start ups that may seek to raise funds by listing in the coming years
line also lets people share images and make voice calls it makes money by selling stickers of characters like brown its poker faced ursine mascot and through video games and conventional advertising
like other asian rivals line allows celebrities and brands to host official accounts to engage with users over social media more recently it has added ride hailing and online payments to increase its sources of revenue
line which has more than 200 million users is the messaging mainstay in japan the third largest economy in the world after the united states and china it has been competing with the likes of whatsapp owned by facebook and wechat owned by tencent of china to draw smartphone users in markets across asia about half of its users come from outside japan mostly in indonesia taiwan and thailand
the companys revenue has grown steadily in recent quarters
with the new round of fund raising line will most likely continue to push into new markets and also to expand services like payments
still the company faces competition from numerous messaging competitors many of which have holds over important markets or demographics
so extreme is the competition that line does not dominate in south korea even though its parent naver is well established there kakao talk prevails instead in china wechat is the most popular app
line has signaled that it intends to do more to compete in markets like the united states where it also faces rivals like facebook messenger and snapchat


for months a central question of the 2016 presidential race has been how much distance hillary clinton needs to keep between herself and president obama
in the last 50 years voters have shown little interest in backing the candidate of the same party as a sitting president the exception is george bush who succeeded ronald reagan
but the country has grown drastically more partisan in recent years mrs clinton is relying on support from the obama coalition to be elected and mr obama is relying on her to continue his legacy
and so the two will make their first joint campaign appearance next week in wisconsin one of a series of events they are expected to hold together
over the course of a toxic presidential race both mrs clinton and donald j trump have accrued historically high negative ratings in polls mr obamas numbers perhaps as a result of the vitriolic presidential race have improved and he hopes that his endorsement of mrs clinton announced after he held a meeting on thursday with her rival bernie sanders will bring the vermont senators supporters to her side
still mrs clinton needs to maintain a separate political identity from mr obamas and so while the accelerated endorsement from mr obama was welcomed by democrats who have been urging the party to unite the general election campaign needs to remain mrs clintons show


as it looks to navigate a period of more modest energy prices bp said on friday that it would merge its oil and gas operations in norway with det norske a norwegian exploration and development company
the deal with the much smaller oil company controlled by the norwegian industrial giant aker appears to be a way for bp to slim down while keeping a hand in norway a major oil and gas producing nation the new company to be called aker bp will also use its heft to take advantage of a weak energy environment to make targeted acquisitions
bp needs in this hypercompetitive world to think about different commercial models in different places robert dudley the british companys chief executive told analysts on friday during a conference call
bp operates five oil and gas fields in norwegian waters there is the potential to expand some of these fields and extend their lives by finding new usually smaller oil and gas deposits around them and by tying them into existing platforms
but more efficient operations are required to make such opportunities profitable royal dutch shell recently said that it might exit operations in up to 10 countries where its oil and gas operations were too small to make financial sense
oil giants like bp and royal dutch shell acknowledge that smaller companies are often better at operating existing fields
in 2003 for example apache a midsize company based in houston acquired part of the once impressive forties oil field in the north sea from bp where production had fallen more than 90 percent from peak levels apache has made a success of the deal raising production about 20 percent
analysts said bp whose production would probably have otherwise declined in norway had found a low risk way to try to bolster a weak business the transaction strengthens bps position in norway where it has long been underweight analysts at bernstein research in london wrote in a note to clients on friday
bps exploration and production chief bernard looney said on the analysts call that det norskes lean approach would benefit the oil giant the two sides expect the combined company which now produces about 122000 barrels a day to double its output by the early 2020s
mr dudley suggested that other deals might be in the offing he has already created a separate subsidiary to operate bps shale oil and gas business in the united states
like other oil companies bp is under pressure to bring costs in line with the sharply reduced revenue resulting from lower oil prices which are now in the range of 50 a barrel in the first quarter of this year bp lost 12 billion on its once lucrative oil and gas exploration and production operations
bp has led the oil majors in selling assets because it also needed cash to pay for liabilities from its deepwater horizon oil spill in the gulf of mexico in 2010 the oil giant has raised 60 billion through disposals in recent years
under the deal announced on friday bp would have a 30 percent shareholding in the oslo listed aker bp and receive 140 million in cash aker would have a 40 percent stake and the other shareholders 30 percent


among the dignitaries who will speak on friday at muhammad alis memorial service in louisville ky such as former president bill clinton and the comedian billy crystal is one washington figure who might be something of a surprise senator orrin g hatch republican of utah
mr ali the former heavyweight champion showed up in mr hatchs office in the senate one day in 1988 apparently impressed by mr hatchs performance at some high profile hearings a deep friendship was born
mr ali campaigned in utah for mr hatchs re election in 1988 and attended the republican national convention that year at his invitation the former champion was a participant in golf fund raising events for a charity organized by mr hatch and the pair were in frequent contact over the years mr hatch once had one of the fighters championship rings but he returned it on the advice of the ethics committee
i like orrin mr ali told insight magazine in 1988 hes a nice fella hes a capable man and hes an honest man and he fights for what he believes in
mr hatch a former mormon bishop will be representing the mormon church at the interfaith service
muhammad ali was the toughest of the tough yet he was also gentle and kind mr hatch said upon mr alis death he could spar with the best of them in the ring but outside the spotlight he was meek and mild
mr clinton had long called mr ali a friend a bond first forged when mr clinton was president after he left the white house the relationship developed over meals at awards ceremonies and during other special events
at a white house party in 2000 mr clinton wrapped the retired champion in a bear hug in 2005 the former president traveled to louisville for the dedication of the muhammad ali center a museum and multicultural venue three years later mr ali attended the opening session of the clinton global initiative in new york
campaigning for his wife in california last week mr clinton recalled mr alis exuberance in the ring is this guy a boxer or a ballerina mr clinton remembered thinking as a boy and the quiet dignity of his later years most memorably as the final torchbearer at the 1996 olympics in atlanta
once the most graceful powerful athlete in the world with his hands shaking holding on mr clinton said he did his job
in excerpts from his planned eulogy mr hatch said that although his friendship with mr ali may have been puzzling to some where others saw difference ali and i saw kinship
he added we were both dedicated to our families and deeply devoted to our faiths and were both products of humble backgrounds and hardscrabble youth but he continued our differences fortified our friendship they did not define it


shanghai   as the 19th shanghai international film festival gets underway saturday much of the focus among participants is on the 14 contenders for the golden goblet the top prize at the event that runs through june 19 from the philippines to denmark iran to japan the films origins cover the globe
but among them one region stands out the rugged terrain of chinas tibetan areas forms the backdrop for two of the countrys three competitors de lan by the director liu jie and soul on a string by zhang yang
together the films highlight a shift in the cinematic depiction of chinas ethnic minorities especially of tibetans
before tibet was usually portrayed in chinese films in several ways said wu jueren who oversees the chinese language programming for the festival there were the socialist propaganda films that were meant to show ethnic harmony and national unity and the commercial films which often portrayed tibet as a kind of mythical healing land where people would go to escape
although such films are still being made the scope of films about tibet is expanding as chinese filmmakers seek new ways to approach what can be a delicate and highly politicized subject
for years chinas communist party has accused the exiled dalai lama the widely revered tibetan spiritual leader of supporting tibetan independence tensions have grown since a 2008 tibetan rebellion which prompted a government led security crackdown in the autonomous region as well as a wave of self immolations by tibetans in protest
still filmmakers are starting to more accurately capture the essence of life in tibet said pema tseden a tibetan filmmaker and a member of the jury for this years golden goblet they are starting to let go of the old stereotypes
the demystification of tibet in chinas films has been driven in part by the steady rise of tourism to the region in recent decades although there are still restrictions on travel to tibet droves of chinese and non chinese visitors have been able to see firsthand a part of the world previously accessible to them only through images and stories
more important some experts say is the emergence in the past 10 years of a contingent of tibetan filmmakers with films like mr tsedens tharlo 2015 and sonthar gyals river 2015 the new tibetan wave of directors has presented audiences with an unvarnished view of life in modern tibet stripped of fantasy and exoticism
these young tibetan filmmakers are trying to make us look very hard without giving us answers said robert barnett director of the modern tibet studies program at columbia university many of their films provide an uncompromising view of difficulty in modern society theyre not deliberately provocative but they also dont offer us comfortable resolutions
many of the films deal with the impact of modernization on tibetan cultural traditions some chinese directors who belong to the countrys ethnic majority the han say these tibetan productions have helped them better understand their relative position as cultural outsiders
films made by tibetans about themselves can serve as a kind of reference point for non tibetan filmmakers said mr zhang whose previous films have included shower 2000 and getting home 2007 they push us to break away from the traditional movie narrative that takes tibetan culture as a novelty
to prepare for soul on a string mr zhang spent several months in 2013 living in tibet some of his experience was captured in last years paths of the soul a part documentary part fiction feature by the director about a group of tibetans on a 1200 mile pilgrimage through lhasa the regional capital
it was important to me to first understand tibetans   what their everyday life was like and their religion   before i felt ready to make soul on a string  he said
the new film based on a story by the prominent tibetan writer tashi dawa draws on tibetan folk traditions and magical realist elements to relate the adventures of a man named tabei the tibetan actor jinpa who is brought back to life by a living buddha after being killed by lightning the film follows him as he pursues a mission to bring a dzi bead or protective amulet to a holy land all of the actors in the film are tibetan and speak tibetan
until now some critics say not many non tibetan filmmakers have succeeded in moving past a very stylized depiction of tibetans as a people apart
besides the state supported propaganda films there are a few films down the middle that show what happens when presumably well meaning ethnic han directors create portraits of a tibetan other  said shelly kraicer a film critic in toronto and a scholar of chinese cinema
what happens at the end of the day he said everybody is still using and exploiting images of tibet
films about ethnic minorities and in particular films about tibet are subject to special scrutiny in china to make sure they comply with government restrictions on discussions of the regions history and religion
all films about tibetan areas are sent for approval to the tibet committee of the united front work department under the communist partys central committee   not just the state media regulator as is the case with most films
you have to communicate with the censors a lot said mr liu director of de lan much more than with most films
mr lius film made in the tibetan areas of northern yunnan province and set in the 1980s concerns a young ethnic han named xiao wang dong zijian who travels to tibetan villages to make loans and collect payments in one of the villages he falls in love with a local woman de lan de ji
its a very sensitive topic said mr liu who recalled the divided response after he showed the film to people within the industry one group of people said no you cant do that you showed the poverty of tibetans then another group of people said you are showing han people giving money to the tibetan people 
to get films past the censors some filmmakers say they deliberately focus on narrow depictions of everyday life while avoiding larger narratives concerning religion or history
of course the films will still touch on religion and history mr tseden said its not possible to exclude them altogether since they are so intertwined with daily life
despite the censorship and restrictions many filmmakers are optimistic tibetans are increasingly interested in film they say and local directors still have a range of relatively apolitical topics to explore including the effects of modernization and other internal issues
when it comes to non tibetan filmmakers however many observers are more pessimistic even as some non tibetan directors seek out new tibetan stories to tell they say the evolution of tibetan films will remain stunted unless the elephant in the room   government censorship   is addressed
non tibetans whether chinese or western have to confront their own history of colonialism if they are to make a serious film about a place or people colonized or semi colonized by their society mr barnett of columbia university said otherwise the result is always a kind of condescending exoticism even if sympathetic


donald j trump tried out several lines of attack against hillary clinton at one point calling her unfit to be president as he delivered an otherwise noticeably restrained speech to an audience of evangelical activists here friday
appearing before the faith and freedom coalitions road to majority conference mr trump promised to uphold the sanctity and dignity of life and to restore respect for people of faith
but he also used the opportunity to press his case against mrs clinton portraying her as arrogant attacking her economic policies and willingness to admit syrian refugees into the country and questioning her judgment as secretary of state
shell appoint radical judges who will legislate from the bench overriding congress and ill tell you the will of the people will mean nothing   nothing mr trump said she will undermine the wages of working people with uncontrolled immigration creating poverty and income insecurity hillary clintons wall street agenda will crush working families shell put bureaucrats not parents in charge of our lives and our childrens education
referring to mrs clintons call for mr obama to take in 65000 syrian refugees mr trump also challenged her to instead replace her support for increased refugee admissions with a new jobs program for our inner cities
we have to temporarily stop this whole thing with whats going on with refugees where we dont know where they come from he said adding we have to take a timeout we have to use the money to take care of our poorest americans and work with them so they can come out of this horrible situation that theyre in
mrs clinton has been calling mr trump temperamentally unsuited for the white house and he tried to turn the tables mrs clinton refuses to even say the words radical islam   refuses to say it mr trump said this alone makes her unfit to be president
he has vowed to deliver a major speech monday attacking both mrs clinton and her husband as personally corrupt and on friday mr trump asserted that the email scandal that has overshadowed mrs clintons campaign for months had its origins in such venality
hillary clinton has jeopardized   totally jeopardized   national security by putting her emails on a private server all to hide her corrupt dealings he said
the claim appeared to refer to concerns that the private server mrs clinton used as secretary of state may have been more vulnerable to being hacked by foreign adversaries than the state departments email system although the emails were supposed to contain only unclassified information the department has retroactively withheld some of their contents as classified when reviewing them for release in response to a freedom of information act lawsuit
but mr trump offered no backup for his claim that the private server was used to hide corrupt dealings
noting that president obama had officially endorsed mrs clinton on thursday mr trump added first time ever by the way a president of the united states endorsed somebody under criminal investigation
but that assertion also goes beyond the known facts the fbi is investigating mrs clintons use of a private server but agents have not yet interviewed her and it is not clear if she herself is a target of a criminal inquiry
a few young protesters interrupted mr trumps remarks shouting dump trump and other slogans after they were muscled out by security guards mr trump called them professional agitators who were sent in by the other party   believe me
mr trumps speech friday came as he is battling to regain his footing after weeks of missteps none more damaging than his questioning whether a federal judge could preside fairly over a case against trump university because the judge is of mexican heritage
with party leaders expressing outrage and voicing doubts that he can unify republicans and defeat mrs clinton in november mr trump noticeably curbed his impulsiveness tuesday night promising in a prepared speech not to let his supporters down
still in a bloomberg politics podcast published friday morning senate majority leader mitch mcconnell raised the possibility of rescinding his endorsement if mr trump did not change directions alluding to what he called mr trumps obvious shortcomings mr mcconnell said its pretty obvious he doesnt know a lot about the issues
before the faith and freedom coalition friday afternoon mr trump again stuck mainly to a script reading from teleprompter screens but he still ad libbed in his characteristically clipped syntax
we want to uphold the sanctity and dignity of life marriage and family as the building block of happiness and success he said and by the way i know many many very successful people the happiest people are the people that have had great religious feel and that   incredible marriage children its more important than the money folks believe me
mr trump   who has been married three times   does not hew to traditional conservative orthodoxy he previously supported abortion rights and he said earlier this year that planned parenthood has done some very good work for millions of women and in response to north carolinas controversial new bathroom law mr trump said that transgender people should be able to use whatever bathroom where they feel most comfortable
but he nonetheless won the early endorsement of leaders like jerry falwell jr president of liberty university and successfully wooed evangelical voters during the primary exit polls showed
hogan gidley a former aide to gov mike huckabee of arkansas said that while evangelicals would love to have a true evangelical in the white house they understood that republicans required a broader coalition to win in november
republicans cannot win without getting evangelicals and they cant win only getting evangelicals mr gidley said they have to expand the voter universe and so far trump has done an amazing job with that


a kurdish militant group claimed responsibility on friday for a car bombing this week that killed 11 people and wounded dozens near a central tourist district in istanbul
the group   kurdistan freedom falcons or tak   said the attack on tuesday had been carried out in retaliation for turkish army operations in the kurdish dominated region of southeastern turkey and it warned tourists to stay away from the country
the action was carried out to counter all the savage attacks of the turkish republic in nusaybin sirnak and other places tak said in a statement referring to areas in the southeast where the army has been fighting kurdish militants we again warn foreign tourists who are in turkey and who want to come to turkey foreigners are not our target but turkey is no longer a reliable country for them
tak which claimed responsibility in february for an attack on a military convoy in ankara the capital that killed 28 people is considered an offshoot of the outlawed kurdistan workers party or pkk
the pkk has fought the turkish state for decades a conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives violence has surged since last summer when a fragile truce fell apart
the attack on tuesday involved explosives in a car that were detonated by remote control as a police bus drove past in the beyazit neighborhood during the morning rush seven police officers were among the 11 killed
the neighborhood and the nearby grand bazaar and istanbul university are part of the fatih district on the european side of istanbul


nobody believed him his family told him to get help but timothy trespas an out of work recording engineer in his early 40s was sure he was being stalked and not by just one person but dozens of them
he would see the operatives he said disguised as ordinary people lurking around his midtown manhattan neighborhood sometimes they bumped into him and whispered nonsense into his ear he said
now you see how it works they would say
at first mr trespas wondered if it was all in his head then he encountered a large community of like minded people on the internet who call themselves targeted individuals or tis who described going through precisely the same thing
the group was organized around the conviction that its members are victims of a sprawling conspiracy to harass thousands of everyday americans with mind control weapons and armies of so called gang stalkers the goal as one gang stalking website put it is to destroy every aspect of a targeted individuals life
mental health professionals say the narrative has taken hold among a group of people experiencing psychotic symptoms that have troubled the human mind since time immemorial except now victims are connecting on the internet organizing and defying medical explanations for whats happening to them
the community conservatively estimated to exceed 10000 members has proliferated since 911 cradled by the internet and fed by genuine concerns over government surveillance a large number appear to have delusional disorder or schizophrenia psychiatrists say
yet the phenomenon remains virtually unresearched
for the few specialists who have looked closely these individuals represent an alarming development in the history of mental illness thousands of sick people banded together and demanding recognition on the basis of shared paranoias
they raise money hold awareness campaigns host international conferences and fight for their causes in courts and legislatures
perhaps their biggest victory came last year when believers in richmond calif persuaded the city council to pass a resolution banning space based weapons that they believe could be used for mind control a similar lobbying effort is underway in tucson
dr lorraine sheridan who is co author of perhaps the only study of gang stalking said the community poses a danger that sets it apart from other groups promoting troubling ideas such as anorexia or suicide on those topics the internet abounds with medical information and treatment options
an internet search for gang stalking however turns up page after page of results that regard it as fact whats scary for me is that there are no counter sites that try and convince targeted individuals that they are delusional dr sheridan said
they end up in a closed ideology echo chamber she said
in instructional tracts online veterans of the movement explain the ropes to rookies
 do not engage with the voices in your head
 if your relatives tell you youre imagining things they could be in on it
 do not visit a psychiatrist
the tribe cuts across all classes and professions and includes lawyers soldiers artists and engineers in facebook forums and call in support groups they commiserate over the skepticism of their loved ones and share stories of black vans that circle the block or co workers conscripted into the campaign
they have self published dozens of e books with titles like tortured in america and my life changed forever in hundreds of youtube videos they offer testimonials and try to document evidence of their stalking even confronting unsuspecting strangers
they wanted to basically destroy me and they did a young mother in phoenix says in one video choking back tears she lost custody of her daughter and was sent to a behavioral health hospital says the woman whose name is being withheld to protect her privacy but i am going to fight back for the rest of my life
she adds and guess what im not crazy
dr sheridans study written with dr david james a forensic psychiatrist examined 128 cases of reported gang stalking it found all the subjects were most likely delusional
one has to think of the ti phenomenon in terms of people with paranoid symptoms who have hit upon the gang stalking idea as an explanation of what is happening to them dr james said
perhaps unsurprisingly the community is divided over the contours of the conspiracy some believe the financial elite is behind it others blame aliens their neighbors freemasons or some combination
the movements most prominent voices however tend to believe the surveillance is part of a mind control field test done in preparation for global domination the military establishment the theory goes never gave up on the ambitions of mk ultra the cias infamous program to control the mind in the 1950s and 60s
a leading proponent of that view is an anesthesiologist from san antonio named john hall
in his 2009 book a new breed satellite terrorism in america dr hall gave his own account of being targeted agents bleached his water he wrote and bombarded him with voices making murderous threats
the book made a splash because of the messenger a licensed member of the medical establishment who was telling those who feel targeted that psychiatrists were misleading them a janitor knows as much about the human mind he wrote
dr hall 51 was invited for an interview on coast to coast am a conspiracy minded radio show based in california that is said to reach millions of listeners after that he said i had probably three or 4000 emails from people saying its happening to me in this state its happening to me in florida its happening to me in california 
the similarities of the cases spoke to a wide ranging campaign he said if the psychiatrists want to say that this is schizophrenia or delusional disorder thats fine he said but every one of these victims have the same story
while dr hall has faced scrutiny from the texas medical board over his mental fitness he retains his license over time however many others who identify as gang stalking victims end up out of work they are mocked by colleagues tolerated by family friends and spouses fall away
the despair that results has led some to lash out in violence
many in the community for example are convinced that aaron alexis who killed 12 people at the washington navy yard in 2013 was a victim mr alexis a former sailor left behind a document accusing the navy of attacking his brain with extremely low frequency electromagnetic waves on the side of his shotgun were etched the words my elf weapon
it was unclear when myron mays mental distress began but by the fall of 2014 it had become too much he quit his job as a prosecutor in new mexico and traveled to florida there he videotaped a testimonial about how gang stalking had ruined his life
as you can see right now he says into the camera i am totally not crazy
laying out his case he describes an episode at a gas station where he believed somebody in dark glasses was mimicking his movements it was really creepy he said everything i did he did
later in the video he prays for forgiveness for his future sins father he says right now i ask that you look down on all the targeted individuals across the globe help them to cope with this madness
on nov 20 2014 mr may walked into a library at florida state university where he had graduated in 2005 and shot three people leaving one paralyzed he dared the police to kill him then fired in their direction before being fatally shot officials said he was 31
the vast majority of people with psychosis never resort to violence still studies suggest that a small number of those experiencing psychotic episodes   especially paranoid thoughts accompanied by voices making commands   are more likely to act on hostile urges than people without a mental illness
many in the ti community as anyone would have repudiated the shootings by mr alexis and mr may but some also harbor troubling views about their perceived oppressors they question how people could be so cruel
karen stewart of tallahassee fla believes large numbers of regular people have been brainwashed by the national security agency into thinking that she is a traitor or terrorist wherever she goes she says   to church to the grocery store to the doctors office   they are there watching
it baffles her she said but worse it makes me angry to see how many people in this country are sociopaths they are absolute groupthink drones she said i dont even consider them human anymore
susan clancy a harvard trained psychologist who has researched people who believe theyve been abducted by aliens said it could be extremely difficult to dissuade patients who have latched onto beliefs that they think explain their delusions
i think its a need for meaning and a need to understand your life and the problems youre having she said youre not some meaningless nobody youre being followed by the cia
in that way dr clancy said the behavior shares a trait with religious belief to abandon it would be life upending
paula trespas mr trespass mother said she avoided debating with him
it wasnt something that he was making up she said he really felt the way he felt and experienced what he experienced i got to the point where i was just finally saying to him im very very sad that you have to go through this i wish that there was something that i could do 
the big hope is that society will wake up to whats happening and put a stop to it those who feel targeted say in some cases they do seek psychiatric help in others the delusions subside for the rest the prognosis isnt good psychiatrists say many contemplate suicide
mr trespas now 49 says he went so far as to prepare a rope
sitting at a coffee shop in brooklyn last month he says the stalking has thankfully quieted down but he says his harassers have also been seeding his body with morgellons a painful insectlike infestation of the skin that many doctors say is psychosomatic
he is gaunt with weary sad eyes its been eight years since it all began he says he cant hold a job his friends have drifted away
the online community has been a crucial support he says but we dont know exactly whats happening he says maybe were believing the wrong thing i dont know thats why i try to keep my mind open about who and what and why and how
one thing he is certain of though he says hes not crazy


washington   after george w bush twice carried the new hampshire county that includes vote rich manchester and nashua president obama turned the tables and won it in both his elections by similar margins
mr bush handily captured the ohio county that includes cincinnati and its mostly white suburbs in 2004 while mr obama won there running away in 2012 colorado and virginia went for mr bush then flipped to mr obama
now that mr obama has endorsed hillary clinton her advisers are eager to use his political touch in those and other battleground states and extend the democratic streak there this fall they see mr obama as a one of a kind resource   a popular sitting president   in the looming campaign to defeat donald j trump
political strategists at the white house and in mrs clintons campaign are just beginning to determine a specific stump speech schedule for the president after his endorsement on thursday of his former secretary of state mr obama and mrs clinton will appear together on wednesday for the first time since she secured the democratic nomination and they have chosen green bay wis another city where mr obama lifted democratic fortunes
but that is likely to be one of the few times they appear together instead mr obama will be on his own cutting a path across white suburbs in the midwest and rust belt and spending time in african american communities in states like north carolina and virginia the president will reach out to independents and others in new hampshire and iowa and rally young people hispanics and asian americans in competitive states like colorado florida and nevada
hell definitely spend time rallying his supporters said jen psaki the presidents communications director but he will also be engaging communities where people are making up their minds where they are looking to have a discussion about the choice they are facing
clinton advisers described mr obama as the rare sitting president who could help his partys nominee in all of the swing states in the general election other recent two term presidents like mr bush and bill clinton were unwelcome on the campaign trail because their partys nominees john mccain and al gore regarded them as controversial mr clinton had high approval ratings yet his extramarital affair with monica lewinsky and his impeachment proceedings in 1998 made him persona non grata with the gore campaign
mrs clintons advisers citing mr obamas solid approval ratings and popularity with democrats and some independents said they thought he would be a net asset in colorado florida michigan ohio and other battleground states that he carried in 2008 and 2012 and where he is arguably more popular now all those states are critical to mrs clintons electoral strategy
there is not a battleground state on the map where president obama is not an asset said brian fallon a spokesman for the clinton campaign
mr obamas advocacy for free trade agreements and his administrations rules allowing hydraulic fracturing or fracking are unpopular with liberals among others and it is unclear how effective the president can be in transferring his popularity to mrs clinton during the midterm elections of 2010 and 2014 mr obama campaigned on behalf of democratic lawmakers but his party was routed by republicans both times
still clinton advisers said he would be a powerful voice attacking mr trumps fitness and temperament for the presidency and championing mrs clintons determination to build on his record of economic growth expansion of health care and civil rights progress
he also can testify to her character portraying her as putting patriotic duty ahead of their personal rivalry when she accepted his offer to be secretary of state in 2008 after their bruising primary battle in doing so mr obama may be able to help mrs clinton dent her high unfavorable ratings and persuade some voters to put aside their doubts about her honesty and trustworthiness   weaknesses that regularly show up in polls
mrs clintons advisers said they were not sure yet how often she and mr obama would campaign together but said they were eager to deploy him mr obama is bound to campaign mostly in democratic strongholds this fall to help energize voters and ensure strong turnout but the advisers emphasized that they did not feel boxed in about where they could send him as one adviser put it mr obama was broadly popular enough that he could campaign in vote rich cleveland without the clinton campaign worrying too much that voters in parma a suburb would be turned off by regional news coverage of him
during the initial weeks of the general election campaign mr obama is likely to focus on suburban communities in wisconsin minnesota and pennsylvania where the strategists believe that the president will be well received especially among voters who are not strongly aligned with a party or who may be turned off by mr trumps more bellicose rhetoric
some democratic officials also think mr obama can help mrs clinton by directly appealing to supporters of senator bernie sanders in states like wisconsin that he carried this spring while mr obama and mrs clinton share some policy goals and positions that are not liberal enough to satisfy some sanders supporters mr obama still enjoys a measure of good will with many of them as a two term president
i think the president will be able to talk to sanders supporters and be heard by them in a way that mrs clinton cant right now because so many sanders voters havent accepted her as the nominee yet said former gov james e doyle of wisconsin a democrat bernie is tremendously popular here i think people like hillary and shell win here in november but obamas popularity will rub off on her at just the right time   the end of a hard fought primary
still some sanders supporters said they were devoted to their candidate and ambivalent about hearing mr obama extol mrs clinton
i certainly am proud of the things that president obama has done and admire him but we also need some time to grieve the end of the nomination race said pat cotham a democratic superdelegate who recently endorsed mr sanders and a county official in charlotte nc   another area the clinton campaign would like to dispatch the president mr obama won north carolina in 2008 but lost there in 2012 clinton advisers think he could help mrs clinton put it back in the democratic column
i hope that the president acknowledges the unbelievable accomplishments that bernie has made by raising hundreds of millions of dollars without a super pac and the issues bernie and his supporters care about ms cotham said that sort of message would be welcomed
mrs clintons democratic allies also hope that mr obamas efforts on her behalf will impress suburban women providing her with an effective levelheaded counter to the appeal that mr trump demonstrated among white blue collar men during the republican primaries
having obama make the case to independents women even republicans around cincinnati and other swing state suburbs is smart politics because a lot of these voters will want someone other than donald trump said paul a sracic professor and chairman of the department of politics at youngstown state university in ohio and hillary clinton needs their votes to offset her losses among white men in other places
an analysis of voting patterns by the upshot shows that mr obama did even better in 2012 than previously thought in the mostly white counties around cincinnati in butler warren and clermont counties the analysis showed mr obama improved upon the performance of john kerry the 2004 democratic presidential candidate
the focus on independents and suburban women and the message from the president on behalf of mrs clinton are likely to shift as election day draws closer in october mr obama could be expected to fly air force one into places where he can energize turnout among core democratic supporters
aides said the presidents october calendar has been largely cleared of other activities leaving him time to campaign wherever mrs clinton needs him mrs clintons strategists said they were likely to send the president to the orlando area in florida montgomery county pa north of philadelphia denver and charlotte
mr obama has proved particularly good at winning support from black voters in 2004 132 million african americans voted in the presidential campaign in 2012 more than 176 million did and mr obama raised the proportion of black voters who supported him something that mrs clintons campaign hopes he can also do for her in 2004 mr kerry got 86 percent of the black vote in 2012 mr obama got 96 percent


hillary clinton enters the general election with considerable advantages over donald j trump she has a stronger and better funded organization and the electoral map is tilted in her favor president obamas endorsement on thursday accelerated the process of rallying democrats around her candidacy
mrs clinton now has a chance to exploit that edge while mr trump struggles to bring together the republican party and build an effective campaign organization
a look at some important things mrs clinton could do to press her advantage in the coming weeks
it is no accident that mrs clintons first campaign swing of the general election will take her next week to ohio and pennsylvania and that her first joint rally with mr obama will be in wisconsin mr trump has long vowed to compete in traditionally democratic leaning midwestern states viewing the rust belt as the cornerstone of his electoral map
given mr trumps dismal standing with latino voters his prospects look tenuous in traditional swing states like colorado florida and nevada that means his most realistic path to victory runs not only through ohio a perennial battleground but also through states like michigan and pennsylvania that have not voted republican in a generation if mrs clinton can fortify her support in these areas mr trumps electoral map may disintegrate
economic issues remain a rare area of strength for mr trump in the general election a new york timescbs news poll last month found that a majority of voters viewed mr trump unfavorably and lacked confidence in his ability to be commander in chief but half of voters said they were confident that he would make good decisions on the economy giving him a hairbreadth edge over mrs clinton on the issue
during the democratic primary mrs clinton spoke often about economic fairness and tried to reassure liberal voters anxious about rising inequality she now has an opening to communicate in more concrete terms how she would bring about broad prosperity   and to attack some of mr trumps more controversial proposals like his offhand suggestion that the united states print more money to pay its debts
mr sanders may take some time to wind down his candidacy and give a full endorsement to mrs clinton but she doesnt need to wait for his signal to start courting his most energetic voters whose support she will need to beat mr trump in november
the hope among clinton allies is that she can bring reticent liberals on board with a sharp message of contrast with mr trump rather than an explicit campaign to placate the pro sanders left sanders supporters however say they hope to hear new talk from mrs clinton about the issues at the core of his campaign like raising the minimum wage and ridding the political system of big money
mrs clinton has signaled repeatedly including in her victory speech on tuesday that she plans to go after republican votes in the general election but she has been viewed with distrust or worse on the right for a generation now and persuading anti trump republicans to support her may require a more direct appeal
there is a history of candidates showcasing across the aisle support at their partys convention senator joseph i lieberman of connecticut an independent who caucused with democrats trumpeted john mccain in 2008 and senator zell miller of georgia gave george w bush a big lift in 2004 look for prominent republican faces when the democrats gather in philadelphia to nominate mrs clinton next month
as the nomination slipped out of reach for mr sanders his campaign pledged to push for changes to the democratic platform that reflect his campaigns ideological priorities and mr sanders has named some provocative allies including the activist professor cornel west to the committee that will shape the partys formal statement of principles
the challenge for mrs clinton will be placating the sanders bloc and avoiding an unsightly spat without committing to changes that undermine her own agenda the trickiest debate may come over middle east issues as mr sanders has called periodically for a break from the traditional american policy of lock step support for israel


there is perhaps no lost treasure mystery more seductive than that of the priceless amber room of peter the great which disappeared in the chaotic closing hours of world war ii now bartlomiej plebanczyk an unassuming historian and museum director in northeastern poland believes he has found it
elderly villagers told mr plebanczyk that they had seen a german convoy unloading big crates into a secret chamber in a stark moss covered nazi bunker near the russian border in early 1945 so the mamerki museum whichhe leads recently completed a ground penetrating radar scan of the derelict bunker that he said confirmed the existence of a hidden chamber
this is the perfect place to hide something if you have to move it quickly out of eastern prussia mr plebanczyk said
poles are used to hearing extravagant tales of lost war loot and also to hearing the tales debunked last year two men claimed to have found a buried train containing nazi gold but an investigation found no such thing despite that war treasure hunting is such a popular pastime in poland that enthusiasts have their own web forum
the amber room is a singular treasure it was originally completed in the 18th century in a palace near st petersburg russia paneled with six tons of precious amber elaborately carved and decorated with gold after advancing german troops captured the palace in 1941 the 600 square foot room was dismantled and carted off to konigsberg castle in east prussia where it was later exposed to british bombs and soviet shells berlin sent orders in january 1945 to evacuate high value cultural items from the castle but what happened after has never been clear
the soviets declared that the amber room was destroyed in april 1945 as konigsberg was falling to the red army and in the 1970s they built a replica others said the precious amber panels had been aboard the wilhelm gustloff a german military ship when a soviet torpedo sank it in the baltic further theories abound
mamerki 60 miles south of konigsberg now called kaliningrad is not an unlikely place to look the bunker was part of a heavily fortified headquarters for german ground forces on the eastern front
so the polish authorities plan to burrow into the bunker in the coming weeks to see what if anything is inside
mr plebanczyk the museum director said he was quite certain they would find the amber room   or worst case scenario a cache of precious paintings


berlin   one diesel car tested by the german government emitted more than 12 times as much poisonous nitrogen oxide as allowed another was five times over the limit and yet another six times over
the cars were not produced by volkswagen the company at the center of a widespread emissions scandal they were a jeep a general motors sedan and a mercedes benz
a growing stack of recent government and private studies has made increasingly clear that volkswagen was hardly the only company to flout pollution limits while volkswagen illegally manipulated test results the other carmakers in europe just took advantage of a loophole that allows them to throttle down emissions controls whenever there is risk of engine damage   which in some cases is nearly all the time
such information has awakened europeans to the real environmental cost of diesel with far reaching reputational and financial consequences for the auto industry companies are now on the defensive in their core diesel market of europe as environmental groups push for tougher regulations authorities haul auto executives before hearings and politicians call for an end to favorable fuel taxes
its just a question of whos cheating legally and whos cheating illegally said ferdinand dudenhoffer a professor at the university of duisburg essen who follows the auto industry theyre all bad
in an attempt at damage control the german government this week submitted a proposal to european union transport ministers that would narrow though not close the loophole that allows carmakers to deactivate emissions equipment to protect the engine carmakers would be allowed to take advantage of the exception only if they had already deployed the best emissions control technology available
environmental activists have complained for years that nitrogen oxide levels in major cities like rome paris or stuttgart were much higher than they should be because of diesel emissions with grave effects on human health now the activists feel vindicated
its not just fraud   its physical assault said axel friedrich a former official in the umweltbundesamt the german equivalent of the epa mr friedrich was a co founder of the international council on clean transportation which commissioned the tests that exposed volkswagens cheating
tighter limits on tailpipe emissions and more rigorous testing being debated in brussels or in some cases already agreed to will raise the cost of cars with diesel motors diesel vehicles produce far more nitrogen oxides than gasoline cars and require more emissions equipment
price conscious buyers of small cars may decide diesel is no longer worth paying more if so companies like fiat chrysler renault and volkswagen would suffer most profits on small cars already are slim
the biggest challenge will be emissions treatment for small cars simply because of the cost said matthias wissmann a former german transport minister who is the president of the german association of the automotive industry
the changing diesel calculus is a potentially significant blow to carmakers in europe because of fuel subsidies diesels account for nearly half of all cars on european roads elsewhere diesels overall market share ranges from zero to minuscule
diesels are also a crucial source of profits for automakers particularly for luxury and sport utility vehicles that use more fuel more than two thirds of the cars sold by audi and bmw in europe are diesels
diesels market share in europe has held steady since the volkswagen scandal broke in september but there are tentative signs that some europeans are falling out of love with diesel
the share of diesels sold in germany by bmw mercedes benz and volkswagen including its porsche and audi units fell 3 percent in the first four months of 2016 compared with the same period of 2015 according to figures compiled by mr dudenhoffer germany is the largest market for diesel cars in the world and its carmakers are particularly vulnerable to a slowdown
in europe volkswagen led the way in civilizing diesel for mass market passenger cars in the 1990s the company produced engines that were less noisy and less smelly than diesels of old yet offered excellent acceleration and fuel economy
volkswagen used diesel as a competitive advantage against rivals like toyota or general motors opel which were slower to invest in diesel the market shares over the years changed drastically mostly on the back of diesel said david j herman the former chairman of opel
now that diesel is under attack german carmakers are being forced to put more emphasis on hybrid vehicles a technology pioneered by toyota volkswagen has promised to invest in clean technologies as part of a legal settlement in the united states though the details of the investment are still being determined
volkswagen remains the company hurt most by the diesel fallout only volkswagen made clean diesel the focal point of its marketing in the united states the diesel push exposed the company to stricter american government regulations and enforcement and a judicial system more accommodating to class action lawsuits by customers
rivals like daimler gm and fiat chrysler sell diesels in the united states but in much smaller numbers however daimler the maker of mercedes benz cars is also in the cross hairs of federal enforcers it has said it is conducting an internal investigation in response to questions from the department of justice about its emissions in the united states
recent studies by the german and british governments found no proof that any carmakers other than volkswagen had equipped cars with illegal software intended to fool emissions tests
the other manufacturers simply took advantage of rules allowing them to reduce emissions controls to protect the engine under certain conditions such as colder weather the carmakers argued that lower temperatures could cause condensation and a buildup of soot in a major component of the emissions control system causing it to fail
in the case of a jeep cherokee sold in europe by fiat chrysler according to the german government study colder weather meant temperatures as high as 20 degrees celsius or about 68 degrees fahrenheit   not exactly arctic conditions
the jeep emitted more than 12 times as much nitrogen oxide on the road as allowed according to the german study which provoked an indignant response from italy the italian minister of transport graziano delrio said the governments own tests showed fiats were legal and that germany had no standing to maintain otherwise fiat chrysler declined to comment
the german study also found that an insignia sedan made by gms opel unit a car similar to the buick lacrosse sold in the united states emitted more than five times the legal limit of nitrogen oxide a mercedes van was six times over the limit
a british government study of about 40 cars found that they spewed an average of six times the legal limit of nitrogen oxide under normal driving conditions
opel and mercedes said in statements that their vehicles complied with regulations but that nevertheless they were acting to improve the performance of emissions equipment
more embarrassment could lie ahead for the carmakers hearings on diesel are underway in the european parliament in germany opposition parties in parliament are convening a special committee that has the power to call government officials and auto executives
it wont just be about volkswagen said oliver krischer deputy chief of the green party in parliament one of the parties that called for the committee it will also deal with negligence of the whole auto industry


cleveland miss   the multicultural high school band kicked off a punchy pomp and circumstance as the 2016 graduates of cleveland high school marched across the gymnasium they were a near equal mix of black and white students with the occasional nguyen patel or rojas sprinkled among them
here in the heart of the mississippi delta   where whites once howled over federal desegregation orders ignored them for years then largely abandoned their public schools   it seemed in many ways a rare scene of racial redemption the school is 45 percent black and 47 percent white a white co valedictorian spoke followed by a black one jasmine shepard who argued that their educational experience had been enhanced by the diversity
we are better prepared for the world because of it ms shepard said
but the ceremony also came days after a federal judge ruled in a case that has dragged on for a half century that cleveland high is part of a school district that has in other ways deprived generations of students of the constitutionally guaranteed right of an integrated education the towns other high school east side high is virtually all black as segregated as the schools before the supreme courts 1954 ruling declaring school segregation illegal
if the judges ruling stands cleveland high as ms shepard and her classmates knew it may soon be no more
at a time when the percentage of the nations schools that are overwhelmingly populated by the poor and racial minorities is climbing cleveland is wrestling with a quandary quite different from one it faced during the days of legal segregation should it fight to maintain the modicum of integration it has achieved which has kept whites in the district while leaving many blacks in all black schools or should it accept the federal governments more vigorous efforts to pursue something akin to full integration
mississippis troubled history is still reflected in clevelands geographic reality a north south railroad bed separates the predominantly african american east side from the west which is still considered the white side yet the races in this city of 12000 people work and socialize together in ways unimaginable decades ago the school superintendent is african american so is the city manager as in much of the delta the regions near mythic african american practitioners of the blues are considered its most vaunted figures
but reactions to the school decision break down to a large degree along racial lines many african americans are optimistic that the may 13 ruling will go even further in erasing what is left of the old racial divisions by forcing cleveland high the west sides all white school during the days of de jure segregation to consolidate with east side high
valencia brown 45 a teachers assistant who has two children who graduated from east side high considers a consolidation plan that was formulated by the justice department to be the big change that would bring us all together
but many whites fear that a more aggressive desegregation effort will spoil the accommodation the district has developed over the years while under pressure from the federal courts it has allowed whites to attend their traditionally white school while giving the same opportunity to blacks who also wish to attend
dismantling that system they say would prompt whites here to do what they have done in so many other delta cities decamp en masse for private schools or move away this federal desegregation they argue would really mean the resegregation that has happened in other impoverished delta communities nearby
will tierce a white parent who attended the may 20 graduation ceremony to hear his son play in the school band said there was already talk among some white parents about pulling out he said he was not one of them he planned to keep his child in the system no matter what
but my concern is that its going to happen said mr tierce 58 who remembers being abruptly pulled out of his public middle school in indianola miss with the rest of the white students when integration came in the late 1960s its like a snowball when it starts and then its over
the 96 page ruling by judge debra m brown of united states district court in greenville also calls for the merger of two cleveland middle schools that follow the same pattern as the high schools the cleveland school district which oversees roughly 3700 students in 10 schools is considering whether to appeal
the case is one of 177 school desegregation cases in which the department of justice is currently a plaintiff   a reflection of the continuing struggle to comply with brown v board of education 62 years after the supreme court unanimously declared in that case that separate educational facilities for the races were inherently unequal
the ruling here also comes amid fears of a new wave of school resegregation decades after the searing and sometimes violent debates over federal efforts to engineer racial balance in public education an april report by the government accountability office showed a growth in the percentage of public schools with large numbers of poor and black or hispanic students from 2000 1 to 2013 14
the experiences elsewhere further frustrate the supporters of clevelands status quo during and after graduation week parents and students on the west side were eager to show a reporter their cellphones swiping through photo galleries of smiling students of different races as they learned and played together
we feel like its not very segregated at all said mohamad sharabatee 17 a graduating cleveland high senior and a palestinian american we feel like every student has their own choice to go to whatever school they want
gary gainspoletti 64 a city alderman said it was disgusting that the federal government was forcing a consolidation plan that resulted in white flight in so many other delta towns
they repeatedly do something when it repeatedly consistently creates negative consequences he said
the lawsuit was filed in 1965 by a group of black residents frustrated by the fact that the schools in bolivar county which includes cleveland remained segregated more than a decade after the brown decision in 1969 a judge assigned each high school an attendance zone on its side of the tracks crucially he also allowed children who were in the racial majority in any school to attend a school where they would be a minority black enrollment at cleveland high increased slowly but steadily
in 2013 a federal judge glen h davidson abolished the attendance zones and allowed all students to choose their high school or middle school but while some black students crossed the tracks no whites were enrolling in the east side schools despite numerous efforts to entice them
the school district has argued that its open enrollment system is constitutional but judge brown determined that the all black composition of east side schools was a vestige of discrimination she rejected two plans proposed by the district that would have averted or postponed school consolidation
the district is about two thirds black its lawyers have submitted research from christine h rossell a political scientist at boston university that shows that in school districts that are more than 35 percent minority there is significant loss of white enrollment if a mandatory reassignment plan like school consolidation is put in place
were hoping that doesnt happen in cleveland said jamie jacks the school districts lawyer
no one is sure how intense the white flight will be if the ruling stands many whites in the system may not have the means to pay for private school blacks and whites alike note that students have been learning side by side for decades now many students at both high schools take buses to the rival school for classes not offered on their campus
the justice departments plan calls for rebranding the new consolidated high school and middle school and there are a number of residents here both black and white who are concerned about losing traditions the separate homecoming celebrations and the football rivalry between the cleveland high wildcats and east side trojans are deeply embedded in the citys social fabric home of a trojan fan exclaims a sign that adorns some east side yards never say die even in the face of defeat
others are worried about lost opportunities tish givens 45 a white parent said she would keep her children in the school system but was concerned that one school would mean fewer opportunities for students to earn spots on sports teams or play in the band
but there is also lingering concern among many african americans that the current setup allows whites to stealthily work the system to their advantage
separate will never be equal said sherry shepard 53 the mother of cleveland highs black co valedictorian in mississippi she said when there is a choice between sending resources to black children or white children the black children will lose out every time
court documents and state accountability ratings suggest relative parity between the schools at least in recent years per pupil spending tends to be higher at east side than at cleveland high and east side in 2014 earned a higher state rating than its crosstown rival that year the state gave both middle schools a grade of d
some feel that without a change deeply held suspicions are likely to linger
a few days after graduation ms shepard in an email contended that her daughter had been forced to share the valedictorian spot with a white student as part of a cover up ms jacks the school district attorney said the two students grade point averages were the same
i feel that race has everything to do with this debacle ms shepard wrote
but would a change in the status quo lead to progress or turmoil saul brown 50 a black resident contemplated the possibilities on a warm quiet weeknight in front of an east side grocery store
mr brown graduated from east side high and a son is enrolled there now in general he said he was pleased with the system in place now we done worked it out ourselves he said by messing with it theyre going to pull off all kinds of scabs


building in wood is not unusual though until recently it was widely considered unsuitable for high rise or large scale residential and commercial projects this was predominantly because of the potential fire risk but also because of the higher sensitivity of wood compared with concrete to stresses such as wind and temperature changes
over the past 10 years however the emergence of an engineered product known as cross laminated timber or clt has made wood a viable option for wider scale construction
the production process involves gluing pieces of timber into panels which are then cross laid to form larger sections strong enough to withstand being used at greater heights and volume clt has significant fire retardant qualities and the potential to be a flexible lower cost option for the construction industry
it may also be more sustainable according to reports from environmental timber industry and academic analysts it is estimated that the production and use of clt generates about half the carbon footprint of concrete
cross lamination establishes a new level of quality control and fire protection said kevin flanagan a partner with plp architecture in london it brings a new structure and form timber is now being used at increasing heights from 10 to 20 stories he said
plp recently presented the concept of oakwood tower an 80 story building in timber and glass to members of the london assembly the elegantly tapered structure was designed with capacity for 1000 residences though not yet included in any definite construction plan it forms part of a research project by the university of cambridge into the potential scale and uses of timber in dense urban environments
one benefit of clt is that panels are made to the specifications needed at the factory then assembled on site it means the process of construction is quicker than using standard materials such as concrete and steel industry experts say
faster construction is less disruptive to the local neighborhood and timber is also lighter so could conceivably be used to extend existing concrete buildings upwards mr flanagan said plus it puts less stress on underground infrastructure such as transport tunnels
mr flanagan also said that timber has a higher aesthetic appeal for humans than concrete and a softer visual impact on the landscape encouraging a sense of well being among residents
though clt has existed for about 10 years it use has widened only recently one early adopter was andrew waugh a london architect who lives in a seven story timber apartment block he designed his company waugh thistleton began using clt in 2003 for small projects scaling up in 2009 with murray grove a 29 unit residential block in east london for telford homes since then he has also designed timber office blocks and a large scale residential site for the developer regal homes currently under construction in east london with 121 rental units
mr waugh said that clt was less costly than concrete but that soundproofing and energy efficiency in the built product were comparable or better wood is very underrated as a building material but you have to understand how it works and design with timber in mind from the start he said
the use of wood makes sense in locations that have access to large timber resources the eight story carbon12 building was recently approved in portland ore a state that has significant forestry reserves it will have commercial premises and 14 residential units and is one of several timber projects of five stories or taller underway in the city
in australia lendlease a developer has also explored options in wood in 2012 it completed the forte building a 10 story apartment complex in melbourne at the time the building was the worlds tallest timber structure with 23 residences since then the firm has rolled out clt projects in london and been appointed to a government backed research program to explore the potential for the material in singapore
in france too wood is being introduced as an elegant practical option for housing this year the authorities in bordeaux commissioned hyperion a 183000 square foot multi use complex of residential and business units
the design by the architect jean paul viguier has three towers one of which will be in wood and reach 18 stories to become the worlds tallest timber building when it is completed in 2020 each floor will have five or six apartments or duplexes with glass balconies and a series of garden and outdoor areas
timber has also begun to make noticeable forays into the residential markets of scandinavia in norway the 14 story treet tower in bergen offers 62 apartments half of the units priced from about 33 million kroners or 404000 were sold before the start of construction in 2014 though units are still available
cities in sweden have also embraced the trend folkhem a stockholm developer plans to build projects on 22 sites in the swedish capital with 6000 apartments in total one of these is strandparken a waterfront site where two eight story timber blocks with 64 apartments have been completed and sold
using wood makes sense in scandinavia where timber grows fast and is an endless natural resource said martin videgard director of tham  videgard a swedish architect practice we see timber not as a trend but as a way of dealing with sustainability issues
the firm has submitted designs for a proposed mixed use waterfront development in stockholm also for folkhem the project will have four 20 story timber towers with more than 200 residential units as well as commercial space on the lower floors the towers were designed to allow maximum light to pass around and through the structures
economies of scale may make clt increasingly cost effective but at the moment it is still a niche material its early stages for the industry mr videgard said a lot of firms are waiting to see how it works on the ground but its nice that we are at the forefront


parede portugal   obscured behind a stone wall and two sprawling ficus trees sits a palacete or small palace that helped change the architecture in this coastal town once a summer retreat for urbanites the fanciful stone covered house was built in 1899 for a family from lisbon 14 miles east with its blend of the elegant and the rustic the design established a new look for summer chalets nowadays parede along the highway to the better known cities of estoril and cascais is a bedroom community of lisbon
the 5037 square foot or 468 square meter house has five bedrooms three bathrooms several small curved alcoves in fairy tale fashion and a wraparound terrace the property which sits on a 14811 square foot parcel is listed with the estoril office of engel volkers with an asking price of 2 million euros or about 23 million
though the house is a five minute walk from the atlantic ocean the sea is visible from only the attic rooms and tower historically the water of praia da parede was regarded as having healing properties because of its iodine content while the health benefits of the water and mud are debatable some visitors to parede beach still cover themselves in its muddy clay for therapeutic value
the current owner of the house joao ramalho fernandes said he wasnt looking to move when he happened upon the property about 25 years ago and was struck by its features which included a wide stone staircase a tower and a wrought iron lined terrace
i told my wife i just came by a house that i want to buy and she said youre crazy then when she went inside she agreed we need to save this house and turn it into what it once was we also felt it was a lovely place to raise kids said mr fernandes who has twin daughters and a son now grown
it was a mission of love to make a full recovery of the house he said my wife and i tried to restore everything including recreating the molding and the original paint colors
outside the curved and gradually narrowing stairway leads to a thick front door 11 and a half feet tall the entrance hall shines with canadian pine flooring which showcases an ornate enamel godin wood burning stove the 13 foot ceiling gives a first taste of the banquet of moldings throughout the house   a different design for every room from simple lines to elaborate swirls most of the molding is original and where its not we had an expert come to create new molds from the old ones mr fernandes said
a side reception area includes bright stained glass windows that can be covered by retractable folding wooden doors mr fernandes had to replace some of the panes but commissioned them made to match
another downstairs area is used as a media room the home which has updated wiring is equipped with fire and intrusion sensors and a video surveillance system that can be viewed online
the eat in kitchen features walls partly covered with original blue tiles a traditional portuguese decorative element mr fernandes had them removed cleaned and reinstalled in the adjacent formal dining room a simple elegant ceiling molding complements the panel molding along the sides windows and large glass paned doors allow light to enter from three sides
from the entrance hall the main staircase there are also service stairs commands attention for its curves and white painted iron balusters upstairs the main rooms   a large living space and a master bedroom   both have archways in the center and are decorated with outstanding filigree molding the living rooms parquet floor contains seven types of wood mr fernandes said a showstopper is the upstairs bathroom whose walls are plastered with original patterned turquoise green tile the finished attic is divided into several rooms and two bathrooms
from the attic a suspended spiral staircase with iron filigree railing and carved angels leads to the tower which offers a panoramic view of parede and a large swath of the atlantic and on a clear day a vista all the way out to the sintra mountains


wellington new zealand   some of australias most celebrated players and coaches can trace their rugby roots to the randwick rugby club in sydney
england coach eddie jones and australia coach michael cheika played as teammates with randwick in the 1980s when the ella brothers   mark glen and gary   were weaving their magic and bob dwyer was coach the attacking mind set and physical approach prevalent at randwick has remained with jones and cheika ever since
while jones and cheika remain friends their camaraderie will be put on hold over the next three weekends as australia hosts england for three tests with the first in brisbane on saturday
its obviously fun having someone that you know pretty well opposing you cheika said his daughter works with us at the australian rugby union so its a bit weird in that way but its nothing different hes going to be doing his best and were going to be doing ours like you would in any game
neither coach is averse to playing mind games to give his team an advantage and while cheika has been strangely quiet in the buildup to the first test jones has been fiery he was stopped and had his belongings searched by customs officials on arrival in australia and suggested it was all part of a coordinated campaign assisted by australias media to help the wallabies win
england the six nations champion has never won a series in australia and has beaten the wallabies only three times in 17 tests on their turf   twice in 2003 including the rugby world cup final and once in 2010
england has markedly improved under jones who took over after the teams disastrous 2015 world cup but australia a world cup finalist last year will provide a far tougher test than wales ireland scotland france and italy did during the six nations
the australian players generally play a quicker higher intensity style with their super rugby teams than their english counterparts do with their clubs
while jones concedes rugby in the northern hemisphere is slower he is adamant that his players are not any less skillful or fit though they are not used to facing all out attacking rugby on a regular basis
the only way we can change that is by training at a much higher intensity and a much higher quality said jones who has brought glen ella in to work with the england back line thats what we started doing during the six nations and well continue through the australia tour
we need to be good at the things england rugby has always been good at thats being absolutely efficient at set piece and punishing in defense then the plus bit of our rugby needs to be our ability to attack off our own ball and off opposition ball and the australian tour is a great opportunity for us to keep moving in that direction
to get the physical dominance that jones believes england will need to beat the wallabies the coach has suggested his team employ its own version of crickets notorious bodyline tactic   a reference to the 1932 33 ashes series when englands fast bowlers were told to aim at the bodies of australian batsmen to nullify them
cheika however is not concerned theyve talked about coming here and being very physical and i think thats good play i enjoy that idea he said
i think our players even though we might be a bit smaller will be up for the physical battle when it comes
australia has seven players on its roster who could make their debut with karmichael hunt the most high profile
hunt a former rugby league and australian rules football player has been on cheikas radar since switching to rugby union last year and received support from the wallabies coach even after he pleaded guilty to cocaine possession a scandal that threatened to derail his fledgling rugby union career hunt is not scheduled to play saturday and will have to wait at least a week to earn his first wallabies cap
ben teo who was born in new zealand and played rugby league in australia for a decade has been the most talked about new player for england the big imposing midfield back was a teammate with sam burgess when both played rugby league for the south sydney rabbitohs burgess switched to rugby union to play for england in the 2015 world cup and he drew plenty of scorn after the teams poor showing at the tournament in november shortly after the world cup ended he announced he was returning to rugby league
jones is confident that teo who qualified to play for england via his mother and has played two seasons of rugby union with leinster in ireland will have a far more successful transition to international rugby union than burgess did
teo can carry the ball well hes got a short passing game and hes good defensively jones said hes a high quality rugby league player and history shows that most most high quality league players have made their mark in rugby
australia and england are not the only major nations in action during june
wales coach warren gatland has taken an experienced roster to new zealand for its three test series against the world champions
history is against the welsh who have not beaten the all blacks since 1953 and never on new zealand soil
after a mixed six nations it is difficult to see wales ending that losing streak even though the all blacks will have a new look to them the core of the world cup winning group remains under the new captain kieran read coach steve hansen has stressed the all blacks are not rebuilding but re establishing   an ominous warning for their rivals
south africa however is going through a huge rebuilding as it prepares to face ireland south africa has a new coach allister coetzee a new captain adriaan strauss and a 31 man roster that includes 12 nonwhite players as the springboks look to meet the governments transformation policy by the 2019 world cup in japan south africas roster must be 50 percent nonwhite


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1 hillary clinton criticized donald trump for his derogatory comments on women and minorities in her first major speech as the presumptive democratic presidential nominee the venue a planned parenthood event underscored her current focus on rallying the democratic base rather than appealing to the center she followed up on two big endorsements meeting with senator elizabeth warren and having aides begin setting up president obamas campaign appearances

2 mr trump lashed back at mrs clinton and sought to rally evangelical christians speaking at the faith and freedom coalitions road to majority conference protesters disrupted the proceedings the senate majority leader mitch mcconnell offered an unexpectedly blunt view of mr trumps failings and left open the possibility of rescinding his endorsement

3 gawker media filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy and put itself up for sale the company faces a 140 million legal judgment from an invasion of privacy lawsuit brought by the former wrestler hulk hogan with the financial backing of the silicon valley billionaire peter thiel gawker still plans to appeal above its founder nick denton after the initial verdict

4 thousands of people turned out in louisville ky for a joyous celebration of the life of muhammad ali the boxing legend and civil rights icon honored around the world bill clinton billy crystal bryant gumbel and alis wife lonnie eulogized him people in the street chanted ali and threw flowers at his funeral cortege slapping hands with members of the ali family and the actor will smith he dared to love black people at a time when black people had a problem loving themselves a minister said

5 hockey fans also lost an icon gordie howe the detroit red wings player who loved the sport so much that he was a grandfather by the time he retired died friday at the age of 88 the consummate tough guy he was beloved in detroit where he spent most of his 32 professional seasons scotty bowman one of hockeys most successful coaches once said in my estimation he was the best ever

6 three officers who served in new york citys correction department were the latest to be convicted in the brutal beating of an inmate a case that brought to light the pervasive culture of violence on rikers island the district attorney said the convictions send a clear message that a uniform and a badge do not absolve anyone from committing a crime and that even an inmate deserves to be treated like a human being

7 malia obama graduated from the prestigious sidwell friends high school in washington but social media appeared to pay more attention to two graduates in texas one of them above the young women were met with support and outrage for declaring themselves to be undocumented immigrants as they left their texas high schools one is going to yale the other the university of texas at austin

8 the nba ushered in a hectic sports weekend with the golden state warriors beating the cleveland cavaliers 108 97 to take a 3 1 lead in the finals the lpga championship continues in washington state where brooke henderson held the lead after the first round nbc and the golf channel check listings for times and exaggerator the preakness winner is the early favorite in the belmont stakes post time 632 pm eastern nbcnbcsportscom

9 finally noahs ark suffered a modern calamity this replica built by a dutch carpenter using the biblical description as a blueprint crashed into a norwegian coast guard patrol in oslo when the crew towing the wooden vessel lost control it is unclear what happened to the 87 million x 2 animals on board a city resident tweeted
have a great weekend

jonah bromwich contributed reporting
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times insider delivers behind the scenes insights from the new york times in this piece jonathan weisman the timess deputy washington editor explains his recent decision to quit twitter
the beginning of my end with twitter came with both a frowny face emoticon from ari isaacman bevacqua one of the timess audience development experts and a boilerplate email from twitter
for weeks i had been barraged on twitter by rank anti semitic comments nazi iconography of hooknosed jews stabbing lovely christians in the back the gates of auschwitz and trails of dollar bills leading to ovens it all started after i linked to an essay on my twitter account by robert kagan   one that discussed the emergence of fascism in the united states at first i let it flow determined to preserve my twitter time line as a shrine to hate and incontrovertible evidence of rising anti semitism but last week i had begun reporting the most egregiously abusive accounts to twitter   and id received no response
then ms bevacqua assembled the worst of the missives and images forwarded them to twitter and requested action on monday night she was informed none would be forthcoming the next morning i logged on to see a new user calling me a kike declaring that jews should have their assets seized and hoping for a revival of the ovens
i had enough i proclaimed on twitter that i would be leaving it behind   along with my 35000 followers
the racists anti semites and broader world of so called white nationalists protest that any move to censor their hate would be an assault on free speech orchestrated by jewish overlords they add for good measure but that argument holds no water on twitter which is a private company not a public forum   and one that has explicit rules
few read them of course but twitter users agree to the companys terms of service and those terms are explicit on this matter
and there is this
it is not a close call when a user named holololocaust tweets out beautiful women in nazi uniforms honorary aryan broadcasts portraits of adolf hitler cato maior pursues his agenda under a confederate flag and nsrevolution presumably for national socialist uses a swastika as his logo
other things i have learned on twitter taylor swift has been adopted as the patron saint of the white nationalists apparently an icon of aryan purity racists and anti semites are obsessed with something called the 14 words   we must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children   and are particularly fond of holding jews responsible for their own historical misfortunes perpetually demanding that i explain why throughout the history of the diaspora the jews keep getting exiled brutalized and nearly annihilated message we brought it on ourselves
but twitter appears determined to ignore its own terms of service which also include a blanket prohibition on pornography i can assure you that this too is flouted since trutherbot spawn sent me a lovely and explicit gif to illustrate his opinion of my behavior
when i announced tuesday that i would leave twitter to the anti semites racists and misogynist bernie bros who had been threatening female reporters covering hillary clinton something clicked in twitter headquarters almost immediately i began receiving emailed notices informing me that many of the accounts i had flagged had been suspended i could not determine what criteria twitter was using why thebadgoy annudahshoah and grandpalampshade were determined to be abusive yet caporeturns wolfefan aka terminus est and goyimist were just fine
mr capo has of late been busy extolling a video game called expel the jewry mr terminus tweets out the altrights favorite frog meme wearing a white power t shirt and a swastika armband carrying a kalashnikov and standing beneath a forest of nooses mr goyimist recently bragged the best thing about a new twitter account is getting re blocked by all the faggots who blocked your old account rubs hands together
mr goyimist has a point the blocking or deleting of accounts on twitter is a pointless exercise if twitter wont police itself for flagrant violations of its terms of service as i wrote this i took time out to open a new account on twitter my handle jewhater my twitter name hitleranew ihatejews josefgoebbels heinrichhimmler and hitlerreturns were already taken   and hey no problem
facebook users can make up names but they at least have to sound legit twitter not so much yes twitters free for all has advantages parody accounts anonymity for the persecuted and such but that only means twitter assumes more responsibility for policing its accounts
i have been encouraged to return to twitter and told that i should continue to fight that my exit was cowardly that i let the haters win and i might i miss the quick rush of a scan through my time line
but the fact is giving up one social media space wasnt exactly martyrdom it wasnt much of a loss at all i have found myself reading whole articles through the new york times and washington post apps on my phone   imagine that i can actually look at the profiles of people requesting to be my friend on facebook to see if they are in fact trolls if one slips through i not only can unfriend him but can delete his posts it feels liberating
and i am awaiting some sign from twitter that it cares whether its platform is becoming a cesspit of hate until then sayonara


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juan atkins one of the elders of detroit techno and moritz von oswald long important to the techno scene in berlin have collaborated recently on a project called juan atkins and moritz von oswald present borderland the duos new album is transport and they performed over memorial day weekend at detroits movement festival as the critic piotr orlov pointed out in a recent times article transport not only represents a link between the two cities   one that may become stronger if berlins techno entrepreneurs continue to develop their business interests in detroit   but the sound of aging and classicism in a genre that has long been about youth and the future
on this weeks popcast mr orlov and mike rubin   both of whom have been writing about techno for decades   discuss the new project the history of techno in berlin and detroit including the tale of the elusive rik davis and technos dual identity as youth music and heritage culture
related article
techno elders aging gracefully in a youth oriented genre


welcome to watching the new york timess what to watch guide we comb through releases big and small famous and esoteric to email readers twice a week with our timely recommendations our most recent suggestions also appear below to receive our guide straight to your inbox sign up here
i binge watched too much this week not in how much i watched which is never enough for me personally but in how i watched it my lizard brain still tries to sense what day it is based on what i watched the night before   a monday morning teed off by the sopranos or a friday feeling extra peppy because of the previous nights friends i watched seven and a half hours of espns oj simpson documentary yesterday not only can i not sense what day it is im barely sure what year it is
thanks to all of you who wrote in to tell me about what new or new to you shows youve tried based on this newsletter im happy to welcome so many new members to the terriers club if you have a tv question youd like to see answered here let me know or if you too have accidentally removed yourself from the normal groundings of time because of a binge watch and would like to commiserate i am as always here for you watchingnytimescom
still the king sunday 9 pm cmt
watch if you like my name is earl easy comic pacing and dont care too much about acting
billy ray cyrus stars as a washed up pop singer turned elvis impersonator who finds himself back in his hometown and through a series of calamitous coincidences he pretends to be a minister if it sounds a little like tv lands impastor it is and congratulations on being the only other person besides me who watches that show
theres an amiability to the show that charmed me to my enormous surprise and little asides like the local restaurant being called tepids lukewarm grill help keep everything afloat cyrus is just so so in the role but solid supporting performances including joey lauren adams as his ex almost make up for it king is not about to set the world on fire with its greatness but its loose style and tender regard for its characters are appealing
usa gymnastics made in america watch on youtube
watch if you like american womens gymnastics since 2001 or victorious patriotism
the web series not to be confused with this weeks other made in america kicks off with a 40 minute episode but the other installments are each around seven minutes long   not a huge commitment its more or less an infomercial about how great american female gymnasts are with spotlight episodes about carly patterson shawn johnson and nastia liukin but there are interviews with less famous but still decorated athletes too were going to be inundated with so much stuff like this once the rio olympics begin in earnest in august and the truth is i cannot wait i wish there was a channel of just human interest sidebars
the tony awards sunday 8 pm cbs
watch if you like awards shows hamilton or james corden
the tony awards are generally less boring than the oscars and snazzier than the emmys this 2013 opening is still the best awards show opening ive ever seen host james corden himself a tony winner is clearly enthusiastic about the gig but of course the big story is that hamilton is likely to win a boatload of awards dont be the and peggy of sunday
oj made in america part i saturday 9 pm abc parts 2 5 tuesday wednesday friday and saturday 9 pm espn
watch if you like best in its class documentary programming
even if you think youre oj ed out after american crime story give this a try the context explained and the depth achieved over the docs five episodes is extraordinary particularly in the first and the final installments   which cover race and racism in los angeles and the aftermath of the trial its some of the best narrative nonfiction tv ive ever seen
while ryan murphys scripted drama served as a sort of pinhole camera capturing so much about our society through just depicting one case made in america is more like a prism with dozens of ideas refracted through the case and dispersing outward
scandal season 5 coming to netflix on saturday
watch if you like big monologues shondaland soaps that go to 11 and political thrillers with a lot of shouting
dont bother trying to follow every thread on scandal anymore its not worth it   the show has gotten so extreme and yet so repetitive how many times can fitz and olivia break up and make up that close examination just ruins everything
instead let the grandiosity of it all just wash over you let the wine and the pouting be your armor against the cruelties of the world let olivias jacket wardrobe be your north star as you search for a better way to live let mellies wigs inspire you to be who you dreamed youd be let cyruss vocal affectations remind you that anyone who would treat you badly doesnt deserve your love
the 2013 film the conjuring about a possessed farmhouse in rhode island was one of the better horror movies to come along in a while neil genzlinger writes and the conjuring 2 does everything you want a sequel to do its as well made as the original but the location and the story are different enough that its not just the same thing all over again in wide release
 read the full review
 rent the first conjuring on itunes
 or rent it on amazon
greta gerwig ethan hawke julianne moore   this film by writer director rebecca miller has a wonderful cast and its plot handled differently could fall into romantic comedy territory a young who woman wants to have a child plans to be artificially inseminated but then falls in love with a handsome older writer professor but as a o scott writes maggies plan is a modest movie reluctant like its heroine to make large claims or excessive demands but it is also cleareyed generous and funny expanding to more screens
 read the full review
the real oneals star noah galvin is extremely forthcoming in this vulture interview extremely forthcoming
variety examined the gender and racial breakdown for showrunners for network shows making their debuts this fall and found that women who constitute 51 percent of the american population will run 22 percent of the new shows thats not much better than the state of affairs in 1997 98 when 18 percent of the shows on the broadcast networks had women creators oof
this isnt tv related but its a powerful long read about emotional and physical abuse on and offstage at one of chicagos storefront theaters
the great british baking show will return on july 1 to pbs
season 6 of the series whose most recent finale was the most watched show in britain last year will be the third season to air in the us
 read the new york times article


if you think new york city has a varied population just consider its surrounding waters according to jon forrest dohlin vice president of the wildlife conservation society and director of the new york aquarium in brooklyn more than 300 species of fish inhabit those depths diving offshore is like plunging into an aquatic queens
one of the things that makes new york waters so diverse is that were a migratory corridor up and down the coast mr dohlin said it adds up to a great opportunity for kids to understand that issues of marine conservation are not just important around the world but theyre important close to home
the aquarium will deliver that message along with fun and surprises on saturday and sunday when it presents world oceans weekend an extension of world oceans day   june 8   the celebration will comprise seven activity stations from 11 am to 4 pm including one outdoors sea life at the beach which will let young visitors handle materials like skate egg cases real shark teeth and skull models and shells
inside children can learn about coral reefs and play a reef matching game build simple binoculars and imitate tagging and tracking sharks build a nest by the penguin exhibit will invite them to copy the birds behavior and while there are no downward otter poses animal yoga by the otter display will encourage some mimicry too
otters are incredibly nimble mr dohlin explained kids can learn to do different yoga poses and try being as flexible as an otter the stations will continue on weekends through july 4 and daily thereafter through labor day
families can also sign a pledge to help protect forage fish small species near the bottom of the food chain and write letters supporting that effort to the mid atlantic fishery management council creative young conservationists will contribute drawings and poems to a pledge wall and create sea themed crafts one favorite an octopus made from a paper plate and recycled plastic bags
at 10 am and 130 pm children can also interact with some of the aquarium tanks regular occupants not the fish but the divers who help care for them in addition to swimming and showing off their gear these volunteers will explain the importance of saving coral reefs a vital ocean habitat
all the activities will reinforce that the city is more than an urban jungle when youre on a beach in new york mr dohlin said youre looking at an ocean wilderness
surf avenue and west eighth street coney island 718 265 3474 nyaquariumcom


late last year the former vena cava designer sophie buhai launched an eponymous jewelry and home line filled with sculptural silver pieces and ceramic vases since then the brand has built up a steady following   and is now carried by the likes of net a porter and bergdorf goodman
now the los angeles based designer makes her first foray into fine jewelry unveiling a delicate new collection of precious and semi precious stones her trademark egg shaped pendant and earrings have been updated with a diamond speck and a shapely piece of agate hangs from silver studs
buhai says the idea behind the collection which will go on sale this fall was to make something just a little bit fancier than everyday jewelry i was thinking of my mother in the 90s who always wore great costume jewelry with a black cocktail dress she says shes a psychologist a strong intellectual working woman with elegance she adds very catherine deneuve in chanel
the designer plans to further explore the world of semi precious stones in future collections   in her signature minimal way im not into girly princess jewelry she says how can you makes a diamond look bauhaus   is more my vibe buhai gives t the exclusive first look at the collection along with a film shot by the filmmaker and photographer gillian garcia


sam sifton emails readers of cooking seven days a week to talk about food and suggest recipes that email also appears here to receive it in your inbox register here
good morning did you read melissa clarks treatise on summer cooking a while back in which she advised using your grill not just as a place to sear steaks and kebabs and fish but as an outdoor oven she has a terrific recipe for grill roasted chicken with ricotta crostini that goes with it that would be a delight to cook this weekend
but you can do more than think of your grill as an oven i sometimes think of it as an outdoor stovetop as well using it to heat oil in a deep cast iron frying pan to crisp plump pieces of buttermilk soaked chicken beneath a crust of flour amped up with spices salt and pepper fried chicken for a crowd
cooking has loads of recipes for fried chicken and perhaps one of them will inspire you to cook this weekend all of us hope so lately ive been making sure to have a warm bowl of honey mixed with red pepper flakes to drizzle over the meat and for side dishes im thinking pickleback slaw or potato salad with macaroni and cheese with grilled romaine for dessert a banana pudding of course
so thats saturday night wont you join us post pictures of your fried chicken feast on social media using the hashtag nytcooking and well compare notes
other recipes on the docket for this weekend include a fresh batch of granola to greet our forthcoming mornings with yogurt and fresh berries and while were cooking for the future well follow julia moskins lead and cook some recipes for foodstuffs you should make not buy chief among them her recipe for mustard shallot vinaigrette and a batch of her chinese chili scallion oil
maybe some radish and butter sandwiches for lunch on sunday then for dinner well make a big bowl of filipino lugaw off the recipe kevin pang got us from the chicago diner uncle mikes place and call it a weekend
you can find many more things to cook this weekend on cooking of course its smart practice to save the ones youre interested in cooking to your recipe box and its good behavior to share them with friends and family if you think they may feel the same way
now have you found a recipe you like on a site that isnt cooking hey it happens heres molly yehs recipe for chocolate chili splatter paint cake on my name is yeh you can save recipes from other sites to your cooking recipe box as well just as if it were homegrown heres how
if you run into trouble along the way either with the technology or the recipes you can reach us at cookingcarenytimescom or you can find me on twitter and facebook pinterest and instagram this is a service play weve got going were here to serve
finally lunchtimes coming so why dont you grab a sandwich and read or at least look at beautiful things on your screen heres ashley powers in the california sunday magazine on the fort bragg manhunt back in 2011 heres ben lerners short story the polish rider in the new yorker and because its his birthday and he would have been 109 heres a collection of paintings by fairfield porter have a great weekend


for his bookshop and website one grand books the editor aaron hicklin asked people to name the 10 books theyd take with them if they were marooned on a desert island the next in the series is michael cunningham author of the hours who shares his list exclusively with t
half of a yellow sun chimamanda ngozi adichie
its a powerful moving and beautiful novel it is not in any way about the life i live or the world i know
invisible cities italo calvino
invisible cities defies every single rule thats generally applied to fiction every single one it would be silly not to have a book like that on the island with me
glass irony  god anne carson
for the scope and inventiveness of it and of course for its profound intelligence for the reminder that as far as books are concerned the only limits are the ones we set for ourselves
white noise don delillo
don delillo is my sentence god his sentences are more nuanced and forceful and beautiful than any sentences i know if upon departing for this hypothetical island i were to be told i had to shed some weight i could though id be sorry to just take a single delillo sentence with me and read it over and over again
train dreams denis johnson
because as far as im concerned its one of the greatest books written in at least the last 50 years
faithful and virtuous night poems louise gluck
id need poetry id need at least 100 books of poetry im taking glucks most recent collection because its the poetry collection ive read most recently and of course because gluck is a great poet but really if i got started on the poets id take with me i wouldnt know where to stop ...
solaris stanislaw lem
if speculative fiction is the last surviving instance of the novel of ideas this to me is the greatest of them all
the complete stories flannery oconnor
id have to cut the pages out of the habit of being oconnors collected letters and sneak them in among the pages of the complete stories shes the goddess right and id need both books
pastoralia george saunders
i love george saunders i truly love george saunders what else need be said
to the lighthouse virginia woolf
itd be good to be reminded as i pass my days sitting on a beach under a coconut tree of all the life all the beauty and sorrow all the mystery all that can be contained within a relatively modest number of pages itd be good to be continually reminded as i grew older about how much rampant life how much emotion and conflict and joy and disappointment can be conveyed in a novel so perfectly symmetrically structured
im sneaking in an eleventh
a blank book
id take a book with nothing written in it at all i wouldnt write in it id keep it blank id merely look at it sometimes and think about all the books i wasnt allowed to take and all the books yet to be written


what this country needs is a dictator
or thats the sort of proposition that can emerge from fevered imaginations in interesting times take 1933 for example it was the height of the depression in the united states and fascism was on the rise in europe the fevered imagination in this case belonged to thomas f tweed an adviser to the former british prime minister david lloyd george who apparently had some time on his hands when he wrote his first novel quickly adapted into the movie gabriel over the white house
after witnessing the film one is bound to be curious as to how an englishman came to write it the critic mordaunt hall said in the new york times in april 1933 it appears that the author who has not written any other book was taking what he describes as a leisurely holiday aboard a cargo vessel in the mediterranean and this vacation provided the boredom responsible for attacking a solution of american political problems in a somewhat extravagant fashion the author attributes the theme of the book to a statement made by gordon selfridge to the effect that what the united states needed was a benevolent dictator and to chance conversations with others aboard the freighter about the world crisis
the film starred walter huston father of john and grandfather of anjelica in his review mr hall called it a curious somewhat fantastic and often melodramatic story but nevertheless one which at this time is very interesting
the story concerns a fictitious president of the united states named judson hammond who while convalescing from injuries suffered in an automobile accident is presumed to be inspired by a vision declared by his secretary to be that of the archangel gabriel to change his governmental tactics and proclaim himself a dictator of the land thus hammond who in the first sequences is portrayed as a careless partisan politician becomes an earnest and conscientious president who tackles the problems of unemployment crime and the foreign debts something after the fashion of a lincoln
pre accident mr hustons president hammond is no dictator but he is no leader of the free world either mr hall wrote that in one scene he rather scoffs at the quill pen with which lincoln is supposed to have signed the emancipation proclamation and he delights in driving his own car at 100 miles an hour
it is while he is driving recklessly separated from his security detail that he crashes and becomes a very different leader
he calls attention to the power of the president talks of putting the country under martial law asks the most powerful of all murderous racketeers to come to the white house deals lustily with prohibition and establishes government liquor depots
no establishment pol here
shortly before the films release the times reported that metro goldwyn mayer is gravely concerned over gabriel over the white house one of the companys important spring pictures which dramatizes some of the countrys current problems a number of film leaders here felt that because of economic and political conditions it was unwise to show a film which might be regarded by the nation at large as subversive and by foreign nations as invidious
some changes were made before its release mr hall wrote that in its original version the film apparently depicted hammond as insulting and very bombastic at cabinet meetings that the newspaper correspondents after an interview with hammond ridiculed the president in the press room that the relations between hammond and the girl were anything but platonic
writing in the times decades later in 1992 vincent canby noted that the film was appalling for the casual way in which it glorifies presidential death squads the possibly permanent dismissal of congress and the suspension of all constitutionally guaranteed civil liberties but it was no fringe movie he wrote it was a mass market entertainment produced by william randolph hearsts cosmopolitan pictures and released by m g m it was even a hit as much as any film in the retrospective gabriel over the white house reflects the degree of american bewilderment at the time it was made


the great british baking show the bbc series that has attained near cult status in the united states will premiere a third season on july 1 on pbs
hosted by mary berry the author of more than 70 cookbooks and the baker paul hollywood the great british baking show has aired six seasons in britain the most recent finale was that nations most watched television show of 2015 when it was broadcast in october pbs which aired two previous seasons of the show will broadcast britains season 6 in the united states and call it season 3 additional seasons of the series will premiere on pbs over the next two years
what it lacks in vitriolic chefs and dramatic competitors common to american cooking competitions the great british baking show makes up for in earnestness and charm a dozen amateur bakers offer pleasant backstories and do their best to maintain stiff upper lips while toiling over mixers and ovens in a tent at the downton abbey esque welford park in berkshire
but the very british sounding confections are the real stars of this bafta winning series be warned episode 8s flaky puff pastry horns filled with rose pistachio and mocha hazelnut buttercream frostings will make you want to lick the screen
the first season of the great british baking show known as the great british bake off in britain is available on netflix and the first two seasons are available on pbsorg for pbs members


before the advent of hashtags and the surplus of shirts that tout them the english designer bella freud was working with wordplay knitted with phrases like ginsberg is god dad her father is lucien freud and psychoanalysis her great grandfather is sigmund her sloganed sweaters have been a hit for more than a decade freuds influences   french new wave power couples rastafarians   are as unexpected as her androgynous hippie look the 55 year old who has a teenage son with the writer james fox has made short films with john malkovich and even penned a column on beauty for the sunday telegraph now shes thinking about starting a line of pajamas and bedding im always rummaging around markets for vintage striped sheets freud says im currently in love with the idea of making all the things i want to have in my home


times insider delivers behind the scenes insights into how news features and opinion come together at the new york times in this article the metro reporter winnie hu describes her excitement and trepidation about going behind closed doors at 520 first avenue the headquarters of the new york city office of chief medical examiner
the city morgue was less creepy than i imagined
yes there were dead bodies everywhere but they were mostly hidden from view zipped into body bags and neatly tagged there was little to suggest the violence and misfortune that had landed some of them in this subterranean warren of rooms
even the autopsies were not so bad medical examiners outfitted in scrubs aprons masks and gloves matter of factly dissected bodies in a sterile white room the radio played in the background and technicians chatted animatedly as they rolled bodies in and out there was a surprising sense of normalcy to it all
we see so much tragedy here you have to keep a good attitude or it would be overwhelming explained jeff spielman a forensic photographer
as a reporter for the metro section i had caught glimpses before of bodies and body parts at murder scenes and train crashes among other places but i had worried that in a morgue i would be surrounded by bodies too close to ignore the blood and gore in the end curiosity beat out trepidation when i was invited to see firsthand how the city trains medical examiners
for years i had walked by the headquarters of the new york city office of chief medical examiner at 520 first avenue a short brick building in the shadow of the gleaming towers of new york university langone medical center what was it like inside i wondered from the outside it looked small and unimpressive its name out front was nearly unreadable with missing letters like a word on wheel of fortune
in the lobby silver block letters on the wall behind the reception desk spell out a phrase in latin that translates roughly to this is the place where the dead help the living
the agency is one of the largest and busiest medical examiners offices in the nation performing about 5000 autopsies a year for deaths that are deemed sudden violent or unexpected now to peel back the curtain on the work it does the office had taken the unusual step of granting the times access to its mortuaries and work areas over several months
i had seen autopsies performed on crime shows like csi over the years the reality was much different of course it was messier for one thing i had dreaded seeing blood but far more gruesome as it turned out was the greenish fluid that drips out of decomposing bodies the smell was worse than the worst body odor on a sweltering summer day
the first time i watched an autopsy at the morgue dr barbara sampson the citys chief medical examiner rolled over a stool in case i felt faint people have hit the floor hard she said although the stool proved unnecessary i did look away when i heard the whir of an electric saw that would soon open a skull
i also learned that autopsies were more physically demanding than the crime shows let on one day i followed dr jacqueline nunez 34 who spent the past year training as a medical examiner she had been on her feet for more than six hours working on three autopsies back to back without a break she pulled and pushed heavy bodies twice her size she leaned over them with scalpels and knives pushing down with all her weight
just watching was tiring you build endurance she told me you pick up stamina and you get used to it thats what this year is for
another thing the crime shows gloss over is the uncertainty of the work many autopsies yield only clues   not answers   about what happened to someone medical examiners can spend weeks even months following up with lab tests researching scientific literature and interviewing family members and police detectives even then there may never be an answer medical examiners sometimes refer to those cases as undetermined squared   when both the cause and the manner of death cannot be identified
dr stephen melito 32 a father of two who also trained as a medical examiner this year said he felt that the crime shows had created some misunderstandings they dont give us guns he said were not going out arresting people thats not our job
instead dr melito said he saw himself as simply the final doctor in a persons life the one who explains death answers questions and tries to offer comfort to those left behind you provide a service to the city and to the legal system but most of all you provide a service to the families in arguably the most difficult time of their life


paris   it is an established rite a time honored tradition before every major soccer tournament each participating team hosts a send off match in which the players get one last runaround one final standing ovation from a stadium full of devoted fans in a game against a relatively hapless opponent
for years northern ireland was that opponent before the 2010 world cup in south africa and before the 2014 tournament in brazil northern ireland made transoceanic crossings to be essentially an afterthought one year it was in chile another in uruguay
i remember in chile in 2010 looking around at the stadium seeing 50000 fans in their seats two hours before kickoff and just being amazed at how happy they looked how much they were singing how excited they were said patrick nelson the chief executive of northern irelands soccer federation they were going to play in games that mattered and i remember thinking how fantastic would it be if we could someday do something like this too
now they will this european championship which begins friday night with france facing romania has understandably been labeled the tournament of minnows after the field was expanded to 24 teams this year from 16 as a result more first time contenders or long missing ones will be playing alongside the european establishment
northern ireland wales albania iceland slovakia these five teams are playing in the euros for the first time other countries like hungary which has not made the field for this tournament since 1972 or for a major tournament since 1986 are ending long absences
the expanded field is the legacy of michel platini the former president of uefa who resigned after being suspended on corruption charges platini who has denied any wrongdoing in the scandal that cost him his post often trumpeted the increased number of teams as a necessary growth that was good for the sport perhaps not coincidentally he argued it was also good for the financial situations of many smaller federations   who it must be said often made the difference in continental or global elections before his suspension platini was planning to run for fifas presidency
and yet the expanded field is a tricky subject the arguments in favor of 24 teams over 16 are obvious starting with the increased number of fans who will get to cheer for their countrymen one could also consider the growth organic the euros started as a four team tournament expanded to eight teams in 1980 to 16 in 1996 and now to 24 the continent too has grown in its number of soccer federations while 33 teams tried to qualify for the eight spots in 1992 53 entered qualifying this time around
there is concern however that expansion will dilute the final product the euros have often been held up as the third biggest sporting event in the world after the world cup and the summer olympics many people even thought the quality of play at the 16 team euros was higher than at the world cup because european soccer was far richer in talent than say teams from africa asia and the americas while adding more teams may be good for the sport the critics of expansion say it will inevitably arrive with a decrease in overall quality
the argument has merit sure the knockout rounds still figure to be dramatic but a group stage that involves every team playing three games to eliminate only eight participants seems unappetizing instead of only the top two teams in each group advancing to the quarterfinals as in the old format and in this months copa america in the united states the top two teams plus the four best third place teams will now move on that makes it likely that a single victory   or even two draws   will be enough for a team to advance
that will almost surely lead to more defensive cautious game plans from coaches particularly since the tiebreaker among teams tied on points is goal difference for the tinier teams losing is not necessarily a disaster being blown out on the other hand could be devastating for that reason we are likely to see less open play and fewer adventurous attacking schemes
the measure of the expansion will ultimately emerge in the results is the tournament appealing or not but the teams themselves are not terribly interested in debating philosophy the favorites like germany and france will prefer to focus on the task in front of them the newcomers will not quibble over the circumstances that brought them to this stage
they simply want to make a mark and some have higher hopes than others after going through the qualifying gantlet iceland won six of its 10 qualifying games advancing comfortably wales won six as well and took 4 points from its two games against belgium
northern ireland actually finished atop its group beating teams like hungary finland and greece it is not the minnow with the most talent the team from iceland with a population of little more than 320000 seems to be the most popular potential overachiever but as northern irelands nelson noted if the field had been only 10 teams this time we would have qualified since we were a group winner
making it out of a group that includes poland germany and ukraine would be a significant victory for northern ireland but then in many ways it has won already about 40000 fans are expected to travel to france for the tournament and the prospect of being involved in a major championship for the first time since the 1986 world cup is being seen as important for the country as a whole according to nelson a survey by his federation found that 71 percent of residents said qualifying for the tournament would help unite northern ireland where religious differences have long split the population
about two weeks ago northern ireland held its own send off match on a spirited night in belfast manager michael oneill watched his players soak in the adulation of the fans and thrash a relatively hapless belarus team 3 0 there were goals and glory there was singing and cheering there was most important the euphoric anticipation of what was still to come
it was all we wanted nelson said we had been waiting 30 years to have that kind of party


salomon rondon scored on a rebound after a shot from midfield struck the crossbar as venezuela beat uruguay 1 0 on thursday in philadelphia to advance to the copa america centenario quarterfinals
rondon scored in the 36th minute after alejandro guerras shot was barely deflected by uruguay goalkeeper fernando muslera and hit the crossbar uruguay striker edinson cavani missed several scoring chances including a one on one against goalkeeper jose contreras in the 90th minute
venezuela won its first two games and leads group c with six points uruguay has two losses and is nearing tournament elimination
messi to return friday lionel messi is set to return from a back injury when argentina takes on panama in the copa america on friday night at soldier field in chicago
he has been training without any kind of problem any kind of pain argentina manager gerardo martino said so there is no reason for him not to play
messi departed with a back and rib injury in the second half of a 1 0 victory against honduras in a may 27 friendly he then watched as top ranked argentina beat chile 2 1 on monday night in the teams copa america opener
france tightens security bar and restaurant owners are being told not to set up giant screens outside their businesses during the european soccer championship a french sports ministry official confirmed
the move is aimed at improving security during the monthlong tournament with the french authorities hoping fewer people will gather outside official fan zones if outdoor screens are banned
france has been under a state of emergency since novembers coordinated attacks that killed 130 people at a rock concert on the terraces of bars and restaurants and outside the stade de france the stadium where the soccer tournament will begin on friday
fan zones are typically set up in squares or parks near the center of cities allowing supporters without tickets to watch matches on a big screen extra security measures including reinforced video surveillance have been added to secure the fan zones after the paris attacks
the junior minister for sports thierry braillard said that the official fan zones are the only outdoor public spaces where big screens will be installed or permitted
we cant accept unorganized gatherings because police forces dont have the means to secure them braillard told the television station bfmtv and a live screening on a terrace means gathering around a screen
the ban is expected to annoy bar and restaurant owners especially in the south of france where people spend warm summer evenings outdoors


milwaukee   curtis granderson leads off for the mets despite a poor on base percentage because manager terry collins feels he has no better option grandersons 094 average with runners in scoring position entering thursday night makes dropping him lower in the order problematic as well
but granderson does provide power at the top of the lineup and he delivered again thursday at miller park he cracked his fifth leadoff homer of the season then doubled and scored in the third accounting for the first two mets runs in a 5 2 victory over the milwaukee brewers
bartolo colon 5 3 allowed one run on eight hits over seven innings for his first victory since may 23
granderson arrived here batting 203 with a 300 on base percentage he has 25 walks in 57 games well behind last years pace when he drew a career high 91 but as collins looked around the mets clubhouse no acceptable substitute jumped out
when hes in the right state he gets on base collins said of granderson you look at what he did last year getting on base he was incredible for us yeah he got off to a slow start there are a few of us that are off to a slow start i just think hes the guy i think hes going to come on
on thursday granderson homered on jimmy nelsons fifth pitch for his 16th career leadoff homer as a met tying jose reyess club record
i was looking for something hopefully around the middle of the plate to drive granderson said im not exactly sure where the pitch was but i know it was a strike
in the third granderson doubled and scored on a single by yoenis cespedes who followed up his three hit night in pittsburgh on wednesday with singles in his first two at bats
nelson drilled granderson in the right knee with two on in the fourth but the mets could not score with michael conforto popping up to short to leave the bases loaded
colon took a shutout to the seventh when milwaukees ramon flores singled in a run with two out the mets loaded the bases again in the eighth with milwaukee playing the infield halfway kevin plawecki grounded a two run single through the hole into left
jeurys familia picked up his 20th save in 20 chances without any of his recent drama retiring the side in the ninth and getting two strikeouts both called
the best sinker ive seen him have all year collins said from the side it looked like it was sinking 10 or 12 inches easy thats the guy we know
the mets already have enough injuries and neil walker feared he joined the list in the seventh when he took a one hop smash from hernan perez off his chest the impact left walker doubled over and struggling for breath he left in the ninth for a pinch hitter walker said a doctor examined him but did not recommend x rays
i feel ok now but i was a little lightheaded and didnt feel quite right for a few minutes walker said
inside pitch
juan lagares partially torn left thumb ligament took early batting practice and pronounced himself ready to play i can do everything he said but first terry collins said he needed to see if lagares could close his glove on a fly ball lagares came on in the eighth as a defensive replacement and doubled and scored in the ninth ... the newly acquired kelly johnson was expected to arrive thursday night and collins said there was a good chance he would start friday


the mets already have one pitcher from long island steven matz and they potentially added two more in thursday nights amateur draft
the mets chose the right hander justin dunn of freeport ny and boston college with the 19th overall pick and the left hander anthony kay of stony brook and the university of connecticut with the 31st pick kay is from the same town as matz and attended the same high school ward melville
baseball america rated dunn who started and pitched in relief for the eagles as the drafts 24th best prospect and kay the 35th
the 6 foot 2 184 pound dunn was 4 1 this season with a 149 era in 17 appearances seven starts and two saves he struck out 66 in 60  1/3  innings a career high 11 coming last week in a seven inning start against tulane in an ncaa regional playoff game
kay at 6 feet and 187 pounds was 9 2 with a 265 era in 17 starts for the huskies striking out 111 in 119 innings


international
an article on thursday about an address by prime minister narendra modi of india to a joint meeting of the united states congress misstated the year of the terrorist attacks in mumbai it was 2008 not 2011

an article on may 14 about the death of mustafa amine badreddine hezbollahs top military commander misstated at one point the year that saddam hussein invaded kuwait where mr badreddine had been imprisoned and the year that the united states marines barracks in beirut lebanon were bombed an attack he was accused of having helped plan as the article correctly noted elsewhere the invasion was in 1990 not 1991 and the bombing was in 1983 not 1982
new york
an article on may 27 about a court ruling that allowed new york city to proceed with a requirement that restaurants mark menu items high in sodium included incorrect information from city officials in some editions about the salt consumption habits of new yorkers on average new yorkers over all   not 40 percent of them   consume considerably more salt than is recommended
sports
an article in some editions on tuesday about novak djokovics pursuit of more tennis milestones misstated the number of grand slam singles titles roger federer had after winning wimbledon in 2009 it was 15 not 16
the arts
a music review on wednesday about three concerts at the metropolitan museum of art last weekend misspelled the title of the work by gerard grisey that was performed on sunday it is talea not telea

an entry in the whats on thursday television highlights in some editions on thursday about coverage of the bonnaroo music  arts festival on red bull tv erroneously included some performers among those who will be shown live ellie goulding pearl jam and miguel are not part of the live coverage
obituaries
an obituary on thursday about the psychologist jerome s bruner misstated in some copies the number of times he was divorced it was twice not three times his third marriage to carol feldman ended with her death

an obituary on thursday about the actress theresa saldana misspelled the surname of the character she played on the television series the commish the character was rachel scali not skali as the obituary correctly noted her characters husband played by michael chiklis was tony scali
the times welcomes comments and suggestions or complaints about errors that warrant correction messages on news coverage can be e mailed to nytnewsnytimescom or left toll free at 1 844 nyt news 1 844 698 6397 comments on editorials may be e mailed to lettersnytimescom or faxed to 212 556 3622
readers dissatisfied with a response or concerned about the papers journalistic integrity may reach the public editor at publicnytimescom or 212 556 7652
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pittsburgh   bill mazeroski the former pittsburgh pirates second baseman who is 79 years old with silver hair but without that plug of tobacco in his cheek had been invited to consol energy center on thursday as a yellow towel twirling good luck charm
mazeroski earnestly spun his towel as hard as anyone in the record crowd of 18680 but the san jose sharks stunned earlier by two goals after scoring twice on their first three shots thwarted the citys plans to celebrate a stanley cup by hanging on tightly for a 4 2 victory
all the penguins needed was just one victory to win their fourth stanley cup   and it would have been the first time a team from pittsburgh won a big league title in the city since mazeroskis game ending home run sank the yankees in game 7 of the 1960 world series
but the sharks got a go ahead goal late in a frenetic first period from forward melker karlsson off a slick no look pass from logan couture and joe pavelski rattled in an empty net goal with 80 seconds left to seal the victory
san jose goaltender martin jones outplayed in the first four games of the series by his 22 year old rookie counterpart matt murray was stung in the first period for two goals in a 22 second span but he stopped 44 of 46 shots including all 14 he faced in the third period
pittsburgh leads the best of seven series three games to two with game 6 scheduled for sunday in san jose calif the sharks still face long odds of the 32 teams that have trailed by 3 1 in the finals only the 1942 toronto maple leafs rallied to win the stanley cup
the penguins had scored first in each of the first four games of the series so the sharks appeared to put themselves in good shape by scoring on their first and third shots in less than three minutes
san jose defenseman brent burns scored his seventh goal of the playoffs after just 64 seconds after karlsson pounded the puck into the penguins zone burns took it curled around defenseman justin schultz and whipped it at the short side of the goal
the puck slipped under the stick of murray who had entered the game with a 14 5 playoff record and went in for san joses first lead of the series it was the first time the penguins had trailed during a game since game 5 of the eastern conference finals the sharks won game 3 in overtime in san jose
it was a step in the right direction from a starting point of view san jose coach peter deboer said
less than a minute after murray barely knocked aside another shot by burns with his blocker the sharks scored again at 2 minutes 53 seconds into the period when couture uncovered in front of the goal tipped a shot from the point by defenseman justin braun for his first goal of the finals
that juicy lead would disappear in just 213 the veteran forward dainius zubrus a healthy scratch in game 2 sent a clearing pass over the glass earning a delay of game penalty the penguins scored on their first shot of the power play
after san jose forward chris tierney blocked a shot attempt by defenseman kris letang penguins center evgeni malkin tracked down the puck held it then wristed a shot that bounced off brauns left skate and slid past jones the crowd thundered
malkins sixth playoff goal was followed a mere 22 seconds later by carl hagelins sixth playoff goal nick bonino the center on hagelins line intercepted a sloppy clearing pass by defenseman brenden dillon and threw the puck to the goal it bounced off hagelin and went in
after 506 of breathless ice time the teams had combined for four goals on six shots with the crowd in free yellow t shirts whipping up a din pittsburgh pressed for another goal rolling up an 11 4 edge in shots at one point but the penguins did not score
we couldnt seem to find that third goal said mike sullivan pittsburghs first year coach
he added i think our team as a whole was a little unsettled at the beginning of the game but we settled in fast
the sharks took the lead back at 1447 of the first period san jose forward patrick marleau won a battle for the puck behind murray couture took a pass in the low slot and backhanded the puck to karlsson who scored his second goal in two games
jones held onto the lead barely at times with less than five minutes to play in a scoreless second period he stopped a rebound shot by bonino with the toe of his left skate less than a minute later jones turned aside a point blank shot by a charging patric hornqvist
he did make some good saves but our chances were there pittsburgh center sidney crosby said of jones
after jones made the save on hornqvist the penguins had a 32 13 edge in shots on goal but the sharks still had the lead and that record crowd was much quieter   and much less interested in spinning yellow towels
theyre good and were good burns said its going to be tight


there may not have been a consensus top player available in this years major league baseball draft but faced with several intriguing choices thursday the philadelphia phillies went with a sweet swinging high school outfielder selecting mickey moniak with the no 1 overall pick
moniak a 6 foot 2 180 pound 18 year old from la costa canyon high school in carlsbad calif is a force from the left side of the plate and was considered the most natural hitter available in the draft he is the first high school outfielder to go no 1 since delmon young in 2003 and while he is not expected to develop big time power his command of the bat at such a young age makes him a fairly safe pick for a team trying to work its way back into contention
its undescribable moniak said in a televised interview when asked what it felt like to go no 1 its always a kids dream to get drafted by a major league team but to be the no 1 pick is insane
during his senior season moniak who has been compared to steve finley and christian yelich batted 476 in 29 games his third consecutive season of batting higher than 400 some work in the weight room helped increase his home run total from zero as a junior to seven as a senior and in a conference call with reporters after his selection he cited further physical development as the biggest key to his future success
collectively we believe mickey was the best player available in the draft johnny almaraz the phillies amateur scouting director said in a statement hes a true center fielder with incredible offensive ability and the potential to be a perennial all star
the phillies passed on a chance to take floridas a j puk a big bodied 6 foot 7 left hander with a high 90s fastball who could be the first player from this draft ready to contribute at the major league level despite being the top player available on many prospect lists including baseball americas top 100 puk fell to the oakland athletics with the no 6 pick
there was plenty of talk that the phillies would have their choice influenced somewhat by signability the assigned value of the top slot in the draft according to baseballs bonus pool regulations is just north of 9 million but the phillies can try to negotiate that figure lower in hopes of applying the leftover money to picks taken later in the draft the catch is that if the phillies fail to sign moniak as the houston astros did with brady aiken the first pick in 2014 they will lose that entire figure from their bonus pool
moniak acknowledged that his representation had been in contact with the phillies in regards to signability and he said he hoped to sign a contract as soon as possible
i talked with them a little bit before moniak said obviously theres a lot that goes into the whole process i let my agent handle most of that
unlike other sports where top overall picks can seem like a sure thing baseball is far more unpredictable the volatility of pitchers taken with the pick has never been more apparent than in the last few seasons as mark appel the top pick in 2013 and aiken have yet to reach the major leagues aikens case was particularly dramatic he had tommy john surgery after failing to sign with houston and was then drafted by the cleveland indians with the 17th pick in 2015
philadelphia has had a frustrating run over the last five seasons going 319 389 since setting a franchise record with 102 wins in 2011 but there are signs the phillies are headed in the right direction their organizational talent ranking according to baseball america rose from 22nd last year to eighth this season with moniak just their second chance to pick first overall   they picked pat burrell with the no 1 pick in the 1998 draft   they hope to continue building into a contender
it is the second consecutive season philadelphia went with a high school position player with its top pick   it took cornelius randolph a shortstop with the 10th pick last year   after scoring a huge hit in 2014 by drafting a college pitcher aaron nola with the seventh overall pick
nola who needed just 30 games in the minors to earn a spot in the big leagues is already the teams best pitcher despite being just 23 but the clock is running on how long the team controls him after doubling down on high school first rounders the phillies will have to hope nola is still around and producing when randolph and moniak are ready to contribute
after moniak the top five was rounded out by nick senzel a third baseman from tennessee who went second to the cincinnati reds ian anderson a high school right hander to the atlanta braves riley pint a high school right hander to the colorado rockies and corey ray an outfielder from louisville to the milwaukee brewers
the yankees and the mets picked back to back in the middle of the first round with the yankees selecting blake rutherford a high school outfielder from california at no 18 and the mets selecting justin dunn a right hander from boston college at no 19 the mets had another first round selection no 31 as compensation for losing daniel murphy as a free agent to the washington nationals and used it on anthony kay a left hander from the university of connecticut who attended the same long island high school as steven matz
thursdays portion of the draft consisted of the first two rounds and two competitive balance rounds on friday the draft will continue with rounds 3 through 10 it will conclude saturday with rounds 11 through 40
inside pitch
the draft which is generally a sleepy affair produced some controversy when delvin perez a 17 year old shortstop from puerto rico who was considered a top five talent reportedly tested positive for an unnamed performance enhancing drug while a positive test does not affect a players eligibility for the draft the news may have negatively affected perezs draft position he was selected by the st louis cardinals with the no 23 pick


washington   senator bernie sanders his campaign badly battered as democrats began unifying behind hillary clinton showed no signs of slowing down and did not utter mrs clintons name at a thursday night rally here
instead in an almost hourlong speech mr sanders urged washington voters to go to the polls for tuesdays final nominating contest and said he was still waiting for the results of the california primary a contest the associated press already declared as a victory for mrs clinton
it was the kind of address most of the 3000 people gathered at the event seemed to want with many shouting stay in the race bernie or bust and shun the nonbelievers
others in the crowd held up signs that said dump the dnc and revolution
next tuesday in a few days here in washington you will be having the very last primary of the democratic nominating process mr sanders said to cheers it will be extraordinary if the people of washington our nations capital stood up and told the world that they are ready to lead this country into a political revolution
yet the rally came after a tough day for mr sanders
president obama formally endorsed mrs clinton on thursday and called her the most qualified candidate ever to seek the white house imploring democrats to unite behind her vice president joseph r biden jr and senator elizabeth warren of massachusetts who had carefully stayed out of the race also formally endorsed mrs clinton
briefly posing for photographers before a meeting thursday afternoon with senator harry reid of nevada the minority leader mr sanders ignored three questions about mr obamas endorsement of mrs clinton
his face flushed mr sanders did not speak at all as mr reid gently scolded the assembled journalists for asking questions at what was supposed to be just a photo opportunity
but as many democrats pivoted toward the general election mr sanders did not talk about party unity or mrs clintons delegate lead instead he held out hope and talked about his vision for america we are standing after having won 22 states and the results have not yet come in from california mr sanders said
iliana jaime 18 a high school senior who lives in washington welcomed the stance and said she wanted mr sanders to remain in the race until the convention next month she said the high profile endorsements did not affect her thinking about mr sanderss campaign because mrs clinton could still be indicted over her use of a private email server while she was secretary of state
i dont think a revolution ends with a certain number of delegates she said its crucial he keeps going until the end his impact is really obvious in a lot of ways aside from just being president it would kind of be giving into the system that he is trying to reject if he did drop out at this point
ms jaime also said however that if mrs clinton were the nominee she would vote for her because she was the lesser of two evils alongside donald j trump the presumptive republican nominee
her mother hedy howard a psychiatrist agreed and said that although she did not trust mrs clintons commitment to environmental issues she would grudgingly vote for her if mr sanders dropped out
id certainly want to see a woman up for president but i wouldnt vote for somebody because what their gender is anymore than what their race is or what their religion is ms howard said i think all of the things that she does is about making herself great and making herself have a place in history but i dont trust that what she would do is about making things better for people or for our planet
andrew oetman 34 an environmental protection specialist echoed that sentiment saying that as a resident of washington he wanted the right to vote for mr sanders in part because the district of columbia doesnt have official representation in congress he added that mr obama and ms warren were crumbing to the establishment hierarchy of political power
its super frustrating that president obama has made the decision to support a candidate before the convention he said its frustrating to see elizabeth warren who essentially has got the same values as bernie sanders and has held the same values as bernie sanders for her entire time in political office to automatically degrade herself and the work that she has done by going down a step to a candidate that often votes opposite of the way she votes and does not support the main principles that she has
mr oetman said he would not vote for mrs clinton in the general election but had not decided what he would do if mr sanders did not make it to the november ballot
there were some clinton supporters in the crowd
jim mcgrath 75 the chairman of dc tenants advocacy coalition stood outside the rally holding a sign that said yea hillary not hysteria
mr sanders was endangering the election of a very gifted woman as president of the united states with the danger of putting in a clown instead mr mcgrath said refering to mr trump and that would be a great tragedy indeed he can walk away free from that but the rest of us cant we would have to live with that
in remarks at the rally however cornel west the scholar and sanders surrogate alluded to the idea that voters might be choosing between mrs clinton and mr trump in the future
dont let corporate media convince you that simply because youre not crazy about the milquetoast neo liberal sister hillary that something is wrong with you he said but we know the difference between a neo liberal and a neo fascist so you make your own decision


lani is running out of time to display the talent that appears to lurk within one of the most volatile headstrong and quirky thoroughbreds to compete in the triple crown races in many a generation
keita tanaka the agent for the owner koji maeda said the mercurial colt will make his last scheduled start in the united states when he competes in the belmont stakes on saturday before returning to his home base in japan
lanis odyssey began march 15 when he traveled almost 5000 miles from japan to dubai where he won the uae derby 11 days later to qualify for the kentucky derby on april 1 he flew approximately 7200 miles from dubai to chicago he was driven to louisville two days later to prepare for the derby where he finished ninth before improving to fifth in the preakness
with the exception of a brief stay at pimlico race course in baltimore for the preakness lani has been based primarily at belmont park since the derby to familiarize him with the surroundings his trainer mikio matsunaga said the mile and a half belmont stakes was always their main target because the son of the high strung tapit has the training and pedigree to handle the extraordinary distance
we are here to win this race matsunaga said with tanaka serving as interpreter
it might be possible if lani can overcome his greatest opponent   himself
he drew national attention for his pre derby antics particularly his visibly studdish behavior at the mere sight of a filly and his lack of responsiveness to his rider that led him to accomplish less in workouts than desired
when the massive churchill downs crowd viewed the field in the post parade during the annual rendition of my old kentucky home lani was nowhere to be found yutaka take his jockey had taken him to the final turn far away from other horses and the fans take also handled him that way before the preakness and is expected to do the same before the belmont
matsunaga was apologetic i know all horses should attend the post parade because of his characteristics it is very hard he said he has a great chance to give trouble to the other horses which i never want
matsunaga emphasized that he is protecting the rest of the field by missing the post parade he goes closer to the other horses to fight them he said he wants to show i am the best 
in an attempt to keep lani calm he has essentially been reduced to the equine equivalent of solitary confinement in barn 6 at belmont park his stall was boarded to keep him from seeing other horses a sight that triggers his aggressiveness without fail
he doesnt prefer to mix with other horses matsunaga said
exaggerator the derby runner up and the preakness winner is the 9 5 favorite in the 13 horse belmont he and lani 20 1 are the only ones to compete in all three legs of the triple crown
lanis chances may be determined early it is not uncommon for the gray colt to kick his hind legs and whinny in complaint before he reluctantly enters the starting gate once underway he seemingly needs to collect himself before doing any serious running
eishu maruuchi lanis exercise rider said it was very difficult to help lani eliminate that quirk if the rider tells him to run he doesnt run maruuchi said when we have the same opinion the horse wants to run and the rider wants to run he can run very fast
the poor starts were nearly impossible to overcome in the derby and the preakness the problem is he keeps making the same mistakes he completely loses his mojo in the first sixteenth of a mile in the race said randy moss an analyst for nbc he actually leaves the gate ok but his initial sixteenth of a mile is just incredibly slow so he falls far behind
it also appears that lani who will break from post 10 does not care to be near the rail with others outside of him take has kept him extremely wide
he lost so much ground in the preakness where his finished five lengths behind exaggerator that he was awarded him a thoro graph number of 1  1/2  matching that given to runner up cherry wine in a system in which low numbers are desirable lani was assigned a 5 for the uae derby 3 3/4  for the kentucky derby
hes just beginning to find himself said jerry brown president of thoro graph
whether he does that on saturday tanaka said lani would be given two to three months after he returns to japan to recover from his stressful experience undoubtedly his handlers would welcome time off as well


roman catholic legislators say they have been publicly shamed during mass and disinvited from parish events as the philadelphia archdiocese campaigns against a bill that would give victims of child sexual abuse more time to sue the church state representative nick miccarelli said he was shocked to learn that the weekly bulletin at his church targeted him under the headline just so you are aware the announcement read state representative miccarelli voted in favor of house bill 1947 which states that private institutions can be sued as far as 40 years ago for millions of dollars while public institutions may not be sued for any crimes last weekend a letter by archbishop charles j chaput was given to all 219 archdiocese parishes urging parishioners to ask their state senators to vote against the bill archbishop chaput wrote that potential lawsuits would unfairly affect schools and parishes that had nothing to do with the long ago abuse he also said the financial ramifications could cripple the ministry the house overwhelmingly approved the bill in april and it is being considered by the senate ap
a prosecutor filed murder charges on thursday against the driver of a pickup truck that struck a group of bicyclists killing five of them and seriously injuring four others the prosecutor jeffrey getting of kalamzoo county charged the driver charles pickett jr 50 of battle creek with five counts of second degree murder and four of reckless driving in the crash tuesday in cooper township north of kalamazoo the bicyclists ranged in age from 40 to 74 and were part of a group that called itself the chain gang the cyclists were five miles into a weekly 30 mile ride when they were struck from behind on a road in the western michigan countryside the police said that officers had received complaints about a pickup being driven erratically and were searching for it minutes before the crash ap


geneva   as artillery shells and airstrikes shook several syrian towns and cities a united nations mediator said thursday that although the time was not right for new talks between the warring parties it was urgent that they resume by early august
the united nations special envoy for syria staffan de mistura told reporters in geneva that the next round of peace talks needed to produce concrete steps toward a political transition to end the war he said aug 1 was the target date for resuming negotiations
that date represents a step back from a deadline set in march by the 17 nation international syria support group for achieving agreement on a political transition in syria by the start of august but prospects for achieving even the amended goal looked uncertain with the conflict moving back to all out war on fronts in the north east and south of syria and around damascus the capital
russian and syrian government airstrikes have resumed with increasing intensity on the rebel held eastern side of aleppo producing dozens of casualties each day this week according to residents rescue workers and antigovernment activists
harrowing images are emerging of dead and wounded children in aleppo and of people grieving over victims airstrikes in rebel held areas wednesday hit three hospitals including a pediatric center supported by unicef
the director of the pediatric center which is operated by the independent doctors association a nonprofit humanitarian group based in gaziantep turkey said in an email thursday that the bombing had shattered windows and broken ceilings and doors forcing the hospital to close until at least saturday
mortar shells fired by rebels wednesday and thursday killed at least 20 people in government held parts of aleppo according to the state run news agency sana one group of islamist militants the nusra front has also been leading an offensive south of aleppo and has retaken some of the territory that syrian government forces seized with the help of russian airstrikes
ban ki moon the united nations secretary general underscored the urgency of achieving at least the beginnings of a serious agreement by the start of august telling reporters in new york on thursday that without a political horizon and discussions on the transition a further escalation is all too likely
mr de mistura said the aug 1 target should be attainable but he cautioned that the next round of talks needed to be a concrete one he said he would convene the meeting only if he saw that there were some concrete intentions and critical mass for producing this time political transition steps
to prepare for the broader negotiations he said he will soon begin to hold informal technical talks that will dig into details of a political transition like the future of syrias army and government institutions
mr de mistura emphasized though that the success of any peace talks required a reduction of violence and improved access for aid agencies delivering food and other supplies to hundreds of thousands of besieged civilians
the united nations reported on thursday that the syrian government had approved its requests for access to 15 of the 19 communities under siege or cut off by fighting
but there are a lot of actions that need to take place between approval and delivery mr de mistura said alluding to the obstruction of aid convoys at roadblocks and the removal of medicine and other supplies from the trucks
late thursday the syrian arab red crescent said a food convoy had reached daraya agence france presse reported providing a hint of progress last week the government approved the delivery of aid to daraya for the first time in four years but it denied the delivery of food the most urgently needed commodity
earlier mr de mistura cited concerns among members of the international support group that the syrian governments approvals for aid deliveries were accompanied by punishment in the form of military attacks on communities receiving the aid
the arrival of food aid in daraya a suburb of damascus came only hours after a bombardment of the town including strikes on a mosque damascus residents said 10 to 15 large explosions had been heard overnight from the direction of daraya as helicopters dropped bombs on the town
on a more positive note mr de mistura said he had heard from russia that the syrian government might have released a substantial number of prisoners he speculated that the government might have intended to make a good will gesture coinciding with the holy month of ramadan or was simply addressing what is a huge concern and huge problem but he said he was still waiting for confirmation that any prisoners had been freed


louisville ky   muhammad ali was well known as a world champion boxer but hussein hamdani remembers him more for what he did out of the ring especially his devotion to islam
and that was why hamdani his brother sallah and their friend kamran bhatti traveled from toronto to pay their respects to ali who died last week after a long battle with parkinsons disease and who was honored here on thursday at a muslim funeral ceremony
boxing is not how we knew him best said hamdani a lawyer and muslim who joined thousands of others in the jenazah ceremony we know him as one of the best ambassadors for our religion in many ways he was a hero in our community
ali of course was a hero beyond the muslim world
his broad appeal and his unusual magnetism transformed the normally brief and unadorned ritual into something much larger on thursday with various dignitaries boxing impresarios retired fighters and former neighbors and friends of alis in attendance
an hour before the ceremony thousands of people filled one end of a cavernous event space in freedom hall a sports arena a few miles from downtown louisville people in flip flops and football jerseys mixed with those in robes scarves and suits they hugged and took selfies swapped stories of when they met ali sometimes taking out photos as proof
naeem baig the president of the islamic circle of north america a nonprofit educational group showed a picture of ali attending one of the groups charitable events in 1990 when food was given away to poor people on the south side of chicago
thursdays ceremony which was held in a spartan convention space was to be followed by a more elaborate public event on friday a funeral procession will pass through part of louisville in the morning followed by alis burial and a downtown interfaith memorial service will be held in the afternoon at which former president bill clinton is expected to deliver one of the eulogies for ali
at freedom hall on thursday there was a sense of informality as young children ran circles around their parents and friends from around the country and globe greeted one another with hugs and handshakes locals from louisville including some people who knew ali before he converted to islam reveled in all that their native son accomplished
im awed said ed laster 68 a retired educator who grew up on the west side of louisville and recalled alis numerous visits to his hometown to rise from such humble beginnings to the world stage is like a grain of sand turning into a beach in louisville you feel you are part of it
imam zaid shakir a prominent american muslim scholar from berkeley calif brought order to the gathering a few minutes before noon he asked non muslims and women to move toward the back of the room to make space for the muslim men who were present who then proceeded to form long rows about five feet apart
in a corner of the room to the imams right was a section with four rows of chairs for family members and other dignitaries nearby a large gray shutter slowly lifted to reveal a hearse containing alis dark brown coffin the room fell to a hush as pallbearers rolled the coffin slowly toward the imam hundreds of people took photos with their cellphones
the imam announced that after the brief four part prayer a portion of the quran would be read the ceremony proceeded with the men who were praying bringing their hands to their heads during each section of the prayer
then came three short speeches including one by sherman jackson an islamic scholar and professor at the university of southern california
jackson said that ali did more than anyone to normalize islam in america and that he gave us courage and taught us how to fight
he was a gift to his people to his religion to his country and ultimately to the world jackson said
afterward the crowd spilled out of the building into a plaza don king who promoted some of alis most famous fights drew a crowd as he walked by clutching about a dozen flags and wearing a scarf with the colors of the american flag
jesse jackson sr the civil rights activist stood and spoke of alis larger mission fighting discrimination he got better not bitter jackson said he didnt see us through a keyhole but through a door
nearby jerry martin stood in a cowboy hat and boots holding the reins of rekoa his horse which had a white robe inscribed with alis name boxing gloves draped over the saddle and boxing shoes turned backward in the stirrups
martin who said he spent 21 years in the air force said rekoa represented a riderless horse normally reserved for a fallen soldier ali was stripped of his boxing titles after he refused induction into the united states military during the vietnam war but martin who drove here from virginia said there was no contradiction in the tribute to him ali was the ultimate warrior
its easier to fight with a group of soldiers than to fight alone he said


lima peru   a former wall street banker and finance minister declared himself the winner of the presidential contest in peru on thursday after narrowly edging out the daughter of an imprisoned former president
the former banker pedro pablo kuczynski 77 appeared to have prevailed against keiko fujimori 41 after a second round contest on sunday whose result remained in suspension for much of the week because of a near even split between the two candidates
thank you peru mr kuczynski exclaimed on twitter on thursday afternoon its time to work for the future of our country
while the election authorities still had not certified a winner officials said thursday that 997 percent of the ballots had been counted it appeared unlikely that ms fujimori could surpass her rival with the few outstanding votes despite a first place finish in the first round and a lead in polls before the vote the winner will take office july 28
ms fujimori did not release a public statement on thursday several party members said they would challenge some ballots because of irregularities which they did not specify
the margin between the two candidates   roughly 41000 votes out of 18 million cast on sunday   was one of the narrowest in recent memory
analysts said it underscored a deeply divided electorate the candidates espoused similar free market views but came from divergent backgrounds mr kuczynski an economist ran as a technocrat ms fujimori a populist is the daughter of one of the countrys most controversial leaders
her father alberto k fujimori ran peru with an iron fist from 1990 to 2000 in an effort to crush the marxist rebel group shining path
while the insurgency was largely defeated during those years many argue that his rule which included eliminating the constitution damaged the countrys democracy he was later sentenced to 25 years in prison for corruption and human rights abuses
during the campaign mr kuczynski portrayed himself as a stable alternative to ms fujimori whom he accused of being a populist eager to return to her fathers authoritarianism
an oxford educated economist who speaks three languages and plays the flute and piano mr kuczynski is described by those who know him as having an academic personality shaped by years in the united states
he has an impressive ability to prioritize the most critical aspects of each problem   he is very pragmatic said felipe ortiz de zevallos a former peruvian ambassador to the united states who worked with mr kuczynski
perus economy has been a bright spot in a region suffering from declines of commodity prices and mr kuczynski has vowed to push its growth through state spending
he has said he wants to invest in large infrastructure and education projects while lowering sales taxes to create an incentive for businesses operating outside the formal economy to register with the government
yet his goals may be difficult to achieve ms fujimoris party popular force won a large congressional majority in the elections first round
what worries me most is that he might maintain a technocratic style that makes governing a difficult task said eduardo dargent a political scientist at pontifical catholic university in lima
mr kuczynskis work for american banks   he was a chairman of first boston in the 1980s and 1990s   has been a concern for some during the election his critics said that in previous stints in the government he offered natural gas concessions at terms too favorable to businesses
victor andres garcia belaunde a congressman from the popular action party said perus president would face difficult decisions over concessions to developers of its natural resources
im afraid the government loses control or supervision and that big companies that are dedicated to concessions might have more advantages he said
others saw mr kuczynskis past in the financial world as an asset
he is essentially an executive and an excellent executive said richard webb a former president of perus central bank


as angelika graswald revisited bannerman island a year ago after the drowning of her fiance she told investigators that there were problems in their relationship   specifically that he had postponed their wedding according to an officers testimony at a pretrial hearing on thursday
it was the first time the police had revealed that ms graswald who is charged with second degree murder in the death of her fiance vincent viafore had indicated that their nuptials were in jeopardy
the testimony by anthony dasilva one of the three investigators who were also on bannerman island on april 29 2015 10 days after mr viafores kayak capsized came on the third day of the hearing in goshen ny the purpose of the hearing is to examine how investigators obtained evidence which in the case against ms graswald relies heavily on her own words
ms graswald 36 and mr viafore who was 46 set out in two kayaks from the western shore of the hudson river on an unseasonably warm sunday they paddled to bannerman island where the police say they spent a few hours drinking beers and taking pictures
on the return to shore the boat capsized and mr viafore who was not wearing a life vest disappeared under the choppy water which was 46 degrees   cold enough to instantly bring on hypothermia for 10 days ms graswald was treated as a grieving fiancee while rescuers searched for mr viafores body
but on april 29 investigators happened to run into ms graswald on bannerman island a historic site with the ruins of a castle where she had volunteered as a gardener according to testimony from another investigator earlier in the week ms graswald who said she was on the island to leave a memorial wreath for mr viafore confessed that she had pulled the plug from his kayak and also tampered with his paddle
she was charged with murder the following day after an 11 hour police interrogation her lawyer richard a portale is seeking to suppress a videotape of the questioning
prosecutors said ms graswald who lived in an apartment in poughkeepsie ny with mr viafore had stood to collect 250000 in life insurance benefits from his death mr portale has portrayed mr viafores death as a tragic accident brought on by the dangerously rough and cold waters
the testimony on thursday also expanded on the unusual behavior that detectives observed in the days after mr viafores drowning his body was found a month after the kayak capsized among ms graswalds posts to facebook were lewd jokes video clips of her cartwheeling and visiting an animal shelter and smiling selfies
the authorites said ms graswald confessed to removing the kayak plug to donald dequarto an investigator with whom she spoke privately on the island and agreed to return to the new york state police barracks for more questioning on the boat ride back she was whistling and declared at one point im free according to mr dasilva who testified that her demeanor was surreal
as she neared the police barracks mr dasilva added ms graswald said that when she first saw mr dequarto she thought he was cute
the testimony this week also centered on ms graswalds cellphone she initially told police that she had lost it in the water when her own kayak went over moments before a rescue boat reached her but according to the police she tried to make a call on the rescue boat explaining that she had a missed call
in questioning mr portale has tried to cast doubt on ms graswalds supposed confession on the island about the removal of the kayak plug to that end he asked mr dasilva why he had let her go to the bathroom on the island after he said she made such an incriminating statement
in response mr dasilva testified that she was within view of investigators
mr portale has also suggested that ms graswald who is a native of latvia struggled with a language barrier during the long police interrogation in which she said i wanted him dead and now hes gone and im ok with it
to emphasize ms graswalds grasp of english an assistant district attorney on thursday asked mr dasilva if the investigators had spoken in english with her on the island he responded that she had no trouble communicating


san francisco   few men are as synonymous with the venture capital industry   the financiers who nurtured the likes of apple google and facebook   as thomas j perkins who died on tuesday at the age of 84
and over his decades long career at kleiner perkins caufield  byers the firm he co founded 44 years ago the billionaire has helped build a number of technology giants
here are some of the investments he spearheaded
# genentech one of the pioneers of the biotechnology industry whose drugs include blockbuster treatments like avastin and herceptin
mr perkins who was a longtime director of the drug maker had described the company as one of his favorite investments and kleiner perkinss backing of genentech has been described as important to the formation of the biotechnology field
# tandem computers a manufacturer of computers used in banks atms and other systems that prize reliability above nearly all else the company said that its products were fault tolerant and could run all the time without stopping
tandem was incubated at kleiner perkins and mr perkins was the chairman of the companys board for its 23 years of independence until the computer maker was sold to compaq in 1997
# lsi logic a maker of computer chips particularly those that control networks and especially storage for data centers based in the bay area mr perkins served on lsis board including as lead director for a long time the company was acquired by avago technologies for about 66 billion in 2013
# acuson a manufacturer of sonograph equipment whose accomplishments include creating the first fully computerized ultrasound system mr perkins had served as a director of the company acuson was purchased by siemens in 2000 for 700 million


washington   defense secretary ashton b carter on thursday proposed allowing highly skilled civilians in the middle of their careers to lateral into the military and become senior uniformed officers like colonels
mr carter in a speech at the pentagon unveiled the idea as part of a far reaching initiative to change how the military recruits and retains people with expertise in fields like cybersecurity
as we all know generations change technologies change labor markets change mr carter said thats why one of my responsibilities now   and a job for all of us in the years ahead   is to make sure that amid all this change the defense department continues to recruit develop and retain the most talented men and women america has to offer
the proposals   known as force of the future   would require congressional approval and officials on capitol hill quickly cast doubt on whether legislation could be passed before january when president obamas term will end and mr carter is likely to be replaced
the spokesman for representative mac thornberry of texas the republican chairman of the house armed services committee said that the pentagon had waited far too long to send its proposals to congress the house has already passed the major legislation that will govern the defense department in 2017 and the senate is expected to follow soon
that could limit our ability to act on these proposals until 2018 regardless of their merit said the spokesman claude chafin
todd harrison a military budget expert at the center for strategic and international studies said that legislative proposals from the administration were almost always sent to the house and senate armed services committees in february he said that with many members of congress back home running for re election this fall it was unlikely that personnel legislation would be passed this year
it sure doesnt seem like this was one of carters top priorities mr harrison said if he was serious about it he would have sent it up there no later than february
but peter cook the pentagon press secretary said that some of the initiatives had already been included in the senate legislation and that the defense department hoped that other proposals could be added in conference between the house and the senate
we still see plenty of opportunity to work with congress on these initiatives this year he said
mr carter gave his speech on thursday in the pentagons courtyard before the heads of the services the proposals are among the most ambitious changes pushed by a defense secretary in years
one of the measures would change an arrangement that requires officers who are not promoted to retire under a new system some officers with specialties could remain in the military mr carter also unveiled other measures   including switching to electronic enlistment forms sparing recruits from having to wade through millions of pieces of paper each year   that he could implement without congressional approval to improve personnel systems
it is not clear why the pentagon waited so long to send the proposals to capitol hill the programs architect brad carson resigned in april after a contentious confirmation hearing made it clear that the senate was not going to confirm him to a permanent position at the pentagon mr carson had also grown frustrated with mr carter who mr carson believed was taking far too long to review the personnel proposals
mr carter did not address the timing of the proposals on thursday
for each of these changes well need congresss help to provide the proper authorities but theres good news here because we know some on capitol hill already agree with us mr carter said
weve already been working with congress very closely on this he added and im looking forward to partnering with both the house and senate armed services committees to get this done
mr carson a democratic house member from oklahoma from 2001 to 2005 who became a military officer after losing a senate race in 2004 released a statement shortly after mr carters speech in which he called the announcement historic
these reforms truly mark the most significant personnel reforms in decades if not since the department of defense was established he said secretary carter deserves great credit for announcing these


for more than a decade john giuca has been fighting a verdict that declared him guilty of murdering a college student in 2003 at a party at his familys house in brooklyn but after several court hearings and the filing of numerous legal briefs a judge on thursday turned down his request for a new trial
mr giuca 32 was convicted in 2005 of killing mark s fisher a fairfield university student whose body was found a few blocks from mr giucas house in the prospect park south neighborhood at a closely watched trial prosecutors argued that mr giuca was a member of a fledgling gang who had gone after mr fisher to gain street credibility they also said he had been jealous over a woman with whom mr fisher was flirting and had been angry at him for drunkenly sitting on his parents table
from the moment of his conviction mr giuca and his family have tried to overturn it occasionally through unconventional measures after the trial his mother doreen giuliano assumed a false identity and struck up friendships with the jurors hoping to discover evidence of misconduct more recently his lawyer mark a bederow filed papers claiming that a jailhouse informer who implicated mr giuca had since recanted and that prosecutors had withheld exculpatory evidence
in his ruling justice danny k chun said that while the informer john avito had indeed changed his statement the recantation should not be trusted because mr avito had lied so often justice chun also ruled that the prosecution had no obligation to obtain and disclose mr avitos psychiatric records which mr bederow discovered only after the trial
mr giuca showed no reaction as justice chun ordered him back to prison but ms giuliano refused to leave the courtroom crouching on the floor and calling out no they took my son
mr bederow told reporters he was disappointed but not discouraged by the ruling and promised to appeal


washington   now that senator bernie sanders is all but out of the race democrats can unite to take aim at donald j trump their new sledgehammer is senator elizabeth warren
in her day job ms warren cuts an imperious swath through the capitol striding down hallways her jewel toned jacket swaying behind her refusing to speak to or even make eye contact with reporters small talk with elevator operators and other staff not her style and the democrat from massachusetts is rarely front and center pushing major legislation
but beyond mr sanders no one captivates the aggrieved angry left the way ms warren does
what she is doing right now focusing on the outrageousness of donald trump is really important said senator tammy baldwin democrat of wisconsin in the universal sense i am always saying go elizabeth go
ms warren officially endorsed hillary clinton on thursday im ready to jump in this fight and make sure that hillary clinton is the next president of the united states and be sure that donald trump gets nowhere near the white house ms warren told the boston globe
never short on confidence when asked on thursday by rachel maddow the msnbc television host if she believes that she herself could be commander in chief ms warren said yes i do
mrs clintons aides had been pressuring ms warren for an endorsement and the senator decided to do so after talking with mr sanders over the weekend aides close to her said
ms warren shares mr sanderss dislike of superdelegates who are typically longtime democratic officials and activists she waited until democratic primary voters across the country had their say but before the superdelegates formally cast their votes to weigh in
mrs clintons decisive victory in californias primary on tuesday and president obamas endorsement on thursday provided additional impetus for her endorsement people close to ms warren said
she maintained her neutrality in the primary and that gave her a special space said senator richard j durbin democrat of illinois
but her attacks on mr trump were hatched in her own brain and carried out with a combination of vehemence and apparent pleasure
through speeches carefully chosen television appearances and tweet storms designed to skewer the businessmans remarks policies and dynamism ms warren has gone taunt for taunt with mr trump calling him a loser a small insecure money grubber and weak and she is only warming up
donald trump says they ought to look into judge curiel because what judge curiel is doing is a total disgrace ms warren said thursday night in a speech to the american constitution society addressing mr trumps attack on a federal judge gonzalo p curiel based on his hispanic heritage no donald what you are doing is a total disgrace race baiting a judge who spent years defending america from the terror of murderers and drug traffickers simply because long ago his family came to america from somewhere else you donald trump are a total disgrace
ms warren has not confined her attacks on republicans to mr trump she engaged senator mitch mcconnell the majority leader this week on the senate floor when she tried to single handedly move to confirm some judges republicans are blocking
the senates job is to provide advice and consent on the presidents judicial nominees ms warren lectured as mr mcconnell was forced to look on before objecting there is no asterisk that says only when the majority leader has an embarrassing political problem or except when the president is named barack obama she said
this spring ms warren 66 embarked on a long string of ornery slaps at mr trump on his favored forum twitter calling his candidacy a serious threat and calling him a loser she also called him out directly in one twitter message that said your policies are dangerous your words are reckless your record is embarrassing and your free ride is over
mr trump whose thin skin becomes almost translucent when attacked on social media responded by calling ms warren the indian and pocahontas in reference to her disputed cherokee heritage
democrats are rather gleeful about ms warrens role because of her high profile and her stark contrast to mr trump she is also unlike mr sanders who often speaks along the same thematic lines as mr trump on trade policy and whose supporters mr trump has openly courted in recent weeks
this has led to inevitable talk of ms warren as the no 2 on mrs clintons ticket shes played a great role said senator barbara boxer democrat of california i think she should be one of the names considered
while that idea is appealing to many clinton advisers and she is often mentioned as a possibility the two have not shared the sort of warm relationship that could be required for such a partnership ms warren has suggested in the past that mrs clinton was not as tough as she could have been on bank regulations
of course ive spoken with senator warren in the last few weeks mrs clinton told bloomberg news weve stayed in touch over the campaign and im very much looking forward to having her good advice and counsel as we move to the general election campaign i have the highest regard for her
ms warren brings more to the table than a knack for a knifing riposte she is also an impressive fund raiser having collected almost 50 million for her campaign committee since 2011 and she has a formidable mailing list of supporters
mrs clinton made no mention of those attributes but she did make a point of saying she supported the consumer financial protection bureau which ms warren helped to start before winning her senate seat in 2012 id hate to lose her here mr durbin said
in the senate ms warrens role has been more of an effective scold than a legislative heavyweight for instance last year she became the face of opposition for a trade bill championed by mr obama far more so than mr sanders who like mr trump is a strong critic of international trade agreements
on thursday the political gloves were off and the napkin was on the lap as she joined a rare bipartisan senate lunch she tucked into some georgia barbecue as she sat for some time next to senator bob corker republican of tennessee with whom she had worked on bills to reform government sponsored enterprises like fannie mae and freddie mac when i talk to her we talk about policy overlap said mr corker a supporter of mr trump
after the lunch two reporters followed ms warren down a hallway to discuss her role in the party her attacks on mr trump mrs clinton or even the barbecue she just ate
an aide repeatedly asked them to leave as ms warren pretended to examine the paint on the hall ceiling


in his first two home starts chris parmelee was already beginning to assume folk hero status among yankees fans
parmelee who was brought up saturday from class aaa scrantonwilkes barre hit two home runs wednesday at yankee stadium on thursday parmelee drove in the first run of the yankees 6 3 win over the angels igniting a five run fifth inning as the club moved back to 500 at 30 30 with their four game sweep of los angeles
but parmelee may disappear as quickly as he endeared himself a two game stopgap in a carousel of yankees first basemen this season
with two outs in the seventh parmelee split his legs while catching a throw at first base and tumbled backward grabbing his right hamstring he could not put weight on his right leg as he was helped off the field by manager joe girardi who said that he would be completely shocked if parmelee did not go on the disabled list
i dont know if ive ever seen that happen before girardi said
parmelee signed with the yankees after greg bird injured his shoulder in the off season bird was expected to be the backup at first base to mark teixeira who is currently on the disabled list with torn cartilage in his right knee last month dustin ackley another first baseman dislocated his right shoulder and is out for the year
in his brief resume of games at yankee stadium parmelee already had a special place in yankees lore his first game came on sept 19 2011 the day mariano rivera collected his 602nd save setting the major league record
parmelee then a rookie with the twins made the final out
after the yankees made the final out of the eighth inning holding a 6 4 lead parmelee peeked at the lineup card his stomach sank when he realized he was due up third
i was hoping that one of the guys in front of me got a knock parmelee said earlier thursday
they did not trevor plouffe grounded to second for the first out and michael cuddyer flew out to right field
rivera struck out parmelee on three pitches the last a backdoor cutter the second pitch crept in on parmelee and broke his bat as the ball dribbled foul
during that series which occurred in riveras final season the twins presented rivera with a rocking chair made of broken bats parmelees lumber from save 602 was not included instead he kept the memento and asked rivera to sign the bat which now rests on parmelees mantel at home
inside pitch
the yankees selected outfielder blake rutherford 19 from chaminade college prep in california with the 18th selection in the first round of the major league baseball draft rutherford was ranked as a top 10 prospect by mlbcom and baseball america


washington   federal prosecutors on thursday charged that a former bank teller in the washington suburbs joined the islamic state in syria in december received religious training for months and pledged to become a suicide bomber
nearly 90 people in the united states have been prosecuted in the last two years in connection with support for the islamic state but the case against mohamad jamal khweis 26 of alexandria va is among the most unusual
while more than three dozen americans have been accused of trying to go to the middle east to join the islamic state mr khweis is one of a small number thought to have actually made it and he is the only one who appears to have surrendered in a battle zone after changing his mind
after his apprehension in syria in march mr khweis told an fbi agent that he was first inspired to join the islamic state last year because he was drawn to its mission of establishing a caliphate in the middle east according to a criminal complaint filed against him in united states district court in alexandria
in the fbi interview he said that he knew that the islamic state used violence and wanted to destroy the united states but he also said that the group engaged in peaceful and humanitarian efforts
mr khweis told the fbi that he flew from baltimore to london last december and continued on to turkey where he made contact online with an islamic state recruiter prosecutors said
he said he then traveled into syria with four other recruits and stayed in a safe house with the groups distinctive black flag displayed he was given a new name of abu omar al amriki or abu omar the american prosecutors said
when an islamic state member asked him if he wanted to be a suicide bomber the defendant answered yes according to the complaint
mr khweis said he received the bulk of his religious training from the islamic state at a separate location in mosul iraq the defendant admitted that at the end of every lesson the imam stated may god destroy america prosecutors said
prosecutors made no mention in their complaint of the unusual circumstances behind mr khweiss apprehension or what he says was his change of heart
kurdish soldiers found mr khweis in march unarmed and wandering near the ancient iraqi city of sinjar near the site of violent clashes with islamic state fighters he told the kurds in a mix of english and broken arabic that he wanted to surrender
in an interview with a kurdish news media outlet after he was taken into custody mr khweis said that he had fled the islamic state because i found it very very hard to live there he said he hoped to cross back into turkey and return to the united states
he said he was not thinking straight when he decided to join with the islamic state calling it a bad decision
the justice department returned mr khweis to the united states late wednesday night before his thursday court appearance
family members could not be reached for comment thursday after mr khweiss apprehension in march his father jamal khweis told reporters that he was not certain what happened to his son or where he was
hes old enough the father said i cannot ask him where hes going where hes coming from a brother said that the family was thankful that he had been found
mr khweis worked as a teller at a bank in northern virginia until about 2011 and attended community college his father is a limousine driver and his mother is a licensed cosmetologist


to the many tributes pouring in from around the world honoring muhammad ali add one from his hometown orchestra and its energetic young maestro
it was just a month and a half ago that teddy abrams the 29 year old music director of the louisville orchestra announced that he planned to honor ali who was born in louisville ky by writing a composition for the orchestra to play next season called muhammad ali portrait
then ali died on june 3 at the age of 74 since then mr abrams has led an impromptu tribute to ali playing amazing grace at a makeshift memorial outside louisvilles muhammad ali center and now he has teamed with jim james who plays guitar with the louisville based rock band my morning jacket to record a tribute to ali
the new composition by mr abrams called float rumble rest is an instrumental work a little longer than eight minutes long mr abrams plays keyboards and mr james guitar on the piece being released friday by sonablast records a local label all proceeds from the recording are to benefit the ali center a museum dedicated to preserving alis legacy and promoting respect hope and understanding
as a louisvillian and a musician i wanted to offer an artistic tribute to the legendary figure that has inspired influenced and captivated humanity in the modern era mr abrams said in a statement
some of the ideas in float rumble rest will probably inform next seasons orchestral work   which is to fuse many styles including jazz and rap and to include alis own words the work will be a centerpiece of the orchestras new festival of american music in april


washington   six years after his mysterious death in a moscow prison cell sergei l magnitsky has become a byword for brutality in president vladimir v putins russia now a documentary film that paints mr magnitsky as an accomplice rather than a victim is generating a furor with critics trying to block a screening of it next week in washington
screenings of the film the magnitsky act   behind the scenes have been canceled in europe after threats of libel suits from william f browder an american born financier who fell afoul of the russian government and hired mr magnitsky a lawyer and auditor to investigate a vast tax fraud scheme after the government seized three of his russian subsidiaries
the magnitsky act is to be screened on monday at the newseum a private museum dedicated to the news industry lawyers for mr browder and mr magnitskys mother natalia magnitskaya sent a letter to the newseum this week demanding that it call off the event after a conference call on thursday the museums management refused
we stand for free speech and free expression said scott williams the chief operating officer of the newseum were not going to allow them not to show the film he noted that the museum was not sponsoring the screening but merely renting out its theater we often have people renting for events that other people would love not to have happen he said
mr browder who lives in london has accused the films director andrei nekrasov of defaming him and smearing the memory of mr magnitsky the film asserts that the widely accepted version of mr magnitskys death is wrong that the police did not beat him before he died and that he did not testify that the police had conspired to steal 230 million in fraudulent tax rebates indeed the film says it was mr browder who orchestrated the fraud
the legacy of mr magnitsky who was 37 at the time of his death is complicated because he has become such a potent symbol in 2012 congress passed a law bearing his name that blacklisted russian officials involved in human rights abuses the kremlin retaliated by imposing sanctions on several american citizens and banning the adoption of russian children by americans
lawmakers are now trying to pass legislation that would impose sanctions on people anywhere in the world for the kinds of human rights abuses that surfaced in the magnitsky case much to the frustration of the russian government the bill would again bear his name a screening at the newseum is especially controversial because it could attract lawmakers or their aides the cavernous museum which sits on pennsylvania avenue in the shadow of the capitol has the text of the first amendment etched above its main entrance
mr nekrasov is an experienced documentary maker whose work has sometimes been critical of the russian government he made films about the russian crackdown in chechnya and the poisoning of alexander v litvinenko a former intelligence officer
speaking from berlin mr nekrasov said he had not begun the project intending to undermine the account of mr magnitskys death he said that he viewed it more as a docudrama about mr magnitskys last days and that he had consulted mr browder whom he envisioned as the films narrator but as he began scrutinizing original documents in the case mr nekrasov said he began to doubt mr browders version of events
its difficult to pin down the moment when i thought it was a lie its a made up story he said one clue he said was that there was no sign of whistle blowing on the part of mr magnitsky
people familiar with the magnitsky case expressed doubt that he was in on a conspiracy when i was in the government said michael a mcfaul a former united states ambassador to russia we studied closely his tragic case and had a radically different assessment
in april a screening of the film at the european parliament was called off at the last minute after lawyers for mr browder threatened legal action the british law firm carter ruck also sent a letter to arte a german french television network that planned to broadcast the film
in the united states mr nekrasov has retained the potomac square group a small public affairs and lobbying firm that has worked for bahrain kuwait and azerbaijan among other foreign governments it is run by christopher cooper a former wall street journal reporter mr cooper rented the theater in the newseum and declined to say who was paying his company im putting this event together for the director he said
mr cooper said there would be a question and answer session with mr nekrasov moderated by the investigative journalist seymour hersh after the screening the organizers considered inviting mr browder to take part in the session mr cooper said and might still do so
mr browder did not return requests for comment but he has spoken out in the past against the film calling it a calculated attempt to harm our campaign and to make people doubt the legacy of sergei magnitsky
lawyers for mr browder have presented substantial documentary evidence including photographs that mr magnitsky was beaten in his jail cell they also cite transcripts of testimony in which he named police officers as being involved in the tax fraud
that mr magnitsky was mistreated in jail is hardly in dispute the russian authorities initially claimed he had died from sudden heart failure but after persistent questions russias then president dmitri a medvedev ordered prosecutors to open an investigation
in 2011 a human rights panel that advised mr medvedev issued a report concluding that mr magnitsky had been beaten his health issues went untreated for the 11 months he was in custody the report said that investigators and prison officials shared responsibility for his death
mr browder was once the largest foreign investor in russias stock market he defended mr putin and in 2005 he told a reporter that the newly elected president of ukraine viktor a yushchenko needed to cultivate closer ties with russia since he was expelled from russia however mr browder has become a fierce crusader against official corruption there
last year he published a book red notice a true story of high finance murder and one mans fight for justice that delved into the circumstances of mr magnitskys death


a grand jury has voted to charge a rapper who was seen on video firing a gun at a manhattan concert last month in a shooting that left his bodyguard dead and three others injured the prosecutor handling the case said on thursday
an indictment containing the charges against the rapper troy ave 33 whose real name is roland collins will be filed within two weeks christine keenan the prosecutor said during a hearing in criminal court in manhattan on thursday the charges will be made public on june 22 when mr collins is scheduled to be arraigned in state supreme court
the indictment is expected to shed light on how strong a case the district attorneys office has against mr collins who was arrested on charges of attempted murder and criminal weapons possession after the may 25 shooting at irving plaza a concert hall near union square he is being held without bail at the rikers island jail complex
about 950 people were at the venue when the shooting started in a vip area according to the police the rapper headlining the concert ti was about to go onstage when the sound of gunshots sent the crowd rushing for the exits ronald mcphatter 33 the bodyguard was killed
the shooting sparked a wave of debate across new york city about the glorification of violence in rap music and security at rap events live nation the concert company that operates the club postponed several shows after the shooting
mr collins who was wounded in the leg during the shooting did not appear at the hearing on thursday his lawyers said their clients wheelchair could not fit through a door that incarcerated defendants must pass through to reach the courtroom
after the hearing scott e leemon one of mr collinss lawyers said nothing had changed in his clients case
he didnt shoot himself mr leemon said he didnt shoot mcphatter they are victims and its time for the das office to start treating them like victims
ms keenan said she would file a motion to obtain a cheek swab from mr collins for dna she did not say what it would be used for
mr collinss mother and several other relatives dressed in black attended part of the hearing sitting quietly on a courtroom bench they declined to comment afterward
mr collins was seen in surveillance video from the venue firing a gun into a crowd on the vip level as terrified concertgoers shielded themselves under a balcony the police said they found the gun a kel tec pf 9 semiautomatic pistol in the minivan that carried mr collins to the hospital ballistics tests matched the weapon to six shell casings recovered at the scene according to the police but investigators have not ruled out the possibility that there was a second gunman
from behind bars on monday mr collins released a mixtape free troy ave on the first of 12 tracks he professes his innocence and gives his version of what happened in the vip area
on intro troy ave speaks freestyle mr collins describes taking a gun from a man who tried to assassinate me and turning the tables round like a g on that track and others which were recorded from phone calls from jail he talks about the pain of losing mr mcphatter and thanks supporters he calls the shooting and subsequent ordeal a minor setback for a major comeback
it aint the end of troy ave not at all this is just the beginning he says im innocent unless they charging me with being real from the very beginning im innocent
his statements on the mixtape raised questions about whether the lyrics could be admitted as evidence in court critics argue that rap lyrics are artistic expressions protected under the first amendment but rulings have established that lyrics can be used against defendants under special circumstances
mr collinss lawyers did not comment on the mixtape
john b stella another of mr collinss lawyers said his client established a 10000 scholarship in mr mcphatters honor after the shooting for athletes at new utrecht high school where the two had graduated
mr mcphatters funeral on saturday in brooklyn was attended by dozens of relatives dressed in white elected officials including eric l adams the borough president antiviolence activists and the rapper lil mama mr mcphatter was remembered for his smile his protective instincts and his athletic prowess


donald j trump convened the first meeting of his national finance team on thursday amid persistent republican concerns that a shortfall in fund raising efforts and a lack of discipline were imperiling his presidential bid
during the gathering at the four seasons hotel in midtown manhattan mr trump dwelled little on his recent controversies including his comments about the mexican heritage of the judge presiding in a lawsuit filed by former students of trump university
but a top trump surrogate gov chris christie of new jersey did allude to the recent bumpiness of the campaign said an attendee john a catsimatidis a new york investor and grocery magnate
people make mistakes mr christie said according to mr catsimatidis and they take it back
a spokesman for mr christie referred questions to the trump campaign
mr trump has not backed off his attacks on the judge gonzalo p curiel but did issue a statement this week calling it unfortunate that his comments had been misconstrued
among those also in attendance for the meeting were reince priebus the chairman of the republican national committee and woody johnson the jets owner and onetime supporter of jeb bush who recently joined mr trumps finance committee
mr trump had initially said he hoped to raise roughly 1 billion by november for himself and the party but efforts to date have been well off pace he has since revised that figure downward
well raise what we need to raise paul manafort mr trumps chief strategist said after leaving the meeting
mr catsimatidis echoed a recent suggestion from mr trump that raising 1 billion was unnecessary because he attracted so much media attention hes got 2 billion in free advertising and free tv mr catsimatidis said
he added that he remained friends with the clintons and had not committed to a candidate
in his remarks to the finance group mr trump expressed confidence in his ability to compete in states like new jersey maryland and california that are rarely hospitable to republicans said an attendee who requested anonymity to discuss the private meeting
mr trump has also hired a pollster to gauge his prospects in new york causing consternation among republicans who worry that he is spending foolishly


cairo   libyan fighters aligned with the united nations backed unity government on thursday battled their way toward the center of surt the islamic states coastal stronghold in a rapid offensive that has confounded expectations and upended western strategic calculations
only a few months ago american generals were touting a plan to dislodge the islamic state from surt with a campaign of airstrikes yet the three week old libyan ground offensive led by a brigade from the nearby city of misurata has gradually closed in from the west and south capturing an airfield military bases and a traffic junction where the islamic state has hanged dozens of people
the swiftness and extent of these successes and the seeming inability of the islamic state to hold on to territory has surprised observers inside and outside libya
clashes continued on thursday as the islamic state whose force in the city is estimated to be in the low thousands fought back with suicide bombings and sniper fire mohamed al ghassri a spokesman for the misuratan force said 110 fighters from his side had been killed and more than 500 wounded since the operation started
western officials and analysts cautioned that the islamic state could yet mount counterattacks or guerrilla strikes but many were impressed with the momentum of the assault which comes as the islamic state also known as isis or isil faces escalating pressure in iraq and syria the assault also dealt a heavy blow to the islamic states ambitions for a permanent base on the southern shores of the mediterranean
the question now is whether isis will bunker down in the city center or try to find a way out said mattia toaldo a libya analyst at the european council on foreign relations
videos circulating online showed jubilant libyan fighters tearing down a metal frame called the stage of horror that the islamic state used to hang at least 49 people fighters flashed victory signs as they sped around the citys outskirts even as fighting continued
in washington american officials voiced guarded optimism
we welcome the advancement of gna forces against isil in surt and the coordination of the groups combating isil under the gnas authority said lt col michelle baldanza a pentagon spokeswoman referring to the government of national accord or unity government we are not going to predict timelines on libyan military operations
islamic state fighters began filtering into surt in 2014 taking advantage of the factional chaos in libya in the years after the downfall of col muammar el qaddafi that vacuum eventually allowed the extremist group to control 150 miles of coastline and establish pockets of territory in a number of other cities but now it controls no more than 40 miles of coast and has been diminished elsewhere
a small contingent of american and british special operations forces are playing a background role in the assault on surt mr ghassri the spokesman for the misuratan force said that about 25 american and british soldiers were gathering intelligence and providing logistical information for the operation
the clashes on thursday were concentrated around a conference hall known as the ougadougou center the libyans modest fleet of warplanes bombed the hall where fighting continued on thursday night yet the main part of surt   a knot of tightly spaced streets where the former dictator colonel qaddafi was raised and in 2011 killed   remains in the hands of the islamic state
in misurata 110 miles to the west hospitals said they had been overwhelmed by wounded soldiers some of whom were flown to italy and turkey for treatment reuters reported suicide bombings had inflicted the heaviest casualties in one instance killing 32 people mr ghassri said
earlier this year pentagon officials estimated the islamic states strength in libya at up to 6500 fighters although other western estimates run as low as 3000 in a report on human rights violations in surt published last month human rights watch cited a libyan military intelligence official who estimated 1800 fighters inside the city 70 percent of whom were foreigners
tunisians account for the majority of foreign fighters in surt other recruits come from across north and west africa syria and afghanistan the human rights watch report detailed horrific scenes from everyday life including public beheadings and floggings that were said to have undermined support for the islamic state among local residents
the military assault is good news for the unity government and the united nations which helped establish it but in libya even good news can carry potential political risks the unity government has failed to establish its authority since its arrival in the capital tripoli in march it has relied heavily on support from the united states and its european allies which have imposed sanctions on opposing politicians in an effort to bolster its standing
but some of the militias now fighting together have previously fought one another raising fears about what would happen if they managed to capture surt the key thing is what happens the minute they put their flag on ground said mr toaldo the analyst were talking about two forces that were fighting each other in the same area only one year ago


london   one of the oldest forms of punctuation may be dying
the period   the full stop signal we all learn as children whose use stretches back at least to the middle ages   is gradually being felled in the barrage of instant messaging that has become synonymous with the digital age
so says david crystal who has written more than 100 books on language and is a former master of original pronunciation at shakespeares globe theater in london   a man who understands the power of tradition in language
the conspicuous omission of the period in text messages and in instant messaging on social media he says is a product of the punctuation free staccato sentences favored by millennials   and increasingly their elders   a trend fueled by the freewheeling style of facebook whatsapp and twitter
we are at a momentous moment in the history of the full stop professor crystal an honorary professor of linguistics at the university of wales bangor said in an interview after he expounded on his view recently at the hay festival in wales
in an instant message it is pretty obvious a sentence has come to an end and none will have a full stop he added so why use it
in fact the understated period   the punctuation equivalent of stagehands who dress in black to be less conspicuous   may have suddenly taken on meanings all its own
increasingly says professor crystal whose books include making a point the persnickety story of english punctuation the period is being deployed as a weapon to show irony syntactic snark insincerity even aggression
if the love of your life just canceled the candlelit six course home cooked dinner you have prepared you are best advised to include a period when you respond fine to show annoyance
fine or fine in contrast could denote acquiescence or blithe acceptance
the period now has an emotional charge and has become an emoticon of sorts professor crystal said in the 1990s the internet created an ethos of linguistic free love where breaking the rules was encouraged and punctuation was one of the ways this could be done
social media sites have only intensified that sense of liberation
professor crystals observations on the fate of the period are driven in part by frequent visits to high schools across britain where he analyzes students text messages
researchers at binghamton university in new york and rutgers university in new jersey have also recently noted the periods new semantic force
they asked 126 undergraduate students to review 16 exchanges some in text messages some in handwritten notes that had one word affirmative responses okay sure yeah yup some had periods while others did not
those text message with periods were rated as less sincere the study found whereas it made no difference in the notes penned by hand
geoffrey nunberg a linguist who teaches at the university of california berkeley noted that the 140 character limit imposed by twitter and the reading of messages on a cellphone or hand held device has repurposed the punctuation mark
it is not necessary to use a period in a text message so to make something explicit that is already implicit makes a point of it he said its like when you say i am not going - period its a mark it can be aggressive it can be emphatic it can mean i have no more to say
can ardent fans of punctuation take heart in any part of the periods decline perhaps
the shunning of the period professor crystal said has paradoxically been accompanied by spasms of overpunctuation
if someone texts are you coming to the party the response he noted was increasingly yes fantastic
but of course that exuberance would never be tolerated in a classroom
at the same time he said he found that british teenagers were increasingly eschewing emoticons and abbreviations such as lol laughing out loud or rotf rolling on the floor in text messages because they had been adopted by their parents and were therefore considered uncool
now all we need to know is whats next to go the question mark


the prominent gallery hauser  wirth in september will take over the former four story dia art foundation space on west 22nd street as a temporary home while constructing its new building on a site next door
we are thrilled to be in this strongly historic space which was kind of the birthplace of contemporary art in chelsea said marc payot a partner and vice president at hauser  wirth
to adapt the space the gallery has enlisted annabelle selldorf who is also the architect of hauser  wirths new building at 542 west 22nd street which begins construction this summer and is expected to open in the first half of 2018
the gallerys final show in its current temporary space at 511 west 18th street the former roxy disco will be a paul mccarthy exhibition which opens in november
hauser  wirth will continue to operate its first new york location on the upper east side


in the 1950s california corporate executives wrapped suburban banks in murals and mosaics to attract customers the walls meant to signify prosperity were patterned with glittering city skylines flourishing orange groves and portraits of hollywood stars and early california missionaries the best known designer of the works millard sheets recalled in a 1988 interview that when bank patrons were asked what appealed to them about the buildings they replied we like to be associated with something beautiful
adam arenson director of the urban studies program at manhattan college has spent six years documenting the banks mostly part of the home savings and loan chain along with other public artworks by mr sheets mr arensons book millard sheets and home savings mid century modern corporate art and urban identity for southern california and beyond is due next year
the projects of mr sheets who died in 1989 are scattered from honolulu to detroit and boston mr arenson keeps hearing about discoveries from people who are researching them and protecting them from demolition
he has been admiring the work since he was a child he grew up in san diego near a home savings branch with a sheets scene of california friars and vaqueros the imagery he said has this sense of myth and identity and region
mr sheets a native of pomona calif was tireless traveling widely to paint scenes of africa asia the south pacific and the middle east at his studio in claremont calif he supervised teams of designers to produce mosaics murals stained glass sculpture and fountains
along with banks the studio created works for restaurants churches hotels airports libraries stores government agencies schools hospitals freemasons and cemeteries the varied mosaics and murals sometimes measure over 100 feet long at the university of notre dame a librarys exterior wall is filled with a stone mosaic of christ reaching upward with arms in a u shape although its official title is word of life it is widely known as touchdown jesus
mr sheets also designed calendars and movie sets and he collaborated and socialized with celebrities like walt disney and the abstract artist hans hofmann still mr sheetss output has not much interested art historians it is often considered art of the establishment rather than avant garde mr arenson said
mr sheets and his wife mary raised four children one of their three sons the artist tony sheets runs a website millardsheetsartcom and tracks his fathers artworks when murals and mosaics are endangered he helps transfer them to new homes
we keep a close eye on them he said
gilded mosaics of birds and deities from a dallas bank have been moved to the joule hotel in dallas other mosaics from the bank have sold for thousands of dollars each a tableau of industrial workers made for a los angeles department store was taken to the natural history museum of los angeles county paintings of california hills from a hollywood homes dining room have been hung at the huntington library art collections and botanical gardens in san marino calif a mural of a 19th century parade painted on walnut panels has been transferred from a pasadena bank to the gym at pasadena city college
mr arenson is still determining the fate of some sheets works including an abstract mosaic in fiery colors that filled a lobby wall at the former headquarters of interpace a ceramics manufacturer in parsippany nj it is no longer visible and no information has emerged about when it was taken out or covered up the original drawing for the project is priced at 5000 at alan wofsy fine arts gallery in san francisco which has a large inventory of sheets sketches paintings and prints
paul bockhorst productions in monrovia calif released a documentary a year ago design for modern living millard sheets and the claremont art community 1935 1975 a sequel in progress claremont modern the convergence of art  architecture at midcentury will explore mr sheetss contributions to home savings branches
the painter anna mary robertson moses known as grandma moses became a celebrity in the 1940s soon after her 80th birthday she prolifically painted her memories of 19th century new york and vermont towns and farmsteads and she sometimes incorporated forms copied from magazines books greeting cards and prints with her manhattan dealer otto kallir at the galerie st etienne she licensed her nostalgic works to be reproduced on textiles tiles and dinnerware
prominent critics dismissed her paintings as kitsch although other art world luminaries of her time including elie nadelman andy warhol and joseph cornell similarly borrowed from 19th century imagery in the catalog for an exhibition grandma moses american modern which opens june 18 at the shelburne museum in vermont the curator jamie franklin writes i simply find it astounding how resonant mosess practices were with larger trends in the art world and how little it has been commented upon
mr franklin is the curator at the bennington museum in vermont which owns about 40 of grandma mosess paintings as well as her art supplies needlework fabrics the schoolhouse that she attended as a child and her 18th century worktable covered in landscape paintings the shelburne exhibition will travel to the bennington museum next year
jane kallir an owner of galerie st etienne said that a complete catalog of grandma mosess works is in progress pieces are still surfacing in april two moses landscapes one painted on masonite and another on a ceramic pitcher sold together for 15000 at doyle auction house in manhattan she had told the original owner how the idea for the masonite panel came to her one morning i dreamed i saw this scene and got up and painted it before the vision of it faded


spoiler alert hamilton is going to win the tony award for best new musical on sunday night
but you already knew that so let me tell you some things you might not realize
lin manuel miranda is going to have a great night but hes not likely to win a tony for his acting
hamilton is not likely to set a record for the most tonys won although it still has a long shot chance to tie the record 12 won by the producers in 2001
and after a diverse season for broadway it looks as if black actors could sweep all four awards for performances in musicals
how do i know all this every year the new york times theater desk interviews tony voters to inform a story predicting the winners and this year we decided to up our game we partnered with the news surveys team at the times and our friends at the siena college research institute to sample the 846 tony voters
in all we heard from 171   a much bigger sample than ever before   and asked them not only who they favored in the top races but also how they are feeling about broadway and its challenges including the high prices for hamilton tickets
we only asked about the best shows and the best performances so if what keeps you up at night is the race for best lighting design im afraid you have a few sleepless nights remaining and of course our sample is imperfect in multiple ways so youll have to wait until sunday 8 pm eastern on cbs for the real results but heres what we think youre likely to see
burr vs hamilton again tony voters really really really love hamilton but in the battle for best leading actor in a musical they prefer leslie odom jr the actor portraying aaron burr over mr miranda who plays the title character
theres a historical quirkiness to this   burr of course was the nominal victor of the 1804 duel in which he killed hamilton but as the musical proclaims that victory made him a villain mr miranda is widely admired as a genius and a visionary and every hamilton win on sunday will be attributable to his creative powers but the voters appear to have concluded that mr odoms charismatic incarnation of one of american historys best known bad guys and his razzle dazzle delivery of the showstopper the room where it happens have earned him the acting award
mr odom is likely to be one of three hamilton performers who win acting awards on sunday renee elise goldsberry whose rappedsung deconstruction of a wedding toast satisfied was arguably the most ingenious moment of the theatrical season looks likely to win as best featured actress for her portrayal of angelica schuyler while daveed diggs is likely to win the best featured actor tony for his knowingly witty portrayals of two important historical figures marquis de lafayette and thomas jefferson
purple reign the last season was excellent for musical revivals but one stands out for tony voters the color purple and cynthia erivo a 29 year old british actress making her broadway debut in the show is not only a critical darling but also the strong favorite to take home the tony for best leading actress in a musical ms erivo would be the second actress to win a tony award for playing celie in 2006 lachanze won for her work in the original production this would also be the only acting category in a musical not won by hamilton
it was a very strong year for musical actresses with memorable performances by laura benanti in she loves me carmen cusack in bright star jessie mueller in waitress and phillipa soo in hamilton   but ms erivos onstage transformation from sexually abused girl to confident woman and her tear the roof off voice which routinely prompts mid act standing ovations has blown away even her competitors give cynthiaerivo all the awards immediately ms benanti tweeted after seeing the show on may 29
what about the plays it was a good season for the power producer scott rudin who brought five shows to broadway all of which were nominated for tony awards and it looks like two of his plays will win the humans as best new play and a view from the bridge as best revival both are notable broadway debuts the humans is the first broadway play written by stephen karam a 36 year old american playwright and a view from the bridge by arthur miller is directed by ivo van hove a vaunted belgian director making a big move into the mainstream the humans is also likely to win featured acting awards for two admired and veteran stage performers reed birney and jayne houdyshell who play a married couple stressed by job loss elder care and a challenge to their relationship
too close to call two treasured american performers frank langella and jessica lange are in tight races mr langella who has already won three tony awards for seascape fortunes fool and frostnixon could win a fourth for his portrayal of a frenchman with dementia in florian zellers the father but there is also significant support for mark strong a british actor who made his broadway debut in one of the great american stage roles eddie carbone a brooklyn longshoreman with an unhealthy fixation on his niece in a view from the bridge
ms lange a two time oscar winner has a slight edge in her bid for a first tony for her portrayal of the morphine addicted mary tyrone in long days journey into night but she could be upset by lupita nyongo also an oscar winner making her broadway debut as a girl captured by a liberian warlord in eclipsed
beyond the horse race the voters are all closely connected to the theater industry   they become voters as members of the broadway league which represents producers the american theater wing actors equity and other groups made up of designers directors critics and more so perhaps its not surprising that when we asked how they think broadway is doing they gave positive responses 71 percent said broadway is heading in the right direction 61 percent said the variety of shows this past season was better than in previous seasons and 59 percent said the quality of shows had improved
big problems it wasnt however all happiness and joy we asked the voters about the challenges facing broadway a whopping 91 percent thought high ticket prices were a serious problem and a plurality 43 percent said they thought that issue was the biggest problem facing broadway note that we surveyed voters before hamilton announced that it was raising its top premium price to 849 but there was also concern about other issues a majority thought the dependence on celebrities the lack of audience for plays the lack of audience for new work and congestion in times square were also serious problems
about those hamilton tickets a majority of tony voters 58 percent favored government action to restrict the ticket reselling that has driven up the price but a slight majority 51 percent also thought the producers of hamilton need to do more to limit the reselling of tickets to that show
so why wont hamilton set a record it has 16 nominations but that includes three nominees for best featured actor and two for best leading actor it can win only one in each category so that means 13 possible wins and it looks like its not going to win best leading actress so that means a maximum of 12 will it win 12 we dont know   the nominations include a number of design categories that are highly competitive and we did not query voters about those categories among others watch with us sunday   well have all the news photos and commentary at nytimescomtonys


the bronx museum of the arts said thursday that a long planned show of works to be lent from the national museum of fine arts in cuba   part of a major exchange originally scheduled to happen this year   would be delayed until early next year at the soonest because of legal diplomatic and logistical hurdles
last summer more than 80 works of art from the bronx museums permanent collection dating from the 1960s to the present traveled to the national museum in cuba representing the first part of the two country exhibition titled wild noise the largest collaboration between cuban and united states museums in more than 50 years but the bronx half of the collaboration has turned out to be more complicated in part because of questions about whether state owned art works from cuba could be in danger of being seized while in the united states to satisfy legal claims by americans whose property was confiscated in cuba after fidel castro took power in 1959
the delay of the exhibition first reported by the art newspaper was not primarily caused by concerns of such a legal seizure said holly block the executive director of the bronx museum she said a recent change in the directorship of the national museum in cuba along with complications involving shipping a need to make repairs to some air conditioning systems at the bronx museum and the demands on her small staff have all contributed to the delay but she said concerns about protecting the lent artwork from legal seizure had factored into a decision to move the exhibition to january 2017 and for the bronx museum to make applications for legal immunity to the state department and for insurance indemnity to the national endowment for the arts
since the united states imposed an embargo on trade between the two countries in 1960 exhibitions of cuban art have been organized here and pieces from private american collections have gone on view in cuba but there has never been an exchange like the one being planned by the two museums
the possibility of seizure has been a worry from the very beginning ms block said there are no test cases for something like this because it hasnt been done she said that the applications for immunity and indemnification which are often made by american museums borrowing works from other countries would be submitted sometime this summer


they are among wars invisible wounds the emotional and cognitive problems that many troops experience years after combat explosions sent huge shock waves through their brains whereas the link between concussions and post traumatic stress disorder has become clearer in recent years a specific connection between ptsd and blast waves has remained elusive
now a prominent neuropathologist who researches brain injuries among military personnel says his team has identified evidence of tissue damage caused by blasts alone not by concussions or other injuries the teams study was published on thursday in the lancet neurology
the discovery could eventually lead to better treatments and to improved head and body protection for troops exposed to high energy blasts some experts said other researchers advised that these initial findings should be bolstered by more studies before veterans and their families read too much into them
we talk about ptsd being a psychiatric problem   how people responded to the horror of warfare said dr daniel p perl the neuropathologist who led the study but at least in some cases no   their brain has been damaged
the real black box is to figure out who has this added dr perl who works at the uniformed services university of the health sciences in bethesda md the medical school run by the department of defense
even the tentative results provided some solace to jennifer collins who was married to one of the five male military veterans whose damaged brains were examined in the study her husband david served 17 years in the navy seals enduring countless explosions in iraq and afghanistan he retired in 2012 and steadily developed significant depression sleeplessness and memory loss he killed himself in march 2014
this is proof that this man died in combat ms collins said in a telephone interview sobbing and struggling to find words it took several years to kill him but he died in combat this finding is further validation about what i know about my husband
it is unclear how many of the 25 million united states service members deployed to iraq and afghanistan were exposed to blasts a 2008 report by the rand corporation suggested that the number could be about 500000 but some estimates suggest the problem could be greater for example a 2014 study of 34 living veterans from those conflicts found that a majority had experienced at least five blasts
explosions from roadside bombs grenades and other devices produce a wide spectrum of injuries beyond the shrapnel and other objects that impale the head and body the hurricane force wind can blow troops off their feet causing fatal head injuries and concussions on impact
less understood is how the blast wave   the pulse of compressed air that shoots in all directions faster than the speed of sound and arrives before the wind   affects brain tissue after crashing through the helmet and skull blasts are also believed to compress the sternum and send shock waves through the bodys blood vessels and up into the brain
the researchers examined the brains of the five veterans who had been exposed to blasts and compared samples with those of 16 other veterans and civilians with and without brain injuries from military service or other activities scar tissue in specific locations of the cerebral cortex which regulates emotional and cognitive functioning was found only in the blast injury cases
all five of those men also suffered from the symptoms of ptsd which given the location of the scarring suggests that a physical combat injury could have led to or exacerbated their psychological troubles dr perl said any such connection now only speculative and needing further research could lead to a better understanding of a link between combat and ptsd said dr ibolja cernak the chairwoman of military rehabilitation research at the university of alberta
dr cernak likened the blast injury study published in the lancet neurology to the first reports of chronic traumatic encephalopathy among professional football players whose disease was linked to repetitive on field brain trauma and helped explain some of their cognitive and emotional problems decades later as with cte the damage connected to blasts does not appear on any magnetic resonance imaging test or brain scan and can be located only after death
this could be for the military population what cte was for football players   enormous dr cernak said of the research
beyond treatment options the findings raise the possibility that better head protection for active soldiers could ameliorate a blast waves damage dr ralph g depalma a special operations officer in the office of research and development at the department of veterans affairs called that prospect probably the most important aspect of this paper
looking at the mechanism of how the injury occurs and possible interventions immediately thats something that the department of defense is very interested in dr depalma said we know that certain blast exposures the angles at which the blast encounters the face and helmet matters so you can look at protection
some experts are concerned that as significant as identifying blast related damage in the brain can be linking it to ptsd is premature for example mr collinss brain also showed signs of cte which has been found in previous autopsies of military veterans and could have contributed to his psychiatric condition one of the other four subjects in the study had very small signs of cte but the other three showed none
we have to be very certain   its about not jumping the gun not jumping to conclusions about the significance of the changes we find in the brain in terms of a persons prognosis or their symptoms said dr ann mckee the chief of neuropathology at the va boston healthcare system she and others at boston university have identified cte in the brains of about 100 former nfl players and some military veterans
until we really understand how those changes come about and what the changes really mean she added we wont understand the clinical factors that lead to disability from these diseases
dr depalma added that even if no treatments could be developed for years soldiers should not assume that they would emerge from combat with damage from blast waves genetics are believed to influence whether a football player will develop cte so military combat may pose different risks to different people
its not oh my god if im exposed to blasts im going to go crazy dr depalma said


a founder of the now disbanded minuteman border patrol group has been convicted in arizona of molesting a 5 year old girl bringing to an end a case that gained the attention of the nations highest court after he tried to cross examine the young victim
the defendant christopher simcox 55 was found guilty wednesday of molesting the girl who was a friend of his 6 year old daughter between april 21 2012 and may 23 2013 during visits to his apartment the maricopa county attorney bill montgomery said in a statement mr simcox was in the process of divorcing his wife at the time
the girl told her mother of the abuse and her mother called law enforcement
the defendant preyed upon a young child while she was meant to be in his care mr montgomery said this young girl had the courage to come forward to stop the abuse and by doing so revealed his predatory behavior with this verdict we have been able to seek justice for this victim
mr simcox was found guilty of two counts of molestation of a child and one count of furnishing obscene materials to a minor the statement said he was also accused of sexual conduct with another child but was found not guilty of that charge mr montgomery said
mr simcoxs trial took an unexpected turn that could have an impact on future case law although he is not a lawyer mr simcox represented himself and sought to question the girls he was accused of molesting
but prosecutors brought in an expert to address the trauma it would cause the victims and they took action in lower courts to block mr simcox eventually filing a petition that is now before the united states supreme court
ultimately the defendant backed down from his insistence on personally carrying out the cross examination of his victims and allowed his advisory attorney to question the victims mr montgomery said even though the issue is now moot in this case it is still pending before the us supreme court because of its legal significance
kerrie droban who served as mr simcoxs advisory counsel said in a telephone interview on thursday that she had questioned the girls instead while mr simcox was allowed during the trial to question two children who were witnesses
mr simcox will be sentenced on july 5 consecutive mandatory sentences could be tantamount to a life in prison ms droban said
mr simcox was a former high profile advocate for tougher control of borders and undocumented day laborers joining watch groups and speaking out at public events like one in farmingville on long island in 2003
he was a founder of a volunteer armed watch group civil homeland defense which was created after the 911 terrorist attacks and intercepted undocumented immigrants crossing into arizona turning them over to the authorities later he helped form the minuteman civil defense corps which stepped into the national spotlight in 2005 with high profile border patrols
the southern poverty law center said mr simcox a former kindergarten teacher was among the movements most charismatic figures affecting the likeness of a vigilante with a pistol tucked into the front of his jeans
in 2012 mr simcox told the center which was investigating the possible involvement of extremist groups in the killings of mexicans crossing the arizona border that he had left the movement and was living a quiet life tutoring schoolchildren in suburban phoenix
when the verdict in his trial was announced on wednesday the mother of the then 5 year old girl dabbed her eyes with tissue the arizona republic reported
he was convicted on at least one and thats all we need she said this conviction is for all of the children that he hurt
i dont have words she added its over i can go home and tell my daughter


beijing   in the fall of 2017 david zwirner gallery will open its first outpost in asia in hong kong the continents fast growing hub for contemporary art
it will be the fourth location for the gallery which is based in new york and has two spaces there and one in london the 10000 square foot exhibition area is to be spread over the fifth and sixth floors of h queens a 24 story gallery and lifestyle tower under construction in the bustling central district and will open shortly after the building is completed
speaking by telephone from new york mr zwirner said the gallery decided to open a space in hong kong based on its experience over the last few years participating in art hk a local art fair and its successor art basel hong kong
we have seen literally explosive growth in the interest for western art among asian collectors he said about two years ago i had this moment and i thought oh my god if this is how people are learning and engaging then weve got to have a gallery in the region 
mr zwirner said that although he and his associates considered other cities like beijing and shanghai with substantial concentrations of artists and collectors hong kong was absolutely the clear choice
i love the european strain in hong kong said mr zwirner a german born dealer there are still so many parallels to the way businesses are done in britain in hong kong and i can relate to that
more importantly its a hub now for asian collectors and curators he said
zwirner is following in the footsteps of other prominent western galleries like gagosian gallery and white cube that have established outposts in hong kong
those earlier forays into the city were instructive mr zwirner said in particular it helped his staff realize the importance of finding a space that could accommodate large works of art   a formidable challenge in hong kong where open interior space is a luxury
i dont expect any compromises mr zwirner said if i go back to an artist and offer him or her a show then i want them to be able to make exactly the kind of work that they want to make
zwirner will be working with the new york architect annabelle selldorf to design the space where the plan is to have ceilings about 13 feet high mr zwirner said the gallery would present about five to six exhibitions a year initially focusing on artists currently on the zwirner roster they include jeff koons yayoi kusama richard serra and most recently william eggleston
he added that the gallery was making a significant commitment to its hong kong branch in terms of both finances and time
im very optimistic he said i feel that more western galleries will want to and have to arrive its hard to imagine that if you really think globally in your business that you cant be in asia and i think for the foreseeable future that will be in hong kong


washington   as republicans try to move past the furor that donald j trump provoked with his attack on a mexican american judge party leaders are finding themselves in the unpleasant position of asking yet again just how far is too far   and what if anything they can do to keep mr trump in check
some lawmakers senior members of the republican national committee and delegates to the partys convention next month in cleveland acknowledged in interviews this week that another disruptive self inflicted crisis would force the party to begin seriously looking at ways to deny mr trump the nomination
so far discussions of a renewed dump trump drive have taken place only among the factions of the party that are openly opposed to mr trump and they have failed to gain much support
but mr trumps suggestion that judge gonzalo p curiels mexican heritage should disqualify him from hearing a lawsuit against trump university has reawakened talk of hatching a convention coup   a complicated and nearly impossible measure of last resort that has no precedent in modern republican politics
senator bob corker of tennessee the chairman of the foreign relations committee and one of mr trumps most unapologetic backers on capitol hill suggested this week that mr trump had a crucial two  or three week period to smooth out his rougher edges or put his nomination in jeopardy
stopping mr trump at this point could prove additionally difficult however because he has quietly filled the most important convention committees   those that will determine the rules and platform   with delegates loyal to him
initially seen as not having a strong delegate whip operation mr trump can now count on about half the seats on the platform and rules committees according to republicans who have been tracking delegate selection this is a major turnaround from two months ago when senator ted cruzs campaign was sweeping the delegate contests
conflicting impulses are at play republicans have been reluctant to openly encourage a challenge to mr trump at the convention for fear of hopelessly splitting the party but they are not discouraging the idea either as their patience with mr trumps erratic and offensive behavior wears thin
a republican national committee spokesman declined to comment thursday on calls to push mr trump aside
the most prominent voice to call for mr trumps ouster since his attack on judge curiel has been that of hugh hewitt a talk radio host who is respected in conservative circles but has no role in the nomination process
on his show wednesday mr hewitt advocated opening the convention to let the delegates decide the nominee because ignoring mr trumps flaws he said was like ignoring stage iv cancer
but the more resigned responses from party leaders like paul d ryan the speaker of the house and mitch mcconnell the senate majority leader signaled what many more republicans have concluded for better or worse they are stuck with mr trump
i think it would tear the party apart if we started changing rules said john whitbeck the chairman of the virginia republican party and a delegate to the convention our voters have spoken he added
mr whitbeck said that he had spoken with aides to mr trump on wednesday and that they seemed unfazed they do not believe that this is something thats going to have an impact on the race he said and if theyre correct well just have to wait until the next controversial thing he says and there will be other things this guy just doesnt care
the talk of forcing mr trump from the ticket presumes something many republicans are so far not willing to concede that he is a lost cause whose self destructive tendencies will make it impossible for him to beat hillary clinton the presumptive democratic nominee
party leaders   most notably reince priebus the chairman of the republican national committee and mr ryan the house speaker   have seemed eager to forgive mr trump and move on several republicans said this week that a statement mr trump issued tuesday afternoon in which he attempted to explain his remarks about the judge did buy him some good will
mr preibus for one praised mr trump late tuesday saying his speech that night amid the uproar over the judge was exactly the right approach and perfectly delivered
republican leaders are also unwilling to be seen as nullifying the results of a five month nominating process in which mr trump received more than 13 million votes a record for a republican primary contender but their reasons may have more to do with simple realism than with lofty principles for much of the last year republican elites have proved incapable of reeling mr trump in let alone of blocking his path
once mr trump became the presumptive nominee last month party officials more or less fell in line even mr ryan came around announcing last week that he would support mr trump   just as mr trump it turned out was unloading on judge curiel
one other obstacle confronts the never say die never trump crowd no candidate of any stature has stepped forward to challenge mr trump at the convention
until somebody gets courage it doesnt matter said curly haugland a member of the convention rules committee from north dakota who has argued that delegates should vote their consciences in cleveland   a position that puts him at odds with the leadership of the republican national committee
without a candidate mr haugland added all talk of a contested convention is meaningless in order to have a contested convention he said we need to have contestants


a bronx man was sentenced on thursday to 25 years in prison for fatally stabbing his friend after an argument and then throwing her body off the roof of her apartment building prosecutors said
the man duvale stevens pleaded guilty in april in state supreme court in the bronx to first degree manslaughter of the friend andrea hurd who was blind prosecutors said
in the early morning hours of march 27 2013 the authorities said mr stevens 38 was socializing with ms hurd 49 at her apartment in the melrose neighborhood the two of them got into an argument the authorities said and he grabbed a kitchen knife and began stabbing her in all prosecutors said he stabbed her 28 times
the authorities said mr stevens carried her body to the roof of her six story apartment building and hurled it over the side then prosecutors said he went back to her apartment and fell asleep in her bed where the police found him later in the morning
mr stevenss lawyer declined to comment


tangshan china   the hulking white and brown buildings of the songting iron  steel company stood silent one chilly february afternoon the only signs of life came from the handful of guards at the compounds gate and from the disheveled middle aged man who emerged to shout to the plants visitors get lost
once one of the largest steel mills in this dreary industrial city songting had ceased production a victim of chinas slowing economy its workers   many unpaid for months and worried about their future   were let go to fend for themselves and steel works that can churn out five million metric tons a year had gone quiet
three months later the silence was broken trucks trundled between songtings buildings rows of cars were parked outside around the corner smoke billowed from a tall chimney
songting has risen from the dead   and that is bad news for china and the global economy
the mills story illustrates the challenge beijing faces in overhauling the slowing chinese economy china desperately needs to eliminate unnecessary unprofitable factories in many industries to shift the economy toward more productive businesses
the national government has repeatedly pledged to tackle the problem in the steel industry alone chinese leaders announced plans this year to reduce the countrys steelmaking capacity by as much as 150 million metric tons by 2020 - an amount larger than the entire industry in japan
but as songting shows closing even the most troubled plants can prove problematic
at a local level communist party cadres and businessmen sometimes keep unwanted steel mills and other factories operating to preserve financial and social stability steel mills are large employers and closings can cause widespread layoffs chinas plan would throw an estimated 500000 steelworkers out their jobs
beijing hopes that the workers laid off from excess steel mills and other bloated factories will find new employment in healthier sectors of the economy especially in services but several songting workers   who spoke on the condition that their names not be revealed because they hoped to be rehired   complained that they could find few jobs in a region dominated by stumbling heavy industry many quickly fell on hard times and some even resorted to public protests   exactly the social instability chinese officials fear most
concerns about labor unrest combined with worries that closing factories will saddle chinas big banks with bad debt have slowed factory closures by one estimate china permanently shut less than 2 percent of its total steelmaking capacity last year a period when roughly one third of that capacity went unused
there is no concrete policy or plan that can resolve these problems in the near term says laura zhai a director at rating agency fitch in hong kong the capacity elimination is not going to happen right away
stubborn steel capacity is also causing friction with washington both the united states and the european union are up in arms over a flood of cheap steel pouring into global markets from excess chinese factories in response washington has slapped steep tariffs on some chinese steel imports
implementing policies to substantially reduce production in a range of sectors suffering from overcapacity including steel and aluminum is critical to the function and stability of international markets the united states treasury secretary jacob j lew said during a beijing visit this week
songting   which employed about 6000 workers according to the local governments website   was among the larger privately owned mills in town but with construction of new homes and infrastructure in the doldrums prices of steel plunged and songting along with the entire industry began to suffer workers say they stopped receiving regular paychecks in early 2015 a section of the plant was idled for part of the year and management began laying off staff
one of the unfortunate was c f shi 45 who worked in songtings factory for 21 years and asked that her full name not be used one morning last september she arrived at the plant to find her boss dropping folded slips of paper into a box as the box was passed around the room each worker had to draw a slip and only those who selected one with a mark on the inside could stay on the job
ms shi lost out in the lottery and got sent home without five months of unpaid wages or severance she was distraught i even thought of trying to hang myself she said
on the morning of nov 14 as the workers assembled at their posts as usual managers informed them that the factory was shutting down indefinitely according to a december report from hsbc the money losing mill was forced to suspend production after it was unable to pay a fee owed to the local power supply bureau
some employees began demanding their paychecks according to workers who were there by that point songting owed them about six months of wages fifteen workers climbed to the roof of one company building and threatened to jump as hundreds of horrified staff looked on below said one worker
in desperation hundreds of songting workers held a protest in november outside a local government office demanding their unpaid salaries workers said but to no avail with few local job options some of the laid off employees quickly tumbled into destitution
ms shi and her husband who had also lost his job at songting were unable to find steady work leaving her scrimping to support her two young children in a drafty concrete house not far from songtings plant she and her husband sometimes had nothing to eat but cabbage
we dont even have the basic requirements for life ms shi said
starting in late february some workers began getting calls from their former managers asking them to return part of the plant they were told was going to start production again
the reason was not clear industry experts say other owners have restarted factories to generate cash a recent jump in steel prices widely attributed to a new chinese lending binge and a pickup in construction activity has also encouraged factory owners
maintaining jobs is a major consideration as well said xu xiangchun chief information officer at chinese research firm mysteel the employment problem is the biggest problem for the government and the enterprises he said so the companies adopt various measures to activate capital and to give workers jobs
the industrys woes are far from over fitch the bond rating firm estimates that the industry may be saddled with as much as 600 billion in debt that burden combined with low prices and sagging demand has moved the steel sector into the red the china iron and steel association said that its members lost a combined 98 billion last year compared with a combined profit of 34 billion in 2014
even if there is no government push the market conditions will drive out more capacity said rachel zhang a steel analyst at morgan stanley it is just a matter of time
because songting is a private company it does not disclose financial details the company declined requests for comment
its workers are simply happy to have their jobs back ms shi returned to her old job in late april just as the mill started operating again though at a reduced salary she still worries about what might come but for now she hopes her fortunes will revive with songtings at least the living standard of my two kids has improved she said


the internet is full of bad people this is not breaking news
but in the past week the anti semitic corners of social media have received increased attention because of sustained harassment campaigns against journalists and other public figures and a highly visible effort to combat them by twitter users
jonathan weisman the deputy washington editor at the new york times created a stir when he said wednesday he would quit twitter where he had almost 35000 followers he was fatigued by a months worth of anti semitic messages and photos sent his way an experience he wrote about in may
mr weisman said thursday that he had left twitter because he was frustrated that it allowed people to spew their hate anonymously and that jousting with the bigots had taken up too much of his time
but i did feel like it should be brought to the public consciousness he said people should know this kind of hate is out there
mr weisman said twitter suspended about 30 accounts shortly after he tweeted that he would be leaving
the anti semitic strain of trolls gained renewed attention after mic a news site reported last week that neo nazis were using parentheses as a way to target social media users for harassment campaigns when they suspected that a twitter user was jewish they put parentheses around the targets name essentially inviting other anti semites to attack them
soon afterward in a countercampaign jeffrey goldberg a national correspondent for the atlantic added the parentheses to his own name that inspired yair rosenberg a senior writer for tablet magazine to suggest others do the same
now a wide swath of twitter users both jews and gentiles has also adopted the parentheses hoping to spread awareness of the issue and make it more difficult to target individuals in an interview mr rosenberg said it would also allow more people to see the parentheses and ask what theyre all about turning anyone into a potential educator on anti semitism
he said the typical cycle of exposing bigotry   someone says a dumb thing the target retweets it other people get outraged   is a bit of a downer and typically reaches people who are already aware that bigotry is bad instead he prefers to mock the vile attacks he receives hoping humor will help him find a wider audience and increase awareness
the only thing you can do is mock it and show these people you are outside our discourse  he said
mr goldberg said that his skin had thickened over 25 years of receiving anti semitic threats and that he had reported a twitter user only once when he threatened his family most of the harassment he receives is if nothing else boring   hes heard it all before and trolls tend not to be overly creative with their insults
it would bother me more if they used their real names because that would be an indicator they believe that their positions are somewhere near socially acceptable he said thursday
twitter allows users to report other users for harassment and block them from communicating and its policies explicitly prohibit hate speech harassment and threats but trolls often find their way around the barriers by creating new accounts the company has been frequently criticized for being unresponsive or dismissive of complaints
naturally jews are far from the only targets of abusive behavior in april a widely shared video showed men struggling to read the missives other men had sent to female sports reporters
at the times as at many other publications journalists have denounced the insults and threats theyve received online and offline hiroko tabuchi a business reporter said in may that twitter took no action about an offensive tweet that she had flagged while amy chozick a political reporter said this week that her harassment had spread to her phone line


dietrich idaho   anonymous phone callers from distant area codes have unleashed tirades of invective on the residents of this tiny rural town strangers cruise its paved and dirt roads seeming to drive through just for a look and come fall dean grissoms 7  and 11 year old grandchildren will be going to another school
their parents think the kids arent safe said mr grissom 57 who works for the idaho fish and game agency he said that sending the children to classes in shoshone eight miles away was unnecessary in his view but that he understood the parents fears a town he loves has been damaged
there is a lot of debate here about what happened at the towns only school on oct 23 after a football practice an assault a racist attack bullying a failure of supervision by school officials or some combination hardly anyone disputes though that this town of 350 people has been shaken to the core
state and local prosecutors say that several white football players bullied and brutally assaulted a mentally disabled black teammate in a locker room that october day shoving a coat hanger into his rectum while other boys held his arms
two of the players accused in the attack were charged as adults with felony sexual assault and could face life in prison if convicted a third teammate has been charged as a juvenile a preliminary hearing on the criminal charges is scheduled for friday
in addition a 10 million federal civil suit was filed last month by the boys adoptive parents tim and shelly mcdaniel who are white in it they accused the school district and its administrators trustees employees and volunteers of failing in their legal duty to protect the mcdaniels son who they say endured months of racist taunts humiliation and physical abuse after the locker room attack the boy required treatment at two hospitals for rectal injuries
the school district and individual defendants acted with deliberate indifference to the harassment humiliation mental and physical abuse and mistreatment of the plaintiff by students of the district and thereby permitted and caused him to be bullied beaten and raped the lawsuit said
in big ways and small the repercussions of both the crime and the familys response are already rippling out no matter what happens in court or at the school which has 245 students in grades k 12
mr mcdaniel 60 who has taught science at the school for 21 years put the familys house up for sale last month and is looking for work elsewhere the cars and trucks that sometimes slowly cruise by out front he said and the funny looks he gets around town have unnerved him and his wife who is 51 on july 1 a state law allowing idahoans to carry a concealed weapon without a permit will take effect and mr mcdaniel said he planned to be armed after that
if i could be gone today id be gone he said sitting outside in the yard on a recent afternoon as dogs wandered about near chicken and goat pens
the mcdaniels stood out here in rural idaho even before the locker room episode over the years they have adopted 20 children of various races   white hispanic and black   many of them with physical mental or emotional troubles including autism and fetal alcohol syndrome a few years ago mr mcdaniel raised hackles by teaching sex education in his science classes with illustrations that some critics said were too graphic and one of his daughters led a campaign on facebook to save his job
the legal terrain to come is a minefield in itself education law experts said courts have generally recognized that school officials cannot be everywhere all the time and have not typically held teachers administrators or coaches legally responsible for occasional bullying but that deference can fade when race religion or disability is involved said john dayton a professor of education law at the university of georgia in those cases courts have sometimes tilted hard the other way he said if they find that a clearly vulnerable group or category of students was not sufficiently protected
other education experts said the central question raised by the mcdaniels lawsuit   whether school officials should be held responsible for failing to stop a culture of bullying before it escalates to violence   had become harder to answer as new and different ways of bullying have proliferated
the expectation of supervision has increased said ann e blankenship an assistant professor of educational leadership at the university of southern mississippi technology she added opens the door to bullying opportunities 24 hours a day
don heiken dietrichs mayor has publicly called on the school to fire people involved in the football program who he said must have been aware that bullying if not outright racism was getting worse the boy according to his parents suit was stripped of his pants on the bus after one football game while other students took photos he was continuously subjected the suit said to wedgies   his underwear yanked sharply upward sometimes so violently that he came home with torn shorts
they had to have known mr heiken said in an interview
it probably did not help mr mcdaniel said that in a school where sports are hugely important his son was unskilled at football unable to remember the plays the boy was called offsides   crossing the scrimmage line before the ball was snapped   six or seven times in a row in a single game his father said
dietrich itself about 35 miles from twin falls and about 60 miles from the resort community of sun valley is changing and growing which has become part of the discussion about what happened here the population has doubled in the last couple of decades and is expected to double again even faster according to a planning presentation made recently to the town council
lynn johnson 78 said outsiders as he called the wave of newcomers were changing the town where he has lived for the past 42 years and not always for the better both of the students charged as adults in the case   tanner ray ward 17 and john r k howard 18   were relatively new to the community for example the defendant being tried as a juvenile has not been named in court documents
neither of them boys are from dietrich said mr johnson who drove a school bus and did maintenance work for the school for 17 years it wouldnt have happened without them
a lawyer for mr ward declined to comment and a lawyer for mr howard did not respond to phone messages the school superintendent and principal both defendants in the civil suit did not respond to emails and phone messages
mr grissom who lives just a few blocks from the school said that he knew and admired the mcdaniel family and that he thought that admiration was shared in much of the town that they would move away was one more piece of the damage he said
people look at this and say a lot of people are prejudiced here mr grissom said theyre not


tesla motors the maverick electric car maker is under scrutiny from federal regulators over suspension failures attributed to its biggest selling model   along with reports that it had asked owners not to disclose the problem
the nations top auto safety regulator the national highway traffic safety administration said on thursday that at least some tesla customers who experienced suspension failures with model s luxury cars were asked to sign confidentiality agreements about the issue
the agency immediately informed tesla that any language implying that consumers should not contact the agency regarding safety concerns is unacceptable and nhtsa expects tesla to eliminate any such language said bryan thomas an agency spokesman tesla representatives told nhtsa that it was not their intention to dissuade consumers from contacting the agency
the regulator added that the agreements that tesla required were troublesome
tesla did not respond thursday to requests for comment on friday the company responded in a blog post saying there was no safety defect with the model s nor any intent to discourage complaints to regulators
the safety regulator is examining the model s suspension   the springs joints and other components that connect a car to its wheels   for possible defects that could be causing premature failures
since october it has received 33 complaints of suspension parts breaking a suspension breakdown can cause severe steering problems and make driving impossible according to filings listed on the agencys website
a few of the complaints pertained to a requirement that owners sign confidentiality agreements in exchange for having their cars repaired the suspension problems and the issue of the nondisclosure agreements have also been discussed on blogs for tesla owners
the company reported that in 2015 it sold 25200 model s cars which have a starting price of about 70000
tesla has just started offering a sport utility vehicle the model x and is planning to offer a compact car the model 3 next year the company hopes the model 3 will become its top seller and says it has already received 1000 deposits from about 375000 potential buyers
the suspension issue with the model s is the latest sign of quality concerns the model x suv was recalled earlier this year because of a problem with its rear seats
teslas first model the two seat roadster which was produced from 2008 to 2011 also had its problems
at teslas annual shareholder meeting last month elon musk the companys chief executive acknowledged that the roadster had been plagued by a number of issues
this car even though it met all regulatory requirements it was completely unsafe broke down all the time and really didnt work mr musk said
two years ago the safety administration looked into two instances in which model s cars caught fire it determined that the fires were caused by road debris striking the vehicles underside and closed the matter after tesla agreed to reinforce the shield that protects the battery
for most of its 13 year history tesla has tried to break away from many standard auto industry practices a strategy that at times courts controversy its practice of selling its cars online without dealers has led to court battles in several states the company is also building a gigantic battery factory in nevada and often announces news via tweets by mr musk
everything they do they try to do differently than the traditional auto company but they all have to deal with the same rules said michelle krebs an analyst with the firm autotrader
ms krebs said she had never heard of a car company requiring customers to sign confidentiality agreements in exchange for repairs of potential safety defects it does raise eyebrows she said it may have happened before ive just never seen it
in its statement about the inquiry the nhtsa did not elaborate on the extent or details of teslas use of nondisclosure agreements but according to accounts posted online some customers who complained about suspension problems had their cars fixed on the condition that they agreed in writing not to talk about the issue or how the company dealt with it
an auto industry blog dailykanbancom posted what it said were excerpts from the agreement along with a scanned copy you agree to keep confidential our provision of the goodwill the terms of this agreement and the incidents or claims leading or related to our provision of the goodwill the document said goodwill is the term tesla used to refer to any repairs or compensation it made because of a suspension failure
the agreement posted on the blog released tesla from any liability and barred the car owners from filing legal proceedings against the company


on wednesday the producers of the megahit musical hamilton announced that they were raising the price for premium seats to 849 the news sparked debate among times readers about the continued high cost of going to broadway and what should be done to combat scalpers from making a killing
many readers expressed dismay that the new pricing would put tickets out of reach for many people
as a new yorker who used to go to the theater regularly the economics of this premium ticket pricing causes me to stay home i can pay it but i wont said benjamin of new york i remember when miss saigon prices were over 100 in 91 this pricing was not replicated because it was difficult to sell seats a lottery for a high demand show like hamilton is absurd this show has been so hyped and with good reason but the prices are unrealistic for the masses this will be the beginning of the end of broadway if this pricing is allowed to persist
it used to be when we talked about the high prices of broadway we meant the actual face value of a ticket wrote jch of new york in these late days of vulture capitalism wed be happy to pay that its a vexing problem and is not the fault of mr miranda or the producers its robots the internet income inequality in other words   its our future
now we know why many folks in the east particularly in new york are against raising the minimum wage to 15 per hour effective in a few years said jb of st louis these many folks need to save money so they can pay 849 per seat to a show
to pay 849 for a single theater ticket is simply obscene wrote lichef it goes to show how more and more regular aspects of life are being appropriated by and tilted toward the rich i can still remember the days when just about anyone could afford a broadway production and there were no special vip tickets beyond regular orchestra seats
greed greed greed period wrote peter of new york
others appeared more understanding that exorbitant ticket prices might be the new normal on broadway
they should supply and demand wrote asg of san francisco if they dont then that extra money just goes to the ticket resellers when it should be going to the actors
along with news of the price increase the hamilton producers announced they were more than doubling the number of tickets that would be sold for 10 apiece on the day of performance some readers were thankful
other readers didnt begrudge the shows creators from making it rain
one reader wondered what alexander hamilton himself would have made of the whole thing
while i understand mr seller is upset to be missing out on so much money to the scalpers he should have the courage to be honest about this goals with this price increase said greg maughan of philadelphia referring to jeffrey seller the lead producer of hamilton after all his musicals namesake was an avowed elitist who would no doubt have liked to know maximum profit was being squeezed from its audience


ever since alex rotter announced in february that he was leaving sothebys   one of several top specialists who departed in the wake of a buyout offer and the arrival of amy cappellazzos art advisory group   this column has been asking the former co chairman of contemporary art worldwide if he planned to cross over to christies
this week mr rotter said the answer was yes
christies over the last 10 years has been the yankees he said i might as well go to the best team and make them even better hopefully with me coming there
mr rotter will become chairman of postwar and contemporary art at christies americas beginning in march 2017 after 16 years at sothebys joining a department that includes loic gouzer as a deputy chairman
brett gorvy christies chairman and international head of postwar and contemporary art said he and mr rotter have a long history of respectful rivalry there was always a sense that one day we would work together mr gorvy said
he also said he has been impressed over the years by the sales skills of mr rotter 42 who was born in austria he went up against us in pretty tough times and came pretty close to beating us mr gorvy said though he did not quite beat us
mr rotter considered other options   like joining a gallery or going out on his own as an art adviser   but ultimately determined that he wanted to do what he had been doing i like the corporate environment mr rotter said i like working with people
they wanted me he added of christies and what christies stands for is what i think our business should be all about   expertise relationships and passion
it isnt just prolificacy or twisted wire that pablo picasso and alexander calder had in common picasso was defining a void not just a mass without solidity said alexander s c rower 53 the president and founding director of the calder foundation he was creating a negative space which was calders central theme
that is among the revelations shared by mr rower one of calders grandsons and bernard ruiz picasso 56 one of picassos grandsons and a co founder of the museo picasso malaga together they are curating a show in october that will inaugurate the almine rech gallerys first exhibition space in the united states
we were both interested in exploring our grandfathers legacies mr rower said what is the life force that can be translated into a work of art
mr ruiz picasso is married to ms rech the gallerys founder the new york space   ms rech also has locations in paris brussels and london   will be led by her eldest son paul de froment
the show will feature more than 50 works from the grandsons collections many of which have seldom or never been on view
its not a comprehensive exhibition of these two great artists mr rower said its a personal reflection
the show represents the fruits of an exchange in which each man shared images of his grandfathers works that in his opinion echoed the other artists pieces
it was an extensive dialogue said mr ruiz picasso
because of the intimate nature of that process this show mr rower said isnt like anything else ive done
since 2005 the artist liza lou has split her time between her home in los angeles and south africa collaborating with zulu women on intricately beaded works that have earned her an international reputation
more recently she and her team have been creating monochrome woven canvases to be featured in coming exhibitions at lehmann maupin which has just become ms lous new york gallery
i realized what i really needed to do was respond to the place where i was working and listen to the stories and the lives of the women that i care about ms lou said when you weave you keep the work very close to your body   its much more transportable
if there is a taxi strike or rioting i make work in response to that she added i dont say were going to still make that sculpture were going to make work that can be easily hidden you can put it in your bra you can stick it in your handbag and the work can carry on
shortly after starting her cologne gallery in 1983 monika spruth published three issues of the magazine eau de cologne which featured the artists jenny holzer barbara kruger louise lawler cindy sherman and rosemarie trockel
now the los angeles location that ms spruth opened with philomene magers in february is bringing those artists back together
using the magazines as a point of departure the exhibition will highlight how these five artists have helped shape the gallerys program as a way to introduce los angeles audiences to the gallery i have a history with these artists ms spruth said
the show   similar to one the gallery mounted at its berlin location last fall   will include works from the 1970s to the present
we thought it would be interesting to revisit the beginnings of the gallery ms magers said thats really the base of what were coming from


male maldives   a former vice president of the maldives was convicted on thursday of trying to assassinate the countrys president by planting a bomb on his speedboat last year
ahmed adeeb the former vice president was accused of masterminding a plot to kill president abdulla yameen in september and sentenced to 15 years in prison two of his bodyguards each received 10 year terms for their involvement in the plot
mr adeeb denied the charges and a report by the american fbi found no evidence that a bomb had exploded on the presidents boat
a former prosecutor muhuthaz muhsin who refused to press charges against mr adeeb was also convicted on terrorism charges and sentenced to 17 years
the trials were the latest in a yearlong string of prosecutions of senior leaders and opposition members including mohamed nasheed a former president
the maldives an archipelago in the indian ocean has a turbulent political history three decades of authoritarian rule under maumoon abdul gayoom ended in 2008 when he was replaced by a democratically elected president mr nasheed
mr nasheed was consequently pushed out of office in early 2012 in what he said was a military coup and replaced by abdulla yameen mr gayooms half brother
since 2015 mr yameen has been prosecuting his political opponents and other senior leaders of the country the trials have been carried out behind closed doors in proceedings that have been criticized by the opposition
ahmed mahloof a spokesman for the coalition of opposition members and politicians in exile said justice is nonexistent in the maldives
anyone who is a threat to yameens despotism is bound to be found guilty of terrorism charges he added
mr nasheed the democratically elected president was convicted of terrorism last year and sentenced to 13 years in prison he obtained special permission to travel to britain for health reasons and was recently granted political asylum there
on thursday mr adeeb was found guilty of plotting the blast on mr yameens speedboat in which his wife and two aides received minor injuries the president unscathed asked the fbi to investigate the explosion the agency reported finding no evidence of explosives aboard the boat
still the episode prompted mr yameen to declare a state of emergency saying national security was threatened soon after he called for the prosecution of mr adeeb
mr adeebs lawyer moosa siraj said the charges against him were baseless
the criminal court has barred me from labeling the trial unfair on the threat of contempt of court charges mr siraj said what i can say is there are several issues of concern and we plan to launch an appeal immediately
husnu suood a lawyer for mr muhsin the former chief prosecutor said the government brought charges against his client after mr muhsin attempted to obtain a warrant for mr yameens arrest on corruption charges and refused to press charges against mr adeeb in connection with the boat blast
the trial took place against the backdrop of what some see as a larger crackdown on dissent here including a ban on protests the introduction of a bill that would criminalize defamation and the closing of the countrys most popular newspaper haveeru


with the rise of the art market and the power of the auction world over the past several years the medium of drawing can often feel lost in a conversation dominated by wall power paintings and room filling sculpture but over roughly that same period the menil collection in houston has been developing a center devoted exclusively to modern and contemporary drawing and last year it broke ground on a free standing building for the menil drawing institute founded in 2008
on thursday the museum announced one of the largest donations of artworks in its history a collection of 110 drawings from the holdings of two trustees that will serve as the backbone of the new institute and make houston one of the most important cities for seeing drawing especially that of 20th century titans like jasper johns jackson pollock and robert rauschenberg
the drawings from the collections of janie c lee a former art gallery owner and curator and louisa stude sarofim a prominent houston arts patron and chairwoman of the menils board include 15 by mr johns alone representing every decade of his career and significant work by philip guston eva hesse agnes martin claes oldenburg and ellsworth kelly
ive never been a collector with a capital c ms sarofim said in a telephone interview its just been a matter of looking and loving art she met ms lee decades ago and began buying works from her gallery she said and built her drawings collection under the guidance of bernice rose the former drawings curator for the museum of modern art and organizer of the seminal 1976 show there drawing now 1955 1975
ms lee said she began collecting drawings primarily because they were what she could afford but then i began to realize how important drawing has been to artists in fact a crucial part of many artists work she said and i began to realize that there was not a place where one could go exclusively to see and study drawing a place dedicated to it and thats how conversations about the institute began
along with a bequest of 17 drawings that went to the menil in 2005 from the curator and collector david hay whitney the new works will give the institute   expected to open next year   a history of the medium sweeping all the way from cezanne to living artists like mr johns robert gober and rachel whiteread
drawings often show the mental process that goes into art making said david breslin the drawing institutes chief curator and when were so accustomed to celebrating the masterpiece its amazing to go back to see the daily work of being an artist


milan   silvio berlusconi the former prime minister of italy is suffering from a severe case of aortic insufficiency and will undergo heart surgery to replace a heart valve next week his doctor said on thursday
the doctor alberto zangrillo said the 79 year old billionaire businessman risked dying indicating a condition more severe than had been revealed by friends and relatives since mr berlusconi was admitted to a hospital on sunday
dr zangrillo said a team of doctors at the san raffaele clinic in milan had run a battery of tests and diagnosed a severe case of aortic insufficiency the condition involves a leaking of the aortic valve causing blood flow to reverse
mr berlusconi who has used a pacemaker for years will undergo the four hour surgery by the middle of next week to substitute the valve after which he will be in intensive care for one or two days before a period of rehabilitation that will last about a month
dr zangrillo said that after the rehabilitation mr berlusconi would be better than before from the point of view of vitality
mr berlusconi is barred from holding public office because of a tax fraud conviction but he remains the head of the forza italia party and has been active in mayoral campaigns


baghdad   two suicide attacks in and around the iraqi capital on thursday killed at least 31 people and wounded dozens officials said
the deadliest attack took place in a commercial area of a majority shiite neighborhood in baghdad at least 19 civilians were killed and 46 wounded the police said
another suicide bomber rammed an explosive laden car into an iraqi army checkpoint in the town of taji north of the capital killing at least 12 and wounding 32 a police officer said the attack killed seven civilians and five soldiers the officer said
in an online statement the islamic state claimed responsibility for the attack in the capital in the new baghdad neighborhood saying it had targeted shiite militia members the group later claimed responsibility for the bombing in taji about 12 miles north of baghdad in a second online statement saying it was targeting the iraqi army
the authenticity of the statements could not immediately be verified but they were posted on a militant website commonly used by the extremists
the islamic state a sunni group often targets iraqs shiite majority its security forces and government officials baghdad has seen near daily attacks in recent weeks
the deadly attacks in the capital area are seen by iraqi officials as an attempt by the militants to distract the security forces attention from the front lines the attacks came a day after iraqi special forces pushed into the city of falluja held by the islamic state in a large scale military operation started last month
falluja about 40 miles west of baghdad is one of the last major islamic state strongholds in western iraq the extremist group still controls territory in the countrys north and west as well as mosul iraqs second largest city


washington   a judge may not hear an appeal in a death penalty case that he worked on as a prosecutor the supreme court ruled on thursday in a 5 to 3 decision the court also issued divided decisions in two other cases ruling that puerto rico cannot try defendants in local courts for conduct already prosecuted in federal court and that discharged juries may be called back in some cases to fix mistakes in their verdicts
the death penalty case concerned ronald d castille who was philadelphias district attorney in 1986 when he authorized the capital prosecution of terrance williams mr williams and a friend both 18 were accused of killing amos norwood 56 with a tire iron
approved to proceed on the death penalty mr castille wrote on a subordinates memorandum
mr williams was convicted and sentenced to death later when mr castille was running for a seat on the pennsylvania supreme court he said he was reluctant to take a firm public position on the death penalty fearing it would require his recusal from all capital cases
i can certainly say i sent 45 people to death row as district attorney of philadelphia he told a legal newspaper in 1993 adding that voters sort of get the hint mr williams was the first of those 45
in 2012 as the courts chief justice mr castille denied a request from mr williamss lawyers that he disqualify himself from hearing an appeal based on claims of prosecutorial misconduct by the office he had led although a lower court had accepted the claims mr castille about two weeks before he retired at the end of 2014 joined a unanimous decision reinstating mr williamss death sentence
in an interview mr castille said his role in the case as district attorney had been merely administrative i didnt try the case he said i wasnt really involved in the case except as the leader of the office
on thursday justice anthony m kennedy writing for the majority said mr castilles participation in the case required his recusal chief justice castilles significant personal involvement in a critical decision in williamss case gave rise to an unacceptable risk of actual bias justice kennedy wrote
justices ruth bader ginsburg stephen g breyer sonia sotomayor and elena kagan joined the majority decision in the case williams v pennsylvania no 15 5040 the court ordered the pennsylvania supreme court to rehear mr williamss appeal
justice kennedy said the constitutions due process clause guarantees that no man can be a judge in his own case
in dissent chief justice john g roberts jr wrote that the majority opinion rests on proverb rather than precedent
the due process clause did not prohibit chief justice castille from hearing williamss case chief justice roberts wrote that does not mean however that it was appropriate for him to do so as recusal might have been required under state law and ethics rules
it is up to state authorities   not this court   to determine whether recusal should be required chief justice roberts wrote
justice samuel a alito jr joined chief justice robertss dissent justice clarence thomas wrote a separate dissent saying that the specter of bias alone in a judicial proceeding is not a deprivation of due process

in a narrow decision steeped in history the court ruled 6 to 2 that puerto rico is not a separate sovereign for purposes of the constitutions double jeopardy clause which forbids subsequent prosecutions for the same crimes
the supreme court has said that the federal government and the states are independent sovereigns meaning that the same conduct can be prosecuted separately in state and federal courts puerto rico lacks such authority the court ruled on thursday in puerto rico v sanchez valle no 15 108 addressing a deeply contested matter of politics and pride
the case concerned luis m sanchez valle and gomez vazquez who were prosecuted on gun charges in local and federal courts in puerto rico they pleaded guilty to the federal charges and asserted that they could not be prosecuted for the same crimes in local courts under the constitutions double jeopardy clause
puerto ricos supreme court agreed puerto ricos authority to prosecute individuals is derived from its delegation by united states congress and not by virtue of its own sovereignty the courts majority said
in an opinion affirming that judgment on thursday justice kagan said puerto rico does as a contemporary matter have many important attributes of sovereignty since puerto rico became a territory in 1898 she wrote the united states and puerto rico have forged a unique political relationship built on the islands evolution into a constitutional democracy exercising local self rule
but she said the legal test for analyzing the double jeopardy question was a historical one and that the commonwealth failed it
for purposes of the double jeopardy clause the future is not what matters   and there is no getting away from the past justice kagan wrote because the ultimate source of puerto ricos prosecutorial power is the federal government   because when we trace that authority all the way back we arrive at the doorstep of the us capitol   the commonwealth and the united states are not separate sovereigns
chief justice roberts and justices kennedy ginsburg and alito joined the majority opinion and justice thomas for the most part concurred in it justice breyer joined by justice sotomayor dissented saying that the majoritys test was too narrow and mechanical and that it failed to grapple with all of the historical evidence

the court also ruled 6 to 2 that federal judges in civil cases may sometimes recall jurors they have discharged for further deliberations after discovering that their verdict did not make sense
the case dietz v bouldin no 15 458 arose from a car crash in bozeman mont in which all sides agreed that the plaintiff was owed at least 10136 but the jury apparently assuming that the sum had already been paid awarded nothing a few minutes after the jurors left the courtroom the judge ordered them to come back for more deliberations and they eventually awarded 15000
justice sotomayor writing for the majority said that recalling the jurors had been permissible though she cautioned that judges should be wary of long delays ask whether jurors had spoken to outsiders and not use the procedure if the verdict had given rise to gasps crying cheering and the like
in dissent justice thomas joined by justice kennedy said there should be a categorical rule against ever recalling discharged jurors
after discharge justice thomas wrote the court has no power to impose restrictions on jurors and jurors are no longer under oath to obey them
jurors may access their cellphones and get public information about the case he said they may talk to counsel or the parties they may overhear comments in the hallway as they leave the courtroom and they may reflect on the case   away from the pressure of the jury room   in a way that could induce them to change their minds the resulting prejudice can be hard to detect


it was a historic night that called for soaring rhetoric and unvarnished authenticity instead hillary clinton and donald j trump delivered victory speeches on tuesday that leaned heavily on campaign cliches   in many cases the same ones
on the page anyway the ideological and stylistic chasms that separate them start to dissolve in a sea of overlapping oratorical devices similar phrases and at times identical word choice
are their speechwriters out of juice or is the hackneyed phrase just too irresistible
we identified the passages that sounded the most alike
trump tonight we close one chapter in history and we begin another
clinton now you are writing a new chapter of that story
its a country not a book but this speechmaking construct wont die mrs clinton tries to infuse the familiar trope with the concept of inclusivity mr trump just trots out the same old wooden metaphor

trump this is not a testament to me but a testament to all of the people who believed real change 
clinton tonights victory is not about one person  so we all owe so much to those who came before and tonight belongs to all of you
its not really about me its about you but lets be honest its really about them this age old device is a clever way to claim a mandate without sounding self aggrandizing mr trump makes the most direct claim of humility mrs clinton makes a richer historical reference to previous barrier breakers

trump and our country will never ever back down
clinton our history has moved in that direction thanks to generations of americans who refuse to give up or back down
theres no backing down from this bromide

trump ive traveled to many of our states and seen the suffering in peoples eyes
clinton and i learned about those persistent problems and the unfinished promise of america that youre living with
ever since bill clinton found the most economical way to say it in 1992 speechwriters have striven to complicate the sentiment i feel your pain

trump this election isnt about republican or democrat its about who runs the country the special interests or the people
clinton we want a government that listens to the people not the power brokers 
everyone is a populist in 2016 even residents of fifth avenue and chappaqua ny

trump our campaign received more primary votes than any gop campaign in history
clinton the first time in our nations history that a woman will be a major partys nominee
everyone wants to make history mrs clintons breakthrough carries greater weight but mr trump   not to be outdone   tosses in his own milestone

trump to those who voted for someone else in either party ill work hard to earn your support
clinton but whether you supported me or senator sanders or one of the republicans we all need to keep working toward a better stronger america
the olive branch both extend it to their skeptics without much creativity

trump im going to fight for you the american people im going to be your champion i am going to be americas champion
clinton i hear you i see you and as your president i will always have your back
two approaches to the same trite message mr trump ever the pugilist deploys a slightly more combative construction   fight for you mrs clinton takes a gentler and more supportive approach i will have your back

trump the beauty of america is that it brings us all together
clinton because we are stronger together
lets say it together folks these campaigns need a thesaurus

want to watch the full speeches heres mrs clinton and mr trump


the worlds largest landfill is slowly becoming a park   very slowly the conversion of freshkills on the western shore of staten island into a verdant expanse of green is now in its second decade with two more to go before it is finished
yet largely out of the public eye a site that once received 29000 tons of trash a day is undergoing a more rapid and remarkable transformation fifteen years since the landfill closed the regeneration of freshkills which at 2200 acres encompasses a site two and a half times larger than central park is altering new york citys ecological landscape mountains of garbage have become a vast grassland a habitat that has been in decline across eastern north america
its done a complete 180 said mike shanley a naturalist and president of the friends of blue heron park a group dedicated to the nearby park it looks like a prairie youd see in the midwest somewhere
the amount of new habitat and its relative remoteness   the site is closed to the public most of the year   has attracted nearly a dozen animal species that are considered rare in the city the site was always known for its bird life tens of thousands of scavenging gulls lived happily at the landfill but now freshkills hosts an array of at risk species many of which need grasslands to thrive
researchers at the site have found three bird species considered endangered in new york state nine classified as threatened and seven more the state deems of special concern several others are breeding within the city limits for the first time in decades
up until 1928 there were no bridges connecting staten island and open grassland species were common said ed johnson a former director of science at the staten island museum if you look back at the records we have more breeding species now than we did back then
on a recent day during a public tour of freshkills bald eagles soared over the wetlands while bobolinks sang from electrical wires
it was like a complete escape into somewhere that seemed like nowhere close to staten island said ian gutch a staten island resident who also spotted hawks and falcons on the tour it felt more like jurassic park with the number of raptors flying so low
the star of the ecological revival might well be the grasshopper sparrow a species whose population in the state has plummeted significantly dick veit a researcher with the college of staten island discovered a colony of 60 adult grasshopper sparrows named for their insectile song at freshkills last summer
thats basically unheard of in new york city debra kriensky a biologist with new york city audubon said the group produced about 40 juveniles making it the largest colony in the state they returned this year to much excitement among bird enthusiasts
before this most were up in farmland in the adirondacks or the catskills said cait field manager of science and research development for the freshkills park alliance a nonprofit working with the city on the transition they need at least 350 acres of grass they are one of the reasons why were able to explain now why these grasslands are so important
other new breeding species include the eastern meadowlark known for its sharp call the blue grosbeak a striking blue relative of the cardinal and the bobolink a bumblebee colored blackbird that migrates 12500 miles annually
on the mammal side coyotes red foxes and hundreds of white tailed deer   which many staten islanders consider a nuisance   can be found a site next to freshkills features the citys only pair of resident beavers
this spring environmentalists have been buzzing about the discovery of a pair of upland sandpipers potbellied shorebirds that are extremely rare in this part of the state
its like being transported back into the 19th century again said howard fischer a leading bird expert on staten island these are birds that have actually come out of extinction in a sense they are that rare on the east coast
as freshkills undergoes its prolonged metamorphosis into a public park the freshkills park alliance provides several tours a month offering visitors a tantalizing look at this wild sprawl within view of the manhattan skyline
were trying to remain alive in the publics imagination so the perception is this is a park not a landfill eloise hirsh the park administrator said
still aside from the tours the park remains largely off limits which is frustrating to many eager to witness the sites evolution
i dont think they need to be so protective of allowing people in mr shanley the naturalist said my concern is people have a lot of excitement around the park right now if they dont allow access itll wear off


one day after trumpeting the capture and extradition of an eritrean man they said was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of african migrants the italian authorities said on thursday they were looking into the possibility that they had the wrong man
in a phone interview francesco lo voi the chief prosecutor in palermo sicily said that all the necessary verifications would be undertaken to clarify this situation which is singular
mr lo vois office and the authorities in britain announced on wednesday that a well known trafficker named medhanie yehdego mered 35 had been arrested in sudan on may 24 and extradited to rome
they described the arrest as a breakthrough mr lo voi said it demonstrated international judicial and police cooperation and britains national crime agency which said it tracked him down to an address in the sudanese capital of khartoum called mr mered one of the worlds most wanted people smugglers
but within hours of the announcement of mr mereds arrest meron estefanos an eritrean born activist and a journalist in stockholm who works with refugees in sweden said the man in custody was not mr mered an article in the guardian on wednesday also raised doubts
a former eritrean official who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal from the authorities there said on thursday that mr mered was a notorious people smuggler who may have extensive connections within the eritrean and sudanese governments the former official said that mr mered might have been detained but used connections   and cash   to quickly get out of custody or that he may have fled after being warned of the coming police operation
on thursday four people said in separate phone interviews that the man in custody was their brother medhanie tesfamariam berhe 29 an eritrean who moved to sudan last year they insisted he had no involvement in people smuggling and portrayed him as a member of a dispersed but close knit and law abiding family
one of the siblings seghen tesfamariam berhe 31 who lives in khartoum said her brother was picked up at a cafe two weeks ago by the sudanese security forces they brought him home searched his home she said they found nothing because there was nothing in the house
ms berhe said that for nearly two weeks she didnt know what had become of her brother   until she saw photos of mr berhe that were distributed by the italian authorities on wednesday he has been here for one year she said he has not smuggled or trafficked they are just accusing him without any evidence
another sister hiwet tesfamariam berhe 34 who lives in baerum norway near oslo said she was running errands on wednesday when a sibling alerted her to a news article showing their brother being escorted by two italian policemen
i was shocked she said then i went home and turned on the television
another sibling eden tesfamariam berhe 27 who lives in san francisco and is a caretaker for the elderly said she was stunned to see photos of her brother in custody at the airport in rome the photo she said did not match an image that the british authorities said was of mr mered the picture is not the same she said
their brother sirak tesfamariam berhe 28 a student and part time uber driver who also lives in san francisco said it was shocking to me because the brother that i know he would never do that kind of thing
british and italian officials say that mr mered helped run a smuggling ring that was responsible for the deaths of 359 people who perished when a boat capsized near the italian island of lampedusa in 2013
my brother was in eritrea at the time of lampedusa eden berhe said her voice cracking i lost my friends in lampedusa my cousin he is not involved with that kind of thing
anbes yemane 23 an eritrean who entered sweden in 2013 to seek asylum said in a phone interview from borlange a small city in southern sweden that mr mered had facilitated his journey from libya to italy in december 2013 for a payment of 1800
mr yemane said he met mr mered on multiple occasions in libya while mr mered arranged for enough people to fill a boat to italy
thats not him mr yemane said of the man in the photos distributed by the italian authorities referring to mr mered i know him i couldnt mistake him i was disappointed that it wasnt him
eritrea is considered one of the worlds most repressive states and just this week united nations investigators accused its leaders of crimes against humanity as eritreans have fled government officials there have been suspected of profiting from human trafficking human rights advocates say that eritrean soldiers have taken money from people in exchange for access to the border and that officials at eritrean embassies abroad have accepted under the table payments to issue passports and other documents that asylum seekers need
in khartoum police officials and officials at sudans foreign ministry declined to comment as did officials at the italian embassy there british officials said they had nothing to add beyond their statement on wednesday in which they acknowledged the guardians report raising doubts about the arrest but expressed confidence in their intelligence gathering
mr lo voi the prosecutor in sicily said by telephone that the identification of the man in custody as mr mered had been confirmed by sudanese authorities through interpol but that investigators were seeking to confirm his identity after which we will see what the result of the verification tells us
he declined to provide further details saying only that his office would communicate the results of its investigation as soon as possible


look we dont want to write about every presidential campaign tweet that teeters on the brink of the absurd like a fun house mirror revealing the political frankentheater that the entire electorate has collaborated to create whether actively or by submission
wed never get anything else done but ok fine this one could use some explanation
hillary clinton the presumptive democratic nominee was responding to a tweet from donald j trump the presumptive republican nominee
mrs clintons missive most likely written and sent by her campaign staff quickly became one of the most widely shared tweets of the 2016 campaign it was precisely the kind of tweet that political junkies and anyone else checking twitter for a midday distraction thirsts for in the middle of the afternoon when theyd prefer to think about something other than work
but its worth noting to the unfamiliar that delete your account was not a sudden turn of phrase by a coldblooded social media manager let alone the candidate herself the three word phrase has a long history as a dismissive rejoinder especially on twitter
it translates roughly as your tweet or opinion is so bad that you should be immediately disqualified from further participation on the platform
mr trump then responded and other political figures quickly jumped on board
mrs clinton has not always been totally hip jiggy and on fleek with the cool kids she was widely panned for a tweet in august that struck some watchers as a tad too pandering
on friday a day after it was announced that senator elizabeth warren democrat of massachusetts was endorsing mrs clinton mr trump unleashed a typical tweet mocking the senators heritage but ms warren who has taken to matching the republican taunt for taunt on social media could not resist resurrecting clintons tack
there now you understand politics again


how can movement be preserved in immobile form this contradiction in terms has preoccupied artists for millenniums it obsesses choreographers and dancers too motion in stillness stillness in motion has been a motto for dance forms as diverse as the ancient traditions of southeast asia and the avant garde choreography of merce cunningham
three new york exhibitions catch a dancegoers eye for what they tell us of dancers and dance itself in the metropolitan museums pergamon and the hellenistic kingdoms of the ancient world   though it features a remarkable variety of dancers   movement is most hauntingly addressed in a small statue of a man identified as alexander the great
hes not dancing hes hunting but energy line and expression   prime dancerly virtues   all pour forth from him in the past he was identified as meleager or actaeon mythological huntsmen recently his facial features downturned and not easy to discern have led scholars to decide hes alexander the sculptures date probably between 250 and 100 bc is post alexander anyway whoever he is hes compelling hes caught in mid action you can feel what he was doing a moment ago and what will happen next
and he exemplifies something that preoccupies artists who depict dance hes different from every angle dance exists in three spatial dimensions as well as the fourth dimension of time when dancers move they change before our eyes when theyre captured in a single image the artists eye often becomes drawn to multiplicity and complexity
looking at this alexander from his left you notice how his left arm descending from shoulder level is braced from neck to hand the tension is marvelous from this angle youre also struck by his cloak wrapped around his shoulders and left arm its final few inches are flying backward yet from his right side that cloak is nearly invisible   hes otherwise nude   and now what dominates is his raised right arm
see him from the front and it becomes plain how both his arms are involved in the same action as if driving a spear now you observe even if you cant see his face how his head is determinedly focused on an unseen lower object the angles of both elbows answer each other the arms and shoulder describe a descending zigzag
from every angle you notice his stance with the weight all on the right leg one diagonal line ascends from his stretched left leg through the spine to the neck and at a tangent the right arm continues its upward slope every line here is purposeful theres none of the repose that characterizes the greek ideal this hunter is perfect and perfectly caught but his perfection is subordinated to action and intention
many regular visitors to the metropolitans permanent collection of ancient art will already know the baker dancer so called because it was donated by walter c baker said to come from alexandria egypt this exhibition however allows us the chance to walk around her like other dancers of her era third or second century bc shes veiled from head to toe and masked the sculpture is a masterpiece in its depiction of complex movement through fabric
few depictions of dance have ever been so multidimensional or so interestingly ambiguous about the nature of the dance involved the tilting angle of the torso the line of the advancing leg its foot is just off the floor the crook of one elbow all add up variously as you circumnavigate her from one angle she seems to be screening her averted face from view from another angle she seems to protect her torso with that elbow crooked like a prow she has both repose and action grace and mystery what she shows and what she hides are equal parts of her beauty
how much variety the hellenistic world contained from early in the first century bc lent from present day tunisia comes a bronze statuette of a dancing dwarf like some other dancers in this exhibition his weight is all on the right foot and he creates a through the body line but that line   sly impish   is traced not stretched whats striking are the heavy contours of his hips and thighs and the witty malice of his face his eyes seems to gleam through the metal
the first picture you see on entering the museum of modern arts edgar degas a strange new beauty exhibition is a monotype of a ballerina on point beside an instructor its called le maitre de ballet around 1876 although the caption does not identify him many viewers of degass work will know the teacher as jules perrot   europes greatest male dancer in the 1830s its dominant choreographer in the 1840s and 1850s and an important ballet teacher in the 1870s
degas seems to have been obsessed with perrot for a while this ballet master gripping his tall stick even when sitting down embodies both authority and inability the young woman can do what he cannot but he knows how she should do it
although degas is often and rightly considered an evocative realist some of his ballet art has a touch of caricature a naughty example here   degass only depiction of a ballet jump that i know   is pas battu around 1879 which has a touch of deliberate absurdity the dancers shoulders seem hunched as she jumps the angle of her legs in midair parted one bent looks daft the effortful grace of her arms en couronne seems comic degas is wickedly precise you feel hes satirizing a leap that really did happen
degass subjects are often labor stress and exhaustion around this exhibition his dancers so often resting or preparing take their place amid the many other working women he depicted   singers laundresses prostitutes his tone seems to vary it can be compassionate dispassionate tender merciless
one of the most wonderful pictures lent by the cleveland museum is the frieze of dancers an odd translation of the french danseuses attachant leurs sandales an oil painting from around 1895 four seated dancers are each tying the ribbons of their right point shoe sandale they are probably the same dancer from four different angles the parted legs bent knees leaning torso hidden face all ought to add up to an image of travail yet the color and spirit turn this into an image of grace beauty and charm
amid the folk art collection of elie and viola nadelman at the new york historical society are elie nadelmans own sculptures of dancers and circus performers here are the painted glazed ceramic miniature originals of the two colossal statues that dominate the great upstairs foyer of the david h koch theater
more fascinating to a dancegoer are the two high kicking dancer women he depicted in wood in 1920 24 here modernity and primitivism meet with a touch of humor the crescent lines with which their lowered arms answer their upthrust legs are terrific like the long slanting curve of the two legs
what makes me smile is the way these women turn their head to look over their shoulders away from the energy of those legs though these statues are small they imply vastness if the koch contained these two danseuses instead of those seated pairs of women you feel their energy would raise the roof


two longtime employees of the drug enforcement administration were convicted on thursday of making false statements on security clearance forms about their ownership of a strip club in northern new jersey
a federal district court jury in manhattan deliberated for about three hours before finding the defendants glen glover and david polos guilty on all counts they remained in the courtroom for several minutes afterward conferring with relatives and lawyers then emerged into a hallway looking grim
lawyers for both men said they were surprised by the verdict and would ask for it to be set aside
we respect the jurys verdict but we dont think they committed any crime said marc mukasey a lawyer for mr polos
cathy fleming a lawyer for mr glover said she would renew a motion for a judgment of acquittal that she had made before the trial if that did not succeed she said she would appeal
both men were convicted of omitting any mention of the club in 2011 when filling out a federal form that asked for a listing of all employment including full time and part time work paid or unpaid they were also found guilty of conspiring to hide their connection with the club the twins plus go go lounge in south hackensack nj
prosecutors said the defendants had wanted to preserve the top secret security clearance they had as dea employees which would almost certainly have been revoked had their ownership of the club come to light defense lawyers argued that the two had not lied because they considered themselves to be mere investors in twins plus not employees of the club
mr polos was convicted of a separate count of lying on the form by saying that he had not had close or continuing contact with any foreign national despite a romantic relationship he had with a dancer from brazil who worked at the club after entering the united states illegally
mr polos faces up to 15 years in prison mr glover faces up to 10 years no sentencing date has yet been set
the trial was unusual in several respects hinting at seamy activities at the strip club and placing two experienced federal law enforcement employees in unfamiliar roles as defendants
mr glover worked for the drug agency since 1998 tracking cellphone use as a telecommunications specialist among other things he has been suspended since his arrest agency officials said a felony conviction would generally make an employee ineligible to work for it
mr polos who resigned just before charges in the case became public had worked for the agency since 1991 most recently helping to supervise the new york organized crime and drug enforcement strike force and overseeing agents who investigated the notorious online drug bazaar silk road
prosecutors and defense lawyers presented clashing depictions of the defendants prosecutors described them as calculating opportunists who tried to compartmentalize double lives while working regular shifts at the club participating in decisions to hire and fire bartenders and dancers and frequently exchanging text messages about club business even while they were at work in manhattan
defense lawyers presented the two as guileless blue collar working guys who had seen the club as a harmless way to let off steam while trying to create a nest egg they had not meant to mislead both lawyers said of their clients but had been mystified by a complex government form
during his closing argument on wednesday mr mukasey mr poloss lawyer displayed a tall placard with an illustration of a dea badge featuring the letters us topped by an eagle with wings spread he called his client a dedicated devoted die hard dea agent who had risked his life hunting narco traffickers in colombia and thailand
during her closing argument ms fleming mr glovers lawyer emphasized his visits to the club had been to monitor an investment not to work referring to a snapshot that showed a beaming mr glover posing with five scantily clad dancers she asked the jurors does that look like an employee or does that look like an owner
prosecutors countered with reams of documents detailing text messages and emails they said showed the defendants were intimately involved in running twins plus and referred to a colorful parade of witnesses who had worked at the club and testified that they had suspected dancers there of using drugs and engaging in prostitution
those included joseph banas who testified that he thought a dancer had received contraband deliveries just outside the club and jeffrey brown who testified that he had seen condoms scattered in a room inside the club used for lap dances
mr brown also testified that he had seen mr polos and the brazilian dancer andressa de lima one day outside the club and that mr polos had later cautioned him to keep quiet about that some things that you know mr brown said mr polos had told him would be better left unsaid


the furor surrounding a stanford rape case extended to the nations capital on thursday a congresswoman read an excerpt from the victims statement on the house floor a congressman called for the judge to be removed and vice president joseph r biden jr wrote an open letter to the victim calling her a warrior   with a solid steel spine
in his letter obtained by buzzfeed mr biden expressed his furious anger over the sexual assault   for which a former stanford student brock turner 20 was convicted in march   and his disappointment in a culture that continues to ask the wrong questions of victims
i do not know your name   but your words are forever seared on my soul words that should be required reading for men and women of all ages he wrote referring to the powerful statement the 23 year old woman read in court during a sentencing hearing in santa clara county superior court last week
the case spurred national outrage when mr turner a former stanford swimmer received a six month sentence and three years probation by judge aaron persky after being convicted of three felony counts of sexual assault for his attack on an intoxicated and unconscious woman behind a dumpster
critics of the judges sentencing have begun an effort to recall him even as others have defended his decisions and threats of violence have flooded the california courts phone lines
representative jackie speier a democrat from california speaking from the house floor on thursday called the six month sentence a travesty and said that she was working on several pieces of legislation to aid the survivors of sexual assault and harassment
our justice system must become better than this she said our educational system must become better than this
she then read an excerpt from the victims 7244 word statement saying that her bravery inspires me as i hope it will inspire you
the victims statement published by buzzfeed on june 3 was also read on the air by a cnn anchor on monday chirlane mccray the wife of mayor bill de blasio of new york along with a group of celebrities and government officials read it aloud on wednesday in a video that was posted to facebook
representative ted poe a republican from texas who also read an excerpt from the statement on the house floor said that judge persky should be removed from the bench
victims like this remarkable woman must know that society and the justice system are on their side mr poe said thursday
in other developments
 two of the women who had written character statements on behalf of mr turner apologized wednesday for supporting him leslie rasmussen the drummer for the band good english which had several of its shows canceled after news of her support became public posted her apology on facebook
i did not acknowledge strongly enough the severity of brocks crime and the suffering and pain that his victim endured and for that lack of acknowledgment i am deeply sorry she wrote
 in her speech ms speier noted that mr turner will most likely serve half of his sentence
online records show that mr turner who was booked on june 2 is expected to be released from the santa clara county jail on sept 2
it is not uncommon for county jail inmates to serve 50 percent of their sentences if they keep a clean disciplinary record calls to the county department of corrections werent immediately returned thursday


for years fernando lopezs storefront money transfer business in atlantic city was a place where local residents could wire money to family and friends abroad but that business interamericana express which handled a lot of transmittals to mexico is dwindling as banks and regulators take a stricter view of cross border money transfers
mr lopezs business accounts have been closed several times in recent years by three different banks over money laundering concerns despite his state license hours of compliance training and binders full of rules and regulations since being dropped by the banks he has operated his money transfer business as an agent of moneygram international and ria money transfer depositing transfers in accounts at those companies banks will not take any of his money transfer business directly
frustrated he is trying to convert his shop which also offers notary and bill payment services into a by the pound parcel shipping center the banks dont see a small business with a money transfer operation in a good way mr lopez said
we comply with all the regulations we have to follow the rules he said but they dont want to deal with us
mexico is the biggest destination for money transfers from the united states according to estimates by the world bank about 243 billion was remitted there from the united states last year practically all of the cross border money that flowed to mexico from around the world and nearly one fifth of all remittances sent abroad from the united states but what was once viewed as a big consumer business opportunity for american banks is now seen as a liability
banks are refusing to do business with money transmitters closing or freezing their accounts over concerns about money laundering and extra regulatory scrutiny
the affected businesses include mom and pop convenience stores such as mr lopezs potentially limiting options for the millions of people living in the united states who want to send money home or forcing them to send cash which is risky over one quarter of american households rely on nonbank financial institutions including money transmitters for everyday banking needs according to the conference of state bank supervisors
large banks are just walking away from the business completely said peter ohser an executive vice president of moneygram international in dallas one of the two biggest transmitters next to western union
bank of america and jpmorgan chase scrapped their own low cost remittance services two years ago and last year citigroup agreed to pay 140 million to regulators for failing to safeguard against money laundering it shut down its banamex usa unit with 500 million in assets and branches in arizona california and texas some 14 years after citi bought the mexico city based banamex as an opportunity to serve the needs of hispanic families living on either side of the border
amerimex communications a roswell ga company that sells cellphone minutes to people in the united states to give to family or friends in mexico has started to work with some convenience store owners on a prepay basis because many are also money transfer agents and their bank accounts have been frozen according to don aldridge the chief executive of amerimex
convenience stores that handle remittances need an account to deposit the cash because it is nearly impossible for banks to know the identity of the final customer in a money transfer remittance companies and their agents are being categorized as a high risk for money laundering and denied banking services we are part of the collateral damage mr aldridge said
he added he had considered buying three convenience stores in the atlanta area and getting a money transferring license but he was told by his bank   first citizens bank in raleigh nc   that it would no longer be able to work with him if the stores were transferring money abroad
a spokeswoman for first citizens bank barbara thompson said that she was not aware of mr aldridges experience and that the bank did provide services to money transfer companies that were registered with state and federal authorities
wells fargo is one bank that still offers services to money transfer companies and their agents who send money from the united states to mexico but the bank provides such services only to companies or agents with which it has a relationship and it puts them through tougher checks than it does with other customers a bank spokesman said
a bank of america spokeswoman declined to comment jpmorgan and citigroup did not respond to questions about their policy toward money transfer companies and agents
regulators are aware of the problems that money transmitters are facing they say the situation is part of a wider trend of banks closing potentially risky accounts because of the costs of monitoring and compliance
among other factors accounts may be dropped for very legitimate reasons including suspicions of illicit activity or account holders not having the appropriate controls in place said daniel l glaser assistant treasury secretary for terrorist financing the fact that over the same time period the overall level of us to mexico remittances appears to be healthy and growing may indicate that some of the weaker institutions are losing access and the market may be consolidating under stronger participants   which would not be a bad thing
as of the end of march state financial regulators licensed 456 money transmitters a 12 percent decrease from the same period last year though licenses for companies that operate in multiple states   larger than just a one store operation   rose 166 percent according to a report by the conference of state bank supervisors
though the dollar amount of transfers has been rising steadily since the financial crisis the data reflects the health of the economy and the strength of the dollar rather than the health of the money transfer market experts said
what you dont see behind the scenes is that prices are going up said mr ohser of moneygram a lack of banks willing to provide account services to any business that is transferring money to mexico is causing friction and leading to increased costs mr ohser said
regulators say they are growing concerned that people will resort to sending cash across the border which is harder to track and riskier money transmitters going out of business could lead remittance senders to use informal methods that are less detectable according to a government accountability office report published in january this year
armored cars and courier services taking currency across the border have drawn the attention of the financial crimes enforcement network known as fincen which last year began investigating an increase in suspicious dollar currency shipments fincen investigators along with customs and border protection and immigration and customs enforcement have since tightened monitoring of border cash transit
the treasury department is working closely with mexican authorities to address the difficulties that money service businesses on both sides of the border are facing mr glaser said its a priority for us that remittance channels remain open
various international organizations are also working on efforts to help the money transfer industry get access to banks the financial stability board in switzerland has been coordinating those efforts since noting that the trend of banks withdrawing services to other banks   known as correspondent banking   has the potential to rise to a systemic issue
opinions are not changing quickly enough for people like mr lopez however he worries his accounts at ria and moneygram could be closed too that would be devastating he said thats the reason im trying to expand my shipping business its like plan b


nairobi kenya   a suicide bomber rammed an explosive laden car into the gates of an african union base in central somalia on thursday setting off a predawn gun battle between militants and african union soldiers
the shabab militant group which has been terrorizing somalia for years claimed responsibility for the attack in the hiran region saying on somali news media that its fighters had stormed the base and killed dozens of soldiers
it is difficult to know what really happened in the attack the shabab often exaggerate their battlefield successes in their public claims and the african union rarely shares details about its confrontations with militants and has tried in the past to minimize defeats
lt col joe kibet an african union spokesman said he could not comment on the number of union soldiers who were killed thursday but he did say that at least 110 shabab fighters had died in the attack
the fighting was heavy colonel kibet said we managed to repulse them with a lot of casualties including many of them
somali government officials said that 240 shabab fighters had been killed and that dead bodies were scattered for miles
villagers in the area said they heard a loud explosion before dawn followed by heavy exchanges of gunfire for at least an hour
somalia has been steeped in various degrees of chaos and bloodshed since its central government imploded in 1991 in recent years the shabab have emerged as the regions most powerful and ruthless militant group the shabab are allied with al qaeda their goal is to bring their interpretation of islamic rule to somalia
lately the shabab have increased their attacks striking civilians government officials and soldiers from the african union force that is trying to help stabilize somalia
in january shabab militants attacked a remote kenyan army base using similar tactics to those they did on thursday in hiran   a car bomb at the gates of the base followed by hundreds of fighters on foot and in pickup trucks blasting machine guns and firing rocket propelled grenades
though the kenyan government has yet to disclose how many soldiers it lost in that january battle western security officials have said that at least 150 were killed
analysts have predicted that shabab attacks would increase during the islamic holy month of ramadan which began this week


people living in areas where the zika virus is circulating should consider delaying pregnancy to avoid having babies with birth defects the world health organization has concluded
the advice affects millions of couples in 46 countries across latin america and the caribbean where zika transmission is occurring or expected according to a recent study more than five million babies are born each year in parts of the western hemisphere where the mosquitoes known to spread the virus are found
at the moment puerto rico the united states virgin islands and american samoa are the only parts of the united states with local transmission of the virus but clusters of cases are expected to appear in florida and along the gulf coast this summer
the governments of five countries have issued similar advice as has the health secretary of puerto rico but the centers for disease control and prevention has decided against this approach on the grounds that government doctors should not intrude on personal decisions best made by women and their partners
the virus carried by the yellow fever mosquito has been linked to abnormally small heads and brain damage in infants a condition called microcephaly in rare cases the infection has caused paralysis and sometimes fatal complications in adults
the whos new guidelines essentially acknowledge that with no vaccine available and mosquito eradication efforts failing to stem the spread of the infection delaying pregnancy may be the best way that women in affected areas can avoid having children with severe brain damage
more than 1500 babies have been born with microcephaly in brazil six other countries and puerto rico have reported cases of microcephaly resulting from locally acquired zika infections
the who says men and women of reproductive age should be correctly informed and oriented to consider delaying pregnancy the guidance was originally issued last week but did not garner wide notice among experts until thursday when the who issued a clarification distinguishing between people who visit zika affected countries and those who live in them
people living in those countries are not advised to delay for any specific amount of time but that guidance means delaying until we have more answers more evidence more science said nyka alexander a who spokeswoman
but its important to understand that this is not the who saying hey everybody dont get pregnant its that they should be advised about this so they themselves can make the final decision
dr peter j hotez dean of the national school of tropical medicine at the baylor college of medicine said of the who recommendation its about time
his medical school is in houston and he has urged that women in areas where the virus is circulating or may circulate this summer avoid pregnancy if they can what happens when zika hits texas and the gulf coast this summer he asked
dr william schaffner head of preventive medicine at vanderbilt university school of medicine called the whos advice excellent
now we just have to provide both the education and the means so that couples can implement he added
brazil has noted the whos new guidance in a statement for its citizens a spokesman for the health ministry said but the ministry itself has now taken a softer stance saying pregnancy is a personal decision that should be evaluated and considered by a woman together with her family
some brazilian virologists have pushed for emphatic advice to delay the who guidelines understand the gravity of the situation said dr artur timerman president of the brazilian society of dengue and arbovirus
his society recommends that women living in areas of active transmission postpone getting pregnant and that men who return from such areas use condoms for six months brazilian health officials did not provide enough leadership on the issue he said
dr celso granato a virologist at the federal university of sao paulo called the new who guidelines an important recommendation
at this moment what we know for sure is that the infection of the fetus may be catastrophic he said so i think that all the possible ways to avoid these situations have to be taken
in atlanta a cdc spokeswoman said officials thought the who guidelines were largely in line with the cdcs on the issue of how long a man should wear a condom after visiting a zika affected country they are now identical which they were not before
for people living in areas with zika transmission cdc guidelines say doctors or nurses should discuss the risks of zika emphasize ways to prevent zika virus infection and provide information about safe and effective contraceptive methods
some women and their partners they note may decide to delay pregnancy
when the epidemic began health officials in brazil ecuador colombia jamaica and el salvador asked women in their countries to delay pregnancy if they could in some cases they suggested waiting a few months officials in jamaica suggested a year and those in el salvador suggested waiting until 2018
the advice was sharply criticized by reproductive rights groups which said it was hypocritical coming from governments that often outlawed abortion and made it difficult for women to get birth control some roman catholic archbishops also objected
some infectious disease experts however said delaying pregnancy is the only sure way to prevent birth defects mosquito control had not previously stopped mosquito borne viruses such as dengue or chikungunya they pointed out and a zika vaccine is years away
if women were able to delay pregnancy for just one season in which zika was widely transmitted it is likely that so many people would gain immunity from having been bitten that the virus would either completely disappear   as happened in previous pacific island outbreaks   or would circulate at only very low levels the following year
from the outset the who did endorse making birth control more available until recently however it had stopped short of advising women to consider delaying pregnancy
theoretically many have thought it may work dr bruce aylward the organizations chief of emergency responses said in february but he said at that time experts thought the best approach was to fight mosquitoes while scientists worked on a vaccine
the revised guidelines are a result of meetings of global experts in mid march and further input from experts in the editing process said ms alexander of the who
they were issued may 30 and the recommendation that some couples be oriented to consider delaying pregnancy was included in section 4 paragraph 1c
but the agency drew no attention to it and the new section was confusingly worded on thursday the who issued a clarification saying men and women of reproductive age living in affected areas should be informed and orientated to consider delaying pregnancy this was the original intention of the guidance the correction makes this more clear
later ms alexander said we should have done a better job of highlighting it


the yale basketball player who was expelled in february after a university committee found that he had raped a fellow student sued the university on thursday accusing it of a deeply flawed process
in the lawsuit and an accompanying statement released by a public relations firm the player jack montague who was once the team captain suggested that yale had chosen to make an example of him because of public criticism over its handling of the hot button issue of campus sexual assault
montague   captain of yales basketball team and one of the most prominent male students on campus   was yales ticket to restoring its tarnished image the statement charged
the complaint filed in federal court in connecticut named yale and two title ix coordinators as defendants
the lawsuit is factually inaccurate and legally baseless and yale will offer a vigorous defense a yale spokesman said in a statement
montague 22 was a guard who until his expulsion in february had helped the bulldogs to an especially accomplished season that culminated a month later in the ivy league title and the teams first appearance in the ncaa basketball tournament since 1962 yale upset baylor in the first round before losing to duke
montagues expulsion which originally had been presented only as his departure from the team gained attention in part because his teammates showed solidarity with him at one point wearing shirts before a game bearing his nickname that episode prompted anger at the team on campus with critics accusing it of furthering rape culture
yale coach james jones who according to the lawsuit was montagues sole representative at the disciplinary hearing that led to his expulsion has tended to stick up for montague telling espn after the team clinched its tournament berth in march hes a great young man and we love him
the team subsequently released a statement saying that it supports a healthy safe and respectful campus climate where all students can flourish
the subject of campus sexual assault received new national prominence five years ago when the department of educations office of civil rights highlighted the applicability of title ix the federal law mandating gender equity in higher education to sexual violence some of the national discourse since then has focused attention on whether athletes in prominent sports receive more lenient treatment
as the complaint noted the conversation on campus sexual assault has been particularly contentious at yale last year a study by the association of american universities found that nearly one in four undergraduate women at a large group of leading universities said they had been sexually assaulted   and pegged yales rates as higher than the average found at the 27 colleges
in part the lawsuit reiterated a statement from montagues lawyer in march when he asserted that montague and his accuser a woman whose name has not been made public had had a prior sexual relationship that included one instance of consensual intercourse and that she later returned to montagues bedroom with him on the evening in october 2014 when she said the assault had occurred
the accuser said that she did not consent to sexual intercourse tried to communicate this verbally and according to an impartial fact finder pushed him but not very forcefully the complaint said
montague who had several drinks that night was not aware that the woman did not consent according to the complaint
the lawsuit also cited several instances in which it said yale undergraduates had been found responsible of sexual misconduct by the universitys committee but had not been expelled
it also laid out a narrative in which the accuser had been pressured to cooperate with a formal complaint   filed on her behalf by one of the title ix coordinators also being sued   after being misled according to montagues lawyers into believing that she had not been the first student to accuse montague of sexual assault
in fact the lawsuit said that understanding had been based on a previous incident in which montague was disciplined for sexual harassment related to an incident during his freshman year not only should that incident not have been adjudged as sexual harassment the complaint said it also should not have had any bearing on the current case and should not have been revealed to the accuser
the dean who eventually confirmed the committees decision to expel montague also misunderstood montagues history the complaint said
yale targeted and ultimately expelled mr montague in order to make a public example of a prominent male figure on campus and demonstrate that contrary to the opinions of yales internal and external critics the university is indeed tough on men who victimize female students the lawsuit said
charging breach of contract and defamation montague is seeking reinstatement to yale   he was expelled a few months before he was expected to graduate   or the reopening of the disciplinary proceedings as well as damages


they call doug pojeky the bird whisperer
and now that photos of mr pojeky 40 being hugged by an owl have been shared thousands of times on facebook they have expanded from a small group of rescue workers to people around the world
my phone has never rang so much said mr pojeky who is retired from the united states navy and volunteers for the nonprofit wild at heart rescue in vancleave miss northeast of biloxi its really rewarding in a sense because we work really hard at what we do
what the organization does entails answering hundreds of calls every day but usually about an animal in need mr pojeky said wednesday that the call about the owl dubbed gigi because of her gigantic size came from the united states fish and wildlife service in may
gigi a great horned owl had a concussion and two types of infections   and she was unable to stand up
she was knocking on deaths door mr pojeky said of all the animals ive rehabbed i did not think she was going to make the recovery
days after gigi came into the groups care mr pojeky left to visit his home state michigan the now internet famous hug happened upon his return
the first morning i was back i got the bird out and instead of kicking and trying to scratch she kind of just curled her feet up and went into my chest really easy mr pojeky said
she danced a little bit bobbing around before nuzzling her head into his shoulder and draping her wings around him
missy dubuisson the groups founder snapped the photo
it was pretty cool mr pojeky said its a bond im not saying that i tame it for a pet but the bond is that the animal trusts me enough to put down its defenses so i can help it
mr pojeky said he was not sure what it was about him that had such a calming effect on birds of prey but whatever it is it has earned him the bird whisperer nickname
bird of prey whisperer ms dubuisson clarified thats what weve called him for years and years
 john e parks the founder and director of the cornell university raptor program had some doubts about whether the bird was displaying an affinity for its handler
my understanding and experience with great horned owls is if its an adult bird which it appears to be the older they are the more recalcitrant they are dr parks said they can be very stubborn and difficult
an owl may spread its wings around its young to shelter them or if its overheated he said
i would be surprised if it had anything to do with its reaction to its handler dr parks said
but ms dubuisson said mr pojeky just had a gift for handling birds of prey
he is the only person that can handle them in the way he does she said its crazy to see
soon after the photos were taken gigi was released near where she was found in seminary miss about two hours north of the rescue center she circled a little bit and glanced back at her rescuers before flying off into the woods mr pojeky said
many of the animals released by mr pojeky and ms dubuisson tend to look back before heading back into the wild he said
in our minds thats them saying thank you he said


baltimore   freddie gray died after a rough ride in a police van prosecutors here said on thursday laying out for the first time their murder case against the officer who drove the transport wagon in which mr gray a 25 year old black man suffered the diving type injury that broke his neck and later killed him
with mr gray shackled but not belted in the back of the van officer caesar r goodson jr ran through a stop sign and took a sharp right turn driving so fast that he did not stay in his lane a prosecutor michael schatzow said had officer goodson buckled mr gray or called promptly for medical attention he said the young man would be alive today
he was injured because he got a rough ride mr schatzow told judge barry g williams of baltimore city circuit court adding there was no good reason for the officer to repeatedly fail to seatbelt mr gray except to bounce him around
it was the first time that prosecutors have used the words rough ride in connection with mr gray   a compelling opener to a high stakes trial playing out more than a year after the violent unrest set off by mr grays death in april 2015 experts said the rough ride argument would be difficult to prove adding to the challenges faced by prosecutors who have already tried two of the six officers facing charges in mr grays death and so far failed to win any convictions
officer goodson 47 a department veteran faces the most serious charges of any of the six and is the only one who did not give investigators a statement thursday was the first time his story has been told his defense lawyer andrew graham painted him as a decent man who acted in good faith mr graham told the judge that mr gray caused his own death by thrashing around in the van or trying to stand up as it was moving
an accident can be just an accident mr graham said and the cause of the accident can be the person himself who was injured
at officer goodsons request the case will be decided by judge williams not a jury even before it got underway thursday it took a dramatic turn as a furious judge williams berated mr schatzow and his team for withholding evidence critical to the officers defense   information about prosecutors meeting in may 2015 with donta allen a suspect who rode in the back of the van with mr gray and is a potential witness in the case prosecutors said the meeting their second with mr allen produced only silly information that was not relevant
the judge sharply disagreed declaring the meeting extremely exculpatory he ordered prosecutors to share any additional information that might be relevant by monday morning demanding
what else is out there that you havent turned over
officer goodson faces seven charges in all including manslaughter and reckless endangerment in addition to second degree depraved heart murder legal experts say it will be especially difficult for prosecutors to prove the murder charge which will require them to show that the officer acted with willful indifference to mr grays life
this is now about a rough ride said warren alperstein who frequently represents police officers but is not involved in the gray cases he said much would depend on what evidence the state produces to prove its case is it going to be surveillance video is it going to be bystander witness testimony
many details of the case are familiar by now
on april 12 2015 mr gray was walking with friends in the downtrodden sandtown neighborhood of west baltimore when he spotted a group of police officers and ran they pursued detained and arrested mr gray and officer goodson responded to the scene with a prisoner transport van the officers eventually placed mr gray who was handcuffed and wore leg shackles inside the van but did not secure him with a seatbelt
one of those arresting officers edward m nero was acquitted late last month of four misdemeanors in the case the trial of another officer william porter who arrived as backup ended in a hung jury last year
with officer goodson at the wheel the van made a total of six stops through west baltimore in court on thursday mr schatzow said medical evidence would show that mr gray was injured by hitting his head before the fourth stop and that doctors could have saved him but mr graham said defense experts would testify that mr grays injury happened later was catastrophic and that medical care would not have made a difference
officer porters testimony is expected to be crucial to the case against officer goodson because he can tell the court what he and officer goodson discussed about mr grays condition and when
whether officer goodson will testify in his own defense is unclear defense lawyers have not said but they did indicate on thursday that they would call mr allen who rode in the van with mr gray he has said mr gray was thrashing about in the back of the van   a remark that would seem to bolster the defense   but later recanted that statement in television interviews
the courtroom was packed for thursdays opening arguments with a crew of familiar faces who have been sitting through the trials among them was tessa hill aston the president of baltimores branch of the naacp who said her organization often receives complaints of rough rides
she sounded pleased to hear the issue raised in court weve got to get some hits where someone is taking responsibility for freddie grays death


los angeles   a federal appeals court in san francisco ruled thursday that the second amendment of the constitution does not guarantee the right of gun owners to carry concealed weapons in public places upholding a california law that imposes stringent conditions on who may be granted a concealed carry permit
the 7 to 4 ruling by the united states court of appeals for the ninth circuit in san francisco overturned a decision by a three judge panel of the same court and was a setback for gun advocates the california law requires applicants to demonstrate good cause for carrying a weapon like working in a job with a security threat   a restriction sharply attacked by gun advocates as violating the second amendment right to bear arms
based on the overwhelming consensus of historical sources we conclude that the protection of the second amendment   whatever the scope of that protection may be   simply does not extend to the carrying of concealed firearms in public by members of the general public the court said in a ruling written by judge william a fletcher
the case was brought by gun owners who were denied permits in yolo and san diego counties the plaintiffs did not immediately say whether they planned to appeal to the united states supreme court
this is a huge decision said adam winkler a professor of constitutional law at the university of california los angeles school of law this is a major victory for gun control advocates 
the supreme court has ruled that individuals have a right to possess a weapon in their home thursdays ruling centers on the next frontier in the gun control debate
probably the most important battleground of the second amendment has been whether there is a right to carry guns outside the home and if there is to what extent can states and localities regulate that right said jonathan e lowy the director of the legal action project at the brady center to prevent gun violence
gun advocates swiftly condemned the ruling
this decision will leave good people defenseless as it completely ignores the fact that law abiding californians who reside in counties with hostile sheriffs will now have no means to carry a firearm outside the home for personal protection chris w cox the executive director of the national rifle association institute for legislative action said in a statement
with thursdays decision the ninth circuit joins several other federal appeals courts in allowing state or local governments to put restrictions on the granting of concealed carry licenses
mr winkler the law professor noted that the best indicator of whether the supreme court would take up a constitutional issue was there was a split among district courts without a split in the circuits the supreme court is less likely to take up the case he said
but mr lowy said that given the stakes of the decision   and the long history of litigation on the issue   he would not be surprised if the court decided to step in there is no circuit split but its certainly possible that the court could decide it wants to address this he said id be surprised but not shocked if supreme court took this for review
the decision by the three judge panel of the ninth circuit had thrown out the requirement that a gun owner demonstrate good cause for getting a weapon within days of that decision in 2014 counties across the state which administer the permits reported getting a flood of applicants seeking concealed weapons permits although the decision was stayed pending appeal some county sheriffs began issuing permits the status of those permits was not immediately clear
in a dissent to thursdays ruling by the full court judge consuelo maria callahan said that the second amendment protection to gun owners that applied in the privacy of ones home   upheld in a 2008 supreme court decision involving a law in washington dc   extends beyond ones front door
like the rest of the bill of rights this right is indisputably constitutional in stature and part of this countrys bedrock she wrote
kamala harris the state attorney general who asked the full court to reconsider the decision by the three judge panel said the ruling ensures that local law enforcement leaders have the tools they need to protect public safety by determining who can carry loaded concealed weapons in our communities


national amusements the theater chain through which sumner m redstone controls his 40 billion empire is preparing to replace a handful of directors on the viacom board a move that is expected to serve as a prelude to the ouster of the companys embattled chief executive
in consideration for board positions are kenneth lerer a venture capitalist co founder of the huffington post and chairman of buzzfeed and nicole seligman a former sony executive and lawyer who represented president bill clinton during his impeachment trial according to three people briefed on the discussions
also on the list is judith mchale the former discovery communications chief and general counsel for mtv networks in the 1980s and thomas j may the chairman of eversource energy utility company and bank of america director said the people who spoke on the condition of anonymity
the development signals a bold move to reshape the viacom board with the ultimate goal of firing philippe p dauman as chairman and chief executive of the company viacom which owns the mtv nickelodeon and comedy central cable networks and the paramount pictures film and television studio has struggled over the last year
it is not clear whether the people under consideration have formally accepted the positions and the choices as well as the strategy could change
one possibility that has been discussed is that the new viacom board would serve a short term before national amusements pushes to merge viacom with cbs the other entertainment company it controls two of the people said
viacom and cbs were split into separate companies in 2006
the new directors are likely to be aligned with mr redstones daughter shari redstone who was long estranged from her father but has recently reconciled with him she has publicly opposed mr daumans ascent at the company and according to court documents has frequently repeated to the viacom board that mr dauman should be replaced
mr dauman has said mr redstone 93 lacks the mental capacity to make business decisions about his companies and that ms redstone is manipulating her father in moves to reshape his boards mr redstones representatives have said he is acting independently
ms redstone is not expected to grab the chairman position at viacom for herself she turned it down when her father ceded the role in february
representatives for viacom and a spokesman for mr redstone declined to comment representatives for national amusements could not immediately be reached for comment nancy sterling a spokeswoman for ms redstone had no comment
rather than dismiss the entire viacom board one possibility being considered is for national amusements to remove a few of the directors who are allies of mr dauman two of the people briefed on the discussions said
mr redstone and ms redstone both are viacom directors if four new directors aligned with the redstones were to replace board members loyal to mr dauman the redstones would have a majority on the 11 member board
six directors loyal to mr dauman vowed last month that they would fight any moves to eject them from the board and said they had made preparations to challenge any dismissal in court
in a statement on may 27 mike lawrence a spokesman for mr redstone said sumner redstone will make every decision with the same deliberation and consideration with which he removed philippe dauman and george abrams as trustees based on the best interests of shareholders
war broke out across mr redstones 40 billion media empire last month through national amusements mr redstone controls about 80 percent of the voting shares in viacom and cbs that control will pass to an irrevocable trust after mr redstones death or if he is declared incompetent
on may 20 mr redstone unexpectedly ejected mr dauman and george abrams two longtime confidants from the trust and the board of national amusements mr dauman and mr abrams immediately filed suit in massachusetts challenging mr redstones mental competency and whether he had been unduly influenced by his daughter
lawyers for mr redstone shot back with a petition in los angeles asking that the court confirm the validity of the changes that were made to the trust and the board ms redstone has stated that her father is making his own decisions
at his prime mr redstone was known to monitor quarter point fluctuations in viacoms stock price and to quickly dismiss chief executives who did not live up to his expectations
the companys stock price has declined about 35 percent in the last year when the company has reported continued weak earnings since news broke on may 20 signaling the potential for new leadership viacoms stock price has increased about 15 percent
earlier thursday mr dauman said that the entertainment company was continuing its efforts to sell a stake in paramount pictures but that it would miss its june target for reaching an agreement for the film and television studio
mr dauman said that naturally recent events had slowed the sales process
mr redstone has said that he disapproves of a deal for paramount referring to the studio as his baby


london   britons could lose control of their coastline their country could be scrapped or merged with france and a nation in which tea making is a daily ritual faces the prospect of a ban on its kettles
over recent years the daily express a newspaper with a print circulation of around 400000 and its sibling the sunday express have made little secret of their antipathy to the european union presenting it as the source of a variety of such unlikely assaults on britain and all things british
but with a june 23 referendum looming on whether britain should stay in the 28 nation bloc the express has moved up another gear urging readers to display a window sticker in favor of quitting or   in the papers words   to stick it to the eu
britains freewheeling tabloid press has never been shy about pushing an agenda but the debate on withdrawal from the european union   known as brexit   has given some papers a particular opportunity to unleash their nationalist and anti european tendencies
facing declining circulation and ruthless digital competition the nations newspaper industry has ceded some of the power it once held to shape public opinion but the hostility of some papers to the european union is nonetheless a problem for prime minister david cameron who is engaged in a ferocious struggle to persuade britons to vote to remain in the bloc
one recent study found that of 928 articles focused on the referendum 45 percent were in favor of leaving with 27 percent for staying 19 percent were categorized as mixed or undecided and 9 percent as adopting no position
the tone of the coverage stands in stark contrast to the only previous referendum on europe here in 1975 when almost all the press was pro european including the popular midmarket daily mail
not this time the paper has not so far unambiguously editorialized in favor of leaving but the tone was set in february when mr cameron renegotiated britains ties to the european union before recommending a vote to remain
the daily mail was not impressed and so turned to a subject that still preoccupies parts of the british press world war ii
who will speak for england asked a front page editorial comment in an incongruous echo of a parliamentary speech made before the outbreak of war with nazi germany
as in 1939 we are at a crossroads in our island history the paper wrote
for pro europeans the tabloid onslaught seems wearingly familiar some parts of the british media do quite frequently refer back to the second world war as the context of the discussion charles clarke a former labour cabinet minister said at a recent conference adding that the virulence of the way in which some papers seek to set the agenda about europe has affected the british political debate
for critics of press standards this type of coverage from the tabloids illustrates more profound flaws within the british media
not only do they feel no duty to report what the other side is saying or give balance but they feel a commitment to belittle its argument said brian cathcart a professor of journalism at kingston university london
they are comfortably the most partisan participant in the debate and anyone thinking that they are a vehicle for explaining the pros and cons of being in europe would be under a complete misconception he added
those on the receiving end of euroskeptic coverage include president obama who during a recent visit here supported continued british membership of the bloc and said there would be no quick free trade deal with the united states if britain quit
the daily expresss response was a banner headline on obamas amazing threat to britain and an article that reported outrage at his scaremongering over eu exit vote
nor is queen elizabeth ii above the fray at least for the sun britains biggest paid for daily tabloid it reported that the monarch supports a brexit based on accounts of comments she ostensibly made about europe before the referendum was called
according to mr cathcart press coverage has a drip drip effect from both long term negative reporting of the european union and dishonest reporting of the migration issue
for the sun the express and the mail the influx of european immigrants into britain largely from central and eastern europe has frequently been a front page story one that chimes with the most potent argument for those campaigning to quit the bloc
while most of europe is focused on the flow of migrants from the middle east and africa the brexit camp contends that immigration can be controlled only if britain quits the bloc because the european union allows the free movement of european workers across national frontiers
in february the suns front page article on migration statistics appeared under the headline the great migrant con highlighting claims of a migration cover up  in march the paper reported on a guide to polish immigrants on welfare entitlements in britain with a headline how to be a pole on the dole referring to the british term for state payments to the jobless
other papers have given the issue contentious treatment according to infact an organization that favors remaining in the bloc
the telegraph mail and express have published a string of stories on migration terrorism crime and control of our borders that contain factual inaccuracies andor distortions it said announcing plans to complain to the countrys press regulator the independent press standards organization about eight articles
but those campaigning to stay in the bloc can count on much more sympathetic treatment from several other newspapers including the financial times and the guardian and the left leaning tabloid the daily mirror
the mail on sunday has devoted much more space than has its daily sibling to the case for remaining in the bloc
in recent weeks both the times of london and   intriguingly   the more rightward leaning telegraph the favored paper of the deeply divided conservative party have taken a pretty evenhanded approach to the debate giving weight to the arguments of both sides
this may reflect the divided views of their readers including those reading online who tend to be younger or worries about the economic impact of quitting the european union on print media
the times like the sunday times the sun and the sun on sunday is owned by rupert murdochs news uk but readers of the times are thought to be more pro european than those of the sun so the papers could take opposing positions in the campaigns closing weeks
however according to mr clarke it is not clear that even the sun will editorialize in favor of leaving the european union particularly if it calculates that voters will opt to remain
yet in the end the cumulative impact of newspapers coverage about europe is probably more important that any eve of referendum day endorsement for either side
mr cathcart notes that british newspapers are declining organizations but that they still matter
its a legacy thing he said


united nations   the united nations secretary general is supposed to answer to every nation on earth   and no nation at all
so the unusually frank admission by the secretary general ban ki moon on thursday that he had essentially been coerced into removing a saudi led military coalition in yemen from an ignoble list of armies that kill and maim children was a rare window into the limits of his moral and political authority   and an object lesson for whoever succeeds mr ban next year
on thursday mr ban told reporters that he had been threatened with the loss of financing for humanitarian operations in the palestinian territories south sudan and syria if he did not temporarily delete the saudi led coalition from the list
the coalition has been accused of indiscriminately bombing civilian and nonmilitary targets in its battle against houthi rebels in yemen for more than a year the coalition which is backed by the united states has consistently denied the accusations
mr bans office issued a report last week on violations of childrens rights in war zones and it cited deadly coalition attacks that had hit schools and hospitals by monday however the coalition was taken off the list after lobbying by saudi arabia and some of its wealthiest allies who help finance united nations humanitarian operations
mr ban offered his explanation thursday saying i also had to consider the very real prospect that millions of other children would suffer grievously if as was suggested to me countries would defund many un programs
by the standards of mild mannered diplomat speak he went on to issue an uncustomarily direct rebuke it is unacceptable for member states to exert undue pressure he said the saudi ambassador promptly asserted that there had been no undue pressure
mr ban is wrapping up his 10 year tenure and world powers are beginning to bargain over who his successor will be and just how independent she or he ought to be
secretaries general have frequently faced intense political pressure from countries large and small and mr bans time in charge has been punctuated with a number of awkward compromises
last summer mr ban reversed course on his list of armies and guerrilla groups that violated child rights in war in that instance his special representative for children and armed conflict leila zerrougui recommended that the israel defense forces and hamas be included on the list for their role in bombing schools and hospitals and otherwise breaking international law during the 50 day war in the gaza strip in 2014
israel was consulted before the release of the report mr bans aides said at the time and both israeli and american diplomats lobbied intensely against the listing in the end both israel and hamas were kept off the list mr ban declined to address reporters questions on the matter at the time leaving it to his envoy ms zerrougui to explain the redaction
the generally risk averse mr ban has tried to step out a bit more during his last year but he has also repeatedly had to step back
in march on a rare visit to a camp that houses refugees from western sahara mr ban used the term occupation to refer to moroccos 1975 annexation of territory that the sahrawis claim as theirs the moroccan government responded by ejecting dozens of united nations staff members effectively kneecapping the peacekeeping mission there
morocco has a powerful ally in france a veto wielding member of the security council which helps explain why the security council said nothing to persuade morocco to reverse its decision that left mr ban on his own and within days his spokesman was compelled to swallow his words
we regret the misunderstandings and consequences that this personal expression of solicitude provoked said the spokesman stephane dujarric
perhaps mr bans most awkward moment came when he sought to act independently of the united states in january 2014 he invited iran to united nations brokered political negotiations over syria only to be advised by american officials to rescind the invitation according to interviews with diplomats at the time
a day after he publicly announced the invitation he appeared before reporters and said iran could not attend the state department made its opposition clear and demanded that iran first accept certain conditions that it knew tehran would find unacceptable one of mr bans aides said he felt betrayed
asked at a news briefing on thursday about mr bans admission of saudi pressure a state department spokesman mark c toner said we agree with the secretary general that the un should be permitted to carry out its mandate carry out its responsibilities without fear of money being cut off
pressed about american threats to cut off funding mr toner said im aware of our own track record
eleven people have so far declared their candidacy to succeed mr ban when his term expires at the end of this year a few others are expected to throw their names into the race in the next few weeks
the president of the general assembly mogens lykketoft who has held the first ever public hearings for the candidates has used the terms independent and courageous to describe his ideal future secretary general
that may be unrealistic it is really up to the five permanent members of the security council to choose the next head of the organization and while many of them have said they want a strong secretary general they have also avoided calling for one who is independent
as for the saudi led coalition mr ban said he would jointly review the claims made by his special representative who accused the coalition of indiscriminate attacks against children privately diplomats say such a review could drag on until it vanishes from public memory
saudi arabia flatly denied that it had exerted any pressure no of course not the ambassador abdullah al mouallami said in a telephone interview it is not our style it is not our culture it is not our spirit to use threats or intimidation
he did say that he had met with mr bans deputy jan eliasson a swedish diplomat on monday and expressed his concerns about the listing he said he told him that it would have an adverse impact on relations between saudi arabia and the united nations


the female cape bee is a renegade she breaks all kinds of rules and disregards orders in this isolated subspecies of honey bees from south africa female worker bees can escape their queens control take over other colonies and reproduce asexually   with no need for males scientists identified the genes most likely to have instigated this unusually powerful worker bee behavior according to a study published thursday in plos genetics
the typical story of reproduction is that males and females of an animal species do it sexually generally thats what honeybees do too sperm from a male drone fertilizes a queens eggs and she sends out a chemical signal or pheromone that renders worker bees which are all female sterile when they detect it
but the cape honeybee a subspecies that lives in the fynbos ecoregion a unique area of incredible diversity along the southwestern tip of south africa evolved a workaround where in some cases female workers can become something like a queen and produce offspring of their own
like all honeybees some cape bee colonies also have male drones but female workers can start laying their own eggs in their home colony when a queen dies these females will also invade colonies of other honeybee subspecies and lay eggs in some cases and they can enter undetected by bees that would normally kick them out
the cape bees will take over the foreign colonies and start eating up all the honey said matthew webster a geneticist at uppsala university in sweden who led the study this behavior is called social parasitism
to understand what was driving this behavior researchers compared the whole genomes of 100 honeybee subspecies with those of 10 cape honeybees unsurprisingly the genomes were very similar the bees look and act the same in every way except for the egg laying quirk but a few select areas of the genome were unique on the cape honeybee genome
normally that doesnt cause really big differences said dr webster but in this particular bee the workers lay eggs that self fertilize and become female workers in their home colonies or the hives they invade
genetic differences likely made social parasitism possible by selecting for bees that could develop ovaries to a greater extent than other worker bees lay eggs prepackaged with two sets of chromosomes and possibly emit a chemical signal to mask their presence while laying eggs said dr webster
this asexual tendency may sound weird but its not unheard of in biology a variety of species of ants wasps and bees can switch between sexual and asexual reproduction and scientists have documented virgin births in turkeys chickens sharks and reptiles
during a process called thelytoky two of the cape bees daughter cells fuse together to make a single cell with both sets of chromosomes   just like thelma the snake a reticulated python known for her virgin births normally honeybee eggs split during meiosis into four daughter cells with just one set of chromosomes those turn into male drones without a father to contribute the other set to make them female
what scientists havent sorted out is why there might be an evolutionary advantage for a female being able to reproduce without a male in extreme situations with no males it could mean the survival of her species but then again self fertilization the epitome of inbreeding could leave her offspring more vulnerable to disease and other threats
dr webster hopes to elucidate why this adaptation on the cape honeybee genome survived
why doesnt it take over the whole world and why doesnt it die out wondered dr webster theres no really good answer to that


the horses for the 148th running of the belmont stakes are listed in order of post position with comments provided by joe drape and melissa hoppert of the new york times the morning line odds were set by eric donovan of the new york racing association
purse 15 million guaranteed distance one and a half miles
track record 224 secretariat 1973 weight 126 pounds
post time saturday at 637 pm eastern television nbc
joe drapes picks win place show lani suddenbreakingnews exaggerator
melissa hopperts picks win place show creator suddenbreakingnews exaggerator
trainer christophe clement jockey joel rosario odds 12 1
joe drape this new york bred is improving but he will be spinning his wheels the last half mile
melissa hoppert he finished second in the peter pan here and his trainer and jockey won the 2014 belmont with tonalist
trainer todd pletcher jockey javier castellano odds 6 1
jd he was the fastest 3 year old in march thats a problem since he has run only once in 13 weeks
mh the sixth place derby finisher is wicked fast but lightly raced too many question marks
trainer dale romans jockey corey lanerie odds 8 1
jd he splashed up for second in the sloppy preakness even with rain i dont think he can do it again
mh the second place preakness finisher is a deep closer and benefited from a fast pace
trainer donnie von hemel jockey mike smith odds 10 1
jd he fires every time and will be one of two running that final quarter mile
mh also a capable closer he encountered trouble in the derby but rallied to finish fifth with a clean trip this colt is dangerous
trainer todd pletcher jockey john velazquez odds 5 1
jd this is the colts third race off a layoff which often portends to a big effort he will be dangerous later this summer in the travers stakes
mh another speedy but late blooming colt trained by pletcher the fourth place preakness finisher rounds out my superfecta
trainer steve asmussen jockey paco lopez odds 30 1
jd his only win was back in january against maidens
mh this speedy colt was entered merely as a rabbit by winstar farm owner of creator and the breeding rights to exaggerator
trainer dallas stewart jockey florent geroux odds 30 1
jd seeking a reason to think he belongs in this race but i cant find one
mh he just broke his maiden last month at churchill downs pass
trainer dallas stewart jockey jose ortiz odds 30 1
jd this one might like the extra ground enough to finish fourth
mh he also broke his maiden last month albeit over the belmont track still pass
trainer paddy gallagher jockey aaron gryder odds 30 1
jd hes winless but has a bankroll of 213000 thats something
mh the 16th place derby finisher has never won a race pass
trainer mikio matsunaga jockey yutaka take odds 20 1
jd your winner the derby and the preakness were preps hell be running when the others are staggering
mh this so called crazy horse turned in solid efforts in the first two triple crown races and seems to be thriving but can he bolster his entertainment value with a paycheck
trainer keith desormeaux jockey kent desormeaux odds 9 5
jd id love to own this horse hes dead game and runs his race every time i dont think he has enough left in the tank though
mh along with nyquist this curlin colt is the cream of the 3 year old crop but the triple crown trail is grueling and a dry track doesnt give him an advantage
trainer dale romans jockey luis saez odds 20 1
jd beware of the hidden entry i like this romans horse better than cherry wine
mh the seventh place derby finisher is just not as fast as the top contenders in this race
trainer steve asmussen jockey irad ortiz jr odds 10 1
jd he gets a positive rider switch to the new york ace ortiz after a troubled derby he will take some money
mh this tapit colt wowed clockers heading into the derby but finished 13th because of a troubled trip given the opportunity to run he poses a serious threat


more possessions more sinister creatures and more patrick wilson and vera farmiga are in the conjuring 2 which is based on the paranormal investigations of ed and lorraine warren in this scene ed conducts an interview with janet hodgson madison wolfe a young girl who may be possessed the films director james wan recently discussed the sequence here are excerpts from that conversation
tell me a little about this scene
this scene is one of two interviews with janet hodgon the little girl that is supposedly haunted and possessed by the entity that lives in this house
and was this close to the actual interview that happened with ed and janet in the 70s
it was inspired by that but of course to fit into my movie i took some creative license but at the end of the movie i have a scene where i play a big chunk of eds actual recording with the little girl
what were your goals for the scene
i wanted to shoot this scene in a different way from the first interview where a bbc documentary crew questions her that was more traditional shooting and editing but with this one i really wanted to tell the whole sequence with just one shot
we start the focus on the little girl sitting in the background then the camera racks focus to patrick wilson in the foreground and the entire interview is conducted this way hes talking to her with his back to her throughout the sequence we first hear the little girls voice then slowly it starts to cross over and becomes the old man character shes supposedly possessed by
visually with her out of focus in the background you start to question is that still the little girl in the background or has she now transformed i thought this would be an interesting way to shoot the sequence and let it play out
and so the little girl does morph into the old man in the background of the scene how did you shoot it
i have patrick talking to the little girl and shes sitting in that chair but off camera for timing purposes i have someone reading the lines of the old man once ive done one pass with patrick and the little girl i remove both of them and i bring in the other actor put him in the chair and we run through the whole sequence with him again
and what were some ideas for the sound design
because visually its a very controlled shot one of the things i had to make really captivating was the sound design
i wanted to create the feeling that the whole house is alive during this interview i wanted the house to be responding to the questions so its creaking all over the place it sounds like were in the bow of a ship and its breaking apart i thought it would be fun to play with something like that


the pretty woman walked into the ringside cafe in louisville ky and approached the three time heavyweight boxing champion who led her to a quiet corner the restaurants owner john ramsey surreptitiously watched as muhammad ali flirted shamelessly with the pretty woman who six years earlier had become his fourth wife on that day in 1992 ramsey learned all he needed to know about lonnie ali by observing the effect she had on his longtime friend
he was trying to kiss her on the cheek and she was blushing and trying to pull away and he was pulling her close and whispering in her ear ramsey said it warmed my heart i had never seen him in that capacity i saw a side of muhammad ali that wasnt the fighter that wasnt the humanitarian that was the guy in love with the girl
alis death last friday at age 74 after a long battle with parkinsons disease has stirred a weeklong retrospective on a life spent fighting for championship belts and charitable and civil causes
during his public funeral in louisville on friday the spotlight will shift however briefly to lonnie 59 one of several speakers who will deliver eulogies few people can offer a better or broader perspective of the sweep of alis life than the former yolanda williams known as lonnie who met him as a pigtailed first grader in louisville their hometown and grew up to become alis caregiver and keeper of his legacy
in their 30 years of marriage friends said in interviews lonnie was a doting wife but also a hard nosed mba who managed alis affairs with steely determination she protected alis health and wealth both of which were in sharp decline when they married friends said that by all indications the couple enjoyed a deep bond they managed to avoid the harsh tabloid parsing of their marriage common among celebrities
lonnie was a hometown girl but worldly enough to know that alis fame called for foreign dignitaries like president recep tayyip erdogan of turkey and king abdullah ii of jordan to take part in the funeral
she took care of his every need ramsey said i used to tell muhammad if reincarnation is true i want to come back as you because lonnie spoiled him rotten and her affections never wavered she stuck by him through everything
those who were close to them said that in lonnie ali found a partner who matched his wit and far exceeded his ability to recognize freeloaders and neer do wells
jimmy walker a philanthropist based in phoenix who also runs an estate planning and executive benefits business described her as the perfect wife for the most recognized man in the world
due to muhammads health situation in order to protect him i am sure she has had to say no many times which hasnt always been popular among some people that didnt quite understand walker said
she protected muhammad from people who didnt have his best interests at heart he added and repeated a line uttered by the photographer howard bingham a longtime ali confidant lonnie took names and kicked butt
last friday evening less than two hours after ali died of septic shock in a hospital in the phoenix area walker and his wife visited lonnie at the home she shared with ali in a gated community in a phoenix suburb walker said they found her sitting in the brown leather power reclining chair where in recent years ali whiled away his days watching cnn vh1 and tapes of his championship fights
lonnie he said was staring at the television tuned to cnns coverage of her husbands death her sister marilyn who helped care for ali and asaad her adopted son with ali who played baseball at louisville and is the assistant baseball coach at ellsworth community college in iowa falls were also there
though she had helped ali prepare detailed instructions for his funeral several years ago lonnie was still staggered by his death walker said lonnie greeted him at the house by saying softly i cant believe it
ali was bursting with life the first time lonnie met him it was 1963 and her family had recently moved to the montclair villa subdivision in louisville their house on verona way was across from the place that ali bought for his parents odessa and cassius marcellus clay after he won a boxing gold medal at the 1960 summer olympics and turned professional
lonnies mother marguerite williams became friends with alis mother accompanying her over the years to many of alis championship fights anytime ali came to visit odessa he would always stay to play with the neighborhood children during one such visit ali then 21 was introduced to the 6 year old lonnie in a 2012 interview with the new york times magazine she recalled that she was scared to death and hid behind her mothers dress
lonnie quickly warmed to ali their friends said rhonda k richardson a lawyer who grew up near lonnie and has been friends with her for more than 50 years said the williamses house was the neighborhoods social center her mother was very nurturing said richardson who salivates at the memory of marguerites cherry delight a dessert that was similar to cheesecake only more tart
i lived more there than at my house she said thats the kind of household it was
richardson remembered going to the williamses dinner table and seeing ali already seated he was just a part of her family she said
over the years she recalled each of alis wives joining him at the table he married sonji roi in 1964 belinda boyd with whom he had four children in 1967 and veronica porche with whom he had two children in 1977 he also had two children by different women outside his marriages
as lonnie navigated adolescence ali was like another big brother to her dispensing advice that included never getting romantically involved with athletes because they wouldnt treat her well
we were all enchanted with muhammad richardson said but as we got older that enchantment turned into something deeper for lonnie i think muhammad is probably the only man that lonnie has ever loved
at 17 lonnie had an epiphany i knew i was going to marry muhammad she said in the 2012 new york times magazine article i was just a kid in school and i had things i needed to do but i knew i was young but it was intuitive the thought was like an umbrella always over my head
lonnie earned an undergraduate degree in psychology at vanderbilt in 1978 she served briefly as an employment counselor for the state of kentucky before taking a job in account sales with kraft foods in 1982 she was invited to lunch by ali during one of his visits to louisville
two years had passed since his 10th round defeat to larry holmes in a bout that the actor sylvester stallone later described as like watching an autopsy on a man whos still alive
the meal left a bad taste with lonnie who was alarmed by alis condition he appeared to be depressed and was in poor physical condition in his 2009 book muhammad ali the making of an icon michael ezra wrote that lonnie agreed to move to los angeles to become alis primary caregiver in return for ali paying for her to attend graduate school at ucla an arrangement that he said had the approval of alis wife at the time porche
her intervention revived ali and his fortunes said dave kindred who covered ali for the louisville courier journal the atlanta journal constitution and the washington post and wrote a book sound and fury about the unlikely friendship between ali and the sportscaster howard cosell i think ali would have been gone and forgotten 30 years ago if not for lonnie he said
ali had holed himself up in his los angeles mansion and was a recluse in dire need of medical and financial attention kindred explained she took care of him and created a financial empire for him that made it possible for him to have a comfortable life he said
in november 1986 lonnie accompanied ali to louisville she had completed her masters in business administration with an emphasis in marketing at ucla and ali had obtained his divorce from porche lonnie raised a catholic had also converted to islam at a get together with richardson lonnie casually dropped a bombshell as richardson recalled she said i think muhammad and i are going to get married when we get back to la
the shock wasnt that they were getting married everyone could see they were two peas in a pod richardson said and she said there was the conversation with ali in which he acknowledged lonnie being the right one but holding the ceremony in los angeles
i told her no way absolutely not youre going to get married here said richardson who helped lonnie organize a civil ceremony
on nov 19 1986 in front of a small gathering lonnie 29 and ali 44 were married in the private home of a former mayor of louisville harvey sloane then the jefferson county judge executive who officiated
muhammad was diagnosed with parkinsons right around the time they were married richardson said and the no 1 priority in lonnies life over the years has been taking care of him
in 1992 lonnie incorporated greatest of all time inc goat inc to consolidate and license alis intellectual properties for commercial purposes and served as the vice president and treasurer until the sale of the company in 2006 in 2005 she and her husband founded the multicultural muhammad ali center in louisville
it was lonnie who leaned on ali to become the face of parkinsons the idea came from dr abraham lieberman who said he started treating ali for the disease in the 1980s he traveled to the couples summer home in michigan and delivered his pitch lieberman said alis initial response was i dont want to be the poster boy for parkinsons he added muhammad was afraid he was getting old because he saw parkinsons as an old persons disease
upon his return to phoenix lieberman received a call from ali who had reconsidered he told lieberman to write him a pitch and lieberman crafted it as a poem which he said won ali over but before the poem there was lonnies gentle persuasion
if she wasnt there he probably would have said no and that would have been the end of it lieberman said
lieberman said that in recent years he visited ali at his home every other week to check on him there were always people in the house lieberman said painting a picture that calls to mind the warm and welcoming environment that lonnies mother had nurtured on verona way
ramsey who will serve as a pallbearer at fridays funeral spent time in the hospital with asaad marilyn lonnie and her stepchildren last week as alis condition worsened four days after alis death ramsey 55 said lonnie balanced ali because he loved the spotlight and she never looked for it he added she used to say he belongs to the world she embraced that
it has been hard to let go ramsey said lonnie told him this week john when i get sad and think im going to cry i hear muhammads voice saying stand up hold your head up high dont cry and it helps me
ramsey added its the end of a great love story who does recover from that but she does have that muhammad dna she gets off the mat shes strong to the core


at age 67 thomas c davis should be enjoying all the perks of a long and distinguished career at the pinnacle of wall street and the texas business elite these include golfing at the prestigious dallas country club and preston trail golf club where he was a member trips to las vegas and golf tournaments on the private jet he co owned and fractional ownership of two professional sports teams the texas rangers and the dallas stars
what he faces instead is the prospect of 20 years or more in federal prison and millions of dollars in fines
last month mr davis pleaded guilty to 12 felonies for a brazen insider trading scheme in which he leaked a stream of confidential information about the dallas based dean foods while he served as the companys chairman
when questioned by agents from the federal bureau of investigation in 2014 and lawyers from the securities and exchange commission last year he lied compounding his securities fraud by committing perjury and after the fbi agents left he took a prepaid cellular phone he had used to leak the information and threw it into a creek near his dallas home destroying evidence and obstructing justice
mr daviss crimes have received relatively little attention in part because of the blaze of publicity that accompanied the flamboyant professional sports gambler william t walters who was accused of being his co conspirator and the three time masters golf champion phil mickelson mr mickelson wasnt charged but netted nearly 1 million from the dean foods tips and agreed to forfeit the proceeds plus interest
mr walters pleaded not guilty last week to 10 felony counts
what led to mr daviss actions his plea hearing coupled with the sec and criminal complaints and interviews with people who know him offer some clues
for one thing mr davis was so desperate for money he even took from a charity according to the sec mr davis ran a charity that raised money for a dallas shelter for battered women and children the charity tax records show was shelter golf inc which held an annual one day pro am golf tournament at preston trail to benefit genesis womens shelter  support the event typically raised over 400000 and after expenses contributed about 300000 a year to genesis
mr davis was a co president and trustee of shelter golf the golf legend lanny wadkins was one of five other trustees according to the sec in august 2011 mr davis told his assistant to write him a check for 100000 on the charitys account which he then used to cover an overdraft in his personal checking account of 80000
this 100000 check resulted in a significant shortfall in the amount available for donation to the battered womens shelter the sec said in its complaint davis first delayed the charitys donation to the shelter and later wrote a check for a partial amount only after prompting by the shelter leader and promising another 100000 by the end of the shelters fiscal year
mr davis eventually repaid the 100000 using money he had obtained as part of the insider trading scheme
many of his former colleagues on wall street were stunned by the charges against the distinguished white haired mr davis a harvard business school graduate and a navy veteran who in contrast to mr walters and mr mickelson both known gamblers was seen as a pillar of the business establishment
in addition to his long tenure on the dean foods board culminating in being named chairman in 2013 mr davis served on at least nine other corporate boards including triton energy suiza foods and the dallas based colonial bank now owned by bbt financial he was chief executive of the concorde group and a founder of bluffview capital both investment firms
before that he was a managing partner at donaldson lufkin  jenrette where he was head of banking and corporate finance for the southwestern united states and handled many mergers and acquisitions he left after credit suisse acquired the firm in 2001
as someone actively involved throughout his career in confidential deals mr davis would have been acutely aware of insider trading law this was a shock said john c coffee jr a professor and expert on insider trading at columbia law school who has written about the failure to charge mr mickelson
he of all people should have known better
but the annals of insider trading are filled with people who knew better from ivan boesky to rajat gupta whats perplexing is their motives like mr davis they were already rich and successful beyond most peoples dreams
at his plea hearing last month mr davis said he knew that his actions were wrong and unlawful but otherwise shed little light on why he turned to insider trading but clearly he needed money despite his years of bonuses as a highly paid investment banker and his lucrative directors fees
according to the secs complaint by april 2010 mr davis was in desperate financial straits he owed the irs 78000 his brokerage account was heavily margined and he had run up tens of thousands in credit card debt he owed 550000 to one of his investment funds
mr davis sought salvation in gambling and in mr walters whom he met decades earlier on a golf course the two often played together especially when they were both living in southern california the insider trading scheme began around june 2008 when mr davis tipped mr walters to dean foods coming earnings
it isnt clear who came up with the idea but mr walters an active investor often expressed an interest in how dean foods was doing there was no explicit agreement for mr davis to share in any proceeds from mr walterss trading rather as mr davis put it at his plea hearing i expected that i would receive personal benefits in the form of business opportunities and a potential source of capital
as professor coffee put it this is a perfect example of a favor bank which is exactly how wall street works
however vague the terms of their deal they clearly knew that what they were doing was wrong mr walters gave mr davis a prepaid cellular phone for use when conveying inside information and told him to use the code dallas cowboys when referring to dean foods the government asserted
mr davis finally came knocking in april 2010 when he met with mr walters in las vegas and asked for money mr walters arranged a loan of 625000 which solved the immediate demands of the irs and his investment firm
but his spending continued in just one month march 2011 mr davis ran up gambling losses of 200000 at one las vegas casino he owed 178000 for the private jet and he had to cover the 100000 he had taken from the charity the overdraft had occurred when the casino cashed in his markers after mr davis failed to make good on the gambling losses
this time mr walters guaranteed a 400000 line of credit for mr davis who promptly drew down 350000 of it and mr davis repaid mr walterss 625000 loan with interest
mr davis ultimately received over 1 million in loans from mr walters most never repaid as it turned out that was a pittance compared to the 43 million in profit mr walters reportedly reaped from mr daviss tips   a sum mr davis learned of only in the course of the investigation despite mr daviss reputation as a skilled deal maker that will surely rank as one of the worst insider trading deals in history and it may help explain why mr davis is now cooperating with the government against mr walters
a lawyer for mr davis thomas m melsheimer at fish  richardson in dallas declined to comment
the government has shed little light on mr daviss motive other than that he needed money the sec said he did little to adjust his expensive lifestyle after leaving credit suisse in 2001 he experienced a sharp drop in his income went through an expensive divorce soon after and suffered big investment reversals during the 2008 financial crisis
none of that is a crime mr davis is hardly alone in trying to maintain the illusion of wealth and prosperity even as his personal finances veered out of control
but after a lifetime of success mr davis was too proud and too embarrassed to admit any of this and turn to his wealthy friends and fellow golf club members though many would have been willing to help according to a person close to him this person and others insisted on anonymity because the situation involved a pending criminal matter
some people would risk anything rather than suffer that kind of personal embarrassment professor coffee said and once youve decided youre willing to risk anything you can get into deep deep trouble


for years scientists and others concerned about climate change have been talking about the need for carbon capture and sequestration
that is the term for removing carbon dioxide from say a coal burning power plants smokestack and pumping it deep underground to keep it out of the atmosphere where it would otherwise contribute to global warming
ccs as the process is known has had a spotty record so far while there are some projects being designed or under construction only one power plant in canada currently captures and stores carbon on a commercial scale and it has been having problems keeping a lot of co2 out of the atmosphere would require a costly expansion of the technology to many more power plants and other industrial facilities
among the concerns about sequestration is that carbon dioxide in gaseous or liquid form that is pumped underground might escape back to the atmosphere so storage sites would have to be monitored potentially for decades or centuries
but scientists at lamont doherty earth observatory at columbia university and other institutions have come up with a different way to store co2 that might eliminate that problem their approach involves dissolving the gas with water and pumping the resulting mixture   soda water essentially   down into certain kinds of rocks where the co2 reacts with the rock to form a mineral called calcite by turning the gas into stone scientists can lock it away permanently
one key to the approach is to find the right kind of rocks volcanic rocks called basalts are excellent for this process because they are rich in calcium magnesium and iron which react with co2
iceland is practically all basalt so for several years the researchers and an icelandic utility have been testing the technology on the island the project called carbfix uses carbon dioxide that bubbles up naturally with the hot magma that powers a geothermal electrical generating plant 15 miles east of the capital reykjavik read more about it here
in 2012 they pumped about 250 tons of carbon dioxide mixed with water about 1500 feet down into porous basalt the co2 was laced with a radioactive isotope and there were other compounds in the water that helped the researchers trace its spread into the rock
early signs were encouraging among other things a submerged pump that was used to obtain samples of the mixture as it spread underground stopped working after a while because it got gummed up by calcite and now the scientists have reported more authoritative evidence that their technology works in a paper published in the journal science
the scientists found that about 95 percent of the carbon dioxide was converted into calcite and even more important they wrote the conversion happened relatively quickly   in less than two years
its beyond all our expectations said edda aradottir who manages the project for the utility reykjavik energy
rapid conversion of the co2 means that a project would probably have to be monitored for a far shorter time than a more conventional sequestration site
there are still concerns about whether the technology will prove useful in the fight against global warming for one thing it would have to be scaled up enormously for another a lot of water is needed   25 tons of it for every ton of co2   along with the right kind of rock
but the researchers say that there is enough porous basaltic rock around including in the ocean floors and along the margins of continents and siting a sequestration project in or near the ocean could potentially solve the water problem at the same time as the researchers say seawater would work just fine


washington   president obama told senator bernie sanders in an oval office meeting on thursday to channel the energy of his presidential campaigns millions of supporters behind hillary clinton and said that mr sanders would play a central role in shaping the democratic agenda if he did
less than an hour and a half later mr obama who had tried to remain neutral in the race between mr sanders and mrs clinton formally endorsed her
moving swiftly to unite his party after a primary campaign that has left many of mr sanderss supporters bitter and disillusioned mr obama according to his aides tried to mollify the maverick senator while prodding him to reorient his efforts against mrs clinton into a broader bid to help democrats in november
there was no hint after the meeting that mr sanders intended to challenge mrs clinton for the nomination at next months convention but hours later at a rally in washington he urged voters there to go to the polls in their primary on tuesday and to keep pushing for a political revolution
after the white house meeting mr sanders vowed to take the ideas that have animated his campaign   addressing poverty and income inequality increasing social security benefits and reducing the role of money in politics   to the convention
but he also announced plans to meet soon with mrs clinton to discuss ways they could work together to defeat donald j trump the presumptive republican presidential nominee
the meeting was the set piece of a day of choreographed political theater in which democrats treated mr sanders to a visit only slightly less elaborate than that of a head of state the white house made sure that cameras were positioned to capture the president and the vanquished vermonter strolling animatedly along the white house colonnade to the oval office for their meeting later mr sanders met with the senate democratic leadership before zooming up massachusetts avenue for an audience with vice president joseph r biden jr at his residence at the naval observatory
democrats were hoping that if they gave time and space to mr sanders he would not cause trouble for them at their convention in philadelphia and would eventually endorse mrs clinton but mr sanders spent much of his day using back entrances and side doors and ducking into stairwells to avoid reporters questions clearly unwilling to talk in precise terms about his plans
the road ahead was clearer for mrs clinton who on thursday collected long anticipated expressions of support from influential democrats including senator elizabeth warren of massachusetts perhaps more of a favorite of the partys liberals than even mr sanders
in a video posted on her campaigns facebook page shortly after mr sanders departed the white house grounds to visit the capitol mr obama described mrs clinton as the most qualified candidate to seek the white house and implored democrats to come together to elect her after a divisive party primary
i dont think theres ever been someone so qualified to hold this office mr obama said in the three minute statement
mr obama has made no secret of his desire to play an active role in the race to succeed him im with her i am fired up and i cannot wait to get out there to campaign for hillary mr obama said in the video
mrs clinton immediately announced that she and the president would hold their first joint campaign appearance of the 2016 race on wednesday in green bay wis the start of what white house officials said would be an intense campaign push for mr obama that will culminate in near daily appearances as the november election draws nearer
white house officials had been discussing the endorsement with mrs clintons camp for days but they kept the timing under wraps in part as a gesture of respect for mr sanders and his highly motivated supporters
mr obama told mr sanders on sunday that the endorsement would come soon according to people familiar with the conversation and discussed the announcement with mrs clinton on tuesday the night she clinched the nomination
mr obama recorded the facebook message earlier on tuesday at the white house aides said
the president had been circumspect about declaring the race finished even after mrs clinton captured sufficient delegates in primaries on tuesday to clinch the democratic nomination on thursday he congratulated her on making history and said he had personally witnessed her qualifications for the oval office
shes got the courage the compassion and the heart to get the job done he said i have seen her judgment ive seen her toughness ive seen her commitment to our values up close
mr obama also praised mr sanders for what he called an incredible campaign he said the vermont senators emphasis on addressing income inequality reducing the influence of money in politics and bringing young people into the political process would strengthen the party
in their oval office meeting white house officials said mr obama told mr sanders that he could play a valuable role in re energizing the party by supporting democrats in races across the country this year and use the influence he has amassed in his campaign to press his agenda forward in the senate
mr sanders speaking to reporters as he left the west wing with his wife jane said that we will continue doing everything that we can to oppose the drift which currently exists toward an oligarchic form of society where a handful of billionaires exercise enormous power over our political economic and media life
needless to say he added i am going to do everything in my power and i will work as hard as i can to make sure that donald trump does not become president of the united states
mr obamas quick endorsement irritated some of mr sanderss leading supporters who said they could not understand why the president would not wait until after next weeks washington primary the last contest in the democratic nominating process to weigh in
i thought theyd give him the grace to finish out what he pledged to do which is take his campaign to the final contest said paul g kirk a former democratic national committee chairman and massachusetts senator who backs mr sanders
at the rally in washington on thursday night mr sanders showed no sign of slowing down his campaign making no mention of mrs clinton and saying nothing about party unity many in the crowd of about 3000 people shouted slogans like shun the nonbelievers and stay in the race
on capitol hill democratic leaders tried to balance their desire to be respectful of mr sanders and give him room to exit the race on his own terms while firmly conveying to him that the contest has essentially ended senator harry reid of nevada the minority leader said he had invited mr sanders to address the democratic caucus on tuesday
mrs clinton has enough delegates mr reid said after meeting with mr sanders in his capitol office i didnt hear a single word about him wanting to change the fact that shes the nominee
senator chuck schumer of new york who will most likely succeed mr reid as democratic leader next year echoed his colleague telling reporters after his own meeting that he knew mr sanders to be constructive
privately senate leaders breathed a sigh of relief mr reid told mr sanders during their 40 minute conversation that he was entitled to wind down the campaign on his own time and mr sanders implied to mr reid that he would begin that process after the final primary next week and not take his campaign to the convention floor according to an aide briefed on the meeting who requested anonymity to discuss a private conversation
but mr sanders is going to try to put his stamp on a party that he adopted only when he began to seek its nomination he told mr reid that he wanted a say on both policy and process an indication that he intends to push for a robustly liberal platform and an overhaul of the democratic presidential nominating system that could eliminate superdelegates
there are also some personal grudges left over from the primary mr sanderss campaign remains uneasy that two prominent clinton supporters who fiercely attacked him   former representative barney frank of massachusetts and gov dannel p malloy of connecticut   remain co chairmen of the dncs rules committee
of course there are hard feelings said senator sherrod brown of ohio a liberal who is friends with mr sanders but backed mrs clinton
but bernie knows she will generally take the party and the country in the right direction   and theres the threat of trump


rafael nadal announced thursday that he would not play wimbledon as he continues to recover from a left wrist injury which also forced him to withdraw from the french open
as you can all imagine its a very tough decision but the injury i suffered at roland garros needs time to heal nadal said in a post on his facebook page
nadal ranked no 4 is a two time wimbledon champion but he has not advanced past the fourth round since losing the final in 2011 this years tournament begins june 27
after losing in the first round of the australian open in january nadal had been having a resurgent spring on clay winning in monte carlo and barcelona and reaching the semifinals in madrid
but he stunned the french open last month when before his third round match he pulled out of the tournament with an inflamed tendon sheath in his left wrist he said he could no longer hit a topspin forehand his signature shot without major pain
nadal who turned 30 last week has struggled with injuries particularly in his knees throughout his career he withdrew from the 2014 united states open with a right wrist injury
nadal said the pain in his left wrist began at the madrid tournament in early may and continued at the rome event the next week at the time he treated it with anti inflammatories but the injury grew worse when he arrived in paris
he played his second round match after receiving a painkilling injection and on may 27 the day he withdrew he said he could not move much the wrist
he said his doctor told him he risked a tear if he continued playing
if i continue to play it will break and that will mean months off the tour nadal said
nadals spokesman benito perez barbadillo said in a statement that nadals wrist would remain in a cast for two more weeks and then he would begin anti inflammatory treatments and physical therapy
the first major united states open tuneup event on hardcourts is the rogers cup in toronto in late july the olympic tennis tournament in rio de janeiro begins aug 6 and nadal was chosen as spains flag bearer for the opening ceremony during the french open nadal called the olympics the most important event in the world of sport and spoke of his disappointment in missing the 2012 london games with a knee injury
nadals longtime rival roger federer who missed the french open because of injuries returned to action thursday with a 6 4 5 7 6 4 win over the american teenager taylor fritz at the mercedes cup grass court event in stuttgart germany the match started on wednesday but was suspended in the first set because of rain
federer had surgery on his left knee in february and withdrew from the madrid tournament because of back problems in may he had not played on tour since a round of 16 loss to dominic thiem in rome on may 12
i was a little bit cautious unsure of how to move and questioning my defense federer said on the atp tour website these are the things i will need to iron out
i can take a lot of confidence out of this match i need to improve a few things but i served big and i was able to handle three sets over two days and find some energy at the end of the match i know i have an extra gear


a supposedly ironclad 22 billion pipeline deal is showing some cracks the williams companies said on wednesday that it expected to cut its dividend if its sale to its rival energy transfer equity fell through despite energy transfers attempts to renegotiate or wriggle out of the merger williams has held firm until now the payout warning may be a tactic but the target now seems to be admitting the possibility of failure
energy transfer in september agreed to acquire williams for what was originally a 33 billion cash and stock deal that was before the sustained slump in oil prices savaged the stock prices of both companies raising questions about the deals financial logic and the debt energy transfer is taking on to finance the transaction
with no easy way out in the fine print of the merger agreement energy transfer has turned to unorthodox methods to encourage williams and its shareholders to reconsider it slashed by 90 percent its estimate of the financial benefits of the merger began a dilutive private share placement and warned of big job cuts in williamss hometown tulsa okla
last month energy transfer said that problems securing a tax opinion from its lawyers meant it might not be able to complete the transaction by a june 28 deadline while williams may be open to modifying the deal terms it has filed a lawsuit to stop energy transfer from using the tax issue as an excuse to abandon the merger
shareholders are skeptical they valued williamss equity at just over 17 billion on thursday   a more than 20 percent discount to the value of energy transfers offer yet even as it flagged the threat to the payouts its investors receive williams said it was committed to closing the deal as soon as possible after a scheduled june 27 shareholder vote
the warning may be intended simply to persuade undecided owners the williams board may also be acting out of an abundance of caution given the rising probability that the mergers fate ends up being decided in court either way it suggests the possibility that a once watertight deal has developed a stress fracture


shortly after he defeated sonny liston to win the heavyweight title in february 1964 cassius clay changed his name to muhammad ali
the new name bestowed by elijah muhammad leader of the nation of islam was important to ali who referred to cassius clay as his slave name and took umbrage when people used it
but in the new york times as in many newspapers and magazines at the time cassius clay won the liston rematch in 1965 cassius clay beat cleveland williams in 1966 and cassius clay refused to be inducted into the army in 1967
it wasnt until the early 1970s that the times for one began to regularly call him muhammad ali
articles appeared in march 1964 about the name change yet over the next few years the times mostly referred to ali as clay from 1964 to 1968 cassius clay appeared in more than 1000 articles muhammad ali in about 150 sometimes articles would note that he was also known as muhammad ali but the bulk of the references were always to clay
a times article in 1966 noted that ali balked at accepting an award because it was inscribed to cassius clay not muhammad ali the articles headline was clay gets award as boxer of year
on page 36 of the feb 6 1967 edition there were three stories about ali a preview of his fight with ernie terrell and a sports of the times column about the match referred to him as clay a news story about his speech at a houston mosque called him muhammad ali in the headline but clay in the text in general stories about ali away from the ring were more likely to use his preferred name
robert lipsyte a former sports reporter and columnist at the times said that editors were adamant that until ali changed his name in a court of law we would call him cassius clay
lipsyte and others objected to the policy i found it very embarrassing he said we did not ask what john wayne and rock hudsons real names were
another former times reporter gerald eskenazi remembered the strange dichotomy of addressing him as muhammad and writing about clay
the times was not alone in this policy the washington post regularly referred to ali as clay a june 1970 headline in the post read clay set to make boxing comeback in april 1966 sports illustrateds cover read cassius clay the man the muslim the mystery though by july 1967 he was referred to as ali on the cover and inside the magazine
lipsyte recalled that he once told ali about the papers calling him clay i feel sorry about this but this is out of my control ali responded dont worry youre just a little brother of the white power structure
there was not a consistent times policy against using muslim names malcolm x for example was referred to by that name even in the early 1960s and in the report of his death in 1965 though sometimes his birth name malcolm little was mentioned in passing
in alis case change finally came in late 1970 around the time of his return to the ring after a suspension for refusing to serve in the military on aug 19 a headline read clay wins round in court battle but on aug 24 lipsyte wrote a column referring to him as ali throughout from then on times articles began referring to him primarily as ali although they usually added also known cassius clay
i dont remember a real fiat from on high lipsyte said i think it was slippage the older desk guys go and the younger desk guys come in ... 
times do change at the times
its much more the norm now not to impose a name on someone said philip b corbett the associate editor for standards our basic approach now in general is to use the name people use for themselves
he noted that times coverage of the presidential race referred to bernie sanders ted cruz and jeb bush not bernard rafael edward and john ellis
the times was also quick to begin referring to caitlyn jenner and chelsea manning by their new names and genders
there are limits though even today performers who have styled their names with unusual symbols like keha and uestlove appear in more conventional spellings in the times we are reluctant to use unorthodox typography corbett said it can look like a mistake when prince declared that his name was an unpronounceable glyph the times went with the artist formerly known as prince and often just prince
you want to be respectful to the people you are writing about by using their names corbett said on the other hand you dont want to baffle your readers


mumbai india   on the whole indias censor board was fine with the gritty film udta punjab or flying punjab about the wave of heroin addiction washing over that north indian state
there were just a few things to address   like removing every reference to punjab including the word in the movies title and a signpost shown in an opening sequence so that viewers left the theater believing they had seen a movie set in a fictitious land this even though punjabs drug problem is no secret having been widely reported in recent years
and eliminating references to the cities of jalandhar chandigarh and amritsar as well as the word election close ups of drug injections and the name of a dog in the film jacky chain
in all the head of the censor board pahlaj nihalani demanded 94 cuts to the film before it could be released to theaters as scheduled on june 17 the films producer anurag kashyap said on twitter
mr kashyap has challenged the boards order before the bombay high court while also seeking financial relief for the delay in certification which seems very likely to postpone the films opening until at least july the court after a hearing on thursday adjourned the case until friday
movies regularly come under the indian censor boards knife sometimes for baffling reasons last year the agency cut in half the length of a kiss in the latest james bond film spectre woody allens blue jasmine went unreleased when mr allen refused to comply with the boards demand that a smoking disclaimer appear on screen every time someone lit a cigarette
in the case of flying punjab the boards critics say politics seemed to play a role
punjab is governed by the regional political party akali dal which has long been accused by its opponents of turning a blind eye to the states pervasive drug mafia and presumably is not eager to have viewers   and voters   reminded of the issue of heroin use in the state akali dal is an ally of the bharatiya janata party and of prime minister narendra modi who appointed mr nihalani
on the other side mr nihalani recently accused mr kashyap of taking funds from the aam aadmi party which hopes to unseat akali dal in coming elections mr kashyap denied the accusation
incensed by this allegation a group of prominent writers and directors has joined the cast and crew of flying punjab in calling for mr nihalani to be fired among those who spoke at a news conference this week were zoya akhtar the director and screenwriter and mahesh bhatt a national film award winning director screenwriter and producer
the board is meant to provide a certificate not censor or cut our films mr kashyap said at the briefing let the audience decide what they want to reject how can one person become the moral guardian


the federal government took the unusual step of filing a discrimination lawsuit on thursday against the new york city education department accusing it of engaging in a pattern and practice of discrimination against the three black teachers who worked at pan american international high school in queens
the lawsuit filed by the office of preet bharara the united states attorney for the southern district of new york makes it clear that the government believes that the schools principal minerva zanca targeted the teachers with the goal of having them removed from their jobs
ms zanca once told the schools assistant principal anthony riccardo that one of the teachers looked like a gorilla in a sweater ms zanca also said that she could never have nappy hair like the teacher the lawsuit says
at another point the lawsuit said ms zanca said to mr riccardo that she had difficulty not laughing at one of the teachers because he reminded her of a tropicana commercial where a black man with those same lips danced down a supermarket aisle
the lawsuit also claims that ms zanca retaliated against mr riccardo for not complying with her goal of getting rid of the teachers once when he refused to give an unsatisfactory rating to a lesson by one of the teachers ms zanca yelled at mr riccardo accusing him of sabotaging her plan and calling school security to remove from the building the lawsuit says
the school in the elmhurst neighborhood says on its website that it serves 374 recently immigrated english language learners from latin america the lawsuit claims that during the 2012 13 school year when it says the discrimination occurred the school had a total of 27 teachers three of the teachers were black the suit notes
mr bharara in a statement said it is nearly unthinkable that in this day and age one of the largest and most diverse school districts in the united states would allow racial discrimination and retaliation to flourish
it was not immediately known whether the united states attorneys office in manhattan had ever brought a race discrimination claim against a school district discrimination lawsuits have been filed by the office in the past but most often in housing cases a federal official said
the lawsuit by mr bhararas office on thursday seeks an end to the discrimination and damages for the three teachers and mr riccardo
ms zanca began working in the school system in 1988 and served as the principal at pan american from 2012 through 2015 she then retired and has since been working as a part time guidance counselor at frederick douglass academy iv secondary school in brooklyn the education department said
ms zanca reached by phone said these are false allegations horrible allegations i deny them im outraged that this would even be attributed to me
she added that as a minority herself   the bronx born daughter she said of puerto rican parents   she would never tolerate this its a social injustice to judge people based on their race
in 2013 the lawsuit notes mr riccardo and the three teachers   john flanagan heather hightower and lisa erika james   filed complaints with the united states equal employment opportunity commission later mr flanagan also sued at which point the commission stopped processing his complaint
but the commission ultimately found reasonable cause to believe that the department had engaged in discrimination and retaliation against the three others the governments lawsuit says it adds that after unsuccessfully trying to reach a voluntary resolution of the matters the commission referred the case to the justice department
in describing the environment at the school the governments lawsuit cites an episode in which ms zanca told mr riccardo in fall 2012 that she intended to give mr flanagan and ms hightower who were both without tenure unsatisfactory ratings for lessons she had not yet seen
after one lesson review mr riccardo said he would meet with ms hightower and try to help her improve because he had once taught her subject ms zanca later told him that he had better not make her a better teacher the suit says
devora kaye a spokeswoman for the education department said all employees work environments must be safe and supportive and we have zero tolerance for any discrimination the citys law department said the suit was under review
a lawyer for mr riccardo and mr flanagan did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment
erica l shnayder a lawyer for ms hightower and ms james said her firm would be filing a discrimination lawsuit on her clients behalf these are both highly qualified teachers ms shnayder said


its the high season for book awards in the british isles
the american author akhil sharma on thursday won the international dublin literary award for his novel family life it comes with a cash prize of 100000 euros or about 114000 on wednesday the irish author lisa mcinerney was the winner of the baileys womens prize for fiction for her first novel the glorious heresies the baileys prize formerly known as the orange prize for fiction includes an award of 30000 pounds or about 43400
mr sharmas semi autobiographical novel explores the consequences of a devastating accident for a family that has recently immigrated from india to new york mr sharma was born in india and moved to the united states as a child the book won the folio prize a PS40000 london prize last year
in a statement the dublin prize jury   which included the writers meaghan delahunt carlo gebler and juan pablo villalobos   said that readers of family life were left with the sense that while reading you were actually at the core of human experience and what it is to be alive
this is the highest form of achievement in literature the statement continued few manage it this novel does triumphantly luminously movingly
the award sponsored by the dublin city council has been given out since 1994 libraries in cities across the world submit their picks for the prizes longlist
the shortlist for the award included 10 books by a roster of international authors including the marlon james of jamaica tapped for his man booker prize winning a brief history of seven killings and the american authors dave eggers nominated for your fathers where are they and the prophets do they live forever and marilynne robinson who was nominated for lila
ms mcinerneys comic novel tracks several troubled characters living in cork ireland including a young drug dealer and his alcoholic father ms mcinerney used to run the blog arse end of ireland about an irish housing project other major writers up for the award included hannah rothschild anne enright and hanya yanagihara


frankfurt   german prosecutors said thursday that they were investigating whether a volkswagen manager encouraged employees to destroy or remove documents last year shortly before the environmental protection agency publicly accused the carmaker of illegally manipulating emissions tests in the united states
volkswagen employees have told investigators that a person in a supervisory position sent clear signals in august 2015 that they should remove evidence while the person wasnt explicit everyone understood said klaus ziehe a spokesman for the states attorney in braunschweig germany
the investigation previously reported by several german news organizations could raise the stakes for volkswagen which is already under intense scrutiny by authorities in the united states germany and other countries
the epa formally accused volkswagen of clean air violations on sept 18 2015 the company has maintained in court documents that top executives of the company did not grasp the gravity of the accusations until shortly before the epa announcement
if a vw manager was signaling employees to remove documents in august it suggests that at least some people in supervisory positions were aware of the possible grave repercussions mr ziehe said that employees transferred some electronic documents to thumb drives which have been recovered and that prosecutors do not believe that much if any information was lost
prosecutors did not disclose the name of the german suspect or his job description in line with german privacy laws a person close to the carmaker who declined to be named because of the continuing investigation said the suspect was a member of volkswagens legal staff and has been suspended from his job
it is not the first time volkswagen has faced accusations that employees tried to impede investigations into widespread cheating on diesel emissions tests
in march a former volkswagen employee filed a whistle blower lawsuit in michigan asserting that co workers illegally deleted electronic data shortly after the united states government accused the carmaker of cheating on emissions tests the former employee daniel donovan says he was fired from his job as an information manager at a volkswagen facility in auburn hills mich because his superiors believed that he was about to report the company to the authorities for obstruction of justice
mr ziehe said he did not know whether there was any connection between the braunschweig investigation which focuses on a volkswagen employee based in germany and the alleged destruction of data in the united states reported by mr donovan
prosecutors have said they have identified 17 suspects in a wider investigation into who was responsible for installing software in 11 million diesel vehicles that was designed to mislead regulators about the cars emissions of poisonous nitrogen oxide
the prosecutors in braunschweig a city near volkswagens headquarters in wolfsburg have not filed formal charges against any of the suspects mr ziehe said it would most likely be several more months before prosecutors determined if they had enough evidence to make arrests
the investigation of the vw manager was earlier reported by the german broadcasters ndr and wdr and the suddeutsche zeitung in munich who worked together on the story


in his two decades as leader of the nations largest municipal correction officers union norman seabrook managed to consolidate near total control his authority on the cellblocks of rikers island often eclipsing that of commissioners and mayors
but with his arrest this week on corruption charges it would appear that mr seabrooks reign is on the verge of collapse on thursday he was ousted as union president and replaced for now by his second in command
the biggest question is how this affects the efforts underway to reform the rikers jail complex the administration of mayor bill de blasio has invested enormous political capital and hundreds of millions of dollars to remake new york citys jails and to end the violence and corruption that has long plagued them
mr seabrook has been a fierce opponent of many of the changes being put in place at rikers particularly the scaling back of solitary confinement which will soon be eliminated for all inmates under age 22
but as the lone voice for the citys 9000 correction officers his willingness to cooperate with at least some of the reform efforts was important he was a strongman but one who gave voice and coherence to a group of workers split among more than a dozen facilities and three shifts
among the rank and file mr seabrook commanded tremendous loyalty unlike the department officials and the commissioners who came and went he was one of them a correction officer born in the bronx and raised poor as one of eight children he was also a black man leading a heavily black union sensitive to racial issues on the job and in the community
at graduation ceremonies new recruits would watch the droning speeches of officials with barely disguised boredom when mr seabrook took the stage   often to disparage those previous speakers to their faces   they were on their feet
in those ways his absence could pose headaches to reformers
no matter how ambitious the reform agenda of mr de blasio a democrat may be it can go nowhere without the support of the men and women who work the cellblocks
with mr seabrook gone the question is who will speak for them now
during his tenure as president mr seabrook quashed any potential challengers and never groomed a strong successor his 14 member executive board is considered weak commanding none of the loyalty among members that he has long enjoyed
norman is a tyrant said william valentin who spent five years on the executive board and was kicked out by mr seabrook in august 2015 the executive board is pretty much under his control they really dont argue with him too much whatever he says goes
understanding mr seabrooks outsized importance on the cellblocks requires understanding the history of the citys correction department by the end of the administration of mayor michael r bloomberg a republican turned political independent there was a real power vacuum in the department it was considered a low priority and the commissioner at the time dora b schriro was a weak leader
mr seabrook stepped into that void his power perhaps reaching its apex in fall 2013 when he almost single handedly shut down the city court system by directing his members in a work stoppage that halted almost all of the buses that ferry inmates to and from court
a judge complained that the court system had been held hostage and mr bloomberg sued the union but mr seabrook emerged unscathed
even after mr de blasio took office in 2014 and appointed the reform minded joseph ponte as correction commissioner mr seabrook continued to behave as if he were in charge of rikers he called a news conference in which he derided mr ponte as a hug a thug yokel from maine who was out of his league
mr de blasio seemed to go out of his way early on in his administration to try to cultivate the union leader during the height of the ebola crisis in late 2014 for example the mayor took a break from emergency preparations to attend a charity dinner hosted by mr seabrook at a bronx ballroom in a speech mr de blasio described him as a friend and a great leader in this town
but the landscape was changing news organizations and city investigators were exposing a culture of pervasive brutality in the jails preet bharara the united states attorney for the southern district of new york whose office filed charges against mr seabrook on wednesday eventually joined a class action lawsuit that led to intervention by a federal monitor and the new mayor took an aggressive stance vowing to remake rikers
faced with constant obstruction by mr seabrook who often told his members that rikers was our house the administration sought ways to circumvent him perhaps the most important sign that the balance of power had shifted was a decision by mr ponte to exclude mr seabrook from a behind the scenes deal to significantly cut back on the use of solitary confinement mr seabrook stood at a public meeting and harshly criticized the administration but the deal to end isolation for all inmates under 22 was done
mr seabrook continued to bluster publicly about the changes once showing up outside city hall with a coffin meant to represent the dangers facing jail officers but he also worked with the administration to improve training and to raise hiring standards
speaking about mr seabrooks arrest mr de blasio described his relationship with the union leader as fraught
sometimes he was willing to work with us the mayor said sometimes he wasnt
now there is great uncertainty about what comes next for the union
mr seabrook is set to run unopposed in unionwide elections this summer ballots have already been distributed to the membership and for now the plan is to let the election continue as scheduled according to a union official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he did not have permission to discuss internal union business publicly
if there are no challenges the official said the role of president will be fulfilled for the foreseeable future by elias husamudeen mr seabrooks trusted second in command


viacom is trying to ignore amended bylaws that limit the sale of its paramount movie studio but it will not be able to succeed much longer
on monday national amusements the theater chain that is controlled by sumner m redstone and that holds a controlling interest in viacom announced that it had amended the bylaws of viacom to protect the long term interests of stockholders
the main purpose of the amendment is to prevent a sale of paramount even though viacoms chief executive philippe p dauman and the viacom board are championing a deal mr redstone however has announced his opposition to the sale of paramount
under the amended bylaws viacom can sell paramount only if 100 percent of the directors of viacom agree given that mr redstones daughter shari redstone is a director of viacom and has adamantly stated her opposition to a sale this amendment is intended to put a halt to any possibility of a sale and to stop viacoms process seeking a buyer of a minority interest in paramount
national amusements could do this because it owns 798 percent of the voting interest in viacom despite having a 10 percent economic interest the majority of shares at viacom are permitted to act by written consent at any time to amend the bylaws and so national amusements simply delivered its consent to these changes to the company
the action highlights the powerful effect for good and bad of controlling stock and it puts the next move on viacom and its board
viacoms response was shrill a viacom spokesman said the changes were illegitimate
so much for neutrality here - viacom is clearly siding with mr dauman
national amusements did not detail the exact bylaws it was adopting instead choosing to put out a news release describing the changes viacom has four business days starting after the day of the announcement to file these new amendments viacom has not done so yet presumably because it is trying to decide how to deal with national amusements latest action
the problem for viacom is that its directors other than ms redstone have decided to oppose a leadership change and support mr dauman the chief executives opposition beyond his seeming incapability of letting go is based on claims that mr redstone is not competent to act and is being manipulated by his daughter somehow this translates to the actions of national amusements board being illegitimate and the viacom directors have drawn a line in the sand based on this claim asserting that their removal would be unlawful
these amendments are the test of that claim if viacom accepts the changes the entertainment conglomerate will be admitting that national amusements can act appropriately in regard to viacom this would be tantamount to admitting that mr redstone and national amusements can also remove the board
no wonder viacom is taking the full four business days to file the amendments as it thinks through its response
one tactic would be to try to kick the can down the road in this situation viacom would file the changes with some vague wording that they were illegal but that the time was not yet ripe to challenge the new restrictions
a second route would be to challenge the changes in court either by refusing to accept them or by declaring them invalid
a bylaw requiring 100 percent board approval is certainly not the best corporate governance and is unusual but there is precedent for the validity of this type of bylaw under the law in delaware where viacom is incorporated i would also add that all parties involved would be on thin ice if they tried to invoke principles of good corporate governance as viacom has been a governance disaster for decades
the main precedent supporting a bylaw change like this is in the case frantz mfg co v eac industries in that 1985 case a board similarly rebelled against its controlling shareholder the board tried to block a controlling shareholder after the shareholder tried to take control of the company the controlling shareholder then responded in a manner similar to national amusements by adopting a bylaw that required all future actions of the board to be unanimous the delaware supreme court upheld this maneuver stating that these actions were permissible as an attempt to avoid the controlling stockholders disenfranchisement as a majority shareholder
this case stands as strong precedent allowing national amusements to proceed with the bylaw requirement to be sure it is not dispositive in the frantz case the controlling shareholder was acting to preserve its control the court thus found that the shareholder was entitled to that control and that its actions were justified and were otherwise not inequitable
viacom is likely to argue that the controlling shareholder is overreaching and that the changes are thus unduly restrictive viacom will also argue that the franz case does not apply because the viacom board is simply trying to sell an asset while the controlling shareholder is restricting the board from exercising its fiduciary duties to get the best price for shareholders
there is certainly a difference in the facts but there is also other support in delaware law for controlling shareholders being able to assert their authority and as part of the amendments national amusements required that any dispute over the bylaws be litigated in a delaware court
there is a third option for viacom the company can claim that national amusements amendments are void because of claims of mr redstones incompetency but this claim is hard to establish the company would be asserting that national amusements own actions are void because of the incapacity of its controlling shareholder yet national amusements has its own board and is a functioning company moreover if mr redstone is indeed incompetent then his interest goes to the trust from which mr dauman and george abrams were removed here the other trustees have already said that they supported mr redstones actions and so the whole affair becomes moot
even then it is hard to see a delaware judge looking past the actions of the majority stockholder to see the rationale for its decision there is no precedent for this particularly when the dispute is a question of business judgment in which reasonable minds could disagree namely whether a sale of paramount should proceed
if viacom does pursue litigation this may be national amusements and mr redstones cue to finally unseat the viacom board national amusements can do this easily by removing and replacing the directors pursuant to a simple consent delivered to viacom at the same time national amusements could invoke the seldom used summary procedures in the delaware code for contested elections of directors and procedures to confirm the validity of its appointments this would allow national amusements to raise the ante if viacom does litigate over the amended bylaws
viacom has some difficult decisions to make perhaps if it and its advisers think hard enough they can come up with another even more clever way to get at this they should think fast though the company has only another day or two


in the world of motor sports the british firm mclaren has a distinguished record of innovation from the use of carbon fiber to create ultralight ultrastrong chassis to pioneering a single device to control a cars electrical systems engine and gearbox
an even bigger game changer may lie ahead
mclaren which invented a sophisticated simulator system for designing and testing its formula one cars and sports cars has begun marketing the technology to mainstream automakers it says the system could radically improve the speed and efficiency of developing ordinary cars
the simulator can incorporate intricately detailed digital models of cars down to every mechanical component and body panel and it allows mclarens drivers and engineers to test different configurations back to back under precisely controlled simulated track conditions
without the simulator comparing the performance of different components in real world testing requires a racing team to stop the car take out the component and replace it with another   even as track conditions change becoming hotter cooler wetter or drier
but with the simulator it takes a second said caroline hargrove technical director at mclaren applied technologies which supplies formula one technology and expertise to companies in a range of industries in fact components can be swapped in and out of the simulator even as the driver is powering the digital car around a digital track
mclaren which entered its first formula one race in 1966 began developing its simulator in 1998 at the direction of its team principal martin whitmarsh he had worked at british aerospace which used simulators to train pilots on military aircraft like its tornado fighter bomber and saw that the technology could be equally useful for racecar development
dr hargrove an engineer with expertise in modeling simulation and data analysis led the effort from the companys headquarters in woking surrey an hour southwest of the center of london
what we wanted to do was build a simulator that was useful for designing cars not just training the drivers dr hargrove said the big difference here is if you want to design the car with it it has to be very accurate at the time there were none to go around and learn from what we learned from was jet fighter simulators
with their simulators mclarens engineers can choose the precise conditions in which to test specific components or combinations thereof factoring in variable degrees of rainfall or gradual changes in temperature
the ability to control track conditions is crucial said geoff mcgrath the chief innovation officer for mclaren applied technologies because some of the improvements people work on are so small its very hard to detect them when we take a car out on the road he said the sim gives us the ability to test or measure very tiny interventions in a controlled environment
over time the virtual testing has grown increasingly accurate as prototypes are tested on a track sensors pick up data that is fed back into a digital model which is retested in the simulator its a process of getting closer to reality dr mcgrath said you never actually get there but you get close enough
the simulators impact on mclarens racecar development has been stark before we used the simulator at least 80 percent of the designs   which we machined and tested   we threw those designs away dr mcgrath said only 20 percent would get through and actually make it to the racecar itself now that we use the sim its the other way around
even cutting edge technology is not a short cut to the top of course mclaren has not had the dominant position in recent years that it held in the 1980s in the formula one rankings known as the constructors championships still it scored 11 top three finishes from 2000 to 2012
over the years mclarens technology has become a product in its own right with other racing teams as customers we set up a managed service for a whole range of race teams to test their cars dr mcgrath said he declined to name the teams citing confidentiality agreements we were able to help them accelerate the pace of development and performance way faster than they would have done if they had to work from scratch and build their own sim
that experience gave mclaren the idea of marketing the system to the auto industry at large while many automakers use simulators for tasks like assessing driver behavior or virtual crash testing mclaren says its own tools would extend the possibilities to end to end development we hired people from most of those companies for our simulation team so we know what their simulators are not capable of dr mcgrath said
perhaps the greatest advantage of mclarens simulator system now in its third generation is its flexibility it can accommodate models of vehicles ranging from formula one cars and sports cars   like mclarens 650s which sells for 273000   to family sedans and sport utility vehicles
to market the system mclaren formed a partnership with mts a company specializing in large scale car testing equipment while some automakers may want only the simulators motion platform or other individual components dr mcgrath said the big prize is to sell the whole simulation system
francisco veloso dean of the catolica lisbon school of business and economics who has studied the use of virtualization tools in the auto industry was cautious about the potential to replicate mclarens efficiency an industrial scale
doing it at a broader level with global supply chains it does take very sophisticated suppliers as well and that is a different challenge he said they would have to rethink the development process to really incorporate these in a productive way
but with a simulator costing less than 10 million dr mcgrath said automakers could see a return on their investment in the first year with additional savings as they become more adept at using the technology he said he was confident it could cut development time in half
in the meantime mclaren is exploring applications for simulators far beyond the realm of motor sports and transportation   like surgery
with surgeons as with fighter pilots we cant train you to have quick reactions dr mcgrath said its something intrinsic in you we use simulators to find these people out


jaap van zweden the dutch conductor still stands to earn plenty of frequent flier miles after he becomes the music director of the new york philharmonic in 2018 he has extended his contract for his other job some 8000 miles away as the music director of the hong kong philharmonic orchestra through the 2021 22 season the orchestra announced thursday
mr van zweden   who has been conducting wagners ring cycle with the hong kong philharmonic in annual installments starring matthias goerne as wotan   said in a statement that he considered every player there a gem and that he looked forward to extending his tenure
we have many more exciting projects yet to come he said next season he is scheduled to lead the orchestra in nine concert programs including wagners siegfried and symphonies by mahler shostakovich and schubert
michael macleod chief executive of the hong kong philharmonic said in a statement that the orchestra was honored to share the same conductor with the new york philharmonic
mr van zweden is currently the music director of the dallas symphony orchestra while his contract there was originally to have ended in 2019   the same year his hong kong contract was to end   the orchestra agreed to release him after the 2017 18 season so he could take the new york post
moonlighting is not uncommon in the orchestra world when yannick nezet seguin announced last week that he would become the next music director of the metropolitan opera starting in the 2020 21 season he simultaneously announced that he was extending his contract as music director of the philadelphia orchestra through the 2025 26 season


last week the united states chamber of commerce was among a number of groups that sued secretary of labor thomas e perez to block a new fiduciary rule
the fiduciary rule requires money managers who advise tax advantaged plans like 401ks to put client interests ahead of their own financial interests when recommending investment products the white house council of economic advisers estimates that as a result of this conflict of interest workers saving for retirement lose 17 billion a year much of which flows directly into wall streets coffers
as a component of its campaign against the rule the chamber created a webpage featuring 25 small business leaders and others speaking out against the rule nearly all argued that the new rule would harm small businesses
we tried to contact each of the featured small business leaders public citizen is now publishing a report sacrificing the pawns revealing our findings highlights include
# one chicago nonprofit leader did not realize he was listed on the webpage as opposing it and asked us who do i call to get this down he said he did not have a view on the rule he subsequently called the chamber and his name was removed
# one small business owner argued for an even tougher rule
# one california small business owner who argued on the chambers webpage that the current system helped her increase employment at her business over the last 12 years acknowledged that she had only one employee
# eight people were not small business owners but were officials at chambers of commerce paid lobbyists or other officials we presume their testimonials were added to the chambers webpage to pad the numbers
in brief we found the chambers portrayal of these small business leaders opposition to the fiduciary rule to be misleading and in some cases downright false far from a groundswell of grass roots organizing the chambers list appears to be the product of an astroturf campaign
featuring small businesses as the public face of its lobbying is central to the chambers communications strategy on many issues the chamber frequently uses small businesses and nonprofits to argue against rules that do not affect them or as in the case of the fiduciary rule are explicitly designed to protect them
the president of the chamber thomas donohue has acknowledged his strategy of using small business owners as foot soldiers to provide political cover for issues big companies want pursued as in chess he is sacrificing the pawns
in its lawsuit against the fiduciary rule the chamber cites harms to small businesses we hope that by exposing the chambers charade courts reviewing the rule will understand that the alleged costs to small business are the imaginings of washingtons largest and most powerful lobby


danville pa   the geisinger health plan run by one of the nations top rated health care organizations foresees medical costs increasing next year by 75 percent for people buying insurance under the affordable care act
so when geisinger requested a rate increase of 40 percent for 2017 consumer advocates were amazed and kurt j wrobel geisingers chief actuary found himself along with other members of his profession in the middle of the health care wars still raging in this political year
actuaries normally toil far from the limelight anonymous technicians stereotyped as dull and boring but as they crunch the numbers for their affordable care act business their calculations are feeding a roaring national debate over insurance premiums widely used to gauge the success of president obamas health care law health plans around the country have just filed proposed rates for 2017 state insurance commissioners are still reviewing them
but questions about the proposed increases are reverberating through the health care system and into the political campaign
historical experience is the lifeblood of what we do mr wrobel said in an interview at geisingers headquarters here we take that experience adjust it for the underlying growth of health costs and project it into the future so we can estimate the expected costs for a particular insurance policy
such niceties may be lost in this scorching campaign season there is panic and anger as health care costs explode donald j trump the presumptive republican presidential nominee wrote in a recent twitter post seizing on increases of nearly 60 percent sought by blue cross and blue shield of texas
obama administration officials are more sanguine consumers they say should not worry proposed rate increases are often reduced by state officials federal subsidies will generally rise along with premiums offsetting much of the additional costs and consumers can in any event switch to cheaper health plans next year
but as they prepare for the fourth year of coverage under the affordable care act many insurers are struggling to find the best ways of providing care to their new customers the giant unitedhealth group having lost money on individual policies under the federal health law is pulling out of many insurance exchanges next year a number of health insurance cooperatives created under the law have shut down
geisinger is different during debate on the 2010 health care law mr obama and members of congress repeatedly hailed it as a model providing high quality care at costs well below average in the presidents words
geisinger serves residents of rural central and northeast pennsylvania and its roots in the community are as deep as the coal mines that once flourished here
dr david t feinberg the president and chief executive of the geisinger health system said its health plan was losing 30 million a year on coverage sold on the federal exchange in pennsylvania but leaving the market here would be unthinkable
for its shareholders united made the right decision dr feinberg said but we dont answer to shareholders we answer to the nice people of danville shamokin and bloomsburg
it would be difficult to find a health plan more aligned with the goals of the federal law the obama administration recruited a former chief executive of the geisinger health plan dr richard j gilfillan to be the first director of the center for medicare and medicaid innovation created by the health law to test ways to improve care and cut costs
geisinger has been a pioneer in the use of electronic health records and genomic medicine recruiting 100000 patients for dna sequencing studies in the last two years it has embraced pay for performance offering a warranty for major surgical procedures and promising not to charge extra if complications occur
but innovation has been no match for the actuarial surprises dealt out by the affordable care act mr wrobel said geisinger had simply underestimated how much care its new customers would need
our rates for medicare medicaid and employer sponsored insurance have been relatively stable but those products have to bear the cost of our losses on exchange business mr wrobel said
last october the pennsylvania insurance department headed by a former obama administration official approved a 20 percent increase in geisingers rates about half of what the company had requested
but based on experience mr wrobel said the 2016 premium rate is too low so we want to correct it in 2017
julia t philips an award winning actuary who worked 19 years for the state of minnesota said insurance regulators generally do not let a company make up for past losses with future rate increases
but regulators often allow companies to catch up she said if you assumed that claims would average 400 per member per month in 2015 and the actual cost was 440 you can use the higher number as a starting point in predicting claims costs for 2017
obama administration officials suggest that insurance companies seeking big rate increases have been slow to adapt to the new law but geisinger executives welcome innovation and they have celebrated the reduction in the number of uninsured under the affordable care act
geisinger is not alone the pennsylvania insurance department says insurers have proposed premium increases averaging 236 percent for individual coverage for 2017
people with pre existing conditions are now getting treatment said antoinette kraus the director of a statewide consumer group the pennsylvania health access network and its more expensive because they were shut out of the market for many years
but she added we expect that theyll eventually become healthier so we wont see these huge rate increases every year
kevin j counihan the chief executive of the federal insurance marketplace acknowledged that pent up demand for health care is greater than people expected and is lasting longer than expected
in april before most insurers had filed their rate requests for 2017 the obama administration began a campaign to play down their significance proposed rates arent what consumers pay the department of health and human services said most people receive tax credits and can buy a plan for less than 75 per month
moreover the administration says that the health law created a competitive market in which consumers can shop for the best deal as evidence that this market is working the administration boasts that more than 40 percent of returning consumers switched to different plans for 2016
however mr wrobel said such turnover is making it more difficult for insurers to predict costs the whole point of what we do the foundation of good health insurance he said is to develop long term relationships with our members and to make long term investments in their health its not like buying a book on amazon
besides he said substantial numbers of consumers do not receive subsidies the congressional budget office estimates that 12 million people will receive subsidies in the form of tax credits next year but it says that an equal number   three million on the exchanges and nine million buying insurance outside the exchanges   will have to pay the full unsubsidized price
when we developed rates for 2014 mr wrobel said we had no historical data it was basically an educated guess
mr wrobel said rates were still being affected by a federal policy adopted in late 2013 that allowed some people to keep and renew insurance that did not meet standards in the affordable care act healthier people chose to keep their plans he said so the collective cost of care for people buying insurance on the exchange was higher than expected
many insurers hope to profit from the affordable care act but for geisinger the calculus is a little different
geisinger has been here for 100 years and we expect to be here another hundred mr wrobel said we are going to be taking care of the people in this community one way or another so its really important for this program to be financially stable and sustainable


just before he took the stage at dont tell mama to perform a sensitive rendition of shes a woman an aching love song from the musical kiss of the spider woman james corden had been preaching his gospel on how to be a popular entertainer
whether he is performing for millions or for the 25 or so people at this midtown manhattan piano bar hosting cbss the late late show as he has done since march 2015   or the tony awards as he will do for the first time on sunday   mr corden said that inclusiveness was crucial to success
the worst way you can approach a show is to go oh were all in a club here   did you not get that he said in an interview on saturday night my job is to widen that net
a british actor and tony award winner mr corden 37 is no longer the cautious if ambitious relative unknown who crossed the atlantic last year to take over cbss 1237 am time slot
having reinvented the late late show as an engine for viral bits of musical comedy and franchise segments like carpool karaoke and drop the mic mr corden was brimming with confidence and a vodka with cranberry juice ahead of the intense preparation for the tonys that would begin that monday morning
he was excited to host an awards program that holds so much personal value for him and was full of ideas for how he believed he could make it connect with a wider national audience even the fleeting idea that it could all go wrong seemed to tickle him
if i slip and land on my nose and get a nosebleed what do i do he asked with a laugh he answered himself you and every other millennial will have a great internet meme i will have a horrifyingly embarrassing moment in my life but thats why you do it
on paper mr corden was a mathematical lock to host the tonys which will be held at the beacon theater he is an increasingly visible personality on the network that broadcasts the ceremony and has performed on broadway in the history boys and one man two guvnors which in 2012 earned him the tony for best leading actor in a play
he also played the baker in the 2014 film adaptation of into the woods and has made the late late show a home for his musical theater peers like mondays all star carpool karaoke segment featuring lin manuel miranda audra mcdonald jane krakowski and jesse tyler ferguson
the online ubiquity of these segments has helped the late late show thrive in an intensely competitive environment in which more than a dozen late night series vie for tv ratings and internet clicks
mr corden claims not to pay attention to nielsen ratings for his cbs program for 1 billion i couldnt tell you how many people watch our show it averages about 13 million viewers a night behind nbcs late night with seth meyers which averages about 16 million
but he said i know absolutely the figure that have watched bits online the late late show youtube channel has surpassed one billion views with more than 100 million of those views coming from his carpool karaoke segment with the pop singer adele
the opportunity to host the tonys was especially meaningful because mr corden said the awards represent the true and pure voice of theatergoers as proof he cited the year that he won his trophy prevailing over formidable fellow nominees philip seymour hoffman james earl jones john lithgow and frank langella again nominated this year
in that instance when he was not perceived as the favorite mr corden said if it could be bought it would have been
mr corden said there had been a slight rumbling for him to host the tonys last year only a few months after taking over at the late late show but it would have been just too early
the 2015 tonys show hosted by kristin chenoweth and alan cumming was watched by around 65 million viewers a sharp decline from past years when high profile entertainers like hugh jackman and neil patrick harris have served as mc
glenn weiss and ricky kirshner the longtime executive producers of the broadcast were coy about the selection process for its host but acknowledged in an interview that a wide range of participants including cbs the broadway league and the american theater wing needed to be satisfied
mr kirshner said that aside from mr cordens other talents and the arsenal of signature bits he has developed on the late late show the most important qualities mr corden would bring to the tonys are his infatuation for the theater and his love for the community here
ben winston an executive producer for the late late show and a lifelong friend of mr cordens said that pressure at the program had eased considerably since his debut
now mr winston said celebrity guests are sufficiently familiar with its welcoming atmosphere and grab bag of comedy segments that when anne hathaway appeared on the show in a rap battle segment with mr corden david schwimmer emailed the next day asking to perform a rap battle of his own
for all his success mr winston said mr corden remained an authentic fan of pop culture who never outgrew a boyhood love for the stage
as a child mr winston said he probably wasnt watching movies and looking at movie stars and going im going to be that guy he was looking at jean valjean maybe not danny in grease
anna wintour the vogue magazine editor in chief and conde nast artistic director who has become one of mr cordens most prominent fans said the enthusiastic inclusive spirit that he projects on tv persists after the show is over
you always feel youre in on the joke with james she said he wants to bring you into his world
she added in our very first email exchange   id never met him   he said will you be my best friend hes that sort of person
should she see mr corden at the beacon striding down the aisle with a glint in his eye and the intention of incorporating her into a comedy bit ms wintour said i will be happy to see james as long as i dont have to sing
this year mr corden said he hoped to open the tonys with a song for like the theater kid who lives in michigan or nebraska who just dreams of being on a stage
for them he continued this night being on tv is everything and i wonder if we can open our show for them
he may not have to do much heavy lifting at the tonys when audiences will be focused on the fortunes of hamilton which has become an international sensation and is nominated for a record 16 trophies
still mr corden was tight lipped about how he might incorporate the musical or mr miranda its star and creator into his segments on the program and not even ms wintour who is a fashion consultant for the tonys would say if mr corden might be wearing a tricorn hat during the evening
as mistress of the wardrobe i cannot give away any house secrets she said
after about an hours conversation at dont tell mama mr corden brought me with him to the microphone for a not at all rehearsed performance of one day more from les miserables
mr corden sang the role of valjean and a helpful bartender provided the voices of cosette and eponine while i like a french revolutionary at the barricade courageously fought my way through the parts of marius and javert several audience members generously applauded and no one walked out as far as anyone could tell
on their way out of the piano bar two exuberant patrons stopped at mr cordens table to tell him that they would be watching the tonys just to see what he does on the show
with a smile mr corden buoyantly replied lower your expectations lower your expectations


london   when muhammad ali died last week the memories spooled back inevitably to the glory days of the man who called himself the greatest a champion whose life intertwined with americas traumas of race faith and war
it was a chronicle of valor asserted in the most public of arenas scrutinized by an audience that spanned the globe
but there was another narrative just as striking to some admirers of a private courage beyond his klieg lit renown
for the minority afflicted by parkinsons disease alis 30 year struggle with the same illness magnified the broader status he built from his boxing prowess as a black man who embraced radical islam refused to fight in vietnam earned the opprobrium of the establishment and yet emerged as an icon
it was his longest bout and one that ultimately he could not win the reporter patrick sawer wrote in the telegraph referring to alis illness
yet the affliction only served to increase the worldwide admiration he had gained before the disease robbed him of his powers
as a global superstar ali touched many lands and britain felt a particular bond boxing fans recalled his far flung bouts   the rumble in the jungle against george foreman in zaire as the democratic republic of congo was then called in 1974 the thrilla in manila in the philippines against joe frazier a year later
but in britain his two defeats in the 1960s of henry cooper a much loved british heavyweight who died in 2011 and his feisty appearances in prime time television interviews left an indelible mark
he is universally celebrated in death in no small part because he was always larger than life the columnist gary younge wrote in the guardian one of several british newspapers that printed a special supplement to commemorate alis death
there was another side too a series of images made by a british photographer zenon texeira in march and published this week showed the ravages of an illness that had made him almost unrecognizable compared with earlier times and yet characteristically he raised his fists as if still fighting
that is no mean feat parkinsons is one of a cohort of incurable afflictions whose victims undergo an enduring transformation an inexorable slide from wholeness
one moment they have control of their movements their limbs their life the next those abilities begin to slip the voice might slur the fingers quiver a firm gait gives way to a limp a stumble the outcome is not declared by some referee standing over the fallen loser to the roar of the victors fans it is offered by a physician quietly there is no simple knockout only attrition
yet ali did not shy from public view with trembling hands he grasped the olympic torch at the atlanta games in 1996 he was among the white clad dignitaries at the london games in 2012 he inspired in the least expected of ways
consider for instance this story from my friend michael holman the former africa editor of the financial times and a companion on many travels on a continent that had taken ali as a hero
told that he had parkinsons in 1986 holman found little understanding of his condition as he crisscrossed africa
as the tremor became more pronounced the questions about the cause became more frequent he told me my explanations seldom satisfied
then came the news that the man who triumphed so memorably over george foreman in the rumble in kinshasa was a victim all i had to do was to point to my shaking hand and say his name incomprehension was replaced by understanding skepticism by sympathy
muhammad ali he said became my unseen companion in my travels through africa
in later years too alis public appearances came to offer what an editorial in the guardian called fragile and tragic witness to his indomitable humanity as a stricken warrior
that took as much courage as anything else he ever did


as part of the continuing global backlash over the popular ride sharing service uber and two of its senior european executives were convicted and fined nearly 500000 in france on thursday for running an illegal transportation business
in its push to expand around the world uber the fast growing start up that is now worth 625 billion has become a target in many of the 300 cities where it operates traditional taxi drivers in france and other european countries have fought to restrict the company saying that uber does not comply with local rules and in some cities may represent a threat to public safety the company denies these accusations
the latest ruling in france   the result of a lengthy legal process that dates to early last year   relates to uberpop the companys low cost service in which drivers do not have professional livery licenses after a series of strikes by the taxi unions and the banning of uberpop in france uber eventually suspended its low cost service in the country last summer
as part of the french judges ruling on thursday uber will have to pay a fine of 906000 though half of that figure was suspended pierre dimitri gore coty the companys head of europe the middle east and africa and thibaud simphal ubers general manager in france must pay an additional combined penalty of 28500
the two executives were convicted of deceptive commercial practices and complicity in operating an illegal transportation service they were cleared of some related charges linked to privacy complaints
the judgment does not impact our service in france today   which now connects more than 12000 professional drivers with 15 million passengers   but we will appeal gareth mead an uber spokesman said in a statement on thursday
despite the french courts penalties the fines were significantly less than what the judge could have imposed uber could have been forced to pay up to 17 million and its executives could have faced up to five years in prison and a 340000 fine each french taxi unions had also called for the uber executives to be barred from working in the transportation industry pleas that were ignored by the french court
in the wake of ubers regulatory troubles in france and elsewhere in europe the company has increasingly turned its attention toward new markets particularly in the middle east and asia
this month the company said it had raised 35 billion from saudi arabias public investment fund it is also expanding aggressively in china although it continues to face cutthroat competition didi chuxing a local rival last month raised 1 billion from the american tech giant apple to bolster its own ride booking smartphone application


before alexander wang declared athleisure the uniform now and leggings became the new jeans casual clothing meant american sportswear the look was relaxed a little preppy and only loosely athletic   think jordan baker in the great gatsby or diane keaton in annie hall america just killed that says the designer cate holstein 32 ralph lauren donna karan   they used to just lead the way but now says holstein theres a need for a newer fresher perspective
holstein hopes that her new label khaite which launches exclusively with the line next week will answer this need grounded in clean lined basics the designers fall collection is elevated by subtle contrasts airy crepe blouses and dresses are cut in long masculine silhouettes sporty cropped knits are made from a rich felted cashmere the clothing has a strong feminine perspective says holstein but doesnt go girly or precious or pretty a muted color palette of buttery cream hunter green deep navy and crisp white evokes 90s era gap where holstein designed knitwear in her 20s and makes for deceptively simple pieces punctuated by eccentric accents like oversize velvet bows woven necklines and extra long sleeves
these and other details   double needle stitching fabric covered buttons   may pop but as holstein says the feeling im going for it comes from the materials as a result the creative process behind khaite is a collective one i essentially consider myself a filter she says the textile designers are the real artists in this equation for the upcoming collection holstein homed in on a few key fabrics satin backed crepe with just a little bit of shine a drapey twill and felted cashmere these textures she recalls made her think i want to build the world around these
when talking about khaite holsteins focus on material makes her sound less like an auteur and more like an industry wonk   an effect that is emphasized by her near obsessive knowledge of fiber sourcing fit testing and different wash processes to create a thick ultra soft cashmere i have the factory boil it much more than they were really willing to do she laughs i really kind of forced them into it she also makes monthly trips to la to observe the denim sanding process which the workers now refer to as khaite sanding im very hands on with our washes she says i sit in the factory
holsteins attention to denim   which she expects to lead the brand   goes well beyond the factory walls a self described jeans junkie the designer and her team she has one devoted entirely to denim have spent years in pursuit of the perfect pair the three resulting styles have a structured vintage feel thats softened by feminine details high waistlines and delicate brass and lacquer buttons in the current terrain of over processed shredded denim holstein hopes to offer a more wearable option that women of all ages will feel comfortable in the classic design is meant to hit this spot of nostalgia but it also nods to contemporary tastes each pair contains 2 percent elastane because she says i dont think women are ready to give up stretch yet


the major stock indexes retreated on thursday after three days of gains as oil prices fell and global growth worries drove investors to safer assets like bonds
energy shares declined as crude oil prices also snapped a three day streak of gains
the dow jones industrial average ended down 1986 points or 011 percent to 1798519 the sp 500 lost 364 points or 017 percent to 211548 and the nasdaq composite index dropped 1603 points or 032 percent to 495862
the days losses were slight and the standard  poors 500 stock index is still near its record closing high of 213082
that record could fall in coming days said bruce zaro chief technical strategist at bolton global asset management in boston
i would expect some follow through in the next days and weeks he said
among the stocks to gain was j m smucker which reported that its quarterly net sales jumped 25 percent beating analysts estimates as demand rose for its folgers and dunkin donuts branded coffee and its pet foods the companys stock rose nearly 8 percent to close 14323 a share
federal reserve officials meet next tuesday and wednesday and are expected to leave rates unchanged
in the bond market united states treasury yields dipped to 3 12 month lows as falling oil and stock prices led investors to seek safe haven debt
benchmark 10 year notes gained 832 in price to yield 168 percent the lowest since feb 24
brent crude fell 56 cents or 107 percent at 5195 a barrel while crude prices fell 67 cents or 131 percent at 5056 in new york
so far this looks like a modest technical correction following three days of gains rather than a major reversal said tim evans energy futures specialist at citi futures in new york
shares of exxon mobil fell 12 cents to 9067 while chevron shares were down 28 cents to 10281
the yen which investors prefer in times of market uncertainty reached a three year peak against the euro and a five week high versus the dollar but late in the session the japanese currency fell marginally against the dollar
its generally a cautious mood today you have stocks lower and yields lower said eric viloria currency strategist at wells fargo securities in new york
the dollar was supported by an unexpected drop in jobless claims and a stronger than expected rise in wholesale sales in april the data soothed some concerns about the economy decelerating in the second quarter
europes broad ftseurofirst 300 index closed down 094 percent at 134020 stocks were hurt by weaker commodities related shares and comments from european central bank president mario draghi that europe is at risk of suffering lasting economic damage from weak productivity and low growth


the washington national cathedral one of the nations most prominent houses of worship said on wednesday that it would remove two images of the confederate battle flag that have been part of its stained glass windows for more than 60 years
the windows that depict the two flags were installed in 1953 to pay tribute to gen stonewall jackson and gen robert e lee of the confederate army the cathedral said in a statement that while the flags will be removed shortly the windows would remain to serve as a catalyst for the difficult and uncomfortable conversations about race that we need to have on the road to racial justice
instead of simply taking the windows down and going on with business as usual the cathedral recognizes that for now they provide an opportunity for us to begin to write a new narrative on race and racial justice at the cathedral and perhaps for our nation the rev dr kelly brown douglas the cathedrals canon theologian said in the statement
the two small areas of the bay of windows that depict the confederate battle flag will be removed as soon as we can do it said mariann edgar budde bishop of the episcopal diocese of washington and the interim dean of the cathedral she said it would take no longer than a few weeks
bishop budde said that neither she nor the previous dean the very rev gary hall knew that the windows contained images of the flag until last summer it was a shock to learn they were there the bishop said and father hall called for their removal last year
they were brought to our attention after the charleston massacre last year bishop budde said referring to the mass shooting by a white supremacist who killed nine people at a historically black church in south carolina thats when it resurfaced in our consciousness that the confederate flag was part of our stained glass artistry
the cathedral is one of many prominent institutions in the united states that have grappled in recent years with the legacy of racism and slavery the confederate battle flag was removed from the grounds of the south carolina statehouse one month after the shooting and georgetown university which is not far from the cathedral in the nations capital has publicly struggled with the fact that it sold 272 slaves to southern plantation owners in 1838
the windows depicting general lee and general jackson were installed in the cathedral almost a century after the end of the civil war with the financial assistance of the daughters of the confederacy and a donor from the north bishop budde said she described it as part of the way the civil war memory was encoded in american history in the 20th century
at the time it was publicized as a reconciliation effort between daughters of the north and the south   basically white people on both sides of the mason dixon line   coming together to memorialize heroes from the civil war in heroic and in lees case really mythic language she said
the decision to remove the images was made after a six month study by a five person task force the cathedral said that group also recommended an audit of all art and iconography on the premises it said
the cathedral will also devote significant liturgical artistic and programmatic resources over the next two years to a series of discussions to decide whether the entire bay of windows should be removed
whatever the chapters ultimate decision the windows will not live in the cathedral in the same way they have in the past the task force wrote in a report that was published online wednesday


tehran   a canadian iranian professor researching women in the muslim world has been arrested by iranian intelligence officers the latest in a series of detentions of iranians holding dual citizenship
the professor homa hoodfar was initially detained on march 10 by the intelligence unit of the islamic revolutionary guards corps and was then released but she was not allowed to leave iran after a series of interrogations ms hoodfar a professor of anthropology at concordia university in montreal was arrested again last week and transferred to evin prison her family said in a statement released on wednesday
the family said it was unclear why ms hoodfar had been arrested and that she had been conducting historical and ethnographic research on womens public role
analysts say the recent arrest of ms hoodfar and others seems to be part of a concentrated effort by hard liners to pressure dual citizens hard liners distrust foreigners especially dual citizens who can travel into iran without visas
in recent months the unit that arrested ms hoodfar has questioned dozens of people with two nationalities and arrested several
the units actions are also seen as a tactic to frustrate president hassan rouhanis efforts to bring wealthy and knowledgeable expatriates back to iran to help revive its sputtering economy
because iran does not recognize dual citizenship those who are arrested are treated as iranians and refused consular services in january four iranian americans including a washington post reporter jason rezaian and a researcher matt trevithick were released in a prisoner swap with the united states
iran is currently holding a consultant siamak namazi and his father baquer namazi a former unicef official who are also both citizens of iran and the united states siamak namazi was arrested in october and his father in february
nazanin zaghari ratcliffe a british iranian employee of thomson reuters was separated from her young daughter in april and taken to a prison in kerman in southern iran it is unclear why she was arrested another british iranian citizen a businessman named kamal foroughi was also arrested
iran also holds a lebanese information technology expert nizar zakka who has legal permanent residency in the united states mr zakka had been invited by an iranian institution to attend a conference but was arrested by the revolutionary guards corps intelligence unit on his way to the airport in september
analysts say that some of those prisoners have value for the iranian authorities as possible bargaining chips in future swaps


next week is full of tech conference extravaganzas
theres apple which is set to hold its annual developer conference in san francisco the video game industry meanwhile will be congregating in all its glory in los angeles for its buzziest trade show the electronic entertainment expo popularly known as e3
both events will occur against a backdrop of flux
apples developer conference has for years sucked the air out of the room in the tech industry with people looking to the companys pronouncements for the next big thing in mobile and beyond but apples flagship product the iphone is now slowing down putting pressure on the company to pull something new out of a hat
e3 is grappling with its own shifts writes laura parker the show was designed to gather retailers video game publishers and media under one roof to give a peek at the big titles coming out for pc and console games but now people have many more forms of gaming to be entertained by   free mobile games that can be digitally downloaded and constantly refreshed for instance
which has raised questions on the relevance of e3 this year several of the industrys biggest publishers are not participating instead e3s organizers are emphasizing new game technologies like virtual reality


los angeles   on thursday california became the fourth state in the country to put in effect a law allowing assisted suicide for the terminally ill what has come to be known as aid in dying lawmakers here approved the legislation last year after brittany maynard a 29 year old schoolteacher who had brain cancer received international attention for her decision to move to oregon where terminally ill patients have been allowed to take drugs to die since 1997
oregon was the first state to pass an assisted suicide law and was followed by washington and vermont under a montana court ruling doctors cannot be prosecuted for helping terminally ill patients die as long as the patient makes a written request with the california law 16 percent of the countrys population has a legal option for terminally ill patients to determine the moment of their death up from 4 percent
in the states with assisted suicide laws the number of people who request and take medication to hasten dying has steadily increased in oregon for example 16 people ended their lives under the law in 1998 and by 2015 that number had grown to 132
the california legislation is strict intended to ensure that patients have thought through the decision and are making it voluntarily patients must make multiple requests for the medication and have a prognosis of less than six months to live
many hospitals have not yet released policies for dealing with the law and no doctor health system or pharmacy will be required to comply with a patients request doctors who object to the practice are not even required to refer patients who request the medication to another physician
roman catholic and other religious health systems have said they will not participate we are crossing a line   from being a society that cares for those who are aging and sick to a society that kills those whose suffering we can no longer tolerate jose h gomez the catholic archbishop of los angeles said in a statement wednesday
here is how two patients and two doctors are preparing for the new order
kristy allan 63 lives in placerville where her small bungalow overlooks the lush foothills of the sierra nevada with her athletic frame she does not look like someone ready to die but she has been under hospice care since the start of the year having already undergone four rounds of chemotherapy since learning she had stage 4 colon cancer in 2009 she has already talked to her doctors about her desire to get the medication that will allow her to die when she chooses and she plans to make her request formal this week she does not know with certainty when or even if she will take it but she knows what would make her ready to do so
ms allan has already defied some predictions when her 30 year old daughter got engaged last spring she wondered whether she would make it to the wedding but she did designing and sewing her mother of the bride dress herself and baking desserts for the reception
ms allan has spoken to her husband and her two adult children about the decision
wolf breiman 88 who learned he had multiple myeloma seven years ago does not know what will push him to the edge to ask for the medication but mr breiman who lives in ventura relishes the idea of having the right to choose precisely when and where to die
dr sunita puri a palliative medicine specialist at keck medicine of the university of southern california is writing the hospitals policy on the new law to prepare she asked her colleagues what they would do if their patients sought help in dying while more than 60 percent of those she surveyed said they supported the legislation in theory half of the doctors who responded told her they would not prescribe the medication themselves
some health care systems will make a psychiatric evaluation a prerequisite for receiving the drugs dr puri has heard from many doctors who worry that they are not fully prepared to determine whether a patient is able to make the request to die not suffering from depression or in the kind of pain that palliative and hospice care could alleviate
in berkeley dr lonny shavelson bristles each time he hears a doctor talk about discomfort with prescribing end of life medication a former emergency room physician dr shavelson has just begun his own practice dedicated to providing care for those seeking to end their lives here is how he imagines talking to reluctant doctors
dr shavelson who will charge patients 200 for an initial consultation and 1800 if they move forward said the most important response he would have for any patient who approached him was simple why he believes the approach should not be different from any other aspect of medicine


tel aviv   israels new defense minister the avowed hard liner avigdor lieberman drank a cappuccino thursday at the popular restaurant where two palestinian gunmen in black suits and ties had killed four israeli civilians the night before
minutes earlier shelly yacimovich of the center left labor party bicycled up and said she had moved all the days meetings to sarona the restaurant and shopping complex where the attack occurred it was important for me to come here she said we cannot let the terrorists win and upend our lives
these expressions of solidarity from across israels political spectrum unfolded as the government canceled the work permits of 200 of the attackers relatives closed off the west bank village where they live and canceled more than 80000 permits for palestinians to enter israel during the holy month of ramadan
surrounded by armed guards and police officers mr lieberman said he had come first and foremost to salute the people of tel aviv who he said know how to return to life and prove that life is stronger than terror
indeed in the aftermath of the killings israelis seemed determined to show resolve and demonstrate a swift return to routine
rabbi joseph gerlitzky and colleagues from the central tel aviv branch of the chabad lubavitch movement erected a table outside the scene of the shootings   max brenner a chocolate bar and cafe and benedict an adjacent all day breakfast joint they encouraged mostly secular passers by to pray for the dead mr gerlitzky urged a tougher policy against israels enemies to put fear in their hearts
shocked waiters and cooks in striped pants hugged each other while diners ate on the max brenner patio on a patch of lawn opposite dozens of youths from a pre army leadership course sat in a circle and sang peace songs
after an eight month wave of palestinian attacks that have killed about 30 israelis and two american visitors   and that had seemed to be ebbing   the killings represent a first test for mr lieberman as defense minister but despite years of tough rhetoric about how he would counter terrorism he seemed to have recognized the limits of power
even after dozens of stabbings car rammings and shooting attacks in jerusalem the west bank and cities around israel the assault on wednesday evening was particularly brazen it took place in the shadow of israels military and defense ministry headquarters across the road from sarona
the israeli military authorities responded on thursday by temporarily suspending the special travel permits granted to west bank palestinians for family visits to israel during the muslim holy month of ramadan they also suspended permits for palestinians from gaza to travel to jerusalem for prayers at al aqsa mosque
after a meeting of the security cabinet at the defense ministry in tel aviv prime minister benjamin netanyahus office toughened the response saying the ramadan permits had been canceled
the authorities said they had revoked 204 work permits held by relatives of the gunmen who are cousins the military sent two battalions of soldiers to bolster its forces in the west bank and said the palestinian town where the gunmen lived yatta in the southern west bank had been sealed off
still later the israeli authorities closed off all routes to the west bank and gaza strip until sunday with exceptions for medical and prayer visits this is often done over a long holiday weekend but the attack gave it added significance
the palestinians and human rights groups have denounced such measures and the demolition of the family homes of assailants another frequent israeli tactic as collective punishment that only encourages more violence
mr lieberman has in the past demanded much harsher measures including the death penalty for palestinians convicted of terrorism
sitting at max brenner shortly before the security cabinet meeting he warned i have no intention of divulging details of what we will do but i am sure that we have no intention of only making do with talk
many analysts had predicted that mr lieberman a former foreign minister and leader of the ultranationalist yisrael beiteinu party would be more pragmatic as defense minister there was no mention of the death penalty after the security cabinet meeting
ahmad mussa mahmara the father of one of the gunmen who were equipped with crude rifles was quoted by the associated press as saying that he was surprised by his sons act
we didnt expect this mr mahmara was quoted as saying my son is young and has been in jordan for the past four years and just came here for the past five months he does not have any political affiliation some other palestinians celebrated the killings according to reports
the four victims were identified as ido ben ari 42 whose wife was wounded in the assault ilana naveh 39 a mother of four daughters michael feige 58 a sociologist and anthropologist at ben gurion university and mila mishayev a woman in her early 30s who friends said had been engaged to be married
dr feige was a noted scholar of israeli society according to a ben gurion university statement his book settling in the hearts jewish fundamentalism in the occupied territories won a prize from the association for israel studies in 2010
four people remained hospitalized in a tel aviv hospital one of the gunmen was being treated in the same hospital for gunshot wounds from a security guard and the other was in custody according to the police
tal sharabi 22 a waiter at benedict where some victims had been sitting said he witnessed the shooting they killed people who a moment earlier i had been asking if the food was tasty and if everything was ok he said
besides politicians some residents of this coastal city came to max brenner and benedict to express solidarity
the one thing that does not affect us is fear said yoni itzhak 36 the chief executive of operativa a tel aviv consultancy as he sipped an espresso milkshake
others expressed cynicism
so suddenly everybody is together we are all one people one man said to a friend as they walked passed the politicians the rabbis and the singing youths
details emerged on thursday of a bungled response to the attack that left many israelis incredulous one gunman who had discarded his weapon fled to a nearby residential building asked an off duty police officer for water and was taken into the officers apartment for refuge according to the police
only after the officer went outside to help with the pursuit of the assailants did he realize that the man he had left upstairs with his wife and her mother was dressed in the same attire as the gunman who had been wounded he returned to his apartment with backup and overpowered the fugitive


during the second quarter of what would eventually be a humbling 30 point loss to the cleveland cavaliers in game 3 of the nba finals stephen curry of the golden state warriors the first unanimous choice for most valuable player in nba history found himself on the bench he was not there to rest or to recover from an injury but simply because he was playing poorly and the team needed to try something else to compete
warriors coach steve kerr tried to cover for curry after the game saying he just had something he wanted to talk to curry about but curry left no ambiguity as to the motivation for his benching which was truly unusual for a player of his stature
i would have done the same thing said curry who had 2 points and 3 fouls in the first half he was trying to get us some life and figure out a way to get me going
curry finished the game with an un mvp like line of 19 points 3 assists 6 turnovers and 4 fouls other than a few brief moments in the second half he barely made a dent against a relentless cleveland defense
in a series in which lebron james has nearly averaged a triple double but was scrutinized after game 2 for not taking over games more curry has yet to score 20 points in a game he has had trouble hitting shots trouble with fouls trouble with turnovers and seemed positively human after a season in which he seemingly scored at will regardless of who was covering him or how far away he was from the basket
kerr who learned the power of brevity in his years with coach gregg popovich of the san antonio spurs summed up the performance by saying he didnt play well
in many ways the struggles to make a dent in the finals go back to last season currys teams have won six of the nine games he has played in the finals over the last two seasons and even with wednesdays loss the warriors appear to be in the drivers seat for back to back titles with their two games to one lead but curry has yet to have a signature game he has scored more than 30 points just once in the finals   a 37 point performance in game 5 last season   and his two year average of 227 points a game is more than 7 points a game lower than what he averaged per game this season
curry acknowledged clevelands effort but personally took the blame for his performance in game 3
unfortunately it was all me curry said they were playing aggressive defense and they came out with a big punch and i didnt do anything about it or play my game for me to do what i need to do to help my team i have to play a hundred times better than i did
many say the curry era has eclipsed the james era it will be interesting to see if the pressure james endures begins to surround curry not only to win games and titles but also to provide jaw dropping performances rather than just well fought games in which his team wins with depth and strategy
that impossible standard was again imposed on james when phil jackson the team president of the knicks said monday that it was jamess responsibility to get his team back into this series after bad losses in the first games of the series
jackson made a reference to michael jordan leading the chicago bulls to a come from behind series victory over the knicks in the 1993 eastern conference finals saying the performance woke up something in jordan
you learned something about pulling the cape of superman jackson said its not a good idea he was a man possessed after that i think its going to take something for lebron to step into that put his cape on and say im going to have to take over a lot of this series doing the things beyond my level or my normal capacity
while james rejected the notion that he had to be like jordan or anyone else to help his team he then went out and had a 32 point 11 rebound 6 assist game throwing down several emphatic dunks making several key shots and bringing an energy to his team that had been lacking since the eastern conference finals
curry is capable of having a similar impact as evidenced by his record breaking 17 point overtime outburst in game 4 of his teams second round series against portland after wednesdays game he acknowledged that pressure was mounting for him to play to his capabilities heading into friday
theres a sense of urgency knowing how big game 4 is curry said i need to be ready


cleveland   knock me over with a feather lebron james still can play basketball
the cavaliers had lurched into a deep ditch in the past week losing the first two games of the nba finals by massacre margins
and the same tired old greek chorus took up the same tired old dirge about james why doesnt he take over games when the competition gets tough anyone with a vertical leap and basketball shorts could make his way through the powder puff eastern conference to the nba finals
a yahoo writer this week offered a wonderful parenthetical insult of james the best player in the world so called
you recalled that insult in the third quarter of game 3 on wednesday night when james came loping like a big cat in pursuit of an antelope and stripped a pass to stephen curry curry bumped james and he fell to all fours without ever losing control of the ball then james sprang to his feet and flipped the ball to kyrie irving the little point guard who faked out a warrior defender and flipped the ball into the air
irving confessed this was not a great alley oop pass it soared too high roughly in the direction of the fifth row in the stands you know some people may say its a bad pass he said but i wanted to see something great
what happened next james shrugged he threw it i had to get it
james got it he soared so high that his eyes were on a level with the basket his right hand reached elastic man style and momentarily cradled the ball before slamming it through the basket
irving smiled sardonically and whistled
it was awesome
irving was talking about the so called star the 31 year old james who finished the game with 32 points 11 rebounds and 6 assists not to mention a steal and 2 blocked shots the cavaliers won by 30
earlier you landed in this handsome great lakes city the sun glinting off shadowed waters canadian breezes washing through its streets and it was as though the burg was seized by a collective nervous breakdown you asked cavalier fans what they expected in game 3 and they squinted as if you were eyeing their wallets
why asked james fisher who walked through the citys warehouse district in a purple cavalier jersey do you expect us to lose
last year the cavaliers proceeded through the nba finals as a bird with two busted wings irving and power forward kevin love had fallen to injuries it was lebron james and 10 guys named moe his teammates were scrappy and james was magnificent and they won a couple of games anyway but they were no match for the jazz orchestra that is the golden state warriors with its cool cat lead trumpeter steph curry
the cavaliers returned to the finals this year with irving and love healthy expectations rose golden state promptly blew them out in oakland winning those first two games by a combined margin of 250 points more or less
to sit in the cavaliers arena before game 3 was to watch 20000 people try to convince themselves all was well it was a revival house atmosphere with the arenas humongotron taking the role of electronic preacher there was a photo collage of cleveland and its native son james there was muhammad ali talking about being the greatest and then a quick cut to james
there was a riff on the joys of ohio which finished with james reprising judy garland and saying theres no place like home an inspirational quote from president james garfield was mixed in garfield was born in ohio and assassinated in washington
not for the first time did you think that james might have had less agita had he elected to stay in miami
thats surf washed across the beach however and as my colleague harvey araton has pointed out james an akron native has complicated his homecoming task by insisting on playing the cavaliers de facto general manager a role for which few stars are equipped
he pushed management to obtain love from the minnesota timberwolves love was a statistical marvel accumulating points and rebounds unfortunately he has the lateral movement of a marble relief
love was hammered in the head in game 2 in part because he waited flat footed for a rebound he might more wisely have jumped for he sustained a concussion and sat out game 3
in his place coach tyronn lue started richard jefferson who even at 35 is more athletic than love
before the game reporters asked steve kerr the warriors coach and a man with a pronounced analytic bent what this meant for his team the difference is just the speed the ability to get to the rim kerr said theyre really going to spread us out and it should give them more driving lanes and more room for lebron to operate
kerr was as prescient as nostradamus jefferson was a jumping jack presence passing rebounding and hitting the occasional shot when j r smith the cavaliers hallucinogenic guard broke out of his baroque shooting slump the warrior defenders faced more hot hands than they had defenders
as kerr predicted that opened the court for lebron he possesses a sui generis blend of balance power and speed and he sees the court as though with sonar radar he takes more pride in spreading the ball than in dominating it in the style of michael jordan or kobe bryant
im not michael im not ali he said in the days before game 3 i am who i am and if im able to go out and put together a game like that it wasnt because i was possessed
james in fact willed himself into a terrific state of possession when the deep and talented warriors threatened to get back into the game he hit jump shots tossed down shake and bakes and grabbed rebounds the cavaliers pulled away
james slipped into his chair at the postgame news conference in a leather dress jacket white collar and tie a business executive with no trace of sweat i didnt change my approach and i didnt take over the game he insisted
he credited irving for a prolific scoring spree i just sprinkled in you know my production along
irving who can be a moody presence on a good day gave a sideways glance at james then he gave a snort of a laugh
none of this is to argue that the west coast cool cats are in a world of hurt they remain in control even if it is intriguing that curry and klay thompson those two expertly crafted grenades have yet to explode
the two scorers promised wednesday to bring their most ferocious game to the next contest on friday if they are good to their word they could put the cavaliers in a 3 1 hole then we can wait and listen for the greek chorus to tune up once again


porsche 911 owners are a faithful and rabid bunch who do not like their car to be messed with in the late 1990s when the people in stuttgart switched from air cooled to water cooled engines loyalists were certain the move caused the financial collapse in southeast asia and tsunamis in papua new guinea perhaps even that dreadful movie armageddon
it could be deja vu all over again with the 2017 model year all 911s are now turbocharged thats right technically it means you can buy a base carrera and crow to your friends you own a 911 turbo which you would just not a turbo model which still exists with fender intakes and 540 horsepower so thats quite a white lie buster
visually only eagle eyed porschephiles will spot the redesigned front and back fascia doors and a rear air intake that gulps more air on the 2017 version no controversy there the twin turbo version of the flat 6 engine is smaller now at 3 liters and more fuel efficient it also packs additional horsepower   420 in the carrera s cabriolet model i drove which drinks premium fuel at a rate of 20 miles per gallon city 28 highway according to the government
and then theres the torque   368 pound feet of it delivered in a wonderfully linear manner from 1700 through 5000 rpm whereas the outgoing engines power built progressively as the revolutions built up enthusiasts should hug the engineers
this new motor is more drivable especially when teamed to the 7 speed manual transmission im rowing the 7 speed pdk dual clutch automatic gearbox is a brilliant piece of machinery both transmissions are redesigned a starting price of 90450 for a base hardtop coupe will save most of us from having to choose between the two as tested the cabrio just clears 135000
going from the hard top coupe to cabrio costs around 12000 the updated leather interior in bordeaux red sets you back 4280 and the sport seats are another 2320 cant do without the spyder design wheels thatll be 2370 please
manual 911s dash from standstill to 60 miles an hour in about 4 seconds while the pdk   which stands for porsche doppelkupplung not pretty darn kwik   is a couple of ticks faster
sonically the 911s precision clockwork on amphetamines characteristic remains save for a whisper of a whistle added by the turbos that should be a deal breaker only to those sensitive to ultrasonic dog whistles that symphony of mechanical delight is deliberately guided into the cabin
corner hard and the 911s heroic abilities feel different from those of the midengine cayman and boxster the rear engine 911 essence is a perceptively heavier tail thats easier to rotate in a controlled manner brakes scrub speed off like nobodys business front vents and an active rear spoiler improve aerodynamics on the fly drop the perfectly tailored fabric top something you can do while moving at speeds up to 30 mph and air management in the cockpit is well managed
not much changes in the familiar cabin which treats eyes and fingers to materials with visual and tactile heft the worlds most over engineered cup holders spring from the dashboard and the new entertainment system is fully modern with pinch to zoom features google maps and apple carplay a front axle lift option means steep driveways will no longer keep people from owning a porsche
the frunk is roomier than you might expect two carry on suitcases will fit anything else will need to go in the back seat i use the term seat loosely
to those who would rather buy a miata and pocket the extra 100000 your frugality is commendable the mazda is a fun romp know that the 911s precision and gravitas are on a whole different level its why second mortgages were invented loyalists may approach turbocharging across the board with trepidation but newcomers to the brand should simply feel free to enjoy the evolution of a legend


last year when the much loved designer alber elbaz was unceremoniously fired as the longtime creative director of lanvin the fashion world cried foul how would that storied brand so defined by mr elbaz continue without him in february when the labels internal creative team produced a sloppy unfocused collection it seemed a portent of more mess to come
but in march the maison that jeanne lanvin built named bouchra jarrar founder of her own house and alumna of balenciaga and of christian lacroix as its artistic director of womens collections and though the official unveiling of her version of lanvin will be in september during the paris womens wear shows she was in new york this week to give retailers and some critics a sneak peek of what she has been doing
and i have to tell you its pretty smart
the combination of ms jarrars finely honed aesthetic   which might be categorized as haute cool a kind of luxurious minimalism where every button is its own fetish   with softer more feminine colors and prints a legacy of the houses founder it does not look like mr elbazs work which was quirkier and married high romance to a powerful core but it also doesnt represent a drastic break
it shares a certain vocabulary with what came before and ms jarrar is careful always to mention mr elbaz in conversation saying how much admiration she has for him and for what he created most obviously in its respect for women but rewritten in her own hand if she is in any way intimidated by what came before she isnt showing it neither do the clothes
heavy on daywear extending into cocktail though i hate that word cocktail  ms jarrar said the resort collection contains what are clearly meant to be building blocks for the brand soft jersey blouses with sweeping foulards and blouson sleeves over neatly tailored tux trousers floral mototrench jackets bias cut sleeveless silk day dresses with a vaguely 1920s air leather coats there are shoes bags and jewelry to go with each look and a resurrected logo from 1925 was the only clear nod to the archives
recently fashion has become very well fashion y swinging from 1980s costume party to animal kingdom and it is interesting to note that ms jarrar seems to understand the value of simplicity of the elegant gesture judiciously made shes not afraid to be understated paradoxically this may make her work stand out amid all the white noise both on and off the runway that is sure to fill the air in september
between now and then she says she knows she has a lot of work to do but she also seems extremely excited to do it and at a time when many designers are complaining about the amount of work required of them and the burdens of the system that sort of enthusiasm for this job is nice to see


london   irelands ban on most abortions subjects women to cruel degrading and discriminatory treatment and should be lifted in cases of fatal fetal abnormalities a committee of united nations human rights experts said on thursday
the committee found that ireland had violated a pregnant womans human rights by forcing her to choose between carrying her fetus to term   knowing it would not survive   or traveling abroad for an abortion
the committee urged ireland to change its laws   including if necessary its constitution   to allow abortions and to let medical providers give information on abortion services without fearing being subjected to criminal sanctions
although ireland became the first nation to legalize same sex marriage by popular vote last year it has some deeply conservative roots and the roman catholic churchs stance against abortion has not changed
the case considered by the united nations panel centered on a dublin woman amanda mellet who subsequently started an advocacy group urging the legalization of abortion for medical reasons
in november 2011 ms mellet who was then 21 weeks pregnant learned that her fetus had congenital defects so severe that it would either die in the womb or shortly after birth
irelands ban on abortion meant that she had to choose between continuing her nonviable pregnancy or traveling to another country while carrying a dying fetus at personal expense and separated from the support of her family and to return while not fully recovered the committee found
ms mellet traveled to england for an abortion and returned 12 hours after the procedure because she could not afford to stay longer the panel said more than 3400 irish women and girls traveled to england or wales for abortion services in 2015 according to the british department of health
she had to leave the remains of the fetus behind and the ashes were unexpectedly delivered to her three weeks later by courier according to the united nations experts
back in ireland ms mellet was denied the bereavement counseling and medical care available to women who miscarry the panel found
in addition to the shame and stigma associated with the criminalization of abortion of a fatally ill fetus the committee found ms mellets suffering was aggravated by the obstacles she faced in getting information about the appropriate medical options
the panel urged ireland to provide ms mellet with adequate compensation and psychological treatment she may need
the united nations committee monitors countries compliance with the international covenant on civil and political rights a treaty dating to 1966 to which ireland is a party but it does not have the power to compel countries to change their laws
the committee is empowered to hear complaints filed directly by citizens of countries that are parties to the covenant
irish law allows health care providers to give patients information about abortion but they face criminal sanctions if they give advice that could be interpreted as advocating or promoting the termination of a pregnancy the committee found that the ban had a chilling effect on medical providers
we are studying these views which we take seriously and we are assessing the policy and legal implications irelands health minister simon harris said in a statement on thursday i have read the report from the unhr committee and find the experience this woman had deeply upsetting i have met with families who have been through the trauma of knowing their baby will not survive and i have been very moved by hearing of their experiences i want to see this issue addressed
in 1983 voters approved the eighth amendment to the irish constitution which enshrines the right to life of the unborn in 1992 the supreme court ruled that abortion should be allowed when there is a real and substantial risk to the life of the mother including from the threat of suicide
the consequences of that ruling were murky for years
in 2012 an indian born dentist savita halappanavar died after doctors refused to perform an abortion while she was having a miscarriage prompting international outrage
the next year the irish parliament enshrined the supreme courts 1992 ruling into law but the law still does not allow abortions in cases of incest rape fetal abnormality or when there is no prospect of survival outside the womb
on thursday linda kavanagh a spokeswoman for the abortion rights campaign welcomed the united nations committees findings
we commend the bravery of amanda mellet and all the women who have spoken out about their experiences of trying to get an abortion but women should not have to look to international bodies to uphold their basic rights she said how many times does the state need to be told that its abortion laws are in violation of international human rights law before it takes action how many more women need to travel
sinead kennedy a professor at maynooth university who has studied abortion in ireland predicted that the findings will dramatically increase the pressure on the irish government to hold a referendum to repeal irelands constitutional ban on abortion she added that in ireland as in every country where abortion is restricted it is poor and migrant women who must bear the brunt of these laws


the first eight convictions for driving while intoxicated didnt stop donald middleton of houston from sliding behind the wheel and getting his ninth conviction
this time the judge had had enough
when mr middleton 56 faced judge kathleen hamilton of the 359th district court in texas on tuesday she sentenced him to life in prison he wont be eligible for parole for 30 years
such a harsh sentence is uncommon for drunken driving convictions which often lead to temporary license suspensions and prison stays that allow repeat offenders to return to the road in mr middletons case he still had a valid drivers license despite the eight convictions
mr middletons case raises the question how many times does someone have to be caught driving drunk before he or she can no longer legally drive
he was arrested in may 2015 after he turned into the wrong lane and collided head on with a vehicle driven by a 16 year old who was on the way home from work at a grocery store mr middleton ran into a nearby convenience store and repeatedly asked a clerk to hide him prosecutors said
he had a blood alcohol level of 0184 more than twice the legal limit 008 according to justin fowles a montgomery county assistant district attorney mr middleton pleaded guilty to driving while intoxicated last may and has been in jail since
the teenager joshua hayden was not injured but his father rowdy hayden said in a telephone interview that he appreciated the judges harsh sentence
it angers me as a father that this individual skirted the justice system eight times and was still out here endangering our citizens on the roadway by drinking and driving said mr hayden who is a police constable in montgomery county his proven track record showed he was going to continue to drink and drive and who knows the next time he may have killed someone
mr middleton had four previous stints in prison for driving while intoxicated his eighth conviction in 2008 involved rear ending a car with several people inside they sustained minor injuries mr middleton fell out of the car and was unable to stand mr fowles said
the conviction from that episode led to a 13 year prison sentence of which he served four years after the most recent conviction he was classified as a habitual offender which enabled the longer sentence
he had proven to us that he cant be trusted with his own freedom that hes a danger to our community and that the best thing for everyone elses safety on the roadways is for him to never be able to drive again mr fowles said in a telephone interview
rules for stopping habitual drunken drivers vary wildly by state but repeat offenders tend to get multiple extra chances the national highway traffic safety administration estimates that one in three people arrested on drunken driving charges are repeat offenders
in minnesota a 61 year old man was released from prison last year after a five year stay for his 27th conviction related to drunken driving in pennsylvania one man was arrested five times in less than a year but never lost his drivers license or served more than 10 days in jail
punishments also vary by state in new york a third aggravated charge of driving while intoxicated can bring a 10000 fine and seven years in prison although penalties can increase for multiple violations within 25 years in arkansas drivers permanently lose their licenses on their fourth drunken driving offense within five years in addition to criminal penalties
j t griffin the chief government affairs officer for mothers against drunk driving said the organization had focused on promoting ignition interlock devices which require anyone convicted of drunken driving to pass a breathalyzer test before starting a car twenty seven states have laws requiring them including new york he said
suspending licenses can be ineffective when many people continue to drive without a valid license he said
we believe in going after dui the first time not waiting for the second or third or fourth offense mr griffin said
the first time is unacceptable and nine times is just ridiculous


one of the biggest reasons donald trump is considered to be a long shot to win the presidency is the diversity of the country
as joe scarborough of msnbc put it there are not enough white voters in america for donald trump to win while getting routed among minorities
but a growing body of evidence suggests that there is still a path albeit a narrow one for mr trump to win without gains among nonwhite voters
new analysis by the upshot shows that millions more white older working class voters went to the polls in 2012 than was found by exit polls on election day this raises the prospect that mr trump has a larger pool of potential voters than generally believed
the wider path may help explain why mr trump is competitive in early general election surveys against hillary clinton and it calls into question the prevailing demographic explanation of recent elections which held that barack obama did very poorly among whites and won only because young and minority voters turned out in record numbers this story line led republicans to conclude that they had maximized their support from white voters and needed to reach out to hispanics to win in 2016
those previous conclusions emerged from exit polls released on election night the new data from the census voter registration files polls and the finalized results tells a subtly different story with potential consequences for the 2016 election
the data implies that mr obama was not as weak among white voters as typically believed he fared better than his predecessors among white voters outside the south demographic shifts werent so important he would have been re elected even with an electorate as old and white as it was in 2004 latino voters did not put mr obama over the top as many argued in the days after mr obamas re election he would have won even if he had done as poorly among latino voters as john kerry
this is all good news for mr trump theres more room for him to make gains among white working class voters than many assumed   enough to win without making gains among nonwhite or college educated white voters
but mr trumps narrow path could close if he loses ground among well educated voters and alienates even more nonwhite voters than mitt romney did four years ago his ratings among these groups remain poor and he continues to draw fresh criticism most recently for saying the judge overseeing a lawsuit against trump university is biased because of his mexican heritage
when you hear about the demographic challenges facing the republican party almost all of the data comes from exit polls surveys conducted with tens of thousands of voters at precincts across the country on election day along with a supplemental telephone survey with early voters
the exit polls are excellent surveys but like any survey theyre imperfect the problem is that analysts including me have treated the exit polls like a precise account of the electorate
there are campaigns and journalists who take the exit polls as the word of god about the shape of the electorate and their voting propensities said michael mcdonald a political scientist at the university of florida who researches voter turnout theyre meant to tell us why people voted theyre not designed to tell us much about the demographic profile of the electorate
the exit polls have a series of subtle biases that depict a younger better educated and more diverse electorate mr mcdonald tentatively reached this conclusion in 2005 and the pattern has been seen in a broader set of data
the evidence for a whiter less educated and older electorate comes from two main sources
the first   and longest standing   source of alternative data is the current population survey known as the cps conducted by the census bureau it is the same monthly survey that yields the unemployment report after elections it includes a question about whether people voted
a second source is the so called voter file a compilation of local records on every american who has registered to vote including address age and whether the person voted in a given election the voter file data used for analysis here comes from catalist a democratic data firm that offers an academic subscription researchers have found that the data is unbiased and more accurate than public voting records
these sources show a 2012 electorate that was far whiter older and less educated than the exit polls indicated
over all the exit polls suggest that 23 percent of voters in 2012 were white over age 45 and without a college degree catalist puts this group at 29 percent and the census at 30 percent   implying 10 million more voters than the 23 percent figure
whats the best estimate thats a matter for debate
the truth if you could ever get to it is probably somewhere between the three measures said joe lenski the vice president at edison research who runs the exit poll because they all have their faults
they do have their faults just about every year the census reports more people voted than actually did   especially in southern states with a large black population the census also has a challenge with people who decline to say whether they voted
things can go wrong with the voter file too if say the state erred in data entry or updates the models are imperfect as well
but for many experts in the field these issues pale next to those facing the exit polls for bernard fraga a professor of political science at indiana university there is no question that the exit poll is not as accurate he added its clearly much more reliable to look at the cps or even better to look at the voter file based work today virtually all major campaign polling voter targeting and election law litigation is conducted using voter file data
the actual results also tend to imply that the census and catalist figures make a lot more sense in many of the cases where the disagreements are greatest
take ohio where the exit polls show that the black share of the electorate increased by four percentage points to more than 15 percent of voters in 2012 if these figures are taken as precise it would imply that nearly 250000 more black voters turned out than in 2008 with the turnout reaching 88 percent of adult black citizens there is no trace of this kind of surge in turnout in the actual result the black turnout in cleveland actually dropped   to 55 percent of adult citizens
this type of story repeats itself across the battlegrounds it also plays out with age where the exit polls imply that youth turnout was higher than turnout among seniors with education where the exit polls show that more college graduates voted than actually live in america or hispanics where the exit polls show that white and hispanic turnout was nearly equal despite decades of evidence to the contrary you can see more of this data here
the larger number of white working class voters implies that democrats are far more dependent on winning white working class voters and therefore more vulnerable to a populist candidate like mr trump
over all 34 percent of mr obamas supporters were white voters without a college degree compared with 25 percent in the exit polls according to an upshot statistical model that integrated census data actual results and 15000 interviews from various pre election surveys the model yields a full alternative to the exit polls that assume an older whiter electorate like the one depicted by the census for those interested in the details about our estimates weve written a technical sidebar
this is a great way to deal with the limits of traditional surveys said andrew gelman a professor at columbia who popularized the statistical technique known as multilevel regression and post stratification it smooths out noise reduces bias and arrives at better estimates for smaller groups
mr obamas dependence among white voters might seem surprising in light of the 2012 postelection consensus but it wont be surprising if you think just a little further back   to the pre election story line mr obamas advantage heading into the election was thought to be a midwestern firewall   a big edge in midwestern battlegrounds where white working class voters supported the auto bailout and were skeptical of mr romney who was criticized for his time at bain capital
the pre election story line was tossed aside when the national exit polls showed an electorate that was even more diverse than it was in 2008 while showing mr obama faring worse among white voters than any democrat since walter mondale in 1984
but the upshot analysis shows that all of mr obamas weaknesses were in the south   defined as the former confederacy plus oklahoma missouri kentucky and west virginia   where he won just 26 percent
outside the south he won 46 percent of white voters even running ahead of mr kerry and al gore in earlier elections
many of the regions where mr obama lost ground in white areas outside the south   like the energy producing areas of north dakota or appalachia mormon utah culturally southern stretches of southern illinois or mr kerry and mr romneys home state of massachusetts   were exceptions that proved the rule
the upshot obtained similar estimates for 2012 from mr ghitza who matched polling data to the catalist voter registration file in his dissertation on the use of big data in politics mr ghitza found similar figures as the upshots estimates using different data sets and different models
demographics overrated the data implies that demographic shifts played a somewhat smaller role in mr obamas re election than the postelection narrative suggested even if the electorate were as old and as white as it was in 2004 mr obama would have won because of the gains he made among white voters in states like new mexico colorado and iowa
hispanic voters played only a modest role in mr romneys defeat they cost him florida   a must win state for republicans but also the closest contest elsewhere mr obama would have easily survived even if mr romney had equaled george w bushs 2004 share of hispanic voters
all of this is good news for a republican who intends to win with greater strength among white working class voters like mr trump
there is a downside for him the lower turnout among hispanic and young voters implies that its possible   even easy   to imagine a huge increase in hispanic and youth turnout in 2016 and mr obamas strength among northern white voters raises doubts about whether the republicans including mr trump can assume that white working class voters are receptive to conservative candidates
the best case for mr trump is that white northerners reluctantly backed mr obama because mr romney was successfully caricatured as a rapacious plutocrat
yet its hard to argue that the attacks on bain capital were responsible for mr obamas gains among young and college educated white voters these voters moved decisively in mr obamas direction perhaps in part because of cultural issues if thats right mr trump will be hard pressed to reverse mr obamas gains   and theres plenty of evidence he could slip further
the missing white voter theory there has long been a notion that mr romney was hurt by missing white voters those who voted in 2008 but skipped the 2012 presidential election and the gops hope is that mr trump could benefit with a surge of those republican leaning voters but that view of 2012 is largely unsupported by the data
the decline in white turnout in 2012 was particularly marked among registered democrats according to data from catalist republican turnout dropped a bit as well but it was less than the drop among democrats across every age cohort and among voters over age 60 republican turnout increased
according to data from l2 a nonpartisan voter file vendor the missing white voters were far more likely to be registered democrats or to have participated in democratic primaries than the white voters who actually did turn out
is it possible that some of these democrats are actually ready to vote for mr trump yes but its a stretch to argue that a huge share of them would have voted for mr romney or would vote for mr trump especially considering how young they are mr trumps support is weaker among the young they could just as easily be supporters of bernie sanders
even if the missing white voters were disproportionately republican a return to previous turnout levels wouldnt have been anywhere near enough to get mr romney over the top there were far fewer missing white voters in the battleground states than there were nationally there werent close to enough of them to flip the outcome in key states
the real pool of missing white voters are those who havent participated in any recent election or arent even registered to vote there are millions of these missing white voters   but they will be much harder to mobilize many are young and might not be especially favorable to mr trump the older ones are true bystanders in american politics
to win mr trump will need to make gains among white working class voters the earliest evidence and polling this early can be quite inaccurate suggests that he is doing that handily
so far mr trump leads mrs clinton by 27 points among white voters without a degree 58 percent to 31 percent in the last six national surveys from major news organizations in the final 2012 polls mr romney led by just 19 points among such voters 58 percent to 39 percent over mr obama
one of the big questions for mr trump is whether his polling gains among that group should they hold will manifest themselves in battleground states mr romneys national gains over mr bush did him relatively little good they were concentrated in the south and appalachia where they had little influence on the electoral college for now its an open question whether mr trump will make outsize gains in important states like iowa ohio or wisconsin where he struggled in the primary season
mr trumps big advantage among white working class voters hasnt translated to a much stronger position in national polls thats because he is underperforming mr romneys 2012 results among white voters with a college degree and nonwhite voters often by a far greater amount than hes gaining among working class whites
the same polls show mrs clinton leading among college educated white voters by 47 percent to 42 percent its a reversal from 2012 when mr romney led that group by six points 52 percent to 46 percent in the final polls
even modest additional gains for mrs clinton among well educated white voters or nonwhite voters would quickly start to make things very challenging for mr trump
if mr trump lost five points among well educated white voters and hispanics which is how hes doing in current polls his target for white working class voters would quickly skyrocket in a battleground state like colorado for example he would need to gain 15 percentage points more of the white working class
whether mr trump can suppress his losses among well educated voters and latinos will be decided by a lot more than demographics usually the so called fundamentals   including the current presidents approval rating and the pace of economic growth   play a big role in determining whether voters will support the incumbents party this year there are other big questions whether mr trumps penchant to offend goes too far and whether mrs clinton has an advantage with women and faces a penalty among men and which is bigger
so far the polls suggest he will lose too much ground among well educated and nonwhite voters to win but the diversity of the country in itself does not rule out a victory for mr trump


to figure out how president obama won re election in a slightly older and white electorate the upshot built a model using pre election polling and census data to estimate the support and turnout of more than 8000 demographic groups
heres some of what you might want to know about what we did its strengths and weaknesses
how does this work
the estimates are based on two models one uses more than 15000 interviews from pre election polls to estimate how people voted based on their demographic characteristics the other uses the data from the censuss current population survey to estimate whether people voted based on the same factors the type of model were using is good for estimating small demographic groups because it partly pools data the estimate for hispanic voters in florida isnt informed just by the 44 respondents there but from respondents all over the country the estimates are then adjusted to match the result if you want more details were closely following the procedures outlined in this paper by yair ghitza and andrew gelman the code data and a more technical discussion are available here
what does it show
on balance the estimates are startlingly similar to the exit polls its about as close as we would expect if it were a second exit poll
on average our estimates for mr obamas share of the vote differ from the exit polls by just 1 percentage point across race age sex education or all of those same categories for white voters the same story even holds at the state level where mr obamas share of the white vote differs from the exit polls by an average of 14 points
it might seem a little weird to emphasize the similarities with the exit poll in a project that generally pushes back against the exit polls but the exit poll really is a very good survey   it falters only if its subjected to the sort of exacting demographic analysis that it simply isnt designed to withstand the similarity between the exit poll and upshot results is reason for confidence in both
is this better than the exit polls
almost all of the differences between our findings and the exit polls are because of differences in the composition of the electorate since our electorate is based on cps data it tends to show democrats doing a hair better among white voters   but there would be almost no difference at all if it were not for the differences in the composition of the electorate
one of the clearest examples is north carolina the exit polls showed that the black share of the electorate was higher in 2004 at 26 percent than the 23 percent of 2008 and 2012 yet the data from the state board of elections shows that the north carolina exit polls were off by 7 percentage points in 2004 when the black voters represented 19 percent of the electorate the black share of the electorate increased to 22 percent in 2008 and then up again to 23 percent in 2012
the large number of white voters in 2004 had big consequences for the democratic share of white voters in 2004 in such a diverse electorate the exit polls show john kerry faring far worse among white voters than mr obama did in reality mr kerry most likely did better than the exit polls showed   and as our estimates show
at the very least the estimates offer an alternative picture of what happened if the census cps is more or less right and if you believe that the cps is a better measure of turnout than the exit polls then these estimates are probably better measures of vote share in the states where the cps and exit polls disagree by the most
there are other advantages
# a surprising advantage is that the modeled estimates are adjusted to match the results with more precision than the exit polls this is a bigger issue than you might guess nationally the exit polls have mr obama winning by 28 points or about a point short of his 39 point victory our estimates are adjusted to precisely match the results
the difference is even more pronounced in western states like california or arizona where late ballot counts broke heavily toward democrats the exit polls do not appear to be adjusted to reflect the so called blue shift the tendency for late ballots including provisionals to break heavily for democrats long after election day
# cluster effects   such as when the polls selection of precincts misses or over represents a small group   are not an issue the 2004 results for hispanic voters for instance give mr kerry a 58 to 41 edge among hispanic voters that is similar to the compilation of the 50 state exit polls which gave mr kerry a 58 to 40 advantage   rather than the infamous 53 to 44 percent victory in the national exit poll
# there are a lot of groups for which we have no exit poll data where the model can help fill in the blanks most obvious are the 19 states where there were no exit polls in 2012 there are also many demographic categories   like 18 to 29 year old hispanic men in alaska with some college education   for which neither we nor the exit polls have any survey data but where the modeled estimates might still be illuminating theyre not precise by any stretch the margin of error might be plus or minus 10 points or more but its better than nothing
for what its worth we think mr obama won 43 percent of 18 to 29 year old hispanic men with some college education in alaska with a mere 27 percent of them turning out to vote
all right so where is it worse
nothing is perfect and our estimates are no exception
a good rule is to be the most cautious about our estimates in the states where the composition of the electorate is similar to the exit polls but where the exit polls nonetheless give meaningfully different results
in those cases it can be helpful to go back to previous years of exit polls and see whether the difference holds over time if the bias isnt consistent from cycle to cycle the exit poll could just be off because of noise from precinct selection or smaller samples
but if the bias is consistent the exit polls may be picking up on something important and distinctive about a states population that the model doesnt have enough sample to detect
the sample simply is not large enough for precise state level analysis of diverse but small populations like hispanic voters
the hispanic vote is actually about as politically diverse as the white vote by state albeit shifted to the left by about 30 points in some states like new york hispanic voters overwhelmingly support democrats in much of the south the hispanic vote is fairly competitive
the model clearly detects this pattern and gives mr obama more support among hispanic voters in blue states but this important pattern isnt everything new yorks hispanic population with many dominicans and puerto ricans may be more democratic than californias hispanic population with more who have mexican ancestry even though the two states voted for mr obama by fairly similar margins
the model simply doesnt have the data to make these distinctions there are just 757 hispanic respondents nationwide for 2012 and 374 for 2004 the sample of hispanic voters is simply too small in any given state to convince the model that its looking at a real effect
weve helped this issue by creating a category for race and subregion  like the interior west or the deep south big states like new york or florida are left as their own subregions this improves upon race and state   by allowing the model to see trends in regions with a large number of demographically distinctive voters but small population by state it helps the model identify for instance just how badly democrats do among white voters in the deep south even so id still bet on the model underestimating or missing important interstate distinctions among hispanic voters id even bet it still overestimates democratic strength among white voters in mississippi as well
the model doesnt have the data to correct for the peculiarities of a states hispanic population public pollsters dont usually record the nationality of hispanics which might have allowed us to distinguish between say voters of dominican and mexican ancestry the polls dont record the county of voters either which might have placed many of new yorks hispanic voters in heavily democratic new york city rather than more competitive or even republican parts of southern and central california if public pollsters are interested in using their polls for this sort of modeling in the future adding additional demographic and geographic variables could be very helpful
the exit polls have many of their own challenges but they do have one advantage in this area the size of the state exit polls which gives them a much better chance of detecting something peculiar or distinctive about a small subgroup in a state there were 698 hispanic voters in the florida exit poll nearly as many as we have for the entire country
as a result they deserve extra consideration in the states where they show very different results from our estimates among hispanic or other voters and where those groups represent a large share of the electorate fortunately florida is not one of those states the exit polls give mr obama 60 percent of the hispanic vote our estimates give him 58 percent
the clearest example is new york in 2004 and 2012 the exit polls gave the democratic nominee 75 and 88 percent of the hispanic vote while the upshots model gave mr obama 69 and 79 percent of the vote that bias is consistent enough it holds in 2000 as well that i would assume the exit polls are picking up on something real that our model simply cant pick up with the available data for that same reason my guess is that our model slightly overstates democratic strength among white voters in new york
similarly i think the model struggles to fully capture the extent of racial polarization in the deep south there just arent enough respondents there to convince the model that it can really be as bad as it probably is
there are similar issues in states with a large number of voters who are asian american native american or some other race unfortunately some of the polls used by the model clump all of these groups together   so our model clumps them together as well
the good news is that these biases tend to be consistent so interestingly the exit poll and our model show the same change in mr obamas share among white voters in new york or mississippi and alabama even though they differ on vote share


the exit polls in the last few presidential elections point to a younger and more diverse electorate than the census and the voter file do as we reported here but just because its two against one doesnt mean the exit polls are wrong
its an interesting problem where its like you have three watches said michael mcdonald a political scientist who researches voter turnout two watches look like theyre in agreement so we might come to the conclusion that two watches in agreement must be correct but that doesnt mean there arent biases in these data sources that lead to similarities without necessarily reflecting the true population
one way to help clarify the debate is to look at the actual results to see whether any turnout scenario makes considerably more sense than any other one
on balance the results look a lot more like the electorate in the current population survey or voter file than the exit polls   at least in the places where the disagreement is greatest
to extend mr mcdonalds analogy further sometimes its not just two watches saying its noon against one that says its the evening   it also looks awfully bright outside
the approach here is to consider the implied turnout rate among adult citizens for instance the exit polls say that black voters represented 126 percent of the national electorate that would imply a turnout of 164 million black voters 126 percent of 130 million votes or about 606 percent of the 271 million black adult citizens in the 2012 american community survey here the figures arent especially telling either way sixty one percent black turnout is certainly plausible but other times they yield numbers that make little or no sense or cant be backed up in the results
take age   the place where the voter file offers such a clear verdict that we dont really need any additional evidence but if we were looking to see whether the exit poll turnout rates made sense we would note that they actually imply a higher turnout among young voters than voters over age 65 in 2012   a finding at odds with decades of research on participation by age or just common sense its not a one year pattern either
the exit poll results for hispanic voters is nearly as stark with hispanic turnout virtually even with non hispanic turnout   for both 2004 and 2012 if true it would overturn years of research about the issue which has long held that hispanic participation trails far below the national average
the actual results however suggest that the conventional wisdom about hispanic turnout is right the turnout in heavily hispanic areas was far lower than in non hispanic places
this type of analysis has its own weaknesses the kinds of hispanic voters who live in overwhelmingly hispanic areas for instance may not be representative of all hispanic voters it also assumes that the exit polls definition of hispanic voters is close enough to the census definition that the two can be compared in these terms nonetheless its hard to reconcile the self evidently low turnout of heavily hispanic areas with the apparent parity in hispanic and non hispanic turnout reported by the exit polls
the disparity between the reported turnout in the exit polls and the actual results is even more striking in the states where the exit polls portray a far more diverse electorate than the cps like ohio or missouri
there the exit poll findings are clearly questionable in ohio for instance the exit polls imply that 88 percent of black adult citizens turned out thats an astonishingly high figure for any demographic group
there were similar turnout rates in nearby wisconsin and missouri these rates vastly exceeded the national turnout rate for black voters which the exit polls would have placed near 60 percent
there is virtually no evidence of such high black turnout in the actual results in cleveland for example the turnout rate was 57 percent
for brevity weve grouped the states where black turnout exceeds 75 percent of adult citizens in the exit polls excluding minnesota where there is not a large enough black population to facilitate the analysisthere just arent many places where the turnout rate exceeded 75 percent at all let alone on average
pennsylvania is probably the only state with a modest difference between the cps and the exit polls where the election returns are consistent with a black turnout in the 70 percent range interestingly pennsylvania is also one of the few states where catalist shows a more diverse electorate than the cps
importantly many of these state level trends arent consistent from year to year many of the states with the highest black turnout in 2012 had a big increase from 2008 or 2004 once again theres no evidence of a surge in black turnout in these same areas   the turnout in cleveland may not have increased at all together its a pattern thats very consistent with the theory that its mainly noise from precinct selection
the census in comparison tends to posit more reasonable estimates for turnout there are exceptions in north carolina in 2012 for instance the exit poll turnout rate among black voters seems more likely than the census data   and indeed is confirmed by the states voter file data
but north carolina is hardly a clear victory for the exit polls in 2004 it showed john kerry benefiting from an electorate that was even more diverse than it was in 2008 or 2012 few analysts used this data to argue that the black share of the electorate actually dropped in north carolina with mr obamas historic election   it was self evidently wrong but often the exit polls miss by just as much without it being nearly so clear
none of the data is perfect but on balance the catalist data and the cps are more consistent with the actual results and common sense than the exit polls at least in the places where the disagreements are largest


washington   senator bernie sanders met with president obama on thursday and said afterward that he would do everything within his power to stop donald j trump from becoming president   and would work closely with hillary clinton to make that happen
after the meeting with mr obama which lasted more than an hour mr sanders gave no indication that he was ready to leave the race just yet insisting that he would compete in next weeks primary contest here in washington however he made clear that party unity was on his mind
i will work as hard as i can to make sure that donald trump does not become president of the united states mr sanders told reporters saying the manhattan businessman makes bigotry and discrimination the cornerstone of his campaign and would be a disaster as commander in chief
he said he would continue fighting for the issues that animated his campaign including enhancing social security benefits college affordability and restoring the nations crumbling infrastructure
these are the issues that we will take to the democratic national convention in philadelphia in july mr sanders said declining to answer reporters shouted questions about whether he would leave the race
shortly after their meeting mr obama endorsed mrs clinton in a video he also praised the campaign that mr sanders ran
the visit came a day after the senator huddled with his team at his headquarters in vermont to discuss the fate of his candidacy
mr sanders who requested the meeting with the president pulled into the white house grounds at 1056 am after stopping at a nearby peets coffee for a scone mr obama and mr sanders strolled down the colonnade next to the rose garden on their way into the oval office chatting inaudibly and grinning broadly nearby a thick line of cameras and cluster of microphones were assembled in the driveway outside the west wing where journalists peppered the vermont senator with questions
mr obama was trying to negotiate however gently with him to exit the democratic race without inflicting damage on efforts to unite the party
my hope is is that over the next couple of weeks were able to pull things together mr obama said during a taping of an appearance on the tonight show starring jimmy fallon on wednesday in new york theres a natural process of everybody recognizing that this is not about any individual
briefly posing for photographers before his meeting in the capitol with senator harry reid the minority leader mr sanders ignored three questions about mr obamas endorsement of mrs clinton
his face flushed mr sanders did not speak at all but mr reid gently scolded the assembled journalists for asking questions at what was supposed to be just a photo opportunity
after his meeting with reid mr sanders made a quick exit through a back hall on his way to meet with senator chuck schumer of new york he was also scheduled to meet with vice president joseph r biden jr
after mrs clinton won tuesdays california primary mr sanders refused to quit the race despite mrs clintons wide margin of victory and the fact that she had the support of enough delegates for the nomination but some of his supporters have started to walk away prompting growing calls that it is time to bring the party together to defeat mr trump
on wednesday mr sanders sent out a fund raising email asking for contributions of 270 and at 7 pm he will hold a rally outside of rfk stadium in washington where he will discuss his plans for getting big money out of politics and making public universities tuition free


tokyo   china sent a warship for the first time on thursday into disputed waters near a group of japanese controlled islands in the east china sea the japanese government said
japanese officials said they had summoned the chinese ambassador in tokyo around 2 am after the warship a frigate was spotted less than 24 nautical miles from the uninhabited island chain known as the senkaku in japan and the diaoyu in china the ship left after about two hours the officials said
china regularly sends nonmilitary patrol vessels to the area where they engage in cat and mouse chases with the japanese coast guard but it was the first time in the long and sometimes tense dispute over the islands and their surrounding waters that china has used a naval ship to so directly challenge japans control the officials said
chinas actions unilaterally escalate tensions in the area and we are seriously concerned yoshihide suga the japanese chief cabinet secretary said at a news briefing prime minister shinzo abe ordered the japanese navy and coast guard to be on alert mr suga added
chinas ministry of national defense did not explicitly confirm that the ship had entered the disputed waters but it defended its right to send vessels there
weve noted the relevant reports the ministry said in a statement the diaoyu islands and affiliated islands are chinese territory for chinas military vessels to pass through waters under the countrys own jurisdiction is reasonable and legitimate and other countries have no right to make irresponsible comments
beijings coast guard vessels often pass near the islands and three did so as recently as wednesday according to the chinese maritime authorities the countrys coast guard is a civilian force but the government has modernized its ships to the point where they are powerful vessels
japan along with the united states its close ally has struggled to reckon with chinas growing influence in asias seas china declared an air defense zone over much of the east china sea in 2013 including the areas that it disputes with japan and it has patrolled the zone with fighter jets
in the south china sea japan has supported the obama administration in objecting to chinas development of disputed reefs and outcrops into artificial islands with military facilities the united states has sent warships past the reefs as a way to demonstrate that it does not recognize chinese sovereignty
chinas sail by on thursday seemed calculated to send a similar message it came just two days after secretary of state john kerry and his chinese counterpart yang jiechi exchanged sharply divergent views over the south china sea at a meeting in beijing and two weeks after a gathering of group of 7 leaders in japan at which japanese officials placed discussion of chinas maritime activities high on the agenda
the chinese frigate entered a band of ocean around the disputed islands that japan claims as a so called contiguous zone   an area just beyond a countrys exclusive territorial waters where it can exert a limited degree of control like by patrolling for activity it considers illegal many countries including the united states assert such zones
japanese vessels were in contact with the chinese frigate as it approached the contiguous zone and warned it for about two hours to change course before it entered officials in tokyo said
in a complicating twist japan said two russian vessels were also spotted in the islands contiguous zone around the same time though it was unclear whether their presence was connected with that of the chinese frigate japanese officials said they did not protest the entry of the russian vessels
china has its own particular claim to the area said the japanese vice foreign minister akitaka saiki russia doesnt so we distinguish between chinese and russian actions and respond accordingly


moving into general election mode senate democrats on thursday will begin rolling out a policy agenda meant to answer at least in part republican plans coming out of the house
a better way the name of the republican proposals announced by speaker paul d ryan will vie with we the people the title of the democrats plan
led by senators chuck schumer of new york sheldon whitehouse of rhode island tom udall of new mexico and jeff merkley of oregon the democrats package will include senate bills   likely to never see the light of day on the floor under republican control   that would hit campaign contributions lobbying laws and other accountability issues
one measure would require organizations spending money in elections including super pacs to disclose donors who give 10000 or more during an election cycle another would require all candidates for federal office to report campaign contributions over 1000 to the federal election commission within 48 hours the democrats would also seek a permanent ban on lobbying by former members of congress a major change from the current two year prohibition
democrats plan to take their message on the road this summer highlighting republican opposition and generally painting the conservative party as being in bed with special interests
billions of dollars in dark money are swamping our elections empowering the special interests undermining our democracy and dragging congress to a halt mr schumer said in an email getting the undisclosed money out of politics and reforming our lobbying rules will create a healthier democracy and a congress that can actually get things done for the american people


mexico city   the drug that killed prince has become a favorite of mexican cartels because it is extremely potent popular in the united states   and immensely profitable american officials say
law enforcement and border authorities in the united states warn that mexican cartels are using their own labs to produce the drug fentanyl as well as receiving shipments from china then the cartels distribute the substance through their vast smuggling networks to meet rising american demand for opiates and pharmaceuticals
it is really the next migration of the cartels in terms of making profit said jack riley acting deputy administrator of the drug enforcement administration this goes to the heart of the marketing genius of the cartels they saw this coming
it is still unclear how prince who the authorities say died of an overdose of fentanyl in april obtained the drug doctors can prescribe fentanyl a synthetic opioid for cancer patients and for palliative care including end of life treatment
but the presence of illicit fentanyl is surging to levels not seen since 2006 when a similar streak of overdose deaths in the united states was connected to a single laboratory in mexico
officials say the popularity of fentanyl among the cartels hews to a familiar narrative changes in the illegal drug market and basic opportunism
as a crackdown on prescription drugs drove the cost of pills like oxycodone higher the cartels began banking on users opting for heroin instead it was cheaper more readily available and relatively easy to procure
now fentanyl which can be made in a laboratory without the hassle of growing poppy is a more lucrative   and deadly   iteration
hundreds of americans have died in fentanyl related overdoses in recent years yet it offers tremendous profits for criminal networks in places like massachusetts where the fentanyl epidemic has arguably hit hardest
a kilogram of heroin purchased from colombia for roughly 6000 can be sold wholesale for 80000 according to dea data
but a kilogram of pure fentanyl purchased from china for less than 5000 is so potent that it can be stretched into 16 to 24 kilograms when using cutting agents like talcum powder or caffeine each kilogram can then be sold wholesale for 80000   for a total profit in the neighborhood of 16 million
cartels and drug traffickers are not stupid said jorge javier romero vadillo a professor at cide a mexico city university they are rational economic actors whose actions and decisions are directly related to demand
mexican officials are wary of the american warnings that the cartels are responsible for widespread production or distribution of fentanyl worried that their counterparts in the united states are instinctively blaming mexico even though the public data on fentanyl traffic from mexico is still limited
there have been notable seizures of the drug south of the border however last fall federal agents in mexico discovered 27 kilograms of fentanyl   the dosage equivalent of almost one ton of heroin   on a remote landing strip in the state of sinaloa
the raid also uncovered about 19000 tablets of fentanyl marked by traffickers to look like oxycodone two men detained in the raid were high ranking members of the sinaloa cartel led by the drug kingpin joaquin guzman loera also known as el chapo
after the 2015 seizure we ramped up efforts among all government agencies said brig gen inocente fermin hernandez the head of mexicos national center for anti crime policy planning and information a division of the attorney generals office we realize we need to take appropriate measures to know and investigate if we are dealing with fentanyl every time we find a laboratory
for more than a year the drug enforcement administration in the united states has warned of a fentanyl epidemic at home its potency roughly 40 times that of heroin has made fentanyl a popular choice for addicts and a profitable choice for dealers broken down and sold in less pure forms the drug can be 20 times more profitable than heroin or more experts say
american border agents seized about 200 pounds of synthetic opioids like fentanyl last year the majority of it along the southwest american border with mexico said r gil kerlikowske the commissioner of united states customs and border protection
while the numbers are still small he said the increase is alarming in 2014 only eight pounds were seized
since 2010 fentanyl recovered by american law enforcement across the country has risen twentyfold from 640 samples tested to 13002 last year according to data from the national forensic laboratory information system a dea program
deaths by overdose have moved in lock step with the rising availability of the drug from late 2013 to late 2014 the most recent years available more than 700 americans died from fentanyl related overdoses
fentanyl is used in many forms by the cartels officials say it is mixed with heroin to increase its strength a combination known locally as diablito or little devil
it can also be diluted and ingested directly taken directly the dosage can be as small as a few grains of salt
increasingly however fentanyl is being fashioned into fake oxycodone pills a recognition that the recent rise in heroin addiction in america stems from the abuse of prescription painkillers
in february a 19 year old was stopped crossing the border from tijuana into the united states with about 1200 pills marked as oxycodone the young man sergio linyuntang mendoza bohon was stopped at the border by an agent who noticed a suspicious bulge in his waistline
his underwear was lined with drugs he told agents that he was paid 300 to smuggle the pills along with less than an ounce of white powder though he told investigators the pills were painkillers the lab results tested positive for fentanyl
some experts are more circumspect about the role of the cartels saying there is still a lack of hard data to show their extensive involvement the majority of drug seizures in mexico still largely consist of heroin cocaine and methamphetamines
but others suspect the low numbers are because the mexican authorities have not been testing for fentanyl when they seize drugs a problem that also plagues local law enforcement in the united states
mr romero the professor said the full dimensions of the problem in mexico are as yet unknown
our problem is that we dont have any hard data to compare and contrast he said
the dea said the relative newness of fentanyl abuse means that law enforcement officials are seeing the early indications of the trend on the ground states like california massachusetts and new hampshire have had alarming rises in overdose deaths and the penetration of fentanyl in their local drug markets officials in those states also blame mexicos cartels
drug enforcement officials say the distribution of fentanyl mirrors the distribution patterns of other cartel drugs like heroin mr riley of the dea says a chicago street gang known as the gangster disciples which traffics drugs for cartels in the city is now pumping fentanyl into the market in chicago and all the way to new hampshire
general hernandez was more skeptical saying that there had been just four episodes involving fentanyl that the mexican government was aware of in the last decade starting with production in a clandestine lab in 2006 and then more recently the raid in late 2015
still he acknowledged that the search for the drug was new and that its prevalence is most likely underreported working with the americans he said his office is now paying more attention to the issue including instructing personnel conducting raids at laboratories to take more precautions than usual
fentanyl which often comes in white powder form can be introduced through contact with the skin given its power it can cause an overdose just by touching it especially among nonusers
still general hernandez said there were no records of any mexicans dying from an overdose neither users nor producers raising the question of whether mexicos role in the fentanyl epidemic is overblown but he also acknowledged that as with other drugs mexico is more often a provider of illicit drugs than a user of them
fentanyl is very difficult to detect at first glance he said not everybody is able to recognize it


paris   the second big continental soccer championship of the summer kicks off friday and while the copa america features world cup winners in brazil and argentina the european championship offers even more germany italy spain france and england not to mention a host of new faces and its own gallery of star players
who is playing and how does it work
well france obviously and locals certainly remember that the last time les bleus hosted a major soccer event   the 1998 world cup   they won it traditional powers like germany the defending world cup champion and spain which claimed the last two euros are here too england the czech republic and portugal are among the other qualifying group winners in the field and there are newcomers iceland northern ireland wales albania and slovakia are making their debut at the 24 team tournament one notable absence the netherlands which finished third at the 2014 world cup but then   surprisingly unless youre a longtime dutch fan   failed to qualify for this years expanded euros
how do teams qualify
qualifying for euro 2016 was an arduous process with 53 nations competing for the 23 spots alongside the host over about 14 months once the field was set the teams were broken into six groups of four each team will play the other three in its group once the top two teams in each group as well as the four best third place teams will advance to the round of 16 making every match vital in the complicated math that will determine the four lucky also rans who will get thrown a lifeline for the knockout round the final will be on july 10 at stade de france the national stadium near paris
how do i watch
espn will televise every game live in the united states on its networks espn espn2 espn deportes the broadcast windows will be familiar to american audiences accustomed to watching european league games   9 am eastern time noon and 3 pm for the most part   and thus troublesome for companies trying to get their employees to focus on their work
are there security concerns
in a word yes france has been in a government declared state of emergency since the paris terrorist attacks in november and that status will be extended through the duration of the tournament the police presence at stadiums fan zones and in the 10 host cities is expected to be staggering and officials have said that more than 100000 police officers soldiers and private security officers will be at work during the tournament such a unique event in exceptional circumstances requires extra security measures said the interior minister bernard cazeneuve
french officials have been adamant that all precautions are being taken including simulations of potential attacks in each host city although the authorities were criticized after a test match for the new security procedures   the recent french cup final at the stade de france   was chaotic fans were able to smuggle dangerous objects including flares smoke bombs and firecrackers into the stadium and inefficient security screens left packs of fans crushed into dangerous masses of people outside the entry points cazeneuve after acknowledging that the event went poorly vowed that the errors would be fixed
who will win
it is hard to pick against germany whose team is so loaded   with manuel neuer thomas muller mesut ozil and toni kroos among many others   that coach joachim low wont be troubled by having to leave out the talented but injury plagued marco reus france with home country advantage and stars like paul pogba and antoine griezmann is right alongside the germans   and even ahead of them   in many odds tables
england has a long history of disappointment in major tournaments but brings several exciting young players to the euros including forward marcus rashford manchester uniteds teenage sensation and forward harry kane who scored a premier league leading 25 goals for tottenham this season jamie vardy who finished second to kane in the scoring race arrived in france on monday amid reports he was considering leaving leicester city which he led to an improbable league title for arsenal
other teams with strong chances include belgium which has the creative eden hazard and spain which flopped at the world cup two years ago but still arrives with a loaded roster
if you are looking for the proverbial dark horse you could do worse than austria ranked 11th in the world the austrians have a slew of top players including bayern munichs david alaba and leicesters christian fuchs as well as a stable starting lineup and tactical approach in a group with hungary portugal and iceland austria will be hoping to make the quarterfinals at a minimum
is there a mascot
is there a mascot come on of course there is hes an animated cheery young boy wearing soccer cleats and a cape his name is super victor
will michel platini be involved
well not in any official capacity platini the suspended president of uefa the governing body overseeing european soccer is technically allowed to attend matches but only as a paying customer and not in any sort of vip area platini who was suspended from soccer activities along with the former fifa president sepp blatter over corruption allegations has previously referred to the euros in his home country as my child platinis former secretary general at uefa gianni infantino is expected to attend the tournament in his new job president of fifa
everyones a favorite
# i believe portugal can get to the final and win and so do the players   portugal manager fernando santos who took greece to the quarterfinals of the 2012 euros and to the round of 16 at the 2014 world cup
# when it comes to set pieces poland might be even better than bayern munich   robert lewandowski the captain of polands national team and a star forward for bayern munich poland will play northern ireland germany and ukraine in the group stage
# this time italy are not favorites but we will find the trigger to do something that will surprise everyone - gianluigi buffon italys longtime goalkeeper on whether the azzurri the runners up to spain in 2012 are an underdog this year


hillary clinton now has enough delegates pledged and unpledged to secure the democratic presidential nomination she has won many more votes than senator bernie sanders of vermont so the primary is over right
not yet mr sanders has not folded his tent he is still raising money and scheduling appearances and he has vowed to take his campaign all the way to philadelphia where democrats will gather next month to formally nominate mrs clinton
publicly mr sanderss position is that he can still win the nomination if he persuades unpledged superdelegates   elected officials party habitues and various others granted delegate status by virtue of their office or connections   to support him by the time they have to cast their vote at the convention in late july so far almost all the hundreds of superdelegates have said they will vote for mrs clinton none have publicly defected few seem likely to do so but the possibility that they will gives mr sanders a reason to keep campaigning keep raising money and keep criticizing mrs clinton and the party establishment that gives him leverage
in a word influence mr sanders sees himself as not only a candidate but the leader of a political movement to advance that movement he wants to see his views reflected in the partys official platform and at the convention that could mean stronger platform language on the regulation of big banks or a plank demanding free public college mr sanders is also seeking changes to the democratic primary rules including the abolition of superdelegates   though in the short term he wants their support   and the expansion of open primaries in which non democrats can vote for democratic candidates and he wants to boot two clinton supporters the former congressman barney frank and gov dannel p malloy of connecticut from their convention committee chairmanships over past criticisms of him
like past runners up mr sanders will want a prime time speaking slot at the convention itself as well as prominent speaking opportunities for some of his supporters he may wish to have some of his aides installed on mrs clintons campaign or on the democratic national committee it is likely that he would want to be consulted on mrs clintons choice for a running mate chances are low that she would pick mr sanders himself but that is what negotiations are for
he may even seek a full roll call vote in which his hundreds of delegates would seek to nominate him from the floor in mrs clintons place
because of what he can give them a vast list of potential supporters whom mrs clinton and other democrats could mine for votes and money young democrats in particular have been drawn to mr sanders this election cycle his supporters are particularly important to mrs clinton recent surveys suggest that anywhere from half to almost three quarters of those in favor of mr sanders are willing to vote for mrs clinton she does not need all of them to win the white house but the more sanders supporters she can persuade to come to her side the better her chances will be against donald j trump
acceding to too many demands may risk tying mrs clinton to positions she does not agree with there may be some platform requests that could hurt her in a general election proposing a ban on fracking for example would be unpopular in states like ohio and pennsylvania where the drilling technique generates lots of jobs and tax revenue mr sanderss representatives have also signaled that they will seek to alter the partys platform planks on israel to better reflect the views of democrats critical of the countrys government a debate that could provoke a bitter fight within the party a roll call vote would show up mrs clinton at a time when she would want to project strength
by one accounting very little mr sanders 74 is unlikely to mount another bid for president his senate seat seems safe senate democrats itching to retake the chamber this fall can hardly afford to shun him he seems to welcome rather than fear the scorn of party leaders and of course he isnt even a democrat he is an independent he caucuses with the democrats and is counted as one in the arithmetic for which party controls the chamber
but another scenario is epitomized by ralph nader mr nader was a storied consumer crusader when he ran for president as the green party candidate in 2000 revered on the left for his activism and principles but democrats blamed his presence on the ballot for the close finish in florida that ultimately allowed george w bush to win the states electoral votes and with them the presidency
many democrats came to view mr nader as an obstreperous self aggrandizing spoiler his stature and influence in liberal circles have suffered significantly as a result you dont want to go out like ralph nader said howard dean a democratic presidential candidate in 2004 who is supporting mrs clinton this year mr dean said that nobody cared what ralph nader says anymore and people should care what bernie sanders says because his message is important


scan the menu at some of chinas more expensive restaurants and youre likely to come across birds nest soup according to traditional chinese medicine practitioners the soup provides a boost to the immune system smooths the skin and acts as an aphrodisiac which may be why the dish can sell for thousands of dollars
it requires a special kind of nest made by a particular species of swiftlet a tropical bird mostly found in southeast asia and guess what this bird uses to build its nest not twigs leaves or even feathers but its own saliva
yes gobs of spit make this dish one of the most expensive in the world
many of the nests come from the philippine island of palawan a tropical paradise often used as a filming location for action movies like the bourne legacy the swiftlets build nests in the crevices of the islands limestone cliffs where harvesters have been collecting them for centuries to sell to chinese traders the best were once eaten by emperors the nests are dry when harvested but turn jellylike in the soup which is usually sprinkled with rock sugar
scientists say the soup has some genuine nutritional value beyond the calories burned from bragging about having slurped it down the nests contain protein carbohydrates and some fiber though how exactly they smooth skin or bolster sexual vigor is unproved
but on a larger scale the delicacy is probably doing more harm than good as with so many traditional chinese cravings like shark fin soup elephant ivory or alcohol made from tiger bones the growing demand for birds nest soup has spelled trouble for the birds they are no match for the skilled harvesters who find and remove their nests sometimes with chicks still in them swiftlet populations have fallen steeply in some regions prompting conservation officials to look for ways to protect the species


london   dong energy the danish utility and the worlds largest offshore wind energy operator said on thursday that it was valued at 982 billion danish kroner or about 15 billion in its initial public offering in copenhagen
the share sale is the largest initial public offering in europe this year
dong energy said that it priced its offering of 728 million shares on nasdaq in copenhagen at 235 kroner a share at the upper end of its expected range
shares of dong energy rose 9 percent in trading in copenhagen on thursday morning
its a privilege to welcome all new shareholders both the professional investors and the many danish private investors thomas thune andersen the dong energy chairman said in a news release i see it as a vote of confidence in the management and the many talented and dedicated employees
the company unveiled plans in may to list its shares after saying in september that it would pursue an offering after a review
the offering consisted of a sale of 174 percent of the company and generated proceeds of 171 billion kroner
the danish government still owns 504 percent of the company after the listing
as a representative of the majority shareholder im pleased to see that there has been a lot of interest in becoming part of the ownership of dong energy   both among retail and professional investors said claus hjort frederiksen the danish finance minister it gives dong energy a solid foundation to retain and develop its position as one of the leading green energy companies in the world
dong energy generates more than half of its electricity and heat from renewable resources it reported revenue of 708 billion kroner in 2015 and employs 6700 people
a goldman sachs investment in dong energy nearly led to a collapse of the danish government in 2014 a goldman controlled entity owns 147 percent of the company after the offering
jpmorgan chase morgan stanley and nordea bank danmark acted as joint global coordinators on the offering lazard acted as dong energys financial adviser while the danish government was advised by rothschild


beijing   two weeks before the annual dog meat festival in the southern chinese city of yulin an international coalition of animal welfare advocates is stepping up pressure on the chinese government to shut it down
a petition with more than 11 million signatures was presented to the chinese embassy in london on tuesday according to humane society international one of the organizations behind the campaign
representatives of the group which is based in washington along with chinese animal rights advocates also delivered the petition on friday to the beijing office of the government of yulin where the lychee and dog meat festival has taken place on the summer solstice since 2010 amid mounting controversy copies of the petition were being sent by registered mail to chinese health and food safety regulators according to peter j li a china policy adviser to humane society international
thousands of dogs are slaughtered and served in restaurants in yulin in the guangxi zhuang autonomous region for the festival which is set to begin on june 21 its proponents defend the practice as an expression of cultural heritage and argue that eating dogs is no different from eating cows or turkeys
but images of dogs being beaten and gutted in yulin marketplaces have ignited outrage around the world as celebrities and politicians throw their support behind efforts to stop the festival in china where dogs are increasingly viewed as companions not food animal welfare advocates have raised questions about the sources of the dogs charging that many are stolen pets
a commentary on monday in peoples daily the communist party newspaper by chang jiwen a legal scholar at the chinese academy of social sciences and two of his students liu kai and guo shunzhen cited results of a survey posted on the website of cctv chinas national broadcaster where 64 percent of respondents agreed that eating dogs should be banned
in an email mr li said that he expected millions more to join the global call by june 21 and that china will score a huge reputation improvement score if its government shut down the event
the petition on the website of humane society international addresses president xi jinping saying that by ending the festival you will clearly show your leadership in protecting the well being of both people and animals and demonstrate that chinas global reputation as a progressive nation will not be besmirched by such activities
the animal welfare groups raise ur paw and duo duo as well as care2 and avaaz have also posted the petition
the effort to end the yulin festival has extended as far as the united states congress last month representative alcee l hastings democrat of florida introduced a resolution condemning the festival and urging china to enforce its food safety regulations and enact laws banning animal cruelty
the protests and shifting attitudes in china appear to have had some effect in 2014 the yulin government distanced itself from the festival saying it was staged by private business people and did not have official backing
the slaughter frenzy went down in 2013 2014 and further down in 2015 said mr li based on his visits to the city over the years the dog meat industry in yulin and in the entire country is shrinking


molly huddle wrapped up a disappointing college running career in 2007 and sequestered herself in rhode island looking to turn herself into the champion she knew she could be and after a decade of laps on the providence college track alongside walkers and joggers oblivious to the olympian in the inside lane she has transformed herself into one of the best distance runners in the world
now huddle plans to take on the new york city marathon   but only after racing in shorter distances at the olympics this summer in rio de janeiro
huddle 31 said she saw her move to the marathon as a coming of age
as a distance runner you dont feel complete until you run a marathon huddle said i think its almost a different sport the level of strength you rely on but i want to test myself at that and see what its about
after a career at notre dame that failed to live up to its initial promise huddle began training with a small informal group of elite runners under the guidance of ray treacy an irish runner who has coached the ncaa champion distance teams at providence since 1985 in an era when some coaches are known for subjecting their athletes to altitude simulating units or underwater interval sessions treacy and huddle have an uncommonly low key hands off relationship although huddle lives perhaps 100 yards from her coachs office they see each other only about twice a week he will sometimes tweak the length of a run by phone
i work with athletes who buy into what i do and the way i do things treacy said my primary job is college teams the people i work with outside of college understand that molly understands that im not in her face all the time and thats the way we like it
he credited huddles restrained approach for her ability to avoid gaps in training she has not taken more than an annual two week break for the past three years
the philosophy is gradual progression to pull back rather than push the buttons treacy said shes gotten better every single year
huddle said that her routine with treacy has allowed her to do fairly intense workouts that keep her close to race level fitness throughout the year at steadily improving increments her 5000 meter season debut for the past five years has come down from 15 minutes 1591 seconds in 2012 to 144814 on may 27 she set the american record for the event 144264 in 2014
molly is not a workout queen treacy said you have people who are workout queens and not great racers their races dont correlate to their workouts mollys the opposite so she doesnt do amazing workouts she races amazingly
huddles tenacity has most likely never been tested more than in the past year as unusual incidents have accompanied her rise
at the world championships in the 10000 meters last year in beijing huddle put her hands up in celebration too early while approaching the finish line she let up just enough that another american emily infeld surprised her on the inside lane and beat her by nine hundreths of a second
i had a hard time finding something constructive with it said huddle a native of elmira ny im not really able to turn that experience into a motivator its better to just move on
she dealt with the disappointment by channeling her energy into the fall road racing season and she came back with a string of victories
huddle won the new york city half marathon for the second year in a row   this time by eight hundredths of a second the races closest finish ever but again there was controversy in the sprint to the line she put out her left arm as joyce chepkirui closed in and to some the arm appeared to obstruct her opponent the race was deemed fair but it ignited a cacophony on social media and message boards
that was really hard to get over huddle said having my integrity questioned based on something that was accidental incidental contact i think if people had paid attention to other races they would see i respect my competitors and ive had my fair share of losses and i can handle losing i was called a win at all cost athlete but im the opposite of that the race was a great battle between two very competitive women
her coach was more measured
i told her to get over it move on treacy said this time at least you won
huddles style is quiet lacking the bluster that can buoy other track stars she has struggled to adjust to the scrutiny that has come with her rise in distance running
i know as a professional athlete you sign up for some commentary or scrutiny with whatever you do on the road or the track she said ive had to accept it as part of being a public figure not that im a famous person you get a thicker skin otherwise it affects your training
despite its hilly course and lack of pacers the new york city marathon has long been home to american marathon record debuts like those by kara goucher and deena kastor huddle will be aiming to set another one in november
i think we get so many fast marathon debuts at new york because the runners are only running against each other and not for time said peter ciaccia the new york city marathon race director
he added its a big race on a big stage and i think that all plays into the mind set of the athlete coming in
huddle said she was foremost a competitor rather than an athlete who runs for time so the dense field in new york will be favorable for her
i get the best race out of myself when im dragged to it she said i feel like i have another level of racing when im racing someone versus myself
huddle was concluding a brief period of training at altitude in flagstaff ariz with her husband of seven years kurt benninger a canadian distance runner she had met at notre dame she will return to the east coast on friday to participate in the girls segment of the mini 10k in new york
she hoped to continue racing for at least four more years through another olympic cycle
i want to end my career knowing i tried everything out she said im not slowing down at all


philadelphia is poised to become the first large american city to pass a soda tax
if the measure passes a final vote next week as it is expected to do it will impose a tax of 15 cents for every ounce that includes sugar or artificial sweeteners   about 30 cents for a 20 ounce drink or 216 for a 12 pack on wednesday night it was passed on a voice vote by the city councils committee of the whole which includes the entire council
soda taxes have usually been proposed as public health measures to discourage people from drinking sugary beverages which have been linked to obesity diabetes and tooth decay they have been introduced in cities around the country including twice before in philadelphia but repeatedly failed berkeley calif is the only american city with a tax on sugary drinks the philadelphia tax would be considerably higher
mayor jim kenneys original proposal was to tax sugary drinks at 3 cents an ounce a rate that would have doubled the price of many sodas aware of the political challenges he tried a novel strategy to promote his tax instead of selling it as a nanny state measure meant to make the city healthier he presented it as a big untapped source of revenue that could be used to pay for popular initiatives including expanded prekindergarten and renovations of city libraries and recreation centers
that choice appears to have paid off but it may come with some consequences because the measure was cast as a revenue raiser the final deal is not exactly what public health experts might prefer council members in negotiations altered the spectrum of taxed products to hit budget targets the measure that passed wednesday taxes not just sugary drinks but also diet drinks it exempts juice drinks from the tax as long as they have 50 percent juice even if they also have added sugar minutes before the final vote at 8 pm the citys finance department revealed that some soda tax revenue would also be used to plug a budget shortfall
it was always about the revenue said lauren hitt mr kenneys spokeswoman who said the mayor was comfortable with the councils modifications to the proposal which were negotiated into the evening
other cities have been tracking philadelphias proposal san francisco boulder colo oakland calif and several smaller communities are planning to introduce soda tax measures this year
there has been much discussion around the world and within the us to adopt soda taxes kelly brownell the dean of the sanford school of public policy at duke university and a soda tax advocate said in an email philadelphia has now created an entirely new level of momentum
unlike berkeley philadelphia is a city with a large poor population and high soda consumption that means that if the soda tax advocates are right it could have a measurable public health benefit soda consumption in berkeley was very low even before the tax there passed in mexico which passed a national soda tax consumption of sugary drinks fell substantially in the measures first year particularly among the countrys poorest shoppers
darrell clarke the city council president had strongly opposed earlier soda tax measures but helped negotiate the final deal this time he opened the committee hearing by warning the action we take will probably leave some people with a sour taste in their mouth asked after the vote how other cities might look at soda taxes he said i think there will be a strong conversation
some city council members felt uncomfortable with the possible regressive nature of the soda tax poor people tend to drink more sugary drinks than higher earners the decision to include diet drinks was an effort to spread the tax burden up the income scale if consumption patterns dont change then the tax would still burden poor philadelphians more since drinks make up more of their income but the evidence from mexico suggests they may instead choose to buy fewer beverages
the proposal faced substantial opposition from the beverage industry the teamsters union and local grocers together the anti tax forces spent millions of dollars on advertisements and lobbyists opponents of the tax held a rally outside city hall in the morning and chanted and booed during public testimony on the measure it is possible that the industry will bring lawsuits challenging the tax once it has passed
supporters were also well organized they too raised and spent substantial sums they assembled a group of preschoolers at city hall for a read in wednesday and packed the council gallery bearing handwritten signs when the vote was over they cheered and applauded


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1 president obama formally endorsed hillary clinton i dont think theres ever been someone so qualified to hold this office he said he earlier secured a pledge from bernie sanders to work closely with mrs clinton to unify democrats against donald trump though no promise to drop out senator elizabeth warren also backed mrs clinton on thursday evening and criticized mr trump for his attack on a federal judge gonzalo p curiel you donald trump are a total disgrace ms warren said in a speech to the american constitution society

2 our analysis of voter data suggests mr trump has a small but real chance of winning even without gains among nonwhite voters exit polls from 2012   the source of conclusions that the republicans needed to broaden their appeal   obscured the existence of millions of white working class and older voters with limited education those are the very voters who tend to support mr trump

3 a federal appeals court in san francisco ruled that the second amendment did not guarantee the right to carry concealed weapons the decision was sharply criticized by the national rifle association but it is in keeping with decisions in other courts which some analysts say minimizes the likelihood of a supreme court review this is a huge decision an expert in constitutional law said this is a major victory for gun control advocates

4 the world health organization advised millions of people across latin america and the caribbean to delay pregnancy to avoid having babies with severe brain damage caused by the zika virus there is no vaccine against zika and efforts to slow its transmission have thus far failed

5 politicians rabbis and government ministers visited a tel aviv restaurant district to show solidarity and resolve a day after palestinian gunmen fatally shot four israeli civilians there the terrorist attack one of the most brazen in months of small scale palestinian strikes prompted israel to impose controls on palestinian movements

6 the san jose sharks thwarted pittsburghs plans to hoist the stanley cup by hanging on for a 4 2 victory on thursday evening the penguins led the sharks 3 1 going into the game an advantage that no nhl underdog has overcome since 1942

7 warcraft the first film to emerge from the video game franchise will be in broad release on friday our reviewer credits the director duncan jones david bowies son for imbuing a hobbesian war of all against all with a little romance and campy winks its predictably heavy on cartoonish violence she says heads pop like grapes and so forth

8 some symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder may have a physical cause a prominent researcher of brain injuries among military personnel says his team has identified signs of tissue damage caused specifically by explosions we talk about ptsd being a psychiatric problem   how people responded to the horror of warfare said the neuropathologist but at least in some cases no   their brain has been damaged

9 one of our best read stories today offers a personal journey that illuminates new york citys history of segregation nikole hannah jones an investigative journalist who has covered the nations struggle over integration writes about how she and her husband chose to place their daughter in a segregated high poverty school true integration true equality she writes requires a surrendering of advantage and when it comes to our own children that can feel almost unnatural

10 a law allowing assisted suicide went into effect in california making it the fourth and by far the largest state to allow the terminally ill to determine the timing of their death the other three are oregon washington and vermont above a california woman who has stage 4 colon cancer and intends to ask for drugs to end her life

11 finally good news scientists appear to have made a breakthrough in capturing and storing the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide they dissolved the gas with water and pumped it into porous basalt in iceland where almost all of it adhered as calcite it took a surprisingly short time too   just two years its beyond all our expectations said an icelandic project manager

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in the week since he received a six month jail sentence for committing sexual assault the former stanford university student brock turner has become a symbol of the rapist who got off easy but other aspects of the case suggest a different interpretation signaling that the cultural and legal responses to rape are shifting in the direction that victims and their supporters have long fought for turners light sentence means that the reform they advocate is incomplete but his conviction the punishment he received from stanford and the public outcry over his sentence all suggest that men who act like turner have far more reason to think theyll pay a price than they once had
one day in january 2015 at around 1 am two male stanford graduate students from sweden who were riding bicycles spotted turner then a 19 year old freshman on top of a woman behind a dumpster outside the kappa alpha fraternity house on campus the graduate students could see that the woman wasnt moving when they got off their bikes to intervene turner tried to run away they stopped him and called the police the victim a college graduate who was 22 was completely unresponsive according to the authorities she was taken to the hospital where she woke up about three hours later
earlier in the evening shed gone to a party at the fraternity with her sister turner was also there and they each had several drinks the victims blood alcohol level was about three times the legal limit when it was tested at some point during the party she blacked out and in the hour or so before she was assaulted she made incoherent calls to her boyfriend and her sister whod left the party which she couldnt remember afterward she also couldnt remember what happened between her and turner his blood alcohol level was twice the legal limit and he told the police that though he was drunk he could remember everything according to the police report and that hed consciously decided to engage in the sexual activity with the victim digitally penetrating her and then thrusting against her with his pants on he also said she seemed to enjoy it   a characterization the victim said she found unforgivable in a statement she read aloud at turners sentencing hearing
nonetheless the case could have ended with turners assertions of the womans consent many campus officials   police and prosecutors too   wouldnt get past a woman saying i dont remember  says deborah tuerkheimer a law professor at northwestern who teaches and writes about rape law turner was a star swimmer the victim had been drinking he might have been believed she might have been dismissed or blamed
and yet at every stage of this case until the sentencing it was turners account that was discredited certain facts help explain why the victims vagina was lacerated and had dirt in it a nurse told her the graduate students who appeared on the scene could testify to her inability to respond at the moment of the assault one of them cried while he recounted the incident to the police saying it was a very disturbing event to witness the victim wasnt verbally protesting or physically struggling but the graduate students knew something was terribly wrong because she wasnt moving the prosecutors and the jury saw it the same way when they charged and convicted turner less than two weeks after the incident he withdrew from stanford and was banned from the campus   effectively an expulsion according to lisa lapin a university spokeswoman
all of that marks significant progress in tuerkheimers view she has researched cases in which women have received no justice after reporting that they couldnt consent to sex because they were incapacitated by drinking such outcomes reflect a reluctance to hold men accountable when they might have thought however wrongly that consent was implied blackouts can be especially confounding for courts and campus officials because people can keep walking and talking even as their memory shuts down the writer sarah hepola author of blackout remembering the things i drank to forget calls this state spooky alcohol induced amnesia she is careful to say that a person who is unconscious has passed the point of being able to consent to sex but looking back at her own experience of blackouts she thinks that for her the difference between incapacitated sex and intoxicated sex looked more like a giant question mark
when a man accused of assault has also been drinking the courts at times have considered his intoxication a reason to excuse his belief that sex was consensual at turners trial the jurors were instructed to convict if the defendant knew or reasonably should have known that the victim was too intoxicated to give consent thats the usual standard but should the drunkenness of a sexual aggressor factor into evaluating his state of mind the american law institute is currently re examining the sexual assault provisions of the model penal code for the first time since 1962 the general rule in criminal law is that recklessness resulting from intoxication does not lessen culpability but the ali is considering making an exception to that rule specifically for rape law a preliminary proposal acknowledges that this would create a legal anomaly giving the hypothetical example of a college student at a frat party who drinks two beers and a shot of whiskey is it sensible to assume the proposal asks that he is aware of a substantial risk that he will commit rape at turners sentencing hearing judge aaron persky said a defendant who is intoxicated has less moral culpability according to the guardian
yet the outraged reaction to turners light sentence   he faced up to 14 years in prison   suggests that it has become increasingly unacceptable to excuse sexual aggression because of drinking  we were both totally out of it is just not a defense kathleen a bogle a sociology and criminal justice professor at lasalle university and anne m coughlin a law professor at the university of virginia argued in slate two years ago it would be unthinkable   wouldnt it   to acquit killers kidnappers or thieves for this reason more than 750000 people have signed a petition to recall judge persky who has also been criticized for expressing concern that a longer sentence for turner would have had a severe impact on his future
the victims own words made all the difference in the public response the searing statement she read in court posted on buzzfeed described her mounting horror as she realized first what had happened to her and then how hard it could be to hold turner accountable worst of all i was warned because he now knows you dont remember he is going to get to write the script she said i had no power i had no voice i was defenseless she has found her voice and taken back any power she lost its turner who is the target of a giant wave of internet shaming the anger extends to his father who wrote a letter to the judge in which he called the verdict a steep price to pay for 20 minutes of action out of his 20 plus years of life in his own letter before the sentencing turner expressed remorse but hell be remembered for blaming campus drinking culture and sexual promiscuity for his actions rather than simply taking responsibility for them
turners punishment also includes registering for life as a sex offender that doesnt expire the victim said in court just like what he did to me doesnt expire doesnt go away after a set number of years it stays with me its part of my identity the crime is part of turners identity too in previous generations a man might well have succeeded in shrugging off this kind of behavior it might never have been defined as a crime in the first place but turner is bearing the weight of the new opprobrium that sexual assault in forms that used to go largely unrecognized now brings


for kara walker and her father larry art has always been a family affair   and a longstanding one the intent to become an artist was there early on from about age 7 or 8 larry explained of his own creative development earlier this week sitting next to kara who has curated a show of her fathers work that opens today at sikkema jenkins as a teenager larry visited moma on sundays he remembers too being transfixed by his brother in laws glass paintings displayed in his familys sixth floor walk up apartment off 145th street in harlem
much later when larry was a professor at georgia state and also immersed in making his own art a young kara would sometimes sit in his lap and watch i just re read my diary from 1983 and its very interesting said the younger walker who grew up deeply influenced by her fathers work organizing the exhibition also helped her understand her own artistic motivations better theres a daughterly intention to understand connections that i lived around and reacted against she said the 38 mounted flat works which span 50 years examine a variety of personal and political relationships that trace larrys trajectory through the eyes of his child one of americas preeminent contemporary artists with father daughter ribbing on full display larry and kara walker sat down in sikkema jenkinss large white middle gallery to chat about the exhibition
what inspired you to curate a show of your fathers work
kara it seemed like an easy one in a way part of the 80th birthday present was hiring an archivist to help collate my dads work it seemed like a nice idea to see if we could organize a show
larry interestingly enough she came up with this idea from her perspective she could see the relationship between this series and that series and how one influenced the other when she started making the selections of the pieces 
kara you were annoyed
larry i became convinced there were relationships that i had not seen she had lived with some of them hanging on the walls in the house growing up
in what ways has your father influenced your work
kara its very rare to have an artist parent who also encourages the art of his children i spent a lot of time with my dad growing up hanging around the university art department and accidentally watching life drawing classes for adults which i was embarrassed about
larry has kara influenced your practice
larry yes in a variety of ways the whole idea of art for young people was an important thing and kara reinforced that i could see right there that something was happening with her work in fact we have a few of her pieces that go back to when she was 3 years old
kara i dont think i was that kind of prodigy but i like that you framed that work anyway abstract paintings from when i was 3
larry plan a was for her to be a cartoonist
kara yeah i merged those two worlds i think
what themes did you come upon as you were working through curating the show
kara i think theres figurative work that has a spiritual component then theres landscape work that has a figurative component and theres social commentary in the abstract wall works that have landscape in them its interesting to me that you work in series because that creates a separation i kind of dissolve some of those barriers
is there a piece in the show that represents your practice
larry jesus i dont know if thats feasible you find one
kara the one straight ahead whats it called
larry its a part of the metamorphic series and you may be right the metamorphic series seems to be culmination of a lot of the other things ive been doing the piece children of society 1 it was done around 1968 its got an exterior interior space and positive and negative form the piece next to it to the left gist invasion came out of a very personal trauma i had a gist tumor and a short time after that i started this series of drawings as though the body was being invaded
kara thats the thing that unifies your work for me and was a jumping off point for thinking about historical and personal trauma in my work theres a kind of interior exterior tension that results in some tertiary quality
has this show revealed something about your relationship
larry it showed me she cared enough about me and my work to express it externally
kara theres this heaviness in the work that is really affecting its affecting for me as an artist because i know what i go through in the studio to realize the work so seeing my dad as just not my dad but as an artist who is struggling with mortality is humanizing and scary
larry art should have something to do with human feeling it should have something to do with an expression with mankind in general and that has always been a background for the work
this interview has been edited and condensed


times insider shares historic insights from the new york times in this piece david w dunlap a metro reporter looks back at some of the timess stop press orders
the first edition of next mornings new york times was roaring off the presses at 937 pm on sunday march 31 1968 as president lyndon b johnson addressed the nation on television
we already knew what the story was the president had decided to curtail bombing in vietnam reporters at the white house had been given advance copies of the speech just before 8 pm and our correspondent max frankel had written the news that was leading the newspaper under a three column headline
larry hauck the assistant news editor in charge of the night operation liked what he saw when a stack of copies still warm and smelling of ink was delivered to the third floor newsroom from the basement pressroom nice paper he said
the next words from someone watching the speech on tv were my god
contrary to anyones expectation the incumbent democratic president   elected four years earlier in a landslide before being beleaguered by a war that had fractured his party   was saying he would neither seek nor accept a nomination to run for another full term
and so came mr haucks moment the one that editors dream about and dread the one in which they pick up the phone and bark out that crisp unmistakable immemorial command
shut down the presses as soon as possible and make sure none of the papers now being printed are distributed in the city
hmm not much romance in that
but thats what mr hauck said he allowed 50000 copies of the first edition to be released from the pressroom in order to reach the planes trains and long haul trucks that were waiting to carry them across the country
a stop press order like the one given last saturday morning when muhammad alis death was confirmed is so rare that colleagues remember who made the calls even if there isnt much drama to the call itself
david geary a former editor on the news desk is credited with three press stops on sept 3 2005 to account for the death of chief justice william h rehnquist on may 1 2011 when president obama announced the killing of osama bin laden and on june 24 2011 when the new york state legislature passed and gov andrew m cuomo signed a measure giving a legal standing to same sex marriage
by his own account it took mr geary those three times to work up the confidence needed simply to holler stop the presses
election night in 2000 was such a roller coaster ride that two stop press orders were given tom jolly now an associate masthead editor described the scene in the newsroom at 215 on wednesday morning when times reporters learned that vice president al gore was preparing to speak with supporters presumably to concede the race to gov george w bush
the executive editor joe lelyveld ordered us to stop the presses to print a new headline bush appears to defeat gore and a new story that began with the unequivocal lead george walker bush was elected the 43rd president of the united states yesterday by one of the tightest margins in history ...  but moments after we sent the pages to the press room we learned that gore had been told to hold off on his concession speech because florida was still in doubt joe stopped the presses again backtracking to the headline that had been on the page most of the night bush and gore vie for an edge and a new lead saying that the outcome of the race seemed to balance on no more than a few thousand votes in florida it was the seventh version of a1 that went to the presses that night
the news desk editor who was responsible for calling the pressroom mr jolly said was bob sheridan an unflappable pro who brought a nearly affectless calm to the most frenzied situations
on july 17 1996 trans world airlines flight 800 crashed as it took off from kennedy international airport jesse mckinley then a news assistant remembered mr sheridan picking up the phone and like he was ordering the worlds worst pizza practically whispering   without emotion per bobs manner   stop the presses 
mr sheridan wasnt much more audible on may 19 1994 when confronted with the news that jacqueline kennedy onassis had died as mr jolly recalled
he simply picked up the phone and said in his quiet voice weve got to stop the presses we just got word that jackie onassis is dead when he hung up i said bob thats it you dont yell it thats so disappointing 


the cover of mitskis highly anticipated fourth album puberty 2 out this month shows her standing in a field wearing crudely applied kabuki like makeup its kind of saying that im of that heritage but i dont quite fit says the 25 year old japanese american singer indeed much of the album   like the equally brilliant bury me at makeout creek before it   concerns crises of identity sprung in part from her globe trotting childhood and in part from being a woman in the still very male driven indie music scene in the video for the fuzz rock stomper your best american girl she balances a desire to be the little spoon with a hilarious send up of the white bros that dominate her genre im a woman making music she says and it turns out i have to be a feminist to do that


now in its fourth year london collections men the curtain raiser for the mens wear catwalk season has fast defined itself as the home of the individual as such it exerts a gravitational pull on established brands from across the globe looking to underscore their point of difference as well as emerging talent with evermore daring design identities which names will make their mark this season here are five to watch
craig green is the indisputable leader of the pack when it comes to the small scale lights of the london mens wear scene he is the winner of the british fashion councilgq designer menswear fund last month as well as the 2014 emerging mens wear designer prize at the british fashion awards and was shortlisted for the lvmh prize in 2015 this central saint martins graduate has made a name with his conceptual takes on utilitarian wardrobe basics it was a unanimous decision said dylan jones the editor of british gq regarding the judges vote to give mr green 29 the award craig has demonstrated a unique ability to build commercially on the incredible awareness driven by his high profile shows and shows a seemingly innate ability to understand the demands of growing a small business
to wit each season mr green offers a fresh take on the simple workwear jacket alongside regular explorations of concepts like uniform gender and showmanship the better to recast traditional masculine ideals for the 21st century its an approach that is increasingly being bought up and endorsed by fashions big name retailers such as dover street market and its worth noting that many of his growing legions of celebrity and industry fans are women see rihanna and fka twigs oh and kanye west and drake are devotees too
the breakout star of the january mens shows in london was ms wales bonner 25 a native daughter who started her wales bonner label in 2014 after graduating from central saint martins she promptly bagged herself the emerging mens wear designer prize at the british fashion awards following in craig greens footsteps though not his aesthetic and was a finalist for the lvmh prize this year historically her work has explored the space between high luxury trends and black history and culture and her catwalk debut at lcm as part of the london mens wear talent incubator man was no exception spirituals aka the aw16 collection married hypermasculine and feminine tailoring in louche velvet and silk 1970s style separates and tracksuits dripping with swarovski crystal decorations and shells to a live soundtrack of nigerian irish composer tunde jegede playing the kora a west african lute last year ms wales bonner also had an immersive installation devoted to her previous collections at the victoria  albert museum as part of its fashion in motion program her designs are not only beautifully crafted but also conceived from important concepts and themes said oriole cullen curator of the series perhas not coincidentally the sky high prices of ms wales bonners pieces suggest that for the time being she is keeping her focus away from mass production
thanks to its decision to unite mens and womens wear shows into a see now buy now seasonless collection to be held during the womens season in september burberry has relinquished its anchor position on the lcm schedule as the billion dollar brand with the blockbuster show they are having a party instead since fashion as well as nature abhors a vacuum coach the united states accessories powerhouse has swooped in to take its place after the company decided on a strategic foray into mens wear several years ago its british creative director stuart vevers 42 chose to relocate the coach 1941 shows from new york to his homeland for an injection of cool london grit even if the dna of most collections remains heavily focused on familiar archetypal pieces that pay homage to americana think commercially friendly oversize shearling coats and jackets lumberjack shirts and witty sweatshirts which is to say easy wardrobe staples for the 21st century urban dweller that the company hopes will help drive a turnaround effort that began in 2013
young british designer and dover street market favorite phoebe english has garnered considerable critical acclaim in recent years for her womens wear with its loose abstract silhouettes painstaking attention to detail and refined finish her mens wear brand   with a look predominantly inspired by the style of her boyfriend the artist and designer sam edkins whom she met when she was 12   includes many of her signatures such as frayed edges and handwoven natural fabrics and is now in its third season phoebe who has become a beloved fixture within london fashion week has now offered mens wear with an aesthetic that has taken the codes of her eponymous brand and emphatically shifted them toward a masculine dynamic olivia singer of another magazine wrote last year the june presentation will take place with sponsorship from newgen men on friday
the japanese fashion designer mihara yasuhiro first made his name in footwear before expanding into ready to wear in 1997 and showing his mens wear collections in paris where he has long been considered an industry favorite this season for the first time the 42 year old is taking his particular brand of sartorial storytelling to london i started designing shoes through the influence of british shoe designer john moore and my design has always been based on british music culture and history mr yasuhiro said of the move showing in london is like going back to my roots as a designer expect pieces worn torn patched and decorated along the lines of his january show which was soaked with feeling and inspired by the post world war i portraits of the german artist august sander the casually disheveled yet slick yasuhiro aesthetic reflects the combination of simplicity paired with personality that come to define japanese fashion   and it has created an army of devoted followers across the globe particularly in his home country


has the election made you anxious about the future of the united states do you feel as if your job is not secure in this lukewarm economy are you just generally in the dumps
if so take a look at the stock market after a couple of steep sell offs since last summer the standard  poors 500 stock index has risen to within a whisker of the record high it hit in may 2015
to get to this latest peak investors have overcome worries about energy prices china europe monetary policy and more recently some unpleasant looking job numbers and the increased likelihood that britain may soon vote to leave the european union
the dow jones industrial average closed above 18000 on wednesday putting that benchmark up 3 percent for the year
as ive said before it can be a mistake to cite movements in the stock market as evidence for your view of the economys strength this can mean that economic optimists ignore inconvenient stock market plunges and that pessimists self servingly dismiss the rallies whats more there are many ground level economic numbers we can use to gauge the future strength of the economy why place so much emphasis on a noisy signal like stock prices
still when stocks have moved higher for several years notching the second longest bull run in standard  poors records the markets optimism should be taken seriously
indeed betting against the markets doubters has been a surefire way to make money as analysts at bank of america merrill lynch periodically point out when stock market strategists bearishness increases to certain levels it has been an astonishingly reliable signal to buy stocks and right now the contrarian sell side indicator is still signaling that stocks will go up
the latest rally which has lifted the market more than 16 percent from the low point it hit in february suggests that investors do not believe that the bad jobs numbers are an early signal of a slowdown they are also probably betting that the federal reserve will not be in such a hurry to raise interest rates
investors may also be seeing less political risk in the united states the republican presidential candidate donald trump favors combative trade policies that if put into place might disrupt global commerce unsettle the markets and unnerve investors a trade war could harm the earnings of american exporters if other countries retaliated after watching a difficult few days in mr trumps campaign investors may have bought more stock this week in the belief that his chances of becoming president have weakened
but there is good reason to believe that investors have become too optimistic this turbulent presidential campaign will no doubt disquiet investors in other ways
all politics aside the stock markets rise has made stock prices look expensive when compared with corporate earnings in aggregate the companies in the sp 500 were trading at 22 times their earnings for the 12 months through the end of march that is considerably higher than the average of 16 times earnings for the five years through the end of 2015
stocks are also expensive when their prices are compared against expected future earnings the sp 500 is trading at 18 times projected 2016 operating earnings above the average of the last five years
that high level of optimism can also be seen in how much profit growth analysts are expecting they project 14 percent this year and a scorching 17 percent in 2017
heres the problem when investors are this sanguine they are prone to dash for the exits at small signs of trouble the impetus might come from a hawkish remark about interest rates from an influential federal reserve policy maker or a vote from britain on june 23 to exit the european union or something else that catches most investors by surprise
but this is not necessarily a reason to feel gloomy when an expensive stock market sells off its not a given that the economy will also dive in the last 10 months stocks sold off heavily on two occasions the united states economy kept chugging along
its when the economy stops chugging that it will really be time to avoid the stock market


before wednesdays game against the los angeles angels carlos beltran was at his locker looking particularly trendy wearing a hat made by a popular surfing company sitting with his hands folded veins bulging from his biceps beltran was asked if at 39 he felt old
i come i do my lifting i work out and i dont feel right now like it hurts he said it feels like im enjoying what im doing
beltrans once questionable knees have admirably withstood the weight of carrying the yankees offense this season including a power performance in the yankees home victory wednesday over the angels 12 6 the yankees will continue to rely on his contributions heavily as they head into a vital stretch in the coming weeks before the aug 1 nonwaiver trade deadline
if the rest of the yankees lineup is unable to match beltrans output he could be an appealing asset for a team looking for an offensive upgrade
before wednesday beltran led the club in games played runs doubles home runs rbi and slugging percentage and was tied with starlin castro for the team lead in hits
i think hes having an all star year manager joe girardi said without him i dont know where we would be at
in the sixth inning beltran broke a 5 5 tie by lining a double to left field off reliever jose alvarez scoring jacoby ellsbury he added a two run homer in the seventh inning his third in three games and his fourth this month
over all beltran has 16 home runs a mark he did not reach last season until sept 19
hes been so big for this offense girardi said just big hit after big hit after big hit another huge night tonight for us hes solidified the third spot in the order and has done a great job
ellsbury and brett gardner each scored three runs chris parmelee had two home runs and the yankees collected 17 hits to help rescue nathan eovaldi who allowed five runs on 10 hits
if the top of the lineup is capable of putting themselves in the basepaths were going to give our team a great chance of winning ball games beltran said
with mark teixeira on the disabled list and alex rodriguez and mccann experiencing prolonged slumps at times beltran has been the lone slugging veteran to consistently produce like the yankees expected when they hedged against rebuilding by sticking with an aging lineup this season
beltrans career as a yankee did not start glowingly elbow injuries shortened his first season with the team in 2014 before he signed with the yankees he already carried the onerous tag of having damaged knees on wednesday beltran said he had not iced his knees in five or six years and that they were no longer a problem for his performance
i think hes healthy girardi said the first year he had multiple injuries and ended up having surgery at the end i think he got off to a slow start probably because of that surgery if you look at since like the middle of may last june hes swung the bat extremely well
despite his credentials and his durability beltran is most likely not part of the yankees long term plans aside from age his diminishing ability as an everyday outfielder pegs beltran for a designated hitter role after this year rodriguez who is signed for another year currently inhabits that spot for the yankees
beltran said he would like to play two more years to accrue 20 full seasons at the major league level preferably with a world series contender before the game he occasionally sounded resigned to the fact that he might play elsewhere next season explaining that he was no longer surprised by the direction of the winds that guide the business of baseball but that he had not abandoned hope for this year
there are signs that beltran is onto something the offense is beginning to liven up the yankees have won three straight games during which they have hit nine home runs in six of their last seven games the yankees have scored five runs or more
after the game beltran was asked if he hoped the recent improved play by the yankees would persuade the front office not to break up the roster and to give them a chance to prove that they can contend with their current pieces him included
i wish i could say yes beltran said i want to say that i believe in what im seeing right now


muhammad ali long ago began crafting the plan for his final tribute and insisted that tickets for his memorial service be free but some people sought to turn a profit after the tickets were handed out wednesday
it took about an hour for the thousands of tickets for fridays memorial service at kfc yum center in louisville to be claimed on a first come first served basis some of those who got tickets immediately looked to cash in going online with offers to sell
bob gunnell an ali family spokesman denounced the profiteering saying he was disgusted and amazed
i hope that those buying tickets or trying to buy tickets would stop those efforts by not purchasing he said muhammad ali wanted this to be a free event an event that was open to all
others posted online pleas to buy tickets one wrote that he and his mother were driving in from chicago for the service and were willing to pay 50 for two tickets another wrote that he was flying in from california for the service and offered to pay someone 50 to stand in line for him for tickets to both the memorial service and a traditional muslim funeral scheduled for thursday
but others were refusing to pay for tickets
the greatest wanted his funeral to be accessible to everyone instead of the money hungry spectacle that will be taking place on friday one wrote in requesting someone give him tickets for free rip muhammad ali the greatest of all time
the knicks were in negotiations with kurt rambis the teams former interim coach to have him remain on staff under coach jeff hornacek according to a person briefed on the talks
rambis a longtime confidant of knicks president phil jackson was expected to agree to become the teams associate head coach he took over as interim coach when derek fisher was fired in february after a year and a half in the position the knicks went 9 19 under rambis
during the teams recent   and extended   coaching search rambis was considered a front runner to retain the job but jackson eventually landed hornacek a former coach of the phoenix suns who agreed to a three year deal
scott cacciola
the philadelphia phillies still were narrowing down their short list for the no 1 overall pick in thursdays major league baseball draft
we have a small group of players both position players and pitchers that were considering and were hammering it out every single day said johnny almaraz the phillies scouting director
finishing 63 99 in 2015 gave philadelphia its choice of the top amateur talent but there is no consensus no 1
around the majorsthe rangers yu darvish in his third start since returning from tommy john surgery in march 2015 left visiting houstons 3 1 win over texas after the fifth inning because of tightness in his right shoulder the rangers said an examination by the team physician dr keith meister revealed no issues  john lackey struck out eight and extended his scoreless streak to 13 2/3  innings kris bryant and ben zobrist hit homers and the chicago cubs beat host philadelphia 8 1 josh donaldson had three hits including a three run homer and a triple and r  a dickey won consecutive starts for the first time since last summer as visiting toronto stopped detroits five game winning streak 7 2  corey dickerson homered twice and the tampa bay rays completed a 10 game trip with a win 6 3 at arizona  chris tillman matched his career high with nine strikeouts to earn his seventh consecutive win and host baltimore sent kansas city to its seventh straight loss 4 0  the los angeles dodgers released alex guerrero who started the season on the injured list the dodgers owe him nearly 82 million from the four year 28 million contract he signed in 2013
vitaly mutko russias sports minister said all retested doping samples from the 2008 and 2012 olympics should be thrown out because of flaws in the testing process
the international olympic committee has reported 55 positive findings in retesting of stored samples from the 2008 beijing games and the 2012 london olympics the russian olympic committee has said 22 of the cases involved russian athletes including medalists
russian officials said two athletes had been cleared when a second set of samples tested negative contradicting the positive first set mutko said that was enough justification for the entire retesting program to be scrapped
record holder misses outethiopian track and field officials will not reconsider their selection criteria to allow kenenisa bekele on to the countrys olympic marathon team
bekele the world record holder in the 5000 and 10000 meters was surprisingly left off ethiopias four man marathon team for the rio de janeiro games
aqib talib returned to the denver broncos headquarters so team doctors could evaluate him after a bullet pierced his right thigh and calf last weekend
coach gary kubiak said he had spoken briefly with talib before the medical staff checked him out and charted a course of recovery talib is a pro bowl cornerback who is owed 85 million in base salary next season
talib was shot early sunday in dallas where he has an off season home the police are investigating the shooting and talib who has had firearm incidents in the past could be facing legal consequences and possible punishment from the nfl which said it was looking into the matter
super bowl mvp rejects offer von miller the reigning super bowl most valuable player turned down a contract offer that would have made him the highest paid nonquarterback in nfl history
miller was offered a six year 1145 million contact   with 398 million in guaranteed money over the first two seasons   according to multiple media reports
without an extension miller would play this coming season under the 14129 million franchise tag tender


pittsburgh   the mets offense stirred to life on wednesday at pnc park coming back to beat the pittsburgh pirates 6 5 in 10 innings
yoenis cespedes who came into the game in a 5 for 35 slump singled to lead off the 10th against cory luebke and scored the go ahead run on a bases loaded one out single by the pinch hitter wilmer flores
manager terry collins said it was the biggest win of the year for the mets who had been facing a series sweep and overcame two deficits
for what we had to go through yeah it was collins said we havent had to do that all year
cespedes who had hip soreness last weekend had told collins that he needed to stay in the lineup to find his swing collins kept cespedes in the no 3 spot and cespedes hit the ball hard all game with three singles in five at bats
collins shuffled other parts of the order after the mets had scored just twice in their previous three games among other moves he bumped michael conforto to second   the highest spot he has ever started a game   even though conforto was hitting 160 since the start of may
conforto responded with a sacrifice fly off jameson taillon a heralded prospect making his major league debut in the fifth inning then conforto smashed a game tying two run homer off jared hughes in the eighth ty kelly also hit a two run homer - his first home run in the majors - for the mets first runs in the fourth inning
mets starter noah syndergaard was not sharp allowing seven hits and three runs two earned in six innings he doubled and scored though and batted for himself in the seventh after he had thrown his last pitch
addison reed pitched a scoreless eighth and ninth to earn the victory and jeurys familia saved it despite walking three hitters in the 10th familia survived by inducing a double play grounder from sean rodriguez and striking out david freese to end the game with the tying run on third


cleveland   stephen curry of the golden state warriors was dribbling the ball in one of his comfortable spots which tends to be pretty much anywhere on the court but on this occasion he was stationed outside the 3 point line and searching for space against an unfamiliar defender
tristan thompson a 6 foot 10 center for the cleveland cavaliers had switched onto curry and was refusing to go away batting at the ball with his saucepan hands curry kept dribbling and dribbling searching and searching until finally he bounced the ball off his sneaker and out of bounds
the cavaliers returned home to quicken loans arena on wednesday night for game 3 of the nba finals and everything about their approach changed in a 120 90 victory that rekindled the drama in a series that had been one sided through the first two games
gone were the cavaliers defensive lapses gone were their careless possessions gone too was the warriors dominance along with their sure path to consecutive championships golden state still has a two games to one series lead heading into game 4 here on friday night but the cavaliers   with each ferocious dunk and every high arcing 3 pointer   stifled the warriors air of invincibility
we werent ready to play warriors coach steve kerr said obviously they just punched us right in the mouth right in the beginning
kyrie irving finished with 30 points and 8 assists for the cavaliers who went small in the absence of kevin love their starting power forward who was sidelined with a concussion it worked out for them lebron james collected 32 points and 11 rebounds and j r smith invisible through the first two games emerged from obscurity to score 20 points
love may be available for game 4 but the cavaliers won by 30 without him so the obvious question how would lue potentially use him
do i have to tell you lue asked im not going to tell you
curry scuffled his way to 19 points while shooting 6 of 13 from the field including 3 of 9 from the 3 point line klay thompson his backcourt companion scored just 10 points and was 1 of 7 from beyond the arc through the first three games of the series curry and thompson have been eerily quiet combining to score 84 points   total
their teammates had been good enough to carry the warriors to two carefree wins in oakland but the dynamic of the series has changed now
if you let your guard down and the other team is angry kerr said you can see this kind of turnaround
the cavaliers knew what was at stake before the game started just three teams in nba history have come back from a two games to none series deficit to win the finals the 1968 69 boston celtics the 1976 77 portland trail blazers and the 2005 6 miami heat and forget about going down three games to none   no team has ever climbed out of such depths
so when james assessed game 3 as both must win and do or die he was not exaggerating
kerr anticipated that the cavaliers buoyed by the support of their home crowd might get off to a hot start sure enough the cavaliers ran out to a 9 0 lead richard jefferson who started in place of love capped the early spurt with a 3 pointer which james celebrated by stalking to midcourt like a drum major as the crowd worked itself into a lather kerr called for a timeout he talked to his players he tried to look calm it did little good
even when the cavaliers were getting walloped in the first two games lue continued to press his players to push the pace   even against the warriors who actually try to seduce opponents into rushing their possessions but the cavaliers are at their best when they play fast and they heeded lues message at start of game 3
they came out and played like a team with a sense of desperation the warriors draymond green said and we came out and played like everything was peaches and cream
nobody played with more urgency than irving who ran the court as if a pack of rottweilers was chasing him he scored 16 points in the first quarter shooting 7 of 9 from the field the cavaliers led by as many as 20 and the warriors looked frazzled
curry picked up two early fouls and thompson retreated to the locker room with a thigh bruise after he was kneed by the cavaliers timofey mozgov seemed kind of dirty to me thompson said that mozgov was even playing   in the first quarter no less   was a product of loves absence and lues scrambled rotations
sparked by their reserves the warriors rallied at the start of the second quarter thompson also re entered and briefly discovered his rhythm making a 3 pointer before driving for a layup that cut the cavaliers lead to 7 curry though continued to struggle at one point kerr pulled him from the game at halftime curry had more fouls three than points 2
i wouldve done the same thing curry said hes trying to get some life and figure out a way to get me going and it was a short talk but itll carry over to game 4 for sure
all things considered it was something of a minor miracle that the warriors trailed by only 51 43 at the break but the cavaliers refused to cave at the start of the third quarter smith kept swishing 3 pointers and james kept going straight at the rim his thunderous dunk extending the lead back to 20
i just think its two words physicality and aggressiveness lue said we talked about effort the last two days
smith who shot 5 of 10 from 3 point range was asked about his confidence he said he felt the same as usual
honestly i turn that side of my brain off he said
in opting to start jefferson lue cited his ability to move without the basketball when we get stagnant and make no mistake cleveland had shown a weakness for stagnant offense through the first two games of the series averaging 83 points while shooting 368 percent from the field and 273 percent from 3 point range
kerr anticipated challenges against the cavaliers smaller lineup
theyre really going to spread us out he said before the game and it should give them more driving lanes and more room for lebron to operate
knowing what to expect from the cavaliers was one thing stopping them proved to be another issue altogether


elizabeth and philip jennings have sported a lot of great disguises over the course of the americans but in the season 4 finale persona non grata philip wears one of my favorites hair brushed back wire rim glasses saggy mustache the beaten visage of a jc penney mens outerwear model whos just been laid off i think of this disguise as sad walter white
the parallels between the jenningses story and walters in breaking bad have been on my mind this season when fx announced that the americans would end after two more seasons i thought that setting an end date was a good idea partly because much like breaking bad it involves an intimate cat and mouse game and has a sense of compounding dread that cant be spun out endlessly
there is however a core difference between the two dramas breaking bad explored the idea that walters crimes however costly and evil brought him for better or worse to his authentic self i liked it walter confessed to skyler in the finale i was good at it
i liked it describes pretty much no ones relationship to his or her job on the americans no matter how good he or she is at it american or soviet they are weighed down by their work tired of the compromises resentful of systems that use them in the name of a larger cause
the americans the masterly melancholy fourth season proved is more like breaking sad
certainly william dylan baker doesnt feel self actualized not as he lies alone disillusioned dying in an isolation chamber as he is literally eaten from the inside by the product of a mission he didnt believe in the biological agent he was smuggling for a government he doesnt trust to use it
his fbi captors watching him from behind protective glass may be on the winning side of history but they havent felt especially victorious either as theyve been humiliated by the discovery of a bug in their offices and haunted by the sense that whatever cases they win are symbolic at best a plot is discovered a diplomat is banished and the process grinds on
season 4 finds the cold war at a point when as on a serial cable drama the end is in sight but it still promises plenty of heartbreak before we get there the season spanned from just after ronald reagans evil empire speech to the 1984 super bowl whose broadcast included the apple macintosh ad in which a young woman hurled a sledgehammer through a video image of big brother
all this adds a note of gloom even to the tensest moments in this drama pursuer or pursued no ones heart is entirely in this spy game philip always ambivalent finally says this to himself flat out through the coded message of his est session where he vents about work at the travel agency you dont want to make arrangements for people you dont know and dont give a expletive about
the est meetings which seemed like a quirky period detail at the beginning of season 3 have grown into a kind of americans equivalent to tony sopranos sessions with dr melfi but theres a sense that while it may make philip feel better to talk western self help doesnt have any concrete answer for him like denniss offer of a coke to the dying william its a palliative better suited to first world problems
philip has been on this track for a while though marthas ruination and paiges entanglement in the family secret hasnt helped elizabeth as gabriel described her earlier has always been the stalwart certain in the rightness of their cause if not that of every individual objective shes been the more classically walter white esque figure in that she embraces her work   likes would be the wrong word   and seems invigorated rather than sapped by it
but season 4 finds her less certain her long con involving young hee shook her in a way few missions have plot wise that plan   involving both a faked affair and a faked suicide   seemed a rather elaborate bank shot simply to get people alone in a secure office but it was emotionally devastating
elizabeth is still a different person from philip still more dedicated to her ideals but she seems less certain that those ideals live in her homeland anymore when she wonders whether her hometown smolensk is anything like she remembers it you get the sense shes not talking about the architecture
the finales soundtrack highlight was leonard cohens who by fire a soulful litany of ways to die it fits this season which has been a catalog of loss nina summarily shot after a last act of conscience martha mercifully and horribly shuttled to a chilly life of loneliness even agent gaad killed for nothing in a botched kgb operation in his thai hotel
add to the casualty list paiges innocence though the upside is that the season brought out a striking performance from holly taylor through her the americans has become a kind of heightened version of a familiar teenage coming of age story her so called spy life
like many teenage protagonists paige discovers disillusioning secrets about her parents she becomes socially conscious and questions the faith or rather lack of faith she was raised in she rebels against her parents is surveilled by them carries the weight of their mistakes parenting tip if your minor daughter has a hard time dealing with learning that her entire identity is a lie thats on you not her eventually through her surprising affinity for small scale spycraft she finds that shes more like her folks than she might admit
after months of lying and worrying and seeing her mother stab a guy in the neck she finally gets the chance to be a teenage girl hooking up with the boy down the street alas their romance is star crossed   or hammer and sickle crossed   and her dad forbids it as one more too dangerous intimacy in a series full of them
on the plus side she has a brother   no not the one playing 8 bit games on the home computer but philips russian son we first heard of him in season 1 but his introduction confirming that he exists is the closest thing to a bombshell in the finale
but the manner in which persona non grata brings him in shows that the series guaranteed two more seasons to end on its own terms feels no more obligation to gin up excitement with cliffhangers it would have been easy to structure the episode so that revealing his plan to find philip was the final scene i need to know   boom   closing credits
instead it ends in the dark of a january night with a front door closing and a light turning off a tableau not of international espionage but domestic drama maybe the americans finally is neither breaking bad nor a traditional spy story maybe its a teenage horror movie the kind where the biggest danger in the end is already inside your own house


the new york city education department is expected to announce a plan on thursday to help black and hispanic students gain acceptance to some of the most competitive high schools
there are eight specialized high schools in the city like stuyvesant and brooklyn technical high school that admit students based solely on their performance on a single assessment the specialized high school admissions test but while black and hispanic students make up 68 percent of the citys public school students they are just 11 percent of the students at these academically rigorous schools asian students make up about 54 percent of those admitted and whites 27 percent
at stuyvesant which historically requires the highest score for acceptance black students earned 10 of the 953 seats in 2015
the naacp legal defense and educational fund filed a complaint in 2012 with the federal education department calling the admissions process at the schools racially biased
the city cannot change the admissions criterion at these schools that would require an act of the state legislature so in an effort to diversify them the de blasio administration hopes to help more students pass the existing hurdles
many of those who gain admission take intensive test preparation courses so the city will expand free tutoring and offer test prep through after school programs at middle schools
because black and latino students take the test at a much lower rate than their white and asian peers   22 percent compared with 52 percent   the education department will hire up to five outreach workers to recruit more students from underrepresented groups and this fall the city will give the admissions test during the school day at five pilot schools rather than asking students to travel to another testing site on a weekend when they might have other obligations
our specialized high schools need to better reflect the diversity of our neighborhoods and our city while maintaining their high standards and this strong package of reforms is an important step forward said mayor bill de blasio his son dante attended brooklyn technical
the citys program of outreach and test preparation will cost 15 million over the next four years and it will begin this summer to prepare students for the october test
earlier this year a group of democratic state legislators introduced their own plan to diversify specialized schools a package of initiatives that also included recruiting underrepresented students
the citys ninth specialized school fiorello h laguardia high school of music  art and performing arts uses auditions in its admissions


orlando fla   it will undoubtedly take more than a convincing win over haiti to reinvigorate brazils love affair with its national soccer team
with only 35 minutes on the stadium clock brazil five time world champions already had three goals against an earnest collection of haitian players who were content enough to be joining the party at this summers copa america centenario without registering a seismic result against a team that has traditionally been one of the games powers
the brazilian team known as the selecao would go on to score seven times satisfying the healthy sized crowd announced at 28241 with the tournaments highest scoring game so far philippe coutinho the liverpool forward was impressive scoring three of brazils goals
we are humble but a result like this gives us confidence said brazil defender filipe luis coutinho is a great player who showed it on the pitch
but for dunga brazils coach problems remain
no matter what story the scoreboard told there is an acute lack of interest among brazils fans in the selecaos progress this summer with the rio olympics looming fans seemed to shrug at brazils draw in the opening match of the tournament in which an unlucky ecuadorean team was denied a victory by some questionable officiating
confidence among dungas players has been understandably low and a meeting with haiti ranked 71st would probably only marginally reinvigorate a team under the pressure it faces
brazils mystique remains in the hearts of those who recall their glory days such was the magic from legendary players such as pele jairzinho zico ronaldo and romario that it was impossible not to be enthralled
the current brazilian squad however   which effectively played its b team having rested neymar for the olympics   will need to dispatch better teams than haiti before it can entertain dreams of returning to soccers summit
brazil was last crowned world cup champion in 2002 and triumphed in the copa america five years later since then there has been little to excite a nation whose lifeblood is the most popular sport on the planet
indeed the embarrassment of losing by 7 1 to germany on home soil in the 2014 world cup semifinals was the nadir for those who had grown sick and tired of the cbf brazilian soccers governing body which had become embroiled in corruption and a crackdown on irregular activity within fifa
football was our drug but now we are sober and having to face a dark reality said leonardo licinio a soccer fan in brazil corruption economic crisis unemployment the phantom of that 7 1 haunts us
as dunga lamented his teams ability to prepare since arriving in the united states   the team was unable to practice at camping world stadium on tuesday because of heavy rainfall   he spoke that day like a man who was feeling intense heat the tide it was clear could not be turned on this result
what mattered most it seemed was that the manner of play had to pay homage to brazilian legend
the team would have to move the ball with panache and vigor it would have to attack or excite
the haitians whose soccer crazed population has always fawned over brazil and its south american rival argentina injected a sense of excitement into this match even if they saw little of the ball in the opening stages casemiro the real madrid midfielder almost opened the scoring for brazil seven minutes into the game when a long range effort was deflected wide of goalkeeper johnny placides net
yet coutinhos excellent run and finish at 14 minutes left placide with no chance of averting danger it was an excellent goal and one that invigorated dungas team coutinhos second goal at 29 minutes was far more straightforward   he rolled the ball in from close range after jonas had teed him up   though equally important
renato augustos header 10 minutes before the end of the first half ensured that the rest of the match resembled target practice for brazil gabriel barbosa who was introduced as a second half substitute pushed the score to 4 0 at 59 minutes before lucas lima headed in a fifth goal soon after augusto made it six late in the game before coutinhos curling effort brought the crowd to its feet at the end
take nothing away from brazil said haitis jean marc alexandre their fifth team would beat most teams in the world we made too many mistakes
haiti was ultimately outclassed but worked hard though the result was never in doubt haitis consolation goal by james marcelin at 69 minutes received the loudest cheer of the evening speaking volumes about his teams effort
only when better opposition comes into view for brazil however can the current state of brazilian soccer be properly assessed the test starts with peru on sunday in brazils final group game


donald j trump has hired a new pollster to help him capture an elusive republican victory in new york his home state two people briefed on the move said
the pollster john mclaughlin will be focusing exclusively on new york polling to determine what type of climb mr trump would face in a state that hasnt voted for a republican in a presidential race since ronald reagan in 1984 mr mclaughlins role was described by two campaign sources briefed on the move who were not authorized to speak publicly
a spokeswoman for mr trump did not respond to an email seeking comment
mr trump has been adamant to aides and associates that he wants to win his home state in the november election the presumptive democratic presidential nominee hillary clinton also lives in new york and served as the states senator for eight years
it wasnt immediately clear how extensive mr mclaughlins role will be depending on what the initial survey shows he is the second pollster to be hired by mr trump who often described polls as a waste of money during the primaries and insisted he could rely on the ones the media conducts to save money for himself
mr trump hired tony fabrizio who was the pollster for the bob dole campaign in 1996 several weeks ago he worked on that effort with paul manafort mr trumps chief strategist mr fabrizio is said to be working on turnout models with the republican national committee mr fabrizio and mr mclaughlin were once business partners
mr mclaughlin has a long relationship with mr trump he was introduced to mr trump when he last considered running for president in 2011 through dick morris the republican strategist whose father worked for the real estate developer years ago
mr mclaughlin helped put together a draft plan in 2011 for a potential trump campaign for the 2012 election one that included plans for a campaign manager and a new hampshire state director
the state director that mr mclaughlin had in mind that year was corey lewandowski who is now mr trumps campaign manager


you never know what students will learn on a field trip
a couple of years ago students from the edward a reynolds west side high school an alternative high school on west 102nd street went to the norman rockwell museum in stockbridge mass the guides said that rockwells birthplace was on west 103rd street
it was a who knew moment who knew that the artist famous for folksy magazine covers of small town life had grown up not only in the big city but on the block just around the corner from their school
almost before you could say saturday evening post they were campaigning to rename the street where rockwell had lived the project became a real life civics lesson with forms the students had to fill out signatures they had to collect and hearings they had to attend
the payoff will come on thursday they plan to lead a parade from their school to west 103rd where a street sign will be added designating the block between broadway and amsterdam avenue as norman rockwell place it is just across broadway from humphrey bogart place named in 2006 in honor of the star of movies like casablanca and at the other end of norman rockwell place is a street sign honoring odessa steward a longtime resident of the nearby frederick douglass houses
the students read up on rockwell learning that his birth certificate said he was born at 206 west 103rd street in 1894 museum officials said his family lived there until he was 2 he mentioned the neighborhood in his autobiography on summer evenings as the first cool breath of the sunset wind rustled in the dusty leaves of the two scrawny elms across the street he wrote my family used to walk to amsterdam avenue to catch the trolley for our evening airing
the students also learned that he enrolled in the new york school of the arts when he was 14 he also attended the national academy of design and the art students league and was still a teenager when he was appointed art director of boys life magazine published by the boy scouts of america
after going to the museum there was this urgency from the kids   weve got to do something put a plaque up recalled their teacher rene mills i said we can look into different things we can do and found out how to get a street sign and all the particulars the city government says you have to do i wanted them to go through the process
among other things the students spent election day in 2014 a day off from school collecting signatures on a petition they showed images of one of rockwells most famous paintings the problem we all live with along with images of a mosaic he created in 1961 do unto others they asked voters who came to their school which doubled as a polling place to sign
a lot of people didnt know about norman rockwell said gelanie gonzalez 19 who graduated last year
the students explained who he was what he did and where he had grown up they got about 400 signatures
the next step was to take their proposal to community board 7 im not really a public speaking person said another student kailyn santiago 16 now a senior in my head i could have sworn i was choking up she said that when she watched video of her presentation she looked fine but there was a catch
they said this is not something they do often she recalled referring to members of the community board
but the board approved the proposal
the next stop was the city councils parks committee fortunately for the students the chairman of that committee councilman mark levine represents the neighborhood
my first reaction was norman rockwells from new york city he recalled adding that the students had changed his perception of rockwell
you really understand rockwells work in a whole new way when you realize he grew up on the west side mr levine said he formed a view of the world that can be traced right back to 103rd street youve got to imagine he was struck by the great disparities of wealth in new york city even then and that awareness stuck with him through his career you can see it in subtle but important ways in so much of his work
the students went back to city hall when the proposal came up for a city council vote and they returned in february when mayor bill de blasio signed legislation authorizing the designation
the students are now working to raise money for a plaque they hope can be placed on the apartment building on the site of rockwells brownstone and as children of the age of photoshop they remain awe struck by his technique as an old fashioned painter
the first time i went to the museum i was like this cant be a painting said azemina cecunjanin 20 who graduated last year i touched it i was astonished
so was the museum guard who came running
he said what are you doing thats a 47 million painting ms cucunjanin said i thought if it was real theyd have glass over it


manila philippines   abu sayyaf militants in the philippines have freed four malaysian sailors more than two months after they were abducted off borneo island
maj filemon tan a philippine military spokesman in the city of zamboanga said the four crew members were released early wednesday and immediately taken by speedboat to sandakan in the malaysian state of sabah on borneo
media reports have said the abu sayyaf militants demanded 18 million ringgit or 45 million for the release of the four men who were kidnapped from their tugboat on april 1 it could not be confirmed if any ransom was paid
in april abu sayyaf militants beheaded a canadian hostage john ridsdel after they failed to receive a large ransom by a deadline they had set three other people who were kidnapped with mr ridsdel last september   another canadian a norwegian and a filipino   are still being held
more than a dozen foreign and filipino hostages remain in the hands of the abu sayyaf including a dutch bird watcher who was kidnapped more than three years ago
both the united states and the philippines have labeled abu sayyaf a terrorist organization
indonesia malaysia and the philippines agreed last month to increase maritime security after a rise in kidnappings at sea by militants suspected of being members of abu sayyaf


the producers of hamilton are sharply increasing the cost of the best seats in the house shattering broadways top ticket price while also more than doubling the number of inexpensive seats available via same day lotteries
the paired moves   raising the price for premium seats to 849 while offering 46 seats per show at 10 each   are part of a broader effort to stanch the loss of tens of millions of dollars in potential revenue to scalpers and to make the show available to people who cant afford costly theater tickets
the show is sold out through next january but the producers have already begun selling tickets for the following four months to some american express cardholders they intend to begin selling tickets for that same period to the public after the tony awards which will be broadcast on sunday evening hamilton is favored to win multiple awards including best new musical
an 849 theater ticket although less than some people are currently paying for seats to hamilton on the secondary market is a record for the price being charged directly by a broadway show the book of mormon has long had the most expensive premium ticket on broadway   last week that show topped out at 477   and until now hamilton has been lagging slightly behind at 475 last week
in the new block of tickets about 200 seats at every hamilton performance   mostly in the center orchestra   will be sold for 849 the rest of the house   everything but the lottery tickets or about 1075 seats per show   will be sold for between 179 and 199 currently the regular seats are priced from 139 to 177
the 46 10 seats sold via lottery will be in the theaters first two rows currently 21 seats per show are made available by lottery
many corners of the entertainment industry including concert and sporting event promoters have been frustrated by the money they are losing to legal and illegal scalping a new york times analysis suggests that resellers are making 60 million per year on hamilton tickets   money that does not go to the shows producers creators or employees
what has certainly been frustrating to me as a business owner is to see that my product is being resold at many times its face value and my team isnt sharing in those profits the lead producer of hamilton jeffrey seller said in an interview on wednesday its not fair
mr seller said that he believed he has a fiduciary responsibility to his investors to try to stem the profiteering by resellers and to acknowledge that the market has made clear that tickets to the show are worth vastly more than the prices at which the producers have been selling them
how did i get to 849 by continually monitoring the secondary market and finding out where the average is mr seller said if im at 849 i think we may succeed in taking the motivation out of the scalpers to buy those tickets
but he said he is also determined to get more tickets into the hands of people who are not wealthy the show has teamed with the rockefeller foundation to allow 20000 new york city public high school students each year to attend the show for 10 the show gets 70 per seat with the balance paid by the foundation
the expanded lottery will allow 19000 people per year to attend the show for 10   anyone can enter the lottery and more than 10000 people do each day but mr seller said it is clear that digital lottery participants are younger and more diverse than the shows general audience
by raising prices he said in some ways were taking from the rich to give to the poor because theres no question those premiums are subsidizing those 10 tickets
the scarcity and high price of hamilton tickets have called new attention to the role of so called ticket bots which resellers use   illegally in new york   to purchase large numbers of tickets to hit shows via automated software
mr seller said ticketmaster which sells tickets to hamilton has taken measures to restrict such sales the steps buyers must take online to demonstrate that they are not bots are now more elaborate and tickets are mailed out closer to showtime to reduce the opportunity for reselling
the show also last month canceled more than 10 million in bulk purchases in excess of stated limits suspected to have been bought by bots and plans again to screen the next round of sales for such purchases and scuttle them no one will be allowed to buy more than six tickets in the next block made available
mr seller said that he believed the percentage of hamilton seats purchased by bots had already dropped from 78 percent early in the shows selling period to about 25 percent and the show working with the broadway league is urging lawmakers in albany to criminalize the use of bots   now a civil violation   and this week its creator and star lin manuel miranda wrote an op ed piece calling for legislative action
the secondary market for hamilton tickets has fluctuated over time it has risen recently with anticipation that mr miranda intends to leave the cast next month and mr seller said he believes the current average resale price is about 1000 the tony awards could further drive up the resale value but other factors might drive it down the departure of some original cast members over the summer and the opening of other productions starting in chicago this fall


when hillary clinton swept onto the stage at her victory rally tuesday night the thunderbolt of history struck many americans no matter their love or loathing for her a woman could be the next president of the united states
but like so much about mrs clinton her speech which lit up televisions and smartphones and social media all day wednesday produced conflicting emotions
for some it was an inspiring moment that brought home in a visceral way that mrs clinton is the first woman to become the presumptive nominee of a major party for others there were chills and discomfort that this next step forward in our national story was unfolding with this particular woman
its undeniably historic said margaret saadi kramer 48 who works in the los angeles music industry and is an ardent backer of mrs clintons democratic rival senator bernie sanders of vermont i think its incredible no matter who youre voting for you have to give it up for her tenacity and her work ethic still she added as qualified as she is   and she is very qualified   i dont think ethically shes the best
for mrs clinton and her allies the brooklyn rally was carefully scripted and precisely executed right down to the debut of a three minute introductory video that interspersed images of the candidate with pictures of gloria steinem rosa parks sandra day oconnor and suffragists and protesters over the last two centuries the goal was to cast mrs clinton in the euphoric glow of trailblazing women with the hope that people would reconsider who she is or at least take a measure of pride in her achievement
theres an assumption that the whole country knows her and that she cant do anything to change their view good or bad of her but i think thats not true said hilary rosen a democratic political strategist who has close ties to the clinton campaign when you are all of a sudden a nominee for president of the united states you get a different look people will give you a second look
but interviews with several dozen people around the country on wednesday indicated that mrs clintons achievement had intensified feelings that many americans already held about her many of her admirers were ecstatic while those torn about her sounded ever more ambivalent
there was a thump thump said jackie stern bellowe 58 a denver doctor and enthusiastic clinton supporter referring to her own heart im a physician who has spent an awful lot of time in big meetings with a lot of men and there is a huge glass ceiling in medicine
yet judy kowal 71 a chicago retiree and sanders supporter who said she would vote for mrs clinton in november sounded unmoved i think its wonderful that a woman will be at the top of the ticket ms kowal said i just wish it was a different woman
and in a year in which presidential politics has taken an extremely negative turn   with both mrs clinton and the presumptive republican nominee donald j trump viewed unfavorably by most americans   some voters even those who back mrs clinton were left feeling dispirited
i think that if she does win as the first female president she will kind of represent all women and she has her flaws as we all know said nicole lee 22 a painter and waitress from richmond va who voted for mrs clinton in her states democratic primary its also sad that her reputation kind of entails everything that happened with her husband which is a bummer and of course that would only happen to a woman
before tuesday many admirers of mrs clinton were perplexed that the prospect of the first female president had not caused anything like the national soul searching cultural heat or political exhilaration produced by barack obama eight years ago
but unlike mr obama who catapulted onto the national stage as a virtual political unknown in 2004 and snatched the partys presidential nomination from mrs clinton four years later mrs clinton has been in the spotlight for more than two decades and is the most scrutinized woman in american politics on wednesday comparisons between the two were inevitable
eight years ago i thought that would be the greatest moment said shakila forbes 25 a recent graduate of clark atlanta university who is african american but now i feel like hillary clinton running for president is the greatest and its just like what is there to come after this america just keeps surprising me
but vicki hutchins an atlanta insurance agent who is black said she found more meaning in mr obamas achievement and like many voters she lamented a campaign consumed more by sound bites and quarrels than by policies people and history on twitter some black women adopted a hashtag to express their ambivalence girliguessimwithher
i think people are excited about a woman being nominated but i think politics right now has become very circuslike and it has taken away from the sanctity of it said ms hutchins who gave her age as 40 ish of mr obamas election she said that was one for our race and one for all that our people have faced in history
despite her strong support among older women mrs clinton is not universally seen as a transformative figure for her gender some voters regard her as a clinton first a perennial politician second and a woman third
the novelty of a female president is also not what it once was the election of women as presidents and prime ministers in britain germany india and other countries decreases the impact of mrs clintons candidacy and many younger american women were raised to believe that they could achieve anything and that a woman was sure to be president someday and some supporters said there was fear that focusing on mrs clintons gender could be politically dangerous possibly alienating some men and handing a weapon to mr trump
the worry has been dont discuss the first woman president idea because it might provoke a backlash said donna brazile a veteran democratic strategist its almost like were in a no praise zone and its weird because weve had 230 years of presidential history and no one can say that clintons candidacy isnt historic
for many women who never thought they would live to see a female president tuesday may have been a night for celebrating but the true test will come in november some said the moments import was amplified by the fact that mrs clintons opponent is mr trump a candidate with a combative alpha male style who has already attacked her husbands sexual history mocked womens looks and engaged in acerbic feuds with women from rosie odonnell to megyn kelly
to me the white house is still the ultimate treehouse with a big sign on it that says no girls allowed  said patricia schroeder a former colorado congresswoman who considered a run for the democratic nomination in 1988 if we could pull down that sign it would make such a difference
and for women who have been dissected and debated in the public spotlight for years there is undeniable excitement barbra streisand the singer actress and longtime democrat wrote in an email that as americans focused on the stark contrast between mrs clinton and mr trump she was confident that the pride in electing the first woman president of the united states will be recognized as the historical milestone it will be
polls show that most americans believe the nation is ready for a female president in march 2008 61 percent of registered voters thought the nation was ready to elect a black president according to a cbs news poll while this february a cnn survey of registered voters found that 80 percent believed it was ready for a female president
outside the white house on wednesday buck johnson 26 a republican from new jersey who leads tours in washington and called himself kind of a feminist said it had felt historic when mr obama became the first black president
i think that african americans have been persecuted a lot more said mr johnson who is white whereas i guess a woman president it just seems   i dont know women are 50 percent of the population
surveys have also shown that most voters do not view mrs clintons candidacy as special a fairleigh dickinson university poll in april found that 71 percent of voters thought it would not be long before other women became major party presidential nominees while only 24 percent said it was unlikely to occur again soon
still nichola gutgold a professor of communications at pennsylvania state university who writes about women in politics saw significance in this moment walking around campus wednesday professor gutgold said she kept bumping into people who wanted to talk about it
i think there is this little bit of exuberance said professor gutgold who in a stroke of good timing is signing her new childrens book madam president on saturday at a bookstore that mrs clinton frequents in chappaqua ny even from people who wont support her i still think people are saying its about time 


mayor bill de blasio and the city council agreed on wednesday on an 821 billion budget for new york city that adds tens of millions in new spending for initiatives including summer jobs for youths after school programs and reserve funds to help the city weather an economic downturn
the handshake deal reached hours before the mayor was to depart for his daughters college graduation in california was the earliest reached since 2001 according to the mayors office and contained few surprises or major new efforts beyond those announced in the executive budget
despite the additional spending pushed by the council including an extra 21 million to keep libraries open six days a week and 10 million for cultural organizations in the five boroughs the final number agreed upon was slightly less than what had been proposed in the mayors executive budget in late april the budget contains no job or staff cuts reductions came mostly from more accurately estimating costs across the city bureaucracy
give and take is a wonderful thing in a democratic process when it leads to a productive result and thats whats happened here mr de blasio said from the steps under the city hall rotunda amid a buoyant group of council members
in a vote next week the council is expected to formally adopt the budget which increases city spending by about 4 percent over last years level council officials said
standing with mr de blasio the council speaker melissa mark viverito celebrated the speed with which negotiations yielded what she called a smart responsible budget she interrupted herself at one point to tell the mayor   smiling broadly as he joked with another council member   to keep it down he misses being on the council i can tell she said
expanding the number of summer jobs through the citys decades old initiative known as the summer youth employment program had been a priority for many council members who secured an additional 18 million for the program in order to create about 60000 positions this summer according to the mayors office the budget also allocated funds to keep beaches open an extra week after labor day
district attorneys offices in the five boroughs received more money to increase salaries and support programs to combat domestic violence and the citys heroin and opioid epidemic the mayors office said
some spending was eliminated including 20 million earmarked for the board of elections if it agreed to a series of improvements aimed at addressing election day voting issues the money was taken away mr de blasio said because the board had yet to accept the changes
and ms mark viverito conceded that an operating budget gap remained at the beleaguered nyc health  hospitals which runs the citys public hospitals she had previously criticized the mayors budget for its reliance on state and federal cooperation to close it theres a lot of work to be done in that area she said on wednesday
as to whether his impending flight hastened the completion of negotiations mr de blasio said the goal is really simple get to the handshake at the first available moment


paramus nj   michigan coach jim harbaugh wore his trademark block m baseball cap long sleeved shirt and khakis on wednesday as he stood in the cafeteria at paramus catholic high school but he also carried a pinstriped jersey in one hand
oh going jeter today said the michigan quarterbacks coach jedd fisch a reference to the former yankees shortstop and onetime near wolverine
the sartorial strategy was nothing new at an earlier appearance at a football camp in baltimore harbaugh wore a ray lewis jersey alongside his brother john harbaugh the ravens coach at a camp in atlanta jim harbaugh wore a hank aaron jersey in an appearance with aaron himself
but at a camp last summer in prattville ala   about a two hour drive from the campus office of alabama coach nick saban   harbaugh made news when he wore no shirt at all instead a few months after michigans bitter foe ohio state won the national title he stripped off his shirt while throwing a ball around with campers
ive been in alabama in the summer said brendan huffman scoutcoms national recruiting director its hot you think harbaugh took his shirt off just because he thought it was hot or do you think harbaugh thought my rivals just won the national championship i need people talking about michigan
everywhere he goes these days michigan is what harbaugh is selling on wednesday his tour brought him to the next level football camp at paramus catholic a new jersey school that has been very good to michigan in recent years the four hour event was one of a series of satellite camps off site informal practices designed to put precollege players together with college coaches for football instruction   and just maybe the kind of explosive performance in football drills that could lead to a scholarship offer
wednesdays camp featured more than 600 players and coaches from several dozen colleges top powers like michigan and pitt and less heralded teams like stonehill and villanova it was the latest of more than three dozen such camps that harbaugh or members of his staff will attend this year as he continues an energetic aggressive and nonstop campaign to challenge college footballs established powers
since bursting back onto the college football landscape in january 2015 after four years with the san francisco 49ers harbaugh a former michigan quarterback has attacked the job of restoring his alma mater to greatness with what he once called enthusiasm unknown to mankind
in less than two years that has meant launching stunts designed to implant the brand of wolverines football into the hearts and minds of 17 year old prospects not only a succession of camps like wednesdays but also a national signing day ceremony that featured jeter and new england patriots quarterback tom brady as well as a succession of impolitic trolling twitter posts aimed at some of his biggest competitors
while harbaughs rivals cast him as an outlaw for such stunts   saban compared the situation to the wild wild west   a more appropriate term is the one used in modern business he is a disrupter
his visit to paramus catholic for example came a week after he dominated a whole college football news cycle with a single twitter post   a response to saban college footballs reigning king who had unleashed a tirade condemning satellite camps like wednesdays saban had said he worried that the camps involved third parties in the recruiting process in a manner that could lead to ncaa violations
alabama broke ncaa rules  now their hc is lecturing us on the possibility of rules being broken at camps harbaugh wrote on twitter in an apparent reference to accusations against the former alabama assistant bo davis who had just resigned
the exchange was similar to harbaughs reaction earlier this year when tennessee coach butch jones and georgia coach kirby smart separately questioned harbaughs decision to hold michigan practices over spring break at img academy an elite football focused prep school in bradenton fla
if the georgia coach is implying any intent on our part to break rules harbaugh posted in february he is barking up the wrong tree georgias nickname is the bulldogs
len middleton a lecturer at michigans business school described harbaughs style   and his elbows out tactics in service of michigan football   as innovative
thats what makes great entrepreneurs middleton said theyre questioning why are we following this path why cant we follow the next path
harbaugh may not quite be the coaching equivalent of uber according to george foster a management professor at stanford business school but foster said harbaugh had done as much to innovate as the ncaa permitted
within those guidelines coaches try to differentiate themselves foster said adding jim harbaugh on the recruiting angle is a magnet for high school kids wanting to get really excited and enthused
if anyone was excited and enthused before wednesdays camp began in the late afternoon it was harbaugh during a planning session with coaches he nervously craned his broad frame toward the door to see if storm clouds had moved on addressing the players and their parents later in a gym he paced with the microphone like a talk show host and shouted my heart is pounding right now he compared the way he felt to a thoroughbred before the kentucky derby to a boxer before a fight and to himself before he coached in the super bowl
but avoiding a michigan centric pitch before a crowd that also included an ncaa representative he mostly stuck to general encouragement i know youre all here to show what you can do   and have at it
in harbaughs continuing challenge to college footballs established hierarchy the satellite camps are perhaps the clearest case study in how he has tested boundaries provoked a backlash and ultimately won out
as recently as two years ago camps like the one in paramus were lightly attended and little discussed the camps in which college coaching staffs give a few hours instruction at a location far from campus do not violate ncaa rules as long as they are nominally hosted by a local institution   a high school a smaller college a nonprofit group even an individual trainer   and ostensibly devoted to instruction
although they are held all over the country they are particularly desirable for coaches whose teams do not play near recruiting hotbeds recruitings most fertile crescent stretches from dallas and houston through the deep south and down to southern florida and the two conferences whose traditional universities reside there the southeastern and the atlantic coast had both previously restricted their members from participating in satellite camps in an effort to discourage them from cannibalizing one anothers natural recruiting bases
but when the division i council which helps govern the 10 top football conferences banned satellite camps in april a fierce backlash ensued stories emerged of recruits who credited camps for their scholarships northern coaches pleaded with their athletic directors to fight for the camps reinstatement and there was even a stray suggestion that the department of justice would investigate on antitrust grounds
by the end of april the ncaa board of directors reversed the prohibition prompting the sec and the acc   fearful of losing ground to interlopers like harbaugh   to vote to lift their own bans
last week louisiana states les miles held his programs first camp on wednesday ohio states urban meyer was scheduled to attend a camp at fairleigh dickinson university in teaneck nj not far from paramus
and among the colleges that sent coaches to the paramus catholic camp was one more notable program alabama
hes only been there a short time paramus catholic coach dan sabella said of harbaugh last week hes getting a lot of people taking about him and his program bringing a lot of attention which only helps with recruiting i would say its been effective


of all the charges and the allegations in a 17 page criminal complaint accusing a powerful new york city union leader of corruption perhaps the most far reaching development was woven into the legal boilerplate essentially hiding in plain sight
a person referred to as cw 1 for cooperating witness 1 had agreed to cooperate with federal prosecutors and the federal bureau of investigation
the cooperators name was not mentioned in the complaint unsealed on wednesday but several people with knowledge of the matter said it was jona s rechnitz a central figure in one of the half dozen continuing federal corruption investigations focused on mayor bill de blasios fund raising
mr rechnitz who has generously supported several of mr de blasios interests and served on the mayors inaugural committee has pleaded guilty to fraud conspiracy charges in connection with the corruption case against norman seabrook the influential leader of the union that represents the citys correction officers and another defendant according to the complaint
but the significance of his decision to join the roster of government witnesses could go far beyond the case against the union leader and have wide ranging consequences for mr de blasio
the complaint in the corruption case along with statements by preet bharara the united states attorney for the southern district of new york whose office brought it and interviews with people with knowledge of the fund raising inquiries strongly suggest that mr rechnitz could serve as an important witness in at least one of the fund raising matters
at a news conference on wednesday announcing the charges against mr seabrook mr bharara declined to answer questions about the identity of cw 1 and the degree to which the witness could be helpful in other cases
but he noted that the complaint does say that he is assisting other investigations as well thats all ill say
almost all of the fund raising investigations are being conducted by the same group of fbi agents and federal prosecutors   two squads of agents known as c4 and c14 and the prosecutors in mr bhararas public corruption unit   that handled the case against mr seabrook who was arrested along with murray huberfeld a hedge fund financier
while mr bharara also declined to answer questions about the fund raising inquiries during the news conference he left little doubt that there were more public corruption cases on the horizon
as those of you who come here often appreciate it is seldom the case that the bringing of a particular charge at a particular date is the end of the matter he said were still investigating lots of different things and you should expect to see me again
the accusations in the complaint do not involve mr de blasio nor are they related to any of the possible improprieties that are under scrutiny in the more than half a dozen inquiries swirling around the mayor and his aides mr de blasio a democrat has steadfastly defended his fund raising efforts
however the complaint notes that mr rechnitz has pleaded guilty in connection with the corruption case among other things and is providing information to the government in the hopes of obtaining leniency when he is sentenced
it also says that mr rechnitz has undergone extensive debriefings and that the information he has provided has been reliable and corroborated by independent evidence
a lawyer for mr rechnitz alan levine declined to comment
investigators and others briefed on the matter have said the fund raising inquiry that had once been focused on mr rechnitz now centers on whether city officials provided him with some benefit for his real estate business in exchange for campaign contributions
the development represented a stark turn of fate for mr rechnitz 33 who came to new york from los angeles to build things condominiums hotels and the like but as he gained a footing in the city he found that it was easier to build relationships often founded on money
he and another businessman jeremiah reichberg who also raised money for the mayor and served on the committee that planned his 2014 inaugural celebration spent a good deal of time cultivating roughly a score of senior police officials lavishing some with gifts and trips
mr reichberg according to people briefed on the matter is the man identified in the criminal complaint as co conspirator 1 or cc 1 and also was involved in the alleged scheme although he was not charged
the complaint details a series of trips to the dominican republic israel and elsewhere that mr seabrook took with mr rechnitz mr reichberg and a top police official all were paid for by mr rechnitz
the investigation has so far uncovered misconduct by nearly a dozen mostly senior police officials including five chiefs who have filed for retirement as a result and a number of other senior officials who have been transferred to administrative posts pending possible discipline one detective has been fired
few of them are likely to be happy about their interactions with mr rechnitz indeed they may share the feelings mr de blasio expressed on wednesday which seemed to tumble out when a reporter asked about his connection to the businessman
i wish i never met the guy the mayor said


caguas pr   standing at his lottery ticket concession in this town speckled with graceful colonial era buildings felix muniz rivera said the islands economic meltdown had proved one thing amid all the uncertainty puerto ricos political leaders no matter the party could not be trusted to pull the commonwealth out of the quagmire they created
the politicians red and blue have stolen this country they have finished this country said mr muniz 74 who grew up here and helped inaugurate this now half closed pedestrian mall where he runs his business when a patient is sick he needs medicine when a patient is in critical condition he needs intensive care thats what the junta is
the junta is the name here for the federal control board that could end up overseeing the reboot of puerto ricos economy chiefly by ensuring that the island repays its crippling 72 billion debt in an orderly way funds its pensions and balances the budget   steps likely to require layoffs and cuts in services
the debt stems in large part from decades of the governments spending and borrowing more money than it could pay back a habit that steered the island into economic collapse and now threatens the public pension system
but as the house on thursday takes up a contentious white house backed bill to establish the independent board puerto ricans are sharply divided over the legislation as they try to decide what is worse the homegrown leaders whom they feel have failed them or a federally appointed independent board that many distrust
so while there is widespread backing here for the bill there is a strong and vocal opposition including by those elected officials who would be forced to govern with a control board looking over their shoulders union officials many young people and artists and advocates for puerto rican independence
they are among a burgeoning opposition that has grown stronger recently with some threatening civil disobedience if the measure becomes law puerto ricos leading candidates in this years governors race also oppose the bill known as promesa for puerto rico oversight management and economic stability act on sunday puerto ricos nonvoting resident commissioner in congress lost his primary in part because he supported the legislation
we are the ones who have to solve this not the federal government said mariana reyes 41 a community activist and former journalist who runs la junta a burger spot that features music and art in san juan those chavos   the money   for the bondholders where will they come from layoffs pensions services whats not fair is not fair
in their view the bill would benefit the hedge funds that lent puerto rico the money not puerto rico and they argue that the islands fate its laws and regulations should not be trumped by people who for the most part will not be puerto rican and will know little about the intricacies of life on the island
if approved by congress the board would be run by seven members selected by president obama from candidates proffered by republicans and democrats in congress at least one of the seven members must be a resident of puerto rico
coursing through the opposition movement is frustration and an infuriating feeling that the federal government believes puerto rico incapable of fixing its own problems without paternalistic intervention it speaks loudly to puerto ricos longstanding emotionally fraught conflict over its in between status as a united states commonwealth neither state nor independent country
colonia or colony is the word most often bandied about here for the most part puerto ricans on the island who are all american citizens simultaneously embrace their ties to the mainland and complain about their stepchild status
the message the bill carries is that we cant handle it we dont have the tools said janiel gonzalez 33 an artist who owns a grass roots gallery in the pedestrian mall paseo gautier benitez if the board was coming to put all the politicians who robbed us in prison well let them come but they are coming to control our money
and yet supporters of the bill said controlling where the money goes is exactly the point political leaders and their appointees have proved themselves unable to handle the job without the bill what is the alternative more of the same allowing a federal judge to decide the lawsuits which would most likely favor bondholders and not the people of puerto rico
people want to know where the money goes said maria osorio correa 61 who has seen her hours at sams club cut six months ago from 28 to 16 a week with no benefits if the junta comes the politicians will have to do what the junta says we are tired of those jackasses
ms osorios son like so many other puerto ricans left for the mainland several years ago pushed out by puerto ricos unemployment rate stagnant job market widespread crime and high cost of living since 2000 334000 puerto ricans have left the bulk in the past five years
the situation is only expected to get worse on july 1 puerto rico will miss its next debt payment 2 billion to bondholders many of them american citizens without the legislation more lawsuits are bound to follow
but there are flash points the board would hold veto power over government officials if their proposals threatened to financially hurt the island the legislation gives the governor the power unlikely to be used to reduce the federal minimum wage for young people and it allows for the sale of puerto rican assets
some once ardent supporters including a puerto rican economist who helped draft earlier versions of the bill are disappointed miguel a soto class the president of the center for a new economy said the bills path to restructuring the debt is overly complicated and does little to develop puerto ricos economy in the long term
it could be as good as you can get he said but if as good as it can get is not going to fix the problem then whats the purpose
president obama and his administration have been emphasizing in recent days that the legislation which would also ensure the viability of puerto ricos public pension funds is critical to the islands financial health he made absolutely clear that there is no plan b here said pedro pierluisi the departing resident commissioner after a meeting with mr obama on wednesday
but the bill a result of intense compromise faces challenges in the house and the senate democrats want to see more done for puerto ricos working class republicans are nervous that it does not do enough for creditors who lobbied vigorously against it
sitting at her jewelry kiosk at the pedestrian mall sylvette villafane ruiz said she was torn but for her opening the door to the control board boiled down to this it cant get any worse


pittsburgh   the annual baseball draft which starts thursday night blends instincts hustle and happenstance like nothing else in sports most of the prospects are years away from the majors so much can change on a path that often starts on a high school diamond
two first round picks from the 2010 draft opposed each other at pnc park on wednesday jameson taillon made his major league debut for the pittsburgh pirates against noah syndergaard a second year sensation for the mets both worked six innings and allowed three runs in the mets 6 5 victory in 10 innings
taillon was chosen second over all in 2010 right between two future superstars bryce harper of the washington nationals and manny machado of the baltimore orioles taillon once seemed like a sure thing but he missed the last two seasons with tommy john surgery and a sports hernia
as a young 18 year old i didnt think this was that path i saw myself taking he said after arriving tuesday but its my journey its what ive had dealt to me
steve miller remembers taillon who starred for the woodlands high school near houston how could miller forget he never saw taillon pitch in high school but he knew all about him everybody did
there was talk he could be the first high school right hander in the history of the draft to go 1 1 miller said referring to the first overall pick i kept hearing jameson taillon jameson taillon jameson taillon he was the guy everyone was talking about
not many scouts were talking about syndergaard he pitched for a high school near dallas   legacy high in mansfield   and was chosen 38th over all by the toronto blue jays they traded him to the mets in the ra dickey deal after the 2012 season
miller is the man who found him he was speaking by phone tuesday from the airport in dallas on his way to monterrey mexico he is now an international cross checker for the tampa bay rays but in 2010 he scouted for the blue jays covering north texas for the first time
the year before miller had been responsible for a vast swath of the country the dakotas to kentucky and everything in between but under alex anthopoulos then in his first season as torontos general manager the blue jays had overhauled their scouting strategy they hired more scouts and gave them much smaller territories to cover
miller could have taken something closer to kansas where he grew up but he wanted to scout the best players and chose the baseball hotbed of north texas he began with a list of prospects to follow that did not include syndergaard
millers road to discovery began on a soggy february morning just outside waco where he had gone to see a high school pitcher named trae davis who would play for baylor it was close to game time but nobody was getting loose a rainstorm the night before had pushed back the start time
this was a problem because miller also wanted to see a pitcher named zach cates   now a class aa reliever for the chicago cubs   in the second game of a doubleheader at a community college in mount pleasant about three hours away he watched davis for three innings got in his car and called a san diego scout jeff curtis a friend who knew the area better than miller
bad news curtis told him cates had pitched in the first game there was nothing for miller to see in mount pleasant he pulled over and consulted a master schedule of high school games nothing stood out then he looked at a local newspaper another scout had left behind he asked curtis if there was anyone worth seeing
looks like theres a kid named snydergrass listed here   you know anything about him miller said
curtis gave a thumbnail sketch right hander 86 to 88 miles an hour heading to dallas baptist university in the fall did not make the area code games as a junior miller went to a high school game at the texas rangers ballpark instead but kept an open mind
he stayed one inning in arlington watching each pitcher and taking a cursory look at the up the middle fielders finding nothing appealing miller drove 20 minutes or so to see the snydergrass kid in mansfield his first impression still resonates
at legacy you park beyond the outfield and kind of walk around from center field and down the third base line miller said so as i crossed the left field foul pole and was walking down the line i saw this big beautiful guy on the mound with a good delivery and good arm action im like oh my god who is this i didnt see any scouts there
miller was entranced the velocity was just as curtis had described it nothing special but syndergaard   he knew the name now   looked so smooth with precision command of a fastball and changeup and a curveball that could develop into a power slider
miller learned from the coach that syndergaard was an exceptional athlete and a good hitter he could have been the teams best third baseman but he wanted to save his throws for the mound miller spoke with syndergaards parents who said their son had grown six inches to 6 foot 5 over the previous 18 months
then it hit me i just saw a guy who had grown so much in such a short period of time but could control his body so well miller said it all came together i was in awe
miller called his superior recommending the blue jays take a closer look this was pivotal because there were many better known pitchers in the area and miller needed time to build a case for him with his bosses
three other toronto scouts came to see syndergaard twice each each time he threw a one hitter one time we didnt even see any three ball counts miller said
other teams noticed miller said as syndergaard added velocity that spring but the preseason opinion persisted when syndergaard told a rival scout that he hoped to be picked in the first three rounds the scout warned syndergaard that he might scare off teams with such expectations
the blue jays spent their first pick no 11 on a georgia tech right hander deck mcguire who now pitches in class aaa for st louis they spent their next pick no 34 on aaron sanchez a high schooler from barstow calif who is now one of the blue jays best young starters
the year before miller had recommended james paxton a left hander from the university of kentucky who now pitches for seattle the blue jays took paxton with the 37th pick in 2009 but could not sign him as compensation they received the 38th pick in 2010 - and chose syndergaard
i went from crying about losing paxton to being elated about getting noah miller said
the los angeles angels had actually been the first team to contact syndergaard he said wednesday night but they passed on him for the fourth time right before toronto called his name syndergaard signed for 600000 well below the typical bonus of 900000 for that slot
i just wanted to start my career as soon as possible syndergaard said i didnt want to mess around with three years of college a lot can happen in three years
a lot did by 2013 miller and syndergaard would both be gone from the blue jays toronto revamped its scouting department and let miller go syndergaard by then was working his way through the mets farm system he would soon become a star of his draft class and a pillar of the mets success
the pirates want the same from taillon they waited six years for the prospect who could not miss to make it to pittsburgh a new batch of hopefuls arrives on thursday


lionel messi trained alongside his argentina teammates at the copa america centenario on wednesday and said he was hopeful he could return from a back injury in his teams second group stage game against panama on friday in chicago
messi who has been nursing a sore back since sustaining an injury in an exhibition against honduras last month has trained separately under the supervision of the teams medical staff since arriving in the united states
but messi who also plays for barcelona took part in a full training session wednesday at the university of illinois campus two days after he sat out argentinas opening 2 1 victory over chile
in a short message on his facebook page messi 28 wrote that he wanted to make a swift return to argentinas starting lineup
i hope to be ready as soon as possible to help the team messi wrote
a victory against panama would almost certainly guarantee a place in the quarterfinals for argentina with one game remaining in group d
troubling typo the organizers of the copa america have had a rough first week on sunday stadium officials in arizona played the wrong national anthem before a match on tuesday the events official twitter account misidentified a costa rican player as a colombian
now it is adidas that has been forced to apologize after the company misspelled colombia in advertisements promoting the teams new jerseys for the tournament
the ads which showed colombian players in their new white jerseys were pulled by adidas after social media widely ridiculed the company for spelling the country columbia
we value our partnership with the colombian football federation and apologize for our mistake adidas said in a statement we removed these graphics and are quickly installing new versions today
adidas has outfitted colombias national team since 2011 nyt
a premier league victory spain may have an iron grip on europes club competitions but englands premier league is the dominant power when it comes to the number of players headed to the european championship in france this month
spain has won the last two european championships and la liga clubs have claimed europes major club trophies the champions league and europa league for the last three seasons
yet a quarter of the 552 players preparing for euro 2016 play in the english league nearly four times as many as those from la liga according to figures from the online betting firm grosvenor casinos
while no english club has won a european trophy since chelsea claimed the europa league in 2013 england still appears to be the most popular destination for international players
even the bundesliga where 13 members of world champion germanys 23 man squad earn their livings is dwarfed by the premier league in terms of the number of players at this years euros more than twice as many players competing at the euros play in england than play in germany
the european championship opens friday when host france faces romania reuters
security concerns germany defender jerome boateng said this week that because of security concerns he would feel safer if his family did not attend his games at the european championship
the 27 year old boateng a key player for germany at euro 2016 was quoted by sportbild magazine wednesday as saying that his family and children would not come to the stadium because the risk is too great for me
on one hand of course its sad that you have to deal with such issues on the other hand many things have happened that make you thoughtful said boateng referring to recent terrorist attacks in paris and brussels i for one just want to concentrate on the football at the european championship and i feel better if my family is not sitting in the stadium ap


washington   speaker paul d ryan on thursday will roll out a national security agenda as part of his effort to shape the republican party platform ahead of the presumed nomination of donald j trump for president in july
the document is long on themes and short on specifics serving as a potential template to counter some of the more contentious proposals made by mr trump and as a rebuke to the obama administration it calls for more vigorous focus on keeping terrorists off american soil securing borders and building better defenses against cyberthreats
house republicans in a document to be unveiled thursday morning at the council on foreign relations charge that the united states is far less safe than when president obama took office in 2008 and that the nations stature has diminished the republicans also emphasize that security risks are graver than ever america faces the highest terror threat level since 911 they wrote
at the same time the to do list put forward by the republicans in many ways tracks policies and strategies that the obama administration has had in place for most of the last eight years though they suggest the white house has not been aggressive enough
and in some cases the statements by republicans are alarmist one says extremist groups have opened up new battlegrounds across the world even turning our own city streets into the front lines they are on the offensive sending operatives to our country and radicalizing americans to launch acts of violence from within
there is scant evidence that the islamic state or al qaeda has successfully established any terror cells in the united states in the way they have in europe
the document emphasizes the need to close security vulnerabilities in our transportation and immigration systems and pressing our allies to better combat terrorist and foreign fighter travel among other steps
on immigration enforcement and border control for instance the republicans write we need more than just fencing they also cite the need for border patrol agents aerial surveillance and radar   none of which are new tools
they do not address the potential financial cost which could be steep and run up against opposition in their own ranks to increased federal spending our response must be so overwhelming that it not only halts illicit activity they write but discourages it from ever happening
the draft of the document provided to the new york times says the administration has presided over americas retreat and accuses mr obama of prematurely drawing down forces in iraq and afghanistan the republicans urge containing iran saying it is building a regional empire and we must do all we can to stop it and they urge modernizing and solidifying nato
the house republican proposal is also somewhat at odds with mr trump for instance the republicans are far less critical of nato than mr trump who has called the alliance obsolete and questioned whether the united states should remain a member
mr ryans plan says that nato needs to be modernized and that other countries should be encouraged to increase their military spending but it does not call for an end to the alliance
the document also addresses how veterans are treated an issue that mr trump has repeatedly raised it is vital that americans have confidence in our national institutions including the department of veterans affairs and its system of benefits and health care it said
the document even raised the possibility of creating a new agency to replace it when government agencies fail to provide the care and benefits that are the reason for their existence alternative streamlined private options must be provided such as offering greater choice in using community providers for veterans health care it said
the document said that the va is not sacred the veteran is


beirut lebanon   bombs from airstrikes hit three hospitals on wednesday in the rebel held side of aleppo syria including a pediatrics center supported by the united nations in what aid providers and opposition activists called a new atrocity in the fighting that has ravaged the city
the middle east regional office of unicef the united nations childrens fund said in a statement that the attacks happened within a space of three hours on al bayan and al hakeem hospitals and the abdulhadi fares clinic
unicef provided no details on casualties damage or who was responsible but it said the attack was the second on al hakeem hospital which it helps operate
others said that at least 10 civilians were killed in the bombings including children and that many others were wounded activist groups blamed syrian military forces insurgents have no aircraft which are used to conduct such bombings
this devastating pattern of warfare in syria seems to have no checks and balances the unicef regional director dr peter salama said in a statement posted on twitter surely this should shake the moral compass of the world how long will we allow the children of syria to suffer like this
aleppo once syrias commercial center has been a battleground for much of the war that began more than five years ago between the forces of president bashar al assad and an array of opposition groups
the hospital attacks came a day after mr assad promised to take back every inch of territory from his enemies in a defiant televised speech that partly reflected his emboldened position since receiving military help from russia his most important ally
hospitals and medical workers have been repeatedly attacked in the conflict crippling syrias public health system in what medical workers and human rights advocates have assailed as a new low in the savagery of war
last month the united nations security council passed a resolution reminding combatants that hospitals must be treated as sanctuaries not targets and that violators must be held accountable
only seven hospitals are still functioning in the rebel held neighborhoods of aleppo home to about 350000 people according to the advocacy group physicians for human rights
an opposition activist video posted on youtube which was corroborated by others in aleppo reached via internet chat services showed enormous fires and billowing black smoke in the aftermath of the bombings on wednesday
it was a mess it was so dusty i saw fire body parts yehya al rijo an activist who rushed to al bayan hospital after the bombings said in an internet chat exchange he said the bottom floor was destroyed
i didnt know what to do   should i take my camera and shoot or should i rescue the wounded i took the second choice
rebel held neighborhoods of aleppo have been pummeled in dozens of bomb attacks in recent weeks despite a cessation of hostilities agreement negotiated by the 17 nation international syria support group a collaboration led by russia and the united states aimed at halting the war rebels have responded by launching mortar shells and handmade rockets on government held neighborhoods in the city


pittsburgh   in baseball batters dive out of the way to avoid being clipped by a pitch in basketball the smallest jostle can lead to a free throw but hockey is a little different it is one sport in which players go out of their way to be struck by a projectile that can travel at speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour
forward nick bonino of the pittsburgh penguins has the welts to prove it in game 3 of the stanley cup finals against the san jose sharks he blocked four shots including one from brent burns one of the nhls hardest shooters that hit him squarely in the stomach bonino was delighted with his gut pummeling stop
those are the fun ones to block he said stoically on sunday
bonino blocked another four shots in game 4 monday night helping the penguins to a 3 1 victory that put them one win away from capturing the stanley cup
boninos body may be in for even more punishment in game 5 which takes place here on thursday with the sharks desperate to keep their championship hopes alive coach peter deboer and his players have said they will be firing as many pucks as possible hoping that with enough shots some of them get past penguins 22 year old goaltender matt murray
every team has players who pride themselves on stopping the puck by any means possible before it reaches their goaltender for the penguins those players are bonino who leads the finals with 18 blocked shots and defenseman ian cole who on easter sunday this season was struck in the chest by a shot that was so hard it bent the crucifix around his neck leaving an imprint on his skin that is still visible
you cant think oh man this is going to hurt because then youre going to flinch cole said wednesday the sacrifice you make for your team really dulls the pain quite a bit
but bonino and cole who has eight blocked shots in the finals were not simply freelancing penguins coach mike sullivan and his staff needed to find a way to stifle the sharks offense which is led by joe pavelski logan couture and burns the penguins turned to having players fling themselves onto the ice to stop the puck
san joses offensive stars were deadly in the early rounds of the playoffs leading the sharks to the first stanley cup finals appearance in the teams 24 year history of the 16 teams that made the playoffs san jose has averaged the most goals per game in the postseason pavelski leads the playoffs with 13 goals burns who led all nhl defensemen with 27 goals and 353 shots in the regular season is tied with pavelski for second in points in the playoffs couture leads the league with 26 postseason points 4 more than burns and pavelski
but pavelski burns and couture have scored no goals in the finals they have combined for just 4 points in four games pittsburghs commitment to shot blocking has particularly frustrated pavelski and burns
san joses offense relies on shots from the defensemen which often lead to tip in or rebound goals but pittsburgh has kept many of the blasts from the blue line from getting anywhere near murray in game 3 the penguins blocked 12 of burnss shot attempts in game 4 burns fired nine pucks toward the goal only one of them reached murray
pavelski is among the best in the nhl at deflecting pucks past goaltenders but with few shots getting through to the front of the net his scoring opportunities in the series have been limited and his points nonexistent
i dont think teams get this far if they dont have the ability to defend sullivan said after game 4 we certainly have a lot of respect for san jose and how good they are but we couldnt be more proud of our players and the way were playing
san jose is hoping to find a crack in pittsburghs defense the sharks have not played with a lead the entire series their lone win coming on an overtime goal by joonas donskoi in game 3 but the penguins are committed to protecting murray at all costs be it with their legs their arms their torsos or in the case of patric hornqvist in game 4 his head
even the teams elite scorers   sidney crosby evengi malkin and phil kessel   are putting their bodies in front of pucks throughout the regular season and the first three rounds of the playoffs the penguins blocked fewer than 15 shots a game on average in the finals that number has increased to more than 23 a game
its inspiring to see murray said thats how badly we want to win
the penguins shot blocking has helped give them a commanding advantage in the series of the 32 teams that have taken a three games to one lead in the finals 31 have won the league title
on thursday night pittsburgh will have the opportunity to close out the series the penguins have won the stanley cup three times but they have never hoisted the 35 pound silver trophy over their heads on home ice
for the support that we get here and what the fans mean to us it would be great crosby said its going to take a big effort we believe we can do it


pittsburgh   when injuries depleted the mets lineup last summer they turned first to the atlanta braves in a deal for kelly johnson the versatile utility player they did it again on wednesday obtaining johnson from the braves for the class aa pitcher akeel morris
it shows the players hey were not going to stand pat here manager terry collins said i think its important guys know that
back with atlanta this season johnson 34 hit just 215 without his usual power he had only one home run and six doubles in 132 plate appearances but he has started games at every infield position and both corner outfield spots over the last two seasons and gives the mets a veteran they trust for a lineup that is missing catcher travis darnaud first baseman lucas duda and third baseman david wright who are all injured
we talked to kelly a bunch in the off season about bringing him back because we liked his versatility clubhouse leadership and veteran presence but we really didnt have a fit said john ricco the mets assistant general manager now we do and it was an opportunity to bring in a guy who was part of the team that got to the world series and gives our manager someone who can play first second third and the outfield
last years deal with the braves also brought juan uribe - who now plays for cleveland - and signaled that the mets were serious about upgrading a lineup that soon added yoenis cespedes johnson hit 250 with five home runs down the stretch and started a game in the world series
morris 23 had a 462 era and six saves for class aa binghamton he appeared in one game for the mets last season


donald j trump has some advice for panicked republicans in washington who are melting down over his most incendiary statements man up
politicians are so politically correct anymore they cant breathe mr trump said in an interview tuesday afternoon as fellow republicans forcefully protested his ethnically charged criticism of a federal judge overseeing a lawsuit against the defunct trump university
the people are tired of this political correctness when things are said that are totally fine he said during an interlude in a day of exceptional stress in the trump campaign it is out of control it is gridlock with their mouths
even as he chastised washingtons political class for a lack of backbone mr trump exhibited modest signs later on tuesday that he was getting the message that some remarks   such as questioning the fairness of judge gonzalo p curiel because of his mexican heritage   crossed a line
while he did not apologize he issued a statement that his comments on judge curiel had been misconstrued in a final republican primary night victory speech he struck a more conventional tone   at least for him   giving a more disciplined address using the teleprompter he has mocked while promising to make the republican party proud in the general election campaign
but anyone thinking that mr trump is going to suddenly adopt a more cautious strategic approach yearned for by election conscious congressional republicans is likely to be disappointed he wrinkled his nose in disgust at the mere mention of the word pivot though he conceded he wants to get on to broader discussion of the economy
in his view it is clear that his way has worked and the establishments has failed after all he vanquished every senator governor or former governor who challenged him for the partys nomination
i disagree with a lot of things ive watched in politics over the years thats why im running mr trump said over a meatball lunch he barely touched in the restaurant of trump tower and that may make me less popular with politicians but i have to be honest i didnt get there by doing it the way a lot of these people do it
back in washington congressional republicans were in a fever with speaker paul d ryan a reluctant trump convert to begin with calling mr trumps comments about the judge the textbook definition of racism senator mitch mcconnell the kentucky republican and majority leader denounced mr trumps crusade against judge curiel as stupid and urged him to apologize senator mark kirk of illinois withdrew his endorsement and others were pondering it
mr trump arms crossed tightly across his chest during lunch was aggrieved and considered some of the republican pushback inappropriate and unhelpful   though he did not want to address specific critics he insisted that he is anything but a racist and with his usual rebuttal by the numbers stressed that voters have rewarded his outspokenness with a record haul of primary votes while washington is held in dismal regard
people want people to represent them who are going to stick up for what they believe in mr trump said politicians have been very weak and very ineffective over the last quite long period of time
mr trump is also unhappy with the media and noted that he is nearing the ability to reach 20 million people by himself through his personal twitter facebook and instagram accounts providing an alternative way to reach the public even if its largely a one way conversation
his is a campaign like no other conducted out of a luxury office tower in manhattan named for its most prominent occupant the presumptive nominee himself a few floors below his personal office with a trumpian view of central park is unfinished space being leased to his campaign team a relatively skeleton crew of 80 or so running a national campaign
he is flabbergasted by critiques that he is woefully undermanned compared to the hundreds working for mrs clinton many just over in brooklyn
to me that is smart mr trump said about his lean team though he says he will soon increase his work force
as the primary season came to an odd close with him under republican fire in the nations capital   an unheard of spectacle in the last half century of presidential politics   mr trump took some time to huddle with his campaign team his daughter ivanka a trusted adviser was close at hand as was his campaign manager corey lewandowski his press secretary hope hicks and his special counsel michael cohen
as he headed to the trump grill for lunch tourists and workers hailed him congratulated him and urged him on as they lined up to take photos with their phones
he posed with some women and looked back at a reporter to point at the women and boasted hispanics afterward he bragged they say we love you mr trump were from mexico 
after he was seated the secret service erected a temporary partition to shield him from other guests
look he said amused we put up a wall
the uneasy relationship he has with republicans in washington   not to mention the antipathy for him among democrats   may have worked for him during the primary campaign but in the white house like them or not he will need them to deliver on whatever agenda he would pursue
mr trump who has for years contributed to and glad handed politicians from around the country believes he can be successful
i think i will get along with the politicians actually he said we will get the government moving ive done a lot of work on the other side of politics and ive always gotten what i want
we will see how it shakes out but i think it is going to shake out very well i think people are tired of what is going on
even as they express alarm over his tone and positions mr ryan and mr mcconnell have yet to abandon mr trump despite pressure from some republicans to do so the two congressional leaders say they still share more with mr trumps ideology than with mrs clintons
so how does it feel to be the lesser of two evils
i dont think i am for many people mr trump said maybe for some politicians
clearly the real estate merger between trump tower and the capitol is going to take more time


freddie roachs tilted neck and the slight tremor of his hands were obvious to the onlookers at mendez gym as he walked through the ropes and into the center of the ring
roach a 56 year old hall of fame boxing trainer and a former boxer picked up his pink and blue mitts and started pad work with zou shiming a 35 year old chinese olympian as zous fists hit the pads roachs parkinsons symptoms came to a noticeable halt
again again again roach called out catching every punch that zou threw his way
in roachs 24 hour a day fight against parkinsons boxing is his comfort zone he says it was muhammad alis too
ali died friday at age 74 in arizona after a long battle with parkinsons disease which roach has been living with since he was 27 the trainer   famous for his work with manny pacquiao   has no plans to slow down hes preparing zou who has won two olympic gold medals and a bronze for his american debut on the undercard of the fight between roman martinez and vasyl lomachenko on hbo saturday night
about 10 to 15 years ago roach said ali and his daughter visited roachs gym wild card boxing club in los angeles completely unannounced the two men discussed boxing and the medical treatment they were taking to reduce the symptoms of parkinsons
we got to know him pretty well roach said smiling as he recalled the memory he played jokes he did magic he hit the heavy bag and the best thing for me was when he started hitting the heavy bag his tremors went away and he had no problems at all and it was like when   i have parkinsons also   and when i get in the ring and get on the mitts with the fighters and so forth all my symptoms kind of go away so our comfort zone was similar
roach was diagnosed years after ali received his diagnosis in 1984 at the age of 42
parkinsons is a chronic and progressive movement disorder of the nervous system nearly one million people in the united states are living with the disease and there is no cure at present but there are treatment options for managing its symptoms
many doctors believe it can be caused by repeated head trauma and both roach and ali took many punches during their fighting careers
roach said that parkinsons got harder to deal with as people with the disease got older he is younger than most of the people who have the disease so he feels that he can deal with it better than most he said he has an alarm system that reminds him four times a day to take his medicine
when ali visited roach they spoke about their treatment
we talked a little bit about the medication at that time roach said he was having trouble with the dopamine its very hard to take it makes you very sick its really hard to get used to and sometimes youd rather not take it and deal with the tremors just on your own because the medication doesnt make you feel so well so we hit on that a little bit back then
but that was quite a while ago roach continued and the medications are getting better and theyre a lot more knowledge about parkinsons than ever i think that there will be a cure soon
when roach was fighting his trainer was eddie futch who had also trained joe frazier one of alis biggest rivals
back then roach did not think ali was the best fighter in the world now he does
he was a friendly happy and just real nice guy roach said i really got to know him in those four hours


two democrats will battle each other to become californias next united states senator after winning the top spots in an open primary on tuesday the intraparty fight between kamala harris the states attorney general and loretta sanchez a congresswoman from orange county will be the first to shut out republicans since california approved nonpartisan primaries in 2010 ms harris and ms sanchez defeated a crowded field that included two former chairmen of the state republican party the campaign to replace barbara boxer a democrat who was first elected in 1992 is the first for an open senate seat in california in more than a generation jennifer medina
gov sam brownback on wednesday backed a 38 million increase in state aid for poor school districts as he called a special session to avert a court mandated school shutdown mr brownback a republican wants the republican dominated legislature to respond to a state supreme court ruling declaring that the states system for distributing 4 billion in aid to school districts remains unfair to poor ones state officials believe the 38 million increase would be in line with the courts decision and it would redistribute dollars from wealthier districts mr brownback said he is willing to consider various ways to raise the money including shifting it from other aid to schools or cutting other areas of the states budget ap
the nonprofit organization run by the wife of gov bruce rauner a republican has sued him amid the states unprecedented budget impasse the awkward situation has raised eyebrows about diana rauners twin roles as first lady to the states first republican governor in over a decade and as a longtime social services advocate ms rauner a democrat is president of the chicago based ounce of prevention fund which offers early childhood programs and is partly state funded the fund recently joined a lawsuit against the governor and state agencies brought by social agencies working without payment for nearly a year because of budget gridlock a hearing in the court case is scheduled for next month ap


time to rewrite the science textbooks the periodic table has new names for four elements
the international union of pure and applied chemistry the gatekeeper to the periodic table announced on wednesday the proposed names for elements 113 115 117 and 118 nihonium moscovium tennessine and oganesson
the new names for the four superheavy radioactive elements will replace the seventh rows uninspired placeholders of ununtrium ununpentium ununseptium and ununoctium
iupac officially recognized the elements in december and gave naming rights to teams of scientists from the united states russia and japan who made the discoveries the proposed names had to follow iupac rules and are now available for public review people have until november to object to the proposals and iupac has the final say
nihonium symbol nh was discovered by scientists at the riken institute in japan they are the first from asia to earn the right to propose an addition to the table
the name comes from nihon which is one of the two japanese words for japan the other word nippon made its way to versions of the periodic table in 1908 as element 43 nipponium but was never officially accepted at the time researchers were unable to replicate the experiments of masataka ogawa a japanese chemist who isolated the element two decades later it was revealed that dr ogawa had in fact found a new element element 75 by then already known as rhenium the team that discovered element 113 told iupac that they had chosen nihonium in part to honor the work of dr ogawa
a trio of research institutions   the joint institute for nuclear research in russia oak ridge national laboratory in tennessee and lawrence livermore national laboratory in california   were given the right to propose names for elements 115 and 117
moscovium symbol mc is named for moscow which is near the joint institute for nuclear research tennessine symbol ts gets its name from the state of tennessee where oak ridge national laboratory is after californium it is the second element named for one of the 50 states
naming rights for element 118 belonged to the same russian researchers and the americans from the lawrence livermore national laboratory
they selected oganesson symbol og for yuri oganessian who helped discover several superheavy elements if accepted it will be only the second time that an element is named for a living person the first was element 106 seaborgium named for glenn t seaborg
the names may disappoint some people like the 150000 heavy metal music fans who signed a petition to get element 115 named lemmium after lemmy kilmister of the band motorhead or the 50000 terry pratchett book lovers who wanted element 117 to be named octarine or new york times readers who suggested trumpium and godzillium for the new elements


when trains are late or subway fares increase many new yorkers reflexively blame the mayor but the agency that runs the city subway system is controlled by the state often leaving the city dependent on the whims of the governor
mayor bill de blasio has a voice on the transportation agencys board but that voice has been largely muted over the last year a situation that may reflect his strained relationship with leaders in albany
while the mayor has four seats to fill on the metropolitan transportation authoritys board he currently has only one representative polly trottenberg the citys transportation commissioner mr de blasio recommended three others for the 23 member board last year but the state senate did not approve them before the legislative session ended transit advocates are concerned that those nominees will again not be confirmed before the session ends next week
at a time when subway riders face overcrowded cars the prospect of a fare increase and the upcoming shutdown of the l train tunnel the city is pushing for more power on the authoritys board
the mayors three nominees are exceedingly qualified and must be approved in the sessions final days natalie grybauskas a spokeswoman for the mayor said
mr de blasio a democrat recommended david r jones the president of the community service society ydanis rodriguez a city council member and veronica vanterpool the executive director of the tri state transportation campaign to serve on the board
every day they are not confirmed is another day the citys voice is silenced in decision making that will affect our residents for years to come ms grybauskas said in a statement
mr de blasio has continued to quarrel this year with gov andrew m cuomo and senate leaders over perceived political slights as well as legislative issues prompting concerns that his board nominations are not a priority
i dont know whether its vindictiveness or inattention but either way the result is the same which is the city is underrepresented on the mta board said john raskin the executive director of the riders alliance a rider advocacy group there is no good public policy reason to sit on these nominations
the authority said that the governor had sent the mayors recommendations to the senate for confirmation on tuesday the senate confirmed on wednesday that it had received the names mr cuomo also submitted two board appointments of his own and another for a union leader
the mayors picks were submitted to the senate at the same time as the governors picks   all in time to be considered by the senate at the end of the session when these board nominations are traditionally considered james allen a spokesman for the governor said in a statement
last june the republican led senate confirmed the authoritys chairman thomas f prendergast for a six year term and lawrence s schwartz a former top aide to mr cuomo to serve on its board a spokesman for senate republicans scott reif said leaders were doing their due diligence to examine the mayors nominees
this week mr reif said politics was not a factor and the senate would review the nominations
we consider all nominations on the merits at the appropriate time mr reif said
over the last year officials at the authority have focused on winning support for a 295 billion capital plan to maintain and expand the regions transit network the plan received final approval from state leaders last month after several delays as mr cuomo mr de blasio and legislative leaders worked out the details
officials at the authority are working to reduce subway delays and must decide how long to close the l tunnel between brooklyn and manhattan to repair flood damage from hurricane sandy later this year the board is expected to discuss fare increases for 2017
im trying to do my best to represent the administration but there are a lot of complicated matters in front of the mta ms trottenberg said in an interview
the governor names six representatives to the authoritys board including the chairman the executives of nassau suffolk and westchester counties each recommend one member while the members that represent dutchess orange putnam and rockland counties share one vote
several nonvoting board members represent riders and labor unions
mr cuomo a democrat has appointed peter ward the president of the new york hotel and motel trades council and charles phillips the chief executive of infor a manhattan software company they must receive senate approval the transport workers union local 100 recommended its president john samuelsen as a nonvoting member
fernando ferrer the boards vice chairman and the former bronx borough president said he hoped the city would soon have its full complement of board representatives though mr ferrer was nominated by the governor he said he has kept the citys interests in mind
i hasten to remind you that i live in new york city and i ride the system every day he said i think i look out for the city as well
in recent months mr jones and other advocates have pushed for reduced fares for low income riders fares were too high for those who are unemployed or struggling to get by mr jones said though he was unsure he would be able to join the board soon enough to take up the cause
i have no illusions about how tense things can get between politicians mr jones said its not like im waiting with bated breath


not only was jahmal lightfoot so brutally beaten by correction officers that his eye sockets were fractured he was accused   falsely   of instigating the attack and as punishment he was placed alone in a cell for up to 23 hours a day for nearly four months
for mr lightfoot an inmate at rikers island that was just how life was
the guilty verdicts this week against five current and former rikers officers in the 2012 beating and cover up did more than just yield justice for mr lightfoot they were also a sweeping indictment of the new york citys long troubled jail complex at a time when it has come under intensifying criticism over what many see as a deeply entrenched culture of violence and corruption
the trial opened a window into a level of abuse and misconduct inside the sprawling complex with about 8000 inmates that helped lead to efforts at reforming rikers
the five officers were convicted of all charges on tuesday by a jury in state supreme court in the bronx including first degree attempted gang assault which carries a prison sentence of up to 15 years a sixth officer was acquitted of taking part in the cover up three other officers who have allowed the judge presiding over the trial to decide are still awaiting their verdicts
that something like this could even happen   with this number of correction officers   demonstrates how deplorable the conditions were at rikers when this happened said sanford rubenstein a lawyer who represents mr lightfoot in a lawsuit against the city over the beating
again and again during the trial mr lightfoot city investigators and other witnesses recounted the spate of stabbings and slashings among inmates   often fueled by gang rivalries   that enveloped the jail in violence and prompted precautions that some inmates saw as indignities guards routinely ordered the inmates to strip for body searches checked inside their mouths walked them through metal detectors and tossed their mattresses and cells looking for weapons
jamaal brooks a former rikers inmate testified that officers would sometimes disrespect inmates and punish them unnecessarily i want the same respect i give you mr brooks said on the stand if you threaten me im going to threaten you
mr brooks added that inmates often received harsh punishments for even minor infractions some inmates were punished with weeks even months in lockdown in the box a section of the jail where inmates were confined to their cells for up to 23 hours a day
mr lightfoot who was sent to rikers in 2010 after being arrested on suspicion of snatching a womans pocketbook was no stranger to the box he had racked up infractions during his time at rikers including being caught with a weapon fashioned out of a battery that he said he needed to protect himself from other inmates
such grievances only worsened tensions within the jail complex leading in some cases to violence against both guards and inmates darcel d clark the bronx district attorney who sat in the front row as the verdicts were read in the lightfoot case said afterward that this trial provided a glimpse of how violence permeated rikers island and fueled a sense of lawlessness
she added inmate attacks on correction officers led to an us versus them mentality that justified for some officers use of excessive force
prosecutors said that eliseo perez jr a former assistant chief for security at the jail had ordered his men to teach mr lightfoot a lesson because the inmate thought he was a tough guy mr lightfoot now 31 testified that he was unarmed when he was led into a small cell covered by a sheet he said it was open season for the officers to pummel him with their fists and boots as he curled up in a fetal position to shield himself
as he was recovering from his injuries mr lightfoot said he was summoned to an internal disciplinary hearing and shown a photo of a crude u shaped piece of metal that prosecutors said had been planted as part of the cover up he was told he was being charged with assault on staff and refusal of a direct order he was found guilty and spent 110 days in the box
this trial shined a spotlight on how bad the situation was in rikers for the inmates mr rubenstein said
city correction officials said that they had taken aggressive steps in recent years to overhaul the recruitment and training of officers and improve their professionalism
we are giving our officers the tools they need to manage inmate behavior without resorting to unnecessary force   and we have stepped up investigations and enforcement divisions to probe any unnecessary uses of force and malfeasance said eve kessler a spokeswoman for the department officers and inmates alike are benefiting from less serious violence in our jails
mark g peters the commissioner of the department of investigation which helped investigate the lightfoot case said that the episode had opened the door for other complaints about alleged inmate brutality and corruption at rikers the arrest of mr perez a high ranking member of the correction department and the other officers had shown that no one was above the law he said
theres a sense now that someone is watching whats going on which starts to make rikers feel less isolated from scrutiny mr peters said
in the past two years mr peters department has led an investigation of rikers that has resulted in the arrest of 31 correction officers and staff members some on suspicion of gang related crimes the most recent arrests include those of two officers who were accused of smuggling in scalpels and drugs as part of an operation that city investigators said was run mainly by three subgroups of the bloods gang
rikers is better than it was in 2012 mr peters said but that doesnt mean the problem is fixed were still a long way from that


los angeles   the primary tuesday in california handed victories to donald j trump on the republican side and hillary clinton on the democratic side but it was also a reminder of what bad shape the states republican party is in no republican drew enough votes to qualify for the runoff for an open united states senate seat this fall the contest will feature only democratic candidates
a collection of wednesday morning headlines hit the same theme the republican party had crashed and burned in california and had done little to address its long running problems attracting voters in the largest growing demographic latinos adam nagourney the los angeles bureau chief for the new york times and jennifer medina a correspondent in the bureau talked about the results and what they mean for a beleaguered party in the countrys most populous state
adam nagourney jenny so it might have gotten overlooked in the late breaking democratic presidential contest here why oh why does it take california so long to count votes but this was not a good night for the california republican party or i guess i should say once again this was not a good night for the california republican party
coming into this contest the republican party in california   you know california the state of richard nixon and ronald reagan and arnold schwarzenegger   did not control a single statewide office in the contest you covered last night to replace senator barbara boxer a democrat a republican did not even make it to the runoff and the winning campaign donald trump ran for the republican presidential nomination with its emphasis on battling illegal immigration and his challenge to the mexican judge is pretty much the stuff of nightmares for moderate california republicans who have been trying to fashion a party that can appeal to the changing demographics of this state just how badly did the republicans do in the senate race
jennifer medina i think its fair to say downright terrible
for the first time in a century no republican will be on the ballot for the states senate seat no republican even approached 10 percent of the total vote and the top three combined received less than a million votes
now part of the problem for the republicans was a very crowded ballot   there were more than 34 candidates a dozen of them republicans   so whatever support they might have had was divvied up into tiny slices but judging by last nights results even if the party had unified around one candidate they would have had a hard time making the ballot this is probably not what duf sundheim a former state party chairman who won 8 percent of the vote last night had in mind when he backed californias move to an open primary system in 2010
nagourney no doubt about that if im reading our results correctly loretta sanchez the democrat who came in second behind kamala harris got 183 percent of the vote   which is more than the three republicans behind her got combined oof last time i checked republicans made up 24 percent of the electorate democrats made up 44 percent the state party chairman jim brulte told me that he expected that disparity to get worse this year because democrats unlike republicans have a contested primary at this rate people who dont register with either party may someday outnumber republicans
a lot of people here say that the state partys downfall should be a cautionary lesson for national republicans that it all began when republican leaders including gov pete wilson championed proposition 187 a voter initiative in 1994 that would have cut off benefits for illegal immigrants the initiative which passed was thrown out in court but the damage was done does that make sense to you how much of a big deal do you think latino voters are here and how much trouble is the republican party in with that part of the electorate
medina almost every republican and democrat i talk to in the state points to that anti immigrant initiative as the beginning of the end for republicans here latinos are nearing 40 percent of the total population in california and by all accounts are registering in record numbers no doubt largely driven by mr trumps anti immigrant rhetoric theres really a sense of republicans dont want us among many immigrants not just latinos republican leaders here know that and have been making serious efforts to attract latino and asian moderates to run in local races with some success but they know that the fall election is going to make that job much much harder and it has to have them nervous about the potential for their further demise here
nagourney ive learned from the experience not to make sweeping predictions about politics its easy to forget this but there is a long republican history in this state karl rove who was the chief strategist for george w bush used to insist in conversations with me back in 2004 that california was still a competitive state in presidential elections it wasnt the last time the republicans won a presidential race here was when mr bushs father defeated michael dukakis in 1988 and the state was only becoming more democratic
all that said i am wary of falling into the republican party is dead in california trap politics is fluid and things always change but ill tell you what i think is a real problem for the california republican party its going to get tougher and tougher to find good candidates to run if the party is a minor party and we are close to that   and more than that if it is identified with the kind of anti illegal immigrant language that is coming from its standard bearer donald trump do you see any bright spots on the republican horizon
medina the central valley remains a republican stronghold though the area is heavily latino and many of the agricultural business leaders strongly favor looser immigration laws many there remain wary of democrats while several republican members of congress have faced fierce re election battles in recent years they have managed to hang on to their seats and performed well last night its also the home of kevin mccarthy the house majority leader whose district has its own mixed feelings about immigration it will be telling to see what mr mccarthy and his colleagues say in response to the kinds of comments coming from mr trump former gov arnold schwarzenegger said through a spokesman on monday that he voted for john kasich not mr trump
nagourney ill leave you and our readers with one final point on this which may not make jim brulte very happy if you look out over the landscape there is a generation of younger democratic candidates who are ready to move up as some of the older elected officials   gov jerry brown senator dianne feinstein and ms boxer   move on it starts with ms harris who would be the first black woman to serve in the united states senate in 15 years and ms sanchez who is latina beyond this year the bench includes antonio villaraigosa the former los angeles mayor who is looking at a run for governor eric garcetti the los angeles mayor and gavin newsom the lieutenant governor who is also running for governor
but the partys biggest challenge in the months ahead is maneuvering around the presidential candidacy of mr trump how it does that may say more than anything about its prospects going forward in a state that is now 40 percent latino


washington   prime minister narendra modi of india condemned global terrorism and said during a lengthy address to congress on wednesday that growing economic ties benefit both his country and the united states
the innovation strength of our two countries comes together in california said mr modi who visited california last year here the innovative genius of america and indias intellectual creativity are working to shape new industries of the future
mr modi made clear that he intended the speech to hail a new moment in relations between the united states and india when he told congress at the outset that he had started his visit to washington with a trip to arlington national cemetery he called it the final resting place of many brave soldiers of this great land
i honored their courage and sacrifice for the ideals of freedom and democracy mr modi added
indian leaders have long been skeptical of american military power and have often been deeply critical of the vietnam war and other military interventions by the united states celebrating american war dead though was a telling signal of what both sides say is a very different relationship between the two countries
mr modi has encouraged a continued american military presence in afghanistan because he is worried that pakistan will have unchallenged influence there once the americans leave
your contribution in keeping the region safe and secure is deeply appreciated mr modi said adding a commitment to rebuild a peaceful and stable and prosperous afghanistan is our shared objective
almost exactly 31 years ago rajiv gandhi then indias prime minister also spoke of afghanistan in an address to congress but he did it in the context of justifying the soviet military presence there because he said soviet troops were invited by the karmal regime a reference to the soviet installed government of president babrak karmal
the different references to afghanistan are a measure of just how much relations between the worlds largest democracies have changed in three decades
in another sign of a break with the past mr modi gave a strong endorsement for global institutions most of them created with american leadership
growing uncertainties and political complexities   our engagement can make a difference by promoting cooperation not dominance mr modi said connectivity not isolation inclusive not exclusive mechanism respect for global commons and above all for international rules and norms
then mr modi made an explicit reference to china by endorsing the freedom of navigation on seas referring to disputes involving the south china sea and chinas efforts to carve out part of those waters as its own
mr modi was the fifth indian prime minister to address congress and the appearance represents a turnaround in his acceptance within the united states for years mr modi was barred from getting a visa to come here because of his role in 2002 riots in the indian state of gujarat that cost the lives of more than 1000 people mostly muslims but as he rose as a national political figure in india united states diplomats sought to put that difficult history to rest
mr modis decision to accelerate already warming ties with the united states has been greeted in washington with excitement and surprise
on tuesday he held meetings at the white house with president obama where the two leaders formalized a wide range of agreements covering climate change renewable energy security and economic issues before congress mr modi also repeated that india was open for business
mr modi is eager for greater foreign investment and although he has failed to deliver many fundamental reforms that would make business easier to conduct there the smaller steps he has taken and his obvious enthusiasm have persuaded some major investors to give india a try
in his speech mr modi gave a nod to his difficulties in passing much of his economic reform agenda although mr modis bharatiya janata party has a majority in the lok sabha indias lower house of parliament it does not have a majority in the upper house the rajya sabha
mr speaker im informed that the working of the us congress is harmonious mr modi said to laughter im also told that youre well known for your bipartisanship well you are not alone time and again i have also witnessed a similar spirit in the indian parliament
indias economy is now the fastest growing large economy in the world but jobs are not being created at anywhere close to the pace needed to employ the roughly one million indians who come of age each month
mr modi also touched on the issue of climate change in his speech but subtly reinforced the point that the willingness of india   the worlds third largest carbon emitter   to cut its own pollution will depend on help from the united states
the protection of the environment and caring of the planet is central to our vision of a just world he said adding for us in india to live in harmony with mother earth is part of our ancient beliefs
but he said our partnership aims to balance responsibility and capacity and focuses on new ways to increase availability of renewable energy
mr modi has vowed to sharply increase the growth of solar power in india but indian diplomats have also pushed for commitments from the united states to make new solar power technologies available as cheaply as possible either by waiving intellectual property fees or by providing favorable financing
this has been the goal of our efforts in g20 and climate change summits mr modi said to a mixed ovation   lawmakers on the democratic side of the aisle stood and clapped while those on the republican side mostly stayed seated
mr modi was forceful in his condemnation of global terrorism a subject he dwelt on at length not just in afghanistan but elsewhere in south asia and globally terrorism remains the biggest threat he said adding in a clear reference to pakistan although its shadow is spreading across the world it is incubated in indias neighborhood
indias long rivalry with pakistan has meant that india has been a target of terror attacks funded and encouraged by pakistan most famously in the mumbai terror attacks of 2008
some members of congress have criticized mr modis human rights record but the politics of a visit by an indian leader have also changed before mr modi spoke the house speaker paul d ryan and vice president joseph r biden jr announced more than a dozen members of congress who were said to be escorting mr modi into the chamber
there are 35 million indian americans and they are a highly successful immigrant group with both wealth and deep community connections making them sought after by politicians in just one example some 40 percent of hotel rooms in the united states are owned or managed by indian americans according to arun k singh indias ambassador to the united states


london   in 1900 a jewish lithuanian immigrant named meshe david osinsky arrived in britain alone at the age of 19 he set up a clothes peddling business adopted the name montague burton and then opened a tailoring store in chesterfield a northern industrial town
by 1939 burton had 595 retailers across the country offering made to measure suits for men by the time world war ii broke out the company made a quarter of all british military uniforms and a third of demobilization suits issued to soldiers returning home making it the affordable brand it remains today
just in time for the mens wear season his story is one of dozens finally being told in moses mods and mr fish a small but powerful exhibition on display through june 19 at the jewish museum london in the borough of camden town which aims to document the role of jewish designers in shaping the male wardrobe over the last century including moss bros and marks  spencer
while the show is rich in photographs video footage and advertising campaigns examples of the suits themselves are relatively few
the differing attitudes of the sexes toward clothing goes a long way in explaining why we have so many well preserved pieces of historical womens wear and so little that was worn by men said miriam phelan an assistant curator
women have tended to acquire more and save items for different occasions she said but men particularly in the first half of the 20th century would only own one or two suits and wear them near daily for much of their lives until they were utterly worn out many of these items are from the private collections of individuals and sourced with a fair amount of luck
the starting point of the exhibition is a series of 100 year old black and white photographs and catalogs depicting the off the rack tailoring shops and one room factories that at one point occupied every street corner of londons east end
entrepreneurial jewish immigrant tailors like burton who flooded into the country in the tens of thousands from eastern europe and russia over the course of the 19th century quickly became instrumental in the development of the ready to wear industry after they found that their fabric focused skill sets   often a result of workforce discrimination in their home countries   were suddenly in demand
with 60 percent of all jewish men working in britain tailoring by 1901 a web of jewish firms many interconnected via family ties established themselves as the dominant force in the growth of a mass manufacture made to measure clothing market for the middle and working classes
as a result of these advances fashion became more accessible to all and mens wear trends became less formal and indicative of social background during the years between the wars the lounge suit became suitable for virtually every occasion for example and the popularity of sportswear soared
in the postwar years a new generation of consumers rejected the dress codes of their fathers opting instead to embrace the latest looks sported by celebrity idols
one retailer cecil gee injected a touch of hollywood glamour into the british mainstream by pioneering the short lightweight single breasted italian look that later came to define the archetypal mod suit and was embraced by youthquake pop and rock stars like the beatles and the rolling stones on view at the exhibition for example is a suede jacket designed by gee and worn by john lennon on tour in 1964
the most dazzling pieces in the show come at its climax with the explosion of color   a yellow woven silk nehru jacket for example or turquoise trousers   and flamboyant dandyism that emerged out of london in the late 60s
michael fish the extrovert pioneer of the so called kipper tie and an inner circle confidant of the biggest celebrities of the day and the mr fish in the exhibitions title was the most outrageous and provocative of the lot with an unabashed more is more aesthetic
he fused luxury bespoke tailoring and hippie florals and silks and his clashing palettes metallics and lurex became wardrobe staples for male as well as female clients mick jagger wore one of his mini dresses at a 1969 concert in hyde park
traditional retailers reacted to this style revolution with chutzpah opening in store shop in shops geared toward the increasingly powerful youth market in the earliest examples of fast fashion
the response to the show has been incredibly positive ms phelan said at a time where people are thinking about mens wear in a very different way with less formula and more experimentalism
by highlighting the colorful and not always recognized individuals who have contributed to the british fashion scene in the past she said the changes we are seeing in the present on the catwalk and in the streets are put in far greater context


sisters are doin it for themselves the 1985 pop hit would be an appropriately militant theme song for the new edition of the human rights watch film festival this years focus is on womens rights around the globe and more than half the 18 features in the festival which opens friday and is being presented by the film society of lincoln center and the ifc center are directed by women alone or with co directors
both the opening  and closing night selections are portraits of fiercely determined female activists standin on their own two feetand ringin on their own bells to quote the lyrics risking their safety to advance womens rights in repressive political climates
nanfu wangs opening film is a portrait of ye haiyan whose nickname lends the film its title hooligan sparrow she once threatened to work free at a chinese brothel to draw attention to the oppression of thousands of women employed by the countrys sex industry too juicy for the chinese news media to ignore the story gave her a notoriety that made her an enemy of the state
shot on the fly hooligan sparrow follows ye haiyan and fellow protesters as they seek justice after the suspected rape of six elementary school girls in hainan province by their school principal and a government official and a cover up by the powers that be this ragged inflammatory documentary is a classic example of guerrilla filmmaking ye haiyan and her companions are continually harassed and threatened by the authorities and their equipment is destroyed but they persist
just as determined and unstoppable an advocate for female empowerment and self expression is sonita alizadeh an afghan refugee and aspiring rapper in tehran the protagonist of rokhsareh ghaem maghamis documentary sonita ms alizadeh who has no passport or papers was not permitted to perform in iran either her idol is rihanna and she fantasizes that she is the daughter of rihanna and michael jackson
sonita is living with her sister and her niece when she meets ms maghami when her mother whom she hasnt seen in eight years tries to persuade her daughter to be sold into marriage to fund a dowry for her older brother ms maghami intervenes and helps buy the girls freedom ms alizadeh made a video brides for sale which led a nonprofit organization to bring her to the united states where she is studying at wasatch academy in utah on a full scholarship sonita won the grand jury prize for world cinema at this years sundance film festival
the human rights watch festivals most powerful film mehrdad oskoueis starless dreams wrings a poignant twist on the sisters are doin it for themselves concept in this heartbreaking work the director interviews girls housed in a tehran rehabilitation center for juvenile delinquents they all live in a dormitory where they develop close ties and their friendships and the mutual support they give one another are deeply touching
that this is a sisterhood formed by circumstance doesnt make it any less a sorority their openness makes their first person horror stories of familial captivity abuse and punishment often at the hands of male relatives all the more hair raising
what amazes is their collective joie de vivre in the face of horrific experience as they talk about beatings from parents about addicted fathers who force them to sell drugs and about running away from home and surviving on the streets these fresh faced young women dont mince words although keenly aware of their social disgrace they possess an astonishing inner resilience and prefer to see themselves as victims of circumstances beyond their control rather than wrongdoers the movie was made on condition that they not be followed after leaving the center your heart aches for those who are returned to hellish conditions from which the center provided a temporary refuge those not taken back by their families face a frightening unknown
among the remaining selections jackson examines reproductive rights at mississippis last remaining abortion clinic in ovarian psycos a latina bicycle gang fights for its place on the streets of east los angeles the two mexican women in tatiana huezos tempestad tell personal horror stories of unjust incarceration corruption and unaccountability of those in power the uncondemned examines activists campaign to have rape recognized in rwanda as a war crime
two other films are worth noting do not resist winner of best documentary at this years tribeca film festival examines the militarization of american police departments and the police oppression of african americans george curians film the crossing is a firsthand account of a syrian refugee groups perilous journey to europe by sea and by land
we are in the crowded boat with the refugees during their weeklong voyage which ends when an italian oil tanker rescues them once in europe they disperse to belgium the netherlands and scandinavia where they embark on new lives while navigating a maze of regulations and refugee hostels these refugees who speak broken english are middle class syrians who are devastated to leave their homeland
i came away from the movie with the realization that in their hopes fears and dreams they are essentially just like us there but for the grace of god our fates are just the luck of the draw


who knew you could parse benjamin moore classic gray by percentages
thats what dominique levy was doing with her team recently while readying their gallerys booth for the art basel art fair in switzerland which starts next week   determining how deep the shade of a wall should be behind a gerhard richter landscape 50 percent 75 100
its hard to imagine paint color making much of an impression on the moneyed collectors who will be breezing through the exhibition hall near the rhine
but for ms levy even the most minute detail matters that is because she is one of the many leading figures in the art world who consider art basel the most important art fair   the one they work on the hardest because it attracts the most international serious clients
art fairs having proliferated around the world are a potent force in the art market a kind of one stop shopping that allows collectors access to major galleries from numerous countries without having to visit the galleries themselves
as a result fairs account for about 40 percent of gallery sales by value according to the tefaf art market report making the limited number of spots at top fairs especially coveted more than 800 galleries competed for about 300 booths in basel this year
during the past few weeks ms levy allowed this reporter to be privy to her extensive preparation in new york for basel offering a rare window into the intense process galleries go through to bring their a game to the fair
its really your one moment where you can show who you are she said its acutely important for existing relationships new relationships the way the art world perceives you
youre put to really high standards she added every collector would say to you art basel is the most important art fair
because ms levy is swiss art basel also matters most for personal reasons the dealer who recently announced that she would be taking over the whole building at her madison avenue gallery has been coming to this fair since she was a child her mother still attends
art basel is what made me want to be a gallerist and an art dealer she said
so ms levy pulls out the stops bringing a staff of 11 six from new york three from her london gallery and two from her geneva gallery for a week enlisting an architect painter and lighting designer for her booth entertaining clients with a major event   this year a circus themed party created by a tightrope acrobat with dinner under the big top even insisting on a specific brand of swiss chocolate in the booth villars
i wont go as far as to say i curate the bowl of chocolate but ms levy joked
her total spending on all this is steep more than 300000 she also produces a glossy brochure and previously bought le corbusier furniture for the booth but for ms levy the fair is a worthwhile investment   a gallerys calling card and a crucial place to make connections
theres not a year where we havent met a minimum of three to five meaningful people she said describing important buyers
there is a hierarchy to the placement of booths at the fair and ms levy has worked her way up having attended as part of the former lm arts gallery before starting her own shop three years ago i had to graduate from behind the toilet she said
now im opposite zwirner and near nahmad she added naming two prominent galleries its a fantastic position but it took time
from the moment the fair ends ms levy said she starts planning the next one keeping her eyes open for art she may want to sock away for the next year the preparation is both exhilarating and exhausting
basel is the fair where ive lost the most sleep she said
the fair itself is also a marathon ms levy said she barely eats and never sits down despite high heels   i cant sell art in flat shoes   bringing two pairs along with an ice bucket in which she soaks her feet after the first four hours
then i can do another four hours she said
booths at the fair used to be highly specialized ms levy said   with one dealer for example focusing on postwar french works now a preoccupation with contemporary art has made it more homogenized
so ms levy seeks to stand out providing a complete art experience within the confines of her booth combining the contemplative nature of a literary salon with the competitiveness of say a couture sample sale
what depresses me the most is if people walk past the booth and dont stop she said i want people to come in and then have a journey
the theme of ms levys booth this year is postwar europe and america showing how a pierre soulages painting for example echoes a david smith sculpture
there is a harmony which i think is important she said a story to be told
at a recent meeting   at which ms levy presided with an aura of elegant efficiency some find intimidating   staff members pored over an architectural model of the booth moving mini reproductions of the artworks around on the foamcore walls
has the calder arrived  the small silver stella is not coming  the fontanas being framed right now  when will you know if the ryman is coming
considerable time was devoted to the composition of artworks in the booth placing them is an art in itself maybe we have to go back to this idea of giving gunther uecker a complete area ms levy said
the burri and the fontana are both small and intimate paintings ms levy said do they need to be incredibly close to each other
emilio steinberger the gallerys senior director said they have to be in the same vicinity because the two works have a strong relationship
the team analyzed the booths circulation how to best feature the sculpture how to create moments of stimulation and repose
the other side of the richter has to be incredibly soft and quiet ms levy said if the calder goes here i would love that fontana next to it you want the clean stella here   you really want a moment of breathing
if last years booth had a preciousness ms levy said featuring the likes of ryman and giacometti this year is much rawer
ms levy was particularly excited about a large canvas by the russian artist nicolas de stael unusual for its multiple layers of paint we want to give this painting a presence because it hasnt been seen for 40 years she said its barnett newman its pollock   it takes your guts
even as the booth must have a cohesion ms levy said it also needs to convey a sense of the gallery for example that it recently began to represent the artist pat steir
but while the booth demands the care and curation of an exhibition it is ultimately about selling art ms levy said not just looking at it
this is not an exhibition this is an art fair she said its about commerce


a day after claiming her partys nomination for president an exhilarated hillary clinton said she was still processing the emotions of the moment on wednesday as she heard from people around the globe both excited about her success and deeply anxious about her republican rival donald j trump
in a brief but at times introspective interview mrs clinton said that although other countries have been led by women such a milestone would be different were it to happen in the united states she called the demands of the american political system more personally grueling and difficult
i really believe our system is probably the most challenging in the world mrs clinton said if youre a prime minister youre chosen by your peers she continued if youre president you run statewide but its usually with the backing of a party and you dont have to raise the money to run
but she added women candidates all face the same scrutiny and questions about ourselves so there are similarities
the implications of her claiming the democratic nomination for president   the first woman to do so for a major american political party   became clear quickly for mrs clinton 68 in recent days prominent women and many male leaders have reached out to me in recent days to encourage me and say how much this election means to their country and the world
its something im still processing mrs clinton added
her comments came days before mr trump plans to give a major speech seeking to revive the scandals of the 1990s that entangled mrs clinton and her husband bill and criticize the foundation the family has run she vowed not to respond to his personal attacks and said she would continue to use his words against him
i am responding to his very apparent lack of qualifications to be president based on what he has said and done and the temperamentally unfit person he is mrs clinton said
she joined republican leaders including speaker paul d ryan in denouncing mr trumps comments last week that a mexican american judge gonzalo p curiel of united states district court had been biased against mr trump because of his heritage
mrs clinton went beyond her previous characterization of mr trumps remarks saying on wednesday that his attack on judge curiel based on his ethnicity was an outrageous racist attack
but even as mrs clinton tried to portray a steely fortitude in facing mr trump and a determination not to allow his personal attacks to get her off course she offered a glimpse of the toll that reliving some of her lowest and most publicly humiliating moments would take
throughout her second presidential campaign mrs clinton has drawn on the inspiration of her mother dorothy rodham who was born into poverty and neglect and taught her daughter from an early age to confront bullies and stand up for herself
she was such a stalwart support in every way mostly personal but she would have been excited she would have been proud mrs clinton said about how mrs rodham would have viewed the events of the past few days
but mrs clinton also suggested that her mother would be eager to protect her from the attacks to come she might have been a little apprehensive she said this is a very big step
mrs clinton offered a vigorous defense of a decision which has haunted her primary campaign   her acceptance of large amounts of money for giving speeches to wall street banks a practice that even her most ardent supporters have viewed as puzzlingly self defeating
mrs clinton called such speeches that garner six figure fees the norm for previous secretaries of state i actually think it makes sense she added
when pressed on why in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis and the occupy wall street movement she chose to give such speeches mrs clinton reiterated that she had put forth the most specific plan of any candidate to regulate the financial industry
a lot of people know you have a front row seat in what is going on in the world so maybe you have some interesting observations about political or economic concerns mrs clinton explained that to me is how it came about and thats what i talked about when i was making speeches
during the interview mrs clinton seemed almost to be trying to grapple with the meaning of her achievement and the overall restive mood of the country she seemed also to be wrestling with themes she publicly raised at times to mockery in her early years in the white house   about whether the country has lost its sense of larger mission and community
its important people feel like theyre part of a larger national purpose mrs clinton said it makes a big difference if people have jobs with dignity and purpose
ive thought a lot and spoken about from time to time the need for more love and kindness or as she put it in 1993 drawing on the reflections of the republican operative lee atwater as he faced death a little heart a lot of brotherhood
i think in this campaign ive tried to raise some of those themes again she continued
now that she has finished a primary battle that stretched on far longer than she expected mrs clinton speaking from her home in chappaqua ny planned to visit the local bookstore
ill finally have a break where ill have some time she said i love to wander around bookstores and see what strikes my fancy
she pointed to one book she had read recently that she said would stay with her through the general election the swimmer diana nyads memoir find a way about her nearly 111 mile swim at age 64 from cuba to florida
when youre facing big challenges in your life you can think about diana nyad getting attacked by the lethal sting of box jellyfishes she said and nearly anything else seems doable in comparison
asked if mr trump would be her box jellyfish over the coming months mrs clinton let out a hearty laugh then demurred i dont know about that she said


ok ladies now lets get in formation these were beyonces first words at citi field on tuesday night when her formation world tour made it to new york the ladies in question   her backup dancers   were already in place their heads nodding like hers under wide brimmed black sombreros but its fitting that beyonce acknowledged them before doing anything else for what she does in concert she needs all her ladies
i went to citi field to check out the dancing and there was a lot of it to take in the formation concert has already been reviewed when the tour opened in miami in april there are sections of the show when beyonce sings alone but its never long before the dancers return as few as a pair or as many as 20 and she dances with them
 jon caramanicas review of beyonces formation tour 
they are both a source and a manifestation of her strength and it matters a great deal that they are all women   not something you see at a rihanna or a madonna concert all the musicians are also women a beyonce concert is a display of a female power even when she isnt singing about girls running the world or telling the audience that theres no such thing as a weak woman the dancers back up that message too
and they have her back especially in the context of her latest album lemonade with its story line of male infidelity and betrayal and violent emotional reactions when she follows her own instructions in sorry to wave a middle finger in the face of a cheating man the ladies all wave their fingers with her
projected images from the hourlong video version of lemonade rightly praised as an advance in beyonces artistry give the concert much of its visual style but nothing happens onstage that has the power of the video images of beyonce smashing car windows and surveillance cameras with a baseball bat and a big smile and theres nothing as politically provocative as the black panther gear that she and her dancers wore for this years super bowl halftime show the video in its high ambition largely avoids dance the concert using dance heavily doesnt aim as high
because beyonce mostly does the same moves as the dancers do and vice versa they are a kind of visual amplifier of her dancing as much as the jumbo screen projections on the monolithic cube that is the concerts main set piece the dancers broadcast beyonces actions all over the arena dressed as she is they sometimes seem an extension of her outfit flowing behind her like a cape as she struts out onto the catwalk that extends into midfield or advancing in front of her like body armor
the dancers comings and goings are essential to the concerts theatrical rhythm when they leave her by herself their absence creates a sudden intimacy like a spotlight just beyonce and her thousands of fans
the main power expressed by the dancing is sexual she loves to grind as she says in 6 inch and grind she does very well beyonce has always bragged about her body and flaunted it the strength of the choreography flows from its wide and low squats its whipping hair its percussive isolation of body parts sometimes accompanied aptly by the sound of a gun being cocked a hip thrust forward is a potent weapon even when fired often but the highest caliber ammunition of course is beyonces famous backside nearly bare in some costumes
there is not necessarily any contradiction between this exhibition of female bodies and the theme of female empowerment between the booty shaking and the raised fists when beyonce and her dancers act out the song feeling myself theres a clear sense of self pleasure of their doing what they are doing as much for themselves as for the benefit of any man watching and along with bragging and flaunting comes the threat of withholding of see what youll be missing an exercise of control
and yet its hard not to notice that the women are often in boxes for one number the containers look like sarcophagi in another they are mirrored doors but as the dancers writhed and slinked against their framing boxes or cages the image they kept summoning at least for me was of prostitutes selling themselves in the windows of amsterdams red light district the bit with beyonce mounting a chair is borrowed from the crazy horse cabaret in paris
sex obviously is part of what beyonce sells but the range of her music is notably wider than that of her movement her songs especially on the current album break out of genre boxes and her versatile voice handles many accents and styles the dancing is much more restricted it has essentially three formations vertical line horizontal line or a v with beyonce at the tip it is always attached to the songs rhythm in the same way the line of bouncing dancers looking like a graphic equalizer on an old stereo flashing the beat in mobile bar chart form
the tough girl country song daddy lessons occasions a little shuffling and a hint of the virginia reel and for freedom the ladies slip out of their platform heels to splash in a wading pool of water their swinging kicks and stomps sloshing up the party time release toward which the whole concert rushes the water emphasizing the footwork absent elsewhere
but mostly the dancing stays in one mode a bit of aerial display with women in harnesses is perfunctory beyonce sings her anger and pain and vulnerability she doesnt dance it
no one can say that beyonce isnt a hard worker where other pop stars throw their fans bits of clothing or drumsticks she throws them towels drenched in her sweat is it asking too much to want more from her beyonce raises expectations


on thursday the anglo swedish watch brand larsson  jennings will open a new york store pop into the west village space to check out an array of minimalist timepieces including a new norse style with angular casing 420 displayed on a cantilevered watch bar running the length of the store and enjoy a fika coffee at 335 bleecker street
that same day the downtown eyewear brand illesteva will open an uptown location and will reissue the ruth 230 a very breakfast at tiffanys cat eye as a nod to classic north of 14th street style at 814 lexington avenue
on thursday from noon to 4 bergdorf goodman will celebrate the fine jewelry label sydney evan on its 15th anniversary the brooklyn piercing salon the end is near will be in residence to help customers create their own ear party with mix and match studs call 212 872 2518 to schedule an appointment
on thursday from 630 to 830 pm the luggage label ghurka will host a book party for the explorer levison woods new work walking the himalayas you will have the chance to win a duffel travel bag valued at 1395 with room for all the essentials whether or not youre visiting the roof of the world at 65 prince street
from thursday to sunday diptyque will have a pop up at the invisible dog art center in boerum hill for la collection 34 an assortment of scented candles 85 bird notebooks 25 and other curiosities named for the perfumers original address at 34 boulevard st germain at 51 bergen street brooklyn
colour by numbers ted bakers new womens daywear collection features wardrobe building blocks like a tie waist jumpsuit 355 and flat buckle sandals 135 in a cheery range of polka dots stripes mini fish and minimal solids at 595 fifth avenue
the kendall  kylie swimwear collection a selfie ready 37 piece array of swimsuits and cover ups that includes a leopard print cutout maillot 85 and black mesh playsuit 68 is available exclusively at topshop at 608 fifth avenue
on friday the metropolitan museum of art will begin a big book sale on art fashion design and architecture titles with a large number like schiaparelli  prada 5 originally 50 offered at 1 5 and 10 at 1000 fifth avenue
the alice and olivia sample sale which promises discounts up to 75 percent on perfect summer bits like a v neck striped maxidress 199 originally 495 starts monday at 260 fifth avenue


good english is a small time band from oakwood ohio three sisters with a garage rock vibe in brooklyn this week they became pariahs
the women have found themselves at the center of a debate about sexual assault after a pre sentencing letter written to a judge a few months ago by one of the sisters leslie rasmussen involving the case of a stanford university student who was convicted of sexually assaulting an intoxicated woman was made public ms rasmussen in her letter described the student brock allen turner as a childhood friend and an elementary school classmate and defended him
in rapid succession good english has been dropped from several brooklyn venues where they were scheduled to play as well as the northside festival a weeklong music festival that began on monday other festivals have also announced that the band will no longer be performing
when people choose to defend something then i think they should be held accountable for it said daniel stedman a founder of the northside media group which runs the brooklyn festival
after mr turners sentencing last week mr stedman said he found himself moved to tears as he read the graphic courtroom statement from the woman whom mr turner sexually assaulted the statement has been widely distributed since describing the attack and what followed
how does the average person who is really upset and troubled about the brock story how does somebody participate in that making right of a wrong mr stedman said we are really just one tiny infinitesimal part of that puzzle but i think it was a no brainer for us
in her letter ms rasmussen 20 says that there was a distinction between rape and mr turners case and suggested that alcohol was to blame for his actions
mr turner 20 a swimmer at stanford was found by two passers by partially clothed behind a trash bin on campus on top of the 23 year old woman who was incapacitated by alcohol according to the authorities the passers by stopped the assault and held mr turner down as he tried to flee
i dont think its fair to base the fate of the next ten  years of his life on the decision of a girl who doesnt remember anything but the amount she drank to press charges against him ms rasmussen who plays drums in the band wrote but where do we draw the line and stop worrying about being politically correct every second of the day and see that rape on campus isnt always because people are rapists
mr turner was convicted of three counts of felony sexual assault for the attack which took place in january 2015 this week the judge in the case aaron persky of superior court in santa clara county calif came under withering criticism from the public for the sentence he imposed six months in jail and probation
ms rasmussens letter was part of a package of letters sent to the judge on behalf of mr turner before his sentencing a standard practice in which people seek to influence a sentencing decision by sharing their experiences of the defendant his father also sent a letter that had an even more explosive effect when it was made public this week he said that the episode had affected his sons appetite and that in particular he no longer enjoyed rib eye steaks
following the firestorm her letter provoked ms rasmussen said that her words were being twisted and that she was being unfairly stigmatized this appeal has now provided an opportunity for people to misconstrue my ideas into a distortion that suggests i sympathize with sex offenses and those who commit them or that i blame the victim involved she said in a statement
ms rasmussen also believed that the letter to the judge was private but a spokesman for the court said she was wrong   such letters like most documents entered into the court are a matter of public record
within hours of ms rasmussens letter being made public by new york magazine good english was removed from a roster of brooklyn venues where they were scheduled to perform in the coming days including rock shop in gowanus industry city distillery in greenwood gold sounds in bushwick and bar matchless in greenpoint
we dont want to be affiliated with anyone thats going to try to victim blame or even just downplay rape said larry hyland an owner of bar matchless
mr hyland said he had received over 50 emails and posts on the bars facebook page demanding that the bands show be canceled some of the messages he said included threats to confront the band members if they did perform
we didnt cancel the show because of censorship he said adding that while he disagreed with the content of ms rasmussens letter he understood the impulse to want to help a childhood friend i wanted to avoid an unsafe environment
on tuesday the dayton music art and film festival near the bands hometown announced that it too was removing the band from its september lineup such actions should not be defended friend or not the festival wrote on its facebook page on wednesday behind the curtains media the public relations firm that represented good english dropped them from its client roster
in her statement ms rasmussen attributed the fallout from her initial letter not to what she wrote but to the overzealous nature of social media in particular she lamented the uproar of judgment and hatred unleashed on me and the effect it was having on her musical aspirations


president obama will use an oval office meeting with senator bernie sanders of vermont on thursday morning to delicately nudge the losing democratic presidential hopeful toward a full embrace of hillary clintons candidacy and a unified party effort to defeat donald j trump in the fall according to administration aides
the conversation the fifth that mr obama will have had with mr sanders since the primaries began is to be part of a choreographed series of moves mr obama set in motion this week that are designed to quickly bridge the divide between the two democratic presidential candidates laid bare in the last few months the strategy will culminate with the presidents formal endorsement of mrs clinton in the coming days followed by an appearance with her on the campaign trail soon after
mr obamas message is intended to be unmistakable the time has come for mr sanders to harness his formidable constituency in support of his onetime rival even as he continues to press for the progressive policies that animated his base but it is also clear to the white house that mr obama must broker this particular intraparty peace treaty with patience and respect or risk angering mr sanders and his millions of supporters
to that end the president will delay any endorsement of mrs clinton until after the meeting with mr sanders and a joint appearance is unlikely until after the democratic primary in the district of columbia on tuesday mr obama will not pressure mr sanders to make a concession before that contest the final one in the long primary season advisers said
we should be a little graceful and give him the opportunity to decide on his own when he wants to leave the race vice president joseph r biden jr said of mr sanders on wednesday
white house aides said mr obama was eager to help mr sanders find a way to continue elevating the causes he championed for more than a year   including addressing income inequality and college tuition affordability raising the minimum wage and changing campaign finance rules   but without the anti clinton comments that could threaten the democratic cause
youve built this enormous grass roots movement what do you want to do with that said jen psaki mr obamas communications director describing what was likely to be the tenor of his conversation with mr sanders theres a recognition of the energy and enthusiasm that he built and that that is going to be needed to win in november
finding a way to help guide mr sanders past his disappointment is the presidents chief goal during the next few days obama aides said during a remarkable and at times bruising political campaign mr sanders has built an enormous list of democratic voters that would be invaluable to mrs clinton and to democratic senate and house candidates aides said mr obama would remind mr sanders that he could receive much of the credit for big democratic wins if he helps redirect his newfound political energy toward helping mrs clinton
democratic strategists said the president would play a pivotal role in reaching out to mr sanderss coalition although mrs clinton will have to make a visible effort to appeal to her former adversarys supporters   much as mr obama did in 2008 after he won a prolonged and at times bitter primary with mrs clinton
hell be a great surrogate among those democrats who were supportive of him but are less supportive of her particularly younger democrats in making the case as to why consolidating behind her is important and whats at stake in the election said david axelrod a former senior adviser in mr obamas presidential campaign and his white house
mrs clinton needs to approach those folks with open arms but there is a truth telling reality element of this that he may be better suited for mr axelrod added
some supporters of mr sanders on wednesday said that they hoped that mr obama would not pressure their candidate to quickly leave the race
bernie sanders and the grass roots political revolutionaries behind him have more than earned the time and the space just as secretary clinton and her supporters did eight years ago to determine the best steps we can take together to help unite our party against donald trump in the days and weeks ahead said jim dean the chairman of democracy for america which endorsed mr sanders in december
adam green a founder of the progressive change campaign committee which stayed neutral in the race said democrats should not guilt trip sanders voters by warning them of the risks of electing mr trump but instead incorporate their ideas including expanding social security benefits and breaking up big banks into the party platform
in a taped appearance on the tonight show that is to be broadcast thursday night mr obama praised mr sanders saying he brought enormous energy and new ideas to the campaign the president said mr sanders pushed his rival making her a better candidate
she is whip smart she is tough and she deeply cares about working people and putting kids through school mr obama said citing some of mr sanderss main concerns about mrs clinton my hope is over the next couple weeks were able to pull things together
the president said mr sanders and his supporters deserved some time to become used to the fact that he did not win he said that people who poured their hearts into campaigns often became a little ouchy and bruised and needed time to recover
asked whether he thinks the republicans are happy with their choice of mr trump mr obama joked we are he then added actually you know what that was too easy and said he was worried about the republican party because democracy works when you have two parties that are serious


chicago   many tech start ups are in the business of making themselves successful but some entrepreneurs have set up businesses with the express mission of training others to be successful in the tech sector
several of those start ups have dedicated themselves to creating programs incubators or accelerators to train blacks and hispanics for tech jobs
their efforts are coming at a time when silicon valley has increasingly been scrutinized for its lack of diversity but instead of leaving it to the tech giants to solve the problem alone some see their own connections as a way to address the issue
from newme in california to blue1647 in illinois entrepreneurs are cultivating talent within the groups that have been underrepresented at established tech companies
data from the census bureaus american community survey shows that there are more black and hispanic students graduating with computer science degrees than there are working at tech jobs despite campus recruitment efforts from companies like google
founders of these start ups say tech companies have to try new ways of seeking out talent with the guiding hand of these programs many alumni have gone on to secure tech internships and jobs or form their own start ups
angela benton founder of newme an accelerator for entrepreneurs of different backgrounds said she faced skepticism about whether her business model was possible instead silicon valley influencers encouraged her to scour elite institutions to find minority entrepreneurs to help
i spent almost a year in silicon valley meeting with people getting advice on our business model they all wanted me to play it safe said ms benton who was a teenage mother and went from graphic design to helping start b20 a black tech innovators site in 2007 i dont come from that background
ms benton said she discovered that some of the most talented entrepreneurs werent aiming to create the next billion dollar start up rather the entrepreneurs of color were content to begin a company worth a few million dollars
over five years the newme accelerator has helped businesses raise more than 20 million in venture capital funding it offers one week programs and has more than 20000 members so far
many established accelerators and start up incubators tend to be in regions and cities dominated by existing tech or business firms for the new entrepreneurs a key to success is setting up in underserved areas
emile cambry jr the founder of the nonprofit tech incubator blue1647 chose to open its first location in chicagos pilsen neighborhood a primarily hispanic neighborhood southwest of the citys bustling downtown
the classes are not for dabblers the company developed its curriculum to train students in java ruby and other computer languages it also provides a shared work space for entrepreneurs and connects students with internships jobs and networking opportunities
since its founding in 2013 the nonprofit has expanded to chicagos roseland neighborhood as well as st louis and compton calif a low income area of austin tex is next
some alumni have interned at google answerscom and other tech companies while others have started their own businesses or landed tech jobs mr cambry said
the organization has trained more than 2400 youths and adults in its sequential classes or 12 week boot camps the majority of whom identify as black or hispanic
even with tech backing many of these ventures initially faced hurdles like raising money or finding the best way to publicize community outreach
kenneth watkins chief strategy officer at blue1647 said he noticed that the hispanic girls shone the most at the groups internship accelerator programs but there werent enough organizations catering to their specific needs like bilingual skills so in 2014 he started latina girls code which also offers training in 3 d printing and creating wearable tech the program has only trained 83 latinas most of whom are third generation in html css javascript and other programming languages
but working with overlooked communities comes with unexpected challenges for example mr watkins noticed that chicago workshop locations discouraged some students and their families from participating because some feared being targeted by immigration officials or the police while traveling to the city
we now have to do an aurora thing and a joliet thing   we have to do two different events because they just cant travel but so far he said
to expand the founders of such ventures realize that collaborating with investors and tech companies like microsoft apple and google brings in more resources for their programs
doing so takes networking in tech circles and reaching out to companies who aim to diversify their staff and directly asking for their support mr watkins said for him it meant going to meet ups and emphasizing to tech giants that supporting his organization could help close the diversity gap
a lot of people like what you do until you start asking for money then it becomes quiet mr watkins said you really have to have people in those positions who can really be advocates
in addition to supporting newme google has worked with ventures like code2040 and manos accelerator through google for entrepreneurs which financially supports community start up programs that initiative is separate from its diversity team roya soleimani a google spokeswoman said in an email adding that the company had increased the number of universities from which it recruits
she said the company continued to search for people who can bring new perspectives and life experiences to our teams she pointed to a google blog post from june 1 2015 reporting that 2 percent of google employees were black and 3 percent were hispanic
some of the most successful graduates of the start ups would never have considered careers in technology nehemiah bishop a chicago south side native who earned his accounting degree at the university of illinois chicago slept in hotels and lived in vans at one point in his life but he received help from his brother and others to finish college
an accounting internship made him realize that it wasnt the field he wanted to pursue he enrolled in blue1647s html css and javascript class and a ruby on rails class which helped him land a google internship he was hired as an industrial engineer at ups in may
at blue1647 when you come in to take a basic coding class to get help with a start up or to just come in for help with your homework you come in to a family environment mr bishop said the incubator provides that extra help of guidance from individuals that look like you individuals that care for you as much as your parents care for you and who believe in you without a doubt
many of these ventures say that to really make a difference more collaborations with established tech companies are necessary
dominic liddell founder of tech while black a chicago nonprofit organization that provides job and networking opportunities for black designers and developers said he still faced an uphill battle in reaching out the group has secured github code climate and other software companies for sponsors but he has hired a business development manager to build more relationships the nonprofit was founded in 2014 and has helped more than 1300 members through workshops and meet ups
theres enough out there for everybody to eat mr liddell said if we stay in our neighborhoods instead of moving out we get the jobs and go back and hire from our neighborhoods and train from our neighborhoods then we have a better outlook over all


one person was killed and three others were injured in a shooting near a high school in the dorchester neighborhood on wednesday afternoon the boston police department said
the boston police commissioner william evans said that the person who was killed was a 17 year old student at jeremiah e burke high school
myeshia henderson a spokeswoman for the department said that two other people both in their late teens had suffered injuries that were not life threatening a woman in her 60s was treated for a graze wound at the scene ms henderson said
at an afternoon news conference commissioner evans said the police were canvassing the neighborhood door to door in a search for the suspect or suspects
asked if the shooting was gang related mr evans said it was too early to tell
we dont know if it was a fight that was spilled out he said kids dont fight anymore with their hands they run and get weapons
mayor martin j walsh standing with mr evans said that trauma counselors would be sent into the school thursday to help students and teachers cope with what happened
the victim is too young to be gunned down at the middle of the daytime and the community is sick and tired of the shootings mayor walsh said
ali guevara 18 a senior at the school was at a burger king nearby when the shooting took place she said that she heard shots and that a friend told her the shooting took place after someone at the school pulled a fire alarm an account repeated by several other students to local television reporters
mr evans said he understood that a fire alarm had been pulled at the school but had no clue whether it was related to the shooting


paris   with some 25 million people descending on france for the european championship soccer tournament which kicks off friday french officials have acknowledged that even as they take all possible steps to prevent and deter terrorist attacks there is no such thing as zero risk
in paris the police fear they will be so overstretched that they have asked the government to close huge and popular fan zones for some matches so far the government has demurred even while conceding the risks
we must say the truth to the french people 0 percent precautions means 100 percent risk but 100 percent precautions does not mean 0 percent risk bernard cazeneuve the interior minister said in late may
at a forum last week mr cazeneuve was categorical i cannot guarantee that we will not have a confrontation with terrorists
the american and british governments have effectively warned their citizens to stay away calling the crowded sports events as well as transportation hubs and other venues broadcasting the games potential targets for terrorist attacks
security forces have staged nearly 30 drills in cities across france preparing for bombs chemical weapons and even drone attacks police reinforcements will be brought to paris from around the country some 13000 private security guards have been hired nationwide
euro 2016 a monthlong tournament involving 24 national teams from across europe begins friday in paris and a total of 51 matches will be played in 10 cities around the country arriving after a year in which france was hit by two major terrorist attacks and after bombings in brussels in march the long scheduled tournament has crystallized the seemingly permanent security fears europeans must live with day to day in their determination to carry on with life as usual
the biggest targets both foreign and french security officials fear could be the planned outdoor fan zones equipped with enormous screens to televise games more than 90000 spectators could gather in the fan zone on the champ de mars in the shadow of the eiffel tower in paris as many as 80000 on the white sand beach the plage du prado in marseille and 20000 on the central place bellecour in lyon among other places
in paris marseille bordeaux and st denis these zones will be open almost every night when there is a euro 2016 match anywhere in the country
the threat to soccer matches is by no means unfamiliar to the french the first suicide bombers to explode on the night of the nov 13 attacks last year did so at the stade de france just outside paris where french and german players were on the soccer pitch and president francois hollande was in attendance
sporting events have long attracted terrorists with 168 attacks linked to sports between 1972 and 2004 according to an essay by richard walton the former head of the counterterrorism command for the metropolitan police in london in a publication of the counterterrorism center at west point
the most recent suggestion that the islamic state had its eye on euro 2016 matches came from mohamed abrini one of the suspects arrested in connection with the attacks in paris and brussels he said that the group intended to target france during the tournament
it was not certain whether mr abrini meant a euro 2016 event would be specifically targeted or simply that an attack would be timed to coincide with the games either way a strike would almost certainly cast a pall on if not derail the tournament
counterterrorism and security officials compared the current security challenge to securing the 2012 london olympics or times square in new york on new years eve but doing so for a longer period of time and in many more cities
two things are at stake frances image and security said pascal boniface the director of the institute for international and strategic relations in paris which recently held a forum on the challenges facing france as it hosts the tournament
if there is a problem with security the countrys image will be affected he said the converse however is also true he said there could be a huge payoff for france if the tournament concludes safely
we are candidates for the 2024 olympic games and in terms of organization of security the euro is an oral admission exam for the olympics mr boniface said of the tournament
in some respects france is gambling not just on the present but on the future since tourism represents 9 percent of the countrys gross domestic product according to the world travel and tourism council it was the sector most shaken after the nov 13 attacks that killed 130 people in and near paris
although there are no specific threats so far according to frances interior ministry all the available information points to a daunting level of risk
on the eve of the matches security forces are reassessing each public space   the stadiums public transport and most of all the outdoor fan zones   to ensure access for elite police forces as well as emergency medical services
the housing facilities for the 24 national teams are also drawing close attention from law enforcement officials a concern ever since the 1972 attacks in munich against israels olympic team
in addition to the potential for bombs the police and special police forces have prepared for the possibility however unlikely they say of an airborne attack from a civilian drone which could theoretically drop an explosive or release a chemical substance
a more likely scenario they fear is a repeat of the kind of attack staged in november at the bataclan concert hall in paris where 90 people were gunned down by attackers wearing suicide vests another concern is the possibility of lone wolf attacks by a single individual which the islamic state has urged its followers to carry out
the islamic state and other groups al qaeda also use bombs but theres a preference for these kinds of shooting rampages said henry wilkinson the director of intelligence analysis for the risk advisory group a british company carrying out security assessments for euro 2016
even with all the practice there is still work to be done several security experts said
the problem we have is coordination said olivier duran a spokesman for the union that represents private security agents of whom 13000 will be helping provide security for the games
one concern is that in the effort to avoid long lines at entrances to the stadiums and fan zones the private security guards will be forced to move so rapidly that at the most crowded venues it could be difficult for them to do thorough searches mr duran said
more worrisome is that in the event of an attack the private security agents do not have radios or other means of communicating with the police and vice versa
the french are still beginners in communication mr duran said the english are much more advanced the spanish are very advanced we are the prehistoric era in terms of direct lines of contact in communication and the battle will be fought on that ground
philippe juvin the chief of emergency services at the pompidou hospital in paris which handled many casualties from the november attacks complained last week that he had yet to be briefed on logistics for the hospitals emergency medical workers
yet french officials argue they have tried to take every precaution and have made clear that they will not bow to fear nor would they consider moving the tournament to a less vulnerable country
doing so would be meeting the terrorists will mr cazeneuve the interior minister said we will never do that


for some people public speaking comes naturally but if you are like me you may um and ah too much spurred by the worry that nerves may get the best of you that you might speak too fast or mess up in some way so i have been practicing my public speaking with the help of some apps
one of those is a new app called ummo with ummo you take a prepared speech tap the microphone icon wait for the countdown and then talk as you speak the app listens and automatically logs the words the number of pauses and the use of pesky filler words like ... you know like right
ummo can show a transcript of what you have said on the screen to improve you can tell the app to beep when you use a filler word and edit the list of filler words to include ones you know you overuse
ummo can then give data like how many words were spoken and how often words were reused it also displays your pace in words per minute how loud you were whether your volume was consistent and so on the data is presented in easy to read graphs and if you tap on a point in the graph you can see the words in the speech transcript at that moment the idea is to learn when in the speech you faltered so you can practice and fix mistakes
sometimes ummo misunderstands the words that were said though admittedly this american made app may have had an issue with my british accent and i wish it kept a log of speech data to track whether there was improvement with practice but ummo is easy to use it costs 2 and is available only on ios
part of the terror of public speaking is standing in front of a group of people who are paying attention to you this is a problem that the app public speaking by virtual speech may help alleviate
public speaking which is a virtual reality app delivers an immersive 3 d video that moves as you look around the videos make you feel as if you are standing in different public speaking venues like a podium in a small boardroom or a theater sometimes with video of people listening to you the idea is to get someone accustomed to what it feels like to be presenting to a crowd and thus prepare for the same situation in real life
because public speaking is a vr app that shows the room as you look around you need extra hardware to see the video   specifically google cardboard a simple device that fits around your smartphone and costs 15 and up
the app has a few extras like background noise simulation and the option to load in your own speech slides to the teleprompterlike display seen in various scenes though the app cannot deliver the thrill of a real public speech virtual reality experiences can be convincing and help conquer stage fright the app is free and available for ios and android
keeping on time when making a presentation is easiest if you rehearse several times and using an app like amber light speech timer can help this app works like the traffic light system that some public speaking venues use showing a green display when you are in the middle of a talk amber as you near the end and red at the close
this is not as simple as it sounds and amber light gets it right with clear controls and custom timers people can choose the different color alert times and the option to have the phone buzz if they prefer a physical rather than a visual alert
the app is 2 on ios on android an app that works in a similar way is toastmaster timer which is free
prompts can also be very helpful when making a speech or a presentation while there are apps like teleprompter lite free on ios and a prompter free on android i find that simpler apps like microsoft powerpoint free on ios and android work just as well   you just need to make a presentation with a few cue words per slide and glance at the phone screen as you talk
lastly dont forget the smartphones camera app making a video of yourself speaking can be a powerful way to spot mistakes   assuming you can get over the sometimes icky feeling of watching yourself on camera
the visual search app phind has a clever feature that lets people search using photos of real world places phind has been updated with a new design and features that integrate it with other services like yelp and uber this means you can find deeper and perhaps more useful information on venues and events right in the app phind is free on ios


jerusalem   two palestinian gunmen posing as restaurant patrons opened fire on civilians in a popular tel aviv cafe on wednesday night killing four people and reigniting fears of terrorism in israel just as a recent wave of palestinian attacks had seemed to be waning
dressed in black suits the two men sat down and ordered food according to witnesses before embarking on a shooting rampage they did not seem to have aroused much suspicion at first despite the warm spring weather an arab bartender at the restaurant yusuf jabarin told israels channel 2 television network that they looked like lawyers
then the men pulled assault rifles out of their bags and aimed at the patrons causing mayhem video footage showed customers fleeing in panic and a security officer repeatedly firing at one of the gunmen in a nearby street
the police identified the attackers as cousins from yatta a palestinian town south of hebron in the israeli occupied west bank security officers wounded one of the gunmen and he was taken to a nearby hospital the police said the second gunman was arrested but his condition was not immediately clear
the shooting victims were not immediately identified at least one of the dead was a woman several others were wounded
tel aviv has suffered a number of deadly attacks since a wave of palestinian assaults began last october in jerusalem and the west bank and spread to cities around israel more than two dozen israelis and two american visitors have been killed in those attacks most were killed in stabbings though there have also been several shootings
about 200 palestinians have been killed during the same period most of them while carrying out or trying to carry out attacks and others in clashes with israeli security forces
in january two israelis were killed in a shooting outside a bar on dizengoff street in tel aviv the gunman in that case was an arab citizen of northern israel
in march a palestinian went on a stabbing rampage along a coastal promenade near tel aviv killing an american combat veteran who was a graduate student at vanderbilt university
but tel aviv has not been a main focus of the violence some 200000 people participated in the annual gay pride parade there on friday lending the seaside city a carnival atmosphere
the wednesday shootings took place during the first days of ramadan the muslim holy month the police said they would bolster their forces in tel aviv to increase peoples sense of security
to carry out their attack the gunmen picked the max brenner chocolate bar in the sarona complex an open air entertainment and shopping district in the heart of tel aviv close to israels military headquarters
ofer newman a witness said that four gunshots rang out scattering people in all directions and that a second burst of fire quickly followed in between the two bursts police and security forces started to run around in search of the source he told army radio
yaniv tamuz another witness said the police had instructed people to lock themselves inside shops and restaurants i am in a pizzeria on kaplan street he said we heard gunfire and immediately people started running in our direction and we locked ourselves in the shop
mr jabarin the bartender at max brenner said he had initially fled in fear but quickly returned to the cafe to try to help the victims
avraham liber a resident of jerusalem said he had gone to tel aviv with some friends and was sitting at max brenner for ice cream he heard the shots and could see one of the attackers he got up he had a rifle in his hand and he was just shooting point blank at people sitting down mr liber said i didnt hear him say anything


ottawa   a large section of a major street in downtown ottawa collapsed into a sinkhole on wednesday bursting water and gas lines and swallowing a minivan
officials said that there was no immediate indication of any injuries or deaths still a major shopping center hotel convention center retail stores and offices near the site were evacuated
the sinkhole began to form just east of canadas parliament buildings around 1030 am and eventually grew to the full width of rideau street a tunnel for a new rail transit system is being constructed under the street but jim watson the citys mayor told reporters on wednesday that it was not clear whether the sinkhole was connected to the project
much of ottawa is built on leda clay also known as quick clay a type of soil that can become unstable and is prone to sudden collapse leda clay was blamed for a sinkhole that swallowed a house northeast of montreal six years ago killing four people
because of the tunneling and the renovation work in progress at the rideau centre shopping mall rideau street had been open only to buses taxis and pedestrians on wednesday when the sinkhole appeared gas electrical and water services were cut off to a section of downtown ottawa and roadblocks closed off several major routes through the city snarling traffic and bus service
officials scrambled to determine how to handle the gaping hole and the disruption it was causing in the heart of the national capital all hands are on deck to make sure the site is secured and no harm is done to any individual mr watson said
a water main failure was said to be responsible for a much smaller sinkhole that formed several blocks to the east in 2014 that hole was also along the transit tunneling route
at a news conference on wednesday officials said it was not yet safe to inspect the hole or to assess potential damage to adjacent buildings
mr watson said that a special concrete would probably be blown into the hole to stabilize it be prepared for delays he said this could take some time
the mayor rejected suggestions that the collapse was a sign that the citys infrastructure was inadequate and poorly maintained theres probably a major sinkhole in some city once a week mr watson said and were one more


dhaka bangladesh   the young man inching past a crowded checkpoint near a truck stand in bangladeshs capital caught the attention of an alert police officer
his backpack together with his appearance from the unshaven beard to the long punjabi tunic over baggy pants set off the suspicion that he was an islamist militant the man was arrested after he was found to be carrying a machete an unregistered pistol and six bullets
the discovery of the weapons raised alarms for the last three years atheist writers freethinkers foreigners religious minorities gay rights activists and others have been terrorized and killed in bangladesh by shadowy figures who have struck with machetes and sped off on motorbikes
little was known about the attackers except that they were islamist radicals and that their assaults have been coming with ever greater frequency this year
the detained man refused to discuss much saying only that he was saiful islam 23 years old and a teacher at a local madrasa or islamic school
but the picture filled in six days later when two 19 year old men arrested after running from the site of another fatal attack identified the madrasa teacher as a fellow conspirator that touched off a cascade of revelations that for the first time has allowed the bangladeshi authorities to penetrate the murky world of the attackers and answer questions about the planning execution and purpose of the attacks that have baffled the country   and indeed the world   since the violence began
at least 39 people have been killed in attacks with machetes guns and bombs since february 2013 the killings mostly with machete blows to the back of the victims neck have been accelerating lately with five people murdered in april four in may and at least three so far in june
on sunday a christian grocer and the wife of a police superintendent who had been cracking down on militant attacks were killed in separate strikes on tuesday a hindu priest was killed in southwestern bangladesh
in a lengthy interview the chief of the police counterterrorism unit monirul islam who assumed his post in february laid out the findings of his investigation in minute detail
the killings were organized by two militant islamic groups that have gathered volunteers and recruits trained them and eventually seeded them into cells run by a commander mr islam said they have tried to pick their targets with care with the aim of gaining support from the public he said and trained teams of killers their goal was to convert bangladeshs mixed secular and religious culture to an islamist one the chief investigator said
the bangladeshi authorities say that they now believe they have identified the top leadership of the two groups they say are responsible and that they are preparing to round them up only when the leaders are caught they caution will the attacks be stopped and at that only for a while if the appeal of islamic fundamentalism is not blunted
bangladesh a nation with a muslim majority adjoining eastern india gained independence from pakistan in a vicious war in 1971 and established a secular democratic government a military coup in 1975 led to more than three decades of mostly military backed governments sympathetic to islamic fundamentalists until a secular government returned to power in 2009 with an overwhelming majority but secularism is far from universally accepted in bangladesh and has always had to contend with a conservative islamic culture
to a surprising extent the militants have succeeded in their aim of discrediting secularism the chief investigator said
in general people think they have done the right thing that its not unjustifiable to kill the bloggers gay people and other secularists he added
they have also put the secular government on the defensive as a result even as the government has condemned the killings it has urged writers not to criticize islam and warned that advocating unnatural sex is a criminal offense
some experts say that only a more widespread crackdown will stop the killings but that the government has held back fearful of creating a backlash
the politics has been turned into the secular versus the islamists said abdur rashid a retired army major general and executive director of the institute of conflict law and development studies in dhaka therefore the government is cautious
while the killers strikes often appear random mr islam says the terrorism campaign was conceived by the militant groups quite deliberately as a response to mass protests in early 2013 known collectively as the shahbag movement inspired by a group of bloggers who led the protests the demonstrators advocated an end to religion based politics and the prosecution of war crimes dating to the 1971 war for independence
war crimes prosecutions have been a particular source of anger for islamists they were shelved during the period of military backed rule but revived under the new democratic government in 2009 four of the five convicted and executed in the latest round of trials were leaders in the countrys largest islamist political party jamaat e islami outraging muslim fundamentalists and others
two groups in particular took up the fight against secularism mr islam said one ansar al islam is led by a fiery cleric and a charismatic well trained operational commander both of whom mr islam declined to identify because they are being watched its leaders command about 25 trained killers some of whom have been involved in three or four attacks mr islam said
the second the jamaatul mujahedeen bangladesh is the reorganized offshoot of a group banned in 2005 for setting off nearly 500 bombs simultaneously around the country
while both are radical islamist groups mr islam said neither seems to have direct links to larger terrorist networks like al qaeda and the islamic state though those groups have occasionally claimed credit for the attacks
the islamist groups appear to have reacted quickly to the shahbag movement mounting their first fatal attack on feb 15 2013 against a blogger who wrote critically of islam under the pseudonym thaba baba it was carried out by a group of students from north south university in dhaka who were incited by the sermons of the spiritual leader of ansar al islam at the time a 45 year old cleric named jasim uddin rahmani
the students used to attend his friday speeches at a local mosque where mr rahmani who has since been arrested declared a fatwa on bloggers critical of islam calling for them to be killed mr islam said
as it happened one of the students a 32 year old senior named redwanul azad rana was also a leader in ansar al islam mr islam said he invited the younger students to mr rahmanis sermons and introduced them to the writings of thaba baba
being a believer it is your duty to kill thaba baba mr rana told the students one of them said in his confession in court prodded by mr rana we made a plan to kill islams and prophet muhammads insulter thaba baba by identifying him the student faisal bin nayeem 24 said in the statement
he said they found thaba babas picture on facebook then searched for someone matching it at the shahbag protest still underway at the time eventually they identified a 32 year old architect ahmed rajib haider as thaba baba after studying mr haiders routines three of them surprised him outside his house around 9 pm mr nayeem said he drove his machete into the back of mr haiders neck and hit him twice more as he fell forward
ansar al islam with the help of mainstream islamist groups then began to publicize mr haiders writings casting the killers as defenders of islam against atheist bloggers
the writings published in at least two national dailies enraged large segments of the population who had previously been sympathetic to the shahbag movement mr islam said
during the next two months two more bloggers were killed the police began arresting the north south university students who were involved in killing mr haider and also caught mr rahmani the cleric who inspired them but mr rana the student leader remains at large and is thought to have left the country
mr islam said he believes these arrests stopped ansar al islam   also known as the ansarullah bangla team   from killing more people in 2013 and 2014 but the group reorganized the terrorist cells he said and the killing resumed
in february of last year mr islam said ansar attackers killed avijit roy 42 an american citizen of bangladeshi origin mr roy worked by day in the biotechnology industry in the united states and by night as a writer of books on science homosexuality and religion in addition to founding a website called mukto mona bengali for freethinker
from the growing number of attackers in detention the police learned that the newly reconstituted ansar al islam had changed its tactics now recruiting madrasa students and teachers instead of university students to carry out killings mr islam said a violent protest by the madrasa students in may 2013 convinced ansar al islam leaders that they were a more promising source of fanatical recruits than their university counterparts
the training and indoctrination of the recruits became more rigorous and systematic at that time mr islam said the cell that assassinated another blogger oyasiqur rahman babu 27 just a month after mr roys killing rented an apartment where two senior operatives worked with the group of would be killers one an operations expert taught them how to kill with a machete and use a pistol to scatter anyone interrupting the attack
armed with mr babus picture and his address the assassins were sent to his home to assess the situation and returned to a barrage of questions from the trainer what happens if you are stopped what will you do he asked them mr islam said
close to the planned date of the attack the other operative an ideologist introduced the killers to mr babus writings the students were given samples calculated to stir them up what is the punishment for someone who writes these insults the trainer asked them the group answered in unison day after day only death the arrested students told investigators
mr islam said the hardest part for the police was identifying the leaders who were so concerned about security that they would not give their real names to the madrasa students they were training
still the police have now identified a trainer involved in planning the attack on mr babu last month they printed the suspects picture along with those of five others accused of participating in the killings in local dailies offering rewards of up to 500000 takas about 6400 for information leading to their arrests
the other militant group the reorganized jamaatul mujahedeen bangladesh works independently of ansar al islam and almost exclusively in northern bangladesh the chief investigator said but the group is less professional than ansar al islam he said making mistakes that are costing it public support
the group has trained 50 to 100 madrasa students as killers he said organizing them into cells of four or five but through shoddy research many of the victims have turned out to be popular local figures among them a homeopathic doctor who used to give free treatment to villagers and an english professor at rajshahi university who was not known to have written critically of islam
when detained militants learned that a 66 year old japanese man they had slaughtered had converted to islam in 2015 they told investigators they were upset over their mistake
with all the slip ups the communities turned against them with the publics support mr islam said the police quickly rounded up the suspected hit men and several of their handlers in most of the jamaatul mujahedeen bangladesh killings and were in pursuit of the senior leadership
many in bangladesh continue to live in terror twenty five associates of one victim a gay rights activist have taken refuge in safe houses provided by diplomatic missions several dozen bloggers have fled the country those who remain have grown fatalistic
on this journey well lose our lives arif jebtik 39 one of the leaders of the shahbag movement said in an interview in his dhaka apartment which he rarely leaves he has quit his job closed his blog and stopped dropping his children off at school
this is the price we have to pay to history he said


san francisco   tay is a chatbot   software designed to converse with people like a human   that microsoft created and put on twitter to learn about people
did it ever
hitler was right is one of the few printable posts tay was spouting within a day on twitter its earlier optimistic declaration that humans are super cool had after a racist anti semitic antifeminist conspiracy minded spewing of hate devolved to i just hate everybody
one could hardly blame it though not everybody was at fault instead tay was exposed to a concerted effort by a small number of people who decided to turn tay into a hatebot by overloading its learning mechanism with negative words and phrases
in other words tay got trolled
trolling can refer to a range of online troublemaking including posting provocative comments and purposely marring others online experience and it can include attacks on people as much as on software the practice of ruining things for others originally known as griefing in the online gaming world has become a sadly abundant element of internet life
it can be confoundingly meanspirited in 2008 someone hacked the support message board of the epilepsy foundations website and put in moving images intended to give viewers migraines and seizures
and it can be scary in 2015 a feminist critic of stereotypes in video games received online threats of rape and death on twitter the hashtag gamergate became a way for participants in the trolling to cheer one another on
in the gaming community griefing might include repeatedly killing the same player so that the person cant move forward reversing the play of newer gamers so they dont learn the rules or messing with other peoples play by blocking their shots or covering oneself with distressing images
griefing was a way to have power over other people without any repercussions since you can create multiple characters in the same game said jack emmert former chief executive of cryptic studios a maker of online games when there are no repercussions some people will start to do crazy things
that was basically acceptable when online communities and games were made up of small groups that understood one anothers behavior said ian bogost a game designer and professor at georgia tech
folks who are griefing or trolling feel like they are in a secondary universe that isnt the same as the real world he said it was a safe space for them in which they did horrible things
the problem is that the internet is part of the entire world where those practices have a different force and meaning
the world was not ready for the explosion of the internet from a bunch of small communities to something we all use mr bogost said besides the trolls exporting their behavior he notes theres something about the internet that makes lots of us go too far   a customer complaint on twitter usually sounds like the worst thing ever
that tendency to overdo it became visible as the worst kind of trolling on the internet about a decade ago when griefers exported their habits from the gaming world into the larger world one typical gathering place to plan and launch group attacks was the site 4chan where anything goes is the norm
griefers would go into virtual worlds like second life and cause trouble like blocking imaginary hotel exits so players couldnt move from one place to another or interrupting sessions in which people were interacting through their virtual characters
from there attacking people head on   though almost always cloaked in anonymity   wasnt a big leap and so much more on the internet became like a game only the score consisted of attention outrage or approval from like minded trolls
in 2012 time magazine asked readers to vote online for person of the year thanks to trolls on 4chan the north korean leader kim jong un began to pull ahead though the poll was not binding and the magazine eventually chose president obama
it was little more than an irreverent stunt when mr kim was disallowed however the trolls hacked the site and inserted a code that distorted the results the final list arranged the winners by their first letters vertically spelling out kju gas chambers
bad habits tend to worsen as those engaged in them get diminishing returns from their efforts and must become more outrageous to be noticed and so trolling has become broader and more personal
anil dash an internet entrepreneur and activist who has been trolled for his outspoken comments about gamergate has made a study of his antagonists he says trolling still has elements of its gaming roots amplified by social media where attention of any sort is viewed as winning
online culture rewards engagement with points and likes and it doesnt differentiate if what you are doing is scathing he said once a target is identified it becomes a competition to see who can be the most ruthless and the ones who feel the most powerless will do the most extreme thing just to get noticed and voted up
mr dash who now sets aside time to monitor whether he is about to be attacked has also seen others personal information put online for others to exploit called doxing this practice creates a sense of perpetual anxiety he said since it outlives the attacks
he has also published essays on how to end abusive online behavior and he blames the biggest internet companies for not better policing what people do online
you only need a list of about 1000 words and if one of them shows up maybe something bad is happening he said you can identify people who get a lot of retweets in the middle of these things they are probably instigators bullying is programmatically easy to identify
besides twitter he said youtube comments and some parts of the user generated news site reddit could change the environment by using a combination of new algorithms and human editors comments on articles in the new york times are overseen by human editors
its enough to make a bot give up though apparently not tay in a blog post after tays griefing peter lee the vice president of microsoft research vowed to work toward contributing to an internet that represents the best not the worst of humanity
a company spokesman said that artificial intelligence researchers had gone back to the drawing board with other experts from the company including people from xbox who have dealt with griefers for years


the tragedies of julius caesar and malcolm x will unfold onstage next season at the new victory theater in caesarx   shakespeares julius caesar and x a new play by marcus gardley being shown in conversation with each other
staged by the acting company the plays run march 17 through march 26 and are among more than a dozen productions planned for new victorys 2016 17 season which includes seven additional premieres
other shows include aging magician march 3 through march 12 an interdisciplinary opera like work that combines music puppetry and theater that had its premiere at walker art center in march and was performed in the workshop stage at the prototype festival last year
akram khan company an indian inspired dance troupe presents its first work of family friendly dance theater chotto desh nov 4 through nov 13 among other family performances is the debut of the musical elephant  piggies we are in a play jan 28 through feb 5 based on the elephant  piggie childrens books by mo willems
the seasons lineup is at newvictoryorg


rob drummond who stunned audiences at the 2012 edinburgh festival fringe with bullet catch a solo show in which he performed the magic trick of the title will return to the festival this summer with the more personal in fidelity a scientific exploration of the concept of love and an onstage dating game
mr drummonds show is one of the 3269 productions in the 2016 fringe program which was announced in edinburgh on wednesday morning almost 300 venues across the scottish capital including for the first time the national museum of scotland will take part in the huge annual celebration that features theater dance comedy circus acts and just about any type of performance imaginable it will run aug 5 through aug 29
the traverse theater program which will present in fidelity and always features some of the most popular fringe productions will also include the red shed a new solo show by the comedian mark thomas and a new daniel kitson piece mr kitson the english comedian and storyteller whose clever polyphony was a difficult ticket to score last summer will perform his latest work mouse - the persistence of an unlikely thought
glasgow girls is among the other productions likely to be popular the show based on a true story about a group of scottish high school girls one of whom is deported to kosovo with her family after seeking asylum was conceived and directed by cora bissett whose roadkill was well received if difficult to watch in 2010 david greig an edinburgh regular and the recently appointed artistic director of the royal lyceum theater there wrote the book
in this year of events marking the 400th anniversary of shakespeares death the festival will feature plenty of plays and reinterpretations of plays by shakespeare including hamlet in bed starring michael laurence and annette otoole which ran off broadway in new york last year theres even a production called shakespeare syndrome that imagines several of his characters all being treated by the same shrink
there is plenty more happening in edinburgh in august including musical performances by colin hay the former lead singer of men at work and camille osullivan with a new show that features the music of radiohead nick cave and david bowie the fringe festival will run alongside the edinburgh international festival which announced its ambitious 2016 program in april


a 23 year old man who walked off a boardwalk and slipped and fell into a hot spring at yellowstone national park has died rangers said on wednesday
the man colin nathaniel scott of portland ore had walked about 225 yards away from established trails near porkchop geyser on tuesday his sister saw him slip and fall into norris geyser basin a thermal feature at the park in wyoming and reported the accident yellowstone officials said in a statement
charissa reid a spokeswoman for yellowstone said in an email that it was determined that there were no remains to recover and that the search for mr scotts body was suspended late wednesday afternoon
the episode is the latest example of visitors who have interacted with the park features or animals to sometimes disastrous results in may the bozeman daily chronicle reported that a criminal complaint had been issued after three canadian men strayed from trails and filmed themselves approaching the grand prismatic spring the men who work for a company that films adventure videos later apologized on facebook and said they would donate 5000 to the park
ms reid the spokeswoman said in an interview wednesday that she had noticed an uptick in people straying from trails and approaching animals this year caused in part by the sheer number of park visitors last year yellowstone reported a record four million visitors and is likely to meet or exceed that number this year she said
the rules in the park arent just arbitrary ms reid said theyre really here to protect people who are visiting the park and the things that theyre here to see
on wednesday park officials said parts of the basin area could remain closed as rangers completed their investigation norris geyser basin is the oldest and hottest of the parks thermal areas and below surface temperatures have reached up to 459 degrees
visitors can walk more than two miles of trails and boardwalks that snake through the basin bringing them close to geysers steam vents and acidic water some boardwalks over yellowstone hot springs do not have guardrails and more visitors have died in them than in any other natural feature
since 1890 there have been 22 fatalities involving thermal waters in yellowstone ms reid said the last recorded death was on aug 22 2000 when sara hulphers 20 of oroville wash died after she fell into a hot spring and received third degree burns
on june 6 a father and son suffered burns in the upper geyser basin after walking off the designated trail in the thermal area officials said
we extend our sympathy to the scott family dan wenk the parks superintendent said in a statement this tragic event must remind all of us to follow the regulations and stay on boardwalks when visiting yellowstones geyser basins


it was a night of milestones
america hillary clinched it lena dunham yelled across the room she was addressing america ferrera the actress at the next table not the nation
hillarys coming ms ferrera yelled back
she was not mrs clinton had secured enough delegates to earn the democratic presidential nomination according to the associated press but she would have been in good company had she been ms dunham and a dense crew of fellow celebrities were at hammerstein ballroom on monday night for the cfda fashion awards
confusion duly untangled ms dunham and ms ferrera soon alerted the rest of america via bouncy instagram video anna wintour announced it again from the podium later in the night inviting or commanding applause
the room was filled with american fashions grandees and the stars who depend on them for the endless red carpet circuit that now consumes whole weeks of the year some like jack mccollough and lazaro hernandez of proenza schouler five time winners and nominees once again are old hands for others like the model hari nef in a gucci gown embroidered with a giant panther and the actress sarah paulson who was accompanying the doubly nominated designer joseph altuzarra it was a first
ms paulson called mr altuzarras clothing incredibly sexy and very wearable it sounds like a trite pat thing to say but its applicable here she added you actually go oh i can wear this right now i dont need to take it to have it altered to something i wish it was
compared with her usual award show circuit she has been nominated for emmys golden globes and a screen actors guild award the cfdas represented a night off the pressure is off me she said i feel like im at the prom
it did have the feeling of a prom one where like a high school fantasy come true many of the dates also happened to be victorias secret models adriana lima irina shayk taylor hill or movie stars jessica chastain olivia wilde then there were those who cast further afield i admired her from afar wes gordon the designer said of his date donna tartt the pulitzer prize winning novelist who is not a regular on the fashion circuit and persuaded out of her customary trousers for an evening
we played dress up ms tartt said i like fashion very much and this is a special night
the purpose of course was not mere schmoozing but award getting a fact that preoccupied some of the nominees
were trying not to think about it said samantha orley of orley who was with her husband and brother in law nominated for the swarovski award for emerging mens wear designers
im thinking about it her husband matthew orley said
the awards began after dinner and like all awards shows dragged on the orleys won so did marc jacobs thom browne brandon maxwell paul andrew and the designers of mansur gavriel it was not as initially planned televised but there were tv friendly moments all the same
mr maxwell a stylist for lady gaga who won for his new collection gave a teary adorable speech about his salvation by fashion hes having a sally field moment said sarah jones the elastic performer who appeared in the cfdas promotional videos
mr browne delivered a heartfelt appreciation to his partner andrew bolton then promised to do tequila shots with his design team back at their table
the tributes continued guccis alessandro michele won the international award tilda swinton read a letter in praise of david bowie who received a posthumous tribute award on the night of what would have been his and imans 24th wedding anniversary calvin klein saluted donna karan
but the undisputed highlight was the unannounced arrival of beyonce there to receive the fashion icon award not much was made of it at the time but rachel roy popularly believed to be becky with the good hair of lemonade shade was also present
beyonce who tends to let her music and her instagram speak for her gave a lengthy speech about fashions place in her life encouraging designers you all are fairy godmothers and magicians and sculptors sometimes even our therapists to remember the power they have to shape perception
but she saved her longest tribute for her mother tina knowles who with her uncle johnny made her stage costumes and clothes including her wedding dress prom dress and first grammy dress when no one would lend her clothes they made her feel like khaleesi she said of the game of thrones warrior queen i had an extra suit of armor
outside after the awards tina knowles proclaimed herself overwhelmed i turned into a crybaby she said it was so beautiful
she has mostly given up the mantle of american fashion designer im retired now she said


brock turner the former stanford university student convicted of sexually assaulting an unconscious woman behind a dumpster on campus described his actions as the product of a culture of drinking peer pressure and sexual promiscuity according to his courtroom statement
in a letter he submitted before being sentenced to six months in jail by judge aaron persky of the santa clara county superior court obtained by the new york times mr turner said i am the sole proprietor of what happened on the night that changed these peoples lives forever i would give anything to change what happened
the case has spurred a national uproar because of a sentence criticized as far too lenient and a statement by the defendants father complaining that his sons life had been ruined for 20 minutes of action the judge is also facing a recall effort and has received threats of violence to him and his family an official said
the 23 year old victim read her own statement in court recounting the horror of finding out details of her attack on the news she had been intoxicated and could not remember the assault and having to break the news to her family
mr turner said the events of that night had left him a changed person in addition to his six month jail sentence   far less than the 14 year maximum   he will serve three years probation and must register as a sex offender he also lost his swimming scholarship to stanford
in his letter he said the woman had consented to the sexual encounter even as he admitted imposing trauma and pain on her he repeatedly cited an environment of peer pressure drinking and promiscuity factors he said he would use his time on probation to advocate against
i want to demolish the assumption that drinking and partying are what make up a college lifestyle he wrote i made a mistake i drank too much and my decisions hurt someone
the woman passionately denounced his interpretation   especially his emphasis on alcohol and promiscuity   in her statement
alcohol is not an excuse she wrote regretting drinking is not the same as regretting sexual assault she added we were both drunk the difference is i did not take off your pants and underwear touch you inappropriately and run away
the victims statement went viral after it was published last week by buzzfeed it was read live on cnn by the anchor ashleigh banfield on monday on wednesday afternoon mayor bill de blasio of new york said that his wife chirlane mccray and other figures would read the statement from gracie mansion in a video posted to his facebook page



it was the last day of 2013 another overcast winters day in london at the tail end of a busy year so i was a bit groggy when i checked my twitter feed and i thought it was a joke a french friend pierre haski congratulated me on being named a chevalier of the legion dhonneur i asked pierre if he was just having me on he sent along a link to the journal officiel the newspaper that prints french government laws and decrees and i saw that it was no joke
i had no idea i was even being considered much less that the french republic would stoop to give me such an honor no one had said a word no one had asked
i have been writing about the country for decades and had been the new york timess paris bureau chief until july 2013 writing about france the wonderful and france the appalling and france the real country of real people and real problems before coming to england as the london bureau chief
i was pleased of course and checked with my bosses at the times to make sure there was no issue in accepting what had been already announced and then i dawdled a bit
the ordre national de la legion dhonneur was established by napoleon in 1802 to honor those military and civilians of special merit the order has five degrees of distinction with the president of france alone holding the highest rank i as a chevalier or knight now hold the lowest which i was awarded for 30 years of service to journalism
some 75000 people are chevaliers most of them of course french but it is not enough to be noted in the official newspaper a ranking officer of the legion must induct you in the name of the republic some distinguished artists like clint eastwood and tom hanks are awarded theirs by the president of france as were the british businessman and three american friends including two off duty american soldiers who overpowered a terrorist on a french train last august
neither a movie star nor a sudden hero i had to organize mine so finally on june 2 i had the great honor of being presented the medal by jean david levitte one of frances greatest diplomats who served as ambassador to the united states during the iraq war to the united nations and as chief foreign policy adviser to two french presidents jacques chirac and nicolas sarkozy
ive known mr levitte for years during the iraq war when i was editor of the culture section of the times i asked him if he would sit down with me and matt groening the creator of the simpsons and the author of the phrase cheese eating surrender monkeys les singes capitulards bouffeurs de fromage for a conversation for the newspaper
matt and jean david were willing but the french foreign ministry the quai dorsay somehow thought it was a bad idea so it never happened
i was also touched that the american ambassador to france jane hartley was willing to host the ceremony at her residence for a small circle of friends and colleagues french and american including two other new york times alumni who have won the award john vinocur a former foreign correspondent and editor of the international herald tribune and elaine sciolino my predecessor as paris bureau chief
great times correspondents alissa rubin alison smale adam nossiter celestine bohlen alan riding and marlise simons came too and some distinguished members of the opposition like sophie pedder of the economist chris dickey of the daily beast and jon randal of the washington post and a former intern in the paris bureau elvire camus now of le monde even the entrepreneurial chef alain ducasse came along
then stephen dunbar johnson the publisher of the international new york times and mark thompson the chief executive of the times who happened to be in paris took my wife and me and a few colleagues to dinner
i had of course to give a little speech which was heartfelt i spoke about france the united states and the power rivalry and resilience of our alliance i talked about how our countries are similar in their ambitions   both revolutionary both arrogant both presumptuous both universalist each certain that it is a city on a hill a beacon to the other more benighted peoples i said that i was grateful to be a small part of the cherished rivalrous indispensable friendship between the two countries
then we lifted our glasses and toasted with decent french champagne


the designer jonathan anderson splits his time between london where his namesake brand is based and paris and madrid where loewe at which he is the creative director is though he was in new york last week shooting a campaign with steven meisel the constant bounce around the world didnt seem to faze him
work is easy if you have major teams around you he said three iphones sandwiched in one hand personal j w anderson loewe you just let people do what theyre best at
mr anderson 31 is a believer in division of labor who prefers to think of himself as an editor rather than a designer its a peculiarly modern point of view at least admitting it is over the course of a spin through printed matter the art book  and zine shop where he likes to conduct new york interviews the better to shop all the while i called him a factory foreman and an impresario he agreed with both
sometimes you think god how do you let someone just come into the brand but its very fulfilling he said you become like a manager and manage the situation
it is a logic that led him to open his first store j w anderson workshops in the shoreditch neighborhood of london in january carrying a mix of his j w anderson collection and a series of collaborations with individuals who catch his fancy they cycle through at a rate of about one a month and draw in people whose names may not be familiar to many fashion consumers the photographer ian david baker the editor and publisher luis venegas the ceramist giles round
im easily bored so its quite perfect to do different things mr anderson said i cant do everything on my own
his latest collaborator is far less obscure hes the fashion obsessed rapper asap rocky a fan of j w anderson who adapted some of mr andersons designs into a capsule collection of tracksuits knit hats and fur teddy coats
what we do is completely different mr anderson said but fundamentally thats the beauty of fashion you can meet in the middle on it everyone likes fashion
rocky was a customer first buying mr andersons collections and eventually turning up at his show he wore one of mr andersons zippered track tops in a music video but he aspired to a full tracksuit thus was a new collaboration born
i would never want to be a fashion designer he said via email having been unreachable by conventional means but i do have a lot of ideas still he has shown up often at fashion events and shows name checked brands and collaborated with guess originals and adidas originals
the new collection which can be pre ordered on the j w anderson website on thursday and will be available from the shoreditch workshops store on monday ranges from 275 for a beanie to 1300 for one of the teddy coats rocky as he is known was given free rein even down to the design of a new logo spelling out inscrutably jwa awge
awge asap
the first rule of awge is dont ask questions about awge rocky wrote in explanation or not the second rule of awge is that if you are a part of awge then you cannot discuss awge the third rule of awge is refer back to rule number one if you have any questions
pressed to elaborate he offered it is a collective of creatives that come from multiple disciplines including visual arts fashion and music no one needs to know what the letters stand for we know what it is and thats how we want to keep it
we does not apparently include mr anderson who didnt seem to mind
he was allowed to do whatever he wanted to do mr anderson said i dont know what it means i was just like ok fine whatever you want i like that


it is not every day that two prominent lawyers are brought before a federal grand jury and directed to provide documents and testimony about conversations they had with a wealthy client
but that is what happened with two partners at williams  connolly the prestigious washington law firm who are representing morris e zukerman a former morgan stanley banker and oil investor last month mr zukerman was accused of failing to pay 45 million in income and sales taxes on works of art and profits from the sale of an oil company
a series of court filings in mr zukermans pending criminal case in federal district court in manhattan shines a light on the often unseen role lawyers can play in nonpublic tax investigations by the internal revenue service and federal prosecutors in the filings federal prosecutors in manhattan raised the prospect of potential conflict of interest for the two lawyers who are trying to negotiate a plea deal for mr zukerman
typically lawyers cannot be compelled to testify or produce evidence against a client in a grand jury investigation but in rare cases judges can require it if there is evidence that clients communication with their lawyers was done purposely to further a crime or a fraud in the law it is known as the crime fraud exception to the attorney client privilege
the indictment of mr zukerman comes as the leak of the panama papers   confidential documents from mossack fonseca a law firm in panama that catered to the very rich   has helped renew interest in the lengths to which wealthy people will go to avoid paying taxes
federal prosecutors contend that mr zukerman 71 failed to report a profit from the sale of an oil company that would have generated 31 million in income taxes and misled his accountants and lawyers in the course of an irs audit he also had expensive paintings that he bought for his upper east side home shipped to delaware and new jersey to avoid paying sales tax prosecutors say he is expected to plead guilty later this month
the two lawyers from williams  connolly james a bruton iii and james t fuller iii are both seasoned white collar defense lawyers who specialize in tax law they were ordered last summer by a manhattan federal judge to appear before a grand jury that was investigating mr zukerman to determine whether he had used the lawyers during the course of that irs audit and inquiry to conceal his activities
prosecutors in a filing with the court said mr zukerman had the lawyers prepare a tax protest letter that challenged certain audit determinations previously made by an irs auditor
a federal appeals panel upheld the judges directive to the lawyers in a decision last october the brief ruling from the united states court of appeals for the second circuit did not name either of the lawyers or mr zukerman because the grand jury investigation was continuing at the time
federal prosecutors working for preet bharara the united states attorney in manhattan asked another federal judge on wednesday to decide whether mr brutons and mr fullers appearances before the grand jury pose a potential conflict of interest and whether mr zukerman was sufficiently aware of those potential conflicts
wearing a dark suit and round tortoiseshell glasses and using a cane mr zukerman told judge analisa torres of the federal district court in manhattan that he was aware of a conflict of interest and was waiving his right because he was the source of the information his lawyers gave the irs
the judge pressed him several times but eventually allowed mr zukerman to waive his right to raise the conflict as a future issue
the so called curcio hearing is used in federal court to make sure a criminal defendant is fully aware of the ramifications of retaining a lawyer who may have a potential conflict of interest
prosecutors said in one letter that mr bruton and mr fuller could be witnesses at mr zukermans trial as a result of the defendants use of the attorneys to convey false information to the internal revenue service during a civil audit
it is uncommon for the government to subpoena lawyers to testify before a grand jury said daniel c richman a professor of criminal law at columbia university
this case itself highlights the complications obtaining such testimony can create and it involves a target apparently ready to plead guilty mr richman added
there is no suggestion in the court filings that either lawyer did anything wrong
but the unusual series of events underscores potential conflicts that can occur in tax evasion cases involving wealthy individuals who rely on a bevy of legal and accounting experts to give them advice and help find ways to minimize tax burdens
in light of the potential conflict mr zukerman had reached out to another lawyer henry putzel iii who was at the hearing
representatives for williams  connolly declined to comment for this article
the seemingly awkward situation between the lawyers and a client stems from a 2012 audit by the irs related to mr zukermans sale of a stake in an oil company for 275 million according to the indictment but when he was audited mr zukerman failed to provide documents to his accountant he later employed mr bruton and mr fuller at williams  connolly to challenge the irs
the two lawyers interviewed mr zukerman on june 1 2012 over the phone in that interview he lied about his companys sale of the oil company according to the government when he was later asked to provide the documents to support those claims about the sale mr zukerman emailed promising to provide the lawyers with all the documentation which he said was in storage the indictment says
yet mr zukerman failed to do so by june 22 when his appeal letter was scheduled to be sent to the irs and so the final letter sent by williams  connolly and signed by mr zukerman was based on false assertions the indictment says
for two more years williams  connolly sent at least four requests to mr zukerman to provide the documents supporting his claims


so much fashion seems designed to obscure the hands that made it it chases perfection smoothness a certain sheen the clothes arent designed to raise questions only answer them or render them moot
but to deny the presence of human hands has not only political consequences but aesthetic ones as well we did not arrive at these outfits without assistance if we have dressed better it is only by standing on the taste of others
thats always been true but over the last year or so weve been in a golden moment of human touch in clothing from hand painting and drawing by raf simons to the wild appliques of discount universe to the choose your own adventure designs of craig green these are clothes that reify not only the wearer but also the creators they scream a story that stretches back well before the act of getting dressed
this is in an age of late capitalism a small act of resistance   a blow to fast and medium speed fashion and an acknowledgment of the potency of human intervention but its also a jolt to the senses a reminder that a person   many people   had hands on your clothes before you did everything that seems effortless is really the product of a very refined set of decisions
i like to see the work in progress i dont mean artisanal in the sense that a label fetishizes the labor and skill that go into a product rather im drawn to clothes for which the behind the scenes choices are loud and clear and in some cases still not wholly finished they dont always look right or fit right but they never bore
linder feels like a store born for that approach and for this moment a tiny shop on one of those quiet soho blocks that could pass for the west village it doesnt advertise itself loudly there are only three racks of clothing a few shelves of accessories a few more of shoes and thats it
yet theres this nearly every item in the store from clothing to shoes to jewelry to accessories feels like the product of a fresh mind a creator at work hoping to make something just slightly different from what peers are coming up with without edging into triteness
it begins with the linder house line which spans minimalist reversible flight jackets that arent bogged down by elastic at the waist 437 and cardigans in a pseudo boucle style with bright trim 416 or take the work of the israeli designer hed mayner who seems interested in disrupting and exaggerating the usual garment proportions he had a camel colored leather vest 725 that was broad and stiff and smelled excellent and a collarless bomber jacket with overlong arms and a short torso 763 he also had scoop neck t shirts that looked like hospital scrubs and a boxy jacquard work coat with carhartt proportions and royal mien 490
from qasimi a designer who shuttles between london and sharjah in the united arab emirates there was a luxe knit guayabera 259 and shirts with intriguing irregularities like pinstripes that stopped abruptly and intersected at strange angles or two chest pockets but one atop the other on one side of the shirt
each of these pieces forced an additional layer of reflection a consideration of the thought process that birthed it in other cases the hand of creation was more literal like on the exquisite hand painted denim pieces by the artist patrick church in surrealist comic book style 350 to 400
there was innovation in the shoes too like the sneakers with hand painted bulbous figures a collaboration between linder and hus hus 395 or the lace up numbers by a young french label soloviere 325 that look like capezios but in pebbled leather and with extra fabric gathered at the top something a particularly frilly monk might wear
even more striking are the shoes that dont scream about their innovations like the ankle boot made by the venerable foster  son 435 it has elastic pulls like a chelsea boot but they are inserted at an angle for an aerodynamic look or the lucchese cowboy boots 995 which might not match the aesthetic of the rest of the store but do match the fetish for handcrafted detail
most of the designers here are not widely carried elsewhere in new york and their collections are full of winning idiosyncrasy in every corner of this modest store there were clear ideas at work   progress being made one hand at a time
i was taken with an overshirt by tender made of rough deadstock linen dyed a blush pink 308 from a distance it looked fairly straightforward but up close it only provoked questions somehow despite the delicate fabric it was chunky and raw and even when i tried it on i couldnt tell if it was for spring or fall or even summer or winter now that i own it ill keep trying until i figure it out


cleveland   kevin love the starting forward for the cleveland cavaliers was ruled out of game 3 of the nba finals on wednesday night because of a concussion the team announced
love whose team entered the game trailing the golden state warriors by two games to none in the best of seven series sustained the injury late in the first half of game 2 on sunday when he was inadvertently elbowed by the warriors harrison barnes love returned to the game before experiencing dizziness and heading to the locker room
love was placed in the leagues concussion protocol and he spent tuesday and wednesday being evaluated by dr alfred cianflocco the cavaliers team physician who was in consultation with dr jeffrey kutcher the director of the nbas concussion program it is up to the cavaliers and not the league to clear love before he can return to the court
we know kevin wants to play cavaliers coach tyronn lue said before the game hes eager to play hes frustrated that hes not able to play but thats the protocol and thats how were trying to protect our players nowadays in the nba thats just what it is so someone else has to step up right now
lue said that richard jefferson would start in place of love jefferson had 12 points and 5 rebounds in game 2
just like his physicality lue said of jefferson adding that he moves well without the basketball when we get stagnant
it has not been the most pleasant postseason for love who was expected to bolster the cavaliers championship hopes after he missed the teams trip to the finals last year with an injured shoulder instead over the course of the playoffs he has averaged 165 points and 94 rebounds while shooting just 389 percent from the field


london   guy hands the founder of the private equity firm terra firma capital partners denied in court on wednesday that he had made up conversations he claimed he had with senior executives at citigroup ahead of a disastrous deal to buy emi in 2007
his firm is suing citigroup in london over several misrepresentations that mr hands claimed citi executives had made to induce him to bid for and complete a deal to buy the storied music label
the acquisition - valued at 4 billion pounds or about 58 billion - came at a high cost for mr hands damaging his reputation as a shrewd investor and erasing much of his personal fortune
emi was seized by its lenders in 2011 as it faced a crushing amount of debt it was acquired by the universal music group the next year
mr hands said on wednesday that he had personally lost 200 million euros or about 227 million on the deal
on wednesday citigroups lawyers pressed mr hands on the motivation behind his lawsuit against the bank and questioned whether a claim mr hands filed against the lender in 2013 in manchester while separately pursuing litigation in the united states was an attempted shakedown
at the time terra firma accused charles o prince iii the former chief executive of citigroup of fraud that claim is no longer part of the case
mark howard a lawyer for citigroup questioned whether the claim against mr prince had been filed to embarrass the bank and to force a settlement
that is not correct mr hands said
this is the second time that terra firma has gone to court over claims that citigroup misled mr hands about emi and the auction process
a jury in manhattan found in 2010 that citigroup was not liable in the matter but that verdict was later thrown out by an appeals court
the latest trial began on tuesday before a judge in london and is expected to last into july mr hands who will continue his testimony on thursday is the first witness to testify in the case
citigroup has said that it believes that terra firmas lawsuit is without merit and that it did not make any dishonest statements to mr hands or terra firma throughout the emi auction
terra firma is seeking PS15 billion in damages reflecting its full investment as well as lost profits and management fees it claims it would have earned had it not invested in emi in the first place citigroup provided PS25 billion in financing for the transaction
as part of the lawsuit mr hands said he was told by david wormsley citigroups head of investment banking in britain and a longtime banker to mr hands that cerberus capital management was prepared to bid 262 pence a share for emi and that terra firma would need to make a higher bid than that to win the auction terra firma ultimately was the only bidder for emi in may 2007
terra firma also claims that two other former citigroup executives made additional misrepresentations to mr hands about the banks view on the financial health of emi to encourage him to complete the deal after winning the auction terra firma injected PS205 million in additional equity into the company after discussing financing with citigroup mr hands said
on wednesday mr howard pressed mr hands on why his conversations with mr wormsley - which mr hands said were a driving force behind the deal discussions - were not documented in the minutes of meetings by terra firmas investment committee or the boards of its general partners
the real reason there is no documentation is because none of it is true mark howard a lawyer for citigroup said
that is not correct mr hands said
mr hands said he did not always share the sources of his information with the committee
on wednesday mr hands also said it was market practice for information to be shared by agents of selling companies about the price other bidders were willing to pay in a confidential auction even when there was a confidentiality agreement in place between the parties
it happens on an everyday basis in the city mr hands said referring to londons financial center


point bonita calif   on a chilly monday afternoon in may just before the lighthouse here closed for the rest of the week the three ingress players met and hustled across the metal bridge to the 19th century landmark
they were determined to retain control of the lighthouse for their team the resistance ingress is played using a smartphone app but in most cases players can attack or defend locations in the game known as portals only if they are in proximity to the real world places on which the portals are based
right off the bat the plan went awry one player kathryn jensen code named thestudette accidentally deployed a weapon that meant control of the lighthouse would flip to the other team the enlightened around 330 pm when the lighthouse closed
to remedy the error the gamers had to ignore a park rangers remonstrations and linger past closing time they managed to flip the lighthouse back to resistance hands although an attempt to create a virtual link to another landmark in hawaii was blocked by the opposing team which was unable to get anyone to the lighthouse but spotted the activity on the games scanner
this blend of real world multiplayer interaction and complex digital strategy sets ingress apart from other mobile games nodding to childhood pastimes like capture the flag as well as to vast online simulations like world of warcraft ingress is one of the first popular games built using augmented reality a technology that overlays virtual objects onto the real world
developed by google geolocation engineers and released to the public in december 2013 ingress has more than one million active players in 4000 communities worldwide including heavy concentrations in the united states japan and europe last year google spun out the development team into a separate company called niantic
the back story of ingress involves mysterious aliens that are sending exotic matter to earth via portals like fountains public buildings and landmarks players choose to join the enlightened team which believes the exotic matter is beneficial to humanity or the resistance which distrusts the aliens and is fighting their influence
to take most actions in the game players must physically visit the portals more elaborate actions such as connecting portals to build an energy field require many players to work together in a coordinated fashion
niantic plans to take the same concepts to the mass market later this year with the release of pokemon go an addition to the pokemon fantasy franchise that will be played via smartphone and also require interaction with the real world
the focus on physical places in both games is deliberate john hanke niantics chief executive joined google in 2004 when his start up keyhole was acquired by the search giant and became the basis of google earth after refining googles mapping products over the next seven years or so mr hanke and his team began pondering what else could be done with the map
everyone is spending all this time inside by their computers no one goes to the local parks mr hanke said in an interview at niantics san francisco headquarters we wanted to do something that was aspirational lets get people outside
r m harman one of the ingress players who defended the point bonita lighthouse said that the game had certainly improved his exercise habits even as it had sucked up much of his free time
mr harman a data architect who goes by the nickname auros frequently hops on his bicycle in the evening to take action on portals in his silicon valley neighborhood and last september he hiked high into the california back country with his spouse and a friend to recapture enemy controlled portals in kerrick meadow near yosemite national park the location was so remote that they had to use a satellite modem to connect to the internet and get access to the game
the game has a secret agent vibe said mr harman who uses the code name oninekokin it appeals to programmers   at least one early google employee who has retired from the company plays it full time it also appeals to shy people giving them an excuse to meet and connect with others
ms jensen a learning coach said she had made many new friends playing ingress and visited her 10000th portal in paris in april 2015 using the locations in the game as a guidebook to the city i saw way more of paris than most people do she said
the most elaborate operations involve players who coordinate actions across the globe last july about 150 players on the resistance team worked together to connect portals on three far flung islands svalbard a norwegian island in the arctic ocean failaka island off kuwait in the persian gulf and fuerteventura one of spains canary islands off morocco
niantic also sponsors large ingress events every quarter most recently at the end of may when gamers gathered for operations in nine communities including brooklyn rotterdam the netherlands cape town tainan taiwan padua italy and manila
ingress players whose repeated visits to a single location can look suspicious say they are sometimes questioned by officials such as park rangers or police officers but once the officials learn about the game they often join in
we have a fair number of cops who are players mr hanke said
in october niantic raised 20 million from the pokemon company nintendo and google with potentially 10 million more to come after it achieves undisclosed milestones
mr hanke declined to discuss niantics finances although the company earns some revenue from sponsorships one of the games most powerful shields for example is named after the axa insurance company niantic also allows companies to sponsor their stores in the game which lawson and softbank do in japan
in addition niantic makes money from hosting player gatherings selling virtual items in the game and peddling mementos like posters t shirts and e books the company is exploring an ingress television show and a successful pokemon go would bring in additional revenue streams
mr hanke said that ingress was intended not just to entertain but also to help people explore the world they live in
part of the joy of the game is going off the beaten path he said were not about being strapped in a couch in the matrix


san francisco   pokemon is about to leave the realm of pure fantasy and jump into the real world
niantic   the maker of the smartphone game ingress which combines onscreen actions with physical locations that players must visit   is using similar concepts to build pokemon go the latest installment in the best selling pokemon video game series
like earlier pokemon games players will throw virtual balls to capture pocket monsters or pokemon they can be used to defend gyms where the creatures train to become stronger rivals can try to take over the gym by using their own monsters to attack the gyms protectors
but the new game will also force players to look beyond their screens and visit places in the real world as in ingress places like parks historical markers libraries churches and commuter stations will hold valuable items in the game retrievable only when physically close to the locations to hatch a new pokemon from an egg players will have to walk one kilometer as measured by the smartphones sensors the game will use the phones camera to show virtual pokemon dancing near a park bench or hiding in a bush trying to evade capture
theres a lot of ingress in it   the idea of building it around certain locations and those locations are what give you the things that you need to play the game and where the action takes place john hanke niantics chief executive said in an interview but then this whole element of all the different pokemon and capturing them and battling with them is of course new
pokemon go which is being developed in partnership with the pokemon company is now in field testing in the united states japan australia and new zealand if you want to join the test the company is still accepting applications the final game is expected to be released later this year
one challenge for niantic is to figure out how to keep players safe as they walk around to find point scoring opportunities while looking at the game screen
in september a devoted ingress player in ireland francis maxwell died while playing the game at night on an unlighted pier
for pokemon go which will appeal to children as well as adults niantic is including features to discourage people from constantly staring at their phones
vibrations will alert players to nearby pokemon and locations in the game for children playing with a parent an optional wrist button can be paired with the phone buzzing when there is something nearby and allowing players to capture pokemon with a single click
its designed to facilitate collaborative play between a parent and child mr hanke said


on an afternoon in may 34 protesters breached the locked doors of the administration building at the university of chicago and dashed upstairs to the fifth floor lobby of the presidents office sprawling on chairs and on the floor equipped with food and chant sheets they settled in for a long sit in the protesters who were mostly students demanded among other things a living wage for campus workers more accountability from the campus police and disinvestment from fossil fuels
it was part of a school year of student demonstrations across the country often tolerated or even celebrated by members of the faculty or administrators but this one was different days later the student body president tyler kissinger who had allowed the protesters into the building was threatened with expulsion the day before graduation
my parents are concerned because they dont know if they should be coming to observe my graduation or not or if i should be spending the few dollars to buy my cap and gown said mr kissinger 21 who is from lewisville nc and is a first generation college student
administrators at other universities have been more accommodating in this year of unrest harvard law school abolished its slavery linked crest after protests including a sit in yale discontinued the use of the term master for heads of its student residences after protests the president of the university of missouri resigned after protests by the football team
a spokesman for the university of chicago jeremy manier said that because of student confidentiality rules he could not disclose information about disciplinary action but he defended the universitys record on free speech generally
freedom of expression and dissent are fundamental values of the university of chicago mr manier said in an email the universitys policies do not prevent students from engaging in protest and the university does not discipline students for speaking out on any issue
mr kissinger said he had been formally charged with premeditated and dishonest behavior to gain entry to levi hall creating an unsafe situation he is to appear before a disciplinary committee on friday about 24 hours before he was expecting to graduate
mr kissinger and his fellow demonstrators note that the university has been roundly praised by free speech organizations i think its scary for a lot of people mr kissinger said if they are cracking down on people who are protesting i dont understand what the university means by free expression
the university of chicagos reaction is consistent with the tough line it took during the last period of major upheaval on college campuses the demonstrations of the 1960s in 1967 the university suspended 58 students for taking over the administration building in a draft protest though most of the suspensions were not carried out according to an account on the university librarys website
in march 1969 the university expelled 42 students suspended 81 students and put three students on probation for a two week occupation of the administration building in support of a sociology professor they thought was being denied reappointment because of her leftist views and because she was one of a minority of women on the faculty
the sit in this spring on may 19 was conceived after university administrators refused invitations from a community organizing group the iiron student network soon to be renamed student action of metropolitan chicago to attend a public meeting to discuss its demands among other things the group wanted the university to institute a 15 an hour minimum wage for campus workers and to provide more access to the records of the university police force which it has accused of racial profiling in the surrounding neighborhood the university said it already posts information from field interviews and traffic stops
on the day of the sit in mr kissinger got past security by saying he was on official business as student body president he hid in a bathroom for a few minutes he recalled then used his backpack to prop open a door to let everyone else in
the protest ended an hour later when a university official told the protesters they could be arrested and students possibly expelled four days later at a meeting of the student government the university provost eric d isaacs was confronted with students and campus workers pressing the demands
mr kissinger was called to a meeting with the dean of students michele rasmussen who criticized him he said for letting the student assembly get out of hand and for allowing campus workers to attend after that meeting he received the summons to a disciplinary hearing it said sanctions ranged from a warning to permanent expulsion
mr kissinger whose mother is a food service worker at wake forest university said he thought the university should be an open place run in a collaborative way i think students faculty and staff should have uninhibited access to administrators on their campuses administrators who are making decisions about their lives he said


secret a social messaging start up that let people post messages anonymously until it shut down was the talk of the technology world
the start up had raised more than 25 million in venture capital and was valued at 100 million in 2014 at less than a year old for a while secret grew like a weed as people swapped gossip and other tidbits on the service without revealing their identities
yet secrecy it turned out was not enough to guarantee that the company would remain a hit the anonymity that secret afforded let the service be used as a playground for bullies so 16 months after secret opened for business the founders shut down the company and returned the bulk of the money to investors
david byttow one of the founders and the former chief executive of secret discussed some of the lessons he learned in building the anonymous social service how things went wrong and what he plans to do differently as he builds his next company this interview has been edited and condensed
why were you interested in anonymity in the first place
i had come out of working at square and knew i wanted to build something but never really went off on my own at first it was anonymous one to one messaging i showed it to chrys bader another secret founder and we built a prototype
our first version was turned down by a venture capitalist who was afraid of bullying we agreed to build the version that was eventually released
i wasnt personally superpassionate about anonymity but it was interesting   as is social in general we half expected it to flop on the first day but it took off very quickly i think because it really just struck a nerve with people
when that happens   especially if its your first time   you dont walk away from it
why do you think it caught on especially in silicon valley
the app became an echo chamber of silicon valley there are a lot of things that go on in the valley that people dont talk about openly secret gave people a place to do it
it was both compelling and probably exceedingly frustrating for people seeing posts about them or their company whether they were true or false they couldnt really do anything about it
are entrepreneurs really able to harness anonymity it seems like a problem no one has been able to solve
i fundamentally believe both technologically and culturally that we do not have the tools to manage anonymity online in a way that doesnt end with people getting hurt
identity or not youre going to get people who use the product to troll other people anonymity allows people to take it one step further where they believe they have no repercussions
we wanted to go for it and try to make it work you can do simple things like moderate words and partner with other security groups but ultimately when there is a group of friends and they have context you cant moderate that
i dont know how to do it its a really hard problem
it seemed like it was a viable thing or still does even for some sites
investors were interested it was definitely a thing
what was the personal toll of the rise and fall of secret
it was as if there was a switch from excitement to just pure stress things became contentious between me and my co founder
i reached the point where i wasnt taking care of myself so i took up boxing thats the one thing that has stuck every day to this day my first fight is coming up soon
my point is it gets tough secret was valued so high so quickly and certainly i wasnt perfect by any means i did some stupid stuff i bought a ferrari and i drove it to this thing and people noticed i asked myself what am i doing that was stupid
i emptied my 401k to start secret we got extremely lucky in many ways along that journey but i did a lot of dumb stuff too
what are the lessons learned
as im starting this new company   its called bold and it makes software aimed at corporations   im sure im still making mistakes but im trying to make only new mistakes not old ones and its given me a new perspective on how i want to build a company how i want to act as a founder
im trying to fly a bit more under the radar for this next thing because im so afraid of having hype without having something to show for it
i also think social consumer products require a sense of community and they require identity without both of those these products become novelties thats why im working on enterprise software now


rome   an eritrean man accused of organizing an extensive people smuggling network that led to the deaths of hundreds of africans trying to cross the mediterranean sea has been captured in sudan and extradited to italy the authorities said wednesday
the arrest which followed an investigation that involved the sudanese italian and british authorities was a rare instance in which a person has faced direct criminal charges for the human trafficking that has made the mediterranean one of the worlds deadliest migration routes
officials said the smuggling ring was responsible for the deaths of 359 people when a vessel capsized off the italian island of lampedusa in 2013 the authorities said the man styled himself as the general   a reference to the reach of his criminal network   and that he had been heard on intercepted telephone calls joking callously about the deaths of migrants who were fleeing violence and desperation
the italian authorities identified the man as medhanie yehdego mered 35 though the information could not be independently confirmed mr mered they said was seized in khartoum the capital of sudan on may 24 and flown to rome on tuesday night
but after the arrest was reported on wednesday an eritrean activist and journalist who hosts a weekly radio program in stockholm as well as an article in the guardian raised doubts about the identity of the man in custody
in a telephone interview the activist meron estefanos said she had been following the activities of mr mered since 2010
when i saw the news this morning that the most wanted smuggler had been extradited i was happy she said but after video clips of the man in custody began circulating she began receiving telephone calls   from refugees who said they had been smuggled by mr mered and people who said they were friends and relatives of the man who had been extradited all said that the italians had the wrong man
i hope that the italians admit that they have the wrong person and that they release the person immediately ms estefanos said this is absurd
asked about the possibility of a mistake britains national crime agency said in a statement late thursday night that we have noted the guardians report this is a complex multipartner operation and it is too soon to speculate about these claims
the nca is confident in its intelligence gathering process the agency said
earlier the crime agency said that the sudanese police carried out the arrest after the british authorities tracked the suspect to an address in the el diem area of khartoum
telephone interceptions gathered by the italians confirmed medhanie was organizing regular journeys across the mediterranean and was also directly coordinating other people smugglers responsible for land routes the agency said in a statement using what the italian authorities said was mr mereds first name during one recorded conversation medhanie was heard laughing about the fatal overloading of migrant ships
the sinking of the boat a flimsy fishing vessel off lampedusa on oct 3 2013 was a signal moment in the migration crisis while refugees from the syrian civil war have been among the most prominent faces of the problem many other migrants from strife torn countries in sub saharan africa including sudan and eritrea have traveled to libya where there is barely a functioning government part of the italian region of sicily lampedusa about 70 miles from tunisia has been a destination for many african migrants
the boat was packed with more than 500 people of the 155 who survived the shipwreck around 100 ended up in sweden
this operation is important not only because it struck one of the bosses of a criminal ring that has smuggled thousands of people but also because it effectively demonstrated international judicial and police cooperation francesco lo voi the chief prosecutor in palermo the regional capital said on wednesday
mr lo voi said that mr mered had been responsible for smuggling thousands of migrants to italy since 2012 making enormous profits without regard for the life threatening risks taken by the migrants like the british authorities mr lo voi took note of the phone call in which mr mered was recorded laughing about the overloading of the boats
a statement from mr lo vois office said mr mered not only directed the activities in the african continent but also constantly kept abreast his collaborators in italy with the boat arrivals so that migrants could continue traveling to their final destination
the general is suspected of controlling a large area through his contacts and of personally coordinating smugglers on the land routes in africa italy the netherlands and scandinavian countries
in several cases italian prosecutors said he paid libyan officials to free migrants from libyan jails then sought to extort compensation from the migrants families in one wiretapped conversation mr mered boasted that he had paid 40000 to libyan jailers to free a group of people
the migrants were authorized to leave for italy   or to leave italy for other parts of europe   only after their relatives made additional payments prosecutors said the payments were made in phases one for the land route through libya a second to cover the sea crossing and a final payment if the migrants made it to destinations north like germany or sweden
this business had a great economic value a prosecutor in sicily maurizio scalia said wednesday in a news conference
mr mered the prosecutors said had boasted that he had bought a house in eritrea and could receive bank payments in and from any european country and even in israel
he was recorded as saying that he had a brother in the netherlands and a wife and son in sweden and hoped to join her there after stashing enough money from his accumulated treasure prosecutors said


scientists digging in the liang bua cave on the indonesian island of flores years ago found a tiny humanlike skull then a pelvis jaw and other bones all between 60000 and 100000 years old
the fossils the scientists concluded belonged to individuals who stood just three feet tall   an unknown species related to modern humans that they called homo floresiensis or more casually the hobbits
on wednesday researchers reported that they had discovered still older remains on the island including teeth a piece of a jaw and 149 stone tools dating back 700000 years the finding suggests that the ancestors of the hobbits arrived on flores about a million years ago the scientists said and evolved into their own distinct branch of the hominin tree
but without other parts of a skeleton such as the skull hands or feet they cant be sure whether the newly discovered fossils also belong to homo floresiensis or instead to some other ancient relative of humans known generally as hominins
we have to be careful said gert van den bergh a paleontologist at the university of wollongong in australia and a co author of the new study until we find those elements we cannot really say much more about it
dr van den bergh and his colleagues found the new fossils at mata menge an archaeological site on flores that had already yielded stone tools dating back 800000 years   a clue that hominins of some sort had once lived there
starting in 2004 the researchers chiseled fossils out of the cementlike rock for years they found only animal fossils including dwarf elephants
in 2014 dr van den bergh and his colleagues got their first stroke of good luck six feet below the surface they found a cracked molar very quickly they discovered six other teeth as well as a piece of a jaw the fossils come from three hominins
the researchers were intrigued to find a wisdom tooth erupting from the jaw that means that it was an adult said dr van den bergh
yet this adult must have been very small the researchers estimate the jawbone was 23 percent smaller than the homo floresiensis jaw found at liang bua
they were truly little people smaller even than the liang bua hobbits said richard roberts of the university of wollongong who was part of the team that originally discovered homo floresiensis but was not involved in the new study
critics have argued that the liang bua bones might have come from a member of our own species who suffered some kind of growth disorder such as down syndrome several experts agreed that the mata menge fossils put to rest any doubts that homo floresiensis is its own distinct species
in another study published on wednesday in the journal plos one karen l baab a paleoanthropologist at midwestern university in glendale ariz and her colleagues compared skeletons of people with down syndrome with the liang bua fossils
the researchers concluded that any resemblance was superficial and that the fossils belonged to a separate species there continues to be no very good evidence that this is a pathological modern human dr baab said
in their new study dr van den bergh and his colleagues propose that the hobbits evolved from a tall relatively large brained hominin called homo erectus that lived in indonesia at least 15 million years ago
dr van den bergh said it was unlikely that homo erectus could have built boats that could have taken them to flores personally i think it was some freak event like a tsunami he said
by 700000 years ago the mata menge fossils suggest the descendants of these castaways had shrunk to three feet in height its possible that their brains shrank as well as an adaptation to life on a small harsh island
dr baab said the scenario was plausible but not airtight the hobbits have some anatomical similarities to homo erectus in indonesia but theyre not just scaled down versions
for example the fossils from the liang bua cave show that they had longer arms and shorter legs than homo erectus its possible that they evolved from a smaller more primitive asian population of homo that scientists havent yet discovered
a few critics of homo floresiensis still arent convinced saying the debate over whether this really was a species couldnt be settled by the new finding
isolated teeth and jaw fragments have nothing to contribute to that issue said robert d martin an emeritus curator at the field museum in chicago who has argued that the liang bua fossils belonged to a human with microcephaly
dr van den bergh is optimistic that he and his colleagues will find a skull and other bones at mata menge that may satisfy such critics the layer of rock where they found the hominin teeth and jaw is chock full of fossils from other species
the geology of the rock indicates that the fossils come from a streambed that was suddenly buried in mudslides from a nearby volcanic eruption the disaster seems to have claimed a number of victims at once   including possibly more hobbits
im sure we will find more stuff said dr van den bergh


exaggerator who finished second behind nyquist in the kentucky derby and first in the slop at the preakness stakes drew post 11 on wednesday and was installed as the 9 to 5 morning line favorite for the 148th running of the belmont stakes on saturday
twelve challengers will take on exaggerator in the mile and a half belmont where he will attempt to become the 12th horse to win the preakness and the belmont after falling short in the derby and the first since afleet alex in 2005 the fourth place preakness finisher stradivari drew post 5 and was installed as the second choice at 5 to 1 by the new york racing association oddsmaker eric donovan the sixth place derby finisher destin who will break from the no 2 hole was the third choice at 6 to 1
in the preakness on may 21 exaggerator finally reached the winners circle after having lost all four of his previous meetings against nyquist including the second place finish in the derby
on the morning after the preakness the connections of the previously undefeated nyquist decided to engage exaggerator in a rematch in the belmont but a day later the colt was found to have a high temperature and an elevated white blood cell count he was then withdrawn from consideration for the race
its a little different than usually us coming through the back door but ive always said id much rather have the favorite than be 20 to 1 exaggerators jockey kent desormeaux said wednesday from rockefeller center where perhaps fittingly the draw was held on a rainy afternoon saturdays forecast for elmont ny is for temperatures in the mid 70s and partly cloudy skies
a year after american pharoah thrilled rugged horsemen and casual fans alike by winning the belmont by five and a half lengths to become the 12th triple crown champion and the first in 37 years this belmont lacks considerable buzz so far the most talked about news occurred off the track when desormeaux 46 announced through his agent that he had entered an alcohol rehabilitation program in utah desormeaux has a history of alcohol related troubles including a 2500 fine from stewards at del mar for riding while impaired last summer
he was at belmont park on tuesday to ride exaggerator who is trained by his brother keith during his final breeze he did not address questions about rehab saying only i think that my brother mostly my wife and my family have supported me through all the years and it was my turn to say thank you
he added on wednesday im truly very excited for exaggerator more thrilled that im here with my brother keith i just hope the story continues and we write another chapter
exaggerator who had previously won two graded stakes on wet tracks including the grade i santa anita derby on april 9 benefited from a sloppy track in the preakness and from nyquists having to duel uncle lino in the fastest opening quarter mile in preakness history at 2238 seconds
in addition to exaggerator stradivari and destin the entrants for the belmont are cherry wine second in the preakness and his stablemate brodys cause seventh in the derby lani fifth in the preakness and ninth in the derby suddenbreakingnews fifth in the derby creator 13th in the derby trojan nation 16th in the derby and the newcomers gettysburg forever doro governor malibu and seeking the soul
i think it is a wide open field and i think exaggerator is a deserving favorite said the two time belmont winning trainer todd pletcher who will saddle stradivari and destin he ran great in the derby and he ran great in the preakness hes shown up every time


democratic and republican leaders on wednesday renewed their fitful efforts to impose greater order on a freewheeling presidential race and to bring to heel a pair of political renegades senator bernie sanders and donald j trump whose upstart campaigns have roiled the political establishment
for democrats impatient to rally around hillary clinton as their presumptive nominee mr sanders has lingered as an obstacle so stubborn and frustrating that only president obamas intervention might dislodge him soon
mr obama is expected to meet with mr sanders in washington on thursday and increase the pressure on the irascible vermonter to defer to mrs clinton mr obama white house aides said intends to nudge mr sanders toward embracing her stressing that mr sanders can further his policy agenda while unifying the party to defeat mr trump in november
the white house strategy will culminate with the presidents formal endorsement of mrs clinton in the coming days followed by an appearance with her on the campaign trail soon after
but leaders in both parties are approaching mr sanders and mr trump gingerly fearful that strong arm tactics might foster resentment
each man is essentially being asked to shed part of his core political persona in the interest of party unity for mr sanders to step away from the roaring crowd or for mr trump to back away from a televised brawl would represent a wrenching departure from form
mindful of that democrats want to ease mr sanders from the race without alienating his supporters
in a taped appearance for the tonight show that will air thursday night mr obama praised mr sanders saying he brought enormous energy and new ideas to the campaign making mrs clinton better
my hope is over the next couple weeks were able to pull things together the president said
vice president joseph r biden jr said we should be a little graceful and give him the opportunity to decide on his own
republicans face a thornier challenge in grappling with mr trump whose inflammatory comments and slapdash campaign style have alarmed party leaders throughout the race since securing his spot as the presumptive republican nominee he has made only transient efforts to impose discipline on his campaign and turn toward courting mainstream general election voters
mr trump appeared briefly chastened on tuesday night delivering a prepared victory speech free of vulgarity or racial attacks but he quickly reverted to a more improvisational style complaining in multiple interviews that republicans had been wrong to criticize him for denouncing a federal judge because of his hispanic heritage
still house speaker paul d ryan assured colleagues in a conference on wednesday that he remained supportive of mr trumps candidacy mr ryan had criticized him this week for using racist language in criticizing gonzalo p curiel a united states district court judge overseeing litigation involving mr trump
mr ryan told lawmakers that he continued to believe mr trump represented the partys best chance to enact its agenda said brendan buck a spokesman for mr ryan but mr ryan he said in an email also told them hell continue to speak out whenif necessary to protect our identity as a party
steering carefully between mr sanders and mr trump is mrs clinton who praised mr sanders and his supporters with her victory speech on tuesday night while delivering an aggressive denunciation of mr trump that doubled as a sales pitch for the general election
allies of mrs clinton said on wednesday that they were confident mr sanders would come around in time and that the broad message she had outlined for the fall campaign would suffice to win over doubters on the left
mayor eric garcetti of los angeles a democrat who campaigned for mrs clinton in california predicted that the urgency of fighting mr trump would bring the party together and ease the hurt feelings from the nominating contest
this is definitely a crisis moment mr garcetti said people come together in crises and donald trump is that crisis
mr sanders has given no indication that he will end his campaign before the july convention in philadelphia though he collected far too few delegates to threaten mrs clintons nomination in a floor fight
facing a stinging defeat in the california primary on tuesday mr sanders responded with defiance he declined to acknowledge that mrs clinton had won enough delegates to capture the nomination and vowed to keep campaigning in the district of columbia which votes next week
there have been a few early attempts at clinton sanders diplomacy their campaign managers robby mook and jeff weaver spoke on tuesday and the clinton campaign has been in direct contact with elected officials backing mr sanders
senator jeff merkley of oregon the lone senator to back mr sanders said he was in close contact with mrs clintons advisers and declared it time to close ranks for the general election
i will absolutely support our democratic nominee and that nominee is hillary clinton mr merkley said in a telephone interview and ill keep working with her and her team in support of the ideas that bernie sanders put forward
liberal activists aligned with the sanders campaign have begun to inch away from his tenacious bid several members of congress and two prominent advocacy groups on the left moveonorg and democracy for america said on wednesday that they would line up behind mrs clinton as the candidate who has won the most pledged delegates
mr sanders offered no immediate response to the signs that his core liberal coalition might be faltering
activists on the right have had even less success at applying pressure to mr trump republicans have repeatedly pleaded and cajoled mr trump to run a more professional campaign reflecting greater attentiveness to rules of political and social decorum
mr trump has essentially disregarded those demands and charted his own course as an insurgent candidate with a skeleton crew of campaign staff
a new test of mr trumps campaign begins on thursday as the candidate and his top aides embark on their most concerted push yet to win over big republican donors on thursday 70 donors are to meet at trump tower in new york followed by lunch at the four seasons hotel mr trump is expected to attend both the meeting and the lunch and to proceed to a fund raising event in richmond va on friday
it is unclear which version of mr trump is likely to show up after delivering a conventionally stage managed victory speech on tuesday mr trump returned to twitter the next morning to attack the hosts of msnbcs morning joe for covering him unfavorably hours later an aide to mr trump called for barring a conservative radio host hugh hewitt from the republican convention because of his criticism of mr trump
and even as his fund raising efforts have intensified mr trump has resisted making phone calls to donors to solicit funds
edward f cox the chairman of the new york republican party said the party was grappling with unprecedented circumstances brought about by the elevation of an untrained outsider unlike any presidential nominee in memory mr trump he said faced unusual pressure to build up his political operation and coordinate a message with mr ryan
mr cox noted major opportunities coming up for mr trump to reintroduce himself to voters and move on from his attacks on mr curiel
youre going to be looking to the naming of a vice presidential candidate youre going to have an acceptance speech mr cox said and this issue is going to be a very minor one


for companies failure and expansion could not be more different for employees they can feel the same that uncomfortable truth ought to play more of a role in calculations over whether doing deals makes sense
on the one hand the collapse of british retailer bhs with the potential loss of 11000 jobs has set off a witch hunt on the other the energy giants shell and bg group have merged and expect to generate 45 billion of annual savings as a result the cost is that 12500 jobs worldwide get the chop here investors have pushed the stock up thats rational fewer staff means more profit to go around
the numbers tell the story breakingviews analyzed public filings for all the 30 billion plus megadeals completed from 2002 to 2012 that involved american or british nonfinancial companies five years later 14 of the 17 merged companies had fewer employees on average head count fell 15 percent but 15 had higher revenue per employee while 11 had higher operating profit per worker
in other words mergers work   insofar as their goal is to make human and financial capital work harder and generate higher returns to an investor or economist comparing shell and bhs may thus seem ludicrous mergers are often economically beneficial more profit per person should make the country richer
but that connection is hard to see for those who are out of a job the political financial debate even in pro market britain is dominated by anxiety over the labor market including the investigations into working conditions at the retailer sports direct and the uproar over plans to close tata steels pensions burdened steel plant in south wales
none of this invalidates the case for cost savings and mergers that create them if countries have flexible markets workers can be reabsorbed if they do not profit motivated layoffs can be a spur for change but the increasing anxiety over protecting workers cannot be brushed off
at the least it may increase the discount investors apply to merger savings on the basis that politics makes them hard to deliver in some cases deals that once would have looked appealing may not happen at all


geneva   the leaders of eritrea are responsible for crimes against humanity a united nations commission of inquiry said wednesday calling for international action to hold them to account including referral to the international criminal court
the inquiry found that officials at the highest levels of state including the ruling party and military commanders of the east african nation have committed and continue to commit crimes including enslavement imprisonment and disappearances torture rape and murder
one of the most egregious offenses the united nations commission found was the forced conscription of young people in a never ending national service program that has driven thousands of young eritreans to flee many to europe
eritrea a small country on the horn of africa along the red sea is known as the north korea of africa it is one of the continents most secretive isolated and repressive countries
its leader isaias afwerki an intellectual turned guerrilla fighter turned president was once considered one of the smartest and most charismatic rebels in the world during eritreas war for independence from ethiopia two decades ago mr isaias brought christians and muslims nomads and farmers and men and women together in the trenches he even oversaw underground tampon factories for his female fighters
these days though many eritrean analysts question his leadership mr isaiass stubborn refusal to modify his repressive rule has put the country in this position said dan connell an american journalist who knows mr isaias personally and has written several books on eritrea
mr connell said he had been hearing stories of fear and repression for years denied a chance to express themselves at home eritreans continue to vote with their feet which is as strong a confirmation of the commissions findings as any he said wednesday
mike smith the chairman of the united nations panel said that the report found that the abuses inflicted by the government were a major impetus for the exodus of eritreans more than 47000 applied for asylum in europe last year
the three member panel of inquiry urged the security council to recognize the human rights deprivations in eritrea as a serious threat to international peace and security and to refer the allegations in the 94 page report to the prosecutor of the international criminal court the panel also called for travel bans against those accused of the crimes and human rights abuses and the freezing of their financial assets
the panel said it had compiled dossiers of evidence against an unspecified number of individuals and would make these available at the appropriate time to courts of law and other relevant institutions to ensure there is justice for the eritrean people
the eritrean government swiftly denounced the report as an unwarranted attack not only against eritrea but also africa and developing nations and said the commissions findings were deeply flawed and unsupported by any evidence
from the very get go they have shown that they lack independence impartiality and objectivity yemane gebreab an adviser to mr isaias told reporters wednesday in geneva
some analysts have said that the report seems one sided and that the international community bears some responsibility for eritreas descent
the government of eritrea went to war with its larger neighbor and former ruler ethiopia in 1998 resulting in the deaths of tens of thousands of soldiers on each side the dispute started over the town of badme a dusty border outpost that both sides claimed more than 10 years ago an international arbitration commission ruled that the town belonged to eritrea but the ethiopians have yet to pull out western powers tend to side with ethiopia and have turned a deaf ear to eritreas appeals the eritrean government has used the stalemate as an excuse to keep the country on war footing and to deny civil liberties
the united nations commission based its report on testimony from 833 eritreans living as refugees in 13 countries the panel did not visit eritrea noting that the government failed to grant investigators permission to visit
few outsiders make it into eritrea these days those who do are often charmed by the 1930s art deco architecture and other remnants of the countrys past as italys prized african colony but there has been little development in eritrea for decades traveling through the country feels like a visit to a vintage shop
many eritreans are frightened to speak to outsiders especially about politics and government agents carefully watch visitors especially journalists and diplomats and many visitors to eritrea and foreign residents of the capital asmara see a different situation than the one described in the report said mr smith the chairman
human rights abuses of the type that we describe dont generally happen in the streets of asmara he said they are happening in detention centers across the country they are happening in military camps and they are happening training centers where foreigners simply dont have access
some 300000 to 400000 people have been forced into labor mr smith estimated working in a system characterized by harsh living conditions and abuse including the rape of female recruits
those fleeing the country risked their lives crossing borders patrolled by troops with orders to shoot to kill and again by crossing deserts and relying on human smugglers to get them across the mediterranean
people have to have a lot of motivation to do that kind of thing mr smith said
the panel said that the eritrean authorities had not responded to its requests to visit the country and that panel members based their report on interviews with eritreans living outside the country many of the eritreans described a system of arbitrary detention without warrant or judicial process and said they were tortured after their arrest
i havent seen my husband in seven years and dont know if he is alive or not one woman told investigators for the panel for four years after her husbands arrest outside their house she took food and clothes to the place he was being detained until he again disappeared i searched for him but the authorities finally told me just dont bother coming back theres no point
in addition to witness testimony the panel had received some 45000 letters and petitions nearly all critical of its investigation an evaluation of the letters found that many of the writers had not read the report some signatures had been forged and others were added without the knowledge of the individuals concerned
they were the direct result the panel said of an organized government campaign to attempt to discredit the inquiry


moscow   a russian court ordered the release on wednesday of a dissident performance artist who could have gone to prison for setting fire to the front door of lubyanka the headquarters of russias principal intelligence agency
a judge also reduced the fine that prosecutors had asked to impose on the artist pytor pavlensky who is known for needling the government of president vladimir v putin with actions intended to provoke his arrest
the ruling surprised human rights advocates who have grown accustomed to the governments harsh treatment of dissidents it suggested to some that the authorities were keen to avoid a repeat of the high profile prosecution of pussy riot the anti government punk performance group which made international media stars of some of the young women involved
mr pavlensky was ordered to pay a fine of about 7800 and to compensate the security agency for the 7500 cost of replacing the heavy oak door that door leads to the heart of the federal security service or fsb the main successor to the kgb prosecutors had asked for a fine of 23400 for damaging an object of cultural heritage
speaking after the verdict on the courthouse steps mr pavlensky said his action had been a success in redefining the meaning of the main door to lubyanka out of the destruction of an object he had made a monument to myself he said adding thank you to all those who have no fear
mr pavlensky had been in pretrial detention since nov 9 when he splashed gasoline on the door set it on fire and waited calmly to be arrested he titled the piece threat lubyankas burning door
mr pavlensky considers his work to be adhering to the tradition of subversive street artists like pussy riot and femen a ukrainian group with free media and opposition parties repressed this sort of art is a rare remaining outlet for dissent
mr pavlensky whose work blurs the lines between protest revolt and artistic expression dropped out of one of russias most prestigious art academies to join a community of protest artists in st petersburg
among the most prominent in this circle is the art collective voina or war which takes aim at what the artists call the neo soviet side of mr putins policies members of pussy riot also emerged from this st petersburg underground
in perhaps his best known piece mr pavlensky nailed his scrotum to a crack in the cobblestones of red square in 2013 to call attention to the submission of russian men to mr putins governance the action he said was inspired by an established if extreme form of protest in the russian penal colony system in which an inmate nails his scrotum to a bunk bed or the wooden planks of a barracks floor to protest the actions of prison guards mr pavlensky was detained only briefly
he has described his art as consisting of two parts his actions and the reactions of the government which he says tend to be mutually reinforcing
the authorities have tried to avoid playing into his hands the transcript of one police investigator interrogating mr pavlensky and amazingly eventually agreeing with the artists views and quitting his job in the russian security services became the script for a play staged at a moscow theater
in may mr pavlensky was convicted of vandalism for staging a pro ukraine protest in st petersburg in the protest he and other activists burned tires and banged metal sheets with sticks while on a bridge over a canal emulating the 2014 uprising that overthrew the ukrainian government
in the ruling wednesday the judge made no mention of the obvious political overtones of mr pavlenskys actions the judge echoed the prosecutorial argument that the building the nerve center of stalins reign of terror was integral to russian cultural heritage because many cultural and political figures were detained there initially the artist had been charged with vandalism and additional charges were expected mr pavlensky had asked the court to convict him as a terrorist
emerging free and blinking in the afternoon sunshine on wednesday mr pavlensky said he did not know why he was released but assumed it was done to avoid calling additional attention to his art of burning the door he said he had no regrets and saw it as a great success


albany   with little movement on state ethics laws gov andrew m cuomo announced a late push in the legislative session on wednesday to tighten restrictions on election laws governing money given to candidates through so called independent expenditure committees
in particular the governor will suggest clarifying criteria   via a legal opinion and legislation to be introduced   for determining if a candidate is improperly coordinating with a committee including whether the candidate and committee have overlapping donor bases past staff members in common or the same consultants
shared office space or information would also be considered evidence of improper coordination under the governors plan outlined in a speech given on wednesday at fordham law school as would similarities in campaign material produced by a candidate and a committee
the plan   laid out in an opinion from his counsel alphonso david   would also set up a so called safe harbor provision for independent committees to list their donors and other information so as to avoid the appearance of conflict between the committees and candidates if made into law such violations would be felonies according to the governors office
mr cuomo a democrat framed his remarks as an attack on citizens united the 2010 supreme court decision that profoundly loosened limits on political contributions saying that the decision created a fiction that independent expenditure committees would actually truly act independently and mocking a campaign finance system in which nobody knows who anybody is
the collusion the coordination the subterfuge the fraud in the current political system is rampant mr cuomo said he added that congress the federal election commission and even the states have done a poor job in policing   and i include our state in that as well
state election law says that candidates or their representatives cannot authorize request suggest foster or cooperate with the delivery of an independent committees message mr david said such terms were often too vague for investigators or regulators to interpret
though not an exact rebuttal the governors speech seemed to touch on issues under examination by federal authorities and cyrus r vance jr the manhattan district attorney who have been looking into whether mayor bill de blasio a democrat or those acting with him exceeded donation limits by funneling money to democratic candidates through county party committees during the 2014 election cycle emma wolfe the mayors director of intergovernmental affairs has been subpoenaed in relation to the investigation
legislators in albany have found little consensus in drafting new ethics laws despite the corruption convictions late last year of sheldon silver the democrat who had long led the state assembly and dean g skelos the former leader of the state senates republican majority the single point of agreement seems to be a possible bill to strip convicted lawmakers of their pensions though even that idea has not yet passed both houses of the legislature
mr cuomos administration now in its sixth year has had a mixed record on ethics though he says the blame lays primarily with the legislature
on wednesday government watchdog groups said that while changes to rules for independent expenditure groups were welcome an even more pressing concern lay in the llc loophole which allows for corporate interests to funnel almost unlimited funds through multiple limited liability companies and which mr cuomo himself has been a beneficiary of and has urged closing
dick dadey the executive director of one such group citizens union called the governors proposal thoughtful but added that what is needed most immediately is a comprehensive solution to corruption in the state capital
in a statement released shortly after the governors speech john j flanagan the long island republican who succeeded mr skelos as the senate majority leader said he welcomed mr cuomos proposal and agreed that there was a need for more transparency the independent expenditure groups cannot be fronts for coordinated efforts of candidates senator flanagan said
the assembly speaker carl e heastie a bronx democrat echoed that saying this is a priority that must be addressed before the close of the 2016 session
time is short the legislative session is scheduled to end next week
on wednesday mr cuomo challenged lawmakers to make changes in light of the scandals surrounding mr skelos and mr silver
this legislature wants to say we can be trusted we understand that was an anomaly he said theres no better way to do it than to pass real reform that makes a real difference with ethics and takes on the no 1 challenge in this nation which is citizens united


briarcliff manor ny   donald j trump aided by two teleprompters presented the version of himself on tuesday evening that republican party officials had desperately craved   softer serious and sophisticated
i understand the responsibility of carrying the mantle and i will never ever let you down mr trump said in a speech at his golf club here i will make you proud of your party and our movement
mr trumps disciplined performance was geared at soothing nervous voters and at stopping the flight of high ranking republicans and it came just hours after mr trump reminded them why they had been concerned in the first place
a series of missteps and vicious attacks   with targets that included former rivals entire nationalities and religious groups   has led to fears that mr trump has doomed republican chances of taking back the white house and keeping the partys hold on the senate it was the type of calm performance that mr trump has delivered before only to revert to form within days
tonights speech doesnt change much said dan senor who supported senator marco rubio of florida in the primaries and who has been an adviser to speaker paul d ryan even tonight there are conversations that maybe just maybe he says these offensive things because he actually believes them
mr trumps challenges culminated in a series of destructive episodes over the last two weeks he insinuated that the federal judge presiding over a lawsuit against trump university was biased against him because of the judges mexican heritage he belittled members of his staff on a conference call and he left his aides scrambling   yet again   to impose discipline on an operation characterized for months by its chaotic freewheeling ethos
on tuesday after mr ryan said the remarks about the judge were racist mr trump released a statement saying i do not feel that ones heritage makes them incapable of being impartial but he did not apologize as many republican leaders had asked him to do
mr ryan maintained his endorsement of mr trump but senator mark s kirk of illinois withdrew his and senator lindsey graham of south carolina who never publicly endorsed mr trump urged republicans who had endorsed the candidate to withdraw their support
on wednesday morning mr trump tweeted tauntingly at msnbc host joe scarborough after he said mr trump was acting like a racist his top policy adviser sam clovis told a republican group in iowa that the judge in the trump university case belongs to an anti american hispanic group according to the des moines register
they are waiting for him to change and he is not going to change vin weber a former republican congressman from minnesota who supported gov john r kasich of ohio in the primaries said on tuesday this is like the old story of the scorpion and the frog   the republican party is the frog and donald trump is the scorpion and we want these assurances hes going to stop doing these things but he cant because its in his nature
tim pawlenty a republican and the former governor of minnesota was not quite as pessimistic saying he still had hope for at least some improvement
even modest changes would help he said
though mr trump vanquished a legion of primary opponents without much change in demeanor or strategy he is entering a race in which he is trailing in polls his support among college educated suburban voters in battleground states is especially low according to polling conducted by republican groups
aides are discussing ways to keep mr trump focused during the next few weeks among the options is deploying his three oldest children who have urged him in the past to act more presidential as well as his son in law jared kushner to travel with him in a rotation
at the same time the trump operation is relying on the republican national committee as well as on several super pacs that support him to handle tasks typically overseen by a presidential campaign but the party has had its own defections because of mr trump including by the woman who led efforts for hispanic media outreach and who is said to have told colleagues she could not stomach defending him on television
the trump campaign is also working to ramp up its fund raising operations with the candidate holding at least four events this week
on thursday 70 donors are to meet at trump tower in new york followed by lunch at the four seasons hotel mr trump is expected to attend both the meeting and the lunch
and on friday evening mr trump is to attend a fund raiser in richmond va though the invitation that went out just over a week before the event did not specify where it would be held it also did not have host names tiers of donors or even a request for a specific dollar amount   all basics of most political fund raisers
mr trump has complicated matters by resisting efforts to engage in routine telephone calls to donors and to make gentle requests of people to write checks some donors who have been approached have given tepid responses worried about their names showing up in a public campaign finance filing
some aides have also grumbled privately about a trip mr trump has planned for the end of the month to scotland and ireland to tour his golf courses three aides speaking anonymously to discuss internal frustrations said they worried that the trip would distract him from his campaign
the team has spent weeks working on hiring new members of staff including jim murphy a longtime republican operative as the national political director mr murphys predecessor lasted six weeks in the job
the trump team has had trouble filling positions in part because some republicans they tried to recruit turned down their offers worried about how a trump line on their resume could affect their job prospects the campaign has spent two months searching for a communications director after an early prospect fell through according to one of the three aides and two people who were approached about possible jobs
mr trumps campaign manager corey lewandowski said that the candidate was always planning for a progression
the campaign evolves as it always does from a primary strategy to a general election strategy and there are very different issues mr lewandowski said hes going to refocus on jobs and the economy
mr trump made clear on monday that regardless of his campaign staff members job titles he was his own chief strategist on a conference call first reported by bloomberg politics mr trump belittled his aides for having sent a memo urging surrogates to stop talking about the judge in the trump university case instead mr trump said his supporters should keep criticizing the jurist gonzalo p curiel and should suggest the reporters asking questions about his comments are racists
ben carson a former 2016 hopeful now supporting mr trump said party leaders and voters should not expect a different version of mr trump for the general election its very hard to change somebody he said
mr carson said he believed that mr trump could be perfectly suited for the moment were in more of a wwe brawl stage as a nation right now mr carson said referring to world wrestling entertainment and the people who tend to appeal to that group tend to do better


amsterdam   what if the solutions to europes most pressing problems lie not in politics or diplomacy but in art and culture
with the european union under pressure from economic stagnation a wave of refugees terror attacks and the possibility of britain leaving the bloc more than 150 cultural figures from 37 countries   including the actor jude law and the architect rem koolhaas   gathered here at a forum last week to explore that possibility
the debate about the future of europe can only prosper with the imagination of artists and thinkers yoeri albrecht the director of de balie an amsterdam cultural center and a curator of the forum re creating europe said at the opening session june 1
until now mr albrecht said that debate has become the sole property of economists and public servants and the discussion almost always circles around money and bureaucracy but europe is essentially about hope and forgiveness and these two ideas are ideas built and made by culture
the forum was sponsored by several dutch and european foundations and the city of amsterdam and included lectures interviews performances and expert sessions at various locations throughout the city
the three day event opened with a performance created by the belgian director and playwright ivo van hove a multilingual cast including mr law quoted passages from politicians philosophers and authors who had considered the case for a unified europe pro and con
mr law gave a dramatic reading from the landmark 1946 speech by winston churchill that called for a kind of united states of europe   where small nations will count as much as large ones and gain their honor by a contribution to the common cause he also read from a recent speech by the former mayor of london boris johnson which criticized the euro and supported a british withdrawal from the european union
other actors quoted marine le pen the leader of the national front in france arguing for a return to french sovereignty as well as jean monnet a founding father of the european union who postulated a common interest beyond differences and geographical boundaries
seventy years ago europe appeared as the kind of salvation to hundreds of years of nationalist wars conflict and holocaust the american author and political theorist benjamin r barber said after the opening session as hope unravels around the refugee crisis around brexit around terrorism people ask then is europe unraveling is the idea unraveling was europe the great salvation that has now failed
the idea is he added if we find europe again maybe we could find our way out of all of these things
he warned against focusing too much on creating europe as a single united entity to the exclusion of people from elsewhere
its wonderful to see the europeans struggling to rediscover monnets dream of a unified europe he said but at the same time a bit depressing to see how parochial europe is in some ways europe has become to the rest of the world what germany once was to europeans an aggressive colonizing force with walls around it that talks about itself and ignores everyone else
mr koolhaas luuk van middelaar a political theorist and mr albrecht led a 12 hour interview session that sought to answer the question what is europe
stella ghervas a swiss historian said that question had occupied thinkers for centuries
everyone was trying to answer this question about how to have perpetual peace and how to solve this chronic disease of europe which was incessant war ms ghervas said its a political definition of europe that begins at the turn of the 18th century a real need to propose alternatives to the conflicts of continental europe
mr barber gave the keynote address in an evening session at the royal concertgebouw concert hall featuring a performance by the dutch singer wende he proposed an international parliament of cities in which mayors could share ideas for solving problems rather than relying on nation states which he considers outdated because their governments are concerned with issues of borders and sovereignty that inhibit their ability to work together
during the forum speakers grappled with the notion of finding a shared european cultural identity within a pluralistic society many were concerned that europe was being defined only in response to world events or in opposition to outside forces rather than finding its own sense of ethics and direction
in a session for policy makers at castrum peregrini a cultural center that served as a secret hiding place for jewish artists and intellectuals during world war ii dublins city arts officer ray yeates referring to the economic crisis and the resulting breakdown of trust among european nations said were all in a period of post traumatic stress where the fundamental part of us as citizens was struck at its core
we have to think in a cultural way about what values could liberate us mr yeates said we need a new myth a new thing that defines us
a final statement was presented through artworks and performances at the stedelijk museum last friday to jet bussemaker the dutch culture minister and a top cultural official at the council of europe
in her closing remarks ms bussemaker said ready made solutions wont help us tackle the problems that europe faces
when todays artists connect the worlds of imagination expertise and technology she added they give us wings to lift europe to a higher plane and raise our thinking to a higher level


washington   with public health officials warning of a fast spreading emergency house and senate negotiators will work to reconcile legislation aimed at providing up to 11 billion to combat the zika virus and the mosquitoes that carry it senator mitch mcconnell said on wednesday
the senate last month approved 11 billion   far less than the 19 billion sought by the obama administration   in a regular appropriations measure after four months of sparring with the white house
the house in turn approved 622 million in a stand alone measure that requires all of the money to be reallocated from existing programs including efforts to fight ebola
the white house and congressional democrats have accused republicans of putting americans at grave risk by slow walking the legislation to fight zika which can cause serious birth defects including microcephaly in infants born to infected mothers the zika virus is also sexually transmitted and health experts say both mosquito control and contraception are needed for protection against infection
congressional republicans have said the white house has had sufficient financing to begin addressing the problem using more than 500 million reallocated from anti ebola programs in april
we all agree that the zika virus is a real threat and needs to be addressed mr mcconnell the majority leader from kentucky said on the senate floor on wednesday morning republicans and democrats worked together to pass a bill here in the senate to provide funding and resources the house passed its own version we are now ready to go to conference and complete a final bill
shortly after his statement however senate democrats held a news conference urging republicans to move faster and approve the full amount of money sought by the white house the mosquitoes are not waiting for congress to act said senator chuck schumer democrat of new york
senator bill nelson democrat of florida said there were five new zika cases reported on tuesday in his state this is an emergency mr nelson said
so far the hundreds of zika cases reported in the united states all appear to have been contracted in central and south america and the caribbean where mosquitoes carrying the virus are now widespread but experts say mosquito transmission in the united states is inevitable and almost certain to begin in southern states during the summer


it is a holy week in every gamers calendar each june 50000 members of the video game industry descend upon los angeles for the electronic entertainment expo or e3 the industrys most anticipated trade show e3 often features the unveiling of big titles and celebrity appearances from the likes of paul mccartney and rihanna
now however e3 is in flux
some publishers have walked away from e3 2016 which is set to begin next tuesday electronic arts the company behind titles like medal of honor will not be there and is instead hosting its own mini expo the same week activision which publishes call of duty chose to forgo its booth at e3 for the first time since 2010 disney also will not be there after the company announced last month that it was shutting down its video game publishing business
the entertainment software association which organizes e3 plans to fill the gap with virtual reality and mobile games this years show will have more than 90 mobile gaming exhibitors and a pavilion dedicated to online and mobile games while 53 exhibitors will showcase virtual reality tech up from 27 in 2015
the changes spotlight how e3 which once defined the most innovative and exciting developments in games is working to remain relevant in a shifting industry
in the past e3 brought publishers retailers and the gaming press together to provide a sneak peek of new games for consoles and pcs but the rise of digital distribution services and free to play mobile games has made physical game stores increasingly obsolete and many publishers can speak directly to gamers via social media and video sharing platforms like youtube and twitch making it less necessary for companies to wait for a yearly event to tell gamers what they have been up to
to my eye e3 is being overtaken by much better channels to gamers and the online ness of great games themselves said bruce hack the former vice chairman of activision blizzard who now works as a consultant e3 is not yet fossilized but its unique position is eroding
rich taylor a senior vice president at the entertainment software association said e3 evolved every year and remained the launchpad for remarkable advancements from the fastest growing sector of the entertainment industry
the forces that e3 contends with are evident in the numbers sales of physical games   discs in boxes   are declining this year mobile gaming revenue will overtake that of pc games for the first time according to a report from newzoo a game research company
with digital distribution of games on the rise the importance of retail has weakened said itzik ben bassat former executive vice president for global publishing at blizzard entertainment blizzard publishes world of warcraft one of the most popular massively multiplayer online role playing games
as the market structure has shifted e3s importance has been in constant decline said mr ben bassat who now runs gong a trending news site and app
this is not the first time e3 has undergone a metamorphosis in 2006 the association scaled back the show after attendance hit 70000 to eliminate overcrowding it was reintroduced in 2007 as an invitation only event that took place largely in hotel conference rooms   and was rapidly denounced for what was seen as a lack of energy and excitement that format continued for another year before a flashier e3 was reinstated in 2009
yet even as e3 returned to its revelry filled self sometimes featuring lavish parties and concerts by usher and eminem game publishers began chipping at the shows dominance by holding their own events to reach consumers directly
blizzard for example has created its own annual event called blizzcon held in anaheim calif usually every november blizzcon which the company uses to promote its major gaming franchises is open to the public last years event attracted more than 25000 people
after many years of continuing to grow our audience around the world we thought it would be cool to provide a way for our employees and players to be able to celebrate their passion for blizzard games together a blizzard spokesman said
e3 also faces increased competition from fan focused expos and conventions like comic con the penny arcade expo and minecon the annual minecraft convention held in a different city every year
interest in getting closer to consumers seems to have at least partly motivated electronic arts to split from e3 this year the companys new event ea play will start two days before e3 at a venue inside the la live entertainment complex within walking distance of the los angeles convention center where e3 is being held
ea play will include news conferences playable versions of featured games and opportunities for gamers to speak to the developers behind coming titles
the necessity to bring all retailers in one place is less significant today than it was 15 years ago said chris bruzzo electronic arts chief marketing officer we see an opportunity for us to try some new things that reflect where the company is going
mr taylor of the entertainment software association said it was not a coincidence that ea play was being held the same week as e3 and in a nearby venue
companies have come in and out of the show for years he said consistently people find ways to attach themselves to e3
at the same time the association is trying to diversify its events last month the group said it planned to hold a public event called e3 live alongside e3 for the first time the free event will serve as a kind of mini e3 where gamers can interact with industry types and play games more than 20000 gamers are expected to attend
the attempt to open it to the public is maybe too little too late mr ben bassat said but it is indeed the right direction for e3 to survive


maria sharapova a five time grand slam champion and one of the worlds highest paid female athletes was suspended for two years wednesday when an international tennis federation tribunal ruled that she unintentionally committed a doping violation
sharapova announced in march that she tested positive for meldonium on jan 26 at the australian open and began serving a provisional suspension meldonium a heart medication that is said to improve blood flow and allow athletes to recover faster was added to the world anti doping agencys prohibited list on jan 1 after the agency monitored its use for a year
sharapova 29 said she had been taking mildronate whose active ingredient is meldonium since 2006 to help manage a variety of health problems and was not aware that the drug had been banned
after a hearing may 18 and 19 a three member tribunal appointed by the itf ruled that while sharapovas doping violation was not intentional she does bear sole responsibility for the contravention and very significant fault in failing to take any steps to check whether the continued use of this medicine was permissible
sharapova faced a suspension of up to four years if the tribunal decided her doping violation was intentional because of her prompt admission of her violation the itf said the suspension will be backdated to begin on jan 26 and she will be eligible to return at midnight on jan 25 2018
sharapova is the highest profile tennis player to have a positive doping test she said in a statement released on her facebook page that she would appeal the suspension through the court of arbitration for sport
i cannot accept an unfairly harsh two year suspension she said the tribunal whose members were selected by the itf agreed that i did not do anything intentionally wrong yet they seek to keep me from playing tennis for two years
a four year suspension could have been career ending but if her ban is upheld sharapova who has missed long periods on the tour because of injuries and has seen her ranking fall to no 26 would be 30 when she returned to a sport in which serena williams and roger federer remain top players in their mid 30s
a lengthy doping suspension could harm sharapovas well known brand but she received support wednesday from nike which along with other sponsors had suspended its relationship with her after the positive doping test was revealed in march
the itf tribunal has found that maria did not intentionally break its rules the company said in a statement maria has always made her position clear has apologized for her mistake and is now appealing the length of the ban based on the decision of the itf and their factual findings we hope to see maria back on court and will continue to partner with her
the court of arbitration for sport has been sympathetic to tennis players in recent appeals in 2013 the court reduced viktor troickis 18 month ban for refusing to submit a blood sample to 12 months and cut marin cilics nine month ban for unknowingly ingesting a banned stimulant to four months
we always viewed this as a two step process itf first then cas john haggerty sharapovas lawyer said in an email
haggerty said he believed the itf wanted to make an example out of sharapova because she is a famous athlete and to send a message that the federation was tough on doping
i believe that at cas he added which is made up of an arbitrator selected by maria one selected by the itf and a neutral arbitrator selected by cas marias suspension will be reduced and she will return to tennis sooner
sharapova and her representatives have said that her long term use of mildronate was to protect her health not enhance her performance
since january more than 300 athletes many from russia and other eastern european countries have tested positive for meldonium which is not approved for sale in the united states or the european union but is sold over the counter in russia and some other eastern european countries the russian sports ministry in particular has been critical of the way the world anti doping agency handled banning meldonium arguing that the drug was not performance enhancing
last month the russian sports ministry said that most of its athletes had been reinstated after wada issued new guidelines on the length of time meldonium takes to leave the body and athletes were able to prove their positive tests had resulted from using the drug before it was banned
such leniency was not available to sharapova who used meldonium after jan 1 the tribunals report on the case said sharapova admitted taking 500 milligrams of mildronate before each of her five matches at the australian open where she lost to williams in the quarterfinals the report also disclosed that meldonium was found in an out of competition test in moscow on feb 2
the report detailed sharapovas history using the drug which dated to 2006 when she was 18 mildronate was among 18 medications and supplements recommended by a moscow doctor anatoly skalny to help sharapova manage frequent illnesses by boosting her immune system none of the medications were on wadas prohibited list at the time
sharapova worked with skalny through 2012 and according to the report he regularly checked the wada prohibited list to assure the compliance of his recommendations which at one point grew to 30 substances
but sharapova overwhelmed by the number of pills changed her approach to nutrition in early 2013 and continued to use only three medications magnerot riboxin and mildronate which she believed would protect her heart and manage her magnesium deficiency the report said
since 2013 the report said the only members of sharapovas team who knew she was taking meldonium regularly were her father yuri and her agent max eisenbud sharapova also did not disclose the use of the mildronate or meldonium on any doping control forms since 2014 saying that she thought it was necessary only for substances she took daily
i did not feel it was a responsibility to have to write down every single match drink i was taking gel vitamin i was taking even if i took it once during the last seven days she is quoted as saying in the tribunals report i did not think it was of high importance
the report called her failure to disclose her use of meldonium to antidoping authorities her doctors her coach her trainer her nutritionist or any other member of her team a very serious breach of her duty to comply with the rules
this was a deliberate decision not a mistake the ruling said
haggerty said that players were not required to list everything they were taking
for 10 years mildronate was not on the prohibited list so maria had no reason to hide her use of it he said
the report repeatedly rejected sharapovas argument that the itf failed to sufficiently warn her that mildronate had been added to the banned list
wada published its prohibited list for 2016 on sept 29 a summary of the changes to the list was posted on the itf website on dec 7 the wta and itf sent subsequent emails in december that included links to the antidoping program but sharapova argued they did not mention changes to the prohibited list the federation also issued a wallet card that lists prohibited substances and gave one to sharapovas coach sven groeneveld in january the report said
the report said that it was relevant to consider that sharapova had used meldonium for 10 years before it was prohibited but she had a continuing duty to review the prohibited list each year and from at least 2013 onwards did not take any steps to do so
eisenbud a top agent for img took the blame for what he called an administrative error of not alerting sharapova to meldoniums changed status the tribunal found his reasons for failing to check the banned list even more dubious than sharapovas
eisenbud said he had a routine of checking updates to the wada prohibited list during his annual family vacation in the caribbean in november but the trip was canceled last year because of his separation from his wife the tribunal asked why it was necessary to take a file to the caribbean to read by the pool when one email could have provided the answer
the report put the responsibility squarely on sharapova saying if she had been more open about her use of meldonium this situation could have been avoided the tribunal while confirming that she did not knowingly commit a doping violation found moral fault in her conduct
it may be that she genuinely believed that mildronate had some general beneficial effect on her heath but the manner in which the medication was taken its concealment from the antidoping authorities her failure to disclose it even to her own team and the lack of any medical justification must inevitably lead to the conclusion that she took mildronate for the purpose of enhancing performance the report said
the tribunal conceded though that if sharapova   or anyone on her team   had known that mildronate was banned she would have stopped taking it
the report concludes she is the sole author of her own misfortune


the dow jones industrial average ended above 18000 on wednesday as declines in the dollar lifted some commodity related shares and helped the outlook for multinational corporations
the benchmark standard  poors 500 stock index was up for a third straight session and is now about 12 points shy of its benchmark closing high of 213082
i think the good news for the market is that the sentiment is still far from euphoric so if you have data just chug along and no major shocks you could potentially have the market gap higher said marc pouey united states equity and quantitative strategist at bank of america in new york
the sp 500 materials index climbed 06 percent after gains in copper and gold prices energy shares were lower despite a jump in oil prices
helping sentiment was a weaker dollar which tends to benefit american multinationals that derive a large portion of their sales from overseas the sp industrials index rose 07 percent
the weaker dollar and strength in commodity names is certainly helping to fuel the markets strength said michael james managing director of equity trading at wedbush securities in los angeles multinational companies are all benefiting and helping to drag the market higher
the dollar fell to a five week low against a basket of currencies as traders reduced bets of an imminent interest rate increase
the dow jones industrial average rose 6677 points or 037 percent to 1800505 closing above 18000 for the first time since april 27
the sp 500 gained 699 points or 033 percent to 211912 while the nasdaq composite index added 1289 points or 026 percent to 497464
with the sp so close to its highs it is going to provide some psychological resistance in the market and you may see a little pause there mr james said
federal reserve officials meet next tuesday and wednesday and are expected to leave rates unchanged
in the bond market 10 year treasury yields fell to 170 percent from 172 percent on tuesday and prices rose
crude oil futures remained above the psychologically important 50 a barrel level on worries about sabotage of oil facilities in nigeria
energy information administration data showed american crude oil inventories fell for the third consecutive week but gasoline and distillate stockpiles rose as refiners ramped up output
brent crude settled up 107 or 208 percent at 5251 a barrel while crude prices in new york settled up 87 cents or 173 percent at 5123
bucking the recent trend in retail stocks lululemon athletica shares rose almost 5 percent to 7148 after first quarter sales beat analyst expectations
among the days decliners shares of verifone systems fell almost 25 percent to 2127 a day after the company announced lower than expected earnings the company also said it intended to reduce head count and conduct a strategic review to address underperforming businesses


a revolutionary technology known as gene drive which for the first time gives humans the power to alter or perhaps eliminate entire populations of organisms in the wild has stirred both excitement and fear since scientists proposed a means to construct it two years ago
scientists dream of deploying gene drive for example to wipe out malaria carrying mosquitoes that cause the deaths of 300000 african children each year or invasive rodents that damage island ecosystems but some experts have warned that the technique could lead to unforeseen harm to the environment some scientists have called on the federal government to regulate it and some environmental watchdogs have called for a moratorium
on wednesday the national academies of sciences engineering and medicine the premier advisory group for the federal government on scientific matters endorsed continued research on the technology concluding after nearly a yearlong study that while it poses risks its possible benefits make it crucial to pursue the group also set out a path to conducting what it called carefully controlled field trials despite what some scientists say is the substantial risk of inadvertent release into the environment
the potential to reduce human suffering and ecological damage demands scientific attention said elizabeth heitman a medical ethicist at vanderbilt university who helped lead the committee gene drive is a fascinating area of science that has promise if we can study it appropriately
the report underscores that there is not yet enough evidence about the unintended consequences of gene drives to justify the release of an organism that has been engineered to carry one but the green light for gene drive research from the influential group scientists said would likely open the door to new funding and provide an impetus for governments around the world to consider how it might be regulated and deployed
for centuries people have tinkered with the genetic makeup of living things whose survival and reproduction are already largely under our control pets farm animals crops and assorted species of laboratory animals with the advent of new gene editing tools like one called crispr there is even growing debate about modifying human embryos with traits that could be passed on their descendants but a gene drive involves potentially transforming an entire wild species over a few generations by modifying just a few individuals
our ability to do that has so far been stymied because any changes humans might make typically reduce an organisms ability to survive and reproduce in its natural habitat natural selection eliminates the altered genes
gene drives overcome this by ensuring that a particular gene is transmitted to all of an individuals offspring rather than the usual half even if that makes them less fit the phenomenon has long been known to exist in nature and crispr provides an effective way to harness it by encoding the crispr editing system itself into an organisms dna scientists can cause a desired edit to reoccur in each generation driving the trait through the wild population
the science has attracted intense interest from governments nonprofit organizations and research institutes eager to explore its possibilities for public health agriculture and environmental conservation and the report seems likely to open the door to more funding for such efforts
at the same time it is uncertain how the technology will be regulated existing laws the report noted are aimed at containing genetically engineered organisms rather than managing those whose purpose is precisely to spread swiftly the report pointed out the difficulty in predicting what might happen if an organism carrying a gene drive was deliberately or accidentally released saying it raises many ethical questions and presents a challenge for existing governance paradigms
coming up with an international regulatory framework is especially crucial members of the committee said given that gene drives will not recognize national or political boundaries for now the united states food and drug administration has authority over animals that have been engineered with foreign dna under a rule that regards them as a type of drug but the report suggests that other agencies like the fish and wildlife service or the bureau of land management might be seen to have a stake in the ecological concerns at the heart of gene drive experiments
it would be good if we could get our act together to provide a regulatory model for the rest of the world said jason delborne a professor of science policy and society at north carolina state university and one of the 16 experts on the advisory panel that produced the report
some independent scientists say the panel which included ethicists biologists and others struck a good balance by permitting more gene drive research while limiting the use of the technology but opponents of genetic engineering argue that the panel should have demanded a halt to research on gene drives at least until some of the many questions it raised are answered
the report is the first in a series of studies by the national academies on the ethical scientific and social challenges posed by emerging gene editing technology including one due later this year on editing the human genome
the committee considered six case studies including using gene drive to control mice destroying biodiversity on islands mosquitoes infecting native hawaiian birds with malaria and a weed called palmer amaranth that has become resistant to herbicides and a scourge for some farmers
each potential use of gene drive carries its own set of risks and benefits the report says and should be assessed independently even modeling the cascade of population dynamics and evolutionary processes that would influence the ecological effects the report noted requires far more research risks include the possibility that a gene drive might jump to another species for which it was not intended or that the suppression of one undesirable organism will lead to the emergence of another that is even worse
the group recommends phased testing which would include safeguards at each step before eventually releasing organisms into the wild but it also noted the new ethical challenges posed by how to obtain consent from people whose environments might be affected by such a release there are few avenues for such participation the report noted and insufficient guidance on how communities can and should take part
gene drives spread a trait through a population by ensuring that it is passed to virtually all of an individuals offspring as it reproduces rather than the usual half in laboratory experiments the desired change has appeared in nearly 100 percent of the offspring of flies and mosquitoes so far gene drive research has focused largely on mosquitoes that transmit infectious diseases to humans the bill and melinda gates foundation which helped pay for the nas report has spent some 40 million on a gene drive project aimed at eradicating the species of mosquitoes that spread malaria
anthony james a mosquito researcher at the university of california irvine who is among those advocating the use of gene drive to eradicate the aedes aegypti mosquito that transmits the zika virus called the report reasonable
the key thing is theres no moratorium he said
but environmental watchdog groups argue that the report should have recommended that research be halted jim thomas the program director of the etc group in montreal said the panel gave short shrift to how to prevent commercial and military interests from misusing the technology which he said should be placed under the control of the united nations
and kevin esvelt a massachusetts institute of technology evolutionary biologist who has also pioneered the technology said the report failed to adequately flag its key risk they assume you can safely run a contained field trial he said but anytime you release an organism with a gene drive system into the wild you must assume there is a significant chance that it will spread   globally   and factor that in


the golden state warriors have become silicon valleys home team
as the warriors enter game 3 of the nba finals against the cleveland cavaliers on wednesday techie fever for the team   which counts oracle arena in oakland calif across san francisco bay from silicon valley as its home court   has gripped much of the digerati seated courtside at many home games has been a coterie of big industry names including the apple executive eddy cue and the venture capitalist ben horowitz
the warriors have become a proxy for the tech industry in other ways writes farhad manjoo with the fandom from tech executives and their usually fat wallets for the warriors ticket prices for the team have soared increasingly seeming out of reach for ordinary people the situation is akin to the san francisco bay areas housing situation   too many techies flocking in have pushed up rental and home prices beyond what many regular people can afford writes mr manjoo
mr manjoo looks at a different slice of tech with his story in this weeks bits special section on digital culture although much of online culture has become toxic there are benefits too he writes namely he points to how facebook has become a tool for visibility and empathy helping to shift thinking on issues such as transgender equality


arrieta spain   making his way down a row of pea plants iker villasana hernaez a basque farmer leans down to feel each pod individually before deciding whether it is ready to pick
if the peas inside feel slightly hard best to leave it for one more day he said its really all about the perfect timing
such harvesting is backbreaking work particularly compared with the tractor driven industrial farming commonly used for peas but the reward is that this pea called the guisante lagrima or tear pea because of its small size and shape has also become known as green caviar among spains flourishing community of top chefs
it is a vegetable so highly prized that once it is shelled its value reaches around 200 euros a kilogram or roughly 100 a pound that places it in the ranks of the worlds exquisitely priced edible plants and vegetables the hop shoot sells for as much as EUR1000 a kilo
this is an extraordinary and incredibly seasonal produce said joan roca the catalan chef whose family run restaurant el celler de can roca has been rated the best in the world this pea really is like a grain of caviar that explodes in the mouth
but the tear pea also exemplifies the symbiotic relationship between spains leading chefs and local farmers and how it is helping revive some rare and nearly forgotten indigenous produce
in fact mr villasana hernaez grows everything exclusively for josean alija the chef of nerua a restaurant in bilbaos guggenheim museum which has been awarded one michelin star
neruas ascendancy allowed mr villasana hernaez to turn his farming hobby into a full time job and a nonstop experiment with weird and wonderful products
mr villasana hernaez 39 said he was always attracted by the farmland and planted an orchard as a youngster next to his familys holiday home
five years ago after his mother died he made a more radical lifestyle change and walked away from the family owned driving school where he had taught
he decided to start growing things that others didnt for the first two years he sold as many as 20 varieties of pumpkins and other produce at specialty food markets and local fairs until a friend put him in touch with mr alija who offered him a chance to break through as a top restaurant supplier
today mr villasana hernaez estimated that he is among a dozen producers of tear peas around the basque country
gastronomy has brought back value to a type of ecological agriculture that was being lost and it is encouraging more young people to become farmers and make nature their work office he said
mr villasana hernaez sows his peas in january and harvests them about four months later he also grows about 30 other vegetables or herbs for mr alija from the autochthonous to the exotic
in addition to the peas he harvests baby versions of other vegetables including undersized pumpkins carrots and six varieties of eggplants originally from countries like turkey italy and japan his herbs include huauzontle from mexico and jambu also called toothache plant from brazil
the tear pea is expensive because of its unpredictable and short harvest the intensive labor it requires and the need to transport it quickly from the orchard to the kitchen
during the spring harvest mr villasana hernaez picks the peas early in the morning to avoid exposing them to strong sunlight then he drives 20 minutes from his hillside greenhouse to neruas kitchen in bilbao where eight of mr alijas assistants spend about 45 minutes delicately shelling them
this is followed by a second selection process as some misshaped or larger peas get discarded or are turned into a fried appetizer dish the peas are cooked only for seconds using one of three different techniques depending on what mr alija is preparing
the tear peas skin is thin and fibrous requiring it to be handled delicately but it is also what helps create the sensation of an explosion in the mouth when the skin is burst and the sap and sugars are released
despite its sweetness the pea also has a slightly salty taste which mr alija attributes to the sea winds that sweep across the coastal farmland of the basque country the tear pea is tasty even raw but gains flavor when it is slightly steamed or grilled because the smoke adds a spicy touch mr alija said
last year he combined the peas with egg yolk and vanilla and this spring he served them with an olive oil ice cream and grapes for 2017 mr alija is planning to add swiss chard juice and chili pepper to the peas
however the tear peas are served it is all in the moment mr alija said
two days of keeping means losing 60 percent of its quality he added unlike truffles and other gourmet produce that keep longer and travel more easily
in fact the sugar of the tear pea begins to transform so quickly into starch right after it is picked that it would be challenging to deliver unaltered even to madrid about 250 miles away according to mr villasana hernaez
mr roca the chef of el celler said he discovered the tear pea in the basque country and persuaded his local catalan producer to start growing his own version which is a bit different but has the same taste and gives the same sensation
the development of this pea is a fantastic example of the dialogue and relationship between the chef and the local producer mr roca said even if you cant expect people on the street to pay such a high price for peas i think gastronomy is the springboard to show just what our orchard can yield
in turn he added being able to produce something special like tear peas brings prestige to a farming region which will trickle back down to ordinary consumers
not every spanish chef however is as enthralled
everybody suddenly seems to be using the tear pea but i think its a bit of a fashion said oscar velasco who runs santceloni a restaurant in madrid that has been awarded two michelin stars for me the texture of the tear pea somewhat lacks crunchiness because it is just too small
instead mr velasco uses a sweeter and larger pea grown in maresme in catalonia
even if all his colleagues have not been won over by his favorite pea mr alija seems to value the tear pea as much for how it bonds him to mr villasana hernaez his fellow basque and farmer as for its flavor
the essence and soul of high gastronomy is in the local he said


for much of his life dan mccomas has worked to foster community
he grew up in the san francisco bay areas punk music scene where he built a community for youths with 924 gilman street an all ages punk club and co op he was early in supporting the local neighborhood driven newspaper the bay citizen now defunct he ran a marketplace start up called redditgifts which let online friends buy and sell gifts for one another it was later acquired by reddit the online message board
but mr mccomas who was let go by reddit last july and moved to salt lake city has not found his ideal online community one where abuse does not run rampant and where people can coexist and remain shielded from online misconduct
i loved some of the community aspects of reddit but what i didnt love was all of the strife that went on inside and outside of the company said mr mccomas 41 we had serious problems with harassment
so mr mccomas decided to try building a different kind of online community with imzy a community site he founded last september where people can form groups around shared interests and host discussions about anything from feminism to game of thrones from the start the goal was to get right the areas he believes reddit got wrong   specifically by ending the consistent abuse and trolling across reddits many subcultures
imzy is one attempt to tackle the problems created by anonymity and community on the internet a powerful set of dynamics that many entrepreneurs have tried to take on before   often unsuccessfully while anonymity and pseudonymity can spur swift growth at fledgling sites they also create breeding grounds for vitriol spewing trolls that have made many online environments toxic
the toll has been heavy start ups like secret yikyak and askfm which offered users anonymity while messaging and communicating grew quickly but they found it difficult to curb harassment and nurture long term communities secret was shuttered last year yikyak has struggled with how to deal with abuse on the platform
i asked myself why this was happening mr mccomas said noting the threats of physical violence and verbal abuse that he and his wife both former reddit employees encountered on the site is this just the internet are people just bad like this
the idea behind imzy owes much to what reddit did well which was to build communities that grow up organically around certain topics more than 230 million people visit reddit regularly each month and an average visit lasts more than 13 minutes reddit has had an open approach to free speech   nearly anything goes   and people participate in long threaded message board discussions many of which are entirely text based and consist of thousands of individual comments
what mr mccomas and others found was that certain subjects on reddit such as politics feminism or discussions of race would almost always attract trolling commenters that made it difficult for people to feel that reddit was a positive place for hashing out ideas and having conversations
imzy tries to combat some of those issues through the sites architecture when someone signs up they are directed to pick a few specific communities they want to join thats different from reddits front page which displays a smattering of different popular subforums to new users
the idea mr mccomas said is that the core devoted members of a group are often not the ones who make a community toxic but rather the passers by who may stumble upon a new community and leave disparaging remarks
imzy users are also allowed to select only one username in each community they join to keep trolls from creating multiple identities with which they can harass others individual moderators self govern their communities based on rules of their own making giving each community the flexibility to set its own terms about what is and is not permissible other conventions like chatting in threads and posting images are much the same as predecessor sites
were building this way because we want people to find and join communities that they have a real connection to and these are really our first measures to address the problems in the way of getting there mr mccomas said
he is also expanding imzy slowly   people need an invitation to participate and users can invite only a handful of others once they have joined imzy has partnered with other culture groups and celebrities including the girls creator lena dunham to bring their own internet fan bases to the platform
everyone becomes their mr hyde selves on the internet said shawn kittelsen creative director of feral audio a podcast network that is working closely with imzy to start an online community for its listeners the bottom line is do you have a system to help manage the bad eggs so that they dont ruin the experience for everyone else
imzy has a hard road ahead before reaching the mainstream the site hosts 15000 users and 20000 more are on the waiting list a paltry number compared with the hundreds of millions of users who visit reddit and other competing sites
for revenue imzy does not rely on advertising the start up will function partly on tips from users who can also donate money to support their individual communities the start up will eventually open up its developer platform   which programmers can use to build new features into their community   and that could become its future business model imzy based in salt lake city has raised 3 million from investors including charles river ventures and oreilly alphatech ventures
gina bianchini chief executive of the online community platform mightybell and co founder of ning another community site is skeptical about whether imzy will take off
this is a classic situation where someone thinks that the thing that worked in 2006 will work in 2016 if they clean up the design and make it nicer she said over a decade later and there is no reddit killer theres a reason for that
imzy is not the only one trying to root out hostility and trolling in its online community jack dorsey chief executive of twitter has vowed to make curbing harassment on the network a top priority and since mr mccomas left reddit in july because of differences about how the site should be run the company has begun introducing tools that let users block abusive members and enacted a new set of rules that prohibits posting items that violate a common sense of decency
reddit declined to comment on the terms of mr mccomass departure
the value of reddit is an experience that shows the real discussions that people are having on almost every imaginable topic alexis ohanian co founder of reddit said in a statement as with any large dynamic community platform of engaged users expressing themselves we are bound to see the spectrum of public opinion from extreme views to everyday acts of kindness and humanity
imzys supporters know mr mccomass ambitions are high but they see the companys business model which is not reliant on advertising as a potential strength
we see an opportunity for a new media platform to be created that enables moderators to make a living on the platform said saar gur a partner at charles river ventures and an imzy investor we havent seen anyone yet build a community platform that truly is a platform with a developer community
if imzy does indeed become large enough to be the next reddit mr mccomas said it would have a greater chance at success because he is tackling cultural problems head on rather than further down the line
thats where things went wrong for reddit he said it didnt get its start by really thinking about the community you have to focus on all of this from the beginning


at a time with more scripted television than ever how long does it take to finish a season of a show
according to netflix not much time at all
subscribers who finish the first season of a show generally do so in a week netflix says and those viewers are dedicating a significant amount of time to do it they watch about two hours a day
these are some of the findings from a study netflix released wednesday after tracking its global base of subscribers and how they watched the first seasons of more than 100 television series during a recent seven month stretch
after three years of studying original series releases and nine years of streaming over all we can now identify some patterns finally cindy holland the vice president for original content at netflix said in an interview
weve gotten past the binge watch it happens now were trying to distinguish that different series are consumed at different rates ms holland said
using median figures the findings reveal that some shows are consumed quickly while others are viewed at a slightly slower clip the stuff viewers lap up horror and thrillers the shows that take them slightly longer political dramas and sophisticated comedies
here are some of the trends netflix identified among first season viewers
how quick the median amount of time for a user to finish a season is four days time spent watching each day is about two hours and 30 minutes
genre types horror thrillers sci fi
examples
 breaking bad  sons of anarchy  the fall  the walking dead  american horror story  orphan black
these kinds of shows were truly propulsive straight up genre stuff ms holland said these are the ones that people push through much faster and not necessarily have to think about the issues or unpack all the jokes or take a break from the big drama moment
how quick the median amount of time users take to finish a season is five days time spent watching each day is about two hours
genre types dramatic comedies crime dramas superhero shows
examples
 fargo  the blacklist  orange is the new black  nurse jackie  marvels jessica jones
how quick the median amount of time to finish a season is six days time spent watching each day is about one hour 45 minutes
genre types political dramas irreverent comedies historical dramas
examples
 unbreakable kimmy schmidt  arrested development  house of cards  homeland  the west wing  mad men
when jokes from a show like unbreakable kimmy schmidt are being fired at a machine gun rate people tend to take more time between episodes to digest them ms holland said and the company found that with political dramas like house of cards and the west wing viewers tend to take a breath she said
netflixs study included current shows fargo and those off the air for some time the west wing the streaming service studied only serialized shows and programs that were globally available on the service netflix has more than 81 million users the study covered viewing habits from october 2015 to the beginning of may subscribers who did not finish the first season of a show were not included
while netflix contends that the binge model is what viewers want some traditional network and cable executives continue to argue that their week to week rollout of original programming keeps their shows in the cultural conversations for months at a time bingeing is obviously an option at other streaming services several contacted wednesday did not have comparable data or did not respond to requests for it
but ms holland said the study proved to the company that yes netflix viewers were inclined to binge and reinforced the companys faith in its policy of releasing all the episodes of an original series at once
and because the study is based on rookie seasons what happens after
the general trend we noticed is that subsequent seasons are consumed even faster than the preceding seasons ms holland said


tokyo   osamu suzuki the chairman of the suzuki motor corporation plans to give up day to day control of the automaker he has led for most of the last four decades in response to a scandal over improper fuel economy tests on cars that the company sells in japan
the move is the latest management reshuffle resulting from a wave of testing scandals in the auto industry
suzuki motor said on wednesday that mr suzuki 86 would give up his position as chief executive but retain the title of chairman it said the move was intended to make management responsibility clear over the testing problem which it revealed last month
the company did not say who would replace mr suzuki as chief executive but his son toshihiro is widely seen as a leading candidate toshihiro suzuki became chief operating officer and executive vice president last year the company will need to name its new chief executive before its annual shareholder meeting set for june 29 when osamu suzukis resignation from the role is scheduled to take effect
carmakers industrywide have been struggling to restore public trust and erase doubts about the fuel test results they report to governments around the world globally the reporting of fuel economy and pollution ratings is under especially close scrutiny after volkswagen of germany admitted last year that it had installed software in 11 million diesel vehicles to cheat on emissions tests the companys chief executive has since resigned
the turmoil has also hit japanese automakers last month the president of mitsubishi motors tetsuro aikawa said he would resign after the company disclosed that its engineers deliberately used unapproved test procedures that exaggerated fuel performance by as much as 15 percent on some models the company had been using the procedures for several decades and the financial shock caused by the admission drove it to seek a rescue from another japanese carmaker nissan motor
suzuki has said that although its testing procedures had deviated from government standards they had not produced exaggerated mileage ratings and there was no need to restate any published ratings
the issue was nonetheless a blow to suzukis reputation the company said another executive vice president osamu honda would resign his position and that board members would give up half their executive bonuses for the latest financial year senior managers auditors and nonexecutive directors would also take cuts to their monthly pay of between 10 and 40 percent for periods of from three to six months suzuki said
osamu suzuki married into the carmakers founding family in the late 1950s taking his wifes family name a not uncommon practice among prominent japanese families he became president of suzuki motor in 1978
mr suzuki has stepped back from the front line of suzukis management before he traded the presidents role for the more ceremonial title of chairman in 2000 but potential successors suffered ill health he returned to day to day control as chief executive in 2008 after a son in law hirotaka ono died of pancreatic cancer
suzukis problematic fuel tests involve the way its engineers calculated what is known as running resistance or the effect that tire friction and other factors have on fuel consumption under various driving conditions
suzuki said last month that mileage tests at its development track in central japan had produced inconsistent results which engineers attributed to wind instead of running multiple tests to produce an average the engineers cut corners by extrapolating running resistance from past tests that was a violation of regulations the company said but did not distort results beyond the standard margin of error
suzukis indiscretion came to light after japanese regulators ordered all carmakers to re examine their testing methods after the revelations at mitsubishi which hit the companys sales and sent its share price plummeting nissan agreed to give mitsubishi a 22 billion lifeline in exchange for about one third of the company


baltimore   after two prosecutions without a conviction since the fatal arrest of freddie gray opening arguments are set to begin thursday in the trial of caesar r goodson jr the only officer charged with murder in connection with the death and the driver of the police wagon in which mr gray suffered the spinal injury that killed him
the combination of the two unsuccessful prosecutions and the murder charge has raised the stakes substantially in the trial of the third of six officers charged in the death of mr gray 25 a black man whose death spurred riots looting and arson
these are the most serious charges said warren s alperstein a defense lawyer here who has represented police officers and has been closely following the cases but is not directly involved in them this is arguably the make or break case for the state it would be a devastating blow if the state was unable to secure a conviction
the trial comes as prosecutors aim to shift the narrative away from the mistrial of one officer involved in the case and just over two weeks ago another ones acquittal on all charges
but legal experts say it will be exceedingly difficult for prosecutors to secure a conviction for murder some activists in baltimore say their faith in the judicial process is already worn
the average person doesnt really expect anything said dayvon love the director of public policy for leaders of a beautiful struggle an advocacy organization they expect the officers to get acquitted they dont expect any accountability
in addition to the failed prosecutions the trials have left lingering questions about how mr gray ended up with a functionally severed spine critics say
the world wants to know what happened to freddie gray said darlene cain a nurses assistant whose son was shot and killed by a baltimore police officer in 2008 and who has urged greater accountability from officers who use force how did a young person healthy talking and standing at one moment and then at the next time hes not living
officer goodson 47 a 17 year baltimore police veteran who like mr gray is black faces seven charges in total including three charges of manslaughter and a charge of second degree depraved heart murder   a rare charge for a police officer even as scrutiny of law enforcement grows
were seeing a huge increase in trials for officers for any criminal offense but ive never seen a murder trial for an officer without video or eyewitness testimony said geoffrey p alpert a professor of criminology at the university of south carolina who has focused on the use of force by the police
he added its been an uphill battle in the other two trials and this is going to be the toughest
the case will be decided not by a jury but by judge barry g williams who acquitted another officer edward m nero late last month judge williams once an attorney in the department of justices civil rights division is also black and he won accolades from members of the legal community   including billy murphy the lawyer for mr grays family   for not bowing to public pressure in deciding officer neros case but he has been accused in some quarters of making a narrow ruling that did not reckon with the larger questions of the case
officer goodsons side of the story has never been officially told he is the only charged officer who did not give a statement to police investigators court filings have hinted that the prosecution may suggest mr gray was taken for a so called rough ride with officer goodson intentionally driving the van in a dangerous fashion they have indicated plans to call a witness who can discuss the practice but legal observers say it is not yet clear what if any evidence they have to prove that is what happened on april 12 2015 when mr gray was arrested
the open question with regard to the goodson trial is will we hear more about the practice of giving rough rides said david jaros a professor of law at the university of baltimore who said that such a theory could explain why prosecutors chose to charge officer goodson with murder
absent a rough ride mr jaros said it is much harder to understand the prosecutions decision to pursue that particular charge which requires a wanton and reckless disregard for human life that is so significant that it is akin to intentional murder
what is known is that officer goodson responded to the arrest of mr gray on a bright morning last april mr gray had fled apparently unprompted from police officers in the sandtown neighborhood of west baltimore mr gray was eventually placed   in handcuffs and leg shackles but no seatbelt   in officer goodsons transport wagon which made several stops in the neighborhood before arriving at the western district police station
there mr gray was found unresponsive he died of a spinal injury a week later
protests here grew so violent that gov larry hogan called in the national guard with armored trucks still rolling through the city the states top prosecutor marilyn j mosby announced charges against six police officers   three black three white
late last month officer nero was acquitted on charges of second degree assault reckless endangerment and two counts of misconduct connected to his role in mr grays arrest and in december a jury failed to reach a verdict in the case of officer william g porter who faced charges including manslaughter and reckless endangerment
prosecutors eventually secured an unusual ruling from the states highest court   a procedure that caused delays in all of the trials   to let officer porter testify against officer goodson while his own retrial is pending
officer porters testimony will be crucial said douglas colbert a professor of law at the university of maryland who has been supportive of the prosecution adding he minimally suggested going to the hospital
regardless of the role of a rough ride the case may turn on what prosecutors can show about officer goodsons state of mind while he drove mr gray through west baltimore they are expected to argue that he had custody of mr gray and was responsible to keep him safe by using the seatbelt and obtaining medical help when he needed it   and knew he could be putting mr gray in danger by not doing so
defense lawyers are expected to paint officer goodson as a veteran with a clean record who acted in line with accepted departmental practice when he did not buckle mr gray in
theres an irony that the officers best defense is really an indictment of how people are generally treated in the system mr jaros said


vienna   the far right freedom party of austria filed a legal challenge on wednesday over the results of the countrys presidential election disputing the outcome of the may 22 runoff in which the partys candidate norbert hofer was narrowly defeated
officials said there was no precedent for a challenge to the outcome of a presidential election in the history of modern austria a federal republic that was reconstituted in 1945 from the ashes of nazi germany which annexed the country in 1938
the challenge submitted by the partys chairman to the constitutional court injected an element of uncertainty into a debate that has already stirred questions over the strength of the far right in a nation with a fraught wartime past mr hofer led the first round of voting on april 24 in which the countrys two mainstream parties were handed a humbling defeat
the runoff pitted mr hofer against an independent candidate and former leader of the greens alexander van der bellen
the results were too close to call when polls closed at 5 pm on may 22 only after nearly 700000 mail in ballots were tallied was the result announced midafternoon on may 23 mr van der bellen was declared the winner with 5035 percent of the vote and a very tight lead of 30863 ballots according to the interior ministry
on wednesday the freedom partys chairman heinz christian strache submitted 150 pages of documents to the constitutional court claiming numerous irregularities and failures in the counting of the runoff votes according to the austrian news agency apa mr strache submitted three documents one from himself the second from mr hofer and the third from voters and citizens
mr strache said there had been electoral irregularities or fraud in 94 of 117 regional polling stations in 82 of the stations he said at least 573000 mail in ballots were sorted or counted before the election authorities were even on site to monitor the process
we are not sore losers and we are not disputing for disputes sake mr strache said at a news conference the mistrust is justified without these failures and irregularities norbert hofer could have been president
the freedom party had already claimed election irregularities   including premature counting of mail in ballots and erroneous tallies   but mr strache went further on wednesday calling the mail in ballot system a systemic failure
according to the apa the interior ministry has called for an investigation into vote counting at six polling stations
the constitutional court could call for a recount or even a re election austrian law requires that the challenge must be resolved within four weeks of submission that would be july 6   two days before mr van der bellens inauguration
the president of austria is elected for a six year term and serves as head of state though the position is largely ceremonial the incumbent heinz fischer is completing his second term and was not allowed to seek a third
in 1986 kurt waldheim a former foreign minister and secretary general of the united nations was elected president of austria despite revelations that he had concealed his wartime involvement with german military units that executed thousands of yugoslav partisans and civilians and deported thousands of greek jews to death camps between 1942 and 1944
a commission of historians found no evidence that mr waldheim was guilty of war crimes but concluded that he must have been aware of the atrocities and by doing nothing had facilitated them mr waldheim did not seek re election in 1992 he died in 2007


nhan trach vietnam   since a devastating fish kill blighted the waters along 120 miles of coastline in central vietnam hundreds of people are believed to have fallen ill from eating poisoned fish
here in the fishing village of nhan trach the squid that sustain the local economy have virtually disappeared and a fishing ban has left hundreds of traps sitting unused on the beach and dozens of small fishing boats idle
we are so angry said pham thi phi 65 who operates a fishing boat in nhan trach with her husband and three grown sons if we knew who put the poison in the ocean we would like to kill them we really need to have an answer from the government on whether the ocean is totally clean and the fish are safe to eat
while the immediate cause appears to have been toxic waste from a nearby steel mill fury over the episode has exploded into a national issue posing the biggest challenge to the authoritarian government since a spate of anti chinese riots in 2014 protesters demanding government action have marched in major cities and coastal communities over the past six weeks escalating what had been a regional environmental dispute into a test of government accountability
but two months after the fish started washing up on beaches here the government has yet to announce the cause of the disaster or identify the toxin that killed marine life and poisoned coastal residents
the governments failure to respond and its previous support for the taiwan owned steel plant at the heart of the crisis have fueled widespread suspicion of corruption and the hidden influence of foreign interests at the expense of vietnamese livelihoods a potent mix that challenges the legitimacy of communist party rule
quite simply in vietnam human life is less important than the political life of the government and government institutions said nguyen thi bich nga an activist in ho chi minh city in this way we can explain all that is unusual in this country
the government has said little about the marine die off while cracking down on the protests which have been called every sunday since may 1 when thousands of people took to the streets of hanoi ho chi minh city and other cities more than 500 people have been arrested and demonstrators have been beaten by the police
the response by the government has been one of ineptitude said carlyle thayer a vietnam analyst at the australian defense force academy he said the fish kill was the most serious environmental issue to confront the government in several years and reflected poorly on the government of prime minister nguyen xuan phuc who took office in april
last month the office of the united nations high commissioner for human rights urged the government to avoid excessive use of force citing increasing levels of violence against the protesters
but the protests have continued
on sunday more than 1000 people turned out in a coastal district of nghe an province north of the steel plant to demonstrate many wore t shirts bearing a fish skeleton some carried signs reading fish need clean water citizens need transparency
it seems the government tries to cover up for the culprit the rev anthony nam a catholic priest and protest leader in nghe an said by telephone we will protest until the government says what caused the spill
in nhan trach about 40 miles south of the steel factory the dead and dying fish first appeared in early april floating in the surf and washing up on the beach initially it seemed like a windfall and many people here ate and sold them the fish kept coming tons of them day after day for more than a month residents said
some of the fish were dead some were dying said ho huu sia 67 who buys and dries fish for a living we ate the fish that were still alive we ate the fish for two weeks
his daughter ho thi dao 32 said she became ill experiencing vomiting diarrhea and dizziness she went to the local clinic and received intravenous fluids she said she met others there who also suffered poisoning
belatedly the government announced that aquatic life had been poisoned along the coastline of four provinces the authorities warned people not to eat fish and ordered a halt to fishing
as compensation officials distributed bags of rice and gave fishermen 50000 dong or about 220
we are just sitting with tears running down our cheeks looking out at the ocean said ms phi who has been fishing from nhan trach all her life what can we do with 50000 dong
coastal residents and journalists quickly accused the formosa ha tinh steel plant which opened in december of being the culprit
according to news reports the fish kill happened after the factory washed unspecified cleaning chemicals through its wastewater pipeline a company representative seemed to confirm the suspicions in april when he said it would not be surprising if the factorys wastewater harmed marine life
you have to decide whether to catch fish and shrimp or to build a modern steel industry he told reporters even if you are the prime minister you cannot choose both
his comments incited a flurry of criticism on social media and spawned a popular hashtag on social media ichoosefish
the company later argued that it met vietnams environmental standards and said that the spokesman had been fired
company officials did not respond to requests for comment
the government has been just as reticent
at first it suggested a toxic algae bloom was responsible in mid may pham cong tac deputy science and technology minister told vietnamese news outlets that the ministry had a convincing scientific basis to explain the fish deaths but he did not disclose what it was
last week mai tien dung minister and head of the government office said that the authorities had identified the cause but indicated that they could not tell the public because an investigation was continuing
the lack of information has only fueled the protesters anger
villagers say the authorities collected water samples immediately after the episode and foreign experts say test results should have been known within days
nguyen hoang anh a university professor in hanoi said the government should have immediately revealed the toxin especially to the poisoning victims and their doctors
its not fair she said its not ethical its a crime
she said the cover up had the potential to make the fish kill vietnams chernobyl the 1986 nuclear disaster that contributed to the unraveling of the soviet union
that is what the government most fears analysts say and it is why it acts quickly and at times brutally to suppress protests before they ignite a popular uprising
but critics say the government has another motive the government has supported the steel plant giving the company a sweetheart deal including tax incentives and a bargain price for the property to build on the coast
two years ago while the factory was under construction it became a prime target of the riots over chinas placement of an oil rig in waters off vietnam in the south china sea more than 200 factories owned by chinese and other foreign companies were looted and set ablaze around the country
but the worst rioting occurred at formosa where four people were killed the company is based in taiwan but thousands of laborers from mainland china were building the factory protesters stopped buses pulled off chinese passengers and beat them
the authorities have been more careful not to let the current protests get out of hand but even if they can be quelled the economic costs have continued to mount
on a recent morning more than a dozen fish traders gathered at a drink shop across from the beach here a few played board games there was nothing to do but kill time one said
around the corner phan dinh son 49 sat in his all too quiet open air shop he used to sell hundreds of blocks of ice a day now he sells about 20 he said a separate business buying and trading shellfish has been suspended because no one wants to eat local fish
the fish market is empty he said i would hope the government and the party would come up with a solution and give a clear answer so we can do our business


nairobi kenya   kenyan consumers have long suspected a little monkey business when it comes to their power bills but the news making its way around the country on wednesday was almost too much to believe
a nationwide blackout that knocked out lights severed internet service and paralyzed countless businesses for more than three hours on tuesday was caused by a monkey the electricity company announced
the monkey which appeared to be of the vervet species with a collar of white fur climbed onto the roof of the gitaru power station and fell or jumped onto a transformer the transformer tripped which in turn tripped other machines at the hydroelectric power station setting off a nationwide blackout the kenya electricity generation company or kengen said
kengen power installations are secured by electric fencing which keeps away marauding wild animals the company said we regret this isolated incident and the company is looking at ways of further enhancing security at all our power plants
the monkey survived and was given to kenyas wildlife services kengen said the company posted a photograph on facebook showing the animal on the transformer crouching shyly
vervet monkeys which are usually about two feet long not including the tail can be pesky creatures they can be seen everywhere in kenya and they often travel in packs scampering along power lines snacking on mangoes in backyards and even sneaking into kitchens through open windows to pinch a banana or two
kengen which has been criticized over what some call kenyas high electricity costs said late tuesday that the failure had been fixed some homes in nairobi were still without power on wednesday


as federal agents tell it the kickback scheme that led to the arrest on wednesday of norman seabrook the powerful leader of the new york city correction officers union was hatched one night in late 2013 in a hotel room in the dominican republic
the union president had been drinking and was delivering an earful to a well connected new york real estate developer according to the agents for too long mr seabrook complained he had been working hard to invest the unions money and had not received anything in return
it was time he said that norman seabrook got paid
within months mr seabrook made an investment deal that made even union lawyers uneasy putting 20 million of union funds in a high risk hedge fund according to a criminal complaint filed by the office of preet bharara the united states attorney for the southern district of new york in exchange prosecutors said he was given 60000 delivered in a salvatore ferragamo bag   one of his favorite luxury brands
over the course of two decades as union president mr seabrook has gone from a jail guard patrolling the cellblocks of rikers island to an influential power broker forming alliances across the political spectrum including with gov andrew m cuomo a democrat former mayor michael r bloomberg an independent and former gov george e pataki a republican
just looking at him it is clear mr seabrook enjoys lifes finer things he is driven around town in luxury suvs dines at upscale restaurants smokes fine cigars and wears expensive tailored suits often with a pocket square
indeed after mr seabrook was arrested agents from the federal bureau of investigation recovered a ferragamo bag that matched the description of the one stuffed with cash along with 10 pairs of ferragamo shoes
at least some of mr seabrooks luxuries were paid for by people seeking favors from him and the union according to investigators plane trips to las vegas california israel and at least two to the dominican republic were underwritten by jona rechnitz the developer at the hotel that night in 2013 after that meeting mr rechnitz introduced mr seabrook to a hedge fund financier named murray huberfeld and helped arrange for the kickback according to federal investigators
mr rechnitz who has pleaded guilty and is cooperating in the seabrook case is also a central target in one of the investigations that are focused on the campaign fund raising of mayor bill de blasio a democrat he is not named in the complaint and is referred to instead as cooperating witness 1 or cw 1
both mr seabrook and mr huberfeld an associate at the hedge fund platinum partners have been charged with one count of honest services fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud mr seabrook was released on 250000 bond and mr huberfeld on 1 million bond both have been ordered to remain in the new york city region
after the meeting at the hotel according to prosecutors mr rechnitz went to platinum promising to arrange a deal with the union to become a major investor the catch he said was that mr seabrook would have to be compensated mr huberfeld agreed to the arrangement and was willing to pay mr seabrook 10 percent of all profits that the hedge fund made on the unions investment
mr seabrook whose salary is 300000 a year with his union stipend had one overarching concern according to the complaint how big his cut would be
mr huberfeld told him it could be as much as 150000 a year
in return mr seabrook would direct money intended to cover correction officers pensions into a high risk fund up to that point the union had maintained a traditional investment portfolio made up of conventional stocks and bond funds government obligations and a real estate trust fund
the unions lawyers reviewed the proposal and pointed out that the union had never invested in a hedge fund before nor had any other new york city retirement fund that they were aware of been involved in such a risky venture even so they did not stand in the way of the deal
the annuity fund however is not averse to being a trendsetter the lawyers wrote to platinum in february 2014
there were other red flags particular to platinum mr huberfeld had been convicted of fraud in 1993 for arranging for another person to take a brokerage licensing exam on his behalf he was fined 5000 and sentenced to two years of probation in a separate case in 1998 he and a partner paid 46 million to settle a civil action brought by the securities and exchange commission that alleged bank fraud
at a news conference on wednesday mr bharara said that mr seabrook made his investment decisions based not what was good for his union members but based on what was good for norman seabrook
for a ferragamo bag filled with cash seabrook allegedly sold himself and his duty to safeguard the retirement funds of his fellow correction officers mr bharara said
in the end it was mr seabrook who made the final decision on where the union money went over the years he had consolidated absolute control over the operations of the union often bypassing his executive board on even the most significant financial decisions
according to the authorities he ultimately invested 15 million from the unions annuity fund which is financed almost completely through annual contributions from the city as well as another 5 million from the unions 12 million in assets at the time the investment decision was made by seabrook alone the unions treasurer michael maiello told investigators
by the end of 2014 according to the complaint mr seabrook began demanding a payout for his services the hedge fund however was performing worse than expected and mr huberfeld could not immediately get his hands on the money instead mr rechnitz fronted his own money to pay off mr seabrook with a promise from platinum that he would be reimbursed for accounting purposes mr rechnitz disguised the kickback as a 60000 payment for a block of new york knicks tickets
on dec 11 2014 mr rechnitz bought the bag from a ferragamo store in manhattan for 820 the handoff was made a few blocks away in mr seabrooks chevrolet suburban which is registered to the union
when mr rechnitz told seabrook how much money was in the bag seabrook was angry that it was not as much money as he was initially promised the complaint said
after the handoff the men went out to dinner and attended a torah dedication ceremony at a local synagogue
as the months went on platinum representatives kept pressing mr seabrook to invest more union funds according to investigators the hedge fund was having cash flow problems and needed 44 million for investors seeking to pull out their money
on jan 27 2015 mr huberfeld speaking on a phone that federal agents had wiretapped told an associate to press mr seabrook for more money during a lunch meeting
im under some pressure he said according to the complaint
on may 19 2015 the marketing director of platinum sent an email to other executives noting that the meeting with seabrook went great and that he said he will send us more money shortly
but before mr seabrook could transfer more money federal agents served subpoenas on the union and platinum no further investments were made the complaint said
the complaint does not make clear what happened to the 20 million the union invested
in a filing for a lawsuit brought last year by a former union official over alleged financial improprieties he boasted that the investment had returned 475000 in a recent three month period a union financial statement listed a return of just 47529 for the same time
the union recently mailed out ballots for an election this summer listing mr seabrook as running unopposed for president but his future is unclear
on wednesday he was suspended as a correction officer relieved of his shield and gun he sat in a packed courtroom looking relaxed he was dressed more modestly than usual jeans a collared shirt and sandals
when asked by a reporter at the courthouse how he felt mr seabrook replied i feel like a million dollars


oakland calif   as soon as i got to oracle arena last week for the first game of the nba finals i started scanning the floor for tech bigwigs
basketball has always been accommodative of celebrity culture   the small arena and the courtside seats make seeing and being seen one of the central perks of high dollar tickets in an earlier time jack nicholson became a fixture at lakers games while the knicks claimed spike lee and woody allen as all but official mascots
now in oakland the golden state warriors have ... eddy cue
who is eddy cue he is apples senior vice president for internet software and services   blame him for itunes he was the first boldface name i spotted courtside center bouncing up and down like a giddy 10 year old as stephen curry and the warriors gang took their warm up shots a few nights earlier when the warriors beat the oklahoma city thunder in a come from behind miracle mr cue ended up on the cover of the san francisco chronicle looking gleefully unhinged in his celebrations
with silicon valley just a short tesla drive away from oracle arena mr cue is far from the only techie losing his mind over the warriors the team is owned by a coalition of tech investors and on any given night you will find a passel of executives venture capitalists and other assorted billionaires cheering from the sidelines
longtime fans suffered decades of heartache with this team but for many here now especially the transplants who came to the bay area to work in software and hardware the warriors seemed to come out of nowhere they are a juggernaut with a modern disruptive style of play that is consuming everything in its path   an ideal mascot for an industry whose defining mantra is to mercilessly eat the world
yet success has had its costs thanks to bandwagon fans like me ticket prices have soared leaving longtime ticket holders fuming gentrification has already begun and it is bound to get worse soon the team will move to an exclusive new arena in san francisco abandoning its roots in an industrial area of oakland
in other words you can almost see the warriors as a metaphor for the way the tech industry improves but also unexpectedly risks ruining pretty much everything it touches
one of the tensions that exists with the warriors now is the owners seem to have a feeling that oh we bought this team they got really good but we do live in a market where there are people who are accustomed to paying ever increasing prices for everything so lets raise the prices for our tickets said josh williams a designer and basketball fanatic who holds warriors season tickets i do have a real concern that we might price out the quote unquote real fans
mr williams is a recent convert to warriors fandom he moved to the bay area from austin tex a few years ago after selling his start up gowalla to facebook his seats in the upper corner of the arena cost about 50 a game and are set to go up by about 40 percent next season
prices have become a bigger issue in the last few weeks as the warriors landed in the finals against the cleveland cavaliers for the finals the team sent prices through the roof
mr williamss not great corner tickets rose to 400 from 50 pretty good first level seats   which during the regular season go for under 200   are selling for a face value of 1000 to 2000 on the secondary market the tickets are going for much more one anonymous fan purchased a pair of courtside seats for game 7 of the western conference finals for 58000 espn reported that several members of the cavaliers declined to purchase tickets for their families at game 1 and 2 of the finals because prices were just too high
given the prices and the teams connection with tech i expected the crowd at warriors games to resemble a venture capital firms cocktail party   young vaguely geeky demure business types mostly white mostly men i also felt a sense of embarrassment for jumping on the bandwagon a couple of years ago i barely knew the rules of basketball but as the team kept defying odds and breaking records i got a bad case of warriors fever
yet the crowd at the two games i attended this year including the first finals game was not a bunch of bandwagoners like myself warriors fandom is one of the few bay area experiences that still seems to cut across a wide swath of the population the people who attend the games seem diverse in just about every way   by race age willingness to yell out and make a fool of oneself   except one pretty much everyone wears a yellow warriors t shirt and pretty much everyone looks overjoyed to be there
katie jansen the chief marketing officer of a start up called applovin which owns a suite at the arena that it shares with employees and customers echoed that idea
ive met the owners of a suite a few suites down from us and its literally a bunch of oakland natives a group of men whove been warriors fans their whole lives and theyve owned this box for 30 years she said
many of the techies who now flock to oakland told me they love this vibe there is a real die hard fan base there in oakland and theres something special happening in that arena right now said craig butler spotifys newly hired vice president for engineering who owns season tickets with a few of his buddies the energy level at oracle right now is double what it is anywhere else   its just the best show in town
and according to the team the fan base isnt changing despite price increases about 995 percent of season ticket holders decided to renew for next year   meaning only 23 people did not renew the wait list for season tickets is now over 30000 names long many fans are likely gratified by the fact that their tickets are a good investment even at current prices
on average last year warriors tickets could be resold for 119 percent above face price so a 100 ticket would fetch 219 on the secondary market meaning that if you bought a seasons pass and sold half your tickets you would most likely recoup your investment
but how do you preserve the fan base as the entry price rises the problem for the warriors resembles in broad strokes the problem of housing in the bay area there is a finite supply of tickets to the games and in an industry that produces astonishing wealth there will always be enough people with enough money to pay nearly any price for tickets
basketball is a business of course and it is within the warriors owners rights to profit from the teams amazing success
most people who spend hundreds of millions of dollars on something they want to get a return on their investment andrew zimbalist an economist who studies sports at smith college told me with some exasperation when i asked him if there was some way for the team to avoid raising prices and changing its fan culture now that it has found success
but there is a way owners could simply not try to suck up every available penny they can find with insane tv deals corporate signs and many other revenue opportunities there is a lot of money in basketball besides in tickets
another plan would be to increase ticket prices only on the wealthy mr williams a lifelong fan of the dallas mavericks pointed out that when mark cuban another tech billionaire purchased and revitalized that team he went out of his way to keep ticket prices low
one year my season tickets cost 24 a ticket and i got my renewal package and they had dropped the price to 14 mr williams said it turned out what mark was doing was jacking up the price on the lower bowl where he knew the purchases were corporations and reducing the price on the real fans upstairs
in an email mr cuban confirmed that strategy
we have decreased prices across the board multiple times he said the only tickets that have gone up marginally are our best seats he added i dont run the mavs to maximize profits we now make money but its more important to me that fans can always afford to come to games
well hows that for disruption


los angeles   back in the day sneakerheads had all kinds of homemade methods for cleaning their shoes a tide to go pen a little bleach with toothpaste or some dish detergent with water and a toothbrush to scrub away grime
commercial shoe cleaners existed of course but treat your prized air jordans with chemicals not designed for sneakers no way
if you want to see how far sneakers   and the cleaning of them   have come pay a visit here to a store in the little tokyo neighborhood called jason markk
inside a wooden shoeshine chair is reserved not for wearers of italian loafers but men and women in nike and adidas shoes and behind the counter well groomed young men in white dress shirts denim aprons and fresh sneakers have a title known in house as sct or sneaker care technician
using house brand cleaning products and considerable know how they make dirt stains heel drag and other street markings disappear returning busted looking superstars and yeezy boosts to a state thats more fresh out of the box
a customer will usually come in with one to five pairs of shoes said jason markk 35 the founder who started selling his cleaning solution in 2007 and opened the store two years ago the running record is 54 pairs
he and his team see a wide spectrum of sneakers and conditions
weve had shoes caked in mud mr markk said then we get shoes that need a little touch up one of our scts will say let me see what you got then well tell them ok what we suggest on this material is this this and that
jonmarc francisco the sct manager chimed in to recall one infamous drop off a pair of bapes sneakers by the fashion label a bathing ape covered in blood
not just a little bit mr francisco said soaked the guy nearly blew up his hand on the fourth of july but after careful scrubbing and buffing he said the shoes looked almost brand new the guy was super happy
the store offers a classic clean 10 to 15 depending on the shoe material a deep clean 23 to 28 and for the truly fanatical the purple label detail 65 plus which includes a deep clean deodorizing and a thorough going over of the laces insoles and lining standard turnaround for most jobs is three days
the service has been limited to those willing to brave los angeles traffic to drive downtown but on june 25 mr markk is to open a pop up shop in the footaction store on east 14th street in manhattan bringing the white glove treatment to sneakerheads here the shop will run through june 30
if the los angeles store is any indication business will be brisk mr markk and his technicians have so far cleaned more than 15000 pairs of sneakers two more arrived at lunchtime carried in by a young woman named megan warden
she stepped to the counter and was met by justin familara a technician who looked over one pair nike air max 1s and gave his professional assessment undersole crud a common sight
her other pair nike roshes were practically new but they were also white theyre supercomf ms warden said but the stains are very obvious thats what i get for buying white shoes
shes tried to clean her shoes at home she said but pointing to the staff she added theyre way better at it than me before they were here you just bought new sneakers
mr markks prescient idea was to treat sneakers like the expensive fetishized footwear theyve become if bruno magli oxfords are well cared for why not nike airs but the drop off service if not his foray into sneakers was an afterthought he admitted
mr markk grew up in harbor city a neighborhood in los angeles playing basketball listening to hip hop and being the dj at parties sneakers he said went hand in hand with that culture
in his 20s while working at an ad agency he had a revelation one night as he cleaned his nike high tops with a homemade concoction of warm water and mild dishwashing soap why wasnt there a sneaker specific cleaner on the market
he asked around and found that many fellow sneakerheads were also doing the homemade thing so he decided to create a sneaker cleaning product and hired a chemist research and development took 10 months
he would call me and say ive got a new sample for you and id take it home and test it on my shoes mr markk said id take little notes like it foamed up too much
he wanted a versatile product that wouldnt damage shoes and that could clean suede pony hair ostrich leather and any other exotic material sneaker designers use
once he had his winning formula mr markk quit his job and spent a summer selling kitchen knives out of a trailer in the middle of nowhere it taught him the fundamentals of sales
in 2007 he began marketing his cleaner scoring instant raves from streetwear blogs like hypebeast and collaborations with influential sneaker shops like undefeated in los angeles and the now closed nortrecon in new york
his store here was intended as a retail flagship a place to sell his bottled solution hog bristle brushes and other products but the jm throne the shoeshine chair made him realize he had an opportunity to create a personal service experience for vip customers like deandre jordan of the los angeles clippers he offers bulk sneaker home pickup
like mr markk his aproned technicians who work behind a wall of shoe filled cubbies regard cleaning sneakers as a labor of love sneakerheads themselves they can check the latest styles and handle ultra rare models like the pair of original 1985 air jordan 1s that a woman brought in they belonged to her father and she was having them cleaned as a gift to him
on this day joe aguilar a staff member at the store for more than a year was working the brush on an iconic pair of jordans instead of the more common jumpman logo they had the swoosh symbol
for me to work on this i get off on the hype of it mr aguilar said i want to take care of this and i want it to look brand new
he added its like a basketball team here everyone is good in their own way its like yo   he pointed to his co worker joseph henderson   this dude is the bomb at doing suede weve got somebody whos great at doing timberlands everybodys got their finesse
mr markk the man who created the cleaner and assembled the expert crew said his stores meticulous process reflects his customers love for their kicks
its like a car you just dont mess up a dudes car mr markk said its respect


on the second floor of a classic cast iron building in soho just above the madding crowd there is an airy loft all cool cream tones and pierre paulin chairs oversize art books and henri cartier bresson prints and along one wall is a rail of discreet white and black and mariniere striped linen and silk cotton and denim culottes shirtdresses tunics and cashmeres with price tags attached
thats because this isnt actually an apartment at all its an experiment and that rail is stage three of a long term plan to do what has never really been done before in american fashion create a conglomerate of brands all born if not permanently housed under one roof
the experiment is being conducted by adam pritzker a positive thinking spritelike 31 year old scion of the billionaire hyatt hotel family and vanessa traina the famously chic 31 year old daughter of the romance novelist danielle steel and stylistconsultantbff of designers like joseph altuzarra and alexander wang
it started in 2013 when mr pritzker founded assembled brands the next year they introduced an e commerce site called the line with a group of products curated by ms traina executive creative director they opened a showroom in new york the apartment by the line and after that one in los angeles with the products posed to look as if in a private house
peppered among those products was a new brand protagonist an accessible luxury collection marked by its elegant discretion and owned by assembled brands as well as tenfold an assembled brands homewares collection that recently expanded into t shirts next week they are introducing their third line khaite
three being fashions magic number the one that represents critical mass trend or otherwise
khaite designed by catherine holstein late of gap is an advanced contemporary collection that looks kind of like a scandinavian version of tory burch with a quietly sybaritic windswept mood
like protagonist now stocked in 40 other boutiques including net a porter it will initially be sold only at the line and then wholesale to the wider market
there is talk of starting a mens wear brand and a childrens wear brand all part of what ms traina calls a distinct vision focused on defining a new kind of american sportswear that is less about trend and more about lifestyle also about sourcing the greatest new talent and providing the infrastructure for it to thrive
it all sounds logical enough except it has never worked before
one of the perennial breast beating questions in fashion   along with why drop crotch pants keep making a comeback even though everyone hates them   is why no conglomerate has arisen to rival the french behemoths moet hennessey louis vuitton owner of vuitton givenchy celine pucci and fendi among others and kering gucci yves saint laurent bottega veneta stella mccartney etc or the swiss watch and jewelry giant richemont cartier van cleef  arpels jaeger lecoultre vacheron constantin and so on   and a few clothing names like chloe and alaia
labelux   which was created in 2007 by the reimann family the german owners of jab holdings which also owns coty and a number of coffee brands   once owned jimmy choo bally belstaff zagliani solange azagury partridge and derek lam but it has faltered with the group selling the last two brands back to their founders putting zagliani on ice and renaming the subsidiary jab luxury there are other examples
in italy only the brave is currently making a stab at it maison margiela marni viktor  rolf diesel and tods owns hogan roger vivier and fay and tods owner diego della valle owns schiaparelli but they have nothing like the scale of lvmh and kering which may be why when lvmh swooped in and bought up bulgari in 2011 and loro piana in 2013 it caused agony and soul searching in rome and milan along the lines of why cant we keep our own brands in our own hands
this is also a question that comes up a lot in the united states where name brands such as marc jacobs and donna karan are likewise owned by lvmh and the only group even close to the european model is pvh which owns calvin klein and tommy hilfiger and a lot of more mass market names like speedo and izod
andrew rosen who founded theory and later acquired helmut lang was once credited by anna wintour with building an american equivalent of lvmh but his company is now owned by fast retailing the japanese based parent of uniqlo and while he has personal investments in rag  bone proenza schouler and alice and olivia they are minority stakes
in 2000 to great fanfare a group called pegasus announced that it was going to be the american lvmh and bought miguel adrover daryl k pamela dennis judith leiber and angela amiri only to close or shed most of those lines by 2001 and rechristen itself the leiber group
all of which raises the question what do mr pritzker and ms traina think they know that all of these other fashion insiders did not
two reasons most often given for the lack of an american group are absence of available heritage brands on which to build and timing when lvmh and kering previously ppr were formed in 1987 and 1999 kering at the time being called the gucci group and owned by ppr most european brands were relatively local family run businesses with big names ripe for the acquisition now fashion is a giant global concern and the financial outlay required to build these kinds of groups is exponentially greater
which is partly why assembled brands is doing none of the above it is not interested in established brands but rather in making its own an attitude that nods to the american mythology that mitigates against preservation in favor of creation that values the idea of invention more than the idea of saving what was
its back room synergies are not in capital intensive areas like real estate with its fixed costs but rather in technology with its related access to consumer data and e commerce and its ambitions begin at an entirely different place from the groups that went before
unlike francois henri pinault the chief executive of kering who often talks about buying medium size companies with revenue between 50 million and 100 million and building them up or lvmh which spent 26 billion on loro piana mr pritzker dreams of expanding via a network of services for brands making around 1 million to 2 million a year in revenue
he aims to use his experience and his own brands started from scratch and shaped by ms traina to create an ecosystem with tentacles that provide services financial logistic digital to a host of independent emerging talent so that the connected whole adds up to more than the sum of its parts
as a result one brand doesnt need to be a breakaway success to make the whole thing work mr pritzker said
not everyone wants to open 25 stores in five years he said on the other hand he is aiming at growth of 50 percent to 200 percent we cap it at 200 percent he said with 50 percent to 60 percent margins for his brands
its a provocative theory that you can build a big fashion business on the willingness to go small whether it works remains to be seen but in any case its a new line


builders get their way is not news in new york city
the news is when they do not and in a couple of cases recently they have not
the venue was the board of standards and appeals a little known body that can seem to outsiders   fairly or not   like a card game with a stacked deck where developers lawyers and lobbyists some of them former board members smoothly navigate regulatory arcana in seeking variances from zoning and building rules
last thursday the board turned down a developers plan to convert the landmark former first church of christ scientist on the upper west side of manhattan into a 34 unit luxury apartment building
a few weeks earlier the board made life more difficult for a proposal by congregation shearith israel to build a community house and condominium behind its landmark synagogue on central park west
gale a brewer the manhattan borough president lives around the corner from the former christian science church and opposes the conversion project she said she was heartened by the boards decision
i said to all my neighbors see its possible
hours after the decision ms brewer said she attended a meeting on the upper east side about the future of the roman catholic church of our lady of peace which was closed last year
i was able to give some hope to that community ms brewer a democrat said we won we won something when people see glass and steel condos everywhere this felt like it was certainly a victory
there was even an impromptu celebration outside the hearing room when the board rendered its decision on the former christian science church
for a few minutes i felt like i was in the 60s said michael s hiller a lawyer representing opponents of the project it was cathartic
he was retained by the central park west neighbors association a group led by susan simon a designer
we were up against tremendous odds   david versus goliath ms simon said we wondered if this was not just a pro forma exercise but we believed that we had to fight for what we understood to be right in the end we felt the bsa commissioners were very concerned about this project and made the right call
the commissioners rejected arguments by the developer joseph brunner that the waivers he sought from zoning rules and apartment building laws were the minimum necessary to earn a reasonable return they covered such issues as the distance between the windows and the lot line and the amount of light and air reaching the apartments the project had been approved by the landmarks preservation commission
mr brunner bought the building at central park west and west 96th street from irene shapiro for 42 million she purchased it in 2014 for 26 million from the crenshaw christian center east which bought it 10 years earlier from the first church the building designed by carrere  hastings was completed in 1903
we were profoundly disappointed in the bsas vote last week said mitchell a korbey a partner in herrick feinstein which represents mr brunner our clients major goal from the start was to preserve and protect this special property
mr korbey said mr brunner was exploring multiple as of right options   that is plans for reusing the building that would not require waivers or other discretionary city approvals
landmark west a preservation group that opposed the conversion of the christian science church celebrated a separate quiet victory at the board a few weeks earlier its president kate wood said this involved congregation shearith israel and its longstanding plan for the community house and condominium on west 70th street
the boards staff determined that recently revised plans for the development showing modifications to classroom space and mechanical systems did not substantially comply with those approved by the board in 2008
louis m solomon the parnas or president of shearith israel said the congregations engineers had since found a design solution we are confident the updated plans will be approved by the bsa he said
another victory for grass roots preservation advocates came in late march in a case argued by mr hiller at state supreme court justice lynn r kotler ruled that the city   contrary to its own assertions   had the power to require the owners of a landmark building 346 broadway to maintain its mechanical tower clock the developers are planning a penthouse apartment in the tower and had hoped to remove the works
the landmarks commission approved the plan the city plans to appeal the ruling
meanwhile mr hiller is savoring his second victory in less than three months
in an environment where there is so much tumult over the privatization of public assets he said a win like this is a message to people that if they stand together they can win


the tunnels and caverns 22 miles of them that riddle the ground beneath the london suburb of bromley have been many things arsenal bomb shelter concert site film set mushroom farm supposedly haunted tourist attraction and once even a makeshift maternity ward
but theres one thing the chislehurst caves have never been caves
the rough walled tunnels were not naturally formed they are entirely hand dug mined for chalk and flint for centuries and put to use for almost anything requiring a cool dark place during world war i munitions for the woolwich arsenal were stashed there
during the blitz the caverns were transformed into an enormous air raid shelter that could hold 15000 people complete with an underground hospital chapel barber canteen and shops a baby girl born in the shelter in 1941 was given the middle name cavena
in 1944 when the v 1 rockets were coming we had a mass influx said jason desporte the general manager of chislehurst caves where guided tours are offered daily from an entrance tucked away on a side street
as with natural caves the air temperature in the tunnels normally stays at a rock steady 50 degrees fahrenheit the year around but the crowding during the blitz warmed the tunnels to more than 70 degrees and they took a year and a half to cool down again after the war mr desporte said
in the 1960s they became an offbeat performance hall for artists like the rolling stones jimi hendrix the kinks pink floyd and the who led zeppelin held a record label launch party there on halloween in 1974 a fittingly spooky date for a place rumored to be rife with paranormal activity
the tunnels have also provided atmospheric settings for movies music videos and television shows including doctor who and merlin and for an immersive role playing game called labyrinthe
for decades after the war the management offered a prize of 5 pounds about 7 today for anyone brave enough to spend the night in the tunnels only one person ever won it   a police officer named tony bayfield in 1958 the offer was discontinued in 1985 for safety reasons after one hopeful dislocated his shoulder in the total darkness


beijing   the american military has accused a chinese fighter jet of maneuvering too fast and too close to a united states air force rc 135 reconnaissance plane as it flew in international airspace over the east china sea this week
the united states pacific command said in a statement that one of two chinese jets involved in an intercept operation on tuesday had an unsafe excessive rate of closure on the rc 135 aircraft
this seems to be a case of improper airmanship as no other provocative or unsafe maneuvers occurred the pacific command said
the episode was the second report of an unsafe intercept recently by a chinese jet tracking an american spy plane in the waters around china
last month the pentagon said two chinese fighter jets flew dangerously close to an ep 3 aircraft off the coast of hainan the southernmost province of china
in that case the chinese plane flew within 50 feet of the american plane over the south china sea breaking an agreement on safe conduct in the air that beijing and washington signed last year the pentagon said the american plane had been on a routine patrol the pentagon said then
the east china sea is a delicate area for china and japan an american treaty ally islands known as the senkaku in japan and the diaoyu in china a group of uninhabited rocks in the east china sea are at the center of a bitter territorial dispute between the two countries which regularly send patrol ships close to them
chinas ministry of defense told global times a state run chinese newspaper that the united states was deliberately hyping up the issue of reconnaissance by american military aircraft near china
chinese military pilots always operate according to the rules and act in a professional and responsible manner a ministry spokesman who was not identified by the newspaper was quoted as saying on wednesday
the commander of the pacific command adm harry b harris jr said at a conference in singapore last weekend that he had seen positive behavior by chinese military aircraft and ships recently
every now and then youll see an incident in the air that we may judge to be unsafe admiral harris said those are really over the course of time rare


hillary clinton claimed the democratic presidential nomination on tuesday and appealed to the country to reject donald j trump as a candidate unfit for the presidency
mrs clinton finished strong in her longer than expected primary battle with senator bernie sanders of vermont capturing california according to the associated press and three other states mr trump did not wait for her to declare victory lacing into mrs clinton from a golf course he owns in westchester and promising to give a speech thoroughly assailing her next week
but even as the clinton trump battle lines were coming into focus mr sanders announced from california that he was not prepared to stand down a potentially irksome development for mrs clinton
some of the biggest things we learned on tuesday
the final democratic primaries shaped up much like the first round in february as a contest between mrs clintons coalition of women older voters and nonwhites and mr sanderss base of whites rural voters and young people that broad matchup budged only a little over the course of the race handing mrs clinton victory in all the biggest most populous diverse and delegate rich states
mrs clintons firm base of support repelled mr sanders repeatedly in states like illinois new york and ohio and again in california and new jersey on tuesday night
mrs clinton will also rely on this coalition in the general election and she indicated as much with a victory speech stressing the long fight for womens equality in politics and themes of inclusion and racial tolerance
mr sanders staked his fading campaign on california and trailed mrs clinton there by a significant margin with more than 90 percent of the votes counted yet in his election night remarks mr sanders declared he would forge ahead in the washington dc primary next week and would fight on to the convention in philadelphia in july while he noted that mrs clinton won several states on tuesday he acknowledged neither the delegate barrier she had crossed nor the historic nature of her victory
mr sanders demonstrated on tuesday night why mrs clinton may want him as an ally in the fall campaign he showed on tuesday that he is capable of attacking mr trump in stinging language saying that the trump campaigns major theme is bigotry but for now mr sanders appears determined to defy his adopted party and extend his run in a race that is already resolved
i know that the fight in front of us is a very very steep fight he said but we will continue to fight for every vote and every delegate
when mr trump wrapped up the republican nomination party leaders expected him to turn toward the general election and campaign in more conventional terms a month later and for a moment mr trump did just that eschewing personal taunts and attacks he defined the presidential campaign as a choice between a hard nosed businessman and an opponent he said embodied a rigged system
but if mr trumps remarks sketched out the message allies have wanted him to deliver it is unclear whether he is capable of sticking to the pitch
on tuesday he gave an interview to fox news demanding that republicans get over their concern about the attacks mr trump has hurled at a federal judge of mexican descent just hours after releasing a statement saying he was done talking about the issue republican tolerance for mr trumps erratic behavior has evaporated and one senator who backed him mark s kirk of illinois has already withdrawn his endorsement
mrs clinton and mr trump signaled in their victory speeches how they plan to campaign in the general election not on narrow promises or practical disagreements about shared goals but on sweeping and stark themes about the countrys basic character
mr trump pledged to be an america first president a guardian of the nations traditional interests against foreign forces and a warrior against a corrupt system in washington mrs clinton vowed to stand up for the united states as a big hearted fair minded country open to immigration and diversity and she said under grave threat from mr trump
the election mrs clinton said would be about millions of americans coming together to say we are better than this we wont let this happen in america
the divisive nature of mr trumps candidacy has left an unlikely opening for mrs clinton to win over moderate republicans and she hinted on tuesday that she intended to make the most of it mrs clinton gave sanders supporters a prominent shout out in her speech but in almost the same breath she asked for support from the other party
she said she aimed to win over voters who backed me or senator sanders or one of the republicans in denouncing mr trump mrs clinton highlighted his slashing primary campaign noting that he abused his primary opponents and their families
many of the critiques mrs clinton leveled against mr trump were essentially nonpartisan focused on character and his temperamental fitness for the presidency   issues raised as persistently on the right as on the left


sydney australia   the police opened fire on student protesters in papua new guineas capital port moresby on wednesday a member of the countrys parliament said officials said that more than 20 people were wounded but that no one was killed
about 2000 students from the university of papua new guinea had gathered to make their way to parliament to demand that prime minister peter oneill resign said the lawmaker gary juffa mr oneill has been embroiled in a long running corruption scandal and for weeks thousands of university students have boycotted classes and demanded his resignation
paramilitary police and squad police told the students they needed to turn back because they did not have permission to hold the protest said mr juffa a critic of the prime minister then they started firing
a spokesman for the countrys police force dominic kakas said that 23 people had been hospitalized at least five of them in critical condition
noel anjo a demonstrator said that students from the university had decided to take buses to parliament to protest but that they were stopped at a police roadblock and asked to disembark he said he later heard shots no one knows yet how many are hurt he said
video posted on social media showed a number of people running as shots rang out and photos showed wounded people being carried the authenticity of the images could not immediately be verified
a statement from mr oneills office blamed agitators from outside the university for both the violence and the weeks of student protest saying that members of the political opposition had been involved in the demonstrations
the facts relayed to me are that a small group of students were violent threw rocks at police and provoked a response that came in the form of tear gas and warning shots mr oneill said in the statement the factors that led to students being injured are yet to be ascertained
the statement promised an investigation of what it called external funding of the protests it made no mention of the police or of investigating the shooting as human rights watch has demanded
phil robertson the rights groups deputy asia director said mr oneill should immediately launch an impartial thorough and transparent investigation and all officials found criminally culpable for orders and actions resulting in injuries and deaths should be held to account no matter what their rank
demonstrators set fire to a university dormitory after the shooting according to the police who also said that some shops had been looted
mr oneill who was elected in 2012 has been accused of authorizing millions of dollars in corrupt payments to a law firm which he denies opposition politicians have called for him to temporarily step down from his office while an investigation is conducted


san francisco   the internet was created nearly 40 years ago by men   and a few women   who envisioned an intergalactic network where humans could pull data and computing resources from any mainframe in the world and in the process free up their minds from mundane and menial tasks
the hope is that in not too many years human brains and computing machines will be coupled wrote joseph carl robnett licklider who was known as lick and is the man widely remembered as the internets johnny appleseed mr licklider joined the pentagon in 1962 and his ideas later formed the basis for the militarys primordial internet work
even a big vision idealist like mr licklider could never have imagined that more than 50 years later we would be telling the internet our deepest secrets and our whereabouts and plugging in our smartphones refrigerators cars oil pipelines power grid and uranium centrifuges
and even the early internet pioneers at the pentagon could not have foreseen that half a century later the billions of mistakes made along the way to creating the internet of today and all the things attached to it would be strung together to form the stage for modern warfare
it is rare to find a computer today that is not linked to another that is not baked with circuitry applications and operating systems and that has not   at one point or another   been probed by a hacker digital criminal or nation looking for weaknesses to exploit for profit espionage or destruction
there is plenty of raw material to work with on average there are 15 to 50 defects per 1000 lines of code in delivered software according to steve mcconnell the author of code complete today most of the applications we rely on   google chrome microsoft firefox and android   contain millions of lines of code and the complexity of technology is increasing and with it the potential for defects
the motivation to find exploitable defects in widely used code has never been higher governments big and small are stockpiling vulnerabilities and exploits in hardware software applications algorithms and even security defenses like firewalls and antivirus software
they are using these holes to monitor their perceived enemies and many governments are storing them for a rainy day when they might just have to drop a payload that disrupts or degrades an adversarys transportation energy or financial system
they are willing to pay anyone who can find and exploit these weaknesses top dollar to hand them over and never speak a word to the companies whose programmers inadvertently wrote them into software in the first place
the world caught one of its first glimpses of the market for vulnerabilities this year when james b comey the director of the federal bureau of investigation suggested that his agency paid hackers more than 13 million for an iphone exploit that allowed the fbi to bypass apples security
that is on par with what other companies that buy and sell bugs to governments like zerodium have offered to pay zerodium said it paid hackers 1 million for information on weaknesses in apples ios 9 operating system last fall but the company resells those weaknesses to governments at a markup
those who follow the bug and exploit trade market closely caught an even bigger glimpse of its sponsors last summer when an italian outfit called hacking team   which packages weaknesses into surveillance tools for governments across the globe   was itself hacked
the leaks revealed a long customer list including police departments law enforcement and intelligence agencies in the united states europe and countries like bahrain ethiopia sudan uzbekistan kazakhstan azerbaijan and morocco
but the market for exploitable bugs is much bigger than hacking teams client list and nations have been paying huge sums to hackers willing to turn over those weaknesses to governments and withhold them from software companies for more than 20 years
in most cases those holes have been used for espionage but increasingly they are being used for destruction stuxnet the american israeli computer worm that was used to destroy centrifuges at irans natanz nuclear facility in 2009 and 2010 used four vulnerabilities in microsoft windows and one in a printer service to attack and spin irans uranium centrifuges out of control or stop spinning them entirely
once stuxnet and its motivations were uncovered   first by a security researcher in belarus and then around the world   a pandoras box was opened
today more than 100 governments have publicly acknowledged their own offensive cyberwar programs countries that were not in the market before stuxnet was discovered are in it now
iranian officials now claim to have the third largest digital army in the world behind the united states and china those claims are impossible to verify in large part because most countries keep such programs secret but iranian hackers have made plenty of demonstrations
government officials in the united states hold iranian hackers responsible for what they describe as a retaliatory attack against saudi aramco in 2012 that replaced the data on 30000 aramco computers with an image of a burning american flag
the next year iranian hackers were blamed for a series of attacks on the united states banking system and while security experts who have analyzed those attacks claim that the iranians abilities are still nowhere near those of the united states and its closest allies they are steadily improving
nations took a while to catch on to the wartime potential of the internet but countries are now doubling down on their digital attack capabilities
the verdict is still out on whether attacks like stuxnet violate international law digital espionage like the chinese hacking of the office of personnel management discovered last year does not and even when such attacks violate domestic laws the penalties are not much of a deterrent to attackers punching keystrokes from the other side of the world


at the climax of ace ventura pet detective the 1994 comedy that vaulted jim carrey into superstardom our rubber faced hero has a showdown with a woman who he suspects was once a man
not that shes called transgender in the movie the term was not in widespread use at the time and there was little culturally suspect then about playing gender identity for laughs instead as in many fictional depictions of transgender people in that era the scenes prevailing emotion is of nose holding disgust
though there are still controversies about how the media treats gender identity its fair to say that no major studio today would release a film that depicted transgender people so cruelly movies and television shows now abound with trans characters who are real people not the convenient targets of gross out jokes   see orange is the new black or transparent
how in the span of just two decades did transgender people go from being an acceptable target of movie bigotry to being a group whose rights are now championed by presidential order people in the movement for transgender equality cite many reasons for rising acceptance among them the spillover effects of the gay rights movement and a sustained effort by transgender activists entertainers and ordinary people to make themselves and their lives more visible
but there has also been another force at play facebook
many in the trans community will tell you that the social network has played an indispensable role in changing for the better what its like to live as a transgender person in america despite much to be wary of about facebook   its ubiquity its invasiveness its capacity to alter much about the national mood   it has also become a critical tool for visibility and equality and may be one reason that mainstream attitudes toward transgender people are shifting so rapidly
television made a huge different to the civil rights movement absolutely for this community its been facebook now we have something thats even more rapid than tv said aidan key a transgender rights organizer who runs an annual conference on gender identity issues now you can see real life transgender people you can hear their stories you can see the parents who have transgender children just imagine what kind of impact that has had
the idea of a social network prompting tolerance may sound more than a tad dreamy in an election year marked by interminable online strife in which twitter and facebook sit at the center of a daily five alarm fire of outrage and recrimination
there is now widespread concern that online news is pushing people toward adopting more polarized points of view not to mention indulging acceptance of baseless ideas and conspiracies interacting on the internet it is usually assumed dehumanizes us all it can deaden our capacity for understanding other people every day brings fresh horrors from our dystopian online life whether its terrorist recruitment efforts illegal gun sales on facebook or the special symbol created by neo nazis to target jews for attack in other words yes the internet on most days feels like a cesspool
but the experiences of transgender people on facebook suggest that many of these assumptions arent so open and shut scholars who study online interaction say that humans do feel empathy online we can be moved by what happens on the internet and we carry what happens there to our interactions beyond it
sometimes unexpectedly the internet redeems itself
though the numbers arent precise researchers estimate that about 03 percent of the united states population or about 700000 adults identifies as transgender
thats about a tenth of the number of americans who identify as lesbian gay or bisexual   a population so small it defies any obvious efforts to form a community based on proximity what the numbers mean for transgender people and their families is geographical isolation its hard to find others nearby who are like you and its hard to get people who arent like you to understand what its like to be you
there was no information and it was very difficult for my husband and i to find out what was going on said deshanna neal the mother of a 12 year old transgender daughter trinity who began showing signs of discomfort with her gender when she was a toddler
ms neal who lives in wilmington del said she felt at sea i honestly had no idea children could be transgender she said neither did the experts she consulted for every doctor and therapist we took her to she was the first trans person that they had ever dealt with at that age
bridging people who are spread across vast geographies into a single community is of course the sort of problem the internet was practically created to solve
for lesbian gay and transgender people online interaction afforded another luxury besides mere connection it fostered a middle ground between being secretive and being out a safe space for testing out a new way of living
in the last few years the number of facebook groups for transgender adults and teenagers and for the parents of young transgender children has grown rapidly one facebook support group that mr key belongs to has doubled from 2000 members to 4000 in the span of a few months he said a private group for the families of transgender children in the san francisco bay area has grown to about 60 families in the last year according to the groups founder lara who asked that her last name not be published to protect the privacy of her 10 year old transgender daughter
parents say the online groups have also helped them look out for and intervene in difficult situations transgender people face an alarmingly high rate of suicide many times people on the verge of a suicide attempt will hint at it online
and now that we have these groups we immediately go into action said debi jackson whose 9 year old daughter avery socially transitioned when she was 4 well ask is anyone nearby can we get someone there who can call the police its become a lifesaving tool
but little happens on facebook without everyone else seeing it so as more transgender people came to the social network to find others like them other people on facebook began to notice transgender people there too mere visibility has had a positive effect
its not all about activism ms jackson said its just being out there as a regular person and being known as a normal person   to show that its not salacious that trans people are really just normal people who talk about movies and music and who post silly cat pictures as normal as everyone else
there have been no academic studies on the role that the increased visibility of transgender people online has played in helping to shift views about them but there are clues from other research
according to a study published last year by l mark carrier a psychology professor at california state university dominguez hills and several colleagues online interactions can produce a sense of empathy in people the researchers found that you can identify and gain a feeling of understanding for another persons emotional travails online just as you would in real life
what we found is there is a different kind of empathy produced online mr carrier said in an interview in general this virtual empathy is not as strong as the sense of empathy we experience in face to face communication
but the internet affords us the opportunity for many more interactions than we might be able to handle off line a recent study that tracked dutch teenagers social media use for a year found that using sites like facebook improved peoples ability to understand and share the feelings of others
empathy is often considered a baseline necessity for prompting social change sometimes this process creates a kind of meme that spreads across the network not unlike the chewbacca mom video
researchers at facebook found that something like this occurred in march 2013 when people began to change their avatars to the equals sign in support of same sex marriage rights expressing your support for gay marriage may present some social cost many people might have been reluctant to make their views known if they feared others would disagree so the change happened in a cascade the more friends you saw changing their avatars the more likely you were to do so too
changing your avatar to support a social cause has often been criticized as slacktivism a lazy mans protest that doesnt induce real world change that could be true in geopolitics the mullahs in iran arent going to alter their governing philosophy because lots of american teenagers on twitter turned their avatars green
but on domestic social issues the perceived prevalence of a viewpoint changes the politics of it the more visible gay people became in the culture and in straight peoples personal lives the more accepting the outside world became that made it easier for more gay people to come out which increased acceptance and on and on in a feedback loop
a similar dynamic now seems to be influencing transgender acceptance since 2014 the advocacy group human rights campaign has commissioned an annual survey on how americans feel about transgender people each year the percentage of people who say they personally know or work with trans people has gone up and each year americans have reported higher favorability toward transgender people
that sentiment is not always obvious online transgender people and especially the parents of transgender children say that they see a lot of ugliness on facebook directed at them those in the limelight in the lgbt   and especially t   world have to endure the worst of the internet its comments sections said ina fried a transgender technology journalist who works for the technology news site recode
but ms fried like many trans people says that the costs of online visibility are far outweighed by the accelerating social acceptance
ms neal the mother of the 12 year old trinity said that an elementary school classmate of hers had recently reached out to her on facebook he was on the other side of this issue ms neal said we had never really talked to each other in school but knowing me and knowing that i had a trans child that connected us and me being vocal and advocating for my trans child made him realize maybe im on the wrong side of history


the photograph might be mistaken for a norman rockwell print a fighter kitted out in safari gear and boxing gloves landing the gentlest of blows on the head of a small girl in a flared blue skirt a cherry red turtleneck and a pair of exceptionally cool little sneakers worn with neither socks nor tights no rope a dope for this kid shes got one small clenched fist raised
the big guy is muhammad ali im the kid
the photographer carl fischer snapped the picture during a shoot for the cover of the september 1974 issue of sport magazine scheduled to hit the newsstands just weeks before what would become one of the most legendary matchups in the history of boxing the rumble in the jungle in which ali would face the heavyweight champ george foreman in kinshasa zaire the fight was originally slated for sept 25 but was delayed until oct 30 because of an injury foreman sustained while training
my father dick schaap was the editor of sport at the time and wrote in an editors note about the story and the photo shoot
i certainly was too young to grasp at the time the subversive brilliance of staging ali in the costume of one of the most famous archetypes of white privilege and power given his unapologetic identity as a race man his potent pride in his blackness i wish i could remember more about that day but after more than 40 years the memories have inevitably faded i recall it now in a softly spectral way i somehow knew even if i wouldnt have said it this way at the time that i was in the presence of a great human who was also very funny and who took the time to play with children and seemed to enjoy it i remember his physical presence so vast compared with my toddler smallness my mother once explained to me that the reason my legs are bare is that id been horsing around with alis kids before the shoot and tore up my nice woolen tights so badly she had to remove them
i also remember how deeply my father loved and delighted in the company of muhammad ali on abc news in 2001 less than a year before he died he recounted the story one i had heard him tell often
the story which i couldnt love more says much about both men my father never lost that interest in pretty women and never lost the love he felt for that young louisville boxer alis wit grew only quicker and more luminous until it was quieted by parkinsons disease and his commitment to telling tough truths even if in this case the truth was exaggerated only deepened
just a few years after the picture was taken after the issue of sport was published after ali bested the fearsome favored foreman in kinshasa and regained his world champion title my parents marriage ended and ended badly many years of conflict and hurt and misunderstanding between my dad and me followed but one steadfast bond was our love for muhammad ali for my father it was personal and undeniably mutual for me it was more distant more abstracted but still very real
there were times when i was dismissive of both the world of sport and my fathers engagement with it especially in my long phase as an angry adolescent activist and would be poet i got over it and never for a minute was i dismissive of muhammad ali   who was after all an athlete who also happened to be dazzlingly deft with language and one of the boldest most fearless most radical fighters for social justice our country has ever known
i often think that my childhood was wasted on me so many other kids would have appreciated having a sports reporter for a father   and all the outings to baseball stadiums madison square garden and flushing meadows and the countless encounters with the star athletes of the era that it made possible   much more than i did in truth i usually resented it for the brief time my family was together my fathers work often took him out of town cut dinners short and occupied it sometimes felt to me more space in his head and his heart than i did in the ideal make believe family i fantasized about as a kid my mother was donna summer and my father owned a bookshop
but this photograph is my greatest treasure ive taken it with me from home to home in my youth dorm to dorm in college and everywhere ive lived as an adult it is my talisman my big brag my stalwart conversation starter its proof that at age 3 i went one round with the greatest of all time its also the most tangible connection i have to my father gone now almost 15 years and a reminder that really i wouldnt trade my childhood or him for anything or anyone


luis rodriguez 5 who has autism cannot speak and walks awkwardly on his toes but on a recent spring afternoon he sat perfectly astride a blond pony in a barn in forest hills queens and showed everyone how he felt erupting into applause at his accomplishment
the small therapeutic riding company where luis is a student will soon move into its own place for the first time after winning a contract with new york city to take over a financially troubled riding stable in howard beach queens the move will allow the company gallopnyc to serve 800 children on its waiting list and teach 2000 students a year compared with the 700 currently enrolled
gallopnyc began 11 years ago as a weekly program teaching riding skills to children with physical and intellectual disabilities using a handful of ponies and horses it eked out space in the riding rings at one of the citys few remaining public riding stables kensington stables in prospect park brooklyn today gallopnyc has expanded into stables in several neighborhoods including mill basin in brooklyn and pelham bay in the bronx
teaching children with disabilities to ride is a group effort with methodology set out by the professional association of therapeutic horsemanship international as luis rode in forest hills bursting into giggles at points volunteers stood on each side bracing his legs against the horses flanks another volunteer led the palomino while a fourth called out instructions when it was time to trot the whole team ran beside the horse while luis bounced along beaming
every semester we have a rider classified as nonverbal who surprises us by saying walk on or trot on said james wilson gallopnycs director of operations and a former rodeo rider from texas referring to commands to make a horse go
outside the riding ring at lynnes riding center the stable in forest hills where gallop has been sharing space kathy wang hugged her son david yang 5 after he got off his horse david who has autism and has difficulty focusing stays grounded when he is on horseback she said he also just loves it
on the weekend he takes his bicycle and says walk on and trot on ms wang said with a laugh
the need to use multiple people to work with riders with disabilities can make riding rings feel cramped as gallopnyc grew   it now has four full time staff members and 400 volunteers   it underscored the need for its own home said alicia kershaw the organizations executive director after the citys department of parks and recreation requested proposals for cedar lane stables in howard beach gallopnyc won the contract in december
next to a shopping mall cedar lane stables sit on a scraggly triangle of land dotted with shipping containers in 2013 six horses died in rapid succession there prompting the city to close the stables temporarily over concerns for the animals welfare
the stables have been run since 1994 by the federation of black cowboys a group that promotes the history of blacks in the american west through school field trips many pioneering cowboys were escaped slaves according to the group an often overlooked past
the stable was run on what is known as a rough board system   members of the federation who owned horses were responsible for their daily upkeep the method kept costs low since there were no stablehands to pay of the six horses that died three died of natural causes and one was killed in an accident the other two belonged to an absentee owner members of the federation said at the time and may have starved to death
since gallopnyc was awarded the contract for cedar lane the parks department has promoted conversations between the groups in an effort to allow the federation to stay at the stables gallop has agreed to rent stalls to the federation but the cost will increase to 650 per month from 175 a month
kesha morse president of the federation said that might be out of reach for many members who now number about 20 i hope we have a future ms morse said
gallopnyc a nonprofit has agreed to spend 180000 to repair the dilapidated stable including towing rusted machinery and paving the aisle between the horse stalls which is now a path covered in manure an architect who specializes in equestrian facilities john blackburn has donated his services for a future renovation
sam biederman a spokesman for the parks department said in addition to demonstrating the long term financial solvency that is crucial to the maintenance of an equestrian operation gallopnyc proposed investments in the licensed premises as well as in the community through job training and riding programs
at a recent gallopnyc fund raiser in queens sol reischer spoke about his daughter lauren who has cerebral palsy and as a toddler was unable to part her legs the first time she did was when she got on a horse as a student in a gallop program he said today she is a teenager cantering around the ring
you have people whose lives are pretty circumscribed   a lot of our riders have one on one aides and very little freedom ms kershaw said they get on the horse and they can tell the horse where to go and where they cant go its really a feeling of power it gives them a sense of possibility they dont often feel


jun spain   when jose antonio rodriguez salass daughter martina was born in april he   like many proud new parents   turned to social media to share the news
but mr rodriguez salas the mayor of jun a small town nestled in the foothills outside granada in southern spain did not post a message through his own twitter account instead he wrote a short message from martinajun a twitter account he had created for his newborn saying ive just been born
to mr rodriguez salass more than 400000 followers on the social network his actions came as no surprise that is because the spanish politician has spent much of the last five years turning jun pronounced hoon whose population barely tops 3500 into one of the most active users of twitter anywhere in the world
for the towns residents more than half of whom have twitter accounts their main way to communicate with local government officials is now the social network need to see the local doctor send a quick twitter message to book an appointment see something suspicious let juns policeman know with a tweet
people in jun can still use traditional methods like completing forms at the town hall to obtain public services but mr rodriguez salas said that by running most of juns communications through twitter he not only has shaved on average 13 percent or around 380000 from the local budget each year since 2011 but he also has created a digital democracy where residents interact online almost daily with town officials
everyone can speak to everyone else whenever they want said mr rodriguez salas in his office surrounded by twitter paraphernalia while sporting a wristband emblazoned with lovetwitter we are on twitter because thats where the people are
while politicians like president obama and narendra modi indias prime minister regularly send messages on twitter to their millions of followers juns use of the social network is something different
by incorporating twitter into every aspect of daily life   even the local schools lunch menu is sent out through social media   this spanish town has become a test bed for how cities may eventually use social networks to offer public services
jun is one of a group of islands of innovation in the public sector said arthur mickoleit a researcher who until recently was a digital government adviser at the organization for economic cooperation and development in paris theyre tapping into social media to improve public services
juns embrace of twitter did not happen overnight
mr rodriguez salas a career politician was elected juns mayor in 2005   the year before twitter was founded   after serving as deputy mayor in 2011 he asked all town officials   from his deputy to the street sweeper   to open accounts on twitter and send messages about their daily activities the goal he said was to create greater accountability and transparency over how jun was run mr rodriguez salas added that he chose twitter over facebook because twitter allowed quicker interactions
juns officials also started asking residents to verify their twitter accounts at the town hall   a relatively simple process of checking peoples government ids with their online profiles to ensure their concerns were answered online
officials began with basic services like public maintenance letting people tweet when they saw a broken streetlight or a road that needed cleaning
mr rodriguez salas said such activities built good will with residents who at first opened twitter accounts sporadically but since 2013 the online activity has become almost universal as people saw how their neighbors used the service
maria jose martinez juns information technology chief also ran courses at the community center to teach twitter 101 such as sending direct messages and using the right hashtag during local campaigns
one recent hashtag that residents have used is endesameestresa or endesa youre stressing me out to highlight problems with endesa a local utility after the company was confronted with juns angry tweets it quickly fixed the blackouts mr rodriguez salas said an endesa spokeswoman declined to comment
we can check if theyre really working or not said paco castellano a resident who recently opened a twitter account mostly to keep tabs on local officials
mr rodriguez said these interactions have made the town more efficient just as juns budget   like many spanish towns   is under strain his officials rarely receive calls or visits from people looking for help he said
using twitter has also reduced the need for some jobs jun cut its police force by three quarters to just one officer soon after turning to twitter as its main form of communication when residents began tweeting potential problems directly to the mayor
we dont have one police officer mr rodriguez salas said we have 3500
jun has not gone unnoticed by twitter dick costolo the companys chief executive until 2015 visited last summer leaving his handprints in cement below an obelisk topped with twitters logo of a blue bird the massachusetts institute of technology with funding from twitter has analyzed how the towns residents have benefited from using the social network jun does not receive money from twitter for using the service
for justo ontiveros juns remaining police officer those benefits are up close and personal he now receives up to 20 mostly private messages from locals daily with concerns ranging from advice on filling out forms to reporting crimes like domestic abuse and speeding
mr ontiveros said his daily twitter interactions have given him both greater visibility within the community and a higher level of personal satisfaction as neighbors now regularly stop him in the street to discuss things that he has posted on twitter
it gives people more power to come and talk to me about their problems said mr ontiveros whose department twitter account has more than 3500 followers
still juns reliance on twitter has not been universally embraced
several residents said they would prefer officials to focus on providing public services over promoting themselves on the social network the mayors wife also has kept a low profile on the social network she prefers to be anonymous mr rodriguez salas said
its unclear too whether lessons from jun can be replicated on a larger scale several analysts said while some question whether a publicly listed company like twitter should be permitted to help provide government services
should a municipality take pride in cutting its work force by outsourcing it to an international company said richard rogers a professor of new media at the university of amsterdam
for jose maria de la torre sarmiento an architect who recently stopped by juns town hall after work to verify his twitter account the chance to quickly send tweets remained preferable to submitting government forms that often took weeks to process
i work from home and use internet services all the time he said during the five minute verification process why cant i do the same thing when i use public services


it may now be time to seriously consider what would happen if britain left the european union
for months opinion polls indicated that britons would vote on june 23 to remain within the 28 nation union but recent polls have shown a lead for the leave camp including one that puts it five percentage points ahead
brexit as britains potential exit from the european union is known would be a big deal it could batter global markets weigh on economic growth alter the balance of power in europe and affect the united states relations with the continent president obama took it upon himself to urge britain to stay within the union
just as it would be a mistake to read much into a few polls the recent move toward brexit should not be dismissed out of hand
first off the polls may be more accurate than their critics give them credit for
britains pollsters came in for derision after the countrys general election just over a year ago polls before that vote overwhelmingly forecast a too close to call race between the conservative party and the labour party after a solid conservative victory an independent commission found that the 2015 polls were probably the most inaccurate since polling began in 1945 the main cause said the commission was that the polls used samples of people that underrepresented conservative voters people who now are more likely to favor leaving the european union the polling companies have attempted to fix such flaws and they performed quite well in recent contests including the vote for londons mayor
true the betting markets are predicting that there is a 72 percent chance that britain will vote to stay in but bettors seem less sure after the recent polls even though the markets also failed to predict the conservative victory last year there are good reasons to think that the betting markets have the brexit decision right polls take a snapshot of what a sample of people think at one time bettors can look at the polls and also take into account other factors that can influence an election like the strength of a campaign and the future of the economy
sometimes just one issue can have a big influence on an election immigration may turn out to be that issue for the brexit vote
the leave campaigns recent surge in the polls appears to have been prompted by the release of new numbers on net migration into britain the latest figures showed a net inflow of 333000 people in 2015 the numbers had been riding high for months so it was hardly a surprise but those in favor of leaving have brandished the figure to try to damage the standing of britains prime minister david cameron who wants britain to remain in the european union his opponents pointed out that he had said he was aiming for migration numbers that were far lower
the big question now is whether concerns about immigration will be strong enough for the out camp to win
from an economic perspective britain appears to benefit from immigration immigrants from europe pay substantially more in taxes than they receive in benefits and britain appears to need more workers its unemployment rate is 51 percent more revealing the countrys employment rate which records the proportion of people between 16 and 64 who are working is 742 percent the highest level since comparable statistics began to be tracked in 1971
but the leave campaign can exploit economic insecurities that dont show up in headline employment numbers including any fears that britains curry houses are understaffed
immigration may have more pull as an issue of sovereignty those who support brexit believe that the european union has taken too many powers from the british government britain must now abide by european union rules that allow the unions citizens freedom of movement across the region this generally prevents britain from placing restrictions on legal immigration from nations in the european union
by coming out of the union it would regain that power and taking that back might seem particularly important to those voters who fear that britain will have to take in large numbers of refugees from the middle east and north africa who have fled to europe
still the leave camp may just be enjoying a brief moment in the sun the remain side may recapture strength as the vote gets closer especially if the economic costs of leaving begin to seem too high to the voters brexit could cause stocks in british companies to plunge and bond yields to rise the pound is already heading lower after leaving britains exporters might not have the same access to the hugely important european market and over time other businesses might relocate to countries within the european union
peter kellner an experienced british pollster noted on monday that in previous referendums voters in britain briefly flirted with taking the country in a new direction but ended up backing the status quo and while the record of past referendums does not guarantee a shift to remain in the final days of the current campaign it does suggest that such a shift is more likely than not mr kellner wrote
that is hardly the most reassuring prediction for those who want britain to stay in the european union but it may be all they have to cling to in the next two and a half weeks


paris   whit stillman would prefer that you not call him an expat though its been 18 years since the filmmaker left manhattan propelled in part by what he calls the impossible economics of new york
in so doing he continued a storied tradition of financial exiles here like f scott fitzgerald and the rolling stones forward deployed american is his preferred term borrowed from a boarding school acquaintance who was posted abroad for work and never returned
mr stillman of course is a man devoted to the precision of language and keenly attuned to the taxonomies of class culture and nationality terminology matters though labels are always ripe for lampooning
among the choicest stillman labels was the urban haute bourgeoisie of metropolitan or uhb as one character put it impishly sounding out the neologism
that exquisite first film out in 1990 and made for just 225000 introduced what would be stillman territory throughout three more movies the moral questing of a group of preening and idealistic preppies on the verge of adulthood with their fastidious scripts loopy erudition and pitch perfect sets from the rumpled sofas of a park avenue living room in metropolitan to the greek revival village that was the fictitious college of damsels in distress out in 2012 a stillman movie presented such a particular worldview   the inner lives of the over educated   that he was quickly and inevitably dubbed the wasp woody allen
for the last few years mr stillman 64 has been forwardly deployed in the apartment of his girlfriend marianne monnier who works in finance and the youngest two of her five children who attend college here they share a series of rooms on the top two floors of a 17th century apartment building in the marais district mr stillman has two daughters one in medical school in florida and one working as a lawyer in new york
sparsely furnished with ms monniers family antiques   like mr stillman ms monnier can trace her patrician roots back for generations   the apartment is an austere and elegant setting that would not be out of place in one of mr stillmans films
that hardly anything in this apartment belongs to mr stillman is a matter of pride for him since he separated from his wife in 2002 his aim largely successful has been to reduce his possessions to those that would fit in a small rolling duffel bag his excesses he said are white and blue cotton boxers from brooks brothers
i prefer the taste of others though i havent seen the movie so i dont know what that means mr stillman said a joking reference to a french film from 2000
one saturday afternoon in late may he and the duffel bag were at home for 48 hours after having spent a month in the united states promoting his new film love and friendship a sly comedy oscar wilde by way of stella gibbons with a script that is a stillmanesque and modern reimagining of a youthful epistolary novel by jane austen
the next day he would fly to dublin and then london for the movies british opening he hadnt slept much what with jet lag and a panicky phone call from his distribution company in the early hours of the morning
mr stillman was also traumatized he said by the fact that he hadnt been able to choose the films stills which meant that to his eyes the movie was being marketed like a womens genre film are period adaptations womens films he asked or are they for everyone just like jane austen is for everyone i dont think theres anything cliche feminine about jane austen and anyway her earliest champions were sir walter scott and the prince regent
it probably isnt important though i really regret not being able to he said still worrying over those stills it was my own fault for blowing through a deadline for the movies companion novel titled love  friendship in which jane austens lady susan vernon is entirely vindicated which meant he had to finish the book when he should have been choosing images  mr stillman never a speedy writer adheres to the motto first thought worst thought
mr stillman broached the idea of the novel in a tweet which was then seen by an assistant at little brown and company given mr stillmans reactionary reputation not to mention his loquaciousness its surprising how enthusiastic he is about that medium tweets can hurt but they also can help said mr stillman adding that he loves the challenge of expressing himself in 140 characters
the book a postmodern confection featuring a malevolent unreliable and spectacularly dim narrator named rufus   who is addicted to footnotes and dedicated to slandering the spinster authoress as he calls jane austen   is very very funny and stands on its own merits
in addition to the contents of mr stillmans scuffed duffel bag   bought for just 21 euros about 24 he boasted   his scant possessions here include two independent film festival awards and a curious looking white vase festooned with gold circles those circles are supposed to represent disco mr stillman said
the vase was a trophy given to him in 2014 when he won the prix fitzgerald a literary award for his first novel the last days of disco with cocktails at petrossian afterwards a comic companion to his 1998 film the last days of disco
kindly self deprecating and prone to extreme thrift mr stillman explained his light domestic footprint this way sometimes people who are very fastidious about what theyre going to do in their work are not very fastidious in their private life im like that i love it when people do really nice things around me but i dont have time to do it for myself its very hard for me to even buy a new pair of trousers
on that afternoon he was wearing a white button down shirt dark blue corduroy pants worn smooth at the knees and a pair of new blundstone boots swag from this years sundance film festival he was grateful for the largess since he didnt receive a directing fee for love and friendship
as he explained it he receives a fee only if a film is profitable no worries now he said love and friendship made the top 10 in its category in the united states the united kingdom and the netherlands over memorial day weekend a first for him with indie films you get used to long periods without income always hoping for pay dirt
mr stillmans contribution to ms monniers apartment was to suggest a multiplicity of doors when she renovated he said so that every passageway and room can be closed off like those on a boat its a new life with doors said ms monnier of her roommate mr stillman added my flair factor is that i go to a cafe every morning to write so im never here
ms monniers contribution to his films has been editing the french subtitles of love and friendship an urgent role since an interpreter for damsels in distress rendered adam brodys characters name packenstacker as a really bad kind of dirty joke instead of what is to american ears just a long and funny name mr stillman said
his french is very correct except for his accent which makes him sound like zorro ms monnier said he learned spanish in mexico during a semester off from harvard and so he speaks french with a mexican accent
ms monnier and mr stillman met 14 years ago at a party in a parisian suburb an event memorialized in the cosmopolitans a pilot on amazon in 2014 about a group of young american expats in paris starring two stillman regulars chloe sevigny and mr brody hes trying to write six more scripts now he said but has no idea if the series will continue
i was taken there by my friend george and we were lost and we were late mr stillman said recalling that evening our driver was a ex mossad agent george is one of those people who knows everyone hes a serbian preppy which is very much like an american preppy anyway when we arrived there was this sort of bouquet of french femininity sitting in chairs on a terrace space is made for us and we sit down between the lovely young women
ms monnier said i dont remember the other women i thought i was alone
mr stillman smiled at her you could have been
in the cosmopolitans the young strivers confidently proclaim themselves parisian to a deeply unimpressed american fashion journalist played with exquisite disdain by ms sevigny
one young man is in an on again off again relationship with a french divorcee named clemence a character inspired by ms monnier his friends gloat that he has infiltrated french society at its most resistant
to which ms sevignys character responds incredulously you guys have girlfriends with names like clemence
theres always a temptation to conflate mr stillmans work with his biography in metropolitan the main character tom is a child of divorce with an absent father thanks to a wicked stepmother who pines for a young heartbreaker named serena who simultaneously wooed a number of boarding school boys with her prodigious letter writing all of which mr stillman experienced
the other day ann pyne president of mcmillen inc the design firm and the real life model for serena said recently that while her character throws away all of toms letters she saved mr stillmans and has them still tied in ribbons in a cardboard box they are romantic dispatches from another world written in perfect cursive on letterpress stationery and filled with musings on agrarian socialism and mr stillmans appreciation of ms pynes charms
whit wasnt a very natural 15 year old she said he was playing a literary role and he had cast me into a literary role as well as a grown up i remember feeling flattered by my part in metropolitan because at 40 i wasnt worried about being a bitch whereas dreary that was cause for worry
mostly i remember weeping with excitement that whit had gotten everything exactly right which is not to say that he just took the biography and put it out there as an artist he liberated the material from its time and place
on a recent saturday night mr stillman and ms monnier met carolin young an american friend gastronomic historian and culture writer at cafe hugo on the place des vosges after which they toured victor hugos house noting the parisian pretensions of the characters in the cosmopolitans ms young and mr stillman said emphatically that paris wasnt exactly home for them but it was certainly home base
what confuses people about whit is that his films are autobiographical but they are also fiction ms young said later and that gets problematic sometimes its hard to separate the characters in the films from whit himself part of what he loves about living here i think is that not many people know the films so he doesnt have to play whit stillman he can just be whit stillman
mr stillman however doesnt quite agree im not really sure i know what that means he said as an american in paris i think ive enjoyed the isolation when i wasnt horribly lonely


by now you have probably heard that the latest employment report suggests that job growth is slowing my best guess is that this is a signal that the economy is reverting to a more sustainable rate of growth rather than anything more drastic
but what if im wrong
its possible that the economy is slowing significantly   that fridays jobs report is the canary in the coal mine perhaps employment is slowing because of election related anxiety or fed induced fears of higher interest rates or concerns about the world economy maybe the recovery has run its course
whatever it is i find it hard to think of a time in recent american history when policy makers are as ill prepared to respond
the federal reserve still has interest rates set nearly as low as they will go this means it cant use its standard tool of cutting rates to stimulate the economy
typically that would suggest turning to fiscal stimulus but the odds of a timely stimulus are slim though its only early june washington is already gripped by election fever and congress has decided to punt on just about every major issue until after the election
as a result fiscal policy will most likely be delayed at least until a new administration takes office in early 2017 and who knows what the priorities of the new president might be
add in the usual lags in recognizing the downturn and then passing and ultimately carrying out fiscal policy and it seems unlikely that an economic slowdown will generate much of a policy response for nearly a year
if the economy falters perhaps the federal reserve will return to a policy of quantitative easing but this would require a major shift in thinking as the fed now seems impatient to return to more normal interest rates im doubtful that the fed has any desire to reverse course soon and particularly not in the run up to an election
after all despite members protests to the contrary the fed is itself a political institution not in the sense that it stacks the decks to help democrats or republicans it doesnt but the fed is interested in preserving its own legitimacy it fiercely guards its independence which has been under attack for the last few years most visibly by the audit the fed movement despite the name it is not about auditing the fed which is already thoroughly audited rather it is about making individual monetary policy decisions subject to congressional review
if the fed were to turn to unconventional measures in the months before an election political furor would be likely
fed officials would face a very difficult decision they could follow an expansionary monetary policy that would set the economy on a better course in the short run but that could anger congress which could harm its effectiveness in the long run
if economic circumstances are sufficiently dire   as they were when the economy cratered during election season eight years ago   that could tip the balance toward monetary stimulus
but a more mundane slowdown   the kind where we spend a few months debating whether its a recession   is unlikely to elicit such a response
worse market expectations of policy inaction can make the economy more vulnerable
when investors are confident that the authorities will counter any recessionary forces they dont need to respond to every disappointment in the data but when they expect inaction even a minor slowdown might snowball into something bigger raising the prospect of a rapid sell off that might itself undermine confidence
even if the economy is doing well theres no guarantee that will persist history teaches us that downturns are rarely expected even a healthy economy can suddenly slow if an earthquake in japan disrupts global trade strife in the middle east causes oil prices to rise or financial trouble in europe becomes contagious we rarely see where the next downturn is coming from
good economic management doesnt focus on todays success but rather on the possibility of tomorrows failures by that metric at least we seem in danger of underperforming


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good evening heres the latest
1 hillary clinton and her supporters reveled in her historic status a day after her primary victories in california and new jersey all but sealed her presidential nomination bernie sanders vowed to fight on but laid off half his staff president obama will meet with mr sanders on thursday morning and aides say the focus will be on nudging him to embrace mrs clintons campaign   and bringing his energetic idealistic supporters with him

2 donald trump now faces an opponent he trails in polls his support is especially low among college educated suburban voters in battleground states he pledged to be worthy of carrying the mantle but some republican stalwarts fear his missteps and attacks on nationalities and ethnic groups may cost them both the white house and senate control

3 the arrest of the influential head of new york citys corrections union norman seabrook on fraud charges revealed a surprise asset for federal prosecutors court documents showed that a central target in one of several inquiries into mayor bill de blasios campaign fund raising has pleaded guilty to fraud conspiracy and is cooperating with the government

4 a national academies of sciences panel offered guidance on a new powerful gene editing capacity that offers humans the ability to alter or eliminate populations of organisms like disease vectors and pests the report warned of risks but encouraged research on gene drive systems which ensure that manipulated dna is passed on to virtually all offspring the potential to reduce human suffering and ecological damage demands scientific attention a panelist said

5 the cavaliers restored some drama to the nba finals which started with two lopsided victories by the warriors playing at home for the first time this series cleveland notched a commanding 120 90 win and stifled golden states air of invincibility ahead of game 4 on friday night

6 the five time grand slam champion maria sharapova said she would appeal an unfairly harsh two year suspension for doping she noted that the international tennis federation penalized her despite accepting her defense that she did not realize the performance enhancing heart medication meldonium had been prohibited she has lost lucrative sponsorships and this week fell behind serena williams as the worlds highest paid female athlete

7 another court statement emerged in the case of the former stanford student who was sentenced to just six months in jail for sexual assault a letter to the judge from the defendant himself in it brock turner says the woman had consented to the encounter but he admitted imposing trauma and pain on her a childhood friend who wrote him a letter of support that was published this week has seen her band blackballed from brooklyn venues

8 indias prime minister narendra modi addressed a joint meeting of congress on the second day of a visit meant to signal a new warmth and cooperation he encouraged the us to keep a military presence in afghanistan embraced efforts to counter climate change and condemned global terror and he praised silicon valley for bringing together the innovative genius of america and indias intellectual creativity to invent industries of the future

9 two palestinian gunmen posing as restaurant patrons opened fire in a popular tel aviv cafe killing four people and wounding several others more than two dozen israelis and two american visitors have been killed in attacks by palestinian assailants since october

10 this was a lot less fun than a barrel of monkeys this small primate believed to be in the vervet family jumped onto machinery at a hydroelectric power station in kenya setting off a cascade of tripping transformers that caused a nationwide blackout the countrys electricity provider kengen said the monkey was handed over to wildlife services

11 finally our dance critic took in beyonces formation concert and found her 20 or so dancers both a source and a manifestation of her strength a beyonce concert is a display of a female power he writes even when she isnt singing about girls running the world or telling the audience that theres no such thing as a weak woman the dancers back up that message too

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in this episode of modern love the podcast the saturday night live cast member cecily strong reads the modern love essay when the doorman is your main man by julie margaret hogben
the 2015 essay is ms hogbens story of how she formed a bond with her manhattan doorman guzim as a young woman dating in new york who ultimately became a single mother
you can also hear the episode on itunes and stitcher
stay tuned for a surprise guest at the end of the reading
spoiler alert hes the doorman guzim
ms hogben is the author of ally hughes has sex sometimes written under the pen name jules moulin which comes out in paperback on june 14 you can follow her on twitter at jmoulinauthor
ms strong can be seen in the coming remake of ghostbusters this summer you can follow her on facebook and instagram


take the box and sell it demands the artist derrick adams of a group of 13 performers in his latest multidisciplinary adventure on   and thats the only direction he relays in the resulting performance piece they do just that talk up a box contents unknown in the manner of old school infomercials adams calls the work a series finale of his ongoing reanimations of television culture and in some ways its almost antithetical to the format of normal small screen programming performers are mostly untrained with the exception of a few burgeoning talents like suzi analog and jahmir duran abreu there is no script and the live performance happening on friday for the shows opening is entirely improvised including adamss own act the work is designed to allow the performers to feel the space he says i want it to seem very fresh and not polished see a teaser for the work below
on is also the title of adamss expansive new solo show which fills in the grand hall of red hooks experimental culture hub pioneer works the whole show is about a collage of stuff its polished in the production of it but the concept is about fabrication he says i have this philosophy of making art i want people to see that im doing this that its not manufactured adams 46 has plenty of opportunities to convey that during a very busy summer season in addition to the pioneer works show he has a series of exuberant paintings culture club at gateway project spaces beneath newarks penn station and hell unveil a billboard in chicago for the messages in the street project this sunday
the media and television in particular is an artistic preoccupation for adams our media contribution is our contribution to the world he says as an artist you can redirect conversations when youre familiar of the structure and add on to it and do things to it in a way that makes the viewer aware of certain mechanics that are happening within the mechanism that you may not think about when you look at tv one topic adams particularly aims to shed light on is the way tv mediates the american experience of being black this type of show where collage objects come together really reflects black culture in america because we have so many different extensions of identity he says in on adamss performers are turning up the blackness to what you would see on television which often simplifies certain elements of black culture   though to me it complicates it
as a marketing tool tv magnifies how significant the part of the black subject has played in the commodity of selling things adams says   and his inquiry into that topic extends into the adjoining gallery rooms which feature collage paintings made with vintage tv guide covers lamps topped with wigs and an extended meditative riff on the famous 90s television psychic miss cleos infomercials i have a lovehate relationship with media and television he says my practice in general is a middle way of meeting the viewer im interested in form function and formal aesthetics but im also interested in people having fun and enjoying themselves


in comparison to sculpture making jewelry is a very delicate process explains claude lalanne the revered french artist who began making bijoux to give to friends as gifts more than 50 years ago i get the greatest sense of achievement in being able to swap between the two and navigate their differences above the 92 year old talks t through her artistic processes and explains the personal significance of the burnished copper cabinet that holds her own butterfly jewel creations neither a jewelry box nor a display cabinet but a bit of both i think of this as a mini art piece she says its the one and only piece i have ever made to house jewelry it keeps the jewels safe whilst at the same time showing them off normally positioned on the dressing table of her home outside fontainebleau in northern france   i believe jewelry should be seen not stored away out of sight   it will be on view for the first time this week alongside more than 50 small sculptures and jewels at the louisa guinness gallery in london the display comes ahead of a presentation of the artists large scale sculpture by guinnesss husband the gallerist ben brown later this year


this weekend london collections men kicks off across the pond beginning a month of mens fashion shows t and the casting director arianna pradarelli highlight a handful of the most intriguing new faces
20 jamaica
martin claims his most memorable fashion moment is having dinner with raf simons the biggest og ever although were pretty sure its that time he posed for t hes also walked for labels like louis vuitton and maison margiela and whiles away the backstage hours listening to rap specifically future speaking of he says hes planning on launching a clothing brand called t o
represented by select model management
18 france
the natural blond its made me stand out since i was young he says turned up on a handful of fallwinter 2016 runways including jw anderson off white acne studios ami by alexandre mattiussi and rag  bones combined mens and womens wear show in february hes poised to add more names to that list as he continues to travel around the world and help out his family
represented by request model management
16 sweden
sydforss first ever job a steven meisel shoot for vogue italia debuted in january and the chameleon continued on to the mens wear collections booking shows from ermenegildo zegna and prada to msgm and kolor born and raised in stockholm he started playing football at age 4 and idolizes the swedish footballer zlatan ibrahimovic
represented by diva models
22 china
paras talent management in shanghai picked up the guangdong province native after a modeling contest in 2014 for the fallwinter 2016 shows he caught the eye of the avant garde set walking for damir doma walter van beirendonck rick owens and kenzo where he passed the time backstage taking pictures and studying the entire process well be seeing more of him this season   and hopefully soon some of his photography too
represented by elite model management paris
18 germany
within weeks of signing a modeling contract bulang booked his first gig   a prada exclusive for springsummer 2016   and the following mens wear season he appeared on all of the big name runways such as prada raf simons and dior homme hes also posed for spreads in i d and lofficiel hommes germany and in ads for topman apc and msgm despite his ascent he calls himself a normal 18 year old guy and says if i wouldnt have been scouted i would maybe still work as a waiter and then be scooped up by a different scout
represented by tomorrow is another day
22 the netherlands
hart has booked shows like alexander mcqueen prada raf simons dries van noten and dior homme he says the relationship between the designer and models is really cool   for example when i did looks for neil barrett he was super interested in my life and what im doing not just how i look however hart lists music as his top priority the piano player and hammond organist tours with his band the funky organizers we play all over holland france belgium and germany
represented by wilhelmina london
17 france
the paris based drame walked in plenty of fallwinter 2016 shows among them burberry jw anderson fendi prada louis vuitton dries van noten dior homme and at off white as the opener though his favorite way to pass the time backstage is running away from the hairdresser he must be hard to catch too if he werent modeling he would be a professional football player he says and is a devoted paris saint germain fan
represented by 16men model management
17 germany
the berlin based student and saxophonist had a packed fallwinter 2016 mens wear season walking for topman craig green jw anderson alexander mcqueen burberry jil sander gucci msgm valentino hermes y 3 and a slew of other brands but the designer peter dundas seems particularly taken with dame casting the model on his roberto cavalli and just cavalli runways during the womens wear shows however dame says i get nervous really easily especially at castings and before jobs seems to be working for him
represented by tomorrow is another day


times insider delivers behind the scenes insights from the new york times in this piece nina bernstein a reporter for the timess metro section describes the research behind   and some of the results of   her recent investigation into hart island
sometimes it is hard to say precisely when you began working on a story especially one that takes more than a year to reach the readers of the new york times but i know exactly when my project on the hart island mass graves changed from a vague hunch into a journalistic mission the moment was captured by an exclamation mark in an email dated november 10 2014
doris mccrea i wrote in the subject line i found herim so excited
at the time i was still in the middle of reporting a different story about nursing homes seeking guardianship over residents but as an investigative reporter for the metro desk i had also been doing what michael luo my editor calls poking around in this case it meant hunting for data to shed light on a disturbing sight recalled by two people i had interviewed body bags removed from nursing homes in the dead of night said to be destined for a common grave on hart island new york citys potters field
for years i had thought of hart island as the graveyard of last resort for homeless people i had never forgotten a story i wrote in 1999 about a former tunnel dweller whose friends could not bear to see death make him homeless again the specter of an anonymous burial on hart island an uninhabited strip of land in long island sound prompted generous strangers to provide him a grave of his own
im wondering where i might find numbers on how many people buried in potters field ie hart island last resided at a nursing home i wrote in october 2014 to susan beachy a times researcher who is invaluable in any investigation im planning to try to reach melinda hunt who wrote the book on potters field so to speak ... she may have some ideas
i knew that ms hunt a visual artist had long helped families seeking relatives buried on hart island now i learned that as founder and director of the hart island project a nonprofit organization she had a trove of numbers she was willing to share with the times   data from as far back as 1980 digitized by volunteers from handwritten burial ledgers the database included names ages and places and dates of death for 62000 people among more than a million buried on the island since 1869
figuring that homeless people were unlikely to survive to be 100 i asked sarah cohen a times editor and database expert to cull out centenarians later newly aware of the pitfalls of nursing homes and guardianship i suddenly had a powerful hunch that we would find the wards of court appointed guardians buried on hart island even though a guardians duties include setting up a burial trust to prevent that fate
susan the resourceful researcher found an electronic list of guardianship petitions filed in new york county for me sarah sent me a spreadsheet of 60 centenarians buried on hart island highlighting four recent cases on impulse i gave my hunch a chance choosing a woman named doris mccrea who had died at calvary hospital on july 10 2012 at age 100 and had been buried four months later in a hart island trench
and there she was on susans list as the subject of a 1996 guardianship petition doris mccrea i felt as though i had stepped into a dickensian mystery of buried truths and misdeeds waiting to be told
it was not until a frigid day in february that i could start investigating in earnest the mccrea case was the first of many i requested from courthouse storage rooms but bad news came back her file was most likely among the records lost in a brooklyn warehouse fire
i moved on to other cases   the housekeeper whose guardian allowed her home to go into foreclosure and her body to go unclaimed the homeless boy in an 8 suit the opera costume designer who escaped the holocaust but not hart island by the time i was revising the first draft of my article in october 2015 the problem was how to cut individual stories not add more
but the mystery of ms mccrea would not let me go on a late trip to a manhattan courthouse almost a year after i had learned her name i filled out a new request this time a bulging file showed up held together with elastic bands
ms mccrea i learned had worked for decades at the park avenue headquarters of continental grain a global agribusiness corporation rising to lead its central files department widowed in midlife with no children she lived frugally in two furnished rooms at the ten eyck troughton residence an inexpensive haven for women run by the salvation army on east 39th street but she spent weekends in her antique filled house in turners falls mass her husband arthur donald mccrea a former employee of the treasury department was buried there
in retirement her life changed abruptly when she objected to being discharged from a new york hospital to a nursing home after having colon surgery the hospitals lawyers filed a guardianship petition saying she had dementia and eventually collected 4618 from her savings for legal costs some 67000 from the sale of her house would go to the nursing home queens boulevard extended care center before she was poor enough to qualify for medicaid another 37000 in legal and administrative fees went to margaret bomba a prominent guardianship lawyer appointed as her legal protector
ms bomba who bowed out of the case in 2000 and died a year before her former ward did was paid in full despite a memo in the court file pointing out that she had charged extra legal fees for routine work including calls to directory assistance still unlike some guardians she had fulfilled her responsibilities by writing two checks for ms mccreas use 3500 marked luxury fund and 1400 marked burial fund both made out to the nursing home
what happened to that money when i called audrey ponzio a former colleague and friend of ms mccreas she was shocked to learn where ms mccrea had ended up she told me of a prepaid burial arrangement on file at the nursing home which called for ms mccreas body to be transported by thomas quinn funeral home for burial at her husbands side later the funeral home told me that the money had been left in escrow rather than prepaid either way the information   and the money   got lost in the shuffle when toward the end of her life ms mccrea was sent from nursing home to hospital to hospice
six more months would pass before the publication of my 6700 word article it ran with extraordinary video footage recorded in march 2016 by drones that the times used to fly around hart island after the city declined our repeated requests to witness burials firsthand
but doris mccrea was no longer there two weeks before christmas 2015 about two months after my queries she was exhumed and reburied shes where shes supposed to be kevin r mack the funeral homes director said recently declining to divulge the cost shes resting at peace
her name on a headstone well no not yet were working on that he said


sam sifton emails readers of cooking seven days a week to talk about food and suggest recipes that email also appears here to receive it in your inbox register here
good morning the printers were hard as work last night as always assembling the print edition of the new york times that we pile into cars and minivans across the country to deliver to front doors and occasionally the hedges beside them amid grim tidings from abroad alongside reports from tuesdays california primary near the business news and accountings of the sporting life food and with it a delicious article by julia moskin about brownies and how to make them well
i know its the middle of the week but when youre done reading make julias recipe for salted caramel brownies and revel in the excellence of the tips and techniques she picked up during her reporting they result in really really good brownies
of course you could wait for the weekend instead but do cook something tonight maybe you could pick up some of those ripe mangos that are showing up in the market and make melissa clarks recipe for sauteed chicken thighs with black pepper mango rum and cashews its like an old school chicken saute but remixed - the midweek dinner version of a skillzs california soul
you could make a fast dinner of pasta with spinach sauce you could make a bread salad lebanese style you could if you have a grill or want to use the broiler make broccoli with apricot puttanesca - a recipe we scored from nick anderer at marta in new york which you could pair with fish or eat alone either way it wont be the last time you make it
you could make chickpea tahini soup or you could just throw the contents of the fridge on top of tortilla chips adorn the whole thing with cheese and put it in the oven loaded nachos are a fantastic midweek meal
ive been messing around a lot lately with the korean rice cakes called garaetteok long cylindrical white fingers of glutinous rice flour theyre flavor sponges the very definition of toothsome you can find them at most korean markets and naturally online and theyre at the heart of this weeks no recipe recipe for a vaguely korean ragu though if you cant find any just serve the sauce over steamed rice
dice some bacon and cook it in a wok remove stir fry some ground beef in the bacon fat remove stir fry some sliced shallots in the bacon beef fat and when its soft add a lot of chopped garlic and chopped ginger cook until the garlic has just started to brown then return the beef and the bacon to the wok and add to it a cups worth of sauce - i used gochujang the thick fermented korean red pepper sauce along with soy sauce and brown sugar but you could use miso soy and chile sauce just as easily thin it out with water you want it to be like a pasta sauce now chop some kale and get it in there as well to soften then lower the heat and use another pot to boil the rice cakes until theyre soft add them to the slowly bubbling ragu top with sichuan peppercorns if you have any dinner
actual recipes to cook this week are on cooking i hope youll save the ones you like to your recipe box and share them with friends and family if you run into trouble along the way you can reach us at cookingcarenytimescom or you can find me on twitter and facebook pinterest and instagram
now a staff note tejal rao has joined us from bloomberg where she was the restaurant critic as a reporter for food and a columnist for the new york times magazine youll see her articles and recipes on cooking very soon you can read some of her work here please welcome her to the kitchen


just as new york bids adieu to cindy shermans 1920s inspired exhibition at metro pictures los angeles welcomes her with a landmark survey at the broad   the artists first in the city in 20 years cindy sherman imitation of life pulls from the private museums extensive holdings to draw out the cinematic tendencies of the art worlds favorite shapeshifter following sherman from early days onward the exhibition teases out her fascination with classic cinema and performance the broad brought in the independent curator philipp kaiser   who was recently tapped for the swiss pavilion at the 2017 venice biennale   to oversee the much anticipated show
while the majority of the materials are archival sherman also created two new wall murals that wrap the corners of the diller scofidio  renfro designed museum informed by her rear screen projection series from the early 1980s the artists first foray into color photography these gigantic self portraits bring to mind the scale of hollywood as well as the artistic movements that have continually mined its grandiose cliches like everything sherman touches the wall climbing prints are immaculately constructed and perfectly dramatic in the beginning when we decided the show would emphasize the cinematic i encouraged cindy to revisit the rear screen projections kaiser explains we agreed it would be nice to have some kind of screen in the show   we couldnt decide if it should be a literal cinema an image or an installation what cindy came up with is a nice hybrid here in a 30 second time lapse that condenses about six full hours of work the broads crew leaps into action to get one of the larger than life self portraits ready for their red carpet debut


fans of muhammad ali the three time world heavyweight boxing champion who died on june 3 have been flocking to louisville ky to pay their respects and to learn more about his hometown roots
there are three main attractions but many other places of interest for visitors according to stacey yates vice president of marketing communications for the louisville convention and visitors bureau
the attractions include
the muhammad ali center part of museum row on main offers an immersive look at alis boyhood in louisville his boxing career and his lifetime humanitarian achievements cassius clay as he was known then got his start in boxing at age 12 as the story goes after his new 60 red and white schwinn bicycle was stolen and the police officer he sought out to help find his bike encouraged him to start boxing a replica of the bike is on display at the ali center
for many ms yates said its a boxing museum but it really takes you on a journey of his lifetime from the bicycle to him holding the torch at the 1996 olympics
the center open since 2007 features 24000 square feet of interactive exhibits that promote his six core principles confidence conviction dedication giving respect and spirituality a retail store classrooms theaters library and archives 144 north sixth street tuesday to saturday 930 am to 5 pm sunday noon to 5 admission 9 8 for seniors 5 for military and students with an id 5 for children ages 6 to 12 alicenterorg
as a child ali lived in west louisville his modest home was recently renovated and turned into a museum muhammad ali childhood home a bronze marker in front of the house reads in part cassius marcellus clay jr was born on jan 17 1942 at louisville general hospital he grew up and lived in this house 3302 grand avenue currently open seven days a week 10 am to 5 pm admission 8 for adults and 5 for children alichildhoodmuseumcom
alis final resting place is in cave hill cemetery a scenic 296 acre victorian era national cemetery he joins other kentucky icons including the founder of kentucky fried chicken colonel harland sanders and louisvilles founder george rogers clark open seven days a week 8 am to 445 pm cavehillcemeterycom
mint julep tours is introducing a muhammad ali hometown hero tour as a custom package for now for groups traveling in their own vehicles it plans to add public tour dates this summer according to david nichols the groups marketing and social media director prices vary depending on the size of the group mintjuleptourscom
other points of interest ms yates said include the former columbia gym where ali first trained as a boxer now part of spalding universitys athletics facility a mural on south fourth street reads i hated every minute of training but i said dont quit suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion 
central high school where cassius clay graduated in 1960 at 1130 west chestnut street features a photography display
freedom hall 937 phillips lane is where cassius clay made his professional boxing debut on oct 29 1960 winning in six rounds against tunney hunsaker
a gigantic mural of ali that hangs on the lge building at third street and river road says in large letters louisvilles ali
the 1920s era brown hotel offers the muhammad ali suite dedicated by ali in 2001 which showcases signed memorabilia photos and boxing gloves the luxury suite is decorated in gold and black and features a living room with wet bar dining room with crystal chandelier mahogany four poster king bed and master bath with marble jacuzzi tub it is available as a one  or two bedroom suite 335 west broadway rates from 900 brownhotelcom


oakland calif   the beautiful millionaires arrive in couture cameras are there to greet them as their fans stand by on social media craving glimpses of their custom fitted ensembles suddenly however briefly the bowels of basketball arenas are turned into the shabbiest fashion runways in the world
for all their dazzling feats on the court nba stars have somehow made an event out of simply showing up at games the sports world and the fashion world cannot look away even if the setting is an underground tunnel in say oracle arena   approximately nine million miles from milan
oh its beautiful sarah oliphant an artist who designs backdrops for fashion shows out of her studio in new york said she would not stage these nba arrivals any other way
these are high powered people with megamoney behind them in every possible way oliphant said but the runway is a linoleum floor and a concrete walled tunnel and you can see teamsters setting up in the background she added i couldnt have even thought that up its brilliant whoever came up with this is brilliant
the nba finals between the golden state warriors and the cleveland cavaliers are shaping up as one of the seasons biggest stages   for fashion of course the basketball has been decent too although not overly competitive the warriors will look to build on their two games to none lead when the series resumes in cleveland on wednesday night
you stress over outfits for days the warriors stephen curry said in an interview and you wind up wearing it for 30 seconds when you walk from the parking lot to the locker room
but those 30 seconds are important important to broadcast partners like espn and turner sports who have filmed these entrances throughout the postseason to help fill pregame airtime important to viewers at home who want to see their favorite players behind the scenes important to fashion designers who benefit from mainstream exposure and important to the players who have come to delight in the strange pageantry of it all
ive got to make sure everything looks good coming out of the car curry the leagues most valuable player said you dont want to have a missed button or a wrinkled shirt
it is an oddly blue collar environment for high fashion nobody made a bigger splash in recent weeks than russell westbrook of the oklahoma city thunder whose team fell to the warriors in the western conference finals westbrooks bursts of sartorial pyrotechnics   denim overalls one game zebra print blazer the next   were offset by an obstacle course of trash cans ladders and heating ducts
its become an event unto itself which is kind of amazing brett j banakis a stage and film production designer said so youll have russell westbrook wearing a lime green jumpsuit and walking past the most banal objects possible
banakis has been a fan of westbrooks since they were students together at ucla where westbrook played basketball and banakis played trombone in the marching band they were once on the same charter flight to the final four banakis said banakis said it made sense for high profile players to embrace their opportunities to flash some individual style even if their milieu is a loading dock
most of the time you see them wearing uniforms he said so this is really their only moment to say this is me
oliphant the backdrop designer is not a huge basketball fan   i usually choose the team that has the nicest colors and costumes she said   but she has been transfixed by the clips of players arriving for games oliphant cited the authenticity of the whole setup consider the cavaliers lebron james who seconds after arriving at oracle for game 1 on thursday night deposited some personal items in a small plastic tub before he went through a metal detector he even had to wait in line behind a couple of team officials lebron just like us
it wouldnt have the same effect if you took all these guys and you put them up at lincoln center in one of the big fashion week venues oliphant said i could even paint them a giant backdrop but it wouldnt be the same it would no longer be accessible to my nephew who would never watch something on fashion
curry said he did not realize that he needed to care about his 30 second pregame walk to the locker room until he made his first playoffs appearance with the warriors in 2013 all of a sudden camera crews were waiting for him he knew then that he had to put more effort into his attire it has become an important part of his game day ritual
i would wear most of this stuff anyway especially for the playoffs he said you want to feel good for each game
while television has used player arrivals as pregame fodder for years social media has given these small moments greater currency they have also become much more involved productions nian fish a creative director and producer of fashion shows and events said she was struck by the work of the film crews
you can see a guy holding up a big floodlight because theyre obviously going through this dark tunnel fish said so im like wow thats really amazing that theyre doing a lighting production to create a video of this their own version of the red carpet theyre really producing this shot
all for a few seconds of video there are other logistical hurdles said tim corrigan a senior coordinating producer for espn because home and visiting teams often arrive at different entrances corrigan assigns crews to camp out at each location players also show up at various times when the warriors are on the road for example they have three buses that leave for the arena in 30 minute increments by now espns crew knows that curry tends to take the last bus which usually pulls in about two hours before the game
once he arrives curry takes measured steps past the assembled masses his strides slow but purposeful
its a normal walk the assistant coach bruce fraser said for someone who knows someone else is staring at him
other players are more elusive corrigan recalled how ray allen the former nba player liked to show up so early for games that he often took a taxi from the team hotel
marreese speights a reserve forward with the warriors tries to avoid the cameras altogether his strategy take the last bus to road games and be the last player to disembark his hope being that everyone will have vacated the premises then besides speights has no illusions that the cameras are there for him
people want to see their favorite players all dressed up he said
the spotlight that follows curry does not affect everyone steve kerr the warriors coach often shows up for home games in a t shirt and sweatpants he carries his suit in a garment bag
others take greater pains to be more fashion forward james michael mcadoo a second year forward has friends who send him news clippings and video snippets of curry that just happen to feature mcadoo standing in the background mcadoo does not want to look like a slob
my wife makes sure i dress up for the finals he said i let her iron my shirts i pick out my outfit a little bit earlier its not like i just wake up from my nap and throw on whatever lets make sure i have something thats a little choreographed for each game
curry has become an active participant in the whole process he goes so far as to watch clips of other players making their arena entrances
all the time curry whose competitive drive extends beyond the court said you want to see what the other guys are doing


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yeoreo gaji yoini isseul su issda meonjeo gyosadeuli ireon hagsaengdeulege gajneun gidaeciga sangdaejeogeuro najeul su issda hogeun ddogddoghan heuginina hiseupaenig hagsaengyi bumoga yeongjaebane janyeoreul cuceonhaneun bangbeobina jeolcareul moreul sudo issda yeongjaebanyi jonjaejoca jal moreuneun gyeongudo issda iyuya eojji dwaessdeun gane gyosawa bumoyi yigyeone yijonhamyeon injong gan bulgongpyeonghan gyeogcaga beoleojigo sosuminjog culsin hagsaengdeule daehan cabyeoli neuleonandaneun sasili deureonan geosida
yeongjaebani manbyeongtongciyageun anida yeongjaebanyi hyogwareul yeonguhan nonmundeuleul bomyeon iq teseuteureul tonghae yeongjaero bunryudwae yeongjaebaneseo gongbuhan hagsaengdeulyi hageob seongcwidoneun keuge nopajiji anhassda yeongujindeuleun geu iyureul seolmyeonghaji moshaessda dareun hagguneseowa macangajiro beuroweodeu kauntiyi yeongjaeban hagsaengdeuleun dareun ban hagsaengdeulgwa gateun gyogwaseoreul sseugo ddoggateun gyogwa gwajeonge ddara gyoyugeul badassda gyoyug danggugeun teugbyeol jagyeogjeungi isseoyaman yeongjaeban hagsaengeul gareucil su issneun seonsaengnimdeulege jeonghaejin gyogwa gwajeong oee bocung gyojae deungeul hwalyonghae sueobeul jinhaenghadorog jangryeohaessda
banmyeon gongbureul godjal hajiman iq teseuteu jeomsuga jogeum naja jeoneneun yeongjaebane deulji moshaessdeon hagsaengdeuleun yeongjaebaneseo sueobeul deuleun dwi hageob seongcwidoga nune ddyige hyangsanghaessda han haggyoe dan han myeongirado yeongjae gyoyugeul badeul su issneun iq teseuteu seongjeogeul giroghan hagsaengi isseumyeon yeongjaebaneul gguryeo yeongjaereul biroshan udeungsaengdeuleul gareucidorog han beuroweodeu kauntiyi dogteughan gyujeong deogbune ireon hagsaengdeuli keun hyetaegeul ibeossda
beuroweodeu kauntie issneun haggyodeuleun daebubun jeonghaejin gijuneul cungjoghaneun yeongjae hagsaengdeulmaneuro yeongjaebaneul ggurigieneun yeongjae hagsaengi bujoghaessda geuraeseo haggun naeeseo silsihaneun pyojunhwadoen hagryeog pyeongga siheomeseo nopeun seongjeogeul olrin hagsaengdeulro yeongjaebanyi nameoji jarireul caeweossda ireohge yeongjaebane deuleoon udeungsaeng gaunde teughi heugingwa hiseupaenig hagsaengdeulyi suhaggwa doghaeryeogi nune ddyige neuleossda gedaga i hyogwaneun ilsijeogin ge anira jisogdwaessda
gedaga kadeuwa julriano gyosuneun manheun yeongjaeban hagsaengyi seongjeogi keuge olrassjiman geureohdago botongban hagsaengdeulege bujeongjeogin yeonghyangi micijineun anhassdaneun sasileul balgyeonhaessda ireon seonggwareul eodneun de biyongdo geoyi deulji anhassda sujuni nopeun yeongjaeban sueobirago haedo botongban sueobboda teugbyeolhi bissajineun anhassda hagsaeng sudo gatassgo yeongjaeban hagsaengdeuleul gareucineun seonsaengnimirago geubyeoga deo nopeun geosdo anida
hajiman suntanhadeon iyagiga amcoreul mannassda
geumyung wigi ihu sseul su issneun yesani isddara juleodeun beuroweodeu kauntineun yeoreo geungjeongjeogin seonggwaedo bulguhago 2010nyeon modeun hagsaengege pyojunhwadoen siheomeul cireo yeongjaebaneul guseonghadeon bangsigeul jungdanhaessda geureoja teugjeong sosuminjog culsineul cajabogi himdeuldeon yejeonyi yeongjaeban injong guseongi dasi natanassda baegingwa asiagye hagsaengi neulgo heugingwa hiseupaenig hagsaengeun juleodeun geosida 2012nyeone beuroweodeu kauntineun 2005nyeone silsihaessdeon jedoreul sujeonghae yeongjaeban seonbal jedoreul dasi sihaenghaessjiman gyeolgwaneun yejeon gatji anhassda peulrorida gyoyugbuyi deiteoreul bunseoghaessdeoni beuroweodeu kauntie issneun baegin hagsaeng gaunde 8ga yeongjae hagsaengeuro bunryudwaessda modeun hagsaengi siheomeul cyeoseo yeongjaeban hagsaengeul bbobasseul ddaeboda nopassgo hiseupaenig hagsaengbodaneun du bae heugin hagsaengbodaneun ne bae nopeun suciyeossda
sujeonghae saero sihaenghan jedo gaunde simrihagjadeuli jom deo gaeggwanjeogigo munhwajeog culsin baegyeonge yeonghyangeul deol badneun geoseuro yeogineun bieoneo teseuteunonverbal testreul eobsaego ireul eoneo neungryeog bijungeul nopin siheomeuro daecehan geosi han gaji munjero jijeogdoenda yeojeonhi bumowa gyosaga yeongjae seonbale yeonghyangryeogeul haengsahal su issge doen jeomdo siheomeul tonghaeseo yeongjaeban hagsaengeul bbobeul ddaewa dalrajyeossda haggyo sosog simrihagjaga yeongjaebane deuleogal hagsaengeul seonbalhaneun deneun biyongi deulji anhneunda hajiman bumoga gaeinjeogeuro simrihagjareul goyonghae jagi jasigi yeongjaebane habgyeoghal manhan jeomsuga naol ddaeggaji han beone 1ceon dalreossig naego cineun iq teseuteureul myeoc beonigo cige hal sudo issda kadeuwa julriano gyosuneun ireon sigeuro ddaro siheomeul cige haryeomyeon jungsangceung isangyi gajeongi yurihamyeo geureon gajeongeun juro baegin gajeongirago jijeoghaessda
manheun yeongujaneun iq teseuteuga jeosodeugceungina yusaeg injong hagsaengdeulege bulrihadago uryeohanda ilbu hagjadeuleun gyosayi cuceoneul pohamhaneun jom deo pogwaljeogin jeobgeuni pilyohadago gweongohanda hajiman gyosayi cuceondo eolmadeunji pyeonhyangdoel su issda yeongjae gyoyuge gwanhan yeongureul juro daruneun hagsulji godeunggyoyugthe journal of advanced academicsyi pyeonjibeul matgo issneun simrihagja maetyu maegbineun coegeun gyosa cuceon jedoe gwanhae bang anyi koggiriraneun pyohyeoneul sseossda moduga munjeraneun geol algo issjiman neomuna munjega simgaghago bbyojoghan haegyeolcaegi eobseo nugudo naseoseo eongeubhajineun anhneun munjereul bang anyi koggirirago bureuneunde yeongjae hagsaengeul garyeonaeneun gwajeongeseo hagsaengeul cuceonhaneun gyosaga injongjeog pyeongyeonina teugjeong minjoge daehan seonibgyeonyi yeonghyangeul eolmana badneunjineun sasil han beondo yeongudoen jeogi eobsdaneun geosida
ireon munjedeuleul goryeohamyeon carari yeongjaewa udeungsaengeul wihan peurogeuraemeul aye eobsaejago haneun saramdo isseul geosida yeongjae hagsaenggwa geureohji anheun hagsaengeul nanuneun geos jacega teughi cwiyag gyeceung hagsaengdeule daehan gidaecireul najcugo najajin gidaecie yeongyeong gadhyeobeorin hagsaengdeulyi seongcwidomajeo ddeoleojil sudo issda
hajiman eoddeon bangbeobeurodeun jaeneungissneun hagsaengeul garyeonaeneun gwajeongi eobseojimyeon cwiyag gyeceung hagsaengdeuleun ohiryeo deo dwiceojil sudo issda buyuhan gajeongyi aideuleun jeondam gwaoe seonsaengnimyi jibjung jidoreul badeumyeo maeil gumon suhag munjereul pulgo banghag ddaeneun keompyuteo koding kaempeue ganda jeosodeugceung bumodeuleun ireon sagyoyugeul budamhal neungryeogi eobsda
geuraeseo beuroweodeu kauntiga saeroun jedoreul doibhan dwi natanan hyogwareul deoug jasehi salpyeobwaya handa deoug gongjeonghage yeongjae hagsaengeul seonbyeolhaneun bangbeobi issdaneun geos yeongjae hagsaenggwa usuhan hagsaengeul han bane neohgo gyoyughamyeon injong gan gyoyug gyeogca hageob seongcwido gyeogcareul ohiryeo julil su issdaneun geosi balghyeojyeossda pyojunhwadoen jeolcae ddara modeun hagsaengi cireuneun siheomeul todaero yeongjaebaneul guseonghamyeon gyosana bumoyi cuceone yijonhaesseul ddae balgulhaji moshago jinacyeosseul sahoejeogeuro hyetaegbadji moshan gyeceungyi usuhan aideuleul nohciji anheul su issda swibji anheun sueobeul yeolsimhi ddaragada bomyeon i hagsaengdeuleun gyeolgug jasinyi jamjaeryeogeul ggocpiul geosida


front page
an article on friday about britains historic feeling of being apart from europe as it considers whether to leave the european union referred imprecisely to arrival protocols at british airports and to british passports only passengers from non european countries are given british landing cards upon arrival and they would not be directed to the line for british and european union passport holders some holders of british passports   for example citizens of overseas british territories like bermuda and turks and caicos   do not hold european union citizenship as well it is not the case that british passports are by definition european union passports
international
an article on may 13 about the sagging fortunes of the workers party of brazil whose standard bearer president dilma rousseff was suspended by the brazilian senate misstated the amount of foreign debt that was hobbling the brazilian economy in 1998 when ms rousseffs mentor luiz inacio lula da silva ran for president it was 250 billion not 250 million
new york
the grace notes article on monday about the people who select music for pennsylvania station misstated part of the name of the company that provides the music it is mood media not mood music and because of an editing error the article misstated the surname of an executive who supervises the music programmers he is danny turner not turney
business day
an article on tuesday about a salary increase for first year associates at cravath swaine  moore misstated the date the raises will take effect it is july 1 they were not effective on may 1 and they will be reflected in paychecks starting july 8 not july 9

an article on monday about the effect of digital technology on productivity growth rendered incorrectly the name of a medical technology provider it is athenahealth not athena health
sports
the tv sports column on monday about mike breen the lead voice for nba broadcasts on espn and abc misstated the number of nba finals he would have called had he been chosen as lead announcer when espnabc took over nba broadcast rights from nbc after the 2002 season it is 14 not 15

an article on may 28 about the appointment of jose mourinho as the new manager of manchester united misstated the year he was first appointed as manager of chelsea it was in 2004 not 2003

a correction in this space on tuesday for a picture caption with an article about toronto blue jays recent success against the yankees misidentified the winning team of the may 24 game between the teams it was the yankees not the blue jays
the arts
an entry in the new music column on thursday about motown gospel presents 1 mic 1 take misspelled the given name of a performer on that album he is brian courtney wilson not bryan
weekend
a film review on friday about teenage mutant ninja turtles out of the shadows referred incorrectly to the turtles names three turtles are named for renaissance artists whose major works included paintings not four donatello was a sculptor
food
a recipe last wednesday for chess pie squares adapted from the new cookbook julia reeds south spirited entertaining and high style fun for all year long misstated the metric equivalent for the six ounces of butter used in both the shortbread crust and the filling it is 170 grams not 57
opinion
an opinion article on thursday about the beer industry misstated a detail about the voluntary anheuser busch incentive for performance program it pays distributors on a sliding scale based on the share of anheuser busch products they sell it does not pay retailers
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pasadena calif   james rodriguez scored a goal and set up another in the first 30 minutes and colombia clinched a berth in the copa america quarterfinals with a 2 1 victory over paraguay on tuesday night
colombia became the first team to secure advancement to the knockout stage of the tournament with stellar goaltending from david ospina and another dynamic performance from rodriguez who shook off a shoulder injury that made his availability a game time decision at the rose bowl
rodriguez a real madrid midfielder propelled colombia to its second win in two matches following a 2 0 victory over the united states last week
victor ayala scored paraguays first goal of the copa america in the 71st minute on a long shot past ospina who made a handful of jaw dropping saves to keep colombia ahead


los angeles   two democrats will battle each other to become californias next united states senator after winning the top two spots in an open primary on tuesday
the intraparty fight between kamala harris the states attorney general and loretta sanchez a congresswoman from orange county will be the first to shut out republicans since california approved nonpartisan primaries in 2010
ms harris and ms sanchez defeated a crowded field that included two former chairmen of the state republican party ms harris who has received the official backing of the state democratic party captured 40 percent of the vote and ms sanchez 17 percent with 55 percent of the precincts reporting
the campaign to replace barbara boxer a democrat who was first elected in 1992 is the first for an open senate seat in california in more than a generation
in a brief speech to a crowd of her supporters in san francisco on tuesday night ms harris said she was confident that she was attracting folks of all stripes across the state
our unity is our strength and our diversity is our power said ms harris the daughter of immigrants from india and jamaica she added that the election in the fall would be about reminding people that we reject those who talk about us versus them we reject those people who speak this anti immigrant anti muslim rhetoric
so far ms harris has largely shied away from directly engaging ms sanchez but the fall election could force the candidates to show how they differ on policy
in public appearances and campaign advertisements ms harris has presented herself as smart on crime and has said she would work to overhaul the countrys criminal justice laws
ms sanchez has relied on her experience as a member of the house committee on homeland security saying she best understands how to get things done in washington
no matter who wins in the fall california voters will make history electing either the senates first latina or its first black female senator since carol moseley braun an illinois democrat who served from 1993 to 1999
to help build a coalition ms sanchez may turn to republican voters who despite losses throughout the state retain significant power in her home base of orange county she is widely seen as the more business friendly of the two and has also voted in favor of some legislation backed by the gun industry
but ms sanchez may also rely heavily on latino voters many analysts predict that latinos who make up nearly half of californias population will vote in record numbers here in the fall drawn to the polls in large part by anti immigrant rhetoric from donald j trump the presumptive republican presidential nominee
were just going to start working tomorrow toward november ms sanchez told her supporters in anaheim
ms harris has received the backing of many of the states highest profile democrats including gov jerry brown though she received the state partys endorsement this spring however officials have not indicated what resources if any they will put into the race
it would be new territory its really breaking new ground said michael soller a spokesman for the state party nobody really wants to think about it just yet
many of the states most generous democratic donors have yet to give to either candidate


five people were killed and four others were injured on tuesday night after a pickup truck plowed into a group of bicyclists on a road about seven miles north of kalamazoo mich the authorities said
the crash happened around 7 pm near markin glen park on north westnedge avenue in cooper township mich
the driver fled on foot but was later arrested a short distance away jeffrey s getting the prosecuting attorney for kalamazoo county said at a news conference on tuesday he described the driver as being a 50 year old man from western michigan
mr getting said a decision about what if any charges would be filed would be made on thursday after an investigation by the michigan state police
five bicyclists were pronounced dead at the scene and the others were hospitalized with serious injuries mr getting said all of the victims were adults he said
three law enforcement agencies received calls about a pickup truck driving erratically about 30 minutes before the crash mr getting said
bronson methodist hospital was treating two patients carolyn wyllie a hospital spokeswoman said in an interview on tuesday night borgess medical center received two patients lew tysman a hospital spokesman said one patient was in critical condition and the other was in fair condition he said
more details about the four patients were not available
markus eberhard told wood tv that he had been fishing at a park and was leaving when someone yelled for him to watch out the pickup nearly rolled over his foot and the bicyclists were hit before he could warn them he said
i saw a bunch of bikes hit the front of his truck and a couple of them flew he told the television station


columbus ohio   a federal judge blocked certain requirements for how thousands of ballots are counted in ohio saying in a decision on tuesday that the policies are unconstitutional and violate the voting rights act
at issue are two laws the republican led legislature passed in 2014 and how they are carried out
among other changes the laws require voters to provide certain identifying information when casting absentee or provisional ballots voters must include their name signature valid forms of identification address and birth date ballots from legitimate voters could be rejected because of errors or omissions
provisional ballots are those cast when a voters identity or registration is in question the voters eligibility is verified later
the judge algenon l marbley of united states district court said the laws could harm black voters in particular
the ohio general assembly took action after the disastrous 2004 election to expand voters access to absentee and provisional balloting the decision said and the rollback of these improvements will disproportionately harm african american voters
advocates for the homeless and the ohio democratic party had sued the states secretary of state jon husted a republican saying the laws and procedures created hurdles for voters particularly minorities
lawyers for the state said the laws were reasonable and nondiscriminatory and imposed a minimal burden on voters judge marbley found otherwise
the judge blocked mr husted from requiring full and accurate completion of absentee  and provisional ballot forms before otherwise qualified voters ballots could be counted he also blocked sections that reduced the time voters could correct errors and prohibited poll worker assistance
mr husted said he would appeal the decision which came two weeks after another federal judge ruled that a state law reducing early voting was unconstitutional
the sad reality is that much of ohios election laws are no longer made by their elected representatives but rather by unelected federal judges in response to politically motivated lawsuits mr husted said in a statement
in trial and in court documents the states lawyers cited election data that showed acceptance rates for such ballots improved after the laws were put in place in 2014 they said the laws helped register unregistered voters and update voter registration information and had made more votes count
the state of ohio has been held accountable again for disenfranchising legitimate voters said a lawyer for the plaintiffs subodh chandra
the judge heard testimony from county elections officials election experts and others during a bench trial in march
also on tuesday the united states court of appeals for the fourth circuit delivered an incremental victory for critics of republican engineered changes to north carolinas elections procedures
in a brief order the court said north carolina could not at least for now enforce its recent rollbacks of same day voter registration and out of precinct voting the appeals court which sits in richmond va will hear arguments about north carolinas practices on june 21 nearly two months after a federal judge upheld the procedures


for the third time in six years the united states open will go on without the three time champion tiger woods
woods wrote on his website tuesday that he is not ready for tournament competition and will skip the open next week at oakmont along with his quicken loans national the next week at congressional
woods who won the open in 2008 2002 and 2000 first missed the event in 2011 when he was recovering from leg injuries he missed it in 2014 while recovering from back surgery woods has not played since finishing in a tie for 10th in the wyndham championship last august he had two more operations on his back in september and october
us open qualifying luke donald earned a spot in the united states open after a six man playoff in an ohio qualifier donald is a former world no 1 who has been eligible for every us open since 2005
in tennessee david toms was among 10 players who made it through toms who tied for fifth at oakmont in 2007 will be playing his 19th us open
liberty forward swin cash a 15 year wnba veteran announced that this would be her final season
she was the second pick in the 2002 draft by the detroit shock behind sue bird winning two league titles with detroit 2003 and 2006 and one with the seattle storm 2010 she also won two olympic gold medals and two ncaa championships at uconn
cash who is 14th in league history in scoring and 10th in rebounding is averaging 58 points and 33 rebounds in four games this season
liberty fall to perfect sparks jantel lavender scored a season high 22 points as the host los angeles sparks beat the liberty 100 77 to remain unbeaten los angeles 8 0 is one win away from tying a franchise record for most consecutive wins to start a season
nneka ogwumike had 18 points and 10 rebounds for los angeles which built a 51 38 halftime lead and went ahead by 30 in the second half
shavonte zellous scored 12 points and kiah stokes added 11 for the liberty 4 4
referees object to public scrutiny the national basketball referees association asked the nba to stop issuing reports that analyze the accuracy of calls from the last two minutes of tight games
in those crunch time situations according to the nba referees make the correct call on 962 percent of whistled plays and 872 percent of all plays
just five days after commissioner adam silver backed the public reports as a way to show transparency the officials union said the reports harm referees and the sport by creating hostile environments and that there is no evidence reports have helped create more trust with fans
agence france presse
raptors extend coachs contract toronto raptors coach dwane casey signed a three year extension after steering the team to a franchise record 56 wins in the regular season and its first berth in the eastern conference finals
the b samples of two russian womens weight lifting medalists from the 2008 beijing olympics have come back positive for steroids according to russian state news agency tass marina shainova who won silver in the 58 kilogram class and nadezhda evstyukhina the bronze medalist in the 75 kilogram division were among 10 russian medalists from beijing who reportedly tested positive last month in a reanalysis of their stored samples
shainovas coach vladimir shainov told tass that the two lifters have now tested positive for turinabol in their b samples the international olympic committee can now open a formal doping case and the two could be stripped of their medals
kansas city starter yordano ventura ignited a bench emptying fray by hitting manny machado with a pitch as the host baltimore orioles extended the royals losing streak to a season high six games with a 9 1 rout
ventura and machado exchanged words in the second inning after two inside pitches and in the fifth ventura drilled machado in the back with a 99 mile per hour fastball an instant after the ball hit him machado charged the mound landing a solid punch before ventura tackled him to the ground both players were ejected
around the majors ian kinsler drove in the winning run with a 10th inning single as the host detroit tigers beat the toronto blue jays 3 2 blue jays starter aaron sanchez struck out a career high 12 and took a one hitter into the ninth joey votto homered in the ninth to power the host cincinnati reds to a 7 6 victory over the st louis cardinals who blew a five run lead for the second straight day
spain which is no 6 in the fifa rankings lost to no 137 ranked georgia at home 1 0 in its final warm up before heading to france to defend its back to back european championship titles
spain dominated from the start but failed to capitalize on its scoring chances the georgian midfielder tornike okriashvili scored in the 40th minute after a bad pass by jordi alba led to a counterattack spains coach vicente del bosque used a team similar to the one expected to start against the czech republic on monday in toulouse france


goshen ny   ten days after vincent viafore disappeared in the frigid waters of the hudson river angelika graswald his fiancee had a run in with police detectives that would prove pivotal in the case an investigator testified on tuesday at a pretrial hearing here
on april 29 2015 ms graswald went to bannerman island where the couple had kayaked earlier that month to lay a wreath in his memory investigators were there to look for any clues in what was still being treated as an accidental drowning the body of mr viafore 46 would not be found until late may last year
in his testimony aniello moscato a senior investigator with the new york state police said ms graswald had called him that april morning the two had been in touch daily during the search for the body
when investigators saw ms graswald on the island she seemed ill at ease she was pacing back and forth holding her stomach deep breathing he said she more or less volunteered that there were problems with the relationship
at that point mr moscato said he suggested that ms graswald might be more comfortable talking privately with donald dequarto the investigator with whom she had been working most closely
shortly afterward mr dequarto told mr moscato that ms graswald had admitted removing a plug from her fiances kayak a detail that prosecutors have seized on as evidence in their murder case against her
i said youve got to be kidding me she told you that mr moscato testified i was in shock he added that after mr viafore vanished she was being treated like a widow a grieving widow the couple shared an apartment in poughkeepsie and had planned to be married on the beach in latvia where ms graswald was born
the pretrial hearing known as a huntley hearing is an opportunity for the defense to challenge the way in which the police obtained their evidence ms graswalds lawyer richard a portale has said he does not want jurors to have access to an 11 hour police interrogation video arguing that incriminating remarks by his client were coerced
ms graswald 36 was charged with second degree murder hours after the encounter with the police on bannerman island investigators have said she not only removed the plug of mr viafores kayak but also tampered with his paddle which she moved out of his reach as he struggled in the water she was motivated they say by two insurance policies totaling 250000 of which she was the beneficiary
mr moscato also testified that on the friday after mr viafore vanished ms graswald invited him to a nightclub along with other search and rescue workers she wanted all the people assisting with the search to join her at the party he said
when mr moscato saw ms graswald on april 29 on bannerman island he and another investigator asked her to walk them through the places she had gone with mr viafore in the hours before his kayak capsized mr portale has said the reason mr viafore drowned is that he was not wearing a life jacket during their paddle through rough water back to shore
they were there enjoying their day and some intimate time together mr moscato testified they brought a change of clothes and took some pictures in sexy poses in lingerie or whatever
mr moscato also testified that ms graswald who had arrived in the united states as an au pair was cagey about where she and mr viafore had beached their kayaks on their visit
after he heard that she had told mr dequarto about removing the kayak plug mr moscato said he suggested that ms graswald return with them on the police boat kayaking experts have said that the absence of the tiny drain plug located on top of the kayak should not have caused it to sink
on the ride across the water mr moscato said ms graswald threw out a flower in memory of mr viafore she then proceeded to act happy go lucky
we were joking about the boat breaking down and if i fell into the water mr moscato said she would save me if im not a good swimmer or whatever the police had detected that type of behavior in the days following mr viafores drowning when ms graswald posted lighthearted photographs and videos to facebook
in the 11 hour interrogation that soon followed ms graswald told the police about her frustration with mr viafores interest in pornography and sexual threesomes at the end of the questioning visibly frustrated she said i wanted him dead and now hes gone and im ok with it
ms graswald has been in the orange county jail since her arrest on april 30 of last year the hearing which began on monday is to continue on thursday no trial date is scheduled


albany   the yearslong debate over whether to impose a fee for plastic bags in new york appeared to come to a hard fought end last month when the city council voted to charge 5 cents for most plastic and paper shopping bags
but as with so much else in the city the last word on the subject lies with the state capitol where hostility to the bag bill has threatened to undo or at least revise the fee
a bill in the state senate that would prohibit cities from imposing any tax fee or local charge on carry out merchandise bags passed that body on tuesday a similar bill in the state assembly seemed poised to follow until later on tuesday the speakers of the assembly and the city council agreed to delay enacting the bag fee while city officials amended the citys bill to the assemblys liking
the fee will now go into effect in february and not in october which allows the council and the assembly to work together on a solution michael weyland a spokesman for the assembly speaker carl e heastie said on tuesday
mr heastie a bronx democrat whom the city can usually count on for a sympathetic ear had said on monday that others in his party were ready to exert the states power to change the bag policy but the agreement on tuesday seemed to avert the possibility of an outright rejection
i think theres a concern amongst particularly the assembly members who represent the city on the language thats in the city council bill he said we have some issues with it
the city legislation is intended to encourage shoppers to give up the plastic bags whose omnipresence on city sidewalks and in city trees and landfills have long frustrated environmentalists charge a nickel the thinking goes and people will start using their own reusable bags
in other cities with similar policies including los angeles san francisco and washington plastic bag use has dropped sharply the bills supporters noted there are a number of exemptions built into new yorks policy including for plastic produce bags and restaurant and street vendor carryout bags
in a statement robin levine a spokeswoman for the council speaker melissa mark viverito a democrat said the council looked forward to working with the legislature to greatly reduce the use of wasteful plastic bags in our city
opponents of the measure who include senator simcha felder and assemblyman michael cusick both democrats and the democratic lawmakers from the city who jointly sponsored the states antifee bill say that a plastic bag charge is a tax on poor and minority communities support for the citys bill has also faced intense lobbying from plastic bag manufacturers
new york city is imposing on its residents an unjust and unfair tax   not a fee a tax mr felder who caucuses with the republicans said during the senate debate adding its about time to respect our constituents who do not want to be driven crazy and nickeled and dimed every day
mr felders bill would apply to all cities in the state potentially affecting a handful of towns and counties that have considered policies designed to limit plastic bag use
debate over the bill was unusually fierce for the council a deep blue body where consensus is far easier to find than division the measure passed 28 to 20 in albany too support for it was mixed with republicans and some   though by no means all   democrats from the city insisting on reviewing the bill
its unfortunate but not surprising that the state senate would vote to mandate that new york city waste billions of plastic bags each year said councilman brad lander a brooklyn democrat and one of the bills sponsors


chicago   the united states soccer team kept its copa america hopes alive tuesday night in front of a thin crowd at soldier field downing costa rica by 4 0 thanks to three first half goals by clint dempsey jermaine jones and bobby wood the substitute graham zusi added a capper in the 87th minute but the game had been decided long before
the result leaves the united states in second place in group a after colombia beat paraguay 2 1 later tuesday night at the rose bowl in pasadena calif the top two teams from the group will advance to the quarterfinals and colombia is already assured of doing so
we were eager to get on the field and get our first three points manager jurgen klinsmann said after the game it took us a while to grind ourselves into the game but then when the first goal came we kept pushing for the next one
though the americans appeared confident before the game there was severe pressure for a positive result to emphasize the point the president of us soccer sunil gulati called klinsmanns status into question before kickoff noting the teams run of disappointing performances
if klinsmann was worried he did not show it he fielded the same starting 11 that had lost to colombia by 2 0 in the tournaments opener
the americans did not tempt fate the way they did in their opener and instead sat back and absorbed the costa rican pressure waiting for a break costa rica had an early chance when the arsenal star joel campbell latched onto a hacked clearance from defender deandre yedlin and slashed a ball just to the right of the goal in the fifth minute but the ticos faded quickly
yedlin atoned with a play that led to the first goal breaking free down the far side yedlin lost oscar duarte and fired in a cross intended for a waiting bobby wood at the back post the pass looked heavy but cristian gamboa inexplicably shoved wood sending both men to the turf
it was an unambiguous penalty dempsey stepped up afterward and smashed the ball home sending costa rica goalkeeper patrick pemberton the wrong way just nine minutes had elapsed and the americans led 1 0
the united states doubled its lead in the 37th minute when jones buried a layoff from dempsey in the far right corner jones had stolen the ball and set dempsey off on a rangy run down the middle dragging duarte with him across the top of the penalty area dempsey paused as if to shoot then squared the ball left jones took a single touch and slammed a shot right across pemberton igniting pandemonium in the stadiums south end
the ticos seemed rattled pausing to huddle before the restart of play but the floodgates had opened and wood soon grabbed a goal of his own again dempsey stepped up firing through traffic to wood who was posting up the hapless duarte
a little turn a little shiver and with a stroke of his foot wood gave the americans a 3 0 lead klinsmann allowed himself a moment to celebrate thrusting both fists into the air
costa rica gambled in the second half removing the increasingly isolated campbell for randall azofeifa but the ticos never seemed to regain their shape
costa ricas manager oscar ramirez said after the game that it had been one of the strangest games we ever played but it was hard to agree with his contention that his team had played well considering the score
it was not a perfect night for the americans gyasi zardes muffed two gorgeous first half chances that would have put the game away earlier and the united states defense as a whole looked ragged with john brooks and geoff cameron forced into several awkward clearances costa ricas celso borges almost made that defensive pairing pay when he skipped between brooks and cameron in the 55th minute only to chip his shot over the bar
dempsey said his teammates are not looking past their next opponent paraguay we know the job is not done he said we have one game to go but now after tonight were in a good position


albany   the chairman of the state senates gambling committee said on tuesday that legislative leaders in albany had come to an agreement to legalize daily fantasy sports potentially calming a fractious legal dispute and setting the stage for even wider acceptance of the popular online games
senator john j bonacic who heads the committee on racing gaming and wagering said late tuesday that we have an agreed upon bill though it would still need to be passed by both houses of the state legislature and signed by gov andrew m cuomo a democrat whose office said negotiations were continuing
under the parameters of the deal outlined by mr bonacic companies like fanduel and draftkings would pay a 150000 fee to operate in new york or 15 percent of the previous years revenues and turn over 15 percent of revenues to the state after prizes were awarded to players the games   in which players create imaginary teams using players in real sports   would be classified as games of skill not chance an important legal distinction under a 2006 federal law governing online wagering
its not gambling mr bonacic said
the deal could mark a detente in a contentious battle that began last fall when the new york state attorney general eric t schneiderman ordered draftkings and fanduel the two biggest companies in the industry to stop taking bets in the state saying it was illegal gambling
the action by mr schneiderman a democrat was seen as a forceful rebuke of an industry that had flooded the airwaves with advertisements about fantasy sports touting the fun and the potential for quick lucrative wins in recent months other states have also acted to regulate the games or deemed them to be illegal
but in a precursor to a deal in albany mr schneiderman brokered agreements in march in which draftkings and fanduel agreed to stop taking bets from new york residents but included a deadline of june 30 for lawmakers to legalize the games matt mittenthal a spokesman for the attorney general said that mr schneiderman had made it clear that daily fantasy sports is illegal under current law
however mr mittenthal added its up to the legislature to craft or change those laws
and on tuesday that legalization seemed to be within reach mr bonacic a hudson valley republican said the deal would generate 35 million to 5 million a year for the state
marc la vorgna a spokesman for fantasy sports for all an industry advocacy group said companies were extremely appreciative of the work being done in the legislature in support of the newest national pastime
mr bonacic said that mr cuomos office still needed to weigh in with technical amendments to the bill but he too seemed hopeful that the legalization of daily fantasy sports would soon be a reality for their fans
they love the game mr bonacic said so why would the state of new york not give them the opportunity to continue to play


the thought of 6 foot 7 michael pineda and larry rothschild the yankees 62 year old pitching coach hunkered down in a small room deciphering videotape as if they were detectives conjures up a comical picture nonetheless it is an image the two have spent hours recreating recently
before pinedas start june 2 at detroit they had a breakthrough pineda who at the time was 2 6 with an era approaching 700 needed to lower his arm angle so his slider would cut more from side to side and his fastball would have more bite
since then the yankees seem to be seeing the pineda of old he had his longest outing of the season tuesday night containing the los angeles angels for seven innings and the yankees bullpen safeguarded a 6 3 win at yankee stadium
my last two starts i threw the ball good pineda said thats what im working to do every start try to keep the ball down and hit the corner making good pitches and getting outs
pineda allowed only one hit through four scoreless innings in his previous five home starts this season he had yielded a two out first inning home run each time
pinedas been battling the first inning and today he was able to come out of the inning perfect carlos beltran said after that he seemed like he had a great rhythm on the mound and he was able to execute pitches
pineda eventually encountered trouble in the fifth giving up three runs including a two run homer off a changeup to kole calhoun
instead of crumbling however pineda retired the angels in order in the sixth and the seventh to cap his second straight encouraging start last thursday he held the detroit tigers to one run over five and two thirds innings in a no decision
he did a good job tonight manager joe girardi said adding that he was particularly pleased by pinedas perfect work in the sixth and the seventh thats encouraging because thats something that hasnt happened this year
pineda yielded four hits a season low and recorded his longest start since july 4 2015
i think his last inning was the best i saw his slider all night catcher austin romine said slider depth was back where it needed to be his fastballs cutting so its going to be harder to hit hes pitching down in the zone we stressed that in pregame meetings and hes doing it and thats why hes having success
pineda was not the only pitcher reverting to form after giving up runs in each of his last four appearances dellin betances struck out two of the three batters he faced for a scoreless eighth andrew miller earned his first save since may 6 after aroldis chapman who became the yankees closer upon returning from suspension last month had pitched in the last three games
pineda was staked an early 5 0 lead highlighted by a two run homer by carlos beltran in the first on monday night beltran hit a tiebreaking three run homer in the eighth inning to beat the angels
rob refsnyder starting at first base in place of mark teixeira for the fourth straight game added an rbi and scored a run
before the game teixeira who is an impending free agent elaborated on why he declined to have surgery after tearing cartilage in his right knee the hope is that rest and treatment including injections of cortisone to help manage the pain will reduce inflammation and prevent the knee from locking up
the yankees hope that teixeira can play in a game in three weeks probably on a rehab assignment
after the 2007 season teixeira had surgery to clean out the cartilage in his left knee he estimated that a similar operation on his right knee could lead to a four to six month recovery teixeira also said he experienced soreness for 12 to 18 months after the 2007 knee procedure
our whole focus was can i get through this season said teixeira who consulted with doctors monday and we determined yes at the end of the season ill worry about how it feels if it feels ok if i can play through it ok then i dont want the surgery
he added next year doesnt matter to me at all right now its all about getting through this season and trying to help this team win
that teixeira might risk his long term future to help the yankees this season is admirable and will probably be worth a few popularity points to fans but there are probably other motives behind the decision too a 36 year old free agent coming off knee surgery is about as appealing as damaged canned goods in a supermarket bargain bin
beltran who will also be eligible for free agency after this season has had little difficulty increasing his value depending on the yankees standing next month he could be a valuable trade chip
but he seemed to believe that if pineda continues his upward trajectory the yankees could be in a prime position themselves
i know were getting old beltran said but we dont feel like that


the new york city education department has a pattern of discrediting and punishing victims of sexual assault particularly if they are black and poor according to two complaints filed in recent days with the united states department of educations office for civil rights
the complaints were filed by carrie goldberg a lawyer in brooklyn on behalf of two girls and their mothers a previous complaint filed by ms goldberg in november on behalf of a third girl and her mother is currently being investigated by the office for civil rights
one of the complaints filed on june 1 states that on feb 5 a 15 year old girl with developmental delays and an iq of 71 was walking through a hallway at teachers preparatory high school in brooklyn when seven boys confronted her and directed her into a stairwell there the complaint says two of the boys forced her to perform oral sex on them while the others watched
six days later the girl reported the encounter to a guidance counselor and was interviewed by administrators and police officers the complaint states according to a report made by an assistant principal in the city departments online occurrence reporting system that day included in the complaint the girl said that one of the boys grabbed her face and made her perform oral sex on him
the next day however the assistant principal interviewed the girl again this time in the presence of one of the boys who had watched the encounter based on that interview the assistant principal concluded that the sex had been consensual and updated the online occurrence report to say that upon further investigation the student admitted it was a consensual act not forced as a result the girl was given a suspension for six days for engaging in sexual acts on campus
after a hearing a month later the suspension was withdrawn and the city education department said it would be expunged from her record but the complaint says that the students mental health and academic performance have suffered and that she lives in fear both of retaliation by her assailants and of the prospect that school administrators will again seek to punish her for another imaginary crime
the second complaint filed on june 4 states that on nov 5 a 13 year old student at middle school 584 in brooklyn was between classes when a male student punched her in the genital region causing her to fall the male student then simulated sex on top of her with her arms pinned to the ground and her school uniform riding up
the male student was suspended for a month and then returned at which point the girl became afraid to go to school the complaint states despite the schools claim that it would separate the students it did not and they had three classes as well as lunch gym and music together the girls mother sought a safety transfer but rather than expedite the request the department took nearly seven weeks to find a new school for her the complaint asserts one school to which the girl wanted to transfer which her sister attended required an audition and she was rejected two other schools that department officials at first suggested might take her subsequently said they could not enroll her the complaint said the girl might be forced to repeat her grade because of the number of days of school she missed while waiting to be transferred
the complaint filed in november states that on april 2 2015 a 13 year old girl who was in eighth grade at spring creek community school was waiting for the bus after school when a male student dragged her into an alleyway and sexually assaulted her forcing her into anal and oral sex the male student made a video of the encounter and subsequently disseminated it among other students and the girl who was already traumatized by the assault became the subject of taunts and harassment the complaint says in response the school principal told the girl to stay home from school because her presence would only make things worse the complaint says she missed nearly a month of school before a safety transfer was approved
ms goldberg said in an interview that when she filed the first case she thought it was an aberration but after learning about the two other cases she now believes there is a pattern within the citys education department of indifference to the needs of black victims of sexual assault
the department has one coordinator responsible for ensuring the districts compliance with title ix which prohibits gender discrimination in federally financed schools ms goldberg called that inadequate
in the two recent complaints ms goldberg asked the federal education department to conduct a joint investigation with the department of justice into whether the citys education department violated title ix by depriving the students of the benefits of an education and retaliating against them for making complaints of sexual assault she also asked the federal education department to review the adequacy of the citys title ix resources and mandate that the city department publicly release statistics regarding the number of sexual assaults that are reported the number of cases that are investigated their outcomes and the frequency of victims being transferred
a spokeswoman for the city department said school staffs were trained in the departments policies on sexual assault reporting
our legal team is reviewing these deeply troubling complaints and will respond to the office for civil rights regarding any pending matters the spokeswoman devora kaye said nothing is more important than the safety of all students and staff and we have policies in place that ensure that incidents are reported investigated and appropriately addressed


universal city calif   senator bernie sanders plans to lay off at least half of his campaign staff wednesday as his battered presidential bid continues despite hillary clintons being declared the presumptive democratic nominee two people close to the campaign said tuesday
many of those being laid off are advance staff members who often help with campaign logistics as well as field staff members who have been working to garner votes for the senator according to a campaign official and a former campaign staff member both of whom spoke on condition of anonymity some campaign workers may move into jobs at mr sanderss senate office but others will be terminated they said
word of the layoffs came on a night that mrs clinton declared that she had captured the majority of pledged delegates needed to capture the democratic nomination despite a spirited fight from mr sanders who has showed no signs of ending his campaign
mr sanders insists that he is prepared to challenge mrs clinton at the democratic national convention in july holding out hope that his lobbying of superdelegates   party officials and state leaders who cast their final votes at the convention   will siphon support from mrs clinton as he makes his case that he is a stronger candidate against donald j trump the presumptive republican nominee
mr sanderss spokesman michael briggs said tuesday that mr sanders planned to travel to his home in vermont on wednesday and then head to washington on thursday campaign aides say he plans to hold rallies in washington which holds the last nominating contest on june 14
word of the cutbacks came a day after the associated press declared mrs clinton the presumptive democratic nominee and tuesday night mrs clinton won a commanding victory in the new jersey primary widening her delegate lead over mr sanders
mr sanderss campaign once a fund raising juggernaut saw a significant decline in donations after mr sanders lost a series of important primaries in the northeast in april


perus presidential contest tightened on tuesday as election officials continued to count votes and the early leader lost much of his slim advantage over his opponent the daughter of an imprisoned former president
pedro pablo kuczynski 77 was leading keiko fujimori 41 by less than one percentage point or about 57000 of roughly 17 million votes cast the countrys electoral commission said tuesday
ms fujimori who had been leading in polls before the election only to lose ground on sunday appeared to be closing the gap with mr kuczynski a former prime minister as officials tallied a small number of uncounted votes that will determine the outcome
election officials asked for patience as they counted votes from peruvians living abroad and from distant rural areas including some ballots that were arriving on a river boat that had been delayed by bad weather
whoever wins the next president will have earned the victory by a razor thin margin
its going to be very rough said cynthia mcclintock a political scientist at george washington university who studies peru
the election had drawn attention throughout the region because of ms fujimori whose father alberto rose to power as a populist and became an increasingly authoritarian leader in the 1990s after suspending the constitution but mr fujimori remains popular among many peruvians for crushing the shining path rebel group he was later convicted of corruption and human rights abuses and was sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2009
ms fujimori campaigned on a law and order platform and said she would attract foreign investment to aid peru which has one of the best performing economies in the region
during the campaign mr kuczynski who is also a former wall street investor and world bank official promised to make big investments to improve the countrys infrastructure and change the tax code to encourage people to trade work in the informal economy for jobs at registered businesses that pay taxes


andrew lack the chairman of nbc news was dining with matt lauer on the upper east side on monday night when his phone rang mid halibut
it quickly became clear that the fish would have to wait
the associated press had just declared hillary clinton the presumptive democratic nominee for president a decision based not on any primary victory   none were held on monday   but on the news agencys own canvassing of superdelegates the party insiders who can support any candidate they choose
it was an unusual somewhat arcane way to crown the nations first female presidential nominee from a major party in part because the 571 superdelegates who told the ap they were committed to mrs clinton are free to change their minds until the convention next month
but the aps call created a trigger effect in newsrooms around the country which have long viewed the agency as an arbiter of election results
pollsters at major television networks scrambled to confirm the aps math with one official at cbs news hopping on a bicycle to quickly return to his office cnn producers yanked an on air promo teasing tuesdays races as mrs clintons critical moment nbc news the first tv network to match the call had its director of elections make a rare on air appearance on msnbc
editors at major papers tore up their front pages adding banner headlines for later editions even as they debated exactly how to describe a historic milestone predicated on another news outlets delegate tally rather than the results of tuesdays primary races in california and five other states
the moment of history said cameron barr a managing editor of the washington post snuck up on us a little bit earlier than we thought it would
by tuesday questions lingered about the abrupt nature of what had happened some rival journalists wondered why the aps 86 word bulletin was posted at 821 pm on the east coast when competitors would have difficulty matching its reporting others asked about the odd   and for some readers puzzling   nature of a political victory announced on a day when no ballots had been cast
there were political consequences too mrs clinton played down the aps call eager for supporters to stay motivated as her aides grumbled about the news media stepping on her big moment her opponent senator bernie sanders rejected the aps delegate count outright accusing the news agency of intentionally hurting his chances
they started hounding superdelegates mr sanders told nbcs lester holt in an interview on tuesday the night before the largest primary biggest primary in the whole process
he added i was really disappointed in what the ap did
officials at the ap offered a simpler explanation there was news and they reported it
were not calculating about when something happens kathleen carroll the aps executive editor said news is news you put it out when you have it
the ap employs a crew of reporters to track delegates distributing its tally to dozens of news organizations on monday its chief delegate reporter stephen ohlemacher said that after days of nonstop calls to superdelegates he had received enough commitments to support mrs clinton for her to clinch the nomination
can you imagine if we had gotten to that and sat on it ms carroll said that would be nutty
ms carroll said there was only a brief discussion before editors decided to post the news on the wires   we dont need a conference call to decide when news happens   and that it was the same routine the ap had followed in declaring donald j trump the presumptive republican nominee last month
mr barr of the washington post said he did not hesitate about reporting the aps call only about how big to play the news on the front page after consulting with the posts editor martin baron the paper swapped in a fresh photo of mrs clinton taken at an event in california after the aps announcement and added a banner headline that she had reached the magic number for a historic nomination
similar conversations were occurring at the new york times where a late night discussion took place among editors over the best way to attribute the news about mrs clinton in the end the times included a prominent reference to the ap in a headline atop its online home page and in a six column front page headline a rarity for the paper
as mrs clintons team planned a formal victory event on tuesday some supporters of mr sanders described the aps move as evidence of establishment forces working against their candidate
shame on you ap the actress shailene woodley a sanders supporter wrote on twitter in a post that was retweeted roughly 800 times u are feeding false narratives to suppress the american people
several reporters who cover mrs clinton for major outlets including buzzfeed news and the times said tuesday that they received angry and threatening messages from sanders supporters after writing about the aps call
frank sesno a former cnn washington bureau chief said he could understand the frustration of mr sanderss fans but he said that the ap wins stars and kudos on this
its good solid enterprising reporting said mr sesno who now teaches about the media at george washington university the ap did its job they should be talking to superdelegates on a regular basis
we live in an age of instant reporting mr sesno said if it had been saturday night at 1159 pm you report what you got


among the mighty of new york city howard p milstein roams many corridors of power he sits at the head of charities has been the chairman of the states thruway authority and can find his familys name chiseled onto the walls of hospitals
he also has run the emigrant savings bank since 2004   we saved it mr milstein said   and expanded a vigorous program that made hundreds of millions of dollars in loans to people with bad credit ratings and no proof that they could pay the money back
they did however have houses that were rich in equity for collateral and signed documents agreeing that they would pay an interest rate of 18 percent if they fell behind a circumstance that befell half of emigrants subprime borrowers by 2009
in mr milsteins telling at a federal trial now underway in brooklyn such lending was a great service to the community a source of capital for people who could not otherwise get money we were booking more loans and saving more homes for people he said last month
many such loans are widely seen today as part of the toxic financial sludge that accumulated ahead of the global banking and investment crisis of 2008 they are illegal now but eight families are suing emigrant and its mortgage subsidiary claiming that the banks lending practices were also illegal a decade ago at the time their loans were made primarily because the loans wound up being marketed to minority homeowners
that is a different more nuanced issue than whether the loans were wise or contributed to good social hygiene the bank argues that anyone of any race with low credit and high equity in a home would have been eligible for its subprime lending the color of the hide did not matter as long as it was otherwise suitable for skinning
if the financial crisis was one kind of reckoning the trial of emigrant is another micro version a vision of an unhealthy unwise or naive appetite for debt on the part of some borrowers and the unseemly drive to provide it that led mr milstein to plow more and more money into a program with a skyrocketing rate of people falling behind
they had a high rate of delinquencies is that right asked reed colfax a lawyer representing eight people suing the bank over the loans
well it depends on what time frame youre talking about mr milstein replied certainly during the fiscal crisis they had a high rate
about one loan in four was delinquent around the time mr milstein took over the bank in 2004 by 2009 it was one in two under mr milstein the bank paid its highest incentives and commissions to people who brought in the subprime loans and nearly tripled the amount of lending according to records presented at the trial they were known as star or nina loans
well isnt it true that they always had the highest rate of delinquency of any mortgage program you had in the bank mr colfax asked
well when you think of delinquencies you have    mr milstein began before being interrupted by judge sterling johnson of the united states district court
yes or no judge johnson asked
well i would say that for the credit scores they were as expected but that may well have been the highest mr milstein replied it was a very small   the smallest of our programs
judge johnson apparently saw that as a nonanswer strike that from the record the judge said and mr milstein eventually conceded that it did have the highest rate nevertheless documents showed that the delinquencies presented little risk because the homes were so valuable
the borrowers   among them a home health aide a clinic worker at rikers island and a library employee   described financial binds for which the subprime emigrant loans seemed a way out they testified they did not realize they were signing up for 18 percent interest rates after being late on payments for a month or two like mr milstein they resisted answering straightforward questions such as whether they had signed certain forms disclosing their perils
having fallen behind by more than 30000 on water and gas bills edith st jean testified she and her husband found a broker who set them up with an emigrant mortgage and promised that the refinancing would yield enough cash to pay all their old bills and increase their monthly payment by only 500 at the closing she said she discovered it would be twice their previous monthly payment but was assured of a lower payment in six months it never came she said they destroyed my life she said
an emigrant lawyer keisha ann gray said that ms st jean and all the borrowers were getting choices and as an adult she said who better to know how much you can afford than you


chicago   while his most notable comments were related to the job security of the united states mens national team coach jurgen klinsmann the us soccer president sunil gulati addressed a number of issues in a wide ranging roundtable tuesday before the united states played costa rica in the copa america centenario at soldier field
among the subjects addressed were the continuing negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement with the united states womens national team news media reports of a combined copa america and gold cup competition to be held in the united states and the prospect of a us soccer bid for the 2026 world cup
a new american competition espn deportes reported monday that a decision was close on merging the gold cup and the copa america into a new united states hosted tournament to be held every four years despite the ideas being quickly endorsed by klinsmann and greeted with enthusiasm from fans gulati quickly poured cold water on the concept
the report is inaccurate gulati said flatly there have been no discussions about future events with us soccer or between concacaf and conmebol   the regional governing bodies for the americas   but having said that there could be discussions in the future it would have to be some new event
contract talks with the womens team gulati was upbeat about reaching a new agreement with the womens national team in the wake of a legal victory for us soccer in federal court last week that decision affirmed the validity of the teams collective bargaining agreement meaning the players would not be allowed to strike before this summers rio olympics where they will be a gold medal favorite
i have no doubt we will reach an agreement gulati said and its possible we will have an agreement before brazil we would love to get this done as soon as possible but there is no uncertainty about our agreement now so were talking about next year and beyond
world cup 2026 gulati said the united states presidential election   and the presumptive nominees hillary clinton and donald j trump   would affect any bid us soccer makes to host the world cup including a potential shared bid with its regional rival mexico
i think the worlds perception of the united states is affected by who is in the white house so yes it has some bearing he said having someone in the white house who has an outward looking view and a personality more easily accepted around the world is probably easier for the usa and for hosting major events a co hosted tournament with mexico would be a little trickier if secretary clinton is not in the white house


charleston sc   a federal judge on tuesday scheduled a november trial for dylann s roof a white man accused in the massacre of nine african american worshipers at a prominent church here a year ago and suggested that up to 1500 prospective jurors might be called statewide to fill out a panel
with the decision judge richard m gergel of federal district court turned down an earlier request by the state prosecutor scarlett a wilson to allow the state trial which was scheduled for january to go first the death penalty will be sought in both trials the effect on the states case is unclear
during tuesdays hearing mr roof sat impassively in front of members of the victims families as well as journalists and spectators as judge gergel questioned his lawyers and the justice department on whether they would be ready for a nov 7 trial
federal prosecutors last year filed a 33 count indictment against mr roof who prosecutors say sat in a bible study class at emanuel african methodist episcopal church for about an hour before opening fire in announcing their plan to seek the death penalty in a filing on may 24 prosecutors cited nine aggravating factors including that mr roof had expressed hatred and contempt towards african americans as well as other groups and his animosity toward african americans played a role in the murders charged in the indictment
jury selection is expected to take two to three weeks the trial and deliberations another two weeks the judge said and then after a break another two weeks is expected for the penalty phase   which would determine whether mr roof will face execution if he is convicted
judge gergel methodically read through a litany of expectations which included a list of expert witnesses providing reports on mental health evaluations for mr roof by june 24 and beginning initial jury selection efforts by july
he suggested the use of a standard juror questionnaire for the initial screening it does tend to screen out the hotheads he said
after the initial screening judge gergel said he expects the lawyers to submit a more detailed list of screening questions he also raised the possibility of pulling a statewide pool of up to 1500 jurors for screening in federal court in columbia which is more centrally located and larger instead of charleston which is in the southeastern part of the state mr roofs lawyer david i bruck then said he believed a more regional coastal jury pool would be adequate
i do it on the notion of a more diverse pool of jurors the judge replied before adding that he would consider mr brucks suggestion
outside the courtroom andy savage who represents several of the victims families pointed out that the trial would occur during the holidays lending a particularly heavy burden
three weeks for jury selection puts them on thanksgiving eve he said a couple of weeks of trial puts them on christmas eve so its a tough time of year i dont think they really recognized what thats going to be like
mr savage will face ms wilson on oct 31 as the lawyer for a white north charleston police officer michael t slager who is accused of killing of an unarmed black charleston motorist walter scott
speaking outside ms wilson said were going to be as supportive as we can be to anything the us attorneys need just like when we were on deck first they had been working to help us were going to continue to help them and well just see how things play out


hillary clinton claimed the democratic presidential nomination on tuesday night after decisive victories in the california new jersey and new mexico primaries and she quickly appealed to supporters of senator bernie sanders of vermont to unite with her against donald j trump
the associated press reported early wednesday that mrs clinton had won california but mr sanders gave no indication that he would yield insisting earlier that he would continue his campaign and barely acknowledging her achievement
with the 14 month democratic race nearing a close mrs clinton savored the biggest night of her extraordinary journey from lawyer wife and first lady to senator secretary of state and now the first woman to win a major partys nomination at a rally in brooklyn she took the stage with her hands clasped over her heart in gratitude then threw open her arms in joy and savored a long moment as a jubilant crowd waved american flags and chanted hillary
reaching for history mrs clinton pledged to build on the achievements of pioneers like the 19th century leaders at seneca falls ny who began the fight for womens rights in america
tonight caps an amazing journey   a long long journey she said nearly a century after women won the right to vote nationwide we all owe so much to those who came before and tonight belongs to all of you
as six states voted on tuesday mr sanderss political lifeline frayed with each loss he was left hoping for a long shot victory in the california primary to justify staying in the race and lobbying democratic officials to support him in a contested convention next month
in a speech in santa monica calif late tuesday night that felt much like a valedictory mr sanders told supporters he was determined to stop mr trump the presumptive republican nominee from winning the presidency yet he spoke of their cause as much larger than his candidacy you all know that it is more than bernie   it is all of us together he said
he vowed to fight hard to win the final primary in the district of columbia next week and to continue our fight for social economic racial and environmental justice at the democratic convention in philadelphia
but he also recognized cold political reality i am pretty good in arithmetic and i know that the fight in front of us is a very very steep fight he said but we will continue to fight for every vote and every delegate we can get
while mr sanders noticeably ignored mrs clintons triumph only crediting her victories tonight she lavished praise on him earlier at her brooklyn rally she said their vigorous debate had been very good for the democratic party and america
mr sanders won the north dakota caucuses and the montana primary while mrs clinton won the south dakota primary republicans also voted in several states
though mr sanders made plans to lay off much of his campaign staff he appeared reluctant to let go completely after months of political warfare against a clinton machine that he holds in thinly veiled contempt
president obama plans to meet with mr sanders at the white house on thursday at the candidates request an administration spokesman said adding that mr obama had called both democratic candidates tuesday night to congratulate them on running inspiring campaigns
as mrs clinton sought to turn her attention to the general election mr trump who had a weekslong head start was busy reckoning with problems of his own making his criticism of a federal judge gonzalo p curiel for the judges mexican heritage continued to inflict damage on his campaign as the house speaker paul d ryan called mr trumps remarks racist and other republicans piled on one republican senator rescinded his support
mr trump speaking in briarcliff manor ny pledged to make republicans proud of our party and our movement though he did not try to defuse the controversy instead reading carefully from a teleprompter he mounted a lengthy attack on mrs clintons record saying she had turned the state department into her private hedge fund and he teased a speech on probably monday of next week that he said would delve into all of the things that have taken place with the clintons
mr trump explicitly reached out to sanders supporters who he said had been left out in the cold by a rigged system
we cant solve our problems by counting on the politicians who created our problems he said the clintons have turned the politics of personal enrichment into an art form for themselves
mrs clinton returned fire at mr trump in her remarks charging that he wants to win by stoking fear and rubbing salt into wounds
yet she avoided the sort of slashing attacks and ridicule that she used to great effect in her indictment of mr trump and his temperament last week scarcely raising her voice on tuesday mrs clinton again looked to the example of an influential woman this time tenderly invoking her mother
she told me to never back down from a bully which it turns out was pretty good advice she said
although tuesday had promised to be a watershed moment in the nations political history it proved anticlimactic after the ap reported monday night that mrs clinton had secured enough delegates to clinch the partys nomination but she stuck to her plan to use her rally at the brooklyn navy yard to celebrate her achievement with some of the same new york democrats who helped her win a senate seat in 2000 beginning her career in elected office
the unexpected news on monday set off conversations within the two campaigns with clinton representatives preparing to make overtures to the sanders camp as early as wednesday
sanders advisers were on edge over the declaration that mrs clinton had locked up the nomination worried that it would depress voter turnout in california and mr sanders told nbc on tuesday evening that he was upset and disappointed that the ap had made its call based on a survey of superdelegates party officials who can shift their allegiances as late as the convention
mr sanders said that his aides were on the phone right now with superdelegates including those supporting mrs clinton
defying history is what this campaign has been about he said of his bid which was initially seen as a long shot i am going to be meeting with our supporters to figure out the best way forward so that we have a government which represents all of us and not just the 1 percent
his campaign also emailed supporters late tuesday asking them to commit to vote for him in the final democratic primary in the district of columbia next tuesday suggesting that mr sanders was not calling it quits just yet
still he planned to let go a large number of workers on wednesday according to current and former aides who spoke on the condition of anonymity
part of mr sanderss challenge is that his justifications for continuing his campaign are increasingly thin
mrs clinton has now won a majority of the 4051 pledged delegates at stake in the democratic primaries and caucuses crossing what mr sanders had long held up as a critical threshold she also has support from 571 superdelegates to mr sanderss 48 only about 100 uncommitted superdelegates remain
the campaign managers for mr sanders and mrs clinton have been speaking recently including early on tuesday about the future of the race and about policy priorities for the partys convention platform in july according to two democrats close to the candidates so far the discussions have not included the possibility that mr sanders will concede to mrs clinton or endorse her the democrats said but the groundwork has been laid for an eventual conversation or meeting
several advisers to mr sanders said tuesday that he had not been inviting opinions or holding meetings about whether to withdraw from the race nor had he sketched out a speech announcing the suspension of his campaign they said he had been wholly focused on winning the california primary in hopes that a victory in such a politically important state would help him lobby superdelegates to shift their support
moving a lot of superdelegates into our column will require a big campaign of persuasion a nationwide logistical effort but we believe we have a strong case to make to them   especially if we do very well in tuesdays primaries said tad devine a senior adviser to mr sanders
other campaign advisers said they expected mr sanders to consider his options during his flight from california to vermont on wednesday one recalled that mrs clinton did much the same when she found herself in a similar situation eight years ago
the day after barack obama clinched the democratic nomination in june 2008 mrs clinton huddled with her advisers and debated whether to hold on to her delegates and try to force a contested convention she decided to endorse mr obama instead the two had a tense but productive meeting that thursday night and two days later she delivered a speech thanking her supporters and urging them to unite around the partys presumptive nominee
the resistance of many of mr sanderss supporters to mrs clinton is likely to soften once mr sanders leaves the race and especially if he endorses her but clinton advisers and allies say they will need his help to bring around the many younger voters and liberals who prefer him
if mrs clinton is beginning the general election with many sanders supporters incensed at her mr trump is in the midst of his own self made crisis he is forcing republicans to confront a painful choice embrace his brand of racial politics one that could taint the partys image well beyond this election or abandon their presumptive nominee and hand the white house to the democrats for another four years
but mrs clintons supporters pointing both to the threat from mr trump and to her chance at making history predicted that she would have an easier time bringing her party together than mr trump would his
i think that will sink in over the next few weeks and months and will go a long way to helping unite the party senator chuck schumer of new york said i was on the bike this morning and saw on tv that monday night hillary had won the nomination and i got teary eyed from a 10000 foot perspective its an amazing accomplishment


order in international sports dispute resolution was preserved tuesday as germanys highest civil court ruled against a speedskater who had challenged the monopolistic authority of the court of arbitration for sport the body that for decades has had the final word on sports disputes around the world
germanys federal court of justice said tuesday that claudia pechstein germanys most decorated winter olympian had received a fair hearing by the arbitration court in 2009 when she challenged a two year suspension imposed on her by the global governing body for speedskating
ms pechsteins blood had shown abnormal levels of immature red blood cells a possible indicator of doping she maintained that her irregular test results stemmed from a congenital blood disorder and not from the use of banned substances
even after she served the associated two year suspension ms pechstein continued to challenge the ruling and fundamentally the supreme power of the arbitration court
in order to compete olympic federations require athletes like ms pechstein to sign arbitration clauses that bind them to the sports court and waive their rights to bring cases in their home countries
as ms pechsteins case has wended its way through the legal system   with a favorable ruling from a lower court in germany last january   it has quietly threatened the autonomy of the sports court which is headquartered in a chateau with traditional green shutters in lausanne switzerland
the arbitration courts decisions can be overruled by the swiss federal tribunal if there has been a procedural error following an appeal by ms pechstein the swiss court upheld the arbitration courts decision
in her suit ms pechstein took issue with the way that athletes were forced into arbitration agreements claiming the athletes were not guaranteed fair trials because the sports court was not truly independent of sports federations and the international olympic committee which created the court in 1984
the sports courts governing body   which selects the roughly 350 approved arbitrators around the world   includes ioc members and the court relies on money generated by the olympics
in its decision the german federal court said that ms pechstein had entered into the arbitration agreement willingly had the german court ruled in favor of ms pechstein she could have inspired other athletes to pursue similar suits seeking damages for wages lost during suspensions
thomas summerer a lawyer for ms pechstein said on tuesday that she planned to move the case to a german constitutional court he called the idea that she had signed the arbitration agreement voluntarily ridiculous noting that it was a condition of competition
we are disillusioned that all athletes dispose of equal rights mr summerer said it is a black day for all athletes in europe
fifpro the global soccer union publicly supported ms pechstein in her case in a statement tuesday the organization called for a continued push for a more inclusive impartial and fair arbitration system for athletes calling her suit an illustration of structural and procedural deficits of universal concern to athletes
ian blackshaw an international sports law expert said the pechstein case was not over noting it was also pending before the european court of human rights in strasbourg france her consent to arbitration was not a true and free one mr blackshaw said
the court of arbitration trumpeted the decision out of germany as a validation of its supreme authority
the german courts have no jurisdiction the sports court said in a statement tuesday adding that the decision set a very significant precedent and emphasizes more than ever the need to have the court of arbitration for sport as the worlds highest sports tribunal
in an interview in the lausanne chateau earlier this year matthieu reeb secretary general for the arbitration court said he thought it was unlikely that there would be a significant number of similar suits i dont think every athlete in the world can afford this kind of marathon he said referring to ms pechsteins seven year legal battle we have already changed all kinds of things between 2009 and today
mr reeb said that the court had enacted a new legal aid system providing pro bono representation should an athlete require it and that it had sought to diversify its governing body with stronger representation from outside the sports world focused on recruiting legal and arbitration experts
that ruling body has not however dissolved its olympic ties just last week tricia smith a member of the sports courts governing body was named an ioc member joining at least five others with links to both the ioc and the sports court


athens   greece on tuesday signed a major privatization deal that will fulfill a key condition for the release of further bailout funding but it will also displace thousands of refugees
the deal for a huge luxury real estate project on the site of the capitals former international airport was made in a memorandum of understanding between the state privatization agency taiped and a consortium of greek arab and chinese companies the land sits on a prime piece of coastline in elliniko in southern athens
elliniko is part of an ambitious privatization program by greeces leftist led government and the countrys international creditors apart from greeces power board and other state companies the portfolio of greek assets for sale includes former government buildings beaches and hotels
the deal which was frozen for a year and a half because of protests was hailed as a breakthrough taipeds chairman stergios pitsiorlas said the site which covers four square kilometers or 15 square miles would accommodate the largest urban regeneration project in europe and create thousands of jobs for the debt ridden nation the site will also have the largest metropolitan park in europe he said the office of prime minister alexis tsipras said the investment would help restart the economy
currently however the site is home to some 3000 refugees who live in a makeshift settlement in the former airport building the structure also houses several small companies chiefly shipping and advertising firms it had served as sports venues for the 2004 olympics in athens
the government has promised to clear the site and relocate the refugees to a yet to be determined location by november
the deal was one of the few loose ends needed for creditors to sign off on 75 billion euros about 85 billion in bailout money after the approval of fresh austerity measures in recent weeks
addressing the european parliament in strasbourg france on monday pierre moscovici the european commissioner for economic and financial affairs said greek authorities had done 95 percent of the changes necessary to unlock the money
first signed by the previous conservative led coalition in november 2014 the privatization deal was held up after protests by local residents and authorities
it was clinched after locals came around to the idea mr pitsiorlas said in an interview the developers also agreed to demands by the greek state for the site to include more green spaces and to pay maintenance costs the site will also have malls golf courses and luxury homes
the consortium of lamda development the abu dhabi based real estate firm al maabar and the chinese conglomerate fosun international has pledged 915 million euros about 1 billion to lease the plot for 99 years another 7 billion euros about 79 billion will go toward the creation of parks luxury homes golf courses and the extension of the public transportation and drainage network over 15 years according to mr pitsiorlas the project would create more than 40000 jobs
the new living standard envisioned for elliniko in a video on lamda developments website is a far cry from the current state of the site described as a mass ghetto by a local mayor yiannis konstantatos
despite pressure from creditors to sell off state assets a succession of governments have raised just over 25 billion euros from privatizations including the leasing out of greek regional airports and the greek horse race betting organization compared to an initial target of 50 billion euros


he was the greatest something we have been reminded about and deeply moved by in the days since muhammad ali went ahead of us he was called champ when it mattered when it was a title that had been bestowed on jack dempsey rocky marciano and joe louis
in the day it was reserved for the heavyweight champeen of the world and commanded respect from the public at large howard cosell rasped it reverently and those sweet scientists were star attractions on talk show couches alongside jack paar and johnny carson
it wasnt a one size fits all crown that has been worn by floyd mayweather ronda rousey or roman reigns and a host of other hardly majestic combatants in the pay per view era it was the heavyweights who leaned us into the radios for the latest fight of the century   my first was ali versus joe frazier on march 8 1971 from madison square garden which was absolutely mind blowing for a 9 year old kid in kansas city with a transistor radio in hand
this was the golden era of the heavyweight division not only because of ali and frazier and eventually george foreman but for the tough and colorful contenders whose stories landed in newspapers on our breakfast table told by an accomplished generation of boxing writers and beamed into our living rooms through abcs wide world of sports
it has been a joy to watch clips of alis bouts and remember the back stories of some of his opponents jerry quarry the bellflower bomber was the perennial great white hope ron lyle had done seven and a half years in prison for second degree murder the product of gang warfare and was a rehabilitated gentleman fighter earnie shavers was completely bald earning him the nickname acorn and completely ripped with cast iron hands responsible for 24 first round knockouts
best of them all was ken norton a marine and former sparring partner of fraziers who on march 31 1973 became a legend by not only beating ali but silencing him by breaking his jaw he was the tomato can who did not play his part that day in san diego and he became a player in boxings most glamorous division
take a look at the ring magazines heavyweight champion and its 10 contenders there is nothing glamorous or even familiar about them boxing is no long an american pastime
the englishman tyson fury is the reigning champion after taking the belt from wladimir klitschko a ukrainian last fall in germany among the top contenders are two more englishmen a cuban a bulgarian a canadian and a new zealander two americans made the list deontay wilder at no 2 and bryant jennings at no 8
the truth is that the heavyweight division was left for dead 20 years ago when mike tyson the baddest man on the planet lost his title to evander holyfield iron mike was the champ at 20   the youngest ever   and a convicted rapist at 26 in between there was a divorce to the actress robin givens disputes over his contract with his managers don king and bill cayton and headline generating drama and boorish behavior
in 1995 tyson was released from prison and won a championship belt the following year but he was no longer the electric and fearsome fighter of his youth holyfield was on the comeback trail himself and was thought to be a shot boxer at 34 twice retired and a mere steppingstone for tyson
instead holyfield took the fight to tyson frustrating and battering him it was stopped in the 11th round with holyfield winning by technical knockout
on june 28 1997 the boxing fate of tyson as well of the heavyweight division was sealed when iron mike was disqualified in the third round for biting holyfield on both ears it was bizarre controversial and downright macabre after a piece of holyfields right ear was found on the ring floor after the fight
the british born lennox lewis who fought out of canada had a dominant and classy run as undisputed heavyweight champion from 2000 until his retirement in 2004 but his polished and civilized style both inside and outside the ring failed to captivate boxing aficionados or reality show devotees hoping to see car wreck human behavior
in the years since boxings decline has been blamed on everything from its multiple and dubious sanctioning organizations corruption within its management ranks and a business model that puts the sports premier events behind an expensive pay wall
bob arum once alis promoter and still a force says it is simpler than that boxing is a desperate sport for desperate people
it is too brutal for all but a few he said
in america of late finding athletes who fit that description are hard to find
so not only is the greatest gone the title of champ has been retired


to many in the furniture industry the 2014 merger of herman miller the famed purveyor of midcentury classics like the eames lounge chair and design within reach the emporium for sleek modern furnishings was a no brainer
but a little noticed lawsuit brought by two longtime shareholders in delaware contends that the 154 million merger of the two never happened at all
the lead plaintiff andrew franklin who is president of utr an investment firm called it the most botched merger in delaware history
weve been deprived of a ton of value he said in a telephone interview
battling deals in court is nothing new but a claim that a merger never legally concluded more than a year after it closed is an unusual one
mr franklin and another shareholder charles almond are seeking unspecified damages but their argument could in theory result in the court ordering that the merger be rescinded and dwr essentially carved out of the company it is a long shot but it would be a corporate do over on a large scale
representatives for herman miller and the other defendants the four men who made up design within reachs board declined to comment
in court filings the defendants denied the allegations and contended that the plaintiffs have suffered no damages they also argued that fixes were made under provisions in delaware law that make the merger valid
a spokesman for mr franklin said the plaintiffs seek to be made whole and receive the value that they have been improperly deprived the court has a number of mechanisms to accomplish that
the shareholders lawsuit currently in the discovery phase may not succeed but the legal battle threatens to mar a merger that has largely been seen as an important combination in the world of high end furniture
ask any design minded consumer or office manager to come up with the leading names in the business and both design within reach and herman miller   whose other wares include the noguchi accent table and the omnipresent aeron office chair   are likely to come up
in seeking to buy design within reach herman miller gained a respected retail outlet that could better showcase its goods at a time when knoll a top rival was expanding its own retail footprint
dwr as design cognoscenti often call the store chain also helps give herman miller entree into the homes of its clients and helped cement the furniture maker as in its own words a premier lifestyle brand that is meant to help differentiate herman miller from its top rivals in the office furniture business including knoll and steelcase
the idea behind the merger was not to convert design within reach solely into a seller of herman miller goods
what you wont see is herman miller and dwr becoming synonymous with one other brian c walker herman millers chief executive told his companys investors in july 2014 after the design within reach sale was announced theyre a marketplace we sell stuff into that marketplace
still herman miller calculated that buying the high end retailer would lay down a road map for the company to reach 300 million in annual profit   and perhaps 500 million down the line
when we studied the furniture marketplace we realized pretty quickly that not only were they aligned with us in price point and design our customers were very very similar mr walker said
over all we concluded that design within reach would really help us accelerate our consumer growth
but the lawsuit has argued that there was a fatal flaw
at the heart of the suit filed in december 2014 in the delaware court of chancery is the accusation that because of a series of technical mistakes herman millers agreement to buy design within reach never took effect
a series of moves by design within reachs directors led by glenn krevlin a hedge fund manager who bought control of the retailer in 2009 essentially sought to squeeze out minority shareholders the lawsuit says the capstone of that campaign proved to be the herman miller deal
mr franklin contends that dwr never successfully carried out a reverse split of its shares ultimately meaning that herman miller never collected the roughly 90 percent of the retailers stock needed to carry out the takeover
underlying the lawsuit is an earlier decision in the delaware court of chancery when the court invalidated another companys stock split because it did not follow the states corporate law
once you dont know the capital structure what are these shares worth mr franklin asked they didnt do the split right
in february shareholders received a notice from design within reach acknowledging defective corporate acts including the reverse stock split but contending that it had remedied those mistakes under a provision of delaware law
mr krevlins close involvement with design within reach began in 2009 when the retailer which had lost 24 million in 2008 during the financial crisis began looking for investors the company agreed that summer to accept a 15 million investment from mr krevlins investment firm which already owned 17 percent of dwr that would essentially give mr krevlin 91 percent of the retailer
mr franklin made an alternative proposal that he contends in the lawsuit would have diluted other shareholders less but was rejected mr krevlin joined dwrs board along with william sweedler another investor but mr franklin kept his shares in the retailer
the moment krevlin wrestled control of the business away he went dark mr franklin said but i remained a shareholder for years and years quietly
several months later the company de registered with the securities and exchange commission ending public filings about its financial statements though it still traded over the counter as a penny stock
in august 2010 design within reach sought to reduce its total authorized shares from 315 million to just 630000
but mr franklin said that while design within reach declared the reverse split effective on aug 9 2010 it had not notified minority shareholders of the move and mr franklin contends that he did not receive a notice of the attempt until his lawsuit
the suit accuses the defendants of withholding other information from design within reachs minority shareholders including several issuances of new stock that re raised the amount of the companies outstanding shares those lapses mr franklin argues ran afoul of delaware law
in july 2014 herman miller struck its deal to buy design within reach
the agreement between the two said that dwr had 75 million authorized shares with 66 million outstanding the lawsuit contends that because of failures to comply with delaware law design within reach had 30 million shares outstanding
by the time of the agreement in the summer of 2014 design within reach had rebuilt its business it had increased its earnings before interest taxes depreciation and amortization to 28 million rebounding from the 2008 loss executives said at a meeting for herman miller investors and analysts in july 2014
in early 2010 the company hired john edelman and john mcphee executives from edelman leather a supplier of leather for luxury upholstery as its chief executive and chief operating officer
during the 2014 meeting with herman miller investors mr mcphee and mr edelman recalled that they cut costs sharply while increasing sales efficiency according to a transcript the company consolidated its stores sales staff members were retrained signs were improved to better attract customers
the two stayed on at design within reach after the acquisition by herman miller and said they saw brighter prospects for the business
we believe were in the third inning of the game and we believe theres no better place to put ourselves and our investments than this project mr edelman said at the time


in 2007 davontae sanford a 14 year old who was blind in one eye and had a habit of telling tall tales told detroit police officers after hours of questioning that he had killed four people in a shooting a few blocks from his house
the teenager who had quickly recanted was sentenced to up to 90 years in prison and remained behind bars even after a notorious detroit hit man admitted to having committed the killings with a second man
but on tuesday after eight years of court battles and a reinvestigation of the case brian sullivan a wayne county court judge vacated mr sanfords convictions and ordered him released
davontaes family friends and supporters knew from the outset that he was innocent and wrongfully convicted his family said in a statement tuesday as the judges order confirms davontae had nothing to do with these murders we are grateful to those who have fought for many years on davontaes behalf and thankful to soon have davontae home with us
the story of how he spent nine years in prison   despite not matching descriptions of the killers   involved a series of grave mistakes and critical oversights on the part of mr sanfords initial lawyer the trial judge the detroit police and wayne county prosecutors officials said tuesday
kym worthy the current county prosecutor declined to comment tuesday but her office said in a statement that the case against mr sanford who is now 23 had fallen apart after a recently concluded reinvestigation by the state police
that inquiry determined that james tolbert a former detroit deputy police chief had contradicted his sworn testimony in which he had said that mr sanford drew the entire diagram of the crime scene including the location of the victims bodies while being questioned by the police according to the prosecutors office
ms worthy who has agreed to file a motion to dismiss all charges and not to retry mr sanford has scheduled a news conference for thursday morning
in 2008 mr sanford pleaded guilty to four counts of second degree murder on the advice of his lawyer robert slameka who has been suspended from practicing law for misconduct at least once according to state attorney discipline board records
mr slameka according to mr sanfords current lawyers did not seek to suppress mr sanfords confession even though mr sanford recanted within a few hours he said he had admitted to the killings under duress
the four people killed in the rampage were michael robinson a marijuana grower and three houseguests the killers fired a 45 caliber pistol and an ak 47 rifle through the houses front door and a front window before entering as they fled the gunmen exchanged fire with an armed neighbor the police said they believed the murders were drug related
the police later found mr sanford wandering around the street his lawyers said he was charged in the killings despite having changed his account several times and failing to accurately describe what had occurred in the runyon street house
they said i had blood on my shoes and i should sign it sign it mr sanford said according to court documents
about two weeks after mr sanford was sentenced to a 37  to 90 year prison sentence vincent smothers a hit man confessed to the four killings as well as to eight more wayne county prosecutors however did not charge mr smothers with the runyon street killings despite his insistence that mr sanford had nothing to do with the crimes
the state appellate defender office appealed mr sanfords convictions and the michigan state police reopened the investigation investigators uncovered numerous inconsistencies including mr tolberts testimony mr tolbert who resigned in february as the police chief of flint mich could not be reached for comment tuesday
over the years mr sanford had been represented by legal counsel including the law firm dykema gossett the michigan innocence clinic the northwestern center on wrongful convictions of youth and the appellate defender office
we believe a wrong has been righted said heidi naasko one of mr sanfords lawyers
they said his family was looking forward to a reunion with him after his release which was to happen as early as late tuesday


pittsburgh   the mets arrived at pnc park on tuesday ranking fourth in the majors in home runs yet without many other ways to score they stood fourth from the bottom in runs per game their pitching props them up
were keeping ourselves in games because we pitch manager terry collins said we knew going in our pitching was going to make a big difference and it has
it has just not every day only flawless pitching could have saved the mets from a doubleheader sweep and they did not get it they dropped both games by 3 1 scores managing just nine hits across 18 innings
the mets are missing three everyday players   catcher travis darnaud first baseman lucas duda and third baseman david wright who are all on the disabled list they started seven of the same position players in both games switching only the catchers what failed at 4 pm also failed at night
their tormentor in the opener was familiar the left hander jonathon niese who spent his first eight major league seasons with the mets he tossed seven scoreless innings to beat steven matz who lasted just five
in the second game the mets could not put a runner on base until the fifth inning against juan nicasio they scored once then but not at all against four relievers mark melancon saved both games fittingly he struck out the side in the nightcap ending by getting neil walker looking the mets fanned 14 times in the second game
niese was traded last december for walker the second baseman who returned to cheers in his hometown saluting the crowd at the start of both games walker has been excellent for the mets and niese improved to 6 2 for the pirates
he retired 11 of his first 12 hitters until walker singled with two out in the fourth soon the bases were loaded and niese was facing michael conforto he had struck him out earlier and did so again swinging on a 2 2 fastball
conforto made a dynamic impression as a rookie last year with an 841 on base plus slugging percentage in the regular season and two home runs in game 4 of the world series he sizzled this april earning the no 3 spot in the lineup and hitting 365 for the month but is batting just 160 17 for 106 since then
his two strikeouts against niese both ended innings and stranded four runners in all the mets wasted another chance in the fifth when matz tripled   the first met pitcher to do so since dillon gee nearly three years ago   and the top of the order could not bring him in
the mets grounded out twice then as they did against niese for most of the afternoon he struck out no hitters besides conforto but got the mets to bury into 14 ground outs he said he tried to keep his pitches at or below the knees and it worked
one thing jon niese can do he can get ground balls collins said if you dont have a plan of using the field and you keep trying to pull him hes going to get easy outs
all those outs lowered nieses era to 393 almost precisely the same as his mark for the mets which was two points lower niese in other words has performed for the pirates as advertised and his best was good enough to stifle his old team
i definitely miss em but im enjoying my time here niese said its a lot of fun
nicasio had fun too nicasio the former colorado starter who mostly relieved for the dodgers last season fanned seven in five innings blowing 95 mile an hour fastballs past the middle of the mets lineup
conforto doubled off him in the fifth and scored on a single by kevin plawecki but the mets never moved a runner to third against the pirates bullpen
the pirates had knocked around matz for eight hits including three by josh harrison and they had six hits in six innings off jacob degrom in the second game a couple of infield hits hurt degrom but the pirates had some hard hits too including doubles by sean rodriguez and john jaso
rodriguez and jaso were out of the lineup for game 1 but made a big impact in game 2 collins had fewer dependable options to mix and match and his offense slumbered all day
inside pitch
with steven matz and jacob degrom both working on tuesday the mets will startlogan verrett in milwaukee this weekend likely on saturday verrett tossed six scoreless innings in each of his first two spot starts this season but was hit hard in his last on may 14 in colorado ... the pirates jameson taillon the no 2 overall pick in the 2010 draft will make his major league debut on wednesday against the mets the pirates who want the struggling francisco liriano to throw an extra bullpen session will get their first look at taillon who missed two full seasons because of tommy john surgery in 2014 and sports hernia surgery last year that may be a hidden lining that he didnt pitch for some time manager clint hurdle said hes got a full gas tank... the baseball hall of fame announced that it will display the jersey mike piazza wore on sept 21 2001 when he hit a thrilling home run in the first new york game after the attacks on the world trade center the jersey will be part of a new cooperstown exhibit baseball after 911 that opens on june 18 the mets had sold piazzas jersey to a private collector and it was then purchased at auction in april   for 365000   by three minority owners of the team the hall of fame said the jersey would be on loan from anthony and carmela lautoanthony scaramucci and jim mccann


london   when we last left harry potter in the final pages of j k rowlings harry potter and the deathly hallows he was a middle aged wizarding bureaucrat sending his second child albus severus off to hogwarts for the first time his life marked in part by violence danger and grief seemed to have settled down and those of us who had worried about him through so many pages for so many years felt relieved at his apparently happy ending
now harry is back   in a play this time   and we have to reconsider the whole thing all is no longer well in potter world but though it is full of new difficulties for its famous protagonist harry potter and the cursed child which had its first preview in the west end in london on tuesday felt like an author sending a valentine to her longtime fans here onstage were all the characters wed come to know so intimately harry now married to ginny weasley hermione and ron now married to each other and behaving at least until ms rowling worked her mischief in their old familiar ways
for those of us in the audience it was jarring to see the reanimation of characters we thought had been put to rest who in our minds had been suspended forever in time and place we had to readjust our sense of their reality and replace what had been in our imagination with what the author put in front of us
cursed child with a story by ms rowling john tiffany and jack thorne has been years in the making and the subject of keen anticipation   even though relatively few people will ever get to see it compared with the many millions who have read the harry potter books or seen the movies
it was odd too to watch the action unfold onstage reading the harry potter books was for so long a rite of passage for so many children ok and adults and the movies always felt like faithful adaptations that didnt advance the plot but this was something completely different this sensation of coming to the story not alone in the corner with a book but in a large theater in the company of some 1400 other people
who knows what adjustments the play will go through before it opens previews are often a time for tweaking i began the evening slightly worried about what ms rowling could do to a narrative i had read in its entirety years ago and like many fans had always associated with a particular time in my life but above all she is a storyteller and once more i could not resist the ingenuity of her plot and her joy in her fictional world
here were a host of memorable characters many of them making what amount to quick cameo appearances much as a star might drop into a movie for a few minutes here were a second generation of new characters including scorpius the unexpectedly delightful son of the decidedly undelightful draco malfoy and of course the troubled albus whose adolescent struggles to make sense of himself his friends and his family form the focus of the play
how exciting when youve just reread deathly hallows and been reminded of what happened to see what ms rowling does she thrusts us back into that concluding scene making it the first scene of the play and putting us on platform 9 3/4  as the characters wait for the hogwarts express she then rushes rapidly forward a few years and shoots off into all sorts of unexpected directions and then we get to learn the thing that most drives every fan in these situations what happens next
note people who dont want to find out what happens until july 31 when the text of the play is to be published might want to disapparate out of their seats for the next two paragraphs in any case we will try to keep it vague
exciting scenes feature among others the sorting hat wittily staged the grumpiest of the centaurs who is extra grumpy this time around the evil dursleys and one of the books more diabolically unpleasant characters who turns up at the end and whom we had hoped we had seen the last of the tantalizing question arises of what might or might not happen to the present if you try to tamper with the past albus dumbledore himself appears in a painting that speaks to us as paintings do in potter world followed by as good an explanation as youll ever hear of why we should not mistake a portrait for an actual person
there is magic right onstage including some books that fly from a bookshelf and speak to us a dexterous use of fireplaces as pieces of the wizarding transportation network and an amusing wand fight in which a pair of wizards fling curses at one another there are some creepy dementors that waft out over the audience minus at least from the upper seats the cold draft that generally accompanies them
it was even better than i thought it would be said iman khabl 23 who had come from edinburgh to see the play and who said she had been thrilled to find references to sometimes abstruse details from all seven books it was such a nice nudge to the fans that they brought everyone back that they kept our favorite characters while bringing in so many other things
the play attracted the usual complement of superfans including people dressed in hogwarts robes bought from the internet people who had flown from california the day before and were being kept awake by little more than caffeine and hysteria and a pair of newlyweds who ditched their honeymoon in iceland for the chance to see the play
ms rowling has done an excellent job of shrouding the production in suspense letting out the occasional detail   hermione is played by noma dumezweni who is black albus is basically a disaffected youth   when it suits her its hard to believe that further details will remain secret until opening night on july 30 the plays script no 1 on the amazon pre order list is to be let out into the world at 1201 am on july 31
but for now even fans lucky enough to procure tickets dont know how cursed child ends the play is in two parts only the first half was presented on tuesday and it ended on a truly shocking note of suspense we wont learn what happens until the first preview of the second part on thursday night one thing we still arent sure of which character is in fact the cursed child


chicago   the president of us soccer sunil gulati called into question the job security of the national team coach jurgen klinsmann on tuesday telling reporters hours before the united states was to play an important match that klinsmanns status could be re evaluated if the team failed to advance out of the first round of the copa america this week
we need to win a few games gulati said i didnt say jurgen klinsmann had to win games i said we did no one has ironclad job security for coaches and players its about results
results are what matter and everyone understands that gulati added the last 18 months over all havent been what we would have hoped for especially in official competition were not where wed like to be and while i dont get too high or too low based on one game well look at everything at the end of this competition
the timing of gulatis critique was odd coming only a few hours before a critical game against costa rica at soldier field that both klinsmann and his players had called a must win but if gulatis intention was to take pressure off the team or to motivate it the comments were a success the americans thrashed costa rica taking a three goal lead by halftime and winning 4 0
a second straight positive result in their final group stage game against paraguay on saturday night in philadelphia will see the team through to the copas knockout stages
still regardless of the outcome gulatis statements seemed to be a direct reflection of the grim mood that has surrounded klinsmann the united states team and its fans recently
the united states has endured a disappointing stretch by any metric the americans were favored to win their regional championship the gold cup as the hosts last summer but were shocked by jamaica in the semifinals falling by 2 1 in a dreadful showing at atlantas georgia dome the americans then blew a chance to represent the region at the 2017 confederations cup in russia an important dress rehearsal for the world cup in that country a year later when they lost to mexico in a one game playoff in october at the rose bowl in pasadena calif
those defeats several other uninspiring performances in friendly matches and klinsmanns persistent criticism of his players had raised questions about his skills as a coach leader and tactician
fridays 2 0 loss to colombia in the copa america opener set the alarm bells off anew while colombia a world cup quarterfinalist in 2014 is among the favorites in the tournament the loss left the americans scrambling for a positive result tuesday against costa rica
our expectation is to win tonight and to win saturday and to get through gulati said before the match tuesday heartbreak and third place doesnt do the trick
gulati has raised klinsmanns job security before in november he made similar comments ahead of a world cup qualifying match though at the time he stressed that he expected klinsmann to complete his contract and lead the americans to the world cup in 2018
yet klinsmann acknowledged on monday that the pressure was on even as he continued to express his usual public sunny optimism
the result is always the most important thing at the end of the day klinsmann said you have to get the points to get out of the group
klinsmann has long been thought to enjoy an unusual degree of leeway in his post long courted for the job by gulati   he first emerged as a possible united states manager in 2006 but reportedly backed out at the time over concerns about his autonomy   klinsmann finally was hired in 2011
at the time gulati acknowledged that klinsmann a world cup winner with germany as a player had been the only man truly considered for the job and he initially showed great promise
klinsmann won the 2013 gold cup and was widely credited with navigating his team smartly out of a brutal first round group at the 2014 world cup but after klinsmann received an unusual contract extension and a promotion to technical director in 2013   months before world cup play kicked off in brazil   fissures began to appear star players   most notably landon donovan who was dropped by klinsmann on the eve of the world cup   publicly criticized his coaching methods and style and when the united states began to take a nose dive this past summer fans began to turn on klinsmann as well
the costa rica match offered an immediate chance at changing the story line in a flurry of goals klinsmann and his team did just that


cleveland   lebron james changed his routine in the wake of another demoralizing loss on sunday night rather than take the cleveland cavaliers late bus back to their hotel in san francisco james showered took care of his news media obligations and then boarded the first bus
james had pressing business he wanted to rewatch the cavaliers 33 point loss to the golden state warriors in game 2 of the nba finals as quickly as possible so he grabbed a seat next to james jones his teammate and went through the film painful possession by painful possession he found his seven turnovers especially galling
a couple of them were bad footwork james said tuesday afternoon adding out of the seven i would say four of them i can clean up and stop those guys from getting out on the break and doing what they do best and thats filling the lanes and sharing the ball ill be much better and much more sound
the series will resume at quicken loans arena on wednesday night and the cavaliers who trail by two games to none are running out of time the math is unforgiving the cavaliers need to win four games to claim clevelands first major sports championship since 1964 they have five games to do it against an opponent that lost just nine times in the regular season
james described the situation as do or die
the cavaliers who are not exactly known for their depth in the first place could be more short handed than usual kevin love was placed in the leagues concussion protocol after he was elbowed in the head in game 2 on tuesday he met with medical personnel his status for the game was unclear
its going to be the next man up james said were down 0 2 and we cant afford to look and say wow kevs not playing what are we going to do its next man up because its a must win for us
the cavaliers have lost seven straight games to the warriors a stretch of futility that dates to game 4 of last years finals the warriors realized then that they could go small against the cavaliers and use their speed and shooting ability to run them off the court cleveland has yet to figure out how to slow them down
we just want to win warriors coach steve kerr said it doesnt matter who scores the points or who gets the credit we do feel like the strength of our team is our depth and were not overly reliant on one player
the cavaliers have focused their defensive attention on the warriors stephen curry and klay thompson but they have been willing passers when defenders collapse on them and teammates like draymond green who scored 28 points in game 2 have made the most of their opportunities
they put you at some disadvantages cavaliers coach tyronn lue said
james has tried to operate as a facilitator for the cavaliers in the first two games he averaged 21 points 10 rebounds and 9 assists while shooting 421 percent from the field the question is whether he will opt to be even more assertive in game 3 especially if love is absent or limited
i try to do whatever it takes to help our team win james said adding my game doesnt waver one way or the other im not a pure scorer im not an all assist guy im not just a rebounder i do everything so for me i said after game 2 that ive got to play better but as far as my numbers i dont worry about that


san francisco   twenty seven years ago tim berners lee created the world wide web as a way for scientists to easily find information it has since become the worlds most powerful medium for knowledge communications and commerce   but that doesnt mean mr berners lee is happy with all of the consequences
it controls what people see creates mechanisms for how people interact he said of the modern day web its been great but spying blocking sites repurposing peoples content taking you to the wrong websites   that completely undermines the spirit of helping people create
so on tuesday mr berners lee gathered in san francisco with other top computer scientists   including brewster kahle head of the nonprofit internet archive and an internet activist   to discuss a new phase for the web
today the world wide web has become a system that is often subject to control by governments and corporations countries like china can block certain web pages from their citizens and cloud services like amazon web services hold powerful sway so what might happen the computer scientists posited if they could harness newer technologies   like the software used for digital currencies or the technology of peer to peer music sharing   to create a more decentralized web with more privacy less government and corporate control and a level of permanence and reliability
national histories the story of a country now happen on the web said vinton g cerf another founder of the internet and chief internet evangelist at google in a phone interview ahead of a speech to the group scheduled for wednesday people think making things digital means theyll last forever but that isnt true now
the project is in its early days but the discussions   and caliber of the people involved   underscored how the world wide webs direction in recent years has stirred a deep anxiety among some technologists the revelations by edward j snowden that the web has been used by governments for spying and the realization that companies like amazon facebook and google have become gatekeepers to our digital lives have added to concerns
on tuesday mr berners lee and mr kahle and others brainstormed at the event called the decentralized web summit over new ways that web pages could be distributed broadly without the standard control of a web server computer as well as ways of storing scientific data without having to pay storage fees to companies like amazon dropbox or google
efforts at creating greater amounts of privacy and accountability by adding more encryption to various parts of the web and archiving all versions of a web page also came up such efforts would make it harder to censor content
edward snowden showed weve inadvertently built the worlds largest surveillance network with the web said mr kahle whose group organized the conference china can make it impossible for people there to read things and just a few big service providers are the de facto organizers of your experience we have the ability to change all that
many people conflate the internets online services and the web as one and the same   yet they are technically quite different the internet is a networking infrastructure where any two machines can communicate over a variety of paths and one local network of computers can connect with other networks
the web on the other hand is a popular means to access that network of networks but because of the way web pages are created managed and named the web is not fully decentralized take down a certain server and a certain web page becomes unavailable links to pages can corrode over time censorship systems like chinas great firewall eliminate access to much information for most of its people by looking at internet addresses it is possible for governments and companies to get a good idea of who is reading which web pages
in some ways the efforts to change the technology of creating the web are a kind of coming of age story mr berners lee created the world wide web while working at cern the european organization for nuclear research as a tool for scientists today the web still runs on technologies of the older world
consider payments in many cases people pay for things online by entering credit card information not much different from handing a card to a merchant for an imprint
at the session on tuesday computer scientists talked about how new payment technologies could increase individual control over money for example if people adapted the so called ledger system by which digital currencies are used a musician might potentially be able to sell records without intermediaries like apples itunes news sites might be able to have a system of micropayments for reading a single article instead of counting on web ads for money
ad revenue is the only model for too many people on the web now mr berners lee said people assume todays consumer has to make a deal with a marketing machine to get stuff for free even if theyre horrified by what happens with their data imagine a world where paying for things was easy on both sides
mr kahles internet archive which exists on a combination of grants and fees from digitizing books for libraries operates the wayback machine which serves as a record of discontinued websites or early versions of pages
to make that work now mr kahle has to search and capture a page then give it a brand new web address with the right kind of distributed system he said the archive can have all of the versions because there would be a permanent record located across many sites
the movement to change how the web is built like a surprising number of technology discussions has an almost religious dimension
some of the participants are extreme privacy advocates who have created methods of building sites that cant be censored using cryptography mr cerf said he was wary of extreme anonymity but thought the ways that digital currencies permanently record transactions could be used to make the web more accountable
still not all the major players agree on whether the web needs decentralizing
the web is already decentralized mr berners lee said the problem is the dominance of one search engine one big social network one twitter for microblogging we dont have a technology problem we have a social problem
one that can perhaps be solved by more technology


rebuilding america pac one of the new super pacs that recently sprouted in support of donald j trump has made its first advertising buy of the general election campaign reserving roughly 11 million on national cable outlets according to two strategists with knowledge of the purchase
the group which released its first ad over the weekend tying hillary clintons use of her private email to her husbands past scandals is being backed by tom barrack a real estate developer and an old friend of mr trump the group recently hired alex castellanos a republican strategist and ad maker
mr barrack said that the group had raised 32 million but it has not yet filed its fund raising report with the federal election commission
the initial ad purchase is the first step in the groups plan to counter an advertising blitz of more than 90 million planned by priorities usa action the super pac supporting hillary clinton
it also is the first time mr trumps candidacy will be supported in a significant ad campaign since he became the presumptive republican nominee another group great america pac has been running advertisements on select directv and dish services but has also focused more on push polling and fund raising ads
the ad is currently slotted to run only from june 9 through june 16 but that period could be extended
previously mr trump had eschewed any support of super pacs telling groups supporting him last year to return any donations to donors a major theme of his campaign for the republican nomination was a pledge to self fund his bid to show he couldnt be bought by the wealthy donors who pour millions of dollars into super pacs
but as his campaign has slowly made the transition toward the general election numerous super pacs have sprung up in support of the candidate and he hasnt made any effort to quash their existence there are currently at least four super pacs set up to help mr trump win the general election


dakar senegal   the peacekeeping missions in the central african republic have been tainted by allegations that troops from several countries sexually abused children and adults but on tuesday human rights watch released a report providing new evidence that soldiers from the republic of congo had killed civilians
in the report human rights watch said it had uncovered new evidence that congolese soldiers killed more than a dozen people including women and children while serving as peacekeepers from december 2013 to june 2015
the report is the latest in a series of allegations against peacekeepers who have been accused of rampant sexual abuse including against more than 100 girls in a single prefecture in the central african republic the united nations has said it is investigating the sex allegations which it called sickening
the central african republic was torn by sectarian strife in 2013 after the ouster of president francois bozize thousands of people were killed and nearly a quarter of the population was displaced faustin archange touadera a prime minister under mr bozize was elected president this year
the report on tuesday offers more evidence of misdeeds that human rights watch has been looking into for years in february remains in a grave discovered near a peacekeeping base were exhumed and identified as 12 detainees who had been rounded up more than two years ago peacekeepers had said the detainees escaped captivity
the exhumed bodies are believed to be those of a group arrested after a violent episode in march 2014 between congolese peacekeepers and a local leader in which one peacekeeper died according to the report angry peacekeepers surrounded the leaders house and arrested him and at least a dozen others including five women one of whom was pregnant a 10 year old and an infant
witnesses heard screams and gunshots that night and were told to stay away from an area where the grave was eventually discovered
human rights watch has also documented murders by torture public executions and beating deaths by congolese peacekeepers
in march 2015 united nations human rights investigators looked into crimes committed by peacekeepers in the area and confirmed the findings of human rights watch which says the congolese government has yet to investigate the crimes
stephane dujarric the united nations spokesman in new york said at a news briefing that the organization had known about the accusations for quite some time and that were continuing to follow up with the congolese authorities
allegations surfaced last year that french soldiers had sexually abused boys in bangui the central african republics capital starting in december 2013 troops from chad and equatorial guinea representing the african union peacekeeping mission were also accused of sexually abusing children the united nations was in turn accused of mishandling its inquiry into the charges in what became a major scandal that is still reverberating through the organization
the united nations human rights official who leaked the allegations against the french soldiers   and was suspended for having violated protocol but reinstated   was reported on tuesday to have submitted his resignation
the official anders kompass the field operations director of the office of the united nations high commissioner for human rights shared a confidential report about the abuse allegations with the french authorities in what his superiors said they had regarded as a violation of protocol an independent panel appointed by secretary general ban ki moon concluded that senior united nations officials had mishandled the matter
mr kompasss resignation was first reported by irin a nonprofit humanitarian news service that once was part of the united nations it quoted mr kompass as saying he was leaving because of a lack of accountability and the unwillingness of the hierarchy to express any regrets for the way they acted towards me
efforts to reach mr kompass for comment were not immediately successful asked about the resignation mr dujarric the united nations spokesman said we wish mr kompass well


washington   the senate on tuesday gave final approval to an overhaul of the nations 40 year old law governing the use of toxic chemicals in homes and businesses sending the bill to president obama for his expected signature
the senate passed the measure on a voice vote the house approved it last month 403 to 12 the measure would update the 1976 toxic substances control act requiring new testing and regulation of thousands of chemicals used in everyday products as varied as laundry detergents and car seats however some public health and environmental advocates have criticized the legislation saying that while it slightly strengthens the existing law the bills authors ceded too much to chemical companies
public health advocates and environmentalists complained for decades that the 1976 law was outdated and riddled with gaps that left americans exposed to harmful chemicals under current law around 64000 chemicals are not subject to environmental testing or regulation
but efforts to tighten the law had stalled for years the authors of the bill say their breakthrough represents a pragmatic politically viable compromise between better environmental standards and the demands of industry senator tom udall democrat of new mexico worked closely with the american chemistry council to come up with language that would win the support of the industry and pass through the generally regulation averse republican congress
the new bill would require the environmental protection agency to begin conducting tests on those 64000 chemicals but at a fairly slow pace the agency would examine about 20 chemicals at a time with a deadline of seven years per chemical it would also allow the agencys regulations to pre empt stronger state level rules
environmental groups had pushed for an earlier iteration of the bill which would have required the epa to test more than 100 existing chemicals a year and which would have allowed states to enact stronger regulations


cairo   jordans government on tuesday barred the countrys news media from publishing reports on a shooting at an intelligence office near amman that killed five people and raised fears that militants had been able to penetrate one of the regions most powerful and ruthlessly effective counterterrorism agencies
jordanian officials cast the shooting which occurred on monday as an isolated and individual act and said they had arrested the killer there were no immediate claims of responsibility from militant groups like the islamic state that might suggest the attack which killed three intelligence officers and two other employees at the office had had broader organizational support
local news reports said the suspect might have been detained at the intelligence building sometime before the shooting   suggesting revenge as a possible motive
the secrecy order which prevented the publication of any news on the assault including on social media showed that the attack had struck a nerve in jordan   momentarily denting official boasts of successes in thwarting militant attacks and more generally in protecting the country from the kind of violence seen in nearby syria and iraq
despite the relative quiet analysts say jordan which the united states considers one of its closest regional allies in combating terrorism is increasingly vulnerable to attacks from domestic extremists and foreign groups because of its high profile role in the american led coalition fighting the islamic state jordan has also given refuge to hundreds of thousands of syrians who have fled their nations civil war raising tensions in jordan by further straining its fragile economy
for jordan it is a big shock said oraib al rantawi the director of the al quds center for political studies in amman the capital speaking of the shooting on monday we are proud to have maintained our security and stability in this region for the past five years
but the country faces growing danger from what mr rantawi called a jihadist crescent in syria western iraq and the sinai peninsula in egypt he said the government has failed to fully root out growing extremism at home despite its crackdown on suspected jihadists he added and jordan faces a looming threat from hundreds of jordanians who have joined militant groups abroad
how will we deal with them reintegrate them this is a major challenge mr rantawi said
the governments confidence has been shaken by attacks and foiled plots in the last year like the fatal shooting in november of five people including two american trainers by a jordanian soldier at a police training center in march officials said they had foiled a major islamic state plot to strike civilian and military targets
the intelligence office that was attacked on monday belonging to the countrys general intelligence directorate was a particularly rich symbolic target for militants mr rantawi said when it comes to jordanian jihadists or militants on the regional level many consider the gid a harsh enemy with long arms he added
the authorities did not release the name of the suspect or any details on his background a video said to show his capture in a mosque showed a man surrounded by people with his hands bound behind his back and a child removing bullets from his pocket
unconfirmed reports in jordanian newspapers published before the secrecy order was issued said the suspect was 22 the reports said he had been detained about two weeks ago by the intelligence agency which has been criticized in the past by human rights groups for carrying out secret detentions and torture a government spokesman refused to answer questions about the case saying the investigation into the shooting was classified
faced with a vexing and escalating threat jordans government has increasingly responded by preventing the news media from reporting on militant plots   following an example set by other authoritarian governments in the region including egypt and turkey which have turned to secrecy orders to prevent reporting on anything deemed sensitive or embarrassing to the government
jordan has issued several secrecy orders in the last year and has prosecuted at least one journalist who violated the orders human rights advocates say
the decision to bar reporting on the shooting was aimed at maintaining the confidentiality of investigations a government statement said


sandestin fla   the first questions raised about the new collaborative instant replay process that the southeastern conference will implement for the 2016 football season were perhaps inevitable and they were not so much questions as a fully formed wild eyed conspiracy theory
would the conference some fans were already asking use the system to safeguard what is most important for the league its ability to play in the college football playoff
welcome to the sec where even the most meticulously planned change to help get calls right carries with it tinges of uncertainty and suspicion even months before its first use because when the lifeblood of an ultrasuccessful league is its loud and proud fans even something proactive and potentially positive for the conference can devolve quickly into a series of what ifs
what if it is a late november game and an sec team is in the middle of the playoff race and a game changing controversial call is made what if the replay review is close but the decision goes to the team still in the hunt for the playoff
what if those same passionate sec fans who live for fall saturdays start talking about conspiracy
it was brought up a little bit the sec commissioner greg sankey acknowledged last week during the leagues annual spring meetings people will say this or that happens well it doesnt the reality is we call the games by the rules use replay to support our officiating and have rules applied properly we have the best officials in the country but it doesnt mean theyre perfect so how can we improve their performance within the rules
that more than anything sankey said is the foundation of the upgraded replay system no matter what the tinfoil hat crowd thinks
the secs replay system closely resembles the current nfl system in which the league office uses in house officials in new york to help analyze in game replays before sending information back to the field for the referee to make a decision since 2005 instant replay in college football has consisted of one official in a skybox replaying every play of a game and making decisions on plays he deems reviewable or on those challenged by a coach
the critical aspect of the current process that will change is that under the sec system the skybox official will become more of a facilitator than a decider when the skybox official stops a play for review a group of three officials in the secs home office in birmingham ala will review the play and collaboratively make a decision before sending that decision back to the replay official
the replay official at the stadium has the power to overrule the three officials in birmingham but as steve shaw the sec coordinator of football officials said if youre going against your three brothers in the command center you better be willing to bet your career that youre right
the overreaching idea of the new system is as simple as it sounds six eyes are better than two and for those still searching for conspiracy sankey said he would never be in the command center because of perception
the replay system will be used at all games played at sec stadiums this fall conference and nonconference as well as the sec championship game in atlanta and neutral site games in arlington tex and jacksonville fla
my dad was an official he was a coach i get how hard it is florida coach jim mcelwain said from a replay situation theres some bang bang things that happen
plays that in the past have altered the road to the national championship the best example during the past decade was the louisiana state alabama game in 2009 when an interception by lsu cornerback patrick peterson was ruled out of bounds after television replays clearly indicated otherwise
alabama eventually won the game 24 15 after the incorrect call led to a crimson tide field goal that made it a two possession game alabama went on to win the national championship
that same season during a tight game between no 1 florida and mississippi state gators linebacker dustin doe returned an interception for a touchdown to give florida a 15 point lead in the fourth quarter replays showed doe lost control of the ball before crossing the goal line and the ensuing mississippi state recovery would have negated the touchdown and given the bulldogs the ball in a one score game
while those two plays stand out as mistakes that the sec has acknowledged another area of concern that will benefit from the new system is the targeting rule under which players can be kicked out of games for initiating forcible contact with the crown of their helmets
the targeting rule has been the toughest penalty for officials to assess if for no other reason than the speed of the game forces officials to make quick judgment calls the ejections however can penalize players and teams not only on game day but also as a half game suspension the following game for any player who is flagged for the foul
last season in the sec 20 targeting calls were confirmed by replay and five were overturned twice last season shaw said the new collaborative replay system would have initiated a targeting penalty
without question the replay guy has made mistakes kentucky coach mark stoops said this new system takes human error out of it a little more but theres always going to be concern about judgment and i dont think that will ever change


for a 249 billion deal it is a piddling sum an extra 247 million plus about 12 million in interest
yet a delaware judges recent ruling that the deal   the 2013 buyout of dell   had shortchanged shareholders by that amount has roiled a debate on how it may affect buyouts more broadly
the law firm of wachtell lipton rosen  katz has criticized the decision for forcing a buyer to pay a 30 percent higher price in a fully shopped deal according to the law firm this decision may lead to shareholders losing out as private equity firms fear to do deals and hedge funds seek to win big on appraisal awards
my dealbook colleague andrew ross sorkin wrote that the decision was likely to lead to a spate of lawsuits and second guessing over the price of the next big mergers and acquisitions
matt levine at bloomberg view criticized the opinions methodology for its reliance on dell being the only one willing to pay this price in the marketplace and moreover willing to take the risk of taking the company private
much of the criticism has centered on the fact that the delaware judge   in deciding that the fair value of dell shares was 1762 a share far above the 1365 paid by the buyout consortium led by the companys founder michael s dell   found that there was no significant fault with the conduct of the companys directors and that no other bidder had emerged for dell shares
so should we be worried that this decision will change buyouts
the answer is probably no because of the deeply weird nature of appraisal and this case
first lets keep in mind how small the outcome of this case was some 20 dell shareholders are entitled to an additional 37 million
the ruling came in an appraisal rights proceeding in such a proceeding shareholders of a company are allowed to go to court and argue that they were not paid fair value for their shares in the acquisition the different amount is based on the courts determination of whether the acquisition price was the fair value of the shares
under the arcane laws of appraisal only dells shareholders who voted against this acquisition and properly exercised appraisal rights will get the extra amount some shareholders cases including t rowe price which would have received over 200 million were thrown out on procedural grounds
the purpose of appraisal rights is not to say what the companys market price should have been appraisal is about giving shareholders a remedy if they think the negotiated deal price is just not good enough
appraisal is thus about finding a judicially determined fair value   the standard the court determines whether to award more money to a dissenting shareholder the terms market price and fair value can have different meanings and fair value is not necessarily the price paid in the market
this difference is at the heart of the dispute over this decision and highlights the battle going on over appraisal rights themselves courts are struggling to figure out what fair value is in light of the emergence of hedge funds specializing in exercising appraisal rights
historically appraisal proceedings were reduced to a corporate finance exercise as each party hired an expert to value the company using discounted cash flow and other methodologies
in the case of the dell buyout glenn hubbard was dells expert yes that glenn hubbard the dean of columbias graduate school of business and former chairman of the council of economic advisers under president george w bush he calculated fair value was 1268 a share brad cornell a professor at the university of california los angeles was the expert for the dissident shareholders he came out at 2861
what is a judge who is not an expert in valuations to do
frustration in recent years over this battle of the experts has led delaware courts to change how they calculate appraisal prices
instead of simply having to puzzle through conflicting expert opinions judges have in recent cases looked to the merger price to determine if the price was fair so long as the price paid was negotiated through an arms length process the court deemed this to be fair value the underlying assumption of course was that the fairly bargained market price was fair value
vice chancellor j travis laster of the delaware court of chancery found that the process was not entirely complete because the dell board did not reach out to all parties something i had highlighted during this dispute
to be fair however the dell board did later bend over backward to try to get things right
vice chancellor laster also asserted that because the pricing was based on a leveraged buyout model it was not a market price that model is one where the buyers price is based on what it thinks its returns will be and is used by private equity firms in this situation a private equity firm would pay only what would produce a targeted rate of return
this is not quite so neat in the real world but the use of a leveraged buyout model to price this transaction led the judge to determine that the market price was not a reliable one because it showed merely the price the private equity firm could pay not one that was fair value in contrast vice chancellor laster argued that a strategic acquirer a competitor of dell for example would pay what the company was worth closer to fair value
because the buyout price was not a good one to determine fair value the judge instead conducted an old style appraisal proceeding where he used a discounted cash flow analysis to compute fair value using the expert opinions discounted cash flow analysis is a financial technique that values the future revenue streams of the company to determine an investments potential this type of analysis involves numerous estimates including what the company will earn in the future
a different result was thus inevitable and that is how the court got to 1765 a share
the decision highlights the problems with appraisal generally judges are being forced to apply a law and to value companies based on a notion of fair value that is uncertain at best
as a result the dell case is unlikely to be a game changer the market price is likely to continue to be the price used because it is so difficult to compute fair value otherwise
the opinion may affect management buyouts but that may not be such a bad thing   forcing would be managers to work hard to justify buying their own companies would be better for shareholders in any case management buyouts are rare these days only two were proposed in 2015 according to factset mergermetrics
yet there will be probably no impact outside management buyouts indeed if the amount at stake in the dell case had been more significant i would hazard a guess that the judge just might have hesitated
in the end i agree in large part with the critics of the delaware ruling they just assume that the opinion will become the norm i dont think so for the reasons above
but lets keep one goal in mind about this decision and its ruling if appraisal isnt there to serve as a check on management   or to be something more than the acquisition price   what is it good for not much


a california judge harshly criticized for giving what many say is a too lenient sentence to a former stanford student convicted of sexual assault has been bombarded by threats of violence against him and his family an official said on tuesday
the judge aaron persky 54 on thursday sentenced the former student brock allen turner 20 to six months in jail for three felony counts intent to commit rape sexual penetration with a foreign object of an intoxicated person and sexual penetration with a foreign object of an unconscious person
threatening phone calls have flooded into the santa clara county superior court since then said gary goodman a supervising attorney for the county public defenders office
people have been calling the court and leaving messages and if someone answers they say tell your judge he can go to hell and i hope his kids get raped and he rots in hell  said mr goodman who has defended the judge hes getting threats over this him and his family from all over the country is that right
here is what we know about the jurist
 a former corporate lawyer and former criminal prosecutor who was appointed to the santa clara county superior court by gov gray davis in 2003 according to the santa clara county bar association the judge is up for election this year but is running unopposed
 a stanford alumnus a phi beta kappa graduate of the university he was the captain of the mens lacrosse team according to a 2002 article in the stanford daily
 while campaigning for a judgeship in 2002 he wrote a biography for the league of women voters of california that championed his work as a prosecutor in cases involving violent sex crimes and hate crimes
i focus on the prosecution of sexually violent predators working to keep the most dangerous sex offenders in custody in mental hospitals he wrote if elected he said his top priorities would be honesty and integrity and equal access to justice for all he lost the election and was later appointed to the bench
 he said he served as a member of the executive committee of the support network for battered women and the santa clara county network for a hate free community
 the judge handed down a six month sentence and three years probation to mr turner a champion swimmer convicted in march of attacking the 23 year old woman behind a dumpster on campus in 2015 the victim who was not a stanford student had attended a fraternity party two graduate students riding past the kappa alpha fraternity house witnessed the assault and intervened to stop it one chased and tackled mr turner when he fled
we saw that she was not moving while he was moving a lot one of the students carl frederik arndt told the swedish news outlet expressen on tuesday she was unconscious the entire time mr arndt also told cbs news the guy ran away and my friend peter chased after him
 the case attracted national attention on friday after buzzfeed published a powerful 7244 word courtroom statement by the victim who detailed the horror of that night and asserted that male and class privilege had irrevocably marred the trial and the sentencing
when the policeman arrived and interviewed the evil swede who tackled you he was crying so hard he couldnt speak because of what hed seen she wrote she called the students who held her attacker until the police arrived her heroes
but of mr turner she said you took away my worth my privacy my energy my time my intimacy my confidence my own voice until today the damage is done no one can undo it her letter was also released by santa clara county
 the furor grew after michele dauber a stanford law professor and sociologist tweeted a statement by the defendants father complaining that his sons life had been ruined for 20 minutes of action
 judge persky was also excoriated for his comments about the defendant in citing factors he weighed in the sentencing the guardian reported the judge said mr turner had less moral culpability for his actions because he was intoxicated and he had no significant record of prior criminal offenses
the judge also appeared to suggest that the jail sentence might be an antidote to the anxiety the former student may have suffered from the intense media attention he told the courtroom according to reports a prison sentence would have a severe impact on him i think he will not be a danger to others
and seeming to accept the defendants account mr turner said the victim consented the judge said i take him at his word that subjectively thats his version of his events ... im not convinced that his lack of complete acquiescence to the verdict should count against him
because of his conviction mr turner must register as a sex offender in his courtroom statement obtained by the new york times he cited the universitys party culture and drinking as factors in the sexual assault
 besides a flood of critical comments online against the judge professor dauber a friend of the victims family said that she was part of an organization seeking to recall him she said because the judge had no opponent and will be automatically re elected in november the recall campaign was the only way to remove him judge persky won his race in the california primary tuesday
she said his ruling had made female college students unsafe and cited what she called the judges misapplication of the law in taking mr turners age academic achievement and alcohol consumption into consideration
if youre going to declare that a high achieving perpetrator is an unusual case then youre saying to women on college campuses that they dont deserve the full protection of the law in the state of california the professor said
 a changeorg petition backing the judges removal had collected more than 400000 signatures by tuesday in order to successfully remove the judge the recall campaign said it would need the signatures of at least 20 percent of the votes cast in november in santa clara county
 on tuesday lawmakers weighed in senator claire mccaskill democrat of missouri who prosecuted sexual assault cases as a lawyer said the sentence didnt appear to provide adequate punishment according to the hill typically that would be considered an inappropriate sentence she said the office of senator kirsten gillibrand democrat of new york said that a short sentence sends the wrong message the senators have lobbied fellow legislators to change how the military handles sexual assault cases
 the stanford daily said the judges decision had outraged campus groups students were being urged to join a demonstration during the traditional university graduation procession that kicks off commencement on sunday
 the santa clara county district attorney jeff rosen whose office tried the stanford rape case said in a statement on monday while i strongly disagree with the sentence that judge persky issued in the brock turner case i do not believe he should be removed from his judgeship
 molly oneal the santa clara county public defender said she was alarmed by the hysteria surrounding mr turners sentence the judge is required under california law to consider certain mitigating and aggravating factors she said including past criminal records and the presence of alcohol we need to be very careful were not hanging judges out to dry based on one decision especially because he is considered to be a fair and even tempered judge she said
 mr goodman the deputy public defender said he had worked with the judge for three decades and denounced the proposed recall he said judge persky was an exceptional jurist who had accurately followed the relevant rules and statutes and formulated the sentence in consultation with the probation department
you have to judge a case on its merits only mr goodman said the narrative on social media is we have to judge this case as part of the larger social issue of campus sexual abuse but as a judge he is not allowed to do that
he rejected the argument that race or social class had played any role in mr turners sentence people say its because hes a stanford kid and hes rich and the judge played lacrosse no its not done that way it cant be done that way mr goodman added it would have been the exact same result for a person of color


san jose calif   the task facing the san jose sharks is daunting no team in nearly three quarters of a century has rallied from a 3 1 deficit to win the stanley cup finals
but if the sharks hope to accomplish that goal they will first need to take much smaller steps simply getting a lead   at any point in a game   would most likely help
through four games the sharks have yet to play with a lead against the pittsburgh penguins the sharks have allowed the first goal in each game and they never led in their only win game 3 until joonas donskoi scored the game winner in overtime
weve got to find a way to stick one of those in early and put them in the spot where theyre chasing the game a little bit which we havent done yet sharks coach peter deboer said tuesday
doing that would be a good start to what would be an improbable comeback if the sharks pulled it off of the 32 teams that have fallen behind by 3 1 in the stanley cup finals since it became a best of seven series in 1939 31 have lost the series the only winner in that span came in 1942 when the toronto maple leafs rallied from a 3 0 deficit to beat the detroit red wings
deboer has been in a tough spot in the final before in 2012 with the devils his team lost the first three games to los angeles before rallying for two wins and ultimately losing in six games
everyone was writing us off he said we took the approach of why not us i dont care what the record book says that only one or two teams have come back from this situation whatever those numbers are why cant we be the first team to do it it starts with one game
the formula that got the sharks to their first cup finals has been missing they jumped on teams early for most of the first three rounds and then wore them down with their forechecking and cycle game the power play was potent providing timely goals and the sharks managed to knock off los angeles nashville and st louis on the way to the final
but little has worked against the penguins who have used their decided edge in speed to control play for most of the four games often keeping the sharks hemmed in their own zone
pittsburgh has shut down san joses top guns joe pavelski who leads the nhl with 13 playoff goals has no points through four games brent burns had two assists in game 1 and has not recorded a point since logan couture who leads the nhl postseason with 26 points has just two against the penguins
i thought every game weve created a little bit more chances to score deboer said i think our big guys have gotten more shots off and more looks as the series has gone on were doing some good stuff but you cant change the fact that weve played behind the entire series
san jose has trailed for 121 minutes 44 seconds of the series about 25 minutes less than they trailed over 18 games in the previous rounds when the sharks scored first in 13 games and forced the opponent to chase the game
the penguins have not played from behind in what seems like ages they have gone 43546 of game time without playing with a deficit since losing game 4 to tampa bay in the eastern conference finals pittsburghs only two losses since have come in overtime games where they did not trail until the final goal
were doing our best to score first and get a lead couture said it hasnt happened yet i dont know how it would change their game i imagine they would keep playing the same way when we have the lead we play good defense and keep it simple


canton mass   an army of lawyers marched into the courthouse in this quiet new england town tuesday morning facing off for the first time in a high stakes legal battle over the competency of the media mogul sumner m redstone and the future of his 40 billion empire
after a hearing that lasted two and a half hours and included the appearance of 22 lawyers for all sides in the tangled dispute judge george f phelan of norfolk county probate court said he had a lot to digest before ruling on whether to expedite proceedings in a case that could determine the fortunes of the redstone family and the fates of viacom and cbs two of the worlds largest entertainment companies
the case centers on the abrupt dismissal of two of mr redstones longtime confidants from the trust that will control his companies after he dies or is declared incompetent
the two men philippe p dauman and george s abrams immediately filed suit challenging mr redstones mental capacity and asserting that he had been manipulated by his daughter shari redstone lawyers for mr redstone said the moves were valid and reflected his wishes
judge phelan heard starkly different views of mr redstones mental and physical well being he listened to the contrasting perspectives of lawyers for mr redstone his daughter his five grandchildren and his longtime business associates at viacom he was presented with the trust agreement itself which he said he would read confidentially
i grew up in a housing project where i was happy to have a quarter in my pocket judge phelan said im trying to grasp the idea of billions with a b
billions indeed hang in the balance
mr redstone who is 93 and in poor health controls 80 percent of the voting stock in viacom and cbs through national amusements the private theater chain company whose headquarters are in norwood mass less than two miles from the courthouse
controversy erupted in recent weeks after mr redstone suddenly ousted mr dauman and mr abrams from the trust and the board of national amusements many in the industry viewed the development as a harbinger to the firing of mr dauman as chairman and chief executive of viacom mr abrams is a viacom director
lawyers for mr redstone said the dismissals were justified given viacoms loss of 7 billion in market capitalization in the last year
judge phelan said tuesday that he may or may not decide on a request by mr dauman and mr abrams to expedite legal proceedings before a hearing on a motion from mr redstones lawyers to dismiss the case outright expected this month
lawyers for mr dauman and mr abrams urged judge phelan to take immediate action including ordering an immediate medical evaluation of mr redstone as part of a request to expedite the process of gathering evidence and a trial
today sumner redstone is 93 years old and he is very sick said leslie fagen a lawyer for mr dauman and mr abrams this poor man is holding onto life by a thread
lawyers for mr redstone and his daughter urged the judge not only to reject the motion for an expedited hearing but also consider a new motion to dismiss the case outright planned in the coming weeks
there is no imminent risk to his health said robert n klieger a lawyer for mr redstone he cited recent doctor exams that showed significant improvement in recent weeks and stated that mr redstone exercises daily
the jurisdiction for the dispute is also in question while mr dauman and mr abrams filed suit in massachusetts where the trust was established lawyers for mr redstone have filed a petition to validate the changes made to dismiss the two men in los angeles where mr redstone has lived for about 10 years
judge phelan said he wondered why someone with mr redstones business acumen would not amend the trust to reflect his california residence rather than his massachusetts roots
as the lawyers made their case judge phelan interrupted arguments with a series of questions he asked mr fagen whether his clients had heard from mr redstone about his dissatisfaction with viacom over the last several months mr fagen said no
the judge delved into mr redstones stormy relationship with his daughter asking whether they had only recently reconciled
there has always been healthy disagreement said peter biagetti a lawyer for ms redstone but the bond of family of connection to one another and most importantly of trust has endured
multiple times judge phelan asked whether a finding of undue influence should invalidate the dismissals from the trust and cited a section of massachusetts trust code on the matter mr fagen said yes mr klieger said the decision should not apply


a federal judge has delayed until aug 22 an order requiring justice department lawyers to take ethics classes and to give him the names of young immigrants participating in a deportation protection program created by president obama at a hearing on tuesday in brownsville in the case by 26 states against the presidents executive actions on immigration judge andrew s hanen suspended his may 19 order the administration will not have to provide this week the names of about 50000 immigrants who received extended deportation deferrals which judge hanen halted last year the judge postponed his order until after the supreme court rules on the states challenge a decision expected in late june julia preston
james halsell jr who commanded or piloted five space shuttle missions was charged with murder after a car wreck on monday killed two young sisters on a remote stretch of highway in tuscaloosa county the state police said alcohol and speed may have been factors troopers said a car driven by mr halsell 59 collided around 250 am with a car in which niomi deona james 11 and jayla latrick parler 13 were riding the girls were thrown from the car and died neither was wearing a seatbelt mr halsell who lives in huntsville was released from jail after posting 150000 bail the girls father pernell james 37 was treated at a hospital ap
gov sam brownback said tuesday that he would call the legislature into special session to tackle education funding and respond to a state supreme court order declaring that public schools might not be able to open after june mr brownback a republican did not set a date for the republican dominated legislature to reconvene to beat a june 30 deadline set by the court for lawmakers to fix school finances the court last month rejected some changes in school finance laws that lawmakers had made to comply with an earlier order from the justices to improve funding for poor schools public schools are out for the summer but they provide services year round to special education students and serve meals to poor children ap


the playboy mansion the quintessential party house that held a special place in the imagination of american men for decades has found a buyer a playboy spokesman said on tuesday
the spokesman john vlautin said the los angeles mansion home to hugh hefner 90 the founder of playboy magazine was under contract to be sold to daren metropoulos 32 a principal at the private equity firm metropoulos  company and an owner of hostess brands the maker of that indestructible cream filled snack cake the twinkie
mr vlautin declined to comment on the financial details citing confidentiality restrictions
the house which is nearly 20000 square feet according to its sales listing was built in 1927 in the holmby hills neighborhood of los angeles and has 29 rooms including 12 bedrooms it has a wine cellar a theater a gym tennis courts and a huge swimming pool complete with a shadowy grotto
its listing price 200 million
the listing also said the mansion was one of a select few private residences in la with a zoo license
mr metropoulos will not have to go far once the purchase is completed he lives next door in a house he acquired in 2009
he would however have to be willing to live with a nonagenarian celebrity roommate if he wanted to move in right away mr vlautin said that regardless of the sale mr hefner planned to stay in the house indefinitely playboy bought the house in 1971 and mr hefner moved in permanently in 1975
a spokeswoman for mr metropouloss company said in a statement that after mr hefners tenancy ends the buyer hoped to connect his current house with the playboy mansion ultimately returning the combined 73 acre compound to the original vision executed by noted architect arthur r kelly
the mansion is famous for the lavish parties hosted by mr hefner and attended by the rich the famous and the bunny eared the house has been featured as the ideal party destination for men in movies like beverly hills cop ii and television shows like entourage on hbo
holly madison a former girlfriend and housemate of mr hefners and one of the stars of the e reality show the girls next door which frequently featured the mansion offered a different perspective on the house in her 2015 memoir she called the climate toxic and described a stifling atmosphere that caused her to develop a stutter and even to consider suicide
mr metropoulos told the wall street journal which reported the deal that he was more interested in the mansions historic architecture than its reputation as a party pad
the heritage of this property transcends its celebrity and to have the opportunity to serve as its steward would be a true privilege he said
the playboy mansion was listed for sale early this year and potential buyers expressed interest in acquiring playboy enterprises in its entirety the company has suffered since the advent of internet pornography and in march its magazine stopped featuring fully nude women


in new york city it is already simmering the temperature peaked at 85 degrees in central park on tuesday and while wednesday may be somewhat cooler it is hard to imagine anyplace where you might need a thick layer to keep warm
in the adirondacks village of lake placid the outdoor stores are stocked with gear for swimming canoeing and cycling but the forecast this week for the nearby mountains may cause anyone clad in a swimsuit to think about covering up
snow in june
the national weather service is forecasting up to two inches of snow in parts of the adirondacks in new york and the green mountains in vermont a summer flurry that could last from wednesday night into thursday
its certainly not normal curt stager professor of natural sciences at paul smiths college in the adirondacks said you dont expect to dress for winter when youre hiking in june
the snow is predicted to fall on mountains that rise higher than 3000 feet such as whiteface which is north of lake placid and reaches 4867 feet at its tallest peak
jessica neiles a meteorologist with the weather service in burlington vt said she did not have historical data for snow on new yorks peaks but any accumulation on mount mansfield which is the highest point in vermont would be just the fourth time since 1954 that the mountain had a measurable amount of snow in june
dr stager said snow capped peaks in summer used to be more common often from winter snow packs that had yet to melt   not from fresh storms still he said you can in theory get snow any time of the year
he pointed to the writing of the explorer samuel de champlain who after exploring the lake that would eventually bear his name in july 1609 wrote that he saw mountains to the east that were covered in snow
dr stager who has studied climate change in the adirondacks said warming in the area made such sightings more rare were going to see fewer and fewer of these oddball snow days he said
still there have been recent snowstorms during warm weather months a memorial day weekend storm piled three feet of snow on whiteface in 2013 prompting some people to grab their skis
richard brandt science manager at the atmospheric sciences research centers whiteface mountain field station said snow was not completely unexpected having been recorded at the mountains peak during every month of the year
elias ingraham the director of outside operations for the skiing and biking resort at whiteface agreed he said the resort had gotten snow as late as june and as early as october it wont stay long he said noting that the resort which is open to mountain bikers in the summer plans to stay open
at the high peaks cyclery an outdoor gear store and guide company in lake placid the business focuses on mountain biking canoeing camping and fishing this time of year but the store always keeps hats gloves and skis around said karen delaney an owner
we tell people you never put your winter stuff away she said


the albright knox art gallery in buffalo renowned for its collection of postwar painting announced that it had selected the architectural firm oma to expand and refurbish the museum an 80 million project and the largest ever undertaken by a cultural organization in western new york
the expansion which has been under discussion for a decade will be the first museum project in the united states by oma the firm founded by rem koolhaas which has created some of the most distinctive buildings and interiors in the world over the last four decades shohei shigematsu a principal of the firm based in new york will oversee the project the firm was chosen after an international competition and the decision was approved monday night by a vote of the museums board
over the next year we will work together to imagine a renewed albright knox for the twenty first century one that includes state of the art spaces for special exhibitions and the display of our world renowned collection said the museums director janne siren in a statement
the museum said the expansion was sorely needed because a chronic shortage of space has limited the display and preservation of its masterworks
since the museums last expansion in 1962 the collection has quadrupled in size and now contains more than 8000 works only 200 to 300 of which can be shown at one time said the museum which has been actively acquiring contemporary works since raising millions in 2007 through the de accession of a collection of antiquities and medieval and renaissance art a decision that angered some museum patrons at the time
the expansion project will be developed in close communication with the city and the museums neighbors the museum said to take a comprehensive view of the museums place within frederick law olmsteds delaware park as a celebrated cultural resource in our region and as a vital contributor to western new yorks resurgence


london   as britain prepares to vote on june 23 on whether to remain in the european union skepticism about the bloc is on the rise across europe with about two thirds of britons wanting some powers returned to their national government according to an opinion poll released on tuesday by the pew research center a nonpartisan institution based in washington
the survey of respondents in 10 european countries showed increasing dissatisfaction with the european union since last year a period of low growth and during a migrant crisis particularly in france and spain
in france 38 percent of respondents viewed the european union favorably and 61 percent viewed it unfavorably in greece 27 percent viewed it favorably and 71 percent unfavorably
in britain by contrast 44 percent of respondents viewed the bloc favorably while 48 percent viewed it unfavorably
the division is particularly pronounced across age groups with people ages 18 to 34 expressing significantly more favorable views toward the european union than those 50 and over in france the gap between the two age groups was 25 percentage points while in britain it was 19 percentage points underscoring the importance of turnout among both young and old in the referendum
the poll also found a large split along ideological lines with those on the left in britain 31 percentage points more likely than those on the right to view the european union favorably 69 percent to 38 percent
there was an even larger ideological split in britain on whether some powers should be returned to national governments 77 percent of those on the right said they favored returning some powers to london compared with 40 percent on the left the 37 percentage point gap on the issue was much larger in britain than in most other countries with the right in much of the rest of europe less intent on recovering powers from brussels
the numbers also underscored the importance of the labour party vote in britains referendum some have accused the hard left leader of the party jeremy corbyn of being halfhearted in his support for the campaign to remain in the bloc
over all 65 percent of britons said they wanted some powers returned from brussels compared with 43 percent in germany and 39 percent in france and italy
the poll did not measure voting intentions for the referendum but it did show wide support across the european union for britain to remain with large majorities in all countries seeing a british exit known as brexit as bad for the bloc
the pew research center conducted the poll in april and may by telephone and in face to face interviews the margin of sampling error was plus or minus three percentage points in britain four in france germany the netherlands spain and sweden and five in hungary italy greece and poland
the poll also found general disapproval with the way the european union has handled two major concerns across the bloc migration and the economy
overwhelming majorities across europe said they disapproved of the blocs handling of the migrant crisis ranging from 94 percent of respondents in greece and 88 percent in sweden to 70 percent in britain and france
in germany where chancellor angela merkel has been widely criticized for having welcomed refugees last summer 67 percent disapproved of how the bloc handled migration but 26 percent approved one of the highest figures in europe
on the economy 92 percent of greeks disapproved of the blocs economic management sixty eight percent disapproved in italy 66 percent in france 65 percent in spain and 55 percent in britain which does not use the euro currency poland and germany had the most favorable view of the handling of the economy with 47 percent of respondents expressing approval


93 million
519 west 143rd street between broadway and hamilton place
manhattan
a property management company has bought this six story elevator building built around 1920 with 24 apartments   one two bedroom and 23 four bedrooms the 29520 square foot building sold for 191 times the rent roll
buyer barberry rose management
seller hillcrest acquisitions llc
brokers lazer sternhell and peter vanderpool cignature realty group
84sq ft
33600 approximate annual rent
609 vanderbilt avenue between bergen street and st marks avenue
prospect heights brooklyn
a coffee shop has signed a five year lease for a 400 square foot storefront in this three story mixed use 1931 building it is to open by the end of the summer
tenants dmitry kirichansky and nelya kirichansky doing business as hbh sandwiches
landlord ice works holding llc
brokers kenneth simmons and michael colombo ideal properties group
1195 million
15 17 west 94th street between central park west and columbus avenue
manhattan
these two four story colonial revival townhouses totaling 9768 square feet were built in 1894 and have a combined frontage of 18 feet in the central park west historic district they offer nine apartments and two professional office spaces air rights total 9750 square feet but any additions are subject to approval by the citys landmarks preservation commission
owner the bay  paul foundations
brokers hall oster paul j massey jr and teddy galligan cushman  wakefield


it took exactly one day for two major law firms to follow in the footsteps of cravath swaine  moore and end the nine year drought in salary increases for elite junior lawyers
milbank tweed hadley  mccloy said on tuesday that it would match the raise cravath announced on monday bringing the basic annual pay for new law school graduates to 180000 on the heels of that announcement paul weiss rifkind wharton  garrison with some 900 lawyers also said it would bump up its associates pay scale to match
the three leading firms will now pay associates on a scale that rises from 180000 for first year associates to 315000 a year or slightly more after eight years of service in addition associates can earn annual bonuses which range from 15000 for the newest lawyers to as much as 100000 for more seasoned ones
scott a edelman milbanks chairman said the firms new salary scale set to take effect on july 1 did not come about because of agitation or demands from our associates but was intended to ensure the firms attorneys were paid consistent with the top firms
the decision to move speedily on raising salaries was made he said because we wanted our associates to know how much we value them we didnt want a lot of speculation about that so we decided to do it quickly
milbank which has 640 lawyers and earned 771 million in revenue last year gives annual bonuses to all of its lawyers mr edelman said
even as the leading firms moved in near concert to increase salaries this was not happy news for clients some have already lodged complaints over the raises which can seem high to those outside manhattan according to some law firm partners
you wonder what clients will say about the raises said bruce macewen an expert on law firm economics who has a website adam smith esq in house lawyers at corporate clients have been exercising increasing authority over legal invoices and have been more reluctant to pay for junior lawyers
some of the most senior associates now make over 415000 if you count annual bonuses mr macewen said and some general counsels dont make that much
even so he noted that at the top of the legal market law school graduates have options today outside law firms they are not just going into private equity but choosing for example start ups or going in house at places like facebook or google
while the most prestigious firms will offer more because high pay is a sign of premier status the pay raise he noted squeezes the layer of firms just below the superelite
many firms in the middle are now face to face with an unwelcome and unavoidable decision over whether to pay an additional 20000 to each new lawyer recruit mr macewen said


under fire for suggesting that a federal judge gonzalo p curiel was biased because he is mexican american donald j trump said on tuesday that the judges heritage does not make him incapable of being impartial heres the statement his campaign released
it is unfortunate that my comments have been misconstrued as a categorical attack against people of mexican heritage i am friends with and employ thousands of people of mexican and hispanic descent the american justice system relies on fair and impartial judges all judges should be held to that standard i do not feel that ones heritage makes them incapable of being impartial but based on the rulings that i have received in the trump university civil case i feel justified in questioning whether i am receiving a fair trial
over the past few weeks i have watched as the media has reported one inaccuracy after another concerning the ongoing litigation involving trump university there are several important facts the public should know and that the media has failed to report
throughout the litigation my attorneys have continually demonstrated that students who participated in trump university were provided a substantive valuable education based upon a curriculum developed by professors from northwestern university columbia business school stanford university and other respected institutions and the response from students was overwhelming over a five year period more than 10000 paying students filled out surveys giving the courses high marks and expressing their overwhelming satisfaction with trump universitys programs for example
former student tarla makaeff the original plaintiff in the litigation not only completed multiple surveys rating trump universitys three day seminar excellent in every category but also praised trump universitys mentorship program in a glowing five plus minute video testimonial when asked how could trump university help to meet her goals she simply stated continue to offer great classes once the plaintiffs lawyers realized how disastrous a witness she was they asked to have her removed from the case over my lawyers objections the judge granted the plaintiffs motion but allowed the case to continue
art cohen a lead plaintiffs in the litigation completed a survey in which he not only rated trump universitys three day seminar excellent in virtually every category but went so far as to indicate that he would attend another trump university seminar and even recommend trump university seminars to a friend when asked how trump university could improve the seminar mr cohens only suggestion was to have lunch sandwiches brought in and make the lunch break 45 minutes former student bob giullo who has been critical of trump university in numerous interviews and negative advertisements from my political opponents also expressed his satisfaction rating trump universitys programs excellent in every category when asked how trump university could improve its programs mr giullo simply asked that students be provided more comfortable chairs
indeed these are just a few of literally thousands of positive surveys all of which can be viewed online at www98percentapprovalcom
for those students who decided that trump universitys programs were not for them the company had a generous refund policy offering a full refund to any student who asked for their money back within three days of signing up for a program or by the end of the first day of any multiday program whichever came later
normally legal issues in a civil case would be heard in a neutral environment however given my unique circumstances as nominee of the republican party and the core issues of my campaign that focus on illegal immigration jobs and unfair trade i have concerns as to my ability to receive a fair trial
i am fighting hard to bring jobs back to the united states many companies   like ford general motors nabisco carrier   are moving production to mexico drugs and illegal immigrants are also pouring across our border this is bad for all americans regardless of their heritage
due to what i believe are unfair and mistaken rulings in this case and the judges reported associations with certain professional organizations questions were raised regarding the obama appointed judges impartiality it is a fair question i hope it is not the case
while this lawsuit should have been dismissed it is now scheduled for trial in november i do not intend to comment on this matter any further with all of the thousands of people who have given the courses such high marks and accolades we will win this case
donald j trump


nairobi kenya   a day after deadly protests rocked several areas of kenya government security officials issued a decree on tuesday banning all unlawful demonstrations
joseph nkaisserry kenyas interior minister said protesters armed with stones machetes and other crude weapons had caused heightened political tension disruption of peace and loss of livelihoods affecting thousands of ordinary kenyans
as a result mr nkaisserry warned from today the government prohibits all unlawful demonstrations in the country
what exactly unlawful means and how this decree differs from what the government already had the right to do remained unclear
kenyas opposition leaders have been organizing regular protests on mondays to many kenyans chagrin the opposition leaders immediately rejected the ban as unconstitutional
kenyas courts may have to decide the appropriate balance between protecting security and allowing free expression on several occasions the courts have sided with kenyas opposition affirming its right to hold peaceful protests
on monday demonstrations erupted in several parts of the country many protesters were peaceful singing as they marched through downtown nairobi the capital but others in its slums burned tires and barricaded roads
in kisumu in western kenya the police battled mobs shooting several people the government said on tuesday that 50 people had been injured and two killed and it blamed the protesters for the violence witnesses in kisumu said police officers had opened fire on a crowd hitting a 5 year old boy in the back he was hospitalized and his condition was listed as critical
kenyas opposition has been mobilizing supporters to press the government to disband the national election commission which is widely viewed as biased and corrupt president uhuru kenyatta has refused to do so and opposition leaders have threatened to increase their protests to two and then four times a week
the protests have scared away business and tourists one kenyan investment adviser in nairobi aly khan satchu has estimated that the country loses the equivalent of 5 million each day the protesters take to the streets because of interruptions to commerce the closing of businesses and the destruction of property
kenya is scheduled to hold a presidential election next year and many kenyans worry that the disruptions anxiety and violence that usually surround elections have already begun


washington   a proposal by a senior house republican to dismantle portions of the 2010 wall street reforms known as the dodd frank act has rekindled a partisan debate over the state of banking regulation eight years after the financial crisis
representative jeb hensarling of texas who is chairman of the house financial services committee outlined the main parts of his plan on tuesday during a speech in new york he plans to introduce the legislation this month the debate shows how divided washington remains over how to supervise the financial industry from the big banks to the small community institutions
mr hensarlings plan called the financial choice act builds on longstanding republican hostility to the financial reform law rolling back significant provisions and limiting the role of regulators in overseeing the countrys biggest banks but it also advocates stronger penalties for financial fraud and puts a focus on capital buffers for large banks
simply put dodd frank has failed mr hensarling said in remarks to the economic club of new york its time for a new legislative paradigm in banking and capital markets
after the speech mr hensarling planned to meet with the republican presidential candidate donald j trump who has called for a repeal of dodd frank the trump campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment
back in washington democrats had sharp words for the plan weve only seen a summary of the bill so far but even from that its clear that congressman hensarling and his fellow republicans think that the poor wall street banks have suffered too much under the new rules and its time for them to return to the good old days before the 2008 crisis when these banks could run wild senator elizabeth warren democrat of massachusetts said during a hearing of the senate banking committee on tuesday
senator warren called the bill congressman hensarlings wet kiss for the wall street banks
sherrod brown of ohio the top democrat on the banking panel said in a statement that the plan underscores the collective amnesia of many in congress and on wall street about how devastating the financial crisis was for an entire generation of working and middle class americans
one of the plans central provisions would allow the countrys biggest banks to exempt themselves from capital and liquidity requirements and other regulatory standards if they held enough capital to surpass a certain threshold
mr hensarling estimated that the biggest banks would be required to collectively raise several hundred billion dollars in new equity to benefit from the proposal
that is likely to dissuade many of the top financial institutions from offering broad support for the measure
isaac boltansky a policy analyst at compass point research  trading said the nations largest banks are unlikely to throw their weight behind it as they would have to raise hundreds of billions of dollars to benefit and doing so would undermine the tens of billions they have already spent to comply with the dodd frank act
according to an outline released on tuesday the bill would also repeal the volcker rule which restricts trading activities at banks and replace the dodd frank acts process for winding down a failing institution with a new chapter of the bankruptcy code
on tuesday mr hensarling said i also would point out regulators essentially bailed out bear but let lehman fail references to bear stearns and lehman brothers which ran into trouble around the time of the financial crisis although it was painful somewhat chaotic he continued those in the bankruptcy arena would tell you the lehman bankruptcy to some extent worked as it should have worked
the white house has been critical of the proposal including changes to the process for dealing with distressed institutions
the proposal will allow big banks to go back making risky bets and put taxpayers on the hook once again for bailing out those banks to prevent a second great depression said josh earnest the white house press secretary that doesnt make any sense
the plan also takes aim at the consumer financial protection bureau the brainchild of ms warren mr hensarling proposes to restructure it and other agencies as bipartisan commissions and subject them to congressional appropriations
in addition a body of regulators known as the financial stability oversight council would lose its ability to designate risky nonbanks as systemically important the legislation also includes a number of regulatory relief items for community banks some of which are widely supported and others that have been opposed by democrats
james ballentine executive vice president of congressional relations and political affairs for the american bankers association said the group appreciated efforts to improve dodd frank though more details were needed
we really need to see the language on this bill from the outline there are several proposals particularly in the regulatory relief area for community banks that weve advocated for quite some time he said
as mr hensarling delivered his speech a handful of protesters stood outside asserting that he had received millions of dollars in campaign funding from major banks in his role as chairman of the powerful house banking panel in a statement the group take on wall street called the bill a free pass for the financial services industry it is backed by several labor organizations and grass roots networks
representative maxine waters a democrat from california and the ranking member on the house committee said the plan immediately takes two steps backward by eliminating any oversight of the riskiest activities at banks and nonbanks by dismantling the financial stability oversight council and subjecting bank regulators to the appropriations process
for now the proposal remains a messaging tool for house republicans one that might influence the presidential debate
there is much that donald trump has said and done with which i disagree but one thing i do agree with is that it is time to rebuild and replace dodd frank mr hensarling said


laura linney and cynthia nixon will not just be trading barbs in a new production of the little foxes by lillian hellman set for the manhattan theater club next spring   theyll also be swapping roles
echoing a move seen on broadway in 2000 with the acclaimed production of true west starring philip seymour hoffman and john c reilly ms linney and ms nixon will alternate the roles of regina hubbard giddens and birdie giddens two sisters in law doing ferocious battle over the family business in alabama in 1900 daniel sullivan a tony award winner in 2001 for proof will direct the production which is to begin previews on march 29
ms nixon for those keeping score has one tony for rabbit hole also directed by mr sullivan and two nominations against ms linneys three nominations which actress will play which role at each performance wont be announced until the spring but with any luck the audience will face the same happy problem posed by true west of which ben brantley wrote in the new york times if youve followed mr hoffmans and mr reillys work on film you probably have your own ideas who was meant for which part forget it whichever way youve sliced it youre right


washington   a bipartisan collection of senators said on tuesday that it was their moral obligation to ensure that holocaust victims could recover art confiscated from them during world war ii and in many cases still hanging in museums and private collections more than 70 years later
in the latest development in a complicated fight that has pitted holocaust survivors and heirs against a bureaucratic and legal tangle of governments museums and collectors across the globe lawmakers are considering a bill to ease the repatriation of art taken by the nazis and their allies
the senate bill would primarily loosen the statute of limitations to allow claims made within six years of when victims or their families find looted art and prove their right to it the bill was drafted to respond to previous cases in which its proponents say claims were decided based on legal technicalities not the merits
it is our moral duty to help those survivors and their families achieve what justice can be found said senator charles e schumer democrat of new york and a co sponsor of the bill
at a hearing on tuesday ronald s lauder the president of the world jewish congress told a panel of senators that the pain inflicted by the nazis was worsened by the participation of so many in an art theft he called probably the greatest in history
this was the dirty secret of the postwar art world and people who should have known better were part of it mr lauder said
senator richard blumenthal of connecticut a democrat and co sponsor of the bill said that museums had dodged their obligations to victims
they have indirectly aided and abetted the thuggery of the nazis who were completely amoral mr blumenthal said but these institutions have made a pretense of observing the rules of morality
offering her star power to the cause was helen mirren the academy award winning actress who appeared last year in woman in gold a film that told the story of one womans fight to recover her familys looted artwork she told lawmakers that art restitution had little to do with potential financial gains
art restitution is about preserving the fundamental human condition she said it gives jewish people   and other victims of the nazi terror   the opportunity to reclaim their history their culture their memories and most importantly their families
in the film ms mirren portrayed maria altmann the niece of the subject of gustav klimts adele bloch bauer i who took back the painting from the austrian government
but ms altmanns story is the exception the conference on jewish material claims against germany and the world jewish restitution organization revealed in a 2014 report that most countries had fallen far short of their promises to help victims and their families recover their artwork
in 1998 44 countries signed the washington conference principles on nazi confiscated art an agreement calling for an expeditious just and fair solution for victims of nazi persecution
but the treaty lacked the force of law necessitating a bill like the one now before the senate judiciary committee
the legislation is riding on an unlikely alliance between senator ted cruz the combative texas republican who dropped out of the presidential race last month and mr schumer a top democrat who has been one of mr cruzs most ardent opponents on issues like immigration reform with senator john cornyn of texas the no 2 republican and mr blumenthal they revived the effort
some legislators questioned whether the bill would override states rights to set their own laws regarding statutes of limitations hinting at potential obstacles to its becoming law
mr cruz said the senate bill would help ensure that claims for the restitution of nazi looted art are adjudicated based on the facts and merits and are not short circuited by technical or nonmerits defenses that often work to the disadvantage of holocaust victims and their families
later on tuesday the house voted on a resolution pressing germany to keep its financial commitment to the well being of holocaust victims in their final years
mr lauder said the art legislation took great strides toward righting a wrong that has defied an easy solution
i wish this legislation had happened 10 or 20 years ago but the fact is that its happened its going to have a major effect on the future he said and many works of art   i use the expression the final prisoners of world war ii   will finally find their rightful owners


detroit   at the movement festival here electronic and dance music fans were reminded once again how techno music has its seeds in the cultural dialogue between detroit and berlin and that few individual conversations have been as central to the aesthetic and philosophical evolution of that genre as the one that the american juan atkins and the german moritz von oswald have been intermittently holding since the late 1980s
the pair of musicians held court on the festivals main stage then stayed in the late night mix performing bass heavy dj sets at afterparties that would not end until the sunrise at 53 both men are regarded as techno musics spiritual and literal godfathers though the two have experienced health issues both chose not to comment on these they continue making vital contributions to what is regarded as a youthful practice
the pair used movement over the memorial day weekend to mark the live debut in the united states of transport the second album they recently released under the name borderland over skype in april mr von oswald called the lp an aura event a high profile and often meditative reunion between two artists whose relationship stretches back to before the fall of the berlin wall it also poses a question in a dance music bazaar often driven by shiny musical thrills mass market oriented festivals and nighttime party economies is there room for the ruminations of elder statesmen
it is this image of an aging wine said dimitri hegemann founder of the influential berlin club and record label tresor in a phone interview he has known mr atkins and mr von oswald since their shared beginning and encouraged the two to record together again the young wine serves its purpose but the older wine when the plants are 80 90 years old it is better in a different more profound way this quality comes through its very peaceful
in a phone interview from his detroit home a week before movement mr atkins said that he met mr von oswald around 1988 or 89 explaining that the german musician came to detroit along with his colleagues thomas fehlmann and mark ernestus mr von oswalds future partner in basic channel the duo whose dub heavy minimal techno set a blueprint for the berlin sound they went to all the pawn shops to buy up the analog gear   old arp odysseys arp axxes early drum machines things like that eventually they knocked on the door of a house mr atkins was sharing with mike banks the co founder of underground resistance a detroit techno collective central to the ensuing dialogue
mr atkins was already worth seeking out he had been developing detroits new electronic sound since 1981 first with rik davis in the electro duo cybotron and after under pseudonyms such as model 500 and channel one for his own label metroplex initiating technos ethos of aliases of independence from the traditional music industry and of complete creative control
mr von oswald also came with credentials a classically trained percussionist he had recently departed palais schaumburg the hamburg based avant garde band that helped start the career of among others fm einheit later the founder of seminal noise band einsturzende neubauten he had just moved to berlin to start making electronic music
by 1991 when mr atkins took up an invitation to be a dj at tresor and record with mr fehlmann and mr von oswald credited to 3mb or three men in berlin detroit artists were establishing a beachhead in the city   and deeply influencing its sound and vision mr atkins said that there was environmental empathy between the newly unified european capital with its vast postwar ruins and the midwestern metropolis in postindustrial decay i think the similarities made each of us feel comfortable in the others city
for much of the 1990s and into the early 2000s the creative exchange between the cities was unrelenting anchored by steady collaborations between mr von oswald and mr atkins and others around the tresor camp at the same time the music grew from being an underground phenomenon into what is now a global culture sometimes i am really amazed how far my stuff got mr von oswald said
yet while both artists continued experimenting   forward ever backward never mr von oswald said quoting an old jacob miller reggae tune when asked for his creative mantra   the scene around them increasingly codified much of it has become a business aimed at the young with techno tourism around the european union especially in berlin and on the mediterranean island ibiza spain las vegas and festivals across the world becoming the engines of its economy respect for technos originators has remained unabated but for many the depth and tonality of their music aged in a way the mass audience did not
everyone agrees that the recent collaboration   kicked off with a single 2012 session in berlin that yielded much of borderlands debut   was mr hegemanns idea
i saw that my job was bringing together two personalities whose work i really admire but have not worked together in a long time he said recalling that he told them we are now in our 50s not 22 half of life is behind us you did all this work you have this experience you dont have to write a hit or anything you can just concentrate on contributing to this old historical connection between detroit and berlin to his surprise they both agreed
the duo said that the ease of their working relationship was the mutual regard built over many years we have a knack for going after and bouncing off each others ideas mr atkins said
mr von oswald added if he plays a bass line i know what to do with the rhythm or the strings its not that complicated
where in retrospect mr von oswald described borderlands first album as stiff transport is more full more complex at mr atkins insistence it was partially recorded at his detroit studio to add more of the detroit flavor atmosphere into the music as opposed to just my essence the resulting track riod is among the albums deeper dubbier numbers and the first one completed setting the stage for an lp that sounds at once classic and thoroughly contemporary   full of propulsion repetition and at times darkly ambient mystery but nary a drop or a vocal in sight
mr atkins cited a desire for a broader audience only in so much as to offer people alternatives he said i dont really think about being relevant
as for aging in what can at times seem like a youthful blood sport both on the dance floor and in the dj booth mr von oswald simply laughs it off theres a lot of people who say never grow old but this is no problem for me i like to grow old its enjoyable i think


five correction officers accused in the brutal beating of a rikers island inmate were convicted of all charges on tuesday including the most serious count of first degree attempted gang assault in a case that shined a harsh light on the new york city jail complex
the inmate at the center of the case jahmal lightfoot said after the verdict that justice got served
they beat me almost to death he continued and i hope that nobody has to go through that
the outcome was a major victory for law enforcement officials who have struggled to successfully prosecute correction officers accused of brutality in part because of negative perceptions and credibility problems with victims who are in jails and prisons
todays convictions make a strong statement savagely beating an inmate will not be tolerated in the citys jails said mark g peters the commissioner of the citys investigation department which worked on the lightfoot case
it was also seen as the first major test for the bronx district attorney darcel d clark who has made prosecuting crimes committed at rikers a priority at a time when the jail complex has come under scrutiny over what many see as an entrenched culture of violence and corruption there gov andrew m cuomo and other critics have called for its closing
ms clark a democrat who had attended the opening arguments in the lightfoot case sat in the front row on tuesday when the verdicts were announced
a bronx jury has sent a clear message that a uniform and a badge does not absolve anyone from committing a crime ms clark said and that even a criminal behind bars deserves to be treated like a human being
jonathan s abady a lawyer who has represented rikers inmates in brutality cases against correction officers said that even though he had won multimillion dollar settlements in lawsuits against the city few of those guards were convicted of criminal charges unfortunately successful prosecutions of correction officers for misconduct and abuse of prisoners are rare he said
prosecutors work closely with correction officers mr abady said just as they do with the police and have often declined to vigorously pursue charges against guards in addition he said prosecutors and jurors sometimes view inmates with bias and skepticism
regrettably some people think of prisoners as less than human he said its very troubling and unfair but its also an undeniable perspective animating these cases
in the past four years in addition to the lightfoot case the bronx district attorneys office has prosecuted 26 other correction officers in cases of excessive force against inmates or suspected cover ups eleven of them still have open cases of the remaining 15 officers nine were convicted and six were acquitted according to prosecutors
the lightfoot case is significant because of the large number and the high rank of some of the officers   an assistant chief for security and two captains   involved the trial which lasted more than two months provided an unusually detailed look at the daily operations at rikers with about 8000 inmates
in addition to attempted gang assault the jury also found tobias parker jose parra eliseo perez jr alfred rivera and david rodriguez guilty of other charges including attempted assault in the first degree assault in the second degree falsifying business records and official misconduct in the july 2012 beating of mr lightfoot and an effort to cover it up
the jury acquitted a sixth officer jeffrey richard who was not directly involved in the beating of all charges related to the cover up
the verdicts for six of the nine current and former officers who were tried together were delivered by a jury in state supreme court in the bronx on the fourth day of deliberations the three other officers   harmon frierson dwayne maynard and gerald vaughn   have chosen to allow the judge presiding over the trial justice steven barrett to try them the judge has adjourned their proceedings until friday
the guilty verdicts were a blow for the officers who did not testify and their lawyers who had maintained that their clients committed no wrongdoing and rested their case without calling a single witness or presenting any evidence a contingent of correction officers has faithfully attended the trial with dozens of them packing the benches at times
todays verdict is an absolute travesty and yet another example of how correction officers are treated differently and disrespected for doing the job they are sworn to do protect new yorkers said norman seabrook the president of the correction officers benevolent association
glenn garber a lawyer for mr rodriguez had said in his summation that the prosecutions case had ignored the dangerous environment the guards worked in under daily threat from armed gang members he had argued that this is simply not the case to make a point about the culture of corruption at rikers
the officers who are scheduled to be sentenced in september face up to 15 years in prison on the most serious count alone when convicted of a felony officers are automatically fired from their jobs under state law according to correction officials even with an acquittal an officer could still be disciplined by the department including possibly dismissal
a 10th officer michael pollard has also been charged in the beating but will be tried separately because of medical problems
we have zero tolerance for any illegal behavior on the part of staff and the officers found guilty of felonies will be terminated joseph ponte the correction commissioner said the vast majority of our officers carry out their duties with care and integrity and we are taking many steps to ensure that all staff adhere to the highest professionalism
bronx prosecutors had contended that mr perez a former assistant chief for security and mr vaughn a former captain ordered five members of an elite correction squad to beat mr lightfoot after he caught mr perezs eye during a search of inmates for weapons they said that mr perez thought the inmate was a tough guy and told the officers to kick his teeth in
mr lightfoot now 31 had testified in court that it was open season for the officers to mercilessly pummel him with their fists and boots even as he curled up in a fetal position on the floor to shield himself i kept getting hit punched and kicked all over my body he had said i couldnt do nothing but just hold myself
mr lightfoot suffered fractures to both eye sockets and testified that long after the beating he spit up blood and had blurry vision and headaches mr lightfoot was sent to rikers in 2010 after snatching a womans pocketbook after the beating he was sent to state prison he was released in 2014
defense lawyers countered that mr lightfoot was found with a sharp metal object during the search and then disregarded the officers repeated orders to drop it they maintained from the start that mr lightfoot was injured while being forcibly restrained by officers who were simply doing their jobs
the lawyers repeatedly sought to undermine mr lightfoots credibility bringing up his ties to the bloods street gang and previous criminal history for drugs and other minor offenses they suggested that he made up a story about being singled out and beaten and hoped to gain financially with a pending lawsuit against the city over the attack
as the verdicts were read on tuesday afternoon there were gasps from the officers supporters in the benches mr perez swung his head around as his wife began sobbing loudly
later as mr rivera left the courthouse he said its not over


gannett made one thing clear on tuesday it will not walk away from its unsolicited offer to acquire the tribune publishing company before summers end
tribune publishing has already rejected both of gannetts offers - the latest at a 99 percent premium to the price of tribune publishings shares in april before news of a potential bid surfaced the company which publishes the los angeles times and the chicago tribune also brought in a new minority investor and director who could help fend off the takeover
reports surfaced that gannett would abandon its pursuit of tribune publishing gannett which owns usa today among other media assets missed the window to nominate its own set of directors leaving it with fewer tools to put pressure on the board for an immediate sale it encouraged tribune publishings shareholders to withhold their votes for the eight director nominees to the companys board and when the votes were counted gannett demonstrated that many of tribune publishings shareholders were on its side
tribune publishing held its annual meeting on thursday it disclosed on monday that five of the eight directors received less than 50 percent support from shares that were independent of the company giving gannett fuel to continue its battle
gannett values the 11 iconic newspapers of tribune and has determined to keep its offer in place as it evaluates various near term developments including the tribune second quarter 2016 financial results which are expected in august gannett said on tuesday in a statement
in its latest offer gannett sought to acquire tribune publishing for 15 a share or a total of 864 million including debt and other liabilities a proposal that had been put forth in mid may shortly thereafter tribune publishing rejected that bid and brought in a new investor nant capital whose founder the health care billionaire patrick soon shiong also became a member of the board
as part of tribune publishings stand alone plan the company announced on thursday that it would be renamed tronc with a lowercase t which stands for tribune online content and switch to the nasdaq from the new york stock exchange it is an effort to appear to be more of a tech company than a newspaper business
gannett is seeking to consolidate the field to broaden its scale to 120 newspapers and of course cut costs in the slowly growing - and in some cases declining   industry


donald j trump who said last week that a mexican american judge was biased against him because of his heritage said on tuesday that his remarks had been misconstrued and that he did not think that the judges ethnicity created a conflict of interest
i do not feel that ones heritage makes them incapable of being impartial mr trump said in a long statement in which he continued to raise questions about his treatment in the trump university case
mr trump created a firestorm last week when he suggested that judge gonzalo p curiel who was born in indiana was not handling his case fairly because of his immigration policies which include deporting immigrants in the country illegally and building a wall along the southern border the remarks were considered racist by democrats and republicans several of whom distanced themselves from the presumptive republican nominee
mr trump said in his statement that he had many friends of hispanic and mexican descent and that he thought that his words had been twisted the reversal was a rare one for mr trump who has tended to dig in after his provocative remarks have stirred controversy however after many republicans started to panic about the direction of his campaign he tempered his tone toward the judge
it is unfortunate that my comments have been misconstrued as a categorical attack against people of mexican heritage mr trump said i am friends with and employ thousands of people of mexican and hispanic descent
the american justice system relies on fair and impartial judges he added  all judges should be held to that standard
mr trump who did not apologize for the remarks continued to express doubts about judge curiel noting that he was appointed to the federal bench by president obama
due to what i believe are unfair and mistaken rulings in this case and the judges reported associations with certain professional organizations questions were raised regarding the obama appointed judges impartiality mr trump said it is a fair question i hope it is not the case
heeding calls from republican leaders to focus on issues that matter to americans mr trump said he remained focused on bringing jobs back to the country he also insisted that he would win the trump university case
while this lawsuit should have been dismissed it is now scheduled for trial in november mr trump said i do not intend to comment on this matter any further
in an interview with the new york times last week mr trump said it was clear that he considered judge curiels heritage an issue im building the wall im building the wall i have a mexican judge hes of mexican heritage he should have recused himself not only for that for other things
some of mr trumps critics said that his statement did not go far enough jeb bush a former rival for the republican nomination whose wife is from mexico has been largely silent since exiting the race but on tuesday said that mr trump should fully retract what he said
donald trump should retract his comments not defend them mr bush wrote in a post on twitter there is no place for racism in the gop or this country


since 2006 michael puett has taught an undergraduate survey course at harvard university on chinese philosophy examining how classic chinese texts are relevant today the course is now one of harvards most popular third only to introduction to computer science and principles of economics mr puett and the writer christine gross loh have distilled the essence of his course into the path what chinese philosophers can teach us about the good life the book has been bought by publishers in 25 countries including china where the book will be published this year
in an interview mr puett discussed the value of rituals reading du fu as well as shakespeare and why embracing your true self is not the answer
some chinese philosophical texts are already very popular in the west there are innumerable translations for example of laotzus tao te ching
some of the texts are indeed very popular but one of my concerns is that theyre often read according to our stereotypes they are often thought of as traditional ideas focused on teaching us to accord with the world as it is as opposed to what we like to call modern ideas that are focused on liberating us as individuals to decide for ourselves how to live so called confucianism for example is read as simply being about forcing people to accept their social roles while so called taoism is about harmonizing with the larger natural world so confucianism is often presented as bad and taoism as good but in neither case are we really learning from them
they come across as exotic and foreign
precisely theyve become simply foreign and exotic made into things that we have nothing to learn from
is there another risk that these ideas could be reduced to self help tips
a key idea of the book is precisely to oppose that if we want to take these ideas seriously we shouldnt domesticate them to our own way of thinking when we read them as self help we are assuming our own definition of the self and then simply picking up pieces of these ideas that fit into such a vision so for example people sometimes take taoism as a way to help me find myself and live well in the world but these ideas are not about looking within and finding oneself they are about overcoming the self they are in a sense anti self help
what is a key idea in chinas philosophical tradition that challenges contemporary assumptions
today we are often told that our goal should be to look within and find ourselves and once we do to strive to be sincere and authentic to that true self always loving ourselves and embracing ourselves for who we are all of this sounds great and is a key part of what we think of as a properly modern way to live but what if were on the contrary messy selves that tend to fall into ruts and patterns of behavior if so the last thing we would want to be doing is embracing ourselves for who we are   embracing in other words a set of patterns weve fallen into the goal should rather be to break these patterns and ruts to train ourselves to interact better with those around us
if we guide people too much isnt it paternalism
certainly some strains of chinese political theory will take this vision of the self   that we tend to fall into patterns of behavior   to argue for a more paternalistic state that will to use a more recent term nudge us into better patterns but many of the texts we discuss in the book go the other way and argue that the goal should be to break us from being such passive creatures   calling on us to do things that break us out of these patterns and allow us to train ourselves to start altering our behavior for the better
you argue that chinese philosophy views rituals as tools that can liberate us from these ruts
we tend to think of rituals as things that tell us what to do   to socialize us into certain ways of acting but several texts we discuss have a very different understanding of ritual rituals force us for a brief moment to become a different person and to interact with those around us in a different way they work because they break us from the patterns that we fall into and that otherwise dominate our behavior
in the early han dynasty for example we have examples of rituals that called for role reversals the father would be called upon to play the son and the son would play the father each is forced to see the world from the others perspective with the son learning what its like to be in a position of authority and the father remembering what it was like to be the more subservient one
are we at a phase of globalization where ideas that were once considered exotic might be valued as part of our own broader cultural heritage
its my hope we tend to think that we live in a globalized world but in a lot of ways we really dont the truth is that for a long time only a very limited number of ideas have dominated the world while ideas that arose elsewhere were seen as traditional and not worth learning from
but imagine future generations that grow up reading du fu along with shakespeare and confucius along with plato imagine that type of world where great ideas   wherever they arose   are thought about and wrestled with
how does this channel back to china
for much of the 20th century these ideas were actively rejected in china during the communist era the texts were read according to the same stereotypes about traditional thinking that we mentioned before and the goal was to reject these ideas in order to modernize china now the government is beginning to embrace these ideas but ironically the ideas are being read according to the same stereotypes confucianism is again read as being about keeping people in their place   only now this is seen as a good thing
so the government wants to co opt the past and yet on the ground in china we have broader interpretations people seek the past as answering questions on values
theres a very strong debate going on in china about values   a sense that everything has become about wealth and power and a questioning about whether this should be rethought and among the ideas that are being brought into the debate are these earlier notions about the self and about how one can lead a good life so while the government is appropriating some of these ideas in particular ways the broader public is debating them and certainly with very different interpretations how this will play out is impossible to say but it is a debate that is worth following very closely


microsoft scientists have demonstrated that by analyzing large samples of search engine queries they may in some cases be able to identify internet users who are suffering from pancreatic cancer even before they have received a diagnosis of the disease
the scientists said they hoped their work could lead to early detection of cancer their study was published on tuesday in the journal of oncology practice by dr eric horvitz and dr ryen white the microsoft researchers and john paparrizos a columbia university graduate student
we asked ourselves if we heard the whispers of people online would it provide strong evidence or a clue that somethings going on dr horvitz said
the researchers focused on searches conducted on bing microsofts search engine that indicated someone had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer from there they worked backward looking for earlier queries that could have shown that the bing user was experiencing symptoms before the diagnosis those early searches they believe can be warning flags
while five year survival rates for pancreatic cancer are extremely low early detection of the disease can prolong life in a very small percentage of cases the study suggests that early screening can increase the five year survival rate of pancreatic patients to 5 to 7 percent from just 3 percent
the researchers reported that they could identify from 5 to 15 percent of pancreatic cases with false positive rates of as low as one in 100000 the researchers noted that false positives could lead to raised medical costs or create significant anxiety for people who later found out they were not sick
the data used by the researchers was anonymized meaning it did not carry identifying markers like a user name so the individuals conducting the searches could not be contacted
a logical next step would be to figure out what to do with that search information one possibility would be some sort of health service where users could allow their searches to be collected allowing scientists to monitor for questions that indicate warning flag symptoms
the question what might we do might there be a cortana for health some day said dr horvitz in a reference to the companys speech oriented online personal assistant software service
although the researchers declined to offer specific details dr white is now the chief technology officer of health intelligence in a recently created health  wellness division at microsoft
they acknowledged that health related data generated from web search histories was still new territory for the medical profession
i think the mainstream medical literature has been resistant to these kinds of studies and this kind of data dr horvitz said were hoping that this stimulates quite a bit of interesting conversation
the new research is based on the ability of the microsoft team to accurately distinguish between web searches that are casual or based on anxiety and those that are genuine searches for specific medical symptoms by people who are experiencing them he noted
both a computer scientist and a medical doctor by training dr horvitz said he had been exploring this area in part because of a phone conversation with a close friend who had described symptoms based on their conversation dr horvitz advised him to contact his doctor he received a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer and died several months later
the availability of vast sets of behavior data based on individual web queries using the search engines offered by companies like google and microsoft has for a number of years been seen as a potential indicator of health related information
in 2009 google published a research paper that explored the potential of early detection of flu epidemics based on statistical analysis of web search logs though the results of that effort ultimately fell short of what had been hoped
more recently microsoft researchers have had significant success in finding early evidence of adverse drug reactions from patterns observed in web logs in 2013 they detected unreported side effects of prescription drugs before they were found by the food and drug administrations warning system
the researchers are exploring evidence related to a range of devastating diseases they also said that unlike the drug interaction data which would be of direct value to the fda as an early alert it was possible that symptom alert data might be made available as part of a broader online health service that a company like microsoft might offer


times insider delivers behind the scenes insights from the new york times in this article jessica bennett who writes for the timess style section provides a behind the scenes look at her experience writing a profile about paula broadwell david petraeus and the afterlife of a scandal and about questions over language
it was another story about another woman and another label that prompted paula broadwell to email me a year ago i was in vancouver at the time finishing up a profile of monica lewinsky who gave a tedtalk about her struggle to overcome her own shame
when ms broadwells email appeared in my inbox i knew i recognized her name but i couldnt place it i typed it into google and immediately knew why she was emailing ohhhhhhh i thought to myself that paula broadwell
ms broadwell is the former lover and biographer of gen david petraeus once the director of the cia and the commander of the wars in afghanistan and iraq who resigned in disgrace after it was revealed that he and ms broadwell had had an affair she is also a harvard trained counterterrorism expert an accomplished athlete and an army reservist but most people dont remember those things because much like ms lewinsky ms broadwell has been defined by the collection of seemingly scarlet letters that spell out mistress
its a word for which theres no male equivalent   something i hadnt thought about until ms broadwell pointed it out when she got in touch in march 2015 ms broadwells name was back in the news the result of mr petraeuss sentencing in her hometown on a misdemeanor charge of mishandling classified material in article after article mr petraeus was called a general a former commander and as the times put it the best known military commander of his generation the same times article referred to ms broadwell as the mistress
ms broadwell complained to the timess then public editor margaret sullivan who wrote a column about the word and advised the times to hasten its departure but ms broadwells plight had only begun she told me she had reached out to diane sawyer katie couric norah odonnell and other female journalists she thought might help her expunge the word from their broadcasts inspired by her experience she was working to found a nonprofit organization focused on gender bias in the media
as a student of language i was sympathetic to her cause as i am a feminist the double standard apparent in the way she was characterized was clear he was the revered general who made a grave mistake she was a psycho homewrecker who as many often reminded her had brought the general down was her plight honorable or self serving or somewhere in between
ms broadwell and i began corresponding over several months she forwarded me google alerts and updates on her nonprofit we met in new york when she was in town for a west point reunion for more than a year we traded emails and text messages and phone calls did she want to speak publicly would her lawyers allow it and when was she ready to tell her story and what was the best way for her to do it did she trust me to tell it
ms broadwells story had all the elements of a good newsy profile but it also highlighted something larger for many years i had noticed the way biased language crept into the pages of the publications i wrote for i noticed it in the physical descriptions of female leaders the questions asked of female sources how do you balance it all in qualifications female comic or the things a reporter would choose to highlight in the first paragraph of an obituary
sometimes it was the tiniest things the use of a male pronoun to describe a hypothetical involving an entrepreneur or business executive when we know that women too can fill these roles but too often dont or it is mistress as well as the battery of other words that were used to describe ms broadwell shameless self promoter curvaceous a femme fatale seemingly immune to the notion of modesty who got her claws into the general he by contrast was the consummate gentleman and family man the honorable general who had let his guard down
language is a diagnostic the linguist robin lakoff once told me   it reflects the beliefs of a particular moment in time and yet as ms sullivan noted we are long past the era of anne boleyns and cleopatras sometimes it takes a story to give outdated language a necessary kick out the door


abba fans were giddy
thirty years since the legendary swedish pop band last performed together news reports said the quartet had reunited for a single song during a private party in stockholm on sunday
the event was held to celebrate 50 years since the songwriting partners benny andersson and bjorn ulvaeus first met at some point during the evening the other half of the group anni frid lyngstad and agnetha faltskog got onstage and performed the way old friends do with the two men joining in toward the end the swedish tabloid expressen reported
but it wasnt so said carl magnus palm an abba historian who attended the party the women had indeed performed together but the men went up on the stage to give them a hug only after they had finished he said
they never sang together the four of them according to mr palm who said he had double checked his memory with other attendees
i was there he said i would have noticed
if true it stands little chance of making nonbelievers of fans who are clinging to the version of events that has raced around the globe and has been forged thousands of times over in the crucible of social media
fans exhilarated by the possibility that the performance on sunday could presage a comeback tour have been imploring the group on its facebook page please please one person said lets start a petition another proposed
a third portrayed fans devotion in cosmic terms we will wait forever until we can see them just one more time
they will probably have to mr palm said
abba which was made up of two married couples has been steadfast in its refusal to reunite since a breakup in the early 1980s after both pairs had divorced
they want to be remembered as they were back then mr palm said
asked if there was any chance at all he said one should never say never i guess but i could say with 999 percent certainty that thats never going to happen
even the appearance of the four together on sunday was rare the roughly 300 guests were also treated to a mini reunion of mr andersson and mr ulvaeus who performed does your mother know earlier in the evening mr palm said
it was absolutely amazing a lot of emotions ms lyngstad told expressen weve made this journey throughout our history benny and bjorn in particular its been very nostalgic


passionate supporters of senator bernie sanders awoke enraged on tuesday after learning that his slim hopes for winning the democratic presidential nomination had been effectively dashed as a batch of superdelegates revealed their support for hillary clinton
after months of dancing around the phrase news organizations on monday night finally bestowed a much coveted label on mrs clinton presumptive nominee
the sanders campaign immediately assailed the media for rushing the process and undermining the will of voters who were set to head to the polls in six states on tuesday
in a late night fund raising email jeff weaver mr sanderss campaign manager urged voters to defy the pundits and deliver a stunning series of victories for the vermont senator
we should let the voters decide who they want the democratic nominee to be rather than having the media decide for them mr weaver wrote i am asking you to continue to stand with bernie in pushing for the political revolution
on social media supporters of mr sanders fumed at a system that they have increasingly felt is rigged against their candidate
irate messages poured onto the sanders for president message board on reddit an online discussion forum with users promising to vote for mr sanders regardless of what the superdelegates said some said they would vote for donald j trump the presumptive republican nominee and others suggested that mr sanders join the green party and keep running against mrs clinton
but the momentum that now favors mrs clinton may be too much
the term presumptive nominee has no formal definition in politics yet traditionally when it is used to describe a candidate a wave of endorsements carries that person to the nomination once the associated press which prodded the superdelegates to come forward declared mrs clinton the presumptive democratic nominee the phrase soon reverberated across news outlets around the world
theres a bandwagon effect douglas g brinkley a presidential historian and professor at rice university said of being billed as a presumptive nominee everybody starts coalescing around that candidate
the ap said it uses the term when it becomes clear a candidate for president will be formally nominated at a partys convention television networks newspapers and online media quickly followed the aps lead once it was determined that mrs clinton had reached the 2383 delegates needed to clinch the nomination
mr sanders and his campaign were clearly fearful that mrs clinton would be called the presumptive nominee while primary voting was still going on particularly with tuesdays contest in california where polls have shown the two candidates to be close but both candidates could be now exposed by the aps early call which could dampen turnout among voters who think the race is over
mrs clinton noted the importance of crossing the delegate threshold on monday night but avoided marking the moment as conclusive if her voters stay home on tuesday a series of defeats would be an embarrassment and could buttress mr sanderss argument for why he should continue campaigning until the democratic convention in july
although the media was quick to give the designation to mrs clinton the democratic party did not
the democratic national committee has no official definition for the term presumptive nominee mark paustenbach a spokesman for the committee would not say if or when the dnc would begin using presumptive to describe mrs clinton
on the republican side reince priebus chairman of the republican national committee declared donald j trump the presumptive nominee after he won the indiana primary last month
for the time being mr sanders is still making arguments for why superdelegates should ditch his opponent and make him the nominee polls that show him performing better against mr trump than mrs clinton and his energized grass roots following form the crux of his appeal
mrs clinton who eight years ago dropped her presidential bid and supported barack obama can likely relate to the plight of mr sanders despite her desire to focus on the general election
in 2008 mr obama captured a majority of pledged delegates in may but declined to declare victory mrs clinton insisted that the contest was not finished and argued that neither candidate would have enough delegates for the nomination
this is nowhere near over mrs clinton said at the time
the race went on for only two more weeks


paris   in the eight years since he was fired by the french bank societe generale jerome kerviel has never denied making 50 billion euros worth of unauthorized trades or committing forgery and fraud to cover them up
the scale of his audacious derivatives trades nearly brought about the demise of the big bank and the intricacy of the rogue traders financial subterfuge was enough to persuade the countrys highest court that he deserved the three year prison sentence he received in 2010
but in a strange turn of rogue trading events mr kerviel has persuaded a french labor tribunal that he should not have been fired
on tuesday the tribunal ruled that his illegal actions presented no real and serious cause for his dismissal his lawyers said the panel ordered societe generale to pay mr kerviel roughly EUR450000
the ruling by a panel of employers and trade union representatives is covered by french confidentiality laws so it has not been made public yet it appears to accept at least in part mr kerviels argument from the start namely that his managers   many of whom quietly left the bank after the scandal   turned a blind eye to his activities and even tacitly encouraged them as long as his deals were profitable
a lawyer for mr kerviel david koubbi said that societe generale was ordered to compensate the former trader for damages including the conditions of his departure as well as unused vacation days and other items that were part of his original employment contract
the majority of mr kerviels award   EUR300000   represents a performance bonus for 2007 the sum was linked to a EUR14 billion profit that the bank booked in the fourth quarter of that year from his rogue dealings
this is a huge victory said mr koubbi it is recognizing for the very first time that societe generale knew everything about his activities which is a very big thing
societe generale which lost EUR49 billion unwinding mr kerviels trades in early 2008 said it would appeal the labor courts ruling which the bank dismissed as incomprehensible and counter to the facts
the decision represents a potential legal turning point for mr kerviel 39 who was barred for life from working in financial services and who could still face billions of euros in damages to the bank
frances court of cassation in 2014 threw out a lower courts order that he compensate societe generale for the full EUR49 billion that it lost in the affair it argued that the lower courts had failed to take proper account of the weaknesses in the banks own risk management procedures at the time
the high court ordered a new trial to determine how much mr kerviel should pay the bank in restitution that proceeding will begin next week before an appeals court in versailles south of paris
beyond the civil damages lawyers said that the ruling on tuesday could also give fresh ammunition to mr kerviels lawyers who are seeking to have his criminal conviction reviewed
mr kerviel spent five weeks in pretrial detention in 2008 and after his appeals were exhausted he went back to jail for around four months in 2014 he was then released on probation for the remainder of his three year sentence
the entire legal underpinning of the criminal case against jerome kerviel which found him guilty of fraudulent trading activities may have been called into question said christopher mesnooh an international business lawyer at fieldfisher in paris
the exploits of mr kerviel briefly placed him at the top of the leader board of the worlds most notorious rogue traders that is before the financial crisis exposed a series of other more spectacular banking transgressions
his travails   including a meeting with pope francis and an epic trek from rome to the french border   have also helped make him a sort of folk hero in france he has inspired t shirts with his image a loyal following on social media and even a song
on tuesday mr kerviels labor court victory drew online admiration from another convicted rogue trader nicholas leeson the former derivatives trader whose fraudulent deals led to the collapse of the british bank barings in 1995
anyone know a good employment lawyer mr leeson posted on twitter if only i had a bank left to sue


by the time david sweat spoke to investigators from the office of new york states inspector general last year he had spent three weeks on the run been shot by a state trooper and was facing the prospect of spending the rest of his life in solitary confinement for pulling off a hollywood ready prison break that riveted the country
but mr sweat a convicted murderer was apparently eager to talk and talk he did in the 150 page report on the escape by the inspector generals office released on monday mr sweat comes off as unrepentant and smug describing prison guards as lazy and incompetent and his sidekick richard w matt as a bumbling overweight tag along mr matt was shot and killed by law enforcement authorities during the manhunt
here in mr sweats own words quoted in the report are five key factors that were crucial to the success of his plot to break out of the clinton correctional facility a maximum security prison in the far northern part of the state
mr sweat needed tools and to get them he needed to find a willing accomplice among the prisons employees enter joyce e mitchell the civilian supervisor in the prison tailor shop whose loneliness mr sweat said he exploited writing love lust notes to placate her
the plan worked in the months before the escape ms mitchell gave mr sweat and his partner at least eight hacksaw blades two chisels a steel punch and two concrete drill bits often smuggled in frozen hamburger meat
ms mitchell proved less reliable in the second phase of the plot when she was supposed to pick up the two inmates in her car after they emerged from a manhole outside the prison walls
mr sweat described his final instructions to ms mitchell before the escape
she never showed up and the inmates had to flee on foot
it took mr sweat 85 nights to cut dig and hammer his way through the brick steel and concrete blocking his path to freedom he had no blueprints or maps of the tunnels behind and beneath the prison walls to guide him so he had to rely on trial and error to plot his route
mr sweat lost perhaps 30 pounds working on the escape route letting myself down and pulling myself back up you know three flights every night ... crawling through all the pipes by the time of the escape mr sweat said he was probably about the best physical shape i been in
there was a couple of times ... i got quite discouraged he said but he understood that once he started there was no turning back
at times mr sweat had to get creative both to avoid detection and to speed his progress breaking through a wall with a sledgehammer he found in the tunnels and a makeshift pry bar he said he timed his blows to coincide with loud sounds that emanated from the surrounding pipes
so i wait until they start banging and then i would bang he said after about two weeks he said i knocked the wall out
to cool the sweltering air inside the steam pipe that ultimately led the two inmates to freedom he devised a ventilation system out of a fan and a tube made of several plastic garbage bags this allowed him to remain in the pipe cutting for three hours at a time he said stopping only to eat a candy bar drink a little water
mr sweat and mr matt could never have pulled off their escape had corrections officers and their supervisors followed basic security protocols the report said officers rarely if ever conducted rounds at night and almost never inspected the catwalks and tunnels where mr sweat spent night after night working
in his testimony mr sweat said he had counted on guards not doing their jobs and had never worried about being found out of the guards he said theyre lazy to be honest
he said he studied the guards and got to know their habits
even mr sweat was surprised though when he first crawled out of his cell and discovered how easy it was to move around the catwalks and tunnels there were no locking doors or gates which he anticipated having to break through he was free to roam
nothing ended up being anything like either one of us expected it to be he said
during his time in the tunnels mr sweat said he never encountered an officer though there were a few close calls he said he would occasionally see officers on the catwalks above him and one night he was nearly struck by a lit cigarette tossed out by a guard
the biggest scare came when the two inmates first emerged from the manhole into a residential neighborhood an approaching car spooked mr matt who ran into the backyard of a nearby home and attracted the attention of the driver when confronted mr sweat had to talk their way out of the fix explaining to the driver that they were just cutting through the yard
mr matts jitters continued according to mr sweat he kept running in peoples yards when he would see a car
i said dude nobody knows youre out he told investigators cursing at his partner to just walk like a normal person


madrid   catalans may still be weighing whether to quit spain but catalan cities with jewish histories have already made up their minds quietly last month they decided to withdraw from a spanish network of cities with historic jewish medieval quarters
the planned exit of five catalan cities which account for one fifth of the network of jewish quarters will also force the network to appoint a new leadership as both its president and secretary general were catalans
marta madrenas the mayor of girona one of the catalan cities that has decided to leave said in an interview that she and her colleagues would instead create their own catalan network soon because we think we can do better in terms of showcasing our jewish patrimony
we want to do it in a more serious manner with more cultural and scientific rigor she said
girona she noted has already set up a center of jewish studies a new catalan network she said can put an emphasis on introducing more conferences debates as well as developing student scholarships   it must be about culture and cant be all about tourism and tour operators
the spanish network said it was disappointed and surprised by the withdrawal which was announced by some of the catalan cities at an internal meeting of network officials in may no date has been set for the creation of a new catalan network
the split comes amid a major secessionist tussle between madrid and barcelona the capital of catalonia catalan separatist parties which have a majority of seats in the regions parliament are pushing to divide catalonia from the rest of spain and have established a road map to create the structures of a new catalan state within 18 months despite fierce opposition from the acting government in madrid of prime minister mariano rajoy
we believe we have a project that unifies cities and we dont understand and share the reasons for leaving said marta puig quixal managing director of the network of jewish quarters ms puig quixal argued that this breakup is another example of how catalan institutions are looking to go their own way
mayor madrenas said this isnt about promoting or recovering our catalan identity because we already have it but about whether investing in this network gives us the kind of return that we would expect she noted that seville the capital of the southern region of andalusia had also left the network in january
the network was created in 1995 to safeguard spains heritage and promote cultural academic and tourism projects relating to its sephardic past as well as set up exchange projects to increase knowledge and mutual respect for peoples cultures and traditions according to the networks website
beside girona the other catalan cities in the spanish network are besalu castello dempuries tortosa and barcelona
in 1492 the catholic monarchs signed an edict to expel the jews forcing a mass exodus some jews chose instead to convert to catholicism and remain in spain during the spanish inquisition jewish culture and buildings were then hidden or wiped out
in recent years archaeologists have found more evidence of spains once thriving jewish community largely as a result of discoveries made during urban construction projects last year the spanish parliament approved a long awaited law to give spanish citizenship to thousands of sephardic jews whose ancestors were expelled in 1492


washington   syrias president promised to retake every inch of the country from his foes on tuesday in a defiant speech that appeared to reject the humanitarian relief effort and peaceful transition of power that the united states russia and more than a dozen other nations have pressed for since last fall
the speech by president bashar al assad was his first major address since the effort to mediate an end to the civil war broke down in geneva in april it reflected his sense that russian intervention in the war has bolstered his position   and his ability to remain in power for the foreseeable future   as the war enters its sixth year
mr assads defiance was notable partly because of efforts in recent months by secretary of state john kerry and other leaders of a 17 nation collaboration known as the international syria support group to set a series of deadlines and limits that syria could not violate
every one of the directives has been broken a cease fire devised in munich in february collapsed mr kerrys demand at that time   that humanitarian access had to begin within weeks   was briefly observed in a few towns before access was again largely blocked
the speech was unfortunately vintage assad   unrepentant and damaging to international efforts to end the brutal civil war that has ravaged the country for more than five years   the same international efforts that his principal backers russia and iran support mark c toner a state department spokesman said in a statement on tuesday night his remarks show once again how delusional detached and unfit he is to lead the syrian people
mr toner argued that syria was defying not just mr kerry but also its two most vital allies russia and iran
mr kerry was in beijing and because of the time difference could not be reached for his reaction to mr assads speech mr toner said
three weeks ago in vienna mr kerry appeared before reporters to declare that if mr assad continued to obstruct humanitarian convoys the west would help the united nations relief agency conduct airdrops of supplies to starving towns beginning june 1 the deadline passed with little comment by mr kerry or the state department it remains unclear when those airdrops will commence if at all
at the same vienna conference mr kerry rejected the notion that president obama and other allies would not use force to stop the syrian governments indiscriminate bombings or enforce humanitarian access
if president assad has come to a conclusion theres no plan b he said then hes come to a conclusion that is totally without any foundation whatsoever and even dangerous
mr kerry administration officials said submitted to the white house months ago a plan b that called for escalated military action if mr assad continued his defiance mr obama has not acted on it telling aides he was not convinced the plan could make a significant difference especially since syrias arab neighbors and european powers have not offered more than token support
mr obama is wary of drawing the united states deeper into a conflict in which he initially saw no vital american interest mr kerry and other officials in private have argued that the size of the humanitarian disaster in syria and the flow of refugees into europe have created such an interest but with only seven months left in office mr obama seems unlikely to change his mind
mr assad spoke as the syrian authorities imposed new obstacles on international efforts to transport emergency aid to civilians trapped in rebel held areas united nations officials in geneva said government approval was withheld for a delayed food convoy to daraya a suburb of damascus that received medical aid last week for the first time in four years
mr assad was clear on tuesday that he had no intention of compromising with his adversaries and seemed to reject the next deadline an aug 1 target for developing a transition plan that mr obama and mr kerry have said must ultimately result in someone else running what is left of syria
in his speech mr assad said the peace talks that broke down were a booby trapped effort by opponents who have been seeking to depose him since the war started in 2011 during the arab spring
when they failed to achieve what they wanted their response was an open declaration of supporting terrorism mr assad said in the speech made in parliament as reported by the state news agency and broadcast on national television
mr assads adversaries reacted with a mix of fury and frustration were seeing behavior that is the most extreme the full military solution said bassma kodmani a member of the high negotiations committee an opposition group that had been negotiating with the syrian government through united nations mediation
seventeen countries have agreed on something does this have no value at all ms kodmani said
mr assad seems unlikely to be able to make good on his boast to retake his country his strength is largely limited to areas where there is a strong presence of his minority alawite sect
but bolstered by russias intervention nine months ago to help prop him up mr assad is stronger than he has been in years many experts say and he has rejected the idea that any new government would have to exclude him
he has the strong support of iran his longtime provider of security though russian officials seem less concerned about whether mr assad himself remains in power
an announcement by president vladimir v putin of russia in march that he was pulling back from syria appeared to be largely a charade
russian airstrikes helped the syrian army retake the ancient city of palmyra from the islamic state that same month the russians have also been helping assad loyalists elsewhere including against insurgents in and around the city of aleppo and other parts of northern syria some of these groups are supported by the united states
just like we liberated palmyra and many other areas before it mr assad said in the speech we are going to liberate each and every inch of syria from their hands because we have no other choice but to win
behind the scenes mr kerry has been talking frequently to russias foreign minister sergey v lavrov to seek assurances that russia was aiming first at islamic state forces and not bombing other insurgent groups state department officials offered no details of those discussions repeating a standard line that they are asking russia to use its influence to allow humanitarian intervention there appears to be no plan to turn the calls for airdrops   which mr lavrov echoed   into a reality
at the same time evidence suggests that many of the groups the united states is backing are under periodic attack from russia and ground forces supported by iran
its pretty clear assads defiance and rigidity at the negotiating table continues to increase after the russian intervention said andrew j tabler a syria expert at the washington institute for near east policy this doesnt bode well for the political negotiations in geneva to find a political settlement


the nfl became the latest victim in a string of recent high profile twitter hoaxes and hackings after its verified account sent a series of tweets saying that roger goodell the leagues commissioner had died
we regret to inform our fans that our commissioner roger goodell has passed away he was 57 rip the hoax tweet read
initially a flurry of posts expressing shock of the death went up after the tweet about mr goodell a polarizing figure in his 10 years as commissioner
but others battle worn from days of recent twitter hoaxes targeting celebrities like jack black mark zuckerberg katy perry and drake quickly turned skeptical something just didnt seem quite right about this one
the tweet was quickly deleted   but the hacker or hackers doubled down
oi i said roger goodell has died an insistent follow up tweet read dont delete that tweet
the nfl twitter account was hacked brian mccarthy the leagues vice president of communications said in an email he added we have engaged law enforcement to look into the matter we are reviewing and strengthening our cybersecurity measures
mr goodell jokingly weighed in with a post on his personal twitter account hours later
mr goodell most likely wont be the last victim of what seems to be a spree of hackings committed by people who appear to be using leaked data to gain access to myriad social media accounts
indeed minutes after the nfl account was hacked suspicious tweets began emanating from the singer lana del reys account like those sent from the nfl those tweets were quickly deleted
while the nfl hoax was deliberately used to spread bad information the apparent breach against ms del rey resulted in the posting of gibberish and offensive statements similar to those in other hacks including the one against ms perry
in a statement about the hacks twitter said a number of other online services have seen millions of passwords stolen in the past several weeks and we know far too many people use the same password for multiple things online we recommend people to use a unique strong password for twitter
its hard to say if the hoaxes were part of a coordinated attack on high profile accounts but the rapid fire timing would suggest some planning the millions of account names and passwords leaked in data breaches of social media platforms including linkedin and myspace suggested that hackers are targeting accounts for which one password was used for multiple accounts
in may linkedin said that hackers were attempting to sell what they claimed were 117 million email addresses and passwords of its users suggesting that a data breach in 2012 was much larger than initially thought
its quite possible that the linkedin breach is to blame again graham cluley an online security expert and consultant wrote in an email about the nfl hoax fundamental truth is that too many people reuse passwords or have failed to enable two step verification on their twitter accounts
further complicating the nfl hoax was the fact that the hackers had breached an organizations verified account where death notices are frequently posted to a curious public
one easy way to spot a hoax on twitter is to check if the tweet had been posted using a different social media application than is usually used for that account the nfl usually tweets using social applications like spredfast the hoax tweet came from twitters web client
for their part the hackers quickly responded when they realized theyd been caught ok ok you amateur detectives win good job


arlo devlin brown a veteran federal prosecutor in manhattan who led a string of prominent wall street cases and more recently oversaw the prosecutions of two of new york states most powerful politicians is departing for the private sector
in august he will join the law firm covington  burling as a partner in new york the firm said on tuesday
mr devlin browns departure caps a nearly 11 year tenure in the united states attorneys office for the southern district of new york under preet bharara the united states attorney there mr devlin brown took aim at jpmorgan chase sac capital and other wall street giants
he spent the last two years as chief of the public corruption unit when it won the convictions of sheldon silver the former state assembly speaker dean g skelos the former state senate majority leader and other public officials mr devlin brown is expected to be succeeded as the units chief by his deputy andrew d goldstein 42 who joined the office in 2010
mr devlin brown is the latest federal prosecutor to move through the so called revolving door and land at covington the firms washington office is already home to eric h holder jr the former attorney general as well as lanny breuer and mythili raman each of whom ran the justice departments criminal division in washington michael chertoff who also led the criminal division and later became secretary of homeland security is of senior counsel to the firm
mr devlin brown 43 a native of vermont will increase the presence of former prosecutors in the new york office whose partners include alan vinegrad a former united states attorney in brooklyn and nancy kestenbaum a former chief of the general crimes unit in manhattan
before joining the united states attorneys office mr devlin brown was an associate at the law firm wilmer hale
at covington mr devlin brown will join the firms white collar and investigations practice and he could end up representing clients accused of the kinds of crimes he once prosecuted
as a senior prosecutor on mr bhararas wall street task force mr devlin brown helped secure the insider trading conviction of mathew martoma a former trader at the hedge fund sac capital mr martoma who was accused of carrying out the largest insider trading scheme ever charged is appealing while serving a nine year prison sentence mr devlin brown and mr martoma were students at harvard law school at the same time
mr devlin brown was also on the team of prosecutors that indicted sac capital itself the fund ultimately pleaded guilty and paid more than 1 billion to resolve the case
in the case against jpmorgan which was accused of failing to thwart bernard l madoffs ponzi scheme mr devlin brown and his colleagues stopped short of indicting the bank they did however reach a deferred prosecution agreement and extracted a 17 billion payment
as chief of the corruption unit mr devlin brown also supervised the offices investigation of gov andrew m cuomos interference with and shutdown of the moreland commission an anticorruption panel that he created in july 2013 and abruptly disbanded nine months later in a deal with the legislature no charges were brought against mr cuomo mr devlin brown also oversaw the prosecution of a still pending bribery case involving a former united nations official and other defendants
he has this exceptional level of experience having done securities cases and corruption cases said mr breuer the former justice department official who is now vice chairman of covington hell very quickly become a central figure of the firm


bretagne a golden retriever believed to be the last surviving search and rescue dog to brave the rubble of the world trade center site looking for survivors of the terrorist attacks of sept 11 2001 died at a veterinarians office in cypress tex on monday she was 16 years old
her death was confirmed by the rescue team texas task force 1 and the cy fair volunteer fire department in harris county whose officers lined the sidewalk outside the veterinarians office on monday to bid farewell to the dog who was euthanized
on monday her owner denise corliss told the today show that bretagne pronounced brittany had been experiencing kidney failure and had not eaten for three days
she was really anxious last night and she just wanted to be with me ms corliss said so i laid down with her right next to her when she could feel me she could settle down and go to sleep i slept with her like that all night
bretagne was mourned on social media by public figures like gov greg abbott of texas and by the federal emergency management agency and the new york police departments special operations division
for 10 days after the terrorist attacks in lower manhattan bretagne then 2 worked 12 hour shifts as she searched for survivors and offered comfort to emergency responders sleeping outdoors with ms corliss
they had traveled to the city with texas task force 1 to assist in rescue efforts but were unable to find any survivors just remains
after 911 everybody   all of us   felt such sadness ms corliss told today in 2014 we all wanted to help i just felt so honored that we were able to respond
the dog and her owner had twice returned to new york in recent years where bretagne was greeted with a heros welcome bretagne continued to serve with the texas task force 1 and cy fair volunteer fire department assisting in the aftermath of hurricane katrina and hurricane rita before retiring at age 9 from search activities
the golden retriever remained active however in community events demonstrating search techniques in recent years she visited an elementary school once a week to help first graders practice their reading attentively lending a floppy ear to grateful students
david padovan a fire department spokesman said bretagne had slowed considerably in recent years but remained loved in the firehouse and the community
its just like meeting a movie star he said she walks into the room and everyone immediately gravitates to her everyone wants a picture with her if she could sign autographs theyd ask for those as well
by working with children in her old age she served up until the very last moments she could he said


vandals with spray paint struck a towering new artwork that was recently opened to the public in the desert outside of las vegas forcing the site around the sculptures to be closed on monday and tuesday so the graffiti could be cleaned off officials with the nevada museum of art in reno said
the work seven magic mountains a collection of day glo colored stacked boulders near jean dry lake south of the city was created by ugo rondinone with the help of the museum and the art production fund the new york based public art organization the totem like sculptures inspired by natural hoodoo rock formations in utah have been attracting hundreds of visitors over the past few weeks and generating a huge reservoir of desert themed colorful selfies on instagram
amanda horn a spokeswoman for the museum said that the damage   which included misogynistic slurs and profanity and depictions of genitalia   was believed to have occurred between 1030 pm saturday and early sunday morning at the site which is monitored by workers and local police but not round the clock the limestone boulders were coated in a clear anti graffiti protective layer before they were put in place so the cleanup is expected to go quickly without any need to repaint the sculptures ms horn said
the museums reaction to the damage she added was absolute disappointment
but unfortunately we werent terribly surprised she continued its always the risk when you install public art for the most part people have been nothing but respectful and treated this like its their own


moreno valley calif   once heralded as a vital check on corporate influence over government californias ballot initiative system   which allows residents to propose laws and approve them by popular vote   has been used to sharply cut property taxes and to enact the countrys first medical marijuana law
but these days developers are using the process for another purpose to sidestep state environmental laws and speed major developments
plans for a stadium in carson a shopping center north of san diego and a vast warehouse complex in moreno valley were approved last year using the ballot initiative process another ballot measure petition hastened construction of a stadium in inglewood where the los angeles rams of the national football league will play
the advantage for developers is clear projects approved by ballot measures avoid legal challenges under the california environmental quality act
there is a twist though residents often do not even have a chance to vote
once 15 percent of eligible voters have signed a petition a project qualifies for the ballot and local elected officials can call a special election or accept the proposal without negotiating changes officials often approve the project to avoid paying for a special election that could further strain tight budgets
supporters of the ballot measures say they allow residents to override a broken system in which lawsuits and environmental reviews can delay projects for years
but environmentalists argue that the arrangement grants special privileges to developers even if only a relatively small fraction of residents support a project and land use experts say the strategy will become more common unless the state government steps in to curtail it
so far the issue has failed to attract much attention in sacramento
weve ended up with a warping of direct democracy to defeat strong environmental laws said douglas carstens a lawyer specializing in land use and the environment its ramping up within a year or two people will realize what a bad situation this is
developers have complained for decades about the california environmental quality act which is far more exacting than federal regulations the state law requires them to identify and mitigate the environmental effects of their projects no state agency oversees the law it is enforced only by lawsuits written broadly the law allows almost anyone to sue claiming environmental harm that can range from destroying animal habitats to blocking a view the litigation can add years and millions of dollars to a projects cost
walmart has pioneered the use of ballot initiatives to speed construction over the last decade since 2009 the company has taken plans for stores to the ballot in at least nine cities across the state elected officials approved the measures without a vote in eight of those cases
the company recently gathered enough signatures in desert hot springs for a ballot measure that would clear the way for a new superstore
a walmart spokeswoman delia garcia said the ballot initiative was a way to move the process forward but she would not address whether the company was using the process to avoid potential lawsuits
we really wanted to give the public a chance to weigh in ms garcia said of the decision to put the desert hot springs store on the ballot we knew there was strong community support in 21 days we surpassed the required number of signatures
the california supreme court affirmed walmarts strategy in a 2014 decision rejecting a challenge to the companys expansion of a store in sonora an elected board the court ruled may approve a ballot measure petition without a special election and that project can then bypass an environmental review
after the decision more developers began following walmarts approach
the court ruling offered a road map for how to avoid the environmental review process said richard frank a former chief deputy attorney general in california who began working on environmental quality act cases shortly after the law was signed in 1970
what is troublesome to me is that some members of the regulated community are using the supreme court decision to circumvent the true intent of the law he said
some city officials frustrated by lawsuits see the end run around the state environmental act as a useful way to speed construction
in carlsbad the plan to build a shopping complex was certain to prompt a lawsuit until the developer caruso affiliated circulated a petition to put it on the ballot the city council approved the measure outright in a unanimous vote
they would meet our growth standards and our vote would give them security about litigation mayor matt hall said noting that a desalination plant in town had faced more than a dozen lawsuits and appeals he added that the state environmental law had become more of a weapon than a shield
mr frank the former lawyer in the california attorney generals office said that this use of the ballot initiative system smacks of a collusive process
nowhere have ties between a developer and elected officials come under more scrutiny than in moreno valley after the city council approved plans to build the largest warehouse complex in the united states environmental groups sued contending that the complex would add nearly 70000 car and truck trips a day to an area that already had some of the most polluted air in the country the developer highland fairview had also spent heavily to aid the election of the three council members who supported the project
so backers of the project gathered signatures for a ballot initiative and then the council approved it outright   shielding the project from environmental lawsuits
jeffrey giba one of the councilmen who supported the project called the environmental lawsuits an extortion racket
i dont want to spend my citys money on a special election when we already approved the project once he said
responding to accusations of collusion with the developer he said nobody bought me
although environmental activists are leaning on state officials to close the loophole no new legislation has been proposed this year
in the meantime residents have tried to force local public votes but they say it is difficult to fight developers that can put millions toward the projects
in carlsbad an affluent seaside community residents gathered enough signatures to force a referendum on the shopping center voters narrowly rejected the project in march overriding the councils previous approval
deann weimer who helped organize opposition to the shopping center said that despite her groups victory it was unrealistic to expect residents to continually fight companies like caruso affiliated which spent more than 10 million pushing for the shopping center her group spent about 100000 in the months before the referendum
its an unfair playing field when an organization has this much power and money and resources she said
in moreno valley a working class city where people are clamoring for jobs opponents of the warehouse complex said the process had effectively allowed the developer highland fairview to buy the right to build what it wanted
opponents later tried to force a referendum but they failed to gather enough signatures highland fairview spent more than 1 million since the beginning of 2015 in support of the warehouse complex the local opposition group raised less than half as much
if wed all had the same amount of money to plead our case it would have been different said george price a city councilman who opposes the warehouses he estimated that 90 percent of the residents in his district where the project will be built opposed the complex
echoing walmarts argument the chief executive of highland fairview iddo benzeevi said the 49000 signatures gathered in favor of the ballot measure proved the publics support
complaints about money spent to educate voters are not surprising mr benzeevi said in an email opponents simply lost their argument with the community


washington   the fbi has significantly increased its use of stings in terrorism cases employing agents and informants to pose as jihadists bomb makers gun dealers or online friends in hundreds of investigations into americans suspected of supporting the islamic state records and interviews show
undercover operations once seen as a last resort are now used in about two of every three prosecutions involving people suspected of supporting the islamic state a sharp rise in the span of just two years according to a new york times analysis charges have been brought against nearly 90 americans believed to be linked to the group
the increase in the number of these secret operations which put operatives in the middle of purported plots has come with little public or congressional scrutiny and the stings rely on fbi guidelines that predate the rise of the islamic state
while fbi officials say they are careful to avoid illegally entrapping suspects their undercover operatives are far from bystanders in recent investigations from florida to california agents have helped people suspected of being extremists acquire weapons scope out bombing targets and find the best routes to syria to join the islamic state records show
officials said in interviews that because social media had given extremists a cloak of anonymity these undercover stings   online and in person   had become increasingly vital to gathering evidence and deterring possible attacks in the united states
were not going to wait for the person to mobilize on his own time line said michael b steinbach who leads the fbis national security branch he added that the fbi could not afford to just sit and wait knowing the individual is actively plotting
counterterrorism officials said the islamic state had inspired loyalists to strike quickly even within days or weeks of their radicalization unlike wiretaps or searches undercover operations do not require a judge to sign a warrant they are overseen by fbi supervisors and justice department prosecutors and so can usually be started more quickly
but defense lawyers muslim leaders and civil liberties advocates say that fbi operatives coax suspects into saying and doing things that they might not otherwise do   the essence of entrapment
theyre manufacturing terrorism cases said michael german a former undercover agent with the fbi who researches national security law at new york universitys brennan center for justice in many of the recent prosecutions he said these people are five steps away from being a danger to the united states
karen j greenberg the director of the center on national security at fordham university said undercover operations had become the norm for the fbi in the most recent islamic state cases with little debate or understanding of how the bureau actually conducts its investigations especially its online stings
i think the fbi is really going down the wrong path with a lot of these isis cases she said using a common acronym for the islamic state also known as isil
court records and interviews give a glimpse of the aggressive undercover methods that have become typical in investigations once the fbi identifies someone as a possible threat
in rochester a paid informant went undercover and drove a man suspected of being an islamic extremist emanuel lutchman to a walmart in december to buy a machete ski masks zip ties and other supplies for a would be terrorist attack on new years eve because mr lutchman a mentally ill panhandler had no money the informant covered the 40 cost
in north carolina an undercover agent pressed another suspect justin sullivan on whether he was willing to commit acts of terrorism for the islamic state   do you think you can kill the agent asked in one online message   before giving him a silencer for an ar 15 assault rifle in june 2015
and in washington state an undercover informant paid 1100 to daniel franey a former soldier for acting as a lookout on several trips to buy duffel bags filled with assault weapons for a possible attack last summer
the fbi arrested all three suspects before any attacks occurred and has used similar undercover techniques to prosecute dozens of others it believes had ties to the islamic state court records show while some defendants have pleaded guilty most are still awaiting trial
at least 40 agencies use covert operatives to investigate everything from tax cheating and welfare fraud to supreme court demonstrations but in no agency have undercover stings been more central than in the fbi
while the fbis internal guidelines last updated in 2011 require the least intrusive methods possible in investigations bureau officials said they believed less intrusive methods might be impossible because suspects have the ability to remain anonymous on encrypted online sites
when the bad guys turn to encrypted areas were dark and the only way to gain a better understanding of what were up against may be through an undercover mr steinbach said he said using undercover agents online allowed the fbi to flesh out suspects by gaining their trust and persuading them to disclose their real identities
the fbi has about 1000 open investigations into homegrown violent extremists which it defines as americans motivated by a foreign terrorist group including the islamic state to conduct attacks at home officials said they said that a significant number of cases   hundreds in all   had entailed undercover operations against people suspected of being islamic extremists but that the fbi did not have precise numbers
but court records examined by the times indicate that the fbi has used undercover operations with increasing frequency in its islamic state investigations since the earliest cases emerged in march 2014 for years before that the bureau had carried out similar sting investigations against al qaeda and other terrorist groups
only about 30 percent of the first few dozen prosecutions through late 2014 appear to have relied on evidence gathered through undercover operations that number climbed to about 45 percent by early last year with a string of undercover prosecutions in new york minnesota and illinois and since february 2015 about 40 of 60 islamic state prosecutions or 67 percent have been based on undercover operations
the number of islamic state prosecutions over all has slowed since january officials believe a spate of prosecutions late last year may have deterred plotters but undercover stings have remained the norm so far this year eight of the dozen islamic state prosecutions have relied on undercover operatives court records indicate
in the most recent case prosecutors two weeks ago charged a bronx man sajmir alimehmeti 22 with traveling to europe twice to try to fight with the islamic state he met with at least three undercover agents during the fbis investigation
undercover activity also appears to have risen in the hundreds of islamic state investigations run by the fbi in the last two years but it is not as sharp a spike as seen in those cases that led to formal charges officials said
asked about the timess data fbi officials said any increase in undercover activity probably reflected the emergence of what they believed to be a larger and more dangerous pool of islamic state suspects the officials said there had been no deliberate decision or policy change to rely more heavily on undercover agents
often the targets in the stings first attracted the fbis attention for espousing what agents saw as support for the islamic state or violent extremism online on social media sites like facebook or twitter the fbi insists that its agents comb these sites not as thought police but rather to look for people who are threatening acts of terrorism once the fbi has identified someone as a potential threat supervisors often have an undercover agent contact the suspect online
in northern illinois for instance an undercover agent sent a friend request on facebook to hasan edmonds a national guardsman who had published posts on social media that the fbi had deemed alarming over the next several months mr edmonds and the undercover agent exchanged numerous online messages discussing the possibility of traveling to the middle east to help the islamic state or perhaps mounting an attack at the illinois armory where mr edmonds trained
oaths have been given mr edmonds wrote to an informant in one online message in january 2015 according to a criminal complaint when the time is right we will strike
a few days later mr edmonds wrote that he and a cousin were eager to help the cause and would love to do something like the brother in paris did   a reference to the terrorist attack a few weeks earlier on the satirical newspaper charlie hebdo
the undercover agent responded by suggesting to mr edmonds that if he could not make it overseas to fight with the islamic state he could show his commitment and achieve martyrdom in the united states court filings said
the online messages led to a meeting in person in march 2015 between a second undercover operative and mr edmondss cousin jonas edmonds prosecutors said
weeks later the cousins were arrested at chicago midway international airport   with hasan edmonds apparently on his way to the middle east   and charged with terrorism related offenses both men have pleaded guilty and are facing long prison sentences
in that case and in many others fbi undercover operatives have let plots play out until a suspect acquires a weapon for instance or buys a plane ticket to turkey en route to syria
an investigation that ended last month in miami followed this pattern with the normal tableau of undercover operatives and talk of a bloody attack the fbi received word   exactly how is unclear   that james gonzalo medina 40 a muslim convert who also went by james muhammad might have been considering attacking a synagogue according to court records
it opened an investigation into mr medina in march but the initial evidence was spotty at one meeting with an undercover informant and several other men mr medina accused a friend of wanting to blow up a synagogue he seemed to distance himself from the idea
five days later as mr medina was driving with the fbi informant in a suburb of miami he pointed out a synagogue with what he called davids triangle star on the outside the fbi informant suggested attacking the synagogue during a jewish holiday two weeks later according to court files
now thatll be a good day to go and bomb them mr medina responded according to the files
the informant took the proposed plot a step further introducing mr medina to an acquaintance the informant said was experienced with explosives the acquaintance was actually an undercover fbi agent who questioned mr medina several times about why he wanted to bomb the synagogue
mr medina said he wanted to carry out a bombing and claim responsibility on behalf of isis in america
you need to be sure brother the undercover agent told him adding you know you dont have to do any of this mr medina reaffirmed his commitment according to the court files
finally in late april the agent met mr medina in a parking lot and gave him the bomb which was inert and posed no danger to the public prosecutors said the two men drove toward the synagogue a few miles away and after mr medina stepped out of the car with the bomb in hand he was arrested
officials said they were keenly aware that such cases would almost inevitably lead defense lawyers to charge that the fbi had entrapped their clients that is why the officials said they often gauge suspects commitment to carrying out an attack and give them an out to back away
fbi officials are also quick to point out that despite dozens of challenges to undercover terrorism cases brought since the sept 11 2001 attacks a judge has yet to throw one out on the grounds of entrapment not that some judges have not considered it
i believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that there would have been no crime here except the government instigated it planned it and brought it to fruition judge colleen mcmahon of the united states district court in manhattan said in 2011 in a case involving four muslim men in newburgh ny
the fbi planted an undercover informant inside a mosque in newburgh as part of what became an elaborate nearly yearlong plot to launch a stinger surface to air missile at a local air base and two synagogues the fbi even built a fake stinger missile and had it delivered to the men
judge mcmahon said she was troubled by the fbis conduct but she upheld the charges so did the united states court of appeals for the second circuit finding that the fbis conduct did not amount to entrapment
the stings have left many muslim leaders wary even as the fbi has sought to build bridges to muslim americans at mosques in oregon imams sometimes warn of fbi informants and caution that we have those among us who are not with us said tom nelson a muslim lawyer in portland who has represented a number of local men in terrorism related cases
his message for his muslim friends mr nelson said is blunt
avoid the fbi like the plague he said theyre definitely not an ally thats what the fbi does   they infiltrate


london   the eighth installment of the harry potter series was presented on tuesday evening at the palace theater here neither a book nor a film it was a play harry potter and the cursed child but whatever the medium the potter saga continued with unabated interest fans dressed in hogwarts costumes curiosity about the fate of long beloved characters and the allure of magic
when we last left harry potter in the very last pages of jk rowlings harry potter and the deathly hallows he was a middle aged bureaucrat sending his middle child albus severus off to hogwarts for the first time after the violence and darkness that had marked his younger years in ms rowlings story all seemed well
now harry is back   in a play this time   and all is not well harry potter and the cursed child which had its first preview in london on tuesday begins with the final scene from deathly hallows and skitters rapidly forward a few years sketching out albuss feelings of alienation both from hogwarts and from his famous father
it is jarring and exciting to be seeing characters who seemed to be put to rest suspended forever in place and time suddenly reanimated at the same time the three main characters remained true to their younger selves ron still provides comic relief hermione remains cerebral and slightly bossy and harry tries as hard as he can but doesnt quite live up to his own expectations
it is odd to see it all unfold onstage when we are so used to approaching the story through ms rowlings books   reading them was a rite of passage for so many children ok and adults   or through the movies but the audience at the palace theater here cannot be more thrilled or more appreciative or more ready to be caught up in the spirit of the undertaking
for those outside the theater and who wish to remain unburdened by details spoilers will ensue in the next paragraph
some scenes are filled with adolescent angst at one point what appeared to be a live owl flew across the stage the producers manage to create some literal stage magic a wand moves papers across a desk and books come out of a shelf and speak sarah lyall
as the line snaked around the palace theater with people waiting for the play to start a crowd milled outside with many ticketless people clutching potter books on an especially balmy london day some were in full hogwarts uniforms with capes and school colors
many seemed to be in their 20s and enduringly loyal to the book series
they were the best books i read in my childhood jonathan snow 28 of britain said i just want to be back in that world
ticketholders came from canada italy singapore brazil the united states and elsewhere
erika sloop 25 and dennis allen 27 from tampa fla who were in line came to see the play three days after getting married in a potter themed wedding the wedding party picked hogwarts houses to join they had tables decorated like gringotts and the forbidden forest seating was arranged by a sorting hat and all the guests were given wands
they said the wedding date coincided with the performance we originally actually planned our honeymoon for iceland mr allen said but when tickets became available on the pottermorecom website they changed plans
inside the theater the set seemed old ornate and vaguely hogwartian the stage had suitcases on it and was surmounted by a large clock a roar of applause rose when an announcement came that the show was about to start roslyn sulcas and christopher d shea
alohomora let the curtains draw back
harry potter and the cursed child the eagerly anticipated new play that promises a fresh installment of jk rowlings harry potter saga will shed its shroud of secrecy on tuesday evening
for months the clock has been ticking down on ms rowlings pottermorecom website counting the weeks days hours minutes and seconds until the first performance of cursed child which is being presented in two parts at the palace theater here the first in a run of previews begins at 730 pm ahead of the official opening night on july 30 the first performance of part 2 is on thursday on some days the two parts can be seen consecutively
the story line of the play is by ms rowling john tiffany and jack thorne who wrote the script and the creators have sought to impose intense secrecy about the plot and production on monday ms rowling posted a short video on twitter with the hashtag keepthesecrets by tuesday afternoon it had more than 82000 views with many commenters agreeing and others crying out to know what happens
we simply want everyone whos bought a ticket to cursedchild to enjoy the onstage surprises ms rowling wrote that will become more difficult right after opening night when reviews and the script already the top selling book on amazoncom in britain will be published
the play sold out within hours of the online booking opening and is full through may 27 2017 although 40 tickets will be released on the pottermore site each friday at 1 pm for the following week tickets on resale websites are going for as much as 4800
it seems unlikely that in the age of social media all secrets will be kept the premise though is clear by now the play begins where the final volume of the seven book saga harry potter and the deathly hallows left off with an epilogue that showed some of the series principal characters   harry his friends ron and hermione and draco malfoy   seeing their children off to hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry on platform 9 3/4  at kings cross station
the announcement in december that hermione would be played by a black actress noma dumezweni caused an online uproar that is still reverberating and included a denunciation by ms rowling of critics of the casting decision
tidbits judiciously revealed by pottermore have stoked intense speculation when we altered the font of the title slightly people were interpreting what it meant said colin callender who co produced the show with sonia friedman
photographs of cast members in costume provoked theories about which house the young albus severus harrys middle son will belong to his cloak covered the house colors and whether he and the young scorpius malfoy son of harrys longtime foe draco will be friends or enemies the name seems like a clue no
in the final books epilogue albus is given particular attention and in a 2007 documentary ms rowling casually said albus is the one im most interested in when talking about the way her fictional characters linger in her imagination
is he the cursed child
for those who wish they could apparate to the palace theater keep watching this space for clues for those who dont want to know watch for spoiler alerts roslyn sulcas


london   nearly a decade ago guy hands the british founder of the european private equity firm terra firma capital partners made a big bet on the storied music group emi
the acquisition - announced in 2007 and valued at 4 billion pounds or about 58 billion - was the largest private equity transaction ever completed in britain but it proved to be a disastrous one for mr hands damaging his reputation as an astute deal maker and erasing much of his personal wealth
facing a crushing amount of debt emi was seized by its lenders in 2011 and acquired by the universal music group the next year
mr hands has placed much of the blame at the feet of citigroup which was terra firmas preferred bank before a falling out over the emi transaction he initially sued in new york claiming that the american banking giant made a variety of misrepresentations ahead of an auction for emi in 2007 that encouraged him to pursue a deal
a jury in manhattan found in 2010 that citigroup was not liable in the matter but that verdict was thrown out by an appeals court on tuesday mr hands resumed his long running legal battle with the american bank this time in london
the latest case is centered around oral misrepresentations made to mr hands in 2007 by three senior executives of citigroup anthony grabiner a lawyer representing terra firma said in court in london on tuesday
terra firma is seeking PS15 billion in damages reflecting its full investment as well as lost profits and management fees it claims it would have earned if it had not invested in emi citigroup provided PS25 billion in financing for the transaction
as with the previous claim this case is entirely without merit citigroup said on tuesday citi did not make any dishonest statements to guy hands or terra firma throughout the auction process for emi and is confident the uk trial will confirm this
mr hands is expected to take the stand on wednesday as the first witness in the case which is being heard by a judge rather than a jury and is expected to run into july
your lordship will have to decide who is telling the truth mr grabiner said in court on tuesday
at the time of the terra firma deal emi was one of four major record labels worldwide but it faced financial pressures as consumers moved away from buying compact discs and record albums in favor of digital music
despite pressure on its results the company remained an attractive takeover target to buyout firms emis stable of artists over the years included the beatles coldplay and katy perry
in november 2006 a consortium of funds managed by the private equity group permira tried unsuccessfully to buy the company and terra firma briefly considered a takeover proposal at the time
in april 2007 after two profit warnings emi decided to put itself up for sale in an auction with cerberus capital management and fortress investment group initially expressing interest
as he did in the new york case mr hands claims he was misled by david wormsley citigroups head of investment banking in britain and a longtime banker to mr hands about plans by cerberus to offer a competing bid in an auction for emi
terra firma ultimately was the only bidder in may 2007
mr hands also claims he was misled by two former citigroup executives about the financial health of emi michael klein citigroups former head of global banking and chad leat then co chief of citigroups global credit markets
we are confident in the merits of our claims and look forward to a positive result a terra firma spokesman said on tuesday


if there was a single moment that captured what would carry hillary clinton to the 2016 democratic nomination it came not during her sun splashed campaign kickoff in new york last june or in any of her speeches celebrating hard fought primary victories over senator bernie sanders
no it was the unscripted instant in which a blase mrs clinton coolly brushed from her shoulder a speck of lint dirt   or perhaps nothing at all   as a republican led house panel subjected her to more than eight hours of questioning in october over her handling of the 2012 terrorist attack in benghazi libya
she may not be the orator president obama is or the retail politician her husband was but mrs clintons steely fortitude in this campaign has plainly inspired older women black voters and many others who see in her perseverance a kind of mirror to their own struggles and mrs clintons very durability   her tenacity grit and capacity for enduring and overcoming adversity   could be exactly what is required to defeat donald j trump
as a politicians wife first lady senator and secretary of state   and as a two time candidate for president   mrs clinton 68 has redefined the role of women in american politics each time she has reinvented herself she has transfixed the nation again and again as often in searing episodes of scandal or setback as in triumph
she came on the public stage as someone who was a little different said ann lewis a longtime adviser she attracted fascination devotion and attacks   and the partisan attacks havent stopped
even as first lady it was who does she think she is said melanne verveer a close friend of mrs clintons who was her white house chief of staff
mrs clintons confidants say it is only fitting that having overcome so many obstacles before including some of her own making she now faces an opponent so eager to go negative with her   and to refight the bare knuckled brawls that have defined her career
in her victory speech tuesday night mrs clinton said the biggest influence on her life had been her mother and she taught me never to back down from a bully   which turned out to be pretty good advice
it was with that same grit that mrs clinton picked herself up after a bruising defeat by mr obama in 2008 when she assured a crowd of tearful female supporters eight years ago to the day that they had made 18 million cracks in the highest hardest glass ceiling
for 14 straight years and 20 in all mrs clinton has been named the woman americans admire most according to a yearly gallup poll but her campaign and the controversy over her use of a private email server as secretary of state have taken a toll her favorability and trustworthiness ratings have plummeted and she is being caricatured once more as a calculating and inauthentic career politician lady macbeth now in her own play
in the same way her longevity and fame are not undiluted assets the baggage she brings as a consummate democratic insider pointed up most damagingly in the enormous sums she commanded as a paid speaker to wall street banks has weighed mrs clinton down in an election cycle in which outsiders have had the wind at their backs
mrs clintons career has not taken a predictable route by any stretch she came of age in the feminist movement in the 1960s at wellesley college   where she urged her peers to spurn incremental change and instead work at making the impossible possible   then was drawn to the south in furtherance of her husbands ambitions she was one of her husbands chief campaign strategists and overseer of a failed health care effort while holding her marriage together through his sex scandals and impeachment
but if she seemed to embody contradictions they also reflected a society in which expectations of women and womens expectations for themselves were rapidly changing
and it has always been hard to parse opinions about mrs clinton and about powerful women in general
roy m neel who was a campaign manager for al gore in his 1992 vice presidential run said in an oral history of the bill clinton years that women in the south particularly disliked mrs clinton the first working mother to serve as first lady and the first   and so far the only   to have an office in the west wing because she appeared to be something of an affront to their sense of who they were
if age old antipathies to mrs clinton can be chalked up in part to americans struggles to adjust to changing gender roles at home at work and in politics her history of political combat has also left scar tissue that in part defines the candidate she is wide eyed about the realities of washington but cautious and wary to a fault
her prolonged contest with mr sanders whose campaign was not widely expected to survive the first few nominating contests laid bare the cost of that restraint both in style and substance
as voters have gravitated to mr trumps unchecked impulsiveness and mr sanderss unabashed idealism mrs clinton has displayed little of either
this is not an incremental cautious election and being cautious is not her friend said anna greenberg a democratic pollster
both primaries exposed the depth of anger and frustration and disgust she added she has had to and will have to adjust to it
for 14 months mrs clintons campaign has been out of step with younger voters and with swaths of an angry electorate that has demanded more than the competence and hard work she has promised
her difficulties with those voters could be a warning sign
while her husband could draw on the crisp centrist philosophy of the third way democrats in 1992 when he devoted his candidacy to the forgotten middle class mrs clinton has struggled to hit upon as simple and clear a rationale for her campaign and though she has issued the most detailed policy proposals and positions of anyone in the race what she truly believes remains a mystery for many voters
mrs clinton has praised mr obamas accomplishments over the past eight years and won roughly 77 percent of the vote among blacks through the may 10 contests according to exit polls but she has also promised to push harder than mr obama in extending citizenship to undocumented immigrants opposed his signature trans pacific trade deal and outstripped his plans to defeat the islamic state by calling for a no fly zone in syria
she has praised her husbands economic record as president and offered to put him in charge of reviving some of the hardest hit regions but mrs clinton has also had to repudiate crucial parts of her husbands legacy
it has not helped that her campaign has cycled through a half dozen slogans from championing everyday americans to fighting for us breaking down barriers and most recently stronger together   playing on mr trumps more divisive remarks about mexicans muslims and other groups
as mr sanders has demonized wall street and mr trump has disparaged immigrants and as they have vowed to reverse economic malaise mrs clinton has run on a flinty practicality
the most telling promise she has made is that she will not overpromise we dont need any more of that she has told voters
but what she has lacked in rhetorical brio she has made up for by listening to peoples problems and prescribing solutions she has shed tears in conversations with a man whose mother had alzheimers and a woman who lost a child to a gun accident
and she has shown a vulnerability she did not reveal in 2008 when she campaigned as a strong would be commander in chief seeking to neutralize any doubts about whether she was tough enough for the oval office
i am not a natural politician in case you havent noticed like my husband or president obama mrs clinton said in one of her debates with mr sanders a bracingly honest statement
to her supporters there may be a kind of strange logic at work mrs clinton is somehow expected to project the mettle of a commander in chief the charisma of a drinking buddy the warmth of a favorite aunt they say
youre required to be touchy feely and smiley and also required to grow a hide like an elephant said tina brown the journalist which is it
an impossible combination they complain   and if she managed all that there would no doubt emerge some other vital quality that she was failing to display because there is no template yet for a female united states president
people are so undecided about how they feel about female leadership and its something people really struggle with said senator kirsten gillibrand democrat of new york the ambiguity about hillary is outside of her it comes from peoples own perspectives
attitudes about female leadership eventually may change of course and in talking to reporters on monday hours before reports that she had clinched the nomination mrs clinton looked past november to a time when female presidential candidates may not require quite so much durability to have a shot at the white house
its predominantly women and girls but not exclusively   men bring their daughters to meet me and tell me that they are supporting me because of their daughters she said and i do think it will make a very big difference for a father or a mother to be able to look at their daughter just like they can look at their son and say you can be anything you want to be in this country including president of the united states


le coucou white brick glass impressive chandeliers and a sleek wide open state of the art kitchen provide the stage for the american debut of daniel rose the chicago native built his reputation in paris at his restaurants spring and la bourse et la vie in partnership with the prolific restaurateur stephen starr he is taking on new york where french cooking is enjoying a renaissance french dishes include pigs feet with caviar pike quenelles fish stew bourride and poached chicken for two to four but the other day mr rose was sampling cheeses from vermont and california im trying to find american made products that remind me of france he said his pastry chef daniel skurnick is working on an updated version of riz au lait imperatrice the classic glazed rice dessert rarely seen these days opens monday 138 lafayette street howard street 212 271 4252 lecoucoucom
beach bistro 96the brazilian chef carlos varella and his wife andressa junqueira have opened a bright orange storefront serving pasteis pao de queijo traditional cheese rolls picanha sirloin cap with mashed potatoes and on wednesdays and saturdays feijoada the brazilian national dish of beans and meats they plan to be open year round but no caipirinhas yet 95 19 rockaway beach boulevard rockaway park queens 718 474 6000
the cannibal a branch of this murray hill restaurant has opened in los angeles with a butcher and sandwich shop 8850 washington boulevard culver city calif 310 838 2783 thecanniballacom
chikarashi at this new spot bordering chinatown soho and the lower east side the chef and an owner michael jong lim offers hybrid hawaiian poke with elements of japanese chirashi scattered sushi a touch of bibimbap from his native south korea and even chinese accents sichuan chile sansho salmon is one example mr lim the former executive chef of neta in greenwich village a restaurant that has become quite an incubator said he began to notice the poke craze and realized how it was not unlike chirashi so he went from there and though his restaurant is fast casual you do not choose your ingredients on an assembly line i serve curated poke bowls with combinations that make sense to me he said 227 canal street baxter street 646 649 5965 chikarashicom
georgie geoffrey zakarians career has kept him close to his home base in new york with forays to miami but now he has embarked on a transcontinental commute with a restaurant in beverly hills calif in a luxurious well upholstered setting mr zakarian is taking advantage of western ingredients including santa barbara sea urchin and dungeness crab on a seasonal menu that includes baby artichoke frito black bass john dory with spring garlic puree and rancho gordo bean salad next to the restaurant is the garden bar serving drinks curated by the marquee mixologist brian van flandern and a menu of light food montage beverly hills 225 north canon drive beverly hills calif 310 860 7970 georgierestaurantcom
hey hey canteen from the ashes of 2 duck goose comes this mash up of asian cuisines hong kong style featuring seafood laksa sesame peanut noodles a chrysanthemum caesar salad and eggplant fries wednesday 400 fourth avenue sixth street gowanus brooklyn 347 987 4808 heyheycanteencom
indie fresh the chef akhtar nawab is expanding his collection of fast casual spots serving soups assorted bowls including various meatballs with mushrooms chelsea market 75 ninth avenue 15th street 917 472 7915 indiefreshcom
teremok this blini chain with more than 300 units across russia is opening its first american outpost in fast casual style it will serve 18 savory and sweet blini with fillings like mushrooms with cheese salami with tomatoes and cheeses chicken with apple cream salmon caviar and dark chocolate the owner mikhail goncharov was inspired to create the chain after seeing how well creperies did in france the menu also includes soups salads kasha buckwheat groats with additions like smoked salmon and among the drinks some russian options like kvass a fermented beverage a second location at 555 avenue of the americas 15th street is to open in september wednesday 358 seventh avenue 30th street 917 472 7322 teremokcom
lowlife this lower east side restaurant with some high end aspirations is gone
faun brian leth a chef who caught our palates at vinegar hill house will open this spot with david stockwell an architect and an owner in about a month the name is meant to convey mischief and pleasure and mr leths menu promises to challenge with tongue with green sauce cockscomb pasta with cockscombs and tripe preserved spanish mackerel veal short ribs and braised lamb neck 606 vanderbilt avenue prospect place 718 576 6120 faunnyc
gotham market at the ashland those attending the fall seasons at the brooklyn academy of music and theater for a new audience will have new dining choices a 16000 square foot spinoff of the gotham west market in hells kitchen will offer vendors like mu ramen apizza regionale flip bird and mason jar a pop up area will have guest chefs 590 fulton street ashland place fort greene brooklyn
meir adoni a star israeli chef will open a modern middle eastern restaurant as yet unnamed in new york in the fall in partnership with gadi peleg the managing partner of breads bakery 34 east 20th street
the modern the restaurant and barroom at the museum of modern art will close for kitchen renovations from aug 8 to sept 14 abram bissell the executive chef said that changing tastes called for a different approach back when the restaurant opened in 2005 all your temples of food were in midtown he said thats no longer the case people will go anywhere eat at counters and its all fine dining mr bissell said the new plan would remove the division between the kitchens for the dining room and the barroom to provide more menu flexibility and more interaction among the cooks a chefs table seating four to six people will be added but it will not have a tasting menu were making no requirements 9 west 53rd street 212 333 1220 themodernnyccom
tavern 62 the first example of the collaboration between the chef david burke and esquared hospitality will open in mr burkes former fishtail space in late summer or early fall 135 east 62nd street
park mgm and sydells nomad hotel las vegas the monte carlo resort on the las vegas strip will be converted into these two places a branch of the eataly market and restaurants will be installed in the park mgm and a nomad restaurant from daniel humm and will guidara will open in the nomad hotel both to be completed in late 2018 the strip las vegas


tribune publishings board gets an a plus in testing the patience of shareholders more than 40 percent withheld votes for the eight directors put forward by the company publisher of the los angeles times that is virtually unheard of especially when proxy advisers like institutional shareholder services favor the candidates
as with other unlikely situations such as walt disneys investor revolt in 2004 the squeals of jilted minorities can kick directors into action this should be embarrassing enough for tribunes board to force its tin eared chairman michael w ferro jr to listen to gannetts overtures
tribune which also owns the baltimore sun the hartford courant and the chicago tribune in its hometown has twice rebuffed offers   the latest at 15 a share in cash double what investors previously thought it was worth   from gannett the largest american newspaper chain
gannett missed the window to nominate its own set of directors but instead started a vote withholding campaign against tribunes nominees at least two fifths of tribunes owners went along according to a filing released monday exclude the 17 percent stake held by mr ferro and a few other insiders and the number of withheld votes climbs just above a majority and even toward 60 percent for some board candidates a breakingviews analysis shows
thats a remarkable rebuke given the outsize impact of iss a joint paper from the university of colorado columbia university and the university of zurich about the advisers influence on uncontested director elections found that less than 1 percent of board elections resulted in more than 20 percent of the owners withholding their votes unless iss advised them to do so over a decade ago after 43 percent of shareholders at walt disney didnt cast a vote for michael eisner then the chairman the board stripped him of his title
tribune says it is open to discussions with gannett but directors are busy with other tasks such as changing the corporate name to the risible tronc to reflect its new direction as a digital content curator a switch from the new york stock exchange to nasdaq is also in the works investors have given a clear negative response to these patent stalling maneuvers tribunes go it alone strategy has landed with a thunc
separately view the e book on the story of valeant pharmaceuticals bitter pill the wild rise and fall of valeant pharmaceuticals


the today anchor savannah guthrie said on tuesday that she was pregnant and as a result would not participate in nbcs coverage of the olympics in rio de janeiro because of concerns about the zika virus
ms guthrie 44 said her baby was due in december
im not going to be able to go to rio she told her co anchor matt lauer shortly after she announced that she was pregnant with her second child the doctors say we shouldnt because of the zika virus so ill miss it youre going to have to go to female beach volleyball without me matt try to carry on
ms guthrie said she would hold down the fort from new york were going to be in the height of the campaign season so well be here she said
nbc and nbc universal cable stations will broadcast the olympics from aug 5 to aug 21
brazil has recently had a surge in babies born with microcephaly a condition in which their heads are abnormally small health officials have attributed the surge to zika a mosquito borne virus
noah oppenheim a senior vice president of nbc news and the executive in charge of today said ms guthrie approached him very recently to inform him she was pregnant and would not attend the olympics he described the discussion as one very happy conversation and said nbc universal has a companywide policy that allows for anyone to opt out of the games without consequence
he said that just a handful of people have opted out thus far
as far as ms guthries presence in new york to cover the election mr oppenheim said its a lucky coincidence well have savannah here to anchor it for us


david bouley wanted to be clear about this so he reached for a sharpie and a pad of paper the size of a painters easel im going to write it all down right here he said
sitting at a table at ichimura at brushstroke part of his ever evolving network of tribeca restaurants he jotted these words in black then underlined them in red bouley is not closing
the long influential chef snowy haired and preternaturally vigorous at 63 looked up from the pad to make sure he was getting through then he continued bouley is relocating he scribbled to a new space that will accommodate only 20 to 25 seats and open only five days a week
if these messages seem unusually direct for mr bouley   the word talkative doesnt begin to get at his loquaciousness and the word mercurial doesnt begin to describe his restless metabolism   the complete story is a lot more complicated and consequential
truth be told bouley is closing   that is the bouley that new yorkers have come to know and critics have come to laud during its on and off existence over the course of nearly 30 years in three locations in march pete wells awarded it three stars in a new york times review the restaurant and its ancien regime elegance   blue velvet chairs wooden beams and a decorative wall of fragrant apples   will vanish in a few months
after selling the space at the corner of duane and hudson streets that houses it mr bouley intends to do something unheard of among elite chefs he wrote this part down with a black marker too bouley is on sabbatical
in recent years mr bouley has become obsessed with issues of health so much that a single question about an ingredient can elicit a two hour solo symposium on say diabetes inflammation fiber and the importance of gut bacteria he likes to pass along a list of all of the doctors and medical authorities with whom he has developed alliances and friendships he recently impulse bought 300 copies of the new health rules by dr frank lipman and the journalist danielle claro so that he could hand them to people he meets
mr bouleys plan is to follow that obsession as far as it will take him for 18 months or so possibly starting in november he plans to engage in a deep study of the relationship between health and food i want to learn more about that he said then i want to share it with you
he will take nutrition classes at new york university and hobnob with holistic doctors in france he will travel to japan peru cuba and switzerland to consult experts he will do short intensive bursts of study in cambridge mass with the goal of completing the executive mba program at harvard business school
you graduate with a diploma and the whole gown ceremony he said with wide eyed enthusiasm he is writing a book called living pantry about healthful eating and plans to create websites and apps under the same rubric in addition to his existing entrepreneurial projects like bouley test kitchen
after the sabbatical mr bouley said he plans to reopen bouley on the second floor of a townhouse at 17 harrison street in tribeca the current space can accommodate about 120 diners the next bouley will have room for a fraction of that
optimizing health will become the restaurants mission each night mr bouley and his team will create tasting menus engineered to address a wide variety of dietary restrictions and medical concerns
this is done now at bouley as it is at many elite restaurants but at the new bouley there will be a more active effort to guide and educate diners im not opening a restaurant thats going to be a clinic mr bouley said
nevertheless his missionary zeal comes through in conversation were in trouble in this country he said we have to turn this around i really believe in this
the way he sees it food is a cure he speaks about the many customers including the musician lou reed who had diabetes who have told him that paradoxically an extravagant dinner at bouley alleviated their symptoms
food should give you calories that you burn off not calories that you store mr bouley said youre never going to get fat on avocado oil fat doesnt make you fat sugar makes you fat
he has strong feelings about fermentation and its relative absence from the typical american diet everybodys food in america is dead food and its killing everybody he said
ideally the new version of bouley will incorporate all of these ideas serving as a kind of laboratory of delicious nutrition dr vincent pedre a manhattan internist and the author of the book happy gut described his conversations with mr bouley about subjects like sourdough bread japanese mushrooms and the rice eaten by buddhist monks as unexpectedly eye opening
i would love to be his pupil dr pedre said ive learned things from him it has triggered questions in my mind and broadened my understanding
for many of the top chefs who have passed through mr bouleys kitchens over the years his shift in direction comes as no surprise mr bouley born in connecticut of french heritage and later trained by top chefs in france he has dual citizenship is known for his hungry mind and insatiable appetite for change motion and new information
dan barber who earned his stripes at bouley before going on to acclaim at restaurants like blue hill at stone barns remembers the chefs craving for constant improvisation and disruption he has this expression kicking the soccer ball mr barber said he gets really anxious when he feels the soccer ball is not being kicked
where on the field the ball is going can remain a mystery he had no game plan mr barber said he had ingredients and he was flinging them together anyone can do that and look impressive but with him you would taste it and it was magical
the push for innovation could be relentless exhaustion was a given the staff meal was eaten standing up after dinner service ended at around 1 am mr bouley would take his crew to chinatown for a wee hours repast then to the fulton street fish market to survey the mornings catch people tell stories of his face collapsing because he was so tired mr barber said
out of that crucible though came fresh herbaceous food that changed the way many new yorkers ate along with daniel boulud and jean georges vongerichten mr bouley led a culinary vanguard   a light style of french cooking which paved the way for many many many things said george mendes the chef at aldea and lupulo who labored at bouley in the 1990s bouley was an incubator at the time
a very short list of the rising talents and strong personalities who have paid their dues with mr bouley includes eric ripert cesar ramirez amy scherber alex urena anita lo galen zamarra kurt gutenbrunner brian bistrong and bill yosses the restaurateur drew nieporent famously teamed up with mr bouley in the mid 1980s at montrachet which earned three stars from bryan miller in the times
i couldve filled shea stadium mr nieporent recalled it was a whirlwind moment but the kitchen fussed over dishes to such an obsessive degree that waits could be punishing you needed to bring war and peace to read between courses he said
mr bouleys tenure at montrachet lasted 13 months mr nieporent fired him just as mr bouley had begun murmuring about breaking away to open his own place
mr mendes said mr bouleys influence can be felt all over new york and throughout the country even though younger ingredient fixated chefs are not always aware that they have inherited mr bouleys belief system he was probably one of the most poetic chefs ive ever worked for mr mendes said he would often say talk to your ingredients
in recent years as a new generation of chefs has achieved celebrity mr bouleys visibility has seemed to fade he expresses a weariness with the pressures of business especially as the cost of every freaking thing as he put it goes up   from insurance to linens
i mean its ridiculous how expensive everything is he said i feel like im on a treadmill the costs are so high at the end of the day i can only charge so much
when bouley moves and reopens he said he will have pared down the team to a skeleton crew of chefs i dont want so many employees he said i dont want any hierarchy in my dining room   no captains assistants or bussers
he plans to move his other restaurants and projects   brushstroke ichimura at brushstroke bouley at home a wine bar his test kitchen   into a single building elsewhere in tribeca in early 2017 he hopes to retain some longtime bouley employees by finding them jobs in that complex
he expresses little sadness over the passing of the existing bouley   which he insists sharpie in hand is only relocating the restaurant like his others danube bouley bakery upstairs at bouley has always been a movable feast bouley which opened at 165 duane street in 1987 and occupied that space until 1996 relocated once before landing on its current corner in 2008
i feel pretty good mr bouley said repurposing a nugget of wisdom he said he had picked up from the japanese chef hiroshi ishida the spider when he builds his web he cant look back because hell break the web he can only look forward
im looking forward he said ill take the antiques with me
as mr bouley discusses all his plans he seems to be cramming four or five sentences   and thoughts   into the space that most people would use to express one in my crazy brain as he described it while leaving ichimura at brushstroke and stepping briskly through the street traffic of tribeca he dreams of masterminding a whole different concept of a restaurant
here it is he went on gastronomy and science meeting together i want to learn how to do that better there was no soccer ball present but he seemed to be kicking something down the sidewalk and he did not seem inclined to ease into whatever is expected of a chef nearing retirement age
i just go my own way he said


as republican candidates began televised debates last summer the republican campaign strategist mike murphy invented a term for donald j trump zombie front runner
mr murphy the architect of the campaign of jeb bush the former florida governor insisted that voters would tire of mr trumps antics and gravitate toward conventional candidates in the republican primaries
it never happened
now the longtime strategist is watching like everyone else to see what mr trump will do next and he replays what he might have done to block the rise of mr trump the presumptive republican nominee who has his party on edge five months before election day
the pro bush super pac that mr murphy directed had more than 100 million to do it with some republican peers have argued that he should have used the money to blast mr trump from the start but mr murphy insists that would have only benefited rivals like ted cruz and marco rubio
we go blast trump early wed move a lot of numbers to cruz a few to rubio mr murphy said
he regrets not proposing a joint attack on the systemic threat posed by mr trump but in any case he doubts super pacs that favored other candidates would have agreed
our plan was to clobber him later mr murphy explained well we never got to later
by late summer mr murphy worried that mr bushs temperate cerebral style was the opposite of what a decisive bloc of primary voters wanted
mr trump seized a larger than ever grievance electorate as mr murphy called it while adroitly tagging mr bush as low energy
it wasnt about energy it was about tone mr murphy said it was a smart way for trump and his kind of weird savant gift he has to craft good insults to take what was jebs strength as a president and make it a minus in the circus reality show of our debates
he consoles himself with the fact that we never said anything were ashamed of and he praises mr bush for joining his brother his father and the 2012 nominee mitt romney in refusing to endorse mr trump
its a pretty small list of people who are publicly willing to say this guy should not be president of the united states  mr murphy said ive been surprised at the magnetic field of blind party loyalty and a little disappointed by it
mr trump has embarrassed republican leaders most recently by invoking the mexican heritage of the judge presiding over a lawsuit charging that trump university defrauded students mr murphy advises vulnerable republican congressional candidates to brace for more
theyre thinking all right ive got primary voters who love trump  he said  and ive got swing voters who cant stand the guy who i need to win
a lot of them are going to get in trouble because theyll get close to him theyll back off and itll be inconsistent   which will not help
mr trump has hired experienced republican handlers from the conventional campaign circles that mr murphy has traveled in for a quarter century
the strategist paul j manafort and the pollster tony fabrizio will help navigate the campaigns transition to the general election
they know how to do the basic mechanics mr murphy said but ultimately its all about trump they cant change him
mr trump must appeal to a vastly larger and more diverse group of voters than in republican primaries his tactics so far   including controversial comments about women mexican immigrants and muslims   have alienated many americans a new york timescbs news poll in may reported that 55 percent of those surveyed had an unfavorable view of him
to win mr trump would have to dramatically change the perception people have of him now mr murphy said
he doubts that is possible and thats why he still considers mr trump a zombie candidate
hes the strength of the trump campaign mr murphy concluded and hes the fatal flaw


jerusalem   the israeli police briefly detained a leader of a jewish womens rights group on tuesday for bringing a torah scroll to the western wall signaling a resumption of the battle over rituals at the holy site here
lesley sachs the executive director of women of the wall was detained as she exited the western wall plaza tuesday after prayers to mark the start of a new month in the hebrew calendar women of the wall is a feminist group of jews that has fought for 27 years for equal prayer rights with the male dominated religious establishment that has enforced strictly orthodox and traditional practice at the site
a police spokeswoman said that ms sachs was taken in for questioning after a complaint was lodged against her and that she was released within a few hours
the rancor over the wall has caused deep discord between the israeli authorities and jewish leaders abroad and tensions are rising again as a government plan approved earlier this year to resolve the issue has stalled
the overwhelming majority of affiliated north american jews belong to the more liberal non orthodox reform and conservative streams and many have said they felt increasingly alienated from israel the small torah scroll that went with ms sachs to the police station was lent to the group by congregation bnai israel in sacramento
women have been detained in the past for wearing prayer shawls traditionally used by men and for singing out loud at the wall but a jerusalem court ruled in 2013 that the activists were not disturbing public order and there had been no arrests in recent years
after her detention ms sachs said im very tired it was a long interrogation she said she spent about five hours at the police station in the old city of jerusalem where her fingerprints were taken i am nearly 58 and i never considered myself a criminal she said adding this is not the way it should be in israel 2016
the women of the wall said in a statement that ms sachs was detained despite a relatively quiet and uneventful prayer service with 80 women of the wall the reason given for the police action was smuggling a torah scroll into the womens section
the orthodox rabbinical authorities at the western wall have continued to bar the women from bringing a torah scroll in or from using one of the many scrolls kept in the mens section and the women have sometimes resorted to subterfuge
but there was nothing too furtive about tuesdays action in an email inviting people to join the prayer the group the activists announced that they would welcome the new month with a torah scroll
david barhoum a lawyer representing women of the wall said that the detention borders on illegality
the battle over the wall was supposed to have been resolved in january when the israeli government approved the creation of an upgraded egalitarian prayer space at another section of the wall after years of negotiations american jewish leaders hailed the decision at the time as historic and the women of the wall saw it as a victory
but the government has so far failed to advance the plan under pressure from the ultra orthodox parties in the ruling coalition who oppose it
acknowledging difficulties in moving ahead prime minister benjamin netanyahu had asked for extra time to try to reach a new agreement when the grace period ended on june 1 american reform and conservative leaders and representatives of women of the wall met with mr netanyahu and his staff who asked for a few more weeks to try to resolve the impasse
rabbi steven wernick the ceo of the united synagogue of conservative judaism who attended the meeting said by telephone afterward that mr netanyahu had reiterated his commitment to the plan and was seeking a formula to move forward mr wernick added that american jewish leaders understood the challenges posed by israels coalition politics but he also expressed what he called their frustration and disappointment over the delay
rabbi rick jacobs president of the union for reform judaism has warned that a collapse of the agreement could signal a major rift between diaspora jews and israel


can genetically engineered mice save nantucket from the scourge of lyme disease
if the 10000 residents of the massachusetts island did not have such a soft spot for deer they might not be entertaining the prospect which could provide the groundwork for an even more exotic approach to controlling tick borne diseases on the mainland
but popular opinion has long opposed public health officials recommendation of radically reducing the population of deer that serve as a food source for ticks carrying the lyme pathogen and a convenient place for adult females to lay their eggs
the people who get sick yell and scream at me for not doing anything about it said malcolm macnab the chairman of the nantucket board of health and the others yell and scream at me because i want to kill the deer dr macnab said nearly 40 percent of nantucket residents had had lyme disease
so when he heard that kevin esvelt an evolutionary biologist at the massachusetts institute of technology wanted to gauge the islands interest in a new approach he invited the scientist to present it at a public meeting on monday
although deer help spread ticks that carry lyme dr esvelt explained to about two dozen residents at the meeting the disease can also be controlled earlier in the ticks food chain ticks typically contract the pathogen from white footed mice which they often feed on while still larvae passing it on to humans and other mice when they bite again
using new genome engineering tools he proposes to create mice that are immune to the lyme causing pathogen or to a protein in the ticks saliva or both to break the cycle of transmission
if that worked   and there is reason to think it would   he would then apply for permission to release thousands of the mice on a smaller uninhabited island if the number of infected ticks proved to be sufficiently reduced after two years nantucket could be next the release of a few hundred thousand engineered mice over the course of about a year dr esvelt said would ensure a stable population of resistant mice
there is no company behind the project which dr esvelt estimated could take as long as a decade to complete but he said he thought he could get government and philanthropic funding because it would provide evidence that might justify the use of another technology he has helped to pioneer called gene drive to attack lyme disease elsewhere
in the northeast and upper midwest the areas of the united states where lyme is most prevalent it would not be feasible to release enough engineered mice to spread the genes for lyme immunity through the native mouse population
an effort on that scale would require the addition of a gene drive which ensures that a given gene is passed to all of an organisms offspring rather than the usual half
gene drive technology is complicated because it has the capacity to alter an entire population of a given species without any sure means of being canceled out if it has unforeseen consequences it has been used only in laboratory experiments
dr esvelt said he wanted some indication of community support even before he started looking for lyme immunity genes in laboratory mice   because he believes any effort to alter an ecosystem should not go forward without it and because it would cost tens of millions of dollars ultimately the proposal would need approval from federal and state regulators as well as a majority of nantuckets citizens
is this a project you might wish to pursue he asked on monday dr macnab who had anticipated some opposition to the idea braced himself as danica connor who identified herself as an herbalist took the microphone
im the first person to say if you go tinker with mother nature were going to break it she said but you know what even i want to see where you go with this
nantucket may have competition dr esvelt said he is scheduled to make a similar presentation on nearby marthas vineyard in july


haitis national soccer team botched several scoring chances saturday in seattle lost a 1 0 heartbreaker to peru in the copa america centenario and then boarded a 2500 mile flight to orlando fla   where mighty brazil awaits on wednesday night in a probable mismatch
this clearly is not the happiest of situations nor one necessarily conducive to success yet the experience is a relative joy ride for the haitians who are the underfinanced minnows swimming among pampered sharks in this months tournament
who needs money several players said on the eve of the copa once the national anthems are played and the ball is in play
for us we see the country first said pascal millien a forward for haiti and for the jacksonville armada of the north american soccer league we hear the money the us players are making the brazil players are making
they tell themselves that they would like to make that money too
but we do it for the love and for the country for the game we love millien added after a training session in bradenton fla that preceded haitis trip to seattle last weekend god blesses us by letting us play this game and we give the country something back
at times money is the least of haitis problems the teams coach in 2003 fernando clavijo was able to spend only about a week scouting players on subpar fields in the tiny country after he was named to take charge of haitis world cup qualifying campaign that year but after he heard gunshots outside a stadium one day he decided his players should train in florida   or basically anywhere other than at home
several years later a few domestic based national team players were in haiti during the devastating 2010 earthquake one midfielder james marcelin could not be located in port au prince for weeks until he was eventually discovered and brought to america by friends these days marcelin plays for the carolina railhawks another nasl team but the conditions of his work visa mean he cannot leave the united states   even for league games in canada or to return to haiti   because if he does he fears he will not be allowed to re enter
its a miracle for us to be a part of this and a miracle weve survived marcelin said the hope is there we just have to push ourselves not by saying it by working hard for it we know the feeling is that theres a lot of countries better than us we just have to put in the work
it was a fluke goal by millien in a playoff against trinidad and tobago in january   a hopeful cross that somehow eluded a teammate a defender and the goalkeeper   that allowed haiti to qualify for the copa america the tournament is most high profile soccer stage haiti has appeared on since it participated just as improbably in the 1974 world cup
i was like wow did it really go in millien said of his playoff goal i have no way to describe how i felt now we play the senior brazil side for the first time ever in one of the biggest tournaments in the world we talk about this every day
this is serious business and the haitians have a deadly serious coach in the frenchman patrice neveu who previously headed the niger and congo national sides neveu who assumed the reins shortly before haitis playoff match against trinidad and tobago rides the players hard a few acknowledged that they were not necessarily accustomed to such demanding treatment several called him aggressive and said his temperament required an adjustment
in every way the haitians remain the ultimate underdog on wednesday haiti is ranked no 74 in the world by fifa brazil a five time world cup champion is no 7 haiti has about 103 million people brazils population is 200 million and while brazil has its own problems of style and expectations it is considered a favorite to win the copa even without the star forward neymar
the contrast in resources and support for each team is the most obvious difference between them but there is also the matter of compensation or in haitis case the lack thereof while many of the brazilians make their living playing for rich european clubs the mostly minor league haitians began their preparation for the copa america by receiving 200 to 300 each as a per diem and were still trying to negotiate a slight raise
haitis team is a mixed bag of professionals four players performed recently in the top french league while others have played in places like india and vietnam midfielder soni mustivar is a member of sporting kansas city in major league soccer and five haitian players are under contract with nasl clubs
to ensure that haitians eager to support their team enjoyed both access and a sense of community around the copa matches the united states national team forward jozy altidore the son of haitian immigrants recently arranged for public broadcasts of the countrys games and others through a foundation bearing his name big screens were imported from miami and set up near schools in a program created in conjunction with the st luke foundation for haiti
usually youd have hundreds of people crowded around a small screen watching on television said wynn walent the assistant national director for the st luke foundation our students who walk several hours a day to school will get a chance to watch this in a beautiful place on a big screen
altidore is missing the copa america because of a hamstring injury but he said that he can appreciate just how different and how difficult it is for the haitian players to succeed
people dont realize when they sit and watch they dont understand what goes into this beforehand   the hotels the nutrition the physios he said of competing internationally all these things play a part and havent been available for haiti when you consider the obstacles in their way and look at how the product on the field has improved you wonder how good they could be
on wednesday the haitians will get a quick reading on their soccer evolution measured by the opponents in yellow green and blue uniforms
brazil the gold standard


by turns toxic and tantalizing the digital cultures spurred by the internet have become an endless source of fascination
just look at donald j trump and twitter the ousting of ellen pao the interim chief executive of reddit the online message board last year and over the last week the online outrage that followed the six month sentence   many deemed it too lenient   of a stanford university student who had been convicted of sexual assault
the new york timess technology reporters decided to take a closer look at the topic of digital cultures over the next few days we will publish a series of stories on whether the web has helped spur more empathy the state of online reviews and digital games that have spilled into the physical world among others from writers including farhad manjoo david streitfeld and vindu goel
first up is mark scotts profile of the small spanish town jun which has decided to run all of its town communications on twitter in addition we have cecilia kangs interview with mignon l clyburn a democratic member of the federal communications commission on how millions are left out of online cultures entirely because of a lack of technology access
we hope you enjoy


the streaming service tidal added more than 15 prince albums to its catalog early tuesday on what would have been his 58th birthday
the collection includes the black album which prince canceled just before its planned release in 1987 the album was a heavily trafficked bootleg before coming out officially seven years later also included are live releases and albums from the 1990s and early 2000s after he left the warner bros label like crystal ball and the rainbow children many of which got negative reviews from critics at the time
prince who maintained tight control of his catalog withdrew almost all of his music from streaming services last year but kept his catalog on tidal the service bought by jay z early in 2015 and presented as an artist friendly platform
after one meeting it was obvious that jay z and the team he has assembled at tidal recognize and applaud the effort that real musicians put in2 their craft 2 achieve the very best they can at this pivotal time in the music industry prince said in a statement last august announcing a new album hitnrun phase one as a tidal exclusive
last week the midwest medical examiners office reported that prince died from an accidental overdose of self administered fentanyl a type of synthetic opiate he left no will and a court in minnesota has yet to rule on how his estate will be divided
here is a list of the albums added to the tidal catalog today
by prince prince  the revolution or prince  the new power generation
the black album 1987
the gold experience 1995
chaos and disorder 1996
crystal ball 1998
1999 the new master 1999
rave un2 the joy fantastic 1999
rave in2 the joy fantastic 2001
the rainbow children 2001
one nite alone live 2002
one nite alone the aftershow it aint over 2002
indigo nights 2008
by the new power generation
exodus 1995
new power soul 1998
other albums
1 800 new funk 1994
girl 6 soundtrack 1996


at the moment that hillary clinton was all but clinching the democratic nomination for president meryl streep was on a stage in central park impersonating donald j trump
in orange face makeup and pompadoured hair ms streep the chameleonic three time oscar winner did a more than credible version of the presumptive republican nominee down to the pursed lips and low hanging belly she got the braggadocio inflected voice too even while singing
ms streep was part of the public theaters gala benefit celebration on monday night a tribute to shakespeare at the delacorte theater home to shakespeare in the park she was the closing act with christine baranski doing brush up your shakespeare a number from the cole porter musical kiss me kate
we could do a deal   youll let me know   why it is all the women say no she sang stretching out her arms in a trumpian gesture later she strolled the stage gesticulating to the audience in mr trumps signature make america great again style
the song traditionally a duet for men offers advice for picking up women   in this case female voters some of the original lyrics were altered but some could stand as is for mr trumps combative attitude if she says your behavior is heinous kick her right in the coriolanus the crowd which included michael r bloomberg the former mayor the united states ambassador to the united nations samantha power lin manuel miranda and bette midler loved it
her performance came as something of a surprise to the event organizers who knew only that ms streep a supporter of mrs clintons wanted to take on mr trump
utterly her idea beginning to end oskar eustis the publics artistic director said after the show there were skeptics there were doubters but one of those skeptics was not meryl streep she was absolutely sure she could do it none of us had seen her in costume or makeup till she walked out tonight
ms streep skipped the dinner before the show to get into character and spent time holed up in her dressing room she was showing us this thing that donald trump always does said the actress kate burton who shared the dressing room with ms streep along with ms baranski lily rabe and phylicia rashad he apparently does this thing where he goes to close to his jacket but it doesnt close all the way and so he kind of goes for it and then he tries to close it again
it was a mannerism that only ms streep seemed to catch ms burton said she treats this like she would her greatest roles shes working on it all the time
for the show she came onstage in a black suit white shirt and overlong clownish red tie her transformation astounded her cast mates who had only glimpsed her with the trumpian coif in rehearsal she showed up and i thought meryls having a terrible hair day said the shakespeare in the park veteran hamish linklater ms burton reported that ms streep even used her own hair she did some funky thing with pins
other performers watched from the wings as she and ms baranski in a black hillary esque pantsuit did their finale shes willing to try anything and have fun with what she tries mr eustis said of ms streep who has appeared at the delacorte several times in starring roles shes just fearless
mr linklater who played a comic romeo in another number called ms streeps take naughty but he added shakespeare wanted to be valuable to his times and she gave a performance that was valuable to her times so absolutely shes honoring the spirit of the evening
on tuesday afternoon shortly after her name trended on twitter with news of the trump portrayal ms streep issued an statement through a public theater spokeswoman i appreciate the interest but this was a one off a once in a last in a lifetime appearance of this character she said


many years ago i walked into the f rozzo  sons storefront on ninth avenue because chefs like andre soltner of lutece had lauded the quality of the fish there was not a fish in sight and i was told it was wholesale only that policy has changed under the direction of louis rozzo whose neapolitan grandfather started the company in 1900 and bought the building in 1905 f rozzo  sons occasionally accommodated a retail customer but now they have started selling a limited array of seafood across the country they are working with foodydirect in menlo park calif an online resource that ships food from a long list of purveyors i ordered wild king salmon and cod and like most of the choices they were available only as four seven ounce fillets they were shipped overnight and came to my doorstep on time excellently fresh f rozzo  sons at foodydirectcom


washington   speaker paul d ryan the nations highest ranking republican on tuesday called donald j trumps remarks about a latino judge racist an extraordinary indictment that generated a fresh wave of criticism and panic from other republicans by the end of the day mr trump was forced into a rare moment of damage control and said that his words had been misconstrued
mr trump who said last week that a mexican american judge in a case involving trump university was biased against him because of his heritage issued a statement tuesday saying i do not feel that ones heritage makes them incapable of being impartial he added that he was simply questioning whether he was receiving a fair trial but he did not apologize for his remarks something many republicans had urged him to do
mr ryan said mr trumps criticism of the judge gonzalo p curiel of united states district court was the textbook definition of a racist comment but mr ryan also reiterated his support for mr trump the presumptive republican presidential nominee
i disavow these comments   i regret those comments that he made mr ryan said i think that should be absolutely disavowed its absolutely unacceptable but do i believe that hillary clinton is the answer no i do not
he added i believe that we have more common ground on the policy issues of the day and we have more likelihood of getting our policies enacted with him than with her
republicans on capitol hill faced an increasingly difficult task   giving mr trump their support while still keeping their distance from his inflammatory language while many republicans like mr ryan continued to affirm their support for mr trump others appeared ready to abandon him throwing the once stolid party further into disarray
i cannot and will not support my partys nominee for president said senator mark s kirk republican of illinois becoming the first republican senator running for re election to break with mr trump after much consideration i have concluded that donald trump has not demonstrated the temperament necessary to assume the greatest office in the world or to control the nations nuclear arsenal
mr kirk is perhaps the most vulnerable incumbent republican in a state where mr trump is likely to be a drag on the ticket mr kirk who still speaks with difficulty from a stroke in 2012 also noted that mr trump has mocked a disabled reporter
others were close to following mr kirk if donald remains donald i will not vote for him declared senator jeff flake republican of arizona who echoed mr ryans denunciation of mr trumps comments
in a victory speech in westchester county on tuesday night mr trump struck a measured tone saying he understood the responsibility of carrying the mantle of the republican party i will never ever let you down he said
but mr trumps more incendiary remarks in other arenas have left many congressional republicans facing a painful dilemma those who are on the ballot defending the partys majorities this year need mr trumps voters to win and risk angering them with any full disavowal of the nominee but to continue to embrace him as he openly injects race into the campaign poses its own dangers
even republicans who have praised his candidacy warned on tuesday that the party may have to separate itself from its standard bearer
senator bob corker a tennessee republican who has met privately with mr trump and been mentioned as a vice presidential choice said there could be a line that the presumptive nominee crosses that would make him withdraw his support
this is a crucial two  or three week period mr corker said if at the end of june moving into a convention and still not having pivoted toward being more of a general election candidate would prove to be very problematic
in private the senators redirected their anger toward senator jeff sessions the alabama republican who is mr trumps most outspoken supporter in the senate senator kelly ayotte a new hampshire republican who is also in a difficult re election fight used a closed door luncheon to complain that mr trumps comments were obscuring the partys economic message and urged mr sessions to tell mr trump to drop his jeremiad against the judge according to two senators present who requested anonymity to reveal private conversations
many republicans hewed to a carefully scripted text in which the prospect of hillary clinton in the white house is presented as a larger threat than the risk their party may be taking with mr trump
what we have here is a country in crisis said senator david perdue republican of georgia adding that mrs clinton was not the person to govern in troubled times but even that defense showed it cracks
asked which of mr trumps policy statements he preferred over mrs clintons senator dan coats republican of indiana paused for 11 seconds before saying i dont know that i want to deal with that
ms ayotte said mr trumps comments were wrong and offensive adding he should retract those comments
among others in a perilous trap are senators mitch mcconnell the majority leader whose new book boasts of his commitment to civil rights tim scott the senates only african american republican and marco rubio and ted cruz sons of cuban immigrants their choice now appears one between their biographies and their principles
beyond washington other republicans were also not satisfied with mr trumps response donald trump should retract his comments not defend them there is no place for racism in the gop or this country former gov jeb bush of florida said on twitter
for the moment republicans are more focused on limiting the damage they incur as a result of mr trumps candidacy than they are getting him elected
mr scott who has called mr trumps comments racially toxic portrayed his own partys nominee as a temporary affliction on conservatism
for the next several months he will have the loudest voice but the fact of the matter is there will be other voices speaking as well he said not even suggesting mr trump could have the partys loudest voice for four years
on tuesday mr mcconnell deflected numerous questions about mr trump before saying  its time to quit attacking various people that you competed with or various minority groups in the country and get on message
even republicans who shied from talk of abandoning the nominee shifted their tone moving from alarmed to angry the partys leaders sent mr trump an unmistakable message he is hurting the party and must stop
senator richard burr a north carolina republican who has also embraced mr trump acknowledged that the party may have to disavow mr trump employing the well worn maxim from former justice potter stewart about how one can detect pornography
this is one of those things youll know it when you see it said mr burr adding hopefully that he did not think the party will get there
dashing into a closed door luncheon of senators senator shelley moore capito republican of west virginia called over her shoulder his comments are not helping but ms capito also said in an interview that in her economically depressed state there is a huge degree of pessimism
people are looking for a message of hope she added underscoring the attractiveness of mr trumps economic messages for many republican voters
mr trump has told his supporters that they should respond by suggesting that reporters who raise questions about his statements are racists and to carry the message in various forms one early supporter representative lee zeldin republican of new york gave the technique a whirl in an interview with cnn on tuesday you can easily argue that the president of the united states is a racist with his policies and his rhetoric
the conflagration over mr trumps remarks has detracted from mr ryans desperate efforts to change the conversation on the hill to focus on policy but most republicans agreed they had no real recourse at this point there is no easy answer mr flake said you can write someone in
mr trump tried to provide an answer to mitigate the damage in his statement he said it was unfortunate that my comments have been misconstrued as a categorical attack against people of mexican heritage
i am friends with and employ thousands of people of mexican and hispanic descent he added the american justice system relies on fair and impartial judges all judges should be held to that standard
i do not feel that ones heritage makes them incapable of being impartial but based on the rulings that i have received in the trump university civil case i feel justified in questioning whether i am receiving a fair trial


chocolate truffles that mimic the bottle caps from four oregon craft breweries deliver fillings flavored with the beers they represent the tastes of the beers come through especially for the widmer brothers hefeweizen and the full sail ipa moonstruck oregon craft brewers collection 12 pieces 30 20 pieces of a single flavor 50 moonstruckchocolatecom


activist investors like carl c icahn and william a ackman know how to rattle the cages of corporate americas chief executives these so called corporate raiders have long been storming onto boards in the broader market threatening proxy fights and demanding that management make changes from spinning off divisions to putting an entire blue chip company on the block but recently such activists have started shaking up real estate investment trusts
last year there were 26 activist campaigns against reits according to sharkrepellentnet a corporate governance research firm and unit of factset that compares with six in 2011 and 12 in 2012
this is a relatively new phenomena said michael lewis director of reit equity research at suntrust robinson humphrey
equity reits own pools of properties ranging from apartment buildings to shopping malls which are packaged up as vehicles for investment under reit rules companies avoid paying corporate taxes by distributing at least 90 percent of their income as dividends to shareholders some reits are public while others are nontraded private reits some major retailers and restaurants like sears and darden restaurants have adopted the reit strategy by spinning off their properties into separately traded reits to raise cash
when gregory cohen an activist investor and founder of rambleside holdings first bought shares in new york reit in may 2015 he saw enormous potential new york reit owned some highly coveted office properties in manhattan including worldwide plaza on eighth avenue in midtown 1440 broadway in times square whose tenants include macys and fedex and the twitter headquarters building on west 17th street which is 99 percent leased yet its shares traded at least 30 percent below the value of the underlying real estate he said
mr cohen thought the companys management needed a nudge or maybe a push to unlock that value preferably through a sale of the company whose equity market cap is now about 15 billion
they owned the right assets in the right market at the right time said mr cohen but the new york city real estate market wont stay hot forever
mr cohen thought it was time to act so rambleside and another firm sorin capital management fired off open letters to the board last june and in the months that followed more activist investors piled into the fray including land and buildings led by jonathan litt
the investors criticized the company over its share price conflicts with its external adviser and management decisions the ouster of its chief executive nicholas schorsch who sat on the boards of the reit and the advisory firm propelled activists further they requested big changes and ultimately a sale
under pressure new york reit sold off four noncore properties for 757 million to focus solely on higher quality properties in manhattan and added two independent board members it also resumed a search for a buyer which it had started in october 2014 months after going public and had abandoned in may 2015
its stock price surged on the takeover chatter and by december there was talk of a possible deal to sell the shares rose to a high of 1190 in december from a low of 887 in may two weeks ago new york reit announced a plan to merge with jbg companies based outside washington but new york reits stock has fallen back to 9 a share again
mr cohen who bought into new york reit in mid 2015 when its stock price was at about 9 sold his stake in october and november at more than 11 a share and collected dividends as well netting about a 25 percent return for his six month investment i thought it was close enough to fair value he said and we didnt want to hold it because of the risk that a transaction wasnt consummated
new york reit declined to comment
in the past many activists have avoided the reit sector because of its smaller size reits also have a reputation for being ruled by chief executives more concerned about building empires than stock prices and reluctant to sell their companies
but analysts expect that turbulence from activist investors will continue this year at least seven new campaigns began in the first four months of 2016
reit activism will become more frequent and more mainstream in 2016 adam emmerich a partner at wachtell lipton rosen  katz said in an interview last month
mr cohen who spent five years at the private equity firm cerberus capital management before forming rambleside in 2012 said he usually homes in on companies that are trading 30 to 50 percent below their net asset value his latest target ashford hospitality trust is trading at a 75 percent discount to net asset value he said
were just not afraid or intimidated to go after companies that are acting in an inappropriate way mr cohen said i put my money where my mouth is
one of the biggest activists in the real estate arena is mr litt a former managing director at citigroup he founded the hedge fund land and buildings in 2008 and played roles in the sale of bre properties to essex property trust in a 62 billion deal in 2014 and mgm resorts decision to spin off some of its real estate into a reit last year
mr litt has also been agitating at mack cali realty where he is now a board member and northstar asset management
rarely is our first solution a sale of the company said mr litt we always try to fix it first and if you cant fix it then consider a sale
not all activist investors campaigns are successful of course
efforts to force the mall owner macerich into a shotgun marriage with the simon property group last year failed despite pushes by mr litt and orange capital for macerich to accept simons hostile takeover offer macerich dug in its heels refusing to meet with simon to try to negotiate a deal and even adopting a poison pill defense today macerich remains independent its chief executive declined to comment
rising activism was a hot topic at a recent reit conference in new york with some experts applauding the efforts and others vilifying them
if your scorecard is bad then you can expect to get harassed by the likes of us or the likes of guys who want to poke you to create some value theodore bigman a managing director at morgan stanley investment management said at the conference
sherry rexroad co global chief investment officer at blackrock said at the conference that as a long term investor she did not see an upside to public campaigns
i much prefer to engage with management teams and boards than to publicly splash how i feel about a company in the news ms rexroad said
the tide has also turned for such investors as they no longer need a large ownership stake to force a companys hand last year starboard value managed to replace darden restaurants entire 12 member board and persuade it to spin off some of its properties into a reit even though it held less than 10 percent of the companys shares mr cohen moved into new york reit with a stake of less than 1 percent
mr litt said if campaigns were supported by the broader investor base its the merits of what youre proposing that counts not the stake
sometimes behind the scenes phone calls and letters are enough to bring about changes when they are not mr bigman said activist investors may help force changes
maybe it shakes them up and gets other boards a little nervous he said i do think its benefiting the industry as a whole


beijing   prosecutors in china have indicted 74 people in connection with the killing of 17 people whose corpses were used to invent fake mining accidents and to extract compensation owed to victims families
the indictments are the latest evidence that chinas notoriously dangerous mines where hundreds of workers die each year may have spawned a murderous business profiting from death
the crimes spanned six provinces and regions including shanxi and inner mongolia   two of chinas biggest coal mining areas   and charges included faking accidents swindling compensation homicide fraud and concealing crimes prosecutors from inner mongolia said in a statement on monday that was widely reported on tuesday
the statement identified two of the defendants but otherwise provided no details about them and it gave no information about the victims the prosecutors office refused to answer questions about the case when reached by telephone but caixin a business newsmagazine said on its website that the victims had mostly been poor villagers from yunnan province in southwest china
promising targets were cheated into mines in the name of work recruitment the report said citing unnamed sources familiar with the case after working there for a while they were killed when the right time came and a scene was devised to swindle the compensation
the report said that there might have been more than 17 victims but that it was possible that victims could not be traced because they were quickly cremated and their ashes were not kept it said
the police first suspected fraud early last year after one of the intended victims survived a faked accident in inner mongolia the report said
a well known chinese film blind shaft released in 2003 told a similar story about a pair of grifters who make a brutal living by persuading young men to work in mines under false names so that their families could not be found when they were killed in fabricated accidents
the case revealed this week is not unique newspaper reports have described several elaborate schemes involving murder or stolen corpses to extract compensation from mine owners
in 2014 a court in hebei province in northern china gave death sentences to five defendants and prison sentences to 16 others for having recruited men to work in mines under false names and then killing them for the hush money news reports and trial summaries have described similar cases in 2009 2010 and twice in 2012
scenes like those in blind shaft are played out again and again in real life one newspaper the chongqing morning post said about the latest case


hong kong   when lancome organized a small concert in hong kong featuring a local cantopop star the company billed the event as made of unstoppable energy
well it turns out the energy was stoppable with little explanation lancome canceled the show on sunday
the singer denise ho said the reason was clear lancome the french cosmetics company owned by loreal wanted to avoid upsetting the government of china one of loreals largest markets
to beijing ms ho would be a divisive figure she has publicly supported the pro democracy occupy movement in hong kong and she has posted a photograph of herself with the dalai lama on facebook
since the cancellation lancome has faced accusations of self censorship stoked on social media in hong kong and mainland china there have been calls online for a boycott
such commercial self censorship isnt happening to me alone ms ho said referring to the taiwanese singer chou tzu yu who had to apologize to china after waving the taiwanese flag on a television show there are values you need to protect whether youre an artist a public figure or a brand ms ho said i dont think we want a society where we live in fear for supporting these values
many multinationals and global industries tread carefully in china wary of risking the ire of the government and losing access to the worlds second largest economy after that of the united states
hollywood for example has adjusted plots to appease censors in china in 2013 keanu reeves said the state administration of radio film and television had forced him to take the fighting scenes in his film man of tai chi out of mainland china and into hong kong the zombie apocalypse film world war z changed the source of the undead infection to taiwan from sichuan in mainland china
the networking site linkedin censors politically delicate content on its chinese and english language sites in china users whose posts are blocked get a boilerplate email advising them that a posted item contains content prohibited in china
and the american bar association decided not to publish a book by the human rights lawyer teng biao because of concerns about upsetting the chinese government and putting at risk its beijing office which aims to build up the legal system in china
the controversy for lancome centers on an important market for the parent company
china is the second largest sales market after the united states for loreal according to its 2015 financial report sales of loreal products grew 32 percent from a year earlier in china although the company noted that hong kong had been a difficult market
fu king wa an associate professor at the journalism and media studies center at the university of hong kong said the episode involving ms ho would be a lesson in the need to better understand local culture and to formulate better communications strategies
i dont know what happened maybe some miscommunication between headquarters and local branch dr fu said
international brands if they want to do business in china that always has certain kinds of risk he added if you choose to stay in this market either you pay attention to all these kinds of politically sensitive issues or you just follow google and leave the market
polina huard a spokeswoman for the loreal group in paris said the company had no comment beyond a statement distributed on social media listerine a brand that ms ho also promotes said on tuesday that the company was still working with her
the first sign of trouble for lancome came on saturday when the global times a chinese state supported publication posted on the microblog site weibo that lancome and listerine had hired hong kong poison tibet poison for publicity events poison and independence sound similar in chinese
the global times asked its more than four million followers to comment and thousands did making chinese peoples money and hiring this kind of person as a spokesperson lets boycott them shall we one user wrote
the two brands probably dont want to do business in china anymore another wrote
the next day lancome issued its statement on facebook lancome pays utmost attention to its fans it read however due to possible safety reasons lancome has decided to cancel the event
the largest pro democracy parties in hong kong have called a protest on wednesday at a busy lancome retail location to condemn the brand for what they said amounted to kowtowing to money the groups are calling for people in hong kong to boycott all brands under loreal
what is most ironic is that loreal is an international brand from france known for its history of democracy and freedom movements against totalitarianism the parties said in a joint statement on tuesday


two widely followed benchmarks ended higher on tuesday as energy shares rebounded and investor confidence rose on news that an increase in interest rates was not imminent
the standard  poors 500 stock index gained just 272 points or 013 percent to 211213 but that was its highest close since july 2015 the index is now nearly 19 points shy of its closing high of 213082
the dow jones industrial average ended up 1795 points or 01 percent at 1793828 after exceeding 18000
the nasdaq composite index ended lower however biotech shares dropped after disappointing news from several major companies including biogen the nasdaq dipped 696 points or 014 percent to 496175 the nasdaq biotech index was down 25 percent
the sp energy index jumped 21 percent as oil prices reached 2016 highs because of supply constraints and a weak dollar exxon mobil gained 15 percent to 9071
crude oil settled up 67 cents or 135 percent at 5036 on the new york mercantile exchange brent crude settled up 89 cents or 176 percent at 5144 a barrel
with the industry projecting a decline in total us crude oil stocks in this weeks reports the market bears are remaining on the sidelines said dominick chirichella senior partner at the energy management institute in new york
worries over potential supply shortages from attacks on nigerias oil industry helped raise oil prices as did expectations of a probable decline in american crude stocks the third in three weeks
the price of oil has nearly doubled since january helped largely by unplanned failures that have eroded production in canada venezuela libya and nigeria along with a steady decline in higher cost shale output in the united states
comments by janet l yellen chairwoman of the federal reserve on monday also seemed to ease some worries about the economy while underscoring the view that the fed may be in no rush to raise rates
the big story for the market right now is do we break out to all time highs said michael sheldon chief investment officer at northstar wealth partners in west hartford conn
if we do so in the near term we could see a rush of money jump into the market from investors who had been sitting out on the sidelines in fear of missing out on further market gains
biogen tumbled 128 percent to 25286 after its multiple sclerosis drug failed in a midstage study
alexion dropped 109 percent to 13813 after its drug failed a trial while the drug company valeant slumped 146 percent to 2464 after cutting its full year forecast
the yield on the benchmark 10 year treasury note fell to 172 percent from 174 percent late on monday


joseph c papa the new chief executive of valeant pharmaceuticals international strove to signal on tuesday that the companys worst problems were behind it telling analysts that the companys future was bright despite what he repeatedly described as speed bumps
but valeants first quarter earnings report released tuesday after more than a monthlong delay told a different story revealing trouble in core business areas including its dermatology gastrointestinal and ophthalmology units and it suggested that the companys troubles were not limited to the legal issues and investigations before it
a big loss of nearly 374 million in the quarter   and lower guidance for the rest of the year   raise particularly difficult problems for the company valeant is weighed down with 30 billion in debt and has said it will no longer rely as heavily on price increases and big acquisitions to drive profits its strategy in the previous few years
in comments to analysts mr papa who took over as chief executive in may said that he realized that the companys business was encountering challenges but that he was optimistic
i believe we have a solid future ahead he said
investors did not appear to agree valeants stock which has plunged about 90 percent over the last year fell about 13 percent in midday trading the companys first quarter earnings report was about a month later than usual after the release in april of an equally delayed annual report in the face of a series of earnings restatements
over the last year valeant has faced questions about its business and accounting practices including investigations by congress federal prosecutors and the securities and exchange commission
in recent months the company has taken steps to emerge from its struggles getting rid of its chief executive j michael pearson who had led valeant since 2008 and was the mastermind of the companys now pilloried practice of buying up companies slashing costs and raising drug prices it replaced him with mr papa previously of the perrigo company and shook up the board
william a ackman whose pershing square capital management is one of valeants biggest investors took a seat on the board and pledged to congress that the company would take a fairer approach to setting its drug prices a practice that had come under harsh scrutiny by regulators and others
to truly recover however many analysts have said that valeant must get back to the core business of selling its drugs focusing on its most promising products the earnings report on tuesday showed the company still had a long way to go
revenue in its dermatology unit fell 43 percent in the first quarter of 2016 compared with the same quarter last year and its prescription ophthalmology business fell by 30 percent sales of xifaxan a gastrointestinal drug that is valeants top product and was acquired last year when the company bought salix pharmaceuticals reached 208 million in the first quarter but those sales were lower than expected the company said and that was one reason valeant lowered its guidance for the year
the company said it was lowering its revenue guidance for the year to a range of 99 billion to 101 billion down from 11 billion to 112 billion it also lowered its earnings forecast to 660 to 7 a share compared with its previous guidance of 850 to 950
mr papa said the dermatology units poor performance mainly stemmed from problems with the companys new deal with walgreens a prescription program that was intended to replace its relationship with philidor a mail order pharmacy philidors ties to valeant are now being investigated by federal authorities including the securities and exchange commission mr papa said on tuesday
after a flurry of questions from analysts mr papa said that some patients had been receiving drugs before it was learned whether the patients insurer would pay for them resulting in a loss
every time a prescription goes out the door we are taping dollar bills to that prescription he said that is something we have to get fixed
valeant executives said they were confident that the companys challenges could be overcome saying they were working with insurers to secure better coverage of crucial drugs like xifaxan and jublia which treats toenail fungus mr papa also said he believed the speed bumps with the walgreens deal would be fixed soon
but some analysts did not seem to be persuaded noting that because valeant was so deeply in debt it had little room for error
if the business stays the way it is or continues to deteriorate we believe valeant will be challenged in making those debt payments said david maris an analyst for wells fargo based on this quarters cash from operations we do not see debtholders being enthusiastic about restructuring valeant debt


each week nate cohn the upshots elections analyst and toni monkovic an upshot editor will discuss the 2016 race and post a lightly edited transcript of their written exchange
in trying to stop donald trump republicans could not turn to their superdelegates   because they didnt exist that may be the best argument for democrats to keep such a body and yet superdelegates have never seemed in so much danger bernie sanders says he will campaign to win over superdelegates despite their verdict against him on monday night then hopes to eliminate them in future elections but first up in this weeks conversation the big news from monday hillary clinton with the help of those superdelegates was declared the presumptive democratic nominee
toni according to your article late tonight monday the clinton team didnt seem to want to have the clinching occur with the help of superdelegates they would have preferred to win with votes in tuesdays elections
nate yeah its hard to think of many worse ways for hillary clinton to get here heres this historic moment   the first woman to win a major party nomination   and it catches everyone by surprise and they have to downplay it it feeds into the notion that the whole thing is rigged
toni bernie sanders is going to feel enormous pressure to end this race but a victory in california and maybe a few other states would be the ultimate rejoinder its still possible besides california he could easily win in north dakota and south dakota and montana too
nate i think hes a very clear favorite in north dakota a caucus and montana an open primary in the mountain west hes a somewhat more modest favorite in south dakota but clinton overperformed a bit in caucuses in neighboring iowa nebraska minnesota and wyoming so i wouldnt completely write off a clinton win in a primary there next up would be new mexico but thats both a diverse state and a closed primary its a lot harder for him
toni any victory would be extra sweet for him particularly california after tuesday president obama will lean on him others will lean on him its purely a guess but i think he keeps going to the convention
nate i dont think so toni did you see what he said tonight after the networks called the race for clinton
toni no too busy editing ill look it up now
nate you didnt miss anything he said nothing about it that doesnt sound like a candidate who is going to vigorously contest the outcome
toni this is what i found a news release
nate yes but he gave a whole speech and he didnt mention it once
toni so you think hell drop out how does it play out
nate to be clear i have no inside information im just saying that if i had to bet id say that hell concede sometime this week or at least before the dc primary june 14
update i just think theres a lot of evidence coming together jeff merkleys comment
sanders having his event at 1 am which is after the california polls close and after clinton clinches pledged delegates but before he could plausibly lead in california given the early vote
toni do you think a lot of his supporters would be ready for that
nate not the ones that tweet at me
toni ha but theyre the ones who could vote for jill stein and help trump win the election or maybe just vote for trump
nate they could they say they will at least on twitter
i do think that some of them will be swayed by the likes of barack obama elizabeth warren and perhaps even bernie himself but not all   though i wonder how many of them would have voted for obama
toni i think almost all of them in 2008 but fewer in 2012 and fewer still as time went on and disillusionment set in thats one of the big questions remaining for this election whether sanders supporters put it behind them and eventually accept clinton the way it happened tonight may not help but in the end it may not matter trump could persuade bernie supporters all by himself and this week he seems to be doing a heck of a job
nate yeah i think thats probably right and it is very hard to imagine how trump is supposed to make inroads anywhere if he keeps up this pace let alone among people who supported a democratic socialist
toni i still believe bernie will fight at the convention about superdelegates lets imagine that there were no superdelegates to start the campaign that would have still left sanders with his biggest problem it wasnt closed primaries it wasnt the media it wasnt superdelegates not saying those played no role it was that he was routed among black voters who have played a hugely influential role in recent presidential campaigns
nate i think thats right its not too much of an exaggeration to say that clinton and sanders were basically tied among nonblack voters and that clinton then built her lead on a huge margin among black voters it allowed her to sweep the south by a huge margin   margins that sanders never really countered
toni some sanders supporters have been asking for proportional representation of superdelegates tied to the popular vote in each state but that essentially gets him nowhere right
nate nowhere in fact id argue it would set him back it would lock superdelegates into the results of the primaries keeping the superdelegates unbound gives him a case that hes not completely eliminated until theyve voted
there are all sorts of arguments about how the democratic nominating process is problematic the superdelegates have taken a lot of flak and theres a solid argument for it but this race was not close and it was not decided by technicalities in the rules
toni let me defend the concept of superdelegates for a moment its also in a way a defense of expertise if youre a political pro youre more likely to know for example that sanderss edge over clinton in head to head polls against donald trump may not mean much youre also more likely to know the nuances of policy than the average person
a lot of people dont realize this but some 17 year olds are allowed to vote in primaries is it elitist to think that its more meaningful if senator jeff merkley of oregon and the minnesota congressman keith ellison support sanders   they are two of his superdelegates   than if most 17 year olds do
i have no problem with 17 year olds voting by the way
nate haha well why have elections at all then toni
toni the bottom line is is there any value at all in having superdelegates
nate i think so and there are two big reasons one is that theyre helpful in the event of a contested convention   say a three way race where no candidate reached 50 percent of pledged delegates something like what the republicans would have faced if they had used proportional delegate rules like the democrats my instinct is that superdelegates probably have a better chance of coordinating a solution than a bunch of unaccountable and unacquainted delegates
the other is that theyre helpful if theres good reason to believe the dynamics of the race have fundamentally changed
imagine for instance that barack obama had been a badly damaged candidate after the reverend wright tapes were released   say he fell far behind in national polls or he didnt win any remaining contests including the ones he was supposed to win like north carolina or oregon i think superdelegates would have been justified in siding with the results of the latter primaries
toni yes superdelegates are more flexible than a lot of people might think and an indictment of hillary clinton is not an impossibility
but now let me play devils advocate i can also envision how the superdelegate system could become untenable if sanders had edged clinton by say two pledged delegates its conceivable that the superdelegates would have overturned that verdict by the voters they could have cited things like popular vote totals or his reliance on caucus victories in that event you would have had an extraordinary mess you think sanders supporters are upset now and it makes you wonder if the idea of superdelegates is sustainable in the long run if something like that happened its easy to imagine that superdelegates would be abolished for future elections
nate so yes i think thats totally possible but you could imagine ways around this problem
maybe superdelegates need to be triggered   say if no candidate earns a majority of delegates or 52 percent of delegates or something like that
although that wouldnt help in the event that theres reason to think that the race had fundamentally changed since the early contests
but as it was it was a little ridiculous that superdelegates still loomed over a race where a candidate was winning the popular vote by 14 or so percentage points
toni yes it left sanders in the awkward position of having railed against superdelegates and then basing the entire rest of his campaign on them
whats your feeling on the possibility of a change in the superdelegate system at the convention a compromise to cut them significantly could be a tool for clinton to make peace with sanders and his supporters elizabeth warren who is a superdelegate has come out against superdelegates so momentum seems to be building but getting rid of them entirely wouldnt be easy right
nate i dont have a great sense of how likely it is that theyll change the superdelegates but theyve probably been more trouble than theyve been worth to the democrats so far it wouldnt surprise me if people were willing to cut or reform them in some way
toni staying with california donald trump has spent time campaigning there in a true blue state instead of in battleground states is there a strategy buried in there somewhere or should it be called strategery
nate i dont think so can you even think of anything
toni not a thing what does that say about his campaign advisers or probably he doesnt listen to them
nate well the reporting   including from the times   indicates that the campaign is something of a mess right now and thats exactly how id describe their travel schedule
in recent weeks nate and toni discussed claims from sanders supporters that elections were rigged surveys showing sanders outperforming clinton in polling against donald trump and whether elizabeth warren could have defeated clinton


in the end it came down to beyonce well it always does these days doesnt it
the musician was one of the few surprises of the night at the council of fashion designers of america awards dinner   often referred to as fashions oscars though the event tends to feel more like fashions prom night with celebrities
surprise is a relative term beyonce was named fashion icon the final award of the evening and one that had been kept secret or at least until the point partway through the ceremony when jay z blue ivy their 4 year old and beyonces mother tina knowles were shown to their table
anyway it was more surprising than marc jacobs winning womenswear designer of the year his sixth cfda award he already won the category in 2010 plus a lifetime achievement award in 2011 thom browne winning menswear designer of the year for the third time he also won in 2013 and 2006 and rachel mansur and floriana gavriel winning accessories designer of the year for their label mansur gavriel a mere year after winning the swarovski award for emerging accessory designers of the year explain that logic to me
and though it wasnt necessarily a surprise that fashion would want to claim beyonce as its own given her total dominance of the current cultural and female empowerment conversation the award still sat sort of strangely on her shoulders admittedly i wrote a column about two years ago calling her an icon but not a fashion icon so i would say that but she has always made sure that she is the dominant force in any fashion relationship the clothes serve her ends and the designer or brand is an addendum the message is about her not the frocks
just consider the fact that in a night to celebrate american fashion where she was honored by the american fashion establishment where the only international designer present was alessandro michele of gucci who won the international award and whose clothes beyonce had featured in her visual album lemonade she wore ... givenchy also a giant hat
indeed she addressed the issue obliquely in her acceptance speech she actually spoke when we were starting out in destinys child a lot of labels didnt really want to dress four black country curvy girls she said my mother was rejected from every showroom in new york
her mother she added designed her prom dress her wedding dress her grammy dress her grandmother was a seamstress beyonce of necessity had to develop her own style outside the system with their help
then she added soul has no color no shape no form
that was about as political as the night got though anna wintour vogue editor and artistic director of conde nast did ask for a round of applause after iphones across the room flashed that the associated press had announced that hillary clinton had enough delegates to clinch the democratic presidential nomination the room complied you know where their sympathies lie
the host joel mchale did not have a chris rock at the oscars moment   there was no talk of cfdas so white though there might well have been and perhaps should have been aside from a brief appearance by victor cruz of the new york giants an opening film starring sarah jones as multiple characters including a bike messenger named rashid and a finale song from jennifer hudson beyonce was the rare award recipient or presenter of color
instead it was a night of great affection and little challenge mr browne declared his love and appreciation of his partner andrew bolton curator of the metropolitan museum of arts costume institute and encouraged everyone to see the first monday in may a documentary featuring mr bolton winning the swarovski award for accessory design the shoe maestro paul andrew also called out his partner of 13 years siddhartha shukla
donna karan received the founders award from calvin klein and the two legends who have been friends for decades cozied up to each other norma kamali who won the geoffrey beene lifetime achievement award joked that she had asked mickey drexler j crews chief executive to make a sex tape with her the better to get famous but that he had said it would be a very long tape tilda swinton who accepted the board of directors tribute award for david bowie on behalf of mr bowies wife iman it was their 24th wedding anniversary read a letter she had written to him that she had signed your tilly
and in the most touching speech of the night brandon maxwell winner of the swarovski award for womenswear after thanking pretty much everyone under the sun noted i was very gay in a very small town and all i had were the women in my life who let me dress them up and put clothes on them it gave me meaning
perhaps thats the way industry nights like this one should be mutual appreciation and no controversy but the cfda had planned to televise the evening that idea fell through at the last moment and it is still talking about doing so in the future if so the organization might consider the meaning it gives to others
as beyonce said in her acceptance speech we have an opportunity to live in a society where any girl can look at a billboard magazine cover and see her own reflection
the same was not true of the cfda stage and indeed it is not true of fashion over all   at least not at the top but shouldnt it be


lieyu township taiwan   cold war detritus scars the white sand beach on this island concrete barriers meant to halt invading tanks stand sentinel waiting for the invasion that never came
in the water hundreds of rusting sharpened steel barricades point menacingly toward the bustling chinese city of xiamen whose skyscrapers poke through the midday haze just over three miles away
the soldiers who manned these coastal defenses are long gone though some have been replaced by life size statues for the benefit of the many tourists who flock to the site the most imminent danger now is to beachcombers who fail to pick up after their dogs signs warn they face a stiff fine payable in new taiwan dollars
lieyu township encompassing what is known as lesser kinmen island is not controlled by the peoples republic of china nor is the much larger kinmen island nearby even though both sit on the approaches to one of the mainlands busiest ports
the peoples liberation army was never able to wrest control of the strategic islands from chiang kai shek the leader of the republic of china who fled to taiwan with his nationalist forces in 1949 after losing a civil war to mao zedongs communists
chiang who died in 1975 still watches over the island a statue of him doffing his peaked cap towers over an overgrown athletic field where cows graze the basketball court and chin up bars once used by front line soldiers are slowly surrendering to the lush subtropical vegetation
kinmen also called quemoy was once a household name in america the nationalists and communists engaged in huge artillery duels here in the 1950s raising tensions among washington beijing and moscow as president dwight d eisenhower and his secretary of state john foster dulles vowed to defend taiwan from attack
when john f kennedy and richard m nixon were running for president in 1960 their disagreement about quemoy and matsu a neighboring archipelago led to one of the most famous exchanges in their debates
now china and taiwan exchange volleys of fireworks during chinese new year
these smaller islands are at a crossroads borne out by the complicated interplay among the locals the government in the taiwanese capital taipei and the mainland
in taipei a political party took power last month that is focused on the people of taiwan who are increasingly uncomfortable with the talk over seven decades affirming that taiwan is part of china a poll in february found that 73 percent of taiwan people surveyed considered themselves taiwanese not chinese up from 44 percent two decades ago among young people 85 percent called themselves taiwanese
in fact neither kinmen nor matsu is geographically part of taiwan they are portions of chinas fujian province that the communists never conquered their existence helps to make taiwan the republic of china and people interviewed here who have prospered as trade and tourism with china have blossomed have deep ties to the mainland
kinmen people have a very clear sense of their identity said chou yang sun a professor who focuses on mainland affairs at national quemoy university in kinmen they are fujianese but they are also part of the republic of china very different from most people in taiwan who support independence
one such resident is zhou ximei who was born in fujian in ningde county which from 1988 to 1990 was run by chinas current president xi jinping ms zhou married a man from kinmen moved here two decades ago and now works in a museum set up in the jiugong tunnel a grotto carved through solid rock to shelter people boats and supplies during bombardments
when you say the republic of china there is the word china in there as well said ms zhou speaking during a lull between boisterous groups of visitors touring the cave chiang kai shek came to taiwan from the mainland too i think a good leader needs to seriously ponder if he or she wants taiwans economy to develop and its people to have stable lives
kinmen county prospered as ties between china and taiwan deepened in 2001 passenger and trade traffic began between kinmen and xiamen seven years later all of taiwan opened up direct air sea and postal links to the mainland the population here boomed surging to more than 133000 this year from fewer than 80000 a decade ago
tourists from the mainland arrive by boat in kinmens port and a much larger port is being built adjacent to it a six story shopping complex catering to mainlanders and billed as asias largest duty free mall opened in 2014
on taiwan an hours flight away there has been a different narrative the economy is contracting and voters who cast their ballots in january wary that closer ties with china were draining the island of some good jobs and giving beijing more influence rejected the party that brought better ties with the mainland chiangs own kuomintang or kmt the newly inaugurated president tsai ing wen leads a party swept into power partly because of concerns about chinas growing shadow over taiwan
in december ms tsai made a campaign stop in kinmen one of the few counties that her democratic progressive party wound up losing and pledged to pour more resources into developing the small islands as the former head of the government agency that oversees ties with the mainland she was one of the architects of the mini three links that in 2001 opened limited passenger trade and mail connections between kinmen and xiamen and she is not expected to alter the status quo that has given such a lift to the local economy
despite decades of being on the front lines including an artillery bombardment that extended over two decades people on kinmen see the mainland not as a threat but as an opportunity
on tiny lieyu closer ties with the mainland have also had economic consequences as the massive garrison has dwindled diminishing a ready market for the islands shopkeepers
soldiers wearing camouflage uniforms and caps emblazoned with a white sun on a blue field the national emblem of the republic of china mill about the small port where ferries run from lieyu to the main island but their small numbers now in the hundreds cannot make use of the extensive infrastructure built for the more than 10000 troops based here decades ago
tsai shu ta 59 who along with his wife drives a taxi around the fewer than six square miles that make up lieyu recalls the heady days when the thousands of soldiers supported a movie theater whose american made projector is now on display at a local museum
mr tsai who has lived his whole life on lieyu says he was put off by the democratic progressive partys failure to include kinmen on its flag   which depicts a green island of taiwan on a white cross
he is proud to live in the republic of china recalling the propaganda slogans soldiers here broadcast to the communist troops across the water but he fears a future when people on taiwan may formally move toward independence which could imperil kinmen because beijing has said that would be grounds for war
for now the majority of taiwanese agree with mr tsai that it is best to maintain the status quo the coexistence between the two sides that has kept the peace since the guns finally fell silent in the late 1970s
if that should ever change mr tsai says joking and with a chuckle he has a plan
well return to the mainland


stafford springs conn   sandra miller was at work in january when her daughter called from their home here on oakridge drive with alarming news the house was making loud noises as if someone had jumped off the counter and landed with a bang for seconds afterward the house shook
a while later it happened again and again over the next several hours terrifying bangs rattled the house the next morning ms miller called bill neal a structural engineer who delivered the same stunning assessment to her that he has now told hundreds of homeowners the concrete foundation was crumbling and as a result her house was gradually collapsing
across nearly 20 towns in northeastern connecticut a slow motion disaster is unfolding as local officials and homeowners wrestle with an extraordinary phenomenon hundreds possibly thousands of home foundations that have been poured since the 1980s are cracking with fissures so large you can slip a hand inside
this is such an emotional roller coaster said tim heim a homeowner who started the group connecticut coalition against crumbling basements you cant eat you cant sleep when youre told your home is now worthless and your biggest investment is now worthless its devastating
the scope of the problem is so vast that state officials have begun an investigation and they recently announced that the crumbling foundations had been traced to a quarry business and a related concrete maker which have agreed to stop selling their products for residential use the stone aggregate used in the concrete mixture has high levels of pyrrhotite an iron sulfide mineral that can react with oxygen and water to cause swelling and cracking over the past 30 years the quarry has provided concrete for as many as 20000 houses
as officials continue their investigation the cascade of crumbling foundations poses a thicket of legal emotional and financial issues and has prompted the state to create an official web page dedicated to the problem connecticut is also seeking help from the federal emergency management agency
its the psychological toll of the uncertainty said jonathan a harris the commissioner of the state consumer protection department
beyond the financial hit mr harris said a persons home is where their kids were born and grandchildren play
theres an intangible side to this thats horrible he continued
insurers have generally refused to pay for repairs strictly defining the coverage of collapse by inserting the word abrupt in policy language repairing the homes requires replacing the entire foundation at costs that typically range from 100000 to over 200000 so far 223 residents have filed formal complaints about crumbling foundations with the department but officials believe many homeowners may be reluctant to contact the state fearing problems from their banks and insurers
because the affected swath of the state is home mostly to working  and middle class families many face financial ruin since their homes represent the biggest part of their nest egg ms miller whose insurance company has provided no financial assistance rented a nearby condominium after she was told that her family was no longer safe in their home
but ms miller said she could not pay both the monthly rent and the mortgage paying out of pocket to replace her homes foundation she said is well beyond reach i dont know too many people that have 170000 in their wallet she said and thats what its going to cost to fix my home
mr neal the structural engineer has inspected hundreds of houses in nearly all he found concrete walls with distinctive crack patterns that resemble a road map with lines and fissures snaking in all directions   much different than the vertical cracks typically seen in foundations as they settle
after hearing from tearful angry residents at packed public meetings state officials stepped in in october the states insurance department warned insurers not to cancel policies because of a foundations condition since insurers are denying claims that warning may not help with the concrete problem officials say but it should at least prevent homeowners from losing insurance protection all together
last month the connecticut general assembly passed a bill that would among other things allow homeowners with failing foundations to request a reassessment of their property values and require contractors to record the supplier of concrete for residential foundations gov dannel p malloy a democrat signed the bill into law last week
another measure that sought to ease victims financial losses was less successful state senator tony guglielmo a republican had proposed a 50 million bond to help homeowners but democrats in the state house rejected it arguing such a measure should wait until the full extent of the problem was better understood
im not a big government guy by any stretch but there are some problems where you need government intervention because of the magnitude mr guglielmo said weve had meetings where there were 500 people and its been very emotional
after an investigation by the nbc station wvit the governor directed the consumer protection department and the attorney general to investigate possible wrongdoing and to determine the scope of the problem and what if any assistance was available for homeowners
while the state has traced the affected concrete to the quarry business becker construction company which operates in willington officials have not ruled out other factors one riddle is the absence of official reports of failing concrete in public or commercial projects that used material from the same quarry and a concrete maker the joseph j mottes company
john patton a spokesman for both companies has attributed the crumbling foundations to improper installation specifically the tendency of some contractors to add water to wet concrete to make it pour faster that was especially true he said during a building boom in the 1980s
by law mr patton noted inspectors are on site during commercial and public jobs ensuring that concrete is mixed and installed properly we also know that during the time frame in question other ready mix providers in the area used the same aggregate from the same source he said
stephan lackman a former mottes employee said the becker family which owns both mottes and becker started using material from the willington quarry after its gravel supply was depleted during the 1980s mr patton acknowledged that mottes first began using aggregate from the quarry in the 1980s but said the companys original gravel supply was in use until 2014
the mineral has been identified as a culprit in disintegrating foundations elsewhere in april prime minister justin trudeau of canada repeated a pledge to allot 30 million in aid to homeowners in the province of quebec whose foundations were failing
i saw with my very own eyes the difficult situation in which too many families live because of pyrrhotite mr trudeau told reporters
as officials seek answers in connecticut homeowners are looking for someone to hold accountable a class action lawsuit filed in february accuses insurers of a concerted scheme to deny coverage and some residents are angry that it has taken the state so long to address the problem
mike halloran a plaintiff in the lawsuit said some of his co workers neighbors and acquaintances also had cracking foundations ken the plumber mr halloran a hospital mechanic said a nurse in the or a guy my wife works out with at the gym has it
mr heim the homeowner who started the coalition faulted state officials for ignoring warnings from a number of homeowners with the problem in the early 2000s in 2003 a meeting was held in hartford among lawmakers homeowners and representatives of the attorney generals office and consumer protection department nothing came of it
they had the power to stop this problem mr heim said and they chose not to
it was only after the report by wvit last summer that politicians at the state level took action homeowners said
fifteen years ago linda j and robert tofolowsky filed a formal complaint with the consumer protection department against mottes it detailed the cracks that had formed in the foundation of their home here during the mid 1990s the couple said several other homeowners had similar problems with concrete supplied by mottes
the couple sued the company in 1995 and lost but before the resolution of the lawsuit mrs tofolowsky in a handwritten note attached to the 2001 complaint warned of the calamity to come
it has been six years since we filed against j j mottes she wrote but i am not waiting for the court to make a decision since we have found these seven other homes with failed foundations i need to let the public know about this company j j mottes so that maybe someone else will not lose their biggest investment their home


stokenchurch england   tchaikovskys opera eugene onegin is a story of two lives haunted by youthful miscalculation and a third wiped out in the process its no laughing matter but the tragedy is lightly told with russo french refinement rather than italian sobs and last weekends new staging to open the season at the garsington opera   one of britains fashionable country house opera fixtures   followed a general rule that the best way to do it is with simple spare transparency
the garsington onegin which runs until july 7 was directed by michael boyd who used to run the royal shakespeare company but has only directed one previous opera and if nothing else it showed someone steeped in the naturalistic tradition of british theater carefully   very carefully   exploring the expressionist possibilities that opera brings
the production was essentially straightforward firmly placed in the imperial russia that tchaikovsky asks for   no inventive relocations to the gulag or st petersburg fla   on an open almost bare and frankly dull set by tom piper the narrative was clear the action crisp unfussy focused
but where tchaikovsky tells his story of rejected love death and regret through the discrete snapshots of what he called lyric scenes mr boyd merged everything in a seamless continuity   filling the joints with background information that he thought the audience should know
in the transition from the duel scene in which onegin fatally shoots his friend vladimir lensky to the ball scene at st petersburg we see what happens to onegin in the intervening years a piece of information that tchaikovsky leaves us to imagine and we learn that onegin is haunted by his friends death in a way that possibly surpasses friendship
the idea that lensky and onegin might be lovers has been floated in earlier productions not least in an absurd 2007 staging by krzysztof warlikowski for the bayerische staatsoper that borrowed from the film brokeback mountain and turned the world of russian aristocrats into that of gay cowboys asking the legitimate question of why a young colt like onegin would turn down a cutie like tatyana it decided that onegin wasnt into women it was lensky that he dreamed of
mr boyd provided nothing so explicit but he had onegin dance with lenskys corpse the corpse transgendered in a frock and wig a moment where this otherwise restrained show lost its poise and that the final curtain fell with lensky and onegin staring intently at each other presumably carried significance though whether it was meant to be confronting or consoling was not obvious
either way with roderick williams in the role onegin was more sympathetic than usual a much loved personality in british music mr williams is not easy to dislike and here his charm warmth and intelligence made the rejection of tatyanas love seem sensible rather than cruel his is not a massive voice but handsomely expressive and he used it well enhanced by acting that turned understatement into eloquence
natalya romaniw a welsh soprano with a russian name was vocally impressive as tatyana but with too much self possession when she is meant to be a tender soul in turmoil the excitement and abandon of the letter scene was too contained and underpowered support from the conductor douglas boyd no relation to michael did not help
but more broadly the orchestral playing was strong the youthful chorus was magnificent sounding twice its size in the resonance of bare sets oleksiy palchykovs lensky held his top notes with exhilarating ardor and as often in onegin prince gremins single aria stole the show sung here by brindley sherratt with authentic russian depth
if only such russian authenticity hadnt extended to the temperature in garsingtons pavilion auditorium it is designed for summer which was not in evidence that night somehow the glamour of the country opera circuit fades when everybodys wrapped in blankets tablecloths and even trash bags to stave off hypothermia


they replaced horses didnt they thats how the late great economist wassily leontief responded 35 years ago to those who argued technology would never really replace peoples work
horses hung around in the labor force for quite some time after they were first challenged by modern communications technologies like the telegraph and the railroad hauling stuff and people around farms and cities but when the internal combustion engine came along horses   as a critical component of the world economy   were history
cutting horses oat rations might have delayed their replacement by tractors but it wouldnt have stopped it all that was left to do for those who cared for 20 million newly unemployed horses was to put them out to pasture
had horses had an opportunity to vote and join the republican or democratic party leontief wrote they might have been able to get the necessary appropriation from congress
most economists still reject professor leontiefs analogy but the conventional economic consensus is starting to fray the productivity figures may not reflect it yet but new technology does seem more fundamentally disruptive than technologies of the past robots are learning on their own self driving cars seem just a few regulations away from our city streets
as the idea sinks in that humans as workhorses might also be on the way out what happens if the job market stops doing the job of providing a living wage for hundreds of millions of people how will the economy spread money around so people can afford to pay the rent
what if say the bottom quarter of the population in the united states and europe simply couldnt find a job at a wage that could cover the cost of basic staples what if smart learning machines took out lawyers and bankers or even god forbid journalists and economists
if you read my column last week you know the dim view i take of the universal basic income   a minimum level of money offered to every citizen   as a tool to combat poverty in a country like the united states where there is still plenty of work for most people to do paying for it would require either shredding the safety net as we know it or raising taxes to scandinavian levels
on sunday an overwhelming majority of swiss voters apparently agreed voting down a proposal to give every adult roughly 2560 a month regardless of their work status and 640 for each child under 18
but that doesnt end the case for a universal income as many of the brightest minds in silicon valley will tell anyone who asks if we are facing a not so distant future of robot fueled growth and rising potential for mass disemployment maybe its time to start thinking about how to provide a lot more income that isnt directly tied to a job
jeffrey d sachs of columbia university has been working with a series of colleagues on an economic model of a world in which robotization both raises economic output and immiserates workers pushing them out of their jobs it is not a theoretical impossibility
the point for me is that these two scenarios   robots lead to nirvana and hell   can happen side by side professor sachs told me generally capital wins and all labor can lose it shows up as a fall in the labor share of national income
in that event preventing a dynastic society of relentlessly growing inequality would require large scale redistribution it could even take the form of a universal income paid for with a hefty estate tax   using some of the vast profits accruing to the owners of robots to finance a living for everybody else
since most paid human labor would be pointless the disincentive to work produced by a monthly check would be unimportant people could devote themselves to unpaid creative affairs
dont destroy the robots professor sachs said but recognize that not everybody would be better off as a result of market forces with redistribution everybody could be made better off
many experts are not convinced for every analysis like this one   forecasting that half of all jobs in the united states will be replaced by new technology   others point out that there is no evidence of humanitys impending redundancy
a research paper published last month by the organization for economic cooperation and development argued that even the occupations most at risk of being replaced by machines contained lots of tasks that were hard to automate like face to face interaction with customers
it concluded that only 9 percent of american workers faced a high risk of being replaced by an automaton austrians germans and spaniards were the most vulnerable but only 12 percent of them risked losing their jobs to information technology
ever since the luddites started smashing textile machines in the 19th century workers have as a whole done rather well adapting to new technologies retooling to find new jobs in other industries employment has increased throughout the modern age as kenneth s rogoff of harvard put it a few years ago it seems unlikely that millions of workers are headed to the glue factory like discarded horses
and yet the nature of the new research patiently counting how many jobs are likely to stay or go suggests how far economists have come from the days when they simply dismissed popular fears of technological unemployment as ludicrous
last november lawrence h summers   a former treasury secretary under president bill clinton a top economic adviser in president obamas first term and one of the youngest people to earn tenure on the harvard faculty   strode up to the podium at the peterson institute for international economics in washington and made an unlikely admission perhaps economists were not always the smartest people in the room
he reminisced about his undergraduate days at mit in the 1970s when the debate over the idea of technological unemployment pitted smart people exemplified by the great economist robert solow and stupid people exemplified by a bunch of sociologists
it was stupid to think technological progress would reduce employment if technology increased productivity   allowing companies and their workers to make more stuff in less time   people would have more money to spend on more things that would have to be made creating jobs for other people
but at some point mr summers experienced an epiphany it sort of occurred to me he said suppose the stupid people were right what would it look like and what it looked like fits pretty well with what the world looks like today
for large categories of workers wages are inadequate many are withdrawing from the labor force altogether in the 1960s one in 20 men between 25 and 54 were not working today its three in 20 the population is generally healthier than it was in the 1960s work is almost uniformly less demanding still more workers are on disability
maybe the stupid people werent quite as stupid as i thought they were mr summers conceded this was at least a serious concern that had to be thought about
in a world in which many americans do not work during large chunks of their lives we might have to conceive of social security and disability much more broadly than we do today
that mr summers said could start to look like a universal income


e trade financial the brokerage firm that rose to prominence in the internet start up boom of the late 1990s by peddling the ease of active online trading is introducing a so called robo advisory service
it will be the latest big financial company to chase the billions of dollars that have poured into automated investing in the last few years
unlike the self directed investing that e trade financial once championed robo investing for the most part embraces a set it and forget it approach using exchange traded funds and automatic portfolio updating popularized in the last five years by digital platforms like betterment and wealthfront and initially aimed at young professionals the concept has shaken the traditional wealth management industry and forced nearly every major bank fund company and brokerage firm to develop its own offering
the new federal rules for companies that manage investor money are expected to encourage a rush to low cost investments something the robo advisers claim as their hallmark the rules may also hasten formal partnerships between traditional banks and brokerage firms and the financial technology firms that have built robo investing platforms robo advisers and other digital platforms had 53 billion of investor assets at the end of last year according to aite group up from 2 billion at the end of 2013
on tuesday e trade will introduce adaptive portfolio a product line that uses a combination of stock and bond exchange traded funds and actively managed mutual funds to create baskets that are weighted according to an investors risk preferences and investment goals people entering through e trades website answer a series of questions and are sorted into one of six risk categories and corresponding model portfolios based on their answers
it is a bit of a twist on the offerings of rival firms which only offer exchange traded funds e trade customers can pick whether they want pure etf portfolios or those with a mix of etfs and mutual funds we aim to kick start a new phase in the automated investing evolution by offering investors access to more strategies to help them meet their goals said lena haas e trades senior vice president of retirement investing and savings
just last month ubss giant american wealth management division announced plans to use a robot to cater to its wealthy clients its 7000 advisers are using technology developed by a san francisco start up sigfig wealth management sigfigs technology is supposed to increase production for ubs advisers taking over portfolio management duties so the advisers can spend more time talking to clients sigfig is trying to court more banks and brokerage firms for similar alliances ubs also made an equity investment in the company
fidelity investments is testing a digital product fidelity go and charles schwab introduced a robo product last year wells fargo has updated wellstrade its self directed online brokerage firm with a fresh look and more features for online and mobile users while it develops plans for its own robo investing product
at e trade the account charge on adaptive portfolio is 03 percent of assets annually on a minimum investment of 10000 plus fund fees all of the portfolios have a position of 1 percent cash and human advisers will be available for investors who want to communicate with one by telephone or instant message


beijing   secretary of state john kerry and his chinese counterpart laid out diverging positions regarding the south china sea on tuesday indicating that annual talks between the united states and china had done little to bridge the differences over what has become one of the most volatile issues in their relationship
in beijing a senior american official also revealed that president obama had warned president xi jinping of china during a meeting in march about the maritime friction and about washingtons obligations to a regional ally the philippines
on tuesday at the end of what is called the strategic and economic dialogue mr kerry praised the talks as an essential mechanism to air differences and nurture cooperation
but comments both by mr kerry and by state councilor yang jiechi of china suggested that their governments remained far apart on the continuing disputes in the south china sea china has laid claim to many islands and outcrops across the sea that are also claimed by southeast asian countries notably the philippines and vietnam
i reiterated americas fundamental support for negotiations and a peaceful resolution based on the rule of law as well as obviously our concern about any unilateral steps by anyone whichever country to alter the status quo mr kerry said during a joint appearance with chinese officials in the great hall of the people in the heart of beijing
after mr kerry spoke mr yang who steers chinese foreign policy and is senior to the foreign minister said china remained adamantly opposed to an arbitration case brought by the philippines to assert its claims in the sea
a court in the hague is expected to deliver its decision in the case soon but beijing has said it will not accept the result
this has not changed and will not change mr yang said of chinas opposition to the case he repeated chinas position that it is willing to negotiate over the disputes but only with each individual country holding a rival claim rather than collectively
the islands of the south china sea have been chinese territory since antiquity mr yang said china has every right to uphold its territorial rights and legitimate maritime rights and interests
the obama administration has urged china to negotiate with southeast asian nations collectively to solve the disputes and it has warned beijing against its energetic development of reefs and outcrops into artificial islands with military facilities
the united states recently sent military ships and planes near some of those islands to make the point that it would insist on freedom of navigation in the area and beijing bristled at the gesture
this strategic and economic dialogue was the last for the obama administration and there is uncertainty about how much importance the next president might give to the annual talks but chinese and american officials said there was value in discussing contentious issues face to face even if no solution was in sight
the south china sea issue came up early in the meetings when the united states warned china against any action in the waterway involving american treaty obligations to the philippines a senior state department official said
the warning was a reiteration of what mr obama told mr xi during their meeting in washington in march the official said
the official spoke on the condition of anonymity in keeping with diplomatic custom on sunday before the formal start of the talks chinese and american officials including some uniformed military officers from both sides talked about security matters zhang yesui chinas executive vice foreign minister and antony j blinken the deputy secretary of state led the delegations
the philippines has long claimed scarborough shoal an outcrop off its western coast that was once used as a firing range by the united states military in 2012 china took over the shoal by expelling philippine fishermen and deploying a patrol of coast guard vessels to prevent the fishermens returning
scarborough shoal is the largest outcrop in the dispute between the philippines and china in the south china sea the united states which now has access to five military bases in the philippines recently flew a navy plane over the shoal in a demonstration to china of american concerns the united states and the philippines also recently conducted joint patrols in the waterway
since china began building artificial islands in the spratly archipelago near the scarborough shoal former military officials have hinted that beijing would start to build the shoal into a more permanent platform able to accommodate military installations
the security session on sunday also included discussion of an episode last month involving two chinese fighter jets that flew dangerously close to an ep 3 american spy plane in international airspace off the coast of hainan the southernmost province of china the senior state department official said
the chinese aircraft came as close as 50 feet to the american plane the pentagon said at the time the foreign ministry in beijing denied that the chinese had flown too close and described the encounter as normal
it was unclear whether chinas senior military leaders had ordered the two jets to get close to the american plane or whether the pilots were acting independently and trying to show off their flight skills
also discussed at the meeting were human rights and the status of foreign nongovernmental organizations in china the obama administration has sharply criticized a new chinese law aimed at controlling and limiting the work of such groups on issues including rights for migrant workers climate change and the rule of law the american chamber of commerce in china has expressed disappointment with the law saying that it would harm the companies it works with
the law scheduled to go into effect jan 1 requires foreign groups to register with the police who will be empowered to examine all aspects of their operations it also mandates that the groups find official chinese partners
earlier in the day mr yang the state councilor said the organizations activities would not be obstructed if the groups observed chinas laws
at a news conference at his hotel after meeting with mr xi mr kerry said that he was reassured by the chinese presidents explanations of the law
the united states forcefully presented its objections to the law he said adding we have to show some patience
what i heard directly from president xi actually was that china intends to remain open stay open to open up even more than it is today mr kerry said and that it does not see these laws are going to be applied in any way whatsoever that affects their ability to open up and to do business
he said he found it not insignificant that the president of the country spoke directly about the problem now the question is is that in fact what happens


amsterdam   anyone familiar with the movies of wim wenders jim jarmusch or lars von trier knows robby mullers work even if they cant immediately say why as director of photography mr muller a dutch cinematographer created an enduring visual palette for such independent classics as mr wenderss paris texas mr jarmuschs down by law and mr von triers breaking the waves
now after decades of behind the scenes influence mr muller is the subject of a retrospective master of light   robby muller that opened saturday and runs until sept 4 at the eye film museum here directors and fellow cinematographers revere him for what they describe as an intuitive sense of rhythm and framing the lyricism of his camera movements   he always operated his own camera   and his ability to use available light to extraordinary effect
theres a certain kind of magic or poetry to whatever he shoots but hes much more grounded than that said the amsterdam based filmmaker and artist steve mcqueen who worked with mr muller on caribs leap part of a film installation he created for the documenta exhibition in germany in 2002 i compare him to a blues musician in a way he plays just a few chords and he conveys what he needs to convey hes a purist
for mr mcqueen mr muller developed a visual language to capture what appear to be men falling to their deaths in slow motion   a reference to the 1651 suicides of carib indians who leapt off a cliff rather than submit to their french colonizers on the island of grenada where mr mcqueens parents were born caribs leap is included in the exhibition
robby muller is one of the few dutch figures in film with an international career who is highly estimated by the entire world said jaap guldemond the director of exhibitions at eye and the curator of the show but he is a dp a cameraman and it was a challenge for us to see if we could make an exhibition thats on and about a dp rather than a film director
mr muller 76 is suffering from vascular dementia a degenerative disease that has prevented him from speaking and walking although he is still responsive and understands what is going on said his wife andrea who opened his archives for the exhibition it was a good moment to do it now and not later said mrs muller a photo editor for a dutch art magazine who married mr muller in 1993
the exhibition includes excerpts from mr mullers hi8 video diaries about 150 of some 2000 polaroids he shot while traveling to locations for film shoots video interviews with directors letters and other papers and clips and screenings of his films including the caribs leap installation
in one display scenes from down by law 1986 show the three jail escapees played by tom waits john lurie and roberto benigni paddling a skiff through the bayou as mr mullers camera slowly navigates through thickets of trees that both reveal and conceal the men
born in curacao in 1940 then a dutch colony mr muller moved to the netherlands at age 13 after shooting experimental films he began his professional life working with wim wenders in the 1960s and they went on to make more than 40 movies together
mr guldemond credits them with pioneering the road trip movie in the 1960s and 70s with low budget black and white films like alabama 1969 the wrong move 1975 and kings of the road 1976 the partnership culminated in paris texas 1984 which won the palme dor at cannes that year
mr muller went on to work with mr jarmusch in a similar vein on down by law but he always chose his work based on the project and the story mr guldemond said rather than genre he was really looking for soul mates as he calls them himself he said all the different directors he worked with were people with whom he felt at ease people he liked and with him he could do what he wanted to do
directors describe mr muller as not just an important collaborator but also something of a personal guru
mr jarmusch said in an interview for the exhibition with claire pijman a dutch cinematographer that mr muller thought of himself more as a painter than a photographer
generally we tried to keep thinking on our feet so anything was changeable mr jarmusch said of their collaborations he taught me later a lot about color as well and how it relates to your emotions or how the sky at magic hour changes every ten seconds and becomes a different shade
robby would teach me things like it says in the script that its a sunny day but then on the day of the shoot it would be cloudy and about to rain mr jarmusch said most people would just say ok lets not shoot today robby would always say lets think maybe the clouds and the rain is better lets not be closed off lets be open to what we might do
mr wenders described mr mullers working method in another interview with ms pijman we would dream it up a little bit the atmosphere of the film and then i would leave it completely to robby to find the light he said
 american friend became a whole new school for directors of photography mr wenders said of their 1977 film starring dennis hopper as an unscrupulous art dealer and it laid a new standard for how to deal with color and light
mr guldemond described mr muller as soft spoken and selective with his words nowadays youd say hes a little bit zen he said he knows exactly what he wants and he trusts his intuition there are a lot of dos and donts in moviemaking and a lot of the dos are all about preparing and being in control he was often about being not on the spot and not in control
mr muller worked on only a few hollywood productions including william friedkins to live and die in la 1985 and mad dog and glory 1993 with robert de niro but he was always disappointed with the process in the end mr guldemond said
it was the system he hated he said because he felt it destroyed all possibility to be creative to work intuitively and to improvise


a 4 year old boy who was clinically decapitated in a recent car accident in idaho survived after a rescuer resisted the urge to pick up and cradle the screaming child and instead held his head in place for a half hour most likely saving his life his mother and the rescuer said
the story of the boy killian gonzalez who endured one of the worst traumatic injuries that can affect small children in car crashes but escaped with his life through the actions of a good samaritan unfolded on state highway 51 a two lane road slicked by a hailstorm at the time
killians mother brandy gonzalez said she was driving home to nevada after attending a party in idaho to celebrate the boys birthday when her car skidded and went into a lane of oncoming traffic colliding with another vehicle
pinned in the wreckage and with broken bones she tried to turn to reach her son who was strapped into a booster type car seat in the back
i was like i have to get to my baby i looked back and he is just hunched over he is not crying he is not awake
i kept talking to him and trying to get him to wake up she said in a telephone interview on tuesday
then a sound from the boy a whimper and the word momma
killians skull was separated from his spine and he also had a ruptured spleen and broken ribs and arms a local television station kboi reported from the hospital ms gonzalez suffered broken arms and legs the other driver been pinned but was ok she said
the accident happened in owyhee county which is in the southwestern corner of idaho on the border with nevada at 314 pm on may 22 chief deputy lynn bowman of the county sheriffs department said in a telephone interview
leah woodward and her husband joel woodward an officer with the police department in nampa idaho were driving home with their two children from a camping trip when they crested a hill and came upon the accident
ms woodward said she saw a man in the drivers seat of one vehicle bloody and disoriented in the other vehicle she saw ms gonzalez her arm clearly shattered unable to unlock her car doors to help the woodwards reach her in the back killian was not moving but he was screaming
as a mom that just goes right to your heart ms woodward said in a telephone interview on tuesday my immediate instinct was you have to help that little guy 
to reach killian her husband broke a window of the gonzalez vehicle then squeezed through cutting himself on the glass he then told his wife to hold the child upright keeping his head steady until help came
my first instinct would have been to cradle the little guy but clearly that would have been the wrong choice ms woodward said
the boys broken arm was backward so they draped it against his side and covered him with a blanket ms woodward said a pinkish gel like substance was splattered on the seat the boy and her later her sister a nurse told her that might have been spinal fluid
i had my hands kind of like thumbs by his ears and hands wrapped behind his neck holding it still she said he didnt fight he was not moving every now and then he would come to
as she held his head for about 30 minutes she said she talked to the boy asking ms gonzalez details about her son ms woodward tried to keep his attention chatting to him about his strawberry birthday cake and toy dinosaur trying to fight the boys impulse to drift off
his eyes rolled around in his head or flashed in fear she recalled at one point she said he spoke i dont hurt anymore i am all done
when emergency medics arrived she continued holding his head as they worked around her finally fixing him with a collar and getting him into an ambulance
i am just glad i did not know his injuries at the time she said
killian his mother and the other driver were flown by air ambulance to hospitals chief deputy bowman said
leslie dorn killians grandmother stayed with the boy in the hospital while ms gonzalez underwent treatment for her injuries she said doctors told her four of the six ligaments connecting the boys skull and spine were stretched by an inch from the impact but then sprang back to leave killian about one third of an inch taller than he was before the accident
officials from the hospital st lukes boise where killian was treated declined to comment
a fund raising page for the boy said that he had a fracture at the base of his skull where the brain stem connects to the spinal cord
clinical or internal decapitation is a colloquial term for an injury known to surgeons as occipital cervical dislocation it happens when the ligaments muscles and joints that connect the base of the skull to the top of the spine are damaged
so the term decapitation in the true sense of cutting someones head off is a bit extreme said dr nicholas theodore the director of spinal surgery at the barrow neurological institute who has operated on more than 60 patients with the injury he has used titanium rods wires or screws to reattach the base of the skull to the spine
dr theodore said the injury was almost always associated with high speed accidents in which the head is pulled away from the spine and it occurs more often with children than adults because their neck musculature is still undeveloped and weak
especially younger patients the head is like a bowling ball on a stick he said their head sort of bobbles
dr theodore who treated a 2 year old boy with the injury in 2010 did not comment on killians case but said you dont ever want to move an injury patient unless a car is on fire immobilizing a child is exactly what you want to do
on tuesday killian who had been discharged from the hospital over the weekend was walking unassisted at home fitted with a hard collar to support his head and neck ms gonzalez said
he can take a few steps but his equilibrium is still off she said
he does not talk about the accident


martin creed the british artist was standing in the park avenue armorys 55000 square foot drill hall one day last week when the curator tom eccles turned to him with a question the two were watching a short film from mr creeds new mouth series which will be the centerpiece of a retrospective that opens on wednesday the film projected far larger than life shows a distinguished looking woman   the artists mother   opening her mouth in slow motion to reveal something white on her tongue
what is that mr eccles asked
yogurt said mr creed
yogurt said mr eccles
yogurt promises to be one of the more innocuous substances on view when mr creed takes over the armory for two months elsewhere in the exhibition viewers will encounter films of people vomiting and of people defecating along with a piano that opens and slams shut an array of metronomes ticking at different speeds and a room whose lights go on and off at one second intervals all are outpourings from mr creeds psyche a delicate but highly tuned instrument beset by odd compulsions and freudian obsessions
even the yogurt has implications at the far end of the darkened drill hall is the armorys back door a small utilitarian portal set to open for a few seconds after every showing the door mr eccles pointed out is meant to suggest a body part that back doors have been known to represent before
its pretty remarkable the armory is letting us do this observed mr eccles who assembled the exhibition in partnership with hans ulrich obrist artistic director of the serpentine galleries in london
actually the exhibition is in the spirit of earlier armory shows spotlighting off center artists like paul mccarthy and christian boltanski   both of which mr eccles was involved in producing
the back door is also the title of mr creeds exhibition a sprawling affair that occupies the armorys entire main floor including not just the drill hall and the small bunkerlike rooms that flank it but the grandly decorated late 19th century period rooms on the buildings park avenue side this is mr creeds biggest exhibition in the united states although he won the turner prize in 2001 and his work has been shown extensively in britain with numerous solo shows at tate britain and a career retrospective two years ago at the hayward gallery in the southbank center in london
in addition to films videos paintings installations and interventions mr creed will provide live talks and music on the first four evenings of the exhibition there will also be a troupe of roving musicians performing for the run of the show their purpose is not to provide entertainment so much as a subtle sense of direction if they go somewhere mr creed explained that means you can go there as well he is not it appears much of a believer in signage
theyre examples of people he continued speaking in a pleasing scottish lilt and hopefully having examples of people in the show will help the people who come to the show   because they are people as well
like many of mr creeds distinctive observations this is hard to argue with still the likelihood is not so much that people wont know where to go but that they wont know what to think when they get there what to make of an artist whose signature work is an empty room with lights that go on and off at regular intervals
annoyance is a not uncommon reaction though bemusement is a frequent response as well even the art world is conflicted when mr creed showed work no 227 the lights going on and off at the turner prize exhibition a well known british painter responded by throwing eggs at the walls   and was banned from the tate galleries for life critics have generally had more tempered responses a writer in the observer described mr creeds work as walking a very fine line between the mindfully simple and the simple minded the critic roberta smith called it direct irreverent and also clownish in the new york times
it can get a little fun housey i know that mr eccles said but the armory   built for the gilded age plutocrats who made up the national guards so called silk stocking regiment   already was a fun house in a way a place for people to play dress up and to act out
in the 1880s and 90s said rebecca robertson the armorys president they had chariot races they gave each other trophies
the lights piece touched a nerve nicholas serota director of the tate galleries and chairman of the turner prize jury said in a telephone interview when it was described it seemed to be almost without value but the experience of being there was very very compelling for that matter so was the experience of hearing about it mr serota was in a taxi when the driver showed how the lights in his passenger compartment had been rigged to go on and off and asked if he too would win the prize
though the public may debate whether mr creeds work qualifies as art he makes no such claim i feel bad to say im an artist because i dont really know what art is he admitted looking somewhat abashed i would say im a person who tries to do things and work in a field that is commonly known as art i try and do things because i find life is difficult and i want to make it better more bearable
mr creeds plight having bad feelings he said when pressed for a diagnosis feeling bad and maybe not necessarily knowing why feeling guilty as well the problem with feelings is you cant bloody wash them away
viewed as therapy mr creeds art perhaps makes more sense the same compulsions that have him fiddling with a succession of wet wipes as he speaks can be identified in work no 2736 which consists of a group of cactuses lined up according to height or work no 129 a door opening and closing which it does ad infinitum this impulse is present as well in his numbering system which he began when he was in art school   with work no 3 yellow painting because he was afraid it would seem arrogant to start with work no 1
i call them symptoms mr creed said of his obsessions and of his works as well he takes the comparison further a lot of organized religions are basically systems that have been built up to help people divide the world up into good and bad dirty and clean the chaotic mess of the world is difficult to deal with
even for mr creed however unpacking the welter of feelings that shape his work can be difficult take the lights going on and off for years his explanation for the piece was that there was nothing he could put in a room that seemed worthy of worship so he would just use what was already there like the light switch
but in the last year or so he said ive been thinking that the real reason i made that work was because i used to love switching the lights on and off to annoy people   in particular his parents when they were in the bathroom where the light switch was just outside the door plunging his mother or father into darkness during a private moment was great fun the guilt would come later


beijing   a cheater in china used to have it easy his family might be subjected to a harsh scolding and his exam results might be thrown out now a student caught cheating could face a prison sentence
as more than nine million students filed into testing centers on tuesday to take the gaokao the life defining college entrance exam officials made clear that they planned to enforce a new law making it a crime to cheat punishable by up to seven years in jail
officials said the law approved last fall was necessary to preserve fairness in the exam widely regarded as the most important test of a chinese citizens life a high score can mean a ticket to a renowned university and a high paying profession while a low score can bring shame and a future confined to menial jobs
many students and parents praised the effort to impose severe punishments on cheaters saying it would serve as a powerful deterrent but several were less certain of the laws merits saying it was too harsh
wang yiran 19 a freshman at yangtze university in central china said the law might discourage students from reporting incidents of cheating because they feared sending another student to jail
its simply too strict ms wang said because the punishment is so severe no one will want to say anything
bella hou 19 a freshman at the beijing institute of technology said she thought imposing a severe penalty was the only way to stop students from cheating
its really necessary to eliminate cheating on the gaokao she said cheating affects everyone
on weibo chinas version of twitter the reaction was mixed one user wrote that a seven year sentence was too harsh saying thats almost the same as the punishment for a hit and run
global times a nationalistic chinese newspaper described the law as important to upholding a sense of social justice in chinese society given the gaokaos role as a path to economic mobility for poorer families
because of the importance of the gaokao some families are willing to go to unseemly lengths to ensure their children ace it some parents hire companies to surreptitiously transmit answers to their children on exam day others bribe local officials to get a peek at the test before it is administered
officials in many provinces have tried to crack down on cheating in recent years going so far as to install fingerprint scanners in schools and ban bras with a metal underwire worried that they might hide transmission devices last year in the city of luoyang in central china the authorities used drones to catch people using radios to broadcast answers
but the ranks of cheaters have only grown and they have excelled at finding ways around the governments restrictions creating products like pens equipped with cameras and tank tops outfitted with audio receivers
on tuesday the first day of the gaokao officials in beijing said they had deployed eight police officers to each of the citys 96 exam sites to monitor for cheating according to news reports
education officials said they hoped the threat of jail time would deter cheaters once and for all
do not believe any kind of group or individual offering false test help and be tricked and risk suffering a lifetime of regret the ministry of education warned in a recent statement
the law enacted in november states that people caught cheating or facilitating cheating on national exams could face up to three years in prison and a fine for minor cases or up to seven years in prison for more serious cases those people would also be banned from taking national exams for three years
legal experts said that the law would probably be used to go after leaders of cheating rings and that students might not be a primary target
still human rights experts said it was worrisome that china would threaten to impose severe penalties on teenagers for cheating
if it is true that students found guilty of cheating end up receiving seven year criminal sentences this would be fairly disproportionate compared with the gravity of the crime  william nee a china researcher at amnesty international wrote in an email
on monday the chinese news media reported the details of the first case to be subject to the new law which involved cheating on a postgraduate entrance examination in december officials said they had shut down 11 educational organizations in connection with the case officials did not announce penalties for those named in the investigation including a former worker at a printing house that produced test materials


the possible end of the democratic presidential contest will dominate tuesdays voting but lots of competitive congressional primaries will also be taking place much of the attention will be on a race pitting two republican incumbents in north carolina against each another
representative renee ellmers is a candidate in a redrawn north carolina district against a fellow republican representative george holding whose current district was also moved in the reorganization leaving him looking for a friendly place to run
ms ellmers who rode the tea party wave into the house in 2010 fell out of favor with the movement because of some of her votes on abortion and spending and she has been a top target of conservative advocacy groups hoping to unseat her but she got some late help from donald j trump who recorded an automated telephone call for her   his first congressional endorsement
with both parties trying to establish their lineups for november important primaries are taking place in several other states including california attorney general kamala d harris and representative loretta sanchez both democrats could end up competing for californias open senate seat because of the state system that puts the top two finishers forward for the general election regardless of their party affiliation four open house seats in california have attracted multiple candidates to replace long serving democrats including lois capps and sam farr
in iowa patty judge a former lieutenant governor is vying against three other democrats for the right to oppose senator charles e grassley in november democrats recruited ms judge after senator grassley the chairman of the senate judiciary committee refused to consider the nomination of judge merrick b garland to the supreme court
one new member of congress will be elected on tuesday voters in the cincinnati area district represented by john a boehner for nearly 25 years before his resignation last fall will vote in a special election to fill the remaining six months of his term warren davidson a republican is the heavy favorite


brasilia   the first time the lights went out in her presidential palace dilma rousseff grimaced the next time she rolled her eyes the third time she jumped out of her chair demanding that someone find out what was going on
this was my area she fumed during an interview pointing out that she had made brazils electricity grid a top priority before she was suspended last month as president i dont know why this is happening
with ms rousseff stripped of her authority a sense of powerlessness and indignation pervades the palacio da alvorada the cavernous residence where she is allowed to stay while the fight to oust her once and for all grinds on in the senate
it was not supposed to be like this brazil was hoping to celebrate its triumphs in the run up to the olympic games in rio de janeiro not play host to a jaw dropping spectacle of political dysfunction
ms rousseff brazils first female president was supposed to be preparing to greet world leaders not enduring the humiliation of an impeachment battle that has her hanging by a thread
these parasites is what she called her rivals trying to impeach her many of whom are facing their own scandals
for now she is still surrounded by the trappings of luxury in the palace designed by oscar niemeyer the battalion of servants serving tiny cups of coffee the heated pool in a well manicured garden the modernist masterpieces by emiliano di cavalcanti and alfredo volpi hanging on the walls
but the futuristic palace feels less like a lavish manor these days than a bunker stewing as she tries to make sense of her predicament and prepares for her impeachment trial ms rousseff compared her rivals to the strangler figs that envelop trees in the jungle slowly choking them to death
and yet she has relished a few unexpected glimmers of hope
ever since legislators suspended her the interim government led by michel temer the vice president who took over the nation last month after breaking with ms rousseff has suffered a series of embarrassing blunders
first one of mr temers top allies stepped down as planning minister after a secret recording emerged late last month on it an aide laid out how their party   the brazilian democratic movement party or pmdb   had pursued ms rousseffs ouster in order to thwart the investigation into the colossal graft scheme surrounding brazils national oil company petrobras
then the new transparency minister   essentially mr temers anticorruption czar   resigned after another recording seemed to show that he had also tried to stymie the petrobras inquiry
on monday brazilian news organizations reported that the countrys chief prosecutor was seeking to arrest several leading figures in mr temers party   including the head of the senate a former president and the former speaker of the lower house   after recordings suggested that they had sought to interfere with the petrobras investigation
i am perplexed indignant and revolted the former president jose sarney said in a statement
beyond that mr temer 75 a lawyer who speaks an archaic portuguese that flummoxes his countrymen decided not to name any women or afro brazilians to his cabinet his choices opened him to withering criticism in a country where more than half of the people define themselves as black or mixed race and where women feature prominently in the halls of congress the supreme court and the executive suites of large corporations
its a provisional government of rich white men ms rousseff a self described leftist who was an operative in an urban guerrilla group in her youth said about the administration of her adversary i never thought that i would see in brazil a government as conservative as this one
ms rousseff and her allies hope that the recent blows to mr temers legitimacy can tilt the impeachment vote in her favor she pointed out that all she needs is a handful of senators to change their votes for her to be reinstated as president
still for every misstep by her adversaries ms rousseff and her own top confidants have also found themselves caught off guard by new revelations in federal graft inquiries reflecting the challenges that her workers party faces in its ambition to win her impeachment trial and return her to the presidency
ms rousseff remains rare among major political figures in that she has not been accused of stealing for personal gain instead she faces charges of manipulating the budget in order to hide the depths of brazils economic woes
but a former petrobras executive has also testified that ms rousseff lied about her knowledge of a bribery fueled refinery deal when she was the chairwoman of the companys board she denies the claim
potentially even more damaging the brazilian magazine isto e reported in recent days that a construction magnate testified that ms rousseff negotiated an illegal 35 million donation for her 2014 re election campaign
ms rousseff rejected the account calling it a slanderous part of a news media campaign attacking her personal honor but together with other developments   her campaign strategist and the former treasurer of the workers party are among ms rousseffs allies already in jail on graft charges   the reports have further eroded her credibility
josias de souza a prominent political columnist described the latest revelations tarnishing the camps of both ms rousseff and mr temer as a classic power struggle between criminal factions taking place before a recession weary society
despite such grim assessments ms rousseff is avidly preparing her defense she consults with aides bounces strategies off lawyers sometimes her legal team convenes in the quiet chapel on the grounds of the palace
theyve always wanted me to resign but i wont she said arguing that her rivals were carrying out a coup albeit one with the supreme courts stamp of approval i really disturb the parasites and ill keep on disturbing them
senate leaders said on monday that the impeachment trial was expected to conclude sometime in early august potentially producing embarrassing street protests as the olympic games get underway regardless of how the senate rules
in the meantime ms rousseff expresses irritability if not resignation over the toll that the political upheaval has had on the young democracy established in 1985 in brazil after a long military dictatorship
this is a turning point she said about the rupture producing mr temers ascension a pact that existed has broken
glossing over criticism that her policies laid the groundwork for brazils economic crisis she argued that the economy would already be on the mend if congressional leaders had not thwarted measures aimed at restoring confidence
otherwise ms rousseff said that she hewed to routines each day riding her bicycle in the morning and reading at night devouring each digital edition of the new york review of books lately she has been reading spqr a history of ancient rome by the english classical scholar mary beard
ms rousseff said that she found some amusement in investigators comparing eduardo cunha who led the impeachment campaign as the speaker of the lower house before he was suspended to face corruption charges to catiline the senator who conspired to overthrow the roman republic in the first century bc
cicero the orator and constitutionalist denounced catiline in a series of speeches before the senate and ms rousseff smiling as she recalled her schoolgirl latin said quam diu etiam furor iste tuus eludet
the sentence was from one of the speeches which questioned how much longer catiline would continue abusing the republics patience in the question repeated by ms rousseff cicero asked how long is that madness of yours still to mock us


democrats will vote in six states on tuesday just hours after hillary clinton secured enough superdelegates according to a survey by the associated press to make her the partys presumptive presidential nominee but the focus will be on just one of those states california the nations most populous state and a liberal stronghold where senator bernie sanders is hoping to seize a victory to make the case for staying in the race until the partys convention in july
the question of the day is not whether mrs clinton will declare victory but in what terms and how she will begin to frame the general election race against donald j trump the republican partys presumptive nominee
but there will also be something to watch on the republican side as mr trump is expected to hold a news conference in new york to mark the end of primary season he has been heavily criticized   including by many in his own party   for his attacks on a federal judges mexican heritage and he faces questions about how he will respond
voting will also take place on tuesday in montana new jersey new mexico north dakota and south dakota here are a few of the dynamics well be watching
in her speech tuesday night mrs clinton will become the first woman to claim victory in a major partys presidential nominating fight she has intermittently emphasized the historic nature of her candidacy and it may work to her benefit to stress that theme amid mr trumps continuing struggles with female voters
but mrs clinton also has a broader choice to make about how to position herself in one of the highest profile moments of her campaign will she move to calm sanders supporters and consolidate support on the left or reach out to moderates and republicans who may be wary of mr trump will she go after mr trump in hard language or focus on sketching a positive rationale for her own election her choices tuesday night could set the shape of the race between now and the conventions in july
the slim path available to mr sanders narrowed even further monday evening with the news report that mrs clinton had crossed the 2383 delegate threshold through support from party leaders in order to press forward mr sanders is in dire need of an upset win in california by taking the nations most populous state his supporters hope mr sanders could claim a mandate to keep fighting all the way to the convention in philadelphia
he is likely to face intensifying pressure from democrats   including the white house   to get out of mrs clintons way but mr sanders has never been a creature of the democratic party his natural mode is defiance as mrs clinton aims to rally democrats it is in mr sanderss power to make that process easy or acutely uncomfortable his reaction to tuesdays results may signal which path he intends to take
mrs clinton is favored to win the primary in new jersey and has a narrower lead over mr sanders in california polls she is poised to secure her partys nomination regardless of what happens in each state but sweeping both would lend her candidacy an especially formidable air at the start of the campaign against mr trump
capturing california one of the most racially diverse states would hand mrs clinton a useful symbolic victory as she prepares to compete with a republican whose support has come overwhelmingly from whites
republican concern about mr trump is approaching a high his last remaining primary challengers dropped out of the race more than a month ago but the real estate developer has done little in that time to gird himself for a contest with mrs clinton
over the last week mr trump has inflicted more damage to his candidacy than senator ted cruz or gov john r kasich ever did he has struggled to answer newly detailed and troubling allegations that his defunct educational company trump university committed fraud and he has repeatedly criticized a federal judge who is hearing a class action lawsuit against him accusing the judge who is of mexican descent of having a conflict of interest
it will take a firm performance by mr trump on the podium in westchester county on tuesday night to reassure republicans that he is up to the job of fighting mrs clinton another undisciplined and combative outing could raise the partys anxiety to the level of panic
president obama has appeared eager even impatient to take part in the campaign and he has already gone after mr trump repeatedly but mr obama has been somewhat constrained so far by the democratic primaries while he has been critical of republicans he has not yet made a full throated case for mrs clinton as a better alternative
the white house has indicated that may change this week once mrs clinton has the democratic nomination in hand a presidential endorsement would be seen by many democrats as a signal to mr sanders that its time for him to leave the race and mr obama who has long been adept at belittling mr trump could be an effective advocate for mrs clinton as she seeks to energize the democratic coalition and set the terms of debate against an unpredictable opponent


washington   after decades of mistrust and fitful reconciliation efforts india and the united states made a turn toward cooperation on tuesday and donald j trump can claim at least some of the credit
indias prime minister narendra modi making his second visit to the white house in two years announced a crucial step toward ratification of the paris agreement to limit greenhouse gases bringing the accord close to full implementation
the two sides also announced that they intended to complete a deal in which india will buy six nuclear reactors from westinghouse by june 2017 fulfilling an agreement struck in 2005 by president george w bush the price is still under discussion but more difficult issues like liability have been resolved
we continue to discuss a wide range of areas where we can cooperate more effectively in order to promote jobs promote investment promote trade and promote greater opportunities for our people particularly young people in both of our countries president obama said in the oval office during the meeting
mr modi responded with his own praise of the burgeoning partnership when president obama visited india in january 2015 mr modi referred to him as barack and thanked him for his deep personal commitment to their friendship in the oval office on tuesday mr modi referred to the president as my friend obama
the united states is well aware of the talent that india has mr modi said in hindi we and the united states can work together to bring forward this talent and use it for the benefit of mankind and use it for the benefit of innovations and use it to achieve new progress
mr modi has made clear that he intends to set aside decades of standoffishness   rooted in indias colonial experience   to cement closer ties with washington in part because the next american leader may not share president obamas enthusiasm for india
the news media in india has extensively chronicled comments by mr trump that critics have said were racist his america first views and his unorthodox campaign while mr trump the presumptive republican presidential nominee has said little about india his vows to tighten immigration policies worry indian officials
modi wants to get as much as he can out of obamas last months in office said ashley j tellis a senior associate at the carnegie endowment for international peace
for the americans the most important part of mr modis visit was his announced intention to formally join the paris climate change agreement by the end of this year so far countries representing about 50 percent of global emissions have announced that they will submit legal paperwork to the united nations documenting their compliance with the deal
the pact will become binding when at least 55 countries representing 55 percent of global emissions formally join the inclusion of india the worlds third largest emitter after china and the united states would guarantee that the deal will go into effect before the next american president takes office
mr trump has vowed to cancel the paris climate agreement if elected something mr obama is eager to prevent once the accord enters into legal force no nation can legally withdraw for four years
if the paris agreement achieves ratification before inauguration day it would be impossible for the trump administration to renegotiate or even drop out during the first presidential term said robert n stavins the director of the environmental economics program at harvard
mr obama and mr modi also announced a separate agreement to cut the use of hydrofluorocarbons potent planet warming chemicals produced by coolants in refrigerators and air conditioners india and the united states have been at odds on the details of such a deal but the agreement announced on tuesday means both governments now expect in october to sign on to an international accord to phase out the chemicals phasing out the chemicals could reduce by 25 percent the expected warming of the planet by the end of the century
this is the most significant step the international community could take to reduce climate warming brian deese a senior adviser to mr obama said in a call with reporters
the two sides also announced joint efforts for the united states to invest in indias renewable energy development including the creation of a 20 million finance initiative
the last time mr modi visited in september 2014 he was invited to dinner but announced that he was observing a religious fast so mr obama had the awkward task of eating before a guest who sipped only water this time at a working lunch mr modi ate
on wednesday mr modi will become the fifth indian prime minister to address both houses of congress
the two countries finalized a deal that allows their forces to help each other with crucial supplies and the united states formally recognized india as a major defense partner which should allow india to buy some of the most sophisticated equipment in the united states arsenal
indias increasing willingness to form military partnerships with the united states is in part a result of its deepening worries about china recent patrols by chinese submarines in the bay of bengal have unnerved new delhi and a 2014 visit to india by the chinese president xi jinping did nothing to soothe indian sensibilities as chinese troops made an incursion into border territory that india claims as its own
chinas refusal in the months since to resolve the territorial claims at the heart of the standoff has quietly infuriated indian officials
another reason washington and new delhi have grown so close is the increasingly testy relationship between the united states and pakistan indias longtime rival although pakistan is formally an ally of the united states american officials have made clear that india has displaced pakistan in american interests and hearts
we have much more to do with india today than has to do with pakistan defense secretary ashton b carter said in april there is important business with respect to pakistan but we have much more a whole global agenda with india agenda that covers all kinds of issues


chicagos latest unicorn is all about grit
unicorns - or private venture capital backed companies that are valued above 1 billion - are often defined by flashy new technology or millions of users and often based in silicon valley but the ones based in the midwest have tended to be more about sprinkling digital dust on the dirtiest industries
sms assist connects property managers with outside vendors such as snow removal services landscapers and window washers through a cloud based digital platform smss customers include retailers like family dollar and oreilly automotive as well as real estate operators such as colony starwood homes
using the sms technology a snowplow serviceman can take pictures with his phone before and after the work is done and submit them to the property manager to show a task is completed all invoicing is done through smss cloud based technology and ratings are given to all vendor to assess their work it allows companies with a lot of offices or real estate a way to keep tabs on the upkeep of properties
on tuesday sms announced that it had raised 150 million in new capital from the same goldman sachs team that invested in uber facebook and spotify according to a news release the new round its series d sets smss valuation at 1 billion a spokesman for the company said
that is almost double its valuation from a year ago when a previous round of fund raising was led by insight venture partners in the current market private companies have had a difficult time raising capital at higher valuations as investors have become pickier looking for more reasons   such as profitability   to sink their money into something
this is a huge market opportunity yet historically the sector has lacked innovation and customer needs were largely unmet christopher dawe co head of venture capital at goldman sachs investment partners sms assist stands out to us as the only player delivering a scalable solution that improves both quality and transparency to its customer base while at the same time reduces costs
michael rothman founded sms about 13 years ago using the bootstrap method - which means he got started without much outside financial help in 2008 a close friend invested 2 million and several years later he received his first infusions of capital from institutional investors the huizenga group and pritzker venture capital group
sms assist is a profitable company experiencing explosive growth said j b pritzker the managing partner of pritzker group in the statement on tuesday
mr rothman is a serial entrepreneur of sorts - always in the industrial services industry one of his businesses was sold to waste management while another kenny industrial services which managed coatings and cleanings for industrial customers made some acquisitions and reincorporated under the name k2 industrial in 2003 he left to start sms


registering your new boat clah thunk
change of address clah thunk
invoice clah thunk
the pounding of official stamps has sounded out the rhythm of bureaucracy in croatia for decades well after many other european nations had stopped relying on paper and went digital practically any government or business document in the country has required some sort of official seal or endorsement
all that stamping and paper shuffling helped make life in croatia a kafkaesque morass though so the government has decided its time to stamp out the stamp before it suffocates an already weak economy
prime minister tihomir oreskovic recently ordered official rubber stamps out of nearly every aspect of croatian life but the new rules will be phased in over the course of the year   and to put them into effect some documents will probably have to be stamped
it will surely take a while for the government and ordinary citizens alike to shed the deeply rooted clah thunking habit the countrys national archives contains more than 1000 official seals some dating to feudal times that were used by titled nobles elected politicians and every functionary in between to bash their imprimatur in wax and ink croatias national seal even had its own dedicated guard until 2000
ivana sucic of the croatian chamber of economy which pushed for the new rules said the legal framework for going stampless was in place long before the country joined the european union in 2013 yet to this day nearly every croatian entrepreneurs first purchase is a rubber stamp to pound haphazardly onto documents just as a precaution
its more psychological than practical ms sucic said an instinct born of worries about being tripped up by incomprehensible red tape and no wonder the entropy in the regulatory system is constantly growing instead of falling she said
lucija popov the president of the croatian chamber of notaries said shell gladly ditch the caricature of a desk jockey robotically stamping documents
in the beginning it was understandable to be perceived as stamp pounders she said but it doesnt fit as well these days when much of the work of notaries is done digitally still our job always ended with a stamp ms lucic added itll take some time to change


dhaka bangladesh   a hindu priest was hacked to death on tuesday morning in southwestern bangladesh in what the police suspect is the latest in a series of killings by islamist militants
the priest anando gopal ganguly 68 was riding a bicycle in an isolated rural area not far from his home when he was attacked by three men on a motorcycle who came up from behind him said gopinath kanjilal an assistant superintendent of the police for the jhenaidah district he said mr ganguly had been on his way to conduct a prayer service
the islamic state claimed responsibility for the murder in a report by the groups amaq news agency according to the site intelligence group which monitors extremist activity online
it seems the attackers were following the priest from his home and killed him at a convenient place mr kanjilal said mr gangulys throat was slit and he was almost beheaded said mr kanjilal who said he had suspected that islamist militants were responsible
in recent years bangladesh has had a series of similar killings the initial targets were secular writers and intellectuals but recently the victims have included foreigners gay activists and members of religious minorities islamist militants are suspected in many of the attacks which appear to have accelerated in recent weeks
on sunday the wife of a police official known for pursuing islamist militants was fatally stabbed and shot while taking her son to a school bus stop in chittagong in southern bangladesh also on sunday in the countrys north a christian grocer was hacked to death
the islamic state has claimed responsibility for some of the attacks while a branch of al qaeda has claimed others according to the site intelligence group officials in bangladesh deny that foreign islamist militants have a presence in the country
also on tuesday the police said they had killed two members of the banned militant group jamaat ul mujahedeen bangladesh in a gunfight in dhaka the capital one was involved with the bombing of a hindu temple in the countrys north in december and the murder of a professor in northwestern bangladesh in april and the other was involved with an attack on a shiite mosque in november said masudur rahman a spokesman for the dhaka metropolitan police
members of jamaat ul mujahedeen bangladesh had been traveling to dhaka the police said officers intercepted them in the mirpur area of the city and the two men were killed in the subsequent gunfire while the rest escaped mr rahman said
another islamist militant whose affiliation is unknown confessed to his involvement in an attack in december on a mosque of the tiny ahmadiyya muslim community in the rajshahi district in northwestern bangladesh and was arrested on tuesday morning said mohammad nisharul arif superintendent of police in rajshahi when he brought officers to the home of some associates on tuesday he was killed in a gun battle there mr arif said


istanbul   a car bomb destroyed a police vehicle near a central tourist district in istanbul on tuesday morning instantly killing 11 people and wounding dozens more turkish officials said the latest in a series of deadly attacks in the country
explosives in a parked car were detonated by remote control as a police shuttle bus passed through the historic beyazit district during rush hour gov vasip sahin of istanbul said in a televised statement
seven of the dead were police officers governor sahin said although there was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack militants from two groups turkey is currently fighting   the islamic state and the kurdistan workers party or pkk   have staged major suicide attacks in urban areas this year
militants from the pkk which has carried out an insurgency against the turkish state for more than three decades have claimed responsibility for similar attacks against turkish security forces since the breakdown of a fragile peace process last july
a militant group with links to the kurdish organization claimed responsibility for two major attacks this year in the capital ankara that struck a military convoy and civilians killing dozens
violence has surged in the countrys predominately kurdish southeast in recent months after turkey undertook a major military operation to eradicate militants from their strongholds in the region
the turkish authorities have imposed round the clock curfews across several southeastern cities and pounded kurdish militant targets with tanks and artillery and they claim to have killed almost 5000 militants in the process they have reduced many kurdish cities to rubble
critics of president recep tayyip erdogan say he deliberately short circuited the peace process with the kurds last year to stir nationalist sentiments after his ruling justice and development party fared poorly in a first round of parliamentary elections premeditated or not the tactic worked as the party went on to win in a landslide in november prompting the president to say the country had voted for stability
despite that victory violence sharply escalated and the pkks youth branches fighting for self rule began carrying out increasingly sophisticated attacks in urban areas
last month lawmakers from mr erdogans governing party pushed through a contentious amendment to the turkish constitution that would strip lawmakers immunity analysts say the move will lead to the ouster of kurdish politicians many of whom could face terrorism charges kurdish politicians have warned that their exclusion from parliament could aggravate tensions in the southeast
on tuesday mr erdogan visited the victims of the istanbul attack in the hospital where he vowed to continue to battling terrorism
let me be clear terrorist organizations distinguishing between civilians soldiers and police does not mean anything to us the end target is always human beings he told reporters outside the hospital turkey will never abandon its fight against terrorism
the attack on tuesday occurred close to istanbul university the vezneciler subway station and the citys historic district which includes the 16th century suleymaniye mosque
video from the scene showed a police shuttle bus flipped on its side with its windows blown out alongside another police bus with scorch marks and near the wreckage of a charred car other damaged vehicles littered the street nearby
istanbul has been on high alert since two suicide attacks this year that were attributed to the islamic state fears about terrorism have been blamed for the greatest decline in tourism in turkey since 1999 the ministry of tourism announced last month that the number of visitors in april had fallen 28 percent from a year earlier


london   british voters will go to the polls this month to decide whether their country should remain in the european union as the date june 23 approaches the leave and remain campaigns are dialing up the volume with claims and counterclaims flying many with only a tenuous relationship to facts
according to those who favor leaving the bloc britain is the victim of faceless highly compensated bureaucrats in brussels who meet in secret and churn out off the wall regulations costing businesses billions of pounds a year they say british citizens are subjected to taxes and other measures by a supposedly unaccountable european parliament while britain as a whole sends far more money each year to brussels than it gets back above all perhaps they say britain is virtually powerless to stop the influx of migrants   more than 300000 arrived last year
those who support remaining in the bloc play down those issues focusing on what a seemingly inexhaustible supply of government officials economists bankers and business executives call the dire consequences of leaving a weakened currency job losses slower growth depressed trade the end of londons status as a world financial capital and a loss of influence in european affairs immigrants just over half from european union member states give the economy energy youth and creativity they say contributing to the economic vitality that makes multicultural london the envy of the world
some have called the campaign the trumpification of politics in britain with dubious assertions flying around the debate can appear unseemly
here are a few of the claims and some judgments about their veracity
the leave side says britain sends 350 million pounds a week to the european union
according to the uk statistics authority britain owed a gross contribution to the european union of 191 billion pounds or about 28 billion in 2014 thats PS367 million a week however britain gets an immediate rebate off the top negotiated in 1984 by prime minister margaret thatcher so it actually sent PS147 billion or PS283 million a week in 2014 brussels also returns money to britain for sectors including agriculture regional development science and universities the actual net contribution from britain is about PS99 billion a year
thats about PS190 million a week a little more than half of what vote leave claims it is roughly 05 percent of british gross domestic product and around 13 percent of the current british budget of about PS770 billion

the remain side says three million jobs in britain depend on membership in the european union
doubtful the original study simply said that 345 million jobs depend upon exports to the eu but there is no question that britain would continue to export to the european union and elsewhere even if it left the bloc trade might be more complicated and expensive outside the single market but the united states and china to name just two countries do a lot of trade with the european union without being members

leave says britain has lost 75 percent of the 131 cases brought against it before the european court of justice and thus has lost a crucial element of sovereignty
true at least the first part but the european commission for example brings only cases it thinks it can win and 91 of the cases were brought by the commission because of britains failure to put in effect european law as it is obligated to do france by comparison has lost 90 percent of the last 50 cases brought to the court

remain says a british exit would cost each household PS4300 a year by 2030
it depends on your assumptions but some loss of national income is inevitable
those who favor staying in the bloc cite a study by the british treasury that looked at three alternatives to european union membership for comparison the treasury chose one a negotiated bilateral agreement with the european union like the ones the bloc has with switzerland and norway
the figure cited represents an annual loss of gross domestic product per household after 15 years estimating 62 percent lower growth nationally by 2030 but this does not translate to cash and it is based on numerous assumptions
and of course there is no way of knowing what kind of relationship britain would have with the european union after a so called brexit michael gove a leader of the leave campaign has said britain would not want a bilateral deal that required it to accept freedom of movement and labor so it would choose a simpler world trade organization relationship with the european union like the ones held by brazil and russia that kind of relationship the treasury suggests would mean a bigger annual loss of gdp per household by 2030 of PS5200
still every alternative the treasury examined would reduce gdp a position accepted by most economists

leave says uncontrolled migration imposes huge unfunded pressures on the nhs and on other public services said boris johnson the former mayor of london referring to the national health service
pressures absolutely unfunded not exactly
an estimated 85 percent of non british european union citizens in britain are economically active contributing a net PS22 billion to the treasury
but is immigration uncontrolled
citizens of european union countries have the right to live and work in any member state but britain which is not a part of the schengen zone of largely passport free travel has the right to check everyone at its borders and can deny entry for a host of reasons
net annual migration to britain rose slightly to 333000 in 2015 according to the office for national statistics european union citizens made up 55 percent of that figure 184000
britons migrate to other european union countries too especially retirees who can live more cheaply elsewhere and still get free medical benefits about 300000 britons left the country last year   more than the 184000 european union citizens who moved to britain about one million britons live in spain about 255000 in ireland and about 175000 in france
britain has taken substantial measures to try to reduce immigration raising the skills requirement for non european union citizens and reducing incentives for european union citizens coming into the country for low paid jobs
as for strains that immigration puts on public services there is no question
rapid population increases in some cities and towns across britain have put pressure on hospitals housing schools and policing since the 2000s the east midlands and northern england have experienced the biggest percentage increases in non british born populations
boston a town of 67000 in the midlands experienced a sixfold increase in foreign born residents driving many people out of town for doctors appointments and emergencies because practitioners in town were overstretched at one point the towns council arranged for children to be taken by taxi to schools in neighboring towns because there were not enough places locally the crisis eased somewhat as increased tax revenue a result of the growing population helped finance new schools and hospitals
a 2011 government study found that national spending per person on health care attributed to foreigners who are mostly young adults was lower than for britons spending on education was higher but outlays for government aid for both groups were comparable
but immigrants also contribute substantially to the national health service which relies on them to function
immigrants make up at least 20 percent of the services work force there is a chronic shortage of nurses radiologists and emergency medicine specialists among others according to a government list of occupation shortages about a third of nursing shifts covered by agency staff hired by the national health service are immigrants with temporary visas

remain says a british exit from the bloc would throw the country into recession and result in a loss of 500000 jobs lower wages and lower house prices the cost of vacations would also go up by an average of PS230 prime minister david cameron says
the macroenomic claims cite a treasury study looking at the short term economic effects of leaving the european union modeled on economic assumptions about the level of shock a departure would bring   regular or severe   and on estimates for a weaker pound
economists from both sides of the membership debate agree that there would be a short term economic shock and slower growth but estimates of how much vary and the treasurys numbers are considered a bit pessimistic but generally correct
as for more expensive vacations mr cameron points to the likelihood of a weaker pound coupled with increased airfares and higher cellphone roaming charges by 2018 he says the cost for four people to take a nine night vacation in spain would be PS225 more for two weeks in the united states it would be PS620 more
again there are many assumptions but those who favor remaining in the european union hope that voters will take note of the specific figures even if based on unprovable estimates and judgments about the future

leave says the british economy is choking on a mass of regulations from brussels
to some extent the truth is in the eye of the beholder on this one the house of commons library has warned that there is no totally accurate rational or useful way of calculating the percentage of national laws based on or influenced by the european union concluding that it is possible to justify any measure between 15 percent and 50 percent or thereabouts
britain has the second least regulated economy in europe after the netherlands according to the organization for economic cooperation and development and the remain campaign says many european union regulations are aimed at maintaining market competition and on balance save britain about 30 billion a year

leave says not only does the european union rule on the curvature of bananas it will not allow them to be sold in bunches larger than three mr johnson said
there is no rule on how or how many bananas may be sold
mr johnson has also said that after leaving the union uk asparagus will be just as sprouting just as delicious in fact even better
the proof of the pudding is in the eating


ripping off a warm piece of the lavash at joe  misses doe a small east village restaurant with a devoted neighborhood following feels like an apt way to honor our move into summer
the chef joe dobias changes the menu all the time depending on whats available and what hes feeling
what hes feeling now as the sidewalk temperature rises and the city loosens up is that its satisfying to start off a meal with a puffy steaming slab of bread his lavash is so hot as it comes off the griddle and gets whisked to your table that your fingers tell you to wait a minute before tearing into it
its hard to hold off for long though because it arrives with a scoop of bucolically green butter mixed with blanched spring peas and a trace of honey mr dobias 37 described the lavash as the opposite of the perfunctory baguette slices offered at some restaurants   bread that may have been baked at the crack of dawn but winds up getting eaten at 8 pm
then its so bad   it has no shelf life he said this bread it begs to be made to order
bread is a central part of the mission at joe  misses doe which mr dobias has run with his wife jill 33 for about eight years dinner which costs 48 is served in four courses
the first course is invariably bread it could be pretzel challah marble rye a pullman loaf cornbread ill try anything really mr dobias said his brunch biscuits are the stuff of legend
even as the meal shifts into more substantial courses soft shell crab with dirty rice for instance or a confit duck leg the memory of that lavash lingers closer to pizza than cracker its base is simple water salt flour yeast but its success depends on paying close attention to the nuances of the dough on any given day
therein lies the challenge mr dobias said in this particular dough theres a balance between moisture and elasticity that youre looking for
overwork it and youre not going to get that beautiful puffiness and the steam pockets he said overseason it with a showy spice mix and youll interfere with the plainness of its pleasure which is why mr dobias sticks with salt and pepper
the flavor is so true and so beautiful that i didnt want to step on it too much he said


ultimately theres nothing you can make with chocolate thats better than a brownie said renato poliafito owner of two baked bakeries in new york city with his partner and co founder matt lewis you can make things that are fancier or lighter or creamier but they wont be better
if such a title is possible mr lewis and mr poliafito are brownie shokunin a japanese word for artisan or master that denotes years even decades of advanced study and daily practice
their deep dark brownie   an immediate hit when the bakery opened in 2005 touted by oprah winfrey and admired by martha stewart   was crafted specifically for dark chocolate fans its bitterness is accented by espresso powder the recipe calls for both cocoa for warm chocolate flavor and dark chocolate for fruity chocolate flavor and like all brownies from baked it is mixed entirely by hand to prevent a caky texture   the nemesis of a good brownie which should err on the side of fudgy if you want cake by all means have cake mr poliafito said but part of the genius of the brownie is that rich density
once a shokunin has perfected a recipe   like our supernatural brownies or bakeds deep dark brownie   you may think it best left alone
but no bakers are a persistent and curious bunch and they keep trying to improve
home cooks spackle layers of cream cheese and peanut butter onto their brownies they weave in oreo cookies and chocolate chip cookie mix this delectable british creation is called a slutty brownie keep in mind that slut in britain often refers to a woman who is a lazy housekeeper
the people at baked have experimented with mint coffee chile and other variations   but the only one to join the permanent roster is the sweet and salty brownie an ingenious combination of blond bittersweet caramel and dark bittersweet chocolate that now outsells the original they are not the first bakers to note the affinity of caramel and chocolate but by emphasizing the bitter sweet and salty notes in both theyve made that rare thing a perfectly balanced bite
it is a spinoff of their sweet and salty cake a layer cake with multiple components and extraordinary flavors that are equally compelling in the form of a brownie that you can make this very afternoon in addition to a brownie batter all it takes is a basic caramel do not stop reading making caramel does involve high heat but so does making pasta the process doesnt have to be terrifying or traumatic many recipes for home cooks call for melting down kraft caramels or using store bought sauce that sticky substance is a world away from the creamy tangy complexity of this homemade sauce you can thank the sour cream and use the extra sauce on ice cream cookies or cake
here are tips for a painless caramel
use a large saucepan and moderate heat its ok if the caramel cooks slowly
use part sugar and part corn syrup which prevents it from crystallizing so dont worry about the caramel seizing up
theres no need to track the temperature with a candy thermometer as long as you can tell the difference between iced tea and iced coffee you are capable of spotting when the caramel is cooked enough at any point between the two
some people and many children like a smoother less bittersweet caramel if that is your target audience let the mixture cook only until it is golden brown not amber
adding a dairy product quickly stops the cooking and makes the mixture thick and creamy
and now to the chocolate buying chocolate at a supermarket these days is like navigating a minecraft landscape plowing through thickets of a repetitive landscape you are lured in random directions by visual cues that may be meaningless labels that shout fair trade shade grown single estate and non gmo may make you a virtuous consumer but they dont make better brownies
mr poliafito has a way to cut through the onslaught find chocolate that is clearly labeled with 60 to 70 percent cocoa solids this may be listed as cocoa beans or cocoa butter and then taste eleven ounces of good chocolate is not a small investment so its only sensible to ensure that the main flavor component of the recipe is delicious
as long as you are in that range of real chocolate he said the best kind to use for brownies is the one that tastes best to you some commercial brands taste terrible some artisanal brands taste terrible usually for different reasons he said
for sprinkling on top it is not necessary to buy salt brought down from the himalayas or hauled up from the tasman seabed any flaky salt is fine and in the brownie batter the texture makes no difference it only needs to be salty to push that popular sweet salty button
sweet with salty seemed like a passing trend at first but now i really believe its imprinted on the american palate mr lewis said salted caramel was the gateway
at a recent baked pop up shop in tokyo he said the saltiness of the caramel brownie was puzzling to japanese customers it hasnt sunk in there yet
even more troubling for them he said was the hefty size of a standard american brownie japanese sweets tend toward the tiny they would take a few bites he said then look worried like what am i going to do with the rest of this
recipe salted caramel brownies
julia moskin is on hand to answer any brownie questions in the comments field post your questions and comments and if you make the recipe tell us how it turned out


mike grajewski a former sheet metal worker owns a chicago accent so delightfully thick that it veers toward saturday night live parody
a man who takes words like this and that and expels them as dis dat and dee udder mr grajewski 64 who is of polish and ukrainian heritage seems an unlikely champion for filipino cooking so does his diner uncle mikes place in the citys ukrainian village neighborhood
but then you sit down at the counter and a bowl of porridge appears before the menu is even offered cloudy with boiled rice the dish is speckled with chopped scallions and fried garlic chips slivers of chicken within and topped with a half moon of lemon this is lugaw and uncle mikes place has given a free bowl to each customer for nearly a decade
mr grajewskis wife lucia was born in the philippines and he decided that serving longaniza sausage tocino pork and garlic fried rice would distinguish his diner from others lugaw would be his friendly hello
many countries can claim some variant of chicken rice soup as an elixir for what ails ya the philippines has lugaw also called arroz caldo a breakfast bowl with viscosity a high comfort quotient and a flexibility with ingredients
lugaw resides in the family of congee the catchall name for boiled rice porridge that has a version in almost every asian nation the accouterments stirred into the bowl are what give congee called jook in hong kong chao in vietnam bubur in indonesia its regional identities
at its essence filipino lugaw requires ginger and chicken said marvin gapultos who wrote the adobo road cookbook and runs the filipino food blog burnt lumpia from there it can be layered with classic filipino flavors calamansi fish sauce scallions crispy garlic chips slices of hard boiled eggs a breakfast staple lugaw is also a fixture of the christmas eve celebration meal known as noche buena
the version mr grajewski serves is not big on frills but its more than a one note dish it has the sharp bite of ginger and green onions the crunch of fried garlic and a subtle tang from the lemon where most congees would settle for savoriness
many of those versions are boiled only in water and rely on toppings to provide flavor the undertow of chicken broth makes lugaw an attractive and easy starter congee
recipe lugaw


sample brooklyn with this handsome gift nils wessell who owns brooklyn butcher blocks in sunset park has teamed up with michael zieba of zieba knives in greenpoint and john ratliff the charcutier and owner of ends meat in industry city to assemble a folding knife and some meaty salumi to go with one of his serious cutting boards fathers day gift box 99 including shipping brooklynbutcherblockscom and endsmeatnyccom


a survey of the personalities who make new yorks food scene tick are collected in this compelling volume by a writer whose beat is not food what she offers are first person accounts from more than 50 individuals behind city institutions like zabars and peter luger you will find justo thomas the fish butcher at le bernardin jeb burke the head chef at rupert murdochs news corporation and nino esposito an owner of sette mezzo and there are plenty of opinions to savor like mr espositos point that new yorkers like to see and be seen by people they know food and the city by ina yalof g p putnams sons 28


to create a series of bar carts usm modular furniture tapped the expertise of three new york mixologists ivy mix of leyenda jane danger of mother of pearl and st john frizell of fort defiance using the companys colorful modular haller shelving each has come up with a rolling bar cart that can be used indoors or out for hers ms danger included a shelf to hold a record player the height of each cart varies according to the designer none include a built in cutting board something i would want but the people at usm say it can be added the carts are worth considering for a very special dad graduate or newlyweds limited edition bar carts 3778 to 5466 at usm modular 28 greene street grand street 212 371 1230 usmcom


cold brew coffee emphasis on the cold is what you get in this new ice pop from brewla a company whose other flavors are fruit based the bar is a lightly sweetened mixture of the coffee and organic milk brewla barista box of five 599 at union market stores in manhattan and brooklyn brewlabarscom


as a child i was pro carrot in any form my birthday cake was always raisin studded carrot cake with cream cheese frosting and i had no complaints with cooked carrots especially well buttered ones
these days my inclination is toward preparations that mitigate a carrots innate sweetness which i sometimes find a bit monochromatic even with prestigious multicolored heirloom carrots rather than plain raw or plainly simmered i crave a carrot with zip carrot juice doesnt tempt me at all generally speaking but if it did it would need goosing up with salt cayenne and acid
so i go for garlicky lemony carrot salads or vinegar laced carrot pickles or well roasted caramelized carrots i like them sauteed with anchovy capers and parsley or smeared with a kicky red pepper paste among the virtues of the carrot is its versatility   the possibilities are limitless
now that were on the cusp of a new season since spring produce is fading and most of the summer vegetables are still weeks away its a good time to appreciate just harvested new crop carrots
long and slender these carrots obviously taste better fresher than the fat ones in jumbo bags dont get me started on those so called baby carrots in the cellophane bags   we all know theyre whittled from giant carrots in some baby carrot factory impervious to seasoning and appreciated only for their grab and go convenience
i have a friend who makes a lovely delicate buttery carrot risotto turned golden with carrot puree and flecked with chives and chervil these young debutante carrots would be perfect for that
and yet what i really craved from the carrots in my market basket was carrot soup not the cloying overly sweet one dimensional too thick porridge like generic carrot soup i wanted a carrot soup with character with sunny assertive indian spices turmeric coriander mustard cumin a touch of coconut and a squeeze of lime a soup with the supple consistency of heavy cream but without dairy
we happily had it for dinner piping hot from the pot but the next day when the weather turned warm it was even better served chilled
recipe spiced carrot soup with lime  more soups


i like a meal that can look me squarely in the eye but thats not the only charm of cooking a whole fish
complete with bones and skin a whole fish has more flavor and stays juicier and moister than the usual fillets and steaks this is the case no matter the cooking method but its especially true when it comes to the grill
the intense heat of the grill can dry out delicate fish flesh sending it from perfect to petrified in a matter of seconds look away to swat a mosquito and your dinner may be lost
whole fish are more forgiving the skin and bones keep the juices from evaporating too quickly acting as insulation and an added bonus for lovers of crisp fish skin the grill will get you there perhaps even more easily than a saute pan the only downside to grilling a whole fish is that the skin tends to stick to the grate this is easily remedied by using a grill basket but if you dont have one use a flat metal spatula gently easing it under the fish skin before flipping then hold your breath and hope for the best if the skin rips fear not a garnish of chopped herbs hides all and tastes good too
as far as other seasonings go a hit of salt coupled with the smokiness of the grill can be enough for mild fish trout dorade branzino or anything else you like but if you want to add aromatics   citrus ginger garlic onions   the fish cavity is an ideal place to do so season the cavity with salt stuff it with thinly sliced aromatics then oil the skin and youll be ready to go
here i use lemongrass sliced lime cilantro stems and shallots inside the fish to give it a thai perfume i repeat those flavors in an accompanying sauce adding thai chile for heat mint for verve fish sauce for funk and coconut milk for sweetness
i usually serve family or guests their own whole fish about a pound each warning them about the bones but if you are more refined you can filet the fish after cooking scooping the meat off the skeleton and serving it neatly without bones and head
at that point the bones and head have done their work and whats left is tender flesh
recipes grilled whole fish with lemongrass chiles and coconut  how to grill


the world of wine often seems like a laboratory with multiple experiments in progress this is particularly so in spain where winemaking roots are ancient yet so much seems new again
all over spain old winemaking regions have been reconstituted grapes that were largely forgotten have been revived and despite the economic difficulties and political impasses that have bedeviled the nation excitement abounds for consumers
consider the godello grape just a few decades ago it had virtually disappeared from spain but a concerted effort by a small number of growers not only saved godello but also inspired wine producers all over the northwestern part of the country to see what they could do with it results have been exceptionally promising and the change has been rapid
the wine panel first examined godello in 2012 when after several abortive efforts over the years we were at last able to put together a group of 20 bottles for a tasting i was impressed by the wines and since then ive been looking forward to a return engagement
four years later seemed like a good time to check back in this time assembling 20 bottles of godello was a snap in fact rather than a complete tasting 20 bottles now seems like a representative sample with many more wines available today
for the tasting florence fabricant and i were joined by ashley santoro wine director at the standard east village and arvid rosengren wine director at charlie bird who was named best sommelier in the world this year in a competition held by the association de la sommellerie internationale a nonprofit educational organization
we were all impressed by the wines we tasted yet after four years the issues seemed entirely different from last time back in 2012 our impression was that godello had much in common with chardonnay it seemed to be somewhat neutral on its own like chardonnay and to have the chameleonlike ability to prosper in various guises from lean and vibrant to dense rich and textured
this time around the wines seemed more of one piece though perhaps each of us had a slightly different interpretation
for me the wines did not so much evoke chardonnay as they did chenin blanc the best were richly textured and floral like chenin but not heavy some had a lovely honeysuckle quality as i often find in chenin blanc and excellent minerality my favorites were taut and energetic well balanced and refreshing
the inconsistency i noticed this time was not so much in style as in quality which varied widely for all the wines we really liked just as many seemed overripe or flabby some seemed practically encased in the flavors of new oak barrels others seemed oxidized though the tasting was made up almost entirely of the 2013 and 14 vintages with just a few 2012s
my colleagues had their own opinions florence was reminded more of viogniers than of chenin blancs while arvid saw them more as a cross between chenin blanc and marsanne a loire rhone hybrid
ashley was disturbed by what she regarded as an overabundance of lees stirring a technique common with chardonnay in which the wine is permitted to age with the remnants of yeast or lees after they are finished with fermentation occasionally the lees are stirred which can contribute to a creamy texture while giving a little air to the wine
godello can benefit from a bit of air as it has a tendency in its absence to develop off aromas but the danger of too much lees stirring can be a flabbiness in the wine and at worst oxidation
this of course involved some informed speculation on our part its not easy to guess exactly what techniques were used in producing the wines and winemakers are often opaque in their explanations
all this is not to obscure the pleasure we took in our favorite wines the bottom line is that 15 years ago many of the producers in our tasting did not exist more striking still the lineup of top wines is completely different from the ones in our 2012 tasting the progress has been astounding
they need a little more time to figure it all out but this is really exciting arvid said
all of our wines came from a cluster of appellations in northwestern spain predominantly valdeorras but also monterrei ribeira sacra and bierzo these are influenced by the atlantic rather than the mediterranean and hence are cooler damper areas than elsewhere in spain
our top wine was the 2013 veluveyra from ronsel do sil in ribeira sacra a lively wine with savory floral and mineral flavors it was also our best value at 20 ronsel do sil is typical of many of the godello producers it has been in business only since 2010 and makes a just small amount of wine
no 2 was the 2014 cuvee de o from bodegas avancia in valdeorras a vivacious wine with flavors of citrus apples and honeysuckle our no 3 was the 2014 from bodegas godelia in bierzo a tangy earthy textured wine with aromas of flowers and herbs this wine in particular had notes that reminded me of chenin blanc
no 4 was the 2013 sobre lias from bodegas valdesil in valdeorras a rich floral wine with flavors of apples and minerals the phrase sobre lias indicates that the wine was aged on its lees which was apparent by its rich texture the other bottle in our tasting labeled sobre lias was our no 7 the 2013 vina somoza from valdeorras which also showed a telltale creaminess well balanced by good acidity incidentally the label indication is strictly optional
the other wines in our top 10 varied between the taut and tangy like the 2014 triay from monterrei and the 2013 a coroa from valdeorras and the richer styles like the 2014 guimaro from ribeira sacra the 2014 from palacio de canedo in bierzo and the 2013 cepas vellas from bodegas godeval in valdeorras
for now at least these wines represent excellent values nothing in our top 10 cost more than 25 though the most expensive wine in our tasting   the 2013 as sortes from rafael palacios in valdeorras   did not make the cut nothing was wrong with the 65 bottle it just did not rise above the others other producers worth looking for include dominio do bibei and telmo rodriguez
its not a bad thing to have a divergence of styles especially with a new and developing type of wine like godello you will find this in just about every other genre of wine so why not godello especially since its a work in progress
best value  1/2  ronsel do sil ribeira sacra godello veluveyra 2013 20
taut lively and pure with great balance and briny floral and mineral flavors savio soares selections brooklyn
 bodegas avancia valdeorras godello cuvee de o 2014 18
luscious and refreshing with lively flavors of citrus apples and honeysuckle jorge ordonez selectionsthe country vintner ashland va
 bodegas godelia bierzo 2014 22
tangy earthy and textured with well balanced aromas and flavors of flowers and herbs europvin van nuys calif
 bodegas valdesil valdeorras godello sobre lias 2013 25
high toned rich and floral with flavors of apples and minerals valkyrie selections san francisco
 1/2  adegas triay monterrei godello 2014 25
taut and tangy with aromas and flavors of apples flowers and minerals spanish artisan wine and spiritst elenteny imports new york
 1/2  guimaro ribeira sacra 2014 20
richly textured and juicy with flavors of tropical fruits and minerals jose pastor selectionsvinos  gourmet richmond calif
 1/2  vina somoza valdeorras godello sobre lias 2013 19
tangy and floral with creamy texture and flavors of herbs and stone fruits winebow new york
 1/2  a coroa valdeorras godello 2013 25
lively and focused with aromas and flavors of honeysuckle minerals and peaches de maison selections chapel hill nc
 1/2  palacio de canedo bierzo godello 2014 18
dense rich and well balanced with aromas and flavors of flowers and tropical fruits regal wine imports moorestown nj
 1/2  bodegas godeval valdeorras godello vina godeval cepas vellas 2013 22
richly textured yet tangy with earthy floral aromas and flavors of tropical fruits valkyrie selections
recipe pairing linguine with lobster and avocado
many of the floral yet tart and complex godellos in our tasting were compliant wines ready to dance with a host of dishes seafood was an obvious partner on the cusp of the summer season an epic seafood salad or a ceviche with a tangy medley of components came to mind i decided to plunder ceviches larder of avocado tomato jalapeno scallion cilantro and citrus juice along with lobster and let them mingle with pasta
the result was brightly fresh tasting a warm weather charmer with a touch of spice and a lovely match for the wine during the brief cooking some of the avocado will melt into the mixture suavely coating the strands of linguine but you also want to be sure that there are still pieces of avocado the dish is satisfying as the main attraction yet light enough to serve as a first course followed by chicken or sausages hot off the grill florence fabricant


welcome to social capital a series devoted to analyzing the social media presences of celebrities
if you were feeling kind you could perhaps call spencer pratt an early adopter of burgeoning art forms pratt known for hijacking his way to a starring role on mtvs the hills created his first short lived reality show in 2005 it was pratt who put kim kardashian in front of a reality tv camera for the first time and in early 2009 he joined twitter   a year before kanye west six years before barack obama and two months before his wedding to heidi montag would be shown on mtv in prime time
a postmodern pioneer spencer pratt didnt just dabble in reality television he was its first truly compelling thoroughly loathsome villain destroyer of the central female friendship of the hills waster of opportunity staunch believer in pseudoscience   pratt became the rat from whose manic scurrying america couldnt look away when the hills ended he wasted his money lost his limelight and was arrested for trying to take hunting gear on a plane in costa rica pratt didnt have fans but he was famous a contradiction in terms usually reserved for legitimate outlaws not random la bros
you would think oblivion would be welcome at that point but for the first few years that pratt was on twitter it seemed he was begging america to keep believing the myth of his screwball villainy he did little else but retweet tabloid coverage of his marriage spew vitriol about cast members of the hills brag about various crystals he had acquired and taunt people he had bested in 2013 he gave the account over to two performance artists who used it to write a pretentious and vacuous paper about exploitative fame and the internet side by side with the rise of love to hate them reality tv celebrities twitter was becoming an increasingly formidable social media forum cultivating a similarly self contradicting culture of hate follows hate faves and subtweets
gradually over the space of several quiet years for pratt and montag   spent deep in the shadows of mtvs juggernaut jersey shore the real housewives empire and the rocket powered rise of the kardashians   pratt started using twitter for something new to pass his hours and to wrangle whatever attention he still could pratt started creating low risk no reward content he started tweeting more   about life about food about losing just about everything but his wife and his ability to comment semi authoritatively on the reality stars that were by then eclipsing him
he embraced the emotional nakedness of our generations online personal brands and started imbuing his confessions of loneliness with the wit that makes them worth the internets time now he confronts the questions others neglect   why u need a squad he asks   and finds his fulfillment in curious places fun for me is apple tips app pratt in 2016 is forthcoming about his insecurities his infamously flesh colored beard and skin that isnt as good as angelina jolies or mark zuckerbergs in a way that stands in stark contrast to his hills era bravado a tweetstorm about the death of his grandmother works its way through every stage of social media grief shock why life gotta be such a trip sincerity few things as awful as hearing mom cry self interest only one who repped speidi - the popular celebrity portmanteau for pratt and his wife - now dead surrender we all gotta walk the plank then a solution i need more good news like this tweeted in response to news about blac chynas engagement to rob kardashian
in cormac mccarthys the road a father tells himself post apocalypse that there is only one way to stay human where youve nothing else construct ceremonies out of air and breathe upon them today with nothing resembling fame left to him save the near million people who are still subscribed to his tweets by accident or by joke pratt treats twitter like a one man off off off off broadway show he regularly bemoans the fact that by maintaining this account hes out here bleeding soul for free but his impulse is still to create    something his twitter hews so closely to the paragon of what people online would call a good feed one part weird twitter two parts social justice eight parts chipotle its hard to believe it happened by accident it looks like a pet art project that blog you start just so you can maintain a creative outlet it resembles a ritual   a nonfamous person executing the ceremony of fame that is left to him the ability to make his personal feelings available on the twitter feeds of a million people
pratt is aware of its his own irrelevance and the hilarity of talking about it good thing about being irrelevant is nobody calls you for expletive but something tells him that he is good at what he is doing for the last several months he has been angling for a job as a social media manager going so far as to respond directly to a job posting from entertainment weekly the unlikely marriage of resignation and unsinkable hope on display on his twitter is most likely familiar to anyone who has ever languished just outside the frame and felt that they were rotting
at the end of the series finale for the hills the cameras cut to a soundstage it wasnt reality it was just television afterward kristen cavallari a cast member said that almost all of it was scripted but we never dropped our perception of pratt as a villain which is what makes todays twitter confessions hard to place is he putting on a carefully curated show looking for attention genuinely sad
mostly pratt appears to be biding his time in the only place where he has an audience albeit one that could not possibly care very much about him as a general rule spencers followers do not speak to him they do not like his tweets and they do not retweet them when they do speak its often unkind if a tweet of his gets three replies one of them will be shut up
the current equivalent of spencer pratt is perhaps jax taylor the indisputable villain of vanderpump rules   a perpetually red faced pathological liar serial cheater and terrible friend yet taylors affable social media presence humanizes him making it possible to watch the show without believing that hes truly a sociopath he mostly dotes on his girlfriend his dog his friends and the brands that hook him up with free stuff there were no such back channels available while the hills was on the air and no one on one time with the cameras for any of the stars either pratt is angling for that humanizing quality time now with mixed success that often devolves into frustration
pratt doesnt want forgiveness exactly if i had talent you would all be expletive he proclaims vaguely and aggressively to anyone who is reading he just wants to be welcomed back into the exalted fold of popular culture
theres a difference between love and attention and the fact that spencer tweets at all   about king kylie friday night lights and zits   betrays the fact that he will settle for the latter his twitter recklessly ruthlessly epitomizes that familiar stereotype of the generation we share he believes wholeheartedly in his own specialness even as he becomes increasingly disillusioned with a world that is poorly equipped to notice it


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1 primaries in six states played out even as the presidential nominations seemed to be set hillary clinton had already hit the delegate threshold to secure the democratic nomination but cemented her standing with a wins in new jersey new mexico and south dakota bernie sanders vowed to fight on hoping a win in california might prompt superdelegates to defect to him

2 donald trump said his comments about a hispanic judge   suggesting he would not be able to handle a case against the now closed trump university fairly because of his heritage   had been misconstrued mr trump spoke after speaker paul ryan above called mr trumps criticism the textbook definition of a racist comment and absolutely unacceptable

3 indias prime minister narendra modi goaded by concern over a possible trump presidency showcased an unusually cooperative approach on his second visit to the white house in two years he took crucial steps toward ratifying the paris climate accord and finishing the purchase of nuclear reactors with a military deal to come modi wants to get as much as he can out of obamas last months in office an analyst said

4 more than 350000 people have signed a petition for the recall of a california judge who sentenced this stanford university student brock turner to only six months in jail after he was convicted of sexual assault the victims 7000 word cry for justice published after the sentencing has been viewed more than 85 million times

5 muhammad ali died just as a foundation devoted to the photographer gordon parks was preparing to exhibit some of his images of the boxer the new show features previously unseen photos of ali taken on assignment for life magazine between 1966 and 1970 above ali praying before a bout in london

6 j k rowling pleaded with fans to keep the plot twists in harry potter and the cursed child secret the play which begins at the point where her seven volume series ends opened in previews in london no spoilers here ron still provides comic relief our reporter says hermione remains cerebral and slightly bossy and harry tries as hard as he can but doesnt quite live up to his own expectations

7 in a rare victory against prison abuses five new york city correction officers were convicted of all charges in the beating of a rikers island inmate in 2012 the inmate testified that he was punched kicked and stomped and spat up blood for months several more accused officers are to hear their verdict on friday regrettably some people think of prisoners as less than human said a lawyer

8 the syrian president bashar al assad swore to retake every inch of territory lost in six years of civil war his defiant address offered no hope that he would back a revival of talks to find a political solution meanwhile un officials said the syrian authorities had delayed approval for desperately needed food aid for civilians trapped in a rebel held area near the capital

9 finally the cosmologist stephen hawking who suffers from a form of lou gehrigs disease made a significant addition to his groundbreaking work on black holes working with two colleagues he found that the essential properties of whatever falls into these cosmic pits may after all survive or as he put it recently black holes are not the eternal prisons they were once thought

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on a recent and sweltering afternoon in soho robin standefer of roman and williams   the design company she runs with her husband stephen alesch   plucked some peppermint from an outdoor planter on lafayette street she wandered inside motioned for me to sit on a banquette and later urged her friend to share a clip from his iphone of his young daughter singing animal sounds that friend happened to be chef daniel rose   of the parisian hotspot spring   and we were inside what will soon be his first stateside restaurant le coucou it was designed by standefer and alesch and got its name from the small voice chirping in roses palm
le coucou at the bottom of the 11 howard hotel marks a shift in roman and williamss aesthetic moving the duos residential codes out of the home we focus on american history and traditional design for most of our public spaces alesch says mentioning the ace hotel and the standard highline he notes that 10 years ago there wasnt such a need for european design   at that point restaurants and hotels all had a tuscan theme the plan for le coucou began appropriately by imagining the kitchen   custom green porcelainized steel appliances under a matching hood the entire scene visible to diners in talking to daniel we found the way he speaks about food is poetic and a bit punk so we said lets bust this open standefer says people dont generally put open kitchens in fancier restaurants in the united states
from there standefer and alesch clung to the idea of a rambling home they sculpted archways installed triple hung glass windows collected vintage thonet chairs and found frog glass lighting fixtures by helena tynell the bar resembles a kitchen counter   its not a bar scene bar we dont want a bar to always look like its from the movie cocktail standefer says   situated in front of an antique oak door updated with shelving and a hand painted mural on the surrounding walls is based on the work of the 18th century french landscape painter hubert robert
as usual standefer and alesch custom designed certain objects specifically cast iron chandeliers with hand blown glass shades as well as a series of bronze candleholders and the planters full of culinary greens that line the sidewalk out front reflect the couples own home garden they say they would happily offer up some radicchio for roses plates


times insider shares insights into how we work at the new york times in this article lew serviss an assistant editor on the print news hub reveals the genesis and decade long stewardship of robert lipsytes moving tribute to a transcendent cultural icon
for robert lipsyte the process of memorializing muhammad ali began 52 years ago ali was the single most important subject of my professional life mr lipsyte told me on sunday two days after the heavyweight champions death i was a 26 year old sports rewrite man and feature writer sent to cover clay liston because the real boxing writer didnt think a one round ko was worth his time this was the 1964 title fight in which ali   then cassius clay   was given little chance to upset the reigning champ sonny liston but of course he did
ali and i were among the youngest there in miami for the fight we bonded and when it was over both our careers were made mr lipsyte said ive covered him since 1964 and his humanity cruelty ignorance and intelligence have been overwhelming he was transcendent he could hug you from across the room kiss you over the phone his vibes were thrilling
mr lipsyte filed a draft of the ali obituary shortly before bill mcdonald took over as the obituaries editor of the times in 2006 writing his obit was bittersweet mr lipsyte said hed already been lost   he was mute and immobile   but going back over our five decade journey together was joyous and sad
mr mcdonald inherited a stockpile hundreds strong of advance obits   articles prepared in anticipation of the deaths of historical figures   in various stages of completion as mini biographies these obits undergo layers of drafts rewrites and close edits production includes photo research and print page design shreeya sinha the web editor for obituaries helps coordinate with the copy desks and shepherds slide shows video sidebars mobile alerts and photo captions
the obituary editors try to get the big figures   particularly those of advanced age or those who are dangerously ill   to the copy desks for final editing quickly mr mcdonald said to have one in readiness for more than a decade is not the norm
in alis case he recalled i had read it at some point after i took the job   when he was 64 or 65   and i could see it was terrific


times insider shares insights into how we work at the new york times in this article lew serviss an assistant editor on the print news hub describes how an enterprising team of times staffers worked into the wee hours of saturday morning to accomplish a feat with all the drama and suspense of an epic boxing match
the life of muhammad ali the heavyweight champion of so much more than the world of boxing   a towering figure of a generation   was coming to an end
the new york times rushed to complete a report that took full measure of the man known as the greatest an all encompassing 4000 word obituary by robert lipsyte who had covered ali since 1964 was the centerpiece of the package a second story had been written years in advance by dave anderson the longtime sports of the times columnist
but when would the time come to tell the world
friday 430 pm
word that ali was on life support kicked the planning into high gear on friday afternoon just after the daily 430 news meeting a strategy session convened by dean baquet the executive editor of the times resulted in a third story by the columnist george vecsey and various online additions and stories for the follow up to the passing of ali
publishing on the web required the preparation of articles graphics slide shows video and other material but unveiling the coverage online could be accomplished from a keyboard in the times newsroom
publishing in print would mean designing newspaper pages making plates for the presses organizing delivery routes driving trucks and dropping copies on doorsteps all this activity requires a timetable so that the end result is a paper delivered in time for breakfast not lunch how would the times be able to present the ali package in print how widely would it be distributed that would depend on when the news broke
the obituary   which has its own times insider back story   was sent to the sports copy desk in 2014 when alis health added urgency to the process that bill mcdonald the timess obituaries editor and his staff undertake to ensure that a momentous passing is captured smartly and completely it was edited by zach johnk and sean ernst who wrote the headline that went on the web a titan of boxing and the 20th century
how the ali package could go into the paper   how many pages could run how the photos could be displayed   depended on what time of day the news came in
ive been at the times as a sports art director for 21 years but discussions of how to visually handle alis obituary in print have been ongoing for almost as long said wayne kamidoi
a design for three sports pages for ali was roughed out two years ago by mr kamidoi and another designer fred bierman the front page of the sports section   the dress page   would consist of an enormous photo of ali in his prime left by the legendary times sports photographer barton silverman with the start of the anderson column an obituary starting on page one would be continued on two facing pages with an enormous photo of ali in triumph below after being declared the victor over sonny liston in 1964 the photo was designed to run across two pages and would need to be a center spread   a continuous sheet of paper rather than two facing pages with a fold
friday 5 pm
but planning the press configuration is a complex process tom jolly one of the associate masthead editors reviewed the options with a cluster of news desk editors shortly after 5 pm if ali died before 7 we would add pages to the overall newspaper said denise fuhs the chief of the print news hub if it happened after 7 we would have to throw out at least four pages of news to make room more important once it was too late to drastically rearrange the newspaper the center spread photo would not be possible
after creative director tom bodkin designed saturdays a1 mr kamidoi said he immediately drew the front page plan if ali died just in case the design called for a deep four column box with an intense portrait left by gordon parks the noted photographer and film director mr kamidoi and another art director lee yarosh designed two more inside pages the package was taking shape
with work proceeding and anticipation building i alerted michael connors the managing director for production at the timess printing plant in college point queens where all the new york edition papers are printed just as the newsroom had to plan coverage and assemble words and images into designed pages the plant had to organize its phases of production making each page into plates for the presses moving volkswagen size rolls of newsprint tending presses processing bundles of papers coming off them
we discussed what our options would be to maximize the number of papers printed if we confirmed alis death in time for the first new york edition or even later because it was a friday night two factors were in our favor people did not expect delivery quite as early on a saturday and the saturday press run is larger than that of any other day except sunday mr connors contacted departments throughout the cavernous printing plant alerting them to alis grave condition to the fact that we needed to be flexible and ready to change direction immediately and to our obligation to get out as many copies with the news included as possible
alan robertazzi the editor of newspaper production sent a similar alert to coordinators of the 27 national print sites for the times
friday 7 pm
preparations continued as the 7 pm window for adding pages to the paper closed pete blair the head of the sports copy desk gave another look at the anderson column which had been copy edited in 2014 by adrienne morris another copy editor eric morse reviewed a 20 minute video and scrambled to edit a timeline and a slide show before starting on the dozen or so captions for the print obit greg mcelvain dropped everything he was doing to edit the newly written vecsey column
mr bierman rebuilt the centerspread layout so that the photo of alis jubilation in the ring after the liston fight was contained on one of two facing pages the original two page design appeared in sundays sports section
friday 930 pm
the first national edition closed with no ali update but at 930 steve kenny the night news hub chief pulled together another cluster of news editors he had just received an email from john eligon a national correspondent who had covered boxing for sports and was assigned to keep tabs on ali mr eligon alerted him that a statement was expected soon according to a family spokesman he had talked to i asked if that meant we should have our stories ready mr eligons email read and he said yes
the news editors discussed the options available if confirmation came just in time for the first new york edition mr kenny consulted with mr baquet who endorsed a plan to put a condensed version of the obituary in the lead position on page one move another story inside the paper and then work to get the full package into later editions the room grew quiet as work continued
friday 1030 pm
about an hour later joe drape a sports reporter had reached another source mr kenny reported the source had told mr drape that the end was near and that it was hour by hour defcon 2 i thought recalling the 1983 thriller wargames in which a couple of teenagers unwittingly put the united states military on one of its highest defense readiness alerts
with the first new york edition closed ms fuhs identified a new issue the package we hoped to run for the second national and new york editions consisted of a page one design that dropped two stories for the parks photo and lipsyte obit 52 years in the making it included five ali pages in sports the remaining three pages in sports would need to be reworked to consolidate the days sporting news a page in the business section and five in the national section would have to be revised   stories trimmed headlines and captions rewritten   to accommodate the changes on a1 finally because stories were moving across the paper the a2 index page would have to be updated
a total of 16 impacted pages an ambitious undertaking with time growing shorter and shorter
ms fuhs called together carl nelson the night sports editor jay schreiber deputy sports editor mr blair and tom coffey who was filling in as the weekend sports editor
can we stand the section for the second editions she asked meaning skip any updates at all the sports editors agreed that there were no must run events   no nba finals no stanley cup final game
what if we started setting up ali now so if it happens anytime from 11 on well be able to run the whole package ms fuhs suggested the entire early edition sports section would be reworked   with the ali designs that mr kamidoi and mr bierman had created we would be in a position to send pages to the presses quickly if we got the call molly bedford a news designer on the daily sports section had had a similar thought as had mr blair mr kenny and i agreed that it would push us farther ahead and that if no word came before it was too late to print any papers with ali news we could use the pages for the sunday paper or beyond
looks like i picked the wrong week to stop smoking mr coffey said imitating lloyd bridges in the disaster spoof airplane
we moved the pre designed pages onto the live pages and condensed the remaining sports section into three pages removing several stories ms bedford said allowing extra time for the copy desk to cut the general sports stories rewrite hardware and get started on the ali content even so if the green light came tommy rivas the a1 page designer would have a sprint to the finish since he could not begin his rebuild until page one updated for the second editions
friday 1130 pm
the newsroom pressed ahead with eyes on the clock after midnight there would be little chance of touching many national edition papers and hitting new york papers was getting tricky at 1130 as i monitored the college point press run   still well over 200000 papers to go   i texted mr connors nothing yet mike but were ready to go quickly
he replied ok lew same here at sprawling college point   so huge that workers use bicycles to get from one end to another   the operations manager ernie booth coordinated among departments to help stretch out the press run
soon we were in for the second edition and still no word this wasnt to be the night i thought muhammad ali was in every sense of the word a fighter after all
with a significant number of papers still to be printed we focused on the new york postscript   the last opportunity to make changes there was just one request for a single sports page to update the united states colombia match in the copa america soccer tournament once completed   the deadline was 1230 am   we would be done for the night although i was not about to declare the good night shutting down the newsroom until we had exhausted the possibility of getting late news onto the presses
saturday 1220 am
at 1220 i refreshed the trending hashtag i had been monitoring on twitter muhammadali my eyes immediately fell on a post in the middle of the screen by a times political reporter yamiche alcindor wow nbc news is reporting muhammadali has died i felt like the roy scheider character in jaws watching a shark attack swimmers as a camera on a dolly pushed toward him hitchcock style
i told mr kenny whose eyes widened as he reached for the phone to call mr nelson in sports nbc reporting hes dead i texted to mr connors hang on in minutes mr eligon had confirmed with the family spokesman that ali had died and we were off to the races justin porter on the digital desk sent out a news alert at 1244 the digital news team led by mr kenny and dave renard a news editor quickly published to the web a banquet of news the obituary the two columns a 20 minute video a slide show a timeline and a compilation of ali quotations
saturday 1244 am
i called mr connors this time with confirmation ok lew he said how many pages a bunch i said sixteen moments later i saw that the four presses printing the saturday paper at college point had stopped i contacted robert barnes the coordinator for national print sites he emailed that all the sites except for one   los angeles   had finished their allotted runs but los angeles which had 7000 papers yet to print would wait for our pages
mr rivas began the extensive revision of page one mr ernst who two years earlier had taken the early read of the ali obit prepared for substantial changes in the national section and maya salam on the business desk waited to begin work on a revised jobs article that had changed shape on a1 on the news design desk andy braford tim bralczyk john grippe elena gustines and frank reneau worked to revise and complete pages penn bullock searched to see where stories had landed to update the a2 index
sports pages were clearing quickly ms fuhss plan to stand the sports section for the second edition had given us a big advantage but just as there is always a last minute hitch in cliffhanger movies our new and at times temperamental content management system threw up some roadblocks three dogged news technology specialists   michael kane caitlin lovinger and chris tatti   got to work as the minutes ticked by at last mr grippe set the last of the 32 pages   one 16 page set was for los angeles and 7000 lucky readers   at 151 am
saturday 151 am
the presses were still stopped the newsroom was done but now the work had moved on to platemaking at college point each page the newsroom had sent had to pass through a platemaking line until a plate emerged that would go on the presses color pages we had sent two each needed four plates for color separation mike cassidy the assistant foreman shepherded all the plates through and the pressroom got the presses replated and restarted while the delivery department made up lost time in getting papers onto trucks and on their way
half of the new york edition   nearly 200000 papers   carried the obituary that robert lipsyte had started 52 years earlier


this sunday the tony awards will honor the best of broadway and likely deliver many of the biggest prizes to hamilton the public theaters biggest hit since a chorus line had its debut in 1975
so when the nonprofit theater had its annual gala monday night in central park it seemed not just like its biggest fund raiser to date the company raised a record 25 million but a kind of pre tonys celebration and victory tour for its artistic director oskar eustis
over the last four years he has presided over one action packed season after another with successes that included here lies love david byrne and fatboy slims musical about imelda marcos wife of the philippine dictator ferdinand e marcos fun home lisa kron and jeanine tesoris musical about a young lesbian whose father commits suicide and danai guriras eclipsed a harrowing drama about genocide in liberia that is currently nominated for six tony awards
weve had a good couple of years mr eustis said earlier that day shortly before guests like bette midler david remnick the editor in chief of the new yorker and julianna margulies streamed into central park to start another season of shakespeare in the park
mr eustis didnt have a quick answer for what explains this extraordinary run its partly trial and error he said the way he has learned to develop new musicals which was something he didnt really know when he took the job in 2005 he has also watched his operating budget increase to 36 million last year from 21 million in 2008
but he has come to believe that success builds upon success just as connections build upon connections and that dynamic was on ample display monday night as mr eustis stood by the delacorte theater
one moment he was chatting with michael r bloomberg who had arrived with his girlfriend diana taylor the next mr eustis was huddled on the lawn with samantha power the united states ambassador to the united nations who is a major aficionado of the public theater having taken colleagues and diplomats to hamilton eclipsed fun home and shakespeare in the park
oskar is my soft power new york projectile ms power said if you want to change the world the public is the place to take people their whole perspective changes in ways that it doesnt trying to argue the case with them rationally
in this increasingly plutocratic era there was a retro quality to the way mr eustis bounced around the room in his seersucker suit even at 58 more than 20 years after he became an accomplished director known partly for his work on the original production of angels in america mr eustis retains a strangely boyish quality
with his thick mop of brown reddish hair and his bow tie nearly upside down he looks almost like a cross between a dr seuss character and the fifth member of the talking heads
when the pop singer sophie b hawkins came over to mr eustis after the grilled chicken dinner and told him that she was writing a musical he barely seemed to know what to do im actually a little verklempt he said the minute she left i had such a crush on her when i was young
nevertheless mr eustis has also been around long enough to have the sort of wisdom no man wishes for
when the financial crisis struck in 2008 donations dropped off precipitously an attempt to bring the musical bloody bloody andrew jackson to broadway in 2010 turned into a sinkhole that led to serious unrest on the board in 2014 mr eustiss teenage son died a tragedy that mr eustis described simply as a horror
at last years gala mr eustis was honored and nearly broke down in tears as he spoke about what the experience had been like for his entire family which includes his wife laurie and his daughter kyle brown so as mr eustis posed for pictures with lin manuel miranda on monday night and squeezed the wrists of board members like alexandra shiva the contrast to years past was impossible to miss
and it was nice to see the mood remained festive as attendees moved into the theater around 8 pm where mr eustis ascended to a lectern at the front of the stage there he thanked his staff the board chairwoman arielle tepper madover and his sponsors at bank of america
he also gave a little shoutout to the talent in the room
shakespeares a really great writer but just sitting in section c we have david hare and lin manuel miranda he said segueing into his introduction of the evenings program a tribute to shakespeares influence on america
over the next two hours actors like bill irwin lily rabe andre holland and hamish linklater performed scenes from othello hamlet and romeo  juliet while jimmy smits f murray abraham and phylicia rashad read the writings of historical figures like john quincy adams abraham lincoln and john wilkes booth discussing how shakespeare had influenced them
then just before 10 pm the shows director jeremy mccarter came up to the stage with james shapiro the editor of the recent book shakespeare in america to introduce the final performance meryl streep and christine baranski ms streep and ms baranski were there to do the duet brush up your shakespeare from kiss me kate cole porters 1948 musical update of the taming of the shrew
and as mr mccarter explained both parts ordinarily played by men would be played by women
it soon became clear what he meant ms streeps skin had a certain orange hue her hair was sprayed blond and went about a half foot high and she had on a black suit and a red tie like the ones donald j trump wears on the campaign trail
she was even doing mr trumps trademark gesticulations and facial expressions pursing her lips rolling her eyes and shrugging with disdain as she sang about being rejected by women
half the audience seemed to be gasping for air they were laughing so hard ushers ran down the aisles to tell patrons that video recording was verboten it was an oxymoron if ever there was one a viral theater moment
that was one for the ages said ms midler shortly after it ended and cast members took their bows
had mr eustis known what was about to go down
i had an idea he said a little while later sitting on a bench with his wife as dessert was served and a dj played for the crowd
in fact mr eustis continued there had been a certain amount of discussion among his staff members that mocking the presumptive republican nominee for president may not be such a smart idea
but deciding whether to encourage ms streep was among his easier executive dilemmas shes meryl streep he said flashing a smile


not since goldfinger ordered the gilt body of his double crossing gal pal dumped in james bonds bed has the metalized body had such a cultural moment the intergalactic sheen of the inorganic seems omnipresent tinging everything from eyes lips and nails to gilded temporary tattoos cutaneous body adornments to even the most ubiquitous handheld device the rose gold iphone 6s metal mania may have reached a saturation point at the recent met gala where glittering guests were greeted by a phalanx of chrome helmeted silver lashed cyber models not to be outdone many of the partiers   resplendent in spangled balmain spacesuits shiny ear cuffs and chromed accouterments   seemed on the verge of some metallurgic transmogrification themselves
if the met gala was its apotheosis the origin point of the precious metal movement occurred backstage in milan last fall fresh from the unveiling of her gold leaf haunted house at the new fondazione prada miuccia prada exhorted her team to plate her models lips in an eerie yellow gold powder that went on to become the look of the season   a surreal intersection of klimt and kubrick prada is a client of the author moving on to paris maison margiela amped up the effect with silvered eyes after several seasons where makeup on the runway evoked some idealized image of dewy naturalism the metallic applique exuded a molten heft that was unabashedly sci fi the result was uncanny and alien part barbarella part blade runner part ziggy stardust with so much attention focused on our virtual selves   the use of emails texts posts and snapchats   this emergence of the metalized body seems to reassert the physical in the face of digital dissolution metal may be inherently inhuman the uneffaced index of industrialization but at least its tangible
simultaneously this plating of the skin triggers our conflicted relationship with machines and technology and femininity and sex and power and the future the co mingling of flesh and metal agitates an underlying contemporary neurosis where does the body stop and the machine take over fashion occupies that space at the edge of the body and the fetishism that succumbs to the sex appeal of the inorganic the german cultural theorist walter benjamin famously observed is fashions vital nerve we want what were not and for millennia the cold hard impenetrability of metal has served as the counterpoint of supple flesh metals may be our most ancient obsession   they name our prehistories after all   but this moment of techno fetishism looks decidedly forward the metallic is still our most explicit expression of the futuristic steel nails evoke cybernetic componentry chromed lips a space age prophylactic
the organicinorganic dialectic of the dystopian future has motivated countless paranoiac cyber fantasies consider maria the fetching maschinenmensch man machine from fritz langs 1927 classic metropolis reputed to be the first fembot   though that term didnt enter the pop lexicon until lindsay wagner of the bionic woman started kicking serious ass in the second wave 70s the somewhat more clinical term gynoid was coined by gwyneth jones to describe the alluring chinese robot slave in her 1984 novel divine endurance those gleaming heroines are but few in a centuries long line of sexy robotrix spanning countless japanese animes as well as playboy playmate dorothy strattens galaxina the suburbandroid stepford wives t x aka the terminatrix hajime sorayamas chromed pin ups the campy artillery breasted fembot army of austin powers international man of mystery ethereal ava of ex machina and the glamorous claw armed imperator furiosa from mad max fury road
the gynoid neatly conflates erotic desire and fear   pris the basic pleasure model replicant in blade runner attempts to strangle her would be captor between her thighs   the terror of the sex toy run amok running amok is of course what robots do in terms of moral repercussion the unintended actions of the robot are the inevitable consequence of designer hubris what can you expect when you challenge god yet despite all the cautionary tales it remains the case that there is no greater prize than our own mechanical duplication project that trope onto the world of style and its only a minor conceptual leap from designing the look to designing the woman why stop at the dress the cyborg is fashions gesamtkunstwerk
a top of the line cyborg however is still technically out of reach for even the most ambitious futurist so the computer generated version is still the next best thing last winter louis vuitton announced that lightning the 100 percent pixel based heroine from the final fantasy video games would be the face of a new campaign according to the creative director nicolas ghesquiere his digital muse is the perfect avatar for a global heroic woman and for a world where social networks and communications are now seamlessly woven into our life not to mention the perfect avatar for a global brand one that can be leveraged infinitely without all the pesky inconveniences of flesh and blood
if keeping up with the unrealizable expectations of the fashion system werent already challenging enough the indefatigable pris or the effortlessly breathtaking lightning chosen to be a savior by the god bhunivelze and tasked to save the peoples souls before the end of the world seriously up the ante do you know how hard it is to save souls and still look fresh though you may never be charged with global salvation at least now you can look like you could be a little silver on the lip gold on the eyelid or chrome on the nail and youre ready to take on the worlds
all this gilding suggests an emerging form wavering on the edge between ancient alchemy and ultra technology the fetishistic and futuristic under the lights of the runway the glinting metallic glaze deconstructs the female face disassembling it into an intricate shimmering machine of highly polished components perhaps at issue is simply reflection the light   and the gaze   bounce off the body there is no there there just a reflection of the surrounding world i fembot am you but that reflectivity also suggests a different kind of plating metal as the quintessential protective skin the robot recalls first and foremost a reanimated suit of armor sans body contemporary body armor is mostly invisible embedded in the mesh of a garment or even a kind of super fabric in itself but the metalized woman defiantly wears her armor on the outside in todays world the message is as blunt as lead im impervious


as an editor of horticulture books at timber press in portland ore for eight years juree sondker learned a thing or two about plants but she didnt fully understand their power   until she edited jj pursells the herbal apothecary i was always interested in taking herbs internally but i had never thought about their topical uses sondker says working with pursell a highly regarded naturopath sondker got a crash course in foraging and distilling natural remedies to cure everything from muscle aches to insomnia the postscript to completing the manuscript sondker applied her extensive knowledge of the plant kingdom into horticulture skin care her own beauty company which launched recently her first offering is plant potion a natural serum composed of 14 different essential oils to firm and hydrate the skin
the formula has a lot of actives like rosehip pomegranate and baobab which promote cell turnover and have high doses of vitamins a and c sondker explains then i balanced it out with nourishing oils like calendula and borage seed so the serum is both healing and active the final blend she says is the equivalent of a green smoothie   super powerful but natural
creating the right formula wasnt entirely different from her day job in fact editors need to be incredible researchers to seek out answers from everywhere says sondker who adds that much of the process involved researching the most powerful plants to apply topically the initial batches went to family and friends including lisa and samantha jones the co owners of pigeon toe ceramics in portland when they wanted to carry it in their boutique i thought i better form a llc and do this thing for real
to that end sondker is taking a few months off from editing to garden full time im working on a face mask next which will have an even more powerful concentration of the superfoods found in plant potion she says to keep up with demand sondker sources ingredients from sustainable growers and suppliers nearby mountain rose herbs is a favorite but still grows a small supply in her backyard where a small plot is filled with herbaceous perennial borders and resembles what she calls a modern meadow
here sondker shares with t how to make a revitalizing summer face mask using homegrown ingredients
cucumbers are high in vitamins a and c as well as silica so they really are a superfood for your skin rosemary and calendula are both healing and anti inflammatory and the honey is incredibly clarifying and moisturizing as a special boost i sometimes add four to five drops of plant potion but any favorite serum will work
12 cucumber peeled 1 to 2 teaspoons raw local honey 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves 1 teaspoon calendula oil or extra virgin olive oil
1 mix all the ingredients in a blender to form a creamy consistency
2 rub the concoction on your face and neck and leave on for 20 to 30 minutes ideally when taking a bath so the steam can help the ingredients absorb
3 wash off
if youd like to make your own calendula infused oil place six to eight ounces of dried calendula flowers in a clean dry 16 ounce glass jar and cover with extra virgin olive oil until the jar is almost full put the jar in a sunny place to infuse for three to four weeks drain the petals from the oil with cheesecloth and return to the jar this amazing oil will keep for 10 to 12 months when stored out of direct sunlight


the beloved celebrity makeup artist charlotte tilburys new collection of lipsticks   in glowy shades from pale nude to retro coral to rich mulberry   are each named after a different woman she works with from helena bonham carter to nicole kidman and each come with a square angled tip for the most precise application


front page
an obituary on sunday and in some editions on saturday about muhammad ali misstated the name of a broadway show in which he appeared it was buck white not big time buck white buck white was a musical version of the play big time buck white the obituary also misstated the outcome of the 1963 fight between ali then still known as cassius clay and henry cooper the fight was stopped in the fifth round after cooper had knocked clay down in the fourth cooper did not go down in the fifth round  after he had staggered clay in the fourth

an article on friday about the naming of robert f smith as chairman of carnegie hall referred incorrectly to the national museum of african american history and culture to which he has made substantial gifts it is to open in september it has not recently opened
international
because of an editing error an article on march 25 about the simmering frustrations of many belgians over the countrys deep and longstanding divisions which were highlighted by the terrorist attacks of march 22 misstated the empire state buildings tribute to the belgian victims on that day the building remained dark it was not lighted in the colors of the belgian flag a reader alerted the times to the error shortly after publication but editors failed to follow through with a correction
sports
because of an editing error a picture caption in some copies on wednesday with an article about the toronto blue jays recent success against the yankees misstated the day torontos jose bautista was shown throwing an imaginary ball to yankees fans was taken it was during the yankees 6 0 win on may 24 at yankee stadium   not during the blue jays 4 2 victory of may 30 which was played in toronto
the arts
a report in the arts briefly column on monday about this years drama desk awards misstated the number of tony nominations for hamilton which won seven drama desk awards last year it is 16 not 17

a picture credit on monday with the books of the times review of the course of love by alain de botton and labor of love by moira weigel using information from the publisher farrar straus and giroux misidentified the photographer the picture of ms weigel is by joni sternbach not jean ervasti

a television review on saturday about africas deadliest on nat geo wild misidentified some of the predators shown a cheetah not a cougar eats a gazelle and a leopard not a cougar is seen trying to eat a wildebeest
weekend
an art review on friday about nicole eisenman al ugh ories at the new museum in manhattan and nicole eisenman at the anton kern gallery in manhattan using information from the museum misidentified a painting that depicts a panoply of neediness and degradation it is beasley street not the work of labor and care the review also misstated the number of paintings in the exhibition it is 22 not 20 and the review described incorrectly one of the two people who appear in the painting tm and lee at the gallery according to the artist one figure is intended to be of indeterminate gender the work does not depict two women
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washington   the republican chairman of the house financial services committee outlined on tuesday a legislative proposal that aims to dismantle significant portions of the dodd frank financial regulatory overhaul
the plan whose details will be released in full later this month has little chance of passing congress this year but the proposal by representative jeb hensarling republican of texas may influence the presidential debate and help shape the republican agenda in the next term
the conservative lawmaker has been a longtime critic of the financial reform law the financial choice act which stands for creating hope and opportunity for investors consumers and entrepreneurs builds on longstanding efforts by house republicans to roll back or repeal major elements of the law and would strip financial regulators of significant authority to oversee some of the countrys largest financial institutions the plan is an outgrowth of a call by house speaker paul ryan for republican lawmakers to offer affirmative policy proposals that go beyond criticisms of democratic policies
donald j trump the presumptive republican presidential nominee has said that he will dismantle dodd frank though he has not provided detail about how he would replace or rewrite the law
simply put dodd frank has failed mr hensarling said in remarks to the economic club of new york on tuesday its time for a new legislative paradigm in banking and capital markets
his proposals will call for replacing the financial reform laws orderly liquidation authority for winding down a failing financial institution with a new chapter of the bankruptcy code
the plan would also repeal the volcker rule which aims to stop banks from making some risky bets with their own money moreover the legislation would prevent a body of regulators known as the financial stability oversight council from designating any nonbanks as systemically important metlife recently won a federal court case to throw out its too big to fail label from the fsoc but other companies including the american international group and prudential financial are still covered general electrics financial unit has applied to have the designation removed
at the same time the proposal would allow the countrys largest banks to exempt themselves from capital and liquidity requirements and other regulatory standards if they hold enough capital to maintain a leverage ratio of 10 percent
the republican plan does not force any bank to raise a dime of new capital mr hensarling said  rather it allows banks to opt into a regime that replaces dodd franks suffocating regulatory complexity and control with market discipline
the legislation would also restructure the consumer financial protection bureau and remove some of its powers the plan would replace the agencys single director with a bipartisan commission which would be called the consumer financial opportunity commission all of the financial regulatory agencies would have to abide by heightened cost benefit analysis standards that critics have argued are designed to slow or even halt the rule writing process the other financial agencies would also be reformed as bipartisan commissions in cases where they are not already and all would be subject to the congressional appropriations process except in the case of the federal reserves monetary policy
still the conservative plan does contain some elements that others may find more palatable the legislative outline calls for imposing stronger penalties for financial fraud and for greater transparency in the enforcement process which policy makers on both sides of the aisle have advocated since the financial crisis albeit with little to show so far it also gives a nod to community banks teeing up provisions that would loosen standards for smaller financial institutions but even some of those proposals have faced resistance from democrats in congress
president obama in a recent speech on the economy reiterated the white houses stance against broad rollbacks of the financial reform law underscoring the uphill battle the legislation would face in the current political environment
have we really forgotten what just happened eight years ago it hasnt been that long ago mr obama said last week in elkhart ind referring to big banks and because of their reckless behavior you got hurt and the notion that you would vote for anybody who would now allow them to go back to doing the same stuff that almost broke our economys back makes no sense


santa clara calif   imagine buying tickets to see beyonce in concert only to find out she had contracted laryngitis
some fans may have felt the same disappointment monday night at levis stadium where lionel messi whom many consider the best soccer player in the world was not included in the starting 11 for argentina in its copa america match against chile
messi 28 has been battling a sore back since taking a hard blow in a game on may 27   he was listed among argentinas bench players monday as the game got underway   and his slow recovery has cast an unfortunate shadow on the tournament
the game on monday   a rematch of last years copa america final which chile won   was an entertaining one for the announced crowd of 69451 controlling play for the most part argentina won 2 1 scoring two second half goals in quick succession before chile notched one in stoppage time but without messi it was not quite as mouthwatering as it could have been
messi was a big attraction because were not really for either team said anne kelker of san jose who was at the game with her son patrick so to see a player of that caliber here was a huge thing when we first bought the tickets thats what attracted us to this game
kelker added that she and her son had previously tried to see messi in an exhibition that barcelona messis club team had played in the area but he didnt come she said so we were thinking this would be one of the only opportunities locally to see him
messi a forward of immense dribbling skill scoring ability and passing vision has already established his status as one of the best players in the long history of the game fifa named him the best player in the world in five of the last seven years
the experience of seeing him play has become a common item on sports fans bucket lists even the chilean midfielder arturo vidal who had every reason to exult in messis absence said sunday that he hoped messi would recover from his injury in time to play the game not only for the sake of the argentine team but for the sake of soccer to create a more beautiful game for fans
messis absence highlighted the fact that the tournaments star power has been somewhat dimmed over the last few days
consider the banner image on the tournaments official twitter page which features eight marquee players four of them were expected to miss games for a variety of reasons
# james rodriguez of colombia hurt his shoulder in the opening game of the tournament and will miss his teams game tuesday against paraguay
# luis suarez of uruguay who is nursing a right hamstring injury missed his teams game on sunday against mexico his status was unclear for uruguays next game on thursday
# tim howard a united states goalkeeper was relegated to a backup role before the tournament because coach jurgen klinsmann decided brad guzan was the better choice
then there is messi who more than any other player in this tournament   and perhaps all of soccer   is considered worth the price of admission with his absence from the starting lineup the price of admission became a little bit harder to swallow for some
its obviously disappointing if one of the greatest players in the game doesnt play said scott fuller who paid a total of 424 for two tickets to the game youre always taking a chance that a player is injured thats true in any league and any sport
fuller who said he had fallen in love with soccer only in the last few years and had adopted barcelona as a favorite team said he was still happy to see the other stars in the game like angel di maria of argentina and alexis sanchez of chile
di maria was electric all game and he opened scoring with a straight scampering run and near post finish in the 51st minute ever banega who supplied the pass on that goal scored his own eight minutes later after an assist from di maria jose fuenzalidas goal for chile three minutes into stoppage time was one of the final touches of the game
other games in the tournament have not had the drawing power of multiple stars and swaths of empty seats at some of the early matches have raised questions by sports commentators and on social media about whether tickets were appropriately priced
the cheapest tickets at the copa america are being sold for 50   far more expensive than those sold at the tournament last year in chile and more than tickets for euro 2016 the celebrated competition taking place this summer across the atlantic parking around levis stadium on monday was running as high as 50
while neutral fans were disappointed ahead of mondays game that they would probably not see messi play argentine fans were wary of what his absence could mean to the team
juan and carlos lau brothers of argentine descent who were born in venezuela and now live in san diego were set to follow argentina to seattle for its next game
you want to see the best player in the world play the game and this is the hardest game of the group so it was hard to believe that they would start without their best weapon juan lau said before mondays game
carlos lau said he did not mind if messi did not play as long as the team performed well
other argentine fans thought it was important for messi to have an impact on this tournament if only to quiet the criticism that he plays better for his club than he does for his country
im argentinian and i dont like barcelona so i see it from a different point of view said bryan smeail of los angeles i just want to see him play well and lift the trophy to shut everybody up i know hes the greatest player but a lot of fans   and im in included in them   see him not play that good for argentina and then in a couple of weeks score a hat trick in spain it can be heartbreaking


kurt busch felt like a game show contestant who had to beat the clock to win a prize
told that his chevrolet was two laps shy of having enough fuel for the finishing push on monday busch did all he could to save scrimp and stretch over the final five laps to give himself a shot at the win he coasted he kept his foot off the gas and he even turned his engine off when he headed into the turns at pocono raceway in long pond pa
i kept finding ways to think i was saving fuel he said the way the fuel mileage played out i didnt know if wed have enough
with an interim crew chief calling the shots busch found enough ways to make his gas last and won the sprint cup race his first victory of the season and a welcome dose of good news for stewart haas racing
busch the 2004 series champion was urged by his team to step on it hard for the final lap and somehow made it work on a track with the longest front stretch in motorsports there was no pain at the pump busch not only had enough fuel left to win but also had enough for victory burnouts and a celebratory lap around the track
dale earnhardt jr was second and brad keselowski chase elliott and joey logano rounded out the top five in a race postponed one day because of rain
busch won with the interim crew chief johnny klausmeier the lead engineer calling the shots as tony gibson served a one race suspension
detroits michael fulmer a rookie right hander allowed two hits over six innings in another outstanding performance and justin upton and james mccann homered to lift the tigers to an 11 0 victory over the visiting toronto blue jays
fulmer 6 1 struck out five and walked three in his third straight start without allowing a run he has won four straight starts allowing only one run during that span
torontos j a happ 6 3 allowed six runs and six hits in five innings
around the majors jon lester pitched eight scoreless innings jason heyward hit a two run homer and the chicago cubs held off the phillies 6 4 in philadelphia lester 7 3 struck out nine walked none and allowed four hits mark trumbo and matt wieters hit solo home runs in the seventh inning to back a sparkling pitching performance by mike wright and the baltimore orioles beat visiting kansas city 4 1 extending the royals losing streak to five games
president obama honored the denver broncos at the white house for winning super bowl 50 with one of the best defenses in history and one of the best quarterbacks peyton manning
the broncos defeated the carolina panthers 24 10 to earn the invitation obama mentioned that the teams victories over the course of the season were not always pretty the broncos he noted won a record 11 games by a touchdown or less
you dont do that without one of the greatest defenses of all time obama said
obama reminded the audience in the rose garden that he was a huge bears fan and felt obliged to mention that franchises defense from the 1985 season which ended with a super bowl victory for chicago
nobody remembers he said but ive got to admit this one was pretty good too
obama singled out linebackers von miller and demarcus ware for particular praise
in describing denvers offense obama said it always seemed to come up big when it needed to
manning who retired after an 18 year career stood directly behind obama at the ceremony
we were all obviously a little bit disappointed to see him hang it up this spring but as somebody who is just a little bit older than he is i was sympathetic to the idea that running around with these guys you know it takes its toll obama said of manning but it is great to see somebody with a career like that who always conducted himself on the field and off the field the way he did be able to go out on top
talib on the mend broncos cornerback aqib talib was released from a dallas hospital and was expected to rejoin the team at a three day minicamp set to begin tuesday talib was shot in his lower right leg at a dallas nightclub over the weekend but did not require surgery the dallas police are investigating the shooting
around the nfl the buffalo bills signed their top draft pick defensive end shaq lawson the terms of the contract were not provided lawson was drafted 19th over all out of clemson and was one of college footballs top pass rushers last year he was a consensus all american and led the nation with 25 1/2  tackles for a loss and had 12 1/2  sacks lawson is not expected to be ready for the start of the season after having surgery last month to repair a shoulder injury commissioner roger goodell took the air out of the notion that the nfl would reach a settlement with patriots quarterback tom brady after bradys latest appeal of a four game deflategate suspension at this stage no goodell said adding that there had been several previous bids to reach a settlement the courts will make their decisions and well move forward on that basis the comments were goodells first in two weeks since bradys lawyers asked the united states court of appeals for the second circuit for a new hearing before an expanded panel of judges
spains olympic committee said 3000 bottles of insect repellent would be available to its athletes to help them avoid the zika virus at the rio de janeiro olympics this summer
at a meeting to inform the local sports federations about the virus the committee said it had recently reached a deal with the laboratory omega pharma to provide its strongest repellent to the hundreds of spanish athletes going to rio in august
committee doctors said there was a need to remain engaged but not worried about zika noting that only one in four people who have the disease develop its symptoms
they stressed however that pregnant women in the delegation should not go to rio


the associated press projected that hillary clinton was the presumptive nominee of the democratic party on monday   a day earlier than she was expected to clinch   because it determined that she won the support of the majority of delegates 2383
mrs clinton went over the top with the support of around 20 additional superdelegates the officials who represent about 15 percent of the delegates to the democratic convention these delegates did not previously commit to mrs clinton but pledged their support to her in interviews with the ap
over all the 2383 delegates who support mrs clinton include 1812 pledged delegates   those bound based on the results of the primaries and caucuses   and 571 superdelegates according to the ap count the ap provides delegate counts and election results to many news organizations including the new york times
bernie sanders trails by more than 800 delegates he holds 1569 delegates with 1521 pledged delegates and 48 superdelegates
no one is surprised that mrs clinton has clinched the nomination its just a surprise that she did it on monday night
after winning puerto rico mrs clinton was not far from winning the nomination it wasnt much of a secret that mrs clinton held the support of the superdelegates needed to clinch
but it is widely believed that the clinton campaign did not want to win with added support from unelected delegates which might feed the perception that the democratic race was rigged or otherwise determined by party elites not the voters
if no additional delegates had supported mrs clinton she would have gone over the top shortly after the polls closed in new jersey around 8 pm on tuesday the state is worth 126 pledged delegates and she was a heavy favorite in the state
yes the superdelegates are not bound to their pledges this is why the sanders campaign argues that mrs clinton cant clinch the nomination until the convention in july its also why the news media characterizes her as the presumptive nominee she wont officially be the nominee until a convention vote
but superdelegate pledges arent irrelevant either the pledges arent binding but superdelegates know what theyre doing they know that their pledges are monitored by news outlets and that stating their support might ensure that mrs clinton would become the presumptive nominee
the ap has repeatedly interviewed superdelegates so its not likely that theres a big pool of delegates who pledged to her a year ago and have since switched if anything these early supporters are likely to be her strongest backers
and history provides reason to take them seriously in 1984 gary hart failed miserably in trying to change superdelegates minds in his race against walter mondale
the news networks projected that mr obama was the presumptive nominee in the 2008 democratic primary based on the same rules for tabulating superdelegates mrs clinton did not decide it was worth taking the fight to the convention
well not monday but she would have won tuesday if no superdelegates existed
not only would mrs clinton have won without superdelegates but they were actually mr sanderss only hope of winning
thats because mrs clinton has a considerable lead of 291 elected delegates pledged based on the results of caucuses and primaries according to the ap count mrs clinton earned her lead by winning more contests than mr sanders and she usually won by wider margins in races worth more delegates in fact mrs clinton won 13 of the 15 biggest delegate wins of the cycle
with just seven contests left mr sanders would have needed to win around 70 percent of the remaining vote to capture a majority of those pledged delegates hes only hit 70 percent in one primary his home state vermont
that meant that mr sanders could win only if superdelegates decided to overrule the preferences of voters and support a candidate who lost the primaries according to our projections he might have needed to win about 70 or 75 percent of superdelegates at the convention in order to overcome mrs clintons lead in pledged delegates
it was never likely that superdelegates who supported mrs clinton would bolt for a candidate who lost the primary let alone one who rails against the establishment its even more unlikely after the ap call mr sanderss only hope was that the superdelegates would break his way but theyre actually moving to mrs clinton
quite possibly its not hard to imagine how the ap race call might depress turnout among the supporters of either candidate
who will it hurt more its purely a matter of speculation one could argue that mrs clinton would benefit since she has more regular and reliable voters on the other hand perhaps mr sanderss supporters will be newly motivated to defy the partys establishment at a moment when mrs clintons supporters will be complacent
heres one thing thats clear mrs clinton has banked a considerable lead in the early vote in california if election day turnout is down in california those early votes will represent a larger share of the electorate


san jose calif   evgeni malkin rediscovered his scoring touch and the pittsburgh penguins are one victory away from winning their second stanley cup championship in eight years
the penguins defeated the san jose sharks 3 1 on monday night to take a three games to one lead in the best of seven finals a series in which the penguins have never trailed in regulation the victory gave pittsburgh a split in the two games played in san jose which reached the cup finals for the first time in the franchises 24 year history the series could end as early as game 5 on thursday night in pittsburgh
youve just got to understand that its going to take our best and were going to see their absolute best sidney crosby said of the possibility of clinching the title in game 5 in saying that you cant get caught looking ahead of things weve had a great approach all playoff long   all season long   in making sure were staying in the moment here
malkin had an assist on pittsburghs first goal by defenseman ian cole and scored to stake pittsburgh to a 2 0 lead in the second period the fourth line forward eric fehr closed out the scoring late in the third melker karlsson was the only shark to score against the rookie goaltender matthew murray who made 23 saves
malkin the veteran russian forward who had 15 points in 17 games over the first three rounds of the playoffs had been held without a point in the first three games of the series still pittsburgh coach mike sullivan remained confident that malkin would be a factor in the series
i thought he was really good not only because he got on the scoresheet sullivan said after mondays win obviously thats great for him and its great for us but i thought his overall game was really good he played at both ends of the rink and when he plays that way hes so hard to defend it seems like the puck follows him around
the only time the sharks have held a lead in the series was when the rookie forward joonas donskoi scored at 12 minutes 18 seconds of overtime on saturday night
i think when you have the lead you can play differently sharks coach peter deboer said you feel a lot more comfortable getting in a four line rhythm putting your guys out there trusting them theres not that pressure that we have to create a scoring chance or score a goal
on monday the penguins took advantage of a san jose line change and got on the board first when cole buried the rebound of a shot by phil kessel at 736 of the first period it was coles first goal of the postseason with malkin getting the secondary assist
it took only 237 of the second for malkin to register his second point it came on a pittsburgh power play that had been unsuccessful in seven attempts during the san jose series parking himself to the left of sharks goalie martin jones malkin easily redirected a shot by kessel into the san jose net nine seconds after karlsson went to the penalty box for interference
malkin said he was not changing his game a lot calling it a simple game of going to the net staying in close and playing around the net
my goal is like phil give me empty net malkin said
the sharks who were missing the injured forward tomas hertl for a second game once again struggled to get a shot on net against a pittsburgh team that had been playing them tightly all series
san jose did not register a shot in the second period until 920 and at that point deboer was ready to shuffle his lines in hope of generating an offensive spark the reconstructed lines did come out flying in the third as murray was forced to make difficult saves early on shots by karlsson patrick marleau and joe pavelski
san jose finally broke through at 807 when a shot by defenseman brenden dillon found its way to karlsson who scored on a 17 foot wrist shot while falling to his knees
after fehr scored with 202 left in the game deboer pulled jones in favor of an extra attacker but murray was not challenged
while the sharks had closed to within one game of pittsburgh on saturday san jose was far behind the penguins in most statistical areas through the first three games the penguins were outshooting san jose 113 to 74 had won 52 percent of the face offs and had blocked 73 shots to 54 by the sharks san jose had outhit pittsburgh 126 to 89 but that reflected the fact that the penguins had puck control most of each game more than anything else
sharks defenseman paul martin said it had been difficult to constantly play from behind but that the team had not given up
you have to stay positive martin said we have a lot of good leadership in this room a lot of character guys who have been through a lot we really believe in the group we have here and then everyones capable of chipping in


continuing its run through the opposition ads of the never trump movement the super pac supporting hillary clinton released an emotional ad on monday featuring an ohio family with a disabled child who criticize donald j trump for mocking a disabled journalist
a husband and wife tell their story side by side of learning through an ultrasound that their daughter grace would be born with spina bifida a spinal condition images of young grace flicker by   as a newborn in the hospital sleeping near a cross smiling and offering a hug from her wheelchair   while her parents tell of her loving personality she brings out the goodness in each person
twenty seconds in the mother shifts to mr trump saying when i saw donald trump mock a disabled person i was just shocked a well known clip plays in full of mr trump imitating the journalist a new york times reporter who has a condition that limits the functioning of his joints then the mother offers a reproach the children at graces school all know never to mock her and so for an adult to mock someone with a disability is shocking visuals of mr trumps imitation are played again for good measure
the husband concludes the ad when i saw donald trump mock someone with a disability it showed me his soul it showed me his heart and i didnt like what i saw
an emotional story told by a brave family but the seams of focus groups show a little stronger than usual in this ad variations of the phrase mocked someone with a disability are spoken four times in about 30 seconds of the 60 second ad almost as if taken right from a focus group response
nonetheless the super pac priorities usa action is obviously focusing on the issue because it believes it will resonate strongly in swing states and the ad certainly drives it home repeatedly
mr trump has denied that he was mocking the reporter saying that he doesnt even recall having met him but news articles appear to contradict mr trumps memory
the ads are part of a 20 million reservation that the group has pledged to run from wednesday through the republican convention next month in seven key swing states ohio virginia florida new hampshire iowa colorado and nevada it is spending 45 million in those states during the first week that the ad is running
many of mr trumps republican primary opponents including jeb bush used mr trumps mockery of the reporter in negative advertisements seemingly to no avail but as priorities usa showed with its first ad which mirrored a similar effort by a stop trump pac it is not viewing the primary advertising efforts as indicative of what will work with a general election audience
and aside from the message the chosen swing states are a significant indicator of where priorities thinks its air support will be needed most notably absent are wisconsin and north carolina recently swing states but perhaps ones that priorities views as safer at this point in the campaign


pressed on how he would appeal to women despite his dismal approval ratings with them donald j trump said in an interview on fox news on monday night that he had broken the glass ceiling for women in the construction industry
i was the one that really broke the glass ceiling on behalf of women more than anybody in the construction industry and my relationship i think is going to end up being very good with women mr trump told the interviewer bill oreilly
hillary clinton who the associated press said on monday night had secured enough delegates to become the first female presumptive presidential nominee from a major party invoked the glass ceiling in her concession speech in the 2008 presidential campaign
mr trump has often pointed to his hiring of women for executive jobs including his first wife ivana at his company in the 1980s
mr trump also fended off questions from mr oreilly about a boston globe report showing that there were few women on his campaign and that they were paid substantially less than men mr trump insisted that mrs clinton had done the same thing and said that news accounts had shown this recently although he did not specify what he was referring to


there has been a new tradition introduced at yankee stadium this season in which the buildings lights flash like strobes after each yankees home run
for six innings monday night the yankees play made the ballpark felt dull and listless like a lecture hall the offense could not solve los angeles angels starter matt shoemaker and there was little to celebrate
but in the seventh inning the bats began to stir setting off several spastic displays of light like an electronic dance music concert and the yankees came back to defeat the angels 5 2
brian mccann and starlin castro hit back to back home runs in the seventh inning and carlos beltran clubbed the deciding three run homer in the eighth all three yankees home runs came with two outs
its kind of what we imagined when we put it together yankees manager joe girardi said of his lineup theres power in this offense that hasnt come out the way that its capable of but tonights kind of a reminder of what they can do and they can do it quickly
that missing power has led to a rare feeling of anxiety surrounding the club for much of the season
few parties around baseball in all likelihood are mourning the current state of the yankees other than their fans but a sympathetic opponent could be found in the visitors dugout monday night in the angels
girardi and angels manager mike scioscia were major league catchers for a combined 28 years they are the two longest tenured managers in the american league and their clubs rank first and third in major league wins since 2002 when the angels last won the world series
this year the managers have instead shared only frustration amid their teams subpar results and strings of multiple injuries that have ravaged both their rosters they entered monday with identical 26 30 records and it was the first time since august 1992 that the yankees and the angels had met this late in a season with both teams records under 500 the 2009 american league championship series which the angels lost to the yankees in a hard fought six games it was not
for a majority of the game the yankees looked lifeless they did not put their first runner in scoring position until jacoby ellsbury doubled with two outs in the sixth inning
masahiro tanaka threw seven solid innings allowing only two runs but for the fourth straight start he lacked the ability to close out at bats with two strikes tanaka finished with three strikeouts and has only 13 during his past four outings
i thought he battled his butt off girardi said of tanaka i didnt think he had his great split tonight i didnt think he had his real good slider but he found a way to get it done
as tanaka pitched valiantly he was still outdueled by shoemaker in the first six innings from the third inning to the fifth all of the yankees outs came by strikeout or groundout the fourth inning was particularly disheartening for the yankees when brett gardner beltran and alex rodriguez the 2 3 and 4 hitters were sat down on seven pitches
shoemaker was pitching a great game beltran said theres no doubt that he was dominating us
in the sixth however the yankees began hitting fly balls against shoemaker though they werent scoring it was a meaningful sign for the yankees that every so often a pitch was being left higher in the zone after shoemaker quickly recorded two outs in the seventh mccann socked a solo home run over the right field fence two pitches later castro deposited a changeup over the left field wall erasing the angels 2 0 advantage
with two outs in the eighth ellsbury singled followed by a base hit from gardner that chased shoemaker who was relieved by jose alvarez in the next at bat beltran lifted alvarezs second pitch a two seam fastball over the right field wall just out of the reach of right fielder kole calhoun giving the yankees a three run lead
after the game girardi was asked where the yankees would be without beltran who now has 14 home runs ooh in pretty bad shape girardi said wed be a lot of games down under 500 but another big hit from him
inside pitch
joe girardi said that the goal is to have mark teixeira baseball ready in three weeks and able to play in a game which would most likely occur on a rehab assignment teixeira is on the disabled list with a right knee articular cartilage tear the yankees hope that rest and treatment can prevent surgery


a serial killer known as the grim sleeper should be sentenced to death in the murders of nine women and a teenage girl over more than two decades in south los angeles a jury decided on monday lonnie franklin jr 63 was convicted of 10 counts of first degree murder last month for crimes dating back more than 30 years a defense lawyer had asked jurors to sentence him to life without parole to hasten the healing for members of the victims families sentencing was set for aug 10 most of the victims were dumped in alleys and trash bins in the impoverished area where mr franklin lived he had been called the grim sleeper because of a perceived interval in the killings between 1988 and 2002 the authorities now believe there were killings during that period ap
the family of michael brown an unarmed black teenager who was killed by a white ferguson police officer will get unredacted transcripts of grand jury proceedings a federal judge said monday it will be the first time someone other than a prosecutor or a grand juror will see the full details of the proceedings an order by judge e richard webber of federal district court requires st louis county prosecutors to hand over the testimony and the names of grand jury witnesses to lawyers for the family who are pressing a wrongful death lawsuit the order bars the lawyers from making the information public the grand jurys november 2014 decision to not indict the officer darren wilson who has resigned rekindled protests over the death ap


the missionary sisters of the immaculate heart of mary have served others across the world for more than a century they have salved wounds in the slums of india prayed with prisoners in brazil built schools in cameroon and provided aid to a shaken haiti
hundreds of the sisters of the immaculati cordis mariae have also passed through the brownstone framed doors of 236 and 238 east 15th street since 1948 the sisterhood begun in belgium has resided here on stuyvesant square
for all their globe trotting many of the sisters still consider manhattan their spiritual home
i remember seeing the park and being so excited to have some greenery sister rosemary cicchitti said last week during a tour of the house she arrived in the summer 1953 before departing for antigua when i was away i would think of the park and when i moved back it was so nice to have it outside my window again
sister rita cavaretta who came to the house the same year said it was so beautiful the only problem was there was no air conditioning then and the drunkards would gather in the park and keep us up at night so we had to yell at them to be quiet
and though she arrived here permanently only nine years ago to serve as something of a caretaker sister kathryn vercelline always felt a connection when she passed through between one mission and the next
seeing all the sisters and seeing all the souvenirs from their travels it was a reminder of the work we do said sister vercelline who has served in brazil and rome
those memories are fading too along with the sisterhood by the 1960s its ranks had dwindled to such an extent that the order began to rent some of its 25 bedrooms to other congregations and even to other young women but even the boarders and a top to bottom renovation in the last decade were not enough to keep the missionary sisters at the site last spring eight of those remaining relocated to the bronx to a jewish nursing home of all places which has become something of a sanctuary for retired nuns three different orders call it home and they quite enjoy the kosher meals too
sister vercelline was the only one to remain on east 15th street amid the african indian and mongolian tapestries the carved elephants from the philippines and palm trees from haiti the crucifixes and icons from all over and the occasional prayer group or guest to keep her company in the 15600 square foot residence
that is a lot of space in the middle of manhattan in 2016 as so many religious groups have done the sisters are cashing out the homes are now on the market for a combined 1975 million
i saw the wisdom in it said sister cavaretta who returned here in 2000 following a volcanic eruption at her final mission in montserrat for me personally happiness isnt attached to buildings its attached to people
with the sale the order will have only one home in the united states just outside brownsville tex it once occupied properties in albany east los angeles philadelphia wilson nc and yonkers among others
the proceeds will be distributed to missions around the world after enough is set aside for the sisters to live out their days in the bronx
it can help especially since in belgium there are over 300 sisters but the majority of them are over 80 sister vercelline said i think the youngest just turned 50
at 64 she is the youngest and likely last of the immaculati in the united states
after putting up the for sale signs two weeks ago the brokers lisa kobiolke and leonard steinberg of the brokerage compass have received more than two dozen inquiries they have shown the homes three times including to an art dealer couple who would like to use one building as a gallery
we thought wed have a lot of interest in dividing the homes in two but so far most everyone seems to want both ms kobiolke said such combos are becoming quite common in manhattan sarah jessica parker and matthew broderick recently bought two townhouses on 11th street for 34 million while madonna has a 40 million triple wide spread on east 81st street and there is former mayor michael r bloombergs continuing project an east 78th street combination
such a sale would arguably bring the 1850s greek revival style homes full circle according to research by the landmarks preservation commission both properties lie within the stuyvesant square historic district no 236 was first occupied by mahlon day an early childrens book publisher while no 238 was home to a ship chandler the neighbors included a lime merchant and a tea dealer
before the sisterhood arrived no 236 had been home to the st elizabeths industrial school for girls since the 1920s the family of george bird grinnell the naturalist and founder of the audubon society owned no 238 followed by a dentist who sold it to the nuns
the missionary sisters of the immaculate heart of mary was established in new york almost by accident it was founded in 1897 by mother marie louise de meester who was visiting during world war i following a missionary trip to st croix during her stay she realized a residence in the city might not only ease the orders work in the western hemisphere but also improve recruitment
a house at 437 west 47th street became the orders first outpost in the united states faced with condemnation there for an urban renewal project the sisterhood moved to 236 east 15th street in 1948 then home to the st josephs residence for working girls
the lights in the girls rooms used to be set to a master switch sister cavaretta recalled and we slept with our lights switched on that way if the girls tried to turn on the light it would wake us up too and we could get them back to bed
in 1952 the order bought no 238 and combined the two townhouses through a doorway on each floor
its the perfect story of international ownership in new york   people who live here dont just live here mr steinberg the compass broker said and think of all the amazing work this real estate facilitated if you rented this never would have been possible
nor will it be
ideally it would have gone to one of the congregations but none of them could afford it sister vercelline said if its a family that can find joy here like we did thats fine she continued we have our preferences and god has his


the circumstances sound eerily familiar donald j trump and his legal team had suffered a setback in a major court case so they leveled an attack on the presiding judge calling him irredeemably biased and unfair
your honor wrote a lawyer for mr trump harbors deep seated antagonism that would make impartial adjudication impossible
the year was 2008 and mr trumps arguments closely resembled those he is now making against judge gonzalo p curiel a federal judge in california overseeing a class action lawsuit against the defunct trump university
today mr trump claims that judge curiel who was born in indiana is incapable of objectively judging the case because of his mexican heritage and record of being in mr trumps words a hater of donald trump
between 2008 and 2010 mr trumps lawyers went even further   turning angry accusations into an unusual elbows out legal campaign to remove not one but two new york judges who oversaw the lawsuit one judge was an african american man the other a white woman
taken together the episodes highlight mr trumps unusual approach to the american judiciary unlike most parties in court cases who try to curry the favor of judges he can turn publicly hostile toward them assailing their motives biography and fitness
over the past 48 hours mr trump expanded his musings about courts doubting whether a muslim judge could fairly adjudicate a trial involving him that earned him a rebuke from hillary clinton who wondered on monday whether mr trump would soon claim that a woman judge couldnt preside
throughout a career that has been marked by legal proceedings that either involved or fascinated him mr trump has not always seen judges as the ultimate arbiters of legal principle but as adversaries who deserve mockery or bulldozing when they do not agree with him
even in cases where he is merely a spectator mr trump has plenty to say about those on the bench the judge overseeing the 2014 trial in south africa of oscar pistorius the olympic runner for the murder of his girlfriend was a moron mr trump wrote on twitter ridiculous decision he said of the five year sentence mr trump ridiculed a pennsylvania judge appointed by president jimmy carter as not his most brilliant appointment and wrote that the judge was a willing accessory to any crimes of convicts she had released from prison
he does this despite his close ties to a federal judge maryanne trump barry his sister
the new york case stands out mr trump and his lawyers singled out justice richard b lowe iii who was first elected to the new york supreme court in 2003
throughout the case which involved a trump real estate development on the west side of manhattan and a partnership with hong kong businessmen justice lowe issued orders mr trumps lawyers said were biased
by the end of the case mr trumps top lawyer jay goldberg apologized for seeking to oust justice lowe from the proceedings promising to never level such accusations against him again
but when the litigation was going on mr goldberg forcefully challenged justice lowes fitness to serve in a judicial capacity accused him of unwarranted bias toward trump and said that at every turn justice lowe has shown that he is unable to comply with his duties according to a 2009 complaint mr goldberg submitted to the new york state commission on judicial conduct
mr goldberg a longtime lawyer for mr trump claimed that justice lowe had betrayed a bias against mr trump on two occasions the first he said was when justice lowe declared in his chambers and in the presence of a lawyer for mr trump that he would not allow mr trumps presence in the courtroom to intimidate him the second mr goldberg said was when justice lowe allegedly told representative charles b rangel of new york that he did not like mr trump
justice lowe on monday declined to comment on the case during a 2009 hearing in which he denied mr goldbergs request for his recusal he acknowledged that he had used the word intimidate in reference to mr trump saying he was generalizing that nobody could scare him he also defended his rulings in the case and said any allegation that he had been unfair to mr trump was mind boggling he questioned whether it was an effort to change the course of this litigation by trying to get before another judge
in an interview mr rangel said he had not spoken to justice lowe in the past 20 years and had no recollection of ever discussing mr trump with the judge mr goldberg the congressman said has a hell of an imagination
the new york state commission on judicial conduct which oversees state and local judges in new york took no action against justice lowe a spokesman for the commission said
steven lubet a northwestern university law professor and legal ethics expert said that filing a motion to remove a judge was rarely sought and rarely granted not just in new york but across the country the comments allegedly made by justice lowe he said would not be grounds for such a removal those arent remotely close to what would disqualify a judge mr lubet said
neither mr goldberg nor a trump spokeswoman responded to a request for comment
as the real estate case wound its way through the legal system morphing into a different suit with a different defendant mr trumps lawyers sought the removal of a second state judge justice eileen bransten justice bransten they argued had shown bias against mr trump by calling his previous attempt to remove justice lowe reprehensible
they did not succeed
soon after mr goldberg the trump lawyer withdrew his request that justice bransten recuse herself
i consider my conduct wholly improper he wrote and for that i apologize particularly to justice lowe with assurances that it will never be repeated again


hillary clinton became the first woman to capture the presidential nomination of one of the countrys major political parties on monday night according to an associated press survey of democratic superdelegates securing enough of them to overcome a bruising challenge from senator bernie sanders and turn to a brutal five month campaign against donald j trump
in a yearlong nomination fight full of surprise twists from the popularity of mr sanders to the success of mr trump the revelation that mrs clinton had clinched the nomination was another startling development   especially coming on the eve of major primaries in california new jersey and other states mr sanders added to the drama by refusing to accept the ap survey and vowing to fight on while mr trump argued that he had done more for women than mrs clinton
mrs clinton was ebullient but also restrained as she received the news at an uncanny moment   almost eight years to the day after she ended her campaign against barack obama before a crowd of many teary women and girls on monday night she shared the breakthrough with a jubilant audience at a campaign stop in long beach calif
i got to tell you according to the news we are on the brink of a historic historic unprecedented moment but we still have work to do dont we mrs clinton said we have six elections tomorrow and were going to fight hard for every single vote especially right here in california
like mr obama eight years ago mrs clinton clinched the democratic nomination with the support of hundreds of superdelegates   the party insiders democratic officials members of congress major donors and others who help select the nominee under democratic rules these superdelegates   approximately 720 in all   are allowed to back any candidate they wish and can change their allegiance any time before the democratic national convention in july
mrs clinton has had relationships with many of the superdelegates for years and her campaign began seeking their support as soon as she entered the race last spring mr sanders by contrast has struggled to win their backing
mrs clinton and mr sanders competed most aggressively for so called pledged delegates   the roughly 4000 delegates won through state primaries and caucuses
the ap declared mrs clinton the presumptive nominee by reaching out to superdelegates who had not announced which candidate they were supporting and confirming that enough were backing mrs clinton to get her to the magic number of 2383
but her aides were reluctant to proclaim the race over for fear of depressing turnout on tuesday   especially in california where the race remains close   or appearing to take the victory for granted
robby mook mrs clintons campaign manager said the aps call was an important milestone but indicated mrs clinton did not intend to declare victory until tuesday night when she will clinch not only a win in the popular vote but also the majority of pledged delegates
advisers to mr sanders took a dim view of the math he previously said he would lobby clinton superdelegates to shift their support to him by arguing that he is the partys best chance to defeat mr trump and he particularly plans to target those superdelegates who represent states where mr sanders won primaries and caucuses
the advisers speaking on the condition of anonymity said mr sanders was aiming to win the california primary on tuesday to bolster his argument to superdelegates that he is the stronger and more popular candidate than mrs clinton
mr sanders speaking on monday night at a rally in san francisco did not acknowledge the news that mrs clinton had clinched the nomination and instead defiantly vowed to continue his candidacy to the convention but he also made clear that tuesdays vote was make or break for the future of his campaign
tomorrow is the most important primary in the whole democratic nominating process   we are going to win here in california mr sanders said he added that if he could win the tuesday contests in california north dakota south dakota new mexico montana and do well in new jersey his campaign would be going into that convention with enormous momentum
moments before mr sanders took the stage former state senator nina turner of ohio led thousands of supporters in a chant shouting fight on fight on fight on it was a sentiment shared by many audience members like alex borja 18 of castro valley calif who said he was happy mr sanders had not conceded to mrs clinton and hoped he would remain in the race through the summer
i dont think its fair that they have basically coronated hillary as the nominee from the beginning and at this point bernie still has a chance to win the delegates needed to clinch the nomination at the convention mr borja said he added however that he would vote for mrs clinton if she were the nominee
mr sanderss campaign spokesman michael briggs issued a sharply worded statement that refused to accept the ap survey
it is unfortunate that the media in a rush to judgment are ignoring the democratic national committees clear statement that it is wrong to count the votes of superdelegates before they actually vote at the convention this summer mr briggs said
mr trump struck familiar notes on monday night on twitter attacking mrs clinton as unfit for the presidency but he also put his own spin on making history during an interview with fox news
i was the one that really broke the glass ceiling on behalf of women more than anybody in the construction industry mr trump said
for mrs clinton becoming her partys presumptive nominee is the latest chapter in a remarkable career that has taken her from being the first lady to being one election away from returning to the white house as president
she planned a victory rally on tuesday in brooklyn but by the time the ap had called the contest she seemed to already be in a celebratory mood ending a campaign slog that had been expected to come to a close after the early contests but dragged on to just before the final votes were tallied at a shes with us concert at the greek theater in los angeles with john legend christina aguilera and stevie wonder
mrs clinton had for weeks hardly hid her eagerness to put the primary contests against mr sanders behind her and to turn her full focus to the presumptive republican nominee mr trump
talking to voters at the hawkins house of burgers in the watts section of los angeles mrs clinton promised to take on mr trump all the time and earlier that day she urged mr sanderss supporters to consider the consequences if mr trump captured the white house
anyone whos supported me anyone who has supported senator sanders has a lot at stake in this election in preventing donald trump from being our president which i can barely say she told reporters on monday
but mrs clinton must also work in the coming weeks to improve her own standing with voters both with mr sanderss hordes of young supporters and with a majority of registered voters who say they do not like or trust her
still many democratic allies of mrs clinton did not want to wait until tuesdays primaries to celebrate writing twitter posts and issuing statements hailing her as the nominee and trying to shift the democratic partys focus and the national political conversation to take aim at mr trump
jennifer granholm the former michigan governor who now advises a pro clinton super pac said in an email its beyond words incredibly moving for me personally   but premature we dont want to crush democracy still six states tomorrow whose votes must be counted its crucial to encourage people to vote
at mrs clintons rally on monday evening in california several voters expressed exhilaration at her historic victory its about time said maria garibay a retired manufacturing analyst but others also braced themselves for a final showdown with mr sanders and ferocious fight against mr trump
i hope bernie goes out gracefully said helen satorius a retired high school counselor we need to beat trump completely and totally so i think now he needs to just be willing to unite


united nations   for two years in a row the exercise of naming and shaming armies that kill and maim children on the battlefield has been subject to intense political jockeying among the powerful at the united nations
last year secretary general ban ki moon after intense pressure from israel and the united states kept both israel and hamas off the global list of childrens rights violators despite the recommendations of a senior envoy
on monday just four days after adding to the list the saudi led military coalition that has been bombing yemen mr ban announced that he was scrubbing it off while he awaits a review conducted jointly with a team from the accused coalition
in a statement mr ban said he had invited the coalition to send a team to new york as soon as possible for detailed discussions
pending the conclusions of the joint review the secretary general removes the listing of the coalition in the reports annex the statement added
minutes later the saudi ambassador to the united nations abdullah bin yahya almouallimi appeared before reporters at the organizations headquarters to contradict mr ban asserting that the removal was unconditional and irreversible
there was no foundation for this listing to be made in the first place he said
saudi arabia and kuwait both members of a nine country coalition that includes egypt united arab emirates and sudan are important donors to united nations agencies including unicef
after giving a similar pass to israel last year the un secretary generals office has hit a new low by capitulating to saudi arabias brazen pressure and taking the country off its just published list of shame said philippe bolopion the deputy director for global advocacy at human rights watch yemens children deserve better
the annual report called children and armed conflict had originally found that the saudi led coalition was responsible for most of the child deaths and injuries in yemen last year


russias sports ministry is embracing an uncharacteristic openness as it tries to project an atmosphere of reform to the global sports officials and the american authorities who are scrutinizing russia over allegations of a government run doping program
on monday only weeks after the ministry hired crisis communicators based in washington to advise it natalia zhelanova the antidoping adviser to russias sports minister vitaly mutko took to twitter to answer questions in an unusual public question and answer session the session was announced by the american public relations firm burson marstaller which later helped the russians announce the creation of a new doping education program in the country
over the course of an hour ms zhelanova responded to 15 questions advancing familiar messages without speaking in specifics
in one answer she echoed mr murkos recent broad apology for serious mistakes writing we acknowledge past problems and are working tirelessly to reform our antidoping program in the long term
without defining those problems ms zhelanova denied the allegations that doping in russia was part of a state sponsored scheme
i dont believe there is any truth to these allegations she posted clean athletes shouldnt be punished for the mistakes of others
next week on june 17 track and fields governing body   known as the international association of athletics federation or iaaf   will decide whether to lift a ban on russian athletes if the ban is not lifted russian athletes will be barred from competing in the summer olympics in rio de janeiro which start aug 5
the international olympics committee has scheduled a meeting june 22 four days after the iaaf vote at which it will consider collective responsibility versus individual justice an ioc spokesman said to decide who is barred from the rio games
were hopeful that the iaaf will make the right decision because were doing everything possible to regain trust ms zhelanova said in another post
last month a former longtime director of russias antidoping laboratory dr grigory rodchenkov said he had acted at the direction of the sports ministry to help athletes surreptitiously dope
dr rodchenkov who received the prestigious order of friendship from russias president vladimir v putin in 2014 was asked to resign by mr mutko the next year he said the day after a report published by the world anti doping agency named him as a key actor in a state run doping system
ms zhelanova did not dispute dr rodchenkovs characterization of his departure from the job attributing the decision to the world anti doping agencys directive
wada wrote to us saying he must go because he was at the heart of doping cover up taking money from athletes ms zhelanova said on twitter
dr rodchenkov   who has acknowledged making mixtures of steroids that sports officials provided to top athletes and has also said he destroyed hundreds of tainted urine samples   has denied accepting bribes
he said that mr mutko had suggested in the palatial sports ministry headquarters in moscow that they take the civilized route and that he step down
dr rodchenkov fled to the united states seven days later he said fearing for his safety he brought with him one change of clothes and the laptop he used for work including spreadsheets he said were sent to him by the russian sports ministry identifying the dozens of athletes who were taking part in a federal doping program
dmitry s peskov a spokesman for mr putin has called dr rodchenkovs account slander by a turncoat
hours after mondays twitter chat the russian sports ministry issued a news release through burson marsteller announcing the creation of a government program aimed at changing attitudes toward doping in russia and advancing the message that doping is unacceptable
the program the news release said will include mandatory antidoping education for doctors coaches employees of sports federations and schoolchildren
according to dr rodchenkov it was not just olympians who were doping in russia he said university level athletes also took banned substances in international competition


here come the lawyers
last week the delaware court of chancery handed down a startling decision with broad implications for the future of corporate takeovers it determined that the board of dell inc sold the company for 6 billion too little when the formerly public company was taken private by a buyout group led by michael dell in 2013
what was so surprising about the decision was that the judge in the case vice chancellor j travis laster highlighted that there had been no higher offer for the company and said that the board and its advisors did many praiseworthy things nevertheless he ordered dell to pay the shareholders who brought the lawsuit their portion of the difference
the decision is sending shudders all over wall street and the boardrooms of corporate america because the court in effect overruled the market the decision means that companies dont simply have a fiduciary duty to find a buyer willing to pay the highest price but that a judge may ultimately deem what the price should be
this outcome was applauded by shareholder advocates and it is likely to lead to a spate of lawsuits and second guessing over the price of the next big mergers and acquisitions
management buyouts like the one that mr dell pursued are often filled with conflicts and self dealing dynamics that have produced steady fodder for this column but in this instance what is particularly startling and noteworthy is that mr dell and the directors were not found to have done anything underhanded the judge himself went out of his way to say it bears emphasizing that unlike other situations that this court has confronted there is no evidence that mr dell or his management team sought to create the valuation disconnect so that they could take advantage of it
yet vice chancellor laster still decided that based on dells fair price the company which is incorporated in delaware was sold for too little the concept of fair value under delaware law is not equivalent to the economic concept of fair market value he wrote rather the concept of fair value for purposes of delawares appraisal statute is a largely judge made creation freighted with policy considerations
the case is part of a growing trend in which hedge funds and other investors jump into a companys stock after a takeover bid has been announced with the explicit plan of suing the companies to claim the price was too low the practice   one that is likely to be catapulted even further by this decision   is known as appraisal arbitrage
proponents of appraisal arbitrage will tout the dell result to encourage the flow of even greater funds into the practice martin lipton the famed takeover lawyer wrote in a memo to clients after the decision
the implications are clear private equity firms should be expected to ask whether they face routine appraisal exposure in delaware no matter how robust the auction and therefore seek out alternative transaction structures to cap and price their risk or exit the market entirely wrote mr lipton a founding partner of wachtell lipton rosen  katz
oddly enough one of the firms suing dell t rowe price was deemed to be ineligible to receive a payment because   through a series of technical mistakes   it voted in favor of the transaction a shareholder has to vote against the deal to be eligible for a payout on monday t rowe price said it would make its investors who held dell shares whole paying out a total of 194 million
the rules around delawares appraisal rights of fair value are aimed at helping long term shareholders protect themselves in instances of self dealing or other chicanery in recent years however using the courts to negotiate fair value has become a full time industry for investment funds and lawyers looking for a quick score
wei jiang a professor at columbia business school recently noted in a study that vice chancellor sam glasscock iii in delaware had commented in one case that the shareholders bringing the lawsuit were arbitrageurs who bought not into an ongoing concern but instead into this lawsuit ms jiang wrote that the number of appraisal petitions has increased from a trickle of cases in the early 2000s to over 20 a year in recent years or close to one quarter of all transactions where appraisal is possible
whats so peculiar about the dell decision is that the judge found no chicanery and still didnt think the price was fair explaining that it was possible a boards actions might pass muster for purposes of a breach of fiduciary claim and yet still generate a sub optimal process for purposes of an appraisal
thats not to say that dells buyout was a model of perfection no buyout in which the founder is trying to buy shares from the public will ever be conflict free management always has the distinct advantage and its decision to pursue a deal often makes it harder to attract competing offers in its ruling the chancery cited a column i wrote about this very issue in the dell case
at the same time mr dell appears to have genuinely tried to make the playing field even for bidders he spent more time with the blackstone group which ultimately dropped its bid than with the winning group he led and the judge said as much in his decision
all of this raises serious questions for dealmakers and public shareholders whats the appropriate way to determine a takeover price and if the highest bid is not deemed fair   assuming the auction is run competently   what is
mr lipton said he imagined that a private equity buyer might insist on a provision in the merger agreement allowing it to walk away if a small fraction of the shares   1 or 2 percent   perfect appraisal rights
this approach is likely to be unpalatable to selling boards however and creates substantial risk that the buyer will exit the transaction when the appraisal cap is exceeded
the courts ruling is likely to make it harder for companies to complete buyouts that may be a good thing given that so many shareholders of public companies lose out when the companies they invested in go private and find ways to do substantially better
but if the decision has the chilling effect that some critics fear   making a judge not the market the decider of takeover premiums   it could ultimately make the situation for shareholders even worse


cairo   egypts anti corruption czar thought he was just doing his job when he estimated how much endemic graft had cost his country about 76 billion he said mostly in corrupt land deals but the estimate it turned out was itself a criminal offense
the now former official hisham geneina is to stand trial in cairo on tuesday just over two months after he was unceremoniously fired by president abdel fattah el sisi as the head of the central auditing authority
he faces a charge of spreading false news and disturbing the peace that carries a potential one year jail sentence
mr geneina who served as a senior judge for 34 years before taking the anti corruption post in 2012 said the prosecution is politically motivated and driven by powerful enemies inside mr sisis government i was expected not to touch certain corruption cases he said in an interview
more broadly critics of the government say his case exemplifies how under mr sisi even senior officials are running afoul of an authoritarian crackdown that seems intent on quelling any criticism of the powerful state security apparatus
in the past month alone the authorities have indicted the head of egypts journalists union and convicted more than 150 people who protested the transfer of two red sea islands to saudi arabia even the pro sisi parliament has been whipped into line in may the speaker threatened to discipline any politician who publicly criticized egypts efforts to defend its sliding currency
this is an unprecedented way of dealing with corruption and the rule of law said ashraf el sherif a politics lecturer at the american university in cairo the message is that nobody in the state especially key institutions can be held accountable
the prosecution of mr geneina began in march days after mr sisi dismissed him by presidential decree it surprised many egyptians for its speed and the profile of the defendant unlike the islamists activists and journalists who have been singled out by mr sisis government mr geneina had long been a member of the establishment
mr geneinas lawyer ali taha said he had been misquoted by a newspaper which reported that the 76 billion loss had been incurred in 2015 instead of across three years mr sisi convened a committee to examine the figure which concluded that mr geneina had exaggerated the figures
in an interview mr geneina declined to discuss the details of the report saying he had been told not to discuss the case but he said he believed that he was being pursued because he had angered powerful interests   officials who became wealthy under former president hosni mubarak and parts of the state security services under mr sisi
in every position i have held i underwent security checks he said if i was so dangerous why didnt they come after me 40 years ago
since then mr geneina and his family have been subject to a campaign of defamation on pro state television channels in an effort to discredit him ranging from accusations that he belonged to the muslim brotherhood to suggestions that his wife supported the militant group hamas because she is of palestinian origin
i have lost faith in a lot of things mr geneina said his wife sitting beside him spoke of her shock of him being hustled into a van and hauled off to jail
mr sisi made fighting corruption a central policy plank after he came to power in 2013 yet since then his government has introduced a reconciliation law that has cleared the way for several mubarak era figures to have corruption convictions quashed in return for large cash payments
hussein salem a mubarak era businessman living in exile in spain recently struck an agreement to pay more than 600 million to the egyptian government to be allowed to return home
analysts say that mr geneinas 76 billion comment hit a nerve because it touched on the power of state institutions that mr sisi has sought to placate even in the face of accusations of graft and brutality in order to solidify his own power and in the name of ensuring the countrys stability
mr geneina has been succeeded at the central auditing authority by hisham badawy who worked previously for egypts state security apparatus the agency has not announced any major new cases mr sherif noted hes a regime figure he said its more or less the same old wine


blas perez scored two goals monday including an 87th minute winner to give panama a 2 1 victory over bolivia in a copa america centenario group d opener at rainy orlando fla
the 35 year old perez who plays for mlss vancouver whitecaps opened the scoring in the 11th minute before bolivias juan arce evened the game in the 54th minute
panama started the game with real urgency gabriel torres followed his fiercely hit shot in the third minute with a dipping free kick from 30 yards out and bolivia goalkeeper carlos lampe did well to tip it over the net perez then swung a beautiful cross field pass into the path of armando cooper but coopers volley was high and wide
colombia star sidelined colombias captain james rodriguez will miss tuesdays match against paraguay because of a shoulder injury the colombian soccer federation said
rodriguez who fell awkwardly and dislocated his shoulder during colombias 2 0 win over the united states on friday joins argentinas lionel messi and uruguays luis suarez as heavily promoted stars who will miss games at the copa with injury his federation said he could return for colombias final group stage match against costa rica in houston on saturday
reuters
klinsmann likes merger idea united states coach jurgen klinsmann was optimistic about an espn deportes report that concacaf the regional soccer federation for north and central america and the caribbean would merge its continental championship with the one held by its south american counterpart conmebol
the theoretical merger would combine concacafs gold cup competition with the south american championship copa america into a single tournament played every four years in the united states
it would be huge for our region to play in the copa america in the format it is now klinsmann said speaking on behalf of mexico and costa rica as well it would be huge to compete with these top nations
the copa america is the worlds oldest international tournament but this is the first time it is being played outside south america
jamie trecker


buenos aires   havanna a confectioner from argentina raised 1147 million on monday in the first local initial public offering by the south american nation in nearly six years
the offering was a big step toward argentinas re emergence in capital markets under president mauricio macri mr macri took office six months ago after a period of market isolation under the previous administration argentina had been cut off from global markets after a 100 billion debt default in 2001 and a long legal battle with hedge fund creditors that was resolved this year
argentinas government returned to global bond markets in april after a 15 year hiatus with an issuance of 165 billion several of the nations provinces have been raising money on these bond markets in recent weeks
havanna which makes alfajores a sweet biscuit snack and runs more than 300 coffee shops in argentina and across latin america sold 427 million shares   10 percent of the company   at 37 pesos per share valuing it at around 1147 million
demand doubled the number of shares offered so they were priced at the top of the marketed range
there was so much demand for this stock said emilio ilac chief executive of puente a brokerage firm in buenos aires that managed havannas sale this is very encouraging not only for havanna but for other companies who want to go public
despite the small size of the offering 17 percent of orders came from abroad mr ilac said
while initial price offerings from argentina have been sporadic in recent years havanna is predicted to lead a fresh wave in the buenos aires stock exchange
already grupo supervielle   the holding company for banco supervielle a bank   raised 280 million last month in an initial public offering in both new york and buenos aires but havannas offering was the first entirely local equity offering since the oil company petrolera pampas in 2013
mr macris government is dealing with an overhaul of the economy including efforts to bolster growth rein in inflation and narrow the fiscal deficit but if policy makers face serious setbacks analysts say this would suppress investor demand in argentina
sustaining this incipient interest in argentine assets from financial markets depends on how the macro economy evolves said gaston rossi an economist at a consulting firm in buenos aires


in a move sure to bring cheer to junior associates at major law firms one of the industrys most elite cravath swaine  moore on monday said it had increased the annual salary for its first year lawyers to 180000 from 160000
salaries for other associates have also been increased by 20000 to 35000 annually up to 315000 for associates in their eighth year the news which came in a memo from the firms partners is a signal to other big law firms to fall in line or potentially lose the best new law school recruits
the salary increases are likely to be matched quickly by high earning firms including davis polk  wardwell skadden arps slate meagher  flom and sullivan  cromwell   if for no other reason than to make it clear that they all play in the same prestigious league
it has been nearly a decade since entry level lawyer salaries were last increased law firms buffeted by a changing economy have been struggling to adjust to corporate clients who are increasingly demanding billing discounts and refusing to pay steep rates for junior associates to learn on the job
at the same time partner profits have rebounded as corporations continue to turn to experienced lawyers to handle their high stakes matters the seven figure salaries at the top of the law firm pyramid were stirring some dissatisfaction among the lower paid lawyers closer to the bottom
still few law school graduates are likely to turn down a spot at a big law firm leaving competition for those coveted positions as keen as ever while changes to associate compensation at big law firms are closely watched in reality only a small slice of the nations law graduates begin their practices earning salaries in the mid 100000 range
the salaries however are a benchmark of how major law firms are faring the most prestigious firms pay the best and top firms like cravath that have demonstrated winning expertise in areas such as litigation or intellectual property are doing very well with partners richly remunerated for their work for top clients like ibm and jpmorgan chase
according to the american lawyer an industry publication cravath partners each earned on average 356 million in profits last year
cravaths move announced in a memo signed by c allen parker the firms presiding partner and two other partners increased pay for associates through their eighth year by which time most of these lawyers are either clearly going to become partners or leave the firm the increase which does not take into account any bonuses that are awarded separately will take effect july 1 and will be reflected in paychecks starting july 8
a spokeswoman for the firm said cravath would not comment further on the move which caught many in the legal world by surprise the legal website above the law reported that associates had raised the issue of salaries with mr parker at recent firm meetings providing him with arguments and information in support of an adjustment to the base salary scale
one point they raised was that since the last associate pay raise in january 2007 the cost of living has risen greatly in new york city where most of cravaths lawyers work health insurance costs and student loan debt have also risen since that time when the starting salary at big firms was increased to 160000 from 145000


pittsburgh   the mets had news on center fielder juan lagares on monday whether it was good or bad was hard to tell
lagares a former gold glove award winner who is hitting 306 against left handed pitchers made a detour on the mets trip flying from miami to new york for tests on his left thumb magnetic resonance imaging revealed a partial ligament tear which sounded ominous
but the mets decided to keep lagares on the active roster and bring him to pnc park for this weeks series against the pirates
manager terry collins said lagares could wear an oversized base running glove and be available as a pinch runner but would need to be ready to hit and field in about three or four days to avoid the disabled list
theres a good chance hell be able to play with it said john ricco the mets assistant general manager but we wont know until some of the swelling gets out of there and he gets a chance to see how it feels
lagares will probably tape the thumb and wear a splint ricco said but even if he can grip a bat and handle the glove he could be diminished
the mets seem to understand that
if hes able to play youve got to treat him as if hes 100 percent even if you know he probably wont be collins said hes got to do what he does best   face left handed pitching and play center field if he can do that were ok
yoenis cespedes was ready to start in center field on monday after telling collins he felt fine cespedes did not start over the weekend in miami because of right hip soreness
matz niese matchup is put off after waiting about an hour and a half on monday night   just long enough for fans to cheer the penguins first goal in game 4 of the stanley cup finals which played on the scoreboard   the mets and the pirates were rained out at pnc park
no makeup date was immediately announced although the teams have mutual days off on june 13 and aug 8
the scheduled pitching matchup for monday   the mets steven matz against the former met jon niese   will now take place on tuesday jacob degrom will face pittsburghs francisco liriano on wednesday
darnaud at dh in rehab stint catcher travis darnaud began his rehabilitation assignment on sunday going 1 for 5 as the designated hitter for class a st lucie darnaud who has missed six weeks with a rotator cuff strain has been playing catch from 150 feet but has not thrown with full exertion
a rehab assignment has a maximum of 20 days and the mets expect darnaud to be catching in about a week
in the meantime they are giving the veteran rene rivera more time as the starting catcher terry collins said rivera had done a great job throwing guys out making him a good fit for the games against the pirates who run more than most teams
the same reasoning might apply this weekend against the milwaukee brewers who led the majors in steals through sunday
rivera has caught 43 percent of potential base stealers compared with 28 percent by kevin plawecki
rivera has also seemed to work well with the mets pitchers who had a 186 era with him through sunday
pitchers had a 361 era when working with plawecki
a return home for walker for second baseman neil walker the mets visit to pittsburgh is a return to his hometown where he played his first seven seasons
walker who was traded to the mets last december for jon niese stayed at his home north of pittsburgh and got a ride to the ballpark on monday from pirates pitcher gerrit cole a former teammate
im certainly pulling for them walker said of the pirates but maybe not these three days this week
the pirates chose walker with the 11th overall pick in the 2004 draft and statistically he ranks as one of the best first round choices in their history
according to the baseball reference website the pirates have drafted only four players in the first round with more career wins above replacement than walker outfielder barry bonds drafted in 1985 catcher jason kendall 1992 outfielder andrew mccutchen 2005 and third baseman richie hebner 1966


regulators are wrangling with bankrupt coal companies to set aside enough money to clean up appalachias polluted rivers and mountains so that taxpayers are not stuck with the 1 billion bill
the regulators worry that coal companies will use the bankruptcy courts to pay off their debts to banks and hedge funds while leaving behind some of their environmental cleanup obligations
the industry asserts that its cleanup plans   which include turning defunct mines back into countryside   are comprehensive and well funded but some officials say those plans could prove unrealistic and falter as demand for coal remains weak
the latest battle is over alpha natural resources once a high flying coal company that borrowed hundreds of millions when the coal market was booming but imploded in the face of competition from cheaper natural gas and tougher environmental regulations
west virginia faces perhaps the greatest fallout from the flood of coal bankruptcies that have hit the courts in the last year because many of its mines are scheduled to close and will require extensive cleanup the state took the unusual approach of hiring a seasoned bankruptcy lawyer from new york who grew up in west virginia to represent its department of environmental protection in the alpha case
the goal is to make sure the coal companies clean up the mess when they leave said the lawyer kevin w barrett of bailey  glasser who was named a special assistant attorney general for west virginia and is taking the lead on the alpha case
regulators and environmental groups in appalachia have tangled with coal companies for decades over their mining practices particularly mountaintop removal mining which involves removing mountain summits to extract coal
but in the bankruptcy cases west virginia has been pressuring the industrys lenders to share more of the responsibility for mine reclamation and water remediation arguing that they exert great influence if not outright control in some cases over the bankrupt mining companies
still figuring out who holds the industrys debt can involve a cat and mouse game earlier this year alpha denied knowing the identity or the holdings of its so called first lien lenders which are in line to be paid before many other creditors according to a court filing
so mr barrett subpoenaed citicorp the agent for the first lien lenders in the case asking for the names
it took citi more than 30 days to respond to the states subpoena the court filing shows when the list of lenders arrived it read like a whos who of leading investment firms   including two big hedge funds highbridge capital management and a unit of davidson kempner
mr barrett promptly subpoenaed these firms too asking how their plans to buy alphas most valuable assets in the powder river basin of wyoming would help pay to clean up the mines left behind in west virginia
alphas current plan on the table would commit at least 209 million for reclamations and water treatment in five states illinois kentucky tennessee virginia and west virginia but mr barrett worries that the cash is insufficient and that any additional contributions depend on future coal sales which show little sign of recovery
there are a lot of questions whether that will even cover the costs said mr barrett a former lawyer at weil gotshal  manges who grew up hearing the rumble of coal trains through his town in west virginia
alpha insists it will make good on all its environmental obligations the company has continued to perform reclamations even as its cash dwindles in bankruptcy in a court filing alpha said it could achieve a resolution that will assure the states that the debtors perform their reclamation obligations
an alpha spokesman declined to comment beyond the court filings saying that the reorganization plan was not yet complete representatives for citi and the investment firms also declined to comment
many hedge funds bought the coal industrys debt   which totaled roughly 50 billion in 2014   at a discount and stand to profit if the value of their bonds increases many of these debt holders have liens on the companys operating cash and other assets often giving them tremendous sway over how the money gets spent
in the case of patriot coal another large mining company that declared bankruptcy last year west virginia sought to hold its hedge fund lenders directly liable for mine reclamation
the lenders are in the drivers seat said shannon anderson a staff lawyer at the powder river basin resource council a conservation group in wyoming where alpha operates large surface mines
in 2011 alpha borrowed heavily to acquire massey energy as that company was reeling from an explosion that killed 29 miners at its upper big branch mine in west virginia when the coal market collapsed alpha was squeezed by its debt load and filed for bankruptcy last august
while several coal companies have emerged from bankruptcy in recent months and continued to operate state officials have expressed concerns that those companies could soon end up back in bankruptcy if the coal market does not improve if that happens they say the companies will probably have to liquidate leaving little money to fund reclamations and clean up polluted water
that concern is behind the urgent pleadings of environmentalists and even insurers that the coal companies be required to set aside more cash for environmental issues before they are allowed to emerge from bankruptcy
bankruptcy courts need to hold strong and not let financial institutions pocket the money and leave a huge part of appalachia out to dry said peter morgan a lawyer for the sierra club which has filed legal objections to alphas plan
the coal industry has a history of shunting its obligations   so much so that congress has created a specific law aimed at preventing the industry from walking away
the surface mining control and reclamation act of 1977 requires coal companies to purchase bonds   effectively insurance policies   that can be used to pay for reclamation if the companies are insolvent
but in the past regulators in states like west virginia and wyoming had allowed coal companies   particularly the giant mining ones   to self bond which meant that they had only to promise to pay for reclamation work but not to actually post bonds
the company is still negotiating with state regulators over reclamations before a court hearing expected early next month
in west virginia alphas plan is to purchase bonds or offer other collateral to replace most of its 240 million in self bonds but about 100 million will remain self bonded according to a person briefed on the matter
in wyoming alpha officials anticipate replacing all of the roughly 400 million in self bonds with surety bonds or other collateral according to a court filing last month
it is a step in the right direction ms anderson the powder river basin resource council lawyer said but we would like to see more certainty


a veteran republican strategist now helping lead a super pac in support of donald j trump argued in a confidential memo last year that it would be dangerous to give mr trump the power to launch a global war
the strategist alex castellanos has acknowledged that he had been publicly critical of mr trump but said on sunday that he now considered mr trump a superior choice to hillary clinton
in a private document presented to top republican donors last fall however mr castellanos suggested that mr trump could be a threat to american security as president he and another strategist gail gitcho drew up plans for a group named protectus and proposed to spend heavily against mr trump in the republican primaries
in the memo mr castellanos proposed to urge voters not to put mr trump in the big chair in the oval office with responsibilities for worldwide confrontation at his fingertips he also intended to highlight mr trumps past bankruptcies and predicted that his nomination would be ruinous for republicans
republican voters mr castellanos wrote must be made to see the danger and risk of a trump presidency
once these doubts are raised trumps business record of bankruptcies as well as his support of canadian style health care and other positions he shares with hillary clinton can begin to pry gop voters away the memo said
by nominating mr trump it continued republicans would be assured that we lose the white house
if trump wins everyone loses the memo said we not only lose the white house in 2016 but we also lose the senate competitive gubernatorial elections and moderate house republicans making speaker ryans job exponentially more difficult
mr castellanos won no takers for his pitch and the plans for protectus were discarded the new york times first reported the existence of the anti trump memo in late february
on monday mr castellanos did not respond to an email and a phone call seeking additional comment on the evolution of his views about mr trump
but the original battle plan mr castellanos drew up against mr trump was strongly reminiscent of some of the tactics democrats are now using against the presumptive republican nominee mrs clinton argued in a speech last week that mr trump could not be trusted with the powers of the commander in chief
and several democratic leaders have called for a revival of the daisy ad lyndon johnson produced to attack barry goldwater in the 1964 campaign warning that mr goldwater could trigger a nuclear war


chicago   the united states mens national soccer team faces what its coach jurgen klinsmann flatly declared a must win game against costa rica in the copa america centenario on tuesday night but if the americans are feeling the pressure they are not showing it
on sunday several united states players serenaded fans at wrigley field with a version of take me out to the ball game during the seventh inning stretch of a chicago cubs game and on monday while visiting soldier field for a walk through players insisted they were a better team than the one fans saw lose the copa america opener
we know our backs are against the wall defender geoff cameron said but we believe in ourselves we played well the other night
still the facts are stark fridays 2 0 loss to colombia put the americans in an early hole and if they fail to get a positive result on tuesday the team will most likely bow out after the group stage
its a big game but were professionals and were going to play like professionals said goalkeeper brad guzan who is expected to make his second straight start we are very confident we can get a result
the americans need one in a group stage tournament like this years copa losing the first game is often deadly and despite the praise klinsmanns team had for itself the united states frequently looked like the weaker team against colombia conceding an early goal off a set piece and a second goal off a penalty kick late in the first half things barely went better on offense the americans failed to put a shot on target until nearly an hour had elapsed
to be sure this is an american team in transition key players are aging out and there is uncertainty over just who will replace them if the team can qualify for the 2018 world cup in russia aside from the mainstay clint dempsey who remains a spark plug there is little evidence the team can produce goals with consistency against top teams
klinsmann acknowledged having room for improvement while discussing what his team would need to do to succeed tuesday saying we need to create more chances in the final third and finish things off we need to score
he added i think it was a good defensive performance against a very good colombia side aside from the corner kick and the penalty we created five six seven chances   but we did not finish it off we need to avoid mistakes and find ways to score goals
the good news for klinsmann is that the united states has been dominant at home against costa rica with a 13 6 5 record on american soil the americans have not lost a meaningful home game to costa rica since 1989 a 15 game streak that includes a memorable 2013 win in a blizzard near denver
still the ticos edged the americans 1 0 in an october friendly in harrison nj and in their copa america opener they showed they could kill a game with the best of them by earning a 0 0 draw against better regarded paraguay in the stifling florida heat
costa rica will be missing two key players tuesday real madrid goalkeeper keylor navas was dropped from the roster before the tournament because of an achilles tendon injury and defender kendall waston was suspended after picking up a red card against paraguay
we understand what is at stake klinsmann said when you lose the first one there are only two games left so we have to get our first 3 points tomorrow and then you see how things play out were full of energy and optimism and we have a lot of respect for this costa rican team but weve got to get it done tomorrow night


hayward calif   for an additional 1000 a family can have a loved one buried near the chardonnay vines glistening in the sun or if they prefer near the pinot noir vines at a cemetery here in an east bay suburb of san francisco
the vines were planted 10 years ago as a less expensive and more water frugal alternative to grass at the holy sepulchre cemetery here
but this is california the land of gold and grapes and the ornamental grapevines are now producing prizewinning wines
it was kind of like jesus miracle when he made water into wine said bishop michael c barber of the roman catholic diocese of oakland which oversees 16 acres of grapes at this cemetery and two others he became the bishop in 2013 when the wine was called cathedral of christ the light before church officials came up with bishops vineyard a snappier label for a larger market
the grapevines serve another purpose the cemetery doesnt seem like such a sad and fearsome place when you go there and see the vines bishop barber said
these are challenging times for cemetery owners who are struggling to cover their costs primarily upkeep of the land the burial habits of americans have changed and nearly half are cremated rather than buried in 2015 there were 1300 burials at the hayward cemetery down from nearly 2500 in 1980
you just drive by cemeteries like theyre a museum said robert seelig the chief executive of catholic management services which oversees the diocese cemeteries people are attracted to wine it draws them into a cemetery and attracts you to a different story line
american cemeteries have developed creative ways to draw visitors holding horror movie nights concerts in mausoleums fun runs and yoga classes in chapels cincinnatis spring grove cemeteries hosts bird walks twilight tours family fun nights an annual dog day and designated times for segway riders in bridgeport conn people still stroll the pathways around the pond at mountain grove cemetery to admire the flowering dogwood trees in the spring or the brilliant foliage in the fall
cemeteries are reverting to old practices said keith eggener a professor of architectural history at the university of oregon and the author of a book about american cemeteries in the 19th century cemeteries were full of beautiful trails dr eggener said people would take guests and have picnics a cemetery was considered a major ornament to a city
there is a certain symmetry to the catholic churchs making california wine spanish missionaries brought grapes and winemaking to the state probably in late 1700s the vines also have a spiritual appeal wine is a crucial part of the catholic mass and the inspiration for christs first miracle at the wedding at cana
when bishop barber was a student at the jesuit novitiate a training seminary in los gatos calif he picked grapes with a small cutting knife in the colleges vineyards planted in the 1880s as did jerry brown the current governor who was once a student there during the first hour of picking they would pray in silence until the field boss blew the whistle the bishop said
one nice benefit every night at supper they served us some wine with dinner made with grapes previously picked from the same vineyard we worked on that day he said
planting cemetery grapevines in 2006 was a small part of mr seeligs solution for a money losing operation
i wondered if there was a disconnect where cemeteries were no longer relevant to the modern world mr seelig said what i learned is that the model had changed the catholic churchs model needed to be updated he added
he cut costs bought a funeral home with a crematory and began marketing cremations with traditional burials to counter what he saw as push button fix for grieving the grapevines were a small part of the plan
at 50000 an acre for planting grass mr seelig wondered could we plant something else he thought about the body and blood of christ he said i wasnt going into the wine business i was thinking of the nice foliage
an acre of grapevines cost only 17000 to plant
in 2013 church officials approached shauna rosenblum of rock wall wine company to process the cemetery grapes for altar wine which need not be that good mr seelig said she worked with jim ryan a wine consultant who had been with firestone vineyards and concannon vineyard two well known winemakers mr ryan is now the general manager at rock wall
that first year they put all the cemetery grapes into a press to make rose but they were amazed when they evaluated some of the fruit the chardonnay and pinot noir grapes from the hayward cemetery were of outstanding quality mr ryan said and the cabernet and zinfandel grapes from the nearby holy cross cemetery were fantastic
they approached mr seelig with their idea why not make serious wine
this year a bishops vineyard cabernet sauvignon won a silver medal at the monterey international wine competition its cabernet and zinfandel won silver medals in the san francisco chronicle wine competition
and so the cemetery wines have become a start up business unlike most it is a nonprofit giving most of its products   7200 bottles of altar wine   to 45 churches it has donated 35000 in scholarships to parochial schools like most start ups it is not yet turning a profit but the church is investing in the wine business and expects to break even this year the annual costs run up to 150000 mr seelig considers it a good investment
the diocese has a bishops vineyard website a facebook page and a blog grapes  graveyards there are friends and family discounts and a wine club with quarterly packages at three levels a bishops bunch two bottles a cardinals collection four and a popes parcel six
wine tastings are held at parishes and annually at the cemetery bishop barber had one at his home to select the best wine for church altars youre not supposed to be thinking of the wine he said youre supposed to be thinking of our lord
at the cemeteries the grapevines have become a destination
its like dynamic pricing of a baseball game mr seelig said you pay for seating in the bleachers but it is more expensive to be by home plate people he said like ambience it costs 5000 to 6000 for a burial plot near the grapes 1000 more than those across the street
at our cathedral gift shop we sell rosaries statues of mary and oh by the way bottles of our wine bishop barber said


stephen curry on monday withdrew from consideration for the united states mens basketball roster for the rio olympics leaving the team without the nbas most valuable player
in a statement curry said he had decided to pull out because of several factors including recent ankle and knee injuries
he did not say what the other factors were several athletes have expressed concerns about the water situation in rio de janeiro and the zika virus
curry will be the highest profile absence for the united states team a two time defending gold medalist that was already without the nba all stars chris paul and anthony davis
curry a golden state warriors guard has won two world titles with the americans and he was a starter when they won the 2014 basketball world cup he had spoken of wanting a chance to win olympic gold but a recent sprain in his right knee which caused him to miss six games this nba postseason at least partly influenced his decision
my previous experiences with usa basketball have been incredibly rewarding educational and enjoyable which made this an extremely difficult decision for me and my family curry said
he added i believe this is the best decision for me at this stage of my career
curry said he had spoken with his family the warriors and his representatives and had recently informed the usa basketball chairman jerry colangelo that he would not go to brazil
obviously we are disappointed that steph will not be available this summer but we understand these situations arise colangelo said
currys decision to withdraw was first reported by the san jose mercury news
the americans have a list of 31 players in their roster pool for this summer and plan to name their 12 man roster later this month
curry the first nba player to be voted a unanimous mvp and the leagues leading scorer certainly would have been on it he started all nine games for the americans in 2014 averaging 107 points and his usa basketball experience dates to when he played for the under 19 team that won a silver medal in 2007
he could have been the teams biggest star in rio with kobe bryant retired and lebron james still uncommitted
but curry decided it was more important that he rest after a demanding regular season in which the warriors set an nba regular season record with 73 victories and a postseason run that has included ankle and elbow injuries on top of the sprained knee
its an incredible honor to represent your country and wear usa on your chest but my primary basketball related objective this summer needs to focus on my body and getting ready for the 2016 17 nba season curry said
the warriors who have a 2 0 lead over cleveland in the nba finals could still have a strong presence at the olympics klay thompson draymond green andre iguodala and harrison barnes remain candidates for the american team while andrew bogut australia anderson varejao and leandro barbosa brazil and festus ezeli nigeria are on the rosters of their countries
paul who has won two golds with the americans had already opted not to play this time and his fellow point guards john wall of washington and mike conley of memphis are coming off injuries the americans still have oklahoma citys russell westbrook clevelands kyrie irving and portlands damian lillard as possibilities at the position
but curry would most likely have started ahead of them or alongside one in the united states backcourt as he did as the shooting guard next to irving in 2014 he made 438 percent of his attempts then from the shorter international 3 point arc and the americans will probably miss his shooting against the zone defenses they face
colangelo said he had been in contact with curry since his injuries and was aware that the decision to withdraw was possible
steph has always represented his country in an exemplary manner and we are sorry that he wont be able to be with us this summer colangelo said
curry will also miss the chance to play for the americans in his home arena the united states will play china in an exhibition game at oracle arena in july


ottawa   a court ordered deadline and a parliamentary showdown have combined to leave most of canada without any law governing physician assisted suicide as of tuesday
the liberal government led by prime minister justin trudeau introduced a bill in mid april that would add canada to a list of countries that allow people to end their lives with the help of physicians under some circumstances
canadas supreme court prompted the new legislation by overturning criminal laws banning assisted suicide last year before mr trudeau took office
the court originally gave mr trudeaus conservative predecessor stephen harper a deadline of feb 6 to replace the old law mr trudeau asked for more time and the court gave him another four months or until midnight monday but the governments efforts to meet that deadline were stymied by resistance in the house of commons and now in the countrys unelected senate creating a legal void
several doctors have announced that they will proceed with offering assisted suicide to patients despite the absence of any formal system beyond a mix of various guidelines from provincial regulatory bodies quebec has already passed its own assisted dying law
jane philpott the health minister who is also a doctor said on monday that the legal limbo leaves doctors with insufficient guidance and support and potentially at legal risk
doctors may have inadequate protection and i expect in these early days many physicians will be extremely reluctant to provide assistance to patients wanting medical assistance in dying she said in a speech at a health care conference in ottawa we will have a patchwork approach to protection of the vulnerable as safeguards vary across the country
though there are lawmakers in the house of commons and the senate who strongly oppose assisted suicide the greatest resistance to the bill has come from lawmakers who argue that it does not go far enough to fulfill the courts requirements it would allow assisted suicide only for adults with a serious and incurable illness which has brought them enduring physical or psychological suffering and whose natural death is reasonably foreseeable
among other things many of the bills opponents want assisted suicide to be available to anyone with an illness or handicap that causes intolerable suffering even if it is not likely to kill the person in the near future
dr philpott has said that the bill was the best that the government could do within the courts deadline and she has promised a public review to consider additional measures later
the liberals attempts to push the bill through the house of commons led in part to a tussle that saw mr trudeau grabbing a member of the conservative opposition by the arm and accidentally elbowing a female legislator
the senate may vote on the bill by the end of the week but if it adds amendments which appears likely the legislation would be further delayed however the senate which enjoys little public popularity cannot overrule the elected house of commons
carissima mathen who teaches constitutional and criminal law at the university of ottawa said that a great deal of ambiguity will surround the status of assisted suicide with the disappearance of the old law but she added that the courts decision did not appear to allow anyone aside from physicians to help people end their lives
i find it very hard to believe that the court would have allowed that without clarity she said


for viacom selling a stake in its paramount film studio has become potentially more difficult   thanks to its controlling shareholder
national amusements the theater chain through which sumner m redstone controls his media empire said on monday that it had altered viacoms corporate bylaws to prevent the entertainment company from selling any part of paramount without the approval of the full board
national amusements holds about a 10 percent stake in viacom   but nearly 80 percent of viacoms voting stock among viacoms board members are mr redstone himself and his daughter shari redstone
viacom said in february that it was exploring selling a piece of paramount after receiving interest from a number of potential buyers philippe p dauman viacoms chief executive has said that a sale could help share the costs of movie productions and improve the studios distribution
the announcement on monday is likely to delay a potential sale until the legal disputes can be resolved which could be months or longer through his representatives mr redstone has made known his objections to a paramount deal
the studio has long been described as one of mr redstones most prized assets a geriatric psychiatrist who examined mr redstone recently said that mr redstone referred to paramount as his baby and that he expressed his emphatic disapproval of a sale mr dauman in a court filing on monday said the doctors report was biased
in a statement on monday carl folta a viacom spokesman said these illegitimate actions stem directly from the invalid changes made to the national amusements inc board and are completely at odds with good corporate governance
a paramount spokesman declined to comment
the decision puts yet another wrinkle in the struggle between mr redstone and mr dauman who was once the 93 year old moguls top lieutenant
over the last several weeks mr dauman has begun waging open warfare with representatives for mr redstone and with shari redstone their dispute revolves around the may 20 dismissals of mr dauman and george s abrams another viacom director from the trust that will oversee mr redstones companies when he dies or is declared incompetent
both men were also removed from the national amusements board
mr dauman and mr abrams have filed a lawsuit contesting the moves arguing in court that mr redstone lacked the mental capacity to make those decisions they have accused ms redstone of manipulating her father
in its statement on monday national amusements said that its move regarding paramount was not connected to that legal dispute instead the company said that it wanted to ensure that a sale of any part of paramount was done as part of a sensible long term strategy
while national amusements is not opposed to a transaction that would unlock value at paramount it firmly believes that any proposed transaction should be thoroughly vetted and approved by viacoms full board and the rationale for such a transaction should be clearly articulated to viacoms stockholders in advance national amusements said
in its statement national amusements criticized recent comments by frederic salerno viacoms lead independent director who said last week that it was important for the companys growth to proceed with its plans to sell a stake in paramount
we hope that the fight over control does not impair or completely undermine this potential step with paramount mr salerno said in a letter that also proclaimed the viacom directors intention to fight any attempt to remove them from the board
the theater chain said that those comments showed that viacoms independent directors appeared more interested in their own positions than in doing what was right for all of the media companys shareholders
but other viacom investors have supported a deal for paramount including mario gabelli whose investment firm gamco is the second largest voting shareholder in viacom and cbs behind mr redstone he has called a paramount transaction a logical step for viacom
paramount executives caught by surprise when mr dauman said in february that viacom was entertaining offers for a minority stake are likely to greet mondays development with a sigh of relief new stakeholders could have agitated for a management shake up at the studio which has been struggling with little end in sight
paramount which for the last four years has ranked last among hollywoods major studios in terms of domestic market share is trying to rebuild its pipeline after a long period of lessening risk by releasing fewer films which also limited profits last year paramount released about a dozen movies most major studios release about 20 efforts by paramount to restart older franchises including the terminator series have also run aground
over the weekend paramount suffered another setback teenage mutant ninja turtles out of the shadows one of the studios big summer bets turned in a weak 353 million in domestic ticket sales
not everything at paramount has been a disaster the low cost thriller 10 cloverfield lane was a modest hit in march and the studio has been aggressively trying to build a television division leonardo dicaprios production company appian way recently ended an alliance with warner bros in favor of paramount


in 1957 walt disney laid out what was then an astonishing plan for an entertainment ecosystem animated movies would fuel theme park attractions which in turn would power merchandise sales which would create interest in more movies today with frozen the plan has evolved further
when the movie became a blockbuster in 2013 taking in 13 billion globally disney got busy it rushed out merchandise sent princesses anna and elsa on an ice show tour and started work on an arendelle boat ride at epcot and three stage musicals
robert a iger disneys chief executive told a wall street conference last month that he had recently seen a frozen show bound for disney california adventure he noted that frozen would be part of the parade at the new shanghai disneyland and he said i sat on friday here in new york in a run through of the frozen musical that were starting to develop for broadway
its an increasingly familiar approach both beauty and the beast and aladdin had theme park shows before new york productions broadway veterans helped create them all
keeping all the efforts untangled can be challenging is the theme park show a miniversion of the broadway one what about the disney cruise line production heres what we know about the live performance versions of frozen underway
director liesl tommy raised in south africa she tends to pursue serious minded projects about civil and political rights ms tommy is a tony nominee for her direction of eclipsed a searing play starring lupita nyongo about captive women in liberia her musical credits include party people a regional show about the black panther movement
other team members frozen   live at the hyperion as the 1873 seat theater here is named uses the films score but some songs initially written as solos in summer were rearranged by jason michael webb the color purple to become ensemble numbers chad beguelin the tony nominated author of the book for disneys aladdin on broadway adapted the frozen book from the films screenplay video elements and there are a ton of them were handled by aaron rhyne a gentlemans guide to love  murder
status it began an open ended run on may 27 and has up to five performances daily the hyperion was home to aladdin   a musical spectacular which ran for 13 years
cast more than 100 actors dancers and puppeteers are involved about 3500 auditioned but disney declined to identify any by name with so many daily performances a spokesman explained numerous performers share the lead roles disney also ahem takes the suspension of disbelief to an extreme at its theme parks as an usher told a child before a recent performance anna and elsa are real and played by themselves
running time 55 minutes
audience the mouse ears wearing masses everyone from babies to older adults took in a recent performance with a handful of people in prime seats holding up their phones to videotape the opening number theres going to be a lot of people who have never seen theater before ms tommy said in an interview
cost to attend ostensibly free but the hyperion is inside disney california adventure one of two theme parks that make up the disneyland resort admission to california adventure is 95 to 119 depending on the day
how it differs from the film its 10 times better than the movie a disney usher named yvonne from lakewood calif according to her name badge told guests as they waited in line for nearly an hour for a recent performance some film fans may disagree some songs are abbreviated and ancillary scenes and characters are cut there is no marshmallow the ice monster for instance and anna does not wander into wandering oakens trading post and sauna
how it differs from other frozen adaptations a lot more bells and whistles people are coming in here full of adrenaline theyve been on rides ms tommy said how do i top that theres a lavish 2200 square foot video wall a sequence in which sven the reindeer literally flies and lots of fake fog
let it go moment hold on tight elsa belts it out while standing atop a towering set of crystal stairs that rotates out over the audience
director alex timbers an unconventionally witty theater director known for his steampunk aesthetic he has twice been nominated for tony awards for directing disneys peter and the starcatcher and for writing the book for bloody bloody andrew jackson
other team members music and lyrics by kristen anderson lopez and robert lopez who wrote the films score and a book by jennifer lee who wrote the screenplay and directed the film the set design is by bob crowley who has won multiple tony awards including for disneys aida and mary poppins
status a developmental lab two weeks in which actors accompanied by keyboards and drums read and sang using scripts on music stands before an invited audience that at one point included mr iger was held in new york last month a pre broadway run is planned at the denver center for the performing arts in august 2017 and disney said that it planned to move the show to broadway in the spring of 2018
cast at the developmental lab betsy wolfe bullets over broadway played elsa patti murin lysistrata jones was anna okieriete onaodowan hamilton was kristoff and greg hildreth cinderella was olaf although actors often remain with productions from the developmental process through full productions disney has not committed to casting for the denver production that cast would likely continue on to broadway
running time two full acts presumably running two to two and a half hours
audience the broadway audience is older than that at the theme parks most ticketbuyers are women disneys shows attract more families with children than do some more adult themed broadway shows but the company says its shows also draw many adults without children
cost to attend prices have not been set but full price tickets to the lion king on broadway are 99 to 199 with premium seats for up to 225
how it differs from film live actors obviously an expanded story and an expanded song list   there are eight and a reprise in the film and this production will probably have at least twice that among the new songs is true love an act ii ballad sung by anna after hans a scheming prince betrays her and locks her in a palace room
how it differs from other frozen adaptations the broadway version is the only one with new songs and new book material it will be the most fully realized and ambitious theatrical production
let it go moment the song thanks to its soaring sound and stratospheric popularity is now the first acts closing number
director sheryl kaller whose broadway credits include mothers and sons in 2014 and next fall which earned her a tony nomination in 2010
other team members disney has not publicly confirmed this production but casting notices this year said that josh prince whose broadway dance resume includes beautiful the carole king musical and the short lived shrek the musical would be the choreographer
status still in the early stages there has been at least one run through but this musical is planned for the 875 room cruise ship wonder which is headed to dry dock this year for refurbishment
cast with limited living quarters for performers disneys ships often look for people who can simultaneously play a range of characters but the casting notice for this effort included some specific requirements for the role of kristoff for instance disney advertised for a baritone who stands six feet tall or more and can play a rugged blue collar type a little rough around the edges yet endearingly awkward
running time the show that will likely be replaced toy story   the musical runs about an hour in the wonders 975 seat theater or glitzy high tech theater palace at sea if youre going by the disney cruise line website
audience disneyphiles while intended to appeal to a wide range of travelers guests tend to be well acquainted with disneys singular style of entertainment and that means any efforts to cut corners are noticed
cost to attend included with the price of passage which starts at 507 a person plus port fees and taxes for a three night inside room bahamian cruise
how it differs from film like the theme park version this will be about presenting whats in the movie   in boiled down fashion   for already captive crowds
how it differs from other frozen adaptations disney cruise line which mounts its stage productions without much interaction with its corporate siblings bills its musicals as broadway caliber marketing pitches aside this show will almost certainly be the least extravagant
let it go moment you can bet that the climactic scene will include fake snow choose your seat wisely


democratic leaders nationwide sought to exact a political price from republican officials and candidates on monday for continuing to support donald j trump after his explosive remarks challenging the objectivity of judges with mexican or muslim backgrounds
in an unusually coordinated series of attacks leveled from congressional offices and the senate floor in state capitols and sidewalk protests democrats excoriated mr trump as racist and demanded that republicans either stand behind his comments or condemn him and even rescind their endorsements of his candidacy
democrats received unexpected ammunition from mr trump himself who in an extraordinary conference call with allies on monday urged them to defend his criticisms of a federal judges mexican heritage   and then rebuked his campaign staff for having suggested otherwise
mr trumps doggedness and his chastisement of his own aides contributed to a sense of powerlessness among republicans who said they increasingly saw no way to influence mr trumps behavior or to convince him that his actions could hurt the party in competitive house senate and governors races
reince priebus the chairman of the republican national committee has held discussions with mr trump about his attacks on judge gonzalo p curiel of federal district court who is overseeing a suit against the now shuttered trump university according to a republican briefed on the talks
but mr priebus has had similar conversations over many months with mr trump to little avail and other senior republicans said there was confusion about whether it was worth approaching any of mr trumps aides about doing an intervention with him
republican candidates in tough races this fall were left to fend for themselves senator kelly ayotte of new hampshire called on mr trump to retract his comments about judge curiel calling them offensive and wrong
other candidates lay low senator marco rubio of florida a former rival of mr trumps and senator susan collins of maine both criticized mr trump yet neither they nor ms ayotte indicated that they would reject his candidacy
i continue to hope that mr trump will rethink his position and take back those words and show respect for the separation of powers doctrine that is enshrined in our constitution ms collins said in an interview i continue to believe in redemption
no prominent elected republican came to mr trumps defense unreservedly and others found themselves wondering aloud what it would take   what mr trump would have to say or do   for republicans who have endorsed him to start jumping ship
senator lindsey graham of south carolina another former primary rival of mr trumps urged republicans who have backed mr trump to rescind their endorsements citing the remarks about judge curiel and mr trumps expression of doubt on sunday that a muslim judge could remain neutral in the same lawsuit given mr trumps proposed ban on muslim noncitizens entering the country
this is the most un american thing from a politician since joe mccarthy mr graham said if anybody was looking for an off ramp this is probably it he added therell come a time when the love of country will trump hatred of hillary
republican hopes that mr trump would tone down his language and heed advice were also undercut after he laced into his own campaign team during a strategy discussion with political surrogates
on the conference call reported first by the bloomberg news website and later confirmed by two participants mr trump argued that talking points sent by his campaign to his allies directing them not to discuss the trump university case were ill advised
take that order and throw it the hell out mr trump said
he then went further in excoriating his campaign staff are there any other stupid letters that were sent to you folks mr trump said according to the bloomberg news report thats one of the reasons i want to have this call because you guys are getting sometimes stupid information from people that arent so smart
no other modern presidential campaign has unfolded like this and gleeful democrats have concluded that one of their best strategies for the general election is to hold republicans accountable for each new trump bombshell
in indiana state democratic party officials held a news conference on monday to assail mr trumps remarks about judge curiel who was born in the state and graduated from indiana universitys law school but the partys chairman john zody spent even more time criticizing gov mike pence a republican seeking re election this year and republican house and senate candidates in indiana for being completely silent on the fact that donald trump is questioning the integrity of a hoosier only a few republican officials in the state have criticized mr trumps comments as inappropriate
outside trump tower in manhattan meanwhile melissa mark viverito the speaker of the new york city council and councilman carlos menchaca told reporters that mr trumps comments about the judge were racist and xenophobic and reflected disrespect for the judiciary system
hes quite literally saying judge curiel cant do his job because of his ethnicity that is the definition of racism said ms mark viverito who is puerto rican its gross its vile and it is not normal behavior for anyone let alone someone running to be the president of the united states
the democratic offensive was more systematic and effective than earlier scattershot attempts to link republicans to mr trumps incendiary language and to his refusal to release his tax returns among other actions
hillary clintons campaign was quick to act putting out a video monday morning that drew attention to mr trumps remarks and to some critical responses to him by other republicans
representative tammy duckworth democrat of illinois accused senator mark kirk the republican she is challenging of being complicit in mr trumps campaign of hate and division and of dodging mr trumps comments on judge curiel mr kirk did not reply to requests for comment democrats in nevada also held a news conference to draw attention to mr trumps remarks while others publicized them to reporters in ohio and florida
on capitol hill house democrats held a private conference call to discuss how to apply pressure on the republican leadership
trumps incendiary comments about judge curiel were the final straw said representative steve israel democrat of new york he added referring to speaker paul d ryan were not going to let speaker ryan and house republicans spend every day criticizing trump with one hand and endorsing him with the other
texas democrats are expected to try to hammer mr trump when he visits their state in a week and the democratic congressional campaign committee is preparing material to guide its candidates in attacking their opponents over mr trumps positions
it remains very unlikely that ambitious republicans and those on the ballot this year will publicly break with mr trump until it becomes politically advantageous for them at the moment mr trump enjoys wide support from the sort of rank and file republican voters whom elected officials are loath to antagonize
mr rubio who has said he would speak at the republican convention and personally apologized to mr trump for making jokes about the size of his anatomy during the primary confirmed in a florida television interview that he would still support mr trump
still mr trump expressed displeasure at criticism from his allies in a monday morning interview on fox news he faulted former speaker newt gingrich for saying the curiel attacks were inexcusable
i was surprised at newt   i thought it was inappropriate what he said mr trump said
the unified democratic attack on mr trump came on the final day of campaigning before primaries in california new jersey and several other states
in california mrs clinton blasted mr trump as running a campaign of insults and said im waiting for him to say   because of all the bigoted things he has said about women   that a woman judge couldnt preside senator bernie sanders also in california insisted that he was still the democrats best hope of defeating mr trump
for other democrats though mr trumps words were buoying hopes of a november resurgence
in a speech on the senate floor as congress returned from a break the senate minority leader harry reid of nevada sought to yoke mr trump to his counterpart the senate majority leader mitch mcconnell of kentucky   and to every republican running this fall mr reid pointed out that mr mcconnell interviewed on nbc on sunday had repeatedly refused to say donald trumps attacks on judge curiels ethnicity are racist
this is precisely the type of failure that gave rise to donald trump in the first place mr reid said thats because the hate emanating from trumps mouth reflects the republican partys agenda here in the united states senate for the past seven and a half years


london   the citizens of draguseni romania were presented with a predicament on sunday when they had to decide who should lead their village of 2500 the incumbent mayor vasile cepoi or one of four challengers   two of whom were also named vasile cepoi
this was not the first time mr cepoi the mayor was facing such familiar competition in fact electoral records showed that in all three of his successful bids since 2004 he faced at least one other vasile cepoi
vasile is a very common name in romania and cepoi is a similarly common surname in draguseni a municipality in the rural northern region of bucovina in the eastern carpathian mountains
some residents there were confused by the lack of diversity if not choice in the mayoral race a video posted online by the romanian news channel antena1 mocked some voters who appeared to have little idea which mr cepoi was which or what parties the homonymous contenders represented
since the first free elections were held two decades ago in romania fraud has been common according to reports by international election observers candidates and their parties have offered small gifts of food drink or cash to lure voters or encouraged electoral tourism   paying voters to visit multiple polling stations on election day stuffing ballot boxes for their preferred candidates
candidates for mayor in at least a quarter of sundays major municipal races in romania were under criminal investigation mostly for allegations of corruption according to reports by digi24 a romanian news channel
in draguseni the challenges from two other vasile cepois raised the suspicion of some observers that the participation of similarly named candidates was not a coincidence
mr cepoi the incumbent a member of the governing social democrat party said that he suspected that mr cepoi from the peoples movement party and mr cepoi from the national liberal party were deliberately trying to confuse voters and deny him another term
in an effort to differentiate himself on the ballot the mayor changed his name before the election to vasile lica cepoi he was re elected with 82 percent of the vote according to preliminary results from the central election office


the rolex mentor and protege arts initiative a program that pairs major figures in seven disciplines with emerging artists has announced those chosen for the 2016 17 cycle of the program which began in 2002
the pairings are intended to help foster a new generation of exceptional talent and expose the proteges to the experience and work practices of the mentors the proteges must be professionals in their fields and each receives a stipend of 25000 swiss francs about 26000 and is eligible for an equivalent amount at the end of the year to support the creation of new work
the chosen proteges are simon kretz a swiss architect and urbanist for architecture londiwe khoza of south africa for dance the indian director chaitanya tamhane for film julian fuks a brazilian writer and translator for literature pauchi sasaki a peruvian violinist composer and performance artist for music matias umpierrez an argentine experimental director for theater and the vietnamese painter and performance artist thao nguyen phan for visual arts
their mentors announced in december are david chipperfield architecture mia couto literature alfonso cuaron film philip glass music joan jonas visual art robert lepage theater and ohad naharin dance each has chosen his or her protege from a shortlist drawn up by a committee of experts in each discipline and each must agree to spend at least 30 days in the next year working with the protege
this year the geographical diversity is really great rebecca irvin who directs the program for rolex said in a telephone interview its the first time weve had proteges from india and vietnam and the first time weve had female proteges in dance and visual arts this year brings to 50 the number of young artists weve had in the program a pretty big milestone


moscow   a shipment of kalashnikov rifles popularly known as ak 47s was destined for the united states when it was stopped and quickly rerouted to venezuela washington had just slapped moscow with sanctions over the ukraine crisis and the russian gun maker kalashnikov kontsern suddenly found one of its biggest markets off limits
without access to the ready buyers among american weapons enthusiasts kalashnikov had to change its strategy an increasingly common challenge for russian companies after the imposition of sanctions
in the two years that followed kalashnikov diversified into new product lines slashed jobs and made over its brand and the rifle   long the weapon of choice for militaries and militant groups and the worlds most widely used firearm   was pitched instead to hobbyists and hunters in russia
that new strategy appears to be yielding results as kalashnikov steps into the void left by american competitors in its home market it is on track to turn a profit this year bolstered in part by a weaker currency
they started paying attention to clients said dmitry s balyasov a lawyer and shooting enthusiast who was patronizing a firing range outside of moscow
they have a contemporary style for selling a product mr balyasov said clutching a legal civilian version of the weapon
for the company behind the 70 year old weapon the shift from serving conflict to serving consumers has been stark
the company owns the original license to kalashnikov pattern rifles colloquially known as ak 47s   a name derived from the russian word for automatic and the surname of the inventor lt gen mikhail t kalashnikov as well as the year the prototype appeared in the soviet era kalashnikovs main rifle factory called the izhevsk machine works was a state owned military enterprise that stamped out guns in tremendous quantities with sales an afterthought
kalashnikov pattern rifles are ubiquitous in conflict zones more than 100 million have been sold including the countless knockoffs the rifle has inspired from china and elsewhere the chunky guns with their oversize banana clips are legendarily rugged and can remain in armories for decades limiting sales of new weapons
with the military market largely saturated kalashnikov became increasingly dependent on civilian weapons sales the civilian versions shoot only once with each trigger squeeze with no option to switch to full automatic as in the military rifle
before the sanctions kalashnikovs plan for expansion focused on the united states where gun ownership laws are more lenient than in many other countries
though russian weapons make up a tiny piece of the united states market sales of its civilian rifles and shotguns branded as saiga and baikal increased at a faster pace than the overall market by 2013 the united states accounted for about 40 percent of the companys total gun sales roughly equivalent to the volume bought by the russian military where every soldier is equipped with one
american sanctions slammed the door on the expansion plan the sanctions in mid 2014 took direct aim at rostec the state owned military industrial conglomerate that holds a 51 percent stake in kalashnikov
they forced the gun maker to take a hard look at its business
we are moving from iron to intellect said vasily brovko the director of strategy and communications for rostec
it thinned its ranks of middle managers at the izhevsk factory in 2015 and diversified this year by buying companies that make motorboats and surveillance drones while kalashnikov does not break out sales receipts from its various divisions it intends for firearms and clothing to make up about 80 percent of earnings by 2020 with motorboat and drone sales accounting for the rest
a kalashnikov brand clothing line is being unveiled in september and the company plans to open 60 retail stores in russia by the end of the year selling clothes and rifles it also introduced a marketing campaign with a new logo   a stylized letter k with a curved ammunition magazine as one of the arms   and a slogan kalashnikov real reliable
kalashnikov is a global brand vladimir dmitriev the companys chief of marketing said likening kalashnikov to ferrari or caterpillar companies that sell clothing as a sideline to capitalize on brand recognition we are certainly justified in thinking that clothes and souvenirs with our symbols will be in demand as much as our primary products
in russia kalashnikov must navigate a different environment than in the united states
russian consumers can buy a long barreled firearm only with a police permit potential buyers must have no criminal record a diploma from a gun safety course and a medical certificate that clears them of any mental illness with few exceptions civilians are not allowed to own pistols
kalashnikov is playing to patriotic ideals
as part of a marketing effort the company erected a stand festooned with balloons promoting the rifle in moscows gorky park on may 9 victory day the holiday commemorating the defeat of nazi germany in 1945 the type of display   one associating itself with the russian government and army   is a contrast to the united states where antigovernment sentiment is strong among the gun buying public
the company is showing signs of improvement
it says it expects to report a profit of 21 billion rubles or about 33 million when 2015 results are published this month compared with a loss of 340 million rubles in 2014 it now sells fewer guns but makes more money on each
but the biggest boost for kalashnikov comes from factors beyond its control
russia is a major oil exporter and weak crude prices coupled with the sanctions helped cut the value of its currency with most of its costs priced in rubles kalashnikov products became far more competitive with imported firearms
we are talking about the reversal of the dutch disease which russia has been suffering vladimir osakovsky chief economist for russia at bank of america merrill lynch said dutch disease refers to the impact energy prices tend to have on an oil producing countrys currency pushing it higher and hurting domestic companies by making their exports look comparatively expensive
whether the growth is sustainable or the product of favorable currency winds will depend on kalashnikovs ground campaign
as part its broad new marketing effort the company now sends representatives to gun stores across russia to promote its products at the hunting club gun shop in moscows suburbs kalashnikov has provided two window displays exclusively for its rifles and racks and shelves to sell branded t shirts and shoulder patches
the idea is to surround the customer with the brand so he is not tempted to spend money anywhere else mr brovko the rostec strategist said
with the help of the currency tailwinds demand for kalashnikovs shotguns and rifles at the shop has outpaced that for guns made by its rivals like beretta of italy sauer of germany and winchester of the united states according to aleksei v lapshin the owner of the hunting club customers have also been pleased with the range of special options including different materials for the rifle exterior he said
its a very modern approach he said some people want black plastic some people want beechwood some people want walnut
no two comrades have the same taste


an aggressive campaign to recruit graduate students from india to study at western kentucky university has ended badly with more than one third of the students asked to leave the program after their first semester a university official said
the university used international recruiters to find the students compensating the services based on how many students they enrolled the outcome which will force the students to return to india or find placement in another university or program in the united states illustrates a pitfall of using such recruiters
james gary the chairman of western kentuckys computer science program said on monday that almost 40 of the students did not meet the requirements of their admissions even though they were offered remedial help by the university
while some students will be allowed to remain mr gary said at least 25 of the nearly 60 students in the program must leave
permitting the students to continue in the program would be throwing good money after bad he said because they were unable to write computer programs a necessary part of the curriculum and a skill that united states schools teach to undergraduates
if they come out of here without the ability to write programs thats embarrassing to my department mr gary said explaining why the university could not permit them to continue
the chairman of the indian student association at western kentucky university aditya sharma expressed concern for the students
i definitely feel badly for these students said mr sharma a graduate student in public health administration theyve come so far theyve invested money into it
but he said some of the students had adopted what he called a casual approach to their studies they could not meet their gpa so the university had to take this decision mr sharma said
some of the students are seeking placement in graduate schools in missouri and tennessee mr sharma said others are considering applying to less rigorous programs than the one at western kentucky in bowling green ky
those who are not able to find placement will be forced to leave the country under the terms of their visas
the students had been admitted in january after a recruitment campaign in india last summer and fall recruiters in india had run advertisements offering spot admission to the university as well as tuition discounts
when faculty members at western kentucky learned last fall that some of the students did not meet admissions standards the university senate endorsed a resolution expressing concern about the recruitment campaign part of the universitys efforts to lift enrollment and revenue in the face of deep state budget cuts
western kentucky said in a statement on monday that the university had altered its international recruitment efforts in india in addition to reviewing its advertising the school is sending members of the computer science faculty to india to meet with students before offers of admission are made
under the terms of the universitys agreement with the recruiter the company was to be paid about 2000 per student but it would not collect all of that money unless the student remained for two semesters
a survey released last week by bridge education group and studentmarketing showed that 37 percent of universities and colleges in the united states work with international recruitment agencies a majority of which are paid by commission


amc is developing a mini series based on the memoir of the late new york times columnist david carr
the cable network announced on monday that the project was being conceived as a six part mini series and that the actor bob odenkirk who stars in amcs better call saul would play mr carr
shawn ryan creator of the shield will write the mini series and also serve as executive producer
in his memoir the night of the gun which was released in 2008 mr carr reported and wrote about his years of drug addiction and alcoholism and his unlikely rise as a leading voice in the media world mr carr died last year after collapsing in the times newsroom
in a statement mr odenkirk who is also an executive producer of the project said i hope to do justice to davids intellect and his scrappy nature its going to be crazy ... if we do it right


before north carolina passed its controversial bathroom law before caitlyn jenner transitioned and before transparent became a hit tv series a little kid in rural colorado was told she couldnt use the girls restroom at school anymore
the story of coy mathis a transgender girl who was born a boy garnered international attention in 2013 when her parents jeremy and kathryn mathis filed a complaint accusing the school district of violating the states anti discrimination law
the mathises went on to win their case but not before coming under heavy criticism for putting coy then a 6 year old first grader in front of reporters and camera crews and on television with katie couric now theyre poised to be foisted back into the spotlight with the documentary growing up coy which has its premiere on june 16 in new york at the human rights watch film festival
directed by eric juhola and produced by his husband jeremy stulberg growing up coy picks up with the mathis family in early 2013 about six weeks before they went public with their case together with their lawyer the mathises believed that speaking openly was necessary to sway the public in coys favor and to help win her case but as the documentary shows the move unleashed a media feeding frenzy that previewed the fights that would roil america in 2016 fraying the couples relationship drawing excoriations from talking heads and internet trolls at times alienating their four other children and indelibly etching coys name into cyberspaces inexhaustible memory bank
i think they didnt know what they were getting into when they started i dont think they knew how big it was going to get mr juhola said i cant speak for them but i hope that over time they realize the difference that they made i think the world is a better place because of them and what they did
in the course of the documentary the mathises moved from fountain colo a small town near the headquarters of the conservative organization focus on the family to aurora colo and have since moved elsewhere in the state they retreated from public view and are unlikely to participate in the promotion of the documentary
the film could not be timelier with transgender issues at the fore and 11 states suing the obama administration over its directive telling schools to allow students to use whichever bathroom matches their gender identities
but mr juhola noted that he and mr stulberg embarked on the project before in his words trans was quote trending wanting to document a transgender persons fight for rights the filmmakers were equally intrigued by the mathises staunch support of their child
theyre really the first generation of parents letting their young kids express themselves as whatever gender they identify with mr juhola said a lot of older transgender people who we met who just transitioned in their 40s 50s and 60s said oh my god i cant even imagine how different my life would be if id had parents like them
the mathises troubles with eagleside elementary school began in late 2012 when the principal told them that coy who began identifying as a girl when she was 18 months old could no longer use the girls bathroom at that point coy who as a triplet has a brother and sister along with two other sisters had been living as a girl for a while wearing sparkly flouncy dresses and long hair and had been identified as a girl in medical and legal records in the documentary the mathises describe coys misery in her earliest years when the couple   jeremy is a former marine and kathryn is a freelance portrait photographer   dressed her as a boy
deeply anxious coy refused to go outside rarely smiled had meltdowns when told to line up with the boys at school and asked her parents when they would take her to the doctor to remove her penis no such operation was or is being planned it was just what it was mr mathis said in the film this wasnt a phase
after hearing from the principal the mathises contacted michael d silverman executive director of the transgender legal defense  education fund who wrote to the school board hoping for a resolution the boards response   they cited concerns for other students sharing the bathroom with coy as she grew older   prompted the mathises to withdraw their children from the school
after some soul searching discussions mr silverman said the family agreed that the best action was to take the case public by showing how achingly normal coy and her family were they could put a face   an adorable impish face   on an issue that many people at the time were not just unfamiliar with but also stigmatized and feared
the motivating factor was how can we create the conditions where we can win for coy mr silverman said in an interview it wasnt clear without speaking publicly that anyone would understand what was at stake
the same reasoning probably prompted the mathises who did not respond to interview requests for this article to also agree to the documentary mr juhola said
its really about making the world a better place for coy by putting images out of transgender people that are positive mr juhola said
just as public controversy raged about coys name and image being made public   the public editor of the new york times weighed in while in colorado and elsewhere the mathises were accused of being child abusers and setting coy up for harassment   the documentarians also asked themselves about their own responsibility to protect coy in the end mr juhola said they deferred to the mathises judgment which ms mathis addressed in the film
we werent the ones who stigmatized her to begin with ms mathis said sending a little girl into a boys bathroom thats setting her up to being hurt
as the couple in the film wrestled with whether to agree to yet another interview they would turn down offers to be in ads and to star in a reality show ms mathis also mused on camera about the duress of living under the microscope where should we draw the line she asked we dont want her to look back and see that we didnt stand up for her
while the news media pressure depicted in the film seems acute the worst of it largely ended after about six months in the summer of 2013 when colorados civil rights board ruled in the mathises favor chastising the school for its severe and pervasive treatment and for creating an environment that was hostile intimidating or offensive
mr juhola said that as far as he knew the mathises remain settled and welcome in their new community where coy who will turn 10 this year is living happily as a girl
she doesnt want to have to explain who she is and talk about how shes different ms mathis says in the film she just wants to be


baltimore   the police officer charged with murder in the death of freddie gray chose on monday to have a bench trial eliminating a jury from his emotionally charged case and placing the verdict in the hands of the same judge who acquitted another officer two weeks ago
the officer caesar r goodson jr a veteran of baltimores police force was driving the police wagon that mr gray a 25 year old black man was riding in when he suffered the spinal injury that killed him mr grays death in april 2015 led to violent protests in the city and became a cornerstone of the nations wrenching debate over the way police officers use force against minorities
just over a year ago the citys top prosecutor marilyn j mosby charged six officers in the arrest and death of mr gray   a move that effectively calmed the city but has yet to yield any convictions the presiding judge barry g williams granted each officer a separate trial the first of officer william g porter ended in december with a hung jury and led to months of delays in the second trial last month officer edward m nero was acquitted by judge williams
officer goodson faces the most serious charge   second degree murder   in mr grays death his trial which begins thursday will be watched closely in a city where many residents have hoped for a conviction in the case
you are waiving your right to have a jury trial do you understand that judge williams asked as he peered at officer goodson from the bench during a pretrial hearing in his cavernous courtroom on monday
yes officer goodson replied softly
legal experts said judge williamss acquittal of officer nero on may 23 weighed heavily in officer goodsons decision to avoid a jury trial
you put all your eggs in one basket when you elect to have a court trial instead of a 12 member jury said warren s alperstein a defense lawyer who has watched the cases against the officers
but keep in mind mr alperstein added that this is a very highly emotionally charged case and theres a risk that a jury would not be able to separate the emotion or ignore the emotion in this case whereas judge williams has just demonstrated that he is able to
officer goodson 47 had been a baltimore police officer for 17 years when he responded to the arrest of mr gray in west baltimores blighted sandtown neighborhood last year mr gray had fled unprompted from police officers who later placed him in officer goodsons transport wagon mr gray was not secured by a seatbelt
with officer goodson at the wheel the wagon made a series of stops in the neighborhood when it arrived at the western district police station mr gray was unresponsive and no longer breathing he died a week later from a functionally severed spinal cord
officer goodson who is black also faces charges of manslaughter and second degree assault court filings have hinted that prosecutors may argue that officer goodson intentionally drove the van dangerously taking mr gray for a so called rough ride
prosecutors are also expected to argue that officer goodson displayed an extreme indifference to human life and that it was his duty to secure mr gray in a seatbelt and to obtain medical attention when asked
judge williams dealt a potential blow to that argument on monday by granting a defense motion to preclude the testimony of a detective who said officer porter had told her that mr gray said he could not breathe during the van ride
a small group of demonstrators who gathered outside the courthouse were dismayed to learn officer goodson would be tried by a judge
the decision is devastating said the rev cortly witherspoon known as cd the president of baltimores chapter of the southern christian leadership conference the citizens of this city were robbed of the opportunity to decide what happens with officer goodson


would you rather spend 20 minutes reading about the hazards of predatory debt collection or would you rather spend 20 minutes watching someone forgive millions of dollars in debt complete with a giveaway that professed to put oprah winfreys famous you get a car gimmick to shame
if you chose option b congratulations you are precisely the target audience for john olivers last week tonight a show that understands that the best way to convey vital information in an age marked by attention deficit is to wrap it up in spectacle
for his latest trick mr oliver the host of the hbo show formed a company called central asset recovery professionals   or carp named after the bottom feeding fish   and purchased 149 million worth of medical debt for just under 60000
mr oliver said it had cost 50 to create his company after which he received the portfolio offering the names current addresses and social security numbers of about 9000 people
mr oliver then gave the debt away bragging that his giveaway was bigger than ms winfreys   her car giveaway was estimated at 7 million   and completed the show by pressing a giant red button that triggered a rain shower of dollar bills
like spinach concealed in the brownie mix the deliciously entertaining scene masquerades as tv dessert but it has real nutritional or in this case informational value mr oliver wanted to illustrate how easy it is for companies to buy debt and try to collect from consumers whether those consumers are still legally liable for the debt or not
the segment also showed footage of panelists at a debt buying trade conference saying that most consumers didnt understand disclaimers on their debt notices which affords them some legal rights
news as entertainment is a continuing theme on the show whether mr oliver is explaining the history of donald j trumps family by leading a campaign to change mr trumps surname to drumpf or starting his own house of worship to better explain how tax exempt megachurches work last week tonight is continuing to perfect the art of explaining by doing
on the latest episode mr oliver said buying the debt was absolutely terrifying because it means if i wanted to i could legally have carp take possession of that list and have employees start calling people turning their lives upside down over medical debt they no longer had to pay
there would be absolutely nothing wrong with that except for the fact that absolutely everything is wrong with that he said
lastly if you do want to spend 20 minutes reading about predatory debt collection practices and the lack of regulation that allows them you can read coverage in the times here here and here


cambridge mass   a black hole has no hair
that mysterious koan like statement by the theorist and legendary phrasemaker john archibald wheeler of princeton has stood for half a century as one of the brute pillars of modern physics
it describes the ability of nature according to classical gravitational equations to obliterate most of the attributes and properties of anything that falls into a black hole playing havoc with sciences ability to predict the future and tearing at our understanding of how the universe works
now it seems that statement might be wrong
recently stephen hawking who has spent his entire career battling a form of lou gehrigs disease wheeled across the stage in harvards hoary wood paneled sanders theater to do battle with the black hole it is one of the most fearsome demons ever conjured by science and one partly of his own making a cosmic pit so deep and dense and endless that it was long thought that nothing   not even light not even a thought   could ever escape
but dr hawking was there to tell us not to be so afraid
in a paper to be published this week in physical review letters dr hawking and his colleagues andrew strominger of harvard and malcolm perry of cambridge university in england say they have found a clue pointing the way out of black holes
they are not the eternal prisons they were once thought dr hawking said in his famous robot voice now processed through a synthesizer if you feel you are trapped in a black hole dont give up there is a way out
black holes are the most ominous prediction of einsteins general theory of relativity too much matter or energy concentrated in one place would cause space to give way swallowing everything inside like a magicians cloak
an eternal prison was the only metaphor scientists had for these monsters until 40 years ago when dr hawking turned black holes upside down   or perhaps inside out his equations showed that black holes would not last forever over time they would leak and then explode in a fountain of radiation and particles
ever since the burning question in physics has been when the black hole finally goes does it give up the secrets of everything that fell in
dr hawkings calculation was and remains hailed as a breakthrough in understanding the connection between gravity and quantum mechanics between the fabric of space and the subatomic particles that live inside it   the large and the small in the universe
but there was a hitch by dr hawkings estimation the radiation coming out of the black hole as it fell apart would be random as a result most of the information about what had fallen in   all of the attributes and properties of the things sucked in whether elephants or donkeys volkswagens or cadillacs   would be erased
in a riposte to einsteins famous remark that god does not play dice dr hawking said in 1976 god not only plays dice with the universe but sometimes throws them where they cant be seen
but his calculation violated a tenet of modern physics that it is always possible in theory to reverse time run the proverbial film backward and reconstruct what happened in say the collision of two cars or the collapse of a dead star into a black hole
the universe like a kind of supercomputer is supposed to be able to keep track of whether one car was a green pickup truck and the other was a red porsche or whether one was made of matter and the other antimatter these things may be destroyed but their information   their essential physical attributes   should live forever
in fact the information seemed to be lost in the black hole according to dr hawking as if part of the universes memory chip had been erased according to this theorem only information about the mass charge and angular momentum of what went in would survive
nothing about whether it was antimatter or matter male or female sweet or sour
a war of words and ideas ensued the information paradox as it is known was no abstruse debate as dr hawking pointed out from the stage of the sanders theater in april rather it challenged foundational beliefs about what reality is and how it works
if the rules break down in black holes they may be lost in other places as well he warned if foundational information disappears into a gaping maw the notion of a past itself may be in jeopardy   we couldnt even be sure of our own histories our memories could be illusions
its the past that tells us who we are without it we lose our identity he said
fortunately for historians dr hawking conceded defeat in the black hole information debate 10 years ago admitting that advances in string theory the so called theory of everything had left no room in the universe for information loss
at least in principle then he agreed information is always preserved   even in the smoke and ashes when you say burn a book with the right calculations you should be able reconstruct the patterns of ink the text
dr hawking paid off a bet with john preskill a caltech physicist with a baseball encyclopedia from which information can be easily retrieved
but neither dr hawking nor anybody else was able to come up with a convincing explanation for how that happens and how all this information escapes from the deadly erasing clutches of a black hole
indeed a group of physicists four years ago tried to figure it out and suggested controversially that there might be a firewall of energy just inside a black hole that stops anything from getting out or even into a black hole
the new results do not address that issue but they do undermine the famous notion that black holes have no hair   that they are shorn of the essential properties of the things they have consumed
about four years ago dr strominger started noodling around with theoretical studies about gravity dating to the early 1960s interpreted in a modern light the papers   published in 1962 by hermann bondi m g j van der burg a w k metzner and rainer sachs and in 1965 by steven weinberg later a recipient of the nobel prize   suggested that gravity was not as ruthless as dr wheeler had said
looked at from the right vantage point black holes might not be not be bald at all
the right vantage point is not from a great distance in space   the normal assumption in theoretical calculations   but from a far distance in time the far future technically known as null infinity
null infinity is where light rays go if they are not trapped in a black hole dr strominger tried to explain over coffee in harvard square recently
from this point of view you can think of light rays on the surface of a black hole as a bundle of straws all pointing outward trying to fly away at the speed of of course light because of the black holes immense gravity they are stuck
but the individual straws can slide inward or outward along their futile tracks slightly advancing or falling back under the influence of incoming material when a particle falls into a black hole it slides the straws of light back and forth a process called a supertranslation
that leaves a telltale pattern on the horizon the invisible boundary that is the point of no return of a black hole   a halo of soft hair as dr strominger and his colleagues put it that pattern like the pixels on your iphone or the wavy grooves in a vinyl record contains information about what has passed through the horizon and disappeared
one often hears that black holes have no hair dr strominger and a postdoctoral researcher alexander zhiboedov wrote in a 2014 paper not true black holes have a lush infinite head of supertranslation hair
enter dr hawking
for years he and dr strominger and a few others had gotten together to work in seclusion at a texas ranch owned by the oilman and fracking pioneer george p mitchell because dr hawking was discouraged from flying in april 2014 the retreat was in hereford britain
it was there that dr hawking first heard about soft hair   and was very excited he dr strominger and dr perry began working together
in stockholm that fall he made a splash when he announced that a resolution to the information paradox was at hand   somewhat to the surprise of dr strominger and dr perry who has been trying to maintain an understated stance
although information gets hopelessly scrambled dr hawking declared it can be recovered in principle but it is lost for all practical purposes
in january dr hawking dr strominger and dr perry posted a paper online titled soft hair on black holes laying out the basic principles of their idea
in the paper they are at pains to admit that knocking the pins out from under the no hair theorem is a far cry from solving the information paradox but it is progress
their work suggests that science has been missing something fundamental about how black holes evaporate dr strominger said and now they can sharpen their questions i hope we have the tiger by the tail he said
whether or not soft hair is enough to resolve the information paradox nobody really knows reaction from other physicists has been reserved
juan maldacena of the institute for advanced study in princeton nj said of the new proposal its significance for the black hole information problem remains to be seen but it is probable that it plays some role
dr strominger has serious street cred when it comes to black holes in a celebrated calculation in 1996 he and cumrun vafa computed the information content of a black hole verifying dr hawkings famous conjecture that black holes explode
their work is still one of the greatest achievements of string theory the vaunted and yet unproved theory of everything if this estimate of the content in a black hole matches one made from supertranslations physicists would arrive at a fundamental new understanding of how they work
but dr strominger and dr perry admit that they are not anywhere near doing that yet in a new paper not yet released dr strominger said that they had been able to show that information could also be encoded in the twisting of light beams trying to escape from the black hole not just their sliding back and forth
at harvard last month dr hawking who has a taste for dramatic statements doubled down on his stockholm declaration
when i wrote my paper 40 years ago i thought the information would pass into another universe he told me now he thinks the information is stored on the black holes horizon
the information will be re emitted when the black hole evaporates my work with my colleagues andy strominger of harvard and malcolm perry of cambridge has shown us the mechanism for information retrieval from a black hole
you could even get out of a black hole at least in principle limits can always be transcended
dr hawking himself is proof enough
he has long been confined to a wheelchair yet raised three children published the best selling a brief history of time lost his voice to a tracheotomy divorced remarried divorced again he has become something of a pop icon last week he called donald j trump a demagogue
he has survived several pneumonia episodes prior to his appearance in boston he arrived in new york on a swiss ambulance airplane with a retinue that includes nurses and an it expert to keep his computer and voice synthesizer working his intellect is perhaps exceeded only by his stubbornness
dr hawking and his colleagues worked in a hotel by day and were feted at night including a party at the home of the media baron rupert murdoch
the considerable expense was covered by yuri milner a russian philanthropist and entrepreneur who wanted dr hawking on hand to help announce a new project to see if we can fly iphone like spaceships to alpha centauri the nearest star
what makes humans unique dr hawking asked rhetorically during the ceremony atop one world center gravity keeps us down but i flew here on an airplane i lost my voice but i can speak through a voice synthesizer
how do we transcend these limits he went on with our minds and our machines


united nations   a year after it received the united nations security councils approval to try to stop human smuggling out of libya europe is seeking the councils authorization to intercept illegal arms going into libya
speaking to the council on monday the european unions top foreign policy official federica mogherini urged members to authorize european naval operations in the mediterranean sea to enforce the un arms embargo on the high seas off the coast of libya
that arms embargo often violated has been in place since 2011 during the revolt against libyas longtime ruler col muammar el qaddafi
the new european request would allow the existing naval effort known as operation sophia to expand its mandate in international waters from intercepting migrant boats leaving libyan territory to intercepting weapons heading in
western diplomats on the council have said they expect the measure to come up for a vote in mid june
i can only hope that this council will once again do the right thing ms mogherini said and help us make the mediterranean a safer place for everyone
it is a politically delicate request complicated by disagreement among libyas rival factions on who rules the country enforcing the arms embargo would bolster the united nations backed government of prime minister fayez serraj the arms that cross the mediterranean often end up in the hands of militias beyond the prime ministers control that rule eastern libya according to the united nations
martin kobler the united nations mediator for libya told the council on monday afternoon that the number of weapons floating around in libya was more than three times its population of six million these weapons do not fall from the sky but come in increasingly through illegal shipments by sea and by land he said these shipments must end if there is to be any serious hope of bringing peace to libya
the libyan legislature has yet to give its approval to mr serrajs administration and the russian ambassador to the united nations vitaly i churkin hinted at the difficulties on his way into council chambers monday morning mr churkin said he had concerns about how other groups in libya would react to a council measure
further complicating matters mr serrajs government is expected to ask the council separately to allow exemptions to the arms embargo to combat the islamic state extremist group the government has sought broad exemptions in the past and been denied
but at a meeting of western and middle eastern envoys in may in vienna secretary of state john kerry said the united states was prepared to provide humanitarian economic and security support to the new libyan government on their request in its bid to destroy the islamic states presence in libya
europe began its operations to counter migrant smuggling last year after the council adopted a resolution authorizing european naval forces to inspect suspicious vessels and render them inoperable if necessary
the effort has not stopped migrants desperate to reach europe however seven hundred people are believed to have drowned in three days in late may one of the deadliest periods in mediterranean sea trafficking


when migrants move they often keep to the cuisine of their homeland even if it costs them more money and even if they have to eat significantly less a new study has found
the study by david atkin a trade and development economist at the massachusetts institute of technology found that poor migrants within india stuck with their dietary preferences   wheat for northerners rice for southerners   even when they were nearly malnourished and even though the local crop was much cheaper
the calorie tax they paid by eating less food for their money was about 7 percent he found
the willingness to pay more to eat less was strongest if the husband and wife were migrants if only the husband was a migrant the household was still less likely to adapt to local foods
for example dr atkin said the husband demands rice even though hes moved to an area that typically consumes wheat
the husband has more bargaining power which is consistent with male domination of households in many parts of india he added
his study was based on data collected in the 1980s from more than 240000 households but there are historical precedents
in the 1943 bengal famine in which up to four million indians died a british commission claimed that shipments of wheat and millet rotted in warehouses because it was too hard to wean rice eaters from their determined preference for a food in short supply
in the parts of peru and brazil where wild acai berries are a native crop dr atkin said poor people have continued to eat them as a staple side dish even though their popularity as a faddish superfood in the united states and europe has driven up the price of a bowlful


the two murderers who escaped from the clinton correctional facility last year intentionally picked a friday night when they knew an officer named ronald blair was on duty
they had watched him for months recording his movements on a calendar and knew he never made the late night rounds he was supposed to they were right officer blair did not discover them missing until hours after they had made it through the tunnels under the prison and climbed out a manhole to freedom
officer blairs failure was just one of scores of serious security lapses detailed in a report released on monday by state investigators to coincide with the first anniversary of the escape at the maximum security state prison in northern new york the breakout touched off a three week manhunt that drew nationwide attention to the dense woods around dannemora home to the prison
the 150 page report from the state inspector general catherine leahy scott documented a host of systemic deficiencies that gave the two men richard w matt and david sweat time and space to plan and execute an intricate and sophisticated prison break
at the start of overnight shifts guards would falsify records to make it appear as if they were conducting rounds when they were in fact not instead officers acknowledged to investigators that they would read books or play crossword puzzles the report said
wed get lazy said officer blair according to the report
as a result mr sweat was able to spend 85 nights outside his cell exploring the tunnels beneath the prison in search of an escape route that added up to about 400 compulsory bed checks the report said that should have been carried out by guards who never once noticed his absence
three months before the escape a random search of mr matts cell failed to detect an 18  1/2  inch by 14  1/2  inch hole in the rear wall
tools were left unsecured in the tunnels allowing mr sweat to obtain an eight pound sledgehammer that he pounded away with underneath the prison for over a month
i couldnt have asked for anything better mr sweat later told investigators
the two murderers took six months to plan their escape beginning in january 2015 just one properly performed night round during this monthslong period would have foiled the escape the report said
night after night mr sweat whom the report described as the mastermind left a dummy in his bed and slipped out a hole cut in the back of his cell he climbed down five stories using piping along the walls and spent hours exploring tunnels beneath the prison looking for a way out the two inmates eventually crawled out through a steam pipe
over 1000 law enforcement officials chased down leads from the canadian to the mexican borders
in the end they never made it far mr matt was shot and killed about 40 miles from the prison mr sweat was caught just days later after he was shot and wounded by a new york state trooper
while the broad contours of the events leading to the escape have been known for months the report for the first time constructs a coherent narrative in detail from when the men hatched their plan to the moment mr sweat and mr matt emerged from a manhole carrying a guitar case filled with assorted clothes 20 packs of peanuts 40 granola bars and a dozen sticks of pepperoni
investigators from the inspector generals office interviewed 170 people for the report including corrections officers their supervisors and inmates they also conducted extensive interrogations of mr sweat who was put into solitary confinement at five points correctional facility after his capture
in response to the findings the state department of corrections and community supervision said it had instituted a number of reforms at clinton including installing new security cameras disciplining employees involved and appointing a new superintendent
crucial to the escape plot was the assistance of gene palmer an officer and joyce e mitchell a civilian employee who was a supervisor at the prison tailor shop where both mr sweat and mr matt had worked ms mitchell described in the report as a lonely middle aged women with a shaky marriage acknowledged to investigators that she allowed herself to be seduced by mr sweat and her belief that a younger guy would actually like an older woman
mr sweat told investigators that he became aware that ms mitchell harbored some kind of star lust thing in her mind where she was like in love with me and sought to manipulate her
for months ms mitchell had been smuggling them food including packages of cookies 10 ounce bags of cafe bustelo coffee and 70 containers of black and cayenne pepper that the inmates planned to use to throw off tracking dogs
in time they persuaded her to bring in tools for their escape she bought six hacksaw blades for about 6 from walmart and was able to smuggle them into the prisons because her bag was not searched the report said she gave them to mr matt who carried them to his cell taped to his side under his shirt being careful to avoid metal detectors in the weeks that followed she hid two chisels a steel punch two concrete drill bits and two additional hacksaw blades in frozen ground beef that she gave to mr palmer for delivery to the inmates
both mr palmer and ms mitchell later pleaded guilty to aiding the inmates ms mitchell was sentenced to up to seven years in prison mr palmer received six months in jail the inspector generals office has referred the findings of their investigation to the clinton county district attorneys office for potential additional criminal charges
after obtaining the tools from mr palmer and ms mitchell the two inmates took about three weeks to cut holes in the rear walls of their cells working from 630 to 8 pm while other inmates were at recreation or in the mess hall the report said
mr sweat said that the first night he climbed out of his cell he was surprised at the almost complete lack of security in the tunnels below the prison inspections were supposed to be done quarterly but there had not been one since september 2014
during the months he toiled in the tunnels mr sweat lost 30 pounds he said he loved his nights out you kind of felt free he told investigators adding that he would leave his prison id behind in the cell so i didnt feel like an inmate anymore
i was having a hell of a time he said
he carried his escape tools in a tote bag he had sewed in the tailor shop out of the green fabric used for prison uniforms
mr sweat said he had a particular dislike for officer blair the regular night shift officer and hoped that because of the escape he would face disciplinary charges it worked officer blair and a second guard on duty that night thomas renadette were among nine officers suspended after the escape both officers retired from the department in march according to state comptroller records
the night before the escape mr sweat made a trial run according to the report finding his way through the tunnels to a manhole cover outside the prison he lifted it up just enough to confirm his location on a village street the report said
i actually had my head out into freedom he told investigators
he then hastened back to his cell and advised matt that the escape route was complete the report said it was about 4 am on june 5 to celebrate the two men smoked a marlboro in their cells
a little before midnight the next night they left for good mr matt put a handwritten note on a table in his cell you left me no choice but to grow old and die in here i had to do something and a second note on a picture of tony soprano time to go kid
it was not until 517 am on june 6 that officer blair finally did a round of bed checks and noticed the killers were gone i grabbed the sheet and i almost threw up then saw the dummy he told investigators he set off in a dead run to tell his supervisor the report said but on the way he was so worked up he fell down the stairs


as the music industrys streaming wars intensify spotify is turning to the former manager of lady gaga to help compete against players like apple and tidal
troy carter known as an innovative manager for musicians and a prolific tech investor has joined spotify as its global head of creator services overseeing the companys relationships with artists songwriters and record companies spotify said on monday
mr carter could start as soon as next week and will report to stefan blom spotifys chief strategy and content officer
music executives who had been notified of the change said that they expected mr carter to take on a role roughly similar to the one that jimmy iovine the longtime music producer and co founder of beats electronics holds at apple that is being a central contact for the music business someone who speaks the same language as artists and their managers and can help secure content for the service
mr carter declined to comment and a spokesman for spotify declined to speak further about the deal
spotify which has led the music industrys shift to streaming continues to face strong competition from apple tidal and other services as it has for the last year exclusive content deals like the ones that propelled new albums by drake at apple and beyonce at tidal have emerged as the most potent form of warfare helping those services draw millions of new subscribers and forge tight bonds with superstar acts
so far spotify has been reluctant to make such exclusive deals on new albums
we believe long term exclusives are bad for artists and theyre bad for fans jonathan prince a spotify spokesman said in april after the release of the beyonce album lemonade which is widely available for sale but can be streamed only through tidal
but spotify has also been developing other forms of content it recently hired tom calderone a former viacom executive and announced a slate of original video programming including series with the actor tim robbins and the veteran hip hop executive russell simmons
spotify says it has at least 89 million regular users around the world including 30 million who pay for subscriptions but its competitors have been growing fast apples streaming service apple music has 13 million paying subscribers and the company is expected to announce a revamp of the service soon tidal which so far this year has had exclusives for limited periods with rihanna and kanye west has said that it has four million subscribers other players include rhapsody youtube and deezer
last year spotify had 21 billion in revenue up by 80 percent from the year before and a net loss of about 189 million earlier this year spotify raised 1 billion in investment in the form of convertible debt which will put pressure on spotify to go public within 18 months
mr carter began his career in the 1990s working with will smith and sean combs but his crowning achievement has been his work with lady gaga whom he helped to develop from obscurity in 2007 into a global superstar capitalizing on social media and branding deals his work with her was the subject of two case studies by the harvard business school
he was dismissed as her manager in 2013 more recently his clients have included meghan trainor who won best new artist at the grammy awards in february and charlie puth the singer on wiz khalifas hit see you again last year it is expected that mr carter will not continue to personally manage artists after taking on his role at spotify but it is unclear if his company atom factory will in some capacity
mr carter or atom factory have also invested in dozens of companies including uber dropbox warby parker and spotify songza a playlist service that mr carter invested in was sold to google in 2014 for an estimated 39 million but not all companies have been as successful backplane a social media platform he conceived with lady gaga had raised about 19 million in investment but recently went out of business


only four years after its last revival the glass menagerie will return to broadway starring two time academy award winner sally field as amanda wingfield
also starring with ms field in tennessee williamss 1944 family drama will be the actor director joe mantello as tom wingfield and finn wittrock as the gentleman caller sam gold will direct the production which he developed with a different cast in 2015 at toneelgroep amsterdam
madison ferris a newcomer will be laura the disabled wingfield daughter protected by her mother whose romantic illusions are buoyed and then crushed ms ferris will be the rare broadway actor who performs in a wheelchair
in a statement on the toneelgroep website mr gold said that as a father the character of amanda resonates with him in new ways it surprises me that i recognize myself in her now in her tormented love for her children he said
the last broadway revival of glass menagerie began at the american repertory theater in 2013 and earned tony nominations for the cast members cherry jones brian j smith and celia keenan bolger
mr golds production will begin performances at the golden theater on feb 14 with an official opening night set for march 23 scott rudin is the lead producer


paris   a day or so before the french open began and the rain started to fall novak djokovic shot a series of short amusing commercials with gustavo kuerten the genial mop topped three time french open champion from brazil
in one of the spots djokovic who at that point had never won the tournament asked kuerten for the secret of roland garros
the power kuerten said as they sat in a car is in the hair and he presented djokovic with a curly wig that the serb dutifully placed atop his head almost like a crown
two weeks later djokovic stood atop a platform holding the coupe des mousquetaires aloft as champion of france it was his first french open title and it made him the holder of all four major crowns at the same time unifying the tennis world under his unquestionable dominion
it was also djokovics 12th grand slam singles title tying him with the australian great roy emerson perhaps even more significant it left him only five short of tying roger federers record of 17
kuerten beamed from the stands when djokovic won sunday moments later he argued that because djokovic had unlocked the secret to roland garros and continued to display dominance on grass and hardcourts federers record was in jeopardy
kuerten said djokovics skill level was one of the highest ever and most impossible in tennis
that is what he is doing daily he added to break all the numbers he is even getting close to roger perhaps in a year or two we are going to see him with a real chance to get the numbers on the slams
there was a time in the summer of 2009 for instance after federer had won his 15th grand slam singles title at wimbledon when few would have speculated that anyone would catch him perhaps it will not happen but djokovic will remain the heavy favorite to win the next five or six or perhaps more grand slam tournaments he enters
every time you ask who is going to win a tournament he is it kuerten said
djokovic is barely 29 and at the peak of his talent desire and physical agility federer turns 35 in august rafael nadal is 30 but is frequently injured and andy murray whom djokovic beat soundly in the french final on sunday has difficulty in their head to head matchups djokovic leads their series 24 10 including 13 of the last 15
the next generations stars like 21 year old nick kyrgios 22 year old dominic thiem and 19 year old alexander zverev jr are still thought to be a few years away from competing for major titles djokovic crushed thiem in the semifinals in paris
that leaves djokovic on a throne all his own
the next attainable milestone is something even federer has not achieved the grand slam the last man to do it was rod laver in 1969 and no one since jim courier in 1992 has gotten through the french open with two of the four grand slam singles titles djokovic who beat murray at the australian open as well is on the track
im very proud very thrilled obviously he said but its hard for me to reflect on what has happened before and whats going to happen after im just so overwhelmed with having this trophy next to me that im just trying to enjoy this moment
but serena williams is the most recent example of how difficult it is to perform under the weighty expectations and hopes of a grand slam run
williams is still the dominant female player but her air of invincibility has cracked in the last three majors two of those losses might be considered flukes the veteran italian player roberta vinci stunned williams in a united states open semifinal last september when williams was within two matches of winning the grand slam
at the australian open in january she lost the final to angelique kerber a fine player ranked no 4 but not one considered to be the next regular major champion
the result that made some people wonder if a shift was coming to the top of womens tennis came on saturday when the talented powerful and confident garbine muguruza who has been hailed as a future no 1 defeated williams in straight sets to claim her first major singles title
in fairness williams had been hobbled by an upper leg injury during her quarterfinal and semifinal wins but she looked better in the final and muguruza mostly directed the flow of the match
after witnessing that the 12 time grand slam singles champion billie jean king said it was a changing of the guard at 72 king has seen many of those certainly muguruza did not consider the result a fluke
i have been saying during the whole week to be less emotional to believe more that im here because i deserve my place here she said saturday i earned it
williams will turn 35 in september but she too still has records in mind she needs one more grand slam singles title to match steffi grafs 22 but that has proved elusive
the last time williams lost in three straight majors was two years ago and after that she reeled off four titles in a row but she was 33 then and muguruza is 22 and likely to continue to improve
remarkably so is djokovic
he is able to get better every single year kuerten said that is scary it is very scary because he was already playing better than roger and rafa and he keeps improving murray is the one that can challenge a little but he has a hard time to beat him


citing misrepresentations and broken promises the new york state attorney generals office is seeking to prevent the purchase of two nursing centers by a company that was involved in transactions that put a manhattan nursing home in the hands of luxury condominium developers
in letters sent on monday to lawyers representing nursing care providers in harlem and coney island brooklyn an official from the charities bureau of the attorney general said that the office was objecting to any proposed sales of not for profit organizations in particular nursing homes to the allure group
allure earned roughly 72 million in profit from the sale in february of the rivington house a nursing home on the lower east side of manhattan
aspects of that transaction are now the subject of investigations by the state attorney general eric t schneiderman the new york city comptroller and the citys investigation department chief among them are the circumstances that led to the lifting of a restrictive deed by city officials last year in exchange for 1615 million that paved the way for the former schoolhouse to be sold to the developers
allure made clear and repeated promises to continue the operation of two nursing homes for the benefit of a vulnerable population   promises that proved to be false said matt mittenthal a spokesman for the attorney general referring to rivington house and a nursing home bought by allure in the bedford stuyvesant section of brooklyn which were closed within a year of a court petitions being filed until we conclude our investigation we will object to allure buying additional nursing homes
in new york any nonprofit seeking to sell its assets must petition a state court for approval the attorney general reviews all such requests and can object if there are grounds to do so the court has the final say
the attorney generals position appeared to buttress an argument made by mayor bill de blasio a democrat soon after the sale of the nursing home came to light in march the mayor claimed that allure a for profit company had misled city officials into approving the deed change those officials mr de blasio has said believed the company would keep the nursing home at the site a former aids hospice at 45 rivington street
karen hinton the top spokeswoman for mr de blasio said the letters made clear that the rivington transaction was not an isolated incident and that the de blasio administration would cooperate with the investigations until a final determination is made concerning possible fraud against the city
the letters from the charities bureau were sent to lawyers for the greater harlem nursing home and lawyers for the ss joachim and anne nursing  rehabilitation center in coney island allure is seeking to buy the centers from the nonprofit organizations that own them allure has been operating the harlem center under a 2014 receivership agreement with the state health department
both letters cite misrepresentations by joel landau a principal in the allure group to state officials in a november 2014 letter filed with the court petition for the sale of rivington house by the nonprofit village care to allure mr landau appeared to outline to the department his intention to keep the nursing home open for at least two years
in his letter mr landau articulated a commitment to the department to have a certain percentage of medicaid and medicare patients in the nursing home within two years from the date of the approval of the application to convert the aids patient beds to general patient beds allure bought the property from village care for 28 million in february 2015 by may the company had entered into a contract to sell the property to real estate developers for 116 million
in a statement a lawyer for allure andrew levander forcefully denied the attorney generals claims saying they ignore critical facts
at no time has allure misled any public authority about its intentions or commitments he said as the department of health approved receiver for greater harlem over the last two years allure has advanced many millions of dollars to renovate and upgrade greater harlem which is now fully occupied allure is committed to running greater harlem as a nursing home as part of its mission to save needed facilities and jobs


this summers science horror blockbuster is a remake return of the leaping electric eel
if you have any kind of phobia of slimy snakelike creatures that can rise from the water and use their bodies like tasers this story   and the accompanying video   may not be for you
the original tale there was alas no video dates to 1800 when the great explorer alexander von humboldt was in south america and enlisted local fishermen to catch some of these eels for the new at the time study of electricity
he wrote that the men herded horses and mules into a shallow pond and let the eels attack by pressing themselves against the horses the horses and mules tried to escape but the fishermen kept them in the water until the eels used up their power two horses died probably from falling and drowning
or so humboldt said though the story was widely retold no other report of this kind of fishing with horses phenomenon surfaced for more than 200 years according to kenneth catania a scientist with a passion for studying the eel species in question electrophorus electricus
in 2014 he reported on how the eels freeze their prey they use rapid pulses of more than 600 volts generated by modified muscle cells and sent through the water these volleys of shocks cause the muscles of prey to tense at once stopping all movement the eels bodies function like tasers dr catania wrote
but they can also project high voltage pulses in the water in isolated couplets rather than full volleys for a different effect the pairs of shocks dont freeze the prey but cause their bodies to twitch that movement reveals the preys location and then the eels send out a rapid volley to immobilize then swallow it
dr catania noticed another kind of behavior however he was using a metal handled net   wearing rubber gloves   while working with eels in an aquarium and the eels would fling themselves up the handle of the net pressing themselves to the metal and generating rapid electric shocks
this reminded him of von humboldts tale and he ran some experiments a partly submerged metal rod like the leg of a horse in the water or a metal handled net or a hand in the water can act as a conductor
the eels attacked all of the above pressing what you could generously call their chins against the invader much as humboldt described them doing with horses
except that they actually climbed up the offending limb or rod raising their bodies almost completely out of the water behavior not included in humboldts description
dr catania noted that during the dry season the pools in which the eels live become smaller and shallower leaving them no escape thats also their breeding time
he thinks that the leaping high voltage attack probably is defensive and has nothing to do with hunting the eels eat what they can swallow whole and do not bite or chew so they couldnt eat the kind of large mammal that might be willing to risk a shock from the eels to hunt them
the eels usual hunting method of electrifying the water around them works if the prey is completely submerged but if a land animal that was hunting the eels put only a paw in the water it might be able to tolerate the electricity
dr catania included some appropriate scientific videos of his work with his report published monday in the proceedings of the national academy of sciences
but he also included the video above which shows first in suspenseful slow motion and then in heart stopping real time a hand entering the water as the eel responds to the apparent threat
spoiler alert
the hand looks real not least because dr catania put a wedding ring on it for theatrical effect but it isnt which becomes obvious when embedded led lights flash channeling the power of the eels assault
he wanted his colleagues to whom he showed the video to believe at first that it was his hand and think if not shout out loud no dont do it
even so dr catania who is thoroughly entranced with the extraordinary abilities of his subject said i hope this doesnt make people more fearful because they are wonderful creatures and only shock people in self defense


a recall effort against a california judge was announced on monday in a sexual assault case at stanford university that ignited public outrage after the defendant was sentenced to a mere six months in jail and his father complained that his sons life had been ruined for 20 minutes of action fueled by alcohol and promiscuity
in court the victim had spoken out against the inequities of the legal process arguing that the trial the sentencing and the legal systems approach to sexual assault   from the defense lawyers questions about what she wore that night to her attackers sentence   were irrevocably marred by male and class privilege
the case which had made headlines after the suspect was found guilty in march began to seize the publics attention anew after a santa clara county superior court judge aaron persky on thursday handed the defendant brock allen turner 20 what many critics denounced as a lenient sentence including three years probation for three felony counts of sexual assault
according to the judge a prison sentence would have a severe impact on him i think he will not be a danger to others
the next day buzzfeed published the full courtroom statement by the woman who was attacked the statement a 7244 word cri de coeur against the role of privilege in the trial and the way the legal system deals with sexual assault was provided by the victim and has since gone viral by monday it had been viewed more than five million times on the buzzfeed site
also on monday the cnn anchor ashleigh banfield spent part of an hour looking into the camera and reciting the entire statement live on the air
the unidentified 23 year old victim who was not a student of the university in palo alto calif was attacked while visiting the campus where she attended a fraternity party in the statement she spoke of drinking at the party but not remembering the assault in january 2015
she said she was told she had been found behind a dumpster and learned from news reports that witnesses had discovered her attacker lying on top of her unconscious partly clothed body the witnesses intervened and held the attacker for the police
the judge identified by the guardian as a stanford alumnus handed mr turner a champion swimmer far less than the maximum 14 years after he was convicted pointing out that he had no significant prior offenses he had been affected by the intense media coverage and there is less moral culpability attached to the defendant who is  intoxicated the guardian said
the victim said mr turner had admitted drinking but still had not acknowledged any fault in the attack insisting the episode had been consensual she said the court privileged his well being over her own and in the end declined to punish him severely because the authorities considered the disruption to his studies and athletic career at a prestigious university when determining his sentence she wrote
michele dauber a law professor and sociologist at stanford said monday that she was part of a committee that was organizing a recall challenge to judge persky whose position is an elected one and by tuesday a changeorg petition calling for the judges removal had garnered over 240000 supporters
professor dauber said the judge had misapplied the law by granting mr turner probation and by taking his age academic achievement and alcohol consumption into consideration
if youre going to declare that a high achieving perpetrator is an unusual case then youre saying to women on college campuses that they dont deserve the full protection of the law in the state of california the professor said
on sunday professor dauber posted to twitter a statement read to the court by the defendants father dan turner
mr turners father said that his son should not do jail time for the sexual assault which he referred to as the events and 20 minutes of action that were not violent he said that his son suffered from depression and anxiety in the wake of the trial and argued that having to register as a sex offender   and the loss of his appetite for food he once enjoyed   was punishment enough
brock turner also lost a swimming scholarship to stanford and has given up on his goal of competing at the olympics
i was always excited to buy him a big rib eye steak to grill or to get his favorite snack for him dan turner wrote now he barely consumes any food and eats only to exist these verdicts have broken and shattered him and our family in so many ways
in a statement the santa clara calif district attorney jeff rosen said the sentence did not fit the crime and he called brock turner who withdrew from stanford a predatory offender who refused to take responsibility or show remorse
campus rape is no different than off campus rape mr rosen said rape is rape
in an editorial the san jose mercury news called the sentence a slap on the wrist and a setback for the movement to take campus rape seriously
judge persky did not respond to a request for comment sent to santa clara county superior court on monday
stanford university said on monday that it takes the issue of sexual assault extremely seriously and was proud of two students who intervened to stop mr turners attack
there is still much work to be done not just here but everywhere to create a culture that does not tolerate sexual violence in any form and a judicial system that deals appropriately with sexual assault cases the university said in a statement
in his statement dan turner said his son planned to use his time on probation to educate college students about the dangers of alcohol consumption and sexual promiscuity so that he could give back to society in a net positive way
the victim however rebuked that proposal


another week another no 1 for drake
drakes views young moneycash moneyrepublic holds the top spot on the billboard album chart for a fifth week straight the longest such run since adeles 25 notched seven weeks at no 1 at the end of last year and the beginning of 2016 yet the success of the two albums shows a music industry divided between technologies past and future
adele did not make her full album available for streaming which meant that sales of 25 came from the lucrative but declining formats of cds and downloads taylor swifts 1989 the industrys other recent mega blockbuster was also not streamed until long after it first came out
but those titles are outliers as the music world shifts rapidly toward streaming with drake leading the charge this week views sold only 37000 copies in the united states according to nielsen and by sales alone it would have come in fifth yet views also had 1374 million streams   about four times as many as the next most streamed album rihannas anti with 349 million this week which vaulted it to no 1
since it came out views has sold almost 12 million albums in the united states and songs from it have been streamed 875 million times meanwhile despite adele and ms swifts success cd sales declined last year by almost 11 percent and album downloads by 3 percent according to nielsen while audio streams were up by 83 percent
also on the album chart this week the country star dierks bentleys black capitol nashville opened at no 2 with 88000 sales of the full album   more than any other record this week   but a modest five million streams beyonces lemonade parkwoodcolumbia is in third place fifth harmonys 727 sycoepic opened at no 4 and blake sheltons if im honest warner bros nashville dropped two spots to no 5
flume an electronic producer and dj from australia makes his debut on the billboard album chart opening at no 8 with skin mom  pop his second lp


harambe the 17 year old western lowland gorilla shot dead at the cincinnati zoo late last month after a 3 year old boy fell into his enclosure may be physically gone his tissues harvested for research and his sperm extracted to help diversify the captive breeding gene pool
yet the 440 pound silverback leaves another metaphorical gorilla in the room raising questions that extend far beyond the particulars of the case including whether the zoo or the boys mother were more to blame for harambes death
for primatologists and conservationists who devote their lives to studying the great apes and to doing what they can to help protect the rapidly vanishing populations of the primates in the wild a linked set of ethical and practical dilemmas looms almost unbearably large
as research continues to reveal the breadth of our genetic emotional and cognitive kinship with the worlds four great apes   gorillas chimpanzees bonobos and orangutans   many primatologists admit to feeling frankly uncomfortable at the sight of a captive ape on display no matter how luxe or natural the zoo exhibit may be
when i visit zoos i have to turn off my feelings and just tell myself that i am at a museum admiring natures masterpieces said the primatologist sarah blaffer hrdy professor emerita at the university of california davis otherwise i cant really justify keeping great apes in cages
at the same time researchers acknowledge that apes in todays zoos at least in the industrialized world were all born and raised in captivity and could no more survive being set free into the forests of africa or indonesia than could the average tourist on safari
catherine hobaiter of st andrews university in scotland who studies chimpanzees in uganda described the reaction of zoo gorillas that had been raised in indoor enclosures when the zoo finally added an outdoor annex to the exhibit
it was heartbreaking to see she said the gentlest specks of rain and the gorillas were drumming on the door to get back inside they were afraid of getting wet
yet while primatologists concur that people have a moral obligation to care for the thousands of apes who are now in captivity and may live 60 years or longer they differ on what that care should look like
barbara smuts a renowned primatologist at the university of michigan recently distributed a petition asking that the other gorillas at the cincinnati zoo be relocated to a sanctuary far from the ogling screeching crowds of their clothed relations
researchers also disagree on whether we should continue breeding apes in captivity and if so to what end some experts believe that well designed zoos play an essential educational role and that exposure to a flesh and blood ape can be a transformative experience especially for children
i remember going to the milwaukee zoo when i was a kid and seeing the gorilla said peter d walsh a biological anthropologist at cambridge university who works on gorilla conservation in africa i was rapt its like a drug you dont get that emotional bond from an imax movie
others deride most zoos as little more than amusement parks with educational placards that few people bother to read
theres no good evidence that captive apes are having any positive effect on their wild relatives said marc bekoff a behavioral ecologist and professor emeritus at the university of colorado as for education he added one of the most wonderful and educational lessons in biodiversity ive ever seen was a snail exhibit at the detroit zoo
peter singer a bioethicist at princeton university said our primary concern ought to be the well being of gorillas but zoos are constructed the other way around the primary concern is that humans can see the gorillas
no matter their feelings about zoos primatologists despair at the shocking statistics on wild apes
according to the iucn red list of threatened species all species and subspecies of wild apes rank as endangered or critically endangered and in all cases the trends point implacably downward apes are being lost to poaching the bushmeat trade habitat destruction and disease
in sumatra and borneo forests have been pulped to make way for palm oil plantations with devastating consequences for orangutans since the 1990s 80 percent of eastern lowland gorillas in central africa have died of ebola
even among jane goodalls celebrated chimpanzees of the gombe forest in tanzania human activities have lately slashed the population by almost 40 percent
by the red list reckoning the planetwide total for all wild apes amounts to 350000 individuals down from premodern figures estimated in the millions
nor does it help said dr walsh of cambridge university that the publics concern for the environment is now focused almost exclusively on climate change i feel like shouting hey guys you could end climate change tomorrow and wed still be facing the greatest extinction crisis weve ever seen
theres a reason humans and the great apes are bunched together taxonomically in the family hominidae we split off from chimpanzees and gorillas only about six million to 10 million years ago the dna of a chimpanzee is about 98 percent analogous to ours
apes are avid tool users and tool makers chimpanzees fashion sticks to fish termites from a mound and to hunt monkeys hidden in tree holes orangutans can learn to row a boat and flip pancakes on a griddle
in observations at the prague zoo khalil baalbaki watched gorillas turn empty crates into a series of household objects tables chairs stepping stools to extend their reach trays to carry their food and as weapons to be thrown in a fight one young female gorilla extracted wood stuffing from a crate to fashion a pair of slippers padding her feet with the fibers before venturing onto the snow
according to meta analyses of intelligence studies the average ape has the cognitive quantitative and spatial skills of a 2 1/2   to 4 year old human child yet tetsuro matsuzakawas laboratory in japan showed that an exceptionally sharp witted chimpanzee named ayuma was twice as good as any university student at recalling numbers flashed on a screen
the great apes also exhibit basic temperamental differences david watts a primatologist at yale university who has studied chimpanzees and gorillas in the wild found that while chimpanzees generally didnt like people or show much interest in their affairs gorillas were deeply curious
i quickly realized that the gorillas not only wanted to touch me but to climb all over me he said in one famous incident a female gorilla stuck her hand down the shirt of a female primatologist and started feeling around
that innate curiosity researchers suggest may explain some of harambes behavior seen on the video of his fatal encounter with the boy who fell into his enclosure   fiddling with the boys clothing taking a quick peek as he pulled the boys pants upward he tried pulling the boy into a grotto perhaps to protect him or to claim the fascinating new playmate for himself
but with the mounting commotion and screams from the onlookers above researchers said harambe grew agitated and soon assumed the stance of a male silverback in dominance display mode
its what we used to call strutting and male gorillas do it all the time dr watts said a silverback will stand or walk around with arms and legs stiffly extended his hair piloerect to make himself look bigger and more impressive harambe was definitely doing that when he was standing over the boy
the behavior is mostly bluster if harambe had been intent on killing the boy dr hrdy said as an interloping male gorilla might kill the babies sired by the silverback he just deposed   the quicker to claim the resident females for himself   he would have done it in seconds probably with a bite to the skull
nevertheless the strut introduced risks of its own particularly when harambe began dragging the boy around the enclosure as a displaying gorilla will sometimes drag around a large branch
dr watts who said he had been punched knocked over and dragged by male gorillas but never seriously injured wishes he had been at the cincinnati zoo as the crisis unfolded he would have volunteered to enter the enclosure and assume a submissive fetal position on the floor to try drawing the gorillas attention from the boy he admits he is engaging in a kind of monday morning strut display of his own
the look and logic of zoos have changed drastically over time when the first apes were exhibited in the west in the late 18th century they were seen as trophies evidence of imperial victory over savagery the unfortunate souvenirs usually died within months of their arrival from disease or malnutrition
as zoos sought to improve the health of their resident apes the enclosures often assumed a blandly sterile configuration devoid of risky foliage or toys that approach led to problems of its own like boredom repetitive behaviors and depression
more recently most zoos have worked hard to give apes the mental and emotional stimulation they need with tires for swinging rocks for climbing social groups for mutual grooming or bouts of contagious laughing or yawning
frans de waal of emory university and the yerkes national primate research center said he was a big fan of quality zoos although perhaps not for large gregarious animals like killer whales and elephants but for great apes the record now is excellent he said
their health is good they reproduce readily in captivity and they live 10 years or more longer than their wild peers indeed the first gorilla born in captivity a female named colo is still alive at the zoo in columbus ohio for which she was named she will turn 60 in december a birthday the great great grandmother will not celebrate zoo officials said by wearing the adorable pinafore and straw bonnet her caretakers dressed her in as a youth
dr de waal said that it was easier than ever to keep apes enriched and entertained
they like to work on computers he said when you bring in a touch screen they get excited about that and its a great way to teach the public about how smart they are
but what the public must accept he said is that the pleasant notion of zoos as nurseries for restocking wild populations of endangered animals has proved a fantasy in all but a handful of cases most notably the successful reintroduction of zoo bred golden lion tamarins into the atlantic forests of brazil
by contrast when the british aristocrat damian aspinall released 11 of his captive bred lowland gorillas into the wilds of gabon in 2014 five were soon violently dispatched probably by a resident gorilla while others disappeared
yet critics say that zoo life has its serious downsides too as harambes story made plain
the captive ape is the designated ambassador for its kind an object lesson in evolutionary fraternity and shared fate for those of us who remain on the other side of the glass proclaiming the primacy of human needs desires and lives


nairobi kenya   by 9 am on monday clouds of black smoke blotted out the sky a mountain of tires burned roads were blocked young men poured into the streets of a slum in nairobi gleefully carrying huge jagged pieces of concrete
in kisumu a city on lake victoria witnesses said police officers had fired on a crowd a 5 year old boy was in critical condition after being shot in the back a demonstrator was killed
for the past several weeks kenyas opposition leaders have turned mondays into protest days now they are threatening to hold demonstrations twice and soon four times a week many kenyans are shaking their heads with a sense of fatigue and dread saying here we go again
kenya is a relatively prosperous developed and politically tolerant african nation but elections have not been its strong suit in the past 25 years almost every presidential race has been marred by violence the worst one was in 2007 8 when ethnic rivalries cracked open and more than 1000 people were killed many in deadly protests
kenya spent years trying to heal its wounds and recover from the devastation culminating in a tense but more peaceful election in 2013 despite widespread distrust of the results the country held together helping it recapture its image as a bastion of stability in the region
now with another election scheduled for next year and the opposition already mobilizing thousands of people many kenyans are worried about recent economic gains being reduced to char blowing in the wind
its getting very nervy said aly khan satchu an investment adviser in nairobi the economy crashes and burns when we fumble these elections whats worrying is that this is happening so early that we already have this degree of contestation
each monday now known as tear gas monday many businesses close parents do not send their children to school motorists stay off the streets afraid of rocks being thrown through their windshields
the opposition leaders are aware of this part of their leverage is the ability to slow down the economy a watchman in nairobi spoke of his inside fear of even coming to town on mondays
the oppositions rallying point has become kenyas election commission raila odinga a former prime minister who has been angling for president for much of the past two decades has demanded that the government disband the commission which is widely viewed as biased and corrupt
a british court recently convicted two british businessmen of bribing kenyan election commissioners to get contracts for printing ballots but in kenya those same commissioners have not even been charged
this is another problem in kenya almost all corruption cases against powerful people languish for months then they quietly disappear
the government needs to throw out that commission said paul shida a welder in the kibera slums in nairobi where the protests began monday street protest is the only language the government understands
the election commission controversy has progressed from an annoyance to a major crisis for kenyas president uhuru kenyatta he is not believed to be especially close to any of the election commissioners but they were the same ones who validated his victory in 2013 amid allegations of rigging he has refused to disband the commission and his security services have threatened to crack down on protesters
but as the protests grind on a cat and mouse game is being played between mr kenyattas government and kenyas judiciary which many kenyans regard as independent
last week police officials banned an opposition rally in the citys historic uhuru park a court promptly overturned that ban
this weekend police officials declared again that it was illegal for the opposition to protest and warned that they were ready to use lethal force they did so in kisumu on monday witnesses said the police fired indiscriminately at a crowd hitting the 5 year old boy and leaving him in critical condition and killing a middle aged protester
also on monday a court ruled that the opposition had a right to protest and that the police had a duty to protect demonstrators
though the violence in the past few weeks has been nothing compared with the paroxysm of bloodshed that swept the country in 2007 and 2008 the dynamics are similar the nation and especially its economy are being held hostage by the relationship between mr kenyatta and mr odinga who will most likely face off in the election next year
last week tensions suddenly lifted after the two met and a picture of them walking together smiling appeared on the front pages of the leading newspapers
but the two were soon at loggerheads again and the protests were back on mr satchu estimated that at least 5 million was lost every monday because of interruptions closed businesses property destruction and petty crime
on monday afternoon bharat shah who runs a nairobi curio shop held up a pad of paper with the number 360 scribbled on it for 360 shillings less than 4
thats what ive sold today he said with a wry laugh one packet of beads
just as in 2007 8 business leaders have been discreetly meeting with government and opposition leaders urging them to compromise for the sake of the economy
among international investors there remains a strong commitment to kenya as a gateway to this region and that hasnt been shaken yet mr satchu said but surely it will be shaken if this malarkey continues


wheezing unicorns may get a breath of fresh air from initial public offerings
unicorns those technology start ups like the cloud computing firms twilio and nutanix that have a valuation of 1 billion or more risk running short of cash as venture capital dries up the recent revival of ipos could offer them new hope company valuations may drop but that beats the alternative of a suddenly thinning herd
only about 34 public offerings have priced so far this year less than half the number that made it to market in 2015 according to renaissance capital activity is picking up though especially in recent months about 50 percent of this years floats have occurred in the last five weeks
the resurgence comes none too soon for money hungry firms facing dwindling financing options the amount of venture capital invested in the first quarter of 2016 was down 11 percent from the same period the year before according to thomson reuters data venture capital investments for the fourth quarter of 2015 were down 24 percent year over year
only two technology companies have gone public so far in 2016 one of them a spinoff from dell called secureworks priced below its estimated range and now trades at less than the offering price several more are ready to try their luck though
among the most prominent are twilio and nutanix private funding rounds valued twilio at about 1 billion and nutanix at 2 billion both firms have a history of steady losses and are thirsty for cash nutanix recently received a 75 million loan from goldman sachs which is also an equity investor in the company and has been chosen to underwrite its offering
there is however a downside to ipos for these start ups they have reached lofty   some might say mythical   valuations extrapolated from private investments public markets will probably set a lower price for their shares in part to account for the risks of technological change and rapidly shifting markets twilio a cloud messaging service for tech companies relies on whatsapp for 15 percent of its revenue
yet the best time to raise money is of course when its available if ipos for start ups like twilio prove successful many of the 160 or so other unicorns can be expected to follow


the new payday lending rule once complete will force many payday lenders out of business that means that a legal challenge is certain and also the courts which worry about regulations that require bankruptcies will take it seriously
that is good news for challengers of the rule the bad news is that their claims will probably fail
payday lenders will challenge the authority of the consumer financial protection bureau to issue the rule the cost benefit analysis behind the rule and the constitutionality of the consumer agency itself
when they fail we will know that we have a new and powerful financial regulator one that can touch not just banks but any source of credit including credit cards payday lenders and other informal ways to get money
the challenge to the authority of the consumer financial protection bureau to put out the rule will be pointed at one of the quirks of the agencys jurisdiction the federal reserve regulates banks and the federal communications commission regulates phone companies but the consumer financial protection bureau has not been given an industry to regulate why us the payday lenders might put it when you do not regulate anything else about what we do
the bureaus governing statute instructs the agency to regulate unfair deceptive or abusive lending practices the agency argues in its proposed rule that anyone issuing short term loans without taking a series of steps to prevent abuses from occurring is engaging such a practice
if the courts agree it means that the consumer financial protection bureau can regulate any short term loan provider be it a payday lender a car title loan financier or presumably a grocery store that extends credit the idea is that this agency does not regulate a particular industry but rather a practice   lending   no matter who does the lending
i think that the courts will find this interpretation of the agencys jurisdiction acceptable other agencies regulate unfair and deceptive practices no matter who is practicing them the consumer financial protection bureaus remit to regulate similar sorts of practices in the lending industry looks reassuringly analogous
the most far reaching claim against the rule would be the one that argues that the agency that promulgated it is unconstitutional
conservative lawyers have been muttering about the constitutionality of the consumer financial protection bureau for years but their best argument is pretty novel
it is a death by a thousand cuts separation of powers claim the idea is that if you count up all the ways that the consumer financial protection bureau has been given unfettered authority to regulate the way that financial services are provided to consumers you get an agency that is not controlled by congress or the president
that in turn is inconsistent with our baseline separation of powers principles where congress guides agencies by passing laws and appropriating budgets and the president makes sure that they are executing on their missions
the consumer financial protection bureau was undoubtedly given unique guarantees of independence the agency is funded by the federal reserve rather than by a congressional appropriation the fed is also not funded by congress it makes money by buying and selling government debt to adjust interest rates the agencys budget is set at a percentage of fed operating expenses
unlike most other financial regulators the agency has a single head rather than a board of democratic and republican appointees that head can only be fired by the president for cause which means mere political disagreements are not a good enough reason to replace the agencys director
its employees are not hired through the regular federal personnel process overseen by the office of personnel management either
finally although unfair and deceptive trade practices have been regulated and defined by the courts for centuries there is no common law tradition about abusive practices the payday lenders will argue that this means that the agency has been given a blank check by congress to define lending abuses as it wishes and define its jurisdiction however it likes
the claims sounds like andrew jacksons fight against the second bank of the united states in the 19th century jackson argued that the bank was a danger to our liberty and independence not just because it was a congressionally created bank but also because of the lack of accountability of the directors of the bank the lack of constraints on the business of the bank and the novelty of that quasi governmental institution
but the argument has never worked since and for jackson it made a political case not a legal one
plenty of agencies have single heads plenty have for cause protections against removal plenty are self funded and congress often gestures broadly in its guidance to agencies it has told the federal communications commission to regulate in the public interest a term that could mean anything but that has been deemed acceptable by the supreme court for decades
to be sure an appellate court has recently   and surprisingly   asked for briefing on the constitutional case against the consumer financial protection bureau perhaps the payday lending industry will get lucky and draw judges similarly worried about the new regulator
but even if they act against the fledgling agency those judges have hinted that they might resolve any constitutional difficulty by making the agency director removable at will by the president   a remedy that will not do the payday lenders any good at all unless a sympathetic president is elected in 2016
the final salvo that the payday lenders will fire will concern the cost benefit analysis conducted by the consumer financial protection bureau that supports the rule the analysis in the proposed rule has been qualitative and mixed in with the other reasons it has given for proposing the rule
will a qualitative instead of quantitative analysis cut it the agency must consider the potential benefits and costs for consumers and payday lenders before promulgating a rule it clearly believes that this requirement does not require the sort of quantified analysis that the securities and exchange commission has grudgingly started providing in its proposals
courts ordinarily defer to agencies when they define terms like benefits and costs if the regulator does not think that such an analysis requires math then a court would ordinarily agree
but there is undoubtedly some litigation risk here as well some judges have found a need for a quantified cost benefit analysis in the bowels of many statutes there have been requests for the securities and exchange commission to do one because its statute contains the word efficiency the financial stability oversight council has also been asked to do one because its governing statute contained the word appropriate so given the right court the payday lenders could get lucky here as well
thats a good reason to give litigation a try and you never know but the payday lenders will be gambling on a long shot perhaps the industry is familiar with those kinds of odds


scott rudin a prolific and powerful producer on broadway and in hollywood has withdrawn from a much anticipated project to adapt the popular movie groundhog day into a stage musical
the development is abrupt and unexpected occurring just weeks before the show is scheduled to begin performances at the old vic theater in london groundhog day is collaboration between the songwriter tim minchin and the director matthew warchus following their success with matilda the musical the new musical is scheduled to run there from july 15 to sept 17 and had been scheduled to begin performances on broadway next january it is not clear how mr rudins withdrawal might affect the transfer
in an emailed statement mr rudin suggested that he was not satisfied with his ability to influence the evolving show and had opted to move on he has plenty on his plate he has already announced that he will be producing revivals of the front page and hello dolly on broadway this season and is expected to announce a revival of the glass menagerie as well
the production in new york is going to be a transfer of the london production which is not how we had originally conceived the project when i joined it mr rudin said of groundhog day the more it evolved the more it felt that there was no way for me to do what i like to do so i asked to withdraw not every ideal show happens in the ideal circumstances for everyone involved i wish them well with it its a great show and im sure it will be a big hit
the withdrawal was confirmed by two other producers lia vollack of sony pictures and andre ptaszynski of whistle pig productions
scott came to us last week and said he didnt feel this was something he wanted to continue with in its current configuration they said in a joint statement we met about it we did our best to convince him otherwise as we are all close friends but in the end we respect his decision we are grateful for his work over the last two years and we certainly wish we could have completed this journey together
mr rudin announced the groundhog day project in april 2015 he has an ongoing relationship with the old vic in the form of a right of first refusal to commercial transfers of the theaters work mr warchus is the old vics artistic director
a spokeswoman for the old vic did not immediately return a call seeking comment


amiriyat falluja iraq   one of the iraqi civilians who risked an escape from the sprawling battle for falluja made it as far as the euphrates river he was there for all to see on sunday morning his body tied to the side of a boat bobbed in the muddy waters next to a rickety bridge that separates baghdad from the violence of anbar province
sheikh sheikh see this man he drowned said a young boy pointing as he approached the window of a truck that was slowly crossing the bridge carrying medicine see see his body
the thousands of civilians who managed to flee falluja and its outskirts and make it to government controlled areas in recent days faced harrowing journeys often at night and under fire from islamic state militants who had been trying to use them as human shields
many crossed the wide euphrates in makeshift boats and local officials said more than a dozen drowned in the last few days dying in their own country in the same way that thousands of syrians and iraqis have died on the seas trying to reach europe
the survivors arrive at aid camps tired hungry thirsty and scared   and their ordeals are far from over they are now in the arms of a government without the resources to care for them
i risked my life because i was very concerned for my children and there was almost nothing inside falluja   no food no electricity no fuel nothing said a woman who arrived recently at a camp in amiriyat falluja a government held city south of falluja and gave her name as umm bariq
but in the camp she said there are shortages of food medicine and clean water so we are suffering here under difficult conditions the woman said we need help here
as bad as conditions are for civilians caught up in the battle they are likely to get much worse
at least 50000 civilians are still trapped inside falluja under islamic state rule   perhaps 20000 of them children according to the united nations last week the worry was that they would be killed in the crossfire as iraqi forces and their shiite militia allies stormed the city
now as the fighting has stalled on the outskirts in the face of fierce resistance by the islamic state a siege lasting weeks or months in the heat of summer could lead to mass starvation there have been frantic negotiations through intermediaries between international aid agencies and islamic state officials inside falluja seeking to open up corridors to deliver food and medicine
the problem is made worse some aid workers say by the iraqi governments tight control of traffic between baghdad and anbar province which has delayed the delivery of humanitarian supplies to the camps and the falluja area
out of security concerns the baghdad government which is shiite led has long restricted the movement of people between the capital and sunni dominated anbar almost as if the two areas were separate countries for some agencies it can be difficult and time consuming to receive permission from the iraqi government to travel across the bridge and deliver aid
in some instances aid agencies have turned to a powerful shiite militia kataib hezbollah which is controlled by iran and in charge of an important checkpoint in anbar to get aid to the displaced
also as the offensive for falluja unfolded the iraqi authorities were eager to facilitate access for journalists to the front lines but have not allowed them to travel to areas to see displaced civilians
it was only because of an invitation to join a local aid agencys convoy on sunday that a reporting team from the new york times was able to visit the camps for civilians fleeing the violence around falluja
the government controlled areas of western anbar province a sunni dominated region that has been a heartland for the islamic state have become vast wastelands of human suffering
bare bones tent cities are sprouting up all over providing little more than basic shelter and some but not nearly enough food water and medicine the heat is terrible always well above 100 fahrenheit during the day and most tents do not have fans or the electricity to run them
when iraqi forces reached his town of saqlawiya north of falluja last week hatem shukur waved a white flag to catch their attention in an interview he said he and his family had been given cold water watermelon apples and bananas   delights after months of being under siege
but now we are facing another problem mr shukur 58 said can you imagine your family living here in this heat
he waved his arm around the space where he and his family live a small square of concrete floor a metal frame and plastic sheeting for walls on the floor lying on a blanket was his 8 month old granddaughter rawan flies buzzing around her as she slept
aid workers expressed frustration at their inability to meet the basic needs of civilians caught up in the war   there is not even enough fresh drinking water in the camps officials said there is always this question why is there always so much more money for military operations than for water and food for the civilians uprooted by them
it just doesnt make any sense to have invested so much in a military campaign to defeat daesh and not provide lifesaving support to iraqis in their hours of greatest need said lise grande the united nations top humanitarian official in iraq using an arabic acronym for the islamic state also known as isis or isil
ms grande who emphasized that the united nations has not had difficulty with the iraqi government in arranging deliveries of aid to anbar said the effort still faced a steep shortfall in funding from international donors
at the beginning of this year the united nations said it needed at least 860 million for pay for urgent humanitarian programs in iraq but so far the agency has raised just 30 percent of that sum roughly 260 million and is preparing to close down some vital programs this summer
shiite militias have played a prominent role in the offensive to retake falluja after nearly three years of islamic state rule but because of that the battle is playing out amid persistent worries that the campaign could intensify the sectarian tensions that are tearing the country apart
the sunni extremist fighters for the islamic state have warned civilians that the shiite militias would slaughter them in revenge attacks whenever possible the news media in saudi arabia and other persian gulf countries have framed the battle in crass sectarian terms warning that irans militias were intent on killing sunnis
but for the most part civilians who have fled the areas around falluja have said they had tired of the grim life under the islamic state and had been treated well by the militias and iraqi soldiers
we were surprised that they treated us so well said a man at a camp who was in his 50s and gave his name as abu muhammad standing on sunday outside his tent daesh had told us the shiites wanted revenge and would kill us
instead he said he was given cookies and orange juice
many civilians have lost their lives trying to escape either shot by the islamic state drowned in the river or felled by thirst and hunger during the hazardous hike to safety
dr hassan abdulfatah the director of the amiriyat falluja hospital said he had received 13 bodies of drowning victims over the weekend including children and of four others who he said had died of starvation or other ailments trying to reach safety
in every tent scattered across the many camps in anbar is a sad story but some are truly wrenching
in one there was a group of grieving women whose children had drowned the night before one said she had lost three children suad suzan and yacoob
another woman said she had managed to make the river crossing only to see her daughter and son in law drown as they tried
i was watching them she said i was yelling


an ohio prosecutor said monday that no charges would be brought against michelle gregg the mother of a 3 year old boy whose foray into an exhibit at the cincinnati zoo led to the killing of a gorilla and set off a frenzy of condemnation online
the hamilton county prosecutor joseph t deters made the announcement at a news conference in cincinnati after an investigation that relied on the recollections of four witnesses
she was being attentive to her children by all witness accounts he said and the 3 year old just scampered off
ms gregg 32 who was also accompanied on the trip by three of the boys sisters on may 28 had turned her back for a matter of seconds when the child made a beeline for the gorilla world enclosure mr deters said
if anyone doesnt believe a 3 year old can scamper off very quickly he said theyve never had kids because they can and they do
in a statement the gregg family said it was pleased with the decision
this is one more step in allowing us to put this tragic episode behind us and return to our normal family life the statement said we extend thanks to all of those who have been praying for us and who have supported us through this trying ordeal and praise to god for his mercy and grace
ms gregg had faced intense public scrutiny as well as unrelenting invective on social media over what some saw as her failure to block the boy from the pen after breaching a 3 foot fence the boy fell about 15 feet into a shallow moat and was then dragged around by harambe a western lowland gorilla weighing more than 420 pounds
zoo workers fearing for the childs safety shot and killed the animal
by early monday a petition demanding that ms gregg be investigated for evidence of child neglect had nearly half a million signatures from people who called her attention to the boy unacceptable and grossly negligent
ms gregg has declined to give interviews but in statements released through a spokeswoman gail myers the family said it had cooperated with the police investigation the family had no plans to sue the zoo ms myers said
witnesses at the zoo described panicked moments as harambe at times seemed to take a protective posture with the child but would then yank him violently by the ankle thane maynard the zoos director said the boys head was banging on concrete
in ms greggs 911 call she sounds frantic hes dragging my son she says i cant watch this i cant i cant
the screams of the crowd added another volatile element causing harambe to become agitated and disoriented zoo officials said after about 10 minutes zoo officials made the fraught decision to kill the endangered animal firing a single rifle shot to harambes head as he stood over the boy
the boy ended up with scrapes and bruises but no serious injuries
this is a beautiful little boy mr deters said on monday and had they not acted and this animal behaved sometimes like animals behave we could have had a genuine tragedy here
the zoo faced harsh questions over its decision to use live rounds rather than a tranquilizer dart and was criticized for erecting a security barrier that could be so easily breached by a small boy
mr maynard the zoo director said that the drug would not have acted quickly enough in a situation that at any second could have turned deadly for the boy the pierce of a dart also presented a risk of startling the powerful animal he said
the zoo has also defended the barrier around the gorilla enclosure as adequate noting that until may it had not once been breached since the exhibit opened in 1978 still last week the zoo unveiled a reinforced version raised to 42 inches and secured by wooden beams and knotted rope netting the exhibit is scheduled to reopen on tuesday
the department of agriculture and the association of zoos and aquariums have both opened investigations into the episode
during his news conference mr deters defended the zoos decision to kill the animal the one thing i will say the zoo lost a beautiful animal one that many people in this area have enjoyed watching for a long time but its still an animal
it does not equate human life he added and they felt that this boys life was in jeopardy and they made the painful choice to do what they did
western lowland gorillas are considered critically endangered with fewer than 175000 left in the wild in africa the zoo said harambe who was born in captivity and turned 17 the day before he was killed was an intelligent and curious animal on his way to becoming a group leader
last week the gregg family asked that people offering to send money direct it instead to the cincinnati zoo in harambes name


seeking to appeal to guests desire for new experiences and stand out in a competitive market hotel brand managers are mining their local art communities for everything from inspiration to installations
i think the travelers today are exposed to more said dan vinh vice president for global marketing of marriotts lifestyle portfolio when they travel they want an experience that they can talk about that they can bring back and share stories about
even young adults looking for a cheap place to stay and business travelers looking for a place to recharge themselves and their devices overnight have higher expectations
the evolution in how managers view hotel artwork is similar to the shift toward showcasing more local ingredients in hotel restaurants mr vinh said in their restaurants he said hotels have begun striving to create an environment that is part of the local community and now thats happening in the general hotel ambience
i think its all part of the same movement to help the guest experience something new mr vinh said
for example the renaissance new york midtown hotel opened in march and features works by new york city artists that riff on the hotels garment district location the artist andre woolery created a work consisting of red buttons arranged onto a canvas to create an abstract design evoking the large sculpture in the district of a needle threading a button
other major hotel brands increasingly are making local art a more prominent fixture when it opened in 2011 the omni dallas hotel was considered an anomaly with its 6500 pieces of original art including work by 150 local artists two years later the brand repeated the initiative albeit on a somewhat smaller scale when it opened the omni nashville hotel now it plans to do the same with hotels coming in the next two years in atlanta and louisville ky
people are really wanting to collect these experiences said jonathan frolich vice president for global brands at hyatt hotels andaz brand theyre looking to be immersed in local culture
a focus on local art is woven into the andaz brand image the andaz fifth avenue hotel in new york city held a competition for art students in the city to select works that would decorate the hallways of the guest floors and at the andaz in savannah ga some pieces on display are the work of one of the hosts at the hotel restaurant the abstract and pop art painter jor smith michel
hotel guests often ask about his art mr michel said sometimes without realizing he is the artist
since the andaz began displaying his work at the beginning of the year mr michel estimated that he had sold more than 40 works to hotel customers knowing that im a local and when they kind of get to know me theyre more interested he said
matthew whitaker director of canvas art consultants which helps hotels around the world curate art collections that reflect the local culture said hotel customers seemed to have higher expectations for their stays
as society becomes more and more global people want to appreciate and connect to the local he said it helps to bring things down into a human scale
experts say the roots of the trend   a preference for experiences over objects a penchant for tagging and bragging on social media   started with millennials but travelers of all generations are taking note and boasting online to their friends
people want to instagram people want to tweet about it said gavi wolf a founder of indiewalls an online marketplace that acts as a middleman between independent artists and a growing clientele of hotel brand managers and designers including the marriott brands renaissance and ac
while many prominent examples of hotels investing in local art are at the high end of the spectrum lower priced chains are not ignoring the trend graduate hotels a six hotel chain that started in 2014 whose target market is college towns uses local art to help it stand out from comparably priced competitors like best western and quality inn
ari grazi mr wolfs business partner said original art was a good way for hoteliers to make space look good without spending a lot artwork is a relatively low cost way to make a big impact he said
the metaphorical elephant sculpture in the room is airbnb and other popular services that let travelers rent space in peoples homes since travelers have alternatives to a cookie cutter room hotels are realizing they need to deliver more than the same design from coast to coast
rather than things that are mass produced and come across as a little uninspired people are looking more for ideas that speak to them as individuals said ave bradley global senior vice president for design and creative director at kimpton hotels and restaurants
ms bradley said kimpton guests frequently wanted to know about the local art on display at its properties some even asking where they could buy it
and mr wolf said more hotels today viewed design and decor as part of their brand image
weve seen a large shift in the way the hospitality market has really thought about the design of their space they really need to create strong brands around who they are to differentiate themselves he said
the art an independent hotel opened in denver last year with a focus on contemporary art like an installation of 22000 led lights at the entrance the hotels general manager david bodette said he expected the hotels commitment to local art to grow in the future
the more sophisticated the traveler he said the more sophisticated we need to be


the central message of mayor bill de blasios re election pitch appeared clear even early in his administration after a winning 2013 campaign that deplored the tale of two cities the mayors bid for a second term would be founded on his mission to create one city for all new yorkers
words of unity adorned banners placed behind mr de blasio at public events and the official names on his agenda a plan for the citys future titled onenyc a policing strategy named one city safe and fair everywhere and a nonprofit formed to buttress the mayoral agenda the campaign for one new york
but in recent months as overlapping investigations have swamped his administration the notion that mr de blasio has brought about a unified city   a theme that mayoral advisers believed could lure new yorkers into the fold who voted against him last time   appears to have all but vanished as an argument for his re election in 2017
while the one city banners remain the inquiries into mr de blasio and his aides have sapped much of the mayors ability to court new voters at the moment some of his advisers believe especially skeptical whites who have mostly shunned the mayors agenda
they also have given new hope to potential challengers in 2017 bradley tusk a former close adviser to mayor michael r bloomberg and the architect of ubers successful bid to oppose mr de blasios regulatory efforts is vowing to organize aggressively in support of the mayors defeat in a democratic primary
the shifting political landscape has forced mr de blasio to retool his strategy his aides said the new game plan was to highlight the mayors accomplishments portray him as an able manager of its day to day and long term needs and shore up support among the core constituencies that have long backed him including labor unions and liberal activists
surrogates have blasted out a litany of mayoral achievements by email on twitter and in op eds articles aides have pointed to supportive words from a small number of voices rising to defend the mayor
returning to the two cities theme the mayor has fashioned an array of boogeymen to rail against from billionaire media owners and hedge fund managers to state investigatory agencies and gov andrew m cuomo who has been increasingly willing to punch back publicly it is a refrain that the mayor has underscored since a recent strategy discussion in which he embraced the idea one adviser said
we said we would take on the tale of two cities mr de blasio told the crowd at his birthday fund raiser last month but those who believe the tale of two cities is somehow ordained they will fight to preserve it
over the next month mr de blasio is expected to hold about a dozen additional low dollar campaign fund raisers ranging in size from dozens of attendees to several hundred according to a campaign adviser with hosts including state assemblyman luis r sepulveda of the bronx and the city council members daniel dromm ydanis rodriguez and helen rosenthal
most of the aides and advisers interviewed about the mayors approach spoke on the condition of anonymity in order to discuss internal deliberations plans and the effect of investigations and negative headlines on the outlook for 2017
but the fear of powerful opponents is not unfounded mr de blasio has faced stiff resistance to his agenda   and millions spent on negative television ads   from well funded antagonists including charter school advocates uber and the citys largest police unions
mr tusk who would have run a bloomberg presidential campaign had it gone forward said his consulting firm tusk holdings dropped mr bloomberg as a client last month in order for mr tusk to publicly pursue efforts to unseat mr de blasio starting with a private poll of democratic primary voters that began on wednesday
he unveiled a new website on monday   nycdeservesbettercom   along with a podcast and a tipsheet for potential candidates paid for with his own money he said his firm is also working for the patrolmans benevolent association which is negotiating its contract and running television ads that go after the mayor
i hate the way the city is being run right now mr tusk 42 said in an interview everything is focused on politics everything is focused on ideology
mr tusk said he would seek to expand turnout in the democratic primary which mr de blasio won with roughly 280000 of 690000 ballots cast in 2013 out of around three million registered democrats mr tusk planned to court younger new yorkers with the sorts of sharing apps and services that have become ubiquitous in many of their lives including airbnb uber and the restaurant delivery service seamless none of the companies have yet been approached by mr tusk about participating in a get out the vote campaign though he said he had discussed the idea with uber at the national level when mr bloomberg was mulling his presidential run
the poll he said would lay the groundwork for an as yet unnamed challenger among those included in the poll were a few familiar potential candidates   the public advocate letitia james the comptroller scott m stringer representative hakeem jeffries   and some unusual ones like the rev al sharpton the former police commissioner raymond w kelly and the msnbc host joe scarborough
another potential candidate paul j massey jr a real estate developer who has said he is mulling a republican run for mayor closed a nonprofit issue advocacy group he formed this year 1ny together before it ever got off the ground   an indication of the shifting attitudes toward the nonprofit model that mr de blasio had embraced citing the completion of its work mr de blasio has said the campaign for one new york has also stopped operations
too many 501c4s have crossed the legal line and i wouldnt want to be mentioned in the same sentence with any of them he said referring to the section of the tax code that allows for their creation
faced with the opposition the mayors strategy has been threefold aides said stay focused on the job keep in constant communication with supporters and allies and get the message out on the radio in town hall style meetings and through community events
in recent weeks council members have been encouraged by the mayors office to post messages on twitter vowing to protectprogress eight of 51 had done so by friday unions too were pressed to express support
screaming headlines have jumped ahead of the appropriate legal scrutiny now taking place henry garrido the executive director of district council 37 the citys largest union of municipal workers wrote in an email to his members on may 26 i think its important during this challenging time to take stock of the accomplishments of the past two and a half years
mr sharpton who defended mr de blasio in a speech last month said no one had asked him to do so my concern was protecting some of the initiatives he said adding of the investigations into mr de blasios team that theres no there there yet
im not saying there wont be he continued but theres no there yet
phil walzak a top adviser to mr de blasio said the mayor never abandoned his goal of a more unified city and pointed to one city moments such as a news conference last month in which business leaders expressed support for mayoral control of city schools the police departments low crime numbers and the administrations focus on improving homeless services
we are in a snapshot in time mr walzak said by the start of the 2017 election campaign he said the atmosphere and climate that were going to be operating in will be fundamentally different because i believe that our team has acted appropriately and well be vindicated
outside of all of these atmospherics he continued the story we have to tell is very powerful


philadelphia   the federal reserve mindful of unexpectedly weak job growth last month has abandoned hope of raising interest rates at its next meeting in june but fed officials say they are still thinking seriously about raising rates in july or september
janet l yellen the feds chairwoman said a few weeks ago that she expected the fed to raise its benchmark interest rate in the coming months but she omitted those words from a monday speech indicating the reported weakness of job creation in may has caused the fed to rethink its plans
still ms yellen delivered a generally upbeat assessment of economic conditions while describing the may jobs report as concerning she also emphasized that it was just one piece of data and that other economic indicators including wage growth paint a considerably brighter picture
i see good reasons to expect that the positive forces supporting employment growth and higher inflation will continue to outweigh the negative ones she told the world affairs council of philadelphia
investors have all but written off the chances the fed will increase rates at its next meeting on june 14 and 15 and ms yellen did not try to change their minds her speech was the last public appearance by a fed official before the meeting
but she added that she still expected economic growth   and she still expected rate increases
if incoming data are consistent with labor market conditions strengthening and inflation making progress toward our 2 percent objective as i expect further gradual increases in the federal funds rate are likely to be appropriate she said
some fed officials have delivered a similar message since the may report
loretta mester president of the federal reserve bank of cleveland has sounded relatively confident in recent months indicating that the economy was ready for a rate increase in stockholm on saturday she said that the may jobs report while disappointing had not changed her overall economic assessment
others have emphasized that there is no reason to rush suggesting that the fed should wait for stronger data before moving to raise rates
there would appear to be an advantage to waiting until developments provide greater confidence lael brainard a fed governor said in a speech on friday in her judgment ms brainard said the risks of moving too soon significantly exceeded the dangers of waiting a little too long
daniel tarullo a fed governor who shares ms brainards caution said on thursday in an interview with bloomberg that he was still looking for an affirmative reason to move
the government estimated last week that the economy added 38000 jobs in may well below market expectations and the pace of hiring so far this year
the fed entered the year predicting quarterly rate increases only to back away from a first increase in march when the economy showed unexpected signs of weakness fed officials in recent weeks insisted they were thinking about raising rates in june now it seems that too has passed
ms yellen did not offer a new plan and that was intentional
i know market participants really want to know exactly whats going to happen she said at one point there is as i said about 18 times no preset plan
she devoted much of her speech to the economic uncertainties confronting the fed among them she numbered the inconsistency of recent economic data and britains coming referendum on whether to remain in the european union she said a breakup would be economically disruptive
the uncertainties are sizable and progress toward our goals and by implication the appropriate stance of monetary policy will depend on how these uncertainties evolve she said
but reasons for optimism were also on display monday
after her speech ms yellen met with workers at a job training program in west philadelphia during her first year as fed chairwoman round tables with workers in chicago and chelsea mass brought together many attendees who were struggling to find jobs the tone of mondays round table was notably more upbeat   the seven people who met with ms yellen all had jobs or if they were in training programs were optimistic about finding steady work
mark gay spent nearly two years looking for full time work before he found a job with a landscaping business run by the university city district the nonprofit group that hosted the meeting asked whether life was improving for people in his west philadelphia neighborhood he paused before answering
i would have to agree he said yes a lot of people in my community have gained employment since 2012
sarah davis director of development for university city district says its jobs training program has about 110 graduates a year she said the percentage of those finding jobs has climbed steadily over the last five years to about 95 percent and demand from potential employers now exceeds the supply of workers the program can offer were getting daily calls from potential employer partners ms davis said
yet ms yellen noted in her speech that unemployment remained widespread among minorities and lesser educated people there were also signs the labor market is no longer healing as quickly the economy has added 125000 jobs per month this year compared with a monthly average of 229000 last year
the feds in house labor market conditions index devised to summarize a wide range of labor market data has declined each month since the fed raised interest rates in december
the feds current course is driven not by the state of the economy but by a desire to get interest rates and its balance sheet back to what is considered normal narayana kocherlakota the former president of the federal reserve bank of minneapolis wrote in a bloomberg opinion piece last week criticizing the feds desire to raise rates
ms yellen responded indirectly to that critique during a question and answer session after her speech on monday she said the fed was focused on its mandates of maximizing employment and stabilizing inflation raising rates was not an end but a means she said
she noted that the economy should benefit from a virtuous loop of increased employment and rising incomes if the may labor report was an aberration or reflects a temporary slowdown resulting from the weakness in economic activity at the start of the year then job growth should pick up and support further gains in income ms yellen said
on the other hand she noted the less favorable possibility was that a slowdown in corporate investment had translated into a slowdown in job growth how long will it take to tell the difference on monday ms yellen wasnt offering any predictions my colleagues and i will be wrestling with these and other related questions going forward she said


muhammad ali was an ungentrified black man
that simple truth has resonated in my heart the past few days as volumes of praise and tributes have been lavished on ali and his legacy
i had not expected to be this sad we all knew this day was coming that he would die but the finality of it has been a bit difficult to accept
now i understand what my father meant many years ago he said that when joe louis died he felt that he lost a little bit of himself louis had helped frame the ethos of my fathers generation of black men and women as ali helped frame mine
louiss warning to his opponents summed up the determination of my fathers generation you can run but you cant hide
ali told us to float like butterflies and sting like bees
we all have the heroes and legends of our youth i am forever grateful that the athlete i most respected and admired taught me the realities of life in the united states   that being an active conscious black person in america meant traveling a road on which wealth and trinkets would test the will of men and women of principle
gentrification is on my mind because i live in harlem and have watched as this and other previously black neighborhoods around the country have been gobbled up and transformed from black to nonblack
black homeowners eschewing neighborhood and community sell for million dollar trinkets
ali never sold
i was a high school junior when he was stripped of his heavyweight title when his championship belt was taken ali effectively said that it was a mere trinket nothing compared with the principle he was being asked to give up
i loved that and i would try   sometimes succeeding sometimes not   to live by that ideal
i met ali for the first time in the 1970s while working at ebony magazine the year i arrived at ebony ali pulled off the greatest boxing upset i have ever seen knocking out the seemingly invincible previously undefeated george foreman in zaire
two of alis three fights against joe frazier were classics but the victory over foreman was transformative for foreman it was life altering
i never spoke to ali about the foreman fight but i spoke plenty about it with foreman he was devastated and eventually took a 10 year hiatus from boxing foreman said he had a religious revelation i think the revelation was ali and everything he stood for
it was during that period that my friend greg simms then the sports editor at jet magazine called me one afternoon and asked if i wanted to go to alis house of course i did
but once inside in the presence of an athlete i held in such high regard i wasnt sure what to say and said nothing i just stood there
life went on in september 1976 i covered alis third bout against ken norton at yankee stadium two years later i left ebony to become a feature writer and jazz critic for the baltimore sun and from there i joined the new york times in 1982 by that point the impact ali had made on my life   the strong belief i now had that black athletes needed to express themselves politically   was set
i was in atlanta for the 1996 summer games when ali lit the olympic torch and seemed to set the world on fire two years later i was at the united nations when kofi annan then the secretary general presented ali with the messenger of peace award in 2005 i was in louisville ky for the dedication of the muhammad ali center
in each of these instances the toll that parkinsons disease was taking on ali was increasingly evident still ali kept up a grueling schedule after the louisville event for example he was scheduled to fly to germany to receive an award i asked his wife lonnie why ali kept traveling why he subjected himself to the grind she said people always ask isnt he tired shouldnt he rest muhammad says i got plenty of time to rest
my last real exchange with ali came at the sydney olympics in 2000 during a reception by now his parkinsons had progressed to the point that you really had to strain to make out his words yet ali was in great form
asked how it had felt to light the olympic torch four years earlier ali said scary as hell my left hand was shaking because of parkinsons my right hand was shaking from fear somehow between the two of them i got the thing lit
when someone asked him to name his toughest foe ali said us military next toughest fight was my first wife
later in his hotel room i was speaking with ali when he looked at me and asked whats your name
of course he knew my name but he wanted to make a larger point
bill rhoden i said knowing what was coming
thats not your name thats your slave name
he talked for another 15 minutes about racism and oppression and history
what i gleaned from alis life as ive lived mine is that the goal is not to go through life undefeated the quest is to exercise resilience and come back stronger
beloved by much of the world ali was nonetheless consistently unapologetically black
i loved that about him muhammad ali was an ungentrified black man


the death of a 3 month old girl who was found unconscious by officers in a staten island apartment last summer has been ruled a homicide the police said on monday
the infant morgan ricks was found unconscious and unresponsive on aug 30 2015 at an apartment on jersey street part of the richmond terrace houses a new york city housing authority complex on the north shore the authorities said morgan was taken to richmond university medical center in critical condition the authorities said she had respiratory failure and had retinal hemorrhaging consistent with head trauma
morgan died of her injuries on sept 11 2015 the new york city medical examiner determined last week that her death was a homicide it was unclear what caused the delay in making the ruling but officials have said that cases involving young children can take longer because of the complexity and the additional testing sometimes required
the medical examiner found that morgan died of abusive head trauma
morgan was among nine children 5 years old or younger who were homicide victims last year in the city according to the police there have been four so far this year
no arrests have been made and the authorities did not release any information about any suspects


imagine you are a terrorist leader bent on humbling the united states what would be the smartest strategy at this moment
dragging the great superpower into a messy war or hanging back doing nothing and letting the fractious country tear itself apart
sebastian junger the veteran war correspondent raises that provocative question in his new book tribe on homecoming and belonging his answer is definitive the savvy terrorist would hang back denying his enemy the unifying effects of war
the terrorist observing the united states via satellite would see that it is doing to itself what no bomb or attack could dissolving its own social bonds through a culture of excommunication   turning opponents into enemies and disagreement into revulsion
the word tribal is often used to discuss the countrys intense divisions but mr jungers argument is not that the united states is becoming too tribal but rather that it is losing a necessary tribalism
tribalism in his telling means a willingness to make substantive sacrifices for a community as the united states has become a consumerist hyperindividualist republic that increasingly asks less of the average citizen mr junger writes a culture of sacrifice has fallen away
mr jungers project is to understand what can be learned from settings where sacrifice is the norm   from native american tribes from bosnia in the worst of the war years from troubled inner city districts that somehow resist the scourge of mass shootings
what he finds is not an altogether unfamiliar idea that in the journey to modernity in the achievement of levels of peace affluence and health that would have been unimaginable to our ancestors some valuable things were lost
in relieving hardship after hardship he writes modern society has perfected the art of making people not feel necessary in giving people independence from one another modernity has raised the incidence of mental illness and suicide
in other words we have paid for progress in the currency of belonging and now mr junger believes we might want a partial refund
mr jungers emphasis is on the shortcomings of the post tribal society and so his account goes easy on the shortcomings of tribal society and it has less to say about the millions of people all these years who have been migrants not to belonging but from it
if restoring a sense of community is as hard as mr junger suggests it may be because some of the people fleeing communal places knew what they were doing
so many immigrants to the united states speak of fleeing not poverty but cultures full of judgment control and guilt in which love and meddling come at the cost of having space to think and create and become your fullest self
moreover many of the more tribal societies that mr junger admires awash in loving connection have tended to be less loving to those who fail to fit their picture of how one should be   to women without much interest in cooking to people drawn to the same sex to people unpersuaded by the local god to people who think thoughts that will only later come to be regarded as true to people whose parents were not supposed to mate but did anyway and now oops here they are
the central transaction of modernity was well captured in the movie monsoon wedding some years ago an uncle who has been a generous benefactor to his relatives and offers to finance his nieces education turns out to have molested her as well
dependence the movie suggests creates a fertile environment for abuse one can imagine that anonymous modern institutions like scholarships and affordable loans would have been for the niece a preferable if less warmly human and tribal option
mr jungers book so alive to the post tribal poverties of being alone is less aware of the poverties of being together that have sent so many in pursuit of relative solitude


reports a few years ago that global banks manipulated the london interbank offered rate or libor to reap profits on their investments showed how easy it was to manipulate benchmarks used to set rates for trillions of dollars in mortgages student loans and other financial products tell a few lies about the interest rates and then watch the profits roll in - sounds like a classic fraud if ever there was one
whether traders who tried to push their banks libor submissions to favor their positions actually violated the federal wire fraud statute will be a central question as two defendants challenge convictions and the justice department pursues new charges against two former traders at deutsche bank
the libor scandal exploded in july 2012 when barclays admitted to submitting false information used to set the interest rate benchmark and paid about 450 million in fines and civil penalties the banks chief executive robert e diamond jr soon lost his job since then five other banks have resolved cases over their role in rigging libor including deutsche bank which paid 775 million and entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with the justice department while its london based subsidiary pleaded guilty to wire fraud
two traders at deutsche bank matthew connolly and gavin campbell black were indicted last week on conspiracy and wire fraud charges for their role in manipulating the submissions used to set libor as in many cases involving traders the government highlighted messages showing how unabashed they were in pushing for the bank to submit an interest rate that would help their investment positions
in one exchange mr connolly emailed the person responsible for submitting the banks information - using the typically clipped terminology that traders favor - asking that if possible we need in ny 1 mo libor as low as possible next few days ... tons of pays coming up over all ... thanks the response came back will do our best matt
that kind of exchange makes it hard to deny there was an intent to make a false submission on behalf of deutsche bank
the latest charges follow the pattern set in an indictment filed in 2014 against traders at rabobank for manipulating its yen libor submissions anthony allen and anthony conti were convicted last november of conspiracy and wire fraud judge jed s rakoff of the federal district court in manhattan sentenced mr allen to two years in prison while mr conti received a punishment of a year and a day in prison they remain free on bail pending appeal
judge rakoff rejected their argument to overturn the guilty verdicts the defendants argued that the interest rates submitted to the british bankers association which set libor at the time were not false or misleading because they reflected rates that could have been accurate the judge found that the defendants effectively represented that they were responding in good faith to the bbas query about the rate at which rabobank could borrow funds
a jury could reasonably find that defendants gave counterparties the false impression that they were making good faith estimates of rabobanks borrowing costs instead of making libor submissions to benefit rabobanks trading positions judge rakoff explained
a recent decision of the united states court of appeals for the second circuit in manhattan which will review the convictions may present the justice department with a substantial hurdle to show the libor submissions were sufficient to support a conviction for wire fraud
in that case which i wrote about last week the appeals court overturned a jury verdict finding that bank of america violated the wire fraud statute for selling questionable mortgages to fannie mae and freddie mac that fell well short of the contractual requirements for the loans to be sold
judge rakoff also presided over that case finding that the bank had engaged in a brazen fraud but the appeals court reached the opposite conclusion finding that a breach of contract standing alone would be insufficient to constitute a fraud absent an affirmative misstatement at the time of the sale of the mortgages
that analysis is sure to be seized on by lawyers for mr allen and mr conti to argue that even if their efforts to influence the interest rate submission were successful it was not the type of misstatement sufficient for a wire fraud conviction
the question asked of the 16 banks that helped set libor was at what rate could you borrow funds were you to do so by asking for and then accepting interbank offers in a reasonable market size just prior to 11 am the bba then threw out the four highest and lowest figures it received and used the mean of the remaining eight to set libor for that day
no particular bank could move the rate on its own and there was not a contractual obligation to supply an exact figure only a rate at which it could borrow funds - a process that is inherently subjective
each banks libor submission carried an implicit assertion that it was an accurate figure at which it could borrow if it so desired but whether that implication which can result in a false impression about the true borrowing costs of a bank constitutes wire fraud is an open question when a knowing breach of contract itself was insufficient to prove a violation by bank of america
the libor rate submissions can be viewed as an affirmative statement by rabobank and deutsche bank about the proper interest rate which may be enough to distinguish the prosecution of mr allen and mr conti from the bank of america case in which flawed loans were sold without any claim about compliance with the contract moreover evidence of the purpose to enhance the value of the banks portfolio by making misleading submissions is abundantly clear in the various messages exchanged by the traders so the proof of a strong profit motive may be enough to support the wire fraud charges
if the convictions of mr allen and mr conti are overturned however it would undermine the case against mr connolly and mr black while dealing a substantial blow to the justice departments efforts to crack down on individual traders involved in libor manipulation the oral arguments in the appeal will be heard later this year which means a decision should not be expected until 2017
the banks involved in setting libor received a dose of bad news two weeks ago when the united states court of appeals for the second circuit reversed the district courts dismissal of class action lawsuits for violation of the antitrust laws because the cases were thrown out at an early stage the appeals court had to accept the claims of the plaintiffs as true for deciding whether to let them proceed
the crucial claim was that the banks engaged in a horizontal price fixing conspiracy to artificially affect libor which the courts have found to be a per se violation of the law the united states court of appeals for the second circuit rejected the district courts conclusion that the plaintiffs could not show any injury finding that they have alleged an anticompetitive tendency the warping of market factors affecting the prices for libor based financial instrument
the lawsuits were returned to the lower court for further proceedings which is likely to mean protracted discovery that will drag out for years the danger to the banks from the antitrust claims is the potential for triple damages for any violation which means the cost to settle a lawsuit may be much higher as the case moves forward
the evidence developed by the justice department showing how traders tried to manipulate libor is copious and in some instances they coordinated with their counterparts at other banks to generate profits
but just showing a desire to make money by manipulating libor may not be enough to prove wire fraud strange as that may seem even if the banks may be liable for antitrust violations


back in the days when mixed martial arts was still a vaguely disreputable spectacle that had not yet moved toward the sports mainstream its biggest star was a former professional wrestler brock lesnar now after an absence of almost five years he is returning to the sport at least for one night
lesnar brought the sport some razzle dazzle from world wrestling entertainment where he had been a star after an ncaa champion amateur wrestling career at the university of minnesota
though his wwe fame would have been enough to earn him a mixed martial arts career he turned out to be an accomplished fighter in the octagon winning the heavyweight title in his third ultimate fighting championship bout over the legend randy couture his success in a sport that was not fixed struck a blow for wrestlers as legitimate athletes not merely bulked up showmen
lesnar defended his title twice but his career was derailed by bouts of diverticulitis he lost the ufc title to cain velasquez in 2010 then after a year away lost a comeback fight to alistair overeem he immediately announced his retirement and soon returned to the colorful and predetermined world of professional wrestling
but that decision has haunted me lesnar told espn on monday i never lost to an opponent i lost to diverticulitis
so lesnar will return to face mark hunt as part of the ufc 200 card in las vegas on july 9 he announced monday
a reporter for mmafightingcom ariel helwani broke the news of lesnars return on saturday and was later ejected from a ufc card at the forum in los angeles a ufc spokesman told the los angeles times that reporting the news was not the only factor in helwanis ejection and said he should have sought a comment from the ufc on the story helwani tweeted did nothing unethical i reported fight news thats it
lesnar was always a huge draw for the ufc whose fans are often followers of professional wrestling as well his title defense against frank mir in 2009 remains the biggest selling pay per view in ufc history though champions like daniel cormier and miesha tate are on the july 9 card lesnar is likely to drive sales again despite his long absence
lesnar is 38 but mixed martial arts has often been kind to older fighters the current heavyweight champion stipe miocic is 33 and the light heavyweight champ cormier and the new middleweight champ michael bisping are both 37
hunt lesnars opponent is even older at 42 he is ranked eighth among heavyweights with a ufc record of 7 4 1 and brings a reputation as a hard hitter in contrast lesnar is better wrestling on the ground the contrast in styles could add more intrigue to the bout
for now lesnars return is just for one fight with permission of the wwe which still has him under contract lesnar was noncommittal about future ufc appearances but did admit to espn im making a boatload of money


rome   italys anti establishment five star movement moved one step closer to governing rome on monday when returns released from nationwide municipal elections over the weekend took its candidate to a runoff vote in two weeks
a victory for the movement would be a blow to the center left government of prime minister matteo renzi whose democratic party candidates struggled in the first round of voting in many major italian cities
the five star movement candidates did particularly well in rome where virginia raggi received 353 percent of the vote and in turin where chiara appendino garnered 31 percent in rome roberto giachetti the democratic party candidate reached only 25 percent
we know that virginia raggi holds the pink shirt mr renzi said in a televised news conference on monday using a cycling metaphor for a races leader we still hope giachetti is going to be successful in his endeavor
the five star movement also made large gains in romes suburbs ms raggi a 37 year old lawyer has promised to fight corruption and bring back romes splendor a year after a wide reaching scandal exposed criminal infiltration in city bidding contracts
we are facing a historic moment ms raggi said on monday the romans are ready to turn the page and i am ready to govern this city and to restore rome to the splendor and beauty that it deserves
the democratic party did not win but made it to the runoffs in milan turin and bologna in milan the center left candidate giuseppe sala received 42 percent of the vote slightly more than his center right opponent stefano parisi
in turin the democratic party candidate former mayor piero fassino won 42 percent of the vote and will face ms appendino in the second round in bologna another traditional bastion of the center left the democratic party backed candidate virginio merola got around 40 percent he will face a center right candidate lucia borgonzoni in the runoff
the center left party gained little traction in naples where the candidate supported by mr renzi valeria valente reached only 21 percent former mayor luigi de magistris mr renzis independent opponent will face a runoff against a center right candidate
we are not happy mr renzi said we had wanted to do better especially in naples
yet mr renzi said the democratic partys outcome was not linked to his governments stability or to a national referendum in october on proposed constitutional changes that he hopes will bring greater stability and clarity to voting in the country
i do not believe there is a correlation between the local election and the referendum mr renzi said arguing that even those who had chosen a protest vote at the local level would vote in favor of the constitutional changes
mr renzi has pledged to step down if voters do not approve the constitutional overhaul
giovanni orsina a professor of contemporary history at luiss university in rome said the results reflected the same discontent seen in austrias recent presidential election in which a far right candidate narrowly lost
of course this is only a preliminary result and the pd did not go too badly he said using the italian abbreviation for the democratic party but the group of its adversaries has shown to be very strong
we now have to see if the discontent is reined in in the runoff or not mr orsina said


washington   the supreme court on monday agreed to hear two appeals raising questions about the roles race and intellectual disability might play in capital prosecutions
one case buck v stephens no 15 8049 arose from a psychologists testimony that black defendants were more dangerous than white ones
the case concerns duane buck who was convicted of the 1995 murders of a former girlfriend and one of her friends while her young children watched texas law allows death sentences only if prosecutors can show the defendant poses a future danger to society
during the trials sentencing phase mr bucks lawyer presented testimony from the psychologist walter quijano who said that race was one of the factors associated with future dangerousness its a sad commentary that minorities hispanics and black people are overrepresented in the criminal justice system dr quijano testified
a prosecutor followed up the race factor black increases the future dangerousness for various complicated reasons   is that correct
dr quijano answered yes
one of mr bucks trial lawyers jerry guerinot has a dismal record in death penalty cases having represented 20 people sentenced to death in texas more than are awaiting execution in about half of the states that have the death penalty
in their petition seeking supreme court review mr bucks new lawyers said that his trial lawyers had been ineffective and that mr bucks death sentence was infected by racial bias
left uncorrected trial counsels injection of explicit racial discrimination into mr bucks capital sentencing profoundly undermines confidence in the integrity of both mr bucks death sentence and the criminal justice system over all mr bucks lawyers told the justices
the cases will be argued during the courts next term which starts in october
in turning down an earlier appeal from mr buck in 2011 based on assertions of prosecutorial misconduct five justices expressed misgivings about what had happened at his trial
calling dr quijanos testimony bizarre and objectionable justice samuel a alito jr joined by justices antonin scalia and stephen g breyer indicated that there were serious questions about the conduct of mr bucks own lawyers
dr quijanos testimony would provide a basis for reversal of petitioners sentence if the prosecution were responsible for presenting that testimony to the jury justice alito wrote but dr quijano was a defense witness and it was petitioners attorney not the prosecutor who first elicited dr quijanos view regarding the correlation between race and future dangerousness
justice sonia sotomayor joined by justice elena kagan said she would have voted to hear the case even as a challenge to prosecutorial misconduct she noted that in 2000 the states attorney general john cornyn had seemed to promise to allow new sentencings for several inmates including mr buck who had been sent to death row based in part on dr quijanos testimony
texas prosecutors now say mr bucks appeal is barred on procedural grounds
the justices also agreed on monday to hear an appeal from bobby j moore who has been on death row since 1980 for fatally shooting a 72 year old houston supermarket clerk james mccarble during a robbery that case moore v texas no 15 797 raises questions about whether texas uses outdated standards in assessing whether a defendants intellectual disability was severe enough to bar his execution
when the court ruled in 2002 in atkins v virginia that the constitution forbade the execution of people with mental disabilities it gave states only general guidance it said a finding of intellectual disability required proof of three things subaverage intellectual functioning meaning low iq scores a lack of fundamental social and practical skills and the presence of both conditions before age 18 the court said iq scores under approximately 70 typically indicated disability
in 2014 in hall v florida though the court ruled that floridas iq score cutoff was too rigid to decide which mentally disabled individuals must be spared the death penalty
florida seeks to execute a man because he scored a 71 instead of 70 on an iq test justice anthony m kennedy wrote for the majority in a 5 to 4 decision
in mr moores case a trial court found that he was intellectually disabled and constitutionally ineligible for the death penalty an appeals court reversed that decision saying the lower court had erred by employing the definition of intellectual disability presently used
the appeals court ruled that a 23 year old standard applied instead and that under it mr moore was not intellectually disabled
when the supreme court announced on monday morning that it would hear mr moores case it said the justices would also consider a second question whether executing a condemned inmate more than 35 years after he was sentenced to death violates the eighth amendments prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment
some two hours later the court issued a revised order limiting its review to the intellectual disability issue
two members of the court justices kennedy and breyer have invited challenges to prolonged solitary confinement years on end of near total isolation exact a terrible price justice kennedy wrote for instance in a concurrence last year adding that the condition in which prisoners are kept simply has not been a matter of sufficient public inquiry or interest
the two justices will now have to await another case
the court also agreed to hear an appeal in a gerrymandering challenge to virginias legislative map bethune hill v virginia board of elections no 15 680 that case will also be argued in the next term


there are several lessons to be learned from a data breach in which hackers gained access to mark zuckerbergs social media accounts but chief among them is probably this quit using the same password for multiple websites
it may be annoying and time consuming but following this simple rule can help you avoid the public pwning or account takeover that befell mr zuckerberg the billionaire owner of facebook and instagram
a collective that calls itself ourmine boasted that it had broken into a handful of his social media accounts including linkedin twitter and pinterest screengrabs posted by engadget showed the hackers notifying mr zuckerberg of the breach using his own twitter account bold move
we are just testing your security the tweet read
in a statement released on monday linkedin said that it had found and removed a fake profile that had been created of mr zuckerberg
we were alerted of this takeover attempt and have taken action to remove the false profile on linkedin the statement read
the company declined to address whether the hack was the result of a larger data breach in 2012 that compromised over 100 million accounts linkedin has taken steps to invalidate passwords from older accounts but the breach against mr zuckerberg shows that some accounts especially those that are old or dormant remain at risk
in a statement emailed by a spokesman on monday facebook said that mr zuckerbergs facebook and instagram accounts had not been breached
no facebook systems or accounts were accessed the affected accounts have been re secured using best practices the statement read
facebooks security systems are now designed to thwart suspicious logins but mr zuckerbergs account has not always been immune to breaches in 2013 a blogger hacked the executives page to exploit what he said was a security flaw on the social network
you should check to see if your email account has been compromised the website have i been pwned provides a useful service plug in your email address and the website will reveal if your data has been leaked or manipulated by hackers
if your account has been compromised change your password and well say it again using the same password for multiple accounts is a cardinal sin in the security world so make sure you mix it up even with accounts you rarely use
graham cluley an online security expert and consultant said that using the same passwords was a likely reason for the zuckerberg hack according to the website the hacker news ourmine tweeted that mr zuckerbergs password was dadada and was used across multiple accounts ourmines twitter account has since been suspended
it shows it can happen to anyone   even geeks mr cluley said the problem is that even if you have adopted sensible password practices now your past mistakes may come back to haunt you
mr cluley suggested obtaining a password manager like lastpass to keep track of your login information he also said that wherever possible you should enroll in two step verification which sends an authorization code to the users phone before the account can be opened most social platforms vulnerable to hacking including linkedin twitter and gmail offer it
troy hunt an online security expert and the creator of have i been pwned reiterated that a password manager was the most reliable way to stay safe
without this we risk exposing sensitive data in a way that it can put other accounts at risk particularly via a data breach of one site which is becoming an alarmingly common occurrence he said
in a statement to its users on monday linkedin echoed the suggested tactics all members should take care to manage and change passwords across other sites avoid reuse leverage advanced security features and update often


paris   the louvre and the musee dorsay were preparing on monday to reopen after they moved tens of thousands of artworks to higher floors last week as a precaution against the rising level of the seine river other french cultural institutions including the historic chateau de chambord in the loire valley reopened and were assessing the damage
after days of heavy rain the seine peaked at 20 feet or about six meters above normal saturday morning the highest level since december 1982 but short of the 262 feet reached in the flood of january 1910 on monday morning floodwaters had receded to about 17 feet
with the river rising on thursday evening the louvre activated a flood protection plan and began moving about 150000 artworks mostly from storage rooms to higher floors a task that continued through saturday the museum said that it was assessing the situation on monday and that the works remained in their new temporary locations adding that no water had entered the building
at the musee dorsay on the left bank a small amount of water entered the underground level and the museum will remain closed on tuesday a spokeswoman said the museum closed on thursday night and moved 7000 artworks including 1000 paintings 300 pastels and 600 sculptures to upper floors
there were small infiltrations in the basement but we are not up to our ankles in water the spokeswoman amelie hardivillier said on monday all of the artworks were evacuated on friday so there is no damage we just need to establish a diagnosis before we reopen
outside paris many of the castles in the loire valley area were closed on friday and saturday the chateau de la ferte st aubin reopened to the public on sunday but water had infiltrated walls and the cellars were flooded lancelot guyot the sites manager said on monday
the chateau de chambord a unesco world heritage site reopened on friday morning officials from the castle estimated water damage at 200000 euros to 300000 euros or about 225000 to 340000 including a partly collapsed perimeter wall and flooding to employee housing


for several decades sumner m redstone ran his media empire with forceful fiery and sometimes fear inducing resolve whether he was heatedly pursuing an acquisition or churning through chief executives there was never much doubt about what he wanted
now however mr redstone 93 and frail is sequestered in his beverly hills mansion he has not been seen publicly in more than a year in conference calls with his companies he remains silent for long periods and a recent court case showed that his speech was erratic and his words sometimes incomprehensible
as a result mr redstones wishes currently at the center of a bitter legal dispute are being conveyed to his corporate executives and to the public through a new team of representatives acting on his behalf as he reorganizes his 40 billion media empire
these new lieutenants are unknown to many of mr redstones longtime confidants at viacom the big entertainment company he controls their sudden appearance has become an issue in the challenge viacom directors have mounted because of the recent changes at the top of his companies some have questioned whether a new lawyer and a new spokesman acting on mr redstones behalf have even met with him suggesting that they are actually acting at the behest of his daughter shari redstone
in court filings the directors asserted that the lawyer michael c tu was purporting to act on mr redstones behalf
an opening hearing is scheduled on tuesday in massachusetts for a lawsuit challenging mr redstones competency and asserting that he has been manipulated by ms redstone two crucial questions set the backdrop for the legal battle who is speaking for mr redstone and is he capable of conveying his wishes through them
the dispute centers on the abrupt and unexpected may 20 dismissals of philippe p dauman the chief executive of viacom and george s abrams a viacom director from the trust that will control mr redstones companies after he dies or is declared incompetent mr dauman and mr abrams were also dismissed from the board of national amusements the private theater chain through which mr redstone controls viacom and cbs
the moves were widely viewed as the first in a path that would lead to the firing of mr dauman who joined mr abrams in filing a suit seeking to immediately block the actions
lawyers for mr redstone assert that he is competent and they are planning to move to dismiss the massachusetts suit they also argue that the question of mr redstones competency is moot given that a majority of trustees already ratified his actions
in new court filings on monday lawyers for mr dauman and mr abrams countered that the ratification was legally irrelevant because it is not permitted by the provisions of the trust the trust allows only mr redstone to remove trustees while he lives and has capacity and does not allow for anyone else to remove trustees when he lacks capacity
there is reason for this carefully crafted removal power mr redstone wanted to make sure that neither his estranged daughter nor any family member would be able to remove independent trustees and thereby dominate the trust the court document states
even before the court determines whether mr redstone had the mental capacity to oust the two executives it must first assess what actions mr redstone took to hire his legal team and instruct them to act on his behalf said john c coffee jr director of the center on corporate governance at columbia law school
it cant be assumed that because someone shows up in court with a document that states i hereby remove x and y from the trust that they were authorized by sumner redstone to say that mr coffee said
did he have capacity to take that action he added
representatives for mr redstone argue that although he suffers physical ailments he remains mentally astute a geriatric psychiatrist hired by mr redstone stated in a report released last week that he retained legal mental capacity to make the business decisions he did and that they reflect his own authentic wishes and preferences based on two exams in the last two weeks
still there is no question that mr redstones health has declined significantly mr redstone had a series of minor strokes in the last two years that left him with a severe speech impediment a judge in a recent civil suit said that a videotaped testimony of the media mogul showed that it was not in dispute that redstone suffers from either mild or moderate dementia
lawyers for mr dauman and mr abrams called the geriatric psychiatrists report a one sided uncross examined and distorted view of mr redstones mental condition in the court filings on monday
the combination of public disclosures related to mr redstones health with his silence during board meetings led viacom directors to eliminate his pay as a director and chairman emeritus of the company last month
then on may 16 three viacom directors received an email from mr tu the new lawyer notifying them that his law firm orrick herrington  sutcliffe had been hired to represent mr redstone and his interests in viacom
mr tu a partner in orricks security litigation practice in los angeles was unknown to mr dauman mr abrams and frederic v salerno viacoms lead independent director who had all worked with mr redstone for decades
a lawyer for mr salerno called mr tu to try to confirm that he was authorized to represent mr redstone and receive confidential corporate information on mr redstones behalf mr tu refused to answer a question about whether he had met mr redstone according to court filings by mr dauman and mr abrams
mr tu did not answer mr salernos query because of attorney client privilege said mike lawrence a spokesman for mr redstone adding that mr tu had of course met with his client
mr lawrence also said it was false to imply that ms redstone had played a role in choosing her fathers new lawyer
mr redstone met mr tu through robert n klieger who is also connected to ms redstone mr klieger joined mr redstones legal team in march in the midst of the salacious lawsuit challenging his mental competency that was filed by manuela herzer his former companion ms redstone was aligned with her father in that suit mr klieger a partner of the law firm hueston hennigan is also representing ms redstone in a new 100 million suit against her filed by ms herzer 
mr klieger said in a statement that he had represented mr redstones companies for more than 15 years and that his previous firm had represented mr redstone in legal matters he added that he had never met or spoken with ms redstone or her representatives until several weeks after he was hired by mr redstone in the herzer case
she had nothing whatsoever to do with my hiring mr klieger said who is mr redstones old legal team
in recent weeks mr redstone also retained a new spokesman mr lawrence who holds the title of chief reputation officer at cone communications which is based in boston mr lawrence has released a series of statements in mr redstones name but has never met him
mr lawrence was brought on by mr redstones lawyers to help with media inquiries during the flurry of breaking news on may 21 the day after it was revealed that mr dauman and mr abrams had been ousted
mr lawrence issues statements on behalf of mr redstone based on communication with mr redstones lawyers who work directly with the media mogul
one such statement was a direct quotation from mr redstone who had not released a statement to the news media since october
this is my trust and my decision it read attributing the comments to mr redstone i have picked those who are loyal to me and removed those who are not


tokyo   the united states navy imposed a drinking ban on its roughly 19000 personnel in japan on monday ordering them confined to their bases after a sailor who was thought to have been drinking was arrested on the island of okinawa in connection with a car accident that left two japanese civilians injured
the accident on saturday occurred at a tense time for the united states military in japan and especially on okinawa a small southern island that is home to about half of the 50000 american soldiers and sailors stationed in the country
the american forces on okinawa were already under curfew after a marine veteran who was working as a civilian contractor at a base there was arrested last month in connection with the killing of a local woman
the arrest caused a public outcry and prompted united states commanders to impose a 30 day nighttime curfew on military personnel on the island and to prohibit their drinking in public
resentment against the united states presence has been on the rise on okinawa driven by concerns over crime and by an unpopular plan to build a new marine corps airfield in the northern part of the island
in local elections on sunday voters gave an expanded majority in the okinawa prefectural assembly to politicians who oppose the airfield and want to reduce the american military presence
the japanese foreign minister fumio kishida in a meeting with the united states ambassador caroline kennedy raised the possibility of the accident being the result of drunken driving the foreign ministry said the defense minister gen nakatani called the case extremely regrettable according to members of the japanese news media who were traveling with him to a meeting of security officials in singapore
the police identified the sailor involved in the car accident as petty officer second class aimee mejia 21 they said her car had crossed the centerline of a highway shortly before midnight on saturday and had struck two other vehicles petty officer mejia was not hurt but a 35 year old woman and a 30 year old man in the other cars were the police said
petty officer mejia was in police custody on monday but has not been formally charged a development that can take several weeks in japan
lt gen john l dolan commander of united states forces in japan said the military had zero tolerance for driving under the influence and that any member of the military convicted of doing so faces severe consequences
we deeply regret this incident and express our heartfelt sympathies for the accident victims and their families general dolan said we wish them a fast recovery the sailor is in japanese police custody for suspicion of driving while intoxicated and we are cooperating fully with this investigation
under the expanded curfew order issued on monday all navy personnel are forbidden from drinking either on or off base and are required to be on base or at home except to perform essential activities such as commuting
the order was not the first curfew or drinking restriction issued by the united states military in japan but it was the broadest in a number of years
several high profile crimes linked to the military have received intense attention by the news media in japan this year the police are questioning kenneth franklin shinzato a contractor and former marine in connection with the killing of a 20 year old okinawan woman whose body was found in a suitcase last month mr shinzato has not been formally charged
in a separate case a navy sailor pleaded guilty last month to raping a woman at a hotel on okinawa in march
in the elections on sunday supporters of gov takeshi onaga an advocate of scaling back the united states military presence in okinawa expanded their narrow hold on the prefectural assembly by winning 27 of 48 seats
the assembly has little direct say over american bases but the prefectural government can hold up projects like the planned new marine airfield with tactics like withholding construction permits
okinawans will not tolerate another base and their anger confidence and courage have shown through mr onaga said


united states markets rose on monday as shares of energy companies rose along with the price of oil fertilizer companies also gained ground but shares of retailers slumped stocks wobbled but remained higher after the federal reserve chairwoman janet l yellen gave a mixed view of the economy
keeping score at the close the dow jones industrial average rose 064 percent and the standard  poors 500 stock index was up nearly 05 percent the nasdaq composite index gained 053 percent
yellen speech ms yellen spoke to the world affairs council in philadelphia on monday afternoon she said the economy was improving but was marked by so many uncertainties that it was not clear when the fed should resume raising interest rates
until friday most investors had expected the fed to raise interest rates this summer but after a surprisingly weak may jobs report they are unsure of the feds intentions ms yellen who called that report disappointing had said recently that the fed would probably raise interest rates in the next few months if the economy kept getting stronger the feds policy makers will meet next week
the quote the investment manager luke bartholomew of aberdeen asset management said ms yellen was noncommittal and investors may have been hoping for more details
i dont think there was enough to sort of swing the market either way he said stocks weakened during ms yellens remarks but returned to their prior levels within an hour
energy benchmark united states crude oil pared earlier gains and was up 107 or 22 percent to settle at 4969 a barrel in new york brent crude which is used to price international oils gained 91 cents or 18 percent to 5055 a barrel natural gas prices also rose
shares of chesapeake energy climbed 117 percent and southwestern energy stock rose nearly 5 percent shares of exxon mobil added 11 percent
oil turmoil the price of oil has rebounded over the last few months but remains far lower than it was two years ago causing a lot of pain for energy companies
the oil and gas exploration company devon energy said monday it would sell almost 1 billion in assets later this year sending its stock up 46 percent the oil field services company hercules offshore filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for the second time in less than a year hercules plans to sell all of its assets to pay off investors including international divisions
halliburton shares gained 48 percent and shares of baker hughes rose about 7 percent
fertilizer shares of cf industries climbed 89 percent and mosaic stock rose 62 percent that helped pull materials and chemicals companies higher
banks bank shares traded higher as bond yields made a modest recovery after a big drop on friday as bond prices fell the yield on the 10 year treasury note rose to 172 percent from 170 percent higher bond yields drive interest rates higher on long term loans such as mortgages which helps banks make more money from lending
abbvie study shares of the drugmaker abbvie slid after investors were disappointed with results from a study of a lung cancer drug that abbvie is acquiring in april abbvie agreed to buy stemcentrx for 58 billion gaining the companys stem cell treatment ova t in the process but after the results were announced abbvie stock declined 34 percent
down on tyson shares of tyson foods slumped after a bmo capital markets analyst downgraded the company to market perform tyson stock fell 37 percent but is up 48 percent over the last 12 months
lagging the market retail stocks edged lower some of the biggest losses went to the home improvement store chain home depot which lost 2 percent and its competitor lowes which gave up 19 percent
european markets in germany the dax ended the day up 02 percent and in france the cac 40 closed barely higher the ftse 100 rose 1 percent in britain
asias day the nikkei 225 declined 04 percent in japan while in hong kong the hang seng gained 04 percent the shanghai composite index lost 02 percent in china
currencies the dollar rose to 10688 yen from 10668 yen the euro inched up to 11385 from 11347


washington   president obama after months of sitting on the sidelines of the rancorous contest to succeed him is now ready to aggressively campaign for hillary clinton starting with a formal endorsement of her candidacy as early as this week
the white house is in active conversations with mrs clintons campaign about how and where the president would be useful to her according to senior aides to mr obama
advisers say the president who sees a democratic successor as critical to his legacy is impatient to begin campaigning they say he is taking nothing for granted
i want us to run scared the whole time mr obama told a group of donors on friday night in miami
it has been decades since a second term president enjoyed the popularity to be a potent force on the campaign trail and to have an invitation from the candidate running to succeed him to be a major presence there
mr obamas approval rating was at 50 percent in this months new york timescbs poll and strategists close to mrs clinton said they would be eager to have his participation as the general election unfolded in contrast president george w bushs approval rating was at 20 percent in a gallup poll just before the november 2008 election and he rarely appeared that year with senator john mccain of arizona the republican nominee
mr obama is particularly enthusiastic aides said about taking on donald j trump the presumptive republican nominee mr trump has personally offended the president with his conduct on the campaign trail   mr trump referred on friday to a black man in one of his crowds as my african american   and as the most visible champion of the birther conspiracy theories that falsely hold that mr obama was born in kenya rather than hawaii
the associated press reported monday evening that mrs clinton had reached the number of delegates needed to clinch the nomination one day before six states hold their primary contests mr obama is likely to move swiftly to make a case for her
he has indicated he wants to spend a lot of time on the campaign trail so when its time to do that well go out guns ablazing jennifer psaki mr obamas communications director said in an interview we are actively thinking through how to use the president on the campaign trail   what works for the nominee what works for him and how to utilize his strengths and his appeal
jennifer palmieri mrs clintons communications director said mrs clinton hoped to earn mr obamas endorsement and his active participation in the campaign during the summer and fall
theres no one better to lay out the two paths voters will face in the fall elections ms palmieri said and he is particularly strong at making the economic argument for her
advisers to mr obama and mrs clinton believe that the president who ran against mrs clinton in a sometimes nasty primary campaign in 2008 can be a persuasive voice for voters who may find her difficult to relate to or who have supported the more liberal stances of her rival senator bernie sanders of vermont
as former opponents they have an amazing story ms palmieri said adding that it would be hard to imagine a more convincing advocate for her
some democrats speculated on monday that by discussing mr obamas plans to jump into the campaign fray his team was hoping to nudge mr sanders from the race signaling that the time was coming for him to abandon his bid
mr obama and mr sanders spoke by telephone over the weekend discussing the path forward after the tuesday primary contests according to a person familiar with the conversation who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the call was meant to remain confidential
in the conversation the person said mr obama essentially put mr sanders on notice that he would soon move to endorse mrs clinton the call was first reported by nbc news
if mr sanders is considering leaving the race he refused to acknowledge it on monday when reporters questioned him about what would happen if mrs clinton clinched the nomination
our focus right now is running and winning right here in california mr sanders told reporters in emeryville calif
the white house argues that mr obama could help mrs clinton appeal to independent voters   particularly suburban independent women   in the midwest notably its northern stretch including michigan minnesota and wisconsin mr obama won all three states in 2012 in part by painting mitt romney the republican nominee as a corporate raider who would shut down factories and move jobs overseas
officials in the white house and close to mrs clintons team point to the presidents appeal to african american and young voters   groups who favor him more than her   as helpful to turning those groups out for her in november african american and young voters will play a crucial role the aides said in battlegrounds like florida virginia pennsylvania and ohio mr obama won all four states in 2012
the process comes after months of more informal contact between the white house and the clinton and sanders campaigns and is still in its early stages advisers to mr obama speaking on the condition of anonymity about his plans because mrs clinton has yet to secure the democratic nomination said the president had not begun drafting his address for next months democratic national convention or finalized any particular campaign itinerary
the first look at mr obamas campaign for mrs clinton came on wednesday when he used a speech in elkhart ind   the first american city he visited as president in 2009   to lay out an argument against the republican economic agenda and without naming him an indictment of mr trump
mr obama signaled that day that he would soon throw his full support behind mrs clinton he said tuesdays primary contests including those in california and new jersey would yield a pretty good sense of who the nominee will end up being
hes been very respectful of both of them and careful not to put his thumb on the scale but at some point the verdict is the verdict and that point is almost certainly tuesday which is what he was saying said david axelrod a former senior adviser to mr obamas presidential campaign and at the white house i expect that hell be a force for trying to move this process along so the party can consolidate and unify
white house and clinton campaign officials declined to pinpoint any timing for an endorsement but mr obama has scheduled a trip to new york on wednesday to attend democratic fund raisers placing him near mrs clintons brooklyn campaign headquarters the day after tuesdays balloting
at the white house on monday josh earnest the press secretary repeatedly declined to discuss the timing of any forthcoming endorsement by mr obama at one point teasing a reporter who asked why the president would not weigh in on wednesday
well i dont know mr earnest said with a smile maybe he will
pete brodnitz a veteran democratic pollster said mr obamas position and popularity made him ideally suited to counter mr trumps message of economic anxiety but he cautioned that the presidents approval rating and his effectiveness on mrs clintons behalf could plunge if he engaged in a bitter personal back and forth with the republican nominee
no one really rewards politicians fighting each other in a general election mr brodnitz said the party is full of attack dogs i think the president is the one person who does not need to be an attack dog if he can make people feel just a little bit better about our economic future
mr obamas regular presence on the campaign trail could have some downsides ed rollins who ran ronald reagans re election campaign in 1984 said mrs clinton could be overshadowed by the kind of charisma that mr obama showed on the stump in 2008 and 2012
shes tired said mr rollins who is supporting a super pac backing mr trump shes not a very good candidate theres a high risk there of her getting overshadowed


berlin   president joachim gauck of germany announced on monday that he would not seek a second five year term for the largely ceremonial office a declaration that could create more problems for chancellor angela merkel
the announcement is likely to intensify feuding in ms merkels so called grand coalition government of center right and center left parties which is suffering from falling popularity ratings and has been particularly divided on the response to the more than one million migrants who arrived in germany during the past year
an opinion poll conducted last week for the bild newspaper showed that the coalitions approval rating had fallen below 50 percent for the first time
ms merkel is expected to seek a fourth term next year and the survey found that her conservative bloc would command just 30 percent of the votes if an election were held now and her social democrat partners just 19 percent
many centrist parties across europe have been losing support and although the german survey of 2053 voters had a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points it highlighted the discord in the governing coalition and any prolonged wrangling over mr gaucks successor could exacerbate the divisions
mr gauck a 76 year old former pastor in east germany who is widely respected as a moral authority cited health concerns in a five minute statement he said it was an honor and joy to serve our country which day by day is getting stronger and better
although he is healthy now he said his fitness might not measure up to the demands of a second five year term which would run until he was 82 his term expires in march roughly six months before the next federal elections
mr gaucks partner daniela schadt a 56 year old journalist was said by many observers in berlin to have opposed a second term
ms merkel who is 61 and has been in power for 10 and a half years is widely believed to be planning to seek a fourth term in 2017
the presidency has been a troublesome post for ms merkel conservatives she had backed stepped down midterm in 2010 and 2012 before the election of mr gauck
the president is chosen by a special federal convention made of the 631 members of the federal parliament and the 31 members of legislatures in germanys 16 states
neither ms merkels conservative bloc nor the center left social democrats command an absolute majority in the convention opening the path for a bitter fight
among the possible successors are finance minister wolfgang schauble 73 foreign minister frank walter steinmeier 60 a social democrat and the president of parliament norbert lammert 67 a conservative known for having a conciliatory touch
mr gaucks background as a pastor and as the man who oversaw the highly delicate files of east germanys former secret police contributed to his popularity and to his ability to bridge political gaps with high profile speeches
on the refugee question he has been careful to welcome outsiders and their absorption into a more varied country while also showing sympathy for ms merkels critics who have argued for limiting the number of migrants germany takes in


the dominant theme in the technology industry for more than a few years now has been social media and on demand services facebook and twitter uber and airbnb and a whole lot of other companies that have come and gone or are still going strong
whats missing from the equation is a demonstrable improvement in overall productivity as steve lohr writes the productivity question has split economists some argue that the tech industry simply isnt creating tools that help workers work more effectively others believe that recent trends like artificial intelligence and big data analysis are too new to have had much of an impact
the tech industry has been chock full of productivity improving creations of course from the personal computer itself to spreadsheets databases word processors and browsers it could be a matter of time before newer technologies have a similar impact
it also wouldnt be going out on a limb to wonder if goofing around on social media sites actually hampers productivity


bucharest romania   in the 24 years that nicolae ceausescu ruled romania the mansion where he lived with his wife elena was shrouded in secrecy
no ordinary citizen could get near the villa in a well heeled neighborhood in northern bucharest but rumors abounded about its lavish decor   the gold plated bathroom fixtures the closets packed with elenas furs clothing and shoes and the mosaic lined indoor swimming pool
after the ceausescus were toppled   and executed by a firing squad on dec 25 1989 in the bloodiest of the revolutions that tore down the iron curtain in eastern europe   the state news agency excoriated the extraordinary luxury of their home ordinary romanians living on strict food and fuel rations were enraged by the ceausescus lifestyle
born in romania but raised in hungary i was just a young child when the ceausescus met their end but i spent that christmas and many summers that followed with relatives in transylvania listening to their stories of the privations of the communist period by the time i grew up most romanians i knew had moved on or wanted to do so
yet when the romanian government opened the ceausescu mansion as a museum in march i was intrigued so i signed up for a guided tour which costs about 11 the mansion has received about 8000 visitors since the opening
known as the palatul primaverii or spring palace the villa is spacious   30 rooms 53000 square feet with gardens designated for winter and summer   but not quite opulent by palace standards the mansion itself is well kept with cleaners busy wiping windows and the constant hum of a lawn mower coming from the garden
the area with homes originally intended for employees of bucharests gas and electricity plant but which were later reserved for officials of the communist elite remains exclusive
visitors are asked to put on blue shoe coverings before stepping inside our guide andrei stancu a slender and bookish man in his mid 20s told us that the ceausescus both born into peasant families always took off their shoes at the door to preserve the carpets
mr stancu led us through more than a dozen rooms decorated in a mix of late renaissance and rococo styles he pointed out each crystal chandelier and flemish tapestry in room after room he took note of the romanian brands   medias crystal cisnadie carpets   that are now struggling or defunct
the mood lightened when mr stancu shared stories of the ceausescus all of them cautiously nonpolitical
in the padded cinema he explained that nicolae ceausescu enjoyed american movies he had a soft spot for westerns and for the television series kojak about a big hearted new york city detective played by telly savalas for romanians back then television was limited to sober homegrown productions many of them propagandistic
next to the couples bed which looked freshly made we learned that ms ceausescu known for her luxurious wardrobe wore only mens pajamas
a brochure quotes her housekeeper describing how the comrade would get down on her stomach demonstrating the right way to dust under a bed
the children on the tour were delighted by the indoor swimming pool now drained of water and filled instead with a drab exhibition about the ceausescus on holidays or foreign visits
however heavily decorated the mansion is nothing like the house of the people a few miles away at four million square feet that concrete fortress built by ceausescu and often compared in size to the pentagon now houses the romanian parliament
while the house of the people is open for public tours nobody tells you that a quarter of bucharest was demolished for that thing that people died on that building site said radu preda executive president of the institute for the investigation of communist crimes and the memory of romanian exile a government agency charged with studying the ceausescu regime while it was under construction romanians had to put up with cold and hunger
on the spring palace tour far more attention was paid to upholstery and porcelain than to the brutalities of a communist dictatorship
many of my fellow visitors were fine with the lack of political context im impressed silvia rosman 61 a visitor from tel aviv who left romania before ceausescu came to power in 1965 said of our tour guide i loved his presentation   without bitterness or criticism
the government agency in charge of the mansion seemed to want to draw such reactions
we present the house and it is up to everyone to draw their own conclusions said alexandru niculae an official with the agency we are neither trying to demonize ceausescu the man or the leader   nor providing him with alibis or offering excuses for what happened
mr niculae said most of the guides his agency hired are too young to have lived under the regime in an effort to keep the tours neutral some scholars see that approach as a missed opportunity or even a tone deaf reflection of romanias troubled relationship with its history
in this country of 20 million the feared secret police the securitate maintained a network of around 100000 informers in the years before the ceausescus fell according to florian banu a researcher at the secret police archives many who collaborated with the regime kept their jobs after communism fell
in one small example two housekeepers who looked after the villa under the ceausescus still work there today
romania joined the european union in 2007 along with bulgaria but on the condition that it submit to regular reviews from brussels because of the countrys long struggle with corruption officially the former communist government is condemned in the strongest terms by the current romanian leadership
we can no longer allow ourselves to ignore the lessons of the past president klaus iohannis the first president from romanias ethnic german minority said as he took office in 2014
when i lived in bucharest in 2008 and 2009 for a journalism internship the once drab capital was experiencing a building boom colorful billboards covered much of the gray concrete and the palace everyone was talking about was that of gigi becali a real estate tycoon and soccer team owner who installed a life size statue of jesus in front of his home mr becali was later imprisoned for corruption
on my visit in march many romanians told me that with endemic corruption and the political unrest that forced out the prime minister in november this relatively young democracy had yet to absorb the lessons of its past
real corruption was born in communist times when we thought one way and acted in another and what existed was not what was said said mr preda of the institute for the investigation of communist crimes and the memory of romanian exile
he has been advocating the establishment of a museum of communism as cities like berlin or budapest have done he called both the palatul primaverii and the house of the people surrogates for such an institution and said he hoped guided tours both in the spring palace and the house of the people would evolve to describe more of the history and less of the fixtures
how can you understand freedom if you dont know if you havent seen what its absence means he asked


just past 2 am monday kanye west poked his head through the roof of a car heading north on third avenue in the east village and surveyed what he had wrought on east 11th street outside webster hall maybe a couple of thousand young people were clustered   in the street on the sidewalks on stoops on balconies sitting atop postal service trucks   waiting for a just announced concert that was beginning to seem as if it might not happen when mr west rode by a few hundred of them spied him and peeled off surrounding his car taking pictures reaching for handshakes
after a minute or so he drove off   the kanye west concert was not to be an anticlimactic end to a roller coaster day
the city gives and the city takes away one of the truest and most persistent charms of new york night life is its unpredictability certainly as severe thunderstorms were bearing down on the new york area sunday evening the idea that the night might end with throngs of young people congregating on downtown streets awaiting their hero would have seemed ludicrous but with a couple of tweets mr west summoned a gathering out of thin air a reminder that for the right person the city can be activated at any moment
the congregation was   as spontaneous large scale eruptions of fandom go   exceedingly low key there were cheers when a familiar face like asap rockys made his way through the crowd people posed for selfies with the sea of fans as a backdrop couples kissed amid the hubbub for about two hours police officers   whose boss commissioner william j bratton had made inflammatory comments about rappers after a shooting at a ti concert at irving plaza last month   watched from a distance more bewildered than tense there was one arrest for disorderly conduct according to the department
for mr west the days events were set in motion 14 hours earlier when the third day of the governors ball music festival on randalls island where he was to be the headliner was canceled because of severe weather suddenly hot 97s summer jam 2016 just outside manhattan at metlife stadium in east rutherford nj where a set was already scheduled for his good music label took on additional importance the raison detre of summer jam is surprise marquee appearances   surely mr west would show
weather had also decimated summer jam the annual confab thrown by the leading new york hip hop station hot 97 wqht 971 fm the afternoon festival stage with a promising lineup including chance the rapper and dave east was canceled outright the main show started hours after it ordinarily would have with some of the announced sets   young thug tinashe kid ink   scuttled seemingly to speed things along
but that concert also ended abruptly reportedly for curfew reasons during dj khaleds guest filled set future the headliner never made it to the stage in addition to beginning late the show was also delayed after a chair swinging fight in the crowd that prompted a swift police response
what remained though was vintage summer jam and one that focused more intently on new york hip hop than in recent years there was a mini reunion of terror squad the crumbled late 1990s early 2000s crew recently reignited by all the way up a swaggering hit by fat joe and remy ma who was released from prison in august 2014 after a six year stint asap rocky and asap ferg performed a string of avant rap thumpers and the show began with an enthused set by maino and uncle murda brooklyn roughnecks with nary a mainstream breakthrough between them but plenty of street hits
new york was present too in a way during the good music set early in the show thanks to the labels newest signee desiigner the brooklyn rapper who recently topped the billboard hot 100 with his debut single panda never mind that it directly channels atlanta style
he performed last in the crew dancing wildly and making ludicrous facial expressions while his teammates   pusha t big sean 2 chainz travis scott and yes mr west   powered through an energetic set emphasizing their tough side for most of it mr west played grinning paterfamilias anchoring posse cuts like champions i dont like remix mercy and clique that last one largely a cappella
music is but one of mr wests concerns these days earlier on sunday he had escorted his 2 year old daughter north to see the lion king on broadway on monday he released the first boots from the second season of his clothing collection he turns 39 on wednesday   a casual birthday party took place backstage at summer jam with a cake reading pablo for mr wests recent album the life of pablo
often mr west speaks about embracing the improbable he is a catalyst for creativity and is stubborn in his belief that he can with the right words align the world just so along an axis of his choosing
but thousands of young people clogging east village manhattan streets proved to be untameable even by mr west not that he didnt try kim kardashian his wife posted on snapchat a video of mr west on the phone asking someone to call the mayor and have some streets closed so screens could be set up to simulcast the last minute concert he wanted the assembled fans to be able to have a party outside
even after mr wests drive by appearance came and went the faithful stood firm waiting to be allowed into webster hall for the show but around 245 am dozens of officers from the police departments strategic response group began clearing the streets fans jumped down from their perches   those mail trucks a dumpster scaffolding atop parked cars and suvs now with dented roofs   and began to disperse
some though still held out for any flicker of hope when virgil abloh and heron preston members of mr wests creative team walked out of webster hall just before 3 am they were immediately noticed dozens of people chased them down the block to third avenue stopping them in the middle of the street for pictures and videos minutes later the two ducked into an suv which sped away a few dedicated fans sprinted behind it off to wherever this night in the city might take them


san francisco   tensions have long simmered between uber and its drivers who power the ride hailing service drivers held protests when uber cut fares with little warning and have filed class action lawsuits to be recognized as company employees rather than independent contractors
uber is now trying to improve the experience of its drivers
on monday the company announced a host of software improvements to its app to address driver demands among the changes drivers can now more easily pause ride requests making it easier for them to take bathroom breaks and fill their gas tanks drivers can now also be paid instantly for each ride they complete rather than weekly and see on the apps dashboard how much they have earned
uber said in a blog post that it had heard from drivers that there are plenty of things we can do to make driving more empowering and worth your while the company added beginning today we are rolling out a number of features and rewards in more cities to help you get the most out of your time on the road
the changes come after the recent settlement of a pair of class actions by drivers who wanted to be classified as full time employees instead of contractors a status that gives them few worker protections under the terms of the settlement uber said it would pay as much as 100 million to roughly 385000 drivers it also agreed to several concessions including giving more information on how and why drivers can be barred from using the app
after the settlement was announced uber also said it had agreed to support something akin to a union for its drivers in new york city the association called the independent drivers guild plans to create an official way for drivers to voice their concerns to the company and to give some limited benefits and worker protections
among the many changes for drivers that uber announced on monday was a partnership with companies that can give tax advice to drivers uber said drivers could now also receive discounts on uber rides auto maintenance and cellphone data plans
in addition uber created a fuel finder function in the app that shows drivers the cheapest places nearby to fill up the gas tank with the aim that uber can someday negotiate with filling stations to provide discounts to uber drivers
and the uber app will automatically start a ride two minutes after arriving at a riders location so that drivers are paid if they have to wait for passengers tardy passengers are a frequent complaint on driver blogs
uber faces competition from third party companies that provide many of the improvements that the ride hailing service is now rolling out rivals include sherpashare an online service that helps independent contractors track their hours mileage and expenses   information that can be used to help drivers file their taxes
workers can also use sherpashares social network as a virtual water cooler where they swap work tips and gossip most of sherpashares customers work for uber or its rival lyft and many work for more than one on demand service


donald j trump expressed surprise on monday that one of his supporters from the republican party newt gingrich had criticized him for his remarks about the heritage of the federal judge overseeing a lawsuit against the defunct trump university
mr trump spoke in an interview with fox and friends a day after mr gingrich the former house speaker and mitch mcconnell the senate majority leader denounced the presumptive presidential nominee for calling judge gonzalo p curiel a mexican the judge was born in indiana to mexican parents
mr gingrich called the remarks inexcusable and the biggest mistake mr trump has made
i saw newt i was surprised at newt i thought it was inappropriate what he said mr trump said on the program
mr trump insisted he was only defending himself from questions from the news media but mr trump raised the topic of judge curiels heritage himself in a rally in san diego where the case is being heard
mr gingrich has been mentioned as a possible vice presidential choice on the republican ticket with mr trump


many more babies die in the united states than you might think in 2014 more than 23000 infants died in their first year of life or about six for every 1000 born according to the centers for disease control and prevention 25 other industrialized nations do better than the united states at keeping babies alive
this fact is hard for some to comprehend some try to argue that the disparity isnt real they assert that the united states counts very premature births as infants because we have better technology and work harder to save young lives therefore our increased rate of infant death isnt due to deficiencies but differences in classification these differences are not as common nor as great as many people think even when you exclude very premature births from analyses the united states ranks pretty poorly
even among those people who accept the statistic most assume that high infant mortality is because of poor prenatal care but new evidence is coming to light that contradicts that conclusion the problem appears to be focused on what happens after birth not before this new evidence could change our thinking about how to fix the problem
infant mortality is not distributed equally in the united states in 2013 the infant mortality rate among non hispanic whites was 5 per 1000 births as was the infant mortality rate among hispanics the rate among non hispanic blacks however was more than 11 per 1000 births
a number of other factors seem to play a role mothers younger than 20 years or older than 40 have children with a higher infant mortality first babies have a higher chance of death than later siblings unmarried mothers also have a higher rate of death in their children more than 70 percent higher than that of married mothers
the no 1 cause of infant mortality among newborns is premature birth which has traditionally been linked with inferior prenatal care that may not be the case in the united states a 2006 study published in epidemiology looked at how preterm delivery occurred among women in active duty military installations
such women receive the same prenatal care regardless of race or even socio economic status because they were guaranteed care their overall risk of premature delivery was low just over 8 percent but even among these women black women were more than two times as likely as white women to deliver prematurely regardless of military rank
a cochrane systematic review of the additional support women received during at risk pregnancies included 17 studies and more than 12000 women additional care was not associated with any improvements in any perinatal outcomes c sections were less common as was hospital admission after birth but infant mortality was not affected
another such review examined how the number of prenatal visits affected infant mortality seven studies involved more than 60000 women in countries of varying income there was no difference in high income countries in the number of deaths of those who had more or fewer visits although the number of deaths over all was low in low  and middle income countries perinatal mortality was higher in groups with reduced visits but the overall difference was small the authors concluded that in places where the number of visits was already low reducing the number of visits further was a bad idea this doesnt necessarily apply to standard care in the united states though
a recently published paper in the american economic journal economic policy adds to this discussion alice chen emily oster and heidi williams combined data from the united states with data from finland austria belgium and britain as other studies have done before they adjusted for differences in coding of very premature births and as other studies found before the united states has a significant infant mortality disadvantage
this study was different however it used microdata or individual records of birth and death as opposed to the aggregate data usually employed for cross country comparisons first the researchers differentiated between neonatal mortality death before one month of age and postneonatal mortality death between 1 and 12 months of age the results showed that when it comes to neonatal mortality the united states and other countries were pretty similar if anything the authors report the united states might have a mortality advantage during this period
differences in postneonatal mortality or from one month to one year however were much more stark in fact they begin to accelerate at one month of age
one explanation could be that this is just a delay in deaths perhaps the united states is simply better at keeping these babies alive a little while longer than other countries are differences are seen all the way to one year though making this unlikely this difference also doesnt appear to be because of race a sub analysis that excluded blacks from the sample still found a similar postneonatal mortality disadvantage in the united states racial differences may be more applicable to neonatal mortality
deaths in the postneonatal period are due in large part to sudden infant death syndrome sids sudden death and accidents moreover they seem to occur disproportionately in poor women
its not clear that health care is what might reduce deaths in this group that doesnt mean theres nothing we can do it might even be cost effective to try the authors of this paper estimated how much we might consider spending they calculated that decreasing postneonatal mortality to that of comparable european countries might lower the death rate by 1 in 1000 assuming a standard value of 7 million per life it might make sense to spend 7000 per infant that might seem like a lot of money but its not out of the realm of what we spend on many other medical interventions
what exactly we might do with that money is up for debate one suggestion made by the authors with which i agree is that we consider programs of home nursing visits to reduce the incidence of sids and accidents but some things do seem evident the first is that our constant calls for improved and more prenatal care may not significantly improve our disadvantage in infant mortality the second is that spending a significant amount of money on poor women to improve the health of their 1 month to 1 year olds might not only save lives it might be cost effective too


beijing   the chinese finance minister jabbed back on monday at complaints from his american counterpart that chinas glut of factories making mountains of steel aluminum and other products was overwhelming foreign markets and makers
the finance minister lou jiwei suggested that foreign officials should curb their complaints about industrial production surpluses because their governments had cheered on chinas investment spree during the global financial crisis that began in 2008 that spree helped create the production gluts now worrying policy makers in beijing and increasingly around the world
at that time the whole world applauded and thanked china mr lou told a news briefing near the end of a day of annual meetings in beijing between senior chinese and american officials now theyre saying that china has a production glut that is a drag upon the world but what did they say at the time
mr lou was responding to questions about the treasury secretary jacob j lew who has complained that chinas huge surpluses were being sold so cheaply on international markets that they were distorting the global economy
mr lew emphasized those worries on sunday at a university forum in beijing and he raised them again at the opening of the talks
the united states supports efforts to reduce excess capacity and leverage in the economy mr lew said at the opening session of the talks called the strategic and economic dialogue held this year on the grounds of the diaoyutai state guesthouse in beijing
excess capacity has a distorting and damaging effect on global markets he said he added that defusing the problem was critical to the function and stability of international markets
the talks set to end on tuesday also cover foreign policy and international security tensions such as north koreas nuclear weapons and chinas territorial disputes with neighbors in the south china sea there was no sign of either side shifting its position in those disputes in the meetings opening remarks by president xi jinping and secretary of state john kerry
but mr kerry said the annual talks which started in a smaller form a decade ago remained one of the best opportunities that we have to discuss our differences and to seek creative ways to narrow them or to eliminate them altogether
chinas exports of cut price steel aluminum and other products have become a contentious international issue prompting anti dumping tariffs and feeding into the american presidential race donald j trump and bernie sanders have both argued in their campaigns that blue collar workers have lost jobs because of skewed trading rules
this year the department of commerce began putting heavy tariffs on some chinese steel makers for selling below cost
mr lou pronounced low said there was nothing wrong with mr lew raising the excess capacity problem in the talks but he suggested that mr lew had his eyes on critics back in the united states theyre under pressure domestically he said
mr lou said the chinese government was now squarely facing up to the enormous amounts of unwanted industrial output beginning this year president xi jinping and other leaders said that cutting that output was a crucial part of their program to reinvigorate growth
the communist party leadership fears that sweeping industrial closings could kindle widespread worker protests like those that erupted in several northeastern rust belt cities in 2002
mr lou also told reporters that the chinese government had no estimate of the numbers of workers who would have to be laid off from steel mills mines and other industrial plants as part of that growth program a labor official said this year that cutbacks in the steel and coal sectors alone could lead to layoffs of 18 million workers
mr lou declined to offer his own figure citing as one example the number of factories in private hands which tend to have fewer workers than chinas state owned mills the government cannot control the economy through central planning in the way it once did mr lou said so its very hard to estimate how many people you reduce if you reduce steel production by 10000 tons
but scott kennedy a researcher on chinese economy policy said at a presentation in beijing that the hand of the state still meddled too much in deciding winners and losers in sectors ranging from new technologies to improving the environment
the result was inefficient growth mr kennedy from the center for strategic and international studies in washington said in presenting a new report about chinas latest five year economic growth plan
there is a lot of genuflecting to the market he said but when you get to the reality the plan is far less ambitious


there are supposed to be 27 children in harold boyd ivs second grade classroom but how many of them will be there on a given day is anyones guess
since school began in september five new students have arrived and eight children have left two transferred out in november one who started in january was gone in april a boy showed up for a single day in march and then never came back even now in the twilight of the school year new students are still arriving one as recently as mid may
at public school 188 on the lower east side of manhattan students churn relentlessly in and out administrators estimate that nearly half the students enrolled at the school do not last the full year and how could it be otherwise
last school year 47 percent of the students there were homeless the percentage was higher at only two schools in new york city
the number of homeless people in the city has never been larger and to spend months in the classrooms of ps 188 is to see that this crisis does not play out just in the grown up world of streets and shelters it is lived in lunchrooms and libraries in science labs and math classes or while perched at a tiny desk trying to learn to read
at ps 188 teachers and staff members grapple with problems that stretch the very idea of what a school is supposed to be their efforts are visible even in the schools supply closets where toothbrushes and deodorant are stored along with pencils and paper a school like ps 188 strives to be social worker advocate therapist and even santa claus
shoes for example are not usually on the list of things a school provides but ps 188 distributed hundreds of pairs this school year it also gave away backpacks and holiday presents refurbished computers and uniforms it is installing a washer and dryer for families whose children come to school without clean clothes
the staff struggles to improve test scores while the students navigate foster care and shelters and not being able to go back home and on any given day the principal of ps 188 suany ramos might welcome two or three new students and watch one disappear
they call me the beggar principal ms ramos said everywhere we go i say i need i need i need for my families
ps 188 known as the island school opened more than 100 years ago in a classic pink brick schoolhouse on the lower east side
the school spans prekindergarten through eighth grade it is on the eastern edge of houston street between avenue d and franklin d roosevelt drive in a neighborhood that has seen an explosion in recent years of expensive residential developments and popular restaurants
nearly all of the 500 students at ps 188 are poor the school is surrounded on all sides by a fortress of public housing most of its students come from these housing projects as well as from four homeless shelters in the area one shelter is across the street from ps 188 which shares its building with a special education school and a girls charter school
ms ramos is in her second year as principal she was born in venezuela to a dominican father and a puerto rican mother and was raised in williamsburg brooklyn where she still lives more than 60 percent of the students at ps 188 are hispanic ms ramos along with many other teachers and administrators at the school hops back and forth between english and spanish throughout the day
by the new york city education departments count 82514 children in the citys public schools were either in shelters temporarily staying with relatives or family friends or in some other makeshift living situation at some point during the last school year there are about that many students in the entire public school system of austin tex
at 46 new york city schools at least a third of all students were homeless in the fall of the last school year
that figure includes families living in the shelter system as well as those who have told the education department that they were doubled up meaning that a family was living with another family a description that encompasses enormous variation parents might check that box if they had lost their apartment and moved in with a cousin and her husband who had a little extra space and a foldout couch
in many instances however clutches of children and adults are crammed together in tiny apartments for months even years that kind of crowding makes it difficult maybe impossible to get a good nights sleep to discipline a child or to concentrate on homework
during a writing exercise in december maicol a second grader at ps 188 wrote to santa asking in blocky letters for 10000 to buy a house maicol lived with seven other children and three adults in a small place in bushwick brooklyn   11 people in a one bedroom apartment
among children living in shelters a vast majority are black or hispanic and over all homeless students are disproportionately young roughly a third of all students in temporary housing fall between prekindergarten and second grade there are more homeless children in first grade than any other
the administration of mayor bill de blasio a democrat announced this year that the city would spend 30 million to address the needs of homeless students roughly 20 million of that money will go toward building health clinics at campuses where many students live in shelters
the other 10 million will go to a few initiatives including placing attendance specialists at the 35 shelters where students go to school the least and buying blackberrys for education department employees who are placed in city shelters to help families navigate the school system officials at the department said those efforts would build on existing programs for homeless children at shelters and schools
when students are still learning english or need multiple special education services schools receive additional money for each of those children but the same is not true for homeless children creating tremendous challenges for their schools
liza pappas an education policy analyst at the citys independent budget office said in testimony to the city council this year that administrators at high poverty schools were instead asked to set aside 100 for each homeless student from a pot of money they receive to serve all their poor children
generally ms pappas said that 100 does not cover more than a sweatshirt a uniform or a backpack
this is not a foot its a wing natalie a first grader pronounced over a piece of paper titled bat facts
she and her classmates were clustered at blue and green tables in groups of about five finishing up work on a packet about the flying mammals
jeancarlos in a blue hooded sweatshirt sat by himself at a desk in the front of the room he was just beginning to color in a diagram of a bat something his classmates had already done his teacher dilifer inoa came and stood beside him to help him puzzle out where to put the word ear
jeancarlos was behind his classmates that day ms inoa said because he had consistently been absent at a minimum she said he would not come to school every monday and every friday
teachers at ps 188 like ms inoa are presented with a near daily choice should they review material and then review it again so that the students who are in and out of their classrooms are not left too far behind or should they plow ahead so that the rest of the class can keep learning new things and steal moments when they can to give the others a little extra help
it is not just the day to day absences of students that frustrate progress through the year but also the changing composition of the class over all
by the door to ms inoas room a colorful calendar plots out the birthdays of 31 children but a class list taped to her desk from the beginning of the school year shows just 24 names
i started with 24 kids and it went up to 30 ms inoa said but some left and some came so its not the same group
by may she had 27 students and this year was better than last she said last year she got new students until the last week of school
with a calm warm manner ms inoa 31 is a teacher in her third year at ps 188 the only place she has ever taught she grew up on the upper west side of manhattan with dreams of being a pediatrician but she could not afford it she said so she became a teacher her classroom with its pale blue floors and sky blue walls is an open bay of small squirming children waves of hands flying in the air whenever she asks a question
jeancarlos arrived in january often sleepy and already far behind before he joined her class ms inoa said he had only ever attended school for a total of a couple of months that happens sometimes when students arrive with a history of interrupted schooling but usually those children have been living abroad ms inoa said that as far as she knew jeancarlos had been living in the bronx
when he joined her class he was living in the shelter across the street after coming to school for a few weeks he disappeared for two months ms inoa said he came back in april and then he was gone again
jeancarlos ms inoa called during attendance one day this spring scanning her charges jeancarlos she called again to no response
she marked him absent and moved down the list
nearly 60 percent of students who live in shelters are chronically absent according to the education department as are more than a third of all students in temporary housing that means they miss at least 20 days of school during the year
at ps 188 a team of staff members pushes to reduce absences as much as possible
students who are frequently absent are assigned to staff members who are responsible for checking in with them and for calling home when they do not show up mirta rosales the parent coordinator makes daily calls as well and to combat an end of year drop off in attendance which usually starts after testing ends the school is offering weekly events this month like a movie night and a barbecue for the families of students who come to school regularly
every friday administrators and guidance counselors gather in ms rosaless office to discuss each child who has been absent more than twice in the previous 10 days
in a february meeting they talked about one student chronically absent who would not listen to his mother and suggested social service agencies that might be able to help bring the boy under control they discussed another family whose mother lived in the shelter across the street and whose father lived in an apartment without electricity or hot water and another group of siblings who had started walking out of class to wander the halls something must be going on at home
the very system meant to help homeless families can keep children out of school in unintended ways the administrators and guidance counselors also discussed another group of siblings who had missed three days of school why they had to accompany their mother to the bronx office where all families with children that are entering the shelter system must apply
children are required to accompany their parents to prove the family makeup as they seek shelter they can miss school for several days over the course of a 10 day application period and many families apply more than once in april nearly half of the families found to be eligible for shelter had applied at least once before which means that their children may have been drawn out of school again and again
advocates for homeless people frequently complain about the requirement steven banks the commissioner of the human resources administration and the social services department said that as part of a broad review of programs for the homeless the city was in the process of changing the way families apply for shelter to eliminate as many appointments as possible at a minimum it plans to avoid causing children to miss school
students at ps 188 wear uniforms a polo shirt with the schools name and pictures of the schoolhouse embossed on the left breast the elementary school students wear navy shirts and the older children are in maroon
these are also the unofficial uniforms of the shelter across the street
on a warm spring evening under a sideways slanting sun a little girl with a barbie backpack walked into the shelter deep in concentration trying not to drip chocolate soft serve on her island school shirt nearby a boy wearing a navy ps 188 polo did flips on the bars of scaffolding just past the guard desk
a few feet away a sign said please do not swing on poles in english and in spanish
upstairs a father and his three young sons all students at ps 188 were getting ready to eat dinner they had oatmeal served in tupperware topped with blueberries chicken sauteed on the stove bananas for appetizers
the father cranston who is being identified by only his given name to protect his familys privacy favors dark blazers and carries around a harmonica in his pocket he became homeless last year after he and his wife separated he and his boys landed in this shelter on the lower east side where they occupy a modest two bedroom apartment while cranston looks for work
its fine amiri the eldest son said of their living situation were only here because my dad got a divorce its fine
but amiri said he missed his old school a charter in brooklyn while he could rattle off a list of activities he had joined at the island school   art gymnastics sports on saturdays   he said he liked his classmates at his old school better he had never been in a fight before he came to the island school he explained now he has
some of the other kids he said they like to talk about a lot of other peoples families and thats not a good thing thats where the fights come up
amiri could have stayed at his old school by law when families move they are entitled to keep their children enrolled in their schools even if they move outside the schools zone
but if children stay in their old schools they may have to travel long distances even across boroughs and they will often be late to school
mr boyd the second grade teacher said there was a girl in his class who traveled each day from the bronx and she routinely dropped into her seat at 11 am a bright girl who did well in math but struggled with reading another teacher said she needed time in class to improve her skills but in the mornings she was just not there
the school arranged for her to be tutored by volunteers from reading partners a nonprofit group the group was told never to come for her in the morning   the girl would not be there
ms ramos the principal breezed through the blue hallways of her school in early december sheathed in her customary black suit and air of purposefulness
i love you ms ramos said a second grader thrusting her face forward
ms ramos paused to smile and answer i love you too
out of earshot ms ramos explained that the girl thought her mother did not love her so she needed to be told i love you and she needed to say it
walk in the shoes of these families their issues for one day ms rosales the parent coordinator said
ms rosaless job is to be the connection for parents at the school to find answers to their questions when they come to her and to seek them out if their childrens footing begins to slip at ps 188 she knows everybody she has lived on the lower east side for 30 years and worked at the school for 20
at ps 188 ms rosales said students in temporary housing do not have a monopoly on trauma or difficult circumstances
on a recent spring day a slight second grader ran up to his teacher in the hallway to say that a classmate had been hitting him before the teacher had a chance to respond he whipped around and started screaming curses threatening his classmate with language that would be shocking from an adult from a child so small the words were only sad he has a home a school staff member said as well as a sick family member and experience in foster care
i would say 80 percent of our kids could benefit from some kind of counseling said jessie solomon greenbaum who worked as a therapist at ps 188 until earlier this year with a nonprofit group called the jewish board of family and childrens services
some children are separated from their parents or caregivers perhaps for reasons related to immigration many are surrounded by violence in the community that elevates their sensitivity to danger there is domestic violence   one of the leading reason families end up in the shelter system according to the institute for children poverty and homelessness there is instability nearly two dozen children are in foster care and for almost all of them there is poverty
while being uprooted from home can correlate with lower attendance and slipping test scores teachers at ps 188 emphasized that a childs residence in temporary housing does not tell much about him or her
milagros ramirez a dual language teacher has taught at the island school for nearly 20 years and grew up in the area
by now she knows the address of the shelter across the street so when she is handed records for new students with that familiar marker she knows where they are staying but she said she does not know anything else
ive had kids who are so great and so well behaved who are staying in a shelter she said you cant go by just because they live there they behave a certain way you cant stereotype them
the only thing you can expect she continued is that they dont have books dont have pencils when i see a kid from the shelter on my list we start begging do you have any book bags upstairs
for all of the challenges they bring to school they are still just children ms inoa the first grade teacher said many of her new students stood up on their first day in class and announced their living situation without a hint of shame
the kids say oh im new ms inoa said im from the shelter
just before christmas two students in ms ramirezs second grade class came to school wearing matching shoes simple black sneakers with a blue and white toms label affixed to the back they had plenty of company marching the halls that day because the school had received hundreds of pairs of the shoes for students their siblings and even their parents
in the spring the halls were a parade of matching backpacks navy or red from another school giveaway all part of an expansive view of what a school provides
the island school is part of the citys community schools program a longstanding initiative taken up by the education department to integrate more support for students and families like counseling and health clinics into schools with needy populations the de blasio administration has pumped 103 million into its community schools program this year at 130 schools
but while ps 188 only recently joined the community schools program it has been offering the same kinds of services for more than 15 years
about 20 years ago there was a break in at the school during spring recess barbara slatin the principal at the time said it turned out that those who had forced their way inside were students ms slatin decided that the school should have been open she said so she began expanding its hours and tacking on services for families
today the building is open on saturdays during the summer and every weekday until 6 pm it has five social workers english classes for parents and a washer and dryer that families will be able to use for free lawyers come in once a month to help with issues like immigration and during the winter holiday season every child gets a present
at a school like ps 188 what does success look like
on the standardized state tests taken every year its scores are flatly disappointing only 9 percent of its students met state standards in english last year compared with 30 percent of students citywide just 14 percent of children scored at grade level in math less than half of the citywide rate of 35 percent
but over the past three years nearly 50 of its students have been accepted at some of the citys most competitive high schools including brooklyn technical stuyvesant and millennium ms ramos said of the three high schools that students from the island school attended the most last year two have above average graduation rates while the other caters to children who are still learning english
on annual school surveys families and teachers give the school and its principal very high ratings teachers say they trust the principal and one another students say they feel safe and respected and that they know what their teachers want them to learn at the island school there are outbursts and fights but the hallways usually feel calm children walk from class to class in neat rows or a rough approximation of them
to ms ramos when she looks back at the end of the school year and asks herself how the school did her definition of success reaches far outside the classroom is a child who needs counseling now receiving it did a father write a resume did a mother get a job
we have so many families who come in with so many issues ms ramos said success is how much we have done for the family not just for the child
but as hard as many of the teachers and administrators try to reach students and their parents the moment they break through the family might be gone
my caseload revolves quite a bit said eddy polanco a guidance counselor for the elementary students as much as we hate to see them go often when they leave its because theyve found an apartment so were happy for them


oakland calif   before excuses are made for lebron james before the bulk of the blame for consecutive horror shows at oracle arena is heaped on a supporting cast of cleveland cavaliers that has turned to dust when removed from a comfy eastern conference refuge it must be reiterated that this was the team the king himself courted
this was the crew james left miami for the one he reconfigured with back room leverage upon returning home and then stood by approvingly when a coach with an impeccable albeit limited nba record was dismissed for a replacement with no head coaching record at all
that is not to say that tyronn lue who slid over into david blatts big boy seat midseason is the primary reason   if a reason at all   that the cavaliers are down two games to none against the golden state warriors in the nba finals and thus far are embarrassing themselves
losing in the finals to a golden state team that won a record 73 regular season games if that is the inevitable result would be no disgrace but if the series continues this way and so far it has not been remotely competitive the epitaph for the cavaliers season should be this is the team james wanted and assembled
after waiting outside the interview room for lue to finish with reporters on sunday night james sat down removed his sunglasses picked up the microphone as if he were hosting a charity event and took responsibility for game 2s 110 77 obliteration of his team on top of the not that close 104 89 beating it took in game 1
he called himself out for carelessness with the ball for committing seven of his teams 17 turnovers in game 2 for not making life easier for his overwhelmed teammates
im not disappointed in our guys or frustrated he said im one of the guys who kind of always wants to shoulder the blame and take the blame when we dont play as well as we should its just who i am and ive got to be better
sloppy as he was james was still the best performing cavalier with richard jefferson a 35 year old role player as the runner up against the warriors that was a formula for the disaster game 2 became in the third quarter with the cavaliers sending most of the east coast to bed early with an unconditional emotionless surrender
after game 1 lue said it was mandatory that the cavaliers pick up the pace on offense after game 2 james cited the turnovers and the cavaliers inability to get back and set up their defense
this sounded good but well whatever the warriors scored only 14 fast break points to the cavaliers 11 and who cannot see that the cavaliers on defense have no clue how to deal with the warriors in their half court sets
the warriors had 55 assists in the two games here the cavaliers had 32 this disparity speaks to an athletic golden state defense of interchangeable parts but also to clevelands lack of the same and its poor defensive habits
when the ball and bodies start moving the cavaliers look like middle school children scrambling to find a seat in a game of musical chairs
klay thompson takes two dribbles toward the lane kicks it out to a scorching draymond green and the cavaliers rotation is too slow or nonexistent
he drove and kicked and their defense was collapsing said green who torched the cavaliers for 28 points with five 3 pointers collapsing was the right characterization literally and figuratively
forget stephen curry green and andre iguodala who both play at forward look like all league point guards shredding clevelands defense with pinpoint passing for uncontested shots at the rim
on the warriors last possession of the third quarter the ball whipped around the perimeter touching the hands of all five players before thompson nailed a 3 the cavaliers should have sued for whiplash
these guys put you in so many mental positions where you have to figure it out and they make you pay for it when you dont james said
he has always been a willing and able defender but what can we say about kyrie irving who habitually loses his man and j r smith who loses his focus and occasionally his mind
irving was supposed to carry an offensive load in this series ease the burden on james he has taken 36 shots and made 12
kevin love was forced out of the game with a possible concussion after taking an inadvertent elbow to the head from harrison barnes there was more to the story love had his back to barnes bracing to rebound a 3 point attempt by thompson he was also flat footed allowing barnes to leap over him another illustration of how difficult it has been for the cavaliers to hide loves lack of athleticism
love is just one example   although the most egregious   of what can happen when a player even the very best player enjoys the kind of executive leverage james has had since rejoining the cavaliers in the summer of 2014
the denials from his camp and the cleveland front office have naturally been vehement they say james did not insist on trading andrew wiggins the no 1 pick of that years draft to minnesota for the overrated love a deal that deprived the cavaliers of a superior young athlete james might have mentored
nor they contend did james badger the cavaliers general manager david griffin into trading for the compulsively erratic smith   who scored a combined 8 points in the two games here   or point a thumb down on the status of blatt after publicly emasculating him during the 2015 playoffs
but agents who have had business with the cavaliers speak of griffins telling them he would get back to them after checking matters with james league people remind you that michael jordan never had such power in chicago and based on the personnel decisions he opposed probably would not have won six titles if he did have it
james has been and remains a superb player spokesman for the league in ways that jordan never was on saturday speaking of muhammad ali he said among other things gracious and smart i would never compare myself to muhammad ali because i never had to go through what those guys had to go through back in those times
he can and has affected his community in ways that his predecessors could not thanks to staggering wealth and corporate support but the one thing he   or any player   should never be is in charge of a franchise he was not in miami where pat riley ruled and james just happened to win two rings
lets remember that the warriors looked ragged and lost in recent consecutive blowouts in oklahoma city but based on what we saw here the cavaliers had better win both games in cleveland or summer vacation will begin by early next week and that is when we will learn how james really feels about the team he chose the players he pushed for
will he accept the blame then or put the cool sunglasses back on and turn an executive thumb down


the council of fashion designers of america awards aka the oscars of fashion taking place monday night at the hammerstein ballroom in new york can feel like groundhog day with the same names nominated over and over again this year every nominee for womens wear designer of the year has already won that accolade at least once and one marc jacobs has already won a lifetime achievement award
however there will be one wild card the host joel mchale unlike past hosts   like james corden star of the late late show and select burberry ads at last years event or seth meyers late night supremo and vogue subject who hosted in 2012   mr mchale formerly the host of the soup on e is not famously an fof friend of fashion on announcing the choice steven kolb chief executive of the cfda specifically identified mr mchale as someone who comes from outside the fashion industry and noted that it would keep the night lively topical and unexpected
unexpected eh fashion an industry that likes to control its image above all else is not famous for its love of the unexpected
and mr mchales last two hosting gigs the espy awards in 2015 and the white house correspondents association dinner in 2014 were notable for their acerbic tone and close to the bone zingers which is putting it mildly new york magazines vulture blog categorized the espy appearance as very very controversial bill cosby was one of the targets and the washington post called the correspondents show brutal and said mr mchale was out for blood especially when it came to gov chris christie of new jersey
so how afraid should fashion be after all it is a pretty big potential target mr mchale let slip a few clues during a phone interview on friday before the awards
how the job came about i dont know its a logical next step after the espys right i met anna wintour once at the met ball in 2015 i got invited because yahoo was a host and they were streaming a show i was on i said hi can i come back next year and she said it depends how you behave 
what to expect at the cfdas everyone should be ready if you dont have a sense of humor about yourself youre not going to enjoy it its a pretty short monologue so it has to be packed im not going to be like now i will take this person out for the next two minutes on the other hand it would be very strange for me to do a lot of jokes complimenting my subject i went after robert de niro at the white house dinner of all the people to go after you go after the national treasure but he got it it shows power and maturity the job is not to be first mean then funny then ive failed but if you are pointing out truths hopefully people laugh
pointing out some truths about him and fashion its pretty impossible to out absurd some of the fashion that exists but i think it gets unfairly made fun of people care deeply about what they wear and they spend a lot of money on it clothes are certainly something i care about like sports growing up it mattered to me very much what i looked like i always wanted some jeans my parents would not buy me as soon as i had some money i went out and bought five pairs of air jordan 5s my wife doesnt buy any clothes for me now because i am very picky
what he wears now when we did the soup i was very concerned about what we were wearing i thought we needed cool suits when i am not on camera i wear a lot of workout clothes i like john elliott   the clothes are very comfortable and i can wear them on stage when i am doing standup a japanese denim line called prospective flow public school burberry zegna i am wearing david hart for the cfdas they offered a number of designers and he seemed cool and lived up to his coolness he made the suit for me and i was as excited as a six year old my wife is wearing prabal gurung
on the relationship of clothes and fame i wore burberry to the white house correspondents dinner they offered they also dressed my wife and threw in some of those cool burberry trench coats you can almost measure the growth of your profile by how many big brands start offering to dress you


the democratic race may already be over by the time the california polls open according to the associated press hillary clinton has already earned the 2383 delegates needed to win the nomination yet in some ways california is still the most interesting contest between her and bernie sanders so far
its hard to know how much the news may depress turnout but it has easily been the closest contest in a big state at least in the pre election polls and even though the election result wont affect the outcome of the race the stakes are nonetheless real the chance for mr sanders to continue making his case to change the minds of superdelegates heading into the convention
mrs clinton leads mr sanders in all the polls but the polls are close enough that he could win
on average she leads by six percentage points among the six surveys that have been conducted over the last month four of them show an extremely tight race with mrs clinton leading by two points the other two show her with a double digit lead among likely voters
its worth noting that we have the benefit of two of the most reliable polls in the business the field poll and the los angeles timesuscgqr poll they show mrs clinton with a two  and a 10 point lead respectively the ppic poll which has her up by two points is also very well regarded
three more familiar national pollsters have also surveyed the state nbcwsjmarist surveyusa and cbsyougov all three had solid results in primary seasons and have strong longer term track records
these six polls are also methodologically diverse   two use voter file samples field and latgqrusc two use random digit dialing nbcwsjmarist and ppic one is the top online panel cbsyougov and one surveyusa is the most innovative poll still employing automated calls to landline telephones it surveys people on mobile apps as well
you can compare this to having a diversified stock portfolio no method is perfect and each has potential biases my preference is for the voter file based sample like field and latgqrusc but a diverse set of polls helps protect against the possibility that one of those potential biases is skewing our perception of the race
this does not mean that mrs clinton will win but a diverse number of higher quality polls is reason to be somewhat more confident in her edge
the notion that california could be fairly competitive is not much of a surprise in march mrs clinton had a six point edge in the upshots demographic based estimates the same model updated to include the primary results since then gives her a seven point edge
mrs clinton had an edge in our estimate for a simple reason diversity and affluence she has tended to do best among nonwhite voters and wealthy white voters california is full of both white voters without a college degree   a strength of mr sanders   represent a decided minority of the democratic electorate there
but the polls showing a close race   including field ppic cbsyougov and nbcmarist   suggest that mrs clinton isnt taking advantage of the states huge population of nonwhite voters to quite the same extent that she has in other contests according to the surveys mrs clinton and mr sanders are basically splitting both the white and nonwhite vote
this is surprising but not inexplicable most of the states nonwhite voters are asian american or hispanic mrs clinton has always excelled among black voters but the leanings of other nonwhite voters are somewhat less clear mrs clinton has generally won the hispanic vote   including in florida texas arizona and new york   but she lost it in illinois we have very little data on asian american voters because they represent such a small share of the population outside california
the big reason for the lack of a decided advantage for mrs clinton it seems is voter age mr sanders is hugely popular among the young and the nonwhite electorate in california is pretty young hispanic voters are generally young everywhere in the country but contests in florida arizona and new york that were open only to registered democrats have resulted in a somewhat older hispanic electorate than what you would get in an open contest like california texas and illinois are probably the two better comparisons and there the results were a split decision
whats obvious is that turnout among young nonwhite voters is pretty important to mr sanderss chances and its a big question mark
mrs clinton is accumulating a significant lead in the early absentee voting thats already underway
all of the polls show her with a lead among voters who have already cast ballots data from political datas paul mitchell makes it very clear why 69 percent of the vote that has been tabulated so far 27 million ballots for all primary races has been from voters over age 55 while just 10 percent has come from voters ages 18 to 35 in comparison 25 percent of registered voters are ages 18 to 35 and 41 percent are ages 55 and over
part of this is inevitable older voters send in their ballots early and young people vote closer to the deadline
but theres another catch no party preference voters as opposed to registered democrats had to specifically request democratic ballots to participate in the primary many did not mr mitchells data indicates that just 15 percent of no party preference voters requested a democratic ballot the rest did not receive a ballot with the democratic contest
this creates a big burden for mr sanders many of his voters   including those who usually vote by mail   will need to vote in person on election day to receive a ballot mrs clintons base of registered democrats on the other hand will receive the right ballot in the mail this will contribute to a higher turnout among registered democrats
to win mr sanders is going to need to get a very high turnout from these voters it can happen   the polls show a close enough race but theres as much downside as upside here for him you could imagine that pollsters are giving the self reported vote intention of mr sanders and mrs clintons supporters equal weight even though his voters have more hoops to jump through
mrs clintons big early vote lead has another advantage it helps insulate her against the possibility of lower turnout in the aftermath of many news networks calling the democratic race for mrs clinton
mrs clintons lead in the early absentee vote poses another problem for mr sanders the vote count
whether he ultimately wins or not she is probably going to have a lead in the early count thats because the ballots that were received ahead of the election will be counted first and those votes will be disproportionately composed of older registered democrats
mr sanders could then steadily erode mrs clintons margin   first with the votes cast on election day then with the late mail ballots these late ballots tend to be from younger voters and should be stronger for mr sanders
a similar phenomenon happened in 2008 mrs clinton opened with more than a 20 point lead in california she ultimately won by just eight points though in 2008 some of the early vote was for john edwards in oregon where elections are entirely by mail mr sanders opened with a six point lead and ultimately won by 13 points
this process will not happen fast in general only about 70 percent of the california vote is tabulated by noon the next day thats in part because ballots dont have to arrive on election day
on balance this is bad news for the winner it makes it very hard for the networks to make a quick projection unless someone wins by a clear margin
but this is a bigger problem for mr sanders if mrs clinton wins by say five points in the end my guess is that she will probably be the projected winner on election night she may hold an early double digit lead which would make her look even stronger than her ultimate standing
but im not sure mr sanders will get an election night projection of victory if hes on track to win by five points he could easily trail for hours after the polls close and potentially for days in a particularly tight race while she will most likely be declared the new jersey primary winner and her status as the presumptive nominee will be confirmed
a long count in california might not be the sort of show of strength he needs to push back against the presumptive nominee


democratic supporters of hillary clinton will be hoping that tuesday when the california primaries take place will be the moment she can start looking forward to facing donald j trump with a united front
republican supporters of mr trump hope it will be the moment he stops looking backward and focuses on the november fight
the democratic primary in california is an opportunity for bernie sanders to argue to the partys officials that he deserves their backing at the convention in july if he loses to mrs clinton that argument will be more difficult to make the republican primary is effectively over but mr trump has marched on regardless
of the candidates mr trump is the one who should be having an easier time after he vanquished his primary rivals and diminished stop trump movements top republicans in congress backed him even some of his critics muted their commentary but mr trump has continued to pick at the scabs of the primary while making criticisms of a prominent hispanic republican governor and of a federal judge overseeing a case against the defunct trump university
mrs clinton said on sunday that the moment would come after tuesday for her to reach out to mr sanderss supporters but mr sanders is showing little sign of making such overtures on sunday he directly criticized the clinton foundation and scoffed at suggestions the race would be over this week on sunday evening mrs clinton won the puerto rico primary however a victory that brings her closer to the number of delegates she needs to clinch the nomination


donald j trump found himself on the defensive on sunday over his claims that he had opposed the intervention in libya and the war in iraq
mr trump has described himself in the presidential campaign as an ardent detractor of both interventions but his critics cite evidence to the contrary
in an interview on cbss face the nation the host john dickerson pointed out that mr trump had supported military intervention in libya and the ouster of its leader col muammar el qaddafi despite the fact he now criticizes hillary clinton on both points
when you say supported it i supported libya mr trump said
yes you supported the intervention in libya mr dickerson replied
i did where do you see that mr trump asked
mr dickerson played a video clip from 2011 of mr trump saying now we should go in we should stop this guy which would be very easy and very quick we could do it surgically stop him from doing it and save these lives
mr trump insisted that the comments had not constituted support i was for doing something he said but i wasnt for what you have right now
the candidate also told jake tapper the host of cnns state of the union that there was ample evidence that he had been against the iraq war but in an interview with the radio host howard stern before the invasion of 2003 the real estate developer expressed support for it
asked in the 2002 interview whether he supported invading iraq mr trump replied yeah i guess so i wish the first time it was done correctly
mr trump also acknowledged that he had made a lot of money with qaddafi telling face the nation viewers that when the libyan dictator was preparing to attend a united nations summit meeting in 2009 he was looking for a property large enough to accommodate the bedouin style tent he planned to use the libyan leader rented a westchester property that belonged to mr trump
he had to make a deal with me because he needed a place to stay and he paid me a fortune never got to stay there mr trump said of colonel qaddafi and it became sort of a big joke but the fact is that libya was a disaster from the standpoint of the way it was handled


congress returns this week after a memorial day break with lawmakers needing to get busy on a pileup of legislation in a year shortened by the elections and by national political conventions in july
republicans are under increasing pressure to come up with a package to fund efforts to combat the spread of the zika virus and to speed work on a vaccine now that warm weather   and mosquito season   is here
house republicans have resisted finding new money for the public health emergency despite a request from the obama administration for 19 billion the house has approved shifting 622 million and the senate has allocated 11 billion negotiations have begun to try to find a compromise and the white house is prepared to point the finger squarely at congressional republicans if the disease spreads and no federal prevention program has been approved
republicans in tough senate races also want a quick resolution to negotiations on house and senate bills to combat the nationwide heroin epidemic republican incumbents in swing states   particularly rob portman in ohio and kelly ayotte in new hampshire   have built their re election messages around the legislation and are eager to declare victory
lawmakers hope to send a bill to president obama before july 4
in the house republicans are hoping to restart the appropriations process after the embarrassing defeat of a spending bill right before they left town speaker paul d ryan and his team are trying to figure out if they need to put new limits on proposed amendments to the spending bills to reduce the chances of more measures going down in flames
mr ryan and his team also intend to begin rolling out the elements of their new policy agenda beginning on tuesday with an antipoverty plan they hope that the policy prescriptions present a more positive message than donald j trumps
after a delay caused by democrats the senate will begin debating the annual pentagon policy bill which is always a magnet for political skirmishing among the coming fights whether young women should be required to register with the selective service system


donald j trump made his first congressional endorsement this weekend backing representative renee ellmers in a north carolina primary race in which she has been opposed by heavily funded adversaries
mr trump recorded a phone message for ms ellmerss campaign calling her a fighter
i need her help in washington so we can work together to defeat isis secure our border and bring back jobs and frankly so many other things mr trump said referring to the islamic state and renee knows how to do it she gets it and together we will make america great again
ms ellmers is running in a redrawn congressional district against another incumbent representative george holding and a third candidate greg brannon
ms ellmers has been a target of conservatives for many months and she has been opposed by americans for prosperity the group affiliated with david h and charles g koch and by the anti tax club for growth
both groups have declined to back mr trump the republican partys presumptive presidential nominee


if youve come to rely on opioids for chronic pain as a growing proportion of older adults has you may have noticed that the drugs are becoming more difficult to get
something had to be done surely more than 165000 people died from overdoses from 1999 to 2014
but recent restrictions on access to these painkillers are likely to disproportionately affect the elderly   despite the fact that abuse and misuse of these painkillers have historically been lower among older patients than younger ones
older patients are simply more apt to have chronic pain some of their doctors are going to get an earful when they suggest different medications or nonpharmacological alternatives as the centers for disease control and prevention recommended in new opioid guidelines in march
dr mary lynn mcpherson a palliative care specialist and a professor at the university of maryland school of pharmacy told me about a 78 year old patient with screaming pain from fibromyalgia which doesnt respond to opioids anyway dr mcpherson urged her to undertake significant weight loss and begin regular aquatic therapy and stretching
please cant you just give me percocet she said her physician agreed to continue her prescription but to the patients frustration at a low dose
we do need to rein this in dr mcpherson said of opioid use yet like many health care professionals who work with older adults shes worried about her patients suffering
how do you balance the need to relieve pain against the possibility that potent habituating drugs can also sabotage peoples health particularly when older people are more vulnerable than the young to opioids side effects its this enormous conundrum she said
for patients who want to get or refill prescriptions you have to jump through more hoops dr mcpherson said at clinics and hospitals at pharmacies everyones level of suspicion is higher
along with the cdc guidelines which urge more careful monitoring doctors face a wave of state laws restricting access the drug enforcement administration also reclassified certain opioid formulations in 2014 making them less readily available
this represents a major swing of the medical pendulum for years doctors were warned against paying insufficient attention to pain the department of veterans affairs declared pain the fifth vital sign in 1999 and many hospitals and clinicians are evaluated in part on how well they treat it
for many older people chronic pain   lasting longer than three months or longer than the bodys tissues normally need to heal   becomes an everyday burden older patients are more apt than younger ones to hurt from musculoskeletal disorders like arthritis from nerves damaged by diabetes or shingles from cancer from multiple causes all at once they have more surgery
once physicians actually struggled to induce older people to take opioids which we used to call narcotics
most older adults are phobic about these medications said dr cary reid a geriatrician and palliative care specialist who directs the translational research institute on pain in later life at weill cornell medical college you have to persuade them
consider them persuaded
last year researchers at the university of california san francisco published a study using two large national surveys of outpatient visits to examine analgesic drug use among older adults average age 75
they found that from 1999 to 2010 the percentage of clinic visits involving any pain relieving medication climbed to more than 19 percent from 136 percent opioid use drove much of that increase the figure more than doubled to 9 percent of visits from 41 percent
in february a top medicare administrator told the senate special committee on aging that in 2015 nearly 30 percent of those enrolled in part d used an opioid prescription
but the medicare population is more likely to suffer these drugs ill effects too leaving physicians to ponder troubling trade offs
older adults dont metabolize drugs as well as a 30  or 50 year old so the medication stays in a persons system longer dr reid said
opioids can bring on nausea and vomiting and often lead to constipation which may then require additional medications creating cycles of constipation and diarrhea long term use can cause kidney and cardiac damage
opioids affect balance and are associated with higher risks of falls and fractures they can impair thinking and memory
vexingly the medications physicians might prescribe instead including anti inflammatories like ibuprofen or naproxen also pose greater dangers for older patients bleeding elevated blood pressure reduced kidney function
addiction and overdoses have historically been lower among older users but public health experts have long wondered whether those patterns will change with the baby boomer cohort
the problem may grow worse with people who grew up in a culture where drugs were something to experiment with dr reid said
experts worry too about diversion   relatives neighbors or caregivers helping themselves to their elders medicines
its complicated terrain said christine ritchie the lead author of the ucsf study and a past president of the american academy of hospice and palliative medicine nationally opioid prescriptions have begun to decline and some physicians have stopped prescribing them altogether
as an older patient seeking pain relief youll probably find that while you may continue using opioids youll get more questions hear more about alternatives   and take home fewer pills
for example doctors can no longer call in prescriptions with refills for certain formulations notably vicodin under the drug enforcement administrations tighter controls on such hydrocodone combinations you have to take a paper prescription to a pharmacy then return to your doctor for a new prescription every month to allow closer monitoring those can be onerous requirements for older people in pain
youll also find doctors talking about reasonable expectations you probably cant make the pain a zero dr mcpherson said were trying to make it tolerable
theyll recommend a raft of nondrug therapies to manage pain too exercise weight loss cognitive behavioral therapy mindfulness meditation tai chi or yoga research has demonstrated that several of these approaches can reduce pain
but not enough practitioners offer alternatives like cognitive behavioral therapy and insurers including medicare generally wont pay for them if the cdc wants doctors to advocate a multimodal approach to chronic pain and it does giving preference to nonpharmacological therapies we need a system that can deliver it and can pay for it dr reid said
in the interim patients can seek out tai chi yoga and mindfulness training at senior centers and ymcas early studies have also shown that therapy sessions via the internet or videoconferencing can reduce pain
maybe future pain patients will look like irene cohen 69 a homemaker in white plains she has had debilitating back and leg pain since she fell down a flight of subway steps when she was 20 in the decades since with a desperation familiar to many she has tried nearly every remedy including two back operations
at her lowest mrs cohen couldnt walk more than a block or two without unfolding her cane into a tripod seat that let her rest she cooked dinner while seated on a stool she couldnt lift her newborn grandsons
pain just became part of me she said
over time though she has developed a combination of therapies that allow her to function acupuncture chiropractic and hypnosis proved ineffective but she finds a weekly massage essential
she exercises faithfully taking a silversneakers class five days a week and doing chair yoga and has worked up to a 15 minute walk on a slow treadmill which is a miracle
and when her pain flares anyway she has a prescription for vicodin which she uses so sparingly that a bottle of 120 tablets lasts most of a year
shes what we hope people will do said dr reid her physician she uses the drugs in a very smart way shes got a whole portfolio of things she can use and despite the impairments pain has brought shes living a life


amman jordan   three officers of the jordanian intelligence service and two other employees of the service were killed on monday in a palestinian refugee camp near the capital amman in what the government said was a terrorist attack
the government has opened an investigation into the assault which took place around 7 am at an intelligence office in the baqaa refugee camp which was set up after the arab israeli war of 1967 and is the largest in the country
the attack on the first day of the holy month of fasting known as ramadan struck in a country that has remained relatively stable despite being surrounded by conflicts
by attacking this office today the terrorists want to send a message that they can attack at the heart of security in jordan said hassan abu hanieh a jordanian expert on islamist groups
no group claimed responsibility for the attack and the authorities did not say how the victims were killed late monday night mohammad momani a government spokesman told the petra news agency that one person had been arrested mr momani added that the investigation was continuing but that it was believed the killer acted alone
jordan is an important ally in the region for the united states which has provided the country with more than 15 billion in economic and military aid since the 1950s
last year the obama administration and jordan signed a three year agreement in which the united states pledged 1 billion annually in total foreign assistance subject to the approval of congress according to a report published by the congressional research service
although terrorist attacks in jordan are relatively rare the country is constantly aware of the threat posed by islamic extremists notably the islamic state
the attack was most likely carried out by a lone wolf or sleeper cells affiliated with the islamic state mr abu hanieh said most likely they targeted this particular spot because they thrive on creating divisions within society and want to wreak havoc
last november a jordanian police officer killed five people including two american trainers at a compound near amman before he was fatally shot in march a plot by the islamic state to strike civilian and military targets in the country was thwarted
jordan has been involved in the united states led aerial bombing campaign against islamic state targets in neighboring syria and iraq since september 2014
a jordanian pilot was captured in december 2014 after his fighter jet crashed in syria a video released in february 2015 by the islamic state showed the pilot being burned to death inside a cage


grim reminders of some of hong kongs most gruesome murders line bowen road signs posted every few hundred steps that warn beware of dog poisoning
the hong kong society for the prevention of cruelty to animals has recorded 66 cases of suspected dog poisoning on bowen road and nearby blacks link since 2003 including 14 dogs that have died the group says that since the killings began in the late 1980s the number of dogs killed may total 200 or more
dogs have been poisoned all over hong kong but bowen roads central location   on a hillside lined with parks shrines and elegant mansions that offers sweeping views of the citys skyline   has meant that the cases there have attracted the most attention chris patten hong kongs last colonial governor almost lost his norfolk terrier whisky after the dog ate poisoned bait left along the road in 1997
officials still dont know who is responsible some investigators believe that whoever is behind the poisonings gets a disturbed thrill from taking a life
theres only been one successful prosecution because this is done in a covert way said danielle baber the deputy chief officer for the hong kong spcas inspectorate unless theres a witness to something particularly somebody putting bait out its difficult to find a suspect and whether its the same person or copycats thats difficult to say
the motives are not clear theories include fear or hatred of dogs or annoyance at owners who dont clean up after their pets part of bowen road is car free and people often walk or run with their dogs there
the bait is usually a piece of chicken or pork laced with commonly available pesticides which the spca warns can cause vomiting diarrhea trembling breathing difficulty convulsions collapse and in some cases death
warnings and greater surveillance seem to have helped reduce the frequency of the poisonings but they have not stopped another pet dogs body was found on bowen road in mid may poisoning is suspected


london   rothschild  company said on monday it had agreed to acquire compagnie financiere martin maurel in a deal that would unite two long established family names in french banking
as part of the deal the companies would combine their private banking and asset management operations in france to create a private bank with 34 billion euros or about 39 billion in assets under management
the transaction values martin maurel at EUR240 million
under the terms of the deal martin maurel investors would be offered 126 rothschild shares for each share they own the maurel family would receive rothschild shares in the merger
our two companies share an independent family model that is a real strength when compared to our competitors david de rothschild the rothschild chairman said in a news release this transaction would strengthen and ensure the continuity of this model
shares of rothschild rose about 5 percent to EUR2441 in trading in paris on monday morning
martin maurel traces its roots to 1825 with the founding of banque martin freres its main asset is an 88 percent stake in banque martin maurel a family owned private bank that employs about 400 people in france
in 2015 martin maurel reported net banking income of EUR1027 million and had a loan portfolio of about EUR1 billion
the transaction would be financed through newly issued shares as well as cash and debt
the deal is subject to shareholder and regulatory approval and is expected to be completed by the end of the year
we believe that the combination of our two groups would strengthen the model of the independent family bank bernard maurel the martin maurel president and chief executive said this alliance would enhance our expertise to benefit our clients and our teams and to face future challenges with confidence
rothschild is one of the worlds largest independent financial advisory groups with about 2800 employees in 40 countries worldwide it has three main businesses global financial advisory private wealth and asset management and merchant banking
in the 2014 15 fiscal year the company reported revenue of EUR14 billion
rothschilds wealth and asset management business had EUR483 billion in assets under management as of the end of september that included about EUR10 billion in its french private banking business


davis calif   in a rally here last week 9000 people came to hear senator bernie sanders speak some catching a glimpse from a parking garage roof
in palo alto calif some of his 4000 fans there pitched tents and put up umbrellas for shade from the sweltering sun the wait to get into his speech in irvine calif where 6000 people packed into an amphitheater stretched to five hours
one of those waiting was al pappalardo 59 a school psychologist who brought his daughter alix 22 along to what he called mr sanderss last stand
it is like a farewell tour mr pappalardo said shes going to think back and say i actually participated i didnt sit back
mr sanderss chances of winning the democratic presidential nomination have faded since hillary clintons big win in april in new york with new jersey california and four other states holding primaries on tuesday on monday night the associated press reported that mrs clinton had reached the number of delegates needed to clinch the nomination
but one would not know that from the enthusiastic supporters who still flock to hear mr sanders call for a transformation of americas economy and for a political revolution
some are there in solidarity with his message and others because they believe mr sanders when he says against the odds that he can still snag the nomination at the partys convention in july
and then there are many who regardless of their outlook on the race are streaming in for what they believe may be their last glimpse of a political phenomenon
hafeez alam 26 a mechanical engineer from irvine said that his mother regretted not seeing barack obama in person in 2008 and that he was not going to have similar regrets
its kind of like you listen to your favorite band on youtube and you watch their concerts and dvds but when you go to a live event its a totally different experience mr alam said last month at the irvine rally
diana modica let her children charlie baldwin 15 and harriet baldwin 14 skip school to attend the palo alto rally last week she said she was holding out hope that mr sanders would win but also wanted to give her children a lesson in political participation
the last time i saw a presidential candidate was jesse jackson in 84 at stanford so you dont get a lot of chances she said
asked why she went to see mr sanders last month in her hometown national city calif angelica arroyo said it was like watching a superstar
i just feel like this is like for a bucket list said ms arroyo 21
mr sanderss rallies   he has held at least one virtually every day for the past couple of weeks   have not had the feel of a vanishing campaign his fans recite well known parts of mr sanderss stump speech chanting health care is a right not a privilege and screaming the average size of a donation to his campaign 27 they carry handmade signs bernie or bust bernie sensation wake up america smell the coffee its berning they sway and dance to talkin bout a revolution by tracy chapman and power to the people by john lennon
vendors are still selling sanders t shirts buttons and hats lauren steiner 58 the lead organizer of los angeles for bernie and one of several people selling t shirts outside a rally in santa monica calif said that mr sanders had only a slim chance to win the nomination but that a bernie 2016 shirt was worth owning anyway at least for sentimental reasons
i have a shirt that says impeach george bush that i still wear she said its like a poster its like a button ive saved posters and buttons from things that have been important to me through the years
mr sanders who declined to be interviewed has been effectively camping out in california hoping a win in the state will help him persuade hundreds of superdelegates   party leaders who can change their votes at any time before the convention   to withdraw support from mrs clinton and back him there appears to be little chance of that happening and mr sanderss recent rallies have carried an angrier tone punctuated with loud boos and insults at mentions of mrs clinton or donald j trump the presumptive republican nominee
some of his supporters like mr sanders himself refuse to concede i think he has good chances said bianca villegas 28 a paralegal from san diego who went to the rally last month in national city he is going to have a hell of a fight but i think that his numbers are there
but many realize that they may be seeing the last of mr sanders on the campaign trail chuck hollis 69 of west sacramento who has attended three sanders rallies in the past few weeks said some friends had teased him for going to so many
but he said that being part of the crowd provides a great deal of satisfaction and that he wanted to show his support for mr sanders in a very concrete way
hes 74 years old and he could continue in the senate but because hes older i dont know that there is a whole lot more that he can do mr hollis said but i think hopefully hes ignited a number of younger people to carry on and try to implement some of the proposals that hes made
angela collins 48 of el paso does not believe mr sanders has a chance she is a clinton supporter but she attended a rally last month in vado nm because she said she did not want to miss seeing the senator
ms collins stuffed her clinton button in her pocket and waved a large sanders sign the campaign handed out to be respectful
i know theres no way bernie sanders could ever be president she said but he enjoys running so much
among the 3000 other people at that rally was antonio gonzalez 18 a high school senior from el paso who showed up despite his belief that it is unrealistic to think that bernie is going to win
coming out here its more for supporting bernie mr gonzalez said hes going out and kind of giving a farewell to the people kind of giving us his last words of wisdom while he still has the mike in his hands


as a master sheng player and vocalist wu tong is one of chinas most successful crossover musicians in 1991 he and four conservatory classmates founded the band lunhui or again which in 2000 became the first rock band to play on national television in china in more recent years mr wu has traded in his rocker uniform for the less raucous though no less energetic world music circuit he is a founding member of yo yo mas silk road ensemble the international music collective which in april released the album sing me home in an interview mr wu 44 talked about the new album his evolving relationship with the sheng and what it was like to be a rock musician in china in the 1990s
what is a sheng
its like a mouth organ with a free reed and vertical pipes its been around for more than 3000 years traditionally it was played by beautiful women seldom by men
how long have you been playing the sheng
i first started playing the sheng when i was 5 im the fourth generation in my family to play the sheng my father chose it for me because it has fixed sounds and pitches like the piano it was good training for when i later began to sing
it took about 35 years of playing the sheng for me to understand the beautiful history behind this instrument before i didnt really understand the sheng i always wondered why my father chose this instrument for me when i played in the rock band the guitar would create such a powerful feeling but when i played the sheng i just felt like it wasnt enough it was acoustic but it didnt slide and you couldnt plug it in it wasnt heavy or very expressive
but now i have come to realize that the sheng really represents the core value of the chinese spirit it has many noble characteristics its not extreme its just straightforward its direct but not stiff its simple and beautiful in its own way
the first generation to play the sheng in your family was your great grandfather who lived during the late qing dynasty how did he start playing the sheng
im not really sure about my great grandfather i think he picked up the sheng in the way that aristocrats dabbled in music because they didnt have to work
later my grandfather was rejected by his family because he actually wanted to make music his career so he brought my dad to beijing and set up a factory manufacturing musical instruments near hepingmen they specialized in wind instruments like the flute suona duduk and sheng my grandfather had learned about music from monks and taoist priests because wind instruments were often used in religious performances at that time after the communists came to power in 1949 the factory was turned into a cooperative finally it was merged into the state owned peoples musical instrument factory of beijing later my father took over the business and now my sister is in charge
are children still learning to play the sheng today
yes its still popular especially because the government is really focused on promoting traditional chinese culture now so you can see western style orchestras and chinese orchestras in schools at all levels
but i have to say that too many people take up these instruments for other reasons in china if you have some musical background you can get extra points on your application when you apply for university
you were also the founding vocalist of the rock band lunhui
that was the only time i clashed with my father my father was always a serious figure but when it came to making decisions about my life he never really tried to stop me he did ask people around me like my teachers if rock music was good if it was safe if you could make a living from it at that time anyone involved with rock was considered a hooligan   long hair raggedy clothes smoking cigarettes and its true it was hard to make money from rock music we might have only three performances scheduled per year usually small underground shows with 200 to 300 people two hours before the show you might get a call telling you not to come because the police had come by and called it off
for sing me home the latest album by yo yo ma and the silk road ensemble you did a collaboration called going home with the vocalist and banjo player abigail washburn tell us about that
going home is based on antonin dvoraks new world symphony the lyrics had been translated into chinese but it wasnt modern chinese so the musician keith lipson and i reworked the translation the original text was very folksy very down to earth and we wanted to restore the original feeling its not referring to a real home or a geographic home but more of a spiritual home or even death it is about peoples destiny after their death


kabul afghanistan   the local people called the militias takeover of the giant lapis mine in northeastern badakhshan province a white coup   easy and bloodless perhaps but the seizure has become a lesson in how the lack of accountability and rule of law in afghanistan can turn bounty into ruin
riding waves of excitement after a 2010 report by the united states military that afghanistans mineral wealth could be worth as much as 1 trillion the lajwardeen mining company won a 15 year contract in 2013 to extract lapis lazuli in badakhshan for thousands of years afghanistan has been one of the chief sources of lapis lazuli a prized blue gemstone associated with love and purity and admired by poets as well as jewelers
valued at about 125 million a year in 2014 the lapis trade had the potential to be worth at least double that and lajwardeen owned by an afghan family in the import export business for three generations saw a great opportunity
yet within 21 days of officially beginning its work the company lost the mine to a local militia supported by the afghan political elite
in the two years since according to interviews with company employees afghan officials and militia commanders the government has done little to restore the mine to the company lapis is still being mined with the rent split between the militia and the taliban who have established a strong foothold in a province long resistant to them
with the plunge in global commodity prices deflating some of the enthusiasm for afghanistans mineral wealth the initial excitement has faded into broader   and among afghans all too familiar   concerns over mismanagement impunity and corruption the country has failed to make even the most basic legal and regulatory changes and even president ashraf ghani recently expressed fear that we are faced with the curse of natural resources
javed noorani an afghan analyst who has written extensively about extractive industries said we have to define a vision for our mines and how we go about extracting each in the current reality where do we have security control and can provide the most basic governance and oversight
but mr ghanis government which promised a more judicious approach to the mines seems to be perpetuating the old way of doing business the afghan national security council over which mr ghani presides ordered the termination of the lajwardeen contract and moved to reopen the bidding the council also proposed bringing the militia into the government framework such a change would set a strange precedent failing to protect a contractor from a seizure of assets and then legalizing the takeover
the decision to cancel the contract was made in november 2014 the national security council said in a statement because the contractors progress had not met the terms of the agreement and the mine was being used by irresponsible armed men
while other parts of the national security councils decision such as dispatching forces to protect the mine have not been carried out the government said it still considered the contract annulled because lajwardeen had not followed up on its appeal in the courts the company though says it is still pursuing the case
expansion of the mineral industry is essential to cultivating afghanistans economic growth and weaning the country from foreign aid said stephen carter the leader of the afghanistan campaign at global witness an organization that investigates corruption and environmental degradation in the exploitation of natural resources
what the lapis mines of badakhshan show better than almost any other example is that the realistic expectation is that they are going to do precisely the opposite   that they are going to be a source of conflict and corruption and actually possibly fuel a long term chronic resource based conflict mr carter said so what should be a treasure is actually a poison for afghanistan
a new global witness report explains how interests of the taliban and the political elite align to keep the government weak and the resources in the hands of an unlawful few the report also shows how lajwardeen was essentially caught in a larger rivalry between two local strongmen
for much of this century the mine was controlled by local strongmen including zalmai mujadidi a member of parliament who made his brother the leader of the security force protecting the mine when lajwardeen the word is a persian description of lapis won the contract in 2013 the government struggled to hand over the mine as rival factions vied for control
company executives agreed to a compromise they gave illegal miners a few months to take as much of the stone as they could the executives also offered them a chance to buy shares in the company once it began operations
but the companys perceived closeness to mr mujadidi set off a vicious backlash while saying mr mujadidi had not been awarded shares company officials acknowledged that they had enlisted the support of powerful people like him especially since his brothers guards essentially controlled the mine such was the reality of doing business in badakhshan
in january 2014 abdul malik a militia commander and a longtime rival to mr mujadidi spread rumors that the taliban were about to take the mine instead fighters loyal to him seized it
there was no taliban in the district at the time they took over the mine said noor agha nadery who was then the district governor of kuran wa munjan where the mine is situated the truth of the matter is that the mine was taken over with the help of senior officials in kabul and badakhshan who are still trying to keep the mine in the hands of malik
imamuddin one of mr maliks commanders who helped take the mine but has since had a falling out with him said there were no taliban in the district that rumor said imamuddin who like many afghans uses only one name was spread by malik himself
mr malik who believes in restoring local ownership of the mine has said he led a popular uprising against outsiders exploiting it
mr maliks militia made about 18 million in 2014 and 12 million in 2015 from renting the mine to local extractors and collecting tolls on the roads the global witness report said as the taliban have encroached on the area he has been forced to pay them he split the income 50 50 in the first four months of 2016 the global witness report said meaning the taliban would get an estimated 6 million for the full year
global witness lists bismillah khan mohammadi who was afghanistans defense minister at the time of the takeover as one of mr maliks supporters a longtime guerrilla commander with the anti taliban northern alliance a movement that for decades tapped into the lapis trade to pay for its campaigns mr mohammadi knew the value of the mine
if the allegation is true it shows just how complex and counterintuitive war at the local level can be it would mean that a former anti taliban political figure tasked with defending against the insurgency became involved in a scheme that brought the taliban huge profits making them a force in a province that had long resisted them
mr mohammadi was traveling and could not be reached for comment said shafiq salangi an aide
minister bismillah khan was not supporting malik he did not support him in getting the lapis mines in badakhshan mr salangi said this claim does not have logical grounds we reject this claim
but local commanders said mr mohammadi had been one of the first people mr malik contacted after seizing the mine
commander malik called bismillah mohammadi to assure him that the mine was taken over and that no one had been killed and that he would follow orders from him imamuddin said
lajwardeen hopes to reclaim the mine one day in the meantime it is buying lapis   from mr maliks militia


baltimore   the trials of the six officers charged in the death of freddie gray a 25 year old black man who sustained a fatal spinal injury while in the custody of the baltimore police are winding their way through the courts mr grays death set off widespread unrest and became part of a national conversation on police conduct here is an update on legal proceedings
what happened to freddie gray
on april 12 2015 mr gray was pursued and arrested by officers who said he was carrying an illegal knife prosecutors have raised questions on that count video taken by bystanders shows mr gray being dragged into a police van prosecutors and defense lawyers agree that he sustained a spinal injury during the ride but disagree on when mr gray died a week later his death was ruled a homicide
who was charged
six officers   three black three white   were charged three of them   officer edward m nero on trial this week officer garrett e miller and lt brian w rice   were present during the arrest officer caesar r goodson jr the driver of the van faces the most serious charges two others officer william g porter and sgt alicia d white encountered mr gray during stops on the vans route
here are the charges and maximum sentences
 officer goodson second degree depraved heart murder 30 years involuntary manslaughter 10 years second degree assault 10 years manslaughter by vehicle gross negligence 10 years manslaughter by vehicle criminal negligence three years misconduct in office reckless endangerment five years
 officer porter involuntary manslaughter 10 years second degree assault 10 years misconduct in office reckless endangerment five years
 lieutenant rice involuntary manslaughter 10 years second degree assault 10 years two counts of misconduct in office reckless endangerment five years
 officer nero second degree assault 10 years two counts of misconduct in office reckless endangerment five years
 officer miller second degree assault 10 years two counts of misconduct in office reckless endangerment five years
 sergeant white involuntary manslaughter 10 years second degree assault 10 years misconduct in office reckless endangerment five years
who brought the charges
the states attorney for baltimore marilyn j mosby announced the charges on may 1 2015 it was an unusual step prosecutors around the country including in ferguson mo and cleveland have declined to bring charges in other high profile police shootings
i would say at every juncture she has chosen to go with the more aggressive vigorous option of prosecution said david jaros a law professor at the university of baltimore should ms mosby prevail at least in the mind of the public he said it would mark a major shift simply for prosecutors for everyone to know that prosecutors can and are capable of taking these cases
what has happened in the trials so far
last year the prosecution opened with the trial of officer porter and the others were to follow in quick succession but the jury deadlocked causing judge barry g williams to declare a mistrial hearings and appeals have contributed to delays
prosecutors tried officer porter first because they wanted him to testify against other officers but after the mistrial with a retrial coming he wanted to refuse
prosecutors asked judge williams to compel officer porter to testify while granting him use and derivative use immunity which would bar prosecutors from using his testimony in other officers trials against him during his own it is exceedingly rare for defendants to testify against co defendants while awaiting their own trial but judge williams granted the motion officer porters lawyers appealed the decision to the states highest court which affirmed it although judges there have yet to explain the reasoning behind their ruling late last month judge williams ruled that officer miller could also be compelled to testify against his colleagues
when will the trials end
the court has laid out this schedule officer nero wednesday officer goodson june 6 lieutenant rice july 5 officer miller july 27 officer porters retrial sept 6 and sergeant white oct 13


london   the french are booing olivier giroud
as france gets ready to host the european championship with warm up matches throughout the country whistles and jeers greet the very mention of the frenchmans name
it happened last week in nantes as france hosted cameroon and again over the weekend as france beat scotland in metz giroud responded to the hostile treatment on each occasion by doing what he has to do scoring once in the 3 2 win over cameroon and twice in the 3 0 victory over the scots
fine goals they were too a sublime volley against cameroon and a classic back heel against scotland won the respect of coach didier deschamps but only grudging acceptance from the detractors in the crowd
girouds problem is that he is not karim benzema giroud publicly accepts that the jeers come from in part those who think that he was chosen only because benzema was excluded while he remains under investigation over a blackmail plot involving a sex tape and a french teammate
life is complicated at the moment giroud told reporters in metz on saturday deschamps said that how fans are treating giroud is unfair but people can be conditioned
interesting giroud is on the hottest streak of his life he ended a barren spell with arsenal by finishing off the english season with three goals in his final game he has scored seven times in his last seven appearances with les bleus and while france has played only friendly games for the past couple of years those are still the only opportunities he will get to impress or to score
but when giroud uses the word complicated he means difficult
it is difficult being the main striker for france in a tournament where the fans are expecting a title on home turf it is difficult not being a winner of the champions league which benzema has accomplished twice in the last three seasons with real madrid
and it is complicated by the stories across the english channel where news reports are saying that girouds club arsenal is bidding to pry jamie vardy away from leicester city
vardy is faster by far than giroud both have come up the hard way battling past the doubts of bigger clubs and toiling through the lower leagues to persuade top managers to give them a chance
why would vardy even consider leaving leicester after the wonderful season in which the foxes rose from the bottom to the top of the premier league why would he give up a team with exceptional spirit and friendship that allowed him to rise to the pinnacle of his career and a callup to the english roster for this euro
two weeks ago vardy seemed settled he was given time off from englands training camp to marry leicester rewarded him with a salary increase to more than 5 million per year however vardys representatives alerted bigger clubs to the fact that his leicester contract included a clause that meant anybody willing to pay 20 million pounds or about 30 million could acquire him
thirty million isnt much for a top goal scorer these days especially one with the breathtaking speed of vardy
speed is what giroud lacks the frenchman isnt blessed with the eye catching athleticism of the new generation of les bleus particularly paul pogba kingsley coman and anthony martial
what giroud has is maturity intelligence and a willingness to work for his chances and for the team arsenal fans dont doubt he puts in the effort but they like some french followers regard him as maybe more of a coachs choice than as a potential hero for the nation
seven goals in seven games doesnt seem to have convinced them that giroud is the natural leader of an attack that will need to take a step up once the euro starts
fans read the papers and follow the rumors   that benzema is unwanted at this time in part because of his algerian ancestry
stories like that fanned by the old french favorite eric cantona are dangerously incendiary at a time when the country is trying to ensure that the 51 game tournament will be safe and secure
benzema doesnt quite go along with the implication that racism is behind his exclusion from the team but he lamented to a spanish sports newspaper marca last week that he feels unjustly victimized by the allegations without ever stepping foot in a court of law
in the meantime giroud has his spot on the national team and is doing the only thing he can do to keep his jersey scoring goals
giroud is 29 so this is the chance of his lifetime vardy is also 29 so the allure to trade leicester for arsenal might also be understandable
right now englands management wants no transfer talk to disturb its preparations for the tournament but the vardy to arsenal story is out there with implications for both vardy and giroud
arsenal is doing nothing to quiet the speculation its manager arsene wenger happens to be french and is highly likely to be visible in the media throughout the european championship but he is too wise to comment one way or the other about speculative new purchases for his team
however when arsenal faced leicester last season wenger praised the speed the hunger and the blossoming of vardy
i dont know how we stop him wenger said on television the miracle of vardy is not where he is now   the miracle is that he was at fleetwood
he was referring to fleetwood town a club way down the english soccer ladder that sold vardy for PS1 million in 2012 arsenal might buy him for PS20 million even if by next month giroud is the toast of france


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1 on the eve of the new jersey and california primaries a survey by the associated press found that hillary clinton had enough delegates to clinch the nomination the campaign manager for senator bernie sanders of vermont said in a statement that the aps ruling was unfortunate and a rush to judgment mr sanders had hoped that a victory in california might persuade party leaders to back him president obama has yet to endorse either candidate but his aides have said that he is eager to campaign on behalf of mrs clinton and is particularly enthusiastic about taking on donald j trump

2 as iraqi forces and their shiite militia allies try to wrest the city of falluja from the grip of the islamic state militants thousands of civilians have fled braving the perils of nighttime journeys and the militants gunfire to make it out but at least 50000 more are trapped inside and as many as 20000 may be children aid workers worry that many will be threatened by starvation if the siege wears on

3 after a lackluster jobs report in may the federal reserve may be rethinking its plan to raise interest rates janet l yellen the feds chairwoman gave a speech on monday in which she did not repeat her past remarks about a rate increase in the coming months she insisted though that one bad report would not cause the fed to chart an entirely new course the bank could still decide to raise rates in the summer or the fall

4 a sexual assault case that had already made its way through court drew fresh attention after the victims entire statement to her attacker in court was published the defendant a former student at stanford university was sentenced to six months in jail after being convicted of three counts of sexual assault a punishment that many critics said was far too lenient an effort has been mounted to recall the judge who handed out the sentence

5 the cavaliers have lost the first two games of the nba finals by a combined margin of 48 points in other words theyre getting crushed by the golden state warriors who are intent on capturing their second consecutive championship our analyst places much of the blame on the shoulders of the cavs superstar lebron james after all he writes this was the team the king himself courted

6 the ohio woman whose son wandered into a gorilla exhibit leading to the fatal shooting of a silverback named harambe will not face charges a state prosecutor announced monday she was being attentive to her children by all witness accounts the prosecutor said and the 3 year old just scampered off the episode has raised questions about whether gorillas really belong in zoos

7 american sailors stationed in japan were prohibited from drinking after an officer was arrested in connection with a car accident that left two japanese civilians injured resentment against the us military on okinawa has been rising and the arrest of the sailor who was thought to be drunk caused a public outcry

8 if mark zuckerberg is vulnerable to hacking then who among us is safe that was the question after news broke that the facebook billionaire was the victim of a hacking collective which broke into several of his social media accounts the simplest way to avoid a similar fate use different passwords for different websites and change them frequently

9 new yorkers often think of pennsylvania station as a grim purgatory one best avoided if possible yet some of the most beautiful music ever written   mozart beethoven   is piped into the station the djs are not fellow travelers but three texan women who attempt to anticipate the music that will best soothe stressed out gothamites

10 rain kept kanye west from performing at the governors ball music festival on sunday so the rapper displayed the extent of his powers he signaled that he would play a concert at 2 in the morning at another venue in the east village a crowd materialized out of thin air but the concert was not to be the closest mr west came to performing was to emerge briefly from the sunroof of a car he was riding in

11 most of us would never imagine wanting to track the brain signals of amorous flies or that the task might present a tricky problem a paper released last month details the way a team of california scientists worked their way through that experiment using cameras lasers and insect brain surgery in which the tops of the creatures heads were replaced by tiny glass windows

12 muhammad ali broke all the rules of boxing so what made him a champion fast feet a pesky jab an iron jaw a lean frame and a cunning calculating lightning quick mind that final attribute also contributed to his singular status as a politically outspoken unapologetically black athlete who never sold out our columnist writes

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growing up connecting with other people was difficult says the melbourne born hong kong raised and now brooklyn based photographer ward roberts even today finding the right words is a substantial struggle he admits but playing sport in china or in australia   or america europe indonesia   is something that most people understand
images too transcend language robertss forthcoming book courts 02 a sequel to his courts 01 published in 2012 contains pastel tinged pictures of grounds used for basketball games or tennis matches he continued to hunt for sparse lots in densely packed cities but the second installment is more refined and captured from different angles he says i also study the light at certain times of the year in new york for example i waited for autumn when the leaves are a fiery red to get a burst of subtle color against the raw exterior of a building and i took one of the images in the winter after a blizzard and the snow added a gentleness
in spite of the seemingly idyllic scenes the predominant theme for roberts is imperfection when you walk into a space and the garden and the building are meticulous and the door is perfectly painted it lacks a soul it lacks a human element he says whether the gate is slightly open or theres a lamp on in the back of the building theres always a subtle wink in these photographs that someones just been there   a presence that can be more easily felt with robertss release of three larger limited edition posters


london was my dream place to host the show says nina yashar the grande dame of the milanese design scene whose gallery nilufar has decamped to london for the fifth iteration of its traveling exhibition squat its the place for talent so many of my designers are based here   martino gamper bethan laura wood michael anastassiades its incredible its already popped up in paris and been to beirut but now nilufars eclectic offerings of historical and contemporary design objects inhabit the first floor apartment in a victorian terra cotta building above erdems store in mayfair the sumptuous space which couldnt be further from the threadbare realities that its title summons has over the last five months been restored by the interior and architectural designer shalini misra there are gems at every turn and everything you see is for sale from the floral configurations of gio ponti ceiling lights to the customized dedar curtains and elegant matisse sketch that hangs discreetly on the reception room wall   to even the property itself
the space feels so finished and refined says yashar gesturing to the high spec series of rooms that open from the monochromatic marble floored atrium weve never had a perfect bathroom or kitchen at squat before thanks to shalini its so complete i could actually sleep here tonight yashar first came to the british capital some 30 years ago on the hunt for aubusson carpets i remember it very well she explains of her visit to the citys back room dealers for the antique french carpets that she still sells it has changed so much since then it has become so important for art for exhibitions for museums   but there are not so many design galleries here theres fumi and kreo and david gill but for some reason the wealth of london talent seems better translated elsewhere
its this gap that yashar is on a mission to bridge squat will remain open into the fall with the intention of attracting the same serious investors who flock to fairs such as frieze pad london and masterpiece but though the influential gallerist enjoys the village y feel of hackney and loves exploring the royal college of arts graduate shows she admits to feeling overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the city im always relieved when i get back to milan its more provincial i feel at home there i get lost in london says yashar who wears a prada coat covered with motorcars a warm and commanding presence she is unequivocal in her assessment of the design market whose exponential growth shes observed over her long career suddenly people understood that they cannot have nice artworks at home with bad furniture she says you have to have important design pieces to match those five million dollar works of art
in the above slide show the design doyenne takes t on a tour of nilufars luxurious temporary lodgings


on a recent stormy monday in milan lorenzo serafini the designer of philosophy di lorenzo serafini set off on foot to spend an afternoon at his favorite local haunts the crush of work designing the springsummer 2017 collection was only beginning and serafini   tan and unshaven after a week of scuba diving in the maldives   was still relaxed
taking some free time with t he roamed the citys historic nooks stopping to browse antique collectibles and a trove of designer vintage clothes he began close to his home east of the duomo where serafini wandered under a pointed archway into a vine covered alley amid the neo gothic buildings of the verdi conservatory the street resonated with the sound of musicians at practice milan has these secret paradises that let you feel outside of time he said
after 20 years in womens wear serafini 43 inhabits a position of enviable autonomy in fashion picked by alberta ferretti to be the creative director of the secondary line she created in 1984 serafini has been given freedom to express his romantic vision as the head of the brand the offshoot label retained ferrettis own name for 30 years until after an 18 month stint with designer natalie ratabesi ferretti rechristened it in honor of her new designer philosophy di lorenzo serafini
strolling towards the headquarters of alberta ferretti and philosophy serafini opened a plaid umbrella against the rain pausing to take in via bellinis art nouveau masterpieces soon he reached his own studio in palazzo donizetti a florid liberty style building designed by piero portaluppi in 1920 on the villas elegant second floor his office is papered preteen style with his icons brooke shields jane birkin siouxsie sioux   the women of my youth he said wistfully on his desk the upcoming spring collection was beginning to take shape inspired by the freedom you feel on vacation the naturalness you have by the sea he said gazing at a photo of brooke shields wild like blue lagoon...
nostalgia runs deep in serafinis approach to fashion he looks back reverently on his working experiences   four years as head of womens wear at dolce and gabbana 10 at roberto cavalli and five at blumarine   as the best education possible his youth in the seaside town of riccione where his father ran a hotel for beachgoers left its mark   he still keeps the magazines that first piqued his love for fashion which continue to inspire him im not interested in inventing anything he said the past already offers us the keys to feminine style that work for every woman   romanticism lightweights fluid volumes prints ruching   that i interpret with new silhouettes and new fabrics
after a lunch of his customary order of spaghetti alle vongole at the iconic milan restaurant da giacomo a taxi deposited serafini at loro dei farlocchi a gallery of antique curiosities in the brera neighborhood a larger than life handmade ostrich stood by the entrance surrounded by collectibles of every sort a narwhal tusk in a bronze base gilt framed 18th century illustrations a hand carved cabbage like one serafini had bought for a friend he crossed himself with holy water in the neighboring church before continuing on to franco jacassi a nearby three story emporium filled with racks of vintage clothing by designers like yves saint laurent pucci and issey miyake
vintage pieces were made with more love he said conspiratorially as he admired a pair of chiffon versace harem pants from the 70s there was less mass market and more attention to detail then and time gives the clothes a very singular patina in his own designs he seeks to create a timeworn feeling with washes and treatments mislaid creases and raw edges i want a woman to wear my dress as if shes already had it for a very long time he said he pointed to his own vintage sweater and twenty year old levis an object is more than just an object   its a vehicle of emotions its that sentimentality that love for clothes that i try to express with my designs
thunder rumbled as serafini walked on towards the palazzo brera a former abbey thats home to an art school and the pinacoteca di brera museum where philosophy held its spring show his second for the house the beginning was a bit scary   directing a label from a to z and being in the spotlight he said softly referring to his initial collection presentation im a bit shy and reserved and it was a shock to see my name on the brand
he headed into the botanical garden behind the building where monks once planted medicinal herbs i never think about the future but my vision for philosophy has always been clear he said pacing the dense rows of greenery my mission is to create a complete wardrobe for a woman today the classic romantic codes of femininity are my tools i just revisit them with a touch of modernity   more comfort and more uses for a dress the rain had stopped and the 17th century garden filled the stillness of the moist air with the scent of roses juniper and rosemary everything exists already he said the only things i can create are new emotions


the governors ball music festival came to randalls island this weekend bringing out the stylish crowds as well as the music see photos from the festival above


welcome to watching the new york timess what to watch guide we comb through releases big and small famous and esoteric to email readers twice a week with our timely recommendations our most recent suggestions also appear below to receive our guide straight to your inbox sign up here
on a recent episode of the mindy project morgan described himself as a person of filth and its a term i identify with completely and totally ive rewatched so much southland in the last few days that i feel like my spirit is made of empty doritos bags and dirty looks its such a good show but it can bring someone down especially someone like me a person of filth
all is not lost of course one of my favorite shows is back this week plus out there in the world are literary yo mama jokes and amazing hand lettering videos warning there is a coldplay song and magical simpsons tattoos
if youve started watching anything because of this newsletter id absolutely love to know im at watchingnytimescom
watch if you like behind the scenes stories addictive soaps and shows that feel right for summertime
i wrote about unreal in this space in april but its return is one of the highlights of my tv summer the sudsy drama stars shiri appleby as rachel a reality tv producer on a bachelor-style show the new season read our review here picks up not too long after season 1 with everlasting making a bold move and enlisting its first black suitor sophomore seasons in general make me nervous   lots of good shows stumble in the second go round   but based on the first two episodes unreal looks like its as smart and cynical as ever the shows at its best when we see rachel play puppet master with the contestants and we see that in full force monday 10 pm lifetime
watch if you like naked gun-type humor rashida jones and especially sight gags
season 1 only ended in march so angie fans have not had to wait long but back is back its dont call me shirley the tv show and thats either hugely enticing to you as a fan of police squad et al or its a total turnoff and youre someone who hates airplane i am told it takes all kinds if youre somewhere in the middle give it a go for the clear delight that everyone involved is taking in making this show angie is much more fun in small doses than in a binge but tbs is airing two episodes back to back anyway monday 9 pm tbs watch season 1 on hulu
watch if you like dark dramas foreign series gutsy ensemble shows and violent tales of vengeance
orange is the new black returns june 17   and it picks right up where it left off so if you were planning a rewatch or never finished last season nows the time but if youre jonesing for another show set in a womens prison   one with a much harsher darker tone behold wentworth a ruthlessly bleak australian drama three seasons 34 total episodes are available on netflix
the show centers on bea smith danielle cormack recently convicted of the attempted murder of her husband we meet other inmates as well as the guards and prison staffers and no one comes across all that well many though not all of beas fellow inmates have been convicted of a violent crime most though not all of the prison employees are corrupt or vicious in some way much though not all of their and frankly our world is just wild horrendousness wentworth is very comfortable with its characters dark sides and bad impulses but unlike a lot of other shows it doesnt secretly fetishize that brutality
even as wentworth depicts the entropy that exists within prison walls the show itself is impressively methodical pulling off subtle season long games and genuine shocks it also holds the record for the hand smashingest show ive ever seen
the shows fourth season is currently airing in australia so if you are extremely spoiler phobic google carefully more than four episodes in a row and youll be tempted to slam someones hand in an industrial washing machine so pace yourself if you miss the intricate plotting unholy alliances and fascinating depravity of breaking bad give wentworth a try
 casual returns for its second season hulus stab at the la talky dramedy still feels unoriginal and no one episode seems to have enough story in it but michaela watkinss performance is so good its hard to write off the show completely wait until the end of the season the episodes come out weekly and watch it all at once tuesdays on hulu where season 1 is currently available
 the americans season finale airs wednesday   and runs 14 minutes over so make sure your dvr is set correctly this season has been extraordinary read our recaps here and the finale continues apace hurry back show wednesday 10 pm fx
 the nba finals continue this week with game 3 on wednesday and game 4 on friday 9 pm abc
morality is fluid in game of thrones the one cardinal sin seems to be to refuse to deal with the world as it is ned stark is the enduring example of this jeremy egner writes plus from vanity fair what are the women of westeros really up to
veep can rarely be called triumphant but toward the end of this episode when a dazzlingly attired president meyer is demolishing her enemies with devastating words and a killer smile ... well for a few moments she actually is the most powerful person in the free world shes stunning in every sense of the world according to noel murray
thats the benefit of silicon valley constantly bogging down its characters with setbacks and high stakes conflict their response clarifies who they are and brings their relationships into sharper focus scott tobias says
outlander has now comfortably settled back into its old rhythm after the immense upheaval of the last few episodes it feels good for the show to slow down and calibrate the emotional dynamics of its characters angelica jade bastien writes


sam sifton emails readers of cooking seven days a week to talk about food and suggest recipes that email also appears here to receive it in your inbox register here
good morning if one wanted to get scrod this evening the tourist asked the boston cabdriver where might one go the cabby turned around and stared at him you know ive probably heard that question a thousand times he said but never in the pluperfect subjunctive
hello is this thing on
weve got fish on the brain we want to make julia moskins brilliant recipe for pan roasted fluke in herb butter we want to make melissa clarks simple elegant recipe for smoky fish chowder we want to make florence fabricants cool technique recipe for slow roasted porgy with mustard and dill
and to celebrate the return of squid to our home waters we are definitely going to make david taniss exquisite recipe for risotto nero
but thats not all well be making in coming days were thinking this may be a good week to cook some after work fried chicken off kim seversons recipe for pan frying or mine for coke brining or melissas for hot nashville style
wed like too to start nailing down some good weeknight salads like perhaps julias awesome and transgressive recipe for kale and romaine caesar salad or nigella lawsons recipe for a salad with ricotta and pine nuts is it too early for caprese not in some precincts well call that virtue for dinner and leave room for dessert
speaking of we love alex witchels recipe for banana everything cookies we adore mark bittmans recipe for watermelon popsicles edna lewiss recipe for rhubarb pie if we can pull the time out of tonight or tomorrow to make it we could eat it for breakfast the whole thing with about a gallon of coffee before walking the seven miles to the newsroom
lots more recipes to cook this week are on cooking of course save the ones you like to your recipe box and get to them as soon as you can
now if you run into trouble with the technology on our site or apps please ask for help were at cookingcarenytimescom and if you have good food jokes send them to me on social media im on twitter and facebook pinterest and instagram or if you dont do that that social media stuff you can find me on email foodeditornytimescom clamdiggers play us off


fruit flies are far from human but not as far as you might think
they do many of the same things people do like seek food fight and woo mates and their brains although tiny and not set up like those of humans or other mammals do many of the same things that all brains do   make and use memories integrate information from the senses and allow the creature to navigate both the physical and the social world
consequently scientists who study how all brains work like to use flies because its easier for them to do invasive research that isnt allowed on humans
the technology of neuroscience is sophisticated enough to genetically engineer fly brains and to then use fluorescent chemicals to indicate which neurons are active but there are some remaining problems like how to watch the brain of a fly that is moving around freely
it is one thing to record what is going on in a flys brain if the insects movement is restricted but quite another to try to catch the light flash of brain cells from a fly that is walking around
takeo katsuki an assistant project scientist at the kavli institute at the university of california san diego is interested in courtship and he said fruit flies simply wont engage in courtship when they are tethered
so he and dhruv grover another assistant project scientist and ralph j greenspan in whose lab they both work set out to develop a method for recording the brain activity of a walking fly
one challenge was to track the fly as it moved they solved that problem with three cameras to follow the fly and a laser to activate the fluorescent chemicals in the brain
the other was the delicate matter of making a window into the flys brain for that dr katsuki said he removed the top of a flys head and glued in place a tiny glass window it had to seal off the brain so that it wouldnt dry out and it had to be flat to avoid optical distortion
the procedure was quite a delicate matter now dr katsuki said i call myself a fly surgeon
and although the flies often seemed fine after the procedure and walked away the researchers let them rest for a day to make sure if the surgery did not go well a flys brain activity might be abnormal and if there was a problem a fly would probably not survive a day
dr katsuki said that he was sometimes disappointed when surgery went well but the patient escaped by flying away instead of being captured in a vial to await the next days experiment but he and his colleagues operated on enough flies to prove the value of the procedure
the researchers published the details of their work in nature methods in may now that they have shown the approach works they can start finding out what they want to know about how a flys brain works


fame wrote rainer maria rilke in 1902 is after all only the sum of all the misunderstandings that gather around a new name the line appears at the beginning of a short book on auguste rodin that a 27 year old rilke published when the world famous sculptor was 63 however much we think we know about rodin the young poet argued were wrong and yet rilke goes on to say its not even worth taking the time to disabuse us of our errors for they gathered around the name not around the work
rilkes warning about confusing the artist with his work was on my mind one afternoon last fall when i sat in a still lush garden on the rockland county property of the 64 year old choreographer director dancer and writer bill t jones arguably the most written about figure in the dance world of the last quarter century jones is inarguably the most broadly laureled with a national medal of arts and a kennedy center honor and tony awards and a dorothy  lillian gish prize and a macarthur fellowship and without hyperbole scores more jones has received as much praise from avant garde aficionados in 1998 the village voice critic deborah jowitt wrote approvingly of joness politically charged pieces in which even beauty seems to pose an enraged challenge as from the mainstream in 2009 the times critic ben brantley gushed that joness broadway musical fela left audiences feeling like they have been dancing with the stars  and i mean astral bodies
and yet jones has also been critiqued with uncommon rancor in her 1994 piece discussing the undiscussable the new yorker critic arlene croce argued that jones had become literally undiscussable the premise of joness major midcareer work stillhere offended the critic so profoundly that she refused even to see the piece   a meditation about mortality in which jones incorporated the movements of terminally ill people whom hed met in the free dance workshops hed set up for them the patients becoming in a sense collaborators by working dying people into his act croce wrote jones is putting himself beyond the reach of criticism  the most extreme case among the distressingly many now representing themselves to the public not as artists but as victims and martyrs
its difficult to read croces assessment today and not see the critic as having misunderstood jones in the very way that rilke cautioned against by 1994 jones already famous as a gifted dancer and choreographer had also become famously associated with aids after the death of his partner arnie zane and after the publicizing of his own hiv positive status but croces piece also went precisely to how since the 1970s joness own story has been variously at the center of his art an aesthetic choice to initiate a dialogue over the place that a gay black man has in contemporary american life for two generations now his work has attempted to provoke in the manner of a person intent on steering a conversation toward the uncomfortable in order to yield understanding
jones is himself a gifted talker as i discovered under an umbrella shading the worn wooden wheel of a table on his deck where he was giving me a sort of master class on 20th century dance the reason for my visit was to discuss the genesis and evolution of his newest work   an ambitious three part cycle of dances called analogy which id been watching his company develop while invisibly refilling our water and wine glasses as we ate chicken soup and fresh cornbread that his husband and companion in all things the artist bjorn amelan had made us for lunch jones was also talking about his love of wg sebalds the emigrants its nested narratives telling the stories of four jewish lives touched by the holocaust as well as the struggle he had lately been having with joyces ulysses which he and amelan have been reading to each other
amelan a warm and decorous french jew who retains a central casting accent despite two decades in america was indoors while jones and i spoke keeping half an eye on his 95 year old mother dora a holocaust survivor who visits them for several weeks every year and calls jones her third son as amelan worked jones explained how dance had evolved in the 20th century from what he called the well made dance of george balanchine with its exquisite precision and elegant finished forms to the postmodern dances of the 60s that disrupted that soothing elegance to admit novel features singing and talking for instance also not dancing in the way that john cages music had showed us that silence in expectation of music that never begins can itself be music jones gave me a sense of what it meant when he took his first steps onto those first stages in the 1970s his dances were designed to get the audience   almost completely white then as now   to examine what they were doing sitting there watching an aggressively beautiful half naked young gay out black man dance for them it was absolutely an intimidation
in the era of when people were discovering identity politics jones said in his rambling baritone for someone to step up and say i am aware of what you see when you look at me oh such narcissism such self involvement  jones adopted a different voice here as he collated past responses to his work essentially performing the argument well no jones said returning to his own voice quite frankly you   usually its white people   have a lot of problems actually looking at me at who i really am and i am now giving you permission to do so i am going to move i am going to gesture im going to be speaking in a way thats very personal and yet im going to be dancing in another way and you will be obliged to decide how to process it all and make it into a thing which you and i agree is supposed to be happening here an artistic event is supposed to be happening here
conversation for jones is itself an artistic event confrontation is at its heart and his tactics are varied and surprising i saw joness jousting mode last spring before an audience at bard college where i teach his company had just performed an early version of the first part of analogy called dora tramontane which draws on his mother in laws personal history that of a jewish girl in a jewish family that like so many families of the era and the region was during the war vandalized by fate after the performance during a q and a with jones and his company the moderator asked a question about what it takes for someone like dora to stand up and resist and whether a piece like this can inspire people to act jones took the question seriously i am making this work to satisfy my artistic desires he said but behind it im also trying to make a work that might be like in the black church when somebody stands up and says yes i have a problem they say it to the community i am weak i wanna be strong and somebody in the community says amen i hear you i hear you and thats why the black church has been a political organ literally it starts there now whats your church and those of you who are breeding and having children what is the creed that you will demonstrate every day
joness question to the audience wasnt entirely rhetorical he had given and now he wanted the students to give back what about you he later asked one of them what are you pushing against is this your world do you feel this world wants you
like his conversation his dance compositions require a give and take consider joness first solo on a big stage at the delacorte theater in central park in 1977 from a piece called everybodyworksall beasts count during the course of the solo jones tells a true brief story about visiting two of his mothers sisters his aunties the text which quotes them goes
those blanks arent blank just silent as jones mouths big and clear so that even the non lip reading among us cant miss it white as if white were a dirty word something you shouldnt say out loud as jones is telling this story his hands are busy repeatedly constantly telegraphing a series of numbers via sets of extended fingers   a set of three a set of two a set of four   the pattern of a social security number in this case joness actual social security number thus the question of identity   what defines each of us as a human being the features by which we are measured   was being performed as jones has said when i came into the art world in the 70s it was the time of minimalism it was extreme aesthetics extreme formalism in everybodyworks jones was adapting that aestheticism to his own more political aims
we want to say that dance is supposed to be the freest medium of them all jones told me after lunch adopting as he sometimes does the first person plural asking his listener to think along with him dance is supposed to transcend language dance is supposed to be universal language when i move my arm we all have an arm we can feel this when i run we can all feel it
when you leap we leave the ground i said
yes now whats this  he said assuming the voice of a dismayed audience member  youre leaving the ground but youre talking about  1942 would you just shut up and let me enjoy leaving the ground well no youve left the ground many times you can go see that all the time but im going to expose you to my preoccupations theres something about that ephemeral moment on stage that i want to be as intimate as what weve had this afternoon
a conversation
a conversation
inside joness mother in law slept on the couch her ipad resting on her lap amelan worked at the dining table surrounded by family joness current artistic dialogue with himself and his audience mines that territory analogy comes from the greek analogos meaning proportional with respect to a thing or persons share allotment lot the importance of doras story jones has said is that she lived through a time of unspeakable barbarity which took the lives of her younger sister and numerous other family members and yet she emerged free of cynicism and bitterness im bitter as hell yet about slavery jones said in a talk at bard last year im really angry ive accepted that im always going to be angry and here you have this woman whose mothers side of her family were deported to auschwitz he said speaking now as if his mother in law were there with us how dare you dora come out of that war and say people are basically good
the second part of analogy which will debut at the american dance festival in durham nc in july is equally focused on family called lance pretty aka the escape artist it explores the story of joness nephew lance briggs   a boy who wanted to grow up to be a combination of michael jackson and his famous uncle he could sing like an angel won scholarships to dance with the san francisco ballet and the ailey school and had begun a successful career as a model and performer and songwriter but it all unraveled quickly a life of promise became plagued by drug use and sexual exploitation addiction led to prostitution and then aids and then hospitalization for much of last year and paraplegia and at 45 a life closing in on death
we say black lives matter jones told me well this is a black life joness sense of guilt at having failed to protect his nephew feels urgent painful pure by telling briggss story jones initially hoped to jump start the heart of an artist in the months that have unfolded since i began to watch jones work on lance the story itself has changed lance was at last released from the hospital where his uncle feared his life could end since the start of 2016 he has been collaborating with jones writing songs and raps for the production as well as working on his own piece based on his life
to tell his analogy stories jones interviewed both dora and lance setting down in type the events that hed heard from them throughout their lives rather than simply translating them into dance jones has included his interviews with his subjects in the pieces we hear joness questions and his subjects answers typically voiced not by jones himself but by the dancers
now at this late hour in the game jones told me to be the artist who i am and with the kind of notoriety or reputation that i have and to be doing something very vulnerable and exposed like this just a step away from the indulgence of publishing ones most intimate letters  but theres something about this device of these young anonymous people that they are the channels for this hyper personal discussion thats my experiment in other words he is beginning to hand off control of the voice that has always been at the center of his work his own the change in method is a necessary evolution if joness work is to outlive him and it is indeed an experiment what jones is reaching for but it is experimental in the way of the seeker rather than the provocateur more prayer than sermon
ive been watching jones develop this new work for the past year as it has grown in length and form as for joness early solo work i know about it not because my 8 year old self living three blocks away had the wherewithal to three wheel it over to central park in 1977 rather i know about it because jones performed it for me at his house after one of our lunches he also performed another dance called 21 during our springlike november afternoon
want to bring your pillow over jones said
standing before me on the weathered planks of his deck overlooking his manicured garden jones in very worn wide wale midnight blue corduroys and a slate gray long sleeved t shirt began to move jones has so often stripped his body bare or nearly as to make any reasonable human have to acknowledge its perfection the act of its revelation less a brag or a dare than a statement of fact as when the poet christopher logue in his version of the iliad describes the sound that achilless new armor made when it was first presented to him made in heaven as if to prove its perfection as an art object   jones refers to his body as an instrument   the painter keith haring once used jones himself as a canvas painting even his penis five bright white stripes on a fancy black sock
as jones began to move he adopted 21 different poses each something to decode each a manifestation of something pure moving from one to the next elementally as water flows down a mountain pooling here pooling there
i used to trust my instrument jones had told me earlier so much that i could throw down anywhere point being trust was gone idea being whatever this was it wasnt throwing down now youre seeing whats left of the old billie holiday all you can hear is her phrasing jones said afterward as his spectator id have to disagree
the first time he worked through the poses he was silent the second the same poses were introduced by numbers from one to 21 the third time the numbers were replaced by names captions that let us know where the poses had come from   one italian renaissance contrapposto david two arnold schwarzenegger three muhammad ali   each an icon a stance a person could in life adopt and then as jones began a fourth series through the movements he began to collate the conversation we had been having into the dance along with his passing thoughts a stream of consciousness scissoring in of phrases said into the shapes he was adopting and discarding what was most striking in these minutes was how his thoughts about his current project   about his nephew briggs who at that hour was lying paralyzed from the waist down in a florida hospital bed   rose into the air as jones moved with great tenderness something achingly open and empty in the motions of his large calm hands i  i  i  i  jones now sang durer the expulsion  he said as he adopted the pose of adam expelled from eden go he has to go soon dont go to hell lance do i want you to go
it occurred to me watching jones move that like all great attempts at artistic expression his art manages to model compassion for the spectator   to make us feel what its like to be dealing with an intense feeling not our own but one that becomes ours to deal with when we add in the way in which joness mind and body are changing the dances themselves take on a new sort of vulnerability a new riskiness far from the formalism of the 70s when performing 21 for his audience of one jones seemed less like a man intent upon confronting his audience than confronting himself watching him i wondered where he got the strength to do all that looking
before the last lunch i had with amelan and jones inside now jones reached his right hand to his husbands left and his left to his guests right as we sat in silence i recalled something jones had said to me on an earlier visit when we were talking about his ambitions for lance im going to step out on the word   that term my mother speaks about in her notion of the ecstatic nature of worship child you have to step out on the word the word of god shes talking about jones paused after he said it wondering at it what is my word he asked finally as though that will always be the question


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lima peru   an economist who served as perus prime minister held a razor thin lead in the presidential contest on sunday against the daughter of an imprisoned former president who was seeking to return her family to power
a partial count released by the government on sunday night put pedro pablo kuczynski 77 with about a 1 percent advantage over keiko fujimori 41 whose father alberto ran the country in the 1990s officials said the result amounted to a technical tie and said they would keep counting throughout the night
while both candidates campaigned on similar free market platforms many in the region saw the election as a referendum on the legacy of mr fujimori whose rule turned authoritarian as he suspended the countrys constitution in a conflict with the shining path a marxist rebel group
years later while trying to return to power he was convicted of corruption and human rights abuses and sentenced to 25 years in prison
still many peruvians initially seemed to favor ms fujimori   who pledged not to give her father a pardon   giving her the most votes in the first round of the presidential contest in april and handing her popular force party a majority in congress
after the first round of voting polls showed her widening a lead over mr kuczynski with populist appeals to working class voters and a law and order message
yet the sunday result revealed a country more evenly divided between the two candidates with a slight advantage for mr kuczynski a mild mannered former world bank official who appealed to voters as a technocrat
on sunday night before supporters a jubilant mr kuczynski who was prime minister from 2005 to 2006 stopped short of claiming a win but said he believed that victory would be his soon i am sure that the election commission will come out tomorrow with a favorable verdict for us he said we abhor dictatorship and love democracy
ms fujimori said she would also wait for the final result were proud to know that we came out with the backing of 50 percent of the population she said
cires palomares vicuna 55 a nurse said she had voted for mr kuczynski i identify with him and we need to make a positive change and have someone experienced to correctly steer us she said
jesus ayala 53 a construction worker said he was fearful that crime was on the rise in his country something he thought ms fujimori was better equipped to handle
i believed in fujimoris fight against terrorism back in the 90s he said he was the only one able to end that war like now delinquency has grown and i think shes best to combat it
while her fathers legacy cut both ways ms fujimori found herself on the defensive against a number of corruption allegations critics repeatedly accused her campaign of giving money to voters and one of her running mates was disqualified by the countrys electoral commission for handing out food and water at an election event
ms fujimoris campaign manager joaquin ramirez was forced to step down after news media reports claimed that he was being investigated by the united states drug enforcement administration for money laundering jesus f vasquez a pilot who now lives in central florida claims that he heard mr ramirez boast of money laundering
by mr vasquezs telling mr ramirez said that during ms fujimoris 2011 campaign for president la china as she is known gave him 15 million to launder mr vasquez recalled mr ramirez saying that he did so using a chain of gas stations he owns
i even repeated it la china keiko fujimori gave you 15 million to launder mr vasquez said in an interview
mr vasquez who has offered testimony to peruvian prosecutors said he had also worked as an informant for the drug enforcement administration a spokesman for the agency would not confirm any relationship but said ms fujimori was not being investigated
both mr ramirez and ms fujimori have denied any wrongdoing
the allegations were a factor for alexander de feudis 45 a graphic designer
at first i thought keiko would be great because her party leads the congress and this allows her to make changes faster he said now i changed my mind because i see too many signs of corruption within her party and the people who surround her


mexico city   two days after jorge antonio parral rabadan was kidnapped by a criminal gang the mexican army raided the remote ranch where he was a prisoner and killed him as he instinctively raised his hands in defense the soldiers fired over and over at point blank range
a brief army communique about the event asserted that soldiers had returned fire and killed three hit men at the el puerto ranch on april 26 2010
but mr parral had fired no weapon
he was a government employee the supervisor of a bridge crossing into texas when he and a customs agent were abducted according to a 2013 investigation by the national human rights commission the case which is still open has volleyed among prosecutors yet his parents persist determined that someone be held accountable
tell me if this looks like the face of a killer to you said alicia rabadan sanchez mr parrals mother pulling a photograph of a happy young man from a plastic folder
in the years since the mexican government began an intense military campaign against drug gangs many stories like mr parrals have surfaced   accounts of people caught at the intersection of organized crime security forces and a failing justice system
they are killed at military checkpoints vanish inside navy facilities or are tortured by federal police officers seldom are their cases investigated a trial and conviction are even more rare
but are these cases just regrettable accidents in the course of a decade long government battle against drug violence a new report by the open society justice initiative which works on criminal justice reforms around the world argues that they are not instead the study says they point to a pattern of indiscriminate force and impunity that is an integral part of the states policy
and in the framework of international law the study argues the killings forced disappearances and torture constitute crimes against humanity
the evidence is overwhelming said james a goldston the executive director of the new york based justice initiative which will release the report on tuesday in case after case army actors and federal police have been implicated
but in all but a few cases the allegations languish are dismissed or are reclassified the impunity is a loud signal that crimes against humanity are being committed mr goldston said
the justice initiative report is the first time an international group has made a public legal argument that the pattern of abuses amounts to crimes against humanity the finding is significant mr goldston said because under the lens of international law an investigation would seek to determine the chain of command behind the policy
the government of president enrique pena nieto rejected the conclusions
based on international law crimes against humanity are generalized or systematic attacks against a civilian population which are committed in accordance with a state policy the government said in a statement in mexico the immense majority of violent crimes have been committed by criminal organizations
the report does not dispute that last point its analysis which covers the six year administration of former president felipe calderon and the first three years of mr pena nietos government also looks at the zetas the most violent of mexicos drug gangs their brutal actions constitute crimes against humanity as well the report concludes
the government said that in the exceptional cases in which public officials have been shown to be involved in the use of excessive force human rights abuses or torture they have been tried and sentenced
but human rights and international organizations have argued for years that these cases are not exceptional
rather than ask the international criminal court to begin an investigation the justice initiative proposes that the crimes be investigated at home
one of the things that we have learned is that mexico is rich in financial resources and human capital in these issues mr goldston said the justice initiative has been working in mexico for more than a decade
but the investigations simply havent happened because in our view the political will is not there mr goldston said
the report explains how we have reached this state of impunity said jose antonio guevara the director of the mexican commission for the defense and promotion of human rights the governments understanding at the highest level is that what theyre doing is the right thing to weaken organized crime he said
the commission was one of five mexican groups that helped prepare the justice initiative report
to break that impunity the report proposes that mexico accept international help from outside prosecutors with the authority to investigate and prosecute atrocities and corruption cases
mexicos human rights crisis has commanded international attention since 43 students from a local teachers college were abducted by local police officers working with a drug gang in the southern city of iguala in september 2014 as the federal police and military stood by
the impunity in mexico and the circuits of corruption are such that they generate pacts so solid that international intervention is needed said santiago aguirre the deputy director of the miguel agustin pro juarez center for human rights
one model for what the report suggests is in neighboring guatemala where independent prosecutors uncovered a customs fraud scheme that brought down the president last year
the mexican government rejected the idea our country has the capacity and the will to meet human rights challenges it said
the government pointed to the drop in complaints to the national human rights commission to 538 last year from 1450 in 2012
it also described recent changes designed to reduce abuses including proposed laws and protocols to prevent torture and investigate disappearances a new law for victims is in effect and this month courts will begin to switch from written to oral trials
critics are skeptical that the changes will make much of a difference unless they are carried out effectively
as long as prosecutors in mexico remain subject to political power said mr aguirre the impunity will continue whats the incentive for a prosecutor to be independent none he said
without real investigations there are thousands of parents like the parrals who trudge from one government office to another in search of answers
it was only through a case file number that appeared on an army document 10 months after their son disappeared that they found his body
tucked into the archives at the state prosecutors office was their sons government id which had been found at the ranch but his body had been tossed into a common grave an army investigation dismissed the case and it languished with federal prosecutors before it was turned back to state prosecutors
we think the army is hiding something to protect the commanding officers from the atrocities they carry out said mr parrals father jorge parral gutierrez we can see that the prosecutors are not free to act
the message is that the army ... began mr parral his wife finished the sentence  ... has obstructed justice in every way


rafa marquez and hector herrera scored late goals to lift mexico over uruguay 3 1 on sunday night in glendale ariz in an opening round copa america centenario match that began on a sour note the wrong national anthem
a vastly pro mexico crowd of 60025 watched the matchup of what were considered the top teams in group c
marquezs close range shot in the 84th minute broke a 1 1 tie and herrera scored on a header from just outside the net in extra time
mexicos other score was an own goal by uruguays alvaro pereira four minutes into the match marquezs goal came 10 minutes after diego godins header tied it for uruguay at 1 1
chiles national anthem was played instead of uruguays during the prematch ceremonies prompting the uruguayan players to stand silently on the field at university of phoenix stadium many with blank stares
copa america said the mistake was a human error
turnover boosts venezuela josef martinez slotted a left footed shot under goalkeeper andre blake in the 15th minute and venezuela beat 10 man jamaica 1 0 in a group c opener in chicago
martinezs goal was set up by a jamaican giveaway on a clearance attempt venezuela defender rolf feltscher intercepted and started a quick hitting four pass combination that freed martinez near the left corner of the 6 yard box jamaica midfielder rodolph austin was sent off in the 23rd minute after he received a straight red card for a studs up tackle on venezuelas tomas rincon
michael hector nearly tied it for jamaica on a right footed shot that hit the post in the 49th minute and blake had a diving save in the 70th minute to keep the deficit at one goal


denver broncos cornerback aqib talib was shot in the leg at a nightclub in dallas a team spokesman said sunday
patrick smyth the spokesman said that the team had been in contact with talib who had sustained an apparently minor gunshot wound
the police told the dallas morning news that talib had been one of two people shot in an altercation and that both victims were hospitalized with wounds that were not believed to be life threatening
last week talib said he was looking forward to traveling to the white house with his teammates on monday to be honored by president obama for their super bowl victory the broncos three day mandatory minicamp starts tuesday
talib 30 has been named to the pro bowl the last three seasons he has 30 career interceptions since 2008 his rookie year with tampa bay
marco estrada took a no hitter into the eighth inning for the third time in a year and the visiting toronto blue jays held off the boston red sox 5 4
jose bautista opened the game with a home run the first of four toronto hit over the green monster edwin encarnacion added a two run shot and darwin barney and russell martin each had a solo homer
last june estrada took no hit bids into the eighth inning in consecutive starts before they were broken up
police investigate thrown bottle the philadelphia police are investigating after a beer bottle landed near phillies first baseman ryan howard during saturdays 6 3 loss to milwaukee howard the 2006 national league most valuable player has struggled all season he said he could deal with verbal criticism but when you start throwing stuff thats when stuff gets personal
around the majors evan longoria homered for the fourth consecutive game connecting twice and tampa bay won at minnesota 7 5 daniel murphy homered and drove in three runs and jonathan papelbon pitched out of a jam in the ninth inning to preserve washingtons 10 9 win at cincinnati albert pujols hit the 30th home run of his career at pittsburghs pnc park the most of any road ballpark and the los angeles angels beat the pirates 5 4
anna nordqvist successfully defended her shoprite lpga classic title with a seven under par 64 final round in breezy conditions for a one stroke victory in galloway township nj
nordqvist 28 is the oldest tour winner this year
the french pair of caroline garcia and kristina mladenovic secured a rare triumph for the home nation at the french open winning the womens doubles 6 3 2 6 6 4 over ekaterina makarova and elena vesnina of russia
the last french pair to win womens doubles at roland garros was gail chanfreau and francoise durr who won in 1970 and then successfully defended their title the next year
a full page newspaper ad thanks ken starr for his exceptional care for students after his removal as baylor president over the universitys handling of sexual assault complaints against football players
the ad in the austin american statesman was signed by seven baylor supporters and urged readers to commend judge starr at the website thankkenstarrcom
starr who resigned as chancellor at baylor last week has said he did not know about the allegations involving baylor football players until news media reports first surfaced in 2015 during a players trial
rain postponed the nascar sprint cup race at pocono raceway in long pond pa brad keselowski will have the pole for poconos first monday race since 2009
the 2012 rain shortened race at pocono was marred by lightning strikes that killed one fan and injured nine others


the humans and shuffle along each earned four awards with the humans winning for outstanding play and shuffle along for outstanding musical at the drama desk awards on sunday night
the 61st annual awards also honored the humans for outstanding lighting design and sound design and gave the play a special award for outstanding ensemble the humans by stephen karam transferred to broadway after a critically lauded premiere off broadway from the roundabout theater company last fall
shuffle along about the creation and aftermath of a 1921 musical of the same title also took home awards for outstanding choreography savion glover costume design and wig and hair design
the awards were for broadway off broadway and off off broadway productions that opened during the 2015 16 season excluded was hamilton which is up for a record breaking 16 nominations at the tony awards on june 12 but originally opened during the 2014 15 season at the public theater off broadway it won seven drama desk awards last year
also among the big winners was the broadway revival of the 1960s bock and harnick musical she loves me which won for outstanding revival as well as featured actress jane krakowski orchestration and set design ivo van hoves stripped down production of a view from the bridge won for outstanding revival of a play
other acting award winners include frank langella the father jessica lange long days journey into night danny burstein fiddler on the roof cynthia erivo the color purple michael shannon long days journey into night saycon sengbloh eclipsed and christopher fitzgerald waitress
the full list of winners is at dramadeskawardscom


oakland calif   steve kerr the coach of the golden state warriors is fairly open about the fact that he plays favorites when it comes to shooting the basketball stephen curry and klay thompson are allowed to do whatever they want they can chuck shots from the bleachers bad shots do not exist for them
thats the rule kerr said adding i trust their judgment
draymond green has not earned the right to be included in their elite little group   not yet anyway but he was at his dynamic best in the warriors 110 77 victory over the cleveland cavaliers on sunday night in game 2 of the nba finals he buried 3 pointers he defended he rebounded and he helped carry the warriors to a two games to none series lead at oracle arena
i dont come into the game saying oh i have to shoot a lot more  said green who finished with 28 points 7 rebounds and 5 assists like thats not me thats not what i do for this team but at the end of the day if the game says shoot youre supposed to shoot because usually when you dont it turns into a disaster
the cavaliers are in a world of trouble ahead of game 3 which is scheduled for wednesday night at quicken loans arena in cleveland the warriors can sniff a second straight championship can sense the final act in their history making season after setting an nba record by winning 73 games in the regular season they need two more for another title
everything changes when we go to cleveland kerr said we know that we have unbelievable respect for this team and weve got to go on the road and try to do it again
curry scored 18 points and thompson added 17   two more relatively muted efforts for them as defenders collapsed on them but they found green with so much open space on the perimeter he could have been lounging on a beach towel and sipping a cool drink
tonight thompson said he was one of us
green relished his opportunities he shot 11 of 20 from the field and 5 of 8 from 3 point range kerr was miffed about only one of greens attempts when he pulled up in transition and did a little dance before he let the ball fly it was not what kerr considered a high percentage shot green made it anyway
he becomes our safety valve when theres pressure kerr said he becomes an open shooter when theyre stepping out on steph or klay so its a good situation for him
lebron james collected 19 points 9 assists and 8 rebounds but he said he was disappointed with his performance citing his 7 turnovers the cavaliers committed 18 as a team which led to 26 points for the warriors
its hard for me to kind of pinpoint whats not working and what could work right now james said obviously not much work is working especially offensively
but james did not benefit from much help kyrie irving had 10 points and kevin love scored 5 points before he departed for the locker room early in the second half with dizziness he was placed in the leagues concussion protocol
the cavaliers shot 354 percent over all it looked as if they were hoisting shots in a stiff wind
they were tougher than us and more aggressive cavaliers coach tyronn lue said
while the warriors are celebrated for their long distance shooting they also broke out their lunch pails and hard hats when love caught an inadvertent elbow to the back of the head midway through the second quarter green went straight at the rim for a layup he punctuated the play by flexing his biceps as love writhed in pain nearby
the victory was not without its challenges for golden state curry picked up his fourth foul early in the third quarter and took a seat on the bench but when the cavaliers threatened green answered with another 3 pointer his fourth of the game curry returned at the start of the fourth quarter he promptly swished a 3 pointer from another zip code the lead was 23
curry and thompson had both struggled thursday in game 1 when they combined to score just 20 points on 8 of 27 shooting propped up by their bench the warriors won by 15   a result that portended danger for the cavaliers if they could not capitalize when curry and thompson were not playing good basketball what did they expect to do once those two players started making shots and rest assured they would start making shots their problems would not persist forever
ahead of game 2 the cavaliers said they wanted to operate with more pace a familiar refrain for them this season but playing fast is a dicey proposition against golden state which employs players with advanced degrees in transition basketball
the warriors actually stumbled through a sluggish start a lamborghini stuck in second gear after james went baseline for a spinning layup that put cleveland ahead by 4 early in the second quarter kerr had seen enough he called a 20 second timeout so he could share some words of wisdom with his players
they promptly hit the gas green sank a 3 pointer curry buried a pull up jumper and the warriors continued to apply pressure building a 15 point lead late in the second quarter
golden states lead grew and grew over the course of the second half each possession feeling more like a celebration for the fans at oracle
outside the visiting locker room a mountain of luggage was waiting for the cavaliers by the start of the fourth quarter they could not leave town fast enough


the post matinee crowd began streaming into sardis restaurant on saturday just as it had for decades after passing through the chianti red facade many patrons entered the little bar an alcove like room to the left of the entrance then they settled in for drinks and conversation in the company of a tall man wearing a maroon jacket a white starched shirt and a black bow tie who had long been a steady presence there
in the years after world war ii sardis on west 44th street in manhattan was practically synonymous with broadway people like the playwright tennessee williams and the actors john barrymore and helen hayes frequented the restaurant and opening night theater reviews in the new york times and the new york herald tribune were distributed to diners when the ink was barely dry some of the restaurants glory may have faded since that heyday but it remains a staple of the neighborhood cherished especially by those who see tradition in its red walls lined with drawings of famous patrons
part of that tradition includes jose estevez who began working at sardis in 1990 and presided over the little bar since 1993   as familiar and reliable as the rolex clock that ticks there above the rows of bottles and polished glasses but a few weeks ago mr estevez 72 told the restaurants main owner max klimavicius that he was planning to retire the word spread quickly and during mr estevezs last shift on saturday more than two dozen regulars gathered to wish him a fond raucous goodbye
mr estevez who grew up in the dominican republic began working at sardis when it was facing grave challenges vincent sardi jr who had bought the restaurant in 1947 from his father sold the business in 1985 to investors who planned to expand it instead within a few years they declared bankruptcy the restaurant was shuttered for about four months until mr sardi came out of retirement in vermont at the end of 1990 to resume running it first as a temporary receiver and then once again as its owner
sardis regained stability and mr estevez said that he relished his years working there partly because of the regular customers who became his friends
this isnt working its socializing he said on saturday as he poured drinks and talked with those at the bar i have been lucky
customers arrived that day while the sun was still shining requested drinks and began reminiscing several described visits from broadway stars others recalled the many evenings that joyce randolph known for playing trixie norton on the honeymooners spent inside the little bar sitting a few feet from a drawing of herself while sipping dewars and milk and chatting
there were memories of less common occurrences too salvatore salamone a trade magazine editor from pennsylvania remembered the time that raymond l flynn the former mayor of boston posed for a picture behind the bar chris edelmann a physician from rye brook in westchester county ny recalled speaking with a stranger who offered a tip on a horse running in the belmont stakes he took the tip dr edelmann said and won
part of what made mr estevez special said frank degirolamo a 25 year regular was his ability to foster a friendly atmosphere with easy conversation despite the anonymity and commercial bustle of times square and the surrounding blocks
hes got that old school mentality mr degirolamo said he brings people together
the television was off at the little bar on saturday and no music played instead the room was filled with the sound of voices talking about among other things the plays of david mamet the current broadway production of american psycho and the mixed fortunes of mr estevezs favorite baseball team the new york yankees
as the afternoon progressed into evening the conversations were punctuated with singing at one point a few people at the bar harmonized on a doo wop song the rev john r sheehan a jesuit priest sang a traditional song called the parting glass all the while mr estevez exchanged greetings with guests as they arrived and departed
the hands of the rolex above the bar ticked down to 8 pm quitting time for mr estevez and patrons began offering thanks and congratulations ruben brache who runs a manhattan company that raises money for broadway productions called for silence and then handed mr estevez a silver trophy cup engraved with the words for the worlds winningest bartender
i want to toast the bartender extraordinaire our lifelong friend jose estevez mr brache shouted as the other patrons cheered our cups runneth over for you brother


muhammad ali who died friday was part of some of the most memorable sporting moments of the 20th century
but he also once got into the ring with a japanese professional wrestler in a bout much anticipated at the time that is almost forgotten today
on june 26 1976 a week before the celebration of the united states bicentennial ali the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world faced off in tokyo against antonio inoki a very popular wrestler in japan
organizers promoted the fight as the ultimate test of boxer versus wrestler and touted big paydays for the combatants supposedly 6 million for ali and 3 million for inoki
although the idea of a professional wrestler meeting the heavyweight champion might seem like a joke it attracted tremendous attention at the time with mainstream publications writing about it at length ali gleefully joined in the hunt for publicity frequently pointing out how much money he was going to be making and how impressively he was going to win
there was no television coverage in the united states and american fight fans had to travel to arenas stadiums and theaters showing the fight on closed circuit tv and travel they did more than 30000 turned up at shea stadium
the fans at shea were treated to a preliminary bout the wrestler andre the giant against the boxer chuck wepner known as the bayonne bleeder a game if limited heavyweight sometimes cited as a model for rocky balboa
the bout lived up to expectations as andre lifted wepner and hurled him from the ring to win in the third round the fight inspired a scene in rocky iii in which thunderlips played by hulk hogan does something similar to rocky
if that match whetted appetites for ali inoki fans were destined to be disappointed
ali came into the ring looking like a boxer with standard trunks and boxing gloves inoki suited up as a wrestler with tight black trunks and bare hands
when the bell rang inoki quickly fell to the mat in a crablike posture and began kicking out at alis legs ali danced around the ring looking for a chance to land a punch but not finding one to the increasing fury of the crowd in tokyo and fans watching around the world the bout continued in this manner for 15 interminable rounds when it was over the judges scored it an honorable draw and the paying customers hurled garbage at the ring
ali managed only two punches in the fight both left jabs the new york times reported ali inoki fight to draw in dull bout was the headline
i wouldnt have done this fight if id known he was going to do that ali said nobody knew this was going to happen so we had a dead show
it all proved boxers are superior to wrestlers ali insisted he didnt stand up and fight like a man
commentators were unimpressed what was billed as the martial arts world championship fight emerged as the farcial arts world championship ripoff dave anderson wrote in a sports of the times column
with a professional wrestler involved the natural question was whether the bout was fixed the history is murky and several versions exist in one the bout was a simple fix though why a more entertaining spectacle wasnt arranged is an open question in another telling ali came expecting a fixed bout only to discover that inoki was planning to fight for real in a third version ali was told he was expected to lose the fight because of inokis enormous popularity in japan ali supposedly refused turning a staged event into a real one
whatever the truth alis legs were badly injured in the contest as he took more than 100 kicks from inoki
although he expressed a willingness to wrestle again if the price was right ali returned to conventional boxing after the inoki bout he lost and then regained the title against leon spinks before losing fights to larry holmes and trevor berbick then retiring
inoki now 73 went on to a career in politics and a seat in japans parliament
the bout was a farce but in a way it was a precursor to the modern spectacle of mixed martial arts in which practitioners of boxing wrestling judo jujitsu and other combat sports can mix it up under unified rules
ali was always a showman even in the midst of his most serious and important bouts it seems almost fitting that a strange and colorful fight against a professional wrestler in the budokan in tokyo would be a footnote to his glorious career


i have had guns pointed at me slept in a shipping container and walked past the corpses of shelling victims since the separatist insurgency in eastern ukraine began two years ago but i had never been blacklisted as a terrorist before
so when my name recently appeared on a terrorist list of journalists published by a website with close ties to the ukrainian government i viewed it with a mix of trepidation and sarcasm
trepidation because it suggested powerful people in ukraine a democracy that aspires to the free flow of information were going after me and others on the list for simply doing our jobs reporting both sides of the war including the pro russian rebel side
and sarcasm because this being ukraine the list was not likely to have much credibility elsewhere i have not for example had any trouble flying after appearing on what may be the worlds first list of terrorist journalists
it is also not a secret that i and other reporters have reported from rebel territory our publications and broadcast outlets regularly use our names and note where we are
the list published by a ukrainian nationalist website called myrotvorets or the peacemaker appeared to have been born out of a simmering frustration
hard liners in ukraine have been furious at the foreign press for some time now arguing that any coverage of the rebels from their home base in the east played into russias powerful propaganda machine russia has portrayed residents in the breakaway regions as victims of an unjustified ukrainian military assault by a western backed fascist government in kiev
the list is a compilation of reporters and others who applied for press passes to work in territory controlled by the donetsk peoples republic ukraines main enemy in the two year old war in the east applying for accreditation from russian backed rebels according to the website was enough to be branded a terrorist accomplice
the website said it had obtained the list of names and personal information including emails from hackers who had stolen the rebels data
groups supporting journalists quickly condemned the publication of the names   and in some cases home addresses   for seeming to invite violence against reporters
a pro russian commentator living in kiev oles buzina whose home address was publicized in a myrotvorets post last year was shot and killed on a street not far from his home days later
but this time the site was publishing names and contact details for 5412 journalists drivers fixers soundmen and translators not all of us can be rubbed out
why were so many reporters accredited to cover the war in donetsk because it served the media strategy of the russia backed rebels about two thirds of the journalists and support staff on the list were russian nationals or locals from eastern ukraine who might be expected to be sympathetic to the rebels in addition 1816 foreign reporters showed up over the two years and were accredited according to the list
the ease of accrediting ensured for example broad coverage of stray ukrainian artillery strikes hitting the city and sometimes killing civilians helping discredit ukraines actions to win back territory the media strategy seems right out of russias media playbook western military analysts have noted russias savvy at what they have called hybrid wars that blend lethal force with aggressive and positive press coverage
for reporters press passes to travel in rebel held territory were invaluable for avoiding arrest duct taped hands or detention in a basement to get the coveted slips of paper journalists visited angela a witty woman known as the accreditation queen
angela worked in a seventh floor office of the separatist headquarters in central donetsk reaching her space meant trekking up a dark stairwell festooned with coarse propaganda for the anti western cause one drawing showed president obamas head on the body of a monkey another showed a ukrainian politician arseniy p yatsenyuk dressed in a nazi uniform
with few exceptions angela cheerily printed out press passes for anyone who asked   other than reporters from government controlled ukraine
many ukrainians remain outraged that as they see it the russian backed groups have been able to deftly amplify their message with the megaphone of the western media   despite the rebels virulently anti western agenda the war has now killed more than 10000 people
still ukraines ombudsman valeria lutkovska condemned the release of the journalists names and urged the authorities to shut down the kiev based website for revealing personal information president petro o poroshenko on friday called the release a big mistake western ambassadors voiced concern
in the face of criticism the myrotvorets website has doubled down posting a sarcastic rejoinder many journalists demanded an apology from us and now we understand the reason for this the site wrote on may 20 two weeks after publishing the list of terrorist accomplices in the media the staff offer their sincere apologies in regards to the list not being fresh it then added new names
and the interior minister arsen b avakov appeared to endorse the leak or at least did not condemn it
war is like war he wrote on facebook a friend sincerely fighting is more important for me than opinions of liberals and latent separatists who think too much of themselves


most magazines these days are trying to attract print advertising dollars not prevention
prevention a health and wellness magazine that is published by the family owned rodale company will become ad free starting with its july issue which will hit shelves next week
the move is part of a broader rethinking of the magazine which first came out in 1950 it recently brought on a new editor in chief barbara odair and it plans to introduce a paywall section for its website in the fall
a handful of magazines including cooks illustrated and the nonprofit consumer reports already purposefully contain no outside advertising but the changes at prevention are in some ways driven by necessity
lets put it this way said maria rodale chairwoman and chief executive of the magazines publishing company if we were going to continue with advertising i could never see a future where we would be profitable
like many other publications preventions print advertising dollars have suffered with the shift to digital but ms rodale said other factors have also made it difficult to draw advertisers for one prevention is physically smaller than most magazines meaning the ads are smaller too the magazine also has an older demographic   it is aimed at women over 40   that is not as appealing to advertisers as say the ever alluring millennial
by going ad free ms rodale said prevention will reduce its operating expenses by more than 50 percent the savings will come in part because the magazine will no longer have to maintain a certain circulation level   a number very important to advertisers   which can result in magazines doing things like printing many copies of issues and offering steep discounts or giving them away free prevention has also cut its print sales staff
were going to save tons of money ms rodale said
of course prevention which has a circulation of about 15 million will also be giving up print ad revenue of roughly 12 million a year but as part of the new business model it is doubling its subscription price from 24 to 48 it has already increased the cost of a single copy by a dollar to 499
ms odair the new editor in chief emphasized the editorial freedom that the magazine would have without ads she said she planned to bring in controversial stories on topics such as medical errors toxic cosmetics and the anti aging industry
in the july issue for instance there is an article about medical marijuana in the past advertisers might not have wanted to be side by side with that content ms odair said
ms rodale said the company plans to continue selling print ads for its other titles which include runners world rodales organic life and mens health


by every measure 2015 16 was a breakthrough season for the san jose sharks prospect ryan carpenter
an undrafted free agent carpenter a 25 year old forward was the leading scorer for the sharks american hockey league affiliate the san jose barracudas was named the teams most valuable player and went to the ahl all star game he also earned the yanick dupre memorial award as the ahls man of the year for his community involvement and played one game with the sharks on dec 12
for his efforts he was recalled to join the sharks for their run to the stanley cup finals but carpenter did not see the ice for the first three games of the series which the penguins lead 2 1 going into game 4 on monday
in fact carpenter was not even in the building for the first two games in pittsburgh he was instead back in san jose patiently waiting for the opportunity no matter how remote to make his nhl playoff debut
this is the life of the black aces players who are called up from the ahl when nhl teams are allowed to expand their rosters when they make the playoffs
hanging around i think has been good   i feel like its definitely motivating carpenter said you watch these playoff games and you see the intensity and you see how hard the sharks have been playing
as one of five black aces called up by the sharks on may 1 carpenter has been doing a lot of watching the expansion of nhl rosters for the postseason coupled with the barracudas first round loss to the ontario reign in the ahl playoffs allowed carpenter to join the sharks in a limited role
barring an injury to another player black aces do not see any playoff action they do not participate in warm ups or travel with the team for road games they do not practice with the team either instead participating in a separate session reserved for extra skaters the assignment requires hard work and focus even if opportunities can come slowly if at all
it is an unusual existence that can be instantly altered by injury for the black aces a teammates pained sneer or sudden limp during a game could be the first sign that a career defining opportunity is coming
were just working out almost every day forward nikolay goldobin said ready for the chance happy for the team that they made the final its hard im happy for the team but of course i wish i could play and help more still its an exciting time for everyone who is playing and not playing
san joses first round pick in 2014 goldobin 20 played nine regular season games with the sharks this season and scored his first nhl goal but the latest stage in his nhl development feels very foreign to goldobin a star russian prospect who was not previously familiar with the term black ace let alone the responsibilities required of the role
the term comes from the dead mans hand the fabled poker hand containing both black aces and two eights as the legend goes the old west gunfighter lawman and gambler wild bill hickok was holding the hand when he was murdered in 1876 eddie shore an nhl star in the 1920s and 30s and later an ahl owner and coach is believed to have brought the term to hockey adopting it to refer to players working their way back into the lineup
the distinction has taken on new meaning in the modern nhl as a promotion that tends to involve plenty of watching and waiting
typically the playoffs in the nhl are so long that usually theres a couple of guys who get banged up so theres always a good chance carpenter said thats pretty much what they told us just to be ready youve got to look at it as a really good thing and a great opportunity
as remote as the opportunity may seem there is a precedent for black aces getting the call in the stanley cup finals earlier this season carpenter and goldobin did not need to look too far to find a player who could attest as much
ben smith spent much of this season playing with the barracudas before being traded to the toronto maple leafs on feb 27 but after beginning the 2013 playoffs as a black ace with the chicago blackhawks smith was thrust into duty in boston against the bruins in game 3 of the finals because of an injury to marian hossa
playing near his alma mater boston college and within driving distance of his childhood home in connecticut smith saw his first nhl action in almost two months and played in his first cup finals game
the following season smith scored four goals in 19 playoff games to help the blackhawks advance to the western conference finals where they lost in seven games to the eventual champion los angeles kings
even if we dont end up getting to play for the sharks in a playoff game were still really close and just taking that as motivation carpenter said trying to watch the playoff games and picture yourself in those guys and follow guys you want to play like its pretty cool
the hope among team coaches and management is that tangential as it may seem the presence on hockeys grandest stage could someday help prized san jose prospects like carpenter and goldobin develop
i think this thing is something that will help me a lot next year goldobin said for the rookie camp and training camp show the coaches i can play
for the time being it is imperative that this fringe group remains prepared for the sudden opportunity to make nhl history
it really can happen at any moment carpenter said part of just being a professional is realizing you just have to be prepared coaches try to remind us that you really are just one injury away from being there you really cant predict so it could happen at any time


your smartphone allows you to get almost instantaneous answers to the most obscure questions it also allows you to waste hours scrolling through facebook or looking for the latest deals on amazon
more powerful computing systems can predict the weather better than any meteorologist or beat human champions in complex board games like chess
but for several years economists have asked why all that technical wizardry seems to be having so little impact on the economy the issue surfaced again recently when the government reported disappointingly slow growth and continuing stagnation in productivity the rate of productivity growth from 2011 to 2015 was the slowest since the five year period ending in 1982
one place to look at this disconnect is in the doctors office dr peter sutherland a family physician in tennessee made the shift to computerized patient records from paper in the last few years there are benefits to using electronic health records dr sutherland says but grappling with the software and new reporting requirements has slowed him down he sees fewer patients and his income has slipped
im working harder and getting a little less he said
the productivity puzzle has given rise to a number of explanations in recent years   and divided economists into technology pessimists and optimists
the most prominent pessimist is robert j gordon an economist at northwestern university his latest entry in the debate is his new book the rise and fall of american growth mr gordon contends that the current crop of digital innovations does not yield the big economic gains of breakthrough inventions of the past like electricity cars planes and antibiotics
the optimists are led by erik brynjolfsson and andrew mcafee co directors of the mit initiative on the digital economy they argue that there have always been lags between when technology arrives and when people and institutions learn to use it effectively that has been true for a range of technologies including the electric motor and the internet which contributed to the last stretch of healthy productivity growth in the late 1990s and early 2000s
the gains from current tech trends like big data analysis artificial intelligence and robotics they say will come just wait
some economists insist the problem is largely a measurement gap because many digital goods and services are not accurately captured in official statistics but a recent study by two economists from the federal reserve and one from the international monetary fund casts doubt on that theory
technology spending has been robust rising 54 percent over a decade to 727 billion last year according to the research firm idc despite all the smartphone sales to consumers most of the spending is by companies investing in technology to increase growth and productivity
but an industry by industry analysis published by the mckinsey global institute the research arm of the consulting firm mckinsey  company found that the march of digital technology across the economy has a long way to go the mckinsey researchers examined 22 industries measuring not only investment but also the use of technology to change how work is done some industries like technology media and financial services were well along while others like health care and hospitality trailed
only 18 percent of the american economy is living up to its digital potential the report concluded and if lagging industries do not catch up we will not see much of a change in national economic statistics said james manyika a director of the mckinsey global institute
since the financial crisis the obama administration has moved aggressively to push medicine into the digital age as part of the economic recovery package congress enacted the health information technology for economic and clinical health act of 2009 the legislation provided for federal incentive payments of 44000 a physician to shift to electronic health records
the billions of dollars in subsidies were intended to accelerate adoption and from 2008 to 2014 the share of hospitals with electronic health records rose to 75 percent from 9 percent while the adoption rate in doctors offices rose to 51 percent from 17 percent according to the most recent surveys by the american hospital association and the government
the government funding has made a huge difference said dr ashish jha a professor at the harvard school of public health but were seeing little evidence so far that all this technology has had much effect on quality and costs
the electronic records health experts say represent only a first step toward curbing costs and improving care people confuse information automation with creating the kind of work environment where productivity and creativity can flourish said dr david j brailer who was the national health technology coordinator in the george w bush administration and so little has gone into changing work so far
the government incentives came with timetables for adopting different levels of use and new reporting requirements with the prospect of financial penalties for doctors and hospitals that fell behind the early goals for adopting electronic records were reasonable health experts say but the later stages were too aggressive
overwhelmed doctors protested and the administration recently shelved the previous timetable stretching out schedules and modifying some reporting rules
healthstar physicians the 50 doctor group in morristown tenn where dr sutherland practices was spurred to go electronic by those federal incentive payments which now total 32 billion but the cultural adjustment to digital technology has been challenging
dr sutherland and his colleagues evaluated several technology providers and chose athenahealth which does not sell software but is paid a percentage of its customers revenue healthstar started using athenahealths cloud software in 2012 first for billing and then for electronic health records athenahealths share is less than 5 percent of the groups revenue
today dr sutherlands personal income and the medical groups revenue are about 8 percent below where they were four years ago but in 2015 both his earnings and the revenue of healthstar which employs 350 people in 10 clinics increased slightly by nearly 3 percent from 2014
dr sutherland decided he did not want a computer screen separating him from his patients so he opted for a tablet computer making it easier to keep eye contact
not a fast typist dr sutherland decided to use voice recognition software for six months he stayed up until midnight most nights training the software until its speech recognition engine could transcribe his comments into text with few mistakes
dr sutherland bemoans the countless data fields he must fill in to comply with government mandated reporting rules and he concedes that some of his colleagues hate using digital records
yet dr sutherland is no hater despite the extra work the new technology has created and even though it has not yet had the expected financial payoff he thinks it has helped him provide better information to patients
he values being able to tap the screen to look up potentially harmful drug interactions and to teach patients during visits he can for example quickly create charts to show diabetes patients how they are progressing with treatment plans managing blood glucose levels and weight loss
he is working harder dr sutherland says but he believes he is a better doctor blunt measures of productivity he added arent everything my patients are better served he said and im happier


its time to stop calling donald j trumps presidential operation the trump campaign it would be far more accurate to call it trump productions inc
mr trump is not running a campaign in the modern sense   or what was the modern sense until about yesterday rather he oversees a prolific content production studio that has accomplished what every major media conglomerate is trying to pull off with mixed success
it has managed to produce a huge amount of inexpensive programming that has consistently dominated the ratings and the conversation across the entire new media landscape   cable news broadcast news radio twitter facebook and who knows what else
with mr trump as its star show runner and chief content officer the operation has taken over the vast media space with multiple running plotlines war with megyn kelly peace with megyn kelly shocking comments a federal judge cant be fair to me because hes of mexican heritage and personal insults hillary belongs in jail that reporter is a sleaze that keep americans glued to their screens
these plotlines often lead to negative portrayals of mr trump and the trumpian content can at times be contradictory or even counterfactual as in false but trump productions appears to be operating on the premise that as long as the conversation is all about mr trump he is winning content is not only king it is kingmaker too
mr trump said that wasnt quite right when he called me in response to a question i lobbed into his headquarters on friday because well thats what he does provide more content through unrivaled accessibility though less if his team thinks youve crossed him
im a believer in getting good publicity   not necessarily getting bad   but a lot of it mr trump told me theres a theory   as long as theyre talking about you   but ive never felt that way
still once you get the real word out there not the false word he said people really like it and you see what happened i had 17 people against me and now im down to one he identified the one as probably crooked hillary
you cant argue with the results look where it has gotten him whether it continues to work in the general election is the 270 electoral college delegates question
given his against the odds success so far political strategists from both parties are wondering whether the trump approach represents the future of political media   and if so does hillary clinton need to transform her traditional and relatively press averse campaign into a rival studio pumping out its own voluminous counterprogramming
she is fighting a conventional war and he is fighting an asymmetrical war and i dont think that bodes well for her said terry sullivan a republican strategist mr sullivan has a unique perspective on the question as the former manager of senator marco rubios vanquished presidential campaign
mr sullivan the former rubio communications adviser alex conant and a lawyer for mr rubio will holley had reached out to me to discuss their new consulting firm firehouse strategies its based on the premise that mr trump has rewritten the rules of modern communications strategy and candidates and corporations need to take heed
the primary lesson the solution is always more content not less mr sullivan said
the rubio strategists learned this firsthand during the republican primaries every time they got their hopes up that some new forest fire would incinerate mr trumps candidacy he seemed to douse it by pumping out programming for the always flowing cable and internet news stream
so if news of violent protests at trump events appeared to be threatening his campaign mr trump could force the discussion into a debate over whether one of his protesters was affiliated with isis he wasnt and remember how he overwhelmed news of gov nikki haleys endorsement of mr rubio ahead of south carolinas primary by engaging in a fight with the pope
mr trumps willingness to say just about anything and his merry courting of trouble was an eye opening break from the traditional tightly scripted approach of keeping candidates away from trouble
more important it made the news all about mr trump blocking his opponents attempts to break through with carefully planned policy speeches classic endorsement announcements and 30 second commercials whats 30 seconds here or there in a constantly churning 24 hour trump marathon
what mr trump realized and mrs clinton should too mr conant said is that theres just a steady flow of information and if you dont try to provide the content your opponents or your critics will
yet mr rubios former advisers acknowledged that trying to out trump mr trump can prove fatal their candidate all but imploded after he tried to match his opponent insult for insult claiming that mr trump had small hands which in turn indicated that he had a small   do i really need to finish the analogy
their point is that modern candidates do not need to light their hair on fire and keep it on fire as mr trump does you just need to deliver more content mr sullivan said
mrs clinton is not exactly a light her hair on fire kind of candidate to say the least so far she has stuck primarily with scripted events interviews with local media in swing states   which her campaign says are vital even if they escape national notice   and an arms length approach to the national press she has not held a news conference in the last six months
some democrats have worried that mrs clinton is failing to meet mr trumps challenge in the new media sphere as my colleagues amy chozick alexander burns and jonathan martin recently reported
but mrs clintons aides and several of her allies have a different theory if mr trumps prodigious content output worked for him through the primaries it is going to work against him in the general election campaign thats when a broader and more diverse electorate tunes in and press scrutiny becomes tougher especially on big important policy questions to wit the cbs face the nation host john dickerson pushed him sunday on contradictory statements about libya
hes saying things that are so shockingly outrageous of course theyre going to command the attention of the national news media brian fallon a spokesman for mrs clinton told me i dont know that we feel a particular pressure to try to outdo that every day given that most of those statements are in and of themselves going to repel key voter groups that he needs in a general election
a major super pac supporting mrs clinton priorities usa action is already running commercials with several of mr trumps off color comments about women politifact called the spot false for taking one of the comments terribly out of context
geoff garin a pollster for the super pac said television advertising would prove to be more potent against mr trump in the general election people will think more and more whether hes a good president not whether hes a captivating personality he said that is the content of his content is going to matter in a different way
on thursday mrs clinton showed the perils of mr trumps current programming by using some of his more explosive foreign policy pronouncements against him in her speech in san diego it won wide coverage across television social media and news sites heartening allies
then came mr trumps new comment that the judge presiding over a civil action lawsuit against trump university gonzalo p curiel had an inherent conflict of interest because he is of mexican heritage and mr trump is building a wall
that hijacked the news feed once again i asked mr trump if that was his intention and he said no that it was only about the judge and mrs clintons speech was too scripted phony to have much effect
whatever the case it was the latest offering from trump productions which has so far proved that content is king now will that sort of content be kingmaker or will it better serve the queen


beyonce is on tour drake is setting streaming records and taylor swift has split up with her boyfriend but next week the most gripping news for the music industry may come out of a federal courtroom in los angeles
there jimmy page and robert plant of led zeppelin will be defending themselves against a lawsuit claiming that parts of stairway to heaven   the bands signature hit and a pillar of rock radio since the songs release in 1971   were copied from taurus an instrumental tune by the lesser known group spirit
the trial set to start on june 14 with mr page and mr plant expected to be in attendance may prove fascinating legal theater for fans but it will also be closely watched by a music business that is grappling with a series of recent copyright decisions
last year a federal jury found that robin thicke and pharrell williams had copied marvin gaye in mr thickes 2013 hit song blurred lines and ordered mr thicke and mr williams to pay 74 million later reduced to 53 million industry commentators said the decision penalized elements of songs long thought of as being fair game like the generic feel of a recording and warned of a chilling effect on creativity
that case and others like it lawyers and music executives say have raised new questions about songwriting and copyright   issues long a part of the background of litigation in the industry they have also led to increased scrutiny whenever a songs credits are challenged or changed as they were a year ago when co writers were quietly added to mark ronsons retro hit uptown funk
it used to be that melody and lyrics were the basis of all infringement claims but now thats fuzzier said jay rosenthal a music industry lawyer and the former general counsel of the national music publishers association blurred lines has opened the door and made rhythm and beats and feel perhaps proprietary where before it was not the case
the led zeppelin case was filed two years ago by a trustee representing the songs of randy wolfe also known as randy california one of spirits main songwriters who died in 1997 but the dispute has echoes of blurred lines and is being watched as a test of the limits of copyright
the case focuses on the famous opening of stairway to heaven in which an acoustic guitar plays arpeggiated chords in a descending pattern that part the suit contends copied spirits taurus released in 1968 in the suits complaint francis malofiy the lead lawyer representing the plaintiff said that led zeppelins members heard spirits song when the bands crossed paths on the road early in their careers
the suit filed on behalf of michael skidmore the trustee accused led zeppelin of copyright infringement and the novel claim duly struck down by the judge of falsification of rock n roll history mr malofiy has said that he is seeking as much as 40 million in damages
mr wolfe never pursued a lawsuit during his lifetime but mr skidmore a customs consultant and former music journalist who has controlled mr wolfes trust since 2009 filed the case in 2014 shortly after a supreme court ruling that said that copyright infringement cases could proceed even after long delays
mr page and mr plant deny ever having heard taurus before the case came to light and say that stairway to heaven was written independently yet over the years the band has settled numerous challenges of plagiarism by adding other songwriters credits to its albums in 2012 for example the band settled a suit by jake holmes over dazed and confused and subsequent releases of the song on led zeppelins albums list it as being written by mr page and inspired by jake holmes
whatever happens with the led zeppelin trial the industry is still trying to understand the effects of the blurred lines case which is under appeal
matt pincus the chief executive of songs music publishing an independent publisher that works with current pop and hip hop acts like the weeknd and desiigner said his company was seeing far more claims of infringement now   most made privately outside of court   than ever before but the reasons were not clear he said
it could be opportunism because lawyers are smelling blood mr pincus said but it could also be because we have moved to a real collaboration economy now where pop records have multiple collaborators in a way that they didnt five or six years ago those collaborators may dispute credits or royalties after the fact
richard s busch the lawyer who represented the gaye family in the blurred lines case said that each copyright case succeeded or failed on its own merits and he disputed the idea that his case has had any negative impact on the music industry
the fact that maybe some people are being caught now that wouldnt be or are being pursued now that wouldnt be is not a bad thing mr busch said but the idea that blurred lines has opened up the floodgates is absurd and i would suspect that those who are claiming this may have an agenda to take that position
donald s passman a top music lawyer who wrote the book all you need to know about the music business called the blurred lines case aberrational and suggested that its long term impact may be minimal
to me its like youre driving along the highway at 65 miles an hour at night mr passman said you see an accident slow down and 15 minutes later youre back at full speed its more like that
the judge in the led zeppelin case r gary klausner of united states district court has ruled that the bands past problems with copyright cannot be presented at trial and mr malofiy the plaintiffs lawyer may face other challenges as well
since the case focuses on songwriting rather than on the recording of the song the jury must base its decision on the written version of taurus that was used to register its copyright as in the blurred lines trial the jury may hear versions of the two songs as presented by music experts retained by both sides
in a sideshow to the trial itself the lawyers have been battling in public and through filings with the court in the most recent volley mr malofiy accused mr page and mr plant of refusing to appear at the trial but in a filing led zeppelins lawyers peter j anderson and helene freeman called mr malofiys claims a pr stunt in the hope of tainting the jury pool and said that mr page and mr plant would be present
mr anderson and ms freeman declined to comment but in a brief interview mr malofiy called their most recent filing 100 percent bluster
led zeppelin also argues that the commonalities between the songs are generic elements in musical composition that go back decades and the core of the pieces in question are little more than a basic chord progression
but in denying the bands request for summary judgment judge klausner found that there was enough similarity to warrant a test at trial in a phrase that could almost be an excerpt from a musicology textbook while it is true that a descending chromatic four chord progression is a common convention that abounds in the music industry the similarities here transcend the core structure
a jury will decide just how similar they are


pasadena calif   the future of computing may be in its past
the silicon transistor the tiny switch that is the building block of modern microelectronics replaced the vacuum tube in many consumer products in the 1970s now as shrinking transistors to even more lilliputian dimensions is becoming vastly more challenging the vacuum tube may be on the verge of a comeback
in a darkened laboratory here two stories beneath the california institute of technology campus two students stare through the walls of a thick plastic vacuum chamber at what they hope will be the next small thing   a computer chip made from circuits like vacuum tubes whose dimensions are each roughly one thousandth the size of a red blood cell
at stake is the future of what electronic engineers call scaling the ability to continue to shrink the size of electronic circuits which is becoming harder to do as they become as small as viruses
it has been more than half a century since the physicist richard feynman predicted the rise of microelectronics noting theres plenty of room at the bottom he used the phrase in 1959 when he speculated about engineering with individual atoms several years later gordon moore co founder of intel wrote that the number of transistors that could be etched into silicon wafers would double at regular intervals for the foreseeable future
now however there is growing evidence that space if still available is increasingly at a premium progress is slowing down the time between each new chip generation is stretching out and the cost of individual transistors although infinitesimal is no longer falling the tiny transistors also bedevil chip designers because as they get smaller they generate unwanted heat
for axel scherer who heads the nanofabrication group at caltech that means going back to the future with his students max jones and daniil lukin he is pursuing what is in effect an ultrasmall vacuum tube as a candidate to replace the transistor in their laboratory here they have fabricated circuits that function like vacuum tubes but are a millionth the size of that 100 year old technology
computer technologies seem to work in cycles said alan huang a former electrical engineer for bell laboratories some of the same algorithms that were developed for the last generation can sometimes be used for the next generation
the last time researchers explored vacuum tubes was in the 1990s when they were a promising option for building flat panel displays the technology failed to take off however because of cheaper and more efficient liquid crystal displays
the vacuum tube comes back about every decade dr scherer said with a laugh
and for decades that has been the story of vacuum tubes there has always been a better option transistors replaced vacuum tubes because they were more compact did not generate skin burning heat and did not need a vacuum   the absence of atmosphere made it possible for electrons to jump between positively and negatively charged elements
the vacuum tubes the caltech researchers are looking at are nothing like the bulky objects that hummed in the old family radio and even early computers both transistors and vacuum tubes   the british called the devices valves   control the flow of electricity but they do so differently
the researchers have created a tiny tube formed from metal and capable of turning on and off the flow of electrons between four even smaller probes which under an electron microscope appear like the tips of four ballpoint pens almost touching one another
the achilles heel of todays transistors is the smaller they get the more they leak electrons in modern computer chips as much as half of the power consumed is lost to electrons leaking from transistors that are only dozens of atoms wide those electrons waste energy and generate heat
in contrast dr scherers miniature vacuum tube switches perform a jujitsu move by using the same mechanism that causes leakage in transistors   known by physicists as quantum tunneling   to switch on and off the flow of electrons without leakage as a result he believes that modern vacuum tube circuits have the potential to use less power and work faster than todays transistor based chips
effects that are currently problems in scaling are precisely those that we would like to use for switching in these next generation devices dr scherer said noting that while there are efforts to redesign semiconductor based transistors around the tunneling effect his approach is significantly simpler
vacuum tubes are one of a range of ideas that engineers are looking at as they work to create chips that can do more while using less power other promising approaches include exotic materials such as carbon nanotubes and even microscopic mechanical switches that can be opened and closed just like an electronic gate
the caltech researchers returned to the idea of vacuum tubes several years ago after they had begun experimenting with the idea of making ultrasmall incandescent light bulbs no larger than a modern transistor that would be bright enough to be seen by the naked eye from across a room
the group previously worked in research areas like quantum dots nanoscale structures now used in television displays to produce precise colors and optoelectronics a field that explores the use of lasers in electronic circuits but they decided to look for new research areas that were less crowded with competitors
today semiconductor companies like intel are making silicon chips with minimum dimensions between 10 and 20 nanometers a strand of dna is roughly 25 nanometers in diameter once the industry shrinks below 10 nanometers dr scherer expects that researchers will be surprised by the behavior of silicon at such atomic dimensions
for one thing silicon emits light below 10 nanometers he said more significantly it also becomes remarkably elastic as it becomes that small
its a different material and it gives you this different behavior he said he sees the future in other materials and in old ideas that would be made new again
in contrast to silicon a semiconductor which can either conduct or insulate depending on how it is chemically modified dr scherers tubes can be made from a range of conducting metals such as tungsten molybdenum gold and platinum this will be an advantage because it will significantly simplify the tiny switches at the atomic scale
dr scherer does not think the tiny tube will immediately replace the transistor but the possibility of applications in space and aviation has caught the attention of boeing which is financing the research such specialty chips might be ready commercially before the end of the decade
ten years ago silicon transistors could meet all of our demands he said in the next decade that will no longer be true


galloway township nj   after natalie gulbis finished her rounds on friday and saturday at the shoprite lpga classic dozens of fans lined up near the green to interact with her as gulbis walked off the course she signed autographs posed for photos and engaged in small talk with anyone who approached
can we get a picture with my daughter one woman asked on saturday
yeah of course gulbis said
despite her 441st placement in the womens world golf rankings gulbis remains among the sports most popular and affable players this was her seventh consecutive appearance at this event although she was hoping she would not be here this year gulbis and her husband josh rodarmel are eager to start a family
ive been trying to have a baby gulbis said ive gone through a whole bunch of different ways to try to have children
for now gulbis 33 is still on the lpga tour albeit on a reduced schedule she returned to competition in april after a nearly seven month absence so far this year she has missed the cut in each of her five tournaments she shot a one over par 143 this weekend and failed to make the cut for the fifth consecutive year in this three round tournament
gulbis said she did not know how much longer she would compete if she becomes pregnant and has a child she may decide to retire
i think i want to stay home but i love golf so i want to stay around golf she said if i have the opportunity to do something in golf its part of me golfs in my blood ill be around here doing something im sure
gulbis has juggled the demands of playing and pursuing off course activities since she turned professional in 2001 after her freshman year at the university of arizona she was once among the sports most promising prospects she competed on the united states solheim cup teams in 2005 2007 and 2009
still even back then she had higher ambitions than simply winning she served as a paid endorser and spokeswoman for several brands she also appeared in her own reality show on golf channel and in the second season of nbcs celebrity apprentice which was hosted by donald j trump
last week gulbis wrote an article for golfcom about her experiences with trump and their shared passion for golf and business she wrote that she last saw him at last years british womens open where they discussed turnberry the site of the tournament and the course that trump owns trump also asked gulbis about lydia ko 19 the top ranked womens player
as usual he wanted to know more about winners gulbis wrote that never ending desire to learn more about and from the best in any field thats the donald trump i know
gulbis whose only lpga tour victory came in 2007 has battled numerous injuries and ailments the past few years she has had three back operations and contracted malaria in early 2013 later that year she finished tied for ninth at the british womens open her last top 10 finish since the start of the 2014 season she has missed the cut or withdrawn in 19 of 31 tournaments
if you do anything in 15 years and you live a public life its going to get documented gulbis said it just happens athletes get sick and they get injured and we travel all over the world the fact that i would catch something is no surprise but i feel great now knock on wood
during fridays opening round she showed some promise with five birdies en route to a two under par 69 which was five shots off the lead it was her first below par round since last july a span of eight tournaments
the next day gulbis teed off on the 10th hole and made birdie before carding three bogeys and a triple bogey on her front nine she then had two birdies for a two under 35 on her back nine but she still missed the cut by two strokes
still gulbis seemed satisfied to be out on the course and around some of her longtime tour colleagues including christina kim 32 whom she has known since they were young rivals in northern california
although gulbis and kim are no longer in their prime they were among the most popular players this weekend they took their turns after rounds to speak with fans and fulfill their requests which the former lpga tour players beth daniel meg mallon juli inkster nancy lopez and others encouraged them to do when they were first starting out
as we got our cards on tour we were taught to respect our spectators respect our sponsors because without them we wouldnt have these events kim said
kim added laughing even though youre not necessarily having the best day there are still people that are coming out and basically wasting their time watching us
the crowds following gulbis this weekend saw a player who looks familiar but deals with unseen pain because of her past injuries she said she typically arrives at the course two hours before her tee time and does warm up exercises for her back for an hour
and yet shes still out there with the same caddy greg sheridan she has had for 12 years and the same coach butch harmon she has had for 15 on the side she makes sponsor appearances raises money for charities and hosts a television show with jimmy hanlin on fox sports regional networks
for now though those are just part time projects she remains a golfer who is not sure how much longer she will be on tour
i feel like in 2010 i started counting down years gulbis said i got told that i should retire in 2010 because of my back i dont know i try not to plan it because you just dont know i dont know if im fortunate enough to be able to play i love playing and if im pregnant i probably wont be playing


mike breen has sneaked up on us   if stealth is possible when youve called knicks games on radio and tv for a quarter century and been the lead voice of the nba on espn and abc for a decade
breens longevity is not a surprise he is an easy comfortable presence whose play by play is smooth and accurate who pays attention to small details and engages his analysts   mark jackson and jeff van gundy at espn and abc and walt frazier at msg network   as if they are carrying on a game long discussion he has no shtick   unless you count bang for critical 3 pointers as one
the nba finals between the golden state warriors and the cleveland cavaliers is his record 11th finals two more than marv albert with nbc and dick stockton cbs and he will continue his run with a newly announced contract extension
i know this sounds corny and cliched but its kind of overwhelming to think about it he said by telephone friday between games 1 and 2 of the finals i grew up watching the nba when marv was the man   and hes still the man   and i listened to stockton call all those lakers celtics matchups ive been blessed to have all these opportunities come my way
breen might have been calling his 14th nba finals if espnabc had chosen its lead announcer more wisely when it took over nba broadcast rights from nbc after the 2002 season espn picked brad nessler best known for his bland college football and basketball work but he flopped with david stern then the nba commissioner uncomfortable with espns production nessler was replaced temporarily by al michaels breen was hired in 2006
longevity has been in the news lately verne lundquist decided to stop calling southeastern conference football games which he has done for cbs since 2000 after the coming season but cbs will replace lundquist a joyful big game voice with nessler who lacks the ability to convey effective excitement even in big games
chris berman is reported to be nearing his end at espn although nothing has been confirmed by him or the network a crucial personality at espn nearly from its inception berman has become a caricature of his better self by failing to adjust his once playful shtick and boisterous personality to the 21st century
sean mcdonough recently received the biggest break of his career promoted by espn to call monday night football after mike tirico went to nbc where he is a candidate to succeed michaels on sunday night football
no one expects michaels to leave soon but tirico is only 49 he can wait
breen has had his big break he has his dream job and shares it with jackson and van gundy friends for 25 years through their knicks connections
the most underrated part of our business is the continuity and comfort level we have because you know where theyre going breen said its like the game   players who play together a long time just get better
he occasionally looks back at old games to see how he can improve and relies on friends and colleagues for guidance by contrast albert listens to old tapes of his mentor marty glickman to remind himself of how best to call a game
one of breens advisers the producer ken wolfe once watched one of the five games breen called in a particular week and told him he sounded uninterested in that one a blowout he told me you didnt bring the proper energy and if thats the only game a fan watched hed think this guy wasnt very good
another friend mike mccarthy a former executive at the network msg counseled him to build to a crescendo so that im not screaming were tied at 10
during game 2 of the finals sunday night breen brought an elevated level of excitement to a brilliant stretch of basketball by golden state in the fourth quarter that began with a long shot by stephen curry
four to shoot breen said with an unusual amount of delight in his familiar voice curry from the 28 foot line   whoa ho   steph curry from way downtown
soon after a missed shot by cleveland   a sequence that starred leandro barbosa   breen had this high energy play by play curry comes ahead of the pack to barbosa   off the glass
to jackson who earlier had discussed how the warriors take your will where you begin to doubt you want to fight breen added this is one of those deflating stretches you spoke of
then breen shifted with brio to another will sapping golden state play barbosa with the steal   the brazilian blur   a 27 point game
it was such a dandy sequence of announcing that you didnt want abc to go to a break and interrupt breen or the offensive flow of the warriors
during the series opener thursday breen had a game long challenge how to call a lousy shooting night by curry ordinarily a 3 point master breen shifted his language offering up different words for similar results an early call   curry the mismatch curry the 3   gave way to a chronicle of a 4 for 15 performance missed shot by curry curry off the glass cant fall curry   not that time and curry gets inside   left handed wont go
breen said in an interview curry has a night like that every once in a while but that wasnt the surprise even michael jordan had some rough games the surprise was how well they were playing without him


berlin   you know times have changed when the germans announce they are expanding their army for the first time in 25 years   and no one objects
back when the berlin wall fell britain and france in particular feared the re emergence of a german colossus in europe by contrast berlins pledge last month to add almost 7000 soldiers to its military by 2023 and an earlier announcement to spend up to 130 billion euros about 148 billion on new equipment by 2030 were warmly welcomed by nato allies
it has taken decades since the horrors of world war ii but berlins modern day allies and it seems german leaders themselves are finally growing more comfortable with the notion that germanys role as the european unions de facto leader requires a military dimension
perhaps none too soon the united states and others   including many of germanys own defense experts   want germany to do even more for continental security and to broaden deployments overseas
president obama expressed frustration in an interview this year that the united states european and persian gulf allies were acting too often as free riders donald j trump the presumptive republican presidential nominee has been even more scathing in his remarks threatening to pull out of nato if he is elected
as a july nato summit meeting in warsaw approaches germany europes largest economy is now key to how the alliance will face the twin perils that have transformed the strategic situation in europe a more menacing russia and the islamic states expansion beyond individual acts of terrorism like executions to seizing territory
in europe where natos easternmost members particularly poland and the baltic states have clamored for permanent deployment of allied troops to deter russian meddling germany looks set to take command of a brigade in lithuania joining britain and the united states in leading the effort to marshal a robust presence on russias borders
under chancellor angela merkel germany is also playing a part in nato programs to pool resources of member states for greater collective security defense experts hold up increased german dutch cooperation as a model
the path to even a semblance of collective european defense is littered with unmet promises of better cooperation   for example the quarter century old franco german brigade which remains mostly a paper tiger and the scramble ahead of the warsaw meeting to find a fourth country to command a unit in the new nato deployment in eastern europe britain and france both nuclear powers continue to set their own priorities
but whether on its own or with others germany is showing signs of growing more comfortable with embracing a bigger military role a gradual but distinct shift away from an instinctive pacifism that took hold starting in 1945 and a post cold war tendency to shrink the nations military
the shift started becoming publicly apparent in 2014 when germanys president and foreign and defense ministers all urged an increased global security role for the country at the annual munich security conference weeks later russias leader president vladimir v putin annexed crimea from ukraine
since then germany has responded by helping to build a nato rapid response force in eastern europe leading the diplomacy efforts in ukraine and training and arming kurdish pesh merga battling the islamic state in iraq and syria
now a new government strategy document the first such white book in 10 years is being prepared it is likely both to bolster germanys role on the world stage   beyond its traditional sphere of activity in europe   and to talk explicitly of military contributions
how far this thinking has spread outside the political and military elite is open to question polling shows that the general public is not very comfortable with the military dimension said sylke tempel the editor of international policy the magazine of the german council on foreign relations
the policy making elite on other hand know that strategic thinking includes the notion that you have to build a force in order to be taken seriously and that you have to spend on this dimension ms tempel said
germany is not moving fast enough for defense experts like hans peter bartels the parliamentary commissioner for the military or karl heinz kamp the president of the governments federal academy for security policy
germany should expand its military as quickly as possible as much as possible said dr bartels a member of the center left social democratic party despite the announced expansion he noted military spending is in danger of sinking to 108 percent of germanys gross domestic product which he said would be its lowest ever   and well below the 2 percent that nato member states committed to spend at the alliances last summit meeting in wales in 2014
dr kamp was more upbeat about german and nato efforts particularly the plans for meeting any russian challenge on the alliances eastern borders
we are almost at permanent presence almost dr kamp said more is being decided than putin could ever have imagined
the major danger he sees for these plans is the fact that we have these anti establishment movements on both sides of the atlantic   we have the alternative for germany we have the national front in france and in the usa we have trump
populists in such movements have little interest in knitting together trans atlantic interests and deploying allied forces for common goals he said
these anti establishment movements stand in contrast to everything which is nato and that is the only point which really worries me dr kamp said
in german politics the post of defense minister has traditionally proved difficult the job is prestigious but plagued by difficulties in securing finances and suitable modern equipment
neither the defense minister nor the chancellor is commander in chief of the army   another legacy of post nazi efforts to constrain germany control of the army belongs to the parliament and any military expense or deployment is subject to its approval
further demographic decline and the lure of good civilian jobs in germanys robust economy have made it difficult to recruit an all volunteer force
thomas wiegold an expert on defense affairs noted that regular troop strength   around 166000 in april   already lags the current target of 170000 and asked whether the defense minister ursula von der leyen could reach that level and then keep her pledge of more soldiers by 2023
the political message is that after decades of shrinking we want to grow mr wiegold said but how that translates practically nobody yet knows
the defense minister has taken several steps to make the military a better employer they include hiring a senior aide from the business consultant mckinsey to examine structures and simply ensuring more contact between soldiers overseas and their families back home
a new cyberwarfare unit is a priority the defense ministry is trying to end equipment failures and malfunctions last year a dispute erupted with the arms manufacturer heckler  koch over the standard issue g 36 machine gun which the ministry said did not always fire straight
another major task is to convince skeptical germans particularly in the east that nato is keeping its 1997 bargain with russia that alliance troops would not be stationed permanently at russias edge
and so in another measure of how things have changed in europe listeners of a berlin broadcaster rbb inforadio heard an unusual early morning interview on may 19 on the line from the polish port city of szczecin was lt gen manfred hofmann a 42 year veteran of the german army who commands a corps that began in 1999 as a german danish unit to help poland integrate into nato which it joined that spring
dialogue with moscow has not shut down he said and nato is keeping its commitments not to permanently station combat units on former soviet bloc territory
but the general noted that the corps command is now a 400 person 21 nation unit overseeing rapid deployment of nato units if necessary and reflected that since the 2014 summit meeting in wales an unbelievable amount has happened


in his latest swipe at mayor bill de blasio the state senate majority leader john j flanagan introduced a bill on friday that would extend mayoral control of new york city schools by only one year while allowing the governor to appoint an education inspector with substantial power to interfere in the management of the schools
the bill prompted swift criticism from both democratic members of the assembly and the partnership for new york city a business group which warned that it would return the schools to a chaotic and dysfunctional form of governance
mr flanagan a republican has in recent weeks made something of a sport of tormenting mr de blasio a democrat as the mayor seeks a renewal of mayoral control which otherwise will lapse on june 30 he has questioned mr de blasios knowledge of the schools accused him of not being forthcoming with information and expressed indignation when the mayor after testifying for nearly four hours at one senate hearing did not attend a second one
mr de blasios predecessor mayor michael r bloomberg was the first mayor to win control of the citys schools which he did in 2002 the legislature granted him seven years with strong support from the senates republican majority and then a six year renewal in 2009 but mr de blasio made an enemy of mr flanagan in his first year in office when he tried to help the democrats win a majority in the senate as a result last year when mr de blasio asked for permanent control he got only a one year renewal
this year mr de blasio asked for seven years then requested three years after the democratic majority in the assembly approved a three year extension
mr flanagans bill would create a position of education inspector to be appointed by the governor and confirmed by the senate among the inspectors powers he or she would have access to all the districts records documents and information systems the mayor and the citys education department would have to fully cooperate with all of the inspectors requests for information the inspector could appeal decisions by the citys panel for educational policy which approves contracts and decisions to locate charter schools in public school buildings among other things to the state education commissioner the inspector could void any contracts or appointments to the panel if he or she finds a conflict of interest
on saturday the two other parties in the state government said they did not support the education inspector provision michael whyland a spokesman for the assembly speaker carl e heastie a democrat said democratic lawmakers supported a straight extension of mayoral control without conditions and a spokeswoman for gov andrew m cuomo a democrat with whom the mayor has been openly feuding said the governor supported a three year extension and nothing else


americans are both more loyal and more fickle than ever before judging by the number of customer rewards cards they have and the number they actually use
households on average hold membership in 29 loyalty programs across the retail financial services travel and other industries   thats a total of 33 billion nationwide up 26 percent from 2013 according to a 2015 report by colloquy a loyalty marketing research company
but most households use only 12 of those cards a proportion that has dropped 45 percent from 2013
there was a time when having a loyalty program differentiated you from others said emily collins a senior analyst with forrester research now thats not true
loyalty programs do attract customers according to a report to be issued on tuesday by bond brand loyalty in collaboration with visa about 80 percent of the roughly 19000 consumers in the united states and canada who responded to an online survey said they were more likely to continue doing business with brands that offered loyalty programs
but to be successful the programs can no longer offer just a discount or a free dessert
if somebody were to ask me if i should start a loyalty program i would say they need to manage it right said yuping liu thompkins a professor of marketing at the strome college of business at old dominion university its not just about gaining new customers she said but crucially about effectively using the important data you receive from those customers its about persuading people not only to buy more she said but to change their behavior and habits   and to share that with friends and family
brian gregg a partner at mckinsey and company the management consulting firm offered an example when people get a dog he said they go on a big shopping spree   buying the bed the collars the food and all the other dog necessities but then there is a big drop off in their purchases
if that person signs up for a loyalty program mr gregg said the company should use that information not just to offer a discount on the next purchase for the dog but to build a relationship so that the dog owner will come back month after month for dog food
research also shows that while people say discounts are important they also overwhelmingly say they want special treatment and offers not available to others in a loyalty program ms collins said they come for the perks but they stay for the experience
sephora the cosmetics retailer is a great example of that dynamic said scott robinson vice president for design and strategy at bond brand loyalty sephoras rewards program offers free samples and tutorials to loyal customers it has three tiers and the top spenders are invited to free closed door events like beauty before brunch where they receive makeup lessons discounts and a goody bag
the samples dont cost much but are of great value to customers who want the newest makeup and hair products he said and store loyalists often share these discoveries on social media which draws in more customers
and thats a crucial part of the equation making sure customers arent just loyal but also loud brands rely on them to spread the word far and wide about great loyalty programs
the beauty industry in general has successfully developed one of the crucial elements of any loyalty program mr gregg said that the perceived value to the customer is greater than the cost to the company
for instance he said the movie theater industry is trying out programs that give loyal customers early access to movie trailers a low cost way to make film buffs feel special
in another effort at personalization merchants can use beacon technology to send a signal to your smartphone as you walk by a store said perry kramer vice president at boston retail partners a retail consulting firm
so say youre enrolled in reis loyalty program he said you can be sent a text message as you walk by that theres 25 percent off on outerwear today
even more personal perhaps too personal a sales associate could identify when youre in a store greet you by name and note that you might be interested in some new shoes to go with the dress you bought the last time you shopped there
the reality mr kramer said is that too many companies offer loyalty discounts that dont result in loyalty mr gregg agreed offering a 15 percent discount at the checkout counter if a customer signs up for a program isnt effective he said because the customer was already going to make a purchase anyway
and who hasnt joined a loyalty program for the initial discount and then put the card in the back of a drawer never to use it again
increasingly even companies with a longstanding base of loyal customers find that they have to tweak their programs nordstrom facing slowing sales this year recently expanded its rewards plan so that customers no longer have to use a nordstrom credit card to earn points
just by signing up for the stores loyalty program customers can earn a point for every dollar they spend that is less than the two points per dollar that nordstrom credit cardholders earn but the new system allows customers to pay any way they choose
nordstrom knows that its rewards members spend four times more than other customers said dan evans a spokesman for the company
customers have told us they want to earn points but they want another way to shop with us he said customers definition of service continues to evolve


paris   andy murray was born may 15 1987 in glasgow a wee lad destined to resurrect britains fortunes in mens tennis
but one week later another boy came into this world in belgrade in the former yugoslavia one who would go on to torment murray on tennis courts around the world
such is murrays misfortune to be almost the exact same age as novak djokovic the best player in the world and one of the most dominant of any era
his performances over the last 18 months to two years have been exceptional murray said sunday after losing to djokovic for the fifth time in a major tournament final he deserves to be no 1
it is the same timing that has plagued other players such as andy roddick in their rivalries with roger federer and rafael nadal wilt chamberlain confronted a similar fate playing against bill russell and the boston celtics all those years in the nba
for a while the elite group of mens tennis players known as the big four comprised murray federer nadal and djokovic perhaps murray was only on the cusp of acceptance having won fewer titles but he was a factor in who won the big tournaments
as injury and age chipped away at the aura of invincibility that federer and nadal once enjoyed djokovic surged into the top position murray may have passed federer and nadal to claim no 2 in the world but he is still looking up
murrays position was confirmed again sunday when djokovic stormed from a set down to thrash him 3 6 6 1 6 2 6 4 in the french open final
it was the 24th time djokovic had beaten murray in 34 career matches and the eighth time in 10 meetings at major tournaments
murray has beaten djokovic twice in a major final   at the united states open in 2012 and at wimbledon the following year but since then djokovic has won 13 of 15 matches including five in a row in the majors the gap seems to be widening
sundays victory was djokovics fourth major title in a row something no one had achieved since rod laver in 1969 djokovic joined federer and nadal as a part of a select group who have career grand slams murray still lacks the french and australian titles and djokovic has defeated murray four times in the final in australia
obviously the guys i have been around the last few years have made things difficult for me murray said i mean you know i have been close ish to winning all of the slams now and unfortunately all of them have done it instead
in order to get past djokovic or at least back to his level murray may have to make adjustments one former french open champion billie jean king said that murray had not reached his potential and that if he addressed his on court demeanor it could make the difference
murray is well known for his midmatch mutterings   his looks of anguish his self deprecating explosions after mistakes and his audible complaints directed toward his coaching staff in the stands
all that is a copout king said ive done that ive done it myself it means im not taking responsibility if he accepts responsibility he will be so tough
she noted that when she and craig kardon coached martina navratilova they would fine her every time she looked at them
craig and i said martina every time you even look at us its money for billie and beers for craig  she said and it worked its a fun way to make your point
djokovic has had his own issues with temper even at this tournament he may also understand the frustration murray experiences when playing him djokovic endured it too when he first came on tour at a time when federer played as if all the tournaments were his to win
many times djokovic said how important it was to use that challenge and competition to improve but there was a time when he wondered if he would suffer the fate of players like roddick a terrific player but not at the level of the best of his day
at the beginning i was not glad to be part of their era djokovic said sunday with a laugh
both djokovic and murray benefited from being a few years younger than federer who will turn 35 on aug 8 nadal turned 30 last week but his long list of injuries has ravaged his body
since murray and djokovic are only a week apart though murray may never see djokovic experience the limitations of age before he does
before sundays final clay was thought to be an answer murray had defeated djokovic in rome before coming to paris according to gustavo kuerten the three time french open champion murray has what it takes to win it all even with djokovic playing
his game is close kuerten said its good enough its just a matter of doing it more consistently


in july 1910 a teenager named myron surmach left his village in ukraine boarded the ship atlanta with a third class ticket and headed across the ocean to an improbably big city called new york for 21 days mr surmach sucked on a lemon to stave off seasickness until he reached ellis island there he told an interviewer decades later he was shocked to find an american guard welcoming him to the united states in perfect ukrainian
mr surmach began his new life in wilkes barre pa but within a few years he made it back to new york eager to preserve his native culture he opened a small shop on avenue a in manhattan where he sold records books clothes and other trinkets from the old country to other ukrainian immigrants he named the store surma   after an old woodwindlike instrument   and for 98 years it has operated at various addresses in the east village settling in 1943 at 11 east seventh street
the family business has outlived myron and his son myron jr it has outlived janis joplin and jim morrison who bought embroidered blouses there during the folk revival of the 1960s when the peasant look was all the rage but recently patrons learned that surma has only a few days left when mr surmachs grandson markian announced that he would close the shop this month
you can trace the whole history of our community through this store said william m dubetz 79 a security guard from the bronx who has stopped by surma for 61 years to pick up his weekly ukrainian newspaper i dont know what will happen to that culture once it closes
mr dubetz was hardly alone in his words of regret over the weekend surmas aisles were crowded with longtime customers saying goodbye and wondering where they would go now to find painted pysanky eggs for easter or kutia a sweet grain pudding for their christmas feasts
this store has connected our wave of immigrants to the 19th century said vladimir ginzburg 72 when it closes that connection will go with it
although the patch of the east village around seventh street has long been known as little ukraine many of the eastern european emporiums that thrived there have closed in recent years the kiev a beloved coffee shop shut in 2000 followed by the ukrainian art and literary club and odessa restaurant and j baczynsky is a relic of a once competitive corps of ukrainian butchers selling smoked meats now st george ukrainian catholic church and the ukrainian museum are among the dwindling number of institutions that invoke the neighborhoods history
inside here nothing has changed but outside everything is different said stephanie czerepanyn 72 who emigrated from ukraine in 1951 and has worked at surma since 1978 taking a bus and two trains from her home in brooklyn
despite the gentrification of little ukraine and its corresponding rent increases markian surmach was not exactly forced out of his store he owns the building which his grandfather bought for 15000 its sale now is likely to fetch millions   a sum surely never envisioned by the young myron sr whose mother sold a cow so he could afford to leave ukraine although many customers bemoaned his decision mr surmach explained that sales have slumped since the 1990s when the fall of the soviet union and the proliferation of cheap specialty goods online made surmas once scarce wares more readily available
even if we own the building the property taxes and upkeep are very expensive and have drowned out profits to the point where were barely floating mr surmach 54 said if we didnt own the place wed have been out of business decades ago
mr surmach added that he was considering taking the business online after the location closes
mike buryk a genealogist and historian of ukrainian descent from north caldwell nj was saddened to hear that the store he had patronized for 50 years would soon be gone it felt like the passing of an old dear friend he said
when he was a teenager mr buryk now 66 began combing the shelves at surma for books and embroidery as a way to reinforce his ukrainian american identity he was particularly fond of the honey   a staple of ukrainian cooking   which in those days came from an apiary tended by myron sr after he handed the store to his son and moved to a farm in saddle river nj
the number of ukrainians living in east village has certainly changed mr buryk who also writes for the ukrainian weekly said they tended to make a good living get educated and move out to suburbs but for ukrainians the area still represents our cultural and religious focal point
about 71000 ukrainian americans live in the new york metropolitan area which includes the city and its suburbs according to the 2010 census but after a post world war ii surge few live in the east village neighborhood that once anchored the community maria shust the director of the ukrainian museum said the population has shrunk around here she said noting that the nearby st george academy a private ukrainian catholic high school had drastically cut its enrollment
while mr buryk understood the pressures on mr surmach elena solow said she was not even speaking to markian anymore although she was visiting the store for the first time in nearly two years she said she hated to see any family establishment close
when neighborhoods lose their history they lose their souls and all thats left is the gap ms solow a jewelry dealer who lives in chelsea said
this will probably turn into a starbucks she lamented as she walked out the door hearing its familiar bell chime for the last time


baltimore   as the yankees first base coach tony pena stood in the dugout sunday morning he was asked to consider a hypothetical situation what if his son francisco came to the plate for the baltimore orioles with two outs the bases loaded and the yankees clinging to a one run lead
i want him to strike out pena said with a smile i want to win honestly i want to win
it was not quite the ninth inning and francisco pena did not deliver the winning hit but he was there in the middle of the winning rally for the orioles who scored three times in the bottom of the eighth inning after a long rain delay to beat the yankees 3 1 at camden yards
after the rain had delayed the game for 1 hour 37 minutes yankees closer aroldis chapman came on with runners at first and second and quickly struck out jonathan schoop for the second out but pena rifled a single to right field hit so hard that it prevented the lead runner mark trumbo from trying to score   even after right fielder aaron hicks bobbled the ball
but pinch hitter matt wieters followed by lining an 0 2 fastball up the middle to drive in trumbo and chris davis and pena then scored when center fielder jacoby ellsburys throw sailed past catcher brian mccann chapman was not backing up home
the loss was a crushing way to end a 10 game trip for the yankees who wasted a plethora of scoring opportunities and another fine effort by starter c c sabathia before falling victim to chapmans first blown save in 10 chances
we cant feel sorry for ourselves said reliever dellin betances who lost for the second time in this series and has given up runs in four consecutive appearances a career high things arent going our way we just have to continue to work
as dispiriting as the loss was for the yankees it was uplifting for the orioles who moved into a tie for first place with boston in the american league east six and a half games ahead of the yankees
nobody was more ebullient than the younger pena who hit his first career home run on thursday and played in front of his father for the first time on sunday they shared laughs and meals and celebrated the older penas 59th birthday on saturday
it was a real real special moment pena said of playing in front of his father its the same game   i still had a smile on my face i just had fun trying just to make my whole family proud back home in the dominican republic watching and my wife and my mom
tony pena was standing in the corner of the yankees dugout his arms folded when the ball went screaming off the bat of his son into right field after the loss the elder pena was disappointed but he also surely had some paternal pride
francisco a catcher like his father said he caught his fathers eye once during the game after chasing down a ball that had skittered away he glanced toward the first base coaching box he also stepped into the batters box once and asked mccann one of many yankees he knows if he might do him a favor and call for a fastball
when i was in a ball aa used to go to yankee stadium on my day off so i know all those guys said pena 26 who signed with the mets as a 17 year old and made his major league debut last year for kansas city i was messing around with mccann
sabathia walked six and hit a batter in five solid innings but he managed to keep the orioles scoreless amid muggy 80 degree conditions he lowered his era to 087 over his last five starts but he has only two wins over that stretch
the yankees took a 1 0 lead on an alex rodriguez single that scored brett gardner with two outs in the third but that was the yankees sole run despite 10 hits two walks and a runner who reached on an error
all the base runners made for a busy day for penas father at first base
as unshakable as the bond is between father and son there is also a link between catchers   an often unspoken understanding of the demands of the position
so when the yankees two catchers recently sustained freakish injuries   mccann hyperextending his left elbow when he reached down to block a pitch and austin romine hurting his thumb when his glove fell off as he tried to catch a warm up pitch   manager joe girardi cringed along with them girardi caught for 15 seasons in the major leagues
thats why i retired girardi said sunday morning in the third base dugout i dont miss all the bumps and bruises you get as a catcher and how you physically feel every day its a brutal position and there has to be a good amount of toughness in an individual to play that position
when romine was hurt before the start of the ninth inning on saturday pena jogged out with his glove and mask to warm up chapman he was quickly called back because girardi wanted to preserve chapmans warm up tosses for mccann who was replacing romine
i was not scared for tony girardi said
pena a four time gold glove catcher was in the vanguard of latino catchers in the late 1970s and early 1980s who brought a flamboyance to the position sitting on the ground with one leg splayed out and throwing from a crouch pena was eager to show off his arm one of the best in the game
with tony everybody knew he was in the park orioles manager buck showalter said this kid fits in a little more he said referring to francisco pena who goes by frankie
the younger pena is indeed more circumspect he is bigger than his father at 6 feet 2 inches and 230 pounds and he displayed a rare sign of exuberance on sunday when he applauded pitcher kevin gausman for a high fastball he threw ellsbury with the bases loaded in the fourth gausman eventually struck ellsbury out
tony pena who averaged just over six walks for every 100 plate appearances in his 18 year career said his son had a similar approach at the plate his strike zone is from the head to the toe if he throws the rosin bag he might swing
penas remark was a spot on scouting report when the younger pena fouled off five two strike pitches and coaxed an 11 pitch walk in his first at bat he reached in the fifth on an infield single and took a called third strike in the sixth at the end of an eight pitch at bat against kirby yates
the best though was yet to come


louisville ky   muhammad ali filled the middle of three screens in the small theater in footage taken a few years after his 1960 olympic gold medal performance he was explaining his decision to sit out the vietnam war to a group of white male college students
you wont even stand up for me in america for my religious beliefs said ali who had converted from christianity to islam and you want me to go somewhere and fight but you wont even stand up for me at home
from her seat in the darkened room at the muhammad ali center on saturday emma mcelvaney talbott heard alis words and couldnt hold back thats right she exclaimed not caring how far her voice carried
the hometown that mcelvaney talbott and ali shared was staging a citywide love in this weekend for its native son who died late friday after a decades long struggle with parkinsons disease outside the center the flags had been lowered to half staff inside mcelvaney talbotts memories triggered by the 15 minute film of alis life were going full tilt
all around her were people who had come to pay their respects some bearing bouquets of flowers or boxing gloves handmade signs or letters or in some cases just silent blessings
kerry borvan who had been traveling with her nephews from chicago to the dollywood theme park in pigeon forge tenn made an unplanned stop at the museum and cultural center after waking up to the news of alis death dr saleem seyal a cardiologist who was born in pakistan and is a longtime resident of the louisville area had once met ali and he produced photographs from his smartphone to prove it he had come to say a muslim prayer for the former heavyweight champion of the world
there were also those who were there from the start who knew ali as a kid in louisville who raced school buses on foot and walked teenage girls home from school for the prospect of a kiss who could testify to the sentiment that mayor greg fischer of louisville had expressed at a saturday morning memorial service when he said muhammad ali belongs to the world but he only has one hometown
that rang true for mcelvaney talbott a retired educator and a writer and her husband cecil talbott an engineer who are card holding members of the center which was co founded by ali and his wife lonnie
on saturday the waiving of admission fees was hardly what motivated them to join the steady procession of visitors on a day when the weather   gray and glum with scattered sunshine between downpours   reflected the citys collective emotions they said they had come because each room in the center was like a page from a scrapbook
like ali cecil talbott learned to box at a local gym run by fred stone who is credited with helping to teach ali the footwork that enabled him to flit around the ring like a dancer with prodding from his wife talbott recounted a three round sparring session he had with the much bigger ali then known as cassius clay when both were teenagers
talbott said he was scrawny and stood just 5 feet 7 inches when he climbed into the ring with ali who was well on his way to his adult height 6 3 ali seemed not to care that the objective of sparring was to practice technique not inflict torment
in the first round cassius threw a hard right and fred warned him not to hit hard cecil talbott said in the second round cassius threw another hard right and freddie had to warn him again not to do it
in my mind i said this is not going to work so in the third round he threw another hard right and i saw it coming i blocked it and i threw a hard right back cassius looked at me and said good shot 
talbott gave up boxing soon thereafter but ali was hooked mcelvaney talbott who was in the same class at central high as alis younger brother recalled ali shadowboxing in the halls as he made his way from one class to the next he was smart she said but didnt apply himself in school he was a cutup she said i just remember he was a lot of fun
some mornings he entertained his schoolmates by racing a dozen blocks or more as he tried to outrun the bus that mcelvaney talbott rode to school wed be screaming and hollering and laughing she said wed be yelling go cassius 
mcelvaney talbott recalled with a laugh hed always stop for the young ladies i called him a big ol teddy bear
one day she said he walked her home from a skating rink shadowboxing on the sidewalk and jabbering away when we got to my door he asked me for a kiss she said i regretfully said no and he didnt push it
in 1960 the year ali graduated from high school he won the light heavyweight gold at the summer olympics in rome upon his return home he received a heros welcome but the local adulation like the gold in his medal did not run deep instead discrimination did
one had to be a fighter to rise above the daily humiliations of life in a segregated city mcelvaney talbott said some leaned on books and learning and religion ali used his fists and his wit
as a child of the segregated south she said she understood the forces that had carried ali into the embrace of the nation of islam an american muslim sect that advocated racial separation he would later convert to orthodox islam she said she was proud when he refused to be drafted to fight in the vietnam war and requested conscientious objector status which caused him to be stripped of his heavyweight title by boxing commissions around the country and put his career on hiatus for more than three years during his athletic prime
we lived with him through all the injustices mcelvaney talbott said i remember feeling that he was right to refuse to go and feeling really sad when they stripped him of his title
she added he was the man for that time
as his fame grew his trips home diminished but during his visits he was always the hometown boy mcelvaney talbott said if you saw him he was approachable
during one of those visits she said ali ran into her older brother woody give me your address she said ali told her brother an hour later ali showed up on his doorstep
i ran into him at the center four years ago she said and i told him i was woodys sister he was struggling with his speech but his face lit up
alis younger brother who was born rudolph but later converted to islam and took the name rahman ali spent part of saturday receiving visitors at a house on grand street it was next door to the carnation pink clapboard structure where he and his brother were raised by their mother odessa a cook and house cleaner and their father cassius marcellus clay sr a sign painter and church muralist the two bedroom one bath home was restored and converted into a museum that opened last month
visitors were greeted at the front door by sonny fishback who was dressed in purple pants and a matching bowlers shirt as if ready for the nightclub stages he once commanded
fishback attended central high with ali and his brother and later became a singer and songwriter stories flowed freely from him as he controlled the tide of people streaming inside to buy an 8 admission ticket and pay their respects to rahman ali who is as quiet as his brother was loquacious in the bedroom the brothers shared there are two paintings of muhammad ali by rahman who is an artist
speaking softly rahman said that his brothers physical suffering was over and that he had led a rich life when it was suggested to him that alis greatest currency was the love he gave away freely and in his later years was returned a thousandfold rah beckoned the visitor closer and kissed her on the cheek
five miles from the house at the green meadows memorial cemetery which sits on the other side of the railroad tracks a woman knelt in front of the granite gravestone shared by alis parents planting marigolds to spell out love she identified herself as diana rupa but said she went by the surname ali because the boxer embodied kindness and respect and dignity
as she was working the dirt around the flowers she said she had never met ali but felt a personal and spiritual connection to him
earlier in the day rupa had added an elephant pinata to the makeshift shrine for ali on the porch of his childhood home she set another papier mache elephant at his parents grave site with their thick skins their graceful way of moving on their toes and their ability to communicate to their herd without seeming to speak elephants remind her of ali
the boxer known for running his mouth became a humanitarian who did not have to say a word referring to his parkinsons disease which so diminished alis voice rupa said god had to shut him up she said so that we could hear his heart


dublin ohio   the top three players in the world came into the memorial tournament fresh off victories a lot of good that did them rory mcilroy the worlds no 2 golfer backed into a tie for fourth top ranked jason day finished tied for 27th and jordan spieth was tied for 57th
the top three who had combined for 15 top 10 finishes in 32 starts this season were no match for william mcgirt and jon curran who came into the week with a combined six top 10 showings in a combined 38 starts mcgirt closed with a one under par 71 and curran a 70 to finish regulation tied for the lead at 15 under 273
in the playoff only one outcome was certain a first time pga tour winner would be crowned with a par on the second extra hole mcgirt broke his maiden in his 165th tour start while curran extended his winless streak to 55 tour appearances
mcgirts closing round consisted of one birdie at no 5 and 19 pars including the playoff but there was nothing routine about his last par in which he chipped from thick rough over the green to 7 feet and made the uphill putt while the tournament host jack nicklaus looked on
its a pretty darn cool feeling right now to get win no 1 and for it to be here at the memorial in front of mr nicklaus mcgirt said
mcilroy was the leader in the clubhouse for a good portion of the afternoon after signing for his 68 before a weather front moved in his round included bogeys on the par 3 12th after his tee shot found the green and the par 4 14th after his drive found the fairway those two bogeys represented the margin separating him from mcgirt all things considered its been a decent week said mcilroy who finished tied with j b holmes 69 gary woodland 73 and matt kuchar 73 at 13 under 275
blame the wind for the tumult on the memorial tournament leaderboard the sweltering heat earlier in the week gave way to electrical storms over the weekend that caused weather delays totaling almost three hours after the last of the interruptions a 1 hour 27 minute delay on sunday with the leaders on the back nine the wind picked up and the players returned to what seemed a different course
the final holes were playing downwind which brought into play fairway bunkers that curran making his memorial tournament debut had not even noticed were there he hit into two of them down the stretch   on the penultimate hole in regulation and on his drive at the 18th on the second playoff hole
on no 17 he hit out to 7 feet and made the birdie to grab a share of the lead at 15 under with mcgirt whose final round included one birdie at no 5 and 19 pars including the extra holes currans approach on no 18 on the second hole of extra death sailed the green looking back he said he probably should have used his 9 iron out of the sand instead of trying to take something off an 8
maybe i was nervous maybe it was a little adrenaline curran said i just smashed it and it got up in the wind and took it even further left
neither curran nor mcgirt said they felt comfortable off the tee mcgirt took advantage of the weather delay to work on his swing in the clubhouse he described the break as huge his career high finish before this week a tie for second at last falls sanderson farms championship was marked by numerous weather delays necessitating a monday finish
nicklaus a 73 time tour winner praised the play of mcgirt and curran down the stretch a lot of guys had an opportunity to win this golf tournament today he said adding the guys kept self destructing and the only two guys who didnt self destruct were will and jon they both came right down the stretch both playing well and thats what we ended up with
curran was standing off to the side of the green staring into the distance as if he were trying to make sense of what had just happened when nicklaus came up to him and tapped him on the right shoulder and patted him on the stomach he congratulated him on his fine play and told him he was going to win many tournaments an exchange that curran described as pretty cool
as was made plain sunday sometimes the winner is the one who plods along and lets everyone else self destruct i won half of my golf tournaments watching everyone else self destruct he said as a wide eyed mcgirt hung on nicklauss every word


lincoln center theater unexpectedly announced sunday that it would close its production of the king and i this month
the sumptuous production which opened in april of 2015 won the tony award for best musical revival last year and had performed strongly at the box office for months but its weekly grosses dropped after the departure of its tony winning star kelli ohara in april
lincoln center a nonprofit said it would end the production on june 26 at which point it will have played 538 performances a national tour is scheduled to begin in november
the show features music by richard rodgers and book and lyrics by oscar hammerstein ii the revival is directed by bartlett sher


richmond va   on the night barack obama became the nations first black president leah taylor a fast food worker and african american mother of six stayed up until 2 am watching the election returns i knew that was history and i wanted to be a part of it she said but she did not vote
ms taylor 45 has never voted in 1991 when she was 20 she was stripped of her voting rights after being convicted of selling crack cocaine and sent to jail for a year so she was stunned when an organizer from a progressive group new virginia majority showed up one recent afternoon at the church soup kitchen where she eats lunch and said he could register her
your rights have been restored the organizer assadique abdul rahman declared with a theatrical flourish waving an executive order signed in april by gov terry mcauliffe ms taylor so moved she nearly cried promptly signed up
thus did ms taylor join a wave of newly eligible voters all with criminal pasts signing up in virginia but what mr mcauliffe granted the virginia supreme court may now take away
top republicans in the state legislature are seeking to block mr mcauliffes sweeping order which re enfranchised 206000 virginians who have completed sentences probation or parole last week the supreme court announced a special session to hear arguments in july   in time to rule before the november election
the suit has plunged virginia and mr mcauliffe   a democrat and close friend of hillary clintons the partys likely presidential nominee   into yet another racially charged voting rights battle in may a federal judge upheld a republican backed law requiring virginia voters to provide photo identification while the supreme court let stand a court imposed redistricting map drawn to address democrats complaints of racially motivated gerrymandering
this next fight over restoring voting rights to convicted felons   an issue playing out nationally   could affect the presidential contest and mrs clintons fortunes in virginia a critical swing state ever since mr mcauliffes order on april 22 progressive groups have been waging a furious registration campaign as of friday state elections officials said more than 5800 newly eligible voters had signed up
this could get really messy said tram nguyen an executive director of new virginia majority a leader in the registration campaign what happens if the executive order gets overturned theres no precedent 5800 people are actively on the registration rolls now do we purge them
that is precisely what republicans are asking in addition to overturning the order they want the new registrations nullified   a request ms taylor calls appalling
a teenage mother when she went to jail ms taylor said her time there gave me clarity after her release in 1992 she said she performed community service folding clothes in a salvation army store and paid the state 15000 in fines with money inherited from her mother today she has part time jobs at mcdonalds and kentucky fried chicken and dabbles in advocacy lobbying lawmakers on behalf of fight for 15 a coalition pushing to raise the minimum wage she likes both mrs clinton and senator bernie sanders and counts herself a democrat
i did my time i did everything i was supposed to do she said i paid the courts i paid the fines and got my life back on track
in issuing his sweeping order mr mcauliffe made expansive use of his clemency powers to effectively nullify a civil war era provision in the state constitution that barred convicted felons from voting for life   one of the harshest disenfranchisement policies in the nation in an interview previewing his announcement mr mcauliffe said his legal authority to do so is ironclad but republicans say the governor lacks blanket authority to restore voting rights and must instead do so on a case by case basis   as his predecessors in both parties have done
hes really put a stick in the legislatures eye said speaker william j howell of the virginia house of delegates the lead plaintiff in the republican suit he said the suit has nothing to do with the registration drive and rejected democrats accusations that republicans were trying to suppress the black vote the governor has whipped them up
still race is a powerful subtext african americans make up 19 percent of virginias population but 45 percent of those covered by the governors order the sentencing project a washington research organization says one in five african americans in virginia cannot vote because of felony convictions
when you look at the fact that of the individuals who are most impacted by this 45 percent of them are african american what conclusion can we draw asked state senator mamie locke chairwoman of the virginia black legislative caucus which held voices for the vote rallies on saturday in three virginia cities
organizers of the registration drive say they would like to sign up 25000 new voters in time to cast ballots on election day
that could make a difference said bob holsworth a longtime political analyst in virginia noting that some state races in virginia had been decided by relatively slim margins of 5000 or 6000 votes
here in richmond the capital the registration campaign is most intense in some of the poorest corners of the city in places like gilpin court a public housing development in jackson ward a historically african american neighborhood karen fountain another new virginia majority organizer has signed up so many people that residents have named her the voter lady
ms fountain estimated that roughly three quarters of those she encounters in gilpin court have lost their right to vote on a sweltering friday afternoon she walked the neighborhoods streets asking people if they had heard what governor terry as she calls mr mcauliffe had done many had not some remain ineligible
i cant i just got home one tattooed young man replied when ms fountain asked if he wanted to register are you on probation she asked he nodded his head yes supervised she asked he nodded again ok ms fountain said when you get off you can register
for mr abdul rahman a cheery 53 year old with a corny expression   cool bananas   for things that please him the work is deeply personal he spent 17 years in prison for armed robbery and breaking and entering in prison he read history books and taught himself about politics when he heard about the governors order he signed up to vote and began registering others
then new virginia majority hired him the day he met ms taylor was his first day of work standing outside the church on a thin grassy patch under a shady crepe myrtle tree he registered 11 new voters during the lunch hour   some homeless some struggling with addiction to drugs none seemed happier than ms taylor
oh my goodness she said giving mr abdul rahman a hug after signing her papers this is such a beautiful day


donald j trumps campaign is adding staff members to key areas it has been criticized for neglecting bringing on jim murphy as its new national political director and preparing to beef up its communications team
mr murphy the head of jlm consulting was a senior adviser to bob doles 1988 and 1996 presidential campaigns and managed floor operations at three republican conventions previously he was president of dci group a public affairs firm
mr murphys hire comes just over a week after the campaign fired rick wiley who held the position previously but was fired after less than two months and it also comes amid stumbles by mr trump as he and his team try to ramp up to a more robust operation capable of running a multimillion dollar general election campaign
mr trump and mr murphy spoke by phone over the weekend and four campaign aides confirmed mr murphys hiring
the campaign has only one person hope hicks the campaign spokeswoman overseeing communications and is hoping to add at least two new hires to help as early as this week
mr murphy got his start in politics working for senator gordon j humphrey republican of new hampshire and also briefly served as deputy political director at the national republican senatorial committee in the mid 1980s
paul manafort mr trumps campaign chairman who also hired mr wiley helped bring mr murphy on board mr murphy also worked with michael glassner the trump deputy campaign manager on the dole campaign in 1996 and he is familiar with the campaign manager corey lewandowski from their days working together in new hampshire he is also close with rick reed who makes ads for the trump campaign


gyeongju south korea   she spends hours a day watching the japanese broadcaster nhk her bedside table is stacked with japanese magazines and figurines in kimonos the walls bear pictures of mount fuji
shizue katsura 96 is among 19 japanese women who are spending their final days in an unlikely place a nursing home in south korea where lingering anti japanese sentiment has helped keep the women in obscurity
there is no use looking back on my life ms katsura said home is where you are living japan is a foreign country to me
thousands of japanese women like ms katsura married korean men during japans colonial rule which lasted from 1910 to 1945 when world war ii ended and korea was liberated many stayed with their husbands in korea while others fled back to japan fearing violence from those looking to avenge the brutal colonial rule
or as in ms katsuras case they followed their husbands from japan to korea
once in korea these women often discovered that their husbands families had found them korean spouses in their absence many also lost their husbands during the korean war which lasted from 1950 until 1953
by the time many tried to return to japan it was too late japan and south korea did not re establish ties until 1965 and even then some of the women had no relatives to sponsor their return and resettlement
emotions run high when south koreans talk about their countrys historical disputes with japan especially the enslavement of korean comfort women in front line brothels for japans imperial army during world war ii but society has paid little attention to these japanese women some of whom were abandoned by their families in both countries and had to live with neither a korean nor a japanese passport
when they arrive here they all have made up korean names said song mi ho the head of the nursing home nazarewon which takes its name from the biblical nazareth one of the first things we do is to call them by their japanese names when this happens they are in tears as if they are getting their life their identity back
once we give their real names back its amazing how quickly they regain their japaneseness the decorum the way they fold their hands before them when they greet others ms song said
while sitting in a wheelchair ms katsura perked up when telling a visitor how she met a kindly korean man more than seven decades earlier when they worked in a power station in her hometown ebetsu near sapporo in northern japan
but she became taciturn when asked about her life in south korea
her husband died of alcoholism decades earlier she said she once raised tobacco and livestock in southwestern south korea and then sold vegetables in the capital seoul before failing health forced her to move into the nursing home nine years ago
my son he died early she said declining to elaborate
a south korean philanthropist named kim yong sung was operating orphanages in gyeongju in southeastern south korea when he traveled to japan and saw what looked like korean women protesting in front of the japanese emperors palace they turned out to be japanese women with south korean passports demanding that japan help them regain their citizenship and return home
mr kim opened nazarewon in 1972 as a way station for these women providing them with lodging as well as legal and financial aid a total of 147 returned home through nazarewon the last one in 1984
nazarewon has since become a nursing home for women who either could not or did not want to return to japan and had no family support
after 70 years in south korea some women preferred living here to ending up at a nursing home in japan they like umeboshi ms song said referring to the ubiquitous japanese dish of pickled plums but they can do without it but not without the korean kimchi
more than 80 women have died at nazarewon during the past 35 years the average age of the 19 current residents is 92 many suffer from alzheimers disease and were not available for interviews
the nursing homes existence rankles some south koreans
i still get angry calls asking what do you think you are doing dont you know what the japanese did to our comfort women ms song said i hope what we do here will in its small and silent way help heal the ties between the two nations
chiyo yagi 90 said she was a nurse in the fukuoka prefecture in southern japan when she fell in love with a korean translator who would bring injured korean workers from the nearby lizuka coal mines to her hospital when they were married her father did not attend the wedding
ms yagi too did not like to talk about her life in south korea though her callused and crooked fingers appeared to reflect a life of menial labor
korea is a better place for me to live because i at least have a daughter here she said my daughter comes to see me once a year
japanese journalists have visited nazarewon since a book about the women there was published in japan in the early 1980s a church in japan and the japanese embassy in seoul have provided aid to help ms song operate the nursing home japanese tourists who visit this city the seat of the ancient silla kingdom and home to numerous buddhist temples and pagodas often stop at the nursing home
but their numbers have declined sharply in recent years as relations between south korea and japan have cooled over a territorial dispute and the issue of the comfort women
on a recent afternoon nazarewon was shrouded in silence women sat motionlessly in wheelchairs gazing at nhk on a large screen a few played a card game counting their scores in japanese but otherwise speaking korean azaleas blossomed in the front yard
i dont know anything about politics said ms katsura who declined to discuss korean japanese relations what i do know is that if you do well to others they will do well to you too thats true between people between nations


heres what to expect in the week ahead
economy
treasury secretary jacob j lew and secretary of state john kerry are scheduled to be in beijing on monday and tuesday for the eighth round of the us china strategic and economic dialogue chinese officials are likely to complain about recent american antidumping tariffs imposed on their steel tariffs the obama administrations position is that antidumping decisions are made through a quasi judicial process that complies with world trade organization rules chinese officials are almost certain to ask that the united states recognize china as a market economy as opposed to a nonmarket economy a change that would make it harder for plaintiffs to impose these tariffs on chinese exports the chinese are also eager to learn more about when the federal reserve might raise interest rates the united states wants china to adopt further financial liberalization address industrial overcapacity at home and refrain from any devaluation of the renminbi that is aimed at seeking an advantage in trade keith bradsher
technology
british lawmakers will hold a two day debate starting monday over new surveillance legislation that could give the countrys intelligence agencies increased access to digital communications the measure called a snoopers charter by critics may force large technology companies like apple to give these agencies access to encrypted messages in the name of national security officials hope to finalize the new laws by the end of the year mark scott
economy
weak job growth in may means the federal reserve is not likely to raise interest rates in june but how much longer will the central bank wait monday is the last day that fed officials are allowed to speak publicly before the fed meets on june 14 and 15 janet l yellen the feds chairwoman has decided to speak last ms yellen will deliver a lunchtime address in philadelphia then hold a round table discussion with local workers ms yellens last public remarks in late may were relatively upbeat she said the economy appeared to be rebounding after a weak winter if she remains optimistic in her assessment a rate increase could come as soon as july but investors are increasingly betting that the fed wont move before september binyamin appelbaum
drug industry
valeant pharmaceuticals international which has been troubled in recent months by a series of scandals over its drug pricing business dealings and accounting practices is expected to belatedly report its first quarter earnings on tuesday morning the canadian company has seen its stock plummet in recent months as it has come under investigation by congress united states attorneys and the securities and exchange commission analysts will probably be listening closely for signs that the companys sales have begun to rebound and for reassurance that it has put its recent troubles behind it this will be the first earnings call featuring the new chief executive joseph c papa who replaced j michael pearson in may katie thomas
economy
on friday at 10 am the university of michigan will release its preliminary estimate of consumer sentiment in june after a series of tepid readings consumer confidence rebounded in may to a healthy level of 947 and economists expect a similar number for june the stock markets advance lately has probably strengthened the outlook of many americans and the real estate market also continues to be healthy further bolstering sentiment one wild card   the surprisingly weak jobs report last friday   could shift expectations among consumers down nelson d schwartz


colorado springs colo   president obama is opposing suggestions to privatize the department of veterans affairs to improve the health care that veterans receive
in an interview with the colorado springs gazette he said that his administration had made progress modernizing the department and providing veterans with more timely care privatizing the agency would delay that progress mr obama said
the department was criticized when it was disclosed that secret wait lists were uncovered at a veterans health care system in arizona amid reports that several veterans had died waiting for care government investigations found significant system failures
the notion of dismantling the va system would be a mistake mr obama told the gazette referring to the veterans administration which the department was known as until 1989 if you look at for example va health care there have been challenges getting people into the system once they are in they are extremely satisfied and the quality of care is very high
mr obama said he will continue to improve the department of veterans affairs
mr obama appointed robert a mcdonald a former chief executive of procter  gamble as veterans affairs secretary in 2014 after eric k shinseki resigned
i think secretary mcdonald has done a terrific job the president said since theres only eight months left in my administration hes got all the way until then to run through the tape
mr obama signed the veterans access to care act which requires the department to contract with private providers when a clinic is not within 40 miles of the veteran seeking care or the wait time for care is more than 30 days


minneapolis   the day after his oldest son was convicted of conspiring to join and kill for the islamic state in syria abdihamid yusuf just wanted to go home and rest but bills were stacking up so on saturday morning he and his wife visited the jail and then reopened hooyos kitchen the small somali restaurant where they serve plates of chicken rice and bananas
we try to survive mr yusuf said
the trial of his son and two other young somali american men splintered families and opinions here in the countrys largest somali community former friends testified against one another describing how they had watched propaganda videos bought fake passports and plotted their paths to syria family members squabbled in the halls of the courthouse some said they had been threatened or shunned
when the jury came back on friday afternoon mr yusuf did not even get word in time to reach the courtroom to see his 22 year old son mohamed farah and the two other defendants guled omar 21 and abdirahman daud 22 declared guilty a total of nine men   including another of mr yusufs sons adnan   have been convicted in the case
federal prosecutors say the case shined a light on the persistent problem of terrorist recruiting here law enforcement authorities have said that more than 20 young men from minnesota have left to join the shabab militant group in somalia and that more than 15 have tried or succeeded in leaving to join the islamic state
but it also opened wounds among families and at the end of the trial some in the community praised justice served while others pointed to what they called another injustice
deqa hussen said she had learned the price of cooperating theyve been calling me snitch
her oldest son abdirizak warsame 21 briefly acted as the leader of a group of friends as they planned to travel to syria in 2014 he pleaded guilty and testified for prosecutors telling the jury how he had wanted the rewards of martyrdom
now ms hussen said longtime friends and strangers have accused her of selling her son to the government during the trial she said the mother of another defendant threatened her life
i have to respect the government and i have to respect my son she said my culture is a culture of silence you cannot speak your rights
some in the somali community praised the government they said that the three defendants had gotten a fair trial and that they hoped the convictions would prompt candid talks about extremism and its allure to some young men here
this is good for the community said mohamed ahmed a gas station manager who created an online cartoon character average mohamed to condemn extremism it unmasks the fear forces us to think deeply we can either confront it or bury our heads
jibril afyare an ibm software engineer and community activist spoke of vigilance he said he talked regularly to the united states attorney about the threat of recruitment by terrorist groups and has a local police captains number on speed dial
we cannot afford even one somali youth to be recruited by extremists he said its dangerous for the country and its dangerous for the somali community
but others called the case a setup and said the defendants had been goaded to act and praise terrorism by a onetime friend who made secret audio recordings as a paid federal informant in barber shops and cafes where the case flashed on television screens young men and old said the trial would harden the communitys relationship with law enforcement and said the defendants did not deserve potential sentences of life in prison
people think the trial was dishonest and was done in a hurry that this is a conspiracy said jamaal k farah 35 a barber and comedian who goes by the name happy khalif and has attracted hundreds of thousands of views on youtube
mr farah said he used to give haircuts to some of the nine friends who have now pleaded guilty or been convicted he rejected portrayals of them as eager would be militants who spoke of wanting to spit on the united states kill turkish security forces or die as martyrs
the case focused on conversations and events in 2014 and 2015 prosecutors said some of the defendants had watched islamic state propaganda videos met to discuss routes and timing to leave for syria tried to buy fake passports from an undercover fbi agent and played paintball to train for combat
but to mr farah and others skeptical of the convictions the men were not defendants or terrorists but boys brothers kids who had messed up but deserved a second chance
these kids used to be part of this community mr farah said this country gave us hope and a better life we think this trial was a total injustice
as he watched boys play basketball outside a community center in central minneapolis burhan mohumed thought of his friend guled omar
he said mr omar had played here before he was caught up in that storm mr mohumed attended the trial regularly but was barred from the courthouse after he intervened in a fight and argued with court security officers
after the trial andrew m luger the united states attorney for minnesota condemned the threats and courthouse scuffles as intolerable and unheard of
mr mohumed supported the three defendants and echoing others here he was upset they could face life in prison even though they never left for syria and never pulled a trigger
if they can convict them on words and thoughts its over he said people will not feel safe in our communities
but prosecutors said the case involved far more than thoughts they said the defendants were ready to kill for the islamic state and had made well documented efforts to fly out of kennedy international airport or cross the mexican border to travel to syria
on saturday mr yusuf said his wife insisted that they go back to work after they visited their son in jail he said he had taken time off from his job driving a school bus to deal with the criminal cases against his sons but they still had five other children to care for
so they opened hooyos kitchen in a somali shopping center stuffed with rug stores barber shops classrooms and kitchens four floors above mr farahs barber shop
as his wife cooked mr yusuf rushed food to customers people stopped by to tell them to be strong mr yusufs thoughts tilted back to his sons
he said mohamed farah the oldest was hopeful about sentencing and had told him that whatever came next was gods will he worried about the cost of funding two commissary accounts so his sons could call him from jail he worried about the distance he would have to drive to visit them
its not fair mr yusuf said but he said they were propped up by faith we believe god will give no matter what


paris   three times felix auger aliassime was one point from claiming the boys singles title at the french open on sunday but with a budding career well ahead of schedule auger aliassime will have to wait just a little bit longer for a victory on the biggest stages of the sport
at 15 years 10 months auger aliassime would have been the youngest boys champion at roland garros but this day belonged to 17 year old geoffrey blancaneaux of france who saved three match points to win the final 1 6 6 3 8 6 to the delight of the raucous french fans who poured into court 1 just before the mens final
auger aliassime who raced through the first set 6 1 in only 24 minutes initially took the marathon defeat hard throwing his rackets onto the ground as the crowd chanted and sang la marseillaise for blancaneaux
yannick noah the french davis cup captain and last frenchman to have won a major singles title when he won here in 1983 watched the match from the second row and cheered for blancaneaux but he leapt onto the court to comfort auger aliassime upon seeing his distress
the scene drew different reactions from the crowd depending on which angle they had on noah who in his haste was blissfully oblivious to his beltless trousers sliding further and further down as he spoke to auger aliassime
im thankful for what he did auger aliassime said of noah in an interview on tsn its really motivating to have such a legend talk to you afterwards
auger aliassime said he was quickly able to put his disappointment in perspective
i thought about it and i know i have a lot of time in front of me he said but yeah it was tough its still tough to take the loss after getting so close thats for sure
auger aliassime has achieved many milestones he became the youngest player to win a match at an atp challenger tour event last july when he won two rounds in granby canada he subsequently became the youngest to be ranked in the atp top 800 his current ranking is 619th
at 6 feet 2 and visibly strong auger aliassime said he did not feel overmatched by the adults he faced on the lower rungs of the tour
i always knew in the back of my mind that if i did the work and stayed passionate and motivated one day it would come he said and it hasnt come yet but i know im getting closer every day that i put the work in since ive got my first points last year my first wins in the challenger i knew that someday i could maintain a constant level in the pro tour
he does have obstacles other professionals lack however before he returns to europe for wimbledon auger aliassime will head home to montreal to take final exams to complete his sophomore year of high school
thats my life thats how it is he said every time im in montreal i have school of course i dont have a normal 15 year olds life but with the years we kind of get used to it and im happy with what i do so i dont feel like i make any sacrifices its my passion
auger aliassime lives and trains in montreal where he was born in 2000 to a quebecois mother marie auger and togolese father sam aliassime his father is a tennis coach and felix began to play the game when he was 4 alongside his older sister malika
with success coming quickly at each tier he has tried auger aliassime has enticed agents and sponsors   dozens swarmed to his second round match at the united states open last year against the american tommy paul   although he has yet to turn professional
i take it as motivation he said of the attention these people expect a lot from me and i expect a lot from me thats what keeps me hungry to win more and have more success
in the girls final rebeka masarova 16 of switzerland defeated amanda anisimova 14 of freehold nj 7 5 7 5


washington   there are few relationships between president obama and another world leader more unlikely than the one he has with prime minister narendra modi of india
the two have a public warmth   or chemistry as the indian news media like to describe it   and that is likely to be on display tuesday when mr modi visits the white house for the second time in two years it will be the seventh time the two leaders have met
there are compelling reasons the leaders of the worlds largest democracies would find common cause the united states is encouraging the rise of india as a giant asian partner to balance china and india is trying to accelerate its economy with an injection of investment from american companies
it is true that obama and i have a special friendship a special wavelength mr modi said last month in an interview with the wall street journal benjamin j rhodes the presidents deputy national security adviser for strategic communication said on saturday that the two leaders have each invested in developing a close relationship
it is worth recounting just how unlikely such a friendship is
the nations first black president mr obama has made the protection of minorities a central pillar of his life and he has argued that criticism and dissent are core tenets of democracy
mr modi by contrast spent much of his life rising through the ranks of the rashtriya swayamsevak sangh a right wing paramilitary organization that campaigns forcefully for indias hindu majority mr modi was in charge of the state of gujarat when rioting in 2002 cost the lives of more than 1000 people most of them muslims just last week 24 people were convicted of massacring muslims during the riots and pending cases are attempting to prove that mr modi who has so far escaped judicial censure was part of a high level conspiracy to encourage the killings
generally poorer and less educated than indias hindus muslims are about 14 percent of the population about the same proportion as african americans in the united states in india mr modis reputation among muslims could broadly be compared to that of a southern segregationist from the 1950s
perhaps just as troubling mr modis government has increasingly used the countrys broad and vague laws restricting free speech to stifle dissent according to a recent report by human rights watch other laws have been used to intimidate and even shut down nongovernmental organizations such as greenpeace
neither mr obama nor mr modi is given to displaying affection both avoid the socializing common in their capitals and while mr obama is a doting father and dutiful husband who maintains close bonds with his childhood friends mr modi abandoned his arranged marriage decades ago and has no children or any public friendships
some political analysts have expressed deep skepticism that the two leaders have any real fondness for each other
mr modi is part of a class of populist electable narcissistic right wing autocrats whose appeal is that they pander to majoritarian anger said kanti prasad bajpai a professor of asian studies at the national university of singapore
obama is the opposite of that so it is hard to see how close they can be mr bajpai said
others see similarities that extend beyond political beliefs
both men rose from modest circumstances had difficult relationships with their fathers and were widely considered transformational figures when elected mr modis humble origins largely corruption free government and intense focus on winning foreign investment are sharp breaks from his predecessor and parts of mr modis political operation in particular its effective use of social media were based on mr obamas model
ashley j tellis a senior associate with the carnegie endowment for international peace said both men are remarkably warm and have a personal graciousness about them that is very evident in personal encounters
raymond e vickery a former united states assistant secretary of commerce who has met mr modi said both had grown up as outsiders and valued frankness
modi is a really down to earth guy who tries to answer your questions and doesnt just go to talking points mr vickery said
mr obama made the first significant gesture in the relationship when during mr modis first official visit to washington in 2014 the president left his white house staff behind to give a personal 15 minute tour of the martin luther king jr memorial
mr modi responded by inviting mr obama to be his guest at the annual republic day celebrations in new delhi in january 2015 when mr obama arrived mr modi broke with protocol to greet the president at the airport with a hug and at a later appearance mr modi referred to the president as barack and thanked him for his deep personal commitment to their friendship in a toast at a state dinner mr obama called mr modi my partner and friend
the hours theyve spent together mr rhodes said saturday have allowed them to have a good understanding of their respective worldviews and domestic circumstances and made it possible to deepen defense ties advance our civil nuclear cooperation and achieve a breakthrough on climate change
he added its also an indication of how important president obama thinks our relationship is with india as the worlds largest democracy and an increasingly important partner
on tuesday white house officials said the two leaders are expected to discuss climate change and clean energy partnerships security cooperation and economic growth analysts said the leaders might announce a new defense logistics agreement further progress on indias efforts to phase out ozone depleting hydrofluorocarbons and perhaps a deal for westinghouse electric corporation to build nuclear power plants in india in a long delayed fulfillment of a pact first struck in 2006
a shared interest in clean power and climate change is central to their personal bond some analysts said
these two guys get very little political traction at home for being climate champions but they are anyway and i think they respect each other for that said andrew light a former senior adviser to the united states special envoy on climate change
tavleen singh an indian commentator and admirer of mr modi said the prime ministers high profile sanitation campaign and his efforts to improve the status of women would also endear him to mr obama still she said she doubted that the two men were truly affectionate
zia haq an assistant editor at the hindustan times in india was also skeptical
i refuse to believe the two men could be very good personal friends deep down because modi is all things obama cant possibly be mr haq wrote in an email


it is one of the incongruities of life in new york that some of the most appealing music ever written a beethoven trio for example or a mozart sonata is played in one of the most unappealing public spaces ever built   pennsylvania station
the timeless music is meant to make the life of the modern traveler more pleasant a word not typically associated with penn station it is even considered a crime deterrent
but the three people who decide what travelers in manhattan will hear are actually about 1500 miles away and have never set foot in the train station the busiest in the country
working from a windowless office in austin tex the three women do their best to channel their inner commuter   harried frazzled and stressed out   and choose the right overture concerto or pop song arrangement to soothe another hair pulling train ride
amy frishkey one of the programmers understands the otherness of picking the music that people hear between the train boarding announcements there is the place itself its like a basement she said a description she has gleaned from her readings about the much disliked terminus
unlike her two colleagues ms frishkey has strolled through grand central terminal whose monumental hall seems a far more appropriate setting for classical tunes
but music does not play from speakers in the vaulted sky that floats over the main concourse at grand central as it does from the blotchy ceiling at penn station and penn station has definite shortcomings beyond the dispiriting shabby look it is not a concert hall and as ms frishkey suggested it is not the soaring architectural gem that the original penn station was in its heyday a place the novelist thomas wolfe once described as vast enough to hold the sound of time
the puny sounding speakers at penn station play a stream of classical pieces along with easy instrumentals that sound like dentist office arrangements mostly contemporary piano and guitar solos   and one afternoon last month as the evening rush was approaching a sinatra hit that seemed to have been arranged for french horn the result is a beethoven quartet one minute something vaguely new age the next
the volume varies as do the tempos   louder and bouncier during the morning and evening less so at other times there are interruptions   now boarding east gate track 9 cuts off the zippiest allegro right at the climax   and there is the buzz of people on cellphones calling to warn whoever is expecting them that their train is late or more irritating canceled
its almost as if youre trying to dj the worlds largest wedding reception danny turner ms frishkeys boss said but it is a reception without a bride or groom and the 650000 people who pass through penn station every day do not dance to the music
amtrak which operates penn station was not looking for a party when it decided to pipe in music in the 1990s amtrak wanted to subtly help promote a peaceful and calm environment craig s schulz an amtrak spokesman said so it enlisted muzak which was bought by mood media a programming giant in 2011
amtrak wanted classical music mr schulz said with an emphasis on light airy selections as opposed to thundering horns and drums he added the intent was to create a serene environment that could calm the nerves of the harried traveler
but in a city in which the 1990s began with 2200 murders in just one year amtrak had another objective using music to deter crime
yes that was definitely a factor mr schulz said he said the decision to play classical music in penn station was based on research that suggested among other things that classical music had in the past been effective in displacing gang activity from certain locations
norman middleton who worked as a concert producer at the library of congress until his retirement has described this theory of policing as halt or ill play vivaldi a term he said he got from a newspaper headline in a panel discussion several years ago he said the police in west palm beach fla had installed speakers on the roof of a bar and played classical music   i think it was beethovens string quartets mr middleton said drug dealers who frequented the neighborhood went elsewhere
ms frishkey said she had read all about penn station   the original penn station a temple to railroading and high minded civic purpose through it one entered the city like a god the architectural historian vincent j scully jr declared after its demolition in the 1960s adding about its replacement one scuttles in now like a rat
so penn station is a place where workaday commuters and long distance passengers seek the shortest sally to the boarding gate some running some preoccupied with how to drag too much luggage across the floor and then down the escalators some simply happy their train is leaving close to on time
the music functions to create spaciousness light not feeling like youre in a cattle call ms frishkey said it speaks to the power of overhead music to work within a space working as a corrective to this basement feeling
the music designers as mood media calls them vary the playlist we spread it out so youre not hearing all symphonic pieces and then a piano piece and then some chamber pieces janica chang one of ms frishkeys colleagues in austin said
but they favor fairly fast tempos most are around allegro kind of bright lively she said nothing faster nothing slower you dont want largo and lethargic she added and you dont get prestissimo because that will make people feel more rushed than they already feel
in penn station there is always the chance it is a place where the critics are tough hannah greenberg who works in a manhattan art gallery and was on the way home to montclair nj gave the music a thumbs down review
its just loud enough to be annoying she said and it doesnt even sound like classical music
she listened for a moment it doesnt really fit the environment she said but i dont think any music fits penn station


a new super pac supporting donald j trump and backed by one of his close friends has hired the strategist alex castellanos to cut advertisements and work on strategy
mr castellanos who advised mitt romney in the 2008 presidential race confirmed in an interview that he is guiding the group rebuilding america now which was filed late last week it is being supported by tom barrack a financier and real estate investor and an old friend of mr trump
im worried that we dont have four or eight more years to wait to change direction mr castellanos said explaining his decision to join the group this is not about whether the republican wins or loses the white house this is about whether we can afford to go in the same direction and because im concerned if we go too much farther we wont be able to turn back
the main focus of the group will be countering the effect of a 90 million advertising offensive planned by priorities usa action the super pac backing hillary clinton priorities usa has released two ads both focused on women that eviscerate mr trump including one that uses his own statements against him
mr castellanoss involvement is notable for his previous criticism of mr trump he had quietly explored the possibilities of creating a stop trump effort last fall and he has long urged the republican party to change its tone and focus in order to appeal to a broader coalition of voters
mr castellanos was blunt about what had changed for him my choice is now binary either i support her or i support him he said and the certainty of more of the same in hillary clinton is much more dangerous to this country than the uncertainty and disruptive change of donald trump
rebuilding america now has not been officially blessed by the campaign but mr barrack is friends with both mr trump and paul manafort the campaigns chief strategist and it is behind the first ad in support of mr trump in the general election from any group including his own campaign
laurance gay the groups managing director said they will use traditional methods to determine their target audience
well be doing polling well be doing focus groups well be doing all the things you would do during a national campaign mr gay said adding that their main focus for now is to firmly establish a counterweight to priorities usa
mr gays group released its first ad on sunday on nbcs meet the press a spot that sought to frame mrs clinton as dishonest and recall scandals from her husbands administration they have yet to place advertising reservations but mr barrack told cnn that the group has 32 million in commitments


kabul afghanistan   an american journalist for npr was killed on sunday afternoon along with his afghan translator in a taliban ambush in southern afghanistan the afghan military confirmed npr also confirmed their deaths on sunday
the victims were identified as david gilkey a photographer and videographer who was part of a four person npr team embedded with afghan special forces in helmand province and his translator zabihullah tamanna the other two american journalists on the team were unhurt
mr gilkey was the first civilian american journalist killed during the 15 year long afghan conflict since 1992 at least 27 journalists have been killed in afghanistan according to the committee to protect journalists in 2010 james p hunter a staff sergeant and journalist with the 101st airborne division was killed by an improvised explosive device
the journalists were in a five vehicle special forces convoy driving on the main road from lashkar gah the capital of helmand province to marja when taliban insurgents fired at the convoy with heavy weapons said shakil ahmad the spokesman for the afghan national armys 215th corps in helmand
the vehicle carrying mr gilkey and mr tamanna was destroyed mr ahmad said it was not immediately clear where the other two npr journalists were at the time of the attack
after a heavy firefight the afghan government forces recovered the victims bodies and retreated to a nearby afghan police base mr ahmad said the bodies were then flown to camp bastion the corps headquarters which was once the major american and british base in helmand late sunday
mr gilkey was an award winning journalist who had extensive experience covering conflicts in gaza south africa iraq the balkans and afghanistan
after he covered the 2010 earthquake in haiti mr gilkey talked about his profession in a video
its not just reporting its not just taking pictures he said its do those visuals do the stories do they change somebodys mind enough to take action
the npr teams most recent report thursday on the networks morning edition program described american army special forces troops working with their afghan counterparts and using drones to hunt taliban insurgents mr gilkeys photographs accompanied an online version of the report
the last foreign journalist killed in afghanistan was anja niedringhaus a german citizen and an associated press photographer who was shot by a rogue policeman when she was covering the afghan presidential election in 2014
the npr team also included monika evstatieva the director of the all things considered program and tom bowman nprs pentagon correspondent


london   it begins with the scene that ended the final book
right now we know little more about harry potter and the cursed child the breathlessly awaited new play that   to the joy of fans worldwide   promises an eighth installment of j k rowlings harry potter saga set 19 years after harry has defeated his nemesis voldemort in harry potter and the deathly hallows the play gives us a 30 something harry and centers on his son albus potter entering his first year at hogwarts just as harry did at the start of the series
the play which has a story line by ms rowling jack thorne and john tiffany begins previews at the palace theater here on tuesday and everything about the production has been shrouded in tantalizing secrecy a few details   wand design the stitching on a cloak cast photos   were revealed to excited fans on pottermorecom ms rowlings website even these tidbits received a level of online speculation and enthusiasm worthy of a major political event
none of us all quite experienced in the theater world have ever experienced anything of this magnitude and intensity before said colin callender who with sonia friedman has produced the show which is composed of two parts that can be viewed together or on separate days mr callender was speaking during a round table conversation on thursday with him were ms friedman mr thorne who wrote the play mr tiffany its director jamie parker who plays harry and noma dumezweni who plays hermione here are edited excerpts from their conversation about everything but the plot
sonia friedman it was absolutely colins and my idea we knew that many other producers had approached her and she had rejected their pitches but thats because they were all ideas about musicals or arena spectacles we went to her with the simple idea of a straight play we were clear we didnt want to adapt a novel and we suggested exploring how harry an orphan would cope as an adult and a parent
colin callender we went up to edinburgh four years ago and sat in a boardroom and talked about fathers and parenting for a while we said we felt she had created a fully dimensional world and there were things about the characters she hadnt revealed we didnt hear anything for a bit then got the call to say lets go to the next stage she was clear from the beginning that she was not a playwright and wouldnt write it and that she would only do it if we found a playwright she approved
friedman we actually thought first about who might direct ive been wanting to work with john for 20 years and he has turned down all my suggestions i loved his work in black watch and let the right one in the kinds of effects he achieved from nothing so we approached him and he said we have to do it with jack
jack thorne john came to give a reading when i was a student there and i approached him afterward and he was terribly nice and kind enough to read my terrible plays then he ran off to run the national theater of scotland
jamie parker you have abandonment issues obviously
john tiffany jo rowling was incredibly generous i met her first and i already had a soft spot for her because she used to write in the cafe of the traverse theater in edinburgh when i was the director it was only after the first book came out that i realized it had been her nursing one cappuccino for four hours when we met to talk about the play she asked what do you think the harry potter stories are about i said learning to deal with death and grief there was something in her eye   i thought we didnt say its about transformation or magic or flying on brooms and were on the right track
thorne we all met in edinburgh and as the day developed we knew we would take the epilogue of harry potter and the deathly hallows as a starting point
tiffany all the seeds are there we start with that scene in the train station am i allowed to say that anyway it was clear that she was going to let us take those characters and have our own ideas
callender of course jack came to the table with an encyclopedic knowledge of harry so that helped
thorne all right im a nerd with abandonment issues
thorne yes but then it took about six months to really map the whole thing out every time it was like taking a big step forward one or two small ones back jo would say this feels right this doesnt
tiffany there are parts of the story which when we first conceived them i didnt think she would let us do but she never hesitated it is one thing to let us continue the story another to let us unravel the canon
friedman thats enough
tiffany no not at all but we knew we had to deal with going beyond where the books left off but also go back and look at the stories within them we wanted to develop the characters that are already known and keep that consistency but also introduce new ones it was clearly hard to put an epic tale into two and a half hours we had a meeting and said why not two parts and we knew right away how we wanted to end the first part its a cliffhanger
noma dumezweni it does that wonderful thing that books do when they work it makes you desperate for more story
thorne we can tell the story of the younger and older generation at the same time which the books didnt do the exciting thing has been working out how those worlds fit together its a coming of age story as much for the adults as for the children john and i are more or less the same age as harry in the play and i just had my first child so there has been a lot of discussion about growing up being a parent
tiffany how do you mother or father when you still need parenting yourself
dumezweni also i think the difference with a play is that youre not experiencing the story on your own the way you do with a book being in the theater is a communal experience and this play with two parts is a commitment im fascinated to see what my daughter will think after a whole day in the theater as an actor its something ive never experienced before
tiffany film has got green screen weve got the imagination of the audience
dumezweni i think jamie found it very intimidating everyone laughs
parker its not so different from playing any role that is within a canon you have the responsibility of being sensitive to the collective investment in the story but you just have to try to serve the play the best way you can and not worry about that
dumezweni the weight of expectation is huge but for me that pressure has been outweighed by getting text messages from mums i know saying how huge it is for their mixed race daughters that i am playing hermione ultimately its a theater piece im a theater actor and doing a job as best i can
callender im hopeful after seeing how people were about star wars they mostly protected the fans
tiffany it will be a relief when the text is published when the play officially opens on july 30 so that its not our secret to keep but if you dont read it and you choose not to read reviews weve made it possible to come without prior knowledge
parker and you dont get that much nowadays so often things are ruined because you know so much
dumezweni ive quite loved the secrecy although of course my home life is expletive my daughter tries to guess what is in the play she says just smile at me if im right
tiffany my mum is the only problem everyone else is fine she asks really specific questions then i discovered people are quizzing her in her local supermarket
parker when people ask i just pull out a wand and go im a wizard


the treasurys schedule of financing this week includes mondays regular weekly auction of new three  and six month bills and an auction of four week bills on tuesday
at the close of the new york cash market on friday the rate on the outstanding three month bill was 030 percent the rate on the six month issue was 043 percent and the rate on the four week issue was 019 percent
the following tax exempt fixed income issues are scheduled for pricing this week
florida board of education 1454 million of general obligation bonds competitive
corning city ny school district 698 million of general obligation bonds competitive
georgia 134 billion of general obligation bonds competitive
lawrence kan 675 million of water and sewage system revenue bonds competitive
maine 647 million of general obligation bonds competitive
prince georges county md 1774 million of general obligation bonds competitive
clark county nev 108 million of highway revenue bonds competitive
fayetteville nc public works commission 1116 million of revenue bonds competitive
maryland 1 billion of general obligation bonds competitive
naperville ill 624 million of general obligation bonds competitive
nassau county ny 1474 million of general obligation bonds competitive
seattle 165 million of drain and wastewater revenue bonds competitive
massachusetts 500 million of general obligation bonds competitive
south broward fla hospital district 168 million of hospital district revenue bonds competitive
arizona state university 1194 million of revenue refinancing bonds j p morgan securities
california statewide communities development authority 220 million of health care revenue bonds bank of america merrill lynch
chicago metropolitan water reclamation district 432 million of general obligation refinancing bonds bank of america merrill lynch
clarksville tenn 909 million of water sewer and gas revenue refinancing bonds morgan stanley
harris county tex 514 million of toll road revenue refinancing bonds loop capital markets
hernando county fla school board 87 million of refinancing certificates of participation bank of america merrill lynch
hobart industry building corporation indiana 672 million of first mortgage refinancing bonds city securities
idaho 500 million of debt securities piper jaffray
indiana finance authority 1379 million facilities revenue bonds j p morgan securities
indiana finance authority 701 million water utility revenue bonds morgan stanley
indiana housing and community development authority 80 million of single family mortgage revenue bonds rbc capital markets
kentucky housing corporation 72 million of debt securities citigroup global markets
lansing mich school district 60 million of school building and site bonds stifel nicolaus
los angeles county 800 million of tax and revenue anticipation notes wells fargo securities
lower colorado river authority 190 million of transmission contract refinancing revenue bonds barclays capital
maine health and higher educational facilities authority 625 million of revenue bonds goldman sachs
new york city housing development corporation 4257 million of multifamily housing revenue bonds j p morgan securities
new york transportation development corporation 850 million of airport project debt securities citigroup global markets
pennsylvania state university 3493 million of refinancing bonds barclays capital
pennsylvania turnpike commission 440 million of debt securities piper jaffray
pima county ariz 2027 million of sewer system revenue refinancing obligations rbc capital markets
riverside county calif 340 million of tax and revenue anticipation notes stifel nicolaus
san diego county water authority 868 million of revenue refinancing bonds morgan stanley
san diego county water authority 295 million of debt securities citigroup global markets
sumner wash school district 724 million of unlimited tax general obligation bonds d a davidson
university of north carolina 555 million of refinancing limited obligation bonds raymond james
university of texas system 215 million of debt securities citigroup global markets
washington dc 4218 million of general obligation bonds j p morgan securities
west hollywood calif 825 million of lease revenue bonds stifel nicolaus
west palm beach fla 503 million of pension funding special obligation bonds morgan stanley
wichita falls tex 746 million of water and sewer system revenue bonds hilltop securities
wisconsin center district 1609 million of appropriation revenue bonds morgan stanley


when the jazz pianist chick corea celebrates a milestone birthday he doesnt hold back in 2001 when he turned 60 he played a three week career retrospective at the blue note jazz club he did it again at 70 with an even broader array of partners
and this year for his 75th mr corea will preside over a marathon celebration at the club from oct 19 to dec 12   eight weeks with more than a dozen bands among them are two reconstituted versions of return to forever an acoustic combo with hubert laws on flute and ravi coltrane on tenor saxophone and a fusion powerhouse with john mclaughlin on guitar victor wooten on bass and lenny white on drums
mr corea will also connect with a longtime partner the vibraphonist gary burton and pay tribute to a former mentor miles davis with fellow davis alumni like the bassist marcus miller and the alto saxophonist kenny garrett hell play several nights of piano duos including one with brad mehldau and hell revisit his 1976 album the leprechaun and his 1981 lp three quartets with groups featuring steve gadd on drums full details are at bluenotenet with a presale starting on wednesday
along with giving mr corea an excuse to convene some of his favorite collaborators the series underscores the variety and versatility of his musical interests he has won 22 grammy awards   most recently last year for the double album trilogy   and been recognized as a national endowment for the arts jazz master he called from his home in clearwater fla these are excerpts from the conversation
how do you prepare for something like this its a staggering amount of material and many different states of mind
the states of mind are the easy part actually when this idea arose for my 60th birthday i thought wow how am i going to do all of that but then i realized that mostly everyone im playing with are my dear friends and musical compatriots if i approach it really as a party and im not so serious about having everything be perfect then i can relax
youll be working with flamenco musicians like the guitarist nino josele your history with that music suggests a two way influence is that something you think about
very much so man the recording i made in the 70s called my spanish heart was really where that was at something got turned on when i met paco de lucia then i started meeting other flamencos and got turned on to their music and their history and seeing how that connected to my universe when i get with those guys it brings out something in me that i take with me even after i leave them
part of the residency is called experiments in electronica what can we expect there
some of the stuff that im messing with has to do with loops and sequences   but improvising with them marcus gilmore the drummer is a partner i like collaborating with and hes able to really create in that atmosphere i have a recording project with electronics which im hoping to finish this year its a solo project but marcus is on some of it i played a track for swizz beatz when we did some stuff together at alicia keyss studio i thought ill take this opportunity to play this electronic stuff for a guy who is one of the kings of production he and all his guys were blown away and i was blown away that they were blown away because its definitely not hip hop
what is your instinct when youre the focus of such a grand event do you try to deflect some of the attention or just bask in it
basking is definitely the way to go with this list of amazing musicians its time to bask thats why i dont feel that stressed by it because theres so much trust its the pay i get for living at all the thrill i get from working with musicians that just give of themselves like that
the celebration will be in the fall but your actual birthday is june 12 how will you be spending it
im actually going to be out on a ship called the freewinds doing an event that we do yearly in scientology called the maiden voyage a while back i did two recordings   one called to the stars and the other called the ultimate adventure   based on fiction works by l ron hubbard who is my favorite fiction writer so one thing im going to do onboard is keyboard improvisations to go along with the text of those books thats where ill be on my birthday


on television as in life comfort food comes in all sorts of flavors theres the tart apple pie of ncis the solid corned beef and cabbage of blue bloods the wacky loco moco of hawaii five 0
rizzoli  isles which begins its seventh and final season on monday night is in the tnt section of the menu like those other shows which are on cbs its good reheated but its lighter and easier to eat with one hand while doing other things its the thin crust pizza of prime time
that makes it the type of show that doesnt generally garner much attention when it announces that its run is ending the final 13 week season will bring the show to a more than respectable 105 episodes a lot of people will notice though when rizzoli  isles a formulaic buddy cop drama   with the twist that the buddies are women and ones a medical examiner   goes away
during its most recent run of episodes this spring the show never finished lower than fifth among scripted cable series in the nielsen ratings and stayed comfortably above four million viewers a week last summer when it wasnt up against the cable ratings monsters the walking dead fear the walking dead and game of thrones   there really are just those three   it often finished first in the cable rankings with an average audience north of six million
of course when you narrow your focus to viewers under the age of 50 its a different picture rizzoli  isles   and other popular tnt stablemates like major crimes and the last ship   drop 10 or more places in the cable rankings when you go from all viewers to viewers ages 18 to 49 many of the people who mourn its passing will be within a few decades of saying goodbye themselves
which brings us back to comfort food in the television landscape is rizzoli  isles disposable just a non brain taxing easy pleasure for those too old or distracted to get with the peak tv program
well no of course not when six million people find their way to a cable drama theres a reason its different on the broadcast networks where 66 million found their way to the price is right last week
rizzoli  isles is conventional and predictable except for its tendency to engage in baroque plot arcs like the one that extends into the current season the lives of detective jane rizzoli angie harmon and dr maura isles sasha alexander are threatened by a jealous police academy washout whose genius for manipulation and ambush combines the best elements of dickenss fagin and vincent prices dr phibes
but at the same time the show like major crimes and their tnt predecessor the closer is generally credible in the moment with dialogue thats sufficiently natural and often has some comic snap the rhythms of the storytelling and the action   first under the creator and head writer janet tamaro and then under jan nash who succeeded her as showrunner   are unforced but engaging pulling you along despite the occasional melodramatic excesses
the real secret   well not a secret at all   is the combination of ms harmon the pigheaded tomboy rizzoli and ms alexander the cerebral sorority girl isles its not a matter of chemistry exactly or of either actresss range or depth its about their ingrained knowledge as television series veterans of how to build and maintain appealing characters across seasons and its even about the characters theyve played before   ms harmons steely abbie carmichael on law  order informs rizzoli and ms alexanders spunky caitlin todd on ncis shockingly killed off early in that series comes to mind whenever isles is in danger
the season premiere on monday picks up where season 6 ended with shots fired at a wedding rizzoli ever fearless takes off in pursuit of the shooter shes wearing a low cut party dress and in many other series the camera would pay more attention to ms harmons decolletage in rizzoli  isles the focus is on her bare feet as she yanks off her heels the better to run through boston streets the shows that endure know and respect their audiences even if advertisers and critics dont


miami   it was a classic pitchers duel from start to finish on sunday afternoon and while matt harvey came out on the wrong end of a 1 0 score against the miami marlins jose fernandez he still had a good deal to feel positive about
harvey matched the fiery fernandez for seven solid innings in what was his second straight strong start in a season that until now had been full of struggles he allowed just one earned run and four hits with three strikeouts and no walks almost duplicating the seven shutout innings he threw against the chicago white sox last monday on memorial day
its still two starts and obviously the massive struggles that happened before the only thing you want to think of is not letting that kind of creep back in said harvey who is an unbecoming 4 8 on the season but no doubt in a better frame of mind than he was a week ago
or as he put it to reporters after the game feeling pretty good is definitely a positive
it was harveys bad luck that fernandez was just a little bit sharper on sunday matching his career high with 14 strikeouts over seven innings and allowing just four hits on 100 pitches 73 of which were strikes harvey was almost as precise with 70 strikes across 104 pitches
fernandez improved to 9 2 this season and is on a roll harvey has definitely not been but he still has much of the season to truly turn things around
fernandez and harvey made for an intriguing matchup they share the same agent in the formidable scott boras and have had a similar career arc   right handers who displayed dominance early on only to succumb to injury and have to work their way back after tommy john surgery
harveys only real mistake sunday came in the bottom of the fifth when he left a pitch up in the strike zone that miamis derek dietrich smacked for a double off the fence in center field marlins catcher j t realmuto then drove in dietrich with a single up the middle on a 2 0 pitch giving fernandez all the support he needed
you dont want to give up a run in a tight ballgame like that harvey said but i left a pitch over the plate and he got on second and then i made a pretty good pitch to realmuto and he hit it up the middle in that situation i wanted a ground ball i got it it just wasnt at somebody
mets manager terry collins was enthused by harveys performance and why not
i think he threw the ball great and i thought he really pitched today collins said he moved the ball around you saw him pitch inside and he made very very few mistakes the ball up to dietrichs probably the only mistake he made so i thought he threw the ball great
collins added i think its going to ease matts mind most of all and thats the one that counts he felt good about what he did today how he got through it
rivera who has been behind the plate for each of harveys last two starts seemed similarly pleased if you ask the other side how harvey threw theyd tell you the same thing   that he was good he was nasty and thats how the 1 0 games go he said
when fernandez made his debut as a rookie in 2013 and took the national league by storm harvey was having a cy young award worthy season himself before tearing an elbow ligament that august he missed all of 2014 and then more or less returned to form in 2015 going 13 8 with a 271 era and 188 strikeouts in helping the mets reach the postseason
but that was also when boras pointedly expressed concern about how many innings harvey was pitching in his first season back from surgery
in the end harvey did keep pitching throwing 26 innings in the postseason including eight plus innings in the final game of the world series against the kansas city royals
how much that heavy workload has been responsible for his rocky start this season is up for debate but in any case he now appears to be finding his form
even though he is pitching much better now there were times harvey said after sundays game where i kind of leak to the plate and my arm doesnt get out
but over all he added when you can go seven and limit damage and give your team a chance to win its pretty satisfying the mets agree even if they lost
inside pitch
mets outfielder juan lagares sustained a sprained left thumb in his teams 6 4 victory saturday while making a diving catch in center field with the mets headed to pittsburgh to begin a three game series on monday lagares will continue on to new york for further evaluation and tests
they just told me ive got a sprain and ive got to get it checked out tomorrow lagares said after the game on sunday today it just felt like last night   a little swelling but no pain


kabul afghanistan   the childrens gathering point is the grave of one bibi jawaher she has been dead for 27 years the inscription on her headstone so faded that you have to run your fingers over it to fully make out her name and the year of her death
but the central location of her resting place on a little hill in the middle of the sprawling kart e sakhi cemetery in western kabul gives the pack of young hustlers a sweeping view of potential customers visiting the thousands of graves dotting the mountain skirt
there is the middle aged jeweler making his weekly pilgrimage to his mother who died of cancer he pays extra to have her grave washed with the precision of a sponge bath there is the mother haunted by nightmares that the grave of her 15 year old son who killed himself over failed love is engulfed in flames she comes regularly to check on the headstone which bears a portrait of her son in a jacket and tie and offers the children a small amount to ritually sprinkle water on it
the sprinkling of water on graves is an old tradition in afghanistan believed to keep the memory of the dead fresh and to help absolve them of the sins they committed in life
right over bibi jawahers body the children wait with their large buckets filled from the well of a nearby shrine and carried in on their backs once they spot a client they rush in with smaller buckets often fighting one another along the way
but in the end they always keep to their unspoken code when one reaches a client the rest back off immediately scanning the field for the next opportunity
the children look for fun where they can but their business is serious it puts food on their families tables they make about 10 afghanis for each small bucket they pour   the price of a loaf of bread about 15 cents on lucky days they will get much more in tips some as big as 10 or even 20 forever marking that grave as auspicious distinct in their memory
they have come to rely on a harsh reality of afghan life after decades of war and staggeringly frequent tragedy more and more afghan families have some business or another in kabuls cemeteries where an ever larger slice of everyday life is now centered
ajmal usually pours water without asking for permission said jamshid 10 who teams up with him on busy days it is an effective tactic once the water is poured the mourner must pay
who says i do that protested ajmal who is also 10 ok maybe i did it once or two times
behind them another boy was straddling bibi jawahers headstone like a toy horse
we dont leave her dirty like that jamshid said about their graveside base we wash the grave with the remaining water before we go home
kart e sakhi cemetery comes to life on thursdays and fridays the afghan weekend specific grave markers have become the landmarks for new communities some transitory others more persistent
children with chapped hands play marbles by the grave of zaher turkman two men smoke a joint near the grave of sayed rohullah sadat they turn out to be policemen a university student wearing a blue jacket lecture notes in hand paces between graves trying to memorize them ahead of an exam
the cemetery is a godsend for young lovers a place of privacy where with a buffer of assumed mourning around them they can speak on their phones uninterrupted by the harassment that is otherwise too normal here in one tucked away corner a pair of teenage girls sit on the edge of a grave one of them on her phone smiling and blushing a cotton candy seller moves around on his bicycle
every weekend there are cockfights by the grave of sayed faqir hussain men sit in a ring and the trained birds are brought in under the arms of their owners presiding over the games as godfather and referee is said gul agha who goes by the nickname the mechanic his weekday vocation
the mechanic used to have 10 fighting roosters of his own but he had only two left sitting on the edge of a grave he was intently wrapped up with every move at once thrilled and anxious as the birds tangled their necks together and delivered blows
bring it for the next round before it gets cold he called to one owner who was wiping the blood from his birds face if the birds body doesnt hurt it wont learn how to fight
the graves at kart e sakhi have become remarkably ornate lately there were always poetry and flower patterns but now there are massive headstones with etched portraits and even posters hanging on the railings enclosing the graves
on the edge of the cemetery behind a row of small shops and eateries is the grave of the martyr commander mahdi ghazniwal bakshi a police officer he was 23 at the time of his death ambushed by the taliban in southwestern afghanistan
two flags fly over his grave one of the afghan state and the other a martyrdom banner and between them is a poster of him wearing black shades a military radio in one hand and an ak 47 rifle in another
inside the railing right behind a headstone bearing an etched portrait hangs another poster of commander mahdi he is shown lounging on a couch wearing levis sneakers and a gold bracelet at the foot of the headstone is a withered rose most of its petals stolen by the wind
he had 60 girlfriends said his uncle ezatullah nabizada who came one day to crouch by the grave and pay his respects and he was married
the new crop of ornate headstones is largely the work of one artist muhammad zahir who signs his address and phone number at the bottom of each work
mr zahir spent 25 years as a laborer in iran where he learned to build sculptures fireplaces and fountains out of stone etching headstone portraits was a small part of his business
when he returned to afghanistan more than a decade ago he first tried the sculptures the fireplaces and the fountains they sold during the gush of money that came with the massive international military presence but sales dropped and then halted
we were left making these headstones he said because death is easy here
depending on the size and the quality of the stone used a grave which includes a headstone and frames of stone for the slab costs 250 and up the most expensive one mr zahir made for more than 3000 was for a police general in the north
one late autumn morning at his outdoor studio his lead artist covered in the white dust of sawed marble was busy with the headstone of a 22 year old police officer cmdr zabiullah qasemi in his portrait commander qasemi is wearing thick sunglasses except for puffs of hair on his temples he is bald which makes for extra work in etching the black marble
the women buried at the cemetery do not receive such luxuries
even in death they are hounded by misogyny their own names rarely appear on their graves let alone their portraits or any poetry
here lies the late mother of muhammad raza
here rests the daughter of muhammad haidar
in a small but overpopulated and unplanned city like kabul the logistics of dealing with death at such a rapid rate over three decades has brought dilemmas
we are facing a lack of space for graveyards in the city said abdul rahman ahmadzai the director of the department of the afghan ministry of religious affairs that oversees the roughly 30 cemeteries in kabul 12 of them huge ones like kart e sakhi
since the civil war which began in the 1980s unplanned graveyards have popped up all across the city in the 1990s when factional fighting intensified people could hardly move out of fear of rockets so they often buried their loved ones in any plot of land they could find now each grave site is a land dispute for the government to solve
our policy is that anywhere that bodies are buried automatically becomes government property mr ahmadzai said if it is peoples property the government gives them property elsewhere
mr ahmadzais department has been working to acquire land in the districts outside the citys gates and move the cemeteries there and he has rigidly enforced the space limit for individual graves 15 meters by 25 meters about 5 feet by 8 feet a dimension he says is called for under shariah
one noon late in the fall as the pressure cooker at mr ahmadzais office in central kabul grew louder with the noise of a simmering beef stew a worker from the presidential palace came with a demand he wanted a few meters around his fathers grave enclosed for a mausoleum of sorts and he had written the details on a piece of paper that also noted the approval of the minister of religious affairs mr ahmadzais boss
mr ahmadzai read the request and then apologized as a matter of policy he could not sign off that much space for one grave
my father was a university lecturer on islamic issues for 40 years the man argued for his service doesnt he deserve that much space
after the visitor mentioned a powerful member of parliament mr ahmadzai seemed to cave in assigning an inspector to go check the site but later in private he said the inspector would make the same recommendation it cannot be done
his inspectors are his eyes and hands across the city measuring the grave plots and reporting offenders it falls to them to stop encroachment on cemetery lands and to try however futilely to enforce proper behavior
mr ahmadzai knows about the childrens water hustle in kart e sakhi of course that goes on everywhere and there is a comforting tradition behind it he said spraying water is good because if the dead had sinned we know that even the smallest plant praises god and the water may help plants and weeds grow
the young hustlers themselves ranging in age from 5 to 13 have more temporal concerns on their minds mostly they have been roughened by competition hard circumstances and the crowd they mingle with
one thursday evening late in the fall the children waited for business at bibi jawahers grave the cemetery was quiet one boy edris his clothes dirty his face chapped and snot dangling from his nose sat astride the poor womans headstone rocking back and forth on a visit just a week later bibi jawahers headstone would be found broken to pieces
edris looked no older than 6 but when asked how old he was he counted his fingers and said 22 what grade was he in this much he said showing the fingers of both hands 22
he is here all day and he goes home with us in the evening ajmal said when his family changes him into new clothes he doesnt like it he changes back into dirty ones and comes out here
nearby a boy named imranai suddenly smacked one of his cousins in the face chaos erupted several children tangled up in a fight in the dirt cursing one anothers mothers and sisters some crying
i told him to go to work and stop wasting your time and he cursed my sister imranai said explaining the reason for what would be one of several fights that evening he wore bright yellow sweatpants and fixed a stylish kerchief around his neck
i have worked 60 afghanis today how much have you worked the cousin shot back imranai bent on keeping up the intimidation jumped at the boy again the younger cousin dropped his bucket water splashing everywhere and picked up two small rocks assuming a firing position
they curse their own aunts their own mothers   as if they are not all from same family ajmal said happy to look down at them he was interrupted again he wrinkled his nose up and sniffed the air
is that weed he said stretching the word out over several beats as he scanned the graveyard to see who was smoking it
at the end of the day comes the most important ritual the children lay out all their bills on a dry grave for sorting their fathers are either poor or abroad for labor ajmals father is a gatekeeper at a university for example jamshids is a gardener
khushnuma 6 is one of youngest of the group and she comes to the cemetery with her sister who is even younger she said her father was in their hometown in laghman an eastern province and would return soon the boys said she did not know that her father was actually in iran
he is bringing me a galaxy phone she said a dirty apple an offering from some mourning family bulged out the pocket of her pink jacket
khushnuma has a go to tactic that never seems to fail if they dont pay her she just starts crying ajmal said
khushnuma smiled i have worked 80 afghanis today   about 120   all on my own she said clicking her tongue in satisfaction


jerusalem   in a sign of growing cooperation president vladimir v putin of russia has agreed to return to israel a tank that was seized during a disastrous 1982 battle with syrian forces in southern lebanon an episode that left three israeli soldiers missing in action and has haunted israel for more than 30 years
the gesture of good will was announced before a visit to moscow starting monday by israels prime minister benjamin netanyahu to commemorate 25 years since the resumption of diplomatic relations between israel and russia the soviet union had severed ties in 1967 after the arab israeli war
this will be mr netanyahus third visit to moscow since september after his most recent visit in april mr netanyahu said the two sides also planned to sign an agreement dealing with state pensions for tens of thousands of immigrants to israel from the former soviet union the april visit focused on security coordination between the israeli and russian militaries to avoid any mishaps as they operate in the middle east
but it is the promised return of the tank that will have symbolic value for many israelis there has been nothing to remember the boys by and no grave to visit for 34 years now mr netanyahu said referring to the families of the missing soldiers the tank is the only evidence of the battle and now it is coming back to israel thanks to president putins response to my request
mr netanyahu said last week that mr putin had signed an order to return the tank which the syrians sent to moscow for examination and which has been on display at the armored corps museum in moscow mr netanyahu said he had raised the issue during his meeting with mr putin at the kremlin in april after a request from the chief of staff of the israeli military lt gen gadi eisenkot a delegation from the israeli militarys armored corps has been in moscow discussing the logistics for transferring the tank
the battle near the village of sultan yakoub in the eastern bekaa occurred in the opening days of an israeli invasion an israeli armored brigade entered a narrow valley apparently unaware that syrian forces were positioned in the surrounding hills
survivors described scenes of chaos as tanks were abandoned and soldiers tried to escape on foot a rescue mission was attempted and about 20 israeli soldiers were killed in the clash one of the captured israeli tanks was later paraded through the streets of damascus according to news reports at the time
the three israeli soldiers   zachary baumel zvi feldman and yehudah katz   were in two tanks when they were ambushed according to relatives mr baumel was in one and mr feldman and mr katz were in another israeli officials could not immediately specify which tank the russians had pledged to return
zvi magen israels ambassador to moscow in the late 1990s said he had been shown the american made tank at the museum the syrians had transferred it because the soviets wanted to study its defense and weapons systems he said mr magen said he had asked for details about anything that was found in the tank but had been told that it arrived without any signs of the soldiers who had been in it or of any remains
mr magen who is now a senior research fellow at the institute for national security studies at tel aviv university said the more important background to what he called the confidence building measures of the return of the tank and the pension deal were russian and israeli interests given the new reality of russias presence in syria
still the families of the three soldiers have never stopped searching for information about their fate they were probably taken in the battlefield osna haberman the sister of mr baumel said in a telephone interview on sunday there is still a chance that he could be sitting somewhere in a syrian jail
mr baumel 22 at the time of the battle also held american citizenship having moved to israel with his family from brooklyn in 1970
ms haberman a high school teacher who lives in jerusalem said mr netanyahu called her a week ago to tell her of mr putins promise
the families believe that it was the tank that mr katz and mr feldman had been riding in ms haberman said in any event she said according to witness accounts the three young men were captured after they abandoned their tanks it doesnt solve our problem ms haberman said of the russian gesture we are waiting for information something solid like an eyewitness report nothing else will serve


west hollywood calif   senator bernie sanders defiantly vowed again on sunday to take his campaign to the democratic national convention this summer even as hillary clinton edged closer to clinching the partys presidential nomination and the final primary contests drew near
two days before tuesdays primaries in california and five other states mr sanders repeated his pledge not to concede even if mrs clinton acquires enough delegates to reach 2383 the threshold for securing the nomination
a win in california is critical to mr sanderss plan to stay in the race through the convention and would give him a significant lift
but with her victory in the puerto rico primary on sunday mrs clinton is only 28 delegates short of the threshold and will most likely declare victory on tuesday
mr sanders however insists that the convention will be contested because he is still lobbying superdelegates   party officials and state leaders who cast their final votes at the convention   to withdraw support from mrs clinton and back him instead he plans to make the case that he is a stronger candidate against donald j trump the presumptive republican nominee a number of polls he said show he can beat mr trump by larger margins than mrs clinton can
on sunday mr sanders opened a new line of attack against mrs clinton criticizing donations made by foreign governments while she was secretary of state to the clinton foundation the organization founded by former president bill clinton
when mr sanders who greeted fans in west hollywood was asked by reporters if he remained committed to pushing for a contested convention he said he absolutely was
a convention is typically seen as contested when a candidate cannot reach the necessary delegate count using both pledged delegates and superdelegates in 2008 mrs clinton conceded to barack obama shortly after the final primary and before the convention but mr sanders is promising to break with tradition and extend his fight further than initially expected
mr sanders reiterated his stance on sunday at a restaurant filled with disco lights as he urged supporters to back him
we need a real change in this country mr sanders said to a cheering crowd at the restaurant hamburger marys in west hollywood and we need a government which represents all of us not just the 1 percent
during a news conference on saturday in los angeles mr sanders said it would be wrong for mrs clinton to claim victory on tuesday based on her total delegate count news media outlets should not call the race he said unless she reaches the threshold with only pledged delegates
it is extremely unlikely that secretary clinton will have the requisite number of pledged delegates to claim victory on tuesday night mr sanders said now i have heard reports that secretary clinton has said its all going to be over on tuesday night i have reports that the media after the new jersey results come in are going to declare that it is all over that simply is not accurate
mrs clinton leads mr sanders in both pledged and total delegates
in a sign of his campaigns urgency to win in california mr sanders criticized the clinton foundation during an interview on sunday on cnns state of the union
if you ask me about the clinton foundation do i have a problem when a sitting secretary of state and a foundation run by her husband collects many millions of dollars from foreign governments governments which are dictatorships mr sanders said
you dont have a lot of civil liberties or democratic rights in saudi arabia he told the interviewer jake tapper you dont have a lot of respect there for opposition points of view for gay rights for womens rights yes do i have a problem with that yes i do
mr sanders and mrs clinton spent sunday campaigning in california where polls indicated a tight race mrs clinton and mr clinton visited black churches appealing to a demographic that had given her important support in past nominating contests
in oakland mrs clinton spoke at greater st paul church tailoring her remarks to her audience she recalled working briefly in oakland in the 1970s and she praised the golden state warriors who were set to host game 2 of the nba finals
mrs clinton also talked about issues like gentrification and gun violence and told congregants how difficult it was to be president
i wish it was only about making speeches mrs clinton said you know just get up there and promise the moon and make all of these rhetorical flourishes thatd be a lot easier than what the job is
mr clinton visited first african methodist episcopal church in south los angeles where he took aim at mr trump and addressed criticism that he and his wife were part of the political establishment
this is not an establishment campaign he said this is an inclusion campaign
mr sanders spent much of his day walking around greeting voters in several places including the santa monica pier where dozens of fans hugged and snapped photos with him some shouted thats our next president
but there were signs of opposition from clinton supporters one woman shouted get out of the race as mr sanders shook hands he quickly moved past jenny swiatowy 33 who sat next to a fruit arrangement with a sticker showing her support for mrs clinton
in the beginning i thought it was great for him to come out as a new candidate with a new voice and to start bringing out the young new voters said ms swiatowy who works at a record label but its time to concede and unite the party
mr sanders though was not bowing to the pressure
see you in philly he told one smiling supporter


geneva   swiss voters on sunday overwhelmingly rejected a proposal to guarantee an income to switzerlands residents whether or not they are employed an idea that has also been raised in other countries amid an intensifying debate over wealth disparities and dwindling employment opportunities
about 77 percent of voters rejected a plan to give a basic monthly income of 2500 swiss francs or about 2560 to each adult and 625 francs for each child under 18 regardless of employment status to fight poverty and social inequality and guarantee a dignified life to everyone
switzerland was the first country to vote on such a universal basic income plan but other countries and cities either have been considering the idea or have started trial programs
finland is set to introduce a pilot program for a random sample of about 10000 adults who will each receive a monthly handout of 550 euros about 625 the intent is to turn the two year trial into a national plan if it proves successful
in the netherlands utrecht is leading a group of municipalities that are experimenting with similar pilot projects
in the united states the idea of a guaranteed income has gained some traction in the run up to the presidential election in november it has been promoted by some democrats who are demanding more social justice but it also has some right wing advocates who see it as a better alternative to government welfare programs
in switzerland opponents warned that the proposal would derail an economic model that far from showing signs of near collapse has allowed the country to remain among those with the highest living standards in the world even with a growing and aging population switzerland has an unemployment rate of around 35 percent less than half the average in the european union
the backers of the plan did not detail how it would be financed but the swiss government and almost all the main political parties had urged voters to turn down the guaranteed income plan warning that it would require raising an additional 25 billion swiss francs a year through deep spending cuts or tax increases
some opponents of a swiss guaranteed income also attacked it as a return to marxist economics even if the idea has far older roots dating to the 16th century writings of thomas more and the 18th century works of thomas paine
after world war ii the concept of a guaranteed income was promoted as a way of redistributing income by some free market economists led by milton friedman who in part argued that it would be more efficient than the bureaucracy of running dozens of separate programs to help the poor
still the current discussion in switzerland and elsewhere has been not only about wealth redistribution but also about how modern societies can continue to create jobs while pushing technological advances such as factory robots and driverless trucks
campaigners in favor of a guaranteed income used robots as street stunts to warn what the jobless society of the future would entail some people gave out 10 franc notes at the zurichs main train station while supporters in geneva set up on a public esplanade a giant banner that asked what would you do if your income were taken care of
i understand that a new generation is worried about how and where young people will next find work but this proposal was pure nonsense said curdin pirovino a swiss industrial designer you cannot give a society the idea that money is available for doing nothing
but at a sunday market in geneva several people defended the proposal in the context of returning to a more equitable society
some also presented their vote as another challenge to industrialization similar to their motivation for buying organic food from the stalls of local farmers rather than cheaper supermarkets a third of voters in geneva backed the idea of a guaranteed income
were losing all our values creating countries that no longer need workers but still need consumers but how can we expect people to buy anything if they cant earn a salary tomorrow asked olivier duchene a musician and street entertainer
despite the clear defeat campaigners said the vote was a first step toward a fairer economic model
one out of five people voted for the unconditional basic income so that is a success in itself sergio rossi an economics professor who backed the initiative told sta the swiss news agency
switzerlands model of direct democracy in which citizens can collect signatures to force a national referendum on a proposal has helped turn the country into a laboratory for pioneering social and economic changes
in early 2013 the swiss voted to impose some of the worlds most severe restrictions on executive compensation following a proposal by a small entrepreneur in defiance of the countrys big business lobby
later that year however the swiss rejected another economic proposal the 112 initiative which would have limited the salary of top executives to 12 times the wages of their lowest paid employees and in 2014 the swiss rejected a proposal to introduce what would have been the worlds highest minimum wage equivalent to nearly 25 an hour
referendums are gaining ground in other european countries that normally rely on a system of parliamentary democracy
last year greece held a referendum on a bailout plan and the netherlands introduced a referendum law under which voters rejected a european union agreement with ukraine in april britain is set to vote in a referendum this month on whether to leave the european union a year after scotland voted to stay in the united kingdom
but in switzerland the proliferation of such votes has provoked a debate over the ease with which complicated or radical issues can be brought to a referendum low voter turnout has also become an issue about 46 percent of eligible swiss voters went to the polls on sunday when four other national issues and several regional issues were voted on
philippe leuba a regional politician said on swiss national radio on sunday that it was positive that voters had followed the advice of their federal government but he still deplored the fact that the proposal for guaranteed income had gotten so far calling it a hyper populist and demagogic plan to give away money for nothing


buenos aires   for fans of argentinas national soccer team the enduring images of recent tournaments are painful lionel messi staring impotently at the world cup trophy on his way to collecting a second place medal in 2014 gonzalo higuain sending a penalty kick skyward as chile won last years copa america final roberto ayala turning a cross into his own net in yet another lost copa final in 2007
despite the undisputed quality of its roster and its recurring role as a favorite argentina heads into its opening match of the copa america centenario on monday cloaked in doubt the uncertainty is stoked by all those recent near misses by a perennial tug of war over the national teams style of play and by the long running debate about how to get the best out of messi
teams can start to believe their curse said jonathan wilson a british writer most recently of a coming book about argentinas soccer history
if argentina stumbles again at the copa   a centenary version of south americas premier soccer tournament being hosted outside the continent for the first time   the fear is that a generation of offensive talent that includes messi who will turn 29 two days before the copa final but also higuain angel di maria sergio aguero javier pastore and carlos tevez may have been wasted
there is no option but to win it javier mascherano a midfielder said shortly before the team flew from argentina to its base in san jose calif
for some observers the sense of urgency is intensified by the diminished quality of argentinas new batch of players
since its triumph at the 1993 copa america argentina has not won another major tournament losing six finals along the way its last world cup championship was 30 years ago this summer when a diego maradona led albiceleste lifted the trophy in mexico
back then the coach was carlos bilardo a former physician whose laborious and structured approach prioritized results not the process that led to them
soccer is played to win bilardo is quoted as saying in wilsons book shows are for the theater
in 1978 however the only other time argentina won the world cup the coach was cesar luis menotti menotti was bilardos antithesis a thinker and idealist who believed there was intrinsic value in aesthetics he prized possession nurtured artistry in offense and encouraged players to improvise
the essence of argentine soccer is freedom alberto tarantini a defender on the 1978 team said in an interview if you fill players heads with tactical systems you inhibit them
while intellectual struggles between pragmatism and purity have driven soccer narratives in many corners of the world it is in argentina perhaps that the dichotomy most shapes the battle for the soul of the game
the schism is often traced to argentinas disastrous exit from the 1958 world cup which was long before menotti and bilardo entered the picture and today although a new generation of argentine coaches has been emerging with broader influences the debate remains fierce
argentine soccer is very rich in this discussion of how should we win  said ezequiel fernandez moores a prominent argentine soccer columnist who noted that feuding was prone to escalate around tournaments involving the national team
underscoring how argentina has recently produced both a preternatural offensive talent like messi and a coach like atletico madrids diego simeone whose teams are celebrated for their defensive grit fernandez moores said the dispute will be eternal
even as the two ideologies have slowly converged gerardo martino argentinas current coach who guided the team to the copa america final a year ago in chile has not escaped clashes over the nations soccer identity
pointing to the continuing tensions higuain was asked at a recent news conference here whether it was more important for martino to end argentinas trophy drought or to win over fans to his preferred playing style
martino adheres loosely to the philosophy of marcelo bielsa a pioneering former coach of the national team with a cult following bielsa forged a middle path between menotti and bilardo though his quixotic obsession with possession and offense did not translate into the kind of international success argentina still craves
id like the team to stand out for the way it plays martino told diario popular an argentine newspaper last year but also because of the final result
while argentina briefly dazzled at the 2015 copa america beating paraguay 6 1 in its semifinal it was more muted in the final facing a chile team that embraced bielsas doctrine under its own argentine coach jorge sampaoli martinos side played cautiously and lost to many observers argentinas performance mirrored those at the 2014 world cup directed by alejandro sabella a coach dismissed by some fans who considered him too negative
with this friction as a backdrop the great conundrum confronting martino remains how to make messi sparkle voted the worlds best player in five of the past seven years because of his thrilling performances at barcelona where he scored 37 goals last season messi has shown only fleeting brilliance in the blue and white stripes of his argentina jersey
there is added pressure on messi in this months copa america since for many fans his place alongside maradona as one of the sports and his countrys greatest players depends on his lifting a major trophy with the national team expectations for him at the tournament are predictably lofty
if the game is in stalemate we need to be able to give the ball to messi for him to win it martino said in a recent interview with the newspaper la nacion
but there have been concerns about messi as the tournament approached he flew from spain to argentina to play in a friendly on may 27   in which he was substituted after a bruising blow to his back   and then swiftly returned to testify in a tax evasion trial he rejoined his teammates during the weekend although the back injury looks set to sideline him from the first game against chile on monday night at levis stadium in santa clara calif
martino has other problems too messi aside several key players are fighting to overcome injuries before the chile match and   not for the first time   at home the argentine soccer federation is mired in a dispute with the government that briefly jeopardized the national teams participation in the copa
inevitably too debate is already accelerating about what it would mean for argentine soccer and martino if the team failed to triumph or won with insufficient flair
whatever happens pablo lucero 22 a soccer player for a minor league team here said we always complain


washington   as news outlets round the world continued to publish revelations from the panama papers the nonprofit organization that coordinated the project was preparing to move out of its offices here in an effort to cut costs
the organization called the international consortium of investigative journalists was already forced to part with three contract journalists who had helped its small staff shepherd the project and three other budgeted positions it was told would have to be left unfilled for now
its brief shining moment in the journalistic spotlight was being complicated by much more familiar issues like so many of its peers in nonprofit journalism the consortium is subject to the financial headwinds buffeting the industry as a whole in this case it is feeling ripple effects from the financial struggles of its parent organization the center for public integrity the venerable nonprofit investigative news organization that controls the consortiums budget
the financial pinch has created dual realities for the consortium damping morale and escalating long simmering tensions with its parent even as the impact of the panama papers has dramatically increased its global profile
the consortiums problems also represent a potential setback in the search for new ways to finance and pursue journalism at a time when traditional news organizations and even new digital operations are seeking workable business models in the nonprofit segment of the industry which has inspired hope as a way forward it has exposed a particularly hard truth financing even the most successful investigative reporting unit is hard and often inconsistent
you always want more staff and more funding the consortiums director gerard ryle said but i have to accept the situation as it is my job is to get on with things no matter what
financial uneasiness is nothing new for the center for public integrity which ran yearly operating deficits from 2005 to 2007 and again in 2011
peter bale who took over the organization last year after a stint at cnn international said the organization was still trying to recover from that legacy   including a 21 million deficit in unrestricted net assets that he said he had inherited from his predecessor whose editorial gambles have drawn criticism that deficit which the board has said cannot grow has forced him to make cuts mr bale said while honoring funding agreements and the centers editorial imperatives
but bill buzenberg who led the center from 2007 to 2015 disputed that assessment saying that a deficit in general support is not unusual for nonprofits it becomes a problem he said when annual fund raising from specific programs and objectives declines
i kept telling them you have to raise money like crazy this year for next mr buzenberg said im not sure that happened
the center is expected to raise 93 million this year down from around 11 million last year mr bale said noting that grants to the center are often paid out over multiple years
he has had to consider cuts anywhere he can find them not just at the consortium the center for public integrity laid off two prizewinning senior investigative reporters of its own in may and is delaying hiring for open positions
the financial woes have strained the relationship between two organizations that david e kaplan who ran the consortium from 2008 to 2011 says have always been awkward partners the consortium was founded in 1997 as a branch of the center to focus on international investigations but it quickly developed its own ethos
these are two different organizations in culture structure and methodology said mr kaplan who resigned in protest in 2011 during a period of particular tension between the groups
the differences have only intensified as the consortium has grown under mr ryle an irish born investigative journalist who worked in australia before taking the position its budget has roughly tripled to almost 2 million this year and its staff has grown threefold to about a dozen including contractors after the cuts
it has also deliberately moved away from the journalistic model of its parent organization in search of a more effective way to investigate and distribute stories across borders at a relatively low cost
the model in which the consortium coordinates teams of reporters around the world to work collaboratively on a single big source base has been increasingly successful aiding in investigations of international interest like lux leaks which in 2014 exposed how luxembourg had helped hundreds of international companies cut their taxes through preferential deals and swiss leaks which a year later exposed how hsbc helped the rich evade taxes
with the panama papers the consortium assembled its largest team to date carefully coordinating with almost 400 journalists from 70 countries to pore over a single enormous leak of documents using research tools developed by the consortium the team exposed a vast network of offshore banks and shell companies used by the worlds powerful and rich to hide their wealth
their findings have prompted investigations in dozens of countries forced political ousters   including the prime minister of iceland   and inspired policy debates around the world
the panama papers also brought a new level of renown to the consortium and it prompted peers and supporters to wonder whether the organization could provide a model for a segment of the journalism industry particularly hard hit by shrinking budgets and other market forces
given the need to operate within the budgets we have icij has done an astounding job mr bale said of the consortium adding that he hoped the center for public integrity could incorporate some of its techniques
mr bale acknowledged that tensions between the two groups had increased and might fan the desire by some at the consortium to spin off into a separate organization that he said would be a mistake the centers board opposes such a move
fund raising could help and both mr bale and mr ryle said they hoped the consortiums increased profile would attract support to help stabilize the centers overall finances
but for now the cutbacks at the consortium are particularly painful the group has spent much of the last two weeks moving up five floors from its own offices into the centers and though mr ryle said he hoped to be able to hire back some of the contractors he had let go for now he said he would have to make do with less
it gives you an enormous amount of freedom in the journalism mr ryle said of the nonprofit model but you have to accept that there is a cost sometimes on the other side
for ryan chittum one of the three contractors who left last month after more than a year working on the panama papers the timing is as frustrating as it is ironic
theres still a lot to do on that story   its just kind of an unfortunate commentary on the fragility of journalism mr chittum said its not like i make huge dollars but we dont have money to do it right now


beijing   the obama administration plans to use annual talks with leaders in beijing to push for cuts in excess chinese industrial output which has inundated foreign markets with discounted steel aluminum and other products treasury secretary jacob j lew said in beijing on sunday ahead of the meeting
the talks known as the us china strategic and economic dialogue bring together senior american and chinese officials every year to discuss a broad range of economic foreign policy and security concerns on the economic side of the talks chinas exchange rate controls and intellectual property violations will be high on the american agenda while north korea and the south china sea are expected to dominate the security talks
but mr lew said the economic track of the meeting in the chinese capital this year would also take up chinas flood of exports of steel and other products which have spilled into the international marketplace provoking anger from producers unions and politicians
excess capacity is not just a domestic issue mr lew told an audience of students and academics at tsinghua university ahead of the start of the dialogue on monday
the question of excess capacity is one that really has an enormous effect on global markets for things like steel and aluminum he said were seeing distortions in global markets because of excess capacity
a senior chinese official said last week that his side was prepared to discuss excess capacity but was vague about how china would respond
we do not shy away from problems the official zhu guangyao a vice minister of finance told reporters at a briefing anything can be discussed in the economic dialogue
chinese leaders including president xi jinping have said they will cut back production at steel mills coal mines and other plants where capacity far exceeds domestic demand especially as the economy slows and shifts away from smokestack industries mr xi has made that part of a program of shifting investment to more rewarding areas that he calls supply side structural reform
we cannot wait just because the burden is heavy or fail to act just because there are many hardships mr xi said at a meeting of policy makers in may in which the program for cutting excess capacity was discussed according to an official summary
but the chinese governments plans remain opaque and meanwhile much of that excess output is being sold on foreign markets where other manufacturers are struggling to compete with chinas much cheaper production
the cut price exports of solar panels aluminum and other goods have become especially contentious during the american presidential race donald j trump and bernie sanders have both argued strongly that trade agreements have been unfairly tilted against american workers
in march the united states put a tariff of 266 percent on some chinese steel makers for selling below cost and last month in separate actions the commerce department announced duties of 450 percent and 522 percent on some imports of chinese steel
mr lew appeared to wager that he could help win more action from beijing by putting excess capacity high on the agenda before the group of 20 summit meeting of leaders of the major economies which china will hold in the eastern city of hangzhou in september china is also trying to win official status as a market economy from the united states and european union which would make it easier for its manufacturers to ward off punitive tariffs on exports
referring to the excess capacity mr lew said on sunday chinas capacity to address that is central to chinas economy to the global economy and to the us china relationship
he went on i believe that it is deeply in chinas interest to follow through on the policies that have been outlined in previous chinese leadership meetings excess capacity ultimately is corrosive of an economys economic efficiency it means that you have a misallocation of resources
mr lew said the obama administration was watching to see whether changes introduced by the chinese authorities in august amounted to a real lasting step toward loosening controls on the renminbi exchange rate china devalued the currency by almost 2 percent and the central bank the peoples bank of china said at the time that market forces would play a bigger role in setting the value of the currency
in recent months he noted china has sometimes acted to strengthen the value of the renminbi making imports into china more attractive rather than weakening the currency more recently the yuan has weakened against the dollar to levels not seen in five years
the strategic dialogue began nearly 10 years ago in george w bushs administration as an effort for the united states and china to set an agenda for the most important issues and find a path to solving them in 2009 it grew from an economic focus to include security issues the meeting has evolved into a set of talks involving hundreds of officials meeting over several days to discuss issues as diverse as civilian aviation and the protection of elephants as well as the big economic and security matters
but with mr xi concentrating more power in his own hands the usefulness of such a wide ranging exercise may have outrun itself some americans said mr xi opened the dialogue with a speech and his closest economic adviser liu he met with mr lew on sunday
with the obama administration in its final lap and a leadership transition looming in china next year it is unlikely that this years dialogue will result in any breakthroughs said eswar s prasad professor of trade policy at cornell university
while the dialogue will include many top level chinese technocrats there is a widespread perception that their influence on economic policies and reforms has been circumscribed by the rising concentration of power in the hands of president xi and a close circle of his aides he said
the new american president   whether donald j trump or hillary clinton   would be unlikely to continue the annual talks in such a broad manner professor prasad said top officials on both sides probably view the dialogue this year as their last waltz together he said


over the years william r ponsoldt had earned tens of millions of dollars building a string of successful companies he had renovated apartment buildings in the new york city area bred arabian horses run a yacht club in the bahamas a rock quarry in michigan an auto parts company in canada even a multibillion dollar hedge fund
now as he neared retirement mr ponsoldt of jensen beach fla had a special request for mossack fonseca a panama based law firm well placed in the world of offshore finance how could he confidentially shift his money into overseas bank accounts and use them to buy real estate and move funds to his children
he is the manager of one of the richest hedge funds in the world a lawyer at mossack fonseca wrote when the firm was introduced to mr ponsoldt in 2004 primary objective is to maintain the utmost confidentiality and ideally to open bank accounts without disclosing his name as a private person
in summary the firm explained he needs asset protection schemes which we are trying to sell him
thus began a relationship that would last at least through 2015 as mossack fonseca managed eight shell companies and a foundation on the familys behalf moving at least 134 million through seven banks in six countries   little of which could be traced directly to mr ponsoldt or his children
these transactions and others like them for a stable of wealthy clients from the united states are outlined in extraordinary detail in the trove of internal mossack fonseca documents known as the panama papers the materials were obtained by the german newspaper suddeutsche zeitung and the international consortium of investigative journalists and have now been shared with the new york times
in recent weeks the papers revelations about mossack fonsecas international clientele have shaken the financial world the timess examination of the files found that mossack fonseca also had at least 2400 united states based clients over the past decade and set up at least 2800 companies on their behalf in the british virgin islands panama the seychelles and other jurisdictions that specialize in helping hide wealth
many of these transactions were legal there are legitimate reasons to create offshore accounts particularly when setting up a business overseas or buying real estate in a foreign country
but the documents   confidential emails copies of passports ledgers of bank transactions and even the various code names used to refer to clients   show that the firm did much more than simply create offshore shell companies and accounts for many of its american clients mossack fonseca offered a how to guide of sorts on skirting or evading united states tax and financial disclosure laws
these included locating an individual from a tax convenient jurisdiction to be the straw man owner of an offshore account concealing the true american owner or encouraging one client it knew was a united states resident to use his foreign passports to open accounts offshore again to avoid scrutiny from regulators the documents show
if the compliance department at one foreign bank contacted by mossack fonseca on behalf of its clients started to ask too many questions about who owned the account the firm simply turned to other less inquisitive banks
and even though the law firm said publicly that it would not work with clients convicted of crimes or whose financial activities raised red flags several individuals in the united states with criminal records were able to turn to mossack fonseca to open new companies offshore the documents show
federal law allows united states citizens to transfer money overseas but these foreign holdings must be declared to the treasury department and any taxes on capital gains interest or dividends must be paid   just as if the money had been invested domestically federal officials estimate that the government loses between 40 billion and 70 billion a year in unpaid taxes on offshore holdings
experts in federal tax law money laundering and offshore accounts   asked by the times to examine certain documents or at least to identify legal issues raised by the money management techniques that mossack fonseca advocated   said the law firm at times had come up with creative but apparently legal strategies to save clients money a common tactic selling real estate as a shift of corporate assets instead of as a piece of property subject to transfer taxes
while the experts were reluctant to declare that the law firm or its clients had broken any laws given that no charges have been filed they said they were surprised at how explicitly mossack fonseca had offered advice that appeared carefully crafted to help its clients evade united states tax laws
the more correspondence that you have between a us person and a bank or law firm discussing tax issues and efforts at concealment the stronger the government will see it as a potential case worth prosecuting said kevin m downing the lead justice department prosecutor in the ubs offshore banking and tax evasion cases now at the washington law firm miller  chevalier
mossack fonseca has said repeatedly in recent weeks that its lawyers and staff members have honored international tax and banking laws and that it is the victim in this case of an illegal hacking attack
but presented with summaries of several cases by the times mossack fonseca did not try to explain its actions it simply said that its standards had improved in recent years as rules internationally had tightened
our significantly expanded compliance office today not only evaluates new client candidates but also existing accounts and especially those that were established prior to the new international regulatory regime coming into effect a spokeswoman said in a written statement referring to a 2010 law passed by congress it wasnt always this way
the firms american client list does not appear to include the sort of high profile political figures who have emerged from reporting on the panama papers in many other countries around the world
but the services offered by mossack fonseca with 500 employees in more than 30 offices worldwide were in high demand by the rich and famous in the united states
in 2001 sanford i weill then the chief of citigroup set up an offshore account called april fool for his yacht alfonso soriano a former major league baseball all star player with the yankees and other teams had a panamanian corporation created for him john e akridge iii a leading real estate developer in washington flew to panama to meet with mossack fonseca lawyers who in 2011 created the cyclops family foundation in panama along with a related bank account
a spokesman for mr weill said the accounts were used for legitimate purposes and appropriate disclosures were filed mr akridge and mr soriano did not respond to repeated requests for comment
for its best customers like the ponsoldts who declined repeated requests to discuss their work with mossack fonseca the firms ministrations went far beyond legal services and banking it acted as a concierge for all details regarding your properties and worldwide business affairs for example helping the family confidentially purchase and dispose of luxury condominiums at resort destinations and even arranging repairs for a car stored at a vacation home and hiring a contractor to fix broken poolside tiles the documents show
you deserve the best mr ponsoldt and we will try to help you the most we can the firm explained in an email
the firms american clients often expressed disbelief at how much they could lighten their tax burden by using the techniques advocated by mossack fonseca
at hearing that he can make nearly 8 million per year just on tax savings a client from pennsylvania was now wide awaken a mossack fonseca staff member wrote i could even detect sweats coming down from his forehead and his cheeks were beginning to blush with crimson excitement noticing his interest i went in for the kill
in 2006 using a secret email account set up by mossack fonseca so his correspondence would not be traced by the authorities a businessman from washington state asked a common question among the firms potential american clients
how does a us citizen legally get funds to panama without the knowledge of the us government and how can those funds be profitably invested without the us government knowing about them
the reply came from ramses owens then a partner who helped run the firms trust division offering clients effective solutions to enhance your privacy protect your wealth mr owens laid out a basic menu of services a package deal setting up an offshore company in what he promised would be a relatively cheap and quick transaction
we have right now a special offer by which we create a private foundationcompany combination for a flat fee of us450000 mr owens said it includes charter documents regulations nominee officers and directors bank account and management of funds provision of authorized signatories neutral phone and fax numbers and mail forwarding services for both the private foundation and its underlying company
with this legal structure in place mr owens went on to explain any money placed in these accounts would essentially go into a black hole
if we create a private foundation and the underlying company for you the funds become completely private us cannot know as soon as the funds are deposited under a bank account or investment account in the name of the underlying company or the private foundation he wrote
the benefits of such an arrangement were numerous he added detailing how the client could effectively evade united states tax laws while protecting himself   and the firm
you can take the money in cash you can do a bad investment you can purchase something and not receive anything an expensive piano an expensive software mr owens wrote you can receive an invoice from panama or any other location and that would justify some of the outgoing moneys you can also declare everything to the tax administration
any decision you make please be aware that you will have to sign a disclaimer to us we can only suggest but the final decision to take the money out of the country is fully yours and under the professional opinion of someone in usa
this was the sort of menu sold to the ponsoldt family   in a very big way
william ponsoldt now 74 had come to mossack fonseca with hundreds of millions of dollars in assets the firms staff estimated in due diligence memos that also laid out how he had become so wealthy
he has started off in the 70ties purchasing run down apartment buildings in new york in order to refurbish and sell them off noted one memo from 2007 shortly after the firm had started to handle the familys investment accounts having done this for a while he spread out to various businesses and his cv is the typical profile of a serial entrepreneur the memo went on to list nine businesses he had created taken over or helped run including glas aire industries group an automotive parts supplier zeus energy resources a texas oil drilling company regency affiliates which owned a michigan rock mine and pegasus ranch one of the countrys largest arabian horse breeding operations
few american clients the records show demanded and received as much attention as mr ponsoldt and two of his children tracey and christopher each of whom was assigned a secret email account and a code name   father daughter and son mossack fonsecas vip service consisted of everything from securing lunch reservations at a popular french bistro in panama city to pressing the government to make an exception and grant mr ponsoldt and his wife panamanian passports
over the years tens of millions of dollars flowed into a series of shell companies   escutcheon investment with its money at the banca privada in the pyrenees principality of andorra probity investments with deposits at andbanc grup agricol also in andorra royal pacific investments with deposits at balboa securities in panama and valdano investments group with deposits at berenberg bank in switzerland among others the bank records and other documents show
mossack fonseca employees were named as the companies officers avoiding whenever possible any link to the ponsoldt family the firm even asked a hong kong branch of barclays the international bank to override its rules for proof of the so called beneficial owners of the accounts
this is a very special client of ours a mossack fonseca lawyer wrote conceding that the firm had intentionally created such a maze of companies so it leaves us in the position to legally argue that our client is not the owner of the structure it was not clear if the bank complied
the most important part of this elaborate structure was an entity called the edenstone foundation
panama has long specialized in creating unusual foundations like edenstone that are neither subject to panamanian taxes nor required to support charitable causes they do however allow the investors who contribute their financing to shield themselves from legal claims in the united states
in secret meetings documented in the panama papers mossack fonseca named the ponsoldt family as the beneficiary through the foundation of the money placed in bank accounts around the world
among the early requests confidentially transfer 800000 from father to son meaning moving the money to yet another offshore account   called lbfh of panama   which mossack fonseca had set up on christopher ponsoldts behalf with bank accounts in andorra and panama
one motivation for christopher ponsoldt to stash money overseas in accounts not traceable to him he owned a dirt racetrack in florida and he was concerned racers may get hurt and might then try to sue him for damages the law firm notes on his case file said
please notify me when the money is deposited in american dollars christopher ponsoldt wrote to the law firm a few months after his fathers accounts had been set up and 800000 was in the process of being transferred to another offshore account christopher ponsoldt controlled via the firm i want to have us dollars australian dollars indian reals and some kind of china index to be determined
mossack fonseca agreed to prepare a service agreement between two of the legal entities it managed for the family to make it look as if there were an actual expenditure of money for a business purpose
after receiving the money we will explain to them the nature of this transaction without giving details of your name the firm explained to william ponsoldt regarding the caribbean bank through which the money was moving to his son please let us know if you agree with this and if you will instruct the relevant parties to execute the wire transfer
federal law generally limits such tax free transfers between family members to 14000 a year but for this transfer described as a pre inheritance distribution the documents give no indication that any united states gift taxes were paid as would most likely have been required said jack blum a lawyer and expert in international tax evasion who served for more than a decade as a consultant to the internal revenue service
this is one way in which people with a lot of money step away from being average mr blum said after reviewing the documents
christopher ponsoldt declined to comment i am sorry i cant help you he said before hanging up
tracey ponsoldt powers william ponsoldts daughter approached the firm in october 2008 with an urgent request for help in secretly moving some of her familys money to panama and then into gold coins she feared political developments at home
i feel very unsettled with this election and how the media is censoring information and spinning the american public to vote obama she wrote to mr owens at mossack fonseca it is so obvious to me that they are setting us up with a socialist   but most people cant see it happening before their eyes its like propaganda that is brainwashing americans to forget the principles of hard work ingenuity risk and boundless success
mr owens suggested shifting the money into a charity account controlled by the firm on the familys behalf in increments of less than 100000 so it would not be detected
separately that same month william ponsoldt moved 100000 from a company mossack fonseca controlled on his behalf into the name of his daughter this was confirmed in an email from mossack fonseca to the code name daughter the usd 100000 is deposited as call money with high liquidity at berenberg bank schweiz zurich said the email which added your father initiated this process as you know we will treat you with the same esteem and conditions and service as the family is used to
the subsequent series of complicated transfers   money from the account would eventually be used by mossack fonseca in 2013 at ms powerss request to buy real estate   would be a challenge for american enforcement authorities mr blum said
simply by constructing all this in such a complex way they make it extremely hard for enforcement officials to ever have resources to reconstruct what taxes should have been paid he said what this is all about is obscuring the trail
ms powers did not respond to a series of calls and emails and then declined to answer questions when reached on a cellphone
i have no idea what you are talking about she said before hanging up
across the united states mossack fonseca picked up clients who had similarly urgent and delicate demands
for more than 30 years as the founder of boston capital ventures harald joachim von der goltz has built a reputation as a savvy investor in emerging companies
what few know however is that over roughly that same span of time and with the help of mossack fonseca mr von der goltz has also come to command a vast offshore empire interconnected corporations foundations and bank accounts with about 70 million in assets according to internal emails
a lawyer for mr von der goltz said the beneficial owner of all of the trusts and accounts is mr von der goltzs 100 year old mother who resides in guatemala one document also suggests that the tens of millions of dollars in the accounts originally came from businesses operated by mr von der goltzs father
but numerous other documents prepared by mossack fonseca and signed by mr von der goltz list him as the founder manager and first beneficiary of the foundation that controls most of the familys wealth mr von der goltz also put assets from companies he helped operate into the accounts documents show
most important mossack fonseca registered mr von der goltz as a resident of guatemala which tax experts said could help him protect the family money from certain united states tax obligations
mf trust has registered harald joachim von der goltz as a client of guatemala however we know he lives in miami and makes his residence for 5 months of the year in boston mr owens the mossack fonseca partner wrote in an email in 2009 to top executives at the firm
the firm recognized that claiming the guatemala residency represented a risk but considered it a risk worth taking given mr von der goltzs importance to the firm
my suggestion leave everything as it is with von der goltz ie stay and live this potential risk we might prefer to send money orders and cashiers checks which have a slightly lower risk than bank transfers its all well done customer understands well and accepts it as is mr owens wrote
i agree with your suggestion on my part responded ramon fonseca one of the firms founders
money was frequently transferred from several of the offshore accounts to accounts in the united states to fund investments at mr von der goltzs firm the documents show a foundation paid for his daughters education as well as his granddaughters high school tuition
in a 2008 email mr von der goltzs boston based accountant asked executives at mossack fonseca to wire money from mr von der goltzs mother erika
erika would like to make a gift to tica of 100000 for his birthday she hadnt given him anything the email said providing an account for mr von der goltz at espirito santo bank in miami
ohh yes i know erika wants it to be done quickly we will proceed mr owens responded before confirming that the money should be moved as requested
legal experts consulted by the times said it was difficult to determine definitively if the arrangements related to mr von der goltz violated united states laws but they said such moves were commonly used by investors seeking to hide their assets and evade federal taxes
there is reason to question if she was really directing that shift of money mr blum said referring to mr von der goltzs mother
in a statement mr von der goltz said the companies were established for legal purposes and that both he and the companies were compliant with united states tax and reporting requirements
there has never been any illegal activity associated with these companies the statement said
other case files examined by the times show how mossack fonseca may have turned a blind eye in the vetting process while helping kjell gunnar finstad a texas resident set up an oil company offshore in 2013
mossack fonseca has long maintained that it will not work for individuals with criminal records or whose conduct raises red flags during its due diligence process but the firm somehow either missed or overlooked mr finstads past when it conducted a background search of potential directors for the new offshore oil company ok terra energy which was run out of houston but registered in the british virgin islands
three years earlier mr finstad the companys controlling partner and lead investor had been convicted in norway for various breaches of securities and accounting laws involving a company called norex group the case was major news in norway
the records examined by the times show that mossack fonseca collected a copy of mr finstads passport and conducted a basic internet search and a cursory background check but there is no mention of the fraud case and no discussion of whether to proceed with setting up the new company in light of mr finstads involvement
reached at his office in texas and asked about the panama papers mr finstad said only i dont want to talk about that
for another client mossack fonseca offered a special service for a premium price
marianna olszewski the new york city based author of live it love it earn it a womans guide to financial freedom wanted to shift 1 million held by hsbc in guernsey to a new overseas account the catch she did not want her name to appear anywhere near the transaction
mr owens the mossack fonseca lawyer again offered a solution
mossack fonseca would locate what he called a natural person nominee in a tax convenient jurisdiction to stand in for ms olszewski as the owner of the account
the natural person trustee is a service which is very sensitive mr owens wrote we need to hire the natural person nominee pay him make him sign lots of documents to cover us make him sign resignations make him get some proofs evidencing that he has the economic capacity to place such amount of moneys letters of reference proof of domicile etc etc the process he suggested would cost her at least 17500
ms olszewski approved the maneuver   only to see the firm at one point accidentally disclose her name to the banks involved
ramses please call me asap this is important she wrote to mr owens hsbc said someone said marianna olszewski is the principal  beneficary who has done this i need you to call me immediately and tell them hsbc that was a mistake this is not good and i asked you not to do this this is why we have this structure
mr owens sought to calm her down saying that mossack fonseca could tell the bank that the natural person nominee actually controlled the account this can be solved he wrote
mr owens did not tell his client the identity of the natural person nominee saying simply we would appoint a uk citizen residing in panama since 50 years ago engineer entrepreneur as they needed someone who would be expected to have such a large amount of money available to transfer
twelve days later mr owens sent hsbc a copy of a passport for a man named edmund james ward
kindly please find hereto attached the due diligence documents of the beneficial owner said the email sent to hsbc noting that the documents duly correct
the 1 million from ms olszewski was then transferred to the new accounts with an assurance that she need not worry
if for any reason something happens please also bear in mind that mossfon is covered by insurance policies for us10 million per event mr owens wrote we have never used our insurance policy to cover a fraud or something like this
the use of a stand in to hide the true ownership of an account is one of the remaining illegal ploys favored by americans today as international banks under pressure from the united states demand proof of account ownership said jeffrey neiman a former federal prosecutor from miami who specialized in criminal tax offenses adding that he could not comment directly on this case the fact that a law firm was willing to do this legitimizes the process for their clients he said
many of the client files   like those for mr weill the banker mr soriano the ballplayer and mr akridge the developer   contain little information on the purpose of the offshore accounts or how they were used after they were set up making it impossible based on the records available to assess whether they were used legitimately
but the experts who reviewed some of the documents related to the ponsoldts mr von der goltz and ms olszewski said that the firm itself seemed to realize it was taking risks
they were not always sure themselves which side of the line they were on at any given moment said ross s delston a former federal banking regulator who now specializes in combating money laundering efforts it is apparent that members of the firm were aware they were treading very close to the line
in fact the files contain instances beginning before the panama papers came to light of mossack fonseca lawyers second guessing their actions in recent weeks the firm has shut down many of its operations in nevada as well as british locations in jersey and the isle of man and is closing the asset management division that served many of its united states clients
in 2013 mossack fonseca advised ms olszewski to seek outside counsel and consider reporting herself to the irs warning of possible severe repercussions if she did not the warning came in the wake of a justice department investigation of the role that certain swiss banks had played in helping united states citizens evade federal taxes
records show that mossack fonseca had been paid at least 102000 over nine years to help ms olszewski handle various transactions
ms olszewski took the firms advice and belatedly disclosed her accounts to the irs the documents show and by 2014 she asked mossack fonseca to shut down her accounts and offshore entities which collectively held at least 17 million
im in complete compliance with all my us tax and reporting requirements ms olszewski said in an emailed statement when the times asked about the accounts
in a second statement she said she had relied on the advice of legal counsel to establish a trust for her family while living abroad i am confident that i have acted properly she added and any insinuation otherwise is false
reached by telephone in late may mr owens who is no longer with the law firm said only regretfully i cannot speak about individual clients or my time at mossack fonseca
mossack fonseca sent a series of similar and increasingly dire warnings to the ponsoldts in 2013 and 2014 telling them that they had to provide a swiss bank with documentation that they had paid all required united states taxes   or face possible investigation
neither your ex trustees nor us would like to be involved into any measure the us department of justice might try to enforce the firm wrote in this regard again we strongly urge you to take the necessary steps to avoid any negative consequences for you as well as us
the records examined by the times give no indication whether the ponsoldts complied and family members would not say when asked
i dont know what you are talking about christopher ponsoldt said in a second brief conversation before he again hung up


last summer brought us a pair of cable dramas about psychologically troubled antiheroes who gained access to the levers of mighty and vaguely sinister institutions the global financial network and a hit reality show
one of them mr robot was immediately hailed as groundbreaking for its bravura visuals its timely critique of capitalism and its unreliable narrator protagonist a computer hacker out to dismantle a system of debt slavery
the other lifetimes unreal   set behind the scenes of everlasting a bachelor like dating show   did not go unpraised it won a peabody award this year along with mr robot but it didnt quite get the same instant buzz and upgrade to cultural obsession status
maybe it didnt check enough of the usual prestige television boxes its aesthetics were more conventional its narrative less of a puzzle box and its subject matter   a feminist tv producer becomes disturbingly good at making misogynist entertainment   wasnt in the bellicose dudely mode of dark cable drama
but unreal was every bit as provocative and daring and more complex in its moral shadings it was both a workplace power drama and a laser focused work of media criticism returning for season 2 on monday unreal remains one of tvs most sharp minded and  tongued escapes a heart shaped box full of chocolate and razor blades
as we rejoin rachel goldberg shiri appleby shes ascended to everlasting showrunner replacing her mentor quinn king constance zimmer a virtuoso of caustic one liners who in turn has replaced chet wilton craig bierko the uber producer   and her onetime lover   who built his empire using her original idea for the series
like any good reality show unreal has come back with a surprising new twist the twists name is darius beck b j britt a pro football quarterback cast as the first african american suitor on everlasting hes not that black quinn assures a network executive hes like football black
fake reality is ahead of real reality here the bachelor has yet to cast a black star sarah gertrude shapiro who created unreal with marti noxon was a producer on that abc show and everlasting mirrors it right down to its unctuous human stock photo of a host
the first season of unreal was frank about how black women usually get ditched early on dating shows   in everlasting lingo theyre not wifeys dariuss casting complicates the racial dynamic at least to the extent that the producers are now open to the possibility of a black wifey or blifey in the everlasting kingdom that amounts to progress
what doesnt change is the way the producers reduce a new crop of young women to elevator pitches the angry black woman a college activist the terrorist a woman of pakistani heritage whom the producers pressure to wear a head scarf on camera though she doesnt in real life the hot racist cast because she went viral on instagram wearing a confederate flag bikini
its all terrible of course rachel knows it she also knows that shes terrific at it and ms appleby is terrific at playing her as a gunslinger of manipulation all the better at finding subjects psychic weak spots because of her own history of mental illness and breakdowns shes a toughened scar and a raw wound
power on unreal involves a kind of unprotected intimacy you have to risk infection during the first season rachel had an illicit romance with the seasons suitor a media savvy british royal with a pr problem for each of them the relationship was genuine and a means of control just as on everlasting any relationship on unreal can be sincere and calculated at the same time
unreal achieves the ambition of a premium cable drama using the tools of basic cable the direction isnt cinematic but its complex especially the scenes involving the chaos of shooting simultaneous dramas unfold in front of the reality tv cameras and behind them romances betrayals competition among both the cast and the producers
minus a few obscenities the shows dialogue has the military grade precision of veep another show about coal hearted workaholics when the young producer madison genevieve buechner has trouble getting a contestant to open up on camera rachel is unmoved tell her your mother died or something she says my mom did die madison answers there you go rachel says use that
the first season had a weakness for over the top twists and it drew some supporting characters broadly chet still seems to be on a different more satirical show hes become a mens rights fanatic after going on a paleolithic lifestyle retreat
but unreal generally avoids straw men and straw bachelorettes what might have been a self satisfied smackdown of reality tv and its audience has become a challenging and delectably entertaining drama about power and deception idealism and cynicism
is making history by casting darius worth repeating history by setting up another cast of women to be edited into wifeys and tramps thats what rachel tells herself but we know by now how great she is at spinning fairy tales


performances at the outdoor music festival governors ball including one by kanye west were canceled on sunday because of severe weather
in an email to ticket holders the festivals organizers said that the safety of fans artists and crew always comes first and that all performances for sunday would be canceled because of a high likelihood of lightning around the stages at randalls island park in new york
mr west was the headliner among nearly two dozen performances scheduled for the festivals third and final day fans expressed their disappointment on twitter
governors ball typically has a rain or shine policy the festival has persisted in the past despite rain   most recently saturday the panorama festival with a lineup including arcade fire kendrick lamar and lcd soundsystem is scheduled to take place at the same location in july
ticket holders were told they would receive refunds and were directed to the festivals website for updates


its rare that president obama and reince priebus the republican national committee chairman agree in recent weeks they both have said that the presidential nominating process is not rigged
they are right but that hasnt stopped those displeased with the results   not only establishment republicans but also democrats who support senator bernie sanders   from insisting on changing the rules for the next election
some tweaks are always in order but both sides are trying to craft procedures that would have benefited them this time as with generals fighting the last war experience shows this rarely works and often backfires
every time someone tries to game out this system said benjamin ginsberg a leading republican election lawyer the great law of unintended consequences rears its head
for the 2016 elections republicans wanted to compress the initial primaries and limit debates so that an establishment favorite   jeb bush for most   could wrap up the nomination early concurrently conservatives insisted on the early southern contests to better ensure victory for an ideologically suitable candidate
the result was that the debates and calendar helped nominate the most nonconservative candidate in ages donald j trump
democrats changed the rules after their 1968 debacle to take control away from party bosses that helped george mcgovern win the 1972 nomination   he then lost in a landslide to richard nixon   and in 1976 paved the way for jimmy carter the former governor of georgia not a favorite of the reform crowd
the legitimate tension in the current debate is between those who want to empower the political parties which are often stabilizing institutions for governance and those who want to give more say to voters this friction goes back more than a century as chronicled in geoffrey cowans let the people rule about theodore roosevelts effort in 1912 to topple an incumbent republican president and the party establishment that marked the beginning of presidential primaries it also made clear that the courts give broad discretion to the political parties to set their rules to the discomfort then of mr roosevelt
in todays debate there are two overriding issues for both parties the role or existence of superdelegates or elected officials who automatically have status as convention delegates and arent bound to any candidate and whether primaries should be open to all voters or limited to members of the party these two concerns present an inherent conflict
mr sanders raises objections to the superdelegates most of whom in the democratic presidential contest are supporting hillary clinton though its worth noting that his chief strategist tad devine wrote a 2008 column defending the concept some conservative republicans such as senator ted cruz of texas who finished second to mr trump as well as some democrats argue for closed primaries so that independents and others cant game their contests
there should be a sensible middle ground both parties could have superdelegates at a minimum all members of congress governors and state party chairmen and chairwomen these are politicians that a president deals with and their inclusion is good for subsequent governance and its much better for democrats and republicans to hold primaries open to all voters to increase participation and enthusiasm as mr trump and mr sanders did this time
before the contests in california and new jersey this week the preferences of voters are clear mrs clinton has received almost 13 million votes or three million more than mr sanders mr trump has racked up 115 million or four million more than mr cruz
those who protest that the system is rigged are reminiscent of lester maddox the former georgia governor who once said that the problem with his states prisons was that they needed a better class of inmates
similarly the solution for critics of the presidential system today would be a better class of voter


paris   when the french open was finished the sun finally came out which seemed a most inappropriate punctuation mark for the cold and clammy tournament that had just ended
unless that is you were novak djokovic
he has been waiting 12 years to slide out of others shadows and find the light at roland garros and after sunday it can no longer be argued that he is the best mens clay court player never to win the french open
djokovic a 29 year old from serbia stared down the past and all the salt vinegar and baseline brilliance that andy murray could muster to finally win the title 3 6 6 1 6 2 6 4
its a very special day perhaps the biggest moment of my career djokovic said in french to the tough to conquer parisian crowd that has gradually come to embrace him and his quest
the victory made djokovic the eighth man to complete the tennis career grand slam more remarkably he became the third man after don budge in 1938 and rod laver in 1962 and 1969 to hold all four of the major singles titles at the same time call it a djoker slam in this instance
this is his day today said murray the no 2 seed from britain in a gracious postmatch speech what hes achieved in the last 12 months is phenomenal winning all four of the grand slams in one year is an amazing achievement its something that is so rare in tennis you know its not happened for an extremely long time and its going to take a long time for it to happen again everyone here who came to watch is extremely lucky to see it
murray then made it clear that he was not so delighted to have been the foil but that he had the wider view in mind im proud to have been part of it today he said
though djokovic has won the four major tournaments in the last 12 months he has not won them all in the same calendar year which is what defines the true grand slam but he is now in position to chase one of the ultimate prizes in international sports just as serena williams did last year before faltering within sight of the finish line in the semifinals of the united states open
i dont want to sound arrogant but i really think everything is achievable in life djokovic said
if he could win wimbledon and the united states open this year and also win the singles title at the summer olympics in rio de janeiro in august he would give new meaning to his childhood coach jelena gencics vision of his potential by completing the so called golden slam gencic now deceased told djokovics parents that djokovic was a golden child
he has grown up to be quite a champion an articulate one too few tennis players have better described their state of mind during a breakthrough victory than djokovic did on sunday
after wresting control of the match and the baseline from murray early in the second set he ended up serving for the title first at 5 2 in the fourth he was broken and then got a second chance to serve for it at 5 4 from 40 15 he failed to convert on two championship points but at deuce djokovic won the next exchange by attacking and coming forward to hit a swing volley winner he then won the final point when murrays backhand landed in the net to conclude a 20 stroke rally that was an apt reflection of the physical demands murray and djokovic with their similar gifts and game styles impose on each other
djokovic said he felt his body was on autopilot during that final rally
i think between 5 2 and 5 4 and actually closing out the match a lot has happened in my mind and in my soul djokovic said just being filled with joy kind of serving for a match being like overwhelmed with positive emotions and sensations and then you know getting myself to the opposite side where im tense and nervous whether or not i can close it out but i guess in order for me to win this trophy i had to go through that to achieve big things in life when you do that you need to push yourself above the limit
djokovic who beat murray to win the australian open and the french open this year is now the first man to complete the first two legs of the grand slam since jim courier in 1992 this was also djokovics 12th grand slam singles title tying him with roy emerson for fourth on the career list and putting him in increasingly close range of his rivals roger federer and rafael nadal
federer has the mens record with 17 major singles titles nadal and pete sampras are next with 14 but djokovic is still at the peak of his powers and still paying close attention to the details   diet recovery flexibility   that might help him stay at the summit longer than usual
in the beginning i was not glad to be part of their era he said of federer and nadal later on i realized that everything happens for a reason youre put in this position with a purpose a purpose to learn and grow and evolve
djokovic is quite a conundrum for the opposition with his fast twitch returns improved serve and elastic tight to the baseline groundstrokes he is very quick laterally and increasingly fast and effective coming forward as he proved repeatedly sunday against murray making clutch volleys and responding to fine drop shots with acute and decisive angles
to reduce it to the essential he can make a tennis court feel claustrophobic to the opposition
he had his awkward moments in this clay court season losing to jiri vesely in his opening match in monte carlo he had his flashes of frustration pushing away the chair umpire carlos bernardess arm while examining a ball mark in rome and throwing his racket during his quarterfinal match at roland garros and narrowly missing a linesman
he also had to deal with the fallout of an unusually rainy paris spring and was forced to play singles on four straight days before getting a break on saturday to prepare for the final although murray who came through the bottom half of the draw did not have to adjust to the same scheduling constraints he had played quite a bit more tennis entering sunday 17 hours 50 minutes to djokovics 1254
trumping djokovic at this stage requires all the resources and resolve an opponent can muster and though the moody murray is a great tennis player djokovic is one of the greatest ever to play the game
both 29 and born a week apart djokovic and murray have been rivals since their european junior days murray has had his moments beating djokovic to win the united states open and above all wimbledon where murray put an end to a 77 year drought for british men in singles
but he could not find a way to end britains 81 year mens drought at roland garros even though he had beaten a weary djokovic in straight sets on red clay last month to win the masters 1000 event in rome
djokovic leads their head to head series 24 10 and holds an 8 2 edge in the majors but amid all the statistical updates and grand slam projecting what mattered most on sunday was simply winning the french
many a great player has faltered hereat roland garros the list includes sampras jimmy connors bill tilden john newcombe john mcenroe stefan edberg and one of djokovics coaches boris becker
i was always dealing with this said marian vajda djokovics other coach i mean the history doesnt lie you have to face it but there was just so much pressure here
but djokovic who had lost three of the last four french open finals is now on a different list and becker was soon holding the french open trophy in the locker room as part of a team not long before the effervescent brazilian gustavo kuerten a three time french open champion watched inside philippe chatrier stadium after having given djokovic permission just in case to reprise kuertens 2001 victory celebration
the title secure djokovic fell to the clay and lay spread eagled on his back before rising and jogging to embrace murray who had stepped over the net to greet him
struggling to keep his feet at first amid the emotion and fatigue djokovic soon returned to the same baseline and followed kuertens precedent drawing a heart in the clay with his racket and then lying on his back again inside it
he was a man complete a champion complete and the sun   of all things   soon joined him


donald j trump who said last week that a judges mexican heritage should disqualify him from a lawsuit against mr trump expressed doubt on sunday that a muslim judge could remain neutral in the case comments that are unlikely to ease concerns among his fellow republicans who fear his controversial remarks could hurt the party in november
mr trumps comments made in an interview with john dickerson the host of cbss face the nation followed his criticism of judge gonzalo p curiel a federal judge in california overseeing a suit against the defunct trump university mr trump said judge curiel had a conflict of interest in the case because of mr trumps proposed border wall with mexico
republicans concerned about how his contentious statements could harm their ability to retain control of the senate and have a detrimental effect in down ballot races have struggled with how to distance themselves from mr trumps language without alienating his die hard voters
in a series of interviews on sunday television news shows republicans repudiated mr trumps comments about judge curiel but instead of softening his stance mr trump intensified it
mr dickerson asked mr trump the presumptive republican nominee if a muslim judge would be similarly biased because of mr trumps call for a ban on muslim immigrants its possible yes mr trump said yeah that would be possible absolutely
when mr dickerson said there was a tradition in the united states a nation of immigrants against judging people based on heritage mr trump replied im not talking about tradition im talking about common sense ok
in his interview with mr dickerson and in a separate discussion with jake tapper on cnns state of the union mr trump refused to retreat from his comments on judge curiels background
he is a member of a club or society very strongly pro mexican which is all fine mr trump said but i say hes got bias i want to build a wall im going to build a wall im doing very well with the latinos with the hispanics with the mexicans im doing very well with them in my opinion
judge curiel 62 was born in east chicago ind to parents who had emigrated from mexico he graduated from indiana universitys law school and worked as an assistant united states attorney in the southern district of california before being appointed in 2007 to the bench in san diego by gov arnold schwarzenegger a republican president obama nominated judge curiel to the federal bench in late 2011 and he was confirmed by the senate in 2012
mr trumps broadside against judge curiel was one of the most overtly racial remarks he had made in the presidential race and it exacerbated the tension between some republicans and their nominee white older working class voters make up a large portion of the partys base and republicans need to keep the presidential campaign close in order to hold their majority in the senate but mr trumps remarks have offended wide blocs of voters to whom the party must appeal amid national demographic shifts
and the critiques have raised concerns about how as president mr trump would handle the separation of powers between the executive and judicial branches of government that issue is sacred to conservatives who have railed against what they see as an abuse of power by mr obama
republicans have tried to mitigate the potential damage of mr trumps language by rejecting it in one moment but embracing his candidacy in the next
on nbcs meet the press senator mitch mcconnell of kentucky the majority leader did not directly answer a question about whether mr trumps remark had been racist but said he completely disagreed with it all of us came here from somewhere else mr mcconnell said referring to judge curiels heritage thats an important part of what makes america work
senator bob corker of tennessee a republican whose name had been floated as a potential vice presidential nominee said on abcs this week of mr trumps behavior i think that hes going to have to change and newt gingrich the former house speaker who has been among mr trumps most vocal supporters called the curiel remarks inexcusable on fox news sunday
this is one of the worst mistakes trump has made said mr gingrich who has also been mentioned as a potential vice presidential candidate
but none of the three men rejected mr trumps candidacy outright mr gingrich praised mr trump moments later as a quick learner mr corker suggested that mr trump has an opportunity to really change the trajectory of our country and its my sense that he will take advantage of that
those defenses are becoming more strained as mr trump has reversed his suggestions that he knows he must grow into the role of nominee and republicans were mostly silent after hillary clinton assailed mr trump in a speech on thursday about the stakes of the election mr trump led his defense on twitter and at a rally but his campaign and its surrogates had no uniform response
in the weeks since he vanquished his remaining two primary opponents mr trump has repeatedly turned his campaigns focus inward   toward his businesses the trump university lawsuit his fights with other republicans   and obscured the hopes republicans had of keeping a spotlight on mrs clinton and her email controversy or on a jobs report suggesting a slowdown in job creation
mr mcconnell who endorsed mr trump quickly after mr trump became the presumptive nominee early last month has been vocal in his concern that the remarks on hispanics will have a historic effect along the lines of the remarks barry goldwater made on the partys ability to woo black voters after he declined to support the civil rights act of 1964
mr mcconnell said the alternative to mr trump   a second clinton presidency   was worse but he also urged mr trump to stop focusing on the recent past and to look toward the future
this is a good time it seems to me to begin to try to unify the party mr mcconnell said
and you unify the party by not settling scores and grudges against people youve been competing with he added were all behind him now and id like to see him reach out and pull us all together and give us a real shot at winning this november


the building superintendents name was vincent bostick and he was good with his hands reliable and quick on snowy days to get outside with a shovel
but he did have one quirk
he put all these cameras up michael garcia a tenant in the building on jerome avenue in the bronx said as he pointed them out in the hall the city didnt put these cameras up he did he had tvs in his apartment
mr garcia said he had thought mr bostick was being cautious if a little extreme but revelations about mr bostick starting with his name suggest a different reason for the cameras presence maybe he was watching for the day when his past would catch up with him
that past took shape at a house party 26 years ago and about 170 miles away in worcester mass on aug 26 1990 anibal vargas 39 one of about 30 people at the party got into a fight pulled out a gun and fired it wounding a rival and accidentally hitting someone else in the leg the police said
the victims survived mr vargas fled
he bought a new birth certificate and a social security card according to a criminal complaint both were in a new name vincent bostick
he came to new york city and got an apartment on jerome avenue under the name bostick the building for low income tenants is owned by the citys department of housing preservation and development the man who introduced himself as vincent lived on the second floor
neighbors got together and formed a tenants association said joyce simpkins 69 who lives in the building he became the super she said on thursday he wanted to be an officer or vice president until he found out we paid the super
mr vargass true identity went unnoticed on several occasions he was arrested in the bronx in 1994 on a charge of possessing a weapon in 1998 accused of selling drugs to an undercover police officer and in 2000 on a drug possession charge the police said all three times he was identified as vincent bostick
in 2001 he got a job at janovic pro center a paint company in queens he provided a social security card and a drivers license a payroll officer there later told the police
back at home he continued working for the tenants he was a very good handyman ms simpkins said he could fix a leak or put a pipe in he kept quiet about his personal life
mr garcia considered him a friend
hes a cool guy he said he stays out of trouble man he helped me a lot the two ate lunch together from time to time he doesnt get visitors no wife no nothing he said he had been in trouble in the past and he didnt like what the past did to him
the super put in the cameras and watched the feeds hes a very nervous person mr garcia said those screens are always on
in 2006 the police arrested mr vargas and charged him with identity theft another man named vincent bostick who lived in south carolina had the same social security number that mr vargas had been using that mr bostick had received reports about wages he supposedly earned in queens a place he had never worked the police said
mr vargas lost his job at the paint company he confessed according to the complaint and told the police i bought a social security card and birth certificate in the name of vincent bostick from a spanish guy in massachusetts for 500 i was in jail and its tough getting a job with a record in my true name
he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor and was sentenced to 30 days in jail or a 100 fine but even having learned his real name officers did not discover that he was wanted in massachusetts in the shooting 16 years earlier the queens district attorneys office said last week
about two years later worcester authorities entered a warrant for mr vargas into a national database the warrant did not surface when he was arrested yet again in 2011 for a minor offense
back at the apartment building word of his real name surfaced and was met with indifference we call him vincent ms simpkins said thats the name he goes by why that was his business she said i had heard child support or something
more time passed then two weeks ago on may 26 an officer in the bleecker street subway station in manhattan saw a man manipulating the turnstile to get in without paying and arrested him the police said it was mr vargas now 65 and carrying a counterfeit drivers license this time entering his name in the system raised an alert that he was wanted in massachusetts
on thursday mr vargas declined to speak to a reporter at the jail ward at bellevue hospital center prosecutors in massachusetts said he was fighting extradition
no one is watching the camera feeds at his home now his neighbors never thought there was much to see but it was nice knowing the cameras were there
he made me feel safe mr garcia said


kabul afghanistan   the newly appointed attorney general of logar province just one hour into his job was among seven people killed on sunday when two taliban insurgents attacked as his inauguration ceremony was ending afghan government officials said
salim saleh the spokesman for the governor of logar said the insurgents attacked the location of the ceremony in the appeals court building in pul i alam the provincial capital at 1030 am killing the new attorney general akram nejat and four other government employees as well as two civilians twenty three others were wounded
the episode was the third court related attack in afghanistan in the past two weeks
the taliban immediately claimed responsibility for the logar attack zabihullah mujahid a taliban spokesman said the attack was revenge for the governments execution of six taliban prisoners last month the first such executions in years
ahmad nader naderi a senior adviser to president ashraf ghani said that mr nejat was one of more than 100 new judicial officials appointed in an anticorruption drive
the appointments were reviewed personally by mr ghani who took the news of mr nejats assassination hard mr naderi said tell his family im very saddened mr naderi quoted the president as saying
mr naderi said that attacks on judicial workers reflected an effort by insurgents to undermine faith in the governments anticorruption drive
the authorities in logar said the two attackers had apparently hidden inside the courthouse the night before and attacked from inside once the ceremony had ended as officials were exchanging congratulations and meeting well wishers
fighting went on for 90 minutes before the attackers were killed by afghan police forces mr saleh said the authorities had said earlier that three attackers were involved but revised that number downward when only two bodies were found
last week taliban insurgents dressed in burqas attacked a courthouse in ghazni province killing six people most of them civilians the taliban also attacked a minibus carrying court employees in kabul on may 25 killing 10 officials
in a second attack on sunday a prominent member of the afghan parliament sher wali wardak was killed by a bomb planted in the electric meter box on the wall outside his home in kabul said gen zaher zaher the head of the ministry of interiors criminal investigation division
the taliban also claimed responsibility for that killing


dhaka bangladesh   three attackers fatally shot and stabbed the wife of a police superintendent in southern bangladesh on sunday morning the police said the latest in a series of killings in which islamist militants are the primary suspects
the woman mahmuda khanam mitu 30 and her young son were walking through a narrow lane near their home in chittagong on the way to a school bus stop when three men arriving on a motorcycle stabbed her and shot her in the head said mohiuddin mahmood the officer in charge of the panchlaish police station in chittagong the son was unhurt
we found nine wounds of stabbing on her back and belly mr mahmood said
her husband babul akter a police officer with a record of going after islamist militants was recently promoted to superintendent in december superintendent akter led a raid on an apartment on the outskirts of the city that the police said belonged to the banned group jamaat ul mujahedeen bangladesh according to the local news media
in october five people suspected of belonging to the militant group were arrested in chittagong
we suspect militants iqbal bahar the commissioner of the chittagong metropolitan police said of the attack superintendent akters work created threats for him
superintendent akter had been in dhaka the capital for the past few days after his promotion the police said
though commissioner bahar said it was not yet clear who had carried out the attack he said jamaat ul mujahedeen bangladesh could have been involved
for the past two years activists religious minorities intellectuals and secularist writers among others have been targeted for death in bangladesh and the deaths appear to have accelerated in recent weeks
the islamic state has claimed some of the killings on social media accounts linked to it and others have been claimed by a faction of al qaeda the authorities in bangladesh have denied the presence of foreign militants in the country
also on sunday a christian man sunil gomez 60 was hacked to death in his grocery store in the natore district in northern bangladesh in a style similar to recent attacks said moniruzzaman subinspector of the boraigram police station in natore who goes by one name
the amaq news agency of the islamic state claimed the killing according to the site intelligence group but mr moniruzzaman said it was too soon to name suspects


gov andrew m cuomo of new york ordered agencies under his control on sunday to divest themselves of companies and organizations aligned with a palestinian backed boycott movement against israel
wading into a delicate international issue mr cuomo set executive branch and other state entities in opposition to the boycott divestment and sanctions movement or bds which has grown in popularity in some quarters of the united states and elsewhere alarming jewish leaders who fear its toll on israels international image and economy
mr cuomo made his announcement in a speech at the harvard club in manhattan to an audience including local jewish leaders and lawmakers describing the bds movement as an economic attack on israel
we cannot allow that to happen the governor said adding that if you boycott against israel new york will boycott you
alphonso david the counsel to the governor said that the executive order was specifically aimed at the bds movement launched in 2005 but that it would apply to any boycott targeting israel
several states have moved to support israel and prevent their governments and agencies from doing business with companies or individuals that endorse the boycotts similar bills have been introduced in both houses of the new york legislature and a republican sponsored bill passed the state senate which the party leads in january
but on sunday mr cuomo a democrat flexed his executive power   a more familiar demonstration in the governors second term   joking that passing legislation can often be a tedious affair and saying instead he wanted immediate action on bds while challenging other governors to do the same
according to the executive order mr cuomo will command the commissioner of the office of general services to devise a list over the next six months of businesses and groups engaged in any boycott divestment or sanctions activity targeting israel either directly or through a parent or subsidiary
the list will be compiled from credible information available to the public according to the order and subject to appeal by the companies and entities included on it once the designation process is completed however all executive branch agencies and departments   which make up a large portion of state government   as well as public boards authorities commissions and all public benefit corporations will be required to divest themselves of any company on the list
mr cuomos signed the executive order just before he marched in the celebrate israel parade in new york
with the largest population of jewish residents outside israel new york has outsize symbolic and political value in the debate over the middle east for his part mr cuomo has shown increased willingness in recent years to get involved in international issues including a short trip to israel in 2014 with a state delegation
the bds movement started in 2005 has become a contentious issue on some american college campuses and beyond supporters say the campaign aims to pressure israel economically over its treatment of palestinians and to further palestinian independence opponents say the efforts are a thinly disguised anti semitic attempt to deeply hurt or even destroy israel
omar barghouti a founder of the movement said he did not find the actions by states like new york surprising calling such proposals part of israels legal warfare against bds
having lost many battles for hearts and minds at the grass roots level israel has adopted since 2014 a new strategy to criminalize support for bds from the top he said in an email adding that such actions were meant to shield israel from accountability
mr barghouti added that israel was supporting efforts by states to try to delegitimize the boycott a time honored tactic of resisting injustice in the us and a form of protected speech
mr david said in an interview that the executive action was meant to send a clear message that the bds movement is deplorable he added that the governors order was not meant to be interpreted as opining on actions taken to empower palestinians or meant to discourage debate over israeli actions in the middle east rather it intends to stake a position on a movement that the state of new york unequivocally rejects as the order puts it
its one thing to say i want to engage in political speech mr david said its another thing to say im going to sanction you or penalize you for engaging in commercial activity
he added that although he did not know how many companies that do business with the state had endorsed or engaged in the bds movement we anticipate its going to be quite significant


chicago   women with early stage breast cancer could benefit from taking an estrogen suppressing drug for 10 years rather than the standard five researchers reported here on sunday citing the results of a new study
in the study postmenopausal women who took a drug known as an aromatase inhibitor for an additional five years lowered the risk of their cancer returning or of a new case of cancer occurring in the other breast
these data are important to millions of women around the world dr harold j burstein a breast cancer expert and spokesman for the american society of clinical oncology said in a statement on sunday the results suggest that longer durations of widely available therapy reduce the risk of cancer recurrence and prevent second cancers from arising
the study is being presented sunday at the oncology societys annual meeting here and is being published by the new england journal of medicine
but some experts noted that the women who took the drug an extra five years did not live longer on the whole than those in the control group they said it was far from clear that the benefit of 10 years of an aromatase inhibitor outweighed the risk of side effects like bone loss and joint and muscle pain
its an option but not the standard said dr eric winer director of the breast cancer program at the dana farber cancer institute in boston and an author of the study i think this is one of those situations where you have a new approach that probably makes sense for some women and probably doesnt make sense for a lot of women you have to be careful not to over treat everyone
most breast cancers are hormone receptor positive meaning tumor growth can be fueled by the hormones estrogen or progesterone even after the initial tumor is removed by surgery women with this type of cancer are thought to have a risk of recurrence albeit low that lasts indefinitely
there isnt a point at which we look at the woman and say youre done its not going to come back  said dr lisa a carey a breast cancer specialist at the university of north carolina who was not involved in the study
so women typically take pills either tamoxifen or an aromatase inhibitor to block or suppress estrogen in hopes of keeping the cancer from returning the aromatase inhibitor used in this study was letrozole which is sold as femara by novartis but is also available as a generic
the question is how long women should continue to take these drugs guidelines from the oncology society recommend women take tamoxifen for 10 years rather than five because studies have shown this prevents cancer recurrence and improves survival or they can take five years of an aromatase inhibitor after five years of tamoxifen
but the majority of postmenopausal women now start on an aromatase inhibitor not tamoxifen for those women there has been insufficient evidence to recommend continuing beyond five years the new study provides some such evidence
the trial involved about 1900 postmenopausal women in canada and the united states who had already received about five years of treatment with an aromatase inhibitor many of the women had also taken tamoxifen for about five years before that meaning they were entering the trial about 10 years after their diagnosis
half the women were randomly assigned to take letrozole once a day for five years and the other half a daily placebo
after a median follow up of a little over six years 67 women in the letrozole group or 7 percent had experienced either a recurrence of their cancer or development of a new cancer in the opposite breast that was lower than the 98 women or 102 percent in the placebo group using a statistical measure known as the hazard ratio the risk of a recurrence or of new breast cancer was reduced by 34 percent
the strongest effect of letrozole was to prevent a new cancer in the other breast only 14 percent of those taking the drug developed one compared with 32 percent of those on the placebo in terms of recurrence of the original cancer   most of which occurred in bones livers and other places outside the breast   there was a smaller difference between the groups 57 percent for the letrozole group versus 71 percent for the control group
dr winer said it was most important to prevent recurrence outside the breast because that is what kills people the small effect of the drug on such recurrences could explain why there was no difference in mortality he said
some 93 percent of the women in the letrozole group were alive after five years compared with 94 percent in the control group
the drug increased the onset of osteoporosis with 133 or 14 percent of the women taking the drug suffering a bone fracture compared with 88 or 9 percent in the placebo group
its really bone versus breast cancer is what it really comes down to said dr carey of the university of north carolina she said it was not unreasonable to continue therapy on patients who are at higher risk
over all the extra therapy was tolerable there was no difference in the quality of life between the two groups as measured by questionnaires however the women in the trial had previously had five years of treatment with aromatase inhibitors meaning they were already likely to tolerate the therapy many women do not stay on the drugs for even the first five years because of side effects like joint and muscle pain
the study received funding from the national cancer institute the canadian cancer society research institute and novartis


ann arbor mich   here in this college town 40 miles west of detroit behind black sheeting attached to an eight foot tall chain link fence the future of the auto industry is being worked out in a secret setting
the fence surrounds a testing center called mcity   a 32 acre patch of land that aims to recreate anywhere usa complete with simulated city streets and intersections within its borders are 13 types of traffic lights storefronts road signs parking meters and a tunnel a railroad crossing will be added soon
mcity is one of a half dozen or so testing grounds for autonomous vehicles in the world as automakers and technology companies engage in a heated competition to create the perfect self driving car   and to keep their competitors from knowing how they are doing it
but while they have honed the technologies that enable cars to find their way on their own these companies now face an even more daunting challenge how to take that technology with all its promise and make those cars perform flawlessly in an unpredictable world
both the car companies and regulators have decades of experience making vehicles safer in crashes but the means and methods for validating the reliability and safety of self driving cars have not even been invented
when you no longer have a human doing the sensing and decision making the car has to be flawless said john maddox an assistant director at the university of michigan mobility transformation center
mcity officials can name the companies that use the site   ford general motors honda toyota nissan and the auto parts suppliers bosch and delphi among others   but little beyond that demonstrations for the public or media are rare
after all mcity is a place for trial and error outside of the public eye in an industry where errors can cripple a reputation
on a recent sunny afternoon a gap in the sheeting afforded a view of a black lincoln mkz sedan with sensors mounted on its roof and two engineers in the front seats it crept cautiously toward an intersection slowed to a stop and executed a right turn using its turn signal of course the black car made its way through the artificial downtown
moments later a white lincoln mks rolled along a straightaway at about 25 miles per hour swept around a wide left turn and negotiated its way through the downtown later the cars stopped side by side under a green highway sign indicating a nonexistent ramp for i 96 to lansing there the occupants stepped out to examine the rooftop sensors after a long pause the two cars repeated the same trek at a deliberate pace   much more slowly than the cars traveling on the public roads surrounding the site
the testing is being conducted with the utmost care because the number of unanticipated challenges that arise on the road is almost limitless   a fallen limb black ice a reckless driver a toddler in the street
there are real and significant questions about the safety of new technologies mark rosekind administrator of the national highway traffic safety administration said at an april 27 meeting in california the old model of counting vehicle miles and counting crashes and injuries is not sufficient
this month the safety agency which has limited authority to regulate the practice of test driving autonomous vehicles on public roads cautiously gave approval to several companies to begin testing on public roadways
but the industry is not waiting around
in addition to its mcity effort the university of michigan is a partner in a project to set up a much more complex site about 10 miles away in neighboring ypsilanti it will be called the american center for mobility and will comprise 335 acres that were once part of gms willow run plant during world war ii it was the site of a famed bomber factory mr maddox has been named the centers chief
unlike mcity this larger site will have long stretches where autonomous cars can be tested at highway speeds and space for creating a variety of complex intersections its existing roadways include overpasses and bridges
ford is interested in potentially using the willow run facility said randy visintainer fords director of autonomous vehicle development it is something we would probably have to create if it didnt exist he said
in california a former military base has been turned into a 2100 acre test site called gomentum station where honda has been testing its autonomous driving technology it has about 20 miles of paved roads and a cluster of barracks and buildings that provide an urban environment it is also a secure location where companies can test cars in private
outside blacksburg va virginia tech set up a test site that incorporates stretches of public roads and a closed track
the challenge by all accounts is enormous
this year an audi executive mused upon how difficult it would be for a driverless car to distinguish between a shopping cart and a baby carriage delphi has reported that the systems it is working on struggle at times to read traffic lights the problem the glare of a setting sun
the bottom line is if you have a 4000 pound car in the same space as a 200 pound human you have to know the vehicle is going to react exactly the way you want every single time mr maddox said its going to take a lot of testing to validate that
the willow run test track is supposed to have an engineering center where mr maddox hopes automakers and regulators can work together to develop new test methods
so far most of the testing of autonomous vehicles has taken place on public streets
google says its cars have driven more than 15 million miles in the testing it conducts on roads near its headquarters in mountain view calif in recent months it has expanded its testing program to kirkland wash austin tex and phoenix all other companies have accumulated far fewer test miles
mr maddox suspects that is a small fraction of the testing that needs to be done on average he noted a fatal accident happens once for every 100 million miles that americans drive we are a long way from having enough experience he said
a recent study by the rand corporation concluded that autonomous vehicles might have to be driven hundreds of millions or even billions of miles to reach a statistical certainty of their safety
moreover on road trials fall short of what is needed if an autonomous car doesnt react properly in a real world situation   if for example a buildings shadow causes the car to slow suddenly   the situation cannot be recreated and repeated to identify the issue and fine tune the cars sensors said huei peng an engineering professor and director of the university of michigan mobility transformation center
we have to see how these vehicles interact with their surroundings and need repeatable reliable tests to do that he said
and crashes do occur googles cars as of last september had 16 crashes and all were because of human error the company said at the time in a report to california regulators google disclosed that human drivers had to take control of its test cars 341 times in a 15 month period covering 2014 and 2015 including 13 incidents when the car would have crashed had the driver not intervened
google and fiat chrysler automobiles are working together to have a test fleet of 100 minivans driving themselves around roads in michigan and elsewhere by the end of the year google is setting up an engineering center in novi mich to equip the minivans with self driving technology
in the same time frame ford plans to expand its fleet to 30 self driving prototypes from 10 gm and its partner the ride hailing start up lyft hope to have a test fleet of driverless taxis running within a year


some of the most popular tourist attractions in paris like the louvre museum are temporarily closed to visitors because of heavy rains that have caused the seine river to rise to its highest levels since 1982 but despite these closures myriam guyon the founder of the paris based travel consultancy voyages confidentiels said that tourists currently in the city arent lacking in sightseeing options
the attractions that are closed are mainly along the seine river but the city is fully functioning and there are dozens of iconic sights that are still open including the eiffel tower the opera house palais garnier and the rodin museum she said
below is a current list of what is closed because of the rains travelers can visit the official site of the citys convention and visitors bureau for the latest updates updated 662016
  the louvre museum is closed at least through june 7
  the orsay museum is closed at least until june 7 according to its website
  the grand palais was closed on friday and saturday but reopened on sunday
 the paris sewer museum is closed until further notice
  no cruises are currently operating on the seine
  some cafes located along the seines quaysides are closed
  at train and metro stations according to the paris convention and visitors bureau the saint michel metro and rer station and the station cluny la sorbonne are closed to the public there is no service on the rer c line in paris between the stations paris austerlitz javel and avenue henri martin


europe likes to think it leads the world in protecting peoples privacy and that is particularly true for the regions so called right to be forgotten that legal right allows people connected to the continent to ask search engines like google to remove links about themselves from online search results under certain conditions
yet that right   one of the worlds most widespread efforts to protect peoples privacy online   may not be as effective as many european policy makers think according to new research by computer scientists based in part at new york university
the academic team which also included experts from the federal university of minas gerais in brazil said that in roughly a third of the cases examined the researchers were able to discover the names of people who had asked for links to be removed those results based on the researchers use of basic coding came despite the individuals expressed efforts to remove their names from online searches
the findings which had not previously been made public and will be presented at an academic conference in july raise questions about how successful europes right to be forgotten can be if peoples identities can still be found with just a few clicks of a mouse the paper says such breaches may undermine the spirit of the legal ruling
the analysis will also increase pressure on some european authorities particularly the french privacy regulator that would like google and other online search engines like microsofts bing to extend the reach of the right to be forgotten across all of the companies global domains including googlecom in the united states
this poses a threat to whether the right to be forgotten can be maintained in the long term said keith ross the dean of engineering and computer science at nyu shanghai who led the project and who said he had contacted google with his research if a hacker can easily find 30 or 40 percent of peoples names from delisted articles what is the point he said in an interview
both google and the french privacy agency known as the commission nationale de linformatique et des libertes declined to comment
to get around europes tough privacy rules the academic team turned to computer science to analyze more than 280 links to british news articles that google had removed from online search results after individuals had successfully petitioned for the information to be taken down people can ask for links to be removed if the information is no longer relevant or is out of date celebrities and other public figures cannot take advantage of the privacy decision
although media organizations represent a mere fraction of the companies affected by the european ruling according to data provided by google the removal of online articles has raised hackles from freedom of expression campaigners who say the public has a right to all digital information
using basic coding the researchers created an algorithm that cross referenced the names in each report with every articles headline on googlecouk the companys british domain if a link to the online article did not show up in results the academics said they could deduce that the individual they had searched for had asked for the link to be removed
dr ross said that for the 283 articles analyzed his team was able to identify 80 peoples names within 103 articles he added that for privacy reasons he would not be releasing the names
someone with an undergraduate computer science degree would be able to do what we did dr ross said it would be relatively straightforward to find the delisted links and republish peoples names online


minneapolis   john kundla sat in a wheelchair playing cribbage opposite his 68 year old son calling out numbers in a quiet deep voice the efficiency apartment here had a twin bed under a painting of jesus tending sheep a desk topped with a large magnifying glass and a bible and resting on a shelf a photograph taken on a basketball court in 1952 showing kundla atop the shoulders of a jubilant george mikan the sports most dominant big man in the first half of the 20th century
kundla 99 was the head coach of the minneapolis lakers championship teams of the 1940s and 1950s   professional basketballs first modern dynasty he is the oldest living hall of famer in any of the four major american team sports and one of three nba coaches along with red auerbach and phil jackson to have won three or more consecutive titles
kundla is a forgotten legend of basketball according to the historian john christgau author of the book the origins of the jump shot kundlas lakers ruled the league in the years before the shot clock when players were still shooting free throws underhand kundla coached in the nbas first four all star games and his five league titles are tied for third with pat riley and gregg popovich he is also the only coach in league history to win a title in his first two nba seasons the first when it was called the basketball association of america   a feat that steve kerr will match if the golden state warriors win this seasons championship
yet even at the peak of his teams success kundla was so laid back during games and overshadowed by his talented players that the sporting news once said few ever heard of john kundla
after coaching kundla taught physical education today he lives about five blocks east of the mississippi river in an assisted living home where he plays bingo several days a week and where sometimes he positions his wheelchair a few inches from a small analog television and watches basketball marveling at the size and speed of modern players
kundla dresses and cooks by himself and he exercises daily on a stationary bicycle his hearing and eyesight have waned though and recollections of certain events and facts   like the circumstances surrounding his lakers hiring and how many championships he won   have grown hazy with time identifying dates and years can give him trouble
but many memories remain vivid and accurate details about his youth the story of how he met his wife the names and tendencies of players he coached he still visualizes and recounts plays that he designed around mikan he tells of how playing in new york made him a nervous wreck of how after winning one title there he and his players celebrated at the copacabana nightclub of the joy he felt in that moment after capturing another championship when mikan lifted him onto his shoulders
and it was early one recent evening in front of a shelf stuffed with worn books on his minneapolis lakers and on basketball history that kundla spoke about his life and the game that has defined it
born in star junction pa kundla moved to minneapolis at age 5 with his mother an austro hungarian immigrant neither spoke english but kundla learned the language   and basketball   and went on to star in high school and at the university of minnesota in 1937 the new york times heralded the 6 foot 2 kundla as one of the finest players in the midwest
in the early 1940s he coached at ascension a catholic grade school and then at delasalle a high school on an island in the mississippi river after serving in the navy during world war ii   he played pickup basketball games on a ship in the atlantic ocean he said   he coached at the college of st thomas in st paul
in 1947 two minnesota businessmen bought the detroit gems a team in the national basketball league that had disbanded after a 4 40 season the new club was called the lakers and kundla at 31 became its coach
the franchise signed jim pollard a swift and high leaping 6 4 forward and mikan the 6 10 center who wore thick glasses and had an unstoppable hook shot with each hand
kundla developed set plays including a two man game involving his two superstars and preached wise shot selection
dont shoot too quick he urged his players nobody in for a rebound he emphasized fundamentals like sprinting back on defense after missed shots and communicating passionately while defending screens
the lakers were 43 17 and won the 1948 nbl championship the next season they joined the baa which the nba considers its predecessor defeating the washington capitols coached by auerbach in the finals
the lakers played most of their home games at minneapolis auditorium which had steep seats and a theatrical stage behind one basket christgau 82 who attended lakers games there growing up recalls peering through the arenas cigar smoke during timeouts to see an always calm and cool kundla with players all clumped around him like a hog pile all listening and paying attention
road trips often meant long journeys by train during which kundla and his players bonded over card games
it was like a family playing for john said arnie ferrin 90 who played for the lakers from 1948 to 1951
before the 1949 50 season the baa and the nbl merged to form the nba the lakers acquired the rookies vern mikkelsen a rugged and savvy big man and slater martin a short fast legged texan known for gritty defense they were 51 17 and beat the syracuse nationals in the championship
guard pep saul whom the lakers purchased in 1952 was struck by how quiet kundla was compared with other coaches
if a player made a mistake he didnt holler at you saul 92 said he would talk to you like a man and say heres what you have to do to correct it he was a teacher as well as a coach
the lakers kept winning even after the league doubled the lanes width in 1951 to slow down mikan who had led the nba with more than 27 points per game for three straight seasons
they beat the knicks in the 1952 and 1953 championships and in 1954 they won their third straight title and fifth in six years
by late 1956 mikan and pollard had retired the game had evolved scoring was up   the shot clock had been instituted in 1954   and the racial makeup of the league was changing the lakers title teams had been all white in the 1958 59 season the team had three black players
the lakers were 33 39 that season behind the rookie elgin baylor they advanced to the championship before falling to the boston celtics led by bob cousy and bill russell
kundla resigned at age 42 with a 423 302 record in 1960 the lakers moved to los angeles becoming the leagues first west coast team
kundla meanwhile took over as head coach at the university of minnesota during his tenure the basketball program included black players for the first time and he became its first coach to give scholarships to african american players hate mail arrived regularly at his house he said
led by the future nba all stars lou hudson and archie clark the gophers were 17 7 in 1963 64 and 19 5 in 1964 65 in 1968 kundla retired finishing his career there with a 110 105 record he accepted a position teaching physical education on the universitys st paul campus including courses in basketball and tennis
he and his wife marie who had met as undergraduates had raised six children in a white two story suburban house with a wooden hoop nailed to the garage the couple went ice skating together every tuesday and took their children on fishing trips
in 1981 kundla retired from teaching throughout the years he had remained close with mikan and mikkelsen often the three would meet for breakfast and reminisce
in a 1992 column for usa today peter vecsey lamenting kundlas exclusion from the hall of fame labeled him all but forgotten
from kundlas second floor window one can see beyond the river to downtown minneapolis where the lakers arena once stood he moved into this assisted living community in 2008 the year after marie died after 67 years of marriage
kundlas son james a retired railroad track worker walks over every morning from his nearby home and keeps him company
once a month kundla rides by bus with fellow residents to a church downtown for bingo and lunch organized by the league of catholic women he also plays bingo downstairs and at an adjoining nursing home where he sits beside residents in need and helps them with their cards
kundla keeps his own winnings green notes called bingo bucks in a billfold in the cupboard under his tv which he redeems every friday for hershey bars
at night kundla who has short silver hair and wears hearing aids watches tv programs like dancing with the stars and reruns of the lawrence welk show earlier this year james said the cable company offered a free promotion allowing kundla to watch nba games daily but when the deal expired the additional cost was not in the budget james said
kundla listens to minnesota timberwolves games on the radio and when he watches a game on tv he looks for those little things he said   like distinguishing between a good and bad shot   that consumed him as a lakers coach
basketball has changed for the better he said defensive intensity has improved jeez they get after you he said and when a team hustles back on defense after a missed shot he is delighted
the 3 point shot excites him
thats the big difference he said you get behind   you can catch up you know
referring to todays players kundla said its unbelievable how big theyve grown but theres still finesse in there   the way they handle that ball pass it around
for kundla who turns 100 on july 3 another day and i would have been born with a bang he likes to say proper recognition came relatively late in life he was inducted into the basketball hall of fame at age 78 in 1995 the next year for the nba at 50 celebration he was voted one of the top 10 coaches in league history
in 2002 during a ceremony at staples center in los angeles kundla and living minneapolis lakers players were awarded championship rings and two banners commemorating their dynasty were raised
since then four of the five hall of famers who played on kundlas title teams have died mikan mikkelsen martin and clyde lovellette pollard died in 1993
bob harrison 88 who hit a long buzzer beater for the lakers to win game 1 of the inaugural postmerger nba championship in 1950 was emotional when reached at his home in palm city fla and asked about kundla
in 1954 harrison said upon being traded to the milwaukee hawks kundla sat him down and apologized
he made me feel important harrison said a lot of coaches are more interested in building their reputation and john wasnt like that naturally he wanted to win and he did but he did it with kindness and love
one evening in may kundla sat glued to a tv in the dimly lit lounge down the hall from his apartment watching game 1 of the eastern conference finals
look at the tattoos on the shoulders   jeez kundla said as the cavaliers j r smith shot free throws in the first quarter
the second quarter was a noisy blur of fast breaks alley oops and acrobatic layups by the host cavaliers kundla looked riveted gradually inching his wheelchair closer to the screen
on one play cavaliers guard kyrie irving blew past a defender on a fancy behind the back dribble and converted a layup
jeez kundla muttered poor defense there by toronto
with the cavaliers ahead by 15 kundla watched as lebron james drove the baseline cupped the ball in his right hand and dunked ferociously screaming in celebration as he backpedaled
oh my god another one kundla said
at halftime kundla returned to his room a nurse arrived to check in and then left and kundla was alone
on a desk next to his bed was a picture of kundla and marie on their wedding day and a photo of a smiling mikkelsen in his later years signed to john my leader and good friend
kundla settled into bed it was dark now but from the wall by his pillow came a radiant orange glow from a tiny night light in the design of a basketball


what are we to make of saudi arabias investment in uber
the desert kingdom agreed last week to put 35 billion into the ride sharing service it is one of the single largest investments in a start up ever and saudi arabias 5 percent stake values uber at 625 billion making it by far the most valuable pre ipo company in silicon valley
but the comparisons dont end there for example
# saudi arabia pumps about 97 million barrels of oil a day according to the organization of the petroleum exporting countries with oil at close to 50 a barrel this was about seven days production that doesnt sound like much
# at this valuation uber is worth 10 billion more than ford 20 billion more than general motors and twice as much as tesla its worth more than three times as much as american airlines and four times as much as united airlines that sounds like a lot provided uber someday turns those make believe values into real ones
# ubers value is about the same as the value by which google increased in one day last july tech really is magical so maybe this valuation for a ride sharing company that increasingly draws investors and consumers worldwide is not so much
# in april uber agreed to pay up to 100 million to its drivers in a dispute over whether the drivers should be considered freelancers or employees that is about 3 percent of what the kingdom just gave uber so it doesnt sound like much
# driving from san francisco to san jose the span of the silicon valley costs about 200 on uber for the price of its investment saudi arabia could treat its entire population of 31 million to that ride if folks didnt mind doubling up or one saudi could just go across midtown manhattan 2 billion times thats a lot
admittedly some of these comparisons are absurd it is just not entirely clear which ones if uber is really changing both transportation and work worldwide maybe saudi arabia just bought into something bigger than we can imagine if not well at these prices the failure will be a big deal too


that the brilliant canadian conductor yannick nezet seguin 41 will become the next music director of the metropolitan opera is not much of a surprise peter gelb the mets general manager has been dropping hints of this move for months   for a couple of years really after the announcement in april that james levine was stepping aside it took just six weeks for the details of mr nezet seguins appointment to be worked out
what is surprising though and concerning is how long the met is willing to go without a music director even an interim appointment after becoming director designate in 2017 mr nezet seguin does not officially begin his tenure until the start of the 2020 21 season to put this time lag in perspective whichever presidential candidate is elected in november could be in the final stage of a re election campaign when mr nezet seguin takes the podium as the mets music director even then he is committing to only five productions during that season because he will continue to hold another time consuming post as music director of the philadelphia orchestra
the obvious interim strategy would have been to appoint a caretaker or a couple of them until then my fantasy the met might have asked the eminent bernard haitink who once presided over the royal opera house in london to share the duties with esa pekka salonen who could have been a sort of composer in residence mr salonen certainly proved himself a stunning conductor of repertory works this spring when he led the most rapturous and truly electrifying elektra you could hope to hear
but if the orchestra and administration are willing to wait for the gifted mr nezet seguin so be it the artists of the company especially the musicians of the mets superb orchestra must have an artistic leader they believe in i think that the accomplished gianandrea noseda could have been a smart choice or fabio luisi five years ago it seemed as if mr luisi was being groomed to take over for mr levine
that said the mets enthusiasm for mr nezet seguin is understandable since his 2009 debut conducting a sensual exciting carmen he has led some 50 memorable performances at the house in works as varied as verdis profound masterpiece don carlo and dvoraks gossamer fairy tale rusalka what he is capable of came through in 2011 when he conducted a new production of faust despite some wondrous passages that gounod opera is far from a favorite of mine yet drawing transparent glowing playing from the orchestra mr nezet seguin had this score seeming not just refined but musically significant
several years is a long time for an opera company to wait there are potential downsides if the met seems to be punting in recent years as mr levine struggled with serious health problems at one point missing two entire seasons of work mr gelb has been making all the artistic calls opera fans who count on the met to live up to its legacy want to know that a powerful musician with real authority is in the room when decisions about commissions repertory and casting are being made
assuming the company muddles through this coming period without a musical leader what artistic vision will the energetic mr nezet seguin bring when he fully takes over that he can conduct a probing don carlo is not enough especially when the met like performing arts institutions everywhere is under pressure to define a mission for the future that will both maintain loyal opera lovers and attract new audiences for all his successes with the philadelphia orchestra mr nezet seguin has not charted a clear course for that essential ensemble in a recent interview with the new york times he conceded that philadelphia had become dismayingly conservative in its programming and identity
there was not a cultivation enough of whats new before he arrived he said in the interview but when asked what he would do about it what new or underappreciated composers he might champion he could not come up with a single name
compare this with mr levine who was afire with vision for the met as soon as he achieved a leadership role in the 1970s he founded the young artist development program started giving carnegie hall concerts and touring with the met orchestra played piano quartets and other works with the met chamber ensemble another of his initiatives made the operas of debussy berg and stravinsky central to the mets repertory brought overlooked mozart works to the stage and pushed the company to present schoenbergs daunting 12 tone moses und aron his one major shortcoming concerned commissioning composers he did not press hard enough to turn the met into a house that fostered new opera
in many ways the charismatic mr nezet seguin is an exciting choice for the met but challenging issues and big questions will face him when he arrives many people will be looking for indications of his mission in the coming years it would be an encouraging statement of purpose if one of those five operas he conducts in the 2020 21 season was a world premiere


never too late to come back
so sayeth the high swearengen ministering to his followers but speaking in particular to a certain disfigured member of his flock it was a clever bit of sermonizing applying both to its targets potential for salvation within the story as well as his renewed purpose overall in the world of game of thrones
for sandor clegane also known as the hound who has not been seen since the end of season 4 has returned youll recall that he was beaten nearly to death and tossed off a cliff by brienne who then let arya escape anyway some time later we learned sunday the roving warrior turned septon played by ian mcshane discovered and nursed him back to health it was unclear how he did it or where they had all ended up the group seemed to be building a church in a pastoral field but everyone was apparently wiped out by a rather prickly brotherhood without banners contingent before they could explain what they were up to
the big hound reveal was less surprising than it might have been thanks to mr mcshanes letting some clues slip a few months ago the resulting hubbub led to the actors memorably terse but unprintable description of the show
but it was still fun to again see the hound who showed up looking perhaps worse for the wear who could tell really the man was never in this tale for his beauty   whats important is that hes still strong and he feels as if he has some atoning to do oh and he has an ax that could come into play at some point
the return of the hound revealed in a rare cold open provided the spine of an episode that was largely about alliances productive and wearying newly forged and torn asunder as sansa and jon snow tried to drum up support in the north arya dealt with the consequences of cutting ties with the faceless men as jaime worked to counteract the general numbskullery of the idiot freys at riverrun cersei watched as her former collaborator lady olenna called her the worst person ive ever met on her way out of town
those crazy greyjoy siblings for their part are eying a new partnership with daenerys targaryen in meereen which would be good news for multiple reasons more on that in a minute
the alliance between the hound and mr mcshanes brother ray was the one partnership of the night that wasnt purely transactional which means it was doomed from the beginning if you had any doubt there was ray on an undefensible open plain preaching about the uselessness of violence on one of the most violent shows on television violence is a disease he said you dont cure a disease by spreading it to more people which is true but there arent many people in this story interested in curing that particular disease
morality is fluid in game of thrones the one cardinal sin seems to be to refuse to deal with the world as it is ned stark is the enduring example of this which is to say this thing was going to go only one way the real tragedy is that mr mcshane almost always the best part of whichever screen hes on is already gone
and so now the hound and his trusty ax are off in search of new alliances it remains to be seen whether that leads toward revenge on the brotherhood   they have a complicated history remember   or brienne or his undead brother or something else entirely
arya sure couldve used her old protector this week last seen lying in wait for the waif in the dark   at least thats how it looked to me   arya on sunday made travel plans in broad daylight and otherwise behaved in oddly leisurely fashion for a woman who just defied a band of deadly assassins she strolled around braavos taking in the sights and whats this a kindly old woman wants to have a word soon there were a few new holes in her belly and a quick swim later she was bleeding in the streets among a sea of unfriendly faces any one of which could bring more stabbing
so whats the plan arya i still think were not done with the theater troupe so perhaps someone among them has some medical expertise im sure we all remember the young actor seeking help for his skin problem a few weeks ago a key scene from an early trailer found arya taking a terrific flying leap so perhaps a future escape will make up for this weeks bizarre lack of urgency
a world away aryas sister tried to rally the north and only ended up with some wildlings and 62 mormont men for her trouble on the bright side wun wun the giant is among the wilding supporters   snow   and i also wouldnt underestimate the latest formidable female in the story little miss mini mormont
leave it to davos the little girl whisperer to win her over i know it came up a few weeks ago but he doesnt have the whole story of what happened to shireen right lyanna mormont is probably my favorite new character of the season so far and thats even before you consider that she oversees a place called bear island how did we not get to see more of bear island throw us a bone hbo
sansa was last seen writing a letter to someone presumably asking for more help any guesses who it was littlefinger seems like the obvious choice   she appeared pretty joyless about it and we already know he has the knights of the vale queued up and ready to ride but what will be his price could sansa sigh be in for yet another dispiriting marriage is she a bolton or is she a lannister ive heard conflicting reports ms mormont said i do what i have to do sansa replied would she do it again
speaking of lannisters in kings landing the high septon has consolidated his power by taking control of the throne and is now eliminating threats last week he had jaime sent away yes tommen officially did it but hes a puppet at this point right this week the sparrow targeted lady olenna i only pray your grandmother follows your lead he tells margaery
the sparrow is loathsome wrapping in sanctimony the same crass power craving that animates many of the shows characters but its worth noting how good jonathan pryce is at conveying a sense of superficial guilelessness that masks darker undercurrents a phony man of god or seven gods can easily veer into caricature but the sparrows humility song and dance has never wavered even as his dominion has expanded exponentially
we received confirmation that margaery is telling the sparrow and septa unella what they want to hear   margaery signaled her loyalty and warned away the queen of thorns with a drawing of a rose the family sigil the question is is she playing into the sparrows hands by sending away her grandmother not that margaery had a choice with the threats on the table but i suspect the real point is to remove any possible obstacles for the sparrows control of the royal couple he already has cersei ready to face charges   the mother of the king is a potentially powerful adversary   so if he can clear out olenna his hold on the king and queen would be secure
olennas departure also removes yet another former cersei ally not that the olenna has any interest in helping her after their failed coup last week still friends cersei asks knowing that without the tyrells she has little hope of overthrowing the sparrow youve lost cersei olenna replies which brings the only joy i can find in all this misery so that would be a no
finally theon was like the lactose intolerant guy at the fondue party on sunday as yara and friends indulged in some classic sailors on leave behavior yara took a quick break for some tough love telling her brother that she had no time for his post traumatic stress disorder
i know youve had some bad years she said in a riotous bit of understatement before making her point get over it or kill yourself
theon continues to be one of the more interesting characters this season   with alfie allen giving him a poignant hollowed out quality   because we dont know how hes going to turn out his past as a feckless cad obliterated theres no going back to what he was despite yaras urging
we received confirmation that the greyjoys intend to sail to meereen to offer their services to dany as suspected which is good news for a couple of reasons one anything that will expedite a departure from meereen is welcome two who better than varys and the unsullied to help theon understand that theres life after... well you know
 jaime arrived at the mudpit known as riverrun and bronn made his first appearance of the season it was a big week for beloved scraggly bearded dudes but otherwise it was all fruitless parleys and doofus freys the real action starts with briennes arrival next week promised in the preview at the tent of her old kingslaying crush
 as discussed in the episode lyanna mormonts uncle was jeor mormont whom jon snow initially served under at castle black but a reminder jeors son was none other than jorah mormont the same lovelorn knight currently wandering essos in search of a cure for his greyscale forget bear island can we just get a scene of little lyanna talking some sense into her cousin over his dragon queen obsession
 this just in marital relations do not require desire on a womans part the high sparrow tells margaery only patience quite the romantic this guy
 what say you is cersei as doomed as i think she is what do the gods have planned for the hound who else in this show besides septa unella could use a good bashing please weigh in in the comments


a meaty set of ninja turtles turned in thin results at the weekend box office increasing the pressure on a struggling paramount pictures to find new hits
costing about 135 million to make and at least another 100 million to market worldwide teenage mutant ninja turtles out of the shadows took in an estimated 353 million at north american theaters according to comscore which compiles box office data the films franchise predecessor riding a wave of nostalgia for 1990s era entertainment collected 656 million over its first three days in august 2014
sequels are expected to deliver stable returns   thats why hollywood makes so many of them   but audiences seem to be growing more selective this year zoolander 2 the huntsman winters war neighbors 2 sorority rising the divergent series allegiant barbershop the next cut and alice through the looking glass have disappointed or flopped outright
paramount contended that out of the shadows delivered initial international results 34 million on par with ticket sales for the 2014 installment after adjusting for school holidays and exchange rates the studio said that it hoped positive word of mouth and additional school recesses would help out of the shadows in the weeks ahead in the united states where audiences gave it an a minus in cinemascore exit polls an improvement from the previous film
for the weekend x men apocalypse 20th century fox took in about 223 million in second place for a two week domestic total of 1165 million the romantic drama me before you metro goldwyn mayer and new line did a bit better than expected taking in about 183 million and strengthening the star wattage of its lead actress emilia clarke it cost about 20 million to make
the weekends only other new wide release popstar never stop never stopping universal a 21 million comedy starring andy samberg and produced by judd apatow was dead on arrival taking in about 46 million


sam sifton emails readers of cooking seven days a week to talk about food and suggest recipes that email also appears here to receive it in your inbox register here
good morning dana goodyear had a fascinating brief in the new yorker last week on the opening of a more affordable spinoff of the grocer often referred to as whole paycheck in los angeles the store carries the unwieldy name 365 by whole foods market and there are 18 more to come for those who will shop today - at suburban gigantamarts at rural farmstands and coastal fishmongers at crowded specialty grocers at actual whole foods at farmers markets - it offers a fascinating glimpse at one possible future of food shopping in ms goodyears words unambitious self satisfied unimpeachable swipe left if something causes discomfort yikes
but do shop we have a lot of cooking to do this week
maybe this evening you could try pierre franeys recipe for lamb chili with lentils and then my recipe for caramelized citrus and yogurt for dessert
on monday wed like to make david taniss new recipe for an indian spiced carrot soup with lime its good hot and good cold so if you share our desire you can make it today and have virtually nothing left to do tomorrow save serving it alongside a chilled bottle of wine
tuesday night should be a good one - if the fishmonger is still open when we emerge stunned and blinking from our commute - for nigella lawsons recipe for pan roasted fish with toasted almonds nigella uses cod but really any meaty white fleshed fish will do i bet it would be fantastic with grouper
for wednesday well try to battle the midweek blues with a plate of pork chops in pipian sauce a dish that goes beautifully with rice and beans soundtrack the banda singer valentin elizalde a mis enemigos
on thursday well follow the teachings of mark bittman and slow cook some mushrooms in accordance with his recipe for pasta with slow cooked portobellos the resulting dish is almost ridiculous in its density of flavors and should bring cheer to most anyone who makes it
and then on friday well return to our occasional habit of cooking chicken on friday nights and make a recipe weve been turning out to raves since bobby flay was making it on the line of his late restaurant bolo back at the start of the century pan roasted chicken with mint sauce oh my
many more recipes to cook this week can be found on cooking if you find recipes on some other site dont forget that you can save them into your cooking recipe box with ease heres how pick out a bunch then cook them and if you run into trouble ask for help were at cookingcarenytimescom
but before you do heres a reading from the book of travis mcgee the deep blue good by by john d macdonald 1964
i do not function too well on emotional motivations i am wary of them and i am wary of a lot of other things such as plastic credit cards payroll deductions insurance programs retirement benefits savings accounts green stamps time clocks newspapers mortgages sermons miracle fabrics deodorants check lists time payments political parties lending libraries television actresses junior chambers of commerce pageants progress and manifest destiny
i am wary of the whole dreary deadening structured mess we have built into such a glittering top heavy structure that there is nothing left to see but the glitter and the brute routines of maintaining it
i am also wary of all earnestness
me too have a great week


here are the weeks top stories and a look ahead
1 muhammad ali a pioneering sports figure and three time world heavyweight boxing champion died on friday at age 74 his accomplishments and fame outside the ring rivaled his achievements within it his charisma his religious and political stances his famous aphorisms and the way he openly reveled in having the worlds eyes trained on him as one admirer put it he lived a lot of lives for a lot of people

2 voters in california new jersey south dakota montana and new mexico will cast their primary ballots on tuesday hillary clinton could secure enough delegates that day to become the democratic partys presumptive nominee but the vote in california between her and bernie sanders is expected to be close republican leaders are still grappling with the divide between their candidate donald j trump and the partys washington establishment as both begin shaping their fall campaign agendas

3 tuesday is also the deadline for british residents to register to vote in the june 23 referendum on remaining a part of the european union the looming brexit decision is exposing the countrys economic and cultural fault lines as britons grapple with their isolation from europe and the potential fallout of a schism prime minister david cameron who supports staying made a televised appeal last week that included a combative town hall style question session

4 americas private employers added just 38000 workers in may a sign that the nations economic recovery may have stalled at least temporarily theres a silver lining the unemployment rate fell to 47 percent the lowest in nearly a decade still economy watchers expect the hiring slowdown to delay any moves by the federal reserve to raise interest rates

5 garbine muguruza a 22 year old spaniard who was born in venezuela claimed her first grand slam title on saturday by upsetting serena williams in the womens french open final on sunday novak djokovic will take on andy murray in the mens final if djokovic wins he will become the eighth man to capture all four grand slam singles titles

6 just a few miles away from the roland garros tennis courts curators at the louvre worked around the clock to protect their artworks from the threat of floods the seine river rose to its highest level since 1982 setting a variety of emergency plans in motion officials say the flooding has peaked but the waters remain high and left significant damage in their wake

7 during the memorial day weekend 64 people were shot in chicago six of them fatally the citys escalating violence fueled by gang wars and abundant guns has become a crisis that leads to tragedy with numbing regularity one mother watching a neighbor grieve for her slain child expressed relief that her own son was in jail he was bound to be shot this summer

8 on sunday the golden state warriors will attempt to extend their 1 0 lead against the cleveland cavaliers in the second game of the nba finals the san jose sharks above edged back into the stanley cup finals with a win on saturday against the pittsburgh penguins who lead the seven game series 2 1

9 a top american cyclist withdrew from consideration for the olympic team because of concerns about the zika virus i dont want to take any chances said tejay van garderen whose wife is pregnant texas towns are bracing for a zika outbreak in mexico to eventually cross the border while scientists warned on friday that the disease can be transmitted by oral sex and possibly even by kissing

10 load up your snacks and podcasts its road trip time with gas prices at their lowest point in a decade americans are hitting the highways to visit oceans national parks tourist attractions and other instagrammable sights our reporter clifford krauss journeyed along the famed route 66 collecting stories from the fellow travelers he met on the way

11 trey pearson the lead singer of a popular christian rock band told fans that he is gay joining a number of other christian musicians who have come out in recent years mr pearson 35 said he spent two decades trying to make himself straight i feel like ive been set free he wrote in an open letter about his struggle to reconcile his faith and his sexuality

12 you will marry the wrong person one of our best read stories of the week warns make your peace with it the author advises and you may be surprised at how freeing accepting imperfection can be his words resonated with many as one commenter wrote each new day of a committed relationship needs to begin with the recognition that both of us are new and different than we were the day before
have a great week

your weekend briefing is published sundays at 6 am eastern
and dont miss your morning briefing weekdays at 6 am eastern and your evening briefing weeknights at 6 pm eastern
want to look back heres fridays evening briefing
what did you like what do you want to see here let us know at briefingnytimescom


kathryn tracy farley and richard jay lipton were married june 4 at the catholic shrine of the immaculate conception in atlanta msgr henry grancz performed the ceremony
the bride 52 is keeping her name she is an adjunct assistant professor of performance studies at kennesaw state university in kennesaw ga and an adjunct lecturer in digital arts at georgia tech in atlanta she graduated from georgetown and received a masters degree in theater and a doctorate in performance studies from northwestern
the groom 69 is a professor of computer science at georgia tech he is the founder and an author of godels lost letter a math and science blog he graduated from case western reserve and received a doctorate in computer science from carnegie mellon the grooms previous marriage ended in divorce
the couple met when the bride was interested in collaborating with the groom on an experimental theater project that would incorporate content from his blog distracted by their instant connection they abandoned the play idea and instead planned a first date


new york
an article last sunday about how subjects of last years summer love series have fared misstated the complications involved in the birth of a gorilla in the bronx zoo where several gorillas were part of a mating program that was featured in the series the birth was natural followed by anesthesia to remove the placenta it was not chemically induced
metropolitan
a music and dance listing in the westchester calendar in some editions last sunday about the angelica womens choir misidentified the location of a performance scheduled for next sunday june 12 it is at holy name of mary church in croton on hudson not at the church of st matthew in hastings on hudson
sports
a picture in some editions last sunday with an article about a rule change that extended the time college basketball players have to decide whether to enter the nba draft was published in error it showed oregons elgin cook taking a shot against duke in the ncaa tournament   not his teammate dillon brooks who recently chose to return to oregon instead of entering the draft

an article in some editions last sunday about the mets 9 1 loss to the los angeles dodgers in which mets pitcher noah syndergaard was ejected for throwing at chase utley misidentified the player mets pitcher shawn estes tried and failed to hit in a 2002 game against the yankees as the article correctly noted elsewhere the player was roger clemens   not mike piazza who played for the mets at the time

a chart last sunday about the longest hitting streaks for each major league baseball franchise misstated the nickname of the cleveland team for which napoleon lajoie had a 31 game hitting streak in 1906 it was the naps not the nips
travel
an article on page 12 this weekend about a family friendly trip to new orleans misstates part of the name of a green space in the french quarter it is jackson square not jackson park the article also refers incorrectly to a sightseeing carriage it is led by a mule not by a donkey in addition the article misstates part of the names of two streets they are frenchmen street not frenchmens street and washington avenue not washington street and the article misidentifies the departure location for a jazz cruise it is the toulouse street wharf not canal place the errors about jackson square the carriage and frenchmen street also appear in an accompanying article on page 11 about five vacation alternatives to disney world

a cover article on may 29 about vladimir and vera nabokovs cross country journeys to the american west during which the author re searched lolita misidentified the handgun mrs nabokov carried in her purse it was a pistol not a revolver

a 36 hours column on may 22 about oahu hawaii incorrectly implied that alcohol consumption is permitted on lanikai beach it is not allowed on oahus public beaches without a permit

an article on may 29 about a longtime journalist who wrote about restaurants frequented by civil rights activists made an outdated reference to willie bates the owner of the four way restaurant in memphis editors learned of mr batess may 20 death after the section had gone to press
t travel
an article on may 22 about the cultural resilience of the people of beirut in the face of continuing political strife gave outdated information about beiruts night life spots skybar and behind the green door they are no longer open
real estate
the continuation of a cover article this weekend about deciding whether to buy a home or rent appears twice in some copies on pages 12 and 13 because of that error the ask real estate column was omitted the column can be found at nytimescomrealestate
magazine
an article on may 29 about attorney general kamala harris of california included an erroneous detail about her first race for attorney general in 2010 while the outcome of that election took weeks to determine there was no formal recount
sunday styles
an article last sunday about paula broadwell described imprecisely her academic record at the united states military academy at west point while ms broadwell graduated in the top 5 percent of her class in fitness and military and in the top 10 percent in academics she did not graduate at the top of her class
arts  leisure
an article on may 22 about the rock group blue oyster cult misspelled the surname of the bands guitarist and co vocalist though he is known as buck dharma he was born donald roeser not roesser

an article last sunday about the authors michael marissen and lauren belfer misstated the area where ms belfer grew up it is buffalo not greenwich village

an article last sunday about the film popstar never stop never stopping misidentified part of the name of a concert film about katy perry it is katy perry part of me not all of me

a picture credit last sunday with an article about a documentary about the murder of kitty genovese misidentified the source of the photograph it was supplied by the witnesses film llc not by filmrise
book review
a subheading on may 22 with a review of the edge of the empire a journey to britannia from the heart of rome to hadrians wall misspelled the authors given name as the review correctly noted she is bronwen riley not bronwyn

a review on may 8 about before the wind by jim lynch misstated the type of racing sailboat represented by the star class the star is a keelboat not a dinghy instead of a fixed keel a dinghy generally has a retractable centerboard
sunday review
an opinion article last sunday about hulk hogans lawsuit against gawker media described the suit incorrectly it claimed invasion of privacy not defamation

an opinion article last sunday about why we like to categorize things misidentified the journal in which a study about responses to gender ambiguous images was published the study appeared in plos one not the journal of experimental psychology
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san jose calif   it took an extra 12 minutes 18 seconds of overtime and a nifty goal by the rookie joonas donskoi but home ice turned out to be exactly what the san jose sharks needed saturday night as they came from behind for a 3 2 victory over the pittsburgh penguins in game 3 of the stanley cup finals
the victory was the sharks first in the series after they had dropped two games in pittsburgh and there had to be a collective sigh of relief when donskoi skated from behind the net to fire the puck over the shoulder of penguins goalie matthew murray with the win the sharks avoided falling into a three games to none hole in their first cup finals appearance in their 24 year history
they also picked up some much needed confidence heading into game 4 here on monday
its big the sharks joe thornton said of the win we havent had the lead too much in this series to win this one its a huge confidence booster and now we just need to continue it in game 4
donskoi 24 was drafted by the florida panthers but chose to develop his game in finland instead the sharks signed him last summer as an unheralded free agent and now he may have scored the most significant goal in franchise history keeping san joses hopes of a stanley cup alive
i think ive had a lot of scoring chances through the whole finals donskoi said of the goal his first of the series and his sixth of the postseason it was a good time to get it in
the sharks entered the third period trailing by 2 1 after the penguins had sandwiched goals by ben lovejoy and patric hornqvist around one by san joses justin braun
a high sticking penalty against the penguins nick bonino gave the sharks a four minute power play and they needed every second of it before joel ward fired a 41 foot slap shot that found a small opening between murrays glove and left leg pad at 848
the sharks had hoped that the shift back to their home ice might provide the edge to help them counter the speed and opportunistic goals that had given the penguins the first two games in the best of seven series although outplayed in those games the sharks had shown enough resilience to stay competitive   losing the first on a goal with 233 left in the game and the second in overtime
the penguins were well aware that a two game lead was no guarantee of a series victory in the 2009 stanley cup finals pittsburgh dropped the first two games on the road to the detroit red wings then rallied to win four of the next five to capture the cup
san jose did seem to feed off the home crowd early on saturday but the penguins took a 1 0 lead at 529 of the first period when giveaways by goalie martin jones and defenseman roman polak put the puck on lovejoys stick and his shot from the left point deflected off polak and into the net
san jose tied the score a little more than four minutes later when thornton found braun unchecked just inside the blue line and his shot sailed past the screened murray
the sharks dominated play throughout the second period but murray came up big with saves on tight shots by brent burns and joel ward while wards linemate logan couture rang a wrist shot off the far post
the penguins took a 2 1 lead 53 seconds before the second period ended when thornton lost the puck to olli maatta who fed it to lovejoy for a shot that deflected off patric hornqvists stick and into the net
but jones said the thought of falling behind by three games to none had not rattled him
its easy to stay focused in those moments said jones who finished with 40 saves and made his biggest stop at 405 of overtime on a deflection by bonino it was a must win for us and we got a better effort out of everyone tonight
despite his teams loss murray did not seemed discouraged
its one game he said its a seven game series its all about the next game i think we outplayed them again today we were the better team i think were in a good spot here heading forward
the sharks were missing the left wing on their top line as tomas hertl was sidelined with a lower body injury he sustained in game 2 hertl finished that game but he skated only briefly friday melker karlsson moved up from the third line to take hertls place alongside thornton and joe pavelski


alyssa quillan colbert a daughter of angela johnson colbert and virgis w colbert of singer island fla was married june 4 to gregory paige barrett a son of gail d barrett and dr warrick l barrett both of indianapolis the rev ellen p tatreau an american baptist minister performed the ceremony at the old whaling church in edgartown mass on marthas vineyard
mrs barrett 28 is in her final year of law school at harvard from which she received an mba last month she is also a cum laude graduate of harvard
her father retired as the executive vice president for worldwide operations at the miller brewing company in milwaukee her mother is a trustee of the milwaukee art museum
mr barrett 31 is a senior finance manager at pfizer the new york pharmaceuticals company he graduated from morehouse college and received a masters in accountancy from notre dame he is also a cpa
his mother is a guidance counselor at decatur middle school in indianapolis his father a retired colonel in the united states air force reserve is an internist and a staff physician in indianapolis for us healthworks medical group which operates urgent care clinics and provides occupational health services
the couple met when they were children through jack and jill of america a social cultural educational and leadership development organization for african american mothers and their children and reconnected in 2005 on marthas vineyard


charlotte jane ickes the daughter of laura r handman and harold m ickes of washington was married june 4 to william clayton carter crooks the son of karin j crooks of greenwich conn and the late william clayton crooks liza handman an aunt of the bride received permission from the state of massachusetts to officiate at the nantucket yacht club
the couple met at yale from which they graduated
ms ickes 30 is keeping her name she is the whitney lauder curatorial fellow at the institute of contemporary art in philadelphia she received a phd in history of art from the university of pennsylvania
her father is the chairman of both the ickes  enright group a washington government relations firm and meyer suozzi english  klein a new york law firm he was the deputy chief of staff to president bill clinton from 1994 to 1997 the brides mother is a partner in the washington and new york law offices of davis wright tremaine
the brides paternal grandfather was harold l ickes he was the secretary of the interior under presidents franklin d roosevelt and harry s truman
mr crooks 28 is known as clayton he is a consultant in the new york office of mckinsey  company the management consultancy where he advises companies on strategy and corporate finance he received an mba from the university of pennsylvania his father was a managing director at morgan joseph  company the new york investment banking firm he was also the chairman of the greenwich historical society


alice kathleen hadley a daughter of ann simon hadley and stephen j hadley of washington was married june 4 to sumon srinivas dantiki the son of vani dantiki and sudhakar dantiki of bangalore india kenneth m karas a judge of the united states district court for the southern district of new york for whom the groom was a law clerk officiated at the hay adams hotel in washington
on april 17 kypa bharath sarma a hindu priest performed a hindu ceremony for the couple at the palm meadows clubhouse a private club in bangalore india
the bride 29 is known as kate she works in washington as an assistant general counsel in the office of the united states trade representative she graduated from stanford and received a law degree from yale
her father is a founder of ricehadleygates an international strategic consulting firm in washington he was the national security adviser to president george w bush from 2004 to 2008 her mother is an assistant united states attorney in the appellate division of the united states attorneys office for the district of columbia
the groom 33 works in washington as a trial lawyer specializing in cyber crimes and as a policy adviser for the united states department of justice he is also an adjunct professor of law at georgetown he graduated from the university of michigan and received a law degree from yale he was a fulbright scholar studying international law at mcgill university in montreal from 2004 05
his father who worked in bangalore retired as a managing director for the akzo nobel corporation an international paints and coatings company with headquarters in amsterdam
the couple met in 2011 while working at the department of justice they reconnected two years later in new haven where the groom was a clerk for judge jose a cabranes of the united states court of appeals for the second circuit and the bride was finishing her third year of law school at yale


jessica lindsay lustgarten the daughter of marcia a lustgarten of new york and the late marc a lustgarten was married june 4 to peter howard courtemanche a son of mary vi courtemanche and robert h courtemanche of morristown nj rabbi peter j rubinstein officiated at the rainbow room in new york
mrs courtemanche 33 works in strategy and analysis at digitaslbi an advertising agency in new york she graduated magna cum laude from the university of pennsylvania and received her mba from new york university
the bride and her mother are on the board of directors of the lustgarten foundation a private funder of pancreatic cancer research that is named in honor of the brides father who was the vice chairman of cablevision and the chairman of madison square garden in new york the brides mother also works at cablevision systems corporation in bethpage ny as a consultant on public affairs for optimum community a company initiative that offers programs to connect schools and communities
mr courtemanche 29 is a senior underwriter for endurance insurance company in new york he graduated from connecticut college
his mother is the president of the womens association for morristown memorial hospital in morristown his father who works in new york is a principal and senior managing director for risk strategies company an insurance brokerage
the couple met through mutual friends while at a phish concert at bader field in atlantic city in 2012


dr neeral kamlesh sheth and dr aniruddha hazra were married june 4 at salvage one a warehouse and event space in chicago acharya hersh khetarpal a hindu priest officiated
the couple work in chicago where dr sheth left 31 is an assistant professor of psychiatry with the medical school of rush university and dr hazra 30 is a chief resident in the department of internal medicine at the universitys medical center next month dr sheth is to become a staff psychiatrist at boston medical center and dr hazra is to begin a fellowship in infectious diseases at beth israel deaconess medical center also in boston
dr sheth graduated from northwestern and received a doctorate from the chicago college of osteopathic medicine he is a son of kamlesh p sheth and shreya sheth of oak brook ill his father a pharmacist owns farmacia belmont in chicago
dr hazra graduated magna cum laude from boston university where he also received his medical degree he is the son of swapna hazra and amitava hazra of holmdel nj his mother is a senior business analyst at att in middletown nj his father now retired managed software developers at lucent technologies in holmdel
the couple were introduced by a mutual friend in 2005 via the website friendster almost a year later dr hazra flew to chicago to meet dr sheth in person for the first time


frankie thomas the daughter of jamie bernstein of new york and david e thomas of newport ri was married june 4 to dr ian william tattersall the son of susan f cotmore and peter j tattersall of guilford conn dr chase w shutak a friend of the groom who became a universal life minister for the occasion led a ceremony that incorporated some quaker traditions at the weekend house of the brides family in fairfield conn
on june 3 the bride 29 received an undergraduate degree summa cum laude from the city college of new york where she is a writing tutor she is also a freelance transcriber mainly for journalists and documentary filmmakers and a freelance writer whose work has appeared in literary journals blogs and online magazines
the bride is a granddaughter of the composer leonard bernstein
on may 18 dr tattersall also 29 received a medical degree and phd in vascular biology from columbia this month he is to become a medical intern at memorial sloan kettering cancer center in new york he graduated cum laude from yale
the couple were introduced in june 2011 by a mutual friend who had gathered a group at a karaoke bar in the east village dr tattersall arrived in time to catch what he described as ms thomass spirited rendition of dusty springfields son of a preacher man
she had a good voice he said of ms thomas later she rejoined the group and began chatting with dr tattersall learning about his lab work and also his involvement in theater in medical school he had been a member of the bard hall players
ms thomas who was then doing community theater in bay ridge brooklyn became even more interested when she uncovered their mutual love for shakespeare especially a midsummer nights dream
i thought he was cool she said i was so in my literary artsy world id never met a scientist before he was deeply involved in community theater
the next day he friended her on facebook  i was well aware of her grandfathers canon said dr tattersall who had been in a high school production of west side story
within a couple of weeks he had invited her to join him and his medical school friends for drinks she asked him out on a one on one date after he was the first to post a comment when she posted a novella online the showrunner in which the main character has a sexual encounter with a minor character named after him
i thought i was getting a vibe she said of her bold move in asking him out his response in which he told her that she was swell but that he had a girlfriend was not the one she was looking for
although she said she was a little crushed and embarrassed by his comeback they found themselves hanging out that summer by fall he was available again and asked her out on a real date
it was just us hanging out but circumstances were different he said we were not in a hurry to jump into a relationship
it soon became clear though that they wanted to spend more time with each other and by january they were directing a midsummer nights dream together for the bard hall players
it was great to have her around because she had pretty much memorized the play he said i was struck by how well we were going through it together
after she moved in with him in 2013 he inspired ms thomas who had dropped out of the university of southern california in 2008 to go back to college and this spring in a moment of near perfect synchronicity the couple who became engaged last year both had graduation ceremonies
hes graduating im graduating she said what better way to celebrate the occasion than with a wedding


sarah kathleen trigg rapp a daughter of mary kathleen trigg and ronald j rapp of bernardsville nj was married june 4 to adam zachary wilson a son of sharon a kaitz and dr jonathan m wilson of newton mass sarah sliwa a friend of the couple who became a universal life minister for the event officiated at the farm at pond lily in elizaville ny
the bride 29 works in new york as the head of product marketing at behance a network for creative professionals to showcase their graphic design and other artwork she graduated magna cum laude from barnard
the groom 34 is an adjunct professor of creative writing at columbia and nyu he is the author of the whats important is feeling and flatscreen he graduated from tufts and received a masters degree in creative writing at columbia
the couple met in september 2006 through mutual friends at a bar on the upper west side when ms rapp was a sophomore at barnard and mr wilson was in the first year of his masters program at columbia
he seemed really interesting and smart she said but he was five years older than me so i saw him as this intimidating grad student
they went their separate ways but crossed paths again in january 2007 when a friend took ms rapp with her to another manhattan bar to hear mr wilson read a short story that he had written as part of his course work
i was very impressed ms rapp said
so was mr wilson who got a chance to talk albeit briefly with her that night i thought she was very smart and very beautiful he said
the following week she saw him again this time at a lunch gathering of friends in manhattan she approached him and asked if she could film and interview him for a class assignment on messy bathrooms he agreed and about a week later she was at his upper west side apartment taking notes
he definitely had a messy bathroom she said laughing a 20 something year old guy living alone it wasnt a very pretty scene
as far as he was concerned he had cleared a difficult hurdle
the fact that she was still laughing and talking to me after seeing my bathroom was a very good sign he said
in the ensuing weeks they both got too bogged down in their studies to make room for each other on their social calendars but in july when they bumped into each other on the upper west side mr wilson seized the moment by asking ms rapp on an impromptu date to a bar in chinatown to watch a friends band perform
she agreed and arrived there separately that night in the company of friends they met up with mr wilson and some of his friends at the front door but on their way in both ms rapp and mr wilson realized that neither had enough cash to pay the cover charge so they took off into the night together in search of an atm
the spent a half hour in search of cash which paid handsome dividends in terms of creating a bond between them
she was so energetic and fun to be around he said
being with him and talking was so easy she said with other guys i had gone out with i always felt like i had to drag a conversation out of them but this was just the opposite he was dragging conversation out of me
they eventually returned to the bar and afterward their group went back to the roof deck of mr wilsons apartment building to hang out in the early morning hours it was there that the two exchanged their first kiss
when ms rapp arrived home she glanced at her calendar and couldnt help but notice the date that had marked the first real steps of her journey with him 07 07 07
thats the day our relationship really started she said it was my luckiest day for sure


dr maren alissa shapiro a daughter of natalie a gustafson and matthew m shapiro of riverside conn was married june 4 to william edmond eger the son of holly hodder eger and edmond i eger iii of portola valley calif the rev susan harris an episcopal priest officiated at the allen farm in chilmark mass
the bride 28 and the groom 26 met at harvard from which they graduated both cum laude both later attended the university of pennsylvania from which the bride received a medical degree and the groom a masters degree in education
the bride who will continue to use her name professionally is starting this month as a medical intern at brigham and womens hospitalmassachusetts general hospitals in boston
her father is a consultant in riverside who advises media companies on business matters and consults with financial institutions on making investments in media her mother is a television producer and the president of silver plume productions in greenwich conn which produces saras weeknight meals on public television stations and other shows
the groom is an education consultant with parthenon ey a boston based consulting firm he works with school districts foundations and nonprofit organizations on strategy and financial planning his book hanging together overcoming divisions in the tea party movement was published in 2012
his mother is a writing instructor in portola valley his father works in san francisco as the president and the chief executive of oanda the online currency trading firm based in toronto


juliana tropper shulman a daughter of dr pamela j tropper and dennis g shulman of demarest nj was married june 4 to stephen richard laniel a son of faye e laniel and david d laniel of shelburne vt the brides father a rabbi officiated at ohana a family camp in fairlee vt
the couple will both use the surname shulman laniel
the bride 29 is a third year law student at northeastern university she graduated from the university of chicago and received a masters in public health from johns hopkins
the brides father is a clinical psychologist in demarest her mother an obstetrician and gynecologist is an associate professor of clinical obstetrics and gynecology at albert einstein college of medicine and is an attending physician in obstetrics at montefiore hospital both in the bronx
the groom 38 is a senior software programmer at akamai technologies a company in cambridge mass he graduated from carnegie mellon
his mother retired as an office assistant at what was then called the spine institute of new england at fletcher allen health care in south burlington vt his father also retired was a computer network administrator at the gs blodgett corporation a maker of pizza ovens also in burlington
the couple were introduced through okcupid in 2011


monica lauren ferreira the daughter of miriam c ferreira and carlos c ferreira of rego park queens was married june 4 to matthew kevin gimlett a son of linda m gimlett and brian f gimlett of greenville del the rev michael tidd a roman catholic priest performed the ceremony at st patricks cathedral in manhattan with msgr robert t ritchie the cathedrals rector taking part
mrs gimlett 27 works in manhattan as the strategy manager in the sponsorship department of the national football league she graduated from cornell her father is a freelance television broadcast engineering specialist in manhattan her mother is an accountant in rego park
mr gimlett 28 works in manhattan as a director in the corporate finance and restructuring division at fti consulting a business advisory firm based in washington he graduated from notre dame
his father who retired as the special agent in charge of the new york field office of the united states secret service now is a senior vice president at andrews international an investigative and security services provider in manhattan
the couple met at a party in stamford conn in august 2011


rebecca bernice flatow and george lawrence zornick iii were married june 4 mathew e flatow the brother of the bride who became a minister of american marriage ministries for the occasion officiated at the sequoia restaurant in washington
mrs zornick 32 is a lead analyst for policy planning and innovation at the substance abuse and mental health services administration in the department of health and human services she works in rockville md she graduated and received a law degree from the university of north carolina and has a masters degree in social work from columbia
the bride is the daughter of nelida m flatow and michael flatow of charlotte nc
mr zornick 33 is the washington editor of the nation the weekly magazine he graduated from the state university of new york at buffalo
he is a son of margaret j milliron of buffalo and the late george l zornick jr
the couple were introduced in 2014 through the dating app hinge


alison reeve murray the daughter of lauren ingersoll murray and thomas a murray of alexandria va was married june 4 to thomas patrick winkler a son of patricia a winkler and thomas g winkler of st louis msgr donald hanson performed the ceremony at the most holy trinity roman catholic church in east hampton ny
mrs winkler 30 is a vice president in sports and entertainment marketing at jpmorgan chase in new york she graduated from williams college and received a certificate of interior design from parsons the new school of design
her father is the founder and chief executive of community wireless structures a company based in arlington va that builds owns and leases structures to wireless communication companies that improve cellular coverage
mr winkler 31 works in new york as an artist manager for votiv a venture capital firm that invests in entertainment properties he specializes in the development and management of recording artists and musicians he graduated from the university of california san diego and received a law degree from the university of missouri
his father is the vice president for oil trading and transportation at apex oil company in st louis which specializes in the transportation storage and wholesale distribution of petroleum and petroleum derivative products
the couple met in september 2011 on the dance floor of a music club in amagansett ny


sarah braidy lebovitz the daughter of margot s lebovitz and james a lebovitz of gladwyne pa was married june 4 to ahmed junaid suria a son of sunhera j suria and junaid suria of jeddah saudi arabia cantor nancy bach officiated at the rittenhouse hotel in philadelphia
mrs suria 28 is studying for a doctorate in school psychology at fordham she graduated from columbia from which she also received a masters degree in psychology
her father is a partner in the philadelphia and new york offices of the dechert law firm he is also a trustee of choate rosemary hall the boarding school in wallingford conn and former president of the samuel s fleisher art memorial in philadelphia a nonprofit art school her mother is a director of steppingstone scholars and philadelphia reads nonprofit organizations that prepare children in the philadelphia area for academic success
mr suria 30 is an investment banking associate in the technology group at evercore an investment banking advisory firm in new york he graduated summa cum laude from the university of arizona and received a masters in accounting magna cum laude from notre dame he also has an mba with honors from columbia and is a chartered financial analyst
his father who works in jeddah is a finance manager at enka saudi arabia a turkish construction conglomerate
the couple were introduced through okcupid in march 2014


dr melissa jasmine danesh and dr william brand feldman were married june 4 rabbi joshua levine grater officiated at the langham huntington hotel in pasadena calif
the couple met at the university of california san francisco from which they received medical degrees
the bride 27 will continue to use her name professionally she is to begin as an intern at beth israel deaconess hospital in boston this month she graduated from emory
she is the daughter of fariba danesh and morteza danesh of redondo beach calif the brides father an electrical engineer is the president of dmf lighting a manufacturer of commercial recessed fixtures in carson calif her mother is the companys vice president
the groom 33 is in his internship year at brigham and womens hospital in boston his book privatizing war a moral theory is to be released this month he graduated summa cum laude from duke and in 2005 he was a fulbright fellow at the university of haifa in israel compiling an oral history on gaza settlers he received a doctoral degree in politics from oxford university
he is the son of johanna b feldman and stuart a feldman of charleston sc his mother retired as an assistant corporation counsel primarily prosecuting misdemeanors in municipal court for the city of charleston his father is a lawyer in charleston


elizabeth walch doe a daughter of mimi doe and thomas g doe of concord mass was married june 4 to zachary emerson stone a son of angela c stone and lawson g stone of wilmore ky the rev marilu j thomas performed the ceremony at christ episcopal church in charlottesville va where she is an associate rector the grooms father a united methodist minister offered a blessing
mrs stone 25 is a doctoral student in art history specializing in 19th century european and american painting at the university of virginia she graduated magna cum laude from dartmouth
her father is the founder and president of municipal market analytics a bond research firm in concord her mother is an author of 10 principles for spiritual parenting and other self help books and is a founder of top tier admissions a college consulting firm in concord
mr stone 30 is a doctoral candidate in medieval literature at the university of virginia he graduated magna cum laude from asbury college in wilmore and received a masters degree in english from oxford university
his mother is a family nurse practitioner at jessamine medical and diagnostics center a clinic in nicholasville ky his father is a professor of old testament at asbury theological seminary
the couple met through mutual friends in september 2013 at an outdoor concert in charlottesville


elise helene merriman a daughter of brigid mcintosh merriman and mark j merriman of new york was married june 3 to benjamin charles jaggars the son of rebecca morningstar jaggars and kevin a jaggars of chesterfield mo the rev mark giller a sanctuary of the beloved minister officiated at blue hill at stone barns a restaurant in pocantico hills ny
the couple both 31 met at the university of wisconsin from which they graduated
the bride is a strategy and marketing consultant for net impact nyc an organization that seeks to drive social and environmental change she also received a masters degree in new arts journalism from the school of the art institute of chicago
the groom is an account supervisor in new york for the advertising firm cline davis mann


jisoo suh a daughter of hae sook park and byoung hyun suh of manila was married june 4 to andrew gu hua the son of julia gu hua and fred hua of hollis queens the rev claire goodman a universal interfaith minister officiated at delfosse vineyards and winery in faber va
the couple met at the university of virginia from which they graduated
the bride 27 is keeping her name she works for assurant a manhattan insurance company where she manages communications with the firms public shareholders and research analysts
her father is the owner and chief executive of pan islands a trading company in manila that deals in industrial products he is also the director of the overseas korean trade association of the philippines and is on the board of wellex industries and forum pacific both of which are holding companies in manila for energy aviation and banking ventures
the groom 26 works in manhattan as a senior associate at american capital a washington asset management firm where he focuses on investing in medium size companies
his mother is a principal librarian at the queens village branch of the queens borough public library his father retired as a research staff associate for the department of molecular epidemiology at newyork presbyteriancolumbia hospital in manhattan


laura elizabeth deck and charles william stones iv were married june 4 donald m oday a friend of the couple who received permission from massachusetts to solemnize the marriage officiated at glen magna farms a historic house and event space in danvers mass
mrs stones 31 is an attorney adviser in the office of the legal adviser at the state department in washington she graduated from the london school of economics and political science received a masters degree in security studies from georgetown and has a law degree from vanderbilt
she is a daughter of priscilla conwell deck of beverly mass and the late raymond h deck jr the brides father was a business management consultant in burlington mass her mother is the fund raising director at voice of the faithful an organization in needham mass that supports survivors of clergy sexual abuse and advocates for changes in the roman catholic church
mr stones 30 is a senior associate in the tax department of the law firm hogan lovells in washington he graduated from boston university and received both a law degree and a master of laws degree in taxation from georgetown
he is a son of laura a stones and mr stones iii of woodland park colo the grooms mother is the office manager at the pikes peak rock shop a wholesale distributor of gems fossils and other stone products in woodland park his father is a master plumber for rk mechanical a construction company in denver
the couple met in 2011 while working as summer associates at a law firm in boston


melissa kate depetris and eric james colton were married june 4 at the yale club of new york the officiant was edward r korman a united states district judge for the eastern district of new york with chambers in brooklyn
mrs colton 37 is a principal counsel in the department of enforcement at the financial industry regulatory authority in manhattan she graduated cum laude from yale and received her law degree from columbia
she is the daughter of susan a depetris and ronald e depetris of manhattan her father retired as a partner in the manhattan law firm depetris  bachrach her mother is a vice president and a medical director at phase five communications a medical communications agency in manhattan
mr colton 39 is a software developer in manhattan with facebook he graduated from the university of california san diego and has received designation as a chartered financial analyst
he is a son of mary jo colton and james d colton of palo alto calif the grooms mother who worked in san jose calif retired as a marketing communications manager at a subsidiary of schlumberger the oil services company his father retired as a laboratory director at sri international a research center in menlo park calif that serves government and industry
the couple first became acquainted in april 2013 through an email introduction arranged by a mutual friend but they did not meet in person until the following april after having randomly reconnected through an online dating service


rebecca ann ende the daughter of ellen u ende and dr frederick i ende of richmond va was married june 4 to drew arthur lichtenberg a son of dr debora j lichtenberg and andrew a lichtenberg of pelham mass the grooms father who became a universal life minister for the occasion officiated at the sanderling resort in duck nc
the bride 34 is the managing director of theater j in washington and the board president of forum theater in silver spring md she graduated from georgetown and received a masters in arts management from columbia her father is an internist in petersburg va
the groom 32 is the literary manager and resident dramaturge at the shakespeare theater company in washington he also teaches german theater traditions shakespearean dramaturgy and dramatic theory at the new school in new york he graduated from denison university in granville ohio and received a masters in dramaturgy from yale his parents own a veterinary hospital in pelham where his mother is the chief veterinarian and his father is the business manager
the couple were introduced in 2012 at a theater j opening night performance


jennifer anne rudin and andrew carl finkelstein were married june 4 at larchmont temple in larchmont ny rabbi eve rudin the brides sister officiated assisted by their father rabbi a james rudin
the bride 43 is keeping her name she is a casting director in new york and the author of confessions of a casting director she graduated from the university of wisconsin and is pursuing a masters in dramatic writing from nyu her previous marriage ended in divorce
her father and mother marcia r rudin live on sanibel island fla the brides father retired as the national interreligious affairs director at the american jewish committee in new york for which he now is an adviser and a member of its board of governors her mother retired as the director of the international cult education program at the international cultic studies association in new york
the groom 60 works in new york as a digital video editor for the nbc program dateline he graduated from nyu his previous marriage ended in divorce
he is a son of louis finkelstein of wellington fla and the late anita finkelstein the grooms father now retired owned the country furniture shop in pompton plains nj
the couple met in 2010 at a new york cycle club event


dr joy jia liu the daughter of huijia dong and dr chen liu of edison nj was married june 4 to dr jovian yu a son of weijie yang and bin yu of east greenwich ri darlene shlesinger who was ordained by rose ministries officiated at the kay chapel in newport ri
the couple both 26 met at brown university from which they graduated and received medical degrees
dr liu who will keep her name is in the internship year of residency at beth israel deaconess medical center in boston
her father a pathologist is the chairman of pathology and laboratory medicine at rutgers new jersey medical school in newark and rutgers robert wood johnson medical school in new brunswick nj her mother is the director of the molecular diagnostics laboratory of the pathology and laboratory medicine department at rutgers new jersey medical school
dr yu is to begin the intern year of residency at yale new haven hospital on june 13
his mother is a registered nurse in a medical surgical unit at kent hospital in warwick ri his father is the director of management information services at rhode island college in providence


christopher allan lloyd and scott david harding jr were married june 4 at meridian house an event space in washington antoinette l murphy a friend of the couple who received authorization from the superior court of the district of columbia for the occasion officiated
mr lloyd left 32 is the director of finance and business development at cava grill a chain of restaurants with headquarters in washington he graduated from princeton and received an mba from harvard
he is a son of carolyn m lloyd and harold t lloyd of silver spring md his mother retired as the social worker at stanton elementary school in washington mr lloyds father retired as a computer information specialist in the numerical weather prediction center of the national oceanic and atmospheric administration in camp springs md
mr harding 32 is the director of early childhood curriculum and assessment and is a prekindergarten teacher at van ness elementary a public school in washington he graduated from penn state and received a masters in early childhood curriculum and instruction from george mason university
he is the son of mr harding and the stepson of donna m scott of cinnaminson nj mr hardings stepmother is a clinical social worker in mount laurel nj his father is a finance director for domestic and international new business at lockheed martin the aerospace and defense company he works in moorestown nj
the couple were introduced through okcupid in 2012


mary elizabeth edwards the daughter of carole h edwards and dr michael j edwards of cincinnati was married june 4 to nicholas holt rockwell the son of sarah f robinson and andrew r rockwell of boston the rev adam h webb a baptist minister and a cousin of the bride officiated at oxmoor farm in louisville ky
mrs rockwell 28 is a business development manager at betts recruiting in san francisco she places sales and marketing professionals in technology companies she graduated from washington  lee university her father an oncologic surgeon is the chairman of the department of surgery at the university of cincinnati her mother owns results oriented a medical conference management company in cincinnati
mr rockwell 30 is a senior partnerships manager in the san francisco office of funding circle a london financial services technology company he manages a team responsible for sourcing small businesses in need of funding he graduated from hamilton college in clinton ny
his mother is a founder of wespire which sells software to help businesses create sustainability practices his father is the executive vice president for corporate strategy and business development at comlinkdata a boston data and analytics company the groom is the stepson of bartlett f leber and of jackson w robinson his stepmother retired as a senior vice president and general counsel at atlantic broadband a cable company his stepfather is the vice chairman and portfolio manager at trillium asset management a boston investment firm
the couple met while attending the hotchkiss school in lakeville conn and began dating six years later in new york


dr lyndsay mihoko hoy the daughter of elizabeth a hoy and dr fredrick b y hoy of peoria ill was married june 4 to dr vincent quang nguyen the son of phi p nguyen and vinh q nguyen of oklahoma city maria odilia romeu a nondenominational minister ordained through journeys of the heart officiated at the rodin museum in philadelphia
the bride 31 is keeping her name she is a fourth year anesthesiology resident at the hospital of the university of pennsylvania in philadelphia she graduated from washington university in st louis and received a medical degree from rush university in chicago
her father a retired cardiac surgeon practiced at heartcare midwest in peoria ill
the groom also 31 is a first year fellow in cardiology at thomas jefferson university hospital in philadelphia he graduated from oklahoma state and received a medical degree from the university of oklahoma
his father is an electrical engineer specializing in software for airplanes at tinker air force base in oklahoma city
the couple met through a mutual friend after the bride moved to philadelphia in march 2012


benjamin michael linder the son of joan phillips linder and alan e linder of palm beach gardens fla was married june 3 to matthew posler long the son of barbara posler and william s long of albuquerque nm jessica linder mr linders sister who became a universal life minister for the event officiated at the brooklyn botanic garden
mr linder left 30 works in manhattan as an associate director of business development at lgt capital partners a swiss investment firm he graduated cum laude from the university of pennsylvania
mr long 27 is an assistant vice president for marketing at markit a financial information services company in manhattan he graduated cum laude from yale and received an mba from columbia
the couple were introduced through okcupid in 2011


brooke amber conti the daughter of gina m conti and kurt g conti of murray hill nj was married june 4 to patrick donahue trousdale a son of mary lee donahue trousdale and william h trousdale of summit nj the rev otto hentz a roman catholic priest performed the ceremony at st teresa of avila church in summit
the bride 24 is a graduate fellow at rockefeller university in new york where she is studying for a phd in molecular biology she graduated from notre dame
her father owns and is the chief executive of the conti group a construction firm in edison nj
the groom 25 is an associate in the media technology and telecommunications sectors at guggenheim securities an investment bank in new york he graduated from georgetown
his father is a partner in tompkins mcguire wachenfeld  barry a law firm in roseland nj
the couple who grew up in neighboring towns in new jersey and had been acquaintances most of their lives began dating in july 2012


meghan kelly everlanka the daughter of karen a everlanka of kingwood tex and the late robert t everlanka was married june 4 to paul joseph sipio a son of susan c sipio and dr james c sipio of mount laurel nj the rev joseph capella a roman catholic priest performed the ceremony at the church of st ignatius loyola in manhattan
mrs sipio 28 is an assistant district attorney in the criminal court bureau of the office of the bronx district attorney she graduated from nyu and received a law degree from rutgers
mr sipio 27 is an investment banking associate in the technology media and telecommunications group at goldman sachs in manhattan he graduated summa cum laude from northeastern university and received a law degree and an mba from the university of pennsylvania
the couple met in 2010 when they were interns at the united states district court for the district of new jersey in camden


andrea johanna hawksley and andrew michael lutomirski are to be married june 5 in the garden of their home in hillsborough calif rabbi sara mason barkin is to officate
the bride 31 is a virtual reality researcher and a software developer for elevr in san francisco part of yc research a nonprofit organization that funds technology research organizations she graduated from mit from which she also received a masters in computer science
she is the daughter of wendy hawksley and christopher r hawksley of grosse pointe mich the brides father retired as an independent corporate turnaround specialist working mainly in the automotive industry her mother is a corporate treasury manager at visteon an automotive electronics supplier based in van buren township mich
the groom who is 32 and is known as andy is a founder of ama capital management in palo alto calif which does currency trading he graduated from stanford from which he also received a masters in electrical engineering he holds a phd in radio astronomy and quantum computing from mit
he is the son of paula n lutomirski of avon colo and richard f lutomirski of santa monica calif and the stepson of prentice l oleary the grooms mother retired as an associate vice chancellor of ucla his father also retired was a vice president and physicist working on optical sciences at pacific sierra research a research corporation that was in santa monica
the couple met in 2012 through a mutual friend at a sailing and camping trip in inverness calif


laura parker fletcher a daughter of lynn r fletcher and robert p fletcher of falls church va was married june 4 to daniel eric rauch a son of elizabeth e rauch and allan n rauch of short hills nj rabbi amy schwartzman officiated at the east hall in union station in washington
the bride 27 and groom 28 met at princeton from which they graduated in may they received degrees from yale the bride an mba and the groom a law degree
the bride who works from new haven is a founder of ovote an app that allows a user to send questions and engage with groups
her father is a partner in the washington office of the law firm leclairryan her mother is a mediator and divorce lawyer in falls church
in august the groom is to begin work in denver as a law clerk for neil m gorsuch a judge of the united states court of appeals for the 10th circuit
his mother is a group fitness instructor at the jcc metro west in west orange nj and the community centers in livingston nj and springfield nj his father is the vice president for legal and general counsel at bed bath  beyondin union nj


the big 12 conference will play a championship football game in 2017 what remains unclear is whether it will still be a 10 team league
while the big 12 board of directors made the decision to resurrect the title game the leagues spring meeting in irving tex ended with expansion a lingering issue
ill just say were not ready to vote on expansion said david boren oklahomas president and the chairman of the leagues board
boren left his first spring meeting as the boards chairman saying the conference had never been stronger and had sent a message that it was around to stay the league will divide a record 304 million in revenue about 304 million per university for the 2015 16 academic year
raiders move hinges on public funding the oakland raiders owner mark davis said a 750 million public contribution toward a stadium was the bottom line on whether the team would make las vegas its new home the las vegas sun reported
the raiders want to move because oakland has not made significant progress toward building a new stadium the las vegas sands casino company owned by the billionaire sheldon adelson was championing a domed stadium that would cost more than 14 billion
the rookie tyler white was the victim of a prank that left his sport utility vehicle on the warning track in center field at houstons minute maid park before a 6 5 win over the oakland athletics
some of the astros veterans led by the ace dallas keuchel orchestrated the prank
keuchel said as long as you dont take it out of context its all fun and games and it makes you a little bit stronger
white was not amused and he fumed as he made the walk from home plate to the outfield in an attempt to move the vehicle but he could not find the keys and soon retreated to the clubhouse a team employee finally moved it but not before houston center fielder carlos gomez hit a ball that landed on top of it keuchel said the perpetrators would pay for any damage the stunt had caused
ortizs rbi total grows david ortiz added two more rbi to his torrid start in what he has said will be his final season mookie betts had two hits and drove in two runs and the red sox beat the toronto blue jays 6 4 in boston
ortiz 40 entered the day leading the majors in rbi and raised his total to 53 helping the red sox halt a three game skid
strasburgs streak ends stephen strasburg gave up joey vottos two run homer and limped off the field a few pitches later as the host cincinnati reds overcame two rain delays to beat the washington nationals 6 3
the nationals had won strasburgs past 15 starts which was the longest active streak in the major leagues
i just got real dehydrated out there said strasburg who threw 97 pitches on a muggy afternoon
reliever felipe rivero took the loss for the nationals
sebastien bourdais of france raced to his first indycar victory of the season beating conor daly of the united states by two seconds at belle isle in detroit
bourdais had not led a lap in any of the seasons first six races and he had not finished higher than eighth bourdais led only 12 of the 70 laps on the 235 mile street course but he was able to hold on after daly made a pit stop on lap 61 and gave up the lead
karine icher of france matched the bay course record with a nine under par 62 to take the second round lead at the shoprite lpga classic in galloway township nj
icher 31 who is winless on the tour had nine birdies in a 13 hole stretch in a round that started on no 10 at stockton seaview
haru nomura of japan a two time winner this year and na yeon choi of south korea were a stroke back at 11 under
a record breaking day in iowa billy andrade broke the course record with a nine under 63 for a share of the second round lead with joe durant and todd hamilton at the pga tour champions principal charity classic in des moines
harzand overcame a prerace scare and held off the fast finishing favorite us army ranger to win the english derby britains richest horse race
harzand had a front foot iced after losing a shoe on the way to the racecourse in epsom england
there was doubt whether harzand would be included in the 16 horse field but his team got him to the starting line in time to run a perfect race in front of an estimated 125000 spectators including queen elizabeth ii
first prize was 127 million


as he reflected on saturday on the death of muhammad ali donald j trump gushed calling him a terrific guy so generous and an amazing poet
he was two people mr trump said of ali in an interview in the ring he was fierce and outside of the ring he was one of the nicest guys you could ever meet
the presumptive republican nominees kind words were not just an obligatory salute to an iconic figure
the two men had been friendly for many years dating back at least to the 1980s ali attended mr trumps 2005 wedding to melania knauss in palm beach fla and mr trump appeared at alis charity events
late last year though there appeared to be a chill in their mutual admiration after ali issued a statement that seemed to criticize mr trumps call to temporarily bar muslims from entering the united states
it was alis famous fight against joe frazier in march 1971 that mr trump credits for spawning his interest in boxing as a young man an event mr trump recounted over the years and again on saturday
it was the greatest sporting event that ive ever seen mr trump said recalling that people had a heart attack while witnessing the 15 round bout won by mr frazier at madison square garden one fan did die of a heart attack there was more energy in the room than ive ever seen
mr trump was heavily involved in the boxing world for a number of years often hosting fights at his casinos in 1988 he threw a birthday party for ali with 500 guests in atlantic city in 1991 newsday reported at the time he left a divorce negotiation with ivana trump to speak at an awards dinner for ali in new jersey then returned
over the years ali presented mr trump with at least two awards honoring his charitable work at a 2007 auction to benefit the muhammad ali parkinson center at barrow neurological institute in phoenix the winning bidder offered hundreds of thousands of dollars to have a meal with mr trump
it was like a huge amount mr trump said on saturday at first he recalled it being three hundred some odd thousand dollars then raised it to a half a million dollars or something like that according to one write up of the event it was 350000
the presidential candidate said ali had taught him about diversity and called him an amazing example of strength and kindness and ability and athleticism
in december after two islamic extremists killed 14 people in san bernardino calif mr trump made his proposal to temporarily ban muslims from entering the united states
shortly afterward ali issued a statement that condemned the shootings but also said
we as muslims have to stand up to those who use islam to advance their own personal agenda they have alienated many from learning about islam
even though alis statement did not name mr trump many saw it as a rebuke of the candidate the statement was titled presidential candidates proposing to ban muslim immigration to the united states
mr trump on saturday said that he did not believe that was about me
he never mentioned the name or anything like that he said adding that if it were about him ali would have mentioned the name
no that wasnt about me that was about other things mr trump said
bob gunnell an ali family spokesman also said on saturday that the statement was not directed at mr trump but at extremists and jihadists
muhammad made that clear to me personally mr gunnell said adding that ali and his wife lonnie had called him after the statement was issued to make the point that we are for all people
after the san bernardino shootings president obama gave a speech in which he urged americans to reject discrimination saying that muslim americans are our friends neighbors and sports heroes
mr trump responded in a post on twitter
some took mr trumps message as a slight against ali and other prominent muslim athletes and others as ignorance of alis religion
mr trump said the twitter post was not meant to criticize muslim athletes im saying what sport is he talking about and who i know there are many great muslim athletes in soccer and other sports
he added all im saying is id like him to name them because i agree there are some thats not a knock by any stretch of the imagination
mr trump said he was well aware of muslim sports stars i know who they are i mean look muhammad ali is somebody that ive liked for a long time   and i know hes muslim
mr gunnell said ali had not been concerned with what mr trump said on twitter
muhammad was the greatest mr gunnell said so donald trump mistakenly spoke because he knows who the greatest is and who the greatest was when he tweeted that it never came up muhammad never in a million years would have thought that was directed at him


brazil showed touches of magic but a lack of killer instinct as it was held to a 0 0 draw by ecuador in a copa america group b opener on saturday in pasadena calif
brazil an eight time champion had chance after chance but had to settle for a single point as it lost momentum in the second half brazil was missing several top players most notably its captain neymar
brazils philippe coutinho forced a corner from close and ecuadors lucas lima had a glancing header that could not find the target
paolo guerrero passed teofilo cubillas as his countrys top goal scorer with a diving header to give peru a 1 0 win over haiti in seattle
guerrero 32 who the leading scorer in the 2011 and 2015 editions of the copa america powered home edison floress cross as peru opened its group b campaign with a win
flores had a chance to give peru a lead late in the first half but his fierce shot caromed off the goal frame peru increased the tempo in the second half and only a fine block by the haiti goalkeeper and captain johny placide denied renzo revoredo in the 59th minute
two time champion paraguay was held to a scoreless draw by costa rica in sultry conditions in orlando fla
costa rica ended the game with 10 men after defender kendall waston was sent off in injury time for a wild challenge on nelson valdez he will be suspended for tuesdays game in chicago against the united states
the result left colombia which beat the united states on friday alone at the top of group a
the intense heat and humidity   the temperature at kickoff was around 92 degrees   was blamed by both teams for what was in the end a disappointing spectacle in front of a disappointingly small crowd of 14334
paraguay coach ramon diaz said it was crazy to have scheduled the match for 5 pm
the needs of players need to be taken into account they are the ones who put on the spectacle he said
costa rica forward bryan ruiz agreed saying the heat definitely affected the game it could have been a much better game in different conditions
the tournament faces a mounting injury crisis after colombias james rodriguez joined the barcelona teammates lionel messi and luis suarez among the ranks of the walking wounded
rodriguez left the field clutching his shoulder in the second half of colombias win over the united states
but colombia coach jose pekerman was cautiously optimistic that rodriguezs injury would not keep him out of tuesdays game with paraguay at the rose bowl in pasadena calif
messi the argentina captain is the biggest name hampered by injury he has struggled with a back problem suarez is in doubt for uruguays opener against mexico on sunday in glendale ariz because of a hamstring problem
agence france presse


baltimore   mark teixeiras career as a yankee began here in his hometown where orioles fans showered him with boos on opening day in 2009 loathing him for accepting the richest contract he was offered
teixeira returned friday now at the tail end of that eight year 180 million deal but the boos that have greeted his subsequent visits resumed when he came to bat
much has changed in the intervening seasons but one thing has not teixeira is still the embodiment of the yankees
back then he represented their muscle financial and otherwise when they swooped in to sign him away from the boston red sox buying their way back into the world series with a 4235 million free agent splurge that was a reaction to having missed the postseason for the first time since 1993
now teixeira 36 is symbolic of what the yankees have become   an aging deteriorating team that cannot seem to stay healthy or productive
on saturday morning after he was forced out of fridays game when his right knee locked up the yankees announced that teixeira had torn cartilage and had been placed on the disabled list he will meet with the team physician dr christopher ahmad on monday to determine a course of action
at the moment the plan is to rest the knee and see if the discomfort subsides enough for teixeira to return if not he will have surgery which would most likely end his season
but what the yankees also need along with a return to health of teixeiras knee and neck   which has required two cortisone shots to soothe a bulging disk   is his bat he is hitting 180 with three home runs   none since april 13 a span of 142 at bats the longest homerless streak of his career
nothing feels good right now teixeira said saturday my body just hasnt worked right this year its so frustrating because i do everything im supposed to do and i worked my tail off this off season
every time ive asked my body to respond something happens   whether its a bulging disk in my neck or torn cartilage its just really frustrating
teixeira who is supremely confident was unusually subdued
one of the few times his assertiveness returned was when he was asked if his impending free agency might affect his decision on whether to try to return or to have surgery sooner so he would have time to show prospective employers that he had recovered
thats a fair question but my free agency has nothing to do with this season he said im worried about tomorrow im going to do whatever is best to be able to get back this year and help the team win this year
little has come easy for the yankees who hung on for an 8 6 victory on saturday night after nearly blowing the seven run lead they held in the seventh inning they are in fourth place in the american league east at 26 29 and a turnaround looks as dicey as teixeiras recovery
since 2011 teixeira has been on the disabled list at one time or another with knee wrist hamstring calf latissimus and shin injuries he was also sidelined briefly twice this season with what he called a bulging disk in his neck in all he has missed 283 games in the last five seasons
the yankees thought they were well fortified at first base until doctors reversed course in late january and prescribed shoulder surgery for greg bird the prospect who hit 11 home runs in 46 games in teixeiras absence last season they recently lost the backup dustin ackley to shoulder surgery
general manager brian cashman signed chris parmelee and nick swisher to minor league deals during spring training and offered a similar deal to james loney who declined the mets recently acquired loney who homered friday when lucas duda was hurt the yankees called up parmelee on saturday
everyone was saying how can you send bird to triple a cashman said he was supposed to be waiting in the wings all of a sudden at the end of winter we had a problem that no one expected you lose your biggest insurance policy
cashman said saturday that he had not yet looked at trade possibilities because there was nothing definitive about teixeiras status
to live in baltimore where few have forgiven the colts for leaving is to have a long memory when bill cowher who has not coached the rival pittsburgh steelers in 10 years was shown on the stadium scoreboard friday he drew vociferous boos   even though he was wearing an orioles cap
ours arent booers   they voice their opinion orioles manager buck showalter a former yankees manager said before fridays game ive been around booing in new york
as showalter noted the orioles have a pretty good first baseman in chris davis who signed a seven year 161 million contract last winter
it kind of tells you how good of baseball fans we have showalter said they understand where mark is from and how much they would have liked for him to play in baltimore worked out for everybody it worked out for chris davis and it worked out for mark so one door closes another one opens
the same may soon be said for teixeira
in spring training he spoke confidently of wanting to play another five years on saturday teixeira had other ideas
i want to play five more games right now he said


dublin ohio   matt kuchar finished the third round of the memorial with a share of the lead just as he had started it on saturday
but it was a wet and wild ride for kuchar and everyone else at muirfield village where play was suspended for a time in the evening
kuchar fell off the pace quickly with two bogeys only to surge back into the lead with four birdies and two par saves in a six hole stretch
a bogey on the final hole gave kuchar a two under 70 and a share of the lead with william mcgirt and gary woodland
mcgirt shot an eight under 64 to surge up the leader board woodland shot 69
twenty players were separated by four shots going into sundays final round
jason day was in contention for the lead until he had a double bogey on the final hole for a 68 he still was only three shots behind and rory mcilroy was five back
the final group finished play around 8 pm


miami   left fielder michael conforto ended an 0 for 20 slump saturday with a run scoring single in the eighth inning and scored the tiebreaking run on pinch hitter matt reynoldss two out single later in the inning to help the mets rally past the miami marlins and win 6 4
conforto also hit a sacrifice fly in the sixth he had been a last minute addition to the lineup after slugger yoenis cespedes was scratched because of a sore right hip the latest in a wave of injuries that has troubled the mets
reynolds put the mets ahead with the first rbi of his big league career alejandro de aza added a two out two run ground rule double in the ninth
jim henderson 1 2 got the win in relief and jeurys familia gave up a two out run scoring single to christian yelich in the ninth before earning his 34th consecutive save his 18th this year
david phelps 4 4 took the loss


paris   serena williams versus serena williams is supposed to be the internal conflict that decides grand slam tournaments in this long running top heavy era in womens tennis
but on saturday with the french open on the line it looked very much like a fair fight between serena williams and garbine muguruza
a tall and elegant spaniard who is 12 years younger than williams muguruza has serious stage presence shoulders back and chin held high she now has the major title to match and with her handling the moment and williamss big occasion aura as well as she did on saturday in her 7 5 6 4 victory it is hard not to imagine her managing another such moment with similar aplomb in the near future
weve been saying serena always beats herself but today maybe she didnt play her best tennis but she didnt play badly either said martina navratilova the 18 time grand slam singles champion she lost to somebody who stood up to her and did not play not to lose garbine played to win its nice to see
there were many moments when the upset bid could have unraveled many occasions when she needed to display strength and resolve to keep williams from shifting the momentum
there was the fourth game of the match when muguruza fought off a break point with an ace and the final game of the first set when she rallied from 15 40 with more clutch serving
there was her response after she made three of her nine double faults in a single game to lose her serve and a 1 0 lead in the second set the response was a flurry of big bang tennis that allowed her to break williams straight back
above all there was the way muguruza responded after failing to convert on four championship points on williamss serve at 5 3 in the second set
many a williams opponent would have taken the hint and the runner up plate muguruza served out the match at love pushing forward and attempting to resolve the conflict instead of hoping it might resolve itself
she didnt shrink from the pressure she embraced it said navratilova a great champion who needed time to learn how to manage her own nerves on the biggest occasions it would have been so easy to just bag it after she had those four match points
the memory of upsetting williams 6 2 6 2 in the second round of the french open in 2014 almost certainly helped the experience of facing williams in last years wimbledon final most likely did as well
wimbledon was muguruzas major final debut and williams won in straight sets to claim her 21st grand slam singles title and complete her second serena slam by winning a fourth consecutive major
but nearly one year later williams is still chasing no 22 while three women have now won their first grand slam titles flavia pennetta at last years united states open angelique kerber at this years australian open and now muguruza
i think its great that there are new faces and that players now know that it is possible to win to defeat serena muguruza said i think its a breath of fresh air
it looked like a downbeat year for spain when rafael nadal the nine time mens champion had to withdraw after two rounds with an injury to his left wrist instead spain got to celebrate twice on the final weekend as muguruza and then the spanish mens doubles team of feliciano lopez and marc lopez won titles on philippe chatrier court on the same afternoon
nadal sent a congratulatory message to muguruza who said one of the first thoughts she had afterward was to wonder how on earth nadal managed to win nine french opens
for now she seems delighted with one which makes her the first spanish woman to win the singles title since arantxa sanchez vicario won the last of her three french opens in 1998 sanchez was in the front row of the presidents box on saturday
i opened the way for spanish woman to win here said sanchez but im delighted that garbine has reopened it now she has a great future in front of her
it was a victory for spain but also for venezuela muguruza is a dual citizen who was born in caracas to a venezuelan mother and a spanish father she feels her dual identity very strongly and chose to officially represent spain in 2014 only because the fed cup and the olympics made a choice necessary
but her roots in spanish tennis run deep after moving to spain at an early age she trained near barcelona at the bruguera tennis academy which was founded by lluis bruguera a remarkable coach and the father of the two time french open mens champion sergi bruguera
muguruzas flat hitting go for broke game bears little resemblance to the more patient topspin heavy approach of sergi bruguera or sanchezs domestic rival conchita martinez but muguruza has the power and the charisma to start a new spanish school and though she is hardly a steady flame at this stage this was her first final of the year she would appear to possess the sort of internal drive that serial grand slam champions like williams require
this after all is the young woman who when she missed half the 2013 season because of foot surgery chose to bring a chair out to the practice court and continue hitting balls from a seated position


los angeles   kamala harris made history when she became the first black woman to be elected attorney general in california now she is vying for the united states senate and she has managed to stay the front runner in the race ever since she announced last year just days after senator barbara boxer a fellow democrat said she would leave the seat she won in 1992
with the help of allies ms harris nudged aside other prominent democratic contenders including antonio villaraigosa the former mayor of los angeles and united states representative xavier becerra
but as tuesdays open primary for the seat approaches ms harriss chief rival is from her own party   loretta sanchez a congresswoman from southern california and their competition says as much about california as it does about the candidates
in a state with one of the most diverse electorates in the nation where latinos are the largest ethnic group a victory by either woman would be a milestone ms harris would be the first black woman in the united states senate since carol moseley braun an illinois democrat who served from 1993 to 1999 and ms sanchez would become the first latina elected to the senate
a recent field poll shows the two leading a crowded ballot including a pack of republicans the open primary   approved by voters in 2010   will send the top two vote getters regardless of party to the november election that contest will offer insight into just how diminished the republican party is in this state polling suggests that none of the many republicans in the race can draw enough votes to even make the final ballot
in a recent interview ms sanchez said she knew she faced a formidable obstacle because many of the states leading democrats would back ms harris   who like most statewide elected officials comes from the bay area
i knew that i would not have the establishment with me   they sent a message to all of us in southern california ms sanchez said but ive been told no many times and go on to make it work
ms sanchez surprised many in the political world when she was elected to the house of representatives 20 years ago beating a republican incumbent in orange county which for decades had been a republican stronghold now as then ms sanchez is counting on deep support from latinos
latino voter registration in california has nearly doubled this year according to the secretary of states office as voters also prepare to choose presidential nominees many believe those newly registered voters will turn out on tuesday driven in large part by anti immigrant rhetoric from the republicans presumptive nominee donald j trump in a poll released in late may ms sanchez had the support of roughly 48 percent of latinos compared with 19 percent for ms harris
whats the one thing that can motivate more latino voters than ever before donald trump said dan schnur the director of the jesse m unruh institute of politics at the university of southern california the question will be how strong those loyalties are
far from ceding any ethnic voting bloc ms harris has spent much of her energy courting latinos she secured endorsements from hilda solis a los angeles county supervisor who was president obamas first labor secretary and dolores huerta a farmworkers advocate who appears in a spanish language commercial for ms harris
speaking recently to a crowd of union officials in commerce a city east of los angeles ms harris emphasized her own familys immigrant roots and her support for overhauling immigration law
latino voters are my voters she said they care about peoples commitment to their issues and id match my record against anyone when it comes to looking at my longstanding commitment to all communities including the latino community i reject the notion that this race is going to come down to ethnicity its going to come down to what youve actually done and what youve demonstrated you can get done
for much of the race ms harris has largely ignored the rest of the field she relies on the phrase smart on crime to convey her views on criminal justice and uses the label fearless in campaign advertisements while her experience as the states top law enforcement official is her most important credential she has never taken a position on a 2014 voter approved measure to release thousands of inmates and reduce sentences for nonviolent offenders
ms sanchez who is running her first statewide campaign points to her work in congress to portray herself as the candidate most prepared to deal with national security she has promoted her support from colleagues in the house campaigning with several of them in recent appearances representative filemon vela democrat of texas released a statement late last month calling the california democratic partys support for ms harris insulting to latinos all across this country
not one single democratic latina has ever been in the united states senate mr vela said in the statement adding that the partys position is a disrespectful example of wayward institutional leadership which on the one hand wants our vote but on the other hand wants to spit us out 
though both women have aired commercials in the expensive media markets of the bay area and los angeles ms harris has raised more than three times as much money as ms sanchez   11 million compared with about 35 million as of friday according to the center for responsive politics
in the two televised debates the three leading republicans in the race focused much of their attacks on ms harris for them the path to november relies on uniting republican voters and a significant chunk of independents who make up about a third of the states registered voters
we have two people at the top of the national ticket who are really divisive said duf sundheim a republican candidate and a former chairman of the state party who has not said whether he will back mr trump in the fall i think its really important to have someone in the senate who can really do things in the middle
tom del beccaro another republican candidate and former chairman of the state party has called for a flat federal income tax and said congress should focus on setting stricter immigration laws just as often as he talks about his positions on issues mr del beccaro discusses the mechanics of tuesdays primary ballot
with 34 names spread across two columns he said the ballot is too complicated making it more likely that voters will not check boxes correctly
the top two primary drives down participation and creates a lot of guess work mr del beccaro said
though he has raised hardly any money and has spent little time on the campaign trail perhaps no other candidate has more directly pursued supporters of mr trump and senator bernie sanders than ron unz a software engineer and political writer who has endorsed both an increase in the federal minimum wage and more limits on legal immigration mr unz rose to prominence here more than a decade ago when he backed a ballot initiative opposing bilingual education
the republican party in this state has almost been annihilated mr unz said its going to be embarrassing for republicans if they dont even have a candidate in the fall but this shows some enormous dissatisfaction with our respective parties that we will have to deal with in the future


mexico city   trailing badly in the polls and with elections just around the corner roxana luna reached for transcendental salvation
in a ceremony outside the government headquarters of mexicos puebla state ms luna a candidate for governor unleashed a troupe of aztec dancers across the colonial buildings cobblestone forecourt they hopped around wearing leather skirts and spectacular feather headdresses one drew designs in the air with smoke from burning tree resin another blew a conch shell
ms luna explained to bemused onlookers that the event last week was a purification ritual intended to flush out the curse of bad government along with fear coercion vote buying apathy and violence
people who feel desperate turn to ritualistic cleansings she said weve been cursed
it is election time in mexico again with voters going to the polls on sunday for municipal and regional elections including the governorships in 12 of mexicos 32 states
while some might quibble with ms lunas technique few would argue against her appeal to clean up mexicos electoral politics mexican political campaigns have never been for the faint of heart and this year has been no different with rough and tumble contests that have made a certain presidential contest north of the border look almost quaint in comparison
the official campaign period in mexico which by law lasted only two months and ended on wednesday was marked by a dirty war to use the favored term of the mexican news media and political class candidates all over the country have hurled accusations of corruption at one another including charges of graft and financing by drug traffickers in the governors race in veracruz one candidate even accused his main competitor of being a pedophile
some contests also featured violence and intimidation including the firebombing of a party leaders office in veracruz dozens of local and regional candidates withdrew from races reportedly because of threats from drug traffickers
a lot is at stake more than 1300 seats are up for grabs with the governorships the most important the outcome of sundays vote could also serve as a prologue for the 2018 presidential election president enrique pena nietos institutional revolutionary party holds nine of the 12 contested governorships but he is polling lower than any president in the past two decades and his plummeting popularity could hurt his partys chances on sunday
luis carlos ugalde the director of integralia consultores a political consultancy in mexico city said the level of invective and the prevalence of corruption allegations had increased in recent electoral cycles this years tone was the most negative he had seen he said
the rancor of the current campaigns is likely to influence the tenor of the presidential election said mr ugalde who served as president of mexicos election commission in the 2000s this could cause a very troubled atmosphere in 2018 he predicted
arguably the most contentious race this year has been for governor in veracruz a state wracked by corruption and violence the front runners are two cousins who despite their family ties have lobbed accusations and insults at each other
hector yunes landa the candidate for the incumbent institutional revolutionary party has accused his opponent miguel angel yunes linares the candidate of a coalition between the democratic revolution party and the national action party of being a pedophile warning voters to take care of the safety of your children according to local news media mr yunes linares who is trying to break the rival partys 87 year hold on the states governorship has denied the charges
officials in mr yunes linaress campaign have accused his cousin of vote buying and of underreporting his wealth in a public declaration of his assets
mr yunes linaress chances may have improved in light of a recent investigation by the news site animal politico which found that the states current administration funneled about 35 million to ghost companies the governor javier duarte has denied any wrongdoing
in the northern border state of tamaulipas the leading candidates for governor and their parties have been accused of having links to drug cartels
the institutional revolutionary partys candidate for governor baltazar hinojosa ochoa has been accused of receiving money from the gulf cartel during a mayoral run in 2002 in the municipality of matamoros he has denied the allegations
mr hinojosa ochoas party has accused his main rival francisco garcia cabeza de vaca the candidate for the national action party of having his own links to organized crime to support its accusations the institutional revolutionary party submitted a photo to government investigators showing gunmen riding around in a truck decorated with the symbol of the rival party a revolutionary party official later admitted that the photograph had been taken in another state and in any case had been doctored
candidates for governor in several other states   including chihuahua oaxaca quintana roo and sinaloa   have also had to parry accusations of corruption and links to organized crime
the war of words has been punctuated by violent threats and attacks
on tuesday a group of armed attackers firebombed the offices of the veracruz state leader for the national action party these are the costs of challenging a corrupt unscrupulous system the party leader jose de jesus mancha said in a statement after the bombing
in puebla an official from the institutional revolutionary party was wounded in a shooting while he was driving a party leader jorge estefan chidiac blamed the state administration led by the national action party for the attack saying it was part of a strategy of the state government to destabilize intimidate and threaten the people of puebla national action party officials denied responsibility
in sinaloa a candidate for the state legislature said his house had been shot at and an office linked to the campaign of a mayoral candidate was ransacked by burglars according to local news media accounts in culiacan the capital of sinaloa someone spray painted death threats against a candidate for governor on the walls of a university
during a radio interview on thursday miguel angel osorio chong mexicos interior secretary called the campaign period the most ruthless of any electoral processes
i dont understand this kind of democracy he said i believe in competition and when theres an accusation and there are problems you have to say something but it went too far


istanbul   when he was 9 ahmad suleiman watched his father die from a battlefield wound in syria four years later he now puts in 12 hour shifts at a damp and squalid textile factory in istanbul as the primary breadwinner for his family which fled to turkey after his fathers death
over one million syrian children live in turkey and thousands of them like ahmad are in sweatshops factories or vegetable fields instead of in a classroom members of a lost generation who have been robbed of their youth by war
like many others in his situation while he toils for his family ahmad is paying a steep price i want to send ahmad to school because he doesnt know how to read and write and cant understand the bus signs said his mother zainab suleiman 33 but i have no choice he has to work to survive
many of the children who arrive in turkey have already lost years of schooling because of the war before the conflict 99 percent of syrian children were enrolled in primary schools and 82 percent in secondary schools unicef has reported today nearly three million syrian children are out of school and for those in turkey the education gap has either grown longer or become permanent
while more than a million syrians have reached europe many more   three million in all including ahmads family   have been forced by poverty to stay in turkey where their prospects are bleak
the recent deal between the european union and turkey to curb the flow of illegal migration into europe intended to protect syrians from dying in the aegean sea and to improve with billions of dollars in aid from europe the conditions for those living in turkey those promises were supposed to mean more children in school and work permits for their parents
instead the deal may collapse over an issue unrelated to the plight of syrians turkeys refusal to revise its terrorism laws in return for visa free travel for turkish citizens traveling to europe the impasse has left the future for syrians in turkey even more uncertain
until now turkey has spent billions of dollars caring for syrian refugees providing them with free medical care and the right to an education yet more than 400000 children are still unable to attend school because most of the syrian families are living outside camps mostly in poverty and are struggling to secure work that pays enough to cover the basic necessities of food clothing rent and transportation aid groups say
other factors preventing children from attending school include language barriers confusion over enrollment procedures and transportation related issues said selin unal a spokeswoman for the united nations refugee program in turkey
the turkish government introduced work permits for syrians in january to help stop exploitation in the labor market so that parents could earn enough to send their children to school but only 10300 syrians have gained the right to work under the new regulation according to the ministry of labor mainly because turkish employers have been reluctant to grant contracts that would require them to pay minimum wage
turkish officials have acknowledged the pitfalls of the labor laws and have vowed to increase the number of workplace inspections to help enforce the new regulations which are aimed at providing higher incomes and cracking down on child labor
mrs suleiman ahmads mother said she had not heard about the work permits and had recently had to quit her job washing dishes at a restaurant after her boss beat her when she complained that her 90 weekly pay was a month late
most of ahmads 60 weekly wages go toward the 270 rent for the narrow room where he lives with his mother and three siblings in istanbuls low income tarlabasi neighborhood
six days a week ahmad leaves home at 8 am and walks to a nearby textile factory where he spends his days buttoning shirts as sewing machines rattle in the background he is given a 30 minute break at lunchtime and two 15 minute tea breaks with biscuits that he buys with his 80 cent daily allowance from his mother
i enjoy working and i dont get treated badly ahmad said smiling at a kurdish colleague helping him attach tags to a rail of shirts ive got to take care of my family and this is the only way to do that
but in syria ahmads dream was to become a singer
i have a really good voice he said blushing im serious i sing for my colleagues at work and they love it
yet when asked what his ideal job would be ahmad dropped his smile for a second a savior he said i want to save everyone from poverty because im poor and i dont want anyone to go through what ive been through
to achieve that goal ahmad said he knows he needs to go back to school its the only way to make more money he said
the manager of the factory acknowledged that ahmad was too young to be working and should be in school but said he employed him not because ahmad was cheap to hire but because he wanted to help him
ahmad is the only child who works at the factory but in the zeytinburnu neighborhood one of istanbuls textile hubs child labor is rampant in one workshop full of children one 11 year old was embarrassed by my presence aware that his manager was watching the boy looked away and focused on cutting fabrics and folding clothes
next to him was a sewing machine operator abdul rahman 15 who said he had no idea how much he was paid because his wages went directly to his family two syrian brothers basar 16 and mohammed nour 15 swept the floor of the workshop they came to turkey alone from aleppo to make money to send back to their family
together they earn around 250 a month and send 200 back home unable to afford accommodations they are allowed to sleep under the workshop benches at the factory in makeshift beds made from a single blanket and fabric scraps
back in tarlabasi ahmads mother has come up with a plan that will allow her to send her two younger children to school she will marry off her 15 year old daughter ayla to a 22 year old kurdish man whose family has offered to send her to school and help the family financially
this way at least the two youngest can also go to school while ahmad and i work she said
when asked how she felt about getting married ayla looked at her painted fingernails and paused it hasnt really hit me yet but im not scared she said im happy and i need to do this for the family
mrs suleiman shot an anxious look at her daughter she doesnt know anything yet but what choice do we have its our fate


the cedillo family was already running an hour late so when the range rover stretch limo dropped them off at st agatha church in sunset park brooklyn lucero cedillo and her court of nine chambelanes the equivalent of groomsmen dashed out of the car
lucero led the way holding the hem of her strapless ball gown in one hand and a matching bouquet of silk garden roses in the other her parents alberta and abundio cedillo followed from a distance the chambelanes could have easily been mistaken for cadets at a police academy graduation walking in sync wearing black suits with gold aiguillettes around their right shoulders eyes hidden under peaked hats with gold insignia
the rev silvio a ortiz began the quinceanera roman catholic mass by congratulating lucero who knelt before him at the altar
he blessed several items including a porcelain doll a symbol of luceros childhood applause echoed through mostly empty pews then lucero and her court scurried into the limo heading for the party a catered affair for 150 guests at a greek orthodox church hall in bay ridge
widely celebrated among latinos the quinceanera marks an important milestone in a girls life part birthday party part rite of passage it symbolizes a girls entrance into womanhood when turning 15 traditionally showcasing her purity and readiness for marriage
but the quinceanera has also been americanized and the increasingly elaborate celebrations reflect the changing landscape of latinos in the united states in fact luceros quinceanera was not strictly speaking a quinceanera at all
the celebration held in february had many of the traditional trappings a mass a catered bash with live music and a ceremony in which luceros transition to womanhood was marked by trading her flats for heels but lucero turned 15 a year ago this was an adapted sweet 16
i wanted to switch it up lucero said i wanted to keep some of my parents traditions but celebrate at a different age
its how its done in the united states she added
the modern quinceanera has become the 21st century manifestation of what it means to be visible in an american system on your own terms said rachel v gonzalez martin a folklorist and professor in the department of mexican american  latinao studies at the university of texas at austin at the same time she added the celebrations create a space that recalls your cultural heritage
lucero initially felt reluctant to ask her parents for the party calling it a big waste of money on just one day
contemporary quinceaneras do tend to have a hefty price tag event planners bakers and caterers hair stylists makeup artists and djs have all become part of what will soon be a multibillion dollar industry said maria bejarano director of quinceanera magazine a trade publication when you put the numbers together its stratospheric ms bejarano said the quinceanera business is a monster that keeps on growing
the celebration has spawned specialized retailers fashion expos even a reality show quiero mis quinces promoting custom parties disneys frozen was among the most popular themes last year according to quinceanera store owners
many girls are incorporating decidedly secular and non latino elements they choreograph their traditional dance routines to mainstream pop music instead of waltzes lucero opened the dance floor to a beyonce mix
in 2013 disney introduced a line of princess inspired quinceanera dresses retailing for 300 to 900 and its theme parks offer catered events like the belle of the ball package which starts at 20000 for an additional 2500 quinceaneras can make royal entrances in cinderella themed horse drawn carriages
in new york a quinceanera celebration averages around 10000 according to alfonso caviedes who owns fantasy a special events dress shop in jackson heights queens he offers a layaway system on dresses which on average cost 600 some families cannot afford to pay for the dresses up front mr caviedes said
rosa jimenez who owns bridal by rosas in east harlem puts the typical cost even higher i would recommend that families set aside at least 15000 she said its like a wedding
the median household income for latinos in the united states in 2014 was just over 42000 according to the census bureau and in new york city the figure is lower but the high prices dont dissuade families from celebrating
villa russo an event hall in queens charges up to 18700 a night for 275 guests about 30 quinceaneras a year are held there
families book custom bakers like iva velazquez in brooklyn ms velazquez supplies cakes for 15 quinceaneras a year her prices can quickly run into the thousands depending on sugar flowers ruffles and other intricate details
some have come to resent such extravagance
nowadays families are disrespectful to the church said ana morales quinceanera coordinator at st pauls church in east harlem they bring in these loud musicians like mariachis to the quinceanera the parties in the pews are taking pictures they are on their cellphones they seem to have forgotten why they are in church
as a result st pauls has been less inclined to hold such masses
the quinceanera is a symbol of status and recognition ms bejarano the magazine director said families want to celebrate big but its these strong ties to tradition that distract parents from thinking about how they will pay for their daughters future education
professor gonzalez martin of the university of texas finds such criticism problematic people dont tend to question lavish bat mitzvahs she said people make the assumptions that jewish communities are more affluent whereas latino communities are stereotyped as impoverished
its like talking to someone who is on a diet and saying you shouldnt really eat that and assuming that they dont know what they are putting in their mouth she added
luceros parents cooks by trade had been saving for this day for two years now both 50 years old they immigrated to the united states from mexico in their early 20s
my parents grew up poor lucero said they used to work in the fields my mom when she first got to the us she used to work in factories my mom never had a quince so she told me i didnt have a chance but you do
of course this is a sacrifice for us mr cedillo acknowledged but we dont see it that way this is tradition lucero is a good daughter and she deserves a party
the quinceanera appeals to both new immigrants and those established for several generations professor gonzalez martin said but for different reasons for newer arrivals its about creating a display of affluence she said for second  or third generation latino americans the quinceanera has become a way to reclaim traditions with which theyve lost touch
staging these elaborate celebrations requires a system of patronage particularly in mexican communities in both mexico and the united states the girls parents reach out to relatives and friends to help pay for everything from the limo to the beer
luceros godparents   12 relatives and friends had been selected   helped cover the celebrations cost around 13000
at the church hall in bay ridge lucero walked slowly between two columns of chambelanes as they held their costume swords when she arrived at a white throne two of her godparents handed her a long bedazzled scepter and placed a crystal tiara atop her carefully curled hair
mr cedillo knelt before his daughter with a silk pillow holding sparkling silver shoes lucero lifted her ball gown just enough to let her feet emerge from the layers of fabric he removed her flats swapping them for the four inch heels the moment a traditional part of the quinceanera is supposed to be the first time a young girl wears high heels and dances with a man
this was not quite the case with lucero ive danced since i was 9 she said after the party this is definitely not the first time ive put on heels
at nearly 1 am the staff was clearing away empty plates luceros parents called up the godparents and handed each a basket of fruit and blankets as thanks for their sponsorship and attendance the family huddled to say a prayer
then the lights dimmed and banda   traditional brass based mexican music   blasted through the speakers luceros father and uncle emerged from the kitchen carrying a roasted pig on their shoulders
the guests had formed a running circle around the dance floor and lucero joined them after changing into a free flowing cream dress soon she was dancing barefoot to her own manic adolescent rhythm her sparkling high heels clutched tightly at her side


in the early 1980s while most upper west siders were breathing a sigh of relief that the neighborhoods seedy sometimes menacing single room occupancy hotels were being converted into co ops a few residents of west 87th street worried about the fate of the hotels tenants particularly those in the sro on their block the capitol hall
thirty three years ago in a bold practically unheard of stroke they actually bought the 10 story hotel enlisting goddard riverside community center and other nonprofit organizations as well as government agencies to help finance the purchase the price 195 million what a two bedroom co op might sell for today they saw to it that social workers were installed and security was in place at the hotel entrance and they took turns getting to know the tenants and running activities like bingo while there have been occasional disturbances to ruffle the leafy largely brownstone blocks calm demeanor the hotel has provided permanent homes for hundreds of the poor frail elderly troubled or addicted
last month the hotels neighbors and its many donors celebrated the completion of a 167 million top to bottom renovation of the building that has finally provided the 200 current tenants their own bathrooms and kitchenettes and created community rooms to flavor their days with netflix movies gab sessions gardening and more the renovation capitalizing on newly available government preservation funds has reduced the residents indignities
before i had to get fully dressed just to use the bathroom on the floor said charlene saliski a 60 year old former home health aide who has lived in the building for six years with her longhaired chihuahua princess sofia and her tabby prince george im proud of the building proud of where i live now
ms saliski found herself at the capitol hall after the death of her partner from lung cancer the loss of his income meant she could no longer afford the 1000 rent on her apartment in east new york brooklyn another capitol hall tenant eddie a ortiz 49 a freelance hairdresser has depression and supports himself with a city stipend for hiv positive individuals he settled in a year and a half ago after periods of boarding with his mother who has cancer and at a manhattan homeless shelter he has outfitted his room with furniture discarded on sidewalks but with a few touches of the interior decorator he once was   a zebra rug and posters of isadora duncan and the rat pack
it may be a conceit but i like to think of such tenants as refugees of a sort finding havens from lifes vagaries and mishaps the hotel once housed literal refugees including my family
i was 5 years old in 1950 when after a voyage on a merchant marine ship across the atlantic my parents marcus and rachel berger survivors of the holocaust whose polish hometowns had been destroyed my 3 year old brother josh and i moved into a single room in the capitol hall subsidized by the hebrew immigrant aid society
we lived there for several weeks and my memories of that time are spare   a dark dusty oppressive room walks along broadway where we encountered other war refugees living in sro hotels and a fistfight between my father and a man who came to kick us out of the hotel after the immigrant aid payments ended but the capitol hall gave us a foothold in the country and introduced us to the cosmopolitan pleasures of the west side a neighborhood we were to live in for most of the next five years
the capitol hall has also given a foothold to ms saliski and mr ortiz as well as to thousands of migrants from the hinterlands according to a history provided by organizers of the celebration held on may 24 it started life in 1913 as an apartment building with four apartments per floor by the early 1940s the buildings owners found it more profitable to cut up the apartments into narrow hotel rooms that would house the vigorous young workers flocking to new york for jobs in the wartime mobilization
in the 1950s the capitol hall and scores of other hotels like the marseilles and the whitehall housed war refugees and later solitary elderly men and women disabled people and mental patients released from state psychiatric hospitals by the 1970s during the citys economic downturn and near bankruptcy the term sro had acquired a sinister overtone with many hotels filling up with drug dealers prostitutes and released convicts who would frighten other tenants trying to scratch out a living and would disturb their neighbors with drunken brawls one nearby hotel the endicott was the site of several murders
by the 1980s a wave of gentrification had spread across the brownstones and apartment houses and hotels like the endicott were converted to luxury co ops but some west 87th street residents among them mig boyle a former tenant organizer and her late husband robert hoyt the founder of the national catholic reporter newspaper and eric and gillian rosenfeld wanted to preserve the diversity they had come to prize they also realized that throwing the hotels tenants out would increase the neighborhoods street homelessness
in the late 1970s the west 87th street 100 block association had arranged for social services to be provided in the hotel they invited hotel tenants to take part in the blocks annual pumpkin festival and help with spring plantings we got to know all the people in the hotel ms boyle said we totally lost the idea of us and them
when the landlord decided to convert the building ms boyle urged her neighbors lets buy it
mig comes up with these big plans and often they work out said mr rosenfeld a lawyer chuckling
despite opposition from some block residents they brought in goddard riverside a neighborhood social services organization which steered them to the settlement housing fund a nonprofit that specialized in packaging financing for low income housing after a complicated struggle financing was arranged through several government agencies and donations from foundations and private individuals one donor was the socialite brooke astor who toured the building and gave 100000
in the three decades since the buildings upkeep and oversight have sometimes been challenging mostly because money has been hard to come by ms saliski said that when she first moved in the building seemed dilapidated in places there were also complaints from neighbors of loud televisions and occasional thefts
the renovation started in 2013 was complicated because goddard riverside wanted to displace no more than one third of the tenants at a time and temporarily shelter them in other subsidized housing among the improvements made a courtyard used for storing garbage was converted into a community room along with the physical renovation social workers were added and weekly visits by nurse practitioners started the renovation was paid for with a combination of city bond financing and low income housing tax credits most tenants receive support from the federal section 8 rent program while rooms rent for 900 the tenants pay no more than one third of their income
stephan russo executive director of goddard riverside noted that where commercial sros once accommodated 200000 tenants they probably house no more than 20000 now an additional 35000 people live in nonprofit run sros mayor bill de blasio and gov andrew m cuomo have pledged to create 35000 additional units of supportive housing over the next 10 years
projects like the capitol hall said mr russo provided a model for other permanent supported housing projects
rather than saying not in my backyard they said yes on my block he said of the residents of west 87th street


the pastoral life is probably not what many new yorkers associate with the bronx but for dr maya shetreat klein a pediatric neurologist who lives and works   and raises chickens   in riverdale the borough offers a deep retreat from the urban experience in her practice dr shetreat klein 42 combines western medicine with diet and botanical remedies to treat children with migraines seizures attention deficit disorders and other health problems her recent book the dirt cure growing healthy kids with food straight from soil addresses her work at home she grows herbs and vegetables and takes advantage of the bronxs many acres of parkland we eat their eggs she said of her eight avian household members we have not eaten the chickens in addition to the birds the doctor lives with her husband avni 44 a physiatrist their three children and a golden retriever
set the tone i wake up around 730 or 8 on my own i will take a few minutes to sit in bed and meditate and have a quiet mind and set an intention for my day and connect with gratitude the way i connect with gratitude is often through a heart meditation in which i think about all the things im thankful for all the things and people i love it helps me set the tone of the day
into the woods if im taking my dog out we might go for a walk in the woods near my house ill be looking for new things in the woods because i like to forage im looking especially for mushrooms last year i found over 30 pounds of maitake mushrooms in a 10 day period thats a sacred part of my morning to have that time with my dog in the forest
egg hunt i or my husband will go to our chicken coop and check to see how many eggs we have we have different breeds of chicken so our eggs will be blue and pink and very dark brown we can easily go through 10 eggs in the morning we get as many as eight eggs per day
herbal remedies typically ill do some gardening and cleaning out of the chicken coop i grow kale beans cucumbers tomatoes collards fennel sunflowers and then also i like to grow medicinal herbs one of the herbs that i love is yarrow which has a beautiful flower but also you can make a salve that is really useful for bruises and soreness or you can make a tincture that can be useful for bleeding so my son would sometimes get nosebleeds and i would just give him a few drops of the yarrow tincture that i made
preventive medicine woodland style well often go hiking as a family i think of it as forest bathing which is a practice that was named in japan and there its called shinrin yoku part of preventive medicine for the body mind and soul is to immerse yourself in the forest for long periods
eat your veggies typically im doing the cooking for dinner it may be taking leftovers and transforming it into something more fun and interesting like a chicken potpie and always a lot of vegetables
working by candlelight my middle son elan has a violin lesson on sunday evenings and my daughter margalit is usually catching up on homework and very often ill bring back bits of the forest like some beautiful bark or leaves and ill make a little landscape with them on a table well light candles to have a nice atmosphere
family movie my kids always ask if we can watch a quote unquote family movie on sunday nights it used to always have to be star wars or harry potter but now weve evolved where we can watch some other choices as well
check in and out hopefully i get a few minutes in to talk to my husband about whats going on with ourselves with the kids then we go to bed i sometimes meditate before bed but it will usually turn into falling asleep having a peaceful wakeful and mindful time at 11 oclock is a little more challenging for a parent


midtown east has long been known as an area of expensive hotels easy access to grand central terminal and the united nations but proper pubs not really the area those who live there call it turtle bay has long specialized in rowdy white collar hookup joints expensive wine bars and paint by number irish saloons not to mention the occasional sketchy massage parlor
that all changed in the fall of 2013 when hudson malone opened doug quinn a former bartender at the beloved pj clarkes opened the bar on 218 east 53rd street replacing another of the neighborhoods ubiquitous frat house watering holes this one called tammany hall in a 116 year old two story building on the menu are burgers and what the staff refers to as new york comfort food
but the draw at hudson malone is its owner depending on whom you ask mr quinns firing from pj clarkes was either an outrage or totally justified there was a heated dispute between two patrons and mr quinn was not hesitant about picking sides and stating his case pj clarkes did not respond to a call seeking comment
not in dispute is that as a bartender he has a devoted following
joe carey 48 a crisis communications consultant who works in midtown has been ordering pints from mr quinn for more than a decade
doug is the real deal he said on a recent spring evening at hudson malone he called mr quinn flat out the best bartender in new york
mr quinns idea for hudson malone which is named after his sons was doctors and lawyers mixing it up with carpenters and contractors on that night the mix was pretty balanced
imogen lloyd webber daughter of andrew senior editor at broadwaycom and author of a new book called the intelligent conversationalist was enjoying a glass of white wine she is about as local as you can get it really is an old school neighborhood place ms webber said
nearby was another right brained regular kaytlin bailey a 29 year old comedian when i was even more poor than i am now doug would tolerate me just ordering water while watching me con dudes into buying me dinner she said he always had my back
the decor at hudson malone is from another time   turn of the century lamps coffered tin ceilings various knickerbocker themed knickknacks just as anachronistic is the owners wardrobe which usually consists of french cuffed button down shirts and a rotation of turnbull  asser bow ties
the bow tie is built into the bars neon marquee and it is also emblazoned on an indoor chalkboard labeled quinns laws among adages like failure creates success is what might well be the motto of the bar revenge is a beer best poured cold
but mr quinn 48 no longer wants to talk about his former job the only picture of that place happens to be strategically located above the mens toilet in the basement
on tuesday nights when the upstairs piano is pounding and customers convene among paintings of legendary saloon proprietors like toots shor and elaine kaufman its clear what mr quinn is aspiring to
the bartenders know my drink the minute i get in said greg williams a 38 year old research analyst who works two blocks away its like a speakeasy minus the waxed mustaches and stupid suspenders in actual annoying speakeasies
mr williams was drinking with his identical twin robert near the bars antique jukebox you wont find much pearl jam and elvis costello playing at any other east midtown bar he said plus no plastic cups which is rare for this area


jaws they say invented the blockbuster but damn if muhammad ali didnt get there first from 1971 to 1974 he starred in two of the greatest events in the history of american sports fights with joe frazier at madison square garden and george foreman in kinshasa that had names that belonged on a movie studios release schedule the fight of the century and the rumble in the jungle
in october 1975 came a rematch with frazier they called that one the thrilla in manila but with all due respect to francis ford coppola everyone who saw ali and frazier nearly kill each other that oppressively sticky manila morning knew it was the original apocalypse now
in 1965 the photographer neil leifer captured ali after he had knocked out sonny liston two minutes into their match   ali stands over a laid out liston roaring in conquest making you think the man is playing a totally different sport to stick with the jaws comparison he was the shark the ocean and the boat captain and if he was fighting you were going to need a bigger bout   the biggest
it wasnt just the matches that were blockbusters it was ali himself he was the most important political cultural figure to survive the deadly tumult of the 1960s and flourish in the 1970s ali licked liston frazier foreman and dozens of other men but he was at the center of american culture in part because he had turned boxing into a condition of the american self punch or be punched with him boxing wasnt just a sport but a referendum on the state of the country
he had become larger than life but without forgetting how much black lives matter the legacy of his bodacious charisma was built to last well beyond his death on friday ali was telegenic funny clever blunt fearless and above all politically principled his beliefs transfixed and polarized the country what would he say next where would he take us the short answer to that second question is on a public journey
ali was a politically black zelig but instead of merely lurking within the times he shaped them he was complicated and contradictory as both a man and an african american embracing and shedding radical black islam wielding racist imagery to rile opponents refusing to play the black clown for the press
the journey led the baddest boxer in the world to shake hands with gerald r ford one of the blander presidents he acted on broadway and wrote braggadocio raps that we called poetry because at the time we didnt know what rap was by the time he lit the olympic torch for the atlanta games in 1996 he was an elder statesman visibly shuddering with signs of parkinsons disease a powerful poignant distance from his 1960s self but still media ready
the day after he upset liston in 1964 he hooked up with the nation of islam and announced that he would no longer be going by his birth name cassius clay sure it was the name of a white abolitionist   from alis own kentucky no less   but it felt like a slave name too
the news media took its sweet time coming around to muhammad ali many reporters kept calling him cassius in a childish bear poking style so he had to fight for that too by 1977 when levar burtons kunta kinte chose in roots to be whipped for refusing to repeat his new name you can imagine a portion of the 30 million people who watched exhaling something like oh i get it
nonetheless alis embrace of the pro black anti integration nation of islam alarmed the country almost overnight a cocky young fighter became a scary black man in 1967 he claimed conscientious objector status and refused the army induction to fight in vietnam saying to the press i aint got no trouble with them vietcong it aint right they never called me nigger  his defiance brought out competing paradoxes until america reconciled its war with itself how could it ask a citizen to fight somewhere else
he was fined 10000 sentenced to five years in prison stripped of his boxing title and forced to wait three and a half years for the supreme court to overturn his conviction he lost prime fighting years and gained honor the roaring monster in leifers photo now appeared on the cover of esquire in his boxing trunks his bare chest shot with arrows just like poor martyred st sebastian another astonishing transformation the scary black man had become a national folk hero
alis objection to the war came the same year that sidney poitier long a symbol of the possibilities of racial integration and of turning the other cheek hauled off and slapped an old white racist in in the heat of the night hed finally run out of cheeks by the 1970s poitier had found a second less gusty wind directing and starring in slick comedies that pushed the kind of cultural politics of appearing respectable if not accommodating that ali sometimes espoused
take this moment from 1974 on the mike douglas show douglas asks his guest co host sly stone to introduce ali and sly   cool stoned super duper enthusiastic   brings ali out like this i love muhammad ali
out strolls ali he looks crisp in a great dark suit white shirt and tie they shake hands and sly in a star splotched bell bottom one piece goes in for a hug ali has barely taken his seat when douglass joshing sarcasm sets the tone youre happy again today i can tell
the audience laughs and then douglas completes his thought you never walk out with a nice smile you always look troubled as if ali   the worlds greatest athlete least likely sufferer of fools and most famous living civil right activist   was supposed to be soupy sales
if douglas was going there ali was going to follow i am troubled we have so many problems in the world he says reclining a bit in his chair generating suspense with his terrific meaty louisville accent as to whether he would respond with comedy or gloomy candor with sly staring at him he succinctly dispels the suspense these shows are so phony everybodys laughing everything is a laugh here in america aint nobody serious people hungry war all kind of trouble
ali questions the complicity of black entertainers in this circus while sly mockingly repeats what ali says and tells him to lighten up we aint planning on going to church now
the more sly leans toward him the more ali seems to lean away   its the physics of temperament but also of racial disposition on this day ali has everyday black folks on his mind sly doesnt not share the same concerns but he makes a passable case for the values of peace and love this isnt a disagreement over philosophy but of presentation ali didnt want to be seen smiling if he didnt feel like it
much of america had probably seen ali chop it up with howard cosell on wide world of sports but tension between two black men on the subject of their own race wasnt a regular spice in the daytime television diet
even in 2016 its arresting especially with two men this outwardly different officially black is a who but with ali it was always a how how do you use your blackness both for and against how is it helping how might it hurt how is our own blackness being turned against us
when he left boxing after his last fight in 1981 he took the majesty of the sport with him he took the symbolism and grim spectatorial history too boxing is a two man contest but if ali was in the ring so was the rest of the country
after him blackness as a point of public pride had also drifted away from american popular culture   or rather it had been absorbed by the gradual mainstreaming of hip hop and the proliferation of a black middle class it found shelter in such apolitical spaces as the huxtables brooklyn home and will smiths adopted bel air mansion
but in the last few years something has changed theres been increased political awareness of the inequality of black life and outrage over unjust black death technology has given megaphones to previously voiceless people at the same time major black artists and stars have reconnected blackness history and politics   from kanye west and beyonce and kendrick lamar to lebron james who in 2012 put the miami heat in hoodies for an iconic photo after trayvon martins death even our black president has come further unfettered not simply addressing race but almost luxuriating in his blackness he told howard universitys most recent graduating class to embrace its black identity   more or less as he publicly has
some of whats happened in this period has been rightly received as radical these are hardly boring times were living in but when the country is seen through the prism of muhammad ali words like radical truth fame and risk suddenly feel as if they should come with an asterisk


salem ore   a parade of republican controlled states in recent years has made it more difficult to cast a ballot imposing strict identification requirements at polling stations paring back early voting periods and requiring proof of citizenship to register
then there is oregon it is leading what could become a march in the opposite direction
from january through april oregon added nearly 52000 new voters to its rolls by standing the usual voter registration process on its head under a new law most citizens no longer need to fill out and turn in a form to become a voter instead everyone who visits a motor vehicle bureau and meets the requirements is automatically enrolled choosing a political party   or opting out entirely   is a matter of checking off preferences on a postcard mailed later to registrants homes
with the change oregon now boasts perhaps the nations most painless electoral process mail in ballots long ago did away with polling places snaking lines and balky voting machines
whether painless equals effective however is another question for while officials here hope automatic registration fuels a jump in voter turnout the results of experiments elsewhere and the statistics from last months oregon presidential primary   the first in which the new voters could cast ballots   have been decidedly mixed getting more people registered it seems does not necessarily mean getting more people to vote
regardless oregons example is gaining traction california vermont west virginia and this week illinois have followed oregon in enacting automatic registration laws none have yet been put in effect twenty three other states and the district of columbia have considered similar measures since last year according to the brennan center for justice at new york universitys school of law
i think states like oregon west virginia and the others deserve a lot of credit for trying to bring voting rights into the 21st century said david becker the director of election initiatives for the pew charitable trusts
yet in a year when voting is as much a partisan football as a patriotic duty even the civics book notion of expanding the electoral franchise has a political cast to many conservatives automatic registration is largely a democratic pushback to a wave of voting restrictions enacted by republican state legislators who claim to be combating voter fraud most experts say the kind of fraud the laws are said to target barely exists
just as republicans may assume   and sometimes say outright   that voting restrictions depress election day turnout of students minorities and other traditionally democratic constituencies democrats may assume that expanding registration will bring more of those same voters into their fold
when you get people living in poverty people of color young people registered yes they tend to vote progressively jennifer williamson the democratic majority leader of the oregon house of representatives said in an interview but regardless of what the outcome is removing the barriers for people to vote is the right thing to do
excepting west virginia the states that have enacted auto registration laws are controlled by democrats a chicago based group mounting a nationwide campaign for the laws is headed by former political strategists for president obama who also has urged the states to follow oregons lead
oregons bill became law without a single republican vote so did californias and while vermont and west virginia registration laws won bipartisan backing some analysts suggest that was partly because those states have too few unregistered minorities to be points of political dispute
if automatic registration gains steam nationally however the impact could be sizable
the census bureau says that at least 411 million of the 219 million people eligible to vote in 2014 were not registered california alone had roughly 66 million eligible but unregistered voters as of last october state officials said
enrolling them could conceivably change the political landscape while the majority are white census data show they are also disproportionately asian and hispanic lower income and young other studies indicate they are less educated and less engaged with politics and their communities than are regular voters
while those characteristics often fit democratic voters that is not always so lower income less educated white voters for example are reliably republican and are strong supporters of donald j trumps presidential bid
whatever their leanings the crucial question is whether they will turn out on election day the answer is unclear
samuel s wang a princeton university professor of neuroscience and a longstanding elections analyst leads the optimists he notes that participation in programs like organ donation and savings plans rises dramatically when people have to opt out of them instead of opting in
in jurisdictions that allow election day registration at polling stations   a method almost as simple as automatic registration   average turnout is 78 percentage points above the national average he said were automatic voter registration to generate the same increase the electorate would gain 147 million voters
it will potentially have a larger increase than any amount of shoe leather get out the vote he wrote in an email
but many experts are skeptical the citizens swept on to the rolls by automatic registration they say are by definition those who have not made voting a priority and the political landscape is littered with electoral fillips that had little impact on americans sorry electoral behavior
most studies show that election reforms dont affect turnout very much and when they do the people who turn out look a lot like the people who are already voting said barry c burden the director of the university of wisconsin madisons elections research center
the 1993 national voter registration act   the motor voter law   aimed to increase registration by requiring motor vehicle and public assistance offices to offer patrons a chance to enroll as voters but one study concluded that motor vehicle bureau registrations have remained fairly constant even as the population has increased
voting by mail vastly simplifies casting a ballot and the states that mandate it   oregon colorado and washington   have turnout rates well above the national norm
yet states from mississippi to minnesota have comparable or even higher turnout and studies in california and washington suggested that mail in ballots generally raise turnout only when combined with other get out the vote efforts
delawares electronic registration system is all but automatic computers flag unregistered motor vehicle bureau customers and clerks offer them a paperless registration process that requires only a signature on an electronic pad
the states elections commissioner elaine manlove raves about it we have no paper anymore she said it freed up tons of office space and made things faster
but from 2010 to 2015 state records indicate delaware added only about 26000 democrats and independents   and lost 2853 republicans thats an increase of less than 4 percent
and oregon secretary of state jeanne p atkins says the jury is still out
by one measure citizens greeted auto registration with a yawn of the 55092 oregonians automatically enrolled at motor vehicle offices through april 30 only 12621 mailed back postcards regarding their registration status   and about one in three asked to be deregistered
of those who chose a party 4776 ticked the democratic checkbox a share considerably greater than the partys 41 percent share statewide another 2671 became republicans well below the partys 28 percent share
jim moore a political science professor and election analyst at oregons pacific university said election reforms like mail in balloting have triggered similar bumps in democratic registration or turnout but that they were short lived in the long run everything settles into its demographic place and the electorate reflects who we are as a people he said this doesnt say anything about the next election
the good news was that those voters turned out in droves to support their presidential candidates in proportions roughly equal to democratic and republican turnout statewide but unaffiliated voters   those who never returned a postcard   all but stayed home although unaffiliated voters could not vote in the presidential primaries more than one in five statewide still cast ballots in nonpartisan races among those who were automatically registered however the number was closer to 1 in 16
ms atkins the secretary of state said any genuine impact of the registration changes will be clear only after more voters are automatically enrolled and can vote in elections open to everyone the voters enrolled through april comprise less than 2 percent of the states registered voters we have a lot to learn over the next several election cycles she said but i think we can say so far so good


paris   on sunday before the french open mens final if all goes according to plan jim courier will step back in time and onto the red clay with his 1 year old son kellan
it has been 25 years since courier   white ball cap and big forehand in place   beat his fellow bollettieri academy alumnus andre agassi to win the title at roland garros it has also been 25 years since two american men squared off for the biggest prize in clay court tennis a high water mark that is all the more remarkable for the grand slam singles drought that american mens tennis continues to experience
those were good days courier said these are good days too just not as much for americans
in 1991 the french opens main court had not yet been named for philippe chatrier who was then still the president of the french tennis federation the temple of terre battue was then simply called le court central
but there was nothing straightforward about couriers run to his first major title he was close to elimination in the third round against the big hitting sleepy eyed swede magnus larsson before rallying to win in five sets
ill never forget i was down 2 4 15 40 in the fourth set and serving courier said i was getting ready to serve at the line and a baby cried out in the stands and i just looked up at the baby and said i know exactly how you feel and it relaxed me for whatever reason or maybe it tightened him up but i ended up getting out of that game and out of that set and getting through that match but i was at the exit that was a virtual match point
courier then had to get past the no 1 seed stefan edberg in the quarterfinals the soon to be wimbledon champ michael stich in the semifinals and then agassi and a shaky start in a five set final that was full of subplots
at that stage courier was 20 years old and seeded ninth the least celebrated of the four young americans who would leave such a deep imprint on the game
michael chang had already won the french open at age 17 in 1989 pete sampras had already won the united states open at age 19 in 1990
agassi who had just turned 21 had already reached three grand slam semifinals and two finals and had made more headlines than the rest of the star spangled group combined with his long hair real in those days flashy clothes boxer sized entourage and aversion to wimbledon and its sartorial restrictions
i always thought there could only be two poles but those guys made me realize that there could actually be four said todd martin the thoughtful american player who is now chief executive of the international tennis hall of fame they were all so different at the time
bouncing off one another like free electrons sampras agassi courier and chang   an american big four   would ride herd over mens tennis for much of the 1990s
but that spring in paris in 1991 belonged to courier or to be more precise to courier and his team which included the coaches jose higueras and brad stine
higueras the former spanish star who was at his best on clay had been critical to changs improbable run to the roland garros title in 1989
i certainly didnt expect to win id never been past the fourth round of a major until that tournament so it was a big leap courier said even getting to the semifinals was a big leap it was a real learning process and i was lucky to have someone in joe who had steered a novice through those pearly gates a couple years earlier so that was massive to have on my side
courier and agassi had once shared a condominium at the bollettieri tennis academy the darwinian tennis boot camp in bradenton fla started by nick bollettieri that made or cracked so many talented young players
we survived and lived to tell the tale courier said
he and agassi were both on scholarships agassi a prodigy from las vegas had been sent there against his will but courier from dade city fla saw the place as a potential golden ticket
they shared that suite in 1985 during couriers first semester at the academy with courier sleeping in a bunk room with three other campers and agassi sleeping in another bunk room with three other campers
so eight kids in a condo with a common area courier said there was a little clique of las vegas guys that he was in with so he was challenging they were ganging up on everybody who wasnt from vegas it was high school and there were a lot of egos and posturing and a lot of lashing out for people like andre who didnt want to be there which was interesting for someone like me to see who did want to be there
agassi was brutally honest about this period in his life in his autobiography open
should have kicked him out a hundred times bollettieri said in a recent interview
but courier makes it clear that he was no angel either i am not sainting myself by any means he said im sure i gave as good as i got to a lot of people including trying to give back to andre but i dont think my wit was ever quite as quick as his
the underlying tension had taken on a different dimension when courier beat agassi in the third round of the 1989 french open and bollettieri whom courier viewed as a mentor sat in agassis camp during the match and made his allegiances clear courier was hurt
there was just a lot of confusion for a young naive athlete said courier who added that he had eventually realized and accepted that bollettieri was making a simple and sound business decision by supporting the marketable agassi
that was an eye opener and we obviously have since rectified that a long time ago said courier who eventually supported bollettieris successful candidacy for the international tennis hall of fame
the final in 1991 still had an edge and though agassi started strong and was up a set and a break the match turned   like so many big grand slam and french open matches through the years   on a rain delay during the break higueras advised courier to move back on service returns and make the match more of a grinding physical test he did so and went on to win 3 6 6 4 2 6 6 1 6 4
i dont think i felt resentment courier said of agassi i think i felt motivation to try to get my piece of the pie too andre was awesome for our generation he blazed the trail he showed us it could be done very early by getting on tour at 15 or 16 years old that opened up my eyes and im pretty sure that opened pete and michaels eyes too because we all had played juniors against him
they would all eventually be grand slam champions too with agassi breaking through to win wimbledon of all tournaments in 1992 he courier and sampras would all hold the no 1 ranking chang peaked at no 2
courier went on to defend his title at the 1992 french open beating agassi along the way again but they are good friends at this stage of their lives not rivals   family men and fathers too
and so on sunday courier who is in paris commenting for british and american television planned to walk back onto the clay with his young son and mark the passage of time just as he did earlier this year at the australian open where he also won two titles
we just had the court to ourselves for a few minutes and i had a picture with him courier said because hes a baby and just to have that for the record its kind of cool


santa clara calif   shortly after watching what had appeared to be a disheartening defeat to colombia in the opening game of the copa america united states coach jurgen klinsmann was an exemplar of serenity
he sat in a packed room late friday at levis stadium for his postgame news conference and insisted that he was absolutely ok with the teams play and that besides the 2 0 score the two sides had been totally even
his players had asserted themselves well against a top team he said repeatedly he seemed content to claim a moral victory in his eyes a sunny road was ahead
its absolutely no problem now going forward klinsmann said about the teams two remaining group stage games say we play costa rica to get 3 points and we play paraguay to get 3 points were in the quarterfinal
that may be so colombia entered the game ranked no 3 in fifas world rankings featuring players on the rosters of some of the worlds top clubs costa rica no 23 and paraguay no 44 represent opponents that the united states no 31 playing on home soil should reasonably beat
yet for all the calm that klinsmann projected it was obvious that there were ways the team could improve and certain problems to shore up
michael bradley the teams serious minded captain was less effusive about his teams performance bradley does not seem to actively enjoy speaking to reporters after games but he has a naturally reflective disposition   compared with his coach who tends to default to familiar cheerful talking points   and cannot help providing clear eyed analysis of match results
he spoke about the difficulty the game had presented and the way the colombians had imposed their philosophy on the field he talked about the unfortunate hole the team had dug for itself in the tournament he did not delve into specific criticisms but he made it clear that improvement was needed
we needed to be a little sharper a little better a little more ruthless to be able to make something for ourselves bradley said
to the casual observer various problems were apparent
on offense there was never a feeling that the american attackers had any capacity to weave threatening moves toward the colombia goal their formation scrunched up in undisciplined ways at inopportune times flattening and narrowing when it more likely needed to expand to enfeeble the compact colombia defensive structure
that klinsmann did not make any substitutions at halftime   leaving the group on the field unchanged until he inserted christian pulisic and darlington nagbe after 66 minutes   seemed to allow the problem to fester and become more glaring
on defense the team appeared to lack a consistent way to pressure the colombian players while they built their passing moves from their half it was clear that colombia after taking the early lead would be happy to sit back inside its end yet the americans did little to exploit that positioning on the field
in the next day or so well certainly look and see how we can improve going forward bradley said it hurts to go down so early in a big game early on in a tournament you dont want to put yourself behind the eight ball right away
there were positives to take away too the defense in its own half did an admirable job of bottling up colombias effervescent attacking players klinsmann called the back line outstanding
clint dempsey who had a mixed game from the center forward position nevertheless provided the teams best scoring chances including a first half shot that swerved just outside the left post and a second half free kick that required a flying save from david ospina the colombia goalkeeper
after the game dempsey seemed to dwell on the penalty kick that was awarded to colombia just before halftime when deandre yedlin inadvertently handled the ball with his back turned to the play this was the moment that changed the game dempsey said
asked if it felt as if the team had missed an opportunity to take the game from colombia dempsey said yeah i mean but what do you do when you have that penalty called against you in your home country were used to getting those types of calls even if its kind of close
in truth the united states may not enjoy a signficiant home field advantage   from referees or the crowds   in the tournament the crowd on friday seemed to include a majority of colombia fans many of whom rocked with joy watching the straightforward victory
but klinsmann brushed aside any worry that his team would not have sufficient support on home soil and praised the atmosphere in santa clara
it was beautiful to see all the yellow jerseys and all the us jerseys klinsmann said i hope they enjoyed the evening
it was another nice sentiment from a coach who spent the night curiously unperturbed


a linebacker for the green bay packers understood exactly why we love the enduring family run italian restaurant the october 1974 issue of esquire magazine included a feature on where nfl players liked to eat in which that linebacker jim carter gave this description of a chicago favorite food keeps coming and theyre insulted if you dont eat everything   or spend less than three hours on a meal
happily four decades later restaurants like that still exist in westchester county not as dusty relics but as welcoming redoubts where the table is yours for as long as you want portions are plentiful and having a good time is pretty much a sure thing here are three of the best
i was sitting at the bar at sams a few weeks back contemplating the menu over a glass of chianti when a customer a few seats down a regular i learned later began extolling the virtues of the restaurants calamari siciliano he took a sip of his cocktail and asked if i order some will you share it with me who could say no to that it disappeared pronto i offered to buy or at least split the charge he declined
a little dobbs ferry hospitality the bartender said
sams has been in business on main street since 1952 when sam ciancio opened it in two tight rooms and it has gradually expanded over the years maurice giliberti who bought the restaurant in 1986 knew it well he grew up on main after his family moved to the united states from calabria in italy when he was 9 years old and mr giliberti worked as a busboy at sams as a teenager he went on to own restaurants in yonkers and wappingers falls with his brothers when the ciancio family asked if he was interested in buying sams he said i didnt have to think about it too much
mr giliberti 57 works six days a week arriving in the morning to set the specials and make sure the kitchen is ready he is in the dining room in the evenings greeting a stream of customers many of whom he has known for years
his kitchen turns out standards caesar salad penne alla vodka chicken parmigiana but he enjoys going beyond the basics short rib ravioli branzino topped with shrimp mussels and clams over capellini pasta christiana the sheets rolled with spinach and ricotta and topped with gorgonzola and a bright marinara sauce
and then theres the celebrated pizza   weve been doing the same pizza for 50 years mr giliberti said his brother albert supervises the pie making his brother sam sometimes works as a host and mr gilibertis adult daughters christina and melissa often help out on weekends
one saturday night before diving into the excellent italian cheesecake they make here i poked my head into the other dining room and told a waiter i was checking it out youve never been here before he asked it had been a few years i said
oh man you have to start coming back he replied
francesco spinali started working as a waiter at the restaurant that now bears his name in 1964 when the chef left mr spinali who is from florence volunteered to run the kitchen for a while and in 1970 he bought the place he has never stopped cooking in its compact kitchen where everything is within easy reach he is 77
mr spinali makes a good pizza fine franceses and a satisfying rack of lamb his penne alla vodka is a standout lush but not overly rich get it with shrimp
for years francescos was a hockey hangout when many new york rangers players lived in the area adam graves and john vanbiesbrouck were regulars mr spinali said and nick fotiu and steve vickers will occasionally come by one signed portrait to mr spinali from anders hedberg reads a friend we can all trust and turn to in good and bad times
a lot of the guys they give a nice poster mr spinali said
men and women who once came to francescos with their parents bring their children for dinner i used to put them on the seat now they come with their own kids he said
mr spinalis son and daughter work with him paolo his son runs the bar sets up the kitchen for the day and makes the soups francesca varga his daughter works in the dining room with the paintings of venice and chalkboard menus you may wait for a table but its yours until you decide it isnt
once when i couldnt figure out what to order i asked ms varga about the lasagna
what can i say she said its a brick of love
sly musilli remembers the day he realized how much his familys restaurant meant to him
mr musillis father jerry one of the owners of la mandas was in the hospital and sly musilli who was working at an executive search firm in boston after graduating from tufts university had come to visit
at one point sly musilli said his father and his fathers business partner went behind the curtain and i could hear them talking   maybe its time to sell were getting older im sitting there on the other side going wow life without la mandas
he didnt like the sound of that so sly musilli came home to work with his father
now they are co owners sly is 46 he is at la mandas six days a week making sure everybody is happy jerry 87 is in the restaurant on monday nights doing the same i grew up in the place so this is more than just a job for me sly musilli said he did his math homework sitting behind the register washed glasses behind the bar bussed tables as i got older id put a tie on and help my dad out as the manager
jerry musilli who grew up in a village in abruzzo italy bought la mandas with partners in 1967 it had been owned by the albanese family who began serving pizzas in the 1930s the brick oven from that era coal then gas now is still in use
for a while pizza continued to be the main draw at la mandas we used to make 2000 pizzas a week jerry musilli said but when there was a pizza joint on every other corner he said more dishes were put on the menu including la mandas most popular entree for good reason chicken scarparo with garlic white wine and red wine vinegar there are all sorts of possible additions but im firmly committed to sausage potatoes and hot peppers roasted red pepper pesto with rigatoni   thats nice too and the pork chops and the pizza with the ciabatta like outer crust
those pizzas come out of the oven behind a window in the dining room a window that has had a crack in it for 50 years its like the liberty bell only with pepperoni
whats the story
we dont know shocker sly musilli said laughing he theorized that it had been the result of the building settling by now the crack is as much a signature of la mandas as the neon sign out front the scarparo the mixed salad and the wooden booths
when someone walks in and the place looks the same 30 years later that makes me happy he said occasionally ill get somebody who walks through the door i havent been here in 25 years is it still the same owners do you know jerry
to which sly musilli said he would answer hes still here thats my dad and thats awesome


during the second half of the 19th century the french emperor napoleon iii assigned the prefect baron georges eugene haussmann to modernize paris in addition to razing crooked medieval streets to build grand boulevards and public gardens haussmann oversaw the installation of approximately 20000 gaslights throughout the city his purported slogan light before all else
this phrase forms the premise of electric paris an exhibition at the bruce museum in greenwich that examines the city of light through the lens of nighttime illumination the 50 paintings prints and photographs on view date from the late 19th and early 20th centuries as gaslight supplanted oil lamps and electric lighting superseded gas
these scenes   set mostly at night in homes outdoors in lively clubs and cafes   are responses by artists including mary cassatt edgar degas edouard manet and henri de toulouse lautrec to the evolving technologies that allowed and inspired them to see in the dark
there has been such an emphasis on the sun dappled landscapes of the impressionists and the atmospheric effects of natural light on the french countryside said margarita karasoulas the shows curator this show is about artificial light
a mixture of illumination   celestial reflected and manufactured   is evident in john singer sargents painting in the luxembourg gardens in which an elegant couple strolls arm in arm through the park at dusk ms karasoulas noted six different renderings of light in the painting a twilit sky a haloed full moon its light reflected in the boat basin the milky luminescence of gravel fiery gaslights shimmering through the foliage and a glint of ash at the end of a mans cigarette
sargents painting appears in nocturnes one of four thematic parts of the exhibition in that section ms karasoulas said she wanted to trace an artistic shift from nocturnes that feature celestial light to nocturnes that are increasingly urban in character
alfred stevenss moonlight au clair de la lune which opens nocturnes shows a contemplative woman standing at a large window that frames a starry sky and a turbulent sea her face and forearm accented by the light of the moon
the moonlight in paris at night a painting by charles courtney curran by contrast is dwarfed by the artificial lighting illuminating the rainy streetscape here yellowish gaslights glare along the sidewalks their reflections wavering on wet pavement oil lamps burn inside horse drawn carriages and a lantern casts an orange blaze on a cart of fruit and a vendors face
in the section lamplit interiors are selections of intimate rooms whose darkness is interrupted by lamplight people are absorbed in solitary activities   reading sewing   in prints by cassatt manet and norbert goeneutte in pierre bonnards painting interior the terrasse children a pair of oil lamps takes center stage on a wooden table where two boys sit reading one lamp is lighted the other is not its surrounding space remains dark the lamps are as intensely present as the figures ms karasoulas said
this area of the exhibition contains a more public interior le bon marche the first department store in paris in alexandre lunoiss lithograph le magasin de nouveautes lexposition du bon marche bustling shoppers are illuminated by the stores electric arc lamps evidence of the new technologys role in fostering consumerism
another shopping scenario this one in theophile alexandre steinlens lithograph the shop window involves two women admiring the goods for sale in a brightly lighted window on an otherwise murky street
the print is in the street light part of the exhibition which focuses on the technology of artificial light itself two abstract paintings by sonia delaunay terk for example use vibrant patterns of concentric circles to express her enchantment with the new incandescent electric lights on the boulevard saint michel
that section contains six photographs by charles marville a photographer charged with documenting haussmanns reconstruction of paris the prints show the varied motifs of the citys new lighting fixtures including a five branched model at the louvre and a post at the palais garnier opera house that incorporates a classically sculpted nude balancing the lamp on her head
marvilles shots are devoid of people bringing the fixtures to the fore they communicate a sense of silence and stillness ms karasoulas said
for museum visitors who wish to learn more about the science of electricity the bruce is hosting a complementary exhibition electricity developed by the franklin institute in philadelphia and filled with hands on activities for all ages
artificial lighting was embraced by pariss cafes and nightclubs and artists passion for both the citys night life and its illumination can be seen in the final section of the exhibition in and out of the spotlight
the flickering gas lamps and golden tones in willard metcalfs painting au cafe evoke the spirited intimacy of the crowded cafe nearby the stark contrasts in jean emile laboureurs black and white woodcut the bal bullier suggest the harshness of the ballrooms electric lights
the allure of artificial illumination is apparent in mademoiselle becat at the cafe des ambassadeurs a small black and white lithograph by degas in the lower left corner the popular singer emilie becat clad in a frilly dress performs with arms outstretched the rest of the picture is a melange of artificial lighting soaring fireworks an ornate gas chandelier a horizontal band of gas jets a cluster of globe like fixtures and a gas streetlight that towers over ms becat
she is visually upstaged by the lighting ms karasoulas said this work is not about the performance its about the light
electric paris is an expanded version of a 2013 exhibition curated by s hollis clayson at the sterling and francine clark art institute in williamstown mass ms clayson served as exhibition adviser for the bruce adaptation
the exhibition also explores the publics fascination with artificial illumination not only artists portrayal of it electricity amazed visitors to the 1889 world fair in paris where searchlights beamed from the top of the newly constructed eiffel tower and colorful fountains were illuminated with electric arc lighting
curran captured the thrill of the fairs lighted fountains in evening illuminations at the paris exposition in which a well dressed woman perches on someones shoulders amid throngs in the shadowy fairgrounds vying to see the magical spectacle
the painting wonderfully captures how people reacted to the new lighting ms karasoulas said some are even holding umbrellas as if to shield themselves
you can see that they are in awe she added


with an imposing stance the astronaut gordon cooper towers over visitors to the frances lehman loeb art center at vassar college everything about him glows his metallic spacesuit the soles of his shoes the helmet he clutches in the crook of his arm his head is an otherworldly blue his hair and eyes blaze white
mr cooper was one of the seven astronauts who participated in project mercury americas first manned space program his giant image at the entrance to the museums atrium gallery is a site specific mural created by mungo thomson who manipulated the colors in a photograph from nasas public archives part of the los angeles based artists continuing series negative space the mural covers a 23 foot high wall where near the ceiling a small circular window suggests a celestial orb in the distance
mr cooper is an apt ambassador for touch the sky an exhibition of 51 works by 19 artists each responding to the awe inspiring mysteries of the universe the show presents an array of approaches on a spectrum from factual to imaginary in media including paint pencil printmaking video assorted photographic techniques and a bit of powdered cocaine
there is a deep human desire to know more about our surroundings said mary kay lombino the museums curator of contemporary art and photography and the organizer of the exhibition but human understanding has its limits we cant really see the universe we cant conceive of its vastness we cant truly understand it still we have this desire to do so
that desire is manifest throughout the galleries it is there in a grouping of astrophotographs shot through telescopes the oldest moon in first quarter was taken by lewis m rutherfurd an amateur scientist in new york who invented the device he used it shows the moons maria lava plains in remarkable detail considering it was made in 1865
technological leaps are evident in the images of much higher resolution produced by two contemporary artists four black and white photographs by david malin an australian astrophotographer include a similar view of the moons maria as well as other dramatic   and beautiful   interstellar events michael benson an artist and writer in new york stitched together raw digital data collected by nasa to create his composite version of jupiters moon io the dazzling gold sphere pockmarked with craters pops against a black background red flames from two volcanic eruptions visible near the top
like mr benson and mr thomson other touch the sky artists mined the expressive potential of appropriated imagery the source materials for a suite of 10 lithographs made by nancy graves in 1972 were nasas color coded geologic maps of earths moon using pointillist marks ms graves abstracted the maps into dotted expanses of color
kiki smiths photogravure europa underscores the correlation between female and celestial bodies twin found images of jupiters icy moon are printed in mottled tones on linen hued japanese paper crinkly and slightly raised the moons roundness conjures orbs but it also conjures breasts and the creaminess around them evokes lingerie or bare skin below inscribed in red are the words i am the flesh of the full moon
in an effort to depict the magnitude of the universe the belgian artist mishka henner made astronomical a scale model of the solar system in the form of a 12 volume 6000 page artist book with the sun on page 1 and pluto on page 6000 and the width of each page equivalent to a million kilometers in space the work completed in 2011 contains page after page of blackness when you finally come to a planet its just a speck in this context its almost possible to get your head around it ms lombino said emphasizing the word almost
the serene multitude in vija celminss etching untitled galaxy from 1986 is an imagined realm where the stars are actually absences of black ink every star is a tiny area where you are seeing through to the paper ms lombino said you can see the human hand in the markings on the plate
the multilayered universe in laura battles how long is your past how far is your future is also invented the 16 foot long site specific painting is filled with cosmological symbols a north star a blood moon a reference to the fibonacci sequence the suggestion of a black hole albeit a colorful one a subtle but overarching spiral pays homage to vera rubin an astronomer and a 1948 vassar graduate who studied spiral galaxies in an email ms battle who teaches painting and drawing at bard college attributed her fascination with astronomy to my interest in the profound connection between knowing and imagining the basis for all artistic and scientific research
touch the sky was organized as part of a yearlong campuswide celebration of the sciences ms lombino dedicated the exhibition to maria mitchell one of americas first professional female astronomers and the first professor hired at vassar all of the works challenge visitors to the museum to reconsider and perhaps expand their conceptions of the cosmos
this is what sharon harper aimed to do when in clearmont wyo in 2005 she brought her large format camera outside nightly to photograph the sky she chose different locations shifted the orientation of her camera altered her exposures from eight seconds up to 30 minutes and repeatedly re exposed the same sheet of film
in the resulting print which is part of a body of work titled moon studies and star scratches a cobalt blue sky is flecked with radiant orbs fingernail moons and slender white lines tracing the paths of stars in a second piece from the same series gleaming spheres and crescent moons seem to be frolicking among smears of light during a telephone interview ms harper a professor of visual art at harvard described her process as a call and response and a partnership incorporating her movement the astronomical movement the cameras optics the films properties and ultimately the viewers perspective
photography is such an observational medium she said usually it tracks things that are culturally referential or that show veracity or that are a window to reality as we see it im trying to turn it inward and look at the process of perception
as for the cocaine matthew brandt who lives and works in los angeles sprinkled it onto photographers velvet the vivid white against the rich black mimicking a distant galaxy the accompanying label quotes the artist as stating that the piece hints at altered perceptions and making pictures of nebulas and stars is a way to talk about that the label also includes a legal disclaimer
mounted behind plexiglas the surface of the dark work from a series called night skies is reflective noting her image in its surface ms lombino said we are able to look into it and see ourselves


jakarta indonesia   since becoming governor of jakarta in 2014 basuki tjahaja purnama has shown little patience for incompetent bureaucrats or alleged budget irregularities   the local term for corruption
his new target is a political system run by aloof oligarchs
mr basuki 49 has vowed to run to stay in office in february as a political independent his goal is to separate himself from the powerful national parties that have emerged during indonesias transition to democracy which began with the collapse of the military backed dictatorship of president suharto in 1998
mr basuki has long been considered a political outsider partly because he is a christian and an ethnic chinese steering the capital of the worlds most populous muslim majority nation and his decision to run without a party affiliation has shaken the countrys political establishment
since indonesia began holding free elections in the late 1990s independent candidates have won lesser local government and legislative posts but mr basukis breakaway is by far the most significant jakarta is the countrys political social and economic center accounting for 16 percent of the national gross domestic product in 2015 according to the countrys central statistics bureau
most of the 10 parties that have seats in the countrys parliament and cabinet are run by political dynasties former army generals or business tycoons who bankroll them the rest are islamic based groups whose political ideology changes depending on which of the bigger parties they can latch onto in a coalition
regional level politicians are mostly beholden to their political masters at national offices in jakarta who can accept or reject their planned candidacies even if they are doing well in opinion polls and parties usually demand that candidates pay a fee to run and require them to finance their own campaigns analysts say
mr basuki in effect has positioned himself as an alternative to a national political system that many in jakarta are fed up with said charlotte setijadi a visiting fellow with the indonesia studies program at the institute of southeast asian studies yusof ishak institute in singapore
i think that this is an image that will serve him well for this election she said
the governor the grandson of a tin miner from guangzhou china has a reputation for bluntness he has his detractors including squatters whose slum neighborhoods have been demolished to make way for public works projects and commercial developments and political adversaries who have questioned a land reclamation project in north jakarta that is under investigation by the countrys anticorruption agency
but his style has won over many jakartans in particular younger voters and lower middle class families
they have also been swayed by his administrations policies including fast tracking infrastructure projects among them a mass rapid transit system the sprucing up of a city of more than 10 million people with a small army of street sweepers and the institution of a smart card program to subsidize health care and education for the poor
recent polls have indicated that mr basuki popularly known as ahok has double digit leads over several other possible candidates for the feb 17 election and that more than 80 percent of probable voters want him to run as an independent
i dont want to disappoint the young people he said to reporters recently after announcing his decision i told them i will be an independent but they have to understand that this is a sacrifice
the governor can thank one particular group of young people for helping him to buck politics as usual a grass roots volunteer movement that is autonomously backing his plan says it has already collected the signatures of the 525000 jakartans   roughly 75 percent of the citys eligible voters   needed to cement his place on the ballot
the group teman ahok friends of ahok in the indonesian language says it will not stop until it gets a million signatures which must be verified by the countrys general elections commission
working out of a one story house in south jakarta the groups members have been remarkably resourceful they have created an app for example enabling motorcyclists to pick up signature forms and deliver them to the groups office at no cost
to pay for its operations the group also sells ahok merchandise including t shirts stickers and bracelets although it did receive an initial donation of 500 million rupiah or about 37000 from a political consultancy in jakarta to help it get up and running
mr basuki and teman ahok leaders have separately said that they are not collaborating and that they have met in person only three times
mr basuki who was previously deputy governor of jakarta assumed the citys top position in november 2014 after his boss and predecessor joko widodo was sworn in as the countrys seventh president
but as he waited to become governor he resigned from his political party the great indonesia movement party known as gerindra after it pushed through legislation in parliament eliminating direct elections for provincial governors mayors and district chiefs
critics called the legislation which was later overturned a meanspirited attempt to keep regional leaders under the control of jakarta by having them appointed by local legislatures dominated by major parties
mr joko himself despite being president is only a rank and file member of his party the indonesian democratic party of struggle or pdip and has at times been hamstrung in carrying out policies and appointing senior officials because of opposition from party leaders
analysts said mr basuki apparently did not want to suffer the same fate he spurned an offer to run under the umbrella of the pdip whose chairwoman is megawati sukarnoputri a former president the daughter of indonesias founding father sukarno and a leading member of the countrys political elite
now the party has made it clear that it will try to stop what senior members have called deparpolisasi an indonesian term meaning the weakening of the political monopoly of large parties by independent candidates like mr basuki
the jakarta campaign chief of the party said it was speaking with gerindra and other establishment parties to jointly nominate a candidate to challenge mr basuki the jakarta post reported
during jakartas 2012 governors race when mr basuki was mr jokos running mate as the candidate for vice governor opponents made issues of his ethnicity and religion but one recent survey indicated that nearly two thirds of the citys residents felt ethnicity and religion would not be issues in the february election
sandiaga uno a prominent businessman who is likely to be one of mr basukis opponents has acknowledged that the governors independent run should wake up the political establishment
if they dont get the right candidate that is supported by the people they would be facing an independent bid that is supported by the people he said political parties need to come up with a strategy to attract the best talent


for all their grandeur and euphoria graduation ceremonies can be harrowing until that momentous day youre a student whose job is to do what your teacher asks now you have to ask things of yourself   but what
if youre relying on a commencement speaker to set your compass you may still be confused at days end in my experience its common to hear follow your passion from the podium this is great counsel if in fact you know what that passion is but what if you dont
young graduates might imagine that discovering your passion happens the way it does in a movie with a flash of insight and a trumpet blast before that flash you were struggling to find yourself and in the next moment you know exactly who you were meant to be
as a psychologist who studies world class achievers i can say the reality of following your passion is not very romantic it takes time to develop a direction that feels so in the bones right that you never want to veer from it
thus my advice to young graduates is not to follow your passion but rather to foster your passion here are three suggestions for doing so
move toward what interests you
dont panic if you cant think of a career path thats a perfect fit in large part this is because interests are not just discovered theyre developed scientists have learned that the sort of enduring fascination that commencement speakers like to praise usually takes time and experience to bloom fully
for instance when she graduated from smith college julia child had no idea that she would fall in love with french cuisine in her late 30s she had no inkling that writing cookbooks and teaching on television would one day become her calling
a good enough fit is a more reasonable aim than a perfect one consider your first job as an opportunity to begin an unpredictable inefficient trial and error process the violist roberto diaz told me he didnt know hed love the viola before he tried it and his tepid reaction to the violin could not have foretold the lifelong love affair he has had with the ever so slightly larger viola
as i said to one young man who on the cusp of his first real job was paralyzed by indecision dont overthink it move in the direction of something that feels better than worse
seek purpose
people are hard wired not only to gratify their personal desires but also to care for others so rather than ask what do i want to be when i grow up ask in what way do i wish the world were different what problem can i help solve this puts the focus where it should be   on how you can serve other people
analyzing data ive collected on thousands of american adults ive found that those who have an enduring passion answer affirmatively to statements like in choosing what to do i always take into account whether it will benefit other people and i have a responsibility to make the world a better place
once youve thought of what or whom you care about most write it down psychologists have found that asking people to reflect in writing on their core values has miraculous effects on motivation because these are often the values you will be remembered for   what david brooks calls eulogy virtues   you might consider writing a paragraph about what you would like people to say about you after youve drawn your last breath it sounds grim but perhaps the perspective will help you figure out what to do while you have the time to do it
self oriented motives like interest and other oriented motives like altruism are not mutually exclusive in fact personal interest and self transcendent purpose are the dual engines of intrinsic motivation in combination theyre more powerful than alone in one study municipal firefighters who expressed interest in their work and concern for the welfare of the public averaged more than 50 percent more overtime hours than others
speaking for myself psychology attracts my attention more than any other topic but what gets me out of bed in the morning isnt just curiosity i enjoy my work and at the same time i believe that doing it well can contribute to the well being of other people
finish strong
your first job is unlikely to be your last once you figure out your next step what should you do
i confess it took a fair bit of job swapping before i knew that psychological research would become my long term career but in each of those jobs i picked up knowledge and skills that i was able to weave into my current work
also consider the commitment you made when you accepted a job did you pledge to stay for a year did you promise two weeks notice before leaving try to keep your word while personal growth is important it is imperative to act like the professional adult you are
work as hard on your last day as on your first no matter where you go next you have an opportunity to make the most of where you are now


dublin ohio   hunter mahan had two shafts at his feet for alignment his coach was at his side for one shot stood behind him on the next and then crouched to block the glare of the hot sun to study the video
at one point mahan dropped his club after an errant shot and sean foley the coach moved in for more instruction
these are the unhappy signs of a player in search of his game
there is no joy in playing bad mahan said
mahan reflective and honest said last week that he was thankful for a life he described as incredible because he has rarely experienced stress on or off the golf course he is approaching 30 million in career earnings despite having had to return to qualifying school once early in his pga tour career each year he got a little better he has played in every major since the 2007 united states open at oakmont
all that has changed once as high as no 4 in the world mahan checked in last week at no 143
i havent had many struggles in my life mahan said this is foreign territory to me
mahan is not currently eligible for any more majors and he was not aware that the top players had been invited to be fitted for ryder cup uniforms on tuesday at muirfield village though for a man who has played on seven united states teams the ryder cup was the least of his concerns
the hard part is showing up every day with a good attitude because the bad stuff is with you he said when youre playing good the bad stuff goes away its like youre waterproof and when youre playing bad it feels like youre a sponge
do not get the idea that mahan 34 was sulking he said life off the course had never been better in some respects life off the course is part of why he is struggling though mahan would not change that
his first child zoe was born in 2013 during the canadian open where mahan held a two shot lead but withdrew and raced home to dallas to be with his wife kandi in time for the birth his second child miller was born about 18 months later
we wanted them close together we had two and it was like holy moly two is a lot and then she was pregnant mahan said with a smile
his third child is due next month
i was kind of looking forward to a year without anything new which hasnt happened everything in my life is really good im just not shooting the scores i should
soon the couple will have three children under the age of 3
we have a lot going on mahan said mentally youd like to deal with one thing at a time i think it overwhelmed me and i lost track of my swing a little bit it feels like an avalanche but its just a snow flurry
mahan has felt the pull to be at home with two toddlers and a pregnant wife and that is where he has felt his energy should be and so it has been difficult for him to devote his previous intensity his game which had been so reliable that he was the only player to have never missed a fedex cup playoff event since its inception in 2007   until he failed to reach the tour championship last year
mahan said he was not sure what would be harder to find his swing or the right balance in life
im a father and a husband and i have to be there first he said its hard to be there mentally in both places
it shows this year he has missed the cut seven times in 13 starts his best finish was a tie for 43rd at torrey pines his first event of the year he did not break 70 until the second round of the players championship a stretch of 34 straight rounds at 70 or higher
mahan was confident that his work and his game were going in the right direction as far away as he appears on paper he said he did not feel the gap was too large
im not trying to get back to where im a top 50 player he said im trying to get back to where im a top five or top 10 player
im making headway im doing the right things its just going to take time and time moves slow he continued it moves fast when youre playing good when youre playing bad every hole takes forever and every round takes forever you think a 65 will fix everything and it wont


lincoln neb   the experiment might have backfired with any other group a decorated former player turned coach asked a team of world class athletes to share candid feedback about one other through peer reviews
karch kiraly the united states womens volleyball coach would have considered scrapping the idea altogether had his players said no way instead they embraced it and discovered that their teammates words made them better as individuals and as a whole now the americans are heading into this summers rio olympics in search of an elusive gold medal with a stronger sense of what makes each one of them so valuable
rachael adams hadnt known her teammates so respected her competitive fire and energy
megan easy learned to her surprise just how much her teammates admire the way she is handling the balance of her volleyball career and caring for toddler son easton
setter alisha glass accepted some constructive criticism that she could be even more vocal as a leader and went right to work on it
some people would be wow you guys evaluate each other on some very personal things said christa dietzen the teams captain we evaluate each other on a number of different things   respect our ability to compete every day bring it every day some really intense things
kiraly and his assistants asked players to review the coaching staff last year then in late december brought up with the national team the idea of also having peer player evaluations a source of annual apprehension in workplaces it is a rare practice on sports teams
the players went for it with open minds
i guarantee to you not a lot of teams could said natalie hagglund the libero or back row specialist its difficult to hear the things you can improve on because you want to hear youre so good youre so good its really difficult but its one of the most important things ever especially on a 14 person roster or a 16 person training roster where were so close
we can affect how each and every one of the people on our team plays just by saying a few things so that was huge
they will never know who said what it was all anonymous still there was anxiety
some players feared it might be just as hard to give critical feedback as it would be to receive it
people were a little nervous easy said we have a lot of different personalities and some people might not be comfortable saying anything about someone else or some people might be really quick to say youre this way and you need to change this
we all have each others best interests in mind and sometimes its hard to hear things that maybe you even know you need to change about yourself but hearing it from someone else just gives you that confirmation that it is a thing to work on
the evaluation forms were mailed out before the american players reconvened from their club teams in southern california on dec 26 ahead of a january olympic qualifier in nebraska where the united states secured its rio berth after missing an opportunity last year with two world cup defeats in japan it was the groups lone tournament loss in the last seven
once back together training the women discussed the reviews during team meetings they have also worked with the sports psychologist michael gervais
kiraly who won gold as an olympian in beach and indoor volleyball was an assistant coach for the women under hugh mccutcheon at the london olympics four years ago and he had hoped to do the peer evaluations earlier yet the timing wound up being ideal ahead of the qualifier
people call that kind of a 360 review we created our own rudimentary version kiraly said the neat thing was lots of players were really excited   and a little apprehensive understandably   but excited to learn our big job is to grow so this is an opportunity to learn why we can be a little better
many times team dynamics are difficult egos might run rampant personalities vary feelings can get hurt
women take things a whole lot differently than men and of course we know theres probably a comment in everyones where like i feel misunderstood on that one  adams said but its all coming from a good place and we all want to make each other better
having gone through the process players realize they are in an environment where taking chances is not only accepted but also encouraged
it gives you a little more freedom to try something new and maybe try something thats not in your comfort zone glass said when you know that your teammates want that from you you know youre in good company and that you can make those risks and try to do different things theyre saying no go ahead you have the freedom to grow and expand 
the americans got out of the project just what kiraly had hoped   and he believes it could lead to a special summer ahead the united states women have never won olympic gold in volleyball they earned a second straight silver medal at the hands of brazil at the 2012 london games
if they were not open to it i would have been far more loath to go ahead with it kiraly said its a special group


dublin ohio   jason days long and winding road to the world no 1 ranking began with him circumventing the short game practice area at his boarding school in australia defying the orders of his instructor colin swatton day chose to play a par 3 course over working on his chipping and putting leading to a loud row with swatton that day paved over with a public apology
lesson learned fifteen years later day possesses one of the best short games in mens golf he earned the distinction by embracing the unsexy truth that club manufacturers prefer to hide behind the massive heads of their high priced drivers a 30 yard or 30 foot shot counts the same on the scorecard as a 300 yard drive
the weekend golfers love the long game because as days countryman geoff ogilvy pointed out they think theyre practicing to have nice scores but theyre really only practicing to have fun
the superstitious touring pros love the long game in part because they dont want to invite calamity however subliminally by practicing difficult chips or awkward bunker shots youre hoping that youre not going to have those shots ogilvy said you practice them when you get them
day a three time winner this season is known for his length he averaged 318 yards off the tee in the first two rounds of the memorial tournament but he credited his short game with keeping him within range of the leaders he was tied for first in the field in sand saves through 36 holes if the driver is his show off club his wedges and putters are his scoring clubs
i enjoy hitting drivers because i can just get out there and hit it as hard as i can and youre on the driving range its going to go semi straight day said some of his short game sessions he added have ended with him walking away kind of pulling my hair out and feeling as if his no 1 ranking is a mirage like yeah im the best player in the world he said scoffing
day no longer requires prodding from swatton with whom he still works to spend time on his short game he said he would typically spend four and a half hours practicing chips sand shots putts and approaches inside 150 yards and two hours hitting his long irons and woods
if he gratifies his ego by smashing balls with his driver day has gotten better by putting in the work around the greens day said his short game practice could be the opposite of fun
the hard thing about trying to improve something like that when it is one of your weaknesses is to actually get up and do it because it really sucks trying to work on weaknesses at the start he said but as you slowly do it over time it gets better and better and better and then becomes a lot more exciting
jordan spieth the world no 2 clinched his eighth pga tour victory last week in fort worth with a holed chip for birdie on the penultimate hole of the tournament it was spieths ninth holed shot in 12 tour starts this season and his reaction was intoxicating a fizzy cocktail of surprise and satisfaction or as spieth described it i think it was like a bit of shock and then i think after that it was just a lot of happiness
according to numbers compiled by his caddie michael greller spieth has had 10 hole outs from off the green in his last 15 worldwide starts greller and spieth have borrowed a betting game they picked up from day and swatton during the 2013 fedex cup playoffs greller sets a standard for hole outs - this season it is 20 matching spieths total last season - and if spieth exceeds that number hole outs in a major tournament are worth double greller will treat spieth to dinner if not spieth will buy
you dont have to twist our arms for us to nitpick a small wager with each other spieth said
in the first round in fort worth john huh holed a 7 iron shot from 200 yards for an eagle on a par 4 it was his tour leading 15th hole out of the season really huh said friday i wasnt even aware of that stat
huh added if i wasnt that good in the short game i wouldnt be here but im trying to improve it every year every month every week that im playing on tour
days caddie swatton said he dreamed of the day when short game statistics were highlighted like driving distances thereby encouraging young players to work on their imaginations and not just their power the long hitters know who they are and so does the average golf fan but what does it say about the value assigned to the short game by the golf industry that huh didnt know he led all his peers in hole outs
swinging the driver as hard and fast as you can is probably the least nuanced part of the game so that generally gets most of the attention from the recreational player said harry arnett the senior vice president of marketing and brand management for callaway golf but all golfers come to the cold hard realization that dedication to the complete game through the bag is the only sure way to lower their scores dramatically
like other 3 year olds days son dash enjoys playing in the sand he will drag a club into a bunker and try to whack balls out there is just one problem day said dash insists on using a driver for his sand shots day grinned and said its like me as a kid


sometime this thursday probably in the early part of the first round of the annual baseball draft a major league team will welcome corey ray he will begin his journey in professional baseball like so many others lured by the challenge of the one on one battles within a team sport
my best against the pitchers best said ray a junior outfielder for the university of louisville its intriguing to me the competition the cat and mouse game the way you have to think the technique of hitting and trying to be better than the pitcher
baseball has always appealed to ray for those reasons   but also at first as a novelty when he was growing up on chicagos south side he said baseball was an afterthought for most children he liked doing something different
baseball has struggled to attract african americans like ray to the game only 8 percent of the players on opening day rosters were african american the figure has been stagnant for a few years now sharply down from a high of 19 percent in 1986
the absence is also felt in positions of authority there are only two black managers dusty baker of the washington nationals and dave roberts of the los angeles dodgers and two top baseball operations executives michael hill of the miami marlins and kenny williams of the chicago white sox in the game
tony reagins the former los angeles angels general manager is now a senior vice president for major league baseball in charge of youth programs reagins who is black said mlb had poured millions of dollars into initiatives designed to increase participation in a sport that is increasingly expensive for amateurs
reagins said the league would host a two week training camp for top 13  to 16 year old prospects from low income backgrounds at the dodgertown complex in vero beach fla next month former major leaguers will serve as instructors and the league will assume all expenses reagins also said that casual play   from children as young as 5 years old   had risen since last year
its not going to be done overnight but if we continue to make dents this is a five year plan reagins said one is participation   weve stopped the decline and weve started to trend up second would be diversity where we get the number of african americans in the big leagues up to the numbers of the late 80s and early 90s and third would be development in terms of giving every kid an opportunity to play our game if he chooses to
ray is a success story a product of the white sox amateur city elite program that began in 2007 and has sent 122 players to college he said he benefited from instructors who had played professionally including the former major leaguer lou collier and kevin coe a former cubs minor leaguer who works as director of youth initiatives for the white sox
they picked up our tab and everything that came with it   their facilities 247 ray said im a gym rat i love to hit in the cage and they never told me no there was always somewhere for me to hit and get better at the game
mlb was encouraged by the increased diversity in last years draft when 25 percent of first round choices nine of 36 were african american the league said it was the highest percentage of african americans in the first round since 1992
itll be exciting to see corey get drafted said the mets curtis granderson a chicago native who has worked out with ray the last two off seasons hopefully the recognition will be put out there that hey this is an avenue that you can accomplish
ray who was hitting 325 with 15 homers and 42 stolen bases through 60 games this season said he was eager to start his career he wants to be an example for a sport that needs many more like him to grow the way it once did
the draft is just a milestone to a bigger goal to get to the big leagues as fast as i can and stay in the big leagues as long as i can but also to help ray said the higher i go the better the outlet for me to help back home and in inner cities around the country thats my big goal its just the beginning
the yankees crave star power and pay well for it but the first round of all star voting results released last week shows that fans do not find much exciting about the yankees hitters
in balloting that is often as much about popularity as performance the yankees lack of widespread appeal was startling they had nobody ranked among the top five vote getters at first base second base shortstop third base or designated hitter and nobody among the top 10 outfielders
just one yankee ranked in the top five at any position brian mccann who was second among catchers but more than 775000 votes behind kansas citys salvador perez
the royals the defending world series champions dominated the early voting as they did last year their first baseman eric hosmer has three gold glove awards and a jersey that hangs in the hall of fame although he has never been an all star he leads in the voting at first and could always make it as a reserve if detroits miguel cabrera passes him
definitely hoping ned puts me on the team this year hosmer said a few weeks ago referring to royals manager ned yost but thats honestly not the stuff were worrying about especially with the way were playing we need to find a way to win some games
the royals have done that since falling under 500 in mid may a recent 13 3 stretch has put them back in first place in the american league central despite serious injuries to alex gordon and mike moustakas who collided while chasing a foul ball on may 22 gordon fractured his right wrist and will be out at least until late june and moustakas tore his anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee he had season ending surgery on thursday
julio urias the heralded 19 year old rookie left hander for the los angeles dodgers wore no 78 in his major league debut at citi field last friday after a brief demotion to the minors urias returned and started at wrigley field on thursday   and his uniform number had dropped by 71 digits
urias now wears no 7 fitting for a pitcher who goes by theteenager7 on twitter but odd for his position urias is the latest to defy the custom of pitchers almost always wearing double digit numbers torontos marcus stroman no 6 and st louis mike leake no 8 are among those in single digits now and tampa bays blake snell wore no 4 in a cameo this april
i thought it would be interesting snell said after arriving at yankee stadium before his debut i knew pitchers dont do that but its always been my favorite number its always something i wanted and i said why not
just to be sure snell consulted with the veteran starter matt moore for his thoughts moore who wears no 55 told him to do what makes him happy
it makes me feel good snell said
traditional or not it was hard to argue with that logic


buffalo   all week his utterances were duly noted and parsed for meaning his moves scrutinized and assigned a score in many ways the interviews and the physical testing of top amateur prospects taking place here as part of the nhl scouting combine in advance of the draft may help prepare auston matthews for the likely crucible of playing for the toronto maple leafs next season
matthews an 18 year old center from scottsdale ariz is the top rated prospect in the draft to be held june 24 25 in buffalo and toronto which holds the no 1 pick is an nhl city like no other with a restless and frustrated fan base and a demanding and sometimes combative media corps covering the leafs
toronto has not won the stanley cup since 1967 and it has failed to make the playoffs during 10 of the past 11 seasons the leafs finished last in the nhl in 2015 16 and won a draft lottery in april for the right to pick no 1 for the first time since 1985 when toronto selected wendel clark a franchise icon whose no 17 hangs from the rafters in air canada centre
on friday matthews met members of the news media at harborcenter a three rink facility owned by the buffalo sabres where fitness testing was to continue saturday before representatives of the 30 nhl clubs matthews was asked if he understood the pressure he would be under if selected by toronto where mutinous fans periodically tossed replica jerseys on the ice in protest during 2014 15 games and the star players phil kessel and dion phaneuf regularly sparred with the news media both players have since been traded
if that were to happen matthews said about playing in toronto i definitely think i could handle that i think im physically and mentally strong when it comes to that kind of stuff i think i can handle that pressure
matthews who is 6 feet 2 and 210 pounds has broad shoulders a poised manner and an impressive resume last season he played professional hockey for the zurich lions in the top professional league in switzerland accounting for 46 points in 36 games two weeks ago he led the united states team in scoring at the world championship in russia he was the youngest player on a squad that finished fourth
auston matthews is pretty much a complete package said dan marr director of nhl central scouting a department that rates prospects for the draft and runs the combine he can play in any situation hes got all the intangibles all the skills and assets
although matthewss selection by toronto is mostly regarded as a fait accompli intrigue remains around two strapping prospects from finland patrik laine and jesse puljujarvi scoring wings ranked second and third by nhl central scouting among position players for european teams matthews is ranked first in the category laine was the most valuable player and the tournaments leading goal scorer at the world championship for second place finland marr compared him to the hall of famer brett hull
meanwhile the leafs have refused to reveal whom they plan to select first general manager lou lamoriello in his first draft with toronto after 27 years with the devils was coy on friday
the draft is still weeks away he said and until that time comes there will be no decision
he called matthews laine and puljujarvi elite players he said they would all play in the nhl next season but he would not say for which teams
asked if the leafs would possibly trade away the top pick lamoriello chuckled adding i dont think youll see that
about matthews lamoriello said hes an exceptionally mature young man theres no question of his talent its a consensus of how talented he is very similarly to laine and puljujarvi those three players have pulled themselves somewhat away from the pack
whichever player they select lamoriello said the leafs will shield him from the burden of expectations from a fan base hungry for a winner
this week matthews performed impressively in two of the most demanding tests on stationary bikes he ranked 11th over all in the vo2 max which measures maximum aerobic capacity with half the prospects tested by saturday afternoon he was tied for 13th on the wingate test which measures endurance and power he was also among the top 15 in agility
a confident matthews summed up why he believed he was the best player in the draft i think im extremely competitive he said i compete hard i elevate guys around me i think i have an inner drive that separates me from the rest
injured while performing the vo2 max on friday laine did not participate fully in testing the rest of the weekend puljujarvi sat out testing while recovering from a knee injury
no one player is going to carry the franchise lamoriello said it is our responsibility to support them with the staff to allow them to do what they do best and that is to get prepared to play and help them along with taking as many distractions away from them while also having respect for the obligation they and we have as an organization to our fans which is very important
matthews acknowledged that the leafs had struggled in recent seasons they are obviously going through a rebuild but you see the key pieces they have with the coach the gm and the prospects they have he said about lamoriello and coach mike babcock who won a stanley cup with detroit they are going to be an exciting team
after playing professionally in europe last season matthews said he got a sample of the business of hockey on friday he was asked what the media coverage of hockey was like in zurich and whether it compared to the scrum of reporters around him
its pretty heavily watched and reported on he said adding its mostly newspapers its a little old fashioned there every morning you would walk into the rink and there were five or six different newspapers on the table and guys would be sitting there reading newspapers looking kind of confused
drawing a laugh from the surrounding reporters matthews demonstrated he understood how to play to a tough crowd and how to score points under pressure too


if the weather hadnt been so foul the most dramatic moment of tiffany mallorys wedding to jerrell moore would never have happened
it had been pouring and then it stopped raining but turned cold and windy right as we started the ceremony said mrs mallory moore who was married april 2 before 140 guests on the back lawn of the mint museum in charlotte nc
just as she arrived through the squall to meet her groom at the altar a gust blew her veil into the sky it went flying right off my head she said but im over six feet tall so people thought it looked very glamorous
during a very wet april and may on the east coast many couples learned the hard way that a perfect or at least nearly perfect wedding does not require perfect weather
did my guests get wet yes kind of said minoo fadaifard wade who married john wade in a drizzle on may 21 at the brooklyn botanic garden in front of a crowd of 82 it was chilly too but nobody complained everybody made the best of it we were all lighthearted
should rain clouds threaten your wedding here are some tips on how to salvage that perfect day provided by couples who have managed to do just that
rain was expected on may 22 the day jill jacinto 30 was to marry sander van den bergh 31 on the outdoor terrace of battery gardens a new york restaurant but she held out hope that the day would clear by the ceremonys 430 pm start time
i gave up on checking weathercom the night before and assumed an indoor ceremony was in our future and out of our hands said ms jacinto an associate director at an investment firm but then 30 minutes before the start time the sun came out the couple was able to swiftly switch from their plan b   an on site sheltered space   to the patio their plan a we ended up with a gorgeous ceremony ms jacinto said but we were ready for whatever happened
at mariana rodrigues and david rothschilds may 21 wedding at cherry hill in central park rain began falling as guests boarded double decker buses bound for a reception at the nomad hotel the bus driver was really kind and offered everyone on the upper deck ponchos but i was pretty upset said mrs rothschild 32 a former financial executive then i was upset with myself for being upset and david reminded me that that was absolutely warranted that i was allowed to have that moment
she did not let the moment last though i realized it wasnt perfect but it was a great celebration she said you have to remember that the weather is out of your control and just enjoy yourself
erin mcgrail and elliot fleming invited 150 guests to their june 2014 wedding under a stately oak tree at the destrehan plantation just outside new orleans thirty minutes before the ceremony the sky turned black then it just started pouring torrentially in that typical new orleans way mrs fleming 28 said
instead of panicking as she watched friends and family run for shelter at a gift shop she played it cool at first i took it badly mrs fleming said then i saw how upset my mom was so i said to myself stay calm we can figure this out
the wedding was moved to the reception site nearby where guests were seated at decorated tables but it didnt matter at that point i had just accepted it for what it was said mrs fleming who works in purchasing at the audubon zoo in new orleans looking back she added she wouldnt change a thing
your state of mind is going to determine your guests state of mind said constantino khalaf mr khalaf 36 married david khalaf 38 on may 14 in cathedral park in portland ore the couples hometown under drizzly skies with the occasional hard rain there was no shelter for their 65 guests
we warned people far in advance to bring their umbrellas and raincoats because we knew getting married in may in portland was like playing russian roulette with the weather said david khalaf who runs the christian website modern kinship with his husband
then they made the best of it during the reception held at the wedding site we all huddled together to stay warm and we danced in the rain he said if youre just like hey this is a beautiful occasion lets dance in the rain everybody is going to pick up on that
the first advice i would give is ask all your vendors what their rain policies are and read the contracts closely said mrs mallory moore the bride whose veil wouldnt stay put and who is also an assistant united states attorney with the western district of north carolina
that includes contracts with musicians some live musicians who play string instruments wont play in dampness she said we had a trio of horn players so it worked out for us but it might not have if we had a violinist
she also was not sure how her florist would handle broken vases several were smashed in the storm the couple was not charged but you really have to pay attention to that stuff mrs mallory moore said
rachel bowie felt personally responsible when the rain started coming down on may 13 at janes carousel in brooklyn where 99 guests had gathered to watch her and matthew dorville get married it was friday the 13th we sort of asked for it she said but she was glad she remembered a tip from her photographer buy a lot of clear umbrellas they dont cast a shadow on your face said mrs bowie 33 an editor who lives in brooklyn if she had to do it over again she would have asked a friend to pack galoshes for her too right before i walked down the aisle my shoes were so wet i was slipping in them i had been jumping through those gross deceptively deep new york city puddles
hurricane irene was an uninvited guest at the august 2011 wedding of jacqueline shea and matthew bailey of eatontown nj when the bride was getting her nails done in preparation for the rehearsal dinner an evacuation was ordered for an area that included the wedding site on the beach near asbury park
i was in denial like this is not happening said mrs bailey 35 a teacher of the deaf the couple married that night at a local restaurant flowers were assembled from trader joes and the brides mother bought a sheet cake from shoprite
then vendors refused to refund deposits for the wedding a year later the couple appeared on anderson coopers short lived talk show anderson ostensibly to warn other couples about the need to buy wedding insurance
instead mr cooper announced that the show was giving them a wedding redo including a reception at the wilshire grand hotel in west orange nj and a trip to the caribbean island of st lucia to renew their vows on the beach
the baileys now have two children ages 1 and 2 1/2  and more perspective on wedding day disasters
i think what happened to us is sort of like a precursor to what everybody finds out once theyre married mrs bailey said and thats that there are ups and there are downs in married life sometimes big ones what you do is you make the most of it no matter what


hong kong   tens of thousands of people gathered in a hong kong park on saturday evening to do what people across the border in mainland china could not commemorate the anniversary of the bloody crackdown on pro democracy protesters in beijings tiananmen square on june 4 1989
as has become a tradition organizers in hong kong transformed victoria park into a facsimile of tiananmen square the symbolic heart of the chinese nation a giant photo on a tarpaulin showed the scene at the gate of heavenly peace   tiananmen   during the 1989 protests with the goddess of democracy a white plaster and styrofoam statue facing off against chairman mao zedongs portrait a wreath next to a replica of an obelisk in tiananmen square honors the mothers of people killed during the crackdown
in beijing the government is trying to erase any acknowledgment of the events of 27 years ago ding zilin 79 the most prominent of the tiananmen mothers was under close guard by the police in the days before june 4 on saturday the police tightened security around tiananmen square the associated press reported
the suppression of the student led movement had a profound affect on hong kong which in 1989 was just eight years away from reverting to chinese sovereignty after more than a century of british rule
im chinese said h c tsui 76 a retired middle school headmaster and native hong konger who has attended most vigils in the past quarter century he was sitting with many other elderly people on bleachers on the perimeter of the athletic fields where organizers estimated 125000 people gathered this year the police put the figure at 21800
i have to remember those who have been persecuted and assaulted during the 6 4 movement mr tsui said using a term to describe the date of the protests that is my job my responsibility i must be here
many young people in this city of more than seven million do not agree with mr tsuis view of himself dismayed by the continued autocratic rule of the communist party in beijing and the threat it poses to hong kongs liberties they increasingly identify themselves with their city not china
as the vigil got underway after nightfall about 20 masked people waving banners calling for hong kongs independence were refused entry into the venue by organizers some while pushing for self determination for hong kong also see the vigil as important
for joshua wong 19 the student leader who was the public face of the massive 2014 sit in protests the 1989 tiananmen crackdown which happened eight years before he was born marked the beginning of hong kongs own democracy movement
mr wongs new political party is pushing for a referendum on hong kongs future and on saturday night his party and other pro democracy political parties in hong kong were focused on raising money from the throngs of like minded people flooding into the park


long pond pa   a black golf cart with mag wheels rolled to a stop friday afternoon and was promptly surrounded by three dozen stock car fans who had waited in a drizzle a driver in a red and yellow fire suit hopped out and signed autographs while on the move
the driver dale earnhardt jr has become accustomed to fanfare he is 41 in his 18th season in nascars top series and sundays 400 mile race at pocono raceway will be his 591st
of the 40 drivers expected to start sundays race only tony stewart 45 who plans to retire after this season has participated in more races at pocono than earnhardt who has been in 32 races at pocono and has won twice both in 2014 matt kenseth has also been in 32 races there
with jeff gordon retiring after last season and stewart about to leave earnhardt is becoming the sports elder statesman his hair and beard are still reddish brown but he has acquired crows feet outside his eyes he said he listened to alternative rock during breaks in a recent tire test   but it was from the 1990s he sounds as if he has been around awhile
when asked friday if he felt a sense of urgency because he has struggled lately earnhardt said no im not feeling any anxiety at 41 years old you kind of get over that stuff im not going to worry about it i spent the first 18 years worrying myself to death
earnhardt enters sundays race in 13th place in the standings 116 points behind the leader kevin harvick sixteen drivers will qualify for the 10 race chase for the sprint cup playoff and any driver who wins a race gets in
but earnhardt has not won this season and as low key as he tries to be that eats at him
sundays race at pocono the peculiar two and a half mile tri oval called the tricky triangle will be the 14th race of the season with only 12 left after that to complete the chase field
further earnhardt has not run well since finishing second in back to back races at fort worth and bristol tenn in april finishing outside the top 10 in his last five points races
after running poorly then crashing in a race may 15 at dover del he said on dirty mo radio his web channel weve got a problem houston its time to start understanding how severe this situation is and really get to owning it
but he softened before qualifying eighth for the race friday he said of the chase i think we are a good enough team to make it whether we get a win or not that is not a guarantee i just feel confident that we will get in a win would be what we expect   not just to lock ourselves in the chase we just expect to win weve got a couple of years now of multiple win seasons and we expect to go and win races
he won seven of 72 races in the last two seasons combined his best sustained stretch since he won six races in 2004 his fifth full season between 2009 and 2013 he won only one race at michigan on june 17 2012 so 2014 and 2015 were a renaissance he is a 13 time winner of nascars most popular driver award voted upon by fans no other active driver has won once
earnhardt drives a powerful chevrolet owned by rick hendrick gordons former boss but earnhardt has spun his wheels too much recently in his latest attempt for his first championship his father dale earnhardt sr won seven series championships
there is a hot new young second generation driver in the series william clyde elliott ii known as chase the 20 year old son of the former champion bill elliott driving a hendrick owned chevrolet with no 24   gordons old number   elliott has nine top 10 finishes in 13 races earnhardt has five
to have a shot youve got to be a consistent contender to win races elliott said friday of winning a championship and i think we have a little bit of work to do to be amongst those consistent contenders that have the ability each week those are the guys youre going to have to beat when it comes this fall
a former teammate of earnhardts martin truex jr has emerged as a sentimental choice to win a championship truex who is driving for a one car team dominated the coca cola 600 last weekend in charlotte nc leading 392 of 400 laps in victory
the 35 year old truex is seventh in the standings and is now assured of participating in the chase he said friday that he could take chances that were unavailable to a driver who was not in the chase
you never want to just do something silly and throw away a chance at a good finish but i think therell be opportunities for us to gamble to do things maybe we wouldnt do if we were worried about points truex said so yeah i mean its from here till the chase starts its really all about wins and its not about points if we can gamble and have a better opportunity to win im sure well probably take it
meanwhile earnhardt grinds away he said friday that he and his crew chief greg ives had a good relationship and that his team worked hard but he shows up early at his teams hauler just in case he wants to bounce an idea off someone   or vice versa he sounds as if he does not want to take anything for granted
we will just continue to communicate as much as we can until we start to see the speed coming in the car he said im not too worried about it to be honest with you but i dont want to feel like im not accountable not available im there but i want him to know that im plugged in whatever you need from me tell me what you need from me
then he walked outside signed a few more autographs on the move hopped back into the golf cart with mag wheels and hustled back to the garages


oakland calif   from jason kidd to lebron james richard jefferson wants the world to know how blessed he is to be back in the nba finals 13 years after almost believing that landing on professional basketballs grand stage might be an annual occurrence just like his birthday
he first appeared as a flashy fast breaking nets rookie small forward in 2002 swept by the shaq and kobe los angeles lakers when the nets played in new jersey he returned a year later an established starter as the nets succumbed to the san antonio spurs
first of all most people dont have 13 year careers so for me to play 15 years and then to come here in year 15 and be a contributor again i take it as a humbling thing he said
to elaborate jefferson added trust me after we won the eastern conference bron caught me just staring off into space taking it in but even with all his success all his finals he totally got it
the basketball universe obsesses about the championship rings owned or not owned by the sports 1 percent but every june there is a lower bracket guy or two for whom who we could wish for one more
affectionately known in nba circles as r j jefferson had no media horde around him friday at oracle arena as james and his cleveland cavaliers tried to explain how they were mangled in game 1 primarily by the golden state warriors b team
there was no podium for the 35 year old jefferson who sat in the lower stands and agreed that from kidd to king james he might have as formidable an all teammate squad as anyone in the history of the league
kidd was the pure facilitator for those two nets finalists in 2009 jefferson joined tim duncan in san antonio for two and a half seasons in march 2012 jefferson was traded to the warriors where he watched stephen curry heal from early career ankle injuries and begin to turn 3 point shooting into a video game featuring a man of flesh and blood
last season was spent in dallas with dirk nowitzki and jefferson surprisingly crashed clevelands rotation after signing as a free agent in august averaging 55 points and just under 18 minutes a game
how might his all career team fare in various mythical matchups
pretty darn well jefferson said before adding well make tim the center even though he doesnt like to be called one dirks got to play power forward
jefferson has a 1 year old son and the new fathers bedtime stories will have serious name dropping educating the boy he calls little richard on his fathers long winding and plenty lucrative career hes earned more than 100 million
ill tell you this j kidd was the most fun to play with jefferson said dirk was probably the funniest of them lebron is the most social of them he wants everybody to go to dinner every night wants to hang out a team camaraderie guy tim and j kidd were kind of introverted just played the game
and curry jefferson shook his head when asked if in his season plus with the warriors he could have imagined that curry would become the leading man on the nba marquee
oh nobody could see this he said but could i see that he had the ability to be one of the great shooters without a doubt but then you had developing players around him helping him flourish every mvp has guys that complement them or protect them allow them to do what they do
he was in part vouching for his own longevity from quasi star to longtime starter to aging role player or what he called a high level professional that really good teams would want around
who knows maybe one reason the cavaliers wanted jefferson was for his familiarity with the warriors
the golden state team he joined in march 2012 was he said kind of a ragtag team mark jackson was the new coach in that lockout shortened 66 game season an injured curry played in 26 of them klay thompson was a rookie the warriors went 23 43
the next season brought harrison barnes and draymond green through the draft andrew bogut in a trade and solid veterans like carl landry and jarrett jack jefferson was a bit player but the warriors won 47 games and a playoff round
when they drafted harrison and they drafted draymond you got young hungry talent from successful places   north carolina and michigan state   with a mentality that we got to win jefferson said same as when i came to new jersey and j kidd had the attitude like we dont care what happened here before we got here
jefferson also recalled that someone else coached the rising warriors before steve kerr and his view of jackson is positive
he put more confidence in these guys than any coach ive seen put in a group of guys he said
but jackson was fired after winning 51 games in 2013 14 and liftoff to and over the moon came with kerr at the helm and curry as the games most jaw dropping long range shooting star
lets just say his shot selection has expanded every year and he started to push the envelope jefferson said ok i can make it from two feet behind the line pretty consistently lets try three feet damn that went in too so you just keep pushing the limit to see where that limit is
playing with james has made jefferson stretch his own limits and feel younger but he said he would consider retirement if he could just have a ring
his arizona team   with luke walton the kerr assistant recently named coach of the lakers   lost to duke in the 2001 ncaa final jefferson was on the 2004 united states olympic team that won a bronze the nets were overmatched in their two nba finals
i havent had the honor to finish on top he said thats all i really want to do thats why i came to cleveland
he has played alongside five of the great ones but it looked in game 1 as if james could use a duncan or a kidd against currys crowd we shall see in the meantime all jefferson knows is hes almost out of time
his final thought i can say with certainty that i dont have another 13 year gap to get here again


paris   the tennis integrity unit found no evidence of corrupt activity in its investigation into a mixed doubles match at the australian open in january that raised suspicions of possible match fixing   a finding that clears the players involved but raises further doubts about the effectiveness of the sports anticorruption efforts
no further action will be taken against any player involved said mark harrison a spokesman for the unit who divulged no further details including when the investigation had been abandoned
the match a first round encounter pitting david marrero and lara arruabarrena against lukasz kubot and andrea hlavackova had been flagged by bookmakers hours before it began for suspicious betting patterns with pinnacle sports suspending wagering on the match after unusually large and lopsided betting activity on kubot and hlavackova the aggregator site oddsportal showed that at least 22 other betting companies   including bovada boylesports and ladbrokes   also disabled betting on the match in the hours before it began
when the match was played kubot and hlavackova won quickly 6 0 6 3 in an interview immediately after the match marrero and arruabarrena both denied the possibility of any improper influence on the match
match fixing had been a prevailing topic during this years australian open after a joint report from the bbc and buzzfeed on the first day of the tournament highlighted the perceived ineffectiveness of the tennis integrity unit the sports watchdog body
despite the spotlight and the warning signs surrounding the mixed doubles match in question the tennis integrity unit seemed slow to act in february the melbourne newspaper the age reported that marrero who had a pattern of losses with suspect betting patterns had been allowed to leave the country without being interviewed in person and that the integrity unit sent him an email days later asking him not to delete anything off his phone in a post for the website tennis topic arruabarrena said she had learned that the match was a topic of interest outside her postmatch interview only after she had left australia when her phone was flooded with messages during a stopover at the dubai airport
despite calls for greater transparency the work of the tennis integrity unit remains opaque it acknowledged that there had been an investigation into marrero only after he told the wall street journal last week that it had been resolved before the australian open had ended an independent review had been commissioned to investigate the effectiveness of tenniss anticorruption efforts in april the unit published a brief digest of statistics for flagged matches in the first quarter of the year
the most recent consequence of an investigation by the unit came for the french player constant lestienne whose wild card into the french open was revoked after a minor breach of the anticorruption program was discovered he had placed a wager of 290 euros on last years french open final between novak djokovic and stan wawrinka lestienne correctly placed the sum on wawrinka winning 140 euros when his entry into this years french open was revoked lestienne forfeited 30000 euros
punishments in the most prominent cases appear scant one of the most scrutinized cases of recent years centered on a match lost by the ukrainian denys molchanov in february 2015 at a challenger level tournament in dallas bettors monitoring the match noticed money quickly flooding in on molchanovs opponent agustin velotti despite molchanovs leading and winning the first set with social media chatter about a potential fix growing hundreds tuned in to a live stream to witness the spectacle and found molchanov flailing about the court and ultimately losing
molchanov who insisted he was bothered by an injury that limited his movement during the match said in an interview that the tennis integrity unit never reached out to him despite the attention instead he said he ultimately contacted the unit on his own molchanov and the unit corresponded by email he said but never met face to face until 11 months after the match in australia this year
several other players who have been involved in matches that generated whispers of possible fixes said the unit never contacted them either others who have dutifully reported invitations to fix the outcome of a match said their messages to the unit were never responded to or followed up on
molchanov acknowledged frequently receiving solicitations to fix matches
a criminal is always dangerous but no one will kill you if you just walk away molchanov said they can text you and you walk away what can they do theyre not going to kill you for that


neil walker knew it would end pittsburgh had been part of him for 30 years from the day he was born there in 1985 to the day he was drafted by the pirates in 2004 right up until last december he had one year left until free agency and had been unable to agree to a long term contract with his hometown team
if you had a son youd want him to grow up like neil   he was that guy in pittsburgh said don kelly the veteran utility player who is married to walkers sister he was the role model theres a business side of the game and as a player you understand it but its tough
just before the winter meetings walker was at home near pittsburgh with don seymour a family friend who had coached him in youth baseball they talked about possible landing spots in a trade and seymour said he doubted the mets would part with their second baseman daniel murphy who had starred in the playoffs even if they did seymour said new york was bound to be a drastic change
walker was not so sure the possibility of playing for the mets who had just reached the world series intrigued him he had been to the postseason the past three years in pittsburgh without winning a series and had heard good things about the mets clubhouse
he said hey im going to be the same person whether i go to new york or la or minnesota  seymour said hes very comfortable in his own skin hes going to be himself and his values are going to serve him well
the mets   who open a three game series in pittsburgh on monday   traded a spare starting pitcher jon niese for walker last dec 9 murphy left for the washington nationals and has continued his surge but walker has been just as valuable to the mets he is hitting 284 leads nl second basemen in homers with 13 and has thrived from both sides of the plate
the reports were he didnt play much against lefties didnt hit lefties very well   hes done nothing but hit lefties here manager terry collins said adding later hes really been extra special for us
walker batted 237 with no homers against left handers last season this season he is hitting 341 off left handers with five homers he concentrated in spring training on eliminating his toe tap as a right handed hitter planting his front foot more quickly and giving himself more time to stay back in his swing
the reason i was confident about it was that i had done it in the past and i was a very good right handed hitter in the minor leagues in triple a and my first couple of years in the big leagues walker said i may have gotten into some bad habits mechanically and i didnt make the adjustments necessary its a big ballpark in pittsburgh and when i got up there i was flying out a lot to left center field i was like im not going to have a lot of success doing this so i kind of altered my approach to what made me a good right handed hitter
walker said his homer last monday the only run of a 1 0 victory over the chicago white sox would have been an out at pnc park
thats my strength from both sides walker said i hit a lot of fly balls   a lot of long fly balls
seymour was there when walker 12 hit homers from both sides of the plate in a game in buffalo with his travel team soon enough walker was playing for usa baseball and the pirates made him a first round draft pick
walker went pro while a friend   seymours son clint   played at eastern kentucky they stayed close and for a while clint seymour found work at a bar near pnc park he moved to charleston sc and was training to be a financial adviser when he died in april 2014 of a head injury sustained in a street fight dalton clarke of mount pleasant sc was found guilty this april of assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature and sentenced to 15 years in prison
anybody that knows clint knew how much heart he had and that was something i try to emulate as a friend of his how passionate he was for baseball walker said it kind of rubbed off on me as we grew older and we pushed each other as baseball players and as people i guess part of my heart in baseball is also his heart too and i try to remind myself on a daily basis how fortunate i am to play this game at this level
walker left the pirates during a road trip and was with don seymour at the hospital when clint was taken off life support before walker returned to the team he and seymour had resolved to start a foundation in clints memory the clint seymour play ball fund clintplayballcom which sponsors youth camps hosts clinics and awards scholarships
seymour said the fund had given him a sense of purpose since his sons death and he emphasized the goal of using baseball to promote values like respect for others walker in his way embodied that with the pirates never tiring of community appearances or news media requests the hometown boy makes good angle was irresistible and walker dutifully obliged
ive had less on my plate here than i did in pittsburgh with the day to day things walker said ive kind of been able to delve into just baseball here come to the ballpark prepare myself and go play and its not that i didnt enjoy it in pittsburgh but its like with david wright here   i was always answering questions and i was fine with it but it was every single day
walker misses some things about pittsburgh like his mothers home cooked meals after sunday day games and living so close to his family he has two brothers and a sister and all live within five miles of one another in the pittsburgh suburbs his wife niki is a native too
we grew up there we loved it and i think well end up always living there walker said
his trip home coincides with the stanley cup finals walkers siblings and kelly who now plays for the miami marlins class aaa team share season tickets to penguins games in the corner at consol energy center walkers penguins toiletry bag has a prominent place in his mets locker   the logo always faces out   and he is friends with several of the penguins players including kris letang chris kunitz and pascal dupuis
hes a huge huge penguins fan kelly said being from pittsburgh you dont lose your roots


president obama said he shook up the world and the worlds better for it george foreman called him royalty but added that the common man was his pal paul mccartney remembered his sense of humor and how he would often pull a pack of cards out of his pocket no matter how posh the occasion and do a card trick for you
in the full sentences of official statements and the terse quickly typed prose of twitter and instagram the world mourned the loss of the three time world heavyweight boxing champion muhammad ali who died on friday at 74 athletes celebrities lawmakers and artists paid tribute to a superstar famous for audacious self confidence as he faced opponents in the ring and unanticipated bravery as he faced illness
alis funeral is scheduled for friday in louisville ky his hometown the eulogies will be given by former president bill clinton billy crystal and bryant gumbel
many echoed alis own description of himself as the greatest   if you asked him hed just tell you the president and his wife michelle said in a statement   but not only in the ring a giant an inspiration a man of peace a warrior for the cure said the actor michael j fox who was 30 when he learned he had parkinsons disease ali was given the diagnosis when he was 42
his may be the greatest of 20th century american stories said the astrophysicist neil degrasse tyson the director of the hayden planetarium at the american museum of natural history in new york and as reporters remembered enduringly quotable encounters with ali   like the time in 1964 when he promised to float like a butterfly sting like a bee   sports illustrated said it planned to use a photograph of ali on the cover of its june 13 issue it will be the 40th time he has occupied that spot
some like the boxer floyd mayweather mentioned your charisma your charm and above all your class some recognized ali as a man willing to defy authority and pay a price as he did when he refused to be drafted as the vietnam war was escalating he lost his boxing title as a result and did not step into the ring for three years while lawyers appealed in court
the white house issued a 564 word statement from the obamas in which the president said he kept a pair of alis gloves in his private study off the oval office the president said they were on display beneath that iconic photograph of him at age 22 roaring like a lion over a fallen sonny liston the president added
i was too young when it was taken to understand who he was   still cassius clay already an olympic gold medal winner yet to set out on a spiritual journey that would lead him to his muslim faith exile him at the peak of his power and set the stage for his return to greatness with a name as familiar to the downtrodden in the slums of southeast asia and the villages of africa as it was to cheering crowds in madison square garden
the president also said that ali stood with king and mandela stood up when it was hard spoke out when others wouldnt
he also praised alis refusal to be drafted and his court fight which ended in victory in the supreme court the justices reversing a lower court gave him the conscientious objector status he had sought after a draft board reclassified him available for military service
ali stood his ground the president said and his victory helped us get used to the america we recognize today
the senate majority leader mitch mcconnell of kentucky noted that ali had grown up in louisville and that louisville was the site of the muhammad ali center a museum that opened 11 years ago inside the ring mcconnell said he was graceful on his feet and packed a powerful punch outside the ring he thrilled us with his exuberance for life
the senate minority leader harry reid of nevada recalled meeting ali one morning in june 1972 at caesars palace in las vegas reid was 32 and ali was about two years younger that morning i was just a star struck kid from searchlight reid said referring to the town about 60 miles from las vegas where he was born he added that he watched in awe as he trained
muhammad ali was everything the world had come to know and love   funny charming and one hell of an athlete reid said
on social media there were reactions from boxers who followed him in the ring   god came for his champion so long great one mike tyson posted on twitter   and from people who remembered the conscientious objector case the filmmaker michael moore noted that ali was convicted as a felon simply because he refused to go to vietnam
kareem abdul jabbar the former basketball star recalled meeting ali in 1967 soon after alis conviction for draft evasion abdul jabbar then lew alcindor said on espn that he was the youngest of the well known black athletes who met with ali and after questioning him about his stand on the draft appeared at a news conference together expressing support for him
abdul jabbar said on saturday that he and ali became friends he said that they had a difference in style with regard to how he presented his issues and his passion for them but he added what its all about was freedom and justice and equality for all americans equal opportunity for all americans
one of his legacies his outreach across the lines of religion to remove all the obstacles and build bridges you know thats what he was about abdul jabbar said on espn he did that until he drew his last breath
the boxing promoter don king whose career was jump started by the rumble in the jungle bout between ali and foreman in what was then zaire in 1974 told the associated press its a sad day for life man
like martin luther king his spirit will live on king said he stood for the world
foreman sent several tweets in one he said until ali no one said im beautiful adding that the common man was his pal foreman said that is beauty greatest kind he also said ali did not beat him in the rumble in the jungle with the famous rope a dope tactic
no foreman wrote on twitter it was his beauty that beat me
lin manuel miranda who wrote the broadway musical hamilton and stars in it posted a page from an interview with ali that was published in playboy magazine in 1975 in which he said he would like to be remembered as a black man who won the heavyweight title and who was humorous and who treated everyone right ali also mentioned helping as many of his people as he could   financially and also in their fight for freedom justice and equality and trying to unite his people through the faith of islam
at the end he added and i wouldnt even mind if folks forgot how pretty i was
in his tweet miranda said maestro you called it exactly right thank you


muhammad ali who died on friday after a long struggle with parkinsons disease was given the diagnosis in 1984 when he was 42 the world witnessed his gradual decline over the decades as tremors and stiffness set in replacing his athletic stride with a shuffle silencing his exuberant voice and freezing his face into an expressionless mask
it is a progressive incurable deterioration of the part of the brain that produces a chemical needed to carry signals to the regions that control movement
about one million people in the united states and between seven million and 10 million worldwide are thought to have parkinsons according to the parkinsons disease foundation
the exact cause is not known as with many disorders experts suspect a combination of genes and environment meaning that people with a particular genetic makeup may be predisposed to the disease if they are exposed to certain environmental factors
head injuries such as those sustained repeatedly in boxing are among the possible risk factors listed by the national parkinson foundation so is exposure to certain pesticides these factors have both been suggested as possible contributors in muhammad alis case
medication can ease the symptoms for a time but the disease continues to progress in some cases implanted devices called deep brain stimulators can also help with symptoms but parkinsons is not curable
the disease itself is not fatal and many people like ali live with it for decades but as it advances it commonly causes breathing problems like the ones that led to his hospitalization a few days before he died


sai yok thailand   the last tiger sedated and caged left the tiger temple in thailand on saturday in the back of a pickup truck the abbot who founded the buddhist themed zoo has vanished and five people including three monks have been arrested on suspicion of wildlife trafficking
the removal of the last of 137 tigers after a weeklong operation effectively shut the tourist attraction where visitors   many of them foreign tourists   could touch tigers and feed them by hand
conservationists had long believed that the zoo was a front for illegal trafficking in tiger parts and on thursday the authorities said they found their strongest evidence yet that monks and staff members were involved in that trade a search of a truck leaving the temple compound found more than 1600 illegal items including two tiger pelts tiger skin amulets tiger teeth and 67 tiger skin lockets with photos of the temples abbot luangta chan inside
other grisly finds over the week included 40 dead tiger cubs stored in a freezer and 20 more preserved in jars
the closing of the tourist attraction at the temple wat pha luang ta bua was a victory for conservationists in a predominantly buddhist country where government officials often give deference to religious leaders
the wildlife conservation office has sought for months to remove the tigers and battled the temples lawyers in court before winning an order allowing it to start seizing the big cats on monday thirty veterinarians 60 parks department rangers and more than 250 others were involved in the operation
under questioning those who were arrested told the police that the items in the truck had come from the abbots rooms at the monastery officials said
just because you are a temple or a monk doesnt mean you are above the law teunchai noochdumrong who heads the conservation agency said the evidence we have is enough to file charges of trafficking against them
the temple promoted itself as a place where people and tigers could coexist in harmony tourists paid as much as 140 for the experience officials said the temple was making 57 million a year from ticket sales
much of the business of caring for the tigers was carried out by foreign volunteers who also helped put a good face on the operation
one of them was tanya erzinclioglu a british volunteer tiger coordinator who is passionate about the animals and worked at the temple for six years speaking frequently on behalf of the temple she consistently denied charges that it was involved in wildlife trafficking
but on thursday she witnessed the search of the truck that held the tiger parts watching an officer hold up a pelt that he had pulled from the truck
i felt sick she said saturday it was not only a slap in my face it was disgusting
she said she felt used and betrayed by temple officials
the day before the arrests ms erzinclioglu led officials to the 40 cubs in the freezer she said that the cubs were being held as evidence of their births and deaths and that they were not part of any trafficking she said she believed that their existence had been reported to the agency as required by law
but officials were shocked by the discovery of the frozen cubs and said they had received a report of only one being born and dying
similarly they were surprised by the discovery of 20 cubs preserved in jars in formalin as well as animal parts in 11 other jars
the police say they want to speak with supitpong pakdjarung a former police colonel who ran the temples business arm
reached by phone on saturday he said that the police had not contacted him and that he had no plans to talk to them he denied as he has many times before that the temple was involved in the illegal wildlife trade
there is nothing to be investigated on me he said angrily before hanging up i dont have any involvement because there is no illegal trading
col bundit muangsukhan who is involved in the police investigation said the authorities planned to examine how the temple had obtained its tigers temple legend has it that they were injured cubs brought by villagers so the abbot could care for them critics have charged that the cubs were acquired from poachers or through illegal trading
watcharin wakamanan the land use chief for kanchanaburi province said it appeared the temple had violated the condition of its permit to use 391 acres for religious purposes
by the look of it he said this is not buddhist activity they have been doing here


based on an equilar survey of 200 chief executives of american companies top ceo pay fell   yes fell may 29 reported that average compensation last year fell 15 percent from 2014 to 193 million
the article received 223 comments the following were edited and condensed
if my income dropped to 193 million from 226 million i simply dont know what i would do how would i take care of my family not to mention my loss of self esteem
wlk west hartford conn
what on earth do these people do with all their money there arent enough consumer goods on earth for them to buy i know what bill gates and warren buffett are doing philanthropically what about the other megaearners
gigi oak park ill
the american approach is simple if a ceo gets a million bucks a year how can i get it too the idea that i am somehow cheated if someone else makes money is moronic
mark menser fort myers fla
i would really like someone preferably with a straight face to explain what these people do that makes them worth their compensation
my hunch is that this is nothing more than financial manipulation with little actual product more gaming of the system
michael grattan key west fla
the only solution to this problem is to reinstate punitive federal income tax rates for the highest brackets say 70 to 90 percent in excess of 10 million whether received as ordinary income stock grants or otherwise
gary clark los angeles
im fairly certain not one of these ceos would regard themselves as overpaid im also confident that their employees who were denied raises denied medical insurance or who were otherwise chronically exploited would regard these ceo compensation packages as absurdly inflated with little or no connection to what their demonstrable economic value is it is a true moral outrage and must not be allowed to continue
chintermeister maine


waiting in line for the illusion of security the upshot economic view may 29 by sendhil mullainathan of harvard and richard h thaler of the university of chicago looked at the long lines at transportation security administration airport checkpoints as an economic problem
the article received 267 comments
as usual the economists miss the political forest for the economic trees what the tsa screens for is a political decision and the budget they are provided is a political decision the simplest solution to long lines hire more tsa inspectors
dwr los angeles
mr mullainathan and mr thaler state we have no way of knowing whether the current procedures are optimal but we do the tsa regularly conducts screening tests attempting to bring contraband through checkpoints reportedly in 95 percent of the tests tsa checkpoint agents fail to detect prohibited items brought in by other tsa agents
the traveling public deserves a less expensive more efficient process what are we waiting for
boston barry framingham mass
the crowds that are created by the tsa are perfect launching platforms for suicide bombers why should they wait to get to the screeners
thomas speer tucson
lets take a look at the costs in the system imposed by the airlines continuation of baggage fees which is the unnamed culprit here the tsa could cut its budget and shave off plenty of wait time if passengers werent hauling all their luggage to avoid outrageous baggage fees while cargo holds go empty
nancy moore washington


the president and michelle obama the first lady issued a statement saturday on the death of muhammad ali
muhammad ali was the greatest period if you just asked him hed tell you hed tell you he was the double greatest that hed handcuffed lightning thrown thunder into jail
but what made the champ the greatest - what truly separated him from everyone else - is that everyone else would tell you pretty much the same thing
like everyone else on the planet michelle and i mourn his passing but were also grateful to god for how fortunate we are to have known him if just for a while for how fortunate we all are that the greatest chose to grace our time
in my private study just off the oval office i keep a pair of his gloves on display just under that iconic photograph of him - the young champ just 22 years old roaring like a lion over a fallen sonny liston i was too young when it was taken to understand who he was - still cassius clay already an olympic gold medal winner yet to set out on a spiritual journey that would lead him to his muslim faith exile him at the peak of his power and set the stage for his return to greatness with a name as familiar to the downtrodden in the slums of southeast asia and the villages of africa as it was to cheering crowds in madison square garden
i am america he once declared i am the part you wont recognize but get used to me - black confident cocky my name not yours my religion not yours my goals my own get used to me
thats the ali i came to know as i came of age - not just as skilled a poet on the mic as he was a fighter in the ring but a man who fought for what was right a man who fought for us he stood with king and mandela stood up when it was hard spoke out when others wouldnt his fight outside the ring would cost him his title and his public standing it would earn him enemies on the left and the right make him reviled and nearly send him to jail but ali stood his ground and his victory helped us get used to the america we recognize today
he wasnt perfect of course for all his magic in the ring he could be careless with his words and full of contradictions as his faith evolved but his wonderful infectious even innocent spirit ultimately won him more fans than foes - maybe because in him we hoped to see something of ourselves later as his physical powers ebbed he became an even more powerful force for peace and reconciliation around the world we saw a man who said he was so mean hed make medicine sick reveal a soft spot visiting children with illness and disability around the world telling them they too could become the greatest we watched a hero light a torch and fight his greatest fight of all on the world stage once again a battle against the disease that ravaged his body but couldnt take the spark from his eyes
muhammad ali shook up the world and the world is better for it we are all better for it michelle and i send our deepest condolences to his family and we pray that the greatest fighter of them all finally rests in peace


they were a 1960s power couple two hypertalkative showmen muhammad ali the african american boxer born with a slave name and howard cosell the jewish brooklyn lawyer who found his calling in sportscasting
ali who died friday at 74 recited doggerel danced in the ring taunted his opponents and converted to islam and as he told us he was pretty
cosell was homely with an adenoidal voice and a collection of toupees but at his best he could call a boxing match with dramatic brio articulate complex issues narrate football highlights with astonishing skill and little preparation and as he often said tell it like it is
abc sports cosells employer carried a lot of alis fights so cosell was at ringside inside the ring interviewing ali and his opponents after fights or in the networks studio interviewing ali their camaraderie produced an entertaining union of spirited opposites and a well suited black white pairing for the times
one man ali understood racism the other cosell experienced anti semitism and neither could stop talking
ali spoke to many other journalists but he and cosell seemed inseparable teasing and challenging each other and mock sparring in suits and ties ali often threatened to strip off cosells toupee du jour and in their jokey back and forth each man said the other would have been nothing without him
every time you open your mouth you should be arrested for air pollution ali once told cosell who responded you would still be in impoverished anonymity in this country if i hadnt made you
beneath the stagecraft of their relationship was cosells support of ali whether by no longer calling him cassius clay when others like his opponent ernie terrell persisted or by excoriating the new york state athletic commission for stripping him of his heavyweight title in 1967 after he refused induction into the army
they were so tied in the public mind that the columnist dave kindred wrote a dual biography of the men sound and fury in 2006
had they been practitioners of traditional humility their extraordinary talents alone would have demanded that attention be paid kindred wrote but there was nothing traditional about ali and cosell a thimble would have contained their humility with room left over for an elephant
one day in january 1974 shortly before ali and joe fraziers rematch of their epic bout three years earlier they joined cosell at the abc sports studio to review film of the first fight dennis lewin a longtime producer at the network recalled normally when we had two people for howard to interview with contrasting views we sat howard between them but i wanted the two of them together to have the byplay better i didnt realized it would lead to a fight
indeed when ali brought up fraziers hospitalization after their first bout frazier grew enraged rose to his feet and asked ali why he called him ignorant
sit down joe ali said but ali got to his feet and they began wrestling on the studio floor as stagehands and the fighters entourages tried to restore order
cosell never got out of his chair narrating the set to as if it were a prizefight and trying to determine who was clowning and who was serious
its a bad and ugly scene he said and its unfortunate that it happened as we showed this extraordinary fight
frazier left angrily leaving ali alone with cosell
ali was petulant afterward and tried to rationalize why he had called frazier ignorant cosell kept prodding ali back to analyzing the first epic bout cosell sounded annoyed yet paternal as he tried to bring ali back to the days goal
im going to represent joe as a devils advocate cosell said
you have to be a devil to represent joe ali said
lewin witnessed many ali cosell encounters and saw in them two gifted and highly intelligent performers who could play off each other on any level
they had genuine respect for their mutual talents and what they could do for each other he said clearly they both enabled each others careers
both mens health declined ali from parkinsons disease cosell from multiple problems in 1992 when ali celebrated his 50th birthday on a television special the ailing cosell offered his greetings in a prerecorded segment that showed his emotional side without bombast or gibes
fifty years old he said i never thought that could happen not to you but it has and you know something you are exactly who you said you are you never wavered you are free to be who you want to be
cosell paused choking up and added i love you


washington   an exhausted and ill equipped iraqi army faces daunting obstacles on the battlefield that will most likely delay for months a long planned major offensive on the islamic state stronghold of mosul american and allied officials say
the delay is expected despite american efforts to keep iraqs creaky war machine on track although president obama vowed to end the united states role in the war in iraq in the last two years the american military has increasingly provided logistics to prop up the iraqi military which has struggled to move basics like food water and ammunition to its troops
without the help americans commanders said the offensive against mosul would most likely fail
americans are ferrying equipment and spare parts directly to the battlefield by cargo plane helping arrange purchases of ammunition for soviet era equipment and pressing the iraqis to adopt measures to improve a supply chain that would run over 200 miles from defense ministry depots in the baghdad area to mosul
but no matter how hard the americans push the iraqis can go only so fast the pace of ground operations is likely to become even slower in the summers searing heat and during the coming holy month of ramadan when muslims often fast during the day much of the iraqis equipment needs to be repaired or replaced and many iraqi units will require additional training before attacking mosul
a lull wont be sexy but its the hard and important work that needs to be done to generate combat power said col steven warren who until this month was the top american military spokesman in iraq
the logistical challenges are far from the only hurdles facing the united states as it struggles to deal with the complexities in iraq
iran is supporting tens of thousands of iraqi soldiers police officers and shiite militiamen who are preparing for an assault against the islamic state in the sunni city of falluja in western iraq which has raised fears of a sectarian blood bath prime minister haider al abadi of iraq ordered the falluja offensive over the objections of american advisers who urged him to focus on the bigger prize of mosul iraqs second largest city and the de facto headquarters of the islamic state in iraq but after a series of islamic state suicide bombings last month killed hundreds in baghdad mr abadi faced growing domestic pressure to stop the threat in falluja which is about 35 miles west of the capital
the iraqis have long struggled with their military organization but the problem worsened in the summer of 2014 when the islamic state seized wide swaths of territory in western and northern iraq and stole much of the militarys trucks and other equipment used to move troops and supplies
since then american logisticians have been working directly with the iraqis to try to improve their supply chain
the problem has been complicated because the iraqi military is made up of a mix of equipment and weapons from the soviet era the united states and elsewhere the iraqis rely on an antiquated maintenance system that sends broken equipment to baghdad to be fixed and they do not have an automated system for tracking their supplies
american advisers have worked to overhaul the maintenance system encouraging the iraqis to develop the ability to do repairs closer to the battlefields the americans have also arranged for other countries in the coalition fighting the islamic state to give or sell the iraqis the ammunition and parts they need to keep their military functioning
the americans have also taken the lead in preparing detailed schedules for moving troops training them and delivering ammunition and equipment to the battlefield
as the iraqis move farther away from their depots at places like taji they will have to adopt similar sustainment practices lt gen sean b macfarland the top american commander in iraq said in an email referring to a city just north of baghdad to do this requires a good deal of reorganization
extending the reach of the iraqi security forces also requires logistics planning general macfarland said we are doing a great deal of that for the iraqis because we recognize that rome wasnt built in a day
the iraqis have had some success against the islamic state since december this year for the first time since the fighting against the islamic state began in august 2014 the terrorist group has not gained any additional territory the iraqis have reclaimed the city of ramadi and several smaller cities in western and northern iraq
backed by american led air power iraqi forces have regained 45 percent of the territory the islamic state seized in 2014 american commanders say an increase from 40 percent at the beginning of the year bombing by americans and other european countries involved in the fight including the british and french has halved the islamic states oil production and cut its revenues between 30 and 50 percent american intelligence analysts say
but the analysts have concluded that many of the areas that the iraqis need to reclaim   including mosul   will be more difficult to seize because the islamic state has controlled them for a longer period and has heavily fortified them
the islamic state has roughly 19000 to 25000 fighters about half in iraq and half in syria colonel warren said most of the 10000 to 12000 in iraq are concentrated around mosul in the tal afar area and elsewhere in nineveh province
the expected delay in the mosul offensive highlights the frustrations of the obama administration with the seesaw nature of the iraqi ground campaign but mr obama and his commanders decided that it was better for iraqis to control the tempo of the counteroffensive even with its fits and starts than for the united states to reclaim a leading combat role that mr obama thought he had ended when he withdrew all american troops in 2011
logistics is one of the things we are most concerned about so we look to do everything we can to keep the timeline on track said col christopher garver the united states spokesman for the coalition fighting the islamic state in iraq yes theres a danger of things slipping to the right on the calendar as we say pushing into the future but we have a whole team working to prevent that from happening
in interviews iraqi commanders in the falluja operation acknowledged some of the challenges facing their troops but they sought to discount the impact on their operations
we have a lot of experience fighting in the hot weather and are used to it but yes fighting in the heat is a very difficult thing said abdul wahab al saaidi the commander of military operations in falluja the enemy in front of us is isis and it is not an easy enemy and we dont want to give it the impression that our fighters are getting tired in the hot weather so no matter high the temperatures are we will continue fighting until liberating falluja entirely
the commander of operations in nearby ramadi said the military would make some tactical adjustments because of the heat but not stop fighting altogether
lets be frank in iraq even if we go to market we get annoyed by the heat said the commander ismael al mahallawi but we must beat the heat and put the appropriate plans in place to get over it and continue operations we will take advantage of the dawn times to attack
asked for a description of the air campaign in the coming months lt gen charles q brown jr the american air war commander said he would keep the pressure on the islamic state even if the tempo of the iraqi ground offensive eased
as the air force were able to strike ahead of the ground maneuver general brown said i know where the next fight is going to be then what i want to be able to do is actually soften up that with strikes ahead of the ground maneuver


tucson ariz   senator john mccain does not say much these days about donald j trumps attack on his five plus years as a prisoner of war instead he clenches his teeth and says he will support the republican partys presumptive nominee who once said derisively about the senators time in captivity i like people that werent captured
in the triple digit swelter here in arizona his home state mr mccain who was the republicans presidential nominee and standard bearer in 2008 did not openly bemoan this moment from his long political life he is focusing on what he considers his toughest re election fight yet and is betting that the only way to keep his seat is to support mr trump
im fair game im in the arena said mr mccain 79 whose thinning face reflects the decades he has spent traveling around his massive and increasingly diverse state
still the episode sits with traces of bitterness like old coffee grounds at the bottom of his cup even if he says otherwise
for a moment the july attack on mr mccain seemed to be mr trumps undoing mccain said he recalled a recent chat with a world war ii veteran who had been in a german prison camp as he delivered the man a missing medal he said to me why would trump say something like that about us  the senator said frankly i didnt have an answer for it
but mr trump has since called for mass deportations of illegal immigrants and a wall at the mexican border and now the billionaire businessman could be the force that ultimately topples the indomitable mr mccain an estimated 433000 hispanics are expected to vote in arizona this november an 8 percent increase from 2012
and mr mccain has a credible democratic challenger representative ann kirkpatrick who grew up on an indian reservation and has strong support from the states sizable native american population i just came from a latino round table and they are really concerned about mccains support for trump she said tuesday its very personal here
she is working with the states democrats to harness these forces against mr mccain and his old guard which is largely behind mr trump
ms kirkpatrick said that being anti trump is a strong message but she acknowledged that its not the only message she recently opened a field office in tempe and has many arizona state university volunteers working the phones working out of an old bank aides sit in the former vault the door has been removed to go over mr mccains statements year by year and look for inconsistencies that suggest too long a stay in congress
the race comes down to whether arizonans take a step back and judge john mccain for being john mccain and his remarkable life of public service said grant woods a former state attorney general and the senators friend for decades and not as being a long term incumbent and not as a republican in a year when the party has a controversial nominee if they do that he will win walking away if they dont then it could be tight could he lose yeah
despite the personal attacks by mr trump on the senators integrity and war record mr mccain cannot afford to reject mr trump and alienate his many supporters in arizona if he hopes to hold his seat an agonizing trade off mr mccain is the embodiment of much that voters in both parties but especially fans of mr trump have said they would like to jettison this year he is the ultimate establishment player having served in congress for nearly four decades   five terms in the senate alone
back in the middle ages i was known as the maverick mr mccain said smiling wanly
he is an unapologetic free trader an interventionist abroad who continues to defend the deeply unpopular war in iraq a supporter of private industry and markets and the original if inconstant champion of changes to the immigration system that would help some illegal immigrants become citizens
to succeed in what most people believe will be his last political campaign mr mccain must canter around the state assuring mr trumps detractors that he does not share the businessmans visions for mass deportation and the dissolution of nato while continuing to woo an angry republican base that overwhelmingly voted for mr trump in the states march primary
ive been feeling it out there for some time mr mccain said in the southern part of the state here they are not feeling the recovery at all then there is this whole issue with these young people and kids carrying around all this debt
thats the bernie effect he said referring to senator bernie sanderss youth appeal in the democratic primaries
he added the turmoil in this race is more than ive ever seen younger newer voters are registering for only one reason to vote against trump so my challenge is to convince that younger newer voter that i am for them
his greater challenge may be with latinos angry at mr trump according to an analysis of voter and census data by the national association of latino elected and appointed officials educational fund latinos are expected to account for 17 percent of arizonas registered electorate this year with a voter turnout rate at close to 70 percent nearly 45 percent of latino registered voters are democrats the report found
ive always spent a lot of time with the hispanic community mr mccain said but having said that they are rising in numbers in the voting population im putting more emphasis there particularly in light of trumps comments
hispanics in the phoenix area will also be heavily motivated to vote in the sheriffs election joe arpaio a trump supporter who was recently found in contempt of court for willfully violating an order requiring his deputies to stop detaining latinos will be on the ballot trying to keep his seat as maricopa county sheriff
a day watching mr mccain campaign here this past week reflects his evolving challenges he sat for the endorsement of a small group of border patrol agents who have also endorsed mr trump and listened in silence as art del cueto the president of tucson local 2455 of the national border patrol council explained why mr trump had gotten their approval it means so much to me this long relationship weve had mr mccain said about his endorsement and the support weve tried to provide 
mr del cueto did say that we did talk to donald about his comments concerning mr mccains war record i dont think it was a comment that has been made again he said
but a bit later meeting with hispanic business leaders mr mccain opened with were going to make america great again and its going to be huge ok it was a tiny swipe at mr trump taken in the manner of a toddler grabbing a cookie when he assumes no one is looking then it was on to other topics like the federal aviation administration reauthorization
mr mccain remains most at home with other veterans like the one he visited   on memorial day another man waiting on medals his wife said he was staying alive to get those medals mr mccain said smiling at the memory sometimes its a nice job


wall street hasnt had much to cheer about lately but there are some signs that rank and file workers do
you might not think so given a very weak government jobs report on friday yet many employees have actually been climbing out of the financial hole in which they have been mired since the great recession
where the economy is heading now isnt clear but consider the overall picture since the recession ended in 2009 until about a year ago big businesses and investors prospered despite extremely slow economic growth while wages for most employees languished
as the federal reserve and other central banks pumped out money corporations racked up handsome profits and those fortunate enough to hold shares in big companies made fortunes if you had invested 10000 in a standard  poors 500 index fund at the end of february 2009 it would have more than tripled by the end of last year including dividends
rising corporate profits provided fuel for the sizzling stock market by the fourth quarter of 2011 pretax corporate profits reached 145 percent of national income the highest level since 1950 according to the federal bureau of economic analysis data compiled by edward yardeni an independent market researcher
what was good for business wasnt great for workers however by 2012 labors share of the corporate income pie had dropped to the lowest level since 1951 the economic policy institute a progressive research group found companies bolstered profits by cutting costs   including the cost of labor   and they got away with it because unemployment was high and jobs were scarce
in a weak job market wages grew very slowly said josh bivens the institutes director of research and policy they grew so slowly that through last year median weekly wages for full time workers were still stuck below their 2009 level when adjusted for inflation according to data from the bureau of labor statistics
mediocre economic growth has been a central problem an annual growth rate of 2 percent has become the new normal until recently growth that slow was viewed as stall speed   a rate so feeble that it made the economy vulnerable to an outright recession yet despite some scares the united states economy has continued its snail like expansion since june 2009
almost imperceptibly the recovery entered a new stage over the last year or so conditions appeared to have changed   for business investors and workers
for many rank and file workers the labor market improved significantly even if the gains have been uneven the unemployment rate dropped to 47 percent from 5 percent in may the labor department reported on friday a bright spot in a report filled mainly with grim numbers for example job creation slackened sharply with a net gain of a mere 38000 jobs but the report also confirmed that hourly wages have been rising for a gain of 25 percent for the year
on wednesday in the survey known as the beige book the federal reserve reported that tight labor markets were widely noted and pay raises were concentrated in areas of labor tightness
a major labor dispute was resolved as striking verizon workers returned to work last week with a tentative agreement on four year contracts that would give workers a nearly 11 percent increase in pay over all their return should bolster future jobs numbers
purchasing power for many workers has finally climbed back to prerecession levels by march using inflation adjusted figures the bureau of labor statistics reported that median weekly wages had at last surpassed their 2009 peak
mr bivens cautioned that the real wage improvement last year was at least partly because of unusually low inflation and not entirely because of monetary wage increases oil gas and other commodity prices plummeted last year making wage growth after adjusting for inflation look relatively high its good news but its not clear whether that growth rate for real wages is sustainable he said
still labors share of the corporate income pie has unquestionably been growing though it hasnt regained the prerecession levels of 2007 reaching that modest goal will require further economic growth were slowly making headway but we have a while to go before id say conditions were normal mr bivens said
on the other hand from the standpoint of corporate executives and stock market investors conditions have worsened considerably over the last year the market has struggled to hold its own the sp 500 hasnt reached a new peak since may 2015 corporate profits which had supported the long bull market in stocks have been weak in the first quarter of 2016 earnings declined 5 percent compared with the same period a year earlier thomson reuters ibes estimated
on tuesday mr yardeni summarized the year this way labor compensation is up 5 percent while profits are down 58 percent workers finally may be gaining income share as the labor market has tightened boosting both employment and hourly pay this development is squeezing profit margins
rising incomes spurred consumer spending which grew in april at its fastest rate since 2014 inflation remains very low but has been rising investors are betting that on the heels of the latest jobs report the federal reserve wont raise interest rates this month
further wage increases and a sustained uptick in inflation could induce the fed to act later on but unless such developments are accompanied by much stronger economic growth neither workers nor businesses nor investors are likely to celebrate very loudly


when tidjane thiam took over at credit suisse last july he laid out a new direction for a financial giant with a storied investment banking history do less investment banking
and he used forceful language in doing so he has referred to once core businesses   such as trading in distressed bonds and derivatives   as ugly ducklings he has suggested publicly that traders increased their investments in risky debt without his knowledge
instead mr thiam said the firm should dedicate itself to cultivating billionaires in china indonesia and africa the message the future for the company is in managing the wealth of others
one year in credit suisse stock is down 50 percent and the investment bank the second largest in switzerland after ubs is in open revolt
credit suisse has a wide range of businesses like overseeing the fortunes of billionaires and managing initial public offerings for technology companies but for decades the bank has been dominated both culturally and financially by a richly paid banking elite these deal makers in new york and london are now furious at mr thiam not just for cutting their pay but also because they resent his blaming them for the 6 billion in losses that the firm has suffered on his watch
across europe banking giants like barclays deutsche bank ubs and royal bank of scotland have to varying degrees moved away from traditional investment banking activities because of increased regulation and volatile markets sluggish growth in large european economies   not to mention the remarkable phenomenon of negative interest rates   have not helped matters either
but what makes the situation at credit suisse stand out is that mr thiam appears to have done little to cloak his disdain for these activities the question is not whether mr thiam is right to grab power and capital from these declining businesses but whether his blunt domineering style as a change agent will end up alienating bankers instead of winning them over
it is never easy to tell people that whole parts of the business that have put bread on their table and bought them a second house have become uneconomic said guy moszkowski a longtime securities analyst at autonomous research
by any measure mr thiam is an unconventional choice to lead an investment bank born to a prominent family in ivory coast he cut short a career at mckinsey  company in paris in 1994 to join a reform minded government in his home country as a top banker and minister
following a military coup in 1999 mr thiam returned to mckinsey and in 2009 he was named chief executive of prudential the british insurance conglomerate   becoming the first african to head a major listed company in britain
six foot four and snugly tailored mr thiam has an air about him of not suffering fools he had a successful run at prudential no relation to an american company with a similar name overcoming an uproar following a failed bid to buy the asian operations of the american international group along the way he became one of londons more celebrated executives and a regular on the circuit of global get togethers
that he has not bent to the complaints of bankers and traders in unprofitable businesses should not come as a surprise there needs to be a cultural change he said in a televised interview in march in which he argued that bankers were pursuing risky trades to justify their high pay a lot of the problems in the investment bank are that people are trying to generate revenue at all costs
in turn deal makers in london and new york who have seen their bonuses slashed by nearly 40 percent are not hiding their dislike of the man
more than any other bank on wall street credit suisse restricts the cash portion of its bonuses allocating large chunks in company stock which has halved in value so when their new chief executive gave a speech in may and said that credit suisses stock price reflected reality bankers especially the many who have worked at the firm for decades could not believe it
on credit suisses newly renovated trading floor in new york several bankers who spoke on the condition of anonymity grumbled that mr thiam had lost the building which is wall street parlance for chief executives who no longer command the respect of their traders and when he has appeared on television in recent months employees loudly vented their frustrations at the screen according those bankers who witnessed the events but were not authorized to speak publicly
mr thiam was hailed during his first visit to the trading floor in new york last year but the reception during a more recent appearance was chillier said two employees who were on the floor during his visits but were not authorized to speak publicly in particular many at credit suisse find mr thiams personal style to be jarring at a time when thousands are being laid off and the stock is trading at a multiyear low
this is particularly true when compared with brady w dougan his low key predecessor mr thiams own dealings with the media are handled by a british firm powerscourt he enjoys a robust social life and has been seen doing the rounds at clubs in london and davos switzerland and he recently purchased a luxury home in herrliberg an exclusive lakeside enclave in zurich
to be sure analysts agree that credit suisse can no longer rely on trading derivatives with firms like deutsche bank as a profit center instead mr thiam is encouraging his deal makers to support the firms private bankers in asia by providing loans to palm oil magnates in indonesia or helping billionaire clients in china with initial public offerings
mr thiam is clearly enamored with the prospect of tapping growth markets in emerging economies he has been to china and broader asia at least four times in his new capacity and his business cards carry a mandarin translation on the back
mr thiams defenders say that with the future of credit suisse in doubt he has no choice but to make these painful changes and that resistance from well compensated traders and bankers should not deter him and it is also true that wealth managers in switzerland and asia where mr thiam is adding resources are embracing the new strategy
following last years losses he also asked his board for a 40 percent cut in his bonus taking in 45 million for the six months he worked last year
to date the credit suisse board appears to be standing with mr thiam indeed having had two wall street chiefs since 2001 the board clearly believes that only a prominent nonbanker like mr thiam can wean the firm off a line of business that has so long defined it
nevertheless directors were not happy with his televised comments in march when mr thiam suggested that traders at the bank were hiding losses from him mr thiam quickly corrected himself at a conference that same day and said no limits were breached though not without taking another dig at his traders by questioning their judgment mr thiam also called these distressed debt traders and offered what a spokeswoman for the bank said was a clarification of his remarks
the board is 100 percent behind the strategy tidjane and the executive board said richard e thornburgh a former credit suisse banker with 30 years of experience at the firm who is now chairman of the boards risk committee
with morale in new york at a low point mr thornburgh has had recent meetings with top bankers and traders hearing them out and urging them to remain focused on their clients for many though this is easier said than done it is unusual after all for an incoming chief executive to be so publicly critical of employees responsible for a quarter of a firms revenue
that is particularly true on wall street where punctured vanities can quickly harm a firm as productive bankers head for the exits in droves over the last six months at least 18 bankers and traders have left the firm with many of these coming from credit suisses once prestigious technology unit in san francisco
the culture clash at credit suisse recalls a similar dispute at morgan stanley a decade ago like mr thiam philip j purcell was a former whiz kid consultant from mckinsey who preferred slow and steady brokers over bankers with big egos and even bigger paychecks a banker led uprising forced mr purcells departure since power on wall street was then still in the hands of deal makers and traders
with wealth managers now ascendant mr thiam seems willing to accept the wounded cries of his own bankers as a painful necessity if his grand plan is to succeed is there a vision is there a direction mr thiam asked aloud last year in a speech introducing his strategy the germans say that the horrible end is better than horror without end


the haggler doesnt spend a lot of time on facebook as a fictional construct he has no friends no family no life and thus nothing to share also the whole enterprise seems frivolous you want him to like your vacation photos please he seeks consumer justice its full time work
that said the haggler has found facebook useful when trying to contact people for this column recently however he learned that it would be wise to approach the social network with a touch of skepticism
q my son william swenson has an odd and recurring problem people keep creating fake facebook accounts in his name why this happens is a mystery to us both though it is worth noting that william is a public figure in 2013 he was awarded the medal of honor for service to his country in afghanistan
normally i use facebooks report feature and the page is taken down but recently i found a fake william swenson facebook account that i have reported to the company more than eight times each time i hear back that the company believes that the account doesnt violate our community standards in the feedback feature i have posted text messages stating that the account contains numerous factual errors it doesnt help
ive read a lot on the internet saying that it is nearly impossible to get the attention of anyone at facebook would you care to give it a try
carl swenson seattle
a so this is a weird one
there are a lot of facebook scams out there as you dear reader may already know most commonly a fraudster copies a facebook account and then friends his or her contacts you accept thinking your friend has pressed a reset button of some sort then the messages start which quickly become a request for cash hopefully you unfriend and life goes on
that is not what happened to william swenson he has never had a facebook account
it also seems unlikely that the fake accounts were built to embed ads that would then make pay per click fortunes a member of facebooks spam team told the haggler that it would take a huge number of clicks to generate meaningful sums and once a william swenson site started raking it in the companys filters would flag the account and shut it down
perplexed the haggler contacted doug pierce one of the smartest people to trudge through the fetid bog that is the internet underworld and the founder of cogney a search engine optimization company in hong kong he had two words to share romance scam the scam has its own warning site   dedicated to fighting nigerian and russian romance scammers is its motto the rip off is a variation of the old advance fee hustle in which a con artist persuades a mark via email to send money and then more money for an investment scheme that will purportedly pay off in the future
the romance version has the swindler contacting the victim through a dating site pretending to fall in love then asking the mark for money the popularity if that is the right word of this flimflam is not known but rummage around romancescamcom which has page after page of examples and advice and you get the sense that it is widespread a fake facebook account would help prove that the faux romeo is real with photographic evidence
and this is perhaps what makes mr swenson such an appealing figure to impersonate hes a real live hero who displayed uncommon courage during a harrowing firefight with the taliban in 2009 hes also good looking
this con man theory seemed speculative until the haggler found photographs of mr swenson on a part of romancescamcom where people combating this fraud trade notes pictures stolen from former us army captain swenson it says near the top below that a contributor to the site states that he or she nabbed the images from someone with the skype name william awenson7 as it happens there is currently a facebook account for someone named william awenson that is studded with photos of mr swenson the misspelling might explain why nobody including the swensons had noticed this account before
on the same romancescamcom page you can read a come on by a person engaged in this act of seduction im a loving caring tender man and i always respect my woman wrote an ersatz wooer beside photos of mr swenson in a snippet culled from a site called datehookup im here looking for good honest kind woman
irresistible huh
all that was left for the haggler was a question for facebook the company deleted the resilient fake account that carl swenson had complained about as soon as the haggler wrote to facebooks media relations office thats nice but why did the company tell the elder swenson over and over that the account met its community standards
as our team processes millions of reports each week we occasionally make a mistake a facebook spokeswoman wrote in an email that is what happened in this case
the team is vastly outnumbered by the complaints it is supposed to assess and the result is human error it can happen and apparently it has already happened again on wednesday the haggler showed carl swenson the william awenson facebook account he promptly used the report feature to request deletion of this blatant fake youd think that by now the guy has some credibility nope he soon received a familiar note from facebook which stated that the account met its community standards
listen facebook youre now worth more than 300 billion how about throwing a few bucks at your fraud prevention team maybe adding more humans will cut down on the errors


vatican city   her accusers call her an ambitious schemer even a spy the presiding judge has wondered aloud whether she is full of hot air vatican prosecutors want her in jail for as many as 15 years charging that she stole and leaked state secrets
she calls herself a scapegoat claiming she is the target of a vendetta and a plot by her enemies to discredit her with pope francis
whatever the truth francesca immacolata chaouqui pronounced chow kee has emerged as the central protagonist in what is being billed here as the vatileaks 2 trial and become a lightning rod of intrigue and criticism
a hero to some and a villain to others ms chaouqui   calabrian born 34 years old and more than eight months pregnant   stands accused with two others of leaking confidential documents to two journalists who wrote separate tell all books about vatican mismanagement and corruption the trial follows the pattern of the first vatileaks trial in which paolo gabriele the butler to benedict xvi the pope emeritus faced similar charges
the journalists gianluigi nuzzi and emiliano fittipaldi face up to eight years in prison in a case that has raised widespread criticism that the vatican is trying to muzzle free speech and squelch embarrassing revelations one of the most secretive states the vatican has defined the disclosures as a threat to its security
over more than six months of testimony vatican watchers hoping that the courtroom revelations would blow the lid off dan brown like intrigue and machiavellian machinations inside the guarded halls of the holy see have been disappointed instead the trial which is expected to end this month has produced still more embarrassments testimony has revealed serious weaknesses in the vaticans security system unknown intruders were able to enter into what were supposed to be secure offices and break open a safe as well as breach protected internet connections
several witnesses called by the prosecution exposed an array of human foibles nurtured by workplace rivalries petty jealousies recriminations and thwarted ambitions not least the trial has raised critical questions among some vatican observers about franciss staffing choices ms chaouqui foremost among them
a communications consultant ms chaouqui was part of an eight member commission established by francis in july 2013 to review the vaticans economic and administrative structures and draft recommendations for reform his decision to appoint ms chaouqui to the group raised eyebrows because she was seen as too much of an outsider she now says that she is being set up by her enemies inside the vatican and that the case against her is political
i am a scapegoat she said in a recent interview at the home of her vatican lawyer laura sgro in rome the prosecutors havent produced one single bit of evidence that shows that i gave a document from a to b
when a vatican gendarme testified that ms chaouqui admitted in november when she was briefly arrested that she had given documents to one of the journalists she retorted in court that the documents had been tickets to a vatican event
she says she believes that she worked only for the good of the church and that the mandate and recommendations of her commission have been thwarted by inaction
my commission discovered and denounced very serious crimes to vatican prosecutors and financial regulators that were never acted upon she said in the interview
i imagined that vatican justice would take action against these people who committed financial crimes that are really serious far more than those written up in the vatileaks books she added but until now nothing has happened at least as far as i know
several other members of the commission which was disbanded after 10 months having completed its mandate did not respond to emails or declined to comment
the recommendations of the commission led to the creation in february 2014 of the secretariat for the economy which oversees all of the vaticans economic and administrative activities
it also recommended the reorganization of the vaticans media operations which has begun
prosecutors insist that ms chaouqui conspired with another member of the committee msgr lucio angel vallejo balda and his secretary nicola maio   both also facing 15 years in prison   to form a secretive lobby that leaked documents to journalists
but ms sgro ms chaouquis lawyer said the prosecution had not yet explained what advantage her client would achieve from this arrangement
critics say that ms chaouqui through monsignor vallejo balda was attempting to cement her position within the holy see even after the commission she was part of had been disbanded ms chaouqui called the theory laughable employees of the curia make around 2000 euros a month which is what i earn in less than a week she scoffed its clear that wouldnt be my aspiration
the swirl of innuendo whipped up around her has been as compelling as it is contradictory when he took the stand in march monsignor vallejo balda recounted that ms chaouqui had told him that she was a top italian spy he also spoke of a night in a florentine hotel during which   acting seductively   ms chaouqui wanted to conquer me at any cost
i understand that this night of love was the thing that most scandalized public opinion but its all very false ms chaouqui said in the interview rolling her eyes her encounters with monsignor vallejo balda were part of a normal working relationship between members of the same commission she said i never wanted a job in the curia i wanted to bring my reforms forward
after working for several prestigious italian law firms managing their public relations and then for the professional services firm ernst  young ms chaouqui set up her own communications strategy company it counted top entrepreneurs private security companies and governments as clients she said
her credentials do not seem to have impressed the vatican court
did you have the impression that she was full of hot air the presiding judge giuseppe dalla torre recently asked a witness the witness responded that in fact ms chaouqui had made good on her promise to bring a government minister to visit a project
soon after her selection the italian media published a series of disparaging messages purportedly from ms chaouquis twitter account including one suggesting that benedict had leukemia and that a former italian government minister was gay
she claims that her account was hacked and that the messages were part of a larger dossier put together by her enemies to discredit her with the pope she repeated the assertion in court in may and again on her facebook account to explain why she had been unjustly brought to trial
the rev federico lombardi the director of the vatican press office warned in a statement in may that her accusations were calumnious affirmations   they are absolutely unacceptable and subject to legal action
ms chaouqui dismissed criticisms that she has been too flippant on her social media accounts in trying to refute the accusations that have been raised in court which she sees as part of a defamatory campaign against her i am not a nun i am a communicator she said vatileaks has become the most important communications strategy of my life


q when did you know you wanted to be a surgeon
a i knew as a little girl watching the surgeons on the tv show mash even though they didnt look like me i liked their ability to help someone who was injured or sick and almost immediately change the persons health status at the same time my parents bought a set of encyclopedias that came with a medical encyclopedia as a bonus book and i liked the transparencies of bones muscles and blood vessels
you had a double mastectomy yourself in 2013 how did that change the way you approach your job
as a physician i better understood what i was really asking of my patients its one thing to say ok get your diagnostic mammogram ultrasound mri and petct scan and id like to see you back here in a week but in real life that can be a tremendous burden to patients especially depending on the resources they have it also helped me rethink how we could support patients better also i struggled trying to figure out what my advocacy should be
what did you decide
first that i would share my unique cancer experience as a survivor and health care provider to all those groups that were interested including our community faith based and health fair partners as well as survivor and medical organizations second that i would focus my advocacy on sharing my experience of health disparities and the need for patients to participate in research as an investment in the future
what were you like as a patient
when my late mother was diagnosed with lung cancer the one thing i learned from her is that its ok to let people who love and care about you take care of you when you really need it and are vulnerable if i hadnt had that experience i would probably not have been a good patient but i was determined to let go and not direct my care
what is the favorite part of your job
spending time with my patients and getting to know them as people the operating room is my oasis where i am most comfortable but outside of that being with my patients and knowing i have an impact is the best part of my job


paris   for almost two hours serena williams and garbine muguruza hammered tennis balls back and forth over the net each one answering the others power with power of her own until the final point
williams had fired a backhand down the line directly in front of billie jean king who was watching from the front row then she forced muguruza deep into the other corner
muguruza saw williams lurking at the net after all the grunting and power tennis the quick rallies and go for broke shots and she suddenly changed course backed into a defensive corner she lifted a gentle arching topspin lob that curled into the sky and fell back to the red clay inside the baseline for match point
at first there was no sound no call from the lineswoman or the chair umpire the precious moment that muguruza had been waiting most of her life for was stalled in some kind of strange delay
i was like did i win roland garros what happened muguruza said
it was williams who broke the remarkable news to the world
she paused for a moment processed that the ball was in then graciously lifted her left hand to her racket face and clapped in appreciation of a good shot and a great victory
muguruza had just won the french open 7 5 6 4 for her first major title at age 22
a few minutes later muguruza accepted the suzanne lenglen award from king the 1972 champion here and winner of 12 major singles tournaments over all for king it was not merely a compelling tennis match between elite athletes it was the first glimpse of a new era
its the changing of the guard king said its starting this kid has got it all
williams 34 will probably have more to say about that in the coming months and perhaps years but it has been a challenging 11 month toil for her already as she has gone 0 for 3 in attempts to win a 22nd major tournament trophy a mark that would draw her even with steffi graf for the open era record margaret court won 24 but 13 of them were before the open era
williams beat muguruza in straight sets at last years wimbledon to win her 21st major title but then she lost at the united states open at the australian open and now here
her coach patrick mouratoglou said it was inevitable that williams would be thinking about the historical significance of what she is attempting and the expectations heaped upon her and perhaps the pressure accounted for at least some of her mistakes
if she would not feel the pressure of the 22nd she would not be human mouratoglou said
but williams dismissed the idea that her pursuit of graf affected her play she noted that in australia angelique kerber played a flawless final and that muguruza was simply too good for her on saturday today garbine played unbelievable williams said the only thing i can do is just keep trying
in her two previous matches williams looked sluggish especially in her movement on court and she acknowledged playing with a strained adductor muscle in her upper leg mouratoglou said there was no injury but either way williams refused to use it as an excuse
it was ok she said im not one to ever make excuses and say like oh my adductor was hurting or whatever i think at the end of the day i didnt play the game i needed to play to win and she did
muguruza is similar to williams in some ways she has a power game and likes to dictate play with aggressive shots muguruza will often say that she will win or lose a match according to how she strikes the ball not how her opponent plays williams says much the same thing
most of the points on saturday were quick and long rallies were the exception but one of them came with williams serving at 5 5 in the first set
at 30 30 they traded crosscourt backhands   six in all   until muguruza changed the course of the point and perhaps the match by ripping a forehand up the line williams could not return it and one point later muguruza broke williamss serve and she won the next game on her own
king noted that the best players in the world are the ones who can hit down the line off a crosscourt shot the way muguruza just had
besides her technical ability muguruza also displayed impressive mental toughness to withstand the pressure that allowed her to win her first major title at wimbledon last year she acknowledged having had a case of nerves in the final against williams but on saturday she shoved them aside
with williams serving at 3 5 in the second set muguruza had four match points in a five deuce game and williams saved them all and held serve undeterred muguruza came back and served out the set without dropping a point culminating in her graceful lob
i thought that ball was going out williams said yeah but it didnt it was a really intense match point
as mouratoglou said there are more chances for williams to get to 22 and perhaps beyond he said he had no doubt she would do it
the next opportunity will be on the tight grass at wimbledon
but king expressed some concern for how williams looked both physically and mentally king said she felt there was something wrong physically with williams   perhaps the leg muscle   and that she never appeared happy on the court
shes not right king said noting williamss sluggish footwork and downcast demeanor she needs to go take care of herself and dont worry about the tennis right now but grass is different maybe that will pep her up a little bit
notes
in the mens doubles final feliciano and marc lopez of spain beat bob and mike bryan of the united states 6 4 6 7 6 6 3


each saturday farhad manjoo and mike isaac technology reporters at the new york times review the weeks news offering analysis and maybe a joke or two about the most important developments in the tech industry mike is off this week so lydia polgreen associate masthead editor filled in
farhad hello lydia im thrilled to be chatting with you this week in mikes absence hes gone on a spiritual journey to find himself last i heard i worry that hell be horrified if the search is successful anyway i believe your official title at the times is editorial director of new york times global but i think of you as the person in my twitter feed whos always posting interesting stuff about places outside of america   for which i thank you
lydia so great to be here i know the usual mode here is mocking banter but if youll allow it ill gush a tiny bit about your column this week
farhad ok reluctantly ill allow you to gush about me wow youre already more fun than mike
lydia your piece touched on a topic near and dear to my heart the increasing fragmentation of the lowercase at last internet countries around the world are taking very different approaches to shaping the online experience of their citizens and it threatens to take the first w out of the world wide web or maybe even the first two if the web is neither world nor wide the ambitious global strategies of companies like netflix facebook apple and even the little old new york times face serious bumps on the information superhighway
farhad yes its an odd time because one of the seminal ideas of the internet was that it would transcend borders that is turning out to be not quite true
ok on to tech news lets start with social apps on the one hand theres twitter according to an article in vanity fair by our former colleague nick bilton who might be the worlds leading expert on the dysfunction at the 140 character company twitters newish chief executive jack dorsey isnt having much luck reviving the companys fortunes
one of the juiciest details to satisfy wall streets desire for higher user numbers twitter goosed activity on the site by sending lapsed users an email claiming that there might be something wrong with their accounts they log on to fix the problem and voila   theyre counted as active users
lydia nick suggested that twitter isnt doing that anymore which i suppose is an improvement under mr dorseys leadership but the point remains   the company is still in search of an elusive path to user growth
farhad then theres snapchat last week it raised 18 billion from investors this week bloomberg reported that the picture based social network has passed 150 million active users a day meaning that its more popular than twitter
do you use snapchat i see its appeal but i spend so much time on twitter that i havent really had time to cultivate this new place to waste time so basically im spending all my goofing off energy on the wrong platform and i gather you are too boy we media people sure know how to pick em
lydia i keep meaning to ask jenna wortham for a tutorial i have played around with snapchat a bit but its ephemeral nature doesnt really give me the same sense of time wasting achievement as knowing that ive sent 28500 messages since i joined twitter enough to fill that book i keep telling myself ill write many times over
farhad moving on from social apps to the internet of things tony fadell head of alphabets nest left the company after lots of reports of management tumult he spoke to our steve lohr about his departure
and lets talk politics donald trump bernie sanders and hillary clinton were all in california this week campaigning for next weeks primary this got folks thinking about tech and the election and our colleague david streitfeld had an important if unsurprising update almost nobody in silicon valley supports donald trump
sure there are exceptions like the gawker hunter and venture capitalist peter thiel who is a trump delegate but for the most part mr trump turns people in the valley off hp inc also said this week that it would not contribute financially to the republican national convention
mr trump has attacked apple facebook and amazon so his unpopularity in silicon valley is no surprise but davids report also suggested that hillary clinton who hasnt really championed the tech industry in her run is also greeted with mild skepticism here in the obama era tech companies have been revered   google has easy access to the white house and many obama staff members have gone to work for the tech industry but both mr trump and ms clinton seem destined to view tech more skeptically so i wonder is that good
lydia one of the most genuinely interesting strains in recent political life in my book is techno utopian libertarianism which runs so counter to trumpism few people embody it more than mr thiel making his support for mr trump a bit of a head scratcher but hes an outlier
dont you think that the tech skepticism among the major candidates reflects the bloom coming off the tech rose in general and a yearning for a pre internet era when everyone had good jobs and the future seemed so bright
weve long feared that technology would eat our jobs but platforms like uber and taskrabbit offer a dystopian look at what a future of fragmented employment might actually look like and with wages and jobs at the center of much of the campaign for both democrats and republicans there isnt much to love there data breaches scare the bejesus out of everyone and in an anti establishment moment it has become clear that tech has matured into the establishment
farhad i think thats right tech has become the establishment in my columns ive been harping on the dominance of the big five american tech giants   apple amazon facebook microsoft and googles parent company alphabet these companies are so deeply embedded in peoples lives that they seem inescapable and their very ubiquity makes them obvious targets for politicians whoever wins tech is going to become a target i think
anyway great to chat with you lydia see you on twitter
lydia thanks for having me farhad maybe mike never finds himself and we can do this again sometime


okinawa japan   memorial day weekend is normally party time on gate street a seedy strip of bars and clubs outside a giant united states air force base here
during this years holiday though gate street was all but deserted its customers   young americans from the military installations that blanket much of this southern japanese island   barred by their superiors from partying in public
the reason a recent murder that has angered okinawans and damaged relations between tokyo and washington
the killing of the 20 year old okinawan woman whose body was found decomposing in a suitcase last month has been linked to an american military contractor who is a marine veteran the outcry after the man kenneth franklin shinzato was arrested on may 19 has been so strong that prime minister shinzo abe protested publicly to president obama during the presidents recent trip to japan
the unusual rebuke over a criminal case by another head of state marred a visit that was otherwise carefully choreographed to celebrate friendly relations and included mr obamas historic visit to hiroshima mr abe at a joint news conference professed shock over the murder and asked mr obama to understand the feelings of the japanese people and strengthen military discipline
mr shinzato has not yet been formally charged a decision that can take weeks in japan his lawyer has declined to comment
okinawans have complained for years about violence noise and other problems associated with american bases but this murder case is threatening to ratchet up opposition to the united states large military presence which dates to the end of world war ii
weve heard apologies and promises of prevention hundreds of times for decades but it hasnt had any effect said okinawas governor takeshi onaga okinawans still bitterly remember a 1995 rape of a 12 year old girl involving two marines and a navy sailor which led to protests as well as more recent episodes
mr onaga was once the leader of the local chapter of mr abes right leaning liberal democratic party but he has broken with the prime minister over the issue of americas military footprint which he wants greatly reduced half of the 50000 american military personnel in japan are stationed here and united states facilities take up one fifth of okinawan land
anger is increasingly reflected in the politics of okinawa where local elections are being held on sunday late last month the okinawa prefectural assembly passed a resolution demanding that all united states marines be removed from the island its strongest censure of the american military to date local elections are being held on sunday
the spot where the womans body was found in woods beside a golf course has been covered with hundreds of offerings of flowers food and drink
the furor is erupting at a sensitive time for okinawa and for japan and the growing wealth and power of china has sharpened the debate about the islands future
mr abe is seeking to reinforce its position as a military outpost by building a new but widely contested base for the marines and expanding japans own military assets japans self defense forces began operating a sophisticated new radar station this year on the tiny island of yonaguni part of okinawa prefecture to monitor chinese naval activity in the east china sea
but at the same time asias new prosperity is opening up other possibilities
these were on display 40 minutes south of gate street in naha okinawas capital where tourists from taiwan china and south korea thronged the citys shopping streets and hotels foreign tourism was up 70 percent last year airlines are adding new international flights to the semitropical island while more asian cruise lines are docking at nahas port
okinawa used to be an object of pity in japan but now its a brand said hiroshi meguro a former research fellow at the institute of okinawan studies at hosei university in tokyo
the bases never made okinawans rich the prefecture has the lowest per capita income in japan one third below the national average now dependence on them is in decline mr meguro said and with it okinawans tolerance for the problems they bring
some in okinawa would like to follow the example of the philippines which pushed out the american military in the early 1990s and redeveloped a major navy base at subic bay into a lucrative resort destination
when it comes to the economy and tourism its welcome china mr meguro said of course it glosses over the fact that the philippines has started to invite american forces back because its being menaced by china
hiroji yamashiro a retired local civil servant said that he wanted okinawa to become a tourist center but that the bases stood in the way he spends most days protesting outside the gates of camp schwab a marine armory and firing range in the north that the japanese and american governments want to radically expand by filling in a bay and building a pair of aircraft runways
the plan illustrates the complexities facing japanese and american policy makers the expanded base is intended to replace another facility to the south marine corps air station futenma which sits in the middle of a crowded city and has been the object of some of the most vigorous complaints by okinawans a marine helicopter crashed just outside its walls in 2004 damaging a university
tokyo and washington agreed two decades ago to shift much of futenmas equipment and personnel to schwab but local opposition has blocked the move and work on the project was frozen before it really began
on a boat ride around the bay mr yamashiro pointed to nearly uninterrupted beaches surrounding camp schwab a couple of young men with military haircuts and snorkels had a small island inside its perimeter to themselves mr yamashiro said they should be replaced by far larger numbers of chinese and taiwanese tourists
the future is opening up in front of us but the japanese government is blocking it mr yamashiro said
successive japanese and american governments have struggled to find a satisfactory solution to the futenma issue deadlines to start construction at schwab have come and gone holding up a broader reorganization of united states forces in japan that would move some troops off okinawa to guam but critics of the long stalled plan including mr onaga the governor are holding out for a more drastic drawdown
okinawa is isolated physically and in peoples minds said susumu inamine the mayor of nago where camp schwab is situated
he does not want the base expanded and has rebuffed offers of subsidies from the government in tokyo that are contingent on his accepting the plan for the government its a faraway place where what happens doesnt impose any pain on the mainland he said
the local authorities have little say over base policy but they can hold up projects with tactics like withholding construction permits the prefectural government recently fought tokyo to a standstill in court over the expansion plan a judge persuaded both sides to return to the negotiating table in march but neither has shown signs of retreating
well keep delaying until 2020 then 2030 mr inamine said the question is can the us wait that long before looking for another option
many americans in okinawa feel the military has been unfairly demonized they point to crime statistics that show united states personnel are arrested at lower rates than locals still some sympathize with okinawans sense that the united states occupation of their island which formally concluded in 1972 has never truly ended
part of the problem is that the american militarys presence extends across the whole island said a retired member of the air force who has lived in japan for three decades and was stationed at various bases across japan today he manages several businesses in okinawa including one that does contract work for the military and like other americans with base connections he requested anonymity to speak
michio sakima the owner of the sakima art museum next to the futenma base said okinawans anger over the recent killing reflected pent up political frustration as much as the brutal nature of the crime
his museum shares a fence with the base and futenmas closing would relieve mr sakima of the noise of jets and helicopters but he opposes moving the marines to camp schwab he said on the grounds that it would entrench the military presence on the island
we are still a colony he said when a serious crime happens thats when our real feelings come out


karen adele sendler the daughter of david a sendler of naples fla and the late emily i sendler was married june 4 to john kenneth kirkwood the son of kenneth w kirkwood and carol l kirkwood of haddonfield nj charles l burgess a friend of the couple who became a universal life minister for the occasion officiated at the home of the grooms parents
the ceremony incorporated jewish and scottish elements including breaking the glass inside a bag made from the grooms wallace family tartan the brides father wore a tie made from the jewish tartan and there was a bagpiper playing hava nagila
the couple graduated from columbia
the bride 43 who will continue to use her name professionally works in new york as the director of alumni relations and special programs at cambridge in america an organization that supports cambridge university in fund raising and alumni relations in the united states
her father is the editor in chief of gulfshore life a magazine in naples published by open sky media her mother was the founder of victorias hope chest in rosemont pa which created handmade quilts
the groom 45 owns citymouse in new york which helps people with cognitive disabilities and older adults use the web he is on the board of the brain injury association of new york state in albany
his mother is an artist whose oil portraits were part of a group show in 2014 at the markeim arts center in haddonfield his father who is retired was the senior project manager on the construction of a power plant in hanoi vietnam for the engineering firm stone  webster
the couple met in december 2007 in mr kirkwoods bedroom in new york a mutual friend who had flown in from hanoi was using the bedroom as a staging area for a debut trunk show of mens shirts and ms sendler had been enlisted to iron and fold shirts on mr kirkwoods bed


chicago   a blood test to detect cancer mutations produced results that generally agree with those of an invasive tumor biopsy researchers reported heralding a time when diagnosing cancer and monitoring its progression may become less painful and risky
the blood tests known as liquid biopsies represent one of the hottest trends in oncology they take advantage of the fact that dna fragments from tumors can be found in tiny amounts in the blood of patients with cancer
researchers hope that such tests can become alternatives to conventional tumor biopsies in which a piece of the tumor is extracted by needle or by surgery   procedures that can have complications
the results of the study the largest to date of a liquid biopsy test give some reassurance that this might be possible
i think this study really demonstrates the veracity of the liquid biopsy approach said philip c mack director of molecular pharmacology at the university of california davis comprehensive cancer center who is presenting the results here this weekend to the annual meeting of the american society of clinical oncology
the liquid biopsies are not currently used to diagnose cancer but rather to monitor disease progression or to detect genetic mutations in the tumor that could suggest which drug should be used to treat the disease
just this week the food and drug administration gave its first approval for such a test one developed by roche to detect mutations in a particular gene lung cancers with mutations in that gene are vulnerable to treatment with certain drugs including roches own tarceva many liquid biopsy tests are being sold by other companies under rules that do not require fda approval
the study looked at the results of more than 15000 liquid biopsies performed by guardant health a silicon valley start up that is one of the leaders in the field while many liquid biopsy tests now look for only a few mutations guardants test which has a list price of 5800 looks at mutations in 70 cancer related genes
the 15000 samples came from the blood of people with various types of cancer including lung breast and colorectal the researchers on the study most of whom worked for guardant said the frequency and types of mutations found were similar to what is known from scientific literature
for nearly 400 patients tumor biopsies were available allowing for direct comparison to the blood test results from the same patient for certain mutations that drive tumor growth if a particular mutation was found in the blood it was also found in the tumor 94 to 100 percent of the time
there was much less agreement for mutations that predict resistance to particular drugs those might have arisen only after treatment started so might not have been seen in the tumor biopsy which is usually taken at the time of diagnosis
one shortcoming of the liquid biopsy was that for about 15 percent of the patients over all no tumor dna was detected in the blood
there are simply tumors that do not shed dna into circulation at detectable levels so we are bound to miss them said dr mack who has been a paid speaker for guardant
dr edward kim an expert on lung cancer mutations who was not involved in the study said the results showed the liquid biopsy accuracy was very good he said however that use of an actual tumor sample allows for a more thorough analysis including more mutations than is possible with a blood sample
im not personally ready to give up tissue said dr kim who is chairman of solid tumor oncology at the carolinas healthcare systems levine cancer institute in charlotte nc its still the gold standard
still he said there are times when a tissue biopsy cannot be obtained and it is difficult to do second and third tissue biopsies on a patient in those cases he said i love the option of having the blood test available
dozens of companies are now developing or offering liquid biopsies and tissue biopsy companies are trying to defend their turf foundation medicine which analyzes tissue biopsies for mutations sued guardant last month accusing it of patent infringement which guardant denies meanwhile foundation has introduced its own liquid biopsy test
the next frontier could be to develop a blood test to detect many or virtually all types of cancer at an early stage when they might be most easily treatable that might be tricky because patients could be given needless treatments and needless anxiety in the case of false positives or if the test detected cancers that were real but would not hurt the patient if left alone
illumina a manufacturer of dna sequencing machines formed a company in january to develop such a test it named the company grail
not to be outdone in the hyperbolic naming department guardant last month began studies to validate its own early detection test using the name project lunar


rufus wainwright remembers june 14 2006 as the night he climbed a musical mount everest or jumped off one
id never done it from top to bottom until the first night i performed it the singer songwriter recalled of rufus does judy at carnegie hall his song by song re creation of a legendary concert that judy garland performed at the same space in 1961
backed by a 36 piece orchestra mr wainwright summoned garlands restless spirit in jazzy anthems like thats entertainment and openhearted ballads like stormy weather he even repeated some of garlands original banter sing it with me please like a talmudic scholar reciting a sacred text
the result was part showbiz stunt part postmodern happening part fanboy dream come true it was a 32 year old pop star claiming judy worship for a new post stonewall generation of gay men and it has lived on in its live album incarnation for which mr wainwright received his sole grammy nomination
now 10 years later he is resurrecting the concert at carnegie hall a homage to a homage after playing new york on june 16 and 17 he will take the show the following week to the luminato festival in toronto where his husband jorn weisbrodt is the outgoing artistic director
but mr wainwright is not the same performer or person that he was a decade ago he is now 42 four years older than garland was when she mounted the original concert still louche and languid he has acquired a touch of silver on his sideburns and a glut of life experiences both joyful and bruising
since the 2006 concert he married mr weisbrodt fathered a child with his longtime friend lorca cohen the daughter of the singer leonard cohen and weathered the ups and downs of the music business most life altering was the loss of his mother the folk singer kate mcgarrigle who died of cancer in 2010
all those milestones will inevitably color the carnegie hall repertoire which for garland encapsulated the glamour and mess of a life lived in emotional extremis she died eight years after the 1961 concert from a barbiturate overdose
mr wainwright is no stranger to turmoil himself the product of an eccentric musical clan his father is the troubadour loudon wainwright iii and his mother was half of a canadian folk duo with her sister anna mcgarrigle he released his self titled debut album in 1998 when he was 24
he once memorably described his 20s as gay hell a haze of alcohol and drug abuse anonymous sex and emotional nihilism which he touted obliquely in songs like cigarettes and chocolate milk his ode to decadence
his debauchery went hand in hand with an obsession with garland i kept having these blackouts where i would go to record stores looking to buy the latest radiohead album and walk out with yet another greatest hits of judy garland he said on a recent thursday at the whitney museums eighth floor cafe part of the reason he staged the carnegie hall show in 2006 was to exorcise her
for the most part it worked after new york he took the concert to the london palladium but by the time he got to paris he had lost his voice and the show was a complete disaster he limped to the hollywood bowl but had this real sinking feeling that i couldnt continue
then life got even more complicated
mr wainwright and his mother he said were one of the most classic gay son mother duos ever speaking every other day even mr weisbrodt who had become mr wainwrights first serious romantic partner acknowledged i never challenged her position to me it was always clear she was no 1 and i was no 2 but i would sleep with him
as her health declined mr wainwright panicked even as he was considering becoming a parent himself he and ms cohen whom he knew from growing up in montreal had discussed conceiving a child together but mostly it was a lovely little daydream he said then ms cohen brought it up again for real
his mother also urged him to pursue fatherhood perhaps sensing that he would need an emotional anchor when she was gone that ms cohen came from another canadian musical dynasty may have given the idea some extra appeal like a medieval alliance
my mother was a very ambitious woman but mostly for her children mr wainwright said still palpably affected by his mothers death but cleareyed about her flaws she wasnt really able to be that way for herself and in fact was always somewhat haunted by not being blessed with that cutthroat instinct that a lot of her colleagues had whether its bonnie raitt or linda ronstadt they were better at maneuvering the system than she was
sadly his mother didnt live to see the plan come to fruition she died on jan 18 2010 nearly a year before her granddaughter viva wainwright cohen was born
suspended between grief and renewal mr wainwright sought to solidify his newfangled family a few months after his mothers death he proposed to mr weisbrodt over indian food in london he announced the engagement the next night onstage at the royal opera house
the couple had met in germany when mr weisbrodt was working at the berlin state opera and approached mr wainwright about a commission rufus was very nervous about having a committed relationship mr weisbrodt recalled the longest relationship he had been in was i think four weeks
they married in august 2012 in montauk ny with the cabaret chanteuse justin vivian bond officiating and little viva as reluctant flower girl mr wainwright is vivas legal parent but he only sees her every few months she lives in los angeles with her mother while mr wainwright and mr weisbrodt split their time between new york and toronto though they are thinking of moving out west he is reticent about the complicated parenting dynamic with ms cohen but said were getting better all the time
a death a birth and a marriage all in the span of two and a half years it did a number on mr wainwright having my mothers death and my daughters birth coincide it was very traumatic for everybody he said with a rueful nasal laugh the kind he tends to affix to moments of gravitas
his melancholy along with his waggish humor goes more unguarded in his songs musically he resists categorization his last album take all my loves was an adaptation of nine shakespeare sonnets with vocal cameos by singers like florence welch and william shatner
he has spent the last few years immersed in opera which he calls his favorite art form his first opera prima donna was commissioned by the metropolitan opera and lincoln center theater but he and the met parted ways before it was staged the official line was that mr wainwright who wrote the libretto in french refused to bend to the mets insistence that it be in english
though prima donna eventually opened at the manchester international festival in 2009 mr wainwright came dressed as verdi the opera establishment never fully embraced him in 2012 zachary woolfe of the new york times described its american debut as a tasteful well intentioned ultimately mystifying failure he is now working on a second opera about the roman emperor hadrian
his forays into classical music sidetracked him from pursuing the pop megastardom he once envisioned though he admits to enjoying the slings and arrows and diva hissy fits and conductors smashing batons of the opera world he acknowledges that it has distanced me from the pop world
and ive paid a price for that he added
in a de facto rehearsal run for carnegie hall mr wainwright arrived in annapolis md last month as part of a three night mini tour that took him to the rams head on stage a smallish concert space adjoining a tavern
wearing a foppish striped blazer adorned with a twinkling brooch he played a few of his own brooding folky ballads before telling the audience were going to do a few judy songs for you im not sure if you were expecting that but thats what you got
the mostly white haired crowd seemed unfazed as he jumped to the swinging tempo of the 1938 standard you go to my head a few verses in he appeared to flub the words singing da da beeda foona heena fa fa but devotees knew that this was entirely planned it was the exact spot where garland had forgotten the lyrics in 1961 and frantically subbed in nonsense syllables
lets get sad he announced after the song ended switching to another garland standard the smoldering torch song alone together
at carnegie hall 10 years ago he dedicated the number to mr weisbrodt i dont think he would dedicate alone together to me anymore his husband says now it sort of stands for someone whos accepted that hes in a relationship but at the end of the day youre always still alone
that isnt the only garland song that has shifted resonance over the decade when mr wainwright sang the man that got away in 2006 he thought of it less as an ode to romantic abandonment as when garland sang it than as a gay mans cry of longing for a father my dad and i are in a much better place than we were 10 years ago he said of his fraught at times openly competitive relationship with his father but nonetheless when i was singing that at that time we were struggling
now mr wainwright says the man that got away is more about mortality whether his fathers who is 69 or that of his musical father figures like david bowie and lou reed
then again mortality seems to pervade the entire repertoire death has sort of entered the fold a little bit mr wainwright said the generation that grew up with the original garland album has thinned out a bit meaning that the crowd that shows up this time will be even further removed from the source material
and of course the loss of his mother haunts the set list particularly garlands signature number over the rainbow when mr wainwright sang it in 2006 he brought his mother out to accompany him on the piano joking about how she would volunteer him to sing it as a child to sober up adults at 3 in the morning
this time around mr wainwright plans to start singing the song a cappella letting his mothers absence linger before the orchestra floods in
thats still her song and now she is over the rainbow he said before letting out another mournful laugh


it was very hot last tuesday night in the soho apartment of jenna lyons and courtney crangi and not just because it was about 80 degrees outside and the air conditioning unit was not up to the job
it was hot in the metaphorical sense with the living room filled with members of the old guard more famous for their actual names than their social media handles
tina brown henry kissinger walter isaacson george soros people like that they had gathered into the youll never have this level of good taste so dont even try apartment of ms lyons the president and creative director of j crew and her girlfriend ms crangi an owner of giles  brother a jewelry company
the guests drank white wine and rose as the elevator door opened and opened again delivering into the open space a cross section of cognoscenti baratunde thurston the writer and a recently departed producer for the daily show huddled by the kitchen with his girlfriend elizabeth stewart the founding executive director of civic hall labs a nonprofit organization focused on technology and design
sheila nevins the president of hbo documentary films held court from a couch by the windows mark ruffalo a star of the oscar winning ode to journalism spotlight was in attendance as well
the occasion was the publication of the world according to star wars dey street books by cass r sunstein a professor at harvard law school and a former obama administration official it brings together themes from the star wars saga and the story of how it came to be using that as a lens to look at the world its freakonomics meets the death star if you will with meditations on the bonds of fathers and sons
the majority of professor sunsteins previous books with titles like valuing life humanizing the regulatory state fall into the academic category for the latest one he has appeared on morning joe and the bbc the atlantic ran an excerpt hbo bought the option
usually to promote a new work ill aspire to be published in the columbia law review or the stanford law review and to have at least five really enticing footnotes he said seeming very amused by it all
professor sunsteins harvard website cv which is 27 pages lists him as an author or co author of some 40 books this guy writes like hes running out of time among them are a few that veer into popular culture like 2008s nudge improving decisions about health wealth and happiness written with richard h thaler
but the world according to star wars is an outlier when he discussed the idea with academic publishers he said they appeared puzzled and unenthusiastic academics dont think its an extremely impressive project for their colleague to embark on professor sunstein 61 said a few weeks before the party over coffee at the harvard club in new york
even his wife samantha power the united states ambassador to the united nations initially was not sold on her husbands increasingly public foray into star wars geekdom at united nations functions for instance he would draw foreign dignitaries into discussions of the gross domestic product of the galactic republic
last year he told her of his plan to liken the blockbuster film franchise to constitutional law in a speech he was about to give at the graduation ceremony for the university of pennsylvania law school her worries increased
he informed me he was going to talk at commencement about star wars and the law and i thought he had lost his mind ms power said
as he worked on his commencement speech she was writing one of her own   for penns undergraduate ceremony this is what passes as date night at the power sunstein household she said
professor sunsteins talk turned out to be a success and his wife was on board when he decided to give book length treatment to the ideas rattling around in his brain
professor sunstein developed a new interest in star wars after introducing the series to his son declan 7 and witnessing how it became a touchstone for them he wrote in celebration of this bond with his son and in homage to his father who died when cass was 26
the book party was in the very spot where the seed for the project was planted one night last year the sunstein powers were watching an awards show at the crangi lyons apartment when ms crangi suggested to professor sunstein that he rewatch star wars with declan she even sent him home with a dvd
ms crangi has seen the various films some 150 times it sent me on a path of being obsessed with science fiction and an intergalactic economy she said at the party
nearby dr kissinger was holding forth on something or other as the biographer mr isaacson told ms brown making a reference to her husband the author and editor harry evans i remember seeing you on the back of harrys motorcycle ms brown laughed gaily
rory lyons a former insurance broker at lloyds of london and the father of the partys co host ms lyons paused in the middle of the room to say im hoping to challenge dr kissinger to a game of whos been to more countries do you think he would have been to iran ive been to iran what possible business could have taken him to scandinavia
ms nevins of hbo was sitting on a couch taking it all in when a bearded man got off the elevator she nodded her head toward him and said if a bear was a man he would look like that then she added dont quote me too much because i never know what im actually saying
but she kept talking noting that she wasnt exactly sure what would come of hbos option on the book its fun to think of popular culture as profound she said it gives popular culture a pass and its invigorating
when the time came to introduce the guest of honor ms lyons asked people to quiet down a hush fell over the room except for an insistent low rumble that you could hear above the hum of the air conditioner
who is still talking she called out
it was dr kissinger
he took the admonishment diplomatically and ms lyons said of professor sunstein he actually has managed to write a book in the time that i   i dont know   maybe painted my nails
professor sunstein stood before the guests in a talk that lasted not quite 10 minutes he connected the dots between a testy email he accidentally sent to the entire obama campaign staff in 2008 his friendly relationship with dr kissinger harvards squash team and his nearly eight year marriage to ms power
he also praised the ability of the star wars creator george lucas to meld the mythologies of many religions and cultures into a sweeping tale that he characterized as extremely silly   and very deep


connor vest a bespectacled 19 year old sailor grew up in maryville tenn in the foothills of the great smoky mountains until may 29   the fifth day of fleet week   he had never set foot in new york city
as night fell he was standing at west 44th street and ninth avenue he was wearing his white service dress uniform with the black neckerchief and dixie cup cap above his left front pocket was a blue ribbon signifying his skill as a marksman
standing next to seaman vest also in his sailors whites was colby warren of landrum sc a friend and fellow student at the naval submarine school in groton conn
im up for anything said seaman warren 23 who was making his third visit to new york times square central park theyre at opposite ends of everything
i dont like the idea of central park at night mr vest said
thats when you get mugged the real new york experience mr warren said with a laugh
i dont want to get mugged mr vest said gazing up at the midtown towers
the two had arrived at grand central terminal at 5 pm from connecticut the first thing on their agenda was to find their lodgings   on east 51st street   but they hit a snag when they took the wrong subway and ended up downtown
after finally checking in at the hotel they ran into some buddies who led them to the mean fiddler a dive bar on west 47th street once they had the hang of the place mr vest and mr warren were ready to go exploring
as they headed eastward toward times square two marines were coming toward them
hoo yah mr vest said with enthusiasm
oo rah the marines replied flatly
we just mess with each other mr vest said once the marines were out of earshot
isnt the rockford near here mr warren asked
you mean rockefeller center mr vest said thats where 30 rock was
they moved past the shubert theater where the marquee and posters advertised matilda the musical i read that book when i was a kid mr vest said referring to the roald dahl novel the musical is based on i read a lot in middle school kind of stopped in high school
he said his father was a pilot first in the navy then for an airline and that his mother took care of things at home i love my mom mr vest said she gardens she takes care of us
he added that his parents approved of his decision to enlist more or less they were a little hesitant at first he said i think they kind of expected me to go to college but i wanted to do something immediately also i didnt want them to have to pay for my college
they made it to broadway mr vest took in the view of times square the lights the billboards the tickers the hulking buildings the people
i like this he said this is pretty its impressive hey is that the ball that drops on new years no way
bright mr warren said its like it gets brighter every time i see it
theres a lot of stimulation mr vest said i feel like i could get exhausted
where i grew up we had two acres of yard around us nothing but grass mr warren said you flip the lights off and you can make out any star you want
mr vest was beginning to sound a bit homesick i dont know its really big he said i miss the mountains thats where i live in tennessee i used to go hiking and swimming in the rivers of the mountains several times a week i miss it
i wouldnt complain if i got stationed here mr warren said id have fun but as far as retiring here i dont see myself doing that
as they moved deeper into the square mr warren said his childhood involved a lot of time playing video games like spyro the dragon and wandering in the woods i would disappear for hours he said although he loved the outdoors he was never much of a hunter id always fall asleep in the deer stand he said
a statue of liberty figure on stilts emerged from the crowd
the first time i came here i thought it was mind blowing mr warren said i wont lie i fell in love with it but the more i grew up the more i realized its nice being able to lay out and look at the stars you cant really do that in new york its too bright
a few women wearing american flag body paint and not much else frolicked nearby
i feel really patriotic right now mr warren said
is this normal mr vest asked is this how it always is sensory overload

in the quiet of two boots hells kitchen a pizzeria on ninth avenue mr vest ordered a slice with pepperoni and a root beer im fairly new to the navy he said ive been in about nine months i started off with the nuclear program but i couldnt quite cut it there it was hard but im happy with where i am now working to be a radio man on submarines
mr warren took a swig of sierra mist im a navigational he said basically ill tell the boat where to go when i finish school
the three stripes on mr vests uniform signified his rank enlisted 3 because i dont have any stripes that technically means he outranks me said mr warren who is classified as e 1
at boot camp in great lakes ill they learned how the navy works ranks customs comportment how to moor ships and fight fires onboard they did a lot of push ups too we had a competition to see who could do the most mr warren said i did 120
mr vest remembered getting in trouble one time for not writing precisely enough in a log book our chief started yelling at me because i wrote my ms wrong youre supposed to bring your ms all the way up all the way down all the way up and down again i had to do push ups for bringing the middle part of my m halfway down instead of all the way down
so far the two seamen have spent about an hour each inside submarines but they have spent many hours on the outside scrubbing chipping off rust and adding coats of paint
if all goes to plan they will learn where they are going to be stationed in the fall and leave the school at groton within a year mr warren said his first choices are guam and hawaii mr vest has his eye on bangor wash there are good outdoor activities like hiking he said a lot of coffeehouses and im a big fan of coffee
asked what they would be doing now if they were back home mr warren said id be at the lake right now party at the lake i havent been home since boot camp
mr vest said when were on leave i always go home and see my family i miss them
after the pizza slices arrived mr warren said there was not much to do during downtime in groton if you go to the mall the girls are like 17 and under so stay away from the mall if you go to the bars you have to be very careful groton is a military town so if you find someone to have fun with theres a very big likelihood that she is related to someone in your chain of command which ends very badly for you
during the few hours he had been in new york mr warren had received calls and texts from a woman he had dated in groton i met her a week ago and she wants me to define the relationship he said im technically single now technically
because you havent had that discussion yet mr vest asked
exactly

at 1020 pm more than a dozen military men and women stood outside the mean fiddler talking and smoking the two sailors joined the group mr warren pulled on a vape and exhaled a great cloud of steam a lot more nicotine a lot faster he said
warren someone cried
it was jacob underwood 21 a fellow sailor who is from southeastern oklahoma after he embraced mr vest and mr warren he said he hadnt slept in two days by far the best bar has been the mean fiddler seaman underwood said its the sailor and marine come to spot
the three men went inside the mean fiddler was packed with sailors marines and coast guard members shout out to all the sexy ladies the dj hollered into a microphone
soon four civilian women two of them wearing dixie cup caps climbed aboard the bar and started dancing when the song shots by lmfao featuring the rapper lil jon came on the place went nuts sailors and marines pushed their way to the bar piling into one another like rugby players almost everybody sang along to the track shots shots shots shots
what happens in the fiddler stays in the fiddler the dj shouted
a civilian woman lay on the bar supine a bartender poured kahlua into the wide open mouth of a marine the marine bowed his head and spat the booze on the exposed space between the womans t shirt and cutoff shorts then he slurped up as much of it as he could from her navel before helping her off the bar they started to make out furiously
well party like this all night long the dj said do i have any military in the house
a lusty yell went up from the crowd you could count the number of male civilians on one hand
this is fleet week mr warren said this is what its all about

mr vest and his two friends repaired to a less rowdy bar nearby dutch freds where the talk turned to the presidential campaign
i vote trump mr underwood said
hillary mr vest said
trump mr warren said
i would have voted for bernie mr vest added but hes pretty much out
trumps the better option of the two mr underwood said because the last two presidents weve had ... 
mr vest cut him off saying i like obama
get out of here mr underwood said
hes our commander in chief mr vest replied
the conversation soon hit on other topics national security the presidency of george w bush the possibility of another major war the women at the mean fiddler mr underwood said he would like to go back there but mr vest seemed to have something else in mind
were missing game of thrones he said we already have missed it


just past midnight on saturday jimmy glenn slumped into a small wooden chair in the back room of his bar in times square his face aglow before a cable broadcast the bar a 45 year old sanctum of boxing ephemera called jimmys corner was packed with dozens of patrons in various stages of inebriation and celebration but mr glenn could hardly bring himself to move
for much of his career mr glenn had served as both a friend and occasional trainer to muhammad ali at his old boxing facility the late times square gym on 42nd street the two spent countless hours dancing around the ring mr ali throwing blow after stinging blow into mr glenns padded hands although mr alis halting speech and labored stride had portended his demise for decades news of the legendary boxers death left mr glenn shocked and unmoored
he was a king among men he said a fighter a poet a politician   he was everything
above all mr glenn valued mr alis political courage and unyielding honesty in a sport sullied by corruption his favorite moment of the boxers career was his refusal to be conscripted into the military for the vietnam war
he was the bravest fighter there ever was because he battled just as hard outside the ring he said theres never been an athlete with that kind of integrity
mr glenn shuffled into the main bar an expression of sullen grief etched on his face and switched the televisions from sports highlights to a loop of obituaries on cnn
its time they learn the news he said leaning his hulking frame against a jukebox above his head hung a framed photo of himself with mr ali one of nearly half a dozen such pictures of the two friends positioned around the bar
at first the crowd seemed unmoved by the news   or perhaps they were simply unaware   but soon enough one man caught notice
this cant be happening said johnny bautista rising from his seat as he watched the footage of mr alis infamous trash talk mr bautista 35 a crane operator mouthed along in perfect unison everyone be quiet and show some respect he bellowed
for a few moments the bar quieted to an uneasy hush as patrons took in the news every conversation seemed to turn to mr ali
even if you never watched him fight he was a black activist and a hero said jhannel bernard 24 her friend shanique turner 23 raised a shot of tequila and offered a toast to the king she said clinking glasses with ms bernard
several customers offered to buy mr glenn drinks in condolence but he politely declined instead he lumbered back into his office to watch the news in peace
he always used to tell me jimmy im gonna shake up the world he recalled then turning to face the image of his old friend on the television he let out a deep sigh
well you did it ali he said to the screen you shook up the whole damn world


i was not yet a teenager when i wandered into the living room of our rent controlled apartment on the upper west side i saw my parents sitting silently by our black and white television listening as a young black boxer muhammad ali talked
he was saying he would not serve in the army and he would not fight those vietcong
my conscience wont let me go and shoot them ali said in that rat a tat tat stream of consciousness style of his they never called me nigger they never lynched me they didnt put no dogs on me
how can i shoot those poor people he added just take me to jail
just take me to jail those words registered as astonishing here was this great sexy fighter on the cusp of fame and fortune a physically pretty man who recited doggerel and who graced the covers of magazines and he was willing to march off to prison to protest an unjust war
we celebrate athletic courage watch a hoopster hit a spinning fall away jumper in the last seconds see a center fielder race toward a fence heedless of the possible injury applaud a fullback who catapults into the end zone and we talk of courage
such feats are athletic and wonderful and memorable courage is being 24 years old and risking all the anger of newspaper and television reporters and millions of white americans who see you as a public enemy to say no to a war
channing frye a tall and lithe cleveland cavalier stepped onto the practice court in oakland for an interview on the intricacies of the nba finals hes thoughtful on his chosen vocation first though he spoke of the septuagenarian ali
he just gave the black community a lot of courage and changed our mind set hey you can be a superstar and not be quiet  frye said you can voice your opinion and be controversial and still be a champion
frye didnt go there but ali ruined some part of the great athlete michael jordan for me years ago at the height of his popularity and given a chance to support harvey gantt the black progressive mayor of charlotte nc against that old racemonger senator jesse helms jordan declined republicans he reportedly said buy sneakers too
others spoke and acted in the ali tradition tommie smith and john carlos raised their fists in the black power sign at the olympics in 1968 after medaling in the 200 meter race kareem abdul jabbar has spoken out often and thoughtfully on societys ills lebron james has addressed violence and police brutality and is a union activist the cross country skier beckie scott has spoken out repeatedly on athletic doping and on the fecklessness of international organizations
the point is not whether you agree with their every utterance any more than that was so with regard to ali to see athletes   young men and women who could rightly enough claim obsession with sport and endorsements   embrace the larger world and its discontents is moving
ali was a man which is to say complicated and many faced and imperfect he could be cruel to opponents in the ring and outside it joe frazier he said was too dumb and too ugly to be champion
it is probably smart not to get too worked up about this cruelty is woven into boxing like tweed into a fine herringbone jacket
ali reincarnated himself as champion three times winning that title and that gave to his life narrative a metaphorical power
i know the young ali lean and dangerous and endlessly boastful only through my fathers stories and from old newsreels the ali i remember was heavier muscled and a ferocious competitor too willing to stand and absorb punishment by the time he tangled with george foreman in 1974 in zaire the fight known as the rumble in the jungle his speed and reflexes were like bike tires worn down
the question was not whether foreman would beat him senseless but how quickly the end would come
ali per usual would have none of that if you think the world was surprised when nixon resigned wait till i whup foremans behind he told david frost
heres norman mailers classic account in the the fight ali would slide off a punch and fall back into the ropes with all the calm of a man swinging in the rigging all the while he used his eyes they looked like stars and he feinted foreman out with his eyes flashing white eyeballs of panic he did not feel which pulled foreman through into the trick of lurching after him on a wrong move
i drove back to purchase college that night and listened to the staccato round by round reports on wins news radio when the anchor broke in excitedly to say that ali had toppled foreman in the eighth round like an oak tree i pounded my dashboard and screamed like a banshee loose on the hutchinson river parkway
alis decline would play no small part in my own decision to turn away from boxing i had read of joe louis slowed and thick tongued and lost late in his life but unlike my parents i never knew him in his thunderbolt throwing prime ali was the athlete of my youth by the end parkinsons and his past braveries in the ring had rendered ali near immobile and mute
now he is dead
here is another outtake from that primal force he had listened as young white men berated him for resisting the draft then eyes flashing he came back at them
you talking about me about some draft and all you white boys are breaking your neck to get to switzerland and canada and london he said adding if im going to die ill die now right here fighting you
the words speak to a passion forever young and brave


silicon valley tech titans canadian hockey players african sheikhs muhammad alis athletic might bold politics and boundless charisma extended his influence far beyond the world of championship boxing and as news of his death broke each of these people   and many more   shared their condolences on social media
ali was a three time world heavyweight boxing champion and many who mourned him online were fellow athletic titans one of the first to respond to his death was the controversial boxing champion mike tyson
ali converted from christianity to islam in the 1960s and his death was keenly felt among muslims in the united states and abroad on friday before ali died the arab american novelist saladin ahmed reflected on his place in muslim america
after his death ismail menk the grand mufti of zimbabwe the african countrys highest islamic religious authority tweeted his condolences to alis family as did nazem kadri a muslim canadian hockey player for the toronto maple leafs and linda sarsour a muslim american civil rights activist
as a public speaker ali was able to both amuse and inspire whether in delivering a pointed political critique or using wit and charm to telegraph his brash self confidence many people shared some of his well known sayings on social media
and perhaps unsurprisingly donald j trump the famously twitter friendly presumptive republican presidential candidate who has proposed to bar muslims from entering the united states was one of the first people tweet about alis death


galloway township nj   teachers at san marino high school in southern california allowed elizabeth wang to finish her sophomore year a week earlier than her classmates wang had a compelling reason for the request she was scheduled to compete in her first lpga tournament
with the event approaching wang had not played as many rounds or practiced as often as she normally does she was too busy finishing her homework assignments and studying for her final exams
still wang who turned 16 last week did not display any outward signs of nervousness at the shoprite lpga classic at the stockton seaview hotel and golf club in fridays first round she birdied her first two holes and her last two holes en route to a two over par 73
wang received an exemption into this weekends tournament near atlantic city for winning the junior pga championship last august on friday she played in a threesome with the lpga tour veterans candy hannemann 35 and michelle mcgann 46 who turned professional 11 years before wang was born
wang one of two amateurs in the 142 woman field had plenty of family support her father peter served as her caddie her mother patricia was also in town as was her 7 year old sister elaina and her mothers parents who flew in from their home in shanghai
golf has become a major part of the familys life but that was never the plan when wangs parents introduced her to the sport when she was 6 none of the wangs had played golf or knew much about the game until elizabeth began competing
back then wangs parents simply wanted her to try any sport patricia and peter wang who grew up in china and came to the united states for college always told her that academics were most important still they thought getting involved in athletics would help her physically and socially wang decided to try golf because the familys home in parker colo was next to the black bear golf club
whenever i got bored staring at books all day i just looked out the window and saw people playing golf she said
during wangs first junior tournament two weeks before her seventh birthday she made a hole in one on a 112 yard par 3 hole using a driver
that was a great motivator wang said
soon the head professional and manager at black bear allowed wang to use the putting green and driving range even though the family did not belong to the club she was eventually permitted to play on the 18 hole course free of charge
it was really a privilege patricia wang said it gave her a lot of motivation to play even harder and practice even harder
wang was a fast learner she was the top united states finisher and tied for third over all in the callaway golf junior world championship in july 2008 a little more than two years after she started playing
wangs parents also became involved in their daughters passion they began learning the rules of golf and bought her books by annika sorenstam and tiger woods in 2010 the wangs moved to san marino because they wanted elizabeth to be able to play golf year round
for the past few years peter wang has cut back on his work as an electronics engineer and he travels with elizabeth to all her tournaments patricia wang continues to work as a pharmacy manager to help pay for the steep travel costs lessons and other golf related expenses
wang has had several coaches since arriving in california recently she has worked with vic wilk an instructor in las vegas more than 250 miles from san marino her parents typically drive her there one or two sundays each month arriving early in the morning and leaving in the late afternoon
college coaches have already reached out to wilk and to wyeth collo her high school coach and biology teacher wang who earns mostly as in her classes has been encouraged by her parents to attend college and earn a degree before turning professional
shes doing it right i think wilk said shes wanting to really get the academics going as well i keep trying to push that on her i say you know its a tough road going all the way to the pro tour and theres no guarantees even if youre a cant miss kind of a kid and just keep working hard
our goal is to work hard for her to get a nice education out of it at one of the top schools
after this weekend wang plans on competing in several amateur tournaments this summer she also hopes to qualify for the united states womens amateur for the second consecutive year she made the round of 16 last august
even before she teed off friday afternoon it was a memorable week for wang who arrived in new jersey last saturday she met several of her lpga tour idols including stacy lewis and natalie gulbis she also played nine holes with alison lee 21 the youngest member of last years united states team
wang has focused all week on preparing for the event and has not had a chance to explore much of the area although her mother promised she would take her to new york for the first time early next week
im holding her to it wang said


englewood colo   mark sanchez has thrown 2424 passes in the nfl
thats 2424 more than trevor siemian and paxton lynch the two other quarterbacks vying to replace peyton manning on the super bowl champion denver broncos with the start of the nfl season about 100 days away
so you might think that part of sanchezs duties in denver was to tutor the younger quarterbacks
not exactly
thats an interesting dynamic coach gary kubiak said mark is the guy with the most experience but he has no experience here hes got his own problems right now getting everything down im not going to try to ask him to do too much
in addition sanchez is recovering from surgery to his left thumb that prevented him from taking any snaps during the first few days of organized team activities last week
it is siemian then who finds himself in the unusual position of being the quarterback providing guidance despite having never thrown a pass in the pros
even though trevor is only in his second year he is a vet to me lynch said hes the only quarterback in this system who has been here for a year he was here when peyton was here too
lynch who is working on his footwork and cramming mentally   he said this was the first time ive seen a playbook that looked like a dictionary   is picking not only sanchezs brain but siemians too
i take some stuff from trevor too as much as i do from mark because trevor has been in the offense longer than any other quarterback here lynch said
siemian earned the no 3 job at training camp last year despite missing the off season program while recovering from knee surgery but he had a half seasons worth of work as the primary backup because brock osweiler started for two months while manning recovered from a foot injury
so siemian took advantage of his snaps with the starting receivers demaryius thomas and emmanuel sanders at organized team activities and he was more than willing to share a tip or two
siemian said he learned from manning that sometimes things may mean a little more coming from another player rather than a coach or coordinator
ive been here for a year so there are some things that i can offer up that may help him out siemian said
siemian couldnt have seen himself in this role just a few months ago even though he knew manning was contemplating retirement and osweiler was heading for free agency where he ultimately took houstons big offer
last year was a heck of a ride and i wasnt looking too far ahead siemian said i had no clue what was going to happen i was just kind of holding on to the seat of my pants last year and taking everything in
now hes the most experienced quarterback in terms of kubiaks offense siemian figures that throwing to thomas and sanders and facing the likes of aqib talib and chris harris jr whom he went up against last year while running the scout team can only make him better
last week he worked with the first teamers before giving way to sanchez who exchanged the wrap he wore on his left hand for a soft splint and had a full workload in team and seven on seven drills
kubiak who never had quarterback stability last year insists he doesnt necessarily need to know who his starter is going into training camp i dont have a timeline on anything he said
let me just say this im very comfortable with our three guys right now kubiak said thats where im at i love the competition thats going on
he added  theyre all very capable of helping this football team win thats why theyre here


the contrast between black and white is a favorite no matter the generation it showed up in bold graphics and in romantic 1950s silhouettes and prints as the young crowd offered its interpretation of the combination
related column


william norwich a former vogue editor and new york post society gossip columnist has a sense of humor about his symbiotic relationship with the one percent
on a table in the living room of his one bedroom apartment in the east 60s he has a vintage manual typewriter that was a long ago gift from sandy hill then sandy hill pittman a fixture on the uptown social circuit in the 1980s who infamously climbed mount everest in 1996 during a blizzard that claimed eight lives in the roller he keeps the note she typed to billy happy birthday this year give yourself a gift  write something for love  not money  on this
mr norwich who is now 61 was nonplused when he received it i didnt know whether to laugh or cry he said only rich people tell working stiffs like me to do something for love not money bless her heart she meant well
that benevolent nature permeates his novel my mrs brown a contemporary fairytale recently published by simon  schuster about a genteel widow from a small town in rural new england who lives an unremarkable life without excess or luxury when she volunteers to inventory the estate of the local grande dame mrs brown becomes besotted with a simple black 7000 suit dress by oscar de la renta though its beyond her means she becomes determined to own the same dress which she believes connotes authority civility and respectability
the book inspired by the 1958 novel by paul gallico mrs arris goes to paris is intended as a gentle rebuke of todays hyped up fashion culture which ignores the needs of ordinary women after all ive watched since the 1960s of the womens movement it bothered me that women are told that the ultimate expression of dressing is red carpet worthy he said there is something powerful about a dress that is exquisitely tailored and perfectly correct
mr norwichs home is a testament to his role as a longtime fashion insider in the bedroom he keeps a photo and a handwritten welcome to paris note from the chanel designer karl lagerfeld in an armoire in the living room is a christmas card with a handwritten note from isaac mizrahi he has framed photographs of style icons like nan kempner and cz guest and an inscribed picture by deborah turbeville of diana vreelands shoes
mrs vreeland as he deferentially calls the influential fashion editor who died in 1989 is something of a muse he shares her love of red and painted his foyer the exact same color as a cartier box i brought one to janovic he said referring to the paint store and had them match it
a leopard pattern armchair that once belonged to the over the top new york decorator david barrett is another homage to mrs vreeland who famously said ive never met a leopard print i didnt like
but theres nothing precious or pretentious about mr norwichs home which is furnished with secondhand pieces bought in consultation with the interior designer jesse carrier i am long acquainted with him and hes now quite fabulous and does zillion dollar brownstones mr norwich said he took me to thrift shops all over the city where we got everything with the exception of things that were bought at tepper galleries
mr carrier also helped mr norwich hang his artwork including a painting of his mother at 7 with a bow in her hair its one of the few things i have from my childhood home said mr norwich who grew up in southeastern connecticut and has lived on the upper east side since 1976
it was very clear from the get go that it was not cool to live here mr norwich said he chose the neighborhood because several of his friends parents lived nearby and he needed surrogate families both of his parents had died by the time he was 20
i would tell people i live on the upper east side because i am a runner and needed the park he said thats how i covered myself
he chose his current apartment in a prewar building six years ago he explained because he wanted a quiet place to write and was willing to live without direct sunlight his book lined bedroom is the quintessential writers lair even the base of his custom made bed frame holds books i like the idea of floating on words said mr norwich who is now a commissioning editor for fashion and interior design titles at the book publisher phaidon
and after decades on the party circuit mr norwich said hes lately become more domestic ive taught myself to cook he said im mostly into baking
still theres room on a shelf in his minuscule kitchen for a vignette that has nothing to do with cooking an assemblage of vintage tins of society snuff cz guests bug spray and a framed herb ritts photograph of a muscled model named vladimir smoking a cigarette
mr norwich remembers seeing the photo at the staley wise gallery in the company of the larger than life fashion editor andre leon talley and wishing he could afford to buy it mr talley he recalled told him why do you need to own it get the postcard put it in a frame
coming from him it was the most brilliant invitation to liberate myself mr norwich said i realized i didnt have to be possessed by possessions


hong kong   in a packed bidding room last monday christies hong kong hosted its 30th anniversary auction the tightly curated catalog featured 30 lots each chosen for its desirability and origin in categories such as fine art ancient ceramics jewelry watches and rare wines
and handbags
one of the auctions stars was a 12 inch hermes birkin matte himalayan crocodile handbag with white gold hardware set with 245 f color diamonds weighing close to 10 carats with a presale estimate of 190000 to 260000 it was billed as the most valuable handbag in the world
the standing room only crowd mostly from mainland china with a smattering of collectors from taiwan and japan watched with barely bated anticipation as jussi pylkkanen the global president for christies presided from the podium over bidders who drove prices for the birkin quickly past 128679 or about 1 million hong kong dollars in a mere four minutes the bag was sold to a private collector and a record set at 244490 before a buyers premium for a total of 300168 just over the standard retail price of 280000
that an hermes birkin fetched more money than a hanging scroll belonging to the chinese empress dowager cixi of the qing dynasty 1 million hong kong dollars or a rare solar powered dome clock by patek philippe also 1 million hong kong dollars is testament to the mythical status the bag commands
our london office began auctioning off fashion items as part of estate sales in the 1990s and in 2000 began including contemporary handbags as collectors pieces said matthew rubinger the hong kong based international director of handbags and accessories for asia after a successful stint selling bags in online auctions christies opened its handbags and accessories departments in hong kong and paris in 2014 christies now holds twice yearly handbag and accessory auctions in hong kong alongside its more traditional sales
as to the frenzy over the himalayan birkin aside from the diamonds white is the hardest color to achieve with crocodile skin as you have to remove all of its natural pigment mr rubinger said of the graduated tone from gray to white inspired by majestic mountains to find a bag in its unused condition is even more rare
the seller was a private collector who had owned the unused birkin since 2008 it is believed that only one or two of these bags are produced each year by the hermes atelier
mr rubingers job is now focused on sourcing the bags for his growing clientele and assessing the quality of the consigned products on a four grade scale from a score of one for a brand new bag to a four for a used one many of his customers are clients of christies and collectors of jewelry and art but asias affluent customers are quickly fueling demand
chanel has always done well in the secondary market and we also sell gucci and balenciaga but hermes clearly is the leader he said adding that the client base is split between asia and europe with many repeat customers
our previous record holder was a 35 centimeter fuchsia crocodile birkin with diamond hardware which sold for 14 million without the premium he said referring to the sale in hong kong dollars custom orders and exotic skins are always popular lizard skin is having a moment right now
it might seem ridiculous to some to treat a handbag as an investment but for a birkin collector like emily chan a hong kong based investment banker it is one worth making she owns more than 50 of the bags purchased as a vip customer from the paris hong kong and tokyo boutiques as well as on secondary markets via auctions birkins are both an investment and a fashion accessory to me she said birkins are like currency you can cash out any time
of all the ways to access the bags i like auctions as you are not shopping alone she added
her favorite birkin is unreservedly the himalayan for the past 35 years the birkins price trend has been all the way up performing even better than gold said ms chan who began collecting in 1993 art and jewelry are also good investments but their barrier to entry is much higher and those markets too have volatility and they are not as liquid as the birkin
birkins have climbed in value by 500 percent in the last 35 years an increase expected to double in the next 10 years according to baghuntercom an online platform for buying and selling luxury handbags
this may be why   even beyond auction houses   a secondary birkin market run by a handful of resellers has sprung up in settings from japan to florida brand offs flagship store in tokyos ginza district is just a short walk from hermess own flagship boutique while the pre eminent reseller in paris loic bocher the founder of collector square has created the luxprice index a referencing chart for hermes as well as for watches and jewelry with results from about 200000 auction transactions he acquires his bags from a network of shoppers in europe with ties to hermes boutiques and resells them to customers in the middle east and asia his showroom elegantly decorated like a home rather than a vintage boutique displays an array of hermes birkin and kelly bags as well as chanels classic 255 handbag
from our research we know that the asian customer prefers the smaller 30 centimeter mr bocher said while the european customer likes the 35 centimeter and the most popular colors are beige black and brown for new unused birkins we would have a markup of 10 percent to 20 percent above retail our customers are always looking for something unique
we had a birkin so black he continued referring to a limited edition style with black hardware released during jean paul gaultiers tenure which we sold within a few hours of acquisition
collector square also works with artcurial an auction house to which it sends pieces of exceptional quality and rarity
in the united states prive porter a dealer based in boca raton fla sold a red crocodile birkin with diamond hardware last year for 298000 jeff berk prive porters founder who had previously sold liquidated luxury watches started selling birkins on ebay in 2012 we received an overwhelming amount of interest on the bags he said of the two he sold and my wife and i pulled together 250000 to invest in our first inventory its been a process of consolidation as we started to work with a vip clientele stylists and those who have relatives working at hermes to receive a steady supply of bags
sixty percent of mr berks clients are from the united states and 30 percent from the middle east and asia with the remainder from south america he said he has a staff of five and a warehouse of about 15 million in handbags there is just something about a birkin he said its like owning a mercedes benz when you close the door of a mercedes it sounds different than a toyota and thats what hermes customers know and buy into to many of our customers to own this bag is to achieve a sense of competence like nothing else
in 2014 robert smith a texas hedge fund titan and his wife hope dworaczyk a playboy playmate who appeared on celebrity apprentice requested that mr berk find them 30 birkins to give away at a staff christmas party their budget was 500000 it took us 30 days but we did it mr berk said
ms dworaczyk who is an hermes vip said i wasnt expecting them to succeed on the christmas party but when i saw the brinks truck pull up i lost my mind
all of which makes the fact that wednesdays follow up auction at christies included 200 handbag lots   more than half of which were birkins   and that handbag sales for the two days totaled 5044890 a little more understandable
as handbags become more easily traceable and values continue to increase more collectors are seeing their handbags as assets mr rubinger said even those with no intention to sell want to better understand the lasting value of these pieces


just before the march release of eat pray love made me do it an anthology of essays written by people who were inspired by elizabeth gilberts best selling 2006 memoir eat pray love ms gilbert was looking to offload a 7000 pound buddha statue
it was not a matter of spiritual spring cleaning it was more a matter of cleaning up shop her shop
the buddha is about all thats left ms gilbert 46 said over the phone from miami where she was taking a break from promoting big magic creative living beyond fear her 2015 self help book
nearly everything else at two buttons the store in frenchtown that she and her husband jose nunes opened in 2007 to sell decorative east asian imports had been sold the business was set to close within weeks
it was great and a really fun project but my husband and i share this similar trait where once weve made or built something we no longer have any interest in it ms gilbert said
so once we got that building renovated and the business was sort of running itself she continued he very sheepishly came to me and said i dont really feel like doing this two buttons thing anymore and around the same time right after we had finished renovating this big house in frenchtown i very sheepishly said to him i dont really want to live here anymore
ms gilbert and mr nunes have since bought and renovated a smaller house in frenchtown were good at creating but were not good at sustaining things she said and we always let the other person have an out
ms gilbert may be willing to give her husband an out but letting herself off the hook is another matter her followers on social media learned as much last year when in an effort to practice what she preaches in big magic she sang a karaoke rendition of the bonnie tyler chestnut total eclipse of the heart at the diamond horseshoe nightclub in manhattan the idea was for ms gilbert to face her fear of singing in public
the experience was terrifying she recalled immediately i started to see these really talented people coming in   this is a midtown bar where people are coming from jobs on broadway a very different scene from hanging out at the national hotel in frenchtown she decided to take her name off the waiting list for the microphone
then her inner scold grabbed hold of her
i said to myself youre not allowed to do that anymore you spend your life telling people they have to take creative risks and youre about to publish this book thats essentially a manifesto she said so she sang
she wrote about the experience on facebook but her followers wanted proof they wanted to see video of ms gilbert singing so i said ok ill do it again she recalled but this time she introduced a caveat you guys have to help me raise money
the result a few more nervous nights in manhattan and a boon to blinknow a nonprofit based in morristown that helps poor children in nepal
theres this really strange circular connection between me and my fellow new jerseyan maggie ms gilbert said of maggie doyne blinknows founder hers is another eat pray love made me do it story
among the essays submitted for inclusion in eat pray love made me do it are descriptions of their writers experiences abandoning bad marriages learning to embrace motherhood and overcoming addictions ms doyne of mendham was not a contributor but she said she was inspired by the memoir just the same her story found its way to ms gilbert through a mutual friend
eat pray love was the only book that ms doyne took with her when she left new jersey to travel to india as a new high school graduate in 2007 it was such an empowering book about a woman who was traveling on a solo journey to find herself ms doyne wrote in an email from nepal it inspired me and encouraged me
during her travels ms doyne now 28 saw homeless nepalese children working at difficult physical jobs instead of doing what most of us would do which is turning away from that kind of despicable situation and saying its so horrible i cant even look she stayed and created a home for them ms gilbert said
the home called the kopila valley childrens home was opened to 50 children in 2008 in 2010 blinknow also opened a school that now educates over 350 nepalese children ms gilbert through her karaoke stunt was able to raise more than 100000 for the organization ms doyne said
ms gilbert said the money she raised proved the value in overcoming fears
if were being honest about what were afraid of we have to admit that the stakes are usually terribly low she said when you put it in the context of raising money for orphans in nepal my singing in public is not a big deal no one has died from my singing yet
that does not mean that a career switch to music is likely ms gilbert is currently at work on a historical novel about 1940s new york city and promiscuous showgirls there she said
frenchtown is a great place to write especially in the summer she said i have this little corner room with maple leaves advancing on the windows and kids riding their bikes below its not as grand or fancy as the other house but i love being in this little creative community this brigadoon like place


nothing says spring quite like a garden party with a dozen plutocrats along with a handful of big stars this was what happened two years ago when madonna and daniel craig showed up to the museum of modern arts annual spring gala and rubbed shoulders with the financial world titans michael r bloomberg and henry kravis
but after a series of underwhelming auctions this winter and talk of a market correction the crowd was a little more diffuse this year
the heavy hitters are not here like they usually are said vanity fairs james reginato staring out into the crowd a little before 8 pm wednesday it feels a little thin
it wasnt a wash or anything the collector michael ovitz was by the bar with his girlfriend tamara mellon who was posing for a selfie with vera wang a few feet away was chuck close having a cocktail what do you think it cost to raise this floor he asked rhetorically the first 500000 in donations
by the step and repeat mark bradford posed with his fellow artist marilyn minter
at a pot roast dinner inside the museums atrium a jungle motif prevailed with greenery running down the walls
helen mirren sat by mr kravis near the makeshift stage the photographers inez van lamsweerde and vinoodh matadin greeted brice marden who was being honored along with his fellow artists mr bradford and huma bhabha as well as the collectors sally and wynn kramarsky and amanda and glenn fuhrman
mr marden wore a black knit hat and to the surprise of no one in attendance he looked mildly uneasy with being the focus of so many congratulations i said why he recalled why me his speech was characteristically brief
few at dinner made it back outside for a late performance by robyn the scandinavian disco diva
the museum it turned out has good soundproofing which meant that most did not hear the blare of the music and the screams of the venture capitalist types and their dolled up girlfriends who arrived during dessert for the after party
we missed it said fabiola beracasa walking outside just as robyn finished her last song they should have announced it everyone would have come running out


click on the slide show to see this weeks featured properties in new york city
 in the south street seaport area a 1100 square foot renovated studio with a sleeping loft 11 foot ceilings central air conditioning a washer and dryer and a bath with a separate shower and tub in a seven story elevator building
 in the financial district a studio with wood floors beamed ceilings and two enclosed sleeping areas in a doorman building that was formerly offices
 in boerum hill brooklyn a three bedroom two bath duplex with two balconies a washerdryer and a landscaped tiled terrace on the top two floors of a 29 unit 2003 condominium with basement storage and video security


late in season 1 of nbcs aquarius the character of charles manson is confronted by his mother who gave birth to him at 16 and abandoned him when he reached adolescence despite his anger and resentment this manson cowers in her presence and reveals a vulnerable streak at odds with the public image of him as evil incarnate
this scene raises the question of what might have been had this man not been cast off at such a young age and had not spent more than half his life in prison even before the heinous tate labianca murders sealed his infamy
just villains are boring the aquarius creator john mcnamara said we live in a culture that really uses villains the way bowling uses 10 pins   to just knock them down and do it again
like a recurring nightmare the menace of charles manson continues to both haunt and fascinate us the man who in 1969 orchestrated killings in southern california including the murder of the pregnant actress sharon tate has inspired a spate of recent and forthcoming independent features and television projects mr manson remains in prison and the focus seems to be shifting to his female disciples   known as the manson family   with women handling the directing reins
lifetime broadcast mansons lost girls in february on june 16 aquarius will begin its second season picking up in january 1968 more than 18 months before the killings in the works are the family a working title from the director mary harron and the screenwriter guinevere turner who were behind the american psycho film adaptation and manson girls an 8 million independent feature to be directed by susanna lo also due in june from random house is the girls emma clines novel inspired by the manson murders
amid the competition two projects have been shelved a limited series for fox from brett easton ellis and the horror meister rob zombie and a planned biopic with james franco as another manson victim jay sebring a hairstylist to the stars
whether there is an audience demand for new interpretations of the manson phenomenon is open to question mansons lost girls   told from the point of view of linda kasabian a follower turned prosecution witness   attracted about 18 million viewers over two broadcasts the ratings were slightly above average for lifetimes saturday night movie slot
manson family vacation a half cheeky half serious look at two brothers played by linas phillips and jay duplass who bond by touring the manson murder sites was released on netflix and itunes in the fall after making the rounds on the festival circuit
hes part of the american psyche now said sera gamble an aquarius writer and executive producer i think he pushes different buttons for different people depending on what creeps you out or what frightens you
recent developments have further fueled interest the identification in april of the body of a young canadian woman who was found in 1969 near the site of two of the manson family killings has led to speculation that she was another victim that same month parole was recommended for the convicted murderer and manson disciple leslie van houten
manson is unique and terrifying because he convinced other people to do things mr mcnamara said and he didnt convince hardened criminals or mafia members he convinced suburban kids
this is not the first time the manson family has been appropriated by pop culture helter skelter the true story of the manson murders written by the prosecutor vincent bugliosi and curt gentry was published in 1974 and became the definitive book on the murders countless books and several films about the manson family and its crimes including two television versions of helter skelter have since fed the publics appetite for the subject
over 12 episodes last summer charles mansons hollywood a series in karina longworths podcast you must remember this explored mr mansons complex relationship with entertainment figures and his obsession with fame she said she was fascinated by the climate of paranoia that enveloped hollywood after the murders and how that affected cinema
ms longworth said by phone from london that many films from that era were directly related to this sense that none of us are safe people who look like us can do harm to us
hollywoods fixation on manson comes at a time when cult leaders and serial killers have joined doctors and lawyers as the television protagonists du jour i think in this era of making a murderer and the jinx people are just especially fascinated by serial murder said jeremy rosen a producer on ms harrons film the family and i think in this time where safety is no longer a given he said referring to terrorism i think people are just so intrigued and horrified at the same time and for whatever reason over 45 years later manson still embodies that intrigue and horror
the family which is scheduled to start shooting in early fall centers on three women who were tried with mr manson ms van houten susan atkins and patricia krenwinkel the film is based on two books the family by ed sanders and the long prison journey of leslie van houten by karlene faith mr rosen the producer called it the needle in the haystack that led to a new perspective on the subject ms faith was the prison appointed social worker who actually deprogrammed the women and still maintains a strong relationship with them mr rosen said
ms lo whose film is in preproduction with shooting delayed by financial setbacks said she found parallels to todays societal ills from teenagers who commit mass gun violence to young women who join isis she noted that mansons women were abused or felt alienated from their families the more educated ones sandra good and squeaky fromme just didnt care for their parents and the type of life they were growing up in she added
viewers will decide how much manson and his deeds are relevant today of all these projects going forward mr rosen said theyre going to live and die by the originality   something that will allow people to have some kind of closure or understanding instead of the expected


as part of the ny phil biennial the hard working members of the impressive brooklyn youth chorus and the san francisco girls chorus will unite on thursday june 9 for an adventurous collaboration with the knights the dynamic chamber orchestra
the young performers must have been excited to be included on the roster because they prepared quite a few new and recent pieces so many that the event is structured as an evening double bill with a break in between for a play date a chance for composers and performers to mingle with audience members
the program includes works by philip glass theo bleckmann caroline shaw and gabriel kahane 7 and 830 pm rose theater jazz at lincoln center 212 875 5656 nyphilorg


wading into the calendar for the performance mix festival can feel like embarking on a convoluted mission the curator karen bernard plays by no rules other than rounding up an inspired multitude of genres and voices each year for its 30th birthday the festival returns to its original lower east side home abrons arts center with 13 events featuring 40 artists over six days beginning monday june 6
if theres any theme it might be unexpected groupings   and deliriously long titles the week kicks off with like a nova star three totally different trajectories   each exploding brilliantly away from the postmodern center this triple bill includes the feminist acrobats of lava the audience instigated work of clarinda mac low and yasuko yokoshis re envisioning of classical japanese dance
monday also brings recess the ritual experience concept event spa show in which michael helland offers perception heightening tonics for the body and mind and thats just opening night experiments in tap video and improvisatory music await later in the week 212 598 0400 abronsartscenterorg


brian de palma has never made a secret of his reverence for alfred hitchcock obsession his underappreciated glossy 1976 homage to vertigo is a high point of a de palma retrospective at the metrograph that runs through june 30
in the twisty diabolical mystery cliff robertson plays a wealthy new orleans businessman devoured by guilt after the deaths of his wife elizabeth genevieve bujold and their daughter in a bungled car chase with their kidnappers fifteen years later on a trip to florence he revisits the church where he and elizabeth met and finds her near double ms bujold whom he courts and tries to transform into elizabeth
as history begins to repeat itself the film based on an original script by paul schrader takes extremely emotional hairpin turns that hitchcock would never have dreamed of a surging wagnerian score by bernard herrmann the composer for vertigo is the luscious icing on the cake thursday june 9 212 660 0312 metrographcom


martha rosler the brooklyn artist who four years ago turned the museum of modern arts atrium into a mammoth garage sale has also focused on social issues within cities
if you lived here ... her 1989 three show cycle at the dia art foundation explored gentrification homelessness and urbanism through artworks films videos fliers and other documents now mitchell innes  nash will revisit that exhibition turning its gallery over to a new group calling itself the temporary office of urban disturbances
the show if you cant afford to live here mo o ove which opens tuesday june 7 will include original material from ms roslers cycle as well as public panels and discussions through july 9 212 744 7400 miandncom


the northside festival brooklyns answer to south by southwest keeps expanding its music component offers a pass to shows at more than two dozen clubs from thursday june 9 through sunday june 12 for 9424 tickets for individual shows are also available
the lineup teems with new york city acts psych folk from steve gunn on thursday at music hall of williamsburg 9 pm 13 or weyes blood at the same club on saturday 10 pm 10 the pioneering hip hop dj grandmaster flash at mccarren park on friday at 6 pm free with rsvp noisy power trio math rock and improvisations from the guitarist yonatan gat at aviv thursday at 9 pm with pass and babys all right saturday at 745 12
but its not all local theres country and americana from kacey musgraves conor oberst and the felice brothers at mccarren park on saturday 630 pm 4074 and in a booking coup brian wilson will perform pet sounds on sunday at mccarren park 630 4074


how does a responsibly repressed therapist become that woman   you know the kind who guts her already dysfunctional family by sleeping with the ones they love last season on hulus casual valerie michaela watkins was left by her husband for a younger woman packed up her precocious teenage daughter laura tara lynne barr moved in with her brother alex tommy dewey a dating site creator and went a bit bonkers as she navigated singledom with him as her wingman the show left us as alex discovered valerie after she had an ecstasy fueled encounter with his girlfriend before that she had sex with lauras teacher crush
season 2 debuting tuesday june 7 finds a perplexed valerie wondering how it all went so wrong while laura and alex try to blunt their anger and pain im kind of trying to distance myself from that word hate verbally and emotionally alex tells his sister hows that working for you she asks so far happiness is kind of boring he says good thing casual is not


in the first five minutes of the new season of unreal beginning june 6 on lifetime constance zimmers character quinn king gets a vulgar tattoo plies executives with cocaine in a las vegas hotel room and makes potty mouthed plans to turn racism into ratings gold
the standards and practices lady at lifetime told me im trying to approve as many of your dirty words as i can get away with ms zimmer recalled recently sitting in a lower east side bistro and i was like thank you because quinn cannot be filtered
this from an actor who not long ago was ready to move away from the hardened caustic characters that had come to define her in shows like entourage house of cards and the newsroom but by embracing those qualities and turning them up to 11 ms zimmer has found in her mid 40s her first leading role in the process she helped elevate unreal an acid satire of reality dating shows like the bachelor into a surprise breakout for lifetime bringing critical acclaim and the first peabody award to a channel known for soapy dramas reality shows like dance moms and 1990s tv movies with titles like my stepson my lover
quinn the baroquely profane mentor and nemesis to shiri applebys mercurial protagonist rachel wields her walkie talkie like a weapon as she oversees everlasting the fictional dating show within the show the competitions producers push the genres routine manipulations like casting for conflict and orchestrating outbursts to monstrous extremes they cajole threaten and otherwise torment the striving beauties with whatever is handy   last season a contestant with bipolar disorder killed herself after her handler tampered with her mood stabilizing medication
theyre the mole people living behind the walls preying on the butterflies under the light said sarah gertrude shapiro the former bachelor producer who created unreal with marti noxon
in season 2 the bachelor character b j britt is african american   unlike any bachelor lead over 20 seasons   which quinn and rachel exploit by turning the gaudy mansion set into a racial powder keg the cast in everlasting includes a black activist and a southern belle who has a thing for confederate flag bikinis
but beneath the phony glamour and skulduggery is a more searching story about modern romance gender roles and the price of ambition one that is exceptional in its primary focus on two flawed and complicated women quinn and rachel are the kind of capable but tormented antiheroes generally played by men and while various love interests hover at the margins the womens convulsive relationship is the real love story of this show ms appleby said
its a female breaking bad set on a reality tv show ms shapiro said
the first season of unreal drew modest ratings bringing in an average of 13 million viewers per episode when dvr viewing is factored in according to nielsen the actual bachelor draws 95 million viewers but the show has been a game changer show for us said rob sharenow executive vice president for programming and strategy at lifetime its acclaim and narrative boldness helping to both redefine the channel and reach a younger wealthier audience ms zimmers unique combination of smart funny sexy is a key component of the shows appeal he said theres something classic about her like a katharine hepburn
initially however she wanted nothing to do with the show ms zimmer was the first choice to play quinn because she can be fiery but also vulnerable without melodrama ms shapiro said but she turned down the role multiple times wary both of playing yet another no nonsense career woman and of starring on a lifetime show ive said this to lifetime so they wont be upset if i say it again she said the producers hired a different actress but were unsatisfied with the initial pilot so they went back to the drawing board and renewed their pursuit of ms zimmer
cornered at her daughters school by nina lederman at the time a lifetime executive whose child also attended it ms zimmer agreed to meet the producers and was eventually won over by the shows darkness and desperation as well as the feminist themes quinns slovenly entitled boss and sometime lover chet played by craig bierko is a sloppy sweatpants wearing embodiment of gender double standards among tv honchos if quinn was a man shed be chet ms shapiro said but shes not so shes having to march around set in louis vuitton dresses and heels indignant about the fact that those women get the short end of the stick
ms zimmer was also drawn to the complexities of a character whose brashness masks a deep sorrow over what she has sacrificed for her professional success if you put her in a room alone with a drink theres going to be tears she said but all of the seriess angst and outrageousness aside she added i would just hope it shows strong women that its ok to be strong
tart and sardonic as quinn the actress in conversation is more prone to smiles that seem to swallow her entire face and her distinctive raspy voice softens perhaps because of her reputation for sharp edged characters colleagues are quick to stress ms zimmers warmth ms shapiro called her the den mother of the unreal set ms zimmer recalled that after being hired to play a hard charging journalist on house of cards she asked the director and executive producer david fincher why she always gets cast as these bitchy women he replied that its because im not one in real life she said so then i started thinking ok ill take it as a compliment
ms zimmer was born in seattle to german immigrant parents and still speaks fluent german but her family moved often and she grew up mostly in southern california feeling misunderstood and out of place an edgy inner goth disguised as this weird bleached permed newport beach girl she discovered acting in high school moving on to study at the american academy of dramatic arts in pasadena plays in los angeles gave way to commercials and bit parts in sitcoms like ellen and seinfeld she played a waitress in the shows famous coffee shop
in 2002 she got her first role as a series regular as a sarcastic assistant on the sitcom good morning miami the show lasted less than two seasons but soon after she joined the hollywood lad fantasy entourage in perhaps still her most well known role as the film executive dana gordon her main job was to clash affectionately with jeremy pivens ari gold the character solidified her smart sexy tough type leading to roles as a lawyer boston legal a withering political operative the newsroom and a shady bureaucrat agents of shield
the string of supporting parts established her as a fan favorite even if she often didnt stick around for long her appeal stems from an ability to be very stern but still slay the comedy mr piven said shes kind of a rare bird
asked why she thinks it took so long to get a starring role ms zimmer took a sip of water and shrugged i dont know why does it take women so long to get what they deserve in general she said
but she couldnt have played someone like quinn earlier in her career she said ms zimmer credits marriage and motherhood   her husband russ lamoureux is a director and they have an 8 year old daughter   with giving her the security perspective and confidence to dive into the darkness without being afraid that i wouldnt be able to come back out of it
shes a woman who is flawed and has struggles and is insecure but is at the same time confident and independent and its incredible that this is what i get to play at this time in my life she said theres so much more about her that we have yet to learn


click on the slide show to see this weeks featured properties in the new york region
 in ardsley ny a four bedroom two bath carriage house on 054 acre built in the 1880s and expanded in 1959 original details include wood ceiling beams and a stone fireplace recent renovations include a new roof siding and windows outdoor space includes a stone patio and a wood deck
 in north stamford conn a three bedroom two and a half bath contemporary with a solarium a hot tub an in ground pool a guest cottage and a three car attached garage on 376 acres


the hendrik a new condominium under construction in boerum hill brooklyn aims to blend the space and character of the neighborhoods coveted townhouses with the amenities of a new residential tower
the townhouse market is restrictive   theyre expensive and there are not a lot of them said jeffrey gershon a principal of hopestreet the developer of the six story building for families who are outgrowing their current apartments and want to be in boerum hill he added the hendrik is envisioned as somewhere to live when theyre shut out of the townhouse market
as such none of the buildings 33 units will be studios or one bedrooms and all apartments will have relatively large footprints sales began on may 31 with two bedrooms starting at 1625 million and ranging from about 1200 square feet to 1500 square feet three bedrooms start at 25 million and range from about 1600 square feet to more than 2000 square feet four bedrooms starting at 29 million range from about 1850 square feet to more than 2500 square feet all will have 10 foot high ceilings and eight foot tall doors and windows
with barclays center to the east and a proliferation of new stores and restaurants boerum hill is increasingly attractive to buyers but slightly underdeveloped on the residential side said stephen g kliegerman the president of halstead property development marketing which is marketing the building it has opportunities for development because there are underutilized parcels of land
indeed the hendrik replaces a former one story walgreens which the developers purchased for about 32 million including buying out the drugstores lease in december 2014 the new building designed by the architecture firm beyer blinder belle with a residential entrance at 509 pacific street has frontage on pacific street atlantic avenue and a full block of third avenue in addition to apartments it will offer 26000 square feet of retail space on the ground floor and below grade
just like its new condominium neighbor one block west at 465 pacific street a 30 unit building that recently sold out the hendrik will have a mostly brick exterior a decision inspired by nearby townhouses
but the brick became more than just brick said carlos j cardoso a partner of beyer blinder belle we were adamant about creating a well built well crafted building
to ensure they acquired building materials with the appearance of age mr gershon and mr cardoso traveled to denmark to select bricks from petersen a company that has been making them since 1791 its a handmade brick and the colors are astounding mr cardoso said adding that he and mr gershon settled on gray with hints of green and black
its not going to feel like a new building he said its going to feel like its been there forever and age really gracefully
inside units will have wide plank oak floors walnut cabinetry and white calacatta marble in the kitchens and bathrooms miele appliances integrated led lighting and wiring for smart home systems and motorized window shades
but even more appealing for some buyers might be the family friendly touches there are large walk in closets when you enter so you can drop the stroller mr cardoso said many units will also have utility rooms with laundry machines and 19 of the apartments will come with private outdoor spaces most being terraces with gas water and electrical connections
building amenities include bicycle storage on the ground floor a shared rooftop terrace and a central courtyard with a viewing garden along with a fitness center a residents lounge a dog washing station and a childrens playroom on the cellar level
foundation work is underway and hopestreet expects to begin delivering units in late 2017
i know from living and owning in the area that the real demand is from families said mr gershon who lives in nearby cobble hill for those who can afford it he said the developers hope to offer the ability for families to really live rather than being crammed into a glorified rental


is your retirement plan set up to benefit you or your employer
such a question may seem out of place after all the employee retirement income security act of 1974 known as erisa requires overseers of 401k plans and other benefit programs to ensure they are run safely soundly and in participants best interests
but class action lawsuits against retirement plan sponsors in recent years have generated significant payouts and legal experts say some employers are responding by modifying the terms of their plans the goal to help shield them from litigation
changes that companies have made to their programs include reducing the amount of time a participant has to bring a legal action and requiring that such an action be brought in a court that is convenient to the plan sponsor but not necessarily to a beneficiary this is known as forum selection
such requirements do more than make it harder for beneficiaries to receive the benefits they are owed said norman stein a law professor at drexel university and a senior policy adviser at the pension rights center a nonprofit consumer organization in washington they also prevent participants from holding plan overseers accountable
its been a slowly growing problem from the perspective of participants mr stein said in an interview if you have a plan and you want to do everything you can to immunize yourself against suits you can take these measures
such immunization is possible because of how erisa was written and how courts interpret it mr stein explained
on most of the work done by entities overseeing retirement or health benefit plans the law imposes a fiduciary duty requiring them to put participants interests first
but some plan sponsor activities   creating and designing a plan for example or deciding to terminate one   are not governed by a fiduciary standard these are known as settlor functions
plan sponsors therefore wear two hats one as a settlor another as a fiduciary and when a sponsor changes a plans terms   a settlor function   it may not be required to put its beneficiaries interests first
in legal circles this is known as the settlorfiduciary doctrine and federal courts have ruled in favor of plan sponsors who have changed the terms of their programs in ways that some lawyers say are inconsistent with the fiduciary standard
benefit plans offered to employees of kodak are an example in its materials kodak outlines numerous procedures a participant must follow to bring a legal action against the plan these include a requirement that all suits be filed in federal court near kodaks headquarters in rochester unless the plan administrator agrees to a different forum
lawsuits must also be filed within 90 days of a claims being denied and if litigants lose a case they must pay all the kodak plans fees and expenses incurred defending against the suit
asked about these restrictions louise kehoe a kodak spokeswoman provided the following statement by giving employees a streamlined administrative process and directing any matters that cannot be resolved internally to the federal district court in rochester kodak promotes consistent affordable handling of any issues that arise likewise in keeping with a widespread practice recently affirmed by the supreme court kodak has established and publicized clear deadlines for claimants with questions or concerns to take action to ensure that matters can be resolved while records are available and memories are fresh
law firms have also begun advising plan sponsors on how to protect themselves against lawsuits involving their benefit programs
when designing erisa plans limiting liability is an important priority stated a march 2015 report from the law firm proskauer rose to its clients fortunately plan sponsors have certain tools at their disposal that can potentially reduce the risk of being sued or being liable if a suit is brought
among the tools described in the article are those employed by kodak including shortening the time a participant has to bring a suit and specifying the forum in which legal action can be brought
officials at the labor department whose employee benefits security administration unit enforces benefit plan rules say they are concerned about companies erecting barriers that make it harder for participants to receive what they are due they call it a growing problem that hurts participants with limited financial resources among them people who are already retired on disability or in ill health
health and retirement benefits are critically important to workers physical and financial well being said phyllis c borzi assistant secretary of labor in a statement when participants believe they have been wrongly denied benefits they should have ready access to impartial judicial review the best way to defend benefit decisions is to make sound decisions not to stack the deck against employees day in court
forum selection clauses like the one in the kodak plan are among the labor departments concerns in friend of the court briefs the department has argued that these clauses are inconsistent with erisas goal of removing obstacles for plan participants seeking their full benefits the arguments have not always been successful however
a further appeal of these litigation protection measures is that companies face little downside when they add hurdles to their plans participants who must pay to bring legal challenges have much more to lose
jerome j schlichter a partner at schlichter bogard  denton in st louis has scored numerous victories for beneficiaries in recent suits against retirement plan sponsors most of his cases involved breaches of fiduciary duties such as offering only high fee investment options in a plan
in some of these suits plan sponsors have argued that because such investment options were written into plan documents   a settlor function   they had no liability for choices that were not in the best interests of beneficiaries
mr schlichter has prevailed against these arguments but the legal process is onerous for plan participants
i believe that these attempts to convert fiduciary conduct to settlor functions and obtain immunity from fiduciary breaches will be unsuccessful in courts mr schlichter said in an interview but if companies do this it creates more burdens on participants and more challenges for them to go about enforcing the law
mr stein of the pension rights center agreed and he noted another risk to plan participants a race to the bottom in benefit programs
there may be a relapse toward less than stellar behavior mr stein said if employers think their plans are immunized against suits


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in the new york times book review kristin hannah reviews before the fall the fifth novel by noah hawley the producer writer and showrunner of the fx television show fargo the novel examines 11 characters aboard a private jet that will end up crashing into the ocean hannah writes
on this weeks podcast hawley talks about before the fall andrew solomon discusses far and away marjorie ingall on the seasons new ya novels and parul sehgal and gregory cowles talk about what people are reading pamela paul is the host
archive inside the new york times book review podcast


ask real estate is a weekly column that answers questions from across the new york region submit yours to realestateqanytimescom
pot smoking teenager
i plan to sell my apartment in a small condominium my neighbors teenage son smokes copious amounts of marijuana with his friends presumably when his parents arent home the scent is overwhelming and likely a big turnoff to prospective buyers i cannot risk this happening when i am showing the apartment to a prospective buyer or holding an open house i dont want to rat the boy out   and the building is not smoke free   but a major financial deal is at stake what would you suggest
tribeca manhattan
even if you drench your apartment in air fresheners and make the teenager promise to abstain during the open house whoever ultimately buys your apartment will certainly notice a cloud of pot smoke after moving in and if it bothers the buyer he or she might blame you for hiding the teenagers habit
its an ethical issue and it could turn into a legal issue said steven d sladkus a manhattan real estate lawyer someone could say that you intentionally hid something or misled them
buyers lawyers frequently ask sellers to disclose any nuisances if you remain silent on this issue a disgruntled buyer could argue that you committed fraud in the contract by keeping mum about smoke and odors to protect yourself clear the air before you put the apartment on the market
rat the kid out mr sladkus said try to resolve the problem so it doesnt exist anymore
talk to the parents given pots distinctive scent they might not be surprised to learn about their sons activities nevertheless parents can be sensitive and defensive when it comes to their children   and they may not object to his choice of entertainment even though recreational use of marijuana is still illegal in new york it has however been somewhat decriminalized
the seller should call that parent and have an i need your help conversation said kathy braddock a managing director at william raveis new york city gently inform your neighbor that your listing agent has advised you to address any potential problems before the apartment goes on the market explain that you want to get the best possible price for your home which would benefit everyone in the building and the aroma of lingering pot smoke will probably not help you achieve that goal
you could also tell them that the odor bothers you and may bother whoever owns your apartment next
as ms braddock noted this is a real quality of life issue if the seller asks for help from the parent they will most likely get it

locked out
my mother moved out of her co op and into an assisted living facility her co op is held in a trust of which she my sister and i are trustees my mother is the guarantor in october i sent a letter to the co op board stating that my husband and two children were going to stay in the apartment for four days over christmas i didnt hear back until january when i received a letter from the managing agent denying us complete access to the apartment it stated that if we attempted entry we would be in default of the proprietary lease is the board permitted to do this who will maintain the apartment if not us
upper east side manhattan
i can understand why you might want to stay at your mothers apartment for a few days even if she no longer lives in it you are family but co op boards can be very strict about enforcing occupancy rules and the trust not you owns the apartment as far as the board is concerned you are not a shareholder but merely the guarantors daughter said slava hazin a manhattan real estate lawyer
paul r gottsegen the president of the halstead management company added that boards dont want shareholders determining who their neighbors are
a standard proprietary lease restricts how long guests can stay and usually requires a permitted adult to be present in this case that adult would be your mother who in all likelihood cannot chaperone because she lives elsewhere boards may make an exception to such rules but they are not required to do so mr hazin said
hire a lawyer to review the proprietary lease and any agreement between the co op and the trust to determine your rights and ensure the board has not overstepped its bounds if you find that you and your family have no legal right to stay try to reason with management anyway explain that you need to clean and maintain the apartment presumably the board would like to see the property cared for too
with a little heartfelt pleading the board might soften its draconian stance if it holds firm you could potentially sue for access but thats an expensive lengthy and unpredictable process

missing lockbox
my in laws who live in an assisted living facility signed an exclusive agreement with a broker to sell their co op apartment last week the broker called us asking if we had removed the lockbox which contained a key so other brokers could show the apartment when we went to the apartment the box was indeed missing from the door now were not sure what to do
beechhurst queens
you need to start by figuring out what happened to that box a call to the super or managing agent could shed light on the issue if the building has a policy prohibiting such boxes someone on the staff might have removed it
if the mystery of the vanishing box is not resolved with a phone call then you need to secure the property   and fast
the locks to the apartment should be changed immediately said aaron shmulewitz a manhattan real estate lawyer
once the property is safe you or your in laws should have a frank discussion with the broker my first question to the agent would be why were you using a lockbox in the first place  said robert whalen an associate broker at halstead property
brokers sometimes use these boxes to provide access to an apartment when they cannot be present but that is obviously not a good system for this apartment since no one is living in the apartment to monitor the condition of the box a lockbox might be ok if the agent has a scheduling conflict mr whalen said but it should not be the normal practice
you and your in laws need to know how the broker plans to proceed your parents in law should feel confident that the broker will give their property the attention it deserves and protect it while it is in his care


on route 66 in new mexico   bob pack forgot to bring his james taylor cds still he and his brother and sister were having a blast rolling among the sandstone mesas ghost towns and kitschy tourist attractions
they reminisced about family trips as children back in the 1950s mr pack and his sister joann said and not even their brothers annoying habits of chewing tobacco and telling dirty jokes could ruin the drive i wanted to see west texas one more time he said over breakfast at the route 66 casino hotel
over in arizona kay mcnellen a 23 year old actress from san diego said she took to the highway almost every weekend these days just to see how far she could drive she has motored across the mojave desert admired sequoia national forest and instagrammed the grand canyon this is a better view than netflix will give you she said
the great american road trip is back
its partly that gasoline this driving season is cheaper than it has been in 11 years according to the aaa motor club and that the reviving economy is making people more willing to part with their money but there is more than that at play here this may be a cultural shift as americans experiment with the notion that maybe money can in fact buy happiness at least in the form of adventures and memories
it is a change that appears to have taken root in the years since the 2008 financial crisis postrecession people are focused on memories that cannot be taken away from them as opposed to tangible goods that expire and wear out said sarah quinlan a marketing executive at mastercard advisors theres a sense that you can take away my job you can take away my home but you cant take away my memory
whatever their motivation americans last year drove a record 315 trillion miles according to the department of transportation beating the previous mark set in 2007 so far this year both travel and gasoline consumption are up again
the desire to get behind the wheel still comes as something of a surprise the conventional wisdom was that driving mileage had probably peaked in 2007 the demographic bulge represented by the baby boomers is aging out of the driving years people typically drive less as they hit retirement
at the same time millennials were not sharing the passion for the open road that previous generations of young adults had many in fact preferred to live in the nations downtowns eschewing personal cars in favor of shared ubers or walking to their work and play
but it turns out that both generations are driving more than anyone expected a lot of millennial behavior was really deferred assimilation said steven e polzin a transportation researcher at the university of south florida in other words just like mom and dad they were destined for a more traditional lifestyle   the marriage the home the garage   they just took a little longer to get there
one such millennial is jenna bivone a 29 year old website and app designer who two years ago left downtown atlanta to live on the outskirts of the city with her boyfriend we used to walk everywhere but the rents were too high and we wanted some land for my dog she said in a more suburban area we found good schools stuff like that for future plans
now she has a daily commute of at least a half hour each way and on weekends she and her boyfriend drive around georgia and neighboring states looking for the best hiking over the last three years they have taken road trips in wyoming and colorado to hike in the national parks
when we travel we want to go to places we might never see again she said were not going to be young forever
michael mcnulty a 67 year old biotech executive from san francisco might not agree with the last part of her statement last year he bought a used ford airstream b 190 motor home on craigslist for 13000 as an experiment he and his wife are enjoying the road trips he said and they are gradually extending their radius
the kids colleges are paid for and they are out of the house he said we have been all over the world and now we are seeing the usa
mr mcnulty did all the driving to the grand canyon for an extended weekend in april and he prepared to drive all the way back home 14 hours in one day the reason was simple he said were going to go for it on tuesday he said smiling because i have to get back to work on wednesday
the phenomenon is being further amplified by of all things a desire in some families for cross generational adventures that harks back to a halcyon age of bundling everyone into the station wagon counting license tags from faraway states and mediating back seat fights over who started the fight baby boomers it seems want to bond with their grandchildren on the road rental car companies are reporting increased demand for bigger vehicles to accommodate the generations
along route 66 recently near the parking lot of petrified forest national park in arizona rita bandy a 62 year old widow from philadelphia tenn described having just such an experience driving cross country with her 11 year old grandson last summer he and i together it was just so wonderful she said i never saw him so happy laughing and joking with me
ms bandy pointed out that she had plenty of toys at home   a pool a motorcycle i have everything she said all i want now is memories with my grandchildren and to let them see that i was fun and not just old
last years trip with her grandson was so great that her older sister vicky said she was jealous and wanted to do the same thing so this spring   along with their third sister gail and two husbands all retired   they piled into a toyota van to take the classic american road trip route 66 after visiting branson mo and a cowboy museum in oklahoma city they stopped at the petrified forest on their way to california
i always wanted to see the pacific ocean   and now were doing it ms bandy said just before entering the national park
few perhaps carry a sense of wanderlust as far as anne utech a 36 year old federal employee who found herself along route 66 one recent friday after visiting the giant meteor crater in northern arizona a year ago she gave up her houston apartment to go on the road full time in her pearl white nissan altima which she has named pearl a copy of the ralph waldo emerson essay self reliance sat on the passenger seat
i do my best thinking while driving said ms utech who works from her laptop and stays with friends or at hotels or takes short term rentals along the way most of all she says i like to get lost and pearl is my best friend
all of this has been good news for the hotels restaurants theme parks and other destinations that depend on travelers rolling up on four wheels attendance at national parks last year reached 300 million for the first time the 55 million who visited the grand canyon in 2015 for example was a 16 percent increase from the year before and park officials project a similar increase this year on one recent weekend during spring break the car line at the south entrance was two and a half miles long a wait that local rangers said was extremely rare
theme parks are also reporting strong business with attendance up by about 25 percent in 2015 according to initial estimates industry experts project a 29 percent increase this year over last
over the long memorial day weekend the aaa estimated that 34 million americans took road trips of 50 miles or more a 21 percent increase over last year and the highest number since 2005 branson mo the country music mecca is investing 300 million in renovations and new attractions for the summer including new indoor and outdoor adventure parks and a new imax movie theater
nbc universal just opened the wizarding world of harry potter attraction at its hollywood theme park which was estimated to cost 500 million and it is just one of several recent expansions of tourist destinations in california   including disneyland in anaheim and legoland california in carlsbad buc ees a convenience store chain just got approval from katy tex to build a gas station the size of a football field with 100 pumps along interstate 10
and then there is that ultimate symbol of the road trip the recreational vehicle wholesale shipments last year reached the highest level since 2006 and appeared to be making further gains this year here in new mexico an rv resort is being built beside the route 66 casino hotel outside albuquerque complete with 100 full service parking sites as well as two fenced in dog parks
part of the driving phenomenon can be explained by the improving job market and more commuting but far from all of it public transit use was down slightly last year from 2014 while every driver averaged 26 percent more miles on the road rural and highway travel was particularly up and early indications point to an acceleration of the trends this year
changes like these come at an inopportune moment given the commitment by the united states to make steep reductions in carbon emissions after the paris climate accord last year the fact remains that coming to terms with climate change experts say means people must burn less petroleum in the future with americans driving more miles at lower cost   and in bigger suvs recreational vehicles and trucks   that goal is going to be harder to reach at least in the short term
according to dan sperling director of the institute of transportation studies at the university of california davis most of the increased driving can be accounted for by the steep decline in prices at the pump gasoline prices have fallen more than 50 percent in the last two years he said saving the average household with two cars as much as 1000 a year
new models of cars and light trucks which under federal rules must nearly double their fuel efficiency by 2025 to 545 miles per gallon will more than offset the behavioral increase of more driving he said in 10 years vehicles will be consuming half as much fuel as they do today
fuel prices certainly figured in frank claeyss decision to take a 10 day road trip with his wife and two sons during their spring break they were originally just planning to drive to utah for some backpacking but with a gallon of gas cheaper than some candy bars these days they decided to stretch the journey all the way to the texas panhandle
we were less tight said mr claeys a 40 year old police officer from gaylord mich as his children bought ice cream and shopped for polished stones at a roadside trading post in new mexico at 2 a gallon i dont cringe at the pump
aaron conley the 35 year old owner of a cincinnati lawn landscape company has been taking long road trips with his girlfriend michelle mercer a bartender from burlington ky this year they drove to new orleans for mardi gras then took a swing around the gulf coast to port arthur tex lake charles and baton rouge la and finally the florida panhandle
on a recent trip they flew to las vegas and then drove to the hoover dam the grand canyon sedona ariz and finally death valley calif when gas was 4 a gallon we didnt travel at all he said recalling the early years of the couples six year relationship
and   in one sign of how quickly things could change again   they almost didnt make it to the grand canyon this spring the reason they discovered that prices were not quite as low as they thought when we saw gas was 225 a gallon here that was at the tipping point he said of the difference between prices in northern arizona and the 170 he had been seeing back home
ms mercer was quick to agree id rather not spend a lot of money on gas she said


short of couch surfing in an artists home the new green rooms hotel in london may be the citys most affordable stay amid a creative community the nonprofit concept is meant to attract artists musicians and actors visiting and working in london the hotel also has partnerships with local cultural institutions including somerset house and the royal court theater to house their visiting artists but the developers say some rooms which include 22 doubles two studio apartments and two dormitory rooms one that sleeps 12 and the other 16 will always be available to the public lodged in a 1935 vintage power company building green rooms is in north london across from the wood green underground station about a 20 minute ride from the west end rates start at PS18 about 26 a night
elaine glusac
travelers to yosemite national park in california have new accommodations to consider booking with the june 15 opening of rush creek lodge which claims to be the first resort to open in the yosemite region in more than 25 years situated a half mile outside the park on 20 wooded acres the property has 143 rooms ranging from 400 to 625 square feet all have sitting areas and spacious decks most with sunset views other amenities include a large salt water pool two hot tubs one for families and another for adults a childrens zip line a farm to table restaurant with a wood fired oven and a main lodge with a fireplace game room and an indoor tree house in addition to its proximity to the park the resort has a team of recreation specialists who can arrange for activities within yosemite like guided and self guided hikes bike rides excursions to swimming holes and fly fishing trips to the tuolumne meadows area prices from 215 a night for two people
shivani vora


john maynard keynes the great british economist prophesied that by 2030 people in wealthy nations would work no more than 15 hours a week it isnt turning out that way
the average workweek for full time american workers isnt anywhere close to keyness predictions current estimates are 34 to 47 hours depending on what exactly is being measured and how part time labor is treated
the trend isnt moving in the keynes direction either the workweek hasnt been falling much since world war ii if at all to the extent that leisure time has gone up it is mostly because household chores are done more efficiently and because some people have lost their jobs
keynes probably underestimated how much safer and more pleasurable many jobs have become but he made another perhaps even greater miscalculation he failed to foresee a significant shift that underlies these statistics women are working far more than they once did and probably more than they would choose to do if they were able to balance their work and family lives freely
the great recession had a major effect on the labor supply numbers but over the long haul we can discern some patterns among gender and age groups note first that if keynes had been talking just about older people he would have been closer to the mark because older people do work much less than they did decades ago certainly they work much less than younger people according to one estimate men over the age of 65 spend almost 43 percent more time on recreation than do men of prime working age over all older men spend far more time than younger ones on reading watching television and taking cruises among other fun activities fewer than 20 percent of men over 65 are in the work force today we tend to take this for granted but its a radical contrast with 1880 when that figure was about 75 percent
in short most older people already enjoy a much better deal than keynes had predicted for the entire work force the 1930 keynes essay economic possibilities for our grandchildren didnt even mention retirement perhaps because he was accustomed to a world in which so many people worked until they died or were seriously disabled
teenagers are also ahead of keyness workplace predictions several decades ago about 55 percent of teenagers had jobs but lately only about 35 percent do in addition service sector jobs have been replacing jobs involving manual labor while enormous disparities exist among teenagers of different races and income groups over all life has gotten easier for them
a crucially important cohort is working less too though not as little as keynes expected in 2014 about 12 percent of american men ages 25 to 54 neither had jobs nor were looking for work compared with about 8 percent in 1994 with a healthier job market more of those men would probably be working
if people in all of these groups are working less then someone must be working more the answer overwhelmingly is women who have taken on an atlaslike role in supporting american economic growth
there are reasons to believe that at least some of the growth in female work hours has been an unfair burden it is well known for instance that men do not come anywhere close to fully sharing in the household chores or child rearing when their partners are working and that often means more stress for women furthermore the best available evidence from betsey stevenson and justin wolfers both professors of public policy at the university of michigan mr wolfers is also a regular contributor to this column suggest that overall female happiness in america has been declining while age adjusted death rates for middle aged white women   though not for white men   have been increasing those troubling trends are perhaps another sign that the distribution of stress has been uneven
women of course were barred from many jobs in the past with many workplace barriers falling unequal bargaining power within families remains a problem for some women who end up with a work leisure balance that is not what they would ideally choose
on the other hand many women do receive significant recompense in leisure time eventually   once they become older because women on average live longer than men they are likely to have more years in retirement yet it is a strange society that disproportionately bunches much work and stress for so many women in the middle of their lives and rewards them only much later with leisure it is a kind of feast or famine for work leisure and earnings
most economic models dont account for these patterns and instead assume that people engage in what is called smoothing behavior in which leisure and work is evenly distributed across the years yet americans as a whole are not experiencing that kind of moderation
in short we hear plenty of talk about income inequality these days but issues surrounding the inequality of work itself may be no less important


the former wife of the russian oil and real estate magnate shalva chigirinsky bought a sprawling luxury apartment in a new condominium conversion on the upper east side and at 17310250 it was the most expensive closed sale of the week according to city records
tatiana panchenkova paid just below the 175 million asking price for the sponsor unit no 5a at 33 east 74th street at madison avenue a development created from 19th century brownstones once owned by the whitney museum of american art the monthly carrying costs total 11463
yana markovski of domus realty represented ms panchenkova while katherine gauthier of douglas elliman real estate was the listing broker
the apartment has nearly 4000 square feet that includes four bedrooms three and a half baths and an 18 by 30 foot living and dining area that flows into an eat in kitchen with a 12 foot center island there is also a laundry room and ample storage space
the spacious master suite features a private gallery with two large walk in closets
the condominium complex was developed by the health care entrepreneur daniel e straus using an affiliate company jzs madison llc and was designed by the architecture firm beyer blinder belle interiors are by champalimaud design
ms panchenkova who also has a home in greenwich conn has been divorced from mr chigirinsky since 2009 she and her former husband have been mired in a bitter dispute over custody of children and division of marital assets according to published reports
the weeks runner up sale at 8960600 according to records was another four bedroom three and a half bath apartment   this one at river  warren a new battery park city condominium at 212 warren street
jorge mesquita the worldwide chairman of johnson  johnson consumer companies purchased the 2853 square foot unit phn with susana lobo the monthly carrying charges are 8822
the sponsor apartment has panoramic hudson river and cityscape views according to a listing and a 1871 square foot roof deck with a full kitchen there is also a laundry room the corcoran sunshine marketing group handles sales for the building while brooke joslyn of stribling  associates represented the buyer
big ticket includes closed sales from the previous week ending wednesday


in cunningham park at the eastern end of queens the big apple circus is currently riding out the second half of its 38th season ninety percent of those who attend the circus come from not very far away   for years it has been one place where new yorkers can reliably avoid tourists but invariably like so much else in the city that is appreciated by the people who live here the circus is endangered its finances depleted to the point that the current production may be the last ever staged
on a recent morning paul binder a storyteller of the old school pushed a piece of paper across the table in a bland conference room of a downtown brooklyn office building the paper was an advertisement created by a friend with a picture of a bagel outlining the problems currently confronting the institution in 1981 the year that the big apple circus which mr binder founded with michael christensen began to pitch its tent behind lincoln center the price of a bagel at zabars was 35 cents now that same bagel was 166 the ad explained and so by the logic of bagel math the average price of a ticket to the circus might have risen accordingly from 25 in the early 1980s to 118 today instead it was 65 this was because the big apple circus conceived when the two men were itinerant jugglers who drove cabs and picked grapes was born of something almost antithetical to material interest a raw creative anarchy coupled with a desire to provide children whether they were from park avenue or the south bronx a shared sense of cultural experience
most people dont realize that we are a nonprofit and this is a big problem will maitland weiss the executive director of the circus lamented a few days earlier in the same offices the organizations headquarters contributions provide among other services the funds for poor and disabled children to see the circus free the tax status of the big apple circus would be obvious to anyone who visited and took note of a television set hanging up in a corner seemingly from the era of knots landing to which a vhs recorder remains attached
the ad mr binder held in his hands was theoretical a plea to the public for money   we need 2 million or were toast it read   but one his organization could in no way afford to publicize in the subways or on the sides of buses the earned revenue for the circus has been declining since the financial crisis down to 14 million last year from a peak of 19 million during the 2007 8 season much of the drop is a function not of diminishing ticket sales but rather of a falloff in the number of private performances typically bought by banks for the benefit of employees clients and their families during the circuss annual holiday season at lincoln center that stream of income amounted to about 2 million a year but after 2008 it fell by roughly half from 2009 to 2015 concession sales also declined at roughly the same rate
for the banks getting tarp money mr binder said referring to the troubled asset relief program to bail out wall street the optics of spending lots of money on the circus were bad when financial institutions rebounded however the money did not come back illuminating the extent to which philanthropy in new york is dependent upon the migrating tastes of a single industry over the past several years a core group of committed board members have stepped in to keep the circus going but as mr binder put it they are getting tired large one time donations have come in but the funds were used quickly this year contributions are expected to decline by more than a third an institution in this position is then left as one board member said either to hope that a hedge fund manager gets excited or to disappear this is the template set to a certain extent by the new york city opera which declared bankruptcy three years ago only to be revived when roy g niederhoffer came in with a wish to save it
cultivating a new generation of donors in a fund raising culture obsessed with metrics has been challenging for the circus which is already hampered by the fact that it doesnt easily fit into any traditional giving category it delivers a popular art and it is neither a hospital nor yale
the impact of laughter is obviously a difficult thing to quantify mr weiss said
from its inception though the big apple circus held to the principle that community service would constitute a considerable part of its enterprise one program takes circus arts to after school groups in poor neighborhoods to help children build agility and teamwork skills the vaudeville caravan developed 15 years ago brings a kind of interactive comic theater to nursing homes to help older people combat loneliness and isolation there are special performances catering to children who are deaf are visually impaired or have autism the circuss best known exercise in community outreach is clown care a program designed to place clowns in pediatric facilities and hospitals to visit children who have cancer aids or other illnesses
clown care was the initiative of mr christensen who has the presence of a life lived intensely   a face that looks as if a bus map had been imprinted on it in the mid 1980s after losing a brother to pancreatic cancer he felt a religious calling he explained one common to those who had exhausted themselves of the previous decades destructive gratifications the notion of hospital clowning grew out of a need to serve humanity more deeply he told me similar programs inspired by mr christensens have since come into being around the world in 2006 haifa university in israel began offering a degree in medical clowning through its drama school
the history of the big apple circus is tied so intimately to the social imperatives of the late 1960s and the 70s freedoms that allowed people in their 20s to reject conventional ambitions and forsake direction that it is virtually impossible to imagine anything like it being recreated today mr binder arrived in san francisco in the late 1960s with degrees from dartmouth and the columbia business school that he had no intention of using he had been working in television first for julia childs cooking show and then for merv griffin when he auditioned for a politically themed mime troupe mr christensen who had studied acting at the university of washington was conducting the auditions the men became friends and took up juggling together
later they appeared in a play the dragon ladys revenge a satire about united states intervention in southeast asia which landed off broadway and won an obie award when it closed they drove from new york back to san francisco doing a road act along the way people would put money in their hats i realized that juggling on the street was a ticket to go anywhere in the world mr christensen said so he and mr binder did what would have qualified as obvious in the 1970s and drove across europe from london to istanbul in a 1957 morris minor juggling in piazzas and parks to make money
they slept in tents or with friends or friends of friends they met the high wire artist philippe petit who one evening in a paris apartment showed them a model that he had made of the world trade center and said that the next time they heard his name he would be rich and famous or dead mr binder and mr christensen remained unwashed for long periods one friend a composer led them to a free room at la colombe dor in the south of france where they drank with the actress simone signoret and james baldwin mr baldwin later housed them in st paul de vence
the trip introduced mr binder and mr christensen to the european circus tradition one that privileged artistry over vulgarity they joined a french company when they returned to new york city they developed the big apple circus along similar lines it has always been an intimate one ring affair an alternative to the mayhem of the ringling bros barnum  bailey circus which is owned by feld entertainment whose chairman is the billionaire kenneth feld it was while performing for children in an impoverished neighborhood in naples italy one day mr christensen said that he was inspired to give the circus a missionary dimension
such is the place of the big apple circus in the citys cultural firmament that former mayor michael r bloomberg has served on its board when mr binder retired as ringmaster in 2008 his departure occasioned an editorial in the new york times when the character of grandma the clown a beloved attraction at the circus for 25 years was retired in 2011 npr interviewed barry lubin who embodied her
in the coming days the big apple circus will embark on an online crowdfunding campaign in an effort to raise the funds necessary to stage its 39th season on the upper west side in december leasing the space in damrosch park behind lincoln center costs 500000 it takes approximately another 115 million to produce the circus each year if it dissolves mothers and fathers and children and grandparents will mourn it the circus will join a long list of institutions in new york that reverence alone could not sustain


a coffee table isnt just a place to put down your coffee or put up your feet its like the campfire of the home said francis dhaene the principal of dapostrophe design
thats why its important to find the right one its usually in the center of the room mr dhaene said so its one of the most noticeable pieces of furniture and people sit around it to have conversations
whether hes designing apartments in manhattan houses in the hamptons or boutiques for fashion designers like jill stuart and rick owens mr dhaene 50 favors clean lined spaces i dont like the word minimal but we want to be simple he said its modern and contemporary but with a warm feeling
that means including just enough sculptural furniture to make those spaces inviting   so every piece counts particularly the coffee table before you buy a new one he suggests asking yourself a few questions
 how does the height compare to that of the seats around it it should be at seating height or a little lower mr dhaene said
 should the table be square rectangular round or organic the choice depends on the shape of the room and type of seating he said a long skinny table often works well in a rectangular room while organic shapes pair nicely with curvaceous sofas and chairs
 what will you put on top you can do a coffee table very low to the ground if you know youre going to stack a lot of books on it he said in that case it can become more of a display space and conversation piece
eames elliptical table  899 at design within reach 800 944 2233 or dwrcom
designed in 1951 by charles and ray eames this surfboard of a table from herman miller which measures nearly seven and a half feet long gets a lot right i love its shape proportions low height and simplicity mr dhaene said the form is playful and welcoming not aggressive he added it would be a great piece for a long seating group

luna coffee table  from 6000 at john eric byers 607 564 0421 or johnericbyersblogspotcom
with a hand gouged surface of tiny craters this blackened maple table by john eric byers has a travertine disk at its center so its loaded with textural appeal he makes great pieces that are very simple in form mr dhaene said but reflect top level craftsmanship   all of which should help this table stand the test of time

nenuphar coffee table  about 16300 at galerie negropontes 011 33 1 71 18 1951 or negropontes galeriecom
at the moment its all about metals like bronze brass and gold in combination with dark woods and surfaces mr dhaene said this lacquer table designed by herve langlais with a polished brass insert and edge is a fine example he noted and just so chic

limestone table  6350 at espasso 212 219 0017 or espassocom
the fact that this table was designed in 1970 is pretty remarkable mr dhaene said because it could easily pass for something more recent conceived by the polish born brazil based architect jorge zalszupin with wood legs that come right through the limestone top he said its a beautiful combination of two natural materials i love

low table and lamp  5980 at matter 212 343 2600 or mattermatterscom
mr dhaene deemed this piece designed by muller van severen unusual and ingenious the thinking is out of the box how do you combine a light and a coffee table this well executed answer he said is both eye catching and surprisingly functional


what does james wan want i think hed love to do a romantic comedy said the actor patrick wilson hes deeply romantic   which might be hard to believe for people who dont know him or who have seen his movies and been scared out of their wits
in 2004 mr wans breakthrough saw made its debut at the sundance film festival ushering in the torture porn era and a franchise that has produced six sequels in 2011 he and his longtime writing partner leigh whannell shifted gears creating the subtly creepy insidious starting yet another franchise the fourth installment of which is to be released next year
mr wan also somehow found time to drift into someone elses series   the fast and the furious   directing the well reviewed furious 7 2015 now ranked sixth in history at the global box office
on june 10 the conjuring 2 materializes in theaters the second creepfest directed by mr wan inspired by the psychic investigators lorraine and ed warren the real life couple associated with the case behind the amityville horror will the series continue will ghouls keep jumping out of james wans closets
i kind of joke that creating franchises is a lot like directing pilot episodes of tv series mr wan said by skype from los angeles you set a look and feel and kind of pass it on
indeed mr wan 39 born in malaysia and raised in australia directed only the original saw he produced the rest he handed off the directorial reins on insidious to mr whannell after chapter 2 while he is set to direct the highly anticipated aquaman the only thing he would say about movie is that it was a work in progress others directed the conjuring spinoff annabelle and its sequel he will be a producer on mortal kombat
the conjuring universe he said is different i guess i wanted to make sure no one screwed it up he said or if anyone did it would be me
based on the notorious enfield haunting in britain in the late 70s the conjuring 2 concerns a single mother frances oconnor her four children and their modest north london home which becomes possessed by demons mr wilson and vera farmiga reprise their roles as the warrens in a film that has warner bros muscle behind it and as such advances mr wans goal restoring horror films to the status they enjoyed in the 70s and 80s
ask anyone he said and theyll tell you that most of the good horror films made in the us are indie films you might get the ring or the others but most are independently produced
with the conjuring 2 he said i really wanted to try and bring the kind of respect back to studio horror filmmaking   jaws the exorcist poltergeist the amityville horror these were big studio films real movies with real budgets for the record mr wan expressed no interest in romantic comedy
mr wilson who has done two insidious films and two conjuring movies appreciates the difference between making a 15 million film insidious and a 20 million film the conjuring
the difference of having three and half or four weeks and having eight or 10 is unbelievable he said to have the studios support and a budget 20 or 30 times more than the smaller budget films thats nice its not about the paycheck james wants all the toys and i say that in a respectful way its nice to see james leading that charge
for all the dread mr wan generates onscreen he seems to inspire loyalty through energy and mirth
i would work with james wan for eternity and into eternitys afterlife ms farmiga said via email bottom line he is a wizard virtuoso a master craftsman and it is fun she added that he is kind and funny and caring to boot and laughs at all my jokes i was extremely disappointed in him for not choosing me for dwayne johnsons role in f7
mr wans technical crew moves with him from project to project even furious 7 including his regular editor kirk m morri and significantly the sound designer joe dzuban and composer joseph bishara ive always said if i had to pinpoint whats more important in a scary movie the soundscape or the visuals id pick the sound mr wan said i reference movies like paranormal activity blair witch movies that dont have a lot of whiz bang visuals because they couldnt afford to shoot whiz bang visuals but its the sound design that creates tension and atmosphere
mr bishara said their process is as unconventional as the way mr wan shoots his films with their unnerving wide shots and disquieting angles how we arrive at something could be a response to a color or a shot or a description of a scene mr bishara said and it grows from there it seems james and i talk a lot more about ideas   on insidious for instance we talked a whole lot more about astral projection than we did music and sound
mr dzuban said the postproduction process brings out mr wans passion the director can work till 4 or 5 am he added we put in really long hours on this last one and we were working with classic mixers guys who worked on empire strikes back raiders of the lost ark these guys are pushing retirement and theyre getting tired its like midnight and james is just hitting his stride hes just waking up and he wants to push push push
mr wan is among the more prominent and powerful asians in hollywood filmmaking personally and among those i know he is valued and just by his own success said chris tashima a japanese american actor under the blood red sun he pushes the meter in terms of diversity
many found furious 7 and its enormous box office a solid argument against traditional hollywood attitudes about diversity in casting even if that casting was based on a model established by six previous movies mr wan said he was of two minds i want whoever is best for my movie which means it could be anyone he said if youre great i want to work with you
but growing up there were hardly any male asian actors in hollywood i could look up to other than bruce lee and how long ago was that its not cool its a little embarrassing so it will depend on my project - in conjuring 2 i had to stay true to the people in the story but now that im in a position of more power its something that im very mindful of


re trump
robert draper traveled with the trump campaign in the weeks before the indiana primary as both america and trump himself began to come to terms with the fact that he would most likely secure the gop nomination
many stories have already been written on trump i am baffled and deeply disappointed that the loud male dominates over the brilliant female in times coverage hillary clinton is the first woman who will likely be a nominee for president she has had a brilliant career to date is there nothing interesting to write about the first words column on the meaning of presidential briefly touched on how a female president might change that perception but it would have made for a much more interesting focus what about a piece on the women in hillarys life her childhood her college years how about a definitive review of all of the benghazi investigations that have revealed no wrongdoing on hillarys part an article on the unique qualities of women in powerful government roles would be a fascinating read audrey rabinowitz chappaqua ny
most of donalds quotes in this article can be summed up in two ideas
i winwon xyz
i have the best xyz
he sounds like a child desperate for attention being president is so much more complicated than that and the fact that people dont seem to realize it is astonishing managing a hotel and a golf course is not running a country he has no knowledge at all of the world or how government works
i wouldnt want a chef doing my surgery just because hes held a knife anymore than i would want donald trump running my country just because hes owned a business holly belli glen ridge nj
re cancer
for the health issue we considered the new anatomy of cancer in several articles
almost 30 years after my own cancer diagnosis and a lifetime as an advocate it mattered a lot to hear the new cancer leaders siddhartha mukherjee and jochen lorch talking about the moral consequences of personalized medicine the cancer issue so thoughtfully explored how both health care professionals and patients see this new frontier as a bold shift away from the one size fits all cancer care of the past to focusing on both the individual and the individuals dna
building public trust and confidence is key to being able to collect the molecular data that is the foundation of personalized medicine and to ensure that new health technologies are made available in a timely and equitable manner this is the future every cancer patient and every oncologist wants pat kelly asheville nc
i was riveted by the clear concise language in the cancer issue for many of us the word cancer itself generates fear and anguish i read the words non hodgkin lymphoma and immediately think of my father who 30 years ago this month underwent his last chemotherapy treatment a month before slowly walking me down the aisle at my wedding he passed away a year later i think of my husband diagnosed with the same type of cancer 12 years ago receiving treatment in manhattan i remember finding parking early in the morning and then driving him home in the dark after his long chemotherapy treatments hes well and ive now mastered the art of alternate side of the street parking
however within the brief precise descriptions of the various types of cancer and reading the excruciating yet hopeful stories of cancer victims and their families i felt a sense of calm and empowerment i realized that cancer itself doesnt always mean suffering and death it can also connote strength bravery and hope anne g barretta cresskill nj
when do you give up on treating a child with cancer is a remarkable story this beautiful article reinforces the notion that people with cancer forever live with uncertainty and hope should never be abandoned in my practice as a psychiatrist i witness many giving up hope prematurely based on demoralization from poor prognoses that are frequently defied in andrews case the decision to switch to palliative treatment was the most humane choice at the time continued advancement of science and the artful application of it can keep curative hopes alive for children like andrew jeffrey b freedman new york


when katie lee wants a break from experimenting with recipes for her cookbooks shes written three so far or her duties as co host of the food network show the kitchen she escapes to the beach for short breaks there are the beaches near her home in watermill ny and for longer getaways she heads to more far flung locations
given her love of the shore her latest gig as host of the cooking channel show beach bites where she visits popular beach destinations to explore the local cuisine is something of a dream she said i moved from one beautiful beach to another started off my days by swimming in the ocean and ate delicious food you could hardly call it work she said
ms lee spent a month on the road for the series and ate her way through seaside spots in the united states mexico and the caribbean
below are edited excerpts from a conversation with her
q how did you pick the destinations featured in beach bites
a we wanted a mix of exotic and accessible locations that would offer a diverse mix of culture and cuisine and have unique landscapes and picked places based on our research that met this criteria
which aspects of the local culture resonated with you the most in the spots you visited
even if there was a language barrier i connected with the family run restaurants there was a deep sense of tradition and love within those places much like the way i grew up in west virginia cooking with my grandma a restaurant that stands out was a small spot in punta de mita mexico called tacos y papas its run entirely by one family   the father and mother cook the daughter waits tables and a few aunts hand press tortillas the food was incredible
what are some of your favorites of the dishes you tried while filming
there are so many in san pancho mexico i made sopes thick corn tortillas with the chef at a restaurant called mexotik and he topped them with local octopus in a hibiscus glaze that was awesome i am still dreaming about the ice cream with guava paste cream cheese and crushed cuban cookies at azucar ice cream in miamis little havana theres also the coconut arepas in puerto rico grilled wild pink shrimp in key west fla and crispy crab hush puppies in st simons ga and in st barts i was blown away by a roadside portuguese barbecue joint with the greatest barbecue chicken i have ever eaten
is there a destination you were most surprised by
the sleeper hit was the golden isles of georgia st simons island and jekyll island both had vast and beautiful beaches the nicest locals that show you what true southern hospitality is about and of course fantastic food its a destination in our own backyard and yet still undiscovered
popular beach destinations tend to be littered with tourist trap restaurants where the food can be expensive and inauthentic what advice do you have for finding great places to eat
get away from the resorts and all inclusive buffets and talk to locals about where they like to eat taxi drivers always know the best spots so ask them for sure after i have a few recommendations i usually check out the places on instagram and look at pictures of their food and comments to get an idea of what i should order
how can you get a sense of culture at a beach destination
food is one of the best ways when i was filming in miami bobby flay joined me and took me to his favorite spot for a cuban sandwich tinta y cafe in little havana over cubanos guava pastries and cafe con leches we got to speak with the young owner about how he is updating traditional recipes and chatted with local businessmen and even a police officer i got a real feel of what day to day life is like there
you can tap into culture by exploring whats grown or produced in the region like going into the blue mountains in jamaica to visit a coffee plantation or a rum distillery in barbados
youve said that staying active is important to you when youre on the road how do you manage that on a getaway to the beach
surfing is a big way many beach locales offer surf lessons and you get a different perspective of the ocean when youre out on the water hiking is another staple for me most beach destinations have trails where you can enjoy the scenic surroundings


this interview with drew houston chief executive of dropbox the file sharing and storage service was conducted and condensed by adam bryant
q what were your early years like
a an early formative experience for me was toddling into the living room as a kid and seeing this glowing box with all these buttons we had a pc junior and my dad showed me how to write my first couple lines of code in basic and that began this odyssey of learning how computers work
initially it was about playing games and when i was about 11 i was pretty sure i was going to make computer games for a living part of my interest was also just discovering what makes these games tick i would get the source code of a game and then modify it to work how i wanted
thats how i got my first job actually i was a beta tester for this game and i was frustrated because the developers werent moving fast enough so i started poking around under the hood and i found all these security problems
i emailed the developers saying hey guys youve got all these problems and heres how you should fix them and they wrote back great do you want to work for us they said i could work remotely too so i said is it ok if my dad fills out the paperwork because im 14 they said we couldnt care less
and your college years
i studied computer science at mit i had some vague idea about wanting to start a company but my first management experience was being rush chairman for my fraternity and i learned a bunch of things you get a budget   it was 12000 back then   and then you have the challenge of motivating 35 unpaid volunteers
you deal with a lot of the same broad questions   who do we want to be as an organization what kind of culture do we want what kind of people are we looking for   that you do when youre starting a company
tell me about your parents
my dad is an engineer and my mom retired recently as the librarian of the high school i attended one of the challenges was that she always knew about a half hour before i did what all my test scores were so i could always walk by the library catch my moms eye and get a sense of whether it was going to be a good afternoon or a bad afternoon
and how have they influenced your leadership style
as you go up through the family tree theres a bit of an entrepreneurial streak on my mothers side and on my dads side its all engineers my dad is also very even keeled so i have a kind of calm and resilience which has been helpful because starting a company is a crazy ride the good news is that i wont really lose it over anything but the downside is that my leadership style is to not be the guy jumping on the table
what were some early leadership lessons after starting dropbox
the first thing is having a healthy paranoia for trying to find out what you dont know that you dont know the question i would ask myself   even in the beginning and i still do today   is six months from now 12 months from now five years from now what will i wish i had been doing today or learning today
reading has been essential i have always wondered why people put so much energy into trying to have coffee with some famous entrepreneur when reading a book is like getting many hours of their most crystallized thoughts
what have you done to build culture
culture always starts out as the sort of bizarre average of the founders personalities but a couple of years ago we decided to define our values and make our culture explicit
there are a lot of ways to think about it but one of them is how do you build something that sustains excellence over a long period of time or to put it another way it seems that most companies most organisms decay as they get older and bigger and so how do you inoculate your company from the most common things that tend to go wrong
so we approached it as kind of an engineering problem   what is the opposite of each of those things we came up with five be worthy of trust sweat the details aim higher we not i and the fifth is just an image of a smiling cupcake because we dont want to take ourselves too seriously
how do you hire
im drawn to people who really love their craft and treat it like a craft and are always trying to be better and are obsessed with what separates great from good and so ill ask a lot about those things like who is the best in the world at what you do and who are your influences
ill also ask what have you learned in the last year and if you were able to sit yourself down 10 years ago what advice would you give your younger self what are the most important lessons youve taken away
whats your advice to new college grads
i did the commencement speech for mit in 2013 i said that if i had a cheat sheet that i could give myself at 22 it would have three things on it a tennis ball a circle and the number 30000
the tennis ball is about finding the thing youre obsessed with the most successful people and successful entrepreneurs i know are all obsessed with solving a problem that really matters to them i use the tennis ball for that idea because of my dog who gets this crazy obsessed look on her face when you throw the ball for her
the circle is really about the idea that youre the average of your five closest friends so make sure to put yourself in an environment that pulls the best out of you and the last is the number 30000 when i was 24 i came across this website that says most people live for about 30000 days so you have to make every day count


cecily koppuzhas parents were introduced to lionel sotomayor in october 2008 when he tried to contact them by cellphone from a boston hospital
hi this is lionel im a student at mit and im calling to tell you that cecily was in an ice skating accident mr sotomayor said nervously before his call was lost to poor reception
that call made from the emergency room marked the beginning of a painfully secret relationship forged by ms koppuzha and mr sotomayor 18 year old fellow floridians and freshman classmates at the massachusetts institute of technology
i wasnt sure if her parents received my message that day said mr sotomayor who is now 26 and working in brooklyn as a transportation manager for amazon overseeing facilities in the northeast when we got disconnected that day i didnt have time to call her parents again because cecily was being treated and i needed to rush over to be at her side
a few hours earlier he and ms koppuzha were enjoying their first date at a rink on the mit campus in cambridge when he challenged her to a race and sped off she playfully clung to him before losing her balance and tumbled to the ice as she rose to her skates she noticed a small pool of blood beneath them
his right skate blade had accidentally run over my left hand she said but it was so cold in there i didnt even feel it i had no idea i was bleeding
now 26 and a physician having received her medical degree last month from florida international university she recalled being whisked away in the back of an ambulance where a paramedic asked her for some identification
i told him i had left my id in my bag at the skating rink and that the gentleman i was with probably had it she said
she was told that the same gentleman was now sitting in the front of the ambulance
that was when i really started developing strong feelings for lionel dr koppuzha said he took it upon himself to look after me that day which told me how loyal and caring he is and from that moment on i just felt so much closer to him
shortly after she was released from the hospital she realized that her parents who are both internists in private practice had been frantically trying to contact her from their home in port charlotte fla
needless to say they were beside themselves she said but theyre both doctors so when i finally told them what had happened with me and lionel and that my cut only required about five stitches they got over it pretty quickly
but what she failed to share with her parents was the kind of news that would have cut too deeply for stitches when they asked me about lionel all i told them was that he was just a friend she said if i had mentioned that we were dating they would have been very upset so i kept our relationship a secret
dr beena koppuzha and dr george koppuzha were born and raised in kerala a state in southwest india they are knanaya christians whose religious heritage traces back to abraham and whose culture goes back to jews of the aramaic speaking regions of israel and syria who migrated in ad 345 to the malabar coast the knanaya do not believe in marrying outside the faith
when cecily was just a year and a half old her parents moved to the united states the second of three daughters she grew up in what she described as a very strict indian household where her parents insisted that their daughters do not date or marry outside of their tight knit ethnic and cultural circle
all i ever heard was that one day i was going to marry a nice knanayan boy she said well lionel is from a loud puerto rican family so i knew my parents wouldnt like it
still dr koppuzha who was studying neuroscience and mr sotomayor who was studying aerospace engineering continued to date
i was horrible at physics and he was horrible at chemistry she said we would tutor each other and the more we worked together the stronger our relationship grew
but while mr sotomayors parents were delighted to learn that he had taken her to his freshman pledge formal in november 2008 their son would remain a secret to the koppuzhas for the next two and a half years
we understand that every family is different but we happen to be a diverse family that is loving and accepting of all cultures said mr sotomayors mother nilda correa who teaches english as a second language at kissimmee middle school in florida cecily is a wonderful girl as far as my husband and i are concerned if you love our son we love you
by january 2011 dr koppuzha decided to invite her parents and two sisters to boston for what she described as a family get together but she had something else in mind
at that point not telling my parents about lionel was becoming too difficult to handle too much of a struggle she said i had brought up his name so many times in our conversations because i didnt want to completely hide him but i never told them we were actually dating
i was also feeling pressure from lionels side of the family to talk to my parents about him she said so i figured it was just time for everyones sake to tell the truth
she eventually met with her family at a hotel near campus when the conversation turned to dating the oldest of the three daughters ann koppuzha who had known about lionel asked their father what characteristics he valued in a future son in law
after listening to his answers   catholic indian and good hearted   cecily jumped in and joked about how two out of three werent so bad but then she turned serious and summoned the courage to admit that she and mr sotomayor had long been an item
my father took it surprisingly well dr koppuzha said but my mother she just went silent
when the brides mother did speak she did so in a rather terse manner did you come to mit to study or to date she asked
ill never forget those words said dr koppuzha who will begin a residency in emergency medicine next month at maimonides medical center in brooklyn
neither will her mother
i have to admit i was very upset dr beena koppuzha said i didnt say much to cecily because it was a very unexpected conversation i had no idea that the lionel who called us when cecily went to the hospital had been her boyfriend all along
the next day mr sotomayor met the koppuzha family for dinner and cecilys mother by her own admission was still in protest mode
i think i said hi to lionel maybe but i was still very reluctant to accept the situation she said it was upsetting to me that my daughter was probably going to marry someone from outside of our community
ann koppuzha who is three years older than her sister said that while lionel was a great guy who was very down to earth our parents were worried that cecily being so young might lose sight of her academic goals
they wanted cecily to go to medical school she said they didnt want her relationship to be a distraction
later that year mr sotomayor received a surprise invitation from his intendeds parents who asked him to port charlotte for thanksgiving dinner
at that point my mother came around to realizing that lionel was a significant part of my life dr koppuzha said she finally began accepting him
though he was grateful for the invitation mr sotomayor said that the thought of visiting to his girlfriends childhood home and seeing her mother for the first time since that cold meal in boston 10 months earlier was definitely nerve racking
but this time around he found her parents especially her mother warm and receptive
they were so welcoming he said they asked about school and my family they were genuinely concerned about me and cecilys mom fed me lots of spicy food which i had trouble handling at first it was wonderful
after graduating from mit in 2012 the couple began a long distance relationship he took a job as a systems engineer with boeing in los angeles and she headed for florida international university
in may 2014 mr sotomayor shortened the distance between them by taking a job at amazon in tampa fla a four and a half hour drive from her at least we were back in the same state he said
the sacrifice that mr sotomayor made to be closer to his fiancee was not lost on her mother
i appreciate everything lionel has done for my daughter she said he is a very smart and very humble person and he and cecily have been bringing each other joy for many years now
the couple were married on may 21 at the 131 year old st james catholic cathedral in orlando fla the pews bursting with 354 guests some from as far away as india canada puerto rico and new york
women of indian heritage   and the grooms mother   wore traditional gold earrings necklaces and bracelets and henna art on their arms and hands
after the exchange of vows the rev teofilo useche a roman catholic priest wrapped a stole around the couples hands as he blessed their union
a few days before the wedding the brides mother said she accepted seeing her daughters hand in his
i must admit that lionel and cecily make a great team and i know they will do well together in life she said from that very first day when he called from the hospital to tell us that she got hurt they have always been there for each other


not all that long ago before montauk became a hot spot for summer party seekers the hamlet on the easternmost tip of long island was defined by its laid back motels family run restaurants wide empty beaches and a shabby charm that was anything but chic
but over the last decade investors have come to see scruffy montauk in a different light   as a place that cleans up good and as more residents cash out and new money flows in the last underdeveloped portion of the east end is becoming more like well the developed east end
old time pancake houses and soft serve ice cream shops along the main drag have been joined by high end boutiques selling 300 beach cover ups and outposts of trendy manhattan chains like tacombi the mexican taqueria also in nolita flatiron and the west village formerly rundown motels have been given makeovers installing poolside djs and charging as much as 750 a night on peak weekends and real estate values have climbed in the first quarter of 2016 the median sales price jumped 25 percent to 1038 million from 831000 a year ago according to a report by the corcoran group
montauk was once considered a cheaper alternative to the hamptons of which it is technically a part being within the town of east hampton but because it was so rough around the edges it seemed in a different league and being nearly three hours from manhattan by car not counting traffic it was also thought of as off puttingly remote but any grumbling about how far it is from the city kind of went away when it became a really cool place said diane saatchi an associate broker at saunders  associates while overall prices in montauk are still lower than in much of the hamptons she added theyre going up and the prime properties are getting taken
this season brings another flurry of activity as a number of commercial and residential properties have gone on the market or are reopening after recently changing hands gurneys montauk resort which has been undergoing an upscale renovation is adding its next door neighbor the former panoramic view resort to its oceanfront expanse selling part of it  15 oceanfront homes priced from 47 million to 12 million   as the residences at gurneys
the prices are a far cry from the 175  to 495 a night rates that the panoramic charged as recently as 2015 for a studio with a kitchenette depending on the season
gosmans dock a sprawling nautically themed restaurant and shopping center on montauk harbor comprising about 14 acres is up for sale for 525 million
and where humble lobster shacks once presided higher end restaurants are opening under new management with big investors and fresh new looks among them is duryeas a bayside lobster takeout market that was bought by the private equity mogul marc rowan for 63 million in 2013 the place swapped plastic tables and chairs for teak furniture and is serving 28 lobster rolls and 95 bottles of paul goerg champagne   though you still have to order at a takeout window
ciao by the beach which mr rowan also purchased for 27 million last year received a face lift and reopened as the arbor a mediterranean style restaurant with a wall of wine at the entrance
the grey lady a new england style restaurant with locations on manhattans lower east side and in aspen colo and nantucket mass has taken over the space formerly occupied by the harbor raw bar and lounge the shagwong tavern an institution that was bought by a partnership including jon krasner and beau campsey for 26 million last year has been spiffed up
people have a lot of animosity toward all the new business that comes into town said jason behan a lifelong resident and another owner of the shagwong so the shagwongs update was more of a restoration said mr behan noting that the photographs of local fishermen and barhopping celebrities including the rolling stones are still on the walls albeit in new frames and while the menu has been tinkered with   you can now have cornmeal crusted buffalo cauliflower bites   the classic burger is still there
the new establishments say they aim to cater to longtime residents and newcomers alike but as the days grow warmer and longer locals are wary following a particularly chaotic summer last year
overcrowding noise traffic jams and drunken behavior became such a problem that the town clamped down issuing noise violations to popular bars including the sloppy tuna downtown banning parking along the street near the surf lodge hotel and restaurant and creating new hurdles for share houses among other measures
we reacted with a very aggressive enforcement effort and things calmed down substantially said larry cantwell the supervisor for the town of east hampton which includes montauk were trying to get back to our roots and the things that have made montauk great and desirable to live in
but maintaining montauks authenticity is becoming trickier as real estate prices continue to climb last year the collection of white shingle oceanfront cottages that once belonged to andy warhol sold to adam lindemann the founder of the gallery venus over manhattan for 487 million
next door a five bedroom four bath oceanfront estate is now on the market for 55 million at the other end of the spectrum mobile home sites at montauk shores condominium an oceanfront mobile home park are selling for close to 1 million last year one oceanfront trailer closed for 115 million
and for a starter home in montauk the going rate has jumped to 700000 from about 500000 just a few years ago said peter j moore an associate broker at corcoran
the numbers are crazy in montauk said anthony berardi 59 a high end residential builder from northern new jersey who has vacationed in the hamlet for the last three decades after renting for many years in 2007 he and his wife janet bought a vacant parcel of land at 165 soundview drive for 916000 and built a 5500 square foot shingle style vacation house in 2013 with a plan to buy a more desirable lot nearby the berardis sold the house for 3625 million
i didnt do it as an investment but it worked out real well mr berardi said noting that the house is now back on the market with a new pool for 585 million
with the proceeds of the sale the berardis purchased a larger lot for 145 million in 2014 and built a 6500 square foot house with a west facing wall of windows that takes full advantage of panoramic views of block island sound mr moore of corcoran who sold the first berardi house estimated the new one could sell for nearly 8 million though the family has no plans to list it i want to enjoy this house said mr berardi noting his adult children visit most weekends in the summer our plan is to raise the grandkids out there
yet the changing nature of montauk has turned off other longtime vacationers ken friedman an owner of the spotted pig restaurant in manhattan had been renting a summer house in downtown montauk for nearly a decade but over the last few years the low key atmosphere that drew him there gave way to mobbed surfing beaches and blaring music as someone whose livelihood is from bars and restaurants mr friedman said he is not one to complain about people having a good time but it got to the point that it was just impossible with bands playing journey covers until 2 in the morning
for about three years he searched for a place to buy outside the party zone but was disappointed with what his 2 million budget would buy you should be able to buy something really amazing for 2 million mr friedman said adding that the places he saw in montauk for that amount tended to be fixer uppers nowhere near the water or tiny one bedrooms with a view of another house
last month he left the hamlet for a waterfront four bedroom in greenport on the north fork of long island finding a laid back vibe that reminds him of montauks earlier days the house which cost about 2 million would have been 45 million in montauk he said as for his old summer haunt he said its part of the hamptons now
but even as montauks real estate market has begun to more closely resemble those of its more upscale counterparts to the west one important aspect still sets it apart from much of the hamptons roughly 70 percent of its wind swept dunes wetlands and forests are preserved and protected   a factor that limits real estate inventory while driving desirability
if you take a birds eye view of montauk its a spit of land in the ocean and youre never going to get any more of it said judi a desiderio the chief executive of town  country real estate as a result teardowns are becoming more prevalent and vacant lots are being snapped up as land grows ever scarcer and more expensive
developable waterfront property is the rarest of all which is why lloyd goldman of bldg management and george filopoulos of metrovest equities paid 639 million in december for the former panoramic view to create the residences at gurneys the 117 room hotel which was at the center of a ponzi scheme scandal and was seized through civil forfeiture is perched on a bluff overlooking the ocean with some cottages practically on the beach   which would not be allowed under current zoning
even on a calm day you can hear the ocean thats how close you are said mr filopoulos whose family vacationed at the royal atlantic beach resort in montauk when he was a child the new residences at the panoramic will be quite a change from the accommodations of his youth the homes which range in size from 2000 square foot two bedroom apartments to 5000 square foot cottages will offer access to the amenities of gurneys next door including the spa beach cabanas beach nannies aka babysitters and room service
while the increasingly upscale nature of montauk has been a boon for businesses and real estate values it has also brought challenges for the locals
in december cheryl williams 38 a front desk manager at the royal atlantic moved 45 miles away to riverhead ny in search of a reasonable rent she had been living nearby in employee housing but she had become engaged and she and her fiance each have two children which made it difficult to find a home in montauk that they could afford now she gets up as early as 4 am to beat the trade parade of morning traffic filled with contractors heading east
if there is no traffic its like an hour and 20 minutes said ms williams who pays 2500 a month for the rental in riverhead with a family it was the closest i could get a place to live
business owners say the seasonal lodging crunch is becoming only worse dave rutkowski who owns johns drive in an ice cream and hamburger joint called in a favor of a room from a friend after finding out one of his employees was sharing a bedroom with seven other people
theyre doing whatever it takes he said of the seasonal workers
mr rowan the owner of duryeas and the arbor purchased the neptune motel and other properties for the purpose of putting up about half of his 80 workers we just thought it was smarter for us to go out and purchase some housing said steven r jauffrineau the managing director of the restaurant group
the move he said not only helped attract experienced workers from miami and new york but was also a good real estate investment montauk he said is still undervalued in comparison to the rest of the hamptons


the ocean is loud ship propellers sonar oil and gas drilling and other industrial work make sounds even if like the proverbial tree falling in the forest no one can hear it
but marine animals can and all that noise has been shown to interfere with their behavior since many of them from whales to invertebrates use sound for all kinds of activities including to communicate to find food or each other to avoid predators and to migrate
and while the ocean was never a quiet place   full of natural rumblings clickings and chatterings   the problem has grown worse over the last 100 years or so and significantly increased over the last 50 years in some places much of it from commercial shipping according to the national oceanic and atmospheric administration
so the agency which manages and protects marine life in united states waters released on wednesday a draft for a strategy to reduce the effects of ocean noise and invited public comment
the ocean noise strategy roadmap draft is an early step in a 10 year plan to quiet the oceans and reduce some of the harmful effects on aquatic species the public comment period will end july 1 and a more concrete plan will be put in place in the coming months
at this point the oceanic administrations road map includes more research on the cumulative effects of noise on ocean animals and outreach to other governmental military environmental and industry groups the administration the navy and the bureau of ocean energy management have commissioned the national academy of sciences to conduct a review of the cumulative effects of sound on marine mammals and the administration has already started to reduce its own impact by using quieter research vessels
while the agency has been collecting information on ocean noise and its effects on certain species for several years the full range on marine animals is not completely understood though the symptoms are often striking
sea mammals in particular have evolved to take advantage of how well and far sound can travel under water and to compensate for poor visibility in the dark deep whales and dolphins have extraordinary hearing and the ability to communicate in widely varying voices
but sound produced by human activity can get in the way in the waters off massachusetts oceanic scientists have observed that many whales no longer seem to register the sounds of ships said richard merrick the chief scientist for the oceanic administrations fisheries service they do not necessarily associate the sounds of ships with danger he said so they do not always move out of the way
elsewhere other species of whales he said just shut up when ships pass by in part because many species communicate using sounds in the same range of frequency as the noise produced by ship engines
and some studies have demonstrated that cod and haddock populations in the atlantic both of which are considered or are becoming overfished can hear and also avoid low frequency sounds though it is not clear what the effects might be on their behavior said jason gedamke an acoustics expert with the oceanic administration and a lead author of the road map cod in particular also make lots of noise when they spawn but the implications of human sound on that behavior is not fully known either dr gedamke said
michael jasny the director of the marine mammal protection project for the natural resources defense council said the plan marked a big change in how the oceanic administration sees ocean noise as a problem that needs to be addressed more broadly instead of case by case
mr jasny added that he was disappointed that the announcement lacked a concrete plan or a schedule for being carried out
but unlike other ocean pollutants this problem can be solved he said once you stop making noise it goes away


looking for a vacation rental in the hamptons this summer from the manicured hedgerows of southampton to the wind swept dunes of montauk real estate agents say its a renters market
thanks to greater inventory and a trend toward shorter bookings many prime rental homes are still available and owners are willing to negotiate while advertised discounts have yet to emerge deals are for the taking for renters who ask agents said
our advice to owners whose home has not yet rented is to forget what you wanted for the house said anthony devivio the managing director of halstead property in the hamptons instead consider what do you need to carry the house for the year he said be prepared to take that number if youre asking for more at this point youre probably overpriced
a house with three bedrooms three baths and a pool in the northwest woods section of east hampton originally listed by mr devivio for 28000 for the month of august recently rented for 19000 thats a 32 percent discount some of the best deals can be found at the ultrahigh end mr devivio added noting that he recently negotiated a last minute house rental off further lane in east hampton for june and july for a very very good price further lane is one of the most desirable addresses in the hamptons lined with oceanfront estates
the term deal of course is relative in the hamptons where the cost of a rental house for the month of august can range from 30000 to 300000 and prime waterfront properties and houses within walking distance of shops and restaurants tend to offer less wiggle room on price
a combination of factors is contributing to the rental slowdown according to real estate agents across the hamptons who say the volume of seasonal rentals is down 30 percent to 50 percent compared with this time last year the buying boom over the last couple of years has flooded the market with new inventory as many of the recent buyers have no plans to use the house all summer long at the same time more families are coming out for one month or weeklong increments instead of renting a house for the entire summer and some owners have simply overreached setting unrealistic prices
exacerbating the issue in the town of east hampton which includes the hamlets of wainscott springs amagansett and montauk is a rental registry implemented this season to help crack down on overcrowding and share houses the registry requires owners to display their rental registry number on listings and any advertising so far more than 2400 residential properties have been registered according to the town brokers say others are available but are simply not being advertised
there are a lot of properties that arent being publicly marketed said rylan jacka an associate broker at sothebys international realty some are just entering the market now as owners scramble to comply with the new ordinance
as a result many places that normally would be booked by now are still up for grabs among the listings still available from town  country real estate a house with five bedrooms and three and a half baths overlooking hither hills beach in montauk for 50000 for july a newly built five bedroom in amagansett with an outdoor kitchen and a heated saltwater pool 115000 for august and a six bedroom english manor on two acres with a heated pool in the estate section of east hampton village 200000 now through labor day
but dont wait too much longer if you are planning on a hammock in the hamptons now that temps are finally hitting 80 tenants who have been waiting on the sidelines will come rushing out said judi a desiderio the chief executive of town  country with offices throughout the hamptons and frankly they will get some great rentals at some great prices


he told me to stop by after i got out of the movie we met in the parking lot outside his dorm and kissed hello quickly like something you do out of habit i didnt know then that it would be our last he was tense his eyes focused everywhere but on me
i dont remember exactly what he said but he ended with i dont think i can do this anymore
my heart pounded as he gave his reasons i listened but didnt process i stood there in the cold swaying nervously from foot to foot my hands shoved inside my jacket pockets i tried to respond but stumbled over my words normally outgoing and talkative i couldnt even form a sentence warmth radiated from my flushed cheeks
as a student of neuroscience i have learned that the most intimate relationship is the one between your head and heart they talk like best friends via the common carotid artery which sends blood from the heart to the brain at a running speed of three feet per second
the brain has developed mechanisms to sense danger and it responds immediately in the presence of any threat when a threat is identified an emergency call is made to the hypothalamus the command center for our hormone system
the hypothalamus then kicks the sympathetic nervous system into gear surging cortisol through our veins adrenaline floods our system our heartbeat quickens strengthening the flow of blood to our vital organs our airways open with each breath we are more alert our pupils dilate in the presence of danger we are prepared to fight
this is not what happens in a breakup
the physiological response to a rejection is entirely different from that of a threat we have an innate need for acceptance just like we need water and food to survive in a manner somewhat opposed to when were faced with a threat rejection activates our parasympathetic nervous system
a signal is sent through the vagus nerve from our brain to our heart and stomach the muscles of our digestive system contract making it feel as if theres a pit in the deepest part of our stomach our airways constrict making it harder to breathe the rhythmic beating of our heart is slowed so noticeably that it feels literally like our heart is breaking
after hearing those fateful words of rejection in the parking lot i went home and cried on the floor of my apartment tucked into my best friends embrace
everyone has a first heartbreak she said gently the first one just hurts the worst
i felt like such a cliche crying until i had a headache and plowing through an entire box of tissues studying neuroscience had taught me too much i knew how the chemicals in my brain were driving my emotions i wanted to use science to reason with myself to convince myself that soon the hormones would stabilize and i would start to feel better
unfortunately years of schooling cant teach you about recovering from heartbreak the way experience can
i wanted to go back to the middle of our relationship i didnt miss the beginning the insecurity the butterflies and that period of awkwardness when youre just getting to know each other and i definitely didnt want to revisit the end i wanted to return to the middle when everything was calm routine and dependable it was easy then and pain free
we were both active and engaged in our own spheres of campus life and our paths never crossed until a mutual friend set us up on a blind date
it wasnt surprising that we had never met he is a student athlete and i can barely walk without tripping while he was finishing problem sets in the engineering building i was running experiments across campus in my neuroscience lab
our connection was intense and effortless when we worked side by side in his room or mine i felt remarkably safe amid the kind of silence that usually makes me feel too vulnerable
i loved the way he slid his fingers into mine as we walked home and how he sometimes squeezed my first finger with his thumb extra tightly just to remind me that he was there the electricity from his touch sent a cascade of oxytocin from my posterior pituitary lowering my cortisol levels and enveloping me with unspoken compassion
with dopamine bursting out of my nucleus accumbens i would be engulfed by feelings of exhilaration and bliss id fall asleep next to him with my hand on his chest calmed by the metronome of his heartbeat
it is no coincidence that positive emotions feel so good the hormones released when youre happy in love and feeling appreciated all help regulate your heartbeat into a coherent pattern the fixed beating sets a rhythm for the rest of your body so that all other homeostatic mechanisms are carried out in sync with my body in equilibrium living felt much easier
i wish i could say i got over my heartbreak quickly to let others think i did i kept my pain private crying in the shower and at night when i hoped my roommates wouldnt hear
i felt embarrassed as i remembered my mother saying if he doesnt want you you dont want him i tried to dedicate myself to my friends and to the course work that would prepare me for my medical school applications a few months later i wanted to be like elle woods in legally blonde confident and self reliant
but heartache is like any other pain and it takes time to heal
whats crazy about the pain of a broken heart is that your body perceives it as physical pain love activates the same neurological reward centers as cocaine and losing love can feel like going through withdrawal after quitting drugs or alcohol cold turkey
regardless of whether were in pain from withdrawal or experiencing an emotional rejection neurons in our anterior cingulate cortex and insula start firing we think the only way to feel better is to experience the high again we physically crave it
like addicts we cant think clearly and argue with ourselves over every decision should i call him no dont be desperate as pain receptors fire the result is that we feel broken physically and emotionally
what i didnt know at the time though is that there is a saving grace modern medicine provides an over the counter remedy that has been shown to ameliorate the emotional effects of heartbreak
in research published in 2010 scientists found that acetaminophen can reduce physical and neural responses associated with the pain of social rejection whether in romantic relationships friendships or otherwise
so if youre hurting from heartache try popping some tylenol
withdrawal eventually ends and so does the pain of rejection i hate how much i cried and all the time wasted missing him i hate how much it hurt but still feel so grateful for the relationship we had because it taught me what it means to love and be loved
now i know what i want a relationship that will fill me with dopamine and steady my heartbeat when he entwines his fingers with mine ill know its right when i can talk freely for hours yet also be at ease in silence i dont spend so much time searching for that feeling anymore wondering how love should feel because ill recognize it when it comes and wont force it if its not there
recently i broke someone elses heart he was a friend first but he said he wanted to be more i gave it a few weeks because he deserved that we went out to breakfast one day lunch another and dinner sometime after that it felt nice to be with someone who cared so much about me but my nucleus accumbens was quiet there was no dopamine high when he held my hand and my heartbeat wasnt settled on a rhythm that matched his
i tried to end it with kindness and respect but there was obvious strain and confusion in his eyes as his parasympathetic nervous system kicked into gear while i gave my reasons i could imagine the muscles of his digestive system contracting his heartbeat slowing
i had been there i knew he would be ok and wanted to tell him so but experience had taught me that i was the wrong person to help
this conflict of my head and heart   of my wanting to offer comfort but knowing i shouldnt   was making my pulse race and my body tremble so i simply hugged him goodbye and walked away hoping that someone else would think to give him tylenol


the characters in kelly reichardts movies are often lost in space their lives on earth notwithstanding the unmoored loners who populate her movies are isolated even in groups or pairs its an existential condition evident as early as her first feature river of grass 1994 restored and out on disc from oscilloscope
ms reichardt now in her early 50s is regarded as a leading american independent filmmaker but early on her career stalled there were 12 years between her first film and its follow up the rueful bromance old joy subsequent films include the heart rending girl and dog story wendy and lucy 2008 and the wagon train western meeks cutoff 2010 both with michelle williams night moves 2013 about a cadre of eco terrorists and certain women 2016 which like river of grass had its premiere at the sundance film festival
while all of ms reichardts features through night moves could be named after the talking heads song road to nowhere river of grass is the most provocatively negative of the lot its an action movie about things that dont really happen centered on a character a lonely florida stay at home mom cozy lisa bowman who leaves everything behind and winds up in the same place in one of the movies understated jokes a purloined police revolver that motivates the plot is randomly returned to the exact spot where it was first found
when river of grass was shown at sundance in 1994 ms reichardt and her associates described it as a love story without the love a murder mystery without the murder a road movie that never gets on the road back then river of grass was overshadowed by the festivals two great crowd pleasers rose troches lesbian romance go fish and kevin smiths slacker comedy clerks today those films feel dated while river of grass seems a small classic
the film is semiautobiographical cozy is approximately ms reichardts age and like her was born into a family of police officers living on the asphalt edge of what was once the everglades cozy is also deeply alienated although in that she is not alone her morose father misplaces his gun its found by a neighborhood slacker who gives it to an even more shambolic character lee the filmmaker larry fessenden a 30 ish neer do well living with his grandmother
drifting out of her domestic routine cozy meets lee in a low rent cocktail lounge and accepts his invitation to go pool hopping a befuddled homeowner appears the gun goes off panicked the newly established outlaw couple take it on the lam holing up in a ratty motel until their money runs out and they are reduced to sleeping in their car
thats pretty much that excitement is generated by ms reichardts comic lack of affect as well as her feel for landscape and underlying formalism the compositions are deliberate and often symmetrical camera movement is minimal
river of grass has a deadpan quality suggestive of jim jarmuschs stranger than paradise 1984   which also featured florida locations but where mr jarmusch is a connoisseur of bleakness ms reichardt makes her artfully banal terrain of laundromats convenience stores and cloverleaf highways seem brain numbingly oppressive
whether she loved or loathed her native territory ms reichardt never again used florida as a location regional with a vengeance river of grass is both an introduction and a kiss off
as stranger than paradise created a tradition for river of grass so mr jarmusch drew on the early films of wim wenders most obviously those just packaged by criterion as the road trilogy alice in the cities 1974 wrong move 1975 and kings of the road 1976
mr wenders has made substantial films since then but these three low budget movies   produced in rapid succession before he turned 31   would confirm his reputation as a major european filmmaker all three are characterized by a mood of free floating homesickness as well as the interplay of german anomie and american popular culture all of them star the craggy bemused rudiger vogler feature mr wenderss wife at the time lisa kreuzer sometimes billed as elisabeth kreuzer and show a remarkable eye for landscape
the beginning of alice in the cities shot partly in the united states suggests a homage to the photographer robert franks collection the americans mr vogler plays a west german journalist navigating a world of gas stations roadside snack bars and seedy motel rooms before returning to an even less welcoming germany in the company of a 9 year old girl left behind in america by her mother ms kreuzer in wrong move an updated version of goethes wilhelm meisters apprenticeship written by peter handke mr vogler plays a petulant would be poet whose search for a utopian unity of poetry and politics telescopes even as it satirizes two centuries of german romanticism
kings of the road which runs nearly three hours depicts an empty imprisoning west germany the land seems as vast and sparsely populated as north dakota and the movie which mr wenders originally wanted to title as time goes by is a sort of western here mr vogler plays an itinerant mechanic traveling from town to town repairing movie projectors   a conceit that allows the film to mourn the end of movies as a mass medium while dramatizing one characters assertion that the yanks colonized our subconscious it is mr wenderss definitive statement and arguably his masterpiece
the criterion set comes with a handsome booklet extras include interviews outtakes and most interesting two of mr wenderss student films same player shoots again 1967 and silver city revisited 1968
newly released
cry of the hunted a hard bitten cop barry sullivan chases a cajun fugitive vittorio gassman in one of his first hollywood movies into the louisiana bayou best known for gun crazy joseph h lewis directs this 1953 b movie with his customary economy and aplomb warner archive
figures in a landscape theater of the absurd antics meet action allegory in joseph loseys 1970 film maudit an alternately ridiculous and majestic portrait of two men on the lam robert shaw and malcolm mcdowell pursued by a black helicopter across a monumental landscape shot mainly in spain the aerial footage transcends the banal symbolism kino lorber
mysterious island cy endfields spirited direction ray harryhausens special effects and bernard herrmanns brooding score elevate this nonsensical 1961 adventure film adapted from jules vernes sequel to twenty thousand leagues under the sea and made with a largely british cast that includes joan greenwood and herbert lom twilight time
stand clear of the closing doors sam fleischner updates the indie classic little fugitive to the onset of hurricane sandy an autistic teenager from an immigrant family rides the subway for several days even as the monster storm bears down on the defenseless city writing in the new york times in may 2014 stephen holden called it a small miracle of a film kino lorber
where to invade next michael moore looks for solutions to americas problems and finds them in europe the films premise is only half serious and wildly exaggerated but there is enough truth in it to make you squirm and consider what went wrong mr holden wrote in the times in december anchor bay


london   the concept of worshiping at the altar of fashion took new form on thursday as gucci held its cruise 2017 catwalk show amid the gothic 13th century cloisters of westminster abbey one of the most sacred sites in britain
a 300 strong congregation of industry insiders starlets and devoted believers gathered just before 3 pm on an overcast day for the latest display of kaleidoscopic pageantry from the brands bearded creative designer alessandro michele
i am literally obsessed with everything alessandro creates the actress elle fanning said from her perch near charlotte casiraghi of monaco there is this constant interplay between old and new that also feels fresh and present and unlike anything else i want everything and my friends do too
they were seated on a front row of forest green brocade pillows atop gray stone pews each cushion embroidered with a medieval style snake or bird bumble bee or rabbit
nearby were georgia may jagger alexa chung and the singer william as well as several of mr micheles contemporaries including the london based designers christopher kane and mary katrantzou salma hayek marched in wearing oversize glittering black sunglasses the better to survey her surroundings it is like a mind blowing movie scene she said
look around you this is the alessandro effect said the gucci chief executive marco bizzarri standing on the catwalk his house had built on the centuries old tombstones of the great and good of england
over the last 800 years they may have hosted countless numbers of people making their way into the main church for weddings funerals and coronations   but never before for a fashion show
this was not the first time a designer juxtaposed the sacred and the profane last season vetements held its show in the american cathedral in paris and alexander wang in st bartholomews church in new york city
but the use of the abbey drew criticism from religious figures such as the rev peter owen jones   an author and the vicar of firle glynde and beddingham   in the days leading up to the event
is the central icon of christianity there to offer spiritual sustenance and love or is it just part of the marketplace of capitalism he told the independent a british newspaper
but the dean of westminster head of the chapter of the abbey championed the decision calling it a new and exciting collaboration for us
as mr michele enters his third season at the helm of gucci he has certainly generated a near reverential aura around himself and his aesthetic his chaotic and colorful collections are noted for a gender bending nostalgia tinged soft focus flare and he has been touted as guccis commercial savior reigniting sales after the italian luxury house spent several seasons in the commercial wilderness this is especially important as gucci is the flagship brand of the parent group kering and accounts for nearly two thirds of its total profit
cruise 2017 a slow procession of approximately 90 models to a mournful chorus of scarborough fair sung by the schola cantorum of oxford was yet another expression of the michele aesthetic notionally inspired by what mr michele described as punks victoriana and schoolboys or a promenade through centuries of english history
i love the english aesthetic   in a way i feel like it is close to my own language a beautiful chaos he said backstage post show calling the country a box of treasures
it is a powerful mix of the past and the present he said the english they love their culture they celebrate it in every last detail and if they go against it its punk
this particular vision of british eccentricity took shape in pleated 1930s style tea dresses rippling in the designers sugar hit color palette of candy floss pinks and eye popping peppermints lashings of victoriana and sumptuous metallic brocade gowns with sweeping sleeves made for a modern guinevere
there were paneled cocktail shifts like stained glass windows studded oversize black leather biker jackets that bled into punky tartan trousers or heritage check skirts union jack sweatshirts and floral deerstalker caps and perhaps in homage to queen elizabeth ii a rose printed silk head scarf military regalia jacket and plaid kilt teamed with oversize perspex spectacles
it was a charming and romantic and relentless and sometimes clashing mash up as for the audience the reaction can be summed up fairly easily the rapture the rapture


exploitation cinema is a sleazy united nations its membership includes blaxploitation foxy brown ozploitation dead end drive in from australia european nunsploitation killer nun and other internationally nsfw categories unpalatable for family reading
but sex is the mother of all ploitations sexploitation has been around since men and yes its mostly men first learned how to turn on a camera and watch women and yes its mostly women get naked and do something ridiculous or violent a genre rooted in nudie reels of the silent era sexploitation had its golden age in the 1960s as the sexual revolution pushed the boundaries of cinematic depictions of nudity around 1970 the birth of hard core pornography made sexploitation mainstream prompting its demise
theaters then that were showing sexploitation closed or had to make the jump to hard core and thats where the bubble burst frank henenlotter a director and exploitation film historian said in a phone interview sexploitation is about tease and how much we are almost going to see something the moment you show it the sexploitation game is over
the genre is the subject of a documentary thats sexploitation which arrived recently on video from severin films the film covers a wide and sometimes shockingly bizarre range of sex centered independent filmmaking its told almost entirely through footage from the archives of something weird video a seattle based distributor of exploitation genres and directed and narrated by mr henenlotter interspersed are interviews with the old school showman producer david f friedman before his death in 2011
sexploitation production took place in los angeles and new york with florida and texas also churning out pictures by the 1960s there were so many films that the genre had its own distribution circuit and exhibitors a hotbed of highbrow it wasnt
these films were made by businessmen not artists mr henenlotter said the point was if you have a camera and you can get some naked girls in front of the camera you would make some dollars
what else is new without sexploitation there would be no spring breakers showgirls or other films that skirt the boundaries of sex and taste with producers in search of box office gravy today many sexploitation films are largely forgotten here are four subgenres worth noting
before king kong there was ingagi a scandalous sensation in 1930 that other ape wouldnt hit new york until 1933 ingagi purported to be a documentary about an expedition in the belgian congo ending with a gorilla abducting a female member of an african tribe for sex
promoted in theater lobbies with jungle themed decorations the film probably earned about 4 million according to the cinema historian andrew erish after an investigation prompted by complaints to the better business bureau the film was found to have been shot in california with actors including a man in a gorilla suit and a baby adorned with patches of glued on fur
ingagi spawned forbidden adventure and a handful of other gorilla and the maiden films as mr friedman calls them in thats sexploitation that perpetuated racist and colonialist notions of africa they dont show sex scenes as we know them but they show the gorillas carrying the women away mr henenlotter said in most cases the women dont complain about that
somebody goes to a nudist camp and they like it is how mr henenlotter summed up this subgenres plots promoted as ostensible docudramas about the lifestyles of sun kissed sun worshipers taking a cue from european nudist camp films of the 1930s these pictures featured men and women enjoying sports swimming and sunbathing there was no sex but breasts were everywhere
with titles like my bare lady and garden of eden the films were shot at nudist campgrounds skirting laws against onscreen nudity if you showed a naked woman inside a nudist camp the court said thats acceptable mr henenlotter said if you showed her walking down the street they would say thats an obscenity
nudist camp films arent to be confused with nudie cuties 60s sexploitation films in which breasts were the plot he said
a brutal side of sexploitation emerged in these white slavery films directed by joseph p mawra and featuring a villainously sadistic character named olga played by audrey campbell olga was introduced in white slaves of chinatown in which she procures women to become prostitutes using drugs and torture to beat her captives into submission its an hour spent in as dark and gloomy a gutter as you can imagine mr henenlotter said
the russian sounding name of the titular villainess reflected the eras cold war anxieties what clean cut american would do that kind of stuff mr henenlotter asked
this hatched olgas girls and olgas house of shame also starring ms campbell she was replaced in two subsequent films olgas massage parlor and olgas dance hall girls mr henenlotter said these disturbing films tapped into male sexual resentments in post eisenhower america
these were made for frustrated lonely old men he said in some ways they enjoyed getting their frustrations played out onscreen its an ugly thing youre not going to see an olga film because youre in a good mood
sexploitation looked to lesbians for titillation and shock but in this purported documentary their relationships were treated as real and valuable made four years before the stonewall riots by the same producers responsible for the olga series chained girls explores butch femme pairings and features a lesbian wedding when such a thing was unthinkable a subject that only a short time ago was talked about in low whispers as the narrator explains not that the filmmakers aspirations were political
these were films about lesbians made by guys who didnt care about lesbians mr henenlotter said they cared about showing two girls doing it rather than one girl and a guy


i have been single for several years and my best friend and i have come to count on each other for daily check ins frequent dinners and weekend plans   almost like a couple but without the sex recently i met a great guy and weve been dating i was really looking forward to introducing them but it was a disaster later he said shes totally possessive of you and mean she said hes all wrong for you i decided to give them a break from each other until i consulted with you what should i do
k b new york
a few weeks ago i was riding shotgun with a friend in the country her 6 year old was strapped into his much loathed car seat in the back it must have been the morning after prom because a super stretch limo drove toward us and a teenage girl popped up through the sunroof   topless and whooping my friend looked at her son anxiously he said mommy that girl isnt wearing her seatbelt
perspective is everything   both for a little boy who is wrestled into his car seat every day and also for a bff who fears that she is on the brink of losing her support system be patient start with two conversations one with your boyfriend and another with your bestie to him explain the history and emotional heft of your long friendship with your pal try to reassure her that while things may change a little you arent going anywhere no need to defend your taste in men shut down any snark that they may offer with a simple hes my boyfriend or shes my best friend as needed
in a couple of weeks try another dinner for three or four if your boyfriend has a pal be direct in demanding kindness from both of them in my experience it will take about twice as long as you think it should for everyone to acclimate to the new arrangement change is scary
a new staff member at an office i visit regularly is of a gender i cannot identify it is not my business and i dont care but i would like to be able to address this person with civility and good manners sir and maam have a 50 percent chance of being wrong and possibly causing offense ive decided to ask this person how he or she would like to be addressed how should i phrase the question
anonymous
you shouldnt simply revert to the second sentence of your question with a social qs proviso this persons gender is indeed not your business and allegedly you dont care about it what possible difference does it make in the context of visiting an office occasionally
pinning down a persons gender has no more to do with civility than fixing their race or age just smile and say hello if your contact is more substantive introduce yourself nice to meet you im wolfgang mozart like magic this other creature will then pour forth his or her name
i have a serious medical condition that is addressed with a very low sodium diet this is not a preference it is medical necessity when we are invited to dinners some friends have made low sodium meals and allowed salt lovers to add salt to their hearts content but recently i told a host about my issue and she respondedi am making ribs with a rub containing salt i almost told her that id eat before i came how should i properly address this
roberta
id say you are doing a great job already by communicating directly with your dinner hosts beforehand some will rethink their menus to suit your medical issue others will make sure that a few offerings comply and still others will let you know that the true impetus of the evening is a desire to make those ribs they saw in bon appetit all three types of host are behaving just fine and you can decide to attend or not based on your preference
hosts have a responsibility to make their guests feel comfortable in their homes not to become short order cooks for us if the rib cooking chef also serves a green salad and cornbread its not as if you are going to die of starvation correct
my husband and i are well off we like to go out to dinner with friends and sometimes we pick up the check always seriously always our friends thank my husband but not me i think they should thank both of us because we are married and our money is shared so far ive kept my mouth shut whats your advice
l m
next time pay with your credit card and watch your guests thank you for treating them just a hunch your point about shared finances may be true for most married couples and i tend to thank both partners when one pays for my dinner but for sure the one who whips out the credit card will always be thanked


belo horizonte brazil   around here they dont talk about that night a whole lot anymore
its a saturday in the mineirao and a smattering of fans wander into a poorly attended top flight club match inside the stadium where nearly two years ago germany thrashed brazil 7 1 in the world cup semifinals that moment   one of the most remarkable games of soccer ever played given the score the setting and the subplots   once left mouths hanging open these days it is more likely to produce only a shrug
it is not about humiliation it is merely indifference one of the many myths about brazilian fans is that they love soccer the reality is that they love winning and they revere winning beautifully but as their national team drifts relentlessly away from its glorious past they have rarely been further from both of those things
the sport being bad here isnt anything new said tostao a member of the countrys 1970 world cup championship team a physician tostao made his own diagnosis this isnt a sudden sickness and that 7 1 semifinal wasnt just a sudden problem he said the standard has been falling for 40 years getting progressively worse with no medicine to quickly cure it
for those who have not checked in on the patient since its world cup implosion the prognosis is no better the coach who oversaw the world cup disaster luiz felipe scolari was fired after the tournament and replaced with the even more pragmatic dunga but the results have not improved
at one stage during last years copa america dungas brazil had four central defenders on the field as it ran down the clock against lowly venezuela brazil went out in the quarterfinals almost a year later brazil sits outside the qualification spots for the 2018 world cup with only two wins in its first six qualifying matches as the copa america centenario kicks off this weekend and the rio olympics loom this summer brazils national team is in many ways a shadow of its famous past fearful rather than feared
maybe our game is the worst its ever been said juca kfouri one of brazils most respected soccer analysts they had so many problems in that moment in 2014 but what did they change they replaced felipao with dunga as manager and that was it when the problems run so much deeper but the issue with our football is more structural than technical the huge corruption doesnt allow it to get better to be more professional so we can actually tackle the problems
the joke used to go that when god created the world he decided to give brazil the best soccer players and the worst administrators it drew laughs until recent times when only the second part was actually true one need look only at the three most recent presidents of the cbf the national soccer association to truly understand the levels of disarray all three have been charged by the united states department of justice in its investigation of corruption in soccer the incumbent marco polo del nero was recently restored to his post despite his indictment but has no plans to travel to the copa america out of fear that he might be detained
there is a promiscuous relationship inside brazilian football tostao said you have cbf administrators heading for jail and this helped along and sped up the failure of brazilian football so much has to be changed to get better   the administration the management of the football here the players have to be created differently
listening to other brazilian greats does not inspire confidence that change is on the way zico a star in the 1970s and 80s described those controlling the brazilian game as businessmen with powerful economic interests not men who want to see the best football romario a world cup winner in 1994 and now a member of congress has called the cbf a gang of thieves and kaka a former world player of the year recently lamented that theres no organization nobody dealing with the future
international results bear that out brazil the only country to have played in every world cup last won the tournament in 2002 back at the mineirao the club that calls the stadium home cruzeiro is the perfect representation of the state of brazilian domestic soccer
in 2013 and 2014 cruzeiro won the brazilian title under coach marcelo oliveira and by the start of 2015 defender paulo andre attributed the teams winning ways to the patience that had allowed the club to instill a clear philosophy yet four games into last season cruzeiros leadership abruptly fired oliveira now on its fourth coach since cruzeiro sits near the bottom of the league
that kind of turnover is not unusual last season across the 20 team serie a there were 31 managerial changes a record probably unmatched worldwide critics say that type of obsession with short term triumphs is what has stunted long term growth teams continually changing strategy are more likely to cast off players who do not fit into a new coachs plans and those that lose games   and money   have even more incentive to sell young players rather than wait and hope that they develop into valuable assets
it is little wonder then that a chinese league willing to pay almost any price for imported players has overtaken europe as the major export market for the brazilian leagues best talent or that the countrys national team has never been as reliant on one star as it is now on neymar
unquestionably his countrys best player neymar is the fur coat covering a threadbare suit but he will not play in the copa america left off the roster in the hopes that he could deliver an olympic gold medal in rio instead without him the brazil that has arrived in the united states this month is a mix of physical and functional a hard running side that reminds few brazilians of the teams that once carried the best of brazils culture into the world with creativity passion color and flair
we were blessed with many generations of incredible players said kfouri the analyst that was seen as a rule and now people are realizing it was the exception we arent creating those players and part of the problem has been the property speculation   green spaces have been done away with they are trying to bring in laws that limit beach football so that doesnt allow for street footballers but then we dont produce in academies as theres a total lack of management structure
the solutions are obvious but those in suits think we were once no 1 so they dont have to do anything


im a little unnerved the playwright mac rogers said
a swarm of robots arrayed in blue and green led lights was pursuing mr rogers around a small platform in the basement of the museum of mathematics in manhattan mr rogers wearing jeans a checked blazer and a black backpack affixed with sensors staggered away but the robots   about the size of guinea pigs and only slightly more menacing   kept coming one began to glow red
in the movies when one of them gets a different looking light that means things are about to get bad mr rogers said
mr rogers would know he has spent a lot of time with robots imaginatively anyway while readying a new draft of his play universal robots which opens at the sheen center on monday june 6 and is directed by jordana williams
his works maximally imaginative science fiction plays designed for minimal budgets teem with insectlike aliens the honeycomb trilogy futuristic drones asymmetric and mad scientists frankenstein upstairs
his general electric sponsored podcast the message was described by the atlantic as serial meets the war of the worlds it attracted more than four million downloads and landed in the no 1 slot on itunes for a time
having escaped the small automatons he had come to the museum to see mr rogers toyed with a puzzle wall and glanced at an exhibit on fractals before settling upstairs to discuss his work at 41 he is disarmingly boyish with a cherubs fleshy face and a tendency to gabble enthusiastically when a subject excites him
a lot of subjects excite him im sorry he apologized after one especially animated speech i had caffeine this morning
mr rogers grew up in north carolina and got hooked on science fiction early after viewings of sesame street and the electric company gave way to doctor who a dungeons  dragons period followed as did immersion in the works of isaac asimov and ray bradbury i was definitely a complete and total dork he said
he became involved in youth theater but it wasnt until after college that his interests in playwriting and science fiction coalesced until then he said he had written the kinds of plays that young guys write three hour plays about how girls dont get me then one day during a miserable run of a more or less realistic play mr rogers had a revelation maybe i should actually write stuff that i would like to watch
mr rogers began that process in the early 2000s but he and several colleagues recognize universal robots first produced in 2009 as a leap forward based on karel capeks 1920 play rur or rossums universal robots it imagines a world in which a reclusive scientist invents a breed of intelligent humanoid robots that eventually turn against their masters in mr rogerss reimagining capek himself appears as a character as does his sister jo modeled on capeks brother and collaborator josef and a friend tomas masaryk the first president of czechoslovakia
in the play the capek character makes a plea for theater as amusement and pleasure its theater he tells a rival of course its supposed to be fun the theater cries out for the unreal
this is pretty much mr rogerss dictum since the first production of universal robots his works have grown more gleefully unreal perhaps culminating in the honeycomb trilogy an audacious engrossing and sneakily sophisticated three play epic about one familys response to an extraterrestrial invasion the project was mounted in full last year
his works are deeply philosophical and often surprisingly moving beneath the carapace of popcorn genre writing is a sensitive intelligence as sean williams who met mr rogers in college and went on to found the theater company gideon productions with him and ms williams now his wife explained mac wants you to come and see a play about giant aliens and then walk away thinking about everything else
for a man who apologizes a lot mr rogers is unrepentant about his genre of choice science fiction he said makes tackling challenging ideas a lot more fun you can get into the allegorical plus you can have cool stuff like robots and aliens he resisted applying to graduate programs in playwriting because he feared that professors might urge him he said to stop being silly and write some grown up plays
despite a recent upsurge science fiction remains a comparative rarity in theater and is often played for laughs mr rogers isnt sure why its still kind of silly to do a superhero play whereas superheroes have more or less swallowed cinema he said
but mr rogers believes that as our reliance on technology increases plays pondering that relationship will become more common he cites anne washburns mr burns a post electric play jennifer haleys the nether and jordan harrisons marjorie prime as promising examples
yet in some ways these intersections make the work of a playwright more difficult characters who spend hours hunched over a laptop or swiping at a smartphone are not especially interesting to watch so he set universal robots in an era before personal computing and made sure that the aliens of the honeycomb trilogy destroyed all the technology
mr rogers counts himself among those hunched over laptops he has a day job writing social media content for a number of gum and candy brands there is tentative interest in another podcast and the honeycomb trilogy has been optioned by a small production company but he is still very much dependent on copywriting he spends much of the rest of his time working on his plays often from an office in the long island city apartment he shares with his wife the set designer sandy yaklin
they met during the new york international fringe festival in 2005 when mr rogers asked her if she wanted to be in a musical about mud wrestling hes not like the smoothest guy on the planet ms yaklin said affectionately
mr rogers probably wouldnt be much use if the robot hordes were to pounce but he is confident he will have time for more plays before those androids become a real threat
at a panel a few years ago he listened to several scientists anticipate when the robots would rise up and take over   not in any foreseeable future except the sort that a playwright might dream up he gestured toward the museums innocuous bot swarm which glowed in placid greens and blues if you know how long it takes to get a robot to cross a room he said the last thing youre scared of is that theyre going to turn against you


philadelphia   for most of mitski miyawakis childhood she was on the move because of her fathers job she lived in 13 countries   a constant carousel of arrivals and departures attaching and detaching trying to fit in if only for the moment
but even when she was still she had ways of destabilizing herself her teenage years were defined by wild edges that she acknowledges but declines to detail music she said was the thing that grounded her and convinced her she should press forward
so if there is a life force pulsing through mitskis music   she performs under her first name   its not accidental
not to be cheesy but i do think music helped me not die mitski 25 said one afternoon last month in a crumbling alcove in the backyard of the quaint random tea room  curiosity shop here a train ride from her parents home in the suburbs maybe this is a made up belief to preserve myself but i do believe that everyone has a purpose and my purpose is to put out music that means something every time i would almost just not make it i would be like but i have this thing that i can do this thing that gives me a passport that allows me to be here
puberty 2 her fourth album due out june 17 is purple like a new bruise an impressive collection of diy punk and indie rock thats her most expansive work yet theres more variety in her singing which moves from aggrieved to sultry to resigned and theres more ambition in the music which doubles down on grit while also rounding things out with a buffer of soul
it is an impressive follow up to her 2014 breakout the startlingly raw and vibrant bury me at makeout creek that was her first lo fi excursion after a pair of albums recorded with an orchestra when she was in college and it established her as one of the most promising voices in indie music as unafraid of tackling institutional sexism and racism as the fraught crevices of her own heart
the emotional tenor of makeout creek she said was like im angryyyyy or im saaaaaaad and that was the world but then i grew up a little the new album is somehow less pessimistic without being more optimistic it contains some staggeringly beautiful hopelessly pained imagery the sort of moments that crisply convey a whole world of anxiety in a few words
on the elegiac i bet on losing dogs she commiserates with the helpless and the hopeless
and one of this albums standouts is the controlledly tense fireworks an ode to stoic forgetting to the need to remain implacable in the face of devastation
when mitski smarts it sticks i have a very conveniently photographic memory of emotions   its overwhelming because things dont fade for me she said each year she said she gets less and less sleep as more and more life keeps replaying in her mind
its very good for songwriting she conceded cause something could happen three years ago and i could be in that moment and write emotively about it itll be there for better or for worse
for years because of her constant movement memories and feelings were all mitski could carry with her fomenting an acceptance of impermanence and a reluctance to trust too deeply if i attached it means id have to detach she said i just kind of floated above so that it wasnt as hard to live
the constant moving also shaped her approach to music making im not much of a gear person not much of a production person she said i emphasize the composition because i grew up not having things or losing things a lot of my music is still made that way   i make it so that there are as few musicians as possible in the credits for puberty 2 she acknowledges her producer patrick hyland who i made this with just him and me
whats important to me she continued is that my songs can exist without any material anything its very reflective of my ideology
in a sense she also wants to ensure that the songs can exist even without her for mitski the body is just a means to the art me myself i actually have very little care about she said that is in part a byproduct of a lifetime of itinerancy constant reinvention and minimizing of the self but mitskis music   scarred vulnerable immediate   often blurs the line between whats private and whats open for scrutiny she feels acutely the tension of being a private person suddenly thrust under a microscope   even if she herself has done the thrusting
its like im sending out messages in bottles but very picky and stubborn and selfish in that i only want the right person to receive it she said i want to connect but i also want to be left alone
the result is a blend of radical transparency   as on her twitter account where she sprays thoughts fast and furious   and walled off protection of her private life and in person she is selectively evasive speaking with extreme ideological certainty but also clear emotional reluctance deciding with each moment which one to prioritize im learning to be open in certain aspects of my life to almost create a red herring so that other stuff can remain private she said sometimes i feel more like myself onstage as a performer than i do offstage
her accessibility also causes her stress over her influence on others an unease only exacerbated because of how race is lived and experienced in america most public people who arent white feel this pressure and are asked to represent everybody she said i know for a fact that im problematic i shouldnt be looked to for any kind of guidance
i have to go out and consciously say im a person i cant be a role model im not a representative of anything she continued i have to consciously go out and do that or else its gonna be put upon me
mitski said all this not with tension but with a shrug a lifetime of pinballing from place to place has taught her to retain power over things that one can control while ceding concern about the things one cant that said she sometimes wonders about whether the most appropriate response to the increasingly unmanageable parts of her public life would be sabotage i think about it all the time she said every day im like what if i just destroy this then maybe that would save me
she added if the music went away and i stopped being this way and i could just be a normal healthy person with a regular job i would do that in a heartbeat i really would i would love to be just happy
a different answer though comes in learning how to settle down how to say hello rather than goodbye how to trust that people wont leave when the chips are down im trying to break the cycle of thinking only fraught situations bring meaningful art she said
to that end shes already written much of her next album there are songs on that record about just loving somebody she said and it feels ok


i was scheduled to go on a first date with a guy id met online a while back and wishing to be helpful a friend sent me everything she could find on him his resume a speech he gave pictures of him and his ex wife in a magazine everything really but his irs files there should be a name for this kind of sort of online dossier webssier maybe it sounds like the beginning of that kids song
ta ra ra webssier
i know your take home pay
i know the books youve read
and that your dog is dead
i see your partner mort
will see you soon in court
your ex wife seems quite sweet  
my god she looks like me
not that i wasnt planning on googling the guy myself i just wouldnt have been as thorough i save that level of diligence for after the breakup when i hope to see him reprinting stories he did 40 years ago for the east village other and posting links to melancholy platters songs at 3 am prerelationship i like a little mystery
i know im in the minority with this one googling before a date is now so ingrained in the culture its practically hygienic like using mouthwash not googling on the other hand is like getting into a car with a guy you just met at a party if they find you floating in the hudson a few days later its on you
sure when you google you may learn that a date has been arrested for drunken driving or is not entirely divorced but it also removes the delight of surprise this is especially troublesome on first dates where it is essential to look cool i have made a study of this and i have discovered that people have exactly three cool things each
one of my cool things is that i once lived in paris working on a book about a french spy who had a child with a chinese opera singer who turned out to be a man this is harder than you might think to slip into conversation but believe me i manage
the coat that woman is wearing reminds me of the time i lived in paris in a little apartment in the sixth youd never see a coat like that in paris ...
if i try that these days my date already knows that i lived in paris because he read about it online i havent even finished my drink and im down to two cool things one of which is my car so im not sure it counts and i know my dates cool things like that gilda radner used to go to his loft for leftovers and that he introduced bob dylan and norman mailer weve known each other an hour and were already sick of each others stories which isnt supposed to happen until after were married
its a spoiler the dating equivalent of somebody telling you that harry lime is alive at the beginning of the third man on the other hand since everybody does it if a date hasnt done a cursory search on you its also a bit insulting hes already standing there at the bar with his cellphone looking at baseball scores how hard would it be to say siri check wadler arrests new york city
you know how romance used to be in greenwich village back in the 70s wed pick each other up in the street the neighborhoods were more peaceful then because you didnt have the cellphone screamers if you wanted to hear someone fight with a partner you had to go back to your apartment and wait till you had fallen asleep
bars and restaurants were also good places to meet someone because the acoustics were such that we could hear one another we didnt have okcupid to tell us beforehand if someone a believed in astrology b did not believe in astrology but thought it was still kind of fun or c covered every electrical device in his home with aluminum foil we operated on conversation and chemistry i once met an architect at an all night burger joint called davids pot belly whom i saw for several months and it was lovely
i also once got picked up in the west village by a city councilman he was smoother than the scruffy reporters and photographers i usually went for but charming we exchanged numbers and i met him for brunch at the riviera a sidewalk cafe on sheridan square i have no memory of what we talked about but not long after we sat down an attractive dark haired woman leaned over the railing and said something to the guy along the lines of id just like you to know that you put me in the hospital with a ruptured gallbladder and to me you should know that youre sitting with a guy who likes to hit women
then she walked away
i was out of that cafe like a shot and raced after her on the street when i caught up with her she was embarrassed and started apologizing saying she should have never interfered
are you kidding i said what she had done confronting that creep to protect another woman took nerve and i was grateful it seems to me that we walked together a few blocks maybe we said we should get together for coffee but we never did but sometimes when im in sheridan square i think about what happened the shock of the moment when she confronted that guy his denial to me as i got to my feet her nerve the humanness of the exchange
then again had she not come along there might have been the very real humanness of an assault
there may be something to be said for googling


if youre going on vacation chances are youll spend some time waiting   in the car in a security line at the airport   or simply lolling around on a beach the architect rolf myller kept his hands busy creating visually stunning mazes some of which were published in his 1976 book called mazes during his downtime feel free to try to solve them with your family during yours click here for printable versions of two of his mazes including the one below and here for the solutions
we also asked readers and staffers to share the deviceless games they play to pass the time while on the road below are edited versions of seven that topped our list share more in comments or tweet us nytimestravel
1 name of the game canary
the rules when you see a yellow vehicle you simply say canary the goal is to reach 20 once youve called it it is yours if you have new passengers in the car you do not reveal the rules of the game or even hint that you are playing
how to win reach 20
pro tips seeing how long it takes the new passenger in the car to catch on to the game is part of the fun small children love playing but never like to lose
charlene tipton baker via facebook
2 pub cricket
the rules when it is your inning on each pub sign you see you count the legs and that equals how many runs you get for example red lion  4 runs as it has 4 legs but if you pass something with no legs for example the queens head youre out and the next player is in
how to win the victor has the highest score at the end of the journey
pro tip brilliant fun for kids on a long road trip
vamooch via facebook
3 bingo
the rules we design a bingo board before we go   cow water tower police car unusual fusion restaurant   and cross the items off during the trip
how to win cross off a whole row and yell bingo
pro tip think about what youll see before you design that board
brandy windham via facebook
4 license plate
the rules check off each state as you see the plate go by on a car or truck and you can refine it to count only cars which makes it a lot harder
how to win being entertained is a win for everyone
pro tip there are now a number of apps for this
wil grewe mullins via facebook and paul bencivengo via twitter
5 alphabet
the rules find the letters a z in order as you spot them outside the car in license plates signs etc say them out loud as you find them
how to win you can add scoring but you dont have to
pro tip not the best on long isolated roads
anne florenzano via twitter
6 guess what i saw
the rules on your turn other passengers try to guess what you saw once they do move on to the next passenger
how to win everyones a winner
pro tip on long trips on remote roads you may want to include things inside the car
sweetshadelane via twitter
7 the cow game
the rules you have two teams one on the passenger side and one on the drivers side as you travel each team counts cows on their side of the road the catch if you drive past a graveyard all of your cows pass away and you have to start over
how to win the team with the most cows at the end of the trip
pro tip drivers try to keep your eyes on the road more than on the cows
jeff sutton via facebook


in the late 1960s the artist vito acconci wandered into a movie theater near times square hoping to catch an art film and was confused to see a group of ragged looking musicians take the stage that group turned out to be the velvet underground whose first album sold poorly but whose influence was so profound as brian eno later said that everyone who bought the record started a band
the same sentiment might be expressed about mr acconcis influence in the contemporary art world the genetic impact of his performances photographs and video works from just an eight year period   1968 to 1976   is so pervasive that it is difficult to trace but mr acconci who turned 76 this year has not had a retrospective in the united states in more than three decades and his most important work can now sometimes seem more like legend than fact
that is set to change on june 19 when moma ps1 in queens opens vito acconci where we are now who are we anyway 1976 which traces his career from his early days as a poet through his art world heyday and around the corner of a radical turn in the mid 1970s when he abandoned the gallery world and remade himself as a highly unorthodox architect and designer to the confusion of many
in a series of interviews over the last three months as the ps1 show was being planned mr acconci spoke about his perpetual unease in the art world and before that the poetry world where he said he always felt like an outsider someone with a relentless creative drive for which a genre had not   and still has not   been invented almost because of this he has opened bold new avenues over the years for artists as important and widely varied as laurie anderson martin kippenberger mike kelley and tania bruguera
i hated the word artist he said to me even in the years when i was showing things in galleries it seemed to me that i didnt really have anything to do with art the word itself sounded and still sounds to me like high art and that was never what i saw myself doing
as far as the art world was concerned his leap into architecture   designs for things like public parks airport rest areas and a man made island   was almost as if mr acconci decided to enter the witness protection program but he disappeared right in the art worlds midst continuing to teach generations of art students at brooklyn college and at pratt institute working in a cluttered book saturated studio in dumbo brooklyn and lecturing so often over the years that his shambling eccentric presence   his long unruly hair his all black wardrobe his gravel bed voice with its distinctive loping stutter and before he quit the endless cigarettes he would light and stub out and light again   became a kind of ongoing work in itself
born in the bronx into a catholic italian family the overprotected only son of a bathrobe manufacturer and a mother who later worked in a public school cafeteria mr acconci came of age in the politically agitated years when artists began trying to find ways around the making and selling of objects they turned to their bodies their ideas and their actions as the currency of a new realm along with peers like chris burden adrian piper dan graham and valie export mr acconci began conceiving and documenting performances   at a rate of sometimes one a day in what he called a kind of fever in 1969   that were conducted on the streets or for audiences so small that they seemed almost not to have happened
in mr acconcis case the work grew out of an experience as an aspiring poet and fiction writer whose fascination with the physical space of the page eventually led out into the world in 1962 in thrall to postmodern writers like alain robbe grillet and john hawkes he enrolled in the graduate writing program at the university of iowa taking along with him a short story he had written titled run around that when read anonymously in the class provoked a minor riot its subject a horrifying surrealist sculptural vision was a recently limbless man it began they cut him up and since the chairs had just been varnished for the celebration he was set down on a giant floor urn the chalice shaped jar was waist high for most people but not for rockram because he had no legs
when the professor asked for reactions mr acconci recalled one guy said that whoever wrote it should be chucked out the window into the iowa river
back in new york city after getting his degree in the wastelands of the lower east side the east village and soho mr acconci began experimenting with using the city as another means of making literature
in one of his most cited early works following piece from 1969 he spent each day for almost a month following a person picked at random on the street sometimes with a friend following mr acconci to record the action the rules were only that he had to keep following the person until he or she entered a private place where mr acconci couldnt go in during years when crime and urban paranoia were spiking the work might be seen as a creepy metaphor for vulnerability but mr acconci saw it essentially as an open ended and in many ways optimistic narrative
it was sort of a way to get myself off the writers desk and into the city   it was like i was praying for people to take me somewhere i didnt know how to go myself he once told the musician thurston moore the band sonic youth was formed not long after mr moore first met mr acconci and began playing in various arrangements with kim gordon and mr acconcis girlfriend at the time anne demarinis
the dozens of performance pieces that followed through the early 1970s many of them now little known contained varying elements of existential unease bodily discomfort exhibitionism and gender play   elements he shared with some other artists of the time particularly with female artists   but also a kind of wit and a svengali aura that were mr acconcis own
in trademarks 1970 mr acconci sat naked on a floor and bit himself wherever he could reach then applied printers ink to the marks and stamped them on paper and other surfaces
in pryings 1971 mr acconci and kathy dillon engaged in a disturbing pas de deux in which she clenched her eyes shut as he grabbed her face and tried to force them open ms dillon with whom mr acconci lived for a time is a powerful presence in his early performances after they separated they fell out of touch or a better way to say it would be that she thought she had to get away from me because i was taking too much of her life which i guess i was he said
in seedbed 1972   undoubtedly mr acconcis best known piece which has in a sense unfairly overshadowed much of his other work   he constructed an angled false floor at the sonnebend gallery in soho and hid himself beneath it with a microphone speaking luridly to the people who walked above him masturbating as he spoke the piece became a touchstone of performance art in part because of its sheer outlandish audacity but it also drew a remarkable line through the preoccupations that began mr acconcis career and carry it up to the present day the idea for the act under the floor arose linguistically after he turned to a thesaurus to find synonyms for the word foundation and was struck by the poetry of seedbed and in constructing the floor he was already beginning to explore his interests in architecture and public space in this case a space in which he could merge with the building ceasing to be a discrete human presence and becoming instead a kind of quantum field
i wanted people to go through space somehow not to have people in front of space looking at something bowing down to something mr acconci said of the performance i wanted space people could be involved in
holly block the executive director of the bronx museum which commissioned an architectural environment from him in 2009 said a lot of people dont understand vitos turn to architecture but i think he wanted to be more ambitious and make pieces that lived in the world   and in peoples lives   in a different way than artworks usually do and it was a risky and courageous thing to do
klaus biesenbach the director of ps1 and the organizer of the show which was conceived as part of the institutions 40th birthday said hes one of the most influential artists of his time because of the way he connects the private with the public sphere the body with the street the media space with the personal space hes challenging our limits about what we want to be private and what we want to be public and those questions have only become more important
the show which is being designed by acconci studios the firm that mr acconci runs in close collaboration with his wife maria has been a kind of fragile work in progress over the past months threatening at times to collapse under his unpredictably evolving ideas and inspirations you have to think about him deciding maybe i should go to china tomorrow said mr biesenbach thats just how vito is with great artists   and vito is one   sometimes you have to have unprecedented flexibility
but the tension also comes from mr acconcis longstanding desire not to have his career bifurcated into pre  and post architecture there are people who like to keep vito in what i call a prison of a few years and its not right said maria acconci 36 a writer who met mr acconci after seeing his work at a retrospective in barcelona in 2004 and is a fierce defender of his prerogatives
mr biesenbach said he believed the show would strike a delicate balance to reveal the connections between the early work and acconci studio   the two vitos as he calls it   though even as recently as late may he remained uncertain whether the exhibition would open as planned
mr acconci around the same time seemed to be leaning toward it actually happening   legend becoming fact i never liked museums he said they always seemed artificially separated from real life but you have to be seen and i guess ive never cared enough about that maybe i should have


when i dream of afterlife in heaven ernest hemingway once wrote in a letter to his friend and fellow writer ae hotchner the action always takes place in the paris ritz
its been awhile but the ritz is back in action
after a renovation that kept its doors shut for nearly four years the ritz paris is reopening june 6 a few days and 118 years after its original june 1 1898 opening and almost three months later than intended because of a fire at the property in january
historic hotels and stories of their renovations dont always make for original ink but the ritz paris on the place vendome in the citys first arrondissement is more storied than most
when the swiss hotelier cesar ritz bought the property then the hotel de lazun but originally a private palace constructed in the early 18th century that was home to several noble families he did so with visions of opening the most luxurious hotel in the world it should have he is said to have declared all the refinement that a prince could desire in his own home
and indeed with every guest room equipped with its own bathroom an unheard of amenity then the ritz seemed to instantly attract high society what prominent names were regulars maybe the better question to ask is which ones were not the cadre of famous names with an affinity for the ritz throughout its existence included marcel proust hemingway f scott fitzgerald and coco chanel who lived there for 34 years from 1937 to 1971
but even the best hotels wear with age
mohamed al fayed the egyptian businessman and the current owner bought the property from the ritz family in 1979 in 2012 he decided to shutter it for the first time to conduct a makeover that would bring it back to its former glory closing down the hotel was not an easy decision to make but it was necessary to maintain the pre eminent position of the ritz paris he said in an email to the new york times
christian boyens the hotels general manager was more specific the hotel had a good run for 114 years nonstop but you cant deny that technology has changed so much he said in an interview at the ritz paris offices on rue st honore near the property we needed to upgrade everything from the water pressure to our air conditioning system
much of the task for this upgrade fell to thierry w despont the new york based french architect and designer who in an interview in his tribeca offices said that he had sensed a tiredness about the ritz in the time he had spent there on visits to paris it needed a redo but maintaining its essence and strong identity was essential and my vision was to keep the ritz exactly as it was but better he said
aesthetically the hotel still has the traditional 18th century french decor that its guests are familiar with but the difference now according to both mr boyens and mr despont is that there is a lighter fresher feel throughout
the red carpet entrance looks virtually identical to its pre renovation days but is now wider and has windows across the top that make the lobby feel airier the reception area once a room with 10 foot high ceilings and a mezzanine level above it has been transformed into a light flooded space with 18 foot high ceilings because mr despont got rid of the mezzanine and opened the rooms sealed high oval window so that it overlooks the place vendome
many of the changes are subtle he said we dont want to say look at what we did
his approach may be understated but there is plenty that is brand new including the plumbing heating and cooling systems high speed wi fi and telephones from which guests can control lights and temperature
also there are now 142 rooms instead of 159 the old number and 71 are suites because of the fire only 90 rooms are currently available to book the furniture in all the rooms including two of the most prized before the renovation   the imperial suite and the coco chanel suite   is a mix of restored pieces newly acquired antiques and replicas there are also new themed suites each unique such as those named after mozart maria callas and proust who is finally getting his due at the hotel he adored so much that on his death bed the story goes he wanted cold beer that had to come from the ritz the hotel supposedly always kept one on ice for him
in addition to the proust suite mr despont has designed the salon proust a space with french oak walls where guests can partake in afternoon tea other additions to the property include a tunnel under the place vendome linking the hotel with its parking garage to give guests the option to enter in privacy the worlds first chanel spa chanel au ritz paris a seven treatment room area that is part of the two story health club an underground ballroom that can accommodate 400 guests a third kitchen in the cooking school ecole ritz escoffier a shopping passage linking the ritzs two buildings and retractable roofs for the two existing restaurants the brasserie style bar vendome and the gastronomic french restaurant lespadon to make their terraces usable all year
and then there is mr desponts garden
the hotel had this private open space in the heart of paris that was like an uncut diamond he said
his vision of a versailles style small park came to life with the help of the french landscape architect jean mus the 21500 square foot cream  and green hued oasis is lined with more than two dozen linden trees and is replete with hanging ivy and beds of white roses when theyre in season
the garden may be a surprise but what looks almost the same is the bar hemingway the authors favorite watering hole that was named after him in 1994 his bronze bust is intact and the new green carpet resembles the old one but the space is now awash with freshly sourced hemingway memorabilia like his fishing rods and original passport photos
and still in place is colin field bar hemingways head barman who is a celebrity in his own right in part because of his inventive cocktails
for several months he has kept busy devising cocktails that will be introduced with the hotels opening one is a bloody mary where customers are presented different kinds of in season tomatoes and choose their favorite which i will use to make the juice for the drink he said
mr al fayed is funding the project and though the exact dollar amount is not public matthieu goffard a hotel spokesman said that it is more than the rumored figure of 200 million euros 224 million
like the lives of the eclectic personalities associated with the ritz the reopening does not come without drama the electricity related fire on jan 19 on the roof of the rue cambon building delayed the opening from march to june and has rendered the 50 rooms inside unusable for another year or so while the roof is repaired
as of late may many but not all of the 90 available rooms were booked for opening day and almost sold out for the citys haute couture fashion week in early july room rates from EUR1000 or 1118
the new ritz paris remains the same as the old ritz paris but in a better version mr al fayed said
and so the ritz paris anew but in many ways the same lives on


whether to buy or rent a home is among the biggest financial decisions most of us make it is basically a complex math problem in which the reward for getting it right can be tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars   and the punishment for getting it wrong similarly enormous
fortunately there are many tools to help you work through the math including the new york timess excellent calculator but as someone who worked on that calculator and who has spent a lot of time examining the economics of homeownership i have a confession there are some dimensions of rent versus buy that are really important but difficult to account for in dollar terms
these dimensions have inherent but hard to calculate value they have to do with how owning a home lets you stop worrying about rent increases forces you to save money and gives you certain tax benefits and on the flip side how renting means you dont have to worry about the unpredictable costs of maintaining a home anyone trying to make a housing decision should at least think about them a bit before taking or not taking the plunge
suppose you live in a city that you find desirable and could envision living in for a very long time suppose you work in a field in which you cant plausibly expect your income to rise significantly in the decades ahead
that makes a case for buying over renting
we dont know the future of rents and home prices either nationally or for any particular region but one thing we do know is that sometimes rents and prices will skyrocket in a particular place it has happened in new york and san francisco since the 1990s the same happened in los angeles from the 1960s to the 1980s and a century ago one could say the same of chicago and detroit
buying a home is a way of locking in an affordable place to live essentially an insurance policy against escalating rents if you rent you are forever at risk of your regions becoming newly popular attracting an influx of people and high paying jobs that drives up your cost of living beyond what your income can support
of course your region may not be one of those new boom areas in which case this insurance policy would prove unnecessary you could even end up in a place with falling rents and home values like detroit in the last couple of decades but thats the nature of insurance you may pay for it but turn out not to need it
oh and some places have rent control laws that might protect a long term renter but keep in mind those laws can always be changed   and they can create inflexibility making it impossible to move to a more suitable home in the same location without seeing a steep rise in rent
how much is this insurance policy worth if taken to an extreme it could lead you to make bad decisions during the housing boom at the middle of the last decade people used if i dont buy now i wont be able to afford to buy tomorrow as a rationale to overpay for homes
two factors that might help shape your decision
how disruptive would it be for you to move somewhere else the more disruptive the more you should value this insurance against higher rents
how freely does your city allow new home building rents are less likely to increase sharply if the housing supply can rise to meet new demand
sometimes people say that renting is just throwing money away which is a little misleading you could just as easily say that when you buy a home the mortgage interest and property taxes you pay are throwing money away
but that line of thinking does get one dimension of home buying right when you buy a home with a standard mortgage you gradually pay off the balance   slowly at first faster as time goes on someone who takes out a 500000 30 year fixed rate mortgage at 4 percent has paid down about 8000 of debt after one year and 47000 after five years
in terms of a personal balance sheet less debt is equivalent to more savings   assuming the value of the home is stable or rising people who buy houses while in their early 30s with a 30 year mortgage and stay in it will own a valuable asset free and clear when they hit retirement age they could either live rent  or mortgage payment free during retirement or sell the house move somewhere cheaper and have a nice pile of cash savings
theoretically one could construct the same strategy while renting putting money away into a savings or investment account while paying a landlord for a place to live the beauty of owning is that it happens automatically by virtue of paying your mortgage that means less temptation to spend the money instead of saving in a given month you can get access to it through a home equity loan but that requires making the active effort of going to a bank
so if psychologically you find it hard to save and are always tempted to take a vacation rather than plow money into a brokerage account buying a house with borrowed money is a way to trick yourself into doing so and help ensure you have a meaningful net worth when retirement rolls around
suppose you had plenty of cash and were trying to decide whether to buy a home outright or invest most of the money in stocks and bonds and use some of it to pay rent on a home
at first glance renting might make sense the stock market for example has a higher return than real estate historically so in theory that portfolio could pay the rent and keep growing rapidly
but a quirk of the tax code tends to obliterate that advantage when you invest money in financial assets you have to pay taxes on the returns they offer   the interest paid by corporate bonds for example or the dividends from stocks or the capital gains when you sell either for a profit
when you buy a home for your own use the return it pays you   namely giving you a place to live not interest or dividend payments   is tax free this is what economists call imputed rent and it is one of the subtle advantages to buying that is hard to account for in standard buy versus rent analysis
its a little more complicated if you buy a home using a mortgage but the same dynamic applies your down payment could earn a fully taxable return as an investment but give you a tax free return   free rent   if used to buy a home
thats not the end of the favorable tax treatment though if you buy a portfolio of stocks and then sell them at a profit 10 years later you pay capital gains tax on every dollar of what you made but when selling a primary residence at a profit the first 250000 in profits for a single person and first 500000 for a married couple is tax free
the home mortgage interest deduction gets a lot of attention as a distortion of the tax code that makes home buying more attractive but these more subtle dimensions can be just as significant
these have all been quirks of homeownership that tilt the economics in favor of buying but heres an important one that points in the other direction
both renters and homeowners pay costs for maintenance on their properties they just do so in different ways with very different implications
if you rent and the dishwasher breaks your landlord is on the hook to repair or replace it you may ultimately pay the bill in the sense that expected maintenance costs are built into the rent you pay but you have no risk of that number varying depending on luck
homeowners on the other hand face not a set monthly payment covering the costs of repairs and maintenance but a great deal of volatility
an urgent 2000 air conditioner repair bill or even a 15000 roof repair might arise at any time other things like replacing a shabby carpet or applying a fresh coat of paint allow the homeowner more control over when the transaction happens but still its a lumpy pattern of expenditures
most rent versus buy calculators ask users to put in an estimate of monthly maintenance costs for the home they would purchase but the issue is not the expected average of those costs but the possibility of their lumpiness and unpredictability that can be especially problematic for a person who empties savings to buy a home only to need to pay for an expensive repair a few months later
none of these factors alone should be decisive and the basics that you plug into online calculators   like the monthly mortgage payment rent on a comparable place and closing costs   are more important but when its a close call weighing these factors carefully   and how much they apply in your particular case   can help you make a smarter housing decision


summer days are made for meandering museum visits and new additions and locations will offer travelers an e array of gallery spaces and exhibitions in germany new york city and london
the vitra design museum has just opened a new building schaudepot opposite zaha hadids vitra fire station on the vitra campus in weil am rhein germany the ground floor gallery showcases the first permanent display chosen from the museums vast furniture collection including rarely seen works by charles and ray eames along with recent acquisitions like the dutch designer joris laarmans 3d printed aluminum gradient chair and the mali designer cheick diallos segou rocker
in the basement hundreds more furnishings and accessories are visible through glass walls including sculptures and prototypes from the eames estate and classic lamps by alvar aalto among others you get a glimpse of what there is said mateo kries the museums director you see that it goes on and on and on
on june 23 the international center of photography is scheduled to reopen in a two level glass fronted space in new york city across the street from the new museum the debut exhibition public private secret is a constellation of contemporary and historic works alongside social media feeds curated in real time
one room juxtaposes historic mug shots with a stream of modern day police amber alerts and cctv footage historic photography such as the suburban living rooms of larry clarks tulsa series illuminates privacy issues that continue to be debated none of us are being told off in this exhibition about how much we choose to reveal said the curator in residence charlotte cotton its a distinctly empowering exhibition
tate modern will open a new addition to its existing 1950s era power station campus on june 17 switch house a brick clad pyramidal design by herzog  de meuron emphasizes physical and digital interaction visitors can climb into ricardo basbaums steel cages or take in a floor to ceiling multiscreen display of international artists and their work spaces a new tate app will also launch with background on art and artists featured in the museum and navigational tips to guide visitors toward specific works and exhibitions
new displays in the existing boiler house will feature artists outside north america and europe like the painter malangatana ngwenya and his depictions of civil war in mozambique to usher in the new space on june 18 more than 500 singers from london community choirs will perform together inside turbine hall where the museums newest acquisition a 22 foot tall tree sculpture by ai weiwei will stand


when richard zoglin married in 1992 he and his wife charla krupp rented a one bedroom on the upper west side four years later for 435000 they bought a two bedroom co op in a 1915 building in the west 80s
they put up with an assortment of features common to old buildings including squeaky floors and   the worst for mr zoglin   a draft from the windows holding air conditioners over time the building levied some assessments the monthly maintenance fee rose to almost 2750 a month
the couple briefly considered moving in 2011 charla was kind of antsy for something new said mr zoglin 67 a contributing editor at time magazine and its theater critic but she was ill with cancer and died a year later her death mr zoglin said was devastating to me she had been such a force ms krupp was a magazine editor who also wrote the best seller how not to look old grand central publishing 2008
she had been the one who had tended their home i felt that if i ever moved it would be so hard for me because charla wasnt there to pick the apartment to design it to decorate it mr zoglin said
nor was it easy to relinquish the place they had shared but mr zoglin knew he didnt need so much space last winter he decided change would be good for him i thought gosh its been almost four years and i havent done any cleaning out he said i didnt want to be one of those people who stays and stays out of sheer inertia
he considered buying a one bedroom but moving was difficult enough and i didnt need the extra stress of finding a place to buy he said so with the co op on the market for 1595 million it sold for 165 million he decided to hunt for a rental in a different part of the upper west side
he wanted a new building prone to fewer maintenance issues than the old a doorman to receive his many packages and a gym on the premises he preferred a relatively low floor lest he be trapped by elevator failure or have a ride so fast and high it caused uncomfortable ear popping
the dividing line for me was i didnt want another window air conditioning unit he said he needed enough space for his upright piano and round dining table on which he wrote a biography of bob hope called hope entertainer of the century simon  schuster 2014 he is now working on another book on the evolution of the las vegas show as a distinctive form of american popular entertainment
for his budget around 4000 a month and the kind of building he wanted an agent advised him he could do the hunting on his own he could skip the agents fee by going directly to the building or calling its management company
he found riverside south the tower filled enclave along riverside boulevard below west 72nd street too far from public transportation some of the buildings there run shuttle buses to columbus circle but i am always in a rush mr zoglin said he couldnt fathom waiting for a shuttle bus
he liked aire the glassy 43 story tower with a grand lobby that opened in 2010 on west 67th street but when he measured he realized his furniture would not easily fit in the one bedrooms available and he thought the rents for them from around 4000 a month to the mid 5000s were on the high side
in many new buildings he found a lack of room including limited closet space he avoided buildings where the elevators were slow or crowded and he stopped reading building reviews online if he heeded those mr zoglin said i would wind up eliminating every building
in general however i saw nice places in nice buildings he said i didnt have that depressing feeling that some people have when they are on a more limited budget
mr zoglin was seriously tempted by one of the few prewar buildings he visited on central park west in the mid 80s but the 1931 building had window air conditioning units and he decided that it was too similar to his old one
at one lincoln plaza a 1969 building near lincoln center he saw a few different one bedroom layouts and returned several times the apartment house seemed to offer the best combination of price size and location he selected a sunny mid building one bedroom there for 4025 a month the place had the requisite doormen central air conditioning and gym he received one months free rent and negotiated a waiver of the gym fee
i might use the gym just once a week but that once a week means a lot to me he said the building has a pool too
mr zoglin arrived in the winter he is still setting up the apartment with plans to replace the sofa with a sleeper and add a rug to the living room
he misses some of the small shops in his old neighborhood especially the broadway farm market open all night what do you do when you want just some oj and milk he said he makes do with the nearest options   a tiny deli and the grocery section of an enormous duane reade
his new building is a bit fancy for him with staff at the ready to open doors and carry bags i am not a person who needs pampering mr zoglin said when i come in with luggage and boxes i want to carry them up myself theres quite a few older people and im sure they appreciate that but i dont really need it
he worried about disturbing the neighbors with piano noise but has received no complaints recently his piano tuner taught him about the mute pedal i didnt know you could lock it so you can keep it on permanent muffle he said now he does
he hears scraping chairs from a neighbor upstairs fearing he might be doing the same thing to his neighbor below he added padding beneath every single chair leg


when conor mcphersons shining city ran on broadway in 2006 it received some rapturous reviews   and two tony award nominations those of us unlucky enough to have missed mr mcphersons haunting tale of urban isolation then are in luck now the irish repertory theaters revival opens thursday june 9 in a production directed by ciaran oreilly matthew broderick stars as john a grieving widower who visits a neophyte counselor billy carter for help dealing with the ghost of his wife
the show is the first to be presented at irish reps newly renovated theater which has undergone a significant transformation since work began in the fall of 2014 an entertaining blog at campaignirishreporg shows the step by step progress in previews opening thursday june 9 212 727 2737 irishreporg


its almost a cliche to say that a ballerinas arms suggest wings   the technique of ballet itself lends itself to metaphors of lightness and flight its repertory is filled with creatures of the air melancholy swans magical firebirds charming bluebirds even butterflies this season american ballet theater introduces yet another feathered creature to its menagerie the gold plumed rooster in alexei ratmanskys the golden cockerel
the golden cockerel opens midway through a season in which mr ratmanskys works dominate the repertory by july eight of his ballets will have been performed on the met stage but as the recent revival of his 2012 firebird underscored his idea of birdlike movement doesnt necessarily coincide with the familiar 19th century image of fluid arms delicate necks and fluttering feet this is even more true of his golden cockerel
the movement is almost mechanical mr ratmansky said recently at the companys studios very strong brilliant and sharp with fast changes of focus
 alastair macaulays review of the golden cockerel 
in a rehearsal skylar brandt one of four dancers performing the title role slid forward several feet on her pointes then folded her arms back at her sides and flickered her elbows quickly almost like mechanical winglets and finally bent forward at a right angle jerkily like a marionette later she skittered across the studio in a series of blisteringly fast backward traveling leaps again the impression was both brilliant and almost frighteningly inhuman
mr ratmanskys golden bird has a long history onstage and in the literary imagination he a cockerel is a young rooster though hes danced here by a woman is merely the most recent incarnation of a character that first appeared in a folk tale by alexander pushkin another rooster plays a bit part in frederick ashtons la fille mal gardee which just ended its run pushkin began jotting down his old nursemaids stories in the 1820s while in internal exile at the family estate he was being punished for his support of the decembrist revolt against czar nicholas i pushkins tales or skazki are familiar to most russian children as they were to the young mr ratmansky there is even a soviet cartoon version from 1967
its a strange story in which the cockerel plays only a small but crucial part a doddering old czar dodon wants only to sleep it is the russian dream to do nothing and to sleep all the time mr ratmansky said dont forget the winters in russia are long his kingdom is attacked from all sides an astrologer offers a solution a golden cockerel who will crow whenever danger is nigh after repeated warnings dodon marches off to battle a kingdom to the east where he encounters a beautiful princess he falls madly in love and decides to make her his wife when the astrologer demands the princess as his prize dodon kills him then in a magical reversal the cockerel springs to life and kills the czar
in mr ratmanskys version she lands on the czars shoulders and pecks him to death no shes not your usual bashful swan its really fun to kill someone onstage cassandra trenary one of the dancers performing the role said after rehearsal
the moral is hard to unravel what does it mean in part pushkins tale was meant to poke fun at the folly of kings a perennial russian subject but contrary to appearances the golden cockerel didnt start as a russian story rather its an adaptation of a tale by washington irving from his tales of the alhambra 1832 it is both a satire and like the irving version an exotic fable in which magic plays a big part there is this interesting relationship between the astrologer and the queen mr ratmansky explained they are both magicians they come from the same dimension somehow
the storys political undercurrent lingered in the 1907 opera it inspired composed by nikolai rimsky korsakov it is a cartoonish political satire dressed up as a fairy tale in which he pushed his usual musical language   highly colored instrumentation sinuous melodies folk motifs   to a parodic extreme the russia depicted in this opera is a caricature the princeton musicologist simon morrison said in a phone interview adding that the composer contrasts this with a fantasy space of the exotic east in other words nothing in golden cockerel feels remotely real
still the content was troubling enough to alarm the censors and delay its premiere the opera opened in moscow in 1909 after rimsky korsakovs death and was picked up a few years later by the ballets russes in that version from 1914 staged by michel fokine the story was acted out by dancers while the singers and chorus sat in tiers on either side of the stage the separation of the voice from the body made the similarity to puppet theater even more apparent
fokines take was also less political not a satire on royalty he wrote in his memoirs but on human frailty and weakness in general his characters were puppetlike in the style of russian folk art echoed by the productions spectacular designs by the avant garde painter natalya goncharova brilliantly colored vehemently two dimensional almost childlike richard hudsons designs for the current production are based on goncharovas though not as exuberant i simplified some of the backcloths he explained in an email from london to achieve a clear sharp coherent stage picture
in 1937 fokine created a new one act pure dance version without singers the designs again were by goncharova the cockerel which had been represented by a prop bird was now a ballerina on pointe extended excerpts were captured on film you can see them at the public library for the performing arts
fast forward to 2012 when the royal danish ballet asked mr ratmansky to create a new work for the company he was intrigued by the lore surrounding the fokine staging the first knock on the door for me was that fokine said its his best ballet said mr ratmansky who expresses a great love of ballet history i thought it must be a very special thing he went back to watch the footage from the 1930s production and was persuaded to give it a try his own version quotes just a few of fokines movements particularly in the sharp jerky choreography for the cockerel they are like a salute to the ballets past
mr ratmanskys two act ballet opened to mixed reviews in copenhagen in 2012 critics lauded the designs and the characterizations but some complained that there wasnt enough dancing for american ballet theater mr ratmansky has added more even so there is more mime than most contemporary audiences are accustomed to all in the interest of conveying the fantastical story the political subtext is not emphasized i mean what do i do put putin makeup on the king mr ratmansky asked with a wry laugh i wish i could be more daring in that sense but i dont see how i can translate that for me its about the music and visuals and characters
above all the ballet is a gift to the companys current crop of excellent actor dancers including roman zhurbin alexei agoudine the guest gary chryst and the soon to depart victor barbee as brilliant as the role of the cockerel is the ballet belongs to them because even more than a ballet the golden cockerel is a colorful fable told through music and danced mime
the most important thing for us mr ratmansky said is to create a world onstage


the first beethoven sonata i learned as a young pianist was the dramatic pathetique when i started working on it i tried to copy the way the great rudolf serkin played it on a recording i loved there is a place for learning by emulating masters but it can easily become inhibiting fairly early on aspiring musicians must develop their own voices
so when a score that meticulously transcribes every detail of glenn goulds famed 1981 recording of bachs goldberg variations was published recently while i was impressed with the painstaking effort involved i questioned what it was for
whats its purpose for whom is it intended from what we know of gould he would have been baffled even horrified at the idea that a student learning the goldberg variations would precisely mimic his performance he was too restless a thinker to consider any recording of his at all definitive and imitating a pianist as idiosyncratic as gould may not be a good idea for impressionable young musicians
goulds 1981 version issued just days before his death from a stroke at 50 in october 1982 electrified the classical music world nearly as much as his classic 1955 recording had that first version turned what had been considered a harpsichord piece for bach specialists and erudite audiences into an unlikely hit that made the gangly 22 year old canadian a sensation with the new generation the fascination remains judging from a new hip hop remix project of gould recordings by a young music producer
in 1955 his tempos overall were breathless sometimes fanatically fast yet the playing sounds eerily controlled ignoring all the scores repeats gould brought the goldbergs in at just over 38 minutes a performance with the repeats observed and more conventional tempos can last twice as long
gould grew to be deeply dissatisfied with this first recording which was he said in an interview before the 1982 release just too fast for comfort his second take is generally slower mellower and more reflective though his trademark crisp touch and clarity are ever present
gould had given up live concertizing at 31 considering recordings a superior way to allow an artist the freedom to present a personal conception of a work still his 1981 recording was not the equivalent of a glenn gould edition of the goldberg variations many master musicians have prepared performing editions of seminal repertory like the pianist artur schnabels edition of the beethoven sonatas but schnabels markings in the score are intended as suggestions not holy writ he even later referred to the edition as sins of my youth goulds 1981 goldberg is a fiercely individual take on the piece had he lived longer and recorded it again that third take might have been different in other ways goulds mind was too restless to expect otherwise
the 156 page volume edited by nicholas hopkins and recently published by carl fischer however curious has its fascinations goulds embellishments of bachs lines are written out as precisely as possible other markings indicate the recordings dynamics articulations and tempos and since this 1981 recording was also filmed many of goulds fingerings and pedaling choices could be observed and are included in the edition
for comparison on the verso pages the book offers a traditional score of the goldberg variations or to make matters more complicated the closest we have based on scholarly sources since bachs original manuscript is lost the volume also contains a 40 page scholarly essay by mr hopkins examining goulds interpretive practices with regard to the goldbergs and bach in general
in a 2012 article for the new republic the inquisitive pianist jeremy denk wrote that a score is at once a book and a book waiting to be written in bachs time all composers were trained in improvisation and bachs own ingenious improvisations were praised even by those who considered his music overly rigorous and old fashioned ornamentation was a crucial aspect of improvisation bachs scores leave much to the choices and tastes of performers
last year a recording of the goldberg variations by the elegant french pianist alexandre tharaud was released on erato a refreshingly imaginative account you sense a pianist almost making up embellishments and varying articulations and accents on the spot often changing his choices dramatically when a section of a variation is repeated his adventurousness should be an empowering example to young pianists learning the piece who will doubtless play it quite differently
would gould have been perplexed by the scholarly attention his 1981 recording has attracted i asked tim page once a critic and now a professor of journalism and music at the university of southern california and a good friend tim was one of the people the intensely reclusive gould developed phone friendships with now and then during the last years of his life gould would call tim late in the evening and talk for hours
tim was the project consultant for glenn gould a state of wonder the 2002 sony release that paired the pianists 1955 and 1981 goldberg recordings and the new fischer edition has a jacket blurb from tim praising it as a valuable contribution in a phone conversation he agreed that gould would never have considered any recording of his a settled matter
one thing that makes me sad tim said is that glenn never lived to see the internet which he would have loved he almost certainly would have started his own recording website i bet without any interference tim added glenn would have recorded three or four different versions of the same piece and put them all out there for people to listen to and even choose from
indeed in the prospects of recording a 1966 article gould explains his unorthodox attitude about the process he recounts one session in which he recorded eight takes of bachs complex fugue in a minor from the first book of the well tempered clavier two of them number six and eight were complete takes that needed no editing and were deemed satisfactory but listening some weeks later he and the producer agreed that take six was somewhat pompous and take eight rather jubilant and skittish they decided to combine parts of each in the final edit somehow the juxtaposition of approaches and styles resulted in a dynamic synthesis go figure
later in that article gould spins out his fantasy for recordings of the future when a listener would be granted tape edit options he points to the first movement of beethovens fifth symphony if you like bruno walters recording of the exposition section but prefer otto klemperers way with the development which has a different tempo by using pitch speed technology which allows a tempo to be adjusted while keeping pitch accurate you could create an ideal personal amalgam gould argues why not
just as i was considering the questions raised by this new transcription i learned of a radically different project involving goulds recordings with the blessings of the gould estate billy wild a young music producer based in toronto has been engaged in a project to remix goulds output and rebrand him for a new generation using excerpts from various albums and film clips of him playing mixed together with pop riffs mr wild has created modern hip hop tracks from the gould catalog
classical purists may be affronted i find the videos charming and clever a brash jumble of sound and imagery my hunch is that gould would have loved them


for the 400th anniversary in april of shakespeares death the folger shakespeare library in washington perhaps unable to arrange for his exhumed remains to be put on public display produced the next best thing a traveling exhibition of the first folio destined for all 50 states the folio is the first collection of shakespeares plays printed posthumously in 1623 and there are only 234 known copies the folger which owns 82 of them is dispatching a rotating cast of 18 thousands of people nationwide have been lining up to view what the shakespeare scholar emma smith calls his bibliographic embodiment encased in a high tech vitrine to prevent decomposition
the exhibition is precisely the sort of affair that interests smith who observes in shakespeares first folio four centuries of an iconic book oxford university 2995 that many   perhaps a majority   of encounters with the first folio would not be classified as reading  you can do plenty of other things after all with the folio such as buying selling annotating collecting bequeathing inheriting stealing and forging it also writing a 379 page book about it smith concerns herself with all these activities paying special attention to how over time they have invested the book as well as the figure of shakespeare with meaning
for example gifts of the first folio from colonial powers to colonized nations often became culturally problematic another manifestation of imperialisms troubled legacy a copy donated in 1861 to a library in what is now cape town south africa was from the outset kept apart from the general collection subsequently neglected and ultimately surpassed in national significance by the so called robben island bible   a 1970 edition of shakespeares complete works smuggled to political prisoners including nelson mandela by supporters of the african national congress
all this attention to the first folio is well and good but lets not forget the quartos for many of shakespeares plays such as richard iii othello hamlet and king lear there exist not one but two authoritative texts the version in the first folio and a single volume quarto edition sometimes more than one unlike the folio which was published seven years after shakespeares death many of the quartos were published during his lifetime   though also without his participation it seems the problem is that the two versions differ some discrepancies can be substantial involving hundreds of lines others may be small but significant in the 1604 quarto hamlets flesh is too too sallied besieged whereas in the folio its too too solid real of this world
how to construe the relationship for a given play between the two sources and whatever shakespeare had in mind because of the irregularities of jacobean editing and printing processes a traditional approach favored by the literary historian sir brian vickers in the one king lear harvard university 45 is to assume the folio and quarto versions are both corruptions and to draw on both texts along with other resources to try to reconstruct shakespeares original lost intention hamlets flesh ends up being too too sullied or sinful in one such effort a competing school of thought however ascendant among shakespeare scholars since the 1980s views each text as an independent representation of shakespeares vision for the play but at different points in time an early version the quarto and a revision the folio incorporating refinements from stage productions
in the case of king lear vickers staunchly opposes the revision theory claiming it lacks any material evidence the situation with lear roughly speaking is that the quarto 1608 has 285 lines not in the folio while the folio has 100 or so lines not in the quarto for the revisionists the extra lines in the folio are later additions by shakespeare and the missing lines represent his prudent cuts vickers on the other hand believes the extra lines in the folio were supposed to have appeared in the quarto as well and the missing lines in the folio were never supposed to be taken out shakespeare that is wanted to include virtually all the lines varying between the two sources
vickerss argument for his theory might sound fanciful if it werent advanced with such expertise on the basis of elaborate typographical scrutiny he speculates that the printer of the quarto nicholas okes was forced to cut lines because he underestimated the amount of paper he would need for the play okess desperate attempts to squeeze the text   using mechanical space saving techniques as well as editorial tricks like setting passages of verse as prose   had come up short vickers devotes some 150 pages to this argument demonstrating that the lear quarto has an unusually high incidence of ad hoc compressions even by jacobean printing standards as for the lines missing from the folio he concludes relying on less technical evidence that they are a result of officious editorial interventions thus the two texts of lear should be merged   which was standard editorial practice from the 18th century until the revisionists came along   re establishing the one lear shakespeare intended
murky as shakespeare the author can be shakespeare the man is an even darker pond the history of shakespearean biography writes the english professor adam g hooks is a history of failure this is not a lament as hooks explains in selling shakespeare biography bibliography and the book trade cambridge university 9999 he wants to advance a new type of biography or biblio biography a story of how 17th  and 18th century stationers booksellers and bibliographers who were in the business of creating and marketing authorial personas gave rise to shakespeares life in print
in practice this means hooks is interested less in speculation about say shakespeares lost years 1585 92 and more in figures like the stationer andrew wise who took the unusual and consequential step of adding shakespeares name to the title pages of his plays as a result of wises particular trade practices and the aesthetic niche he cultivated in the book market he helped transform shakespeare from a poet known for a sweet hony tongued style to a playwright associated with formidable characters like richard iii and falstaff
other scholars are sticking to the quest for the actual shakespeare the archivist robert bearman in shakespeares money how much did he make and what did this mean oxford university 3495 offers a surprisingly affecting portrait although there exists very little of the sort of documentation you would need to write a traditional biography patchy records of shakespeares business dealings do survive these include such pulse quickening affairs as the purchase of new place the second largest house in stratford upon avon the addenbrooke case recovering a debt of 6 pounds plus 4 shillings in damages the welcombe enclosures protecting his property income the curious acquisition of the blackfriars gatehouse and his dabbling in the local malt trade
unpromising as this material might seem bearman uses it to suggest an endearing side of shakespeare the social striver working frantically not to achieve recognition for his contributions to english theater but rather to elevate his family from a lowly position in part a result of his fathers business failure in the 1580s to that of a gentleman capable of living comfortably off income from investments that shakespeare never quite achieved this aim while still succeeding in restoring his family to respectable status as minor gentry makes the story only more poignant shakespeare in debt would have been a better movie
the question might now occur to you does anyone you know read these plays any more in his lightly erudite and consistently imaginative hamlet fold on fold yale university 35 the novelist gabriel josipovici restores the faith should he he wonders provide a static analysis of hamlet and thereby risk losing touch with the plays relentless forward motion or should he just go along for the ride and thereby risk being carried not towards understanding but away from it josipovici who sees in his predicament a parallel with hamlets own quandary chooses to do both reading through the play section by section or fold on fold in his preferred terminology offering commentary along the way its fun like watching the play with a clever friend whispering in your ear


i know someone who knows someone who slept naked with james baldwin my best friend cate grew up hearing stories about jimmy her mothers cuddle buddy whod occasionally drop by the house in this way ive always felt that cate was introduced to the literary world before she could even read and it didnt just come from her mother her father used to get hammered with norman mailer
to be clear there is nothing of the debutante in cate her family lived in a modest massachusetts fishing town her mother was a poet and professor who knew baldwin from graduate school her father was in the coast guard and would run into mailer in provincetown but she was given something precious early in life   something i hold responsible for her staunch belief in herself as an artist a literary inheritance
there are of course writers like nabokov who are born into a literary lineage but a birthright of intellectual and aesthetic training can be handed down even in the face of deep disadvantage ive heard andre dubus iii who spent a scrappy and violent youth in mill towns along the merrimack river speak fondly of the barroom brawlers he regards as his role models but also of the extraordinary if distant father he had in andre dubus who counted kurt vonnegut and john irving among his closest friends mary karr has documented the chaos of her childhood in her memoirs   how her mother tried to stab her with a butcher knife how her father had to pay down his bill at the pharmacy in 5 installments how lean times meant squirrel on the dinner table but their home was also filled with books and opera in an interview with the book review she said that discovering writers like shakespeare and langston hughes in childhood eased a prickly reality
for other writers cultural inheritance comes formally through schooling james baldwin was mentored by countee cullen who taught him in middle school george saunders who worked for his familys fast food franchise chicken unlimited in his youth and went on to study engineering got his literary training only when he enrolled in syracuses mfa program as recently as 2013 i heard him speak about the urgency he feels to catch up to his fellow writers
although there were a great many things to be thankful for in my childhood and my parents gave me everything they could there was no literary inheritance to speak of my father was a greek immigrant to america a welder who came to own his own business i am among the first in my family to graduate from college as a result ive often felt myself left behind   untutored fraudulent but the truth is that anyone who makes a life of writing eventually finds her inheritance of culture mine just came a little later like saunderss through that great equalizer education
i have been wondering recently about how many other writers share my story were reluctant to out ourselves because what wed be revealing is our lack of refinement our own ignorance i was deep into my 20s before i fully understood the cultural importance of the new yorker
but i see my experience as an immigrant into the world of letters as a blessing being an outsider is the origin of my imagination it gives me the constant consciousness that my perspective is only one of many and that there are myriad ways of being in the world it grants me the gift of being attuned to the voices in the room as well as all of those shut out of it
for nearly 15 years ive worked with high school students who are low income first generation to college while their more privileged peers grew up being dragged to museums and casually absorbing the names of great writers my students are forced to play a frantic game of catch up they have to ingest entire bodies of knowledge in only a few years   to say nothing of overcoming a plethora of inheritances i am fortunate to know nothing about racism systemic oppression poverty failing schools
i dont mean to suggest that having a parent who passes down stories about james baldwin or reads aloud from roald dahl or dickens guarantees inevitable success literary or otherwise only that these experiences matter there is something important in hearing the names of writers in your parents mouths in having certain books in your home in encountering art in a shared intimate way that conditions you to make art yourself without this early immersion the notion of becoming an artist might be unfathomable because making art is so audacious
i still have to convince myself that a life of writing is worthy and that i am worthy of it my grandfather farmed grapes and olives my parents and sisters wake up at 4 in the morning to get to their jobs i was raised to understand work as having direct and immediate impact and the truth about writing is that it takes decades sometimes longer before you can collect your harvest a life of writing is and is not a privilege it is and is not a luxury to do this work in the darkness lately i have been trying to tell myself that an honest days work for me means achieving honesty on the page in planting something that may in time offer nourishment to someone perhaps even a fellow immigrant


however busy life gets summer still offers the promise somehow of leisure time with a book in hand i asked people about what theyre looking forward to should that time materialize
dean baquet the executive editor of the times said he was eager to read ce morgans sprawling new novel the sport of kings i dont know anything about horse racing but this sounds like a big southern story of race and history baquet said who can resist a book that dwight garner says is so compelling it could sustain a television mini series
ben brantley the timess chief theater critic has a new release and a classic lined up just now   amid the surreal and petty squalor of this election year   im feeling an aching need for the sort of big picture as in life and death perspective that don delillo provides so im delighted that his zero k is waiting for me he said and i plan to quench my summer thirst for stormy 19th century passion and thwarted psyches by finally rereading charlotte brontes strange anguished villette which left me reeling when i first encountered it in college
stephanie danlers debut novel sweetbitter has caught the eye of maria russo the book reviews childrens books editor i have the impression this book about a young yearning waitress is the literary equivalent of a sit down lunch at a nice downtown restaurant sophisticated but not too fancy just the thing to shore up my waning faith that some of the time tested pleasures can still be had even in a radically transformed manhattan russo said parul sehgal the book reviews senior editor named the end of days a gloomy and tricksy novel by the german writer jenny erpenbeck which was published in translation in 2014 and has acquired a kind of cultlike following its five novels in one   each one detailing the death of the same unnamed heroine
quotable
i hope hell keep at it and write some more stuff because this is a guy whos got a real future   joe hill novelist and son of stephen king on his father in an interview with npr
adapting cradle
this week kristin hannah reviews noah hawleys new novel before the fall hawley has written five novels starting with a conspiracy of tall men in 1998 but hes become famous in recent years as the creator and showrunner of the tv series fargo hes now adapting kurt vonneguts cats cradle for the small screen conventional wisdom has it that tv is taken more seriously now than ever which makes it a fitting home for vonnegut who often fought for respectability in 1963 terry southern reviewed cats cradle in these pages concluding it is work of a far more engaging and meaningful order than the melodramatic tripe which most critics seem to consider serious 


american hotels have long appealed to families with childrens play areas and special menus but then suggested accommodations in grand suites or adjoining rooms to handle the clan now the hospitality industry is catching up to family demand as well as to european resorts where triple or quad rooms often booked by families are common
today the amenity war between hotel brands is being fought in the configuration of the guest rooms said chekitan dev a marketing professor at the cornell university school of hotel administration
the just opened asbury hotel in asbury park nj offers family rooms with tents children can sleep in and bunk rooms accommodating up to eight renovated in late 2014 the garland hotel in north hollywood in los angeles added four family suites with nooks for bunk beds tvs and dvd players and the water park chain great wolf lodge offers a variety of family rooms from those stocked with diaper genies pack n plays and swim diapers to bunk beds in wolf themed dens
in urban areas the rise of cheap chic hostels such as freehand in chicago and miami or safestay in edinburgh and other cities in britain present affordable options including rooms with multiple bunks even the linq hotel  casino in las vegas has added 12 rooms with bunk beds starting at 69 a night
whether your family plans to travel domestically this summer or further afield the following new and improved hotels and resorts offer more than just shelter you might find a lion next door your own horse or smores at evening bonfires
named in homage to the methodist camp meetings held in the cottage filled oak bluffs area since the early 1800s the new 95 room summercamp hotel has revitalized the 19th century wesley hotel its bright playful decor features nostalgic accents like wall mounted vintage tennis rackets and archery bows dragonfly print drapes platform beds with marine rope for bedposts and child friendly bunk beds porches wrap the hotel which overlooks the harbor but for those who want more action theres ping pong twister movie screenings in the recreation hall and cornhole games on the lawn the hotel lacks a restaurant but stocks its camp canteen with retro snacks including cracker jacks penny candy and dreamsicles rooms from 149 summercamphotelcom
beach loving families will find gulf of mexico views from all of the 230 rooms at the shorefront opal sands resort each done in tones of driftwood and sea blue chairs and cabanas are available for rent at the beach where the shallow and often calm water attracts swimmers theres also a zero entry pool which gradually slopes deeper like a natural beach and poolside food service other restaurants include the italian sea guini which has a pasta making station and the beachside sandbar with live music on weekends the resort is near the clearwater marine aquarium home to the stars of the movie dolphin tale and its sequel and it is about a 10 minute walk to pier 60 which stages a nightly sunset festival with street performers including musicians and jugglers rooms from 269 opalsandscom
a convenient base for exploring nearby acadia national park or taking a whale watching or lobstering tour in family friendly bar harbor harborside hotel spa  marina offers country club style amenities with a casual spirit guests have access to the bar harbor club with an oceanfront swimming pool tennis courts and a club for children 5 to 12 among its 193 rooms five kids suites which include a separate room with a bunk bed tv dvd player and video game console were recently added to the hotel four new boathouse suites offer more space with two bedrooms a full kitchen and a rooftop patio with a hot tub located in town the resort is within walking distance of shops and restaurants and frequently hosts evening bonfires with smores rooms from 239 theharborsidehotelcom
offering an all inclusive vacation with a western accent dude ranches not only have horseback riding but plenty of wide open space for children to roam the home ranch near steamboat springs in northwestern colorado assigns each member of the family age 6 and up a horse for the week rugged activities such as hiking and fly fishing are balanced by resort like amenities including a heated outdoor pool counselors running the childrens program offer activities until 9 pm daily and teens have their own program which might include rock climbing or barrel racing the ranch recently planted an organic farm supplying the kitchen with fresh produce and serving as a demonstration garden accommodations include lodge rooms and log cabins rates from 6920 for two people for seven nights the minimum stay in the summer homeranchcom
the portland based hospitality group the mighty union the creative and management company behind ace hotel portland is reviving a rustic resort in the deschutes national forest of central oregon with a strong sense of play and an affinity for good food suttle lodge  boathouse is to open in late june on suttle lake with 11 lodge rooms six two story lakefront cabins and eight budget cabins with a shared bathhouse on 155 acres the chef joshua mcfadden of ava genes restaurant in portland will oversee the food including the locavore boathouse restaurant a 36 mile hiking trail rings the lake and guests can take to the water via canoe kayak or paddleboard expect naturalist talks and tours and stargazing with an astronomer rooms from 125 thesuttlelodgecom
thoughts of a family vacation dont usually bring a french wine estate to mind but the chateau st pierre de serjac in the languedoc region fresh from a two year 31 million renovation caters to families with a heated pool loaner bikes and in july and august a kids club and supervised childrens dinners the 19th century chateau on 200 acres with vineyards and orchards houses eight guest rooms several outbuildings including the stables and barns have been repurposed to host 36 apartments with two to four bedrooms or stand alone homes with private pools the larger accommodations include full kitchens but the property also offers a restaurant and bar rooms from 295 euros about 325 serjaccom
many zoos offer occasional camp outs to sleep near the animals but this summer the zsl london zoo is introducing gir lion lodge nine cottages available for overnight stays near the habitat of the asiatic lions of the gir forest of india residency comes with two meals   dinner and breakfast   and guided walks in the zoo including tours at sunset at night by flashlight and in the morning before the zoo opens the colorful cabins sleep four overnights are available six nights each week from may 25 through december and will run from february through december in 2017 children must be 5 or older rates start at 378 pounds for two about 550 with each additional child PS50 zslorg
on the slim seven mile long island of north bimini about 50 miles south of miami the main modes of transportation are golf cart and bike explore it from the new 305 room hilton at resorts world bimini opening this month with three pools including a lazy river and a rooftop pool and six restaurants beachcombing snorkeling and diving are the real attractions and the resort also offers kayaking paddleboarding and a kids club families can tour the bimini sharklab a biological research station to view juvenile lemon and nurse sharks for now travelers reach the island via floatplane or regular commercial air though ferry travel is expected this summer rooms from 229 rwbiminicom
opened last winter the 299 room jw marriott los cabos beach resort  spa channels a vast contemporary beach house with lots of outdoor living space including furnished balconies off the rooms among 10 swimming pools two are earmarked for families and another for children nayaa club offers activities for children and teenagers ranging from treasure hunts to spanish lessons zumba classes and tennis games restaurants include mexican and seafood focused grill options a 45 room hotel within the hotel griffin club includes a game room movie theater private beach and pool the resort is on the quieter end of los cabos and near the town of san jose where local families frequently gather in the town square in the evenings rooms from 460 jwmarriottloscaboscom


a four bedroom postmodern house in cologne
185 million 165 million euros
the german architect heinz bienefeld designed this four bedroom three and a half bath house which is in the residential neighborhood of mungersdorf in western cologne built in 1981 the three level brick house has sanded red brick floors floor to ceiling windows and a simple geometric design which are all typical of mr bienefelds work
the front door of the 3337 square foot house opens into a long rectangular entrance hall a hallway runs to brick steps leading down to the main living area which is framed by 13 foot tall floor to ceiling glass windows with views of the garden the central section of the house is designed around an atrium
the kitchen is off the hallway on the ground floor and has stone countertops and modern appliances there is a separate delivery entrance for the kitchen the dining room across the main hallway from the kitchen is open to the living room off the dining room is a round room lined with cushioned seats with a fireplace and a glass chandelier
a brick staircase leads upstairs to the master bedroom which has an en suite bathroom and a dressing room from the bedroom glass doors lead to a circular balcony with views of the garden another bedroom upstairs is used as an office or library
in addition to a guest bedroom on the ground floor there are two more bedrooms in the basement which receives daylight through the glass walls surrounding the atrium there is also a wine cellar in the basement as well as a workshop and storage space
the overall property is about one fifth of an acre including the lawn and gardens in the backyard which is surrounded by a brick wall there is a garage big enough for three cars the current owner   who is the original owner   installed a new heating system about seven years ago said tobias schulze the managing director of cologne sothebys international realty which is listing the property the furniture is not included in the price but some pieces may be available for sale he said
mungersdorf is one of the most expensive neighborhoods in cologne mr schulze said the west of cologne is very green mostly large detached houses close to the city forest he said shopping restaurants schools and a subway stop are about a mile from the house the center of the city is reachable in about 10 minutes by subway the cologne airport is about a 30 minute drive the larger international airport in dusseldorf is 45 minutes
market overview
homeownership in germany is traditionally lower than in other european countries which has kept sales volume and prices low only 53 percent of germans own their homes compared with an average of 70 percent in the rest of europe according to european union data
but there has been a surge in home purchases in recent years because of low interest rates on mortgages and the lack of returns on savings the number of new mortgages issued in 2015 increased by 22 percent from a year earlier according to the deutsche bundesbank
people would rather buy property than put money in the bank said brigitte kunkel griffin the owner of german property services a real estate firm in the rhine region
the supply of available homes is low which has sent prices soaring particularly in the big cities as more people move from rural to urban areas in germanys largest cities   berlin hamburg and munich   prices have increased by 30 percent in the last five years according to bulwiengesa a consulting firm
not enough homes were built in germany during the last decade said alexander rychter the director of vdw rheinland westfalen association of housing companies in rhineland and westphalia add to that an increasing interest of germans to get into the cities and you get to the present situation with very dynamic housing markets and prices that keep rising fast
in cologne germanys fourth largest city prices in the most popular neighborhoods have risen by 30 percent to 35 percent in the last four years and now range from 465 euros to 650 euros or 521 to 729 a square foot mr schulze said cologne is home to several large german corporations including the airline lufthansa and the media company rtl television
who buys in cologne
cologne doesnt attract many international buyers mr schulze said about 85 percent of his clients already live in cologne or within 60 miles
south of cologne in the rhine region which is a popular vacation and second home destination international buyers are much more common ms kunkel griffin said more than 50 percent of her clients are from english speaking countries primarily from britain the united states and australia recently she has also seen an increase in buyers from the middle east who are looking for second homes and a stable investment many international buyers see german real estate as a relatively safe investment compared with the stock market or property in other countries ms kunkel griffin says
buying basics
there are no restrictions on foreigners buying property in germany the process follows european union standards and there will be few surprises for international buyers mr schulze said
an impartial notary handles the bulk of the paperwork hiring a lawyer is recommended but not essential agents said mortgages are available but foreigners may be asked to pay 20 percent to 40 percent of the purchase price upfront ms kunkel griffin said
property records are easily accessible making it simple to track ownership and confirm the title agents say
the acquisition of property is concluded as soon as the change of ownership is signed into the land charge register mr rychter said registers are transparent and well organized so that ownership is distinctly identifiable at all times
websites
cologne tourism site colognede
german tourism site germanytravel
language and currency
german euro 1 euro  112
taxes and fees
in the state of north rhine westphalia which includes cologne there is a property purchase tax of 65 percent of the sales price the sellers agent and the buyers agent each typically receive a commission of 3 percent of the purchase price plus value added tax registration and notary fees may add another 15 percent to 2 percent to the purchase costs property taxes on this house will likely be about 5000 euros or 5600 a year mr schulze said
contact
tobias schulze cologne sothebys international realty 011 49 221 997 73 50 koeln sothebysrealtyde


vero beach fla
what a waterfront contemporary with three bedrooms and three bathrooms
how much 2250000
size approximately 2700 square feet in the main house and 400 square feet in the outbuilding
price per square foot 726
setting vero beach is a coastal city in central florida about 100 miles from orlando the city straddles the mainland and a barrier island across the intracoastal waterway this house is on the island side in a beachfront neighborhood where the housing is a mix of midcentury design and large new construction the house is on bethel creek which connects to the waterway about two blocks away and within a mile of the beach shopping and dining and the citys art museum
indoors the clean lined contemporary was built in 2012 a concrete structure clad in stucco dark brick and cedar it was designed by sanders pace architecture of knoxville tenn the winner of several awards from the american institute of architects on the state and regional levels including three for this house
the floor plan is l shaped and open plan cradling a front courtyard ceilings are 10 feet tall almost everywhere except the living area where the height is 22 feet walls of windows and sliding glass doors on opposing walls of the living area give the space a gallery like feel with views of the waterway and access to a patio and dock floors on the first floor are polished concrete the custom cherry cabinets throughout were made by forrest forms of vero beach the door hardware and hinges are concealed for a clean seamless look
the kitchens extensive custom storage is made of parapan a solid acrylic the countertops are corian the stainless steel appliances are mostly thermador and sub zero the floor between the island and the range is cork to give the cooks feet a break from the polished concrete the lighting and window shades can be operated by a tablet or a phone
the wall of glass continues from the living area into the master bedroom which is partitioned off by two 10 foot pocket doors the bedroom is part of a suite with a dressing area with extensive closets shelves and drawers and a bathroom with a glass enclosed shower and a double vanity
the other first floor bedroom also has an en suite bathroom the third bedroom is in the loft overlooking the living room which is reached by an open staircase with cast concrete treads here the floor is ipe wood while the wall conceals a remote controlled murphy bed made by zoom room this bedroom also has an en suite bathroom
the property has a free standing structure used as a workshop and a two car garage
outdoor space the lot is about a half acre with a dock and a waterfront yard shaded by a massive old growth live oak
taxes 16177 in 2015
contact jane schwiering and lucy hendricks berkshire hathaway homeservices florida realty 772 473 6048  772 559 8812 bhhsfloridarealtycom

franklin tenn
what a neoclassical house with three bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms a three bedroom log cabin and a banquet hall
how much 2250000
size 4985 square feet in the main house about 12000 square feet overall
price per square foot 188
setting franklin is a city about 20 miles south of nashville this house is a few miles from franklins downtown a historic district lined with low lying brick buildings cobblestone streets and brick sidewalks cozy bars and an art deco theater between this property and downtown are a golf course and a civil war battlefield now a park
indoors the white brick house built in 1835 is on the national register of historic places most of the interior is original including oak and pine floors brass door hardware and several fireplaces other features like ornate chandeliers in the common rooms and tennessee marble in the bathrooms were selected to complement the original design
the proportions in the common rooms are grand with 12 foot ceilings in the living room the dining room and the library all of which are more than 350 square feet in size and have large pocket doors to close them off from the spacious entry hall many of the rooms have egg and dart molding possibly added during a 1905 renovation double doors in the dining room open to the porch
the kitchen has exposed brick walls and ceiling joists features discovered during renovations that began about 10 years ago among the rooms updated appliances is an old fashioned looking cast iron aga stove most other appliances are hidden behind extensive wood cabinetry which continues into the butlers pantry off the kitchen is a family room
bedrooms are upstairs the master is part of a suite with a dressing area with a walk in closet that makes use of hardwoods recycled from other parts of the house three additional bedrooms are in an 1833 log cabin about 20 feet from the main house the interior of which is almost entirely original preserved over the years also on the property is a banquet hall with a den a smokehouse and a carriage house now used as a workshop
outdoor space the property is about six and a half acres manicured and landscaped with a pool a fence runs along the perimeter part of which is dotted with oaks
taxes 10707 in 2015
contact donnel milam the milam group at fridrich  clark realty 615 400 4211 themilamgroupcom

salt lake city
what a house with four bedrooms and five and a half bathrooms
how much 2250000
size 7169 square feet
price per square foot 314
setting this 1924 house is in a section called the avenues just outside downtown salt lake city named for its neat grid like plan the neighborhood is one of the oldest in the city known for its eclectic mix of queen annes craftsman bungalows and other examples of early 20th century architecture bars and restaurants ranging from tibetan to american gastro pub are within a few blocks
indoors the stucco house a neat orderly take on a storybook cottage was designed by georgius young cannon a salt lake city architect whose designs include renovations to the beehive house where brigham young once lived
the interior is defined by raked concrete ceilings and walls barrel vaulted ceilings dark woodwork and arched doorways all original to the house the leaded glass windows and solid wood doors are original too
the house faces west with views of the sunset downtown and the state capitol
the living room has a wall of dark wood shelves as well as a wood burning fireplace doors open to a deck the floors in most of the house are dark wood matching the doors trim and window frames updates occurred within the last 10 years
the kitchen has a wall of windows facing the yard the stainless steel appliances include a hidden sub zero drawer the tiles on the ranges backsplash were salvaged from a monastery in france the antique sconces are from karla katz antiques in new orleans glass doors open to a cutting garden with roses and peonies in front of the house the first floor also has a sunroom with a brick floor and a wood burning stove
two bedrooms including the master suite are on the first floor the master bedroom has a fireplace and a barrel vaulted ceiling and opens to the back deck a third bedroom is on the second floor and the fourth in what was once the attic with dormer windows and plenty of sun the basement is fully finished with an exercise room a playroom a family room and an art room as well as a wine vault
outdoor space the lot is a little more than a half acre with a tiered garden and stone paths leading to a broad backyard with a large japanese maple
taxes approximately 13400 a year
contact cody derrick cityhomecollective 801 718 5555 cityhomecollectivecom


on a sunny sunday afternoon in early spring my younger daughter rosie climbed up inside an airplane out the hatch on top and out onto the wing where she waved to catch my attention think i can do it mama she didnt wait for my answer before jumping off six feet down into the sand pit below then she climbed up and did it again
we live in berlin near the former tempelhof airport in a neighborhood of colorful rowhouses called the fliegerviertel flyers quarter our local playground is on theme year round children climb in up over and out of its handcrafted wooden airplanes and helicopters but our fliegerspielplatz is just the playground around the corner there are about 1850 public playgrounds in berlin a city of nearly four million inhabitants of which about half a million are under 18 statistically this is a great ratio especially compared with other more densely populated european cities but sheer quantity is not what makes berlin a playground paradise
guided by what most german parents consider a healthy chance for children to mitigate risk in the interest of developing selbststandigkeit self sufficiency   or what some american parents might deem a total lack of concern for child safety   playgrounds here are physically challenging and ambitious in design and they spring up where you least expect them like wildflowers in empty lots all over the city to uninitiated adults some of the best ones might even seem a little scary but to kids pure fun a tour provides a window into local parenting attitudes   and berlin culture
i have two girls ages 6 and 12 on our regular beat the witches playground in schoneberg a hip neighborhood in old west berlin which features a teetering tower with no safety net and a long dramatic zip line the pippi longstocking playground built in the colorful style of the villa villekulla a huge wooden pirate ship with freestyle rope bridges a climbing structure carved into boulders in a park and our best kept secret tucked behind the busy urban marketplace at winterfeldtplatz a massive three story jungle gym made up entirely of black rubber flaps and metal springs
saturdays we take picnics to gleisdreieck an old train yard spread across elevated tracks in the middle of the city that has recently been turned into a huge park a kind of high line on steroids there is dappled sunshine underneath the trees there and a rambling postmodern playground made of repurposed rail ties and if we have the time for a proper adventure we take the s bahn the overground subway to the end of the wannsee line then we take a small ferry across the havel river to a suburban neighborhood called kladow where the rauberspielplatz with its curling slides and long crooked balance beams is built right into the riverbank or we head north to the kletterwald a climbing forest worthy of robinson crusoe in jungfernheide a large park there we pay a small fee for the children to be strapped into harnesses and play on a network of zip lines and balance beams stretched high up in the trees
but the mother of all berlin playgrounds is the abenteuerlicher bauspielplatz kolle 37 in prenzlauer berg hipster parents central in former east berlin its a work in progress built by children themselves and no parent is allowed inside the gates we leave a cellphone number and go for a walk while our children pick up hammers and nails and contribute to an ever expanding wooden structure that would not be out of place in the recent mad max remake splinters be damned sometimes the adult volunteers who run the place offer special projects like making mud bricks by hand or constructing a windmill sometimes the children roast stockbrot bread on a stick over an open bonfire mostly they just do as they please isnt that the whole idea
public space in germany is not held hostage by liability lawsuits berlin playgrounds are not designed by lawyers thus they offer an opportunity for exploration that is well   playful its enough to make some of my american visitors many who admit to being helicopter parents one friend giddily describes herself as a black hawk   weak at the knees
when my older daughter bella was rosies age she spent hours playing house with her friends at the snow white village playground around the corner from our old place it bears mentioning that house is still called mutter vater kind in german even though this is 2016 and kids play the game with variable configurations of mothers fathers and children rosie is less interested in fantasy games her thing is to dominate the zip line flying along with her feet off the ground or to climb the highest possible slide and then speed down it backward on her stomach cross legged or singing lass jetzt los   let it go from the movie frozen   at the top of her lungs
every child is different but in the united states the sameness of playgrounds is striking rubber composite surfaces have generally replaced the mulch of my childhood and the smooth metal jungle gyms often seem to have been forged in a single factory once when we were visiting my parents in massachusetts my daughters complained of boredom until they discovered an enormous spider web climbing structure on a cambridge side street they were soon halfway up it then a woman came by and warned me that a child had recently fallen off and since then the neighborhood had abandoned the place after she was gone i noticed the plaque on the lower rungs of the spider web made in berlin
accidents can happen anywhere staff members at my local emergency room admitted that they see injuries each summer from a slippery granite area at one nearby playground certainly german parents would agree with american ones that the world can be a scary place but the prevailing wisdom here is that overprotecting children only makes it more not less dangerous for them they need to learn to protect themselves this extends beyond the playground six year olds are regularly sent to pick up breakfast rolls at the bakery on their own most children walk themselves to their neighborhood school
this relaxed attitude toward child rearing runs counter to the stereotype of germans as uptight but its true across the board children learn to read in first grade in germany and parents are not inclined to teach them earlier pressure is a dirty word playtime is key fresh air is everything playgrounds are full of children come rain or shine even in winter when the snowsuits are out in full force and you will not see berlin parents hovering over their little ones no they will be drinking coffee and reading the newspaper on a bench that said if a child does get hurt in a local playground any nearby parent will rush to help there is still at least in my view a strong collective sense of responsibility for children in german public spaces
i have lived in this city now for 13 years im no black hawk mom but i have my moments for example it wasnt easy for me to allow bella to make her own way to school on public transportation when she was 10 halfway through fifth grade i would have been perfectly happy for her to stay on the school bus until high school graduation but she begged to my german husband it was about time i insisted on a cellphone a buddy system and regular texts in the end bella was proud to master the subway   and i was proud of her for doing so
on hot summer afternoons we head to the playground inside the britzer garten an extravagant park located like an oasis in gritty neukolln the playground there is a sprawling expanse of waterways and pressure sensitive fountains another warm weather favorite is the spray park by nordbahnhof in mitte not far from the brandenburg gate where children climb up on colorful fish and slide down their wet tails lucky for my two each of our key playgrounds has a great ice cream shop nearby hokey pokey vanille  marille berlin homemade die eismacher and fraulein frost all provide maximum pleasure on warm afternoons im from boston so i know what im talking about did i mention that a single cone in berlin costs only about 120 euros about 135 including sprinkles
when my girls were very little we lived in leafy charlottenburg and i spent a great deal of time at one particular playground on a residential street called knesebeckstrasse it had a knights castle a big sandbox a couple of swings and a zip line after a few months of hanging out on a bench there with my coffee i suddenly noticed the obvious the zip line is stretched between two buildings and the whole playground is built into a bombed out space between them where once a third building must have stood having noticed this there i noticed it everywhere so many playgrounds in berlin occupy the empty spaces left behind after the destruction of homes during world war ii sometimes you can even see where the bomb must have fallen and track the path of the fire
the conversion of blighted places into space to play speaks to the special resilience of this postwar postwall city berlin might not be traditionally beautiful like paris and rome or generally upscale like london but the visibility of its complicated history is unique layers of urban archaeology laid bare in so many other european capitals there is no room to play at all
this past year at least 80000 refugees have settled in berlin shifting the citys character again camps have been set up in almost every neighborhood the biggest one is near us so new families are discovering the wooden airplanes at the fliegerspielplatz every day sometimes i feel im watching history being made in real time but my children just take it in stride when bella came home recently with a dance routine shed learned from a new syrian girl in her class i asked what language they had used to communicate mama she laughed you dont need to speak the same language to talk about dancing
so things are evolving quickly in berlin children from all over the world are filling up the empty spaces now they are making mischief in the villa villekulla and swinging from the bows of pirate ships they are testing their limits and taking in the fresh air
the senate department for urban development and the environment provides an overview of berlin playgrounds in english on its website stadtentwicklungberlindeumweltstadtgruenkinderspielplaetzeindexenshtml
for day trip planning the following german websites offer descriptions photographs and street addresses for playgrounds pinned on interactive maps of the city ihrspielplatzde or spielplatztreffdespielplaetzeberlin
a couple of my favorite playgrounds have their own websites
the adventure playground in prenzlauer berg kolle37de
the climbing forest in charlottenburg waldhochseilgarten jungfernheidedeenglishhtml
our local beat is the area north and west of the old tempelhof airport field in addition to the playgrounds mentioned in the article our children love one on the south side of victoria park enter through a biergarten called golgatha at dudenstrasse 40 64 also another at chamissoplatz where there is a lovely organic market on saturday mornings both are in kreuzberg
no summer trip to the playground is complete without ice cream and berlin is having a boom in excellent homemade flavors consult this list organized by neighborhood before you set out stilinberlinde201406berlins best ice cream guidehtml


sometimes rowdy parades random eruptions of jazz and traffic jams involving cross dressing belles on the way to a krewe ball are just what a family vacation calls for it is this unapologetic sass in fact that makes children fall head over heels in love with new orleans
once they see rainbow colored houses and adults sporting what looks like halloween apparel even outside of mardi gras season without anyone so much as offering a querulous double take they understand that this is no slog through museums type of trip in fact no need to enter a museum at all
though the city has many outstanding institutions the best interaction with nolas curious brew of culture happens right in the street its promenading past the historic homes of the garden district weaving through the career buskers in jackson square locating   and dancing to   a brass band performance on frenchmen street after dark each neighborhood has a flavor and exploring the various pockets gritty glam and everything in between is the main event
new orleanss reputation as the ultimate american party town is part of its charm even to families with young children but not in a knock back shots on bourbon street kind of way its the mood the quirky mash up of cultures   french spanish caribbean and american south   lends an exuberance to the tourist experience its also an excellent jumping off point for teaching moments while children are spellbound by beignets and bowling to live swamp pop a creolecajunrockabilly musical genre unique to louisiana parents can stealthily work in discourse on colonialism and position nouvelle orleans as a microcosm of the melting pot called america
here an itinerary that melds street culture history art food and entertainment
the heart of new orleans is the vieux carre also known as the french quarter
kick off the day at cafe du monde the landmark coffee shop that has been serving up sugar dusted beignets since 1862 though a tourist magnet the beignet symbolizes the citys french roots you wont be disappointed then cross the street and hit jackson square an open air artist colony teeming with street performers this is the moment that children notice that new orleans is a different kind of city sure the colorful creole architecture registers but its the kooky mary poppins meets pirates of the caribbean vibe a dreamscape of jugglers artists musicians and magicians that makes them prick up their ears with delight
take in the scene family portraits are a fun souvenir and then get ready for a 30 minute tour through the cobblestone streets of the french quarter if a fact filled wander about town sounds like pure punishment think again for children learning about the past can be fascinating if the setting is right taking in the sights from a carriage is decidedly cool so is picking out the mule leading your expedition
then there is the delivery the drivers of royal carriages are veterans at winning over a pint size audience their secret cast history as fairy tale with politicians european monarchs jazz greats and voodoo masters as heroes and villains for families with older children there are french quarter tours many are free to suit every fancy walking segway bicycle food and even voodoo themed
suddenly its lunchtime gather the troops and head over to johnnys po boy to score the requisite foodstuffs for a picnic exceptionally tasty sub sandwiches poboys are to new orleans what hot dogs are to chicago encourage the brood to live like locals and eschew the comfort of chicken parm in favor of a sandwich laden with crawfish catfish or oysters plop down on the riverbank and enjoy a leisurely meal in front of the mighty mississippi
the garden district a glamorous 19th century neighborhood famous for white colonnaded mansions makes for great sightseeing make transportation part of the adventure for 125 a ride the st charles streetcar line the oldest continuously operating streetcar system in the world will provide an inexpensive brush with history as it ferries you across town to washington avenue there are many diy tours spotlighting the spectacular architecture of this area do an abridged version peppering the walk with queries that have the children visualizing what life was like for the inhabitants of these stately homes
then meander through lafayette cemetery no 1 one of new orleanss oldest cities of the dead though creepy the mazes of aboveground tombs are hauntingly beautiful a testament to the citys unique landscape children are obsessed with zombies once they learn that this macabre site was the setting for the wb hit show the originals and anne rices vampire series there are fictional graves for the mayfair witches and lestat in ms rices popular novels they will be eager to examine the sun bleached headstones and voodoo coins left in exchange for favors
in a city whose motto is laissez les bons temps rouler it is not surprising that there are more good times to be had after dark case in point rock n bowl unlike the average 10 lane space blasting 70s rock from a jukebox this new orleans institution is a top venue for live music and when the band begins the dance floor fills with lively two steppers children are welcome hoofing it to whatever the nightly lineup brings zydeco funk blues swing swamp pop arrive at 7 pm for bowling music begins at 830 during the week sundays at 530 pm the st charles streetcar will get you there cheaply and efficiently
experiencing the bustle of frenchmen street when the sun goes down is essential again transit is part of the fun pick up a pedicab they are in tourist hubs or can be easily ordered 504 891 3441 and make your way over to the faubourg marigny district wooting freely with your clan and passers by as you encounter costumed partygoers and second line parades the impromptu street celebrations featuring a sizable brass marching band
take a lap around frenchmen art market to check out local art and crafts then follow the music after 8 pm it is commonplace to find clusters of folks dancing to a jazz happening in the street most of the dozen venues in this area do not allow children but three muses is an exception if you reserve a table walk ins are permitted but space is limited and order some small plates a truly authentic new orleans evening awaits another option for music is preservation hall a child friendly jazz venue in the french quarter where patrons of all ages take in old school jazz from rough hewed wooden benches
when in new orleans put all healthy food edicts on hold to get a sense of place it is imperative to gorge on all things fried and creamy
at district comfort food gets a dose of southern zip biscuits infused with praline bacon and egg bruleed cinnamon rolls croquenuts a croque madame hybrid featuring a griddle doughnut filled with havarti cheese bechamel sauce and an egg
dat dogs rendition three locations of the old school hot dog takes street food to decadent heights crawfish duck and smoked andouille sausages there are also vegetarian and fish dog options are smothered in homemade fixings like creole mustard and sweet relish traditional beef wieners are available for those with a tamer palate a side of crawfish etouffee fries adds local flavor
for a sugary pick me up sucres three locations parisian style pastries chocolate truffles and macarons inspired by the flavors of new orleans will satisfy munchkins and parents alike
the funky folk art infused ambience of jacques imos cafe is reason enough to hit this renowned uptown restaurant but the satisfying melange of nawlins grub   fried grits creole jambalaya stuffed quail blackened redfish with crab chile hollandaise smothered chicken with biscuits   is quite simply the stuff of southern foodie fantasies go for dinner before rock n bowl for a splurge book the haute creole jazz brunch at commanders palace
to combine chill out time with an afternoon activity head to the toulouse street wharf in the french quarter for a two hour jazz cruise aboard the steamboat natchez children will love peeking into the engine room and learning about the steam powered stern wheeler one of the few still in operation while parents will enjoy listening to the live music
en route to your hotel let the kids burn off the remainder of their sugar intake on the slides and jungle gyms at cabrini playground a sweet green space conveniently tucked into the french quarter
new orleans has a wide range of hotels and well priced bed and breakfasts staying in or near the french quarter is both fun and efficient it offers easy access by foot pedicab or streetcar to all activities and restaurants noted and it includes a front row seat to new orleanss lively street life three choices maison dupuy le pavillon and windsor court hotel
if you have the time to travel outside the metro area consider a trip to the bayou cajun encounters will pick you up at your hotel and shuttle you to the swamp where you will traverse brackish channels by boat in search of snakes alligators and wild boars visiting louisianas famed antebellum mansions is another standout day trip the opulence of the grounds and big houses speak to the wealth of the sugar cane heyday at the same time preserved or often reconstructed slave quarters illuminate one of the grimmer moments in american history


london   j k rowling always said that the seventh harry potter book harry potter and the deathly hallows would be the last in the series and so far she has kept to her word but though shes written many new things in the intervening nine years including four adult novels shes never been able to put harry to rest or to leave him alone
whats an author to do when she once seemed to be done taking an approach that some fans love and others do not ms rowling has never made a secret of her continued immersion in potter world over the years she has regularly interjected new elements into the old stories sometimes through sudden twitter pronouncements sometimes by other means in 2007 for instance she announced at an event at carnegie hall that dumbledore whose sexuality in the books was obscure is in fact gay
she also regularly produces fresh ancillary material   new stories new elaborations   on her pottermore website most recently a series of fictional essays about the history of magic in north america
and now comes harry potter and the cursed child a play in two full length parts that begins previews in london on tuesday june 7 opens july 30 and is being advertised as the official eighth story in the harry potter canon set 19 years after the events of deathly hallows the play imagines harry as an overworked employee of the ministry of magic and focuses on his middle child albus severus and his struggle to come to terms with his familys legacy
no one who remembers the frenzy surrounding the publication of each of the potter books would be surprised to learn there is now a frenzy surrounding this play and all the details around it like the disclosure that a black actress noma dumezweni is portraying hermione
the news has been released slowly   ms rowling is a master of controlled publicity   and on tuesday cast photos of a grown up harry jamie parker and ginny potter poppy miller along with albus sam clemmett were unveiled on the pottermore website
performances at least for the first of the two parts are sold out through may 2017 secondary market tickets to the first preview are selling for as much as 4000 pounds nearly 5800 and the plays script   by ms rowling jack thorne and john tiffany who is also the director   is no 1 on the amazon best seller list despite the fact that it wont be published until july 31 harry potters birthday
if that wasnt enough next fall comes fantastic beasts and where to find them a movie that is both a spinoff and a kind of prequel written by ms rowling who did not write the screenplays for the eight potter movies it is very loosely based on her book of the same name that volume was a fictional wizarding school textbook the film takes its supposed author newt scamander sends him back many years to when he was a young man and transports him to america the movie starring eddie redmayne is expected to be the first of a trilogy
clearly ms rowling has not wanted to put harry potter behind her its an interesting dilemma for an author particularly one who creates an elaborate world over many volumes how do you stop do you want to stop
both philip pullman author of the dark materials series and stephenie meyer author of the twilight series have spoken about further books to come years after those stories were apparently put to rest on the other extreme sir arthur conan doyle grew so weary of sherlock holmes that he killed him off only to resurrect him years later in response to widespread public unhappiness
in an interview maggie stiefvater author of the wildly popular young adult shiver and raven series spoke of the temptation to revisit characters she thought she had finished with the shiver books were meant to be a trilogy she explained and she even put a note into the third one promising never to come back to the story but then while writing the raven books she changed her mind and published a fourth shiver book
i had thought no outs whatsoever and then i looked like a total idiot she said
stephen king who has written many series as well as stand alone novels said the same thing tends to happen to him in 2012 eight years after completing his seven volume dark tower series for instance he produced an eighth book the wind through the keyhole whose action takes place between books 4 and 5
characters with unfinished business inveigle themselves into his head he said in a telephone interview hes currently toying with going back into his bill hodges trilogy though end of watch coming out next month is meant to be the final installment theres a character named holly i keep thinking about he said
ms rowling gives interviews very rarely and declined to comment for this article but mr king said he sympathized with her relationship to her material there are two things he said i think she likes the harry potter people and its a little bit hard for her to let go and shes aware that there are millions and millions of people who loved those books writers feel responsibility to their readers and some of that is a way of saying to the fans if you want a little more ill give you a little more
indeed all this new material is proving very exciting to very many potter fans they cant get enough the dumbledore is gay revelation in 2007 became a major world news event and now even the smallest snippet of information about the play   the introduction of hand carved sconces for each of the hogwarts houses and of new wand designs for instance   sends the internet into ecstasy
on may 2 ms rowling issued a tweet apologizing for killing off remus lupin the reluctant werewolf in the final book so far it has been retweeted more than 100000 times and liked more than 140000 times
though the occasion was the anniversary of the fictional battle of hogwarts the date for the last two years when ms rowling has expressed sorrow over deceased characters it also came at a time when excitement is building over the play
details have been few and far between ms rowling likes to tease her fans by doling out information sparingly sometimes shell respond to questions on twitter as she did recently when a follower asked if cursed child would make him cry
if it doesnt well be checking your vital signs she replied launching a thousand headlines about how she has revealed that the play will be sad
all those tidbits are just fine with melissa anelli who runs the leaky cauldron fan website and also organizes a potter themed fan convention known as leakycon
i love everything about harry potter she said so when i get one of those plot details or a new piece of writing its like a nice full exhale
but not everyone agrees and this speaks to a debate deep within fandom culture starting with what counts as the canon in a fictional world like harry potters should the plot snippets that ms rowling lets slip   that hagrid cant conjure the soul like being known as a patronus that hogwarts has jewish students but not wiccans for instance   be considered part of the series or something outside and apart in fan fiction ex parte remarks by an author or in the case of a television show by a writer are known as the word of god
some people say the canon is within the actual covers of the seven books and that anything she says afterward you should take as opinion ms anelli said others say that anything she says is true no matter if its on pottermore or on twitter or wherever   no matter what she says its canonical
readers in the first camp consider the material in the seven books to be inviolate immutable hearing new details about things they hadnt realized were open to interpretation feels like cognitive dissonance as if someone were tampering with the wording of the constitution its dispiriting to be faced with daily reminders that one of your former heroes is still tinkering with a world they thought you left behind perfectly preserved in childhood heather schwedel wrote recently in slate
for her part ms stiefvater said that she never acquiesces to fans requests for extra information some people come up to me and ask me to give them material outside the books   for instance what is ganseys favorite ice cream flavor she said referring to one of her teenage protagonists i never respond to them personally i think its unfair   it rewards only some readers and not those who dont dig through all the archives to find the new little factoids
she counts herself a rowling fan and considers harry potters world to have closed after deathly hallows
i have such respect for what j k rowling has done she said i know i engaged with her series at a moment in time like a lot of people did and if you return to it it feels like its stretching on   people arent remembering the series as much as the cultural phenomenon of the new details that have emerged over the years she said they ripple throughout fandom and for fandom its highly rewarding but as a reader its not how i engage with books
with a new set of movies on the horizon some fans worry that ms rowling will make the same mistake that george lucas did after the three original star wars films producing inferior work that detracts from the brilliance of the original
they mention too how harper lees go set a watchman dismayed readers who loved to kill a mockingbird and wanted its world to remain intact an article in the atlantic last september about ms rowlings post potter potter rich work was titled harry potter and the never ending story
but to ms anelli who was a teenager when the books were published and is now 36 there cant be enough new material
its not like shes a prophet whos being handed down something from someone else she said shes creating it and whatever she creates becomes part of the story as long as she wants to make it as long theres more story coming from her im super happy


about a year ago luke forelle left the marine corps and honolulu where he had been stationed for four years and returned to new york a manhattan native he was single and working in construction management living first in a sublet in clinton hill brooklyn and later in an upper east side walk up with roommates on trips out to rockaway beach queens he felt an energy that reminded him of living in hawaii what with the surfers himself included and the runners on the boardwalk
mr forelle 32 soon moved there full time closing in march on a semidetached two family for 480000 on beach 98th street i had cash saved up he said and it just made more sense than renting he now has tenants whose rent covers his mortgage
mr forelle chose rockaway beach he said because he was not ready to give up an active lifestyle like the one he had in hawaii just because he was back in new york and in his 30s
the drawback was the commute of more than an hour to his job in chelsea
the commute going into work is not great but you kind of feel like youre getting the best of both worlds   you have a city if you want it mr forelle said
melissa carrington 39 an agent at rockaway properties said she had seen an increased interest in the area since it was battered by hurricane sandy in 2012
the rockaway beach section of splintered boardwalk and many of the storm ravaged buildings have since been replaced fortified lifeguard stations and sand retention walls built after the storm are nearing completion much of the area is revitalized though some gutted buildings and empty lots remain
a variety of people are moving into what was once weather slapped and storm rattled housing ms carrington said
its a mix she said young families priced out of brooklyn empty nesters who are downsizing and selling their houses
born and raised in rockaway beach mike otoole 28 a lifeguard with the new york city department of parks and recreation wanted to get a foothold in the real estate market at a young age soon after hurricane sandy struck he bought a five bedroom two bath house with a detached two bedroom two bath bungalow for far below market he said declining to give the price
mr otoole rents space to seasonal guests and has two full time tenants at the property on beach 98th street he recently bought another home as an investment a few blocks away on beach 101st street
many small businesses are opening in the area mr otoole said a lot of them are doing well and theres room for more it couldnt make me any happier
carl fraiman 69 who works as a property manager in bay ridge brooklyn has lived in rockaway beach for much of his life about 30 years ago he was living with his wife and three children in a two bedroom co op in park slope when he decided the neighborhood was unsafe for his family so they moved back to rockaway beach where he had lived as an adolescent buying a four bedroom two bath house near the beach for about 135000
 its a very special place he said four year olds can ride their bikes around people look out for each other know each other say hello mr fraiman said
he still remembers the first night he went to sleep after moving back the only thing i heard was the ocean
what youll find
definitions of the rockaway beach neighborhood vary but one set of boundaries has it running from beach 86th street to beach 99th street between jamaica bay and the atlantic ocean according to melissa carrington of rockaway properties
however colloquially the label rockaway beach is more loosely applied to surrounding neighborhoods like neponsit belle harbor rockaway park seaside and arverne
in rockaway beach as narrowly defined colonials cape cods and victorians mix with two families condominiums and co ops built alongside bungalows that imbue the neighborhood with a castaway spirit
parking is easier than in many city neighborhoods with uncluttered streets and above  and below ground parking lots though alternate side rules apply
the neighborhood is a surfers paradise and an artists retreat   local residents include patti smith   many of whom recall the ramones song about hitching a ride to rockaway beach
what youll pay
on may 18 a search of rockaway beach on streeteasycom found listings for 18 condominiums and single family homes ranging from 169000 for a 588 square foot one bedroom house to 15 million for a 16 bedroom nine bath home no co ops were listed
during a six month period ending may 2 the median sales price of condos was 256739 compared with 230201 over the same period in 2015 according to data compiled by truliacom
rentals of studios and bungalows range between 600 and 1200 a month one bedrooms between 1200 and 1500 two bedrooms between 1400 and 2300 and three bedrooms between 1700 and 2400 according to robin shapiro the broker owner of robin shapiro realty
what to do
the local food scene includes rippers known for its burgers the playland grill a local hangout in the playland motel the takeout newcomer chicks to go for peruvian rotisserie chicken and umas which serves uzbek dishes and where surfers can park their boards in a rack outside
in february the city completed rebuilding the 15 mile stretch of boardwalk from beach 73rd street to beach 107th street revitalizing a barrier between the neighborhood and the atlantic ocean that hurricane sandy decimated in 2012
the citys only legal surfing beaches are between beach 67th and beach 69th streets and between beach 87th and beach 92nd streets the new york surf school gives lessons
crom physical culture offers muay thai kickboxing jujitsu and crossfit programs led by chris romulo a world kickboxing association super middleweight champion and his wife sarah
the schools
public school 183 dr richard r green on beach 79th street serves about 600 students in prekindergarten through grade 8 according to the citys 2014 2015 school quality snapshot 9 percent of students met state standards in english compared with 30 percent citywide 9 percent met standards in math compared with 35 percent
the waterside childrens studio school on beach 110th street serves about 490 students in prekindergarten through grade 5 there 21 percent of students met standards in english compared with 30 percent citywide and 27 percent did in math compared with 39 percent in the same building is the waterside school for leadership with grades 6 through 8
the scholars academy on beach 104th street is an accelerated college preparatory school with around 1300 students in grades 6 through 12 students are screened for admissions selection mean sat scores for the class of 2014 15 were 588 in math 560 in reading and 568 in writing
the commute
five rush hour a trains run direct to manhattan on weekday mornings from the beach 90th and beach 98th street stations reaching midtown in roughly an hour five trains make the return trip in the afternoon otherwise riders take a shuttle train connecting to the a at broad channel
buses include the q22 q52 and q53 within queens and the qm16 and qm17 express buses to midtown ferry service to manhattan and brooklyn is expected to return in 2017 with an estimated travel time of 45 minutes and the price of a subway ride
the history
in 1901 the la thompson amusement park opened in the area which was then called seaside the park was later renamed rockaways playland it closed after the 1985 season according to an article in the new york times it had an olympic size pool and a 300 foot long 70 foot high wooden roller coaster called the atom smasher the park was replaced by housing but the beach 98th street subway station still bears the name playland


in retrospect maybe i placed too much significance on that first trip alone after my son was born for the first year of his life i had barely spent a single night away from him so it was only natural that i saw this trip as a precious chance to be however briefly a sane adult again the trip was only for one night to a not very glamorous city where i would stay in a not very glamorous hotel and deliver a talk in the evening the place itself did not matter   it could have been anywhere instead it was the promise of travel of not being home and on duty that seduced me
somehow the whole experience became a stand in for everything that i had lost as a new father i would be able to sleep in i could drink more than one beer i could drink 1000 beers i could have a solo electronic dance party to early kraftwerk records i could dress up like a robot i could play ouija board with myself apparently i have a very strange definition of being an adult
this is not to say i begrudged fatherhood on the contrary i loved my new human boy child more than i thought possible as if there were a hidden water tower of love mounted somewhere just above my gallbladder that released its spout only when i saw him emerge into the world mothers have nine months to adjust to the realness of this creatures presence they feel the kicks and the morning sickness and the general hormonal tempest of gestation fathers cant truly wrap their heads around a childs existence until he or she actually appears we have to play catch up in approximately 10 seconds which is why at the moment of birth many of us weep or faint or start singing whitney houston songs
but we are allowed to dream yes we are allowed to pine for that simpler time before swaddle blankets and sleep cries when time was still our time unplanned and marvelously flexible when we could watch an entire season of six feet under in one sitting because ... well what else were we going to do when every evening out did not also include a complex babysitter calculus these previews alone are costing me 10 so my little trip became a surrogate for this glorious period from my past well call it bbv before baby vomit
funny that i took great pleasure in planning out my re enactment of this supposedly unplanned time perhaps like me you are one of those travelers who also takes great pleasure in meticulously designing a trip in marinating in all the little delicious possibilities of getting from point a to point b oh that restaurant supposedly serves the best carnitas tacos north of the arctic circle be still my beating heart
i often find the anticipation of a journey is much more enjoyable than the journey itself which can frequently feel like a letdown mired in such real world phenomena as that hairball smell from the hotel bathroom that wont go away reality never quite measures up to the unattainable perfection of the imaginary destination so it was with great gusto that i filled up my imaginary day on the lam i would go see a terrible movie in the daytime i would go to a barbecue restaurant i would order a starter and a main course i would take a three hour bath i would meet an old friend at a bar afterward we would go to another bar then i would sleep my god i would sleep just dreaming of this possibility of uninterrupted slumber was enough to sustain me for weeks of baby fluid management
the time for my trip came it started off wonderfully at the seventh circle of hell we call newark liberty international airport i was amazed at how easily i breezed through check in and security without the usual accouterments of strollerdiaper bagrattlesbottlespacifierstoysbookspoop i felt almost guilty out of habit i helped a solo mom unfold her stroller coming off the x ray belt
thank you she said half grateful half confused who was this shoeless man she must have been thinking
i have one too i said then held up my hands as if i had just lost him somewhere in the airport
the airport was perhaps the highlight of the trip i walked and browsed i had a beer this felt very indulgent i didnt know those people in airport bars were actual travelers i always assumed they were all actors hired to lend the terminal a certain ambience yet everywhere i went i couldnt escape this feeling as if i had lost something essential keys wallet cellphone ... hmmm it was eerie i examined every baby i passed guessed their age noted pacifier brand and travel stroller design wow that thing is tiny i wonder how it handles the bumps i went into a gift shop and browsed through ugly inyc onesies wait ... what the hell was going on what had i become
before my scheduled talk in the evening i went to my terrible daytime movie jupiter ascending i was the only person in the theater so i took great pleasure in discovering how high i could throw my raisinets and still have a reasonable chance of catching them in my mouth i went swimming in the hotel pool without fear of exploding swim diapers or dry drowning baby lungs after my talk i enjoyed a wait for it three course barbecue dinner yet everything still seemed slightly off i missed the feeling of anticipating this trip of dreaming of solo adulthood in the flesh solo adulthood felt kind of ... boring
later i met my old friend for a drink our friendship originated deep in the time before marriage and kids deep in the bbv back when we wore flannel and still thought jack kerouac was a good writer i tried to put on a good face tried to imagine us drinking until dawn when we would go jump naked into a polluted river but i was so tired from not being a father for a day i felt short of breath and almost fell off my bar stool i could barely make it through one beer
hows fatherhood he asked i could tell he was giving me the opening to rant against all of the lost sleep and endless responsibilities we could talk women and drugs and the dream of the open road
actually i kind of miss it i said its hard to be away
he looked at me with great sadness we mourned he and i then i fell off my bar stool
the bed at the hotel was approximately one acre wide there were no babies in it i shed my clothes and fell into its vast territory i called home to see if everyone was ok mining for mundane details so wait   he didnt like pineapple what is he crazy and then set my alarm for 16 hours in the future worried that i might miss my flight if i went all rip van winkle up in here how long was it physically possible for one man to sleep
i did not go all rip van winkle up in here instead i woke up two hours later confused i listened for my sons cries but heard only the dull anonymous hum of hotel air conditioning i lay there for an hour pondering my uselessness before finally drifting off only to wake up again at 5 am from a nightmare in which my son was choking on chunks of pineapple
back at the airport the next day exhausted and disoriented i walked right past the bar full of background actors and bought a stuffed lion and an alphabet book at a garish kiosk i read part of the alphabet book to the bemused cashier l is for lion i assured her
i could never go back to bbv to the time of no time that ship had sailed but then i was beginning to realize the imaginary could never quite measure up to the unattainable perfection of reality for now i found myself looking forward to the ideal destination a place full of exploding diapers and sleepless nights and water towers of love home


some of the most memorable moments of a family vacation are also the most awkward thats not necessarily a bad thing because what great photos they make were asking you to dig through your archives and your smart phones to find and share with us your uncomfortable vacation photos why keep these hilarious memories to yourself
post yours to instagram using the hashtag awkwardfamilytravels and we may use them as part of a future project


on broadway it has been a year of women waitresses shopgirls concubines revolutionary sisters a literary editor a morphine addict and many victims of abuse is this cause for celebration or despair or pie
the musical waitress and the play eclipsed featured all female creative teams yet even as women constitute two thirds of the broadway audience women still lag far behind men as playwrights composers directors and designers
in a season hailed for racial and ethnic diversity what about gender parity the new york times theater critics laura collins hughes and alexis soloski recently discussed the role of and roles for women this year on broadway and off heres an edited version of their conversation
alexis soloski lets get right to it has this been a good year for women
laura collins hughes theres been progress sure but i wouldnt say that makes it a good year its interesting that this is the season when the producers of waitress and eclipsed have marketed their shows by touting the presence of women in key creative roles if that werent a rarity it wouldnt be a marketing point
soloski i think its always helpful to see women in creative roles the numbers in those fields are still pretty terrible at the same time many of these shows were telling the same kinds of stories about women stories that sometimes needle me i think we both had problems with waitress on broadway right
collins hughes going there already are we yeah my head popped right off at the end of waitress which in the hands of sara bareilles jessie nelson and diane paulus has become tonally a very different creature than the much more nuanced adrienne shelly movie its based on one of the few interesting aspects of the central character here a waitress named jenna played by jessie mueller is that she is an unhappily married woman who gets pregnant and adamantly does not want the child yet   this will be a spoiler for anyone who hasnt seen it   the moment she gives birth she is utterly transformed as a human being which i found creepy and reactionary but the show does have a pink and baby blue logo so i should not have been surprised
soloski that the show is popular with female audiences mystifies me i dont read it as empowering it condemns bullying behavior from jennas abusive husband and then rewards it from the nerdy suitor of another waitress and the crotchety diner owner who bankrolls jennas liberation and the baby aspect of waitress wouldnt have rankled so much if reunions with children   and here we go with the spoilers again   hadnt been the finale of two other female centered broadway shows bright star and the color purple no matter how much women achieve   alice of bright star is the fiction editor of an important literary journal celie of the color purple reinvents herself as an entrepreneur   theyll never be complete without their children
collins hughes those reunions didnt bother me since they were part of restoring to those women the children theyd lost for celie and for alice the childrens absence has been an ache thats followed them through life it was never their choice to be separated from them so the reunions are part of alleviating the suffering theyve endured largely at the hands of men speaking of which thats also been a big theme this season   women who are abused and transcend that to triumph which is kind of disturbing as something that investors are willing to gamble on commercially
soloski i dont know if its more or less disturbing that in many cases its paying off in the same way that i wouldnt mind stories that culminate in women reunited with children so much if there were similar narratives for men im also bothered by the fact that womens struggles are about overcoming or confronting abusive men   the color purple waitress bright star even blackbird and eclipsed in their way   whereas men get to struggle with politics and power and art and conflicts deep within the self im thinking of hamilton a view from the bridge the crucible the father shuffle along and even american psycho with the exception of the arthur miller plays the women in these stories dont even have that much to do
collins hughes thats true is that something thats always on your radar its always on mine the first time i saw hamilton blown away as i was by it   and i am staunchly in the hamilton is a work of genius camp   i was disappointed that there was so much terrific stuff for so many men to do and basically two substantial female characters who are crucial to the story but still pretty much on its margins
soloski yeah i can and will go completely fangirl for hamilton but that show is never passing the bechdel test the women are sensational renee elise goldsberry as angelica his whip smart sister in law particularly but the characters exist only to love marry and seduce hamilton im glad that the script makes us aware of how brilliant angelica is ive been reading common sense by thomaspaineso men say that im intense or im insane and how much eliza hamiltons wife achieves after his death but theres no getting around how marginal they are after they meet him do they ever talk about anything else
collins hughes i knew you were going to pull out that quote i love that line but i do think the bechdel test argument is not the strongest when these two characters angelica and eliza are sisters whose relationship predates and outlasts their relationships with hamilton each has the others back which matters and it also matters that angelica   who breaks my heart every time i listen to that cast album   has a relationship with hamilton thats not just about sexual attraction its about intellectual companionship too
soloski i read recently that lin manuel miranda likes the idea of cross casting some of the mens roles with women once the show is licensed to high schools and colleges a few years from now id like to see a female aaron burr just killing it thats what i want to see all the time   not necessarily women in mens roles but roles for women that are just as rich and complicated and brave and villainous and surprising and messed up as those available to men but what are some good examples of rich roles for women this season what was your take on eclipsed danai guriras play about female captives in the liberian civil war
collins hughes what i liked about eclipsed was that it didnt prescribe one way of living for its characters they all end up making different choices   one of them particularly worrisome   but the important thing is that theyre in charge of determining the course of their own lives
soloski and i really loved how strong and varied their relationships were with each other what did you think of the relationships among the women in waitress and the color purple
collins hughes theres a lot of sisterhood in action which is also the case in eclipsed and to a lesser but still striking degree shuffle along in which audra mcdonalds character a star named lottie gee acts as a mentor to adrienne warrens young florence mills refreshingly the women in these shows are mostly looking after one another rather than pitted against one another competing for men that said i was bothered by how lightly the color purple treads in depicting the romance between celie and shug avery
soloski yes the lesbianism was handled so delicately it became more or less invisible what shows were you enthusiastic about i know we both adored she loves me
collins hughes i had the weirdest reaction to that show i wished nora ephron were around to see it its pure fun an old fashioned musical whose plot is familiar to anyone whos seen youve got mail   which means that laura benanti in the starring role has to escape the shadow of meg ryan which she does particularly by bursting into song she and jane krakowski do a fantastic job of subverting roles that might have had uncomfortable shades of subservience especially when they get their men
soloski and ms krakowski does all that while doing the splits i also liked how the script emphasizes that each is actually really good at her job ms benantis character especially if theyre both lovelorn well so are the men
i was thinking back through this season and a lot of the shows that had compelling female characters for me were ones that played or started off broadway   annie bakers john stephen karams the humans dominique morisseaus skeleton crew paula vogels indecent   all plays in which the womens characters are as richly drawn as those of men and the obstacles they face are comparable and its probably not an accident that there are so many female playwrights on that list
collins hughes martyna majoks ironbound is another one   although she told me that when she was developing it before she was sure whether the central character darja would have a child audiences found darja unlikable when she was aggressively trying to survive just for her own benefit when she was doing it partly for her kid it was ok i also fell hard for alice birchs revolt she said revolt again which is brilliant and hilarious and absolutely furious   its anger and darjas dovetailing nicely this spring with beyonces baseball bat moment in lemonade female rage not something were used to seeing undisguised or unapologized for
on broadway i was surprised at how much i liked bright star   and thrilled that a show whose characters include a talented young man determined to make it big as a writer is not centrally about him
soloski i think were both on board for shows in which female journalists triumph
collins hughes what was your take on jessica lange in long days journey into night thats a more traditional role for a woman but a huge and complex one and oh it is so nice to see something really substantial for an actress at 67
soloski yes maybe more traditional but her emotional life is just as vivid as those of the men around her i know its a divisive performance but i was very much taken with her how cruel she could be and how tender that last monologue broke my heart just as it should michelle williams in blackbird also divided people what did you think
collins hughes i didnt know at first what to think but then it mostly worked for me shes playing a woman who confronts the man who preyed on her when she was a child and i came to view her as a walking victim impact statement shes unstable but for good reason and if the character seems to be presenting a front to him well thats probably what she needs to do to be able to walk into the room you
soloski same during the first 15 minutes or so i couldnt figure her out she didnt know how to walk in her heels her voice seemed strained her gestures mannered and then it clicked the character experienced such a trauma at such a pivotal age that shed never really figured out how to be a person and continues to try on different identities none of them very successfully which is a tough and risky thing to play it devastated me
collins hughes it feels to me like more producers are getting the message female artists have been sending that its not ok to exclude them and that theyll make as much noise as necessary to get doors opened to them that issue was only amplified at last years tonys when the creators of fun home the wondrous lisa kron and jeanine tesori got their book and score awards off air but id love to see greater daring by producers   and id like them to keep in mind that female theatergoers are a majority but not a monolith
soloski this season ive worried that we still need to approach female characters as victims to accept them as heroes more cynically ive discovered that if you want a tony this year lose a child or survive a rape im sure ms mcdonald would have received a nomination had her shuffle along character been more anguished next season id like to see women suffer a little less and run the world a little more


family vacations especially multigenerational trips can involve a lot of baggage if only literally
last year airlines in the united states made more than 3 billion in fees for checked luggage but its not just the cost that can dampen a family trip its hauling all those bags is there an easier way to get clothes baby food golf clubs and hiking boots to and from your destination
perhaps its time to consider a door to door luggage shipping service be it a newcomer like dufl that packs and dry cleans your clothes for you or a veteran like luggage forward that delivers your gear   even to a cruise ship such companies allow you to track your bags and travel with little more than a wallet and a mobile device
tempted by a package service like ups its not necessarily convenient will ups pick up at your off the beaten path rental and honestly do you want to be boxing up suitcases on vacation
below a guide to the latest in luggage transport
geared to business travelers dufl doesnt just ship clothes it stores packs and dry cleans them for you too after signing up through the app or website youre sent a suitcase free to use as long as youre a member of the service you fill it with your usual gear   clothes accessories and full size toiletries if you like aerosols are an exception   and then use the app to schedule the bag to be picked up you need not do this for every trip dufl stores your clothes and suitcase in a warehouse year round
the first time you send the company your packed suitcase it photographs your items and creates a virtual online closet so you can see everything or read a description whenever youre about to travel use the app to select which items youd like and when you would like the bag to arrive then dufl packs and sends the bag to your hotel when its time to leave you schedule a pickup online and dufl takes the bag back to a warehouse dry cleans dirty clothes and stores everything until the next time if you ever want to add clothes by say buying something online on amazon or saks you can have the items sent directly to dufl where they will be photographed and added to your virtual closet you can also pay to have your bag sent home to change the clothes inside or just swap them out when you are on the road families are most likely to benefit from the dufl sports service which allows members to store and ship items like surf boards ski equipment golf clubs and bikes   particularly handy for those with small homes
cost 995 a month for storage and 99 for each round trip three day shipping within the united states which includes dry cleaning fees most deliveries are on weekdays saturdays cost extra overnight shipping is an additional 49
dufl international is available in europe and canada as well as business hubs in places including singapore tokyo hong kong and sydney and melbourne in australia prices depend on locations
dufl sports is 995 a month for a locker which is large enough to hold several items such as golf clubs and ski equipment standard three day domestic shipping for golf clubs starts at about 75 round trip including cleaning
bottom line best for business travelers people who regularly travel with sports gear and those who can be without certain wardrobe items or own doubles note that not all international destinations are served a spokeswoman for the company said that it hadnt lost a bag yet but that if there is a delay in delivery members are notified and can send more items from their closet expedited at the companys expense there is no set in stone refund policy refunds for delays depend on the circumstances and vary case by case
this company which has acquired a number of experienced competitors has been shipping clothes and sports gear like skis for more than 10 years its also one of the more far reaching players shipping among hundreds of countries and territories worldwide as well as to and from cruise ships and golf courses
pack your clothes in bags the same way you would for air travel and then have luggage forward pick them up from you and the company will complete and submit all customs documentation within the united states you can generally choose from overnight to seven business days from pickup to delivery
cost to send a standard bag about 50 pounds from new york to miami in mid june was 198 round trip for five business day shipping certain times of day and weekends cost more cruise ships are an exception you can price your bag at appluggageforwardcomtripsnew each bag and its contents are protected up to 500 though you can buy more insurance if your bags do not arrive by the end of day on or before your scheduled delivery date youre refunded and reimbursed for incidental expenses up to 500 for each late bag
bottom line especially appealing for cruise lovers golfers and those traveling internationally all inclusive pricing including customs documentation makes it easy to ship and stick to a budget and the guarantee offers peace of mind to get the best prices ship about a week in advance
last summer this popular britain based luggage service introduced shipping within the united states sendmybagcom pickups typically take place on weekdays between 9 am and 6 pm or you can choose from more than 5000 drop off locations nationwide
cost sending a 66 pound bag round trip between new york and miami was 140 for five to six business day shipping according to a recent price quote a bag up to 44 pounds was 117 round trip each bag is insured for 250 you can increase that though to 450 for 450 850 for 850 and so on up to 2500 per bag if you ship your bag express two to three business days and it doesnt arrive on time the company credits your account with half the transit costs if the delay is two or more working days those costs are refunded
bottom line good prices and you can buy more insurance the current collection window for domestic services is long which may be tough for some travelers however the company is rolling out shorter windows for domestic services this summer
if youre checking only a bag or two and youre on a budget go with the airline airlines fees for the first bag are typically affordable for those traveling in the main cabin of a flight within the united states the first checked bag on american airlines or delta air lines is 25 one way the second is 35 one way and there are several ways around those fees for instance if you have an airline credit card your first checked bag is usually free
but that doesnt save you from having to carry your luggage to the airport to your lodgings and back again if you plan to check more than two bags or very heavy or oversize bags use a shipping service its likely to cost the same or less checking a third bag on a domestic flight on american for example is 150 one way four or more checked bags cost 200 each one way
if you do ship be aware of any potential pitfalls like a last minute trip change which could mean that your luggage arrives in one place while youre in another
then again thats been known to happen on airlines too


i have never understood the hoopla over disney world
to me teaching moments and travel go hand in hand so our family vacations are designed to incorporate elements of enrichment exposure to foreign culture a brush with history interaction with nature discovery of new foods engaging in activities that make us step outside our comfort zones sure disney is fun but school breaks are few and handled with extreme care
spending precious vacation time in a manufactured kingdom bent on bringing fantasy story lines to life through relentless entertainment feels like a waste of time and money so its not surprising that i have avoided the mousetrap for decades opting instead for getaways that inspire me and ignite curiosity in my two daughters ages 10 and 14 have i denied them some sacred rite of passage hardly they have never even asked to go
so why do i diss disney foremost i cant stand princess culture the implicit message to young girls that beauty equals a busty blonde in a gown is a stereotype that i refuse to perpetuate case in point the frozen makeover a 16495 package involving a fairy godmother transforming your daughter with makeup and a braided hairpiece into a princess that feels more honey boo boo than royal ditto for the myth that a prince will sweep deserving girls off to a life of happiness the theme park environment with its endless lines awful food mammoth turkey leg anyone and stimulation overload inevitably invites tantrums in children and anxiety in parents
and then you have the financial element disney is expensive between flights food hotel souvenirs and four day passes to the magic kingdom epcot animal kingdom hollywood studios and water parks a family of four with two children under 10 will easily spend 5000 base park entry price plus a park hopper add on to visit another park is 43613 for adults and 41483 for children 3 to 9 per person water park entry is a one time feethe all inclusive four day package i put together came in at 4271 for the park passes water park and dining plan including popular character experiences and other perks in one room at a moderately priced disney resort hotel
with that in mind here are five vacation alternatives that deliver hefty doses of fun while broadening your childs cultural playbook through real world experiences even better all are based on a budget similar to a four night stay at disney world
there are fancy pants beach vacations and there are plop down in the sand holidays where an easy leave it to beaver era charm is the main attraction virginia beach is the latter and its lack of grandeur is precisely why i love it oceanfront hotels are affordable as are the mom and pop restaurants where locals flock for shrimp boils steamed blue crab and tangy lynnhaven oysters plucked straight from chesapeake bay entertainment plays out on a three mile long boardwalk with street performers shaved ice and salt water taffy vendors and a small amusement park
but beaches are the real selling point choose from resort beach a surfers paradise the smaller dune speckled sandbridge which butts up to back bay national wildlife refuge a great spot for eco adventures or chesapeake bay beach which woos families with gentle waters and access to first landing state park which commemorates the first jamestown colonists in 1607 other activities ifly is an indoor sky diving experience where free fall conditions are simulated with a wind tunnel zip lining through the trees at virginia aquariums aerial forest park is another
ocean breeze waterpark has slides with the requisite 35 foot drop and a giant wave pool at the military aviation museum you can view super hornet fighter jets spitfires and other wartime aircraft for a fee you can blow the kids minds with a ride on an authentic open cockpit 1941 boeing stearman pt 17 kaydet
the oceanfront hilton garden inn rooms from 230 has a pool a sand play area cabana service a playground and discounted tickets to many attractions
if the midwest had a version of the hamptons it would be the coastal resort town of lake geneva celebrity sightings are nil but sun drenched afternoons lazing on the water are guaranteed another attraction is estate ogling for over a century the rich and famous wrigley schwinn maytag rockefeller and sears have been vacationing in lake geneva
tourists can get ridiculously close to these mansions by simply hiking and biking around the lake thanks to an indian treaty signed in 1833 the 262 mile shore path originally used by the indigenous potawatomi tribe provides public access in perpetuity translation you can meander through the grounds of historic estates without the risk of a stalking violation
you should stay at grand geneva resort and spa deluxe rooms start at 159 the property has its own 50000 square foot water park stables riding lessons carriage rides and a new adventure center equipped with mountain bikes six slack lines tightrope walking a few feet off the ground between trees and archery canopy zip lining is also available nearby but whizzing across the lake is what families really want out of this type of vacation the concierge can arrange all water sport rentals and book an organized cruise there are two standout nonwater related outings yerkes observatory now a branch of the university of chicagos department of astronomy is deemed the birthplace of modern astrophysics it houses whats billed as the worlds largest refracting telescope and 170000 photographic plates a tour of the lavish 13 bedroom victorian black point estate with the original plumbing and furniture is a thrill
there is an art to not depleting your childs college fund while visiting london step one is finding a budget friendly hotel situated near major attractions and a tube station the marriott kensington fits the bill the family time package which includes breakfast is PS245 about 360 for a room that comfortably fits four
to get oriented take a hop on hop off bus tour a perfect first day outing when battling jet lag it stops at most landmark attractions trafalgar square westminster abbey buckingham palace definitely make a stop for a ride on the london eye to some children parading past endless paintings is like eating a platter of fish roe pure torture however according to my 10 year old certain museums are actually fun the natural history museum and the british museum all national museums are free fall into the cool category both are gigantic some advice identify what you want to see before arriving trying to tackle it all is a recipe for meltdowns
the wallace collection is equally cool owing to its game of thrones appeal art is displayed in a stunning victorian mansion downstairs there is a war chest of arms and armor plus a reproduction chain mail ensemble that the children can try on
for a whiff of elegant britain wander through the neighborhood of st jamess sample artisanal cheeses at cheesemonger to the crown paxton  whitfield and pop into prestat said to be the queens favorite chocolatier then have afternoon tea at fortnum  mason the department store that has served as royal grocer for 150 years if the children are well behaved reward them with a souvenir from hamleys among the oldest and largest toy stores in the world
royal parks are essential sightseeing organize a picnic in hyde park followed by pedal boating around serpentine lake you can also book a guided horseback ride with hyde park stables no experience necessary not to be missed are the rose gardens in regents park the manicured display of 12000 roses 85 varieties is a paean to englands gardening heritage on the northeast corner of this park is the london zoo
if your children are die hard harry potter fans do the warner brothers studio tour unlike a theme park this provides interaction with the actual props sets think of diagon alley and dumbledores office and costumes from the harry potter films you will even partake in a quidditch match if only on a green screen its a time commitment the studio is close to watford about one hour from london by train
two more fabulous and free experiences the changing of the guard at buckingham palace approximately 11 am daily and enjoying the antics of street performers at covent garden
money saver instead of meals at pricey restaurants head to the citys splendid food courts selfridges harrods and marks  spencer for takeout you will find a perfect picnic or in hotel dinner
a few days at an all inclusive dude ranch is a slam dunk for everyone kids can live out their cowboy or cowgirl fantasies parents can avoid being wrangled for every nickel and dime a century old former stage coach stop and buffalo ranch vee bar guest ranch is an authentic no frills western experience   rustic log cabins horseback riding mess hall meals campfires river tubing hiking fishing hay rides   that feels like overnight camping for the whole family even better you wont have to contend with crowds
there are just nine guest cabins so by the end of the first day the staff will know everyones name and your childrens snack preferences on the final night there is a campout under the stars or you can sleep in a tepee complete with fiddlers by the campfire and smores adults 980 children 6 to 18 825 5 and under 200 rates slightly higher in july and august for the three night packages
to children sleeping on a train is one of the ultimate treats its all cool   the dining car a sleeping compartment even maintaining your balance while using the bathroom inside a lurching vehicle on top of pleasing your children a train trip is both flexible and budget friendly in fact on amtrak children 2 to 13 pay half fare and an upgrade to a family bedroom these are limited so book early from economy includes all meals onboard heres the concept spend two nights on the train and two full days including hotel stays exploring two cities of your choice
a sample itinerary from chicago with stops in memphis and new orleans looks like this
after an overnight from chicago arrive in memphis for a day of sightseeing and a night at the peabody hotel about 300 beloved for its daily duck march around the lobby fountain visit sun studio where elvis roy orbison and johnny cash recorded encounter history at the national civil rights museum at the lorraine motel where the rev dr martin luther king jr was assassinated then burn off some energy at overton park home to the memphis zoo dinner of course is barbecue
the next morning board the train at 7 am and arrive in new orleans by 3 pm check in to maison dupuy rooms start at 156 and head over to jackson square for a mule carriage ride through the french quarter then hop on the canal streetcar to city park about a 30 minute ride where you will find carousel gardens amusement park 16 charming old fashioned rides bumper cars monkey jump miniature train including a century old hand painted wooden carousel known as flying horses to locals after a dinner of poboys end the night on frenchmen street where the probability of finding an impromptu brass band performance is as strong as your childs refusal to go to sleep before midnight the next day tour the oak alley and laura plantations   two opulent antebellum mansions about an hour from new orleans before heading back to the station pick up praline caramel apples at mr apple the consumption of this enormous decadent treat will occupy the children for the entire journey back to chicago
amtraks website is easy to navigate and provides a toll free number for parents who require customer assistance for example the fare breakdown for this itinerary for two adults and two half fare children in the family bedroom is 1238 to 1398 depending on the season and discounting for among other things aaa memberships


on the subject of travel my father used to say you cant go back avoid the places you loved when you were young because theyll have changed and youll be disappointed occasionally my husband agrees thats right you cant go back
but does that mean that the cities and countries where we were happiest and most enchanted must forever be crossed off the list of dreamed of destinations cant some places remain unspoiled or possibly even improve and at the very least isnt it interesting to see how different a place looks to us at various points in our lives
this spring i decided to find the answer to some of these questions by revisiting sicily one of my favorite places on earth id first been there in 1992 with my mother my husband and our two sons then aged 10 and 14 and written   for this newspaper   about watching mount etna erupt id returned for six weeks in early 2002 to write a brief book that was partly about how an immersion in sicilian history with its appalling violence and inspiriting record of recovery and resilience had provided some comfort in the recent aftermath of sept 11
now almost a quarter century after my first visit i was returning with my husband howie our younger son leon our daughter in law jenny and our two granddaughters 9 year old emilia and 5 year old malena
one advantage of returning to a region you know reasonably well   and i suppose of getting older   is that you lose the greedy compulsion to go everywhere and see everything were this a first visit or were i alone with howie i couldnt have resisted palermo the glorious mosaics in the cathedral of monreale the exuberant baroque statuary of the quattro canti the vibrant markets and delicious street food but vivid memories of yanking my sons out of the way of speeding cars and rogue motorini convinced me that it might be more relaxing to begin our vacation in cefalu a seaside town about 40 minutes from palermo to which we flew from rome
we rented a car at the airport a more efficient process than in years before and drove to cefalu the first sign of serious improvement was that the traffic seemed less maniacal than i remembered making the trip more like an ordinary that is vaguely harrowing autostrada drive and less like a ferocious scramble for survival
we spent three nights in cefalu a beautiful town on the sea hugging a curve of the coastline cefalu has a picturesque mazelike old city and a magnificent cathedral that you can see from far away in the duomo is a remarkably well preserved 12th century mosaic of christ pantocrator in the central apse just above the madonna and surrounded by the twelve apostles
the village is like a much smaller more intimate version of monreale   without the crowds during our last stay in cefalu howie and i returned to the church every few hours to watch the changing light play on the mosaics but we knew that these obsessive pilgrimages were unlikely to appeal to the girls who much preferred playing on the beach and in the gentle waves
one necessity of traveling with family it became clear was figuring out   in advance or on the spot   the many minor but essential compromises and adjustments that needed to be made
id very much wanted to revisit the lovely inn and restaurant gangivecchio in an ancient aristocratic villa in the madonie mountains above cefalu but i wasnt sure how well the children would like the twisty two hour drive
instead we took a much shorter less than a half hour trip to the handsome town of castelbuono where we had an extraordinary lunch at nangalarruni a much loved restaurant that specializes in dishes prepared with local mushrooms the menu includes a marvelous sort of gratin made with potatoes and mushrooms a medallion of pork encrusted with honey pistachios and almonds and pastas with a variety of delectable mushroom sauces
easily navigable and unpretentious castelbuono is also an art town with 15th century frescoes in the crypt of the church matrice vecchia in the castle is a chapel encrusted with the giddily over the top baroque decorations of the sculptor giacomo serpotta
but by the time we finished lunch late on a palm sunday afternoon the town seemed to have slipped into a peaceful postprandial sleep and in lieu of seeing its art treasures we settled for buying honey and olive oil in a shop selling produce from a nearby organic cooperative
if you like to cook as we do the great frustration of tourism is the inability to shop at local markets and make dinner one thing thats greatly changed travel over the last decade has been the advent of airbnb and its online gallery of rentable apartments and houses for us the fantasy was irresistible the smell of olive oil and garlic the family gathered around platters of steaming pasta and seafood bought that very day we could be like italians
the reality was somewhat different the amiable hosts who showed us to our rental cottage in cefalu had forgotten to mention the high chance of burning out the clutch as we climbed the driveway which rounded precipitous curves without guardrails along the edge of a cliff nor did we know from the online photos that the only access to the bedrooms was via a semi broken ladder a problem for two little granddaughters my seven months pregnant daughter in law and to be honest for me
in syracuse where we went next our elegant spacious comfortable apartment also an airbnb had another sort of glitch the electricity had been turned off in a country where we well knew it could be weeks for it to be turned back on perhaps my father should have said you cant go back and rent an apartment
ultimately these issues which featured comic awkward moments evoking national lampoons vacation films hardly mattered our little family fled both airbnbs and checked into local hotels the gracious and comfortable la plumeria in cefalu and in syracuse after our genuinely kindly regretful landlady refunded our money though our cefalu host refused the elegant algila when the travelers who had come for easter filled its rooms we moved again to the old fashioned seafront hotel des etrangers
in syracuse we stayed on ortigia the lovely island across a small bridge from the mainland though there were far more restaurants and souvenir shops than i recalled from my previous visits ortigias architecture the atmospheric cobbled streets the dramatic waterfront and especially the piazza del duomo particularly beautiful when illuminated at night were no less thrilling than i remembered nor was it any less fascinating to observe the layers of history so visible everywhere throughout the city
on one side of the duomo you can see the columns that upheld the structure during its original iteration as a greek temple consecrated as a christian church in the seventh century the norman cathedral was rebuilt in its current baroque splendor after the earthquake of 1693
among syracuses wonders is one of caravaggios major   and most beautiful   paintings the burial of st lucia which was done in 1608 when the artist briefly took refuge in sicily on the run from a murder charge in rome the painting temporarily housed in the church santa lucia alla badia on one side of the piazza duomo depicts the interment of the citys patron saint her delicate frame stretched out near the bottom of the canvas surrounded by mourners and half blocked from our sight by the broad powerful back of the gravedigger all this   the action of the painting as it were   transpires in a narrow band beneath a vast expanse of empty dark space that has been restored since i last saw it then in syracuses art museum to reveal a brick niche dimly visible in the sepulchral gloom
on the mainland a short cab or bus ride or longer walk from ortigia is syracuses archaeological zone a sort of classical entertainment center featuring one of the largest and most impressive greek theaters in existence as well as an elliptical roman arena that often served as the stage and could be flooded for simulated naval battles
in the same park are a series of caverns or latomie now surrounded by a pleasant garden planted with lemon and orange trees and heavily populated by songbirds are the caves that were used as prisons by the regions despotical rulers perhaps the most well known of these caves the ear of dionysius was at least supposedly given its name by caravaggio who observed the way in which the caves entrance resembles an enormous ear
our granddaughters loved running in and out of these dark slightly daunting natural wonders and were suitably impressed by the unusual acoustics where the slightest whisper can be heard throughout the cavern legend has it that this feature was used by the rulers to eavesdrop on the conversations of the unsuspecting prisoners though it seems more probable that this natural amplification was ingeniously employed to increase the audibility of the plays performed in the greek theater
as in much of sicily the food in syracuse is   to put it simply   great one of the best meals we had on our trip was at burgio a sort of upscale open air grocery store and restaurant in one corner of ortigias appealing market burgio focuses on local produce   cheeses sausages and salamis
they serve sandwiches made to order artisanal beers local wines and elaborate platters on which are arranged small dishes of sliced meats fish cheese and marinated vegetables each selection paired with perfectly complementary relishes eating at burgio was our consolation for not being able to shop in and cook from the market but it was by no means the only excellent restaurant in ortigia
walking around checking out menus its not hard to find someplace where the food is superb and not terribly expensive we especially liked sicilia in tavola which has a terrific selection of seafood dishes   and pasta bolognese for the girls   and where i had pasta with sea urchin pasta ai ricci a dish with which i am obsessed and order every chance i get we also liked a place called divino mare which is near the market and serves grilled wonderfully fresh fish at unusually reasonable prices
we spent much of our time four days in syracuse just walking around and eating i would have liked to spend more time traveling up and down the ionian sea coast and to the inland mountain towns of ragusa and modica id hoped to take the family to the fish market in catania where once eating pasta with sea urchin in a little trattoria at the edge of the pescheria i watched the restaurant and the market stalls empty as everyone gathered to marvel at a gargantuan tuna that one of the fishermen had brought in
i would have liked to have lunch at the coastal beauty spots aci trezza and aci castello and to visit noto the wildly baroque town where every cornice and window sill appears to vie for the greatest complexity of decoration and where a balcony might be upheld by mermaids griffins or galloping horses carved from stone i would have liked to make a side trip to the villa romana del casale near piazza armerina a restored roman villa with famously spectacular mosaics depicting a chariot race an epic hunting scene a parade of women in what appear to be bikinis
but of the three generations traveling together each one had their own reasons for wanting to relax to take things slow and easy
ultimately some of the most pleasurable moments were the most unexpected and the ones that most fully disproved my fathers warning against returning to the familiar i had an experience of pure bliss riding through the gently rolling unusually green sicilian countryside between cefalu and syracuse looking at ruins of ancient farmhouses and flocks of grazing sheep and hearing my granddaughters sing at the top of their lungs along with adeles hello
perhaps my favorite moment of the entire trip occurred at segesta where there is an unfinished but nonetheless grand doric temple and an amphitheater dating from the third century bc on a hill above the temple the structures are themselves magnificent but their beauty is greatly enhanced by the setting a semideserted out of the way about 40 minutes from palermo and wholly rural mountaintop from which you can see far across the bucolic countryside and beyond it the sea
of sicilys three major greek temples   at agrigento selinunte and segesta   segesta was the one i wanted my family to see the one i wanted to revisit myself
when we reached segesta after getting lost in search of a nearby lunch spot it was midafternoon the busloads of tourists and italian schoolchildren had mostly departed we took the shuttle bus up to the amphitheater where a strong wind was blowing and where   as their parents and grandparents sat on the stone benches encircling the theater and took in the view   the girls ran up and down the levels like graceful little mountain goats and treated the ancient theater as their personal terraced playground
from the shuttle bus going back downhill you suddenly see the temple solitary and majestic exerting a kind of presence you can feel even from afar the bus driver stopped so his passengers could take a picture and i had the sense that even he   navigating this road day after day   had never reached the point of taking the temples beauty for granted and was still awed by its magnificence
the hike from the parking area to the temple is slightly steep and long leon and howie and the girls ran up ahead while i walked more slowly to keep my daughter in law company by the time we reached the temple the girls had made it their own malena who never walks when she can run was scrambling over the rocks that surrounded the structure inspecting every inch of the hilly area around the monumental columns
emilia was having quite a different reaction in the open space with the temple behind her she seemed to have become intoxicated by the gorgeousness of the place with her arms outstretched she twirled and twirled around the afternoon sunlight shining through her pale skirt and picking out the highlights in her long reddish brown hair graceful and free powered by the sheer joy of being a child by the happiness of finding herself in such an astonishing spot she turned and turned and turned
watching her i thought you can go back this is better returning can be better than seeing a place for the first time the temple at segesta had never before seemed to me so striking so timeless so precious i thought this   right here right now   is the most beautiful thing that i have ever seen
the budget airline meridiana has direct flights from new york to palermo sicilybut there are also flights from a number of european capitals to palermo and catania we flew alitalia from rome to palermo and rented a car at the airport
la plumeria hotel corso ruggero 185 cefalu 39 092 192 5897laplumeriahotelit double rooms from 182
algila ortigia charme hotel via vittorio veneto 93 syracuse 39 093 146 5186algilait double rooms from 364
hotel des etrangers passeggio adorno 10 12 syracuse 39 093 131 9100desetrangerscom double rooms from 244
nangalarruni via delle confraternite 5 castelbuono 39 092 162 1228hostarianangalarruniit lunch for two with wine 100
fratelli burgio piazza cesare battisti 4 syracuse 39 093 160 069fratelliburgiocom lunch for two with wine 80
sicilia in tavola via cavour 28 syracuse 39 392 461 0889 siciliaintavolaeu dinner for two with wine 90


lift festival various venues through july 2
performing arts pieces from australia belgium greece and japan will appear in this festival set in venues across london including a dance theater and a cemetery performances in the international lineup include miss revolutionary idol berserker a dance and music spectacle featuring confetti and disco lights and depart the cemetery set piece which brings together electronic musicians chorus singers and circus performers liftfestivalcom
at the seams a political history of palestinian embroiderydar el nimer for arts and culture through july 30
the 24 million palestinian museum opened in the west bank in may but because of a dispute between the museums director and its board there was no art inside the alluring new building when it opened its doors the museum is holding its first satellite exhibition in beirut right now the show looks at palestinian embroidery focusing in particular on how textiles from the region changed in the later decades of the 20th century in response to political and social upheaval darelnimerorg
luminato festival various venues june 10 26
the james plays the national theater of scotlands epic stage telling of the lives of several medieval scottish kings situation rooms an interactive theater piece that deals with the worldwide weapons trade by the german theater troupe rimini protokoll and song of extinction a music and video piece about environmental threats to animals will all appear in this festival a wide ranging affair taking place in torontos city center the singer rufus wainwright will perform rufus does judy in which he recreates a well known 1961 concert that judy garland performed at carnegie hall luminatofestivalcom
from kandinsky to pollock peggy guggenheim collection through july 24
big 20th century art names from the museums collection   like duchamp rothko klee and lucio fontana   are showing in this exhibition the show focuses on art from the 1920s to the 1960s and examines the aesthetic differences between prewar european modernists and the american up and comers who rose to prominence starting in the 1940s imagine new imagery in italian art 1960 1969 an exhibition that examines the avant garde movements that emerged from milan in that time is also on view guggenheim veniceit
isle of wight festival various venues june 9 12
this rock music event started in the late 1960s and has maintained a hardcore edge while other british festivals like glastonbury have turned their attention to the mass pop market acts in this years lineup include the who stereophonics queen who now tour with the frontman adam lambert jess glynne and iggy pop as the name suggests the festival takes place on the isle of wight just off englands south coast isleofwightfestivalcom
rauschenberg in china ullens center for contemporary art through aug 21
the american pop artist robert rauschenberg spent around 16 years creating his the 14 mile or 2 furlong piece a 1000 foot long visual artwork that he referred to as a retrospective of his own career that work serves as the centerpiece of this exhibition the show also looks at rauschenbergs relationship with china through photographs that he took on a trip there and documentation of the exhibition of his artwork that was held at the national art museum in beijing in 1985 uccaorgcn
isabel ii images of power between spain and puerto rico 1833 1868 museo de arte de ponce through sept 5
the 19th century spanish queen isabel ii oversaw the country during a time of political upheaval at home and abroad during her reign puerto rico began to forge an independent identity it seceded from spain several decades after she left her post this exhibition includes portraits of prominent spaniards from isabels court and her empire including jose laureano sanz y posse the governor of puerto rico miguel de la torre y pando and the queen herself museoarteponceorg
bosch the fifth centenary exhibition prado museum through sept 11
this year marks 500 hundred years since the death of the otherworldly dutch artist hieronymus bosch around 20 of his paintings and some of his drawings are on view in this show including his iconic rendering of hell and heaven the garden of earthly delights the exhibition also features some reliefs miniatures and paintings by other artists that aim to provide context on the world in which bosch worked museodelpradoes
sydney film festival various venues june 8 19
the outback set thriller goldstone which is directed by the indigenous movemaker ivan sen and stars the oscar nominee jacki weaver opens this festival the lineup includes some indie darlings from the 2016 film festival circuit like swiss army man which stars daniel radcliffe as a semi animate corpse special screenings of virtual reality movies which viewers can watch while wearing a special headset are taking place at the festivals hub venue sfforgau


soon after my alaska airlines flight had safely touched down at ted stevens anchorage international airport i noticed i felt a bit off it was 1030 pm but the sun was still hanging above the horizon and it looked like midmorning my old peace corps friend isaac and i stood in a parking lot overlooking cook inlet where the famed captain had arrived in 1778 in search of the northwest passage
purple and blue light reflected off the snowcapped corona of mountains that surround anchorage   mount susitna or the sleeping lady mount gerdine and mount torbert looming in the distance over 100 miles away and barely visible was denali the highest peak in north america
the long days get a little crazy he said isaac lives in anchorage with his wife and two children you find yourself wanting to garden or go for a run and its 11 pm i began feeling it too   a messing with your circadian rhythms that felt like a slight mania or internal buzzing
but i soon found that energy made exploring anchorage and the surrounding area all the more fun as one might expect its a city with hiking biking wildlife and an abundance of natural beauty that borders on the embarrassing but it also has one of the more diverse census tracts in the country groups like native alaskans as well as a substantial asian and pacific islander population give the city its dining and its institutions a multicultural feel unlike any in the lower 48 thats how alaskans only slightly derisively refer to us mainlanders what that means for hawaii im not sure
and if you know where to look anchorage is a great frugal destination even though you should expect to pay a premium on certain things like food the avocados and citrus youre enjoying need to be shipped quite a ways for residents some of that is offset by the permanent fund which in 2015 paid out 2072 to every adult in alaska simply for choosing to live there the rest of us have to get creative and take advantage of the open accessibility of the states incredible natural resources
isaac took me out for a late dinner of tacos filled with tender blackened cod 1295 from bear tooth a combination restaurant and movie theater in the spenard neighborhood one of the things isaac relished about anchorage he said was the feeling that you could make a real immediate impact with your work and that you had access to those in positions of power alaska is one of those places where if you wanted to you could call the governor and talk to him he said
deborah williams former executive director of the alaskan conservation foundation expressed a similar sentiment when discussing controversial conservation efforts in the late 70s and early 80s we chatted over a crab omelet 17 and sausage scramble 13 at snow city cafe a cute diner downtown it was an immense amount of work she said but im proud of what we accomplished preserving the land for everyone to enjoy currently less than 1 percent of alaskan land is privately owned she said i should talk to jimmy about alaskan conservation   it took me a minute to figure out she was talking about president carter you really should she said he would love that
accessibility is a theme in anchorage and its surrounding public land and parks the clearest extension of that isaac and i took a long hike up flattop mountain a 3550 foot high peak in chugach state park thats extremely popular with locals after paying the 5 parking fee we began the winding slushy hike through melting snow and ice it was very warm   72 degrees   the same temperature that day as in los angeles
you do realize that if you dont make it to the top your trip here will be a failure isaac ribbed me as i lagged behind on the steep narrow path the 90 minute hike was trying at points but not too arduous tougher was stomaching the packs of 13  and 14 year schoolkids flying past us in shorts and t shirts the panoramic view from the top was breathtaking   the entire city lay before us and denali was clearly visible we descended by glissading   leaping down the mountain and sliding down the snow on your feet and in my case my butt
anchorage residents play hard and theres plenty of great food to fuel their active lives seafood is a given and one of my favorite meals came at a casual restaurant called arctic roadrunner which has been around since 1964 my salmon burger 850 made from wild alaskan salmon was very satisfying with fresh chunks of tender meat the accompaniment was nearly as good   thick fingers of onion each a few inches long battered and deep fried 285
i also visited cherie clonginger who runs a small food cart on the corner of west fifth avenue and g street downtown her business mon cherie offers a simple delicious poutine of cheese curds and brown gravy over french fries served hot from a mini deep fryer she has installed in her cart she also sells reindeer hot dogs if youre able to exorcise images of rudolph and friends from your mind give them a try the one i had which resembled a pork sausage was quite tasty and not particularly gamey
the diversity of anchorages population though is what gives depth to its dining scene i enjoyed some great dim sum at charlies bakery and chinese cuisine   the shumai dumplings were particularly good 375   as well as dishes like yuxiang qiezi a pungent garlicky eggplant dish 1095 i also enjoyed a donor kebab sandwich from a new turkish restaurant called turkish delight while a bit expensive at 15 it contained a generous portion of beef and lamb meat in soft flatbread along with a tangy tzatziki sauce kazandibi a thick milk pudding with the consistency of a jiggly creme brulee was an outstanding end to the meal
getting around anchorage is simple and there are many options for transportation i rented a car avis 23 per day because i knew i would be exploring the kenai peninsula farther downstate public transportation is an option too the people mover bus system does an admirable job covering the sprawl of the city the city limits of anchorage technically encircle 1961 square miles   nearly four times the area of los angeles seeing anchorage by bike is another option pablos bicycle rentals offers a three hour rental for 20 and a full day rental for 40 helmet and lock included one popular bike friendly destination the tony knowles coastal trail which runs about 10 miles and hugs cook inlet around to kincaid park
my favorite way of getting around though was on foot downtown anchorage is very walkable with most of the action running roughly from third avenue down to ninth avenue another friend kate took me along fifth avenue past town square park and past a beautiful old theater on fourth avenue whose future is unfortunately uncertain there were of course plenty of stores selling alaska souvenirs including native goods   arts and crafts from indigenous alaskan cultures like the inupiat aleut and athabaskan peoples a lot of what was there though looked a little kitschy and tourist oriented so where to go to get the real stuff
you have to go to the hospital said julia omalley an anchorage native and fellow james beard award nominee we were both nominated in 2015 we had just picked up a coffee 250 from fire island rustic bakeshop and were walking around margaret eagan sullivan park in south addition a cute neighborhood just southwest of downtown if you want really good jewelry and crafts you have to go to the native hospital
the alaska native medical center provides care to the areas native and indigenous populations it also happens to be the best place in the city to buy native crafts clothing art and jewelry the anmc auxiliary craft shop is easy enough to find within the hospital but catching it during business hours can be tricky its open only from 10 am to 2 pm during the week then every other saturday from 11 am to 2 pm they take only cash or personal checks a sign on the door warns that crafts made from whalebone or baleen   native artists can work in a very monitored capacity in these media   may not be taken out of the country
though i didnt settle on a purchase i had a great time just window shopping a helpful employee recommended i take a look at the different displays of native crafts throughout the hospital that way youll get a sense of what it is you might be looking for she said i went up to the fifth floor and wound my way down looking at beautifully curated exhibits of clothing dolls baskets and other examples of native craftsmanship on each floor   as good as any id seen in a museum i visited two during my stay incidentally the anchorage museum and the alaska native heritage center 15 and 2495 admission respectively though i bought a combo ticket to both for 2995
as pretty as those crafts where though it was the natural environs that inspired awe many times a day   the monolithic mountains of the chugach range force themselves into every aspect of your time in anchorage its both jarring and strangely comforting animals also run wild around the city   moose in particular regularly make appearances on residents front lawns
a controlled way to both assist and view wild animals   not just moose but elk tundra wolves and bears   is the alaska wildlife conservation center created in response to the 1989 exxon valdez oil spill that wreaked havoc on coastal wildlife zoos often have a slightly depressing quality but i found this one to be an exception for 15 visitors can observe the centers population of animals most of which were orphaned or injured and are being rehabilitated i saw red foxes elk moose and even a bald eagle
most striking though were the brown bears i watched joe boxer and patron lumbering and quite intimidating from an open winding boardwalk above the bears habitat its safe   the bears cant get you   but thrilling too since theres very little separating you from the animals i managed to snap a pretty decent photo of one of them but it didnt do justice to the excitement of seeing these huge animals up close


here are the top 10 comments of the week on our digital platforms as selected by our readers and the journalists who moderate nearly every comment
1 as a general matter why should a judge be sacrosanct from criticism
its quite clear that many of them are impelled in their rulings by an ideological view of law which makes them legitimate targets of opposing ideologies
trumps attack on judge curiel may be regarded as self interested and crude but judges are not off limits
  richard luettgen in new jersey reacting to an editorial criticizing donald j trump for attacking the federal judge overseeing the class action lawsuit brought by customers of trump university
this comment received more than 90 responses from fellow readers
2 there was something about ryan that led me to hope that he would finally be the person who stood up to ask at long last sir have you no decency
his capitulation makes me sad more than anything else almost profoundly sad about what is becoming of our wonderful and difficult nation a symptom of the prolonged cancer of the republican party now beyond remission
  chris in virginia reacting to an article about speaker paul d ryan endorsing mr trump after a prolonged period of reluctance
3 with all the media and democratic establishment backing including that of the new york times clinton is still unsure of what to do against one of the most vulnerable opponents ever who hasnt trump alienated
no one really thinks bernie sanders is perfect but over 40 years of evidence shows how he has taken care of himself by really working for the benefit of others
that means he is running with so many americans at his side this not only better equips him to meet the onslaughts of an egomaniac like trump it has with all his faults made him great
clinton may be much less destructive to the american people than trump but i would rather have the chance to vote for someone i really respect and admire than have to come to terms with someone who i know to be only the lesser of two evils
  timshel in new york responding to an article about hillary clintons struggles to gain an advantage over mr trump
this comment received more than 680 reader responses
4 the zoo is not to blame the parents are not to blame this is just one of those things and im glad this kid wasnt mauled to death a human life is worth more than an animals
  charlie kraebel on the timess facebook page responding to an article about a gorilla at the cincinnati zoo that was shot after dragging a boy who fell into its enclosure
this comment received more than 1600 likes
5 bravo to these women for taking action
if you see something suspicious always err on the side of speaking up the worst case scenario for you is a few minutes of awkwardness the worst case scenario for them is a lifetime of trauma recovery
  kate jackson on the timess facebook page responding to an article about three women in california who alerted a fellow restaurant patron to her male dates drugging her drink
6 people living on the economic edge which is at least 40 percent of us according to a lead article in aprils atlantic cannot plan for or absorb a financial setback of even 400 without taking a loan or pawning their belongings
it isnt because they are weak willed or careless with their earnings it is because their earnings are too small to meet their basic needs when every penny goes to paying the rent buying food paying utilities and transportation even the smallest unexpected event   a flat tire a child chipping a tooth playing   becomes a crisis
the real crime here is that people living in relative privilege are unable to see or have compassion for their neighbors   and we are all neighbors   who live lives of unbearable stress because our country values profit over everything else try compassion it is better for your own health
  nora01 in new england reacting to an article about regulations proposed for the payday loan industry this week
this comment received more than 280 reader recommendations
7 my mother would turn in her grave if i ever used velveeta on my enchiladas
  zach1 in washington state reacting to an article about the resurgence of traditional tex mex cooking in and around houston
8 a public pool in a civil society means access to all if your religion creates a special demand build a private pool with the money you save from not having to pay property taxes
  janet rosen on the timess facebook page responding to an editorial opposing the establishment of separate women only hours at a public pool in brooklyn that caters to the neighborhoods large orthodox jewish population
this comment received more than 1600 likes
9 i graduated from queens college cuny in 1992 it was a fantastic school ive since studied at others   harvard boston university boston college   and can say without reservation that the quality of education i got at queens college surpassed anything i experienced elsewhere
i returned to queens college a couple of months ago for the first time since graduation 24 years ago i was shocked at what i saw
the place looked like a campus you might expect to see in a third world country  higher taxes anyone to pay for better public universities among other things
no i thought not
and yet we have no problem driving huge suvs buying our daily cup of coffee at starbucks and buying big screen tvs for every room in the house do we
failing to invest in the education of young people will have massive and far reaching negative consequences you are going to get what you pay for america
  eb in cohasset mass reacting to an article about a funding crisis within the city university of new york system
this comment received more than 580 reader recommendations
10 i asked one of my doctors about the likelihood of my tumor becoming metabolically active again to which they responded with vague language
i said sternly give me a number
they instantly did
it wasnt great but i didnt want great
i wanted the truth
  andrew polk on the timess facebook page responding to an article on the well blog about oncologists who are uncertain how much information patients want about their prognoses


front page
an article on april 23 about an executive order issued by gov terry mcauliffe of virginia that expanded voting rights for convicted felons using information from the governors office overstated the laws effect on african americans a subsequent analysis by the governors office showed that 45 percent   not a majority   of those affected were african american this correction was delayed because the error was not brought to the attention of editors until thursday
business day
a headline on friday for an article about exelons plans to shut two nuclear power plants referred incorrectly in some editions to the timing of the closures as the article correctly noted one of the plants will be closed in june 2017 and the other in june 2018 they have not already closed

because of an editing error an article on friday about the new oil minister in saudi arabia khalid al falih misstated the time period during which the country issued a directive to diversify its economy it was in april not last month
sports
a picture caption in some copies last saturday with an article about the dodgers starting pitcher making his major league debut against the mets misstated his surname as the article correctly noted he is julio urias not arias

an article on monday about shelby rogerss upset of irina camelia begu at the french open misstated the set in which rogers broke begu when she was serving at 4 5 it was the second set not the third as the article correctly noted elsewhere they played only two sets
weekend
an article on friday about edgar feuchtwanger author of the memoir i was hitlers neighbor misstated hitlers address in munich when he moved into mr feuchtwangers neighborhood in 1929 it was 16 prinzregentenplatz prince regent square not 16 prinzregentenstrasse prince regent street
travel
an article on page 12 this weekend about a family friendly trip to new orleans misstates part of the name of a green space in the french quarter it is jackson square not jackson park the article also refers incorrectly to a sightseeing carriage it is led by a mule not by a donkey in addition the article misstates part of the names of two streets they are frenchmen street not frenchmens street and washington avenue not washington street and the article misidentifies the departure location for a jazz cruise it is the toulouse street wharf not canal place the errors about jackson square the carriage and frenchmen street also appear in an accompanying article on page 11 about five vacation alternatives to disney world
real estate
the continuation of a cover article this weekend about deciding whether to buy a home or rent appears twice in some copies on pages 12 and 13 because of that error the ask real estate column was omitted in those editions the column can be found at nytimescomrealestate
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at first he was just a commotion far down state street
muhammad ali was usually a commotion in those days
then he materialized followed by a raggle taggle army muhammad alis irregulars your basic rainbow coalition of the late 1960s falling in step behind him chanting muhammad ali is our champ muhammad ali is our champ
this was chicago circa 1968 while ali was suspended for refusing to enter the military draft uttering the famous line i aint got no quarrel against them vietcong
i remember it as a sunny midday in chicago one of his cities   heck a lot of cities were his in those heightened times   and perhaps the champ was just out for a stroll as i was a young baseball writer in town with the yanks or maybe it was the mets
i had never seen ali in person but geez he was beautiful big and limber and smiling and it didnt look like he had much else to do but walk down state street collecting black people and white people and brown people and young people and old people surely not everybody in america for he was a draft dodger and a muslim and whatever else you wanted to call him but he was the champion of state street that day the once and future champ
that was ali in america in the late 60s a lot of things wrapped up in one graceful complicated package
later i got to watch him fall apart and know him just a little bit and once i jogged with him for oh maybe half a mile these stories come back to me as i mourn muhammad ali
the first time i got to report on ali as best i can remember was in 1974 after he beat george foreman in zaire and came back home to louisville ky by now i was a news reporter who had lived in kentucky for a while   more familiar with coal minings human toll than boxings   and the new york times asked me to cover alis homecoming
they introduced him at dusk in the big plaza alongside the ohio river as whites and blacks celebrated him the actual champ again as always he was a master at manipulating the crowd he stood on a stage and towered over a tiny black man who looked to be about 12 years old ali saw the humor in this and asked if anybody knew who this little brother was as louisvilles mayor harvey sloane seemed to fret about where this was all going
ali told the crowd who the little man was   galenge mbangu 22 the pilot of the air zaire dc 10 that had flown ali before he came home with his championship belt
he didnt have no blond hair and blue eyes but we made it anyway ali told the crowd like it was still the 60s and there were lessons to be taught
he wasnt so beautiful by the time i went back to sports in 1980 because he had taken a lot of punches he trudged slowly with some dignity and some tremors as he prepared to fight larry holmes in las vegas and i got to meet some of his people like his photographer howard bingham one of the truly sweet people and alis lippy cheerleader drew bundini brown who had invented the phrase float like a butterfly sting like a bee ali got beat up by holmes an ugly sight it was the first time i saw him fight
his next fight was trevor berbick in the bahamas i was sent down to cover it and wangled a chance to jog with ali in the traditional predawn training regimen always before dawn i was a five mile runner in those days and looked forward to jogging alongside the champ who was meek and sweet now no trace of the vitriol that floyd patterson and joe frazier had felt so viscerally
we shuffled out into the darkness for a minute or so and i hadnt broken a sweat yet and ali whispered hoarsely to nobody in particular lets go back so we went back to the training camp and he did magic tricks as a good muslim following the qurans position about magic explaining each trick that was how ali spent many hours of training
my wife flew down a few days before the fight the camp was highly informal and by now i knew everybody in the entourage boxing is like that i ushered my wife into the midday alleged sparring session and was told the champ was resting on the training table so i ushered her to the inner sanctum where ali looked like an ancient african prince on his deathbed
champ i said id like you to meet my wife and he whispered something with barely enough energy to speak and i motioned for marianne to move closer and he said something to her and she laughed very sweetly what he said was you can do better people told me it was his stock line no matter she was charmed plus he was probably right
so that was ali the peoples champ and he got beat up by berbick and never fought again and the rest of his life was a testimony to the destructive force of boxing a sport i would abolish if i could but then again boxing gave us ali and his counterpart smokin joe frazier quivering with anger for the rest of his life at the way ali called him a gorilla
they were america as much as anybody   race playing out between two boxers one from a gullah section of south carolina one with white roots from kentucky
the champ lived a long time after that three and a half decades many things to many people i would see him at banquets or sports events escorted by his lovely wife lonnie he was in there whispering to people he knew well - dick schaap howard cosell dave anderson bingham   the mother wit the intelligence that no iq test could ever measure in his later decades he was a gentle soul courtesy of boxings ravages
he was americas broken prince one of our princes anyway and when i saw him shuffling i always remembered the erect beautiful prince striding down state street as the crowd chanted yes muhammad ali is our champ muhammad ali is our champ


at the end the mischief was still in his eyes even the pall of parkinsons disease never took that away but for too many years before his death muhammad ali was not the muhammad ali you wanted to remember instead of shouting i am the greatest he whispered instead of whirling in his white boxing shoes with red tassels he shuffled and instead of that wonderful face lighting up when he spoke he wore a cheerless mask
whenever people asked you about him lately you always preferred to tell them what he was like in all those years when you covered 32 of his fights what he was like when he really was muhammad ali
to go back to the beginning you told them what he was like the first time you met him when he was cassius clay in the days before he won a disputed decision over doug jones in 1963 at the old madison square garden and you were in his midtown hotel room
stand up and put your hands up like a boxer he ordered circling and then flicking his left jab inches from your chin as you blinked pop pop pop aint never been a heavyweight fast as me
sonny liston learned that twice but for all of alis flash as the new champion you learned that he could be cruel when he tortured floyd patterson and taunted ernie terrell and in 1967 with ali surrounded by black muslim bodyguards in black suits and black bow ties you listened as he sat in the basement of the garden after a workout before his title defense against zora folley and implied that he would go to prison rather than obey his army induction order during the vietnam war
for my beliefs he said
at a houston induction center ali did not take the symbolic step forward in compliance with the military draft stripped of the heavyweight championship by boxing politicians and convicted of refusing army induction he began a three and a half year exile by the time he fought joe frazier in their march 8 1971 spectacle at the new garden he remained an unpatriotic villain to some a hero to others for standing up to the government the morning after his first loss and an embarrassing knockdown his jaw was still swollen and he winced whenever he moved on the bed in his hotel room
when a man gets me going thats a punch and when a man drops me thats a hell of a punch he said referring to fraziers left hook in the 15th round i didnt give the fight to him he earned it
when the supreme court reversed his 1967 conviction for refusing army induction he was free but it took three years and a 12 round decision over frazier before he got another shot at the title then held by the undefeated knockout puncher george foreman in kinshasa zaire in a 1974 bout that began there at 4 oclock in the morning to accommodate closed circuit theater television in the united states you heard his 60000 worshipers in a soccer stadium chanting ali bomaye meaning ali kill him
in the eighth round ali who had covered up with his back against the ropes while foreman punched himself out threw a right hand that spun foreman onto the canvas ko 8
the surprise is that i did not dance you heard him say later outside his villa along the congo river for weeks i kept hollering be ready to dance but i didnt dance that was the surprise that was the trick i told him youre the champ george and im eatin you up dont ever match no bull against a master boxer the bull is stronger but the matadors smarter
as champion for the second time ali was suddenly more popular than ever and he was having more fun than ever
after he and joe bugner selected the gloves for their 1975 title bout in kuala lumpur malaysia you noticed ali staring at the commission official who put the gloves in separate boxes then sealed the boxes with wax from a burning candle
where are you taking the gloves he asked
were putting them in jail the official explained to make sure nobody tampers with them were putting the gloves in a safe in jail
the gloves are going to jail he said his eyes wide the gloves aint done nothin   yet
three months later in what ali called the thrilla in manila he survived a brutal third fight with frazier when fraziers trainer eddie futch would not let him answer the bell for the 15th round futch explained that frazier his left eye closed could not see alis right hand coming minutes later frazier was in the interview area talking about what happened and he later boogied at his postfight party
ali needed nearly an hour to face the news media and when asked what the fight had been like you heard him say next to death at his postfight party he sat stiffly and silently
youre not a doctor but you have often thought that if ali had retired after manila maybe parkinsons disease would not have hit him harder than even joe frazier ever had
it wasnt so much that ali had too many fights after manila maybe it was that he had too many hard rounds with jimmy young ken norton earnie shavers leon spinks losing the title then gaining it for the third time larry holmes and trevor berbick when he finally retired you stopped by a miami gym where at 40 he was working out before an exhibition tour of saudi arabia india and pakistan thats when you noticed he was slurring his words
ihad aphysical inlosangeles forthistour he mumbled his words clinging together as cobwebs of dust do imperfect
he was far from perfect of course and month by month and year by year his speech slurred more and more whenever you saw him and you watched him playfully pretend to throw a punch or do his magic tricks you could see the twinkle in his eyes and you knew the mischief was still there but he was not the muhammad ali you wanted to remember and he never would be


brendan steele whose only pga tour victory was in his rookie season five years ago shot a five under par 67 and was tied for the lead with matt kuchar 66 at 132 in the memorial at muirfield village in dublin ohio the scoring was so good that the cut was at two under 142 the lowest since jack nicklaus started the tournament in 1976
aiming for a repeat anna nordqvist began her title defense in the shoprite lpga classic in galloway township nj with a seven under 64 she birdied nine of her last 12 holes and shared the lead with ai miyazato and paula reto
martina hingis and leander paes each completed a career grand slam in mixed doubles as they won the french open final against sania mirza and ivan dodig 4 6 6 4 10 8 it was the 10th mixed doubles title at a major for indias paes the fifth for switzerlands hingis
john lackey struck out nine while pitching into the seventh inning and the chicago cubs pulled away late to beat the arizona diamondbacks 6 0 for their ninth win in 10 games lackey 6 2 combined with three relievers on chicagos sixth shutout allowing five scattered hits and the cubs pursuing their first world series title since 1908 improved to 38 15 the best record in the majors its too early to talk about surreal lackey said we have high goals we have a long way to go before we can reach that
indians beat royals again in pitching cleveland to its fourth victory in five games against kansas city this season 6 1 danny salazar 6 2 allowed two runs or less for the ninth time in his 11 starts
the federal judge hearing the minnesota vikings dispute with wells fargo over office tower rooftop signs near the teams new stadium said he would rule by june 24 on whether the case will proceed to trial with neither side budging after months of negotiations
us bank stadium named for a wells fargo competitor will formally open this summer across the street twin 17 story office towers are each emblazoned at a total cost of 490000 with red and yellow wells fargo logos as part of a mixed use development largely funded by that bank the vikings lawyers have called the signs a giant photo bomb of aerial images of the 11 billion stadium like those from a blimp during football telecasts
fullback faces charges the former seahawks fullback derrick coleman jr 25 was charged with felony hit and run and vehicular assault related to a crash in seattle in october coleman a free agent is legally deaf and he wrote a book about overcoming his disability to play football
sugar rodgers scored 21 points to help the host liberty 3 3 beat the indiana fever 91 59 in a rematch of the wnba eastern conference finals shavonte zellous who signed with the liberty after six seasons with indiana scored 13 the rookie tiffany mitchell scored 11 points to lead the fever 3 4


paris   tommy haas was named tournament director of the bnp paribas open in indian wells calif on friday filling a position vacated by raymond moore in march after he made derisive comments about womens tennis
haas a native of germany who rose to the no 2 ranking in 2002 and reached four grand slam semifinals remains an active player at 38 persevering in an injury plagued professional career that began in 1996
this is really something im looking forward to doing and i couldnt be more happy about this new position im taking on haas said in a conference call i cant wait to go out there and work around a team such a great team that is in place already out in indian wells
moore aroused anger on the last day of this years tournament when he said that female players were very very lucky and that they ride the coattails of the men
he added if i was a lady player id go down every night on my knees and thank god that roger federer and rafa nadal were born because they have carried this sport
moore resigned as tournament director 36 hours later
his comments prompted renewed conversation about equal prize money at combined atp wta events such as his while haas did not specifically address the topic in the conference call in the past he has balked at the notion of equal pay when wimbledon became the final grand slam event to offer equal prize money to men and women in 2007 haas was outspoken against the decision
i think the depth of mens tennis is much tougher than the womens plus we play best of five sets haas said in 2007 not to say the women dont deserve it the top players train very hard and are very good players but in general i dont agree with it
on friday haas said he maintained good relationships with many current and former wta players
im sure were going to brainstorm about that and make sure that theyre going to feel very welcome he said of the wta players we need the women just like always its a combined event to have one of the best tournaments where the best female players and the best male players come together is such an important thing for us and we know that
he added the statements that were made it was very very unfortunate but there shouldnt be a cloud over this event by any means at all because of all they have done in the past and what they continue to do is to make it an amazing amazing experience
haas is the third former atp player to be named director of an important tournament this year in february guy forget was named director of the french open and andre silva was named director of the cincinnati masters in may
unlike forget and silva who each had extensive previous experience on the organizational side of the sport haas has formal experience only as a player
though at an age at which most players have long since retired haas played as recently as last fall in vienna currently ranked 353rd he said he hoped to be able to return to the court at least for a few events next year after recovering from toe surgery
i think every athlete with thoughts of retirement has problems with accepting it at some point haas said but for me it would certainly be a dream of mine on my own terms to come back and play a few events or one event and retire on court or at some event where i would feel comfortable doing so
steve birdwell the chief operating officer for the indian wells tournament said haas had quickly proved to be a popular nominee for moores former post
we kept hearing that he has a great heart and is such a great guy birdwell said
haas was visible in the front row of this years tournament beside larry ellison the billionaire who is chairman of the software company oracle and is the owner of the tournament haas said he had a very very great relationship with ellison that relationship left many in the sport unsurprised by the otherwise unorthodox hire
i think its a great solution for larry and for indian wells top ranked novak djokovic said
haas said that he had first expressed his interest in the position to ellison when it previously became previously open last fall after steve simon left to become chief executive of the wta the position was ultimately filled by moore
haas indicated that his role might be more part time than others who hold such posts saying he had no plans to relocate to indian wells but instead would commute in on a regular basis from his home in los angeles which is more than two hours away by car


chicago officials on friday released a series of videos and audio recordings of shootings and other episodes involving the police as part of an effort by the administration of mayor rahm emanuel to restore the publics trust in the department
the videos   recorded by officers body cameras traffic and security cameras and bystanders   at times paint a fractured if not confusing portrait of the shootings in a city embroiled in a crisis over race and police conduct and roiled by an alarming rise in street violence they may raise more questions than offer answers
we asked experts in police training and conduct to watch a video clip of the following confrontation between ismael jamison and a police officer and tell us what they saw   or did not see
videos in this article contain scenes of violence and vulgar language
subject ismael jamison
date nov 22 2012
location 62nd and california
scene mr jamison is pacing shirtless on the sidewalk near a bus stop his fists are clenched his arms are flexed a police car pulls up mr jamison walks toward it briefly disappearing from view he continues to pace staring at the police car and gesturing he looks agitated though there is no audio mr jamison appears to say something to an officer the officer retorts then points a gun at him mr jamison charges at the officer the officer fires at him
analysis maria haberfeld a professor of police science at john jay college of criminal justice in new york analyzed the video linked to mr jamisons shooting a bus passenger flagged a passing police car and told an officer that mr jamison had been beating up people inside the bus
the video left me with more questions than answers professor haberfeld said
theres this guy who is walking around very agitated and theres suddenly a police officer holding a gun pointing a gun at this individual but i dont see where hes arrived from if there was some type of exchange before she said
what the video lacks she said is proper context did the officer say something that angered mr jamison so that he decided to attack the officer or was mr jamison simply out of control
because many of the videos released on friday by chicagos independent police review authority lack audio they leave questions unanswered what police officers say   and hear   during the confrontations is important to determining if the officers followed proper protocol did they try to defuse the situation did they give forceful orders that clearly conveyed their authority did they tell suspects to get down or drop their weapon before they opened fire
the following videos from dashboard cameras and bystanders cellphone cameras raise similar questions that the police training experts noted in the video of mr jamison
subjects david strong leland dudley john givens
date april 30 2012
location mikes electronics 24th and western
scene officers surrounded mikes electronics in chicagos little village neighborhood after reports of a burglary in progress after being ordered to surrender the police said the three men continued to load merchandise into a minivan then tried to escape by driving through a metal door at the time the police said that as the three men attempted to flee their minivan struck a police officer and a squad car then headed toward several other officers the police then opened fire shooting all three men who were unarmed mr strong 27 hit by five bullets died at the scene the two other men also injured by police gunfire were charged with homicide because their accomplice died in the commission of a felony mr givens 32 and mr dudley 33 sued the police in cook county circuit court alleging excessive force
subjects lisa simmons and jeremiah smith
date july 12 2014
location 15th and christiana
scene ms simmons and mr smith were among those attending a block party on chicagos west side celebrating a neighborhood rap groups newly signed recording contract the celebration was joyous and peaceful until the police showed up and began harassing partygoers a federal lawsuit alleged an officer identified as brett kahn slammed ms simmonss body and head onto the hood of a patrol car after she complained that they were harassing her son after yelling get out of the street or youre going to jail the same officer walked up behind mr smith and cracked him on the head with a baton
charges of public drinking against ms simmons were dismissed after 12 days in jail mr smith pleaded guilty to misdemeanor battery so he could be released from jail the lawsuit alleges the charges were later dropped after a judge reviewed the video said a lawyer who represented them rahsaan a gordon in court papers the police department acknowledged that mr smith was hit on the head and that ms simmons was pinned against the car during an arrest but it denied improper conduct the case was settled in april out of court for 100000 in an interview on friday mr gordon complained that no action had been taken against officer kahn historically these so called police review boards have moved slowly in chicago he said
subject terrence clarke
date june 16 2015
location portillos clark and ontario
scene mr clarke a canadian was among customers at a restaurant called portillos on the night the chicago blackhawks won the stanley cup on the video of a case under investigation it appears that mr clarke voices a complaint about his meal and says i want my money back then cheese from his meal landed on a nearby officer in plain clothes khaled shaar the beating that ensues can be plainly seen on the video


baltimore   the yankees might have had plenty of questions around new years day but first base was not one of them they had mark teixeira who had a resurgent season last year until it was ended in mid august by a freak accident a foul ball off his shin they also had a worthy young successor in greg bird who coolly slugged 11 home runs in the final seven weeks
now the position is threatening to become a sinkhole one that appears ready to stand as a proxy for the yankees season
after losing bird to season ending shoulder surgery before the start of spring training teixeira plunged into a prolonged slump and on friday night he left a 6 5 loss to the baltimore orioles with an injured right knee
teixeira exited in the third inning with what was described by the team as discomfort was examined by an orioles doctor and sent for a magnetic resonance imaging test
the loss was disheartening not only for teixeiras injury but also for how it unfolded the struggling offense got three home runs   from carlos beltran alex rodriguez and austin romine   but pitcher nathan eovaldi who had won his last five starts could not hold a 5 2 lead
the orioles pushed across the go ahead run in the seventh against dellin betances who has allowed a run in three consecutive appearances the first time that has happened in his career
at the end of the game it was unclear how serious teixeiras injury might be though he was hitting 181 with a career long 142 at bat homerless streak the yankees have few attractive options if his injury requires him to miss an extended period of time
his backup dustin ackley had season ending shoulder surgery friday and chris parmalee and nick swisher are at class aaa scrantonwilkes barre but neither of them was called up to replace ackley when teixeira left the game he was replaced by rob refsnyder who played the position for the first time friday
teixeira showed no overt signs of discomfort in his one at bat running out a second inning grounder and he played the next inning in the field then left in the bottom of the third
last season teixeira had hit 31 home runs driven in 79 runs and was placing himself in the conversation for the american leagues most valuable player award when he fouled a ball of his shin on aug 17 the injury was eventually was diagnosed as a cracked fibula
since 2011 teixeira who is in the final year of an eight year 160 million contract has been hurt often
he has been on the disabled list the last five years with wrist hamstring calf and lat injuries as well as the cracked fibula he was briefly sidelined twice this season with neck spasms which required two cortisone shots
teixeira said at the start of this trip that he was not is not injury prone the injuries are just a result of him playing hard
these things happen he said its what being an athlete is all about just trying not to get hurt too much ive played through plenty of stuff early in my career sometimes things happen thats sports


the initial reports about dayshen mckenzies death on may 27 on staten island seemed to echo the crimes of an earlier era a black teenager was dead after being chased by a mob of youths yelling a stinging racial slur
but a week after his death the police said on friday that it appeared to have resulted from a preplanned encounter between rival street gangs that ended with mr mckenzie running and suffering an asthma attack though anguished by the suggestion that her son was in a gang the boys mother tisha richardson agreed that her sons condition had caused his death the racial slur was a casual expression among youth she said not evidence of a hate crime
asthma is what killed him she said it was a tragedy im angry that he didnt have his asthma pump
robert k boyce the police departments chief of detectives discussed the continuing investigation at a news conference on friday after an article in the daily news earlier that day drew calls for a federal hate crime investigation the report compared mr mckenzies death to that in 1986 of michael griffith 23 of brooklyn who was hit by a car and killed as he fled a violent white mob who chased him onto a highway in howard beach queens
this comparison is inaccurate and irresponsible actually chief boyce said you can understand the fervor this caused
unlike mr griffiths case he said the investigation into mr mckenzies death has not uncovered any evidence to indicate that racial bias had played a role in inciting the conflict bias and hate crimes investigators were assisting with the investigation he said
the daily news report included statements from diane fatigati 53 a retired police officer who witnessed part of the encounter and rendered aid to the dying teenager in the article and again to reporters on friday she said she had heard the group of white teenagers using the slur to taunt mr mckenzie 16 and his friends all of them black
but the police said that ms fatigati had not mentioned the slur to investigators until they interviewed her a second time on thursday the police had also interviewed six people involved in the conflict and none of them said they had heard the slur chief boyce said
ms fatigati said in an interview that she had told the police about hearing the slur on the night mr mckenzie died investigators had planned to interview her a third time on friday at the 121st precinct station
on the evening that mr mckenzie died ms richardson said he arrived by car to a checkers fast food restaurant in the mariners harbor neighborhood after one of his friends called and told him there would be a fight she said that he left his inhaler behind in the car
surveillance video shows mr mckenzie approaching two people engaged in a dispute chief boyce said one of them had thrown a punch at the other before mr mckenzie stepped into the fray he said
mr mckenzie rolled up to the location in support of a friend he said
the dispute traveled a few blocks to spartan avenue where ms fatigati said she was sitting outside her home when she saw the commotion on the street she described seeing six to eight young white men and a hispanic man chasing three young black men up the street one of the men in the larger group stopped and grabbed his crotch yelling the name of a gang and the racial slur at the smaller group she said
ms fatigati said her sister called the police while she rushed down the street to get her 11 year old niece out of potential danger at the corner of spartan avenue and rosecliff road ms fatigati said she saw the white group slapping one of the black youths about his head
members of the larger group dispersed moments later after hearing a police siren according to ms fatigati and sped away in cars
she recalled one of them saying i got a gun im going to shoot and then concluding his statement with a racial slur
the men disappeared after more police cruisers arrived in the area ms fatigati said she said she went home and then saw mr mckenzie lying in a neighbors yard surrounded by about six other young black men including the one she had seen being slapped earlier
she and one of the young men performed cpr on mr mckenzie ms fatigati who also has asthma said she gave him pumps from her own inhaler emergency workers took mr mckenzie to richmond university medical center where he was pronounced dead
the medical examiners office said it was conducting further tests to determine the cause and manner of mr mckenzies death
ms richardson said her son was an aspiring rapper who played basketball and kept a tight circle of friends but she feared for his life especially on hot days when he could suffer as many as three asthma attacks
he died two months before his 17th birthday
what i want to come from this she said is to get parents to make sure their kids have their pumps


jeff hornacek was introduced on friday as the knicks 28th head coach that may have been the teams first upset victory of the season
phil jackson the team president is famously wedded to a network of disciples who coach or at least adhere to his signature triangle offense hornacek a head coach with the phoenix suns and a veteran of 14 nba seasons is outside jacksons circle
probably the only words i ever said to him congratulations on the championship again when they beat us two times hornacek said referring to jacksons chicago bulls who defeated the utah jazz twice in the nba finals id never talked to him a lot prior to that
this could be a good thing if the same forces that compelled jackson to go beyond his tight circle get him to rethink his attachment to the triangle
its fascinating to have witnessed the knicks drama and dysfunction and ever revolving cycle of coaches my first encounter came in 1987 when bob hill was fired as head coach and scotty stirling was ousted as the general manager richard h evans the chief executive of madison square garden proclaimed his intention to turn the garden back into a caldron of winning he said the firings were necessary to bring a fresh approach to management and coaching and to bring winning back to the garden
the knicks hired al bianchi as general manager and rick pitino as head coach in his introductory news conference pitino gushed about his new job acknowledging that he would never play for the knicks he said that the next best thing was to coach the knicks pitino said his goal was to bring the knicks back to where we once were
two years later pitino who had been feuding with bianchi left to become the coach of the kentucky wildcats in an interesting twist in june 1989 pitino asked who should succeed him as knicks coach said the team should hire phil jackson at the time an assistant in chicago
the knicks hired a jackson but it was stu jackson pitinos assistant who said he jumped in the air kicked my heels and screamed for joy after his first workout jackson at the time the nbas youngest head coach proclaimed that the knicks would be among the teams to beat in the eastern conference the knicks never were and jackson was fired in december 1990 and replaced by john macleod whom bianchi described as a proven winner
macleod left after a season for notre dame
i was present in may 1991 when pat riley was introduced as knicks coach in one of the most hyped news conferences i had ever attended riley had coached the lakers to four nba titles and was expected to bring showtime to the garden
at his news conference riley invoked the memory of exciting days at the garden he experienced as a kid growing up in upstate new york as a player and as a coach coming to madison square garden was always special riley said it was an event whether it takes a year or two to get to that point we want that atmosphere to come back to new york
the knicks reached the nba finals once under riley but lost to the houston rockets in 1994 riley left in june 1995 after a nasty feud with the garden president dave checketts
then don nelson was hired vowing to bring a title back to the garden ive never won a title as a coach nelson said that burns inside of me its the one thing i want and this organization is ready for it
knicks fans were starved for it but nelson was fired in march 1996 and replaced by jeff van gundy who led the knicks to the second round of the playoffs that season van gundy unexpectedly resigned in december 2001 and was replaced by don chaney
hes the guy that we want coaching this team and his leadership both on and off the court has shown us that hes the right guy to lead our team said scott layden the teams general manager
layden and chaney were fired by the team president isiah thomas and replaced by lenny wilkens in january 2004 hes the perfect person to lead us in this environment of change thomas said
wilkens resigned in 2005 and was replaced by larry brown who also invoked the spirit of the knicks past in the person of red holzman growing up i had a lot of heroes in my life brown said but walking into the garden and seeing 613 and coach holzmans name up there thats always meant a lot to me because when you talk about playing the right way nobody did it any better than him
on friday hornacek was sitting under the banner of holzmans 613 victories
brown was fired in 2006 thomas took over as coach and was fired in 2008 and replaced by mike dantoni dantoni promised   and delivered   a wide open offense there were no titles not even close he was fired in 2012 and replaced by mike woodson who promised a lions den defense the knicks played better defense but did not win enough games to suit phil jackson who fired woodson in 2014 replacing him with derek fisher jacksons former player and a triangle devotee fisher was fired last february and kurt rambis a jackson disciple became interim coach
during fridays news conference jackson was asked whether he thought the task of rebuilding the knicks would be so difficult did he think he would already be on his third head coach
whos counting he responded you hope to have a guy that comes in has success and is able to continue for a duration of time i dont know if thats harder or getting players is harder
here we are jackson concluded doing what we have to do to move forward thats the important part
here we are indeed
playing for the 76ers at the end of his career hornacek heard a rumor that he was being traded to the knicks the trade never materialized but hornacek always wondered what if
soon hornacek like a dozen predecessors will find out


redding calif   when mathew gonzales a latino musician from san jose heard that donald j trump was coming to town he knew he had to do something
unwilling to let the presumptive republican nominees visit pass quietly he created an event page on facebook to organize a protest titled manda a donald trump a la chingada   spanish for send donald trump to hell
two days later mr gonzales and more than 100 other protesters who visited his page arrived at the arena in san jose where mr trump would be speaking and jeered his supporters through a megaphone the taunting at thursday nights rally turned violent with some of mr trumps backers beaten and make america great again hats set on fire
i saw he was coming and thought we got to go out and speak against him said mr gonzales 31 who avoided the violence that ensued hes obviously not representing what were all about here in san jose san jose is very based on immigrants and stuff like that
while mr trump has blamed paid disrupters and operatives from hillary clintons and senator bernie sanderss campaigns for such protests in the past the violence at this rally and the protest that inspired it appeared spontaneous and not directed by democrats or other groups instead it was more the product of independent local efforts that caught fire through social media
such episodes like a protest in april in burlingame near san francisco and at an abruptly canceled march rally in chicago represent some of the most significant unrest during a presidential contest since 1968 when violence erupted in the streets outside the democratic national convention in chicago at the height of the vietnam war
mr gonzaless group was one of many that arrived on thursday to express disapproval of mr trump who has angered many critics with proposals they consider to be anti immigrant while protest organizers and attendees said that violence was not their intention clashes with mr trumps supporters have become increasingly common
the disturbances are the result of a combustible mix the passion of the anti trump movement and on the other side the often fiery oratory of mr trump himself who at a rally this year in cedar rapids iowa went so far as to urge his supporters to knock the crap out of protesters at the event
on friday mr trump who has taken some measures to quell violence inside his events lashed out at those who created the chaos at thursdays event at a rally in redding calif mr trump said his supporters got accosted by a bunch of thugs burning the american flag
the genesis of thursday nights protest through social media suggests that tensions accompanying mr trumps rallies are likely to continue
michael joseph 27 a community organizer learned from his facebook news feed that anti trump protests were planned for thursdays rally a native american who supports the democratic campaign of mr sanders and loathes what mr trump has said about both women and immigrants mr joseph said he was appalled by the violence that he saw against supporters of mr trump and did his best to break up the melee
theres no justification in hurting others whatsoever regardless of your political stances said mr joseph who attended the protest with three friends im pretty disgusted with last nights dump trump protests
joshua tucker a new york university political science professor who studies social media and political participation said protest movements that develop on their own rather than ones organized by a single leader can be more chaotic because people are reacting to what happens on the street and are given little guidance on decorum
according to those who attended the several hundred people outside mr trumps rally were a mix of immigrants rights groups union workers members of nonprofit organizations and individuals who wanted to voice their concerns
the attacks on mr trumps supporters could have some political benefit for the presumptive republican nominee whose backers have been accused of being unruly at his events during the campaign embracing the role of the victim mr trump has been able to paint his critics as the ones sullying the democratic discourse
the protests are also problematic for democrats mrs clinton who has accused mr trump of inciting violence in the past faced the awkward situation of having to denounce the actions of people speaking out against her likely opponent in the general election
i condemn all violence in our political arena mrs clinton said in an interview with cnn i condemned it when donald trump was inciting it and congratulating people who were engaging it i condemn it by those who are taking violent protests to physical assault against donald trump
the precise cause for the violence on thursday night remains unclear some protesters claimed that supporters of mr trump instigated it while others who were there said the violence was escalated by the sudden presence of a few local gang members
i saw a couple kids that i knew from the neighborhoods that i know run with the local nortenos and surenos and they were just there to fight said james anderson who lives in san jose and was attending a protest organized by a dump trump facebook group they werent there to protest anything they were just there to cause havoc and fight
for cesar juarez an undocumented immigrant from mexico who teaches at a high school in san jose the protest was a teaching moment that went awry after one of his students told him about the protest he decided to take a group from the school so they could experience the political process in person but once fists were thrown he had to abruptly end the class trip
i kind of sensed that this crowd was getting too rowdy he said so i told them lets leave
however the protests have come together they are unlikely to abate any time soon while mr trump was speaking on friday in an airplane hangar in redding some 88000 people were talking about stop trump on facebook officials in cleveland are bracing for rowdy streets next month during the republican partys convention
and mr trump has little chance of avoiding protesters this month when he embarks on his overseas trip an opposition group has already created a stand up to trump facebook page to organize a frosty welcome for the candidate in ireland so far more than 215 protesters have signed up to attend


san jose calif   hockey rewards the setup and the finish equally in individual scoring races the crisp pass has the same value as the wrist shot to the top corner and as events have played out the player with the highest profile on each team in the 2016 stanley cup finals is a master at the art of dishing the puck
the pittsburgh penguins captain sidney crosby has had the stronger showing so far as the series shifts here saturday with his team holding a two games to none advantage over the san jose sharks crosby for example needed only an almost undetectable glance over his shoulder before sending a backhand pass across the ice to the rookie conor sheary for a goal in game 1
sharks center joe thornton has been held without a point in the first two games but his skills were on full display in the previous playoff round he had seven assists none better than the pass he threaded through the narrowest of lanes behind the st louis blues net that led to a tomas hertl goal in game 3
there are the obvious similarities in what crosby 28 and thornton 36 can accomplish
they see plays formulate before they happen said sharks defenseman paul martin who played alongside thornton this season after five with crosby in pittsburgh sometimes it looks like they have eyes in the back of their head making passes to places where other people think you cant see
each center was the no 1 overall pick in his respective nhl draft but each brings a different playing style to the ice
jumbo is able to slow it down and make the game come to him martin said referring to the 6 foot 4 220 pound thornton by his longstanding nickname hes good at making reads on plays where guys are going to be it just seems like hes got a magnet on him the puck finds his stick and hes able to find other people
with the 5 foot 11 200 pound crosby martin continued its more of an up tempo game where hes moving with speed a little more and he needs guys who are going to be skating with him to get the job done
crosby is less predictable more willing to shoot the puck himself thornton has been criticized over the years by figures including his father wayne and past coaches for not doing the same more often
statistics bear that out this past season crosby scored 36 goals on 248 shots in addition to his 49 assists thornton had more assists 63 but took only 121 shots scoring on 19 of them over their careers 64 percent of crosbys 964 regular season points have been assists assists account for 72 percent of thorntons 1364 points
thornton cited the fact he had begun playing hockey as a defenseman in explaining his preference for passing
starting at a young age in the back end you got to see the ice a little more than if you were up front the whole time he said i always kind of know where people are on the ice before i get the puck
knowing thorntons inclinations and preventing him from carrying them out are two entirely different things
theres no doubt that jumbo is a pass first guy for sure the nbc analyst ed olczyk said in a phone interview and even though you know that and its highlighted on teams scouting reports hes still able to make plays
olczyk had an up close view of crosbys nhl arrival in 2005 as pittsburghs coach for the first 31 games of crosbys rookie season early on olczyk said the young phenom saw his role a little differently
he deferred to older players and tried to distribute the puck olczyk said but as the years go on you realize sometimes i may be the best option sometimes i may be the only option so you know what im going to to do it myself
crosby said that passing was a learned skill that had played to his strengths as he was growing up
everyone has different things that they do more instinctively than others he said some guys shoot first some guys pass first for me i was probably always looking to pass a little bit more so that probably came a little bit easier
it also may have helped that crosby followed his fathers advice and used a stick with little curve on it developing forehand and backhand strength
when youre a kid if youve got a hook on it you want to flick the puck crosby said without that he added stopping midsentence to replace his words with a gesture as he began to stickhandle an imaginary puck
thorntons ability to use his large frame to protect the puck as if it were the hope diamond makes him a more effective passer
he buys that extra second for you to get open said sharks right wing joe pavelski who has become the leagues second highest goal scorer over the past three years skating on a line with thornton partly its good vision and partly it comes from playing together for a while but hes got an eye on where people are and it allows him time to create lanes
younger players have found they need to make adjustments   welcome ones   when playing on the same line as thornton or crosby
he wants the puck more than other guys said hertl 22 a third year player who has been skating alongside thornton and pavelski since january its a little bit different when you play with other guys because this guy he wants it right back and every time he passes it to you right on the tape
sheary the 23 year old pittsburgh rookie who also scored the overtime goal in his teams 2 1 victory in game 2 said it had taken awhile to recognize how quickly crosby could find him on the ice and to realize that it was ok to shoot the puck
it was a learning experience sheary said i think i was shying away from shots a little too much i think once youre comfortable with him and you realize you can do that stuff it made it a lot easier for me
and so far a lot more difficult for the sharks


fort stewart ga   when staff sgt chris brown headed into the swamplands of georgia for a military training exercise early this spring he found himself missing his time in iraq and afghanistan   and the relative comforts he had enjoyed there at the height of both wars
without running water he now had to bathe with baby wipes and shave without a mirror he had no idea how his favorite basketball team the golden state warriors was faring in the playoffs and the food was so bad that he relied on peanut butter crackers and lost 10 pounds
when we were out there they tasted amazing said sergeant brown who went to the gym twice a day when he was overseas to make sure he did not put on too much weight from the dining hall and its honey buns and muffins
while some american military personnel in particular special operations forces and a number of marine and conventional army units operated out of small spartan outposts in iraq and afghanistan the bulk of army troops lived on bases that had running water electricity and housing units some larger bases even had wireless internet televisions gyms and coffee shops civilian contractors guarded the bases cooked meals and transported ammunition food and fuel
but now that the american footprint in iraq and afghanistan is far smaller the army has begun planning for its next conflict no matter where and when it occurs it will almost certainly be fought under more austere conditions to prepare for this nearly all army units are refocusing their training on being self sustaining or expeditionary as their commanders put it
what that means is that a generation of soldiers with more battlefield experience than any since world war ii is getting back to basics learning how to cook their own meals cover their faces in camouflage paint dig foxholes and latrines lay concertina wire and live out of their rucksacks
the training known as decisive action training environment or date is designed to prepare units for a variety of contingencies ranging from humanitarian missions to traditional combat the army created the program in 2012 shortly after the united states pulled its last troops out of iraq to replace its counterinsurgency training known as coin but the armys training cycles take several years and in part because of budget restrictions many soldiers are just now learning the new approach
among them was sergeant brown and many of the 500 other soldiers from the third sustainment brigade who specialize in supplying infantry and tank units and who went out in april to a desolate patch of land in the middle of this sprawling fort for the training exercise instead of the metal housing units with beds that were used in iraq and afghanistan they slept on cots in tents covered in camouflage netting in place of a massive dining hall they ate bland food while sitting on the floor of a tent
there were no contractors to protect them so they had to do patrols through the dense woods around their outpost and they had to rely on themselves to fix any broken equipment
you find yourself doing a lot more coaching than you would in other situations because you are the one of the few who remembers what its like said col jered p helwig 42 the brigade commander adding that this type of training was typical when he joined the military in the 1990s
cpl amy alexander who has worked in an office for the past six years as a human resources specialist said that the armys new approach to training had taught how to operate in the field for the first time in her career
it was a lot harder than i thought to dig your own foxhole said corporal alexander 23 with the way the army is changing we have to be able to deploy into any place and set up where we are so we all needed to know how to man our own fighting positions and pull security
the armys heavy reliance on contractors in iraq and afghanistan was partly for political reasons the bush and obama administrations set strict limits on the number of troops assigned to the mission in each country and contractors helped keep the numbers low at times there were as many contractors numbering in the tens of thousands in the war zones as there were uniformed service members
life on military bases became so comfortable that gen stanley a mcchrystal ordered in 2011 that all burger kings dairy queens and pizza huts on bases in afghanistan be closed because one of his deputies said in a memo at the time this is a war zone not an amusement park a year later general mcchrystals successor gen david h petraeus had them reopened as part of an effort to improve the troops quality of life
with so many jobs being done by civilians the army sent soldiers into iraq and afghanistan who were trained to do one task conduct counterinsurgency operations including patrols and raids
over the last decade and a half we have known when we were going to deploy we knew where were going and we knew who we would be working with and we knew the type of enemy said brig gen douglas c crissman the deputy commanding general for support of the 3rd infantry division who commanded units in iraq and afghanistan its not that we neglected something we just concentrated on what was in front of us
planning was also straightforward during the cold war because the army assumed it would fight a land war against the soviet union the armys new assessment is that the united states faces unpredictable threats that will require varying responses
in order to prepare for that level of uncertainty and to be ready you got to go focus on fundamental things that apply across the whole problem set said maj gen james e rainey the commander of the 3rd infantry division which is based at fort stewart
army commanders have not always spent so much of their time thinking about what their forces should be prepared to do during times of peace the army in the past would revert to a smaller force said richard kohn a military historian and professor emeritus at the university of north carolina at chapel hill but he said those times are long gone
it realized it was in continuous change and it had to reconsider and review its defense posture and both the size and disposition it would need for its future wars mr kohn said the concept began that the peacetime army was a planning institution
sergeant brown said that several weeks after his unit conducted its training mission he found some leftover peanut butter crackers and decided to see how they tasted
i was like this tastes awful he said youll eat anything when youre out there


santa clara calif   eight minutes into the first match of copa america the colombians started to dance
they needed only that little time to notch a precipitous opening goal against the united states which moved them to perform a coordinated swaying celebration near the northwest corner flag at levis stadium their rhythm and spirit barely wavered as they cruised to a 2 0 victory on friday night
the match opened the south american championship which is being played in the united states this year to mark its 100th anniversary it also represented an early setback for the united states and coach jurgen klinsmann who had said the teams goal in the tournament was to emerge from the group stage the road ahead is somewhat easier for the americans who play costa rica on tuesday and paraguay on june 11
they were always expected to face a steep challenge from colombia the worlds no 3 team according to the fifa rankings
within the first five minutes center back geoff cameron facing heavy pressure on the ball executed a 360 degree evasive dribble to escape trouble near the united states goal drawing appreciative shouts from the crowd
but cameron was far less composed three minutes later when defending the corner kick from which colombia notched its first goal as the ball floated in from the right corner colombia defender cristian zapata cut inside and around a screen from the far post and cameron who tried ducking under the screen was too slow zapata unattended pounded a leaping volley into the net
the american defenders aggressively aligned themselves high on the field from the start inviting trouble from colombias collection of talented attackers but the damaging plays ended up coming from set pieces
colombia doubled its lead in the 42nd minute when the captain james rodriguez   who came off in the second half with an apparent injury   rolled a penalty kick firmly into the bottom right corner it was an unfortunate turn of events for the americans who had been penalized when a ball crossed from left back farid diaz struck the outstretched right arm of right back deandre yedlin while his back was turned
the americans have much room to improve as the tournament takes shape
it was not until the games final half hour that the united states tested the colombia defense in the 60th minute colombia midfielder sebastian perez splayed his legs out to block clint dempseys goal bound header off the line four minutes later dempsey forced colombian goalkeeper david ospina to make a leaping save when he spun a free kick toward the upper right corner of the goal
for all of copa americas prestige and historical importance klinsmann has seemed to most appreciate its value as a testing ground and measuring stick not only for his team but also for the state of the game in the country
this is a big benchmark we want to see where we are between two world cups klinsmann said thursday
the 16 team tournament will unfold in 10 cities across the country over the coming weeks and american soccer officials will have their eyes on each game as they try to emphasize the countrys suitability to host a future world cup tournament
in 2010 the united states lost its bid to host the 2022 tournament it last hosted the tournament in 1994
we want to get as far as we can in the tournament but we also want to showcase our game to the rest of the world because down the road we would love to host the world cup again klinsmann said on tuesday this is a huge opportunity for all of us to show everybody outside the us that we are ready for a world cup
in that regard at least the game which drew an announced sellout crowd of 67439 fans seemed like a promising start


as part of a legal settlement the state has agreed to correct widespread faults in its foster care system promising to improve health care for children set workload limits for overtaxed foster care workers and ensure more timely investigations of alleged abuse and neglect gov nikki r haley a republican and susan alford the acting director of the state department of social services are named in the federal lawsuit which was filed jan 15 by child welfare advocates including childrens rights a new york based nonprofit listed as plaintiffs were 11 children in the foster care system which has been criticized for many years as dangerously troubled with overwhelming worker caseloads lapses in oversight and a number of child deaths the settlement was filed friday in united states district court in charleston and requires a judges approval to be finalized richard fausset
a norfolk city council member is calling for a federal investigation and norfolks police chief is defending his officers after this years fifth fatal shooting by the police in this city of about a quarter million people two officers responding to a disturbance at a home opened fire when willie d james 43 lunged at them with a knife on thursday police chief michael goldsmith said on friday at a news conference the police department is conducting an internal investigation but chief goldsmith said im going to stand behind my officers on this councilman paul riddick said that police shootings have reached an epidemic proportion in norfolk and he will ask the fbi to investigate mr riddick said that among the issues he wants federal authorities to examine are the level of experience within the police department and whether any of its officers resigned from other law enforcement jobs after being involved in shootings chief goldsmith said his department is among the best in virginia at crisis intervention and that all of his officers involved in fatal shootings were in peril when they fired ap


washington   once when mitch mcconnell was dishing privately to me on the congressional crisis of the moment i thanked him for his candor and insight
well he said in his distinctive drawl you know im only telling you this because it helps me
i did know but it also helped me as a reporter still even given my long experience with the canny kentucky republican i was a little surprised to see this frank admission on the first page of his new memoir the long game
i only talk to the press if its to my advantage mr mcconnell wrote putting it more bluntly than most politicians even the ones who see it the same way
mr mcconnell wasnt always so dismissive of the press on another occasion he recounted to me how as a new senator he was envious as he watched senior colleagues being shadowed and pestered by reporters making him yearn for the kind of stature where someone would pay him similar attention nowadays mr mcconnell will stroll purposefully past inquiring reporters without so much as a glance in their direction
the senator has a steely discipline not only when it comes to the news media but with life itself his book chronicles his successful struggle against polio as a child his first neighborhood fistfight his early obsession with politics his embrace of civil rights and his slow but steady climb to the position he always coveted and now holds   majority leader of the united states senate no white house ambition for him an attribute that separates him from many of his colleagues
the book also has a few surprises it reveals that young mitch mcconnell favored sporty cars   a little red corvair a 1961 two seater mg and a 1966 ford mustang he also discloses that he seriously considered not running for re election in 2014 fearing his could be the defeat that would keep republicans in the minority a funny moment occurs when he as the chairman of the 2001 presidential inaugural and george w bush the soon to be president briefly panic over the absence of a speakers lectern on the inaugural platform not realizing it would rise from beneath the stage
then there is a not so surprising revelation to those who have watched mr mcconnell stubbornly refuse to budge from talking points and doggedly spend day after day on the senate floor hitting the same rehearsed points
good politics is repetition he writes
mr mcconnell recognizes that he often plays the villain in the narrative of the contemporary senate   the charisma challenged die hard foe of overhauling the campaign finance system and the king of the filibuster he finds victories in the arcana of legislating gloating that he was the first to realize he could thwart campaign finance legislation by blocking once routine motions to open conference committee negotiations with the house
he sees employing such tactics as an obligation not an obnoxious stalling maneuver
filibustering is sometimes presented as an obstructionist tactic by its opponents but in my view if legislation as awful as this bill is brought up for consideration there is a duty to obstruct its passage he says
on the other hand democrats led by mr mcconnells archrival senator harry reid of nevada were   in mr mcconnells partisan telling   guilty of ruining the senate when they used their numbers and procedural skills to stymie republicans and push president obamas agenda
it was utterly depressing to watch what harry reid had done to the senate mr mcconnell writes mr reid has since called mr mcconnell classless for his criticism
mr mcconnells skill as a political tactician belies his low key manner near the end of his book he recounts another episode i was involved in that led to one of his more memorable political comments
one reason republicans were not able to capture control of the senate in 2010 and 2012 was that hard right conservative challengers had knocked off establishment favored candidates in party primaries only to fall to democrats in the general election
brought into the republican leaders office for an interview in march 2014 i asked how he expected the party to fare against another round of threatening primary challenges including one to his own candidacy in kentucky
i think were going to crush them everywhere mr mcconnell not typically known for pungent sound bites said i dont think they are going to have a single nominee anywhere in the country
we proceeded with the interview as i mulled over the comment i later gave his staff members a heads up that my article would focus on his bold prediction a cringe worthy moment for some of them
mr mcconnell acknowledges in his book that his staff was uncomfortable fearing the remark would be seen as a provocative rejection of the tea party voters crucial to republican prospects
regardless of how my staff felt about it i believed what id said he writes i had no animosity toward the tea party because we all wanted to achieve the same things my problem was with the groups who hijacked their agenda for their own profit
and i did it mr mcconnell declares proudly about his success in snuffing out threats from the right and finally becoming majority leader after election wins that november
the book ends on that triumphant note before the rise of donald j trump and the threat his presidential candidacy poses to vulnerable republican incumbents in the senate
mr mcconnell has endorsed mr trump but he must be concerned that the presumptive nominees brash and unpredictable style could now crush mr mcconnells own chances of remaining majority leader


the challenges facing the long struggling boys and girls high school in brooklyn seemed to mount on friday when the new york city education department said an investigation found that its principal and two other administrators had failed to report an allegation of sexual harassment and a suspicion that students had stolen and used a department credit card
it was not clear what penalties the principal michael wiltshire who said this week that he was considering leaving his position after less than two years would face as a result of the findings the department said only that the superintendent overseeing the school would decide on the penalty but the investigation appeared to be another blow to mayor bill de blasios effort to revive boys and girls which has deep roots in the bedford stuyvesant neighborhood but a history of low performance
the new york post reported on friday that the department found that dr wiltshire had failed to report an alleged gang rape of a female student in a locker room but on friday afternoon the mother of the student who made the sexual harassment allegation speaking on the condition of anonymity to protect her and her daughters privacy said that no rape had occurred and that her daughter had received a verbal threat by a young man attending a different high school who was on the boys and girls campus on friday evening the post published an update saying the girl told administrators only that she had been threatened
the mother said her daughter told her about the threat on the night it occurred and the next day they met with two assistant principals and a guidance counselor a few days later they met with the principal and her daughter gave a written statement the mother said the boy was banned from boys and girls she said that she was satisfied with the schools response and that since it was only a verbal threat she did not want to report the episode to the police
the department would not comment on the specifics of the allegation other than to say that one student was accused of harassing another the department said dr wiltshire and the other administrators did not follow mandated reporting procedures which require submitting a report through the departments online occurrence reporting system within 24 hours as well as reporting allegations of school related criminal activity to the school safety agent
dr wiltshire did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment
the department installed dr wiltshire at boys and girls in late 2014 while allowing him to remain in charge of the selective school where he was already principal medgar evers college preparatory high school some at boys and girls have complained that dr wiltshires attention has been divided and that he has at times appeared to be more loyal to medgar evers than to boys and girls


fayetteville ark   this week as part of the festivities that surround walmarts annual shareholder meeting eye of the tiger blasted through loudspeakers as employees entered an arena at the university of arkansas handpicked by their managers out of walmarts work force of more than a million the employees arrived ready to cheer
i think we can sell another three million this year said steve bratspies walmarts chief marketing officer as he held up a round pillow with a yellow smiley face a symbol walmart has used to signal low prices and one of many emoji pillows it wants to sell can you help me do that
workers certainly have something to cheer about average hourly pay has gone up since walmart announced early last year that it would increase wages to at least 10 an hour for its army of part time and full time workers
but not all employees were as enthusiastic as those in the arena
the employees more critical of the company say walmart   the biggest private employer in the united states   has found more subtle ways to keep the reins on its workers paychecks the retailer has cut merit raises for example and has introduced a new training program that can keep employees at 9 an hour for as long as 18 months
the moves have concerned worker advocates who say the changes have chipped away at the earnings gains employees appeared to make last year
i fear that walmarts plan is more about delaying an actual wage increase than providing real training said stephanie luce a professor of labor studies at the city university of new york weve found other major retailers using probationary periods and other strategies as a way to avoid committing to set work schedules and higher wages
walmart naturally tried to keep the focus on its biggest initiatives this week the company said for example that it would test a new grocery delivery service with the ride hailing companies uber and lyft as a way to help grow its ecommerce business which lags behind its online rival amazon
its grocery business which has helped to drive much of its online growth has been undergoing a transformation with a broad range of initiatives aimed at things like making fruit look more fresh and appetizing and improving grocery pickup options
still a group of workers also made their grievances known
on tuesday a van of our walmart members a nonprofit worker group drove around the retailers hometown of bentonville 30 miles north of here to tape petitions onto the mailboxes of executives and several members of the walton family who collectively control more than 50 percent of the companys outstanding shares
does everybody want to talk to us no theres a lot of fear dan schlademan a co director of our walmart said of the workers in town for the week
one point of contention is raises in february walmart said it was enabling hourly workers to earn their annual pay increase months earlier than expected
but many workers ended up getting smaller raises than they would have under the old system workers used to get an annual raise of 40 to 60 cents per hour based on merit this year workers got a percentage based raise the highest earning hourly employees got 2 percent which translated to less than 40 cents for most of them other employees got a raise of 275 percent which for many still equaled less than 40 cents
they cut the yearly raises in half basically said barbara gertz who worked at a walmart in denver colo for seven years before quitting this year she said she believed her last raise was about 23 cents
walmart is still evaluating how it will handle raises next year according to a spokesman for the company kory lundberg
walmart has said that all employees hired after jan 1 of this year would start at 9 an hour and be moved up to 10 after completing pathways the training program
the companys efforts in the last year have made a difference the average part time worker now makes 1058 an hour for example compared with 948 in february of last year when the company made its announcement on wage increases
but because of the training program hundreds of thousands of employees are still earning 9 executives explained during a meeting with reporters on wednesday nearly half a million of walmarts workers leave the company each year most exits occur within the first two years of employment walmart said it expects close to 450000 people to go through pathways this year and that it hopes the program will substantially improve retention rates
walmart has almost a 50 percent turnover and it is likely many of the new hires will quit long before they are eligible for the 10 per hour said ms luce the labor expert from cuny
walmart executives denied that the program was a way to intentionally keep wages below 10 and emphasized that a trained work force meant better customer service and more opportunities for workers the retailer has pledged 27 billion to lift wages and improve technology among other initiatives
the company wants as many people as possible to advance to 10 through the program said kathleen mclaughlin the companys chief sustainability officer
opportunities for personal growth good communication with a supervisor and a chance to advance in ones career were among the most important reasons for training she said
the research actually shows that wage is not a big driver of motivation she said


when mauricio gutierrez became chief executive at nrg after his predecessors ouster last year analysts and investors anticipated that the company would retreat from its money burning rush into green energy instead they expected it to focus on the conventional power business that had made it a leading   and profitable   supplier in a competitive energy market
but the strategy emerging under mr gutierrez who released nrgs annual sustainability report on friday is less a retreat from green energy than a turn away from a nascent system of decentralized energy production the focus has returned to large scale power development regardless of the fuel source
i think it was important for our employees and the marketplace to recognize that our value proposition is quite straightforward he said we generate electricity and we sell that electricity and other products and services to consumers
the company is still pursuing clean energy solutions he said and remains committed to its sustainability goals among the most aggressive in the industry to reduce carbon emissions 50 percent by 2030 and 90 percent by 2050 nrg began construction on a big community solar project last year it is developing energy storage in california and it is working to provide renewable energy for companies like dow chemical unilever and whole foods market
but while it is also converting coal plants to natural gas and experimenting with carbon capture and sequestration for coal it is reducing investment in some growing markets that the previous chief executive david crane aggressively pursued like residential solar power electric vehicle charging and home automation it was all part of a bid to lead the shifts toward the use of renewable energy and a decentralized power system   one in which customers could generate power in their own homes and feed it back into the electric grid
mr gutierrez who said he had been driving an electric vehicle for six years is not exactly undoing all of that but he is slowing it down he is selling a majority stake in the electric vehicle charging business he has also brought the home solar division into nrgs retail electric company which will sell the customer agreements it originates to two partners once the arrays are installed
under the new arrangements nrg will be able to offer electric vehicle charging mainly to its commercial and industrial customers and solar arrays to homeowners but as part of larger product and service arrangements
its not entirely opposite but certainly a serious diversion from the path that mr crane set nrg on said shayle kann the head of gtm research which focuses on clean energy industries he said mr gutierrez had basically pulled back on all the bets that had to do with decentralization and kept everything that has to do with decarbonization
it is an approach tailored to keep a hand in innovation and emerging technologies while steering the company through economically challenging markets and to align the companys pursuits better with the interests of its investors mr gutierrez said
i think in the future renewables will become a bigger part of the industry and it will become a bigger part of nrg he said it would be irresponsible not to embrace renewables but we have to do it in a way that we create value for our shareholders


in tones both aspirational and political michelle obama on friday used her last commencement address as first lady to salute graduates of the city college of new york as living breathing proof that the american dream endures while also criticizing name calling leaders who engage in anger and intolerance
mrs obama did not specifically mention donald j trump the presumptive republican nominee for president but her intent could not have been clearer as she warned that leaders who rule by intimidation   leaders who demonize and dehumanize entire groups of people   often do so because they have nothing else to offer
here in america we dont give in to our fears she told the class of 2016 with its 3848 graduates in an outdoor ceremony on the colleges manhattan campus we dont build up walls to keep people out because we know that our greatness has always depended on contributions from people who were born elsewhere but sought out this country and made it their home
for mrs obama the address the last of her three commencement speeches this year was intended to highlight several issues that have been dear to her including public education and immigration noting the colleges proximity to the statue of liberty she said there was no better way to celebrate this great country than being here with you
mrs obamas commencement address at city college the flagship school in the city university of new york system was the latest high point in its long distinguished history in 1847 it was founded as the free academy of new york with a mission to provide an education to anyone at low cost
but her visit also came at a precarious time for the cuny system which has been troubled by overcrowded classes shrinking course options and budget cuts as described in a recent investigation by the new york times faculty members and employees represented by the universitys biggest union who have worked without a raise for six years recently voted to authorize a strike in the fall if no contract deal was reached
indeed dozens of faculty and students on friday morning handed out fliers to people filing past security to enter the campus in upper manhattan urging public officials to invest more money in the system
none of the speakers at the commencement directly addressed cunys woes but in her 24 minute address which elicited frequent and enthusiastic applause mrs obama said that public education is our greatest pathway to opportunity in america so we need to invest in and strengthen our public universities today and for generations to come
at several points she mentioned notable immigrants or the children of immigrants who had attended city college including jonas salk ira gershwin colin l powell and andrew s grove the former intel chief executive who died in march but she also applauded the valedictorian and salutatorian of the graduating class who delivered rousing addresses on the importance of diversity and the hard fought battle to break cultural barriers
mrs obama added some personal perspective as well
its the story that i witness every single day when i wake up in a house that was built by slaves and i watch my daughters   two beautiful black young women   head off to school waving goodbye to their father the president of the united states the son of a man from kenya who came here to america for the same reasons as many of you to get an education and improve his prospects in life


washington   the justice department stung by reports that fbi scientists have often vastly overstated their level of certainty in matching hair samples and other evidence issued new rules on friday meant to ensure that the experts testimony in criminal cases is supported by sound science
the new rules which have yet to be made final are the latest in a series of steps that the obama administration has taken to address the problems including those revealed in a preliminary review last year of fbi testimony in hair sample cases
that analysis which examined 268 criminal cases from 1985 to 1999 found flawed testimony in more than 95 percent of them more than a dozen of the defendants have been executed or have died in prison
the guidelines issued on friday provide a framework for fbi testimony involving seven types of forensic evidence including body fluid fingerprints and footprints they seek to inject a more realistic measure of doubt in courtroom testimony
no longer for instance would fbi forensic witnesses be allowed to testify that there was a zero error rate in comparing one fingerprint to another or that one sample of blood was a certain match to another
instead they would be required to testify how likely or unlikely a match was found to be within an acceptable range of opinions
once the rules are formally adopted they will clarify what scientific statements our forensic experts may   and may not   use when testifying in court and in drafting reports in turn strengthening the integrity of our system over all said sally q yates the deputy attorney general
a spokesman for the fbi laboratory in quantico va declined to comment on the guidelines which would also apply to the drug enforcement administration and the bureau of alcohol tobacco firearms and explosives
while the guidelines are highly technical the existing rules have had a real life impact in many criminal cases
the justice department has offered new testing to hundreds of surviving defendants in cases marred by errors in hair sample testimony and a few of them have already been exonerated the department is continuing to examine whether errors were made in testimony involving other types of forensic evidence as well
peter neufeld a founder of the innocence project a defense advocacy group that has pushed for greater scrutiny of fbi forensic methods said the new guidelines were a welcome step
its remarkable that they didnt do this for many years he said but frankly they should be applauded for recognizing that mistakes were made and that they have a duty to correct those mistakes
the justice department is giving outside scientists and members of the public a chance to weigh in on the proposal before it is made final later this year
mr neufeld said he wished that the justice department had brought in outside scientific feedback long before this rather than relying on in house specialists he predicted that outside scientists once they finish their review of the framework proposed on friday would have significant and substantial concerns
questions have flared for years over the accuracy of the fbis courtroom testimony involving some types of forensic evidence a 2009 study by the national research council found no scientific support for positively identifying a suspect from a hair sample and additional scientific reviews and news media reports since then   most notably in the washington post   have raised still more questions
the justice department plans to release a second set of proposed guidelines this summer regarding courtroom testimony involving dna explosive devices hair analysis and handwriting
scientific experts consider dna   which first became widely used in courts in the 1990s   to be the only near certain indicator of a forensic match while other types of physical evidence are considered helpful in comparing samples and ruling suspects in or out of an investigation they are considered far less certain


in an unexpected twist in an already tumultuous legal fight lawyers for sumner m redstone argued in court filings on friday that the competency of the ailing 93 year old mogul did not matter in the dispute over his 40 billion media empire
regardless of whether or not mr redstone had the mental capacity to oust two longtime confidants from the trust that will control his companies after he dies or is declared incompetent the outcome would have been the same his lawyers said
according to the filing at least four of the seven trustees have supported and validated mr redstones decision two weeks ago to oust philippe p dauman the chairman and chief of viacom and george s abrams a longtime viacom director from the trust and the board of national amusements the private theater chain company through which mr redstone controls viacom and cbs
plaintiffs miscalculated not only sumners resolve but also the commitment of their fellow trustees to do the right thing mr redstones lawyers said in the document filed in norfolk probate and family court in massachusetts
the revelation that a majority of trustees have ratified mr redstones decision could present a significant blow to mr dauman and mr abrams in the high profile corporate battle they are waging for control of mr redstones vast corporate holdings it also presents a major victory for shari redstone mr redstones once ostracized recently reconciled daughter who has opposed mr daumans leadership of viacom
les fagen a lawyer for mr dauman and mr abrams said in a statement that many undisclosed facts that will emerge concerning the conduct of shari and her representatives
mr fagen added that fridays court filings revealed that some trustees have not seen sumner for as long as many years
the court filing depicts mr dauman and mr abrams as partaking in a monthslong scheme starting in the beginning of 2016 to betray mr redstone out of the fear that mr dauman would be fired the document asserted that mr dauman and mr abrams along with another trustee retained a boston law firm in late january for advice on what recourse they had if mr redstone ousted them from the trust
the advice from the law firm was that the three men could avoid or contest their dismissal if they could prove that mr redstone was incompetent and that he was manipulated by ms redstone
road map in hand plaintiffs no longer felt accountable even to sumner as viacoms controlling shareholder the document states
the dismissals of mr dauman and mr abrams from the trust and the national amusements board were viewed by industry observers as a harbinger of the firing of the viacom board and ultimately the removal of mr dauman as chief executive
mr dauman and mr abrams filed suit in massachusetts where the trust was settled seeking to immediately block the moves the suit challenges mr redstones mental capacity depicting him as suffering profound physical and mental illness and being subject to the undue influence of ms redstone it asserts that mr redstone cannot read write do arithmetic or speak coherently
for their part lawyers for mr redstone filed a separate petition requesting that a los angeles court validate his decision
on tuesday morning judge george f phelan of the norfolk county probate and family court in massachusetts is scheduled to oversee a hearing on the motion by mr dauman and mr abrams to expedite the proceedings in the case
in the court filings on friday lawyers for mr redstone asked that the judge reject the request to expedite proceedings and said that they planned to move to dismiss the case they cited the agreement by a majority of the trustees to ratify the decision to oust mr dauman and mr abrams from the trust mr redstones lawyers also argued that the case should be heard by a judge in los angeles where mr redstone lives and took the action to remove mr dauman and mr abrams from the trust
the question of mr redstones mental capacity remains in dispute
mr redstones lawyers argued that the trust outlined specific procedures to determine incapacity and that those had not been activated at the time when mr dauman and mr abrams were dismissed they cited the results of two recent exams by a geriatric psychiatrist hired by mr redstone that concluded he had legal mental capacity and was not under the influence of others
on thursday mr fagen said that the exam had been conducted by a paid medical consultant and does not answer the question of whether sumner redstone had sufficient capacity


four young immigrants who received extended protections from deportation under executive actions taken by president obama made an emergency request to an appeals court on friday to prevent a federal judge in texas from obtaining a list of the protected immigrants names and addresses
the action is a response to an order issued on may 19 by judge andrew s hanen of the federal district court in brownsville who is hearing the challenge filed by 26 states to immigration programs that mr obama announced in november 2014 judge hanen found that lawyers from the justice department had lied about the start date of one of the initiatives which gave young immigrants three year deportation deferrals and work permits expanded from the original two years
saying government lawyers had breached the most basic ethical tenets judge hanen ordered federal authorities to give him by june 10 a list of names contact information and case file numbers of all immigrants who received three year deferrals and were living in the 26 states the judge said he would keep the list sealed and release it to the states on request but only after the supreme court decides whether to lift an injunction that he imposed on the presidents programs
the supreme court is expected to decide this month about 50000 immigrants would be affected by judge hanens order justice department officials said
the four immigrants   represented by the american civil liberties union and the national immigration law center two civil rights legal groups   said they were taking the unusual step of directly petitioning the united states court of appeals for the fifth circuit in new orleans asking it to cancel judge hanens order or delay it until after the supreme court makes its decision
private means private said one of the immigrants angelica villalobos 31 of oklahoma city on a conference call on friday with reporters the government assured us that when we submitted information to their agencies it would remain confidential judge hanen cant just come in on a whim and take it
lawyers said the immigrants were being unfairly drawn into the lawsuit which did not challenge the youth program only the three year term for deferrals
im very concerned i or my family could be harassed if the information falls into the wrong hands said juan escalante 27 who lives in tallahassee fla and is another immigrant on the petition two immigrants living in texas joined anonymously


redding calif   in a speech in which he promoted the backing of chinese americans in los angeles and called protesters at a rally in san jose thugs donald j trump on friday sought to project support from african americans for his campaign on a single man in the audience
mr trump at a rally here began speaking about a previous rally in arizona in which a black supporter was arrested after punching a protester
we had a case where we had an african american guy who is a fan of mine mr trump said of an event in arizona in march in fact i want to find out whats going on with him
as his voice trailed off mr trump noticed a man in the crowd
oh look at my african american over here mr trump said are you the greatest do you know what im talking about
mr trump then returned to speaking about the arizona episode
the man he had pointed to gregory cheadle a local real estate broker running for a republican nomination for a congressional seat said in an interview friday night that it was surreal to be called out by mr trump
mr cheadle said he was not offended by the remark which he at first could not hear over the noise of the crowd ive had people come to me - and these were whites - tell me that they were offended he said and i appreciate them saying that but i wasnt offended by it
he also clarified that he is not actually a trump supporter saying that he went to a bernie sanders rally the night before id describe myself as someone who is searching for answers mr cheadle said
at the arizona rally mr trump was referring to a trump supporter punched a protester wearing a ku klux klan outfit as the person was being escorted out
as the african american cold cocked this guy and this guy never knew what happened everybody thought the african american was against me and it was the opposite mr trump said at his rally friday he was like this great guy military guy we have tremendous african american support the reason is im going to bring jobs back to our country
mr trumps comments come as his campaign is fending off charges of racism over his remarks about gonzalo p curiel the federal judge presiding over a lawsuit against trump university mr trump has suggested that he believes the judge is biased because he happens to be we believe mexican
judge curiel was born in indiana he is of mexican descent


he won six nba championships is the greatest scorer ever and once netted 38 points while battling the flu the logo of a billion dollar sneaker brand is a silhouette of him flying through the air but on twitter michael jordan is a loser
for the past two years a photograph of jordan crying snapped at his 2009 induction into basketballs hall of fame has been grafted onto any sports figure who has suffered humiliation or defeat no one is seemingly safe from the crying jordan treatment when the new england patriots lost to the denver broncos in the nfl playoffs this year tom brady got crying jordaned hes joined by the university of north carolina mascot rameses and the villanova band member who cried as she played the piccolo during her teams stunning ncaa tournament defeat last year
recently jordans cry face has transcended sports it has graced the cracked liberty bell losing powerball numbers and that picture of marco rubio on a gigantic chair when it was announced that harriet tubman would replace andrew jackson on the 20 bill the presidents face got hit now you can crying jordan your friends the crying jordan meme generator app which serves up little crying jordan cutouts has been downloaded more than 40000 times since its february release
the internet thrives on humiliation twitter is always raring for a public shaming the crying jordan meme which takes one of americas biggest sports stars and makes him small indulges those impulses but it also works on another level as a corrective to online chest thumping the memes hold over online culture offers clues about our ambivalent relationship to alpha males in 2016
it takes somebody so good so dominant   the creme de la creme   and it makes him into an international figure of epic failure said david okun a software developer who created the app thats whats so great about it
but the crying jordan meme radiates affection even as it burns memes are used as a weapon said limor shifman a lecturer at the hebrew university of jerusalem who studies digital culture but at the very same time the weapon creates a kind of affinity between the groups that are fighting because everybody gets the joke
by the way michael actually thinks its funny his spokeswoman estee portnoy said
the meme pokes fun at a persons failures but it also turns them into an internet wide game one in which everyone messes up and everyone receives the same absurd rebuke it helps that the crying jordan often mercifully obscures the shamed persons face its a little like putting a band aid over a boo boo
if the meme drags michael jordans image down with it his billion dollar persona can take the hit it doesnt make you feel bad like a picture of a crying kid would said courtney m cox who studies the intersection of sports and technology at the university of southern california hes the greatest basketball player ever the lowest weve ever seen him is crying at the hall of fame
crying jordan recalls other memes inspired by famous men caught in introspective moments there is sad kanye a meme based on a candid photograph of kanye west looking dejected on a zip line tour and sad keanu which plays off a paparazzi photo of keanu reeves eating a sandwich alone theres an element of flawed masculinity at play ms shifman said you have a masculine star who expresses vulnerability and people simultaneously mock and celebrate that
the jordan meme can be read as straightforwardly emasculating watch a grown man cry but it also works as a criticism of traditional maleness the meme revels in the contradiction between jordans legendarily aggressive persona and his free flowing tears
the joke probably couldnt work with any other sports star magic johnson was a fun loving passer tom brady is a dad bro but jordans dominance on the court was matched only by his nerve he came back from retirement   twice and his hall of fame speech in which he resurrected old feuds extended that reputation jordan is the ultimate alpha male and this was his alpha male moment a columnist for espn wrote after the event
only in the snapshot does he look oddly pitiful eyes red shoulders slouched cheeks shiny with tears the meme makes fun at the guy who cried like a little girl over what a big man he was
its not a coincidence that the jordan meme took off just as nba stars used the sports biggest stages to model humility and playfulness modern masculinity in basketball is kevin durant the most valuable player of 2014 calling his mother the real mvp its stephen curry ceding the spotlight to his daughter riley at a news conference the meme seems to share that sense of perspective
some iterations of the jordan meme work as bizarre visual gags replacing michael jackson on the cover of thriller making up james hardens beard with layer upon layer of crying jordans other variations rely on sheer volume as the oklahoma city thunder stumbled in the nba playoffs every thunder fan visible in the stands became a target perhaps the most technologically advanced and contextually creative crying jordan plays off lebron jamess pregame ritual when he tosses some chalk above his head an ephemeral crying jordan appears then dissipates into the air
when jordan made a rare public appearance in april showing up at an ncaa tournament game at his alma mater north carolina the meme threatened to turn meta sure enough the tar heels were upset and in countless tweets so was jordan
memes they come and they go but this is unlike any ive ever seen mr okun the apps creator said it keeps feeling like its going to die and it doesnt it only gets bigger he added i hope it never stops
after all the meme has helped extend jordans legacy if not exactly honor it i just hope that when kids say mommy daddy whos that crying basketball guy mr okun said they tell them thats the greatest basketball player of all time thats michael jordan


the jazz violinist and mandolinist aaron weinstein is an entertainer of almost as many parts as a rube goldberg contraption a major musical talent with a sideline in comedy mr weinstein presents himself as a highbrow dandy in the tradition of jack benny victor borge and oscar levant and at his show violinspiration at pangea on thursday evening he expertly played off the various sides of his personality
the verbal part of his show was a series of feints and parries delivered with a deadpan earnestness subtly tinged with sarcasm that kept the audience off guard until a nonsensical tangent revealed it was all a joke   or was it his comic set pieces were sandwiched between his superb performances of standards accompanied by the pianist tedd firth playing in a more earthy style than usual
from a jazz historical perspective mr weinstein is an heir of stephane grappelli and joe venuti with a sensibility rooted in the american songbook when not improvising in extended virtuosic riffs he pays close attention to the lyrics of the songs he plays and on thursday he infused standards like aint misbehavin sly and teasing and just one of those things cheerfully blase and show tunes from gypsy an exquisitely tender small world with suggestions of a story line
especially outstanding was a rendition of georgia on my mind in which he used enhanced vibrato and ornamentation to convey a wailing soulfulness it was an atypical move for a musician who shies away from expressive extravagance
comedically mr weinstein is a hyperarticulate wit one of the shows funniest monologues was his recitation of a lengthy fictional music review replete with academic jargon and bogus literary allusions that sounded authentic until it morphed into pretentious absurdist nonsense it was delivered with uncanny poise by a musician who at 30 and professionally active for more than a decade still has the mystique of a wunderkind
mr weinstein had two special guests the singer janis siegel offered adventurous jazz renditions of jeepers creepers and last night when we were young backed by mr weinstein and mr firth the journalist and sometime performer michael musto who declared mr weinstein his second favorite musician after diana ross delivered a scathingly amusing parody of ms rosss upbeat rendition of i loves you porgy


paris   no role is hard for me its never hard
isabelle huppert was talking about her reputation for being fearless   and why she had no qualms about starring in paul verhoevens latest film elle in which she plays a woman who is violently and repeatedly raped by a masked man and then engages her assailant in a game of cat and mouse
in the film her character michele leblanc a parisian video game company executive and the recently divorced daughter of a convicted serial killer is strangely drawn to her attacker even after she unmasks him the third rape is the most mysterious ms huppert said obviously something happens during that rape its almost like a love scene almost
that almost   and the films unsettling mix of violence and comedy   set off a heated conversation at the cannes film festival last month though elle drew glowing reviews from american and european critics alike shown in competition on the last day of the festival it left prizeless   this years jury was deeply at odds with critics   but is already one of its most talked about films
the raves and conversation continued when the film opened in france last saturday but the debate over whether the film is a statement of feminist empowerment or masochism   or whether mr verhoeven has forged a new genre screwball sadomasochism   is bound to continue when sony pictures classics releases the film in the united states in november
while many critics say they expect the film to generate controversy few have expressed discomfort with it instead they have embraced its ironies in a twist revealing of todays gender politics some feminist critics have praised elle while some male viewers at cannes   and some male distributors who turned it down   have bristled at how the film has audiences laughing between violent rape scenes
the fact that she returns to her rapist that could be problematic if the rape werent shown in all its destructive violence said isabelle regnier a film critic at le monde some of my colleagues were more irritated   men who said oh la la its not possible to show a woman who returns to her rapist
it bothered men more she said
nearly 25 years after sharon stone uncrossed her legs and wielded an ice pick in his basic instinct mr verhoeven said he had wanted to make elle his first full length feature in a decade in the united states   only to discover that hollywood actresses wouldnt go near the role investors shied away too
they felt it was so lets say un american and so not in the direction of what youd expect from an american movie mr verhoeven said in a telephone interview after michele unmasks her attacker he added it doesnt go in the direction of a revenge movie and i think that was an obstacle from the point of view of politically correct morality
instead for what is billed as his umpteenth comeback he wound up making his first french language film in france produced by the french producer said ben said elle is based on the french novel oh... by philippe djian with a screenplay by the american writer david birke that was translated into french
after being raped michele doesnt go to the police possibly because of her troubled family past instead she tries to figure out who her attacker is and asks a young male video game designer to hack into the office system of her company to see if anyone on her staff is out to get her along the way there are sexual infidelity and comic subplots involving micheles aging mother and the mothers young lover micheles ex husbandand their hapless son who is raising his girlfriends child
mr verhoeven called the film a noir thriller that mixed genres theres an enormous amount of ambiguity gaps that are in the narrative on purpose for the audience to fill in he said adding that he didnt want to fill them in in a freudian way
critics have taken the film on the directors terms lets be clear elle doesnt downplay the violence of sexual aggression but it describes the improbable meeting and fusion of two sexually compatible monsters the critic jean baptiste morain wrote in the french independent weekly les inrockuptibles
it doesnt put forth the untenable and alas well known discourse that women secretly dream of being raped he added instead the film puts men and women on equal footing it tells us that theres not only one form of feminine or masculine sexuality   that its not gender that determines sexuality
critics have been wowed by ms huppert in the los angeles times justin chang called her turn one of the greatest performances of her very great career others have noted that elle includes sly references to her formidable filmography including michael hanekes the piano teacher 2002 christophe honores my mother 2004 a story of incest and claude chabrols madame bovary 1991
in le monde the critic jacques mandelbaum singled out her taste for suffering in elle he wrote ms huppert has a passion at once distant and inextinguishable to suffer and to make others suffer a sadomasochistic stubbornness of a kind we have probably never seen before in the history of french acting
interviewed by phone ms huppert said that michele doesnt want to be a victim instead of becoming an object after being raped she added she immediately has the instinct to turn herself into a subject instead of being submitted to what she was confined to she wanted to take control of that thing
mr verhoevens long career has ranged from art house films in his native netherlands to robocop 1987 and starship troopers 1997 with a critical nadir being his 1995 feature showgirls now considered a camp classic
he said he did not see elle and its genre mixing as a commentary on hollywood conventions i did it because i liked it he said not because i wanted to make a statement in any way about filmmaking


pittsburgh   one was a wildly successful artist the son of slovakian immigrants whose alabaster complexion and shock of white hair made him instantly recognizable on the streets of manhattan
the other was a shy film school student from beijing who toiled in anonymity sketching 20 sidewalk portraits to make the rent on his basement apartment
and though their paths crossed at more than one downtown art opening in the 1980s it is safe to say that ai weiwei the young chinese striver made little impression on andy warhol as he flitted through the adoring throngs
i remember going to a gallery opening and hearing people say andy is here andy is here and suddenly i saw him through the crowd mr ai recalled this week walking through andy warholai weiwei at the warhol museum here it was incredible to be in the same room but i was a nobody
in the 25 years since he abruptly left new york to tend to his ailing father in china mr ai has become a somebody wily provocateur enemy of the state and media savvy advocate for the disenfranchised he is a darling of the global contemporary art world a bona fide celebrity whose burly bearded presence invariably draws admiring crowds
andy warhol and ai weiwei it turns out have plenty in common
like warhol mr ai surrounds himself with stray cats has a fondness for neon tinted floral arrangements and takes pleasure in subverting hallowed cultural touchstones
both men have also made a mint turning everyday objects into sought after commodities and mr ai like warhol compulsively records his life and surroundings   warhol had his tape recorder mr ai always has his iphone which he uses almost hourly to post a deluge of images to instagram and twitter
but the two men are conjoined by something more significant they are both unrepentant iconoclasts and gleeful disrupters of art world conventions warhol scandalized with his soup cans in 1962 three decades later mr ai defiled neolithic chinese pottery with tutti frutti colored paint and he once famously smashed a han dynasty urn just for the heck of it
the things said about warhol are intriguingly similar to what was said about ai weiwei today   that he desecrated art said eric shiner director of the museum which is staging a dialogue show of the two mens works that runs through august yet in reality both artists changed and are changing how the world understands art and how art penetrates the world
such commonalities are on full display at the museum one room juxtaposes warhols garishly tinted mao zedong with mr ais own vaguely sardonic portraits of the great helmsman another places warhols coca cola paintings alongside a centuries old chinese vase that mr ai scrawled with the coke trademark logo
as he glimpsed the galleries on thursday for the first time mr ai seemed genuinely taken aback by how warhol had influenced his work often unconsciously mr ai was first exposed to the artist after arriving in new york when he bought a dog eared copy of warhols ironic quotations at the strand
its as if we were brothers he said noting the similarities of warhols early birds eye ink sketches of the manhattan skyline to his own youthful renderings of shanghais rooftops who could imagine that a poor chinese kid would one day be showing his work alongside andys
the past few days have been especially emotional for mr ai who has not been here in eight years he spent several years in internal exile after the chinese authorities jailed him for 81 days on spurious charges of tax evasion and then refused to relinquish his passport
last july the police finally relented and mr ai promptly decamped to berlin joining his partner and their 7 year old son who live there in addition to lecturing at berlins university of the arts   a position he was offered just before his arrest   he has spent the past year working at a feverish pace
his studio which occupies an old brewery in what once was east berlin has become a frenetic hub staffed by an international coterie of assistants   not unlike warhols factory mr ai also opened a studio on the greek island of lesbos where he plans to build a memorial to the thousands of refugees who have died crossing the mediterranean and every month it seems there is a new exhibition of his work   in australia england austria and in new york
mr ai has spent much of the year immersed in the migrant crisis he has handed out solar powered lamps to children in refugee camps delivered a white grand piano to a traumatized syrian pianist and photographed the freshly arrived as they scrambled off boats in lesbos
last month he traveled to the west bank and gaza for a documentary film he is making about refugees around the world
mr ai 58 appeared exhausted by the travel but said he wouldnt have it any other way you have to work when the light bulb is bright he said pointing to his head because over time it will dim
his work has not been without controversy in february he was widely skewered after he posed for a photograph lying on a pebble beach   an image meant to evoke the photo of alan kurdi the syrian toddler who drowned off the coast of turkey a few weeks later during a berlin film festival gala he directed celebrity guests to don the metallic thermal blankets that volunteers give to arriving immigrants berlins culture minister called the gesture obscene
mr ai unsurprisingly is unfazed by the uproar art is supposed to make people feel uncomfortable to change the way they look at the world he said ive been receiving criticism my whole life but if youre going to throw a punch it should be a real punch not this kind of mediocre criticism
his work may occasionally tack to the incendiary but in person mr ai is a calm self effacing presence   seemingly little changed from his days as the hungry east village artist who threw away his paintings each time he was forced to change apartments
dressed in a black t shirt and cheap cloth shoes he speaks just a notch above a whisper as workers made last minute tweaks to the gallery lighting mr ai was transfixed by the wall of photos he took during his new york years images of the 1988 riots in tompkins square park a snapshot of allen ginsberg urinating and numerous portraits of a reed thin and naked mr ai posing like the venus de milo
no one was interested in showing the work of a chinese artist back then he said shaking his head and turning to a wall of photographs documenting warhols 1982 trip to china
even as mr ai revels in his newfound freedom he is mindful that the life of an exiled dissident has its drawbacks living in europe he said has diminished his voice as a human rights advocate in china unlike most persecuted activists who have been given the chance to leave mr ai refuses to seek asylum
next week he will return to beijing for a visit a journey that fills him with trepidation mr ai says he wants to see family and friends but he also wants to demonstrate to the chinese authorities that he has not abandoned his homeland things there are dreadful right now he said referring to the unremitting government crackdown that has jailed pro democracy activists human rights lawyers and journalists some of them his friends
but he seemed somewhat conflicted about his role   an exiled government critic or someone who willingly and perhaps foolishly steps back into the dragons maw its not honest for a real chinese fighter to be outside he mused youre just throwing stones


its been a decade since bo burnham then 16 uploaded a video of himself to a fairly new site called youtube he was singing a song about how his family thought he was gay
after the video went viral and was seen by millions of viewers he earned offers from hollywood a special on comedy central a theater tour and a deal with netflix bypassing the traditional route to stand up success mr burnham grew into a boldly theatrical and formally clever comedian whose trailblazing career was a forceful defense of the internet as a comedy incubator thats why its startling that he has now emerged as one of its most scathing critics its as if the monster turned on frankenstein
if you look at original content on youtube now the center of it is all caps comments and girls cleavage and commercial derivative videos aimed at what 13 year olds want rather than what they need mr burnham said monday night in a williamsburg apartment where hes staying while acting in a movie i dont mean to sound fatherly but its amazing to watch a medium sell out on steroids
citing the work of the author douglas rushkoff mr burnham said that watching the proliferation of comedy online had made him appreciate the virtue of old fashioned gatekeepers i dont think democracy is a good thing always he said this world of rotten tomatoes and user ratings on amazon makes for safe homogeneous choices its made me go studio executives arent that bad
there have been hints of this new media skepticism in his work for years from his underrated short lived mtv show zach stone is gonna be famous which followed a fame hungry teenager desperate to perform his life for the internet to his more mature stand up that uses disembodied voices and dramatic lighting to make him look and sound like a man trapped in his own art but it wasnt until mr burnham finished writing his third special make happy which debuted on netflix on friday that he decided to stop hinting and add a thesis statement of sorts
social media is the markets answer to a generation that wanted to perform he said toward the end of the hourlong special crouching low to the ground while describing the constant exhibitionism of online life as a prison i dont know anything about anything but what i do know is if you can live without an audience you should do it
mr burnhams comedy has always skewered pop culture the new show takes aim at the faux populism of country music and the uplift of anthems like roar but what makes this special stand out is how it examines the shrinking distance between audience and performer in the internet era i want to talk about my relationship with the audience he said i used to think i shouldnt because its unreliable and stupid and poor me but i think people relate to this idea of having to perform something for people the idea that the world around you is more of an audience than it used to be
comedians can be romantic about the response from their audience jerry seinfeld famously claims that after several minutes his fame has no influence on his act mr burnham finds that absurd arguing that those comics are desperately trying to act like they havent lost that thing they love they had when they were younger   the im still struggling no its easier for you now he said theres a huge desperate impulse from a lot of famous comedians to humanize themselves
in his show mr burnham skewers jimmy fallons tonight show celebrity lip sync segments which he calls the end of culture its an example of the internet ethos bleeding into television its the tearing down of the fake edifice of these people being better than us multimillion dollar beautiful people performing their own humanity for us in their 10000 dresses mr burnham said i think comedy is destroyed when it gets in bed with celebrity
as his argument about the corrosiveness of fame gains momentum mr burnham stands up his thin but no longer lanky six and half foot frame jittery with energy pointing out the hypocrisy of rich comedians talking about airport woes when in reality they fly private he said i want you to leave my show skeptical about performance
in his special mr burnham adopts a prickly persona establishing a tense relationship with his audience members alternating between making them laugh and baiting even insulting them in part this is rooted in a personal anxiety three years ago mr burnham who considers himself a writer who fell into performance started experiencing panic attacks before shows this is reflected in how his special portrays the audience in comedy specials the audience is always smiling and well lit he said to me theyre a mob faceless black entity they are intimidating strange and creepy 
at the end of the special he thanks the crowd then says in a blankly affectless deadpan i hope youre happy it is wonderfully teasing grateful on the one hand bitter on the other
it may be the last thing a crowd will hear from him in a many years since mr burnham says he plans to take a long break from stand up to focus on writing get a movie about a middle schoolgirl off the ground and avoid the stage he added that the demands on a comic these days mean that people send him tweets asking are you dead after hes been working on a special for a few years a band can take a break but a comedian he said if youre not on midnight every month youre thomas pynchon
mr burnham said he rejects the expectation of an iv drip of entertainment at the same time he understands how his critique of online culture looks coming from him as someone who hugely benefited from it and maybe bears in part the guilt of what feels like an unfair advantage he said referring to his peculiar career path which skipped the usual dues paying steps i feel i need to expose what i know


wall street may be known as the home of one of the most buttoned up industries in the country but jpmorgan chase is letting its employees relax a little bit
the firm told its 237420 workers on friday that it was making business casual its everyday dress code according to an internal memorandum reviewed by dealbook
the move makes jpmorgan the latest company to acquiesce to the more casual nature of todays work even the most staid of corporations including general electric and ibm have moved away from uniforms of white shirts and dark ties it is also a nod to the informal style of the tech industry which has been successful in recruiting workers who might have once preferred more traditional careers
the tech industry and silicon valley have influenced wall street fashion in the past when an earlier generation of dot com start ups burned bright for proof of todays impact look at how ge is trying to court software developers   not exactly known for wearing double breasted blazers   in some of its latest commercials
more clients are dressing informally and many parts of our business are already business casual jpmorgans operating committee wrote in the memo which was reported on friday by the wall street journal and while it may not be possible to dress business casual at all times or in all areas we believe having a firmwide guideline is the right thing to do
jpmorgan employees have been dressing slightly more casually in recent years sometimes drawing inspiration from their leadership jamie dimon the banks chief executive went tieless at a meeting with employees in bournemouth england on friday joining him in the business casual look was george osborne the british chancellor of the exchequer
information technology workers and other behind the scenes employees already dress more informally and bankers in certain regions like silicon valley sometimes wear khakis and sweaters in lieu of ermenegildo zegna suits or diane von furstenberg dresses even the companys most traditional of deal makers the former vice chairman james b lee jr   known for his slicked back hair and business shirts with white collars and cuffs   directed his bankers to dress in hoodies during the run up to facebooks initial public offering of stock
do not expect bankers to switch out their hand tailored suits for worn denim at their next meeting with a titan of industry as a matter of course however the memo specifies that employees should dress for that client   which still gives deal makers some sartorial leeway if they are meeting with say a technology entrepreneur used to wearing hoodies and sneakers
and denim generally isnt considered appropriate unless the employee has permission to wear it
employees at bank branches still need to wear specific chase apparel unless the managers have specifically allowed otherwise
if employees try to push the boundaries of the dress code they do so at their peril a set of frequently asked questions about corporate attire warns that if employees are not dressed appropriately they may be subject to disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment
here is what is considered acceptable under jpmorgans new guidelines
 formal business attire
 casual pants capri pants dresses and skirts of appropriate length for the workplace
 business appropriate casual shirts polo shirts sweaters tops and blouses including jpmorgan or chase branded apparel naturally
 dress shoes and dress sandals
 minimal tasteful jewelry and fragrances
and here is what is forbidden even in a casual environment
 athletic clothing   sweatpants sweatshirts t shirts jumpsuits yoga pants or leggings the last of which is helpfully defined as tightfitting stretch pants
 shorts beachwear halter tops tank tops or crop tops
 flip flops clogs rubber soled floater sandals or slippers
 hats or hoods
 distracting tight revealing or exceptionally loose or low cut clothing
 torn or frayed clothing or clothing attachments that have profane offensive or religious messages
 offensive or distracting visible tattoos body piercings or unprofessional hair styles


culver city calif   a day after offering a forceful denunciation of donald j trump hillary clinton on friday expressed hope that she was only days away from putting the long running democratic nominating fight behind her
if all goes well i will have the great honor as of tuesday to be the democratic nominee for president she said at a rally featuring a lengthy lineup of well known actresses including sally field debra messing elizabeth banks sophia bush and mary steenburgen
mrs clinton is expected to secure enough delegates on tuesday to become the partys presumptive nominee probably before the polls close in california one of the six states with nominating contests that day
the moment cannot come soon enough for mrs clinton who has already turned her attention to mr trump the presumptive republican nominee attacking him on a variety of subjects at campaign events while almost never mentioning her remaining democratic rival senator bernie sanders of vermont
but mr sanders has proved to be a formidable opponent in california and the primary here tuesday is expected to be close even if its importance is symbolic given mrs clintons wide lead in delegates
in her final campaign swing in california before the primary mrs clinton turned on friday to some celebrities to give her a boost
in a gym at west los angeles college the dj samantha ronson handled the music and a procession of actresses spoke in support of mrs clinton and skewered mr trump
he ran a university it no longer exists ms banks said he had a tv show it no longer exists he had hair ... she let those words linger and the crowd laughed
ms messing warned that if mr trump became president we will be a country led by a reckless bigot and misogynist ms bush said mr trump wanted to make our country a fearful reality show contest
and ms field questioned why mrs clinton had been criticized as unlikable asking what is this a high school popularity contest she said that mrs clinton was not running to be everybodys friend
women have spent the last hundred years trying to get out from under the expectation that they had to be sugar and spice and everything nice ms field said we dont need sugar and spice and everything nice
mrs clinton did not use up all her available star power at fridays event the actress jamie lee curtis joined her at a rally in california last week and the singer jon bon jovi spoke at a rally on wednesday in new jersey which also votes next week
and in los angeles on monday she will hold a fund raising concert featuring christina aguilera andra day john legend ricky martin and stevie wonder
at the rally on friday mrs clinton brought up her speech the day before in which she declared that mr trump was unfit to be commander in chief and said that electing him would be a historic mistake
mr trump later wrote on twitter that mrs clinton made up things in her speech but mrs clinton told the crowd on friday that she simply repeated what donald trump has said
i didnt make any of that up she said i mean it would be hard to make up and by the end of working on that speech even i was saying did he really say all of this well indeed he did


steve cohen is moving on not the one investigated by the securities and exchange commission but the one who works there
stephen l cohen a senior enforcement official at the sec announced his departure on friday the move ends a 12 year career at the agency during which he oversaw some of its most prominent financial cases
one such case was against etrade financial subsidiaries over the unregistered sales of microcap stocks he helped handle the fraud investigation into former fannie mae and freddie mac executives and he oversaw one of the agencys biggest accounting fraud cases in years filing charges against the computer sciences corporation and former executives in the manipulation of financial results
he did not work on the case against steven a cohen the hedge fund billionaire who faced a long running sec insider trading investigation and ultimately settled accusations that he had failed to supervise an employee convicted of insider trading
he has supervised significant cases involving a wide variety of misconduct and has been closely involved in the implementation of various enhancements to the enforcement program andrew j ceresney director of the secs enforcement division said in a statement his keen intellect and enthusiasm will be missed
before mr cohen became a senior enforcement official in 2011 he was an adviser to mary l schapiro who was chairwoman of the sec at the time he also oversaw the creation of the agencys tips complaints and referrals system mr cohen 44 who previously worked at the law firm boies schiller  flexner has not announced his plans
in the statement he said he had been inspired by his colleagues at the sec
the talented professionals at the commission routinely overcome daunting challenges to protect investors and it has been an absolute privilege to work alongside and learn from such exceptional public servants he said


hillary clintons blistering new assault on donald j trump has mollified many democrats alarmed about the closer than expected presidential race   while inflaming republican fears that mr trumps improvisational style and skeletal campaign will prove inadequate in repelling the type of attack mrs clinton unleashed on thursday
mixing stark warnings that mr trump would imperil americas security with caustic personal critiques   ill leave it to the psychiatrists to explain his affection for tyrants   mrs clinton offered the first indication that she was willing to confront her unconventional opponent in the fashion many in her party believe his candidacy demands
i thought it was one of the most important speeches secretary clinton has made throughout this campaign because it drew a line that for most of this campaign has not been drawn said leon e panetta the former defense secretary arguing that mr trump had gotten away with murder with his incendiary proposals and statements
mrs clintons speech in san diego drove home that this is not just the fun and games of a primary but a choice for the american people about who is going to sit in the oval office mr panetta said
democrats across the country expressed relief on friday that mrs clinton had finally delivered a comprehensive indictment of mr trumps fitness for the presidency
senator chris coons of delaware said there had been widespread concern among senate democrats that mrs clinton was not drawing sharp enough contrasts with mr trump this speech really did that he said
representative debbie dingell democrat of michigan who was attending the detroit chamber of commerces annual retreat on mackinac island with many of the states most influential leaders said the people up here who were worried about her said she is finally finding her groove
for several weeks mrs clinton had tried out a version of the campaign president obama ran against mitt romney in 2012 portraying mr trump as a heartless corporate titan who profited off the housing crisis and avoided paying taxes but she was receiving scant news media coverage and mrs clintons advisers worried that voters were not as moved by class based attacks against someone who unapologetically boasts about his wealth
after weeks in which mr trump viciously attacked mrs clinton and her husband former president bill clinton over mr clintons indiscretions moreover it had become clear that she needed a circuit breaker in the form of a more robust counterassault   and one that she could deliver herself rather than relying on surrogates to deal the most forceful blows to mr trump on her behalf
her campaigns decision was to seek to disqualify mr trump on terrain that is mrs clintons comfort zone foreign policy but billing her san diego speech on thursday as a foreign policy address was also something of a ruse it turned out to be an acidly funny takedown of mr trump and his temperament giving him the same sort of belittling treatment he had used on his opponents to great effect
theres no risk of people losing their lives if you blow up a golf course deal mrs clinton said at one point
but as satisfying as her new line of attack was to many democrats as mr panetta said the real question is going to be where does it go from here
indeed mrs clinton returned to a familiar stump speech later on thursday in el centro calif though on a stop to a campaign office in san diego she joked about her new offensive i was listing all the reasons why donald trump should never get near the white house she told volunteers adding and even i was getting nervous
if mrs clinton is able to overcome that nervousness and drive a sustained attack echoing her san diego speech some democrats said she could negatively define mr trump this summer the same way that mr clinton managed to define bob dole in their 1996 presidential race
what she did sets the parameters about what this election is about said joe lockhart who was mr clintons campaign press secretary that year it is very hard to change that in the day to day fight after labor day
that prospect in turn has republicans deeply concerned about mr trump
despite being the partys presumptive nominee for a month mr trump has yet to adapt his campaign to the demands of a general election his only war room so far is his twitter feed he is campaigning in california insisting that he can win one of the countrys most liberal states he has spent a week attacking a hispanic federal judge who is handling a lawsuit against him in increasingly racial terms only drawing more attention to the case and he continues to divide his attention he will travel to scotland and ireland this month for a business event
nor have mr trumps tactical choices inspired confidence at a rally on thursday night in san jose calif his main rejoinder to mrs clintons speech was that she ought to be in jail over her use of a private email account as secretary of state there was no broader counterattack from his campaign or his allies a remarkable silence after mrs clintons harshest critique yet
he needs to get the republican chorus singing for him and making sure hes got a lot of voices out there said terry nelson a longtime republican strategist hes got to make sure he is reaching out to the party and letting them know what the message is what to say and how to say it
there is little evidence of any such coordination his campaign sent out no response to the clinton speech the republican national committee on which mr trumps team has been leaning heavily issued just one pre emptive critique of mrs clintons foreign policy before her remarks
his campaign is also badly lagging behind the democrats at fund raising and there are signs this has affected spending after a group supporting mrs clinton ran ads last month against mr trump the trump team asked about rates for television ads of its own according to two media buyers apprised of those inquiries but never followed up
reached by phone mr trump addressed such concerns by saying he had proved he could rewrite political playbooks i think im defining her he said of mrs clinton i think shes being defined as a weak and ineffective person
mr trump has four top aides who worked on mr doles 1996 campaign but his campaigns problems already resemble some that plagued mr dole including a formidable opponent mounting an early offensive and an undisciplined candidate
mr dole said on friday that mr trump whom he has endorsed had mastered crowd building and commanding media attention like no other recent nominee but he warned that mrs clintons speech signaled a need for mr trump to adjust
i think hillary tried laying a groundwork and i think thats going to be sort of her template mr dole said in an interview he has criticism of hillary but its sort of been scattered
mr trump he added has got to catch up


jerusalem   mr president a woman called out to waad qannam at a rally last week in east jerusalem we want you to represent us the crowd cheered passionately even though mr qannam was actually running for president on a reality television show
in the united states a reality television star is the presumptive republican presidential nominee for palestinians its the other way around a candidate chosen on a television show is the closest they have come to an elected leader in more than 10 years
this is just a show acknowledged mr qannam one of three contestants who made it to thursday nights finale of the president but people are hungry for a leader
the show now in its second season began with 24 contestants culled from more than 1200 applicants who had to take a series of exams on palestinian politics international law development and gender equality each week contestants shadowed a palestinian minister or business person then told a panel of judges what they had learned and how they would improve on the job
they also held election rallies while cameras were rolling and had to campaign for votes from the audience who voted via text message at 80 cents a pop a mix of votes from judges and the audience determined who made it to the next rounds though in the finale only audience votes counted because there was no cap on how many times viewers could vote money played a considerable role and candidates raised funds to secure votes from viewers
on thursday night the three finalists all had similar platforms boycott israel designate east jerusalem as the capital of palestine bring about a reconciliation for the bitterly divided palestinians between the west bank and gaza six of the candidates in the round of 24 were from gaza though none made it to the final round
mr qannam   muslim male and from east jerusalem   was the leading candidate studying to be a lawyer mr qannam 24 is the son of refugees broadening his appeal in the hardscrabble camps across the west bank his mother is a deputy minister of jerusalem affairs in the palestinian authority and he had a nice smile
the only female finalist nemah adawiah 22 studies international relations at birzeit university near ramallah she drew some resentment because her wealthy family was bankrolling her campaign and scrutiny about her appearance when the judges deemed some of her colorful outfits inappropriate
the third finalist fadi khair a 35 year old christian and pediatric nurse had backers who felt he needed to broaden his appeal to muslim voters you need a priest and a sheikh to sit in the front row mused a friend at a campaign meeting before thursdays finale
the president   broadcast on the maan satellite network to large audiences in gaza the west bank and elsewhere in the arab world   was funded mostly by a state department grant to search for common ground a nongovernmental group that focuses on conflict resolution
suheir rasul the groups co director said the point of the show was to groom young palestinians to be future leaders yet the subtext was aimed at the palestinian authority president mahmoud abbas who is now 11 years into what was meant to have been a five year term and has offered no signs of handing over power
in an odd twist many judges on the show were palestinian officials and the palestinian authority allowed its organizers to use their facilities advisers to mr abbas did not respond to requests for comment on the show
the show is a message for the palestinian leadership said raed othman maans general director elections are the solution democracy is the solution
before the finale mr khair the pediatric nurse was deeply worried about how to raise enough funds
we focus on the rich not the poor because they barely have enough for their daily bread said his mother hannah khair before the finale they were focusing on people in his hometown beit sahour a village in the west bank and christians excited to see one of their own vie for president
ahead of the penultimate episode he spent about 7800 to secure nearly 10000 votes as he prepared his speech for the final episode mr khair estimated he needed to secure at least 20000 votes to have a chance at winning
i want to talk about economic resistance he said a call for foreign investment and palestinian investment he said but was interrupted by his wife mirna 25 holding their 3 year old son jihad as he vomited on the kitchen floor
mr khair continued while helping his wife ill talk about diplomacy he said
ms adawiahs family took care of nearly everything her father bahjat adawiah 72 organized her election rally on a recent night in al ram a neighborhood near jerusalem tucked behind israels separation barrier where he owns several properties
i am the daughter of jerusalem she read practicing her speech her father paced and chain smoked speak more forcefully he told her she wants to win so i have to support her shes our little spoiled girl he added grinning
but the shows producers noted that ms adawiah had worked extremely hard and impressed the judges money alone could not have propelled her to the finale they said
her fathers business partners al rams mayor and other prominent residents piled into a school hall where her rally underscored womens participation there was a female master of ceremonies and a womens folkloric dance troupe entertained guests
we want you to be the president and why not said ali maslamani the mayor our long islamic history is filled with female leaders
but mr qannam was clearly the most popular candidate
in an east jerusalem soccer club on a recent night he barely got through his platform before residents began endorsing him
mustafa shabani a 23 year old who works two jobs to support his family said he had spent at least 7 on votes for mr qannam
mr othman the general director of maan said the influence of money made the show more realistic you can sit in a cafe and have a great idea   but so what he said show me the money
during thursdays finale in a ramallah studio mr khair stumbled through his speech ms adawiah laced hers with religion and nationalism it is time to change what is inside ourselves so we can change our sick reality she said
in the end though it was mr qannams night
you are standing before an important decision he told the audience he promised his first act as president would be to visit gaza and heal a decade old rift between palestinians i will reconcile our nation
were it not that i loved this homeland i would not have done this he said this is a duty not an honor
the audience roared waad qannam waad qannam waad qannam the back rows shouted
mr qannam won with nearly 42000 votes compared with roughly 28000 for ms adawiah and about 14000 for mr khair his prize a car plus the prominence and political connections that come from being on the show
he struggled to speak over the ecstatic audience this is not my victory he called out it is a victory for palestine
nearby that victory was hard to stomach ms adawiahs family alleged that organizers had falsified the tally arguing they had receipts for 41000 votes they had secured for their daughter
i bought 24000 votes shouted one of her relatives where are they


sherman conn   bob stackowitz escaped from a georgia prison so long ago that he eventually stopped acting like he was on the run he bought a house in this rural town in western connecticut fixed boat engines for a living and on occasion forgot to use his alias bob gordon
but when the 71 year old fugitive filed for social security benefits under his real name the georgia corrections department ultimately found out the agency had long since stopped actively looking for mr stackowitz who escaped from prison in that state 48 years ago after serving about two years of a 17 year sentence for robbery
last month federal marshals accompanied by a connecticut state trooper knocked on the door at mr stackowitzs simple cedar contemporary home inmate no 0000364334 whose hair had gone from dark walnut to wispy white in the intervening half century had been caught
i knew this day would come he calmly told the trooper mike saraceno before gathering his medications and surrendering
for residents of this picturesque town the revelation that a fugitive had been hiding in their midst   and not just any fugitive but bob gordon for gods sake   came as a jolt
suddenly television trucks were rumbling along quiet country roads where american flags waved gently and azaleas had just come into bloom mr stackowitz a native of bridgeport had apparently never shared his secret in recent years he had spent much of his time coping with various illnesses including bladder cancer heart disease and diabetes
david schneiderbeck who owns rizzos garage said he used to refer boat owners to mr stackowitz a mechanic known for his ability to coax bilge pumps and fuel lines back to life boating is a popular pastime in sherman which wraps around the upper part of candlewood lake the states largest body of freshwater
i dont think hes actually been under a boat for a long time because of his health mr schneiderbeck said he always had guys working for him and he was directing them
mr schneiderbeck and others said the emergence of bob gordons true identity underscored the way that many in this town of 3600 know one another exchanging pleasantries while valuing their privacy everyone has a past he said people keep to themselves im not really a nosy guy
even mr stackowitzs longtime girlfriend cindy derby said she had no inkling of his history he never told anybody said ms derby 61 a house cleaner im glad i didnt know because then i would have always worried i didnt have to worry for 21 years it wasnt any of my business
mr stackowitzs life took a decidedly wrong turn in 1966 when he was convicted of robbery by force in georgia where he had gone on a road trip court records show that from crime to sentencing the entire case lasted less than two weeks
ms derby said she was a 10 year old schoolgirl in sherman when mr stackowitz was arrested in georgia an indictment accused him and two other men of unlawfully wrongfully fraudulently and violently stealing 9 from a man as well as the keys to his truck the victim now 91 and still living in georgia did not respond to an interview request
on aug 22 1968 mr stackowitz escaped from what was once known as the carroll county convict barracks a project built as part of the new deal that is now a dilapidated storehouse for the countys public works department the words carroll county are painted in red near the roof but the doors are rusted and the paint on the prison bars is peeling and cracked
mr stackowitz who agreed to be photographed but declined an interview request has told reporters that he had access to a vehicle as part of his work duties at the prison where he repaired buses nearby
one morning i just got in the truck and drove myself away he told the hartford courant in a videotaped interview i got on a plane and i was back in connecticut before they even knew i was gone
these days there is little memory of mr stackowitz in carroll county where the authorities said he had escaped from the prison infirmary
peter j skandalakis the current district attorney for carroll county was 12 years old when mr stackowitz fled the barracks about an hours drive west of atlanta the man who ran the prison in 1968 is dead and robert jones the current warden said the countys file on the escape did not even fill a single page
mr jones said he had never heard of the episode until georgia state investigators called this year
now georgia officials are grappling with what exactly should happen to a man who evaded capture for nearly 50 years some like mr jones note that mr stackowitz was convicted of a violent crime
he did cheat the system theres no doubt about it he said and not just that he cheated the victim there is a victim in this crime
mr stackowitz has asked for clemency emphasizing what he calls the exemplary life he has lived since the escape and his medical condition in april the commissioner of the georgia corrections department signed an updated warrant for mr stackowitz a spokeswoman for the department gwendolyn hogan said on friday that the state would seek mr stackowitzs return to georgia
a hearing is scheduled for monday in danbury conn mr stackowitzs lawyer norman pattis said he planned to contest extradition
mr stackowitzs slate blue house sits back from route 39 just outside the town center a narrow staircase in the garage that leads to the first floor was outfitted with an electric chairlift
mr stackowitzs friends and neighbors in sherman are divided over his fate ms derby who shares his enthusiasm for boats and hot rods said she believed he would not survive imprisonment given his poor health
hes a good guy who lived a clean life for the past 48 years and he did something wrong that caught up with him she said in a phone interview hed never make it in jail
after he was arrested on may 9 mr stackowitz spent five days in the bridgeport correctional center he was released after friends chipped in to help him make bond he was hospitalized briefly with kidney problems in late may
others here said mr stackowitz should be forced to return to georgia his quiet life notwithstanding i think he should go back and face the music john a rich who owns sacred grounds coffee roasters said i dont like the precedent that you commit a crime and arent accountable
clay cope the towns first selectman the equivalent of mayor said he had mixed feelings what kind of life is that to lead where you live in fear every day that someone will knock on your door and apprehend you mr cope asked
even some law enforcement officials in georgia expressed ambivalence about reaching back through the decades to impose punishment
while the states board of pardons and paroles said it would not consider a reprieve such as parole until mr stackowitz returned to georgia he was already assured of one legal victory if he is extradited to georgia he will not be charged in the escape
i look at it as a humanitarian matter as well as a practical matter and a matter of justice mr skandalakis the district attorney for carroll county said there is really nothing i can do to this man


organizers of this years olympics in rio de janeiro tried their best on thursday to make the zika virus seem not so scary after all
in their final presentation to the international olympic committees executive board before the games in august the organizers said the virus would pose no health risk to athletes and visitors they noted that the games would take place during the southern hemispheres winter when mosquito populations plummet because of that a spokesman declared with confidence the rate of infection from the zika virus drops to very low numbers very near zero
with the games only about 60 days away the public relations push was expected and maybe the final sales pitch will make a few more athletes and visitors feel safe
but for at least one american athlete it was too late
about the same time the olympic committee and its guests were putting away their charts papers and laptops the cyclist tejay van garderen was announcing that he had withdrawn from consideration for a place on the united states team a top professional who has twice finished fifth in the tour de france van garderen was a likely bet to make the squad in rio but he is skipping the games he said because he is afraid of contracting the zika virus and possibly transmitting it to his pregnant wife and their unborn daughter
i dont want to take any chances van garderen told the website cyclingtips if anything were to happen i couldnt live with myself
van garderen who competed at the 2012 olympics was expected to make the united states road cycling team because the hilly course in rio suited his strengths as a climber while other american athletes including the soccer goalkeeper hope solo have considered skipping the games because of fears about the zika virus van garderen may be the first potential medal contender from the united states to back out
not everyone shares his concern its the olympics its the olympics gabby douglas the 2012 olympic gymnastics all around champion said friday at a meet in hartford mosquitoes like whatever im going this is my shot i dont care about no stupid bugs
the choice for van garderen   and for the golfers marc leishman of australia vijay singh of fiji and charl schwartzel of south africa who have all said they will not go because of the zika threat   was probably easier than it would be for say a rower or a fencer or a female soccer star dependent on a victory bonus for a big part of her income for athletes in those sports and others the olympics are both the pinnacle of competition and a meal ticket the opportunities and exposure lost by staying home cannot be made up
van garderens wife jessica phillips knows this as well as anyone a former national cycling champion she said it would be harder for female cyclists to drop out because they didnt have the option to make big money on a pro tour in a phone conversation on thursday she put her husbands decision in the bluntest terms
if zika was in france and tejay had to decide to pull out of the tour de france im not sure if hed do it she said im pretty sure hed still compete
still for weeks van garderen 27 and phillips had discussed the risks of his going to rio they discussed how much time he was already spending away from his family as he trained in europe how any trip to the games would end not with a celebratory reunion but with a quarantine and for how long van garderen nearly missed the birth of his older daughter three years ago because of cycling he didnt want to miss the birth of this one too
they worried about the unknowns about how long zika stays in the system whether it could be transmitted in ways the experts dont yet understand
and then there are the facts although most people who contract the virus have no symptoms or mild ones zika can make a person very sick detroit tigers pitcher francisco rodriguez knows that firsthand
this week rodriguez told espn that he had contracted zika during the off season in his home country venezuela and that it had flattened him for weeks with body aches headaches vomiting and joint pain he said it had taken him two months to feel like himself again the story prompted jason day of australia the worlds top ranked golfer to say he was reconsidering his olympic plans
he was sick for a month and a half and we just dont need that day said friday
olympic organizers dont want to hear any of that maybe they were soothed by the world health organizations pronouncement this week that postponing or moving the olympics which are expected to attract a half million visitors would not stem the spread of zika it was spreading very well on its own thank you
with two months until the opening ceremony its tempting for everyone to pretend that zika is just a blip on the pre olympic screen people could just tally the money thats been spent on preparations and the stadiums that have been built   and dont forget the potential economic impact once the games begin   and decide that its more than worth it to plow ahead
the truth is that the zika virus remains very scary no matter how people spin it and with the rio games looming the fear of that threat is real
the games will go on but they will go on without tejay van garderen
will he be the last athlete to opt out or just one of the first


when your adult child comes back to live with you there is a good reason he or she wont be exiled to the basement
if you have a newer home you are going to have the room to spare
the average size of newly built home continues to grow although not as much as in previous years it is now 2687 square feet according to the census bureaus annual survey of american housing the census also says that 31 percent of newly constructed homes are 3000 square feet or more
houses are being built with more bedrooms and bathrooms too the size of the average household has shrunk to 258 people but 47 percent of new homes have four or more bedrooms and 38 percent of them have three bathrooms or more demand for the extra bathroom shot up after the great recession ended
citing census data the pew research center reported last week that in 2014 adults ages 18 to 34 were slightly more likely to be living in their parents home than to be living with a spouse or partner in their own household
thats not the reason homes are getting bigger remember this is a survey of new homes and this particular set of data is for single family homes which tend to be in more suburban settings where there is open land to build new houses tend to be more expensive than used ones existing houses as the industry terms them wealthy people are driving that new house market and builders are giving them what they demand the national association of home builders say americans want even more on average 17 percent more space
so lets figure well be tacking on yet another bedroom and bath soon   for the grandchildren we wouldnt want them living in the basement


time to move on that is the explanation tony fadell a former star executive at apple known for his aggressive management style offers for his departure from nest a maker of digital versions of household staples like thermostats and smoke detectors that he helped found and sold to google
alphabet googles parent company announced on friday that mr fadell was leaving nest after leading it for six years including the last two under the ownership of google which bought it for 32 billion in 2014 his departure comes after months of controversy regarding his leadership
mr fadell the company said will become an adviser to alphabet and to its chief executive larry page
in a recent interview in his palo alto office mr fadell 47 talked about his career at apple he led the engineering team that created the ipod digital music player and worked on the first three versions of the iphone in 2010 he founded nest with matt rogers a young apple engineer
im a guy whos at the beginning of things mr fadell said i dont like to do maintenance mode its not what gets me out of bed
but he is leaving after articles on the technology news sites the information and recode describing a harsh corporate culture at nest and abrasiveness on his part that led to resignations stymied product development and disappointing revenue growth
the sharpest attack came from greg duffy the founder and former chief executive of dropcam the home video camera and cloud computing service that nest acquired for 555 million in 2014 about six months after google bought nest mr duffy clashed with mr fadell remained at nest for eight months and briefly moved to another post at google before departing last september
writing on medium in late march mr duffy said he regretted selling dropcam to nest and noted his extreme differences on management style with the current leadership at nest
in the interview which mr fadell agreed to on the condition that it not be published before alphabet announced he was leaving he had answers for most of the criticisms of his tenure he described the staff departures as a small fraction of nest employees and in line with the turnover in silicon valley where switching jobs is common
mr fadell said that nest had strong double digit revenue growth from the outset in a statement on friday mr page citing nests achievements noted that its revenue growth was in excess of 50 percent a year since it began shipping products in 2011
mr fadell characterized nest as healthy with 1100 workers and strong teams in design software and services around its three product families   its learning thermostat smoke detector and video camera
yet the larger issue is not nests past performance but what impact mr fadells departure will have on its future nest is the linchpin of alphabets bet on the emerging smart home market   devices and software to automate homes for convenience energy savings and security
mr fadell will be succeeded by marwan fawaz a former executive vice president of motorola mobility the mobile phone maker google bought for 125 billion in 2011 google unloaded motorola three years later to lenovo for the fire sale price of 29 billion though a sizable share of motorolas value was its thousands of patents
in the troubled motorola acquisition mr fawaz led a financial bright spot motorola home a television set top box business he pared its product line cut costs and oversaw its sale in 2013 for 235 billion to the arris group a cable television equipment maker
in the alphabet portfolio nest is a leading entry among the parent companys other bets its effort to build businesses beyond googles lucrative franchise in online search and advertising googles record with acquired hardware businesses notably the motorola deal has not inspired confidence
when the nest thermostat was introduced in 2011 it was an innovative reimagining of a product category much as the ipod was a reinvention of the mp3 music player and the iphone was a new take on the cellphone it was a stylish piece of hardware a circle of brushed stainless steel reflective polymer and a crystal sharp color display
inside the nest thermostat houses sensors for detecting motion in the room and clever software to learn and adjust room temperatures according to whether people are present or not to curb electric bills
priced at 249 the nest thermostat was far more expensive than traditional models rivals scoffed but later offered their own models honeywell for example now has a 249 model that resembles the nest oval
the pace of product introductions in the home necessarily will be more gradual which critics often miss mr fadell said a thermostat typically lasts 10 or 12 years
some people expect us to be a gadget factory he said but you dont want your thermostat to be like your smartphone replacing it every two or three years
more is done with software especially updates sent over the internet and wirelessly connected to nest devices relying on software of course opens the door to software bugs in 2014 the united states consumer product safety commission ordered a recall of more than 400000 nest protect smoke and gas detectors because a defect could cause users to turn them off unintentionally nest halted sales for a while and fixed the problem by updating the software
the software is what allows its devices to communicate with each other the nest protect for example can detect a carbon monoxide leak and tell the nest thermostat to turn off the furnace
mr fadell points to the 18000 software developers working with nest software 12000 retail stores that sell nest devices and more than 100 utility companies many of which offer consumer rebates to buy nest thermostats for their energy saving potential
were not a products company mr fadell said were a products services and software company and he added building up those networks takes a long time
it will be up to others to do that building now yet mr fadell expresses no regrets selling to google he insists was the right choice to give nest the financial ballast it needs for the long term
when nest started the technology giants were not in the smart home market but now samsung has smartthings software and devices apple has homekit software and amazon has the echo voice command device
nor does mr fadell apologize for his management style he described his strength as holding people to a higher standard than they thought they could achieve and pushing them beyond what they thought they could achieve
mr fadell said he had no immediate plans but he would spend more time looking at technology start ups
in the last decade he has quietly invested in and advised many fledgling companies his current investments include impossible foods which synthesizes beef without cattle airwave an operating system for drones mousera sensor technology to speed insights from preclinical drug trials on lab animals and phononic semiconductor based heating and cooling
im not a scientist mr fadell said im looking for technology that is about to come out of the lab and has the potential to transform a business i like to see these technologies raw


paris   paris experienced its worst floods since 1982 on friday as the seine river climbed to about 20 feet it was not as bad as the catastrophic deluge of 1910 262 feet or the smaller but still destructive flood of 1955 237 feet but it prompted the hasty movement of masterpieces at the louvre created havoc for commuters and disrupted at least one wedding south of the french capital the heavy rains caused extensive property damage
why does the seine famous for its bridges flood at all
as one of frances major commercial waterways the river is closely monitored so it can accommodate a constant procession of barges and other commercial vessels the river begins in burgundy in east central france and meanders 485 miles westward until it reaches its mouth near the port city of le havre
dams and locks normally keep the water level consistent particularly in the paris region where the seines traffic is especially heavy in part because of tourist and other recreational vessels if the water level drops too far the barges could scrape the riverbed and get damaged if it gets too high vessels cannot pass under the citys lowest bridges
upstream from paris four large dams control the flow of the seine and three of its major tributaries the aube the marne and the yonne according to charles perrin a hydrologist at the national research institute of science and technology for environment and agriculture in late spring the dams start stocking large reserves of water that can be released in the drier summer months
the dams were already at 95 percent capacity when heavy rains started in late may so their ability to take in the excess water was limited
another cause of the flooding was the exceptional swelling of the tributaries that meet the seine downstream from the dams before it reaches paris one tributary the loing flooded the town of nemours closer to paris smaller dams help regulate the flow through the capital much like speed bumps on a road but they were powerless to withstand the extraordinary swelling this week
one traditional way to measure the rise of the seine is to look at the zouave a stone sculpture of a soldier from emperor napoleon iiis army that stands in the river alongside the pont de lalma on friday water lapped at his waist in 1910 it reached his shoulders the comparison is not exact because the statue was moved when the bridge was reconstructed in the early 1970s
the scientific measure of the water level   and the one the authorities use   is taken farther east at the pont dausterlitz via floating devices and ultrasound equipment the pont dausterlitz is also where the flow of the river in paris is gauged because pariss riverbanks are built up the seines flow accelerates as it goes through the city
the average flow is about 10600 cubic feet per second as of 4 pm friday the flow had risen to 60000 cubic feet per second for safety reasons navigation was halted on wednesday on the river and the canal st martin the waterway that runs into paris and meets the seine just south of place de la bastille


just a few years ago crispr was a cipher   something that sounded to most ears like a device for keeping lettuce fresh today crispr cas9 is widely known as a powerful way to edit genes scientists are deploying it in promising experiments and a number of companies are already using it to develop drugs to treat conditions ranging from cancer to sickle cell anemia
yet there is still a lot of misunderstanding around it crispr describes a series of dna sequences discovered in microbes part of a system to defend against attacking viruses microbes make thousands of forms of crispr most of which are just starting to be investigated by scientists if they can be harnessed some may bring changes to medicine that we can barely imagine
on thursday in the journal science researchers demonstrated just how much is left to discover they found that an ordinary mouth bacterium makes a form of crispr that breaks apart not dna but rna   the molecular messenger used by cells to turn genes into proteins
if scientists can get this process to work in human cells they may open up a new front in gene engineering gaining the ability to precisely adjust the proteins in cells for instance or to target cancer cells
the groundbreaking thing about this work is that it now opens up the rna world to crispr said oliver rackham a synthetic biologist at the university of western australia who was not involved in the study
crispr was first discovered in 1987 but it took decades for scientists to figure out that microbes needed the system to recognize dna from invading viruses and to chop it into pieces stopping the infection
in 2012 a team of scientists led by jennifer doudna of the university of california berkeley and emmanuelle charpentier then at umea university in sweden discovered how to use this microbial defense as a gene editing tool that could potentially alter any piece of dna
most of that early work was carried out with crispr molecules from a species of bacteria that lives in human skin called streptococcus pyogenes once those molecules proved effective at reassembling human dna a number of scientists began looking at other species for crispr systems that might be even better
some researchers investigated familiar species that have been studied in labs for decades but eugene v koonin and his colleagues at the national center for biotechnology information instead scoured databases containing hundreds of millions of genetic sequences for those that resembled crispr genes
once they discovered some candidates they joined forces with feng zhang of mit who published one of the first studies on using crispr to edit human dna one of the first candidates they looked at came from a species of bacteria that lives in the mouth known as leptotrichia shahii
it had a group of genes that looked like crispr genes in some ways but with stark differences when the researchers equipped bacteria with these genes which they called c2c2 they found that the organisms gained a defense that had never been seen
many viruses do not contain dna instead their genetic information is encoded in rna dnas single stranded cousin which they use to hijack the genes of their hosts and cause them to make new viruses some of these rna viruses such as hiv and poliovirus attack our species many others attack bacteria
previously discovered crispr molecules are very good at whacking apart dna but dont protect bacteria from an rna virus dr zhang and his colleagues discovered that bacteria with c2c2 make molecules that can attack rna and chop it up destroying the invaders
the researchers also found that they could tailor these genes to cut any rna molecule they wanted now they are tinkering with the process to try to get it to work in human cells
there could be a lot of cool applications dr zhang said he hopes for example that c2c2 molecules could be trained to destroy rna made only in cancer cells those cells would be unable to make essential proteins and die
while it remains to be seen if these will become useful tools dr koonin said the discovery has already revealed something important about the evolutionary history of these microbial defenses
some parts of c2c2 genes share a common evolutionary origin with the defense systems seen in other bacterial species over billions of years dr koonin said evolution has blindly tinkered with these genes in order to generate new ways to protect against viruses
exploring this evolution is more productive for now than trying to design gene editing technology from scratch dr zhang said were not quite smart enough yet he added
in fact some future advances in gene editing may even not be based on crispr microbes have evolved several different lines of defense against viruses some of which are only now coming to light
in recent years for example scientists have discovered that microbes can use another group of proteins called argonautes to chop up viral dna last month a team of chinese researchers announced that they were able to use argonaute proteins to edit dna in human cells
paul s knoepfler a cell biologist at the university of california davis is taking a wait and see attitude about argonaute proteins but he said he would not be surprised if they quickly turned out to be yet another powerful gene editing tool
this field seems to move in dog years he said it feels like seven times faster than real time


miami   david wright went into the 2016 season with a lot of anxious looks being cast in his direction at 33 could he still be a productive player as he dealt with the fact that he has spinal stenosis or was he inevitably headed toward a diminished role on the field and perhaps an injury retirement long before his contract with the mets expires at the end of the 2020 season
none of that anxiety abated during the first two months of this season as wright struggled to hit for average struck out an inordinate amount of times and in the field at third base made repeated submarine style throws to first that suggested he could no longer throw the ball the way he wanted to
and now the concern over his physical condition has only deepened with the mets announcing friday that wright as expected is going on the disabled list with a herniated disk in his neck and will avoid any baseball activity for the next six to eight weeks in an attempt to alleviate the situation
that timetable suggests that wright will not be available to the mets until august at the earliest which would be after the july 31 trading deadline wright flew to california on friday instead of joining the team in south florida and was expected to visit with a doctor who has been addressing his condition from the mets point of view none of this is good
we were talking the other day about the 15 day so its pretty shocking to hear about the length of time mets manager terry collins said as the team prepared to play the marlins on friday night in light of the latest negative development for wright his team captain collins still expressed confidence that wright would play again this season
its going to be tough collins said weve got to pick it up certainly in the clubhouse his leadership off the field is second to none we need to pick that part of it up and just hope he gets better just hope he gets through this
in contrast to collinss understandable prediction that wright will return this season the teams front office cannot afford to be that optimistic
so will the mets in effect seek a capable replacement for wright on the trade market while he is still being treated and before the trade deadline arrives that would create a lot of awkwardness because of wrights stature with the team he is the only long term star in franchise history who has been a met and only a met but with a shot at going back to the postseason for a second straight year the mets may do what they feel they must to compete
wright has a 296 career average with the mets but this season in 37 games he hit just 226 with 55 strikeouts in 137 at bats his only saving grace at the plate was that he was drawing a lot of walks which left him with a respectable 350 on base percentage
in his absence at least for now the mets will give wilmer flores a chance to be the everyday third baseman
well obviously you dont ever want anybody to get hurt but it happened   and since i got here ive been waiting for an opportunity and its an opening said flores who entered fridays game with a 167 batting average this season in limited action knowing that you can be in the lineup every day it changes everything because its something that ive done a lot and i know what to do and so its definitely going to be easier for me to find my way out there
if flores does not provide enough offense   although wright was not generating all that much to begin with   the mets could look at promoting the 22 year old dilson herrera a top prospect from the minor leagues and installing him at second where he played a modest amount for the mets in 2014 and 2015 they could then move the veteran second baseman neil walker to third where he has experience although not a lot
i havent played third or first in six or seven years so i think that transition i could do it but it wouldnt be the easiest transition said walker who has a solid first season for the mets in the field and at the plate id need to get a lot of early work and brush the rust off but im willing to do what it takes to help this team win
other moves involving mets minor leaguers are possible too meanwhile wright will presumably be trying to find a way to become part of the mix again too but can he
inside pitch
in his first start since being ejected last saturday for throwing a pitch behind chase utley of the los angeles dodgers noah syndergaard held the miami marlins to two runs over seven innings as the mets rallied for a 6 2 victory
syndergaard struck out nine batters improving to 6 2 on the season and helping end a three game winning streak by miami marcell ozunas solo homer in the bottom of the second was the only real damage against him
noah pitched another great game terry collins said i was really anxious to see how he was going to do after he pitched just a couple of days ago
he was very good and that last pitch to dietrich was electric collins continued referring to a swinging strikeout by marlins second baseman derek dietrich that ended the bottom of the seventh with runners on second and third base
the mets got home runs from shortstop asdrubal cabrera a solo shot in the top of the fourth james loney whose two run blast in the top of the seventh broke a 2 2 tie and a two run shot by catcher rene rivera in the top of the ninth
thats huge especially with duda and the unfortunate news about david today syndergaard said of the mets offensive performance thats the thing about us the ability to pick up one another i feel like we were able to go out there and handle a lot of adversity and to be able to pick each other up its a great thing to be a part of and i really feel like were going to really take off from here


irans top leader said friday that trusting or cooperating with the united states would be a big mistake an assertion that seemed to rule out any greater collaboration despite the nuclear deal reached nearly a year ago
the statement by the leader ayatollah ali khamenei made in a nationally televised speech was the latest in a series of signals that irans senior leadership was not likely to allow any easing of hostility toward the united states
we have many small and big enemies the ayatollah said according to translated accounts of his speech in the iranian media noting that the worst are the united states britain and israel which he described as the damned and cancerous zionist regime
the backdrop for mr khameneis speech was the 27th anniversary of the death of his predecessor ayatollah ruhollah khomeini the founder of the islamic revolution that overthrew the western backed shah of iran in 1979
ayatollah khameneis speech appeared to partly reflect iranian frustration in not achieving any significant economic benefits so far from the nuclear agreement which was negotiated last year and took effect in january
under the agreement iran sharply reduced its nuclear activities in exchange for the end of many american and european sanctions on the country president hassan rouhani of iran an architect of the agreement said it signaled a prosperous new era
since then however it has become clear that other american sanctions on iran unaffected by the nuclear agreement have still dissuaded many international companies from risking business with iran
moreover the iranians have been infuriated by a united states supreme court ruling in april that allowed the use of nearly 2 billion in impounded iranian bank funds to pay american victims of terrorist attacks overseas
doubts also have increased about the longevity of the nuclear agreement ahead of the presidential elections in the united states while hillary clinton the presumptive democratic presidential nominee has expressed support for the agreement the presumptive republican nominee donald j trump has suggested he would renounce it
irans experience in the nuclear negotiations ayatollah khamenei said in the speech showed that the us will never stop its destructive role
ayatollah khameneis remarks came as both the united states and iran were intensifying the fight against a common enemy in syria and iraq the islamic state
iranian supported shiite fighters in iraq are heavily involved in an effort to retake the city of falluja from the islamic state and american airstrikes have hit islamic state fortifications around falluja in recent days
but ayatollah khamenei appeared to dismiss any possibility of greater coordination with the americans exhorting iranians not to be lulled into what he called the enemys deceptive plots to entangle iran in its projects
his speech came as other signs of an anti american stance inside iran have hardened dimming expectations that victories by iranian candidates leaning toward reform in the february elections would augur less hostility
last tuesday a leading conservative ali larijani was re elected speaker of irans parliament denying reformers a post many thought they should have won
a week earlier an iranian council known as the assembly of experts which is authorized to select a new supreme leader if necessary chose an 89 year old hard line cleric ayatollah ahmad jannati as its chairman


the sarah lawrence college dance program   which was led during its formative decades by bessie schonberg for whom new yorks dance awards the bessies are named   announced a new director this week john jasperse the choreographer and dancer
mr jasperse who graduated from sarah lawrence in 1985 and went on to form his own dance company will succeed sara rudner who has led the program since 1998 and plans to continue teaching the college said he will begin in the fall
the critical thinking that sarah lawrence nurtured in my time as a student has served me well both in my practice as a dance artist and as a citizen mr jasperse whose company is now called john jasperse projects said in a statement
ms rudner said in a statement that she was eager to work with mr jasperse describing him as a master choreographer and teacher who has the skills and smarts to enliven and enrich not only dance at our college but to provide leadership in interdisciplinary pursuits
mr jasperse whose work has received two bessie awards as well as a 2014 doris duke artist award will present the premiere of his latest work remains at the american dance festival in durham nc this july it will be performed at the brooklyn academy of music as part of its next wave festival in september


another hedge fund that was caught up in the federal governments crackdown on insider trading is getting back money it forfeited to authorities in the course of the investigation
federal prosecutors have agreed to return 6 million that diamondback capital management forfeited as part of a nonprosecution agreement according to a court filing on friday
the decision by federal prosecutors to return the money is a rare event but it represents more fallout from a landmark appeals court ruling that resulted in the dismissal of a number of insider trading convictions including the conviction of a former portfolio manager at diamondback
the court filing by prosecutors working for preet bharara the united states attorney in manhattan does not specifically refer to the appellate ruling but notes there have been subsequent legal developments to the signing of the nonprosecution agreement in january 2012
this year the securities and exchange commission agreed to return 3 million paid by diamondback to resolve a related civil investigation
in january securities regulators agreed to return 215 million in settlement money paid out by another hedge fund level global advisors to resolve a related insider trading investigation
both diamondback and level global were raided by agents of the federal bureau of investigation in 2010 as part of a broad crackdown on insider trading in the hedge fund industry that at one point led to the conviction of more than 80 people both hedge funds eventually shut their doors
the investigation led to the filing of insider trading charges against todd newman a former portfolio manager at diamondback and anthony chiasson a founder of level global both men were convicted on insider trading charges but the appellate court threw out the convictions in a ruling that dramatically narrowed the ability of authorities to pursue certain kinds of insider trading cases
diamondback according to the court filing agreed to hold harmless prosecutors and the fbi as part of the decision to return the money the 6 million represented what authorities said were profits based in whole or in part on material nonpublic information obtained and utilized by diamondback employees in an illegal manner
steve bruce a spokesman for diamondback capital said we recognize that it is highly unusual for the government to voluntarily take this action and appreciate their efforts to bring fair and final closure to the matter
mr bharara has criticized the appellate ruling in the newman case and was disappointed when the supreme court refused to take the matter up on appeal and while mr bharara has said he disagrees with the ruling his office subsequently dismissed convictions and guilty pleas it had obtained against several other people in light of the decision
the return of money to diamondback now moves mr bhararas office one step closer to closing the door on the fallout from the newman case


for all its imperfections shareholder democracy has real value for evidence look no further than a plethora of cases this week in which voting is proving to be of great consequence
facebooks board is planning now for the future of the supervoting power of its founder mark zuckerberg while investors in sika the swiss maker of building materials are fighting the sale of just such a controlling minority stake sometimes as at tribune publishing votes are merely protests a mistake at the ballot box however is costing t rowe price hard cash
its too easy to be jaded about some initiatives for example the shareholder votes required by the securities and exchange commission on executive pay are not binding yet it has turned out that in most cases boards have tried to change plans if even a large minority - maybe 30 percent or so - expresses displeasure with the rewards in a reversal from the steady increases in recent years average compensation for the highest paid american corporate chieftains fell 15 percent in 2015 according to equilar
likewise its easy to argue that investors who buy into companies with multiple classes of shares know what they are getting into witness the havoc at viacom where sumner redstone is using his elite voting status to keep a firm grip despite persistent questions over his mental competence
its true that for as long as mr zuckerberg or the founders of google to name a few display the golden touch shareholders are not apt to complain much the problems tend to come when the people in control mess up at the disproportionate expense of other owners mr zuckerberg for example has 54 percent of the votes at facebook but only a 15 percent financial interest
to the credit of facebooks board it said on thursday that it wanted shareholders to approve a change to the terms of mr zuckerbergs supervoting class b shares to ensure that if the he stops running facebook some day his shares will convert to normal voting ones
the proposal coincides with facebooks plan to issue a new class of nonvoting stock that will further entrench mr zuckerberg for the time being which is a less enlightened governance move still it shows a sensible desire to forestall possible tension with investors down the road
thats exactly what did not happen at sika the burkard family which controls the company struck a deal to sell its holding vehicle to the french giant saint gobain for a hefty 28 billion essentially leaving the other shareholders in the cold the burkards 52 percent voting control and 16 percent economic interest mirror mr zuckerbergs position at facebook
sikas independent board members and other investors including the usually below the radar bill  melinda gates foundation trust have fought the sale since it was unveiled in late 2014 so far they have been successful in enforcing noncontrolling shareholder protections that the burkards have argued do not apply to the sale as structured
moreover sikas financial performance has held up but saint gobain said this week that it was set on the deal despite the lengthy battle the minority shareholders face twin dangers if they eventually win the distraction may by then have damaged sikas business and if they lose the value of their investment will depend entirely on saint gobain more respect for matters of shareholder democracy could perhaps have avoided the conflict or pointed to a negotiated solution
as when electing people to office the ballot choices are not always perfect gannett the publishing group whose pursuit of tribune publishing has been rebuffed did not have the right timing to put its own director nominees up for a vote at its targets annual meeting on thursday instead it asked investors to withhold votes from tribune publishings own directors
the certified count is not yet available but gannett estimates that five of eight directors received less than 50 percent support from tribune shareholders if board insiders votes including a 165 percent stake associated with michael w ferro jr the chairman are excluded tribune publishing says all directors had majority support
the competing statements are potentially consistent in mathematical terms and they allow both sides to claim victory the withheld votes may serve only as a protest however if the tribune publishing board keeps placing hurdles in the way of discussions with gannett and instead pursues a jargon riddled rebranding as tronc with a lowercase t in the companys materials and what looks like a form over substance transfer of its listing from the new york stock exchange to the tech heavy nasdaq
yet even votes that do not appear to change outcomes can matter a group of investors who objected to michael dells 25 billion deal to take his computer company private in 2013 won a ruling in a delaware court this week that will net them nearly an extra 30 percent on the deal price t rowe price wanted to be part of the lawsuit but it was excluded because it mistakenly voted in favor of the buyout at the time
the investment manager is figuring out how to reimburse its clients who but for the error would have been nearly 200 million better off according to the wall street journal it is another argument for all investors whether the pushier sort or traditionally passive ones to pay close attention to voting even second order effects can cost real money


four homeless people face murder charges after using their fists and feet to fatally beat a transgender man in an encampment in vermont and then fleeing across the country to a san diego beach where they were arrested officials said on friday
the four are accused of killing amos beede at the camp in burlington the police chief brandon del pozo said at a news conference mr beede was beaten up on may 22 and suffered blunt force trauma to his brain the police said he died seven days later
law enforcement officials said they were not ruling out the possibility that the brute force assault on mr beede had been a bias attack
the suspects   two men and two women   were arrested thursday night at dog beach in san diego a gathering place for the homeless the police in at least three states joined forces to find them partly with the help of technology that reads license plates and that tracks phones officials said
they fled vermont after the attack and ended up in roswell nm where one of them had relatives the police said there one suspect erik averill 21 was briefly taken into police custody after being accused of assaulting his partner myia barber 22 who is also a suspect in the fatal beating but mr averill was released and the four continued their journey to california
the police identified the other two suspects as allison gee 25 and jordan paul 21
the four are being held in california on warrants accusing them of second degree murder chief del pozo said it was not immediately clear when they would be sent to vermont to face the charges
the chief said the beating started over a dispute in the homeless camp someone smeared feces on a tent from the south side of the encampment and mr beede was believed to have reacted by dumping urine in a north side tent the chief said
mr beede 38 was not homeless he had an apartment in milton but he was staying with friends at the encampment over the weekend because the local bus was not running the police said
mr averill allegedly enlisted the help of the others to attack mr beede the chief said then the four fled in a chevy malibu officers in new mexico helped track the suspects car the police said
there probably was not an elaborate escape plan chief del pozo said
there were many witnesses to the beating but further details were not available the arrest warrant is sealed the police said
the mayor of burlington miro weinberger said that the city had a chronic homelessness problem despite initiatives to remove the encampments in a humane way the tents are in an industrial area known as the pine street barge canal
they really are full of squalor chief del pozo said
in an interview with wptz a vermont television station mr beedes sister said that he previously tried to advocate for toiletry supplies for the homeless residents at the camp collecting donations of supplies through facebook postings
and that is what amos was about was helping others said his sister ina mckinney
sitting next to their mother ms mckinney said her family knew that mr beede was not going to make it as soon as they saw him after the attack
he had motions in his arms and it seemed like the same motion as if he was reaching for us to let us know that he knew we were there she said
we wanted him to wake up and he couldnt


minneapolis   three somali american friends were found guilty on friday of federal charges that they tried to travel to syria to join the islamic state a plan that prosecutors said unfolded through propaganda videos and social media exchanges and while they played basketball and paintball
the verdicts against the three men   guled omar 21 abdirahman daud 22 and mohamed farah 22   came after an emotional 17 day trial in which onetime friends from minnesotas large somali community testified against one another family members squabbled in the hallways and spectators were occasionally ejected from the courtroom
on friday the three defendants   who had all pleaded not guilty   sat impassively in dark suits as a court clerk began to read a litany of guilty verdicts the most serious being conspiracy to commit murder overseas they were also convicted of conspiring to provide material support to a terrorist organization
the sobs of family members broke the silence one woman weeping rushed from the courtroom and others used their colorful head scarves to wipe their eyes and cover their faces as the three men were led from the courtroom mr farah waved to the relatives and supporters in the gallery
the convictions capped an investigation that began in 2014 and has led to six other young men pleading guilty to terrorism charges and once again shined a harsh light on radicalization among young men in the countrys largest somali community law enforcement authorities have said that more than 20 young men from minnesota have left to join the shabab militant group in somalia and that more than 15 have tried or succeeded in leaving to join the islamic state
at a news conference united states attorney andrew m luger called the case one of the most important trials in recent years one that illuminated the problem of terrorism recruiting in our own backyard
they were not misled by a friend or tricked into becoming terrorists mr luger said rather they made a deeply personal decision they wanted to fight for a brutal terrorist organization kill innocent people and destroy their families in the process
federal officials also rejected criticisms of one of their witnesses a friend of the men named abdirahman bashir who worked as a paid informant for federal investigators and provided hours of audio recordings of the defendants at one point when they were planning to reach syria by first crossing into mexico one defendant said he wanted to spit on america at the border crossing according to minnesota public radio
some somali community members and relatives of the defendants have criticized mr bashirs role suggesting the defendants were entrapped prosecutors rejected that claim this conspiracy began back in 2014 mr luger said the informant bashir did not work with the government until early 2015 these people have been long involved with this conspiracy
prosecutors accused the men of being part of a larger group who met to plot ways to get to syria in his closing arguments the assistant united states attorney john docherty said the three were exceptionally persistent and exceptionally violent
a lawyer for mr daud bruce nestor suggested that an appeal could be filed
the verdict was not much of a surprise to burhan mohumed 26 a friend of the defendants who had been banned from the courthouse by the judge he called the process purely political
i left a little hope that they wouldnt be convicted on a conspiracy to murder charge he said i didnt think they had enough evidence to convict them on that i think that was an overreach
during the trial the defense argued that the three young men had been manipulated by the fbis informant and attacked the credibility of the members of the group who earlier pleaded guilty and testified for the government in addition to the six who have pleaded guilty to various charges a seventh man charged is believed to be in syria
outside the courtroom omar jamal a somali community activist worried that the somali community would find little solace or justice in guilty verdicts handed down by an all white jury that was shown violent islamic state propaganda videos
this decision will reinforce the perception in the community that the system is rigged mr jamal said
but after the verdicts were read judge michael j davis thanked the jury saying you have come back with a fair and just verdict as the jurors left the courtroom the three young men looked toward the gallery at a row of female relatives
he laid out the details for sentencing engaging in a brief colloquy with each defendant they would be able to read pre sentencing reports he said before being sentenced
do you understand what the verdicts were judge davis asked mr farah
yes sir mr farah responded quietly
do you have any questions of me
not at this time sir


every friday the new york times pop critics weigh in on the weeks most notable new songs and videos   and anything else that strikes them as intriguing   in a new version of the playlist column you can listen to this playlist on spotify here like the new format let us know at theplaylistnytimescom
becks deadpan and his omnivorous craftsmanship are back on wow his first solo single in nearly a year wow has got some synth pop with a four note sliding motif that repeats through the song its got some drum machine trap percussion sounds its got a pop vocal hook of na nas and la las and its got plenty of the semi sequitur rapping that harks back to his 1993 hit loser standing on your lawn doin jujitsugirl in the bikini with the lamborghini shi tzu but the songs message is far brighter and less ambivalent than much of becks catalog it is more or less to seize the moment its my life your lifelive it once cant live it twiceso nice jon pareles
a power ranking of sharp bars on the first single from the coming cruel winter compilation on good music kanye wests label which had its premiere on big boys morning radio show on friday
gucci mane now that gucci home its over for you gucci clones i heard your bitch ride on the bus you dont give a damnmy bitch drive a lamb you should call her maam
kanye west pray for meim about to hit the ye button
2 chainz i wear pajamas to ruths chris i got a mansion full of marble floorsit look like i could go bowl in this bitch
quavo you might think im too aggressivereally i think im too passivetil i pull out the chopper start blasting
yo gotti the roof on that wraith in the lost and found
big sean i cant dap you without hand san
travis scott -tsu-
desiigner -tsu- -tsu- jon caramanica
the last time we heard from the australian group the avalanches was in 2000 when they made the clever and likable album since i left you largely constructed from thousands of vinyl samples the group has been working on its second album for over a decade that album wildflower is to arrive on july 8 and the band released its first single and video from it a song called frankie sinatra it rests on a repeated sample of bobby sox idol by the calypso singer wilmoth houdini and then turns to the melody of my favorite things the video is not lovely an ice cream truck sells a radioactive looking yellow drink at an everglades fair creating a violent tripped out diane arbus vision of country folk gone wild and the song is not amazing except for the rap verses by danny brown and mf doom not as good as houdinis lyrics it sounds like lesser work from the early aughts ben ratliff
to remake rihannas tale of sexual power imbalance needed me the canadian producer attlas opens with soft piano figures cut with abrasive industrial noises is it a caress an act of menace with rihanna its always both and attlas understands that deeply on this remix which evolves into brisk electric nature film house music this remix is included in a pair of new remix eps for the songs needed me and kiss it better that include elegant contributions by r3hab four tet feenixpawl and kaytranada these are remixes that solve a problem   kiss it better and needed me are slightly outside of conventional radio formats and some of these remixes get them closer but as much as a remix is an act of commerce it can be an act of love and the best of these songs break down and reconstitute her songs in order to build rihanna a glorious pedestal jc
maybe you know that its been too longgoing through the motions as you sing your song so begins intern the intriguing new track by angel olsen which unfolds as a synth pop dirge shimmering and glacial its a pointed departure from the strummed guitar sound of burn your fire for no witness the breakthrough album ms olsen released in 2014 as if to embody the shift she appears in the video with a silver wig and various other props a blocky headset a telephone receiver someone listed in the credits as a clever young interviewer throughout the clip which cuts short before the end of the song ms olsen fixes the viewer with a dispassionate stare but her singing which still carries an echo of roy orbison is ripe with feeling im gonna fall in love with you someday she pledges whos to say this is drudgery nate chinen
xavier dphrepaulezz the singer who leads fantastic negrito reaches back to both the raw chicago blues of howlin wolf and its rock extrapolations by way of led zeppelin and captain beefheart but on his album the last days of oakland which includes hump thru the winter hes got current concerns in mind poverty gentrification income inequality and perseverance ive been working three jobs just to pay my bills he yowls over stop start guitar chords in a tricky irregular meter all he can do is urge himself and listeners forward youve gotta keep on pushin gotta keep it moving he exhorts and the sweat is audible jp
last year tenement the band from appleton wis put out a double album called predatory headlights it was a serious accomplishment of amos pitschs broad minded songwriting pop punk or one or the other roots rock experimental music was it an extension of the descendents the rolling stones nrbq or john cage it was also a test case for actual underground music in the new economy made with care and released with little fuss the record seemed to turn people on one at a time and that became part of its power the slow domino effect is still in process since then the band has put out the second volume of bruised music collecting stray songs that the trio has recorded in the last few years and this week its got a brand new short seven song self titled album out on the canadian label deranged records five of the songs were on a cassette the band sold on tour in the last year the album is streaming on derangeds soundcloud page it doesnt have the same power as a self contained document of the double album but it satisfies the urge to hear more of mr pitschs rough perfectionism br
on her deliriously kinetic third album tempo the composer singer and electronic producer olga bell puts a high minded spin on dance music coming up with something poplike but wonderfully strange the video for ata a collaboration between ms bell and the japanese digital artist baku hashimoto nails the elusive feeling of this music with 3 d effects an image will suddenly pull apart refract or splinter in trippy and disorienting ways meanwhile the lyrics pay homage to a poem by frank ohara a true account of talking to the sun at fire island ms bell sings both sides of the conversation including the suns evenhanded assessment of her work in a close approximation of oharas language youre maybe not the greatest but youre goodyoure different nc
someones about to be let down not so easily in margaret glaspys you and i the advance single from her june 17 album emotions and math her voice is raspily matter of fact and her guitar delivers a blunt distorted riff   grunge with a twang   as bass and drums thump along apparently her current bedmate has started to mistake sex for love and shes not interested you and i have been a mistakei let it linger too long she concludes leaving the guitar riff to kick the door shut jp
pomp doesnt last long in how it felt the latest free associative track from the canadian electronica producer ryan hemsworth it wanders from plinking bell tones and samples of hummed notes to hints of japanese koto into drums and synthesizers that sound like the start of a big trance buildup but thats abruptly deflated back to plinks and high hat taps later a pretty piano chord progression a potential crowd pleaser appears and gets quickly discarded too as does another big beat all in favor of more plinks and hums theres comedy in some of the ups and downs as well as introspection at the end theres snoring which may explain the tracks dream logic jp
the vocal line of lonely lover the first single from xenia rubinoss new album black terry cat is a long teasing jazzy chromatic zigzag pausing only to wiggle a little and then veer off at one more different angle shes got plenty of room to swivel over little more than a bass line a backbeat and cool electric piano chords that link her to erykah badu chaka khan and stevie wonder but in the song and across the album ms rubinos builds her own persona freely admitting private imperfections in some songs while calling for brown pride and solidarity in others like mexican chef and black stars lonely lover is a playful little plaint give a little space cause im going insaneand i just need to breathe today she sings with a poise and agility that suggest shell get by jp
the los angeles garage rock band death valley girls proved itself right out of the gate hear arrow from its first cassette only album two years ago a song that boils down the entire business of rock to riff and rumble next week the group releases its second album glow in the dark its first single im a man too blocks your path and folds its arms the form of the song is simple and its sound overdriven a fuzzed out electric piano bangs out quarter note chords through the whole thing in sync with the guitars if youre a man im a man too holler its female vocalists in the chorus if youre a man im twice the man as you br
ryley walker a guitarist and singer songwriter from chicago has a knack for wriggling free of expectations he has use for the sound of pastoral british folk rock from the 1960s but you cant really keep him there hes also drawn to psychedelia experimental jazz and endless variations on a drone last year he released an excellent album called primrose green on dead oceans his next one is golden sings that have been sung slated for release on aug 19 the halfwit in me its lead single and opening track suggests a declaration of intent it opens with a lonesome prelude for clarinet and acoustic guitar before tumbling fully into gear with mr walkers vocals and fingerpicking up front over a flowing sun dappled arrangement   produced by the former wilco associate leroy bach and reminiscent of recent work by jim orourke   mr walker sings about homecomings and misgivings along with the feeling of being one step out of sync with the crowd nc


the united states womens national soccer team is bound by the terms of its collective bargaining agreement with us soccer a federal judge ruled friday the decision means the players cannot strike before augusts rio olympics in their quest for better pay but it has no effect on a separate federal wage discrimination complaint filed by five players this year
fridays decision filed by judge sharon johnson coleman in federal court in chicago was on a narrow matter whether the team represented by its players association was bound by the terms of a collective bargaining agreement with us soccer that both sides acknowledged had expired in 2012 the ruling was a victory for us soccer which had argued that the teams cba was expired but contended that it lived on in a memorandum of understanding signed in early 2013 the union had argued that the memorandum did not specifically address the players rights including the right to strike and that the team was therefore not bound by it
in her 13 page ruling coleman was unconvinced by that argument and said that the memorandum of understanding did not need to be as explicit as lawyers for the team which won the womens world cup in canada last summer had claimed
she noted that in exchanges between the unions former counsel and sunil gulati the president of us soccer the players and the federation had agreed that points not addressed in the memorandum would remain the same as under the prior cba
federal law encourages courts to be liberal in their recognition and interpretation of collective bargaining agreements so as to lessen strife and encourage congenial relations between unions and companies coleman wrote adding a collective bargaining agreement may be partly or wholly oral and a written collective bargaining agreement may be orally modified
in the case in chicago us soccer sued the union in february in an effort to hold the players to their contracts at the time us soccer said it had brought the action only after richard nichols the executive director of the union the womens national team players association threatened to repudiate the agreement during a negotiating session over a new cba
colemans decision merely ensures that the current agreement will remain in force until a new one is negotiated but it does not mean there will not be a work stoppage the sides met twice in may for talks on a new cba but if a new deal is not reached by dec 31 the players can refuse to play
us soccer in a statement released after the ruling restated its hope that that could be avoided
we are pleased with the courts decision and remain committed to negotiating a new cba to take effect at the beginning of next year the federation said
nichols said the courts ruling today does not negate the fact that us soccer does not fairly compensate the womens national team or in any way impact the players demands for equal pay for equal work we respect the judges decision and naturally the members of the uswnt look forward to representing the usa in the olympic games


greenburgh ny   during his 14 year nba career jeff hornacek barely spoke to phil jackson the only recollection of a conversation hornacek could cite on friday was when he played for the utah jazz in the 1997 and 1998 nba finals against the chicago bulls who were coached by jackson
i think probably the only words i ever said to him were congratulations on the championship again when they beat us two times hornacek said
hornacek 53 offered up that anecdote as he was introduced as the knicks 28th head coach only one of the previous ones red holzman has ever won a championship and his last one was 43 years ago whether hornacek could become no 2 is anyones guess but if it does happen it is not likely to be any time soon
nevertheless in a news conference at the teams practice complex hornacek came off as confident and self assured as he spoke about using the triangle as one element   but not the only one   of the knicks offense ruminated on his two best players carmelo anthony and kristaps porzingis and said the key to winning basketball was to buckle down defensively
as he spoke jackson was seated close by to his right until recently jackson said friday he had long been a fan of hornacek and his basketball acumen but from afar still jackson said that was enough to put hornacek at the top of the list of head coaching candidates that he and knicks general manager steve mills drew up this spring
they said that hornacek was the first candidate they had contacted and that jackson after his initial six hour meeting with hornacek had told mills he thought they had the man for the job it turned out they did
hornacek takes over a franchise whose future is far from glistening anthony whom hornacek repeatedly referred to as a superstar on friday turned 32 last week and dealt with a number of injuries last season whether he might prefer to be traded to a championship contender is a continuing question despite anthonys periodic statements that he wants to stay put
kristaps porzingis the teams only other recognized asset had an impressive rookie campaign but remains an unfinished product hornacek said it could take another four years before porzingis reaches his potential by then who knows where anthony will be
since jackson was named the knicks president in march 2014 the team has gone through four coaches jackson quickly dismissed mike woodson whom he inherited when he took the job and replaced him with derek fisher who had never coached before but had played for jackson when he coached the los angeles lakers
fisher lasted only a season and a half compiling a 40 96 record before being fired kurt rambis a longtime jackson ally took over as interim coach but did not do much better going 9 19
that is a lot of coaching turnover in a short period and on friday jackson appeared to become defensive when asked if the instability had gotten in the way of his vision for the team
whos counting jackson said dismissively of the coaching changes he later added were doing what we have to do to move forward and thats the important part
not surprisingly the second question at the news conference was about the triangle offense that is so closely identified with jackson and how much hornacek intended to use it hornaceks answer was that he would use it or at least key elements of it but that he would employ other offensive strategies as well
in other words hornacek indicated that he saw the triangle as part of a larger offensive philosophy an answer jackson seemed fine with
am i going to run the triangle hornacek said i would say i wouldnt call it the triangle theres a lot of aspects of the triangle   the spacing the cuts off hitting the post   that are not unique to the triangle
its all part of basketball and jeff recognizes that jackson said
at several moments in the news conference jackson tried to intersperse bits of humor into the occasion at one point comparing the challenging quest for quality cafeteria food at the knicks practice complex to the difficulty in beating out other teams for free agents
at other times he was more direct
weve started all over again jackson said of the knicks weve cleaned our roster weve garnered money and space and weve changed the context of what this team is


chisinau moldova   in past campaigns in moldova an impoverished nation tugged between east and west the most zealously pro russian political party foraged for votes by displaying photographs of its leader meeting in the kremlin with president vladimir v putin of russia
these days however it is a different photograph that is rallying support for moscows allies in europes poorest country it shows a united states assistant secretary of state victoria j nuland standing shoulder to shoulder in washington with vlad plahotniuc moldovas most feared figure a nominally pro western tycoon with a reputation so toxic that even his political friends usually try to keep their distance in public
pro russian leaders were delighted with the shot politically and cynically this is of course very beneficial for me igor dodon the leader of the socialist party said of ms nulands meeting in early may with mr plahotniuc whose nickname is plaha a russian word that refers to the block of wood used in an execution
that the united states would have dealings with such an unpopular figure has dismayed many moldovans particularly those who share washingtons desire to steer the country out of russias orbit and toward the west
we were all in shock when that photograph first appeared said natalia morari the host of a political talk show who has firsthand experience of mr plahotniucs methods she said she was threatened by one of the businessmans associates early this year with a smear campaign featuring a sex tape illegally filmed in her own bedroom the threat followed her shows extensive coverage of anti government protests fired largely by rage at mr plahotniuc pla hoot nook
nobody considers plahotniuc pro european he is pro plahotniuc and pro corruption ms morari said while accounts of his current power and past sins were perhaps exaggerated she said many genuinely pro western moldovans viewed the washington meeting as a betrayal
whether washington really does support mr plahotniuc is a matter of feverish debate   and a question at the heart of americas strategy in its neo cold war struggle with moscow over former soviet lands put simply it is this should the west eager to keep russia and its proxies at bay turn to people like mr plahotniuc for help
asked what had transpired at the meeting and whether receiving mr plahotniuc had played into the hands of pro russian forces john kirby a state department spokesman in washington said that the businessman had been received as a member of a delegation led by moldovas deputy prime minister ms nuland he added had reiterated washingtons support for moldovas democratic and economic development and underscored the need to fight corruption including within the government
andrian candu the speaker of moldovas parliament and a close associate of mr plahotniuc said the businessman had been cast as a villain by political enemies and unfairly blamed for all the scandals and setbacks in moldova since pro western parties took power in 2009 these include the mysterious disappearance of nearly a billion dollars from the countrys banking system he was made the most hated man in the country because people needed to find somebody to blame mr candu said
the systematic looting of moldovas leading banks which came to light last year caused an uproar across the political spectrum so far however the only political figure jailed in connection with a theft that seems to have involved much of the countrys political elite has been the former prime minister vlad filat a bitter rival of mr plahotniuc
like many powerful figures in the former soviet union mr plahotniuc has drawn a tight veil over the sources of his wealth and power cultivating an aura of mystery that has only enhanced his image as a shadowy kingmaker who can destroy foes with a flick of his finger
he holds no official post in government his only formal position is with the moldovan democratic party he is its deputy chairman the party is part of a coalition government formed in january the latest in a string of fragile and nominally pro western coalitions that have governed since 2009
also unclear are mr plahotniucs ultimate loyalties and even his nationality his opponents say he has passports from russia moldova and romania where he lived for a time under a different identity his party did not respond to questions about this citizenship and any previous identities
mr plahotniucs finances are equally murky he has been accused by his foes over the years of multiple crimes including human trafficking but not formally charged his business interests these days are more conventional and include a luxury hotel a high end nightclub and several television channels but it is unclear how these generate the rivers of cash that he is believed to control he rarely speaks in public and declined to be interviewed for this article
when he does talk publicly usually to media outlets he controls he dismisses accusations against him as politically motivated lies and manipulation
he doesnt just control the country he owns it said rinato usatii a populist politician who has built much of his own growing popularity on anger at mr plahotniuc
when protesters took to the streets last year and again early this year the authorities did not intervene until a group of left wing activists set up a protest encampment on the sidewalk outside mr plahotniucs residence in the center of chisinau police officers and the oligarchs private security force quickly moved in to disband the protest
the leader of that protest action grigore petrenco was later arrested and charged with causing a mass disturbance held for seven months   during which the united states state department classified him as a political prisoner   he was released in february this year and placed under house arrest he is now awaiting trial along with several other protesters
mr plahotniuc mr petrenco said doesnt have a single state position but has all the levers of the state in his hands but perhaps his biggest asset mr petrenco added is the geopolitical struggle between moscow and washington that has allowed him to masquerade as a friend of the west who will provide stability and make sure russian tanks dont roll in
pavel filip moldovas prime minister and a member of mr plahotniucs party acknowledged that the businessman did not take care of his image and said he should do more to address all the accusations against him
it is a myth that a single person controls this country he said adding that his new government would prove its pro western credentials by taking real action to reform a ramshackle justice system and other branches of the state gnawed by corruption
for many moldovans however the photograph of the meeting with ms nuland only confirmed mr plahotniucs power
after the meeting television and other media outlets controlled by mr plahotniuc quickly flooded moldova with reports of how the united states was backing the oligarch as an anchor of stability and guarantor of moldovas tilt toward the west pro russian news media also jumped in presenting the meeting as a proof that washington does not care about ordinary peoples welfare only geopolitical games and the interests of a deeply corrupt elite
iurie leanca a former prime minister who while in office in 2014 signed a trade and political deal with the european union that infuriated moscow complained that mr plahotniuc had used the washington visit to try to launder his reputation yet he said ms nuland was right to meet with him
they talk with the people with real power all over the world he said and he is the person with the real power in this country


paris   the square at the center of the louvre dominated by im peis glass pyramid was desolate early friday morning save for a few tourists taking selfies
the museum was closed to visitors as paris experienced its worst flooding since 1982   but inside staff members and volunteers had worked around the clock to remove artworks from the threat of the rising waters of the seine river
i was part of a small group of journalists whom the french culture minister audrey azoulay the museums president jean luc martinez and other officials took on a tour of the strangely vacant museum on friday afternoon broadcast journalists were given priority we scribblers tagged behind straining to hear what was said
we were led through the denon wing home of the mona lisa and usually the most crowded of the museums three wings rooms packed with renaissance and baroque italian masterpieces were ghostly the winged victory of samothrace was bereft of its usual admirers
inside the galleries containing greek and roman antiquities the situation was more chaotic near the 2200 year old venus de milo storage boxes were piled atop one another boxes completely encircled some sculptures like one of a crouching aphrodite from the third century bc
at the other end of the room the goddess of wisdom athena kept an eye on the metal drawers stacked to her side the hellenistic gallery had become just another storage room for treasures from elsewhere in the louvre
some 150000 artworks in storage rooms and an additional 7000 pieces in galleries were deemed vulnerable to flooding and many of them were moved to higher floors starting on thursday evening
museum officials activated a flood protection plan established in 2002 the plan includes among other things an inventory of all works that would need to be transferred to upper floors of the museum and plans to slow the spread of any water entering the museum
although the seine was expected to crest by friday evening at around 20 feet and no water had entered the museum thus far officials were taking no chances
the works that were in storage were the easiest to handle it took us less time than we thought because the artwork was already in containment boxes so we just had to move them from one floor to an upper one said adel ziane the museums deputy director of communications
the most painstaking work involved the removal of works from display cases yannick lintz the head curator of islamic art at the louvre posted to twitter images of the display cases emptied after a long night of work and of the plastic storage crates where the objects were wrapped and packaged
in some galleries it looked as though a family was about to move in   or out boxes were subdivided by foam boards creating spaces for vases and other precious objects a seemingly abandoned ancient frieze sat on a wooden pallet on the floor of one gallery half wrapped in plastic sheets
for the artwork which was exhibited and not in storage like for the department of islamic art we had to move the pieces from their window displays mr ziane said we have a team of exhibition space managers who take care of handling the artwork and a team of curators who watch over everything
for all its complexity it was nothing like 1938 39 when the museum was stripped of its masterpieces ahead of the german invasion of france in 1940 walls of louvre blankly stare while treasures rest in vaults a headline in the european edition of the new york herald tribune declared the museum was partly reopened during the german occupation but without its top masterpieces which were hidden in secret locations across france nazi officials eventually discovered the location of most of them but decided to leave them in place
the 2002 flood protection plan for all its detail does not prioritize among works of art how in a palace of treasures can one select the very best
it is difficult to say which one is more valuable mr ziane said they are all priceless and we decided the evacuation according to their risk of exposure
besides islamic art the staff also moved works from coptic displays and most of the greek etruscan and roman antiquities in storage
mr martinez the museums president said it was difficult to estimate the total number of works moved but he said it amounted to thousands and thousands officials were monitoring the levels of the seine constantly he said to see if they needed to move even more works
the situation is changing hour per hour   it is still difficult to know when we are going to reopen he said
earlier this year the museum did a training exercise simulating a flood situation involving in the islamic art department that helped the process this week move more smoothly
but in the long run the louvre plans to move more artworks that are not on display to another location by 2019 it intends to store nearly all those works in the regional branch of the louvre in lens about 125 miles north of paris
tourism is a big driver of the french economy and ms azoulay who became culture minister in february took pains to emphasize that things were under control
for now the artworks of the louvre are not in danger she said we have anticipated the situation and the emergency plan worked quite well
other institutions however were less fortunate particularly those in the loire valley
the musee girodet in montargis devoted to the work of the romantic painter anne louis girodet was heavily damaged
in the loire valley bridges sustained damage and antique furniture was destroyed at the 16th century chateau de la ferte saint aubin which only recently reopened after a renovation about 25 miles away the chateau de chambord a unesco world heritage site was heavily damaged
and the gardens of the chateau de fougeres sur bievre about 130 miles southwest of paris were completely submerged it is such a waste because we had just finished two years of restoration work said philippe belaval the president of the national monuments center of france


does it make sense to use a cash back credit card to help save for college it can for consumers with the discipline to pay off their card balance each month
a small number of credit cards offer cash back rewards that can be deposited directly into a 529 college savings account the popular state sponsored accounts that offer tax advantages
the cards include the fidelity rewards visa signature card which offers 2 percent cash back when the reward goes into an eligible fidelity account including one of the fidelity managed 529 college plans the card does not restrict the rewards to specific spending categories and sets no limit on the amount of rewards that can be earned
others include the collegecounts 529 rewards visa card for participants in alabamas 529 plan and the bright directions 529 rewards visa card for participants in the illinois program the cards issued by union bank  trust offer 1529 percent back the bright directions website estimates that a family spending 2500 a month would earn 458 a year in cash back savings
the upromise mastercard offered through sallie maes upromise college savings program offers a range of cash back rewards depending on where you shop and what you buy users can potentially earn as much as 10 percent back upromise says if they shop with the card on upromisecom an online hub for participating merchants the cash rewards can be swept automatically into many 529 accounts
part of the cards attraction is the automatic savings that they offer said nicholas clements co founder of the financial website magnifymoney the idea is that you can go about your business using the card and the reward dollars will help your college savings grow without you having to think about it
you could of course use general cash back credit cards and deposit the savings yourself into a 529 account some general cards however have various rules to follow to maximize their benefits they may offer 5 percent back but only during certain periods and on certain categories of spending like gasoline or meals at restaurants
and in addition to keeping track of when to use the card you must also remember to move the savings into your college account
when you automate something mr clements said  the likelihood of doing it increases dramatically
here are some questions about saving with a cash back credit card
# are there any drawbacks to using a cash back card to save for college
failing to pay off the balance in full each month can quickly defeat the purpose of getting cash back because the cards carry double digit interest rates generally if you carry a balance mr clements said youll pay more in interest than you will ever earn in cash back
cash back credit cards like all credit cards should be approached with caution said bruce mcclary a spokesman for the national foundation for credit counseling as long as users limit charges on the card to their normal spending and earn the reward as an extra benefit cash back cards can help bolster college savings theyre a great tool if you use it wisely he said but if you are tempted to max out the card just to feed the savings account the cards are counterproductive and may saddle you with debt you cannot handle
# what 529 accounts does the fidelity cash back card work with
fidelity manages four 529 savings programs in arizona delaware new hampshire and massachusetts
# if i use multiple cash back cards how can i keep them straight
mr clements noted that you could potentially save at higher rates by obtaining multiple cash back cards and making sure to use them in the appropriate category if you go that route he suggested buying little colored stickers for the cards in your wallet to remind you when to use them like dining or buying gas or groceries


ten athletes were chosen on friday for a team that will represent the worlds refugees at the olympic games in rio de janeiro
the team will march behind the olympic flag in the opening ceremony on aug 5 taking a place just in front of the host country brazil
the group would be a symbol of hope for refugees worldwide and bring global attention to the magnitude of the refugee crisis the international olympic committee said in announcing the teams members
the ioc had identified a pool of about 40 potential olympians and narrowed it down based on sporting level official refugee status verified by the united nations and personal situation and background the committee said
some of the athletes were discovered at the kakuma refugee camp in kenya near the border with south sudan where tens of thousands have fled war
five south sudanese all runners were chosen three men james nyang chiengjiek 400 meters yiech pur biel 800 meters paulo amotun lokoro 1500 meters and two women rose nathike lokonyen 800 meters anjelina nada lohalith 1500 meters
the south sudanese have been training in nairobi with tegla loroupe a two time new york city marathon champion and three time olympian from kenya who was named the leader of the refugee delegation
popole misenga and yolande bukasa mabika two judo practitioners who defected from the democratic republic of congo at the 2013 world championships in brazil were also chosen for the team
the other athletes selected for the team were rami anis and yusra mardini two syrian swimmers living in europe and yonas kinde an ethiopian marathoner living in luxembourg
none of the athletes selected appears to be a likely medal contender for example the south sudanese runners while said to be promising are untested in top competition
misenga was eliminated in the first round at the 2013 world judo championships and anis placed 14th of 30 swimmers in the 100 meter butterfly at the 2010 asian games kindes time of 2 hours 17 minutes 31 seconds was good for 29th place at the frankfurt marathon last year and dozens of potential olympians can break 210
athletes have marched behind the olympic flag before usually as a result of geopolitical conflict in 1992 athletes from yugoslavia competed under the olympic banner because of sanctions against the country related to the war in the balkans athletes from the new nations of east timor in 2000 and south sudan in 2012 competed under the flag because those countries formal olympic committees had not yet been formed
but this will be the first team of refugees at an olympics
youre an athlete you dont think like youre syrian or from london or from germany mardini 17 said in a video produced by the ioc you will just think about your race you have your lane your swimming cap your swimming lesson thats it


in a recent series of articles the new york times explored how corporations are increasingly forcing their customers clients and employees - through little read provisions in seemingly innocuous contracts   to use an opaque system of arbitration to settle financial and other disputes
the result has been to deprive many millions of americans of what they thought was a constitutional right to use the judicial system as imperfect as it may be to try to right injustices perceived or real forced arbitration may be the single largest - and rarely explored - theft of legal rights visited on the american public without either its knowledge or its choice
wall street is one of many industries that benefits from the use of forced arbitration requiring its employees and its customers into arbitration whenever a financial dispute arises most people who work on wall street or who have brokerage accounts with a wall street firm - in other words millions of people - do not realize that by signing their employment or brokerage agreements they have agreed in advance to settle financial disputes with the firm in arbitration not in court
adding to this deeply flawed and unfair system is the inconvenient fact that most wall street arbitrations fall under the auspices of the financial industry regulatory authority the financial industrys self regulatory organization the regulator known as finra owes its existence to the wall street firms that sit on its board of governors and generate much of its nearly 15 billion in annual revenue
if you have the misfortune of ending up in a monetary dispute with a wall street firm as i once did and you either work on wall street or have a brokerage account with a wall street firm your only redress is basically finra arbitration
it will come as no surprise that the wall street overlords win the vast majority of the cases that get brought before finra arbitrators some 92 percent of the cases involving employee disputes and some 80 percent of the cases involving customer disputes are decided in favor of wall street banks it just would not do for a wall street controlled organization to be handing down rulings adverse to wall streets interests and the arbitrators themselves whom finra pays at least 300 to 425 for the chairman of the panel a day for their services would not last long if they often ruled against the big wall street firms
so not only is forced arbitration a major curbing of legal rights but finras version of arbitration also comes with an additional dollop of what seems like bias this has long been suspected but is difficult to prove unless you happen to be involved with an arbitration case and have firsthand knowledge of how unfair it can seem
thats where william thomas pair comes in his case is detailed in subsequent court filings hearing transcripts and a recording that were provided to me
mr pair 47 had been in the securities business for 17 years before joining barclays capital in september 2010 as a wealth manager or what used to be called a broker barclays heavily recruited mr pair who used to work at ubs as part of his contractual agreement to join barclays the firm made mr pair a forgivable loan of just more than 1 million to be extinguished in equal installments over seven years as long as he remained employed at barclays capital this type of deal has become a standard part of luring brokers from another firm
because barclays capital is a securities firm in the united states and is therefore regulated by both finra and the securities and exchange commission mr pair had no choice but to agree to finra arbitration if there was a financial dispute
in december 2010 at barclays insistence - mr pairs continued employment at the firm depended on it   barclays and mr pair entered into a new loan agreement whereby barclays bank would make him a roughly 1 million loan he used the second loan from barclays bank to pay off the first loan that he owed to barclays capital
the new loan agreement explicitly stated that any financial dispute between them would be resolved in a new york state court not in finra arbitration because the parent company barclays was a british bank not subject to finra rules
in january 2014 barclays fired mr pair just under 600000 remained outstanding on the note the next day without mr pairs consent and in seeming violation of the december 2010 agreement between mr pair and barclays bank barclays bank assigned the note to barclays capital its united states securities subsidiary on may 12 barclays capital filed a finra arbitration against mr pair seeking the repayment of the balance of the loan
the finra arbitration was conducted over four days last november in atlanta the arbitrators were robert h putnam jr the chairman of the panel along with perry lee taylor jr and chandler r bridges the proceeding was recorded and transcribed mr pair acted as his own counsel the gist of mr pairs legal defense was to ask - correctly it seems   why he was in finra arbitration at all why had barclays been able to assign his note agreement from its bank where a dispute would end up in new york state court to its securities division where a dispute would end before finras wall street friendly arbitration system why had finra even accepted barclays filing of an arbitration request
finra declined to comment on mr pairs case
at one point mr pair said that the wrong party - barclays capital   had forced him into arbitration in a nifty bit of circular logic though g wayne hillis jr a lawyer for barclays capital countered that because finra wanted such disputes to be arbitrated the note was assigned to barclays capital after mr pair was fired ignoring the fact that barclays capital was no longer a party to mr pairs loan
mr pair wanted to know how and why the assignment had happened which seems like a reasonable line of inquiry his first witness in his defense was to be gerard larocca the chief executive of barclays capital
through discovery mr pair had obtained numerous documents with mr laroccas name on them and he saw that mr larocca had signed the loan assignment to barclays capital from barclays bank
not surprisingly mr hillis the barclays lawyer objected to having mr larocca appear or to even call into the arbitration case
barclays did not respond to a request for comment
the arbitration panel then considered mr pairs request asking mr pair and mr hillis to leave the room when they came back in mr putnam announced that mr larocca would not be permitted to testify
we have determined that this particular witness although he may have signed that assignment in this case that he really has nothing to contribute to any issues before this panel including the issues raised by the counterclaims he said according to a recording of the proceeding
therefore we will exclude testimony of this witness also according to the recording one of the arbitrators mr taylor said about mr pair i think we should just slam the door in his face the proceeding was barely 30 minutes old then the other arbitrators worried rightly that one of the recording devices might have picked up mr taylors comment
on dec 3 three weeks after the end of the proceeding thats exactly what the three finra arbitrators did they awarded barclays capital the nearly 600000 in the unpaid loan plus nearly 20000 in unpaid interest plus another 360000 in lawyers fees for mr hillis
in an interesting twist mr pair is now trying to vacate finras award to barclays in a federal court in georgia the odds are long of course but its nice to see this dispute in a court of law where it belongs instead of in a place where a fair hearing is apparently difficult to get


baltimore   david price signed with the boston red sox last winter for the most lucrative contract ever given to a pitcher the terms of his deal   217 million for seven years   tend to eclipse any other reason people will accept for his decision
its the youth that we have the core group of guys that we have price said people dont care   its just 217 its a number but thats why im here
price was speaking in the visitors clubhouse this week at camden yards where the red sox scored 29 runs in splitting a four game series with the orioles he could have pointed to all corners of the room to illustrate his point dynamic young hitters surround him and they should for years to come
the red sox had the best record in the american league through thursday at 32 22 and led the majors in runs with six per game through the first third of the season they have scored far more runs than they had at the same point in each of their recent title years 2004 2007 and 2013 only one al team comes within a run of bostons per game average and the red sox are hitting 296
offensively this team puts up numbers every night manager john farrell said if you keep the game under control minimize damage and stay away from the big inning youve got a chance for quite a bit of success
farrell was speaking on wednesday after mookie betts had homered twice giving him five in two days something no other leadoff man had ever done but the red sox lost the game 13 9 and the team reacted swiftly to starter joe kellys failure to protect the lead they shipped him to the minors
kelly a five year veteran had only recently left the disabled list and had struggled for just two starts in a row but the red sox are operating with urgency after successive last place finishes in the al east
with betts xander bogaerts and jackie bradley jr their next generation of hitters seems ready to win big as david ortiz   who smashed his 16th homer of the season on thursday   faces retirement bogaerts had a 26 game hitting streak through thursday and bradley finished a 29 game streak last week
you look at the amount of success we had in the minors said third baseman travis shaw another young cornerstone i know they dont really preach or care about winning in the minor leagues but it seemed like any time we were all together we always won we always clicked we have an extremely tight knit group on and off the field
the red sox discovered bogaerts in aruba in 2009 when he was 16 and they were scouting his twin brother jair bogaerts had chickenpox but the red sox asked to see him too and signed him for 410000 they later traded jair bogaerts to the chicago cubs as part of the compensation package for the departure of general manager theo epstein
the 2011 draft was epsteins last with the red sox and the last under the old collective bargaining agreement when teams could spend whatever they wanted without penalty and stockpile high picks by losing free agents
the tampa bay rays had 11 of the first 75 picks that june yet they found only two players who have appeared in a game for them outfielder mikie mahtook and blake snell a top pitching prospect the red sox found bradley from the university of south carolina with the 40th overall pick betts from a tennessee high school in the fifth round and shaw from kent state in the ninth left fielder blake swihart from a new mexico high school and three pitchers were also part of the haul
its encouraging and exciting when you can get players the area scouts and cross checkers really like and theyre premium position guys said gus quattlebaum bostons pro scouting director who was the assistant amateur scouting director in 2011 but theres a lot of luck involved were betting on human beings
the red sox drafted three players before bradley and seven before betts but the process of selecting them   including a computer simulation game that tests pitch recognition and plate discipline   put boston in position to find gems
bogaerts has already contributed to a title winning the third base job during the 2013 postseason when he hit 296 he became the full time shortstop last year epsteins successor ben cherington held tight to betts bradley and the rest while the team struggled during the past two seasons
while the yankees try in vain to develop position players   leaving them with an aging and feeble lineup   their rivals are well positioned for the future
we lived the growing pains and are reaping the rewards of them finally getting established in being productive everyday players farrell said on any given night its a proud moment for the red sox when you look down and youve got nine of 10 guys in the lineup that are drafted and signed and developed in house i think theres a tremendous amount to be said for that
theres an ownership that those players have with their original organization as a player you feel a certain responsibility to your organization and i think that changes when you shift to another organization when youre with your original organization theres an intangible there that runs deep
the fulfillment of the groups potential happened too late for cherington who resigned last summer after dave dombrowski was hired as president of baseball operations dombrowski said the ownership had made two important points do not sacrifice the future to win now and do not feel pressure to use certain players because of their contracts
the first directive was easy to follow because the red sox had so many prospects that dombrowski was able to overwhelm san diego in a deal for closer craig kimbrel and still have plenty of promising minor leaguers like infielder yoan moncada and outfielder andrew benintendi remaining
the second point allowed the red sox to give shaw the third base job over pablo sandoval who had performed poorly in the first year of a 95 million contract and had season ending shoulder surgery in may the team has also barely used rusney castillo an outfielder from cuba who signed for 725 million in 2014
the low salaries of players like betts bogaerts bradley swihart and shaw help the red sox survive mistakes like castillo and sandoval and afford other high salaries like prices and the athleticism of young players helps fuel the boston offense
look at betts hes a total package look at bogaerts hes a total package jackie bradley jr   total package said dombrowski who went on to praise others other than big papi he said referring to ortiz and our catcher everybody can score from first on a double everybody can score from second on a single everybody goes first to third thats kind of fortunate
bettss coordination and dexterity extend beyond baseball he has bowled perfect games and can solve a rubiks cube in less than two minutes his power has stood out so far but he said he was not a home run hitter
i just think theyre going over the fence right now said betts who has 14 homers and leads the team in stolen bases and triples i see myself as a gap to gap doubles guy
chili davis the hitting coach said betts had a perfectionists mind set and exceptionally quick hands that prevented pitchers from beating him inside bradley he said made an important mechanical adjustment last season that helped him shed his label as a strict defensive specialist
he would load and then load up again   with his legs and with his shoulders   and hed have to really uncoil davis said once we figured that out the simplest thing for him to go back to was how did you hit in college you were a good college hitter how did you hit well he had a little leg kick he did it and right away it was natural and he gained ground on pitchers he wasnt sitting back waiting for them to get to a certain point then deciding to swing he was aggressive to pitches especially fastballs
bogaerts meanwhile has benefited from agility work in arizona the past two off seasons   once at the teams urging the second time on his own he wears no 2 in honor of derek jeter and has peppered dombrowski a former detroit tigers president with questions about miguel cabrera
oh man he does it so easy bogaerts said of cabrera thats me looking on the outside but definitely it looks easy he knows what hes doing im sure im different im trying to do something and i end up doing something else i still get a hit but he kind of knows what he wants to do with the ball i would love to reach that level but thats a high high level
bogaerts though is almost there from the start of the 2015 season through thursday only one player in the majors had a higher average than bogaertss 327 cabrera who was two points higher bogaerts has the most hits in that span with 275 yet he cannot match betts for power and could not top bradley over all in may
when bradley was named the al player of the month on thursday he was home in boston with his wife who had given birth to the couples first child a girl
when you talk about balance of on field and off field farrell said youd be hard pressed to have a better day
the red sox would go on to lose another slugfest 12 7 and they probably need another pitcher or two before the trading deadline but life was full of promise


titicut follies a ballet based on frederick wisemans 1967 documentary about the bridgewater state hospital for the criminally insane in massachusetts and the new york premiere of missy mazzoli and royce vavreks opera breaking the waves are among the offerings of the 2016 17 season at the nyu skirball center for the performing arts
the season is strong on dance opening with the suzanne farrell ballet on sept 11 in a one off staging in progress by ms farrell of the second movement of george balanchines little seen gounod symphony other dance companies include troy schumachers balletcollective oct 27 28 which will present two new works by mr schumacher featuring his fellow new york city ballet dancers and pilobolus dance theater nov 16-dec 4
on april 27 28 the james sewell ballet in collaboration with mr wiseman and the composer lenny picket presents titicut follies a project in conjunction with the center for ballet and the arts at new york university
the season also focuses on circus arts presenting the circus now festival march 3 5 and the montreal based company les 7 doigts de la main april 11 16 ms mazzoli and mr vavreks breaking the waves jan 6 - 9 part of the 2017 prototype festival is based on lars von triers 1996 oscar nominated film
there will also be musicals from china south africa and south korea


fontana calif   at first glance anthony and vanessa genaus home in a subdivision beneath the san gabriel mountains here is like any other gracious new suburban dwelling with an open plan living space granite countertops and stainless steel appliances
but along with 19 other cream taupe and rust stucco houses that cradle the landscaped playgrounds here it is actually something else a large scale testing ground for an energy system of the very near future
with a combination of rooftop solar panels smart thermostats advanced water heaters and other high efficiency features the homes are all built with a similar goal to make at least as much energy as they use over a year
its a concept known as zero net energy and the cluster of homes here represents one of the nations largest experiments to see if zero net energy can be put into wider use
its not that it cannot be done said ram narayanamurthy technical executive at the electric power research institute a nonprofit utility funded group that is conducting the study the question that were trying to answer is can it be done for everyone
that question has particular urgency in california whose goal is that all new homes be net zero or the equivalent by 2020 but as the price of installing and operating once rarefied technologies has plummeted builders across the country are increasingly offering homes with the promise of comfort along with low   or almost no   electric bills
since 2013 the energy department has certified about 700 homes as zero energy ready meaning that the addition of a renewable energy system generally solar would offset most or all of its annual energy consumption
with thousands more in the pipeline said sam rashkin chief architect of the building technologies office the department expects to certify roughly 1000 this year and 3000 in 2017
were on that inflection point on the growth curve he said were proving the business case to a growing number of builders in key pockets of construction around the country it takes some really good examples by leading builders to showcase just how cost effective and technically achievable these specifications are
denver is a leading market with thousands of zero energy homes on the way in developments like stapleton and sterling ranch he said although there are many others in new england new york and the carolinas
low income developers including habitat for humanity are also active in building the homes although the efficiency features can be more costly they are often offset by energy savings and other economies
the proliferation of zero energy homes comes as the power industry and its regulators struggle to adapt an old power system   in which large centralized power plants distribute energy to thousands of homes   to new approaches and technologies the explosive growth of rooftop solar in states like hawaii arizona and california has upended not only utility business models but also patterns of supply and demand
solar power by its nature is intermittent which places strain on utilities and grid operators that need to meet homeowners energy demands at night when the sun is not shining while also taking in the excess energy rooftop solar systems produce during daylight hours
although the proportion of homes with solar is not yet high enough in most markets to cause major problems industry executives and analysts say it is important to begin studying how that and other technologies affect the nations power grid now
we know very little about how all these devices interact   we have so much to learn said mark duvall director of energy utilization at the electric power research institute hopefully at the end of the day we can contribute to a greater understanding of how these technologies work together and what it really means going forward
to do that mr narayanamurthy said it was important to conduct the study in partnership with the california public utilities commission and its program manager itron in real homes with people using them the way they normally would
but they also needed to have groups of homes clustered on individual transformers to allow them to compare the results with the traditional method of providing power with that information they can determine the value for homeowners and grid system operators of adding features like solar panels heat pumps and in some cases battery storage
they found a willing collaborator in meritage a leading builder of energy efficient homes and are expanding the test program to additional subdivisions in southern california the central valley and the bay area
for buyers part of the appeal of a home built to be zero energy is that they do not have to change their behavior to save energy
at meritage the company insulates every house with spray foam sharply reducing the amount of heating and cooling needed and allowing smaller or fewer units to be installed making the homes even more efficient are dual pane windows that help retain or keep out heat depending on the need led lighting and advanced water heaters that work by funneling heat from the ambient air into the water
all of the test homes have sunpower rooftop solar systems which are among the most efficient on the market and because they were designed along with the houses the arrays can be oriented for maximum production
half of the test homes also have energy storage systems with lg batteries and eguana inverters which help manage the flow of electricity between the solar installation home and grid to allow researchers to test and compare how much value they add the houses come equipped with a o smith water heaters that can be remotely controlled and trane smart thermostats that can manage all the equipment and can connect to cameras and security systems
if homeowners feel any effect it is in the pocketbook at least initially the houses all with three or four bedrooms cost more than the 373990 to 476990 standard for the subdivision about 20 minutes west of san bernardino but because the cost is wrapped into the mortgage and paid over an extended period of time it is more easily affordable and the larger payments are generally offset by the savings on energy bills
with this stuff thrown in you can afford a lot more house and you get a lot more value mr genau 31 said
back in the east where the genaus previous house had a big foyer their energy bills could go as high as 500 a month id rather be cold sometimes than see the bill ms genau 29 said it was ridiculous
their energy bill now about 10
and they feel little effect living in comfort and controlling the temperature in the different zones of their 2800 square foot three bedroom home from a smartphone
i think i did a dance or something when i saw it   it was so cool she said adding that if she feels its getting warm she will sometimes turn on the air conditioning from her pew at church where they often brag about the house
i think they get tired of us talking about it she said


after losing her job at livingsocial the online deal company that went nearly bankrupt three years ago kate levenstien decided to take a chance on a business that combined two things she loved bacon and beer
her plan was to hold an event celebrating the two in a baseball stadium so she called ballparks in major cities and the first one to agree was safeco field in seattle a city she had never visited without hesitation she put down a deposit
she started selling tickets online just as she had helped other people sell their events on livingsocial and in may 2014 6000 people in seattle paid about 60 each to eat bacon themed morsels and sample beers until their arteries cried uncle two months later 8000 new yorkers did the same thing at citi field
thus was born the bacon and beer classic
while successful entrepreneurs have plenty of stories about the early risks they took ms levenstien said she learned something from that first event that helped her build her business and put her on the path to personal wealth the security of getting money in the door months before people attend an event and using those proceeds to finance the companys growth
its no secret that banks are hesitant to lend to small business owners with unproven ideas and when banks do lend they are usually pretty conservative
when the business owner wants to establish that second practice but there isnt enough cash flow coming from the first location to finance that build out well say not now said noreen bishop senior vice president and regional executive for chase business banking if the second location will put that business owner and the first location at risk well say lets give it one more year
and that may be sound advice the stories that get told about entrepreneurs who struggled but eventually succeeded are full of survivor bias the stories of those who failed   unless they are on the scale of a tech bust like livingsocial which was once valued as high as 45 billion but today is worth little   do not get discussed
for entrepreneurs who are not in hot sectors like technology growing their businesses and putting themselves on the path to wealth will have a lot more to do with their tolerance for risk and how they think about cash flow and partnerships
the things that you noticed about people who succeed was that many of them were not great innovators said scott winget senior managing director of the center for wealth impact at ascent private capital management which often works with business owners after theyve been successful they have a degree of optimism problem solving skills but mostly its sheer doggedness
while ms levenstiens early success was funded by cash flow   she has produced 15 bacon and beer events as well as beer themed events at several zoos and lower key events like river tubing in indiana   she is thinking about her next options one has been searching for partners like the stadiums where the san francisco 49ers and the denver broncos play
its a lot of work and a lot of risk to go to another city she said so new venues have joined us as partners they guide us on what we do it made us a much more seamless event so were dont say we didnt sell tickets and now were on the hook for 70000 
jimmy bernstein the chief executive of howl at the moon a chain of live music bars said he opened the first 10 locations using cash flow but the cost of each one slowed how fast he could grow
about a decade ago he brought in investors who have allowed him to focus on running the business while supplying him with the capital to open new locations he credited that partnership with helping him to continue building his business when a seattle location failed in 2006 costing him 11 million
they said fail fast and move on  he said i set my sights on the next project which was very exciting it all came back to where it was before
yet partners can only go so far jim mccann founder and executive chairman of 1 800 flowers bought his first flower shop on first avenue in manhattan 40 years ago and then for 10 years he said he opened a new flower shop every six months giving the store managers an ownership stake in each one
in 1998 in the middle of the boom in internet initial public offerings he said executives at aol mentioned to him that he could grow more quickly if he took his company public in late 1999 the company did just that right before the markets began to cool
we got public on a multibillion dollar valuation mr mccann said i remember sitting at a big sidewalk cafe on third avenue and saying to my brother chris can you believe weve raised this money to meet all our capital needs for the next five years 
for most entrepreneurs taking their company public is a dream that will remain just that more realistic types of financing are likely to come as bank loans or lines of credit
if its just a working capital line wed make a recommendation for what they would need to support that business over a 30  to 45 day period ms bishop said if its equipment we could finance up to 100 percent of that equipment if its a building that were purchasing generally its 80 percent
lines of credit can be helpful tools for cash flow but they are generally not an option until a business has been running for several years and even then they are going to be limited in size
if your business is doing 100000 revenue a 100000 line of credit is not realistic said robert schapira the southwest small business leader at wells fargo ten to 20 percent of your revenue is the most a business should expect to healthily do this and to pay the line off consistently
and the criteria banks place on making loans often force entrepreneurs bent on creating something quickly to look elsewhere
at an earlier stage in his company gregory zamfotis sought equity investments from family members for his first six gregorys coffee locations which he opened from 2006 to 2013
we felt that the banks we had spoken to at the time were not willing to give us the amount of money to really change our lives and the loan covenants that would come along with that money did not seem that appealing he said they might have been willing to give us 1 million but that was two and a half stores to us
so in 2014 he partnered with hexagon hospitality a venture firm specializing in restaurants to get financial backing and opened his 17th gregorys coffee shop in brooklyn heights on friday
hexagon was more aggressive in their ability to provide financing and more capable of financing at a faster rate he said
ms levenstien said that she had been holding off on seeking outside financing preferring to test out new concepts on her own this summer she will run a private bacon and beer classic event at the republican national convention and start a new whiskey and fried food festival in brooklyn in july
she is also planning a new festival this fall called ramen festival which pairs beer and sake with ramen noodles were bringing in these sumo wrestlers who are awesome   these 400 pound guys who are just picking each other up
and that is the entrepreneurs spirit which may just lead to great wealth down the line


london   dinosaurs make for good box office steven spielbergs 1993 jurassic park and its three sequels have become the tyrannosaurus rex of movie franchises grossing more than 37 billion and there are people of a certain age who cannot forget the sight of a pterosaur carrying off raquel welch in the 1966 kitsch classic one million years bc
but has the popularity of these cinematic creatures boosted the market for the fossilized remains of their real life predecessors a combined live and online sale on may 28 of fossils and minerals at auctionata in berlin which included a 150 million year old skeleton of a stegosaurus valued at 24 million euros or about 269 million certainly generated plenty of publicity
the near complete late jurassic skeleton discovered in wyoming in 2010 was one of the 90 lots in the sale all of which were supplied by redgallery a specialist dealer in hamburg
this was our first dedicated auction of fossils and minerals said leon dammann the director of private and gallery collections at auctionata which was founded in 2012 we think it fits well into our portfolio of categories
the german firm is one of a number of companies seeking to reach new buyers over the internet auctions are streamed daily and the company has an inventory of about 25000 objects in an online shop with fixed prices
but media interest can be one thing consumer spending another during the may 28 auction just 22 percent of the lots attracted bidding there were no bids on the stegosaurus the total from confirmed and conditional sales in which bidders on lots that failed to meet reserve have an option to buy was just EUR36325 as of thursday two lots of jurassic snail shaped ammonites were among the confirmed successes with prices of EUR3000 each with fees
we wanted to find out how the new media would open up new markets for rare fossils said andreas guhr the founder of redgallery who has been dealing in fossils and minerals for more than 40 years the result was disappointing the market is still very specialized
mr dammann attributed the underwhelming performance of the sale to uncertainty surrounding germanys proposed cultural heritage protection law which would regulate the export of artifacts bought in the country and a dearth of russian bidding following the fall in the price of oil dealers also noted that the herbivorous stegosaurus lacks the wow factor of a meat eater like tyrannosaurus rex
back in october 1997 when jurassic park was still the highest grossing movie of all time sothebys auctioned the fossilized skeleton of a tyrannosaurus rex called sue that had been the subject of a legal battle after being excavated in 1990 in south dakota by the fossil dealer peter l larsen the skeleton sold for 84 million to the field museum in chicago and it remains the highest price for a fossil at auction
the movie certainly gave a shot in the arm to the dinosaur market said james hyslop a specialist at christies which holds hybrid travel science and natural history sales twice a year at its south kensington location
but blockbuster auction prices like that have become a thing of the past sothebys last specialist natural history sale was in paris in 2014 and brought in a total of EUR1 million bonhams holds three such sales a year in los angeles in january an iridescent ammonite with blue coloration   the sort of fossil that also appeals to interior decorators   brought a top price of 43750
because the oil money has dried up and museums have experienced catastrophic funding decreases over the last 10 years especially there is less demand except for the finest and most rare stuff said lowell carhart a co founder of the 22nd street mineral and fossil show in tucson
an american rival to fossilworld munich in october mr carharts event last year attracted 41000 visitors he said most rare fossils were sold privately to preferred clients by specialist dealers and trader collectors who are now responsible for more than 90 percent of excavations
some museums are buying fossils discreetly from dealers rather than pay for expensive digs in december 2014 the natural history museum in london put on display a well preserved skeleton of a stegosaurus it had spotted for sale at the 2012 tucson gem mineral and fossil showcase the purchase price was PS3 million or about 5 million according to two specialists with knowledge of the matter who declined to be named because of client confidentiality protocols
when asked to confirm the price murray mackay a public relations officer at the natural history museum said we dont tend to disclose the size of donations for these kinds of specimens
funding came from 70 donors with most of the money provided by jeremy herrmann a hedge fund manager based in london
some benchmark auction values should at least be established on tuesday and wednesday when summers place auctions in sussex offers without reserves the fossil collection of emmen zoo in the netherlands which has relocated and evolved into an adventure park
the 180 lots include a near complete skeleton of a harpocrasaurus a late cretaceous duck billed herbivore rupert van der werff a specialist at summers place said the skeleton had been bought by the zoo in 1992 from a dealer for about 600000 it carries an estimate of 50000 pounds to PS80000 or about 73000 to 117000
the sale which includes lots estimated at as little as PS30 also features a late pleistocene era skeleton of a saber toothed cat   exactly the sort of animal that might have provided the fur for the bikini ms welch modeled in one million years bc the skeleton is valued at PS6000 to PS10000
mr van der werff who has been holding natural history auctions at summers place since 1998 acknowledges that fossils remain modestly priced and their market stubbornly small
weve never made the breakthrough to getting broader appeal he said people see them in museums and think they should be in museums
mr carhart the tucson show organizer said that large fossils relative illiquidity and the difficulty in moving them   the stegosaurus offered by auctionata weighed in at about 1900 pounds and was nearly 19 feet long   mitigate against their popularity among a wider group of collectors
dinosaurs are free mr carhart said what a buyer is actually purchasing is years of unreimbursed search time and thousands upon thousands of skilled hours of preparation time
this is why common items stay in the ground he continued too little demand and too much preparation time make them unprofitable to excavate


they may lack the dazzle and finesse of dancing with the stars but videos of uniformed police officers from around the world dancing to a 1990s hip hop song have become an online sensation
the videos set to my boo by ghost town djs started to gain notice in may after officers in new zealand issued the running man challenge to the new york police department the challenge an internet craze similar to other popular memes like the harlem shake began with two new jersey teenagers and went viral after college basketball teams picked it up
at a time when police departments have come under criticism for officers treatment of minorities including several high profile killings the videos appear to be a way to show law enforcement in a different light interacting with diverse members of the public
as one police department posted a video it called out others to take the challenge over time some of the productions have become more theatrical with elaborate props and sharp choreography
dancers with riot shields and bagpipes check
officers showing off break dancing moves check
officers in bomb disposal protective gear busting a move capped off with an explosion of course
not to be overlooked a video featuring an officer on a unicycle firefighters in full protective clothing a person in scuba gear with appearances by hula dancers and a flame twirler
the video posted by the new york police department on facebook has drawn more than five million views and 8000 comments many of them applauding the officers
candace mccoy a professor of criminal justice at the city university of new york dismissed those who would criticize the videos as squandering public resources
i cannot imagine who such sourpusses would be she said in an email to paraphrase cyndi lauper cops just wanna have fun truly they do
professor mccoy added that the videos were not about the police trying to change their image because the many police forces participating from other countries are not currently under deep scrutiny for misconduct
some police commanders such as james craig the chief in detroit have good naturedly appeared in the videos in his departments production he dropped a police belt in a move that mimicked a mike drop
he said the videos could have a profound impact on reducing antipolice tensions the associated press reported people like it they appreciate it and this is a move in the right direction he said


paris   here he is again on the red clay for the fourth time in five years novak djokovic is just one victory from completing his collection of grand slam singles trophies
he put himself back in position to dream big with a complete and commanding 6 2 6 1 6 4 victory over the next generation threat dominic thiem in the french open semifinals friday
he doesnt give you any presents said thiem a young man on a roll this season still looking a bit shellshocked an hour after the drubbing
djokovic who has been edgy of late can certainly be more generous but he was in top form friday snuffing out threats and hope in all areas of the court above all the corners his traditional hunting ground
i did not start this tournament like i wanted but today i played my best match djokovic said during his on court remarks in his fast improving french
on sunday the top seeded djokovic will now face no 2 andy murray in what seems an appropriately rigorous final exam as djokovic tries to finish off his 12 year roland garros apprenticeship
a final versus rafael nadal the nine time french open champion who turned 30 on friday would have been more symbolic but nadal is out with a wrist injury
murray long at his best on faster surfaces is the only man other than roger federer to have beaten djokovic more than once in the past two seasons he also has matured into a true clay court player and has won 11 straight matches on the surface including a victory over djokovic in the rome final last month
murray has already made tennis history of his own in this waterlogged tournament becoming the first british man since bunny austin in 1937 to reach the singles final at roland garros
murray got there with one of his finer performances a 6 4 6 2 4 6 6 2 semifinal victory over stan wawrinka the no 3 seed and defending champion
murray who was pushed to five sets in the first round and second round said he needed time to adjust to the slower conditions in paris this year and he made the unusual decision to alter the string tension in his rackets to improve his feel
he was often masterful against wawrinka and he will need much more of the same sunday if he is to keep djokovics story arc at bay
i was really impressed today its the best ive seen andy play on clay said paul annacone federers former coach and a tennis channel analyst i think andy has the variation that can cause problems for novak and we saw it a little bit in rome andy can attack novaks second serve andy can use low short slices to bring novak forward andy can go strong down the line with his two handed backhand those are a few things that are really important to be able to do against novak because nobody has ever defended the baseline better than him
for me its the balance of how well andy protects his own second serve and how well he creates imbalance in the rallies for novak early in the match if they play straightforward percentage tennis two hander to two hander crosscourt forehand to crosscourt forehand novak will win that match nine and a half times out of 10 over best of five sets
murrays ability to take well calculated risks and go for more than usual with his forehand should also be critical he did that well in rome and he pushed djokovic hard at the french open last year before losing in the fifth set of a semifinal contested over two days it was left to wawrinka to stop djokovic short of the only grand slam title he lacks ambushing him with a free swinging performance in the final
the french open remains djokovics stumbling block he lost to nadal in the 2012 and 2014 finals and has lost four times in the semifinals he now ranks fourth on the mens list for career victories at roland garros with 54 nobody else in that elite group has failed to win the title
will it be an injustice if he never does it
we can talk about that in five years said boris becker one of djokovics coaches at the moment we are intent on winning a few
djokovic is not only trying to join the elite club of seven men who have won all four grand slam singles titles he is also trying to complete a so called djoker slam by winning his fourth major in a row
but murray is a hungry 29 year old too this will be the first time the no 1 and no 2 men will meet in the final of a grand slam tournament that neither has won since the 1984 french open when ivan lendl rallied to beat john mcenroe
there is a lot riding on the match for both of us murray said we have had some really big battles in the slams before on all the other surfaces im sure it will be the same again on sunday
djokovic leads 4 2 in their grand slam finals and beat murray to win the australian open in january he dominates their overall head to head matches having won 23 of their 33 but murray   muttering to himself shouting at himself pushing himself   has managed to recreate something closer to a rivalry of late by winning two of the past six
he is a curmudgeonly perfectionist in a sport where perfection is unattainable but he clearly cannot waste too much nervous or negative energy on things other than dealing with djokovic
keeping his composure gives andy his best chance but he is so passionate and emotionally driven that he cant be a total stoic annacone said so he has to figure out how to manage it so its not a 15 minute running dialogue
murrays 6 3 6 3 victory in rome came in a best of three set format not the best of five format in which djokovic is at his elastic rally extending best it also came with djokovic weary in mind and body after a grueling week of back to back matches against the likes of nadal and kei nishikori
djokovic could be excused for feeling the same way in paris after having to play for four straight days because of rain delays but he did not have to compete for particularly long on any of those days nor has he been worn out by heat it has been sweater and scarf weather in paris and he has long since proved that he is as good at recovering as he is at counterpunching
thiem seven years younger than djokovic at age 22 had no answers djokovic was irresistible from the start expertly mixing drop shots and forays to the net returning and defending with trademark efficiency and making unforced errors very rarely thiem felt obliged to take big risk after big risk too few of them paid off
seeded 13th thiem will break into the top 10 next week at no 7 but prime djokovic remains a cut above there are no weaknesses to exploit he was even making overheads friday in front of an enthusiastic crowd on suzanne lenglen court which was filled with serbian banners and french fans happy to get such a bargain
with this weeks rain forcing french open organizers to play the womens and mens semifinals on friday djokovic and thiem were bumped to lenglen the tournaments second largest show court with murray and wawrinka on center stage on philippe chatrier court
fans with grounds passes   some purchased at only 10 euros   thus got the rare opportunity to see the reigning no 1 who could very soon be a french open champion too


days after several of his colleagues were awakened in their hotel rooms by the police and arrested on corruption charges last year sepp blatter the longtime president of fifa made an important decision he decided he deserved a raise
with soccer in crisis and an unprecedented scandal beginning to boil mr blatter   who had just won re election to a record fifth four year term   signed a new employment contract that increased his salary to 3 million a year and guaranteed him a 12 million bonus if he completed his mandate
that arrangement completed just as fifa was plunging into organizational chaos was one of many instances in which three of fifas top officials arranged over five years to pay themselves more than 80 million according to an internal investigation of world soccers governing body by the american law firm quinn emanuel
it was the latest in a series of jaw dropping accusations about a culture of corruption pervading fifa for years top soccer officials have been accused of using bribes and payoffs to profit from their roles overseeing the billions of dollars fifa and other governing bodies generate through tournaments like the world cup but in the past year dozens of soccer officials   though not the three accused friday   have been charged with fraud racketeering and money laundering in a broad corruption investigation led by the united states justice department
on friday lawyers from quinn emanuel which was hired by fifa in the wake of last years arrests published a synopsis of some of the findings of their own investigation in it they identified three former fifa officials   mr blatter and his former deputies jerome valcke and markus kattner   as having mounted a coordinated effort to enrich themselves through a series of raises bonuses and other payments
the three were also accused of modifying the termination clauses in their employment contracts to ensure that they would receive multimillion dollar payouts even if they were fired for cause
they had the authority they needed quinn emanuel investigators wrote of mr blatter mr valcke and mr kattner and they simply told payroll and hr the department generally in charge for employment contracts at fifa and which reported to mr kattner how much should be paid out and to whom
in a statement responding to the accusations mr blatters lawyer richard cullen said friday we look forward to showing fifa that mr blatters compensation payments were proper fair and in line with the heads of major professional sports leagues around the world
mr valcke and mr kattner did not immediately respond to fifas statement
none of the three men currently work for fifa mr blatter was barred from soccer by fifa in december and replaced by a new president gianni infantino in an election in february fifa suspended mr valcke mr blatters longtime deputy last fall and fired him in january amid accusations of corruption mr valcke was replaced temporarily as secretary general by fifas finance director mr kattner that effectively placed mr kattner in control of fifas finances in the months leading to this years presidential election but he too was fired in may after fifa said it had discovered he had breached his fiduciary duty to the organization
the accusations by fifa and its lawyers seemed intended to paint a picture of a leadership group operating outside fifa financial controls
# in 2010 mr blatter mr valcke and mr kattner were awarded 23 million in retroactive bonuses for the 2010 world cup in south africa that fifa said were not called for under their employment agreements
# in 2011 with mr blatter in a contested election for the fifa presidency mr valcke and mr kattner were given eight year contract extensions that included guarantees that they would receive full payment of their salaries if they lost their jobs a likely outcome under a new president
# that same year mr blatter received a bonus of 12 million swiss francs about 12 million for overseeing the 2014 world cup
# in may 2015 only days after the arrests of several of their colleagues in zurich mr blatter who signed a contract in 2008 that paid him 2 million swiss francs about 2 million a year executed a new contract that increased his salary to about 3 million and included the prospect of another performance bonus of 12 million if he completed his term
a day after that mr kattners contract was extended four years   through december 2023   and modified to include a clause that he be paid in full even if he was fired in its statement fifa dryly labeled the timing of that contract extension noteworthy
the details of quinn emanuels investigation deflected attention   at least momentarily   away from two other fifa stories this week the news that the swiss attorney generals office had conducted a new raid on fifa headquarters in zurich on friday as part of a continuing investigation into possible corruption and recent issues regarding transparency that have plagued mr infantino earlier this week a german newspaper reported that mr infantino had worked behind the scenes to marginalize fifas independent auditor in a leadership power struggle
that situation came to light when the auditor domenico scala abruptly resigned at fifas recent congress in mexico saying that mr infantino and others had orchestrated a change in fifas bylaws that shifted the power to hire and fire the independent ethics officials with fifas new governing council   a body led by mr infantino
fifa has defended mr infantino by saying the shift was done to protect the organization against the possibility it might be unable to separate itself from individuals who come under investigation but the assertion seemed to run counter to mr infantinos professed support for reform and his stated goal of greater separation of powers at fifa
then this week came the german report which said that mr infantino had instructed fifa staff members to delete recordings of an executive session in which removing mr scala had been discussed mr scala as part of his role leading the audit and compliance committee also was responsible for setting mr infantinos salary   a process that reportedly had gone poorly with mr infantino describing mr scalas initial proposal of a 2 million salary as insulting
all of this comes as fifa tries to emerge from the worst corruption scandal in its history a period which began just over a year ago when more than a dozen soccer and sports marketing officials with ties to soccers global governing body were arrested in predawn raids before a fifa meeting in zurich several have pleaded guilty to corruption charges in the united states including more fifa executives arrested in a second zurich raid in december
many of those executives held top posts in the fifa led by mr blatter mr valcke and mr kattner so it was not surprising that more detailed allegations against the three men might emerge in its news release on friday fifa and its lawyers accused mr blatter mr valcke and mr kattner of working together to bulk up their compensation in agreements as far back as 2007
the evidence the lawyers said revealed breaches of fiduciary duty and also raised questions about fifas internal financial controls especially the role of its compensation subcommittee it was unclear whether all the salary and bonuses were paid and if fifa would seek to recover any of it
fifa said that all of the contracts would face further investigation and that it had shared its findings with the swiss attorney generals office and would do the same with the justice department


well that stunk
the latest employment report   typically the most timely and accurate measure of the state of the business cycle   suggests that the economy is slowing employers added only 38000 jobs in may and revisions suggest that they created 59000 fewer jobs over the previous two months than initial estimates suggested
it is worth bearing in mind that this is noisy data and the economy rarely zigs or zags as often or as dramatically as any initial set of numbers suggest a better gauge of the underlying rate of jobs growth is to take an average over the past three months by that measure the labor market is creating around 116000 jobs per month this is a notable slowdown from jobs growth in the 150000 250000 range over most of the past five years but its a slowdown and not a sudden stop
there are actually two surveys of employment conducted each month the headline measure that comes from a survey of firms and an alternative and less reliable measure from a smaller survey of households both were weak the household survey registered employment growth of only 28000 in may
the household survey is also used to measure the unemployment rate in an odd twist it shows that the unemployment rate fell to 47 percent in may from 5 percent in april but this is not the good news it seems because it almost entirely reflects a decline in the number of people reporting that they were looking for work the decline reversed the hopeful signs over recent months that labor force participation may be recovering
it is likely that this months report overstates the extent of the slowdown a strike at verizon cut payrolls by about 35000 a mild winter led to higher employment levels in the first part of the year which leads to lower growth as employment has since reverted to seasonal norms then again jonathan wright a professor of economics at johns hopkins has published an improved algorithm for adjusting for seasonal fluctuations and it suggests this report actually overstated jobs growth by about 40000
if all of these adjustments suggest that its hard to know what the underlying pace of jobs growth is then you are correct these numbers are imprecise estimates and they come with a margin of error of plus or minus 100000
no matter what the true numbers are the jobs report should be interpreted in the context of other indicators that do not show as speedy a slowdown putting it all together the outlook is less rosy but by no means terrible
the economy still appears to be reducing unemployment
there was a time when the working age population was growing so rapidly that if the underlying rate of monthly jobs growth slipped to 100000 that would not only be disappointing but it would also point to rising unemployment but thats not todays reality
as the number of baby boomers entering retirement continues to rise the number of jobs the economy needs to create to keep pace with population growth has fallen sharply a reasonable estimate is that the economy needs to produce somewhere between 70000 and 90000 jobs per month to keep the unemployment rate stable the council of economic advisers estimates 77000 even after todays report it seems likely the underlying pace of growth remains above this
that is the economy is still growing faster than its long run potential rate of growth and the recovery is continuing
its not that things are getting worse its that theyre getting better more slowly
moreover unemployment is now at historically low levels the last time the economy registered an unemployment rate this low was november 2007 on the eve of the great recession
there remains a vibrant debate as to whether the labor market has fully recovered from those dark days or whether todays low unemployment rate overstates its health millions of people are still working part time but looking for full time work and millions more are no longer actively searching for work and so do not meet the technical definition of unemployment
average wage growth of only 25 percent over the past year suggests there remains a lot of potential for the labor market to improve without sparking inflation
but at some point slower employment growth is an inevitability
forecasters have long suggested that as the economy approaches full employment jobs growth must slow by this reckoning the economy cannot continue to create jobs more rapidly than the labor force is growing without the emergence of bottlenecks if this is right perhaps we should get used to seeing employment growth closer to 100000 per month
the disappointing news then is that the day of reckoning may be a step closer than we had thought


new delhi   a fierce battle between the police in northern india and armed members of a little known group has left at least 24 people dead including two high ranking police officials the police said friday
the violence broke out when the police tried to clear about 2000 people from a public garden in the city of mathura about 60 miles south of new delhi in the state of uttar pradesh where they had been living for more than two years officials said
in a news conference in mathura on friday s javeed ahmad the police chief of uttar pradesh said the police surrounded the garden jawahar bagh which sprawls over more than 200 acres at about 5 pm on thursday then citing court orders the police told the occupiers they had to leave when the protesters refused the police entered the garden and were attacked
protesters fired on the police party from tree tops mr ahmad said one of the targets of the protesters were small huts they had constructed in the park that were stocked with explosives and gas cylinders that exploded when hit killing 11 people
initially police did not expect this kind of retaliation by them said mr ahmad
the dead included the two senior police officers of mathura who were stoned and shot during the attack and died from their wounds in a hospital later on thursday the police said
television stations broadcast footage on friday of the garden engulfed in flames with smoke rising above its trees and the wounded being carried out the number of protesters killed was not known
the police recovered six rifles 47 handguns and 178 rounds of ammunition twenty three officers were wounded the district magistrate of mathura rajesh kumar speaking to a reporter in a video posted on youtube said a bullet had grazed his head he did not appear to be seriously wounded
the protesters said they were members of a group that venerates subhas chandra bose an indian nationalist and anticolonial activist unable to swallow indias support for its british rulers in world war ii bose made common cause with the axis powers germany and japan forming the indian national army which fought alongside the japanese he reportedly died in a plane crash in 1945 that has provided fodder for conspiracy theorists ever since
not all of the protesters ideology is known but local hindi news media said that its adherents were calling for higher gasoline subsidies the use of gold coins as currency and punishment for nonvegetarians the protesters leader ram vriksha yadav believed to be in his mid 50s could not be found after the confrontation
they were complete anarchists and not listening to the local administration said pradeep bhatnagar the divisional commissioner of agra who was asked to investigate the incident by the state government he confirmed that the protesters cast themselves as adherents of bose and added that they did not believe in government institutions


for much of a year gonzalo p curiel then a federal prosecutor in california lived officially in hiding
he hunkered down for a while on a naval base and in other closely guarded locations under the protection of united states marshals even his siblings did not know exactly where he was at times
the reason in a secretly taped conversation inside a san diego prison a man accused of being a gunman for a mexican drug cartel said that he had received permission from his superiors to have mr curiel assassinated
it was kind of scary said mr curiels brother raul he had to be protected he always had one or two bodyguards with him
nearly 20 years later gonzalo curiel now a federal judge is being targeted in a very different way
the presiding judge in a lawsuit filed by former students of trump university he has been called a hater of mr trump by the presumptive republican presidential nominee himself at a rally last week mr trump said the judge happens to be we believe mexican suggesting that he was biased because of mr trumps calls to build a wall along the border to prevent illegal immigration angry supporters have been calling the judges chambers
mr trump repeated his argument in an interview on thursday im building the wall im building the wall mr trump said i have a mexican judge hes of mexican heritage he should have recused himself not only for that for other things
while judge curiel has declined to discuss the case publicly those who know him best say he is handling the unfriendly glare of the trump case with the resolve that got him through his toughest days as a prosecutor
hes cool said gregory a vega a former federal prosecutor who has known judge curiel since the ninth grade i dont think hes giving it a second thought
judge curiel 62 was born in east chicago ind to parents who had emigrated from mexico raul curiel said their father salvador arrived in arizona as a laborer in the 1920s eventually receiving citizenship and becoming a steelworker their parents were married in mexico in 1946 and their mother francisca became a citizen after joining her husband in the united states
gonzalo curiel went to catholic school fell in love with music and played the guitar in a band before following in the footsteps of his older brother antonio and turning to law
the curiels lived in a diverse section of east chicago called indiana harbor where blacks whites and hispanics lived and worked together discrimination was rarely an issue raul curiel said but the family did face it on occasion he recalled gonzalo being turned away from a wedding venue in the 1970s because of his afro hairstyle
after graduating from indiana universitys law school judge curiel worked in private practice in indiana and california in 1989 he became an assistant united states attorney in the southern district of california a job that immersed him in the war on drugs
judge curiel was a hard charging prosecutor at a time when the american authorities were trying to help mexico confront the arellano felix brothers the heads of a murderous cartel that controlled a torrent of narcotics coming into the western united states in a period when mexico was reluctant to send its drug lords for trial in the united states mr curiels job involved working with informants and sometimes corrupt mexican officials to win convictions in this country and in mexico
in one 1990s case when he was pushing to extradite two men accused of being arellano gunmen to mexico he found himself defending witness testimony against the men that had most likely been obtained through torture by the mexican police
the government is not here to deny there is a possibility of torture mr curiel told a federal judge but the forum for those allegations to be aired is the government of mexico
the arellano felix cartel kept mr curiel in its sights one of the suspected gunmen according to court filings was recorded in prison saying he had requested and received permission from the leaders of the arellano cartel to have curiel murdered forcing mr curiel to live for a while under guard
he and mr vega whose father also was mexican met regularly with their counterparts across the border mr vega said their ability to speak spanish and their mexican roots were helpful ultimately leading to the first extradition of a suspected mexican drug kingpin to the united states in 2001
judge curiel was appointed to the bench in san diego in 2007 by gov arnold schwarzenegger a republican president obama nominated him to the federal bench in late 2011 and he was confirmed by the senate the following year judge curiel whose parents are deceased is married to a probation official and has a young daughter
for his family the attacks on their heritage have not gone unnoticed raul curiel said that mr trump was ignorant for calling his brother mexican noting that they were born in the united states he said that he speaks to his brother regularly and that the most frustrating part of the trump episode were the questions about his professionalism
trump called him a hater and regardless of whether he is or not that has nothing to do with how hes doing his job raul curiel said
mr trump and his supporters have said that judge curiel is treating him unfairly in the case in which some former students of trump university claim they paid thousands of dollars for worthless real estate classes mr trumps supporters have pointed to judge curiels affiliation with la raza lawyers of california a latino bar association that mr trump asserts is an advocacy group and to his appointment by mr obama as evidence of a conflict of interest
in the interview on thursday mr trump said that judge curiel also had a conflict of interest because he was friends with one of the plaintiffs lawyers that lawyer told the wall street journal that they were federal prosecutors in the same office but had never seen each other socially
despite citing the judges heritage as a source of the conflict mr trump said that as president he would have no problem appointing mexican american judges
i would love to he said i would do it in an instant
judge curiel is allowing the case to go to trial and he recently ordered the unsealing of documents that included testimony from former managers calling the classes a lie and a scheme he later ordered some of the documents temporarily resealed so that some personal information could be redacted in the unsealing order he noted that mr trump had placed the integrity of these court proceedings at issue
experts in legal ethics say that seeking to discredit a judge is not a winning strategy and that the suggestion that judge curiel could not treat a case fairly because of his ethnicity raises questions about mr trumps ability to appoint judges
deborah l rhode a professor at stanford law school and the founding director of the universitys center on ethics said that calls for judge curiel to step down from a case because of his mexican roots were akin to saying that thurgood marshall the first black supreme court justice should never have been able to decide civil rights cases
if race were a disqualifying factor nobody could preside over these cases ms rhode said
mr vega now a corporate lawyer who was the best man at judge curiels wedding said he did not think that the attacks by mr trump would taint the judges approach to the case
but remembering when his friend then a prosecutor arrived at his house for a barbecue flanked by bodyguards mr vega noted the irony of mr trumps criticizing someone who had risked his life to slow the flow of drugs coming from mexico into the united states   an issue that is dear to mr trump
a lot of us have never been tested like that mr vega said


banks and other financial companies led a modest decline in us stocks friday after a report indicating that hiring had slowed sharply in may put investors in a selling mood
the market slide ended a modest two day winning streak and sent bond prices surging as investors sought safety in us government backed debt the dollar fell sharply against several major currencies
the downbeat jobs data appeared to convince traders that the federal reserve will keep interest rates low longer than previously expected it also stirred concerns that the economy was slowing
what we dont want to see is this number as a beginning of a series of weaker data said quincy krosby a market strategist at prudential financial thats going to affect the market
the standard  poors 500 stock index lost 613 points or 03 percent to 209913 the nasdaq composite index gave up 2885 points or 06 percent to 494252
the dow jones industrial average fell 3150 points or 02 percent to 1780706
the labor department reported that the us economy added only 38000 jobs in may the lowest amount in five years the unemployment rate fell to 47 percent from 5 percent
other reports out friday also showed a mixed snapshot of the economy the institute of supply management said us services firms grew in may at the slowest pace in more than two years while the commerce department said orders to us factories rose in april by the largest amount in six months
speculation that the fed will hold off on raising its key interest rate weighed on banks and financial services companies as low interest rates make it harder for banks to make money from loans
etrade financial slumped 144 or 51 percent to 2669 while charles schwab lost 162 or 53 percent to 2922 bank of america fell 52 cents or 35 percent to 1442 citigroup slid 158 or 34 percent to 4539
all told financials sector companies posted the biggest drop in the in the sp 500 sliding 14 percent its down 17 percent this year and is the only one of the 10 sectors in the index thats negative for 2016
the prospect of interest rates holding steady made us bonds more attractive sending their prices sharply higher that demand spike in turn pushed the yield on the 10 year treasury note down 170 percent from 180 late thursday
what youre seeing today is bonds are rallying because the thought that were going to see higher rates in the short term has come off the table a bit said jj kinahan chief strategist at td ameritrade its about pure yield
the dollar also fell against other major currencies falling to 10668 yen from 10891 the day before the euro jumped to 11347 from 11148
traders also piled money into precious and industrial metals gold rose 3030 or 25 percent to 124290 an ounce while silver gained 34 cents or 21 percent to 1637 an ounce copper added 4 cents or 21 percent to 211 a pound
the rally in metals helped polish shares in some mining companies newmont mining jumped 305 or 94 percent to 3540 while freeport mcmoran added 45 cents or 42 percent to 1111
utilities companies which had been down of late as investors bet on the fed raising rates sooner rather than later surged friday the sector was the biggest gainer in the sp 500 climbing 17 percent its now up 15 percent this year
investors also bid up shares in several companies reporting earnings or sales data broadcom climbed 49 percent after the communications chip maker posted a bigger than expected profit in its fiscal second quarter the stock climbed 765 to 16256
ambarella jumped 94 percent after the video compression chip makers profit and revenue topped wall streets expectations the stock rose 399 to 4647
gap rose 41 percent after the clothing chain operator reported late wednesday that sales at established stores declined 6 percent in may better than the 7 percent drop forecast by financial analysts the stock added 76 cents to 1909
traders were not as welcoming to zumiez the clothing retailer fell 42 percent after sales at older stores slumped in its fiscal first quarter the stock shed 64 cents to 1442
benchmark us crude oil fell 55 cents or 11 percent to close at 4862 a barrel in new york brent crude which is used to price international oils slid 40 cents or 08 percent to close at 4964 a barrel in london
in other energy futures trading natural gas dropped 1 cent to close at 2398 per 1000 cubic feet wholesale gasoline slid 3 cents or 17 percent to close at 161 a gallon heating oil shed 2 cents or 14 percent to close at 149 a gallon
in europe major stock indexes mostly fell germanys dax fell 1 percent while frances cac 40 lost 1 percent britains ftse 100 rose 04 percent
earlier in asia japans benchmark nikkei 225 added 05 percent while south koreas kospi inched up 004 percent hong kongs hang seng added 04 percent the spasx 200 of australia jumped 08 percent


army teams and emergency crews on friday recovered the bodies of four soldiers who were missing after a truck overturned a day earlier during a training mission near fort hood in central texas an official said the bodies of five other soldiers were found on thursday three soldiers were rescued
maj gen john uberti the bases deputy commanding general said on friday morning that the accident was a tragic loss and that the army was making the search a priority
the three who were rescued were in stable condition in a hospital and could be discharged later on friday he added
general uberti provided no further details about the soldiers or the accident which occurred in an area that had been inundated with heavy rain over the last week
at least an additional inch of rain was expected on friday and the national weather service issued a flash flood watch for northern and central texas through midnight the rainfall comes on top of record breaking rains in parts of the state that have resulted in the deaths of at least six other people
the accident which took place about 12 miles north of the bases main area was reported shortly after 11 am on thursday rescue teams searched by air land and water
chris haug a spokesman for fort hood said on thursday that floodwaters from recent rains were believed to have overturned the truck a light medium tactical vehicle while the soldiers were conducting a low water crossing and that the episode would be investigated
mr haug said the soldiers were on a mission that they do every day and driving on a normal dirt road that was not known to be a problem
around the time of the accident concerns about flooding had caused emergency personnel to close a paved road parallel to the dirt road
all the low water crossings are potentially dangerous when weve had this much rain another fort hood spokesman tyler broadway said
the names of the victims will not be made public until their families are notified
this is not the first fatal episode in recent months during a training exercise at fort hood in november a black hawk helicopter crashed during an exercise at the base killing four crew members


what in the world offers you glimpses of what our journalists are observing around the globe let us know what you think whatintheworldnytimescom
plop down in almost any west african capital and settle in for a fashion show
along the sandy streets that double as a catwalk youll spot men in flowing boubous a loose fitting tunic that reaches to the floor some styles are so elaborate that they approach the poufy shiny tufts of 1950s american prom dresses
but the real standouts are the women with their colorful skirts and dresses made from wax print fabric or more likely a digitally reproduced knockoff called fancy fabric stars swirls flowers and paisleys adorn the printed cotton material wrapped around their torsos and heads
for the women the designs can be very personal some are worn for special occasions and others commemorate major events some have images of roller skates drums or tubes of lipstick celebrating pop culture or laptops in honor of computer literacy a popular style includes images of a bag once carried by michelle obama
one pattern called the family shows a hen surrounded by eggs and chicks alongside rooster heads the most common interpretation for this pattern isnt particularly flattering to the father figure a woman may be married but shes the center of the home another pattern shows birds soaring from cages and is called you fly i fly its message if a man cheats on a woman a woman will do the same
religious sayings and images also appear on the cloth baby jesus is popular in market stalls that sell religious fabric a savior is born is the caption above an image of jesus in a manger with mary and joseph hovering another says mother mary full of grace across the blue dotted cloth other popular images include the popes face atop the vatican and st bernadette and st christopher with the line pray for us
outsiders may be surprised to see such christian imagery in a country like senegal where more than 90 percent of the population is muslim wearing the religious cloth is a bold expression of faith
during election campaigns the faces of leading politicians show up on the fabric in yaounde cameroon president paul biyas face is printed on womens dresses candidates hand out the fabric freely the way american candidates might give away campaign buttons and t shirts according to nina sylvanus an anthropology professor at northeastern university who has studied the fabric and its connotations
but in west africa wearing the fabric doesnt necessarily signify support some women strategically tailor their political prints so a candidates face is across their derriere


chicago   chicago officials on friday released hundreds of videos and other investigative materials from 101 cases in which police officers fired their weapons or otherwise used force against civilians   a remarkable turnaround for an administration that fought last year not to release a video showing an officer fatally shooting a teenager as he lay sprawled on the ground
some of the police departments critics hailed the release by chicagos independent police review authority which investigates claims of misconduct and excessive force as a watershed moment for a city whose police and political culture have a long history of secrecy and obfuscation chicago officials refused to release a video showing officer jason van dyke who is white shooting 17 year old laquan mcdonald who was black 16 times until a judges order forced the city to make it public last november more than a year later officer van dyke was charged with murder
this is a significant step towards transparency in chicago said craig b futterman a university of chicago law professor who directs a civil rights and police accountability project at the law school weve had decades of the code of silence and a lack of police accountability and institutional denial the real test is what does the new normal look like going forward
but he noted that the city had changed its practices only under tremendous pressure and argued that the change did not go far enough still allowing too much time to pass before evidence is released
police conduct and the citys handling of it have become a political crisis for chicagos leaders including mayor rahm emanuel who faced accusations that he did not want the mcdonald video made public while he was in a re election fight for months after the videos release he faced calls for his resignation mr emanuel appointed a task force to look into police practices and dismissed the citys police superintendent
anita alvarez the states attorney for cook county the prosecutor who did not charge officer van dyke until 13 months had passed and a judge had forced release of the video lost a primary election in march
the justice department has begun an investigation into the police department and the mayors task force issued a scathing report saying that racism had contributed to a long pattern of institutional failures by a department that had lost the trust of residents
many of the videos released on friday recorded by police dashboard cameras business surveillance cameras and bystanders cellphones were blurry or grainy or showed little that was of interest but some contain stark images of the kind of violent even deadly encounters that critics of the chicago police department say are all too common
in a case from 2012 surveillance video shows three men inside an electronics business apparently robbing it loading a minivan and then crashing it through a closed garage door causing officers who were standing outside to leap out of the way officers can be seen shooting at the van   one ejects a spent magazine and reloads   killing one man david strong 27 and wounding two others leland dudley 33 and john givens 32 the two survivors were later convicted of murder because mr strong died during their commission of a felony they also sued the city for excessive force
in another 2012 case witnesses called the police to report that a man had been hitting people and multiple videos show the man ismael jamison shirtless and heavily muscled pacing up and down a sidewalk gesturing and grabbing a woman shortly after the police arrived mr jamison rushed at an officer and the police shot him and shocked him with an electric stun weapon struggling to subdue him even as he bled on the pavement mr jamison 28 survived
in a 2014 video officers shoot into a vehicle wounding a man michael cote who was trying to get away videos from 2015 show an officer in plain clothes beating a man terrence clarke who was eating with his family in a restaurant after mr clarke complained about his meal and then saying that mr clarke had attacked him
long strained relations between the chicago police and residents especially african americans boiled over after the release of the mcdonald video since then the city has experienced a marked increase in bloodshed shootings are up by 50 percent for the year with hundreds injured and more than 230 people dead there are indications that the department is getting little cooperation from mistrustful citizens making it harder to solve crimes on the streets
in a statement on friday mr emanuel said the release of the new materials was a major step forward to promote transparency and it makes us one of the leading cities in america to guarantee timely public access to this breadth of information involving sensitive police incidents but he added we know there is a lot more work to do
chicagos chapter of the fraternal order of police criticized the release of the material as irresponsible saying the city took the action with little notice to union leaders it is sad when with all the talk about transparency and communication they decide to operate in this manner the union said in a statement
william calloway a chicago activist who pushed for the release of the mcdonald video called fridays release damage control by a mayor who was trying to appease the public but he said the videos offered valuable evidence that excessive force was endemic not isolated
basileios j foutris a chicago civil rights lawyer said fridays release was welcome but that the review authority should have been doing this a long time ago and seemed to still be withholding some written material he represents the family of quintonio legrier a 19 year old who was fatally shot in a confrontation with the police in a lawsuit against the city
the 101 cases 68 of which had video date from 2011 they include every open investigation into officer involved shootings   whether anyone was hit or not they also include every case in which a civilian was killed or seriously injured by an officer or in police custody excluding self inflicted wounds according to officials on the review board who are appointed by the mayor
it was not always clear what the videos were showing in part because most have no sound the videos of mr jamison for example left me with more questions than answers said maria haberfeld a professor of police science at john jay college of criminal justice in new york who analyzed the recordings
theres this guy who is walking around very agitated she said and theres suddenly a police officer holding a gun pointing a gun at this individual   but i dont see where hes arrived from if there was some type of exchange before
but the recordings offer a wide ranging set of raw if incomplete looks at some of the confused adrenaline fueled and dangerous moments that punctuate police work in one video an officer can be heard saying we got to get our story straight and later an officer says he is glad he didnt miss a suspect adding i was running when i shot him but the action they are describing is unseen
officials from the police review authority emphasized that they were not making any judgments about whether excessive force or other misconduct occurred in any of the cases which are all still under investigation and they did not single out any cases with the potential to become the most controversial
instead the officials emphasized their hope that disclosing the videos and other materials from the investigative files would make people in chicago more confident in the procedures for investigating police misconduct
these past few months as the city has struggled with so many questions about policing and about police accountability it has been clear that we all agree that there is a lack of trust and that increased transparency is essential to rebuilding that trust said sharon fairley the police review authoritys chief administrator today represents an important first step toward that


paris   a hobbled kiki bertens stood a few feet behind the baseline and watched serena williams carve out the underside of a tennis ball and drop it gently over the net where it settled into bertenss side of the court
it was midway through the first set and bertens had been matching williams the defending champion and no 1 player in the world point for point in their semifinal match but bertens was slowed by a strained left calf and williams keyed in on it with merciless intent
trailing 2 4 williams needed something to alter the course of the match and the drop shot was the solution first she pushed bertens back behind the baseline with powerful strokes and then deftly sliced numerous balls into the forecourt many with her backhand where bertens was unable to retrieve them on a few occasions bertens could not even give chase
i had some problems with it said bertens who came into the tournament ranked 58th i think it was really smart from serena to hit the drop shots
as strong and overpowering as williams can be she is also one of the savviest players on tour a combination that has led her to 21 grand slam singles championships
that mixture of intellect talent and desire is now garbine muguruzas problem to solve in the french open final
on friday williams ultimately overcame some sluggishness of her own and a valiant effort by bertens winning 7 6 7 6 4 for a place in her 27th grand slam tournament final there she will play muguruza the no 4 seed who brushed aside no 21 samantha stosur 6 2 6 4 on suzanne lenglen court
ill try and control my emotions muguruza said of her final against williams and i hope i can win this title why not
the last time they met was in the 2015 wimbledon final which williams won in routine fashion 6 4 6 4 that was the last major tournament williams won but a victory over muguruza on saturday would give williams 22 equaling the mark set by steffi graf for the most grand slam singles titles in the open era margaret court holds the overall record with 24
williams was asked what it would mean to her to reach 22 and how the wait   after losing in the semifinals of the united states open and the final of the australian open   compared to her eight month wait to get to 18 to tie chris evert and martina navratilova
williams played down the number 22 while also noting the remarkable achievement of 18 with the same deftness as she hit her drop shots
if i get there it will be great she said i guess you can say it took me a while to get to 18 considering you know im the only one on tour that had 18
williams and muguruza have played four times all in majors and muguruza won only once but it was a significant one it happened in the second round at roland garros in 2014   part of that eight month wait to get to 18
williams has pointed to that 6 2 6 2 loss as a turning point in the latter stages of her career after the defeat to muguruza williams began working with her current coach patrick mouratoglou and won four of the next five grand slam tournaments
i dont really want to elaborate but it was a really unbelievable lesson for me she said it propelled me to many many many wins after that
what could determine the outcome of saturdays match is how each player likes to assert herself on court as mouratoglou says it is almost always up to williams whether she wins or loses but muguruza is an aggressive player and she too feels as if she will either win or lose the match depending on how well she strikes the ball and how well she can pinpoint her placement
she may even elect to take a page from williamss tactics against bertens and force the no 1 seed to run because williams is also dealing with an injury
after her quarterfinal match against yulia putintseva williams had a lengthy treatment session the former player marion bartoli who is working for a french television network during the tournament notified the world that williams was dealing with an adductor strain in her upper leg
based on her lack of fluid movement in her past two matches it certainly appeared that something was limiting her williams acknowledged some issues but she also indicated she had an issue with bartoli being so chatty about it
yeah i heard she said that williams said i dont know ill have to ask her
the cool temperatures and dense schedule of matches caused by the rain this week probably did not help either williams or bertens both wore long sleeve tops and williams wore knee length leggings
bertens who had her left calf wrapped during her quarterfinal victory over timea bacsinszky wore full leggings friday but at times she had trouble moving
during a morning practice she and her team debated whether to even play but bertens had never been past the fourth round of a major tournament before and she did not want to look back with regret for not trying
im really happy that i went on court she said i think i played a really good match played really aggressive tennis so i think i can be proud of myself
williams of course has much to be proud of too she has not been at her best in her past two matches and still found ways to advance past bothersome opponents then again last year she did not play her best and managed to win
this time she will have the added incentive   and pressure   of trying to win a 22nd title and catch graf one of the great practitioners of the slice backhand
perhaps that was what williams was doing with all those backhand drop shots friday a fitting tribute to her next milestone


beijing   chinese banks that do business with north korea stand to lose several billion dollars in the wake of new united states treasury department sanctions on all such foreign institutions analysts said on friday
the new sanctions were announced days before a visit to beijing by secretary of the treasury jacob j lew and secretary of state john kerry for an annual meeting on economic and security issues that starts on monday and whose agenda this year includes north korea
the chinese banks most affected by the sanctions will be comparatively small regional ones that facilitate the bulk of north koreas business in china the analysts said major banks in china suspended their north korean accounts in 2013 after the chinese president xi jinping criticized a nuclear test conducted by the north that year the analysts said
the bank of china for example which has been expanding its operations in the united states and did not want its american business tainted by cooperation with north korea closed the account of north koreas most important financial institution the foreign trade bank in may 2013
the smaller banks in the northeast area of china that borders north korea would probably not want to risk continuing to do business with the north because the cost of sanctions by the united states would far outweigh the benefits of such commercial ties said jin qiangyi dean of the institute of northeast asian studies at yanbian university in yanji
china is by far north koreas biggest trading partner
using a provision of the patriot act the treasury department designated north korea on wednesday as a primary money laundering concern a move that will enable washington to take aggressive measures to cut off its access to the united states financial system
under the new designation non american banks and other entities are banned from conducting dollar transactions on behalf of north korea a prohibition intended to crimp the norths economic activities and its ability to further expand its nuclear program
the chinese government said on thursday that it opposed the treasury action although beijing signed onto a tough new round of united nations sanctions imposed on north korea in march as punishment for a nuclear test it conducted earlier this year
we consistently oppose imposing unilateral sanctions on other countries based on ones domestic laws said a foreign ministry spokeswoman hua chunying instead of creating new sanctions countries should fully implement the united nations sanctions established in march she said
the united nations resolution called on member states to terminate joint ventures ownership interests and correspondent banking relationships with banks in north korea within 90 days the treasury move goes a step further with its prohibition against united states banks allowing north korea access to the american financial system via third country banks
if china were committed to enforcing the united nations sanctions it agreed to then the treasury move would not affect it
the foreign ministry spokeswomans pointed use of the word unilateral however raised questions about beijings commitment to the march sanctions
the tough approach by the treasury contrasted with the decision by mr xi to meet this week with a senior north korean envoy ri su yong mr ri was dispatched by his countrys young leader kim jong un to mend north koreas frayed ties with china but he told the chinese leader that north korea had no intention of giving up its nuclear weapons north korean state run media reported
the treasury action also came as mr kim has begun a policy named byungjin that calls for north korea to keep expanding its nuclear weapons program while pushing for development that would bolster its rudimentary economy
the collective impact on the regional chinese banks by the treasury action will probably be much greater than the losses incurred by banco delta asia a bank based in the chinese special administrative region of macau when it was designated a money laundering concern in 2005 because of its dealings with north korea said cho bong hyn an analyst at the industrial bank of koreas research institute in seoul
the united states froze 24 million in north korean money held in banco delta asia
the impact would amount to approximately a few billion us dollars considering most of north koreas foreign bank accounts are in china mr cho said
even so he said few of these banks are entirely dependent on north koreas business he doubted that many banks had north korean deposits amounting to more than 10 percent of the banks total deposits
i dont think these chinese banks will be shaken by the said losses he said they may however worry about loss of future transactions
most of them are in the major trading cities of dandong and hunchun on the border with north korea he said
these banks will now have to ensure that north korea does not open bank accounts with them by using conduits
if such illegal accounts are detected it could be fatal for these banks he said so both korean and chinese banks will have to do their best to prevent north koreans from opening these irregular bank accounts with them
the main banks in china were unnerved by what happened to banco delta asia and by 2013 after a nuclear test by the north earlier that year they stopped doing business with north korea said andray abrahamian associate research director of choson exchange a nonprofit group based in singapore that provides training for entrepreneurs in pyongyang the north korean capital
the writing was already on the wall then mr abrahamian said
even if a chinese bank processed transactions for north koreans in the chinese currency the renminbi that banks dollar trade would remain at risk he said
it is not clear where north korea might seek alternative places to conduct financial transactions outside the normal banking systems the analysts said
certainly north koreans would want locations far away from financial hubs recently north korean businesspeople have mentioned cambodia and indonesia as possible channels said a singaporean analyst who declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the matter
soon after the united nations sanctions were imposed in march chinese traders in dandong the main gateway for transportation of chinese goods into north korea were using alternatives to the chinese run bank of dandong
in order to receive payments from north korea one major trader in dandong said in april that he would receive a 50 percent down payment before a shipment the money would be deposited in the dandong office of the korea kwangson bank
that bank is north korean and does business out of unmarked offices on the 13th floor of an office tower on the banks of the yalu river it was described as the last north korean bank operating in the city
the trader would pick up the remaining 50 percent payment once the goods arrived in north korea he said the transactions would usually be in renminbi although sometimes they were in dollars he said
in march the treasury singled out the korea kwansong bank for using front companies to gain access to the united states financial system and process transactions that supported weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles
previously the treasury had said that north korean leaders had used one of the banks front companies to open accounts at a major chinese bank under the names of chinese citizens and to deposit millions of dollars in 2013


washington   speaker paul d ryan delivered his partys weekly address on friday   a rarity   giving a peek at the house republican agenda that he and his colleagues will begin to roll out next week
that agenda was originally supposed to counter donald j trump whose views often stand apart from the partys policy traditions but now that mr ryan has officially endorsed his partys presumptive nominee he says that his policy ideas will magically become mr trumps and that the nominee will help advertise them this fall and eventually promulgate them from the white house
the six policy task forces in the house will release their prescriptions one at a time over a course of fridays this summer under the broad title a better way but perhaps it should be called a bedeviled way
despite mr ryans efforts to take some control however here are four reasons mr trump not the house speaker is far more likely to set the republican agenda this summer at his partys convention and into the fall campaign
mr trump long before he secured his partys nomination has shown a remarkable ability for getting television coverage of his pronouncements his remarks about building a wall between the united states and mexico not embraced by mr ryan barring most muslims from entering the country ditto and ending free trade deals again have gotten constant coverage mr ryans promises to end poverty and to address executive authority not so much while mr ryan has weekly news conferences intended to talk about the house agenda reporters tend to ask him almost exclusively about mr trump
some republican candidates who ran for president this year like senators marco rubio and ted cruz and the former florida governor jeb bush may have differed with mr ryan on the margins on policy but they hewed to the same core beliefs mr trump didnt simply beat those candidates he destroyed them often in a highly personal way the traditional republican agenda is not selling this year
the speaker is widely viewed as endorsing mr trump to provide the party with the unity necessary to get house members re elected and to help mr ryan keep his day job but if there is any unity in the party it stems from mr trumps agenda mr ryan has struggled to get even basic legislation passed trump had enough votes to win the nomination in pretty convincing fashion said john feehery a republican strategist and former aide to the house republican leadership the speaker has had a tough time getting enough votes to pass a budget in the house let alone pass the rest of his agenda he added
as mr ryan was giving his modest endorsement to mr trump the manhattan businessman was garnering his latest front page headlines by suggesting that a federal judge overseeing the class action suit against trump university was biased because of his mexican heritage mr ryan who has been a passionate voice against mr trumps inflammatory rhetoric may have a hard time pressing the inclusive agenda he has been promoting while at the same time promising allegiance to mr trump his voice of skepticism not his agenda is what got mr ryan the most attention and putting it on the shelf may not serve him well


one of chinas biggest threats to an american technology leader just found life a lot tougher
huawei technologies which over the last decade has become a leading global supplier of internet and communications gear has been subpoenaed by the united states commerce department to turn over information about its sales to cuba iran north korea sudan and syria paul mozur writes
these countries are in american eyes outlaw states or places where the united states restricts exports of american gear and the subpoena was issued at huaweis headquarters in texas it deals with exports of united states gear which could mean things that huawei made even in part in the united states
it couldnt come at a worse time for huawei the chinese company has 170000 employees and annual sales of 60 billion an increase of 50 percent in the last three years almost none of that comes from the american market where cisco systems dominates sales of the computer switches and internet routers both companies sell
a congressional panel in 2012 named huawei along with another chinese company called zte a security threat largely curbing its sales in the united states
huawei has worked hard to be a good citizen since then boasting about its business practices and respect for intellectual property last week it took the extraordinary step of suing samsung of china for stealing huaweis inventions in wireless technology
that amounted to a coming out party for the company as a normal international technology player now the attention will turn to the chinese habit of selling things to the enemies of the united states
more broadly it is another example of the ways that governments appear increasingly willing to rein in tech companies something farhad manjoo wrote about earlier this week
the borderless world it turns out still has some very powerful guard posts


hillary clintons campaign chairman john podesta condemned political violence of any kind after clashes between supporters of donald j trump and protesters during the presumptive republican presidential nominees rally in san jose calif on thursday night
mr podesta posted a video on twitter that appeared to show a trump supporter being beaten by protesters outside of the event the footage also showed supporters of mr trump being chased by protesters as a make america great again hat was set on fire
violence against supporters of any candidate has no place in this election mr podesta wrote
the ugly scene is the latest example of the anger that is bubbling over in a volatile year for american politics mr trumps trip to california in late april was marred when several of his supporters were bloodied by protesters and in march one of his rallies in chicago was canceled after protesters flooded the streets
while mr trump has said he does not condone violence of any kind his campaign made little effort to condemn it
on friday morning mr trump said his rally was full of love and enthusiasm while lamenting that a small group of thugs outside burned the american flag
mr trump also showed little concern about the violence as he continued his swing through california which votes on tuesday with a rally in redding on friday afternoon looking past the end of the primary election season he announced on twitter that he will be making a foreign trip later this month
on june 22 i will be going to scotland to celebrate the opening of the newly renovated trump turnberry resort the worlds best mr trump said


oakland calif   the midwestern guys ran into a few too many talented west coast cool cats thursday night
six years ago lebron james drove his rv onto the grounds of the nba finals and he has camped out here since this week he rolled into the bay area with his cleveland posse ready for a finals showdown he had kevin love kyrie irving and tristan thompson guys who had won 57 regular season games and lost just two games this entire postseason
the cavaliers regular season was drama filled the coach was fired and players were rumored to have demanded trades but clevelands postseason dominance had been thorough the detroit pistons please the atlanta hawks legs up roadkill the toronto raptors coach tyronn lue opined before the game thursday that it was good the raptors had beaten his team twice as those losses spared his cavaliers the fate of growing rusty while waiting for the golden state warriors to defeat the oklahoma city thunder
then the game started in oakland and nearly 20000 warrior fans wearing mustard colored t shirts went berserker crazy for the first time this postseason jamess mates looked taken aback the cavaliers defensive rotations rotated until they did not   a striking number of warriors had time to exhale and take cool aim at the rim their putative defenders trapped in another zip code
the warriors come at you in great rushes a river flowing fast to the sea late in the third quarter the cavaliers finally took a lead their relief was eye blink brief
at the start of the fourth quarter the warriors lead stood at 6 points a dozen minutes later the lead had expanded to 18 points and the cavaliers lay in a deep ditch they lost 104 89
james walked into the postgame news conference a dapper dude in tie and prepster jacket he was in no mood for the obvious what happened to your bench
he scrunched his nose and peered at the reporter what happened they scored 45 points we scored 10 thats what happened
this warriors bench another reporter offered looks different this year
james shook his head the warriors were champions last year its kind of hard to answer that question because its not really true
this is the drama of lebron james hes an analytic genius offering a breathtaking combination of savvy passing and downhill rushes to the hoop he has gotten to six finals and won two somehow that remarkable feat plays as defeat in the mind of some reporters who note that michael jordan won six championships magic johnson won five
its inane yet this math consumes james last year when the cavaliers lost the finals despite jamess heroic performance he said it might have hurt less not to make the playoffs its never a success if you go out losing
i dont enjoy being as nonefficient as i was he said at the time i dont enjoy dribbling the ball for countless seconds on the shot clock and the team looking at me to make a play
i can dig that to watch him this playoff season is to see an orchestra conductor exercising all his skills he plays with the ball figuring whether to dish or spin to the hoop as he ages his lineage owes less to that feline killer jordan and more to johnson the captain at the wheel of great teams
james has a marvelous touch near the hoop but his long range shooting has grown shaky he tends to fall backward as he shoots or moves sideways which is not recommended if drawing a bead on a basket 25 feet away why this is so in this age of film and analytics and two dozen assistant coaches is a bafflement
his teammates are imperfect love has been a bit exposed in cleveland he has a sweet stroke and a nose for rebounds he also has the lateral quickness of a statue if you want an emphatic rebound in traffic better to look for james or thompson
the young guard irving can call to mind a young earl monroe a nervous breakdown collection of jiving sidesteps and spins and jukes but he grows intoxicated with his moves and forgets that four men share a court with him last night he shot an unsightly 7 for 22
he also blew a crucial layup and trotted back on defense as the warriors ran far ahead of him
this cavaliers team is loaded with former knicks theres iman shumpert the rawboned defensive guard with a hairdo piled so high it calls to mind lincolns stovepipe hat then theres j r smith a perpetual adolescent who has found stability in the shadow of james who has taken the role of older sibling
smith had a fine shooting season last night he was 1 for 3 for 3 points did you need to be a touch more aggressive he replied like a child development expert its a process
if the cavaliers were worried they werent about to let you know it were you aware reporters asked coach tyronn lue that your bench players were barely shooting he peered at the reporter eyes icy yes we were aware of it
the cavaliers said the ball that ornery instrument refused to go into the basket last night
playoff series are about parries it should surprise no one if the cavaliers roar back sunday they would do well however to pay heed the attention on this much hyped team revolves around the warriors klay thompson and steph curry and their disconcerting habit of shooting and floating back down court with their wrists curled as though theyd just put a check in the mail
last night however it was the warriors defense that devastated andre iguodala draymond green and thompson have preternaturally sure and quick hands repeatedly stripping cavalier players of the ball even curry whom green calls the mouse in the house plays a scrappy defense
what about that off shooting night for the stars curry the loose jointed hip cat shrugged the cavs wanted to stop him and thompson so they kept swinging the ball you take the defensive aggression curry said and kind of work it against them
that was zen enough to make phil jackson smile
james eschews talk of the metaphysical he is 31 with hundreds of thousands of miles on his odometer he can feel mortalitys breath on his neck were not a team that loses our composure he said im looking forward to seeing the film session and seeing ways we can get better
its impossible not to admire his passion just as its easy to see that this player and his fine team face a climb up an imposing cliff wall


her mother who taught in a one room schoolhouse in the hills of kentucky a century ago had some words of wisdom for adna bert baldwin a woman should be independent and have money to pay her own way
ms baldwin 81 took that advice seriously she married young to her high school sweetheart but followed in her mothers footsteps teaching elementary school students not far from cincinnati for 27 years the pension she earned when she retired two decades ago left her more secure than her mother adna burns who taught in an era when the idea of paid retirement was just emerging for teachers
for ms baldwin her teachers pension affords her a comfortable middle class life its not a huge amount about 2100 monthly but more than if she had been forced to rely on her late husbands pension from his job as a railroad engineer
from day 1 i considered it a good thing ms baldwin said it means i can stay in my house which is paid for and i am debt free
ms baldwin is among a relatively small group of older women who enjoy decent pensions many women of her generation did not qualify for retirement benefits because they took time away from the workplace or worked part time to raise children or tend to aging parents as a result the majority over 70 rely on social security for most of their income with an average monthly check of around 1300
but those like ms baldwin who worked consistently for long periods and enjoyed the benefits of working in fields like health care education and public administration   where defined benefit pensions became more prevalent   are in a sweeter spot
few people in those groups became rich but very few fell into poverty either and in retirement workers in those disciplines are more secure than their peers who worked in other industries according to a report released in march by the national institute on retirement security only 4 percent of retired women over 65 who worked in education for example are poor according to the institutes report shortchanged in retirement continuing challenges to womens financial future
women who retired as public administrators have a slightly higher poverty rate 5 percent and retired female health services workers are at 7 percent by comparison the poverty rate for retail workers is 9 percent
an important factor is that those fields in which women are a significant portion of the work force are more likely to still offer a defined benefit pension plan most public school teachers for example have pensions nurses have lagged teachers because fewer hospitals and health care systems have offered traditional pensions but they are still better protected than those working in most other fields
for most women reaching retirement age today however their situation is still generally worse than that of their male counterparts
women are 80 percent more likely than men to be impoverished at age 65 and older while women between the ages of 75 and 79 are three times more likely than men to be living in poverty said diane oakley the retirement security institutes executive director
much of that can be traced to a persistent gender gap in retirement income men in 2014 received 17856 in median pension income according to the institutes study women had about one third less or about 12000 a similar disparity applies to 401k savings where women accumulated on average about two thirds of what their male counterparts saved
a large part of the difference between women who had 25000 invested on average versus 36875 for men stemmed of course from continuing disparities in wages
the wage gap between men and women has narrowed said lori a trawinksi of the aarp public policy institute which published a study last year titled looking back looking ahead chartbook on womens progress but underneath that improvement lies a much more complicated picture of the role that employment has played in the lives of women over the past several decades
ms trawinksi explained that discrimination and gender segregation within industries meant smaller paychecks and as a result lower savings at retirement age women are likely to be more financially vulnerable since more are single divorced or widowed and many are feeling insecure about their finances in retirement two thirds of the women in a 2015 survey by the consumer marketing research firm gfk felt unsure or pessimistic about their retirement finances compared with 40 percent of the men who felt the same way
they are women like joanne l odom a newton nj nurse who is participating diligently in retirement savings plans ms odom a 53 year old widow had little time to think about retirement savings while she was raising two young daughters now both adults
honestly as a nurse and a single mother my head wasnt in finances she said it wasnt until more recently that i began listening to some radio programs that i started thinking about my future and whats going to happen
right after ms odom earned her nursing degree two decades ago her husband an auto mechanic died unexpectedly at age 36 she strung together part time nursing jobs until she could find a full time position at st clares hospital in denville nj she works there now admitting emergency room patients
like many nurses ms odom is paid on a shift work basis   putting in three 12 hour shifts a week - and her primary retirement savings vehicle is a 401k
i am mindful of my spending and i am trying to contribute as much as i can she said but when they talk about saving 1 million or more for retirement that seems out of reach
most nurses are on their own when it comes to saving for retirement fewer than 500000 nurses are working under a collective bargaining agreement said pamela f cipriano president of the american nurses association which represents 34 million registered nurses
nurses generally are not subject to mandatory retirement ages so   officially at least   they can stay in the work force longer but its a difficult demanding job that wears down even the healthiest person
most every job description ms cipriano said lists that a nurse must be able to move 20 or so pounds and walk a certain number of miles daily
the nurses association has teamed up with edelman financial services in fairfax va to offer no cost retirement planning sessions for nurses women saw that the world was very fragile after 2001 said ric edelman who founded the nationwide firm it was not only because of the terrorist attacks but also because the tech bubble burst and financial losses were even greater than theyve been since
women began to see that they needed to take action to protect themselves
given the evaporation of traditional pensions and the stagnation of wages the next generation of women to reach retirement age is likely to spend more time working increasing numbers of women over 55 are working full or part time and the bureau of labor statistics projects that by the end of this decade about 20 percent of the women over 65 will be in the labor force
some women want to work ms trawinski of aarp said but many must work to increase their security in retirement


london   at least four migrants died and around 340 were rescued on friday after a boat bound for italy capsized in the mediterranean off the island of crete officials and humanitarian agencies said in the latest tragedy at sea as refugees try desperately to reach europe
the greek shipping ministry said that two coast guard vessels and three helicopters had been sent to scour the area for more survivors
more than 1000 migrants may have died trying to cross the mediterranean to europe over a recent eight day period the international organization for migration reported on tuesday and the deaths on friday which occurred about 75 nautical miles south of crete add to the toll of refugees suffering
the migration organization said that the capsized boat was believed to have been carrying 700 people and was thought to have left from egypt greek officials said the boat had overturned in international waters that were under egypts authority
the italian coast guard said in a statement that it had alerted the egyptian authorities to the capsizing on thursday but that the egyptians had declined to take charge of a rescue operation because the site was not in its jurisdiction
the italians then turned to greece and sent a message to all vessels in the area
five greek ships were near where the boat capsized and they were joined by the coast guard vessels and helicopters greek officials said
a merchant ship reported at 720 am on friday that the migrant vessel had capsized the italian coast guard said
the egyptian military which includes the coast guard declined to comment and referred all inquiries to the foreign ministry saying the military is not a decision maker
in turn the foreign ministry spokesman ahmed abu zeid referred questions to the military saying he had no knowledge of the event or of the italian request for help
the mixed response from egypt highlighted the struggle that europe is facing in the worsening migrant crisis with refugees often risking their lives trying to reach the continent
the events on friday come after one of the deadliest periods in recent memory in the mediterranean during which three ships sank over three days at least 700 people from three boats are believed to have drowned according to the united nations refugee agency
those deaths could push the toll for the year to more than 2000 and with summer approaching concerns are growing that human trafficking along the north african coastline will intensify
those fears were underscored on friday when the spokesman for the libyan red crescent told the associated press that the number of people who perished when a boat capsized off the libyan shore on wednesday had risen to 107 including 40 women and five children
until recently most migrants heading to europe had traveled from turkey to greece seeking entry into the european union from there they often traveled through the balkans to destinations in western and northern europe most frequently to germany
balkan countries such as macedonia that are poorly equipped to deal with the influx have shut their borders however and turkey has reached a deal with the european union to help cut the flow of migrants across the aegean sea the result is that migrants have been seeking alternative often more perilous routes
as europe struggles to prevent migrants from reaching the continent tensions appeared to be growing at greek encampments used to house the migrants who do arrive
there were brawls at two camps on thursday one on the island of samos and the other in oraiokastro in the countrys north in samos migrants wielded knives and iron bars and they lit fires
there were also reports of unrest at the moria camp on the greek island of lesbos on wednesday night with afghans fighting pakistanis the migrants set fire to tents and blankets and at least 15 people were wounded in the clashes
with many of the refugees awaiting the outcome of applications for asylum and others fearing deportation aid workers said they expected more outbreaks of violence


paris   heavy rains in france lifted the seine on friday to its highest levels since 1982 threatening pariss cultural institutions and soaking the french countryside east of the capital
the seine has continued to swell since the river burst its banks on wednesday raising alarms throughout the city as of 10 pm on friday its waters had reached 20 feet the river was expected to crest on saturday morning at up to 213 feet and to remain at high levels throughout the weekend the french environment ministry said in a statement
the situation is still evolving hour by hour a deputy mayor of paris colombe brossel said at a news conference at city hall adding that the authorities estimated that it would take at least a week or more for the water to recede to normal levels which are typically three to six feet above the standard reference point for measuring the height of the river
near the cathedral of notre dame pieces of tree trunks floated along the swollen river the waters had risen to the waistline of the zouave a notable statue next to the pont de lalma that has traditionally been used as a gauge of the seines levels the citys government urged residents to move valuables out of their basements an art collection had to be removed from the city hall in ivry sur seine a southeastern suburb of paris
around the eiffel tower the banks are flooded said julien rogard 23 an engineer who takes the no 6 metro line which crosses over the seine on the pont de bir hakeim where we usually can walk we cant anymore
the seine has not overflowed this much since december 1982 when it rose to about 20 feet but the rivers level is still short of the 262 feet reached in the catastrophic flood of january 1910
parisians and tourists thronged to take photos of the swollen river prompting a warning from ms brossel who said there are still people going on the riverbanks to take pictures it is not safe we are asking you to respect the ban on going there
the government has made emergency plans to shift operations from the elysee palace the seat of the french presidency to the chateau de vincennes a former royal fortress just east of the capital if the waters go above 21 feet
were not yet at this stage an official at the general secretariat for national defense and security told the magazine le point for now were making sure that all plans are ready and that the different measures may be set in motion to ensure the continuation of governmental work
officials expressed fears that telecommunications and computer equipment on the lower floors of the foreign ministry building on the left bank could be inundated they said the ministrys archives had been moved to the suburbs in 2010 for safekeeping
across france 20000 households were without power on friday mostly in the seine et marne area east of paris and in essonne south of paris a result of the swelling of the marne and loing tributaries of the seine
workers in paris erected a special barrier on friday morning to protect an underground electrical transformer station near the pont de lalma the substation provides power to about 80000 customers in the seventh and eighth arrondissements
the evacuation of artworks from the louvre which was closed to visitors has attracted particular attention starting on thursday officials at the museum activated an emergency flood protection plan established in 2002 prioritizing the most fragile artworks such as tapestries
an estimated 150000 artworks in storage rooms and an additional 7000 pieces in galleries were vulnerable to flooding and a large portion of those were moved to higher floors as a precaution officials said
officials emphasized that no waters had entered the museum
other cultural institutions that were closed on friday included the musee dorsay which is in a former train station on the left bank the musee du quai branly which is devoted to non western art and the main bibliotheque nationale building named after former president francois mitterrand
the musee girodet in montargis a town about 77 miles south of paris suffered heavy damage on thursday the museum is devoted mainly to the work of anne louis girodet a romantic painter who died in 1824
heavy rains also caused deadly flooding in germany particularly in the southwestern state of baden wurttemberg and in the southern state of bavaria


after weeks of criticism from fellow democrats about her approach to a barrage of insults from donald j trump hillary clinton drastically changed course on thursday instead of staying above the fray she took the fight to mr trump
in a speech in san diego that was billed as a policy address mrs clinton instead sought to frame the stakes of an election against mr trump and she pulled no punches in contrast with most of mr trumps aides she called him by his first name she insinuated that he was mentally instable and she mocked his frequent use of twitter
the attack appeared to get under mr trumps skin despite his protestations to the contrary at a rally in california on thursday night he said mrs clinton was both sycophantic to president obama and despising of him a line of attack that aligns with that of edward klein a conservative author whose books on mrs clinton and mr obama have been dismissed by critics as including fabrications
mr trump also called mrs clinton lyin hillary recycling a nickname he deployed to great effect against senator ted cruz of texas in the primaries he added that mrs clinton belonged in prison because of her use of a private email server when secretary of state
the presumptive republican candidate also put an exclamation point on a recent endorsement from the house speaker paul d ryan by making an overtly racial remark about the indiana born judge of mexican descent who is overseeing a case against the now defunct trump university because mr trump wants to build a wall along the border with mexico the judge has a conflict of interest the candidate said
the clinton campaign wasted little time laying out details before her speech a victory lap that belies the challenge she still faces the speech was forceful but it is not a case that she will be able to make just once and move on


beijing   fourteen films on subjects ranging from life in tibet to a drug fueled romance have been chosen to compete for the main golden goblet award at this years shanghai international film festival
among the films announced on thursday are werner herzogs salt and fire starring veronica ferres michael shannon and gael garcia bernal about a scientist who teams up with a corporation after a volcano disaster in south america which is a world premiere and bruce beresfords mr church a coming of age drama starring eddie murphy
the 19th edition of the festival chinas most prominent international film event will run june 11 19 a screening of cold war ii the sequel to the hong kong cop thriller cold war 2012 starring chow yun fat tony leung ka fai and aaron kwok will kick off the festivities
the competition for the golden goblet the festivals top award includes three films by chinese directors liu jies de lan and zhang yangs soul on a string both set in tibet as well as cao baopings coke and bull other films from asia include the filipino film hamog directed by ralston jover about street children in manila and the japanese film the projects directed by junji sakamoto about an elderly couple living in a danchi or public housing complex
in embryo directorial debut of the danish hollywood actor ulrich thomsen the celebration  from 1998 will have its world premiere at the festival the film is a gritty love story about a drug dealer played by ross mccall
other films in the main competition include flowers of evil by the finnish director antti jokinen forest 4 am by the polish director jan jakub kolski hear the silence by the german director ed ehrenberg hannas sleeping dogs by the austrian director andreas gruber see you in texas by the italian director vito palmieri and sound and fury by the iranian director hooman seyadi
the jury will be led by the serbian director emir kusturica
the finalists for the documentary competition include hogir hiroris the girl who saved my life about the kurdish directors return to his homeland after the rise of the islamic state and tomer heymanns mr gaga which tells the story of ohad naharin the israeli choreographer and artistic director of the batsheva dance company in tel aviv


the official confirmation of princes death by opioid overdose is likely to reverberate in washington where lawmakers are still trying to hammer out a deal on legislation attempting to stem a national crisis in abuse of those drugs
no one is immune senator rob portman an ohio republican and one of the main authors of the senate legislation said in a statement the heroin and prescription drug epidemic is devastating families and communities all over the country and we need to get this bill to the presidents desk as quickly as possible
lawmakers have exhibited widespread bipartisan agreement that congress needs to take steps to improve drug treatment to better control prescription drug distribution and to enhance training of emergency responders in treating overdoses but progress on the legislation has been slowed by disputes over funding and by other maneuvering over legislation that members of both parties see as a selling point in the fall elections
house and senate negotiators have started preliminary talks on reconciling different versions of the opioid legislation that have been passed by the two chambers and they now hope to produce a final package before the next recess over the fourth of july
princes death is likely to spur them on high profile drug fatalities have had that effect in the past the death from a cocaine overdose of the college basketball star len bias in june 1986 is widely credited with starting the crackdown of those years that came to be known as the war on drugs


washington   donald j trumps blustery attacks on the press complaints about the judicial system and bold claims of presidential power collectively sketch out a constitutional worldview that shows contempt for the first amendment the separation of powers and the rule of law legal experts across the political spectrum say
even as much of the republican political establishment lines up behind its presumptive nominee many conservative and libertarian legal scholars warn that electing mr trump is a recipe for a constitutional crisis
who knows what donald trump with a pen and phone would do asked ilya shapiro a lawyer with the libertarian cato institute
with five months to go before election day mr trump has already said he would loosen libel laws to make it easier to sue news organizations he has threatened to sic federal regulators on his critics he has encouraged rough treatment of demonstrators
his proposal to bar muslims from entry into the country tests the constitutions guarantees of religious freedom due process and equal protection
and in what was a tipping point for some he attacked judge gonzalo p curiel of the federal district court in san diego who is overseeing two class actions against trump university
mr trump accused the judge of bias falsely said he was mexican and seemed to issue a threat
they ought to look into judge curiel because what judge curiel is doing is a total disgrace mr trump said ok but we will come back in november wouldnt that be wild if i am president and come back and do a civil case
david post a retired law professor who now writes for the volokh conspiracy a conservative leaning law blog said those comments had crossed a line
this is how authoritarianism starts with a president who does not respect the judiciary mr post said you can criticize the judicial system you can criticize individual cases you can criticize individual judges but the president has to be clear that the law is the law and that he enforces the law that is his constitutional obligation
if he is signaling that that is not his position thats a very serious constitutional problem mr post said
beyond the attack on judicial independence is a broader question of mr trumps commitment to the separation of powers and to the principles of federalism enshrined in the constitution randy e barnett a law professor at georgetown and an architect of the first major challenge to president obamas health care law said he had grave doubts on both fronts
you would like a president with some idea about constitutional limits on presidential powers on congressional powers on federal powers professor barnett said and i doubt he has any awareness of such limits
republican leaders say they are confident that mr trump would respect the rule of law if elected hell have a white house counsel senator mitch mcconnell of kentucky the majority leader told hugh hewitt the radio host on monday there will be others who point out theres certain things you can do and you cant do
senator john mccain republican of arizona who has become a reluctant supporter of mr trump said he did not believe that the nation would be in danger under his presidency
i still believe we have the institutions of government that would restrain someone who seeks to exceed their constitutional obligations mr mccain said we have a congress we have the supreme court were not romania
our institutions including the press are still strong enough to prevent unconstitutional acts he said
mr post said that view was too sanguine given the executive branchs practical primacy the president has all the power with respect to enforcing the law he said theres only one of those three branches that actually has the guns in its hands and thats the executive
republican officials have criticized mr obama for what they have called his unconstitutional expansion of executive power but some legal scholars who share that view say the problem under a president trump would be worse
i dont think he cares about separation of powers at all said richard epstein a fellow at the hoover institution who also teaches at new york university and the university of chicago
president george w bush often went beyond what he should have done professor epstein said i think obamas been much worse on that issue pretty consistently and his underlings have been even more so but i think trump doesnt even think theres an issue to worry about he just simply says whatever i want to do i will do
mr trump has boasted that he will use mr obamas actions as precedent for his own expansive assertions of executive power
hes led the way to be honest with you he said in january on meet the press referring to mr obamas program to spare millions of immigrants in the country unlawfully from deportation but im going to use them much better and theyre going to serve a much better purpose than what hes done
but mr post said there was a difference between mr obamas view of executive power and that of mr trump whatever you think of obamas position on immigration he is willing to submit to the courts he said there is no suggestion that he will disobey if the courts rule against him
several law professors said they were less sure about mr trump citing the actions of another populist president andrew jackson who refused to enforce an 1832 supreme court decision arising from a clash between georgia and the cherokee nation
i can easily see a situation in which he would take the andrew jackson line professor epstein said referring to a probably apocryphal comment attributed to jackson about chief justice john marshall john marshall has made his decision now let him enforce it
there are other precedents said john c yoo a law professor at the university of california berkeley who took an expansive view of executive power as a lawyer in the bush administration the only two other presidents i can think of who were so hostile to judges on an individual level and to the judiciary as a whole would be thomas jefferson and franklin roosevelt he said
both of those presidents chafed at what they saw as excessive judicial power but they werent doing it because they had cases before those judges as individuals professor yoo said they had legitimate separation of powers fights between the presidency and the judiciary trump is lashing out because he has a lawsuit in a private capacity which is much more disturbing
other legal scholars said they were worried about mr trumps commitment to the first amendment he has taken particular aim at the washington post and its owner jeff bezos the founder of amazon
he owns amazon mr trump said in february he wants political influence so amazon will benefit from it thats not right and believe me if i become president oh do they have problems theyre going to have such problems
more generally mr trump has discussed revising libel laws to make it easier to sue over critical coverage
im going to open up our libel laws so when they write purposely negative and horrible and false articles we can sue them and win lots of money mr trump said in february were going to open up those libel laws so when the new york times writes a hit piece which is a total disgrace or when the washington post which is there for other reasons writes a hit piece we can sue them and win money instead of having no chance of winning because theyre totally protected
on one hand mr trump seemed to misunderstand the scope of presidential power libel is a state law tort constrained by first amendment principles and a presidents views do not figure in its application
on the other hand said ilya somin a law professor at george mason university mr trumps comments betrayed a troubling disregard for free expression
there are very few serious constitutional thinkers who believe public figures should be able to use libel as indiscriminately as trump seems to think they should professor somin said he poses a serious threat to the press and the first amendment
many of mr trumps statements about legal issues were extemporaneous and resist conventional legal analysis some seemed to betray ignorance of fundamental legal concepts as when he said in a debate that senator ted cruz of texas had criticized mr trumps sister a federal appeals court judge for signing a certain bill adding for good measure that justice samuel a alito jr while still an appeals court judge had also signed that bill
but bills are legislative rather than judicial documents and as it happened judge alito had not joined the opinion in question
asked on good morning america in march about whom he would name to the supreme court mr trump said he would probably appoint people that would look very seriously at hillary clintons email disaster because its criminal activity in the constitutional structure however supreme court justices are neither investigators nor prosecutors
when mr trump recently released a list of his potential supreme court nominees conservative and libertarian scholars were heartened but only to a point
it was a tremendous list a great list said mr shapiro from the cato institute who knows how much you can trust the list


honolulu   anna sullivan is prohibited from sitting on a sidewalk she cannot wander off to find food without worrying that the police might seize her shopping cart she cannot sleep on waikiki beach without fear of being rousted
ms sullivan 45 has been homeless for eight years since she got out of prison but these days   after run ins with the police over where she sleeps sits or leaves her belongings   she tries to keep away from waikiki the bustling tourist district whose sidewalks and beaches she once used as her home
tickets tickets tickets she said already looking weary at the start of her morning sipping a cup of iced coffee as she sat on a bench by the beach the cops give you a ticket to keep you moving and then you have to pay the ticket for sleeping in the park it gets to you
two years ago honolulu for all its opulence and appeal to tourists was a nationally known hub of homelessness people sprawling on benches and sidewalks panhandling guarding piles of tents and clothes sleeping in doorways and moving around aimlessly business leaders described the atmosphere as a fundamental threat to the tourist based economy
but these days the homeless who had crowded large parts of this city are to a considerable extent gone
the change came after honolulu responded with force to what the governor described as a state of emergency passing tough criminal laws aimed at ridding sidewalks streets and parks of the homeless at the same time the city sent teams of social workers out to help the homeless move into shelters and the tourist industry put up money to cover airfare for homeless people who had come from the mainland and who said they were ready to go home
now it is possible to spend hours wandering waikiki and chinatown two historic neighborhoods where hundreds of homeless people once settled and encounter only the occasional reminder that hawaii has the highest per capita homeless population in the nation
a battery of laws that effectively criminalize homelessness is sweeping the nation embraced by places like orlando fla santa cruz calif and manchester nh by the end of 2014 100 cities had made it a crime to sit on a sidewalk a 43 percent increase over 2011 according to a survey of 187 major american cities by the national law center on homelessness and poverty the number of cities that banned sleeping in cars jumped to 81 from 37 during that same period there have been laws outlawing panhandling and authorizing the removal of tent camps
honolulus mayor kirk caldwell coined the phrase compassionate disruption to describe what the city is doing because the measures are accompanied by outreach programs
but there seems little doubt among city officials and the homeless themselves that the change on the streets is primarily a result of the laws that permit the authorities to tell people to stop sitting on sidewalks and to seize belongings that are illegally piled on public land
the crackdown comes amid the gentrification that is transforming cities like new york san francisco los angeles washington and honolulu contributing to higher housing costs and increased homelessness you know what they say the state bird of hawaii is asked eric john odegaard 44 who has been homeless most of his life gesturing to the growing honolulu skyline the crane mr odegaard sleeps in the nearby mountains
in honolulu the most recent homeless law made it illegal to sit or lie on sidewalks with criminal penalties if warnings are ignored in waikiki the tourist district and in chinatown that followed laws that let the authorities seize the belongings of homeless people left in public spaces and that closed down many parks and beaches at night so far there have been only a handful of arrests the strategy here is to use the threat of tickets and jail to prod homeless people to go someplace else
i would tell you emphatically that its working really really well said george szigeti the head of the hawaii tourism authority the no 1 reason that people were saying they would not come back to hawaii was because of homelessness
some social workers say that the specter of enforcement makes it easier to persuade the homeless to try a night in a shelter bed or enter a drug treatment program other advocates have sued the city over some of its approaches
for all the applause from the tourist industry and city hall the honolulu experience appears to be more of a salve to the concerns of civic leaders than a solution to finding a bed for those without a place to live in 2015 the department of housing and urban development counted 7620 people as homeless in hawaii whose population totals 14 million the vast majority of the homeless are in honolulu on oahu
while homeless people have largely vanished from the areas that were the focus of the crackdown many have just gone elsewhere into the dense greenery up diamond head road to out of the way alleys and remote corners of public parks
in interviews homeless men and women displayed a mastery of the intricacies of state and city laws of how some sidewalks are covered and others are not and of how beaches open at 5 am allowing a few hours to sleep before it gets too hot they know not to smoke a cigarette on a beach or push a shopping cart along the sidewalk in waikiki prohibited activities which will draw the attention of the police
we had to go from the state side of the street to the city property said brian bowser 36 who has been homeless since 1995 we just do our best
hawaii has among the highest per capita living costs in the country there are not many places where the indigent can afford to live you see tents going up everywhere said victor geminiani the executive director of hawaii appleseed center for law and economic justice an advocate of homeless people its just a matter of whac a mole
ernie martin the chairman of the honolulu city council said he voted reluctantly for the sidewalk law known as the sit lie measure and saw it as a stopgap at the end of the day it doesnt matter we can sit lie the whole island if we want he said the population has to go somewhere we cant push them into the ocean
the sidewalk ordinance took effect at the end of 2014 and through march 1 of this year the police had issued 16215 warnings and written 534 summonses according to city officials
people moved because they were being harassed said dan foster 49 who has been homeless since coming from oregon more than a year ago between dealing with cops and legal authorities theyd rather just go so they dont have to deal with it i think its a violation of our constitutional rights our right to sit places and sleep where we choose but you know what i understand theres a lot going on out here
the city council last year expanded the sit lie ordinance to include 16 neighborhoods putting more territory off bounds asked whether he would advise other cities to embrace the approach mr caldwell responded without hesitation yes he said
sit lie is not about homelessness mr caldwell said as he took a visitor on a tour around the city pointing out the new high priced condominiums rising over boulevards where tents and homeless outposts once lined the street sit lie is about commerce its about keeping sidewalks open for people to do business
across town the next morning police officers monitoring a bank of surveillance cameras at the chinatown substation spotted darlin abelaye who has lived most of her 55 years on the streets here she was settled in front of a liquor store her legs splayed struggling to light a cigarette by sitting down she was violating the 16 month old city ordinance
moments later ms abelaye looked up as two officers approached on maunakea street she peered up the empty sidewalks and rose unsteadily by now she knew where to head when the police came ill go to aala park she said thats where ill sleep
kakaako is a retail neighborhood two miles up the shoreline from waikiki and not a place where tourists tend to stray
last summer it became a flash point in honolulus campaign to rid the streets of the homeless sidewalks and patches of grass were covered with tents sleeping bags shopping carts folding chairs and piles of belongings merchants and residents in kakaako complained that the influx was a result of the campaign to push people out of chinatown and waikiki
and so a week after labor day teams of city sanitation workers showed up carrying brooms and shovels they were followed by garbage trucks as the police and the homeless looked on the workers cleared the sidewalks and streets throwing tents blankets clothing and refuse that had been left behind into the trucks
the american civil liberties union filed suit in the united states district court in hawaii charging that honolulu was violating the constitutional rights of people struggling to survive we are very concerned about laws that criminalize the status of indigency said daniel m gluck the legal director of the aclu of hawaii we have seen some very aggressive laws here
the court agreed in january honolulu signed a stipulation promising to wait 45 days before destroying the belongings it seized allowing people a chance to retrieve them and to guarantee 24 hours notice in most cases before clearing sidewalks and parks the city is required to videotape the material it takes we have to store property longer which we are doing mr caldwell said we have to inventory what we store the sweeps have gone on eight person crews go out five days a week
these kinds of cases challenging city actions are cropping up elsewhere the united states justice department filed a brief last summer asking a federal court to throw out a boise idaho ordinance that prohibited sleeping in public places arguing that anti camping regulations in a city where there was insufficient shelter violated constitutional provisions against cruel and unusual punishment the court dismissed the lawsuit brought by homeless plaintiffs
it was a good opportunity for us to make very clear that jurisdictions like boise cant make it a crime for people who are homeless to sleep in public places when there arent enough beds in the city said vanita gupta the principal deputy assistant general with the departments civil rights division punishing someone for sleeping in a public place would basically be punishing someone for being homeless criminalizing conduct that is integral to ones status is equivalent to criminalizing status
the department of housing and urban development announced this year that it would steer homeless assistance funds away from cities that use various prohibitions that it says make homelessness illegal we are strongly against such measures said matthew doherty the executive director of the united states interagency council on homelessness which coordinates the federal response to homelessness by criminalizing peoples lives as they experience homelessness it makes it harder to get them out of homelessness
ralph mccarroll sat slumped in a wheelchair on a busy waikiki street corner the morning sun bright over his head his face tracked with stitches and bruises from tripping on the curb the night before a pint of vodka was tucked at his side justin phillips who spent years living on the street and is now the senior outreach officer for the institute for human services a nonprofit agency which helps the homeless crouched beside him
can i get you something mr phillips asked taking out a packet of baby wipes to clean the wounds on the mans face
another bottle of vodka mr mccarroll said with a cackle
i cant do that for you mr phillips said leaning in to whisper another idea
if i wanted detox i would have been there already justin mr mccarroll replied
mr mccarroll has maintained his perch on his corner law or no law for as long as he can remember few authorities would want to be in a position of rousting a battered 64 year old man from his wheelchair not that they have given up i have 30 tickets he said im never going to pay them and they know that
yet that does not appear to deter mr phillips who is trying to persuade people whose plight he once shared to break out of this life we come out here we try to get them into the shelter cleaned up mr phillips said at that point well try to do an intervention hey you want to go to detox by the way we have an outpatient program for alcohol and drugs can i sign you up 
while punitive laws have drawn criticism from federal officials they are applauded here by some advocates of the homeless a lot of people say these laws dont work said kimo carvalho the director of community relations with the institute for human services but as a service provider we advocated for these laws because our homeless outreach teams need to motivate clients to take action
two years ago the hawaii lodging and tourism association gave 500000 to the institute for human services on a promise from the institute that it could cut the homeless population in waikiki in half the money went to pay for teams like the one mr phillips was leading a shuttle to take people to a shelter for a shower clean clothes and food and the airline relocation program this is our economic engine we absolutely had to do this said mr szigeti the head of the hawaii tourism authority who was the president of the lodging and tourism association at the time
there were 559 men and women living on the streets of waikiki and chinatown when the program began in november 2014 as of early march that population had been slashed by 392 mr carvalho said 219 had been placed in temporary or permanent housing and another 173 had been flown out
still enforcement is a fraught subject in hawaii whose allure is built in no small part on marketing itself to the world as the aloha state with a welcoming atmosphere mr caldwell recoils at the use of words like sweep and confiscation leland cadoy a police corporal walking the streets of waikiki with a reporter kindly addressed every homeless person he saw and spoke only of rcps
residentially challenged people he said when asked about the acronym you call someone homeless it sounds derogatory
even as he applauded the changes in waikiki david ige the governor said the crackdown was not the answer to the homeless crisis that has become such a part of life here he said that what honolulu needed was affordable housing a goal that has stubbornly eluded this island
homelessness has reached every community in the island   in areas where you didnt see them five years ago he said if you are just enforcing and moving people from location to location you are not really reducing or solving the problem its just making it someone elses problems its not like they can leave the state


the government reported on friday that employers added just 38000 workers to their payrolls in may a sharp slowdown in hiring that is expected to push back a decision by the federal reserve to raise interest rates
the latest snapshot suggested that the economic recovery might have stalled this spring at least temporarily
despite the anemic job gains the official unemployment rate which is based on a separate survey of households fell to 47 percent its lowest point in nearly a decade but the decline was primarily a result of americans dropping out of the labor force rather than finding new jobs
boy this is ugly said diane swonk an independent economist in chicago the losses were deeper and more broad based than we expected and with the downward revision to previous months it puts the fed back on pause
the only good news is that wages held ms swonk said average hourly earnings rose again 02 percent for the month for a gain of 25 percent for the last 12 months an encouraging sign that many more working americans are finally beginning to enjoy some benefits from a tighter labor market
in close presidential races the economys direction in the months leading to the november election has often played an important role in influencing voters with credit or blame going to the party that occupies the white house this is hardly a typical presidential race though and fridays report is only one indicator of the economy
still after revving up over the last two years the nations job engine appears to have sputtered with the labor department shrinking its initial estimates of march and aprils employment totals by 59000 the average monthly gain for the last three months was 116000 jobs
while subject to further revision as well mays figures were the lowest monthly growth since september 2010
the weakness in last months job totals was somewhat exaggerated because the estimate reflected the labor department classification of more than 35000 striking verizon workers as unemployed with those people now back on the job the missing strikers should be added back in the june report
even apart from that distortion the average monthly job gains so far in 2016 have fallen far shy of the nearly 240000 average of the last two years a pace that has helped buoy the economy and cut the jobless figure in half since the depths of the recession
given the uncertainty about the economic outlook the federal reserve is now likely to put off any decision to raise interest rates at its next meeting in mid june and probably avoid lifting rates at its july meeting as well
lael brainard a fed governor and an ally of the fed chairwoman janet l yellen described the may report as sobering in a speech on friday afternoon
ms brainard said the weak job growth was a reminder that the strength of the recovery should not be taken for granted and she said she did not see clear evidence the economy had rebounded from a weak winter
recent economic developments have been mixed and important downside risks remain ms brainard who has pushed for the fed to move slowly in raising interest rates said at the council on foreign relations in washington in this environment prudent risk management implies there is a benefit to waiting for additional data
after the friday report investors wrote off the chances of a june rate increase the probability as suggested by asset prices fell to 6 percent from 21 percent in early trading according to the cme group the probability of a rate rise by september fell from about two thirds but it remained about 5050 either way
with the summer stretching ahead the sentiment on wall street could perhaps be best summed up by the tempos 1959 hit see you in september
unless there are further signs of fresh economic weakness however most economists expect at least one rate increase before the end of the year the unemployment rate which the fed regards as an important indicator has finally dropped to where it was before the recession began in late 2007 and first time claims for unemployment insurance have remained at low levels not seen since the 1970s
on the other side of the ledger the labor force participation rate declined for the second consecutive month to 626 percent and the number of people working part time for economic reasons rose sharply
apart from the jobs figures there are several encouraging economic signs including a surge in home construction and hardy consumer spending most analysts expect the pace of economic growth to pick up to about 25 percent over the next three months from the first quarters 08 percent
to be clear there is no evidence the economy is slowing into recession said steve blitz chief economist of m science a research firm
voters perceptions of the economy are often a driving force in presidential elections its always good to be the party in power when the economic cycle is turning up in an election said mark j rozell a political scientist at george mason university its never advantageous when there is a downturn close to the election
this time around though history may not be the best guide thomas e mann a resident scholar at berkeleys institute of governmental studies warned we should beware normalizing an abnormal election
under these circumstances he said theres a good chance that the degree of a candidates personal unfavorability could be more important than the economy
as for the economys impact mr mann said changes in personal income which are on the rise tend to sway voters at the margins more than the jobless rate or the pace of job creation
hillary clinton the likely democratic nominee has closely aligned herself with president obamas economic policies and record long streak of job gains worries about the economy are a more common refrain among supporters of donald j trump the presumptive republican presidential nominee as well as among those who are backing senator bernie sanderss last ditch bid to lead the democratic ticket
mr trump was quick to react on twitter writing terrible jobs report just reported only 38000 jobs added bombshell
thomas perez the labor secretary acknowledged that the jobs report was disappointing but he said the closer you get to the summit of full employment the more trade offs there will be between somewhat slower job growth and rising wages and thats what were beginning to see here in this recovery
he too continues to be disturbed by the persistently low labor participation rate
retiring baby boomers would be expected to bring down the proportion of the population in the labor market but patrick okeefe director of economic research at cohnreznick an accounting tax and advisory firm pointed to the significant decline among those in their prime working ages as well because so many discouraged job seekers have dropped out of the work force he said the relatively low official jobless rate is not capturing the true magnitude of the economys underlying weakness
in policy making the fed continues to focus on a measure that is maladjusted mr okeefe said
a broader measure of unemployment that includes people too discouraged to search for work or who are making do with a part time job because they cannot find a full time one stayed steady at 97 percent
the heaviest job losses in may were in the construction manufacturing and mining industries
not everyone has seen a softening tom gimbel chief executive of lasalle network a chicago recruiter said in a weak economy what usually gets cut first and usually gets put on hold first are jobs at the manager to director level   those earning between 75000 and 125000   and i havent seen that yet 
at the lower end of the pay scale workers have been hungry for an increase in wages that is finally starting to materialize as employers find it harder to fill jobs minimum wage increases that have already taken effect in some places may be partly responsible for the uptick in average hourly earnings
payroll growth was disappointing said jeremy schwartz an associate in global strategy and economics at credit suisse but it was also consistent with a tightening labor market as he advised in an alert dont panic


hamilton nj   for about as long as lauren hernandez can remember maggie haney has guided her through the daily rituals that gymnasts know well the early drives to practice six days a week the hours of conditioning the pep talks and the hugs when things go right and when they do not
hernandez who goes by laurie has never competed without haney by her side haney had never coached an elite gymnast before hernandez in a sport in which top coaches often turn out multiple elite athletes in which families sometimes traverse the country to work with those coaches these two share an uncommon bond
each new experience has been experienced together
shes kind of like my firstborn haney said as hernandez the reigning national junior champion trained in a gym here on a recent friday shes not just a regular kid i dont say that just because ive had her forever
if hernandez who will be 16 on thursday is a member of the united states olympic team in rio de janeiro teacher and student will share another first as underdogs at the summer games
it seems that turning 16 in an olympic year could be a good thing the past nine united states olympic gymnastics squads have included at least one girl who was 16 or younger among the four american women to win an all around olympic gold medal three   mary lou retton carly patterson and gabby douglas   were 16
but because hernandez was not 16 by jan 1 she was ineligible to compete last year against older peers who incorporate tougher skills other younger gymnasts are in a similar position including jazmyn foberg the surprise 2014 national junior champion who is hernandezs best friend and training partner
and the american talent pool may be the deepest it has ever been simone biles 18 the runaway favorite to win the all around event in rio is the only woman with three consecutive world all around titles douglas now 20 could be the first female all around champion since nadia comaneci of romania in 1980 to compete in the subsequent olympics aly raisman the most decorated american gymnast at the 2012 games is back at 22
there are only five spots on the american team at the olympic trials in july hernandez needs to be lucky
shes going to be the fourth or fifth in or the first or second out haney said theres only one position thats a lock and thats simone if shes walking shes going
hernandez thinks now is her time but maintains that rios just another meet
im just taking it day by day she said between laughs i cant even tell you what im doing in september or something or tomorrow i dont even know what im doing tomorrow
she said she had not given the 2020 tokyo olympics much thought there is so much to do before then going to prom graduating from high school enrolling in college she and foberg have tentatively committed to the university of florida their twitter bios include future florida gator
hernandez has built a strong resume at her young age especially after sitting out 2014 after she injured her right knee and tore a patellar tendon
i got a piece of a dead persons ligament in my body she said
in 2015 hernandez won all around titles in every major national and international competition she entered she has also finished second to biles in closed door training camp competitions
hernandez has been called a human emoji charisma oozes from her muscle packed 5 foot frame she makes funny faces she likes to color she loves to paint her nails she enjoys ooh so many kinds of food she said but especially ice cream she eats it in moderation of course
secretly she said im a 5 year old
haney a former gymnast at north carolina state funnels that energy into her pupils routines hernandez does not have the most difficult or powerful tumbling haney said but her dance ability makes her a crowd pleaser on beam and floor exercise
martha karolyi who oversees elite womens gymnastics in the united states and has an outsize influence on who makes the olympic team is vocal about artistry and execution every turn and leap every pointed toe and eyebrow raised could bolster hernandezs chances
but what about the emoji faces
if its a good idea then maggie will put it in my routine hernandez said if its not shell be like no dont do that most of the time shell say add a face here do this face here no no no that ones too expressive youve got to tone it down a bit
haney said ive definitely had to learn over the years to calm her down to keep her more focused not to just always be so fun fun fun but to really be calm and in control of her body
hernandez began gymnastics when she was enrolled in group lessons in her hometown old bridge nj when hernandez was 6 haneys sister who teaches recreational classes singled her out as a child with potential a child so cute haney recalled her sister saying youre going to love her
since then hernandezs parents anthony and wanda a court clerk and a social worker have trusted haney to be a chauffeur advocate cheerleader and disciplinarian for their youngest child
her family supports her and they trust me haney said until id say the past year the past six months we never even talked about the olympics or the goal of the olympics so her familys been a bit in the dark on what weve been doing every day
but now with social media you can find everything out there they started seeing rio hopeful so then it kind of had to become a topic of conversation
before the olympics were in the picture foberg joined haney and hernandez and the duo became a trio foberg did not compete in early 2016 because of an ankle injury but she and hernandez will be at the secret classic meet on saturday in hartford one of the last showcases before the olympic trials next month karolyi will be watching closely
i dont want to mess it up haney said looking at hernandez across the gym i want to make sure i get everything right for her so its stressful you never know maybe when shes 20 we can do this again but theres no guarantee so you just want to get it right the first time
haney and hernandez have a deal if they spend august in new jersey
stick around for 2020 the coach told the student and ill make sure you get a really cute prom date


washington   hillary clinton on thursday delivered her most robust attack yet on her likely republican opponent donald j trump declaring him temperamentally unfit to be commander in chief but although her campaign had described the speech as a major foreign policy address mrs clinton spent more time ridiculing and dismantling mr trumps statements than she did elucidating her positions here are a few key issues she did not discuss
in october 2015 mrs clinton told a boston television station i personally would be advocating now for a no fly zone and humanitarian corridors to try to stop the carnage on the ground and from the air she repeated that call during a democratic debate two months later but president obama has resisted such a move the pentagon is also leery military commanders warn that it would require substantial numbers of american ground forces and invite a deadly confrontation with the syrians and the russians she has not fleshed out the proposal since then
last fall mrs clinton said i am in the category of people who wanted to do more in response to the annexation of crimea and the continuing destabilizing of ukraine her aides said she supported a proposal to funnel defensive weapons like javelin antitank missiles to ukrainian troops mr obama argued that this would escalate a showdown with russia   one that mr putin would inevitably win given ukraines proximity and its greater strategic value to russia on thursday mrs clinton made no mention of steps she would take to counter mr putins aggression saying only that she had gone toe to toe with moscow as secretary of state
mrs clinton played a pivotal role in persuading mr obama to take part in the 2011 nato air campaign that toppled col muammar el qaddafi she has expressed no regrets about the intervention even after libya fell into chaos and four americans were killed in the attack on a diplomatic outpost in benghazi her aides attribute the countrys woes to the unwillingness of its new leaders to accept a peacekeeping force but mrs clinton has said little about how the united states can help put libya back together other than calling for patient engagement on thursday she left libya off the list of knotty issues she and mr obama had confronted
after the terrorist attacks in paris and in san bernardino calif last year mrs clinton called for an intensification and acceleration of mr obamas military campaign against the islamic state her plan unveiled in november at the council on foreign relations would consist of heavier airstrikes against islamic state fighters the possible deployment of additional special forces troops to help arab and kurdish forces in syria and iraq and efforts to counter recruitment by the terrorist group over social media on thursday she repeated that list saying that in a nutshell is my plan for defeating isis she offered no further details
mrs clinton excoriated mr trump for as she put it gleefully praising the north korean dictator for his brutal consolidation of power she also talked about the importance of americas allies in confronting the threat from pyongyang over its nuclear program after mr trump said recently that he would be open to direct talks with mr kim mrs clintons aides were sensitive to the suggestion that she had not been open to diplomacy she wasnt averse to testing diplomacy with the north jake sullivan her senior policy adviser said in an interview she did have a cleareyed view of what was possible if elected mrs clinton appears likely to make full use of the sanctions imposed by the united nations security council including so called secondary sanctions which the united states can impose on entities that do business with north korea but she did not delve into those details on thursday nor did she discuss a north korea policy that experts say is badly in need of review


beijing can be a pretty informal place people walk outside in their pajamas and when its hot some men lift up their shirts to expose their bellies even president xi jinping dresses down usually in his trademark dark windbreaker
the authorities have determined that one place in chinas capital has gotten far too casual the marriage registration office
some people wear sleeveless shirts and shorts or slippers to register their marriages han mingxi head of the wedding registry office for the beijing civil affairs bureau told beijing daily the official newspaper of the citys communist party committee you see them and can immediately tell their attitude toward the marriage registry is too casual this can easily create all sorts of problems
china has seen an increasing divorce rate in recent years a phenomenon that has been especially pronounced in beijing while the number of couples marrying each year from 2011 to 2014 remained constant around 170000 the number divorcing over those years climbed to 56000 from 33000 according to the beijing civil affairs bureau
as part of new rules going into effect on july 1 wedding registry officials will elevate the sense of ceremonial formality mr han told beijing daily but unlike bouncers at an exclusive nightclub registry officials wont be able to turn away slovenly dressed couples the new rules will not allow people to be blocked from having their marriages registered mr han said but rather will call for officials to make suggestions about appropriate attire
a column on nanfangwang an online news outlet affiliated with the government of guangdong province expressed support for the new rules although it acknowledged that some people might consider suggestions on wedding registration attire an example of regulatory overreach it predicted that the proposal would have a positive effect on marriages
of course strengthening and advancing newlyweds understanding of marriage isnt something that must be done the column said but if all newlyweds would treat the marriage registry with importance and pay attention to ceremony then it would definitely help these newlyweds have a sense of the value and importance of marriage


beijing   anyone who spends any time online in china knows surfing the internet is like wading through quicksand that is especially true when browsing websites not hosted on a chinese server
this week an online report published in china daily a state run english language newspaper said that china the worlds second largest economy ranked an abysmal 91st in the world in internet speed with the average broadband connection scored at a mere 946 megabits per second or mbps there are nearly 200 countries in the world
the report ranked the top five countries in internet speed as south korea sweden norway japan and the netherlands the average broadband speed in south korea was reported as 267 mbps in sweden it was 191 mbps
the data was part of a broader report that was aimed at boasting of chinas internet connectivity under the title evolution of the internet in china the report listed as its sources the china internet network information center an agency under the ministry of industry and information technology the website of peoples daily the communist party newspaper the broadband development alliance a research group and akamai technologies a content delivery network and cloud services provider based in cambridge mass
the report promoted the fact that china now has 688 million people online about half the population that it added 40 million new internet users in 2015 and that 90 percent of users can get online via their mobile phones
it also said 358 million people now make financial transactions using online payment tools
the statistics showing chinas poor internet speed were relegated to the bottom of the page
many foreign websites   including the new york times google facebook twitter and youtube   are blocked by the great firewall the system of internet censorship in china people who want to visit those sites must use software that provides a virtual private network or vpn which allows the user to go through a foreign server to get to the websites that slows down internet use even more vpns are also less reliable than ever in china constantly dropping out
in april the man credited with developing the great firewall fang binxing had to use a vpn to try to enter south korean websites during a presentation he was giving at his alma mater the harbin institute of technology the vpn kept dropping out forcing him to ad lib some of his presentation
many people in china do not watch videos hosted on non chinese servers because the videos download or stream too slowly
during politically sensitive periods internet speed becomes molasseslike especially in beijing this happens every spring around the time of the annual legislative conclave here
during mass protests and violence china can shut down access to the wider internet in entire regions forcing users to rely on a very limited intranet this was enacted for one year in xinjiang in the west after ethnic violence erupted there in 2009
there is also extremely limited internet access in some chinese ruled tibetan areas where tibetans have self immolated to protest government policies
last october a report on internet freedom by freedom house a prominent american pro democracy group ranked china last among 65 nations behind iran cuba and myanmar north korea was not part of the report china has been steadily falling in the rankings in the annual report in 2014 it ranked third to last ahead of iran and syria
the report said that over the past year the renewed emphasis on information control led to acts of unconcealed aggression against internet freedom


a major gun control group has endorsed hillary clinton offering a lift to her campaign in a tighter than expected primary race in california and as she tries to pivot to a general election matchup with donald j trump
the group everytown for gun safety announced its endorsement through a statement released early on friday the day after its national gun violence awareness day campaign
gun sense voters have a champion in hillary clinton john feinblatt the president of everytown for gun safety said in the statement our litmus test is simple does a candidate side with the public or with the gun lobby hillary clinton passes that test with flying colors   pushing back against the nras extreme guns for everyone everywhere agenda and ushering in a new political calculus that saving lives from gun violence is a winning issue
the group said it had waited to fully evaluate the candidates and to learn its members preferences before making an endorsement which comes months after three other gun control groups issued a statement calling senator bernie sanders of vermont mrs clintons democratic rival the wrong candidate on gun control
everytown was founded in 2014 by michael r bloomberg the former mayor of new york who put in 50 million of his own money in an effort to form a group that could rival the national rifle association erika soto lamb a spokeswoman said that the group did not speak for mr bloomberg who has not made an endorsement since deciding against a third party run earlier this year but who has been highly critical of mr trump ms lamb said she could not comment on mr bloombergs intentions
in addition to the endorsement everytown pledged to help mrs clintons campaign get out the vote in californias primary on tuesday the spokeswoman said hosting phone banks and door to door campaigns that would start over the weekend the group also claimed credit for mrs clintons wardrobe on thursday as she wore an orange shirt during her foreign policy speech as part of the groups wear orange awareness campaign though it said it had no plans at the moment to begin advertising campaigns it has done so in support of candidates and ballot initiatives
gun control has played a large role in the campaign so far and mrs clinton has frequently addressed the issue seeking to draw clear distinctions between her positions and those of mr sanders mr trump for his part has accused mrs clinton of wanting to abolish the second amendment
mrs clinton has also run numerous ads on the subject before the new york and connecticut primaries the campaign ran one that featured the daughter of the principal of sandy hook elementary school who was killed in the mass shooting there in 2012 no one is fighting harder to reform our gun laws than hillary clinton the daughter said in the ad
before the iowa primary mrs clinton ran a broadcast ad speaking directly to the camera saying either we stand with the gun lobby or we join the president and stand up to them an unnamed jab at mr sanders on the campaign trail she took her attacks further saying mr sanders had voted with the nra and against some gun control bills
mr sanders has often strongly defended his record on guns noting that he has a d minus rating from the national rifle association
everytown has also directly criticized mr trump throughout the primary during his recent speech to the nra everytown began a hashtag campaign called makeamericasafeagain playing on the candidates campaign slogan


tokyo   a 7 year old japanese boy who disappeared nearly a week ago after his parents left him on the side of a mountain road to discipline him was found unharmed on friday the japanese authorities said
the boy yamato tanooka wandered onto a military base about three miles from where he was left on saturday on the northern island of hokkaido he was found early friday morning by soldiers on a training exercise exhausted but apparently uninjured the local police said
the boys parents have faced harsh public criticism over the case which has been covered intensively by the japanese news media since his disappearance
im full of gratitude from now on im going to take better care of him as he grows up yamatos father takayuki tanooka 44 said in comments on nhk the national broadcaster some 200 police officers and volunteer rescue workers had been searching for the boy
the parents initially told the police that their son had become separated from them while they were picking wild vegetables in the mountains but they later changed their story saying they had left their son on the side of the road as punishment for throwing stones at cars and people while they were on an outing
they said they had driven off in their car intending to scare him but when they went back a short time later the boy was gone
the police have not indicated whether they intend to pursue criminal charges against the parents
three soldiers from the japanese ground self defense force found the boy in a cabin on the remote wooded military base on friday morning said hiroki komori a spokesman for the 11th brigade of the northern army which trains there the soldiers had ducked into the cabin to avoid a rain shower mr komori said
the soldiers gave the boy rice balls and tea from a canteen mr komori said he was taken to hakodate municipal hospital by ambulance
japanese news reports said the boy had probably been sheltering for days in the cabin he told the authorities that he had found his way to the area soon after his parents left him and had been subsisting only on water from a nearby stream reports said
commentary about the case on social media has been overwhelmingly critical toward the parents this isnt discipline its child abuse kenichiro mogi a well known neurologist author and television personality wrote on twitter on monday
its the boys father who has learned the big lesson another social media user said after he was found on friday
a few said the parents had simply mishandled an otherwise acceptable form of punishment some said they had been subjected to the same treatment from their own parents after misbehaving as children
i understand i really do but they should at least have kept an eye on him from behind some trees one twitter post from sunday read there are bears in hokkaido


to the many things you can say about donald j trumps presidential bid add this running for president can be bad for business
last year nbc and univision declined to telecast the miss universe pageant trump now the presumptive republican nominee was essentially forced to buy out nbc which had been a partner in the venture and then sell off the pageant a few months later the federal lawsuit over trump university has exposed some unsavory business tactics that he appears to have approved also last year nascar moved an awards banquet from the trump national doral miami resort after one of its key sponsors camping world said it would boycott the event if it were held on the trump property the reason said marcus lemonis camping worlds chief executive was blatantly bigoted and racist comments from donald trump in regards to immigrants of the united states
brian france nascars chief executive endorsed trump in march then faced intense blowback
on wednesday the pga tour announced that a world golf championships event was moving from doral   which has a history of holding pga events that goes back more than half a century   to mexico
yes mexico
doral is one of americas best known golf resorts it has four courses including its crown jewel the blue monster where most of the professional tournaments it hosts are played built on swampland acquired in 1959 by a new york developer the resort was sold to morgan stanley the investment bank in 2007 for 500 million but then came the real estate bust which had a devastating financial effect on doral causing the resort by then somewhat run down to file for bankruptcy in 2011
the trump organization meanwhile had decided to go all in on golf today it owns 17 resorts up from three in 2007 and its golf resort business is most likely the largest fief of the trump empire many of those properties were bought in the wake of the financial crisis when the golf business was struggling and many of those involved believe that golf owes trump a debt of gratitude for investing in the sport during such a tough time
ive been very good for golf trump has said few would disagree
trumps purchase of doral was typical of his approach seeing a chance to buy a distressed property he scooped it up for 150 million a discounted price forbes magazine later described as almost unbelievable he then sank 250 million into renovating it including an overhaul of the blue monster
although he lists its revenue perhaps implausibly as nearly 132 million in the most recent financial disclosure he submitted as part of his presidential run   up from 494 million in last years financial disclosure form   it is probable that doral is his highest grossing and most profitable golf resort among his properties only his turnberry golf resort in scotland ranks with doral in terms of prestige
well before trump bought doral the pga tour had used it to host one of its four annual world golf championships   tournaments that unlike most tour events are restricted to the top players in the world beginning in 2011 cadillac was the chief sponsor from 1962 to 2006 doral hosted a more traditional pga tournament the doral open but cadillac let it be known that it would be dropping its sponsorship the 2016 tournament which was held in march was its last as a sponsor and though it sought a new sponsor for over a year the pga tour was simply unable to find a company to replace cadillac
on wednesday when the tour commissioner tim finchem confirmed that the tournament was moving to mexico city he went out of his way to say the decision to leave doral had not been a political statement from a golf standpoint we have no issues with donald trump he said adding the pga has never been involved nor cares to be involved in presidential politics
in earlier statements the tour noted that it had a 54 year relationship with miami and doral   something it was reluctant to walk away from finchem said at wednesdays news conference that the problem was that trump was such a huge brand he was likely to overshadow any company that was interested in sponsoring the tournament and its true that after he had bought doral trump would invariably make a showstopping appearance at the tournament landing his helicopter for all to see and making the rounds like a conquering hero
but corporations hate controversy and they especially hate political controversy companies sponsor golf tournaments precisely because they offer a way to market to upscale customers in a setting where the only controversy is about who is going to win although there are certainly chief executives and other corporate executives who support trump corporate entities on the whole dont want to be associated with polarizing political positions whether on the left or the right and corporations now embrace diversity
grupo salinas a major mexican conglomerate will now move the tournament to mexico city ricardo salinas its billionaire chief executive has been openly critical of trump he told cnbc last year that trumps comments about mexicans had shown the worst face of america he added its a disgrace that someone could speak in terms like that landing the tournament was not only a coup for grupo salinas and mexico but a way to one up trump
on tuesday evening when trump told sean hannity the fox news host that the tournament was moving to mexico city   i hope they have kidnapping insurance trump said   he claimed that it would allow him to make more money because he would be able to charge full price for his hotel rooms during the prime tourist season maybe but losing the tournament hurts nonetheless being part of the pga tour adds luster to a golf resort making it more appealing to amateur golfers a tournament brings in money from fans and corporations it raises money for charity people who travel to the tournament spend money in the community
doral is not the only trump property being deprived of a prestigious tournament the turnberry resort which he bought in 2014 has traditionally been in the rotation to host the british open but the ra which organizes the british open indicated last year that turnberry was out of the rotation after trumps comments about muslims
on wednesday trump angrily suggested that the pga tours decision was akin to other corporations abandoning america   and american workers   for mexico the pga tour has put profits ahead of thousands of american jobs millions of dollars in revenue for local communities and charities and the enjoyment of thousands of fans he said
but hes wrong to blame the pga in this case the only person trump has to blame is himself


the new york drama critics circle has named shuffle along the best new musical of the season and the humans the best new play
the awards are significant because they are chosen by theater critics but have limited predictive value for the tony awards because the critics consider both broadway and off broadway shows each season so they are often out of sync with the tonys cycle the group had named hamilton the best new musical last season when it played off broadway at the public theater making that show ineligible for this years award
shuffle along which has the full title of shuffle along or the making of the musical sensation of 1921 and all that followed is a jazz and tap show that explores the history of an early all black broadway musical it features songs from the 1921 musical by eubie blake and noble sissle and a new book by george c wolfe who also directed the show
the humans written by stephen karam and directed by joe mantello is about a close knit family grappling over thanksgiving dinner with a series of unexpected disappointments and challenges
shuffle along has been nominated for a tony award for best new musical but hamilton is widely expected to win that category the humans has been nominated for a tony award for best new play and is a leading contender in that category
the drama critics circle includes 22 new york area theater critics critics from the new york times are not part of the organization


london   as addresses go no1 carlton house terrace is as majestic as anyone can aspire to without actually living in a palace
the promotional material for this stately edifice unabashedly displays an aerial view of london highlighting buckingham palace the queens london home clarence house which is the prince of waless pied a terre and st jamess palace another royal mansion built by henry viii in the 1530s and there just along the road claiming prestige by association is no1
it is a splendid manor in a colonnaded creamy white terrace designed by john nash and completed in the 1830s he could hardly have chosen a smarter part of town even if it was known as the wilderness in the time of charles ii who reigned from 1660 to 1685
the terrace is in the district of st jamess the wealthiest corner of londons west end which was developed during the 19th century for the british aristocracy to the north of the terrace is pall mall with its gentlemens clubs expensive tailors the fortnum  mason department store and the ritz hotel   not to mention a superyachts specialist to the south in fact right beneath the propertys windows is the mall where the royals and heads of state parade in antique pomp and across the road are the lake and trees of st jamess park everything about the two square miles of st jamess says money and tradition
no1 is the latest of many properties in the area which were appropriated for use as offices during world war ii as the blitz ravaged the city that are now being returned to their original purpose as homes for the unimaginably rich
two other properties in the terrace are being similarly restored the hinduja brothers billionaire businessmen own three houses converted into one vast mansion valued at 250 million pounds or 365 million and the british foreign secretary has his official grace and favor home across the road in carlton gardens the asking price for no1 is PS55 million and for that the buyer acquires a 125 year lease on more than 26000 square feet over five floors   and a hefty bill for renovation andrew langton chairman of the real estate company aylesford international estimates the work will cost a further PS27 million with stamp duty   a tax levied at increasing rates on all properties above PS125000   costing about PS12 million add in fees and the value added tax and the new owner is heading toward a bill of PS100 million
what does the russian oligarch or saudi prince about town get for his money while aylesford is marketing the property the initial sale is organized by the crown estate which handles land and properties that belong to the monarch and delivers the revenue to the government which spends the money on behalf of public finances
historical note the hapless king george iii 1760 1820 whose reign was characterized by the loss of the american colonies and his own descent into madness traded in the management of many of his properties in st jamess in return for a fixed income from their rents today the queen is entitled to 15 percent of the annual returns from the properties
no1 is one of the relatively few buildings in england to be given an exceptional grade 1 listing by historic england the trust that protects buildings of historic and architectural value the crown estate has produced a slick brochure that suggests how the property could be configured without affecting the listed elements such as marble fireplaces cornices and the reliefs of dancing naiads in the main hall
the plans include seven reception rooms five bedrooms two staff bedroom suites and working from the basement has parking for two cars and several bicycles a pool 48 feet long by 23 feet wide steam rooms a gym a kitchen for the caterers and a movie theater from this level there is access to the long wide terrace that overlooks the mall and st jamess park
the first floor is dominated by the hallway 56 feet long and framed by a monumental staircase it is easy to imagine the great and good of victorian society sashaying up the stairs with its wrought iron banisters and hefty columns to be greeted on the second floor where there is another hallway before being ushered to the dining and drawing rooms at either end each more than 40 feet long all the rooms have high ceilings which emphasize the grandeur of it all the bedrooms are grouped around a third floor gallery while on the fourth floor there could be a garden room and a terrace
despite the publicity concentrating on its use as a home the property could be used for a mix of residential and office space and according to mr langton one possible buyer from north america is considering just that using the first two floors for entertaining and work and the top two floors for living
but what you cant improve on is the buildings story it begins with the distant days of queen victoria when it was home to lord palmerston who pursued britains gunboat diplomacy throughout much of the 19th century lord curzon the viceroy of india resided there from 1899 to 1905 as did william gladstone the prime minister on four occasions from 1868 to 1894 in 1936 it was lived in by the nazi apparatchik and german ambassador joachim von ribbentrop while during the war it was the base for the french leader in exile charles de gaulle
the united states is represented too from 1899 to 1905 it was used by joseph h choate the american ambassador who later promoted the repeal of prohibition and who helped introduce the chinese exclusion act of 1882 banning immigration by chinese laborers
the view that he and many of the residents have shared is more or less unchanged   if you avert your gaze from the giant ferris wheel that is the london eye and the unsightly office blocks to the west beyond the mall and st jamess park are the classic london landmarks   big ben the houses of parliament and westminster abbey
as mr langton said its the grandest house on the grandest street in the grandest part of london


congratulations you settled on a look its been a long time coming from the thrift shop bowling shirts of your college days through the failed sartorial experiments of your late night years now that youve calmed down a little you have a pair of slightly expensive european jeans a few pairs of pants that could be called slacks 12 button down shirts with unfrayed collars and four blazers from medium level designers found on a discount site a year after they left the department store you feel all right with the look on the whole youre presentable nobody stares but deep down you know you resemble a magazine photographer from 1981


the designer telfar clemens creates clothes that are difficult to define in the 11 years that have passed since he presented his first collection his designs have been interpretations of basic gender neutral garments   an aesthetic clemens describes on his website as neither conceptual nor accessible   but both in extremis or as the designer along with the brands creative director babak radboy have termed it extremely normal
i really dont like fabric the liberian american designer admits id rather just have a rough hanes t shirt and denim and i can make you anything out of that whether its a crewneck t shirt transformed into an off the shoulder top a pair of street ready cotton boxer shorts with utility pockets or a white button up with armpit holes telfar clothes are forward thinking takes on straightforward styles i know people arent going to get the concept im doing but i think it is get able he says i have always wanted to be mass market
despite his list of high fashion stockists including opening ceremony and dover street market which will pick up his line for the first time this fall clemens has consistently taken inspiration from big box retailers such as sears and jc penney since the brands beginnings telfar has been on the forefront of several contemporary trends such as oversize sportswear his first collection consisted of baggy hoodies and t shirts and normcore over the years the brand has won fans including the artists josh kline and xavier cha and the musicians fatima al qadiri and dev hynes
telfar further plays on the tenets of mass fashion by acting as the face of his own collections in seasonal art and video collaborations with artists including lizzie fitch and ryan trecartin each season clemens and radboy evolve the lines fictional figurehead   a smiling clapping hyper happy version of clemens himself   that permeates the brands website film projects and fashion show visuals its funny people expect me to be really nice the designer jokes referring to his cheerful alter ego
that artistic persona serves as the basis for telfars exhibition at the new berlin biennale which was curated by the new york based art collective dis magazine and is themed around the idea of the postcontemporary inside clemens has assembled a collection of 13 of his most popular shirt styles that will act in radboys words as a retrospective of a designer who has been called emerging for the past four years in addition clemens has designed uniforms for the biennale staff and collaborated with the sculptor frank benson and the european mannequin studio penther forms to create life size mannequins to wear the collection all resemble clemens with startling accuracy
the art photographer asger carlsen who is well known for his jarring photo manipulations has also created images of the designer and 20 relatives modeling the shirts some of which are subtly photoshopped to heighten the family resemblance the choice to include clemenss kin was a conscious effort to be more explicit about the designers identity as radboy puts it you cant separate the biology of who he is from the brand


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1 democrats seemed relieved and pleased a day after hillary clinton used a major speech to ridicule donald j trump some republicans fretted that mr trump might not be up to the task of repelling such attacks i thought it was one of the most important speeches secretary clinton has made throughout this campaign said leon panetta the former defense secretary under president obama and chief of staff for bill clinton

2 the judge hearing a high profile lawsuit by former students of trump university is a cool customer his friends say that temperament is said to be helping the judge gonzalo curiel weather unusual public criticism by mr trump his attacks on judge curiel including calling out his mexican heritage are part of a pattern of behavior that has led some scholars to question mr trumps respect for the rule of law

3 officials in chicago released videos and other materials from 101 cases in which police officers had shot or otherwise injured civilians the officials said many of the videos were not illuminating but the disclosure was unusual for a city whose police department has a reputation for secrecy the head of the investigative agency behind the release said it represented an important step toward increased transparency

4 as flooding in paris threatened the louvre staff members and volunteers worked to remove art from harms way nearly 160000 works were moved to higher floors from storage areas and galleries rain has lifted the seine river to its highest levels since 1982

5 the us economic recovery isnt quite as robust as analysts had hoped employers added just 38000 workers in may the lowest monthly growth since september 2010 but the numbers arent as foreboding as they seem our analyst writes averaging job growth over the past three months shows a more modest slowdown

6 nest a digital device maker google bought for 32 billion in 2014 drew comparisons to apple with its innovative approach to bringing unglamorous household devices like thermostats into sync with a digital world its co founder tony fadell said friday that he was leaving because nest was in maintenance mode but the departure came after reports that nest had a harsh corporate culture and mr fadell an abrasive style

7 its a big weekend in sports kicking off tonight at 930 eastern time with the first game of the copa america soccer tournament pitting the united states against colombia on saturday serena williams goes for her 22nd major championship in the french open final and the pittsburgh penguins shoot for a 3 0 lead over the san jose sharks in the stanley cup finals sunday brings novak djokovic and andy murray competing in the french open final while the cleveland cavaliers down 1 0 to the golden state warriors in the nba finals try to tie the series

8 if youre looking for a movie to watch this weekend our critics say the mockumentary popstar never stop stopping is one of your best bets it features andy samberg as a justin bieber like pop idol and takes aim at everything that is artificial and plastic in contemporary pop in a spirit of love rather than spite a o scott writes ostensibly more serious fare me before you is the story of a romance between a paralyzed aristocrat and the woman hired to keep him company but mr scott finds it to be ridiculous

9 most west african capitals are scenes of sartorial flair but the bright patterns adorning skirts and dresses worn by women there are more than just eye candy messages ranging from the playful to the political are encoded within the prints during election season clothes sporting the face of a politician can signify support   although that depends on where the face is placed

10 a 7 year old japanese boy survived six nights alone on the bear inhabited island of hokkaido he had wandered off after being left on the side of the road by his parents as a disciplinary measure and was found by soldiers on a military base about three miles away im full of gratitude from now on im going to take better care of him as he grows up the boys father said

11 in other rescue news a 61 year old florida fisherman who fell out of his boat without a life jacket was saved by the coast guard after 20 exhausting hours treading water a local news channel reported the man william durden said the night was an ordeal but when the sun came up he felt a surge of optimism he felt fish hitting his legs but his fears that a shark would come out and decide to have me for dinner went unrealized
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an hour with the celebrity facialist joanna czech defies all modern convention just when you begin to expect a blast of hot steam to open your pores shell firmly wipe you down with a swab soaked with ice cold toner you think you need a soothing lotion to even your skin out maybe calm it down she knows better a prickly slightly stinging solution is just the thing and instead of delicately applying masks and creams she uses her whole petite body to essentially force them into your epidermis   at times politely yet firmly slapping them into your face and so it comes as little surprise that the massage and application techniques she created for la mer as the brands global skin care adviser arent designed for a light touch
a lot has been written about face massage and the benefits of sculpting the muscles as you would the rest of your body and the polish born dallas based aesthetician is obsessed she even found clients to come in to her spa religiously every other day for 12 back to back deep tissue face massages im always saying you know choosing the right product is like nutrition   thats 70 percent and those little tricks of application thats your workout your lifestyle   thats 30 percent czech has a knack for making you feel a little silly for not getting this i mean when you work out what do you do shell ask do you work out your skin no you work out your muscles and then you are in great shape   and then you put on body moisturizer right
her favorite method is not the fanciest and is easy enough to do at home what she calls a pressrelease technique using deep tissue level pressure to tone the faces muscles fittingly she uses the technique especially when applying toner which is her first step in a skin care regimen i like starting with the toner   always that first hydrating moment its very important people still forget about the toner and very mistakenly they still use it as a second step of cleansing what toners really do they sort of bring balance back to your skin so they prepare your skin and create healthier ph of the skin so then automatically your skin absorbs everything so much more easily
her pressrelease method is like the one that devoted users of the cult cool girl vintners daughter serum have grown to love similarly called a pushpress technique the difference is that the folks at vintners daughter suggest practicing it after cleansing and toning with serum coated hands so that the 30 seconds of repeatedly pressing the entire face neck and decolletage will help the skin better absorb the potent all natural blend
czech recommends incorporating the technique into a nighttime regimen   and says that not having one is one of the worst skin care offenses others being over exfoliating and adopting beauty products or practices just because they worked for your friend   since you are special and unique she says that your skin absorbs products 60 percent better when youre relaxing and suggests the following before bed routine
1 cleanse
2 apply some form of toner in addition to la mer she recommends omorovicza biologique recherche and environ skin care
3 top with moisturizer   whichever type suits you best it could be a moisturizer that covers the eyes and face in one she says
as for the morning you could do easily in the morning the same but i wouldnt use the facial cleanser i would splash only with water


gregory alan isakov sees a through line between his two passions music and farming i realize that the more i do both theyre both things that ill never master he says not that he isnt willing to try when the singer songwriter isnt on tour as he soon will be in support of his new album gregory alan isakov with the colorado symphony out june 10 he resides here on a four and a half acre farm outside boulder where he and seven friends tend to over 100 varieties of heirloom vegetables plus beehives chickens medical cannabis and a group of sheep they call the t swift pack its the perfect place for the musician to unwind if an unlikely one i work on music and then garden for a few hours and come back says isakov who counts several bandmates among the farms residents it just seems like natural workflow to let things settle that way
born in south africa but raised in philadelphia isakov is a self described outside kid who dropped out of school in the 11th grade to hike the appalachian trail and follow his obsessions mostly soil and compost and stuff like that in 2000 he came to colorado to study horticulture at naropa university and spent a year working at the much written about findhorn garden in scotland which has drawn devotees from around the world since the 1960s thanks to a mixture of what isakov calls far out plant spirit stuff and 50 pound cabbages he later made plans to get a masters degree in mycology but deferred after the delta blues singer kelly joe phelps offered him an opening spot on his tour when that happened i was like ill just go later isakov says im kind of still saying that
in many ways isakovs collaboration with the colorado symphony marks a logical check in point in his now decade plus career comprised primarily of reworked interpretations of previously released material including songs from his 2013 indie folk manifesto the weatherman isakovs sixth album finds him surrendering some of his perfectionist tendencies to a process made at once simpler and more complex by the addition of a full orchestra the 2009 track big black car a new version of which premieres below is given new life thanks to lush strings that swell as the song reaches its conclusion and where isakov may have previously reworked a track endlessly before he could be satisfied recording with the symphony necessitated a more organic approach i love how few choices i have now he says
at home too isakov is taking a more pared down approach as a lengthy tour nears along with his bandmates at the farm he has begun growing heirloom seeds for a start up   an attempt to help others avoid the big seed companies he says but also to make it easier for the band to be away and when musical interests threaten to disrupt his bohemian lifestyle as happened when mcdonalds asked him to use big black car in a 2011 commercial the lifelong vegetarian found a productive solution he donated all the proceeds to organizations like the iowa based nonprofit seed savers exchange which promote sustainable farming we all joke around like there goes 100 man hours to save like eight bucks isakov says of the farms commitment to all things heirloom we dont know why we do this but we just know we have to


what makes for a good style section story
what constitutes a trend
what is and isnt fun about covering the glittery people as jacob bernstein a style section feature reporter has called them
how do stories about george clooney madonna always gives a good quote and nicki minaj who jacob wrote looked like the incarnation of jessica rabbit at the recent met gala fit within the timess coverage and what makes for a good style section piece
in this podcast jacob talks about style how he works the beat and everything is copy the documentary he directed about his late mother the writer nora ephron
susan lehman is host


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the shooting at a ti concert at irving plaza on may 25   which resulted in the arrest of the rapper troy ave on attempted murder charges and the death of his associate ronald mcphatter   has had a dispiritingly familiar fallout william j bratton the police commissioner referred to rappers as thugs and live nation postponed a spate of rap concerts scheduled to take place in the same venue this week
but with a few notable exceptions hip hop shows in new york over the last decade have been extremely safe a byproduct of sea changes in the music and also in the way the genre has been policed both externally and internally
nevertheless the public discourse following this latest incident has recalled the debates of an earlier era the mid to late 1990s the beginning of hip hops true new money era a time when new york hip hop concerts and clubs were far woollier and the policing of them was unusually aggressive
to discuss the then and now of hip hop night life surveillance on this weeks popcast i was joined by new york times pop music reporter joe coscarelli minya oh the longtime hip hop journalist and proprietor of the news site missinfotv and joie manda president of urban music at interscope records and also a key figure in 1990s new york hip hop night life having worked at influential clubs including the palladium and the tunnel


on our podcast inside the new york times book review we asked you to send us voice memos telling us about your favorite summer reading if youre not a listener to the podcast yet we invite you to check it out you can subscribe on itunes and stitcher
in any case we want to hear from you please send us a voice memo telling us about a book you read one summer that has stayed with you how old were you when you read it where were you how did the book affect you keep your story to 30 seconds or less and make sure to tell us your full name where you live and the title and author of the book
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if youre using an iphone these directions are for the native voice memos app android users try smart voice recorder for windows phones try croebe voice memos all are free
1 find a relatively quiet place to do this and open your app voice memos is sometimes grouped with utilities
2 when you open it youll see the record field hold the phone a few inches from your face with the speaker end tilted slightly toward your lips
a few tips
your name and where you live is a good beginning
these are short so its helpful to figure out what you want to say ahead of time but please dont read from a script even if you jot some thoughts down we want to hear your story as youd tell it to a good friend
hit the red button to start recording
3 wait a few seconds before you start speaking when youre done telling your story wait for a few more seconds of silence and hit the red button again to stop
4 give it a title and save
5 the voice memo will appear in a queue click on it to get share options
6 click the share icon that box with the arrow on the left
7 select email and send your voice memo to us at podcastsnytimescom also if youve gotten this far and are having trouble doing this or just cant imagine doing this dont despair you can also email us your story just remember pithy is golden we look forward to hearing from you


for his bookshop and website one grand books the editor aaron hicklin asked people to name the 10 books theyd take with them if they were marooned on a desert island the next in the series is the actor james franco who shares his list exclusively with t one grand books will host a literary salon in new york on june 8
blood meridian cormac mccarthy
this is the western to end all westerns its rich tableaux of the borderlands mixed with unrelenting violence creates an inimitable portrait of our countrys history
the long home william gay
gay is an unabashed disciple of cormac mccarthy and this is the first book by him a reclusive man who had old tennessee pumping in his veins youth versus experience love versus hate this is a distinctly southern tale of a honkey tonk murder young lovers and retribution
jesus son denis johnson
a slim book of interconnected stories following a hapless drug addict humorous dark and moving with prose that surprises with its drug fueled imagery
the sellout paul beatty
this book killed me funny poignant outrageous and deep as hell beatty talks about all the hard stuff of race with great skill and humor
as i lay dying william faulkner
on the surface its the simple story of a family going to bury their mother underneath it is a roiling tale of desperation love and struggle
the brief wondrous life of oscar wao junot diaz
everyone knows junot diaz is the man this book is hilarious and heartbreaking in equal measure pop cultural and political just a great read
paulina  fran rachel b glaser
art school lovers comedy i recently read this book and fell in love with its characters and prose its quirky and right on about trying to be creative today
what we talk about when we talk about love raymond carver
the master of short minimalist fiction carver destroys the heart with economic prose like no other
in the western night collected poems frank bidart
a student of robert lowell his poems breathe fire he is both nakedly vulnerable and violently terrifying my hero
donkey gospel tony hoagland
a self proclaimed postmodern confessionalist poet hoaglands poems gather and distribute so much energy its like hes a boxer   or a wrestler   rather than a writer


welcome to watching the new york timess what to watch guide we comb through releases big and small famous and esoteric to email readers twice a week with our timely recommendations our most recent suggestions also appear below to receive our guide straight to your inbox sign up here
june is shaping up to be one hell of a tv month   the return of orange is the new black one of my favorites the heralded espn oj simpson documentary the season finale of the americans even shark week something for everyone our tv cup runneth over
thank you to the tremendous number of you who wrote in with your ant battling strategies product recommendations and deep sympathy i am glad to report that the situation appears to be under control if you have any specific tv or movie questions youd like answered here in the newsletter ask away watchingnytimescom or if youd like to share your big wishes for summer tv im all ears
... half an hour and i have children
watch all in with cam newton friday 8 pm nickelodeon
what wouldnt i give for more shows to follow in the footsteps of mtvs late great made which gave teenagers lifestyle makeovers im a girlie girl but i want to be a bmx rider all in is close at least carolina panthers quarterback cam newton meets ambitious kids and introduces them to leaders in their dream fields some of these intros are more compelling than others based on how telegenic everyone is but its over all a sweet little show that is completely tolerable and borderline enjoyable at times
... an hour and i want nuclear level heebie jeebies
watch outcast friday 10 pm cinemax or online for free right now
if you are at all a baby about scary things   bugs blood exorcist style evil kids   then this is not a show for you but if you like those things outcast is your new jam created by robert kirkman of the walking dead the show follows kyle barnes patrick fugit the teenage boy from almost famous a young man haunted psychologically and literally by demonic possession afflicting those around him guess how creepy his small town is extremely fugit is terrific the shows general sense of menace and despair is striking and at least in the first few episodes outcast appears to have something to say beyond boo
... all day and i want to be transfixed
watch season 2 of fargo saturday starting at 10 am fx
fx is airing the entire 10 episode second season of fargo on saturday but its an anthology series so dont worry if you havent seen season 1 its great though watch it on hulu or buy it on itunes season 2 is set in 1979 and stars patrick wilson kirsten dunst jesse plemons and ted danson   all great especially plemons a triple murder in a waffle house sets off a series of odd events for those investigating the crime wilson and danson and those tangentially connected to it dunst and plemons the shows dark wit keeps it from being too lugubrious even as it covers multiple murders but the real crown jewel here is the sound design the snows groans as its stepped on a mops slop sound as it cleans a dingy linoleum floor the gelatinous fight a casserole puts up as its dished out the whooshing ones arms make in a parka the heavy clunk of a police badge on a wooden kitchen table listen hard and i bet those 10 hours will go by in a flash read along with our fargo recaps
if you like unsentimental cop shows ensemble dramas realism or overlooked gems this is a show for you watch on hulu
er and homicide life on the streets are two of the shows that taught me how and why to love tv theyre shows i watched religiously in the 90s ones ive rewatched over and over since and those which i hold not just in nostalgic but also in present high regard southland reminds me a lot of both of those shows except that it never made much of a splash now its on hulu though and perhaps this is its chance
southland premiered in 2009 on nbc and was canceled after a season but rescued by tnt where it aired four more seasons it still clocks in at 43 episodes so its a commitment but not a major one the series is set among lapd officers   beat cops detectives rookies veterans episodes bounce between several different characters and several different cases and generally the show is not a procedural sometimes we see an investigation from beginning to end but often not remember how on er youd sometimes see a patient crash and be revived but not always see more of them or their eventual treatment its like that
the show has a jangly aggressive rhythm with jumpy visuals and quick editing everything has an urgent often desperate vibe and episodes open mid moment jump backward in time then work forward up through and past the opening incident that means sometimes we know more than the characters sometimes less and that balance changes throughout an episode often in surprising ways
southland sets itself apart from many other cop shows with its format and style but the biggest way it reminds me of homicide is in the depth and variety of its performances do you like michael cudlitz in the walking dead man you should see him in southland where he plays the abrasive complicated officer john cooper   the shows emotional center do you like regina king in the leftovers and american crime if this were a just world she would have won an emmy for southland too lucy liu does a one season arc in season 4 and thats great too come for ben mckenzie stay for tom everett scott and kevin alejandro
i guess im supposed to call southland gritty since thats what we call good cop shows so sure southland is gritty in that is utterly unglamorous and its characters major and minor are not clear types there are moments that sometimes remind me of the shield but southland doesnt position any of its characters as extraordinary thats not a knock on the shield   i love the shield and you should too its also on hulu   but rather another possible reason southland never quite caught on it was an ensemble drama in the age of the antihero
netflix
the first three movies in the jurassic park franchise are now streaming weve all already seen the first one a dozen times but like jaws its really a movie thats hard to grow tired of curious how the filmmakers made sounds like this one read this piece the sequel the lost world which was also directed by steven spielberg is not as great although it has a stellar cast   julianne moore vince vaughn jeff goldblum toby from the west wing   and like the first a knockout t rex attack scene jurassic park iii also exists stream jurassic park the lost world jurassic park and jurassic park iii
amazon prime
in new york this month theres a movie theater that has programmed a brian de palma retrospective for those of you who live elsewhere you can try carrie which still remains among the best stephen king film adaptations 40 years later if youre looking for something more violent though ironically less bloody theres francis ford coppolas vietnam war classic apocalypse now and sergio leones spaghetti western classic the good the bad and the ugly and for one of the most gorgeous of childrens movies try the black stallion stream carrie apocalypse now the good the bad and the ugly and the black stallion amazon prime and hulu often share many of the same new movies added to stream each month so you can also find these on hulu as well
hbo
do you like problem solving because the martian which stars matt damon and troy from community is about two and a half hours of damon trying to solve space problems its a funny though not best motion picture   musical or comedy funny movie with a great cast and a warm heart you can stream it on hbo now and hbo go starting at 8 pm on saturday   gilbert cruz
the tnt series animal kingdom which will make its premiere june 14 is a tv version of the 2010 australian film for which jacki weaver received her first oscar nomination the film also stars ben mendelsohn who is easily the best thing about netflixs bloodline the story is moved to california from australia and ellen barkin takes weavers role as a crime family matriarch you can download the first episode for free on itunes - gc


the san francisco based florist christina stembel founded farmgirl flowers as a corrective measure for the ills of a modern industry eighty percent of the flowers sold in the us are imported which perpetuates tons of waste and terrible working conditions in developing nations   not to mention droopy flowers that have been in transit for 8 to 10 days by the time they reach stores farmgirl sources all of its flowers domestically so when theyre delivered to addresses nationwide theyre much fresher adorably the bouquets are also packaged in burlap repurposed from coffee sacks
generally stembel eliminates the burden of choice her team picks and assembles the very best blooms that day and the customer picks only the size of the bouquet now though theres another option   of the moment peonies available for a limited time while theyre in season if you cant get outside to enjoy the late spring sunshine theyre the next best thing


as leading chefs are turning away from the sea and toward sustainable hatcheries it seems weve just begun to skim the surface of aquaculture
at esca mario batalis highly regarded seafood restaurant in new york customers might be taken aback to know that their fillets of rainbow trout marinating under a pink blanket of cherry blossoms were swimming the day before not in any lake river or sea   but at a farm in new jersey where the growth of its gill bearing inhabitants is carefully monitored until recently favoring wild over farmed fish has been the obvious choice with much of the latter assumed to be lacking in taste and texture but with new techniques in breeding and harvesting   such as controlling the salinity of the water and limiting the population density   forward thinking chefs who are as interested in preserving our natural environment as in cooking tasty food are changing what we eat and from where it comes and yet many of them are doing so on the down low a lot of diners think that farm raised equals crud says michael anthony of his ambivalence about listing the provenance of the dishes he prepares at new yorks gramercy tavern and untitled at the whitney museum of american art
while the general public might still need convincing a growing number of chefs are now discussing merroir the way oenophiles obsess over terroir one of the more popular farms is skuna bay off the coast of vancouver island which has spacious glacier fed pens and a 14 point quality check to make sure that its fish have lush red gills intact silver scales and thick muscular bellies musky trout hatchery in new jersey which supplies esca supports the health   and healthy appetite   of its fish with an elaborate alarm system that sounds when the oxygen levels of the spring fed waters drop past an acceptable point
the best farms not only give their fish a nice life but also a merciful death corralling them at harvest into smaller schools and sidestepping struggles in a net or on a line   to reduce stress for the fish which can lead to a soft sometimes chewy consistency as with any other type of farming michael costa the chef at jose andress zaytinya in washington dc says that when it comes to fish the practices determine the results if the hamachi at esca paired with a tangy olive aioli is any indication those results are becoming increasingly hard to ignore


sam sifton emails readers of cooking seven days a week to talk about food and suggest recipes that email also appears here to receive it in your inbox register here
good morning therell be no trip to the bodega tomorrow morning for a watery iced coffee no toasted bagel slippery with industrial butter product no crowded subway either no lemming like walk down a midtown side street to the air conditioned chill of the newsroom lobby no sad desk lunch no exhausted trek south after the train to the long wait for the bus that never comes no abandonment of the plan to make mark bittmans recipe for stir fried chicken and ketchup in favor of a quicker bowl of granola and yogurt and the start of the new season of peaky blinders
no its a day off for me and perhaps for you too and if you can set up this dead simple recipe for cold brewed iced coffee tonight on the kitchen counter next to a good size vat of this recipe for sourdough waffle batter by morning both will be ready to help you greet the weekend in style
i am hoping it will be a good one for cooking   and cooking itd be nice on saturday night to make melissa clarks new recipe for grilled fish with lemongrass chiles and coconut above that is branzino in the picture there but you could use any whole fish with clear eyes and firm flesh if youre in the new york area a fat fresh porgy would be the business
or you could eschew the grill david taniss recipe for mezzelune pasta with peas and shiitakes is a project for sure but its an enjoyable one that rewards the maker with a delicious meal
maybe make a poundcake melissas version of a toasted almond poundcake with strawberry rhubarb compote is terrific this time of year or you could try your hand at nora ephrons recipe for key lime pie which jennifer steinhauer brought to our pages back in 2013
then for sunday night supper how about this recipe for a warm kale and tomato salad with coconut which i learned from the british cookbook writer anna jones you could make kim seversons recipe for cuban rice and beans or this recipe for grilled leeks with romesco sauce which may pair nicely with a platter of barbecued chicken
thousands of other recipes to cook this weekend are available on cooking i hope youll scroll through them for further inspiration please save the recipes you like to your recipe box then rate them when youre done cooking and if you have an ingredient substitution or cooking tip to suggest leave a note on them for yourself or others for help with technical issues you can reach out to us at cookingcarenytimescom for philosophical ones im at foodeditornytimescom
life isnt just cooking though need some reading suggestions youll want to spend some time with the new york issue of the times magazine which documents this city from 800 feet above its sidewalks take a gander at this terrifying special report in outside magazine on the deaths of seven canyoneering adventurers killed in a flash flood in zion national park in utah and for an accounting of the intricacies behind the regional hot dog delight known as the sonoran hot dog dont miss chris yings recipe at lucky peach you could make that this weekend as well
finally in wednesdays newsletter i managed to botch the spelling of the spanish verb enchilar my apologies have a great weekend


times insider delivers behind the scenes insights from the new york times in this article barry meier an investigative reporter at the times describes the almost decade long journey that led to his latest book missing man the american spy who vanished in iran the book tells the story of robert a levinson a former fbi agent turned cia consultant who disappeared in iran in 2007
in late 2007 i stumbled across a newspaper article that would alter the course of my work and my life
the article which appeared in the financial times was shot through with mystery it reported that robert levinson a former fbi agent turned private investigator had disappeared on an iranian island while investigating cigarette counterfeiting on behalf of a big tobacco company what grabbed my attention was the disclosure that the investigator had vanished while meeting another american in iran a murderer who had fled the united states in 1980 after assassinating a former aide to the shah of iran outside his home near washington dc
the story was not only intriguing but offered the prospect of getting me to dubai and iran places i had never visited back in the late 1990s i had covered the lawsuits state officials were then bringing against big tobacco and had gotten to know people who investigated cigarette counterfeiting and smuggling the way i saw it the levinson case could provide a window into a bigger piece about the international trade in counterfeit cigarettes a hidden industry in which both china and north korea are major players
soon however things started to get strange every private investigator with whom i spoke told me they would never have sent a white ex fbi agent with a jewish last name to iran they would have used an iranian born operative who spoke farsi i was tempted to forget the whole idea when another journalist called and told me that he had heard i was poking around the levinson case he said he didnt think there was much there but offered to put me in contact with one of mr levinsons friends a retired television producer named ira silverman
soon afterward i met with ira and a former federal prosecutor david mcgee who was also close to bob as mr levinsons friends called him they told me that the ex agent had a part time consulting contract with the cia they were also certain he had gone to iran on an approved mission to try and develop the american assassin living there as a cia source in 2002 ira had written a profile for the new yorker of that man dawud salahuddin and he had arranged for bob to meet dawud on an iranian island called kish in the persian gulf it was there that bob had vanished
at the time of our first meeting some seven months had passed since bobs disappearance the cia had yet to say a single word about him to his wife christine who was naturally frantic to find him dave and ira were also dismayed by the fbis seeming lack of interest in the case and hoped that inquiries from a reporter at a publication such as the new york times might force the government into action
to be honest i probably wasnt their best choice i had never covered the cia or the fbi id spent much of my career at the times covering the medical industry and public health issues but i told dave and ira that i would be willing to review his files and records so after traveling to florida to get permission from bobs wife christine i flew down to dave mcgees law firm in pensacola fla where a journalistic fantasy awaited
on a desk in a conference room sat ten cardboard boxes crammed with files that were a mix of bobs work for the cia and for corporate clients every folder was a fragment from a little glimpsed shadow world where information serves as currency and the lines between the good guys and the bad guys are often blurry one file recounted for example how a big donor to hillary clintons new york senate campaign was looking to get his prison time on a fraud charge reduced in exchange for information about the leader of hezbollah the lebanese terror group in another file an emissary offered the services of the president of kazakhstan as an informant for the united states government if the justice department unfroze the politicians swiss bank account which was allegedly stuffed with bribes paid to him by multinational companies meanwhile daves paralegal sonya dobbs had figured out the passwords to bobs email accounts and was printing out hundreds of messages including many from the investigators handler at an analytical unit inside the cia
i had planned to spend two days in pensacola when i finally left   nearly a week later   my head was spinning i had gotten a glimpse into bobs life and it was clear to me that cia analysts had encouraged him to collect intelligence about iran a country about which he knew little there was nothing to show that they had ordered him to go there or even knew beforehand that he had decided to take that risk still there were tantalizing clues for example in a memo written not long before his disappearance on kish island he told his cia handlers that he planned to meet in dubai or on an island nearby with a source who had information about a corrupt iranian leader
i spent months reconstructing bobs path to kish and was stunned and dismayed to learn that many of the people i spoke with hadnt been contacted by the fbi as a condition of reviewing bobs files i had also promised his wife and dave not to do anything to jeopardize his safety i liked to flatter myself by thinking that my reporting about medical products like a flawed heart device helped people now i felt that one wrong step or one inadvertent remark could bring serious harm to someone
government officials continued to insist that bob had gone to kish to investigate cigarette counterfeiting as journalists we instinctively want to tell the truth but the tiny circle of people at the times who knew the truth about bob agreed that identifying him as a cia consultant could seal his fate or complicate efforts to free him as a result we did not challenge the governments cover story or report on certain events related to his case about which we became aware such as a secret 2008 internal cia investigation that led the ouster of three agency analysts including bobs handler
by then an international manhunt for the missing man had begun and some of those recruited by bobs friends or the fbi   a collection of colorful characters that included arms dealers russian oligarchs and con men   also entered my life some of my editors were also losing patience with my obsession over a story that couldnt be published they started suggesting that it might be wise for me to find other outlets for my energies i began casting around for medical stories   and found an important one
by late 2010 three years had passed without a single shred of evidence that bob levinson was still alive or any clues as to who was holding him one saturday that fall i told my wife that the former agent was probably dead and it was time to talk with my editors about running our story that same evening i received a copy of an email that had been sent to christine bobs wife attached to it was a video showing her husband sitting in a stark cell and pleading for the american government to help him after three years in captivity when it came to espionage and hostage taking i learned one could not assume anything
in the years that followed i tried my best to balance the demands of my job with my reporting on bobs case every day i reached out to sources to monitor any and all developments i also followed the heart wrenching efforts by christine and her seven children to learn what had happened to their husband and father
over time other reporters also learned about bobs role at the cia there were several instances when my editors and i thought that relationship would come to light and prepared to pull the trigger on our account then in december 2013 the associated press which had been sitting on its story about bobs work for the cia for three years disclosed his agency ties the following day the times released my account
i had known early on that i had wanted to write a book about bobs case it is a remarkable and tragic tale rife with indelible characters there were many days when i thought it would be a fictional spy novel since bobs secret life might never come to light when it did my nearly decade long journey as a keeper of those secrets ended   and i was finally free to write missing man


times insider delivers behind the scenes insights from the new york times below are highlights from radio and television interviews featuring times reporters and video producers
ron nixon a washington correspondent for the times joined whyy radios radio times to discuss summer travel long security lines at airports and the effectiveness of the transportation security administration
jonathan martin a national politics reporter for the times joined cnns reliable sources to discuss his recent article as donald trump pushes conspiracy theories right wing media gets its wish
jackie calmes a national correspondent for the times joined pbs newshour to discuss her reporting on the effects of drug testing on employees as the unemployment rate drops across the country
kathleen lingo executive producer for the timess op docs video series joined ny1s the new york times close up to discuss the 200th op doc an errol morris film titled demon in the freezer about stocks of the smallpox virus that have been preserved for research purposes


versace is not just getting a new chief executive it is getting a reality check
donatella versace and bruce weber are together again   almost 20 years after their last project   and the combination has produced some unexpected results in the form of a fall ad campaign for versaces womens styles
there are supermodels sure karlie kloss gigi hadid the money shot of handbags and the whole campaign reflects the marketing trend toward community creation see the eight models in givenchys fall grouping and the 11 in guccis spring effort but the photographs which will be in magazines this summer were shot in chicago and include nonmodels from the city in an effort to move from fashion fantasy to actuality or at least the versace version of it it might be a bit hard to tell   people may legitimately cringe at the idea of a glossy european fashion brands manicured idea of grit and art being used to sell clothes and may question the depth of its engagement   but it is also perhaps a moment of recognition
we called ms versace and mr weber to find out the back story how the campaign happened and why
bw we are like richard burton and elizabeth taylor get together split up get back together again
dv for me this was kind of a turning point versaces image is so much about the red carpet but i wanted to make day clothes fierce you know shes a superstar and she runs her business and she runs her family too fashion is a part of life and i thought it was important to show it could be a part of many different lives that it could help you in your life its not about creating beautiful illusions anymore
bw donatella was really into the idea of taking the men and women she designs for and putting them in the world where you work you go out with your family you live its always funny to me that people think fashion photography is all about showing the clothes its not its about reporting
dv bruce decided we should shoot in chicago i didnt know it at all but the city is so multilayered then he said we could be in the studio but we had to go to the supermarket too because really powerful women also go to the supermarket
bw donatella went to the supermarket i have the picture to prove it
i had read a story in the new yorker about a pastor called father mike who is pretty controversial and it caught my imagination i went to hear him speak before we started shooting and he was talking about politics and the need to restore old neighborhoods and it made me think i wanted these pictures to mean something to the city but it required a lot of trust because i shoot on film instead of digital so donatella could not see what we were doing as we were doing it
dv we started with three women   models   and a few male models and then we added a lot more men we just found in the city in the end there were 26 men and 17 were not models there was one opera singer some dancers ... and then bruce put together all kinds of very diverse families in the pictures
bw i was thinking about how pasolini made films in italy and he would go to these towns and the next thing you know the chef is the star of the film we found one guy who had been a bodyguard and he had been stationed in afghanistan we met a group of hip hop dancers on the street and their manager was there so we just said hey you want to be in a versace campaign they said are you serious it was so nice to see them walk out at the end with these amazing suits donatella had given them these great shoes
dv the clothes werent the payment they were a present we paid them too for the next mens show we are going to bring a lot of them to milan they were important because they speak a different language from me   literally but also generationally and fashion needs that otherwise we will all be left behind i think


fossilized ring shaped cakes resembling doughnuts have been unearthed in native american settlements dating back 8000 years
that makes doughnuts something of a national treasure as we celebrate national doughnut day
in modern times some credit for the doughnut goes to anna joralemon who started selling dutch olykoek oil cake in 1673 from a shop in new amsterdam todays manhattan
more than 200 years later free doughnuts were handed to the huddled masses arriving at ellis island as they were later to the hungry during the great depression
during world war i salvation army volunteers used helmets as deep fryers and made holes in the dough with spent artillery shells to deliver doughnuts to american soldiers on the battlefield they used this basic recipe
in world war ii women in the red cross known as doughnut dollies did the same to ensure that the treat was available
today krispy kreme is giving out free doughnuts so is dunkin donuts with the purchase of a drink and many local doughnut shops are also taking part
note this back story was originally published in the june 5 2015 morning briefing


zach both was living in boston and working as an art director for a 3d printing start up when the road beckoned he felt restless behind a desk he had wanted to be a filmmaker since age 9 he knew he needed to take a creative risk then he watched a video of alex honnold the free solo rock climber who lives in a customized van and travels from mountain to mountain
mr both 23 decided to embark on what he called a cool creative roadshow traveling the country and collaborating with local artists on short films in late 2014 he paid 3900 for a white 2003 chevrolet express van with 200000 miles with a dwell inspired sense of design and help from his father he made it a rad home on wheels
last july he hit the highway heading west he camped in the grand tetons of wyoming got stuck on a wintry road near mount hood in oregon and spent christmas with a family he met in washington state lately he has been driving the california coast using los angeles as his base
when mr both bought the van the interior was a dingy rust speckled shell he used 19th century lath boards that he got free from craigslist to sheath the interior in wood built a futon that folds down into a bed installed a stove used on boats and wired an arb refrigerator to run on a goal zero solar generator the great thing was i had complete control i could do whatever i wanted and design everything to the exact specification that i needed mr both said my friends who are my age say its way nicer than the apartment im living in
early in his travels mr both felt the gravitational pull of los angeles rock climbers like mr honnold he realized could drive to the nearest mountain to meet one another but he wasnt likely to find film collaborators in rural idaho so he parked in los angeles and began networking he recently shot a short film unseen unknown at a fantastical antiques store in culver city calif the experience brought back memories of visiting the santa monica pier as a child from the midwest and seeing a movie being made mr both said i thought ok this is the place where this happens a sun faded postcard from that trip sits on his dashboard
after a movie shoot mr both may drive out to joshua tree national park or up into the mountains above santa barbara calif to edit footage on his laptop the vans pop out windows give him the kinds of views he never had at work back when he spent his days in an office if i can do what i want to do in these interesting places and not at a desk thats what appeals to me mr both said
an actress whom mr both cast in his short film asked him where he lived he answered vaguely los angeles but eventually he admitted he lived in a van that is often parked on the city streets ooh ... cool he heard her say after a long pause
its intrigue and being slightly put off mr both said of the usual response then i show them photos
he has written an online manual for aspiring van dwellers which he calls the vanual it includes tips for stealth van living like never park in the same spot two days in a row but nothing so far on how to break it to a possible romantic partner that you have no fixed address
you tend to be by yourself quite a lot mr both said of his nomadic life thats the reason its not for most people he has made it a practice to say yes to social invitations and keep forward momentum he said its always resulted in interesting experiences with interesting people
when you hear mountain view calif what do you think a beautiful town with mountains in the background right mr both said its an industrial park for tech start ups but then there are these places you stumble upon that youve never heard of that blow your mind


the copa america centenario born in scandal and saved only by the promise of better behavior and the presence of some pretty good soccer teams kicks off friday night when the united states faces colombia in santa clara calif the 16 team event is being played outside south america for the first time as a celebration of its 100th anniversary and while a handful of top players have been left out or ruled out by injury there is plenty left in the cupboard including four of the eight quarterfinalists from the last world cup heres what you need to know before the tournament begins
whos in the field
the copa america is south americas continental championship and as it celebrates its centenary it is the oldest international soccer tournament in the world as the continental championship it always includes the 10 members of the south american confederation conmebol traditional soccer powers like brazil argentina uruguay colombia and chile and the relatively less accomplished sides paraguay ecuador peru bolivia and venezuela but since 1993 the event has also invited guest teams from outside south america mexico nine appearances has finished second twice and the united states three appearances was fourth in 1995
this years event has 16 teams in addition to the 10 countries from south america the guests are the united states and mexico as well as four nations that earned their spots through regional qualifying costa rica jamaica panama and haiti
how do i watch
fox sports will televise every game live in the united states on its family of networks fox fox sports 1 fox sports 2 and fx prefer your broadcasts in spanish univision and unimas will have every game as well but remember that meaty pregame shows have become the norm so if you just want straight soccer make sure you pay attention to the kickoff time not just the broadcast time
how does it work
the tournament is made up of four groups of four teams everyone plays three group stage games and the top two teams in each group advance to the quarterfinals where the copa becomes a straight knockout tournament fridays kickoff match   the united states vs colombia   is the only game on the first day brazil opens saturday against ecuador and then mexico uruguay sunday and argentina chile monday should spice things up nicely the final is june 26 at metlife stadium in new jersey
wait did you mention a scandal
the united states justice department nearly put an end to the copa america centenario before it was played the tournament figured prominently in the arrests of dozens of soccer officials and television executives last year and at times it seemed it was created less as a soccer celebration than as a way for television and marketing companies to funnel bribes to soccer officials in the americas those accusations and the various business agreements underlying the event nearly led the united states to withdraw as the host country last fall but assurances were made and uncomfortable contracts were torn up and the event will go ahead
still even though the trophy avoided spending the summer in an evidence locker notoriety and the specter of arrest still hang over the copa and the continuing justice department investigation could produce a few sleepless nights for visiting officials thirteen of the 16 countries in the field have had a citizen arrested as part of the fifa case and now theres even some last minute drama on tuesday the argentine football association was threatening to pull out in a dispute with its government about control of the federations presidency
who are the favorites
argentina with or without a healthy lionel messi has one of the deepest teams in the field la albiceleste as the team is known is also hungry argentina has not won a senior trophy since the 1993 copa america and with all that talent at some point it has to pick one up even if it is by accident right maybe not chile won the copa america last year as the host country but lately it is trying to find its way after the abrupt departure of its feisty coach jorge sampaoli in january after a dispute with the national federation chile has since lost to argentina in world cup qualifying and to jamaica in a friendly two results that   in their own way   hint at trouble
uruguay with a respected coach in oscar tabarez and talent up front edinson cavani and in the back diego godin might be a safer bet it has won a record 15 copa titles brazil even brazilians arent sure of what to expect from a team that probably realizes the country would rather win its first olympic gold than the copa
the united states is the official home team and it should benefit from big crowds and its major league soccer based players being in midseason form rather than worn out from the long european season
but a better concacaf pick might be mexico the mexicans are unbeaten in 18 matches and 6 0 under their new coach juan carlos osorio who has yet to see his team allow a goal and el tri can boast a home field edge that might surpass even the americans mexico played 14 games in the united states last year more than even the united states national team which hosted the gold cup and still had only 12 and it already has added three more in 2016 in addition mexico will play its group stage games in the fan friendly and relatively neighborly cities of glendale ariz pasadena calif and houston
wait a minute wheres ...
neymar brazil left him off the roster because it would rather have him for the rio olympics luis suarez he injured his hamstring helping barcelona win the copa del rey final in may and while hes trying to project positivity he probably wont play until the knockout rounds if at all jozy altidore the american striker is out six to eight weeks with his own hamstring problem keylor navas costa ricas goalkeeper who helped real madrid win the uefa champions league title on saturday was replaced with a lingering foot injury that didnt seem to affect his club play much this season messi he hurt his back and had to be subbed off in an exhibition match last week but argentina still hopes to have him available   once he returns from a quick trip to spain this week for his tax fraud trial
is there anyone left
dont panic chiles still bringing arsenals alexis sanchez and bayern munichs arturo vidal argentina can supplement messi with angel di maria sergio aguero and javier pastore mexico has javier hernandez who is coming off a great year in germany brazils philippe coutinho can do remarkable things   but only if he gets to play colombia midfielder juan cuadrado sometimes has the look of a true star and his teammate james rodriguez is a proven one   as long as he can shake off two years of rust acquired on the real madrid bench
and a glass half full fan or coach might even see opportunity in the injuries when brazil announced that bayern munichs douglas costa was to miss the tournament it opened the door for kaka to return to the selecao scratch that kaka withdrew this week after he too was injured and the result of altidores injury so far has seemed to be that jurgen klinsmann will be forced into giving more minutes up front to young players like the bundesliga striker bobby wood and the borussia dortmund teenager christian pulisic
what are they saying
# argentina has not raised a major senior trophy of any kind since 1993 and i think its important that we end the streak   lionel messi in sports illustrated on what would qualify as success for his country
# hopefully brazil can get back to winning here   the under fire brazil coach dunga who won a world cup in the rose bowl in 1994 but may not keep his job if his team flounders in america in june
# we want to get to the final four this is our goal   united states coach jurgen klinsmann setting a semifinal berth as the bar for success for his team in the copa america centenario which he called a tougher tournament than this summers diluted european championships
is travel the x factor
the united states is a big place and while the tournament is being contested in 10 cities there are no regional groupings to limit travel fatigue for players that means top players who have spent the past eight months running around europe and back and forth to the americas for international games now face thousands of miles more in air travel
the first round sites for the united states for example will take the team coast to coast in eight days friday in santa clara calif colombia tuesday in chicago costa rica and saturday in philadelphia paraguay brazils schedule is just as bad from the rose bowl in pasadena to the citrus bowl in orlando fla and then up to gillette stadium in foxborough mass and uruguay probably has it worst of all phoenix to philadelphia and then back to san francisco in a week if uruguay finishes second in its group as it is expected to do behind mexico it then faces a quarterfinal date in foxborough
traveling it takes a lot out of you said los angeles galaxy forward gyasi zardes a likely starter for the united states knowing because i play in mls sometimes when you travel like to new york to play a game its tough because you have to fight the time difference different hours and your body has to get acclimated to the different time its very hard
mexico by comparison will not have to cross the mississippi river in the first round its first three games are in phoenix los angeles and houston
staying on the west coast would definitely be a positive factor zardes said traveling through different times zones like were traveling is going to be tough


it was a truly unusual night as the golden state warriors beat the cleveland cavaliers 104 89 in game 1 of the nba finals but the warriors never felt comfortable thanks to the struggles of stephen curry and klay thompson as they go about figuring out what went wrong with their star shooters dissecting what went right for golden state is far easier meanwhile the cavaliers have nothing but questions heres what we learned in game 1
much will be made of the offensive struggles of both curry and thompson but the golden state warriors guards had the luxury of not having to be at their best thanks to a veteran laden bench that rose to the occasion scoring 45 points since the splash brothers rarely have two bad games in a row the warriors bench winning a game for the team could pay remarkable dividends going forward
were not used to having both steph and klay off like that with their shooting coach steve kerr said after the game but the one thing weve talked about all year is if we defend and take care of the ball then were always going to have somebody score enough points for us whether its the starters or the bench
the most impressive member of the golden state bench was backup point guard shaun livingston a free agent pickup before last season livingston has proved himself capable of handling the offense when curry needs a rest and did well as a starter when curry injured his knee earlier in the playoffs in game 1 of the finals he set a career high in terms of playoff scoring with 20 points on 8 of 10 shooting to go with 4 rebounds and 3 assists he was a constant thorn in clevelands side hitting numerous midrange jumpers that can seem antiquated in the 3 pointer heavy golden state offense but proved remarkably effective on thursday the cavaliers could not adapt for his combination of quickness and length
not to be outdone leandro barbosa the 33 year old shooting guard known as the brazilian blur provided a huge burst of energy with 11 points in just 11 minutes hitting each of the five shots he took maybe its the horse medicine he drinks to keep him young
the reserve unit managed to outscore clevelands bench 45 10 but they also outscored their own teams star player 45 11 they essentially took a game that because of the struggles of curry and thompson should have been a golden state loss and turned it into a win
andre iguodala last seasons finals mvp picked up where he left off against lebron james forcing the larger forward into a number of bad shots and harassing him to the point of immense frustration along the way he also contributed 12 points 7 rebounds and 6 assists amazingly he managed to come away from the game having only committed one personal foul which is hard to believe considering his size disadvantage against james this will no doubt be dissected on the internet by those who believe golden state was getting preferential treatment from the referees
asked about iguodalas ability to defend without drawing many fouls kerr said it was a credit to his style of play
hes one of the smartest players ive ever been around at both ends of the floor kerr said so he understands angles he anticipates plays he anticipates moves from individual players he studies his opponents and hes smart
when jr smith was with the knicks the belief was always that if you lived by jr you would die by jr after riding smith and channing frye for much of the playoffs the cavaliers saw their outside shooters become non factors in the game frye who came into the game hitting 578 percent of his 3 pointers went 0 for 1 from the field for 2 points smith who was hitting 462 percent shot 1 for 3 for 3 points
as a team cleveland shot 381 percent from the field and 333 percent from 3 point range but the cold streak from two players who had been at the absolute peak of their ability coming into the series is what the team should be trying to fix going into game 2
cleveland had clawed its way back into the game at the end of the third quarter and they were down 71 68 with 34 seconds left when matthew dellavedova slapped at either the ball or andre iguodalas groin depending on who you ask the cavaliers guard ended up receiving a common foul and iguodala after a lengthy discussion among the referees was not penalized for his violent reaction to the play cleveland never recovered their momentum and were outscored by golden state 33 21 the rest of the way


front page
an article on wednesday about efforts by state and federal officials to support existing nuclear plants misidentified the entities involved in trying to set above market rates for power generated from some struggling coal and nuclear plants the contracts would have been between aeps ohio utility and its unregulated power generation affiliate and another contract would have been between firstenergys ohio utilities and their unregulated generation affiliate the contracts would not have been between aep and firstenergy the article also misstated the action taken by state regulators in ohio regulators approved the rate plans   not the contracts   that would have allowed for above market rates to go forward

an article on monday about lessons that the national democratic party could learn from gov jerry brown and the california democratic party misidentified the type of religious facility where mr brown spent time as a young man it was a seminary not a monastery
international
an article on may 10 about similarities between rodrigo duterte then the philippine presidential front runner and donald j trump the presumed republican presidential nominee referred incorrectly to mr dutertes political background he served in the philippine congress from june 1998 to june 2001 it is not the case that he has never held national office mr duterte is now the president elect

because of an editing error an article on may 11 about the romanian governments approval of legislation that would give priority to restitution claims by holocaust survivors for property lost during world war ii and under communist rule referred incorrectly to bucovina all of whose jews were deported in october 1941 according to a former resident it is a northern region of romania not a city
new york
an article on wednesday about certain undocumented immigrants who are allowed to apply for professional teaching certificates and some professional licenses referred incorrectly to dubai home to some of these immigrants dubai is an emirate not a country
business day
the deal professor column on wednesday about the virtues of in person annual meetings referred incorrectly to requests for corporate action proposed by three vocal shareholders john chevedden james mcritchie and william steiner the three were responsible for 70 percent of shareholder proposals sponsored by individuals among fortune 250 companies in 2014   not 70 percent of all shareholder proposals
the arts
an article on thursday about collaborations between the photographer gordon parks and the writer ralph ellison including the project harlem is nowhere misstated a comment by ellison in a letter to the author richard wright he wrote that he hoped that the harlem project would make for something new in photo journalism not that it would be a new departure in photo reporting that comment was made in a letter to ellison from richard e lauterbach editor of the magazine in which the project was originally scheduled to appear

an article on monday about the fandango fronterizo an annual event of mexican music at the border between san diego and tijuana misstated the name of an artist who performed he is tacho utrera not tacho utrera lauderia the article also misspelled the surname of an assistant professor at scripps college who commented on fandangos and the name of the band in which she sings she is martha e gonzalez not gonzales and the band is quetzal not quetzel
obituaries
an obituary on wednesday about rick macleish who played on the philadelphia flyers teams that won back to back stanley cups in the 1970s reversed the positions played by two of his teammates gary dornhoefer was a right wing and ross lonsberry was a left wing
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art briles the former baylor coach fired after a university investigation found that university leaders including football coaches and staff members had mishandled allegations of sexual violence said that he had regrets
i have certainly made mistakes and in hindsight i would have done certain things differently he said thursday in a statement to kwtx tv in waco tex
however briles said that the full scope of the situation had not been disclosed and that he was contractually obligated to be silent on the matter
i can only assume that the report which is not independent supports the conclusions that the board has already drawn he said
the report prompted the demotion of the university president kenneth starr who later stepped down as chancellor and the resignation of athletic director ian mccaw
earlier this week baylor hired the former wake forest coach jim grobe to replace briles
heisman hopeful gets a year back oklahoma quarterback baker mayfield will be given back the year of eligibility he lost because of his transfer from texas tech under a decision by the big 12 conference mayfield who finished fourth in the heisman trophy balloting last season will be eligible to play for the sooners in 2017
the boxing great muhammad ali was hospitalized with a respiratory problem but a spokesman for his family said that the former world heavyweight champion was in fair condition
bob gunnell the spokesman said that a brief hospital stay was expected for ali 74 who has had parkinsons disease for more than three decades
ali who lives in phoenix has had health problems in recent years and was admitted to a hospital in december 2014 with what was believed to be a mild case of pneumonia doctors later determined he had contracted a severe urinary tract infection reuters
javier baez jason heyward and kris bryant each hit home runs off the teenage starter julio urias in the chicago cubs 7 2 win over the visiting los angeles dodgers
kyle hendricks struck out six in eight innings for the cubs who have won eight of their last nine
urias 19 was making his second career start he gave up six runs and eight hits in two and two thirds innings in his big league debut against the mets last week
baltimore blasts boston the orioles slugged a season high seven homers to beat the visiting red sox 12 7
mark trumbo and adam jones each homered twice for the orioles and manny machado delivered a tiebreaking drive in the seventh inning xander bogaerts extended his career best hitting streak to 26 games with a two run double for the red sox
around the majors kansas city third baseman mike moustakas had season ending surgery to repair the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee zack greinke struck out a season high 11 as arizona beat visiting houston and dallas keuchel 3 0 in a matchup of al cy young award winners madison bumgarner struck out 11 and hit a two run homer in san franciscos 6 0 win at atlanta bumgarner lowered his era to 191
kumi yokoyama scored in stoppage time to give japan a 3 3 tie with the united states in commerce city colo in an exhibition rematch of the americans victory last year in the womens world cup final
alex morgan scored twice and lindsey horan added a goal in the 89th minuted to help the united states overcome a 2 0 deficit
mana iwabuchi and yuki ogimi scored earlier for japan which was reduced to 10 players when ogimi received a second yellow card and was ejected in the 57th minute
the match featured the finalists from the last two world cups and the 2012 olympics japan won the 2011 world cup and the united states won at the london games
the americans dropped to 11 0 1 this year
forward casey cizikas agreed to a five year 1675 million contract extension that will keep him with the islanders through the 2020 21 season
cizikas 25 had eight goals and 22 assists last season


san jose calif   donald j trump unleashed an attack on hillary clinton on thursday in response to her speech earlier in the day criticizing his foreign policy positions
speaking at a campaign rally here he began by calling her speech pathetic dismissing it as a stunt and saying it had nothing to do with foreign policy
outside the event protesters some brandishing mexican flags clashed violently with mr trumps supporters
videos taken at the scene showed a number of physical confrontations in one a supporter wearing a football jersey emblazoned with mr trumps name was pelted with eggs another showed an unsuspecting man being surrounded by protesters and punched in the face
in a third video a man who had emerged from the event holding a trump sign was struck in the head and began to bleed
the san jose police department said in a brief statement that it had made a few arrests after the rally and that one police officer had been assaulted it said more details would be provided on friday
in his speech mr trump continued his attack on mrs clinton accusing her of secretly hating president obama
remember hillary clinton used to hate obama mr trump said she used to hate him the old clinton hated him
he mocked mrs clinton and her husband saying they bowed to the presidents whims yes sir mr president sir what would you like what would you like me to say sir the crowd roared
he argued that mrs clinton was supportive of mr obama only because of the investigation into her private email server
anything obama wants shes going forward with mr trump said because you know why she doesnt want to go to jail thats why
that line of attack closely aligns with the writing of ed klein the conservative author whose books on mrs clinton and mr obama have been dismissed by critics as including fabricated accounts of events mr trump recently met with mr klein
though he offered some lighthearted jokes about the crowd size being affected by the nba finals nearby mr trump seemed to grow angrier during the speech and repeatedly went after mrs clinton
he did not offer many direct rebukes of mrs clintons speech sticking mainly to mocking the candidate and focusing on her emails but he criticized her claim that russia and china were jealous of the united states relationships with its allies
theyre not jealous they think were stupid mr trump said
he also accused mrs clinton of lying when she said he would allow japan to have nuclear weapons in an interview this year though he said he was open to it
and he once again proclaimed that he was against the iraq invasion although audio from 2002 has surfaced of mr trump supporting the invasion
hillary said oh donald trump his finger on the button mr trump said im the one who didnt want to go in iraq folks
he promised to make mrs clintons email server an issue on the campaign trail repeatedly calling her guilty as hell and hinting that under a president trump the attorney general is going to take a very good look at the issue
mr trump was active on twitter after the event but did not comment on the violence


detroit   floundering offenses on two american league teams that are trying to get back to the playoffs recently perked to life by making unconventional changes
houston manager a j hinch moved george springer into the leadoff spot simply because hinch had said he needed to do something different springer has been on fire since and so have the astros who have won eight of nine
toronto manager john gibbons was so frustrated two weeks ago that he threw up his hands and put jose bautista in the leadoff spot where he had not hit in six years the blue jays have won nine of 12 since
so yankees manager joe girardi whose team is in an offensive funk that is deepening by the day was asked if he might try something similar to shake up his team which is also trying to return to the playoffs
the suggestion struck a nerve with girardi who hit back harder than any yankee has in recent days
who do you want me to lead off girardi said tell me you guys have these questions but do you want me to lead tex off you want me to lead alex off you want me to lead carlos off
referring to the slow footed sluggers mark teixeira alex rodriguez and carlos beltran girardi said he could not shake things up because too many yankees were struggling he said it made no sense to move jacoby ellsbury who leads the regulars with a 280 average out of the leadoff spot the same could have been said for the astros bumping jose altuve who was hitting 328 at the time springer replaced him
so now what girardi said
for one night his frustration may have been assuaged as the yankees who were no hit for five innings used a late outburst and then hung on to beat the detroit tigers 5 4 in a game making up for one that was rained out on april 10
the yankees were not saved by their vaunted bullpen   dellin betances andrew miller and aroldis chapman each surrendered a run   but by didi gregorius who entered at shortstop as a late defensive replacement
gregorius threw out justin upton on a close relay at home to end the eighth then helped chapman escape a bases loaded none out jam in the ninth by making a diving stop to start an audacious double play gregorius while prone flipped j d martinezs grounder up the middle to starlin castro who caught it barehanded and threw to first while falling down   and blowing a bubble
chapman then retired miguel cabrera on a grounder to end the game
the win ended a three game losing streak and was just the yankees third in nine games it also featured a heartening performance from pitcher michael pineda who has struggled mightily in his own right and an offense that was ignited by rob refsnyder the recently recalled utility player who doubled leading off the sixth
refsnyders hit was the first off the tigers left hander matt boyd and he went on to score the tying run ending a 22 inning scoreless streak refsnyder then singled in the go ahead run in the seventh in which the yankees scored four times capped by ellsburys two run triple
you definitely notice the zeros but theres no sense of panic refsnyder said
girardi did some mild juggling of his lineup moving castro to shortstop to give gregorius a day off and playing refsnyder at second base girardi also kept the slumping brett gardner 0 for 24 and brian mccann 1 for 26 on the bench
it was an encouraging night for pineda a beleaguered right hander who may have saved his spot in the rotation by allowing one run on seven hits in five and two thirds innings he struck out eight and walked none and kept his composure after the tigers took the lead in the fourth when uptons bloop single fell in front of beltran in right
thats what you want to see girardi said
asked earlier this week how close pineda was to being removed from the rotation general manager brian cashman said were certainly talking about it hes got another start so well see
as poorly as the yankees have played this season they entered thursday only three games worse than their mark last season but a year ago a 27 25 record was good enough to be in first place in the american league east the yankees entered thursdays game in fourth place and the division leading red sox look formidable
asked if the strong start by the red sox had created a sense of urgency that might not have existed at the same point last year girardi seethed
there wasnt urgency for us last year he said theres urgency here every day you dont take anything for granted perception is not reality thats one of my least favorite statements in life perception is perception there is urgency in me every day there is urgency in that clubhouse every day and if there isnt they should go home


oakland calif   the bad news for the cleveland cavaliers on thursday night was a 104 89 loss to the golden state warriors the worse news was that stephen curry and klay thompson had little to do with it
game 1 of the nba finals was a tribute to the warriors depth and sharing spirit led by shaun livingstons 20 points their bench annihilated the cavaliers outscoring clevelands bench by 45 10 and leading a 21 4 run from late in the third quarter to the 8 minute 34 second mark of the fourth turning a 1 point deficit into an 88 72 lead
the fewest points that curry and thompson the renowned splash brothers had scored in a game this season was 29 they combined for 20 on 8 for 27 shooting in game 1 but it meant little with both long range marksmen sitting for almost six minutes of the fourth quarter
unstoppable with midrange jumpers   what he called my bread and butter   livingston currys 6 foot 7 backup at point guard made 8 of 10 shots to lead seven warriors into double figures
he got to his spots to the free throw line 12 feet and in on the baseline and he hurt us with that the cavs rookie coach tyronn lue said of livingston although he was more mournful over the 28 shots cleveland missed in the lane
draymond green the best of golden states game 1 starters filled his stat line with 16 points 11 rebounds and 7 assists andre iguodala   the most valuable player in last seasons finals   had a brilliant night on both ends of the floor harassing lebron james among others on defense and finishing with 12 points 7 rebounds 6 assists and a game best plus minus rating of plus 21
handling the ball at times like a point guard iguodala played just under 36 minutes and had no turnovers in the games most intense moment he got into the chest of matthew dellavedova the cavs backup point guard after dellavedova slapped him in the groin from behind reaching for the ball but nowhere near it with the warriors ahead 71 68 late in the third quarter
on the warriors next possession iguodala drilled a 3 pointer from the left wing to close the quarter the bench assault continued into the fourth
the cavs cut the lead to 11 with a 9 0 run with 323 left but james lost the ball to green and curry nailed a 3 pointer to abort any budding drama curry flung his mouthpiece later explaining it as a demonstration of his nightlong frustration
really proud of the way everybody contributed he said referring to how he and thompson had been bailed out by the bench
kyrie irving led the cavs with 26 points james had 23 points 12 rebounds and 9 assists and kevin love added 17 points and 13 boards but the cavs got little else especially from j r smith who scored 3 points on 3 shots in 36 minutes
when you get outscored 45 10 on the bench and give up 25 points on turnovers youre not going to win on the road james said after beginning his seventh career finals with a 2 4 record to show for it
these finals have been cast as a legacy series with the warriors trying to clear the final and most formidable hurdle to punctuating   or authenticating   their record 73 victory regular season
james and the cavaliers had their own crusade related to the so called cleveland curse the citys failure to win a major professional sports championship since 1964
but james who intensified the title chase by returning to cleveland in 2014 after four seasons and two titles in miami said i dont really get involved into the whole pressure thing i think ive exceeded expectations in my life as a professional im a statistic that was supposed to go the other way growing up in the inner city having a single parent household it was just me and my mother
so everything ive done has been a success he added so as far as the game of basketball i just go out and play it and have fun and love it and be true to the game and to my teammates and live with the results
he was nonetheless visibly upset with the flow of game 1 as the cavs offense deteriorated into excessive isolation play and wound up with 38 percent shooting
nursing a 32 28 lead early in the second quarter the warriors went on an 11 3 run capped by a trademark iguodala strip of irving that led to a thompson run out when iguodala followed a missed curry 3 with a put back dunk the warriors had a 45 32 lead
trailing by 9 at the half the cavs put together their best stretch outscoring the warriors by 21 9 behind james and love to take a 66 65 lead but livingston hit a 12 footer in the lane to erase the lead and followed up a missed curry 3 after jamess left baseline drive had put the cavs up again
next came the groin slap on iguodala by dellavedova who was involved in several scraps during last seasons playoffs after dellavedova was assessed a normal foul iguodala responded with his quarter ending 3 and opened the fourth with a 15 footer from the left wing
the rout was on curry and thompson had choice viewing seats on the bench
rebounds
in the annual pre finals state of the league news conference nba commissioner adam silver said on the subject of intentional fouling it is my hope that we are not far away from some kind of reform he said off the ball fouling had increased by two and a half times from last season and by 16 times over the past five years all the fan research we have shows the fans hate it said silver who also said that kicking and failing in the hope of drawing a foul while nothing new had become more prevalent and troublesome
silver said the league was looking for alternatives to playing the 2017 all star game in charlotte nc although there is no line in the sand on a compromise to the contested legislation in north carolina targeting gay and transgender people discussions are ongoing silver said
in response to a question about questionable officiating silver mused about the possibility of a fourth game official perhaps through the development league or the summer league that well take a fresh look at


a senior police official was stripped of his gun and badge and placed on modified duty on thursday in connection with a broad federal inquiry into municipal corruption the new york police department announced
the official deputy chief john sprague 45 was disciplined after he indicated that he would refuse to answer questions before a federal grand jury
chief sprague who has been at the department for 25 years according to a police spokeswoman had recently taken charge of the force investigation division a newly formed unit with a mission to investigate the use of deadly force by police officers
he joins a number of other police officials who have been disciplined after refusing to answer questions in relation to the inquiry
on the advice of counsel deputy chief sprague has relied upon his constitutional right as a citizen of the united states roy t richter the president of the captains endowment association the union that represents chief sprague said in a statement
the chief will continue to cooperate with whatever administrative process the department deems appropriate he added
chief spragues lawyer michael farkas said that as a dedicated public official who has served the people of this city for many years his client intends to answer all questions put to him by the police department during its investigation
the inquiry is being led by federal authorities and conducted with the help of the departments internal affairs bureau its focus is two businessmen who are tied to mayor bill de blasio a democrat and their attempts to cultivate a network of municipal contacts including police officials


a geriatric psychiatrist hired by sumner m redstone has concluded that the ailing mogul had the legal mental capacity to oust two longtime confidants from the trust that will control his 40 billion media empire after he dies or is declared incompetent
in excerpts from a report released late thursday based on two examinations over the last two weeks the psychiatrist dr james e spar said the 93 year old mr redstone indicated that he no longer trusted philippe p dauman the chief executive of viacom and george s abrams a longtime viacom director
i asked mr redstone why he was removing mr dauman as trustee and director and he said hes done a bad job running viacom dr spar said in the statement i asked the same question about mr abrams and mr redstone said hes not listening to me
two weeks ago mr redstone unexpectedly removed mr dauman and mr abrams from the trust and the board of national amusements the private theater chain company through which mr redstone controls his 40 billion media empire the moves were viewed as a precursor to the ultimate ousting of mr dauman as chairman and chief executive of viacom
the companys share price has dropped about 30 percent in the last year
mr dauman and mr abrams immediately filed a suit in massachusetts seeking to invalidate the decisions challenging mr redstones mental capacity and claiming he had been manipulated by his daughter shari redstone lawyers for mr redstone filed a petition of their own in los angeles
the examination by dr spar provides one window into the mental state of mr redstone who is in poor health and has not been seen publicly in more than a year mr redstone has been a patient of dr spars since 2014
in the last two years mr redstone has had a series of minor strokes that left him with a severe speech impediment he cannot read write or do simple arithmetic according to assertions in various court filings in videotaped testimony taken may 5 for a different suit challenging his mental competency mr redstone relied on an interpreter to answer basic questions
the full report from dr spar is expected to be included by mr redstones lawyers as part of their legal filings in the massachusetts case his testimony was included by mr redstones lawyers as part of the earlier suit challenging his mental competency brought by manuela herzer his former companion
les fagen a lawyer for mr dauman and mr abrams said the evaluation had been conducted by a paid medical consultant and does not answer the question of whether sumner redstone had sufficient capacity to make complex decisions impacting the governance of billion dollar publicly held corporations nor does it acknowledge that undue influence was exercised to manipulate his views
most recently dr spar examined mr redstone on may 20 the day that he ousted mr dauman and mr abrams from their roles and may 24 the day after he filed the petition in los angeles to validate his decisions
dr spar said that during the may 24 meeting mr redstone reminded me that he makes all the decisions about viacom and cbs
dr spar said that mr redstone indicated that he had been following viacoms stock price and was not happy with mr daumans leadership of the company he added that mr redstone was particularly displeased with mr daumans decision to sell a stake in paramount pictures the companys film and tv studio
mr redstone said that he had clearly expressed his feelings about the paramount sale to both mr dauman and mr abrams but in his view they ignored his wishes dr spar said
dr spar also performed a mini mental state exam to test mr redstones cognitive functions and found that mr redstone had a mild degree of impairment given his age and education level


juan manuel martinez broke a tie midway through the second half and real salt lake beat new york city fc 3 2 on thursday night in their first ever meeting at yankee stadium
real salt lake 7 4 2 scored three goals in a third straight match and concluded a five game road swing with a 2 3 0 record nycfc 4 5 6 is winless in its last four games
nycfc opened the scoring in the 56th minute when jack harrison scored his first mls goal on a deflected shot from distance but real salt lake tied the game three minutes later when yura movsisyan controlled a long ball and overpowered a defender to squeeze a shot inside the near post
real salt lake took a 2 1 lead when a failed clearance fell to the feet of the wide open martinez then went up 3 1 in the 74th minute on frederic brillants own goal
nycfcs david villa slid a penalty kick under real salt lake goalkeeper nick rimando in the 87th minute for his mls leading 10th goal of the season


a special prosecutor will handle the case of a white chicago police officer who shot a black teenager a judge said thursday while civil rights lawyers pressed for a broader investigation into whether other officers attempted a cover up a dashboard camera video of the october 2014 killing of laquan mcdonald 17 showed officer jason van dyke firing 16 shots into mr mcdonalds body even after he crumpled to the ground judge vincent gaughan said that he would search for an outside prosecutor after the cook county states attorney anita alvarez asked last month to step aside she lost a march primary election under criticism of her handling of the case ap
a prosecutor said on thursday that he would dismiss charges against elementary school students who were taken to a juvenile facility   some in handcuffs   in view of parents the police in murfreesboro arrested four children at hobgood elementary school in april and took them away saying they took part in off campus bullying six other children were named in juvenile court petitions parents and community leaders protested and the rutherford county prosecutor jennings jones said thursday that he would drop the charges he would not say why ap


a minivan with out of state license plates rolled up to a hospital two miles from the scene of a fatal shooting last week the police said out hobbled a brooklyn rapper known as troy ave with a gunshot wound to his leg
investigators obtained a warrant to search the van and the police said they found a secret compartment hiding three firearms including a kel tec pf 9 semiautomatic pistol
the new york police department said on thursday that ballistics tests confirmed the pistol was the sole gun used in a shooting on may 25 at irving plaza a nightclub near union square in manhattan where the rapper ti was headlining a concert the gun matched six shell casings recovered after the shooting which left troy ave whose name is roland collins and two other people wounded the police said mr collinss longtime friend and bodyguard ronald mcphatter was killed
robert k boyce the police departments chief of detectives said there was no evidence any other weapon had been used but he cautioned that investigators were not prepared to rule out the possibility that someone other than mr collins who was seen shooting on surveillance video had fired the pistol
it is difficult to say at this time he said at the police departments monthly crime briefing dna swabs have been taken on the gun he added
the shooting started a debate over the role of violence in rap music and rekindled a racially charged discussion about safety at hip hop events
the gun and two others were found in a trap a secret compartment in the center console of the van chief boyce said one of the weapons was a defaced 9 millimeter pistol loaded with 10 rounds the other was a stolen charter arms 38 revolver loaded with five hollow point rounds chief boyce said
at a court appearance on monday mr collins pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted murder and criminal possession of a weapon stemming from the shooting he was ordered held without bail he is due back in court on june 9 his top charge could be upgraded to murder
the shooting unfolded around 1015 pm in an upstairs vip area of the nightclub just as ti was about to go onstage a 26 year old aspiring rb singer was shot in the leg when a fight broke out in a green room and a 34 year old man was struck by a bullet that pierced the floor
the police said mr collinss manager drove him to the nyu langone medical center in the van which chief boyce described as a 2003 chevrolet with virginia plates registered to the rapper
mr collinss lawyers john b stella and scott e leemon have asked the public for help finding witnesses and photo or video evidence to support his defense mr leemon said some people may be mistrustful of the police and reluctant to cooperate with the official investigation
our problem he said is that this information might be helpful for us to show that the real victims here are banga mcphatter who died a hero trying to protect his lifelong friend troy ave and troy himself who was shot in the leg


belgiums interior minister who nearly resigned after the brussels bombings by islamic state militants more than two months ago met with new york police officials and counterterrorism specialists on thursday in what he described as a useful visit
the minister jan jambon who is also a deputy prime minister and overseer of belgiums police forces expressed admiration for the new york police departments intelligence gathering its technology and the bomb sniffing dogs in its counterterrorism unit
mr jambon and john j miller the deputy police commissioner for intelligence and counterterrorism said at a news conference that the ministers visit was part of a growing collaboration
in difficult times one knows their friends mr jambon said drawing parallels between the attacks on sept 11 2001 in the united states and the march 22 bombings at the brussels airport and subway
the brussels attacks left 35 people dead including three assailants and traumatized a city that for many represents the heart of europe the bombs used in the assault had been assembled in brussels
mr jambon and other senior belgian officials have been criticized for intelligence lapses that preceded the bombings which have reinforced their countrys reputation as an incubator for islamic state militant recruitment and attack plots in europe
some of the suspects in the brussels bombings have been linked to the paris attacks last november
mr jambon and belgiums justice minister koen geens offered to resign after the brussels bombings but prime minister charles michel asked them to stay
mr jambon told reporters on thursday that improvements in intelligence gathering and police information sharing in belgium which had been in the works before the attacks were accelerated afterward the attacks came too early he said
mr jambon added i think we have made a lot of progress
belgium remains on a high level of alert for further attacks mr jambon said but he had no specific information about any particular plots
he also said that 200 people from belgium were believed to be fighting with the islamic state militant group in syria and that about 130 had returned while many of the returnees have expressed disillusionment with the islamic state mr jambon said others come back with a mission
after the news conference mr miller escorted mr jambon outside to inspect some of the departments counterterrorism police vehicles the minister took special interest in the 50 pound bulletproof vests worn by officers
he was also intrigued by one of the bomb sniffing dogs a two year old black labrador retriever named kevin mr miller said kevin was capable of detecting vapors emitted by tatp an explosive believed to have been used in the brussels and paris attacks
vapor wake labradors as the dogs are known can detect and track traces of explosives   their vapor wake   up to 10 minutes after the explosives have been moved from an area mr miller said we deploy these dogs at all major events


film festivals usually attract eager ambitious young directors but not many feature auteurs quite as young as some of the participants in the 12th kidsfilmfest
on saturday this event part of the brooklyn film festival will include a visit from james baras miller a 12 year old australian who made octavius 3 the heist with his own stuffed animals the title character a villainous teddy bear who swipes a masterpiece from a museum and then frames the sheriff also a bear will appear too
every year we try to have at least one or two films that are made by children said lisa king kidsfilmfests director granted such works are not as quote unquote professionally done on quote unquote professional equipment she said james made his with an iphone but ms king who prescreened this years entries with two adults before a panel of children made the final choices finds that her audiences dont care
if its interesting and its fun and the content is something the children are going to enjoy it doesnt matter how it was made she said
this years slate has two other projects involving filmmakers under 18 kraken attackin by jago gould and nick tennery a stop motion american short stars two surfer dudes and a sea creature the animated lilly gets a pet whose creators include the bum family a group of canadian siblings and cousins has an endearing heroine who happens to be a huge hairy one eyed orange monster
but kidsfilmfest which is noncompetitive also offers serious moments by professionals if i had to choose a theme for this years festival it would be overcoming adversity ms king said its 15 shorts chosen from more than 125 international submissions include the emotionally resonant and essentially wordless it hit upon the roof from the iranian director teymour ghaderi unfolding in a humble family home whose roof leaks during a downpour it just gives a glimpse into how other children live she said
closer to home amanda quaids toys uses cutout live action figures in an animated 1930s era tale of an american girl whose father wished she had been a boy and in peter nizics live action spaghetti from australia an 8 year old has to cope with both humiliation and his first crush
in addition to james several filmmakers will attend kidsfilmfest for post screening discussions and presentations for aspiring directors in the audience ms king said its an opportunity to see how these little dreams can turn into big realities
at 1 pm made in ny media center by ifp 30 john street between jay and pearl streets dumbo brooklyn 646 234 5080 kidsfilmfestorg


london   he was accused of hypocrisy scaremongering and a failing common among politicians worldwide   waffling
yet prime minister david cameron kept his cool under pressure on thursday as he appealed to britons to remain in the european union during the first major television forum before the countrys referendum on whether to stay
during the hourlong broadcast on sky news mr cameron was pressed repeatedly by an interviewer over the high levels of immigration into britain after that came a combative town hall style session with an audience of voters
and while it might not prove a decisive moment for the june 23 referendum the debate could energize a campaign that has shown relatively few signs of igniting public interest
during the broadcast mr cameron pointed out the economic risks of quitting the european union arguing that leaving its single market of about 500 million people would be an act of self harm and appealing to voters not to roll a dice on the economic futures of their children and grandchildren
a succession of institutions including the international monetary fund the organization for economic cooperation and development and the bank of england have echoed mr camerons warnings of the likely adverse economic consequences of a withdrawal known as brexit
but from the start of his interview on sky news mr cameron was pressed by its political editor faisal islam on the issue of immigration and on his governments failure to keep its pledge to restrict the number of arrivals to below 100000 people a year
migration has emerged as the strongest issue for those campaigning for britain to quit the european union they argue that britain will never be able to control immigration as a member of the union because citizens of countries inside the bloc can live and work in other member nations and britain with its relatively successful economy has attracted many workers from the east and south of europe
mr islam got a laugh from the studio audience when he parodied some of the claims about the consequences of a brexit which critics believe are exaggerated what comes first world war iii or the global brexit recession he asked
but perhaps the most memorable comment of the evening came from a member of the audience soraya bouazzaoui who when dissatisfied with a response from mr cameron interjected im an english literature student i know waffling when i see it
mr cameron responded calmly insisting that claims from his opponents that millions of turkish citizens would soon be able to live in britain were fanciful
turkey is not likely to join the european union soon mr cameron said pointing out that talks on its membership had stalled and that britain and every other member nation could veto its entry
mr cameron also defended himself from accusations of hypocrisy and scaremongering for campaigning alongside the new london mayor sadiq khan of the opposition labour party during the mayoral election campaign mr cameron repeated accusations that mr khan had spoken at events where people with ties to islamist extremists also spoke
mr camerons governing conservative party is deeply split over the referendum and the format of pre referendum television debates has proved controversial
hoping to limit damage to his party mr cameron is avoiding a head to head confrontation with members of his cabinet who support a british withdrawal so the justice secretary michael gove will make the case for brexit on friday in a separate program
with the conservative party divided a pivotal factor in the referendum outcome will be the willingness of those who normally vote for the labour party to turn out and cast their ballots to remain in the union their partys official position
the labour leader jeremy corbyn has been accused of being halfhearted in his support for european union membership but on thursday he called again for a vote to remain and argued that the bloc had helped to lift environmental standards and to protect workers rights
in a speech in london mr corbyn also defended immigration arguing that britain cannot and should not want to close the borders many non british europeans help sustain the british health service he said and many britons exercise their reciprocal rights to work in other nations on europes mainland
the main group campaigning for a withdrawal vote leave faced an unexpected setback on thursday when it had to evacuate its london headquarters as water gushed in from a floor above paul stephenson a spokesman for the group joked that there was no indication that the episode was an act of pro european sabotage


in march chicago magazine named michael w ferro jr no 49 of the citys 50 biggest movers and shakers writing for better or worse the fate of print journalism in this town rests largely in his hands
mr ferro has been a power player in chicago for years but in the four months since he took the helm of tribune publishing as chairman he has made it known that he is the one in charge   and no one is going to take that away from him
it all came to a head on thursday he installed his close associates on the companys board it became less likely that gannett would continue to pursue its unsolicited takeover offer he is also changing the companys name to tronc with a lowercase t which stands for tribune online content and he moved its stock listing to the nasdaq to make it seem more like a dot com era start up instead of the celebrated newspaper conglomerate that owns the los angeles times and the chicago tribune
the risk of gannett walking away has been a disappointment to many on wall street which viewed accepting gannetts deal as a no brainer gannett which owns usa today has been on a quest to buy papers across the country in an attempt to cut costs
now mr ferro 49 who is frequently compared by people who know him with the other brash businessmen donald j trump and sam zell will get the chance to prove his assertion that big plans to remake tribune will turn it into a far more valuable company than gannetts offer pegged it at
we have a tremendous opportunity at tribune as we move aggressively to implement the changes necessary to succeed in the current environment mr ferro said in a statement on thursday our board remains dedicated to acting in the best interests of all shareholders and executing on our strategic plan to create exceptional value for all stakeholders
mr ferro is the latest wealthy businessman to think he has the right ideas to save a newspaper industry that has struggled for years with declining circulation and falling advertising dollars for these men including jeff bezos who bought the washington post in 2013 and the casino magnate sheldon g adelson who bought the las vegas review journal in december newspapers have become a prized asset
mr ferro is so sure of his plans for his company   which include the combining of the editor and publishers at its newspapers using artificial intelligence and a pledge to open bureaus for the los angeles times in places like lagos and hong kong   that he rebuffed overtures from gannett that would have given shareholders a rich premium gannetts revised offer of 15 a share from the 1225 a share tribune rejected in early may represented a 99 percent premium to the closing price on the last trading day before gannett went public with its initial offer
also on thursday a shareholder sued members of the board including mr ferro for breaching their fiduciary duties in potentially blocking the takeover
tribune is not mr ferros first foray into the newspaper business in late 2011 a company called wrapports led by mr ferro and timothy p knight a former publisher of newsday agreed to buy the chicago sun times the citys second biggest paper he emulated a silicon valley atmosphere creating an arcade game room and providing free candy and ice cream
some aspects of mr ferro however can seem decidedly retro he has been known to publicly comment on womens physical appearances while mr ferro was making a presentation to the city club of chicago several years ago for instance he pointed to a picture of a female sun times reporter and said shes even better looking in person according to a youtube video of the event mr zells ownership of tribune was characterized by among other things a work environment that many thought was demeaning toward women
mr ferro wears the uniform of a tech entrepreneur   which is what he was until about a decade ago he sold click commerce which made software to manage supply chains to illinois tool works for about 300 million an investment that itw had to write down two years later
that made him a millionaire many times over and mr ferro used his newfound status to take seats on boards across the city becoming intertwined with the small club of chicagos wealthy business elite
michaels punched his ticket at all these institutions that these movers and shakers are involved in said james oshea a former managing editor at the chicago tribune who has worked with mr ferro he does know his way around the city
mr ferro known for his salesmanship persuaded the likes of john canning founder of the private equity firm madison dearborn partners and andrew mckenna chairman of mcdonalds to put capital into his new investment firm
merrick ventures as it was known quickly made a notable bet on a company called merge healthcare mr ferro took a controlling stake in the company which made medical imaging software and ousted the chief executive installing his own associate justin dearborn that was a precursor to a strikingly similar move mr ferro made at tribune where mr dearborn is now the chief executive
mr ferros stature among some in the elite chicago community started to fade after regulators questioned merges related party transactions from a financial perspective the deal was seen as a success merge sold to ibm for 1 billion last year a 900 percent return from the time he invested
in autumn 2015 tribune publishing announced a staff reduction plan as it faced questions about how to bolster its media properties and raise its stock price tension between the company and its california papers was also high the publisher of the los angeles times was fired after only a year in the job and there were disagreements about financial projections
in february mr ferro again opened his checkbook   this time for tribune at the time tribunes board voted for his 444 million private placement at 850 a share mr ferro transferred his equity in the sun times into a charitable trust about three weeks later jack griffin was fired as chief executive and mr dearborn stepped in
not long after gannett saw an opportunity and made its move its first offer of 1225 a share was quickly rejected so the company which is based in mclean va increased it several weeks later to 15 a share the intermittent dueling news releases made it clear that mr ferro did not want to engage with gannett unless he got a piece of the action
to fend off gannett tribune issued almost five million shares to an investor dr patrick soon shiong who agreed to side with mr ferro on major issues together the two controlled nearly one third of tribune shares
for gannett owning tribunes newspapers would give it a larger national footprint as well as publications in metropolitan markets including baltimore and orlando fla which could help it appeal more to national advertisers if it decides to walk away from its takeover attempt it could still buy other newspaper companies to expand its reach though perhaps none would have quite the same prestige as tribune
tribune was big and it was a way to pick up a lot of scale potentially in one fell swoop said barry lucas an analyst at gabelli  company but there are other ways to make this work
there could also be another twist mr ferro has indicated his own interest in buying gannett


nine scientists have won this years kavli prizes for work that detected the echoes of colliding black holes revealed how adaptable the nervous system is and created a technique for sculpting structures on the nanoscale
the announcement was made on thursday by the norwegian academy of science letters in oslo and was live streamed to a watching party in new york as a part of the world science festival the three prizes each worth 1 million and split among the recipients are awarded in astrophysics nanoscience and neuroscience every two years they are named for fred kavli a norwegian american inventor businessman and philanthropist who started the awards in 2008 and died in 2013
the astrophysics prize went to rainer weiss from massachusetts institute of technology ronald wp drever from the california institute of technology and kip s thorne also from caltech for directly detecting gravitational waves while using the laser interferometer gravitational wave observatory ligo in september of last year they observed wiggles in space time that were first theorized by albert einstein in 1916 opening a new window on the universe
the real credit for this goes to the whole ligo team said dr thorne who attended the viewing party in new york with dr weiss i wouldnt be here without the people who started it and it would not have succeeded without this team of a thousand people who made it happen
the winners of the nanoscience prize are gerd binnig formerly a member of the ibm zurich research laboratory in switzerland christoph gerber from the university of basel in switzerland and calvin quate from stanford they were awarded for inventing atomic force microscopy and developing practical uses for it
unlike many other forms of microscopy atomic force microscopy acquires images of samples on the nanoscale by feeling them rather than seeing them atomic force microscopes use sharp tips attached to flexible arms called cantilevers to scan a materials surface like a stylus on a record player a laser beam helps the device detect bends in the cantilever allowing it to take images of the materials topography on the nanoscale the technique has been widely used in biology chemistry physics and materials sciences to visualize viruses bacteria and chemical bonds the tip can also add remove and arrange atoms on a surface
eve marder of brandeis university michael m merzenich of the university of california san francisco and carla j shatz of stanford won the neuroscience prize dr marder illuminated the flexibility and stability of the nervous system through her work studying crabs and lobsters and the neurons that control their digestion dr merzenich was a pioneer in the study of neural plasticity demonstrating that parts of the adult brain like those of children can be reorganized by experience dr shatz showed that neurons that fire together wire together by investigating how patterns of activity sculpt the synapses in the developing brain
the winners will receive their prizes in september at a ceremony in oslo


he played the role of press analyst and critic offering clipped replies and a knowing smirk in response to questions about politics motivation and gov andrew m cuomo
for a combative but contained 17 minutes mayor bill de blasio on thursday offered terse answers to an abundance of questions from reporters mostly dealing with the fallout from overlapping federal and state investigations into his administration in a performance that in recent weeks has become a kind of house style for his embattled mayoralty
seated at a blue table the mayor restated the mantra that his administration would eventually be found to have done everything appropriately he laid out dots but no names   referring to a particular reporter at one point a state official with a particular employment history at another   and asked reporters to connect them arguing by insinuation that they would lead back to mr cuomo a fellow democrat
a lot of good questions to follow up on there mr de blasio said suggesting as he has for weeks that an investigatory report from the state board of elections highly critical of his fund raising on behalf of democrats in the state senate had been leaked by those close to the governor to damage him
the back and forth at the tail end of an hourlong news conference on crime statistics at police headquarters in lower manhattan came on the second day of an increasingly open war of words between mr de blasio and mr cuomo whose deepening feud has shown little sign of being repaired
on wednesday mr cuomo told reporters that the mayor was wrong about the origin of the leak which the state inspector general found to have come from a republican spokesman for the bipartisan election board the governor had previously said the leak might have come from republicans on the board
he in my opinion falsely and recklessly accused public servants who are just doing their job of being unprofessional mr cuomo said i think he should apologize
so the mayor was asked the next day would he apologize no mr de blasio said shaking his head later he reiterated not going to happen
mr de blasio instead appeared to stick with the story of a state investigatory apparatus aimed unfairly at him complaining of a double standard as he had in previous news conferences and observing that party affiliation may not preclude the hand of the governor in the leak
the lines between democrats and republicans often blur in albany mr de blasio said
over the past two days both men also took their swipes when asked about supporting the other for re election
im not a city resident mr cuomo said on wednesday
im focused on 2016 mr de blasio replied on thursday when asked about endorsing the governor
flanked by top police officials mr de blasio spoke as much through facial expressions that at times revealed his frustration a pinched smile a smirk the movement of his eyes upward to the ceiling as he batted back questions
as mr de blasio spoke two top aides to the governor posted their own thoughts on twitter seemingly emboldened by the inspector generals report and mr cuomos words a day before to attack the mayor more directly
im sure saying i was wrong is one of the hardest things to do in politics but continuing this charade at this point is just silly wrote richard azzopardi a spokesman for the governor deflect is a lesser known river in egypt as well he said in another post
melissa derosa the governors chief of staff mocked whatever planet that presser was held on and observed that the last time mayor demand facts be brought to light they were he was wrong and his lawyer went so far as to threaten a personal lawsuit
but for all the political tumult mr de blasio appeared more at ease on thursday than in recent news conferences emphasizing at several points how he and his team were very comfortable that the inquiries would reveal no wrongdoing the truth is a very comforting thing he said and were comfortable with the truth
as if to underscore that point mr de blasio remained seated at the blue tables   with paper nameplates in front of each official   that in recent weeks have become a hallmark of his news conferences the blue tables have appeared at police events and at those related to housing uptown in washington heights and downtown at city hall
these are long long proceedings he said when asked about the tables it just makes more sense to sit down
another new york politician also at times favors the sit behind a table approach mr cuomo


in the eyes of his lawyer reza zarrab a wealthy gold trader from turkey was a prominent businessman and philanthropist who stood accused of ill founded charges in manhattan and was certainly no threat to flee
but prosecutors in the office of preet bharara the united states attorney for the southern district of new york had a different opinion of mr zarrab arguing that he posed an extraordinary risk of flight
the opposing views were on display on thursday during a bail hearing in federal district court that was unusual for its magnitude and curiosity factor especially in turkey
mr zarrabs lawyer has asked that his client be released from pretrial detention on a 50 million bond secured by 10 million in cash with the condition that mr zarrab remain in his apartment with 24 hour armed guards and gps monitoring at his own expense
the judge richard m berman indicated that he would issue a bail decision soon in the case mr zarrab was arrested in march on a trip to the united states and was sent to manhattan to face charges that include conspiring to violate the american sanctions on iran
mr bhararas office has asked that bail be denied pointing to what it said was overwhelming evidence of mr zarrabs participation in the charged offenses his considerable wealth and its claim that he had misled a court officer about the extent of his travel and his assets in court on thursday a prosecutor michael lockard cited what he called mr zarrabs history of duplicity
the case has been widely watched in turkey where in 2013 mr zarrab was detained by the authorities as part of a corruption investigation of businessmen with close ties to recep tayyip erdogan turkeys prime minister and now its president
the case has also furthered debate in the united states over how the wealthy and the poor are treated in the courts mr zarrabs lawyer benjamin brafman touched on the issue on thursday referring to what he called the elephant in the room   and perhaps in the country
the inequities in the criminal justice system he told the judge on the state and federal level between people of means and people of not means is not something that is mr zarrabs fault and it is nothing we are going to remedy in this case
mr brafman said mr zarrab had not been dishonest with the court and if bail conditions were to be set his client would comply with them
the address of the apartment where mr zarrab and his guards would be based if he is granted bail has not been disclosed but references in court indicated it was on the 15th floor of a manhattan building and had space for him to meet with his lawyers


santa clara calif   it was only two summers ago that james rodriguez went to brazil and pilfered the global spotlight from the more established stars assembled at the world cup
wearing the no 10 jersey for colombia rodriguez was marvelous leading his team on a jubilant romp to the quarterfinals he scored a tournament best six goals including two   a roguish toe flick over a goalkeeper to cap a squiggly dribbling run and a 180 degree turning left footed volley walloped in from 25 yards   that offered particularly tantalizing indications of an immense skill set
fans worldwide were charmed in a recent interview the bein sport television commentator ray hudson gushed about rodriguezs infinite spectrum of footballing ability hudson praised rodriguezs range of passing his balance his wicked shot
hes a balletic player the type that would run on the sand and not leave footprints hudson said i love james rodriguez
yet over the last two years rodriguez 24 has largely been hidden from public view at real madrid the spanish club he joined after the world cup his playing time seemed to diminish month by month when real madrid won the champions league last weekend rodriguez was an unused substitute the closest he got to the field was during the celebrations after his teams shootout victory
the skills that can inspire such praise and hyperbole had been buried away muted
they ruin the best hudson said about real madrid with a touch of sorrow in his voice
all that makes this months copa america centenario   which begins friday night when colombia faces the united states at levis stadium   so intriguing for rodriguez after two years in which rodriguez has faded from the spotlight while struggling with injuries and the whims of real madrids three most recent coaches the copa could represent a chance for him to leap back onto the world stage
the united states team has been bracing all week for his arrival
the good thing for the us may be that he hasnt got much rhythm because he hasnt played much said marcelo balboa a former united states national team defender the bad thing is hes got this big stage here to prove to other teams that hes still got what he had at the last world cup
balboa laughed thats pretty scary too he said
rodriguez has much to prove two summers ago he was leading synchronized dance celebrations at the world cup but the exuberance faded at real madrid a club that still adheres to its notoriously garish business model stocking its cupboard with famous players first and then improvising a system to deploy them
in his first season there playing under carlo ancelotti rodriguez appeared in 29 league games recording 13 goals and 13 assists it was a promising start but this past season   first under rafa benitez who replaced ancelotti then zinedine zidane who succeeded benitez in midseason   rodriguez was mostly passed over in favor of star teammates
although he was often absent on the field rodriguez remained an active presence in the spanish newspapers with some speculating on his fitness level and his reported interest in the madrid night life
in january he was chased by an unmarked police car after driving his audi r8 more than 120 miles an hour on his way to the teams training center in april he was embroiled in an odd controversy when television cameras captured him laughing on the bench while real madrid was losing a champions league quarterfinal game zidane said he hoped rodriguez would learn from the experience
colombian soccer fans for the most part have stood behind him
in recent years the country has made huge progress in its player and team development   the colombians are currently the no 3 team in the world according to fifas rankings   and rodriguez remains the programs best ambassador embodying the programs promise
oscar pareja the head coach of fc dallas in major league soccer and a colombia player in the 1990s said rodriguez was the headliner of a group of colombian players like juan cuadrado david ospina and carlos bacca who are now with european clubs
the presence of james in the national team was refreshing for the country the soccer society pareja said of rodriguezs emergence over the past few years james was the icon of the new generation that was giving us hope
pareja said it was a major thing in colombia that rodriguez was playing for real madrid one of the richest and most successful teams in the world but he echoed the sentiments of many colombians when he suggested for the good of the national team that rodriguez needed to transfer to a different club
a player with that quality right now that pedigree needs to play pareja said we understand that sometimes coaches dont like one player or other its normal but i can recognize its not the place for him
his departure would most likely require an enormous fee   real madrid reportedly paid about 100 million to acquire rodriguez from monaco in 2014   but many big clubs have been linked to him in the endless churn of the european soccer rumor mill manchester united and juventus have repeatedly been cited as hypothetical destinations one spanish newspaper quoted an acquaintance saying that it had been rodriguezs childhood dream to play for barcelona but that a switch there directly from madrid would be highly unlikely more stories were rolled out when rodriguezs wife mentioned that she liked living in madrid
the uncertainty about rodriguezs future has seemingly elevated the importance of the copa america for his career big signing decisions in soccer have long been influenced by summer tournament hype back in the welcoming environment of the colombian national team he has every reason to try to put on a show
his biggest admirers deprived of his artistry on the field of late are hoping he does just that


dublin ohio   the nba finals is billed as the cleveland cavaliers lebron james versus the golden state warriors stephen curry yet when these teams met for the title last year the warriors andre iguodala emerged as the most valuable player it is what makes sports so compelling the result is what happens after everyone has written the ending
this weeks memorial tournament a two hour drive from king jamess commonwealth opened thursday and featured the top three golfers in the world jason day jordan spieth and rory mcilroy each is coming off a victory day at the players mcilroy at the irish open and spieth at the pga tour stop in fort worth lending credence to their designation as the modern incarnation of the big three   jack nicklaus arnold palmer and gary player
day who lives nearby and is a member at muirfield village carded a six under par 66 and is two strokes off the lead but neither mcilroy nor spieth was ahead of him they were nowhere to be found on the first page of the leader board a reminder that talent on the tour is much more than three deep
the first round pacesetter was dustin johnson who shot an eight under 64 at muirfield village johnson looked like a worldbeater last june when he hit two of the prettiest shots ever seen under pressure on the 72nd hole of the united states open to give himself one putt for the victory and two to tie spieth he missed both a 12 footer for eagle and a 4 footer for birdie if not for his first miss on a green that had a five oclock shadow johnson 31 would currently have as many major titles as spieth the world no 2 and day the world no 1 and would be three behind the third ranked mcilroy
i think that dustin johnson is arguably the most talented player on the pga tour said spieth who opened with a 70 he described johnson who has at least one tour victory in each of the past eight seasons and nine over all as a freakish athlete and golfer
he has great hands great club face control spieth said i mean he hits some shots where you wont see anyone else trying to
spieth said its a matter of time before johnson wins a major and suggested that the one stroke that separated them at the united states open had little to do with skill that specific putt he said referring to johnsons eagle attempt was almost luck based with the speed that it had to roll at and the kind of break that it took but i still expected it to go in
johnson who averaged 309 yards off the tee on thursday had 11 one putts though famous for his driving johnsons success hinges on his precision on the greens still got to make the putts he said it doesnt matter how good you hit it
johnson added every part of my game i feel like is getting better just have to be more consistent with putting
asked if his struggles on the green are more technical or mental johnson said thats a good question i dont know if i did i think id probably putt a little better
in lieu of answers johnson has settled on a solution hit it closer he said referring to his approach shots
the prince of putting is spieth who played with two long hitters mcilroy and the one time tour winner justin thomas in a grouping that fell a few bulbs short of a marquee mcilroy carded a 71 six strokes better than thomas who was five over after three holes starting on muirfield villages back nine spieth one putted the first seven greens four of the putts he sank in that span were over 11 feet spieths ability to use his putter like an eraser to eradicate his mistakes can be demoralizing to his playing competitors
its impressive said mcilroy who outplayed him tee to green only to make the turn two strokes behind him
mcilroys length off the tee can be intimidating to opponents who mess with their rhythm trying to eke out a few more yards on their drives but spieths accuracy with his putter is no less fearsome
a shot is a shot whether its a putt or a drive mcilroy said theyre all important we get it done different ways but we get it done
nicklaus this weeks tournament host said more players are finding a way to get it done than in his era i think the tour is probably as healthy as its ever been he said adding i think we have more good players today than weve ever had in the game of golf and i think thats saying a lot because we had a lot of good players when i played
one of the golfers who has flirted with greatness is patrick reed a four time tour winner with eight top 10 finishes in 16 starts this season reed who opened with a 68 craves more than consistency nearly 18 months have passed since his last victory at the 2015 tournament of champions with so much talent on the tour the margins of error have grown as small as the periods in tournament checks reed 25 tried to fine tune his game to keep pace with his peers and ended up becoming a mechanical mess
i was trying to be too perfect in my golf swing and trying to be too perfect at every aspect of the game reed said with that i was getting away from going out and shooting a score
ninety seven players made more than 1 million in prize money in 2014 15 led by day spieth and mcilroy the top players appear in no danger of becoming complacent rickie fowler the world no 5 made a beeline for the range to work out the kinks in his swing after signing for his round of 75
one of spieths favorite athletes is curry the nbas regular season mvp i most appreciate that not only did he not settle last year he did everything he could to improve as a player to better himself and his team spieth said adding i can learn from that certainly that he seems to be even having more fun by working even harder and climbing more mountains reaching the top of the next peak and then seeing another one and challenging himself to get there


a federal investigation into corruption in suffolk county ny law enforcement has expanded as the justice department examines at least a half dozen cases to determine whether political considerations influenced decisions made by the suffolk district attorneys office according to two people in law enforcement and three who have been questioned by the justice department
though few aspects of the investigation have become public it has already upended politics in the long island county and led to public denunciations among erstwhile democratic allies last month steve bellone the county executive called for the district attorney thomas j spota to step down saying that he headed a criminal enterprise mr spota quickly lashed back at mr bellone and said that there were other reasons he wants me out of office suggesting that mr bellone would prefer a less zealous prosecutor in office
the half dozen cases that are now part of the investigation which began in 2013 and has already claimed a county police chief were all handled by mr spotas top anticorruption prosecutor christopher mcpartland the highest profile case being scrutinized involves mr mcpartlands investigation of a former county executive other cases include mr mcpartlands decision to order surveillance of the county press secretary and two lengthy wiretap investigations which involved eavesdropping on a detective and a politically connected lawyer
the new york times identified the cases through interviews with two law enforcement officials and three people who have been questioned by the justice department or are aware of subpoenas the five people spoke on the condition of anonymity either because they were not authorized to speak publicly about an active inquiry or because they feared the district attorneys office would retaliate against them
the federal investigation overseen by the united states attorneys office in brooklyn has placed mr spota who is in his fourth term on the defensive as investigators pore over his cases
i have spent 14 years doing what i think was right mr spota said at a news conference he had arranged last month to reject mr bellones call for his resignation at the news conference he acknowledged that the justice department was reviewing the wiretap investigation involving the lawyer
in recent months federal investigators have also explored whether mr spotas office crossed any lines in pursuing steve levy the former suffolk county executive and onetime candidate for governor mr levys political career ended abruptly in 2011 when under the cloud of an investigation by mr spotas office he agreed not to seek another term as county executive as part of a deal with mr spota although details of the deal were never disclosed
federal prosecutors recently interviewed an official in the levy administration christine malafi about what mr mcpartland the anticorruption prosecutor said to her while he tried to secure her testimony against mr levy one of the people said ms malafi declined to comment when reached by phone
also under investigation is a decision by mr spotas office to have detectives covertly follow justin meyers a press secretary for mr bellone two of the people said
after a brief period of surveillance prosecutors assigned a female undercover agent to strike up a conversation about politics with mr meyers at a bar one of the two people said but there is no indication it ever occurred
it is shocking but at the same time i cant say im totally surprised mr meyers said of the surveillance after spending the last two years watching the district attorneys office abuse power in a fashion normally reserved for john grisham novels the fact that they would try to frame someone seems strangely normal here
a spokesman for the district attorney robert clifford said that the office had received a complaint that mr meyers was working on political campaigns while on the clock as a suffolk county employee the matter was investigated and found to be untrue mr clifford said
the federal scrutiny of the district attorneys office has its roots in a 2013 inquiry into a violent outburst by the former chief in the suffolk county police department james burke after a duffel bag was stolen from his vehicle when a suspect was arrested mr burke barged into the room where he was being held and struck the man several times and threatened to kill him he persuaded several detectives and officers whom he referred to as his palace guard to cover up the episode
the cover up frustrated federal agents for some two years as they investigated whether mr burke obstructed justice and violated the suspects civil rights in the end at least 10 officers and detectives cooperated and mr burke pleaded guilty to the charges in february
the revelations along the way have been lurid the stolen duffel bag contained pornography sex toys and cigars federal prosecutors have said and in investigating the cover up the federal bureau of investigation found not only a blue wall of silence but also a nasty departmental culture typified by retribution and surveillance with mr burke at its center one federal prosecutor james miskiewicz called it something out of the kgb at a court hearing
the revelations have at times proved unsettling for the justice department at one point the united states attorneys office learned that a wiretap by mr spotas office had been intercepting phone calls involving fbi agents and federal prosecutors at another point the united states attorneys office worried that the targets of its investigation had a mole who was leaking fbi interview reports revealing who was cooperating
even word that federal agents were preparing to arrest mr burke somehow leaked to suffolk county power brokers ahead of time according to two of the people
since mr burke was arrested investigators have been looking into whether he received help or advice from the district attorneys office during the cover up three of the people said the prosecutors are particularly focused on determining whether mr mcpartland a longtime friend of mr burke had any role the three people said
the connections between mr burke and the district attorneys office run deep mr spota has long been mr burkes mentor the two met more than 35 years ago when mr spota was an up and coming prosecutor and mr burke was his teenage witness in a murder case decades later mr burke became the district attorneys top investigator often working with mr mcpartland by 2012 mr burke was the most senior uniformed chief at the police department a job he landed with mr spotas recommendation
one case being reviewed includes the district attorneys wiretapping of a detectives phone in 2014 according to two of the people mr spota has said the investigation was an urgent action in a leak case but the detective whose phone was tapped had been assigned to a federal task force so federal prosecutors are examining whether the wiretap which mr mcpartland oversaw was intended to keep tabs on the investigation into mr burke according to the two people
another case being reviewed by federal prosecutors involves mr mcpartlands 2014 prosecution of the suffolk county technology commissioner donald rodgers on charges that included the rarely invoked offense of lying to the county legislature
the case came shortly after mr rodgers had begun work on improving how the police department monitored internal misconduct cases at the time it was not uncommon for internal investigations to languish until the statute of limitations had expired
mr bellone the county executive said that he believed mr rodgers had been prosecuted for trying to bring greater oversight to the police department mr burkes turf
im trying to do reforms and theyre not happy about it mr bellone said of mr burke and the district attorneys office
mr clifford the spokesman for the district attorneys office dismissed the accusation saying the case against mr rodgers came from a whistle blower and the timing of the investigation was based solely on the complaint made to the district attorneys office
mr clifford said that mr mcpartland conducted himself ethically professionally and lawfully


annemarie mogil held out
she had lived almost three years at prospect park residence a nine story tower overlooking grand army plaza in brooklyn when she first arrived more than 120 residents were living in comfortable prewar apartments many with views of the park below people filled the dining room where they sat at tables with elegantly folded napkins and plates of prime rib or spinach stuffed shells and ran into one another at the rooftop garden
but then several months after ms mogil moved in the owner of the residence an assisted living home for seniors said it was closing most residents packed up and left ms mogil now 93 refused to follow them these days she is one of just five who are still there
i have a lovely neighbor i have a cat i wont be able to bring with me to some other places ms mogil said on thursday morning as she sat opposite prospect park with alice singer her close friend and neighbor i have a real psychological problem about moving
after a two year fight between the small group of residents and the developer who owns the building a 335 million settlement was reached this week paying each of the holdouts   whose ages range from 91 to 101   more than 500000 but forcing them to leave their apartments by the end of the summer
its definitely a win for our clients fred millett a lawyer who represents the five residents and several former residents said of the settlement which gives them time and money to make the transition
frank carone a lawyer representing the owner the developer haysha deitsch said the settlement would allow his client to move forward including with other litigation involving the property i am satisfied with the settlement with the remaining residents mr carone said
lawyers for the residents said that they have not reached a resolution with the new york state health department which was also named in the lawsuit filed in state supreme court in brooklyn in 2014 the lawsuit claims that the department did not follow state and federal rules in how it handled the home and its closing
a spokesman for the department declined to comment on thursday because of the continuing litigation
for the residents and their families the settlement has been met with a measure of resignation
the last thing i think about is money ms mogil said i think about the distress at the thought of being so called evicted from a place i have been residing since november 2013 im very comfortable
ms singer 91 came to the residence six years ago after she was hospitalized and her family realized that she could no longer live alone in her suffolk county home her daughter joyce singer said her mother settled in well her room was awash in sunlight and the building was lively with plenty of engaging activities brooklyn botanic garden and the brooklyn museum were a short stroll away
this was kind of like a happy village joyce singer said of the home it was a functioning wonderful place and it was like someone threw a bomb in the village
in 2014 mr deitsch announced that the home would be closing blaming mounting operational costs and financial losses but residents believed that developers drawn to the buildings coveted location   in the park slope neighborhood with the particularly attractive address of 1 prospect park west   had plans for the space it later emerged that mr deitsch had made a deal to sell the building to an investment firm
soon after the announcement residents started leaving and in the following months the buildings population dwindled the halls became quiet rather than full of life joyce singer said
but for her mother who has mild dementia the building remained home these are the walls shes used to the younger ms singer said she feels secure in the middle of the night she knows how to go from the bed to her bathroom
more important she added what mattered to her was she had one really good friend
ms singer and ms mogil have apartments near each others on the eighth floor they spend much of their days together often starting by sharing sections of the newspaper
ms mogil said she was facing the inevitable she would have to move but it would not be easy
ms singers daughter noted some of the challenges she had to find a place that was a reasonable distance from her home in brooklyn and her mother had to feel comfortable and safe there moving her into a nursing home was out of the question so was separating the two best friends
where alice goes ms mogil said as she sat next to her friend i will go as well


pittsburgh   the san jose sharks waited 24 seasons to make their first stanley cup finals the matchup against the pittsburgh penguins promised to be a close series between two of the nhls fastest and most aggressive teams
but after the sharks 2 1 overtime loss in game 2 on wednesday night they are headed home outshot outplayed and down by two games to none in the best of seven series
game 3 is saturday and the sharks have put up a brave front pointing out that each game has been decided by a single goal and vowing to turn things around at home
they took care of home ice here and now its our turn sharks defenseman marc edouard vlasic said after wednesdays game youre only out when you lose four
during the regular season san jose won only 18 of 41 games at home but in the playoffs the teams record at the shark tank as its home arena is known is 7 2
despite the stinging defeats the sharks have had some bright spots the play of goaltender martin jones whom the sharks traded for last off season has been unassailable although this is his first season as a starter he has seen the finals up close before and has his name on the cup to prove it
undrafted out of junior hockey jones 26 played in the minor leagues for parts of four seasons before becoming jonathan quicks understudy with the los angeles kings in 2013 14 when they won the stanley cup jones did not play in the finals that year but he saw what it took for quick one of the best goalies in the league to accomplish hockeys ultimate goal
jones has been calm and composed in net with an impressive 930 save percentage in the finals while some of his teammates appeared frustrated after their game 2 defeat it was hard to tell by joness demeanor whether the sharks had won or lost
hes been outstanding sharks coach peter deboer said
he has had to be pittsburgh outshot san jose 71 48 in the first two games
the sharks most effective offensive weapon during the postseason has barely seen the ice in the playoffs san jose has converted on 27 percent of their power play opportunities but in this series the penguins have played disciplined hockey limiting the sharks to only three chances on the man advantage one of which they converted
while the scores have been close the sharks acknowledged that they needed to pick up the pace in san jose
we know that if we play this way were not going to win games said sharks forward logan couture who has two assists in the finals and leads the league in points this postseason with 26
on wednesday night the penguins dominated the start as they did in the series opener while pittsburgh skated up and down the ice with ease the sharks could barely exit their defensive zone hounded by the speedy penguins at every turn flustered san jose sent pucks into no mans land or right onto the sticks of waiting penguins players fueling another pittsburgh attack
they just dont stop coming san jose defenseman justin braun said
pittsburgh held a 23 11 lead in shots on goal after two periods but san jose came back in the third period after deboer shuffled his line combinations
thanks to a desperate push at the end of regulation the sharks sent the game into overtime on a goal by braun only to lose in overtime when the penguins rookie conor sheary scored his second goal in two games
of the 49 teams that have gone up by two games to none in a best of seven finals 44 have gone on to win the stanley cup
nevertheless the sharks have plenty of playoff experience to draw on since entering the league in 1991 the sharks have made the playoffs 18 times two of the teams stars patrick marleau and joe thornton have played more than 1500 games for the sharks in the regular season and the playoffs
but over the first two games of the series with pittsburgh the two have combined for two penalties and only one point   marleaus goal in game 1
joe pavelski who leads the nhl in goals in these playoffs has not gotten on the score sheet in the finals
even if the stars pick up their play the sharks have a steep hill to climb
you look at the points of the big guys they carried their weight braun said now some of us have to chip in


scientists raised the possibility that the zika virus can be transmitted by oral sex   perhaps even by kissing   on friday in a letter to the new england journal of medicine describing one such case in france
a single incident may seem trivial but until early this year there was only one known instance of sexual transmission of the zika virus   a 2008 case in which a mosquito researcher just back from africa infected his wife in colorado
now scientists believe that sexual transmission is an important driver of the zika epidemic in the americas cases have been reported in 10 countries where no mosquitoes carry the virus including france germany italy portugal and new zealand
in the french case a 46 year old man returned to paris from rio de janeiro on feb 10 shortly after experiencing zika symptoms in brazil   fever headache and a rash   that had just ended when he reached france
he and a 24 year old partner had sex seven times between feb 11 and feb 20 each involving vaginal sex without ejaculation and oral sex with ejaculation
the woman fell ill on feb 20 both were tested for zika infection on feb 23 the man had high levels of the virus in his semen and urine but none in his blood or saliva the woman had the virus in her urine and saliva and antibodies to the virus in her blood but a vaginal swab was negative for the infection
the two were using oral sex as a form of birth control said dr yazdan yazdanpanah an infectious disease specialist at the national institute of health and medical research in paris and one of the reports authors
i dont think this changes anything but it shows you how elaborate the number of avenues of possible transmission can be said dr william schaffner head of preventive medicine at vanderbilt university medical school
he agreed that the most likely transmission route was oral sex although he said it was possible that the woman was infected by pre ejaculate during vaginal sex or that the couples recollections of each sex act were imperfect
it could be that its a moment of passion its late at night and everyones had a few liqueurs he said
dr yazdanpanah said the two were interviewed separately and their descriptions matched
dr john t brooks an epidemiologist at the centers for disease control and prevention studying sexual transmission of the zika virus said he was not particularly surprised to see transmission that was probably by oral sex
transmission through kissing is unlikely dr brooks said
casual kissing has got to be safe because if it werent dont you think wed see a lot more zika every mom who kissed her baby would pass it on he said to be sure wed have to look for deep kissing in the absence of sexual contact and thats hard to find


the los angeles dodgers left hander clayton kershaw walked yangervis solarte of the san diego padres on opening day april 4 kershaw walked another batter april 9 and another on april 21
jumping ahead a month kershaw walked a guy may 12 and someone else on may 23
thats it clayton kershaw has walked five batters so far this season
kershaw has given up no more than one walk in any of his 11 starts he has had six games with no walks at all
on sunday kershaw became the first pitcher in the majors with 100 strikeouts reaching 105 in a win over the mets at citi field thats 105 strikeouts and five walks
cy youngs best strikeout to walk ratio in a single season was 69 pedro martinez and greg maddux reached 89 curt schilling topped out at 96 and bret saberhagen peaked at 110 the best mark for a pitcher with at least 100 strikeouts in a season belongs to phil hughes who registered an 116 with the twins in 2014
for now kershaws strikeout to walk ratio is 21
at 28 kershaws control numbers keep improving his rookie year in 2008 his ratio was a pedestrian 19 in his first cy young award season 2011 it was 46 two years ago it was 77 now he is striking out 21 batters for each one he walks
there is a trend in baseball toward better and better strikeout to walk ratios most of the greats of the past had ratios that seem unimpressive today walter johnsons best was 64 whitey fords was 34 jim palmers was 26 the trend has been driven by a dramatic increase in strikeouts in recent times
but kershaws improvement has come primarily on the walk side he averages 109 strikeouts per nine innings down slightly from last years league leading 116 he trails jose fernandez 128 of the marlins among others
kershaws previous low in walks per nine innings was 14 in 2014 this year he is at 05 that means he walks a batter roughly every other game the next best in the majors is about double that josh tomlin of the indians at 10
these mind boggling statistics are part of a sensational season across the board for kershaw who in this year of great starters like jake arrieta noah syndergaard and stephen strasburg leads the majors in innings pitched walks plus hits per inning pitched complete games shutouts strikeouts era and a host of advanced statistics
he is scheduled to pitch again on saturday against the braves
to find pitchers who approach kershaws walk numbers you have to go back to the dawn of baseball when it took nine balls not four before a batter got a free base candy cummings is credited with inventing the curveball and he used it to good effect in 1875 pitching for the hartford dark blues of the national association his record was a stellar 35 12 and he walked just four batters all season while leading the league in strikeouts with 82
but even the inventor of the curveball could not match kershaw cummingss strikeout to walk ratio was only 205


washington   when word circulated in washington this week that bouthaina shaaban who is a top adviser to president bashar al assad of syria and who has been under sanction by the united states government would appear two blocks from the white house at an antiterrorism news conference the obama administration reacted with alarm
john kirby the state department spokesman called dr shaaban a propaganda mouthpiece of the assad government which president obama has said must go and the treasury noted that any transaction with a person designated on one of its blacklists was prohibited
dr shaaban did not arrive in person on thursday but she did appear via skype video at the national press club where she delivered a 20 minute speech followed by an extraordinary and at times contentious one hour question and answer session with journalists and others
seated at a desk with a syrian flag behind her and one pinned to the lapel of her blazer dr shaaban defended her government defiantly assailed the obama administration as being insufficiently committed to defeating the islamic state and blamed western news media for perpetuating what she called a false narrative about syria and mr assads government
we would love american officials to say the truth to their people and to the world about whats happening in our country because covering the truth is costing us blood dr shaaban told an audience of several dozen in a nondescript meeting room at the national press club where her image appeared on two large digital screens
the question is why does the united states refuse to cooperate with russia in fighting terrorism in syria
dr shaabans presentation was a direct challenge to the approach the obama administration has taken in syria where the united states has worked to empower rebel groups and shepherd international peace talks aimed at bringing about a political transition there and an end to hostilities
theres no such thing as moderate opposition in syria dr shaaban said denouncing the anti government groups as a terrorist movement
she flatly rejected a proposal by the main opposition organization to establish a nationwide truce during the holiday of ramadan
the opposition does not want to go to negotiate during ramadan because they are all islamists dr shaaban said
she deflected many of the criticisms mr obama and top american officials have made of the syrian government including accusations by secretary of state john kerry that mr assad has a symbiotic financial relationship with the islamic state also known as isis or isil
theres no question that the syrian government never buys oil or sells oil to the terrorists dr shaaban said
and she repeatedly sidestepped questions about reports that the syrian government has blocked humanitarian food and other aid to many thousands of desperate civilians including in a damascus suburb daraya that has been blockaded since 2012
daraya is the food basket of damascus theres nobody starving in daraya dr shaaban said at one point adding that syrians are accustomed to eating fresh fruits and vegetables and would weep at the prospect of consuming canned food and macaroni sent by aid agencies the syrian people are able to feed themselves
she bristled at questions about acts her government or close associates are suspected of committing including the use of barrel bombs to kill civilians
i dont want to give up on the idea of a free press but you are forcing me to do so because im amazed at how the questions are coming from completely distorted perspective she said
the event nearly devolved into chaos after a reporter asked about dr shaabans association with a former lebanese information minister michel samaha who is suspected of being part of a conspiracy to kill lebanese political and religious leaders
i wish you could be constructive dr shaaban said all that you are bringing is something that you think is embarrassing to me but nothing is embarrassing to me
you kill innocent people a person who was not identified shouted as the room erupted in jeers and a moderator called for security the person was not detained
the gathering was hosted by a nonprofit group calling itself the global alliance for terminating al qaedaisis or gafta founded by ahmad maki kubba an iraqi american who is pressing the obama administration to ally with the assad government to defeat the islamic state
mr kubba compared such a partnership to the cooperation between franklin d roosevelt and josef stalin to defeat hitler
we do not have stalin but we have worse than hitler isis and al qaeda he said on thursday if assad goes whos going to take over isis and al qaeda
also attending the event was bassam al hussaini the iraqi governments liaison to the iraqi militias many of which are backed by iran
these are not shia militia mr hussaini said these are iraqis fighting to free the cities of iraq
dr shaaban blacklisted by the treasury in 2011 said her decision to appear remotely in washington had nothing to do with the sanctions but that a visit to the united states in 2005 when one of her aides had been detained for two hours without explanation had soured her on returning
since that time i decided that i do not want to visit the united states although i have received many invitations she said i have an integrity and i am not ready to be humiliated in any airport


five soldiers were killed and four were missing after a truck overturned thursday during a routine training mission at the fort hood military post in texas the army said
three other soldiers were rescued from water near the vehicle and were listed in stable condition they were taken to a medical center on the post according to a statement
chris haug a spokesman for fort hood said that floodwaters from recent rains were believed to have overturned the truck a light medium tactical vehicle while the soldiers were using a low water crossing but that the episode would be investigated
mr haug said the soldiers were on a mission that they do every day and driving on a normal dirt road that was not known to be a problem
the area has been inundated with heavy rain over the past week around the time of the accident concerns about flooding had caused emergency personnel to close a paved road that runs parallel to the dirt road the soldiers were traveling on
all the low water crossings are potentially dangerous when weve had this much rain said tyler broadway another fort hood spokesman
the accident which took place about 12 miles north of the bases main area was reported shortly after 11 am on thursday search parties were sent immediately
rescue teams were searching for the missing soldiers by air land and water the statement said
the bodies of the dead soldiers were recovered downstream from where the truck overturned their names will not be released until their families are notified
the national weather service issued a flash flood watch for all of northern and central texas on thursday afternoon with rainstorms expected to continue through friday afternoon may brought a record breaking amount of rain to the state resulting in the deaths of at least six other people
gov greg abbott issued a statement saying texas stands ready to provide any assistance to fort hood as they deal with this tragedy
this is not the first fatal episode in recent months during a training exercise at fort hood in november a black hawk helicopter crashed during an exercise at the post killing four crew members


karl rove the architect of george w bushs victorious presidential campaigns and founder of a constellation of political fund raising groups has called donald j trump a complete idiot he has described him as graceless and divisive he has said mr trumps boasts about beating hillary clinton in the polls are false
mr trump has reacted with anger to such insults calling mr rove sad and questioning his record of success
but two weeks ago mr trump and mr rove held a private meeting just as the presumptive republican nominee was courting major party figures
the meeting took place at the manhattan home of the casino magnate steve wynn a mutual friend who brokered the get together according to two people briefed on the meeting and who were granted anonymity to discuss the gathering
mr trumps campaign manager corey lewandowski described it as a good meeting but did not elaborate an aide to mr wynn did not respond to an email seeking comment and mr rove similarly declined to respond
the purpose of the meeting was unclear although mr rove is the last strategist to help elect a republican president and mr trump is lagging organizationally for the general election
if detente was the goal the meeting did not appear to have a lasting effect the morning after mr trumps freewheeling media bashing news conference last tuesday mr rove was deeply critical of his performance
im not certain it helps him with the people who are swing voters up for grabs and it certainly is very unpresidential mr rove said on fox news it would not be a good spectacle for our country to have a president trump acting like candidate trump acted yesterday
the tense relationship between mr trump and mr rove has deeper significance than just resolving their public sparring mr rove has longstanding relationships with many of the partys biggest donors and has intricate knowledge of how super pacs can help elect candidates
mr rove also has a long relationship with sheldon adelson another casino magnate who has said he would spend upward of 100 million to back mr trump mr adelson and mr trump met on tuesday their second meeting in the last few weeks
mr rove has talked with mr adelson about what super pac to use as a vehicle for donating such a large sum of money to support mr trump including possibly using the crossroads fund raising groups which he helped establish according to people with knowledge of the discussions
mr adelson is also discussing the possibility of creating a new entity that would back mr trump and has been holding talks with nick ayers the former executive director of the republican governors association according to two people briefed on the discussions mr ayerss involvement was first reported by the website politico
creating a new group would give mr adelson more control over how his money is spent at a moment when there are a number of super pacs that either exist or are being formed to support mr trumps bid other major donors such as rebekah mercer who supported the presidential campaign of senator ted cruz of texas are considering backing mr trump through other super pacs
super pacs cannot coordinate with campaigns and so far the trump campaign hasnt signaled formally whether any group has its tacit blessing in two cases former aides to the campaign have gone to work for super pacs that support mr trump despite cooling off periods mandated by campaign finance laws when transitions like that take place
there is one super pac supporting mr trump that is run by a former aide to ben carson another proposed group which would be backed by tom barrack a financier and close friend of mr trump was created on thursday with more than 30 million in commitments according to cnn
another group is being advised by edward j rollins the strategist who was ronald reagans campaign manager and has deep ties to the republican party
that group has faced scrutiny over its ad buying practices although it has donor meetings planned with prominent figures such as the financier julian h robertson jr but in a recent meeting with mr trump former secretary of state james a baker iii was critical of mr rollins according to two people briefed on the exchange
mr rollins and mr baker were rivals during the 1980 primary race between mr reagan and the elder george bush in an email mr rollins said he had signed on to help in an unusual year
if others think they can do it better have at it said mr rollins in an email it is going to be a tough and expensive campaign and i would assume mr trump and his team would want all the help they can get


for seven years makenzie vega played the central familys daughter on the good wife a critically acclaimed series in which her character grace florrick often struggled with her parents actions and decisions on friday ms vega turns up in a much more lowbrow offering and in this one her characters parents do something far worse than anything the florricks ever did they leave her home alone when theres a homicidal maniac on the loose
in fender bender a made for tv horror movie on chiller ms vega acquits herself well in a thin story that will make you think twice about swapping contact information with the guy who just dinged your car
thats what her teenage character hilary dutifully does when she bangs fenders with a seemingly polite gentleman while driving her mothers car her annoyed parents condemn her to staying home while they take a family trip and basic horror movie stuff ensues as the polite gentleman bill sage turns out not to be so polite
this low budget film a shout factory production written and directed by mark pavia doesnt make nearly enough use of ms vegas abilities but she does have one tasty scene in which she tells off a philandering boyfriend with gusto
apart from that the film is aiming for the mindless horror of drive in movie days and at that it succeeds but it doesnt find any new ways to be scary and instead relies on tried and true frights fewer ominous tracking shots and more story and dialogue would have been welcome besides ms vega the best thing in the movie is the boogeymans scary mask


hell apparently has a heck of an agent its all over television these days and cinemax gives it yet another foothold on friday with outcast a new series based on robert kirkman and paul azacetas comic books
the show centers on kyle barnes patrick fugit who lives in a part of west virginia that apparently has a demonic possession problem but its an 8 year old named joshua gabriel bateman who initially grabs your attention thanks to a shocking scene in the first three minutes of the premiere
that scene simple yet gruesome sets the bar very high very early which turns out to be a problem in the first three episodes at least outcast never comes close to reaching it again thats partly the shows fault and partly the fault of the subject matter hell as a plot device has its limits
kyle teams with a minister anderson philip glenister to confront assorted demons and to explore kyles past since he has a family history of possession that has branded him a social outcast the nature of that history is revealed in frequent flashbacks   too many really theyre intriguing at first but eventually grow annoying
kyle is a brooding character and who can blame him given his childhood traumas which are gradually revealed but it makes him a tough sell as the anchor of the show he does have an ex wife kate lyn sheil and an adoptive sister wrenn schmidt who help give him dimension but still warming to him isnt easy
anderson is more interesting he takes hell mighty seriously and is determined to prod the reluctant kyle into joining him in the fight
theres a house like this one in every town in every country in this whole wide world he tells him after their first battle
at least one authority figure in town understands that anderson is vital to keeping the dark side in check the police chief reg e cathey
he keeps the peace in this town in ways our badges and guns cant the chief explains to his deputy
the problem for this series besides making kyle someone we care enough about to keep watching will be finding original ways to cast out demons by the end of the premiere weve already had an exorcist scene and as the show goes along anderson does the cross and scripture thing weve seen a zillion times
it also doesnt help that the underworld has been well represented on tv lately with damien on ae lucifer and sleepy hollow on fox and all those zombie and witchcraft shows mr kirkman is one of the main brains behind the walking dead the medical world has yet to recognize satan fatigue as an official syndrome but some tv watchers might be feeling it nonetheless


so much for the lost city of zakynthos
when snorkelers discovered what appeared to be pieces of ancient stonework including columns and doughnut shaped disks that might have been column bases in a bay off the greek island of zakynthos several years ago government archaeologists were sent in to investigate the debris might have been the ruins of a city the scientists reported and if so a rare discovery of a greek archaeological site in shallow waters
but oddly the archaeologists found nothing else   no shards of pottery or other flotsam and jetsam of everyday existence   that would suggest that people had once lived there and perhaps had been forced to flee by rising sea levels
scientists have now discovered the reason there were no signs of human habitation at the site the columns and other objects they say are not stonework at all but a natural byproduct of the breakdown of methane gas and they were made by an ancient civilization of microbes not people
julian andrews a geochemist at the university of east anglia in england and the lead author of a paper in the journal marine and petroleum geology about the work said that the area was a cold seep where methane in deep formations moved upward through faults and then through sediments in the seabed those sediments contain bacteria that consume methane for energy
all that consumption of methane dr andrews said changed the chemistry of the seawater that saturated the sediments that caused dissolved minerals to precipitate out of the water as a rock called dolomite and the dolomite cemented the sediment particles in place forming concretions the columns and other shapes resulted from the methane spreading in different ways through the sediments as it flowed upward
dr andrews said the researchers analysis suggested that the concretization might have occurred several million years ago deeper in the sediments and that the objects had been exposed over time as the seabed eroded


hamilton is going to run for a long time but lin manuel mirandas time in the title role is about to end
for months it has been widely understood and discussed in theater publications that mr miranda who also wrote the musical would leave the show this summer after the tony awards are handed out and the casts one year contracts expire
but on thursday discussion about his impending departure intensified when the hollywood reporter said that confidants of mr miranda whom it did not name had been told his final date in the show would be july 9
spokesmen for the production and for mr miranda would neither confirm nor deny the report but july 9 is when contracts for the principal actors expire   the show began previews on broadway last july 13   and a person with direct knowledge of mr mirandas plans said he had made it clear that he would depart around that time
the shows producers have been negotiating with other actors over contract renewals   presumably at higher salaries particularly for anyone who wins a tony at the ceremony on june 12   but those negotiations are not likely to be resolved for a few weeks
one prominent member of the shows opening night cast jonathan groff who played king george iii has already moved to pittsburgh for a role in a television show mindhunter several other cast members for a variety of reasons have indicated that they expect to depart this summer rather than negotiate contract renewals
mr miranda will remain actively involved in hamilton as the shows creator and he has multiple other projects lined up he is writing the music for moana a disney animated film he is starring opposite emily blunt in mary poppins returns a disney live action film and he is working on the film adaptation of his previous musical in the heights


minnesota officials reported on thursday that prince died in april of an overdose of the opiate fentanyl the authorities have not revealed how the musician obtained the drug or whether a doctor had prescribed it but it has been reported that he had hip surgery in the mid 2000s and may have still been in pain
fentanyl has become a source of concern for government agencies and law enforcement officials as death rates from fentanyl related overdoses and seizures of the drug have risen in several states heres what we know about the drug
fentanyl is a synthetic opioid prescribed to help patients deal with severe pain opioids help to reduce patients perception of their suffering and can induce a state of extreme relaxation and euphoria
fentanyl was synthesized in 1960 and it was introduced as an anesthetic it is sold under brand names like actiq duragesic and sublimaze according to the national institute on drug abuse
it can be consumed via a patch an injection smoking and a lollipop among other methods
fentanyl is up to 100 times more potent than morphine and can be 30 to 50 times more powerful than heroin even when taken in small amounts it can be fatal
fentanyl is a schedule 2 drug meaning that while it is used for medical treatment it is known to have a high potential for abuse according to the centers for disease control and prevention it is frequently mixed with heroin cocaine or both when sold illegally in many cases without the users knowledge
an overdose of fentanyl can result in severe respiratory depression or arrest during which breathing is slowed or ceases altogether but determining what is a standard lethal dose of opioids like fentanyl is complicated a dose that can kill one person may provide medicinal pain relief for another and taking prescription opioid painkillers for a long time can build up a tolerance to the drugs
in march 2015 the drug enforcement administration issued a nationwide alert about the dangers of fentanyl it said that the mexican authorities had shut down several labs and that fentanyl that had been seized in the northeast and in california in 2014 had originated from mexican drug trafficking organizations
in an article in the new york times in march maura healey the massachusetts attorney general said fentanyl was the cartels drug of choice
they have figured out a way to make fentanyl more cheaply and easily than heroin and are manufacturing it at a record pace she said
according to the dea episodes of abuse involving fentanyl initially appeared in the mid 1970s from 2005 to 2007 the agency said the drug caused more than 1000 deaths in the united states the fentanyl that caused those deaths originated in a single lab in mexico that was later shut down ending the surge


geneva   the united nations on thursday dimmed any prospect of immediate airdrops of aid to syrian civilians trapped by the war despite an expired deadline imposed on syrias government to allow unfettered humanitarian access by land
united nations officials said the world food program its anti hunger agency had no imminent plans for airdrops even though the organization had known for more than two weeks about the deadline which expired on wednesday
moreover the officials said it would be necessary for security reasons for any airdrops to have the consent of the syrian government
they also emphasized what they called the logistical challenges and expense of airdropping aid into congested urban settings controlled by insurgents where thousands of civilians lack access to food and medicine
the deadline was imposed by the international syria support group a multinational effort that includes the united states and russia   syrias most important ally   which was thought to have given the demand some coercive effect
the group said on may 17 that if land access were not granted by president bashar al assad the world food program should immediately carry out a program for air bridges and airdrops for all areas in need
united nations officials had hinted last week that they were not necessarily prepared to conduct airdrops right away if mr assad ignored the deadline but they were more emphatic in their caution about airdrops on thursday 24 hours after the deadline had passed
as you know the air delivery is certainly not a substitute for land delivery ramzy ezzeldin ramzy the deputy special envoy for syria told reporters in geneva land delivery is more effective more efficient and less costly air delivery is complex and extremely expensive but it remains an option if land deliveries do not go through
jan egeland a senior united nations adviser who is chairman of the international syria support groups humanitarian task force also was cautious about the prospect of air deliveries and sought to emphasize his hope that the syrian authorities would allow more land convoys in coming days
i think that everybody agrees that to go by land with 100 tons in a few trucks is better than a few tons by helicopter mr egeland told reporters
he also said that if we have to go by air delivery world food program and unarmed humanitarian organizations would need clearance by the government
if that is not there then it is clearly a question for the member states of the international syria support group he said
the tone of their remarks contrasted with some western members of the group exasperated with the syrian governments denial of aid to civilians in areas controlled by insurgents britain and france have said airdrops should commence now
britains ambassador to the united nations matthew rycroft said at its new york headquarters on thursday that he hoped preparations for airdrops will now take place and go forward rapidly because there isnt a moment to lose
on wednesday syrias government allowed united nations agencies and the red cross to deliver the first aid for four years to the rebel held damascus suburb of daraya that convoy however included only medicines vaccines and some nutritional supplies such as baby milk powder not the food that the united nations had said weeks earlier was the priority
the syrian authorities previously gave consent for the world food program to airdrop supplies to the government held town of deir al zour in eastern syria which is besieged by the islamic state extremist group forty five high altitude airdrops have been made over deir al zour where wide open spaces are suitable for parachute drops
but mr egeland acknowledged that international relief agencies had fallen far short of their planned deliveries of humanitarian aid in may as a result of government obstruction
despite that setback he expressed optimism that the united nations would be able to deliver humanitarian relief by road to 11 locations in the next few days including three besieged areas that have not yet been reached by any aid
the first test of the governments willingness to allow such deliveries will come in the next day or two when the united nations plans to send another convoy to daraya this time loaded with food
the convoy was originally scheduled to leave on friday but for reasons he did not explain mr egeland said it might have to wait another day there are clear indications it will go in a very short period of time he said


as new yorks landmarks law enters its sixth decade the city council wants to rewrite the rules governing historic properties
despite a contentious fight over a package of revisions that stalled last year the council is again proposing a half dozen recommendations to simultaneously streamline and expand the landmarks process this month the council expects to vote on a bill creating timelines for the approval process
the councils decision has drawn consternation not only among preservationists but also from the landmarks preservation commission itself at a hearing last year meenakshi srinivasan the chairwoman of the commission called a number of the proposed changes overreaching ms srinivasan declined to discuss new proposals before any legislation was introduced but acknowledged in a statement that some of the proposals had merit
we appreciate that the council recognizes the work of this administration to address the backlog acknowledge cultural landmarks and increase transparency and efficiency in commission processes ms srinivasan said the agency will continue to review the recommendations
speaker melissa mark viverito countered that the council wanted to ensure the changes cannot be easily rolled back by future administrations
its something thats overdue ms mark viverito a democrat who represents manhattan and the bronx said in a recent interview thats why were trying to balance the needs of the preservation community with the development needs of our growing city
the proposals come from a 37 page report landmarks for the future that the council plans to release on friday the report offers a mix of ideas that the council and its supporters said they hoped would protect historic buildings while promoting new ones
what were really looking for is common sense legislation said councilman david g greenfield a democrat of brooklyn and the chairman of the land use committee some people might think timelines are an imposition we think its common sense some people might think limiting demolitions is an imposition we think its common sense
this law is now in its 51st year and it needs to reflect that
the biggest change to the landmarks law would be to add timelines for public review of potential landmark buildings and historic districts under the proposed bill individual properties would have to be approved within a year of being suggested for landmark status while historic districts which can include hundreds of properties would have a two year deadline
since 1998 according to the councils report 82 percent of individual landmarks were considered within one year while 86 percent of historic districts were voted on in two years there is presently no deadline and dozens of properties had been under consideration for decades before the commission cleared the backlog this year
what ive discovered calling around to my colleagues around the country is that lots of historic commissions have some kind of deadlines said peg breen president of the landmarks conservancy an advocacy group
others still worry
this bill remains ill advised tara kelly the director of preservation and design at the municipal art society of new york said in an email the timeline for historic districts is too short mas holds fast to our position that three years is more appropriate
in a concession to preservationists the bill includes the elimination of a previously proposed five year moratorium on the ability to reconsider properties that do not receive landmark status
councilman greenfield said the timeline bill had 30 co sponsors giving it a good chance of passing the 51 member body and while mayor bill de blasios administration previously opposed the stricter rules it has now given the bill its tacit support
this administration shares the goals set out by this legislation and under mayor de blasio the landmarks commission is already doing a commendable job of meeting the deadlines proposed natalie grybauskas a spokeswoman said in a statement on thursday
the council is also poised to close a loophole that allows potential landmarks to be damaged or even destroyed
currently the commission notifies owners if it is considering their property before the property can officially be placed on the commissions calendar and gain some protections the owner may apply for a demolition permit from the buildings department without the protections properties can be stripped of their historic details as happened to a frank lloyd wright designed auto showroom on park avenue and an elks lodge in long island city queens
according to the report another bill would enhance transparency by requiring the commission to provide additional information on the status of applications
the report also calls for the protection of more cultural landmarks regardless of their architectural merit one example given landmark protection last year is the stonewall inn an otherwise unassuming greenwich village bar that has become a monument to the gay rights movement
adding cultural landmarks could balance the spread of protected buildings throughout the city the council report found that of the citys 1361 individual landmarks 879 or 65 percent are in manhattan brooklyn is home to 186 landmarks 14 percent 131 are on staten island 10 percent 89 are in the bronx 7 percent and 76 are in queens 6 percent
the more landmarks the better said simeon bankoff the executive director of the historic districts council the commission already has a lot of these powers though and simply isnt exercising them
the council will also study ways to reduce the burden of protected properties on owners possibly through grants and tax credits or even increasing the ability to sell air rights currently restricted to adjacent properties and the council staff is consulting with the commission the buildings department and the planning department about ways the agencies and others can coordinate their efforts
we have this false dichotomy raju mann the director of land use for the council said for too long its been preservation versus development but theres no reason they cant work together in fact theyve been doing it for 50 years


oakland calif   anderson varejao has a postgame ritual as his teammates make their way to the locker room he waits outside the door to greet each of them one by one varejao is always the last player to enter he makes sure of it it is one of the small ways in which he contributes to the fabric of the team
thats just him being a really good team guy said bruce fraser an assistant coach with the golden state warriors and hes probably done that everywhere hes been
not so long ago varejao was the professional locker room greeter for the cleveland cavaliers he also played some solid basketball for them in 11 plus seasons with the cavaliers varejao averaged 76 points and 75 rebounds a game often as a defense minded center alongside his good friend lebron james
now james and varejao are back in the nba finals   only this time they are opponents
im pretty sure im going to go through a lot of emotions varejao 33 said before his new team the warriors faced his old team the cavaliers in game 1 here on thursday night physically and mentally i cant its something that will happen but im just trying to control as much as i can to not let it bother my game and what my focus is which is helping this team
varejao who has played sparingly for the warriors in their playoff run is making history he is the only player to have been employed in the same season by the two teams in the finals no that does not mean he is guaranteed a ring jewelry falls under the jurisdiction of the winning team according to a league official
yet here he is treading that fine line between friend and foe varejao is well aware of the unusual circumstances he cited his relationship with the warriors stephen curry
last year he was against me varejao said now were together
in february the cavaliers traded varejao to the portland trail blazers who released him varejao had his choice of suitors a phone call from the warriors leandro barbosa a longtime teammate on brazils national team helped convince varejao that he could thrive in the bay area varejao appears to have made a fine choice
he was one of the guys who reached out to me the guys want you here varejao said of his initial conversation with barbosa who sits next to varejao in the teams locker room at oracle arena he put some other guys on the phone and it made it easy for me to decide to come here
still varejao sounded as if he had mixed feelings about the finals which was understandable he invested a lot of emotional capital in the cavaliers who are still searching for their first championship in franchise history last season an injury relegated varejao to the role of spectator as the cavaliers pushed the warriors to six games before succumbing
on wednesday afternoon news cameras and reporters swarmed varejao at the conclusion of the warriors practice at oracle   a rare situation for a player who averaged 26 points and 27 rebounds a game during the regular season
i knew this would happen if the warriors would make it to the finals and the cavs would make it to the finals varejao said with a hint of resignation you cant avoid talking about this stuff which is ok i mean its fine im pretty sure todays the big deal were going to talk about it and after that you wont have to ask me about it again
varejao would prefer to avoid all the attention he delights in doing the little things mucking it up in the shadows cast by stars   first james and now curry
hes done so much in his career james said hes sacrificed a lot for him to be in this position i think is great for him and for his family
varejao with his irrepressible hairdo is an unmistakable presence on the warriors bench in game 7 of the western conference finals he found a way to make more of an impact when the warriors closed out the oklahoma city thunder with a 96 88 victory two days later coach steve kerr could still recite varejaos statistics and extracurriculars from memory
anderson played 1 minute and 51 seconds and he had two assists a basket and he took a charge and his hair was flying everywhere and he was howling these emotional shrieks and yells that were getting the crowd going and his teammates going kerr said i thought the game changed when he went out there
the finals tend to be heated affairs but on the eve of game 1 it was impossible to find anyone on either side who was remotely critical of varejao
tristan thompson cavaliers im happy for andy
harrison barnes warriors he instantly clicked
lebron james cavaliers good things happen to good people
bruce fraser warriors hes awesome
varejao played down the suggestion that he had institutional knowledge of the cavaliers that would help his new team he said he was simply hoping to earn some minutes
my focus he said is on helping this team win the championship


berlin   the german police arrested three syrians on thursday who are suspected of traveling to europe on behalf of the islamic state to attack a popular district of the western city of dusseldorf federal prosecutors said
a fourth man also a syrian citizen who is in custody in france was charged with supporting the plot the plan involved suicide bombings as well as attacks with firearms and explosives the prosecutors said
it was the latest move by german officials to thwart a terrorist plot since the deadly attacks in paris and brussels the islamic state has called for further attacks in europe and united states officials have warned that the group is operating terrorist cells in britain italy and germany
the prosecutors said three men identified as hamza c 27 mahood b 25 and abd arahman a k 31 were detained by the police in the states of north rhine westphalia brandenburg and baden wurttemberg the police acted on charges issued wednesday and based on information acquired from a fourth man identified only as saleh a 25 who spoke to the french authorities about the plot after he was detained in paris in february
at least two of the suspects entered germany during last years influx of refugees the prosecutors said german news media reported that two of the men had been living in refugee shelters and at least one had submitted an application for asylum
all four are charged with plotting an attack while saleh a hamza c and abd arahman a k are further suspected of being members of the islamic state mahood b is suspected of supporting the terrorist organization
prosecutors said saleh a and hamza c joined the islamic state in early 2014 in syria where they were ordered by leaders of the organization to carry out an attack in an area of dusseldorf that is packed with bars and cafes and is popular with residents and partying tourists the plot was not connected to the european soccer championship that it is to begin in france on june 10 the prosecutors said
the pair had planned for two suicide bombers to detonate explosives along a main thoroughfare near the areas subway station while other armed attackers were to carry out further killings with weapons and more explosives saleh a and hamza c left syria for turkey in may 2014 then traveled separately to greece and north through europe to germany arriving in march and july 2015 prosecutors said abd arahman a k who had received training in explosives while in syria was sent by the islamic state to germany in october 2014 they said
by january at the latest the pair had convinced mahood b to join their plot prosecutors said
but the next month saleh a began speaking to the french authorities in paris where he remains in detention german prosecutors said they would seek his extradition


for years automakers have been stumped by this question how do you make a minivan seem cool
adam silverleib who has been selling honda odyssey minivans for more than 25 years at his dealership in raynham mass says it is not easy
there are not many people who come in and are just dying to buy an odyssey mr silverleib said they buy one because they have four kids and its the easiest way to get around and they bite the bullet even though they dont want to be seen in a minivan
now chrysler which invented the minivan in the 1980s hopes it has the answer in the pacifica a new model that has just started to roll out of a plant in windsor ontario
the pacifica which replaces the venerable town  country minivan in the chrysler lineup has promising attributes including improved fold flat seats in the back and high definition video screens for the children its sculptured design softens the most scorned characteristic of any minivan   the boring boxy shape a hybrid model a first among minivans will arrive this fall and should go about 80 miles on a gallon of gas chrysler said
beyond that the pacifica now has an unexpected influential fan google as part of its push to develop self driving cars the tech giant announced a partnership with chryslers parent company fiat chrysler automobiles last month together they will install googles automated driving sensors and computers in about 100 specially modified pacifica hybrids
could this give detroits new minivan some silicon valley sheen having this high profile of google technology going into the vehicle does give the vehicle a little more forward looking image said jessica caldwell an analyst at the auto researcher edmundscom i imagine in the short term it will get a bump in interest
still she said i dont think the google connection will obliterate the stigma attached to minivans
success is crucial for fiat chrysler its minivans are an important source of profit with its jeeps and ram trucks it cannot afford a misstep with the pacifica because its small and midsize cars   the dodge dart the chrysler 200 and the fiat line   have performed poorly the company spent billions of dollars to develop those cars and retool plants to make them but sales have been so sluggish that fiat chrysler plans to stop making the dart and 200 and it is allowing dealers to close fiat showrooms
even with googles help the pacifica faces an uphill climb given the lowly standing minivans have in the automobile market the minivan was created when chrysler introduced the dodge caravan in 1983 just as many baby boomers were entering child rearing years
the minivans roominess and the ease of loading children and cargo through its sliding doors revolutionized family travel before long minivans dotted suburban driveways across the country in 2000 137 million minivans from more than 15 automotive brands were sold in the united states   one sixth of all new cars sold that year
but by then minivans had come to symbolize utilitarian drudgery and americans began migrating to sport utility vehicles with their brawnier more adventurous image sales of minivans have declined steadily since ford motor and general motors stopped making them
in 2015 while total united states auto sales surged to a record high minivan sales fell 9 percent to 507217 vehicles accounting for just 3 percent of the market
only six manufacturers still produce minivans fiat chryslers main competition comes from honda and toyota nissan hyundai and kia are smaller minivan players
pacificas price ranges from around 29000 for a basic model to about 44000 for a fully loaded version about the same as large suvs with three rows of seats
for car buyers like nick fohr a hockey coach in dexter mich weighing a minivan against an suv is part of the math of a growing family
with two young sons mr fohr and his wife decided they could no longer get by with her driving a ford focus they really wanted an suv but last week they traded the ford for an odyssey
we looked at the space the ease of getting the kids in and out the dvd player he said with a laugh he added so far she likes it but shes getting a lot of grief from her friends for having a minivan
bruce velisek director of product marketing for chrysler vehicles acknowledges that the company is taking a risk with the pacifica chrysler is retiring the well known town  country name and going with the name it used for a slow selling model that was on the market for just five years from 2004 through 2008
the automaker has also invested heavily in the new minivan it improved fuel economy by making lightweight doors from aluminum and the liftgate from magnesium added a noise canceling system to quiet the cabin built in wireless connectivity for ipads and games and developed a nine speed transmission
but after years of declining minivan sales the company is counting on getting a lift from demographics mr velisek said the millennial generation the 83 million americans born between 1982 and 2000 according to some estimates outnumbers the baby boomer generation and is now starting families mr velisek said the number of children 13 and younger is going to rise significantly between now and 2025
we think we can win back some people who migrated to suvs he said
there is also the google effect something barbara rigney has already experienced a psychologist in ann arbor mich she bought a pacifica in april one of the first sold   it came with a bottle of champagne she liked the pacificas looks but her three sons and daughter all 18 or older were hoping she would pick something sporty
they were kind of horrified when they saw i got another minivan she said but when they heard about the google thing they were like oh i get it i see why you got that 


to be a jew in germany in the 1930s was not comfortable edgar feuchtwanger a schoolboy in munich at the time knew the fear and the dread shared by all german jews witnessing the unstoppable ascent of a madman yet his situation was different very different
in 1929 adolf hitler moved into mr feuchtwangers neighborhood with money from his publisher hitler took a nine room apartment on the third floor of no 16 prinzregentenplatz prince regent square it was luxurious with two bathrooms and two kitchens edgar 5 years old could see it from his window a building not 100 yards away on grillparzerstrasse and for the next nine years until the feuchtwangers fled germany in 1938 edgar lived virtually side by side with a man bent on exterminating him his family and every family like his not only in germany but as far as the reich could extend its dominion
mr feuchtwanger foisht vanger whose memoir i was hitlers neighbor was published last year in translation in britain will speak about his childhood and the man who cast his shadow over it at the 92d street y on friday at 2 pm the book originally in french has not been published in the united states
today at 91 he could well be the last german jew alive who grew up within arms reach of hitler and observed him day to day if only in fleeting glimpses speaking in a relatives apartment in midtown on wednesday mr feuchtwanger a historian who taught for 30 years at the university of southampton in england and now lives in a village near winchester recalled his brushes with hitler and some of the turning points in 20th century history he brought with him in a manila envelope notebooks from his days at the gebele school in munich filled with assignments on patriotic themes and decorated here and there with tributes to the leader whom germans were learning to call fuhrer
the neighborhood he said was stocked with nazis on his way to school he walked past the villa of heinrich hoffmann hitlers photographer the man who introduced eva braun then his shop assistant to hitler often he caught a glimpse of hitler lounging in a deck chair in the garden not far away was the house of ernst rohm head of the nazi partys paramilitary wing
he is somewhat forgotten today mr feuchtwanger said speaking slowly with the hint of a german accent but at the time he was considered the second man in the reich the only one whom hitler had to address with some respect when he spoke to hitler he did not call him mein fuhrer but used the informal du
rohm was soon out of the picture arrested personally by hitler on june 30 1934 in the purge known as the night of the long knives mr feuchtwanger knew of it long before most of his fellow germans hearing jackboots and slamming car doors he went to the window and saw ss officers assembling a motorcade for the short trip to hanselbauer hotel in bad wiessee where rohm and his followers were staying
even as a small boy i could sense the tremendous hot tension there was around mr feuchtwanger wrote in his memoir that public events could produce such tension that gripped ones throat almost took ones breath away is now practically unknown to the present generation
mr feuchtwangers first memorable encounter with hitler himself occurred when he was 8 he and his nanny out for a stroll began walking down prinzregentenstrasse
just as we passed his front door hitler came out wearing a mackintosh and a trilby hat mr feuchtwanger said there were some people in the street who shouted heil hitler then he looked at me and my nanny quite benevolently
mr feuchtwanger paused for a moment and said if he had known who i was it would have been quite different
indeed the name feuchtwanger was well known to hitler and the nazi party and not in a good way edgars father ludwig was not the problem as the director of duncker  humblot a distinguished publishing house specializing in books on economics and sociology he was objectionable only because he was a prosperous jew racial laws forced him out of the business in 1936
ludwigs brother lion was another matter at the time he was probably the most read novelist in germany the author of jud suss the jew suss a historical novel about the financial adviser to duke carl alexander of wurttemberg in the 18th century the novel published in 1925 was later twisted into a viciously anti semitic film by the nazis released in 1940
more offensive to the nazi party was his novel success set in bavaria in the 1920s it included a satirical portrait of hitler inserted into the novel as rupert kutzner a rabble rousing garage mechanic who creates a political movement the truly german party
when success was published in 1930 joseph goebbels announced in his newspaper der angriff that the author had just earned a seat on the first train out of germany when the nazis came to power the novel featured prominently in the book burnings of may 1933 goebbels himself turned up for the bonfire in berlin by chance lion was in the united states on a lecture tour when hitler became chancellor but his brother back in germany bore the family name
it was not until the mid 1930s edgar feuchtwanger recalled that hitler assumed his full dimensions it was still possible to walk on the sidewalk in front of hitlers building hitler had not yet taken to wearing a military uniform at all times in public or traveling in motorcades
after he became chancellor in 1933 things changed mr feuchtwangers mother now complained that she could not get milk because the deliveryman was steering extra bottles to hitler ss guards moved into the apartment below his and took up positions on the sidewalk outside pedestrians were made to cross to the other side of the street
history paraded past young edgars window he saw the fleet of long six wheeled mercedes gather to depart for the annexation of austria in 1938 and several days later watched as hitler standing erect holding onto the windshield of his open car greeted adoring crowds
later that year he watched mussolinis car taking him from the four power conference that led to the signing of the munich agreement i would join in the crowds to see what was going on mr feuchtwanger said recalling the periodic commotion on the square outside hitlers building
ludwig feuchtwanger like many jews misread hitler at the outset he believed that german jews could reach some sort of livable stable accommodation with the regime my parents did talk about the political situation and i knew more about it than 8 year olds do today mr feuchtwanger said i knew that he was no good for us but i wouldnt say i was terrified
at school mr feuchtwanger was not tormented by teachers or fellow students although nazification reached full steam by the time he entered the prestigious maximilian gymnasium in 1935 he was spared having to enroll in the hitler youth obligatory for his non jewish classmates but he did have to stand for hours at a time arm outstretched in the nazi salute at school rallies organized by the party the way you go through it was to rest your arm on the shoulder of the chap in front of you he said
he brought out two of his school notebooks in the opening page of the first to commemorate labor day 1933 he had inscribed a large swastika superimposed over the communist hammer
i had a teacher who was over the moon about the nazi takeover he explained
political reality sank in on kristallnacht in november 1938 when edgars father was arrested and interned at dachau amazingly the camp administration failed to make the connection between his name and that of the author of success six weeks later he was released and began making plans to take his family out of germany he knew it was curtains mr feuchtwanger said nearly all the feuchtwangers escaped one of ludwigs eight siblings a half sister died in theresienstadt
at 14 edgar feuchtwanger adopted a second life as an honorary englishman he studied at winchester school where classmates called him fish finger and volkswagen he earned a doctorate in history at magdalene college cambridge and went on to write studies of the victorian era including biographies of gladstone and disraeli and histories of modern germany up to the nazi seizure of power
he reached again for a notebook in this one from 1934 he honored hitler on his 45th birthday by pasting in a glowering portrait of the fuhrer adorned with a nazi eagle and swastika mr feuchtwanger smiled just think it was a jewish child who did this he said


ron silver the owner of the bubbys restaurants in manhattan was fighting with his business partner his marriage was collapsing so he decided to disappear
he told people he was going to california to visit his uncles but on the morning of his departure he decided on mexico
in the cab he had a new idea havana
in cuba he began to feel like himself again he spent time with what he described as the internal posse he carries around in his head   robert frost plato t s eliot shakespeare   and he fell in with people who had nothing to do with his life back in new york
youre like a stranger in the world at that point said mr silver who made his sudden trip to cuba in 1996 when he was 34 nobody has any expectations nobody knows your history nobody knows what they want you to do
the theme of self transformation through travel has been a staple of literature since before homer you can find it in mark twains roughing it jack kerouacs on the road john steinbecks travels with charley and on and on all the way up through cheryl strayeds wild for those who depart from the hard worn path for points unknown such a journey can be more than just a vacation
on the second day i was there mr silver said i was outside of central havana sitting at this makeshift cafe sitting with eight or nine other kids and we were all drinking beer and there was live music playing and the sun was out and it was hot that was a moment of all right everything is just chilled out
mr silver 53 hadnt contacted anyone he knew for roughly three weeks when he called his wife to say he would be home soon they ended up divorced
although mr silver came to see that havana was not the answer to his troubles he believed he had gone through a genuine change during his time away a confidence he had lost somewhere along the way returned to him in force
i was able to take a moment and say im being too affected by other peoples weaknesses he said going to havana helped me to rethink and get clear about what kind of man i am and to come out swinging hit it when i came back home
when youre in a day to day situation and dealing with peoples problems its like having a bunch of rocks in your shoe whereas if youre on your own you can take out the rocks or you dont have to wear shoes at all
after feeling isolated in los angeles ross langley found himself building a treehouse just outside des moines
this was the happiest id been since i was a kid mr langley said i would sit in des moines at night looking over cornfields sipping whiskey and listening to sounds id never heard before   like deer which make very unpleasant sounds but mostly loons in the lake youd hear these loons at night and youre watching fireflies dance in the air and you realize how unhappy life has been
mr langley was born and raised in sydney australia having trained as a classical actor he went to los angeles with big ideas only to discover he was unprepared for a life of near constant auditions few callbacks and superficial social interactions
in may 2014 an old friend called him with the idea of a road trip mr langley was hesitant he worried that if he were to leave if only for a day he might miss out on something big
to support himself he was working in construction one lunch break he told a co worker about what he was going through and the man said is that how youre going to live your life
that was that mr langley joined his friend for a two week trip through the american west upon his return he received a call from a woman who asked him if he would be her date at a wedding in st louis he said yes using the new trip as a springboard for another journey
he stayed away from los angeles for close to two months during which he built the treehouse on property that belongs to his wedding dates father she accompanied him for part of the trip he also drove through the badlands and the black hills through native american reservations and to yellowstone and glacier national parks he spent time on an island off the coast of washington that had once been a kind of family homestead where he saw his grandparents initials carved into a sea wall
he had dinner at campsites and morning coffee looking out onto lakes with people he had just met no one cared about what roles he had gone out for
i think the whole experience for me was just about knowing who i was said mr langley 26 who now works as a web designer in new york theres this feeling of being in a place like glacier national park and being dwarfed by nature thats equally terrifying and freeing i realized the experience i was having in los angeles even in an ideal world where i was successful as an actor would never truly satisfy me
after college jonathan kesselman returned to his hometown los angeles in 1999 with the notion that he would work for a while before attending the graduate film program at the university of southern california
but he proved good enough at his job working with medical databases to earn six figures when he was rejected by usc he felt the golden handcuffs tightening
he bought a one way ticket to australia for three months he traveled extensively with no clear idea when he might return he drank smoked marijuana took ecstasy he danced on tables he sky dived he slept around
ill tell you what i discovered when you travel alone said mr kesselman now 41 youre only alone when you want to be alone you make friends so easily and when you get tired of people you hop on a train for somewhere else
after his return he was accepted by the usc program and went on to direct a cult comedy the hebrew hammer and more recently jimmy vestvood amerikan hero
the person i was when i was in the states was not the person i was when i traveled abroad mr kesselman said i had all the baggage from my formative years i was tightly wound and intense i loved traveling by myself because it made me feel like a man i thought if i could do that i could do anything in the world
jeff wardell 51 spent nearly two decades as a financial adviser by 2008 he was working at lehman brothers managing the fortunes of well heeled clients
two days after the firm filed for bankruptcy protection he left for another investment bank there he did his best to rescue peoples assets from the financial crash some days he felt he might have a heart attack
he stayed in the business just long enough to tie up the loose ends he had to get away from san francisco away from america away from the news and he had to be on a motorcycle
he found one a bmw r1150gs in milan he had no set path just a return date three months from the day he started some days he would ride 50 miles others 300 he gunned his way north to scandinavia
my day was non tech driven mr wardell said my concern was is the motorcycle running correctly you dont want to be in the middle of nowhere and have something go wrong youre whittling around these corners and thats where the attention and focus is you cant concentrate on anything else because youre trying to stay alive
he made a point of visiting repurposed buildings like old grain mills and factories that had found new lives he had been interested in design his entire life and had even considered architecture school at one point by the trips end he knew a life in finance was not for him
mr wardell now runs an art consultancy and design firm with his girlfriend claudia sagan one of his projects is the search for what he describes as an adaptive reuse structure in portland ore inside of which he can carve out a hotel mr wardell hopes the business will be ready to open in 2018
aside from helping him to realize that he was on the wrong career path the three month trip did something else for mr wardell it reaffirmed my belief in the human spirit he said
i bought this massive chain lock with an alarm thinking im going to have to use this or my bike is going to disappear then i started heading into these towns and putting this lock on and people were just laughing at me asking why are you doing that your bike is not going to get stolen here


i think the photo community sometimes takes their own and holds them hostage said the dealer david zwirner its important for egglestons work to be seen among the great art thats being made i know thats very important for him in choosing our gallery
mr zwirner was talking about the artist william eggleston 76 who has joined his gallery after having been represented by larry gagosian for five years
eggleston is really a living legend of american art mr zwirner said and its important for us   and for the artist   that he is contextualized as an artist and not just as a photographer
in november the gallery at its west 20th street location will mount a show of mr egglestons the democratic forest images taken on his travels in the 1980s
mr eggleston has inspired other artists in the gallery like wolfgang tillmans thomas ruff and philip lorca dicorcia mr zwirner said all in one way or another he added have looked at egglestons work
to some extent jim dine has been the victim of his own success or so believes paul gray a partner at richard gray gallery which will represent mr dine although mr dine 80 had for 40 years been represented by pace with whom he parted last year richard gray has featured the artist in shows since 1980
ive always regarded him as one of the unsung heroes of his generation mr gray said his work became kind of pigeonholed because it was so popular
mr dine became known for his venus sculptures and heart paintings the pressure to respond to market demand mr gray said prevented him from being able to do the things hes doing now
some of that work will be on view at art basel in switzerland this month where richard gray will present mr dines sculptures of dancers and a self portrait head in a room of poetry handwritten by mr dine on the walls
then on june 24 mr dine will open a solo show of self portraits at the albertina museum in vienna
and in the fall richard gray will show mr dines latest abstract paintings in chicago and new york
it seems like just yesterday that dominique levy parted with robert mnuchin to open her own gallery which she did in 2013 at 909 madison avenue sharing the space with galerie perrotin now galerie perrotin is moving out   to an unannounced location   and ms levy is taking over the entire building
ms levy will have three exhibition floors enabling her to simultaneously display the new and historical work of a single artist   like pat steir in 2017
it gives us even more flexibility ms levy said and allows us to expand our passion for sculpture
higher ceilings that is what fueled lehmann maupins new gallery on west 24th street in a building named the getty a former getty gas station peter marino designed the interiors
having taken over the sonnabend gallery for its current chelsea home on west 22nd street which it will continue to operate along with an east village location david maupin said he was excited to have a new home that was built to our specifications
the new gallery under construction is to be completed in 2017
theodore rousseau is among the barbizon school artists who have perhaps been given short shrift as merely precursors to impressionism so the j paul getty museum has decided to give rousseau his due in an exhibition opening on june 21
the show is called unruly nature to highlight the artists tremendous stylistic and technical variety said scott allan a curator
it was hard to get a handle on this artist and how to categorize certain types of work by him mr allan said we wanted to represent the diversity of his achievement
the show will feature more than 70 works that the getty says makes it the largest rousseau exhibition since a 1967 retrospective at the louvre
he was working at an important moment in french landscape painting mr allan said were trying to convey that sense of excitement and experimentation its not simply a way station en route to impressionism
at a time when art prices far exceed the capacity of museum acquisition budgets six northeast college and university art museums are joining forces to collect and share new works the master copy of each acquisition will travel among the museums at bowdoin colby mount holyoke brandeis middlebury and skidmore
the first acquisition by this new media arts consortium is william kentridges tango for page turning 2012 13 a video featuring the turning pages of a 19th century chemistry book upon which mr kentridge illustrated images of the south african dancer dada masilo
these are not inexpensive works of art said sharon corwin director of the colby college museum of art with six institutions rather than one it made it possible


delta air lines is making a push to help speed up increasingly long airport security lines
at the end of the day its a hassle for us if our customers travel plans get disrupted because theyre stuck at security we end up spending time and money to rebook them and want more control over the security process said the delta spokesman morgan durrant
one of the airlines initiatives for faster security called innovation lanes made its debut last week at hartsfield-jackson atlanta international airport the airline is based in atlanta
mr durrant said that the carrier invested 1 million in the lanes and worked with the transportation security administration to test them and make them operational they were developed by deltas team of industrial engineers
in the united states passengers going through airport security usually unload their belongings into bins one at a time but with the innovation lanes five fliers can unload their belongings in five different bins at the same time
the bins in the new lanes automatically move back to the beginning of the security line so agents dont have to handle them
also bins containing potentially prohibited items such as water bottles are routed to a separate area after a tsa employee pushes a button indicating that they need to be further inspected a system designed to keep passengers moving through the line
mr durrant said that since the lanes began operation on average 30 percent more passengers are getting through security in a day than was the case before the new system was instituted
while delta is looking to possibly introduce more of these innovation lanes in other airports around the country it has also spent close to 4 million on more staffing at 32 united states airports to help the tsa open additional checkpoint lanes at peak hours these delta employees are helping the agency with non screening tasks such as moving bins and managing lines since delta began giving the tsa the extra help in early may mr durrant said that the agency has been able to open nearly 30 lanes that would have otherwise gone unstaffed
additionally later this year the airline will announce more details on its partnership with the biometric identification service clear which similar to tsa precheck makes preflight risk assessments delta has bought a five percent stake of the company and plans to provide the service which currently costs 179 a year free to its us diamond medallion members these are the airlines most frequent fliers and discounting it for its skymiles customers


los angeles   michael lynton the chief executive of sony entertainment revamped the studios growing television division on thursday a move that will streamline operations and increase his personal oversight
for more than 15 years sony pictures television the maker of shows like breaking bad the goldbergs and shark tank has been run by steve mosko but the studio and mr mosko parted ways on wednesday   mr mosko has long been eager for expanded responsibilities   and he will not be replaced instead five of mr moskos lieutenants will now report directly to mr lynton
they are zack van amburg and jamie erlicht presidents of programming andy kaplan president of sonys lucrative roster of overseas networks keith le goy president of distribution and amy carney president of ad sales and research
we have incredibly strong leadership within our tv divisions mr lynton said in a statement he thanked mr mosko for helping to build sony pictures television into one of the strongest television studios in the business
sonys television fortunes vastly improved under mr moskos leadership but the company remains one of hollywoods smallest suppliers of small screen programming a consolidation in the television industry   all of the broadcast networks and many major cable channels now buy shows primarily from in house studios   has left sony which is not aligned with a network without a dance partner
but growth can still be achieved lionsgate for instance which does not have a sibling network but has made its television operation a priority makes more than 30 scripted series and about 50 reality shows
sonys television division which makes 34 shows including unscripted ones like jeopardy and wheel of fortune has long felt like a stepchild at sony which has historically placed most of its emphasis on movies mr lyntons move on thursday the company emphasized was designed to more fully integrate sonys television unit into the broader studio


with a fortune estimated at over 5 billion sumner m redstone could afford the best estate planning that money could buy
what he ended up with is a mess   no matter the outcome of the welter of lawsuits swirling around mr redstone the ailing media mogul who turned 93 last friday
a lawsuit brought by manuela herzer one of mr redstones late in life romantic partners stripped him of whatever dignity he might have hoped to retain by publicly revealing humiliating details about his physical and sexual appetites and his diminishing mental capacity a medical expert said mr redstone suffers from dementia thats toward the severe end of moderate
that case was dismissed last month but the testimony was just the curtain raiser for a far more important showdown now unfolding between mr redstones previously estranged daughter shari redstone and the man who had seemed to be his handpicked heir apparent philippe dauman the fate of the redstone controlled cbs and viacom hang in the balance
mr dauman is the chief executive of viacom and was   until recently   mr redstones longtime confidant and a trustee of the trust that controls 80 percent of national amusements his daughter owns the remaining 20 percent national amusements in turn owns 80 percent of the voting stock in both cbs and viacom
mr dauman now finds himself in the seemingly contradictory position of arguing that mr redstone as his lawsuit asserts suffers from profound physical and mental illness only months after he said in court papers filed in ms herzers case that mr redstone was engaged and attentive mr dauman maintains in his lawsuit that mr redstone has deteriorated since then
mr redstone now faces a situation where it appears that people around him are competing for control and each has their own objectives said georgiana slade head of the trusts and estates group at the law firm of milbank tweed hadley  mccloy in new york it seems that many people with an interest are attempting to influence decisions related to his estate the trust and viacom but the real question should be what does mr redstone himself want
while it may be an extreme example of the high stakes and chaos that can result the redstone pattern is happening in epidemic proportions said kerry peck an estate planning specialist and managing partner at peck ritchey in chicago and a co author of the book alzheimers and the law
caregivers in particular often younger women are ingratiating themselves into the lives of older men mr peck said they meet them at places youd consider safe like senior centers churches and synagogues they start as caregivers and then they become romantic suitors were seeing these scenarios with stunning frequency
as americans live longer and more families are forced to cope with common late in life issues like dementia the problem is getting worse its a huge issue nationally as the elderly population grows and their minds start to falter ms slade said ive seen charities coming after people for multiple gifts sometimes these donors dont remember that they already gave the previous week romantic partners caregivers who take advantage of the elderly   were seeing it all
elderly people may be especially susceptible to the influence of people who happen to be around them during their waning days ms slade and other milbank lawyers were co counsel to the public administrator overseeing the estate of huguette clark the reclusive heiress who died in 2011 at the age of 104
despite good health she lived the last 20 years of her life in new york hospitals she bestowed lavish gifts on various caregivers 31 million to one nurse and left the bulk of her 300 million fortune to her nurse and a charitable foundation controlled by her lawyers and accountant to the exclusion of family members the family challenged the will in court and milbank on behalf of the public administrator sought to recoup the gifts for the estate the cases were settled and family members said they hoped to call attention to a growing problem of elder abuse
this is an issue for lots of people of even modest wealth said david m english a professor of trusts and estates at the university of missouri school of law and former chairman of the american bar associations commission on law and aging
professor english said the most common approach is the creation of a trust either revocable which means it can later be changed or irrevocable that anticipates such a problem and defines what the creator of the trust means by incapacity this could be a much less rigorous standard than is typically applied by courts in the absence of such a definition
the document should define the meaning of incapacity and more importantly indicate who determines incapacity professor english said
mr redstone created such a trust but it cedes little control to others as long as he remains alive and it doesnt specifically define incapacity according to his lawyers his trust is irrevocable but mr redstone is the sole beneficiary as long as hes alive and he has the power to remove or add trustees unless hes incapacitated
this can occur only if mr redstone is adjudged incompetent by a court or upon the delivery of a document signed by three doctors stating that based on medical evidence he is unable to manage his affairs in a competent manner according to a court filing by mr redstones lawyers
who controls the seven trustee board of his trust is critical since the national amusements trust will control mr redstones assets including his dominant stakes in cbs and viacom should mr redstone die or be deemed incapacitated though long at odds with ms redstone who is a trustee as is her son mr dauman and the other four nonfamily trustees seemed safely in charge as long as they retained mr redstones support
but last month mr redstone abruptly dismissed mr dauman and another longstanding trustee in what mr dauman called a shameful effort by shari redstone to seize control
mr dauman and his co trustee filed suit in massachusetts where mr redstones trust was created to have their dismissal deemed invalid on grounds that ms redstone had isolated her father and was exercising undue influence over him all claims that ms redstone denies the trial is scheduled to begin next week
mr redstones lawyers filed suit in los angeles seeking a ruling that the trustee changes were valid which court would prevail in the event of inconsistent rulings could be the subject of yet another round of litigation
mr redstones mental capacity is a central issue in both the california and massachusetts lawsuits
in drafting a trust like this you need very clear standards and protocols for determining capacity ms slade said an elderly client she added will often require the assistance of a lawyer to protect him from himself in his old age
she emphasized that different decisions might require different standards for determining capacity the real question ms slade said is does someone have the capacity for the decision at issue its one thing to be deciding what you want for dinner and something very different to decide who should be running a major corporation
well drafted trusts can make such distinctions mr redstone could have avoided many of these problems if hed created a trust that allowed a majority of trustees to conclude that he didnt have the capacity to remove trustees mr peck said trusts often contain such a provision that automatically goes into effect when the creator of the trust reaches a designated age such as 75 or 80
but sometimes no amount of legal advice can save people from an unwillingness to face their own mortality and cede control while still in full control of their faculties
there arent any sympathetic characters here said jeffrey sonnenfeld a professor at the yale school of management and author of a book on corporate succession the heros farewell what happens when ceos retire
sumner redstone mr sonnenfeld said brought this mess on himself


johnson  johnson weighs heavy the bulging health care conglomerate is swallowing the hair care company vogue international for 33 billion in defiance of calls to break up johnson  johnsons 312 billion market value makes it a hard target for activists yet its size has created ailments including poor merger and acquisition activity and mediocre shareholder returns
over the last decade shareholders have largely come to the conclusion that pharmaceutical firms should focus on developing medicines after all theres little in common between using science to discover a cure for alzheimers and selling shampoo that has led abbott laboratories to spin off the pharmaceutical division abbvie pfizer and merck each to sell their consumer goods businessand glaxosmithkline to divest nutritional drinks the results have been largely favorable to investors too because the cash thrown off by consumer goods companies is coveted by yield starved investors
johnson  johnson has resisted the trend about one fifth of its revenue comes from selling consumer health and beauty products such as band aids and listerine over 40 percent comes from cutting edge drugs and the rest from medical devices the diversity may produce relatively steady results but investors arent terribly appreciative of the fish fowl hybrid the company is valued at about 115 times estimated earnings before interest taxes depreciation and amortization or ebitda over the next 12 months thats lower than the multiples attached to the consumer goods maker colgate and the drug maker eli lilly which trade between 14 and 15 times ebitda and the medical device firm medtronic at 125 times
this has not escaped investors artisan partners tried to pressure johnson  johnson to split earlier this year however artisan owned well under 1 percent of its stock combined with johnson and johnsons scattered investor base the activist had almost no power to battle its giant target
the companys girth comes at a cost the drug business is faring well but the other divisions are not the consumer goods units margins are below rivals and some of its factories still operate under regulatory oversight from the food and drug administration after a wave of product recalls a few years ago the medical device divisions profits have been essentially stagnant since 2010 despite buying a rival synthes for around 20 billion five years ago slimming down or even splitting into three would serve johnson  johnson well


washington   the justice department announced on thursday that donald b verrilli jr who won historic supreme court rulings for the obama administration on its signature health care law and on same sex marriage would be stepping down as the nations top appellate lawyer
mr verrilli 58 has been the solicitor general for five years arguing the administrations position before the justices during an unusual wave of contentious cases that drew attention far outside the legal world
president obama credited mr verrilli in a statement with winning landmark cases that moved america forward while attorney general loretta e lynch said in announcing his departure that don has been at the center of the foremost legal challenges of our time
mr verrillis two most important wins will most likely be remembered as the supreme courts 2012 decision upholding the constitutionality of the affordable care act and its decision last year declaring a constitutional right to same sex marriage
the estimated 20 million americans who gained health care under the affordable care act are the ultimate beneficiaries of don verrillis extraordinary work kathleen sebelius who as secretary of health and human services worked with mr verrilli to uphold the law said in a statement
the victories were not always graceful however
mr verrillis sometimes halting performance during oral arguments before the justices in the affordable care act case was widely maligned even earning him ridicule on late night television from jon stewart
but the courts decision upholding the health care law proved a vindication and mr obama called him that day to thank him
one of mr verrillis arguments for upholding the law was that the penalty for not obtaining health insurance amounted to a tax not a forced purchase the argument was critical in earning the deciding vote by chief justice john g roberts jr in the 5 4 decision
in that case and others mr verrilli proved adroit at developing legal strategies targeting particular justices said jonathan h adler a law professor at case western reserve university
he wasnt a flashy lawyer and there werent a lot of sound bites mr adler said but when one looks at his time in office and the cases he argued history will show that he was a very effective advocate   and very effective at counting to five and developing legal strategies that got the job done
mr verrilli did endure a few big losses that obama administration officials regretted
in 2013 in shelby county v holder the supreme court struck down the heart of the voting rights act passed during the civil rights era and freed nine states   most in the south   to change election laws without federal approval
the next year in burwell v hobby lobby the court thrilled religious groups when it ruled that requiring family owned corporations to pay for insurance coverage for contraception violated federal law
the solicitor general a position often known as the 10th justice because appearances before the court are so frequent has an office inside the supreme court
while mr verrillis appearances before the court certainly earned him visibility the bigger measure of his job was in deciding what position the justice department should take in thousands of appeals in the federal courts he told a hometown audience in wilton conn in 2014
thats what i spend most of my time on he said according to the wilton bulletin arguing cases is a very small part of the job
a graduate of yale and columbia law school mr verrilli was a clerk for justice william j brennan jr and argued a dozen cases before the supreme court in private practice before joining the justice department in 2009
mr obama nominated him in 2011 as solicitor general to succeed elena kagan after she was sworn in as a supreme court justice the senate confirmed him to the post by a vote of 72 16 senator jeff sessions an alabama republican who was the only senator to speak against him during the floor debate said he was concerned that mr verrilli and the administration would not be tough enough in terrorism cases
mr verrilli will step down on june 24 he made no announcement about his plans but mr obama wished him a well deserved vacation
the justice department said that ian gershengorn the principal deputy under mr verrilli would serve as acting solicitor general


washington   two longtime detainees at guantanamo bay cuba made rare public appearances in separate military hearings on thursday including mohamedou ould slahi whose memoir recounting abuse by american interrogators became a best seller last year after he waged a yearslong battle with the government for permission to publish it
but the expected first public appearance of another even more prominent guantanamo captive abu zubaydah was abruptly postponed mr zubaydah is one of three terrorism suspects the central intelligence agency is known to have tortured through a technique called waterboarding
the day began with a hearing for mr slahi before a periodic review board offering him his first chance to make the case for why he should be released after nearly 14 years of imprisonment mr slahi 45 has not been charged with a crime and the review board is considering whether to recommend that he be released
wearing glasses and a white shirt mr slahi did not speak during the part of the hearing that was not classified and was streamed to the pentagon for reporters to observe there was no word on when a decision would be made on whether to free mr slahi who would prefer to be sent to germany or mauritania where he was born according to his lawyers and representatives
mr slahi fought with al qaeda in the 1990s against afghanistans communist government and later ended up in germany where he was arrested after crossing paths with one of the planners of the sept 11 2001 terrorist attacks
in his book guantanamo diary mr slahi says he was deprived of sleep for long stretches at the prison shackled for days at a time in a freezing cell beaten doused with ice water and threatened by interrogators who said they could make him disappear interrogators also threatened to have his mother arrested and gang raped he wrote
despite the mistreatment the impression that emerged of mr slahi during the hearing was of an engaging and intellectually curious man eager to reconnect with the world mr slahi said one of his american military representatives is a model prisoner and he is uniquely talented and speaks multiple languages including english
the military representative who was not identified said he believed that mr slahi genuinely intended to live a peaceful life and posed no threat to the united states if released
a government written profile of mr slahi said that if freed he would most likely reunite with his family and travel the world to promote his book but it also warned that releasing him was not without risks given his old terrorist contacts
the united states determined years ago that mr slahi was a senior recruiter for al qaeda and for some time it considered him the most dangerous person imprisoned at guantanamo bay
a federal judge saw the case differently and ordered mr slahi released in 2010 concluding that the governments evidence against him was marred by coercion and mistreatment or was so classified that it could not be used in court but the obama administration challenged the decision which was overturned on appeal leaving mr slahi in legal limbo
mr slahis lawyer theresa duncan said in her opening statement that her client had never taken any hostile action against the united states noting that when he joined al qaeda in the early 1990s the islamist militants and the united states were aligned
in his memoir which was based on a handwritten diary he composed in 2005 mr slahi detailed much of the treatment that tainted the governments case including a special interrogation that lasted for months the interrogation was personally approved in 2003 by donald h rumsfeld then the defense secretary
separately on thursday a pretrial hearing was convened in a high security courtroom at guantanamo in the yearslong effort to use a military commission to prosecute five detainees accused of aiding the sept 11 attacks reporters could watch a video feed of that hearing at fort meade md
the session focused on long running complaints by one of the defendants ramzi bin al shibh who says guards are making banging noises and making his cell vibrate so that he cannot sleep the military has denied mr bin al shibhs allegations in november 2015 the judge overseeing the case col james pohl of the army issued an order not to harass him but mr bin al shibh says the commotion has continued
mr bin al shibh lives in camp 7 a part of the prison complex where former cia black site prisoners are housed and which reporters are not permitted to visit his lawyer james harrington called as a witness another camp 7 resident gouled hassan dourad a somali man who has been accused of being a member of al qaedas affiliate in east africa and who had not been seen publicly since his capture
mr dourad bearded and dressed in white clothing and a checkered kaffiyeh swiveled in the witness chair as he testified that he too had been subjected to continuous floor vibrations bangs and bad smells since 2009 he said he had complained about the disruptions for a time but had stopped because no one cared
we have mental torture in camp 7 he said
during cross examination a prosecutor edward ryan accused mr dourad of lying saying that he wanted to establish that the witness was biased mr ryan grilled him about alleged qaeda activities like evaluating a military base in djibouti for a potential suicide bombing which mr dourad denied
mr harrington had intended to call mr zubaydah who was once viewed as the first high value terrorism suspect captured by the cia after the sept 11 attacks but whose significance was later downgraded
however as mr zubaydah prepared to take the stand   he was said to be waiting outside the door   a lawyer representing him told the judge that he would object if questioning went beyond the conditions of confinement in camp 7 and reached potentially incriminating topics mr ryan said he did intend to ask about his alleged terrorist activities and the testimony was postponed


hillary clinton delivered a lacerating rebuke on thursday of her likely republican opponent donald j trump declaring that he was hopelessly unprepared and temperamentally unfit to be commander in chief electing him she said would be a historic mistake
speaking in a steady modulated tone but lobbing some of the most fiery lines of her presidential campaign mrs clinton painted mr trump as a reckless childish and uninformed amateur who was playing at the game of global statecraft
this is not someone who should ever have the nuclear codes she said because its not hard to imagine donald trump leading us into a war just because somebody got under his very thin skin
mrs clinton whose campaign had grappled for weeks over how to handle mr trump seemed to find her footing as she addressed an audience in san diego that laughed and cheered as she deconstructed mr trumps foreign policy pronouncements they were she said not even really ideas just a series of bizarre rants personal feuds and outright lies
the speech which mixed biting sarcasm and somber assessments of the foreign crises of the obama years unfurled what is likely to be the core argument that mrs clinton will carry into the general election
her remarks were billed as a major foreign policy address and she was flanked by a row of 19 american flags as majestic as those that often back mr trump at his public events yet the speech was devoid of new policy prescriptions and she skipped over difficult episodes during her tenure as secretary of state including the nato intervention in libya and its bloody aftermath in benghazi
instead she borrowed a tactic from president obama reeling off zingers that are catnip to cable news channels it won her the kind of sustained live coverage that mr trump has enjoyed routinely but mrs clinton has not though the announcement by speaker paul d ryan that he planned to vote for mr trump stole her thunder in the opening moments of the 30 minute address
she said she imagined mr trump was composing nasty tweets about her even as she spoke and indeed he was bad performance by crooked hillary clinton mr trump wrote reading poorly from the teleprompter she doesnt even look presidential
but mrs clinton sought to turn mr trumps prolific twitter habit into an additional bullet point demonstrating that he was unfit for the presidency as she put it she twice referred to the scene in the white house situation room where as secretary of state she advised mr obama on the raid on a compound in pakistan that killed osama bin laden
imagine donald trump sitting in the situation room making life or death decisions on behalf of the united states mrs clinton said eliciting cries of no from her audience imagine if he had not just his twitter account at his disposal when hes angry but americas entire arsenal
in an interview with the new york times during mrs clintons speech mr trump said that mrs clintons performance was terrible and pathetic he added im not thin skinned at all im the opposite of thin skinned
for mrs clinton whose formal speeches tend to be earnest and laden with policy prescriptions it was a striking departure   a rollicking political indictment that doubled as mrs clintons first full blooded response to mr trumps drumbeat of criticism about her ethics and judgment during a quarter century in public life
the speech came after weeks of study by clinton aides to determine which attacks by mr trumps republican rivals had not worked it was studded with punch lines mr trump doesnt have a clue what hes talking about mrs clinton said at one point donald doesnt see the complexity she said at another this isnt reality television she said of a trump presidency this is actual reality
after her campaign had initially issued a tepid response to mr trumps proposal of defaulting on the national debt calling the idea risky mrs clinton said thursday that such action would lead to an economic catastrophe
he believes we can treat the us economy like one of his casinos she said
the speech was roughly 10 days in the making and written by mrs clintons speechwriters dan schwerin and megan rooney and top policy aide jake sullivan with outside advisers including mr obamas former chief speechwriter jon favreau reviewing a late draft ms rooney a former state department speechwriter was perched on the arm of mrs clintons chair on a flight from boston to san diego on wednesday night making revisions on her laptop and making sure the lines echoed mrs clintons sardonic humor
the address was a meaty rebuttal to democrats who had expressed concern that mrs clintons campaign lacked gumption in going after mr trump particularly because mr obama and senator elizabeth warren of massachusetts have relished opportunities to skewer him
by turns mocking and stern mrs clinton derided mr trump for suggesting that japan should acquire nuclear weapons to deter north korea that the united states should have walked away from the nuclear deal with iran and that maybe syria should be a free zone for isis
he says he has foreign policy experience because he ran the miss universe pageant in russia mrs clinton said and to top it off he believes america is weak an embarrassment he called our military a disaster he said we are and i quote a third world country
in vivid strokes mrs clinton framed not just her case against mr trump but the broader foreign policy debate in the election she cast herself as the defender of an american led world order against an insurgent who did not understand let alone respect the network of alliances the united states constructed after world war ii to safeguard its interests
mrs clinton presented herself as a sure footed commander in chief a fervent believer in america as an exceptional country tested by her time in the situation room she highlighted her ability to go toe to toe with leaders in beijing and moscow contrasting that with what she said was mr trumps bizarre fascination with dictators and strongmen who have no love for america
ill leave it to the psychiatrists to explain his affection for tyrants she said i just wonder how anyone could be so wrong about who americas real friends are
even as she excoriated mr trump mrs clinton kept a close eye on domestic politics she noted for example that she understood the deep qualms that voters had with trade deals still mr trumps threats to impose tariffs on chinese imports mrs clinton said would set off a trade war of the kind that deepened the great depression in the 1930s
mrs clinton recited a handful of highlights from her time at the state department including her role in brokering a cease fire between israel and hamas in gaza in 2012 and rallying the world to impose sanctions on iran over its nuclear program but she failed to flesh out her proposals for dealing with the islamic state or the civil war in syria
to mrs clinton such policy details were not as important as the black and white differences between her and mr trump
he has said that he would order our military to carry out torture and the murder of civilians who are related to suspected terrorists even though those are war crimes mrs clinton said he says he doesnt have to listen to our generals or our admirals our ambassadors and other high officials because he has quote a very good brain
he also said i know more about isis than the generals do believe me you know what she continued i dont believe him
mrs clinton ended her remarks on a more solemn note arguing that mr trumps proposals like barring muslims from entering the united states could fuel an ugly narrative about who we are
mr trump she said would undo decades of statecraft by republicans and democrats striking a bipartisan note mrs clinton recalled an advertisement mr trump took out in newspapers in 1987 during the reagan administration saying that america lacked a backbone and that the world was you guessed it laughing at us
youve got to wonder why somebody who fundamentally has so little confidence in america and has felt that way for at least 30 years wants to be our president she said


the films of female directors working in genre cinema including film noir horror action and sexploitation will be celebrated in genre is a woman a series at film forum running june 3 16 the series includes the 2000 horror film american psycho based on the novel by bret easton ellis and directed by mary harron that film about an investment banker christian bale with serial killer tendencies satirized masculinity and social climbing in a pitch black way the film inspired a broadway musical and helped propel mr bales hollywood career
in an interview ms harron discussed a scene in which colleagues look at and obsess over one anothers business cards here are excerpts from that conversation
tell me a little bit about this scene
this scene comes fairly early in the movie where all the main male members of the cast are gathered together in a world of intense masculine competition christian bale as patrick bateman his anxiety is the engine of this scene
are there any key moments to look for
i had a fantastic art department but not so good at spelling i also did not notice and no one on set noticed that acquisitions is spelled wrong on the business card
but one of the things thats subtle in the scene is the sound design we used the sound of japanese dueling swords theres a swoosh every time a business card comes out because there is this element of classic masculine ritualized aggression theres also very crisp sounds of card cases opening and the thwack of the cards being laid down its if its a military exercise but its being played out in business cards
its one of my most favorite scenes although people think of american psycho as this violent film i think that what i and most people like best about it are the comic scenes this has been much parodied theres a great dutch jeans ad where its hipsters and denim instead of business cards and theres another one where people are comparing sloppy joe sandwiches
as a woman director what was it like to direct this scene that is so charged with masculine energy
i think that one of the things i loved about the book and what guinevere turner and i liked when writing the script was that american psycho is a great parody of masculinity its a sendup it was accused of being sexist but to me it was always an attack and satire of sexism and of male ego and i think this scene is a perfect example of it


london   the main investment bankers involved in the merger between deutsche borse and the london stock exchange worked at one of wall streets biggest companies morgan stanley the last time the two exchanges flirted with the idea of getting married
today the bankers are no longer at morgan stanley rather in a sign of the fast changing landscape on wall street they compete with their old company operating out of boutique investment banks that did not even exist in late 2004 when the two exchanges last tangoed
perella weinberg partners one of whose founders is joseph r perella a former head of investment banking at morgan stanley is leading a clutch of banks representing the deutsche borse
the main banker for the london stock exchange is simon robey who was co chairman of global mergers and acquisitions at morgan stanley and today runs his own firm robey warshaw
a onetime rival for the london stock exchange   intercontinental exchange or ice   was helped by caroline silver the former head of morgan stanleys european financial institutions group ms silver who is now at moelis  company was working with her former employer to upend the talks between the deutsche borse and the london stock exchange ice said recently that it would not make an offer for the london exchange
this decade old diaspora from morgan stanley clustered around one deal underscores the changing market for merger advice increasingly boutique and independent investment banks have prospered as companies turn to them instead of the big global banks
without even counting the potential fees on the london stock exchange deal boutique and independent companies represented 305 percent of the 535 billion in completed merger fees in the first quarter of this year according to thomson reuters which tracks corporate finance activity
last year of the 261 billion in fees that were paid to wall street for merger deals 313 percent went to boutique and independent investment banks compared with 238 percent in 2005 when the london stock exchange and deutsche borse last flirted with merging
the shift is remarkable particularly for a company like morgan stanley which for much of its history prided itself on taking a firm public and then catering to all its banking needs like raising debt or providing additional equity financing and advising on mergers and takeovers
decades ago when young bankers joined morgan stanley executives would trot out one of the companys oldest clients the telecommunications giant att as an illustration of the kind of company morgan stanley served
we did almost everything for them recalled scott moeller who was an investment banker at morgan stanley from the early 80s to 1996 and is now director of the ma research center at the city university londons cass business school
the more specialized advisory banks may be gaining but morgan stanley is still a powerhouse showing the durability of the global giants last year the investment bank ranked no 2 in worldwide mergers and acquisitions with a market share of 29 percent in announced deals behind goldman sachs with 34 percent of the market according to thomson reuters
morgan stanley did not advise either the london stock exchange or deutsche borse when they tried to merge in 2004 but after the french born xavier rolet a former lehman brothers executive was appointed chief executive of the london exchange in 2009 he met with mr robey who also headed morgan stanleys british operations
over the next few years mr robey helped mr rolet frame his vision for the london stock exchange in 2011 he assisted mr rolet in orchestrating the london exchanges acquisition of the 50 percent stake in ftse international that it did not already own that same year he also advised on the failed merger attempt by the london stock exchange and the tmx group the parent company of the toronto stock exchange
their relationship deepened after mr robey 55 left morgan stanley in january 2013 he later teamed up with simon warshaw former co head of investment banking at ubs to start a new firm
robey warshaw has only 14 employees it takes up four floors of a stately georgian townhouse on st james place in london one of its neighbors is the british banker jacob rothschild but last year robey warshaw was ranked no 16 in announced global mergers and acquisitions with a 45 percent market share
mr robey and mr rolet forged a friendship
in the summer of 2014 mr rolet invited mr robey to visit him at his vineyard in provence france during the trip mr robey joined other guests of mr rolets at a performance of nabucco an opera by verdi that was part of a summer opera festival held in an ancient roman theater north of avignon
as a young man mr robey nearly pursued a career as a professional singer he attended oxford university on a choral scholarship today he indulges his passion for music by overseeing the board of trustees at the royal opera house in londons covent garden
in november 2014 when mr robey remarried mr rolet and his wife nicole attended his wedding
in the case of perella weinberg it was actually a goldman sachs alumnus that cemented ties with deutsche borses new chief executive carsten kengeter
when peter a weinberg was chief executive of goldman sachs international in london more than a decade ago he got to know mr kengeter a fast rising fixed income executive in goldmans frankfurt offices
the two kept up with each other when mr weinberg left goldman to start a merger advisory boutique with mr perella
as it happens mr weinberg was also at morgan stanley in the 1980s but he did not overlap with mr perella who joined the bank in 1993 the two men knew each other because mr perella had gone to harvard business school on a scholarship established by mr weinbergs grandfather sidney j weinberg
in the early days of perella weinberg when some wall street rivals sniffed at the new banking upstart mr kengeter was welcoming at the world economic forum in davos switzerland mr kengeter and his boss oswald grubel the chief executive of ubs at the time invited mr perella and mr weinberg to an investment bankers dream a dinner with some of ubss biggest clients
andrew bednar a merger banker for perella weinberg in new york had also developed a relationship with some of the executives at deutsche borse
several years ago a former goldman partner duncan l niederauer who at the time was chief executive of nyse euronext hired perella weinberg to work on a plan to create the worlds biggest exchange by marrying the new york exchange with deutsche borse even though european union regulators vetoed the deal in february 2012 mr bednar became better acquainted with the deutsche borse team during the friendly merger talks
in late 2012 when ice announced that it would acquire the new york stock exchange leaving perella weinberg without a client in the exchange arena mr bednar began courting deutsche borse
in june 2015 soon after mr kengeter took over as chief executive of deutsche borse mr weinberg sat down with him like any new chief executive mr kengeter charged his team with thinking about the exchanges future and areas of exploration later that summer mr bednar also met with mr kengeter on a trip to frankfurt
the meetings were a prelude to a get together between mr kengeter and mr rolet who knew each other having both worked in europe for goldman sachs
left out now that ice has decided against making a counterbid is ms silver who was behind some of the biggest mergers between exchanges including advising the new york stock exchange euronext on its acquisition by ice several years ago


romantic scheming that a brooklyn teenager hid from her parents in the 1810s will be exposed this month when three binders filled with letters go on sale in manhattan on june 21 swann auction galleries will offer jane schencks correspondence with an unsuitable suitor named ralph malbone their letters estimated at 2000 to 3000 for the lot solve some mysteries about the couples relationship
the two who eventually married wrote to each other under fake names during their courtship apparently they had met in brooklyn around 1810 although it is not known how
mr malbone was jobless and seven years older than miss schenck she warned him that her relatives prosperous landowners and slaveholders of dutch descent would consider him low company she wrote to him in secret until he earned enough money to present himself as a viable potential fiance
the auction consignor seth r mushkin inherited the letters from his grandparents who ran an antiques store in brooklyn it is not clear how or when they left the original writers possession
the brooklyn museum owns a diary kept by miss schenck as a teenager along with roomfuls of other artifacts from her familys ancestral homes it does not mention mr malbone until their wedding day in 1815 kevin stayton the deputy director of the brooklyn museum who has studied the family for decades said that before the swann lot emerged he had never understood why miss schenck had married someone seemingly out of the blue
in her journal she talks about everyone else mr stayton said she vividly describes dances beach outings church services weddings suicides and accidental deaths as well as reports of skirmishes with the british during the war of 1812
mr malbone was a descendant of rhode island merchants who sold mahogany and slaves but by the early 1800s his branch of the family had run out of money and moved to connecticut he told miss schenck that the main obstacle to their marriage was property or rather poverty
soon after he and miss schenck began corresponding a woman from his hometown sued him for child support he paid off that debt while asserting that the paternity claim was cruel and falce he was not a good speller my mind has been most powerfully agitated he wrote to miss schenck worried that she would not believe him
his letters often end in apologies for his sloppy handwriting and long windedness which he attributed to the power of cruel cupid he described miss schenck as bewitching
during the war of 1812 mr malbone traveled in new york ohio new jersey and pennsylvania in search of work miss schenck worried that he would end up a bleeding sacrifice to the cruel cruel weapons of a mad braind war she offered to disguise herself as a young boy of 12 or 14 to join him on the road
he addressed letters to her alias a fictional man named enaj werter whom he asked to give his regards to miss schenck she signed her letters enaj enoblam her hoped for married name backward when her young sister maria died miss schenck sent a grieving letter to mr malbone with a lock of the girls honey colored hair
mr malbone found work selling smallpox inoculations the correspondence includes an ad for his vaccination services and a recommendation letter from jabez b hyde a missionary and linguist who worked with seneca indians
jane and ralph malbone raised four children and remained married until her death in 1843 he made a fortune in real estate part of his property was on what is now malbone street east of prospect park he also sold insurance carriage cushions paving stones and groceries   his customers included walt whitman
mr malbone eventually remarried and he and his wife had a son also named ralph who exhausted the family fortune and ended up working as a stableman for a brooklyn hotel
a few artifacts that belonged to the malbones are in institutional collections the metropolitan museum of art owns a pair of creamy silk shoes that miss schenck may have worn for her walks to the post office to mail letters from enaj enoblam
the historian danielle shapiro researched her new book john vassos industrial design for modern life through a process that she describes as gritty dirty messy and exhilarating tracking down boxes of files from mr vassoss offices in and around new york that no other scholar had opened
although mr vassos was a prolific industrial designer and artist during the rise of mass broadcast media from the 1920s to the 80s many histories of industrial design have left out or played down his accomplishments ms shapiro said and i just couldnt believe how much was wrong in scholarly texts including his birthplace and birth year she added
mr vassos a greek immigrant settled in new york city in 1921 and died in 1985 at 87 his resume includes radio and television receivers and cabinets training brochures for military spies elegantly tapered subway turnstiles and bookshelves with built in stereos theater chains rca nedicks fast food and the photographer margaret bourke white were among his clients
on june 14 ms shapiro will give a lecture on mr vassos at the new york public librarys stephen a schwarzman building
although mr vassos wrote an autobiography it was never published batches of his archives were sent to syracuse university and the smithsonian institutions archives of american art institutions have begun acquiring his work his portable aluminum record players are in the collections of the brooklyn museum yale university art gallery the museum of fine arts boston and the wolfsonian museum at florida international university in miami beach record players and microphones he designed can sell for thousands of dollars each at auction


paris   president denis sassou nguessos new term in office a continuation of his decades in power after a murky re election has gotten off to a rocky start since violence in the republic of congo has left his political opponents fearing for their lives
on april 4 the day that final election results were released shooting broke out in the southern districts of the capital brazzaville which are considered to be opposition strongholds military barracks and checkpoints and two police stations were targeted in a gun battle that lasted nearly two days according to the international federation for human rights
human right groups have also reported that airstrikes and a ground offensive took place in pool another area known for harboring opposition figures starting the next day
the violence comes after protests last year over the constitutional referendum that extended the eligibility of presidential candidates beyond age 70 which allowed mr sassou nguesso 72 to run again mr sassou nguesso often considered one of africas so called presidents for life has governed the country for 32 of the last 37 years
he was re elected in march after winning more than 60 percent of the vote opposition candidates denounced the victory as a sham in the days around the vote internet and television networks were shut down in the capital as a security measure the government said
the french ministry of foreign affairs still does not recognize the election results in its former colony citing a lack of transparency surrounding the election other countries like canada and the united states have also expressed dismay after sharp criticism from the european union over the credibility of the results brazzaville asked the european union to recall its ambassador
mr sassou nguesso first came to power in 1979 and governed for 13 years before losing an election in 1992 in 1997 he again assumed power after a civil war killed 10000 people and displaced thousands more he enjoys little popularity outside of the northern districts of brazzaville and the remote northern region where he grew up he was sworn into his new five year term in april
the federal government has blamed a group called the ninjas former militiamen active during a civil war in the 1990s and again in the early 2000s for the violence after the election in particular officials have blamed the former ninja leader frederic bintsamou known as pastor ntumi which means the messenger in lari a local language in april the government issued an arrest warrant for him in connection with the recent unrest he denies any direct involvement in the shootout or violence in the pool region
some of mr sassou nguessos political opponents who contested the election results including gen jean marie michel mokoko who also ran for president in march have been arrested or put under house arrest after the outbreak of violence in brazzaville mr mokokos house has been surrounded by government armed forces since april 5 preventing him from going outside other members of opponents campaign teams have been arrested on the grounds of endangering the security of the state according to the international federation for human rights
various witnesses report that the day after the shooting began in brazzaville the government bombed the southern pool region destroying one of mr bintsamous former houses the government denies targeting civilians and has not issued an official body count access to the most sensitive areas of the pool region has also been denied to local journalists and nongovernmental groups
the bombings affected residential areas and damaged public and private properties including one primary school said ilaria allegrozzi a researcher with amnesty international
because it occurred early morning it is unlikely that children were struck but we have no confirmation of this she said
shelling with heavy weapons and bombardments in pool stopped in mid april but ground offensives are still taking place in various villages in the region humanitarian groups have reported one woman who fled to brazzaville told amnesty international in april that she saw at least 30 bodies in one area and described heavy damage in the pool region caused by airstrikes however the organization stressed that because they were denied access to the areas in question cross checking witness reports remained impossible
in april the congolese branch of the international aid organization caritas internationalis said more than 2000 people had fled the pool region and gone into the bush ghys fortune bemba dombe a local journalist whose newspaper was shut down by the government said many people were still in hiding afraid to return to their villages
the united nations said in an april news release that there had been reports of mass arrests and torture in detention in pool
in may united nations secretary general ban ki moon urged mr sassou nguesso to ensure that humanitarian and other relevant actors are granted access to the affected areas
the authorities have denied hitting any residential areas the minister of communication thierry moungalla has been quoted as saying that the government had ordered targeted and proportionate strikes on the command centers of the former ninja leader mr bintsamou located in remote and sparsely populated areas of the pool region
groups like amnesty international and the international federation for human rights have been denied access to the pool region there is no official reason for this but authorities claim this is due to insecurity there said tresor nzila the director of the congolese branch of the the international federation for human rights
speaking after the release of an amnesty report the minister of communication mr moungalla told reporters that access to the pool region had been denied to organizations whose aim is to criticize national authorities and conduct biased and one sided investigations
in brazzaville witnesses say the arrests of opposition members have continued and residents are being plucked from the streets and detained
there is a climate of generalized psychosis said mr dombe the journalist


robert f smith the private equity titan who was named the richest african american man by forbes last year after making a fortune in software also has a quirky musical side
he owns one of elton johns old pianos he hired john legend and seal   and a youth orchestra   to perform at his wedding last summer on the amalfi coast his youngest sons hendrix and legend are named after jimi hendrix and mr legend and he bought and refurbished a retreat in the rocky mountains that was beloved by jazz musicians including duke ellington
on thursday mr smiths intersecting worlds of money philanthropy and music came together when he was named the chairman of carnegie hall the nations most prestigious concert stage he became the first african american to hold the post at a time when diversity at leading cultural organizations lags   a recent survey of new yorks cultural institutions found that nearly 78 percent of their board members were white
carnegie hall is perfectly placed to champion not only artistic excellence but also access and exposure to the best music in the world mr smith said in a statement
the election of mr smith 53 who played an old upright piano while growing up in denver and was told that with enough practice he might make it to carnegie one day brings to an end a low moment at the hall the billionaire ronald o perelman served as its chairman for less than a year before stepping down last fall after he alienated the board by clashing with the halls executive and artistic director clive gillinson
after shunning the spotlight for years mr smith who is based in austin tex where the private equity firm he founded vista equity partners has its headquarters has recently taken a more public role   starting a foundation the fund ii foundation giving commencement addresses and donating money his alma mater cornell university renamed its school of chemical and biomolecular engineering for him earlier this year after he announced a 50 million gift
unlike carnegies most recent chairmen mr perelman and sanford i weill the former citigroup chairman mr smith does not come from the world of new york finance and he has not been a major fixture on the citys social scene   he is more known for flying in to attend events in the city and then flying out but his work outside the city with investors and tech firms could provide entree to new potential donors in the coming years
mr smith said his newfound willingness to exert his influence came from a sense of obligation to help those less fortunate
when i look at the folks that inspired me growing up people like frederick douglass they had to stand up and take positions in public in order to make a difference he said in an interview part of the responsibility i have because of the opportunities ive been granted is to take leadership positions and help expand access for others
his path to carnegie began at petrossian the restaurant a block north of the hall where he had lunch a few years ago with mr gillinson a mutual friend introduced them since mr smith was interested in music education a major focus for carnegie mr smith joined the board in 2013 since then he has donated money to expand carnegies link up program which develops music curriculums for more than 90 orchestras around the country and become a founding patron of the national youth orchestra of the united states of america created by carnegies weill music institute he also had an idea for a new program
his suggestion was that we should also be reaching out to kids in the areas where were supporting the orchestras offering lessons to kids who otherwise wouldnt have the opportunity to have lessons and instruments if they need them as well mr gillinson said in an interview we added that dimension
last month mr smith attended an all star gala concert commemorating carnegies 125th anniversary and got a round of applause at the dinner afterward at the waldorf astoria hotel when mercedes t bass who served as acting chairwoman after mr perelmans departure acknowledged him from the stage one person id particularly like to point out is our board member robert smith who gave us a million dollar check she said
joshua nash the chairman of the boards succession committee said in a statement that his group unanimously recommended mr smith
until recently mr smith was little known outside the sleepy world of enterprise software but in the years since the financial crisis his firm vista has outperformed titans of the industry such as kkr and tpg
vista which mr smith founded in 2000 after leaving goldman sachs in 1999 buys and sells little known software companies such as solera tibco and misys under mr smiths management vista established a remarkable track record by never losing money on a leveraged buyout and regularly returning investors 30 percent or more on an annualized basis last year forbes pegged his personal fortune at 25 billion his wedding to hope dworaczyk a former playboy model last year at a star filled ceremony on the amalfi coast made headlines in gossip columns
growing up in denver mr smith was exposed to music from an early age his father attended the university of denver on a band scholarship playing percussion and piano and mr smith learned to play the piano from both his father and grandmother by age 7 he was practicing conducting while listing to the radio and soon became a fan of the pianist andre watts
his family vacationed at lincoln hills a retreat in the rockies that was popular with jazz musicians including count basie mr smith later bought it and now uses it to host underprivileged schoolchildren and musicians including maceo parker and angie stone he counts prince and michael jackson among his favorite pop artists but also has a passion for classical music especially brahms and debussy
his fund ii foundation donates money to a variety of causes including preserving african american history and culture human rights the environment sustaining american values and music education mr smith is also the chairman of the robert f kennedy center for human rights serves on the board of overseers of columbia business school is a member of the cornell engineering college council and is a trustee of the boys and girls clubs of san francisco
he has supported musical groups including the sphinx organization which promotes diversity in classical music helped bring the yehudi menuhin international violin competition to the united states and supports ensemble acjw a collaboration between carnegie hall the juilliard school the weill music institute and the new york city education department
mr smiths other charitable efforts reflect his commitment to preserving black history when he was an infant his mother carried him at the march on washington where the rev dr martin luther king jr delivered his i have a dream speech seven years later his uncle was the victim of a racially motivated killing
in recent years mr smith has made substantial gifts to the national museum of african american history and culture which is set to open in september donated millions to restore african american monuments in national parks and supported the louis armstrong house museum in new york
what awaits him at the carnegie board however could test not only his managerial skills but also his diplomacy and fund raising prowess when mr perelman abruptly stepped down last year hopes of landing a multimillion dollar donation from him quickly evaporated as the hall worked to raise money for its education efforts now it must press forward with that while continuing to grapple with questions of how to make classical music relevant and accessible and over what the proper musical mix of its presentations should be
but mr smith is known as a problem solver after talking himself into an internship at bell labs for college students when he was still in high school he was once charged with diagnosing a faulty semiconductor he was in over his head but the experience he recounted last year helped shape his worldview
i learned not to fear complex problems he said but to embrace them


bentonville ark   soon the labyrinthine aisles at walmarts distribution centers   stocked high with canned beans toys and many other products   could also have a low humming sound
walmart the countrys largest retailer is testing the use of flying drones to handle inventory at its large warehouses which supply the thousands of walmart stores throughout the nation in six to nine months the company said the machines may be used in one or more of its distribution centers
at a demonstration on thursday at a dry goods distribution center here a drone moved up and down an aisle packed nearly to the ceiling with boxes taking 30 images per second shekar natarajan the vice president of last mile and emerging science explained that the machines could help catalog in as little as a day what now takes employees about a month
walmart applied to the federal aviation administration for permission to begin testing drones last year
walmart workers now manually scan pallets of goods with hand held scanning devices the drones methodical vertical movements would essentially mimic the path of a person in a forklift who might be inspecting labels and inventory
while a walmart employee may handle the drone the technology could potentially mean fewer workers would be needed to take stock or replace missing items lorenzo lopez a spokesman said mr lopez emphasized that those workers could be deployed in other areas of the warehouse
the test is occurring as walmart is under intense pressure to grow amid an onslaught of low cost competition particularly from amazon the online shopping giant walmart has committed to spending 27 billion on labor technology and other investments including improving its website and e commerce business last quarter walmart beat expectations with 1159 billion in revenue but even doug mcmillon its president and chief executive acknowledged that the 7 percent growth of walmarts e commerce business was too slow
the demonstration occurred a day before walmarts annual meeting in fayetteville ark
walmart is testing its new technology for the next six to nine months as part of its emerging sciences and technology group which focuses on drones virtual reality and other technologies to see how they might help improve its supply chain the company said drones may have other applications perhaps even in its stores but did not give details
the retailer is using 80 supercenters in addition to its distribution centers to help fulfill online orders by speeding up warehouse operations drones could help address the logistical challenges of managing inventory in so many places
walmart operates 190 distribution centers in the united states and each one services 100 to 150 stores millions of items can move through the centers each week and onto a fleet that includes 6500 trucks and 8000 drivers to move merchandise throughout the united states
as boxes zipped along at six miles an hour on conveyor belts in the distribution center here mr natarajan explained that the drones would be one way to make the walmart supply chain even more efficient walmart already reuses the boxes multiple times and they are printed with a reminder each box cost the company an average of 75 cents


washington   ending weeks of reluctance to embrace his partys presumptive nominee speaker paul d ryan endorsed donald j trump for president on thursday in a modest but unequivocal backing of a candidate whose views mr ryan has frequently condemned
in a column in his hometown newspaper in janesville wis mr ryan said that recent conversations with mr trump had convinced him that the billionaire developer will help advance the conservative agenda that the speaker is trying to introduce
through these conversations i feel confident he would help us turn the ideas in this agenda into laws to help improve peoples lives said mr ryan who is also chairman of the republican national convention that will nominate mr trump thats why ill be voting for him this fall
the endorsement is the latest and most consequential example of leading republicans falling in line behind mr trump mr ryan faced substantial pressure from fellow republicans in congress many of whom share mr ryans misgivings about mr trump because they realize that high level public divisiveness over his candidacy only weakens mr trump and increases the political risks of defending their majorities in the house and senate
i think it was always going to be this way representative tom cole republican of oklahoma said it was never plausible that a speaker would preside over your convention and not endorse you
mr cole said the decision to endorse mr trump would bolster mr ryans main priority of protecting republican seats in the house there is just no way that could have been helped by having that division he said
after a sometimes awkward courtship mr trump said he was happy that mr ryan had finally backed him im very pleased mr trump said in an interview i have a good relationship with him actually he was taken a little bit by storm because my situation was supposed to go to the convention
in an announcement that came while lawmakers were still scattered across the country for their weeklong memorial day recess mr ryan explained thursday that he had withheld his support until he could discuss his policy priorities with mr trump
but the speaker who repeatedly dismissed rumors that he was considering his own presidential run this year and is already considered a contender in 2020 said he would not hesitate to disagree with mr trump
its no secret that he and i have our differences mr ryan said in the column he submitted to the gazette in janesville i wont pretend otherwise and when i feel the need to ill continue to speak my mind but the reality is on the issues that make up our agenda we have more common ground than disagreement
mr ryans endorsement puts him at odds with mitt romney who selected mr ryan as his running mate in 2012 mr romney delivered a scathing condemnation of mr trump several months ago and has encouraged a third party challenger to enter the race
the fact that mr ryan saved his endorsement for a written column precluded for the moment a public show of the two men coming together and there were no plans announced for any joint appearances mr ryan is expected to focus mainly on campaigning for house candidates in the late summer and fall
an official with knowledge of the ryan deliberations who did not want to be identified discussing internal strategy said the decision to proceed with the endorsement was made this week by mr ryan personally
the highest ranking elected republican mr ryan shook up the presidential race in may when he said he was not ready to endorse mr trump mr ryan had been highly critical of mr trumps proposal to bar muslims from entering the country saying the pledge was anathema to conservative principles and not what this country stands for
the two have spoken numerous times mr ryan wrote in the column last month they sat down for a much publicized meeting in washington emerging to say they had laid the groundwork for reconciliation the men spoke again by phone last week
but it was clear that there was still some distance between them with more republican lawmakers coming around to endorse mr trump mr ryan had stayed silent on when or if he would join them
representative chris collins the new york republican who was the first member of congress to endorse mr trump said mr ryans announcement signaled the partys growing unity
speaker ryans endorsement today reinforces the fact that republicans are united in our fight to defeat hillary clinton he said in a statement
mr ryans support will also make for a much smoother convention for both mr trump and the speaker
discussion about mr trump was also overshadowing the activities of house republicans with mr ryan facing constant questions about his talks with mr trump mr ryan is hoping to shift the focus to a rollout of a conservative policy agenda when the house returns next week
the decision by mr ryan also closes a divide with his counterpart in the senate mitch mcconnell the kentucky republican and majority leader who has been openly supporting mr trump citing the need to have a republican president to fill supreme court vacancies
some conservatives seemed sympathetic to mr ryans position if not convinced by his arguments tim miller who served as communications director for jeb bushs presidential campaign said mr ryan had handled a tough situation about as well as he could
but lets not try to sell this farce that trump will support house agenda mr miller posted on twitter absurd he wrote
word of the endorsement came just as mr trumps likely rival in november hillary clinton was delivering a blistering attack on his foreign policy positions warning against giving the countrys nuclear codes to the manhattan businessman
mr ryan criticized her in his column writing a clinton white house would mean four more years of liberal cronyism and a government more out for itself than the people it serves quite simply she represents all that our agenda aims to fix
democrats pounced on the latest opportunity to tie mr trump to republicans including vulnerable lawmakers fighting for re election
adam jentleson a spokesman for senator harry reid of nevada the democratic leader said the republican party is now the party of trump
speaker ryans abject surrender makes it official he said in an email the gop is trumps party now


colorado springs   president obama on thursday used his final commencement address to a united states military academy to urge air force cadets to find the right balance between force and diplomacy as they join the ranks of the countrys armed forces
facing 812 cadets in blue and white dress uniforms mr obama told the air force academys class of 2016 that they must not allow the united states to turn away from the world calling the isolationist rhetoric of some politicians a false comfort that undermines the countrys leadership in the world
instead he said the air force and other branches of the military must be willing to engage the countrys arsenal in defense of america and on behalf of its allies mr obama recounted the many terrorists including osama bin laden who have been killed or captured because of his willingness to deploy force
the list goes on because if you target americans we will find you and justice will be done and we will defend our nation mr obama said prompting some applause from the cadets and a stadium filled with their friends and family
but mr obama drew only tepid applause when he cautioned that the united states must never celebrate war itself and urged the soon to be second lieutenants to embrace the use of diplomacy and other nonlethal tools to resolve disputes around the world
mr obama said the cadets must find the way in their military careers to be both strongheaded and bighearted facing a dangerous world with the realism to make compromises when necessary but to fight with idealism when needed
the president cited his decision to negotiate with iran to block that countrys development of nuclear weapons as an example of the progress that can be made without weapons he acknowledged the controversy surrounding his decision not to strike in syria after president bashar al assad and his forces used chemical weapons but he repeated his belief that the decision was the right one and led to a more complete destruction of syrias chemical weapon stocks
many of the threats to our security cannot be solved by military force alone mr obama said we have to draw on every tool all elements of our national power
as he nears the end of his time in office mr obama said he is proud of having brought most of americas troops home from fighting in iraq and afghanistan he said calls from some for a deeper engagement in those countries must be fully thought through
how will it alter the conflict what comes next when we ask those questions we prevent the kind of mission creep that history teaches us to avoid the president told the graduates
mr obama hailed the militarys inclusion of gays lesbians women religious minorities and others into the armed forces saying that we are stronger because of the diversity he praised the hard work and perseverance of the graduates and commended to them a life of service and happiness
when im no longer president he said i will sleep well at night because i know that men and women like you serve to keep us free
after the ceremony air force officials said that an f 16 thunderbird aircraft that had been part of the flyover at the graduation crashed shortly afterward the pilot was able to safely eject the officials said adding that he was being examined by doctors as a precaution
shortly after mr obama arrived at the airport to fly home he met briefly with the pilot thanking him for his service to the country and expressed his relief that the pilot was not seriously injured according to the white house spokesman josh earnest the president also thanked the first responders who acted quickly to tend to the pilot


prince the music icon who struggled with debilitating hip pain during his career died from an accidental overdose of self administered fentanyl a type of synthetic opiate officials in minnesota said thursday
the news ended weeks of speculation about the sudden death of the musician who had a reputation for clean living but who appears to have developed a dependency on medications to treat his pain
authorities have yet to discuss how he came to be in possession of the fentanyl and whether it had been prescribed by a doctor
officials had waited several weeks for the results of a toxicology test undertaken as part of an autopsy performed after he was found dead april 21 in an elevator at his estate he was preparing to enroll in an opioid treatment program when he died at 57 according to the lawyer for a doctor who was planning to treat him
the midwest medical examiners office which conducted the autopsy declined to comment beyond releasing a copy of its findings the carver county sheriffs office is continuing to investigate the death with help from the federal drug enforcement administration the sheriffs office had said it was looking into whether opioid abuse was a factor and a law enforcement official had said that painkillers were found on prince when investigators arrived
the me report is one piece of the whole thing said jason kamerud the countys chief deputy sheriff
fentanyl is a potent but dangerous painkiller estimated to be more than 50 times more powerful than heroin according to the centers for disease control and prevention the report did not list how much fentanyl was found in princes blood last year federal officials issued an alert that said incidents and overdoses with fentanyl were occurring at an alarming rate throughout the united states
weeks before his death prince postponed a concert in atlanta saying that he had the flu a week later he made up the show but on the flight home to minneapolis he fell unconscious and his private jet made an emergency landing in moline ill there emergency medical personnel treated him with narcan a drug typically used to counteract the effects of an opioid overdose according to a law enforcement official briefed on the matter
prince told his friends and associates after that emergency that he was ok his publicist said he had the flu and that this was what had led to the emergency landing
but a concerned friend later reached out to a california based doctor who specializes in treating opioid addictions in hopes of getting him into treatment according to william mauzy a lawyer for the doctor howard kornfeld
on april 20 dr kornfeld sent his son andrew kornfeld who is not a doctor but works at his fathers clinic on a red eye flight to princes paisley park estate in chanhassen minn mr mauzy said but when andrew kornfeld arrived on the morning of april 21 he and two members of princes staff found the singer lifeless he then called 911
andrew kornfeld was carrying a drug used to treat opioid addiction but mr mauzy said he hoped his client who was not authorized to dispense medications would not be charged with any crime in part because of a good samaritan law that allows people to call 911 to get someone help without worrying about criminal consequences mr mauzy said neither kornfeld had given prince any medication
the medical examiners report listed prince who was 5 foot 3 as weighing 112 pounds and said he had been dressed all in black that morning including a black cap
his death came at a time when an opioid addiction epidemic has been sweeping the united states studies showed that more than 28000 people died from opioids which includes heroin and painkillers in 2014 and 43 million people were taking pain medication for nonmedical purposes that year
fentanyl can be consumed in a variety of ways including through patches injections smoking and a lollipop it is unclear what method prince used
dr torin finver an addiction medicine specialist at the jacobs school of medicine at the university at buffalo said it can be easier to overdose on the drug because its effects last shorter than they do for other opiates thus leading users to dose more frequently and possibly consume too much
the illicit shipment of fentanyl into the united states has become a major concern for federal officials who say the substance has become an increasingly popular product of drug cartels in mexico and is often mixed with heroin
princes body was worn down from decades of taxing performances in which he often did splits or jumped from heights in platform shoes several people close to him said one person who knew him said that prince had hip surgery in the mid 2000s but it did not completely alleviate his pain the medical examiners report noted a scar on princes left hip as well as one on his lower right leg
to some of princes closest friends and colleagues his struggle with pain medication came as a surprise because the musician had become a jehovahs witness and strove friends said to live such a clean life he was averse to drinking alcohol and frowned on the use of recreational drugs he typically ate a vegan diet and would not allow meat in his house
it doesnt matter what people say after you are gone cassandra oneal princes keyboardist for the last seven years said after being told of the overdose report what matters is what they meant to you when they were here prince is still a genius and one of the most gifted artists i ever worked with
investigators have used search warrants as they look for evidence in the case and collected records from medical personnel who treated him in the final months of his life including one minnesota doctor michael schulenberg who had seen him the day before he died
it was unclear what dr schulenberg saw prince for but he had also seen him weeks earlier the same day that prince had postponed the atlanta show dr schulenberg also prescribed medications for prince according to an affidavit filed by an investigator in support of a search warrant though it did not specify the drugs
there has been no indication from investigators that dr schulenberg prescribed opiates to prince he was interviewed on april 22 said amy s conners the doctors lawyer and fully cooperated and has received no further requests from any investigators


scientists on thursday formally announced the start of a 10 year project aimed at vastly improving the ability to chemically manufacture dna with one of the goals being to synthetically create an entire human genome
plans for the project which leaked last month have already set off an ethical debate because the ability to chemically fabricate the complete set of human chromosomes could theoretically allow the creation of babies without biological parents
some critics also objected to the secrecy surrounding a meeting to discuss the project at harvard medical school in may the organizers said they avoided publicity so as to not jeopardize publication of the proposal in a peer reviewed scientific journal the publication occurred on thursday by the journal science
the authors of the proposal said that the ability to fabricate huge stretches of dna would allow for numerous scientific and medical advances it might be possible to make organisms resistant to all viruses for instance or make pig organs suitable for transplant into people
the project which will be run by a new nonprofit organization called the center of excellence for engineering biology will seek to raise 100 million this year from various public and private sources organizers declined to state the ultimate cost of the project though it could conceivably exceed 1 billion
whether the federal government will support the project is still unknown dr francis s collins director of the national institutes of health which is the main funder of medical research in the united states had a tepid response thursday
dr collins said in a statement that while nih was interested in encouraging advances in dna synthesis it has not considered the time to be right for funding a large scale production oriented project like the one being proposed
he added that whole genome whole organism synthesis projects extend far beyond current scientific capabilities and immediately raise numerous ethical and philosophical red flags
the effort is being called human genome project - write because it is aimed at writing the dna of life the original human genome project which was completed more than a decade ago aimed at reading the sequence of the three billion letters that make up the genetic code of humans
the cost of sequencing dna has fallen dramatically so that it is now possible to sequence a persons complete dna for about 1000 as a result dna sequencing is now routinely used for medical diagnoses crop breeding and scientific research
the organizers of the hgp write project hope to do much the same with dna synthesis reducing the cost more than 1000 fold in a decade still even if such progress is made it might cost several million dollars in 10 years to completely fabricate one human genome
the authors of the paper in science say they do not want to create babies but maintain that focusing on a grand challenge like synthesizing an entire human genome would be the best way to galvanize advances in dna synthesis that could be used for more practical purposes such as engineering plants animals and microbes
by focusing on building the 3gb of human dna hgp write would push current conceptual and technical limits by orders of magnitude and deliver important scientific advances they write referring to three gigabases the three billion letters in the human genome
scientists already can change dna in organisms or add foreign genes as is done to make medicines like insulin or genetically modified crops new genome editing tools like one called crispr are making it far easier to re engineer an organisms dna blueprint
but george church a professor of genetics at harvard medical school and one of the organizers of the new project said that if the changes desired are extensive at some point it becomes easier to synthesize the needed dna from scratch
editing doesnt scale very well he said when you have to make changes to every gene in the genome it may be more efficient to do it in large chunks
besides dr church the other organizers of the project are jef boeke director of the institute for systems genetics at nyu langone medical center andrew hessel a futurist at the software company autodesk and nancy j kelley who works raising money for projects the paper in science lists a total of 25 authors many of them involved in dna engineering
autodesk which has given 250000 to the project is interested in selling software to help biologists design dna sequences to make organisms perform particular functions dr church is a founder of gen9 a company that sells made to order strands of dna
dr boeke of nyu is leading an international project to synthesize the complete genome of yeast which has 12 million base pairs it would be the largest genome synthesized to date though still much smaller than the human genome
jason kelly chief executive of ginkgo bioworks a boston company that makes fragrances and flavorings in genetically modified yeast said that even if it were possible to make dna strands that were millions or billions of base pairs long industry would not need such capability
we really dont know how to design anything that big today he said
rather he said the emphasis should be on reducing the cost of making dna strands up to 10000 base pairs long such strands long enough to encompass a few genes are what companies like his use now theres a huge appetite for that he said thats what everyone wants
two people who criticized the project and the secrecy surrounding it last month said thursday that they were still not satisfied while the paper in science talks a lot about the need to consider ethical issues they said that should have been done before starting the project
before launching into such a momentous project with such enormous ethical and theological implications a basic ethical question still needs to be asked   starting with whether and under what circumstances we should make such technologies real said a statement issued by drew endy a bioengineer at stanford and laurie zoloth a professor of religion at northwestern university


it took a while but the knicks will officially introduce jeff hornacek as their new coach on friday the news conference coming about two weeks after it became known that he was coming aboard
hornacek and the teams president phil jackson will be meeting with the news media while the focus of the basketball world is on the nba finals a reminder of just how far the knicks need to go to be able to compete with teams like the golden state warriors and the cleveland cavaliers
hornacek 53 who according to published reports will be paid 15 million over three years will take over a team that was 32 50 this season an improvement over its 17 65 record in 2014 15
hornacek is replacing kurt rambis who served as the knicks interim coach after derek fisher jacksons initial pick for the coaching job was fired in february after a year and a half in the position
hornaceks biggest asset will be kristaps porzingis who had an impressive rookie season even if he seemed to run out of gas as the season wound down hornacek will also have carmelo anthony in his lineup unless anthony and the knicks conclude that it would make more sense for him to play elsewhere at the age of 32


radiolab the popular and influential documentary podcast from wnyc began its first spinoff on thursday with more perfect a series about untold stories of the supreme court
conceived by the radiolab host jad abumrad the new podcast had its debut with cruel and unusual about the legal history of the death penalty including utahs reinstatement of firing squads for executions in 2015 additional episodes will be released weekly through july 14 you can listen to the first one below
in an interview mr abumrad said he had long been fascinated by the supreme court radiolab has had two similarly themed episodes in the past one about the case adoptive couple v baby girl and another about the authorization for use of military force in 60 words which won a peabody award
mr abumrad said that he was especially interested in the supreme courts concentrated authority these nine justices are hugely powerful he said one of the sub narratives is about how this group grew from partisan hacks to the priests of the constitution but he added the podcast will not take an inside baseball approach
making the court seem accessible while not overly simple has been a major goal of the show in development elie mystal the legal editor of more perfect said we didnt want to dumb it down we want listeners to feel like they understand whats going on mr mystal mr abumrad said is the production teams guide in finding stories that are interesting to listeners now or that will be in the near future
alex overington who produces the peabody winning podcast meet the composer for the wnyc affiliate q2 music wrote a score for the show with the musician gyan riley mr abumrad has promoted meet the composer on radiolab before and said he is a huge fan of mr overingtons production style   which like mr abumrads is kinetic and complex so much of this show is going to be hearing these men in that scratchy archival voice from the past mr abumrad said i want that to feel like its dancing


scientists have done well in scouring the dna of humans to track our origins to the african continent
but the ancient origins of an animal that is an honorary member of many human families has remained in doubt we still dont know where dogs came from
a group of scientists who are in the middle of a grand examination of canine fossils and modern dna proposed thursday to turn the whole conversation on its head
suppose dogs didnt evolve in one place they suggested but two what if domestication of ancient wolves happened in both asia and europe   different wolves different people
laurent frantz and greger larson of oxford university and an international team of scientists who are all part of a dog domestication project run out of oxford made the new argument in a paper published in the journal science they make clear that although they think their explanation best suits the available evidence more evidence is needed to confirm it
scientists who were not part of the study agreed on the need for more evidence
its an intriguing hypothesis adam boyko a canine geneticist at cornell university said
john novembre a geneticist at the university of chicago described the idea as very provocative
its a hypothesis was as far as peter savolainen a geneticist at the royal institute of technology in stockholm would go dr savolainen has argued strongly with limited support from other researchers that dogs originated in east asia which he noted fits with at least half of the papers conclusion
the notion of a dual origin of dogs is something new for geneticists but dr larson said archaeologists have long considered the possibility that dogs were domesticated more than once
separate domestications have occurred with other animals dr larson and keith dobney of liverpool university found that wild boars were domesticated twice once in china and once in anatolia part of modern turkey
for the new study dr larson and dr frantz obtained dna sequences from 59 ancient dogs and a complete genome from a 4800 year old dog fossil found at newgrange a well known archaeological site in county meath ireland they also analyzed other dna evidence
they found a deep split between two groups   modern east asian dogs and those from the middle east and europe
they calculated mutation rates based on the known age of the irish dog and considered archaeological evidence of migrations as well
they said the overall picture could be explained two ways   by dogs originating in east asia and then migrating west or by dogs originating in europe and asia they said there was a lack of archaeological evidence for an early steady spread of dogs from an eastern origin and they said dog fossils from europe dating to 15000 years ago predated known migrations
so they concluded that dogs most likely originated both in europe and in asia the asian dogs then migrated with humans to western europe and the middle east
although the new explanation may seem to complicate an already tangled discussion dr larson says it actually clears up confusion by explaining two competing ideas the western and eastern origins of dogs
because of the dog domestication project and other current studies of ancient dna this is one scientific dispute that may well be solved
its really an exciting moment said dr savolainen
we may soon know where dogs come from but not just yet


the macarthur foundation known for bestowing genius grants on artists actors and other creative people introduced a new competition on thursday that would award 100 million to an organization with the best proposal to solve a global problem
the competition called 100change is open to organizations in any field anywhere in the world as long as the proposal identifies a problem affecting people a place or the entire planet and comes up with a way to fix it
the foundation said in a statement it was placing a few big bets that significant progress could be made on social challenges like incarceration climate change and nuclear risk it did not place limits on what kind of problems should be addressed to be eligible for the award which will be given every three years
solving societys most pressing problems isnt easy but we believe it can be done said julia stasch the president of the john d and catherine t macarthur foundation potential solutions may go unnoticed or under resourced and are waiting to be brought to scale
the application process the foundation said is designed to provide feedback and visibility so the proposals that do not win the macarthur award might still attract backing or other forms of support
it is open to nonprofit and for profit organizations but not to individuals or government entities registration must be completed online by sept 2 and applications detailing the problem its solution and its budget along with a video pitch will be accepted through oct 3 it said
semifinalists will be announced in december and finalists who will be chosen in the summer of 2017 will present their solutions during a live event in the fall of 2017 then the board will decide which organization will receive the 100 million grant
each proposal will be reviewed by a panel of judges from a variety of fields and their evaluation process for the proposals will be shared publicly on the competitions website participants will receive feedback from the judges
the foundation is widely known for its so called genius fellowship a 625000 stipend over five years no strings attached that has gone to artists actors photographers and others over the years
the 24 people selected last year as fellows of the macarthur foundation fellowships included the writer ta nehisi coates lin manuel miranda the writer and star of the hit broadway musical hamilton and the artist nicole eisenman


the justice department announced criminal charges on thursday against two former deutsche bank traders accused of manipulating interest rates the latest wall street employees to be ensnared in the governments wide ranging crackdown
the former traders matthew connolly and gavin campbell black were indicted on charges that they manipulated the london interbank offered rate or libor a benchmark rate that underpins trillions of dollars in mortgages student loans and other debt
mr connolly who was taken into custody on thursday is the first american citizen to be charged in the libor case
before leaving deutsche bank   germanys largest financial institution   both defendants were senior traders there mr connolly was the director of a trading desk in new york that worked with financial products based on libor while mr black was a director on a deutsche bank trading desk in london
the case against the former traders coming more than a year after deutsche bank resolved its role in the scheme represents an escalation of the justice departments long running investigation into libor manipulation the investigation has already led to criminal cases against six banks including barclays and ubs
when deutsche bank settled the charges against it last year it agreed to pay 25 billion in regulatory and criminal penalties a record for the libor cases deutsche bank also agreed to accept a criminal guilty plea for the british subsidiary at the center of the case
the libor case announced on thursday is unusual in that it also includes charges against individual bank employees in the wake of the financial crisis banks paid billions of dollars in fines but none of their top executives went to prison stoking criticism of the justice departments approach to wall street wrongdoing
in contrast the justice department charged 13 individuals linked to libor manipulation three pleaded guilty two were convicted at trial and the remaining cases are ongoing
millions of people around the world rely on libor and other global financial benchmarks as accurate and honestly reported rates leslie r caldwell the head of the justice departments criminal division in washington which is leading the criminal libor investigation said in a statement manipulation of these rates undermines the integrity of our financial system and the justice department will continue to hold accountable both the financial institutions and the individuals responsible for this conduct
mr connolly and mr black who face wire fraud charges are not the only deutsche bank traders charged in the case michael curtler another former deutsche bank trader in london pleaded guilty in october 2015 and is most likely cooperating with the government
a lawyer for mr connolly ken breen said the accusations are untrue and he looks forward to clearing his name in court
seth levine a lawyer for mr black declined to comment
a spokeswoman for deutsche bank also declined to comment
the libor investigation which began some eight years ago with a single investigator at the commodity futures trading commission has spread to criminal and regulatory agencies around the globe the trading commission is a civil regulatory agency in washington but the justice department handled the criminal component of the case
the investigation centered on the panel of banks that made daily submissions to help set libor an average of how much those banks said they would pay to borrow from one another as a benchmark for trillions of dollars in financial products libor is a cornerstone of the financial marketplace
deutsche bank and its traders the justice department said would submit false and fraudulent libor contributions to benefit their own trading positions carrying out the scheme from around 2005 to 2011 they made these submissions the justice department said rather than the honest and unbiased costs of borrowing
the challenge will be proving that the former traders knew the submissions were false in a 2007 email mr connolly notified one of the libor submitters that if possible we need libor as low as possible next few days the submitter promised to do our best


a dutch citizen and two companies he owned ran a multimillion dollar mail fraud scheme that targeted hundreds of thousands of older americans according to a civil complaint announced on thursday by federal prosecutors in brooklyn
the complaint filed on wednesday in federal district court in brooklyn accuses the man erik dekker and his companies which are based in the netherlands of using the scheme known in the direct mail industry as a caging service to steal up to 18 million annually from its victims since at least 2012
mr dekker 54 a resident of langbroek a town in the utrecht province of the netherlands sent fraudulent solicitations to thousands of older adults in brooklyn and elsewhere saying they could claim various prizes if they mailed cash fees of 15 to 55 to his two companies trends service in kommunikatie and kommunikatie service buitenland prosecutors said
in one instance according to the complaint victims were told that they were the beneficiaries of a nonexistent investment firm called the midas financial group and stood to receive up to 15 million from the liquidation of its trust if they mailed an administrative fee of 1487 to one of the dutch companies in another victims were told that they had won a 2015 audi a6 sedan and could claim it if they sent in a 20 owneracquisition fee
prosecutors said the solicitations were deceptively written to appear as if they had been personally sent to each person who received them when they were actually form letters mailed to hundreds of thousands of people the civil complaint was accompanied by a request for an injunction that would prohibit mr dekker and his companies from using the postal service
mr dekker remains in the netherlands a spokeswoman for the united states attorneys office in brooklyn declined to comment on thursday on whether prosecutors would seek his extradition


fremantle australia   for scott miller part of a team searching for the remains of a doomed malaysia airlines flight the worst hours in a lifetime at sea came when his 215 foot vessel was caught last year between two powerful tropical cyclones and lashed by hurricane force winds
the largest wave was like an eight story building coming at the boat said mr miller the chief ocean floor surveyor aboard the ship the fugro equator it was quite scary the waves were the biggest ive ever seen
for micah hunter the supervisor of the sofa size sonar equipment towed behind the vessel the most difficult moments were when a tow cable began fraying as the so called towfish was being hauled up from near the ocean floor in late april
two of the cables steel strands suddenly snapped with one of them driving all the way through his left pinkie and out the other side despite a protective glove the other strand penetrated deep into his left index finger
and for rhiannon woolhouse williams an ocean floor surveyor who is the only woman in the 30 member crew and also the youngest at 23 the hardest part has been living at sea far from her home and friends in new zealand
for more than two years crews aboard the fugro equator and other vessels have been searching the southern indian ocean for the remains of malaysia airlines flight 370 which disappeared during a flight from kuala lumpur to beijing on march 8 2014
month after month the crews braved mountainous seas and loneliness to answer a mystery that has confounded the globe with little to show for their efforts
ms woolhouse williams joined fugro a dutch company managing the search on a contract from the australian government right after her graduation from college in late 2014 she soon began a long series of six week voyages to some of the most remote waters ever searched
before i went there i couldnt understand how isolated you were she said in an interview on the back deck of the equator after it arrived in fremantle the port that serves perth australia to pick up supplies in early may we didnt see any other vessels for weeks
the fugro equator has repeatedly found fields of debris on the deep ocean floor 12000 to 15000 feet below the waves each time spirits have soared as the crew members hoped that they had found the missing plane
the first time they found a debris field they were so excited that fugro even notified the office of prime minister malcolm turnbull of australia who was traveling in europe to be ready to make an announcement
each time the equator or one of the other vessels has sent down an unmanned remotely operated device to examine the wreckage with very high resolution sonar and sometimes with cameras as well but every time the debris has turned out to be from previously unknown shipwrecks
the shipwrecks seldom look the same and the most recent one looked so much like a plane on images from the towed sonar device that it initially fooled mr miller as it scuttled past on the screen i called up everyone in fugro he said when we went past that one i was certain wed found mh370
but it proved to be a steel vessel that had landed more upright on the ocean floor and with less damage than others they had located
for capt andreas ryanto molyo the commander of the fugro equator the worst moment came during the same confluence of storms that alarmed mr miller powerful gusts started forcing rain into the ships ventilation system through a vent on the back of the vessel threatening to cripple the engines and electrical systems
engineers opened a joint in the ventilation tubing and drained the water the crew was lucky that the weather was cool and the intake fan in the ventilation system was not running so it did not short circuit captain molyo said
the waves were so steep and violent that crew members who wanted to sleep tried an old sailor trick of tucking life vests under the sides of their mattresses to avoid being tossed out
but as the ocean became even more tumultuous ms woolhouse williams found that even that was not enough and she tried to stay in her bunk with one leg braced against the wall and the opposite hand against the meager bolted down furniture
you kind of sleep propped against the wee bedside table she said fugro has dispensed more than 300 prescriptions for seasickness to crew members who said that few had been immune
the sonar equipment was hauled up from near the ocean floor   a six hour process   and safely lashed down before the cyclones hit but there was not enough time to flee the area entirely
fugro has changed its procedures since then and now provides color maps to the crew of incoming storms instead of numerical weather information said steve duffield the managing director of fugros ocean survey operations in australia it is also quicker to interrupt the search if a tropical cyclone threatens he said
crew members said that they were not ready to end the search for flight 370 they still hope to locate the aircraft on the seafloor and its black boxes with the goal of unlocking the mystery of why the plane went astray
everyone is still really invested in finding it and no one has given up yet on finding it ms woolhouse williams said it would be hard to be out here if you didnt believe


astronomically speaking mars and mercury dominated may but now that its june saturn has a chance to shine
our solar systems lord of the rings will be at opposition starting the early morning hours of friday meaning it will align with earth and the sun this arrangement will provide amateur astronomers with one of their best opportunities this year to see the butterscotch beauty with the naked eye
it will be visible all night rising at the exact point in the sky opposite where the sun sets saturn reaches opposition around 3 am eastern time but the best time to look for it will be after midnight your local time when it is highest in the night sky youll be able to see the ringed planet glow throughout the summer
an easy way to spot saturn is to let mars be your guide the red planet which reached its own opposition earlier this week will be a hard to miss bright crimson dot saturn is the golden orb to its left
with a telescope you can see the planets cream colored cloud bands which are caused by ammonia crystals floating in its atmosphere
as a bonus the planets famous disks will be tilted at a 26 degree angle offering those with backyard telescopes a chance to see them at this angle youll catch a view of a dark gap that separates the rings in two parts called the cassini division the gap was discovered in 1675 by giovanni domenico cassini the namesake of nasas cassini spacecraft which has been orbiting the planet since 2004
after you ogle saturns regal rings its time to turn toward its moons
when you look at saturn through a telescope you cant help but see several of its four brightest moons   rhea tethys dione titan   and maybe more linda spilker a planetary scientist at nasas jet propulsion laboratory in pasadena calif said in an email if you just see one thats titan
titan is the largest saturnian satellite with a diameter thats about 50 percent larger than our own moon titan is so bright that even if you have a pair of binoculars and look out to saturn you can see this bright point of light said dr spilker
when you find titan keep its location in mind for next week because on june 7 it will be the site of cassinis next flyby


paris   a few moments after serena williams narrowly avoided a crushing upset at the hands of a player ranked 60th in the world she met with her coach patrick mouratoglou and lamented her performance
there was plenty to be critical about williams looked flat footed and immobile in the quarterfinal match prone to baffling mistakes to the shock of most of the bundled up fans on a chilly day at roland garros she lost the first set
then late in the second set williams presented her opponent yulia putintseva with a break point if putintseva could convert she would serve for the match
instead she hit wide williams recovered to win the game and took the next six eventually winning the match 5 7 6 4 6 1 to sidestep what was   for a while   shaping up as a potentially rude ending
honestly at one point i didnt see the light at the end of the tunnel williams said
when it was finally over williams came to the net breathing heavily from the exhaustion of many long rallies and a good deal of pressure williams has been trying for almost a year to capture her 22nd grand slam singles title which would draw her even with steffi graf for the open era record
she missed her chances at the united states open and the australian open the french open is the current opportunity and she is by far the favorite even if she did not play that way thursday
you know she is not a normal player with normal expectations mouratoglou said placing his hand on a questioners shoulder the things that are on her shoulder are very very heavy believe me everybody expects her to win every single match all year maybe when she doesnt feel good this thing becomes very heavy and the level goes low but still she finds her way through it so i am not going to complain
if williams had difficulty with putintseva her semifinal matchup could be just as tricky
she will face no 58 kiki bertens of the netherlands who upset eighth seeded timea bacsinszky 7 5 6 2 on court suzanne lenglen in her first appearance in a grand slam quarterfinal match
to get there bertens 24 beat three seeded players including no 3 angelique kerber in the first round and no 15 madison keys in the fourth her best showing here previously came in 2014 when she reached the fourth round as a qualifier
with each victory bertens is helping reshape the tennis fortunes of her nation the last dutch woman to reach a french open semifinal was marijke schaar in 1971 the last one to reach a semifinal at any major tournament was betty stove in 1977
after prolonged struggles with injuries including ankle surgery bertens has played well beyond even her own expectations over the last several weeks she earned four solid victories for the netherlands in fed cup play then won two matches to qualify for the pre french open tournament in nuremberg germany and ended up winning it for her second career title
even bertenss parents are surprised at her uncanny success here upon beating bacsinszky bertens looked up at them in the stands raised her hands in a kind of smiling shrug and shook her head
i was like can you believe it because i cannot she said and also my parents were like no this is not happening but yeah it is
the only time bertens and williams faced each other was in the second round of at last years united states open bertens forced williams into a first set tiebreaker but lost in two sets
but a sore left calf may hamper her friday bertens required treatment during thursdays match and had the leg wrapped she said she had trouble pushing off on her serve
maybe we are just going to try everything today to be fit again tomorrow she said well see tomorrow how it is
but there may also be some uncertainty surrounding williams who looked strangely immobile against putintseva she took about 2 hours 40 minutes to arrive for her postmatch news conference much longer than usual she said she was receiving treatment to prepare for friday and then ended the session after only seven questions
i feel better now she said i feel fine just getting ready for tomorrow actually
her tense encounter with putintseva featured several striking momentum shifts beginning three points into the third game of the first set when williams was serving play was suspended because of a cold heavy mist enveloping the stadium the delay was only about 10 minutes but when play resumed without any warm up williams showed the first glimpses of her off kilter play
she made two quick unforced errors and pounded her leg with her hand after one missed shot and stared at her racket after another it was a pattern in the first two sets
she feels she is unprofessional to play that level mouratoglou said she was not happy and i think that is a good thing
mouratoglou noted that with the slow conditions on court williams was unable to put away points as quickly as she usually does the longer rallies frustrated her mentally and clearly took a toll physically
but it was not simply a matter of williams handing the points away putintseva was connecting on some daring shots mouratoglou once coached putintseva and said she could be the no 1 player in the world he still believes she can do that with certain improvements
as for bertens mouratoglou noted how much confidence she has after winning her last 12 matches
we can only be surprised because she never did something close to this level this achievement mouratoglou said
but then he added one of his refrains about williams that even a casual tennis fan knows to be true
its not about them he said it is about serena she will decide what her future is going to be in the next days


coxs bazar bangladesh   bangladeshs government began its first census of undocumented rohingya refugees on thursday setting off fears that it might lead to a mass relocation or forcible repatriation of the refugees to myanmar
the rohingya a muslim ethnic group in western myanmar described by the united nations as the most persecuted minority in the world have crossed the border in waves over several decades
about 32000 are sheltered in camps administered by the united nations but hundreds of thousands more live undocumented in squalid makeshift camps or scattered around southeast bangladesh vulnerable to human traffickers and exploited as cheap labor
the population has swelled since 2012 when anti muslim riots started taking place with renewed frequency in myanmar
the bangladeshi authorities say the camps are hubs of criminality last year some officials expressed support for a plan to move thousands of refugees to a remote island in the bay of bengal that is inundated with water during monsoon season a notion that was met with anger by the united nations and then quietly shelved
in 2013 concerned about swift population growth among the rohingya a government team recommended that the united nations provide rations for no more that two children per family and that the groups movements be limited to within two and a half miles of the border with myanmar
in 2014 the law minister decreed that officials should no longer register rohingya marriages stories of rohingya getting picked up by the security forces and being forced to return to myanmar are common
as census takers fanned out through coxs bazar the tin doors of many shacks were marked with the letters cumn for census of the undocumented myanmar nationals
residents expressed hope that the head count would lift them out of limbo as well as concern that it could instead lead them to an abrupt return to myanmar
were floating people said nuur samon an undocumented rohingya woman who lives in one of the shacks a few hours north of the camps
if the government wants to make us move what can we do about it nothing she said but at least take us somewhere where we can have a community where we can build schools where we can have a madrasa some place where our husbands can earn an income
she added wed like to go back to myanmar   once its safe right now its still very unsafe for us to return
alamgir hossen the bangladesh bureau of statistics official in charge of the project said estimates of the rohingya population varied so widely   from 300000 to 500000   that a census was necessary
preliminary surveys have already turned up a previously unknown rohingya community in patuakhali district much farther to the northwest dispelling assumptions that the ethnic group is present only near the myanmar border
at first we thought theyd hide from us mr hossen said we made all our plans accordingly we were surprised with how open they were with us people we were surveying would call their neighbors and tell them to give us their information
mr hossen and his colleagues enlisted the aid of rohingya leaders to encourage participation dudu mia a member of the management committee of the makeshift leda camp says he encouraged his community to participate in the census highlighting the appeal of documentation that could pave the way for resettlement in other countries
we need to know how many of us there are he said we dont even know this ourselves right now we are not counted at least after this the world will know how many of us there are


los angeles   before he fatally shot a ucla professor he had studied under a gunman apparently killed a woman near his home in minnesota then drove to california planning to gun down two professors but found only one of them law enforcement officials said thursday
the gunman identified as mainak sarkar killed prof william s klug on wednesday morning then took his own life leaving a note asking that someone check on his cat at his apartment in st paul minn the los angeles police chief charlie beck said in that apartment police found what they described as a kill list including the names of dr klug another ucla professor and a woman who lived in nearby brooklyn park minn
los angeles officials alerted the police in brooklyn park shortly after midnight and the officers who went to the address found an adult female who was deceased of an apparent gunshot wound said mark bruley deputy police chief of brooklyn park officials in both cities declined to give the womans name or describe her relationship with mr sarkar
people who knew her identified her as ashley hasti a medical student and former girlfriend of mr sarkars public records show that for a time they had both lived at her address in brooklyn park a modest split level beige house on a quiet tree shaded street ms hasti studied asian languages and literature at the university of minnesota and later enrolled in medical school there she was just ever so interested in everything her grandmother jean johnson said that girl was so smart that you just couldnt get ahead of her
hennepin county records show that ms hasti and mr sarkar were married in 2011 the current legal status of their marriage was unclear though neighbors said they did not remember ever seeing mr sarkar around her home in the suburbs north of minneapolis
ms hasti met mr sarkar about five years ago after she went to scripps college in claremont calif to take pre medicine courses and her family later spent some time with him ms johnson recalled she remembered some jarring moments like mr sarkar saying that his family had a history of violence and falsely disparaging ms hastis academic integrity but they broke up more than a year ago she said and her granddaughter never indicated that she feared him
early thursday morning ms johnson said she got a call from ms hastis other grandmother who broke the news she just screamed at me ashleys dead  ms johnson said i just about had a heart attack right there
the murder suicide at the university of california los angeles was the latest in a long string of campus shootings but the fact that professors were specifically targeted heightened what some faculty members said was a growing fear of violence and prompted many to think about experiences they have had that might have angered students
new laws in texas and other states allowing people to carry concealed weapons on college campuses have heightened concerns about gun violence though concealed carry is still prohibited on most campuses around the country including those in california two prominent faculty members have left the university of texas at austin citing the change and a third has said he will try to defy the law and bar guns in his classroom
you never want to have to think about something like this and now im not sure i can avoid thinking about it said joshua dienstag a political science professor who spent two and a half hours on wednesday barricaded in a room with four others while ucla was on lockdown
mr sarkar 38 who immigrated from india earned a phd in mechanical engineering from ucla in 2013 on march 10 in a blog post that has since been deleted mr sarkar called dr klug 39 a sick person
i was this guys phd student he wrote we had personal differences he cleverly stole all my code and gave it another student he made me really sick chief beck said at a news conference that investigators think the claim was unfounded and that mr sarkar had some mental issues
on wednesday mr sarkar walked into the engineering iv building entered the fourth floor office of dr klug and opened fire the professor married and the father of two small children was considered a star in computational biomechanics a field that applies engineering principles to biology and medicine
dr klug was a devoted youth baseball coach his research dealt with topics as esoteric as the mechanical structures of the protein shells around viruses and of layers of fatty molecules in cell membranes
the note mr sarkar left in the office talked about a grievance against the other professor on his list chief beck said adding detectives believe and i support their belief that he went there intending to kill two faculty members from ucla
the other professor was off campus at the time he said and it was not clear if mr sarkar tried to find him professors had known of mr sarkars grudge against some faculty members he added but they did not think he posed a threat court records in minnesota indicate that mr sarkars only run ins with the law were minor traffic and parking tickets
he took two semiautomatic pistols with him to ucla   both legally purchased in minnesota officials said   along with multiple magazines but fired just three shots from one weapon he could have caused many more fatalities chief beck said
as students and faculty here tried to resume classes and prepare for finals some professors said that campus shootings have subtly transformed the educational experience and have made them more cautious david myers a former chairman of the history department who has offered active shooter training said that when he met with students who seem enraged or unstable he found himself watching their hands ever more cognizant of the possibility that they might be armed
i sort of lived in fear of this day coming to my own campus dr myers said and it did it did ideally a university is a place of free movement of ideas and people he said when that is constrained in the way it was yesterday something is killed off
stephen aron who succeeded mr myers as chairman of the history department said he had become quicker to refer troubled students to counselors rather than trying to discuss their problems digital communication makes it harder to tell how students really are he added because its harder to parse out tone in an email than face to face
people are feeling a bit discombobulated today he said im hearing that mostly from my staff theyre the ones there every day so in some sense theyre most vulnerable in those situations its not surprising they feel particularly scared


exelon a leading competitive power provider plans to shut two money losing nuclear plants in illinois the company said thursday after efforts to push a bailout through the states legislature fell apart
the company will close the clinton power station in clinton next june and the quad cities generating station in cordova in june 2018
slowing demand for electricity and a flood of cheap natural gas have driven down the price of power and the two plants like others in the aging system across the country have struggled to compete in wholesale markets the two exelon plants lost 800 million over the last seven years the company said
we have worked for several years to find a sustainable path forward chris m crane exelons chief executive said in a prepared statement unfortunately legislation was not passed and now we are forced to retire the plants
the announcement comes as the obama administration and state and federal lawmakers are suddenly working to help support the flagging industry as part of the effort to reduce carbon emissions and stem global warming nuclear plants produce the countrys largest share of electricity without emitting carbon dioxide and can operate as needed their proponents are pursuing different ways to maintain the plants despite unresolved questions over waste disposal safety and the potential for converting their operations to make weapons
supporters of the exelon bailout argued that the plants were important not only to the effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions but also to supporting thousands of jobs but many opponents of the bailout   both some who support the use of nuclear energy and some who do not   say the public has already paid for the plants and should not have to again and they say the company which took in 345 billion in revenue last year can afford to keep the plants open
executives at the company which operates a dozen other nuclear plants in six states ultimately disagreed and said they would continue to push for the new regulations
the closings could put as much as 12 billion in annual economic activity and as many as 4200 direct and indirect jobs at risk including 1500 plant workers the company said but employees may be able to transfer to positions elsewhere in the company
industry executives and supporters of the bailout bemoaned the shutdowns
the premature closures of clinton and quad cities continue an alarming trend   our nation is losing top performing nuclear power plants due to flawed electricity market conditions said marvin s fertel chief executive of the nuclear energy institute an industry trade group in the process we are moving farther away from achieving our nations ambitious clean air commitments
evan bayh a former democratic senator and governor from indiana who is co chairman of nuclear matters which promotes the technologys use for energy said illinois gets 92 percent of its carbon free electricity from nuclear sources
the absence of clinton and quad cities will make it near impossible for the state to reach its carbon reduction goals he said
opponents of the bailout said the company had only itself to blame
illinois ratepayers and the illinois general assembly are not to blame for the closing of these plants said lisa madigan the states attorney general unfortunately a highly profitable company is choosing to close plants because it hasnt received a blank check to impose unfair and unnecessary rate hikes on illinois consumers


perhaps my deep seated need to be helpful is a result of growing up in minnesota certainly crossovers and sport utility vehicles are the vehicles that families want minivans have lost their allure my northern sensibility pines to tell you however that theres something magical about vans for making life easier
buy whatever you want as long as youre happy we minnesotans are nonjudgmental but as a parent and someone who has driven over 800 vehicles i have a duty to share how supremely useful and roomy vans are for hauling the brood sliding doors dont ding other cars many minivans can haul full sheets of plywood or maybe an ice fishing house
but my goodness automakers hardly made them fashion forward looking at you odyssey and quest chryslers new pacifica on the other hand is like the men of lake wobegon good looking a surprising number of people lured by the style queried me about it informed that it replaces the breadbox inspired town  country minivan one woman responded its pretty im glad its not a van anymore
it is indeed a van and it does van things very well the loaded limited version im driving finds parking spots and guides itself in cross rails store in the roof rack always ready for action the van brakes automatically if something crosses your path while you are backing up a built in vacuum and kick to open tailgate and side doors are optional
only chrysler vans get middle row stow n go seats that tuck easily into the floor when the seats are not in use the cavity can hold toys and sports gear and the chairs are more comfortable now you can order seating for eight but the extra seat is not stow n go
that eight seat setup makes the pacifica supremely useful pacificas powertrain is a 36 liter v6 with 287 horsepower connected to a 9 speed automatic seems as if chrysler engineers finally got the transmissions calibration right all wheel drive is not offered a plug in hybrid pacifica with an electric only range of 30 miles is coming this fall it eliminates the stow n go seating because the battery fills those wells
the pacifica moves briskly even loaded with duluthians its so quiet that parents can use a civilized tone when saying i dont care who started it settle it between yourselves vehicles in this class are hardly sports cars but chrysler nailed the driving dynamics the pacificas fuel efficiency is on the higher side for its class at an epa rating of 18 city 28 highway i got 22 miles per gallon
an extra 2000 buys adaptive cruise control and auto braking with pedestrian detection i turned off the lane keep assist which is unusually aggressive and distracting
the cabin is handsome and a blizzard of storage nooks and an elegant user interface help with organization the only amenity the middle row lacks is a fridge an optional entertainment system has built in games including sudoku an easy brainteaser for your above average children right
the middle row seats dont need to be removed to get to the back where two paul bunyan size adults will fit comfortably three for shorter distances   a claim few suvs can make even so eight small suitcases can be wedged behind the third row
even base models starting at less than 29000 have the foldable seats plenty of power and crisp design the pacifica gets its name from a crossover discontinued about 10 years ago and the name change is appropriate for this impressive think outside the box effort its perfect for families minnesotan or not


the lead singer of the popular christian rock band everyday sunday trey pearson came out as gay on tuesday in an open letter to his fans ending a yearslong personal struggle between faith and sexuality and joining a flock of christian musicians who have come out as gay or lesbian in recent years
mr pearson 35 has enjoyed a successful career in christian rock with everyday sunday whose 2009 album best night of our lives reached no 15 on billboards christian albums chart and no 187 on the billboard 200 the band also produced 20 top ten singles on the christian rock charts he said he has toured in 50 states and 20 countries
he also spent two decades trying to make himself straight he said
his letter published in 614 columbus an arts and culture magazine in his hometown columbus ohio detailed the long process of accepting his sexuality and reconciling it with his christian faith in the end he said it was his growth as a christian that helped propel his coming out
most of us reach at least one pivotal moment in our lives that better defines who we are mr pearson wrote these last several months have been the hardest  but also have ended up being the most freeing months   of my life to make an extremely long story short i have come to be able to admit to myself and to my family that i am gay
mr pearson said in an interview that he was raised in a super christian home where he was taught that you can choose to be straight he spent years trying to make that happen even marrying a woman and fathering two children i had never done anything with a girl when i got married and i thought it would just magically work he said
finally he concluded that he could not make himself straight he said and that god would love him as he was
i got to this place where it clicked pretty hard with me that i was not able to be what lauren my wife needed me to be as her husband he said i was faced with a decision at that point if i was going to try to keep burying it down and blaming it on other things or if i was going to admit to myself and her that i was gay
he and his wife have separated but share in parenting their children and they continue to be close he said its been a really difficult journey to get this point he said but i feel like ive been set free
mr pearsons journey echoes the stories of other popular christian musicians who have come out including vicky beeching and ray boltz for many coming out meant criticism from conservative fans and a decline in their careers
ms beeching said she was happy for mr pearson but her career ended when she came out she said and she has not played a concert since
last month i finally made the big decision to sell all of my guitars which was an emotional moment she wrote in an email its not a viable livelihood for me now that im out and its been a tough road to walk
eliel cruz the executive director of faith in america a religious organization for lesbian gay bisexual and transgender people said that each time a christian musician came out fans struggled to reconcile their spiritual enjoyment of the music with conservative teachings on homosexuality
will fans recognize that perhaps lgbt christians can bring spiritual gifts to the church as pearson has from the closet for all these years he said
mr pearson said the response to his announcement had been positive so far including from fans and other christian artists including the bands switchfoot and jars of clay he said any hate or criticism looks so minute right now
but he had not heard from the gate holders of christian rock like executives at record labels and radio stations he said it is yet to be seen whether he will face the same blowback as other gay christian artists
but he said he was not worried he began producing his own records as an independent artist several years ago a venture he said had been lucrative and the support he has gotten from fans and other artists made him hopeful that the subculture of christian rock was changing he said
but finding acceptance from his family has also been a challenge they are trying to understand but where they are in their faith has made that difficult he said
when you have committed your life to the belief that god hates homosexuality and all of a sudden your son is gay there is a strain he added youve always loved him and been proud of him and wanted him to fall in love but now it conflicts with all this theology in your head but it is changing in our country and i would like to see that change in my family and my church


paris   novak djokovic was back within striking range of his first french open title on thursday after a 6 3 7 5 6 3 victory over tomas berdych
as djokovic recovered in the locker room and prepared to face the rising austrian dominic thiem in the semifinals one of djokovics coaches marian vajda was speaking to two reporters and wrapping imaginary tape around an imaginary hand gripping an imaginary racket
next time with the tape vajda said laughing about a situation that was a few inches away from being no laughing matter
on such small margins are grand slam titles won and lost as djokovic knows too well from his years at roland garros flash back to his 2013 semifinal against rafael nadal in which djokovic was up by 4 3 and a break of serve in the fifth set and could not quite manage to avoid brushing the net after hitting a routine overhead winner djokovic had to surrender that point then lost his serve and eventually the match
so it has gone   or not gone   in paris where no other man has had such consistently excellent results and failed to win the singles title
djokovic is again just two victories away this time with the injured nadal nowhere in sight the match on friday with thiem a 22 year old newcomer will be djokovics sixth straight semifinal appearance at the french open and his eighth semifinal appearance there over all
but his latest assault on the fortress made of clay could have ended in a flash of anger down by 1 0 after losing his serve to start the third set djokovic had a quick chance to break back in the next game at 30 40
after squandering that opportunity with a unforced forehand error he swiped his racket at the clay in frustration it struck the ground and flew backward   not djokovics intent   at considerable speed missing a linesman by a small margin after he twisted away from its flight path
oh i was very nervous vajda said of the tossed racket oh my gosh i dont know why he did it im not very happy about this it could turn to be not good for him
players have been defaulted on the spot for hitting officials or ball people with rackets or balls tim henman during a doubles match at wimbledon in 1995 richard gasquet during qualifying at the 2004 united states open david nalbandian was disqualified during the final at queens club in 2012 after kicking an advertising board into a line judges leg
there are no automatic defaults said stefan fransson the french open tournament referee the decision is made based on each different situation
the players intent and the consequences are part of the decision making equation but supervisors made it clear on thursday that if a player hit an official with a thrown racket and caused an injury there would be a default
the bottom line djokovic was lucky very lucky even if he was not much in the mood to dwell on it after his 11th straight victory over berdych
asked if he realized how close he had come to hitting the line judge djokovic answered i mean its obvious what i tried to do i dont understand your question i threw a racket on the ground and it slipped and almost hit the line umpire i was lucky there thats all
anger management has been an issue for djokovic of late he remains the worlds dominant player by a wide margin but it has been a challenging clay court season one in which he has sometimes snapped with little warning in rome last month he pushed the chair umpire carlos bernardess arm out of the way as they were examining a ball mark on the clay and received no penalty from the atp in the final against andy murray a match djokovic would go on to lose he also flung his racket in frustration after losing his serve in the fourth game it ended up bouncing into the stands
no wonder vajda wants to tape the grip to djokovics hand
when asked about the rome and roland garros incidents djokovic said im just not thinking about those kind of situations i am aware that i have been lucky and i apologized to you know to people that have been in this particular situation with me and that could have been hurt by my racket but you know it was never the intention it was just some unfortunate bounce but fortunate ending of that scenario
todays top players are mild mannered compared to some combustible champions of the past see ilie nastase jimmy connors and john mcenroe but djokovics recent behavior could also be a reflection of the pressure he is feeling as his latest great chance at winning the french open comes into clearer focus
vajda the good humored slovakian who has been a key figure in djokovics rise understands the situation but likes djokovics chances
its more mental he said i think he has to refocus even more and i hope he can find it hes fine so far but this is getting closer and he might be worse so he has to stay calm and take it as a positive as he can just be there in the match just try to be present which is tough but he can do it
djokovic certainly recovered his composure quickly on thursday despite hearing a few disapproving whistles and boos from the french open crowd that he has worked so hard to win over through the years he went on to break berdych in the game in which he threw his racket
when tournament officials briefly stopped play with the drizzle intensifying at 3 3 in the third set djokovic quickly packed his bags and marched off court while berdych fumed maintaining that the conditions had not changed enough to warrant a stoppage
this is an absolute circus one big circus he said to the supervisor wayne mcewen
berdych would not win another game after they resumed play less than 15 minutes later
they are relying on someone who is closed in little room and saying that hes a meteorologist and hes predicting whats going to happen or not berdych said later
it has been a drench open with the rainiest may in paris since 1873 but it is the homestretch in june that has been the stumbling block for djokovic who has lost in three of the last four french open finals
he will have a huge edge in experience against thiem who advanced with a 4 6 7 6 7 6 4 6 1 quarterfinal victory over david goffin thiem had never been past the fourth round at a major until now
djokovic won their two previous matches in straight sets but both were on hardcourts thiem who is seeded 13th and will break into the top 10 for the first time next week is at his most dangerous on clay
hes playing the best tennis of his life no doubt about it djokovic said
thiem is coached by gunter bresnik a fellow austrian who once worked with boris becker the three time wimbledon champion with becker part of djokovics coaching team fridays match will also be about becker versus his former mentor
with the rain playing nasty tricks on this years schedule friday will be the fourth straight day of singles play for djokovic and thiem in the bottom half of the draw murray and stan wawrinka who will meet in fridays other semifinal had thursday off
but djokovic a tightly wound man of late was able to conserve precious resources by defeating berdych in straight sets
very important vajda said to save the energy and to save the best for tomorrow
but the physical challenge is surely not the biggest challenge at this stage not in his 12th visit to the french open there seems to be no point in djokovic and his team trying to ignore the elephant in the room
exactly vajda said elephant in the room good one


bangkok   the appointment of former senator bob kerrey to lead a new american backed university in vietnam has set off a sharp debate among vietnamese over whether he should be disqualified because of his part in killing women and children as a navy seal during the vietnam war
while the vietnamese are willing to let bygones be bygones ton nu thi ninh vietnams former ambassador to the european union said by email the decision to appoint bob kerrey to be chairman of the board of the first american style university in vietnam strikes me as insensitive to the vietnamese at best and taking us for granted at worst
the university fulbright university vietnam the first independent private university in vietnam made news after president obama announced its opening during a visit to vietnam last week
mr kerrey admitted 15 years ago that he and the team of commandos he led in the mekong delta in 1969 killed innocent women and children during a midnight raid in the village of thanh phong survivors of the attack said 20 civilians were killed including 13 children and a pregnant woman mr kerrey was awarded a bronze star after his squad falsely reported that it had killed 21 viet cong guerrillas
mr kerrey was silent about the slaughter for more than three decades until the new york times and cbs news were on the verge of publishing a joint investigation in 2001
it was not a military victory mr kerrey acknowledged in speech then it was a tragedy and i had ordered it
i have been haunted by it for 32 years he said
the discussion of mr kerreys war history   which has bubbled up in posts on facebook and in articles at online news portals   threatens to reopen old wounds from what is known in vietnam as the american war about three million people died in the war including more than 58000 americans
i cannot look at his face pham thuy huong 40 of hanoi wrote on facebook all the gruesome details of that genocide are still there
but since the war ended in 1975 the vietnamese government and many vietnamese have adopted an attitude of forgiveness and that view was also widely represented
it is easy to hate bob kerrey and ask him to resign as the head of the board of fulbright university vietnam luong hoai nam an aviation businessman wrote in a column in the online newspaper vnexpress i can do that but after a half day of thinking i decided on the harder choice that is to forgive i forgive bob kerrey and i want many vietnamese also to forgive him
responding to questions by email mr kerrey said that he would resign if he felt his role was jeopardizing the american vietnamese joint education venture
if i have cause to believe that remaining chairman puts this project at risk i will step down he said i have come to admire the vietnamese people greatly and intend to continue doing all i can to help them
he said he had been involved since 1991 in establishing the university including helping win congressional financing while in the senate he said his primary role as board chairman would be helping the university raise money
the university aims to accept its first students in the fall of 2017
at an establishment ceremony for the university in ho chi minh city last week mr kerrey was joined by another vietnam veteran secretary of state john kerry mr kerry noted that for both of them their relationship with vietnam has always been personal
mr kerrey was a gung ho navy seal lieutenant when he led his squad known as kerreys raiders into thanh phong on feb 25 1969 their mission was to hunt down a viet cong leader believed to be operating in the village
the squad members first encountered a hut they had not expected to avoid giving away their position they used knives to kill five people witnesses said slitting the throats of an elderly couple and stabbing their three grandchildren
although mr kerrey has taken responsibility for ordering the killings as squad leader he has said he did not participate in them however two other members of his unit say mr kerrey helped kill the grandfather later identified as bui van vat 65
when they reached the main part of the village they encountered women and children according to mr kerreys account someone fired on the squad and the commandos returned fire killing the civilians in the darkness and confusion
a member of his squad gerhard klann gave the times a different account he said that the seals rounded up the women and children then debated what to do they were not in a position to take prisoners and if they let them go the villagers might alert the enemy so lieutenant kerrey gave the order mr klann said and they opened fire
the baby was the last one alive he said there were blood and guts splattering everywhere
a survivor bui thi luom gave an account that matched mr klanns when i interviewed her at thanh phong in 2001
mr kerrey was later wounded on another mission and lost part of a leg he and his raiders were never held to account for the killings
mr kerrey served as nebraskas governor and senator ran for president in 1992 and retired from elective office in 2000 he served as president of the new school a university in new york city from 2001 to 2010
bao anh thai a lawyer in ho chi minh city said that leading a university was not the proper place for a man with mr kerreys war record
please tell me the name of any prestigious university in this world where a killer in cold blood of women and children   he admitted it and he is not charged for it   could be the president he wrote on facebook
it is not about the vietnam war it is not about reconciliation between the two countries it is a common sense of education would you send your children to a university like that
nguyen duc hien a journalist at a legal newspaper in ho chi minh city noted that mr kerrey kept quiet about the atrocities for more than 30 years and only spoke publicly about them when journalists forced his hand
after killing and lying he should not represent knowledge and contributing the values of america in vietnam mr hien wrote on facebook
i welcome fulbright but america has no shortage of people to choose as a representative for america
others were more willing to let mr kerrey atone for his actions by helping the country
give him a chance to correct his mistake by doing something useful for the vietnamese people with his new job said thao dan a literature teacher in haiphong
but nguyen van tho a writer and a veteran of the war said there was a difference between forgiving and forgetting
if i had a chance to meet bob kerrey i would still welcome him he said on facebook i want to forgive and forget all the pain of war people can forgive soldier bob kerrey but people are not allowed to forget all the killing of innocent civilians that is a crime the world should condemn forever


soccer will experiment with video replay in league and cup competitions in six countries this year fifa and the body that governs the rules of the game announced on thursday with the intention of approving full use of the technology in matches over the next year
the leagues and organizations approved this year for experimentation with the replay system known as video assistant referee include major league soccer in the united states the bundesliga in germany and the a league in australia as well as selected competitions in brazil portugal and the netherlands according to fifa and the rule making body the international football association board
video assistant referee will be used only in match changing situations goals penalty decisions direct red cards and cases of mistaken identity in which a referee cautions or sends off the wrong player routine fouls would not be subject to review and the system would supplement existing goal line technology
for now the testing will be done as a series of shadow experiments to evaluate equipment and procedures without the participation of match officials or communication with them in its current form a referee on the field or a video assistant watching elsewhere can request or suggest a review of a potentially incorrect decision video of the play would then be reviewed during a brief stoppage in play and the referee would make a final decision because most situations defined by the rule making association as match changing   goals fouls and expulsions   are accompanied by brief stoppages the hope is that the flow of matches will not be affected
the association said it was permitting online and live testing in several countries to get more data before approving video assistant referee worldwide it will conduct live testing in december at the fifa club world cup in japan with the intention of approving more live use of the technology in 2017 full testing and approval is not expected to be completed until at least 2018
while the introduction of technology in soccer still has many opponents   the widespread use of goal line technology took years to approve despite several major disputes over calls   mls has been a leading advocate for it in recent years and the league said that it had conducted testing with video assistant referee since 2014 the mls experiments and others in various leagues helped persuade the association that in game mistakes on important decisions could be corrected without interrupting the flow of the game
we believe the time has come for a mechanism that helps referees avoid clearly incorrect decisions that change the game mls commissioner don garber said in a statement
mls said it would conduct its tests at united soccer league matches at mls sites this summer with the intention of trying it at mls games in the future other countries could soon be added to the list
there are others that are very interested but need to hold further consultations with their key stakeholders and with different technology providers said lukas brud the international football association boards secretary they still have time and we expect to be able to officially confirm additional participants in the coming months


guilty admission i didnt make it beyond episode 2 of netflixs bloodline when the series premiered in march 2015 despite an ensemble of actors i love   sam shepard sissy spacek ben mendelsohn and kyle chandler   something about its languid pacing required more patience than i had to give but during a boat trip through the florida keys in january i grew familiar with the rhythm of the islands their placid waters hiding jagged outcroppings that can easily draw blood and soon i was lured back into the lair of the rayburns those good people who keep doing bad bad things
spoilers for the second season of bloodline'' follow
season 2 finds danny rayburn dead but not buried a phantom menace haunting his siblings dreams   not just those of his protector turned murderer john mr chandler brazenly campaigning for county sheriff but also the lawyer meg linda cardellini and boatyard owner kevin norbert leo butz both spiraling into substance abuse as they confront their complicity in the cover up
then theres the matriarch sally ms spacek forced to consider the cracks in her clans picture perfect veneer by the arrival of some unsavory characters dannys secret son nolan owen teague nolans mother evangeline andrea riseborough and her boyfriend ozzy delvecchio john leguizamo one of dannys former partners in crime
bloodline is nothing if not an exercise in mood and this time i went with the flow savoring the balmy air and growing stench sometimes piling on two or three episodes a night binging created the momentum needed to glide past holes in the story line that strained credulity parents so brutality disconnected from an adult child living all of two hours away a boy hidden from his family by his grandfather for close to 18 years the murder was the least of it still im glad i stayed until the end are you and if theres a third season will you be back lets discuss
 first things first i longed for more of mr mendelsohns danny so heartbreakingly divisive the first season as he pleaded for sympathy one moment then sneeringly gutted us the next it really makes you wonder what the shows creators todd a kessler glenn kessler and daniel zelman were thinking when they killed off the best thing they had do we agree that this was a misstep even if danny in diluted form is still loitering on the fringes
 mr mendelsohn earned an emmy nomination in season 1 as did mr chandler though his john was the most lackluster of all the siblings but i was impressed by johns menacing desperation this season compounded by his perverse audacity to expose himself to scrutiny in his bid for sheriff and that scene in which he almost shoots eric obannon jamie mcshane   wow should mr chandler be an emmy contender once again
 also props to mr butz who plays a cocaine addict and ms cardellini who portrays a drunk each with aplomb alas poor ms spacek so dimwitted an inn owner   i mean how hard is it to fix that shower in bungalow 3   is underused despite a couple of fine grandmotherly moments she does look great in her hippie shades and weathered beach garb though
 and what of the shows newest grifters the terrific ms riseborough and mr teague playing mother and son could be downright terrifying meanwhile i kept hoping that john would find a way to run the annoying ozzy out of town but are they faceted and interesting enough to make up for the loss of danny
 lets talk language the novelist dennis lehane mystic river gone baby gone was brought as a writer this season critics have likened the resulting tone to mildly literary beach reading though some think the prestige tv trappings just make bloodline seem better than it actually is thoughts
 and finally the endingnon ending with johns demons on full display as he roars out of town if theres not a season 3 are we satisfied with the way the series wrapped up and what do you imagine john is up to right now after all that
please share your thoughts in the comments


for years morgan stanley employees were graded in part on a numerical scale that rated them from 1 to 5
now the wall street firm plans to change those evaluations   by taking away the numbers
morgan stanley told its staff on thursday that it was overhauling how employees are assessed in several ways including by discarding the number scale in favor of lists of up to five adjectives
the changes are the latest effort by a stalwart of corporate america to change how it evaluates employees some companies like microsoft and morgan stanleys longtime rival goldman sachs have made their own changes which have also included getting rid of numerical ratings
others like the consulting firm accenture have decided to do away with the annual performance review altogether to these companies the ritual had proved wasteful and ineffective
for morgan stanley annual reviews are still helpful in determining how well employees do their jobs but the current system   in which staff members were asked roughly eight questions and ranked in addition to being questioned about areas for development   was in need of a change
evaluators will now be asked to list up to five adjectives that describe the employees the aim is to give more direct feedback and better steer staff members toward areas of improvement
its about giving people more information and something they can do more with peg sullivan morgan stanleys global head of talent management said its more candid and memorable
morgan stanley will also put in place a dashboard that compiles all the information needed by supervisors to evaluate employees   like metrics measuring their behavior and data from risk and control functions   in one place
other aspects of the performance evaluation process will remain unchanged including providing 360 degree reviews drawn both from supervisors and colleagues
but the timeline for reviews will change this month morgan stanley employees will meet with their supervisors for face to face midyear performance reviews rather than receive written ones in november managers will meet with and discuss the full 360 degree reviews with their staff members before submitting them and deciding on promotions and compensation
employees will be evaluated not just on how much money they bring into the firm ms sullivan said but also on a broad array of factors meant to measure their overall contributions to the firm
we dont just think about what theyve contributed commercially she said we think more holistically their risk management their leadership skills and what theyve contributed to our culture
the move away from numerical scales toward adjectives was rooted in the practices of james p gorman the firms chief executive who has sought in recent years more effective ways of evaluating prospective and current employees
his experiment started several years ago when he began asking job candidates to name five of their positive attributes last year he expanded his test by asking his operating committee to try the new system
despite suggestions that similar changes at other companies were prompted in part by an effort to appeal to younger workers morgan stanley executives said that was not behind their decision after all they noted mr gormans circle of lieutenants is made up of parents of those kinds of workers
while i think the millennials will like it it wasnt targeted at them ms sullivan said


gov rick snyder of michigan will not support donald j trump his partys presumptive presidential nominee making him the latest prominent republican to distance himself from the partys new de facto leader
ive stayed out of the whole thing and im going to continue to mr snyder told the detroit news editorial board on wednesday at the mackinac policy conference ive got important things i want to work on in michigan
mr snyder told the paper that his focus is on keeping a republican majority in the states house of representatives weve had a great partnership there and i think itd be great to continue that he said
mr snyder has faced his own struggles in his state amid the elevated lead and contamination in the water in flint and extensive criticism that he mishandled the response
still michigan is a state that mr trump has mentioned as one he believes he could put in play in a general election even though it has voted reliably democratic in recent presidential elections the states lieutenant governor brian calley has called on republicans to support mr trump


paris   torrential rains have caused deadly flooding in central and northeastern france this week forcing the evacuation of thousands of people some on boats or kayaks and threatening works of art stored in pariss most celebrated museums
a man on horseback was swept away by floodwaters on thursday and found dead in evry gregy sur yerre 30 miles southeast of paris the authorities in the seine et marne administrative department where the town is located said in germany heavy rains claimed the lives of nine people
the heavy rains caused the seine in paris to rise to 18 feet by thursday evening flooding the lower embankments and shutting several roads but causing no significant damage the level is still far from the record of 1910 however when the river rose to 26 feet
nonetheless the city authorities advised people to stay away from the banks of the river and part of pariss commuter train system that runs below ground along the seine was shut as a preventive measure
the louvre announced that it would be closed on friday to move as a precautionary measure works of art in areas vulnerable to flooding
the musee dorsay in a former train station on the left bank near the seine closed early to put in place a flood protection plan that provides for swift evacuation of the museums impressionist masterpieces and other works of art in the event of flooding the museum will also be closed on friday
the rainfall also disrupted the french open where several tennis matches have been postponed
officials in france and germany were bracing for even more rain this week the loing river a tributary of the seine has risen to levels not seen since 1910 and the ile de france region which includes paris got more rainfall last month than in any may since 1960
president francois hollande said thursday that the rainfall and floods were very serious and linked them to global warming
when there are climatic phenomena of this seriousness we must all be aware that we must act globally he said he later added that the government would declare a state of disaster for affected areas enabling residents and businesses to receive special insurance compensation about 19000 homes in france were still without power on thursday evening and the interior minister bernard cazeneuve said that an estimated 20000 people had been evacuated
meteorologists attribute the recent deluge to a dip in the jet stream that has trapped low pressure air over much of france and germany where the air is then warmed by the sun this occurrence often leads to heat waves and to thunderstorms as the hot air rises
the recent thunderstorms have been more intense than usual because the hot air rises to encounter colder air in the upper atmosphere generally the greater the difference between the rising hot air and the colder high air the bigger the storms
forecasters say there could be a few more days of rain before the low pressure air moves on
speaking from the governments crisis center in paris on thursday prime minister manuel valls said that the situation was still tense and difficult in certain areas
more than 3000 people were evacuated from nemours about 50 miles south of paris after the loing overflowed flooding businesses and homes the surrounding seine et marne area was on high alert for floods on thursday and 12 other departments in the ile de france and centre val de loire regions were on the second highest level of flood alert
in addition to the man found dead in evry gregy sur yerre an 86 year old woman was also found dead wednesday at her flooded home in souppes sur loing a town just south of nemours but the cause of her death was unknown on thursday and the local authorities said an autopsy would be conducted on friday
traffic around orleans about 75 miles south of paris was blocked and on tuesday 217 inmates had to be evacuated from a prison near orleans the chateau de chambord a landmark in the loire valley about 30 miles southwest of orleans was surrounded by water
in germany the rains have claimed nine lives
on monday in the southwestern state of baden wurttemberg two people including a firefighter were sucked into a drainpipe in the town of schwabisch gmund a 62 year old man was found dead in a flooded basement garage in weissbach and a 13 year old girl seeking shelter under a railway bridge was struck by a train and killed in schorndorf
on thursday five people were found dead in the southern german state of bavaria they included three women from one family in a home in the town of simbach am inn a 75 year old man in the same town and an 80 year old woman in the neighboring village of julbach
three others were missing and the death toll could rise michael emmer a spokesman for the police in the lower bavaria region told the german news agency dpa
interior minister joachim herrmann said the intensity of the flooding had taken officials by surprise within a few minutes the water level rose about several meters he said
officials said they were preparing for additional storms and strong rains in western and southern germany at a news conference chancellor angela merkel expressed condolences to the families of the victims
in the village of bad neuenahr ahrweiler in the state of rhineland palatinate the ahr river rose nearly 13 feet to a level that officials said was unprecedented several campers in the region sought refuge on the roofs of vehicles and were rescued by helicopter
in the nearby eifel mountain range which is popular with tourists and hikers flooding was also reported
thousands of homes in bavaria were without power officials said


london   in these times of flux and challenge when britains post imperial place in a globalized world has rarely been so minutely scrutinized and the nations very identity can appear to be little more than a work in progress pity the poor parish priest
ever since henry viii broke with papal authority in the 16th century the anglican church has stood at the nations core in towns and villages across the land churches offered formal services and a deeper succor for those seeking lifes meaning or perhaps just companionship among the like minded
still at the highest levels   ecclesiastical as much as political   26 anglican bishops sit in the house of lords the upper house of parliament where they are known as the lords spiritual
the titular head of the church is the monarch and when royals wed or die or are crowned these moments are solemnized in grand anglican cathedrals
but for how much longer over the years anglicanisms status as what is called the established church has been undermined by dwindling congregations and by evangelical insurgents drawing greater throngs of worshipers
immigration moreover has broadened britains definition of religiosity to embrace the faiths of erstwhile imperial possessions london just elected its first muslim mayor the spectrum of religion embraces many other beliefs
the god inherited over generations from henry viiis day has long ceased to represent an exclusive franchise
for christian believers the most alarming news came in recent days in a report based on a british social attitudes survey which concluded that for the first time the number of people in england and wales identifying themselves as having no religious affiliation 49 percent exceeded those who cleaved to christianity 44 percent and within that decline the anglican church had lost the greatest share of adherents the roman catholic minority the study said fared better in maintaining its share of souls
a cultural shift is to blame the columnist and historian tim stanley wrote in the daily telegraph people raised in the faith but who dont practice it have ceased to identify with it in other words they are just being honest church attendance has been plummeting since the 1960s hardly anyone baptizes their kids anymore britain is slouching toward gomorrah
the decline may be cyclical in the 19th century mr stanley said with the rise of empiricism and new technology it looked as if science might hold better answers than the bible
the same calculation finds its echo today with the headlong rush to new technological frontiers
the latest statistics according to the spectator a weekly magazine show that a landmark in national life has just been passed
with the nation consumed by the debate over britains future in europe the milestone seemed to pass with little fanfare and yet the spectator said in an editorial the decline of christianity is perhaps the biggest single change in britain over the past century
the result is that we can more accurately be described now as a secular nation with fading christian institutions
the assessment will hardly surprise clerics peering out from their pulpits over pews that fill at easter and christmas but are half empty in the intervening weeks and months
that of course evokes the central contest of faith in a material age
buying stuff filling our lives with pointless distraction means we miss what we really need to live generously unselfishly and open to the risk and adventure of loving others the rev richard coles a former atheist who has become something of a celebrity vicar wrote in the mirror
the consequences for britains sense of identity are far reaching church bells once resonated as markers of shared destiny signaling events from the momentous to the mundane these days the spectator said christians are finding out what its like to live as a minority


stocks rebounded from an early slide thursday nudging the standard  poors 500 stock index and the nasdaq composite to their highest closes of the year
health care companies led the comeback energy stocks declined the most after a meeting of opec ministers ended without an agreement on crude production cuts
the late afternoon reversal delivered the second gain in two days for the stock market in whats been a muted week of trading
investors have been waiting for clues as to whether the federal reserve will raise its key interest rate at its next meeting later this month many will be looking to friday when the labor department releases its latest monthly jobs report
it is the last major data point for the fed to digest before they go into their mid june meeting said bill northey chief investment officer at the us bank private client group
the sp 500 index added 593 points or 03 percent to 210526 the last time it was higher this year was on april 20 the index is now about 12 percent below its nominal high set in may last year
the nasdaq rose 1911 points or 04 percent to 497136 that eclipsed its previous high this year on april 18
the dow jones industrial average gained 4889 points or 03 percent to 1783856
seven of the 10 sectors in the sp 500 posted gains led by health care companies health insurer humana climbed the most in the index adding 996 or 56 percent to 18736 drugmaker endo international rose 82 cents or 49 percent to 1744 and aetna gained 474 or 41 percent to 12003
major stock indexes had been stuck in the red for much of the day as investors monitored the opec meeting in vienna oil ministers ended the meeting without reaching a consensus on regulating supplies that sent crude oil prices lower initially but they later reversed course
benchmark us crude oil rose 16 cents or 03 percent to close at 4917 a barrel in new york brent crude which is used to price international oils added 32 cents or 06 percent to close at 5004 a barrel in london
opec taking a pause or choosing not to institute any production caps was not surprising given the fact that weve seen oil come up near 50 a barrel mr northey said
even so energy stocks were the biggest laggard in the sp 500 shares in several oil drilling and exploration companies declined with diamond offshore drilling sliding the most the stock lost 101 or 4 percent to 2430
investors also weighed the latest company earnings and deal news l brands the company behind the victorias secret brand rose 43 percent after it reported its latest sales figures the stock added 292 to 7133
johnson  johnson rose on news that the company agreed to buy privately held hair care products maker vogue international for about 33 billion vogues hair care products are sold in the us and 38 other countries johnson  johnson shares rose 171 or 15 percent to 11449
some companies results put traders in a selling mood conns sank 263 percent after the retailer reported quarterly results that fell short of analysts estimates the stock lost 308 to 863
online storage provider box tumbled 115 percent after the company reported disappointing results late wednesday the stock fell 147 to 1134
european stock indexes were mixed after the european central bank said that its stimulus measures are helping the economy of the 19 countries that use the euro and need time to work before any new monetary jolts are added germanys dax was little changed while frances cac 40 fell 02 percent britains ftse 100 lost 01 percent
in asia japans nikkei 225 fell 23 percent after prime minister shinzo abe decided to postpone a sales tax hike to avoid shocks to the faltering recovery hong kongs hang seng index rose 05 percent australias spasx 200 lost 08 percent south koreas kospi rose 01 percent
in other energy futures trading natural gas rose 2 cents or 1 percent to close at 2405 per 1000 cubic feet wholesale gasoline rose 2 cents or 12 percent at 163 a gallon and heating oil gained a penny to close at 151 a gallon
us government bond prices rose the yield on the 10 year treasury note fell to 181 percent from 184 late wednesday
in currency markets the dollar fell to 10891 yen from 10954 in the previous days trading the euro fell to 11148 from 11186
precious and industrial metals futures closed little changed gold fell 210 to 121260 an ounce silver gained 10 cents to 1603 an ounce and copper was flat at 207 a pound


vienna   the new oil minister in saudi arabia the de facto leader of the opec countries had a message for the global market dont expect us to influence the price of crude oil by adjusting supplies
i think managing in the traditional way that we tried in the past may never come again the minister khalid al falih said on thursday certainly we will not go with certain price targets
the message   which came after the decision on thursday by the 13 nation organization of the petroleum exporting countries to maintain high levels of oil production   is central to the changing strategy of the saudi crude oil complex and it could foreshadow a period of volatility for oil prices because opecs policies and the saudis sway have long helped guide the markets
in a sweeping directive in april saudi arabia set forth plans to diversify its economy reduce its dependence on oil and pull back on its government handouts and what mr falih does with saudi arabias oil   how much the kingdom decides to pump and where the money goes   is the biggest piece of the puzzle
the global markets received a sneak peak at thursdays opec meeting mr falihs first since his appointment last month as the head of an expanded energy industry and mining ministry
while other opec members have been urging the freezing or lowering of oil production mr falih is pushing to keep it high and plow the money into other industries that might prove profitable for saudi arabia he wants the cartel to rethink its longstanding approach and assumptions that it can manage global oil supplies and prices
it runs counter to the longtime stance of his predecessor ali al naimi who presided over an era when opec was largely content to restrain production to try to drive prices up
the saudis shift is easier to justify because price pressures have abated of late while oil initially dipped on thursday it recovered to around 50 a barrel about twice what it was in january
oil producers should let the market forces continue to seek and find that equilibrium price between supply and demand said mr falih speaking to a small group of reporters in his penthouse hotel suite
the saudis can increasingly afford to go their own way along with a wealth of oil reserves saudi arabia invested tens of billions of dollars in building a competitive oil business at a time when other opec countries like venezuela and iran allowed their industries to deteriorate
mr falih has been at the core of those moves
mr falih a 1982 graduate of texas am jumped onto the international oil scene in the early 2000s hoping to inject life and competition into the economy king abdullah saudi arabias ruler at the time invited overseas companies to look for natural gas after shutting them out in the 1970s
to the surprise of western oil executives the king tapped mr falih then a young executive at saudi aramco to manage complex negotiations for a series of joint ventures with royal dutch shell of britain total of france and lukoil of russia although the ventures didnt find much gas mr falih garnered credit for deftly juggling conflicting interests
after a year or so i had to accept that he was really good at what he was doing said floris ansingh who was the head of shell in saudi arabia at the time he understood the different trade offs
mr falihs international focus set the stage for the evolution of saudi aramco
after he was named chief executive of the company in 2009 he pushed for modernization trying to turn the state run oil company into a global competitor that rivaled the private giants in the west he expanded areas like oil trading and acquisitions and tried to lock up demand by investing in china and in other growing economies
saudi aramco has recently developed three giant oil fields sharply increasing the amount of oil it can produce the company earned an estimated 200 billion from oil production last year according to the commercial intelligence firm wood mackenzie
the view in the industry is that aramco is one of the best oil companies in the world said j robinson west a senior adviser on energy at the center for strategic and international studies a research organization khalid has been important in building that
mr falih also seems unafraid to tread on sensitive ground
as the head of the national oil company he warned that fast rising domestic fuel consumption risked eroding the crude oil exports that are the kingdoms main source of cash
we need to make sure that we use our precious oil and gas resources efficiently wisely and minimizing waste mr falih said at a dinner in 2010
at the time rethinking the countrys energy use at home was a politically fraught issue government subsidies that kept fuel cheap were considered an untouchable piece of the saudi social contract and with oil prices surging back then the kingdoms oil wealth it seemed would only grow
now his warning is part of the new saudi mind set
he is a very astute political player said valerie marcel author of oil titans a book about national oil companies he has been able to push back and create space to debate issues while still keeping himself in good position with the ruler
mr falih also recognized early on that growing concern for the climate could reduce demand for saudi oil creating a risk that a large portion of those resources might be left in the ground
on thursday mr falih said that saudi arabia was now preparing for the worst case by moving aggressively to spur growth of nonoil based industries while he said he thought that demand for crude would last for generations mr falih added that we as human beings cannot be complacent and assume that oil will continue to fuel the world forever
in recent years mr falih has taken on the role of trusted confidant serving as adviser and troubleshooter for prince mohammed bin salman in 2015 the prince put mr falih in charge of the kingdoms troubled health ministry which was struggling to contain a deadly respiratory virus called mers
in his new role mr falih has significant oversight of a huge portion of the saudi economy the oil ministry absorbed the ministry of electricity and was renamed the ministry of energy industry and mineral resources he has also been appointed head of the government owned mining company a state run industrial fund the geological survey the atomic and renewable energy program and a number of other state run economic bodies
mr falih faces a huge set of objectives some in areas where his predecessor came up short despite its oil wealth the kingdom struggles to produce sufficient natural gas to meet the fast growing needs of electricity generators and industry efforts to develop solar power and other renewable energy sources have also lagged some of saudi arabias neighbors like the united arab emirates
mr falih is part of the plan to refocus the countrys financial firepower to invest in areas other than oil in a sign of the shifting strategy the kingdom traditionally conservative in its investment approach recently invested 35 billion in the ride sharing start up uber it was one of the largest investments into a privately held start up
mr falih is also in charge of the effort to sell a small stake in saudi aramco to investors with a target of 2018 he said the idea was to make the company more global as it looks to add investments in natural gas
a public listing might also improve the companys performance
if you have to face the analysts every quarter he said it gives you a bit of competitive tension
to make it all work mr falih will have to persuade the countrys stubborn constituents to adopt a more commercial focus and to participate in joint ventures with international companies while some doubt whether mr falih is the right person to lead this transition others say only an insider has the credibility to do so
either way the oil market will be watching


seoul south korea   a recent string of unsuccessful missile tests by north korea and the release of a video showing the launch of a different weapon reflected a frantic drive by its leader kim jong un to bolster his political standing before a high profile dialogue with china analysts said on thursday
north korea conducted the latest of those tests on tuesday only hours before its envoy   ri su yong a confidant of mr kim and a politburo member   arrived in beijing the weapon an intermediate range musudan ballistic missile exploded as soon as it was fired south korean military officials said
the musudan which analysts say was devised to strike united states military bases in guam with nuclear and chemical weapons had not had a test flight until april when north korea launched three each test failed
despite having little time to fix the problems engineers conducted another test on tuesday also unsuccessful an unusual streak of flops even by the checkered standards of north korea
mr kims apparent eagerness to demonstrate advances in his countrys missile capacity may have added to the pressure for his engineers whose rockets have seldom worked on the first try some analysts said
repeating a failed test again and again with no more than a month for analysis and troubleshooting will almost guarantee repeated failure john schilling an expert on north korean missiles wrote in an analysis posted on wednesday on 38 north a website in washington that covers north korea whether this unrealistic tempo is driven by impatience or desperation it may mark the end of the musudan program   whose military utility is in any case increasingly questionable as north koreas other programs advance
on wednesday north korea released a video of a recent test flight for a different projectile   its first submarine launched ballistic missile   shortly before mr ri met with president xi jinping of china in beijing the footage was included in a documentary shown on the state run central television
outside analysts said the timing of the broadcast was as interesting as the footage itself
after the failed tests they said north korea needed another way to draw attention to its missile threats the video preceded both the meeting between north korea and china this week and a planned security dialogue between the united states and china in beijing next week where dealing with the norths weapons program is expected to be a main topic
by releasing the video footage north korea is trying to compensate for the musudan failure said kim yong hyun a professor of north korean studies at dongguk university in seoul the south korean capital north korea wanted to demonstrate to china that its weapons programs have reached a considerable level and that china must acknowledge the fact when it sits down with the americans to discuss north korea
north korea claimed to have successfully tested a submarine launched ballistic missile in april and released photos of the launch at the time south korean officials have said the projectile flew only 19 miles suggesting that the north was still years away from perfecting it but they said that such a missile would eventually provide north korea with a harder to detect means of delivering its nuclear warheads
the documentary released on wednesday included video clips of the submarine launched ballistic missile known as polar star soaring out of the water and flying into the sky as the narrator extolled the military advances that the north has made under mr kim
in recent weeks mr kim has repeatedly urged his missile engineers to conduct more tests with the ultimate goal of developing an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of delivering a nuclear warhead
the musudan was mainly intended to target guam analysts said north korea has more reliable proven missiles of shorter ranges like its rodong which can target south korea and japan both host to tens of thousands of american troops in recent military parades north korea has also displayed the kn 08 said to be the countrys first intercontinental ballistic missile though it has never been tested
south korean defense officials said that the musudan was based on the design of an old soviet submarine launched ballistic missile some of the soviet missile designers made their way to north korea in the immediate post cold war era mr schilling of 38 north said in his post
working from old soviet designs even using old soviet hardware is no guarantee of success he said such hardware will by now be at least 40 years old and perhaps not properly cared for given all that time
the renewed efforts by north korea to demonstrate its missile threats has come at a time when the west is trying to impose sanctions against the country in an effort to curb its nuclear program
on wednesday the united states treasury designated north korea as a primary money launderer
the treasury said it would seek to cut off from the american financial system any bank or company that conducted banking transactions with the north such a measure is bound to unsettle chinese banks and is expected to be a point of discussion when secretary of state john kerry and treasury secretary jacob j lew meet with their chinese counterparts in beijing early next week
for years the united states has sought to enlist help from china north koreas single largest trade and aid provider in its efforts to curb the norths weapons ambitions but analysts said beijing was reluctant to enforce sanctions that could destabilize north korea china considers the north a strategic buffer between it and south korea where washington has a military presence
in his meeting with mr xi on wednesday mr ri the north korean envoy said his country would continue to expand its nuclear arsenal under mr kim the norths official korean central news agency said on thursday


the cincinnati police have handed over to a prosecutor the results of their investigation into the actions of the family of a boy whose foray into an enclosure at the citys zoo led to the killing of an endangered gorilla officials said on thursday
the hamilton county prosecuting attorney said in a statement that the office would review the case and make a determination about whether to file charges as early as friday
no decision has been made at this point tiffaney hardy a police spokeswoman said on thursday
also on thursday the police released an audio tape of the 911 call placed by the 3 year old boys mother on saturday after he crawled into the gorilla world exhibit and ended up in the arms of harambe a male silverback gorilla weighing around 420 pounds
the womans frantic conversation with an emergency dispatcher brings to light the panic that gripped onlookers as harambe hovered over the child at times dragging him by the ankle for about 10 minutes until zoo workers fatally shot the animal
my son fell in the zoo exhibit the mother whose name has not been released says on the call my son fell in with the gorilla
theres a male gorilla standing over him i need someone to contact the zoo please she says
we do already have help started there ok the operator tells her
the mother then calls out to the boy be calm be calm she says hes dragging my son i cant watch this i cant i cant
the killing of the majestic 17 year old ape drew widespread outrage online directed in part at the zoo over the integrity of its barrier as well as its decision to use live rounds instead of a tranquilizer dart
the zoos director thane maynard has defended the integrity of the enclosures barrier saying that they passed regular checks by an accrediting agency on thursday however the zoo said that it had modified the barrier raising it to 42 inches with wooden beams and knotted rope netting it said the exhibit would reopen on june 7
our exhibit goes above and beyond standard safety requirements mr maynard said in a statement but in light of what happened we have modified the outer public barrier to make entry even more difficult
mr maynard has also stood by the decision to kill harambe saying that a tranquilizer would have taken several precious minutes to knock out the animal the impact of a dart he added could have startled the gorilla with possibly deadly consequences
the boys mother who has declined to be interviewed has faced the brunt of the public anger by thursday morning an online petition calling for her to be investigated for negligence had drawn more than 470000 signatures


jinshan taiwan   the paparazzi gathered by the dozens braving cold and rain and sticky heat sometimes their lanky quarry would lead them on long chases other times the celebrity would cooperate particularly if crab or snail was on offer drawing huge crowds to this farming hamlet on the northern coast of taiwan after each sighting
the subject of such adoration was not a teenage mandopop star in hiding but a bird   a siberian crane one of fewer than 4000 in the world and the only one ever seen on this asian island on the edge of the tropics
environmentalists called him the little white crane of jinshan after the rural district where he spent most of his time and his movements were tracked on facebook and in the local news media after he briefly ventured south over the mountains and took temporary refuge in the parking lot of a taipei subway station satellite trucks lined the country roads to monitor his return
the local government hired a full time bodyguard to look out for the crane who faced threats from feral dogs and powerful typhoons but the biggest problem was the sightseers
they were hard to control chuang kuo liang the birds guard said they wanted to get close and touch him
i first encountered bird watching in taiwan when i lived in taipei in 2014 walk through any park in the city or bike the trails lining its rivers and you will inevitably encounter a gaggle of bird watchers with tripod mounted cameras they stand on muddy banks and circle around trees with nests patiently waiting for a glimpse of a treasured creature
you have to wait because you dont know when it will return said kao twan kao a retired civil engineer who was watching the nest of a taiwan barbet on a rainy afternoon in taipeis daan forest park sometime you will only see it once every few hours
the taiwan barbet is known in chinese as the five colored bird for its green red yellow blue and black plumage one was waiting in the nest a hole in a slender tree trunk while its mate was out searching for food we were lucky after a few minutes the brightly colored bird stuck its head out into the gloomy light of day
these birds are so cute said one bird watcher chen jia hu as he watched alongside his camera so we all want to protect them and protect the environment
mr chen pulled out his phone to show me a facebook feed of stunning images of birds that he had photographed around taipeis parks some like the noisy and gregarious taiwan blue magpie are endemic to the island meaning it is the only place they live and breed in the wild others like the malayan night heron which wobbles its neck while feeding on bugs and earthworms can be found across much of asia
several migratory birds including the endangered black faced spoonbill spend winters on the island too
the siberian crane was an anomaly the bird was less than a year old when he arrived in december 2014 with cinnamon brown feathers on his back and head later as his adoring fans in taiwan looked on those colors gave way to pure white with black primary feathers
siberian cranes can live up to 80 years but they are critically endangered fewer than 20 remain in western siberia migrating to iran in the winters a population in central siberia that used to winter in india disappeared more than a decade ago
the remaining cranes are in eastern siberia and spend their winters in southeast china downriver from the three gorges dam at poyang lake the countrys largest freshwater lake which has experienced periods of extreme drought in recent years the local environmental bureau has sometimes scattered corn to ensure that the birds have an adequate food supply
in the past there was always a balance but now because of climate change because of the man made control of the water cranes are facing a situation where they depend on humans to feed them to survive said chiu ming yuan the deputy executive director of the taiwan ecological engineering development foundation and all the worlds siberian cranes are in that one place its a very dangerous situation
the jinshan crane though was apparently blown off course while flying to poyang with his parents landing 400 miles to the southeast in taiwan to the thrill of the islands avid bird watchers he stands close to five feet tall with long thin legs and wings that stretch more than seven feet he would spend his days wading through the flooded fields making plaintive honks as he searched for snails and fish
mr chiu whose organization took up the cause of the birds protection said that some 50000 to 60000 people made the journey to see him in jinshan which lies in a sliver of flatlands between the mountains of yangmingshan national park and the east china sea
when this bird first came here it not only attracted so many photographers but also so many children who came with their school classes mr chiu said and we began to think of what could we change in taiwan what could we change in the world
local environmentalists seized on the cranes visit to promote the preservation of wetlands mr chius organization also persuaded farmers in the area to not use herbicides and pesticides on their crops to provide a better habitat for migratory birds they also marketed the organic rice and lotus root produced here under the birds name with a cartoon image of his red face on the package
and mr chiu said his foundation gave farmers a stipend to compensate them for all the lotus root seedlings the crane devoured
noah strycker a bird watcher and writer who visited taiwan last year as part of a world tour during which he says he spotted a record 6042 bird species said he had never seen such enthusiasm over fowl
i saw other attention getting birds in 2015 including little penguins in australia that drew hundreds of curious onlookers and a rare golden masked owl in new guinea he said by email but the crane in taiwan was the only one with its own 24 hour security guard
mr strycker who first visited taiwan in 2003 said he had noticed a marked increase in interest in bird watching on the island fueled by cheaper photographic equipment more complete field guides and the growing availability of online resources for birders to share and communicate
on this visit i saw dozens of people with huge cameras where i saw none in 2003 he said the birds havent changed but interest in them has skyrocketed in the past decade
in may the jinshan crane made a few trips along taiwans northern coast and then one day he was gone researchers say he probably flew across the taiwan strait to mainland china and then north to join his comrades in siberia
while farmers plan to continue refraining from using herbicides and pesticides no one knows if the crane will return
if he wants to leave we should support him said huang cheng chun one of the farmers whose rice paddies the crane called home i hope he has a smooth trip to see his family i hope next year he comes back with a girlfriend


cairo   the iron blade of an ornate dagger buried in egypt with king tutankhamen probably came from a fallen meteorite researchers have determined   a form of metal so prized by ancient egyptians that they called it iron from the sky
the dagger which was discovered in the folds of the wrapping around the mummified boy king has long intrigued historians and archaeologists for its great beauty   it has a gold and crystal handle and an ornate sheath   and because ironwork was rare in ancient egypt
using x ray fluorescence spectrometry italian and egyptian experts found that the blades composition of iron nickel and cobalt was an approximate match for a meteorite that landed in northern egypt the result strongly suggests an extraterrestrial origin for the blade according to their results published this week in the journal meteoritics and planetary science
the finding could add to secrets unlocked from an ancient tomb that is still a source of global fascination almost a century after its discovery by the english archaeologist howard carter in 1922 the dagger was found in 1925
earlier studies in the 1970s and 1990s examined whether the blade came from a meteorite but they were inconclusive or disputed newer technology allowed the italian and egyptian team led by experts from polytechnic university of milan the university of pisa in italy and the egyptian museum in cairo to perform new tests that they say appear to settle the matter
comparing the composition of the dagger with meteorites that landed within a radius of 1250 miles they found a close similarity with one that hit the seaport city of marsa matruh 140 miles west of alexandria on the mediterranean coast that finding may help explain why from the 13th century bc egyptians started using a hieroglyph that translates as iron from the sky the paper said
the ancient egyptians in the wake of other ancient people of the mediterranean area were aware that these rare chunks of iron fell from the sky it said
the intense attention paid by experts to tutankhamens tomb has not always been matched by staff members at the run down egyptian museum in january the government said eight people at the state run museum were being disciplined for their role in a botched repair job that caused minor but lasting damage to king tuts golden burial mask
the repair job was an attempt to correct the damage caused by workers who had accidentally knocked the beard from the 3300 year old artifact in august 2014 as they repaired a light fixture in its display case
tutankhamen has recently become the focus of renewed interest after a british egyptologist nicholas reeves promoted a tantalizing theory that behind the kings burial chamber lies the long sought tomb of queen nefertiti other archaeologists however strongly dispute that idea and say nothing of any significance is concealed in the walls of the burial chamber


washington   the united states fish and wildlife service announced a near total ban on the commercial trade of african elephant ivory on thursday
under current guidelines ivory can be sold if it was brought into the united states before it was listed as endangered or if the elephant died of natural causes as long as there is documentation the new rules will restrict those sales to genuine antiques like ivory statues artwork or chiseled chess pieces that have been lawfully imported as well as items like musical instruments that were made using less than 200 grams of ivory
the new rules aim to curb the rampant slaughter of the elephant an endangered species which experts say accounts for 96 deaths a day they also intend to severely restrict the african ivory market in the united states the worlds second largest consumer of illegally poached ivory
the people of the united states will be speaking loudly said daniel m ashe director of the fish and wildlife service and saying we value living elephants in the wild more than we value the creation and the trade of trinkets made from ivory
the new rules help fulfill president obamas 2013 executive order on combating wildlife trafficking in the united states while lending resources to help stem the problem in other countries
the rules limit the import of sport hunted trophies to two per hunter per year down from unlimited trophies a year prohibit the sale of ivory that was part of a move or household inheritance and place prohibitions and restrictions on foreign commercial and noncommercial enterprise
mr ashe and other wildlife advocates say the new rules will eliminate opportunities for traffickers to use the legal ivory markets as a cover for illegal imports
experts have long argued that the revisions are necessary because it is difficult for the average consumer to distinguish legal from illegal ivory
that large fog of legal trade that has been concealing the illegal trade of ivory that continues to this day will be removed mr ashe said
one major exception to the rules will allow musicians to buy and sell instruments with small amounts of ivory as well as carry them on international flights the issue came up after a previous order from mr ashe made it nearly impossible for musicians to travel with instruments that contained elephant ivory because they were not able to obtain the proper permits
we are so pleased said heather noonan the vice president for advocacy at the league of american orchestras were particularly pleased that the rule confirms that domestic trade and international travel with existing musical instruments that contain small amounts of african elephant ivory arent contributing to the poaching crisis
in accordance with the rule making process under the endangered species act the fish and wildlife service opened the proposed changes for public comment and it became the second most commented on rule in the agencys history people wrote letters children drew pictures and thousands of petition signatures rolled in   mostly in support of the more restrictive law
the next phase of the fight against ivory poaching will happen next week when a delegation from the united states goes to beijing for a round of strategic and economic talks with chinese officials who have also agreed to further restrictions on the ivory trade
for john f calvelli the executive vice president for public affairs with the wildlife conservation society the action thursday is the culmination of a three year effort
we believe that today elephants are a little bit safer in the world he said


and god said let there be emojis
well not really but the less internet savvy among us may be forgiven for that interpretation thanks to a new translation of the bible that has rendered the christian scriptures in emojis and other forms of online slang
the book bible emoji scripture 4 millenials is based on a twitter feed that has been posting emojified bible verses for almost a year the author intentionally misspelled millennial he said to thumb his nose at critics who might dismiss the project as the work of the young and foolish
in its internet friendly form this is how the bible and the universe begins
the book was released sunday on ibooks the online apple bookstore it contains more than 3000 pages of smiling yellow faces twinkling stars and cartoon serpents angel emojis descend from the heavens bush emojis burn and ocean emojis are parted
all 66 glorious books said the author a self described techie who requested anonymity because some critics have accused the project of being part of the satanic illuminati agenda and the ushering in of the antichrist
the bible is the most translated book in the world so it was probably only a matter of time before the new online vernacular got its turn but some may ask why take the time to translate the new and old testaments into emoji form
the author said the project began as a fun experiment with an online text translator and the king james version
you know one of those things where you can create yoda speak he said in a telephone interview i just started playing around with the translator and i thought it might be kind of fun to use emojis then i thought it would be fun to do the bible and see how it would come out
the decision to start tweeting out the results beginning with the book of genesis came naturally he also started a website where users can generate emoji translations of their own
it was like a public proofread he said and the internet has responded well to the tweets which have avoided the the more violent and negative things in the bible he said
the twitter feed contains few smitings or stonings and no mention of the book of leviticus which many interpret as condemning homosexuality those passages do appear in the complete book however
i try to tweet out some of the more fun ones he said
some parents have even written in to say the more slang filled visual version of the good book has helped their children read it especially those with learning disabilities the author said
but not everyone has been pleased besides the illuminati conspiracy theorists and the snarky swamp dwellers of internet comment sections some people are really crazy the author said some online commenters have criticized the project for either mocking religion or manipulating it in a cynical attempt to convert the young
part of the authors desire for anonymity he said is to make it harder for people to project an agenda onto it
people who want me to be a christian zealot say its crazy right wing christians desperate to reach millennials and people who hate it think i am part of a leftist agenda to dumb down society and turn religion into a joke the author said
neither is true he said you dont translate thousands of pages of scripture into smiley faces and slang if you think religion is a joke he added
i grew up very religious and as a child i actually read the entire bible which i dont think many people can say they have done the author said
and no part of the bible has been rewritten only condensed and emojified he said so the word and becomes  and the word light becomes a light bulb
if anything the author said he wants people to read the bible for themselves   whether in emoji or not   and draw their own conclusions
i dont think many people do a good job of understanding the bible in context he said
and he thinks emojis can help with that
what makes emojis so great and part of the symbolism i wanted with this project is that emojis are universal in the strictest sense the author said emojis have no gender no race and no agenda


for the first time in four decades the metropolitan opera has a new music director the company announced on thursday that it was passing the baton long held by james levine to yannick nezet seguin music director of the philadelphia orchestra known for vital visceral music making
the generational shift to mr nezet seguin 41 from mr levine 72 who stepped down last month after years of uncertainty and cancellations because of health problems comes at a challenging time for the met the nations largest performing arts institution   and for opera
while the company had a number of artistic successes this season and enjoys a broad global reputation thanks to its high definition cinema simulcasts it is facing financial hurdles that have forced it to make cuts in its 300 million budget and wrest concessions from its union workers this season it filled only 72 percent of its seats on average
the energetic media savvy mr nezet seguin is meant as a shot in the arm for an organization struggling at the box office and whose musical leadership has been in flux as mr levine has ailed in recent years peter gelb who had already assumed more artistic control when he became the mets general manager took on an even greater role in choosing repertoire and artists
but to land the montreal born mr nezet seguin one of the most sought after conductors in the world the company had to agree to a long engagement period because his schedule is booked for several years he will not officially take up the met post until the 2020 21 season leaving the company without a full time music director in the meantime
and mr nezet seguin his full name is pronounced yah neek nay zay say ghen plans to divide his duties between the met and another storied american institution the philadelphia orchestra which he has led since 2012 he announced on thursday that he had extended his contract as music director there through the 2025 26 season
im very very lucky of course   maybe the luckiest music director   to be able to have what i believe to be the two greatest arguably organizations in the united states symphonically and operatically the philadelphia orchestra and the met mr nezet seguin said in a telephone interview from japan where he was on tour with the philadelphians
he recorded a video greeting to send the met musicians on thursday morning and in a video chat that the company arranged with mr nezet seguin david chan the orchestras concertmaster brought up the elephant in the room
as you know we are at an important juncture in classical music mr chan said addressing his new music director there is a trend toward replacing honored traditions while failing to present any meaningful innovation so today its more critical than ever to offer our audiences something new while preserving the artistic priorities at the heart of our great art form
when mr levine announced this spring that he was retiring to become music director emeritus several company members expressed concern at the thought of a long transition mr nezet seguin said that he planned to take an active role as the steward of the companys musical affairs almost immediately
but his podium appearances will be limited over the next few years beginning in the 2017 18 season when he takes on the title of music director designate he will conduct two operas a season in 2020 21 when he officially becomes music director he will conduct five his initial contract will then run for five years with options for multiple renewals the met declined to say how much he would be paid
its true that in the pit i wont be more present which doesnt mean that i will be out of touch   rather the contrary he said adding that he planned to start discussions with the musicians right away i hope it wont feel like theres a wait or theres a void
long waits and simultaneous posts are not unusual in the classical music world where major organizations and top talents typically plan their schedules four or five years in advance mr gelb said that the met was lucky to get the conductor by 2020
mr nezet seguin who has led a number of critically praised productions at the met since making his house debut in 2009 with a new production of bizets carmen will tackle wagner there for the first time next season with a revival of der fliegende hollander in the coming seasons he is scheduled to conduct operas by composers including wagner strauss puccini poulenc and verdi   including a new production of la traviata in 2018 19
mr nezet seguin a powerfully built man who stands 5 foot 5 is very likely the first met conductor with a turtle tattoo on his shoulder mr gelb said that they had not inspected any other conductors born the youngest of three children in 1975 he took piano lessons and joined a choir as a child deciding at a young age that he wanted to conduct he was 16 when he attended his first opera at the met puccinis la boheme
somewhere somehow in one corner of my brain and my heart there was the thought that maybe one day one day he said so this is the fulfillment of this dream
his path to the met began in 2000 with his first major appointment leading the orchestre metropolitain in montreal he plans to step down from another post the music directorship of the rotterdam philharmonic after the 2017 18 season but will remain involved with his canadian orchestra among the words of congratulations on thursday was a tweet from justin trudeau the prime minister of canada who called the met position a tremendous achievement
mr nezet seguin said that he and his partner pierre tourville an assistant principal violist with the orchestre metropolitain divide their time between montreal and philadelphia and would look for an apartment in new york the short train ride from new york to philadelphia allowed him in the past to conduct a saturday matinee of la traviata at the met followed by an evening performance of bachs st matthew passion in pennsylvania
the music director role is evolving it is rare for opera houses to expect the kind of commitment mr levine made to the met in his early years when he seemed to conduct nonstop he has racked up more than 2500 performances with the company the vienna state opera decided not to hire a new music director to succeed franz welser most after he abruptly resigned in 2014
mr nezet seguin said that he considered the met the standard bearer of our art form in the world and that he looked forward to conducting a variety of works there including forgotten masterpieces that he would like to revive and new works including world premieres
its not a question of arriving as a leader and wanting to change completely the direction of the ship he said of his plans its more about my own personality coming through


hong kong   huawei technologies has become chinas most successful international technology company in part by tapping markets as varied as britain india and kenya
but it also moved into markets like syria where american officials have imposed limits on sales of technology that could be used to commit human rights abuses and into iran where sanctions have only recently been eased and its presence in such countries is now coming under greater scrutiny
the united states commerce department is demanding that the company based in the south china city of shenzhen turn over all information regarding the export or re export of american technology to cuba iran north korea sudan and syria according to a subpoena sent to huawei and viewed by the new york times the subpoena is part of an investigation into whether huawei broke united states export controls
sent to huaweis american headquarters in the dallas suburb of plano the subpoena called for huawei to turn over information related to shipments to those countries over the past five years it also sought evidence of shipments to the countries indirectly through front or shell companies the subpoena directed company officials to testify last month in irving tex or to provide information before then it was not clear whether the meeting took place
huawei has not been accused of wrongdoing in a statement the company said it was committed to complying with laws and regulations where it operated the document which was issued by the commerce department office that investigates export violations is an administrative subpoena meaning it does not indicate a criminal investigation
still the scrutiny over huaweis dealings with those countries is emblematic of growing discord between the united states and china over control of global communications technology it also illustrates how technology companies from both countries have been pulled into the high stakes geopolitical contest over cybersecurity and the global management of the internet
if the investigation finds that huawei was acting counter to united states national security or foreign policy interests it could limit the companys access to crucial american made components and other tech products given huaweis size and reach that could affect the development of cellular networks and other large scale technology infrastructure projects across the world
we do not comment with regard to ongoing investigations a commerce department spokesman said
the subpoena was issued after the united states briefly blocked in march sales of american technology to huaweis smaller chinese rival zte over similar concerns as part of their move against zte american officials released internal zte documents that showed the chinese company used a rivals business efforts in those countries as a model while the rival was not named in the documents its description matched huawei
with the new investigation into huawei the united states is going after a much larger target in 2014 huawei reported revenue of about 60 billion about four times that of zte depending on the measure it ranks with ericsson of sweden as the worlds largest supplier of the base stations and other equipment that make mobile telecommunications systems run
though the subpoena did not indicate whether any actions would be taken against huawei any major united states step to block the sales of american tech equipment to huawei would have major implications for telecom networks across the world many of huaweis products use american components or work with american technology
huawei has long benefited from access to easy credit from chinas state run lenders as it has expanded into areas where china seeks influence but the company has drawn skepticism in the united states where officials have put an effective block on selling its telecom infrastructure equipment china has used the move as a justification to push back against the market dominance of american companies like cisco ibm and qualcomm in china
disclosures by the former american intelligence contractor edward j snowden revealed that as the united states publicly raised concerns about the security of huawei products the united states national security agency was busy working to tunnel its own backdoor access into huawei equipment and to snoop on huaweis communications to look for links to the chinese military
huawei has not shied from agreements that could draw criticism in september it signed a deal with syrias communications and technology ministry to help the country develop its communications networks
huaweis business in iran has fallen under american criticism in the past in 2011 huawei said in a statement that it would voluntarily restrict the growth of its business in iran a year later six american lawmakers wrote a letter to the state department calling for an investigation into whether huawei was violating sanctions on iran recently the congressional research service released a report that said that companies like huawei appeared to have fulfilled pledges not to sell technology for blocking telecommunications in 2014


michael lewis specializes in narratives about quirky individuals who zig when everyone else zags in moneyball he tracked the astonishing success of billy beane the general manager who turned the oakland as from underdogs into championship contenders by relying on statistics rather than acquiring star players his 2010 book the big short dissected how a handful of renegades foresaw the collapse of the housing market while everyone else was pouring money into subprime mortgages
both books were best sellers that were adapted into major feature films but they raised a nagging question that mr lewis never fully confronted why do most people from sports managers to bankers so often overlook the data and make colossal errors based on gut instinct why arent people as data driven as billy beane
in his coming book the undoing project a friendship that changed our minds which ww norton  company will release this december mr lewis finally tackles that question
the undoing project explores the groundbreaking work of two psychologists daniel kahneman and amos tversky whose research into decision making and judgment has challenged fundamental beliefs about human nature in study after study they showed that when it comes to making decisions humans are predisposed to irrationality their surprising findings have had profound implications for everything from behavioral economics and politics to advanced medicine and sports
their work and its impact is hardly obscure mr kahneman won the 2002 nobel prize in economics mr tversky died in 1996 but mr lewis wasnt aware of their research and how much it had influenced his own writing until 2003 when he came across a reference to them in a review of moneyball in the new republic he has been working on the undoing project on and off for the last eight years and conducted countless interviews with mr kahneman
when you wander into the work of kahneman and tversky far enough you come to find their fingerprints in places you never imagined even existed mr lewis wrote in a 2011 article for vanity fair which was adapted from the book it didnt take me long to figure out that in a not so roundabout way kahneman and tversky had made my baseball story possible


many people miss oliver sacks the neurologist best selling author and philosopher of the mind who died of cancer last august at 82
and some of them   readers friends colleagues and former patients   gathered wednesday night at the skirball center at new york university for a celebration of his life and work
the event part of the world science festival which dr sacks had participated in over the years included remarks by temple grandin the central character in dr sackss book an anthropologist on mars the physicist brian greene and the composer tobias picker
the participants delivered brief reminiscences as they perched on stools behind a gauzy scrim and against a backdrop of projected images one scene depicted puffy white clouds against a sky of robins egg blue another was described in the script for the show as brilliant zigzags draining color that oliver speaks of that then become something else gradually until we realize were looking at the neural network of a brain
dance and song punctuated the speeches during the show which the festival produced in partnership with the oliver sacks foundation
eric jordan a singer who had had a stroke performed an operatic rendering of dr sackss best selling book the man who mistook his wife for a hat and dr sacks appeared on film reading excerpts from his 2015 memoir on the move a life
the elaborate staging   the production was written and directed by john christian plummer of the drama series granite flats   might not have been quite to dr sackss liking in life he was startlingly lacking in artifice or pretension his excitement about the natural world as simple and untempered as a young childs
but many of the speakers shared stories that captured his brilliance and his quirkiness
mr picker who said he had tourettes syndrome since childhood but had received the diagnosis later in life described meeting dr sacks at a dinner party he hosted
he was very helpful to me because he could talk about it talk about what he was observing in a way that made me understand how i was being observed by the outside world mr picker said
i had a very difficult childhood and it stayed with me well it will stay with me forever he added but knowing oliver being able to to spend time with oliver and to be just to be in the presence of his greatness made me feel better about myself
dr greene the physicist said that he was awe struck when he met dr sacks who he said had a ferocious talent and a rare gift for finding beauty and humanity in the stories of people given diagnoses of illnesses like autism tourettes or encephalitis lethargica   the disease that afflicted the patients in his book awakenings
the two men chatted over cocktails dr greene recalled and dr sacks mentioned that he had finished dr greenes book the elegant universe just that day he had liked it dr sacks said but he added that the book was slippery
dr greene tried to reply saying that yes even physicists found quantum mechanics slippery but dr sacks stopped him no i mean that the book was literally slippery he told dr greene dr sacks said he had read it in the bathtub and had to buy another copy
robert krulwich a science journalist and co host of the npr program radiolab said that dr sacks whom he described as having crazy eyes for seeing and a pretty big heart had an intelligence that seemed effortless
he could consume all kinds of information just very very easily mr krulwich said and then he could weigh it and measure it and balance it
dr sacks was by all accounts including his own a creature of excess he turned in manuscripts that were hundreds of pages too long he was addicted to gefilte fish he frantically opened and closed windows to achieve his ideal temperature range of 55 to 60 degrees he was fond of quoting a headmaster who had once commented sacks will go far if he doesnt go too far
ms grandin a professor of animal science at colorado state university who has autism and is known for her work in the livestock industry remembered that when dr sacks came to visit her he wanted to go to the national park
i had to stop him from jumping into the river ms grandin said of dr sacks who loved to swim
i said oliver youre going to go over a dam if you jump in that river you absolutely cant go in that river  ms grandin recalled and i stopped him from doing that
dr sacks was a marathon swimmer and could squat 600 pounds and among the speakers were his russian swimming coach and his personal trainer
but in the end it was dr sacks himself brought to life on the screen and speaking with his distinctive voice who reminded the audience most forcefully of how much he had given them   and how much they had lost with his passing
it was especially the physiology of the sense that fascinated me he said reading from his memoir how did we see color depth movement how did we recognize anything how did we make sense of the world visually
in his fascination about the world and its many wonders and contradictions he drew all of us with him and he draws us still


berlin   the german parliament overwhelmingly adopted a symbolic but fraught resolution on thursday declaring the killings of armenians by ottoman turks in 1915 a genocide escalating tensions with turkey at a diplomatically delicate juncture
the turkish government angrily denounced the vote as null and void and president recep tayyip erdogan called his ambassador in germany back to ankara for consultations
the way to close the dark pages of your own history is not by defaming the histories of other countries with irresponsible and baseless decisions turkeys foreign minister mevlut cavusoglu wrote on twitter in ankara prime minister binali yildirim said there is no shameful incident in our past that would make us bow our heads
germany needs turkeys help in following through on a deal with the european union to manage the refugee crisis attributed in large part to the syrian civil war at the same time the german chancellor angela merkel has been under pressure not to be seen as caving to pressure from ankara to compromise on western values particularly after a recent dust up over freedom of speech set off by a german comedians satire that outraged mr erdogan
for turkey there is scarcely a more delicate topic than what historians say was the murder of more than a million armenians and other christian minorities in 1915 16 in april mr erdogan visited the armenian patriarchate of turkey and in a carefully worded statement extended condolences to the families of those who had died but the turkish government has long rejected the term genocide
ankara has noted that thousands of people many of them turks died in the civil war that destroyed the ottoman empire and argued that the estimates of the number of armenian deaths have been exaggerated
the issue is also fraught for germany at the time of the killings germany led by kaiser wilhelm ii was allied with the ottomans fighting alongside the austro hungarian empire against britain france and russia in world war i acceptance of german responsibility for the atrocities of world war ii has become an established part of the nations culture and historians and activists have said that the armenian resolution was an important step in acknowledging germanys indirect involvement in the 1915 killings
pope francis called the killings a genocide last year but the united states has long skirted the issue president obama stopped short of using the word   most recently in a statement marking armenian remembrance day on april 24   though he used the term before becoming president
ms merkels christian democratic union and its coalition partners supported the resolution which was originally proposed for last year to mark the centennial of the start of the killings but it was repeatedly delayed most recently in february over concerns about angering ankara
as the vote approached debate intensified in germany which is home to an estimated three million people of turkish descent many of whom have dual citizenship about 2000 turks demonstrated last weekend in berlin rallying to say that parliament is not a court and therefore should not pass judgment
ms merkel was in a tough spot when she visited istanbul last week she spent time with turkish intellectuals and lawyers critical of mr erdogan before meeting the president who warned her not to move forward with the resolution
her decision to do so despite those objections may have been influenced by an episode in march when a german comic jan bohmermann lampooned mr erdogan with a crude poem ms merkel initially criticized the verses giving the impression   which she later said was a mistake   that she advocated restrictions on freedom of expression in germany critics portrayed her as weak
cem ozdemir the co chairman of the opposition greens and a driving force behind the resolution accused ms merkel of paying little heed to turkey for most of her decade in power until circumstances forced her to engage with mr erdogan
on thursday mr ozdemir said there was never a favorable time to speak about something as dreadful as genocide
mr ozdemir read century old statements by officials of the german empire showing they knew that up to 90 percent of armenians had been killed working through the shoah is the basis of democracy in germany mr ozdemir said referring to the holocaust this genocide is also waiting to be worked through
he noted that there were turks who had saved armenians before them we bow down with highest respect he said
mr ozdemir said he had received threats because of his support for the vote but that it was even more dangerous for people in turkey to acknowledge the genocide
the vote in the bundestag the lower house of parliament was nearly unanimous with one lawmaker voting against and another abstaining ms merkel and the two most senior social democrat ministers   vice chancellor sigmar gabriel and foreign minister frank walter steinmeier   were not present
norbert lammert the president of the bundestag kicked off the debate with a clear message parliament is not a historians commission and certainly not a court he said he added that the current turkish government is not responsible for what happened 100 years ago but it does have responsibility for what becomes of this in present times
mr lammert a christian democrat labeled the ottomans killing of armenians as genocide last year particularly because of our own chapters of dark history germans know that only by working through past events can one achieve reconciliation and cooperation mr lammert said on thursday
including germany 12 of the european unions 28 members have recognized the armenian killings as genocide despite initial protests turkey has maintained good relations with several of those countries
when france approved legislation in 2011 recognizing the genocide turkey temporarily recalled its ambassador and halted bilateral military cooperation such steps by ankara would be more complicated today and potentially more damaging as germany and turkey are engaged in a nato operation to stop migrant boats crossing the aegean sea from turkey to greece
aydan ozoguz the german commissioner for integration who   like mr ozdemir   is of turkish descent said before the vote that while she intended to vote for the resolution i still think it is the wrong path she added that she thought it would backfire
mr erdogan and ultranationalist turks will get a huge boost ms ozoguz said they will use the resolution as proof of a further attack by the west on turkey reasonable considered voices will be isolated and will have no chance to be heard for a long time


when weird al yankovic the enduring musical satirist appears in the season premiere of ifcs comedy bang bang to introduce himself as the new bandleader of this ersatz talk show and settle in for his first steady television gig in nearly 20 years this is the heartfelt welcome he receives from its host scott aukerman
mr aukerman gives a sideways glance to the camera and says eh fine
as mr yankovic 56 explained later in an interview he has become accustomed to this mix of recognition and indifference in a career of almost four decades as a composer and pop song parodist
its usually oh him he said with a giggling laugh theres not a lot of whos this guy
that modest approach to his work makes mr yankovic   who achieved his first no 1 album only two years ago with the release of mandatory fun   an ideal fit for comedy bang bang a quietly successful show that begins its fifth season on friday
mr yankovic a grammy award winner who still seems startled that a mass audience enjoys his music said that the show suited him particularly because its not an extremely popular mainstream show
if they want to do some really obscure references or inside jokes he said theres not some network head going nobody in nebraska is going to get this it almost feels like a little secret club
comedy bang bang which mr aukerman described in an interview as a narrative sketch show wearing the halloween costume of a talk show draws fewer than 100000 viewers for first run broadcasts of episodes yet but has produced 90 installments over its first four seasons the fifth season premiere also features a visit from kevin bacon and mr aukermans pursuit of a mischievous leprechaun like creature
in that time it has featured two previous bandleaders who also acted as second bananas and foils to mr aukerman first reggie watts the comedian and musician who joined james corden on cbss the late late show he was followed by kid cudi the rapper and actor who appeared in about 20 episodes but left the series just before production began on the new season
mr aukerman explained we actually shifted the shooting schedule to accommodate him coming back and then at the last minute right before we were supposed to start he decided to shift his touring schedule even further and so it coincided with the shooting and it didnt end up happening
a representative for kid cudi said in an email that the musician was working on an album and had left the show because of his recording and touring schedule
mr yankovic who has been a guest on the comedy bang bang tv series and on mr aukermans podcast of the same name said that mr aukermans invitation to join the show had come as a hail mary pass just as he had returned home from a live tour
although mr yankovic was eager to accept the offer he said there were some people he works with who werent sure if it was the right career move to be somebodys sidekick on a low rated cable show
he added whats nice is im at a point in my life that i dont have to be so focused on whats good for my career
mr yankovic described himself as enjoying a soft renaissance perhaps his fourth or fifth resurgence since 1984 when his popular sendup of a certain michael jackson hit went into heavy rotation on mtv
the day before i could walk the streets and nobody would be staring or pointing at me mr yankovic recalled the day after i was the eat it guy
as a film and tv actor mr yankovic has usually limited himself to one off roles with quick comedic impact a series of cameo appearances in the naked gun movies for example or animated characters like the manic banana man on cartoon networks adventure time
the rare exception was mr yankovics cbs saturday morning series the weird al show which ran for just one season in 1997
but he said that he made the commitment to comedy bang bang which was filmed this year because he was a fan it fit his schedule and he felt at home in its loose and somewhat improvised environment
i can be saying stupid stuff trying to add my own two cents and i never have to worry about oh is that going to look dumb or play flat he explained if it is they dont use it the joy of editing
mr yankovic said that he had also contributed about 100 pieces of new music to the show including short musical cues and walk on fanfares for its celebrity visitors to call them songs may be overstating it he said theyre basically hooks that are like 20 seconds long to play in and out of commercials
even so mr yankovic said that he was protective of his miniature creations sometimes theyll cut them down to two seconds he said im like what how could you do that to my 20 second song
mr yankovic who resumes touring in june said he would gladly return for further seasons of comedy bang bang
i have told scott in no uncertain terms that i will do this show until im dead he said and then hes free to weekend at bernies me a few more seasons after that
mr aukerman said that he would also like to have mr yankovic return but then he added cudi said he wanted to come back too
in the meantime mr yankovic is continuing to ruminate on a follow up to mandatory fun which he said is probably not going to be an album per se and on whether he could poke fun at hits like beyonces lemonade which has been interpreted as a many layered response to grievances from her marriage to jay z
people are like what are you going to do with lemonade mr yankovic said i dont know by the time i get around to it its probably going to be old news
he joked that he could record a response album from jay z to beyonce then thought better of it the most sensible response that jay z could give her he said was ok honey message received


new delhi   twenty four people were found guilty on thursday of massacring muslims during the 2002 religious riots that tore through gujarat a state then led by narendra modi who is now indias prime minister
a judge in ahmedabad gujarats largest city acquitted 36 people for lack of evidence including a police inspector and a midranking official in the bharatiya janata party led by mr modi
the verdict is the latest in more than a dozen prosecutions arising from the riots and the first since mr modi became prime minister the judge did not implicate officials who were working under mr modis authority at the time and the ruling rejected charges of conspiracy casting the massacre instead as an episode of mob violence
but it was a reminder of a bloody episode that the prime minister now a high profile international leader has taken great pains to put behind him on trips abroad including to the united states next week mr modi will probably face more questions about communal violence and the far right agenda advanced by some in his party
two more cases stemming from the gujarat riots in which about 1000 people were killed over the course of two months are still pending one of those cases brought by the widow of ehsan jafri a former member of parliament who was killed in the attacks seeks to establish that the riots were the result of a high level conspiracy involving mr modi
the case on thursday involved the attack in which mr jafri was killed on feb 28 2002 one of the worst episodes of the gujarat riots a crowd of muslims mostly women and children had taken shelter in a compound in ahmedabad from a mob of thousands of hindu men armed with stones iron rods and gasoline soaked rags
witnesses said that for hours mr jafri who lived in the compound had made frantic calls to city officials asking for police protection but the compound was already on fire when the police arrived in force and the people inside died of burns and smoke inhalation sixty nine people died
of the 24 people convicted on thursday 11 were found guilty of murder which brings a minimum punishment of life in prison and a possible death sentence according to lawyers who emerged from the courthouse on thursday others were convicted of lesser charges including arson and looting sentences will be announced on monday
a spokesman for mr modis party expressed satisfaction with the verdict because it did not point to official involvement
there was so much of a witch hunt against the current prime minister and in that sense i am happy said the spokeswoman shaina nana chudasama if we move on as a society united rather than distinguishing who is from bjp or another party we would be doing ourselves and the victims a great service
teesta setalvad an activist who has spearheaded a campaign to prosecute gujarat officials called thursdays verdict hugely disappointing because the judge did not cast the riot as a conspiracy
when you have a mob of 66 accused then common intent is already established she said that means at a local level there was a conspiracy several of the original defendants in the case have died since the proceedings began
the gujarat riots began on a february morning when a train carrying hindu pilgrims was surrounded by a mob of muslims and caught fire at a train platform in godhra an investigation later concluded that the fire had been accidental but it was widely blamed on muslims the remains of 59 people burned to death on the train were displayed in ahmedabad stoking anti muslim fury
riots occurred sporadically for two months after that with little interference from the state police
at the time mr modi was accused by some of failing to deploy security forces to stop the killing in 2005 the united states took the unusual step of imposing a visa ban on him for his role in the riots and high ranking officials from the united states and some european countries would not meet with him for almost a decade
since then though the memory of those events has receded in 2013 an indian court rejected a petition to prosecute mr modi over the riots on the grounds that there was not sufficient evidence to proceed mr modis party swept into power nationally after a campaign that focused heavily on economic development and he has styled himself as a progressive internationalist leader
that effort may be damaged by thursdays verdict it suddenly brings back mr modi of 2002 the person with dirty hands said nilanjan mukhopadhyay the author of a biography of the leader it weakens mr modis claim to be the leader of a pluralistic india
rupa mody a survivor of the episode said she had hoped for more convictions in a telephone interview she described holding hands with her daughter and 13 year old son huddled together inside the compound while people in the crowd outside threw gasoline in
lots of people were fainting she said i also fell then somebody egged me on to get up and run
while running she said i fell and my daughter stooped to help and in the process she lost hold of my sons hand in the chaos that ensued i lost him though the police later displayed a number of childrens bodies she said they were so badly burned that she could not recognize him


in one letter donald j trump ranted about the crisis of unsightly hot dog vendors on his beloved fifth avenue having ketchup and mustard splattered all over the sidewalk he wrote is disgraceful
in another note he paid flowery tribute to his young wife whom he referred to as my little darling youre everything i hoped for he wrote
in a different missive he offered a rare admission of weakness declaring i am nothing more than a frustrated writer of little talent
mr trump the presumptive republican presidential nominee is a master of modern media exploiting twitter and television to punish his enemies energize his allies and promote himself
but perhaps his most powerful and memorable form of communication is the old fashioned ritual of a personal letter written on embossed paper or scrawled across a newspaper clipping signed by hand and sent from the 26th floor of trump tower
churned out prolifically from a computer free desk they are letters of gratitude hate flattery and revenge dispatched to teenage admirers and big city mayors professional athletes and magazine editors the tone can range from florid to juvenile pleading to poisonous
tightly clutched and prominently displayed even by those who despise him the epistles have become keepsakes and mementos for hundreds of people across the country viewed as a collection from the 1970s to now they offer an unusual archive of his emotional ups and downs
the 2009 letter that mr trump sent to mike tollin a movie director makes for painful reading it denounced a film by mr tollin that explored mr trumps role in the collapse of a football league as third rate and extremely dishonest in a fulminating flourish mr trump wrote ps you are a loser nevertheless mr tollin had the letter framed and he keeps it on a shelf in his office next to photographs of his family
people come by and immediately want to see it touch it and hold it mr tollin said with pride
today as mr trump tries to make peace with hostile figures in his party the candidate renowned for his rhetorical flame throwing is deploying a conciliatory style of letter writing as his chief weapon
his handwritten overtures have started to arrive in the mailboxes of seemingly implacable foes like charlie sykes a conservative radio host in milwaukee who has described mr trump as a whiny thin skinned bully
charlie began mr trumps note scribbled with a thick black pen on the front page of the new york times next to an article about skeptical republicans warming to mr trump i hope you can change your mind ever attuned to incentives the real estate mogul dangled an offer look forward to doing your show he wrote adding i will win
it did not change mr sykess dim view of mr trump but he was he conceded impressed by the gesture give him credit that hes doing this mr sykes said hes willing to do some things that might be somewhat at odds with his public image
the letters   culled from personal and public archives   reveal mr trumps insecurities but also his perceptiveness about power ego and what motivates people from early on he seemed to intuitively grasp the potency of his praise when lavished on like minded men
in the 1990s mr trump occasionally fawned over new yorks brash mayor rudolph w giuliani in one letter mr trump tore out a page from a magazine interview in which he had called mr giuliani the greatest mayor that the citys ever had in case mr giuliani missed the homage mr trump drew two bold arrows each pointing at the glowing passage and reiterated the message in a handwritten note rudy you are the greatest he wrote adding see you soon
there is never any question about authorship mr trumps style of writing sounds virtually identical to his hyperbolic manner of speech with a healthy sprinkling of the words great and tremendous abundant displays of self regard and over the top claims of success or doom
in a 1985 letter to mayor edward i koch mr trump predicted new york citys imminent downfall if a fellow real estate developer arthur e imperatore sr were allowed to start a ferry service between new jersey and manhattan real estate values and taxes in new york would plummet mr trump prognosticated darkly why would anyone want to live or shop in new york mr imperatore started the ferry service without destroying new yorks economy
as a writer mr trump sometimes reached awkwardly but earnestly for eloquence in a 1983 letter to a m rosenthal then the executive editor of the times and a lunch companion mr trump turned poetic as he tried to capture his reaction to an article that mr rosenthal had written about returning to poland for the first time in decades
it is moving it is sad it is hopeful  it is devastating mr trump wrote saying that his wife at the time ivana who grew up in eastern europe agreed it truly captured the strength the will and the soul of the polish people mr trump wrote
he could write with striking tenderness to ivana according to notes reviewed by the times i adore and love my little darling he wrote to her in one i truly believe that you are the greatest he wrote in another
on the page anyway mr trump was even capable of humility describing himself as a scribe of little talent in a 1985 note to arthur ochs sulzberger then the publisher of the times mr trump had an agenda to complain about a reporter he disliked
mr trump traces his epistolary habits to his attempt to win over franklin m jarman who controlled a manhattan department store that mr trump wanted to buy in the 1970s to make way for trump tower mr jarman rarely replied to mr trumps letters but he had in fact read them mr trump wrote in his book the art of the deal laying the groundwork for an agreement the letters i wrote eventually did have an impact mr trump said
for years mr trump sent his letters the old fashioned way by mail but over time members of his staff dragged him into the internet era   sort of he still writes by hand brandishing the favored tool of teachers corrections and athletes autographs a black sharpie now his aides often turn the letters into digital files scanning them and sending them by email
but he refuses to let anyone else do the writing if i had a secretary to do them he said in an interview they wouldnt be nearly as effective they wouldnt be nearly as sharp
each letter concludes with his extravagant signature which resembles a city skyline or a seismograph as graydon carter the editor of vanity fair and a repeat recipient of mr trumps screeds described it
many of his letters targeted the famous and credentialed but from time to time they reached the little known and uninfluential mr trump penned a letter of encouragement in 2014 to an 18 year old student in texas john russell niederer who had expressed a desire to meet him work hard and be smart mr trump told him the letter now hangs on mr niederers bedroom wall for him to take the time to send a message to somebody like me he said was really really cool
a vindictive side is never far from view in mr trumps correspondence after the basketball legend kareem abdul jabbar wrote a critical essay in the washington post about mr trumps candidacy mr trump sent him a copy of the essay with a biting message sprawled across it now i know why the press always treated you so badly   they couldnt stand you mr trump wrote the fact is that you dont have a clue about life and what has to be done to make america great again
mr abdul jabbar said he was flabbergasted it was such a petty and childish reaction like a teenage boy responding to being turned down for a date by whining well nobody likes you  he said he likened mr trumps decision to write his reply on the original article to a dog urinating on a tree to mark its territory
mr abdul jabbar had to get rid of the letter i crumpled it up real nice and tight and skyhooked it into my wastepaper basket he recalled invoking his trademark shot
others cannot let go im definitely going to keep it mr sykes the radio host said of his letter probably in a desk drawer


it can be hard to find a functioning seatbelt in an istanbul taxicab and when i do i think twice about putting it on why because it always seems to outrage the driver   and sometimes leaves me having to defend my very identity as a turk
awkwardness with a cabby was the least of my concerns when a taxi i was in recently started lurching forward at 100 kilometers per hour 62 mph more than triple the roads speed limit
when the driver heard the click of the buckle he started uttering op op op a sound turks use to get someones attention i met his offended gaze in the rearview mirror
why did you do that he demanded i can drive
other times drivers have brushed aside my grasp for safety the belt is just an accessory   it doesnt do anything one insisted another fairly spat this is a car not a helicopter
turkish cabdrivers have this attitude despite being notorious for speeding running red lights and recklessly jockeying from lane to lane on the highway without signaling the younger ones will often watch youtube videos or play games on their phones while stopped in istanbul traffic tomtoms annual traffic index ranks the city among the worlds most congested
a friend was in a taxi recently when the cabby pulled out a thermos and tried to mix a cup of nescafe as he was driving result fender bender
passengers who reach for seatbelts are taken for tourists for a completely nonscientific study of this phenomenon i rode in 17 taxis in a single day and when i buckled up nine of the drivers asked me where i was from   including one who busted up laughing as i tried to force a broken clasp
whats funny i asked in my native turkish
where are you from he said
im from the black sea region i replied why did you laugh
only foreigners do that he scoffed if youre really turkish then let go and trust your people


beijing   canadians apart perhaps from hockey players seem to pride themselves on being affable people averse to confrontation but chinas foreign minister wang yi clearly decided that being in canada was no reason to hold his temper especially when it comes to questions on his countrys human rights record
a canadian journalist learned that on wednesday when she asked about the chinese governments detention of human rights advocates and a canadian couple accused of espionage the question was directed at the canadian foreign minister stephane dion during a joint news conference in ottawa but mr wang then stepped in with a withering lecture delivered with operatic dudgeon in which he called the journalist arrogant and prejudiced
chinese officials often bristle at questions about human rights and other contentious subjects but their reactions vary sometimes they stick coolly but adamantly to the governments stock response that china respects the rule of law and that the countrys stability and economic growth have been a boon to citizens rights
but sometimes like mr wang this time they strike back with their own accusations in 2000 jiang zemin who was chinas president at the time chastised a journalist from hong kong for what he considered an impertinent question
you go everywhere to follow the big news but the questions you ask are too simple sometimes naive mr jiang said i feel the need to impart to you some real life experience
below is a transcript of the question from the canadian journalist and mr wangs answer ive translated mr wangs original chinese response the english language translation given by the interpreter at the news conference was a little less blunt the question partly concerned a canadian couple kevin garratt and julia dawn garratt who were detained in china in 2014 mrs garratt was later released on bail but last january mr garratt was charged with espionage and stealing state secrets while he lived near the border with north korea   accusations that his family has rejected the question also raised the issue of hong kong book publishers detained in mainland china
the canadian press news agency reported that the offending question which was asked by a reporter for ipolitics a news website was devised through an agreement by several different news outlets including itself
since becoming canadas prime minister last october justin trudeau has made soothing relations with china a priority that has brought criticism from human rights advocates and some members of canadas large population of chinese immigrants but others in the country have favorably compared the approach to the decision made by pierre trudeau his father and a former liberal prime minister to formally recognize china and reestablish diplomatic relations in 1970
in a series of twitter posts tony clement the opposition conservative partys spokesman for foreign affairs criticized both the stern remarks by mr wang and what mr clement viewed as a weak response from mr dion
absolutely outrageous that chinese foreign minister berates a canadian journalist mr clement wrote his behavior is rude and unacceptable
in another post he added mr dion should demand an apology
mr wangs possible response to a demand for an apology can only be imagined


liverpool england   jackie oneill a 54 year old administrative assistant was explaining the other day why britain should vote to divorce itself from the european union in this months referendum as she enumerated her many grievances i couldnt help thinking of the scene in monty pythons life of brian in which a bunch of disaffected judeans sit around complaining about the romans
theyve bled us white the bastards says their leader reg played by john cleese and what have they ever given us in return his colleagues mention a few things by way of example
ok reg says but apart from the sanitation the medicine education wine public order irrigation roads the freshwater system and public health what have the romans ever done for us
even britains most enthusiastic european union supporters would not argue that europe has been quite so helpful to their country of course but as chance would have it ms oneill was heaping her abuse on europe in a spot that has been a particularly enthusiastic recipient of european largess over the years
so when she declared of the european union were subsidizing them and what do we get out of it except for a load of laws that we dont vote for it was an easy question to answer for one thing there was the large building directly behind her the echo arena and bt convention center when the complex was built in 2008 europe kicked in 50 million pounds
well ive never been to the echo arena ms oneill said
just as many britons feel emotionally apart and even alien from europe so they see the european union as an opaque bewildering abstraction a mysterious bureaucratic behemoth that hoovers up their money and independence while giving little or nothing in return british understanding of its workings and purpose has not been helped by the over the top arguments being thrown around in the debate over the referendum set for june 23 no one likes having this debate anyway much less the unpleasantly cereal bar and adult diaper like descriptions of its sides brexit go and remain stay
but underlying all the dire predictions of doom   that staying or going will cause britain to fall apart in various apocalyptic ways   is a deeper emotional issue that speaks to the countrys sense of self who does it think it is and where does it think it belongs has it ever felt like its part of europe
separated from the continent by language tradition historic antagonism and an inhospitable body of water britain has always seemed to be an uneasy participant in the wider european project it took years to sign up and its agreement was always marked by caveats and exceptions to the rules even when it did join it felt to many britons as if someone had given a british pub owner a bunch of fancy french champagne bottles and said here use these for your british ale from now on the trappings might be different but the beer is still the same
in the 15 years i lived in london i returned home to the united states three years ago i was constantly struck by the sense of otherness with which many english people regarded europeans its more complicated for scots whose mistrust of britains english centric government makes them more pro europe and for younger people and londoners who generally feel part of a wider world
but travel around england talking to older people and you find below the surface a sense of unease of distrust even people who believe that britain should stay in the european union for economic and trading purposes do not feel very european
at every turn britain proclaims its singularity most countries fly the european flag next to their national flags britain doesnt most of europe uses euros britain uses pounds british airports have a passport line that says british and eu passports british politicians in the last 20 years have increasingly talked about british values and british traditions about what sets britons apart from europeans rather than what they have in common
british people dont speak the same language as other people in the european union   not literally not metaphorically this is a country where one of the main railroad stations waterloo commemorates napoleons defeat by the british where a serious objection to building the channel tunnel was that it might encourage rabid animals to sneak in from france and where beauchamp place in london is pronounced beech am
the idea that things are easily lost in translation is reflected in the opening line of p g wodehouses the luck of the bodkins as a briton confronts the daunting prospect of having to make himself understood on the continent
into the face of the young man who sat on the terrace of the hotel magnifique at cannes wodehouse writes there had crept a look of furtive shame the shifty hangdog look which announces that an englishman is about to talk french
the so called special relationship with the united states isnt providing much comfort to the brexit side these days president obamas recent admonition to vote no in the referendum enraged many people who believe america should stay out of it and let their country think for itself
as for europe some of the british sense of dissonance comes from loss of empire and the countrys complicated feelings about world war ii a moment that showed britain at its shining best while simultaneously stripping it of its position as a major international power and some of it stems simply from an island centric sense of otherness
i might be part of the eu but i live on an island said alan lyon 49 who shovels cullet   broken glass   in a glass factory mr lyons great great grandfather lost both legs in world war i his grandfather fought in world war ii we couldnt mention germany or france around him he hated them so much he said
britains populist tabloids have a long history of slipping happily into anti european remarks up yours delors read a famous headline in 1990 in the sun urging its readers to tell jacques delors then the french head of the european commission to frog off mr delors supported increased european economic integration which the sun did not
prince harry once wore a nazi commandant costume to a party and in 2006 officials specifically warned fans traveling to germany for a soccer match not to do things like shout sieg heil at the referees or to put their fingers under their noses in a way meant to evoke hitlers mustache perhaps the favorite television episode here is one on fawlty towers when a hotel owner played again by mr cleese responds to a group of german guests by lapsing into xenophobic insanity goose stepping around the dining room and referring to prawn cocktail as prawn goebbels you started it he says when the traumatized customers object you invaded poland
the pro brexit side has tapped into anti foreign feeling by conflating the european migrant crisis with what many britons see as a local immigration crisis caused by lax european laws and porous european borders in their view the country is being overrun by foreigners who not only take their jobs and welfare benefits but also bring fundamentally different values into britain
recently britons were appalled at the news that a german comedian who went on television and recited a rude poem about recep tayyip erdogan the turkish president is to be prosecuted under a german law prohibiting the insulting of foreign leaders as a way to thumb its nose at both germany and turkey the influential right leaning spectator magazine started a president erdogan offensive poetry competition inviting readers to submit anti erdogan limericks
the winner was boris johnson the former mayor of london and leader of the brexit campaign who implied in his poem that mr erdogan was overly fond of goats announcing the winner in the magazine douglas murray who organized the competition said the existence of the poem and of mr johnson showed britains superiority over germany which is part of the european union and turkey which would like to be
i think it a wonderful thing that a british political leader has shown that britain will not bow before the putative caliph in ankara he said erdogan may imprison his opponents in turkey chancellor merkel may imprison erdogans critics in germany but in britain we still live and breathe free


frankfurt   the european central bank made no changes on thursday in its program to revive the eurozone economy as it expressed slightly more optimism about the prospects for growth in the region
the lack of any significant policy moves was expected growth in the 19 member eurozone is neither so terrible that it requires a new burst of stimulus from the bank nor so torrid that there is a need to apply the brakes analysts say the european central banks governing council is now expected to pause for a while after several years in which it pushed the boundaries of monetary policy
the bank left its benchmark interest rate at zero where it has been since march it also left intact a penalty rate of minus 04 percent on money that commercial banks keep at the central bank the so called negative interest rate is designed to force commercial banks to lend money rather than hoard it
mario draghi the president of the european central bank said that growth in the eurozone this year would be 16 percent slightly more than earlier forecasts but the banks economists left their growth predictions for 2017 and 2018 unchanged at 17 percent for both years
mr draghi said at a news conference in vienna that although the risks facing the eurozone had declined its not a dramatic effect
the bank has already made aggressive moves in recent months by buying government debt in large quantities and cutting interest rates to their lowest levels this month the bank will expand those measures by buying corporate bonds and by effectively paying banks to lend to businesses all in a bid to spur europes economy
analysts would have been surprised indeed shocked if the bank had taken action on thursday after a monetary policy meeting in vienna one of the governing councils periodic forays outside its base in frankfurt
the bank is also not expected to make any major changes to policy for some time to come the meeting on thursday was a continuation of a series of wait and see events christoph kutt head of interest rate strategy at dz bank in frankfurt said in an email
inflation in the eurozone was minus 01 percent in may according to an official estimate on tuesday still far from the banks official target of 2 percent but a 1 percent increase in the price of services in may as well as a turnaround in oil prices that has pushed them near 50 a barrel from around half that in january signal that overall inflation could rise in months to come
to the disappointment of some analysts the central bank did not raise its inflation forecasts for 2017 and 2018 that is a sign that the bank remains concerned about the risk of deflation a sustained decline in prices that can be disastrous for economic growth and employment
the european central banks charter defines its main job as keeping inflation below 2 percent but not too far below it
another reason the central bank had not been expected to announce new stimulus on thursday is that its previous measures are just going into effect in march it said it would begin buying corporate bonds in an expansion of its so called quantitative easing program a way of pumping money into the economy those purchases are scheduled to begin on june 8
in addition the central bank will begin a program on june 22 intended to address a shortage of credit in countries like italy under some circumstances the european central bank will pay commercial banks to take its money which the banks must lend to customers
the central bank will want to take some time to see how those programs are working analysts said
the eurozone economy is recovering but slowly and unevenly during the first quarter the total value of goods and services produced in the eurozone surpassed the previous peak reached in early 2008 before the region was struck by financial and debt crises
but unemployment remains above 10 percent and is falling only gradually and eurozone growth is not so brisk that economists see any need for the bank to think about removing stimulus to prevent overheating that is in contrast to the federal reserve which is expected to raise interest rates in the united states as early as its next meeting june 14 and 15
along with questions about the direction of the economy there is potential for a new crisis that would push the european central bank to mobilize
britain will hold a referendum on june 23 about whether to remain a member of the european union a vote to quit the union would raise concerns that other members would leave perhaps causing the bloc to fall apart the uncertainty would have an economic effect making businesses cautious about hiring and investing
in such a situation the central bank would be under pressure to intervene once again
mr draghi said on thursday that he and other members of the governing council believed that britain should remain in the european union but if british voters elect to leave he said the ecb is ready for all contingencies


name johan lindeberg
age 59
occupation founder and creative consultant j lindeberg photographer
location williamsburg brooklyn
favorite room the living room of his rental house which has green gray walls and a vladimir kagan sofa where the swedish born clothing designer who recently returned to his namesake brand j lindeberg does his best work i dont like to sit behind a desk   it blocks my mind and my creativity mr lindeberg said for me a sofa is the center point
this room with its dark walls and collection of skull masks feels very masculine do you live alone i think it feels french chic but i separated from my partner a year and a half ago id been living in soho for many years i was kind of tired of traffic and people i changed my environment moved to williamsburg its a very calm street i always like dark walls it makes it somehow tighter and homier
youre known as a partygoer and a night owl how much time do you actually spend at home i actually changed in the last year i used to be out a lot in new york since i moved here after a separation i decided to spend a lot of time at home and think and ground myself and find inspiration on a new level so the house has been very important to me the last year and a half
thats a great photo of john lennon above your fireplace ive always been a massive fan of john lennon and yoko ono their relationship seemed very powerful and connected on all levels john lennon could find that sweet spot where you can create words and songs with integrity and still be big thats something that im always working for to reach a lot of people but still do the art you believe in
you have more candles in here than an anthropologie store the candles are something i grew up with because of the dark winters in sweden even in the summer i put on candles theyre a strong signature for myself and i always have roses with me white roses feel like peace
do you have a favorite fashion y candle brand diptyque fornasetti i actually buy them at ikea


june is a month of weddings and graduations leaving men with the challenge of dressing appropriately without succumbing to the heat here we present five lightweight solutions to this annual sartorial dilemma
the jeffrey rudes label offers a linen suit in black that works for any festive summer occasion guys need a more natural feeling about their formal jackets and that comes with softer construction said mr rudes who started his namesake brand in 2015
another warm weather option is available from ralph lauren a gossamer like formal sport coat in silk with silk pants hermes achieves a similar feel through a different fabric with an unlined cotton and jersey jacket so thin that its almost sheer
from the british designer margaret howell comes a linen shawl collar jacket with a boxy cut its distinctive shape suggests a nonchalant formality and pairing it with a silky pajama shirt emphasizes the effect the single breasted linen and wool blazer and pants from berluti are especially relaxed and easy to wear as well
all of these choices look great with a traditional shirt and tie but summer allows for a loosening of the rules the key is really in the way that a summer outfit is put together mr rudes said


throughout his storied career the versatile director joe mantello 53 has had success with musical spectaculars like wicked and small scale pieces such as dogfight this season two of the plays he directs blackbird and the humans have been nominated for tony awards mr mantellos latest an act of god a comedy written by david javerbaum opens monday at the booth theater the never not busy broadway veteran took a few moments to share five of his fashion favorites
suit i used to be the guy wearing jeans and sneakers to rehearsal i never put a lot of thought into the way i dress but im dressing up more these days because my boyfriend paul marlow does these made to measure custom suits and shirts even before i met paul i did like pieces that were a bit more tailored and to the body but i never had anything custom made before and now when i try my old things i see they dont fit the interesting thing about dressing up is that it has changed the way i interact with the room and made me think about my clothes differently it changes the way i hold myself it changes the way people react to you its kind of opened up a whole new world for me
shirt i tend to like things that are monochromatic pauls aesthetic is that he makes these really incredible dutch waxed cotton shirts with a sort of african print im slowly inching towards that
jacket i have two jackets that i default to one is leather and one is denim and neither costs very much the leather jacket is very dark brown from uniqlo its incredibly comfortable and stylish and people are always staggered to find its from uniqlo the denim jacket is from primark in london which is basically like a uniqlo
shoes theres a wonderful mens clothing store near me called grahame fowler i bought a pair of trickers leather shoes in cordovan they told me in the shop they will last forever and you really feel it
accessory i was given a scarf by a friend the painter mary heilmann shes the best living abstract painter and she did this series of scarves on lighter fabrics that are based off a painting of hers they are really really beautiful marys works often seem very simple but they are exquisite colorful pieces of art and she is just now getting the kind of attention she deserves i believe the moma just bought two of her paintings from the early 90s


new haven   the horizon slowly slipped from view passing beneath the wings of the aero l 39 albatros fighter jet as we launched into a loop over the long island sound upward we climbed   4000 5000 6000 feet   thrusting up into the clear sky like a missile
then eerily near the top of the loop the plane started to tilt backward glued to my seat by the g force i watched the heavens above me become the heavens below me as we were suddenly flying upside down as i craned my neck up to look down at the water only two questions seemed to matter
how will i explain this out of body experience to my friends
will i survive long enough to explain it
it was a sunny wednesday in may and i was on a ride along with the breitling jet team a civilian equivalent of the navy blue angels that functions as a barnstorming unit and promotional tool for breitling watches a swiss aviation centric company that spares no expense in its attempt to dominate the skies
the flight was the climax of a vip day at tweed new haven airport in connecticut on the teams second year of their tour of the united states
the point of the event was to encourage two dozen retailers vip clients and journalists to experience and share breitlings high testosterone brand these watches are not just luxury items but also serious tools for aviators
the classic navitimer starting at 7950 for instance features a circular slide rule that allows pilots to calculate crucial data like average speed fuel consumption and rate of descent the emergency line starting at 15685 has a distress beacon for downed pilots
but for most guests the draw was more primal to live out a childhood fantasy of soaring with the eagles and along the way to test the limits of ones stomach
after a buffet lunch steak naturally the seven of us selected for the days final ride donned black flight suits and sat through a brief but unsettling instruction on the use of an ejection seat and parachute
fitted with yellow crash helmets we headed for the jets flown mostly by french ex fighter pilots the captain of my ship was christophe deketelaere or douky he flew jaguar and alpha jets for the armee de lair before signing on with breitling in top gun fashion i would play goose to his maverick occupying the rear seat of a two passenger czech built aero l 39
squeezing into an l 39 is a far cry from nestling into coach class on a 767 theres hardly any airplane around you its all plexiglas canopy and implicit power you feel as if youre straddling a missile
the l 39 did feature at least one commercial airline courtesy a paper bag tucked above the instrument panel should you need to vomit goose would never lose his lunch i reassured myself
i was heartened by how smooth takeoff felt the seven jets floated into a tight v formation and soon we were passing over the connecticut coastline
any sense that this would be a joy ride was dashed the second we launched into our first loop maintaining our wingtip to wingtip formation with the precision of olympic synchronized swimmers
the first half of a loop is actually not bad your 7340 pound exoskeleton seems to slip away as you suddenly feel like youre floating weightless
the second half of the loop however is like a gut wrenching death plunge on a 4000 foot roller coaster at four gs your vision grows blurry and your inner organs feel as if they are being vacuumed out a small hole in your back goose would never lose his lunch i reminded myself
our first loop was followed by a second i eyed the bag nervously
i had little time to recover our wings had barely leveled after a barrell roll when doukys voice crackled over the intercom alex you want to take the next one
when in rome i answered gingerly laying my fingers on the stick and pushing gently toward the left as obedient as a golden retriever the l 39 tilted into a second barrel roll our wings had not yet tipped 90 degrees when another impulse arose within me one that superseded my taste for once in a lifetime adventure
you finish it i said with a wheeze releasing the stick and reaching for the bag douky completed the second roll and took pity on me for the remaining four minutes of the 16 minute flight
as we floated gently back toward the runway my nausea receded and a profound sense of satisfaction came over me
did i survive of course
did i love it of course
did i figure out how to explain the experience to friends im not sure thats possible
if nothing else though i learned why they call it a bucket list


langley british columbia   the place smelled of rebuilding   cut lumber and sawdust the electrical scent of power tools the former nhl enforcer stephen peat 36 stood with his father walter inside a maze of studded walls that formed the shell of their new house it was being built to replace the home that stephen burned down last year
it was here in the back of the garage stephen said where he left the blowtorch unattended it was up there in the bedroom above walter said where he was startled awake and escaped down the stairs
within minutes the two story house on a suburban corner bought years ago with money stephen made mostly for beating up opponents in the nhl was engulfed in flames that lit the black sky and pulled neighbors from their homes days later stephen peat was arrested and charged with arson
part of me was like i want to sit and burn with this house stephen peat said because i knew the consequences of doing something like that and embarrassing myself like that it wasnt my first tragedy in life you know
he excused himself his head hurt and he wanted tylenol and a coke from his truck these days sugar was as much an antidote as acetaminophen
thats how he is walter said his son out of earshot he cant focus hell be cooking something will answer the phone and walk away im like stephen you left the stove on
a couple of days earlier stephen missed a turn and got lost on his way to the recreation center where he goes nearly every day a week before walter heard muffled cries for help and found stephen pinned underneath his pickup truck stephen was fixing something but had not set the jack properly
walter peat 64 the head saw filer at a sawmill here in the suburbs of vancouver worries every day about the son he barely recognizes he worries mostly that stephen will be another nhl enforcer dead before turning 50 the list just since 2010 includes bob probert derek boogaard rick rypien wade belak steve montador and todd ewen
the peats cannot be sure but they presume that stephens problems are rooted in concussions perhaps like several of the dead enforcers and roughly 100 former nfl players one day he will be found to have chronic traumatic encephalopathy the degenerative brain disease caused by repeated blows to the head
for now it cannot be accurately diagnosed until death but peat and his father worry that he has it the symptoms often associated with cte   memory loss depression impulsiveness addiction headaches   are part of stephen peats daily life
walter peat a widower overseeing the rebuilding of a house his son set on fire views himself as the last line of defense for his erratic sons uncertain future
he recently reached out to len boogaard dereks father who has spent time since his sons death in 2011 investigating his final years boogaard 28 and under contract with the rangers was found dead of an accidental overdose of oxycodone and alcohol
what im going through is what he did before his son passed away walter peat said
stephen peat last played in the nhl in 2005 6 he has spent most of the years since unable to hold a steady job and fighting off legal trouble   a couple of times from bar and street fights and currently from accusations of theft possession of stolen property and resisting or obstructing a peace officer peat says his only involvement in the latest episode was as a driver who unwittingly gave someone else a getaway ride
the headaches peat said began in earnest a year or two after his playing career ended they often begin shortly after he awakens in the morning and sometimes force him to stay in dark quiet rooms occasionally for days on end doctors and ct scans have been unable to diagnose the problem
i cant sleep on my right side peat said if i do it feels like someone who weighs 200 pounds is standing on my face right here
he put his meaty hand to his left cheek and temple does he think the headaches are related to concussions or the fighting he did in hockey
i dont know he said the reason i assume it is is the blows to the head
he turned his shoulder forward in a boxing stance his left fist in front of his chin and his right fist cocked behind his ear it was the position he took for dozens of on ice fights beginning as a teenager in the western hockey league
im a right handed fighter right he said and all the blows were to the left side of my head thats where all my pain is so thats my uneducated guess what other blows have i taken
over lunch and a couple of beers peat did not look and sound like someone to fear his cheerful voice is an octave higher than expected and his sentences run without punctuation he made jokes and smiled he was in a good stretch
with a bit of a paunch on his 6 foot 3 inch 220 pound frame he wore jeans a white t shirt white nikes and a black los angeles dodgers hat with a flat brim a few days of stubble almost overgrew a soul patch under his lip like weeds overtaking a garden
over two days at several restaurants he was regularly surrounded by televisions showing hockey   it is canada after all and it was the nhl playoffs   yet peat never paid attention the number of fights in the nhl has dropped in half since peats last full season in 2003 4 to 344 fights this past regular season according to hockeyfightscom peats was a prized popular punch throwing role being nudged slowly out of the game
hockeys been the greatest thing in my life but its also been the worst thing in my life peat said it was great while i was playing but what has it done lately my peers of enforcers have become statistics and the nhl is in denial theyre denying that the job i did even existed even though i sacrificed my quality of life my well being and my future greatly by being there for my teammates in the present
i dont think the coaches or anyone was thinking of me 10 years down the road when they were pushing me out there to fight you know what i mean
walter peat described stephen as a straight a student as a child and a high scoring defenseman for the local youth teams walters big regret was letting 15 year old stephen go to the rough and tumble western hockey league when he was drafted third over all in the 1995 whl bantam draft instead of college peats education ended before he finished high school peat entered the whl as a high scoring defenseman and exited as a fist first wing
drafted into the nhl in 1998 32nd over all by anaheim peat eventually spent several seasons protecting star players for the washington capitals like jaromir jagr peter bondra adam oates and briefly alex ovechkin he fought dozens of times against the likes of donald brashear todd fedoruk and jody shelley his 2002 fight against bostons p j stock is still recalled as that seasons best
the canceled nhl season of 2004 5 interrupted peats career and injuries   to his pelvis to his neck a broken hand   knocked him out of the league a year later peat found odd jobs including one as a bouncer headaches became a constant companion he said
peat said that he was prescribed percocet routinely by team doctors in the nhl and spent years after he left the game self medicating with prescription painkillers that he got from doctors or bought off the street he admitted to cocaine use too and still consumes alcohol he believes that his primary problem is not addiction but pain
after the deaths of boogaard belak and rypien followed closely by the death of his mother to liver failure after years of cancer peat said he contacted the nhl players association
you start to feel like everyone i touch is dying peat said my mom died the guys i played hockey with are dying and then i start looking in the mirror being like what did i do last night is something wrong with me are my headaches leading to something worse am i getting better am i getting worse 
that call led peat into rehabilitation through the leagues substance abuse and behavioral health program overseen jointly by the nhl and the players union the nhls players emergency assistance fund meant as temporary relief for struggling former players provided a few monthly payments peat said
he returned to rehabilitation in 2015 after he was charged with arson
why are you sending me to rehab again he said of his reaction last year i was just trying to find an answer to my pain
his father cut in
they need to figure out the root cause of his pain not just try to get him off of the pills walter said
stephen peat said he viewed prescription pills as a last resort i know i can go grab five percocets and sit around all day he said thats just lazy i know there are better ways he finds temporary relief in saunas and hot tubs massages and acupuncture but he struggles to regularly afford them he has studied natural remedies and diets when he feels the headaches surging he reaches for a coke he keeps oh henry candy bars in the refrigerator
i actually hate to admit but have had to take pills again he wrote in a follow up to the in person interviews saying headaches had been awful since just extra strength tylenol and advil 400s but it still scares me cause thats how it starts again
while some former enforcers who have died in recent years took their own lives peat said he would not at least not intentionally
i dont think im the kind of person who could pull that trigger he said but im the type of person who could drive a car 200 miles per hour and lose control and end it that way i get reckless with my life i think that points to the fact that i fought for my teammates and i was reckless with my own body i had to self sacrifice for my teammates right
anxiety is another frequent visitor peat prefers to drive his gmc pickup everywhere rather than sharing a ride because he wants the freedom to leave at any time waiting for his father to meet him at a restaurant he called him several times within an hour to check on his progress even though the meeting time had not passed hey buddy where are you he asked calling his father either buddy or wally
he admitted to sometimes waking up in tears he often thinks that nearby parked cars are occupied by people watching him
ive been studying concussions and some of the symptoms are things like anxiety and recklessness peat said im like wait   i have all these symptoms i just wonder if i could get rid of the headaches if all those other things will go away
on a warm spring afternoon the sun made long shadows on the construction site workers had left for the day walter and stephen walked the plywood floors discussing everything from plumbing to window placements somehow the burning down of the family house had brought the father and son closer together
the two said that walter was upstairs in bed after 10 pm on march 17 2015 stephen was in the garage which was unusually packed with furniture and boxes because the peats had cleared a spare downstairs room to rent stephen said that he had pulled stereo equipment from his truck parked on the street to fix on the workbench
unable to find a soldering gun he used a blowtorch he said and set it down as he walked back outside unaware that it was still lit it burned a hole in a nearby mattress stephen said and when he tried to pat it out with a blanket flames erupted they quickly filled the garage and engulfed much of the house
standing in the reconstructed garage together recently walter and stephen had contradicting memories of what happened next it was as if they had never talked it through
walter recalled waking up to an explosion perhaps the gas tank of an atv destroyed in the garage and seeing a glow out the window stephen said that he ran upstairs and alerted his father of the fire walter remembered finding the family dog a jack russell terrier named dawson under the bed then carrying him downstairs but said he never saw stephen stephen said that the two talked in the driveway with walter screaming at him
what did you do now stephen stephen recalled his father shouting
they both dismissed early news reports that said the two were heard by neighbors arguing earlier in the day the peats said that stephen was out of town all day and arrived home that night after walter was in bed stephen disputed the account of a witness who said he saw stephen intentionally setting the fire walter sided with his son
stephen left the scene on foot   stopping to direct a fire engine unsuccessfully navigating the knot of suburban streets he said   and went to a friends house when he turned himself in a couple of days later he was placed in custody and charged with two counts of arson walter and stephen were placed under a no contact order and did not communicate for weeks stephen peat went off to rehabilitation for 10 weeks
the house was uninhabitable the tenant gone at the time of the fire lost his belongings including a truck in the driveway and later sued stephen peat in civil court he was awarded 17455 canadian dollars or 13343 but peat said he does not have the money to pay the tenant did not respond to a message seeking comment
news that a former nhl player set fire to his fathers house spread quickly in february to avoid the publicity of a trial stephen peat said he pleaded guilty to one count of arson in relation to inhabited property and a lesser count of arson by negligence he was sentenced to a years probation
the peats have bounced between the homes of friends and family waiting for the house to be rebuilt stephen would like to work at a harley davidson store where he can put his encyclopedic knowledge of motorcycles to good use he recently began working a landscaping job
but it is hard to build relationships when you are known widely as the nhl guy who burned down his fathers house he said his best friend it seems is the dog dawson
dawsons the one thing that actually pulls him out of it because he demands that you walk him walter peat said hes a little angel that guy
stephen said he calms me when my hearts really going
walter peat is frustrated that many of those close to stephen have dismissed him as nothing but a troublemaker but he is mostly frustrated at the nhl and hockey at large for what he sees as putting his son in a discard pile
the peats are closely tracking the class action lawsuit against the nhl brought by players saying that the league concealed information about the dangers of concussions
right now it seems like a battle we are losing but i will spend the rest of my life standing up for my son as i believe he is a good young man who needs help walter peat wrote in an email very sad that he has to resort to painkillers alcohol and whatever means he can find to deal with his pain
more than anything he misses that twinkle and smile walter peat said in another message he looks fine but who can say what is going on in a brain damaged head


the notorious big rapped about coogi sweaters but when he needed a suit he went to guy wood since 1992 under the name 5001 flavors mr wood has supplied custom tailored suits and outerwear to a high profile clientele that includes jay z lebron james fat joe and will smith
whatever you thought of we could make come to life mr wood said no longer did you have to run along and shop for something that didnt exist in 2012 with family members and a friend he opened harlem haberdashery at 245 lenox avenue malcolm x boulevard the store offers everything from richly brocaded suits to statement caps that read billionaire new york
you have unique motorcycle jackets
well take a fabric thats not for a motorcycle jacket and convert it we do this neoprene one with a tartan plaid print fabolous has it i even do one in white wool i source my leathers all locally in the fashion district and certain tanneries but i cant give away all my secrets
do you make your own line of denim
yes its raw selvage denim this is our slim fitting jean that you can wear with a dress shoe what happened is that hip hop has grown up its very on trend and fashionable now everyone wants to be cleaned up slimmer trouser cleaner shirt not four times the size that fits that trend has died it will be back in 25 years
do you have a background in tailoring
my mother was a seamstress i picked up the knack i stick to the basics jackets may have gotten shorter but im not trying to get a hood on your blazer maybe for a video but for your personal style you want something simple something that you can wear again i can put your name in lights on the back of a jacket but will you wear that again
do you also run the line billionaire new york
billionaire new york is my son guy jr its all made in the same factory his is more evening glitz hes the bling i might do a regular tuxedo jacket but hell take it to another level hes vegas i might be atlantic city


every now and then a movie succeeds as much because of its style   the clothes the cars the hair   as its story when a guys coolness leaps out from the screen there is usually a sexy actor whose sense of style matches how dangerous his character is steve mcqueen in his black turtleneck holsters on display in bullitt ryan gosling in a retro bomber jacket with a scorpion on the back in drive
add to the list ralph fiennes for his role in the italian thriller a bigger splash
mr fiennes plays harry hawkes a shady music producer who goes on vacation with his rock star former girlfriend tilda swinton and her new boyfriend matthias schoenaerts packing his bag full of high priced designer clothes and bringing along with him heaps of trouble
to help set the mood of the film   which owes a possible debt to la piscine the 1969 jacques deray study of murder and mayhem starring alain delon and jane birkin   there were 1940s inspired linen shirts made for mr fiennes at charvet the famed paris clothing shop billowing trousers from m bardelli the classic milanese tailor and one distinctive white green and gray short sleeve shirt from christophe lemaire that the actor wears while dancing around the house to the rolling stones hit emotional rescue
naturally mr fiennes leaves the shirt open   the better to show off his well maintained 53 year old torso and to convey a mischievous sexuality
according to luca guadagnino the director of a bigger splash the overarching concept was for the clothes to be a second skin for mr fiennes helping him become someone playful and loose but also sophisticated and urban
and mr guadagnino was clearly pleased that mr lemaire sent the sample of the shirt to his costume designer giulia piersanti having become a fan of the designer sometime around 2010
back then mr lemaire was designing for hermes and mr guadagnino had just finished i am love his couture clad collaboration with ms swinton that has become a favorite among the fashion set many of ms swintons costumes in i am love and a bigger splash were designed by raf simons the former creative director of jil sander and dior
in all my work the costumes are extremely carefully considered said mr guadagnino a palermo born 44 year old who besides writing and directing films about people finding ways to destroy one another has directed tv commercials for dkny and fendi
he appears frequently at fashion events in zip up maison margiela sweaters and floral gucci jackets of the kind that suggest a certain continental effortlessness though the prices indicate otherwise
in fact his real life aesthetic is not so far off that of the villain in his latest film although mr guadagnino is less inclined toward public displays of nudity than mr fienness character is
was it difficult to persuade mr fiennes to make that particular fashion choice
ralph is one of the greatest actors of the second half of the 20th century and beginning of the 21st mr guadagnino said sounding as if this was the stupidest thing he had ever been asked so no


this week the painter eric fischl hopes to holds a mirror up to the frenzy of new yorks art fair season capped by the opening tomorrow of frieze new york with rift raft his new solo show at skarstedt gallery like this body of work the fair circuit is relatively new to fischl i started going to art fairs about four years ago for research i had always tried to stay away from them fischl says its like speed dating there is nothing particularly pleasant or accurate about it people are consuming art based on name recognition or some sort of sense of get in quickly mentality it was easy to rationalize going because i felt like a spy
hung on both stories of skarstedts upper east side townhouse fischls paintings portray a fantastical world populated by disenchanted figures staring into the voids of their cellphone screens fischls well heeled characters remain unfazed by the onslaught of look at me colors and purposefully provocative images you have artists who are asking you to connect with them and then you have people who arent paying any attention to that plea but are instead looking elsewhere i think that really talks to a reality that is everywhere we are in our bodies and out of our minds fischl says i think over time artists have become even more extreme its gotten stranger and stranger and it still doesnt seem to matter because people are more interested in something else
amid the claustrophobic carnival of false walls and people familiar images begin to appear in fischls landscapes a tom wesselmann nude a keith haring dog a bare bottomed sarah lucas sculpture i was choosing work because of what it triggered in me fischl says of his curatorial choices some of it i admire some of it i think is silly his own work isnt exempt girl with doll a seminal piece from his 80s heyday makes an appearance too
the depiction and commodification of the female body complicates several of fischls compositions a painting titled she says can i help you he says it cant be helped depicts a man looking at a female form through the barrel of his iphone   presumably snapping a picture to marinate on later these binaries pop up again and again the apprehensive female exhibitor standing alongside the brazenly topless cartoon the old man transfixed by the dazed young woman i think that its something that was in the early work themes of my life themes of my art are about connection about the longing for connection its about needs and desires fischl says this summer in the hamptons fischls first foray into the female form will be on view at the parrish art museums upcoming exhibition unfinished business paintings from the 1970s and 1980s by ross bleckner eric fischl and david salle basically these are stories about men and women boys and girls and trying to figure that whole thing out   art that is sort of about females and objects of desire and the awkwardness around that


this years monthlong london festival of architecture has just kicked off with over 200 events taking place across the capital from thought provoking exhibitions to silly cycling tours hands on workshops to lively debates architects will be exploring the admittedly broad theme of community how we live and work together and connect with the cityscape here our top picks of the events not to miss
think the hit television series the great british bake off but instead of aspiring chefs the contestants are architects whose task is to recreate the worlds most iconic buildings in cake part of the open studios series which sees over 50 london practices open their doors to the public and hosted by watg design consultants the event will have architects   including zaha hadid architects squire and partners and tom dixons design research studio   battle it out in fitzroy square to be crowned the winner of the best architectural baker trophy last years entries included tower bridge with a cake flotilla and a serpentine pavilion made out of jelly   so the stakes are high june 11 architecturaldiaryorg
what would a typical cottage terraced house or apartment look like if they were reimagined to take into account the way we live and work today thats the question being addressed by six contemporary architecture practices jamie fobert architects mae maison edouard francois mecanoo studio weave and vppr in this royal institute of british architects exhibition using the riba collections as a starting point each practice has created its own reinterpretation of a dwelling whether that means turning a terrace into a linear collection of individual homes or looking at how cottages that once housed the working class are now seen as the height of luxury its a fascinating look at the possibilities for the future of housing in britain through aug 29 architecturecom
one of the best ways to explore is on foot and these three tours cover everything from the kings cross renaissance   europes largest city center regeneration scheme which has transformed a once gritty part of north london into a hip enclave with street food markets and dozens of restaurants and bars   to postwar art and architecture along the south bank of the river thames titled art on the river and led by the art guide alexandra epps dont miss the new london walking tour a look at the legacy of the buildings and public spaces in the queen elizabeth olympic park either kings cross renaissance june 4 and 25 july 16 and 30 open cityorguk art on the river june 4 architecturediaryorg new london walking tour june 18 architecturediaryorg
mayfairs grade i listed 19th century st marks church is usually closed to the public and is also about to undergo extensive restoration works but throughout june it will be opening its doors allowing visitors to peer inside and learn about the buildings history plus at the beginning of the month its transforming into a pop up cinema showing crowd pleasers like moulin rouge and purple rain meanwhile over on the south bank a tour of denys lasduns iconic brutalist national theatre examines the outside of this divisive london landmark st marks cinema runs until june 5 and is open until june 30 architecturediaryorg national theatre tours run june 4 25 architecturediaryorg
for the last four years the australian comedian tim ross and musician kit warhurst have taken over architecturally important spaces across the globe to present their award winning show man about now for their london premiere they are celebrating the 20th anniversary of the public opening of erno goldfingers 1939 modernist masterpiece home in hampstead by turning it into a temporary performance space for two nights only expect storytelling songs and lots of laughs other venues for the show during the festival include australia house and the bt tower june 13 14 nationaltrustorguk


want to get this briefing by email heres the sign up
good evening heres the latest
1 hillary clinton launched a blistering attack on donald trump she called his foreign policy ideas dangerously incoherent and said he could lead the country into war just because somebody got under his very thin skin but the republican establishment continued closing ranks the house speaker paul ryan finally endorsed mr trump and karl rove who has called mr trump a complete idiot has met with him

2 federal regulators are trying to rein in the payday loan industry which has trapped many lower income americans in a cycle of debt new rules that could go into effect next year include a limit on the number of times that borrowers can roll over their short term loans into newer pricier ones lenders could fight the constraints in court

3 the official cause of princes death was an accidental overdose of a painkiller many times more powerful than heroin the coroners report delayed for weeks until a toxicology report could be completed specified fentanyl a synthetic painkiller given much of the blame for the high mortality rate of the opioid epidemic

4 the nba finals feature the same teams as they did last year but this years series isnt your basic rematch the defending champion the golden state warriors and the cleveland cavaliers have both evolved with the cavaliers better equipped to match the warriors shooting but the cavs didnt show evidence of that in game 1 when they lost 104 89 despite limiting stephen curry the warriors guard to just 11 points

5 big news for opera fans the metropolitan opera named a successor to james levine its first leadership transition in decades the new guy is yannick nezet seguin 41 widely regarded as a brilliant conductor but the met faces a long wait for his attention he does not officially begin until the 2020 21 season   and plans to remain as artistic director at the philadelphia orchestra

6 president francois hollande declared a natural disaster for the region around paris as days of torrential rain sent the seine 18 feet above its typical level the louvre and musee dorsay prepared to evacuate some of their masterpieces the storm system which caused flooding in much of central and northeastern france also inundated southwestern germany killing at least nine

7 the former graduate student who fatally shot this professor at ucla and then killed himself on wednesday is suspected in another homicide police officers who searched his residence in minnesota found a list of people he apparently intended to kill officers then found one of them a woman shot to death at her nearby home

8 germany passed a symbolic resolution calling the killings of armenians by ottoman turks in the early 20th century genocide the move strains relations at a time when europe needs turkeys help in managing the migrant crisis the turkish government denounced the vote as null and void

9 elizabeth holmes the founder of the blood testing company theranos and the rare self made female billionaire was ignominiously jettisoned from the heights of forbess richest lists the magazine sharply lowered its valuation of theranos noting questions about the accuracy of its tests and a welter of investigations and put ms holmess net value at zero   down from 45 billion

10 a special neighborhood has been growing in the upper reaches of new york citys skyscrapers this week our magazine ascends into the rarefied living spaces offices and construction sites above 800 feet its denizens are proud sometimes rivalrous occasionally poetic and at least in one case humble you realize how small you are and how big the world is said a man who sees the city from the 85th floor of 1 world trade

11 and finally theres a show worth watching even higher than that thanks to a celestial alignment saturn will be visible all night the best time to see it will be after midnight local time when the ringed planet will hang highest look for a golden orb just to the left of mars a crimson dot and saturn will remain visible if not as perfectly through the summer

dolores morrison contributed
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for the next three days in berlin residents and visitors can order decidedly unconventional floral posies   variously inspired by pigeons nests deep sea creatures and the petroleum industry   for delivery the five ephemeral flower sculptures on offer each designed by an artist exhibiting in the citys biennale and priced between 70 and 80 function as a sort of interflora for the conceptual set flora powers is not meant to be anything more lofty than a flower delivery service explains andrea hill of paloma powers the irreverent creative agency that has produced the project flowers are a very personal gift and their delivery is a great moment to celebrate alongside the artists exhibiting in the berlin biennale
contemporary artists from jeff koons to taryn simon have worked with flowers in exhibition contexts but hill believes this is the first attempt at an experimental artist led flower delivery service its a bit more utilitarian she notes while the care that goes into them is every bit as much as a floral sculpture would have their circulation is much more that of an arrangement or a bouquet once theyve been delivered to someone its up to them what they do
the arrangements boast a variety of unusual elements both asger carlsen and rachel de joode created their own vessels he out of expanding polymer foam and she of hand squished ceramic while sara ludys tnj bouquet combines tentacles of amaranthus with pungent garlic scapes amalia ulmans composition evokes a pigeons scrappy nest and in monira al qadiris cosa nostra flowers protrude from a giant artificial pearl with a gasoline like luster that recalls the artists work on petroleum industries in the gulf
the artists designs have been realized by the vilnius based florists buketai run by the sisters aurime and igne aleksandraviciutes who use flowers as a vehicle to deliver a message or an idea in their arrangements and look aurime adds excitedly now we are in berlin making arrangements with cigarette butts tucked in with babys breath and creating vases from expanding foam
beyond the challenging aesthetic of the projects hill says she sees the delivery itself as an element of performance that suggests one of many fields for further exploration in the flora powers project were very open to doing this again in other cities and with other artists she notes see all five projects in the slide show above


times insider shares historic insights from the new york times in this piece david w dunlap a metro reporter looks back at the 50 year career of rudolph stocker
while everyone has been talking about the future of the new york times the past slipped out the door
rudolph stocker was the last printer at the times working under a guaranteed lifetime contract the last times employee who knew how to operate a linotype casting machine the last journeyman of the old international typographical union and its new york local no 6 a bargaining unit that was once so powerful and important that everyone in the newspaper business knew it simply as big six
on may 18 mr stocker who is 78 said goodbye to his friends around the 11th floor publishing distribution center   the closest thing to a composing room in the digital age   and left the times with no more ceremony than that through his colleagues he made it known that he was not interested in a valedictory interview
mr stocker deserves a deep bow all the same not just for his 50 years of service but for what he represents thousands of blue collar craft workers who cared as much as any journalist about how the new york times read and how it looked
the legacy endures in our printing plant at college point queens but at the white collar mid manhattan headquarters weve lost a living link to the days when each word was set in molten lead
that said computers were threatening big six even before mr stocker arrived
staggered by their losses during a 114 day strike led by new york typographical union no 6 from late 1962 to early 1963 the citys publishers resolved to begin automating their composing rooms as quickly as possible just as quickly the union shops or chapels began pushing back
arthur ochs sulzberger newly installed as publisher tried at first to soothe the timess chapel
you will remember that my grandfather adolph ochs was raised as a printer mr sulzberger told p j murphy the chapel secretary in an august 1963 letter i can assure you that his pride at being a member of your craft is a part of our family tradition
in july 1964 however the general foreman george lapolla announced unilaterally that the times intended to install an ibm 1620 in the fourth floor composing room within the month
we must take advantage of the best printing technology available he wrote to bertram a powers the president of big six and jack weiss the chapel chairman we do not believe that the computer need represent any threat to times printers
fooling exactly no one
please be advised that the union does not agree that this may be done unless agreement to do so is reached between the parties to the contract mr powers wrote back to mr lapolla these letters come from the archive of the printer carl schlesinger who was a big six representative at the time
into this protracted limbo mr stocker arrived in october 1965 when he formally began his apprenticeship on june 5 1966 he was granted a full time situation in the timess chapel   distinct from substitute printers who worked in one shop or another as publishers needs dictated
the steampunk machine that mr stocker mastered was called a linotype because it cast one line of type at a time at the stroke of a key on a peculiar looking keyboard the first two rows spelled e t a o i n s h r d l u little brass molds dropped down chutes in an overhead magazine once a full line was assembled the molds were shunted into a casting mechanism where they received a dollop of molten lead as it solidified the lead line was ejected into a waiting steel tray while the molds were recycled back into the magazine
victorian technology for the space age
you can understand why the times was thinking ibm
but it would not be until july 1974 that big six and the times and daily news reached a landmark agreement their new contract freed the publishers to introduce automation while effectively guaranteeing lifetime job security to 1785 situation holders and full time substitutes 810 of whom were at the times   mr stocker included
were going to see more changes in the next 10 years than any working men have ever seen mr powers said
he did not overstate the case within four years the times had fully converted to photocomposition the battery of linotype machines was used for the last time to set the paper of july 2 1978 an event captured in the documentary farewell etaoin shrdlu
mr stockers career however was just beginning
rudy was an expert proofreader his colleague barbara natusch recalled and transferred his skills from operating a linotype machine to producing ads for the paper on a mac using indesign and photoshop
he also enjoyed reminiscing about his apprenticeship at the times she said and his involvement in 1971 with the production of the pentagon papers the pulitzer prize winning series based on a classified government history of the vietnam war was produced under such a veil of secrecy that a special mini composing room was built on the ninth floor of the headquarters at 229 west 43rd street
the retiring of the last old hire itu worker should be a story in the newspaper said kurt ochshorn another colleague of mr stocker
hes right of course if only we had a linotype machine to set it
and mr stocker to man the keyboard


it started when i was a teenager i became really interested in playing with makeup in the same way i would with any art supply says the artist erica prince 30 as she leads me up the stairs to in limbo the airy williamsburg apartment cum gallery has been transformed into a temporary beauty parlor where through june 5 prince is seeking participants for the transformational makeover salon each brave soul visits the gallery alone and after a consultation receives a new look for the artist who typically works in drawing and sculpture this sort of intimate performance is a departure from her usual practice the idea of doing a relational project really scared me at first but its been amazing to get away from my studio and out of my solitary conversation with myself she says its an exercise in being present
before the makeover begins i fill out a questionnaire the size of a diner place mat noting my eye color blue least favorite thing about myself im terrible at posing for photos and the book im currently reading the story of my teeth although the form asks for a few faults and flaws prince emphasizes that the goal of the makeover isnt to make me look my best instead its an opportunity to consider my everyday self from a distance   more mrs doubtfire than my fair lady in movie makeover terms i like to preface these things by saying its not about beauty its an opportunity to experiment she assures me theres some relationship to self betterment but in an indirect abstract way
prince asks me to take a before selfie and leaves to give me some privacy while i pose reminding me of a doctor ducking out of an exam room so i can change into a paper gown my selfies are a little awkward then as instructed i sit in the salon chair facing away from the mirror
as prince cleans my face with a tissue i tell her that my boyfriend often says i look better without makeup in a tone i hope conveys that his compliment is a little lame prince has heard many variations of this story over the course of the project these confidences are the currency of the salon and participants in the project are eager to share their beauty confessions another common complaint is parents who felt that makeup was tantamount to superficiality not something smart people ought to enjoy that wasnt the case in princes childhood home where her mother was often visited by the mary kay lady the sales calls left prince with a vivid impression of the powerful role cosmetics could play in constructing an identity our mary kay lady had a picture of herself without any makeup on inside her display honestly she looked terrible she says i remember looking back and forth between her and the picture and thinking thats what you really look like but this is how youre portraying yourself amazing
prince applies creams and powders from a product filled trolley that once stored her more traditional art supplies ive long ago lost track of how many layers of color have been used but my face feels perceptibly heavier transformational makeovers can last anywhere from a few minutes for a small appearance adjustment to over an hour for a full face of makeup so far almost 30 women and men have participated including makeovers during the projects earlier iteration in 2014 for one guy i just switched the part in his hair from left to right prince tells me as she traces my eyelid with dark pencil actually it was a huge change for him
suddenly its time for the final touches a wig cap which makes me feel oddly glamorous topped with a glossy shoulder length wig as the big reveal approaches i start to get nervous everybody responds differently says prince some people are really quiet some people start laughing because theyre in a state of shock often people feel like theyre not looking at themselves anymore
i tell myself i wont gasp and cover my mouth when i look in the mirror but i do it anyway the extra moment it takes me to recognize my own reflection is profoundly disorienting im looking at a stranger prince has broken a cardinal rule of makeup bilateral symmetry my face is unevenly divided between two clashing shades of foundation and my lipstick switches abruptly from blue black to crimson my eyebrows are definitely not twins   theyre not even third cousins the overall effect is part punk part glam and undeniably fierce
as i try out my best rock and roll sneer for the after selfie i realize how boring and safe my daily look has become my devotion to all things sheer natural and minimal now seems less refined and more like a failure of imagination you might hate this but at least it will be an experience that helps you gain perspective prince assures me my goal is that people walk down the street afterward slightly flustered and more aware of their surroundings but i dont hate it i borrow the wig and wear it on the g train all the way home


what if everything we think is real is just an illusion began a o scotts review of the 1973 made for german tv movie by rainer werner fassbinder welt am draht in english world on a wire now the title of that sci fi film has been repurposed by the collector julia stoschek for the inaugural show in her new berlin space which brings together a contingent of multimedia artists who are likewise reevaluating the meaning of reality   this time in the digital era the works   which include videos live simulations performances and sculptures   range from satirical cultural commentaries to visualizations of future metropolises here three of the creators all born in the mid 80s explain their contributions
britta thie
thie rattles off a list of her different pieces in welt am draht   theres a three channel video installation of infomercials that advertise freelance labor the soundtrack to her recently produced web series translantics and six banners made of polyester mesh and synthetic satin displaying phrases plucked from the shows narration   before segueing into her love of netflixs offerings she notes the weird deep relationships that are formed between viewers and serial dramas the longer we watch something the more our lives take on elements from the lives represented
but she adds being german and watching all these american television shows sometimes i feel that when i speak english im just copying and pasting dialogue   i call it the netflixication of life i am adapting jokes or fictional personalities in private rendering her everyday experiences slightly inauthentic she addresses this separation head on and also tackles the absurdity of commercials my peers and i are doing creative labor as freelancers and it is expected that we are just as pro as a start up bro so we turn into brands   thus turning our lives into their own comedies sometimes
rachel rose
the formally trained painter abandoned the medium after feeling endlessly up against a wall she says i couldnt figure out how to use painting as a tool for all of the topics that i thought were so urgent to explore   so she switched to documentary filmmaking however in lieu of straightforward chronicling the new york based rose compresses subjects and her own sentiments her post hurricane sandy and global warming related anxieties sparked the making of a minute ago featured in the stoschek exhibition
id noticed how much of the buildings and architecture in the city is glass such a permeable fragile material thats meant to make us feel protected and that led me to be interested in where this came from which led me to the international style and then from there to one of its symbols philip johnsons glass house and which i saw through the lens of my unease around weather catastrophe she says the short collagelike video focuses on the time ahead of during and following a catastrophic transitional ent rose shot her other entrant palisades in palisades in new jerseys palisades interstate park a location she picked in part because the small green space could fit in one frame she soon learned it had been the site of the battle of fort lee and her resulting video travels through the materiality of the things we know   bodies skin clothes grass park
timur si qin
si qins welt am draht pieces span three bodies of work and five years   and illustrate both his techniques refinement and his continual fixation on symbols born in berlin to a german mother and an mongolian chinese father and raised in arizona when his mother married an apache man the artist directed his attention to the regularities between cultures and how commercial imagery is often such a peculiar regularity he says im interested in moving away from a psychoanalytic paradigm of art interpretation in which signs can often be arbitrarily associated with meanings   and any commercial image is interpreted as a signifier of capitalism   but images can be stripped of meaning revealing their lack of essence
his selection display ancestral prayer from 2011 comprises a cosmetics campaign like photo on panels and flanked by buddhist prayer flags and his latest tableaux depict fictional brands as ways to reach a spiritual state of awareness i really dont expect people to get all of the stuff that i read into my work si qin admits im also trying to make an aesthetic experience and i hope that bridges the gap   or encourages other to look into it more


since launching her eponymous line in 2012 the designer shaina mote has won die hard fans who rely on the los angeles based label for its versatile elevated basics those fans however have had to fend for themselves in the swimwear category   until now today mote launches a capsule line of swimwear that stays true to the distinctive functional aesthetic shes perfected in her main line the expansion was borne out of motes struggle to find a suit that fit into her own life i felt there was a little bit of a void for a type of swimwear that can be used in an active environment as well as one thats leisurely she says to fulfill that mandate mote created a six piece collection which was inspired by the clean lines found in the work of the mexican architect luis barragan one innovation she struck upon she eliminated the top stitch typically found on swimsuits so that each style would mesh into the body and lie more flush with the skin with so much attention paid to the fit and cut its no wonder mote decided to keep the color palette as simple as possible every piece in the line which has been crafted from dead stock italian fabric is black i wanted to make sure i was presenting the customer with something that was really accessible and travels well she says since this is my first swimwear collection i really wanted to nail down those basics and core styles
as a lifelong swimmer and former ocean lifeguard the designer gina esposito always had an inkling she would one day combine her aquatic passion with her design training but it wasnt until she started panicking about her upcoming 30th birthday that the fit grad decided to finally turn her dream into a reality the result of her quarter life crisis nu a pared down swimwear label that   as the name which means nude in french suggests   acts as a second skin for active and leisure swimmers alike none of our products have any padding or unfunctional hardware esposito says the ease of pulling it on and off and feeling great is the most important thing to me esposito says she was often in the habit of wearing her favorite suits under her regular clothing as underwear or accent pieces so she designed the line to fit a variety of purposes while theyre functional enough to stand up to her vigorous long swims many of the designs   such as the long line straight top or the curve one piece   can also serve as ready to wear pieces
while packing for a trip to hong kong the sydney australia based swimwear designer tuyen nguyen struggled to find the right swimsuit i wanted something for a city hotel something that wasnt fussy she says i couldnt find anything that i was happy to pay for   there was only the very expensive or the cheaply made frustrated nguyen decided to take matters into her own hands over the next year and a half she and her partner in life and work michael lim worked to create her a line of streamlined and flattering swim staples that would fill that need crafted from luxurious italian fabrics and available in an array of thoughtfully considered cuts the brand   which launched in 2014   gets the job done swimmingly
when asked to describe the aesthetic of the four year old swimwear and underwear label baserange which she founded with blandine legait marie louise mogensen says hopefully its something you can move in and youre ok wearing this refreshingly down to earth response is indicative of the duos practical approach to design though the label has produced a small swimwear line since its launch in 2012 it is best known for its underwear   simple styles beloved for their comfort and versatility besides the change of fabric mogensen and legait say there isnt much of a difference between designing swim and underthings we wear our swimwear as underwear too says mogensen with both underwear and swimwear you have to work with movements and comfort
what started as a wholesale transaction blossomed into a full blown collaboration when the e boutique the dreslyn and the indie underwear label land of women partnered to create a capsule line of swimwear we were the first online retailer to carry the collection and the response was amazing   the product is unbeatable says brooke taylor corcia founder of the dreslyn it was while shooting land of women products for the website that taylor corcia saw the opportunity to take their relationship to a new level the team was discussing how difficult it is to find swimwear that rivals the fit of lingerie which immediately sparked a drive to translate land of women silhouettes into technical fabrics she says designer mckenzie raley is truly visionary so bringing the project to life unfolded organically from there the line which includes mix and match two pieces and a handful of streamlined one pieces marries the thoughtful construction of land of womens underwear with the simple but sophisticated aesthetic of the dreslyn mckenzie and i set out to create a line of quiet essentials that appeal to all ages with a simple elegance that embraces a womans form and truly supports with movement says taylor corcia driving that point home the collection sticks to a basic palette of black and white


times insider delivers behind the scenes insights into how news features and opinion come together at the new york times in this article motoko rich the timess soon to be tokyo bureau chief writes about learning to improvise in front of the camera   covering president obamas historic visit to hiroshima via facebook live by day and facetiming and snapchatting with her children 13 hours behind her in brooklyn by night
nagasaki japan   my workday had begun at 6 am with a visit to monday morning mass at urakami cathedral a roman catholic church that had been destroyed by the nuclear bomb that hit this city 71 years ago i went on to interview three hibakusha   survivors of the atomic bomb   and was feeling shattered by the details of their memories to meet the deadline for my article i stayed up until 2 am to write
when i finally fell into bed at my hotel i was certain i would sleep solidly until the alarm went off for the train to hiroshima the next day
two hours later i was awake
jet lag
i looked at the clock japan where i had come to help cover president obamas historic visit to hiroshima is 13 hours ahead of new york where my 11 year old daughter would just be home from school i zapped her a text could we connect on facetime
suddenly there she appeared on my phone lounging on the beanbag chair in the brooklyn bedroom she shares with my son after a few minutes chatting about school she asked if we could switch to snapchat she wanted to send me a funky picture with the ears and snout of a puppy superimposed on her face
now it was my turn i am new to this so she texted me instructions i managed to get the snapchat camera working and pulled up the filters for altering my face i tapped on one with geisha like features
the result was grotesque but my daughter was thrilled a text came zipping back they dont have that one here send me more
as a journalist who has always traveled frequently for my job one of the hardest parts of being on the road has been missing my children when they were born video chatting was not something you could do easily by phone babies meanwhile can hardly talk on the phone and as preschoolers my children were not much interested in it so for many years i had to make do with brief stilted conversations and photos that my husband would send by email i remember one night at a hotel opening a picture of my then toddler daughter grinning from the top of a slide at the playground and becoming so unhinged that i began sobbing hysterically
now technology has opened up much more satisfying ways of staying in touch and being part of their daily lives while i am away although i was ambivalent when my daughter first asked to be allowed to start an account on instagram and use snapchat i now see the gifts of social media from afar
instead of having to call and ask her the always vexing parental question what did you do today i can just log on to her instagram account or click on one of her snapchat montages and see for myself while i have been in japan she and her friends seem to have developed a passion for buying blue raspberry coolattas from dunkin donuts on the way home from school i know which two friends slept over saturday night at our apartment
and while my 9 year old son would often be distracted by a mere audio call and quickly pass the phone to my husband with facetime he can make faces or pull the camera so close that i have an intimate view of his nostrils by phone he tends to simply recite a litany of activities but when he can see my face he is more likely to tell me what is really on his mind when we connected the other night my time he reported that he had been researching which rides would be scariest at the amusement park he hopes to visit when my husband takes the kids to see my in laws during my return trip to japan next month
social media is also becoming increasingly crucial to my job during the week i was in nagasaki and hiroshima i appeared three times on facebook live having spent my entire career as a print only journalist always accustomed to having my work go through an editor before publication i am now learning to improvise before a camera it was wonderful to be able to bring readers   if thats the right term   to wherever i was interviewing an atomic bomb survivor or touring the peace park in hiroshima
but i found that it was also a good tool for posting a video message to my family while they slept so they could see it in the morning when they awoke
all this connectivity makes me feel so much less anxious about moving my family from brooklyn the only home my children have ever known to tokyo this summer
when i was 7 years old my family moved to japan for two and a half years when we returned to california i was heartbroken to leave my best friend behind staying in touch was much more difficult the cost of an international phone call was so prohibitive that my parents allowed me to call her only on her birthday and at christmas
as we prepare to move my daughter and her best friend have made a vow to meet on facetime at least once a week she and another friend have created a special shared instagram account where they can post pictures every day my son will still be able to play minecraft with his friends thousands of miles away
and while im on the road it is so much easier for me to be a noodge when our babysitter sent a text to me in hiroshima with a photo of my son at soccer practice i was able to text back immediately is he wearing sunscreen


times insider delivers behind the scenes insights into how news features and opinion come together at the new york times in this piece jess bidgood a reporter who wrote about a controversial rattlesnake conservation plan describes her first encounter with the venomous reptile
i have been thinking a lot about rattlesnakes lately
scientists in massachusetts want to create a colony of timber rattlesnakes which are poisonous on an uninhabited island in the center of the state needless to say the plan has engendered fierce opposition from residents and politicians i wrote about the great rattlesnake island controversy of 2016 for sundays paper
one point that scientists made over and over was that it was highly unlikely the islands snakes would ever cross paths with people no one lives on the island in question and the scientists said it was unlikely that the snakes would leave in addition scientists said people hardly ever see the states existing population of rattlesnakes   even the ones that live in a popular hiking destination near boston
but as it happens i have
it was the fall of 2011 and i went hiking in the blue hills a nature reserve about 13 miles from downtown boston with seven friends
we heard it before we saw it a rainstick rattle one that had for most of my friends the majority of whom are longtime northeasterners previously existed solely in old western films but we knew exactly what it was
the snake was coiled with a yellowish diamond pattern it didnt seem poised to bite but its rattle was a searing almost mechanical sound that sent chills down our spines
one of my friends courtney morrissey saw a labradoodle bounding toward us and yelled no as she ran to catch it by the collar to stop it from crossing paths with the snake we all froze and watched the snake slither across the hiking trail a lissome streak of yellow apparently uninterested in us before it disappeared into the underbrush
several weeks ago i sent tom french the biologist at the helm of the rattlesnake island plan a photograph that my friend tim fitzsimons had taken of the snake
this is a very nice timber rattlesnake mr french wrote in an email this is a light colored individual sometimes called a yellow morph or yellowphase
he was excited about the encounter
youre lucky he said over the phone he said that roughly 200000 hikers use the reservation every year and guessed that less than one half of one percent sees a snake
did we feel lucky there are fewer than 200 rattlesnakes left in the state and in retrospect it is fairly thrilling to have seen one in the wild i didnt feel threatened but in the moment it was certainly a shock new englanders are simply not accustomed to running into venomous snakes   and that is part of what has made it so difficult for scientists to sell the rattlesnake island plan
i asked courtney an avid hiker who has moved to boulder colo how she felt about the encounter then and now
i was afraid to walk through tall grass for the rest of the day and made my friend carry me on his back courtney wrote in a text message but now i live in colorado and see rattlesnakes more frequently so ive gotten used to them
but she added ill always remember my first snake


the story of the black peppered moth which changed colors from oreo milkshake to dark chocolate during the industrial revolution in britain is the iconic tale of adaptive evolution taught in science classes and today its plot thickens in a study published in nature researchers have pinpointed the precise genetic mutation that led to the darker moth and determined just when this mutation occurred the same gene called cortex was also found to control color patterns on the wings of tropical butterflies in a separate study
the once rare black peppered moth became commonplace in the united kingdom during the industrial revolution when its original light speckled wings became a clear target for predators against tree trunks darkened by coal soot a black version of the same species appeared around 1819 according to the new study by blending in with the coal darkened trees it avoided becoming lunch for birds passed down its genes and outnumbered the original moth in urban areas for a time
after searching through a large area of this moths genome ilik saccheri an evolutionary ecologist and his colleagues at the university of liverpool found that a single mutation on a gene called cortex was responsible for the wings black coloring the mutation is on a jumping gene or a transposable element which can hop between locations on the genome dr saccheri was surprised because cortex usually controls cell division in many organisms not traits like wing color
its this huge chunk of dna that doesnt itself code for anything but somehow disrupts the nature of the gene dr saccheri said
the same gene is also at play in some butterflies   a group of insects separated from moths by more than 100 million years of evolution cortex most likely controls the development of scales that form patterns on butterfly wings like tiles although the exact mutation or mechanism is not yet known says nicola nadeau an evolutionary geneticist at the university of sheffield who worked on the butterfly study with her colleagues at the university of cambridge
they studied different subspecies of passion vine butterflies which develop specific wing patterns in varying habitats that local predators learn to recognize as signs of the insects toxicity when one subspecies moves into the habitat of another its wing pattern can adapt over time to mimic the cautionary decor that potential predators have learned to avoid
research will continue to find out precisely how the color change occurs but for now a science classic has gotten a lot more colorful


in 1998 president bill clinton suggested a partial solution to help millions of americans without health insurance the country should let those 55 and older without employer coverage buy into the government medicare system
a few weeks ago hillary clinton brought the idea back its a proposal shes talked about before it was part of her 2000 senate campaign platform and an option she mentioned for health insurance expansion when she ran for president in 2008
but a lot has changed with the passage of the affordable care act leading several health policy experts to wonder whether a medicare buy in would be a welcome new option or a confounding misfit
medicare for more as ive been calling it would require significant adjustments to the obamacare new markets for regulated insurance which are currently set up for everyone under 65 it would require a new system for calculating and awarding subsidies to low income purchasers it would probably require changes to medicares standard package of benefits and it runs the risk of destabilizing the obamacare marketplaces several of which are already somewhat precarious
a medicare buy in could well work but it wouldnt easily coexist in post obamacare times the way it might have in the 1990s
it is an approach that is somewhat inconsistent with the affordable care act said caroline pearson a senior vice president at the health care consulting firm avalere health who recently published an initial analysis of the idea that analysis found that the program could be an option for as many as 13 million americans
the clinton suggestion was raised in response to a voter question and the campaign hasnt released any sort of formal plan as a result its hard to know how medicare for more might actually work here are some important questions that would have to be resolved
medicare is an incredibly popular program providing health insurance for nearly all americans 65 and older but it actually wouldnt count as health insurance under the affordable care act because it has too many holes patients can be asked to pay basically unlimited out of pocket costs   medicare asks them to pay a daily fee when they are in the hospital for a long time and 20 percent of the cost of doctors visits for people who are very sick those costs can add up to tens of thousands of dollars
for americans under 65 insurance has to cover all catastrophic costs no insurance plan sold in an obamacare marketplace can ask its customers to pay more than 6850 a year out of pocket for covered medical services
a medicare buy in could provide an exception to the regular rules and allow medicare to include its usual gaps in coverage but that would undermine the idea of the obamacare marketplaces where insurance plans are expected to compete on equal footing a medicare buy in might include additional financial protections not offered to older americans but that would mean younger people would get a better version of medicare than older ones
the one big advantage medicare has over commercial insurance however is its broad network of doctors and hospitals most obamacare plans limit their customers choice of medical providers but every hospital and most doctors accept medicare that means that patients would have more choices with medicare even if they might incur higher costs if they need a lot of treatment
when obamacare was being debated in congress many democrats believed that new insurance markets should include a public option a government insurance plan that would compete alongside private offerings the proposal ended up being cut from the final legislation but advocates thought the plan would help increase insurance choices for consumers and would help put downward pressure on prices for private companies since the government plan would lack a profit motive
advocates continue to make these arguments mrs clinton raised the medicare for more idea when she was asked about strategies to drive down the cost of insurance for small business the implication was that a public option might be more affordable than the current private options
its really hard to know just what medicare for more might cost compared with the private plans now on the market a lot depends on technical questions about how the prices would be calculated but the evidence from the current obamacare market is that most private insurers are already feeling substantial pressure to keep prices low
obamacare customers seem to be choosing the cheapest available plan each year and a large number have been willing to switch plans each year to get a better deal so plans need to be competitively priced to get customers many insurers appear to have priced their products so competitively that they lost money on them in the marketplaces first few years several have gone out of business or are bowing out of the markets because of losses if the medicare for more plan cost more than a typical marketplace plan it probably wouldnt impose much new pricing discipline if it cost less it might drive more insurers out of the markets
this leads to another possible problem with medicare for more if successful it will pull people out of the obamacare markets when the health law passed everyone expected that some employers would stop offering health coverage and the new markets would be large that hasnt happened and in some states enrollment in obamacare plans is substantially smaller than forecast the smallness of the markets is one reason that insurers say the markets arent a great bet for them it takes a certain amount of volume for it to be worth investing in this new population
there are optimists who think that medicare for more could be tailored to help the obamacare markets by making them more attractive to young customers who havent yet signed up by pulling older americans out of obamacare that theory goes the remaining customers would be younger and healthier those younger healthier customers would mean lower premiums for everyone and lower premiums could bring in more young customers completing a virtuous cycle
but essentially every person who buys medicare will be one fewer person in the obamacare markets so new enrollees would have to make up that difference medicare for more would draw out only older americans   mrs clinton suggested that only people starting at age 50 or 55 would be eligible but it could still make the remaining pool of people small enough that insurers simply leave the market that could have the perverse effect of reducing choices and raising premiums
in the 1990s a medicare for more plan would have been nearly as simple as it sounded in a world with the affordable care act expanding medicare would require careful policy design to avoid being counterproductive


the democratic race is about to end
barring something truly extraordinary hillary clinton will be declared the presumptive nominee for president by the news media probably on tuesday after the results in new jersey it will happen even if she loses every remaining contest and it will probably happen before the polls even close in california no doubt igniting the fury of some bernie sanders supporters
mrs clinton has 2310 delegates according to the associated press putting her just 73 short of the 2383 needed to win the nomination
she will cover at least half the distance this weekend when puerto rico and the virgin islands hold caucuses worth a combined 79 delegates
she would then go over the top with new jersey not long after 8 pm on tuesday as harry enten at fivethirtyeight has pointed out the state is worth 142 delegates and mrs clinton will be awarded many of them when the polls close
yes and no yes those 2310 delegates include superdelegates
but no shes not winning because of superdelegates in fact superdelegates are basically mr sanderss only hope at this stage many would have to change their minds
thats because mrs clinton has effectively locked up the race for pledged delegates   those awarded based on votes cast in actual contests
she leads mr sanders in pledged delegates by 54 percent to 46 percent
mrs clinton earned this advantage by winning more states and by bigger margins in bigger states she has also done better in primaries than caucuses over all she leads by 14 points in the national popular vote 56 to 42 percent
if there were only pledged delegates mrs clinton would clinch the nomination with 33 percent of the vote in the remaining contests this is why its fair to say that she doesnt need to win any remaining states the democrats award delegates proportionally so she needs only around one third of the remaining vote
mrs clinton has won at least 33 percent of the vote in every primary except mr sanderss home state vermont shes also a big favorite in three of the largest remaining contests new jersey puerto rico and the district of columbia california is more competitive but barring a catastrophe for her shes not going to lose by 30 points
well yes they can vote for whomever they want at the convention thats why mrs clinton will be characterized as the presumptive nominee she wouldnt actually become the nominee until the vote at the convention
but superdelegates count like any others and the news media includes them in determining whether a candidate has clinched the nomination
news organizations projected barack obama as the presumptive nominee in 2008 on this basis   in fact he went over the top with the support of 45 superdelegates donald trump did the same thing last week thanks to the support of additional unpledged delegates
a lot mr sanders trails in pledged delegates by about eight percentage points because the democratic system is proportional he basically needed to improve his share of the vote by about eight points in every state to be tied today
that michigan win for instance he actually needed to win there by around 10 points not two iowa he needed to win by eight not fight to a draw
even that interpretation is generous it supposes that mr sanders could have expanded his margin by eight points in caucus states and vermont where im not sure its realistic to expect he could have done all that much better he probably needed to narrow mrs clintons margin by more than eight points in the south where there was more room for improvement
if mr sanders had made eight point gains across the board he would have flipped iowa nevada massachusetts illinois missouri connecticut and kentucky it would have left mrs clinton with the former confederate states and a handful of narrow victories in states like pennsylvania new york ohio and arizona
the real lesson here is that mrs clintons sweep of the south all but precluded a victory for mr sanders if he couldnt have done better in the 11 states of the former confederacy and remember the above supposes he does eight points better mr sanders basically would have needed to sweep the rest of the country to win the election
mr sanders was generally hurt by closed primaries by our estimates he did about 35 points worse in such contests but most states arent closed so mr sanders wasnt hurt that badly over all and mrs clinton was hurt more by caucuses where she did about 10 points worse according to the same model
if every contest in the country had been an open primary mrs clintons delegate lead would have grown she would have lost ground in some of the contests gained ground in the states with large numbers of anti obama registered democrats oklahoma west virginia and kentucky and gained lots of ground in western caucuses   where mr sanders earned most of his big delegate hauls
over all mrs clinton would have about a 12 point lead in pledged delegates if every state had an open primary according to our estimates she would already be the presumptive nominee
ok time to cut this off


2016 nba finals golden state warriors 73 9 vs cleveland cavaliers 57 25
game 1 9 pm thursday at oracle arena oakland calif
how to watch abc has the television broadcast game 1 will be streamed live on watchespn
nba finals game 1 live updates
stephen curry for the first time since last years nba finals encountered something resembling adversity in the western conference finals the warriors fell behind three games to one he was turning the ball over far too much and his opponents were mocking his defensive ability some fans even questioned his anointment as the games best player
with no margin for error curry responded by averaging 327 points 73 rebounds 77 assists and 23 steals in the final three games of the series dismantling the oklahoma city thunder
it may be scary for the cavaliers to think about but an argument could be made that curry was only his teams second best player in that stretch klay thompson the other half of the so called splash brothers showed a national audience what warriors fans have known for years when his shot is falling he is as dangerous as his more famous teammate
he and curry combined for 62 3 pointers against the thunder an nba record for teammates in a playoff series thompson averaged 297 points in the final three games and his 41 point performance on the road in game 6 will perhaps be the most memorable showing of that series
the road to the finals was far less winding for the cavaliers they were steamrollering through the east winning their first 10 playoff games before a pair of brutal losses to toronto in the conference finals it proved to be a mild detour there was little to no drama in games 5 and 6 and now lebron james is set to play in the nba finals for a sixth consecutive year
at their best the cavaliers can nearly keep up with the warriors in 3 point shooting that should be the main story line of this showdown not the overdone notion that james could find redemption by winning a championship for cleveland
in any case while the finals will be a rematch of last seasons triumph by the warriors both teams have grown expecting a shot for shot remake would be unwise
the most obvious change for the cavaliers is the return of kevin love and kyrie irving they played a total of 44 minutes in the nba finals last year with love hampered by a shoulder dislocation and irving dropping out after game 1 with an injured knee
getting back a pair of all stars takes some of the burden off james who single handedly prevented the warriors from having a cakewalk to a championship last year but was outdone by the defensive tenacity of andre iguodala and the overall offensive excellence of the warriors
love and irving seemed to coexist better with james this season accepting their roles while occasionally being asked to supply star power on nights when james was not at his best
love averaged 16 points and 99 rebounds a game while shooting 36 percent from 3 point range and while he is not known as an effective defender most advanced defensive statistics showed him holding his own this season
irving averaged 196 points and 47 assists a game while growing accustomed to the idea of being a point guard who gives up the ball handling duties in crunchtime to james
the cavaliers still probably use j r smith and matthew dellavedova more than they would prefer but channing frye proved to be a brilliant in season acquisition capitalizing on the wide open looks he gets when james is double teamed
there is an argument to be made that the cavaliers are to blame for the warriors record breaking 73 win season with his team looking overmatched and down by two games to one in last years nba finals kerr listened to an unorthodox suggestion from nick uren his manager of advanced scouting and deployed a starting lineup of draymond green harrison barnes iguodala thompson and curry playing a center who is generously listed at 6 feet 7 inches a power forward who is a slight 6 8 and three guards would seem crazy in nearly any era of basketball but the group which came to be known as the death lineup proved to be among the most effective units ever put together
the misconception about the lineup is that it is strictly an offensive ploy to run teams into the ground while that is certainly a part of the equation the lineup also features three tremendous defenders in green iguodala and thompson and they are a nightmare on both ends of the court kerr tends to limit their minutes together to protect green who takes abuse from larger centers
before curry and thompson went supernova and saved the western conference finals for the warriors the thunder overwhelmed golden states approach with the size and ferocious attitude of steven adams serge ibaka enes kanter and kevin durant but the cavaliers do not have the personnel to pull that off tristan thompson is an undersize power forward who is expected to handle the bulk of the rebounding duties love who is listed at 6 10 but was measured at 6 7 at the nba draft combine is unlikely to be much of a threat inside against green
the cavaliers responded to the death lineup last season by essentially burying timofey mozgov on the bench but they may want to give mozgov a russian 7 footer a second look this time the warriors struggle with size and green is two technical fouls or one flagrant foul away from a mandatory suspension meaning his typical strategy of physically assaulting opposing big men will not be in play
the warriors beat the cavaliers both times they played this season but it was the second game a brutal 132 98 shellacking that might have cost david blatt his job as coach in that game curry went off for 35 points and iguodala the cavaliers nemesis had 20 points while shooting 7 for 8 and playing his typical stellar defense
if blatt was fired for not being able to beat the warriors that is somewhat understandable but it was certainly unusual to see a coach with an 83 40 regular season record over two seasons fired midway through a campaign in which his team was on track to be the top seed in its conference
the university of arizona may not be considered a typical nba feeder program but this series is an excellent advertisement for what it produced in the lute olson era the 2002 3 wildcats featured luke walton the warriors top assistant along with iguodala and frye steve kerr the warriors coach was a four year player at arizona teaming with bruce fraser who in his capacity as golden states player development coach serves as currys shot doctor the cavaliers richard jefferson joined walton on the 2001 team that lost the national championship game to duke and bret brielmaier a cavaliers assistant was a four year player for the wildcats
both teams have efficient offenses with a heavy reliance on 3 pointers the big difference between them is pace the warriors want to move as quickly as possible while the cavaliers regardless of what coach tyronn lue may have wanted when he started coaching them tend to grind out games at a snails pace
if cleveland allows golden state to dictate the speed of the game the series could be a serious mismatch the warriors have a far deeper roster and are more balanced on the defensive side while klay thompson green and iguodala are likely to pose a defensive challenge to irving love and james it is hard to see anyone on the cavaliers other than james being much of a threat to the golden state offense
there is a path to victory for cleveland that involves turning the series into a slugfest the hyper emotional green is on thin ice with the league and can be temporarily removed as a threat by getting him to lash out just once thompson can also be drawn into foul trouble if cleveland plays things correctly and golden state can be exploited with intentional fouls on festus ezeli a comically bad free throw shooter
the problem as so many teams have found out is that the shooting of curry and thompson means that almost no lead is safe and that a team must press for all 48 minutes to secure a victory it sounds simple enough but golden states record of 168 34 over the last two seasons including the playoffs indicates it is a daunting task
pick warriors in five games


the pro bowl will be played in orlando fla for the next three seasons after spending much of the last four decades in hawaii
the game the nfls annual all star event has been held in hawaii since 1979 with the exception of two years
to help rebuild interest in the game it will return to the traditional nfc afc matchup said peter oreilly the nfls senior vice president for events
shooting suspect seeks report lawyers for a man charged in the shooting death of the retired new orleans saints star will smith asked a judge to give them a police report that does not omit the names of witnesses
john fuller a lawyer for the suspect cardell hayes has said that hayes was not the aggressor and that a witness saw a gun in smiths possession
two minor league teams are turning to the football scandal embroiling new england quarterback tom brady to pad their attendance numbers the pawtucket red sox plan to hold a free brady night on june 10 with free admission to anyone named tom or brady
in response the buffalo bison in a show of support for the buffalo bills an afc east rival of the patriots have planned a keep brady suspended night during a doubleheader the next day fans donating a properly inflated football at the bisons game will get two for one admission
around baseball michael fulmer took a no hit bid into the seventh inning and the visiting detroit tigers beat the los angeles angels 3 0  zach davies 23 had a career high nine strikeouts over eight shutout innings and the milwaukee brewers averted a three game sweep with a 3 1 win over visiting st louis danny valencia had three hits including two doubles and oakland won its fifth straight game 5 1 over visiting minnesota jake smolinski homered and jed lowrie singled twice and scored two runs to help give oakland starter sean manaea his second career win  a yan gomes single sent lonnie chisenhall home as the winning run in the 11th inning as host cleveland beat texas 5 4 jon lester pitched a four hitter for his first complete game of the season and the chicago cubs edged the visiting los angeles dodgers 2 1 lester struck out 10 after giving up a leadoff homer to kike hernandez
william walters a professional gambler linked to phil mickelson in an insider trading scandal pleaded not guilty and had his bail set at 25 million
walters was charged with making tens of millions of dollars in illicit stock trades mickelson was spared from criminal charges after the securities and exchange commission accused him in a lawsuit of making nearly 1 million in a 2012 stock trade at walterss suggestion and then using the proceeds to pay off a gambling debt
the former star pele plans to sell memorabilia including a replica of the world cup trophy in an auction next month in london that could be worth 7 million
pele 75 said some of the proceeds from the sale would go to a hospital in his native brazil
the centerpiece of the auction will be a replica of the jules rimet trophy that fifa gifted to pele after brazil won the world cup for a third time
around soccer barcelona striker neymar will be the first soccer player with a boot endorsed by the nba great michael jordan he will wear a shoe carrying jordans no 23 on one foot and his own no 10 on the other lawyers for the barcelona star lionel messi tried to show a spanish court that he was not familiar with the tax issues that led to tax fraud charges against him and his father
the houston rockets introduced mike dantoni as their coach dantoni 65 previously coached the phoenix suns the knicks and the los angeles lakers


front page
a picture caption on may 11 with the continuation of an article about the persistence of differing interpretations of the united states decision to detonate an atomic bomb over hiroshima japan in 1945 referred incorrectly to the cloud of smoke shown and misstated the timing of the picture using information from the associated press the smoke was the result of huge fires that broke out several hours after the bomb was detonated it was not from a mushroom cloud which appears immediately upon explosion and the picture was taken several hours   not about an hour   after the explosion
international
an article on may 6 about a concert by a russian orchestra the mariinsky theater orchestra in palmyra a syrian city of ancient roman ruins further damaged by the islamic state during its occupation misspelled the given name of one of the composers whose music was played and misstated one of the other orchestral titles of valery gergiev artistic director of the mariinsky the composer was johann sebastian bach not johan and mr gergiev is also the current music director of the munich symphony orchestra not its former principal conductor

an article on wednesday about an opinion by the european court of justice on the wearing of head scarves by muslim women at work misstated the effect of decisions by a separate european court the court of human rights its decisions are binding on national governments not merely advisory
sports
an article on may 20 about the possibility that the preakness stakes might leave pimlico race course referred incorrectly to the history of the race there while pimlico has hosted most preakness stakes since the first one in 1873 it has not hosted the preakness since 1873 the race was held in new york in 1890 and from 1894 to 1908

because of an editing error an article in some editions last thursday about the yankees 8 4 loss to the toronto blue jays referred incorrectly in some copies to the record of the losing pitcher ivan nova the loss to the blue jays was his second of the season not his first

the on tennis column last thursday about andy murrays five set victory over mathias bourgue in the second round of the french open misidentified the person whose best and favorite surface is clay and skidded into wide forehands and repeatedly produced something special he is bourgue   not olivier malcor his coach
the arts
an article on tuesday about a debate on safety at rap concerts after a shooting last week before a concert in manhattan by the rapper ti misidentified the city where the rapper fat trel who was featured at a concert in manhattan in 2013 where four people were shot is based it is washington not atlanta
weekend
a classical music entry in the listings pages on friday about a production of the opera le comte ory by loftopera at the muse in brooklyn misidentified the works composer he was gioachino rossini not gaetano donizetti
thursday styles
an article last thursday about events taking place in the hamptons this summer misspelled part of the name of the swedish pop group tentatively scheduled to appear at the surf lodge in montauk it is miike snow not mike snow and because of an editing error the article also misstated the given name of one of the party promoters holding champagne brunches at kozu a japanese restaurant in southampton he is daniel koch not david
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pittsburgh   the penguins moved another win closer to claiming the stanley cup on wednesday night and again it was rookies that helped get them there
conor sheary scored 2 minutes 35 seconds into overtime and goaltender matt murray made 21 saves to give the penguins a 2 1 home victory over the san jose sharks and a two games to none lead in the best of seven series forty four of the 49 teams that have lost the first two games in previous cup finals have lost the series
the sharks will host game 3 on saturday
sharks coach peter deboer took heart in the closeness of both games
game 1 was decided in the last two minutes he said tonight was an overtime game i think well hold off on the funeral weve got a lot of hockey left to play
shearys wrist shot from the high left slot off a feed from kris letang beat martin jones high to the far side it was the fourth goal of the postseason for sheary a 23 year old rookie
it usually doesnt work out like that when you draw up a play or even talk about a play sheary said but i think they just lost me when i came off the wall there and i had a lot of time to shoot and it just worked out
murray 22 became just the fourth rookie in nhl history to win as many as 13 postseason games   even if he was not tested much over the first two periods the sharks justin braun scored with 405 left in regulation to ruin murrays shutout bid
penguins coach mike sullivan speaking of his teams response to brauns goal said one of the things i really liked about our team   and this is something i think weve evolved with over the last five months or so   our guys just play and thats what we told them on the bench when it went into the net you know what san jose is a good team theyre going to get scoring chances we liked how our team was playing we felt like we carried the majority of the play
phil kessel scored 820 into the second period for pittsburgh which outshot its opponent for the 11th consecutive game following a 41 26 advantage in a 3 2 victory in game 1 on monday the penguins had 23 of the first 32 shots on goal in game 2 san jose went without a shot for a span of more than 11 minutes late in the second until it had two during a power play over the final 108 of the period
although the sharks did not score during that power play it did provide a springboard into the third period san jose played with a desperation befitting a team that was on the verge of falling into a two game hole the sharks tenacity was rewarded when brauns slap shot from along the boards just above the right wing circle made its way through traffic   deflecting at least once during its path to the net   and beat murray inside the near post on his glove side joel ward provided a good screen in front of the net
at that point it appeared as if murray was to be outplayed by jones who stopped 67 of 70 shots in this series until shearys winning tally
murray said i thought in this game we were the better team for the most part of the game we stuck with what we needed to do and we got the huge goal from conor so we got the job done
while the penguins roster is built on the stars sidney crosby evgeni malkin and letang rookies such as sheary murray and bryan rust have played starring roles as the franchise seeks its fourth stanley cup the second of the crosby era and its first since 2009
crosby did have the secondary assist on the winner winning the face off from the left wing side back to letang crosby also assisted on a sheary goal in game 1 that came minutes after rust had scored pittsburghs fourth consecutive goal spanning the final two games of the eastern conference final
kessels goal came 820 into the second period and was the result of a dreadful turnover by defenseman roman polak and a deflection of the puck off the skate of sharks forward tomas hertl
the tally was the 10th time in the penguins past 10 games that a member of their hbk line scored a goal carl hagelin nick bonino and kessel all had a hand in a sequence that began when polak inadvertently set up kessel for a wide open chance
although the puck bounced over kessels stick hagelin stripped defenseman brenden dillon of the puck as soon as dillon corralled it hagelin fed bonino   who had the winning goal in game 1   and boninos shot hit the stick of a sliding hertl allowing the puck to trickle past jones
it would have gone in anyway but kessel finished it into an open net for his team leading 10th of the postseason


the payday loan industry which is vilified for charging exorbitant interest rates on short term loans that many americans depend on could soon be gutted by a set of rules that federal regulators plan to unveil on thursday
people who borrow money against their paychecks are generally supposed to pay it back within two weeks with substantial fees piled on a customer who borrows 500 would typically owe around 575 at an annual percentage rate of 391 percent but most borrowers routinely roll the loan over into a new one becoming less likely to ever emerge from the debt
mainstream banks are generally barred from this kind of lending more than a dozen states have set their own rate caps and other rules that essentially prohibit payday loans but the market is flourishing in at least 30 states some 16000 lenders run online and storefront operations that thrive on the hefty profits
under the guidelines from the consumer financial protection bureau   the watchdog agency set up in the wake of 2010 banking legislation   lenders will be required in many cases to verify their customers income and to confirm that they can afford to repay the money they borrow the number of times that people could roll over their loans into newer and pricier ones would be curtailed
the new guidelines do not need congressional or other approval to take effect which could happen as soon as next year
the obama administration has said such curbs are needed to protect consumers from taking on more debt than they can handle the consumer agency   which many republicans including donald j trump have said they would like to eliminate   indicated last year that it intended to crack down on the payday lending market
the very economics of the payday lending business model depend on a substantial percentage of borrowers being unable to repay the loan and borrowing again and again at high interest rates said richard cordray the consumer agencys director it is much like getting into a taxi just to ride across town and finding yourself stuck in a ruinously expensive cross country journey
lenders say the proposed rules would devastate their industry and cut vulnerable borrowers off from a financial lifeline
thousands of lenders especially small businesses will be forced to shutter their doors lay off employees and leave communities that already have too few options for financial services said dennis shaul the chief executive of the community financial services association of america a trade group for payday lenders
according to the groups website more than 19 million american households count a payday loan among their choice of short term credit products
the consumer financial protection bureau said the median fee on a storefront payday loan was 15 for every 100 borrowed
both sides agree that the proposed rules would radically reshape the market loan volume could fall at least 55 percent according to the consumer agencys estimates and the 7 billion a year that lenders collect in fees would drop significantly
that will push many small stores out of business lenders say the 37000 annual profit generated by the average storefront lender would instead become a 28000 loss according to an economic study paid for by the trade association
companies and individuals could go through the courts to try to overturn the rules or they could seek legislative action the consumer financial protection bureau is a frequent target of scathing criticism from republican lawmakers mr trump the presumptive republican presidential nominee has said that he wants to repeal or dismantle nearly all of the dodd frank act the law passed in the aftermath of the financial crisis that created the agency
the democratic presidential candidates generally support stricter lending rules senator bernie sanders has called for a 15 percent rate cap on all consumer loans and for post offices to become basic banking centers a change that could stop payday lenders from ripping off millions of americans he said in a january speech
hillary clinton praised the payday lending proposals that the consumer agency released last year and urged her fellow democrats to fight republican efforts to defang and defund the agency
consumer advocates are eager for new payday lending rules but some say the bureaus rules do not go far enough
this misses the mark said nick bourke a research director at the pew charitable trusts which has conducted extensive research on small dollar lending the cfpb is proposing an underwriting process which is helpful but clearer product safety standards are needed
in particular mr bourke said he was frustrated that the agency had dropped a proposal to require that longer term loan payments consume no more than 5 percent of a borrowers monthly income the draft rules instead simply require that lenders make sure that customers can afford to repay the loans and still cover their basic living expenses and other debts
but others interested in consumer issues said they were happy for any new protections at all in an area of the lending market that has been operating as something of a wild west
weve been working toward this day for years said george goehl an executive director of peoples action institute a group that says it fights for racial and economic justice for decades predatory payday lenders have gotten away with taking money from people who didnt have much to begin with
candice byrd 29 is a former payday borrower who welcomes more restrictions on an industry she views as rapacious and destructive in 2011 while working a sales job she took out a 500 loan from a storefront in bloomington ill to help cover a car payment that was due
the loan had a six week duration but halfway through the period the lender suggested that she roll it over into a new loan she was like youre a good customer this would be helpful for you ms byrd recalled it was the worst idea ever
the second loan set off a worsening cycle that lasted two years as ms byrd borrowed repeatedly to cover the carrying costs on her mounting debt unable to pay her bills she said she lost her car and her apartment to extricate herself she walked away from her final two loans leaving her credit report in tatters
ms byrd now pays cash for anything she needs she doubts that the rules the consumer agency has planned would have prevented her from going into debt but they probably would have ended the cycle sooner
these places want you to keep borrowing she said they dont want you to climb out of the hole


sacramento   donald j trump is the only candidate left in the republican primary yet his campaign schedule is adhering fairly closely to the primary calendar with him spending the second part of last week and the rest of this week holding rallies across california which votes on tuesday
with an unrelenting sun shining behind him at an airport hangar here on wednesday mr trump the presumptive republican nominee hinted at why
sacramento were going to do something because im going to make a real run in california all right mr trump said to a packed and sweaty crowd referring to the general election in november he added were going to work california hard were going to work the state of washington hard we may even work the state of oregon hard
to endear himself to the west coast voters mr trump trotted out his usual array of assaults deriding the likely democratic nominee hillary clinton as a politician with no natural talent he again falsely accused her of wanting to abolish the second amendment and attacked her decision on intervening in libya mr trump supported the intervention at the time
he spent barely a minute addressing the two issues that have recently dominated the news the unsealing of documents from a lawsuit involving trump university and his reported donations to veterans groups touching on the donations he used the first minute of his speech to deliver more broadside attacks against the news media he never mentioned trump university
he did respond to president obama who waded into the presidential election on wednesday with a speech in indiana promising to hit him just like i hit bill clinton
mr trump may have his work cut out for him on the west coast which has reliably been democratic in presidential contests for more than 25 years california last voted for a republican in 1988 and washington and oregon in 1984
but mr trump seemed confident he could win
im like different he told the crowd


paris   in tennis where shouting fiery self exhortations after nearly every point has become nearly pavlovian yulia putintsevas intensity may burn most searingly of all
the 5 foot 4 putintseva has largely muted the language leaping shouts of allez davai come on for which she quickly became known as a junior but her outsize exuberance smolders on it helped push putintseva across the finish line against 12th seeded carla suarez navarro on wednesday at the french open with a 7 5 7 5 win that put her in her first major quarterfinal
ive always had this fire inside and i always wanted to be a part of the great players said putintseva who will play top seeded serena williams on thursday i want to be one of them so i just keep on working even though sometimes im losing sometimes im winning i just keep on working
putintseva 21 has been her own harshest critic along the way comparing herself to teenage phenoms of the past like maria sharapova and martina hingis each of whom had won multiple grand slam titles by her age
of course you are frustrated she said you are fighting you are working and some players younger or a little bit older are getting results faster everyone has their own story and i think anyway the young players will soon come up and do something great
since a precocious junior career putintseva has had slower but steady professional success last year putintseva played in the main draw at all four grand slam events for the first time and finished the year inside the top 100 this year she reached the third round of the australian open beat venus williams en route to the quarterfinals at the charleston sc event and arrived in paris ranked 60th with her run to the quarterfinals putintseva will be ranked safely inside the top 40
im not really surprised i always expected myself to do something big somewhere she said i think its that my hard work paid off and thats what happened
born in moscow putintseva switched to representing kazakhstan in 2012 after she felt slighted that the russian tennis federation had not granted her a wild card into the previous years kremlin cup putintseva has since received financial and technical support from the kazakh federation and several other russian and eastern european players have made a similar move for the same purpose
beneficial as the arrangement has been putintseva said it would not necessarily be permanent
i have a great relationship with kazakhstan at the moment but i mean life is long she said you never know whats going to happen so at the moment im happy with what i have but anything can change
citing a need to grow up a little bit putintseva stopped traveling with her father and she now lives and trains in delray beach fla her father lives with her brother ilya a member of the halifax mooseheads of the quebec major junior hockey league
putintseva took to florida life immediately
you can be so close to the tennis to the beach to the shopping to pretty much everything she said you always have time to do work and to rest thats the best
putintsevas favorite rest destinations come with their own high velocity the roller coasters of orlandos theme parks particularly universal studios the adrenaline rush she said compares well with tenniss
maybe before going on a roller coaster i have the same feeling as before going onto a tennis match she said
but in tennis the initial rush disappears putintseva said then a player must settle down to the real work of dealing with the situations the game presents
i think ive started to do better now handling   not the pressure but when the things are not going in the right direction she said just to keep doing your thing keep focusing keep trying keep believing and keep working
putintsevas past rides against williams have been over quickly the two have met twice in madrid in 2013 and in indian wells calif in march the matches followed similar scripts with putintseva pushing williams into a first set tiebreaker before williams overwhelmed putintseva in the second set
they share a tennis connection putintseva previously trained at the paris academy led by williamss coach patrick mouratoglou
although williams rarely delves into specifics on coming opponents putintsevas feistiness left a clear impression
shes a tough player shes really hungry williams said i feel like she gives 200 percent on every single point shes a fighter
putintseva reciprocated the praise
of course shes the best player   shes a legend putintseva said im just going to go there and show my game show my best and well see whats going to happen


washington   as the supreme court term enters the homestretch just hours before an internal deadline on wednesday for circulating all draft majority opinions two justices made an unusual joint appearance to discuss the secret ingredient for a collegial court
eating is sacred justice sonia sotomayor told a large audience at the smithsonians national museum of american history you should not waste a meal
most of the justices eat lunch together on days the court is in session they have an occasional drink too justice ruth bader ginsburg said
whenever a justice has a birthday the chief brings in some wine and we toast the birthday boy or girl she said we sing happy birthday 
this is not always pretty justice ginsburg said truth be told she said most of them cant carry a tune
the justices also have a festive dinner before the state of the union address
one year justice kennedy came with a couple of bottles of opus one justice ginsburg said referring to a very good wine that was the first time i fell asleep during the state of the union
in chief justice john marshalls time in the early 1800s when the justices lived together in a boardinghouse they took a vow of temperance saying they would drink their beloved madeira wine only on rainy days this was a flexible rule justice ginsburg said
the chief justice looked out the window and the sun was shining brightly she said and he said somewhere in the world its raining 
the regular lunches these days feature a distinct protocol
we dont talk about cases justice sotomayor said thats our absolute rule
there is no topic thats off limits but we try to avoid controversial ones she added were very guarded about raising topics that might create hostility
instead she said they talk about books vacations and grandchildren
justice ginsburg interrupted you left out one favorite topic to which i never contribute she said and thats sports
the tradition of guest lunch speakers has fallen away only two were invited back for a second visit alan greenspan a former chairman of the federal reserve and james wolfensohn who was president of the world bank those two had the uncanny ability to eat lunch and speak justice ginsburg said
the two justices ticked off favorite foods of current and former colleagues
justice sandra day oconnor who retired in 2006 used to bring beef jerky justice david h souter who retired in 2009 would subsist on a lunch of plain yogurt justice ginsburg said with distaste just plain yogurt
justice sotomayor who succeeded justice souter said he might have brought the occasional apple justice ginsburg said that was for later in the day
justice john paul stevens who retired in 2010 favored cheese sandwiches on white bread with the crust cut off
chief justice john g roberts jr orders a salad for lunch from the courts cafeteria justice sotomayor said while justices anthony m kennedy and samuel a alito jr bring food from home and sometimes i see sams fare and think maybe i should eat dinner with him she said
as for justice ginsburg her colleague said the treat shes most fond of is muffins
food delivery to the court has apparently improved since 2013 when justice sotomayor complained about the difficulty of getting takeout
i go to new york i order food its at my door in 10 to 15 minutes ok she said but in washington she said there isnt a place i call where it doesnt take 45 minutes
and then getting the food delivered to the supreme court she went on theyve got to stop at security security has to call you youve got to go downstairs by the time you get downstairs you may add another 15 minutes to the 45 minutes and the food is ice cold
on wednesday she said she had instructed her law clerks to research the problem adding that she now had two go to favorites sushi and indian food
she keeps candy in her office which is a very unusual thing for a diabetic she said of herself it encourages people to come talk to her she explained
the court suffered a culinary loss in february with the death of justice antonin scalia an enthusiastic hunter he would bring everything back from fish to fowl justice ginsburg said
justice stephen g breyer received a gift of pheasant and tried to introduce his grandchildren to the dish justice sotomayor said hearing that they should be wary of biting into a pellet that had helped kill the bird they refused to eat it


toronto   pitchers are perpetual tinkerers if they are not this way by nature they are made so by circumstance   having so much time on their hands by virtue of having four days between starts or many idle innings in the bullpen
they fiddle with different grips test new arm slots and experiment with varying velocities of their pitches so when a pitcher toes the rubber he does not do so by happenstance
where a pitcher places his plant foot may be a matter of inches but it can make a world of difference jake arietta transformed his career several years ago when he moved to the third base side of the rubber and began to throw across his body
so it was no trifling matter two weeks ago when after back to back poor outings masahiro tanaka began pitching from the first base side of the rubber for the first time in his three seasons with the yankees
as encouraging as the results have been for tanaka there are no such simple adjustments for the yankees whose offense continued to flounder on wednesday night in a 7 0 loss to the toronto blue jays
in six innings tanaka allowed one earned run as well as an unearned run after center fielder jacoby ellsbury dropped a routine liner tanaka then watched toronto bludgeon the yankees bullpen to complete a three game sweep
the loss was the yankees seventh in nine games against the blue jays who have won 20 of 28 against the yankees dating to the start of last season
you shut this team down to two runs in six innings you should have an opportunity to win the game said yankees manager joe girardi whose team has scored a combined five runs in its last four games
although tanaka had trouble locating his pitches and allowed seven hits his usual resolve kept toronto scoreless until josh donaldson poked a 1 2 slider off the plate into right in the fifth scoring darwin barney from second i actually threw it exactly where i wanted to that pitch tanaka said through an interpreter donaldson did not have the best swing but he got to the ball very well
meanwhile the yankees remained punchless at the plate aaron sanchez shut them out for six and two thirds innings as the yankees left runners in scoring position five different times chase headley struck out four times including twice to end innings with runners in scoring position and catcher brian mccann struck out and flied out to leave two runners aboard in the third and in the fifth
the lack of support has been acute for tanaka 3 1 who picked up his first loss although his era dropped to 278 the yankees have scored three or fewer runs in six of his 11 starts
moving to the other side of the pitching mound was tied to his decision to stray from his four seam fastball which he began to do last season when his velocity dipped several miles per hour to the low 90s this season he has all but abandoned the four seamer in favor of a two seam sinker which complements his splitter and his slider giving him pitches that dart left right and down
the move allows tanakas right arm to be more centered on home plate mccann said giving the ball the appearance that it is coming out of the strike zone
it gives him a little more on both sides of the plate with right handers said the pitching coach larry rothschild who described the transition as relatively seamless the ability to command fastballs on both sides of the plate allows him to set up his other pitches
the reasons a pitcher stands in a particular way on the rubber are as varied as pitchers themselves it depends on the types of pitches they throw where they throw them from and what type of movement they get andrew miller a 6 foot 7 left handed reliever moved to the third base side in 2010 because it meant a more direct path to the strike zone when he was struggling to throw strikes
tanaka said he was pleased with the way he had pitched in his last start a two hit shutout of tampa bay for seven innings he was less pleased with his first start from the new spot on the mound in which he allowed five hits and one run at oakland and wednesday nights performance which he will examine more closely in the coming days
then tanaka will spend time preparing for his next start
tinkering as always he said
inside pitch
ivan nova called a lawsuit alleging he trashed a home he had rented in white plains a complete lie the suit filed wednesday in state supreme court in manhattan by the homes owner jose rodriguez alleged that nova and his ex wife jasmine held raucous parties between september 2014 and september 2015 and left behind a cockroach infestation nova said he never lived in the home but acknowledged that his name was on the lease he said he would fight the suit which seeks 175000


topeka kan   on the last day of their annual session kansas legislators wrangled wednesday over whether to comply with a court ordered increase in aid to poor school districts amid fresh evidence of the states deteriorating finances
leaders of the legislatures republican supermajorities considered whether to debate a school finance bill before lawmakers formally adjourned but they backed off after it appeared there was no consensus on what to do
the state supreme court on friday rejected some education funding changes enacted earlier this year by lawmakers the justices said that the school finance system remained unfair to poor school districts and warned lawmakers that public schools would be unable to open after june 30 if no action was taken
a few republican senators wanted to pass a bill on wednesday to increase aid to poor school districts others wanted more time to draft a response which would require gov sam brownback to call a special session others wanted to defy the justices
mr brownback a republican would not say wednesday night whether he would call a special session he issued a statement promising to work with legislators and the states attorney general to respond aggressively to any action to close schools
lawmakers also received more bad news about state finances the department of revenue reported that tax collections in may fell 745 million short of expectations the state may have to delay paying some bills or take other steps to avoid a budget deficit
kansas has struggled to balance its budget since republican legislators cut personal income taxes at mr brownbacks urging in 2012 and 2013


as hundreds of newly anointed graduates of john jay college of criminal justice made their way across the commencement stage at madison square garden on wednesday the colleges president jeremy travis beamed with pride at one particular student the graduate a 34 year old bronx woman named joanne carpenter had taken a remarkable circuitous route to the ceremony
in the years leading up to the festivities ms carpenter nearly fell through the holes in the threadbare safety net of social services her mother struggled with drug addiction and her father deserted the family for years by 16 she was a mother to a baby boy whose father also abandoned her
ms carpenter followed a familiar descent into a trying circle of group and foster homes but she clung to the hope that she could reverse her course through education
i knew school was the only way out she said i just kept telling myself the obstacles would make me stronger
despite long hours spent working and raising her son ms carpenter received her high school diploma and at the urging of a foster parent she applied to john jay part of the city university of new york system the acceptance was a huge surprise because no one in my environment even thought past high school ms carpenter said they talked about college like it was a foreign word
getting into college it turned out was easier than staying there ms carpenter remained determined in her studies but she faced a multitude of hurdles a troubled child bouts of depression the diagnosis of her bipolar disorder and an array of part time jobs to pay the bills
in 2003 the new york times profiled ms carpenter as part of its annual neediest cases series the article highlighted her fortitude and said the jewish child care association of new york a social service agency supported by the neediest cases fund had provided ms carpenter money to pay the deposit and rent for an apartment for her and her son stephon the times publishes dozens of such stories every year from november to january and has been encouraging readers to contribute to the neediest cases fund for more than a century
donors typically write checks directly to the fund but ms carpenters story struck a chord with dick tarlow an advertising executive turned philanthropist from shelter island ny he read the report and wrote in to offer to cover her tuition
i was amazed by what shed done despite it all mr tarlow said how many of us born with a silver spoon havent even done that well
ms carpenter was overjoyed but that largess did not propel her to academic success immediately overwhelmed by the responsibilities of classes work and motherhood she dropped out of john jay to gain control of her life she said she faced up to a drinking problem that she had ignored for years arranged for her son to receive therapy for emotional and behavioral problems and moved to a new apartment to cut ties with an environment she found toxic
newly sober and ready to resume her studies ms carpenter enrolled at hostos community college in the bronx for nine years from 2005 through 2014 she alternated between classes and jobs calibrating the load so that she could afford care for stephon she also gave birth to another child a daughter named london now 3
ms carpenter received an associates degree in criminal justice from hostos in 2014 but she still had her sights set elsewhere the goal from the beginning was to get back to john jay she said
ms carpenter re enrolled through john jays second chance policy which allowed her to start with a new grade point average from january 2015 through december she completed two years worth of courses finishing with a 34 gpa and honors in her major stephon now 18 attends college in virginia she proudly reported
when i met her i told her youre my hero mr travis said i know shell have a great future and inspire the next cohort of students
although ms carpenter fell out of touch with mr tarlow his confidence in her remained an inspiration as she prepared to graduate she sent him a letter thanking him for his support
ms carpenter hopes to pursue a career as a civil rights lawyer helping people fight housing and employment discrimination i read through neediest cases every year and i see stories just like mine she said not everyone gets an article in the new york times though
these days ms carpenter spends most of her time with london in their two bedroom apartment on fillmore street in the bronx the two of them sit side by side at the kitchen table ms carpenter reviewing her used study guide for the law school entry exam and her daughter leafing through green eggs and ham though london can barely make out dr seuss words she often peers over at the study guide and insists on trying to read the legalese
she wants to be a lawyer already ms carpenter said but i just tell her to take her time


as the police continue to investigate a shooting during a hip hop concert at a manhattan nightclub last week that left one person dead and three injured the concert promoter behind the club is postponing a series of shows including many rap events
live nation the giant concert company that operates the club irving plaza said it was postponing three rap concerts there over the next week as well as three other concerts at another of its new york clubs
the shows include events by the rappers joey badass mac miller and vince staples at irving plaza that were being presented with the governors ball music festival this weekend and three concerts at the gramercy theater by appetite for destruction a guns n roses tribute band the rock band black pistol fire and yg a popular rapper
in light of last weeks tragic events we are acting with an overabundance of caution and coordinating a going forward strategy with the new york police department that may also include a curfew jim yeager a spokesman for live nation said in a statement issued on wednesday because these discussions with the nypd are ongoing we will be postponing a few of our upcoming shows at irving plaza and the gramercy
but the police contradicted live nations statement the organizations decision to cancel the event was in no way influenced by the nypd sophia mason a spokeswoman for the department said in a statement
the cancellations came as the new york concert halls struggled to deal with the aftermath of the shooting with security checks at some venues becoming much more rigorous than usual
a clip from a security camera video shows troy ave a brooklyn rapper whose real name is roland collins firing a gun backstage at irving plaza on may 25 he was charged on monday with attempted murder and criminal possession of a weapon he pleaded not guilty one of mr collinss bodyguards ronald mcphatter 33 was killed in the episode and mr collins was shot in the leg
a police official who declined to be named because of the continuing investigation said on tuesday that three guns were found in a car used to drive mr collins to the hospital
investigators believe one of the guns is the same weapon that mr collins was seen firing in the video and that was used to kill mr mcphatter but they are awaiting confirmation from ballistics tests the official said
if the tests show that the gun mr collins fired was the one that killed mr mcphatter mr collins will also be charged with murder the official said
mr collinss lawyers have claimed that he was acting in self defense and said he did not shoot himself or mr mcphatter the police have said until now that they are not seeking a second suspect but that could change based on results of the tests
live nation offered no details about rescheduled dates for the postponed concerts but by wednesday afternoon some of the performers were already making other plans black pistol fire which was to play on saturday at the gramercy said it was moving its show to saint vitus in brooklyn the same night appetite for destruction said it would play at the gramercy on aug 12
joey badass a 21 year old rapper from brooklyn told his fans via twitter on wednesday to meet him elsewhere in the city they cancelled my show tmrw he wrote so we gon party


hillary clinton plans to deliver a scorching assessment of donald j trumps foreign policy prescriptions on thursday casting her likely republican rival as a threat to decades of bipartisan tenets of american diplomacy and declaring him unfit for the presidency
mrs clintons campaign aides said the speech which she will deliver in san diego would be the start of a persistent assault to portray a potential trump presidency as a dangerous proposition that would weaken american alliances and embolden enemies
the argument will include specific criticism of comments mr trump has made about rethinking the united statess support of nato his proposal to allow japan south korea and saudi arabia to acquire nuclear weapons his vow to temporarily bar muslims from entering the united states and his pledge to advance the use of torture and kill the families of suspected terrorists
but mrs clinton will also invoke her experiences as secretary of state including in 2011 when she supported president obamas decision to send navy seals on a raid in pakistan that killed osama bin laden to make the case that mr trump does not have the temperament to make such decisions
donald trump is unlike any presidential candidate weve seen maybe ever certainly in decades in that he does not cross the threshold of fitness for the job said jake sullivan mrs clintons top policy adviser who helped draft the speech
mrs clinton will deliver the address on her final campaign swing before california holds its democratic primary on tuesday when she is widely expected to reach the threshold of delegates needed to secure her partys nomination but in choosing to raise concerns about mr trumps foreign policy stances she will be speaking to swing voters in general election battleground states who have doubts about a trump presidency
while mrs clinton must be cautious not to alienate liberal democrats who oppose some of her hawkish foreign policy stances her campaign says national security could be the catalyst that drives independents and wavering republicans to support her this fall
roughly 21 percent of independent voters and 32 percent of republican voters said the most important issue this election was terrorism and national security compared with 16 percent of democrats according to a suffolk universityusa today poll conducted last month at the same time 61 percent of registered voters said a trump presidency would make americas image in the world worse according to the latest new york times cbs news poll
there are many republicans concerned about this r nicholas burns an american ambassador to nato during the george w bush administration who also served on bill clintons national security council said of mr trump they find his policy positions beyond the pale and theyre also turned off by his vulgarity
to that end the clinton campaign and its outside advisers have embarked on an effort to reach out to prominent moderate republicans who could endorse mrs clinton largely making the case for foreign policy sure footedness
those calls have included to an aide of the 2012 republican nominee mitt romney and to nicholas f brady who served as secretary of the treasury under mr reagan and the elder mr bush with plans to reach out to james a baker iii a white house chief of staff to president ronald reagan and secretary of state under president george bush
in her debates with senator bernie sanders of vermont mrs clinton has defended her foreign policy decisions including urging the obama administration to join a nato led coalition to oust col muammar el qaddafi in libya and her 2002 vote to authorize the use of force in iraq which she later said was a mistake
in an interview wednesday night mr trump criticized mrs clintons early support for the iraq war which he said he opposed and questioned her judgment in libya bernie sanders said it and im going to use it all over the place because its true mr trump said she is a woman who is ill suited to be president because she has bad judgment
as each candidate argues the other is unfit to occupy the oval office mrs clintons advisers are preparing to make a case against mr trump that will be jarringly different from the sparring of past presidential campaigns over foreign policy its not like the campaign against mccain or romney which was two competing visions said derek chollet a former white house and pentagon official under president obama
instead he said mrs clinton will remind voters that president vladimir v putin of russia and the north korean government of kim jong un have expressed support for mr trump who has suggested a willingness to talk directly with mr kim a pariah worldwide
mrs clinton will also accuse mr trump of bluster and oratory that is in direct opposition to the bipartisan pillars of american diplomacy that every president has adhered to since world war ii
julianne smith a former deputy national security adviser to vice president joseph r biden jr pointed to mr trumps suggestion that the united states rethink its involvement in nato the brussels based coalition of european nations mrs clinton she added needed to explain to voters that every single president over the last couple decades has understood the value of alliances and that playing by the rules makes sense for all of us
mr trump said mrs clinton was fraudulent in her misrepresentation of his foreign policy positions explaining that he supported global alliances but believed that the united states should shoulder less of the financial burden
our country cant afford to protect the world anymore and at least not get reimbursed for it he said
mrs clinton has delivered a series of foreign policy speeches over the course of the nominating fight that included calling for accelerating the american led operation to defeat the islamic state ending the economic embargo against cuba and pledging unwavering support of israel
and she had already begun to lay the groundwork against what she called mr trumps reckless actions on foreign policy
the san diego speech to be delivered in a city known for its military presence at a time when mr trump is facing scrutiny over his donations to veterans groups will present a more sweeping   and fearsome   portrayal of mr trump one that the clinton campaign will deliver like a drumbeat to voters in the coming months
theres not a lot of room left in terms of new proposals mr sullivan said this is a speech about a vision and principle and purpose not individual policy proposals
the prospect of a foreign policy debate not centered on policy differences has confounded mrs clintons advisers who in a more traditional election would be facing questions about mrs clintons call for a no fly zone with coalition forces to protect syrians or how she would handle the flood of migrants to europe but mr trump in addressing foreign policy has largely relied on gut instinct and appealing to voters emotional concerns that america has lost its standing in the world
you do get the sense that hes in a dialogue with a part of the electorate   and i consider it a minority   that couldnt be less interested in facts or realities said daniel benjamin coordinator for counterterrorism at the state department under mrs clinton thats a really challenging task that most of us were unprepared for in many ways


los angeles   a changing of the small screen guard continued on wednesday with steve mosko the chairman of sony pictures television leaving the studio after having carried out a hard fought turnaround
the departure of mr mosko 60 came a day after nbc entertainment pushed out bela bajaria as president of universal television which suffered a sharp decline in orders for the fall season and four months after the ouster of paul lee as president of abc which has endured quick cancellations and aging hits
mr moskos situation was somewhat less clear cut according to two people briefed on the circumstances of his exit a sony spokesman declined to comment
sony television which makes shows like bloodline the blacklist the goldbergs and jeopardy has been considered a success especially compared with sonys considerably larger film operation in some recent years mr moskos unit   left for dead in a 2001 downsizing   has provided more than half of the overall studios annual operating income
but that imbalance has been a source of frustration for mr mosko who joined sony in 1991 after working at local stations in pennsylvania and maryland as a result it became widely known in hollywood that his relationship with the person he viewed as responsible for it   his boss michael lynton chief executive of sony pictures entertainment   was increasingly strained
mr moskos contract was set to expire a decision was made not to renew it sony is expected to put a new television management regime in place rapidly the likely outcome involves promoting mr moskos longtime lieutenants zack van amburg and jamie erlicht
sonys television business which also includes a roster of overseas networks and the crackle streaming service is particularly reliant on the development of shows that buyers like abc nbc and cbs say they cannot do without that is because the big broadcast networks have become increasingly aligned with their own internal studio suppliers sony is the only studio left that does not have a network sibling
for the fall season sony sold shows to abc nbc and cbs with some new series landing in prime slots on thursday and monday nights sony also controls the still lucrative distribution rights to old sitcoms including seinfeld
mr mosko is known in hollywood as the consummate insider his ability to foster deep business relationships began during his earlier days in television when he sold ads for a baltimore station he once closed a deal by plying a client with flaming shots of sambuca and then arm wrestling him for the business


oakland calif   over the past four years andre iguodala has been an eastern conference all star a gold medal winning olympian for the united states and the most valuable player of the nba finals
so has lebron james his anticipated defensive matchup in the nba finals rematch between the golden state warriors and the cleveland cavaliers
but here is the point
that is a resume befitting a superstar shoe company pitchman meaning james   not so much a player like iguodala who averaged 7 points a game this season with 4 rebounds and 34 assists
iguodala the warriors redoubtable swingman fits few basketball stereotypes and positional characterizations he is the epitome of that essential intangible guy
he can be a 6 foot 6 shooting guard and while no great marksman he has a knack for knocking down big shots
he can be a small forward who can guard much bigger forwards a defensive stalwart who bodied up on james in the 2015 finals making life trying for the nbas most combustible package of power and speed
they will most likely become closely reacquainted in game 1 on thursday night and iguodalas impact   can he again hold his own without automatic help when james posts up on the left block   will be a key to the series
iguodala is a widely respected veteran who as a budding college star on the way to becoming the no 9 pick by philadelphia in the 2004 draft fancied himself as the next scottie pippen not like mike
unlike pippen a hall of fame talent who was always billed second behind michael jordan on six chicago bulls championship teams iguodala is at best the fourth ranked conversation piece on the defending champion warriors
and that is assuming nobody wants to talk about the regular starters andrew bogut and harrison barnes or the teams popular coach steve kerr
its incredible it doesnt happen in this league said luke walton a kerr assistant who is working his last days with the warriors before moving south to coach the los angeles lakers someone with his talent and his success normally wont accept a lesser role like he has for us
iguodala is highly credentialed but hardly celebrated   not until the biggest games of the season or the season itself are on the line
take games 6 and 7 of the western conference finals against oklahoma city in which he got into the space and head of another shoe company darling kevin durant
iguodalas strip of a driving durant late in game 6 with the warriors trailing by 6 resulted in a perfect long pass down the court from iguodala to klay thompson for one of thompsons 11 3 pointers
facing a potential deficit of 8 the warriors were suddenly down by only 3 the momentum changed and the thunder were permanently spooked
in game 7 iguodala played a team high 43 minutes after averaging 266 during the regular season and as walton noted wednesday he was on the court every time durant was on the court
iguodala also started after coming off the bench for the previous six bringing to mind how kerr rearranged his lineup after losing two of the first three games in the 2015 finals
once iguodala was inserted last year the warriors won out with his defense contributing mightily to jamess 398 percent shooting for the series and iguodalas 25 points in the game 6 clincher cementing an improbable rise to finals mvp
no player in nba history had ever won the award now named for bill russell without being a regular starter
oh we see him as a starter whether he does or not walton said we purposely try to keep him under or around 30 minutes a night during the season hes had some knee issues in the past and hes old now
iguodala is only 32 just testing the limits of his prime walton stretched the issue perhaps getting even for when iguodala then his freshman teammate at arizona made walton feel creaky during his senior year
iguodala has spoken of the impact walton had on him telling the website grantland in 2013 how he had learned from walton how to sacrifice yourself for a teammate
walton said that was nice to hear but mostly he recalled iguodala being as hard as anyone as ive had to guard
its a big difference from an 18 year old freshman to a 22 year old senior but every single day in practice we battled walton said i knew right then he was going to be an all star at this level just by the way he played the game
with the warriors it is a good thing that walton is around to speak on iguodalas behalf because persuading him to praise himself is not unlike getting around him to the rim
reporters tried on wednesday phrasing and rephrasing queries about iguodalas role in slowing down   if not shutting down   james
question is your matchup with lebron anything like a chess match
iguodala i dont think its just me and him its all part of being out there helping the team win
question what assets would you say best help you in defending against james
iguodala honestly weve got some really smart defenders behind me andrew bogut is huge for us draymond green the way he communicates is great when you have that many guys helping that you can trust you can pretty much buy into any defensive scheme
it was time to locate walton
i dont think youll get him to talk about that which is part of the reason hes been so successful walton said obviously inside he knows how good he is but ever since ive known him when he came in as a freshman hes always been about the team the purity of the game
he added that is what made him winning the nba finals mvp so special such a beautiful thing he did it as an unselfish player coming off the bench for the first time in his career probably in his life and then being called on to start and guard lebron
somebody had to do it said iguodala who added in his most revealing admission some peoples jobs are a little more dirty than others and they may not get as much publicity
not until the finals until james as they once again collide remember that iguodala while no king has worn the crown won the gold and been the finals mvp
his resume speaks much louder than he does


stone ridge ny   apple trees have blossomed and soon fruit will begin emerging at elizabeth ryans orchard in the hudson valley before long her harvest will head south to manhattan where miro uskokovic the pastry chef at gramercy tavern will use it to create an apple and carob cake while michael anthony the executive chef at the studio cafe inside the whitney museum of american art will turn it into an apple compote spread over pie dough and covered with a streusel
ms ryans apples are also on school lunch menus and sold at farmers markets all over the city her farm stone ridge orchard in ulster county is part of a rapidly expanding pipeline that carries fruits and vegetables from farms across new york state to consumers clamoring for fresh ingredients grown in soil not far away
but the demand for locally grown foods is colliding with another powerful force a booming real estate market particularly in the hudson valley driven by waves of newcomers from new york city perhaps drawn by the regions natural beauty more relaxed pace and less expensive housing the boom is gobbling up family farms as owners choose to cash in on the surging value of land rather than grapple with the perennial challenges of slim profit margins high taxes long hours and fickle weather
the number of farms in new york state has been declining steadily to 35537 in 2012 from 38264 in 1997 according to the most recent five year census conducted by the department of agriculture and since 1982 real estate development has swallowed more than 471000 acres of the states farmland according to data compiled by the american farmland trust a preservation group
now a group of new york city lawmakers has teamed up with another preservation group the scenic hudson land trust to create a plan to preserve the regions existing food system as part of the initiative lawmakers are seeking for the first time to set aside money in the municipal budget for the preservation of farmland in the hudson valley
the risk to farmland is a risk to healthy food for new york city residents councilman daniel r garodnick democrat of manhattan said he said that many farmers markets were in neighborhoods that have few stores if any that sell high quality produce
mr garodnick has proposed spending 50 million for a conservation easement program that would pay farmers the development value of their land and impose a deed restriction to permanently protect their land from development some farmers might use the money to make improvements while others could lease or sell their land to other farmers
if we want all new yorkers to have access to fresh local food then we must save the nearby farms that serve the citys neediest neighborhoods now before they are lost to development steve rosenberg executive director of the scenic hudson land trust said this modest but visionary strategic investment will make the city a national model of how to create a more equitable and secure regional food system
ms ryan who also owns four other farms in dutchess and columbia counties said that stone ridge orchard illustrates the urgency of these issues
its been here for 300 years she said
before she bought the farm two years ago for 125 million a 450 unit condominium project had been proposed for the 113 acre site which grows 150 varieties of apples and other types of fruit
ms ryan 62 said she could easily sell stone ridge orchard for several million dollars and retire instead she is working with several conservation groups in hopes of having it permanently protected she also plans to invest more money and expand her operation by establishing a bakery and selling hard cider
ive been told by my lenders that its a bad business decision not to cash out your land for houses ms ryan said why do we do this because we love it because we believe in it because there is a joy and satisfaction in growing healthy food for people its not just the direct nourishment of getting an apple but the support and other forms of nourishment that come along with community people getting together people eating together
the economic impact of fresh food is also growing in the city the number of farmers markets in new york city has nearly doubled to 146 in 2015 from 79 in 2006 according to city officials in the 2014 15 school year the city spent over 27 million on locally produced food a nearly 2 million increase from the previous year
its not only individual new yorkers that are buying locally david haight the new york state director of the american farmland trust said were seeing this trend in community institutions as well
but a study mr haights group released in april found another ominous trend farmers in the state are aging with nearly 30 percent of them age 65 or older so another big threat is the number of farms that are going to be up for grabs as senior farmers will be getting out of farming he said
proponents of farmland preservation point to the growing number of aging farmers in arguing that it is critical to pay for conservation programs now mr garodnicks proposal is similar to conservation programs paid for by the federal and state government and by private foundations in early may the state announced a 20 million award to preserve 5600 acres on 28 farms in the hudson valley
mr anthony who works for the union square hospitality group said farmland preservation is critical to the restaurant industry poorly planned development and urban sprawl is destroying at a rapid pace our states best quality farmland and other vital agricultural areas he said adding that conservation efforts were vital to ensuring that safe foods are grown close to where they will be consumed
mayor bill de blasio who has emphasized the need for improved access to affordable fresh fruits and vegetables especially in low income schools and neighborhoods is reviewing mr garodnicks proposal a spokeswoman said and recognizes the importance of preserving farmland the citys budget has to be finalized by june 30
a group of state assembly members wrote a joint letter to mr de blasio a democrat urging him to support the conservation plan
most of us are the ones in our households who end up making key food decisions said assemblywoman didi barrett a democrat who wrote the letter and who represents dutchess and columbia counties people i represent are the people who drive to the city each week for farmers markets and people in the city want to know where their food is coming from and who their farmers are
ms ryan said she traveled to the city regularly and was very concerned to see so many neighborhoods where theres very little greenery
we see young kids and teenagers living on diet soda and twinkies she continued that is a horrifying thing


san francisco   saudi arabias 35 billion bet on uber is perhaps the biggest single investment in a start up on record
and guiding the middle eastern kingdom on its move were just two advisers jpmorgan chase on the financial side and skadden arps slate meagher  flom on the legal side
the 35 billion investment is enormous by any measure put into perspective it is bigger than the amount google raised in its initial public offering of stock in 2004
while such a deal is not likely to yield a huge payday for the two companies it lends them some bragging rights and it could position them for plum advisory positions for saudi arabia down the line including the forthcoming initial public offering of saudi aramco the countrys gargantuan state owned oil company
jpmorgan is already one of the banks helping advise the kingdom on that offering


opelika ala   the excitement began outside the courtroom here on wednesday morning when gov robert bentley arrived to testify at the trial of the speaker of the state house of representatives
he walked in through the front door one deputy sheriff said to the surprise of another not long after a man waiting for a different circuit court case strained for a glimpse of the governor from a second floor window
but to the prosecutors in the public corruption trial of michael g hubbard mr bentley was just another witness to help make their case that the speaker sought to leverage his office for his personal interests a prosecutors file folder about the witness who testified for about 20 minutes while his security detail of state troopers stood nearby carried a simple label bentley robert
in the end mr bentleys brief turn on the witness stand appeared to offer modest victories for the prosecution and the defense during the governors testimony lawyers asked him to recount meetings with mr hubbard that focused on certain economic development projects initiatives that were supported by a company that had hired the speaker as a consultant
did you understand you were meeting with him in his capacity as speaker of the house a prosecutor john gibbs asked
i did mr bentley replied he is the speaker of the house
but mr bentley a republican under cross examination by one of mr hubbards lawyers effectively acknowledged that he had independently perceived that the speaker was acting in his official capacity
he could be a lot of things to a lot of different people said bill baxley mr hubbards chief defense lawyer and a former lieutenant governor
yes sir said the governor who also said that he did not believe that mr hubbards conduct had been illegal or unethical
mr bentleys appearance was part of a gripping day of testimony here in east alabama where jurors began to hear evidence last week in the case against mr hubbard a republican who many people believe is the most powerful man in the state
but in a sweltering courtroom prosecutors called witnesses who portrayed mr hubbard as a man whose public influence masked his increasing desperation about his personal finances
in emails that were displayed in court for instance the speaker beseeched william brooke then a senior figure in the business council of alabama an interest group to help him find work
mr hubbards pleas were not immediately successful in part mr brooke testified because companies were often unenthusiastic about hiring a sitting speaker of the house who could face complex questions about conflicts of interest
can we find a solution that would leave him independent yet provide him some income mr brooke said explaining the mind sets of some executives and there were no solutions that surfaced
such reluctance the emails showed deepened the frustrations of mr hubbard who lamented that companies hesitated to hire him even though he had helped strengthen alabamas reputation as a business friendly state eventually mr brooke and others agreed to invest in mr hubbards struggling printing company
prosecutors also brought out testimony that depicted the extent of the speakers ties with lobbyists one lobbyist for instance described how he and two others had once met about their business in mr hubbards conference room in montgomery the state capital
mr hubbard faces 20 years in prison on each of the 23 counts against him testimony will continue thursday
but in many respects the most sensational component of the trial may have passed by 925 am on wednesday when mr bentleys sport utility vehicle began to pull away from a trial that has taken center stage among alabamas striking medley of political scandals including one about the governors relationship with a top aide
many people here had wondered whether that relationship which has spurred federal and state inquiries as well as calls for mr bentleys impeachment would become a subject of testimony
it did not but it was difficult to escape the matter spencer collier who first publicly accused the governor of misconduct was sitting in the courtrooms gallery and for many people it was difficult to ignore the spectacle of a sitting governor testifying at a sitting house speakers trial
its amazing said mr collier whom the governor fired as alabamas law enforcement secretary and im embarrassed for the state


a new york city police captain who declined to help when two officers were injured in a shootout in brooklyn has been demoted the police department said on wednesday
the former captain scott j forster 32 was demoted to lieutenant three months after the predawn shooting on feb 20 in the bedford stuyvesant neighborhood that left officers william reddin and andrew yurkiw injured according to the police
officers reddin and yurkiw were taken to kings county hospital center located within the 71st precinct where lieutenant forster was the executive officer instead of staying to help coordinate the police response at the hospital police officials said at the time he left 40 minutes after the shooting when his shift ended and later claimed he was sick
shortly after the shooting lieutenant forster was stripped of his badge and gun and relegated to an administrative role he had served more than 10 years with the police department and had been promoted to captain last summer he was within his one year probationary period for that rank when the shooting occurred


when reza zarrab a gold trader based in turkey was arrested on a recent trip to the united states and sent to new york to face federal charges his lawyer tried to keep him out of prison by tapping into mr zarrabs considerable wealth
his client would post a 50 million bond secured by 10 million in cash he would stay in a rental apartment in manhattan and wear a gps monitoring device and one more thing mr zarrab would pay for 24 hour guards to ensure that he did not flee and to escort him to and from the courthouse
the request which a judge is expected to take up on thursday is not as unusual as it may seem the rich are different from everyone else even those accused of crimes but a handful of extremely wealthy defendants particularly those from overseas are testing courts by proposing to live in self financed gilded cages while they await their fate
prosecutors vigorously objected to mr zarrabs being allowed to face trial under such conditions telling a federal judge in manhattan that the proposed plan would allow a rich defendant to build a personal jail for himself in a manhattan apartment staffed by a firm on his payroll
zarrabs proposed bail conditions the government said are an attempt to use his tremendous wealth to obscure the flight risk through a facade of security that is beyond the reach of all but a small subset of fabulously wealthy defendants
mr zarrabs lawyer benjamin brafman has sharply disputed the governments position saying that at the time of his arrest mr zarrab was arriving in miami to visit disney world with his wife and 5 year old daughter is devoted to his family and charitable causes and is not a threat to flee
whether mr zarrab succeeds remains to be seen but other defendants have already been granted release on such terms
last october ng lap seng a chinese billionaire indicted on charges that he bribed the former president of the united nations general assembly was granted bond of 50 million secured by 20 million cash and a midtown apartment where he would be confined and subjected to gps monitoring and round the clock guards at his own expense
many thousands of people arrested in new york languish in the citys jails because they are unable to make even modest bail so advocates for prisoners and lawyers for indigent defendants say the idea that some defendants are able to stay out of jail because they have the means to finance a novel confinement plan is blatantly unfair
it just reinforces for me the point that our entire system of pretrial detention is predominantly based on wealth said inimai m chettiar a lawyer at the brennan center for justice who runs an initiative to end mass incarceration
joshua norkin a lawyer at the legal aid society of new york said the elaborate bail package that was being proposed for mr zarrab and that was granted to mr ng should remind judges in the state court system that they have the tools to release low income people on alternative and more creative forms of bail and theyre failing to do it
the cases of wealthy defendants receiving special bail conditions are not limited to international defendants
in 2009 marc s dreier a manhattan lawyer who pleaded guilty to running an elaborate scheme that defrauded hedge funds and other investors of 700 million was granted a 10 million bond pending trial and remained in his east side apartment secured by electronic monitoring and armed security guards which his family paid for
mr dreier prosecutors said used his criminal proceeds to support a lavish lifestyle including ownership of the apartment property in the hamptons a valuable art collection and an 18 million yacht
in a written opinion the judge in the case jed s rakoff acknowledged concerns that such an arrangement for mr dreier gave people of means an opportunity for release that poorer people could never obtain
many kinds of bail conditions favored the rich judge rakoff said and conversely there were many defendants who were too poor to afford even the most modest of bail bonds or financial conditions of release this is a serious flaw in our system he wrote
still he added it is not a reason to deny a constitutional right to someone who for whatever reason can provide reasonable assurance against flight
one unusual condition set by judge rakoff was that mr dreier had to consent in writing to the use of reasonable force by the armed guards in case he tried to flee mr dreier later was sentenced to 20 years in prison
the debate last fall over mr ngs bail touched on similar issues mr ng a chinese real estate magnate with a net worth of about 18 billion owned private airplanes and had passports from at least three countries the government said
in a bail hearing a prosecutor daniel c richenthal argued that mr ng who has pleaded not guilty had no family or other ties in the united states there is no reason for him to remain mr richenthal said literally zero fifty million dollar bond is meaningless to him 20 million is meaningless to him
the judge vernon s broderick ultimately ruled that there were conditions that could assure mr ngs appearance in court and over the governments objection granted the 50 million bail package including home confinement with round the clock security the monitoring of his phone calls and other strict conditions that he detailed in an order
the latest case involves mr zarrab who has pleaded not guilty to charges that include conspiring to violate the united states sanctions on iran the case has been widely watched in turkey in 2013 mr zarrab was detained by the turkish authorities in a broad corruption investigation of businessmen with ties to recep tayyip erdogan then prime minister and now turkeys president
the office of preet bharara the united states attorney for the southern district of new york has asked that the judge richard m berman deny bail to mr zarrab saying evidence of his participation in the charged offenses was overwhelming and claiming mr zarrab misled a court officer regarding his international travel and his assets
mr bhararas office noted mr zarrab had amassed a considerable fortune citing evidence of his ownership in about 20 properties seven sea vessels 17 luxury automobiles a private airplane and over 10 million in artwork
mr zarrabs lawyer mr brafman has argued in court papers that his client who was born in iran and moved to turkey as an infant is not a risk to flee mr brafman asked the judge not to detain his client simply because he is wealthy and lacks ties to the united states and he argued that the bail proposal removes any possible concern of flight
mr zarrab is a husband and a father who is committed to his family mr brafman wrote and would not countenance life as a fugitive


boston   amid a roiling national debate over transgender rights lawmakers in the democratic led house in massachusetts on wednesday passed a bill that would expand protections against discrimination for transgender people and allow them to use bathrooms and locker rooms consistent with their gender identity
the state senate also controlled by democrats passed a similar measure here last month with support for the houses bill from gov charlie baker a republican massachusetts appears ready to cut against the current of states that have opposed some protections in public accommodations for transgender people
no one should be discriminated against in massachusetts because of their gender identity mr baker said on tuesday in announcing his support of the bill after months of avoiding a direct endorsement of such a measure
transgender rights   particularly concerning bathroom access   have rapidly unfolded as the latest clash in the culture wars in march gov pat mccrory of north carolina a republican signed a law limiting bathroom access for transgender people in that state last month the obama administration directed schools to allow students to use facilities consistent with their gender identity officials from 11 states most with republican governors have sued over the policy
now massachusetts a deep blue state with a moderate republican governor is poised to go the opposite direction
this reflects the continuing and deepening polarization of the american public said jeffrey berry a professor of political science at tufts university were redder and bluer than we were even just five years ago
massachusetts passed protections in education housing and employment for transgender people in 2011 the current bill adds those protections in public accommodations criticism of transgender protections here and around the country has focused on whether they would allow male sexual predators into womens restrooms the houses measure unlike the senates directs the states attorney general to issue guidelines for law enforcement for any person who asserts gender identity for an improper purpose
mr baker who faced mounting criticism from liberal groups here for not indicating whether he would sign a bill cited that provision in announcing his support for the bill on tuesday saying it addresses the concerns that some people have with the bill the house and senate versions of the bill will have to be reconciled before a measure can reach the governors desk
the massachusetts bill is not a groundbreaking measure   17 states and washington dc already provide such protection   but advocates have welcomed its progress at a time of heated controversy over transgender rights
the fact that the state is doing it at a moment of heightened awareness around transgender people and misperceptions about what laws protecting transgender people are really about is really an important signal to the rest of the country said sarah warbelow the legal director for the human rights campaign
on wednesday morning advocates for transgender gay and lesbian groups squeezed into the gallery of the house chambers many wearing green to show their support for the cause while dozens of opponents chanted and prayed outside the chambers
representative sheila c harrington a republican who opposed the 2011 protections rose to her feet and declared her support for the bill citing her roman catholic faith
sometimes we need courage to change our direction she said pointing to a mural showing justice samuel sewall apologizing in 1697 for his role in the salem witch trials she added i urge you to support this new era of tolerance
but representative marc t lombardo another republican urged members to vote against the bill
i dont believe that taking away the privacy rights for 99 percent of people is a noble thing to do mr lombardo said
after about seven hours of debate the bill passed 116 to 36 and the opponents chorus of shame on you echoed down the state house halls but advocates hugged and cheered
i feel validated said erica tobias 61 a transgender woman who is a manager at a real estate office its ok to be who we are


gdansk poland   as rain fell on this port city wednesday evening the players of polands national team bounced around with verve and pep the fans chanted polska over and over the coaches barked and bayed
their opponents from the netherlands looked far more subdued they were professional to be sure but there was less life less anticipation an hour before a relatively meaningless exhibition match only two weeks after the long slog of the club season had ended more than a few of the players looked quite simply as if they would have preferred to be anywhere but here
it was understandable two years ago the dutch were one of the dominant stories of the world cup in brazil providing a series of memorable moments striker robin van persie opening with a majestic looping inch perfect diving header louis van gaal then the coach substituting his goalkeeper minutes before a shootout and looking like a genius when the keeper won it the netherlands going on to the semifinals and then carving up brazil in the third place game
the oranje looked smart and savvy and effective yet from that incredible height came a brutal collapse last fall during qualifying for the european championship and now a lost summer looms as teams like poland   as well as minnows such as wales albania northern ireland and iceland   prepare to take part in an expanded european championship while the dutch somehow have to stay home
bert van oostveen the chief executive of the dutch federation said in an interview that the sting of failure had been considerable in part because the feeling was familiar van oostveen noted that the netherlands had had this happen before good showings at the 2010 world cup the 1988 euros and the 1978 world cup were each followed by a poor performance in the next major tournament so van oostveen was candid in his assessment
what i see is that it is perhaps a dutch mental sickness of thinking that you are really that good he said it has happened too much people dont understand it is one thing to reach the top but to stay just as good is much much harder
he sighed and added everyone is frustrated we are not in france the dutch fans are famous for traveling but they have nowhere to go
for a small country of about 17 million the netherlands has a remarkable soccer history great teams like that 88 team that won the euros and great players like johan cruyff ruud gullit marco van basten and dennis bergkamp earned the dutch a global stature the national teams guiding philosophy known as total football became known and taught around the world
but this downturn feels like something greater than past problems a generation of top players that includes van persie arjen robben and wesley sneijder   who have been at the heart of the team for years   has deteriorated van persie 32 and sneijder 31 are playing on vanity contracts in the less illustrious turkish league robben 32 is a shell of himself   mostly because of injuries   with bayern munich none were called up to the team for this series of friendlies as the federation and coach danny blind   who was hired in the midst of the qualifying collapse   wanted to give younger players a chance to develop
but that is a problem too once known for its production of youth players the dutch academy system has struggled to churn out successors to its earlier stars memphis depay a manchester united midfielder is an obvious possibility but the dutch federation believes there should be many more and it sees the paucity of top tier prospects as indicative of a larger problem
that is part of why the federation undertook what was essentially a self imposed audit of its entire operation last year analyzing everything from resource allocation to mental strength training even the long ingrained dutch tactics focused on possession interchanging positions and deliberate passing moves were scrutinized
the main thing was that the whole of football was being progressive and we found ourselves standing still van oostveen said the game is changing the players are changing   the evolution of speed ball position playing in several systems it is all happening the really successful teams can play different systems we need to be able to play more than one
the dutch solicited input from outsiders asking foreign coaches like arsenals arsene wenger and the former ac milan coach arrigo sacchi for their thoughts on where soccer was headed coaches from youth teams and professional teams were polled players contributed too the result was an 11 point plan   featuring larger ideas such as increasing the quality of youth coaches as well as more granular notions like a renewed focus at all levels on defending   that dutch officials see as a 10 year process
the goal in short is a complete overhaul and if that means that the netherlands also struggles through qualifying for the 2018 world cup in russia then the federation is prepared to accept that
the result should be seen in 2022 24 26 van oostveen said you will not create in five months the new van persie we have to be realistic the effects of all this for russia they will not be that huge we hope we qualify it is important but it is a harder qualification than this last one and we know that
that reality leaves the dutch fans famous for their vigor in an uncomfortable limbo balancing patience with the disbelief that still lingers over missing the euros is difficult
coen westerhof a dutch fan from almere said that he was just so mad about how the qualifying played out but that he had tried to accept the notion that it was time for old guys out new guys in
westerhof said he was among a group of dutch fans who had decided to adopt belgium a neighbor to the south in the euros after the netherlands lost its penultimate game in qualifying one fan started a facebook page in an effort to organize a group of dutch fans who wanted to learn belgian fan songs the belgian national anthem and other things related to cheering for the belgian team
more than 10000 people joined the page right away after the dutch lost their final qualifier and were eliminated over 110000 more expressed interest
you know said maurice huismans a dj we have to do something
indeed they do a few hundred dutch fans did show up at energa stadium on wednesday tucked into one corner where they and 40000 more optimistic polish fans watched a mostly turgid exhibition on a sloppy field the dutch were rewarded sort of as the netherlands took advantage of two horrendous defensive mistakes by poland to win 2 1
nice as it was it was the definition of an empty victory
the poles after all are going to france the dutch are still figuring out where they go from here


santa clara calif   christian pulisic and his father mark were video chatting on sunday from separate continents they had a lot of things to discuss
the previous night in kansas city kan pulisic at 17 years 212 days had become the youngest player to score a goal for the united states national team   at least in the institutional memory of american soccer and for certain since 1990 when the federation began stringent record keeping mark pulisic had watched the game from verl germany reclined on a hotel bed with an ipad in his hands as he fought off sleep in the middle of the night the sight of his son celebrating had had the surreal feeling of a dream
their conversation the next day though turned out to be short everything was awesome his son told him but actually he added he needed to run he had to go eat with the guys
typical teenager mark pulisic said later laughing not too interested in divulging information to his parents
in many ways christian pulisic is an everyday american teenager he plays ping pong and pickup basketball to kill time he loves lebron james and listens to justin bieber he has a few more inches to grow he presumably hopes he has dabbed in public
but the developments in the last six months of his life have been rather extraordinary since january he has worked his way into the first team of borussia dortmund one of the top clubs in europe in april he scored his first bundesliga goal a week later he scored his second by then he had already made his first appearance for the united states senior team and this month he will be on the american squad when it opens the copa america centenario tournament against colombia on friday night at levis stadium
that combination of obvious talent and tangible early success in turn has begun a familiar american swirl of hype expectation and apprehension
the game in the united states while embraced in greater numbers every year remains without a universally talismanic personality soccer more than many other team sports welcomes young prodigies into the ranks of its adult players there has thus long been a discernible yearning in the collective mind of american fans for a young superstar to carry that mantle as the one and pulisics emergence has started those conversations anew
it is a process that has made people close to him uneasy
were just accustomed to having that guy   whether in basketball baseball   that superstar in a global stage said bill belcher who played professional indoor soccer with mark pulisic and has invited christian to train with the harrisburg city islanders the usl team he now coaches any time a young kid comes along who looks like he has potential we want to anoint him as the one but i dont know if its fair to any kid to heap that on him at such a young age
lessons learned from young players of the past have made many people hesitate to place expectations on teenage players but with pulisic it has not stopped the chatter altogether
last week thomas rongen a former united states under 20 coach told the new york daily news i really think that pulisic is going to be the best player the united states has ever produced sb nation produced an online video that suggested christian pulisic might be us soccers best young talent ever pulisic shared the video on his facebook page on saturday morning adding an emoji of a smiley face wearing sunglasses
friends family members coaches and teammates have lauded pulisics level head and humble attitude they say he has maintained a quiet deferential presence around his older teammates but they have embraced him as a colleague   even if kyle beckerman a 34 year old midfielder could only laugh when asked what it was like to have a teammate half his age
after the game saturday in kansas city a 4 0 win over bolivia united states coach jurgen klinsmann said of pulisic hes grounded he knows that he has a long way to go but he has no fear
pulisics confidence emerged from a young age growing up in hershey pa he generally played two years above his age when he trained as a 14 year old with bechers team it was with men in their 20s and 30s he rarely dominated games but his physical and psychological limits were constantly pushed
my dad taught me like no matter what when i go out and play against these bigger players just to be myself pulisic said this week i knew that i was good enough and that i had the ability to i never shy away from anyone and i dont think anyone should
even before his teenage years pulisic could play the ball with either foot and had an innate sense of movement but he was always small for his age the early teenage years can be a worrisome period for soccer players and the coaches monitoring them and pulisic faced the normal questions will he grow will his muscles develop will the developments manifest as strength or clumsiness
a timely growth spurt as he was training in us soccers youth residency program helped attract the attention of overseas clubs including dortmund
once he got that quickness and burst it really brought out all the ability he already had said steve klein a family friend who helped coach pulisic at the club and youth national team levels
in 2014 pulisic and his father moved to dortmund where they live now in a four bedroom townhouse mark pulisic took a youth coaching position at dortmund when christian signed there as a 16 year old last january his sister stepbrother and mother kelley still live in the united states pulisic is too young to drive in germany so he gets rides to practice from his father and takes the train around the city after two years of daily lessons and games of pickup basketball and h o r s e at dortmunds training site he speaks german conversationally
dortmund has been conscious of controlling pulisics media exposure this spring even as his play began to attract international attention and mark pulisic was happy to learn this week that us soccer was limiting his sons media obligations to postgame interviews
but the attention may keep growing particularly if pulisic plays well at the copa america where he is expected at least in the early going to provide klinsmann with a spark off the bench already he has showed flashes of the subtle traits that capture fans imaginations and hinted at bigger things a feathery first touch elastic ankles rhythmic running and a willingness to mix it up
michael bradley the united states captain said its easy to see right away that he has some special qualities in terms of his ability to move with the ball to be light on his feet to put defenders on the wrong foot to play in that spot out wide but be a threat in different ways in terms of his movement in terms of playing from out to in i think we all have to understand that hes still very young and theres going to be the normal ups and downs that go with that that are there with any player
pulisic received a loud cheer on saturday when he entered the bolivia game for the final 20 minutes fans behind one of the goals began chanting his name before he even touched the ball his goal in the 69th minute was a simple finish and in a blowout game largely trivial but the entire team jogged over to congratulate pulisic as he celebrated his forehead came up only to the shoulders of most of his teammates
after the game he stood for a short interview in which he played down his first goal
when he was finished he walked over to sign autographs for a small group of waiting fans
typical teenager stuff


the pioneering label stax records is best known for gritty down and dirty soul classics by such giants as otis redding rufus thomas and sam and dave but one of the singles that first put the memphis company on the map was the stately elegant ballad you dont miss your water written and recorded in 1961 by a rising local singer named william bell though the song only grazed the charts it was a defining cornerstone of the southern soul sound
the next year though mr bell was drafted into the military and by the time he was discharged in 1965 stax had an established lineup of stars he remained a part of the label until it shuttered in 1975   most notably as a writer of born under a bad sign for albert king in 1967   but never quite regained his position as one of the memphis elite
this week mr bell is releasing this is where i live his first album in more than a decade it also represents his return to stax which was revived as an imprint by concord records in 2004 he will be performing at the cutting room on tuesday and at metrotech commons next thursday as part of the brooklyn academy of musics rhythm and blues festival series
over lunch in midtown manhattan mr bell 76 looked fit and dapper dressed in shades of brown and tan remarkably he was staying in the same times square hotel where he wrote you dont miss your water while feeling homesick on tour more than 50 years ago he sang it at the white house in 2013 in a tribute to memphis soul mr bell claimed that even if the new stax involved a different team in a different location he felt a certain accountability about putting out music under the legendary logo
we created a new genre and its a responsibility to uphold that and also try to bring it forward a little bit he said as kids we never thought that stax would stop going and then when it folded it was devastating to us so to have it come back i dont take it lightly
john leventhal who produced the album said in a phone interview that he immediately sensed what he did and didnt want to do with mr bell i knew it shouldnt be overtly nostalgic or just a pastiche of cliches said mr leventhal best known for his work with his wife rosanne cash and such singer songwriters as shawn colvin and michelle branch we werent trying to drag william back to the glory days but to appropriate older styles and make them more vibrant for today
mr bell was truly a team player during staxs glory days writing songs and contributing to sessions by other artists while continuing to cut sophisticated emotional tracks that are still treasured by soul aficionados including everybody loves a winner i forgot to be your lover and private number his compositions had a melancholy feel and narrative structure that veered close to country music and proved influential in memphis and nashville
because he could write william became a henchman at the label one of the hubs in the wheel   a go to guy said booker t jones of booker t  the mgs the stax house band and a frequent co writer in a telephone interview he was an innovator as a singer he set the standard for percy sledge and all the people who sang with heart and soul and feeling
after the demise of stax mr bell moved to atlanta he never left music   he started a production company and a label and had his biggest hit in 1977 with tryin to love two his songs have been covered by billy idol and sampled by kanye west and ludacris he also took acting lessons and even played stanley kowalski in a production of a streetcar named desire
all of his experiences inform the songs on this is where i live he and mr leventhal pointed to the albums opener the three of me as being indicative of the mature direction they wanted to pursue
its more introspective mr bell said its still about love but not the passion of a younger guy its an older guy reflecting mr leventhal added that they developed material that would be compelling for a 75 year old man   its not becoming of a great singer to sing something they would have done 50 years earlier
though his songwriting was always characterized by a graceful simplicity mr bell continues to refine his work theres a calmness now with my demeanor he said im able to express myself better now than i did as a teenager ive traveled the world i have a better perspective on life on people on my career im very fortunate   a lot of my peers are gone and its very gratifying to have lasted this long still intact
inevitably though he continues to look back on his days as part of one of americas most mythic musical communities he admits to some disappointment with his initial run at stax but lights up talking about visiting reddings georgia ranch or recording with booker t  the mgs two members of whom he knew from church
it really was like an extended family he said long before integration we got behind those walls at stax and the only thing that mattered was what you brought to the table in terms of talent and creativity we didnt care about race gender whatever
being so young it was like going to university he continued we honed our craft in that building and learned about the intricacies of music and songwriting and how to express an idea so for me to come full circle and sign with stax again it feels like home


with private cybersecurity firms linking north korea to recent computer attacks that absconded with at least 81 million the treasury department moved on wednesday to choke off pyongyangs remaining access to the global financial system designating the country a primary money launderer
the treasury employing sanctions techniques that helped pressure iran to give up much of its nuclear program said it would seek to impose what are known as secondary sanctions against the reclusive communist country that means that it could cut off from the american financial system any bank or company that conducts banking transactions with pyongyang
as a practical matter that would largely affect chinese banks which facilitate north koreas financial transactions with beijing its largest trading partner it could also affect some institutions in the nominally autonomous chinese regions of macau and hong kong as well as in singapore where pyongyang has often gone to hide the true nature of its banking activities and to pay for missiles nuclear fuel and the huge infrastructure it has built around those programs
the designation officials said was in the works long before evidence emerged linking the countrys aggressive hackers to the bank thefts which involved stealing the credentials that banks use to access the swift system a global network that thousands of financial firms use to authorize payments from one account to another
in interviews administration officials said they were still sorting through the evidence that north korea was involved and left open the possibility that the thieves deliberately left evidence implicating the country to throw investigators off their trail it could be months the officials said before they reach any conclusions and in the end the perpetrators of the attack may not be definitively known
only once   in the case of north koreas attack on sony pictures entertainment which was promoting a movie depicting the assassination of kim jong un the countrys unpredictable young leader   has president obama publicly accused another country of using computer code to wreak havoc in the united states
in this case the sanctions were proposed most immediately because of a treasury investigation that concluded north korea uses hard currency to finance its nuclear and missile programs the department invoked a section of the patriot act to ban banks from processing any banking transaction that runs through north korea
it is hard to assess how much the action will hurt north korea such sanctions against financial institutions doing business with iran proved effective because tehran had billions of dollars in monthly oil and other energy exports that could be choked off north korea has none oftentimes pyongyang deals in cash until a few years ago it was one of the largest counterfeiters of 100 bills but that once lucrative fraud was largely cut off by the redesign of the 100 bill
the key test will be the reaction of the chinese american officials will have a chance to find out next week secretary of state john kerry and treasury secretary jacob j lew are traveling to beijing for the strategic and economic dialogue where the isolation of north korea will be a major subject of discussion china voted for the latest united nations sanctions but beijings fears of provoking a collapse of north koreas government still outweigh its desire to rein in mr kims government
underlying the financial action was the united states desire to respond to north koreas third nuclear weapons test conducted in january which the country said was its first test of a hydrogen bomb there is no evidence that it was in fact a hydrogen weapon which increases the magnitude of the blast more recently pyongyang has attempted and failed to launch a musudan intermediate range missile it is based on an early soviet model which was launched from a submarine but the repeated failures have embarrassed mr kim and undermined his effort to convince the world that his nuclear missile program is steaming ahead quickly
the bigger mystery is whether mr kim is also trying to show that he can undermine the global financial system his best way of getting back at the west and his asian neighbors for their support of sanctions two cybersecurity firms identified pyongyang as the culprit behind a series of cyberattacks against asian banks including the theft that spirited 81 million from the central bank of bangladeshs account at the federal reserve bank of new york
private security researchers analyzing those thefts say that unique digital fingerprints in the attackers code match those of the code used in cyberattacks against sony in 2014 and south korean banks and broadcasting companies in 2013 the sony hack destroyed 70 percent of the firms computers
south korea has blamed north korea for the attacks on its firms elements of the code in those attacks closely track some of the code found in the more recent bank thefts
banks in the united states are already prohibited from doing business with financial institutions in north korea but the recommended rules would require them to perform additional due diligence to ensure they are not inadvertently transacting with north korean financial institutions or the pyongyang government through shell companies or other fictitious entities
the rules are the result of a monthslong effort by the treasurys financial crimes enforcement network to determine whether north korea is a haven for money laundering
with that designation established the treasury secretary is able to take aggressive measures to cut off the countrys access to the united states financial system
other countries have also been stepping up efforts to isolate north korea in march the united nations security council said its members had 90 days to sever banking relationships with north korean financial institutions
the recent attacks on asian banks exposed new vulnerabilities in the way banks move money around the world
north koreas possible involvement in those cyberattacks has raised alarms about pyongyangs ability to exploit swift the global bank messaging network but the attack did not go to the core of the swift system instead it was analogous to stealing a credit card number to post a phony transaction in the visa or mastercard system


nairobi kenya   militants detonated a deafening car bomb at the gates of a popular hotel in somalia on wednesday evening and gunmen then stormed the hotel leaving at least 15 people dead and creating a fiery scene of wrecked cars crumbled buildings panic and smoke that stretched for blocks in the heart of mogadishu the capital
the somali authorities said government forces were battling room to room in the hotel the ambassador against a few heavily armed men a spokesman at a hospital said more than 40 people had been wounded in the attack
the shabab a somali militant organization that has attacked several other hotels in similar fashion claimed responsibility for the assault
somalia has been increasingly violent after years of retreats and defeats the shabab have been stepping up attacks on civilians peacekeepers and somalias fledging security forces the group has killed hundreds of people this year
analysts say one reason may be that the shabab an offshoot of al qaeda are competing with the islamic state and are desperate to demonstrate their militant prowess at the same time somalias government and its western allies including the united states have gone on the offensive increasing the frequency of their strikes against militants
in march the united states killed about 150 shabab fighters in airstrikes on a training camp the attack was one of the deadliest single assaults in recent somali history
on wednesday somali officials said government commandos had recently killed several top shabab operatives including the suspected planner of an attack on a kenyan university last year that killed nearly 150 people
there were also reports that the shabab operatives had been killed by an american helicopter strike
a growing number of united states special operations troops are based in somalia american officials have said the troops primary role is to train and assist the african union and somali forces fighting the shabab
the ambassador the hotel attacked on wednesday is popular with government officials and is on a busy street lined with sidewalk cafes a relatively new phenomenon in mogadishu two somali lawmakers have been confirmed dead and the authorities said the death toll could rise
i am scared said abdulkadir hassan who owns a printing shop nearby and witnessed the attack just in minutes the area was overwhelmed by heavy smoke flying shrapnel and a firefight


cairo   fighters aligned with libyas united nations backed unity government are advancing along the mediterranean coast toward the islamic state stronghold of surt signaling the first major assault on territory that since last year has become the terrorist groups largest base outside iraq and syria
two separate militia forces have fought their way toward the city in recent days attacking from both the east and the west in apparently uncoordinated attacks that have reduced the length of libyan coastline controlled by the islamic state to 100 miles from about 150 miles on wednesday one of the militias claimed to have seized control of surts power plant 20 miles west of the city
those victories occurred in sparsely populated areas and it was unclear whether the militias had either the strength or the will to push into surt which is thought to be heavily fortified and also harbor several thousand foreign fighters but the advance did signal a new setback for the islamic state also known as isis or isil at a time when it is already under concerted attack in falluja iraq and in parts of syria
analysts and diplomats warn that while the offensive addresses the wests biggest concern in libya it also risks destabilizing the fragile peace effort there by fostering violent competition between rival groups
only a year ago these two groups were battling for control of the so called oil crescent and lobbing rockets and shells at one another said frederic wehrey a libya specialist at the carnegie endowment for international peace who visited that country recently now they are converging on a common enemy but the great fear is what comes next
over the past year surt the hometown of the ousted libyan dictator col muammar el qaddafi has become a preoccupation for western countries worried that it could become a refuge for militants fleeing iraq and syria islamic state fighters have presided over a brutal rule in the city with public executions and floggings as well as shortages of food and medicines
since late 2015 small groups of american british and french special operations forces have quietly deployed across libya making contact with friendly libyan militias in an effort to gather intelligence on the islamic state in february the pentagon presented the white house with a potential plan for extensive airstrikes against the militant groups camps command centers and munitions depots in libya
but president obama has stayed his hand limiting overt american action to sporadic strikes against a handful of islamic state targets in an effort to allow a united nations led peace process to take root in libya that endeavor however has faltered badly as the unity government which arrived in the capital tripoli in march has failed to gain broad political acceptance
now with the sudden move against the islamic state military action on the ground is moving faster than the countrys tangled politics
the power plant where fighting raged on wednesday is a significant prize because its loss to the islamic state last june was seen as a significant step in the groups domination of the surt region the assault was instigated by militias from misurata a powerful trading city further west along the coast in response to islamic state attacks dozens of misuratan fighters have died in recent weeks according to libyan media reports
hamza ahmed abusnaina a senior misuratan commander said in a telephone interview on wednesday that the attackers had captured both the surt power plant and an area south of the city called wadi jaref mr abusnainas claim could not be independently confirmed but it was echoed by twitter accounts associated with the misuratan militias
on the eastern side of the city the attack is led by ibrahim jathran a young militia commander who controls a stretch of coast known as the oil crescent where most of libyas oil terminals are in recent days his group seized the coastal town of bin jawad and claimed on tuesday to have moved on nearby nawfaliyah
that would bring his group known as the petroleum facilities guard within 80 miles of surt
it is unclear whether foreign forces are playing a direct role in the offensive in the times of london last week a report from misurata cited a local commander who said that british special forces soldiers had fired a missile to destroy an islamic state truck packed with explosives during a battle in early may british defense officials did not comment on the report
in april a pentagon spokesman said that the small group of united states special operations forces deployed to libya   about two dozen troops operating near misurata and benghazi   were principally involved in intelligence gathering and reconnaissance
as the two pronged assault on islamic state territory unfolded several analysts pointed to the role of the unitys governments new defense minister almahdi al barghathi who has been trying to bring rival militant factions under a central command that could become a national army but such efforts are being frustrated by the tribal and personal rivalries that have fueled chaos in libya since the fall of colonel qaddafi in 2011
these forces lack crucial capabilities said mr wehrey of the two groups its one thing to push back is in the surrounding villages and towns but quite another to liberate surt
the coastal city is thought to be home to a majority of the islamic state fighters in libya estimated to number between 3000 and 6500 western officials say that any group attacking surt would likely face suicide bombers roadside bombs and the resistance of fighters with few avenues of escape it is estimated that two thirds of the citys population has already fled
more broadly there is a danger of deepening divisions between east and west in libya one western official who recently visited the country said the political mood in libya had become increasingly confrontational during recent months as the united nations acting under pressure from the united states and its allies has struggled to win acceptance for the unity government
the assault on surt could further isolate gen khalifa hifter a powerful militia commander in the eastern city of benghazi who has determinedly resisted all entreaties to join the unity government only weeks ago he boasted that he would be the one to rout the islamic state from surt
in a sign of those divisions the eastern branch of the countrys central bank this week announced that it had printed 4 billion libyan dinars through a company in russia drawing a furious reaction from the main central bank in tripoli
on wednesday the tripoli bank took delivery of its own consignment of new bank notes which officials said had been produced by libyas traditional currency printer   in britain


a fired police officer was charged wednesday in the killing of a legally armed black musician who had apparently thrown his weapon and was running away when he was shot prosecutors and court documents said the former officer nouman raja was arrested and charged with attempted murder and manslaughter in the oct 18 death of corey jones 31 after a grand jury found the shooting was unjustified palm beach county state attorney dave aronberg said mr joness sport utility vehicle had broken down on a highway ramp he had gotten out and was on the phone with roadside assistance when mr raja who is of south asian descent pulled up in an unmarked van the mens exchange was captured on the call center recording at no time during the recording did raja say he was a police officer the affidavit said instead raja replied by asking the single word really when jones twice said im good  both men apparently pulled guns mr raja 38 fired six shots hitting mr jones three times mr jones never fired ap
a jury has awarded 22 million to a man who says he was beaten by an east cleveland police detective locked in a storage closet with no toilet for four days and given nothing to eat or drink except a carton of milk the cleveland jury found in favor of the man arnold black 48 of east cleveland in a civil trial relatives testified that mr black had to have surgery to remove dried blood on his brain the trial was held without lawyers representing east cleveland city law director willa hemmons when contacted wednesday said she was not aware that a trial had been held it is unclear how cash strapped east cleveland could pay anything as officials there consider filing the states first ever municipal bankruptcy and explore a merger with neighboring cleveland ap


alexander rossi was not like most children who grew up in nevada city calif most children in the town of 3000 near lake tahoe did not wake up at 4 am on sunday mornings to watch formula one automobile races on television but rossi did religiously
rossis love of the series took him overseas seven years ago to pursue a driving career and he has not ruled out going that route again someday but his immediate plans changed substantially after 3 pm sunday when rossi 24 won the indianapolis 500 on his first try
after becoming only the second american driver since 2006 to win at the brickyard rossi has climbed to sixth place in the indycar standings with a weekend doubleheader of races on tap at belle isle park in detroit on a road course his first love
a driver who thought he wanted to race internationally   and who until sunday many people thought was from europe   has become a standard bearer for american drivers
i didnt know what was around the corner from victory lane when i got into the winners circle he said tuesday as a limousine whisked him to the empire state building for a photo with the borg warner trophy which he won sunday it was pretty eye opening and it opened me up to a whole barrage of neat experiences i had never known before
he smiled adding at the same time its very difficult to be doing all of this when half of your mind is on detroit you have a job to do and it is to carry the momentum forward
to all but formula one fans rossi was practically unknown until he won sundays race until this year rossi had been on a fast track for the series and as a result he said a lot of people dont realize im from america from california which is a little bit annoying
rossi drove in five formula one races last year for the manor marussia team but was passed over for a full time ride this year he sought a place to compete every week and michael andretti the indycar driver turned team owner knew rossis background
andretti whose father mario won an f1 drivers championship in 1978 had encountered disappointment in the series too michael andretti moved from indycars to formula one in 1993 but he crashed a lot ran poorly and was out of the series in less than a year
rossi was only the third american to have raced in formula one since 1990 andretti and scott speed 33 who now races on the global rallycross series were the others
as an american in f1 we stood out together rossi said of michael andretti there was an association with that he had the exact same thing happen so he and i can relate on a lot of different levels which is pretty cool to have in common with your boss
a race team owned by bryan herta a former driver who won the 2011 indy 500 with dan wheldon had been merged into the team owned by andretti autosport michael andretti had a seat and he thought rossi could handle a new challenge
as a youngster rossi attended races on the road course at laguna seca calif and after watching those and formula one races on tv he thought he would like conquering tracks with twists and turns he was not familiar with oval tracks like the indianapolis motor speedway
he finished 12th in the first indycar race of the season the grand prix of st petersburg fla on march 13
the next race was at phoenix my first oval which i had a lot of apprehension about he said
he qualified and finished 14th and he was surprised with how much he loved the ovals
he finished 20th   next to last   on the street course in long beach calif and finished 15th among 21 drivers at the road course in birmingham ala before rebounding to finish 10th at the grand prix of indianapolis
rossi started 11th in the 33 car indianapolis 500 field on sunday and was in first place by the 122nd of 200 laps he lost the lead but recaptured it seven laps later his team gambled that it could finish the final laps of the race without refueling and rossi roared into the lead and coasted to victory
it was the first time a rookie had won the race since helio castroneves did so in 2001 and the first time an american born rookie won the indy 500 since louis meyer did it in 1928
ive never understood it but theres always been this question mark among motor sports fanatics that american drivers are not on the same level rossi said to be able to show that in the biggest 500 weve had is pretty spectacular im fully prepared to carry this sport into its next stages
rossi who received a winners purse of 255 million on monday expects to compete in the 10 remaining races
this has put me in championship contention which i wasnt three days ago which has really changed my perspective on 2016 he said if detroit goes how we think it can go then we can put up a fight for at least the top three in the championship
he has no idea where the journey will take him im not complaining about the way its worked out at all he said sometimes you go into negative situations and you come out of them in a very positive situation


mexico city   it is a simple sculpture 64 concrete pyramids that stand in a perfect circle around two and a half acres of rippling black volcanic rock
known as espacio escultorico sculptural space the sculpture was inaugurated in 1979 here on the campus of the national autonomous university of mexico it is considered one of the most important pieces of land art in mexico a tranquil oasis in a chaotic city but the recent construction of a white eight story building nearby has prompted a furious protest that pits the universitys needs against mexicos cultural heritage
the campaign against the building which looms over the 13 foot pyramids from less than a quarter mile away has drawn hundreds of artists architects and intellectuals from mexico and beyond a changeorg petition to protect the work has gathered more than 30000 signatures
prominent cultural figures including the writer elena poniatowska have published letters in the press or posted video statements on facebook defending the sculpture about 300 students and faculty members of the universitys architecture school signed a letter to the head of the department in april calling for the building to be modified or demolished
for the artists the building which belongs to the social science faculty ruins the line of the sky against the flat tops of the pyramids
all the great works of land art   the horizon is how they function the artist anish kapoor said in an interview at the site last week anything that intrudes on the art he said takes away some of the poetic unnameable qualities of the work
about two dozen artists have said they would be willing to auction works to pay to move the building   among them mr kapoor a show of whose work opened at the university museum of contemporary art here on saturday
you cant move the lava you cant move the landscape said pedro reyes a sculptor who is leading the campaign to dismantle building h as it is known so you have to move the building
some students raised concerns last year about several construction projects on campus including building h but it was not until mr reyes visited the sculpture in february that he saw the finished building and began campaigning
much land art in which the landscape is integral to the work is remote and can be huge such as robert smithsons spiral jetty on the shore of great salt lake in utah and michael heizers vast unfinished sculpture city in the nevada desert
patricia martin an independent curator in mexico city said building h was typical of rampant mexican construction where people do not make the effort to think what the impact will be
the ruckus raises a public debate about how to think about space how to think about art how a building looks she said adding that is healthy
but the university says it will not destroy a building that it paid over a 1 million for and that is being used for classes and research
marcos mazari hiriart director of the architecture faculty said the construction was a mistake and had damaged the horizon of espacio escultorico but the problem could be remedied by camouflaging the building not demolishing it he said
besides mr mazari said the artwork which stands in a nearly 600 acre ecological reserve that occupies a third of the university campus was not intended to be protected in perpetuity from intrusion by other construction
is it urban art or land art he said
arguing that the land around the work only became a reserve   and a serendipitous buffer   a few years after the sculpture was made he said it became land art over time
building h does not break any regulations said sergio boeta angeles a lawyer in mexico city who specializes in cultural heritage there is no legal basis for not building it he said its a moral question
the sculpture was a collaboration among six mexican artists helen escobedo manuel felguerez mathias goeritz manuel hernandez suarez known as hersua federico silva and enrique carbajal known as sebastian its centerpiece is a naturally formed jagged mound of 2000 year old lava rock that seems still to be bubbling from the earth around that stand the pyramids evenly spaced with a slightly wider gap at the four cardinal points
the work is surrounded by scrubland filled with indigenous plants building h is not the only construction that is visible but it is taller than most and on higher ground
in a city struggling with violence pollution and chaotic planning a fuss over one building could seem trivial mr reyes said but it is all the more reason to respect the sculpture he said
mexico needs peace he said this is the most peaceful place in mexico city
allowing the building to stay would set a poor precedent some said if they leave that building there who knows what else theyll build said cesar cervantes 27 a geography student who was sitting on the edge of the circle last week
mr mazari said that the university would hold a workshop this month to discuss remedies for building h - painting it blue growing plants over it planting trees to hide it covering it with mirrors the university has formed a committee to monitor campus construction he said
but the buildings opponents insist the building must go or its top few floors should be removed so it is no longer visible from the sculpture a remedy mr mazari calls impractical if money is the main obstacle the artists say they will foot the bill
works like this represent what can be done mr kapoor said they must be looked after the fight against the building was a battle for the poetic spirit of the work he said adding we lose that in our culture we lose everything


the head of hispanic media relations at the republican national committee is resigning this month in what appears to be another indication of the lingering discomfort some party officials have about working to elect donald j trump president
ruth guerra who is of mexican descent and was in charge of carrying the partys message to hispanic voters is joining the american action network a republican aligned super pac she confirmed in a brief interview on wednesday
the american action network is expected to spend millions on congressional races and the new job is in essence a promotion one co worker said
but ms guerra told colleagues this year that she was uncomfortable working for mr trump according two rnc aides who requested anonymity to speak candidly about the difficulties surrounding the partys presumptive standard bearer
it is relatively rare for party staff members to leave the national committee in the midst of a presidential campaign unless they are going to work directly for the nominee
ms guerra declined to discuss her feelings about mr trump who is deeply unpopular with hispanic voters but said ive had a great nearly two years at the rnc and im excited for the new opportunities that i will have at aan
ms guerra 28 joins a handful of other rnc aides who have left the party or started looking for new work since mr trump became the partys presumptive nominee
discontent with mr trump runs deep among republican strategists and staff members particularly with younger ones after suggesting that mexican migrants were drug dealers and rapists upon entering the race last year mr trump has made illegal immigration a centerpiece of his campaign and at times has veered more directly toward racial demagogy
last week in san diego a few miles from the mexican border he invoked the ethnic heritage of the federal judge presiding over a class action lawsuit filed by former trump university students against the developer
the judge who happens to be we believe mexican said mr trump about judge gonzalo p curiel who was born in indiana to parents of mexican descent
in her rnc job ms guerra a texan who speaks fluent spanish was a frequent guest on spanish language television networks in her new job she will be expanding her role as a conservative voice into congressional districts across america on both policy and political issues said mike shields president of the american action network
in a profile of under 30 young republicans last year ms guerra said her party had an opening with a community that has increasingly supported democrats in recent presidential elections
as a hispanic i know that we have an opportunity with hispanicslatinos   they want to hear from us and want to know that we care ms guerra said at the time


millions of americans are missing out on a chance to avoid debilitating fractures from weakened bones researchers say because they are terrified of exceedingly rare side effects from drugs that can help them
reports of the drugs causing jawbones to rot and thighbones to snap in two have shaken many osteoporosis patients so much that they say they would rather take their chances with the disease use of the most commonly prescribed osteoporosis drugs fell by 50 percent from 2008 to 2012 according to a recent paper and doctors say the trend is continuing
last month three professional groups   the american society for bone and mineral research the national osteoporosis foundation and the national bone health alliance   put out an urgent call for doctors to be more aggressive in treating patients at high risk and for patients to be more aware of the need for treatment it followed a flurry of recent articles in medical journals documenting and bemoaning patients abandonment of traditional osteoporosis drugs but osteoporosis experts are afraid their efforts will do little to change minds
ninety percent of patients when you talk to them about starting one of these drugs wont go on said dr paul d miller medical director of the colorado center for bone research a medical practice in lakewood ninety percent who are on the drugs want to come off the fear factor is huge
half of those who start taking the drugs stop within a year even patients who just broke a hip which makes another hip fracture extremely likely are refusing them in 2011 only 20 percent of patients discharged from a hospital with a broken hip had a prescription for one of the drugs compared with 50 percent in 2002
there is little question that fractures caused by fragile bones are a real problem particularly for women a 50 year old woman has a 50 percent chance of having an osteoporotic fracture in her remaining years the drugs meant to be started when bone density falls very low and the chance of a fracture soars can reduce that risk by half studies show
but to many it matters little that the drugs frightening side effects are extremely rare estimates are that 10 to 40 in 100000 osteoporosis patients taking the drugs   including alendronate ibandronate risedronate and zoledronate   have sustained broken thighbones fewer than one in 100000 have had the jawbone problem
you only need to treat 50 people to prevent a fracture but you need to treat 40000 to see an atypical fracture said dr clifford j rosen a professor of medicine at tufts university who has no association with the makers of the drugs
lawsuits over the rare side effects resulted in large jury awards and drew widespread attention and after reports of these problems began to surface the food and drug administration requested that the drugs labels include a warning about the association
doctors had hoped that a new class of medications might avoid the rare side effects but their hopes were dashed when amgen announced the same problems in a clinical trial of a drug called romosozumab a sudden shattering of a thigh bone in one patient and an area of jawbone that inexplicably rotted in two
this was the new miracle drug dr rosen said it means these effects might occur with any of the newer drugs for osteoporosis
some patients say that even though their doctors have explained the relative risks to them the specter of those side effects frightens them
that is what happened with mildred canipe 79 who lives in charlotte nc she had a spine fracture two years ago and now lives with continual back pain she worries about another spine fracture or even worse a fractured hip but she resists taking osteoporosis drugs she said because she tends to have side effects with almost any drug and that makes her think that if anyone will suffer an atypical fracture from the medicine it is she
of course i am worried about my bones mrs canipe said who wouldnt be but i am between a rock and a hard place
she is right to worry about a hip fracture doctors say those injuries are often the start of a downward spiral for older adults many never walk normally again many end up in nursing homes unable to care for themselves
you see someone go from being a mobile elderly person to someone gripping a walker afraid to move said joan a mcgowan who directs the division of musculoskeletal diseases at the national institute of arthritis and musculoskeletal and skin diseases and the less they walk the more frail they become dr mcgowan has no associations with makers of osteoporosis drugs
the pain from spine fractures may improve but physical disfigurement does not many patients with osteoporosis have multiple fractures of their spines they become hunched and have trouble breathing their posture makes it hard for their hearts to pump blood dr mcgowan said adding its not pretty
yet it is an uphill battle trying to persuade people to take the drugs said dr steven t harris an osteoporosis specialist at the university of california san francisco
i have that discussion all day every day with my patients he said
one issue dr harris said is the relentless promotion of diet and exercise for patients with fragile bones which he said is insufficient to protect them from fractures it gives people a false sense that they can control their risk
another said dr ethel s siris an osteoporosis expert at columbia is that with the drugs off patent there is no longer an aggressive advertising push to make people aware of them their cost ranges from less than 10 a month for alendronate pills to about 1200 for a once a year infusion of zoledronate
doctors who have seen one of the rare patients who have an atypical fracture are shaken by the experience and have to remind themselves of the power of the data showing that the drugs benefits far outweigh their risks
dr elaine carlson who until her recent retirement practiced internal medicine in kennebunk me had a patient who sustained two such fractures the patient 89 who asked that her name not be used to protect her privacy said her left leg had broken suddenly when she was walking across her kitchen floor a surgeon put in a rod and three screws and it healed then she said her right thigh began to hurt six months later
she called dr carlsons office and was talking to her nurse practitioner when suddenly her right leg broke she saw three doctors and had two operations before it healed but she still cannot walk normally and can no longer do the gardening she loves i hobble around on a cane she said i am a cripple she called the drug she took for osteoporosis that wretched dreadful stuff
having that happen to her patient was very tough very tough dr carlson said and when the next osteoporosis patient came to her office yeah you do hesitate she said your job is do no harm
but dr carlson said she had continued to prescribe the drugs you do have to stick with the science she said


it was the fall womens meeting of local 600 the cinematographers union that kindled the idea gathered in the nyack ny home of ellen kuras an oscar nominee who shot eternal sunshine of the spotless mind female directors of photography assistants and camera operators swapped stories of their trade   and the challenges of being underrepresented in it
there was a sense of momentum and being surrounded by nearly three dozen other professional camerawomen felt inspiring autumn eakin a cinematographer who was at that gathering last year said with the support of others she decided to build on that camaraderie a few months later she inaugurated cinematographers xx a website and networking group showcasing the work of female dps or directors of photography her hope was to highlight their achievements instead of their scarcity
yes we need to talk about the fact that there are few women because there are she said but its also important to advocate for people who are there there have been women shooting telling stories for decades at least we are here
cinematographers xx whose website went up in february is one of several new efforts among professionals in the industry to correct its gender inequity the international collective of female cinematographers a networking and resource site that went live in april is another it was formed a spokeswoman said out of the desire to get rid of the singular excuse we hear so often there just arent enough female dps a documentary cameraperson about the cinematographer kirsten johnson has been making the festival rounds
local 600 the international cinematographers guild is also taking steps on behalf of its members publishing an ad in the hollywood trade journals with the names of female directors of photography and camera operators as a reminder that they exist and are hirable and convening meetings with studios and producers branches of the union have also organized womens conferences like the one at ms kurass house for the eastern region membership and in january the guild named xiomara comrie its national diversity officer a new post to coordinate and expand outreach
if hollywoods dismal track record with female directors is well known lately the focus has shifted to other crew members for whom the data is equally egregious for the 2000 top grossing movies from 1994 to 2013 only 18 percent of the cinematographers were women according to a study by the producer and researcher stephen follows and the overall numbers for technical jobs have actually gotten worse for women since 1994 he said
were talking about breaking a longstanding cycle of hiring that favors men said rebecca rhine who was appointed the national executive director of local 600 in december even choosing her as a leader she said is a sign that the union is open to change and acknowledging that we have work to do in broadening the ranks still most of its executives are male
women make up about 12 percent of local 600s camera department roster ms rhine said the union also represents entertainment industry publicists the group is just beginning to compile the numbers for people of color among its ranks you cant have progress except by looking at the starting point she said adding this is not going to fix itself passively
when ms eakin graduated from film school she said she had little sense that her trajectory might differ from a male cinematographers she began her career in st louis a dozen years ago then moved to new york and worked steadily on commercials documentaries television and features
but along the way she said she discovered that perceptions about her gender mattered theres an assumption of incapability a lot of times when it comes to women as opposed to the assumption of capability when it comes to men she said
rachel morrison a cinematographer who shot the indie favorites fruitvale station and dope agreed that women have to work harder to prove themselves ive had something like seven films at sundance one of which won the grand jury prize she said ive noticed male counterparts who had similar successes getting a phone call to do a big budget studio film i wasnt getting those phone calls
women can still reach that level she added but have to shoot two 1 million movies before getting a 5 million assignment and so on theres never a call like you did great on your 5 million movie heres a 100 million project she said my experience is that guys get to take the fast route
as in most fields the timing of motherhood and balancing its demands are added hurdles producers hear that youre due in february and they dont want to hire you for a job that ends in january ms morrison said
ms morrison shot dope while she was pregnant and the hbo movie confirmation while she was breast feeding so she found ways to pump on set both were directed by rick famuyiwa pregnancy she said should be viewed as working with a broken wrist
its not something that has take you out of the equation she said
sharing ways to navigate issues like these is one goal of the meetings held by cinematographers xx its not affiliated with the union although there is crossover ms eakin is a local 600 member and ms rhine the union director said she viewed it and other sites as a complement to her work
ms eakin said she hoped that cinematographers xx which has about 40 established directors of photography and 18 who are starting out would serve as a resource for hiring producers and studios can no longer pretend they dont have access to any female cinematographers women must apply to join and are vetted by ms eakin and others some have been turned away or asked to update their production reels for now the focus is women who can work in new york or los angeles although the group is allied with the international collective of female cinematographers which has over 150 vetted members ms eakin said cinematographers xx and its facebook group have already resulted in jobs for some members
ms morrison one of the few women registered with local 600 as a director of photography most are camera operators or assistants said she was inspired to join cinematographers xx because she saw studios and producers responding to the renewed discussion about the dearth of female directors this dialogue is having an effect she said though she added that she looked forward to the day when she could just be referred to as a dp and not a female dp
ms eakin said spotlighting the range and diversity of female cinematographers underscored their strength everyone can stop questioning whether women can command a set and a crew and be creative and technical at the same time she said we can and we do we just need to get past it being this rarity


name seth sikes
age 32
hometown paris tex
now lives in hells kitchen in a two bedroom duplex with his roommate and the tony nominee max von essen currently starring in an american in paris
claim to fame seth sikes is a cabaret singer who channels judy garland a childhood obsession with musicals like summer stock and a star is born led to his first solo show at feinsteins54 below which mixed ms garlands greatest hits with mr sikess life story i liked those songs as a kid but when i grew older and things had happened to me the songs really meant something he said about standards like the man that got away
big break after studying at circle in the square theater school mr sikes followed his love of musicals to a role in the off broadway production of fame but he found steadier employment behind the scenes as an assistant director on plays like the nance and tribes still longing to perform he would frequent piano bars like maries crisis and the monster after work
in 2014 he challenged himself to return to the stage for the first time in 10 years with an all judy show it was really supposed to be a one night only stunt for all my friends in the theater he said the performance   less an impression of ms garland than an interpretation of her vibrato heavy method of belting   was a hit with fans and later critics like rex reed
latest project on june 8 mr sikes returns to feinsteins54 below with his latest show which pays homage to who else liza minnelli a videotape of liza minnelli live from radio city music hall was also on repeat as a kid and was the source of a shocking discovery when he was 10 years old my aunt told me that liza was judys daughter and i nearly died
next thing this summer mr sikes is packing up his trunk and taking his two tribute shows on the road to san francisco saratoga springs ny and some potential dates in provincetown mass
best piano bar when asked for his favorite piano bar mr sikess answer is quick and unequivocal the townhouse on the upper east side it has an elegance to it and it has really fantastic pianists he said thats where you can find me on the weekends draped over the piano singing old songs with frankly old men


it is not one of baseballs infinite unwritten rules nor has it been scientifically proven through rigorous testing no instead common sense dictates that the longer a baseball game endures the chances of something bizarre occurring naturally rise
managers transform into mavericks trying to score the winning run benches and relievers are worn thin in the case of the mets game wednesday afternoon against the chicago white sox a relief pitcher who said he had last taken batting practice in 2007 scored the deciding run in the white sox 2 1 win at citi field
matt albers entered in the 12th inning as the seventh white sox pitcher and successfully kept the game tied 1 1 with a scoreless frame he returned to the dugout where manager robin ventura who once hit a grand slam to win a playoff game for the mets told him to grab a bat albers did not have one nor a helmet
the husky albers   perhaps you could say a poor mans version of bartolo colon   last made a plate appearance in 2009 his first major league hit was in 2007 against zach duke now a teammate
four hours 20 minutes into the game albers channeled colons theatrics in the batters box leading off the 13th with his teammate dioner navarros bat albers drilled logan verretts 2 2 pitch into the left center field gap for a double
his teammates roared with laughter and slapped the dugout railing that was only the beginning of the high jinks with jose abreu at the plate albers cruised to third base on a wild pitch
i was going to slide and i didnt see it it was just a mess albers said but i made it
he scored on a sacrifice fly beating an off target throw by center fielder juan lagares a gold glove award winner and the mets best defensive outfielder waving home albers was the former utility player joe mcewing now the white sox third base coach
they didnt think i could do it albers said still somewhat in shock at his athletic feats it was pretty funny man i did that   a wild pitch and i scored on a sac fly
the loss was not as humorous to the mets whose offense and bullpen relinquished several winnable games on a homestand in which they finished 2 4 and scored only one run three times
michael conforto characterized the mets offensive woes going 0 for 6 and striking out four times while the offense was largely extinct jacob degrom continued to creep toward his all star level of last season
degrom has been successful pitching in most conditions even those not traditionally conducive for pitchers but his nirvana lies in day games at citi field where he protects the bases with deft precision better than almost any pitcher in baseball entering the game degrom held a 192 era at home in career day games degrom was 13 2 with a 158 era the best among qualified pitchers since his debut in 2014
degrom threw six scoreless innings clinging to a one run lead before leaving a changeup over the plate to todd frazier who belted his league leading 17th homer over the left center field wall to begin the seventh degrom closed out the inning and tossed his first 10 strikeout game of the season but ultimately a no decision as well
the mets walked 13 times a season high but with a lineup heavy with reserves could muster only one run on a single by rene rivera in the second they grounded into five double plays also a season high
manager terry collins attributed some of the mets struggles at the plate to the absence of injured regulars like david wright lucas duda and travis darnaud on wednesday yoenis cespedes asked for the day off
i dont think theres any question thats a major part of it collins said we had a lot of opportunities to win a number of games on this homestand and couldnt put a big hit on the board its one thing to give a guy a day off its another thing when you got four guys off out of your lineup those are big holes
kevin plawecki the mets last available position player made the final out of course collins still had colon available to hit
inside pitch
david wright reportedly visited another doctor wednesday terry collins said wright was scheduled to receive additional treatment and meet the team in miami on friday ... zack wheeler is expected to throw a side session this weekend the mets have set july 1 as wheelers return from tommy john surgery


on thursday g star will open its new fifth avenue store across from the new york public library inside the expansive space   the first to open since pharrell williams became an owner of the denim label in february   youll find a number of 3 d floating legs and a central mezzanine display that showcases unconventional styles like the mens staq jeans 260 tacked at intervals to produce the namesake stacking effect and womens pouch jeans 170 with a large central pocket meant to take the place of a handbag at 475 fifth avenue
finally master the bird of paradise athleta is presenting bryant park yoga free outdoor classes every thursday evening at 6 and tuesday morning at 10 all summer long the classes are taught by instructors chosen by yoga journal
get in the spirit for the french open finals with the lacoste roland garros capsule collection which includes a silence sil vous plait graphic sweatshirt 125 and a pique mini polo featuring the tournament trophy alongside the labels signature crocodile 125 at 541 broadway
the we wore what blogger danielle bernstein has teamed up with the luxury resortwear label onia on two swim styles available exclusively at intermix a maillot 195 and a high waist two piece 175 that feature sexy lace up details at 812 washington street
the brazilian plastic footwear brand melissa shoes has created an alice through the looking glass capsule collection that includes mary jane flats with a sweet cheshire cat motif 75 to celebrate the release of the disney movie at saks fifth avenue
the moma design store is closing for renovations and has a clearance sale on through june 10 offering discounts of up to 70 percent on select products floor samples and one of a kind pieces included are an mm6 maison martin margiela triangle tote 9995 originally 185 and a scarf printed with a nasa image of manhattan and the message hello from above by the art director and designer james victore who is featured in the museums collection 7995 originally 200 at 44 west 53rd street
charlotte sun platform sandals named for the midcentury modern master charlotte perriand 31250 originally 625 are among the styles marked down up to 50 percent at the pierre hardy seasonal sale at 30 jane street


the man who received the first penis transplant in the united states left a hospital on wednesday three and a half weeks after the operation he is recovering well with good blood flow to the transplanted organ and no signs of rejection his doctors said
everything seems to be healing said the patient thomas manning 64 a bank courier from halifax mass everythings fine its going to get better too
mr manning needed the transplant because his penis was removed in 2012 to treat cancer the replacement organ from a deceased donor was attached during a 15 hour operation on may 8 and 9 at massachusetts general hospital in boston
hes doing great said dr curtis l cetrulo a plastic and reconstructive surgeon so far so good were very pleased
dr cetrulo and dr dicken ko the director of the hospitals regional urology program said that the operation had accomplished two main objectives to restore normal looking genitals and urinary function
hes standing up and hes aiming just like the good old days dr ko said
the doctors said that they were hopeful that sensation and sexual function would also return but that the process involved nerve regeneration and would occur over months in hand transplants dr cetrulo said sensation comes back rapidly at a rudimentary level but weve then seen continuing improvement for five years
mr manning must take anti rejection drugs every day for the rest of his life and he will see doctors twice a week for the next few weeks to check for signs of rejection and adjust medicine doses
his surgery was experimental part of a research program with the eventual goal of helping veterans who sustained pelvic injuries in combat as well as cancer patients and accident victims
another patient burned in a car accident will receive a transplant as soon as a matching donor becomes available dr cetrulo said
surgeons at johns hopkins university school of medicine are also planning to perform penis transplants and have had a combat veteran injured in afghanistan on a waiting list for several months


william weld the vice presidential nominee for the libertarian party said wednesday that he believed hillary clinton had done nothing criminal in using personal email as secretary of state
mr weld spoke during a wide ranging interview alongside gary johnson a former governor of new mexico and the libertarian partys presidential nominee both secured the libertarian nomination sunday at the partys contentious convention in orlando fla over the weekend
the remarks from mr weld who served as the governor of massachusetts as a republican in the 1990s are deeply at odds with criticisms from republicans over mrs clintons tenure at the state department and the scandal involving her use of a private server for all work emails
his comments could also fuel further skepticism among some libertarian voters who view mr welds right of center years as governor with suspicion they could also inflame criticism that he is a de facto stalking horse for mrs clinton the democratic front runner for the nomination
mr weld gave a single word response about whether mrs clinton was a good secretary of state yes
he was equally succinct when asked if her use of a private email server now the subject of an fbi investigation was a legitimate issue
no said mr weld a former prosecutor adding that he had read of no evidence that would clear the bar for criminality i think its a nonstarter
he was noncommittal as to whether it showed poor judgment on behalf of mrs clinton but pointed out that colin powell had also used private email while secretary of state under george w bush   a point often made by mrs clintons aides
mr weld has been friendly with mrs clinton since they worked together on the impeachment team of the house judiciary committee during the presidency of richard m nixon he praised her as kind and smart
he saved his harshest words for donald j trump the republican partys presumptive nominee whom mr weld has excoriated for anti immigrant speech
the wall is a joke mr weld said of mr trumps vow to build a wall along the border with mexico but he added i would say it was a joke if it didnt remind me so much of the berlin wall
he compared mr trump who has an ardent base of supporters to jim jones the cult leader whose followers committed suicide by the hundreds drinking poison at his urging in jonestown guyana in 1978
everybody was so fanatically devoted to him that they drank the kool aid   and it wasnt particularly good kool aid mr weld said the analogy there is just the ability to stimulate a fanatical following and thats fine but if the fanatical following leads to fanatical behavior thats not fine
mr weld and mr johnson appeared to be adjusting to their roles as running mates mr weld a starchy northeasterner from a deeply pedigreed family appeared unaccustomed to playing second fiddle to mr johnson who is fond of marijuana and embraces being called a fringe candidate the two men disagreed more than once during the interview
at one point mr johnson expressed reservations about changing the civil rights act of 1964 to include protections for gays lesbians and transgender people but mr weld quickly said he personally would have no problem with it and while mr weld praised mrs clintons years in the state department mr johnson criticized the foreign policy doctrine of the obama administration
both said they were still discerning policy differences with mrs clinton and mr trump although they struggled to come up with deep policy differences with mrs clinton mr weld made clear that he saw the presumptive republican nominee as a clear and urgent threat
in the case of mr trump there are questions about whether he would hue to a steady course as president mr weld said and it may not be fair to posit that question against the backdrop of the republican debates but on the stability question they were pretty bad
you dont have that question with mrs clinton he said


masters of their fields the photographer gordon parks and the writer ralph ellison bonded over a shared vision of using their creative talents to address racial injustice that commitment led to the powerful enduring 1952 photo essay a man becomes invisible
but that life magazine project was not their only collaboration a new exhibition invisible man gordon parks and ralph ellison in harlem for the first time shows images from a lesser known 1948 project of theirs harlem is nowhere on view through aug 28 at the art institute of chicago the exhibition offers the two mens counternarrative the reality that is of the living conditions of black americans during that time among the shows more than 50 objects   the known surviving material belonging to both a man becomes invisible and harlem is nowhere   are newly discovered images photographs that have never been exhibited and items that had not been definitely identified as belonging to either project
the black and white photographs are vignettes of life in harlem street scenes of adults and children political advocacy in real time and imagined scenes from invisible man ellisons watershed 1952 novel the photographs are placed next to the passages that correspond with them giving a sense of the tight collaborative process among the other highlights are drafts of captions for harlem is nowhere and images include a man in an alleyway harlem in literal ruin with a clinic building acting as a bright light and a patient waiting to be seen sitting in solitude head in his hands
ellison and parks lived parallel lives and they intersect in a creative splendor adam bradley an associate professor at the university of colorado boulder who has written about ellisons work said in a telephone interview they both understood the capacity of dark and light light and shadow black and white
these artists were compelled to focus on harlem their adopted home which despite being the center of a cultural revival during the harlem renaissance suffered a great economic toll tied to the depression they also witnessed the mounting postwar frustrations among their neighbors black men who had been enlisted to fight but whose freedoms remained limited upon their return home
harlem is nowhere gets at these disparities and shows the economic effects of segregation at the lafargue mental hygiene clinic in harlem the first racially integrated psychiatric center of both staff and clientele in new york city it was also the site of an earlier photo and text collaboration between richard wright and richard saunders and studies there played a role in brown v board of education
ellison really viewed the clinic as a prism for understanding african american experiences primarily with migration and urbanization and the precariousness of life in a ghetto gabriel n mendes an assistant professor at the university of california san diego who wrote a book about the clinic under the strain of color said in a phone interview he was able to capture what african american patients were reckoning with in regards to different forms of mental disorders but he also used lafargue as an elaboration of what african american life was in a profoundly contradictory system
ellisons notes reveal that he intended the project to address the disparities in north and south harlem the disintegration of slum life and success of the clinic among other things in correspondence with wright ellison said he hoped the project would make for something new in photo journalism
scheduled to appear in 48 the magazine of the year harlem is nowhere ended up lost when the magazine folded mere weeks before the articles publication after the magazine filed for bankruptcy the project became entangled in court proceedings years after recovering his written text ellison published it in shadow and act a 1964 collection of essays but none of parkss photos appeared with it
the first step in the process of identifying works for both projects was the realization that there were dozens of images that were not included in the 1952 life story and were subsequently never published michal raz russo an assistant curator at the art institute of chicago said referring to mr parkss photo essay a man becomes invisible there were images that corresponded to nearly every major scene in the book that took place in harlem
ms raz russo then initiated an effort in 2014 to identify the works she called it part scavenger hunt and part research there were clues including information about the overlapping harlem projects drafts of photo captions and more but no way to verify which projects the photos belonged to when jean christophe cloutier an assistant professor of english at the university of pennsylvania found two manuscripts related to harlem is nowhere both ms raz russo and mr cloutier were able to complete the puzzle and identify the images as luck and hard work through research would have it the library of congress had what was known to be the only surviving photograph taken by parks from inside the clinic
ellison and parks were not alone in their efforts to push the boundaries of mainstream news media and expose racial disparities in the united states other prominent artists from various genres who collaborated in the mid 1900s included richard wright and edwin rosskam whose 1941 book 12 million black voices depicted the lives of black citizens in the 1930s and james baldwin and richard avedon who produced a photography book nothing personal with text condemning the bleakness of life in 1960s america
parks and ellisons a man becomes invisible was conceived as a response to the publication of ellisons novel about a man who lives in a hidden world because of his invisibility to others beyond the professional work the show also offers glimpses of their personal connection
there was a solitary quality about each of them said john callahan ralph ellisons literary executor as ralph would talk about it he would say i could just walk with gordon and he wouldnt expect me to say anything and i wouldnt expect him to say anything i have a sense that there was an electricity and a casualness to their relationship
mr bradley elaborated in some ways their collaboration is akin to a great songwriting duo he said one handles the music the other lyrics and theres never something that comes completely first they understood that the sum of their art would be greater than its individual parts


craft has always been arts poor relation i imagine because its functional and people sometimes dont like to see the value in something you can use as much as something you can put on a wall says catherine lock co founder of the new craftsmen a unique space in london dedicated to selling and promoting the work of small scale british artisans i see craft as art we can live with in a real way after working as a product developer at the popular english home decor chain habitat and for the british council promoting local designers of all sorts at home and abroad lock spotted a gap in the market for a business that sold handmade works such as ceramics and textiles in the elevated curated manner of an art gallery in 2012 the then 39 year old toured the uk for five months searching every remote corner of the country for hidden talent   a pair of potters from the isolated wilds of wales a furniture maker from the misty forests of kent a textile designer working in the smallest of studios in east london   to sell in a temporary space she secured in londons mayfair neighborhood i went where the wind took me one artist would tell me about another says lock i was hunting for objects but it also ended up being a journey into my own culture what im doing is as much about what goes on our shelves as the stories of the people making these wonderful things
lock and her two partners have since moved into a permanent brick and mortar space in north mayfair and launched an e commerce website that provides bios for each artisan images of the studio spaces they work from and most importantly a carefully edited selection of their work in may they revamped the store to include a studio space where interior designers and individuals can meet with any maker in the new craftsmen stable to collaborate on custom projects it can also be used as a spot for an artist to work on a piece that will be sold at the store my commercial background helps me advise our makers on which pieces will be successful without sacrificing the authenticity says lock we want to help them focus the spirit of their work


palo alto calif   donald j trump would not be silicon valleys first choice as president or its second or maybe even its third
the presumptive republican presidential nominee wants to restrict immigration while bringing back manufacturing he compulsively uses tech products like twitter but is not in awe of the people who built them he made his fortune the old fashioned way by going into the family business in the old fashioned industry of real estate hes not the valleys kind of entrepreneur
worst of all mr trump is revealing silicon valleys vulnerability in recent years technology companies have extended their enormous reach while becoming ever wealthier and more powerful yet mr trump has paid no political price for attacking them with broadsides in recent months against jeff bezos at amazon mark zuckerberg at facebook and timothy d cook at apple
there is some surprise among tech executives   or perhaps just naivete   that the tech mainstream is now a target said garrett johnson an entrepreneur and one of the founders of the lincoln initiative which connects right of center tech workers
for all these reasons support for mr trump here is minimal peter thiel the billionaire tech maverick who backed ron pauls presidential bid in 2008 with millions of dollars in support is a trump delegate mr thiel who was revealed last week as a secret backer of the wrestler hulk hogans lawsuit against gawker media is the candidates first and so far only prominent enlistee in silicon valley
support for mr trump here may deepen brian krzanich the chief executive of intel was planning to hold a fund raiser for mr trump on thursday night at his atherton calif house that included a full exchange of views an intel spokeswoman said on tuesday
hours later intel said the event was canceled it did not give an explanation a spokeswoman for mr trump did not return a message for comment he is holding a rally in san jose calif on thursday instead
the trump campaign just opened an office in burlingame calif south of san francisco and on the northern fringes of silicon valley one recent afternoon two volunteers were running a phone bank trump lawn signs were piled up as were t shirts mr trump has no meaningful opposition in the california primary on june 7
i have great respect for silicon valley and all of the people in silicon valley the candidate said in an email message through an aide
silicon valley technophiles cannot necessarily claim the same in april as mr trump was wrapping up his quest for the nomination and beginning to look ahead to the general election a handful of people who work in tech around the country gave a grand total of 5395 to his campaign according to figures that will be released thursday by crowdpac a start up that tracks donations
add that paltry sum to the 16420 that mr trump raised since last summer from people who work in tech and it is still nowhere near enough to cover the cost of a year at stanford hillary clinton has raised 27 million from tech donors since beginning her campaign while bernie sanders has raised 6 million according to new crowdpac research
mr trump was largely self funding his campaign now however he requires cash   and lots of it
out of the millions of people who work in technology from engineers to uber drivers just 52 have given to trump hell need many more if he truly intends to build a world class finance organization said mason harrison a crowdpac spokesman mitt romney raised over 8 million from the technology sector in 2012 thats a lot of money to leave on the table
whether those tech backers are out there however is an unsettled question
scott slinker a 55 year old entrepreneur in san jose calif gave the candidate 250 last summer i know trumps supporters are here he said theyre just not vocal they dont want to be stereotyped and pigeonholed and labeled
in at least some cases this is correct one employee at a software firm declined to speak on the record saying it would be a bad career move for a google search of his name to turn up any republican connection let alone one with mr trump
mr slinker whose latest start up paradata uses big data to help brands find suppliers said mr trump was a candidate very much in the spirit of silicon valley hes a start up kind of guy he has a lot of ideas and pivots away from them if they dont work just like the valley does hes more viral than facebook ever was
still even mr slinker says there is good reason for the lack of enthusiasm silicon valley is an extremely disruptive place but the one thing it doesnt want disrupted is silicon valley he said and so its pushing back on trump
the venture capitalist marc andreessen who backed mr romney in 2012 said on twitter that he was supporting mrs clinton meg whitman a former candidate for governor in california who now runs hewlett packard enterprise labeled mr trump unfit to be president when mr thiel was revealed as a trump delegate a columnist for the tech news site pando said he was utterly ashamed that mr thiel was a pando investor mr thiel declined to comment
another trump supporter in silicon valley tyrone pike had some business dealings with the candidate many years ago in atlantic city nj and was favorably impressed as for mr trumps more extreme pronouncements i kind of write them off said mr pike who sold a software start up to citrix and is building another company hes more of a moderate than any of his words
earlier in the primaries mr trump suggested boycotting apple if the company did not help the government crack the iphone used by one of the attackers in the mass shooting last year in san bernardino calif clashed with mr zuckerberg over immigration and posted on twitter that if amazon ever had to pay fair taxes its stock would crash
bobby franklin the president of the national venture capital association thinks mr trump will pick up support among tech people as he moderates his views
the trump we have all witnessed for the past several months is probably not the trump we will all be thinking about as we go into the voting booth said mr franklin whose organization does not endorse presidential candidates a general election candidate has always been different than a primary candidate
yet a few weeks ago after mr trumps primary opponents all dropped out and he might have been expected to make conciliatory noises he unloaded again on amazon and mr bezos mr trump said among other things that mr bezos has got a huge antitrust problem because hes controlling so much
mr bezos owns the washington post which has covered mr trump intensively and critically the internet tycoon said at a post sponsored tech conference that he was very very comfortable with all of amazons approaches and behaviors the post reported
mr trumps comments signal a turnabout from amazons experience under president obama the retailer helped instigate and was the major beneficiary of an antitrust case the justice department brought against apple and the major book publishers jay carney a former press secretary for mr obama is now senior vice president for corporate affairs at amazon he declined to comment
the obama administration was even closer to google drawing several staff members from the search giant including megan smith the chief technology officer of the united states
mrs clinton is a closer fit with silicon valley than mr trump both ideologically and culturally but she is not campaigning as techs champion whoever wins in november the tech community is likely to look back longingly at the last eight years
that tech is now a flash point in campaign debates is a reflection of the industrys power and ubiquity in american life said patrick ruffini a republican strategist who has worked with the tech industry silicon valley will need to learn to expect that it wont be seen as a benevolent actor in every quarter and prepare accordingly
in other words he said the era of silicon valley exceptionalism is over


the curious started to show up at the soaring gallerylike space in red hook brooklyn around 10 on a recent sunday morning wearing skaterish black knit caps or on trend italian sneakers or minimalist single line tattoos they paused as in reverence at the doorway taking a quizzical glance at the striking metallic installations industrial sculptures in a sense glimmering on the bare concrete floors
they had come to this remote waterfront neighborhood once home to longshoremen and now to galleries and post expressionists to check out the latest work not by koons or hirst but rather by musk   elon musk a founder of tesla motors
in a corporate statement as audacious as anything in the whitney biennial silicon valleys futuristic maker of electric luxury cars has opened a showroom of all things in the middle of one of brooklyns edgiest arts quadrants
the incongruity was not lost on the locals
at first i was a little worried said elizabeth freund a manager and publicist in the music industry and a longtime red hook resident who had dropped by wearing an imitation snakeskin rain jacket this is largely an arty neighborhood weve kept it rugged and industrial the people who live here are eclectic slightly bohemian you wouldnt think of us out here as people who are interested in buying cars and you wouldnt think youd want to bring that clientele here
to be sure a park avenue worthy car showroom stands out in an industrial chic neighborhood once known mainly for its public housing complex red hook houses and its ikea but these days increasingly for its craft distilleries van brunt stillhouse widow jane euro retro bike shops papillionaire and single origin organic beans to bar chocolate factories cacao prieto in addition to its many galleries and art studios
even so the tesla showroom which opened two months ago feels oddly red hook located in a former workshop that rebuilt diesel engines for cargo ships the gleaming complex with its track lighting and exposed brick sits across from the red hook container terminal with its hulking cranes looming
you do not have to be a car shopper apparently to think of the showroom as a must see
im not really in the market for a car because i live in greenpoint brooklyn but im weirdly obsessed with the company and the mission said maia wojcik a founder of a conference called the fashion tech forum
a manager with a hollow earplug piercing was playing the automotive industry equivalent of doc brown from back to the future walking visitors through the teslas many futuristic features the 17 inch infotainment touch screen the autopark self parking option that leaves parallel parking to onboard sensors
the line includes the model s luxury sedan starting at about 71500 and the seemingly mars ready sport utility vehicle model x which starts at about 83000 the relatively mass market model 3 sedan which the company hopes to release next year will be priced around 35000 and already has a waiting list of some 373000 buyers
shoppers seemed receptive to the cars and the location wearing high waisted jeans and black nail polish misha nonoo a manhattan based fashion designer was already familiar with the neighborhood from doing a collaboration with dustin yellin a local artist
red hook she said is a neighborhood of forward thinkers and mr musk is a genius who is forever pushing the needle   to wit theres the bioweapon defense mode option on the model x basically a mega air filter that tesla says is 700 times better at filtering smog and 800 times better at filtering viruses than a standard cars ventilation system
im supercurious about the self driving feature ms nonoo said referring to teslas autopilot function a sort of jetsons age cruise control that allows drivers to remove their hands from the wheel as well as their feet from the pedals while built in radar 360 degree ultrasonic sonar and image recognizing cameras guide the car through traffic
ms nonoo imagined the liberation of being able to eat breakfast or send emails while your car drives you to work in our business were always talking about taking our woman from day to play so were all about these timesaving life hacks she said
others showed up for the same reason that people queue up outside the apple store for the latest iphone the see and be seen glamour of having the latest the next
i always have to have the newest technology that comes out said nikolay krupelnitskiy an event planner from astoria queens who was shopping for a model s


spreckels calif   bernie sanders signaled wednesday that he would continue his presidential campaign beyond the california primary next week saying he had the money to keep running until the democratic national convention next month
during a news conference while campaigning in california the vermont senator said he already had plans to host events in washington next week and to lobby superdelegates to withdraw their support from hillary clinton and back him instead he added that he felt confident he can win californias primary on tuesday and that mrs clinton was campaigning in the state because of polls showing the two locked in a tight race there an nbc newswall street journalmarist poll released on wednesday shows the race in a statistical tie
we have absolutely the financial resources that we need to run a very very strong campaign here in california and in the other states and in dc and puerto rico and virgin islands and throughout the rest of the campaign mr sanders said
he chided mrs clinton for deciding to campaign in california where she is counting on minority voters to propel her to victory
i wonder why secretary clinton and her husband bill are back in california mr sanders said with a touch of sarcasm i thought we had lost and it was all over but i guess secretary clinton is maybe looking at some polling that would suggest otherwise
while mrs clinton is just 71 delegates shy of the 2383 needed to clinch the nomination mr sanders said he was feeling pretty good about his campaign and hoped superdelegates would realize that he was the best candidate to beat donald j trump in the general election he also said he hoped the next week would bring victories that could help him make his case at the partys convention in philadelphia
if we win california and if we win south dakota and north dakota and montana and new mexico and new jersey and the following week do well in washington dc he said i think we will be marching into the democratic convention with an enormous amount of momentum
mr sanders also said he hoped that a round of coming victories would help him and his allies encourage the party to include a nationwide ban on fracking in the democratic platform
i would hope that the democratic party makes it clear that it has the guts to stand up to the fossil fuel industry he said


berlin   if modern germany has a mantra it is that people should learn from their history yet berlins latest attempt at reconciliation with the past focuses on the mass killing of armenians by ottoman turks a century ago
and that gesture toward atonement has riled tempers on all sides of the already strained european relations with turkey
the argument is set to peak on thursday in a debate in the german parliament which is expected to overwhelmingly approve a resolution that officially declares the century old armenian massacres to be genocide   and condemns what was then known as the german empire allied with the ottoman empire for failing to act on information it had at the time about the killings
president recep tayyip erdogan of turkey said late tuesday that he had warned chancellor angela merkel of germany in a telephone call that there could be consequences if the resolution passes
for turkey there is scarcely a more sensitive topic than what german and international historians say was the murder of more than a million armenians and other christian minorities from 1915 to 1916 the turkish government has long rejected the term genocide saying that thousands of people many of them turks died in the civil war that destroyed the ottoman empire
for germany the resolution comes at a delicate time for ms merkel she is relying on turkey to stem the flow of migrants from the middle east to europe a policy that has earned her criticism for allying with the increasingly authoritarian mr erdogan
if germany is to be deceived by this then bilateral diplomatic economic trade political and military ties   we are both nato countries   will be damaged mr erdogan told turkish reporters before leaving on an official trip to africa
to date 11 of the european unions 28 members have recognized the armenian killings as genocide and despite initial protests turkey has maintained good relations with several of those countries
when france approved legislation recognizing the genocide in 2011 turkey temporarily recalled its ambassador and halted bilateral military cooperation such steps now by ankara would be more complicated and potentially more damaging as germany and turkey are both currently engaged in a nato operation to stop migrant boats crossing the aegean sea from turkey to greece
ms merkel and the two most senior social democrat ministers   vice chancellor sigmar gabriel and foreign minister frank walter steinmeier   will not be in parliament for the vote citing prior government business in germany or abroad
as the vote approached debate intensified in germany which is home to an estimated three million people of turkish descent many of them dual citizens about 2000 turks demonstrated last weekend in berlin rallying to the slogan that parliament is not a court and therefore should not pass judgment
even prominent left wing politicians from the turkish community are at odds with one another
cem ozdemir a co chairman of the opposition green party has been a driving force behind the resolution which is backed by ms merkels conservative bloc and her center left partners in the coalition government
all the parties sponsoring the resolution have argued that it is not germany lecturing the turks but a step intended to foster reconciliation between turks and armenians by encouraging them to examine their history
michael grosse bromer a senior parliamentary leader of ms merkels conservative bloc recalled that the original intent was to observe the 100th anniversary of the killings last year and to try to work through a difficult point of history
the intent is not and never was to incriminate someone mr grosse bromer said on tuesday the resolution was not intended to damage relations with turkey which is a reliable partner and nato member
it must be possible to work through a historical event that took place 100 years ago he added
but aydan ozoguz the governments commissioner for integration said that while she would vote for the resolution i still think it is the wrong path and that it will backfire
mr erdogan and ultranationalist turks will get a huge boost ms ozoguz said this week
they will use the resolution as proof of a further attack by the west on turkey she said reasonable considered voices will be isolated and will have no chance to be heard for a long time
mr ozdemir though argued that the resolution would not be to blame for limiting or stopping historical investigation since mr erdogan has already intervened expressly to squelch any such moves
the green leader has also been critical of ms merkel accusing her of paying little heed to turkey for most of her decade in power and now being forced to deal with mr erdogan
increasingly the chancellor has engaged in a balancing act when she visited istanbul for a united nations summit meeting last week she spent time with turkish intellectuals and lawyers critical of mr erdogan before meeting the president
after a german comic lampooned mr erdogan with a crude poem ms merkel initially criticized the verses giving the impression   which she later said was a mistake   that she advocated curbing the freedom of satire in germany
the armenian resolution has illustrated the many sensitivities of dealing with turkey mr ozdemir said that ms merkel and her foreign minister mr steinmeier had pushed last spring to postpone the vote on it that was before the migrant crisis when ties between germany and turkey were less complicated
mr steinmeier who left for latin america before thursdays vote brushed aside mr ozdemirs criticism noting that there were always complicating factors in delicate diplomatic matters
his spokesman martin schafer said on wednesday that the foreign ministry hoped that there would be no lasting impairments to relations after thursdays vote we have a lot we want to tackle with turkey including accession to the european union mr schafer said
the two sides seem to have taken care to leave themselves room to move forward on issues such as visa free travel for turks to europe which for ankara is a crucial point of the broad accord on migrants and advancing turkeys bid to join the bloc billions of euros have also been pledged in european aid for turkey to care for an estimated 25 million syrians and iraqis who have sought refuge there
in april mr erdogan visited the armenian patriarchate of turkey to observe the anniversary of the 1915 16 killings and in a carefully worded statement extended his condolences to those who had died
we will never give up working for amity and peace and against those who try to politicize history through bitter rhetoric of hate and enmity and to alienate the two neighboring nations who are bound by their common history and their similar traditions mr erdogan said
with this in mind i once again commemorate the ottoman armenians who perished and extend my condolences to their children and grandchildren
deputy prime minister numan kurtulmus of turkey this week urged germany to act with caution particularly because of its large turkish community
i do not think that the german parliament will destroy this relationship for the sake of two or three politicians who put the resolution before the bundestag he said


the battle that is splitting sumner m redstones 40 billion media empire is further dividing his family as well his granddaughter keryn redstone is siding with viacoms directors who are challenging his competence and asserting that he was manipulated by his daughter shari redstone
in a statement released wednesday keryn redstone said she was planning legal action to join with viacom directors in a common cause to liberate my grandfather from sharis clutches and protect my fellow trust beneficiaries and myself from her machinations
keryn redstone 34 said that her grandfather who is 93 and in poor health had been incompetent since october and that she had been restricted from seeing him since valentines day when he sat there lifeless and flanked by nurses and caretakers
she took direct aim at her aunt asserting that shari redstone and her family have managed to totally isolate and effectively kidnap brainwash and take advantage of my grandfather due to his debilitated state of mind and frail health
she said shari redstone and her three adult children had succeeded in reversing decades of my grandfathers careful estate planning and are poised to seize control of viacom and cbs
i do not intend to let shari get away with this outrage keryn redstone said in the statement
representatives of mr redstone and shari redstone did not immediately respond to requests for comment a viacom spokesman declined to comment
feuding has long been a part of the redstone family history keryn redstone is the daughter of brent redstone sumners estranged son brent redstone sued mr redstone in 2006 asserting that his father had favored his sister and frozen him out of the family business they settled the year after when brent redstones share of the business was bought out since then he has avoided the public spotlight
this is the second time this year that keryn redstone has stood in opposition to her aunt in april she filed a petition to join manuela herzer a former companion and onetime romantic partner of mr redstone in ms herzers suit challenging the media moguls mental competency while the judge overseeing the case rejected keryn redstones petition she was scheduled to appear as a witness in the trial before it was dismissed
keryn redstones announcement wednesday that she had aligned with viacom directors added yet another plotline to the ferocious battle for power engulfing mr redstones business empire through the private theater chain company national amusements mr redstone controls about 80 percent of the voting stock in viacom and cbs two of the worlds largest entertainment companies that control will pass to an irrevocable trust after mr redstone dies or is declared incompetent
mr redstone recently ousted philippe p dauman viacoms chairman and chief executive and george abrams a viacom director from the trust that will control his companies both were longtime confidants those dismissals are now at the center of legal battles in massachusetts and california
at stake for keryn redstone in the court fights is the future of her inheritance she and mr redstones other grandchildren are the beneficiaries of the trust as such they are named as nominal defendants in the massachusetts suit that challenges the changes to the trust
what specific legal action keryn redstone plans is unclear she could side with mr dauman and mr abrams in their massachusetts suit contest mr redstones petition in los angeles or take legal action of her own
keryn redstone has hired pierce odonnell the same lawyer who represents ms herzer ms herzer is appealing the judges decision last month to dismiss her case and has filed a separate 100 million suit against shari redstone for portraying her as the center of a network of people who manipulated and abused mr redstone


marlon byrds second strike with performance enhancing drugs cost him a full season   and maybe his career
byrd the indians veteran outfielder was suspended for 162 games without pay by major league baseball on wednesday after testing positive for ipamorelin a growth hormone releasing peptide byrd said in a statement that he would not appeal
when i learned that i had tested positive for ipamorelin i retained the services of private counsel and an independent chemist to determine the origin of the ipamorelin test result because i never knowingly ingested ipamorelin byrd said after an extensive investigation by my lawyers and an independent chemist it was concluded that the most likely source of ipamorelin was a tainted supplement
i alone am responsible for what i put in my body and therefore i have decided for forgo my right to an appeal in this matter and accept the suspension he added i apologize for any harm this has caused the cleveland indians indians fans my teammates and most importantly my family
it is byrds second violation of major league baseballs joint drug prevention and treatment program shortly after he was released in 2012 by boston byrd served a 50 game suspension for testing positive for tamoxifen a medication used by body builders but also to treat breast cancer in women and men
in 2014 major league baseball increased its penalty for a second offense to a full season from 100 games
a third suspension would result in a career ban in february mets pitcher jenrry meija became the first player to receive that penalty byrd meija and the yankees star alex rodriguez are the only players to receive 162 game suspensions
even if he is able stay clean at 38 byrds playing days appear over
he signed a minor league contract with cleveland in march before getting a one year 1 million deal ahead of the season opener byrd gave the indians much needed veteran outfield depth because both left fielder michael brantley and right fielder lonnie chisenhall were recovering from injuries
byrd has been productive batting 270 with five homers and 19 rbi in 34 games   mostly against left handers he was 4 for 4 with a homer on monday night against texas then struck out three times in a loss tuesday he spent last season with cincinnati and san francisco
byrd broke in with philadelphia in 2002 he was an all star in 2010 with the chicago cubs one of 10 teams he has played for after his first suspension byrd signed with the mets in 2013
byrd goes on the restricted list and to replace him on the active roster the indians recalled outfielder tyler naquin from class aaa columbus


when the actress kate hudson needed a sofa she headed to wyeth in soho for a vintage blue dunbar by edward wormley
when the designer tomas maier needed a coffee table he went there too and plunked down his credit card for a safety glass and stainless steel coffee table from joe durso
and when the hollywood agent bryan lourd was in search of a new lounge chair he picked out a black leather papa bear by hans wegner also from wyeth
with its sky high prices and enormous selection of danish modernist pieces the store is arguably the premiere midcentury modern emporium in the united states its owner john birch is also one of the most elusive and talked about dealers on the high end furniture scene a larry gagosian for the interior decorator set with strong taste that did not just mirror the market but helped set it
mr birch   a trim square jawed 53 year old with blue green eyes and salt and pepper spackled hair   hobnobs with the olsen twins who featured an assortment of his furniture at the most recent presentation of their line the row introduced helmut lang to his assortment of wegner furniture and has recently been giving jimmy fallon advice on his gramercy park home
sleek bamboo dining tables designed by mr birch have become status objects owned by the likes of gwyneth paltrow and the entertainment manager turned real estate mogul sandy gallin mr birchs girlfriend tiffany vassilakis is an accomplished interior designer who has worked with carey lowell and richard gere
next tuesday mr birch is expanding his footprint with a sothebys auction of rare midcentury finds that could fetch upward of 18 million later this month hes opening a 10000 square foot showroom on the ground floor of 533 canal street thats a triumph of wyethesque minimalism exposed white brick walls perfectly sanded cement floors light fixtures from oc white and isamu noguchi and a floating raw steel staircase   its 23 steps fabricated by hand and welded on site by mr birch
yet as movers came in and out on a recent afternoon and a team from sothebys prepared to photograph pieces for the catalog mr birch looked less like a furniture mogul than a boy whose toys were being taken away from him
he didnt like having to move a prized george nakashima coffee table estimate 20000 to 30000 out of the shot and he didnt like that a mosaic coffee table by vladimir kagan 8000 to 12000 and cippolino marble coffee table by poul kjaerholm 7000 to 9000 had nothing on them
i dont understand the empty tables he said peering around the room nothings ever empty at wyeth
a bulb in one of noguchi ceiling lanterns had gone out and was becoming a source of real irritation im glad i have employees who realize the bulb has been blown out for two weeks he said sarcastically climbing on top of a hans wegner desk so he could replace it himself
as can be surmised mr birch is a glass half empty sort of guy hes not mean although he says so little and charges so much for things that people often presume he must be but he is painstaking meticulous and so focused on achieving a kind of aesthetic perfection that he can drive himself and everyone around him crazy
and in recent months its not just neurosis keeping him up at night
the wealthy brazilians who used to stream through his doors are largely gone as their economy implodes and their president dilma rousseff awaits an impeachment trial gone too are the brunello cucinelli wearing hedge funders who as the art market shows evidence of a possible correction are clearly less inclined to pay 50000 for a pair of finn juhls chieftain chairs
and then theres 1stdibs once exclusive the online site featuring modern and antique furniture jewelry fine art and other collectibles has been ferociously signing up dealers who as he puts it work out of storage lockers in places like suburban illinois with low rents and dont bother with the painstaking restoration for which wyeth is known the site is also increasingly aggressive about collecting commissions on the online sales a practice mr birch sees as double dipping
many of his manhattan colleagues are already downsizing or folding up shop todd merrill packed up his mirrored paul evans pieces and left bleecker street this winter for a location in the slightly more affordable financial district in the fall alan moss the art deco purveyor will close his lafayette street store and go online only
its a last stand mr birch said reflecting on the current state of the high end furniture market retail is a terrible business in fact he sees his new showroom as a way of weaning himself away from 1stdibs i dont want anything to do with them anymore he said
but how did it come to this that one of the countrys leading purveyors of midcentury modern design should find himself in retrenchment just as the market finds a wider audience thanks to sites like 1stdibs not to mention knockoff manufacturers that hawk cheap imitations
john birch no relation to the baptist minister who has a right wing group named after him was born in brigham city utah the oldest boy in a mormon family of nine children with only one mother joked his younger brother paul who as wyeths principal woodworker builds many of the original pieces and oversees restoration of vintage finds
in the early 1980s after attending brigham young university for a semester maybe half he said mr birch arrived in new york city fell into the fashion business and spent a decade bouncing around the display departments of ralph lauren tommy hilfiger and giorgio armani
he had an incredible eye and very defined taste said gabriella forte who was his boss at armani before becoming president at calvin klein and then chief executive of david yurman he positions things with real talent its pure simplicity is it minimalism i dont know if thats how id describe it it was just perfection
by 1994 mr birch had had enough so he leased a 3500 square foot space on franklin street in tribeca named it for his then 3 year old son wyeth and filled it with his favorite things wyeth graduated from the rhode island school of design last year and now works for the family business mr birch and wyeths mother daphne separated over a decade ago though they never divorced its cordial mr birch said
back then tribeca was still in its infancy nobu had just opened and the majority of big antiques dealers had fairly narrow specialties like biedermeier and art deco which befit an earlier fussier era
the novelty of wyeth said robin standefer half of the design team roman and williams was how mr birch mixed things up placing postwar danish chairs with turn of the century gas light fixtures and industrial chic coffee tables from the 80s
he would take objects that were somehow considered less valuable that didnt necessarily have pedigree and reassemble them in unexpected ways ms standefer said he certainly educated american consumers to a kind of danish design but what i found most interesting is what he paired those things with thats what was different thats what was unusual
soon word spread about the midcentury loving mormon who talked little to his customers and charged a fortune for the coolest stuff in town
ms standefer brought ms paltrow who bought pieces like 3000 lamps and the companys 16000 bamboo dining table when ms paltrow started dating ben affleck he also began shopping at the store so did andre balazs richard gere julianne moore ben stiller meg ryan and david bowie
around that time a woman with long blond hair began coming in regularly without ever saying hello or goodbye after five visits she handed over her credit card mr birch said it was annie leibovitz
many of his famous customers did not even get discounts or a friendly smile he was not a pleasure to buy from diane von furstenberg said he really wasnt
but instead of walking away she like many others became a repeat customer part of an elite circle that kept coming back even as they complained about the stores outrageous prices and the way its owner barely seemed to grunt in their direction
as with most myths the legend may not have been totally in sync with reality mr birch it turns out is actually shy the sort of person who is more comfortable with beautiful things than beautiful people and those that did try negotiating often got a bargain particularly when he sensed a fellow design worshiper
still his untraditional approach to salesmanship had a reverse playback among a subset of people used to being doted upon his lack of solicitousness made customers desperate to buy from him
part of his mystique was that he was elusive said wendy goodman the design editor of new york magazine when you went in and had an audience with him it was a big thing because it was a question were you worth it
thats more or less how jessica seinfeld another person who came to wyeth over the years described the experience of shopping there their taste is impeccable she said every piece in their shop is important in one way or another so i respect their consistency even their condescension i find myself charmed by their lack of interest in human contact
wyeth did go through rough patches which often coincided with its expansion it moved out of franklin street and into its current 10000 square foot home on spring street around the september 2001 attacks and it opened a space in sagaponack ny in 2008 just after the financial crisis hit
casual customers presumed that mr birch cared only about selling things at the highest price but as wyeths trove grew and grew a different theory emerged among those who knew him best mr birch they said could not bear to be separated from his favorite things so he began pricing them as high as possible so they wouldnt sell
hes putting together a continuum of a design aesthetic and to do that he needs to own these things touch them and feel them said richard barrett his friend and landlord at 533 canal some might say hes a hoarder
mr birch didnt exactly deny the thesis its true that i was never focused on money he said i dont even get sales reports i dont ask for them
his idiosyncratic approach to business also extended to the new canal street store
when mr birch first agreed to rent that space around 2008 he thought it would become a third wyeth outpost focused largely on his new productions then renovations took years as mr birch slaved over every detail while the market for midcentury modern furniture became more transparent and democratic thanks both to 1stdibs and to restoration hardware which recently introduced a modern collection of live edge tables called the wythe collection
it was hilarious mr barrett said even the typeface looked like wyeth restoration hardware did not respond to a request for comment
when you educate people too well which in a sense is what he did they discover ways to sleuth the same objects said ms standefer of roman and williams
that more competitive market led mr birch to call sothebys this winter and people there were happy to help mr birch divest of what they viewed to be one of the best modern design collections in the world
its one of the few sales ive conducted in my career where i wanted to buy half the things in it said jodi pollack the auction houses head of 20th century design
perhaps predictably mr birch worked all the way to the wire fussing over every imaginable detail the last furniture shipments arrived at the canal street showroom mere minutes before a party there on may 17 celebrating its opening and the coming sothebys sale
well dressed aficionados and fellow dealers began arriving around 7 pm streaming into a room of kjaerholm tables finn juhl chairs and new biomorphic brass accented mirrors by mr birch
longtime customers remarked on the high auction prices including two wegner easy chairs expected to fetch 60000 to 80000 each while tattooed staffers told stories about the poor sothebys photographer tasked with getting mr birchs portrait he wouldnt sit still kept rearranging the furniture and smoked the entire time
true to form mr birch was hard to find wearing a pair of rrl jeans a charcoal comme des garcons sweater and a dark jil sander blazer he huddled in the back with the olsen twins
they made a fitting trio this reclusive furniture world character and two women whose public personas have been built largely upon doing lots and saying little but it was impossible to know what they were talking about because mary kate olsen quickly shut a reporter down sorry she said were not giving any interviews
nearby was mr birchs son wyeth
in my family we dont often express our appreciation for each other wyeth said i dont know how to put it because right now im exhausted but this is the first time in my adult life weve celebrated wyeth its tough love with my dad


elizabeth holmes the founder of the blood testing company theranos was a rare breed something more rare than even the silicon valley unicorn she created a self made female billionaire forbes the business publication that has made a franchise of cataloging the rich had put ms holmes on the top of its list last year of americas richest self made women
the magazines new estimated tally of her wealth it went from 45 billion to 0
ms holmess unusual status as a young woman who created and controlled a company seemingly valued at about 9 billion captivated the media she graced countless magazine covers including t the new york times style magazine theranos she said would revolutionize the lab industry by offering blood tests from a single finger prick at a fraction of the cost of traditional testing
but over the last year theranos became the subject of a series of hard hitting wall street journal articles and intense regulatory scrutiny from an array of federal agencies
the media is now mesmerized by ms holmess fall truth be told the half of the 9 billion valuation ascribed to theranos and previously listed as ms holmess wealth was nothing more than an estimate based on investors best guesses taking into account all the controversy and uncertainty surrounding the value of the companys top secret technology forbes is now guessing that the company is worth more like 800 million while ms holmes still owns at least half of the company much of that value would be tied up with outside investors
but as an article in forbes on wednesday about ms holmes is quick to acknowledge no one really knows theranos has not let anyone really kick the tires ms holmes 32 who has repeatedly vowed to reveal all is now expected to present some data to the public in august at the annual meeting of the aacc formerly the american association for clinical chemistry even then it may be impossible to come up with a better estimate of what her company is worth
not surprisingly theranos refused to shed any light on the matter except to dispute forbess analysis
as a privately held company we declined to share confidential information with forbes brooke buchanan a company spokeswoman said in an emailed statement as a result the article was based exclusively on speculation and press reports


paris   the drench open dried out considerably on wednesday and after two days of open umbrellas and covered clay the results and not rain came pouring in for a change
it was sometimes worth the wait see the first two sets of andy murrays 5 7 7 6 3 6 0 6 2 victory over richard gasquet in the quarterfinals
it was sometimes one way traffic from the start see murrays soon to be semifinal opponent stan wawrinka and his 6 2 6 1 7 6 7 manhandling of albert ramos vinolas the last spanish man and the last left hander remaining in the singles
but at least they were playing instead of complaining even if it had to be under a leaden sky that made spotting the eiffel tower from the upper reaches of the philippe chatrier court an impossibility
it has been an overcast downcast french open thus far nicely encapsulated by frederic bernes of the sports newspaper lequipe in his opening paragraph wednesday its less fun roland garros at the end of november rain poncho rubber boots the smell of wet dogs the idea at this stage is no longer to be chic and classy on center court but simply to avoid catching pneumonia
suffering is relative in sports of course soccer players and american football gladiators play on in the rain and sometimes the snow tennis players do too   on clay at least
we had to play in munich when it was snowing were not a winter sport you know ernests gulbis the outspoken latvian said after losing his fourth round match to david goffin after it resumed on wednesday
but gulbis was not in the snow in munich for long before play was halted tennis is a game of precise timing and bounces galore a game in which the racket is an extension of a players hand and in which the players   princess and the pea style   can sense the slightest changes to the equation
today i had a bit of pain in the elbow because of the balls roberto bautista agut said
others have complained of sore shoulders and wrists in the heavy humid conditions but the last few days have been as much about the internal tussles as about the muscles there was more running dialogue in the murray gasquet match than in a tarantino film
thus it should come as no surprise that novak djokovic despite not yet playing his best has found a way to muddle through
still alive still alive he said to a friend in the stands as he exited the chatrier court on wednesday afternoon after finishing off the speedy bautista 3 6 6 4 6 1 7 5
of course i know that i can play better and i have a couple more gears djokovic said later that excites me actually motivates me to work and get myself in maximum speed hopefully for the next match and see where it takes me
the djokovic bautista duel originally scheduled for monday did not start until tuesday because of the weather even on tuesday djokovic and bautista began in the rain with bautista winning the first set play was suspended and during the wait djokovic came on court borrowed an umbrella from a fan and did a gene kellyesque tour of the court without singing or stomping in any puddles before eventually resuming play for a brief period
keeping the mood as light as possible seems a good approach for djokovic at this stage as he chases the only grand slam singles title he lacks but the conditions on tuesday were no joke and some players felt they were being pushed on court so the organizers could avoid giving refunds to spectators
simona halep and agnieszka radwanska complained about the conditions after losing on tuesday and david ferrer joined the chorus wednesday
it was a way to save the day and make money and not have to refund the tickets ferrer told the spanish website el espanol in my view it doesnt seem right it seems like its a rip off for the people
ferrer played briefly against tomas berdych on tuesday before losing their fourth round match 6 3 7 5 6 3 on wednesday
tuesdays timing certainly could raise eyebrows there were 2 hours 1 minute of play on the chatrier court just over the two hour limit for refunds but there was also less than two hours of play on the other courts which meant a 50 percent refund for those ticket holders
guy forget the new tournament director defended the scheduling
respect for the game always takes precedence he said in a statement if what we are being accused of were true it would have been in our best interests as organizers to stop play before the 1 hour 59 minute mark as our insurer would have been responsible for ticket reimbursement however that was not the basis of our decision our aim was to play for as long as possible even if that meant being criticized for playing in difficult conditions
gulbis and haleps coach darren cahill made the same fair point players should not be asked to start a match when it is raining but should be expected to play on when reasonable on clay it is hard to imagine that the french open organizers would have put anyone on court tuesday if they had not already lost a full day of play on monday
but the most pressing clay court questions now are whether anyone can find a way to stop serena williams as she tries to match steffi grafs open era record of 22 grand slam singles titles and whether anyone can find a way to stop djokovic one more time in paris
two of his prime challengers   rafael nadal and kei nishikori   are gone nadal pulled out midtournament with a wrist injury and nishikori lost to gasquet but other threats remain along with the physical challenge of having to potentially play three best of five singles matches in four days
with more rain in the forecast for thursday more changes including a monday final are possible
for now what is much clearer than the skies over roland garros is that djokovic will face seventh seeded tomas berdych in the quarterfinals the winner will face either the young austrian dominic thiem or david goffin of belgium
get to the final and djokovic will face either murray who beat him in the rome final last month on red clay or wawrinka the defending french open champion who stunned djokovic here in last years final and appears to be again approaching ramming speed
either murray or wawrinka in the less weather beaten half of the draw should also arrive at the final better rested
right now tennis players in these events have to be selfish and look at their own matches and try their best to get through them murray said its been a tough few days for everyone but especially the players in the top half
no one ever promised djokovic that winning the french or the drench would be easy in truth deep in his competitive and complex soul he might just prefer that the title that has eluded him for so long come only after quite a sweat stained clay stained struggle


hero
columbia nashville
maren morris curses which shouldnt be remarkable but is
profanities   well really just one   are sprinkled throughout hero this 26 year old singer and songwriters outstanding major label debut album and perhaps the canniest country record in recent memory
think of all the ways dissenters have tried to upend country in recent years by sneaking in rhythmic vocal tics learned from rappers by thinning out the genres musical baggage by pledging inclusive values ms morris an astute synthesizer has studied and perfected them all hero as a result is both utterly of its moment and also savvy enough to indicate how the future might sound
the innovation is clear right from the breakthrough bait and switch single my church its a roots minded song about religiosity but not religion in which the radio is the church   a move both pious and defiant in the manner of kacey musgraves without the awww shucks shrug
the winks continue   a few songs like sugar and drunk girls dont cry suggest kelsea ballerinis light spirited boys are trash anthems albeit with a few years of men are trash experience and the hilarious rich spins if i had a dollar heartbreak over a do nothing man into hip hop minded comedy
shes sing rapping here but also blending hip hop bravado and country modesty think chris jansons buy me a boat tweaking more literal genre cut and pasters like florida georgia line or sam hunt by smoothing down the seams
ms morris has a songwriting credit on every song on hero which she produced with mike busbee known as busbee a songwriter producer with a wide resume across styles the back half of this album is slightly less ambitious than the first though even when ms morris is playing it straight shes strong be it on the slow ticktock rb country of how its done the centrist pop of just another thing or once with gospel and rock flourishes and i could use a love song her most conventional country number is phenomenal a meditative plaint with clear passion
and then theres that four letter word which comes up time and again on sugar on rich on drunk girls dont cry ms morris uses it fluently casually and effectively which is to say you hardly notice at all as shes breaking what may be countrys last remaining taboo


newark   hillary clinton on wednesday seized upon revelations about trump university the for profit institution started by donald j trump calling him a fraud who wants to rip off the country he is running to lead
in the first minutes of her speech at a rally here mrs clinton brought up newly released testimony by former employees of what she called the so called trump university telling the crowd you cant make this up
the testimony released on tuesday portrayed trump university as an unscrupulous business that used high pressure sales tactics and deceptive marketing to lure thousands of people to enroll in classes in many cases the employees said customers were persuaded to purchase classes they could not afford by opening credit cards or borrowing the money
speaking at the newark campus of rutgers university mrs clinton told the crowd that employees had testified that trump u was a fraudulent scheme where donald trump enriched himself at the expense of hard working people she said that mr trump and those who worked for him took advantage of vulnerable americans
this is just more evidence that donald trump himself is a fraud mrs clinton added he is trying to scam america the way he scammed all those people at trump u
on the campaign trail mrs clinton has unleashed attacks against mr trump on a variety of subjects including his views on foreign policy his failure to release his tax returns and his stated hopes before the great recession that the real estate market would crash
its important that we recognize what he has done because thats usually a pretty good indicator of what he will do she told the crowd on wednesday
mrs clinton campaigned here ahead of next weeks primary new jersey is among the six states that vote or caucus on tuesday she was joined by the musician jon bon jovi as well as senator cory booker the former newark mayor and a possible vice presidential candidate
i hate to contradict bon jovi mr booker said in referring to one of his biggest hits from the 1980s but dear god hillary clinton you give love a good name


ottawa   some residents returned to fort mcmurray alberta on wednesday for the first time since wildfires forced them out and ravaged their city four weeks ago but it was hardly a triumphant homecoming as the citys gradual reopening came amid concerns that it was premature
the returning residents identified by government issued wristbands were watched over by more than 300 officers of the royal canadian mounted police and were given a long list of warnings officials told them to keep their gas tanks topped off and to take at least two weeks worth of food water medicine and other essentials with them because stores and other services in the city have not fully reopened
and many of the 88000 evacuees have been told that it is still not safe for them to return older people children under 7 pregnant women and people with any of a variety of medical conditions
the citys tap water is not drinkable yet and may not be available for weeks other utilities are not back online either
many of those who did return on wednesday were not expected to stay long rather they will most likely check on their homes retrieve personal items left behind in the haste of evacuation and head south again to await the restoration of something closer to normal life
it may be a long wait environmental experts say the ash left by the fire is so caustic and full of toxins that many surviving houses in the worst hit neighborhoods must be sealed off probably until september
given all that some residents including members of the local city council have questioned the timing of the return but as crews continued to spray sealant over the ash and rubble provincial government officials repeatedly assured the public that many people could return safely if not conveniently
personally i would feel quite comfortable to go back scott long the executive director of the alberta emergency management agency told reporters on tuesday at a news conference we didnt work this hard to make sure that people are safe to bring them back to an unsafe area and leave them to their own devices
rachel notley the premier of alberta agreed with mr longs analysis but warned that returning may not be easy
she observed that after the panicked evacuation of the city when some residents drove through tunnels of flame it is very possible that the re entry process will be the next most stressful day
ms notley who has visited the city twice since the fire broke out added i think it will be shocking
provincial officials have said that the government underestimated the emotional and psychological effects of another major fire in 2011 which forced about 7000 people to evacuate the town of slave lake alberta and which ultimately destroyed about one third of the community so this time mental health workers from across canada have been arriving in alberta over the past few weeks to help the fort mcmurray evacuees
the wildfire that scorched the city remains out of control and now covers about 14 million acres but for some time the flames have been moving away from fort mcmurray deep into largely unpopulated woodlands and there is little unburned forest left near the city to provide a path for the flames back toward town
as residents retraced the evacuation route up highway 63 the route to the city they were greeted by firefighters who had parked two fire trucks on an overpass and suspended a giant canadian flag bracketed by provincial and municipal flags on a rope tied between their raised ladders
three neighborhoods of fort mcmurray were particularly devastated by the fire after laboratory analysis of the ash and debris there some 567 surviving houses and a dozen apartments in or near those neighborhoods have been declared unfit for habitation until a cleanup can be completed
in all 1921 buildings were destroyed and 174 damaged by the fire about 10 percent of the structures in the city judging by what could be seen by reporters on a recent tour the vast majority of lost structures were houses or apartments
up to 15000 people were allowed to return beginning on wednesday in a gradual process that will continue until saturday the most immediate concerns for many will be documenting damage for insurance claims and dealing with rotting food left behind in unpowered refrigerators and freezers the provincial government has been working with a railroad on a plan for removing masses of appliances contaminated by spoiled food
and while much of the ground in and around the city is blackened and charred some homeowners in the least affected parts of town were beating down overgrown lawns on wednesday
the reopening of the city comes at a time when insurance reimbursements for hotel stays are drying up for many evacuees heather mack director of government relations for the insurance bureau of canada an industry group told reporters on a conference call that coverage for hotel expenses typically runs out after 14 to 30 days the province has set up a fund to assist evacuees with housing costs that insurance does not cover
many of those who fled the city have vowed to rebuild but an economic slump in alberta brought about by low oil prices has led to many job losses and has limited opportunities in what had been canadas boom town
while some homeowners may be required under the terms of their mortgages to rebuild their homes ms mack said many others will be free to take a cash settlement and walk away
theres some people who might choose that she said somebody whos close to retirement and may want to settle elsewhere


cute i thought as i sat the other day studying the 4 year old seated with her family on a restaurant terrace rifling the contents of her pint size prada bag
then it occurred to me that the childs tidy reticule more likely to hold stray lego parts than an iphone or lip gloss had actually been designed for her mom among the latest in a profusion of diminutive bags to overtake the marketplace in recent months
why the micro mini or nano as it is variously known may not hold a lot of essentials but it packs a lot of punch
what do these toylike carryalls contain a credit card a cellphone a set of keys   and little more
change i leave that at home in a jar said marina larroude the fashion director of teen vogue loose quarters and dimes are to her thinking the burdensome relics of a bygone age as superfluous as the conventional wallets and coin purses made to hold them
micro bags some scarcely larger than a kiwi date back at least to the fendi runway more than a year ago at the time editors cooed celebrity bloggers like chiara ferragni of the blonde salad flaunted their own versions during fashion weeks in paris and milan and the charmlike bags gained traction exerting an outsize pull on womens purse strings
theres a growing market for small purses and cross body bags said courtney ignelzi the trend editor of accessories magazine and a huge potential ms ignelzi cited a 2015 study by the npd group which tracks consumer spending showing a sales jump of 4 percent over 2014 in small accessories including nano bags indicating she said that the micro is a driving force within the accessories market
then there is its emotional appeal the smaller the bag the greater the impact in fact these tiny satchels seem to function as unexpected power statements suggesting that the wearer is too proud too rich or far too influential to carry anything larger than a cigarette pack
all through my life ive seen carine roitfeld and anna wintour arrive at fashion shows and never carry a bag ms larroude said toting ones bag she implied is an inelegant task best left to ones driver or factotum
she herself is partial to tiny bags from chanel jason wu or roger vivier suspended from a strap and slung across her torso they leave her hands and spirit free
and leave others to admire their looks many of the most covetable styles being miniaturized replicas of certified hits like the chloe drew or the mark cross grace
the micro bag its a little accent almost like jewelry at this point said kate fleming a handbag designer whose clients include tory burch and nicola formichetti you can always fold in some cash and a credit card   thats really all you need
ms fleming makes sure just the same that her scaled down designs come with an outside pocket for extras though getting in a lipstick might be a challenge she said
not that it matters with just the hint of a smirk in her voice she added you can always have your boyfriend carry that


brooklyn center minn   two minneapolis police officers will not face federal charges in the fatal shooting of a young black man in november an episode that roiled the city with days of demonstrations federal officials said wednesday citing evidence that seemed to bolster the officers account of what happened
most crucially the evidence suggested that jamar clark 24 was not in fact handcuffed when he was shot despite claims by eyewitnesses that he had been andrew m luger the united states attorney for minnesota said at a news conference and he pointed to evidence that could support the officers claim that mr clark had been grabbing one officers gun
to prove that the officers had violated mr clarks civil rights the government would have had to establish beyond a reasonable doubt that the use of force was objectively unreasonable and that the officers had acted with the specific intent to do something that the law forbids mr luger said after a lengthy investigation by his office the fbi and the justice departments civil rights division he said prosecutors could not make those claims
there are no winners here and theres no victory for anyone he said a young man has died and it is a tragedy
outside the fbi office where officials announced the decision a group of protesters including members of black lives matter gathered to bitterly contest it
nekima levy pounds the president of the minneapolis naacp who was among those protesting the decision called it wrong but not surprising
what we have realized through this system is that none of us can get justice even when one of us is shot in the head in cold blood in front of dozens of witnesses she said she added that an officers unnecessary tackling of mr clark had led to the shooting
the federal governments conclusion largely confirms the findings of the hennepin county attorneys office which reported on march 30 that mr clark had not been handcuffed when he was shot and that he had fought with an officer and grabbed his gun the county attorney also declined to prosecute the officers
mr clark was one in a long list of black people whose deaths at the hands of the police have drawn outrage in recent years but unlike some of the episodes that have scarred other cities the minneapolis shooting was not clearly captured on any video that has come to light the best recording of what happened is limited blurry and inconclusive
the shooting was followed by days of protests some marred by clashes with the police more than a week after the shooting someone opened fire on a black lives matter encampment near the station injuring five people
a coroners autopsy found no bruising or other injuries on mr clarks wrists as would be expected in a struggle between a handcuffed person and an officer
mr luger said that federal officials had asked an outside expert medical examiner to look at the evidence and that the examiner had come to essentially the same conclusions and mr luger noted that accounts varied widely among dozens of people who saw all or part of the confrontation
the events leading to mr clarks death began at a birthday party he attended with rayann hayes 41 whom officials have called his girlfriend in the early hours of nov 15 a fight broke out at the party ms hayes sustained an ankle injury and she called 911
as paramedics left the building with her they saw clark standing outside crying and acting kind of odd  the county attorneys report said as they walked past clark hayes said thats the guy who did this to me 
ms hayes and mr clark were clearly intoxicated the paramedics said and police backup was called
after two officers both of them white arrived mr clark resisted their efforts to handcuff him the county attorneys report said
the officers told investigators that one of them had repeatedly yelled that mr clark had his gun and that mr clark had said im ready to die officer dustin schwarze said that he had dropped his handcuffs drawn his handgun and told mr clark let go or im going to shoot you and had then shot him once in the head mr clark died the next day


on the day that showtime announced it was picking up a series based on jonathan franzens novel purity the networks chief executive david nevins made a few other announcements in a telephone call with reporters here are some highlights
showtime is employing a new strategy this year in which it introduces returning shows on a rolling month by month basis to wit the new season of masters of sex will debut in september shameless comes in october and the affair will start in november as a result homeland is being pushed from its usual start time in the fall to january 2017 mr nevins said that showtime is also close to a deal to renew homeland for three more seasons when asked if he had any comment about the shows future after its eighth season he said there was no current plan to end the series
mr nevins explained we now operate in an ecosystem where its easier and easier to sign up and turn us off theres a real premium on offering stuff all the time
he said subscriptions tend to flare up around premieres and finales and this is a way in theory to keep more people engaged showtime like its rival hbo also has a stand alone app
mr nevins said that showtimes twin peaks revival will debut sometime next year he would not confirm a date for the highly anticipated series but he said it was likely to come between april and june
our shows tend to get 80 percent of their audience in some form of on demand delayed viewing mr nevins said in other words the vast majority of showtime programs are not watched live
the premium cable channel has ordered a pilot featuring jamie foxx called white famous the show centers on an up and coming black comedian who is attempting to win over a broader audience and mr nevins announced that im dying up here a series about the 1970s los angeles comedy scene with jim carrey serving as an executive producer will have its premiere next year


the 100th running of the indianapolis 500 culminated with a thrilling victory for the rookie driver alexander rossi on sunday while most of us will never get to actually drive a racecar in real life we can experience some of the drama through racing apps on our phones or tablets
gt racing 2 is one of my favorite racing apps because of the games attention to detail if you ding the bumper of another car during a race for example it hangs off and bumps around just as the real thing would and the engine sounds become convincingly echoey when the course goes through a tunnel this realism makes the app feel as if its half racing simulator half arcade game
among gt racing 2s arcade features are automatic braking and steering assistance these keep players racing and stop collisions from happening too often which is a common problem when playing a new racing game the assistance features can be turned off when players are ready
gt racing 2 includes many different racing venues and styles as well as the option to upgrade to different high performance street cars or old souped up classics it has a clear interface and not too many choices or controls so when using the app people spend most of their time actually racing
the game is free but there are a few pop up advertisements and requests that can become annoying including some that pester people to buy in app expansions or rate the app gt racing 2 is available for ios and android
fast and furious legacy which is my second favorite racing game app has much more of an arcade game experience it has a story line that progresses as you race in street drag events outrun police cars and so on the app also has pop up instructions and story details that include images of characters from the fast and furious movies
the app automatically handles much of the driving of a car and the controls are pretty basic   often just touching the screen steers a vehicle around obstacles but its visually quite thrilling and lots of fun and as the game advances you can collect around 50 cars from the movies and add custom paint jobs and wheels
fast and furious legacys features include the ability to race head to head with friends who have the app and even chat with them its free to download on ios and android but some extras like special cars cost around 3 and up
asphalt 8 airborne is one of the most impressive racing apps for mobile users for one reason stunning graphics
this game is not a realistic racing simulator by any means its full of crazy stunts and situations that owe more to the fiction of racing films than real life high technology racecars with explosions and spectacular crashes aplenty you race your chosen car using tilt controls but the app automatically manages complicated things like selecting gears so you can concentrate on fulfilling your need for speed
the app is full featured borrowing a lot of game design from the sort of racing apps found on gaming consoles complex features let you tune your engine buy new cars and personalize the look and feel of the game if you are impatient you can speed through the settings to get out on the track quickly and into a race
asphalt 8 looks even better on a mobile device than on the television screen where its already a popular apple tv app the interface is easier to navigate and the gameplay is even more satisfying   theres something about having the screen in your hand as you race the big display of an ipad creates an eye popping experience that can be disorienting at first you find yourself twisting your head left and right when speeding around freakishly tight bends
the apps amazing graphics and special effects are particularly exciting when zooming through busy city streets or looping through unfinished tunnels beneath a mountain
the app is free on ios and android but for access to all the features such as the full range of high performance cars the in app expansions cost around 10 and up
among the many car racing apps out there these three offer the most excitement and the best graphics fire them up and enjoy some digital high octane fun
flo music is a new attempt at creating collaborative music playlists   the sort of digital trick that could add a social angle to the tunes at your next party groups of as many as 10 people can connect their phones over wi fi and add songs to a shared playlist from their spotify or soundcloud accounts making everyone a party dj its free on ios


salesforcecom is fluffing up its cloud business but at a high cost
marc benioffs online software company has agreed to pay 28 billion for the e commerce specialist demandware that may add some zip to slowing growth while bolstering a heated rivalry with the old school oracle but the price includes a high premium of nine times estimated revenue
software that operates in the cloud - essentially large servers accessible through the internet - has a lot to offer its quick and relatively cheap to set up easily accommodates additional users and capacity and is updated continuously as a result more big businesses are switching to it from traditional software based on individual computers that is a major reason salesforce revenue has been growing about 25 percent each year
the problem is that investors may be looking for more given the companys 57 billion market capitalization margins are improving but salesforce is still barely profitable acquiring demandware could refocus shareholders on growth buying the company a bit more time
online retailing is a hot area even with the likes of amazon booming it still accounts for less than 10 percent of total sales in the united states that leaves plenty of opportunity for demandware whose specialty is helping the likes of adidas brooks brothers and clarins set up shop online
plugging the company into a much larger enterprise could help it grow salesforce paid almost as much for the cloud marketing firm exacttarget three years ago and that company has by all accounts expanded significantly since though its revenue isnt stated separately
the demandware deal also involves a bit of one upmanship helping mr benioff stick it to its long time rival oracle and its boss larry ellison oracle has been caught somewhat flat footed by the rise of cloud software and salesforce is aiming for a substantial edge in retailing software
the purchase price is an aggressive bet on growth if demandware doesnt deliver over several years salesforce will have wasted a chunk of its cash yet mr benioff has made such bets before - and won
whats more many fast growing cash burning privately held cloud firms have recently fallen in value that could whet mr benioffs appetite for acquisitions even further


dublin ohio   donald j trump sustained a notable defeat wednesday when the world golf championships event held at a course he owns outside miami was moved to mexico city the pga tour announced that it was ending a 54 year relationship with doral which trump bought in 2012 and spent 250 million renovating because it could not find a sponsor to replace cadillac whose contract ran out this year
the tournament is expected to be played at club de golf chapultepec and will be renamed the mexico championship after the tour reached a seven year agreement with grupo salinas a collection of mexico city based companies overseen by the billionaire ricardo salinas and his son benjamin
tim finchem the pga tour commissioner said the move had nothing to do with the politics of trump the presumptive republican presidential candidate whose statements about muslims mexicans and women have had a polarizing effect on many people both inside and outside golf last december the tour was moved to release a statement in response to trumps rhetoric denouncing his comments as inconsistent with the sports commitment to creating an inclusive environment
from a golf standpoint we have no issues with donald trump finchem said at a news conference at muirfield village site of the memorial tournament which starts thursday from a political standpoint we are neutral
finchem allowed that the trump brand built on his real estate dealings and aggrandized by his reality television shows and other entrepreneurial forays presented a problem for would be sponsors
its just a struggle to get a customer to spend those kinds of dollars and share the billing finchem said so i think actually the difficulty there is more that and less the politics he added and he knows that
the tour chose a partner salinas who settled a lawsuit brought by the united states securities and exchange commission in 2006 salinas agreed to pay 75 million in penalties and compensation to settle accusations of fraud involving a scheme to conceal a deal between a tv azteca subsidiary and a cellphone company secretly owned by salinas the settlement in which salinas neither admitted nor denied wrongdoing prohibited him for five years from serving as executive or director of any publicly listed united states company
we concluded that given all the facts it should not be something that would preclude us to do this particular transaction and all of its elements finchem said
the partnership with salinas was announced less than two weeks after the world golf hall of fame member phil mickelson agreed to pay restitution to the sec after it was revealed that he had earned 1 million as a result of a stock tip he received from billy walters a friend and avid golfer
mickelson who faces no criminal charges said wednesday that he had to be responsible for the people he associated with i just think that i just need to be more careful because as a representative of companies which i take a lot of pride in those relationships mean a lot to me and i need to make sure that i represent them as well as myself in the best possible way he said
trump broke the news of the tours separation from doral on tuesday night in an interview with fox newss sean hannity and added i hope they have kidnapping insurance a reference to a spate of abductions of high profile sportsmen including the mexican national soccer team member alan pulido who was rescued
on wednesday trump released a statement in which he described it as a sad day and added no different than nabisco carrier and so many other american companies the pga tour has put profit ahead of thousands of american jobs millions of dollars in revenue for local communities and charities and the enjoyment of hundreds of thousands of fans who make the tournament an annual tradition
this decision only further embodies the very reason i am running for president of the united states
rory mcilroy the former world no 1 from northern ireland did not sound bothered by the relocation to mexico of the world golf championship event which was won this year by the australian adam scott in 2015 16 three of the four world golf championships events are being held in the united states   at doral austin tex and akron ohio the fourth is in china
i always felt that having three of them in the united states wasnt really spreading the game said mcilroy who poked fun at the fact the event was being moved to mexico as trump has promised to build a wall to keep people from entering the united states illegally
its quite ironic that were going to mexico after being at doral mcilroy said jokingly we just jump over the wall


the united states court of appeals for the third circuit on wednesday denied a request to reconsider arguments aimed at altering the settlement between the nfl and thousands of former players who said the league hid from them the dangers of concussions
in april a three judge panel in the third circuit unanimously affirmed the approval of the settlement which provides up to 5 million to individual players with severe neurological diseases
some players who objected to the settlement asked the larger panel of appeals court judges to hear their plea which focuses primarily on how chronic traumatic encephalopathy a degenerative brain disease is treated in the settlement in the deal only the heirs of players who died from 2006 to april 2015 and were found to have had the disease can receive payments of up to 4 million
in a one page decision thomas l ambro one of the judges on the three judge panel that heard the original appeal said the majority of judges in the court were not in favor of rehearing the case
the players seeking to alter the settlement can take their case to the supreme court but their chances of getting a hearing there are even slimmer
no money will be paid out until all appeals are exhausted several dozen players who opted out of the settlement can continue to sue the league and the league is still fighting with its insurers which want to determine how much of the settlement they have to cover if any


its a year of anniversaries for lizzie grubman the archetypal celebrity publicist known equally for making friends enemies and headlines
ten years of marriage twenty years since the founding of her namesake firm lizzie grubman public relations  management and 15 since the hamptons auto accident that dominated the tabloid news cycle for a summer turning her into one of the most notorious women in new york
shortly after midnight on a july morning in 2001 ms grubman ignited a tabloid firestorm when she backed her fathers mercedes benz suv into a crowd outside the conscience point inn a hamptons nightclub injuring 16 people
pr gals nightmare   her suv plows into hamptons club crowd and hard fall for rising pr star crash shatters grubmans world blared two typical new york post headlines it may be hard to believe now but before sept 11 2001 ms grubman was one of the biggest news stories in the region
george rush a former gossip columnist who covered the accident and its aftermath for the daily news said the story played out as a larger parable about class conflict
for many readers lizzie was a vicious princess who was overdue for her comeuppance he said
now 45 ms grubman has stayed out of the spotlight for a decade mellowed by marriage and two children and energized by her firms expansion into talent management and television development she feels ready to talk about the remarkable roller coaster of her life and lay to rest the ghosts of that infamous summer
i do a lot of damage control thats what i love in pr ms grubman said on a recent sunday sitting in her large corner office in the flatiron district which showcases rear window style views over a uniquely manhattan hodgepodge of apartments construction sites and artists studios just think of olivia pope in scandal but for hollywood
her full client list is confidential i do divorces i do arrests and cop situations when someone is resigning or getting fired she said but her current publicity seeking roster includes the tv personalities maksim chmerkovskiy and carole radziwill the rising hip hop producer c4 and the pop singer inas x
i think ive matured i think ive grown up said ms grubman dressed in a new season prada sundress and chunky platform heels accessorized by a givenchy antigona black leather tote whose oversize zipper teeth made it look like a document shredder for money living a private nonpublic life is a much happier life
ms grubman was flanked by her sons harry 9 and jack 7 and her husband chris stern executive creative director for the talent and management agency wme img
mr stern is a chatty gentle man with a fondness for loro piana cashmere sweaters when together the couple bring to mind a really expensive pair of new stiletto heels and the protective velvet bag that comes with them in the box
chris is my rock said ms grubman pulling him close hes made me into a different person and my children have too theres been some rough times
the family divides its time between their east 61st street apartment a triple combine duplex and a five bedroom weekend home in sag harbor ny both designed by mr stern its a life filled with children grandparents and all the trappings of professional success
yet even now with a happy home life and thriving business ms grubman has difficulty discussing the events of summer 2001 when everything changed
elizabeth stacey grubman was born in 1971 to yvette and allen grubman a man whom newsweek once described as perhaps the music industrys wealthiest and most powerful attorney with superstar clients like madonna bruce springsteen elton john u2 and sean puffy combs
the trials and tribulations that she went through just like everybody else has gone through she came out in a way that im very very proud of mr grubman said every so often ill bump into someone and theyll say oh youre lizzies father i get a kick out of that
mr grubman was a famously bad student a trait he passed on to his daughter she had brief tours at four new york city private schools including horace mann lenox and dwight my social life became a little bit more important than studies she said followed by a single semester at northeastern university
it was in boston that ms grubman started promoting nightclubs and the public relations career that she pursued upon returning to new york
in 1995 she went to work for nadine johnson an established pr agent known for her fashionable roster of art world and luxury clients but the relationship quickly soured and she left after a year to start her own firm amid rumors that she had taken with her ms johnsons list industry jargon for proprietary business contacts which are jealously guarded
nadines list is not valuable its only valuable to nadine ms grubman said i respect nadine i have nothing bad to say about her she clearly does not like me ms johnson did not respond to a request for comment
in 1998 ms grubman was one of three influential young female publicists featured on the cover of new york magazine with the headline power girls the article announced ms grubmans arrival as a personality in her own right
it inaugurated a golden age for her business but her tough as nails persona and moneyed background alienated some observers even as it attracted huge names to her client list including entertainers like jay z gloria estefan and mr combs and modish restaurants and nightclubs of fin de siecle new york like moomba spy bar and asia de cuba
she was there by my side and protected me when i was young and just getting into the spotlight britney spears a former client for whom ms grubman still occasionally consults wrote in a text message from los angeles i was so grateful to know that lizzie always looked out for me
but the article also ruffled feathers with its depiction of the subjects as privileged party girls an early backlash to the princess image that would attend ms grubman for years to come
i get it she said of the resentment at the time it would irritate me too
but worse was on the way
on july 6 2001 ms grubman received the devastating news that her mother had late stage ovarian cancer she died three weeks later at age 58
in an emotional state ms grubman nevertheless went out that friday evening to attend july 4 weekend festivities in the hamptons after a party at the home of alex and alexandra von furstenberg she drove the black mercedes suv to the conscience point inn then a fashionable southampton nightclub
sometime after midnight she got into an argument with a doorman who insisted she move her car instead the vehicle lurched backward into a line of waiting patrons injuring 16 people
months of front page denouncements and 100 million worth of lawsuits which were quietly settled followed culminating with a 38 day stay in the suffolk county jail ms grubman publicly apologized to the victims outside the courtroom in which she pleaded guilty to felony and misdemeanor charges but she has otherwise declined to discuss the incident
but her days of being tabloid fodder were not over in 2005 she starred in an mtv reality show about her professional life called power girls which flopped with critics and viewers lasting six episodes ms grubman has mixed feelings about it i think i gave away a lot of trade secrets and i glamorized pr in a way that people didnt understand
that same year page six announced her relationship with mr stern who was married at the time to joyce sevilla who happened to work for lizzie grubman pr the ensuing divorce was acrimonious as were the human resources issues but it freed the new couple to marry in march 2006
the gossip columns continued to needle and it was an encounter with aggressive paparazzi that convinced ms grubman that she needed to remove herself and her family from the spotlight
one day were out walking and these photographers are out for my son and he was so scared she said it hurt him so badly we had problems in preschool with him taking class pictures
now hes ok she said watching harry gambol over her office furniture now he has his own instagram
if ms grubmans critics were hoping she would collapse under the sheer weight of the schadenfreude directed at her they will be disappointed
in her stylishly decorated office surrounded by family she seems closer to the having it all work life balance promoted by tech industry mom bosses like the facebook executive sheryl sandberg and the yahoo chief executive marissa mayer
ms grubman rises at 5 am wakes her children at 630 and works from her office between 930 am and 4 pm back home she balances work calls and family time mr stern is the cook until a 9 pm bedtime
jack the younger son who seemed completely at ease in her office was asked to describe his mother she buys us stuff he said and she talks on the phone a lot
ms grubman laughed it off but it seemed clear there would be some media training when he got home that night
amid the happy family din however there remains just a trace of sadness around the intertwined tragedies of her mothers death and the car accident that changed her life when asked to reflect on that fateful night her normally polite smile sets into a thin flat line
that unfortunate night happened which i prefer not to talk about in respect to my children and family and the people who were involved she said
i never properly mourned my mother well leave it at that you know why
in 2007 her husband decided to do something about it
understanding that lizzie had a really tough time with mothers day mr stern said i decided right after we had harry that i go to barneys and walk around with a personal shopper and pick out the best shoes and the best handbags in the place bring them to the apartment and i proceeded to fill harrys entire crib with all of these pretty special boxes of treats
it was piled high he said i just wanted to make it seem like harry was giving her the gift
ms grubman said hes changed mothers day for me and hes helped me through it
the anecdote captures ms grubmans uniquely contentious place in new yorks pantheon of characters its a cherished and heartwarming memory for the family but viewed from the outside it will be perceived as overprivileged and materialistic enough to inspire a thousand mean tweets
was ms grubman prepared for such a social media response
ive been there she said sounding momentarily battle weary ive been beaten ive been killed in the media but at this point in my life my family my kids and my clients are the most important people to me


art galleries adhere to a familiar architectural playbook an aloof gallery employee sits up front soaring white walls inside somewhere in the back unseen the gallerys owner
but lia gangitano 48 the founder of participant inc the alternative art space on the lower east side on east houston street does not hew to this formula her floors are rough plywood her walls   like her hair sexy nerdy eyeglass frames and sense of humor   are all fairly black and ms gangitano can usually be found on a couch or at a table sheltered from the public by only a small partition
for 15 years ms gangitano has brought witty raucous and challenging works to the art worlds attention on a modest budget but she has also managed to achieve something even more rare a vibrant gallery scene that seems to reject the antiseptically academic atmosphere pervading much of the avant garde art world
that hard work is finally paying off at least in acclaim in february she was the first recipient of an award bestowed by white columns and shoot the lobster gallery for creating a context and community for art to thrive last year maines skowhegan school of painting  sculpture gave her its prestigious governors award for outstanding service to artists
if anything tipped recent attention her way it was the mini retrospective she organized over a year ago on greer lankton the pioneering 1980s transgender artist who fashioned her own personal universe making a coterie of hand sewn mannequin size dolls the show attracted thousands of visitors and landed on more than a dozen best show lists for 2014   and even a few more in 2015
ms gangitano has always supported artists who challenge race and gender roles among them justin vivian bond vaginal davis kathe burkhardt kembra pfahler genesis p orridge and m lamar the twin brother of the actress laverne cox
there are already artists awards said matthew higgs the director and chief curator of white columns what was missing was an award to these kinds of maverick individuals who have dedicated themselves to establishing a hospitable world for art to exist in lia is the perfect manifestation of that
its no simple task without the influx of money that fuels commercial galleries participant inc survives on donations and grants its annual budget is a mere 250000 ms gangitano said and that pays for everything including exhibitions rent and salaries participant inc hopes its annual fund raising event   a secret garden party in the east village on wednesday   will raise about 25000
its very much a labor of love   and a vow of poverty she said in her trademark deadpan i have a lot of teaching jobs she wasnt exaggerating ms gangitano has taught at the center for curatorial studies at bard college fine arts programs at new york university the school of visual arts in gramercy park and hunter college
but while ms gangitanos financial tightrope act is impressive her greater prowess is in fostering an arts community fiercely independent of the commercial gallery circuit its not by accident that unlike most galleries the walls of participant inc are usually painted black ms gangitano can often be found working or chatting with a friend or colleague on a long sofa covered with a flokati openings at participant inc are young packed and colorful and feel more like parties in a bushwick loft
approachable warm and unpretentious ms gangitano creates a kind of a human framework for taking in the art she shows which can be obscure confrontational or challenging as are some of the artists themselves
i am very difficult the artist and performer vaginal davis wrote in an email either someone is interested in me and my work or they arent i have a disdain for the wealthy and privileged i offend easily and am ready to throw down at the slightest provocation
by contrast she said ms gangitano holds gravitas with that thoughtful presence of hers and she is so sophisticated never shrill very calm and serene
david joselit the art critic and art history professor for city university of new york also credited ms gangitano with nurturing artists who have been marginalized shes been able to create a set of practices that havent really found a secure home elsewhere mr joselit said thats a huge accomplishment in a city like new york and one thats getting rarer and rarer
as the gallery name suggests ms gangitano plays an active collaborative role in participant inc shows she has published books staged performances hosted film shoots mounted plays offered writing workshops and created artist residencies
last winter she paired painted screens by the artist martin gustafson with choreographed performances by stanley love this spring she worked with justin vivian bond to curate a series of performances for the public theater celebration of the singers 25 years in cabaret next summer she is curating an ambitious show at bard about pat hearn and colin de land the art dealer couple both of whom died in the early 2000s and were known for the unique bohemian modern world they helped create
her hands on approach has not been a conscious strategy no no no she said i just dont know how to do it any other way the social character of artmaking the familial quality of collaborating the communal aspects of activism those are just my frame of reference there was never a premeditated plan
her seemingly tireless efforts strike some as selfless and even saintly but a word to the wise dont call her the mother teresa of the art world as some have done
i have heard that one ms gangitano said looking pained ill be honest i dont even know what it means arent there other role models


if your digital photos are a mirror of your life they may also serve as a reminder that there is only so much you can control and that at some point you just need to let things go
that was the lesson i learned after trying to create a step by step guide to organizing and storing smartphone photos based on interviews with professional photographers and a week of testing multiple photo management services and gadgets
i spent days experimenting with neurotic tagging systems tedious backup processes and album management and finally turned to brian christian a computer scientist and philosopher for advice
the healthiest approach to managing photos it turns out is a zen one to not deal with them much at all
mr christian said photo organization illustrates a computer science principle known as the search sort trade off if you spend tons of time rummaging for a specific photo then sorting photos may be worthwhile but if you hunt for a picture infrequently sorting may be a waste of time
if it would take you eight hours to tag all your friends you should not undertake that until youve already wasted eight hours digging up photos of your friends said mr christian co author of algorithms to live by a book about using algorithmic principles to improve your life
in other words people need a photo organization method that saves time   and that allows them to essentially throw out the need to sort and tag their enormous photo sprawl so i tried several photo management services and devices to determine what that method might be
over a week i tested three backup services with my iphone photo library of about 8000 images apples icloud photo library dropbox and google photos which automatically take your photos and store them in the cloud i also tested two data backup devices from sandisk and synology
my conclusion for smartphone shooters the secret to photo nirvana is to take a deep breath and let google back up and organize everything
apples icloud was straightforward in the iphones camera settings flipping on icloud photo library uploads all your photos to icloud which is accessible by apple and windows devices dropboxs photo backup service uploads photos to your dropbox folder which is compatible with various devices like windows pcs iphones and android phones for google photos as soon as you set up the app it starts backing everything up in googles cloud service called drive also accessible on various devices all three services took several days to back up my entire library over a wi fi connection while i was asleep
google photos quickly set itself apart with its smarter auto sorting features it scans your photos and organizes them in several ways for one it can detect the face of a person and group all the photos of that person into an album which you can name with photos taken within a short time span like your trip to a beach over the weekend google photos might create a video montage or an album with a label like a weekend in san francisco the service also managed to identify pictures of items like receipts and food and group them into their own albums with labels
dropbox and apples photo services had auto organizing features but not the smarts of googles service apples app groups photos into collections based on when and where photos were taken it can also organize photos by faces similar to google dropbox uploads photos into a folder labeled camera uploads and labels each file by the date and time it was taken
another benefit of google photos is its free offering is the most generous   enough to let you try out the service thoroughly before deciding whether to pay the service offers to store an unlimited number of compressed images at no cost for full resolution images you get 15 gigabytes of free storage and can pay at least 2 a month for 100 gigs
in contrast apple offers five gigabytes free and thereafter charges at least 1 a month for 50 gigs dropbox offers two gigabytes of free storage before charging at least 10 a month for a terabyte
anil sabharwal vice president of google photos said the company built google photos to make it easy to keep manage and share photos and videos apple and dropbox did not immediately have comment
i also tested two physical devices for managing photos the sandisk ixpand a small drive that plugs directly into the power port of an iphone and automatically backs up photos and synologys ds216ii a new disk storage system that connects to your internet at home to create a personal cloud
the ixpand device was deeply flawed   it tried to back up all my photos for six hours before the iphone ran out of battery and the backup failed entirely synologys photo management software backed up my photos quickly and had some features like face and location tagging but organizing photo albums still required lots of manual labor
sandisk said the issue i experienced was a known problem affecting a small number of devices and that an app update would be released next week to fix the bug a synology spokeswoman said that with its network attached storage systems customers could back up a broad array of media on a private cloud
in the end google photos solves multiple problems it handles organization making the search sort trade off minimal it creates a backup of photos so you can free up space on your smartphone while safeguarding pictures in case the device is lost or stolen
once all your photos are on google photos they need not live on the phone unfortunately there is no quick way to delete thousands of photos i plugged my iphone into a mac imported my older photos and checked the box that says delete items after import then i deleted them all from the computer in the future it will be easier to delete smaller batches straight off the phone
what about blurry unwanted images the most important lesson of google photos is to stop thinking of the digital photo album like a physical scrapbook with a traditional photo album you would spend time flipping through pages before landing on the right photo
with google photos you can treat it like a giant searchable junk drawer you can simply open the google photos app or google drive type in a keyword for what you want to see pull up that photo and ignore everything else you can make some changes here and there   like renaming or adding photos to albums   but otherwise why bother
one caveat the zen approach does not apply to those with professional cameras for professional photographers some organization is a plus and google photos and cloud services are not ideal because large photos would take too long to upload
ben long a professional photographer in san francisco said he diligently tagged his photos with keywords using adobes lightroom app to make them easy to find later
i put tagging up there with flossing and stretching things you know youre supposed to do and theyre really a drag to do but you just get in the habit of it he said
for the rest of us theres another reason to not bother deleting photos in google photos google adds creative touches to images that you thought were previously unwanted if you took multiple shots of a sun setting or your child smiling for example it stitches them into an animation
the lower the cost is of searching then the more one should ask the question of should i be organizing this at all mr christian said
after migrating my entire photo library to google photos my answer is a resounding no


the success academy charter school network is canceling its prekindergarten program for next year as it continues to battle with new york city over a contract the network announced on wednesday
when it started the universal prekindergarten program the city required all providers to sign a contract saying it was necessary to ensure a consistent level of quality but the success network whose chief executive is eva s moskowitz has refused to sign arguing that the city does not have the authority to regulate programs at charter schools the 13 other charter school organizations that offer prekindergarten classes have signed the contract
success had asked the state education department to intervene in the dispute and in february the education commissioner ruled in the citys favor saying it could indeed require charter schools to sign the contract in order to receive public financing for their programs success is challenging the decision in a lawsuit in state supreme court
but on wednesday in a strongly worded statement success said that the courts decision would not come in time to allow it to prepare for the next school year and blamed mayor bill de blasio for forcing the network to cancel its program
success currently has 72 students in prekindergarten at three schools and was planning to expand the program to two other schools next year
the dispute over prekindergarten is the latest skirmish in a continuing feud between ms moskowitz and the mayor mr de blasio a democrat is a critic of charter schools who pledged during his campaign to end the practice of giving such schools space in public school buildings after taking office he sought to block three success schools from getting space but backed down after the networks supporters unleashed 5 million worth of television advertisements attacking him
in a letter sent on tuesday to parents of students accepted into prekindergarten classes at success school for next year the network blamed mr de blasio for the decision to cancel the program and urged parents to sign an open letter to the mayor accusing him of hypocrisy and of putting politics above childrens education
the letter which the network released publicly on wednesday states in part you say you care about all kids but then discriminate against public charter kids and families you say you care about inequality and yet you keep working class families who cannot afford private school or to move out of the city from getting access to world class education our ticket to equity
the citys education department said it would help the students who were accepted into prekindergarten classes at success find placement in other programs
devora kaye a spokeswoman for the department said of successs decision the state upheld our important standards to ensure all programs are high quality and we look forward to welcoming more charter schools and organizations to the prekindergarten program


for seven years nole garey made careful decisions as a foreign affairs officer for the state department where she helped form policy related to somalia the stakes could be high failing to properly evaluate countless variables could set back diplomacy
it was with similar attention to detail that she recently assessed 40 versions of hologram foil before settling on a flat silver foil with a rainbow hologram overlay
ms garey now 34 left the state department in 2010 to focus full time on oh so beautiful paper her stationery blog on a tuesday night in may she hosted a party for the 71st national stationery show which took place at the jacob k javits convention center in new york about 220 partygoers took a break from the rigors of a long day at the fluorescent lit hall to sip gin cocktails snap selfies in front of a wall of pastel paper pinwheels and barter for bags filled with greeting card swag
it was the party to be at for those in the stationery world and yes there is one
paper obviously is not the main medium for messaging these days but increasingly it is one that can transmit like none other wry pop culture commentary about the digital age and the odd connected yet disconnected dynamics it has created wedding announcement cards exclaim they swiped right romantic cards extol the promise of a night of netflix and chill congratulation cards may combine a heavy stock of paper letter pressed printing and a twitter friendly hashtag instablessed
creativity is the thing that rose to the top when the internet screwed up stationery said melinda morris who has attended the show since she was little then alongside her mother ms morris now owns a paper goods store in park slope brooklyn called lion in the sun
at the convention center if only for four days a year paper is king more than 750 booths are set up most of them resembling small gift shops one with lavender linen covered journals stacked high against a pale pink background another with its company name in gold script against floral wallpaper on display is more than just paper yards and yards of ribbon iron on patches channeling instagrams original logo giant pool float flamingos and enamel pins made to look like anna wintours head
but cards and stationery are the main draw as slips of paper commemorate every occasion and emotion from pet death condolences to feeling the bern some 10000 retailers suppliers event planners and other paper hangers on representing every state and about 70 countries attended said patti stracher the longtime director of the national stationery show
the inaugural show was held at the new yorker hotel on eighth avenue in 1945 it was an era when greeting cards were sold on the first floor of department stores and a woman spoke of the design of her monogrammed stationery in the same breath that described her favored bridesmaid dresses
the trade show moved to the new york coliseum on columbus circle in 1968 and it was one of the first events at javits after it opened in 1986 then large stationery makers were flying high hosting gatherings for top retailers in suites at the plaza but what was once a high end fancy industry has been democratized today the stationery show is less of a refined get together for those in service of ladies who lunch and more of a showcase for small time artisans tattooed and ink stained printers and ipad stylus drawers alike now there are more young start ups that are artists said solange messelian the owner of lees specialty in bloomfield hills mich whose attendance at this years show was her 30th
as is the case at any trade show darlings break through each year there was paula  waffle whose whimsical greeting cards and wrapping paper are designed by paula cheng mehta of new york and the good twin designed by katie wilson as well as inklings paperie a newcomer touting scratch off cards inklings founder and creative director lindsay henry won a louie award which is an academy award of paper
tay ham a company in wilmington nc was a crowd favorite its creator taylor hamilton 31 was working in 2012 as a special effects purchaser for iron man 3 she would shop for explosives and 10 truckloads of ice when she decided to make a change ive always made cards for friends and family ms hamilton said they always encouraged me to do this for a living
her brightly colored cards feature pop culture icons and clever catchphrases freddie mercury is illustrated above the message yas queen another depicts kim kardashians backside with the message this years gonna be huge for you ms kardashian shared the card with her instagram followers and the exposure nearly broke ms hamiltons corner of the internet one best selling card shows a drawing of iris apfel and the message think big ms hamilton created it after watching a documentary about the nonagenarian fashion figure known for her massive round eyeglasses
clever cards have become something of a special touch accessory and there are obvious connections between the stationery world and the fashion industry bonnie marcus became enamored with invitation design when she worked in marketing for diane von furstenberg and helped create invitations for the 1995 wedding of the designers son her ultrafeminine designs are now featured on custom invitations american greetings cards and mom focused agendas just as in fashion ms marcus said you have to keep up with the trends and youre only as good as your next collection
grace kang was once a buyer at bloomingdales sakscom and barneys new york and now owns four new york city gift stores called pink olive shes one retailer whose attention cardmakers hope to attract ms kang searches the stationery show for new talent its always good to grow and find people who are in the same boat she said
the warm and fuzzy feeling that theres room for everyone is helped of course by the fact that the real competition for customers is with the smartphone screen said allison nadeau an owner of ink meets paper a postcard that the company featured at its first stationery show four years ago has resonated so deeply that it now has envelopes to match both are stamped with the message text less write more


moscow   in recent months various prominent public figures including at least one close associate of president vladimir v putin have insisted that russia officially proclaim mikhail s gorbachev a criminal for abetting the collapse of the soviet union
some regularly demand that mr gorbachev be put on trial for the events not least as one member of parliament put it to expose the operations of a fifth column within russia
yet when the organizers of mr gorbachevs 85th birthday extravaganza in march approached the landmark hotel ukraine about a banquet its owners refused payment after they learned that it was the former leader being honored
they said that without gorbachev they would have ended up as small merchants in the market criminals dealing in contraband said alexei venediktov a close friend and the editor in chief of the radio station echo of moscow the main news outlet for liberal russians they said now we are the owners of all this thanks to gorbachev not a kopeck
in an interview mr gorbachev shrugged off the fact that 25 years after the collapse of the soviet union he remains among the most reviled men in russia it is freedom of expression he said
yet the official line denigrating traditional democracy combined with the very idea that he should face trial obviously irks him so he churns out articles essays and books about the need to enhance freedom in russia his latest effort called the new russia in english was released in the united states in late may
there is also great admiration for him among russians too of course some adore him for introducing perestroika or restructuring combined with glasnost or openness which together helped to jettison the worst repressions of the communist system mr gorbachev led the way albeit haltingly toward free speech free enterprise and open borders
some love him for bringing freedom and others loathe him for bringing freedom said dmitri muratov the editor of novaya gazeta one of the few remaining independent newspapers and one in which mr gorbachev holds a 10 percent stake
the society at large blames him for losing the soviet empire and leaving them citizens of a second class country even if individuals recognize that he opened new horizons for them and their children
the society doesnt like him he is the anti putin mr venediktov said putin is the constructor and he is the deconstructor he called that perception unfair
in the interview mr gorbachev said i keep saying that russia needs more democracy the hourlong interview took place at his shrinking foundation where his office is dominated by an oil painting of his wife raisa who died of leukemia in 1999
we hear even from people close to putin statements that emphasize authoritarianism that emphasize decisiveness and that suggest that democracy can only be achieved far into the future mr gorbachev said i think if democracy is firmly rooted if it is based on elections if people have the chance to elect leaders at regular intervals i think that is what we need that is the basis for stability in foreign and domestic policy
in his twilight years mr gorbachev has become an isolated figure most of his contemporaries are dead he is just critical enough about the lack of democracy under mr putin that state run television channels avoid him his death has been announced more than once
mr gorbachev does not fault mr putin directly for the lack of democracy in russia although he was more critical of the president when his book was released in russia last year he began suffering from the same disease from which i used to suffer self assuredness mr gorbachev said at the time he considers himself deputy god i dont know for what matters though
he and others listed several reasons for muting his criticism first mr gorbachev enjoys no immunity from prosecution and hence like many government critics feels increasingly uneasy as the kremlin chips away at civil liberties he said he feared being declared a foreign agent a revived stalinist label that basically means spy and that is now being used to shutter dozens of civil society organizations
there are quite a few reactionary minded people in this country who are already declaring me a foreign agent   they think that i am working for someone he said it is quite a statement from a man who if he had changed nothing might still be the supreme leader of the soviet union as previous leaders tended to rule for life
second he casts most of the political and economic ills plaguing russia as the legacy of his hated archrival former president boris n yeltsin giving mr putin a pass as a necessary correction
third he agrees with mr putin on many issues particularly foreign policy he supported moscow grabbing back crimea for example calling the public referendum legitimate   despite its being held at gunpoint that stance just got him barred from ukraine for five years
as the man most responsible for ending the cold war mr gorbachev feels betrayed that the west   and the united states in particular   played the victor and treated russia like a dismissed serf bringing nato forces and the european union to its very borders
there was a mood of triumphalism at the end of the cold war that was shared by many americans he said that was the point of departure for the collapse of everything
he parts company with mr putin on domestic issues however even if he keeps mr yeltsin in the foreground
mr gorbachev and mr yeltsin were longtime rivals who delighted in humiliating each other mr gorbachev gives grudging respect to mr yeltsin for intervening to stop the right wing coup that sought to overthrow his presidency in 1991 but low marks for the rest of his chaotic tenure which gave democracy a bad name in russia
i still dont understand why yeltsin is regarded as a hero in the united states when he was an authoritarian mr gorbachev said in his most emotional display slapping his hand on his desk
mr gorbachev travels little now dividing his time between his office and a dacha outside moscow he calls the death of raisa his greatest loss he is heavier and his famous birthmark is less prominent despite occasional hospital visits he still downs vodka with friends
mr muratov said they often recounted the same joke based on mr gorbachevs infamous campaign to lower alcohol consumption
two men are standing in a long long vodka line prompted by the limited supply one asks the other to keep his place in line because he wants to go over the kremlin to punch gorbachev in the face for his anti alcohol policy he comes back many hours later and his friend asks him if he had indeed punched gorbachev no the man answered despondently the line at the kremlin was even longer
various people among the 300 guests at his march birthday party offered toasts to mr gorbachev the ambassadors of the united states germany france and israel all commended him separately for making the world a more peaceful stable place
one editor from echo of moscow radio sergei buntman gave an ironic toast saying that mr gorbachev had wrecked everyones quiet existence
mr venediktov would be an esteemed schoolteacher instead of the controversial head of a popular radio station mr buntman said while mr putin would be a respected kgb lieutenant colonel rather than a target of critics worldwide you ruined our lives the editor joked


los angeles   two men were killed in a shooting at the university of california los angeles on wednesday prompting thousands of frightened students and staff members to hunker down or run for shelter as the police went door to door searching for the gunman or other victims
after a lockdown that lasted throughout the morning the los angeles police said that the gunman was among the dead and declared the campus safe
a homicide and a suicide occurred charlie beck the los angeles police chief said it appears it is entirely contained we believe there are no suspects outstanding and no continuing threat to uclas campus
a gun was found at the scene and chief beck said there is evidence there that could be a suicide note
the shooting victim was william s klug an associate professor in uclas mechanical and aerospace engineering department said alan garfinkel a professor of integrative biology and physiology who worked closely with mr klug for the past five years
mr garfinkel who was attending a meeting in a nearby building when the shooting occurred said he had been informed of mr klugs death by los angeles and campus police officers
he was an extremely sweet and kind person mr garfinkel said its so mind blowing that this happened to him of all people he described mr klug as a devout christian adding that the two would often have debates in front of students about ethics and religion
the shooting took place about 10 am inside a small office in the engineering iv building officials said there were hundreds of people in the building at the time
the campus was placed on lockdown with text message and email alerts sent out to students and employees telling them to shelter in place or if they were in the open to find shelter
it was not until more than two hours later that the authorities declared the situation was resolved and officials began to lift the lockdown
earlier police officers went building by building escorting groups of people out who had their hands raised the people then knelt on the ground as officers searched their backpacks and purses for weapons
melanie beecher a first year student said she had reached her philosophy class shortly after receiving the first alert
immediately we barricaded the doors blocked openings with trash cans turned off the lights and pulled down the blinds she said ms beecher added that she had called friends who had not yet arrived telling them to stay in their dormitories
we have been getting frequent alerts and have been able to live stream the news she said
the lockdown meant that any student who left a dorm room was unable to re enter it even with a key
our ra has instructed us to stay in our rooms no matter what said izzy gardner a first year student who spent the time in her room there are tons of rumors going around and its hard to determine what is true and isnt true people are pretty shaken up
ceci falktoft another first year student was walking to a meeting with a professor when she saw people running she said without knowing why she ran too learning about the shooting after she asked others what was happening
ms falktoft ran to powell library where staff members handed out snacks to the many people hiding or studying there and told them they could not leave
all classes and on campus activities were canceled for the rest of the day wednesday but scott waugh uclas executive vice chancellor said he wanted to resume normal routines as quickly as possible especially because this is a crucial time of year for many students with finals coming up followed shortly thereafter by commencement
classes will resume on thursday he said and professional counselors would be available on campus
the los angeles police the university police the fbi and the bureau of alcohol tobacco firearms and explosives responded to the incident hundreds of law enforcement officers scoured the building where the shooting occurred and surrounding buildings


it was happy hour at fig an upscale restaurant in santa monica calif and three friends were enjoying lively conversation and a platter of charcuterie when an odd expression fell across the face of one of the women
that guy just put something in her drink monica kenyon told her friends staring at another diner
and so it began a narrative of crime stopping that lit up social media after it was described in detail on facebook how ms kenyon and the other women on may 26 foiled what they thought was a strangers plan to drug and possibly rape his date
on tuesday the man michael hsu 24 was charged with two felonies administering a drug and assault with intent to commit a sex crime the district attorneys office said in a statement
guess who stopped a rape last night these gals sonia ulrich one of the women at the restaurant wrote
the account was accompanied by a photograph of ms ulrich ms kenyon and marla saltzer posing in what looked like a scene from charlies angels defensive crouch arms outstretched and hands in karate chopping or pistol packing mode
dont roofie someone on our watch the photo caption reads referring to the so called date rape drug rohypnol
ms ulrich wrote that while the photograph may seem to be making light of a heavy situation this is no joking matter
indeed the los angeles district attorneys office said a possible date drugging case had been thwarted by three good samaritans
in recounting the events on facebook ms ulrich said she and her companion ms kenyon had gone with ms saltzer to the restaurant at the fairmont hotel for happy hour at one point ms ulrich noticed ms kenyon making a funny face
what had caught her attention a man nearby had just slipped something into his companions drink ms ulrich wrote
he pulled her glass toward him kind of awkwardly then he took out a little black vial he opened it up and dropped something in then he tried to play it cool like checking his phone and hiding the vial in his hand and then trying to bring it back down slyly
ms ulrich continued now fig is a nice restaurant we were enjoying our charcuterie platter and some fancy cheeses that type of place
she wrote that the couple had a bottle of wine they were splitting
it seemed like a first or second or third date she said
the mans dinner companion had gone to the restroom
after a few oh god what do we dos i got up to find her in the bathroom to tell her warn her tell her to get up and leave this creep make him drink it something ms ulrich wrote
she awkwardly loitered by the sinks in the bathroom waiting to speak to the woman i approached hey um this is kind of weird but uh we saw the guy you were with put something in your drink 
oh my god the woman replied
asked how well she knew the man the woman said hes one of my best friends they worked together and had known each other for more than a year
ms ulrich returned to her table where she and the other women spoke to a server and others and security was informed of what they had witnessed the man apparently noticed ms kenyon watching him ms ulrich wrote it was not immediately clear on wednesday what type of drug was allegedly used
remarkably the woman returning to the table ordered sparkling water and sat through 40 more minutes with her companion the man tried several times chinking his glass to hers to get her to drink ms ulrich wrote she played it cool
when the couple finished dinner the server told them that a computer problem was causing a delay with the bill the extra time allowed the security workers to review video footage and the police were called
officers from the santa monica police department arrived and approached the man they say come with us and he doesnt protest ms ulrich wrote doesnt ask why doesnt seem surprised the police took the womans glass as evidence
we asked the girl if she had a ride home ms ulrich wrote the woman replied my car is at his place in his building we came together
in court tuesday mr hsu pleaded not guilty and his next court date is june 14 greg risling a spokesman for the district attorneys office said in an email the recommended bail of 1 million was reduced to 350000 for mr hsu he said
if convicted he would face a maximum of six years in state prison the statement by the district attorney office said the case remains under investigation it said


jonathan franzens novel purity is coming to television
showtime announced on wednesday that it has ordered a 20 episode limited series based on the book daniel craig will star and todd field the director of little children will direct mr franzen mr field and the playwright david hare will be among the shows writers and scott rudin is one of the executive producers
the network said that production would begin next year and that the limited series would run over two years
showtimes purity will be the latest example of what has become an increasingly popular form of tv television executives have said that limited series are an easier way to attract high level talent who do not have to commit for multiple seasons they have also said that it is a useful vehicle to excite viewers who are confronted with more television programs than ever before the first season of fxs american crime story about the o j simpson trial ranks as the highest rated new series on cable for the year
this is not mr franzens first experience with tv his award winning novel the corrections was developed by hbo but never made it to television


kenneth w starr announced wednesday that he would resign as chancellor of baylor university effective immediately saying it was a matter of conscience mr starrs decision came less than a week after he was stripped of the more operationally powerful position of president of the university in the wake of a scandal in which baylor acknowledged that it had mishandled accusations of sexual assault against several football players
i have to and i willingly do accept responsibility mr starr told outside the lines the espn program in which he announced his decision
the captain goes down with the ship he added
but he also doubled down on a statement he released last week in which he said that he had been unaware of the beginning of what was later described as a widespread problem until last august when a former football player was convicted of sexual assault
while mr starr is stepping down as chancellor a role that a baylor regent described last week as one focused primarily on raising money as well as on religious liberty he planned to retain his post as a tenured professor at baylors law school
the scandal has also claimed the jobs of art briles the successful head football coach whom the board of regents fired last thursday and ian mccaw the athletic director who resigned sunday days after the regents had placed him on probation
mr starr said he had not been consulted on mr briless firing he mixed some light condemnation of the coach for failing to be a stronger disciplinarian with praise calling him a players coach and a genius
before entering academia as dean of the pepperdine university school of law in 2004 and becoming president of baylor the countrys largest baptist university in 2010 mr starr was an independent counsel whose report to congress led to president bill clintons impeachment in 1998 before that he was the united states solicitor general and a federal judge
at baylor mr starr was credited with raising the universitys national profile   along with hundreds of millions of dollars   in no small part by tying the universitys national image to the recent success of its football team under mr briles
it was mr starr who nearly one year ago ordered an internal investigation into the universitys handling of a former player who was convicted of sexually assaulting another baylor athlete
that inquiry led mr starr to recommend that baylor hire outside lawyers to investigate baylors handling of such accusations more broadly the board agreed and it described the results of that investigation last thursday in an executive summary that accompanied its decisions to demote mr starr and to fire mr briles
the board said in a statement last week that the investigation had found that the universitys climate flouted federal gender equity laws including title ix the board condemned a university leadership that it said created a cultural perception that football was above the rules


facing a united nations commitment to start airdropping aid to civilians in rebel held areas the syrian government eased some limits on humanitarian truck convoys on wednesday and allowed one into a deprived damascus suburb blockaded since 2012
despite appearances of a relaxation however international aid workers opposition figures and western officials said the aid deliveries conducted by the united nations and the red cross were minimal and contained no urgently needed food
britains top diplomat described the convoys as a cynical gesture by the government of president bashar al assad of syria and suggested that the promised airdrops would soon begin one government opponent called the truck deliveries farcically small
a five truck convoy to daraya a rebellious damascus suburb that had been denied deliveries for more than three years contained some wheelchairs and a few dozen boxes of items like infant formula vaccines mosquito nets and anti lice shampoo according to residents reached by telephone and the internet
another aid convoy was allowed into the nearby town of moadamiya which had not received any supplies for a month other deprived areas where insurgent groups are ensconced received nothing
some aid charities said the deliveries seemed designed to avert or at least postpone airdrops of food and other supplies to parts of the country hostile to mr assad who is entangled in the sixth year of a war that has left vast sections of syria devastated or beyond his control
mr assad has made clear that he does not want to give any relief to his enemies or to civilians sympathetic to them
you cant hide the fact that this isnt the solution said christy delafield a spokeswoman for mercy corps which helps displaced syrian civilians she described the deliveries as tiny amounts of aid that are let in after long battles
in a statement mercy corps said that deliveries of aid continue to be rejected delayed or tampered with   leaving the most vulnerable communities still in need
videos posted by opposition groups which could not be independently corroborated appeared to show that the deliveries to daraya were skimpy
mohammed a ghanem a senior political adviser for the syrian american council an anti assad group in washington said the videos showed that no aid or at least a farcically small amount of aid has been delivered by land
he and other opposition figures exhorted the united nations to make good on the pledge to begin airdrops
wednesday had been regarded as a potentially decisive moment in the protracted effort by the united nations and other groups to send food and medicine to the many thousands of syrian civilians isolated by the war   an important preliminary step toward any possible peace agreement
the international syria support group a multinational organization that includes russia and the united states agreed last month that mr assad must stop blocking access to areas held by his adversaries
otherwise the group pledged to help the world food program the main food agency of the united nations airdrop emergency supplies starting as early as wednesday
russias participation in that pledge was regarded as significant because the russians are mr assads most important foreign allies and have been helping his forces on the battlefield for the past nine months
clearly the regime is seeking to defuse the pressure that would have been exerted on it as of today said bassma kodmani a member of the high negotiations committee an opposition group that has been engaged in on again off again political talks with mr assads government moderated by the united nations
in a telephone interview from paris ms kodmani said that russias endorsement of emergency airdrops might have played a role in providing some relief to daraya but that one convoy is obviously not a sign of the end of the starvation strategy
the red cross and the united nations relief coordination agency were among the first to publicize via twitter the aid delivery to daraya
darayas plight was evident last month when an aid convoy that had tried to enter the city was blocked for hours and ultimately turned away despite pledges by the syrian government crowds of deprived residents had gathered to await the delivery
whether airdrops of aid will now proceed remained unclear
stephane dujarric a united nations spokesman in new york said that airdrops were under consideration but that he had no information on when or where they might begin he said a meeting of humanitarian officials would assess the situation on thursday
the real issue here what we want to see is a lifting of all the sieges mr dujarric told reporters in response to questions about the aid deliveries
we want to see unlimited access and were not seeing it he said at the same time he warned that airdrops of aid particularly in conflict areas were a very challenging operation
britain however suggested that they could begin soon
the countrys foreign secretary philip hammond said in a statement that mr assads government had cynically allowed limited amounts of aid into daraya and moadamiya but it has failed to deliver the widespread humanitarian access called for by the international community
while airdrops are costly and risky mr hammond said they are now the last resort to relieve human suffering across many besieged areas


london   the rhodes trust announced on wednesday the largest expansion of the rhodes scholarship program in its 113 year history the trust will open the program which finances graduate study at the university of oxford to students from ghana israel jordan lebanon malaysia nigeria the palestinian territories syria and the united arab emirates
our goal is to be completely a global scholarship charles conn the warden of rhodes house and the chief executive of the rhodes trust said in a telephone interview theres never been an increase like this before
the number of scholarships awarded each year will rise to 95 from 83 an increase that includes four new scholarships for chinese students announced last year the number of rhodes scholars studying at oxford at any time will rise to about 250 from around 220
the announcement comes amid international mostly negative scrutiny of cecil rhodes the 19th century british diamond mining magnate and imperialist who helped establish white minority rule in south africa and rhodesia now zimbabwe he endowed the scholarships in his will
last year a movement at the university of cape town under the slogan rhodes must fall galvanized protests across south africa drawing attention to persistent racial inequalities in the countrys higher education system more than two decades after the end of apartheid
at oxford a south african rhodes scholar led a movement to have a statue of rhodes removed from oriel college rhodess alma mater oriel one of oxfords 38 largely self governing colleges said in january that the statue would remain but promised to provide a clear historical context to explain why it is there
asked if the announcement on wednesday was timed to address those controversies mr conn said not at all
the trust wasnt set up to be the guardian of cecil rhodess political legacy but to identify really talented people to fight the worlds fights he said noting that rhodes alumni included the jamaican statesman norman w manley the south african anti apartheid activist bram fischer lucy banda sichone a zambian educator and human rights advocate and many others who have fought colonialism and racism
were about rhodes scholars mr conn said were not about this historical character   any more than the nobel prizes are about alfred nobel who was an arms manufacturer
when the scholarships were introduced there were 57 each year 32 for the united states 20 for various parts of what was then the british empire and later the commonwealth and five for germany there have been rhodes scholars from ghana malaysia and nigeria in the past but those scholarships were stopped because of political interference or economic problems
the scholarships   each is worth about 55000 pounds or around 79000 a year   are good for two to four years and cover tuition fees and a stipend the scholars study for masters and doctoral degrees although a few scholars notably bill clinton did not finish their degrees
also on wednesday the rhodes trust announced a partnership worth PS75 million or about 108 million with the atlantic philanthropies a time limited foundation established by charles f feeney who made his billions in duty free stores and has vowed to give away nearly all his money
the foundation will pay for an atlantic institute at rhodes house to convene scholars activists writers government officials and others   in areas like neuroscience public health and global inequality   to share knowledge and will create a new award the rhodes fellowships to support midcareer professionals working on topics of public concern


at least four automakers   toyota volkswagen fiat chrysler and mitsubishi   continue to sell new vehicles with defective takata airbags that will need to be recalled according to a senate commerce committee report released on wednesday
the report underscores the convoluted way the mass recalls of takata airbags have unfolded with new models still being fitted with defective airbags and in some cases recalled cars also receiving defective airbags
automakers are not required to tell buyers of the new cars about the problems with the airbags regulators emphasize however that the newer airbags do not pose an immediate threat because it takes time for them to deteriorate
at least 13 deaths worldwide have been linked to the defective airbags the interior of the bags is sensitive to moisture and can rupture sending shrapnel flying toward the cars occupants the defect has also been linked to more than 100 injuries many of them critical
the higher risk airbags are not fitted with a drying agent that helps protect the interior from damaging moisture fourteen automakers are recalling more than 60 million vehicles to fix the defect in the biggest and most complex recall in automotive history
i find it bizarre on multiple levels said karl brauer senior analyst at kelley blue book an automotive research company multiple mainstream automakers essentially know that they are selling cars that already have a defective part in them and its not a defective windshield wiper or sun visor hinge its an airbag a primary safety device he said
mr brauer said a tight supply of airbags worldwide meant automakers were struggling to find alternative suppliers but he said that he thought automakers should be required to disclose which models have the airbags that will be recalled
if a company is unwilling to disclose which models i as a consumer would hesitate buying any of their cars until i know which ones are affected mr brauer said what if they required every car with these airbags to have an additional sticker put on them
at the root of the problem is a compound called ammonium nitrate which helps generate the gases that inflate the airbag ammonium nitrate breaks down over time when it is exposed to moisture or temperature swings and when activated can cause its metal casing to disintegrate in some versions of the airbags a drying agent is used to prevent moisture from damaging the interior
takata is the only major airbag maker that uses the compound in its driver and passenger side airbags it has been barred by auto safety regulators from entering into any new contracts for airbags that use ammonium nitrate without a drying agent
still automakers remain free to equip model years already in production with the defective takata airbags including a version of the airbag that does not contain a drying agent
those cars would need to be recalled by 2018 under a schedule laid out in a consent order issued by federal auto safety regulators until then however automakers are not required to disclose that the cars carry the takata airbags leaving new owners unaware that their car has already been marked for recall down the road
toyota and fiat chrysler have refused to name the new models that contained the riskier airbags toyota told the committee that it expected to produce about 175000 cars for the united states with the riskier takata airbags through july 2017 fiat chrysler said one of its current models contained a passenger side airbag with the riskier takata airbag model
volkswagen said that its 2016 volkswagen cc and its audi brands 2016 audi tt and 2017 audi r8 models contained the riskier takata airbags mitsubishi said that the 2016 and 2017 model years of its i miev electric vehicle contained the riskier airbags
victor vanov a toyota spokesman emphasized that the automaker was phasing out its use of takata airbag inflaters without the drying agent and that the cars had not yet been recalled
alex fedorak a mitsubishi spokesman said that owners of the new cars would be contacted in the first quarter of 2017 to have their airbags replaced to a non takata inflater jeannine ginivan a spokeswoman for volkswagen did not provide a response
in a statement bryan thomas a spokesman for the national highway traffic safety administration said that the agency had called on automakers to do more to find and fix vehicles more quickly
the report also said that 11 automakers had replaced more than 21 million older takata airbags with newer versions that would also need to be replaced
the newer versions are considered safer for now   while permanent replacements are being made   because of the time it takes for ammonium nitrate to break down
still whats troubling here is that consumers are buying new cars not realizing theyre going to be recalled said senator bill nelson of florida the top ranking democrat on the senate commerce committee who compiled the report these cars shouldnt be sold until theyre fixed


new delhi   eight months after a mob beat to death a muslim man rumored to have slaughtered a cow and eaten its meat a new analysis has found that the meat of a cow or its progeny was retrieved from the victims home
the forensic report leaked to the indian news media on tuesday directly contradicts a previous analysis released five months ago by a local veterinary hospital which determined that meat seized at the home of the victim muhammad ikhlaq was that of a goat
a police official said on wednesday that the nature of the meat had no bearing on the prosecution of those implicated in mr ikhlaqs killing
all accused are booked for murder and it does not matter to us whether the meat is of a goat or of a cow said abhishek yadav the police superintendent in rural noida where the crime occurred a murder is a murder
however a lawmaker with the governing bharatiya janata party said on wednesday that on the basis of the new report mr ikhlaqs family should be prosecuted for possessing cows meat and that whatever help they got from the government that help those facilities must immediately be taken back
the lawmaker yogi adityanath who represents a constituency in the state of uttar pradesh also said the 19 men being held on suspicion of killing mr ikhlaq should be released since they are all innocent young men they must be released from there he said
he added that the uttar pradesh state government the opposition and the media who gave a bad name to this country and hatched a conspiracy to defame this country they must ask for forgiveness from their countrymen
mr ikhlaq 52 was killed when dozens of residents stormed his house after a public announcement over the loudspeaker of a hindu temple that he had killed and eaten parts of a cow the cow is a holy symbol for hindus and its slaughter is banned in much of india
the dadri lynching as it came to be called stirred passionate public debate over religious tolerance
the second report was put together by a government forensic laboratory and dated oct 3 2015 a copy was made available by mr ikhlaqs lawyer
mr ikhlaqs son danish khan who was injured in the attack last year dismissed the report as unreliable earlier a report came out saying it was mutton   so was that false mr khan said instead of my fathers death they are now diverting attention toward the meat
the chief minister of uttar pradesh akhilesh yadav who is not related to the police superintendent also cast doubt on the new analysis where was the sample sent who received it he asked there was nothing objectionable in his house every eye is on this matter everyone wants that the victims family should get justice as murder has taken place


allen ginsberg and the beat generation will be celebrated with a six day festival starting on friday in downtown manhattan beat  beyond a gathering presented by howl happening and bowery poetry will run through wednesday june 8 and include readings screenings and musical performances
ginsberg who died in 1997 would have turned 90 on friday june 3 and contemporaries including michael mcclure and ed sanders will offer readings and remembrances at the gallery howl happening on east 1st street at 8 pm a group of musicians will discuss and perform selections from last word on first blues a collection of ginsbergs music that was recently reissued
on saturday june 4 mr mcclure will present a historical re enactment of the first time mr ginsberg read howl in 1955 in san francisco on monday june 6 howl happening will screen a collection of short films related to the beats including the jack kerouac written pull my daisy from 1959
a full schedule is at howlartsorg


riyadh   a court in saudi arabia sentenced 14 men to death on wednesday in connection with attacks on security forces in a shiite area in the countrys east the al arabiya satellite network reported
of the 24 people tried one was acquitted and nine others were given sentences ranging from three to 15 years the network said those sentenced to death were accused of terrorism
the men were arrested a few years ago when protests by members of saudi arabias shiite minority roiled the qatif area of eastern province leading to clashes with the security forces that left dead about 20 protesters and a number of police officers
many shiites complain of discrimination in the sunni majority kingdom whose official creed considers some shiite beliefs and practices heretical
the saudi government characterized the protesters as rioters who harbored armed groups and it has put some of them on trial on charges that include terrorism western human rights groups have accused the saudi government of using the courts to stifle dissent and convicting activists on trumped up charges
the executions could escalate tensions with saudi arabias regional shiite rival iran saudi arabias execution of an outspoken shiite cleric in january sparked protests in tehran and saudi arabia cut diplomatic ties after protesters stormed its embassy
the mens death sentences can be appealed


the last time barbra streisand appeared on the tony awards richard m nixon was president and the beatles had just broken up
now 46 years later shes coming back ms streisand has agreed to appear as a presenter at this years tonys
details were scant on wednesday organizers of the awards would not say what exactly ms streisand would be presenting on the june 12 broadcast
but the announcement was still sure to thrill broadway and the tony awards organizers hope television audiences who might have yet another reason to tune in this years tony awards ceremony promises to be more viewer friendly than most   the popularity of hamilton has producers hoping audiences will flock to watch that shows cast perform and the broadcasts host james corden has an established fan base thanks to his late night television show
but ms streisand is in a league of her own she has won two oscars five emmys and eight grammys plus two special grammys she has twice been nominated for tony awards   for i can get it for you wholesale in 1962 and funny girl in 1964 and won a special tony for star of the decade in 1970
ms streisand is preparing to tour in august and is promoting a new theater focused duets album encore movie partners sing broadway
among the other presenters at this years tony awards which will air at 8 pm eastern time on cbs oprah winfrey cate blanchett steve martin edie brickell carole king audra mcdonald saoirse ronan patina miller and nathan lane


the fortunes of boys and girls high school a venerable but long struggling school that mayor bill de blasios administration pledged to revive took another turn this week when its principal said he was considering leaving for a different job after less than two years
the principal michael wiltshire was appointed in an unusual arrangement under which he oversees both boys and girls in the bedford stuyvesant section of brooklyn and medgar evers college preparatory school a selective school in crown heights where he was principal before being installed at boys and girls
should dr wiltshire depart it would be a setback for the mayor in his effort to transform new york citys most troubled schools
as a candidate mr de blasio criticized the administration of his predecessor michael r bloomberg for its practice of closing low performing schools mr de blasio promised to infuse such schools with money and social services with closing a last resort
the mayor is now under pressure to show that schools are improving before he seeks re election next year while the education department has cited some progress in the 94 schools it has made its main focus including increased graduation rates at most of the high schools in the group enrollment at those schools is plummeting as families move their children elsewhere
dr wiltshires potential departure is not the only indication that the citys strategy is running into difficulty the new york post reported on sunday that caterina lafergola the principal of automotive high school another school that the de blasio administration has made a top priority is leaving to become the principal of baldwin high school on long island
by the time mr de blasio became mayor boys and girls and automotive had long been among the states worst performing high schools with the state threatening to close the schools the city made a deal with the teachers union that required staff members to reapply for their jobs and it named dr wiltshire and ms lafergola as the principals
dr wiltshire said in an interview on tuesday that he had interviewed for a job as principal of uniondale high school in uniondale ny and that the district had expressed interest in him but he had not decided what to do
my focus now nine days before the end of the school year is to work as hard as i can to ensure the success of medgar evers and boys and girls he said at the end of the year i will make whatever decision that i need to make
dr wiltshires tenure at boys and girls was troubled from the start upon arriving he began to encourage students who were lacking credits and at risk of not graduating to transfer on tuesday he defended his actions saying some students lagged so far behind that they had no chance of graduating before turning 21 and aging out of the school system and that they could be better served at schools designed for such older students
dr wiltshire also clashed with a social services agency good shepherd services that was supposed to provide support for students and their families resulting in the agencys ending the partnership according to a recent report in the education website chalkbeat dr wiltshire denied that on tuesday saying he had no problem with good shepherd
dr wiltshire raised concerns among some boys and girls supporters early on when he proposed that it merge with medgar evers by having medgar evers move into boys and girls building
some critics saw the proposal as a way to essentially phase out boys and girls which has a larger better equipped building while giving medgar evers which occupies cramped quarters and does not have an auditorium or athletic fields a better home
when the city did not support the merger proposal dr wiltshire suggested moving medgar evers into boys and girls building without combining the two schools but a committee of parents and faculty members at medgar evers recently informed the education department that they no longer supported the move
dr wiltshire said on tuesday that he had made progress at boys and girls the four year graduation rate last year was 50 percent up from 419 percent the previous year according to the department and dr wiltshire said he expected it to be close to 60 percent this year the department also said that student attendance had increased by nearly 2 percent this year compared with last year and that teacher absenteeism had declined 22 percent from 2013 14 to 2014 15
at the same time enrollment at boys and girls under dr wiltshires leadership has declined by half to 334 students
boys and girls has faced many challenges in its long history by the mid 1980s it had one of the highest dropout rates in the city and a reputation as a dangerous place from 1986 to 2004 it experienced a resurgence under frank mickens a principal who was a tough disciplinarian the graduation rate increased   to 475 percent from 244 percent   and enrollment reached a peak of 4400 students in the 2005 6 school year
but mr mickens was accused of achieving that success in part by pushing out difficult students in 2005 former students brought a class action lawsuit against the education department saying that they had been deprived of a fair chance at an education in 2008 the parties reached a settlement under which the department agreed to give some students extra time to earn a diploma and others access to ged classes counseling tutoring and trade school training
a spokeswoman for the uniondale school district said that the district was interviewing candidates and had not made a choice yet chalkbeat reported on tuesday that dr wiltshire was considering taking the job in uniondale


hillary clinton and her family donated 105000 to veterans organizations from 2006 to 2012 her campaign said on wednesday part of a wider array of philanthropy by the clintons in recent years
the donations were made from the familys personal charity not the well known and far larger foundation founded by former president bill clinton the charity has undertaken large scale public health programs and other activities with funding from corporations wealthy individuals and some foreign governments
the disclosure from the clinton campaign comes as donald j trump the presumptive republican nominee faces scrutiny about whether he has followed through on his pledges to support veterans groups
the clinton campaign which compiled a list of contributions from publicly available tax returns at the request of a reporter said the family foundation gave to eight groups around the country which received grants ranging from 5000 to 25000 the groups included the navy marine corps relief society operation gratitude a california based charity that sends care packages to american troops and a golf based rehabilitation program in tacoma wash
mrs clinton has also helped raise money for the intrepid fallen heroes fund which supports the families of american military personnel who have died or been severely wounded during their service they have not made any personal donations to veterans groups since 2012 according to the list
mr trump assailed reporters on tuesday while detailing a list of his contributions his foundation had made to veterans charities most of them with money raised from his supporters he also announced a 1 million contribution of his own made last week to a veterans group connected to one of his employees that check originally pledged by mr trump in connection with a nationally televised telethon shortly before the iowa caucuses in january did not materialize until after a reporter for the washington post inquired about whether mr trump had followed through on his commitment
while mr trumps single belated contribution now dwarfs the money donated to veterans groups by mrs clinton and her family a clinton spokesman contrasted the two candidates style and sincerity in fighting for veterans
it took donald trump getting caught making fraudulent statements for him to follow through on his empty campaign claims about supporting veterans said the spokesman josh schwerin while trump needed to be shamed into honoring his commitments hillary clinton has quietly made personal donations in addition to spending her career fighting for veterans through legislation fund raising and the work of the clinton foundation


west palm beach fla   the youngest of the billionaire koch brothers had a dream to found a private high school where academically gifted students of all socioeconomic backgrounds would do hands on projects and learn by solving problems he poured more than 75 million into building the school the oxbridge academy of the palm beaches
but on friday he fired the head of school and declined to renew the contracts of the athletic director and the football coach the moves came after a sexual harassment complaint and an internal investigation into accusations of kickbacks grade changing excessive spending and violations of the rules governing high school sports
it turned out william i koch said in an interview that a power elites group in the school ran the asylum
mr koch 76 is the chief executive of oxbow carbon llc an energy development holding company based in west palm beach and is the younger brother of charles g and david h koch who are known for supporting conservative republican causes referred to by some journalists as the other koch brother he established oxbridge academy to much fanfare in 2011
the school which has 580 students has many perks including a physical therapist on staff chef prepared lunches an equestrian club and a flight simulator the debate team spent hundreds of thousands of dollars traveling to competitions nationwide mr koch said
we are finding alarming things of how money was misspent mr koch said at his companys offices if people think theyve got a honey pot theres going to be a lot of bears around it trying to get it
a few years ago students requested that the school establish a football team an idea the administration embraced but that was when the troubles took off an athlete who read at a third grade level was given a full scholarship the football team had its own locker room and the coach earned more than 200000 a year according to tax records and interviews with former employees
the former head of school robert c parsons whose official title was president and chief executive is a former chief financial officer at the united states naval academy mr parsons started at oxbridge in 2011 with a compensation package worth 1 million tax records show seven times his academy salary eventually he made about 600000 a year at the school
but in interviews former employees questioned mr kochs decision to hire mr parsons in the first place because he was suspended for five days after a 2009 naval inspector general report accused him and his former boss of operating a slush fund to pay for tailgate parties
mr koch said he did not think mr parsons record at the naval academy was a red flag because the government is all screwed up
other billionaires   such as bill gates of microsoft mark zuckerberg of facebook the music mogul sean combs the filmmaker james cameron the philanthropist eli broad and elon musk the chief executive of tesla   have poured parts of their fortunes into education some like mr zuckerberg and mr broad said they wanted to help solve problems in public education
their experiences underscore the pitfalls that confront business leaders whose professional success does not always translate into the education field
mr koch has discovered similar challenges though he had a personal motivation for starting oxbridge
he said he founded the school to give his own children a better academic experience than he had by his account he went from being an awkward ugly duckling who was flunking out of middle school in kansas to a military academy cadet who embraced a love of study he longed for a place where students not teachers unions or principals ruled
he completed a phd at mit but acknowledges that he still cannot spell very well and he chokes up just talking about the troubled students who have made a turnaround at oxbridge which his children attend and from which his son has just graduated
in the past mr koch has famously sued his siblings in disputes over the family business usually losing
several years ago he spent more than 25 million investigating counterfeit wine after being duped by a wine salesman in 2012 a former company executive who had faced a fraud investigation accused mr koch and his staff members of kidnapping him in court papers mr kochs lawyers said the former employee had made the claim in a lawsuit because he was angry and embarrassed that his fraud had been exposed a judge later dismissed the case
my biggest failing is im too trusting of people mr koch said
oxbridge was created in less than a year on a 45 acre campus that once held a jewish community center
i dont know if people appreciate how much happened here in five years said bob kaufmann the chairman of the schools executive committee who has been given the task of reducing spending this is a happy place for children
oxbridge graduates have been accepted this fall to nearly all of the ivy league universities one senior won a 100000 siemens scholarship for inventing a water purification method
the intention was really good mark bodnar the schools former vice president for technology and security said about oxbridge it sort of went off the rails a couple of years in
mr bodnar who had been on the admissions committee said the committees recommendations were often overruled by the football coaches
he said that there were so many academically struggling athletes that tutors were overwhelmed and that the players had to be put in classes separate from the rest of the student body
john klemme the academic dean who will take over as head of school said that some of the struggling students would have been written off at other schools but had found their way to a superior education because of their football prowess
this is not to be a rich kids school mr klemme said
mr koch said that about 40 percent of students   including those who do not play football   received some kind of scholarship
phillip taylor 17 a junior said he loved the school and the opportunities he had been given such as spring break study at cambridge university in britain still he said he resented the double standard on admissions afforded to football players
my experience was positive he said i learned so much but it does bother me
his mother cheryl taylor also had a daughter in the schools freshman class in the schools inaugural year she said parents like her who are impressed by the education the school offered were startled by its cultural shift
at first you had to be academically qualified but that changed dramatically about two years in ms taylor said football began to outshine everything else
the football team the thunderwolves made it to the regional finals this past season
the problems at oxbridge where tuition is 31500 a year went beyond sports in interviews several former employees said mr parsons had created a toxic work environment employee turnover was high and tens of thousands of dollars were spent on severance packages tax records show
if he likes somebody and shes a pretty girl they got a signing bonus or a higher salary or a bonus ulle sinisalu boshko the schools former controller said of mr parsons
ms boshko who said she was given a large pay increase to leave one of mr kochs companies to join oxbridge said she had been demoted after fending off mr parsons advances for months she filed a complaint with the equal employment opportunity commission which is pending and then she went public her accusations led to an investigation of the entire school by the palm beach post
reached by a new york times reporter on the phone for comment last week mr parsons hung up reached on sunday he said im not interested and hung up again
after inquiries from the post mr koch hired a team of accountants lawyers and a retired fbi agent to look into the conduct of school officials including whether employees were rigging bids with vendors and whether they had broken rules by housing students in their homes
mr koch said he had not been able to verify any super sexual harassment beyond what he called pg 13 comments like god that girls hot or shes got a great behind but the investigation he said turned up information that led to the firing of mr parsons and the forcing out of the athletic director and the coach
mr koch said the investigators did not find any evidence of kickbacks to employees from vendors he said that if any evidence of grade changing emerged the employees responsible would be fired he said budget watchdogs would be hired to cut costs and pay closer attention to spending
the attitude that was there at the school was that they had a rich guy backing it and they could do whatever they wanted he said
he also wants to figure out how to get others to donate to the school he said that was one reason he did not name the school after himself


the federal government proposed voluntary guidelines for the food industry to reduce salt in the american food supply on wednesday a move long sought by public health advocates who said the new standards could eventually help save thousands of lives
the guidelines came after years of debate and while voluntary still set a benchmark by which companies can be measured something health advocates say is critical to lowering salt levels in the american diet
more than 70 percent of the sodium consumed in this country is already in food before it reaches the table according to the centers for disease control and prevention the guidelines put out by the food and drug administration are intended to help reduce that they apply to packaged foods like bread salad dressing canned soup and cheese as well as to meals in restaurants
while a majority of americans reports watching or trying to reduce added salt in their diets the deck has been stacked against them the fda said in a statement the majority of sodium intake comes from processed and prepared foods not the saltshaker
despite efforts over the past several decades to cut down on sodium a main component of table salt the average american adult still consumes 3400 milligrams a day   equivalent to about 15 teaspoons of salt that is nearly 50 percent more than the 2300 the federal government recommends too much sodium can raise blood pressure which is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke one in three americans have high blood pressure for blacks it is one in two
but there has been some scientific controversy over how much to reduce sodium some scientists say data has emerged showing that dropping below a certain level is actually dangerous and raised the risk of heart attacks and other bad health outcomes a 2013 report from the institute of medicine concluded that cutting out too much sodium could be harmful
david a mccarron a research associate in the department of nutrition at the university of california davis said a number of studies had shown risks of too little salt
going below 3000 is dangerous   thats what the data has shown said professor mccarron who has consulted for the food industry
dr thomas frieden the director of the cdc argued the current level is too high
we understand that there are some researchers who do not agree on the general consensus of the correlation between sodium and poor health outcomes he said but he added we find fatal flaws in research they cite
fda scientists said the health advantages of getting down to the recommended 2300 milligrams a day were beyond dispute
the science has been well vetted said susan mayne director of the center for food safety and applied nutrition at the fda
the guidelines are sweeping and set targets for the gradual reduction in sodium in the majority of processed and prepared foods   about 150 categories including pizza deli meats canned soup snacks breads and rolls the reductions would be two phased cutting sodium over two years and over 10 years if the food industry adjusts sodium levels based on the fdas targets the agency said it expected consumption to drop to 3000 milligrams a day in two years and 2300 in 10 years
the guidelines are open to public comment for up to five months
the voluntary targets would help level the playing field in added sodium in food there is huge variation in the amount of sodium added to similar products dr mayne said for example salad dressing has 150 milligrams to 2000 milligrams of sodium per 100 grams nearly half a cup and packaged wheat bread has 229 milligrams to 671 milligrams per 100 grams the measure fda scientists used in their analysis
with that type of variation its clear we can make progress she said
the food industry offered tempered reaction the grocery manufacturers association said in a statement that we believe additional work is needed to determine the acceptable range of sodium intake for optimal health including research that indicates health risks from consuming too little sodium but the group said it would work with the fda on sodium reduction targets
some companies seemed enthusiastic mars applauds fda for releasing its draft voluntary guidelines on sodium and we look forward to providing additional comments on the recommendations the company said in a statement it said it had reduced sodium in its products by a quarter from 2007 to 2012 and planned to reduce by an additional 20 percent across our food portfolio by 2021
in an editorial published in the journal of the american medical association on wednesday dr frieden wrote that a decrease in sodium intake by as little as 400 milligrams a day could prevent 32000 heart attacks and 20000 strokes annually he pointed out that 39 countries had established sodium targets for foods and meals with 36 of those voluntary including britain which set voluntary sodium reduction targets in 2003 by 2011 sodium intake had dropped by 15 percent according to researchers in britain average blood pressure declined and deaths from ischemic heart disease and stroke fell researchers noted that other factors could be at work too
dr frieden argued that the changes in the united states would give consumers the option of eating less sodium because the food supply would be less salty it makes the default option the healthier option he said on a conference call if its not salty enough for them they can choose to add sodium
michael f jacobson the executive director of the center for science in the public interest said his group had petitioned the fda to impose mandatory guidelines but that they just couldnt go that far because the food industry would go to congress and say shut down this process
dr frieden said some companies had already begun to reduce sodium he named walmart darden which operates restaurants including olive garden unilever pepsico general mills and nestle
general mills said that as of the end of last year it had reduced sodium in more than 350 products which it said was one third of its current american retail sales


a texas man posted a photo of his dead girlfriends body on her facebook page on sunday after fatally stabbing her as part of a suicide pact the police say the image remained on the site for 36 hours before facebook removed it
the man kenneth alan amyx 45 told the authorities that he and his girlfriend jennifer streit spears 43 had discussed a suicide pact for months they had been drinking at an apartment in plano tex and had agreed to stab each other until both died according to a plano police department affidavit but ms streit spears chickened out mr amyx said and he had to finish her off according to the affidavit
officer david tilley a spokesman for the department said that mr amyx not only posted a photo of ms streit spears   nude and with her neck cut   on her page he also posted a selfie of his face covered in blood and the words pray for us the officer said
officer tilley said the photo of the body was dark as though the lights had been out and the photo had been taken without a flash still he said it was quite disturbing
the privacy settings on the ms streit spearss facebook account did not allow access to the public officer tilley said though he added its everywhere for family and friends to see
after the stabbing mr amyx called his father and said this is ken i love you weve cut our throats and gave him the address of the apartment the affidavit said mr amyx was charged with murder
ms streit spearss mother called 911 around 10 am on sunday after seeing the photos on facebook and after mr amyx had texted them to her the police said but the photos remained on facebook for about 36 hours even after ms streit spearss relatives asked the social media giant to remove them
facebook which receives one million reports a week about possible violations of community standards said the image of the body at first did not appear to violate its policies because it was not immediately clear what it depicted and that it had been posted by someone other than the account user
we remove graphic images when they are shared to celebrate violence a facebook spokeswoman said in a statement as soon as it was clear what the facts were behind this photograph we removed it
robert j thompson a professor of popular culture at syracuse university noted that social media sites were being used in ways that could not have been predicted years ago adding that the texas case was not the first time recordings of violent acts had been posted online
in florida derek medina posted a photo of his wifes bloody body on facebook after shooting her eight times he was convicted of second degree murder and was sentenced in february to life in prison
as for what could lead someone to post incriminating evidence on facebook to be seen by so many mr thompson said there is no rational answer to it
ms streit spearss facebook page has since been turned into a memoriam page according to her social media profile she studied criminal justice at the university of north texas she and mr amyx had been dating for about four months the police affidavit said before the stabbing
the couple took turns cutting each other mr amyx told the authorities but after she was cut she became too weak to continue he said officer tilley said the police found mr amyx naked and bloody in a bedroom the police initially thought he was dead until he started to make noises he had superficial cuts and one wound on his neck which required stitches the officer said
two knives one of them a six inch carving knife were found at the scene as he was being taken to the hospital the police said mr amyx told a firefighter oh i killed her oh i lost her ill never get her back just kill me
mr amyx had two outstanding warrants one accusing him of indecency with a child in dallas county and another charging him with sexual abuse of a child under the age of 14 in rockwall county according to court records
mr amyxs father charles declined to comment on tuesday night citing the instructions of his lawyer in an interview on tuesday night mr amyxs lawyer keith gore said some things had not yet been disclosed in the case but did not elaborate
he said he would seek to have his clients bond reduced it was set at a total of 600000 in the murder case and two other cases


washington   the same harsh politics that have spawned obituaries for president obamas signature trade agreement between the united states and 11 other pacific rim nations could actually help win its ratification in congress in a lame duck vote late this year advocates are hoping
the cause of free and open trade has not faced such political toxicity in decades with donald j trump hillary clinton and bernie sanders all openly hostile to the trans pacific partnership the largest regional trade accord in history but supporters seemingly perverse calculation is this the certainty that mr obamas successor would abandon the agreement gives new impetus for advocates to begin maneuvering toward a vote before 2017
that dynamic along with recent behind the scene developments assuaging some fence sitters concerns - on japanese pork subsidies mexican labor rights and financial companies data notably   is keeping hope alive for advocates from the white house to the republican controlled congress and in pro trade business and agriculture groups
right now you have a president a majority leader and a speaker who are all pro trade mr obamas trade ambassador michael b froman said in an interview reflecting a seize the moment recognition of the changed lineup ahead
he is not alone in that reckoning although many people in both parties declined to be quoted by name given the tenuous politics of the issue besides a new president the senate could have a new majority leader next year senator charles e schumer of new york if democrats win control and he is unlikely to promote an issue that so divides the union friendly party
there is a pathway forward here mr froman said and what were trying to do right now is just maximize the likelihood that well be able to walk down that path successfully
whether that is wishful thinking or a real prospect will have to come into focus well before november because supporters would likely need to begin congressional hearings in september to clear the path for a vote in the lame duck session of congress after election day
and the forces do seem aligned against the pacts approval
months ago senator mitch mcconnell of kentucky the majority leader who is pro trade but worried about keeping republican seats ruled out a vote before the election the so called tpp would phase out thousands of tariffs open markets and impose new trade rules including for labor rights and environmental standards on signatory nations that span both sides of the pacific including japan vietnam australia canada chile and mexico
and mrs clinton appears to have put her finger on the scale against a vote in the lame duck session asked by an anti tpp group if she would oppose a lame duck vote on the accord if elected mrs clinton responded i have said i oppose the tpp agreement   and that means before and after the election
representative sander levin of michigan house democrats point person on trade was blunt tpp cannot pass this session as negotiated he said
there were always major problems as they negotiated it he added so i dont want people to think its simply because of the presidential race
indeed mr obama acknowledged he faced an uphill push when the agreement in the works since the george w bush administration was announced in october the hostility toward trade agreements has built over decades as manufacturing jobs shifted overseas and middle income wages stagnated
those politics have only grown more toxic stoked by anti trade blasts from mr trump in the republicans nomination contest and mr sanders in his challenge to the democrats front runner mrs clinton pressured by mr sanders mrs clinton turned on the agreement she had praised as the gold standard during negotiations
not since the depression has a republican nominee opposed free trade and favored high tariffs on imports but mr trumps hard line potentially threatens mrs clintons support in manufacturing states he has called the pacific agreement the biggest betrayal in a long line of betrayals where politicians have sold out us workers   a stance that separates him from the republican partys highest ranking elected official pro trade speaker paul d ryan of wisconsin who so far has declined to endorse mr trump
mrs clinton by her stand has forsaken the new democrat trade legacy that her husband as president and now mr obama forged for their less than receptive party by introducing labor human rights and environmental protections into trade agreements
trade supporters have long counted on action in a lame duck congress but they did not count on mr trump being the nominee his election could likely doom the accord tpp advocates concede by dissuading republican leaders from advancing an issue their partys standard bearer so opposes but some republicans do not rule out a vote because they say the deal deserves consideration or because mr trump will not be elected
even a lame duck strategy necessitates some action before the election under the terms of trade legislation that helped mr obama complete the accord congress must hold public hearings on the agreement before it is voted on and a lame duck session would not provide enough time for committee action and house and senate debates
mr obama in vietnam recently predicted that congress would ratify the accord a big reason for administration confidence is that congress a year ago narrowly voted to give the president so called trade promotion authority which puts tpp on a legislative fast track ruling out amendments and requiring just 51 votes in the senate not 60
and with tpp in hand supporters are pointing to potential gains for american exporters we think theres some opportunity to pick up some people given the specific benefits to their districts mr froman said
for example supporters hope the strong backing of beef producers and other agriculture groups will hold down defections among house republicans in rural districts who fear mr trumps backlash
tpp is going to take our tariff rate from 38 1/2  percent to 9 percent for american beef sold in japan said kent bacus director of international trade for the national cattlemens beef association that would erase australias advantage in japan since the two nations reached a separate trade agreement last year costing american exporters roughly 300 million in market share
agriculture groups will hold pro tpp events in lawmakers districts this summer mr bacus said theyre going to listen to their constituents were not going away he said
mr froman for months has been meeting with lawmakers to address their complaints and with other nations trade ministers to goad their countries to act on their tpp commitments now - on labor rights for example - so that he can reassure congresss doubters
mexicos president recently sent legislation to his congress that would address american complaints about its restrictions on unions such reforms have been a priority of senator ron wyden of oregon the pro trade lead democrat on the senate finance committee responsible for tpp although they are unlikely to satisfy most american unions
just last week the administration the financial services industry and its backers in congress settled on a policy addressing other nations requirements for local storage of companies financial data abroad the administration also has allayed concerns among dairy groups and among pork producers concerned about new subsidies in japan for its industry
that leaves one main issue to settle supporters say over provisions reducing american pharmaceutical companies monopoly control of advanced drugs known as biologics the industry opposes the change and has a prime ally senator orrin g hatch republican of utah and chairman of the finance committee
in a statement mr hatch said if the president wants tpp to be approved he will need to work with congress to address concerns im hopeful that at the end of the day i along with many of my colleagues will be able to support a strong tpp
his house counterpart representative kevin brady republican of texas and chairman of the ways and means committee in a statement extolled the agreement but he said he would continue to work with the administration to resolve members outstanding concerns


paris   on tuesday novak djokovic held an umbrella and danced along the baseline on wednesday he wore a yellow rain hat in a postmatch interview
djokovic the no 1 seed was in good spirits as he overcame intermittent downpours heavy conditions and a sluggish start to defeat 14th seeded roberto bautista agut 3 6 6 4 6 1 7 5 over two days to advance to the quarterfinal round
it is the 10th time djokovic has reached the quarterfinals at the french open one shy of roger federers record for the open era it is also the 28th consecutive time djokovic has reached the quarterfinals of a major tournament passing jimmy connors who made it to 27 straight federer leads that category with 36
more important the top ranked djokovic is seeking his first french open championship to go with his 11 other grand slam singles titles for the last two days though all he wanted was just a few hours without rain
i remember early in my career i played a match against kiefer in wimbledon for five days djokovic said that was the longest i have played one match this is probably the second longest same reason raining
djokovic was referring to his four set marathon against nicolas kiefer in 2007 his match against bautista required only two days but it featured a few key momentum swings coinciding with the interruptions
on thursday weather permitting djokovic will play seventh seeded tomas berdych who beat 11th seeded david ferrer 6 3 7 5 6 3 in the other quarterfinal matchup that was finally settled on wednesday 13th seeded dominic thiem will face 12th seeded david goffin
goffin finished off ernests gulbis 4 6 6 2 6 2 6 3 in a continuation of their suspended match from tuesday thiem did the same to marcel granollers 6 2 6 7 2 6 1 6 4
in quarterfinal matches wednesday second seeded andy murray won his 10th straight match on clay overcoming no 9 richard gasquet 5 7 7 6 3 6 0 6 2 in the semifinals he will face the defending champion stan wawrinka who beat albert ramos vinolas 6 2 6 1 7 6 7
now the big issue for the men is whether they will be able to cram in all their matches and conclude with a sunday final as scheduled or will the final will be pushed to monday
djokovic said he had spoken with tournament and tour officials about the scheduling which could include his playing four days in a row with a day of rest before the final
thats an ideal scenario right there he said lets see first of all whether or not i can win my quarterfinals and put myself in a position to play semis and maybe final thats no 1 and no 2 is whether were going to have rain or not
on tuesday djokovic played very poorly and lost the first set he seemed perfectly happy when play was suspended for about three hours because it gave him a moment to relax and reassess during the rain delay he had fun with the umbrella but once back on court with a racket he dominated bautista at least until the next delay caused a suspension for the remainder of the day
back on court wednesday under dark clouds but no real rain djokovic wrapped up the third set but found himself in trouble in the fourth the key game came after bautista broke djokovic to take a 4 2 lead had he been able to consolidate that by holding serve and eventually winning the set it would have put tremendous pressure on djokovic in the fifth
but djokovic broke back when bautista double faulted at 0 40 the rest was fairly routine
it was a great mental test for all of us really yesterday the entire day djokovic said of the rain tuesday im in a way glad to have a match like this because its a challenge that you need to overcome mentally mostly


executive pay is difficult to measure and compare   both year to year and company to company   because institutions can choose to reward executives in a wide variety of ways some compensation plans involve stock options or grants that vest over many years or a plan may be structured to pay out in full only if the company hits certain benchmarks
for these and other reasons an annual compensation study such as this one may be viewed as a snapshot in time as opposed to a definitive accounting of the precise sums each executive might take home what is important is that the methodology treats each executive consistently and tries to calculate the entirety of a compensation package
to provide a snapshot of the sums that chief executives were paid last year sunday business asked equilar an executive compensation data firm to compile and analyze pay data from corporate filings using a consistent and precise method
the data set includes information for the 200 highest paid chief executives at american public companies with revenue of at least 1 billion that filed proxy statements by april 30 of this year
for each executive total compensation is calculated as the sum of base salary discretionary and performance based cash bonuses the grant date value of stock and option awards and other compensation other compensation typically includes benefits and perquisites all data is taken from the summary compensation table provided in each companys proxy statement
whenever grant date values are not provided for option awards equilar calculated the value of stock option grants using the widely accepted black scholes method and the companys own option valuation assumptions
grant date values represent the estimated value of new stock and option awards although companies disclose grant date values for these awards there is no guarantee that executives will actually realize these amounts they may earn more or less depending on stock price movements
equilars analysis reports equity awards in the fiscal year when they were granted in some cases especially in the financial sector companies grant equity awards at the beginning of each fiscal year based on performance in the previous fiscal year therefore the equity awards granted in a fiscal year should not necessarily be viewed as indicative of corporate performance in that same year
percentage change in pay for each executive is calculated by using compensation data from the previous fiscal year for some executives particularly recent hires or newly promoted chief executives their change in pay is listed as na in our pay table their compensation however is included in averages and medians for other columns in the table


oakland calif   after friday prayer at the oakland islamic center mamoun kund a 51 year old sudanese american sat at a table and did something he had not done in the 11 years he has been a citizen he registered to vote until recently he had no interest he said but now i hear talk about muslims hispanics and women
it doesnt make sense he added americans arent like that
upstairs in the area for women dina agag who wore a bright red head scarf picked up voter registration forms for herself and five members of her family as she did a friend whispered this is the most important vote in our life
these are unsettling times for many american muslims people are losing their sleep said naeem baig the president of the islamic circle of north america the political environment is creating a divide in america by race language gender and religion
but it has also had an unintended consequence galvanizing muslims to vote
in late december   after the terrorist attacks in paris and san bernardino calif and the call by donald j trump now the presumptive republican presidential nominee for a total and complete shutdown of muslims entering the united states   the united states council of muslim organizations a national umbrella group announced plans to register a million voters
when your existence in society is in danger you try to mobilize your community said the organizations secretary general oussama jammal you have to be part of the entire society
while the effort is mostly geared toward the november election groups here have made a push to register muslims in time for the state primary on tuesday drives were held on a recent friday at 21 mosques and islamic centers in the bay area and sacramento and at seven places in the los angeles area
muslims are a big campaign issue as big as the climate the economy and immigration were spoken about as if were not there said rusha latif an organizer of the rock the muslim vote campaign we want to amplify our voices
for organizers the time is ripe for registration
its hard to encourage people to participate based on good things happening said melissa michelson an author of mobilizing inclusion transforming the electorate through get out the vote campaigns and a professor at menlo college fear and threats are much more powerful motivators
as the general election approaches muslim organizations will pay particular attention to swing states where several thousand voters have the ability to tip the elections said robert s mccaw the director of the government affairs department at the council on american islamic relations
muslims make up about 1 percent of the united states population a study conducted by the institute for social and policy understanding a nonpartisan think tank found that only 60 percent of citizens who are muslim were registered voters compared with at least 86 percent of jews protestants and roman catholics
a lot of muslims didnt participate in elections because they didnt see a lot of difference between the parties said emir sundiata alrashid of the lighthouse mosque in oakland where a voter registration drive was held last month the mosque sits in a residential neighborhood near a freeway overpass
about a dozen mosques serve oaklands diverse population on the streets near the larger mosques and islamic centers women in hijabs and burqas duck into shops for halal meats dates and honey
rodolfo de la garza a professor of public policy at columbia university who studies minority voting and election participation said he believed muslim voter registration efforts would be easier than those in african american and latino communities where residents were long disenfranchised
if you think the state is always against you why would you engage it he said only recently have muslims not trusted the state it should be a lot easier to get them to register to vote
representative keith ellison democrat of minnesota and one of two muslims in the house of representatives said he had seen anti muslim speech every election cycle
but this year the bigotry has reached a new level he said
mr ellison cited a georgetown university study when islamophobia turns violent the 2016 us presidential elections which found that in december when mr trump called for barring muslims there were 53 anti muslim attacks nationwide a third of all attacks last year
the average muslim is a little desensitized to politicians making negative comments about us said corey saylor the director of the department to monitor and combat islamophobia at the council on american islamic relations this time its so pervasive and mainstream and frankly threatening that a lot of people feel the need to do whatever they can
jehan hakim california president of the american association of yemeni students and professionals said so many family and community members are really really scared ms hakim who organized mosque voter registration drives in oakland said her four children wanted to move to canada along with signing up new voters ms hakim also participates in meet a muslim a bay area gathering for non muslims to learn about their neighbors
the change in tone has been gradual after the sept 11 2001 attacks the conversation in the mainstream media was that american muslims are part of america   were in this trouble together said mr baig of the islamic circle of north america
but after the san bernardino shootings mr trump called for closing mosques and barring muslims he recently amended his statement saying it was just a suggestion
people coming to his rallies are cheering what he says mr baig said we are beyond a state of shock
mr trumps campaign spokeswoman did not respond to requests for comment
emir alrashid of the lighthouse mosque said he saw parallels with a once targeted group were going through the same struggles the japanese did about their loyalty to the country after pearl harbor he said just because you share an ethnic group or religion you shouldnt have to pass a loyalty oath to be considered a loyal american
the lighthouse mosque draws followers who are african american south asian yemeni and caucasian
in interviews many muslims volunteered that they felt as if they were an other in their own country people might be born in america but they feel like a lot of times theyre looked at like other  emir alrashid said adding that he sometimes felt that way too he was born in the united states and served six years in the marine corps
people see a muslim sister at a grocery store and they dont think shes an american citizen they automatically seem to think shes one of those muslims even here in the bay area he said i can only imagine how it is in utah or mississippi


the timess announcement that we will join the associated press this week in changing our style rule to lowercase the word internet could prompt many questions
 does this reflect a fundamental shift in societys view of technology
 does it signal some milestone in the history of online communication
 is a legacy news organization finally acknowledging the ubiquity of digital information
well no the real reason is more mundane others are doing it so we think we should too
readers often assume that the timess decisions on matters of language reveal something deep about our worldview why does the times write nascar instead of nascar
its certainly true that our style guidelines maintain some distinguishing features like the regular use of courtesy titles but the truth is we want our rules for spelling punctuation and usage to be largely invisible we dont want quirks or inconsistencies to distract readers from the point of an article for the same reason we avoid rushing to embrace neologisms jargon or faddish buzzwords on the contrary our usual goal is to reflect settled familiar usage among educated readers
so it is with internet in place of internet while most publications capitalized the word when it first came into widespread use the lowercase form has become steadily more common in recent years
when we undertook a thorough revision of our style manual a couple of years ago we considered changing to internet but decided to hold off though we did lowercase web and website at that time now that the ap and the wall street journal are making the switch my colleagues and i agreed that the time had come
given the wide circulation of ap stories readers will be seeing lowercase internet more and more often while the switch might be briefly disconcerting in the long run we think the uppercase internet would seem out of step
thats the main point of the switch but for usage fans the issue does touch on interesting questions about how language changes
in some ways uppercase internet was always a bit of an anomaly since it is not really a proper noun comparable to a company name or an official place name the term internet short for internetwork described any linked network of computers so the capital i served to distinguish the global network from other internets   a pointless distinction now since internet is rarely used anymore in the generic sense
uppercase internet also reflected a common tendency to capitalize newly coined or unfamiliar terms once a term becomes familiar and quotidian there is a tendency to drop the capital letter
more broadly modern usage tends to favor less capitalization   along with fewer hyphens and less punctuation in general capitalizing words when it isnt strictly necessary can seem archaic to contemporary readers the times used to capitalize federal in phrases like a federal judge and even government when referring to the national government now both of those uses would be lowercase under our rules
and for those still puzzling over nascar we dont use all capital letters for acronyms of more than four letters like nascar and unicef the goal there too is to avoid distraction   we feel that long strings of capital letters are ungainly and stick out too much especially in headlines but since many nascar fans are distracted when they see nascar we may not be succeeding in that case


london   the scottish referendum of september 2014 was notable for its bitterness and nastiness especially on social media
the defeat of the scottish national party and its long campaign for independence did leave a legacy however bringing many disappointed young people into politics eight months later in the 2015 general election the snp turned scotland into a nearly one party state
douglas alexander was one of the victims of this massive swing a national figure as the labour partys shadow foreign secretary and the manager of ed milibands doomed campaign for prime minister mr alexander lost his seat in his hometown paisley to the youngest person elected to parliament in centuries mhairi black then 20
mr alexander like another defeated labour notable the shadow chancellor ed balls sought refuge at harvard but he is back in britain to campaign for continued membership in the european union with the june 23 referendum becoming as divisive and nasty as the one in scotland
and he has some lessons from the scottish experience to impart
first he said psychology matters more than psephology   ignore the polls at least until the very end both telephone and internet polls are flawed when assessing support for referendums because they are so rare and what matters will be the overriding question in peoples minds as they vote
so it will be vital to manage the news cycle in the last 10 days to shape the anxieties and aspirations of voters in scotland opponents of independence focused on the economic risks and the inability of the yes side to answer crucial questions about currency and the sustainability of the oil based economy
now both sides are pushing fear those who support membership are concentrating on the economic risks while those who favor brexit as it is commonly known are concentrating on immigration and risks to british identity
cost versus control mr alexander said
but you also need a movement not just an argument since for voters emotion matters as much as facts he said
the remain side must speak to british patriotism and the benefits of the european union not just spout statistics it is quite possible as he understood at some point during the scottish campaign to win the argument but lose the audience
it needs to be a conversation within the country about the country he said not a conversation on the eurostar you need to give people emotional permission to accept the evidence so sincerity matters more than any choice of words
while social media can be ugly and even painful it is vital to get people to voluntarily share information with their contacts and friends information garnered that way is more credible because it comes from someone a voter has already decided to follow and trust
in the scottish vote mr alexander said social media and facebook mattered more than the print media
lastly mr alexander warns that anger and bitterness last long after the vote
referendums have an afterlife he said this will not settle it for a generation contrary to what prime minister david cameron has said any more than the scottish referendum has settled the issue of independence
voters politicized on such a vital issue dont go back to sleep much as newlyweds buy bridal magazines a year after the wedding mr alexander noted
the experience remains in the mind and in the memory he said
so it is difficult he said to see how the conservative party will easily bind such deep wounds which bleed every day into the press social media and television
for this referendum unlike in scotland has been driven by a decades long split in the conservative party underneath it is also a battle for party leadership and ultimately for 10 downing street
referendums both energize and divide the former canadian prime minister jean chretien talking about quebecs own bitter independence referendums said youre breaking the dreams of your neighbors


london   the european unions executive branch chastised poland on wednesday after determining that it had failed to uphold the rule of law a rare intervention that reflected increasing alarm in the west about the governments commitment to democratic norms
the adoption of the formal opinion by the executive branch the european commission which could ultimately lead to sanctions came after the commission opened an investigation in january into whether the right wing government was subverting european union values by threatening an independent judiciary
after days of negotiations intended to find a compromise that could save poland and the governing law and justice party from an embarrassing public rebuke frans timmermans the first vice president of the commission said the bloc had decided to adopt a formal opinion
the opinion the details of which were not disseminated found that the government of prime minister beata szydlo had violated the principle of rule of law it reflected the blocs concerns that poland had among other things undermined the ability of the polish constitutional court to rule on new legislation and appointed party loyalists to the judiciary according to european union officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity
despite our best efforts until now we have not been able to find solutions to the main issues at stake mr timmermans said at a news conference in brussels on wednesday let me be clear that the commission does not intend and does not wish to involve itself in a political debate in poland political issues in poland are the business of politicians in poland our business is preserving the rule of law
the countrys justice minister zbigniew ziobro was quoted by radio poland as saying that he was surprised and saddened by the commissions opinion at a news conference in warsaw he said that the government had been flexible and he blamed the opposition and the constitutional court for failing to compromise
the european commission asked poland to respond to the opinion within a reasonable time
a failure to address the commissions concerns could eventually result in sanctions and the loss of voting rights in the european unions council of ministers where major policy decisions are approved
such an outcome is generally seen as unlikely however in part because hungary under prime minister viktor orban has vowed to veto any attempt to impose sanctions on poland
the spectacle of the european union criticizing one of its own members for failing to live up to the blocs standards comes as it has struggled to call to account member states that it fears have transgressed its democratic norms
the struggle has been particularly pronounced in hungary where mr orbans government has defied the european union by tightening its grip over the judiciary the news media the central bank and even culture
after the european union expanded to the east in 2004 there were hopes that membership would help countries from the former communist bloc shed a legacy of authoritarianism
but a recent resurgence of nationalism euroskepticism and authoritarianism in poland and hungary has generated concerns that parts of the region are turning their backs on the liberalism of the post cold war era
in march polands constitutional court rejected the governments proposed alterations to the way the court operates saying the changes were unconstitutional
the government has refused to accept that ruling it has also received criticism for exerting control over the state broadcasting system in what is seen by many as an attempt to silence opposition voices
also in march the venice commission of the council of europe a human rights group sharply rebuked poland for what it said were efforts to blunt the powers of the constitutional court thousands of poles recently took to the streets to express their concern that the government was trampling on democracy and human freedoms
european union officials said on wednesday that the polish government had requested the opinion of the venice commission but had forged ahead with changes to the court before the opinion was issued and then ignored the findings
speaking on monday jaroslaw kaczynski the head of the law and justice party threatened to appeal the opinion at the european court of justice in luxembourg if it turned out to be critical of poland
mr kaczynski told the weekly magazine do rzeczy that the european union was acting under a made up treaty and he accused the bloc of failing to respect polands sovereignty the country and its people
if it gets fierce we will do this he said insisting that the pro government judges remain in place
the polish government says the european union is interfering in its domestic politics and argued that with a strong majority in parliament it has a firm mandate from the people ms szydlo told parliament in may that her government would never cave in to an ultimatum from brussels
more recently mr kaczynski defied the european unions call for solidarity in the face of the worsening refugee crisis saying poland would not accept a single refugee because to do so would be a security risk


as the battle between iraqi forces and islamic state fighters intensified outside the city of falluja at least 20000 children were among the civilians believed to be trapped and coming under fire in the city the united nations said on wednesday
very few families have been able to leave the united nations childrens charity unicef said in a news release according to reports food and medicine are running out and clean water is in short supply
a visit to the front lines by the new york times on sunday showed heavy and continuous shelling of the city by pro government forces shiite militia commanders said the tempo of the fighting might be slowed before any assault on the city itself to allow more civilians to leave but the commanders acknowledged that relatively few civilians   around 3700 according to the united nations   had been able to escape as the fighting intensified over the last week
more than two years ago falluja became the first iraqi city to be captured by the islamic state also known as isis isil or daesh in the months afterward the group blitzed across northern and western iraq consolidating power in sunni arab areas where hostility toward the shiite national government had long been boiling over
though it has lost other areas of anbar province around falluja in recent months the islamic state has kept a strong hold on the city iraqi forces mostly kept it under an effective but distant siege cutting it off from resupply by isis that led to heightened fears about the civilian population and reported shortages of food and medicine in the months before the recent advance on falluja began
i am desperately worried about what is happening to civilians in falluja lisa grande the top united nations humanitarian official in iraq said in an interview this week
any direct assault on falluja would most likely carry a high death toll the islamic state has had years to fortify the city including the construction of a huge network of tunnels and traps that have been a focus of american airstrikes in recent days long before that the city had been a stronghold of sunni extremism and it was the center of particularly deadly battles   for american forces and iraqi civilians   during fighting to take the city in 2004
in its announcement on wednesday unicef expressed concern that children under islamic state rule were at risk of being forced to fight for the militants
children who are recruited see their lives and futures jeopardized as they are forced to carry and use arms fighting in an adult war the agency said


one of the last amateur olympic sports opened its doors to professionals on wednesday but the move seemed to bring mostly criticism
the measure passed at the congress of the amateur boxing federation known as aiba in lausanne switzerland with 95 percent of the vote
this is a momentous occasion for aiba for olympic boxing and for our sport as a whole and represents another great leap forward in the evolution of boxing said the federations president ching kuo wu
despite wus declaration reaction was strongly negative including criticism from the irish professional carl frampton the former british professional ricky hatton and the british professional stephen smith
pros boxers being allowed to fight in olympics is ridiculous frampton said on twitter theyre two different sports its like a badminton player playing tennis
hatton took to twitter to say pro boxers in the olympics what are aiba thinking goodbye amateur boxing now as far as im concerned cant say im a fan of this
also on twitter smith said gutted to hear about it being confirmed pros can box in the olympics absolutely ruins amateur boxing that in my opinion wrong
most of the boxers for the 2016 rio games have been chosen but professionals will be immediately eligible for the final olympic qualification tournament in venezuela starting july 3 olympic boxing is scheduled to begin aug 6
it is not clear how many professionals will rush to compete at the olympics few threw their hats in the ring on wednesday
at the moment it is difficult to anticipate but there will be some who want to get qualification wu told the associated press
billy joe saunders who fought for britain at the 2008 olympics before turning pro seemed intrigued
love to win the olympic games put the icing on the cake he said on twitter
this year the heavyweight wladimir klitschko expressed interest in representing ukraine a return in rio would be unlikely though because he is scheduled to fight tyson fury for a world title on july 9 klitschko would be 43 by the time of the 2020 olympics
it is also unclear how the pros would fare in the olympic version of the sport which has many differences from the professional game olympic bouts are only three rounds and fighters must wear headgear
jamie conlan an irish professional said he expected pros to struggle at the olympics
i dont think i could name a professional world champion that would live with a world class amateur over 3 rounds of olympic style boxing he wrote on twitter
mike tyson who came up just short of qualifying for the 1984 olympic team before his professional career told reporters last week of the pending change to the rules its ridiculous its foolish and some of the pro fighters are going to get beaten by the amateurs
for those who favor the shift there is the prospect of mouthwatering if unlikely gold medal bouts like sergey kovalev of russia versus adonis stevenson of canada at light heavyweight or gennady golovkin of kazakhstan against saul alvarez of mexico at middleweight
had the decision been made earlier some olympic bouts could have been even more appealing would teofilo stevenson of cuba winner of three straight superheavyweight gold medals from 1972 to 1980 have been able to deal with muhammad ali at his peak would joe louis have battled max schmeling at the 1936 games in berlin instead of in yankee stadium
the country that might benefit the most from the new rule is the philippines which has never won a gold medal in any sport but hopes that its most famous athletelegislatoreasy listening singer might end that drought were dashed
i have decided to prioritize my legislative duty as i owe it to the people who voted for me that boxer manny pacquiao told agence france presse so i believe i dont have enough time to prepare for the games


beijing   chinas president xi jinping met with a senior envoy from north korea here on wednesday in what appeared to be a slight thaw in a bilateral relationship that has been strained by beijings concerns about the norths nuclear weapons program
mr xi greeted the envoy ri su yong the day after north korea tried unsuccessfully to fire an intermediate range ballistic missile their encounter also followed the news that mr ri had brought to china a stern message insisting that the north would not stop trying developing nuclear arms
mr ri a former foreign minister and a confidant of the north korean leader kim jong un told chinese communist party officials on tuesday that his country would continue to expand its nuclear arsenal and had no intention of giving up the weapons the state run central news agency in north korea reported
in the meeting with mr ri mr xi seemed to strike a positive tone telling him that china attached great importance to developing a friendly relationship with north korea and was seeking calm on the korean peninsula chinas state owned news agency xinhua said wednesday evening
mr xi according to the xinhua report did not mention the denuclearization of the korean peninsula a phrase often used by china to stress that it would like north korea along with south korea to be free of nuclear weapons
the surprise meeting is believed to have been the first encounter between mr xi and a senior north korean official since 2013 when he met with choe ryong hae who was then a special envoy of the workers party in the north as president of china mr xi also serves as general secretary of the communist party mr choe was subsequently among the many foreign guests at chinas major military parade last september
mr ri who was recently elevated to north koreas politburo came to beijing to report on the outcome of the ruling workers party congress in early may chinese analysts said
but he apparently also came to try to mend the frayed strategic ties between the two countries the xinhua report said that mr ri gave mr xi a verbal message from mr kim that stressed his desire to strengthen and develop the traditional friendly relationship
at the workers party congress mr kim said the norths nuclear arsenal would create peace and stability on the korean peninsula while mr xi has mentioned his desire for the peninsula to be rid of nuclear weapons on several occasions
we will stay firm on the denuclearization of the korean peninsula he said at the conference on interaction and confidence building measures in asia in beijing in april
north korea faces tough economic conditions under sanctions imposed by the united nations and mr ris visit was also probably aimed at trying to soften chinas enforcement of the measures analysts said china is the biggest benefactor of the norths rudimentary economy
the sudden meeting on wednesday came ahead of a visit to beijing by secretary of state john kerry next week for the annual strategic and economic dialogue between the united states and china the obama administration considers chinas enforcement of united nations sanctions on north korea imposed as punishment for its nuclear program vital to their success
the united states has praised china for agreeing to the sanctions it has also pointed to cooperation over north korea as one of the areas where the two countries can work together even as relations grow more fraught


paris   justine henin a four time french open champion watched helplessly from the players box high above the court wednesday unable to hit those gleaming down the line backhands that had dictated so many matches in her favor
nine years ago henin was on the court beating serena williams in the quarterfinals at roland garros but on wednesday there was nothing she could do but hope and watch down below elina svitolina the player henin now coaches was being overwhelmed
playing on henins 34th birthday williams dominated from the first point to the last placing balls where she wanted while waiting for svitolina to make the next mistake
after svitolina hit the final backhand long to give williams a 6 1 6 1 victory in their fourth round match on philippe chatrier court henin was out of her seat and down the tunnel before her pupil had finished shaking hands with the victor
williams often had difficulty with henin particularly at roland garros where henin won both their matches but the 18th seeded svitolina 21 cannot yet if ever compete at that level
the strategy that henin and svitolina had conjured up svitolina said was to serve well and move williams around the court but it never got to that point svitolina had enough trouble just getting the ball over the net
you cannot play this way she lamented of her inability to show her best against the best player in the world
the same could be said for 108th ranked shelby rogers whose remarkable run ended at the hands of no 4 garbine muguruza 7 5 6 3
rogers had never been to the fourth round of a major tournament until this french open but she charged all the way into the quarterfinals by beating among others no 17 karolina pliskova no 10 petra kvitova and no 25 irina camelia begu
rogers began wednesdays match confidently earning the first service break and serving for the set at 5 4 but then the match pivoted muguruza began to attack rogerss serve more aggressively and broke twice to take the first set
the sequence seemed to shatter rogerss previously impenetrable confidence and the second set was mostly a downhill stroll for muguruza still rogers acquitted herself admirably and said she enjoyed the experience of reaching her highest level yet
its the biggest match of my life and its hard not to think about that she said but i thought i handled it pretty well i wasnt too nervous so i did a good job in the beginning kind of just breathing and controlling myself hopefully many more to come
muguruzas opponent in the semifinals will be no 21 samantha stosur who dispatched tsvetana pironkova 6 4 7 6 6 after trailing by 1 5 in the tiebreaker stosur was the only woman left in the draw besides williams with a grand slam singles championship
with three more victories here williams will capture her 22nd major singles title which would draw her even with steffi graf williams won the french open last year while sick and not playing her best but she is rolling now she has won 18 sets in a row dating to her rampage through the rome tournament last month
after two days of rain delays williams wasted little time once on court beating svitolina in just 62 minutes she now turns her focus to yulia putintseva her opponent in a quarterfinal thursday who was once coached by patrick mouratoglou now williamss coach
shes really hungry williams said i feel like she gives 200 percent on every single point shes a fighter i feel like im a little bit that way myself too
on suzanne lenglen court venus williams did not fare as well as her sister she was bounced by no 8 timea bacsinszky 6 2 6 4 in the quarterfinals bacsinszky must get past kiki bertens who upset no 15 madison keys 7 6 4 6 3 but if bacsinszky does advance she will face serena williams in the semifinals here for the second time in two years
bacsinszky is one of the more endearing players on tour with an outgoing personality and a willingness to dissect many subjects she has endured an estrangement from her father and once took time off from the tennis tour to mentally regroup
she worked in a restaurant and prepared to study hotel management before returning to the tour with a new passion for tennis and life
during an early practice round here last week bacsinszky found a ladybug on one of the tennis balls and mentioned the good luck those insects are said to bring then during her second round victory over eugenie bouchard she spotted another ladybug trundling along the baseline apparently oblivious to the commotion above
before serving bacsinszky reached down scooped it up with her right hand and carried it to safety along the back edge of the court   or so she thought
the ball kid just stepped on it bacsinszky said with a laugh i was like oh poor ladybug
her goal if she reaches the semifinals is to avoid a similar figurative fate at the hands of williams last year bacsinszky won the opening set in their semifinal encounter but in the final two sets managed to win only three games
on tuesday when rain caused havoc on the grounds she did manage to find a court to practice on next to andy murray an area where the juniors are based
because of her resilience bacsinszky could serve as a role model for younger players but in a playful and self deprecating manner she offered a cautionary tale
my hitting partner told me that some juniors were complaining she said they were saying who is bacsinszky why does she need a court so i dont know if im such a big inspiration
bacsinszky may require some kind of inspiration though against bertens who is playing terrific tennis after battling through two rounds of qualifying in nuremberg germany bertens won that clay court tournament last month she has almost single handedly put the netherlands on the fed cup map by winning four key matches including impressive victories over kristina mladenovic of france and svetlana kuznetsova of russia
bertens has also won 11 consecutive matches since the nuremberg qualifying but was reluctant to jinx anything through overanalysis   kind of like crushing a ladybug
its just keep on going keep on going bertens said i dont want to think about it too much im just really enjoying it at the moment


hong kong   the japanese corporation mitsubishi materials apologized on wednesday to chinese workers who were forced to work in its predecessor companys mines during world war ii and it signed an agreement in beijing to compensate three surviving former laborers
the agreement represents a rare step toward alleviating lingering anger over japans brutal occupation of china
the second world war ended 70 years ago and our forced labor case today has finally reached a solution one of the former laborers yan yucheng 87 told reporters after the signing this is a great victory
nearly 40000 chinese men were taken to japan in the final years of world war ii and forced to work in slavelike conditions for 35 companies roughly one in five died because of maltreatment
under the agreement with mitsubishi materials the three survivors will each receive 100000 renminbi or about 15000
a survey by the japanese ministry of foreign affairs estimated that 3765 chinese were forced to work for the company then known as mitsubishi mining corporation
the apology and compensation are not the first between a japanese company and chinese workers in 2000 the kajima corporation a construction company paid a settlement to survivors and families of deceased workers in 2009 nishimatsu construction also apologized and paid compensation
south korean courts have ordered japanese companies to pay compensation to koreans who were forced to work during the war
the mitsubishi materials agreement is intended to be a template for future settlements with survivors or with the families of former workers who have died said naoto tokushige a mitsubishi materials spokesman
fewer than 20 of the former laborers are known to be living and less than half of the families have been identified
tong zeng president of the china federation of demanding compensation from japan said about 1000 families of deceased workers had agreed to the deal about 95 percent of the known total
not all of the known survivors have agreed however a lawyer representing four former laborers and about 60 families said they were not prepared to sign one of their concerns is that the company has avoided mentioning that many of the chinese laborers were tortured said the lawyer kang jian
if this is a sincere move id applaud it ms kang said but i dont think this is a sincere reconciliation
mitsubishi materials said in a statement that it continues to seek a comprehensive and permanent solution with all of its former laborers and their families
the company said it would set up a fund to build memorials at the site of the mines and would search for former laborers and their families the settlement was announced last year before the 70th anniversary of the end of world war ii
china held numerous events last year to mark the anniversary of the end of the war which some observers said was symbolic of the continuing rivalry between the two countries chinas military strength is steadily increasing and japan wants to remove some of the restrictions on its armed forces that were put in place after the war
china claims islands in the east china sea that are administered by japan japans wartime occupation of china also remains a delicate issue
last week after president obama visited hiroshima foreign minister wang yi of china suggested that the imperial japanese armys massacre of chinese civilians in the city of nanjing in 1937 deserved greater attention than did hiroshima where an american atomic bomb killed tens of thousands of people
last year prime minister shinzo abe of japan said his country inflicted immeasurable damage and suffering on innocent people and has repeatedly expressed the feelings of deep remorse and heartfelt apology for its actions during the war
but many in china have questioned the sincerity of japanese remorse
some critics noted mr abe also said that future generations who had nothing to do with the war should not be predestined to apologize


berlin   a german publisher of right wing books has begun selling a reprint of adolf hitlers mein kampf originally issued in 1943 by the nazi partys central publishing house a move that risks violating germanys law against the distribution of nazi propaganda
a copyright on mein kampf that was held by the bavarian government expired on dec 31 and an annotated scholarly edition was published this year with government permission
now state prosecutors in the german city of leipzig where the publisher der schelm is based are investigating whether they can press charges  last week prosecutors in bamberg opened a separate investigation after a bookseller who was not identified advertised der schelms edition
although hitlers two volume treatise written from 1924 to 1927 and laying out his ideas on race and violence is widely available on the internet the annotated version is the only one that is legal in germany the 3500 comments accompanying the text provide context for the work and they are aimed in part at trying to prevent a new generation from taking up nazi ideologies
promoting an edition without annotations is considered a criminal offense christopher rosenbusch a spokesman for prosecutors in bamberg said on wednesday
the der schelm edition is advertised as unchanged and without comment for critical assessment the house which also offers a reprinted edition of the german translation of henry fords international jew encourages its readers to have the courage to make your own judgment
the move comes as a new far right political party alternative for germany has risen in popularity in part by appealing to fears linked to the arrival last year of a million migrants and by questioning many of the liberal policies and premises that have dominated public discourse in postwar germany


stocks perked up after a downbeat start to eke out a small gain wednesday
consumer companies were among the big gainers as investors assessed a mixed bag of new data on the manufacturing housing and automobile industries telecommunications stocks lagged the rest of the market
the standard  poors 500 stock index added 237 points or 01 percent to 209933 the dow jones industrial average rose 247 points or 001 percent to 1778967 the nasdaq composite index gained 420 points or 01 percent to 495225
the major indexes opened lower on wednesday echoing a slide in markets in europe and asia as traders considered new reports on chinas manufacturing sector including one suggesting a weaker outlook for the nations factories
investors also got an early look a mix of new domestic data the commerce department said construction spending fell in april by the biggest amount in five years dragged down by declines in housing commercial construction and spending on government projects
separately car shopping site kelley blue book projected that domestic auto sales slumped 7 percent in may usually one of the strongest months for the industry the drop is the biggest monthly decline since august 2010
most major automakers reported lower sales in may compared with may 2015 shares of general motors lost 106 or 34 percent to 3022 while ford motor shares slid 38 cents or 28 percent to 1311
shares of carmax the auto dealership chain fell 157 or 29 percent to 5209
the institute of supply management said that domestic factories expanded for the third straight month in may helped by a weaker dollar its another data point in the direction of things being ok said jason pride director of investment strategy at glenmede
investors outlook improved by late afternoon when the federal reserve released its latest snapshot of the economy the so called beige book
the feds latest survey of business conditions found that half of its 12 regions described growth as modest while dallas said economic activity had increased marginally two districts   chicago and kansas city   said growth had slowed from the last report new york described activity as generally flat
the governments next monthly update on nonfarm hiring is due friday
its been a mixed picture but with enough elements in the picture to keep the fed in play to raise rates said quincy krosby market strategist at prudential financial
beyond economic data investors kept an eye on companies reporting quarterly results or outlooks
bank earnings dipped 2 percent in the first three months of the year to 391 billion from 398 billion a year earlier data issued wednesday by the federal deposit insurance corporation showed
michael kors led all companies in the sp 500 index climbing 66 percent after reporting that strong online sales and new store locations helped raise revenue for the fiscal fourth quarter its results exceeded wall streets expectations the stock gained 280 to close at 4554
cracker barrel the restaurant change vaulted 84 percent after reporting strong earnings growth for its fiscal third quarter the stock added 1274 to 16422
other companies did not fare as well under armour slumped 39 percent to 3625 after slashing its full year revenue guidance and saying that the closure of sports authority stores will hurt its sales a bankruptcy court recently decided to approve the liquidation of privately held sports authority which sold under armour goods rather than a restructuring or sale
markets in europe closed lower germanys dax fell 06 percent while frances cac 40 slid 07 percent britains ftse 100 lost 06 percent the downbeat data on chinas factories weighed on markets there and elsewhere in asia
hong kongs hang seng index fell 03 percent japans nikkei 225 finished 16 percent lower while south koreas kospi slipped less than 01 percent australias spasx 200 slumped 1 percent
united states crude oil slipped 9 cents to close at 4901 a barrel in new york brent crude which is used to price international oils slid 17 cents to close at 4972 a barrel in london
in other energy futures trading natural gas rose 9 cents or 41 percent to close at 238 per 1000 cubic feet wholesale gasoline was little changed at 162 a gallon and heating oil was also flat at 150 a gallon
among metals gold fell 280 to 121470 an ounce while silver slid 7 cents to 1593 an ounce copper fell 2 cents to 207 a pound
bond prices rose the yield on the 10 year treasury note fell to 184 percent from 185 late tuesday
in currency markets the dollar weakened to 10948 yen from 11072 yen in tuesdays trading the euro rose to 11191 from 11124


the business world is filled with starry eyed entrepreneurs who hope that the blessings of angel investors and venture capitalists will transform their start up dreams into companies with billion dollar valuations
but some successful start ups have been bucking the trend by growing and expanding without taking a dime from major outside equity investors
ron rudzin an entrepreneur from queens with a long history in the furniture business took 350000 of his own money to write a business plan in 2007 to form his online mattress company saatva
people who raise money rather than be self funded tend to spend wildly because its other peoples money and they throw a bunch of stuff on the wall and see what sticks i dont do it that way mr rudzin said im much more meticulous and efficient i might go a little slower but in the end i believe i win
at age 16 he took a job at jennifer furniture a fledgling company that later became a national chain selling convertible sofas and furniture he spent more than 20 years working his way from sales representative to store manager and to vice president of national sales he held equity interests in four of its stores as the company expanded into a national chain
after he left jennifer furniture he invested in various enterprises but he had always had his eye on starting his own e commerce company i felt the world was going in that direction he said
mr rudzins vision was to sell american made high quality coil based mattresses online at a fraction of the price retailers charged for store based brands he added service to the equation by having them hand delivered and set up in customers home it worked we were the first ones out there he said
saatva which is sanskrit for truth turned a profit after its first three months in business in 2010 he said
the company said that sales which totaled 2 million in its first full year in 2011 surged to 76 million in 2015 mr rudzin is projecting sales of 180 million this year and at least 275 million in 2018
saatva has added two other lines of mattresses foam and latex and offers three firmness levels the company had gained enough visibility to be asked to donate a mattress for pope francis during his visit to a philadelphia seminary in 2015
saatvas financing route stands in contrast from its biggest online competitor casper that company went the more typical start up route with backing from prominent venture capitalists and even actors such as leonardo dicaprio
those who buck the odds by bootstrapping their own enterprises are rare experts say
its a huge anomaly said mark walsh head of innovation and investment at the small business administration he estimated that as few as one in 50 brick and mortar companies and one in 10 online companies could build their businesses into 50 million or 100 million enterprises on their own
but taking venture capital can be risky in their haste to get financing start up founders often fail to read the fine print and later discover that they have signed away huge shares of the profits in some cases founders may be removed by the board of their own companies by the time the businesses are rapidly growing or plan to go public for these reasons some founders opt to take debt capital from banks and investors instead of giving away equity
spokeo an online people search engine has been able to generate tens of millions in sales without venture backing
we dont need it said harrison tang a founder of spokeo but mr tang 34 did not always feel that way when he created spokeo with three college buddies from stanford university in 2006 he tried to get equity financing but was turned down by more than six angel and venture capital investors even his father an entrepreneur himself told his son he never expected to get the money he lent him back
thats how much confidence people had in us mr tang said laughing but he   and his three other founders   ray chen mike daly and eric liang   pressed on by borrowing 300000 from parents and other family members
initially spokeo was a free program that aggregated information about people from social network sites like facebook and friendster
when the founders ran short of cash in 2008 they revamped the site turning it into a people search program that gathers data based on names phone numbers and email addresses and started charging a subscription fee the company said that its revenue surged to 785 million in 2015 from 11 million in 2011 mr tang expects revenue to easily exceed 100 million by 2018
mr tang said he was proud that all four founders remain with the company which might not have been the case if equity investors had been involved we have been winning he said
dana ehrlich also self financed his business school idea into a multimillion dollar company in 2004 mr ehrlich came up with the idea for a grass fed organic beef importing business verde farms while visiting the grasslands of argentina
so he wrote a business plan around importing such beef from uruguay new zealand and australia for his mba thesis at dartmouths tuck school of business in 2005
though very popular now organic food was a concept met with much skepticism at the time
my professor hated it and my classmates thought it was a terrible idea he said even his parents wondered why a man with degrees from the university of pennsylvanias management and technology program and an mba from dartmouth would want to start a meat company
people thought that it was only tree huggers who were into organic and tree huggers were vegetarians not meat eaters he said
in 2006 mr ehrlich tried to find angel investors but refused to accept the terms they wanted between 10 percent and 20 percent equity for a six month loan he said
so he used 100000 from savings and student loans to secure debt financing it was a tough slog in those early years and mr ehrlich nearly decided to shut down in 2008 but everything changed in early 2009 when he signed on two national retailers wegmans and costco
the company which is based in woburn mass said it sold 101 million pounds of grass fed beef in 2015 up from 240000 pounds in 2008 sales which totaled 665000 in 2008 surged to 7 million in 2009 and more than 50 million in 2015
equity investors are now coming to him and hes the one turning them down
verde   like saatva and spokeo   does not rule out taking venture capital money in the future but these founders say it would be for strategic rather than financial reasons to bring on venture capital expertise
most vcs are former entrepreneurs themselves said ben veghte a vice president at the national venture capital association and theyve been in the trenches and understand what it takes to build something from nothing and to build a successful company
and for businesses with plans to go public the guidance of a venture capitalist may be needed
mr walsh of the small business administration said it was rare that a company went public without at least some outside equity holders
i dont remember seeing a company going public on the nasdaq in the last 20 years who arrived at the ipo with only management owning the company he said its almost a rite of passage


beijing   prosecutors in beijing announced on wednesday that they were investigating five police officers in the mysterious death of a detained man last month
the death of the man lei yang a 29 year old environmentalist and father of a newborn daughter was widely discussed online in china with many commenters accusing the police of brutality and asking whether ordinary people were safe from abuse by officers
it is rare for prosecutors in china to investigate the police for excessive violence even though the torture of prisoners is common
the investigation centers on five officers in the changping district a northern suburb of beijing mr lei was detained outside a beijing foot massage parlor on the night of may 7 according to official police accounts at the time the term massage parlor in china often refers to a brothel
one of the most detailed official accounts appeared on may 11 in peoples daily the communist party newspaper the officer in charge of the dongxiaokou station in changping xing yongrui said in an interview with the paper that the police had detained mr lei in an anti prostitution raid mr xing said mr lei had bitten police officers and tried to escape twice it took five officers 20 minutes to subdue mr lei mr xing was quoted as saying
the police said mr lei had a heart attack in custody and was declared dead at a hospital according to chinese news reports a report by xinhua the state news agency quoted family members as saying that they had seen bruises on mr leis head and arms
on wednesday the beijing procuratorate said on its official microblog that the preliminary investigation into the episode had been completed and that mr lei was suspected of visiting a brothel and died after the police took enforcement measures
after those preliminary findings the statement said another procuratorates office opened an investigation into five police officers at the dongxiaokou station including one with the surname of xing
an online statement released last month that was attributed to mr leis wife wu wencui 28 said she was suing the police for intentionally causing injury leading to death abuse of power and assisting in fabricating evidence the statement said on may 13 during the post mortem examination five family members saw with their own eyes the injuries all over his body
in late may another accusation of police brutality led to more widespread discussion online two men in lanzhou the capital of gansu province said they had been beaten by the police after one of them filmed the police kicking the other man the police had intervened in a dispute over the use of a toilet people online began referring to the incident as lanzhou buttocks


tilaurakot nepal   standing at the edge of a six foot trench an archaeologist from nepals government peered down at a row of round holes   new evidence he said that below our feet lay a 2500 year old thatch and timber city where the buddha lived until the age of 29
the archaeologist said he was thinking about the future when thousands of pilgrims would be climbing down from rows of buses every year to see the ruins in the nepalese town of tilaurakot we are trying to compel them to spend money here he said
similar enthusiasm could be detected about 17 miles away on the indian side of the border where india invites tourists to visit another site it claims are the ruins of the buddhas childhood home asked about the nepali site an indian archaeologist sniffed the question doesnt arise he said
begun in the glory days of the british raj this archaeological tug of war has remained unresolved for more than a century of concern to virtually nobody but changes are coming to the baking orange plains that straddle nepal and india
buddhist history is an ever more serious business china and india two giants maneuvering for control in south asia have identified buddhism as an instrument of soft power in an area where for centuries buddhism all but disappeared a range of global stakeholders are investing in infrastructure to accommodate throngs of future pilgrims indias prize attraction is bodh gaya the site where it is believed the buddha attained enlightenment
nepal increasingly aligned with beijing jealously guards its claim to the buddhas birth and early life
it is a matter of surprise that even today in this 21st century 2500 years later than the time of buddhas birth that its still a little bit confused said the nepali prime minister k p sharma oli at a government sponsored buddhist conference in kathmandu last month
of the conferences 385 delegates more than 300 were chinese indias delegation numbered nine when mr oli complained about outsiders trying to encroach on nepals status as the buddhas home it was quite clear whom he meant
there are people a few people perhaps who are deliberately trying to create a situation of confusion he said
buddhist lore has it that siddhartha gautama the buddha grew up within the luxurious setting of his fathers palace in the city of kapilavastu carefully guarded from any exposure to human suffering when at 29 siddhartha stepped outside he was confronted with the sight of the aged the diseased and the dead an experience that shook him so powerfully that he left his fathers home the following day embracing life as an ascetic
until the time of the british raj there was little serious effort to determine where these events occurred a powerful hindu revival had rolled over the plains extinguishing virtually all trace of the religion that had begun there then came the european indologists armed with the only shreds of evidence available the accounts of chinese monks who traveled the buddhas path in the fifth and seventh centuries ad
by the time the british withdrew digs at two different locations had both declared victory the modern border between nepal and india had also come into existence and the two claims supported by fragmentary evidence and fired by nationalism hardened into a cranky rivalry
engulfed in complete darkness the scholars made a beginning in the direction of locating kapilavastu like a wild goose chase k m srivastava of the archaeological survey of india wrote in a memoir of his expedition to the indian town of piprahwa
his discoveries he wrote a bit huffily so infuriated a particular set of scholars that they derived pleasure in indulging in the most unparliamentary language questioning the identity of kapilavastu
the indian consensus has held   at least in india where tour operators market piprahwa as the place where the buddha spent his childhood grappling with the overwhelming and puzzling problem of human existence this spring indias minister of culture opened a museum there displaying evidence mostly in the form of inscriptions on ancient seals that was said to prove it was the true site of the buddhas childhood home
across the border in tilaurakot a nepali british team supported by unesco has been plowing ahead with its own hypothesis that an indian organized expedition in the late 1960s had simply stopped digging too early
the leader of that indian expedition debala mitra uncovered traces of a sprawling brick city but she said it could not have been kapilavastu because it had been built hundreds of years after the buddhas life last year the unesco backed team cut down through the brick structures ms mitra had found and discovered a second fortification whose ramparts were made of clay
then they dug even farther slowing their work to a crawl they were watching for cylindrical depressions in the earth evidence that under the clay fort had once stood timber fence posts perhaps for so long that the wood had decayed leaving a shell of earth behind
six feet below the earths surface they found them the traces of hardened earth inside those holes when analyzed in a laboratory dated from the sixth century bc meaning they would have stood during the buddhas lifetime
in late april a scorching heat settled on the plains and workmen used wheelbarrows to refill trenches shutting down the expedition for the hot season placards were erected announcing that it would have been on this roadway that siddhartha traveled on toward the eastern gate before renouncing his princely life a wooden walkway was also built so that pilgrims who prostrated themselves would not become covered in mud
it was a bit hard to imagine a crowd there the forest was empty except for a young boy who was amusing himself by throwing stones but ram bahadur kunwar from the nepalese department of archaeology paced the site of a central walled complex and spoke of great hopes
it is still a mystery because we have not opened it up he said but when we do i think that this structure will tell the history of kapilavastu
others share his excitement the asian development bank is helping to finance a 54 million upgrade of the international airport close to the nepalese town of lumbini the buddhas birthplace the upgraded airport when it is completed in 2030 will accommodate 760000 passengers a year lumbini is about 16 miles from tilaurakot
it seems that many of those visitors are expected to come from china which is experiencing a buddhist revival tour guides are picking up mandarin new hotels are hiring chinese chefs and the local authorities are planning to erect a statue of the ninth century chinese buddhist pilgrim whose travel journal established nepal as the buddhas birthplace on a recent afternoon a gaggle of women from chengdu were clambering back onto a plane after meditating for five minutes under the branches of a tree near the buddhas birthplace
sunanda sakyaputra a buddhist monk who had traveled to tilaurakot to meditate said the site of the ruined palace a place where the buddha was not happy gave him a profound sense of the futility of human suffering asked about the town on the indian side he snorted
that is wrong very wrong he said all things india thinks all things are hers why


virtual reality is all fun and games until your avatar gets strip searched at the border
things havent gone that far yet but it might be time to get ready as farhad manjoo reports the biggest american technology companies appear to be headed for a global clash with governments that want to curb their practices
the most familiar controls have to do with the storage and movement of personal data which compelled amazon to build data centers in germany to abide with laws on keeping personal information inside that country at the time an amazon executive called german law a form of customer demand
new types of control go into things like perhaps compelling netflix to offer local content in europe and forbidding facebook to provide a limited type of free internet access and refusing apples attempt at selling refurbished iphones in india
the indian government wants smartphones that have 30 percent local parts but the big global conflict here is equally about the way that technology is now overtly steering culture something nations often protect as vigorously as their borders
that is ironically fitting as the late benedict anderson pointed out the nation state came about as a result of technology the printing press created the mass market of vernacular literature including thanks to the likes of martin luther the first best selling writer translations of the holy bible marketing directly to speakers of french english and german created a new kind of language and cultural consciousness that hadnt existed before over time that turned into the ideas of a nation and a people no gutenberg no nations
the new borderless technologies appear to be having much the same effect at lightning speed bitcoin the currency backed by no government creates a belief in a kind of transnational society of bitcoin holders google translate collapses the barrier of language so a finnish and a chinese speaker can converse with just a smartphone between them facebooks 10 year plan to put enough bandwidth in the world for virtual reality anywhere indicates that even cultural gestures will be shared with everyone
at first pass the spread of these seemingly limitless freedoms seems akin to the spread of american products like hollywood movies and rock n roll across much of the world much to the consternation of many governmental cultural and religious leaders or maybe they seem like the less remarked on spread of western democratic tropes after world war ii so that even a totalitarian state like north korea holds sham elections to declare its government the peoples will
that seems to be the case since places like europe worry about the big computers of google and amazon but not so much about similarly sized systems inside the chinese giants alibaba and tencent the chinese companies tend to stay inside china
in fact it may be something newer and more threatening to the state the triumph not of american values but of algorithmic ones designed to engage the largest audience to understand the most about a person and to infer the greatest number of patterns in nature and society in order to exploit them
for now one or another intelligence agency may snoop on an american tech companys findings but as the recent apple fbi conflict shows that doesnt mean interests are allied anymore
there is no allegiance to any government perhaps but to something we dont yet understand it could be maximizing scientific discovery or ensuring the most consumer pleasure or connecting with people who matter most big as they are the new systems are still only partly built out
even the chief executives at the biggest of them dont know where all this will lead any more than gutenberg could have foreseen martin luther and the nation state


to rise in society go to college is such a proven prescription that michelle obama made a rap video of it but while on average college graduates have lower unemployment rates earn higher wages and even have longer lasting marriages theres less discussion of the many students lost between enrollment and graduation
the challenges can be greatest for the 72 million students who need federal loans to attend college according to a new report by third way a washington based think tank only 55 percent of these students graduate within six years at the average private nonprofit college of the 1027 private colleges studied 761 have graduation rates of less than 67 percent
at public universities which the report does not study the rate is even lower 46 percent historically public universities are charged with providing education to the masses and have less control over their admission standards
the third way report points out that high schools in which more than a third of students do not graduate on time are labeled to receive special attention by federal standards if colleges were held to that measure 74 percent of the private nonprofit colleges and 83 percent of public colleges would fail but there isnt a widely accepted bar for college graduation rates a college can have a graduation rate as low as 2 percent and still preserve its accreditation
as a metric graduation rate has its limitations it measures only first time full time students counting transfer students as dropouts and it does not count students who take longer than six years to graduate
but the report shows that many colleges are not fulfilling their promise of upward mobility to students particularly those who are trying to become the first in their families to earn a degree
graduation rates are primarily two factors what the student brings and what the college brings to the experience said bob shireman senior fellow at the century foundation who specializes in accountability for for profit colleges
colleges that have high graduation rates tend to be more selective and tend to have students who are more affluent and more academically prepared colleges with lower graduation rates tend to admit a higher percentage of students with pell grants which usually go to lower income students
this is why graduation rates are so tricky the colleges that have the lowest rates are the very same ones that are taking the biggest chances on students is it worth it to admit the students on the margins of educational success when you know half of them will drop out especially when the costs of dropping out are so high how low can a graduation rate get before it does more harm than good
there is a legitimate policy conversation about where you draw that line said lanae erickson hatalsky an author of the third way paper but no one is even having that conversation right now
getting first generation college students to succeed presents challenges that more elite colleges often dont face
the university of la verne is a commuter college 30 miles east of los angeles and according to third way has a six year graduation rate of 59 percent its student body is 44 percent hispanic and 46 percent of all students are pell grant recipients
for these students money is a huge roadblock to graduation
that is the no 1 reason our students give when they drop out said beatriz gonzalez vice provost for the university of la verne
many of her students also work to support themselves or their families she noted so they tend to spend much less time on campus and therefore feel less attached to the university
another reason students drop out ms gonzalez said is that they dont feel sure they belong for them any setback or poor grade can make them question whether they should be in college in the first place
any solution for the graduation gap would be complicated ms erickson hatalsky said but she suggested that among other things the federal government could use pell grants to do better by these students the federal government is trying to ensure that money is given to poorer k 12 schools to match richer schools in their districts it could also adjust the targeting of pell grants
we hand over the exact same amount money to spelman as harvard ms erickson hatalsky said of the money per student in pell grants we act as if theyre all the same right now in k 12 we differentiate
targeting the resources in support of lower income students could then improve college graduation rates
its not that the low income students are destined to fail mr shireman said its just that they have more challenges so it takes a lot more resources to ensure that they succeed


london   the worlds longest and deepest rail tunnel opened in switzerland on wednesday nearly seven decades after it was first proposed and 17 years after construction began with a blast in the main shaft
the 35 mile or nearly 57 kilometer twin bore gotthard base tunnel clears the way for a high speed rail link under the swiss alps that the swiss government says will revolutionize freight and passenger transportation
the current four hour trip between the economic hubs of zurich and milan will be cut by about an hour
the ultimate goal is a seamless high speed rail trip from the dutch city of rotterdam europes busiest port in the north to genoa on italys tyrrhenian sea coast in the south
violeta bulc the european unions transportation commissioner attended the tunnels opening calling the development a milestone in european rail history and a major contribution of switzerland to bringing europe and europeans closer together
the 125 billion tunnel pushes the 33 mile seikan rail tunnel in japan which connects the northern island of hokkaido with the main island of honshu to second place on the list of longest rail tunnels and the 31 mile channel tunnel which links britain and france to third place
but the new world record might not last long china has announced plans for a 76 mile link between the northern port cities of dalian and yantai under the bohai strait
financing for the project   a package that includes sales and fuel taxes road charges on heavy vehicles and government loans   was approved by swiss voters in a series of referendums
for the swiss conquering the alps   in this case with a 1345 foot boring machine unlike the elephants used by the carthaginian general hannibal in one of his wars against rome   is something of a national obsession
the gotthard has been a symbol of swiss unity going back to the 13th century and it was later the centerpiece of switzerlands plan of defense in case of an invasion by nazi germany although that never happened it was also the site of a 19th century engineering feat in the alps a rail tunnel that opened in 1882 to great fanfare
in 1879 the new york times lauded that project as adding another to the many records of mans industry and ingenuity in subduing the mightiest obstacles which nature has interposed in the way of free communication between country and country
another times headline in 1880 reported mount st gothard successfully pierced and two years later the newspaper heralded the formal opening of the newest and best way into italy
in 1947 the swiss engineer carl eduard gruner proposed a gotthard base tunnel between amsteg and bodio but the route had to be altered several times for engineering reasons
the final breakthrough on a section between sedrun and faido came in 2010 it took 125 workers in three shifts round the clock to install the concrete slab track on which the trains will run with some sections as deep as 14 miles
on wednesday religious leaders blessed the tunnel a statue of st barbara the patron saint of miners stands inside it nine workers who died while building the tunnel were honored on tuesday with a bronze plaque
five hundred passengers selected from a lottery that 130000 people entered took part in the inaugural ride
among the leaders in attendance were the swiss president johann schneider ammann chancellor angela merkel of germany president francois hollande of france prime minister matteo renzi of italy prime minister adrian hasler of liechtenstein and chancellor christian kern of austria
after testing ends this year around 260 freight trains and 65 passenger trains are expected to travel through the two tube tunnel each day reaching speeds approaching 100 miles an hour for freight and 125 miles an hour with passengers passenger trains are expected to eventually reach 155 miles an hour
goods currently carried by a million trucks a year will eventually be moved by trains instead


beijing   im sorry i cannot be interviewed said ding zilin a founder of tiananmen mothers a group of families of democracy protesters killed by the chinese military in 1989 she spoke on wednesday three days before the anniversary of her sons death
sounding frail ms ding a 79 year old former philosophy professor did not detail why she could not be interviewed but before hanging up she added there are people watching and checking at my door each year the authorities guard ms dings home in beijings university district turning away journalists and other visitors
reports circulating in chinese and english on social media said that her telephone line had been cut and that the public security bureau had issued her a special mobile phone with only three contact numbers including chinas emergency medical care number 120 ms ding picked up her home landline wednesday morning although she hung up before she could be asked about a special phone or other details she was also receiving text messages on her mobile said you weijie a fellow member of the tiananmen mothers
nearly three decades have passed since jiang jielian then 17 the son of ms ding and her husband jiang peikun was killed on the night of june 3 4 1989 he was one of hundreds perhaps thousands who died in the suppression of the democracy protests that convulsed the capital for weeks
they have been years of white terror and suffocation the groups 131 surviving members said in a statement issued on wednesday this year it highlighted the police harassment they face and once again called for justice for the victims
the government has never apologized for the killings or revised its judgment that the protests in tiananmen square were a counterrevolutionary rebellion
here are excerpts from the statement as translated by human rights in china
this year may be triply painful for ms ding her husband died in september and her daughter in december of cancer at the age of 49 or 50 according to ms you of the tiananmen mothers ms ding has a second son believed to be in his 50s
ms you said her own husband yang minghu then 42 was shot by soldiers on june 4 and died two days later in tongren hospital she said the police recently told her that anyone wanting to visit ms ding around politically delicate dates such as june 4 needed to obtain permission that drove the group to prominently feature police harassment in their statement she said
which law restricts us from visiting an elderly person asked ms you 63
as family members often parents of the victims die their names are added to the growing list of deceased members this year the number has risen to 41 up from 33 in 2013
the chinese government is playing a waiting game said albert ho the chairman of the hong kong alliance in support of patriotic democratic movements in china which will hold its annual june 4 memorial on saturday in the semiautonomous chinese city of hong kong
they want it to drag on as long as possible and they hope that due to the passage of time and the dying of the family members everyone will forget mr ho who is also a hong kong lawmaker from the democratic party said in an interview
but there is always in existence the collective memory of the people living in beijing mr ho continued there were so many eyewitnesses even if the victims families die there are so many others in a position to testify in due course he said
the tiananmen mothers have called for an independent investigation
a united states based human rights group duihua says the last known person to still be in prison for taking part in the movement miao deshun is due to be released in october
but chinese human rights defenders another rights group said scores of people who took part in the protests were in prison for their continuing advocacy of human rights and democracy
in hong kong the worlds only museum to the tiananmen protest movement is set to close this year over a dispute with the buildings owners and the harassment of visitors organizers said
on the chinese mainland some people who have tried to hold private commemorations have been detained according to reports on social media posted by their friends
and the police in chengdu in southwest china detained a man fu hailu on charges of inciting subversion after he shared pictures online of liquor bottles labeled to mark the day june 4 1989


paris   a french naval vessel fitted with sophisticated underwater sensors has picked up a signal believed to have emanated from one of two data recorders from egyptair flight 804 egyptian and french officials said on wednesday
the flight crashed into the mediterranean sea on may 19 while en route to cairo from paris killing all 66 people on board data signals and the discovery of wreckage and human remains have suggested a rapid loss of control just before the crash
but the cause of the disaster remains a mystery no terrorist group has claimed responsibility though the egyptian aviation minister sherif fathy has said that terrorism is a more likely cause for the crash than a technical failure the flight recorders will be critical for determining whether the crash was the result of a deliberate act or an accident
the vessel that picked up the signal the survey ship laplace has been taking part in the search for the data recorders from the airbus a320 since last week
on wednesday it received through its search equipment signals from the seabed of the wreckage search area according to a statement from the egyptian aircraft accident investigation committee which is leading the inquiry into the crash the signals are assumed to be from one of the data recorders the committee added
a few hours later the french militarys high command said on twitter the search vessel laplace has detected a beacon from one flight recorder
the detection of the signal was also confirmed by sebastien barthe a spokesman for the french agency that investigates aviation accidents which is cooperating with egyptian officials on the inquiry
another research vessel the john lethbridge is being prepared to join the search team within a week and to retrieve the recorders if they are found officials said the vessel is operated by deep open search a company based in mauritius
the search for the egyptair plane has narrowed to an area within a three mile radius of the point in the mediterranean where satellite data indicate that the plane probably went down that area is about 180 miles north of the egyptian coast
locator signals emitted by flight data and cockpit voice recorders also known as black boxes can be picked up even when they are deep underwater
the battery powered beacons are certified to emit a distinct metronomic ping for about 30 days after a crash which means the egyptair planes black boxes are likely to fall silent around the middle of june   a deadline that has added urgency to the search
two fleeting radio signals from one of the planes three emergency locator transmitters were captured by european and american satellites minutes after the plane was lost from radar on may 19 officials confirmed last week
while those signals did not include precise geographic coordinates experts were able to calculate a likely point of impact based on the data received from multiple satellites said steven lett an american diplomat who heads the secretariat of the international cospas sarsat program a maritime and aviation distress call network based in montreal
the data gleaned from the satellites was shared with egyptian and french investigators including the crew of the laplace which arrived in the search zone late tuesday the french navy said the first signals from the data recorder beacons were detected within hours
the underwater listening devices being used by the french search team are capable of detecting the beacons from a distance of up to 25 miles officials said it could still take several days before their precise location on the sea floor can be determined
searchers will then use the underwater robots and sonar equipment aboard the john lethbridge to study the distribution of the wreckage and to guide the salvage operation
provided the black boxes are undamaged the information they contain   audio recordings from the cockpit as well as detailed performance data from the flights final moments   will help crash investigators piece together the cause of the disaster
so far investigators have had to rely on a mix of incomplete air traffic control data showing that the plane swerved abruptly before disappearing from radar as well as a series of seven automated messages pointing to a possible fire on board but while these clues suggest a sudden onboard emergency experts have said that is not enough to establish whether this was the result of a catastrophic technical failure or a possible terrorist act


islamabad pakistan   prime minister nawaz sharif of pakistan had successful open heart surgery in london and is expected to return to his country by the end of this month family members and government officials have said
mr sharif 66 underwent four bypasses on tuesday at a hospital in london and was in stable condition said his daughter maryam nawaz sharif ms sharif said in a series of messages on twitter that the surgery which lasted over four hours required arteries to be grafted
it was the second open heart operation for mr sharif who has been treated for heart problems over the past five years
last week mr sharif went to london for medical treatment for the second time since april as political controversy brewed over revelations that his family had amassed wealth offshore opposition politicians have pressed mr sharif to resign or step down until an inquiry into the accusations clears his name mr sharif has resisted those calls but has offered to be investigated
there was an outpouring of sympathy for mr sharif as news of his surgery spread here and officials and opposition politicians wished him a quick recovery local television news reports featured surgeons and heart specialists discussing the procedure government ministers and officials from mr sharifs political party the pakistan muslim league nawaz arranged special prayers while sacrificial animals including cows and goats were slaughtered to seek blessings for the prime ministers health
mr sharif an affluent businessman took power after winning a majority in the 2013 general elections he had twice served as prime minister in the 90s in 1999 his government was toppled in a bloodless coup by the army chief at the time gen pervez musharraf who then forced mr sharif into exile
in the prime ministers absence ishaq dar the finance minister who is also related to mr sharif is looking after the day to day operations of the government ms sharif who does not hold elected office but is believed to be the heir to her fathers political dynasty is also playing a role in overseeing the government and the partys affairs
the pakistani constitution does not have a provision for a deputy or an interim prime minister and mr sharifs prolonged absence has met with criticism from the political opposition on monday mr sharif presided over a cabinet meeting via skype which government officials insisted was done through a secure connection to approve the countrys coming budget
some analysts here say that mr sharif is expected to weather the political storm over the revelations of his familys offshore wealth as the opposition is fractured and claims of corruption have tainted most politicians equally the so called panama papers   the leak of documents from a panamanian law firm   disclosed that three of mr sharifs children controlled shell companies through which they owned expensive residential properties in london
as the next election in 2018 draws closer the national focus is likely to shift to issues like the economy and regional stability
allegations of corruption have swirled around nawaz sharif and pretty much every other politician since the 1980s none have resulted in a conviction that stuck said tom hussain a political analyst in islamabad the capital unless a definitive paper trail emerges that can result in such a conviction the panama papers will generate a lot of political noise but otherwise have little real impact
like voters in most parliamentary democracies pakistanis are driven by their economic circumstances not rhetoric and after years of taliban insurgency what they want most is peace and stability mr hussain said thats what sharif is selling


forget see nowbuy now think see nowtake now early tuesday just two days after its extravagant cruise show at the niteroi contemporary art museum in rio de janeiro louis vuitton experienced the downside of the applause it had attracted as the first major european brand to take a fashion show to brazil its ipanema store was robbed
according to a brazilian spokesman for louis vuitton thieves broke in at 2 am and stole handbags worth about 500000 reals or nearly 140000the military police later secured the store the spokesman said as many local customers and tourists were lining up to buy items as a result of the show they came after the robbers the spokesman said
the theft could be seen as either karmic justice for daring to bring a very exclusive event to a city and country in the throes of economic turmoil and political unrest or perhaps the result of inciting so much desire and bringing so much attention to the brand that criminals realized there could be a lucrative black market for its goods coincidentally part of the vuitton itinerary for its cruise guests was a shopping venture in ipanema an affluent neighborhood of rio on sunday
either way the timing of the theft probably was not a coincidence it will be interesting to see what lesson if any brands draw from the event especially as the cruise shows continue to escalate in far flung destinations
louis vuitton has not commented


seoul south korea   donald j trumps proposals for upending american policy toward the korean peninsula have found a receptive audience in at least one place north korea
on wednesday the official newspaper of north koreas ruling workers party published a commentary praising mr trumps threat to pull american troops out of south korea if elected president unless seoul pays more for their presence it said the threat had shocked south korean policy makers who it characterized as servants of america a standard theme of the norths propaganda
the tragedy is that the souths authorities are incapable of feeling any national shame no matter how their american masters subject them to an unbearable humiliation read the commentary in the newspaper rodong sinmun their attitude is best shown by the way they got scared by trumps comments and groveled
in a march interview with the new york times mr trump accused south korea of not contributing enough toward the cost of keeping tens of thousands of american troops in the country suggesting he might withdraw them if elected
he further unsettled south korean officials by declaring in may during an interview with reuters that he would be willing to negotiate directly with kim jong un the north korean leader to try to stop the norths nuclear arms program i would have no problem speaking to him mr trump said
at first mr trumps remarks were largely dismissed in south korea but the news media here sounded a growing alarm about them as it became clearer that he would become the republican nominee it is scary just to imagine trump who often doesnt remember what he has said getting elected president and manipulating korean peninsula issues by drastically shifting his positions a south korean newspaper kyunghyang shinmun wrote in an editorial in may
south korean officials have told reporters that they are trying to reach out to mr trumps policy advisers in hopes of persuading him that the american military presence here benefits the united states as well as south korea
the rodong sinmun article was the second about mr trump to appear in north koreas state news media in two days on tuesday a lesser propaganda outlet the website dprk today carried what it called an opinion piece submitted by han young muk whom it identified as an ethnic korean scholar in china such articles are seen as having less authority than official commentaries in rodong sinmun which hew closely to the party line
mr han wrote that mr trump had a greedy wolflike mind and accused him of trying to secure america a free ride by having south korea pay for the troops presence but he said the policy would be a godsend for the north if south korea refused to pay more and the troops were pulled out
leave now hurry mr han wrote who knew that the yankee go home slogan we shouted so enthusiastically could come true so easily like this the day that the yankee go home slogan becomes reality would be the day korea is unified again
north korea has long called for the withdrawal of american troops from the south where they have been based since the korean war ended without a peace treaty more than 60 years ago pyongyang calls them a source of military tension on the peninsula and an obstacle to korean reunification the north also wants direct dialogue with washington to discuss the troops removal
neither of the north korean articles this week mentioned mr trumps suggestion in the march interview with the times that japan and south korea should have their own nuclear arsenals so they would be less dependent on the united states for protection
in the dprk today article mr han praised mr trumps apparent willingness to talk to mr kim saying the real estate mogul had proved to be a wise politician and comparing him favorably with hillary clinton his likely democratic opponent
the candidate the americans must choose is not the thickheaded hillary who tries to apply an iranian model to solve the nuclear problem on the korean peninsula but trump who says he will try to solve it through direct dialogue with us mr han said
still the writer said american policy toward the north was unlikely to change regardless of who was elected in november mr trumps reckless campaign promises he wrote were just a ploy to win the election


paris   the world economy is locked in a low growth trap and will expand this year at its slowest pace since the financial crisis the organization for economic cooperation and development said on wednesday urging governments to increase spending
with businesses wary of investing and consumers cautious about spending the global economy will grow only 3 percent this year the oecd the research and policy organization estimated in its economic outlook report which it releases twice a year
that figure would be no better than last years when growth was at its lowest level since 2009 the oecd did predict however that growth would pick up modestly to 33 percent in 2017
limited economic expansion can deprive young people of job opportunities and means that many older people will not get the health care or pension benefits they expect catherine l mann the oecds chief economist told reuters
we are breaking promises to young people and old people therefore policy makers have to act to break us out of the low growth trap she said
with oecd countries growing at half their estimated potential on average it would take 70 years to double living standards two decades ago economic growth rates meant they could double living standards in half that time
ms mann warned against counting on central banks alone to drive a return to higher growth rates as their loose monetary policies become more risky
she said governments should not hesitate to direct money to initiatives that bolster growth like education and infrastructure taking advantage of low interest rates in many countries to finance the higher spending
the low interest rate environment created by the central banks opens up fiscal space to governments and we are saying that you should use it ms mann said
though the oecd did not lower its global growth forecast from its estimates in february it said the outlook for the united states had dimmed
the organization cut its prediction for american growth this year to 18 percent from a previous forecast of 2 percent on the back of weak foreign demand and a dearth of investment in the oil and mining sector
the oecd also repeated a warning that britain would suffer a sharp economic slowdown if voters opted to leave the european union in a referendum on june 23
in light of the political uncertainty surrounding that vote the organization cut its forecast for growth in britain this year to 17 percent from 21 percent assuming voters opted to stay in the 28 member union
a vote to leave the bloc could shear half a percentage point off british growth annually in the coming years the organization warned
the oecd raised its 2016 growth estimate for the eurozone which does not include britain to 16 percent from the 14 percent forecast in february based on an improved outlook for the french and german economies


each week nate cohn the upshots elections analyst and toni monkovic an upshot editor will discuss the 2016 race and post a lightly edited transcript of their written exchange the democratic primary season has led to some grumbling from supporters of bernie sanders that the primary system is rigged this week we start on that subject and look ahead to the california contest on june 7
toni bernie sanders has benefited from the caucus system its a major reason he has been competitive if hillary clinton had dominated caucuses instead of primaries i suspect that he would have complained that caucuses were flawed   that they were less democratic than primaries and less accessible to the working class
and if sanders had dominated with democrats and lost among independents instead of the other way around i suspect we wouldnt be hearing calls from him to open more primaries to independents
thats just standard politics   any other candidate would have behaved the same way and sanders is far less of a finger in the wind politician than many but it goes against this general idea that his side is trying to convey that hes pure that hes above politics
nate i think theres some truth to that along those same lines i remember back in 2008 that barack obamas support in red states was supposed to be a sign of his strength now sanders supporters dismiss clintons wins in red states as if theyre somehow illegitimate
toni theres a graphic being shared on social media that shows how clinton would have outgained sanders under any system if it had been winner take all for every state the clinton advantage would have been well over 1000 delegates under the gop system the clinton advantage also would have been immense was there a pledged delegate system anybody could have devised to allow him to win give super duper credit for caucuses
nate i dont think theres any way you could construct a delegate system where bernie sanders would win the nomination he lost by far too much
toni minnesota recently decided on a primary over a caucus for future elections do you think that as the years go by well see more primaries instead of caucuses
nate its possible caucuses do pose a bit of a danger to the legitimacy of the nomination process just about everyone agrees that actual primary elections are more democratic at some point a candidate is going to win a majority of pledged delegates by the margin of a huge edge in caucuses itll be a big problem
toni can you give an example of how reliant sanders was on caucuses
nate heres one way to look at it sanders is down in the popular vote by a 14 point margin but only down by about eight points in pledged delegates that gap is entirely because of the caucus states they award as many delegates as the primaries but with only a fraction of the vote sanders still would have won many of these caucus states if they were primaries but not by anywhere near the same margin
toni there is a perception among a lot of his followers that the election system is rigged what about some of the examples they cite like the brooklyn voter purge in the new york primary
nate well i think the first thing thats important to acknowledge is that the american election system is a disaster its administered at the local level by thousands of jurisdictions across the country its often grossly underfunded voter registration systems are truly a mess put it all together and we have a very ineffective voting system that always produces a steady stream of errors
that said these errors are not really signs that our elections are rigged
with brooklyn the board of elections purged more than 100000 voters just ahead of the election this shouldnt happen purges should happen well ahead of an election
but did it affect the race not really the people who get purged from voter rolls are inactive voters   people who havent voted in two straight elections and didnt return postcards seeking to verify their address these are generally people who moved or have died
i just received my first postcard from the state of washington last week i assume ill be moved to inactive status since i was lazy and didnt respond and then ill eventually be removed
so realistically most of the people who were purged were not going to vote they probably dont live in brooklyn anymore
and the people who were purged in brooklyn were probably likelier to be supporters of clinton than sanders brooklyn voted for clinton by 20 points most inactive voters are older after all a 20 year old hasnt had the opportunity to skip two consecutive federal elections
and in the end clinton won new york by around 300000 votes   far more than the total number of purged registrants in brooklyn let alone the fraction who might have voted
toni another complaint was voter suppression in arizona
nate arizona really was a mess but it looks like bad planning
arizona like a lot of western states is transitioning to conducting most of its elections by mail washington oregon and colorado have fully made this transition arizona and california are in sort of the next tier where big majorities of voters are on permanent absentee rolls
in the 2014 democratic primary more than 80 percent voted early as in person voting has dropped arizona has scaled back the number of election day polling places this created a big problem in 2016 it turned out that a lot more people showed up to vote on election day the lines were huge now did this inconvenience a lot of voters yes was it bad election administration yes did people leave the lines certainly did it change the result no
the turnout was healthy   after all most people vote absentee and more people voted than in 2008 clinton won by a big margin its not plausible to suggest that sanders lost anywhere near that kind of support thanks to long lines the math just doesnt work given how high the turnout was and sanderss small four point edge among election day voters
toni one electoral oddity our readers may not know about involves california a lot of would be sanders supporters mistakenly registered with the american independent party they were misled by the word independent in the partys name it turns out its a party whose platform opposes abortion rights and same sex marriage and calls for building a fence along the entire united states border
nate i dont think many sanders voters are hurt by the american independent party less than 3 percent of registered voters in california are members of the aip and around half are probably republican leaning independents not democratic leaners of course its not as if sanders would win all of these voters and the turnout among non democratic voters is always lower as well i think its hard to argue this hurts him by even one percentage point
toni clinton has been ahead in the polls in california but will we get another field poll before the election can you give a brief explanation of why the field poll is so highly regarded
nate i dont know whether well get another field poll but i hope we do its just one of the best polls out there it has a long track record its conducted off the states voter registration file which is important generally but even more for a semi closed primary its a big sample its calling enough cellphones it checks all of the boxes
toni amy walter of the cook political report wrote this year the electorate will be divided along race educationclass and gender like never before im preparing myself for a campaign that is going to be nasty and ugly and will leave the country more polarized than it is today theres nothing to be happy about there this truly is going to be an election of demographic division isnt it
nate if clinton wins this election im not sure whether it will involve a much greater racial divide than in 2012 but it probably will be more divided by education at least among whites and gender
toni bill kristol mysteriously said there would definitely be a third party run by an impressive republican it would probably have to be someone with the name recognition of mitt romney to make a splash if romney truly believes trump must be stopped he might be one of the few people in the country who could do something about it but if he ran he probably would be foreclosing any chance of becoming president in the future and he would be called a traitor to his party is talk of a gop stop trump movement just false hope its getting very late with some state deadlines having passed
nate i dont think its too late depending on the goal
toni for example winning a state like utah and running strongly in some other states the only realistic goal would be to stop trump
nate if the goal is simply to prevent a trump presidency its definitely not too late
update bloomberg is reporting that the mysterious candidate is david french a national review staff writer and iraq war veteran
in recent weeks nate and toni discussed bernie sanderss better polling numbers against donald trump and reasons to be skeptical of them elizabeth warrens prospects to be vice president and mr trumps strengths and weaknesses in various battleground states


elkhart ind   president obama on wednesday forcefully inserted himself into the 2016 presidential campaign assailing donald j trump and the republican party for peddling economic policies that he said would benefit the rich and connected at the expense of a still struggling middle class
mr obama framed this years presidential contest as a choice between a democratic party committed to working families and a republican party he said was beholden to china big oil big banks and the wealthiest americans white house aides cast the speech as the presidents first major attempt to influence the race to succeed him
if what you care about in this election is your pocketbook if what youre concerned about is who will look out for the interests of working people and grow the middle class mr obama said in a fiery campaignlike speech if what youre concerned about is the economy then the debate is not even close
aides said the president who is expected to ultimately endorse hillary clinton was eager to jump into the carnival like political debate between mr trump the presumptive gop nominee and the democrats choice
railing against one of mr trumps comments   that he would roll back rules imposed on wall street   mr obamas voice grew louder as he declared that is crazy sleeves rolled up and his finger wagging the president asked the supportive crowd have we really forgotten what just happened eight years ago
the president said that when he heard that working families were voting for the republican economic agenda i want to have an intervention
mr obama knows his legacy is at stake   eight years of effort in the oval office will be at risk if mr trump succeeds him   but his eagerness to get back into campaign mode is partly personal in 2011 the year before mr obama ran for re election mr trump became the most vocal advocate of the birther movement conspiracy theories that falsely held that the president was born in kenya mr trump has also hurled crude epithets at many of mr obamas allies and constituent groups
although mr obama did not mention mr trump by name during his speech there was no mistaking the meaning of his words or that the remarks will serve as the framework for a stump speech the president intends to take on the road in the months ahead
if we turn against each other based on divisions of race or religion if we fall for a bunch of okey doke just because it sounds funny or its tweets are provocative the president said then we wont build on the progress weve started
mr obama used elkhart which is the first american city he visited as president as a backdrop for his economic message the citys manufacturing based economy cratered faster than those of most communities during the 2008 recession when unemployment reached almost 20 percent in the years since the recovery has been just as rapid unemployment is now at about 4 percent and the citys decades old recreational vehicle industry is once again growing
speaking at a high school on the outskirts of the city mr obama claimed credit for the reversal of fortunes here but also suggested that the improvements were fragile and reversible if the country turned away from economic policies championed by his administration and democrats
mr obama sharply criticized what he called the myth of crazy liberal government spending and urged the crowd to support democratic politicians who favor higher wages equal pay support for unions better education and fair trade
mr obamas critics in elkhart say the credit for the recovery goes to the grit and determination of the people who live there not politicians in washington kyle hannon the president of the greater elkhart chamber of commerce said he was honored to have mr obama back in his town but said he found it difficult to connect the presidents policies to the recovery
thats not the conversation thats going on in the coffee shops and on the street corners here said mr hannon who identified himself as a republican but said he planned to vote for the libertarian candidate because mr trump frightens him
the crowd of about 2100 people in the concord high school gymnasium greeted mr obama with the kind of enthusiasm the president often saw during rallies he held at the height of his own campaigns several times the crowd gave him standing ovations
top aides say the president is waiting to make an endorsement until the democratic nominating contest is finished but with mr trump already claiming the republican nomination and mrs clinton far ahead in delegates as the democratic race nears an end the president decided to weigh in aggressively
before wednesday mr obama largely contained his political attacks to responses to questions at news conferences
in april he questioned the republican front runners fitness for office saying that mr trumps comments about the use of nuclear weapons shows he doesnt know much about foreign policy or nuclear policy or the korean peninsula or the world generally
reporters prodded mr obama at another news conference in may when the president criticized the spectacle and the circus in reporting about mr trumps campaign a few weeks later in asia mr obama said mr trump knew little about the world
a lot of the proposals that hes made display either ignorance of world affairs or a cavalier attitude or an interest in getting tweets and headlines instead of actually thinking through what it is that is required to keep america safe and secure mr obama said
during the speech in elkhart mr obama was less direct in his criticism of mr trump instead he sought to build a broader case against the party that mr trump is set to lead in the general election
he said the primary story that republicans have been telling about the economy is not supported by the facts its just not but he said that narrative was being distributed across the country by conservative news media talk radio and republican politicians
if youre hearing that story all of the time you start believing it mr obama said his mission he told the crowd was to try to counter that story as the general election campaign gets underway im here to say elkhart weve got to challenge the assumptions behind this economic story


woodstock england   there is something very familiar about gatherings of beautiful women in the last days of a british spring barelegged shivering and undone by pouring rain but even locals in the picturesque cotswolds town of charlbury did not know where to look when an orient express train commandeered by christian dior steamed in just after half past four on tuesday depositing several hundred couture clad editors bloggers clients and hollywood stars into the puddles on the platform
the purpose of their arrival the presentation of the dior 2017 cruise show at blenheim palace the spectacular stately home and birthplace of winston churchill in nearby woodstock it was a return of sorts for the french luxury powerhouse in 1954 christian dior himself had staged a show of 100 dresses in its gilded halls with princess margaret as his guest of honor and after the designers death in 1957 his successor yves saint laurent brought the dior collection back to blenheim in 1958
almost 60 years later blacked out mercedes automobiles snaked through blenheims fields of frolicking lambs a red coated artillery band played from the pillars encasing the vast gravel driveway admittedly its tune the star wars theme was less historic and a small army of soaked white gloved waiters offered champagne to guests as the heavens opened above
it all feels rather familiar doesnt it sighed the english actress kate beckinsale as she waited for her front row seat in a slightly damp black and white full skirted dior gown with cutaway slices at the waist adding that she had decamped to the sunnier climes of los angeles in 2002 but i never feel like i am truly home until i have been soaked to the skin at a party
as dusk fell the grand saloons and staterooms were filled with celebrities   the singer the weeknd whose model girlfriend bella hadid would later walk in the show the actresses elizabeth olsen emma roberts and kate mara bianca jagger the human rights activist who was dressed head to toe in white   and a sense of expectation dior has been without a creative director since the departure of raf simons last fall leaving an in house creative team led by lucie meier and serge ruffieux in charge of the collections there has been no word yet on a replacement and at the opening of diors revamped four floor boutique on londons bond street that morning sidney toledano chief executive of dior couture called the search a work in progress
for the collection the show notes cited inspiration from the wardrobes and wanderlust of post world war ii high society and said that ms meier and mr ruffieux wanted clothes to emulate a conversation between france and england a dialogue between the past and present and creative exchanges between the two countries
on a hand painted runway depicting a quintessential fox hunting scene their vision found form in a mishmash of prints textures and finishes all anchored to diors aesthetic heritage there was tweed of course plus camel car coats and crisp white shirts and billowing silk skirts and tea dresses with exotic asian and african prints also 19th century hunting scenes and countryside florals recast on sculpted tightly waisted bar jackets or knitted into jacquard layered slip dresses and flared trousers in rich devore velvets or clashing prints and terrific bejeweled evening bags scarves and chunky black and gold platforms either with straps or victorian style laces
the endless brightly colored silk scarves in the models hair on necks and around wrists may have been tied just a little too tight but at the post show tea amid macaron pyramids oversized cupcakes lobster sandwiches and cake lollipops there were plenty willing to indulge in the fairy tale
the gowns are so beautiful the mists so atmospheric said ms roberts who sat with ms mara recounting the previous evenings events at the lady dior the brands pop up english pub in londons mayfair area complete with pints and karaoke it is like we are in some kind of romantic novel
call it the cruise chronicles as far as fashion goes its a lace bodice ripper


hillary clinton holds a small lead over donald j trump nationally according to a poll released on wednesday that shows united states voters sharply divided along gender and party lines
the poll by quinnipiac university found that 45 percent of voters supported mrs clinton while 41 percent backed mr trump when adding candidates from other parties such as gary johnson the libertarian nominee and jill stein of the green party the race becomes a virtual tie with mrs clinton leading mr trump by just two percentage points
the survey had a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points
the results suggest that republicans and democrats are ready to line up behind their likely standard bearers with 86 percent of republicans supporting mr trump and 90 percent of democrats backing mrs clinton who is still working to defeat her opponent in the primaries senator bernie sanders of vermont
like in many polls mr sanders performed better than mrs clinton against mr trump in a hypothetical matchup leading him by nine percentage points
gender appears to be a big factor in the likely battle between mrs clinton and mr trump with 51 percent of men backing the manhattan businessman and 54 percent of women supporting the former secretary of state
this is a very tight race that will divide democrats and republicans the young and the old white black and hispanic voters   and husbands and wives   in the months ahead tim malloy assistant director of the quinnipiac university poll said in a statement
mrs clinton is viewed by voters as being smarter and having higher moral standards while mr trump is seen as being a better leader and more inspiring voters also said they expected mr trump to be better at creating jobs as well as tougher on the islamic state while mrs clinton fared better on immigration and dealing with international crises


tokyo   prime minister shinzo abe of japan announced on wednesday that he would delay an unpopular increase in the national sales tax in what amounted to an acknowledgment that the countrys economy remained worryingly fragile
the decision which was widely expected was informed by a painful experience after mr abe allowed a tax increase to go ahead in 2014 consumer spending dried up and japan fell into recession it was a serious setback for a leader who won office on a promise to turn around japans long struggling economy
mr abes handling of the economy remains a contentious issue despite more than three years of sustained stimulus the robust increase in wages and prices that he promised has failed to materialize the governing liberal democratic party and its smaller ally komeito face an election for the upper house of parliament next month adding to the pressure
mr abe defended his economic record on wednesday saying that although it was still a work in progress certain areas like the unemployment rate and the frequency of corporate bankruptcies had improved substantially he blamed a weaker global economy   in particular the slowdown in china   for what he said was a growing threat to japan
at worst theres a risk that we could return to the long tunnel of deflation he said we need to take action to guard against risks
mr abe said he would delay the planned increase of two percentage points in the sales tax known in japan as a consumption tax by two and a half more years to october 2019
higher taxes have never been a natural fit for mr abe whose economic agenda has focused more on encouraging growth than fighting deficits the plan for a higher sales tax was passed into law by a previous government and the prime minister has struggled with how to put it into effect
japans giant government debt is equal to nearly two and a half years worth of the countrys economic output but mr abe and his supporters say that trying to close deficits by increasing tax rates or cutting government spending risks damaging the economy
the approach mr abe has offered instead commonly known as abenomics has centered on more government spending and especially vigorous stimulus by the bank of japan
the central bank has been flooding financial markets with cheap money it even set its benchmark interest rate below zero a policy tried in only a few other countries in hopes of propping up prices and encouraging spending although those goals have proved elusive higher taxes could make them even more so
the consumption tax plan that mr abe inherited called for the tax to rise in two stages
the first which he allowed to go ahead as scheduled in april 2014 brought the tax to 8 percent from 5 percent the second increase is supposed to take it to 10 percent that is still low by the standards of many developed countries especially in europe where value added taxes are often twice that or higher
opponents of the increase say japan would be better off simply borrowing more money from bond markets its debt may be large but it is almost entirely funded by domestic savers making a crisis like the one in greece much less likely and rock bottom interest rates in japan mean the government is spending less to service its borrowing than more lightly indebted countries like germany or the united states are
mr abe said he remained committed to an official goal of closing the governments spending gap by the end of the decade if the economy can stay out of recession and the tax increase is not delayed again the government says it can balance the budget minus interest payments on the debt by 2020 many private sector economists doubt that can be done however
the remaining question is how to make abes decision to delay the consumption tax hike consistent with the fiscal consolidation objective masaaki kanno an economist at jpmorgan chase wrote in a research note this week
mr abe had already put off the second stage of the sales tax increase once   also before an election a snap vote he called in late 2014 which his party won handily the increase was initially supposed to happen in october 2015 but mr abe pushed it back to april 2017 a target from which he postponed it further on wednesday
news reports suggest that the tax is widely disliked and that delaying the increase again could earn votes in the coming election the liberal democrats are already ahead in the polls mr abe has confirmed that the vote will be held on july 10
when mr abe delayed the tax increase the first time he pledged to uphold the new timetable unless an economic crisis on the scale of the global financial meltdown in 2008 occurred he acknowledged on wednesday that the risks facing japan today are not at all on that level but he appeared to be gambling that tax averse voters would approve of his decision anyway
i am prepared for criticism that i broke my promise he said letting voters judge is democracy


on tuesday the hudson yards megaproject officially opened on the far west side of manhattan employees of coach   a leading new york design house of modern luxury accessories and lifestyle collections as it calls itself   began reporting to the companys new headquarters in a 52 story tower 10 hudson yards
the opening is a reminder that new york city can change in the span of a human lifetime so are jan stallers exhibition frontier new york then and now at iac headquarters in chelsea and a newly published book high line nudes by kevin mcdermott
mr mcdermotts photos are startling for more than one reason only a decade ago a photographer and three male models could trespass on the abandoned new york central railroad freight viaduct and work without interruption among the asters and queen annes lace today they would be under coachs corporate gaze two of the men did wear boots
mr stallers show contrasts contemporary photos and videos of the hudson river waterfront with pictures he took in the 1970s and 80s published as frontier new york
it is a distant waterfront but one that i recognize
during my brief career at columbia college in the early 70s when i should have been studying i was drawn to manhattans haunting industrial edge not seeking sex though it abounded for gay men but searching for whispers of maritime might
from those old piers i could almost watch the past weigh anchor and steam out through the narrows
pier 50 abandoned by the pennsylvania railroad looked as if it would collapse in the next fresh gale its carmine facade was peeling scabrously i could see sky through the pier sheds windows yet elsewhere there were still traces of life
at pier 42 the liberty ship john w brown was still on duty it served as a floating annex to the food and maritime high school school ship officials proudly note that virtually all graduates go to sea the new york times reported
over the railroad viaduct known as the high line boxcars still occasionally rumbled through the factories and storehouses of chelsea automobiles still threaded their way over the elevated west side highway which skirted the hudson river
from the highway the future came into view near its southern end where you could still get a plate of chow mein at the cathay inn the twin towers of the world trade center were rising
this was a place mr staller came to love beginning with visits in 1976 to the west side highway by the time he arrived the southern end was closed to vehicles but not to intrepid pedestrians
it is to these areas that i have long been drawn lingering there to meditate on a quality of light space and weather mr staller wrote in the preface to his book published in 1988 in the decay and desertion of these rundown places there is much for me to explore and i find the atmosphere to be rich in mystery reminiscent of a lost city
no longer the setting for the frontier new york show iac headquarters at 555 west 18th street was designed by frank gehry and is home to the corporate parent of the daily beast aboutcom and vimeo mr stallers work is being shown on a 120 foot long video wall that can be seen through the buildings sail like windows from the landscaped boulevard where the west side highway once stood
in a mesmerizing visual essay mr stallers earlier photos are juxtaposed with contemporary images of ice floes on the hudson construction at hudson yards and countless pedestrians on the high line something new for my work he said people
thats how much the area has changed in 2006 you could count the number of people on the high line with the fingers of one hand   mr mcdermott and his models micky friedmann joshua parrillo and michael remaley
there was this little eden in the middle of one of the biggest cities in the world mr mcdermott recalled
you felt you were escaping the city when you went to 10th avenue he said retracing his steps as tourists eddied around him i had no idea all of humanity would wander over here once they got off the plane


a wave of prominent republicans have announced their intention to skip the partys national convention in cleveland this summer the latest sign that donald j trump who last week secured the delegates needed to clinch the republican presidential nomination continues to struggle in his effort to unite the party behind his candidacy
the list of those who have sent regrets includes governors and united states senators   almost all facing tough re election fights this year   and lifelong party devotees who have attended every convention for decades some are renouncing their seats like conscientious objectors
i could not in good conscience attend a coronation and celebration of donald trump wrote one indiana delegate josh claybourn in a blog post resigning his position
the coolness toward mr trump amounts to a remarkable rebuke a broad range of party leaders are openly rejecting the man who will be their nominee and the july 18 21 convention usually a moment of public catharsis for political parties after contentious primaries is shaping up to be another reminder of the disarray and disunity that is still rocking the republican party after a bitter 17 way fight for the nomination
even the two highest ranking republicans in the conventions host state of ohio   gov john kasich and senator rob portman who is fighting to hold onto his seat   say they do not know if they will set foot in the convention hall
mr kasich who only four weeks ago quit the presidential campaign and has not endorsed mr trump has no idea what role if any he will have a spokesman said he will be in cleveland that week but has no plans as of now to partake in any official convention activities
several other of mr trumps former rivals for the nomination have said they will not attend or have not committed jeb bush former governor of florida will not be there neither will senator lindsey graham of south carolina
im sure it will be fun im sure it will be entertaining mr graham said last week and i can watch it on tv
senator rand paul of kentucky who is a delegate as well as a former presidential candidate has yet to decide tbd a spokesman said the schedule is still being firmed up
at least two former competitors of mr trumps are expected to attend gov chris christie of new jersey and senator marco rubio of florida who last week offered his services as a speaker should they be wanted
among those staying away include some major corporations like coca cola microsoft and hewlett packard
and some who do plan to be there might find the atmosphere somewhat uncomfortable
mr trump has still not fully reconciled with speaker paul d ryan the conventions chairman who said in early may that he was not ready to support the nominee and would relinquish the role if asked
mr trump is also at odds with the head of the republican governors association susana martinez of new mexico who will lead her states delegation in cleveland ms martinez has also withheld her endorsement a slight that evidently prompted mr trump to attack her performance in office last week
scheduling conflicts seem to be a surprisingly common excuse for missing an event that was announced a year and a half ago others offered mushy noncommitments
just as theyre firming up the schedule it kind of looks like theres a lot of stuff for me to do said senator ron johnson of wisconsin explaining why he probably couldnt make it
asked if mr trump had anything to do with his reluctance mr johnson who is in a heated re election campaign broke into a big smile and said oh of course not
gov rick snyder of michigan a state mr trump has said he believes the republicans can wrest from democrats this year also might have more important things to do at home michigan has some pressing challenges right now a spokeswoman said last week and state issues are his foremost priority
mr snyder is one of at least nine republican governors who are noncommittal or skipping the convention mr kasich brian sandoval of nevada charlie baker of massachusetts bruce rauner of illinois larry hogan of maryland nikki r haley of south carolina matt mead of wyoming and nathan deal of georgia
i dont even want to be involved mr hogan said in an interview in march its a mess i hate the whole thing
just about every republican senator in a difficult race is staying away fearful of what the association with mr trump might do to reputations back home senator john mccain of arizona will join four of the five living former republican nominees in skipping the convention im in a very tough re election campaign he said last week explaining his expected absence
senators kelly ayotte of new hampshire and mark s kirk of illinois two of the most endangered republican incumbents will also be nowhere near cleveland that week
mr portman another senator in a tight race said his time would be better spent holding a miniconvention of his own in cleveland which he plans to do with events for veterans the homeless and his volunteers
ive spoken at every convention since 1996 he said nobody listens nobody covers it
this mass avoidance might seem on its surface to be yet another example of party elites snubbing mr trump in the kind of rejection that he would welcome as a professed political outsider but it also reflects a deeper and more dangerous problem for him mr trumps popularity with republicans remains uncomfortably low
the candidates own party generally delivers support in the 90 percent range mitt romney won 93 percent of his own party in 2012 mr trumps support among republicans according to the latest nbc newswall street journal poll was 86 percent
and the snubs keep coming from the upper echelons of the party and the rank and file in new hampshire the former senator judd gregg was initially a delegate for mr bush but when mr bush suspended his campaign mr gregg became unbound he has instead opted to skip the convention telling a local television station dont like large crowds
the indiana delegate who renounced his place at the convention mr claybourn would have been bound to vote for mr trump on the first ballot a step he said he simply could not stomach
donald j trump is the republican partys nominee mr claybourn said but he will not be my nominee and i will not attend a convention celebrating his candidacy


imagine you are a french lawmaker for decades you have protected your nations cultural output with the diligence of a gardener tending a fragile patch against invasive killer weeds
you have imposed quotas on the french film industry required radio stations to play more french music than anyone seems to want to listen to and you have worked methodically to exempt your actions from international free trade rules
and now out of nowhere come a handful of american technology companies to wash away all your cultural defenses suddenly just about everything that a french citizen buys reads watches or listens to flows in some way or another through these behemoths
there is facebook co opting your news media amazon is dominating book sales while youtube and netflix are taking over television and movies and the smartphone arguably the most important platform for entertainment in this era is controlled almost entirely by apple and google
this backdrop of social anxiety explains why europe is on the march against american tech giants european governments have been at the forefront of an effort to limit the reach of tech companies most often through privacy regulations and antitrust investigations now the european commission is considering rules that would require streaming companies like netflix to carry and even pay for local content in the markets they serve
the european efforts are just a taste of a coming global freak out over the power of the american tech industry over the next few years we are bound to see increasing friction between the tiny group of tech companies that rule much of the industry and the governments that rule the lands those companies are trying to invade what is happening in europe is playing out in china india and brazil and across much of the rest of the globe as well
the result is fragmentation once not too long ago many in the tech industry thought that digital technology would bring about the dawn of a new global order
the internets structure was decentralized and nonhierarchical it therefore seemed immune to control by any single government under this dream the network would bridge vast distances and connect cultures creating a new system of legal norms that were more uniform around the world
but that is not how it has been playing out
my assumption is that this is only the beginning said dongsheng zang director of the asian law center at the university of washington school of law well be seeing more of these governments make their own demands and the problem is a fragmentation of the global tech companies he added this could be a problem for america in the 21st century
this dynamic may not sound very new whether it comes to taxes privacy free speech or security national governments have always sought to impose rules on transnational corporations
but the battle with tech giants promises to be more spectacular over the last decade we have witnessed the rise of what i like to call the frightful five these companies   apple amazon facebook microsoft and alphabet googles parent   have created a set of inescapable tech platforms that govern much of the business world the five have grown expansive in their business aims and invincible to just about any competition their collective powers are a source of pride and fear for americans these companies thoroughly dominate the news and entertainment industries they rule advertising and retail sales and they are pushing into health care energy and automobiles
for all the disruptions good and bad americans may experience as a result of the rise of the frightful five there is one saving grace the companies are american not only were they founded by americans and have their headquarters here complicated global tax structures notwithstanding but they all tend to espouse american values like free trade free expression and a skepticism of regulation
until the surveillance revealed by the national security agency contractor edward j snowden many american tech companies were also more deferential to the american government especially its requests for law enforcement help
in the rest of the world the americanness of the frightful five is often seen as a reason for fear not comfort in part that is because of a worry about american hegemony the bigger these companies get the less room they leave for local competition   and the more room for possible spying by the united states government
but even if that idea sounds hyperbolic but it doesnt right there is a deeper fear of usurpation through tech   a worry that these companies could grow so large and become so deeply entrenched in world economies that they could effectively make their own laws
whats happening right now is the nation state is losing its grip said jane k winn also a professor at the university of washington school of law who studies international business transactions one of the hallmarks of modernity is that you have a nation state that claims they are the exclusive source of a universal legal system that addresses all legal issues but now people in one jurisdiction are subject to rules that come from outside the government   and often its companies that run these huge networks that are pushing their own rules
ms winn pointed to amazon as an example the e commerce giant sells both its own goods and those from other merchants through its marketplace in this way it imposes a universal set of rules on many merchants in countries in which it operates the larger amazon gets the more its rules   rather than any particular nations   can come to be regarded as the most important regulations governing commerce and because amazon tends to focus on customer service rather than other values a country might want to prioritize   fraud protection or workers rights say   the company could end up becoming the worlds most powerful consumer protection agency but one that is unaccountable to some governments
the same dynamic would apply to other companies platforms rules imposed by the apple and google app stores become a kind of law for developers around the world youtubes guidelines become a cultural arbiter anywhere it operates
and facebooks news feed algorithm may matter more to journalists in some countries than any particular legal limit on their operations
how will governments stop the tech companies from expanding their powers by placing ever higher burdens on them to limit their reach something we have seen happening more often
in addition to all the moves in europe the indian government just stopped apples plan to sell refurbished iphones in the country that came after its move to shut down facebooks free internet plan which had been widely criticized there as a kind of trojan horse to take over indias digital infrastructure
in china apple shut down the ibooks and itunes movies stores apparently after facing pressure from the government
apple also invested 1 billion in didi chuxing chinas homegrown version of uber a surprising move that was interpreted by china watchers as a way to curry favor with an increasingly aggressive government
nobody knows yet who will win these fights the american tech giants are huge but they need the blessing of national governments and those blessings arent coming easily
theyre facing an increasingly self confident india brazil and china mr zang said if they dont back down they probably have leverage to impose lots of different rules to limit how these companies reach into local markets
or as the french newspaper le monde declared on the eve of netflixs debut in france que le carnage commence let the carnage commence


harare zimbabwe   joice mujuru became a legend at 18
everyone in zimbabwe knows the story of her shooting down an enemy helicopter in her countrys war of liberation spill blood was her nom de guerre
she married an even more famous freedom fighter and the couple became political royalty after independence in 1980 she considered herself to be like a daughter of the only leader zimbabwe has known robert mugabe she served as a vice president and was destined it seemed to succeed him
but perhaps she and her husband solomon were a little too eager for a succession he was killed in 2011 in a mysterious fire that ms mujuru now says was an assassination by forces loyal to the president the presidents increasingly powerful wife grace rushed to the mujurus palatial estate to offer her condolences   in a way that heightened ms mujurus suspicions
instead of showing she had come to mourn she was now busy admiring the house ms mujuru said
the presidents wife eventually led a purge of ms mujuru from the governing party accusing her of plotting a coup performing witchcraft and wearing miniskirts
even my own mother came to ask me when did you start practicing those things she said
now after staying out of the public light for more than a year ms mujuru 60 is back immersed in a widening political battle as the end of an era dominated by mr mugabe looms over the country
after ruling zimbabwe outwitting his opponents and crushing his rivals for decades mr mugabe 92 is increasingly weakened by age political maneuvering has split his long dominant zanu pf party as factions jostle for control once the leader keeping them together dies
amid the uncertainty ms mujuru sees a political opening vowing to take power as president in the 2018 election under the banner of her own party zimbabwe people first
on a recent afternoon ms mujuru greeted a stream of visitors to her home mostly allies who had been expelled along with her from mr mugabes party some with military ties
considered a moderate while in mr mugabes circle she presents the biggest challenge yet to the governing party from a former insider
for the first time we have people who were in government and in the ruling party now outside and in large numbers said jonathan moyo the minister of higher education and one of zanu pfs most influential officials we have many of them to make a school i dont know whether they will make a political party but it is a new challenge for us yes
there are strong indications that mr mugabes party currently split in two is taking the threat from ms mujuru seriously mr mugabe has recently attacked the mujurus at public rallies ms mujurus supporters have become the most frequent target of physical assaults by the presidents loyalists in rural areas according to human rights organizations
and zanu pf officials now even dismiss as a lie ms mujurus celebrated claim of shooting down that helicopter decades ago
people are now trying to rewrite history she said
as ms mujuru tells it helicopter gunships belonging to the former rhodesian government appeared near her village in the countrys northeast one day in february 1974 as she and others were looking for fresh recruits with her fathers approval she had joined the liberation movement a few months earlier after finishing the ninth grade
as they were trying to take a turn she recalled of the helicopters this other comrade who was injured whom i didnt want to leave then told me just to shoot
i was surprised when it went down she added
whether her shots brought down the helicopter or not the story of spill bloods heroism quickly spread she rapidly rose to become one of the first female commanders in the liberation army and in 1977 married one of its top leaders solomon mujuru
mr mujuru played a pivotal role in helping mr mugabe   an intellectual who had spent a decade in prison and was held in suspicion by other rebel commanders   rise to become the movements political leader
upon independence in 1980 mr mugabe named mr mujuru army chief and made ms mujuru the youngest minister in his first cabinet the husband went into business and became one of the countrys richest men
he played the role of kingmaker in politics and successfully pushed for his wife to become a vice president in 2004 to many the mujurus had set the stage for a succession
mr mugabe too had taken notice
mrs mujuru told herself that she was now no 2 in the party and in government and asked herself if it would not be possible for her to take the no 1 job mr mugabe said at a recent rally at which he lashed out at the mujurus
ms mujuru rejected that view saying she never spoke about wanting to take anything from mr mugabe
her husband though was more outspoken perhaps because of the role he had played in securing mr mugabes leadership mr mujuru was known as the only insider who challenged mr mugabe during high level meetings for what he said was the good of the country and the economy he pressed mr mugabe to groom a successor and retire
in 2008 mr mujuru supported a new party mavambo in an indirect move to weaken mr mugabe
he wanted mavambo as a mere lever to force mugabe to stand down said ibbo mandaza an academic and businessman who was one of the partys founders
three years later ms mujuru got a phone call in the middle of an august night her husband had been found dead in their farmhouse an hour south of the capital harare
when she arrived the body was still burning with a blue flame a sign that an accelerant had been used she said her workers used a shovel to scrape the body off a carpet
later at the morgue the president came to offer his condolences on his way to the airport she said
he left me in my pajamas looking at the charred body and told me youre the acting president im going to angola ms mujuru recalled bitterly
mr mugabes government pronounced the death an accident and later rejected ms mujurus call for a second independent autopsy a spokesman for mr mugabes party simon khaya moyo said he had no knowledge at all about ms mujurus assertions that forces close to mr mugabe were responsible for her husbands death
let her speak for herself mr moyo said she knows what to do next if she has correct information
but ms mujuru said she had chosen to remain quiet dutifully serving as mr mugabes vice president until the first lady pushed her out in 2014
i wanted to change things from within not just for myself but for the country she said
using a comparison she often makes she said she saw herself as deng xiaoping the leader who modernized china after the death of mao zedong
dewa mavhinga a researcher on zimbabwe for human rights watch the advocacy group said that unlike zanu pf hard liners ms mujuru never called for political violence she was considered open to working with the opposition and western governments
thats partly why she became a target mr mavhinga said
but rashid mahiya the executive director of heal zimbabwe a human rights group said ms mujuru was one of the biggest beneficiaries of zanu pfs system of patronage and its widespread use of political violence she too was rewriting history exaggerating her reformist credentials he said
we want her to come clean with her past mr mahiya said the zanu pf color and paint that she is associated with does not go away
ms mujuru said she was sorry about zanu pfs use of violence contending that she had always been uncomfortable with it and wished she had said more against it
its better im here with them she said of mr mugabes opponents im sorry that could not have been enough to them but anyway here i am


pop out boyz a rap collective from bedford stuyvesant brooklyn took their lyrics from real life when they released a single this spring all about the material rewards of a crime not often mentioned in urban pop music   credit card fraud prosecutors said
the song titled for a scammer was rooted in experience the prosecutors said members of the group and their associates have been indicted in manhattan on grand larceny charges accused of stealing more than 250000 worth of luxury goods from barneys and saks fifth avenue over the last year
the songs chorus boasts im cracking cards cause im a scammer using a street term for card fraud at one point one of the vocalists raps watch the money do a back flip early morning up at saks fifth you see it you want it you have it
the case reflects a broader trend in new york city the manhattan district attorneys office said as street crime and drug dealing have declined over the last two decades there has been a surge in identity theft and credit card fraud and these crimes are increasingly being committed by relatively unsophisticated young adults from working class homes the police and prosecutors said
credit card fraud in brooklyn is becoming a big issue said capt christopher flanagan the commander of the financial crimes task force for the new york police department the cards are easier to get now with the development of some of these dark websites and as one person learns how to commit a fraud they spread that knowledge to others
the websites that the pop out boyz are accused of using had names like uniccshop jokers stash and rescator and they peddle data from a steady stream of security breaches at retailers hotels and other businesses a single card number can go for 35 to 150 though some cut rate sites sell them for as little as a dollar security experts and the police said
you dont need to be a criminal mastermind to pull this off its not that hard to get the numbers said gary shiffman an economist specializing in illicit online markets who is the founder of giant oak a data analytics company
a decade ago such stolen card information was traded on shadowy forums on the dark web accessible only through routing programs that hid a persons identity and location
but the sites have evolved and resemble other online retailers featuring a shopping cart customer service and a checkout process said damon mccoy an assistant professor at new york universitys tandon school of engineering who researches the sites
once registered the customer can search for card numbers by bank by zip code by credit limit and by the length of time since the information was stolen some sites even have loyalty programs frequent buyer discounts and money back guarantees mr mccoy said
adnan baykal the chief technical adviser at the global cyber alliance a nonprofit group said law enforcement officials and banks can do little to shut down the sites many mask their locations and can be connected to only on the dark web others have multiple entry points on the internet so when one is shut down the owners can quickly switch to another
cyrus r vance jr the manhattan district attorney has made internet crime and fraud a major focus of his administration winning convictions in more than a dozen similar cases he has said one quarter of the felony prosecutions by his office now involve internet crime or identity theft
the police said most of the 39 people arrested in the pop out boyz case grew up together in the neighborhood around the raymond bush playground at madison street and marcus garvey boulevard three were rappers in the pop out boyz who performed at brooklyn nightclubs and several others were part of the groups entourage another defendant larry dathan rapped under the moniker big bz
prosecutors said a core group of 11 defendants bought card numbers from at least five websites starting in may 2015 and shared them in emails and texts with one another several had also bought encoding machines and other equipment that they are accused of using to manufacture forged cards
the group recruited friends to shop at barneys and saks to buy luxury clothing and accessories   high end shoes balmain jeans celine and goyard handbags prosecutors said the group made 275 purchases at barneys alone over 55 days walking off with 258000 worth of goods saks lost 11000 worth of merchandise in two months the group used more than 2000 stolen credit card numbers from banks in france canada germany and dubai the police said
most of the people in the group of 39 many of whom were arrested on april 26 were in their late teens and early 20s one of the directors of the group the prosecutors said was anthony mckoy 21 who raps under the name ant stay maccin a high school graduate he lives with his parents on throop avenue in bedford stuyvesant his mother works for gap his father for a trucking company
mr mckoy has pleaded not guilty to the charges his lawyer michael fineman said but prosecutors said he played a key role supplying stolen card numbers to others manufacturing cards and even making 4000 in purchases at barneys and saks himself an embosser and encoding machine were found in his home along with a gun prosecutors said
in may 2015 mr mckoy started posting photos of himself holding wads of 100 bills on his facebook page the page also featured the pop out boyz logo and concert posters
one of the most prolific shoppers in the group prosecutors said was kaishaun trisvan who also pleaded not guilty mr trisvan 21 lives with his mother who works in the radiology department at lenox hill hospital his lawyer said in court he graduated from high school and had no criminal record
yet prosecutors said mr trisvan had made more than 35 trips to barneys spending 44000 and they said the police had found 120 forged cards at his house and 3315 in cash
his lawyer eugene conway did not return telephone calls seeking comment
it is a sign of the times investigators said that some of the defendants in their 30s indicted in the pop out boyz case have records for drug crimes and robberies but that most of the defendants in their teens and 20s either have no criminal record or have been arrested only for financial crimes
these kids have grown up with computers said lt timothy fenfert who leads the police departments special fraud squad in brooklyn they have been downloading movies and music since they were 10 years old so its not much of a leap to download credit card numbers


what in the world offers you glimpses of what our journalists are observing around the globe let us know what you thinkwhatintheworldnytimescom
the roster of the cuban national baseball team is weighted curiously toward the end of the alphabet there are yordanis yurisbel yunior yeniet and yorbis more than one quarter of the 41 players considered for this springs historic game against the tampa bay rays in havana had first names starting with y
it reflects a national trend informally known as generacion y in which thousands of people born toward the end of the cold war have uncommon first names that share that initial perhaps the best known example yoenis cespedes the power hitting outfielder for the new york mets who was born in cuba in 1985
the seeds for this unconventional nomenclature may have been planted by the cuban revolution which pulled parents away from biblical names the influence of the soviet union with its yevgenis and yuris is also seen as a significant factor
experts differ on whether the pattern is a sign of tribute or rebellion the dissolution of the soviet union was disastrous for cuba the start of the so called special period an extended economic crisis and recession in the early 1990s
lillian guerra of the university of florida sees generacion y as part of a broader tradition of creative naming in cuba one she called a sign of cultural resistance she pointed to unusual monikers like milaidys a phoneticization of my lady in spanish dianisleysis inspired by princess diana and get ready for this onedollar usnavy usmail usarmy and usa all inspired by cubans increased contact with americans travelers and culture during the 1990s
the names were deliberate professor guerra said you dont name your kid without thinking about it
there are signs that cuban names have been returning to more conventional patterns in the last couple of decades according to professor guerra who has written about generacion y yoani sanchez a famous cuban dissident who runs a popular blog called generacion y wrote in 2010 that calmer winds have been blowing when it comes time to name a child she expressed relief that a friend named her baby juan carlos
after decades in which cubans named their children with a freedom they could not experience in other spheres in life ms sanchez wrote sanity has returned to the act of naming children


hong kong   anbang a politically connected chinese insurer has hit a bump in its effort to buy an insurance company in iowa for 157 billion the latest setback to its multibillion dollar global shopping spree
anbang insurance group has struck a remarkable spate of deals including an agreement two years ago to buy the waldorf astoria hotel in new york it has also reached a 65 billion deal to buy hotels from the private equity firm blackstone group and it has agreed to buy financial firms in europe and south korea
the chinese insurance company   which until recent years was not well known even in its home country   is near the forefront of a growing wave of chinese companies buying firms abroad
but the campaign hit a setback with fidelity  guaranty life the des moines based insurer that anbang agreed to buy last year anbang withdrew its application with the new york state department of financial services to acquire the company fidelity said in a filing on tuesday with the securities and exchange commission
fidelity had hoped that anbang could come back saying the withdrawal was not final and that it expected anbang to refile in the near future
paul marriott of fti consulting in hong kong which represents anbang did not have an immediate comment on why anbang withdrew its application fidelity did not say why anbang withdrew its application which was reported earlier by the wall street journal
the setback adds to anbang recent stumbles in march it abruptly ended its 14 billion bid to buy starwood hotels and resorts it said little about why it had retreated mentioning only various market considerations
anbang which owns insurance companies a bank and a leasing company says it has almost 300 billion in assets it is owned by 39 corporate shareholders according to chinas state administration of industry and commerce two of the shareholders are state owned companies while the other 37 which own more than 95 percent of anbang are an opaque web of interconnected companies many share phone numbers email addresses and management the new york times reported in march
anbangs chairman wu xiaohui married a granddaughter of chinas former leader deng xiaoping one anbang director is the son of chen yi a former long serving foreign minister and top army general who died in 1972 another former director is the son of zhu rongji chinas prime minister from 1998 to 2003
anbang must obtain regulatory approval for its takeover from states where fidelity does business it also has a pending application in iowa fidelity said in its filing on tuesday fidelity shares fell by more than 33 percent on tuesday in new york their biggest drop since august
anbangs purchase of fidelity announced in november was cleared by the committee on foreign investment in the united states a government panel that checks whether planned acquisitions of american companies raise national security concerns fidelity said in march


bangkok   the thai wildlife authorities found 40 dead tiger cubs in a freezer on wednesday at the tiger temple a controversial tourist attraction in western thailand and were investigating whether the carcasses were evidence of the temples involvement in the illegal wildlife trade
the discovery came as thai wildlife rangers were removing adult tigers from the temple in an effort to shut down the attraction after receiving complaints that the temple was trafficking in endangered species
the temple a buddhist monastery that offered paying tourists close contact with tigers has long been accused by conservationists and animal rights activists of exploiting and abusing the animals accusations the temple has denied
wildlife officials said that only one of the dead cubs found on wednesday had been reported to the government as required by law and that the police were investigating
tiger parts while illegal to sell are in high demand in asia particularly china for use in traditional medicine there is even a market for frozen tiger cubs as the arrest last month of a vietnamese man carrying four of them attests
representatives of the temple wat pha luang ta bua said that thailands wildlife conservation office had been notified of all of the cubs births and deaths and that the bodies were kept as proof that none of them were sold on the black market
we have declared all the deaths to the officials over years said supitpong pakdjarung a former police colonel who runs the temples business operation theyve known about these carcasses for a long time
the wildlife agency has been trying for months to shut down the tiger temples zoo the temple has promoted itself as a spiritual center where people and tigers lived in harmony and it has charged tourists as much as 140 apiece for the chance to bathe hand feed and play with the tigers
the temple was already under investigation on suspicion of illegally trading in tigers after a former veterinarian reported that three live adult tigers had vanished
adisorn noochdumrong deputy director general of the department of national parks wildlife and plant conservation which oversees the wildlife conservation office said a temple staff member had told the authorities about the dead cubs in the freezer
we just found them this morning mr adisorn said there are 40 tiger cubs
he said the department would perform dna tests on the seized tigers and the dead cubs to see how they might be related
temple officials however denied any wrongdoing mr supitpong said he notified officials in december when they came to see how many tigers were at the temple
in a facebook post in march the temple said that it was normal for some cubs to die and that the staff had been preserving the carcasses since 2010 the post gave no indication of how many deceased cubs there were
teunchai noochdumrong director of thailands wildlife conservation office and the wife of mr adisorn said the cubs did not appear to be missing any parts there was no indication yet how they died she said
debbie banks campaign leader on tigers and wildlife crime for the london based environmental investigative agency said the discovery of the cubs was disturbing given the underground market in frozen cubs
while adult tigers have more value particularly for their pelts teeth and claws the cubs can be sold for their meat and for their bones which are said to have medicinal value she said
tiger cubs also are sold in large jars of wine either on their own or with bear paws snakes and scorpions she said some people believe such wildlife wine provides a health benefit she said
zoos that offer tourists close contact with the animals and selfie opportunities are often fronts for breeding operations that supply the black market trade ms banks said
forty frozen tiger cubs she asked why would you keep them when we know there is a market for frozen tiger cubs it raises a lot of issues i think it suggests something far more sinister
at its peak the temple reported having 148 tigers nearly all of them adults the wildlife agency seized 10 of the big cats earlier this year before the temple won a court order halting the operation after the authorities successfully challenged that order they resumed removing the animals on monday
by wednesday evening rangers had taken 64 more tigers ms teunchai said the authorities estimated that 73 tigers remained at the zoo and hoped to have all of them removed by saturday they said that the temple lacked documentation proving ownership of the tigers and that therefore under thai endangered species law they belonged to the government
by wednesday mr supitpong appeared resigned to the tigers removal and the closure of the temples tourist attraction the temple recently won approval to build and operate a zoo on a nearby site and mr supitpong said he was ready to move forward with that plan
right now we want everything to come to an end he said please hurry and remove all the tigers once the state tigers are all removed we will proceed with the zoo


when gertrude stein wrote a rose is a rose is a rose she probably wasnt thinking about perfume
when it comes to fragrances rose is a coveted ingredient that is able to shape shift there is no one true rose scent instead the flower which mythologically bloomed from aphrodites tears over her lover adonis plays extremely well with other ingredients allowing a perfumer to use it as a kind of lush canvas upon which to dream up a new olfactory memory
depending on the perfumers vision rose can smell fresh or feral peppery or syrupy whisper light or as dank as a mossy cave it can soften up a woodsy composition or add a voluptuous undernote to an otherwise chemical scent it turns ouds creamy and makes fruits flirtatious
yet despite its heroic position in the perfumers tool kit rose has backslid in recent years as a star ingredient with the exception of some popular designer fragrances like stella mccartneys signature powdery bonbon or the over honeyed party spritz that is viktor  rolfs flowerbomb most contemporary rose scents in the mainstream market are aimed at young women who presumably want to smell like an inoffensive dewy bouquet such fragrances often come in pink and violet bottles tied up with grosgrain ribbon or with waxy rose shaped caps see dolce  gabbanas latest offering rosa excelsa
but independent perfumers are now bringing back the rose in all its glory liberating it from the delicate bottles and coquettish reputation to prove that giant heady rose can be a powerhouse on men and women alike rose   the scent of passion of love of dulcet longing   is the new unisex
that perfume at least outside of department stores and sephora aisles is becoming more androgynous is not news and perfumers who refuse to categorize their fragrances in terms of gender are not trailblazers but as vintage as they come according to mandy aftel a custom perfumer and historian men have embraced floral scents since roman times
back then they put rose water on doves and had them fly around she said roman men loved wearing rose and the men i work with today still love it
recently ms aftel ran a class for apples design team and she said it was all men
i cannot tell you how many of them picked florals for their custom perfumes once you smell a truly beautiful buttery velvety rose it is impossible to resist it
this season independent perfumers like roja dove andy tauer and christopher chong have all released new rose forward scents designed to appeal equally to men and women these are powerful statement roses using the most exquisite flowers from turkey and syria and they smell intoxicating on nearly everyone or so perfumers claim
one of the heady new fragrances is rose by roja dove the british master perfumer whom gq magazine recently named the pornographer of perfume for his extremely sensitive nose and penchant for carnal musky odors i wanted to make something that could make someone feel abandon mr dove said roses can sometimes can smell very thin and that was of no interest to me i put pepper and a little touch of nutmeg in this composition to give it a vibrancy and a touch of freshness with bergamot and geranium
mr dove is not surprised that people of all types have gravitated toward his roses the whole thing of gender in a raw material is stereotyping that is victorian he said speaking of victorian mr dove is known to wear velvet smoking jackets and large diamond encrusted rings in the shapes of wild animals
a mans skin fundamentally smells very different to a womans he said its not as soft more overtly sexual more earthy it will transform the rose make the rose smell more masculine an identical rose on a womans skin will smell more feminine
mr dove added that the most surprising and modern roses speak of a fantastic androgyny
we are starting to see a generation that is self assured enough that they will wear any fragrance that they feel smells right he said they dont need to be told it is for women or men
mr chong the creative director of the amouage fragrance house based in oman says that for his new scent opus x a rose heavy perfume inspired by the red violin it truly does smell as if someone waxed a string instrument in sylvan varnish the amouage team used centifolia rose rather than the more traditional egyptian roses in combination with a hybrid rose thats half natural and half synthetic there is a dry and metallic rose accord that alludes to classicism but is also seductive which makes it suitable for the modern man and woman mr chong said
geza schoen a german perfumer and the creator of the cult popular escentric molecules line recently released two rose heavy unisex scents as part of his experimental beautiful mind series when we think of roses we need to consider the origin of the flower mr schoen said the rose in times past was a symbol of power and so of the traditional idea of man history repeats itself and the rose is the mans flower once again
not all perfumers are so adamant on returning rose to the realm of man but many do express the desire to strip it of gender connotations and let the flower speak on its own some newer rose scents with this kind of crossover appeal include a la rose from maison francis kurkdjian bitter rose broken spear from the brooklyn indie house hylnds and tobacco rose from the rule breaking british perfumer liz moores of papillon artisan perfumes
in niche fragrances the whole concept of gender doesnt work very well said mr tauer creator of the tauer line of indie perfumes which includes several rose soaked scents my rose chypree works very well on mans skin provided you like classic perfumery because you have all these resins patchouli ambery notes
if looked at from a perfumers point of view rose oil the steam distilled kind doesnt smell like the flower it is very spicy mr tauer said if you look at the natural rose beneath the sweet honey floral notes there is also a woodsiness to it the idea that this flower bends to one gender is obsolete
even new fragrances that dont have rose in their names rely heavily on the note like byredos unisex super cedar which layers rose petals over cedar wood and haitian vetiver and smells on the skin like an herbaceous campfire
mr dove believes that adding rose to any scent will make it more modern it can be leathery with a whisper of birch he said it can sit on a warm vanilla and turn naughty you just have to keep trying roses until you find the one thats right for you
ms aftel says that the reason rose has come to represent a new androgyny is its very versatility because there is no one true rose it is a scent that allows consumers to play to experiment and to highlight their individual aesthetic
roses can sidle up to anything she said they can be sophisticated they can be sinuous they can smell like candy or dirt but they are never boring


recently i lost a day at work when my upshot colleague austin frakt emailed me first thing in the morning to tell me that headlines were appearing declaring that an explosive new cellphone cancer study was making the rounds as i have long been interested in this topic i started to read the headlines and news
cellphone cancer link seen in rat study said time cellphone radiation linked to cancer in major rat study said ieee spectrum a magazine for engineers i was dismayed to say the least game changing as a quotation in a mother jones headline put it seemed like a bit of an overreach
so i went ahead and read the paper despite what some outlets reported this was a not yet published study of rats that had been shopped for review but had not been accepted by any editors it detailed a study that examined if exposing rats to radiation like that emitted by cellphones might give them cancer
the researchers first exposed pregnant rats to whole body cdma  or gsm modulated radio frequency radiation for nine hours a day every day of the week once these rats gave birth the researchers took pups of each sex and set them up in groups exposed to both types of radiation at three different levels at the end of the study they found that male rats had a statistically significant p005 higher rate of glioma a brain tumor and cardiac schwannomas a nerve tumor in the heart in the cdma exposed groups
there were no differences in brain tumors in the gsm exposed rats there were no differences seen in female rats there were no differences seen in schwannomas in other locations than the heart in any rats
this evidently was enough for many news media outlets to proclaim that the debate had been reignited and that your cellphone could kill you thats not what the study said at all
lets begin with the fact that this is a rat study and that we shouldnt jump to the conclusion that what happens with rats and cancer is what happens in humans thats burned us before
its also odd that increased cancer was seen only in male rats and not in female rats do we believe that females are protected from cellphone radiation
oddly the male rats in the control group lived much shorter lives than expected do we believe that cellphone radiation exposure makes rats live longer the rate of cancer in the exposed rats was actually in line with what youd expect in rats in general its the controls that had oddly low rates of cancer do we believe that the control rats were somehow cured of cancer
the answer to all of these questions is of course no but headlines blaring those results would be just as valid as those we saw last week
the shortened life span in the control rats is a real problem too if it turns out that these cancers develop later in life then their dying early could be responsible for all the significant results of the study
given the small number of rats in the study the many comparisons done and the low rates of cancer overall we have to be concerned with the validity of the results when youre designing research you need to make sure that you have enough of a sample so that you dont get a negative result when there really is a difference a false negative or a positive result when there really is no difference a false positive this study is likely to have a high false discovery rate or an increased risk of being a false positive
you cant cherry pick in science as ive discussed before if you want to own the positive result seen in males you have to own the protection being female seems to confer you have to own that the control rats were somehow magically without cancer you have to own that cellphone exposure increases life span or you can admit that none of these results are especially convincing
but too often the news media latch onto one finding while ignoring others too often this finding is the one thats most frightening or scariest its certainly the one that seems most likely to get attention
no study can be judged in isolation in this case taking the results from one arguably imperfect rat study while ignoring others makes no sense when it comes to cellphones and cancer a great deal of research already exists
most of that work is what we call case control studies to do a study like that youd find a group of people with brain tumors cases and a group of similar people without brain tumors controls then youd get data on them like do you use a cellphone to see if differences exist between them
studies like this though are susceptible to what we call recall bias this is where people who have had something bad happen to them are more likely to think hard and remember things like using a cellphone than people who have not better designed studies including cohort studies have not shown a link between cellphones and cancer
many organizations such as the american cancer society the national institute of environmental health sciences the food and drug administration the centers for disease control and prevention the federal communications commission and the european commission scientific committee on emerging and newly identified health risks have reviewed the collected research   there is a lot   and found insufficient evidence for a link
no new study can be viewed in a vacuum it must be added to what is already known given such a large body of studies you cant take one small rat study and say that its a game changer its nearly impossible for any such study to overcome all that has come before
this is especially true because of publication bias its probably much more likely that youll get a new study published if you find a link between cellphones and cancer than if you dont
theres a media bias too when published studies have negative results you often dont hear about them when results are positive especially if they are frightening theyre talked about as if theyre definitive
one more point all research should be hypothesis driven and make sense in the real world cellphones are unbelievably common more than 90 percent of people in the united states use one regularly if they caused brain cancer in even a small percentage of users wed see an increase in its incidence since the late 1980s however the incidence of brain cancer in the united states has been decreasing
faced with such real world evidence anyone should be skeptical about arguments that one causes the other
when a new study is published it must be thoroughly vetted to see how robust its results are it must be evaluated in light of all other research that exists it must be considered alongside real world data to ensure that it makes sense thats how we need to think   and report   about new research


one lifelong reader examines modern headlines
in the mid 90s i was in my early 20s and living on the upper west side down the block was a laundromat where id sit and read old magazines while my clothes spun one day i found three back issues of vogue italia i flipped through the copies seeing the work of mats gustafson steven meisel roxanne lowit bruce weber and anna piaggi for the first time despite not being able to read a word i felt like id fallen under some spell or entered some chilly and glamorous portal i folded my laundry and took the three copies home with me from that day whenever i could afford to buy them id buy italian vogues over american and british fashion magazines id been seduced by fashion magazines before my mothers copy of vogue from june 1988 was formative and still inspires the clothing i buy i contributed to elle w nylon vogues us and uk i married a conde nast editor my immersion in womens magazines was consistent then one day i stopped looking at them i had a baby i worked on some journalism that didnt involve consuming or recommending things i spent nine months reading about victorian naval history i co wrote a book about how women really decide on what to wear i got really busy got depressed got a new apartment then finally i got a pedicure as i sat in the undulating chair i flipped though some glossies
it was like a hit of a long kicked drug like tasting a banana popsicle after the winter like bumping into an old flame in my flip flops my toenails tom ford scarlet chinois i walked to the nearest magazine stand and bought my favorite old american and british monthlies at home i spread them on the couch my daughter toddled over lets look at pictures i said as she climbed onto my lap the pages still delivered image wise crackling photography beautiful styling even a little racial diversity if not other forms but the words  the grammar was bad the messages completely contradictory condescending or self loathing the writing mostly mediocre i was sad i felt like my old friends had gone a bit batty a bit shrill they were trying too hard talking too much and making no sense i wished like my daughter that i could just look at the pictures one line referred opaquely to the mingled emotions of beauty and style i considered the emotions that beauty inspires images make emotional sense that words cant i thought back to those old italian vogues i loved the illustrations the photography the inclusion of fine art curated by mariuccia casadio and grimy french movie stills i didnt need to know what the articles were about or what advice they were offering fashion magazines are best read in a foreign language where emotions can mingle and reason cant


after chanel in havana louis vuitton in rio de janeiro tis the season of cruise show controversy
after all brazil is a land fighting an epidemic zika experiencing a maybemaybe not presidential impeachment and economic malaise and it is under pressure for its handling of the upcoming summer olympics is it really the place for a no holds barred haute european fashion show as vuitton held last weekend in the shadow of the oscar niemeyer designed niteroi contemporary art museum
vuitton said yes becoming the first european brand to bring its catwalk to the country and it arrived with its eyes open and its arguments mustered
brazil is among vuittons 10 biggest markets on the same scale as france germany and russia vuitton has had a bricks and mortar presence in the country since 1989 we have been investing in brazil for the long term said michael burke its chief executive who added that rio was far away from the site of the zika outbreak we are not going to drop everything and run at the first sign of crisis
still conceded the brands artistic director nicolas ghesquiere its executives had discussed the possibility of moving the show but when things are bad he said is exactly when you want to show your support and for a fashion brand the biggest loudest way to do that is to have a show that is live streamed around the world employs a few thousand local workers for two weeks and entertains approximately 500 guests including 300 clients from about 25 countries about half of whom the house brought over the rest were either local residents or flew in on their own planes
there were also celebrities like alicia vikander catherine deneuve jaden smith and zendaya and they were treated not just to the show but to a helicopter ride stand up paddle boarding and a tour of local modernist architecture among other expeditions because when you are asking people to travel so far you have to throw in some more sweeteners vuitton is also underwriting four exhibitions coming to the niteroi so in some ways the 20 minutes of runway styles was just the beginning
and as far as those 20 minutes went they were a streamlined and uncompromising river of bright colors and sporty references scuba soccer sailing body conscious cutaways ruffles and leather there were dresses cut short at the front and swirling long tails at the back paper thin leather tunics over skinny moto trousers graphic layers of contemporary art references and lkds   little khaki dresses   sliced and diced like a less sparkly version of the vuitton frock taylor swift wore to the met gala the rib cage and the upper abs were the featured erogenous zone
it is tropical and urban at the same time mr ghesquiere said by telephone before the show i had to pay tribute to the country we are in but also bring some of paris with me
in this mr ghesquieres third resort offering was a natural extension of recent runway shows that have happily moved vuitton away from the designers original strategy of wardrobing   a fancy word for the kind of basics that form the skeleton of a wardrobe   and into the realm of real fashion riskier but also potentially more desirable
this was certainly true of the kaleidoscopic deconstructed surfer dresses though its hard to imagine there are many women out there who want a print of soccer players kicking away on their cocktail dresses though i could be wrong
i wasnt admittedly there but watching the livestream on my computer thus i did not feel the embrace of the local population that some attendees reports indicated but maybe my viewing arrangement provided some literal long range perspective
when mr ghesquiere noted that the museum was across the road from a favela and the people who lived in the slum would be able to see the show from a stairway and their balconies it was hard not to grimace after all they were not among the invitees and they would not be able to buy what they saw
but they can dream about it mr burke argued we give them that dream and one day they will be able to buy it
in the end its that measure that has proved these sorts of risks are worth the effort according to mr burke the main fashion week has become so intense it is virtually impossible to hear yourself think its a circus these cruise shows hark back to the 50s and 60s world of couture when clients began a relationship with a designer that could last a lifetime
he said most of the clients the house brings to cruise shows immediately order pieces from the collection so vuitton not only knows what pieces will be most popular but the clients also act as influencers once they go back home each reaching 50 to 100 friendspotential clients who might go into a vuitton store and order too
all of which means the inflation of the cruise season is not going to end any time soon indeed mr ghesquiere said as much noting that after last years cruise show in palm springs calif at the modernist bob and dolores hope estate he realized the engine of his cruise shows could be powered by traveling for architecture to that end asia is still wide open   weve never done a show in asia he noted and pressure is on for each show to be more spectacular and memorable than the last in a more memorable venue adding to the potential for still more controversies
to wit this week gucci is to hold its cruise show in the cloisters of westminster abbey in london the resting place of geoffrey chaucer isaac newton and lewis carroll among others as well as the site of royal coronations and weddings though the show is not taking place in the church itself which is not available for events the rev peter owen jones the vicar of firle glynde and beddingham west sussex recently told the telegraph newspaper that allowing a fashion brand into the building was like selling our soul for a pair of trousers
and so it continues ...


london   think the fairy tale of leicester city could not be beaten this year
just weeks after the end of a premier league season where the leicester foxes outran the rich and powerful to win englands top league for the first time in their 132 year history there came another compelling underdog story afc wimbledon which was founded only 14 years ago won promotion to the third tier of english soccer on monday
suddenly there is not one but two potential hollywood movies about little old england and its obsession with soccer among the 57956 who watched wimbledon beat plymouth argyle 2 0 at wembley stadium on monday to gain promotion was john green the american author whose book the fault in our stars was turned into a low budget movie estimated to have grossed more than 300 million worldwide
green knows a great story when he sees one and he grasps the difference between sports in the united states   where franchises relocate without a second thought when a better opportunity arises   and england where that has been attempted only once in soccer armed with that knowledge he is planning a film about afc wimbledon and its incredible rise up the english soccer pyramid
wimbledon is the story of a team that wouldnt die it was 14 years ago when the football association allowed the financially struggling wimbledon fc to move 56 miles north from its base in west london and be reborn as the milton keynes dons
on may 30 2002 two days after the move was allowed a group of die hard wimbledon supporters called on their community to form a new club to replace it afc wimbledon
a month later some 230 would be players for the new team turned up for public tryouts in a park next to wimbledon common out of that came a team that has ascended from the equivalent of sunday league soccer to the third tier of the professional leagues   in all six promotions in 13 seasons
after the original dons left their stadium plough lane was bulldozed to make room for apartment blocks afc wimbledon now shares a stadium with another club in kingston upon thames west of wimbledon but its fans want their own stadium to be built on a greyhound track close to the original
on monday afc wimbledon was playing in wembley stadium that was where wimbledon fc with a squad known as the crazy gang defeated liverpool to win the fa cup in 1988
neal ardley was a 16 year old academy player for wimbledon fc then and he later played for them for 11 seasons now he is afc wimbledons manager and on monday he told green that you have to include us now in his movie about the club
to pull this off to stand in front of 25000 people who 14 years ago had their club ripped away from them and to finish it off winning here   you can write anything you want it doesnt come any better he told reporters
ardley is a workaholic manager driven by the spirit of lazarus chairmen come and go stadiums get built everything can change ardley said at a news conference before the game what stays constant is fans these fans were there in the 1960s and the 1970s and they are still there now
they have followed a fan owned club that simply wants   and demands   the right to run against the rest
wimbledon isnt yet in leicesters league at least when it comes to the quality it faces the third tier league one is very far from the premier league whose games are televised worldwide and whose clubs are among the most valuable on earth
but it does play the same game as leicester with a similar daring attitude
afc wimbledons goals on monday were scored by players who between them have moved more than two dozen times in their careers as they searched for a permanent home for their talents
lyle taylor 26 needed some loving   at least thats what his teammates said   to turn his speed into something more than sporadic promise he scored the first goal after 78 minutes then 10 minutes into stoppage time adebayo akinfenwa playing what he expected to be his last wimbledon game finished the scoring with a penalty kick
big is an understatement when it comes to akinfenwa akinfenwa a 34 year old londoner who had to journey to lithuania to get his first start as a pro soccer player is a gym freak who is built like an ox
he is 5 feet 11 but definitely the widest soccer player around as broad as the proverbial barn door tipping the scales at about 220 pounds
when the chance for the penalty shot came up akinfenwa muscled the ball from another player and slammed the penalty shot out of the reach of plymouths goalkeeper
it was bad of me but im bigger than the other guy akinfenwa said later hey im technically unemployed in the morning there aint no better way to sign off thats what all that work in the gymnasium is about
you sense he is auditioning for a part in the movie next season as it happens afc wimbledon will meet milton keynes dons the club that stole its identity on level terms because the dons have just been relegated to league one
the script writes itself


cameras in cellphones werent the only breakthrough hybrid of 2003 its also the year that montgomery knott reinvented dinner theater by bringing together video art and haute cuisine in his then underground event space monkey town after he saw an immersive installation of christian marclay projections at paula cooper gallery in chelsea knott drew a simple square on an in flight cocktail napkin en route to san francisco that square eventually became the basis for monkey town four movie screens cocooning a private loft in east williamsburg within which sat four long tables catered by michelin starred chefs moonlighting at the space from around the city i just thought it would be cool to construct narratives on multiple screens knott recalls but the concept of an audience facing each other watching things in front of them while others watch things behind them was much more powerful than i ever imagined
the unique experience caught on and by 2005 monkey town was a brick and mortar business on the rapidly developing williamsburg waterfront but perhaps predictably after five years in the shadows of multiplying luxury high rises the project shuttered since 2013 knott has taken the show on the road the first stint was a summer engagement in manhattan at the media art center eyebeam then based in chelsea now in gowanus followed by a five month run in denver in 2014 a three month pop up in barcelona in 2015 and a four month residency in austin that concluded in february
where next la is having a moment knott says echoing a sentiment that is by now quite familiar the weirdo melting pot dream thrives here in a very messy american way today monkey town 8 opens in a 10000 square foot warehouse in downtown los angeles   in the middle of nowhere but close to everything knott says the alabama born momofuku alum nick montgomery has designed four  and five course seasonal menus to complement the program of videos by artists like shana moulton johanna billing and takeshi murata plus special weekly performances by various artists and musicians meals and screenings take place in a raw space with 22 foot ceilings while preshow receptions are relegated to a former office knott describes as someones genius combination of wood paneling vintage wallpaper and generic ceiling tiles were leaving a lot as is and just embellishing around the edges
after september knott intends to concentrate on personal projects an album a book a movie after 13 years he promises that this is the final chapter of the story with one caveat if i fail the world may yet get another monkey town probably somewhere on the west coast so maybe in three years maybe 30 years there will be another cube and by then everyone will look at vr headsets like they were segways


in this episode of modern love the podcast the actress maria bello coyote ugly a history of violence er reads her own modern love essay coming out as a modern family
you can also hear the episode on itunes and stitcher
after hear ms bello talk about how shes doing now whomever i love she wrote however i love them whether they sleep in my bed or not or whether i do homework with them or share a child with them love is love and i love our modern family
follow ms bello on twitter instagram or facebook


the origin story behind the british pajama brand desmond  dempsey is romantic comedy cute its founders molly goddard and joel jeffery shes a charming loopy australian hes a composed soft spoken brit met in a canadian ski town and fell in love long distance when goddard made the move to london she brought her collection of frilly little nighties with her but soon switched to wearing jefferys button ups around the house for the sake of modesty around his flatmates   a practice that soon became a problem thanks to goddards self professed clumsiness id wake up and there are breakfast stains all over them and i was like molly i have to wear this to work jeffery says of those shirts
and joels like proper english never spills anything goddard rejoins with an infectious giggle and one day he was like i know you moved all the way over here and its really nice but you have to get your own pajamas they went out in search of a pair that fit her specifications   light breathable cotton in a cut inspired by mens wear but tailored for a woman   and came up short theres so many silk brands and i was like theyre beautiful but you cant wash them goddard says sorry thats not going to work
so they made their own starting with their first hundred sets in sept 2014 under the moniker desmond  dempsey which comes from their grandfathers names gray and navy styles feature smart white piping my grandma taught me that when you iron it and you shake it out the piping holds the structure of the garment goddard says while pineapple and botanical prints were hand painted by jefferys brother a graphic designer for adidas interest soon came in from stockists including fortnum  mason in london and bergdorf goodman in new york
florence has long been a site of special significance for goddard and jeffery   they rendezvoused there early on in their courtship   and last summer a trip there formed the basis for desmond  dempseys springsummer 2016 line called dolce far niente they had stumbled on a youtube video about alberto cozzi a century old fourth generation bookbinding and restoration shop where the original cozzis descendants painstakingly create intricate marbled paper goddard and jeffery made it their mission to learn the cozzi techniques were like schmeasy this should be easy its not goddard says with a laugh you have to make up these layers and the tools that you use you can only hand make you cant buy them anywhere they ended up with six prints in rich vibrant colors which they brought back to their mill in london to translate into pajama sets in both trouser and shorts styles
that work life balance thing   i get that we need to one day learn to separate it goddard says then pauses and giggles again someday but being able to go to florence and do that you couldnt really come home and tell your boyfriend oh hey i did this amazing thing to that end the inspiration for desmond  dempseys next venture again derives from real life necessity its a bridal collection called august which happens to be the month the two are getting married when the topic comes up jeffery looks at goddard weve got a lot to do havent we


yesterday dior beautys creative director peter philips wanted to juxtapose the richness of the 2017 cruise show show with a graphic beauty look in this historically rich venue we didnt want the girls to look like they were visiting a museum he said referring to blenheim palace a sweeping 18th century home just outside of london the clothes   shown in the palaces famously long library which houses 10000 books and portraits by joshua reynolds and john singer sargent   didnt shy away from opulence either the collection is very elaborate so we wanted to do something on the face that was calm and linear to balance it out he applied a dark reddish chocolate eye shadow from the dior 5 couleurs skyline edition ndeg506 parisian sky palette and packed it up to the eyebrows the brown shadow was a nod to the collection which featured the same tone
he kept the skin radiant and glowing with diorskin forever foundation and sculpted the face with diorblush light  contour sculpting stick duo keeping the edges soft by blending it into the foundation i wanted beautiful glowy skin and intense dark eyes he said lips were kept natural with just a hint of sheen we wanted to do something really graphic on top then it stops and becomes natural
and in a well timed move it was announced yesterday morning that the model bella hadid who walked in the show had been appointed the new ambassador of dior beauty what i like about bella isnt only that shes a gorgeous girl but when you look at her she has this diva attitude on the red carpet philips said of hadid but at the same time she has this spontaneity with social media that doesnt look forced give david beckham a football and its the same as what she does with social media it comes natural   its a talent
in keeping with that idea the hairstylist guido palau slicked the hair back on top with redken hardware gel and then let it fall naturally as it was a resort collection we decided the girls should look like they just combed their hair back after a shower or swim he said its a little masculine but in a very elegant way


since launching in 2014 the springs in los angeles has become a destination for wellness enthusiasts seeking yoga classes detoxifying body treatments read fire cupping and green juices all integrated under one roof recently the downtown studio transformed its on site restaurant moving away from strictly raw vegan food toward a more plentiful array of plant based seasonal cuisine the executive chef spearheading this change is jasmine shimoda formerly of jasmines at happy ending degustation and the john dory in new york city having grown up in santa barbara shimoda was eager to get back to her cali roots after cooking in a lot of crazy tiny kitchens in new york i wanted to return to this area and move more into health and wellness she says so this just felt organic right away
the restaurant is slated to open june 13 and will serve breakfast and lunch while shimoda is still tinkering with the menu she says it will feature a variety of toasts on seed and nut breads all gluten free sandwiches such as the pastrami cured beet reuben with a turmeric emulsion celery and dill its a big experience with lots of spices and textures she says and buckwheat waffles with house made raw nutella strawberries and smoked maple syrup shimoda who grew up in a vegetarian and macrobiotic household is also striving for a zero waste kitchen i want to feature a bowl with all perfectly imperfect vegetables that purveyors cant sell because theyre not pretty enough to go whole foods but theyre still delicious and organic she says
since heading out west shimoda has quickly embraced las clean living culture i was trying to get away from the crazy toxic lifestyle of working in restaurants in new york she admits a dedicated yogi she now practices every day before i would smoke a cigarette and have a shot after work shimoda says these days she hits chris reeds 530 pm power flow class i just take off my apron and walk over she laughs to fuel her own practice shimoda turns to foods that are stimulating and energizing but also grounding here the chef shares with t her personal recipes for what to brew and eat pre  and post yoga
i like to make a coffee that gives me energy but without any jitters in this recipe the reishi mushrooms lend that bitter coffee profile while the rehmannia root adds the very dark color to the coffee the astragalus acts as a natural sweetener but is traditionally used in chinese medicine as a chi builder
1 medium sized organic reishi mushroom or 5 6 dried slices 2 pieces of rehmannia root 3 4 slices of astragalus 6 cups of filtered water
1 place all the ingredients in a medium sized non reactive pot and bring to a low boil then turn down the heat to a gentle simmer and continue to cook for 10 to 15 minutes depending on how strong you want your coffee
2 then pour through a fine mesh strainer and into a mug i like to drink this black to feel the full energizing effects but if i want a treat ill add a glug of coconut creamer
after yoga im usually starving and craving something grounding satisfying and easy to digest i call this recipe sweet life and i love the combination of sweet potato smoky black beans fluffy quinoa leafy greens and creamy tahini
1 sweet potato 1 can organic black beans sea salt to taste ground cumin to taste cayenne to taste garlic powder to taste greens such as mustard greens swiss chard or kale enough to fill a bowl 1 spoonful steamed cooked quinoa 1 to 2 tablespoons tahini sauce either store bought or homemade a handful of curried cashews
1 scrub your sweet potato well and place it on a cooking tray or pan roast it naked in an oven set at 375 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes depending the size of the potato while thats roasting warm up your beans and season to taste with salt ground cumin cayenne and garlic powder
2 next boil four cups of water wash your greens in a colander pour the boiling water directly over your greens this is a quick easy and healthful way of cooking leafy greens
3 remove your sweet potato and place it in a bowl cut open the top and let the steam release a bit sprinkle with sea salt place your spiced beans and quinoa alongside the potato then place a heap of greens in the middle of your bowl top with tahini sauce and curried cashews sit down enjoy a moment of gratitude then dig in


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good morning i was down in houston recently to hone my enchilada skills in advance of writing an article for todays food section of the times about the joys of making them at home as one pan family meals my recipes are authentic insofar as they adhere to the precepts of the spanish verb that gives the dish its name   enchilar to season with chiles   but i doubt diana kennedy or any other dons of mexican cuisine would approve theyre tex mex ish by way of the precepts of the american casserole theyre delicious
so why not give one a try this week i have a recipe for enchiladas verdes that you can make with leftover roast chicken or one bought from the supermarket and shredded enrobed in a simple green salsa of tomatillos and cilantro with queso fresco theres a recipe for enchiladas con carne as well that sees the tortillas filled and topped with a simple skillet chili and plenty of melted cheese at first blush it seems like a project maybe it is the first time you make it but after two times its a terrific weeknight family meal
and for those who seek side dishes or a meatless variety of main there is a recipe for cheese enchiladas with chili gravy that can accompany a bowl of rice and a vat of beans or serve as a base for fried eggs youll notice perhaps with antipathy that i use a combination of processed american cheese and cheddar to fill and top the dish its a technique i picked up from the tex mex scholar and houston restaurateur robb walsh who defends it heartily for how it provides superior meltability while anchoring the dish in the cultural history of south texas time was there was a lot of government cheese circulating down there it plays a role in the cuisine not dissimilar to the one spam plays in korean and hawaiian cooking dont knock it until you try it
speaking of take a look at margaux laskeys smart review of julia reeds new cookbook julia reeds south spirited entertaining and high style fun all year long with it comes a terrific recipe for ms reeds chess pie squares which margaux calls unapologetic in their simplicity and southern ness equally at home on a picnic blanket or a monogrammed silver platter if enchiladas arent your game maybe you could order in some takeout and make the squares instead of cooking dinner then take them to work in the morning
now some come to this newsletter on wednesdays looking not for a proper recipe but for a narrative one a suggestion of what to cook unencumbered by weights measures and firm instruction for them for you lets have some mussels with tomatoes and chorizo saute some cubed chorizo in olive oil and when it starts to crisp add a few handfuls of halved cherry tomatoes and a few cloves of chopped garlic let the tomatoes blister in the fat then add a bag of scrubbed and de bearded mussels and a glass of white wine cover and allow the mussels to steam open then garnish with chopped parsley and serve with plenty of toast
actual recipes to cook tonight and later this week are on cooking as ever scroll through them and save the ones you like to your recipe box then cook them and when youre done give them a rating or append a note to them if you have a substitution or emendation and as always if you run into problems please reach out for help were at cookingcarenytimescom
finally can i recommend the second season of bloodline on netflix nope ive watched only the first episode and it left me feeling queasy and panicked as if id done something awful irredeemable wicked its hard enough living in new york city as it is better call saul enjoy your dinner


front page
an article on saturday about a new study of african american genetic diversity misstated the number of africans brought to the united states as slaves though a precise figure is not known scholars believe the number to be in the hundreds of thousands not millions
national
an article on saturday about efforts by nasa to inflate a new room for the international space station misidentified the body of water in which spacex has landed four booster stages of rockets on a floating platform it is the atlantic ocean not the pacific
new york
an article in some editions on saturday about the crash of a vintage warplane into the hudson river misstated in some copies albert j parisis title at the army air forces historical association he is its operations manager not its operating officer the article also misidentified in some copies the model of planes he described as being stalwarts of world war ii they were p 47s not p 40s

an article on thursday about plans to close the mount sinai beth israel hospital in manhattan misstated in some editions the number of beds at the hospital using information from its website it is 825 not 856 the error was repeated in a picture caption in some copies
the arts
a dance review on tuesday about the royal ballet in london misstated the surname of a dancer in the invitation one of the works performed she is francesca hayward not howard
weekend
an article on friday about books recommended for summer reading using information from a publicist referred incorrectly to stuart stevenss coming novel the innocent have nothing to fear it is his second novel not his first
science times
an article on tuesday about protecting salamanders in the united states from a deadly fungus misidentified the type of salamander that keeps its gills as adults they are mud puppies not hellbenders
obituaries
an obituary on sunday about the political activist hedy epstein misstated part of the name of an organization for which she worked it was freedom of residence not freedom of resistance
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rancho palos verdes calif   jeff bezos built amazon into an e commerce and computing powerhouse now his ambitions are more sprawling as he takes on ever larger civic and business challenges
those diverse interests were on display on tuesday when mr bezos amazons chief executive spoke onstage at the code technology conference here where he commented on an array of topics including workplace culture privacy and his decision to buy the washington post in 2013
mr bezos said he bought the newspaper because he wanted to make it into a more powerful national   and even global   publication and that the post was well situated to be a watchdog over the leaders of the worlds most powerful country if it had been a financially upside down salty snack food company i would not have bought it he said
the amazon chief also addressed an investigation last summer by the new york times that found the company had a tough workplace culture mr bezos said the article had not made him rethink how amazon treated employees and that the company was the gold standard for pioneering work
he also commented on the tension between privacy and national security calling it the issue of our age and noting that amazon had filed a court brief supporting apple during its recent battle with the federal bureau of investigation over an iphone used by one of the attackers in a shooting in san bernardino calif last december
mr bezos comments come at a time when he and amazon are riding on new highs after a rough patch in which amazons sales fell short of expectations and new products like the fire phone flopped the company is flourishing a bet mr bezos placed on cloud services more than a decade ago has blossomed into a 10 billion a year business leading amazon to the biggest profit in its history in the first quarter of 2016 the echo amazons smart speaker has earned raves from technology reviewers and customers
mr bezos personal profile has also soared with his acquisition of the post under his ownership the newspapers online audience has grown the post reported 30 percent year over year growth in unique digital visitors in april
a couple of weeks ago mr bezos traded shots with the presumptive republican presidential nominee donald j trump who accused mr bezos of dodging corporate taxes and abusing his position as owner of the post to launch personal attacks and to keep lawmakers from scrutinizing amazon
mr bezos said at the time that mr trumps unsubstantiated statements were not an appropriate way for a presidential candidate to behave and that he welcomed scrutiny and criticism of amazon
on tuesday mr bezos reiterated it was not appropriate for mr trump to freeze or chill the media that are examining him
its just a fact that we live in a world where half the population of this planet if you criticize the leader youll go to jail or worse mr bezos said we live in this amazing democracy with amazing freedom of speech and a presidential candidate should embrace that
mr bezos also predicted that global population growth and energy demand would increase pressure to make space more accessible he owns a space exploration start up called blue origin
he predicted that heavy industry would move off the planet and earth will be zoned residential and light industrial


boxings governing body will decide wednesday whether to let professional fighters into the olympic ring beginning with the rio de janeiro games but the international boxing association will also have to answer questions about its drug testing policies when it gathers before an international olympic committee executive meeting in lausanne switzerland
while it is unlikely that the former heavyweight champion wladimir klitschko or top american fighters will compete for gold in rio a decision to allow professional boxers could boost the card for the 2020 tokyo olympics for most professionals it is already too late to take part in a qualifying contest for the rio games the last tournament is in venezuela in july
although the vote is expected to easily pass not all boxers back the new proposal klitschko won a gold medal at atlanta in 1996 and had indicated he would like another try but the former olympic and world heavyweight titleholder lennox lewis said it would be preposterous to let professionals into the same ring as amateurs
boxing has undergone major olympic changes in recent years women were allowed into competition in 2012 and headguards are no longer compulsory
agence france presse
authorities say sacramento kings point guard darren collison was arrested on a charge of domestic violence after deputies responded to a report of a woman being assaulted inside a northern california home the placer county sheriffs office said collison was arrested monday after deputies found the woman injured he was freed hours after his arrest on 55000 bail
liberty lose third straight maya moore scored 25 points as the minnesota lynx remained unbeaten with a 79 69 win over the liberty the lynx 6 0 built a 23 point lead in the second half before the liberty 2 3 staged a rally
tina charles who entered the game leading the wnba in scoring and rebounding had 23 points and 11 boards for the liberty who have dropped three straight games in the regular season for the first time since 2014
maya was great in the first quarter and we knew they were going to try and deliver the first punch charles said
colorado rockies manager walt weiss said shortstop jose reyes would report to class aaa albuquerque for an injury rehabilitation assignment on wednesday the day after reyes was to complete his 59 game suspension for violating major league baseballs domestic violence policy
reyes a former all star with the mets did not participate in spring training and was suspended through may 31 after being charged with domestic violence for an altercation with his wife in hawaii last october
around the majors mookie betts hit a career high three home runs for the visiting boston red sox in a 6 2 victory over the baltimore orioles seth smith hit two home runs and adam lind and kyle seager hit three run homers as the host seattle mariners pummeled the san diego padres 16 4 san diegos christian bethancourt became the fifth player in major league history to play catcher left field and second base and pitch in the same game george springer finished a triple shy of the cycle and had four rbi to lift the visiting houston astros to an 8 5 victory over the arizona diamondbacks jake peavy and four relievers threw a combined one hitter as the visiting san francisco giants beat the atlanta braves 4 0
new england patriots quarterback tom brady has added more high profile legal power to his deflategate appeal the afl cio filed a friend of the court brief asking the united states court of appeals for the second circuit to reconsider a decision by a three judge panel in april
brady was suspended four games for what the nfl said was a scheme to use improperly inflated footballs in the 2015 afc championship game commissioner roger goodell rejected his initial appeal and brady appealed to the federal courts in its brief the afl cio said goodell acted arbitrarily as an employer seeking to justify his own disciplinary decision rather than as a neutral arbitrator considering an appeal
south carolina loses linebacker south carolina linebacker skai moore the teams leading tackler the last three years will miss the season because of a herniated disk in his neck
ken hitchcock signed another one year deal to coach the st louis blues and said it would be his last season he will be entering his sixth season with the blues and his 20th season as a head coach the blues are coming off their first appearance in the western conference finals since 2001 ending a string of three straight first round playoff exits
the golden state warriors game 7 win to complete a comeback in the western conference finals drew the largest television audience for an nba game on cable the 96 88 victory over the oklahoma city thunder on monday averaged 159 million viewers   more than several recent nba finals games it was the most watched telecast in tnts 28 year history the network said
football changes at cbs verne lundquist will call one more season of southeastern conference football for cbs before brad nessler takes over the sports highest rated tv package lundquist will still announce college basketball and golf including the ncaa tournament and the masters


washington   the death rate in the united states rose last year for the first time in a decade preliminary federal data show a rare increase that was driven in part by more people dying from drug overdoses suicide and alzheimers disease the death rate from heart disease long in decline edged up slightly
death rates   measured as the number of deaths per 100000 people   have been declining for years an effect of improvements in health disease management and medical technology
while recent research has documented sharp rises in death rates among certain groups   in particular less educated whites who have been hardest hit by the prescription drug epidemic   increases for the entire population are relatively rare
federal researchers cautioned that it was too early to tell whether the rising mortality among whites had pushed up the overall national death rate preliminary data is not broken down by race and final data will not be out until later this year but they said the rise was real and while it is premature to ring an alarm now if it continues it could be a signal of distress in the health of the nation
its an uptick in mortality and that doesnt usually happen so its significant said robert anderson the chief of mortality statistics at the national center for health statistics part of the centers for disease control and prevention but the question is what does it mean we really need more data to know if we start looking at 2016 and we see another rise well be a lot more concerned
the death rate rose to 7295 deaths per 100000 people in 2015 up from 7232 in 2014 according to the national center for health statistics it was one of the few times in the past 25 years that the rate has increased a bad flu season pushed it up in 2005 and aids and the flu contributed to a sharp increase in 1993 in 1999 there was a tiny increase
experts said the current rise was surprising
we are not accustomed to seeing death rates increase on a national scale said andrew fenelon a researcher at the cdc who did not work on the paper weve seen increases in mortality for some groups but it is quite rare to see it for the whole population
he added that it would drag the united states further behind its european peers many countries in europe are witnessing declines in mortality so the gap between the us and other countries is growing
others said the finding seemed to fit the broader pattern of rising mortality among working class whites a trend that has drawn significant attention recently last year a paper by anne case and angus deaton documented rising death rates among middle age white americans particularly those with no more than a high school education other research has found rising rates among younger whites
this is probably heavily influenced by whites said sam harper an epidemiologist at mcgill university in montreal it does sort of fit together
chronic diseases like cancer and heart disease take by far the most american lives far more for example than suicide or homicide so any change in such causes can have a big effect on the final numbers dr anderson pointed out that the death rate from heart disease which had been declining for decades   and offsetting the rises in drug deaths for example   flattened that gives other causes of death more of an influence dr anderson said as they are no longer being offset by declines from heart disease
the death rate from heart disease stood at 1671 in 2015 up from 1667 in 2014 though the rise was not statistically significant it was the first time since 1993 that the rate did not decline dr anderson said
the death rate from suicides rose to 131 in the third quarter of 2015 from 127 in the same quarter of 2014 the last quarter of 2015 data was not yet available for suicides
the same was true for drug overdoses whose data the report had for only the first two quarters of 2015 the death rate for overdoses rose to 152 in the second quarter of 2015 compared with 141 in the same quarter of 2014 the rate for so called unintentional injuries which include drug overdoses and car accidents rose to 42 in the third quarter of 2015 up from 399 in the same quarter of 2014
the rate for alzheimers disease was also up rising to 292 in 2015 compared with 254 in 2014 the continuation of some years of increases dr anderson said that part of the rise was more precise reporting of alzheimers on death certificates but that overall dementia related deaths had increased over time


sandestin fla   years ago when he first began chasing down high school football players in small towns across the midwest bret bielema quickly learned one undeniable fact in the seedy and often controversial world of recruiting
you recruit your own problems
hasnt changed since i first started in the 1990s bielema said
he was a 20 something assistant at iowa then and now he is a 40 something head coach at arkansas the only difference in recruiting over the last two decades is the rules that apply for one high powered conference change is coming and its not just in football it will apply to all sports and to both men and women
this week the southeastern conference is expected to approve rules that would prohibit players with a history of sexual assault stalking or interpersonal violence from transfering to any of its 14 member universities
we set the standard last year and others have followed sec commissioner greg sankey said tuesday after the first day of the leagues annual spring meetings our policies will become more clear this week well see if they continue to follow
last year the sec approved a rule that prohibited its members from accepting transfers   any player that was not a freshman signee   who had been disciplined by previous schools for serious misconduct the definition of serious misconduct was sexual assault domestic violence or other forms of sexual violence
now on the heels of the sexual assault revelations at baylor and how it mishandled off field allegations of sexual violence college sports most powerful conference wants to expand last years language to cover a majority of offenses involving violence and stalking
the conference will also have a standardized set of questions that each member university must use before accepting a transfer if a players behavior results in an expullsion from another university that player will not be accepted into the sec
one big difference this spring from last year is that there is unanimous agreement on the changes from the conferences 14 head football coaches
its a good thing a smart thing florida coach jim mcelwain said its the right thing to do
georgia introduced the serious misconduct legislation at last years sec spring meetings after jonathan taylor was signed by alabama a year after he was charged with sexual assault and kicked off georgias football team less than two months after signing with the tide taylor was kicked off the team after he was accused of domestic violence
later that summer sankey built a committee one that included student athletes to expand on the concept of serious misconduct for transfers
some coaches in the conference   including south carolinas will muschamp   would like to see the misconduct rule extended to freshmen muschamp has a history of dealing with poor player behavior when he replaced urban meyer at florida in 2011 the program was littered with cases of bad player behavior and drug problems thirty players had been arrested in the previous six years
he cleaned up the program changed the culture and won 11 games in his second season but was fired after his fourth season when he could not consistently produce a winning team
when asked if he would support stronger player behavior rules   including an initial clearinghouse much like the ncaas academic clearinghouse for all incoming freshmen   muschamp said thats going to be a lot of work for somebody but i wouldnt be against it
alabama coach nick saban said his team used a list of 13 specific questions his assistant coaches must ask those closely involved with a potential student athlete
but many of those closest to players   guidance counselors principals parents coaches   want the players to earn scholarships you dont know if youre getting the truth saban said we do the best we can its not the perfect circumstances
a few months after taylor was kicked off the alabama team he resurfaced at southeastern louisiana where he is on the 2016 roster
there are always second chances out there muschamp said


a 15 year old girl was fatally shot on tuesday night in a brooklyn apartment building the police said
officers responding to a report of gunfire around 6 pm at 1406 brooklyn avenue entered apartment 6g and found the teenager who was semiconscious
she had been shot twice but had three gunshot wounds the police said she was shot in the upper left arm and the upper right arm with that shot also striking under her arm
she was taken to kings county hospital center where she was pronounced dead the police said no arrests had been made and the girls identity was being withheld pending notification of her family


a baby girl delivered on tuesday at a new jersey hospital was born with the zika virus the mosquito borne disease that can cause unusually small heads and brain damage in newborns a doctor said
the mother 31 was believed to have contracted the virus in honduras her home country said the doctor manny alvarez chairman of the department of obstetrics gynecology and reproductive science at hackensack university medical center
dr alvarez said the woman knew before coming to visit relatives in new jersey that based on blood test results she had the virus he said scans on friday showed the girl was underweight for her gestational age and doctors did not want to risk further exposure to the virus so they delivered the baby the womans second child by cesarean section on tuesday
dr alvarez said the baby had severe microcephaly an unusually small head often accompanied by brain damage which is characteristic of the virus he added that to his knowledge it was the first baby in the northeast to be born with zika
a baby born in january in hawaii had the first case of brain damage linked to the virus in the united states health officials said a woman in connecticut who traveled to central america and became pregnant while she was there has been found to have the virus officials said
it tells you that zika is real dr alvarez said there is still a lot of work to be done insofar as controlling this virus


mets pitcher noah syndergaard played the role of vigilante on saturday throwing behind los angeles dodgers second baseman chase utley with his 34th pitch of the game for his action he was ejected
mets manager terry collins did not seem to mind the act much but realizing that syndergaard his prized starter came well short of a days work collins used him as a relief pitcher during tuesday nights 6 4 loss to the chicago white sox at citi field
syndergaards scheduled routine maintenance went swimmingly however he threw a scoreless seventh inning punctuated by a swinging strikeout of todd frazier the major league home run leader with a 92 mile per hour changeup the pitch ended the inning and held the mets lead at 4 3
but after syndergaard left the white sox roughed up hansel robles for three runs in the eighth inning with the key damage a two run homer by tyler saladino
its pretty obvious collins said of robless trouble command of his fastball hes just got to make better pitches
steven matz stifled the white sox for five scoreless innings but he was tagged for three runs in the sixth the mets had built an early advantage by putting a run on the board in the first and second innings in the third neil walker homered for the second straight game floating a ball over the right field wall to bring in michael conforto spotting matz a 4 0 lead
when syndergaard entered in the seventh inning the home crowd rose to its feet he opened by unfurling a 100 mph fastball to the leadoff hitter adam eaton before eventually striking him out with the same pitch mets fans again rose to salute syndergaard after he retired frazier
the way i wanted it was for us to be up 8 0 and him pitching the ninth collins said of syndergaard
it would prove to be the last moment of joy in a game that whizzed past the mets as fast as syndergaards fastball behind utleys back


toronto   when red sox pitcher pedro martinez wearing the wan look of defeat after back to back poundings by the yankees acknowledged in september 2004 that there was little else he could do except tip my hat and call the yankees my daddy it was the rare instance of a professional athlete throwing up his hands in public
whether it was exasperation or capitulation   or perhaps some cleverly manufactured inspiration   martinezs moment of submission was a fleeting one a month later he came on in relief on two days rest at yankee stadium in the clinching game of the red sox comeback from a three games to none deficit in the american league championship series
which is a way of suggesting that perhaps the yankees should acknowledge what is becoming increasingly obvious this season   that the toronto blue jays hold their parenting rights
since the start of last season the blue jays have won 19 of 27 meetings between the teams including their 4 1 victory on tuesday night
the blue jays essentially won the american league east last year by dominating the yankees winning 13 of the 19 meetings   including nine of 13 played during the final eight weeks of the season when the blue jays blew past the yankees to win by six games
the blue jays may still be searching for their footing   they are five games behind boston while the yankees are seven and a half back   but they have not forgotten how to handle the yankees their win was their sixth in eight games against them this season
manager joe girardi benched the struggling alex rodriguez who was hitless in 14 career at bats against blue jays starter j a happ and the slumping left fielder brett gardner but those moves proved fruitless as did a critical in game decision to lift c c sabathia after edwin encarnacions leadoff double in the seventh with the score tied 1 1
dellin betances struck out justin smoak who had homered earlier and retired russell martin on a deep fly to left but he walked devon travis and gave up consecutive opposite field singles to kevin pillar and darwin barney for a 4 1 lead pillar and barney also made stellar defensive plays
theyve had our number a little bit third baseman chase headley said for whatever reason theyve been able to get a couple runs and get the big hit when they needed to and we havent
the win ensures that the blue jays will win a fifth consecutive series against the yankees   the first time that has happened since 1993   and have now won eight of their past nine series
you never want to disrespect somebody on the other side by making a generalized comment and them taking it the wrong way said blue jays right fielder jose bautista and i honestly cant say its because of this or because of that
but bautista did say the blue jays success   after so many years of struggles against the yankees especially in new york where they once went two and a half seasons without winning a series   might be in the heads of both teams
it elevates your awareness on things that you can do to attack a team that have worked he said it can elevate your confidence just like if youre losing you can become a little shy or wary of certain situations and maybe even panic
the formula for the yankees has been straightforward they either have to get a shutdown performance or get into the shaky blue jays bullpen in four of their eight wins since the start of last season yankees starters have allowed a total of one run in the other four they have staged late comebacks to win
the yankees tried to steal another win monday in the ninth inning when brian mccann hit a two run homer and they had two cracks to get even with the tying run at the plate
but those late stage rallies may be harder to come by with the blue jays making a deal tuesday for atlanta closer jason grilli
theres been a lot of games that i feel weve had a chance to win if we scored runs girardi said we havent scored a lot of runs against them
the yankees since their run of excellence began 20 years ago have rarely encountered teams that have stymied them for long the most prominent was the los angeles angels whose aggressiveness   in the batters box and on the basepaths especially   seemed to stand up well to the joe torre era yankees
the angels eliminated the yankees from the playoffs in 2002 and 2005 and in 1998 when the yankees won 114 games the angels were the only team that had a winning record against them beating them in six of their 11 games from 1998 through 2008 the angels were the only team in the american league to have a winning record against the yankees
coincidence or not these blue jays have many of the same characteristics as those angels teams athleticism aggressiveness dangerous bats and pitching that is good enough
if there was a point when the blue jays confidence soared it was last august at yankee stadium when they swept a three game series bautista hit a 10th inning homer to win the opener and then david price and marco estrada tossed shutouts
that was a really big series for us pillar said it showed us not only can we compete with them but we can beat them at yankee stadium the yankees always come with that stigma that reputation and theyre going to get everyones best effort even if theyre not quite what they used to be theyre still the yankees
and whos their daddy
were not there yet pillar said with a laugh


lt gov dan patrick on tuesday encouraged the states 1200 school districts to defy the obama administration and ignore a directive calling on schools to allow transgender students to use the bathroom that matches their gender identity last week texas and 10 other states sued the obama administration over the federal recommendation to united states public schools earlier this month mr patrick a republican who has previously said texas is willing to forfeit 10 billion in federal education funding rather than comply said he was sending a letter to all school districts this week emphasizing that the state would support schools that defied the directive transgender students deserve the rights of anyone else he said it does not mean they get to use the girls room if theyre a boy several parents of transgender students criticized his comments you specifically you are endangering my childs life said ann elder the mother of a 10 year old transgender child near houston you have now told everyone in the state of texas it is ok to harass my child also tuesday a federal appeals court said it would not reconsider a three judge panels ruling that a transgender teenager must be allowed to use the boys restroom at a virginia school the united states court of appeals for the fourth circuit denied the gloucester county school boards appeal of a case brought by a student at gloucester high school ap
residents of some rural southeastern texas counties were bracing for more flooding along the brazos river which reached a record crest on tuesday but could swell further with more rain expected in the coming days suburban areas southwest of houston were underwater and hundreds of people were evacuated from their homes before the brazos crested at nearly 54 feet in fort bend county just two years after it had run dry in places because of drought the sky was clear in the affected areas on tuesday but an additional one to three inches of rain that is expected later this week could keep the brazos in major flood stage into the weekend a brazos river authority map showed that all 11 of the reservoirs fed by the river were at 95 to 100 percent capacity the crest on tuesday eclipsed the previous record by three feet and exceeded levels reached in 1994 when extensive flooding caused major damage ap


ankara turkey   a court on tuesday convicted a former miss turkey of insulting president recep tayyip erdogan through social media postings and gave her a 14 month suspended sentence amid deepening concerns that the country is moving toward an increasingly authoritarian form of rule
the court in istanbul found merve buyuksarac 27 guilty of insulting a public official but immediately suspended the sentence on the condition that she does not reoffend within the next five years
her lawyer emre telci said he would file a formal objection to the verdict and appeal her case at the european court of justice in strasbourg france
ms buyuksarac a model who was crowned miss turkey in 2006 was briefly detained last year for sharing a satirical poem on her instagram account in 2014 prosecutors considered it insulting to mr erdogan who was prime minister at the time she has denied insulting him
since becoming president in 2014 mr erdogan has filed nearly 2000 defamation cases under a previously seldom used law that bars insulting the president free speech advocates say the law is being used aggressively to silence and intimidate critics
the trials have targeted journalists academics and even schoolchildren coupled with a crackdown on opposition media and journalists the trials have sounded alarms over the erosion of rights and freedoms in a country that was once seen as a model of muslim democracy
these insult trials are being initiated in series they are being filed automatically mr telci said after the verdict merve was prosecuted for sharing a posting that did not belong to her my client has been convicted for words that do not belong to her
thousands of others also posted the poem which is a satirical adaptation of the turkish national anthem it did not mention mr erdogan by name but alluded to a corruption scandal that is said to have involved his family


tulsa okla   a former volunteer sheriffs deputy in oklahoma who said he mistook his handgun for his stun gun when he fatally shot an unarmed suspect last year was sentenced on tuesday to four years in prison
judge bill musseman gave the deputy robert c bates 74 a wealthy insurance executive the maximum penalty recommended by jurors who last month convicted him of second degree manslaughter
mr bates fatally shot eric c harris on april 2 2015 while working with tulsa county sheriffs deputies during an illegal gun sales sting mr harris who had run from deputies was restrained and unarmed when he was shot
the shooting caught on video led to several investigations the inquiries revealed an internal memo questioning mr batess qualifications and showed that mr bates a close friend of the sheriffs had donated thousands of dollars in cash vehicles and equipment to the sheriffs office
judge musseman said the prison sentence was a legitimate and moral consequence of mr batess actions he said he took into account mr batess failing health and dozens of letters written by members of the community asking for leniency
defense lawyers who said they would appeal argued that methamphetamine found in mr harriss system along with his cardiac health caused his death
but prosecutors said that mr bates who is white was guilty of culpable negligence one deputy testified that mr bates had apparently dozed off minutes before mr harris who was black fled from deputies
after the shooting an outside consultant hired to review the sheriffs department determined that it suffered from a systemwide failure of leadership and supervision and had been in a perceptible decline for more than a decade the reserve deputy program was later suspended
weeks after mr harris was killed an internal sheriffs office memo from 2009 was released by a lawyer for mr harriss family that alleged superiors knew mr bates did not have enough training but pressured others to look the other way because of his relationship with the sheriff and the agency
a grand jury also investigated the department and indicted the longtime sheriff stanley glanz in september accusing him of failing to release the 2009 memo he resigned on nov 1


the mets owners are expected to begin paying by wednesday what they owe the trustee representing the victims of bernard l madoff the former stockbroker who pleaded guilty in 2009 to running a vast ponzi scheme the payments would settle a lawsuit filed against the teams owners by the trustee in 2010
the trustee also granted the owners fred wilpon and saul katz some financial relief by revising the settlement the payment due on or before wednesday was reduced from 233 million to 16 million and the final payment of 45 million will be divided into four annual installments beginning in 2017
according to a statement by the trustee irving h picard wilpon and katz will pay an interest rate of 35 percent on the unpaid balance of the 45 million picard said the interest payments could add at least 22 million to repay madoffs customers
before the agreement was changed wilpon and katz had been scheduled to pay 379 million by june 1 2017
the trustees website showed that katz and wilpon asked to modify the settlement during the spring no reason is cited for their request to change the payment schedule through a mets spokesman they declined to comment
under the original five year settlement wilpon and katz owed a maximum of 162 million but they were always likely to see that 162 million reduced through the trustees efforts to recover the 175 billion lost in madoffs ponzi scheme
to date the recoveries have winnowed what they owe to 61 million which is expected to be reduced further as more money is recovered


los angeles   federal prosecutors filed a lawsuit tuesday to seize payments on life insurance policies taken out by syed rizwan farook who with his wife killed 14 people in december in san bernardino calif
the united states attorneys office in los angeles filed the civil asset forfeiture lawsuit for two policies worth a total of 275000
mr farook took out a policy worth 25000 in 2012 and one worth 250000 in 2013 prosecutors said his mother was named as the beneficiary of both policies mr farooks wife tashfeen malik died with him in a shootout with the authorities after the dec 2 terrorist attack
the united states attorneys office said that under federal law assets derived from terrorism against the united states were subject to forfeiture the lawsuit seeks to seize the proceeds and the policies themselves
terrorists must not be permitted to provide for their designated beneficiaries through their crimes the united states attorney for the region eileen m decker said my office intends to explore every legal option available to us to ensure these funds are made available to the victims of this horrific crime


an ice cream truck driver tried to settle a turf dispute with a midtown manhattan pretzel vendor with a baseball bat to the head the police said on tuesday
the attack was another skirmish in the continuing battles over territory between street food vendors notably ice cream sellers it occurred several weeks ago but the ice cream man john cicero was not arrested until tuesday the police said
on the afternoon of may 12 mr cicero 40 drove his new york ice cream truck to a favorite spot on 54th street near madison avenue but he found the pretzel vendor already selling from a cart on the sidewalk there said lt marco gonzalez head of the midtown north precincts detective squad
mr cicero and the pretzel man whose name was not released entered into a standoff lieutenant gonzalez said both of them mutually thought that the other would make it more difficult for them to conduct business at the location
the men exchanged punches and then mr cicero went to his truck retrieved the bat and hit the pretzel man twice in the head causing contusions lieutenant gonzalez said
a witness got the bat away from mr cicero who then pulled a knife menaced the pretzel man and fled in the white and purple ice cream truck the police said
a search ensued the police showed surveillance video images believed to be of mr cicero to other new york ice cream vendors wanted posters went up eventually mr ciceros lawyer contacted the police and mr cicero turned himself in on tuesday morning he was charged with felony assault mr ciceros lawyer theodore kasapis did not immediately return a message left on tuesday evening
new york ice cream based in queens has been in the news lately   its drivers have shut the soft serve giant mister softee out of midtown using threats and intimidation mister softee officials said east 54th street falls squarely into new york ice creams midtown territory


the language on the security clearance forms that glen glover and david polos filled out in late 2011 seemed straightforward enough list all your employment activities it read adding you should list all full time and part time work paid or unpaid
confronted with those requirements mr glover a civilian employee of the drug enforcement administration and mr polos then a dea agent made the same choice each omitted the fact that he was part owner of a strip club in south hackensack nj
on tuesday the two men sat in a courtroom in united states district court in manhattan as their trial began on charges that they had lied about and conspired to hide their involvement with the club where prosecutors said they both worked regular shifts
in addition a prosecutor said that mr polos had lied on the form by saying that he had not had close or continuing contact with any foreign national despite a romantic relationship he developed with a dancer from brazil who worked at the club after entering the united states illegally
these defendants betrayed the trust that was placed in them as federal law enforcement personnel by lying the prosecutor paul m monteleoni told jurors they were warned right on the form that lying was a crime
lawyers for the two men countered that they were merely investors in the club the twins plus go go lounge not employees cathy fleming a lawyer for mr glover said neither defendant had drawn a salary marc mukasey a lawyer for mr polos said his client saw the club solely as a place to grow a little nest egg while he spent his days fighting the drug war
mr polos did not lie on the security form about his relationship with the brazilian dancer mr mukasey added because the two did not get hot and heavy until after the form had been submitted
the opening statements marked the start of an unusual trial that as well as placing two longtime federal law enforcement employees in unfamiliar roles as defendants could reveal seamy activities at the club which prosecutors have said included prostitution and drug use
mr glover of lyndhurst nj has worked for the drug enforcement administration since 1998 tracking cellphone use as a telecommunications specialist among other things mr polos of west nyack ny who resigned just before charges in the case became public last year had worked for the agency since 1991 most recently helping to supervise the new york organized crime and drug enforcement strike force and overseeing agents who investigated silk road a notorious online drug bazaar
had the two disclosed their connections with the club the complaint said their top secret security clearances would most likely have been denied preventing them from continuing to work for the dea employment disclosures are required prosecutors said to ensure that government employees with access to sensitive information are not vulnerable to blackmail or pressure
mr glover and an unnamed partner bought the strip club in 2010 mr polos became a part owner prosecutors said and handled the clubs advertising mr glover they said managed the bar staff and collected fees that dancers paid to work at twins plus
the complaint said both men supervised shifts there and appeared to monitor goings on at the club while they were at work in manhattan using computers or smartphones to remotely gain access to a video surveillance system they also participated in email threads that included conversations about firing bartenders and dancers in one message the complaint said mr glover told a manager you can get rid of all the black girls if you want if you go find other ones first
many of the dancers at twins plus were undocumented immigrants prosecutors said the brazilian dancer was allowed to work double shifts the complaint said because mr polos and others knew she needed money to pay smugglers who had arranged her unlawful entry into the united states in addition the complaint said mr polos was said to have lent that dancer bail money when she was jailed in 2012 after an altercation with a police officer
the first witness to testify was barbra m roach who in 2010 and 2011 was deputy chief inspector for the dea office that managed personnel security while questioning her prosecutors and defense lawyers appeared to preview aspects of the case they would concentrate on
asked by mr monteleoni why supervisors at the agency might have qualms about an employees working at an adult entertainment establishment ms roach said it raises concerns of the employee being exploited being blackmailed being forced to disclose information
later mr mukasey asked ms roach to review the security clearance forms that the defendants had filled out
nowhere on this form does it say list any investment you have in the united states right he asked
correct ms roach answered


in blunt testimony revealed on tuesday former managers of trump university the for profit school started by donald j trump portray it as an unscrupulous business that relied on high pressure sales tactics employed unqualified instructors made deceptive claims and exploited vulnerable students willing to pay tens of thousands for mr trumps insights
one sales manager for trump university ronald schnackenberg recounted how he was reprimanded for not pushing a financially struggling couple hard enough to sign up for a 35000 real estate class despite his conclusion that it would endanger their economic future he watched with disgust he said as a fellow trump university salesman persuaded the couple to purchase the class anyway
i believe that trump university was a fraudulent scheme mr schnackenberg wrote in his testimony and that it preyed upon the elderly and uneducated to separate them from their money
for mr trump whose presidential campaign hinges on his reputation as a businessman the newly unsealed documents offer an unflattering snapshot of his career since branching out over the past decade from building skyscrapers into endeavors that cashed in on his name to sell everything from water and steaks to ties and education
the release of the documents on tuesday under court order was the latest turn in a federal lawsuit filed in california by dissatisfied former trump university students that has bedeviled the businessman since 2010 and could trail him into the white house if he is elected president
mr trump who started the university in 2005 owned 93 percent of the now defunct company from the start he acted as its chief promoter rather than day to day manager selling it as a tool of financial empowerment that would improve life for thousands of ordinary americans it would he said teach you better than the best business school according to the transcript of a web video
within the documents made public tuesday were internal employee guides encouraging customers with little money to pay for the tuition with their credit cards we teach the technique of using opm  other peoples money explained the internal instructions for salespeople the documents pushed employees to exploit the emotions of potential customers let them know youve found an answer to their problems read confidential instructions to salespeople
the most striking documents were written testimony from former employees of trump university who said they had become disenchanted with the universitys tactics and culture corrine sommer an event manager recounted how colleagues encouraged students to open up as many credit cards as possible to pay for classes that many of them could not afford
its ok just max out your credit card ms sommer recalled their saying
jason nicholas a sales executive at trump university recalled a deceptive pitch used to lure students   that mr trump would be actively involved in their education this was not true mr nicholas testified saying mr trump was hardly involved at all trump university mr nicholas concluded was a facade a total lie
lawyers for mr trump on tuesday challenged those characterizations saying that the testimony of the former trump university employees was completely discredited in depositions taken for the california lawsuit lawyers for mr trump declined to release those depositions on tuesday
as he has in the past mr trump argued through representatives that the complaints emanated from a small number of former students and that the vast majority had offered positive reviews of their experience
trump university looks forward to using this evidence along with much more to win when the case is brought before a jury said hope hicks a spokeswoman for mr trump
the court records show the role that mr trump   and his outsize reputation   played in trying to sell the real estate classes to thousands of students marketing materials bearing his signature encouraged prospective students to take advantage of a downturn in the housing market to earn quick profits he offered the kind of assurances that financial advisers have long cautioned consumers to be wary of how would you like to market proof your financial future mr trump asked in one brochure
mr trump started the for profit trump university just as the overheated american housing market neared its peak promising that its classes would impart his wisdom about real estate and moneymaking to the general public
but dozens of complaints about the school rolled into the offices of attorneys general in florida texas new york and illinois officials said prompting multiple investigations and eventually the lawsuit from former students in california
mr trump had fought tuesdays release of previously sealed documents in the case in an apparent attempt to discredit the judge in the case gonzalo p curiel mr trump called him biased and a hater of donald trump and he sought to draw attention to the judges ethnic background   we believe mexican mr trump said mr curiel was born in indiana he is of mexican descent
on friday in response to a legal motion filed by the washington post judge curiel ruled that the records be released some of the documents unsealed tuesday were previously made public in connection with other lawsuits
the internal guidebooks for employees of trump university provide a detailed set of instructions for how to sell the classes even to skeptical and reluctant consumers by tapping into their psychological needs
a chart outlines the stages of the roller coaster of emotions that a buyer will experience the blast phase it explains is giving your clients hope again the probe phase it says must slowly bring the client back down to reality
when it comes to selling the classes the guidebooks leave little to chance inside the rooms where students are asked to enroll in classes workers are asked to confirm that room temperature is no more than 68 degrees
of course mr trump and the promise of his engagement with the school was the biggest draw of all in the documents released tuesday instructors described themselves as hand selected by mr trump but in a deposition related to the lawsuit mr trump acknowledged that he did not pick the instructors
not all the documents made public on tuesday were critical many former students said the classes delivered exactly what they had expected trump university definitely made me more prepared to tackle the real world of real estate investing wrote david wright jr who signed up for a six month program we really learned a lot of from trump university and have found a modicum of success wrote another student kissy gordon
former employees like ms sommer took a dimmer view of the school in her testimony she said she was startled by the qualifications of some trump university instructors
ms sommer recalled that a member of the trump university sales team who had previously sold jewelry was promoted to become an instructor he had no real estate experience she said
she added that many of the instructors had the quality that the school seemed to value most they were skilled at high pressure sales she said


charlotte nc   kelvin benjamin is back on the football field running and catching passes
now the question becomes how the carolina panthers will use benjamin a 6 foot 5 250 pound wide receiver next season
benjamin missed the panthers 17 2 season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in training camp last summer despite his absence the panthers led the league in scoring and reached the super bowl which they lost 24 10 to the denver broncos
the panthers did so well in part because quarterback cam newton the nfls most valuable player spread the ball around more nine carolina players had at least 10 catches and five had more than 30 that was not the case in 2014 when benjamin was newtons no 1 target catching 73 passes for 1008 yards and nine touchdowns
it is still to be seen how all of that works out tight end greg olsen said of benjamins return to the starting lineup one of our greatest strengths as an offense last year was the versatility and the ability of that wide receiver group to just play a role that was a catalyst for our season developing the way it did
olsen who led the team in receptions and yards receiving last season en route to his second pro bowl said he saw benjamins return as a huge plus   and not only because of his talent
he said benjamins unselfish nature would allow him to fit back into the lineup easily he added that the million dollar problem was having talented individuals accept their roles in an offense
kelvin is the rare guy who can be a no 1 talent but still understands how he fits into the big picture olsen said anytime you can more add guys like that to a team you cant help but improve
benjamin makes no pretense about returning as the dominant no 1 receiver
hey i just want to come in and be a part of it benjamin said tuesday
benjamin began running and cutting at full speed last week although he will not be cleared to participate in team drills until training camp in late july
still he said his knee felt strong which was why he had chosen not to wear a knee brace
i try not to baby it i try to go hard benjamin said adding that he could not really hold back
if it gives out it gives out he said i trust in the rehab we did and i feel comfortable about it
benjamin said if he wore the knee brace it might become a mind thing
panthers coach ron rivera does not have a problem with benjamin practicing without the brace even though benjamin said doctors had advised him to wear one during organized team activities
that is just for right now where he isnt working against anybody rivera said hes developing that confidence that you are going to need when hes working against somebody and he doesnt have the brace on
rivera said he could not wait to add a healthy benjamin to the teams already versatile offense
its going to be exciting it really is rivera said i think we have some potential to be better i really do i think we can be better all of the way across the board as a football team but talking about isnt going to help you you have to go out and do it
benjamin said his focus was on his conditioning which he said needs to improve he stayed after and ran sprints with some of the other wide receivers keeping up with the leaders
we had a tremendous season last year and having me back will only be good benjamin said we have to keep building and keep pushing from here


orlando boquete would have been easy to miss in the swarm of people waiting on eastern parkway in brooklyn to start a half marathon race last month he was one runner among 27000 older than most but just another guy in sneakers shorts and a t shirt with a number pinned to the chest
no one however had gotten to the starting line the way he had
mr boquete broke out of florida prisons twice
the first time he climbed a fence hid in the waters of a snake infested irrigation ditch then lived underground for 10 years a real world incarnation of the innocent man in the television series and film the fugitive recaptured and sent back to complete a 55 year sentence mr boquete got out yet again walking through the front door with a dna test in hand that proved him innocent of the sexual assault he had been convicted of
of the 341 people exonerated by dna testing since 1989 mr boquete is the only one to have escaped from prison in his cell he had a spanish language copy of papillon an account of a man who claimed to have escaped multiple times from french penal colonies
when mr boquete was cleared a prosecutor and a judge apologized so far that is all he has gotten from the state of florida for his ordeal of 23 years about 10 of them on the run
i havent gotten a dime mr boquete said
he has long dreamed of opening a boxing gymnasium to offer discipline and structure for young people who might otherwise be flailing in the world there is a son he would like to visit in cuba but he cannot afford the journey
a decade after his release mr boquete 61 lives alone in a trailer in a rickety area of fort myers fla he washes cars and does any other odd jobs he can pick up his income is under 1000 a month he says
depending on the state an innocent person may not get any restitution or may have to spend years fighting for it florida passed a law in 2008 that provides wrongly convicted people with 50000 per year of imprisonment but only if they had never been previously convicted of a felony one innocent man who served nearly 28 years for murder was ineligible under the statute because he had pleaded guilty to felony possession of a single quaalude pill in the 1970s said seth miller the executive director of the innocence project of florida
its called the clean hands provision mr miller said if you have a felony conviction prior to the wrongful conviction you cant get compensated under the statute
mr boquetes survival as a fugitive for a decade rested on his ability to hide in plain sight   to take the identities of dead people to work under aliases to stay calm when stopped by the police while he was on the run he committed two felonies he broke into a clothing store and got caught at the time he was using an alias and was not recognized as a fugitive he simply walked away from a jail work crew later he was staying in the home of a drug dealer and when the authorities raided it he was charged with possession of a gun they found in the house that time he was spotted as a fugitive
ultimately with representation by nina morrison of the innocence project mr boquete was cleared of the sexual assault a cuban refugee he was held for deportation but was able to obtain united states citizenship the official residue of his years in prison two nonviolent felonies
if they hadnt wrongfully convicted him he wouldnt have escaped said jeffrey deskovic who served 16 years in new york state prisons for a rape and murder committed by someone else most of us wouldnt have the wherewithal to do it
mr deskovic who used some of the proceeds he won in a lawsuit to create a foundation that supports other exonerated people had met mr boquete at gatherings of innocence networks he brought mr boquete to new york for a social visit last month
a few days after arriving mr boquete heard about the brooklyn half marathon preparing for his escape he had run endless laps in the prison yard but recently he had not trained for a race still he tried it and about two hours after the start he ran the last yards at coney island spotting friends mr boquete dropped into a boxers crouch and threw left jabs into the air then he laughed and kept going


just a few years ago the united states seemed poised to say farewell to nuclear energy no company had completed a new plant in decades and the disaster in fukushima japan in 2011 intensified public disenchantment with the technology both here and abroad
but as the paris agreement on climate change has put pressure on the united states to reduce greenhouse gas emissions some state and federal officials have deemed nuclear energy part of the solution they are now scrambling to save existing plants that can no longer compete economically in a market flooded with cheap natural gas
were supposed to be adding zero carbon sources not subtracting ernest moniz the energy secretary said recently at a symposium that the department convened to explore ways to improve the industrys prospects
as a result there are efforts across the country to bail out nuclear plants at risk of closing with important test cases in illinois ohio and new york as well as proposed legislation in congress
exelon one of the countrys largest nuclear operators for example is deciding whether to close two of its struggling plants in illinois after efforts to push a bailout through its legislature fell apart
nuclear power remains mired in longstanding questions over waste disposal its safety record after the catastrophes at places like fukushima and chernobyl and the potential for its plants to be converted into weapon making factories in spite of the lingering issues policy makers analysts and executives along with a growing number of environmentalists say that at stake is the future of the countrys largest source of clean energy
nothing else comes close mr moniz a nuclear physicist said at the symposium
in an interview on tuesday mr moniz added maintaining the nuclear fleet is really important for meeting our near term and midterm goals
renewable sources like solar and wind have grown in popularity in recent years but nuclear plants provide nearly 60 percent of carbon free power followed by hydroelectric plants at roughly 18 percent according to the energy information administration in addition nuclear plants which can produce power steadily and on demand run at more than 90 percent of their capacity higher than any other type of plant including gas and coal facilities
they also have the advantage of keeping fuel on site which allowed them to supply electricity during the extreme cold of the polar vortex in 2014 when the use of natural gas for heating led to shortages and when some coal plants shut down because of frozen fuel or equipment
in recent years a rise in greenhouse gas emissions has tended to follow nuclear plant closings since they are most often replaced by natural gas industry executives say this was the case in california and new england after the san onofre and vermont yankee plants folded
but the nuclear industry is facing a crisis of old age the majority of the countrys 99 nuclear reactors are more than 30 years old and were opened before deregulation starting in the late 1970s under federal rules established to help reduce the price of electricity independent power producers gained the ability to compete in wholesale electricity markets when prices were relatively high nuclear plants were able to fare well because their facilities once up and running were inexpensive to operate
however the recent slowdown in the demand for electricity and the glut of natural gas from the rise in fracking has driven down wholesale prices that lower revenue poses special challenges for nuclear plants which operate potentially for as long as 80 years and so require costly upgrades and repairs during their life spans
at these prices said jay apt a professor and a director of the electricity industry center at carnegie mellon university they cant save up enough to have cash on hand for periodic capital investments
supporters of the bailouts say the current prices undervalue nuclear power given the methods lack of greenhouse gas emissions and ability to operate at all hours the low prices make it hard for the plants to compete with other clean technologies like wind and solar which receive subsidies and are bolstered by mandates that require purchases of clean power they argue that the environmental and efficiency value of nuclear plants mean they should be eligible for similar subsidies or be included in clean energy mandates
we get no recognition for the fact that we emit nothing said marvin s fertel chief executive of the nuclear energy institute an industry trade group
support for plans to save nuclear energy has come from a seemingly unlikely group   environmentalists some who have come to believe that the climate benefits of nuclear energy far outweigh the risks
michael shellenberger president of environmental progress a nonprofit research and policy organization said that because nuclear plants produce so much more energy than other forms they can be more environmentally friendly than even renewables when all the mining development and land disturbances are taken into account
those of us who have changed our minds on it have changed most often on the climate stuff mr shellenberger said but from the whole life cycle analysis its just better
opponents argue that the industry has already had decades of support which made many of the companies that own the plants profitable and that further subsidizing nuclear energy would take momentum and investment away from renewables like solar and wind
we need to be building the 21st century energy system and not continuing to subsidize the energy system of the past said abraham scarr director of the illinois public interest research group a consumer advocate
without help nuclear officials say there will be far less nuclear power two exelon plants quad cities in illinois and three mile island in pennsylvania for instance were unable to submit winning bids in a recent auction to meet future energy needs in the pjm territory covering 13 middle atlantic and midwestern states and the district of columbia
after the auction christopher m crane chief executive at exelon said that by itself the market cant preserve zero carbon emitting nuclear plants that are facing the lowest wholesale energy prices in 15 years
exelon pressured the illinois state legislature to approve a raft of energy measures including extra subsidies for nuclear as a zero carbon energy source by the end of may or risk the shutdown of the two plants however the proposals never came up for a vote
exelon which has not yet announced a decision on the plants is hardly the only company seeking more income for its facilities
in march ohio regulators approved plans between the utilities and power generation subsidiaries of firstenergy and aep that guaranteed set rates for power from some struggling nuclear and coal plants even if other plants in the market charged less
but federal regulators blocked the arrangement pending a review firstenergy is now pursuing an amended version which executives hope will go forward with state approval alone it would allow the company to charge customers for the shortfall between the costs to operate the plants and the market rate it receives over the next eight years customers would receive credit if the rate rose above the costs
in new york officials are taking a different approach public hearings were held last month on a proposed clean energy mandate that would include an credit paid to nuclear operators aimed at helping keep upstate plants like fitzpatrick in oswego county in operation
the exelon proposal in illinois followed a similar logic but attracted a number of critics   including the state attorney general lisa madigan   who said that customers had paid for the plants twice and should not have to pay again especially when exelons overall finances may not be so dire
the disruption in these communities if exelon decides to shut down the plants is very significant and has a human consequence said dave lundy a chicago public relations executive who leads a coalition opposed to the proposal but i dont know that they actually have to shut down these plants


shari redstone lashed out tuesday in the battle over her fathers 40 billion media empire making one of her boldest statements yet about the need for new leadership at viacom
ms redstone underscored that she had no desire to manage viacom nor to lead its board but said she wanted the best management in place and strong independent directors who will properly oversee that management according to the statement issued by her spokeswoman nancy sterling
ms redstone has publicly opposed philippe p daumans leadership as viacoms chairman and chief executive she was the sole director to vote against his appointment as chairman of the company in february her statement on tuesday signaled her resolute stance in trying to bring about change at viacom and could be a prelude to the dismissal of the companys board and ultimately of mr dauman
ms redstone said shareholders had made their wishes clear they want new management at the top and strong directors with independent oversight on the board the statement said
on may 20 mr dauman was ousted from the trust that will control sumner m redstones companies after his death mr dauman was also ejected from the board of national amusements the private theater chain company through which mr redstone controls viacom and cbs mr dauman immediately filed suit challenging the competency of mr redstone who is 93 and questioning whether he had been influenced by ms redstone
many on wall street viewed the changes at the top of the redstone empire as the first step in an overhaul of the leadership at viacom the huge entertainment company that includes nickelodeon mtv comedy central and the paramount film studio the companys stock price has increased about 13 percent in the last week that is a stark reversal from its performance over the last year when viacoms stock price declined 34 percent as the company reported persistent weak results
ms redstones declaration on tuesday continued the vicious war of words that has surrounded viacom in the last week and a half
on monday viacom directors issued their own letter in which they vowed to fight any potential moves to remove them from the companys board the letter challenged mr redstones mental competency and took aim at ms redstone stating that mr redstone for many years had said that she should not control viacom or his other companies
ms redstone responded on tuesday by saying that board members should spend less time focusing on her and how to keep their own positions and more time on a long term strategy to increase the value for shareholders and to develop a specific long term plan to turn around the current state of viacom


when the mets traded for james loney on saturday the prevailing rationale was that he would be a dependable left handed hitting option at first base against right handed pitchers with lucas duda now on the disabled list with a stress fracture and his return date unknown
but that calculation has already changed loney before taking one swing as a met was promoted for now at least he has become the teams everyday first baseman
the reason is the chain reaction created by the latest injury to third baseman david wright the teams captain on saturday the mets learned that wrights neck was feeling stiff on monday wright disclosed that he had a herniated disk in his neck
then before tuesday nights 6 4 loss to the chicago white sox at citi field wright received an injection he was to be re evaluated in 48 hours but the disabled list was still a possibility for a player already facing the daunting challenge of remaining a productive and more or less regular player while dealing with spinal stenosis
with wright out the right handed hitting wilmer flores who was originally going to platoon at first with loney will fill in full time at third
to recap whos on first loney who batted sixth in the mets lineup on tuesday going hitless in four at bats
to be honest hes hit lefties better than anybody else weve got here whos played first base mets manager terry collins said alluding to loneys 254 career average against left handed pitchers right now hes probably our no 1 option
to make room for loney the mets optioned eric campbell to class aaa las vegas
loney could be an important bargain acquisition for the mets they paid cash for him and did not have to relinquish any prospects although it seems strange that the 32 year old loney a career 285 hitter in the major leagues was toiling with the san diego padres class aaa affiliate in el paso where he was hitting 342 when the mets acquired him he fits into an infield that already had two other solid veterans acquired from elsewhere since last season
those two are shortstop asdrubal cabrera and second baseman neil walker and both have been key contributors this year
loney may follow their lead he lacks dudas power with six seasons of double digit home runs in the majors but never more than 15 in a season but he does offer consistency with six years in which he played at least 155 games always batting 267 or higher
were missing duda and you bring loney back youre going to feel like ok we still have a guy said rene rivera loneys teammate last season with the tampa bay rays
if loney is the definition of stability wright a seven time all star is currently the antithesis the disk problem is the latest of the physical setbacks that have dogged him in recent seasons
collins was asked how wrights latest injury has affected him and if he believed wright now 33 would ever perform at a premier level again
this guys been a special player collins said the managers worst nightmare is to see a star start to fade and i think davids got a lot of baseball left in him because of the way he prepares
collins added but its hard to watch what hes going through
collins said that he was not aware of any discussions regarding possible surgery for wright and that he believed the latest injury was not related to wrights spinal stenosis
speaking without any specific knowledge of wrights case dr christopher mandigo a neurosurgeon at newyork presbyteriancolumbia medical center wrote in an email that healing time for a herniated disk could vary but was usually four to six weeks he added that disk herniation and spinal stenosis were on a continuum of spinal arthritis and were related to each other
the mets did not place wright on the disabled list they are off thursday effectively giving him a three day window for his condition to improve
certainly i think its serious collins said of the herniated disk i never had one but ive been around guys whove had bobby parnell had one certainly didnt come back from it very good
after parnell emerged as the mets closer in 2013 a herniated disk led to surgery that september he played one game in 2014 before tearing a ligament in his right elbow and having tommy john surgery he returned last season and had a 638 era
parnell is no longer a met but wright does not appear ready to quit
hes still special collins said hes still a great player


washington   hillary clintons chief of staff at the state department said in sworn testimony released tuesday that mrs clintons advisers gave little thought to the problems her private email server might create if they were forced to turn over her communications under public records law
certainly from my standpoint i wish that had been something we thought about cheryl d mills who was chief of staff when mrs clinton was secretary of state testified in a deposition on friday in a lawsuit against the state department brought by a conservative legal group
ms millss comments   contrite at times defensive at others   represented the first sworn public accounting from a member of mrs clintons inner circle about the controversy over her exclusive use of a private email account during her state department tenure
the issue which has dogged her presidential campaign for more than a year flared up again last week after the release of a highly critical investigation by the state departments inspector general that found mrs clinton was not authorized to use the private server mrs clinton declined to be interviewed for that inquiry
ms mills insisted during nearly seven hours of testimony that mrs clintons use of the private clintonemailcom account housed on a server in her home was absolutely not an attempt to evade the freedom of information act as many of her critics have charged
she acknowledged however that the account was tightly held unless mrs clinton emailed other officials first from her account they had to go through gatekeepers in mrs clintons office to get her email address
even top officials like rahm emanuel the white house chief of staff in 2009 and 2010 had to request the address
but ms mills also said that the private account was no secret she estimated that mrs clinton shared emails with about 100 state department officials from her private account so her use of her email was not something that was unknown she said
her deposition came in a private lawsuit brought by judicial watch a conservative legal advocacy group judge emmet g sullivan of the united states district court for the district of columbia who was appointed by president bill clinton has allowed the group to take sworn testimony from at least a half dozen officials to explore how and why the private email server was used   a decision that the judge has said boggles the mind
ms millss lawyer beth a wilkinson repeatedly clashed with the judicial watch lawyers saying their questions were beyond the scope of what the judge had allowed but ms mills who like mrs clinton refused to be interviewed by the state departments inspector general voiced no apparent irritation over her lengthy deposition and told lawyers for judicial watch that she wanted to be helpful according to a transcript
under questioning ms mills detailed how mrs clinton came to use the private server and what her aides did to facilitate the unusual arrangement
she said that mrs clinton never considered using an official government email address and made clear from the start of her tenure in 2009 that she wanted to use a personal email address ms mills said she described that decision as a continuation of a practice that she had been using as a senator before becoming secretary of state
ms mills said repeatedly that she could not recall any specific discussions in mrs clintons office about how to preserve her emails to ensure that they would be available when the state department responded to requests under the freedom of information act the law passed after watergate to encourage government transparency
she said she assumed that the emails mrs clinton sent to officials with department email accounts would be captured automatically and saved at the same time she acknowledged that mrs clinton periodically emailed officials at their personal accounts   records that would not have shown up in the state department system
ms mills testified that she routinely complied with records requests under the law known as foia but that a separate office dealt with the requests
she said she did not recall any instances in which she discussed the requirements regarding those requests even when shown an email from stephen d mull who was executive secretary in mrs clintons office from 2009 to 2012 about the issuance of a state department blackberry
we will prepare two version for her to use one with operating state department email account which would mask her identity but which would also be subject to foia requests wrote mr mull who is also scheduled to testify in the judicial watch lawsuit
the state departments inspector general documented one episode in 2010 in which a top information management official john bentel told two unnamed specialists in his office never to speak of the secretarys personal email system again after they had raised concerns about the private email arrangement
asked whether anyone had raised concerns that mrs clintons emails would not show up in public records requests ms mills said im not aware of it they might have she said repeatedly that she wished she and other advisers had given more thought to the issue


for weeks as mayor bill de blasio has sought to fend off a flock of investigations into his political fund raising he has clung to a potent defense a confidential report about one of the inquiries was leaked to a reporter at the behest of his chief political rival gov andrew m cuomo
in the labyrinthine world of new york politics the accusation appeared to have legs the leaked memo described how the state board of elections had found potential campaign finance violations in mr de blasios efforts to raise money for democratic candidates for the state senate ahead of the 2014 elections and its appearance in the pages of the daily news in april added to the mayors mounting troubles the reports author risa sugarman the election boards chief enforcement counsel is an appointee and ally of mr cuomo a democrat who has a well documented habit of undercutting the mayor   a connection that mr de blasio has taken pains to highlight
the squabble however took a turn on tuesday that hinted at more chapters to come releasing the results of her own investigation into the leak the new york inspector general catherine leahy scott announced that john conklin the election boards spokesman had admitted to providing the report to a news reporter ken lovett before joining the board mr conklin was a staff member for 16 years for several republican senators including the senate majority leader john j flanagan
the news provided more political intrigue to a situation already laden with it raising the possibility that the senate republicans rather than mr cuomo were behind the leak republicans had made the complaint that prompted ms sugarman to investigate a detail not lost on mr cuomo who suggested to reporters in early may that it was the republicans rankled by mr de blasios fund raising for their opponents who were responsible for the leak
ms scott was appointed by mr cuomo
mr flanagan and other senate republicans have not hesitated to punish mr de blasio for trying to oust them from the majority in 2014 they have used the senates authority over new york city and the state budget to block the mayors agenda on issues including mayoral control of public schools and state aid to the city university of new york
in a statement on tuesday afternoon ms sugarman said that she had asked the inspector general to investigate the leak immediately after the newss article appeared allegations were made primarily by the new york city mayor that i leaked the report due to political motivations she said now that we know the facts i hope the mayor will apologize for maligning my integrity and professionalism
this drew a quick retort from laurence d laufer the election lawyer who has represented mr de blasio during his mayoral campaign and his re election bid
the inspector generals report confirms that ms sugarmans office failed to secure the confidentiality of the memo and raises serious questions about the boes management and policies he said in a statement if anyone should apologize it is surely the boe
other staff members at the board denied being involved in the leak the report said though several including mr conklin testified that because of the boards conflicting and imprecise policies they had not been sure whether documents produced by its enforcement division such as the memo were confidential
the report found that testimony about such confusion lacked credibility noting that the boards employee handbook and other regulations include policies governing how to treat confidential materials
still the inspector generals office recommended that the board clarify its policies about how the enforcement divisions documents are handled and that the board require employees to receive training on the procedures
the inspector generals office interviewed more than 25 elections board employees and commissioners under oath according to the report and also reviewed documents and computer records the inquiry concluded that after mr lovett asked to see documents relating to the allegations against mr de blasio mr conklin emailed him the confidential memo without consulting anyone else at the board of elections first mr conklin also sent the memo to a spokesman for the senate republicans the report said
a lawyer for mr conklin michael koenig declined to comment
the manhattan district attorney and the united states attorney for the southern district of new york have opened inquiries into mr de blasios fund raising the inspector general has referred its findings to the manhattan district attorney and the state joint commission on public ethics


wenzhou china   chen furong and his wife bought their home 23 years ago for its proximity to the city center and for the tree lined canal just outside their dream was to pass it on to their children and grandchildren a piece of wealth giving their family a share of chinas economic miracle
then their neighbor tried to sell her place   and it was all thrown into doubt
like every other homeowner in china mr chen and his neighbor own their homes but not the land underneath them all land in china is owned by the government which parcels it out to developers and homeowners through 20  to 70 year leases
when the neighbor   whose surname is wang   tried to sell her apartment local officials told her that her lease on the land had expired to sell her apartment they told her she would have to pay them one third of the sales value
ms wang protested in a move that drew national attention suddenly millions of chinese who had socked away billions   and possibly trillions   of dollars were worried as well if the local authorities in other parts of china did the same thing they thought a big chunk of their own wealth could end up with the government as well
what will happen after our land lease expires asked mr chen 69 who with his wife holds a 70 year lease i will be dead when the lease expires but will i be able to give it to my son
chinas erratic stock market and its strict limits on sending money overseas have prompted many chinese families to invest in residential real estate chinas families have put nearly two thirds of their wealth into housing estimates li gan a professor of economics at texas am university who runs a widely read survey of chinese households some own two or more homes and buy or sell them the way american investors play the stock market
that pot of household wealth is crucial to chinas efforts to take its economy to the next level as reliable sources of growth like exports and manufacturing falter china is trying to turn its households into american style consumers faith in their home savings would make them more likely to open their wallets
but even as it has pushed for increased homeownership the chinese communist party has done little to loosen its grip on the nations land the party attacked private landlords during its rise to power and when it took control it nationalized all land following the soviet model although the death of mao zedong led to reforms that allowed people to own their own homes the central government continued to retain title to the land giving it a major lever in chinas economy
some experts say the central government cannot continue to serve as national landlord our country still believes in an ideology that is already outdated said mao yushi a prominent economist who previously directed the unirule institute of economics a beijing research firm the patriarch of public ownership the soviet union has collapsed already but we are still holding onto public ownership
giving land to the people would not be easy local governments in china do not have the power to levy taxes so leasing land is one of the few ways they have to raise money
allowing chinese to own land could also concentrate wealth in the hands of a few mr mao said so how would we tax those who end up owning the vast swath he asked
in 2007 china moved to reassure homeowners by requiring local governments to renew 70 year leases automatically yet the law was silent on whether homeowners would have to pay for the renewal and what would happen to those with shorter leases
chinas legislature needs to resolve this issue said sun yuhua an associate researcher at the east china university of political science and law otherwise he said it will trigger huge disputes
uncertainties about land leases come at a time of broader concerns about the affordability of housing in china some smaller cities have gluts of unoccupied apartments but housing prices have risen steadily in wealthy cities like shanghai and beijing
as the state run global times said in a may 4 commentary for millions of home buyers after paying an already exorbitant house price in the overheated market another hit to their savings will be hard to accept
beijing is keeping a close eye on events in wenzhou a coastal city of eight million people in eastern china that was one of the first to set up private enterprise after china opened up its economy in the late 1970s the governments land ministry sent an inspection team to wenzhou in april according to state media national and local government officials declined to comment
at least three wenzhou neighborhoods have been hit by government requests for money to renew land leases including henghe north where ms wang and mr chen live the chens home is typical of the areas modest dwellings nestled on the third floor of a gray tiled building the apartment crams two bedrooms into 580 square feet
a blocky complex of buildings henghe north is bordered by a busy avenue lined with noodle stands vegetable markets and other small shops trees and flower beds grow along the canal that abuts the development mr chen said local people pooled their money to build a community center designed like a chinese temple
the unassuming neighborhood was turned upside down by ms wangs discovery local apartment owners started checking their lease documents chinese reporters went door to door especially in ms wangs building there were so many journalists here that she didnt want to talk to anyone mr chen said
reached by telephone a woman who identified herself as ms wang said she was waiting to see how the government would resolve the problem she declined to comment further
property records in china are spotty relatively new and unavailable to the public according to her neighbors and local media ms wang and her family bought her 860 square foot apartment three years ago for 14 million renminbi or about 210000 at todays exchange rates
several blocks away residents of another affected neighborhood shuixin wondered what would happen when they tried to sell their apartments
people dont know what to do said ge qingchuan a retired real estate agent who stopped his motor scooter to talk no one paid attention to land leases but now there are problems
for example he added if you are buying a new apartment and using your current apartment with a 20 year lease as collateral to borrow money you wont be able to do so if the banks see your land lease is expiring they wont lend you money


when juan carlos perez told his friends he was going to study to be a teacher they dismissed his intentions they told me whats the point youre not going to be able to teach
he was an undocumented immigrant who crossed the border from mexico and arrived in new york at age 11 with his younger brother and his mother
they were right   initially
but on wednesday a rule passed by the new york state board of regents in february will go into effect allowing certain undocumented immigrants who came to the united states as children to apply for professional teaching certificates and for licenses in 57 professions soon nurses social workers architects and engineers who came from places as disparate as dubai south korea and ecuador will enter the citys work force newly licensed medical students now have a way to fulfill their ambitions
its just a relief mr perez 30 said last week in his classroom at the international high school at union square where students hail from 49 countries i feel like im always on borrowed time because i dont know whats going to happen next
the states rule change comes after a 2015 decision that allowed the licensing of an undocumented new york lawyer cesar vargas an appellate panel of the state supreme court ruled last june that mr vargas should be allowed to practice law because he was authorized to work under the deferred action for childhood arrivals program
the program allows immigrants under 31 who were brought here by their parents to live and work legally in the united states and be temporarily protected from deportation
janet calvo a law professor at the city university of new york who provided the legal analysis for the vargas case sent a memo persuading the regents that because of vargas and similar case law there should be no bar to noncitizens applying for other licenses
undocumented students are already eligible to attend state and city universities
new york has invested educational resources in these students and it made no sense not to get the return on the investment said natalie gomez velez the director of the law schools center on latinoa rights and equality also a party to the memo
according to ms gomez velez california and nebraska also allow immigrants in the deferred action program to get professional licenses
it is unclear how many people in new york will be affected by the rule change because schools and the state do not keep track of who is undocumented
mr perez came to the united states in 1997 his father had left six months earlier when his business was failing in rural tlaxcala the family settled in corona queens mr perez attended a bilingual middle school there but did not speak much english it was not until he got to high school struggling with the language and coursework at international high school at laguardia community college that his teachers encouraged him
he went on to graduate from adelphi university with a bachelors degree in math and then in 2008 with a masters degree in education
but after becoming the first in his family to graduate from college mr perez could work only at restaurants because of his lack of legal status he was a busboy at buddha bar in the meatpacking district
after earning his masters he could only get a job passing out business cards for a car service company he taught english as a second language for a jackson heights immigrant rights organization for three years i thought that was the closest i might come to the classroom mr perez said
then the obama administration announced the deferred action program in june 2012 and the following april mr perez became a substitute teacher at the union square school with a temporary license
even without the hope of a permanent license at the time mr perez said i had already waited five years to be in the classroom i wanted to teach under the rules in force he could have taught for a maximum of five years
but at the beginning of 2015 he feared for his job he had applied for the renewal of his work authorization and weeks before his deadline the government had not responded
his spanish speaking students especially sensed mr perezs distress
when i told them why mr perez said last week tearing up when recalling their concern they said what can we do can we write letters to someone we cannot lose you as a teacher you understand us you know what weve gone through
two weeks later the renewal came through
this year he is advising one of the schools top students who is undocumented and seeking a way to afford college his students have cheered him running the new york city marathon and recently welcomed him as a chaperone at the school prom
he has a deep personal commitment to the work because he identifies so strongly with his students said joe luft the executive director of the internationals network for public schools which operates the 15 international high schools in new york city
immigration law had created a paradox to fill the demand for teachers in the so called stem fields   science technology engineering and math   the city has at times had to hire teachers from overseas mr luft said but he added foreign born candidates who were raised in new york often had to stay on the sidelines
i think its a long overdue and much needed recognition of the fact that we have a pool of potential educators weve failed to tap into mr luft said
as soon as the school year ends mr perez intends to submit his application for his professional license he is already attending classes for his certification test his reassurances to his students may soon carry more weight
i tell them i remember what it was like when i was in your place mr perez said i know it seems really tough and sometimes impossible but it can be done


united nations   alarmed at the spread of a palestinian campaign to boycott israel and particularly its resonance on college campuses the israeli mission to the united nations and world jewish congress held a conference on tuesday aimed at galvanizing support for an effective countermessage
precisely what that countermessage will be and how it can successfully be conveyed were among the goals discussed at the conference titled build bridges not boycotts held at the united nations headquarters
many of the speakers and guests who included jewish students educators and policy experts agreed that the palestinian campaign known as the boycott divestment and sanctions movement or bds had made popular inroads that israel advocates had failed to stop
a range of speakers including danny danon israels united nations ambassador and ronald s lauder the president of the world jewish congress described bds as a dishonest effort to delegitimize and destroy israel
mr danon called bds the 21st century incarnation of an old disease anti semitism mr lauder described bds activists as hypocrites who should be exposed through every means possible
at the same time there was an acknowledgment at the conference that the bds movement is not monolithic and is supported by some who also may support israels right to exist bds backers include some church groups as well as jews who are sympathetic to palestinian aspirations for statehood and are strongly critical of israeli government policies
not every jew who supports bds is an ignorant self hating jew david m sable the global chief executive of y  r advertising inc said during a panel about the bds message on campuses and how to respond
mr sable a strong opponent of bds bluntly criticized the approaches taken so far to present israels side of the story which he said were not working
bds is driving the conversation and the anti bds side is reactionary he said ours is a negative message just not that inviting we look like a corporate brochure so we have a problem my friends
frank luntz a republican political consultant and public opinion specialist told the conference that his own data suggested that the bds effort to ostracize israel was winning more sympathy in the united states
this is the palestinian narrative mr luntz said this is what happens if you remain silent
the conference was held against the backdrop of a prolonged deadlock in the process for a two state solution to the israeli palestinian conflict as well as a hawkish political shift in the israeli government already dominated by right wing parties
mr danon said in a telephone interview before the conference that he had been motivated to organize it partly because of what he described as a bds expansion at the united nations
he pointed to a measure passed by the united nations human rights council in geneva a few months ago to establish a database identifying companies doing business in israeli settlements the database which some israel officials have described as a blacklist was viewed as a victory by the bds movement
the conference mr danon said was meant to send a clear message that we have to fight
riyad h mansour the palestinian ambassador to the united nations said in a telephone interview that he was paying little attention to the conference which he described as a futile effort by mr danon and his associates
he is trying to convince the international community to promote occupation and the international community is saying this israeli occupation has to end mr mansour said
naomi dann a spokeswoman for the jewish voice for peace a group that supports bds said the high level of planning for the conference was a sign of the growing power of the bds movement


no more sticking fingers into cake batter or cookie dough
on tuesday general mills announced that it was voluntarily recalling various batches of its gold medal gold medal wondra and signature flours that federal officials have potentially linked to illnesses in 38 people in 20 states caused by a strain of e coli
the centers for disease control and prevention found that about half of those people became ill after making something at home with flour according to a news release from general mills
some of those who were sickened may have eaten raw dough or batter the company said
in general cdc recommends that people not eat raw dough or batter intended for cooking or baking and children not be provided raw dough to play with an agency statement said people should use safe food handling practices when preparing such products including following package directions for cooking at proper temperatures washing hands surfaces and utensils after contact with these types of products avoiding cross contamination and refrigerating products properly
most strains of e coli are harmless but e coli o121 the one found in the 38 sick people is a potentially deadly bacteria that can cause bloody diarrhea and dehydration seniors children and people with compromised immune systems are most at risk
general mills said the pathogen had not been found in any of its flour products or in its flour manufacturing plant flour is an ingredient that comes from milling wheat something grown outdoors that carries with it risks of bacteria which are rendered harmless by baking frying or boiling the company said its website has information on the flour batches affected by the recall
in 2009 nestle recalled some of nestle toll house cookie dough after more than 70 people in 30 states became sick from e coli 157 h7 another deadly variety while no one ingredient was ever identified as the culprit one hypothesis was that the e coli in the product was passed by the flour to consumers who ate raw dough
the announcement on tuesday was the latest of several voluntary food recalls in may the cdc announced a recall of frozen vegetables that had been processed by crf frozen foods but ended up in products under a variety of brand names the foods had been linked to a listeria outbreak
also in may the agency announced a voluntary recall of pistachios produced by wonderful pistachios a division of the wonderful company after it tied the nuts to 11 cases of salmonella montevideo and salmonella senftenberg it linked 26 cases of poisoning in 12 states to a third strain of salmonella found in sprouts produced by several companies from one lot of contaminated seeds that probably were the culprit according to the agency
contamination of food is an ongoing issue said sandra eskin who directs work on food safety at the pew charitable trusts the good news is that weve got technology like whole genome sequencing thats helping identify outbreaks more quickly than in the past
ms eskin also said that new food safety regulations that will take effect this september will make food manufacturers responsible for preventing contamination and give the food and drug administration the ability to take action against a company if it is not taking steps to prevent food safety problems


berlin   at least 26 women who attended a four day music festival in the western german town of darmstadt this past weekend have reported that they were groped or sexually harassed a police spokesman said tuesday
several of the women said they had been surrounded by groups of up to 10 men said ferdinand derigs a spokesman for the darmstadt police these people then approached the women danced around them and touched them in an inappropriate way mr derigs told the public broadcaster in the state of hesse where darmstadt is located
groping was apparently the main motivation mr derigs said
crowds of 90000 to 100000 people attended each day of the festival which ran thursday through sunday initially the police received only a few complaints of sexual abuse or inappropriate behavior but the total of such reports grew to 26 by tuesday afternoon according to german news media reports
german news media also reported that three men including two pakistanis who had recently sought german asylum were detained early sunday apparently in connection with the episodes but the reports added that all three were released
germans have become newly vigilant about sexual abuse and harassment at mass events since new years eve in cologne when hundreds of women reported being assaulted and often robbed by hundreds of men of arab and north african descent
in early may several women attending an open air cultural festival in berlin also reported at least a dozen cases of abuse
after cologne mass events like the traditional carnival processions in the rhineland have been more intensely policed a parliamentary inquiry into how matters deteriorated so badly in cologne on new years eve is continuing


new york citys correction department has made significant progress toward establishing enduring reform at rikers island though violence against inmates remains a significant concern the federal monitoring team overseeing a remaking of city jails wrote in a report filed on tuesday
in the months since a federal judge gave final approval to a sweeping settlement agreement meant to break a culture of brutality and neglect at city jails the department has hired hundreds of new correction officers revamped training procedures and policies governing when guards can use force on inmates added 1350 additional surveillance cameras and significantly reduced the use of solitary confinement the report said
in many areas the department has met or surpassed requirements the report said
the departments performance to date should make the stakeholders cautiously optimistic that real reform is underway and building momentum the report said
the report is the first major assessment by the monitoring group which was established as part of the settlement of a class action suit brought by rikers inmates and eventually joined by the office of preet bharara the united states attorney for the southern district of new york its authors cautioned that the findings were only preliminary and identified problems that continue to fester including abysmal conditions at the departments training academy and officers persistent use of physical force against restrained inmates
in a statement joseph ponte the correction commissioner said the department looked forward to working with the monitoring team as we tackle the next milestones
the progress highlighted in the report consists primarily of foundational steps that the monitoring team said were necessary to lay the groundwork for further improvements these include changes in policies and procedures recruitment and screening of additional staff and improvements to training
the department has created a new policy governing the use of physical force by guards one of the key requirements of the settlement though the policy will not be fully put into place until september 2017 the department says that new training procedures have already helped to curtail violent cellblock clashes according to departments data assaults on staff dropped 17 percent in the first four months of 2016 compared with the same period in 2015 and serious injuries suffered by staff and inmates were down
even so the monitoring report described excessive force used by officers as a source of continued concern in particular officers continue to respond to unruly inmates with blows to the head something that should never be done absent an imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury to staff according to the report
unexplained inmate injuries overuse of pepper spray and unreported uses of force also continued to be problems the report said
mary lynne werlwas a legal aid society lawyer who represented the plaintiffs in the class action said that while she was encouraged by some of the steps the department had made the continued violence against inmates does not reflect a properly managed correctional system
in an effort to improve investigations of troublesome guards the department has begun to bolster its internal affairs division as of march 2016 the division had 129 investigators compared with 66 in january 2015 and there are plans to hire 40 more the report said and the division has developed a computerized case management system to replace paper based record keeping
in the past the department paid little attention to recruiting and vetting qualified correction officers an investigation last year by the citys investigation department found that recent hires by the correction department included gang members people with criminal histories and others with significant psychological problems
according to the report the correction department has developed new procedures to assess an applicants competence and weed out those with questionable histories this has coincided with a major recruitment push that has resulted in hiring over 1200 new officers since august 2015
though the report praised the department for improving training programs for recruits and in some cases surpassing the number of training hours required by the settlement agreement it described the training facilities as woefully inadequate
the departments training academy in middle village queens occupies two floors of an office building under a rooftop garage classes are held in cramped windowless rooms there are few bathrooms and the workout space is so small students have to be extremely cautious to remain on the mats when performing drills the report said
given the limited space the report said the department has had to hold classes 24 hours a day to maintain its demanding training schedule
the report acknowledges that making improvements to the training center will require significant resources and time coupled with the correction departments other challenges   the city has pledged 170 million over the next two years to renovate or build a facility off rikers to house inmates under 18   the task of fulfilling all the requirements laid out by the settlement remains daunting
the report said that so far the department had accomplished as much as could reasonably be expected


a former united states army sergeant with the nickname rambo who led a team to kill a federal drug agent and a government informer was sentenced to 20 years in prison on tuesday in manhattan
the army veteran joseph m hunter 51 had worked as a sniper instructor and senior drill sergeant and was honorably discharged in 2004 after two decades but a few years later prosecutors said he went to work as a mercenary for a shadowy south african businessman helping to orchestrate murders and other violence before becoming ensnared in a sting operation run by the united states drug enforcement administration
in late 2012 as part of the sting operation mr hunter began assembling a security team for what he had been led to believe were colombian narcotics traffickers but were actually confidential sources working under the direction of the dea the government has said the following march he told team members that they would have the opportunity to do bonus work   that is assassinations   for which they would be paid extra prosecutors said
in may 2013 the government said mr hunter was asked if his team would carry out the killings of the drug agent and the informer who was said to be a boat captain who had been providing tips to the dea my guys will handle it mr hunter responded asking if he would receive a financial bonus as well
he approached this murder plot as meticulously and thoroughly as he approached his legitimate work in his military career judge laura taylor swain of federal district court said before she sentenced mr hunter
in court mr hunter a burly man with a dark beard wept at times as he addressed the judge he apologized and acknowledged his crimes
if i only had asked myself what god would want me to do he said adding this is my biggest crime and one that i intend to fix the rest of my life
mr hunters lawyers have said in court papers that after leaving the army he passed the entrance exam for the new york police department but declined to pursue a job with the police because he felt the cost of living would have been too high in new york
mr hunter pleaded guilty in february to conspiring to murder the agent and the informer to import cocaine into the united states and to possess a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence he could have received a maximum sentence of life in prison prosecutors had sought a sentence within the range stipulated in federal guidelines of about 24 to 30 years
his lawyers had sought a 10 year sentence the minimum he faced they argued that mr hunter had operated under duress while working as a mercenary for the south african businessman paul le roux an international outlaw who had threatened to kill him if he did not follow his orders mr le roux was later arrested and he has cooperated with the government
marlon g kirton a defense lawyer suggested that mr hunter who he said had post traumatic stress disorder believed that he had no choice but to carry out mr le rouxs orders
but prosecutors in the office of preet bharara the united states attorney for the southern district of new york disputed that claim arguing that mr hunter knew mr le rouxs organization was involved in illegal activities but nonetheless left the group and later rejoined it because he wanted to make money greed not duress had led him to a courtroom a prosecutor emil j bove iii said
judge swain made it clear she agreed noting that mr hunter had associated himself with mr le roux voluntarily and had remained with him after becoming aware of and involved in his illegal activity
the safety of law enforcement agents those helping them and of innocent people judge swain said depends on right choices even if those choices are life or death choices
as between killing someone sworn to uphold the law she added and risking his own demise at the hands of people he had chosen to join in criminal activity mr hunter made the dishonorable choice


the obama administration on tuesday escalated a feud with the federal judge hearing a challenge to the presidents executive actions on immigration accusing the judge of overstepping his authority by imposing sanctions on government lawyers for what he said were ethics violations
in court papers the justice department responded to an order on may 19 by judge andrew s hanen of federal district court in brownsville tex in which he ordered government lawyers practicing in the 26 states involved in the case to take ethics courses he also barred some from appearing in his court
in the scathing ruling judge hanen ordered the department to provide the names of tens of thousands of immigrants who were granted protection from deportation for three years under the presidents programs before the judge imposed an injunction in february 2015
the justice department disputed the judges claim that its lawyers had intentionally lied to him and called his punishments grossly disproportionate even if they had committed the missteps the department said the measures ordered by the judge would cost the government as much as 8 million over five years and force the administration to reveal the identities of innocent immigrants who played no role in the dispute
the department emphatically disagrees with the sanctions orders said a spokesman for the agency patrick rodenbush the department has asked judge hanen for an emergency stay of his order   which he is unlikely to grant   and said it would appeal his order
the dispute is a side issue in the lawsuit brought by texas and 25 other states against the programs president obama announced in november 2014 that would give deportation protection and work permits to more than four million immigrants in the country illegally judge hanens injunction was upheld by an appeals court and the case is before the supreme court
in the latest episode the administration is making the same argument against the judge that he made against mr obama saying that judge hanen overreached the bounds of his authority and is arbitrarily imposing big costs on government budgets
at issue is when government lawyers told judge hanen that more than 100000 deportation deferrals with a newly expanded term of three years had been granted under a separate program for young undocumented immigrants who came here as children government lawyers have acknowledged that they at first overlooked the fact that those three year deferrals were covered by the lawsuit
administration officials said they complied with an earlier order by judge hanen to recall about 2500 three year deferrals issued after his injunction replacing them with deferrals with the original two year terms
but the fiery language from both sides shows the intense differences in the case in his original order punctuated with quotations from famous movies about lawyers judge hanen accused the justice departments lawyers of unseemly and unprofessional conduct
in a statement filed in court leon rodriguez the director of the immigration agency in charge of the presidents programs said the judges demand for a list of about 50000 immigrants with three year deferrals living in the 26 states would be an unprecedented breach of the confidentiality of immigration applications
there is so much bad blood between the judge and the lawyers said stephen gillers a law professor at new york university who is an expert on judicial ethics and is not involved in the immigration case
he said the judges order coming before the supreme courts decision was both precipitous and excessive because judge hanen did not explain why he extended his ethics schooling to lawyers who had no part in the case


waitress the new musical featuring songs by sara bareilles grossed more than 1 million last week passing a symbolic broadway milepost for the first time
the box office success suggests that waitress is destined to become a hit joining hamilton and school of rock from the last season two other new musicals shuffle along or the making of the musical sensation of 1921 and all that followed and on your feet have also performed strongly since they opened
the box office report for the week ending may 29 released tuesday by the broadway league also shows that paramour the musical plus acrobatics mash up that is cirque du soleils first broadway venture is off to an impressive start despite negative reviews
paramour grossed 11 million last week even after giving away tickets for two press performances and for opening night on wednesday
overall despite an influx of tourists over memorial day weekend the grosses last week were flat the 37 shows running took in 287 million compared with 288 million grossed by 36 shows the previous week most had a drop in their grosses
the short lived musical tuck everlasting closed sunday it grossed 410516 in its final week up 85155 over the previous week as theatergoers seized a final chance to see it


detroit   if the giant commercial music festival seems to be a model of the recent past and the small carefully framed festival seems one of the evolving future detroit experienced both past and future last weekend
the movement electronic music festival had its tenth annual edition here on memorial day weekend attracting a total of more than 100000 people from saturday to monday to hart plaza downtown and to after parties until daybreak around the city they wandered among six stages in the waterfront plaza to see artists from various eras places of origin and levels of popularity kraftwerk adam beyer four tet carl craig kevin saunderson the black madonna the duo of juan atkins and moritz von oswald for a major festival with sponsorships and heavy promotion its low on flash   no fireworks shows no a list movie stars on private terraces but movement is easy to understand from a distance its a dance music locus and a tourist draw in the city that gave rise to techno it appeals to the body
running concurrently with it was trip metal approximately 100 times smaller a first time and perhaps only time festival of largely nondance music experimental or improvised or freaky or aggressive in small clubs and cafes it was organized in part by nate young from the 20 year old detroit band wolf eyes who headlined sundays show a few years ago one of its members john olson who plays saxophone and electronics started using the poetic term trip metal to describe its sound wolf eyes is essentially an improvising rock trio with crude electronics and no drummer it has often been called a noise band and is certainly not a metal band its set at times came within shouting distance of jazz any confusion the term may have caused is only the kind of confusion that wolf eyes likes
most of the smaller event took place in el club a new venue in the mexicantown neighborhood that holds 300 people it was free supported by private fund raising and a small matching grant from the knight foundation mr young has been clear that he has no plans to continue trip metal at least under that name its only advertisement paid for by the club was a billboard on the corner of trumbull street and michigan avenue by the site of the old tiger stadium with only four words   all caps no punctuation no website address trip metal is free that would raise a series of questions what is trip metal why is it free why is it happening at the same time as movement do these two festivals have something to do with each other
maybe yes
the story that led to movement began with the 1980s work of african american djs and producers including mr atkins mr craig rik davis eddie fowlkes derrick may and mr saunderson they were creating the language of techno triangulating a new sound from funk and electronic music   all the electronic music that existed then whether from german art pop groups like kraftwerk or american experimental composers like morton subotnick and they were interested in the future   technologically philosophically sometimes in a dystopian way
at a daytime panel discussion on saturday at the museum of contemporary art in detroit   separate from the festival   mr may was asked about the future i think the future is going back into the past he shot back weve forgotten so much so quick that we dont know where were going
all of them except for the reclusive mr davis remain on the scene mr craig mr fowlkes and mr saunderson played dj sets in this years movement festival and mr atkins played a live set on saturday afternoon in his austere minimal duo with mr von oswald the german techno producer
movement has had to negotiate a balance for several years starting in 2000 before it was called movement and taken over by the local production company paxahau it was called the detroit electronic music festival and was directed by mr craig because it focused on local artists didnt charge admission and was hospitable to entire families it generated a certain kind of civic pride after growth and financial troubles it became rebranded in 2006 as a more commercial proposition charging admission and half tilting toward currents in the exploding global club music landscape exactly what ensures a young audience and turns off an aging and discriminating one
its trying to serve both functions and fills the park doing it but the thrills can sometimes feel rootless jason huvaere a paxahau founder told me that the festival tries to keep roughly 40 percent detroit artists in the lineup this is where you can hear the detroit originators but also where you hear djs from the world market if generally not the most commercial ones though skrillex did play movement last year as part of the duo dog blood
whats this audiences profile its hard to know the audience is not all young and wearing panda suits some people are serious dancers some are older or student tourists or casual fans they were generally enthusiastic for kraftwerks performance in front of 3 d digital visuals the joyous house music of delano smith and dj pierre the ghettotech of dj godfather the warm left field disco of the black madonna and a complex lovely set by the english producer kieran hebden as four tet bringing dynamics voices and guitarish sounds into his mix
forty percent detroit may seem low knowing that techno is a generator of authentic pride in a city that eats pride for breakfast but in another sense that amount is principled one wonders if the sizably young and white part of the audience would know the difference if the percentage were 30 percent or 20 one also wonders if the more ahistorical dance music fans wouldnt quickly become more historical and more detroit minded if the festival were to produce some visible extra layers of content   publications documentaries panel discussions
offsite and after hours in the clubs is a different story at the saturday night party for tresor the german record label with a stake in detroit culture i saw the old school detroit dj claude young play a vertiginous set teasing the room with techno and disco records interrupting and cutting up songs relentlessly keeping the tempo high and ending with david bowies golden years weirdly accelerated to beat match the song that came before it some time after 3 am monday at no way back the sunday night party for the detroit record label interdimensional transmissions i heard bmg   brendan gillen the labels founder a kind of historian and a rigorous underground techno dj since the mid 1990s   hold forth for about 90 minutes he ended with a deconstruction of princes erotic city or so i heard i had moved on by then that party wrapped up at 10 am
beneath its prankish or weird surfaces   a set by nautical almanac included some creatively guided hypnotherapy   trip metal was just as history minded as movement it had panel discussions it showed films its aesthetic tributaries would include detroiters like the stooges and alice coltrane as well as the chicagoan sun ra sun ras saxophonists marshall allen and danny ray thompson played a trip metal set on saturday in collaboration with the younger chicago based electronic house music experimenter jamal moss aka hieroglyphic being they would also include earlier mavericks of electronic music composition particularly the 83 year old mr subotnick who played a trip metal set on saturday night on his modular synthesizer starting with sounds like gurgles and human cries and ending with rippling melodic pulsations pretty close to techno without the patterned thumps
during a daytime trip metal panel discussion   at trinosophes a cafe in the eastern market neighborhood   mr subotnick was also asked about the future i dont think there is a future he said evenly i know that sounds bad but the concept of the future and the past is going to disappear he was coming at it from a different angle than mr may talking about documentation rather than memory with documentation he seemed to be saying the past becomes the future nothing disappears anymore he said things used to disappear because there werent any recordings
there was a little audience crossover between movement and trip metal look at mr gillens biography and you find that he engineered or produced a couple of wolf eyes records theres no real reason hieroglyphic being and others on the bill wouldnt fit in at movement   maybe even mr subotnick too and there were trip metalesque moments at movement a wild minute of palpitating noise during mr youngs dj set terrence dixons set of live electronics with musicians toward the end of the tresor party so i heard perhaps a philosophical version of the future   andor the past   is to be found in that crossover
established 2006
what it is an extension of the original detroit electronic music festival which started in 2000 celebrating the citys history of techno in the context of electronic dance musics global evolution
attendance about 40000 people a day from saturday to monday
number of events around 125 on the festivals six stages and many more at the after parties
landscape hart plaza a concrete city park on the detroit river built in 1975 designed partly by isamu noguchi
typical festivalgoer mixed in age background and style but an even split between genders lots of ravers under 30 shifting from the casual to the committed as day turns to morning a lot of detroit hustles harder t shirts
only here kraftwerk performing numbers in front of 3 d digital visuals at 1015 pm on saturday on the main stage the detroit dj claude young taking the same song apart with turntables and cross faders four hours later during the party for tresor the german record label in the milwaukee junction neighborhood
established 2016
what it is a three day festival organized by and around the detroit noise or trip metal band wolf eyes
attendance 300 people a night in the main space and in the back garden of el club a promising new spot in mexicantown
number of events 25 sets in three nights with talks film screenings and after parties at other sites including the cafe trinosophes and jack whites third man records
typical festivalgoer late 20s to early 60s highly knowledgeable about the last hundred years of experimental music especially in detroit
only here the semi rock star and motivational speaker andrew w k nate young of wolf eyes and twig harper of nautical almanac who all attended community high school in ann arbor mich performed an improvised set on sunday its foundation was bachs slow and meditative chorale prelude in f minor featured in andrei tarkovkys film solaris played on the keyboard by andrew w k


hewlett packard inc has joined a growing list of major corporations that are declining to help pay for the republican national convention as pressure builds on the business community to repudiate donald j trump
before it split into two last year hewlett packard had been a generous contributor to republican causes in the past meg whitman the companys chief executive before the split and now the leader of hewlett packard enterprise is a former republican nominee for governor in california she has forcefully denounced mr trump in the past calling him a dishonest demagogue and condemning his statements on women muslims and others as repugnant
the african american activist group color of change which has been one of the leaders of the campaign to get companies to cut their donations to the convention said it had received word from hp last week that it would not be making any cash donations to the republican or democratic conventions this year a company spokeswoman confirmed the decision
hp inc joins coca cola and microsoft in deciding to either significantly curtail or eliminate its monetary support to the republican convention
coca cola has declined to match the 660000 it gave for the 2012 republican convention donating only 75000 for this year and indicating that it does not plan to provide more
microsoft will provide only software and technical assistance to the republicans event while it plans to give that and monetary support to democrats
political conventions and the cities that host them rely tremendously on corporate donations to fund their expenses which can exceed 100 million when security costs are included but companies have been wary of committing to the republican national convention this year given mr trumps provocative and offensive statements on women and minorities
a color for change spokesman rashad robinson said tuesday that it planned to keep the pressure on companies that have not yet said whether they would fund the convention which starts july 18


charleston sc   through its 40 years the spoleto festival usa has always been closely entwined with the life of the city that hosts it be it through hurricane or political tempest shortly after the festival ended last year on june 17 a gunman killed nine parishioners of emanuel african methodist episcopal church including its pastor
on friday the new pastor the rev dr betty deas clark gave a stirring invocation at spoletos opening ceremony and the festival has responded to the shooting in various ways
rene marie gave the premiere of the festival commissioned song be the change on sunday the performance of the festivals new porgy and bess production on monday was dedicated to one of the victims and members of her family attended grace notes reflections for now a multimedia production written and directed by the artist carrie mae weems will address the shooting on saturday and sunday and the festival has allotted 200 tickets to the families of the victims
but a particularly touching and little publicized interaction occurred on sunday morning when three singers from the porgy production   lester lynch lisa daltirus and indra thomas   took part in the churchs morning service ms daltirus brought the members of the congregation to their feet with the rousing spiritual ride on king jesus this and the thrillingly exuberant work of the church choir throughout seemed to indicate that the parishs spirit and resolve have survived this devastating assault undiminished a heartening example to all
the festivals main offerings on sunday could hardly have been more disparate farce in the afternoon small tragedy writ large at night
first in its american premiere came la double coquette at the dock street theater this is a radical reconception of antoine dauvergnes 1753 opera lyrique la coquette trompee the coquette deceived by the contemporary french composer gerard pesson by making 32 additions as he calls them large and small mr pesson has transformed dauvergnes delightful little score into something neo classical along stravinskian lines except that mr pessons neo is newer post neo classical
mr pessons work owes a particular debt to stravinskys reworking of pergolesi pulcinella which appears quite literally at times but la double coquette also ranges widely in its references from mahlers das lied von der erde to bossa nova
the plot need not detain us florise loves damon who has taken up with clarice florise dresses as a man to try to derail the dalliance in the original she does so pierre alferi mr pessons collaborator has modernized charles simon favarts libretto with similar irreverence and added a final twist florise and clarice fall in love with each other and damon is left out in the cold the finale states the moral for our times identity is only decorliberation is what bodies are for
the well traveled production directed by fanny de chaille features a fine cast   isabelle poulenard as florise mailys de villoutreys as clarice and robert getchell as damon   and some clever costuming by annette messager and sonia de sousa along with some that is simply bizarre anchored by the instrumental ensemble amarillis led by violaine cochard and heloise gaillard coquette proved a delightful confection
then came helmut lachenmanns the little match girl also in its american premiere at the memminger auditorium mr lachenmann calls the work not an opera but music with images though he acknowledges even music to be something of a misnomer it is perhaps best thought of as a sound environment and a forbidding one in keeping with the story by hans christian andersen that serves as its inspiration and basic libretto
a poor rejected little girl finds herself adrift in a bitterly cold city with bare head and bare feet and only her sadly unsold matches to provide any momentary warmth at all with huge forces   vocal choral and orchestral   deployed sparely and at length mr lachenmann sets up a sort of purposeful monotony of prickly and spooky sound effects and musical fragments that bursts into sonorous splendor mirroring the girls warming visions when each of the three matches is struck after the last the music thins out again but is more peaceable in the knowledge that the girl has joined her beloved grandmother in heaven
the sho an upright mouth organ appears in an extended solo played here by chen bo snow falls and mr lachenmann gives it the slightest sounds swishes and ticks it seems that it could go on forever and it almost does
the production directed by mark down and phelim mcdermott is performed mostly in darkness using shadow puppets the text appears as titles among and around the shadowy representations   mere suggestions actually   of people and settings the only actual character oddly is leonardo da vinci reading from his codex arundel adam klein plays him and also reads texts by gudrun ensslin
john kennedy with much of the music happening behind him in a surround configuration conducted the spoleto festival usa orchestra and the westminster choir in a logistical tour de force the sopranos heather buck and yuko kakuta were similarly adept in their vocal gymnastics producing all manner of grunts clicks and pops stephen drury and renate rohlfing were the pianists
appropriately and probably just as mr lachenmann hoped this is music hard to warm to but there is no question that he achieved his effects and a couple of dozen deserters aside the crowd seemed to love it


confronted with stiff competition from the nba playoffs the premiere of the ae mini series roots debuted to a total of 53 million viewers on monday night
though that is nowhere near the number who watched the 1977 version of roots which set television ratings records the audience on monday represented the highest for a premiere of a scripted cable mini series in three years
roots did not do as well as some of ae networks other big mini series efforts in recent years the final installment of the 2012 mini series hatfields and mccoys drew more than 14 million viewers and nearly 10 million people tuned in for the premiere of the 2013 mini series bonnie  clyde which like roots was broadcast on ae history and lifetime simultaneously
the roots revival received strong reviews but it had a formidable opponent game 7 of the nba western conference finals the game between the golden state warriors and the oklahoma city thunder had nearly 16 million viewers a record breaker for a professional basketball game on cable
the final three installments for roots will be broadcast tuesday through thursday


caracas venezuela   the organization of american states said tuesday that it had begun taking steps against venezuela to defend democracy in the region a rare rebuke once reserved for countries undergoing crises like coups
the move by the oas a united nations like group that represents every country in the hemisphere except for cuba now starts a process that could eventually lead to venezuela being suspended from the body
the oas cited what it called an alteration of constitutional order in venezuela which it said had gravely affected the countrys democracy sergio jellinek a spokesman for the bodys secretary general luis almagro said venezuela now was plagued by a political system with no outcomes where the government operates by decree
venezuelas government with its low popularity and one of the worlds worst economic collapses is facing a growing chorus accusing it of doubling down on authoritarianism
president nicolas maduro this month called a state of emergency that expanded his powers against opponents
venezuelas legislature controlled by rivals of the countrys governing leftists for the first time in more than a decade has been stymied by government backed courts and protests to recall the president in a referendum have been quashed with tear gas and security forces
there has been an erosion of democracy on so many levels this year said shannon k oneil a senior fellow at the council on foreign relations
perhaps venezuelas most outspoken critic this year has been the oas in a confrontation that has grown increasingly personal and acrimonious
this month mr maduro went on television to accuse mr almagro who is uruguays former foreign minister of having shadowy ties to the united states
almagro is a longtime traitor mr maduro said a cia agent
mr almagro responded with an angry open letter the following day saying that he was not a member of the cia and said mr maduro had betrayed his people
to deny the people that vote he said referring to the referendum to deny them the possibility of deciding would make you just any other petty dictator like so many this hemisphere has had
in the days since the countrys leftists have responded with continued public attacks and a barrage of memes on twitter showing unflattering photos of mr almagros face against the american flag
the bitter exchanges underscored what analysts said was increasing isolation of venezuela from its neighbors the country once had a reliable stable of allies among leftists throughout the region
but the impeachment trial in brazil in which president dilma rousseff has been suspended and the defeat last year of leftist peronists in argentina have left venezuela with new more skeptical leaders in neighboring countries
the golden age of socialism in the 21st century is over in south america said maria teresa romero a venezuelan political scientist referring to troubles leftists have faced throughout the region
the events also showed the trouble venezuela has faced in maintaining its influence at a time when oil prices have remained low
in the past venezuela managed a reliable voting block in the oas by doling out largess through groups like petrocaribe an organization where venezuela provides cheap oil to caribbean nations it also bankrolled regional groups like unasur a more pliant body that replicated jobs handled by the oas like election observing but the current economic crisis has put the pinch on both
on tuesday leftists quickly blasted the oas once more pedro carreno a legislator from mr maduros socialist party said venezuela still enjoyed support in the region and mr almagro didnt have the votes to suspend venezuela he said the oas was now at the service of dark interests that run contrary to democracy and are conspiring again against our democratic government
by invoking its democratic charter the organization effectively began a process of debate that could eventually lead to venezuelas suspension but analysts say the more likely avenue initially will be a series of discussions to break the political stalemate between mr maduro and his opponents who control the national assembly
some steps to that end have already taken place over the weekend the two sides said they had begun passing messages through mediators during a conference in the dominican republic
the main issue will be whether the country holds the referendum on mr maduro mr maduro the handpicked successor of president hugo chavez has dismal approval ratings amid the lack of food and electricity in the country he has repeatedly said that the recall is an attempt to overthrow him and should be blocked
the oas evoked its democratic charter after a 2009 military coup that overthrew president manuel zelaya in honduras the country was eventually suspended from the group and reinstated after it held an election and mr zelaya returned to honduras
dr oneil said tuesdays events had implications not just for venezuela but also for the oas which she says has taken the role of a democratic watchdog under mr almagro
almagro from the beginning has been adamant about this the one thing the oas does that no other body does in his mind is defend democracy she said thats why he has taken such a hard line


brussels   after three years of fund raising and renovations the founders of a contemporary art museum housed in a converted brewery in the molenbeek district here were eagerly anticipating their grand opening on march 23
but those plans were upended on march 22 when suicide bombers struck the brussels airport and a subway station killing 32 people and paralyzing a city already reeling from revelations that some of the deadliest terror attacks in europe had been carried out by homegrown extremists many from molenbeek
officials at the museum the millennium iconoclast museum of art or mima canceled the opening they agonized over whether art lovers would venture across the charleroi canal into the heavily muslim and immigrant neighborhood to view what it calls culture 20   art from subcultures such as tattooing graffiti surfing and skateboarding
they neednt have worried when mima opened on april 15 the lines snaked along the waterfront with 4000 people visiting that weekend and the attacks the founders say have only sharpened the museums resolve to forge connections with young people in molenbeek
when i bought this property eight years ago people thought this project was mad because molenbeek was a no go zone said jean paul putz a developer who bought the building with the idea of re establishing a brewery there on opening day he wept when he saw the lines he said what kind of impact can it have he said its just a small piece a very modest piece of hope
the four story brick museum a former malt house for belle vue kriek beer built in 1916 anchors a gentrifying strip of artists studios youth hostels and cafes in an area once known as little manchester for its warehouses and factories it is just a short walk from a parallel universe within molenbeek of halal butcher shops teahouses and middle eastern boutiques where voices rise from the noisy sidewalks in arabic french and moroccan darija and many women are veiled in niqabs
the museums facade is still laced with huge letters of white yellow and blue graffiti it will stay there said raphael cruyt the owner of a contemporary art gallery and a molenbeek resident who is one of the museums four co founders because we wont erase what the street has left there with its own rules
is it art he said i see it as more of an attitude
to attract young people from the neighborhood of about 100000 people the museums founders have sought to form alliances with schools and have taken steps to create a cultural exchange with the nearby brussels boxing academy
the academy boasts that it has trained five national champions this year but over the past five years it has also lost a handful of boxers to fighting in syria for the islamic state a former member ahmad dahmani 26 was arrested in november in turkey and imprisoned on suspicion of conducting reconnaissance for the nov 13 paris attacks
mr cruyt has visited the gym several times since mima opened on a recent trip he spoke to the boxers gathered near red punching bags and invited them on a tour describing how the museum was highlighting urban art that often reflects issues of personal rebellion and identity
afterward he said he had no idea how many of them would come to see the first exhibition city lights and its works by brooklyn artists including the duo faile whose spinning wood prayer wheel is carved with the words art is a lie that tells truth a sentiment attributed to picasso
mr cruyt and his wife alice van den abeele along with michel de launoit an entrepreneur and his wife florence started developing the project in 2013 some people warned the developers that the idea was unworkable because of its location
its a bit silly but magnificent because you have to dare to come here said ann gilles goris a councilwoman in molenbeek they believe in the place and they want to bring new life here
unlike many private museums that are financed by a single powerful collector mima which cost 18 million euros to build about 20 million relies on a network of backers seven collectors contributed works and money to build a permanent collection while others have made loans corporate partners furnished supplies and insurance for artworks and regional governments contributed seed money an association of about 200 private sponsors augment revenue from ticket sales a restaurant and space rentals the museums annual budget is about 600000 euros
our concept is the reverse from the usual private model mr cruyt said we are trying to create a structure for a museum from the bottom up
last month a handful of boxers and trainers visited a cavernous room devoted to an installation by the brooklyn artist maya hayuk long windows facing central brussels were tinted rose and yellow and the walls were covered with lush red and blue paint in geometric patterns
mohammed idrissi a trainer struck a rocky like pose and punched the air as a friend took his photograph since the visit he has started a project with the museum in which the boxers will create videos about their lives and molenbeek
a fellow trainer tom flachet said the visit was the start of an effort to open the minds of boxers who have a lot of false ideas about museums and art in general he added what interests me is that you can bring people into another world and aid their personal development
it is critical to foster such cultural exchanges to counter the isolation that can lead to an interest in radical extremism he said about five years ago he said the gym started to hear about arrests of former boxers on their way back from syria first a pair of brothers in turkey and then a set of three brothers including one just 14 years old
one problem he said is that many young men from molenbeek do not feel accepted by broader belgian society but some social programs have made a difference he said that a number of the boxers participated in a theater project sponsored by a nonprofit group the program created a rupture with their daily routines that prompted some to discover hidden talents
at the gym before the training exercises began malik mbai a 27 year old boxer said he believed that mima could help reshape molenbeeks reputation with the negative image that molenbeek has now the museum demonstrates that people are doing good he said its not only what we see on television there is another side to molenbeek


1475 million
15 gouverneur place at washington avenue
morrisania bronx
a private investor has bought this five story 1931 mixed used building with nine three bedroom apartments and a grocery store the 8133 square foot building sold for 95 times the rent roll and has a cap rate of 66 percent
buyer caribe gouverneur llc
seller 15 gouverneur llc
brokers amit doshi and richard torres besen  associates
157sq ft
94200 approximate annual rent
58 west eighth street between macdougal street and avenue of the americas
manhattan
ancolie the epicurean cantine a takeout restaurant that will offer french inspired meals in reusable glass jars has signed a 10 year lease for 600 square feet with a 400 square foot basement in this five story mixed use greenwich village walk up the shop to be run by chloe vichot is to open at the end of the summer
tenant ancolie the epicurean cantine
tenants broker steven rappaport sinvin real estate
landlord return to home llc
landlords brokers william abramson and elba diaz buchbinder  warren realty group
4595 million
the washington house
200 haven avenue between west 173rd and 176th streets
manhattan
this six story building in washington heights has 95 apartments   65 one bedrooms 24 two bedrooms and six three bedrooms one is rent controlled 31 are rent stabilized and 63 are free market the 124789 square foot property whose rents average 2075 a month offers a cap rate of 31 percent it has a 50 car garage and 32000 square feet in air rights apartments have views of the hudson river and j hood wright park
ownerrudd realty
brokers peter von der ahe joe koicim and seth glasser marcus  millichap


sumner redstones failure to quickly remove philippe p dauman as chief executive of viacom may have been a misstep a symptom of a man who is struggling with the predicament of ill health
to understand why mr redstone may be acting too slowly it is probably worth reflecting on what he might have done 20 years ago
a younger mr redstone would most likely have adopted a godfather like today i will settle all family business approach after all that was mr redstones modus operandi back in the day suddenly firing his longtime confidant tom freston as chief executive after his failure to buy myspace
in the settle all business situation mr redstone would have taken the following steps all on the same day
step 1 remove mr dauman and george abrams mr redstones longtime lawyer as trustees of the viacom trust which holds mr redstones controlling interest in viacom and cbs upon mr redstones death or incapacity these two men would be succeeded with new allies sympathetic to mr redstones daughter shari redstone
step 2 remove mr dauman as a director of national amusements viacoms controlling shareholder
step 3 sue in los angeles county superior court to establish the validity of the trustee removal and the national amusements removal the court has the virtue of having just dismissed another lawsuit against mr redstone that raised issues over his competency although to be fair the judge there was not a specific finding of competency
a suit in that california state court would ensure that if mr dauman tried to countersue in massachusetts   headquarters of the trust and a jurisdiction that perhaps would be more favorable to mr dauman   the court there would defer to the court in los angeles home of the first filed complaint
to be sure there are jurisdiction issues   mr redstone would be litigating issues over a massachusetts trust in california but this would at least ensure the early litigation took place in the los angeles court
step 4 remove the viacom directors and replace them with handpicked successors including ms redstone presumably they would meet immediately and fire mr dauman
as i discussed in a previous deal professor as a result of a mistake in viacoms organizational documents mr redstone acting through national amusements can remove the viacom directors anytime
step 5 sue in delaware viacoms place of incorporation to establish the validity of the director removal
this is a whirlwind of activity but its purpose would be to ensure that mr dauman and the viacom board were put on the back foot to hinder them from fighting back in particular while viacom is required to maintain its neutrality in this battle this mass removal would deprive mr dauman and the viacom board of any corporate resources during this period
this is not what happened
mr redstone stopped at step 2 he simply removed mr dauman and mr abrams as trustees and also mr dauman as a director of national amusements
he did take step 3 suing in los angeles but on the same day mr dauman and mr abrams did indeed sue in massachusetts the pause allowed mr dauman to hire top corporate litigators and to establish jurisdiction in massachusetts where mr dauman could relitigate mr redstones competency rather than in los angeles where the issue had just been heard and the two plaintiffs are getting some traction at least initially with a hearing on the case scheduled for june
the pause in mr redstones strategy has also allowed the viacom board and viacom to respond
in the case of the viacom directors they are already preparing for being removed and suing over any removal attempt indeed viacoms lead independent director frederic v salerno has been so kind as to criticize mr redstone and to call for a meeting even issuing an agenda for the meeting
how trite
this is an independent director who never seemed to care much about speaking to mr redstone before his removal was imminent this board paid mr redstone millions for years without a peep about his competency and decided not to pay him only a few weeks ago
the directors have also written a letter to viacom constituencies stating that they would challenge their removal because we see that as our responsibility to the noncontrolling shareholders of viacom who own 90 percent of the equity in the company funny that a board so beholden to mr redstone and willing to dole out excessive compensation to both mr redstone and mr dauman over the years now cares about other constituencies
in any event there is no corporate law that i know of that requires a controlling shareholder to speak to the directors of the company he controls if mr redstone wanted to communicate by carrier pigeon that would be his prerogative so mr salerno is engaging in a public relations battle but one that is not on very firm legal ground
viacom itself also initially made murmurs of discontent but as i pointed out before the employees of viacom should be careful taking sides against your majority shareholders on behalf of your chief executive is a breach of fiduciary duty not to mention something that could get you fired when that controlling shareholder inevitably takes control back of the company
as for that delaware litigation it might still be coming
that litigation by the way is probably a loser for the viacom directors if you want to know why you can read one of the key opinions on the rights of controlling shareholders and their companies adlerstein v wertheimer in that opinion the court held that a controlling shareholder no matter how nefarious had a right to control the board of the company and that case even featured ilan k reich if you dont know who he is you really should
in that case the court ordered the company into receivership but that was because it was failing in this case we have a simple business dispute the law is pretty clear that a majority shareholder can act over a company unless it is looting it the viacom directors may try and litigate in new york to get a judge who is less versed in these issues but that is probably their best option
i would add that the main law firm representing the company started representing the directors and then was sued for that conflict i cant overemphasize the importance here that must be placed on keeping the company neutral in this fight
and here the majority shareholder is national amusements in that case the board is made up of sumner redstone and two people he just appointed along with shari redstone her son tyler and david andelman a cbs director while the viacom directors will try to argue that there is a conflict it is hard to see how this establishes legal grounds to void national amusements actions it is also hard to see the delaware courts wanting to wade into the question of mr redstones capacity and trying to go higher up the chain
so the viacom board is doomed but still it will have time to strategize and fight a better fight
so why the wait one theory may be that there is a bit of disorder in the redstone camp and that he just hasnt been able to act as quickly as he used to after all his chief legal talent is actually at viacom and his slow boat actions are likely only to draw this out more as it gives time to prepare
another view is that by being slow and deliberate mr redstone can show that he still has the mental capacity and the ability to make hard decisions the irony of course is that the sumner redstone of old was anything but deliberate
in either case the delay is only making it worse for viacom the company


at a news conference in trump tower on tuesday morning the presumptive republican nominee donald j trump shared his thoughts about the political press and harambe the gorilla that cincinnati zoo officials shot and killed after a small child wandered into his enclosure
mr trump had nicer things to say about the gorilla
the news conference   which mr trump called to defend himself over questions about fund raising for veterans charities   was a textbook example of the candidates need to devour media attention and deplore it at the same time
the offense reporters committed this time asking whether the money he said he had raised at a january benefit   organized in place of a fox news debate he was skipping   had really made it to the beneficiaries and if so how much
a candidate said he would do a thing reporters tried to confirm whether he had last week the washington post reported that mr trump had not yet made his own donation this to mr trump was an outrage an affront not very nice treatment at all he said he had not wanted to claim credit for his deeds   which he promoted allowed to be covered on television and referred to during the campaign   but the nosy press had forced his hand
so he showed up at the news conference with a list of donations and recipients as well as a list of grievances tom llamas a reporter from abc news was a sleaze he said jim acosta of cnn a real beauty
the event carried live on the major cable networks showed how mr trump uses his media omnipresence to control his message by railing at the questions he was able to send a headline to voters repeated on the chyrons   that the candidate raised money for vets   while mostly pushing past questions of when he did it and whether his earlier claims had been truthful at the time he made them
the reporters pushed back pressing mr trump not just on the donations but also on his continued attacks against detractors in the republican party on his press bashing on whether he is too thin skinned for the presidency mr trump of course believes that his skin like all other parts of him is fine as it is
and he essentially promised that should he be elected this news conference would be a preview of white house press room sessions to come
mr trump may dish out abuse to the press but at least hes a source of constant quotes his likely fall opponent hillary clinton is more polite but also more guarded or as a new york magazine profile by rebecca traister this week bluntly put it clinton hates the press  even if she doesnt pummel them for the cameras
this relative silence has helped mr trump dominate airtime and make the news cycle his floor to ceiling mirror mrs clinton has lately tried to fill the vacuum by doing more interviews tuesday afternoon she phoned in trump style to jake tapper on cnn and chris hayes on msnbc both of them led their interviews by asking her what she thought of mr trumps news conference
mr trump is not the first candidate to bash the news media while craving its attention hes just made the contradiction like everything he builds bigger and gaudier
hes collected by a new york times estimate 2 billion in free media and he attacks mocks and threatens news outlets when they arent nice building bona fides with a voter base that has been encouraged for decades to see big media as the enemy
he can glad hand journalists then turn peevish and furious the whole impetus for the news conference remember was an event he held when he was angry at fox news now he has nothing but nice things to say about fox news because hes sewn up the nomination and the network has become very very nice to him
and then there came the question about harambe because it is 2016 and this is what we do now we ask the reality tv star who may become the leader of the free world how tough he would be on large zoo animals
it was poetically fitting for almost a year mr trump has been the 800 pound gorilla whose unpredictable rampages have obsessed the news media now he was completing the circle by commenting on the 400 pound gorilla who briefly stole the spotlight from him for one holiday weekend
for the record mr trump said that he thought zoo officials had little choice but to shoot harambe but he added there were moments with the gorilla the way he held that child it was almost like a mother with a baby it looked so beautiful and calm and then there were moments when it looked pretty dangerous
so it is with mr trump and the news media and their volatile symbiosis tuesday morning he was in raging silverback mode glowering posturing and verbally dragging the press around his gilded manhattan lair
but viewed from another vantage point it can look as if he were holding them very close


san francisco   when the alibaba group was barely a year old in 2000 the fledgling chinese e commerce company gained an early believer and investor in masayoshi son the outspoken japanese telecommunications mogul
sixteen years later mr son and his telecommunications company softbank are finally selling a portion of that stake after its value has mushroomed to billions of dollars
softbank said on tuesday that it planned to sell approximately 8 billion of its shares in alibaba the reason the japanese company is seeking to pay down some of its hefty debt load
softbank said it would remain one of alibabas biggest shareholders with a stake of about 28 percent after the share sale
the move comes as the japanese telecom concern tries to cut costs and focus on turning around sprint the american cellphone service provider it controls though the rest of softbank including its expansive japanese wireless network and the yahoo japan business that it runs is performing well sprint remains far behind its united states counterparts in customers and sales
that has prompted softbank under its president nikesh arora to focus on cutting costs and shedding debt in its softbank 20 strategy the company reported holding about 85 trillion yen or just under 77 billion worth of long term debt as of march 31 according to standard  poors capital iq a research service
alibaba has become one of the most valuable assets in softbanks portfolio of businesses the chinese e commerce giant made its debut as a public company on the new york stock exchange in 2014 and now holds a market value of about 209 billion
the share sale which has been in the works for months has not been driven by concern over alibabas financial prospects according to people with direct knowledge of the matter who were not authorized to speak publicly the chinese e commerce giant disclosed recently that the securities and exchange commission of the united states had been looking into its accounting practices and the company has said that it is cooperating
under the terms of softbanks plan approximately 5 billion of the stake sale would be packaged into a financial security that would convert into shares of alibaba after three years
alibaba itself will buy back about 2 billion worth of shares from softbank the chinese companys partnership a group that essentially controls it through its ability to nominate a majority of directors plans to buy an additional 400 million worth of shares
as softbank looks to strengthen its own balance sheet alibaba determined that it was the best use of our capital to reinvest in our own business through an efficient buyback of a large number of shares in our own company that is accretive to our stockholders jack ma one of alibabas founders and its executive chairman said in a statement
softbank will sell another 500 million shares to an unnamed governments investment fund
even after the sale however the two companies said that they would retain significant ties to each other mr son softbanks chairman and chief executive will remain on alibabas board mr ma will still be a director of softbank
this investment has been phenomenally successful and over the past 16 years we have built a close relationship working together on many exciting projects mr son said in a statement in that time we have not sold any alibaba shares there are huge opportunities ahead for alibaba and sbg looks forward to the continued partnership
shares of alibaba fell nearly 24 percent in after hours trading to 7961


brussels   six weeks before a critical summit meeting aimed at bolstering natos deterrence against a resurgent russia the alliance is facing a long list of challenges the first is to find a country to lead the last of four military units to be deployed in poland and the three baltic nations
but that analysts say could be the least of its problems
security concerns are as high now as they have been since the end of the cold war as the immigration crisis has strained relations within the continent anxieties have been heightened by russian military offensives in crimea and eastern ukraine and a bombing campaign in syria that has demonstrated moscows rapidly increasing capabilities lately russia has talked openly about the utility of tactical nuclear weapons
despite the growing threats many european countries still resist strong measures to strengthen nato many remain reluctant to increase military spending despite past pledges some like italy are cutting back france is reverting to its traditional skepticism toward the alliance which it sees as an instrument of american policy and an infringement on its sovereignty
and that is not to mention the declarations of the presumptive republican presidential nominee donald j trump that nato is obsolete that the allies are ripping off the united states and that he would not really be concerned if the alliance broke up while that may be campaign bluster it does reflect a growing unwillingness in the united states to shoulder a disproportionate share of the nato burden militarily and financially
the current concern and a major element of what the nato secretary general jens stoltenberg calls the biggest reinforcement of collective defense since the end of the cold war is the decision to put four combat battalions of up to 1000 soldiers each in those front line countries bordering russia
while britain germany and the united states have agreed to lead one battalion each to be filled out with soldiers from other nato allies to preserve the idea of multinational forces leadership of the fourth is not yet in sight as the july 8 9 summit meeting in warsaw rapidly approaches
the united states is not thinking about doing two said its ambassador to nato douglas e lute were planning to do one and get our allies to step up for the other three
but other larger nations like italy and france have declined italy cut military spending after pledging to increase it two years ago in wales its leaders say it is already participating in a newly enlarged alliance rapid reaction force
and france which has reverted under the current socialist government to a more mistrusting view of nato and its american leadership is stretched thin in its military campaigns in mali the central african republic and north africa and syria let alone patrolling its own streets against terrorist attack
france is likely to contribute only about 150 soldiers to the new deployments nato officials say after finally agreeing to the idea of forward deployments in poland after initial opposition germany which six months ago opposed these deployments agreed in return for efforts at renewed dialogue with russia it also agreed to lead one battalion
so the search goes on for a fourth lead nation mr stoltenberg is confident it will be found by the summit meeting
the deployments are important because these combat battalions are designed not to be simple tripwires but to be large enough and sufficiently well equipped to do an invader real damage then they can be reinforced more quickly with the enhanced rapid reaction force and   another nato and american decision - to station another united states armored combat brigade of around 5000 soldiers in europe for a total of three and to pre position its heavy equipment like tanks and artillery
poland is demanding that some of that equipment be pre positioned on its territory but for the moment most of it will go to germany belgium and the netherlands which have storage and transport facilities dating from the cold war
only now in fact is nato actually surveying the infrastructure   the bridges roads and railways   of relatively newer member states in central and eastern europe not having judged it necessary before to plan how to quickly reinforce them in case of a russian invasion pre positioning in eastern europe would currently require large sums for capital investment to build special new warehouses and infrastructure mr lute said
poland eager to send messages to moscow did succeed in advancing groundbreaking for a ballistic missile defense site to coincide with the operational opening of one in romania while mr stoltenberg and washington insist that such missile defenses are not aimed at russian intercontinental ballistic missiles moscow is not convinced
here too france has been skeptical nervous that the reaction time of missile defense will circumvent the political oversight of the north atlantic council the assembly of member states and their ambassadors that makes nato decisions by consensus
for the same reason france has been reluctant to allow the nato supreme commander who is always an american general too much authority to act in a crisis which others say is needed to respond quickly
but the initial missile defense program combined with new forward deployments near russia to be rotated to avoid calling them permanent and an enlarged rapid reaction force supposedly ready to deploy in 48 hours all are a measure of how much russias recent actions have changed natos calculations
nato is trying to reassure vulnerable members like the baltic states poland and even southern members like romania bulgaria and turkey on the black sea that the alliance intends to deliver on its promise of collective defense missile defense is part of the response along with more naval exercises in the black sea and more consistent overflights by reconnaissance aircraft
as mr stoltenberg points out the impact of russian policy has finally pushed european members of nato to at least halt the decades long decline in military spending this year he said estimates are that european allies will as a whole increase military spending something washington has been demanding even though most are not yet spending the 2 percent of gdp that is the nato guideline
some 16 of the 28 member states have increased military spending in real terms with only italy bulgaria and croatia still cutting although they insist that the cuts are temporary i know the mood in washington and i understand it the americans want to see the europeans doing more contributing more mr stoltenberg said this has been my main message in european capitals
still there is another troubling russia related issue for nato - how to deal with a new russian military doctrine that considers the utility of tactical nuclear weapons at the beginning of a conflict as a deterrent against an adversary retaking territory followed by what planners call a quick de escalation
some member nations believe that russia already has nuclear weapons in the enclave of kaliningrad on the baltic sea where it publicly displayed nuclear warheads in a previous exercise russia has been unclear about whether they have been removed
while aware of public horror about using nuclear weapons mr stoltenberg mr lute and others emphasize that nato remains a nuclear alliance and that its deterrence is meant to be seamless ranging from responses to cyberattacks through conventional weapons and if necessary nuclear weapons too
nato does not regard its nuclear arsenal as having any use other than political deterrence mr stoltenberg said but as long as nuclear weapons exist in the world he said we have to remain a nuclear alliance


oakland calif   kevin durant began his evening by searching for his teammates he dribbled against defenders and kicked the ball out to the perimeter involving everyone as the oklahoma city thunder sought to extend their season some two hours later his night ended in a flurry of yellow confetti
as the golden state warriors celebrated their game 7 victory in the western conference finals late monday durant found stephen curry the warriors transcendent star and the two embraced not so long ago durant was the leagues most valuable player curry now owns the title and they showed their mutual respect
over the course of the series durant pulled everything from his basketball tool kit he scored and defended he encouraged his teammates and badgered his opponents it was nearly good enough the thunder had three games   three rare opportunities   to close this thing out and advance to their first nba finals since 2012
instead the warriors proved their dominance once more in their 96 88 victory but if the thunder are sure to be haunted by their mistakes durant delivered a message of hope
just proud man durant said its a journey a lot of people just see the basketball games but they dont see everything else behind the scenes and thats what im proud of these guys for staying together and continuing to get better day by day throughout the season
as the warriors began to prepare for their nba title defense against the cleveland cavaliers who will visit oracle arena on thursday night for game 1 of the nba finals durant waded into his uncertain future he is due for free agency this summer and teams are lining up he is among the best players of his generation a franchise altering talent
ill think about that stuff said durant who has spent his entire career with the thunder franchise i dont know when
but in the wake of profound disappointment after so many blown chances to upend one of the most dominant teams in league history durant sounded encouraged by the experience by his teams growth and by what the future held he did not sound like a man who was ready to leave
i thought we peaked at the right time and got better at the right time he said unfortunately we didnt come out on top and thats something that all the guys are upset about but we laid it all out there everybody left their soul out on the court we have no regrets
the case for oklahoma city is simple durant can make more money by staying the nbas collective bargaining agreement rewards loyalty and the thunder are an excellent team with russell westbrook his high octane teammate set to become a free agent in 2017 it would make sense for durant to sign a two year deal with an opt out after next season
the thunder are right there after all   one win short of the finals this season with young players who are improving consider the emergence of steven adams their 22 year old center against the warriors he averaged 10 points and 89 rebounds while playing terrific defense and revealing a remarkable threshold for pain he is exactly the type of player who complements durant and westbrook both of whom can score and create offense adams who seems oblivious to statistics is happy to do everything else
its up to him adams said of durants looming decision were just here to support him and he knows that
it was a stirring run for the thunder especially given their recent history last season with durant sidelined for all but 27 games because of injuries oklahoma city went 45 37 and landed in the draft lottery after billy donovan was hired to replace scott brooks as coach he set about building relationships with his players
the thunder improved as the weeks and months passed becoming more cohesive more aggressive and more dangerous in the twin shadows cast by the warriors and the san antonio spurs whom the thunder demolished in their conference semifinal series
i think they got dramatically better during the playoffs warriors coach steve kerr said i really do theyve always been very very talented theyve always been formidable
before game 7 on monday donovan was completely at ease with the weight of the moment saying his players had an understanding of what theyre walking into tonight
after launching 31 shots in game 6 durant tailored his approach for game 7 he attempted just five field goals in the first half coaxing his team along by being generous with the ball he knew he could not do it alone   until he nearly did his late game scoring binge cutting into the warriors lead curry was too much in the end though
in the final two games of the series the warriors shot 38 of 82 from 3 point range 463 percent the thunder were 10 of 50 20 percent those totals stuck with durant
they beat us from the 3 point line durant said we beat them everywhere else they beat us from the 3 point line and that was the series
it was a sign to him of just how close the thunder had come to reaching the grand stage of the finals all the more reason then for him to come back and try again


tehran   a popular iranian actress whose latest movie won two awards at the recent cannes film festival threw her native country into an uproar on tuesday after images emerged suggesting that she had a feminist tattoo on her arm
at a news conference on monday celebrating the return of the cast of the movie the salesman to tehran cameras captured what appeared to be a tattoo of the woman power symbol of a raised fist sticking out from under the sleeve of the lead actress taraneh alidoosti 32 known by some as the natalie portman of iran
on irans vibrant social media scene hard liners were quick to criticize ms alidoosti who is married and has a daughter saying the symbol meant she supported abortion rights and was against the family
her many fans came to her defense on twitter now that i think about it i have been feminist from the very beginning wrote one woman other twitter users were less flattering you are advertising foreigners said one
ms alidoosti and her fellow actors had been in cannes france to promote the salesman the latest movie by asghar farhadi an oscar winning iranian director during the festival in may mr farhadi won an award for best screenplay and ms alidoostis co star shahab hosseini was given the award for best actor
for most of the day tuesday social media outlets were captivated by two questions whether ms alidoosti had such a tattoo and whether it meant that she was a feminist
ms alidoosti answered one of the questions herself saying on her twitter account keep calm and yes im a feminist but refusing to comment on the tattoo question saying such matters were private she also posted an explanation in english of the meaning of the feminist fist which she wrote was the woman power symbol and became a symbol of feminism she could not be reached for comment
irans womens rights movement is officially nonexistent with the countrys judiciary dominated by hard liners having convicted most organized groups trying to change laws that treat the sexes unequally despite the crackdown many urban iranians say they support equal rights for women the word feminist however is often used by hard liners as a negative label
in may the judiciary issued a warning especially for actors and athletes after several famous figures had been arrested at a party they were told to adhere to islamic values or face public naming and shaming because of their popularity and large fan base actors and actresses especially always have to walk a fine line
in another post on twitter ms alidoosti said feminism doesnt mean antiman or antifamily feminism means that each human aside from his or her gender has the right to an individuality and according to that to choose the life that she or he wants


london   a company can bar a muslim female employee from wearing a head scarf at work as long as the policy applies to all religious garb and does not single out islam according to an advisory opinion that the european unions highest court released on tuesday
the opinion was handed down in a case brought by a muslim woman in belgium samira achbita who was fired from her job as a receptionist at a security company it comes as europe struggles with the role of islam in the public sphere a debate fueled in recent years by rising immigration the refugee crisis and concerns about terrorism
juliane kokott an advocate general with the european court of justice wrote in the opinion that a ban on head scarves does not constitute direct discrimination based on religion which would violate european regulations if that ban is founded on a general company rule prohibiting visible political philosophical and religious symbols in the workplace and not on stereotypes or prejudice against one or more particular religions or against religious beliefs in general
the opinion is not the final word on the matter a formal judgment is expected later this year but advisory opinions are usually a reliable guide to the thinking of the court which is based in luxembourg and interprets european law for the 28 nation union the courts powers have expanded as a result of the 2009 lisbon treaty where once it focused mostly on trade and competition cases it now has oversight in areas like civil rights as well
the european court of human rights issued a similar decision in 2014 upholding a 2011 ban on the public wearing of face covering veils in france where the debate over displays of religion has been especially heated that court based in strasbourg france found that the ban was a legitimate attempt to preserve the norms of frances diverse society and its tradition of secularism and did not violate the european convention on human rights
like the strasbourg courts rulings the decisions of the european court of justice are binding on member states making ms achbitas case a closely watched one
the court is also considering a related case involving a french information technology engineer who was dismissed after refusing to remove her veil at the request of a client
ms achbita had worked for her company g4s for three years before raising the issue of the head scarf and insisting that she be allowed to wear it at work she sued the company with support from the belgian center for equal opportunities and opposition to racism that case is still before the courts in belgium but the countrys court of cassation asked the european court of justice for clarification about what european law requires the opinion on tuesday was part of the courts response
dr kokott who is a german legal scholar cautioned that the advisory opinion was not intended to give a blanket license for companies to prohibit religious garb on the job such bans may in fact amount to indirect discrimination on the basis of religion she wrote but such discrimination may be justified in order to enforce a policy of religious and ideological neutrality
to justify that she wrote employers must follow the principle of proportionality in particular workplace bans on religious garb must take into account the size and conspicuousness of the religious symbol the nature of the employees work the context in which the employee has to perform that work and the national identity of the country involved dr kokott wrote like all european union institutions the court is sensitive to the variations in tradition and history among the blocs member nations
the opinion urged the belgian court of cassation to balance those factors   including belgiums national identity   in ruling on ms achbitas case
the issue of religious attire in the workplace is hardly limited to europe and islam in the united states it has come up in the context of an orthodox jewish recruit to the coast guard who wanted to wear a skullcap on duty an army officer of the sikh faith who sought to wear a turban while in uniform and a muslim woman who was denied a job by the clothing retailer abercrombie  fitch because she wore a head scarf the supreme court ruled 8 to 1 last year that the woman samantha elauf was entitled to sue the company under federal employment discrimination law


five months ago carl c icahn deplored pfizers proposed takeover of the ireland based drug maker allergan as a travesty meant to help one of americas biggest companies lower its tax bill by moving abroad
now mr icahn says he has taken a piece of allergan
the billionaire activist investor disclosed in a statement on his website on tuesday that his investment company has bought a large position in allergan which is technically headquartered in dublin he didnt detail how large of a stake or when the purchase was made
allergan said in a statement after the announcement that it has no reason to believe that this investment was made for purposes of influencing the actions of management or control of the company we welcome all investors who recognize the value of our business
mr icahn has been opposed to pfizer forsaking its american passport to cut its taxes in a letter to lawmakers in october he urged them to change laws to prevent companies from doing so and announced a 150 million political action fund to finance the cause
he did not speak ill of allergan however he actually had a hand in creating the company
in 2009 mr icahn took a stake in the drug maker forest laboratories and spent the next five years pressing for changes there after getting brent saunders the chief executive on board at the company in 2013 he orchestrated a merger between forest and a dublin based counterpart actavis mr icahn made a 17 billion profit
actavis later bought allergan which faced an unwanted takeover bid by valeant pharmaceuticals international actavis took on allergans name and mr saunders remained chief executive its 152 billion merger with pfizer thwarted allergan said in may that it would buy back 10 billion of its shares and reduce debt
normally an activist would take on a stake of a beaten down company or short the stock of a company he thought was overvalued and argue for change
in his statement mr icahn said he supported mr saunders
we still have always maintained great respect for brent mr icahn said we have every confidence in brents ability to enhance value for all allergan shareholders
shares of allergan got an early lift after the announcement which mr icahn made over twitter they traded up 065 percent at midday to 23748


san francisco   three years after michael s dell and the investment firm silver lake took dell inc private a delaware judge has decided that the 24 billion deal was 21 percent too cheap
that said most investors who held shares in the computer company at the time of the takeover will not be able to collect owing to the intricacies of delaware corporate law
in an opinion published on tuesday vice chancellor j travis laster of the delaware court of chancery found that dell shares were worth about 1762 at the time of the 2013 leveraged buyout rather than the 1375 that mr dell and silver lake paid
the court filing caps a lawsuit brought by a number of dell investors who argued that they had been shortchanged by mr dell the founder of the company which is incorporated in delaware those shareholders brought what is known as an appraisal suit calling on the chancery court to determine the fair value of their holdings at the time
a number of investors including carl c icahn publicly protested the deal mr icahn proposed several takeover offers and threatened to scuttle the agreement with mr dell and silver lake the pair eventually raised their bid by 10 cents a share while the board agreed to ease the voting requirements needed to approve the deal
yet one of the biggest proponents of the delaware appraisal suit the mutual fund manager t rowe price will not be able to collect vice chancellor travis disqualified the firms roughly 27 million shares because of a wrinkle in what he called the byzantine system in which shareholders voted on the deal
though t rowe publicly declared that it was opposed to the leveraged buyout it actually   and mistakenly because of the complexities of modern shareholder systems   voted in favor of the transaction
to qualify for any compensation that a favorable appraisal can bring shareholders must have voted against the deal in question
that leaves a small percentage of dell shareholders eligible for any additional payout among them is the hedge fund magnetar capital that group will receive the difference plus interest
spokesmen for dell and silver lake declined to comment


great plains energy has charged up for a 122 billion purchase of larger neighbor westar energy the transaction unveiled on tuesday has features typical of pairings between regulated american electric utilities investors may be right though to worry that the buyer is overpaying
the two companies serve neighboring territories from their respective kansas city mo and topeka kan headquarters they already operate power plants together so it is not surprising that great plains with a market capitalization of 48 billion on friday won the auction that had bred rumors about a westar sale
the 86 billion that terry bassham the chief executive of great plains is paying for westars equity is about 1 billion more than westars value on friday a 13 percent premium given that talk has already pushed the shares up though the markup is really larger regulated utilities are usually cautious on premiums because cost savings often only last until watchdogs push prices down and shift most of the benefit to customers
that is also why the likes of great plains and westar are often cagey about synergies executives did however compare the transaction with the formers 2008 purchase of missouri based aquila in that case targeted synergies topped 11 percent of the combined entitys operating and maintenance expenses excluding fuel according to a regulatory filing at the time using the same figure the implied savings for great plains and westar could be around 120 million a year
taxed at 35 percent and capitalized on a multiple of 10 those synergies would be generously valued at less than 800 million today not counting the expense or time required to realize them that is short of even the headline premium helping to explain why great plains investors marked the companys shares down about 5 percent by midday
preserving great plains credit rating while funding 85 percent of the consideration in cash is no picnic either to balance 44 billion of new debt mr bassham is planning over 3 billion of equity issuance as a first step he has the ontario municipal employees retirement system buying 750 million of convertible preferred stock with dividends running at 725 percent and not deductible for tax that is expensive
scale may bring greater efficiency than expected help keep two states regulators happy and even nudge growth higher but with great plains taking such a big bite and the likelihood that gains will be short lived it is no wonder its shareholders are signaling the deal lacks spark


when the new horizons spacecraft launched in 2006 it left with a 29 cent hitchhiker a 1991 stamp that read pluto not yet explored
nine years and 3 billion miles later the craft carried its postage passenger past the dwarf planet making history along the way
now new horizons has a stamp of its own   and its part of collection called pluto   explored
nasa and the united states postal service released two new forever 47 cent stamps commemorating the voyage on tuesday the stamps feature an artists rendering of the yellow probe and a color enhanced composite image of pluto taken during the flyby that prominently features its heart shaped mark
the 1991 stamp that showed pluto not yet explored highlighted some important unfinished business for nasas first exploration of the planets of our solar system s alan stern the principal investigator for the new horizons mission said in a statement
im thrilled that 25 years later these new stamps recognize that pluto has indeed been explored by the new horizons spacecraft and revealed to be a complex and fascinating world
nasa and the postal service also released a stamp collection called views of our planets which showcase our solar systems eight planets  pluto was downgraded to a dwarf in 2006
some of the photos featured on these stamps came from new horizons predecessors like the messenger spacecraft for mercury and voyager 2 with neptune the images of jupiter saturn and uranus came from the hubble space telescope earths blue marble was made using the weather satellite suomi npp which orbits the planet 14 times a day
the post office issued the stamps on the occasion of the world stamp show ny 2016 an international conference that draws an estimated 250000 stamp collectors
if youre a philatelist or astronomy enthusiast you can snag sheets of the stamps online or just wait until the individual stamps journey to your mailbox   which shouldnt be more difficult than traveling to pluto right


union fare first came a cafe that becomes a wine bar in the evening stage 2 of this sprawling complex in part of the original barnes  noble bookstore is a restaurant a very long bar opposite high top tables leads to a dining room that is a study in recycling decorated in reclaimed wood with chairs strapped in rubber from discarded tires theres a raw bar and a charcuterie station the chef yvan lemoine focuses on seasonal american fare at his side and supplying the cafe with baked goods is thiago silva his bakery will be in a food market opening later with pizza burgers salads poke and peruvian rotisserie chicken opens wednesday 6 east 18th street 212 633 6003 unionfarecom
coco  cru an australian partner cory lee brings a taste of summer in sydney to this noho cafe look for asparagus with eggs sunny side up assorted grain based meals in a bowl and a grass fed burger given a down under turn with pineapple and bacon most of the drinks including beer cocktails wine coffee and tea are on tap wednesday 643 broadway bleecker street 212 614 3170 cocoandcrucom
combina einat admonys mix of spain and israel was not the home run she has scored with balaboosta and bar bolonat so she ended its run at six months
pravda this distinctive underground watering hole opened in 1996 when vodka still ruled at the bar keith mcnally created it and sold it years ago to james huddleston and his brother mike who will close it at the end of june in september they plan a redo and expansion with a new name an all day cafe on street level and a restaurant and bar serving small plates middle eastern style downstairs 281 lafayette street prince street 212 226 4944
mark ladner the executive chef and partner in del posto is creating eight new italian menu items for maple david changs food delivery service among the dishes are a sausage meatball sandwich whole wheat pasta with mozzarella and cherry tomato salad arctic char with lentils and chicken scarpariello maplecom
maurizio marfoglia who worked at pino luongos restaurants and more recently at tutto il giorno in sag harbor ny is now the president and chief operating officer of the new york based franchise of the burger chain wahlburgers which was started by the chef paul wahlberg and his well known brothers mark and donnie mr marfoglia will oversee the chains operations in coney island and at future locations in maryland virginia and washington dc mr marfoglia has also taken over the tutto il giorno and renamed it dopo la spiaggia
by chloe the immensely popular vegan restaurant from the chef chloe coscarelli and samantha wasser the creative director of esquared hospitality will open an outlet in the howard hughes development at the south street seaport district next year this year there will be by chloe branches in the flatiron district and soho 181 front street john street
casa apicii the name refers to the followers of marcus gavius apicius a first century roman gourmand and writer and this new restaurant which in july will move into the space that was the lion will have an italian accent casey lane a chef who owns the tasting kitchen in the venice section of los angeles will emphasize his seasonal ingredient driven style his executive chef will be adam nadel who was at lincoln ristorante patrick cormier who was at locanda verde will manage it 62 west ninth street
sistina after 33 years on second avenue at 80th street this quintessential upscale neighborhood restaurant is moving for once its not a landlord tenant drama the owner giuseppe bruno has long wanted more space people request big tables for six or eight and there isnt room for them in this restaurant he said so in september he will close sistina and move it to the townhouse that was once parioli romanissimo and more recently crown it will be a gorgeous room for ladies to have lunch he said 24 east 81st street
yonekichi bon yagi is known as the east village emperor of japanese food with 10 restaurants in that neighborhood and four more elsewhere in manhattan the entrepreneur will open his 15th restaurant this summer in hells kitchen a spinoff of his east ninth street restaurant of the same name it will also serve rice based buns with various fillings including meat and fish 746 ninth avenue 51st street


a few years ago the biggest enemy of the music industry was pandora media then spotify became the target
now it is youtubes turn
in recent months the music world has been united to a rare degree in a public fight against youtube accusing the service of paying too little in royalties and asking for changes to the law that allows the company to operate the way it does the battle highlights the need to capture every dollar as listeners habits turn to streaming as well as the industrys complicated relationship with youtube
the dispute has played out in a drumbeat of industry reports blog posts and opinion columns stars like katy perry pharrell williams and billy joel have signed letters asking for changes to copyright laws irving azoff the manager of artists like the eagles and christina aguilera criticized youtube in an interview and in a fiery speech around the grammy awards
also annual sales statistics were released showing that youtube despite its gigantic audience produces less direct income for musicians than the niche market of vinyl record sales
this is the result of an explosion of views of music videos on youtube against a backdrop of decline in the recorded music business in general larry miller an associate professor of music business at new york universitys steinhardt school said of the fight
with more than a billion users including the youngest and most engaged music fans youtube has long been seen by the music business as a vital way to promote songs and hunt for the next star at the same time music executives grumble that it has never been a substantial source of revenue and is a vexing outlet for leaks and unauthorized material
it may not be a coincidence that the major record labels are also in the midst of renegotiating their licensing contracts with youtube this year
in its newest effort the music industry has asked the federal government to change the digital millennium copyright act saying that the law which was passed in 1998 and protects sites like youtube that host copyrighted material posted by users is outdated and makes removing unauthorized content too difficult
cary sherman the chief executive of the recording industry association of america says that even when songs are taken down they can easily be uploaded again
this is a new form of piracy he said you dont have to go into dark corners and sell stuff out of your car you can do it in plain sight and rely on the dmca to justify that what youre doing is perfectly legal
europes copyright protections are also under review and last month andrus ansip the european commissions digital chief called on youtube to pay more for its content but so far youtube does not seem shaken
in an interview robert kyncl youtubes chief business officer said that since its inception in 2005 youtube has paid 3 billion to the music industry around the world in earlier statements youtube has said that google its parent company paid that amount across all of its sites but mr kyncl now says that youtube alone has contributed that sum and that other google services have added even more
music matters tremendously to us mr kyncl said artists matter to us we are connecting artists and fans on our platforms
he also pointed to the sites new subscription plan youtube red and said youtubes copyright protections were functioning as they should content id the sites proprietary system lets copyright owners keep track of their material and when the system detects a new video including a tracked song   whether in a full music video or just the background of a user uploaded clip   the owner can choose to keep the video online or take it down
according to youtube 98 percent of copyright claims on its system are made through content id and 995 percent of the claims related to music are handled automatically youtube says about half the money it pays in music royalties is related to user generated videos that incorporate music processed through content id
we are working to create what has become the most significant revenue generator in the entertainment industry mr kyncl said which is a dual revenue stream where you monetize all people heavy users through subscription and light users through advertising
but the music world argues that youtubes financial contributions have not kept pace with the popularity of its streams in march the recording industry associations annual report of sales statistics usually a dry financial summary criticized youtube harshly it said that free ad supported sites like it which let users pick specific songs on demand paid 385 million to record labels in the united states   less than the 416 million collected from the sale of just 17 million vinyl records
spotify paid about 18 billion last year for music licensing and related costs according to the companys annual returns although the average royalty rates for its free tier are not much different from youtubes by some estimates
the fight over the digital millennium copyright act has touched a nerve the music industry is bracing for what may be a high wattage lobbying battle reminiscent of the one over the stop online piracy act a bill that was abandoned in 2012 after opposition from technology activists and internet giants like google and wikipedia
the copyright law gives safe harbor to internet service providers that host third party material while music groups criticize the law some legal scholars and policy specialists say any change to it would need to be considered carefully particularly to preserve protections like fair use
anything that rewrites the dmca isnt just going to affect youtube said james grimmelmann a law professor at the university of maryland it is going to affect blogs it is going to affect fan sites it is going to affect places for game creators and documentarians and all kinds of others
in december the united states copyright office asked for comments about dmca as part of a review of the law and filings by record companies show how laborious copyright policing can be universal music said that after taylor swifts album 1989 was released in late 2014 the company devoted a team of employees full time to search for unauthorized copies to date the company said it has sent 66000 takedown notices to various sites about 1989 in addition to 114000 blocks on youtube made automatically through content id
maria schneider a grammy winning jazz composer said in an interview that the problem was particularly acute for independent acts like her who do not have content id accounts and that the dmcas takedown process discouraged lawful requests
youtube says that about 8000 companies and organizations have access to content idand that independents may get access through affiliated companies and industry groups mr kyncl said the steps in the takedown process were meant to ensure the accuracy of requests and deter false claims
mr azoff said that after the copyright office made its request he and other managers asked artists they represented whether they wanted to sign a letter calling for changes to the law
not one artist declined he said
but if there are creators who like their music on youtube and soundcloud thats fine mr azoff said the whole point is choice artists should be able to choose


jerusalem   an israeli labor court on tuesday awarded compensation to a former maintenance man in the official residence of prime minister benjamin netanyahu accepting the workers claims of abusive terms of employment at the hands of mr netanyahus wife sara
the court award was the latest blow to the netanyahus who are under scrutiny over the use of public funds and the management of their official and private households and longstanding accusations that they have been living the high life at the expense of others
the netanyahus have denied any wrongdoing the netanyahu family attorneys in the law office of dr j weinroth and co described the allegations of the maintenance worker as mendacious and said they had no basis in reality
the court award came two days after the police announced that they had completed a 15 month investigation of the prime ministers residences that focused on a number of issues that raised the suspicion of the commission of criminal offenses including fraud and breach of trust
unusually the police statement did not include the names of those involved or any recommendation of how to proceed with the case saying only that the findings had been given to the jerusalem district attorney for a decision on whether to press charges
but the israeli news media widely reported that the police believed that there was sufficient evidence for indictments against mrs netanyahu and two others an electrician connected to mr netanyahus likud party and the deputy director for operations at the prime ministers office ezra saidoff mr saidoff was also a defendant in the case decided on tuesday
the netanyahu family responded to the police announcement in a facebook post saying contrary to the press reports mrs netanyahu has not committed any crime it added the various allegations raised by the news media will turn out to be baseless like all the other allegations leveled against the netanyahu family over the years
the police investigation began after israels state comptroller published a report in february 2015 that harshly criticized the netanyahus spending habits the comptroller listed what he considered excessive expenditures on takeout meals cleaning bills makeup and hairstyling
the report also said that the netanyahus had bypassed regulations to hire the electrician for repairs at the couples private residence in caesarea on weekends and holidays
the police have questioned mrs netanyahu for hours in recent months over possible spending irregularities the israeli news media has reported accusations that on occasion mrs netanyahu inflated the number of dinner guests at the caesarea residence to cover the cost of a private chef and waiting staff and that she improperly used state funds to pay a caregiver for her ailing father who died in 2011
the latest report by the state comptroller published last week revived long running suspicions relating to some of the netanyahu familys travels more than a decade ago when mr netanyahu was finance minister
those suspicions known as bibi tours involve allegations that mr netanyahu who is nicknamed bibi had private donors and organizations cover many of his flights abroad and sometimes pay travel expenses for his wife and children without informing the parliamentary authorities
the prime ministers office responded that after years of bombastic headlines and reams of press reports the mountain has turned out to be a molehill mr netanyahus trips involved no conflict of interest no double billing nothing illegal
the netanyahus have accused critics in the israeli news media of a long campaign to besmirch them and to undermine the likuds hold on power many israelis view mrs netanyahu a psychologist as a highhanded hot tempered boss who has grown accustomed to the good life and wields immense influence over her husband
the couple has survived multiple spending scandals including a 127000 installation of a rest chamber in the airplane that took them to margaret thatchers funeral and revelations about a 2700 annual budget for ice cream from a local ice cream parlor
mr netanyahu has won election after election he is serving his third consecutive term in office and his fourth over all
lawyers for the netanyahu family said that because mrs netanyahu was not a party to the case brought against the state by the former maintenance worker guy eliyahu she was unable to defend herself and bring dozens of witnesses who according to the lawyers would have refuted the allegations one by one
according to the court ruling mr eliyahu endured reprimands shouting humiliation excessive and even unreasonable demands it said there was an atmosphere of fear in the residence during the period of mr eliyahus employment from june 2011 until june 2012 and that he was also made to work extraordinarily long hours
mr eliyahu who was awarded compensation of about 120000 shekels more than 30000 from the state and the contracting company that employed him was not the first to complain in february the same court awarded compensation to a former caretaker of the prime ministers official residence meni naftali on similar grounds
mr eliyahu told the court that one night he had gone home after midnight but that mrs netanyahu called him back to the residence because he had received the prime ministers permission to leave but not hers in another episode mrs netanyahu is said to have pulled the tablecloth off a table that had been set on a patio for a saturday lunch because she feared dust had gotten into the salads she told mr eliyahu and another worker to pick up everything and reset the table within five minutes which they did


columbus ohio   the capital city of ohio adopted a reconstruction plan for encouraging development 14 years ago that emphasized three unexpected ingredients more grass less water and targeted taxpayer spending
this year those words on paper are fully coming to life in the southern blocks of the downtown area of columbus which is beckoning developers after decades of disinvestment
what happened here is that people chose the future mayor andrew j ginther said our business leaders work closely with the public sector weve taken some big steps that worked
in may the arshot investment corporation became the latest developer to embrace the formula the company announced its plan for millennial tower a 25 story 90 million 400000 square foot mixed use development that includes 180000 square feet of office space 40000 square feet of retail space and 100 apartments
construction of the tower is scheduled to start early next year on the corner of rich and front streets a short walk from the nine acre columbus commons which was completed in 2011 the tower will also be one block from the citys scioto river shoreline promenade and park which was completed last year
within a few blocks of the coming tower are five other buildings that are under construction or just opened totaling 241 million in private investment to construct 275000 square feet of office space about 800 residential units and 80000 square feet of retail space
preceding these changes was a challenging campaign for local lawmakers who persuaded columbus residents during the recession in 2009 to approve a city income tax increase to 25 percent from 2 percent
the vote was close but the measure passed the added revenue helped prevent layoffs of city employees and enabled columbus to begin investing in its reconstruction plan the city spent 63 million from 2011 to 2015 to build three new parks the total cost was 105 million and the balance was raised from city businesses most of them affiliated with the columbus downtown development corporation a nonprofit organization founded in 2002 and directed by business and civic leaders
in 2011 the development group scraped away the last vestiges of the 12 million square foot city center the nearly empty shopping mall which opened in 1989 but struggled as interest in downtown shopping declined was replaced by columbus commons a 25 million expanse of grass gardens and a shaded food court inspired by bryant park in midtown manhattan
the same year the city rebuilt its eastern scioto river shoreline shrinking a five lane riverfront boulevard to three lanes and adding a promenade and restaurants the renamed scioto mile cost 44 million
columbus then looked at the river itself listless and muddy in 2013 the city removed the main street dam which was completed in 1918 to control flooding but also doubled to 600 feet the distance between the rivers banks with the dam out of the way and with the help of dredges to remove sediments the river narrowed to 300 feet and the city gained 33 acres of once submerged shoreline that opened as the 36 million scioto greenways park last year the projects were principally financed by public funds
columbuss strategy of seeding anticipated private real estate investment with taxpayer money defied the tactics of low taxes and public spending austerity that gripped ohios state lawmakers through and since the recession but city officials say their decisions have paid off attracting developers into privately financing the replacement of cracked asphalt of parking lots with nearly 350 million in new and renovated market rate buildings that house thousands of downtown residents and helped generate 1000 jobs
the newest completed project in the southern part of downtown is 250 high street a 55 million 12 story building on the southwest corner of columbus commons it is 320000 square feet and has about 120 rental units and retail and office space opened in november it has 140000 square feet of office space and 10000 square feet of ground floor retail space over all it is 99 percent leased
the market response has been so strong that the builders   robert white jr the president of the developer the daimler group and brett kaufman the chief executive of kaufman development   are preparing to construct a 60 million mixed use building of similar size on an empty parcel a block away
our thought was that green space would change how people viewed this part of the city mr white said it did just that
the new project from mr white and mr kaufman on rich street called two25 commons will be the final piece in a three sided enclosure of buildings that surround the park other new structures are the julian a 21 million seven story apartment building with about 90 residential units which opened last year and highpoint at columbus commons a 51 million 300 unit rental apartment project with ground floor retail which opened in 2013 across high street a 30 million apartment project with about 250 units and 22000 square feet of retail space is under construction
we knew we needed to build the amenities to attract privately financed development said guy v worley chief executive of the columbus downtown development corporation we had a lot of help from our major businesses here which wrote seven  and eight figure checks at the same time the public investment has been substantial
with 836000 residents columbus is the largest city in ohio and one of the largest in the midwest by population unlike its two big sister cities cincinnati and cleveland which have lost residents columbus has grown over the last few decades
business executives and government leaders cite columbuss long history as the state capital its central location and huge pool of graduating students from ohio state university and other colleges as competitive advantages in sustaining the citys economy
columbus also has an allegiance to big ideas without flamboyance in 1991 for instance city engineers discovered that cleaning up traces of chemicals in the dirt behind a maintenance facility would cost 2 million because of national hazardous waste rules the city issued an influential report that asserted such urban cleanups caused enormous expense for little gain the report started a national campaign to change standards and sharply reduce the cost of making urban industrial sites called brownfields safe for new construction the new brownfield rules enacted in the mid 1990s adjusted national policy and helped columbus and other cities redevelop their waterfronts and business districts
similarly in the late 1990s columbus recognized that a 75 acre industrial area and abandoned rail yard along the scioto river about a mile north of columbus commons was a prime site for a new multiuse district the city collaborated with nationwide realty investors an affiliate of nationwide mutual insurance which is based in the city together at a cost of 750 million they turned the area into the arena district now one of the citys most active areas for work and residences the blue jackets the national hockey league team play there as do the clippers an affiliate of the cleveland indians baseball team
since 2000 the number of people living in the citys center has doubled to 7500 according to the mayors office the 388 million in public infrastructure investment since 2011 in the columbus commons area and several more downtown projects has generated close to 2 billion in private investment in columbuss downtown the office said and brought 1600 new jobs into 25 million square feet of fresh office space
the next area for development mr ginther said is franklinton one of the citys oldest neighborhoods and across the river from downtown in the 200 acre floodplain along the sciotos western bank ignored for decades franklintons turn of the 20th century homes and mid 20th century light industrial buildings are separated by many empty parcels weve got the public investments in place to make that neighborhood really work he said


it would be an understatement to say that chee cheong fun is a dish thats open to interpretation
you can get it all over asia and you can get it from street carts and dim sum palaces in chinatown and queens it appears in a seemingly infinite assortment of forms at the dishs core are steamed rolled up rice noodles chee cheong refers to pigs intestines theres a slight resemblance
splashed with a ladle of sauce   sometimes sweet sometimes spicy sometimes funky sometimes all of the above   the softly chewy clusters become ridged and folded purses of flavor
you dont want the noodles to taste like anything said simpson wong the chef and proprietor of chomp chomp a restaurant in greenwich village that specializes in the hawker fare of singapore you want them to be like white rice to soak up all the sauce if the sauce is not good youre gone
once youve got that liquid component nailed down you can add whatever he went on sometimes the noodles are stuffed with shrimp sometimes theyre topped with extras like eggplant fried tofu or fish cakes it depends on where you are
at chomp chomp mr wong 52 recently began serving a version that reflects the multicultural crosscurrents of singapore the noodles are chinese in origin but mr wongs sauce is a comforting rusty hued curry gravy that nods toward india and malaysia where he was born and grew up
i think the color is wonderful isnt it mr wong mused the other day as a plate arrived at the table
the chefs youthful years were marked by poverty he said so he has created a take on chee cheong fun that he might have ordered if he had lucked into a windfall as a child the toppings are rich braised spare ribs and unctuous squiggles of chicharron along with a splatter painting of black sesame seeds chopped scallions sriracha and pickled jalapeno
this was my favorite growing up he said of the pork ribs because it seemed luxurious to me its real protein
you can order chee cheong fun as a dinner special at chomp chomp if you want to act like an authentic singaporean though you can wait until the restaurant begins its weekend brunch service on june 18
usually its a breakfast thing   or a late night thing mr wong said at dinner almost nobody eats this


near falluja iraq   along the battle line north of falluja small units of shiite fighters are raining mortar shells and rockets down on the city and its islamic state occupiers militia graffiti is scrawled in red paint along a network of low walls cratered by bullets and bombs and a wailing ambulance siren signals another load of wounded bound for treatment away from the front
the battle for falluja has become entrenched outside the city itself iraqi forces surrounding the area have been bogged down by a fierce islamic state counterattack a few civilians managed to escape the city as the fighting closed in but the status of tens of thousands still trapped there is an urgent question
some parts of the extended battlefield are lush with date palm trees and almost bucolic familiar to anyone who watched television images of american marines fighting over the same territory more than a decade ago but mostly the land is brown and parched scarred by the fighting a charred tank split in two sits at an intersection and smoke is always rising in the distance from an airstrike a mortar or a car bomb
the landscape has also been gutted by an elaborate network of tunnels   some of which have been hit in recent days by american airstrikes   that the islamic state was able to construct while it held the area for more than two years
to get close to the front a new york times reporting team met officials from the badr organization a longstanding shiite militia backed by iran at a street corner in baghdad outside a shawarma shop on sunday morning our cars joined theirs in a small convoy and whipping past the traffic choked checkpoints we made it to a base east of falluja in about an hour
within the base iraqs fragmented security forces occupied different areas iranian supported militias in one place the elite iraqi army counterterrorism forces which work closely with the united states in another and sunni policemen from falluja who are scheduled to hold the city once it is taken from the islamic state in yet another space some of the men lounging in tank tops or fixing their vehicles
near the front hadi al ameri the badr organizations leader spoke of the forces progress in fallujas outlying areas i am amazed at the advancements so far he said we expected it to be a long vicious battle
still the real fight   taking the city street by street   has not yet begun and mr ameri said the battle might be slowed to allow civilians to leave
we have a big concern for the lives of civilians inside falluja said mr ameri mindful of the sectarian tensions that have been heightened with the battle as a mostly shiite force converges on a sunni city there may be a delay to allow civilians to leave
that would parallel what happened during the first battle for falluja in april 2004 when american forces began assaulting the city only to pull back because of concerns about civilians being killed then falluja became a byword for the united states failure to pacify a growing insurgency and it was not until seven months later in november that marines moved in and cleared the city in a battle that cost nearly 100 american lives
the battle for falluja now unfolding is being fought by a jagged constellation of government security forces shiite militias and sunni tribal fighters they are closing in on the city from the north and south but not yet fighting for its center
still within falluja are an estimated 50000 civilians long cut off from shipments of food and medicine by a government siege and now under artillery fire as the front lines have tightened around the city
the norwegian refugee council on tuesday warned of a catastrophe unfolding in falluja saying that humanitarian conditions were rapidly deteriorating as fierce fighting intensifies and the united nations based on informers in the city warned tuesday that civilians were being killed from shelling by pro government forces including seven members of one family a few days ago
lise grande the top united nations humanitarian official in iraq said in an interview i am desperately worried about what is happening to civilians in falluja
ms grande said that informers inside the city had told the united nations that islamic state fighters were moving families to the city center to serve as human shields families who have been able to leave have reported severe food shortages and a lack of clean water raising concerns she said of a cholera outbreak
about 3700 people mostly from the outlying areas of falluja have reached safety over the past week the united nations said an additional 500 men and boys over the age of 12 have reached government lines but are being held by the iraqi authorities for questioning about any potential links to the islamic state also known as isis or isil
falluja has been closed to the world since the islamic state captured it more than two years ago as a steppingstone to its broader conquest of northern and western iraq
a glimpse of the darkness that has grown inside emerged early tuesday when two women from the yazidi religious minority believed to have been captured in northern iraq by the islamic state and held in falluja possibly as sex slaves reached safety by boat across the euphrates river
vian dakhil a yazidi member of the iraqi parliament traveled to baghdad on tuesday to meet the women and said she believed that more yazidi women were trapped inside the city i dont know the exact number but im sure there are many many more ms dakhil said in an interview
standing in a field of scrub and palm trees on sunday near the front lines col sadiq jaleel of the federal police said the islamic state was unleashing its full arsenal against his men snipers booby trapped houses roadside bombs
he stressed that his men a mortar team arrayed around him amid open crates of shells were advancing slowly to protect civilians
the fighting has been vicious the colonel said but he quickly added referring to the populated heart of falluja the battles in the residential areas will be more difficult
humanitarian officials in iraq believe they are racing against time to avert what they worry could be a blood bath should iraqi forces storm the city center those fears were heightened on monday morning when iraqs united states backed counterterrorism forces left their bases and advanced from the south toward the city
statements that commanders gave to the news media on monday falsely asserted that they had entered the city and were fighting for it but on tuesday it was clear that their advance had stalled in the face of stiff resistance from the islamic state
the battle for falluja has caught the publics attention after a stretch of political turmoil that saw protesters storm baghdads green zone and parliament accordingly the battle is also being waged in the iraqi news media and the various forces involved have all kept up a patter of statements claiming battlefield successes that in some cases like on monday have yet to happen
on tuesday afternoon as it became evident that no quick victory was at hand iraqs joint operations command a central hub for the army federal police and militias urged the news media to be careful we warn all of the mass media to be accurate with the news about the military operations for the falluja battle and not to be hasty in publishing information and news and to check the sources of the news before publishing them


bangkok   wildlife authorities seized 33 tigers on tuesday from a buddhist temple in western thailand in an effort to shut down the popular but controversial tourist attraction as early as this week
teunchai noochdumrong the director of thailands wildlife conservation office said she was optimistic that all of the temples tigers estimated to total 137 would be removed by friday ending a long running dispute between the temple and the government
the temple wat pha luang ta bua commonly called the tiger temple began keeping and breeding tigers 15 years ago and has promoted itself as a spiritual sanctuary where wild animals and humans can peacefully coexist for years it has been accused of misconduct and trading in endangered animals it has earned nearly 6 million a year from ticket sales officials said
the wildlife conservation office this year ordered the temple to stop breeding tigers selling tickets and allowing tourists to hand feed the animals but the temple ignored the orders ms teunchai has called the temples abbot a criminal and said the monks acted as though they were above the law
the temple is also under investigation on suspicion of illegally trading in tigers after three of the animals vanished from the temple
the government seized 10 tigers earlier this year along with six asian black bears and eight hornbills before the temple won a temporary court order in february halting the removal of more tigers at one point monks and their supporters blocked the gate to the compound to prevent officials from taking the animals
this week after the agency obtained a court order directing the temple to hand over the tigers the authorities removed seven tigers on monday and 33 on tuesday
three hundred agency staff members took part in the roundup as well as police officers who were there to maintain order ms teunchai said
workers at the temple opened the tigers cages allowing them to enter larger enclosures making it harder to capture the remaining animals ms teunchai said
tomorrow we will have hard work because they unlocked the cages of all the tigers she said
temple officials could not be reached for comment on tuesday
the tigers are being moved to government wildlife centers around the country


amid an uproar in cincinnati after a gorilla was shot dead after dragging around a boy who had slipped into a zoo enclosure the police said tuesday that they were investigating the actions of the childs family in connection with the episode
the shooting saturday by zoo workers of the teenage gorilla harambe prompted a chorus of online criticism vigils for the animal complaints by animal rights activists and petitions blaming the boys mother the episode was even raised at a news conference held tuesday by donald j trump the presumptive republican presidential nominee
as video showing the boy and the huge gorilla continued to be played on television and online officials raised the possibility on tuesday of criminal charges julie wilson a spokeswoman with the hamilton county prosecutors office said the matter had been referred to the cincinnati police department for investigation
at this point everybody is just looking into it to see whats going on she said i cant tell you that anyone will be charged with anything
a police statement released later tuesday said the department was investigating the actions of the parentsfamily that led up to the incident but was not focusing on the operation or safety of the cincinnati zoo which is under the purview of the united states department of agriculture
an animal rights group said on tuesday that it had filed a negligence complaint against the zoo with the department of agriculture
zoo officials at first reported the boys age as 4 the police statement said officials had verified that the boy was 3
lt stephen saunders a spokesman for the police department said officials would not immediately release the name of the family
the boy had slipped through the gorilla world exhibits barrier while visiting the zoo with his mother and had fallen into a shallow moat on saturday afternoon videos of the encounter posted to twitter showed the silverback gorilla dragging him around like a toy while a woman could be heard calling to the sobbing child mommy loves you im right here
after about 10 minutes zoo workers shot and killed the animal the boy who was hurt but not severely was taken to a hospital and released on saturday night zoo officials said
thane maynard the zoos director has forcefully rejected criticism of the decision to kill the gorilla instead of using a tranquilizer dart he said at a news conference on monday that the dart could have caused the animal capable of crushing a coconut with his hands to become even more agitated
we are all devastated that this tragic accident resulted in the death of a critically endangered gorilla mr maynard said
a statement from the boys family released through a public relations company said
we are so thankful to the lord that our child is safe he is home and doing just fine we extend our heartfelt thanks for the quick action by the cincinnati zoo staff we know that this was a very difficult decision for them and that they are grieving the loss of their gorilla we hope that you will respect our privacy at this time
the animal rights group stop animal exploitation now said the zoo had been cited twice recently for problems with its enclosures and facilities in the negligence complaint it filed with the department of agriculture against the zoo it called for the maximum federal penalty of 10000 per infraction per animal it said in a statement
the failure of the cincinnati zoo to adequately construct this enclosure to protect both the public and the animal held prisoner there is a clear and fatal violation of the animal welfare act the group said in its letter to the agriculture department
the zoo said in a statement after the killing that the boy had climbed through a public barrier at the exhibit the two female gorillas in the exhibit were successfully recalled but harambe stayed in the yard with the child the video showed the gorilla sometimes standing over the boy in what appeared to be a protective posture but then darting through the shallow moat dragging the child behind him
mr maynard said the childs head had banged on concrete
the episode generated widespread reaction with some people criticizing the zoo others supporting the mother and online petitions accusing her of negligence animal rights supporters organized a vigil outside the zoo in remembrance of the gorilla
on tuesday the jane goodall institute based in virginia released an email that the world renown primatologist sent to mr maynard on sunday expressing sympathy for the devastating loss
i feel so sorry for you having to try to defend something which you may well disapprove of dr goodalls email said i tried to see exactly what was happening   it looked as though the gorilla was putting an arm around the child   like the female who rescued and returned the child from the chicago exhibit
anyway whatever it is a devastating loss to the zoo and to the gorillas how did the others react are they allowed to see and express grief which seems to be so important
feeling for you
on tuesday mr trump was asked at a news conference how he felt about the killing of the gorilla he said i think its a very tough call it was amazing because there were moments with the gorilla the way he held that child it was almost like a mother holding a baby looked so beautiful and calm and there were moments where it looked pretty dangerous
i thought it was so beautiful to watch that powerful almost 500 pound gorilla the way he dealt with that little boy but it just takes one second mr trump continued
it just takes one little flick of his finger and i will tell you they probably had no choice


houston   excellent new restaurants are blooming in this sprawling city built on the banks of the muddy buffalo bayou but the pull of classic old tex mex cuisine remains strong
you can sense it in the huge and crowded dining room of el real tex mex on westheimer street where locals gather to eat enchiladas and drink cold beer and in the cramped and crowded one of teotihuacan on irvington boulevard north of the city center where they do the same it is present at the outposts of molinas cantina around town at the original ninfas on navigation at the ninfas apostate el tiempo cantina next door at spanish flowers at sylvias
i came here to eat at those restaurants and in particular to eat their enchiladas plate after plate of fat dipped tortillas wrapped around their filling topped with cheese and broiled into molten excellence i ate enchiladas with intent because it would be great to make enchiladas at home it would be great to make them casually often for a weeknight meal for family and friends
for anyone interested in doing that in deploying the american home cooks standard mechanism of taking a delicious restaurant dish or regional specialty and making it into a casserole thatd be me the restaurants of houston are a good place to start
enchiladas come in three basic varieties in south texas though there are dozens of variations served there and all across the country in restaurants and homes alike el real tex mex counts 10 different kinds of enchiladas on its menu sylvias has 19 expand the search to the enchiladas ancestral home in mexico and the number becomes nearly countless
it was these three basic styles i sought to emulate at home cheese enchiladas served in a red hued chili gravy or sauce chicken enchiladas served with a tomatillo salsa and enchiladas stuffed and topped with chili con carne all three are served with cheese   the chicken with queso fresco the other two with cheddar processed american cheese or a combination thereof some may quail at the use of american cheese
thats the velveeta debate said robb walsh the eminent historian of tex mex cuisine and a proprietor of el real he was standing in the restaurants kitchen face deeply tanned from fishing the coastal flats near his home in galveston and he was smiling a big come at me smile if you use a straight cheddar you only have seconds to act before it sets up and gets congealed he said we use a processed cheese because it stays melty and perfect
so stipulated processed cheese can take on flavor from other cheeses and provide them with melted stability as well i ended up using a blend of velveeta and cheddar on the enchiladas with red sauces for the chicken i used queso fresco firm textured and slightly salty at home sometimes i use cotija or feta mr walsh said
enchiladas are what you make of them i set out to cook
for the chicken i made a simple salsa verde   tomatillos onion garlic and serrano peppers whizzed up in a food processor with a few sprigs of tender cilantro you can buy fresh tomatillos then husk and rinse them and use them raw which gives the sauce great vibrancy but using canned ones is no crime i poached some chicken too though mr walsh told me he most often uses leftovers at home or picks up a roasted bird at the supermarket for home cooks that is a sensible move
for the cheese enchiladas i made chili gravy   really just a roux amped up with chile powder some restaurants use lard as the base thickening it with flour or masa harina in the old days mr walsh said people used beef tallow a neutral oil like canola will do
and for the chili con carne i made a skillet version with ground beef thickening it with toasted flour
all that and a tall stack of tortillas and i was set
to make enchiladas   literally to enrobe a tortilla in chili from the spanish enchilar   you must first prepare the tortillas for rolling and it is this preparation that scares off many home cooks you take a firm fresh corn tortilla and dip it in hot oil to soften it and make it pliable you do so one or two at a time depending on the amount of oil you have in the pan and after three or four youll find its no more difficult than making toast
dip the tortillas then roll them around whatever youre cooking place them seam down in a pan and sauce the middle so the edges get brown and crunchy next to the cheese and thats a nice presentation mr walsh said if you totally sauce them in it can get kind of gloopy
then bake sometimes raw onions are scattered across the top of the finished dish occasionally sliced jalapeno or a drift of chopped cilantro the smart set adds a fried egg and not just at breakfast rice and refried beans can provide ballast   at teotihuacan to such an extent that a plate of cheese enchiladas is roughly the size of a stretching cat but enchiladas can also stand and at home perhaps ought to stand as a one pan meal   a casserole for dinner that starts out as a project and ends up the sort of thing you may eat once or twice a month
you have to judge food not by the hype that it has or the ridicule that people heap on it said gustavo arellano the author of taco usa how mexican food conquered america when i called him to ask about the state of the enchilada
its a classic american meal he said dont hate until youve actually tried it
recipes enchiladas con carne  chicken enchiladas with salsa verde  cheese enchiladas with chili gravy


washington   the supreme court on tuesday took action in two death penalty cases rejecting a broad constitutional challenge to capital punishment from louisiana and reversing a death sentence from arizona
the moves were in keeping with the courts general approach in this area it has been open to cutting back on the availability of the death penalty but not inclined to test its constitutionality
justice stephen g breyer dissenting in glossip v gross last year urged his colleagues to consider the larger question rather than try to patch up the death penaltys legal wounds one at a time he wrote i would ask for full briefing on a more basic question whether the death penalty violates the constitution
the case from louisiana asked the justices to consider that question but the court turned down the appeal without comment justice breyer dissented and as in glossip only justice ruth bader ginsburg joined him
the case concerned lamondre tucker who was 18 in 2008 when he shot and killed his pregnant girlfriend echoing points justice breyer made in his glossip dissent mr tuckers lawyers said the death penalty violated the eighth amendment which bans cruel and unusual punishment
mr tucker was sentenced to death in caddo parish la which his lawyers said imposes more death sentences per capita than any other parish or county in the nation
that disparity was emblematic they said of a capital justice system in which death sentences are imposed arbitrarily in fairly few counties around the nation with prosecutions warped by racial discrimination and politics
justice breyer said the court should have heard the case tucker v louisiana no 15 946 mr tucker he suggested barely qualified for the death penalty in the first place as he was 18 at the time of the killing and had an iq of 74 the supreme court has banned the execution of juvenile offenders and of the intellectually disabled
tucker was sentenced to death in a louisiana county caddo parish that imposes almost half the death sentences in louisiana even though it accounts for only 5 percent of that states population and 5 percent of its homicides justice breyer wrote citing mr tuckers brief
given these facts tucker may well have received the death penalty not because of the comparative egregiousness of his crime but because of an arbitrary feature of his case namely geography justice breyer added one could reasonably believe that if tucker had committed the same crime but been tried and sentenced just across the red river in say bossier parish he would not now be on death row
in the second case lynch v arizona no 15 8366 the court reversed a death sentence in an unsigned opinion saying the jury had not been told an important fact that the only alternative to a death sentence was life without the possibility of parole
the case concerned shawn p lynch who was convicted of the 2001 kidnapping and killing of james panzarella whom he met at a bar in scottsdale ariz prosecutors argued that the death penalty was warranted because mr lynch posed a risk of future dangerousness but they blocked defense lawyers from telling the jury that the only alternative sentence would have kept mr lynch in prison for life
on tuesday the supreme court ruled that a 1994 decision required the judge to tell the jury about the alternative or let defense lawyers do so the unsigned opinion rejected the states argument that such statements were not required because executive clemency remained available and because the state legislature may someday allow parole
in dissent justice clarence thomas joined by justice samuel a alito jr said the 1994 decision was wrong justice thomas accused the majority of micromanaging state sentencing procedures and imposing a magic words requirement


about 458 million people around the world are trapped in modern versions of enslavement a human rights group reported tuesday 28 percent more than its last estimate two years ago
the organization the walk free foundation attributed the increased number in its report the 2016 global slavery index to improved data collection and research methodology whether enslavement is increasing or decreasing remains unclear
the organization said it had derived the index from 42000 interviews conducted in 53 languages some form of modern slavery exists in all 167 countries covered by the index it said
unlike historical definitions of slavery in which people were held as legal property a practice that has been universally outlawed modern slavery is generally defined as human trafficking forced labor bondage from indebtedness forced or servile marriage or commercial sexual exploitation
the walk free foundations report said more than half the population of modern slaves are in five countries   india with 1835 million china with 339 million pakistan 213 million bangladesh 153 million and uzbekistan 123 million
the report found that north korea had the highest per capita level of modern slavery at 437 percent of the population followed by uzbekistan at 397 percent cambodia 165 percent india 14 percent and qatar 136 percent
while india is home to more enslaved people than any other country the walk free foundation report said it had made significant progress in measures to address the problem those included toughened criminal penalties for child prostitution and forced marriage as well as improvements to protect victims
the report also cited what it described as significant progress in antislavery actions by other governments since publication of the last report in 2014 the british government for example introduced the modern slavery act last year which can penalize violators with life imprisonment terms and the united states amended a law to ban the importation of goods made with forced or child labor
the countries with the lowest per capita rates of modern slavery   defined as 002 percent of the population or less were luxembourg new zealand ireland norway denmark switzerland austria sweden belgium australia canada spain britain france germany and the united states
the walk free foundation was founded in 2012 by australian philanthropists andrew and nicola forrest and developed what it described as the worlds first all encompassing global estimate of slavery with country by country data


not one shareholder showed up to intels shareholders meeting last week in person at least
instead intels annual meeting was entirely virtual there was no in person gathering site the questions were submitted in advance and management and the board made all of their presentations online
virtual meetings are a growing phenomenon but although technologically feasible they are a bad idea
in 2015 90 companies used this method with broadridge a big provider of virtual meeting technology in addition to intel gopro seaworld entertainment paypal fitbit and yelp have all held virtual shareholders meetings in the last year
companies are adopting this technology for a number of reasons there are the obvious cost savings because they do not have to pay for a location and serve food however meager although some companies are known for their shareholders meeting spreads and having a virtual meeting allows people to attend who would not otherwise want to make the trip the company can also better track shareholder attendance and participation
perhaps more important a virtual shareholders meeting allows the company to manage troublesome shareholders and their often uncomfortable questions some of this may provide a welcome limit on the time monopolized by corporate gadflies such as john chevedden james mcritchie and william steiner who were responsible for a staggering 70 percent of shareholder proposals sponsored by individuals among fortune 250 companies in 2014 according to a study by the manhattan institute not only do these individuals like to propose company action they make a habit of haranguing directors at corporate meetings
and who could forget evelyn y davis she made a living by selling subscriptions to her newsletter and companies would buy these subscriptions to appease her and avoid her lengthy scoldings of management at annual meeting time
virtual meetings are also convenient when it comes to general protesters no doubt seaworld was happy to avoid a possible protest by animal rights groups over its keeping of killer whales when it held its virtual shareholders meeting last year
its hard to blame a company for wanting to stop these practices though i must admit the quirky shareholders make life more interesting
but there are other things a company gains by eliminating in person shareholders meetings   and that is limiting tough questions broadridge specifically states this advantage in its marketing materials issuers can privately view and manage shareholder questions without broadcasting to other attendees
this means a company can pre empt shareholder activists before they even arrive on the scene it was no coincidence that the csx corporation held its 2008 meeting at a remote rail yard in new orleans the same year it was the focus of a shareholder activist putting up a proxy fight in previous years it had held those meetings at the luxurious greenbrier resort in west virginia which the railroad owned at the time a virtual meeting eliminates the potential for a public relations disaster
true to form the 49 minute intel shareholders meeting was something of a nonevent the company had three shareholder proposals on the agenda including resolutions to allow action by written consent put forth by mr chevedden i missed the live event but listened to a playback the meeting was run by intels chairman andy d bryant who appeared to be reading from a script intel did give five minutes each to present the shareholder proposals and a whole 12 minutes to questions and answers but the questions were clearly handpicked managements response was fine though also seemed preprogrammed
this all makes it clear to me that the virtual meeting raises troubling trends a reason it is opposed by leading shareholder groups like the council of institutional investors and the california public employees retirement system
the in person shareholders meeting is the sole opportunity all shareholders have to meet and talk with management indeed at many small and midsize companies the conversation continues as shareholders talk with management before and after the meeting they also have the opportunity to ask questions that put management on the spot these questions can directly influence what management thinks and says
and in difficult situations the repeated resistance of shareholders can make a difference robert nardellis conduct at the 2006 meeting of home depot shareholders represented a nadir for shareholder participation and one that eventually led to mr nardellis departure now shareholders are expected to participate and be allowed to do so
corporate law has always endorsed this idea of give and take in a famous decision a delaware court ruled that an annual meeting had to be held even if the shareholders could act by written consent to make sure that the actions passed the annual meeting may in some instances be a bother to management or even though rarely a strain but in all events it provides a certain discipline and an occasion for interaction and participation of a kind the court said
to be sure these meetings can be a pain but even the haranguing can be a good thing forcing management to confront its entrenched biases the gadflies may be persistent but they also may be right
in an attempt to compromise on virtual meetings the california state teachers retirement system in 2012 issued a best practices guide for online meetings that recommended posting all of the questions asked to ensure that management received them but one can question whether this fully fixes the problem when there is no in person interaction
hybrid meetings that combine in person and virtual elements seem less of a problem these allow people to attend their meetings while also having a virtual component
management should also recognize that in person shareholders meetings can be fun and a way for the company to build good will with its shareholders think about the extravaganza that is the berkshire hathaway meeting days of talking and showing off the companys products including copious amounts of treats from dairy queen a berkshire hathaway subsidiary the walt disney companys meeting is also known for highlighting the companys latest movie or ride even children can ask questions one recent interaction led disneys chief executive robert a iger to give a private tour of pixar to a child some companies are local legends where the entire town will gather it is at these meetings that connections are made between the company and its shareholders
its here where perhaps the subtlest objection comes to virtual meetings by forcing everything onto the web we lose the personal interaction everyone logs in and watches a preprogrammed set of questions and answers and then everyone goes away managements worldview is reaffirmed in the 10 or so minutes it allows for questioning and there is no engagement except with those investors who own a portion of shares large enough to personally meet with management its a modern world that is frightening in its disengagement
while companies have experimented with online meetings as far back as 2001 intel was the first to allow online voting at a virtual meeting in 2009 at the time the inspector of elections for the meeting praised it as a model for keeping those mostly obnoxious proponents out of ones hair but intel reversed its practice after shareholder complaints going to a hybrid meeting procter  gamble also backtracked after shareholder complaints this year intel resurrected the virtual meeting for unknown reasons
lets hope that intel and these other companies reconsider next year this is a chance for each of these companies to bond with shareholders not put them in a digital box


boston   christopher kimball spent much of the last year as the dark prince of the recipe world a brooding exile who had left his multimillion dollar americas test kitchen empire in a painful split he hadnt seen coming
now he is moving on instead of polishing his carefully created new england sensibility and hovering over the obsessive recipe testing platform on which he built cooks illustrated magazine and its offspring mr kimball is loosening his bow tie and shifting his culinary worldview
his new project is called milk street kitchen with 6 million from investors and more at the ready mr kimball is remodeling the ground floor of the flour  grain exchange building on milk street in the financial district here in boston in the fall he plans to publish a new magazine shoot a public television series and begin writing books hell start a cooking school and promote the whole enterprise at a dozen live road shows he is even designing a chefs knife to sell
the big idea is to bring techniques from the worlds kitchens to americas wednesday night dinner table its a bold pivot for a man whose magazines rarely showcased ethnic recipes
its not looking around the world and doing a tagine or a couscous dish he said of the concept its looking around the world and seeing how people are thinking about food
instead of using eurocentric techniques that rely on concentrating flavors through long applications of heat mr kimball is exploring ways to build dishes that rely on texture spice and freshness instead of making chicken stock like a frugal french cook who simmers bones and scraps for hours why not boil a whole chicken for just an hour like a chinese cook using ginger scallions and herbs to elicit a more delicate flavor
mr kimball who lives in boston and vermont has been cooking this way at home for the last few years he has become a student of spice and of authors like yotam ottolenghi he has taken inspiration from his travels too sliced oranges coated in cold caramel sauce flavored with star anise   a dessert inspired by a trip to rome with his four children   is much more interesting to him these days than apple pie
i dont think i have anything left to add about how to make an oatmeal cookie he said
if it works mr kimball will cement his reputation as an intellectual and business powerhouse of american recipes but if it fails
whats the worst that can happen he asked over dinner in cambridge one evening public humiliation
the move is certainly a gamble mr kimball who is worth tens of millions of dollars turns 65 this month although he can be tender in person his public demeanor is stern and sometimes awkward he is the guy in the room who always knows more than you a fan of rabbit hunting and classic literature who is more closely associated with roast turkey and root vegetables than with mexican street food and israeli hummus
even he worries how that persona will translate into a new brand focused on global flavors he doesnt want to come off as a latecomer in a nation that has already moved past its pot roast perspective it doesnt help that cooks like rick bayless the white chef who has become an authority on mexican cooking are being swept up in a battle over cultural appropriation
were not translating the ethnic soul of a community mr kimball said were just saying this is a good idea you need someone who knows a fair amount about cooking to do this who has the thoughtfulness and testing to translate thai cooking to our kitchens
corby kummer the boston based food writer has never been a big fan he has a tendency to flatten things out and that can be dull mr kummer said but he added mr kimball has great value as someone who offers authority and reassurance
if he can do that with newer flavors and make the cooks who look to him for that reassurance understand a new way to cook more power to him he said
mr kimball is building his venture with a small crew who followed him out of americas test kitchen chief among them melissa baldino a former executive producer who was once his assistant she married mr kimball a year after he divorced his second wife in 2012
its a loyal team and food publishing veterans are betting that milk street kitchen will succeed
its a huge mistake to write off chris kimball said rux martin the cookbook editor who has her own imprint at houghton mifflin harcourt hes always been really good at following where the money is coming from based on what people want
mr kimballs first venture publishing reliable recipes with a wonky specificity came in 1980 when he used 100000 from investors to start cooks magazine he went on to sell it for a big profit to conde nast publications which later shut it down he bought back the title for 175 and reintroduced it as cooks illustrated in 1993
it was a black and white antithesis of gourmet magazine and took no ads it still doesnt if you wanted to know how to make perfect bolognese in a slow cooker or a foolproof pie crust pro tip use vodka here it was
his approach ushered in an era of intellectual cookbook authors who preferred analysis to romance among the magazines alumni are mark bittman a former new york times columnist and j kenji lopez alt the author of the food lab who developed the vodka pie crust during his time at cooks illustrated
americas test kitchen which includes the magazine cooks country as well as radio and television programs is built on a culture of testing so rigorous that it can border on fetish and when other food websites were offering free content mr kimball insisted on paid subscriptions
it all comes from chriss idea that you cant give anything away said john willoughby the first executive editor of cooks illustrated and now its executive editor for magazines
the schism by all accounts was painful mr kimball said he saw it coming during a board meeting last july the company had grown to 180 people and the board of boston common press which owns americas test kitchen thought a new management style was in order
although americas test kitchen was doing very well financially the initial investors wanted more profit they added new board members who were aligned with that goal david nussbaum a former media and e commerce executive was hired as the companys chief executive outranking mr kimball
quite frankly the owners realized chris is about 65 and they had to think of a long term succession plan mr nussbaum said in an interview these owners were very clear they wanted someone to come and run the business for their heirs
they asked mr kimball to continue hosting the television and radio shows and suggested that he write a memoir mr kimball said as an owner he would reap the financial rewards of the companys expansion
mr kimball balked you end up as the guy in the white suit standing in front of the bucket of chicken he said
things got worse fast one day last august mr kimball walked into mr willoughbys office i got fired he said
i didnt think you could mr willoughby said
i didnt think i could either mr kimball replied
the new leadership put some of its well regarded product reviews outside the subscription pay wall editors began creating a free digital magazine and a traveling road show based on the success of the 2012 book the science of good cooking the hunt is on to find a bigger space and hire more digitally savvy employees
mr nussbaum said americas test kitchen with its 50 recipe testers would stay close to what he called a consumer reports point of view but having said that the world in which we eat has continued to change and americas test kitchen wants to participate in that change
he and mr kimball continue to speak well of each other at least to a reporter they had lunch recently mr kimball may do work for americas test kitchen which still provides much of his income
he seems happy to be starting something new i like to get up in the morning and go to work he said and i think there is still a substantial audience for that work


pittsburgh   bryan rust and conor sheary started their season with a victory it came in providence ri with the pittsburgh penguins top minor league team in front of 9230 fans
but on monday night they came through on the biggest stage in hockey the stanley cup finals the two rookies scored the penguins first two goals in a 3 2 victory over the san jose sharks in game 1
these guys are good hockey players said penguins coach mike sullivan who started the season as rust and shearys coach in the minors they add another element to our team the energy that they bring the enthusiasm that they bring to the rink theyve stepped up and made some big plays for us
game 2 is here wednesday night
as remarkable as it may seem for rookies to score the opening two goals in the stanley cup finals it has happened before howie morenz of the montreal canadiens scored the first two goals of the 1924 cup finals
at 24 rust is a late bloomer by nhl standards he had only five career goals in 55 nhl regular season games 14 of them in 2014 15 but he has made his mark in the playoffs skating on the second line with chris kunitz and evgeni malkin in game 7 of the eastern conference finals he scored pittsburghs only goals in a 2 1 victory over the tampa bay lightning which sent the penguins to the championship round
on monday night rust produced the penguins first goal when he picked up a loose puck after a blocked shot and tapped it toward the net seconds later a sea of yellow in the stands rose like a tidal wave malkin who has had hundreds of goals in his 10 year nhl career leapt on rusts back looking happier than if he had scored himself
we have a nice chemistry of veteran players and young guys here that complement one another sullivan said what i really like about this group is that they play for each other
rust has six goals in these playoffs his first a record for a penguins rookie in one postseason
sixty two seconds after rust scored sheary accepted a perfectly placed cross ice pass from sidney crosby the superstar who centers pittsburghs first line sheary then fired a shot to the top left corner of the net beating san jose goaltender martin jones
theyve gotten better and better crosby said of rust and shearys first postseason those two guys deserve a lot of credit
shearys goal was scored against san joses vaunted shutdown defensive pair marc edouard vlasic and justin braun who have all but silenced every top line they have played against this postseason they frustrated tyler toffoli of the los angeles kings filip forsberg of the nashville predators and vladimir tarasenko of the st louis blues those three elite goal scorers had three goals combined against san jose
but sheary who has played in only 44 regular season nhl games took less than 14 minutes to score against vlasic and braun in his usual way sheary was nonchalant about his goal
you play in the moment as much as you can sheary 23 said its the same ice surface im just going out and playing hard every game the fact that it was on this elevated scale was pretty cool but its just another goal for me
rust has been among pittsburghs hottest players scoring in the past three games but the penguins may now be without him in the third period he was decked by a hit to the head by the sharks patrick marleau who received a minor penalty rust went to the locker room returned to the game for one shift and then left for good rust was not made available to reporters monday night
on tuesday sullivan said rusts condition was still being evaluated
the nhl announced tuesday morning that marleau would not have a hearing with the leagues department of player safety and said the hit did not warrant a suspension
after the game marleau defended his actions
i kept my shoulder in and elbow in and everything in marleau said dismissing the suggestion that he had been aiming for rusts head
whatever rusts condition he and sheary have helped put the penguins three victories away from capturing the stanley cup since the league switched to a best of seven format for the finals in 1939 the team that takes the opening game has ended up hoisting the cup nearly 80 percent of the time
we didnt want to go through a feeling out process sullivan said we wanted to try to go out and dictate the terms right away
rust and sheary did just that


prairie village kan   dinah sykes a parent of two boys in a suburb of kansas city started noticing changes to her childrens public schools a few years ago class sizes were growing the school library had stopped buying books
so she used her position as the president of the parent teacher association to start a new tradition instead of bringing cupcakes to class for their birthdays students were asked to bring a book to donate to the school library
ms sykes is a republican who once voted for the governor from her party sam brownback but now she said she is so concerned that public schools are endangered by the states budget crisis that she is running for a seat in the state senate challenging the incumbent senator in the republican primary in august
were getting a bad reputation that our state doesnt care about public education ms sykes said we live in kansas because of the great quality of life the great schools the great amenities i want my boys to have the opportunity to have the same
the struggle over school funding in kansas reached a new crisis point when the state supreme court on friday ruled that the republican dominated legislature had not abided by its constitutional mandate to finance public schools equitably especially poorer districts with less property wealth the court in an effort to force legislative action reiterated a deadline that gave the state until june 30 to fix the problem or face a school shutdown
the ruling exacerbated tensions over budgets enacted by mr brownback and the legislature that education officials say have led school districts to eliminate programs lay off staff members or even shorten the school week
officials worry that the states budget which included cuts by mr brownback to higher education and many state agencies may not be able to absorb further reductions to find the level of additional funding the court is looking for   estimated at 40 million or more
of even greater concern to many parents is a sense they say that the state leadership does not support the very concept of public education
people are saying this is not the kansas i know and this is not the republican party i know said judith deedy who helped start the group game on for kansas schools
as in other states the effect of reduced funding varies from one district to another in poorer districts like kansas city and wichita students are crammed into deteriorating buildings with bloated class sizes one district in southeast kansas facing a budget shortfall recently pared its school week to four days
but even in wealthier districts like the one here parents are watching the tighter budgets   and the disappearing contingency funds   with alarm
the issue has increased pressure on mr brownback who had already come under fire for kansas budget woes and cuts to state programs after enacting the largest tax cuts in state history in 2012 and 2013
he won re election in 2015 against a democratic challenger who hammered him for education cuts but a survey in february by fort hays state university found that 69 percent of kansans were dissatisfied with his job performance and 21 percent were satisfied three years remain in his second term and under term limit laws he cannot run again
in 2015 facing large projected shortfalls mr brownback cut k 12 funding by 15 percent he and the legislature then changed the funding formula from a per pupil distribution which gave extra money to schools educating difficult to teach students to a system of fixed block grants but he kept a promise to protect schools from further cuts in the 2016 budget and reduced funds for many state agencies and higher education including community colleges and technical schools
mr brownback and his legislative allies say that the schools already have plenty of money and that districts could spend more prudently or dip deeper into their reserves
since taking office governor brownback has increased state funding to schools every year investing more than 4 billion   approximately half of the states budget   in k 12 funding said eileen hawley a spokeswoman for mr brownback at the same time he has returned more local control to those closest to the classroom   teachers and parents   so they have more direct control over how funds are spent to benefit students
district officials say however that the funding has not kept pace with a rise in fixed costs the shawnee mission school district for instance faces an increase of 1 million in a year for bus services other expenses even for school supplies have grown in many districts frustrating officials who say they need more help from the state to cover costs
under mr brownback who took office in 2011 state aid per pupil dropped to 3800 from 4400 according to the kansas branch of the national education association that reduction has come even as enrollment and the cost of health insurance have increased for many districts said mark tallman of the kansas association of school boards
since the great recession when you adjust for inflation total school funding in kansas has been basically flat he said
tensions flared when the state supreme court first ruled in february that unless poorer districts begin receiving more money by the end of june the states public schools could be shut down mr brownback signed a bill in april intending to fix the education funding formula but the court on friday said the measure had not solved the problem and reiterated the deadline
what happens next is not clear schools in kansas are generally finished for this academic year and wednesday was set to be the legislatures last day though it could return for a special session conservative lawmakers have denounced activist judges and mr brownback has accused the court of political brinksmanship but the governor had hinted that he might cut funding to medicaid and higher education if the supreme court ordered the state to allocate more money for schools
without a legislative solution school summer programs would likely be interrupted and schools would not be able to reopen in august
the continuing turmoil has turned many previously content parents into activists demanding that mr brownback reverse course on his large tax cuts in order to free up money for public schools
the overall sentiment here is we need different representation in topeka that will stand up to the governor said cindy neely a registered republican and guidance counselor who said her school district was constantly looking for places to trim its budget it feels like in kansas the last two to three years have just been constant stress and constant worry
leetta felter a republican and a school board member in olathe a large suburb of kansas city said her districts budget was struggling to cover rising costs and expanding enrollment the district has begun to tap into its reserves and has been told by elected officials not to expect any increase in funding next year she said
theyre in an all out panic ms felter said of lawmakers in topeka they love to use the term buckets of money that the districts are hoarding any responsible entity has a rainy day fund except for the state of kansas
in kansas city school officials say they have been shortchanged by tens of millions of dollars over the past five years because the legislature has not taken into account their needs when financing poorer districts like theirs ninety percent of the students in the kansas city school district qualify for free or reduced price lunch and 40 percent are nonnative english speakers
cynthia lane the superintendent of schools in the kansas city district said preparations were underway in case schools are shut down as the supreme court has threatened schools are usually busy during the summer months with administrators and members of staff preparing for the upcoming academic year she said the first day of school is scheduled for aug 15
if we cant pay bills how do we keep our utilities on how do we keep our security system on she said folks are really frustrated and embarrassed that kansas is the butt of jokes across the nation he continues to say things are fine when they are not fine
the wichita school board voted on may 18 to eliminate more than 100 jobs and to close an alternative high school as part of efforts to trim about 18 million from the districts budget
at that meeting mike rodee the vice president of the board blamed state officials for forcing budget cuts we need to look at all the people that are doing it to us he said at the school board meeting our legislators our government our governor   we are the ones who are fighting to keep the schools alive and they are fighting to close them
some school principals say they are resigned to making do with what money they have at welborn elementary school in kansas city classes are held in two aging buildings and students dash back and forth during the day teachers keep a watchful eye on them as they cross an active parking lot between the buildings
i dont need much said jennifer malone the principal one recent afternoon i just want a building


proving fraud usually starts with finding a lie made to mislead someone into pursuing a transaction or spending money when they would not have done so if they knew the truth
figuring out exactly what constitutes the type of deception that can support a case remains a challenge however as shown by a federal appeals court decision last week the united states court of appeals for the second circuit in manhattan threw out one of the few verdicts finding fraud in how banks handled mortgages before the meltdown in the housing market
when the story of the lack of prosecutions from the financial crisis is finally written the most important issue will be how difficult it turned out to be to prove fraud the courts have held the government to a high standard refusing to uphold cases in which the conduct came close to the line but never quite crossed over into a violation
the appeals court overturned a jury verdict finding that bank of americas countrywide mortgage unit and a former executive rebecca mairone violated the federal mail and wire fraud statutes for selling poor quality mortgages to fannie mae and freddie mac in 2007 and 2008 judge jed s rakoff of the united states district court in manhattan presided over the trial and imposed a civil penalty of 127 billion on the bank and a separate 1 million penalty for ms mairone
the justice department filed the case under a provision of the financial institutions reform recovery and enforcement act known as firrea which authorizes civil penalties for violations of the federal fraud laws that affect a financial institution that law led to substantial settlements with banks for their subprime mortgage practices including a record 1665 billion settlement by bank of america in 2014 for other mortgage related violations
this was the only case to go to trial under the statute setting what seemed to be a benchmark for proving fraud in connection with questionable mortgage practices the government introduced evidence that a countrywide program called the high speed swim lane or hustle resulted in providing mortgages that did not meet the requirements set forth in contracts permitting them to be sold to fannie and freddie ms mairone oversaw the program that the government claimed caused more than 1 billion in losses to the two housing finance companies
judge rakoff wrote that the hustle program was the vehicle for a brazen fraud but the appeals court focused on the much narrower question of when a breach of contract can amount to a violation countrywide may well have known it was spewing bad loans that fell short of its contractual obligations for selling them but the appellate judges concluded there was no affirmative misstatement about the quality of its mortgages at the time they were sold
according to the appeals court the key question is whether willful but silent noncompliance constituted a fraud   a knowingly false statement made with intent to defraud   or is it simply an intentional breach of contract there was no evidence that countrywide made a false statement when it signed the contracts with fannie and freddie only that it later decided to breach the agreement by selling bad mortgages without alerting the companies to that fact therefore the justice department failed to prove fraudulent intent at the time of contract execution evidence of a subsequent willful breach cannot sustain the claim
in the criminal law which this case involved even though it was brought as a civil firrea lawsuit there must be what is known as a concurrence of the elements for fraud the misstatement and the intent to defraud must be present at the same time so that a subsequent decision to intentionally violate an agreement by supplying a shoddy product does not establish that a misstatement took place with the requisite intent at the time the contract was signed
is this just a legal technicality that allows bank of america to avoid liability the answer is yes and no   what else do you expect from an academic
it is a technicality because the bank knew its mortgages did not meet the terms of the contracts but never alerted fannie and freddie that it was selling them bad loans that would cause significant losses a buyer expects the seller to adhere to the terms of the contract or to try to withdraw from it otherwise so normally one can assume that silence on countrywides part meant it was meeting its legal obligations for the loans it sold
bank of america avoided the penalty because it found a loophole that meant it did not lie when it sold the bad mortgages only that it breached the agreement in a way that fell short of being a fraud
but the answer is also no because a basic requirement for proving fraud is that the government show there was an affirmative misstatement or that the party that remained silent had a duty to speak a contractual relationship does not impose such a duty unless it is an explicit term of the agreement
fannie and freddie could have easily avoided the problem by including a requirement that the seller of mortgage loans certify that they were in compliance with the contract that simple step that would have alerted the companies to problems in what countrywide was selling   or been the basis for a fraud claim if the company said nothing about meeting the mortgage standards
so the hustle case falls into a crevice in the law fraud requires a deception and that those accused of a violation knew that their statement or silence was in fact misleading just breaching a contract standing alone will not be enough to prove fraud
the cases greatest impact may be on private civil suits brought under the racketeer influenced and corrupt organizations act better known as rico those cases often involve contractual disputes that are alleged to have been violations of the mail and wire fraud statutes a claim that will be harder to prove after the bank of america case
the appeals courts decision fits a pattern in recent appellate cases in which misleading statements were found not to rise to the level of fraud or at least raised a sufficient question about a violation that a conviction had to be overturned
in united states v weimert the united states court of appeals for the seventh circuit in chicago in april overturned the wire fraud conviction of a former bank officer who misled both sides in a deal by his employer to sell its share of a commercial real estate development because the misstatements took place during the negotiations for the transaction the appellate judges found there was not a fraud because each side expects their counterpart will be less than forthcoming about their position
to state the obvious they will often try to mislead the other party about the prices and terms they are willing to accept such deceptions are not criminal the appeals court stated
in december the united states court of appeals for the second circuit overturned the securities fraud conviction of jesse c litvak a former jefferies  company trader for misleading buyers about the prices the firm paid for residential mortgage backed securities mr litvak wanted to introduce evidence to support his defense that institutional investors like those he dealt with did not care about what jefferies paid for the securities
in finding that the evidence should have been admitted the appeals court said that a jury could reasonably have found that misrepresentations by a dealer as to the price paid for certain rmbs would be immaterial to a counterparty that relies not on a market price or the price at which prior trades took place but instead on its own sophisticated valuation methods and computer model
there is an intuitive sense that deception resulting in losses must be fraudulent but the appeals courts have taken a stricter view making it more difficult to prove fraud in cases involving ordinary business transactions even in some instances when it can be shown a statement was false


beirut lebanon   rescue workers pulled children and other victims from the rubble of their homes in insurgent held northern syria on tuesday morning after the latest aerial bombardments killed dozens of people
the attacks in the cities of idlib and aleppo began monday night and witnesses said they appeared to be airstrikes conducted by syrian government forces or their russian allies rescue workers and antigovernment activists said that more than 20 people had been killed with dozens more injured
in idlib eight strikes around the national hospital destroyed several buildings in a crowded area of the city earlier opposition activists had said the hospital had been struck the attacks disrupted services at one of the areas few remaining hospitals in aleppo a hospital was damaged
video posted online by anti government activists showed rescuers from the syria civil defense a western funded group also known as the white helmets working amid rubble and half destroyed buildings near the national hospital one worker pulled a toddler from underneath broken slabs of concrete still alive
another rescuer cradled a dead child covered with gray dust retrieved from the rubble after hours of digging he explained to the camera that the childs parents and siblings had also been found dead
a staff member for save the children was killed in the idlib strikes along with several other people while trying to rescue others trapped in a building that had been destroyed the organization said in a statement tuesday
the group said that the attacks in idlib and nearby aleppo on monday night had the hallmarks of a double tap strike in which rescuers responding to an attack are targeted in a second strike the save the children staff member a 23 year old man was part of an emergency response team who were training volunteer rescuers after an initial attack when they were hit by another airstrike
hospitals have been hit regularly during the five year civil war in syria   sometimes several hospitals or clinics in a single day earlier this spring more than half a dozen medical facilities were attacked in about a week in the divided city of aleppo
opposition activists and international human rights groups have said that hospitals appear to be deliberately targeted by government forces as a way of punishing civilians in rebel held areas most of the hospitals have been hit by pro government forces according to physicians for human rights a group that tracks the episodes
the russian and syrian governments have said that they are carrying out attacks aimed at terrorists and russia has denied that its strikes have caused civilian casualties saying that they are aimed at the qaeda affiliated nusra front and islamic state militants opposition groups have said the russian strikes also target relatively moderate rebel groups
the russian aviation hasnt performed any combat tasks moreover hasnt conducted any airstrikes in the province of idlib the russian defense ministry spokesman maj gen igor konashenkov said tuesday in a statement quoted by the associated press
the latest barrage in idlib came a day before a deadline that the united states russia and other interested governments had set for themselves to deliver supplies by airdrop to besieged areas even without permission from the syrian government president bashar al assad has blocked land delivery of aid to towns besieged by his forces
now united nations officials appear to be backing away from airdrops saying that the united nations aid agency rules require permission from the syrian government   something that is unlikely to happen because there is no reason to expect that the government would allow airdrops in areas where it has prohibited land convoys
airdrops are more expensive and less reliable than ground deliveries but several have been carried out with government permission to deir al zour which is under assault by islamic state militants


whiling away a few hours on a summer sunday walk with ice cream in hand is the agenda at sugartooth tours the tour stops at several ice cream shops as it meanders through little italy soho and chinatown the company also has cupcake rambles and other dessert oriented walking tours each takes about two and a half hours 50 plus 3 fee ice cream included sugartooth tours sugartoothtourscom


conservation groups submitted an emergency petition last week requesting that the united states fish and wildlife service increase protection for the only wild population of red wolves left in the world
red wolves which are bigger than coyotes but smaller than gray wolves are the only wolf species found completely within the united states trapping shooting poisoning and destruction of habitat in the 1960s however eliminated all but 17 of them from their native range which was primarily in the southeast in by 1980 red wolves were declared extinct in the wild and the last animals were gathered and bred then reintroduced in north carolina in 1987 they were the first federally listed species to be returned to their native habitat and have served as models for other programs
recently the population has declined by more than 50 percent in just two years there are only 45 to 60 red wolves now living in the wild and they are threatened mostly by hunters mistaking them for coyotes and shooting them said tara zuardo a wildlife lawyer at the animal welfare institute the wildlife service recently announced a review of the red wolf recovery program it was prompted in part by pressure from north carolinas wildlife resources commission a state run conservation agency funded in part by the sale of hunting and fishing licenses which has called the program a failure and claimed that wolves have damaged private land some changes to the program were taken against the advice of some of the biologists of the federal red wolf program
the petition calls for the fish and wildlife service which has decreased its north carolina staff and stopped reintroducing pups into the wild to establish two additional populations of red wolves in swampy areas in alabama kentucky and other southern states it also seeks an upgrading of the status of red wolves which are endangered from nonessential to essential the change in status would grant reserved habitat to the species and require consultations with biologists over how changes to land use would affect the wolves the petition aims to close loopholes in the endangered species act the conservation groups also say provisions for nonessential species make it easy to shoot red wolves without punishment
mating pairs of red wolves establish territory that prevents coyotes from making it their own and unlike gray wolves in the west the timid red ones do not threaten livestock red wolves eat mostly small prey like rabbits and nutria invasive beaver like rodents that have been destroying crops in north carolina but some private landowners are concerned that establishing a critical habitat for red wolves will allow the federal government to control use of their land which they lease for hunting deer and wild turkey ms zuardo said
even if the fish and wildlife service were to end its project in north carolina it plans to continue working to establish self sustaining wild populations elsewhere in their native range


georgia a proud nation in the caucasus that went to war with russia in 2008 is no stranger to conflict but a weekend assault by sausage wielding attackers at a vegan cafe in central tbilisi is fanning concerns that a simmering culture war could be intensifying
the attack began sunday evening at the bohemian kiwi cafe   a popular spot for foreigners and georgians alike   when witnesses say more than a dozen men carrying slabs of meat on skewers suddenly showed up and began pelting patrons with grilled meat sausages and fish
witnesses writing on social media said that customers at the cafe who were watching an animated science fiction sitcom called rick and morty felt intimidated by the men who refused to leave the cafe referred to the attackers some of whom wore sausages around their necks as anti vegan extremists
a group of people who prepared an anti vegan provocative action entered and started to be violent said a post on the cafes facebook page they pulled out some grilled meat sausages fish and started eating them and throwing them at us and finally they started to smoke it added they were just trying to provoke our friends and disrespect us the cafe said that it called the police but that the assailants fled and no one was arrested
who is behind the attacks remains unclear and analysts cautioned that it was far too early to say whether the incident was a violent prank a revolt against veganism or part of a nationalist attack against the freewheeling western liberal values epitomized by the cafe
but the cafe said in a statement that the same group of men had come to the neighborhood last month at night and asked a friend in the next shop if members of the gay lesbian bisexual or transgender community hung out at the cafe
that has led some analysts to suggest the attack should be seen against the backdrop of a continuing cultural battle as the country a former soviet republic long pulled between east and west seeks to draw closer to the european union and the north atlantic treaty organization even as some conservative forces push back at perceived encroaching liberalism
three years ago a gay pride march in tbilisi the capital was disrupted after protesters including orthodox priests interrupted the event we dont need sodom and gomorrah read some signs and some protesters wielded stinging nettles
we have been seeing in georgia the growth of nationalists   fanned by russia   who are questioning foreign western values such as gay marriage or gay rights being imposed on the country said giorgi gogia the south caucasus director at human rights watch in tbilisi a majority of the country are pro eu and pro nato but georgia remains a conservative country the georgian orthodox church is very influential and there is pushback against foreign influence he added the kiwi cafe attracts hipsters gays people who are different and they symbolize liberal western values
the countrys governing georgian dream coalition which supports closer ties with the west has recently moved to define marriage in the countrys constitution exclusively as a union of a man and a woman a move that mr gogia said was calculated to appeal to more conservative voters ahead of parliamentary elections in october
at the same time under european union pressure georgia has adopted anti discrimination laws that explicitly forbid the discrimination against people based on sexual orientation
georgia celebrated its independence day on thursday a few days before the cafe attack a group of nationalists was seen on the streets of tbilisi chanting georgians for georgia for some the scene recalled the ethnic enmities that were stirred after georgia declared independence from russia in 1991
throughout europe vegan cafes have become synonymous with the counterculture in april the riot police were called in to break up a crowd at the opening of the dandy diner a vegan restaurant in berlin
the kiwi cafe for its part said it remained committed to equality for all in spite of the situation and everyday negative attitude to us and other people who visit us cafe is continuing to work and is ready to accept all costumers regardless of nationality race appearance age gender sexual orientation religious views etc its facebook page said equality is the most important thing for us animal liberation human liberation


although its on a major thoroughfare this very particular wine shop is out of the way on the grittiest edge of soho theres nothing like it in this area said vinicus aboin the manager who is originally from brazil and hit it off with the owner ivanete oliveira a former importer who is also brazilian the shops emphasis is on natural biodynamic and organic wines and on labels you dont see everywhere we are interested in the winemakers mr aboin said adding that these wines sometimes need explaining but he said when customers try the wines they usually come back and buy more there are quite a few wines in magnums including german rieslings in handsome tall bottles vin des amis wine375 b canal street west broadway 646 918 6141 vindesamiscom


theres more to japanese green tea than the hyper trendy powdered matcha aficionados eagerly await the years first leaves of sencha tea this seasonal early blooming tea is called shincha and will be available until the end of june the deep green leaf slivers look like grass cuttings and yield a golden colored tea of delicate herbal elegance with an alluring sweetness in the aftertaste ippodo shincha 998 to 5444 depending on the size 125 east 39th street ippodo teacojpen


the french cheese board which operated a storefront briefly as a trial balloon in the garment district has returned with a more elaborate setup in soho the new location from this trade group offers a changing selection of cheeses for sampling and sale accessories like boards knives honeys and preserves a kitchen for demonstrations and lessons and an art gallery french cheese board 41 spring street mulberry street frenchcheeseboardcom


just for fun the team at major food group is opening a summer spinoff of santina in cart form on the street near the restaurant and the whitney museum of american art in the meatpacking district it sells everything coconut coconut iced coffee coconut sundaes and coconut bomboloni as it evolves the menu which mostly offers sweets is apt to include some savory coconut items too coconut cart daily from 11 am to 6 pm washington street near gansevoort street


for the season the bar that opens onto the sidewalk at the restaurant quality italian features sgroppino the italian refresher usually made with lemon sorbetto vodka and prosecco but bryan schneider who is in charge of the bar has come up with several riffs on the classic cucumber mint blood orange strawberry and black pepper and mango lime and calabrian chile all 12 are the inaugural choices in a rainbow of pastel shades dictated by the flavor of the sorbetto none are too sweet quality italian 57 west 57th street entrance on avenue of the americas 212 390 1111 qualityitaliancom


eric h holder jr the former united states attorney general said that edward j snowden had performed a public service by starting a national conversation when he leaked documents in 2013 that revealed classified information about national security agency programs
mr holder said in a podcast with david axelrod that was released monday we can certainly argue about the way in which snowden did what he did but i think that he actually performed a public service by raising the debate that we engaged in
despite that mr holder added that mr snowdens actions were inappropriate and illegal and suggested that he should have gone to congress with his concerns
he added that mr snowden a former intelligence contractor had harmed the national security and diplomatic interests of the united states and had placed intelligence agents in danger
hours after the interview was released mr snowden tweeted a response that suggested that the united states had been inconsistent in its assessment of his actions he was granted asylum in russia in 2013 and has repeatedly expressed a desire to return home on the condition that he be granted a fair trial
mr snowden was charged with two violations of the united states espionage act as well as theft of government property
president obama does not share mr holders view of mr snowdens action a white house spokesman said on tuesday
it endangered our national security josh earnest the white house press secretary said adding that mr snowden had committed serious crimes there is a path for whistle blowers to take if they have legitimate concerns
in the interview mr holder who was succeeded by loretta e lynch in april 2015 urged mr snowden to return to the united states to face trial saying that the courts could take into account the usefulness of having had that national debate
but geoffrey r stone a law professor at the university of chicago whose skype interview with mr snowden in may was the impetus for mr holders comments said tuesday that despite mr snowdens eagerness to return there was no legal defense that he could assert in this situation under existing law
there is no general justification defense that says you can get off from committing criminal offense by saying i had a good reason to do it  mr stone said
in a 2013 letter that attempted to convince the russian minister of justice that mr snowden should not be granted asylum mr holder said only that the leaker would not face the death penalty or torture were he to return
mr snowden has seen significant success in his quest to start a public conversation about government surveillance in 2015 the nsas bulk collection of americans phone records one of the programs he exposed was ruled illegal and transformed by congress
he has also won widespread support abroad including from the european parliament which adopted a nonbinding resolution in october to protect him from prosecution and recognize him as a whistle blower and international human rights defender
mr holders interview was conducted on mr axelrods podcast the axe files making him the latest in a group of former and current white house staff members to become regulars on the podcast circuit
mr axelrod a former senior adviser to president obama has hosted samantha power the united states ambassador to the united nations and ben rhodes the deputy national security adviser among others mr obamas former speechwriter jon favreau and dan pfeiffer a former white house adviser began releasing episodes of their own podcast keepin it 1600 this month
mr obama has himself appeared on several podcasts including an episode of the comedian marc marons wtf last summer that was the shows most downloaded new episode ever


a coffee shop is not just a coffee shop majora carter said the other day
ms carter who hails from the south bronx and has been a longtime agent of change in what was once viewed as the most hardscrabble of new york neighborhoods was talking about the arrival last week of birch coffee whose exposed brick reclaimed wood and 275 macchiatos make it an outlier on a stretch of hunts point avenue dominated by dime stores bodegas and auto shops
a coffee shop she was saying can be a community hub and a tinderbox of creativity people collide and cross paths over cappuccino sharing catalytic ideas and business plans and hunts point hasnt had a spot quite like it for as long as she can remember
i find it funny and sad at the same time when people walk in and say hey i feel like im in manhattan said ms carter who has collaborated on the cafe with jeremy lyman and paul schlader the entrepreneurs who have planted seven birch outposts in other parts of the city you know what you are in the bronx and we can have this here as well
but whats truly remarkable is that the south bronx suddenly has two such overnight arrivals over in mott haven a few stops away on the no 6 train in the shadow of the major deegan expressway a shop called filtered coffee opened in april with a red la marzocco espresso machine drowsy indie rock on the sound system and financier pastries shaped like teddy bears
if a coffee shop can serve as a town hall it can also act as something else an early signal flare of incoming gentrification with the financiers come the financiers jon gray a leader of a bronx based group of food lovers called ghetto gastro said all the exposed brick and barista lingo could occasionally feel like code for its safe to come weve got lattes
these two new cafes share a vintage industrial look and an overlapping sense of both mission and opportunity the historical role of a coffee shop is a place to meet and have a conversation said karen paul one of the entrepreneurs behind filtered which occupies a high ceilinged space at the corner of third avenue and 134th street there is also a filtered coffee in harlem
ms paul and aaron baird her business partner talk about how filtered could become a crossroads for creative expression in mott haven certain businesses come to fill a void in the community mr baird said
but they talk too about how nearby buildings have been filling with young people priced out of brooklyn and manhattan basically we always try to look for whats an up and coming neighborhood said mr baird who grew up in nebraska a lot of friends are moving here now
if the two are a tad sensitive about the g word as they called it thats because mott haven has experienced friction over the prospect of gentrification not long ago developers tried to rebrand parts of the south bronx with a lyrical new name the piano district locals recoiled
one of those developers keith rubenstein the chief executive of somerset partners which owns property nearby is an investor in filtered after touring ms paul and mr bairds cafes in harlem he encouraged them to build a branch in an empty warehouse they brought life to a place that was probably a little bit lifeless he said of the corner
although he waved away the suggestion that filtered would be a stealth gentrification tool its got no purpose other than providing great service great food and great beverages he said mr rubenstein made it clear that hed like to see more restaurants and other amenities to increase foot traffic
i think every single restaurateur in new york should be looking around the area he said high rents may be killing restaurants in manhattan he said but not in the south bronx
in hunts point ms carter and her husband and business partner james chase started out with the idea of possibly opening a coffee shop on their own mr lyman and mr schlader had no intention of opening a birch branch in the bronx they visited the site because ms carter had rented a space and had asked through a mutual friend for their expert counsel
the duo offered a lot of counsel   about brewing equipment ice supply drainage ms carter replied with her own proposal to join forces on the shop
the neighborhood is craving it mr schlader said noting that hunts point doesnt even have a starbucks theres underserved and then theres unserved he said
ms carter whose impact as an entrepreneur and a community leader in hunts point is so well known that there is a painted mural of her face mounted on a fence not far from the coffee shop paid out of her own pocket to get the cafe started no bank was going to finance this ever   no she said oh yeah were going to do a specialty coffee place in the south bronx
her involvement may deflect some anxieties about gentrification shes a pillar in the community said mr gray of ghetto gastro i like the concept of for us by us
and why should manhattan have a monopoly on macchiato we like to see the work that we do as self gentrification ms carter said people in low status communities like nice things too


london   producers of the new harry potter stage play harry potter and the cursed child have released the first official photographs of several of the shows actors in costume
previews of the production in which the action takes place 19 years after the end of the final harry potter book start june 7 at the palace theater in london
the play a two part show that visitors can watch in a single day or over the course of two days centers on harry as a middle aged ministry of magic employee whose son albus is coming to terms with his magical powers j k rowling co wrote the story on which the play by jack thorne is based
the first batch of official images was released on tuesday additional photographs issued on wednesday show paul thornley as ron weasley noma dumezweni as hermione granger and cherrelle skeete as rose granger weasley the news that ms dumezweni who is black would play hermione drew worldwide attention when it was announced last year
comments from the actors appeared on the official website pottermore along with the photographs


paris   as rain again drenched the french open the lone grand slam tournament without at least one roofed court no mens matches were played to completion for a second straight day on tuesday
but two womens fourth round matches interrupted by rain on sunday were finished despite intermittent drizzle leaving the favorites losing and fuming
the more striking reversal came on suzanne lenglen court where second seeded agnieszka radwanska led 102nd ranked tsvetana pironkova 6 2 3 0 when play was halted on sunday pironkova turned the tables on tuesday and completed a 2 6 6 3 6 3 victory
pironkova raced out of the gates and did not look back winning the first 10 games to take the second set and build a commanding 4 0 lead in the third radwanska had trouble guiding the weighty waterlogged balls in the changed conditions and she received medical attention for her right hand midway through the third set
mentioning an operation she had on her hand years before radwanska said she couldnt really play in that conditions end of story before criticizing tournament officials
im just so surprised and angry that we have to play in the rain radwanska said before unfavorably comparing the decision to those made at a low level of sanctioned professional tennis i mean its not a 10000 tournament its a grand slam how can you allow players to play in the rain
radwanska was not the only favorite whose play was bogged down sixth seeded simona halep led samantha stosur the no 21 seed 3 5 in the first set when play was stopped on sunday but stosur returned tuesday with newfound purpose and poise in sopping conditions on court 1 stosur quickly gained the upper hand beating halep 7 6 0 6 3
stosur a finalist here in 2010 was beaten badly by halep three weeks ago in the semifinals at madrid losing by 6 2 6 0 in less than an hour
ive really had to learn quickly what went wrong there   and why it went wrong more importantly stosur said again i was pretty sure about all those things and then had a good plan of what i wanted to do and had to stay on that path
halep like radwanska was upset about having to play through the drizzle
i have no words halep said it was impossible to play in my opinion and to play tennis matches during the rain i think is a bit too much but everyone was in the same situation and who was stronger won today
stosur voiced fewer complaints about the conditions
im just playing she said if the umpire says were stopping were stopping i dont know what the forecast is i know what it feels like out there and i know it was raining for the first time we went out today but the court was ok for the most part
in a quarterfinal scheduled for wednesday stosur will face pironkova a 28 year old bulgarian who has been known more for her savvy on grass and other fast surfaces having reached the wimbledon semifinals in 2010 and the quarterfinals there in 2011
like stosur she was more accepting of the conditions
usually if the court is not fit for play like if its slippery they would cancel the match right away pironkova said but today the court was still hanging in it was ok we could have played and so we did
the men in action tuesday were more vocal about their grievances midmatch though since no matches finished none of the men made it into news conferences where they could have provided more details
in the match after stosur and haleps on court 1 david goffin and ernests gulbis fumed about the conditions before the match was suspended with gulbis leading 3 0 goffin normally one of the tours most placid players was irate from the beginning of the match and received a code violation for launching a ball out of the stadium after only two games
he expressed skepticism at the ability of the supervisor donna kelso to assess the conditions as play stopped and started despite the rain saying that she had never played tennis
goffin had frequently complained about the risk of injury and he and gulbis had packed their bags to leave the court before any postponement was declared
goffins coach thomas johansson was more supportive of the officials saying they know what they are talking about
mondays entire schedule was washed out creating a backlog of fourth round matches for tuesday the day the quarterfinals were supposed to begin on tuesday with only two singles matches completed play was called off shortly before 7 pm
i think they made a great decision yesterday canceling early   they were right johansson said i think today they also made a good decision
justin gimelstob a former player who is working as a tennis channel commentator at this tournament said the officials decision involved more factors than just the slippery clay surface which can absorb more moisture than any other surface on tour
when you dont have any traction on the clay then you cant play on it gimelstob said thats what they look for but its not just the clay its the lines its water in your eyes its the increased weight of the wet ball that puts more pressure on your arm everything is affected everything matters there is nothing that isnt affected by the rain
marcel granollers like radwanska received medical attention on his wrist and hand during his match against dominic thiem who won the first set 6 2 before dropping the second 6 7 2 david ferrer led tomas berdych 2 1 in the first set when the match was stopped
top seeded novak djokovic who was leading roberto bautista agut 3 6 6 4 4 1 when play was suspended had expressed eagerness to play on after a subpar start in which he dropped the first set in 47 minutes
during one stoppage he walked back onto the court to a smattering of applause he then politely took a roland garros branded umbrella from a woman sitting courtside and began jauntily skipping along the baseline in a scene reminiscent of gene kelly in singin in the rain
four womens fourth round matches including those involving serena williams and venus williams and two mens quarterfinals scheduled for tuesday will be played wednesday weather permitting of course


j michael pearson the former chief executive of valeant pharmaceuticals international who departed in early may during a series of investigations into the companys business practices will receive a 9 million severance payment and continue working as a consultant through 2017 valeant said tuesday
the company as well as a major investor william a ackman have taken steps to distance themselves from mr pearson and signal that the company was making a fresh start but under the agreement mr pearson will also receive more than 83000 a month through the end of this year and 15000 monthly in 2017 plus expenses and health insurance benefits to help the company make the transition to a new chief executive and handle the host of legal investigations
he will also be eligible for bonuses tied to the companys performance in 2016 before may 2 when he left the company
in recent months valeant shook up its board and added a new chief executive joseph c papa mr ackman whose firm pershing square capital management is a major investor took a seat on the board and pledged that he would steer the company away from its reliance on the drastic price increases that once drove profits but drew outrage from patients doctors and members of congress
mr pearson a former consultant for mckinsey arrived at valeant in 2008 and transformed the companys business model into one based on acquiring companies slashing costs and sharply raising drug prices his approach drew accolades from wall street including some from mr ackman and helped drive the stock past 260 as recently as last summer but the stock has plunged since then among a series of inquires into valeants pricing and accounting practices as well as its relationship with a mail order company philidor it also has about 30 billion in debt
the company now faces investigations from congress united states attorneys in new york and massachusetts and the securities and exchange commission
the company also said tuesday that it planned to announce its first quarter results on june 7


what is the point really of historical comparison how do you measure a basketball mutation which is what the golden state warriors have become with their long distance dialing that makes comparing them with storied nba teams of yore like distinguishing between a smartphone and a land line
you watched stephen curry and klay thompson dishearten and finally defeat a resolute oklahoma city team on monday night in game 7 of the western conference finals you watched them make 3 point shots over the outstretched arms of men much taller and you found yourself saying the unbelievable ridiculous stupefied words you mouth when you cant quite believe what youre seeing
it is practically a reinvented game these so called splash brothers are playing having drastically extended the standard scoring range the acceptable area from which to consistently unload and succeed
after the warriors had finally moved on to an nba finals rematch with lebron james and his cleveland cavaliers with a 96 88 victory over the thunder someone asked the hard to impress russell westbrook what curry had showed him late in the series that was missing earlier
westbrook said impassively our bigs on the switches came out and he made some tough shots over the top of them
westbrook should have added that there was nothing negligent or lazy about the thunders defensive resolve in game 7 the high screens forced steven adams and serge ibaka to the perimeter time and again to cover curry or thompson
adams is a 7 footer weighing 255 pounds ibaka is listed at 6 10 245 big men are typically at a disadvantage in isolation against smaller more creative players but adams and ibaka are earnest athletic defenders who contested and occasionally deflected a curry or thompson launch earlier in the series
is it easy shooting over an aggressive skyscraping wingspan pump faking sidestepping creating just enough space to release with dead on accuracy from that far away try it sometime see how it goes
curry hit seven 3 pointers in game 7 thompson coming off a single game playoff record of 11 3s on 18 attempts in the crucial game 6 in oklahoma city nailed six in the fourth quarter they were daggers to the heart of a team more than holding its own from inside the 3 point line
curry and thompson each surpassed the previous individual high of 28 3 pointers held by ray allen and dennis scott made in a single nba playoff series curry with 32 thompson with 30
amid it all bill simmons posted on twitter that 30 years ago in the 1986 finals boston and houston combined to hit 17 3 point shots in an entire six game series won by the celtics
those familiar with simmons late of espn and now with hbo will know that he is an unapologetic celtics fan and that boston team anchored by larry bird won 67 games in 1985 86 losing once at home and certainly staked its claim as one of the greatest in nba history
many of us who covered sports in that decade have argued that it was the nbas best blend of old school fundamentals combined with the arrival of a new age athleticism that would manifest itself in the 1990s marketing miracle that became michael jordan
the lakers of the mid  to late 1980s   a team that included mychal thompson klays father   belong in any best ever conversation given the prime of magic johnsons career the still potent kareem abdul jabbar and the hall of fame gifts of james worthy
but it was jordans chicago bulls team of 1995 96 that won 72 games and the fourth of six championships in eight seasons that these 73 victory warriors are running a mythical race against make no mistake a generation of jordan worshipers was poised to gloat had the thunder been able to close out the warriors it will be again if james can deliver a championship to cleveland
for all their titles perhaps the true appraisal of the jordan era bulls came in the 1993 94 season when jordan walked away to flail at minor league breaking balls scottie pippen and a cast unintentionally derided as supporting won 55 games they proved to be much more than a backup band the jordanaires when they came within one highly questionable foul call on pippen of going home with a chance to finish off the knicks and advance to the eastern conference finals
but what they lacked without jordan was another closer or coldblooded scorer to achieve what thompson did when he dropped 41 points on the thunder in game 6
a year ago on the warriors way to the franchises first title since 1975 all four of their opponents dealt with manpower shortages
this time around they had to push on in the first two rounds against houston and portland without the injured curry the leagues two time most valuable player
against the thunder the warriors had to deal with draymond green slumping and flirting with suspension while they fell into a three games to one hole with the confidence of westbrook and kevin durant soaring with curry struggling to reclaim his rhythm the warriors still rallied for three straight victories against a long and talented team that had taken out the 67 win san antonio spurs
now the warriors reward is james a two time champion with miami and an nba finalist for the sixth straight season and a cavaliers team at full strength
i think any time you go through a long postseason you grow warriors coach steve kerr said now that weve been through this together for two years going deep in the playoffs i guess we played 21 22 playoff games last year and now were at 16 maybe 17 i havent really kept track but thats a lot of playoff games thats a lot of pressure a lot of circumstances that come your way
and that may be our truest basis for comparing teams from different eras rules and styles what and whom must a champion endure and overcome
the warriors made 73 wins look almost too easy tempting those commonly referred to as haters to question or deride the quality of the competition in the interests of historical context
forget all that now extreme playoff adversity has been met and surmounted and here comes lebron this warriors title defense has taken on a degree of difficulty as formidable as the nightly audacity of their 3 point marksmen
if curry and thompson continue making them even the haters may have to mimic joe lacob the warriors owner who upon spotting thompson after game 6 went down on one knee and bowed


mays album chart belonged to drake
drakes latest release views young moneycash moneyrepublic holds the top spot on billboards latest chart for a fourth week in a row dominating the rankings ever since the album was released on april 29 this week it faced close competition from new records by ariana grande and blake shelton but beat them thanks to what continue to be extraordinary streaming numbers
in its latest week views had just 50000 sales in the united states as a complete album according to nielsen   far less than new releases by ms grande whose dangerous woman republic had 129000 sales and mr sheltons if im honest warner bros nashville with 153000 downloads of individual songs also factor into the overall chart position and by that measurement views was not exceptional its 274000 track downloads were only slightly ahead of the 201000 for dangerous woman
but for a fourth week straight views really pulled ahead in streaming its songs had 1662 million streams in its latest week compared with 386 million for dangerous woman and just 39 million for if im honest when combined with album and track sales views led the chart with 189000 album equivalent units in the latest chartspeak compared to 175000 for dangerous woman and 170000 for if im honest in britain ms grandes album squeaked past drake by a margin of just 600 equivalent sales
also this week beyonces lemonade parkwoodcolumbia is no 4 rihannas anti roc nation is no 5 and two new albums by rock elders open high on the chart eric claptons new i still do bushbranchsurfdog starts at no 6 and bob dylans latest collection of standards fallen angels columbia bows at no 7


new jersey has backed democrats in every presidential election since 1992 but a new poll released on tuesday shows that the state would be in play in a matchup between hillary clinton and donald j trump   as long as gov chris christie is not on his ticket
a poll from monmouth university found that 38 percent of registered voters support mrs clinton and 34 percent back mr trump the survey which had a margin of error of plus or minus four percentage points found that the remaining voters would either back a third party candidate or that they remain undecided
blue jersey doesnt appear quite so blue at this stage of the campaign but we should keep in mind that neither major party candidate has fully locked in the support of their partisan bases said patrick murray director of the monmouth university polling institute
when that happens mr murray suggested it could benefit mrs clinton because there are more democrats than republicans in new jersey
another thing that would help mrs clinton is if mr trump tapped mr christie as his running mate the new jersey governor became one of mr trumps most vocal supporters after dropping his own presidential bid but his campaign and the time he spent away from the state took a toll on his popularity there
more than 40 percent of new jersey voters said that they would be less likely to support mr trump if mr christie was on the ticket while 8 percent said that they would be more likely to back the presumptive republican nominee with their governor at his side mr christie would also be unhelpful when it comes to wooing undecided voters as 51 percent of those who have yet to make up their minds said that he would be a turnoff
trump claims he can turn new jersey competitive in november mr murray said these results suggest he probably needs to look elsewhere for a running mate if he wants to make that a reality
as for adding a local lawmaker to mrs clintons ticket the poll found that senator cory booker would neither harm nor help her chances two thirds of new jersey voters said that mr booker would have no influence their thinking and only 18 percent said he would be a bonus
new jersey voters did suggest that they are open to thinking outside of the box in this election with 11 percent of them saying that they would like to vote for an independent or third party candidate rather than decide between mr trump and mrs clinton
gary johnson the libertarian partys nominee and jill stein a green party candidate won 5 percent and 4 percent of the vote when added to the mix their presence on the ballot appeared to offer a small benefit to mrs clinton by siphoning some support away from mr trump


perhaps youve heard the expression only the paranoid survive ring a bell if so its probably because thats the title of a book by andrew s grove the former chairman and chief executive of intel
when i read this book in late 1999 i bought into the need to always be looking for opportunities and to live my life at full throttle i was afraid that if i stopped for even a moment just to rest relax and recover i wouldnt make it whatever that means
i was paranoid and i was surviving   but just barely
nonstop meetings and mile long to do lists were the norm any time i had a block of free space in my schedule i rushed to fill it i might be missing out if i didnt at the time i didnt realize this was a stressful way to live as the stress added up i played hard as well to help me deal with it
i started cycling and brought the same full throttle mentality with me even though i knew on an academic level the importance of rest and recovery i never appreciated either i rode hard every time i went out i kept going until i got sick or injured and had no choice but to take time off
i repeated this process for years go super hard crash be forced to rest feel better repeat
only recently did i start to understand that the problem wasnt that i needed something to distract me from my stress i needed rest but first i had to face an underlying problem id bought into being paranoid into never letting up and as a result i was uncomfortable with feeling like there was not any slack in the system
if i had anything extra   time energy or money   i felt like a fool if i didnt spend it
im not alone i have a friend who makes a lot of money but he always talks about how broke he is hell even pull out the lining of his pockets to demonstrate that theyre empty because i know how much he makes and how much he saves i asked him why he keeps claiming poverty
he told me that he and his wife purposely keep their checking account balance low so they always worry about overdraft fees and avoid spending money its their way of dealing with the slack in their system they cannot handle the thought of extra money sitting in their account
this is a great approach if you want to save money and be miserable but theres a better way to deal with the extra resources in our lives it starts with thinking about slack a little differently instead of spending every extra ounce of energy maximizing every minute and using every cent look for ways to reinvest it
think of the compounding power of reinvesting interest and stock dividends over time the same is true for time and energy and the returns are exponential
we often think we need to consume everything   kind of a use it or lose it mind set maybe youre filling some free time with a new work project maybe youre using that last ounce of energy to go on just one more ride or maybe youre squirreling away yet another dollar for the future and beating yourself up with the threat of a big bad overdraft fee
whatever that thing youre doing its time to stop instead of going on yet another hard ride take an easy walk at sunset instead of running around with empty pockets keep a twenty handy and see how long you can go without spending it get used to the idea of having a little bit of excess in your system better yet dont be afraid to do nothing
for a long time weve been told to squeeze every last drop out of life but in the process weve gotten close to the redline of flaming out so cut yourself a little slack and remember that more than just the paranoid survive


kabul afghanistan   the number of afghans internally displaced by the 15 year conflict in their country has more than doubled since the beginning of 2013 with an average of 1000 people a day forced from their homes this year alone amnesty international said on tuesday
a sign that the war continues to affect civilians in large numbers came even as amnesty sought to draw attention to their desperate situation the taliban attacked passenger buses in the northern province of kunduz early tuesday morning killing at least 10 passengers and abducting dozens local officials said
the amnesty report released at a news conference in kabul the capital said that many of the 12 million displaced afghans were living in miserable conditions in camps lacking adequate water food and health facilities
while their number which stood at about 500000 at the end of 2012 has more than doubled since then resources allocated to dealing with the situation have reached the lowest point since 2009 the report said
in 2015 it said the united nations allocated 292 million for its humanitarian response to displaced afghans
while the worlds attention seems to have moved on from afghanistan we risk forgetting the plight of those left behind by the conflict said champa patel south asia director at amnesty international
even after fleeing their homes to seek safety she said increasing numbers of afghans are languishing in appalling conditions in their own country and fighting for their survival with no end in sight
the violence on tuesday in kunduz province whose capital briefly fell to the taliban in the fall came after weeks of concern about the insurgents disruption of the main highway in the north they have attacked convoys on the highway in kunduz and in the neighboring province of baghlan
the number of passengers killed and abducted on tuesday was unclear with officials providing different figures
the deputy police commander for kunduz masoom khan hashemi said the taliban had abducted about 175 passengers from two buses and a van that were traveling to takhar and badakhshan provinces
the attackers killed 10 of the passengers of whom nine bodies were retrieved by the police mr hashemi said they held 18 others and freed the rest
when we were opening our shops early in the morning they were slowly freeing some of the passengers among them women and children said khial mohammad a shopkeeper in the nearby area of shna tapa
mr hashemi said the passengers were not soldiers government contractors or related to the government but local elders and family members who came to retrieve bodies at the main kunduz hospital said that at least some of those killed were members of the afghan police or local government militias who were traveling home
the talibans main spokesman zabihullah mujahid said in a statement that the insurgents had detained 26 members of the afghan army and police who were traveling in civilian clothes and had let go other passengers from three vehicles they had stopped six of the detainees were killed as they were trying to flee the statement said


stephen hawking the great explainer of cosmic mysteries is also known for sharing his wisdom on more earthly matters he has weighed in on climate change bold action is needed boycotting israel he favored it and the departure of zayn malik from the boy band one direction he could still be in the band in a parallel universe
but on itvs good morning britain on tuesday mr hawking a theoretical physicist and best selling author acknowledged a mystery that he has found impenetrable
asked to explain the political ascendance of donald j trump he said simply i cant
he is a demagogue who seems to appeal to the lowest common denominator he said in prerecorded remarks
a message left with the trump campaign on tuesday was not immediately returned the subject did not come up at a news conference that the republican presidential candidate held in manhattan on tuesday
dr hawking may be the smartest person to admit being baffled by mr trumps unlikely path to the presumptive party nomination but he is certainly not the first last year pundits from across the american political spectrum pegged mr trumps chances at slim to none
at another point on good morning britain dr hawking who is british weighed in on the contentious debate over whether the country should remain in the european union a process often referred to as brexit
gone are the days when we could stand on our own against the world he said we need to be part of a larger group of nations both for our security and our trade the possibility of our leaving the eu has already led to a sharp fall in the pound because the markets judge that it will damage our economy
those who favor leaving argue that the countrys membership in the bloc has diminished british influence and sovereignty a referendum is scheduled for june 23
dr hawking who has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis known as lou gehrigs disease has also been a bullish advocate for people with disabilities a group that has been critical of mr trump
during a campaign event in november the candidate appeared to mock a reporter for the new york times who has a physical disability called arthrogryposis which restricts the functioning of his joints
now the poor guy you ought to see this guy mr trump said before jerking his arms around
responding to criticism over the comments mr trump denied that he had intended to mock the reporter


san antonio   just after dawn on a recent may morning ajax a 2 year old black labrador retriever eagerly worked his way through a sparsely furnished room sniffing for explosives on his third try he picked up a scent behind a piece of furniture near the front of the room
good dog good dog said andrew baxter his trainer who reached into a pouch and threw ajax a squeaky toy much to the dogs delight
ajax is one of 230 dogs at the transportation security administrations facility here on lackland air force base training to become bomb sniffing canines dogs that pass the course will be deployed to the nations airports a first line of defense against terrorist bomb attacks
the assignment is becoming increasingly difficult as terrorists adopt techniques using household chemicals to construct bombs that make it hard even for a dogs sensitive nose to discern
so were now asking dogs not just to find a needle in a haystack   now were also saying to the dog we need you to find any sharp object in the haystack said clive wynne a professor at arizona state university he is leading a study funded by the office of naval research to develop methods to train dogs to identify a wide variety of common ingredients that could be used to make bombs
since the sept 11 2001 terrorist attacks the federal government has spent billions on technologies to emulate the nose and brain of a trained bomb dog which can detect minute traces of explosives and while researchers have made progress when it comes to accuracy nothing quite beats the nose of a dog
dogs can detect a teaspoon of chemical in a million gallons of water   nearly enough to fill two olympic size swimming pools said craig angle a professor in auburn universitys canine performance sciences program they perform at a really high level theyre like the peyton mannings or brett favres of canines
but the increase in explosive devices using common household chemicals has put that ability to the test particularly in detection of the compound tatp a favorite of terrorist groups
ibrahim hassan al asiri the saudi who designed the device used by the so called underwear bomber on a 2009 flight to detroit is believed to be at the forefront of these new terrorist bomb makers intelligence officials say mr asiri built sophisticated devices by using new types of explosives that intelligence officials had not seen previously and enclosed them in caulk to prevent leakage of the vapors that dogs could detect
mr wynne and other researchers are teaching dogs not only how to detect explosive ingredients but also to determine if what they smell could combine to form an explosive mixture in other words the dogs are being asked to identify a bomb before it becomes a bomb
there are more than 240 different types of smokeless powders alone said danny diller the training supervisor at the canine training center here at lackland we cant train them on all explosives
and he said the agency is adjusting its training in response to events like the london subway bombings in 2005 and the attempt by umar farouk abdulmutallab the underwear bomber to bring down an airliner which led to training dogs for mass transit and passenger screenings
we are hoping through all the variety they will be able to generalize across the spectrum mr diller said
the department of homeland security the parent agency of the tsa has expanded its use of dogs to help screen passengers in airport security lines jeh johnson the secretary of homeland security recently announced the deployment of bomb sniffing dogs to larger airports where long security lines had not only increased the wait but provided a vulnerable target for an attack like the one in march at brussels airport
almost all of the dogs at lackland purchased mainly in eastern europe through a defense department program arrived when they were a year to a year and a half old the best breeds for training to find bombs according to the tsa are belgian malinoises labrador retrievers and german shorthair pointers
dogs like ajax are trained to detect explosives in a variety of environments some dogs undergo 15 weeks of training to sniff out explosives while others train for 25 weeks specifically to detect chemicals among passengers seventeen warehouses here contain mock airport settings including cargo bays and even a room with a replica of the interior of a 747 aircraft dogs are also trained to operate on trains and aircraft
tsa trainers began the dogs instruction by teaching them to recognize the scent of various chemicals that are commonly used in explosives such as tnt c4 commercial dynamite and semtex the exact chemical combinations that the tsa dogs can detect are closely guarded
once the dogs learn to recognize the odors they are given a toy as a reward they are then put through a variety of training settings like detecting explosives in a sparsely furnished room and finding odors in an area set up to look like a crowded airport boarding area
we keep throwing different situations at them until it doesnt matter said jerry wilson a training instructor at the center we want them to be comfortable in any environment
despite the intense training the instructors here say that instances in which dogs find an actual bomb are rare but they are not worried the dogs are doing exactly what they are supposed to do more important the instructors say a major part of a bomb sniffing dogs mission is deterrence
but we still need to do constant training and practicing for that one time that they are needed said robert gravel a training instructor
it is an expensive proposition the tsa has invested heavily in its canine detection program recently building a new 12 million training center here that employs about 93 people the center also trains dogs and handlers for state and local law enforcement agencies
more than 900 canine teams are deployed across the country at a cost last year of about 1217 million
not every dog makes it through the course and some have to return for additional training for a variety of reasons like aggression issues
even dogs that pass their training can make mistakes instructors here say dogs have been known to sit down next to a police officer indicating the presence of explosives but the officer had only recently fired a handgun at a firing range or handled bomb making material
they are great tools said lawrence myers a former professor at auburns canine training center but do they lie and get things wrong yes they do sometimes its as simple as i want my reward so what do i have to do for it
a 2011 study by researchers at the university of california davis found that handlers could influence the behavior of dogs getting them to indicate the presence of explosives or drugs even when none were present
despite these issues dogs remain the best method of detecting bombs tsa and other counterintelligence officials are hoping that the arizona state university research by professor wynne can help provide better training for dogs to detect homemade bombs
it is essential we engage the dogs brain in considering the whole complexion of what they smell and making smart decisions about whether this can be a bomb or not professor wynne said


los angeles   gov jerry brown of california has run three times for president he is serving his fourth term as governor and stands as one of the most popular elected officials in the state
he has also kept a noticeably low profile as the democratic presidential primary contest has moved to california reflecting what aides described as the interest he had in both candidates
but that ended on tuesday as the democratic governor came off the sideline and endorsed hillary clinton as someone who has the tenacity and skill to advance the democratic agenda and defeat the presumptive republican candidate donald j trump
democrats have shown   by millions of votes   that they want her as their nominee he said in an open letter to democrats and to independents who are permitted to vote in the democratic primary on june 7
mr browns decision is the latest sign that california is shaping up as a climactic end to the democratic nominating session mrs clinton and her opponent senator bernie sanders of vermont have turned their attention to a state where mrs clinton had once been confident of victory and where one poll last week showed the two candidates essentially tied
on tuesday mr sanders continued plowing through a heavy schedule of rallies in california many in parts of the state where national candidates do not often go mrs clinton has scaled back plans to campaign in new jersey to add additional events in the state with a focus on southern california where she will be counting on minority voters to propel her
nonetheless she told msnbc on tuesday that she was feeling very positive about california
we are competing everywhere but i have been struck by some of the challenges california faces mrs clinton said criticizing mr trump for denying the states drought
mr sanders is spending about 18 million on advertising in california and mrs clinton about 1 million according to kantar mediacmag that is not a lot of money in a state like california where a robust media campaign can easily cost 5 million to 10 million a week both candidates are concentrating their advertising campaigns focusing on places like fresno sacramento and los angeles
mr sanders after giving a speech on health care in emeryville across the bay from san francisco told reporters tuesday that he was not surprised by mr browns decision noting that governors and other elected democrats had repeatedly endorsed mrs clinton a former senator from new york and secretary of state
i like jerry brown but people can make their own choices mr sanders said what we have had to do and we have done pretty well in every state in this country is taken on democratic governors taken on democratic senators taken on democratic members of the house democratic mayors and all of their political apparatus and yet we have won in 20 states and i think we are going to win here in california
mr brown in his letter offered strong praise for mr sanders noting the similarities between the sanders campaign and the one mr brown waged when he ran for president in 1992
he has driven home the message that the top 1 percent has unfairly captured way too much of americas wealth leaving the majority of people far behind he wrote in 1992 i attempted a similar campaign
still the governor who lost to bill clinton in a contest that left lingering bitterness between the two men offered a powerful case against mr trump in arguing that mrs clinton had proved not only that she had abundant support among democrats but the ability to win in november mr brown met privately with mrs clinton in san francisco and mr clinton in sacramento last week
mr trump mr brown noted in his letter has called climate change a hoax and said he will tear up the paris climate agreement
he has promised to deport millions of immigrants and ominously suggested that other countries may need the nuclear bomb he has also pledged to pack the supreme court with only those who please the extreme right mr brown wrote
the stakes couldnt be higher he added
even if she loses here mrs clinton will almost certainly have enough delegates to win the nomination but a loss in the largest state   and in a democratic stronghold   would not only provide a dark end to what has been at times an unhappy campaign but might also empower mr sanders to stay in the race further delaying the point when mrs clinton can turn her full attention to mr trump
to win the nomination mr sanders would have to persuade hundreds of so called superdelegates   party officials and leaders like mr brown   to switch their allegiance in time for the july convention winning california his aides say can help him make that case
tad devine a senior adviser to mr sanders said the senator would campaign heavily through primary day going to parts of the state where he knows he can draw huge crowds and television coverage
we think we have a very narrow path to get there mr devine said of winning the nomination and california is the most important piece of that puzzle
a poll last week showed the two candidates essentially tied in the state
but many analysts say this is a difficult contest to poll because there has been a huge last minute surge in registration and because it is challenging to project how many independents who have favored mr sanders will actually participate


the worlds most famous surfer might be bethany hamilton less for her accomplishments on a board than for the inspiring story of her return to the sport after losing an arm in a shark attack but when hamilton made news on tuesday it was for her surfing prowess as she posted her best competitive result by advancing to the semifinals in an elite world surf league competition in fiji
hamilton was a top young amateur when she was attacked by a 14 foot tiger shark in kauai hawaii at age 13 in 2003 her friends father used a t shirt and a urethane surfboard leash to stop the bleeding possibly saving her life she lost 60 percent of her blood in the attack and lost her left arm almost to the shoulder but she was back surfing within a month
the tale led to a book a documentary and in 2011 a feature film soul surfer starring annasophia robb as hamilton and dennis quaid and helen hunt as her parents hamilton has also made numerous television appearances including a third place finish on the amazing race in 2014 with her husband adam dirks
despite her fame few expected hamilton to reach the top level of the sport while surfing with just one arm how would she be able to paddle fast enough to catch waves would her balance be permanently affected though she has won some lesser events she is not a world surf league regular
but hamilton was given a wild card berth into the leagues fifth event of the year she finished last in her first round group but won a second chance heat upsetting tyler wright of australia the worlds no 1 surfer who had won three of the first four events
scoring is based on a surfers two best rides and hamilton had a 71 and a stellar 90 to win 161 149 on her 90 ride she started with a quick tube ride under the curl of the wave before four slashing turns
hamilton won in round 3 and the quarterfinals as well before being eliminated in the semifinals by johanne defay of france who won the event it was hamiltons best result in six world surf league events topping a ninth place finish in 2010
i knew once i beat tyler i could beat anyone hamilton 26 told a world surf league interviewer after making the quarterfinals at the end of the day its just putting it together and catching the right waves and surfing my best i know i can compete well against these girls
surfers are not regularly attacked by sharks but it does happen a world surf league mens event in south africa last july was canceled after the three time world champion mick fanning fought off a shark while television cameras looked on


more than at any time in memory the united states faces a choice this fall between unpopular presidential candidates most voters view hillary clinton and donald j trump with disdain
yet one popular politician looms over the contest thats president obama who this spring has seen his approval rating again creep past 50 percent for democrats hoping to hold the white house that has come at just the right time
mr obamas standing marks a final year turn in the arc of a presidency defined largely by the intensity of his opposition but it also colors the november battle to choose his successor
notwithstanding hopes to the contrary when his career began the nations first african american president has proved powerless to reverse a decades long trend toward political polarization as a result his average approval rating in the gallup poll has rarely surpassed 50 percent for six of his seven full years in office
his yearlong average fell from 572 percent in 2009 to 467 percent in the midterm election year of 2010 when republicans regained control of the house of representatives it dropped to 426 percent in 2014 when republicans won the senate too
mr obama has rebounded sharply from there this year his first quarter gallup average was 495 percent his highest since just after his second inauguration in 2013 his average for may has been just over 51 percent
history suggests that a presidents approval rating can help predict who replaces him the opposing party has captured the white house in every race since world war ii in which the current presidents approval rating was below 45 percent in late spring of their final year harry s truman in 1952 lyndon b johnson in 1968 and george w bush in 2008
those with stronger ratings fared somewhat if not uniformly better six in 10 americans approved of president dwight d eisenhower a republican in 1960 john f kennedy a democrat won narrowly anyway
after the late 1990s economic boom president bill clinton commanded robust majority support despite an infidelity scandal that culminated in his impeachment his vice president al gore won the national popular vote but lost the race in the electoral college
the only departing postwar president whose party captured a third consecutive white house term was ronald reagan in 1988 when mr reagan recorded a yearly gallup average of 53 percent his vice president george bush won comfortably
several factors contribute to mr obamas uptick the economy has kept growing driving down the unemployment rate and federal deficit he reached an agreement with congressional republicans to end the budget and debt ceiling wars that began in 2011
unable to get much from capitol hill he has all but stopped trying that largely removes him from partisan combat amid a raucous often circuslike campaign that underscores his steadiness and calm
that above the fray dividend represents a perishable asset inserting himself actively into the campaign as aides say mr obama plans to do will re energize his opposition given a successors ability to strengthen or weaken his legacy any president would consider that price worth paying
his party still faces headwinds in a new york timescbs news poll in may 63 percent of americans described the nation as heading in the wrong direction extending a pessimistic mood lasting more than a decade
just 36 percent said mrs clinton could bring real change to washington while 51 percent said mr trump could
where mr obama may be able to help most is in rousing elements of the coalition that twice elected him
in the democratic race against senator bernie sanders of vermont mrs clinton has struggled to appeal to younger and independent voters democratic leaders have grown anxious about when and how enthusiastically mr sanders will rally behind mrs clinton should she amass enough delegates to clinch the nomination after the final primaries next week
but she holds an insurance policy with the man who defeated her in the 2008 primaries and won the presidency among voters ages 18 to 29 mr obama drew 63 percent job approval in the timescbs news poll among sanders supporters over all his approval stood at 83 percent


us stock indexes struggled to a mixed close tuesday as energy companies fell with the price of oil overcoming gains by utilities and phone companies
investors sold household goods makers after the conference board said consumer confidence had fallen for the second month in a row and reached its lowest level in six months
in the afternoon stocks fell further after the energy minister of the united arab emirates the second largest arab economy suggested there wasnt a lot of urgency in addressing a global glut in oil supplies
the price of oil has almost doubled since early february and the uae minister suhail al mazroui said he was optimistic about the state of the energy market ministers from opec nations will meet in vienna this week
david schiegoleit managing director of investments for the private client reserve at us bank said he thought oil wouldnt go much higher unless the global economy improved or major nations started spending more we do see 50 as sort of high end until then he said
despite the losses stocks finished may with solid gains
the standard  poors 500 stock index fell 211 points or 01 percent to 209695 the nasdaq composite index gained 1455 points or 03 percent to 494805
the dow jones industrial average lost 8609 points or 05 percent to 1778713
benchmark us crude oil fell 23 cents to 4910 a barrel in new york brent crude used to price international oils gave up 7 cents to 4969 a barrel in london
chevron fell 102 or 1 percent to 101 and exxon mobil shed 99 cents or 11 percent to 8902
a report on consumer spending gave investors a sense of how consumers who drive a large portion of the us economy were behaving the commerce departments data showed spending rose 1 percent in april as purchases of cars and other long lasting goods increased wages and salaries the most important component of incomes gained 05 percent that suggests the us economy could pick up in the second quarter after six months of sluggish growth
tempering that report economists at the conference board said consumer confidence fell for the second month in a row and reached its lowest level since november the board said consumers were feeling cautious about business and job market conditions
companies that make household goods like food drinks cleaners and other everyday items slipped beer and winemaker constellation brands lost 468 or 3 percent to 15315 and clorox gave up 116 to 12854
despite the mixed data erik davidson the chief investment officer for wells fargo private bank said americans were slowly getting over the shocks of the financial crisis and great recession
theres probably never been a better time to be a consumer than right now mr davidson said he noted that the job market remains solid wages are inching higher and a strong dollar is making goods produced overseas less expensive
westar energy biggest utility company in kansas surged after great plains energy agreed to buy it for 85 billion or 60 per share in cash and stock the deal will give great plains a total of 15 million customers in kansas and missouri westar climbed 341 or 64 percent to 5633 and great plains energy slid 182 or 59 percent to 2918
boeing slumped after the us air force announced new delays for the companys kc 46 pegasus tanker a midair refueling plane boeing lost 307 or 25 percent to 12615
jazz pharmaceuticals said it would buy cancer drug developer celator pharmaceuticals for 3025 per share or 128 billion celators most advanced drug is vyxeos a potential treatment for acute myeloid leukemia jazz also makes cancer drugs but gets most of its revenue from xyrem a drug used to treat side effects of narcolepsy celator soared 1255 or 716 percent to 3008 and jazz stock lost 53 cents to 15156
germanys dax fell 07 percent while frances cac 40 slipped 05 percent britains ftse 100 was down 06 percent japans benchmark nikkei 225 closed 1 percent higher while south koreas kospi added 08 percent hong kongs hang seng climbed 09 percent
in other energy trading wholesale gasoline fell 2 cents to 161 a gallon heating oil was unchanged at 150 a gallon natural gas climbed 12 cents or 55 percent to 229 per 1000 cubic feet
gold rose 80 cents to 121750 an ounce that ended an eight day losing streak in gold prices silver fell 28 cents or 17 percent to 1599 an ounce copper fell 2 cents to 210 per pound
the dollar strengthened to 11059 yen from 11038 yen the euro rose to 11126 from 11114
the yield on the 10 year treasury note slipped to 184 percent from 186 late friday


beijing   a senior north korean official arrived in beijing on tuesday for talks between his country and china whose ties are formally close but have eroded recently because of the norths nuclear weapons program
north koreas state run central news agency reported early wednesday that the official ri su yong told the chinese that it was the permanent policy of the north to try to expand its nuclear arsenal while striving to rebuild its economy
hours before mr ris arrival north korea tried unsuccessfully to fire an intermediate range musudan ballistic missile the fourth failed attempt in two months according to the yonhap news agency in south korea
mr ri a former foreign minister who was recently promoted to the politburo came to discuss the recent congress in pyongyang of the workers party said a former senior chinese official familiar with the visit as well as north korea the official declined to be identified given the sensitivity of the matter
the workers party congress in early may sought to cement the power of the north korean leader kim jong un with whom mr ri is considered close mr ri was north koreas ambassador to switzerland at the time mr kim attended a boarding school there north korea experts have said
mr ris remarks were made during a meeting with song tao who heads the international liaison department of the communist party in beijing
the north korean news agency said mr ri had stressed that it was the workers partys principled stance to stick loyally to mr kims policy known as byungjin as a permanent strategic line and use it as a base to defend peace and stability on the korean peninsula and in the region
although the byungjin policy was hardly new the meeting between mr ri and mr song was significant in that north korea formally told china through a high level governmental channel that it had no intention of giving up its nuclear weapons program
the news agency quoted mr song as saying that the chinese communist party and government supported north koreas pursuit of a path to development that suits its reality it did not specify what mr song had said about the norths nuclear weapons program
mr ris visit continued efforts by mr kim to court china the norths main trading partner and benefactor as the country feels the effects of united nations sanctions still china has been frustrated enough by the norths continued testing of nuclear weapons and launching of missiles that it agreed to the international sanctions in march and beijing seemed unlikely to offer substantial support to the north during mr ris visit
the visit left open the question of whether president xi jinping who also serves as secretary general of the party would agree to see him
but the former chinese official said he thought it unlikely that mr xi would meet with the north korean visitor
mr kim may have ordered tuesdays missile test to coincide with mr ris visit as a way of signaling to the chinese that he would continue to cause trouble if beijing did not help north korea according to evans j r revere a former senior state department official in charge of north korea affairs
such a tactic might not be advised given that china has shown increasing impatience with north korea mr revere said even so he added over the years the north koreans have shown themselves nothing if not skillful in manipulating the chinese
the attempted missile launching would almost certainly rule out an audience with mr xi said cheng xiaohe an associate professor of international relations at renmin university
china would seem without principle if he is allowed to meet with president xi after they launched that missile mr cheng said


software is very very good at reducing costs - including it seems the cost of suppressing political dissent
as nicole perlroth writes software companies are selling with little restriction spying and hacking tools to governments interested in quashing human rights workers political dissidents and journalists though the target clients are often authoritarian states the companies are frequently in the liberal democracies of europe and america
the reason brace yourself is money these kinds of deals which also include training people in using the software to spy on dissidents can be worth five  and six figure sums thats a big sale for a small team of software writers for a dictatorship it may be less than the laundry bill on secret police uniforms
as a result a human rights activist in the united arab emirates has been beaten robbed and fired from his job he was one of 1100 people the government contracted to spy on
the italian company that carried out the work for the emirates says it is no longer working with that government but that is largely because italy wont let it export there italy only found out because this team of ace hackers was hacked
there are many other companies happy to step in and make such sales and in many places such exports are not well known or understood
in our highly networked world software has become as important a tool of control as guns but international arms merchants are far more regulated
there are signs that is changing last october the obama administration charged two men with smuggling to syria equipment that could be used to spy on dissidents
the people in that case however appeared to be moving offshore hardware as well as software those physical boxes are easier to see than pure software which could in theory be transferred to a neutral country then sold to a dictatorship
as more of the network is modeled in software without specialty hardware required the harder it may be to catch the arms merchants of the online world


berga spain   the patum a spectacular festival here that dates to medieval times plays out the struggle between good and evil   represented by costumes and statues of angels fire wielding demons and dragons and christian knights fighting turks and moors   amid raucous celebrations over five days
but here in the heartland of catalonia the festival has also come to symbolize the far more modern political and social struggles of spain   between right and left church and state the spanish government in madrid and catalan secessionists
catalonias independence drive has imbued the patum like so many other cultural symbols and expressions here with ever greater nationalist significance for catalans
on sunday the far left mayor of berga montserrat venturos 30 watched the climax of the patum from the town halls balcony other separatist politicians sat alongside her but no representatives from the catholic church or the spanish military were present apparently for the first time in the festivals history
the mayor did not invite them she also did not attend the catholic mass that traditionally opens the final frenzied day of celebrations
the patum is the only surviving festival of its kind in catalonia a distinction recognized by unesco which designated it in 2005 as part of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity but even if its street performances date to the 14th century and its oldest official document is from 1621 the patum continues to evolve
like many such festivals the patum has religious origins celebrated during the catholic feast of corpus christi but it also has strong pagan elements
in medieval times the patums dancing followed a drum beat whose pa tum sound probably gave the festival its name a band was later added and on sunday one of the dances was even performed to music adapted from a bruce springsteen song
the mayor justified the decision to reduce the patums links to the church in the context of a secular society with weakening ties to catholicism
that things have always been done a certain way doesnt mean you should never adapt to how we live and feel in a secular country she said in an interview in the 21st century i see no need for the church to keep the same role in this feast
ms ventuross defiance has reached beyond the patum in april she refused to appear in court after being charged with flying the estelada a flag that has become an emblem for catalan secessionists on the town hall during elections
im not going to stand in a politicized trial shaped by the politicians in madrid when im now helping build a new country ms venturos said im here to respond to the will of my own people
ramon minoves pujols a town hall councilor from the conservative convergence party said the mayor should have gone to mass on sunday to represent the city even if she did not agree with mass its just a lack of respect he said
mr minoves pujols wore a suit and tie like most others from his party in contrast to the sleeveless tops and t shirts chosen by the mayor and her colleagues from the popular unity candidacy known by its catalan acronym cup these colleagues included francesc ribera a musician turned politician better known as titot whose band brams became popular in the 1990s
when i first started singing the independence movement was residual in catalonia but now that independence really drives us forward its normal to make it a more important part of our feast he said
marc maja the local priest said after celebrating sunday mass that he was sad to see his church sidelined from the patum for the first time
the fact is that the roots of the patum are religious so it makes every sense to continue to invite each other he said but im not here to promote a new conflict between church and state when we have so many more serious problems to deal with
santi vila catalonias regional cultural minister who was visiting on sunday from barcelona the catalan capital said if there was not such a strong patriotic feeling here i think the patum probably wouldnt have resisted to all the political regimes and changes over so many centuries
in fact the patum has increasingly become a source of pride and integration in our town said pere gendrau a journalist who carried one of the 12 foot high statues during the patum carriers used to be paid to lift the giant statues he noted but people now fight for this honor
after municipal elections in may last year berga and its roughly 16000 inhabitants became the most important catalan town hall run by the cup a radical party that has punched above its weight in catalan politics recently and is playing a pivotal role in the secession drive
after forcing the replacement of artur mas as catalonias regional president in january cup lawmakers are threatening to scuttle a regional budget deal if other separatist parties do not accelerate the secessionist plan the budget dispute could force catalonia to hold repeat elections
the patum lasts five days officially culminating on sunday but it stretched into the early hours of monday during a final collective frenzy the towns asymmetric square overflowing with thousands of dancing revelers was invaded by masked demons known as plens
the demons used the cover of darkness to spread across the crowd and set off firecrackers attached to their costumes turning the square into a hellish ball of fire and smoke about 900 firecrackers and 100 flares were used
monitoring the earlier stages of the patum from the top of the town hall joaquim mas an official in charge of the logistics and pyrotechnics of the festival said that he was delighted to see the estelada hanging from balconies as well as wrapped around the neck of the eagle and dragon statues he added that he was equally pleased that he did not see any priest on the balcony
this has always been a great occasion for berga and catalonia but i really feel everything has just got perfect this year mr mas said he added that he was also looking forward to the final inferno re creation but partly for more practical reasons
all good things need to come to an end   and ive not slept for four nights he said


what in the world offers you glimpses of what our journalists are observing around the globe let us know what you think whatintheworldnytimescom
if you want to visit mount everest you had better be pretty adventurous   and not just for the climb getting to the mountain usually means flying into lukla nepal home of tenzing hillary airport one of the scariest airstrips in the world
its just a short flight to lukla from kathmandu the capital but its plenty challenging for pilots who have to guide 19 passenger turboprops through rugged mountain terrain where the wind often swirls at 30 to 40 miles per hour and thick fogs can form not much weather data is available for conditions along the way so pilots have to rely on reports from previous flights before deciding whether to take off
midway through a recent flight as passengers fumbled to take photographs of the himalayas the plane ran into turbulence dropped sharply and pivoted left the pilot told passengers not to worry and one trekker laughed through his teeth
you cant train on weather said capt pawan singh nagarkoti 31 who flies the route regularly you can fly the aircraft you can master the aircraft you can be one hell of a good pilot in the aircraft but weather it has always been a problem
then you get to the airport itself the runway is short about 1700 feet or just one fifth the shortest runway at kennedy international airport in new york and it isnt level it was built on a mountainside with a slope of about 12 percent making one end about 200 feet higher than the other
planes land headed uphill so the slope helps them brake in the short space available but it also creates an illusion of distance for pilots clouds often appear suddenly and impair visibility the cause of a 2008 crash and guesthouses cluster close to the runway pilots have just one chance to get it right
for takeoff planes barrel downhill toward the edge of a cliff with the slope helping them pick up the necessary speed but the margin for error is no better there are boulders on one side a 2000 foot drop on the other
if you lose your engine on lukla you will not come out of that captain nagarkoti said we are told in those moments if anything happens apply brakes apply max power try to stop on the runway use whatever means to stop on the runway


nancy l zimpher who has been credited with elevating the state university of new york the nations largest public university system since becoming chancellor seven years ago is stepping down next year the university announced on tuesday
dr zimpher has relentlessly promoted the system through a strategic plan called the power of suny as an engine of economic growth and community development she has also sought to raise academic standards and has made it easier for students to transfer within sunys sprawling system of 64 campuses which serves 460000 full time and part time students
dr zimpher who will turn 70 in october is also sunys longest serving chancellor since the mid 1980s she said in an interview that she would not be retiring but would continue to be active in various state and national initiatives including teacher preparation
she also said that she wanted to ensure a smooth transition to her successor   something that has hardly been a suny hallmark by announcing now that she will leave on june 30 2017 she is giving the universitys board more than a year to conduct a national search for a new chancellor
the state university of new york is the greatest most impactful system of higher education in the country and being chancellor of suny has been the highlight of my career dr zimpher said
she has steered the university during a fraught time for public higher education since the 2008 recession states have slashed per student spending at public colleges and universities by 17 percent while tuition has increased by 33 percent according to the nonpartisan center on budget and policy priorities
sunys situation has been compounded by internal turmoil in the 15 years before dr zimphers arrival suny had seven chancellors or acting chancellors including a turbulent stretch around the time of gov eliot spitzers abrupt resignation which included the withdrawal of some candidates
the effectiveness of the suny leadership since the early 90s has not been great said kenneth p obrien an associate professor of history at the college at brockport and an editor of suny at sixty an analysis of the universitys history since its founding in 1948 in some sense we have been gratified that the leadership that chancellor zimpher has provided has been rational and that she has spoken up for the university
dr zimpher a native of ohio previously served as president of the university of cincinnati she was credited with tightening that universitys shaky finances but was perhaps best known for forcing out its popular basketball coach bob huggins whose program was plagued by problems
dr zimpher sunys first female chancellor confronted another basketball scandal not long after she arrived when she ordered an investigation into the ascendant program at binghamton university a suny campus over recruiting violations and players off court troubles the inquiry concluded that the schools president and the athletic director had provided lax oversight
dr zimpher too has faced criticism
in 2012 the state comptroller thomas p dinapoli a democrat questioned why money from a suny foundation had been used to pay for a private club membership for her as well as for alcoholic beverages at events hosted by her office at the time a statement from dr zimphers office defended those expenses as legitimate but said she had canceled her club membership in 2010
mr dinapoli also faulted suny in another audit for bad fiscal management of the suny downstate medical center in brooklyn
state assemblywoman deborah j glick a manhattan democrat who is chairwoman of the higher education committee said dr zimpher had not done enough to promote the individual strengths of some suny schools
but over all ms glick said dr zimpher deserved much credit for raising sunys reputation
people have a positive feeling about what the chancellor has wanted to do and has worked very hard to get ms glick said shes done her best to try to stabilize sunys financial footing


great plains energy the parent company of kansas city power and light company said on tuesday that it had agreed to acquire westar energy for 86 billion in cash and stock
the transaction would create an energy provider with more than 15 million customers in kansas and missouri
under the terms of the deal great plains energy would pay 60 a share in cash and stock for westar representing a 13 percent premium on westars closing price on friday
including the assumption of debt the transaction values westar at 122 billion
the combination of our two companies is the best fit for meeting our regions energy needs terry bassham the great plains energy chairman and chief executive said in a news release by combining our two companies we are keeping ownership local and management responsive to regulators customers and regional needs while enhancing our ability to build long term value for shareholders
the deal has been unanimously approved by the boards of both companies and is subject to approval by shareholders and regulators the transaction is expected to close in spring 2017
under the terms of the deal westar investors would receive 51 in cash and the equivalent of about 9 in great plains energy stock for each share of westar
westar would become a subsidiary of great plains energy if the deal is completed and mr bassham would be chairman and chief executive of the combined company
this is an important day for westar our customers employees shareholders the communities we support and for the state of kansas mark a ruelle the westar president and chief executive said
the companies already jointly own and operate the wolf creek generating station a nuclear power plant near burlington kan and the la cygne and jeffrey power plants in kansas
goldman sachs and the law firm bracewell advised great plains energy guggenheim securities and the law firm baker botts advised westar energy


san francisco   a start up that lets users bet free on real time sports has secured a new round of financing   and gained some high level backers
winview which lets users compete in games that run at the same time as sports games said on tuesday that it had raised 34 million the new investments bring winviews fund raising efforts to date to 65 million
the start up also said that it had named the two investors who led the round tom rogers and hank ratner as its co chairmen the two bring experience in the media industry to the company mr rogers is the chairman of tivo and the former head of nbcs cable division mr ratner is the vice chairman of cablevision and the former chief of the madison square garden company
what drew both men to the eight year old winview they said in an interview was the potential of the company to serve as a new platform for advertising tied to live sports drawing on the sort of second screen phenomenon that is part of twitters appeal
the basic idea of winview is relatively simple users challenge each other on various aspects of a live game using the companys smartphone app ranging from a father taking on his daughter during a quarter of an nfl game to a group of friends setting up a league tournament
it is a system that the two men said has already taken hold in europe where such synchronized competitions have overtaken daily fantasy sports in popularity
underpinning the company are what mr rogers and mr ratner said were 26 key patents that cover running an online competition at the same time as a game
yet the business of running games tied to live sports raises the specter of daily fantasy sports businesses like draftkings and fanduel which have faced sharp questioning over whether they constitute online gambling
mr rogers and mr ratner were quick to dismiss any comparisons noting that winview for now was free to play and would   at least initially   draw its revenue from advertising they conceded that in europe winviews counterpart operates largely as a pay to play system
and they added that the various competitions that could run on winview require far less of the sometimes arcane details and knowledge that populate daily fantasy sites
this is free to play mr ratner said this is a far broader audience than a fantasy sports audience this is for anyone who wants to play
as part of the announcement winview said that it would officially open for business in the united states this fall coinciding with the start of the professional football season
both men said that they viewed the service as a way to tap into audiences that have grown to shun commercials   something that mr rogers said he has long observed during his tenure at tivo
advertisers are having a hard time reaching millennials mr rogers said this has created what we think is a huge advertising opportunity


jerusalem   three palestinians convicted of murder were executed in the hamas controlled coastal territory of gaza on tuesday less than a week after hamas lawmakers called for the resumption of capital punishment
the three men had exhausted their appeals and the families of the victims refused a last minute request to spare the men who were executed at police headquarters in gaza city according to alresalah a pro hamas website and maan a palestinian news agency
the executions the first approved by a court in nearly two years were meant to deter those who may think of committing such crimes the gaza general prosecutors office said in a statement according to a translation published in maan no one at the office was immediately available for comment
two men were hanged one after being found guilty of beating another man to death with a hammer in august alresalah reported and the other on a murder conviction a third man was executed by a firing squad after he shot and killed a man in 2014 who was trying to collect a debt
no one should be put to death certainly not as a part of a legal system in which torture and coercion are common sari bashi the human rights watch director for israeli and palestinian issues said in a statement
hamas officials have carried out the death penalty at least 67 times since taking control of the territory in 2007 according to the gaza based palestinian center for human rights that figure does not include extrajudicial killings by hamas of people suspected of collaborating with israel during the three wars of the past decade
most palestinians approve of the death penalty for those convicted of spying for israel a crime that is viewed as deeply shameful in a society long under the shadow of a military occupation
the palestinian people want this and we are doing what they asked for said mushir al masri a hamas lawmaker
long established tribal laws among palestinians in gaza allow a family to accept compensation for the killing of a loved one to pardon the killer or to demand retribution
hamas leaders had halted the use of the death penalty for convicted collaborators and murderers in june 2014 but lawmakers argued that it should be revived to help address concerns about rising crime


new delhi   the mumbai police have asked facebook and youtube to remove a video mocking two beloved indian figures a cricket star and an 86 year old bollywood singer after receiving complaints from politicians
ashish shelar the leader of indias governing bharatiya janata party for mumbai and a rightist regional party filed complaints with the police on monday objecting to language in the video which was posted last week by a comedian tanmay bhat
theyre the icons of all india and you cannot insult them with such bad language sandeep deshpande a spokesman for the rightist party maharashtra navnirman sena said on monday in an interview with the television station india today he said the video was hurting sentiments all over india and could undermine law and order
mr shelar said the video was defamatory
sangramsinh nishandar a spokesman for the mumbai police said on tuesday that officers had taken no legal action over the video but were looking into the nitty gritty of how it could be removed he said the police had asked facebook and youtube to take it down
gaurav bhaskar a spokesman in india for google which owns youtube would not confirm whether the company had been contacted by the police but said that it complies with valid requests from law enforcement authorities a spokesman for facebook in india would also would not confirm if the company had been contacted by the police but said the video was still on the site
in the expletive laced video which was created on snapchat mr bhat uses that apps face swap feature to impersonate sachin tendulkar a hugely popular cricketer who retired in 2013 and lata mangeshkar a so called playback singer for bollywood films whose career dates to the 1940s playback singers record vocals for song and dance numbers to which actors and actresses lip sync
mr bhat depicts the two celebrities arguing with the cricketer telling the singer that she is 5000 years old and suggesting she should die have you seen your face it looks like someone has kept you in water for like eight days he has mr tendulkar say
the singer her middle finger slowly rising responds in a singsong tone vinod is better than you an apparent reference to the retired cricketer vinod kambli
in a post sharing the video on facebook mr bhat wrote also i obviously love lata and sachin just having some fun
but mr shelar of the bharatiya janata party said by telephone on tuesday that the video was a public insult   it is defamation against lata mangeshkar and sachin tendulkar who are public icons
mr bhat is a member of all india bakchod a comedy troupe whose videos are often widely circulated on social media in india and which has courted controversy before complaints were filed last year against 14 people over use of obscene and vulgar language at an event in mumbai organized by the group that was attended by several prominent bollywood actors
many people in india reacted on social media to mr bhats video saying it was offensive and some adding that he should be arrested but others came to his defense including sanjay jha a spokesman for the congress party who used the opportunity to take a dig at prime minister narendra modi of the bharatiya janata party
we endure modis one sided bad jokes repeatedly with great grace in india mr jha wrote lets apply the same yardstick he added referring to mr bhats case
rajdeep sardesai a political journalist wrote on twitter that the calls for mr bhats arrest were crazy adding except incitement to violence and slanderdefamation free speech must prevail


london   the polish government said on tuesday that it would revive an effort to extradite the filmmaker roman polanski whom the american authorities have wanted for decades he pleaded guilty in 1977 to having sex with a 13 year old girl but fled to europe the next year on the eve of his sentencing
the announcement is the latest twist in a long running legal battle that at least in poland seemed to have ended
on oct 30 a judge in krakow poland ruled that turning over mr polanski would be an obviously unlawful deprivation of liberty and that the state of california was unlikely to provide humane conditions of confinement for the filmmaker who is 82 the next month the krakow prosecutors office said it would abide by the judges ruling
but in a statement on tuesday justice minister zbigniew ziobro who is also polands chief prosecutor said he had decided to appeal the decision to the supreme court calling the trial judges decision a serious breach of the extradition agreement between the united states and poland
mr ziobro did not cite the judge dariusz mazur by name but he said the judge had assessed the gathered evidence in a biased and selective way mr ziobro added that the time limit for prosecuting mr polanski in the united states had not passed
the justice minister also said he disagreed with the judges decision that mr polanski had effectively already been punished mr polanski spent 42 days in jail before fleeing the united states in 1978 and he was held in switzerland from 2009 to 2010 before the swiss government declined to extradite him
the detention in switzerland was a consequence of his escape abroad from american justice and avoiding criminal liability not a punishment for a crime of which he is accused the minister said
mr ziobro said he also found incomprehensible the krakow judges findings that mr polanski would face inhumane or degrading treatment if extradited to the united states
in an interview with polish state radio mr ziobro suggested that mr polanski had escaped justice because of his fame if he was just a regular guy a teacher doctor plumber decorator then im sure hed have been deported from any country to the us a long time ago reuters quoted him as saying
the immediate implications for the filmmaker an oscar winning director famous for films including chinatown and rosemarys baby were not clear mr polanski a holocaust survivor is a dual citizen of his native france his primary country of residence and of poland where he grew up
mr polanski who has a home in krakow has been working on a film in poland about alfred dreyfus a french army captain who was wrongly convicted of spying for germany in 1894 last week mr polanski appeared at a news conference in katowice poland with the french composer alexandre desplat who has written the scores for several of mr polanskis films
jan olszewski a lawyer for mr polanski told the polish television network tvn24 that the announcement was not a surprise we had been expecting the minister to do it he said
we are not pondering here the question of whether polanski is guilty or not   the judge was very clear in this regard he added we are discussing whether roman polanski can be extradited these are two different things
several institutional and political changes have occurred in poland since the krakow courts ruling in november a government led by the right wing law and justice party which swept parliamentary elections took office
the party has moved poland to the right and taken steps to curb judicial and news media independence alarming european union leaders who say the shift might violate the democratic norms of the 28 nation bloc
the party is known for its law and order approach and for its appeal to roman catholic and nationalist voters
mr ziobro who became justice minister in november has consolidated power and regional prosecutors like the one in krakow now report to him
in his statement mr ziobro suggested that his decision was not politically motivated he noted that his predecessor as chief prosecutor andrzej seremet requested a review of the krakow courts ruling in december with an eye toward a possible appeal
mr polanski was arrested in 1977 on charges that included the rape of a teenage girl at the home of the actor jack nicholson that august he pleaded guilty to unlawful sex with a minor under a deal that allowed him to avoid conviction on other harsher charges including sodomy and rape
he fled the united states the next year after learning that the trial judge in california laurence j rittenband had decided to revise a plan to limit his sentence to a 90 day psychiatric evaluation a portion of which mr polanski had already served in a state prison the judge who died in 1993 once vowed to remain on the bench until mr polanski returned
in 2009 a california appeals court panel suggested that mr polanski could be sentenced in absentia to time served opening the way to a possible resolution of the standoff but the plan was rejected by the los angeles county superior court
after the unsuccessful effort to have mr polanski extradited from switzerland where he was arrested while at a film festival in zurich the united states department of justice asked poland in december 2014 for help in extraditing mr polanski
mr ziobro in his statement on tuesday took pains to recite the serious crimes for which mr polanski was convicted including sex with the 13 year old who was under the influence of alcohol and methaqualone a sedative
in a 2013 memoir the victim samantha geimer said she had forgiven mr polanski and moved on with her life
during the court proceedings in krakow two of mr polanskis defense lawyers mr olszewski and jerzy stachowicz repeatedly cited the 2008 documentary roman polanski wanted and desired which suggested prosecutorial overreach and judicial misconduct by american officials
they argued that extraditing mr polanski would violate the european convention on human rights and his right to a fair trial


london   darty a french electronics and appliance retailer said on tuesday that its board of directors had unanimously recommended that shareholders accept a takeover offer from groupe fnac
the recommendation came after a bidding war this year between fnac a retailer based near paris and conforama the french household goods unit of steinhoff international holdings a south african company
in april conforama said it would not raise its offer for darty after fnac made a final bid for the london listed retailer fnac offered to pay 914 million pounds or about 13 billion in cash for darty or 170 pence a share
dartys board had previously recommended that shareholders accept an earlier offer from conforama but it withdrew the recommendation in favor of fnacs higher bid
the darty directors consider that the final offer is in the best interests of darty shareholders as a whole the company said in a news release on tuesday
fnac offered to pay PS558 million for darty in november and steinhoff made a higher offer in march
at the time of its offer steinhoff abandoned its pursuit of the home retail group as it faced a separate and potentially lengthy battle with the british grocery chain j sainsbury
the bidding for darty heated up when a series of escalating offers by conforama and fnac on april 21 sent shares of darty up 23 percent in trading in london
conforamas highest offer was 160 pence a share or about PS860 million in cash
shares of darty were down slightly to 16790 pence tuesday morning
darty operates about 400 stores in belgium france and the netherlands it reported revenue of more than 35 billion euros or about 39 billion in its 2014 15 financial year


he called a news conference ostensibly to answer questions about his fund raising for charities that benefit military veterans but donald j trump instead spent most of his time on live television tuesday berating the journalists covering his presidential campaign in unusually vitriolic and personal terms
youre a sleaze he told a reporter for abc
youre a real beauty he told a reporter for cnn snidely denigrating the mans competence
for 40 minutes mr trump the presumptive republican presidential nominee assailed those reporting on his candidacy with a level of venom rarely seen at all let alone in public from the standard bearer of a major political party then he warned that a trump white house would feature more of the same
historians reached back to the nixon administration with its reporter stocked enemies list for a fair comparison other scholars and political analysts suggested that mr trump failed to appreciate the role journalists play in scrutinizing candidates as surrogates for the public or drew connections to his denunciations of other adversaries and critics   like a federal judge in a case where mr trump is being sued or the republican governor of new mexico whom mr trump denigrated while campaigning in her state last week
mr trumps broadside was especially provocative given that concerns have been raised throughout the campaign about whether the news media collectively have failed to subject his candidacy to enough scrutiny and skepticism
the particular knot in which mr trump entangled himself on tuesday had come to light through simple fact checking
in january fuming at fox news he skipped the final republican debate before the iowa caucuses because that network was hosting it he held his own competing event a televised fund raiser that he said would benefit military veterans and announced from the stage that he had raised more than 6 million including 1 million he was donating himself
but the full amount did not materialize quickly and the washington post reported a week ago that mr trump had yet to make his own donation
in his news conference mr trump produced and read aloud a list of charitable groups and the exact amounts he said each had received interrupting himself frequently to condemn individual journalists the news media in general or political reporters as an exceptionally odious class
unbelievably dishonest he called them
to show that he had finally made his own million dollar donation mr trump produced a photocopy of a check his litany of recipients glossed over an admission that his january boast had indeed been an exaggeration all told he said 56 million has been provided to or earmarked for charities so far
the press should be ashamed of themselves mr trump said veterans are calling me and they are furious he said adding you make me look very bad
kathleen hall jamieson an expert on the presidency and director of the annenberg public policy center at the university of pennsylvania said mr trump appeared to be making assumptions about journalism that were so faulty as to be bizarre
the notion that the press would be writing stories praising him for keeping a promise he made in public to veterans months after he made the promise suggests he simply does not understand the function of the press she said
and the president of the national press club thomas burr issued a blistering statement suggesting that mr trump misunderstands   or more likely simply opposes   the role a free press plays in a democratic society
any american political candidate who attacks the press for doing its job is campaigning in the wrong country mr burr said
mr trump has routinely treated journalists as foils and those covering his campaign appearances as unwitting unspeaking extras good for a joke or two
on tuesday however reporters played a sharply different role repeatedly pressing him for answers
why had he waited so long to make his own donation several times mr trump said that it had taken time to scrutinize charities to make sure they were legitimate though the recipient of his 1 million check was a group well known to him its vice chairman is the managing director of the trump soho hotel and the group gave mr trump an award last year
strangely mr trump also suggested that the delays somehow owed to a desire to keep a low profile
i didnt want the credit for it he said adding moments later im not looking for credit
yet mr trump had announced his fund raising for veterans on national television in january and had trumpeted it several times since a reporter countered wasnt that taking credit
i dont think so mr trump replied tersely quickly taking another question
in the past mr trump has used evasive maneuvers to sidestep difficult questions and made less than truthful statements that often went unchallenged at the time
but even after a query about the shooting of a gorilla at an ohio zoo over the weekend reporters brought mr trump back to the matter at hand
if he had intended to deliver a cogent attack on his likely democratic opponent hillary clinton or to promote his plans for how to improve veterans assistance as president his performance squashed it
the pro clinton group correct the record responded by saying the performance raised new questions about mr trumps temperament
under pressure for lying about his monetary support for our veterans trump threw a tantrum   hurling insults at reporters instead of owning up to his broken promise to veterans the group said in a statement
trumps failure to face even the tiniest amount of media scrutiny about his supposed support for americas veterans exposes just how unqualified he is to be our countrys commander in chief
but mr trump in the moment at least seemed unconcerned
a reporter asked if mr trumps demeanor was an indication of what white house news conferences would be like if he were elected
yes it is he said it is going to be like this


new delhi   a large fire erupted in a military ammunition depot in central india early on tuesday threatening adjacent villages and killing more than a dozen people
the fire on the outskirts of pulgaon a town about 370 miles northeast of mumbai in the state of maharashtra started in a shed filled with ammunition lt gen ranbir singh the director general of military operations in the indian army said in a televised statement from new delhi on tuesday afternoon the army has ordered an inquiry
the fire which began around 1 am had been completely doused he said at least 16 people died including two officers one enlisted soldier and 13 civilian firefighters he said and 17 were injured
dr purushottam madavi civil surgeon of the wardha district in the northeast of the state said that many victims were being treated in local hospitals for severe burns abrasions and head injuries
some had perforated eardrums because of powerful explosions said dr luv luthra a doctor treating victims in the surgery ward of the jawaharlal nehru medical college in wardha
villagers were instructed to flee their homes in the early morning hours said shailesh nawal the district magistrate
india has a history of deadly depot fires which have been attributed to carelessness and lax safety standards
a fire tore through a military facility in the indian controlled part of kashmir in 2007 setting off a chain of explosions and causing artillery shells to fall into neighboring villages seventeen people died and scores were injured
another fire in kolkata in 2010 destroyed tons of ammunition but did not result in any deaths


tehran   a leading conservative was re elected speaker of irans parliament on tuesday denying reformists a post they thought they had earned with a big win in february elections
in a mild surprise an overwhelming majority of irans lawmakers chose a conservative candidate ali larijani who has held the position since 2008 mr larijani 57 scion of a powerful iranian family is not considered a die hard conservative as he managed the parliaments approval last summer of the nuclear agreement with western powers
moreover mr larijani has supported in recent years the government of president hassan rouhani a moderate who was elected on promises of reaching a nuclear deal and loosening irans severe restrictions on personal freedoms
of 276 lawmakers present in the 290 seat house mr larijani won 237 votes iranian state television reported
mr larijanis election was something of a formality his main reformist opponent mohammad reza aref   who served as first vice president from 2001 to 2005 under mohammad khatami then the liberal reformist president   withdrew from the race on monday
the moderate wing did score a few victories however ali motahhari a moderate conservative and a vocal critic of irans leadership who has called for the release of political prisoners was elected deputy head of parliament irna the state news agency reported a reformist massoud pezeshkian was also elected deputy head of the body
since the signing of the nuclear deal leading figures in irans dominant hard line faction including the supreme leader ayatollah ali khamenei have taken pains to highlight how little they see the agreement as the watershed moment in irans history that mr rouhani had promised it would be last week a hard line conservative was elected chairman of the council that will choose the next supreme leader of the country
the assembly of experts picked the new chairman the 89 year old cleric ayatollah ahmad jannati even though he had barely scraped together enough votes in february to claim a seat representing a tehran constituency in parliament


michael dobie moved to liming in september 2010 with two friends who discovered the chinese village in a travel brochure crisscrossed by dirt roads the rustic setting in the mountains of yunnan province offered few amenities
it was pretty wild dobie said people were walking miles into town for supplies it was kind of just one street that type of traditional village
but the group came with a purpose   to establish traditional or trad climbing in china   and for this liming offered two advantages first its endowment of soaring sandstone cliffs was rich with cracks and crevices ideal for the sport second the local government embraced their vision and granted permits to explore the surrounding crags in the early months of 2011 dobie set out cleaning routes removing undergrowth and knocking away loose rock by the summer hed finished more than 40
traditional climbing differs from other varieties like sport climbing in the method climbers use to protect themselves against falls while sport climbers tie into a line of permanently fixed bolts traditional climbers carry along a set of removable anchoring devices that they jam into cracks in the rock face the skill involved in making placements that will hold a persons weight and break a big fall adds difficulty and the extra equipment costs are significant
in part because of these differences sport climbing became popular in china as early as the 1980s while traditional remained all but unknown by 2010 other southern cities like yangshuo and kunming had cultivated homegrown sport climbing communities with hundreds of routes developed by multiple generations of enthusiasts
i consider yangshuo the yosemite of china because its where rock climbing started here and its the largest place in china said andrew hedesh a yangshuo based climber and author of a forthcoming guidebook on the area but the dearth of traditional climbing frustrated dobie
at the beginning i saw it as a service project he said all the people developing over the last 20 years in china have all been foreigners doing sport climbing so the chinese that was all they knew
less than a year after its inception however dobies project took on an unlikely life of its own word of his efforts in liming spread abroad and professional climbers including matt segal began to notice segal visited liming in 2011 to explore and develop new more challenging routes documenting his trip for a wider international network of climbers with sleek videos and colorful articles
the next year liming held its first trad festival backed by major sponsors segal returned to participate
it was crazy to go back to this area where i felt like i was developing routes for myself to see dozens and dozens of chinese climbing these 59s that i was like nobodys ever going to be climbing these said segal referring to the yosemite decimal system which ranks climbs on a scale from 50 to 515
liming is turning into a world class climbing destination
for most of chinas modern history a tumultuous political climate and strict regulations left the country closed off but as restrictions were eased in the late 20th century its vast interior and potentially exceptional terrain have captivated the interest of climbers and outdoor enthusiasts worldwide mark synnott a professional mountaineer who was one of the first foreigners to climb in a newly opened tibet in 2002 is among them
one thing that stuck with me since that trip is how much of china back then and still today is unexplored he said china may be the place that holds the biggest treasure trove of unexplored mountain territory in the world
segal who has retuned to china several times to scout other areas outside liming agreed you can just kind of like point your finger at a map of china and find good rock and some of its getting developed really fast he said
given the scale of chinas unexplored inland limings evolution under dobie might suggest a coming boom in new climbing areas but the same ruggedness that makes chinas outback so enticing also creates obstacles to new development
yangshuo is in guangxi province and within guangxi there are already about 12 different climbing spots hedesh said its just that nobody goes to them because theyre in the middle of nowhere
for this reason some more established climbers doubt that the sport is moving away from its traditional centers at least for now
i think yangshuo is going to continue to be the epicenter of climbing in china said adam kritzer the owner of climb dali a climbing club in central yunnan there are probably a few dozen potential limings in china but they arent going to get developed any time soon
yet while the familiar sport climbing hubs still dominate chinas climbing scene today others see a transition ahead driven by a growing chinese middle class that can afford to travel rock climbing has become increasingly popular
climbing has been in parts of the chinese community for the past 15 years and its really been in gyms and yangshuo but now people want the adventure part of it said colin flahive a founder of dali bar a natural food company in kunming that sponsors china based climbers with climbing theres the exercise and theres the drive to reach new levels so going to the gym is almost as exciting as going to the crag but when you move past that the excitement of going to new places and exploring new spots is the second phase of climbing and i think thats where everything is moving at this point
this expansion into new areas has been helped along by a number of entrepreneurs who have seized on the sports growth as a business opportunity there are these chinese outdoor companies that want to become larger names and so what they do is they hire people to go develop routes hedesh said they get an entire team of famous rock climbers travel around for a month and put up 50 routes in an area
while this business driven model feels unnatural to some western climbers others see it as the realistic next step i think a lot of it has to do with the culture of china and the way that a lot of chinese people think maybe more in terms of business rather than the joy of climbing kritzer said but its basically worked really well for the development of climbing its made it a little more commercialized but its enabled people to develop areas that wouldnt otherwise be developed
the relatively free license to develop far flung rural areas for rock climbing is another aspect of china that many find exceptional where other countries have rigid national laws governing public land chinas land administration system gives a great deal of authority to leaders at the local level so particularly in the mountains where agricultural and commercial interest is minimal climbers are generally welcomed
the freedom we have here is really nice said peter mortimer a researcher at the world agroforestry centre and a kunming based climber ive bolted and climbed a bit in laos vietnam and thailand and there theres always issues   theres a lot of red tape but here im just kind of free of all of that which appeals to me
he added the easy access and the low level of restriction in terms of development just means its going to take off
with growing numbers of well off chinese able to travel in search of newer and better terrain some believe this coalescence of natural advantages will make chinas hinterland more appealing to the next generation of climbers
krabi in thailand which used to be all europeans and americans its now almost all chinese climbers going down there flahive said in that search for adventure theres going internationally but then theres also developing the local stuff in yangshuo the rock is getting polished people are craving something new
mortimer who continues to develop outside kunming said i noticed that in some of these areas id been developing people id never even seen before had somehow heard of it and were appearing at the crags ten minutes from one of our favorite crags here we just followed a new farm road and came across a new cliff thatll yield another 60 climbs its just been sitting there like 10 minutes away who knows what else is in the hills
now back in the united states dobie is quick to admit that despite his work in liming traditional is still very much a niche part of chinas climbing scene it rings true for the rest of the world   most people are really into sport climbing he said i dont think liming will ever be as popular with the chinese as sport climbing
but even among this small community he has already witnessed a growing appetite for new undertakings some of the chinese climbers whove been to liming have started developing another area called beiliu in guangxi so thats an example of them finding something of their own in their own country that id never seen and then starting to develop he said
people in yangshuo once said the chinese would never get into sport climbing and now you go there and there are like 40 people sharing a crag dobie said i think theres this sense of disbelief about something new i think its human


london   jazz pharmaceuticals said on tuesday that it had agreed to buy celator pharmaceuticals which makes a treatment for a form of leukemia for 15 billion in cash
the deal would continue rapid consolidation in the pharmaceutical sector where mergers allow companies to increase scale or to gain access to treatments for rare diseases without having to fund the research and development of the therapies
the transaction would further bolster jazzs portfolio jazz agreed to acquire gentium an italian biopharmaceutical company that develops treatments for rare diseases in a deal valued at about 1 billion in 2013
under the terms of the new agreement jazz which is based in dublin would pay 3025 a share for celator the ewing nj maker of vyxeos a treatment for a form of leukemia that would be a 73 percent premium on celators closing price on friday of 1753 a share
celator pharmaceuticals is a strong strategic fit with jazz pharmaceuticals bruce cozadd the jazz chairman and chief executive said in a news release vyxeos will further diversify our product portfolio and is complementary to our clinical and commercial expertise in hematologyoncology
vyxeos has been granted so called orphan drug status by regulators in europe and the united states for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia orphan drugs which target rare diseases that would otherwise not be profitable to treat are eligible for fast track approval tax breaks and several years of market monopoly
the transaction is subject to investors agreeing to sell a majority of celators outstanding shares to jazz as well as to regulatory approval the deal is expected to close in the third quarter of this year
investors holding about 184 percent of celators shares including its executive officers and directors have agreed to sell their shares
jazz reincorporated in ireland in 2012 after a tax inversion deal with azur pharma
tax inversions have been popular with drug makers and other american companies looking to lower their corporate tax rates and to gain better access to cash held by overseas subsidiaries but the deals have faced resistance from the united states government
in april the treasury department in conjunction with the internal revenue service announced a series of new rules intended to curtail the practice the changes have scuttled several planned inversions including pfizers 152 billion merger with allergan
the planned combination of jazz and celator is highly complementary scott jackson the celator chief executive said after thoroughly evaluating our strategic options our board of directors has unanimously determined that this all cash transaction is in the best interest of our stockholders
jazz was advised by rbc capital markets and the law firm cooley while mts health partners and the law firm kirkland  ellis advised celator


berlin   volkswagen is still managing to make money despite an emissions scandal it is just not making money selling volkswagens
the brand problem a persistent issue for years has only gotten worse since the company admitted last year that it had deceived regulators about how much its diesel cars were polluting and volkswagen is dealing with a significant drag as the company on tuesday reported a 19 percent drop in profit
the brand breakdown is stark underscoring how difficult it will be for volkswagen to improve its image and buff up its broader financial picture
the carmaker barely broke even during the quarter on cars wearing the familiar volkswagen badge a vw inside a circle nearly two thirds of its profit came from the audi and porsche divisions which sell far fewer cars and have not been as closely associated with the scandal
volkswagens latest report also hinted at the lurking challenges that it was likely to face in months and years to come sales in russia and brazil are plunging profit margins are shrinking in china sales are nearly flat in volkswagens european stronghold
still it could have been worse all in all the earnings report on tuesday showed that while the scandal has hurt volkswagen it has not destroyed the company
volkswagens quarterly profit of 24 billion euros or 27 billion was better than analysts had forecast it was also an improvement from the loss in the last three months of 2015
they are far from making the massive losses we would expect if the damage was that big said christian stadler a professor at warwick business school in coventry england who follows the company
volkswagens portfolio mix isnt exactly ideal in the current crisis environment
the company makes most of its money from a relatively small number of luxury cars like porsche audi bentley and lamborghini golfs passats and other volkswagen brand cars account for the largest share of sales by far
but volkswagen makes almost no money on those brands in the latest quarter they earned an operating profit of only 73 million euros down from 514 million euros in the first three months of 2015
the low profitability of the volkswagen brand is likely to add to pressure on the company to cut production in germany where costs are highest but any cuts in germany are extremely difficult because of volkswagens exceptionally powerful workers council which has special rights to veto plant closures
the figures tuesday also confirmed that the emissions scandal was having the biggest effect on the companys reputation and sales in the united states car deliveries in the united states including the audi and porsche brands fell 6 percent in the quarter
adding to the problem the carmaker has been forced to give buyers rebates and other incentives to prop up sales of the volkswagen brand just to that lackluster level they had to do that less with other brands mr stadler said
while the united states accounts for a relatively small share of total volkswagen sales it accounts for the biggest share of the companys legal troubles volkswagen is in the middle of intense talks with the united states government and with lawyers for customers about the size of fines and legal settlements related to the scandal
in april volkswagen set aside 162 billion euros to cover legal costs and some analysts expect that figure to rise most of the money relates to proceedings in the united states laws in european countries do not provide as much scope for governments or customers to seek redress
in europe where volkswagen is the largest automaker but has been losing market share the number of cars delivered rose 15 percent during the quarter the one bright spot on the map for volkswagen was china the companys largest single market where deliveries rose 6 percent during the quarter to 954000 vehicles
but even in china there were signs of trouble in a footnote the company said that operating profit there fell 27 percent to 12 billion euros mr stadler said the likely reason was that volkswagen was slow to introduce a low priced sport utility vehicle for the chinese market a popular vehicle category there
volkswagen signaled a tough year ahead because of the emissions scandal and other risks like volatile commodity prices cost cuts and gains in china will only partly compensate sales revenue could fall by as much as 5 percent compared with 2015 the company said
in light of the wide range of challenges we are currently facing matthias muller the volkswagen chief executive said in a statement we are satisfied over all with the start we have made to what will undoubtedly be a demanding fiscal year 2016


why doesnt the government just give everybody money
figure out a reasonable amount   the official poverty line amounts to about 25000 for a family of four a full time job at 15 an hour would provide about 30000 a year   and hand every adult a monthly check the minimum wage worker stretching to make it to payday the single mother balancing child care and a job   everybody would get the same thing
poverty would be over at a stroke
being universal   that is for the homeless and the masters of the universe alike   the program would be free of the cumbersome assessments required to determine eligibility it would also escape the stigma typically attached to programs for the poor
and it would be politically secure programs for the poor are often maligned as poor programs indeed defunding antipoverty programs rarely carries political consequences because the poor rarely vote its another story entirely when everybody benefits
the idea of universal basic income sounds extravagant right well the finns and even the swiss are thinking about it on sunday swiss citizens will vote in a referendum on whether to hand out 30000 francs a year   just over 30000   to every citizen regardless of wealth work status or whatever
in the united states the idea has the support of thinkers on the left like andrew stern former president of the service employees international union some thinkers on the right too have managed to overcome their general distaste for government welfare to support the idea this month charles murray of the american enterprise institute will publish an updated version of his plan to replace welfare as we know it with a dollop of 10000 in after tax income for every american above the age of 21
readers of my conversation with a fellow times columnist farhad manjoo a few weeks ago know that i think the idea is lets say poorly thought out given its resilience however it is worth taking apart more methodically
its first hurdle is arithmetic as robert greenstein of the left leaning center on budget and policy priorities put it a check of 10000 to each of 300 million americans would cost more than 3 trillion a year
where would that money come from it amounts to nearly all the tax revenue collected by the federal government nothing in the history of this country suggests americans are ready to add that kind of burden to their current taxes cut it by half to 5000 that wouldnt even clear the poverty line and it would still cost as much as the entire federal budget except for social security medicare defense and interest payments
thinkers on the right solve the how to pay for it problem simply by defunding everything else the government provides programs as varied as food stamps and social security that mr greenstein observes would actually increase poverty it would redistribute wealth upward taking money targeted to the poor and sharing it with everybody including you and me
as lawrence h summers the former treasury secretary and onetime top economic adviser to president obama told me paying a 5000 universal basic income to the 250 million nonpoor americans would cost about 125 trillion a year it would be hard to finance that in a way that wouldnt burden the programs that help the poor he said
the popularity of the universal basic income stems from a fanciful diagnosis born in silicon valley of the challenges faced by the working class across industrialized nations one that sees declining employment rates and stagnant wages and concludes that robots are about to take over all the jobs in the world
that might lie in our future   i will devote my next column to discussion of such a universe but its certainly not our present men at their prime working ages 25 to 54 have been falling out of the labor force since the 1960s still today more than eight out of every 10 americans in their prime are working
work as lawrence katz of harvard once pointed out is not just what people do for a living it is a source of status it organizes peoples lives it offers an opportunity for progress none of this can be replaced by a check
a universal basic income has many undesirable features starting with its non negligible disincentive to work almost a quarter of american households make less than 25000 it would be hardly surprising if a 10000 check each for mom and dad sapped their desire to work
a universal income divorces assistance from need aid is fixed regardless of whatever else is going on if our experience with block grants serves as precedent it is most likely to become less generous over time
to libertarians this will sound more like a feature than a flaw but replacing everything in the safety net with a check would limit the scope of government assistance in damaging ways say we know the choice of neighborhood makes a difference to the development of poor children housing vouchers might lead them to move into a better one a monthly check would probably not
and those who think a universal benefit would be more politically resilient than a means tested one might stop to ponder the unceasing chatter about trimming social security
it is undoubtedly true that the american safety net needs fixing fifty million americans live in poverty sixteen million live on the equivalent of 860 a day providing more income security for the struggling working class would not only produce a more equitable society it would also increase spending and improve economic growth
in this world though where work remains an important social psychological and economic anchor there are better tools to help than giving every american a monthly check
how about subsidized employment the government could subsidize jobs as varied as school repairs and fixing potholes this would provide employment while doing things that improve productivity and improve peoples lives mr greenstein said
perhaps we could expand the earned income tax credit the countrys most successful antipoverty tool which increases the earnings of low income workers or take the idea pushed for years by edmund phelps from columbia university instead of providing a subsidy to workers that phases out as their income rises why not subsidize workers wages instead
as mr summers told a gathering last week at the brookings institution a universal basic income is one of those ideas that the longer you look at it the less enthusiastic you become


for a street guitarist who can sing and play a few beatles tunes one of the most lucrative public stages in new york city is a park bench just inside the west 72nd street entrance to central park in an area known as strawberry fields
since the area opened in 1985 a parade of musicians eager to coax tips from the unending flow of tourists has played songs of peace and love in tribute to john lennon who in 1980 was killed not far away outside the dakota apartment building where he lived
the beatles songsters play next to the imagine mosaic memorial and greet tourists with a repeating loop of classics such as in my life strawberry fields forever and especially imagine which mr lennon wrote to invoke world peace and the musicians play to evoke monetary appreciation for their efforts
but for the past few years peace itself was elusive among the musicians the idyllic mood had been marred by altercations vitriolic screaming and performers dueling to sing over one another the unruliness became worse after the death in 2013 of a man known as the mayor of strawberry fields who had helped maintain order signs designating the area a quiet zone proved futile and numerous visits by the police provided only short term solutions
recently however something surprising has happened in strawberry fields the musicians have found themselves in an unfamiliar state of near civility   no small feat in a city where busking and turf battles are often synonymous
in essence the musicians realized that their bad behavior was not only tarnishing their image but perhaps more important threatening their livelihood
right now its the most peaceful its ever been said dave muniz 53 one of the regulars who became something of a referee the police have not come in a long time
rule no 1 is that in there its rated g mr muniz said these guys were in there cursing at each other i told them you want to argue do it somewhere else you have children around if you have a problem settle it outside not in front of the tourists
the main harmonizing element has been a list by which the musicians have agreed to abide it is an hour by hour performance rotation each day from 10 am to 7 pm that mr muniz creates every morning and texts to five regular musicians
a vital consideration in making the lineup is keeping certain musicians apart to avoid confrontations
imagine that   grown men said mr muniz who despite a gruff edge and a low tolerance for people who do not tip was seen as fair and tough enough to be keeper of the list
some days ill get 10000 texts that someone took an extra hour and ill have to come here and solve it he said but for now its working
the cops were here every day mr muniz added they aint coming anymore
contentiousness has always been part of performing here said randy deluca 67 who remembers when the spot was ruled by gary dos santos who called himself the mayor of strawberry fields
for nearly two decades mr dos santos arranged flowers on the mosaic and used his overbearing presence to select who would be allowed to play
he annoyed people but he provided structure mr deluca said of mr dos santos who died in 2013 at age 49 from leukemia leaving the musicians to battle it out for themselves
after gary died it went into chaos mr deluca said
but the list has helped reduce the daily haggling over how long and often each musician gets to play said jimmy dalton baker 28 another regular who called live renditions of songs by mr lennon and the beatles an integral part of visiting strawberry fields
the tourists dont come here to see us arguing he said they come for the john lennon experience and were the soundtrack for that experience
this was apparent on a recent weekday when ryan hagen got on one knee and extended an engagement ring to his girlfriend leann harber crosno as one performer billy oganasanti 59 indulged the couples request to play imagine
i play to get everyone in a good mood said mr oganasanti who invites listeners to sing and offers them a tambourine
to tourists he is an engaging performer with a wide repertoire and witty banter but to his musician colleagues he is overly zealous in claiming open slots
he called the new organization system a good solution and defended his right to more playing time citing his devotion to the beatles and mr lennon both of whom he said he had seen perform live
theyre not real beatles fans   theyre just playing here for the money mr oganasanti said of the competing musicians this is not a place you should be playing just for money
like many of the current musicians mr dos santos adhered to the view that authority over strawberry fields came from mr lennons spirit channeled through his widow yoko ono who helped create the memorial she still lives in the dakota
most of the musicians have stories about ms ono visiting the park and they said tacitly blessing their right to play there by enjoying their songs jose feliciano the singer and guitar player who has given impromptu performances at strawberry fields said continuing the busking tradition there was the way john lennon would have wanted it if he were alive and that perhaps ms ono could help things run smoothly a representative for ms ono said she would not comment on what happens in strawberry fields
some buskers have bragged about banner days on which they have brought in well over 50 an hour but more often they can be heard grousing about the smattering of crumpled dollar bills in their guitar cases after performing one heartfelt beatles song after another
still the musicians said they supported themselves with the tips they earned there and several including mr muniz and mr baker said the money enabled them to escape homelessness
mr muniz a queens native said he left home as a teenager to live on the streets he learned to play the guitar from an instruction book
recently mr baker took mr munizs place at the bench and laid his guitar case at his feet and planted a dollar bill in it to give tourists a hint as a high school group from ottawa filed by he strummed the chords to imagine and began his usual polite patter
welcome to john lennons second home mr baker said its so nice to see so many beautiful faces out there you guys are keeping us alive
and the new code of conduct is keeping the musicians in line as another regular charlie clementz 50 said were policing ourselves now its definitely better


what did we learn from the great recession with economic growth creeping ahead at a glacial pace and another cyclical downturn looming not far in the future questions about how to stimulate growth and protect the most vulnerable loom large on the list of priorities
last week in washington i sat down with shaun donovan director of the white houses office of management and budget and lawrence h summers former treasury secretary and onetime economic adviser to president obama to discuss the issue our conversation was hosted by the hamilton project a research group within the brookings institution
edited selections from the conversation are below
eduardo porter good afternoon we are here to chat about how to mitigate the effect of the inevitable future recession what can we learn from our response to the last one at this moment interest rates are near zero and the federal reserve is arguably out of ammunition and were already seven years into the recovery maybe this prospect is not that far down the line
the question is not just about how to reignite growth after the next downturn another very important question is about how to protect the most vulnerable when the next recession hits the experience of the last one suggests our social safety net needs some redesigning too many disenfranchised people were left without assistance the programs that we have missed too many
shaun donovan let me start with a simple point which is that it did work and worked better than i think many people recognized the recovery act alone saved about four  to five and a half million people from falling into poverty as a result of the recession and there were 12 additional measures that were passed beyond the recovery act that took us to a total response that was about 14 trillion
one of the most profound mistakes i think was congress shifting toward austerity and producing a set of manufactured crises that hurt the economy if you look at the combination of sequestration and the government shutdown you are looking at likely over a million jobs lost as a result
at a time where the politics to do what we did in the aftermath of the great recession are arguably even harder the automatic stabilization that can be provided in the safety net is even more important
lawrence summers i think it is a mistake to be too satisfied with where we have been if we look at the period from 1929 to 1940 and what happened to gdp gross domestic product per adult american and we look at the period from 2008 to 2019 as best we can judge it it is equivalent
the odds are better than 50 50 that we will have a recession within the next few years what does the fed normally do when that happens the fed normally cuts real interest rates by five percentage points is it conceivable that there is going to be room to do that even maybe allowing for qe quantitative easing even recognizing that maybe rates could become negative 50 basis points i submit that its not
so changes in the fiscal monetary mix are essential they are the only tools available when the next recession comes and i would submit that they are desirable right now
what are the crucial elements of changing the fiscal monetary mix one is a substantial increase in public investment it is insane that federal investment in infrastructure is now net negative at a moment when interest rates have never been lower and precious little is happening at the state and local level either
second strong support for social insurance when keynes came to the united states in 1942 he pointed out that an important virtue of social security was that it could absorb the excess savings that would potentially hold back us economic growth after the second world war those considerations were not relevant in the succeeding 60 years but they potentially are relevant in our current period of secular stagnation note that an expansion of pay as you go social security does not raise the annual budget deficit but in every economic model contributes to raising aggregate demand by enabling households to look forward to more secure retirements
third there is a strong case for doing what we can to promote housing investment we are managing the cycle in the worst way possible from the point of view of housing we got all of the lower middle income and poor people into their own houses when the price was going up and was a bubble then when the price plummeted they all sold to private equity firms who rented the houses out at a 10 percent yield and earned tremendous capital gains this is exactly the wrong moment for support for housing to be at a minimum rather than a maximum
fourth related to my first point this is the moment to be maintaining the infrastructure we have the one thing we know   if you look at airports if you look at highways if you look at the water system of flint michigan   it is much more costly to defer maintenance than it is to do maintenance promptly it is every bit as much a burden on my childrens generation to defer maintenance as it is to issue paper debt and i promise you that the costs compound far more rapidly with deferred maintenance than they do with the 13 basis points that represent the real interest costs of current long term federal debt
the most important determinant of our long term fiscal picture is how successful we are at accelerating the economys growth rate in the next three to five years not the austerity measures that we implement people concerned with our long term fiscal health should be redoubling their focus on the currently inadequate growth rate
mr porter what about the politics how do we overcome gridlock
mr summers we need to move from a politics of eitheror to a politics of both i stress some of the problems that i think are most important but i think the argument that there are changes in the corporate tax code that would stimulate investments has some validity complaints about excessive regulation that holds back small and medium sized business have some validity there are a whole set of issues around stimulating private investment that warrant attention as well
i believe passionately in more infrastructure investment but the concerns that government doesnt do it so well are not stupid concerns there is a bridge right outside my office it connects harvard square with boston the bridge is 232 feet long it has been under repair with traffic blocked for four and one half years it took 11 months to build the bridge the first time
youre not going to get a commitment to a public sector led fiscal policy strategy without also having a strategy that is about private sector activity and private sector investment
mr porter perhaps we can talk about social insurance one criticism of our current system is that it is excessively tied to work to provide an incentive to work and to reward work so it malfunctioned when there was no work to be had an idea that has been making the rounds that has the support of even some people on the right is a universal basic income which is totally disassociated from work is there a case to be made for something like that
mr summers as a relevant response to current problems in the current context i think not the core problem with the universal income is that how do you finance it if you give 5000 to everybody thats 15 trillion now the right wing view of that is that youre going to get that money by cutting all the existing needs tested programs which means that some of the poorest people around are only going to be getting 1500 so that you and i can get our share of the universal income i dont think thats a very good idea
the basic truth is that giving people benefits does influence their behavior there are a large number of people in our society   little children people who are 75 years old people who are disabled   who arent going to work no matter what then there is what you can prudently afford to give to people where there are going to be large incentive effects so there are a variety of incremental reforms that would broaden eligibility for various existing programs that i would support but the universal basic income is one of those ideas that the longer you look at it the less enthusiastic you become
mr donovan i think its important that we are able to re look at these programs and understand both the short term costs that there may be and how to design around those and also the enormously powerful difference in long run effects
literally over decades you are seeing improvements of a third to a half in lifetime earnings from things like housing vouchers or others if you think of the costs of someone not working if you think of all the attendant health care criminal justice and other impacts the truth is that these investments may actually pay for themselves multiple times over


last week we published an article about asian american actors fighting for diversity in hollywood hundreds of readers from the united states and around the world responded by submitting comments here are some of the most thoughtful   and provocative they have been edited and condensed
readers discussed how the lack of asian americans in hollywood has affected their lives and careers
joanna from new york recalled taking her two mixed race children to see the film adaptation of the martian after reading the book i was excited to take my kids to see the movie unfortunately i was more than a little disappointed that an obviously korean mindy park in the book was looking as white and blond as she did
carol from victoria british columbia a fourth generation north american of japanese descent recalled growing up in the 1950s without images of asians in the media other than some white guy with something painful shoved up his eyes playing in old charlie chan films she continued now i am in my 60s and am disappointed to see how little has basically changed over the years asians are still fairly invisible
tammy from new jersey an asian american actress said she sometimes felt excluded from roles because she was not bilingual in many roles that exist for asian actors you are primarily there to play asian by speaking a foreign language or you must have an accent she added my favorite auditions are roles that dont specify the characters race and when i book the job i know its because i simply brought something to the role that was needed
stephanie seto from toronto spoke of difficulties pursuing acting and performing as a child i had talent but i never felt confident enough to try out for lead roles because they were always typecast if you think being an american chinese person in the entertainment world is difficult multiply that by 100 as a canadian
readers also debated the issue of whitewashing   that is when white actors are tapped to play asian roles
voila from new york who identifies as asian american said seriously can we stop with the whining already we are mostly raised to focus on academics and so even the kids who are born gifted in the arts or sports grow up believing those are hobbies and not professions so obviously we go underrepresented you want to complain to someone   take it up with your parents and grandparents
subash thapa from albany australia wrote as an asian myself i think its pretty stupid labeling hollywood as racist because we dont see enough minorities in lead roles hollywood can be accused of pushing the stereotypes but it has been doing so against all cultures and countries
alan from los angeles said if you can get scarlett johansson to star in your movie youll change your character from asian rather than cast a far lesser known actress this is a business not a social experiment
other readers argued that race shouldnt be a topic that divides americans
brad from texas wrote why cant we all just be americans and have some solidarity in that one of the reasons for so much discord and anger in this country is because of race if people would stop insisting they are asian american or african american and just be american it would go a long way toward getting rid of these issues
others were happy with the strides that asian american actors have made   even if they thought they could go even further
jo sheena from new york citywrote i find it strange that aziz ansari complains about the visibility of asian actors when his character on master of none exclusively datedlusted after white women why didnt he use his own show to highlight some beautiful asian actresses in hollywood
diana from germanywrote sandra oh was cast in the hit tv series greys anatomy as a doctor not as an asian character now thats real progress when north americans who happen to look asian are not confined to ethnic roles or the villain in action films but play real people


when julia reed the author of several southern cooking and entertaining books was growing up in the mississippi delta there wasnt much to do or many places to go entertaining at home was a necessity and as much a part of ms reeds childhood as oak trees dripping with spanish moss and ice cold sweet tea
later as a young journalist in washington she tried her hand at what she calls more pretentious menus but found herself returning to her southern culinary roots and her mothers timeless advice why dont you just serve something that tastes good
ms reeds latest book julia reeds south spirited entertaining and high style fun all year long rizzoli may 2016 celebrates that very ethos many of the recipes could easily be found in a tattered spiralbound community cookbook bourbon balls mock cheese souffle others in a current issue of a glossy food magazine asparagus with brown butter vinaigrette deconstructed street corn
their similarity ms reed posits is that they all taste good and that they are not difficult to make entertaining after all should be fun for the host as well as the guests
it is not a cookbook for ingredient purists   recipes call for packaged items like pepperidge farm very thin white bread and uncle bens original converted rice   and she extols the virtues of serving popeyes fried chicken at dinner parties with champagne but in the age of diy everything hers is a refreshing if not entirely artisanal approach
theres a down home luxuriousness about her recipes that southern cooks have arguably perfected take the mock cheese souffle a glorious cheesy puff of a dish made from packaged white bread shredded cheddar and beaten eggs its not exactly a traditional souffle its more like a bread pudding but whatever it is you want more and why havent you been making this for christmas brunch
then there are her chess pie squares these heavenly little bars are a picnic ready version of the traditional southern custard pie they are like lemon bars without the lip puckering citrus a blanket of egg rich custard generously laced with vanilla atop a crumbly shortbread crust
like much of the rest of ms reeds book they are unapologetic in their simplicity and southern ness equally at home on a picnic blanket or a monogrammed silver platter
recipe chess pie squares


a box of store bought ravioli is easy enough to pick up a for a quick dinner and its no crime the contents are unlikely to be delicate or ethereal though youll be fed but you wont be transported
for that kind of experience unless theres a benevolent nonna in your kitchen you must make your own egg rich pasta dough stretch it thin and fashion it into carefully crimped parcels the process is fiddly but the result is worth the effort homemade pasta if you make it regularly not just once in a blue moon is not hard to master just do it
an inexpensive hand cranked pasta machine is the tool of choice easier for most novices to maneuver than a rolling pin but dont force the dough to thinness allow the metal rollers to gradually stretch it going from the widest opening to the narrowest letting the rolled sheets relax a moment before proceeding to the next notch this guarantees the dough will be supple
i say ravioli but these really arent since they are stuffed half moon shapes rather than square ones they are called mezzelune the singular is mezzaluna but whats in a name except for the shape theyre nearly the same cousins that bear a strong family resemblance
typically mezzelune contain seasoned ricotta and may be tossed in a butter sauce with a few sage leaves i have used sweet new crop peas slivers of shiitake mushrooms lacking wild morels or porcini another option in a perfect world and a shower of slivered scallions to surround mine with flecks of lemon zest and mint in the filling
to keep the project manageable it is wise to complete some of the tasks in advance both the pasta dough and filling can be made a few hours ahead the dough benefits from resting well wrapped at room temperature this helps it hydrate properly and allows it to be stretched more easily to silky tenderness the filling is easily assembled   put it together and chill it when you have a spare moment and the mezzelune may be completely assembled and kept refrigerated until youre ready to cook them up to three hours the final cooking can then be accomplished in only a few minutes
should you decide that making mezzalune is not in the cards cut your fresh egg pasta into wide or narrow ribbons and toss them with the simmered peas ricotta and mushrooms youll still have a lovely springtime meal
recipe mezzelune pasta with peas and shiitake mushrooms
and to drink 
the bright green flavors of the peas combined with the lactic flavors of the ricotta call for a fresh crisp white wine with herbal accents now that weve narrowed the choices to a several dozen lets pick a few lively sauvignon blancs should go beautifully with this dish particularly if you can find a bottle from northeastern italy if not sancerres and pouilly fumes will also be fine more than a few italian whites will fill the bill pinot biancos from alto adige would be delicious as would a good gavi di gavi from the piedmont region or a fiano from campania outside of italy chablis would go well with this dish as would peppery gruner veltliner from austria if in doubt try a bone dry rose eric asimov


strawberries may be the default shortcake topping but they are not the only way to enjoy the combination of buttery biscuits plump fruit and luscious whipped cream
consider for example rhubarb
in season at the same time strawberries and rhubarb are often paired to fill the bellies of pies but rhubarb is excellent on its own when its deep fruity sourness can shine without any intrusions
and when its roasted until soft and piled onto shortcakes rhubarb is just as appealing as its more iconic counterpart albeit in a very different way
where strawberries are raw and juicy rhubarb is cooked and saucy this is because when it comes to strawberries less is more a perfect pint requires no more embellishment than the slightest sprinkle of sugar before being plopped onto crumbly biscuits cooking would diminish them so any jammy urges are better saved for lesser fruit
rhubarb on the other hand needs a bit more care to become delectable while the stalks are edible raw though not the leaves which are toxic they blossom when cooked with just enough sugar to temper their tartness
you could stew them on the stovetop letting the pieces slowly collapse into compote but roasting not only helps maintain at least a bit of their texture it also allows the juices to caramelize and condense you get a richer more syrupy mixture with a pleasing sticky texture
i like to add a vanilla bean to the pan while the rhubarb is roasting but orange or lemon zest would also add a heady perfume and using demerara instead of white sugar adds a mineral molasses note
as for the shortcakes themselves i add some oats to make them earthier and richer
one of the good things about this recipe is that you can roast the rhubarb and bake the shortcakes at the same time you can do this hours in advance or while your guests are nibbling hors doeuvres just make sure to let everything cool completely before assembling otherwise the heat will melt the whipped cream into a puddle
of course if you are lucky enough to have strawberries as well as rhubarb at the ready you could serve some sugared slices alongside the shortcakes as long as rhubarb is the star here it will happily share the plate
recipes rhubarb oat shortcakes  more rhubarb desserts


as summer approaches much of the wine drinking world is turning its attention to rose i can think of no reason not to join them
rose is made around the world much of this production has come about as the popularity of rose has skyrocketed in the last decade naturally the wine industry has tried to capitalize
some roses are wonderful but predictably a lot of bad rose is also out there wine made cheaply and cynically to sell quickly before it withers in the bottle rose has become huge business in provence which is an actual place not just a connotation of relaxed seaside summery languor with which rose is so often identified some thoughtful commentators have questioned whether the great success of provencal rose may in fact do long term damage if the bubble ever bursts as in beaujolais after the nouveau fad faded
we may not answer that question here but we will see what the pleasures of provencal rose are about by tasting some of the better versions here are the three wines i recommend
commanderie de peyrassol cotes de provence rose 2015 rosenthal wine merchant new york 20
mas de gourgonnier les baux de provence rose 2015 skurnik wines new york 15
chateau de pibarnon bandol rose 2015 skurnik wines new york 30
if you cannot find these bottles a seemingly infinite number of other provencal producers stands ready to sell you rose roses from bandol like the pibarnon are generally sturdier and can even age well they are also more expensive generally names to look for include domaine tempier domaine de terrebrune chateau ste anne la bastide blanche and chateau pradeaux with these wines if its a year older dont sweat it the wine may even be better
other rose names to look for in a range of prices include clos ste magdeleine domaine du bagnol domaine hauvette clos cibonne domaine ste lucie chateau du roquefort domaine du jas desclans and plenty more heres another suggestion visit your most trusted wine shop and ask for a few really good provencal roses
what food goes best with provencal rose mediterranean style fare of course this can vary from the delicious yet familiar salade nicoise and pissaladiere to recipes of your own devising but dont restrict yourself as we saw with barberas much can be learned by breaking the regional boundaries
as usual serve chilled but not ice cold and try not to track sand into the house


it was my own fault i was careless with language and did exactly what i have so often cautioned others against repeated conventional wine wisdom
barberas are versatile partners with food i wrote last month in introducing our current wine school subject the barberas of the piedmont region of northwestern italy thats what has been said and written often and i believed it without really considering what that meant barbera versatile would be a great sitcom name for the annoying neighbor constantly spouting cliches
now that i actually think about it i realize i had never gone beyond the canon of tried and true barbera matches which in fact is somewhat narrow pizzas meat and tomato sauces grilled meats and sausages these are somewhat simple straightforward foods the sort that are flattered by the acidity fruitiness and modest bitterness of barbera and not out of place in the piedmont region when you begin to complicate dishes with piquant pungent flavors barbera turns out to be not as versatile as billed several readers discovered this to their evident consternation
one of the purposes of wine school is firsthand learning so much of what passes for wine knowledge is simply stuff that is read and repeated often with authority and volume for readers who are somewhat new to wine in its seemingly limitless variety wine school offers an opportunity to experience it in a natural setting with a meal and to form their own immediate unmediated impressions which i invite you to share by commenting at nytimescomfood
for readers who already know their way around wine school offers an opportunity to reassess beliefs and perhaps to develop new insights thats how it worked for me this time
the three wines i recommended were vietti barbera dasti tre vigne 2013 alessandro e gian natale fantino barbera dalba superiore cascina dardi 2013 and bruno giacosa barbera dalba 2013
each of these i thought showed the characteristics that can make barberas from the areas surrounding alba and asti so distinctive and rewarding the vietti seemed the lightest bodied of the three even though it had the most alcohol at 14 percent it showed bright cherry flavors and perhaps even a bit of citrus but it lacked the energy of the other barberas
the giacosa seemed plumper and rounder with earthy cherry flavors streaked with what reminded me of orange zest perhaps that accounted for the sweetness that at least two readers martin schappeit of amherst va and dan barron of new york detected in the wine though it didnt strike me that way
the fantino in particular was beautiful i thought fresh and juicy with the aroma and flavor of red cherries and a buzz saw acidity that cuts through rich foods the combination of this acidity and a slight bitterness to the fruit flavor is a defining characteristic of many italian reds the combination seems to cleanse the palate after each sip refreshing the mouth for the next bite the exquisite balance in the fantino between sweet bitter fruit and acidity made it thrilling to drink
why harp on how the barberas paired with food european wine genres in general and italian wines even more than most were made to go with food you can drink these wines any way you want alone or with a chocolate dessert but if you want to enjoy them at their most delicious and transcendent they require the sort of food with which they go well
i single out italian reds because the acidity and dry bitterness in particular need food to bring out their best this is particularly true of barbera which can often seem too acidic on its own but if the acidity is leavened with simple rich food you have beautiful harmony
the wrong sort of food can make even a wine i liked as much as the fantino seem strange or at least underwhelming mr barron called the fantino boring after pairing it with ravioli in a sauce of sun dried tomatoes and black olive pesto served with sauteed kale versatile with food he fumed only in a make do sort of way
im not one to fetishize food and wine pairings but a meal like that is outside the comfort zone of barbera he probably would have been better off drinking a good provencal rose which was created to go with the pungent oily flavors of these dishes on the other hand i found the fantino to be brilliant with a meaty lasagna that i made
mr schappeit tried the fantino with two different dishes a wild mushroom fettuccine which was a pairing that he seemed to find puzzling and unsatisfying and a mushroom and sausage pizza which seemed to work well it opened up and let me into its lush dark fruit wonderland he wrote
mysteriously on another occasion with the same pizza mr schappeit said the wine withheld its pleasures
the wine is interesting but comes with a complicated personality he concluded
i dont know what to make of that mr barron later a week later in fact tried that same bottle of fantino with a clam leek and fennel pasta and a tomato gratin predictably the wine did not go particularly well with the pasta dish but he liked it very much with the tomato gratin also perhaps predictable as a tomato roasted in the oven is a different friendlier to barbera proposition than sun dried tomatoes
the pattern seemed to hold for most readers the more straightforward the dish the better it went with the barbera the more complex the more problematic but even some of the easy matches didnt work out that well todd of the hudson valley said that a 2014 vietti barbera dalba yes vietti produces barberas from both asti and alba was too harsh with a homemade pizza but that it went beautifully with a creamy pasta dish
what accounts for barberas seeming low percentage of success in these pairings aside from its mysterious failure with todds pizza the results suggest that with barbera we should tread lightly outside the tried and true a wine with as much acidity as barbera needs either foods that can match its acidity like pastas with tomato based sauces which are naturally acidic or rich meaty foods and cheeses with which it dovetails
barberas will not go so well with vinegary foods pungent oily foods or shellfish these may all be better served with crisp whites for a wine that is actually versatile in practice may i suggest rieslings which i can say with conviction operate beautifully outside the realm of regional pairings
underlying this discussion is the real lesson the very best way to learn about wine is to drink it and decide for yourself you can read about it as much as you like internalizing the thinking of others and memorizing facts all of which may prove useful but for matters of taste nothing beats the wisdom of firsthand experience


one hundred years after the russian artist kazimir malevich shook up the art world with the first exhibition of his suprematist paintings museums across europe from austria to france to spain are celebrating his legacy with a series of exhibitions
in his works malevich depicted planes of color speeding across an expanding cosmos seeking to render moments of what he called supreme worlds floating through time and space his use of purely abstract forms broke with centuries of artistic tradition malevich introduced his vision to the world in the winter of 1915 16 with a show in petrograd now st petersburg called the last futurist exhibition of paintings 010
the zero ten show is one of the most important exhibitions in the history of modernism said matthew drutt who last winter recreated it for the fondation beyeler museum in switzerland as the great powers sought to destroy each other in world war i with fearsome new weapons like tanks poison gas and armed airplanes malevich was envisioning a postwar utopia visible only in the new world of abstract art mr drutt said
the swiss show also traced the arc of malevichs influence on generations of artists including piet mondrian mark rothko and the installation designer olafur eliasson
other museums featuring malevich works this year include the albertina in vienna through june 26 and a new satellite of the state russian museum in malaga spain through july 31 this fall malevich and other russian avant garde artists will be an important part of icons of modern art an exhibition at the fondation louis vuitton in paris that will display the collection of sergei shchukin a russian textile merchant who opened the first private galleries for modern art in moscow in the twilight of czarist rule
that malevichs provocative works survived the turbulent world in which they were created is something of an art world miracle it is a story of how art can become entangled in political movements and the difficulty decades later of determining who has a legitimate claim to that art
in 1927 malevich who had been well received in germany brought more than 100 of his abstract masterpieces to the great berlin art exhibition while there he received a letter from his wife warning that stalin was escalating attacks on experimental artists and pleading that he defect in berlin
instead malevich decided to save his paintings by leaving them in berlin and risked his life by returning to the soviet union to try to get his family out
branded a counterrevolutionary malevich was jailed and barred from leaving the soviet union he died in st petersburg then called leningrad in 1935
malevichs descendants were themselves the target of the soviet leadership they remained behind the iron curtain until the collapse of the soviet government in 1991 freed them to begin searching for the paintings malevich had hidden in berlin
before leaving germany malevich appointed two friends   alexander dorner a museum director in hanover and hugo haring an architect   to safeguard his artworks
dorner displayed the paintings until pressure from the nazi party impelled him to hide the art he risked imprisonment by showing them in 1935 to alfred h barr jr founding director of the museum of modern art in new york according to clemens toussaint a german art historian and expert on malevich who has been helping the artists descendants trace and stake a claim to some of his works
persuaded by barr to lend 16 works to moma dorner smuggled them out of germany in shipping crates filled with technical drawings when the nazis expelled dorner from his museum post barr then helped dorner escape from germany mr toussaint said
dorner entrusted the remaining canvases to haring for safekeeping
after the war haring agreed to lend 80 works to the stedelijk museum in amsterdam which promised to restore and exhibit them the museum said later   in testimony in an american lawsuit   that haring had agreed to sell it the works
in 1999 the museum of modern art agreed to return one of the works to the malevich descendants in a settlement brokered by mr toussaint he said that parallel efforts to recover paintings from the stedelijk were unsuccessful
then the stedelijk sent 14 malevich paintings to the united states for a show at the guggenheim in 2003 organized by mr drutt just before the paintings were to be sent back to the netherlands some of malevichs descendants filed suit in federal district court for the district of columbia to recover them
howard spiegler a lawyer who represented the descendants in the case malewicz vs city of amsterdam said that heads of state and even government owned museums like the stedelijk had traditionally been protected from such lawsuits by the doctrine of sovereign immunity but that american court rulings had whittled away at that shield
in its decision in the case the court ruled that the exhibition in the united states of artworks taken in violation of international law could open the foreign lending museum to a lawsuit in rejecting the stedelijks claim of immunity judge rosemary m collyer found that there was nothing sovereign about amsterdams acquisition of the malevich paintings other than that it was performed by a sovereign entity
evgeny bykov a great grandson of malevich said that the decision gave us hope that in our case justice would be met and that in the future it will help other families who are struggling for restitution of masterpieces that once belonged to them
while preparing to appeal the district courts decision   but facing the prospect of losing all 14 paintings it had sent to the united states   the stedelijk agreed in a settlement to return five artworks to the malevich family
museum directors across america have been pressing congress to enact legislation that would counter the malevich ruling arguing that exposing their foreign counterparts to suits by dispossessed owners could halt cultural exchanges
the senate is reviewing a bill that could again block access to the courts by those who seek restitution for what they say are illegally confiscated artworks including works taken during the cuban revolution said mari claudia jimenez an expert in art law in new york similar legislation was proposed in 2012 and met resistance from jewish groups and others who believed an exemption for nazi era art was too narrowly drawn
mr toussaint said that while malevichs descendants continue their search for canvases they have recovered eight paintings of the 100 left in berlin with one auctioned for 60 million
for the avant garde art movement kazimir malevich is a guru mr toussaint said his works disappeared into the dictatorships but later re emerged   like a phoenix   in a very mystical way
showcasing these masterpieces in paris will fulfill one of the artists most powerful dreams he said malevich was planning to spirit his family and canvases off to a new life in paris just before being detained in one of stalins political prisons


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1 donald trump railed at reporters for fact checking his promises and revealing delays in donations he promised military veterans in january the press should be ashamed of themselves he said you make me look very bad he also defended trump university against testimony that was revealed as part of a lawsuit filed by dissatisfied former students i believe that trump university was a fraudulent scheme said one sales manager at the school

2 the battle for california heated up a week ahead of the primary gov jerry brown endorsed hillary clinton but also spoke highly of bernie sanders he has driven home the message that the top 1 percent has unfairly captured way too much of americas wealth leaving the majority of people far behind mr brown said in an open letter above mr sanders campaigned in northern california

3 the sniffer dogs us airports rely on to detect even the most minute trace of explosives face new challenges as bombmakers shift to using household chemicals like the compound tatp so were now asking dogs not just to find a needle in a haystack one expert said now were also saying to the dog we need you to find any sharp object in the haystack 

4 it is practically a reinvented game these so called splash brothers are playing thats our sports columnist saluting stephen curry above and klay thompson for pushing the golden state warriors into the nba finals with 13 3 pointers on monday night game 1 of the title rematch with the cleveland cavaliers thursday 9 pm eastern at golden state abc

5 the law and order party that took power in poland in november is reviving efforts to extradite the filmmaker roman polanski to the us the countrys close ally the justice minister said he would appeal a court ruling that said turning over mr polanski 82 would be an obviously unlawful deprivation of liberty he fled the us decades ago after pleading guilty to having sex with an underage girl

6 iranian supported militias elite iraqi army counterterrorism forces and sunni policemen are all taking part in the operation to drive islamic state fighters out of the long held city of falluja an estimated 50000 civilians are believed trapped with little food or medicine

7 the cincinnati police said they were investigating how a 4 year old managed to get into a gorilla enclosure at the citys zoo over the weekend zoo workers fatally shot the 17 year old gorilla after it dragged the boy around the pen prompting complaints by animal rights activists and petitions blaming the boys mother the police declined to identify the family

8 our best read story for days a novelists essay on marriage the bad news because were lonely or mix love up with destructive tendencies or think we can make happiness permanent many of us marry the wrong people he writes the good there really isnt a perfect person to meet all of our needs anyway so learn to tolerate differences compatibility he concludes is an achievement of love it must not be its precondition

9 federal data show that the number of homeless people over 50 has risen by about 20 percent since 2007 passing 300000 to make up some 31 percent of the nations total some people have been on the streets for a generation skid row is sad said a 70 year old homeless woman it is as sad as you can imagine you literally have to live here to see how sad it is

10 finally can civil tensions be worked out in street theater the spectacular patum festival that wrapped up in catalonia spain dates to medieval times but its evocation of the struggle between good and evil colorfully reflects the clashes between between right and left church and state the spanish government in madrid and catalan secessionists

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in case you missed them the online editors of t round up some of our favorite pieces published in may
fashion
simply called her one new australian labels designs are as minimalist as its name
architecture
the architect alejandro aravena just won the prestigious pritzker prize by doing precisely the kind of socially minded projects that are most overlooked which have made him a celebrity in his native chile join him on a video tour of this years venice biennale which for a change celebrates design that solves human problems
beauty
instead of layers of shadow and liner what about applying  almost nothing the look has runway appeal models at peter pilotto and iris van herpen wore a youthful slick of what looked like vaseline on their lids at alexander wang and lanvin the area was similarly emphasized but with an added hint of rose gold or taupe
perfect strangers
what happened when the master impersonator whose new variety show maya  marty premieres this evening met the outspoken performance artist for the first time we captured it on film
one thing shops
galcos old world grocery was founded in 1897 and was once the neighborhood italian store in highland park now the family business stocks only sodas   over 750 kinds of it from independent brands only there is though an interesting anecdote about pepsi versus rc cola and coke
gardens
objectively it wasnt an ideal place for a garden sure a few trees grew in the dusty scorching heat   three figs a small cluster of pomegranates and a eucalyptus   and the view of the sleepy stony ground of the ocean was biblical the solitude exciting but unfortunately you could only get there either by scrambling along a difficult path or on the back of a mule   the writer and horticulturist umberto pasti discusses his garden
throwback
the fashion stylist and costume designer misa hylton shares intimate images of her clients   usher mary j blige lil kim   in their heyday
wanderlust
heres a guide to the ancient now thriving city where picasso was born it was for centuries a strategic site for the various conquerors who laid claim to it and we can see why
recipe
the photographer eschews the conventional use of sweetened condensed milk in favor of a water based filling to delightful effect


at the 2016 venice architecture biennale australias canal side pavilion has been turned into a public swimming pool   and drawn in titans of the industry for a paddle stepped bleachers line one wall locker room benches another and the walls are dappled with soft reflections from the pools rippling surface
it has a calming quality says the urban strategist michelle tabet one of the creative directors of the pool project alongside isabelle toland and amelia holliday of aileen sage architects you feel like you want to relax   theres a real change in how people behave while clever lighting gives the illusion of depth the water in the pool is only knee high but guests are welcome to dip their toes in the water or even get in and cool off we want to invite people to interact with it says tabet i think even richard rogers put his feet in
the hard concrete corner of the swimming bath that juts into the center of the pavilion is an architectural reference to ocean pools on the coast of new south wales safe swimming areas in waters notorious for their poisonous jellyfish and healthy shark population gouged into the coastal rock tabet regards these pools as fantastic feats of engineering most were built between the wars as public works she explains
the pool and an accompanying volume the pool architecture culture and identity in australia looks beyond the structure and design of australias public baths to explore their social importance the swimming pool is a very australian public space explains holliday its our version of the piazza or square so we wanted to pull architecture into conversation with non architects prominent australian figures   including the authors christos tsiolkas and anna funder the environmental advocate tim flannery and the designers behind the fashion label romance was born   have contributed to the pavilion by way of sharing their swimming pool stories told as oral histories transmitted from portable radio sets dotting the bleachers and illustrated in a newspaper available poolside
for hetti perkins an eminent curator of indigenous arts the swimming pool is a key site of social integration her father the australian aboriginal activist charles perkins led the freedom ride of 1965 that exposed embedded racism in towns around new south wales perkins identifies her father and the freedom riders decision to visit the artesian baths in the town of moree as an event that really crystallized the intent of the freedom ride indigenous children were not allowed in the pool my father a big fan of swimming pools himself went to take a few of the kids in and of course they were barred from entry this enforcement of official segregation was the catalyst for a demonstration at the pool later regarded as a turning point in the australian indigenous civil rights movement
one design feature that has caused confusion among italian visitors is a sign painted on the wall reading aqua profonda to local eyes it appears misspelt aqua is the latin spelling acqua the italian but its presence in the pavilion has specific cultural significance in the early 1950s the manager of melbournes fitzroy baths found himself constantly fishing children who had recently migrated from italy out of the deep end of the pool and the sign was his misspelt attempt to alert them to danger uncorrected for over six decades aqua profonda has become part of local lore appearing most recently as the title to a track by the grammy winning singer songwriter courtney barnett
the pool and what it represents is woven into australian identity and culture explains the five time olympic gold medalist ian thorpe who also contributed a story to the project visiting the pavilion in venice thorpe was particularly struck by the scent design created by the sydney based parfumier elise pioch with the artist duo lyn  tony which he found powerfully evocative of outdoor australian pools there are two smells he explains one that youd associate with fresh rain the slight smell of eucalyptus and decaying plant matter that youd find in a wet natural environment the other is the smell of smoke that youd get after a bush fire a smell we commonly associate in australia with summer the pool i swam in when i was training and where i put in most of my hours was right across the road from the national park   the smell of cut grass and rain and smoke took me right back


the paris based jeweler alessandro sabbatini insists he doesnt search for materials to realize the one of a kind pieces he dreams up for his two year old line called sabba he makes fewer than 40 pieces a year instead he says they find him after months of staring at a victorian necklace of graduated amber beads that called out to the 28 year old from an antique shop inspiration struck it is now a towering pair of earrings resembling a dangling chinese temple fashioned with a series of delicate but complex titanium armatures the pieces are hinged with elongated diamond baguettes much like a string of twinkling paper lanterns


i loved going to work with my father when i was a little tiny kid because we didnt have sodas in our refrigerator and i knew if i went to the shop id get to have a soda with lunch says john nese the second generation nese to own galcos old world grocery in highland park los angeles a neighborhood italian grocery founded in 1897 the store now stocks soda exclusively   carrying over 750 varieties from independent brands and drawing visitors from around the world
neses fathers first job was selling newspapers in front of the store as a kid around twenty five years later he returned to the same spot but as partner business was good for a while and the family gained full ownership of the store but by the early 90s sales were hurting chain stores took over the distribution channels and suddenly the prices for small groceries skyrocketed nese says it was cheaper for us to go buy one can of tomatoes from a supermarket than buy in bulk nese watched nervously as other independents went out of business one by one
a turning point came when a pepsi retailer visited the store the salesman waltzed in promising the best price on a pallet of pepsi but nese would only make 30 from the hundreds of sodas and hed have to charge customers more than theyd pay at a chain store when he said he wasnt interested the salesman just laughed and insisted that customers would demand pepsi
it seemed like the beginning of the end and nese was devastated then suddenly i realized i oughta thank pepsi cola for reminding me that i own my shelf space they dont he says so i went out looking and found 25 little brands of soda by independent bottlers the small bottlers were struggling too many of the people nese found were down to producing one or two soda flavors from a dozen in their heyday they were pretty down in the dumps he says i remember i asked one guy to make bubble up and he said why do you want it nobodys gonna buy it i just told him if i dont have it on my shelf youre right nobody is ever going to buy it it sold well and continues to sell at galcos
business slowly picked up as customers came in to track down the sodas of their childhood or simply taste something different neses father remained skeptical i have an early newspaper article here where they quote my father saying you need more tomatoes and pasta in here nese says with a belly laugh the clipping is framed on the wall his father died in 1995
soda flavors include strawberry birch honey cream peach pineapple rhubarb lavender lemongrass butterscotch and huckleberry galcos imports a grape soda from the republic of georgia and fentimans from england they carry the family run barritts ginger beer a bermuda based line that has been in production since 1874 theres passion fruit ginger ale and coffee soda plus dozens of root beers detroits faygo is made with 100 percent natural cane sugar each batch of natronas red ribbon line is individually mixed by hand before undergoing pinpoint carbonation which produces especially small bubbles
coca cola and pepsi and all the big labels have sacrificed taste for profit nese says they switched from oils to extracts because its cheaper theyve pumped up the carbonation because that means using less syrup which in turn increases profit margins the sodas they make arent crisp theyre not clean they just dont pop
but if you want to know what they used to taste like nese can point you in the right direction customers who want to know what dr pepper was like before it went big should try dublin black cherry anyone who was drinking rc cola 50 or 60 years ago will recognize the taste in dublin vintage cola fans of pepsi and coke should try it too nese says that a guy who conducted the first pepsi challenge stopped in once and explained that it was originally a three way taste test that included rc cola apparently pepsi could beat coke regularly but it couldnt beat rc cola so they just eliminated rc from the challenge nese says with another belly laugh
now galcos business is booming while soda saved the family business its not yet clear whether the business will carry on in the family neses only daughter is a chiropractor and very good at her job but his grandchildren   11 year old twins   have shown an interest they told me theyre ready to go to work ... as the soda tasters
asked about his own favorite nese couldnt pick early on i learned to never say whats best he says people come in here and thats the first question they ask but if there was a best soda id only carry one


los angeles   they lean unsteadily on canes and walkers or roll along the sidewalks of skid row here in beat up wheelchairs past soiled sleeping bags swaying tents and piles of garbage they wander the streets in tattered winter coats even in the warmth of spring they worry about the illnesses of age and how they will approach death without the help of children who long ago drifted from their lives
its hard when you get older said ken sylvas 65 who has struggled with alcoholism and has not worked since he was fired in 2001 from a meatpacking job im in this wheelchair i had a seizure and was in a convalescent home for two months i just ride the bus back and forth all night
the homeless in america are getting old
there were 306000 people over 50 living on the streets in 2014 the most recent data available a 20 percent jump since 2007 according to the department of housing and urban development they now make up 31 percent of the nations homeless population
the demographic shift is mirrored by a noticeable but not as sharp increase among homeless people ages 18 to 30 many who entered the job market during the great recession they make up 24 percent of the homeless population like the baby boomers these young people came of age during an economic downturn confronting a tight housing and job market many of them are former foster children or runaways or were victims of abuse at home
but it is the emergence of an older homeless population that is creating daunting challenges for social service agencies and governments already struggling with this crisis of poverty baby boomers have health and vulnerability issues that are hard to tend to while living in the streets said alice callaghan an episcopal priest who has spent 35 years working with the homeless in los angeles
many older homeless people have been on the streets for almost a generation analysts say a legacy of the recessions of the late 1970s and early 1980s federal housing cutbacks and an epidemic of crack cocaine they bring with them a complicated history that may include a journey from prison to mental health clinic to rehabilitation center and back to the sidewalks
some are more recent arrivals and have been forced   at a time of life when some people their age are debating whether to retire to arizona or to florida   to learn the ways of homelessness after losing jobs in the latest economic downturn and there are some on a fixed income who cannot afford the rent in places like los angeles which has a vacancy rate of less than 3 percent
horace allong 60 said he could not afford a one room apartment and lives in a tent on crocker street mr allong who divorced his wife and left new orleans for los angeles two years ago said he lost his wallet and all of his identification two weeks after he arrived and has not been able to find a job
its the first time ive been on the streets so im learning he said theres nothing like skid row skid row is another world
the problems with homelessness are hardly uniform across the country the national homeless population declined by 2 percent between 2014 and 2015 according to the department of housing and urban development some communities   including phoenix and las vegas   have declared outright victory in eliminating homelessness among veterans a top goal of the white house
but homelessness is rising in big cities where gentrification is on the march and housing costs are rising like los angeles new york honolulu and san francisco los angeles reported a 57 percent increase in its homeless population last year the second year in a row it had recorded a jump more than 20 percent of the nations homeless lived in california last year according to the housing agency
across southern california the homeless live in tent encampments clustered on corners from venice to the san fernando valley and in communities sprouting under highway overpasses or in the dry bed of the los angeles river their sleeping bags and piles of belongings line sidewalks on santa monica boulevard
along with these visible signs of homelessness come complaints about aggressive panhandling public urination and disorderly conduct as well as a rise in drug dealing and petty crimes
there is a sense out there that some communities are seeing a new visible homeless problem that they have not seen in many years said dennis p culhane a professor of social policy at the university of pennsylvania
beleaguered officials in los angeles seattle and hawaii have declared states of emergency rolling out measures to combat homelessness and pledging to increase spending on low cost housing honolulu has imposed a prohibition on sitting or lying on sidewalks in the neighborhood of waikiki san francisco has cleared out some encampments only for them to sprout up in other parts of the city seattle has tried to create designated tent camps that are overseen by social service agencies
the aging of the homeless population is on display in cities large and small but perhaps in no place more than here on skid row a grid of blocks just southeast of the vibrant economic center of downtown los angeles where many of the nations poor have long flocked drawn by a year round temperate climate and a cluster of missions and clinics
outside the hippie kitchen which feeds the homeless of skid row three mornings a week the line stretched half a block up sixth street on a recent day a graying gathering of men and women waiting for a breakfast of beans and salad garland balancad 55 scooping food from his plate said he had more to worry about than his next meal where to hide his shopping cart or which sidewalk to lay his sleeping bag on after dark
im getting old mr balancad said lifting himself to his feet with a cane i dont want to go into one of these shelters i dont want to get some disease
kin crawford 59 said he had fallen out of the job market long ago as he battled alcohol and drug addiction right now im sleeping in someones garage he said my biggest challenge out here access to a bathroom its really crazy that and finding a place to keep your stuff
this is a fluid population defying precise count or categorization some might enjoy a stretch of stability holding down a job for a while or finding a spare bed with a friend but more than anything these are men and women who as they enter old age have settled into patterns they seem unwilling or unable to break
we are seeing people who have been on the street year after year after year said jerry jones the director of public policy at the inner city law center in los angeles
mr sylvas said the lines at the hippie kitchen were growing longer and there were more tents on the sidewalks its getting worse he said you can see it a lot more old ones
sylvia welker is 70 but she maneuvers her electric wheelchair around the obstacles of her world   the lurches in the buckling sidewalks the sharp curb drop on crocker street the piles of clothes on the pavement the tourists rushing through skid row on the way to the arts district   with confidence and precision
for ms welker who has been divorced and on her own since 1981 this is the latest stop in a tumultuous journey she lived in lancaster in californias high desert until she was evicted about five years ago unable to pay the rent she tried to sleep on the streets shivering on the sidewalks at night until she finally pleaded for a room in the home of a daughter i told my daughter im not going to make it because of my handicap she said referring to her right leg which she said she almost lost after she was hit by a car
her daughter put her up for a few years but ms welker said she eventually left ending up on skid row a year ago she said she had since lost touch with all three of her children they dont even know how to reach me she said they are probably going nuts i didnt want to interfere with their lives
home for ms welker is now a room at a center for the homeless on san pedro street but she has been told she said that her program is about to end she has no idea what she will do next i dont know how much longer ill be there she said
skid row is sad ms welker said it is as sad as you can imagine you literally have to live here to see how sad it is
ms welker chatty with a wide smile and white flowing hair that falls over her shoulders has her routines she knows the staggered schedules of the soup kitchens her bad leg and wheelchair usually entitle her to a spot at the front of the line and she brings a plastic baggie to collect extra food to pass on to friends on the streets or to eat when she returns to her room
she passes the days riding her wheelchair waiting for the battery to run down so she can return to her room and charge it up for the next day
you have to wait until it goes down to two or three dots she said flicking her finger at the battery indicator so i just ride up and down the street and say hi to everybody and when my chair goes down enough i go back in i have to charge my chair and i have to elevate my leg otherwise i could end up losing it
the challenges faced by people like ms welker have forced advocates for the homeless and government agencies to reconsider what kinds of services they need it is not just a meal a roof and rehabilitation anymore
the programs for baby boomers are designed to address longstanding programs   mental health substance abuse said benjamin henwood an assistant professor at the university of southern california school of social work but they are not designed to address the problems of aging and that is a big problem for homeless treatment in the years ahead
so the older residents of skid row make do and in the process tax public services there is the emergency room at los angeles county usc medical center or the ambulance from firehouse no 9 on skid row which brings a crew of medics who are by now well versed on the characters and medical ailments outside the station house
homeless veterans of all ages receive housing vouchers and federally subsidized low income housing projects give preference to the elderly but few of the older homeless people have worked the time required to qualify for social security much less put aside money for a 401k or employee retirement plan
that leaves them to turn to supplemental security income or ssi a program set up to help poor older people and the disabled that typically pays around 733 a month but ssi is for people 65 and over and social security does not start until age 62
by then it might be too late experts say the average life span for a homeless person living on the street is 64 years
we are dealing with the same issues with a 50 year old that a housed person would have in their 70s in terms of physical and mental health said anne miskey the executive director of the downtown womens center which provides services for 3000 homeless women a year in los angeles it is extremely difficult and women are affected more than men
many manage as best they can living outside and maneuvering around the drug dealing random stabbings and shootings and crackdowns by the police
brenda gardenshire 66 who lives in a trim blue tent on a sidewalk she sweeps every morning said she had learned not to venture out after dark in search of a bathroom instead using a jar she keeps in her tent
youve got a lot of things out here wrong   everybody doing drugs and alcohol friends and not friends she said still ms gardenshire said she liked her life on the street saying it was better at least than living in a shelter her only complaint was how people kept treating her as if she were frail
everyone is like you ok she said what do you mean am i ok or you want to sit down why do i want to sit down
it is not the older homeless people whom ms welker worries about as she surveys skid row from the perch of her wheelchair it is the younger ones who are slowly changing the makeup of this world
im 70 ive done my thing she said the younger people they are losing the best years of their lives this is not a place to be
you see things you wouldnt believe ms welker said someone could be getting killed someone could be getting knifed and life goes on charities are still handing out coffee and soup
there were 235000 homeless americans between 18 and 30 in 2014 making up 24 percent of the nations homeless population that was up from 226000 in 2007 when the age group made up 20 percent of the total homeless population according to the department of housing and urban development
some of them can be seen on skid row but here in los angeles these younger homeless people have staked out their own spaces to live   on the beaches of venice on the garbage scattered scraps of dirt by the hollywood freeway
some were bustling on a recent morning through the cramped hallways of my friends place a two story ramshackle storefront right up against the edge of the freeway its entrance hidden off an alley it is a former recording studio that was turned 18 years ago into a center for homeless youth nearly 1500 people between the ages of 18 to 24 came here last year
that morning they were a blur of people in t shirts tattered jeans and sweatshirts stopping by for a shower a meal job training   including circus schooling on the ropes and hoops in the cirque du monde room   or an undisturbed nap on an overstuffed chair in the main room the center shuts its door at night
we are getting sandwiched by real old folks and real young folks said heather carmichael the executive director of my friends place its horrific


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baylor hired the former wake forest coach jim grobe on monday to replace art briles and lead its football program through a tumultuous time
briles was suspended with the intent to terminate last week after a report commissioned by the school accused him of not responding to or inappropriately handling allegations of sexual assault and violence by members of his team in eight seasons at baylor briles had turned the bears into a big 12 powerhouse after they had languished at the bottom of the conference since joining in 1996
grobe 64 has been out of coaching for two seasons he went 77 82 in 13 years with wake forest leading the team to some of its best seasons including an atlantic coast conference title and an orange bowl appearance in 2006 he also coached ohio university for six years
as a coach winning is important grobe said in a statement released by the school at the same time i want to assure the baylor family that every decision we will make in this football program will be made with baylor university her students and our student athletes in mind
there was speculation that baylor would promote the defensive coordinator phil bennett to interim coach instead the university went outside the program for at least a temporary solution amid uncertainty after also demoting the universitys president kenneth w starr and putting athletic director ian mccaw on probation
suspended dolphin seeks return miami dolphins defensive end dion jordan plans to apply to the nfl this week for reinstatement after sitting out last season for his latest violation of the leagues substance abuse policy
jordan the no 3 overall selection in the 2013 draft is serving his second suspension under the leagues substance abuse policy the suspensions have limited jordan to 26 games in which he has 46 tackles and three sacks
augie garrido who has the most wins in college baseball history is out after 20 seasons as texas coach the decision comes after the longhorns first losing season since 1998 and texas will miss the postseason for the third time in five years
garrido 77 has 1975 victories and five college world series titles three with cal state fullerton 1979 1984 and 1995 and two with texas 2002 and 2005 he was also honored six times as national coach of the year
around the majors xander bogaerts extended his hitting streak to 23 games as the visiting boston red sox beat the baltimore orioles 7 2 in a matchup of the american league easts top two teams travis wood and three other relievers combined for seven perfect innings after starter jason hammel left with cramps and the host chicago cubs held the los angeles dodgers to one hit in a 2 0 victory collin mchugh struck out eight in his first career complete game as the visiting houston astros continued their recent surge with an 8 3 win over the arizona diamondbacks matt carpenter had four hits from the leadoff spot and carlos martinez pitched eight shutout innings as the visiting st louis cardinals beat the milwaukee brewers 6 0
uclas mackenzie mcdonald became the first player in 15 years to pull off a double national championship
about four hours after he upset top seeded mikael torpegaard of ohio state 6 3 6 3 to win the ncaa mens singles title mcdonald and his teammate martin redlicki beat arthur rinderknech and jackson withrow of texas am to claim the doubles championship 6 4 6 1
earlier danielle collins of virginia defeated top seeded hayley carter of north carolina 6 3 6 2 for her second ncaa womens tennis national championship
mcdonald is the first player since matias boeker of georgia in 2001 and fifth since 1974 to win both titles
mexican authorities rescued the kidnapped soccer player alan pulido after he was able to dial an emergency phone number and alert authorities to his location a state prosecutor said
tamaulipas state attorney general ismael quintanilla said in a news conference that a bungle by the kidnappers led to the speedy rescue of pulido a 25 year old forward for the greek club olympiacos and a national club veteran
pulido was nabbed by four armed people on a highway about 1130 pm saturday pulidos family received the first ransom call around 130 pm on sunday quintanilla said authorities found pulido in safe house in the southern part of ciudad victoria his hometown and one of his captors was arrested
united extends teenagers deal the teenage striker marcus rashford signed a new contract with manchester united through 2020 a reward for a breakthrough season that could earn rashford a place on englands european championship squad
rashford 18 was plucked from the youth teams in february because of an injury crisis at united he scored two goals in his debut   a europa league game against fc midtjylland   and two more against arsenal in his first premier league start three days later in 17 appearances for united he has scored eight goals
moving on up afc wimbledon an english soccer club created in 2002 by disgruntled supporters after their original team was relocated and rebranded continued its rise up the league pyramid by getting promoted to the third division afc wimbledon which began life in the ninth tier beat plymouth 2 0 in the league two playoff final at wembley stadium
pau gasol who helped spain win the silver medal at the 2008 and 2012 olympics is considering not playing at this summers olympics because of the zika virus
gasol said that there was too much uncertainty about the situation in brazil and that anyone going to rio de janeiro for the games should think about whether it was worth the risk brazil has been badly hit by zika the mosquito borne virus linked to severe birth defects and possible neurological problems in adults
gasol who plays for the chicago bulls said other spanish athletes had also expressed their concerns about the virus and were considering skipping the games
we need to understand the seriousness of the situation gasol said even though there are some soothing words being said we know that there are different opinions about the subject
gregory bourdy of france had rounds of 67 and 68 at walton heath to lead 13 players who earned spots in the united states open at an international qualifier in surrey england
the three time major champion padraig harrington of ireland seemed certain to join them until he finished bogey bogey three putting the 18th green to miss the playoff by one shot
joining bourdy at oakmont from june 16 to 19 will be the former ryder cup player peter hanson of sweden who is returning from injury and matteo manassero the 23 year old italian who has fallen to no 887 in the world
the rest of the qualifying for the united states open will be june 6 at 10 sectional sites across the united states
rose withdraws with injury the former united states open champion justin rose withdrew from this weeks memorial tournament with a lingering back injury rose ranked no 10 in the world has not played since finishing 19th at the players championship three weeks ago he won the memorial in 2010 and was second last year losing to david lingmerth in a playoff
agence france presse


after more than 1100 deaths exposed dangerous labor conditions in bangladesh in 2013 brands like hm walmart and gap were among the most powerful companies that pledged to improve the safety of some of the countrys poorest workers
but human rights groups say that three years later those promises are still unfulfilled and that safety labor and other issues persist in bangladesh and other countries where global retailers benefit from an inexpensive work force
a series of new reports by the asia floor wage alliance a coalition of trade unions and other research and advocacy groups has put a new spotlight on the conditions in bangladesh the group says tens of thousands of workers sew garments in buildings without proper fire exits in indonesia india and elsewhere pregnant women are vulnerable to reduced wages and discrimination in cambodia workers who protested for an extra 20 a month were shot and killed
the brands say that in recent years they have aggressively pushed stronger labor protections and vastly increased their monitoring of the factories that make their products they have also made significant structural and fire repairs at many factories in bangladesh
but even the retail groups say that more improvement is needed a message underscored in the new reports worker advocates say that progress on improving conditions at the factories has been too slow and that some of the worlds biggest companies continue to benefit from unfair and dangerous labor practices
there have been substantial safety renovations in factories that have unquestionably made those factories substantially safer scott nova the executive director of the labor monitoring group worker rights consortium said of the work in bangladesh at the same time its also true that there have been unacceptable delays
on tuesday the wage alliance released its latest report which accuses walmart of benefiting from forced labor and other abusive practices in a number of asian countries in cambodia for instance workers at factories who make products sold at the company are required to work 10 to 14 hours a day in sweltering heat without access to clean drinking water or breaks   conditions that have contributed to mass fainting episodes the report said
workers who refuse or who try to speak up for themselves risk being fired according to the report
in a statement walmart said that its standards for suppliers specifically address working hours breaks the cultivation of a safe and healthy work environment and freedom of association the retailer said that it does not own or operate facilities in cambodia or bangladesh but that it expects suppliers to uphold these standards in the factories from which they manufacture products
the wage alliance is releasing its studies to coincide with the international labour conference in geneva that began monday
this month the group released a report that detailed sexual harassment low wages and other abuses at hms supplier factories anannya bhattacharjee the international coordinator for the wage alliance also said that dangers persist at factories in bangladesh where the more than 1100 workers died in the rana plaza collapse one of the deadliest industrial disasters in history
at this point we do not see hm working in a way that would prevent another rana plaza ms bhattacharjee said
in a statement hm characterized the challenges outlined in the report as industrywide
the report raises important issues and we are dedicated to contributing to positive long term development for the people working in the textile industry within our sourcing markets the company said hm has been working actively for many years to help strengthen the textile workers conditions and will continue to do so
factories in many developing countries are under enormous pressure to churn out billions of dollars worth of goods at costs low enough to beat out the competition for business from foreign companies
hm with 25 billion in sales last year is one of the biggest beneficiaries of the so called fast fashion craze relying on factories in many countries to help quickly refresh its clothing offerings walmart the largest retailer in the united states has created an huge business out of inexpensive goods
but the collapse at rana plaza renewed discussions about how the appetite for cheap products affects some of the worlds most vulnerable workers what costs must be cut for example in order to sell a t shirt in the united states for 5
after rana plaza two coalitions of retailers   one dominated by european brands the other american   each made a five year commitment to regular inspections repairs and other corrective measures aimed at improving working conditions in bangladesh
the accord on fire and building safety in bangladesh led by the swedish retailer hm was largely seen as stronger because it included a legally binding arbitration provision to resolve labor disputes the other group the alliance for bangladesh worker safety which includes gap and walmart has no such clause but it can impose financial penalties and expel members who violate its terms
both groups say they have made progress of the 108000 issues identified through inspections at the roughly 1600 factories covered by the accord 60 percent have been reported or confirmed as corrected according to a spokesman joris oldenziel
the alliance group has repaired more than half of the issues at more than 600 active factories according to its website that has made its factories considerably safer said james f moriarty the country director for the alliance
but both of the retail coalitions admit that progress has been slow nearly 1400 corrective action plans are behind schedule at factories covered by the accord according to its website political unrest and a lack of qualified engineers had contributed to delays mr moriarty said
one widespread issue fire safety fire doors which can withstand high temperatures for a set period of time are not common in bangladesh and need to be imported the alliance group said the doors isolate a fire and keep flame and smoke out of stairwells the rana plaza collapse happened just a few months after the tazreen fashions fire which killed 112 bangladeshi workers
as of 2015 nearly 79000 workers continued to produce garments for hm in bangladesh in buildings without proper fire exits according to the wage alliance
its so grossly irresponsible to put thousands of workers into a building that doesnt have them mr nova said
a buildings safety is just one of the issues that human rights and labor advocates say must be addressed in bangladesh and elsewhere
the floor wage alliances report on gap for instance pointed to sweatshop conditions at one of the retailers suppliers workers in one factory were regularly forced into working more than 100 hours a week at poverty level wages
in a statement laura wilkinson a spokeswoman for gap said that the company worked with a wide range of stakeholders including workers unions governments and nongovernmental organizations to improve conditions at the factories that make its clothes
she pointed to the companys code of vendor conduct which requires workers to be paid either a legal minimum wage or a wage that meets local industry standards the code also said that factories are encouraged to pay enough so that workers can cover their basic needs and have some discretionary income gap says it has about 70 local staff members who help enforce its standards in the countries that make its products
the commitments from the alliance and the accord group are set to expire in 2018 labor advocates are skeptical that companies like hm can fulfill the promises they made in 2013
they promised to get our lives better but we dont get enough salary and working situation said nath sou 39 who works at a garment factory near phnom penh cambodia which supplies clothes to hm
ms nath said she gets 140 a month and must borrow money to pay her rent and support her family ms sou said that she could be fired for joining a labor union or protesting
we do not see who or what company could make our lives better she said


pittsburgh   the season san jose debuted in the nhl in 1991 92 the pittsburgh penguins captured a second consecutive stanley cup the sharks have spent the last quarter century just trying to play for one
the wait has been torturous and even after the sharks have arrived in the finals their frustration endures they continue to chase the penguins who squandered a two goal lead monday night but filched a 3 2 victory in game 1 after nick bonino scored with 2 minutes 33 seconds remaining
martin jones made 38 saves for san jose but he could not stop the high shot from bonino who corralled a brilliant pass that kris letang zipped through the crease past two defenders from behind the net letang noticed that san jose defenseman brent burns barreling toward him did not have a stick affording him a precious extra split second to thread the puck
when san jose went on the power play seconds later it was bonino who anchored the penalty kill that denied the sharks even a shot on goal spoiling their first stanley cup appearance in franchise history
they played their game for longer stretches than we did tonight san jose coach peter deboer said of the penguins thats what happens you dont deserve to win when you dont outplay the other team
letang had lost track of time in the third period unaware that less than three minutes remained when bonino scored so when i looked at the clock letang said i was pretty happy
it was that kind of game consuming and intense demanding full concentration played at supersonic speed the penguins roster is loaded with fast skaters like carl hagelin and phil kessel and bryan rust but their best asset is how quickly they all move   and think   together they race up and down the ice not as forwards and defensemen but as a unit offering support advancing the puck probing
that frenetic pace dominated play hewing to the penguins strengths in the first period and accentuating their blunders in the second instead of chipping in the puck and then dashing past the sharks defensemen they turn in the neutral zone
we chose to try to play in front of them instead of behind them coach mike sullivan said
on the rush though pittsburgh is deadlier than hemlock its first goal blasted into an open net by rust at 1246 of the first period came after justin schultz pinched into the sharks zone his shot deflected by marc edouard vlasic caromed toward the crease toward rust who had slipped behind his defender
rust spent part of this season in the minor leagues much like conor sheary who extended the penguins lead just 62 seconds later the swift maturation of pittsburghs younger players has lengthened its lineup it has also engendered trust
sheary skates on a line with crosby because he can handle the attendant expectations and responsibilities he also does so because he can anticipate the nightly wizardry from crosby   he was impossible to defend matt cullen said   who chased the puck behind justin braun and toward the corner gained separation with a tight turn then whipped a no look backhander across the ice and because he can collect that absurd pass and blister it into the top corner past jones
he sees you all over the ice sheary said
the quandary confronting bay area sports fans monday night watch san joses first stanley cup finals game or the golden state warriors pursuit of basketball immortality
those who tuned in for face off before tipoff were given little reason to watch joe thornton instead of klay thompson the score was 2 0 and even a hockey novice could have discerned the penguins dominance from the proceedings or the first period stat sheet   27 shot attempts 15 on goal for pittsburgh
they came out flying it looked like we were stuck in mud said san jose center logan couture who added we obviously werent prepared
all that could disrupt pittsburgh it seemed was a disavowal of a tenet so critical in this series
with an undisciplined penalty the penguins allowed san joses power play   converting at a 27 percent rate in these playoffs   to prowl and produce were tertiary assists awarded one would have gone to joel ward who initiated the sequence that led to tomas hertls goal at 302 of the second period with a deft swipe of his stick at the blue line keeping the puck in pittsburghs zone
it was a crafty goal by hertl but an ugly one yielded by matt murray as it zipped between his legs from a tight angle it foretold another this one by patrick marleau making his stanley cup debut in his 1577th career game
murray turned 22 last wednesday the day before he stifled tampa bay in game 7 of the conference finals and his development has both infused the lineup with confidence and created a goaltender conundrum for the front office to sort out this summer but his slow reaction to marleaus wraparound failing to slide to the opposite post in time accentuated a more pressing concern at the present
by ceding two consecutive goals to tie the score at 2 2 entering the third period the penguins again tumbled into a bad postseason habit they beat washington in game 6 of the teams second round series despite giving up a three goal advantage then lost game 5 to tampa bay after leading by two in the second period
the sharks sunk by letangs guile and boninos precision bemoaned their nerves their slow start their turnovers their stagnant neutral zone play they vowed to perform better in game 2 on wednesday but in the meantime they still trail in the series
the chase continues and so does the wait


oakland calif   the golden state warriors entered the nba playoffs having spent months chasing basketball magic as they overwhelmed a conga line of opponents the warriors went about the uncharitable business of obliterating records each new number more impressive than the last
yet the warriors have remained aware that all their feats would be meaningless without an opportunity to vie for another championship their victories consigned to the dustbin of near renown their records reduced to footnotes of almost greatness they have always wanted the whole package the wins the records and the trophy
golden state sustained the dream on monday by defeating the oklahoma city thunder 96 88 in game 7 of the western conference finals at oracle arena the warriors the defending champions are bound for the nba finals where they will face the cleveland cavaliers for the second straight year game 1 is here on thursday
you appreciate how tough it is to get back here said stephen curry who led the warriors with 36 points thats the one thing ive learned
of all the warriors accomplishments this one may have been the most impressive they had to win the final three games of the series to outlast the thunder whose miscues   missed shots turnovers and wasted chances to advance   could haunt the franchise for years to come
curry shot 13 of 24 from the field and made seven 3 pointers klay thompson his companion in the backcourt added 21 points including six 3s the warriors shot 17 of 37 from the 3 point line they also set an nba record for 3 pointers in a seven game series with 90 and curry broke the individual record by sinking 32 yes two more records big surprise
in the series finale the warriors trailed by as many as 13 points in the first half before overtaking the thunder in the third quarter golden state conjured its usual brand of basketball sorcery draining 3 pointers and flying for fast break dunks
when the thunder threatened late in the fourth whittling the lead to 4 on a short jumper by kevin durant curry emerged with the shot clock set to expire curry sold serge ibaka his 6 foot 10 defender on a pump fake and drew a foul as he launched a 3 pointer curry made all three free throws
that kind of hurt us durant said adding but hey its a lot of what ifs we could have said a lot what ifs throughout the whole playoffs
curry sealed the win with another 3 pointer as the final buzzer sounded and confetti fell around him he cradled the ball with his left arm and pumped his right fist
i knew we were ready for the moment curry said we were a mature basketball team that tried our best not to listen to the noise when six or seven days ago we were down 3 1 and everybody thought the wheels were falling off and it was kind of the end of our run but in that locker room the talk was positive it was lets figure it out 
durant scored 27 points on 10 of 19 shooting for the thunder and russell westbrook collected 19 points 13 assists and 7 rebounds both players supplied huge minutes throughout the series   durant played 46 minutes in game 7 westbrook 45   and each suffered by the end
fair or not the loss also opened the door to a flood of questions about durant who is due for free agency at the start of july will he stay or will he go
i mean we just lost like 30 minutes ago so i havent even though about it durant said im just embracing my teammates and just reflecting on the season
the warriors survived injuries the antics of draymond green and three elimination games against the thunder including one in oklahoma city on saturday the warriors erased a double digit deficit to win game 6 ensuring mondays do or die finale
kerr made one significant change for game 7 by starting andre iguodala instead of harrison barnes iguodala a versatile defender shed his warm ups attached himself to durant and wound up playing 43 minutes
hes going to need some good treatment tomorrow for sure curry said
early on the warriors labored with their shooting after having scored 41 points in game 6 thompson missed his first seven field goal attempts in game 7 even after thompson found his rhythm hitting three 3 pointers in a span of less than 2 minutes the thunder took a 48 42 lead into halftime
in the third quarter curry made consecutive 3 pointers   the first to tie the game the second to give the warriors the lead later after durant bricked a 3 point attempt the warriors raced the other way shaun livingston the teams backup point guard absorbed contact as he soared for a dunk his 3 point play pushing the lead to 6 the warriors did not trail again
it was an emotional play kerr said our bench was into it and it seemed to pick up our intensity that much more
in the finals the warriors will reacquaint themselves with the cavaliers and their old friend lebron james last season with the cavaliers hindered by injuries to kevin love and kyrie irving the warriors clinched the series in six games but love and irving are healthy and the cavaliers have been resting at home since they got past the toronto raptors in the eastern conference finals last week
it was no easy road to the finals for warriors who have been stretching themselves since the start of the season they won their first 24 games to set an nba record but their seasonlong pursuit of the 1995 96 chicago bulls for the best record in nba history seemed to take an emotional and physical toll
at the start of playoffs the warriors flirted with disaster curry sprained his right ankle in the first game of their first round series with the houston rockets then sprained his right knee three games later after missing about two weeks curry returned to help carry the warriors past the portland trail blazers in the second round
i think anytime you go through a long postseason you grow kerr said the experience is incredibly valuable
but with their length and shotmaking prowess the thunder were a far greater challenge especially when they dealt the warriors back to back blowout losses in games 3 and 4 the thunder could sense the delicious possibilities one win separating them from the finals the warriors dream season teetered on the edge
on the team plane back to oakland after game 4 green sat with thompson curry and andrew bogut at a small table they discussed their predicament
we just kept talking about what we needed to do and what we were going to do green recalled
on monday the warriors proved once again that they are more than mere showmen after a season spent chasing the impossible they are four wins from making it real


rio de janeiro   the anticorruption minister of brazils interim president michel temer resigned monday night after a secret recording seemed to show that he tried to stymie the sweeping corruption investigation revolving around petrobras the national oil company
the fall of fabiano silveira whose title was minister of transparency dealt another blow to a government that seems to limp from one scandal to the next just weeks after mr temer replaced dilma rousseff ms rousseff was suspended as president to face claims of budgetary manipulation in an impeachment trial
one of mr temers top aides romero juca stepped down last week as planning minister after another recording indicated that their centrist brazilian democratic movement party or pmdb had sought ms rousseffs ouster to thwart the inquiry into the petrobras graft scheme
in an increasingly paranoid atmosphere in the capital brasilia members of the countrys political and business elite are secretly recording one another with the aim of reaching plea deals sergio machado a politician who was the chief executive of a petrobras transportation unit for more than a decade has turned over a trove of recordings to investigators
in doing so mr machado who has been accused of helping to orchestrate the petrobras bribery scheme is betraying various senior political figures whom he recorded they include jose sarney a former president renan calheiros the head of the senate and mr juca the former planning minister who remains a senator and the president of the pmdb
in the latest revelation mr machado captured a conversation this year involving himself mr calheiros and mr silveira at the time mr silveira was on the national council of justice a panel overseeing brazils judiciary
in the recording parts of which were broadcast over the weekend on the globo television network mr silveira can be heard advising mr calheiros on how to deflect the scrutiny of prosecutors
a spokesman for mr silveira said the remarks had been taken out of context
mr calheiros together with an array of other powerful politicians is under investigation over accusations that he pocketed huge bribes in the petrobras scheme nearly 40 politicians business moguls campaign strategists and black market money dealers have been jailed since prosecutors began delving into the scheme two years ago
mr temer had resisted firing mr silveira even after employees at the ministry previously called the comptroller generals office prevented mr silveira from entering the building on monday but pressure increased on mr silveira throughout the day
its disappointing that the minister in charge of transparency is now under suspicion of taking part in a cover up operation said alejandro salas the americas director of transparency international an anticorruption group


toronto   a sign of how the yankees offense is in dire straits arrived in the ninth inning monday when manager joe girardi took the bats out of the hands of two struggling stalwarts
brett gardner hitless in his last 20 at bats was pinch hit for by the rookie rob refsnyder and alex rodriguez given the day off while in a 1 for 16 skid stayed anchored to the bench while a rally fell short in a 4 2 loss to the blue jays
the loss dropped the yankees to six and a half games behind first place boston in the american league east
the toronto right hander marco estrada shut the yankees out on three hits over eight innings before brian mccann hit a two run homer off aaron loup and mark teixeira doubled against drew storen to bring the tying run to the plate with one out but girardi stuck with starlin castro whose homer lifted the yankees to a win sunday at tampa bay and chase headley castro flied out and headley struck out refsnyder had struck out on an eight pitch at bat leading off
girardi said he did not use rodriguez for headley because storen had been hit hard by left handed hitters this season though it is hard to imagine that if rodriguez were not in such a funk since returning from the disabled list he would have been given a shot to tie the game
gardner had no complaints
ive always said if you dont like not playing or you dont like getting pinch hit for gardner said i havent been swinging the bat well recently and completely understand it
ivan nova struggled with command of his sinker and ryan goinss solo homer put the blue jays ahead 4 0 the yankees best threat against estrada came in the eighth when aaron hicks doubled castro to third with two outs but estrada after falling behind jacoby ellsbury by 2 0 got him to pop up it was the second time in two weeks estrada had beaten the yankees


beirut lebanon   inmates who seized control of the main prison in the syrian city of hama feared a massacre on monday night as security forces massed outside and the citys police chief trapped inside tried to mediate between them and the government of president bashar al assad
among the inmates demands were the release of political prisoners and an end to arbitrary trials
the revolt began last week when its leaders who say they are mainly civilians arrested for protesting against mr assads government took one of the syrian oppositions main grievances   the countrys notoriously brutal penal system   into their own hands
weeks ago the latest round of internationally sponsored peace talks which were supposed to focus on the plight of prisoners and hostages across syrias multisided war collapsed without any progress
the revolt created new ferment in hama a city that has remained under government control throughout the civil war but endured a deadly round of uprising and repression in 1982 by monday evening tensions were so high that prisoners feared government forces would try to storm the compound by morning
half a dozen prisoners have communicated with reporters for the new york times in recent days and weeks some spoke or sent messages on smartphones they acquired through smuggling or by bribing guards   not unusual in syrian prisons
others sent audio messages via two syrian lawyers themselves previously detained one of them for participating in lawyers demonstrations in court
we are in danger and we appeal to all the people anyone who has a conscience to stand by us to help us one prisoner pleaded in an audio message
inmates said they took over the prison last week for the second time in less than a month seizing several hostages but soon freeing all but the police chief maj gen ashraf taha they said he had volunteered to stay with them until a deal was made
on monday they said that they had gone three days without water or food and that many were falling ill
but they said they were holding out for a broad deal to free all of them and to allow international monitors into the prisons they called for the united nations syrian envoy staffan de mistura and the global powers to push for the enforcement of security council resolution 2254 which calls for the protection and release of detainees
otherwise they said they feared they could be killed or face other reprisals for the revolt
general taha told a delegation of prisoners that he had no control over other security agencies and might even be killed along with them said fahad al moosa one of the lawyers mr moosa added that intelligence officials were preventing general taha from getting his diabetes medicine sent into the prison
the regime is using the policy of starvation and subjugation and exhaustion of detainees health to break the prison mr moosa said from an insurgent held area where he runs a shelter for released prisoners after they take it over they will start to torture these prisoners
syrias prisons ranging from official ones like hama central prison the site of the revolt to a network of sites controlled by secret police agencies and pro government militias are riddled with torture arbitrary detention overcrowding and a lack of food and medicine according to numerous reports by syrian and international human rights groups
opposition groups say that at least tens of thousands of people are now detained with families often left in the dark for years about the prisoners location and condition
one antigovernment monitoring group the britain based syrian observatory for human rights recently contended that according to government sources at least 60000 people had died in detention since the uprising against mr assad began with street protests five years ago
the government denies such allegations and says its prisoners are terrorists and other criminals
many other combatants   armed opposition groups the al qaeda linked nusra front islamic state militants and kurdish fighters to name a few   are holding prisoners and hostages but plans for prisoner exchanges as part of the latest round of talks in geneva never got off the ground
the revolts have put new pressure on the government to maintain calm in hama which is in government held territory but near several front lines and has deep historical resonance as the site of an uprising led by the muslim brotherhood in 1982
the first of the two recent revolts in hama prison began on may 2 when five political prisoners were ordered transferred to intelligence agency prisons like saidnaya where they would be more likely to be tortured or killed
the government appeared unusually willing to negotiate sending high ranking officials hama is a high stakes city in 1982 mr assads father and predecessor hafez suppressed the violent muslim brotherhood uprising by leveling much of the city killing tens of thousands of people
many of the detainees are from hama and provoking unrest there even unarmed protests would be one new headache too much for stretched security forces
by may 10 a deal was struck to release all 850 political prisoners in batches but the deal did not last for a few days the government released as many as 20 prisoners a day but soon the numbers dwindled to the single digits
some were almost immediately rearrested
officials then took away some prisoners phones fortified the prison walls and began pressing for names of those who had organized the revolt or spoken to the news media last week the prisoners revolted again
now the prisoners negotiators yaser bargash and ramez bakoor insist that the whole group be released at once inmates and lawyers said failing that they asked that those slated for transfer to harsher prisons be released first
their advocates are trying to set up insurance policies they have obtained a complete list of all inmates names as of now that way they said they can track whether those people disappear


the rapper troy ave was formally charged with attempted murder and criminal possession of a weapon in manhattan criminal court on monday evening in connection with a fatal shooting last week during a concert at irving plaza
appearing in court in a wheelchair troy ave 33 whose real name is roland collins asked the judge for 50000 bail through his lawyers who stressed that he had no criminal record but judge ushir pandit durant heeded a prosecutors recommendation and ordered him held without bail until trial
his lawyers scott e leemon and john stella said mr collins was not responsible for the gunfire that erupted at 1015 pm on wednesday in a backstage green room above the clubs stage just before the rapper ti was to perform
one of mr collinss bodyguards ronald mcphatter was killed in the shooting three people were wounded including mr collins who was shot in the leg
hes the real victim here mr leemon said in court mcphatter died a hero trying to protect mr collins he was not shot by mr collins mr leemon also told the court that scientific evidence would show that mr collins did not shoot himself
the criminal complaint against mr collins shed little light on what happened backstage detective john santiago who swore out the complaint charged mr collins with attempted murder entirely on the strength of a security camera video that showed a man the police identified as mr collins firing a weapon
an eight second clip of that video was released on thursday it shows mr collins bursting through the door of a vip room on the second floor of the theater onto a balcony limping he scans the room raises a gun and fires a shot the muzzle flashing the complaint said the video showed that mr collins fired in the direction of other individuals
the police said a fistfight had broken out in one of the vip rooms a few minutes earlier just before someone opened fire a video from inside the room posted by tmz shows a group of men trying to break up a fight then three shots ring out


toronto   starlin castro spared the yankees the ignominy of being no hit on sunday and his two run homer off tampa bays jake odorizzi was enough to also spare the team from a defeat it could ill afford as it tried to climb its way back toward the top of the american league east
but counting on winning a game with one hit   something the yankees had not done since 1914   seemed like an inevitable outgrowth of how they are swinging the bat this season
an offense that was among the most formidable in baseball last season even with a late season slide has sputtered from the start after finishing last season second in the major leagues in runs scored the bottom line for judging production the yankees this season are second to last in the american league and 25th over all averaging 388 runs per game through sunday
the yankees who have been built around a power hitting lineup and a dominating bullpen back end have lost the pop in their bats they were fourth in the majors in slugging percentage last year at 421 they have sunk to 27th this season at 377 they have fallen to a tie with the minnesota twins for 19th from fourth in home runs and to last from 18th in doubles
and if the yankees with so many older lumbering hitters in the lineup are not driving the ball to gaps or over walls they have a hard time stringing hits together or manufacturing runs
it was more of the same monday as the yankees were beaten by toronto 4 2 their only offense coming on a ninth inning home run by brian mccann
this is a team that was second in runs scored behind toronto and castro was a significant add general manager brian cashman said that were radically different is a head scratcher
asked why the power had largely disappeared manager joe girardi said i wish i knew you see them work every day you like what theyre doing it just hasnt showed
the poster boys for the yankees troubles are the two anchors in the lineup alex rodriguez and mark teixeira
rodriguez returned thursday after spending three weeks on the disabled list with a strained hamstring but he is just 1 for 16 with nine strikeouts since then the one hit was a booming 441 foot home run he is hitting 170 and was given monday off
teixeira who had spent the past five days out of the lineup with a stiff neck started at first base monday but his season has been even more troubling he has not hit a home run in 37 games and 128 at bats the longest droughts of his 14 year career
obviously the two guys in the middle of the lineup they were responsible for 65 70 home runs last year cashman said of rodriguez and teixeira who have combined to hit nine   16 fewer than on the same date last season that tells most of the story
but not all of it
other than carlos beltran who led the yankees with 12 home runs and an 827 on base plus slugging percentage entering monday and castro who has been a considerable upgrade at second base over stephen drew few yankees are matching their production from last season mccanns ops has dropped by 033 chase headleys has declined by 056 brett gardners has dipped by 040 and aaron hickss is 219 lower than the fourth outfielder he replaced chris young
teixeira though said it was the heart of the order that needed to do a greater share
thats a big part of it he said me personally ive got to drive in runs its something ive done my whole career and thats what i want to keep doing we have a lot of guys on this team that can hit for power we just have to do it
the yankees say their collective approach at the plate has not changed this year under the hitting coach alan cockrell who was an understudy to jeff pentland who was not retained after last season cockrell is the yankees third hitting coach in three seasons
we want to continue to stay aggressive on pitches we can handle in the zone and continue to be disciplined and take our walks cockrell said thats what we preach
but there has been a subtle influence from the analytics department which has encouraged some players including headley to be more aggressive early in the count the yankees have cut down on their strikeouts   they had the third fewest in baseball entering mondays games   but have little to show for that extra contact
headley said that as teams had begun to move outfielders around this year with greater precision as they have done in recent seasons with infield shifts more hits had been taken away he pointed to a dispute over the weekend involving the dodgers and the mets to show the lengths that teams will go to the dodgers wanted to use markers in the citi field outfield to guide their outfielders on where to position themselves the mets refused to allow it and lodged a complaint with major league baseball
its making it really hard to hit if you dont hit it out of the ballpark headley said
inside pitch
the yankees lost the backup first baseman and outfielder dustin ackley most likely for an extended period after a magnetic resonance imaging test revealed that he had torn cartilage when he dislocated his right shoulder while diving back to first base on sunday the backup catcher austin romine who has a surprisingly robust 810 on base plus slugging percentage will serve as the backup to mark teixeira for now the utility player rob refsnyder has been called up to take ackleys spot ... the yankees activated pitcher luis severino from the 15 day disabled list and sent him to class aaa scrantonwilkes barre


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washington   president obama invited a syrian refugee to this years state of the union address and he has spoken passionately about embracing refugees as a core american value
but nearly eight months into an effort to resettle 10000 syrian refugees in the united states mr obamas administration has admitted just over 2500 and as his administration prepares for a new round of deportations of central americans including many women and children pleading for humanitarian protection the president is facing intense criticism from allies in congress and advocacy groups about his administrations treatment of migrants
they say mr obamas lofty message about the need to welcome those who come to the united states seeking protection has not been matched by action and they warn that the president who will host a summit meeting on refugees in september during the united nations general assembly session risks undercutting his influence on the issue at a time when american leadership is needed to counteract a backlash against refugees
given that weve resettled so few refugees and were employing a deterrence strategy to refugees on our southern border i wouldnt think wed be giving advice to any other nations about doing better said kevin appleby the senior director of international migration policy at the center for migration studies of new york
the world notices when we talk a good game but then we dont follow through in our own backyard mr appleby said
the delay is frustrating for mr obama who has made a point of speaking out against anti immigrant sentiment both in the united states and abroad arguing that republicans particularly the partys presumptive presidential nominee donald j trump are playing on misplaced fears about terrorism
weve got to push back against anti immigrant sentiment in all of its forms especially by those who are trying to stoke it just to seek political gain mr obama told a gathering this month of asian americans and pacific islanders in washington
at the white house he has instructed his top advisers that they must not fall short of meeting his goal to admit 10000 syrian refugees to the united states by the fall but an onerous and complex web of security checks and vetting procedures shared among several government agencies has made the target difficult to reach
at the same time white house officials concede that the challenging election year politics surrounding the issue   47 house democrats joined republicans in november in voting for legislation to further tighten the screening process   make it impossible to quickly take in substantially more syrians by removing any of the tough vetting procedures
mr obama has been very clear that he expects us to find a way to make this happen consistent with our security standards amy pope a deputy homeland security adviser said of reaching the target of 10000 refugees the dynamics within congress have certainly made it difficult to lean far forward in terms of refugee processing but our obligation is to leave the refugee process in better shape than we found it
the central american migrants pouring across the southern border pose a different but no less challenging problem individuals who enter the united states illegally do not necessarily qualify as refugees although a growing proportion of central americans are arriving with claims of asylum asserting that they are seeking refuge from violence and mortal threats in their home countries
while administration officials say they are working to address the root causes of the migration and to set up new programs to extend humanitarian protection to those who need it their primary response has been to try to deter central americans from making the dangerous journey to the united states one method has been to deport those whose asylum claims have been rejected
we have to control the border thats our job and we have to honor our humanitarian obligation cecilia munoz the director of mr obamas domestic policy council said in an interview the situation in central america as terrible as it is the legal standard may not be fully up to addressing why people are leaving
humanitarian groups have denounced the administrations approach arguing that the president must recognize the central american migrants as refugees
the administrations entire foreign policy has been built upon enforcement not protection said anna greene the director of policy and advocacy united states programs for the international rescue committee if this situation was playing out far from our borders our government would be funding a humanitarian response and demanding that other countries abide by their international obligations
the criticism comes as some of mr obamas allies on capitol hill are arguing that he has not done enough to respond to the syrian refugee crisis twenty seven democrats led by senator richard j durbin of illinois who was mr obamas partner in the senate and maintains close ties with the president told him in a letter this month that the administration can and should do much more to accept syrian refugees
the syrian situation is the most pressing humanitarian crisis of our time mr durbin said in an interview and if we do not respond in a positive and proactive way were going to have future generations asking where were you
the administration has scrambled to pick up the pace of resettling syrian refugees officials say the departments of state and homeland security sent a surge of personnel to jordan this year to interview about 12000 refugee applicants referred by the office of the united nations high commissioner for refugees and officials have begun processing cases in beirut lebanon and erbil iraq but the numbers remain stubbornly low
germany has not said how many refugees it might accept in 2015 it registered 447336 new applicants for asylum about 25 percent of them syrians
a program begun by the united states in 2014 to allow central american children with a relative in the country to qualify as refugees has approved only 300 an administration official said secretary of state john kerry announced in january that he would create another initiative to admit as many as 9000 refugees from el salvador guatemala and honduras after processing outside the united states but the program has not begun
administration officials argue that mr obama is doing more than most   the united states admits more refugees over all than any other country and is the largest contributor to humanitarian relief
when you step back and look at the longer term picture in terms of the united states record on the un refugee program josh earnest mr obamas press secretary said this month its hard for other countries to criticize


viacoms directors vowed on monday to fight any potential moves by the ailing media mogul sumner m redstone and his daughter shari redstone to eject them from the companys board
as a power struggle looms over the future of mr redstones 40 billion empire viacoms lead independent director said in a letter that an attempt to remove viacom directors from the board would be completely inconsistent with sumners lifetime commitment to an independent board and professional management for viacom after his incapacity or death
the letter underscores how the board of directors has sided with philippe p dauman viacoms embattled chief executive in the fight that has erupted over mr redstones companies sent on behalf of viacoms independent directors the letter pre empts any public moves by mr redstone or ms redstone to remove board members changing viacoms board would signal a step toward dismissing mr dauman from the helm
the proclamation continues the dramatic turn of events that has seized mr redstones companies in recent weeks mr dauman was ousted on may 20 from mr redstones trust and the board of national amusements the private theater chain company through which mr redstone controls 80 percent of the voting stock in viacom and cbs two of the worlds largest entertainment companies
that control will pass to an irrevocable trust after mr redstone dies or if he is declared incompetent mr dauman promptly filed a lawsuit challenging whether mr redstone had the mental capacity to make such moves and suggesting that mr redstone had been manipulated by his daughter
the letter is a sign of how viacoms directors are preparing their own legal challenge in the event they too are dismissed
to a person we feel the responsibility to challenge in court what we honestly believe would be legally flawed removals the letter states that is especially so because the flaw we see would be the inexplicable assertion that sumner was acting of his own free will and with the mental competency to do so
in the letter which was sent to viacom employees investors and the news media the directors took a direct shot at ms redstone frederic v salerno viacoms lead independent director said in the letter that an attempt to remove viacoms board would be inconsistent with mr redstones stated judgment for many years that his daughter shari should not control viacom or his other companies
a spokeswoman for ms redstone declined to comment a spokesman for mr redstone also declined to comment
in a statement on friday mike lawrence a spokesman for mr redstone said sumner redstone will make every decision with the same deliberation and consideration with which he removed philippe dauman and george abrams as trustees based on the best interests of shareholders mr abrams a longtime director at viacom was pushed aside along with mr dauman
viacoms stock price has declined about 35 percent in the past year and the company has continued to report weak earnings last week viacoms stock price increased about 13 percent after the announcement that mr dauman had been removed from the trust
on friday the activist investor eric jackson of springowl asset management outlined his plan for what he believed should happen next at viacom first he said mr dauman should be fired immediately viacom then should merge with cbs he said and move to spin off paramount pictures the film and television studio owned by viacom
in the letter mr salerno acknowledged viacoms dismal numbers stating that the board was not happy with where viacoms performance stands he added that one important step to spur growth was for the company go ahead with its plans to sell a minority stake in paramount
we hope that the fight over control does not impair or completely undermine this potential step with paramount mr salerno said
through representatives mr redstone has previously stated that he is against a paramount deal
mr salerno acknowledged the continued controversy over mr redstones mental capacity this month a los angeles judge dismissed a trial challenging mr redstones competence yet the judge did not make a decision about whether or not mr redstone was mentally competent that question has resurfaced in mr daumans suit
if sumner is found competent and acting without undue influence we may be legally removed simply for having explored strategic options that might include a minority investment in paramount he added that said our job is to try to do our job not to try to keep our job that is all we can promise   and we do promise it


new york city abhors a vacuum and in some ways the scraggly parkland along the bushwick inlet in brooklyn pocked with industrial ruins and warehouses where a 28 acre park was to be born is exactly that it is a hole in the cityscape waiting to be filled
so it makes sense that as the city continues to struggle to make good on a more than decade old promise to develop the park   stymied by its inability to acquire all the necessary land and slowed by the laborious process of cleaning up the areas legacy of industrial grime   a competing idea has arisen sprouting through the cracks in the process like weeds through a sidewalk
and of course since this is brooklyn the two visions for the site peel back to reveal something familiar the clash of brooklyn past and brooklyn hipster
the original plan would tear down the graveyard of rusting oil refineries that sit on the site which stretches from greenpoint to williamsburg along the east river and return the reedy riverbank to something closer to nature the new idea called maker park would keep the refineries and turn them into a sort of industrial theme park   a beautiful and otherworldly industrial topography according to the website of its advocates
but the idea is anathema to longtime park advocates
scott fraser a member of friends of bushwick inlet park an advocacy group that has spent two decades fighting for green space at the waters edge denounced the industrial park plan every day we are like the little guy with the dam trying to keep the water from coming and taking away our dream of the park this stuff hits personal to the soul
maker park has emerged from the larger parks inertia bushwick inlet is unfinished in part because nearly half of the land the city promised to buy is still owned by citistorage whose owner norman brodsky is seeking 250 million for the property according to news reports the city has already spent 198 million to buy various parcels to turn into parkland and an additional 258 million on development costs according to mayor bill de blasios office that total is far beyond initial cost estimates of 60 million to 90 million
the city would not say if it might consider using eminent domain to seize the land but even then mr brodsky would be entitled to some compensation as of monday night mr brodsky had not responded to a request for comment
in the meantime the maker park idea has grown its plans call for turning a decrepit warehouse with broken windows into a grand exhibition hall for local artists viewing platforms could be built atop the giant defunct oil tanks which might be converted into greenhouses or gallery space to host art exhibitions its supporters say maker connotes light industry and tinkering
the idea for maker park came from zac waldman who works in advertising and is a former tenant of a warehouse used for light industry that the city razed as part of the park project maker parks team also includes stacey anderson the director of public events and community engagement at the municipal art society of new york and karen zabarsky a creative director at kushner companies a real estate development firm owned by jared kushner whose father in law is donald j trump
to a community still dealing with the fallout from a giant oil spill that pervades nearby newtown creek the very premise of maker park is offensive oil is a really really dirty word here said stephen chesler a web developer who is the co leader of friends of bushwick inlet park for the people who have lived here for generations it would really be a slap in the face
mr fraser said those skyscrapers are marching up right around the tip of greenpoint they are strangling us the park is part of the answer he added its hard to sell glorification of oil tanks to a community that has that toxic substance under the entire neighborhood
but ms anderson said maker park was using industrial waste in a creative way its about stepping back and looking at these structures for their beauty and their majestic value she said not looking it as preserving oil tanks but seeing what can we do with these structures
maker parks promoters take pains to avoid the appearance of foisting their vision on the community they say that plans are still vague awaiting community input
but they have already assembled a development team led by jay valgora an architect behind the redevelopment of a sprawling brick storehouse in dumbo brooklyn into a tech hub called empire stores the team also includes landscape and graphic designers as well as suzan tillotson a lighting designer whose firm has illuminated lincoln center plaza in manhattan
mr valgora said initial plans had been drawn up but he refused to share them with the new york times on the record
similar ventures to turn blighted sites into parks have been successful in places as far afield as the waterfront in helskini finland in manhattan there is the high line the wildly popular park created from an abandoned elevated train track there were a lot of people who saw the high line as an eyesore mr waldman said who saw any industrial infrastructure as not working with parkland and thats one way of seeing things and we just dont see it that way
but the bushwick inlet site rests on heavily polluted land that the city says needs extensive remediation to make it safe as a result city officials call the maker park idea untenable
the necessity of environmental remediation on this postindustrial site requires the demolition of the existing buildings and contaminated tanks said natalie grybauskas a spokeswoman for mr de blasio adding that the maker group was told this nearly a year ago
but in response the maker park team retained an environmental lawyer and a scientist and filed a freedom of information request seeking the citys environmental data on the site mr valgora said his team would conduct its own environmental study of the land
no matter which vision prevails an 11 acre piece in the middle of the site is still owned by mr brodsky threatening the park plan in its entirety the citistorage site is for sale and news reports have indicated that buyers are circling
thats the biggest threat mr fraser said it could go tomorrow


uganda has agreed to cut all military and police ties with north korea depriving the north of a crucial base for arms and other exports in africa the office of president park geun hye of south korea said on monday
president yoweri museveni of uganda made that promise in a summit meeting with ms park on sunday during her visit to africa her office said
in the meeting her office said mr museveni agreed to comply with united nations sanctions aimed at limiting north koreas capacity to earn foreign cash for its banned nuclear and missile program
we are disengaging the cooperation we are having with north korea as a result of un sanctions sam kutesa ugandas foreign minister told the ugandan broadcaster nbs television
col shaban bantariza a spokesman for the ugandan government said his country was simply disengaging from military cooperation and not cutting diplomatic ties with the north koreans the associated press reported
instructors from north korea have been in uganda for years training its police in weapons use and in other areas according to south korean officials and a united nations sanctions report uganda was also believed to be a crucial buyer of rifles and other small arms from north korea
under economic pressure from international sanctions north korea has relied on the exports of weapons and the deployment of military instructors abroad as a source of foreign currency
the united nations vowed to crack down on these income sources in its latest sanctions imposed after the norths nuclear test in january
north korean officials have been visiting uganda since the days of kim il sung   grandfather of the north korean leader kim jong un   who cultivated ties with african countries when he was president
mr museveni in power since 1986 visited north korea in 1987 1990 and 1992 and met with kim il sung when he visited south korea in 2013 he surprised officials by greeting them in korean he said he had learned it from kim il sung the south korean news agency yonhap reported
in 2014 he received a north korean delegation led by kim yong nam the no 2 man in the norths hierarchy but that year his government declined to receive an international kim il sung award that the north offered to mr museveni yonhap reported
the park museveni agreement if put into effect would be a coup for ms park who supports aggressive enforcement of united nations sanctions against north korea during her current three nation tour in africa she has tried to rally support for the sanctions offering aid packages as incentives
during her visit uganda and south korea signed 10 cooperation agreements in areas like defense health rural development and communications technology both governments said
south korea has exported 350000 worth of helmets bulletproof jackets and grenades to uganda in the last three years according to south korean government data
for decades south korea and north korea have tried to undercut each others influence in africa the visit by ms park was the first state trip to uganda by a south korean president since the two nations established diplomatic relations in 1963
on tuesday north korea launched a missile but the test ended in failure the south korean military said it was the latest in a recent string of test flops that have embarrassed kim jong un who has positioned his countrys missile and nuclear programs as his key achievement
the north launched the missile from a site east of pyongyang the north korean capital the south korean military said in a statement it said the test was a failure but it provided no further details like the type of missile used pending further analysis


it seemed like quick thinking when the cincinnati zoo shot to death a gorilla who was manhandling a small boy who had fallen into its enclosure on saturday afternoon
but soon animal rights supporters were organizing a vigil outside the zoo in remembrance of the gorilla named harambe a teenage male online petitions circulated blaming the mother of the child for negligence by monday the chorus of outrage had reached such an intense pitch that the zoo held a news conference to defend itself
speaking to reporters thane maynard the zoos director forcefully rejected the second guessing of what he called monday morning quarterbacks over the decision to kill the gorilla one of an endangered species instead of using a tranquilizer dart
after the 4 year old boy breached a barrier to the gorilla world exhibit and fell into its moat harambe seemed to take an intense interest in the child
the child was being dragged around mr maynard said his head was banging on concrete this was not a gentle thing the child was at risk
mr maynard said a tranquilizer would have taken precious minutes to knock out the western lowland gorilla weighing more than 420 pounds while the impact of the dart might have startled him posing an even graver danger
mr maynard said the animal was capable of crushing a coconut with his hands the boy was lucky that harambe had not done so to him if only out of carelessness he said noting that the gorilla had become agitated and disoriented by screams from the crowd
neither the child nor his mother has been publicly identified but the boys family in a statement released through a public relations firm said on monday that he was doing fine after being treated at a hospital and released on saturday
we are so thankful to the lord that our child is safe the family said we extend our heartfelt thanks for the quick action by the cincinnati zoo staff we know that this was a very difficult decision for them and that they are grieving the loss of their gorilla
the boys mother however has certainly not been at peace on twitter facebook and other forums tens of thousands of people have expressed vitriol over her failure to keep the boy out of trouble
by late monday an online petition had garnered more than 180000 signatures calling for her to be investigated by law enforcement and child protective services agencies for possible child neglect on tuesday the cincinnati police said they were investigating the episode
in hundreds of comments on the petition supporters said harambe an innocent animal had not deserved to die
shannon blackmer of raleigh nc summed up one of the themes one womans negligence cost a primate his life and nearly cost her son his
outside the zoo on monday the gorillas supporters held placards that read rip harambe because his life mattered and in loving memory harambe inside flowers were placed at a gorilla statue
witnesses at the zoos popular gorilla world enclosure on saturday said the boy had somehow slipped past its wire and wood barriers then scurried through brush before falling about 10 feet into a small moat
for about 10 minutes harambe held onto the boy at times standing over him in what appeared to be a protective posture but at others darting across the moat while yanking the child violently by the ankle a woman could be heard yelling mommy loves you
on monday mr maynard defended the enclosures barriers he said they had passed regular checks by an accrediting agency and had not been breached since the exhibit opened in 1978
the barriers are safe he said the barriers exceed any required protocols the trouble with barriers is that whatever the barrier is some people can get past it
asked by reporters who was then to blame mr maynard reiterated that the barrier was adequate then added we all need to work to make sure that our families and our kids are safe whether youre visiting the zoo or youre visiting the shopping mall
he repeatedly declined to blame anyone
rob vernon a spokesman for the association of zoos and aquariums which accredits zoos said it expected a report from the cincinnati zoo
i would expect that through the process of a review that we may find that we need to have more stringent protocols related to gorilla enclosures and thats the direction well head he said
some people have come to the mothers defense
kevin figueroa torres who set up a facebook page in support of the mother said he had learned how slippery small boys could be when he helped run a preschool for four years people do not get that he said
it just bothers me mr torres 23 said in an interview on monday theyre acting like kids dont run off like kids dont do sneaky stuff like that
brittany nicely was standing nearby on saturday when the boy fell into the pen she said it had all happened very fast the mother she said had not been neglectful
she had three other kids that she was with she had a baby in her arms said ms nicely 29 who has two children of her own
the boy had made his move and was in the pen in the blink of an eye she said
mr maynard said on monday that the zoo was going through a tough time but that it had also received plenty of support
weve heard from thousands of people around the world colleagues all the way to jane goodall zoo directors from all over the world with both sympathy and with support for a difficult decision he said
zoo workers gathered early monday to share stories about harambe some tears were shed mr maynard said
were the ones who took the loss on this he said it doesnt affect anyone as much as it does the people here at the zoo


omaha   the florida gators were awarded the top seed in the ncaa baseball tournament monday leading a record four southeastern conference teams among the eight national seeds florida 47 13 was ranked no 1 in the polls for most of the season and finished as the runner up to texas am in the sec tournament it has never won a national championship in baseball
the gators have been a national seed seven times under coach kevin osullivan including no 1 in 2012 no top seed has won the championship since miami in 1999 the first year of the current tournament structure
the other sec national seeds are no 4 texas am 45 14 no 6 mississippi state 41 16 1 and no 8 louisiana state 42 18
the atlantic coast conference has three national seeds in no 2 louisville 47 12 no 3 miami 45 11 and no 7 clemson 42 18 the big 12 has the other national seed in no 5 texas tech 41 16
the sec also set a record sunday when the ncaa selection committee picked seven of its teams to host regionals six acc teams will host regionals including the defending national champion virginia 37 20
the 16 regionals are scheduled from friday through next monday and each includes four teams playing a double elimination format regional winners advance the next week to best of three super regionals which will determine the eight teams that will play in the college world series in omaha beginning june 18
the 64 team field is made up of 31 automatic qualifiers and 33 at large selections
ten acc teams are in the tournament tying the record for the most from one conference
ive never seen a league as strong as this year florida state coach mike martin who has led the seminoles for 37 years said ten teams is quite an accomplishment
north carolina nearly gave the acc an 11th entry at no 19 the tar heels 34 21 have the highest rating percentage index of any team ever left out the rpi is one of several metrics the selection committee uses to determine at large teams
joel erdmann the selection committees chairman said the tar heels were the first team left out after following an 18 2 start with a 16 19 finish and a fifth place ranking at 13 17 in the accs coastal division
what makes it unique is they are within the top conference in the nation but when you really break down their field of work their resume they within the conference struggled a bit erdmann said
four teams are in for the first time as automatic qualifiers fairfield 32 24 of the metro atlantic athletic conference alabama state 38 15 of the southwestern athletic conference utah valley 37 21 of the western athletic conference and st marys college of california 33 23 of the west coast conference
western michigan 22 32 upset kent state in the mid american conference title game and was one of two teams that made it as automatic qualifiers with losing records
the other was utah 25 27 which won the pacific 12 conference regular season title   the league does not hold a conference tournament   with a 19 11 league mark the utes are in their fifth season in the pac 12 and finished last in each of the previous four never winning more than seven conference games
erdmann said the final three teams picked for at large bids were southeastern louisiana 39 19 no 40 rpi nebraska 37 20 no 48 and south alabama 40 20 no 50 the next two teams left out after north carolina were oregon state 35 19 no 44 and west virginia 36 22 no 61


bethlehem pa   walking through the main entrance of lehigh universitys murray h goodman stadium on saturday spectators looked down upon a pitted field a collection of figures in the distance dashed toward goals on the gigantic patch while the lush green wooded hills of the lehigh valley soared above them in the background
the setting was metaphorical in a way for the inaugural games of the united womens lacrosse league which promotes itself as the first professional womens lacrosse league in the country with four teams   the baltimore ride the boston storm the long island sound and the philadelphia force   the uwlx is trying to carve its place on the landscape of american professional sports
to start a womens professional sports league in 2016 is a challenge recognition profitability and long term success have largely eluded such endeavors in the united states
led by digit murphy and aronda kirby the co founders along with the assistance of michele dejuliis a womens lacrosse pioneer who is the leagues commissioner the uwlx plans to employ a model it hopes will change the definition of success for professional female athletes
murphy coached college and professional womens hockey for 28 years before starting the uwlx she said that new womens leagues were unfairly judged against the successes of mens leagues noting that almost a century separated their origins
im kind of calling it title ix 20 murphy said if you start to work in this middle space we will incrementally make it quicker if we dont compare ourselves to the men lets just build a sustainable model first sustainability is only between 30000 and 40000 a year thats doable
missy doherty who coached penn state in the ncaa womens lacrosse final four on friday and will lead the force this season said womens lacrosse was inherently different from the mens game the womens game has less physical contact and less protective equipment and it often has faster play
the uwlx has changed the rules to entice new fans including a shot clock 2 point goals and the canceling of stoppages on a whistle
katie rowan liz hogan and michelle tumolo who played at syracuse and became coaches after graduation said the new rules were a factor in their joining the uwlx
they changed the rules for what people want to see tumolo said
for the opening doubleheader on saturday a majority of attendees were also on site for us lacrosses national tournament which drew 65 teams and more than 1000 players from around the country the ncaa womens lacrosse final four was also being held outside philadelphia about an hour away
for its inaugural season the uwlx has scheduled games with the assistance of us lacrosse a strategic partner of the league at sites of other well attended tournaments throughout the summer
that to me is really an interesting twist and interesting to see if its going to work said mary jo kane the director of the tucker center for research on girls and women in sport at the university of minnesota
at lehigh the public address announcer recited the score and time after goals the announcer also periodically reminded the crowd of the different rules and added the slogan the fastest game on two feet just got faster
the league offers travel stipends but no salaries but many players embraced the challenge of helping the sport grow
its going to take time said katie schwarzmann a two time winner of the tewaaraton award as college lacrosses top player were going to need to get a lot more fans to really gather around what were doing but i think its a great start
throughout the games murphy roamed the sideline talking to players coaches and referees exchanging ideas on ways to improve the presentation
murphy said a major goal of the uwlx was not only to provide a platform for players after college but also to act as a feeder system to the national team and create flagship events us lacrosse hopes the sport will be introduced at the 2024 summer olympics according to ann carpenetti the vice president for lacrosse operations
its really not necessarily about lacrosse murphy said its about growing opportunities
those opportunities include targeting youth players last year murphy and kirby created the play it forward sport foundation which has a mission of creating pay equality by fusing sports and community the new league is imbued with that ethos
the league has sponsorships from acme markets the new england sports village and stx a major equipment supplier murphy said a goal was to work with large companies not only to contribute sponsorship dollars but also to make contributions from their nonprofit arms toward play it forward sport which can be used for community programming initiatives that employ uwlx athletes
one of the first local groups the league contacted was from the strawberry mansion neighborhood in philadelphia jazmine smith created a program eyekonz as an outlet to introduce african american girls to lacrosse during halftime the team played an exhibition match against a club from california and received equipment donations
it can open up the spectrum smith said of the uwlx a player just asked me jazmine is this professional this is what i want to do
hogan who will travel almost every weekend from california to compete in the league added the grass roots effort is important not in my lifetime of playing am i really going to enjoy making money off of it the real potential is opportunities for girls and to continue growing womens sports
the players and coaches have overwhelmingly bought into murphys philosophy which she conjured toward the end of her stint as coach of the boston blades of the canadian womens hockey league
womens sports have evolved tremendously since the advent of title ix the federal law that prohibits discrimination based on gender and creates athletic opportunities for women with enrollment figures increasing a natural progression is more professional opportunities
but womens professional leagues still struggle to succeed with sexism and a lack of sponsorship from corporate america two troubling factors
the cwhl and the national womens hockey league which last year offered players a salary for the first time have been unable to secure a full commitment from the nhl whose revenue averaged 133 million per team for the 2014 15 season according to forbes instead the womens leagues settle for whatever symbolic gestures the league is willing to make
the nwhl featuring top american olympians drew steady attendance but it also fumbled an opportunity when a dispute with the cwhl overshadowed an exhibition game at the winter classic recently the nwhl has been a target of legal issues stemming from investment disagreements
as the united states womens national soccer team fights for pay equality the national womens soccer league battles for visibility as does the wnba in its 20th year
kane agreed with murphys idea of clarifying how to gauge the success of womens sports in america
developing a new league in a niche sport particularly in womens sports you have to have different criteria kane said its an unfair and unrealistic comparison to compare what is essentially a tech start up company to apple we would never do that instead of saying how does womens lacrosse compare to men i would want to compare womens lacrosse to what was the interest five or 10 years ago
according to us lacrosse the sport is the fastest growing team sport at the high school level with the number of girls programs rising 298 percent from 2010 to 2015 during that period there was a 366 percent growth in ncaa womens lacrosse programs
even with these figures murphy stressed that success could not be gauged in one year she said she believed that if the uwlx became a profitable long lasting league she most likely would not be around to see the mountaintop but murphy is at peace with that
when women start to galvanize i think we can move mountains but we have to be ready to give and give back murphy said well move it thats what we did in hockey i always feel like im growing it and when it gets there im not there
i was always a woman advocate masquerading as a coach i was a coach   im a great coach   but i was a better womens advocate and thats what i was put on the planet to do


donald j trump who has made reversing americas trade imbalance a pillar of his campaign often portrays himself as uniquely capable of wringing concessions out of china through hard nosed business tactics he has honed over the years
in fact he says he has a personal track record to back up his boasts
i beat china all the time mr trump declared in a speech the day he announced his candidacy i own a big chunk of the bank of america building at 1290 avenue of the americas that i got from china in a war very valuable
mr trump does have an investment in the building an office tower near rockefeller center but court documents and interviews with people involved in the deal tell a very different story of how he ended up with it
it began when a group of hong kong billionaires including one who has been called the donald trump of china helped rescue mr trump from the verge of bankruptcy by investing in one of his properties in manhattan
for years the carefully cultivated relationship between mr trump and his hong kong partners proved lucrative for both sides and stands out as perhaps the closest that mr trump has come to international diplomacy
to strike the deal mr trump had to attend elaborate dinner parties featuring foreign foods he did not want to eat he delayed the closing because of chinese spiritual beliefs and hunted around new york for a feng shui master to help with the building decor instead of indulging his tastes for marble and gold according to former associates of mr trump who were involved in the deal
but when his hong kong partners sold the property without his support mr trump waged a bitter long shot legal battle against them and far from winning his share of the bank of america building according to court documents he had to settle for it after losing in court in the end mr trumps alliance and eventual rivalry with some of hong kongs richest men proved to be a tale of mr trump at the extremes it showcased his unflagging confidence in his ability to turn a bad financial situation around but it also underscored his willingness to destroy a fruitful relationship with aggressive litigation
their partnership began in 1994 after the collapse of the real estate market left mr trump deeply in debt he could not afford to make the bank payments on a 77 acre swath of land near lincoln center known as riverside south let alone to develop the property
in need of cash he agreed to meet with intermediaries from a consortium of hong kong billionaires who were willing to buy the land assume mr trumps debts and pay him 30 percent of the profits as well as fees for helping to manage the development of the site which they agreed to finance it was by far the best offer he received the group included henry cheng kar shun one of the worlds richest developers and vincent lo who is mr trumps chinese counterpart in more ways than one
like mr trump mr lo comes from a wealthy family he is well known for creating a hip restaurant area in shanghai called xintiandi or new heaven on earth an upscale brand he has replicated across china his life has been chronicled by tabloids and society pages especially his divorce from his first wife and his marriage to a beauty pageant winner miss hong kong of 1977
despite their similarities mr trump hesitated when he received an invitation to travel to hong kong to negotiate the deal he does not like to travel and he feared that negotiating on the hong kong developers turf would put him at a disadvantage and make him appear weak said abe wallach mr trumps executive vice president of acquisitions and finance at the time
but face to face meetings are crucial in chinese business culture where personal bonds and political connections collectively known as guanxi are relied upon to avoid and resolve business disputes sometimes more than the legal system eventually mr trumps aides convinced him that he had to make the trip
in hong kong the golf games dinner parties and intensive talks featured the awkwardness and cultural miscues that can crop up in any high stakes international negotiation mr lo and mr cheng invited mr trump to play golf but mr trump was appalled when they told him they usually bet more than 1000 on each hole they ended up betting 100 per hole and mr trump wound up losing more than he won mr lo recalled in an interview this month
hes a good golfer but we had the local knowledge   he probably was jet lagged mr lo said
mr lo and mr cheng invited mr trump to dinner at the home of mr chengs father an uncommon honor in chinese culture but the evening was a trying experience for mr trump
he didnt like the food and couldnt use chopsticks recalled mr wallach who was there the first course was a whole fish with the head still on you could see the face of the fish and the teeth which really looked grotesque the servant put the fish in front of donald donald said the honor belongs to abe i took my chopsticks and began to pick at it
mr cheng and mr lo also half jokingly proposed an informal drinking contest which mr trump a teetotaler declined
the hong kong partners were wary of mr trumps well earned reputation for litigiousness but for more than a decade mr trump avoided conflict with them indeed he often deferred to them chase manhattan bank which held mr trumps mortgage initially scheduled the closing of the deal during chinas ghost month during which some believe the spirits of the dead roam the earth
the chinese told me that we would have to wait until after the fifteenth of september to close the deal mr wallach wrote in a chapter of an unpublished book he is writing about his years with mr trump trump went apoplectic but he said that mr trump went along
mr lo said that any delay had been caused by a need to complete paperwork and that he and his business partners were not superstitious
the project proved extremely profitable as the new york real estate market rebounded in 2005 the hong kong partners sold the development for 176 billion although it was believed to be the largest residential real estate transaction in the citys history mr trump was furious and contends to this day that his partners did not consult him first
i said why didnt you come talk to me whatever price you got i could have gotten more money mr trump recalled in an interview this month
mr lo said that mr trump had been informed of the decision and that in any case it would have been very hard to shop such a large property around without mr trumps becoming aware of it
instead of accepting his share of the proceeds mr trump sued his partners for staggering breach of fiduciary duty in a lawsuit that demanded 1 billion in damages mr lo who felt that mr trump should have been appreciative of the deal he had received called the lawsuit a shock
and when the hong kong partners sought to invest the proceeds from the sale in bank of america buildings in san francisco and new york mr trump sought an injunction to scuttle the deal
the judge ruled against him instead of receiving the cash he wanted mr trump had to accept a 30 percent share in the profits from the two bank of america buildings tied up in a partnership that is slated to last until 2044 but today mr trump counts that legal defeat as a victory
through more luck than talent i ended up much better because the buildings have increased in value he said in the end it was fine
nonetheless mr trumps litigation over riverside south dragged on for at least four years he forced his partners to produce more than 166000 pages of documents in court and accused them of various transgressions including fraud and tax evasion
during the litigation mr lo was forced to keep his trips to the united states secret out of concern that mr trumps lawyers would serve him with court papers that would force him to remain in the united states
outside court mr trumps battle seemed to take the shape of a personal rivalry with mr lo who had just bankrolled a chinese reality television show called wise man takes all it loosely resembled mr trumps show the apprentice although mr lo appeared just once on the show and handed out start up capital to the winners instead of jobs
mr trump announced that he was going to take a version of the apprentice to china to compete with mr los show although mr trumps show there does not appear to have gotten off the ground in an interview mr trump asked a reporter how mr los show had turned out then answered his question lets put it this way it wasnt the apprentice which was a big success
mr lo said his show had met his real goal of promoting entrepreneurship in china
after the lawsuit the hong kong partners moved swiftly to cut all ties to mr trump mr lo sold his shares in the partnership to the cheng family which sold to vornado realty trust now the owner of a 70 percent interest in the bank of america buildings
but in the interview mr trump sounded almost wistful about his former partners marveling at the money they had made together and at the fact that they no longer spoke he acknowledged that his former partners might have gotten the best deal possible on riverside south after all
its too bad that this happened mr trump told a reporter
if you speak to vincent and henry tell them i think they are fantastic people he said you let them know that donald trump has great respect for them ok
eight thousand miles away in his penthouse office in hong kong mr lo laughed when told of mr trumps comment he made clear that he had not forgotten being sued for 1 billion
well thats him mr lo said to file a lawsuit is nothing its just like having lunch


buenos aires   president mauricio macri of argentina said monday that he would repatriate 13 million in savings from accounts in the bahamas he will use the money to buy argentine treasury bonds because he is confident the countrys struggling economy will recover he said
the money was first deposited in merrill lynch accounts in switzerland and the united states he said but was transferred to the bahamas after a private swiss bank the julius baer group bought the merrill lynch international wealth management unit from bank of america
mr macri recently set up a blind trust to handle his financial holdings in response to criticism over his roles in two offshore companies which emerged after the panama papers leak he has said that the companies were family businesses and that he was a figurehead without compensation


guatemala city   irina and igor bitkov were once entrepreneurs in a new russia lauded by provincial leaders and eager to expand the thriving paper company they had created from derelict soviet era factories
then came their downfall they fled to guatemala confident that they had found a safe haven   but it did not last entangled in guatemalas anticorruption drive the bitkovs are accused of using false documents to acquire guatemalan citizenship and now await the decisions of a legal system almost as impenetrable as the one they fled
the couple say they are victims of a plot to punish them after they refused to mix politics with business in russia like many who built businesses and ran afoul of the government of president vladimir v putin the bitkovs say they were powerless when the state took their company
you know what they want   slaves ms bitkova said in a recent interview they want businesspeople who have money influence and success to support them they wont let you be independent
whether that is the only reason for their predicament is unclear
russian banks say the couple embezzled millions of dollars ruined their own business and should face prosecution in russia
the bitkovs say there is a political motive behind the actions of the state owned banks that forced them into bankruptcy when their industry foundered the source of their troubles they argue was a new governor in the western enclave of kaliningrad who wanted them to collaborate with united russia mr putins party
they were not the only business owners to lose their companies to russias banks which maneuvered swiftly to exploit clients weakness in hard times said ilya shumanov a deputy director for the anticorruption group transparency international and the former head of its kaliningrad office
nor is there any evidence to corroborate the bitkovs assertion that the kremlin persecuted them over their refusal to follow political orders
while the bitkovs say they left russia because of what they called physical and legal threats from a corrupt system they appeared blind to the kind of corruption that would ensnare them in guatemala offered a quick fix with fake documents they agreed
we fought against one bad thing and we benefited from another mr bitkov 47 said in an interview at the small crowded jail for white collar suspects where he has spent almost 18 months
ms bitkova 45 and the couples children anastasia 25 and vladimir 4 who was born in guatemala live under what is essentially house arrest no trial date for the couple has been set and the family is seeking political asylum in guatemala
a return to russia would be a death sentence mr bitkov said
there is little question that moscows long reach set the guatemalan case in motion
in 2013 russias vtb bank accused the couple of embezzling 6 million and laundering the money in guatemala and filed a criminal complaint which was never pursued but that complaint alerted guatemalan officials to the bitkovs fake papers which implicated the couple in an investigation by an anticorruption panel into a criminal network in the passport and civil registry office
work by the anticorruption panel the international commission against impunity in guatemala or cicig has led to charges against about 50 people in that case
vtb was a major creditor of the north west timber company the st petersburg business founded by the bitkovs in 1997
they want to show company owners that they are going to punish any businessman in any part of the world mr bitkov said explaining why he believes the bank has pursued them for so long over what he called false charges
harvey pacay a guatemalan lawyer for vtb in the case said the banks concern was strictly business related our principal objective in this case was really for the investigation into the false documents and then their expulsion so that they can be judged in their own country he said
we dont know if they face political persecution if they have problems with vladimir putin mr pacay added
the couples account of the case against them in russia echoes the pattern of other corporate raids in that country company owners targeted by rivals or even by government officials often face a legal onslaught and the threat of prison time intended to force them out
the bitkovs said their problems began in 2006 after they refused to collaborate with georgi v boos the new governor of kaliningrad where they were one of the largest employers
ms bitkova said she had declined an invitation from the deputy governor to act as the regional representative for mr putins party we didnt want to become their puppets her husband said
threats grew over the next two years the bitkovs said the couple said anastasia was kidnapped when she was 16 and was found three days later only after they paid 200000 to the police they then sent her to study in britain
there were demands for money to be paid to offshore accounts mr bitkov said and threats of jail for failure to comply as costs rose in the paper industry the banks began to cut off credit
in april 2008 the couple left
days later sberbank gazprombank and vtb the state owned banks that had lent their company hundreds of millions of dollars gave the bitkovs 48 hours to pay negotiations from abroad failed and criminal cases were opened against the couple
the banks took over the company laying off employees and selling most of the assets actions that made no sense economically the couple said
i can sincerely say that we lost everything mr bitkov said
mr boos the former governor rejected the bitkovs accusations against him and said their troubles were not politically motivated he said their business could not withstand multiple pressures including a shortage of wood
i dont think there was a conspiracy he said when the crisis hit the banks became more demanding
after the couples arrest in january 2015 though russian newspaper coverage described the bitkovs as criminals pavel a astakhov russias child rights commissioner announced concern for the bitkovs son vladimir and suggested that he receive a russian passport
they get you where it hurts most said ms bitkova who fears vladimir could be sent to russia
although many russians in similar situations seek asylum in britain the bitkovs said they had worried they might not be accepted they found an easier and cheaper solution a company that advertised legal guatemalan documents they flew to guatemala and acquired passports under assumed names in government offices in 2009
why cant i receive a document to save my life that of my wife and of my daughter mr bitkov said i got the document in a public place not in a warehouse
such arguments sound disingenuous to prosecutors in what country in the world do you pay for your nationality said diego alvarez a spokesman for cicig
feeling safe the bitkovs did little to hide their presence in guatemala they bought a house in a gated community mr bitkovs mother came and the family posted excerpts online from a reality show featuring anastasia
if i hadnt been in such a complicated situation i would have given it more thought irina bitkova said of the easy solution the family was promised in guatemala maybe it was the fear that pushed us


washington   a judge called a hater by donald j trump for his handling of a lawsuit related to the businessmans trump university real estate school has ordered documents related to the case to be unsealed
mr trump is fighting a lawsuit that accuses his school venture of misleading thousands of people who paid up to 35000 for seminars to learn about mr trumps real estate investment strategies
in an order signed on friday judge gonzalo p curiel of united states district court said that related materials including trump university procedures on dealing with students and the news media should be unsealed
he noted that the material had already been published by politico and that a magistrate judge described them previously as routine and commonplace
at a rally on friday in san diego mr trump criticized judge curiel
i have a judge who is a hater of donald trump mr trump said
were in front of a very hostile judge the judge was appointed by barack obama trump said adding that he believed judge curiel was mexican
judge curiel is an american who was born in east chicago ind
legal scholars said that mr trump could face consequences for his criticisms
mr trumps conduct could be subject to sanction for indirect criminal contempt of court said charles g geyh a legal ethics expert at indiana universitys maurer school of law
he has impugned the honesty of the judge in a pending case mr geyh said and has done so in the context of a political rally that seems calculated to intimidate by inciting anger among his supporters
arthur d hellman an expert on federal courts and judicial ethics at the university of pittsburgh school of law said the judge was in a difficult position
he cant respond directly mr hellman said hes not supposed to talk out of court about proceedings before him judges have gotten into trouble defending themselves from attacks
mr trump has drawn criticism for his comments about immigrants from mexico some of whom he has said were criminals and rapists he has proposed building a wall along the united states border with mexico to prevent illegal immigration and requiring mexico to pay for it


london   putting aside very recent and bitter differences londons new mayor sadiq khan of the labour party on monday joined forces with david cameron the conservative prime minister in the campaign to keep britain in the european union
the importance of the june 23 referendum on whether to remain a member has caused mr khan and mr cameron to bury the heated exchanges of the mayoral campaign mr cameron supported the conservative candidate in suggestions that mr khan a muslim had historic ties to islamic extremists
mr khan who was elected this month believes it is vital for london its financial markets and its businesses to stay within the single market of the european union his views are a sharp contrast to his predecessor as mayor boris johnson a conservative who is one of the leaders of the leave campaign and who has challenged mr camerons leadership
mr khan is also drawing a contrast to the leader of his own party jeremy corbyn who has come out in favor of remaining but with little passion and who has refused to campaign alongside mr cameron
the conservatives were accused of running a racist campaign but on monday at a political campaign meeting in southwest london mr cameron praised mr khan for being a proud muslim a proud brit and a proud londoner
mr khan made a point during the campaign of his rise from humble origins as the son of immigrant parents with his father driving a bus and his mother working as a seamstress on monday mr cameron born rich and educated at britains finest schools did not shy from the contrast
hes the son of a bus driver mr cameron said im the son of a stockbroker which is not quite so romantic but he makes an important point about our country in one generation someone whos a proud muslim a proud brit and a proud londoner can become mayor of the greatest city on earth that says something about our country
mr khan responded there are many things upon which the prime minister and i will disagree but whats really important is when its in londons interests for the mayor of london and the government to work closely together we will work closely together
he said londoners were open to the world the reason why london is the greatest city in the world   and it is   we have never taken an isolationist approach mr khan said we are open minded we are outward looking we embrace other cultures and learn from other cultures and ideas as well
mr khan also called for a more positive campaign in favor of remaining in the union   both campaigns have been pressing on voter anxiety either about economic risks of leaving or the dangers of supposedly uncontrolled immigration if britain stays in
so on monday he and mr cameron unveiled a pledge card that will be distributed around the country in the name of the remain campaign making voters five guarantees full access to the european single market protection of workers rights the continued right to issue arrest warrants in europe a special status for britain in europe and economic stability
mr camerons problem is not with the labour party but with his own conservatives who are deeply divided over europe to pacify them and to undermine the populist uk independence party or ukip he promised this referendum if he won a second term in elections a year ago
now he is stuck with it and the complexities of britains long relationship with the european union and the difficulties of extracting britain are nearly impossible to explain to political scientists let alone ordinary voters for whom europe had never been a particularly prominent issue
seeming to trail among voters those favoring exit or brexit have been pushing ukips line about controlling immigration as the issue most likely to motivate voters on sunday mr johnson and michael gove the justice minister and another leader of the leave campaign wrote a letter to mr cameron accusing him of corroding public trust by promising in vain to limit net immigration to fewer than 100000 a year
official statistics showed last week that net migration to britain from the european union alone last year was 184000 out of a total of about 330000 brexiteers argue that britain can control immigration only by quitting the bloc which requires freedom of movement and labor for all european union citizens
the letter was taken as a direct challenge to mr camerons authority and this vote will also define how long he remains in office anything less than a solid victory for remain could bring a hasty end to his political career and the bitterness of the fight will make it hard for the party to reunite no matter the result


philadelphia   his north carolina shirt was soaked a deeper shade of blue his hat was turned backward and eye black was smeared on his shoulder then coach joe breschi lifted his arms and began to sprint toward section 122 here at lincoln financial field
his wife and four daughters scrambled down a stairway onto the field to embrace him all were sobbing
happy tears breschi said happy tears
helmets sticks and jerseys were scattered around them as if some nonviolent explosion had stripped the players of their belongings they were in the opposite corner of the stadium celebrating north carolinas first mens lacrosse national championship since 1991 crying and hollering until their throats were hoarse and dehydration nearly set in they asked for water
but then they were off to cut the nets and slap hands and take more pictures never before had a team been unseeded entering the ncaa tournament and completed a run like the tar heels their final hill was the steepest to crest   maryland 17 3 the top seed playing for a national title for a second year in a row
but north carolina as it has done found another way the tar heels 12 6 fought back from a two goal deficit in the final five minutes to win in overtime 14 13 on a man up goal by chris cloutier
cloutier the left handed linebacker of the offense who had scored nine goals in the semifinal win on saturday over loyola maryland ripped a sidearm shot past maryland goalkeeper kyle bernlohr off a feed from michael tagliaferri with 1 minute 39 seconds left in the extra period it was cloutiers 19th goal of the tournament a record and his fifth of the game
i didnt really know how to react he said later i just sort of stood there
he stood there as teammates flooded the field racing around marylands stunned players who seemed frozen in defeat the terrapins championship drought extends to 1975 despite four appearances in the title game since 2011
the terrapins had been ahead 13 11 with less than eight minutes left having largely solved north carolinas deep offensive attack breschi called a timeout to regroup the tar heels and instead of panicked looks he reviewed a surprisingly calm huddle
these guys had zero pressure he said
indeed breschi had said before that he felt as if his team were crashing the party north carolina was a bubble team upon its selection for the tournament the tar heels had been picked to finish last in the atlantic coast conference at the beginning of the season they started 3 3
late sunday breschi was trying to figure out how to address his team before the game he drifted to sleep and woke up at 3 am to the image of ray lewis the former baltimore ravens linebacker speaking on nfl network about his teams run to the super bowl as a wild card after the 2000 season
breschi a lifelong ravens fan took it as a sign he told his players thats going to be you today
the tar heels burst out of the gate to a 4 0 lead but a failed clear by goalie brian balkam was stolen by dylan maltz in front of the net and maltz scored to get maryland on the board the terrapins scored the next three goals tying the game
it was back and forth from there after north carolina retied the game at 13 13 with 322 remaining in regulation both teams turned the ball over in the closing minutes and a shot by marylands colin heacock hit the pipe with 39 seconds remaining north carolinas luke goldstock four goals was called for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty near the goal giving maryland an extra man possession to start overtime
but early in the extra period marylands connor kelly four goals had a good look at a shot that balkam managed to block with his stomach saving carolinas season
what better time to make a stop on man down than overtime to win the national championship said balkam who made 13 saves
north carolina also got an extra man opportunity after a crosschecking penalty was called on marylands mike mccarney that was when cloutier delivered
it was just inches away from putting that ball in the back of the net maryland coach john tillman said of kellys shot id give that guy the ball in overtime anytime
it had been an emotional tournament for breschi 48 and his family to reach the final four the tar heels had to defeat notre dame at ohio stadium in columbus only a short drive from the cemetery where breschis son michael is buried in 2004 michael breschi was killed in an automobile accident at age 3
there were tears of grief in columbus a week ago as that memory was revisited but as breschi reminded his family on monday these now are happy tears
weve been through a lot breschis wife julie said hes been working for this moment for so long this is absolutely living the dream


at least six people have died in flooding from torrential rain across large areas of texas and emergency workers were searching for an 11 year old boy who was swept away in a storm swollen creek in kansas the authorities said on monday
record breaking rain since the middle of last week has swallowed cars damaged houses and led to the evacuation of 2600 inmates thunderstorms brought more troubles to areas already saturated by other recent storms
in an area including san antonio and austin tex the heavy rain could not soak into the limestone and sandstone that characterize the hill country region leading narrow creeks to brim with fast running waters
since wednesday the thunderstorms have dropped pockets of intensely heavy rain or rain bombs as meteorologists call them
these have circulated through east texas dallas and corpus christi along with austin and san antonio hitting some parts harder than others said kurt van speybroeck a national weather service meteorologist
as a result rainfall has ranged from four inches in parts of the dallas fort worth area to 30 inches in washington county the authorities said
everybody has seen some impact mr van speybroeck said it has been moving all around but several locations around the state have been taking it on the chin
in coastal brazoria county where the brazos river empties into the gulf of mexico 2600 inmates from two prisons in rosharon were evacuated on sunday to facilities in three nearby counties because the river was expected to reach historic flood levels said jason clark a spokesman for the texas department of criminal justice
texas terrain and location make parts of the state prone to unruly weather its proximity to a flow of moist air from the gulf of mexico sets the stage for heavy rain and the high potential for rapid runoff in the hill country makes it vulnerable to flash floods said lamont bain a weather service meteorologist
urban areas like houston which was under a flood warning on monday are particularly prone to flooding because rain is poorly absorbed if at all in sprawling concrete communities he said
in last weeks storms a low pressure system from the west generated a mass of air that stayed moist and semitropical setting off thunderstorms that moved across the southeastern and central parts of the state mr van speybroeck said
one of the hardest hit places was washington county in southeastern texas an area of 622 square miles with a population of about 33700
john brieden the washington county judge who serves as a county administrator said on monday that workers were trying to assess the damage in the county where 17 to 30 inches of rain had fallen in 24 hours by friday
we are a rolling hills area so generally we dont worry about flooding it usually goes to low lying areas mr brieden said but this was so much water so quickly so all of these streams and creeks were going over the tops of roads and bridges
the national weather service recorded 1662 inches of rain in one day on thursday in brenham the seat of washington county breaking a previous one day record of 1038 inches in 1994
outside brenham the body of a 21 year old man darren mitchell was recovered after his truck was overtaken in a flood khou television reported that he had posted a facebook message saying and all i wanted to do was go home just before his family lost contact with him
mr brieden said he could not confirm that mr mitchell had posted the message which had an image of floodwaters lapping at the trucks windows mr brieden said three other bodies had been retrieved from vehicles that had been carried off
he said rescuers had carried out about 50 swift water operations sometimes with sonar to search for people reported missing
at least one bridge was washed out and approaches to others were inundated making many areas of the county unreachable more than 100 houses have been damaged mr brieden said
it is sprinkling right now he said around noon on monday the rains havent gone away completely
and more rain is to come
the national weather service has forecast eight to 10 inches and possibly up to a foot of rain from wednesday through friday in some central and southeastern parts of texas
its a very small break in a pretty bad situation mr van speybroeck said the soils are saturated and the rivers are swollen and flooded
in the central part of the state kirk c jenkins a kendall county warden said the body of a 23 year old woman had been retrieved on sunday from a vehicle that became inundated by flash flooding near comfort mr jenkins said it was his understanding that two other people in the vehicle were able to escape
the storms also swamped travis county where rescuers in a helicopter retrieved the body of a man on sunday during a search of a state highway area said lisa block a county spokeswoman the man was not identified
in kansas much of the central region was under a flash flood watch through the end of last week
the wichita fire department battalion chief scott brown was quoted in local news media as saying that rescuers planned to continue searching this week for an 11 year old boy swept away on friday by high fast moving waters in gypsum creek
we will work as hard as we can and as long as we can to try and bring some kind of closure and peace to the family chief brown told the wichita eagle


many of the worlds largest internet companies like google and facebook rely heavily on advertising to finance their online empires
but that business model is increasingly coming under threat with one in five smartphone users or almost 420 million people worldwide blocking advertising when browsing the web on cellphones that represents a 90 percent annual increase according to a new report from pagefair a start up that helps to recoup some of this lost advertising revenue and priori data a company that tracks smartphone applications
the use of ad blocking software has divided the online world supporters say it allows people to get better access to content without having to suffer through abrasive ads opponents particularly companies that rely on advertising say blocking ads violates the implicit contract that people agree to when viewing online material much of which is paid for by digital advertising
mobile ad blockers though have become particularly widespread in emerging markets where people are more reliant on their smartphones to use the internet
already 36 percent of the smartphone users in the asia pacific region have so called ad blocking browsers on their mobile devices allowing them to remove online ads when they use the internet in india and indonesia   two of the worlds fastest growing internet markets   that figure is almost two thirds of smartphone users according to the report
we found the results surprising because in the west we dont often consider whats going on in developing countries said sean blanchfield chief executive of pagefair its only a matter of time until mobile ad blocking comes to the west
patrick kane chief executive of priori data said greater use of the software in emerging markets was driven by attempts to minimize spending on mobile data ad blockers help conserve data and make websites load faster by not downloading ads on peoples phones
while mobile ad blocking is mostly an emerging market phenomenon now it is costing the global advertising industry billions of dollars a year in lost revenue roughly 200 million people also have ad blocking software on their desktop computers pagefair estimates
still only 43 million americans or 22 percent of smartphone owners used ad blockers   through browsers or other services   on their smartphones as of march by comparison 159 million people in china have installed ad blocking software on their cellphones the report said
but as people in western markets increasingly rely on smartphones to reach the internet the use of mobile ad blocking is expected to rise
in june three uk a british cellphone provider will conduct an ad blocking test across its network allowing people to opt in to remove ads whenever they use their mobile phones digicel a carrier that operates mostly in the caribbean has started offering a similar service
analysts say such efforts may breach so called net neutrality rules which require all online data including intrusive ads to be treated equally legal experts though say the use of ad blocking has yet to be challenged in courts over whether it meets net neutrality standards
despite this legal uncertainty peoples interest in blocking ads particularly on their cellphones is unlikely to wane
its already used by hundreds of millions of people mr blanchfield of pagefair said you cant put the cat back in the bag


donald j trump relishes the spotlight of live television hillary clinton has long recoiled from it now the television news industry is wrestling with how to balance fairness credibility and the temptations of sky high ratings as it prepares for a presidential matchup like none other
mr trump the presumptive republican nominee has become a daily fixture on influential programs startling producers by even personally calling control rooms to shape coverage
mrs clinton the democratic front runner is not absent from cable news she called in to cnn and msnbc last week to rebut attacks from her rival but she remains leery of tvs unscripted nature appearing far less often than mr trump and irking some bookers who complain about the difficulties of luring her on the air
for broadcasters turning down an interview with a candidate is anathema to a news culture trained to pursue maximum access yet the starkly different strategies of the candidates are straining the industrys bedrock notions of evenhandedness
the two candidates are running two different kinds of races said john dickerson the moderator of face the nation on cbs who has interviewed both mrs clinton and mr trump on his show
at every opportunity possible you invite both of them on to share their views and answer the questions of the moment mr dickerson said but a lot of this is on the candidates if they believe a point is better expressed by their surrogate or not talking at all thats sort of their choice
networks are seeking novel ways to maintain balance like staging voter town halls that provide candidates with equal airtime seeking a wider spectrum of on air contributors and campaign surrogates and bringing more fact checking into segments as jake tapper has done recently on cnn to some acclaim
still the presence of mr trump can be irresistible especially in an election in which viewership and advertising rates have soared generating tens of millions of dollars in additional revenue for an industry threatened by digital competition
last week none of the three major cable news networks   cnn fox news or msnbc   carried mrs clintons speech to a workers union in las vegas where she debuted sharp new attack lines against mr trump
instead each chose to broadcast a live feed of an empty podium in north dakota on a stage where mr trump was about to speak
the same discrepancy occurred earlier this month when the cable networks aired mr trumps address to the national rifle association live from start to finish a speech by mrs clinton in detroit days later to a labor union did not receive the same coverage all three networks skipped the speech with fox news airing a lighthearted segment about a nationwide backlog of cheese
in interviews more than a dozen anchors executives and news producers displayed admiration for mr trumps facility with their medium some expressed a bit of soul searching admitting unease at the unfiltered exposure he has received with one anchor describing frustration about being asked to conduct on air interviews with mr trump by telephone rather than in person but several offered the defense that whatever viewers make of mr trump he is undoubtedly newsworthy   and always accessible
i dont think anybody has seen anything like this said bret baier the chief political anchor at fox news
mr baier who has moderated a democratic town hall with mrs clinton and has interviewed mr trump on his show said that producers are really trying to think outside the box to balance mr trumps ubiquity onscreen
he also said he was stunned when mr trump telephoned a control room at cnn this month urging a midlevel producer to pursue a story he deemed favorable it was an intervention virtually unheard of in presidential politics where candidates typically rely on an army of media handlers for such tasks mr trump had called producers at msnbc that morning as well
some network officials concede that mr trump can be an unreliable narrator of his own campaign reversing himself on policies from one interview to the next but they also say that mrs clinton   who has been even more reluctant to give interviews to print outlets than to television   is notably less comfortable interacting with the media sometimes keeping her out of the daily conversation
theres always a challenge if you have one candidate who is not very cooperative and isnt interested in going appearance for appearance said chuck todd the moderator of meet the press on nbc
mrs clintons team prefers interviews with local stations rather than say national morning shows calling it a more targeted way to reach voters in key regions
she rarely holds formal televised news conferences   unlike mr trump who sometimes takes questions from reporters for as long as an hour cable channels usually carry those events live and network officials point out the news value in showing a presidential candidate making off the cuff remarks
as a journalist one of the most important things that we can do is ask tough questions of the people who would be president   thats our job said sam feist cnns washington bureau chief donald trump puts himself in a position to answer questions
a thornier subject is mr trumps unrivaled ability to hijack a news cycle a trait that producers are not yet sure how to handle mr baier of fox news said that mr trumps provocations in interviews and on twitter seemed designed to contort the days media stories adding for good or bad or however you look at it hes been successful at doing that
mr dickerson of cbs has his own name for these distractions the shiny object moments
it feels like there are more of those now than ever before he said
viewers are clearly following along prime time advertising rates spiked at the major cable news networks in the first quarter of the year rising 45 percent at cnn and 23 percent at msnbc compared with the same period the year before according to kantar media which tracks ad spending
weve never had a candidate who tweets as much as he does who speaks as colloquially as he does on his own terms mr dickerson said of mr trump he noted that senator john mccain in 2008 also welcomed open talk with the press
but there wasnt the social media environment that would immediately inject whatever mccain was saying into the campaign bloodstream mr dickerson said we have to balance and deal with all of that


ever since the dutch arrived in manhattan with their tools and trinkets and the british followed not long after with redcoats and frigates gentrification has been a fact of life in new york city no doubt walt whitman took the ferry to brooklyn for the cheaper rent while andy warhol had to build four different factory locations to keep up
it seems life has rarely been harder for working artists in manhattan while galleries selling multimillion dollar artworks still line chelsea and the upper east side the artists making them have largely decamped for other boroughs and beyond
yet just as certainly as new yorks rents will rise artists will find ways to work in the city that feeds their creativity fortunately for some of them a few culturally inclined developers are discovering clever ways to make space for these painters sculptors and others working in the visual arts
how many empty basements neglected boiler rooms and junk filled storage spaces are scattered across new york the principals of sugar hill capital partners began to ask themselves that when they first toured the warren of trash strewn rooms beneath 3621 broadway a 47 unit prewar building they bought in spring 2013 among the young developers who share a penchant for art an idea quickly formed
it was pretty easy for us to just throw it all out paint everything white maybe hang a little drywall so they could put up their work and then we turned them loose jay solomon the firms creative director said on wednesday at the building
for going on three years seven artists have occupied studios just beyond an astroturf lined courtyard on west 149th street called 601 studios for the propertys side street address
i spent my whole career moving north said fred brathwaite the pioneering graffiti artist and filmmaker better known as fab 5 freddy in the 80s it was the lower east side then midtown in the 90s now im back home in the kind of space i never thought id find
mr brathwaites studio a capacious 1000 square feet of white cement and pipes lies beyond a series of twisting hallways and doors canvases scrawled with his distinctive tags against backgrounds of mini subway cars boomboxes and tiny campbell soup cans line the walls there are also large black and bedazzled portraits from a series featuring jack johnson the heroic turn of the century boxer and bumpy johnson the notorious harlem gangster
adrian kondratowicz perhaps best known for creating polka dot trash bags to beautify garbage day occupies a space down the hall he has had a studio in harlem for the past decade most recently at 142nd street and fifth avenue last year the landlord arrived and told all of the tenants they had to get out
he is for the first time feeling secure in his studio the community is just great in terms of mutual studio visits or just being here while the work is happening he said
an advantage to such a rough hewed space is that the landlord does not especially care what the tenants do to the building gustavo prado a sculptor who employs convex mirrors among other media in his work has bolted a number of pieces to the large beams and pipes that run through his studio
i didnt even make that hole he told mr solomon grinning it was there already
i just cant believe my good fortune jenna westra said standing inside her tribeca studio barely a year after earning an mfa in photography from hunter college large portraits of friends models and strangers striking angular almost geometric poses hung on the walls
these days it really does take a good fortune to afford a loft in the neighborhood where artists thrived in the 1970s and 80s for ms westra and six other recent graduates the monthly rent is a mere 1 per square foot through the hercules art studio programs two year residency
their patron is andrea woodner a designer artist and philanthropist she owns 25 park place where the studios are on the third floor her inspiration came last year at a symposium at which everyone was talking about complicated ways to keep artists in new york city
its simple ms woodner recalled thinking just charge less rent   and i was in a position to do that
when an electrical unions lease expired at 25 park place ms woodner teamed with claire weisz an architect friend to create hercules there their research found there were less than 100 nonprofit studio spaces in the city
to select the first group of residents students from columbia hunter and new york university were asked to apply and then ms woodner and some colleagues visited their thesis shows ms westra and six others including two painters who got the end studios for their natural light were chosen and moved in in march
i was in a shared space in new jersey paying twice as much for half the space before i came here said ilaria ortensi an italian artist who creates architectural sculptures and paintings
already the herculeans ambitions for their space have grown they plan to host exhibitions for their contemporaries work as well as lectures salons and the occasional dance party
were so lucky to be here so we want to share it said ofra lapid an artist from tel aviv and makes collages heavily inspired by its bauhaus buildings
ms woodner agrees they should not be the only ones her ultimate goal is to demonstrate that studios can be a viable business for landlords especially if the city and the state are willing to offer incentives like tax breaks that might offset foregone rent
there was no plan b for these kids ms woodner said they were going to be artists and they were going to be in new york and we have to help them with that
being in proximity to other artists is not the only appeal of working in new york
i love being influenced by working class people bahar behbahani said last week inside a studio downtown that was never a problem in iran but once i came to america i never get to do that except with the cabdrivers
now she does it almost every day since september ms behbahani has been working out of the 15th floor of 40 rector street in lower manhattan   and a construction site a block south 50 west street
she shares the space with three other artists and the sales gallery for 50 west a curvaceous 64 story condominium tower nearing completion off the battery francis greenberger the developer is a noted collector
we wanted art that was of the building not just decoration said jennie lamensdorf the in house curator at mr greenbergers firm time equities
while each artist is obliged to create a series of works of the new building   the ultimate in lobby art   they also have round the clock access to the studios where they can work on any projects they desire
ms behbahani completed an entire series of new works while in residency called garden coup now on view at the thomas erben gallery so too did hugo bastidas and paul anthony smith who both focused on making portraits of the projects construction workers
ive never had so much space to work in before ms behbahani said wearing a pair of paint splattered uggs
noa charuvi an israeli artist living in brooklyn was the first to take up residency there sharing the space with the towers general contractor her art typically addresses the conflict in her native country including paintings of bombed out homes
my work is around ruins and rubble ms charuvi said this is a completely different subject matter but the materials are the same working in a construction pit
like ms behbahani   who created large paintings that overlaid the penthouse floor plans with scenes of equally luxurious persian gardens   ms charuvi had hoped to work on other projects but she quickly found herself so consumed with scenes of mud muck and rebar that they became almost all she has painted since even after her residency ended
i just couldnt stop ms charuvi said
now she does not have to with the tower nearly finished ms charuvi has been invited back


for decades bosses at publishing houses glossy magazines consulting firms advocacy groups movie production companies and talent agencies have groomed their assistants to be the next generation of big shots by working them long hours for low wages
call it the devil wears prada economy after the novel depicting life working for a fictionalized anna wintour the longtime vogue editor
but now with the obama administration moving to require time and a half overtime pay for most salaried employees making less than 47476 a year that business model is suddenly under assault the change presents more than an economic challenge for the companies that rely on the willingness of young ambitious workers to trade pay and self respect for a shot at a prestige job down the road
in the eyes of those who have survived the gantlet of midday coffee runs and late night emails the administrations overtime regulation represents nothing less than the beginnings of a cultural shift and not necessarily a welcome one
you want to bump into the boss at 8 oclock at night said dan reynolds chief executive of workman publishing the publisher of what to expect when youre expecting and many of sandra boyntons childrens books
im interested in how this will affect that mr reynolds said its more of a cultural thing than anything else
supporters of the new rule see many benefits saying it will rein in an overly workaholic atmosphere and perhaps diversify a rarefied world that tends to be white and upscale thanks to its reliance on social connections and the difficulty of working for scraps without affluent parents
still the coming change which will take effect on dec 1 promises to be disorienting for many in these prestige professions
in a letter to the labor department after it proposed the overtime rule last summer workmans general manager jill salayi suggested that because the company could not afford to pay overtime to all newly eligible staff members or raise their salaries over the new threshold it would have to cut back their hours in many cases
less will be asked of them she argued which means they will not receive sufficient career development or see timely advancement andor promotions
mr reynolds stressed that workman was confident it would be able to adjust financially
some high profile nonprofits have raised similar concerns ideologically the united states public interest research group founded to fight companies that harm consumers and the environment and judicial watch which conservative activists created in the 1990s largely to uncover clinton administration corruption have little in common but both groups in letters to the labor department argued that the new overtime rule would hamper the mission of training young idealists
we would send them to the clinton library if were doing an investigation susan prytherch who oversees human resources for judicial watch said of junior staff members we may think differently before sending them off
according to lowell peterson executive director of the writers guild of america east which represents writers in movies television and digital media the model is very much alive and well in hollywood as well
being a writers assistant is often the way people get into the business of writing for a living for television he said
the same goes for politics according to raelynn olson the managing partner of gmmb which led the team that produced ads for both of barack obamas presidential campaigns many of the firms senior leaders began their careers in entry level positions here including a number of our partners ms olson said
but the problem with trying to perform one job while simultaneously demonstrating aptitude for a bigger one is that it can require extremely long hours
at the washington offices of burson marsteller which handles public relations and polling for a variety of corporate and political clients so called associates typically make 40000 to 50000 a year and often work well beyond 40 hours a week some are tasked with pitching in on 24 hour a day monitoring of media coverage for clients in addition to their usual work which can keep them up late into the night
under the previous federal overtime rule which applied automatically to most salaried employees making less than 23660 those additional hours were essentially uncounted making the young associates a relative bargain employees making more than this can be eligible for overtime under a much more subjective duties test but often dont receive it under the new rule many of these staff members are to be paid time and a half overtime when they work more than 40 hours a week if their salary remains unchanged
catherine sullivan a company spokeswoman said burson marsteller has always paid and will continue to pay overtime to those who are eligible she noted that employees below the associate level currently do receive overtime pay and also participate in round the clock monitoring
some organizations in which young staff members are already relatively well compensated said they would probably raise salaries over the new threshold
but the economics of that approach may be less practical at smaller companies where labor represents a larger share of overall costs a former employee of the wylie agency said assistant literary agents there   usually eight to 10 in the new york office   typically earned in the 30000s and routinely worked 50 to 60 hours a week without overtime pay
the former wylie employee who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of fear of reprisals said that there was such an expectation of long hours that anyone arriving after 9 am or leaving before 630 pm generally felt compelled to email the entire office giving a reason for being awol
andrew wylie who runs the agency said he would consider paying time and a half if he asked junior staff members to work overtime but not if they worked long hours of their own volition what am i supposed to do sit at the door with a stopwatch he said im not going to do that
david manson a longtime television producer who has worked on such shows as house of cards and bloodline said that some entry level jobs were so widely sought after that the new overtime rule was unlikely to affect either pay or hours at least at smaller companies
there may be a certain amount of a wink and nod approach to it he said most people want desperately to get in any way they can mr manson said he believed larger companies would heed the regulation
among the wink and nod approaches already in vogue said eric glatt a former intern in the accounting department of the fox searchlight movie black swan was to reverse engineer the base pay for production assistants so that the daily rate of 125 would reflect compensation for 12 hours of work eight hours at 8928571 per hour and another four at 13392857
that way he said rather than having people punch in and out and carefully track their time the presumption is simply that the production can ask people to work 12 hour days mr glatt is currently in litigation against the studio arguing it did not pay him to perform what should have been paid work
but not everybody in these industries is opposed to the rule or looking for a way to get around it
ill be happy for everyone in town having a slightly better quality of life said tony fratto a former george w bush administration official whose public affairs firm typically hires about 15 or 20 associates each year out of more than 1000 applicants his firm already tries to limit overtime for reasons of work life balance
mr fratto said he had been in many offices around washington where partners require assistants to stick around as late in the evening as they do then dump a pile of research on them on their way out the door that is abusive he said
perhaps the most important change may be to shift the norms within companies that officially offer overtime pay but where the burden is almost entirely on the young assistants to claim it which few feel comfortable doing
lauren weisberger the author of the devil wears prada based her book   which inspired a 2006 movie starring meryl streep and anne hathaway   on her tour as ms wintours assistant at vogue in 1999 and 2000 she said that working from 7 am to 7 pm was typical and that her salary almost certainly put her below minimum wage on an hourly basis
it never occurred to her to put in for overtime pay which conde nast the magazines publisher provides i certainly would not have had that conversation with anna i would have had to have it with hr said ms weisberger whose latest book will be out in july i dont imagine that conversation took place a whole lot


on saturday evening outside webster hall in manhattan a young crowd buzzed expectantly amid a heavy police presence including as many as 10 squad cars while bouncers with security wands diligently patted down all those who entered for the sold out hip hop dance party known as hennypalooza
the event which passed without major incident was occurring under a fresh cloud of mistrust and controversy just days earlier on wednesday night a few blocks north a shooting at irving plaza before a performance by the rapper t i left one dead and three others wounded by the next morning william j bratton the police commissioner had given radio interviews denouncing the crazy world of these so called rap artists who are basically thugs with music that he said celebrated violence drugs and the degradation of women
unfortunately he added that violence often times manifests itself during their performances
the shooting mr brattons bald comments and the news that the brooklyn rapper troy ave had been charged in the melee reignited a decades old debate about violence in hip hop and whether some live shows were dangerous places
this focus on hip hop is outdated and amounts to a form of musical and racial profiling of black fans and artists mr brattons opponents say rap is now a huge and dominant professional industry they say pointing to megastars like drake and kendrick lamar and despite the headlines they add violent crime at rap concerts is rare
the new york city police department said that it did not keep statistics about violence at rap or other concerts and an official was not available to comment on the departments policing of these events but it has made its concerns known by warning music halls about certain acts while maintaining a ubiquitous and some would say overwhelming presence at such events
quite frankly that stereotype is not as relevant today as it was 20 years ago at the height of the violent feud between tupac shakur and the notorious big said david yorio an owner of citadel security agency which has operated in new york since 1982 and works the concert and festival circuit
but in a sign that hip hop has not shaken its old reputation as an outlaw genre   and that safety remains a complex worry   the police are not the only ones forcing hip hop promoters to amp up security
promoters and security companies working mainly in new york say that when booking concerts many hip hop acts receive extra scrutiny from music halls and insurers some artists and their entourages must undergo security checks that many musicians in other genres would not tolerate and after warnings from the police some music venues have canceled hip hop concerts rather than deal with the headaches that can come with them the overall effect many promoters say only adds to the already fraught relationship among fans rap artists and law enforcement
this renewed discussion over these policies is occurring just as summer begins and rap shows across the city and the country become more frequent
on sunday the influential hip hop and rb station hot 97 wqht fm 971 will host its annual summer jam in new jersey featuring acts including future and young thug that same night kanye west will headline governors ball on randalls island a festival preceded by three affiliated rap shows scheduled this week at irving plaza
as with concerts in other genres most of the security at these events will focus on personal safety
across electronic music country and hip hop alike the majority of the issues we run into are people who are inebriated or borderline overdosing mr yorio said it has much more to do with emts and paramedics than breaking up fights
but there will also be measures aimed at preventing violence   whether a planned attack like the one at the bataclan concert hall in paris or a random gunfight
at summer jam which is arguably the largest hip hop festival in the world every single fan goes through a metal detector and the artists and crew are also frisked by state police said carl freed a veteran concert producer whose company trevanna entertainment has worked on summer jam for more than two decades we take these precautions but nothing is foolproof you do as much as you can
last year tensions between the police and concertgoers marred summer jam which featured performances by mr lamar and nicki minaj fans upset about lines and ticket procedures clashed at the entrance with state police in riot gear 61 people were arrested up from 51 the previous year
and in 2013 four people were shot during a concert featuring the washington rapper fat trel at sobs a club in downtown manhattan known for rap shows
the shooting contributed to the clubs decision to hold fewer rap concerts but the decision also stems from pressure from the police said jonas leon a talent buyer for sobs wed rather just not put on a show instead of having the police come and shut it down for the smallest reasons
mr leon said that sobs had also instituted a heavy vetting system for artists which includes ranking risk factors on a scale of one to 10 before scheduling shows
mr yorio of citadel security agency said that his company would scour google and social media to learn about performers before concerts if theres a history of violence then we would increase our numbers and would work to have a paid nypd detail on site he said
alex damashek an independent concert promoter whose company move forward music works with webster hall said that scrutiny and the liability issues that come with it can prevent hip hop concerts from happening at all
you have to be very careful about how you describe your event on the insurance application he said just say the word hip hop and the price is going to go up
in march webster hall canceled its weekly rap event house party mr damashek cited the continuing perceptions and tensions between attendees security and the police
one house party show in the summer of 2014 featured the up and coming brooklyn rapper bobby shmurda whose viral internet fame was just beginning to crest we were shocked the nypd called the venue to give a heads up   you might want to be careful with these guys mr damashek said
while the show went off without incident by december of that year bobby shmurda and members of his gs9 crew had been arrested on gang conspiracy charges theyre much more tapped into smaller shows that are going on than the average person would think mr damashek said of the police in a sense it may not be the worst thing in the world that theyre aware
but mr damashek and others said that people outside of the culture might have trouble grasping the nuances of hip hop there are artists he said who might rap about the street but foster a safe positive environment at shows other acts whose concerts may be more volatile might not project that in their music
its hard to discern the difference so wed rather just paint the whole thing with a broad brush he said
last summer shows by the rapper chief keef who had been linked to gang violence in chicago and served time on gun charges were canceled even though the rapper was to appear only digitally via hologram in public statements mayor rahm emanuels office deemed chief keef an unacceptable role model whose spectral presence posed a significant public safety risk
as with many rap concerts that are closely monitored by law enforcement concern with chief keefs shows may have centered less on the artist and more on the fans or opening acts
its always a local issue someone from the neighborhood with a chip on their shoulder mr leon of sobs said
artists are often searched as well raising questions about whether their pasts or personal issues are relevant in a professional setting
we put our strongest guys on the artist entrance mr yorio said those are the guys who show up late they try to rush in and they dont want to be searched thats what may have happened at irving plaza he added the events company live nation which runs irving plaza and concert locations around the country did not respond to requests for comment about its policies
when it comes to searching artists and their entourages it can be dicey said mr damashek the promoter most of the time its not because theyre carrying a weapon or drugs they just dont want to be profiled they feel like theyre being targeted because theyre black kids and hip hop artists
last year the ubiquitous young thug was scheduled to make a surprise appearance at an art event in williamsburg brooklyn but because he had recently been charged with drug and weapons possession after a raid of his atlanta home the venue insisted that additional off duty police officers be hired for the event said diane varnie a concert promoter and publicist known as shabazz
the rapper and his management team declined to enter because of the intensity of the proposed search i wasnt surprised he didnt want to come in ms varnie said ive attended regular parties and alternative music events and they definitely dont search you down like that
separating an artists personal life which may be problematic from his or her professional life as a touring musician can be tricky and hard to parse and its connected to the larger problem   separating the art of rap which often depicts grim realities of city life from the countrys issues with violence
its an american problem said mayor bill de blasio of new york contradicting his police commissioner its a much bigger problem than rap
all the same rap continues to carry the weight of scrutiny fans are now going to have to catch their favorite act at a strip club or a nightclub ms varnie said because the shooting at irving plaza will make it way harder for actual rap shows to flourish


jay baer a digital marketing consultant in bloomington ind spends half his time traveling on business that means he also has to spend hours each week coordinating that travel
help has arrived with the pana app which employs artificial intelligence to aid customers
virtual travel assistant services   some from established companies like facebook ibm and expedia and others from new entrants like pana and hellogbye   are now popping up worldwide just as major hotel chains like starwood and hilton are incorporating robots into their everyday operations
many of the virtual assistant services use artificial intelligence a branch of computer science that simulates intelligent human behavior some respond to questions posed by travelers either in live speech or digitally while some like pana rely on additional input by humans to provide answers
although many services are now in their infancy they are expected to change the way travel is planned in the not too distant future
the pana app lets users chat in conversational language about booking travel and helps if they encounter a delay or cancellation responses are provided by a team of travel agents who are on duty round the clock and have access to artificial intelligence to gather information customized for the traveler
mr baer who has been a pana devotee since last year and recently signed a contract for his staff of 11 to use it relies on it primarily for tips on places he visits and to rebook when his schedule changes or he encounters an unexpected delay
like many in the travel industry miriam moscovici director of emerging technologies for bcd travel a travel management company predicts that within a year lower priority tasks will be handled by self service artificial intelligence which will free up human travel agents to do more of the intense work required
in 2011 artificial intelligence came into the limelight in the united states when the watson computer made by ibm beat human competitors in a jeopardy match ibms artificial intelligence efforts are also at the forefront of travel related initiatives two years ago it invested in and began working with wayblazer a company whose co founder terrell jones helped start the travel websites travelocity and kayak
using watsons natural language capabilities and other cognitive computing technology wayblazer makes customized recommendations for travelers planning trips to austin tex the leading hotels of the world a luxury hotel marketing organization is using wayblazer to help customers choose accommodations based on their tastes through its website
wayblazer and watsons cognitive technology are the brains behind connie a robot being tested at the hilton in mclean va outside washington connie answers guests questions about amenities and services and also suggests local attractions
norm rose an analyst for phocuswright a travel research company predicted that artificial intelligence would help simplify and automate travel planning by providing quicker responses and more relevant content
but noting that artificial intelligence is not yet capable of completely replacing human interactions he warned it could also alienate travelers if a travel company used it but was unable to answer their questions
he said artificial intelligence systems need to understand the vocabulary used in travel to be successful but still may have difficulty helping travelers if their requests are complex he also said some emerging systems are arranging complex itineraries that contain multiple flights or involve flights and hotels and predicted many will eventually be able to handle both
expedia is among a few dozen companies and organizations that facebook recently said would use a new chatbot on the social networks messenger platform this lets users pose questions in digital chats and employs artificial intelligence powered systems to provide answers expedia is testing responding to hotel booking requests via messenger
passengers of klm royal dutch airlines an earlier partner on messenger can now use the platform to confirm bookings and get flight status updates the airline also plans to offer bookings through messenger and since 2011 the airline has been testing a 6 foot 3 robot spencer at amsterdam schiphol airport its home base in its most recent trial which ended in march spencer escorted travelers to their gates
robots are also being used at select starwood intercontinental and marriott hotels in the united states and are being tested in europe by sncf the french railway and on cruise ships operated by costa and aida
skyscanner a travel search engine this year developed a voice enabled app for alexa the cloud based voice service for the echo from amazon to search for flights alexa also recently began working with kayak to help users search for flights hotels rental cars and destinations though no booking is done through it
hellogbye will begin testing an app this summer that lets users type or speak into their phone and create an itinerary with flights and hotel accommodations the app can book travel for as many as nine people at once
in november hipmunk which has helped travelers research and book travel online since 2010 began testing a free personalized virtual travel planning assistant hello hipmunk powered by artificial intelligence it provides help via email users can also give hello hipmunk permission to access their google calendar which it then periodically scans for events requiring travel and proactively provides booking options
the pana app answers many users questions in less than a minute said devon tivona the companys chief executive and agents notify customers if more time is required pana is geared toward people who frequently travel for business its monthly fees range from 19 for one person to 449 for companies with fewer than 200 employees introduced in a beta test last summer it formally began operating in april and works with thousands of individual travelers and fewer than 100 businesses
mr baer the digital marketing consultant said pana is so reasonably priced and so fast if you travel any more than once a month its literally a no brainer to buy this his company pays 250 a month for its services
henry harteveldt a travel analyst for atmosphere research predicted that artificial intelligence would make shopping for travel more efficient less time consuming and more useful
mr harteveldt said this would occur in part because travel planning tools that employ artificial intelligence would make use of travelers relevant data such as their home city and age and would not require them to use technical terms like airport codes as many sellers now do the result he added would be tools that come up with suggestions at lightning speed that are contextually relevant


a few years ago after eddie huang submitted the manuscript of his memoir fresh off the boat which made ample use of footnotes his editor chris jackson asked him if hed read fellow footnoter junot diaz he had not
i have real gaps in my literary history mr huang said recently with his signature blend of self deprecation and upstart bravado number 1 im chinese and number 2 im from orlando so help me fam
he began mr diazs the brief wondrous life of oscar wao but stopped after 100 pages wowed and flummoxed i didnt want to steal his moves he didnt return to it until he had completed the first draft of his new memoir double cup love on the trail of family food and broken hearts in china spiegel  grau which will be released on tuesday
i was chasing him through the last eight revisions asking myself does this give you feelings on that level that oscar wao gave you mr huang said i got as close as i could
it was coming up on midnight in chelsea when he said this and he was wearing a jubilantly loud j w anderson coat with fat horizontal stripes in varying shades of brown it was cold out and a few feet away was the gilded lily the club where he was about to host a party with the fashion designer maxwell osborne of the au courant duo public school
but before that one last point people always want to compare me to tony mr huang added referring to anthony bourdain the modern prototype of chef turned acidic social commentator but i never read kitchen confidential i read oscar wao
food is as ever a trojan horse for mr huang who in the past five years has parlayed fame and a little bit of infamy as a chef into a career of pining bomb tossing and taunting   sometimes good naturedly sometimes bad naturedly sometimes both
in addition to his two memoirs his first was turned into an abc sitcom hes given a memorable ted talk then had his ted fellowship rescinded over disagreements with the foundation written the occasional scathing takedown article been featured in a sprite commercial and hosted an internet show about global food culture which has morphed into the television show huangs world on viceland
throughout hip hop has been his framework and organizing narrative on the difference between his first memoir and the new one fresh off the boat is a mixtape   the camron mixtape before purple haze double cup love is the album i smoothed things out i mixed it i was surgical about it
on the bridge burning article he wrote for new york magazine about how abcs fresh off the boat sanitized his childhood thats kendrick control me just beefing
and on the relatively fallow period between his two books and his public falling out with abc i feel like future right now after pluto   people definitely left me for dead
in double cup love mr huang 34 who was born in falls church va near washington to taiwanese immigrants and raised in orlando fla details his parallel quests for acceptance by china and by a woman he fell for and eventually proposed to i dont think i was ever able to be as close with someone as i was with her and i dont think i was ever as able to be comfortable with being chinese as i was with chengdu he said
exclusion is a continuing theme of mr huangs work and he often finds himself at odds he said with asian americans who feel his story isnt appropriately representative a lot of people are trying to actively contain my voice like he doesnt speak for us and im like i wont argue with you often he said he speaks at colleges where the main question hes asked is in essence how did you learn to love yourself
mr huangs writing is wry and zippy he regards the world with an understanding of its absurdities and injustices and with a willingness to be surprised the dark edge of fresh off the boat is mostly gone in the new book replaced with an acceptance of calm in his life
double cup love was originally proposed as a book in which mr huang would travel to china to try cooking for locals but it turned into a memoir about love neither of his books is really about food   its all window dressing he said
he added when you live in a place where you are not the dominant culture you have to play fools against themselves youre going to assume i can kung fu youre going to assume i can cook food and im going to play this against you
still even if food is only the costume it occupies a central role in mr huangs life before the party at the gilded lily mr huang had begun his evening cooking a private dinner for a music lawyer and some associates including florence welch of florence and the machine and the songwriter producer emile haynie after that it was on to sushi yasuda in midtown for a seat at the counter and some fawning over the omakase with running commentary after he popped each piece into his mouth with his hands
in between the kinmedai and the cherrystone clam he remembered how dena the woman at the center of his new book comforted him early in their relationship during a bumpy time in the bedroom i was soft as a piece of kinmedai he said she was like its all right were going to fix you and my heart literally dropped
but the relationship ended after mr huang wrote the first draft giving the book an uncomfortable coda   an elaborate story of love and self discovery that ends with the cruel realization that love isnt always eternal
mr huang began writing during high school as a reaction to hearing other students disparage hip hop it was a call to arms he said i decided ill write about anything unfair righting injustices remains a crux of his work he devoted much of a recent huangs world episode about jamaica to the new colonialism caused by that nations crippling debt and said that he hoped to go to kenya to learn more about one organizations attempt to support a universal baseline income   a policy he described as reparations for those who dont fit in
even though mr huang has rabbis whove smoothed his path toward the mainstream   his editor mr jackson shane smith of vice michael lombardo hbos president of programming who is stepping down   the defining throughline of his public life has until now been a tug of war with authority
but lately hes been wondering if his bomb throwing days are coming to an end im not as much of an outsider now he conceded people can make money off of me   im a proven commodity
hes also putting less of himself on the line beginning to trade ax grinding and self revealing memoir for fiction and screenplays
a seat at the table has its costs though and mr huang is trying to remain awake to them remaining vigilant about falling in love with the seat and not what youre saying
for now though hes open to the options being thrown his way im able to say this is what i want this is what its worth to me how much is it worth to you if the value ever doesnt match im back to selling things off the truck and im ok with that


washington   on jan 13 2014 a team of internal revenue service financial managers piled into government vans and headed to the old executive office building for what would turn out to be a very unusual meeting
upon arrival the irs officials some of whom had expressed doubts that the obama administration had the proper authority to spend billions of dollars on a crucial element of its health care law were ushered into a conference room
there they were presented with an office of management and budget memo laying out the administrations justification for spending 39 billion on consumer health insurance subsidies they were told they could read it but could not take notes or make copies the omb officials left the room to allow their visitors a moment to absorb the document and then returned to answer a few questions and note that attorney general eric h holder jr had been briefed and signed off on the legal rationale
it was not a common practice in my 10 years in government at the three agencies where i worked said david fisher a former irs financial risk officer recounting the odd meeting during a deposition on may 11 conducted by investigators for the house ways and means committee
the clandestine nature of the session underscores the intense conflict over the spending which is the subject of a federal lawsuit in which house republicans have so far prevailed as well as a continuing investigation by the ways and means and the energy and commerce committees it also shows that more than six years after president obama signed the affordable care act into law republican opposition has not waned
after failing to win congressional approval for the funds the obama administration spent the money anyway and has now distributed about 7 billion to insurance companies to offset out of pocket costs for eligible consumers the administration asserts that the health care legislation provided permanent continuing authority to do so and that no further appropriation was necessary
mr fisher for one did not agree and his testimony is the first to reveal that some within the administration challenged the spending beginning in late 2013 he and his supervisor began having qualms about how the white house was planning to proceed in combing through documents to make sure his agency could defend the spending in future audits mr fisher said he came up empty
cost sharing reduction payments are not linked to the internal revenue code as far as i could tell directly anywhere mr fisher now in the private sector said in his deposition made public last week by house democrats who feared republicans would release selected excerpts there is no linkage to the permanent appropriation nor is there any link to any other appropriation that was indicating what account these funds should be paid from
committee republicans say mr fishers sworn testimony compelled by a rare ways and means committee subpoena affirms what they thought all along that the obama administration knew it did not have the authority to spend the money and did so regardless to strengthen the health care law in defiance of the constitution they say the administration violated a fundamental principle of american government congress must appropriate any money spent by the executive branch
our investigation is revealing said representative kevin brady the texas republican who leads the ways and means committee the more we learn the more its clear that high level administration officials knowingly circumvented congress and undermined the constitution
committee democrats dismiss such talk as overheated they accuse republicans of conducting a witch hunt in their crusade to dismantle the affordable care act which has twice been upheld by the supreme court
representative sander m levin of michigan the top democrat on the committee said mr fishers testimony made clear that internal accounting disputes were not uncommon and that mr fisher had acknowledged that the irs commissioner john koskinen reached a reasonable decision to free up the money based on the guidance of others who saw the legal justification differently
the deposition only reinforces that the administration looked at this diligently and reached a conclusion mr levin said the republicans just have this kind of conspiratorial notion but i think they are out to sink the aca and they dont really care what technique they use
the deposition does show that the spending received substantial attention at the highest levels of the government not only was mr holders name invoked but treasury secretary jacob j lew signed off on a separate memorandum approving the spending republicans say white house visitor logs suggest multiple senior level meetings on the subject
the dispute over the money is not going away mr brady said his panel would continue to investigate and a report highly critical of the administration is expected this summer congress could take steps to reclaim the money distributed so far
in the court fight judge rosemary m collyer of federal district court has already ruled that the administration violated the constitution in spending the money but stayed her order blocking any more funds pending the administrations appeal if the ruling is reversed it is more likely to be on the question of whether the house had standing to sue the administration not the legality of the spending
mr fisher in his testimony sought to dispel any notion that his reservations were related to the health law he said his objective was to make sure that he and his agency were not running afoul of the antideficiency act a nearly 150 year old statute that prohibits spending federal funds in excess of legitimate appropriations
this was about appropriations law he said for those of us who work in financial management when it comes to the antideficiency act which has criminal penalties associated with it we take it very seriously
mr fisher wanted to be careful not to break the law republicans want to know if others were not quite so scrupulous


aberdeen proving ground maryland   as sometimes happens in rural america someone has shot up a road sign given the gape of the hole and the fact that the road traverses aberdeen proving ground theres a good chance it wasnt made by a bullet
a proving ground is a spread of high security acreage set aside for testing weapons and the vehicles meant to withstand them im headed for aberdeens building 336 where combat vehicles come to be up armored   as the military likes to up say   against the latest threats
mark roman my host this morning oversees the stryker family of armored combat vehicles hell be using them for an impromptu tutorial in personnel vulnerability the art and science of keeping people safe in a vehicle that other people are trying to blow up
my extremely uneducated guess is that some sort of shaped charge hit that sign a shaped charge is an explosive double whammy used for breaching the hulls of vehicles and harming the people inside them
rpgs rocket propelled grenades are the shaped charges most people have heard of though there are ever bigger deadlier iterations iran is said to have one that can push through 14 inches of steel
for years now military scientists have been looking for ways to defend soldiers in armored vehicles from explosives like rpgs and more recently improvised explosive devices or ieds the work is extraordinarily difficult   an alchemy of physics and medicine that has begun to yield insights into the human body under the great duress of battle
by and large an army shows up to a war with the gear it has on hand from the last one in 2003 the marines arrived in iraq with humvees some of the older ones had canvas doors says mr roman who was one of those marines
they were no match for the rpgs trained upon them so the army tried plating vehicles with armor panels which work well against heavy machine gun fire you might as well have armored your vehicle with road signs
we were like crap this does not stop an rpg mr roman told me
something cheaper and simpler eventually was found to work this morning mr roman leads the way to a stryker in a hoopskirt of heavy duty steel grating called slat armor
the nose of an incoming rpg gets pinched between two slats which duds it its like squeezing your nose to stop a sneeze it either prevents the explosion from happening or blocks the expulsion of nasty stuff
either way it proved effective in iraq strykers would lumber back to base like up armored hedgehogs bristling with rpgs slat armor worked so well that iraqi insurgents largely gave up on rpgs
and switched to making bombs
early in the iraq war improvised explosive devices were hidden on the sides of roads since these ied blasts hit vehicles broadside the army responded by flanking them with armor plates and replacing windows with pope glass   two inch thick transparent armor of the type that keeps his holiness whole on his own tours of duty
in afghanistan land of the 100 pound ied insurgents took a new tack to get around the up armoring they came at vehicles from below burying the explosives in the middle of the road rather than on the sides of it
as on most trucks the chassis or base frames of american combat vehicles at that time were flat where newer generations of vehicles have v shaped or double v shaped chassis to deflect the energy unleashed in a blast the flat ones took it head on and because the seats were bolted to the passenger compartment floor the energy would transmit directly to passengers feet spines and pelvises often leading to casualties
newer vehicles have higher clearances and the force of a blast diminishes rapidly as it radiates outward still the energy at one or two feet is so condensed that it can act like a solid projectile and break through vehicle floors
once the hull is breached any loose piece of vehicle or gear becomes a projectile soldiers and marines would pile sandbags on the floors of humvees for the same reason aviators used to sit on their body armor instead of wearing it because death came up from below
the underbody blast scenario was soon dire enough that united states central command rolled out a joint urgent operational need statement the gist was this get us some combat vehicles that can drive over bombs and keep everyone inside alive
nine vendors submitted prototypes for what would come to be known as mraps em raps mine resistant ambush protected but without fielding them first how do you know which one is safest   and precisely how safe it is
you start by hiring a personnel vulnerability analyst
the army research laboratory snapped up nicole brockhoff pre med at johns hopkins with a graduate degree in biodefense early on in her tenure at the pentagon dr brockhoff found herself talking to a general about the challenges of high speed energy mitigation he suggested she talk to nascar
dr brockhoff knew she was dealing with a problem far different
racecar drivers are packed in their seats like mail order stemware heads are braced and supported so necks dont break and brains dont ricochet against skulls danica patrick cant even look out the driver side window and wink at the pit crew
thats no good for combat vehicles drivers and gunners need to be scanning in all directions looking out for suspicious elements piles of trash or dead goats that might be hiding bombs people holding cellphones that might be wireless detonators children with their fingers in their ears
at the same time that the army was working to make vehicles like the stryker safer they were scrambling to evaluate the new mraps when dr brockhoff arrived her colleagues were using the crash test dummy that the auto industry uses the hybrid iii
both a car crash and an underbody blast cause blunt force trauma the sorts of injuries you get from slamming into pieces of a vehicles interior as opposed to injuries caused by a blast pressure wave passing through you   rupturing organs and eardrums and the like   which a vehicle largely protects against
heres the problem automotive crash test dummies were designed for measuring force mainly along two axes front to back for head on impact and side to side for t bone crashes but with a blast coming up from below the axis of impact runs vertically through the body heels to head
to see the difference a hybrid iii was filmed alongside a cadaver in a controlled blast it is clear from the slow motion footage that the dummy wasnt built for this its like watching an elderly arthritic man try to follow along in a zumba class
we were missing a lot of nuance about the severity of the injury dr brockhoff said we needed to know at what point do you go from a treatable injury thats recoverable to something life altering and incapacitating and potentially fatal
so the army began building a dummy of its own wiaman   the warrior injury assessment manikin   will be specifically tailored to assess the impact of underbody explosions
the scientists creating the wiaman are starting the way the automotive crash test dummy people started with cadavers and controlled impacts of varying magnitudes followed by autopsies to document the injuries
but before military researchers could start any of that they had to build a blast rig something robust enough to withstand an explosion directly below it by setting off blasts in the rig and recording the effects on cadavers scientists simulate the effects of ieds on soldiers in armored vehicles data from the cadavers is used to calibrate the wiaman
the tower as it is conversationally known is a one story platform with a set of rollaway stairs undergirded by a lot of complex machinery it stands in a meadow near what the mapmakers call bear point and the aberdeen explosive effects branch calls experimental facility 13
on the day i visited the cadavers were there already sitting in seats on the tower platform they had arrived a day earlier from bioengineering labs at three universities some made the trip in a modified horse trailer disappointing the children in passing cars craning their necks for a glimpse of tail or rump
the cadavers one in an orange lycra bodysuit and one in yellow sit slumped in their seats on the rig chins on their chests like dozing subway commuters because the setup takes two days the dead men spent the night in the meadow with a pair of guards
under the platform is a small plot of simulated middle east engineered soil that has been heated and moistened at around 230 pm a pickup truck arrived with a few pounds of the explosive c 4 which everyone here refers to as the threat
around 245 the bioengineers and investigators and hangers on like me were escorted to a nearby bunker while the threat was buried in the special dirt and a detonating wire was attached
the cadavers had their connectivity rechecked data will be gathered from sensors mounted on their bones and then transmitted along wires laid down along the insides of their limbs and spines a sort of man made nervous system
a bundle of wires exits at the back of each cadavers neck and feeds into the system as with the real deal the nerves lead to a brain in this case the wiaman data acquisition system software that collates information about the stresses experienced by the bodies
after the blast the cadavers will be autopsied and the injuries documented this is the information that will allow vehicle evaluators to interpret the g forces and strains and accelerations that wiamans sensors will register
because of the cadavers contributions wiaman will be able to predict what kind and what degree of injury these different magnitudes of force would be likely to cause in an actual explosion
wiaman wont be ready for routine use until 2021 but in the meantime the cadaver injury data can be used to create a sort of auto translate program for the hybrid iii making it better able to predict underbody blast injuries
the cadavers are coaxed into a straight backed dinner table posture some duct tape keeping them from slumping a bioengineer strings thin wires to hold the head in that eyes right position though not so firmly that it interferes with its movements which will be captured on video cameras set up in bunkers on all four sides
theres a protocol for everything the angle of the cadavers knees the position of their hands on their thighs the newtons of force with which their boots are laced the hover and fuss of the scientists exaggerates the abiding stillness of the bodies
theyre like anchormen sitting for their makeup how nice i find myself thinking to be in the company of people who long ago agreed to this strange job that only they as dead people are qualified to do
body donors are required to have given specific consent for research or testing that may involve as the document lays it out impacts blasts ballistics testing crash testing and other destructive forces
who would sign such a thing plenty of people patriots vets their family members   anybody really glad to see their corpses put to use protecting the living if youre fine with a medical student dissecting every inch of you to learn anatomy or with a surgeon practicing a new procedure or trying out a new device on you then you are probably fine riding the blast rig
in world war ii they called it deck slap explosions from underwater mines and torpedoes would propel a ships decks upward smashing sailors heel bones
like combat fatigue for post traumatic stress disorder it was a cavalier toss off of a name for what would often turn out to be a life altering condition
the calcaneus the heel is tough to break tougher still to repair by one early papers count 84 different approaches had been tried and discussed in medical journals few statistics from the era exist but one paper cites a foot amputation rate of 25 percent
underbody blasts have brought heels back to the attention of military surgeons these days the amputation rate for deck slap injuries is higher than ever 45 percent in one recent review of 40 cases
part of the problem has to do with fat not bone the calcaneal fat pad keeps the bone from abrading the skin on the underside of the heel its an extremely dense fibrous fat found nowhere else in the body theres enough squish there to merit the cobblers term breast of the heel
fat pads are frequently damaged in underbody blasts sometimes badly enough that they have to be removed without the padding the pain of walking is acute
in the bunker we stand and stare at the video feed waiting to see this deck slap in real time a slight breeze moves the trees beyond the tower eventually someone begins a countdown
the explosion half a mile away is muffled on the monitors the cadavers appear to be thrown by the blast but not in an action movie way more a took a speed bump too fast way the cadavers in an underbody blast test are blown up as in upward not apart
the event is filmed at 10000 frames a second playing back the footage at 15 or 30 frames a second allows the researchers to step inside the half second life span of the event now we can see what in real time we could not
first the boots flatten their sides bulging noticeably an index finger rises from where it was resting on a thigh as though the cadaver were about to make a point the lower legs extend and rise the head comes down and the arms shoot out in the manner of a hurdler midleap
the camera zooms in on one of the cadavers as the energy of the blast moves to the seat pan the dead mans pelvis rises shortening his torso and expanding his paunch underbody blast can compress a seated soldiers spine by as much as two inches
played at this speed theres grace and beauty to the limbs extensions nothing brutish or violent in real time the forces that move the limbs pass too quickly for the tissue to accommodate muscles strain ligaments tear bones may break
imagine pulling apart a wad of silly putty pull slowly and it will stretch across the room yank it fast and it snaps in two likewise different types of body tissue have different strain rates
for the forces of any given blast one type may stretch say a fifth of its length without tearing while another may manage just 5 percent wiaman will be calibrated to reflect these differences and predict the consequences
the long term quality of a soldier or marines life is a relatively new consideration in the past military decision makers concerned themselves more with gono go do the injuries keep a soldier from completing the mission
wiaman will answer that question but it will answer others too following a vehicle blast is this soldier likely to have back pain for the rest of his life will she limp will his heel hurt so much that hed rather lose the foot
the answers may or may not affect the decisions that are made in the preparations for war but at least theyll be part of the equation for those inclined to do the math


emmanuelle charpentier   one of three scientists credited with starting the gene editing revolution   willingly turned her life over to science for 25 years she was a scientific nomad working at nine institutions in five countries scrambling for research funds paid so little she barely scraped by now at 47 with her gene editing discovery her life has changed
the process involves a bacterial system crisprcas9 that can be used to add or delete genes in any type of cell the discovery has sparked a scientific revolution with a seemingly endless list of applications
dr charpentier would like to see it used for instance to remove the mutated gene in blood cells of people with sickle cell disease and to replace it with a normal gene curing the disease other uses include making insect pests unable to reproduce and plants that naturally resist disease
dr charpentier now a scientific superstar was appointed director of the max planck institute for infection biology in berlin and is a founder of two biotech companies
we spoke while dr charpentier was in new york to receive an honorary degree from new york university this is an edited and condensed version of our conversation
you say you always loved science but why such an itinerant life
it was the career i chose to have what was important to me was to tackle different fields and see different institutions different environments learn different techniques see different approaches and in europe it is not easy to have a permanent position especially when you are a foreigner in that country
i chose that science would be the main focus of my life it is a little bit like entering a monastery this is really the thing that drives you you tend to be focused and obsessional   you need to be a bit obsessed
tell me about your big crispr discoveries what was it like for you in the moments when your students told you that crucial experiments worked
there were two moments first there was an experiment that was very critical it showed that crisprcas9 consisted of a protein and two rna molecules there are different crispr systems and i understood right away that the system i was working on was definitely the minimal system and that it would be very attractive to harness
i was in umea in sweden and my students were in vienna that evening one wrote me an email i was alone in my office but at some point i walked out and there was a colleague of mine there
i said i have very good news and i am very happy then i went back and spent a lot of time writing an email to my students with the series of experiments that had to be done next
the second moment was even more exciting we did an experiment that showed crisprcas9 was cleaving dna this was really really critical it was the same story my student wrote me an email i called him right away
this time it was again in the evening and i was in my office but there were other people in the lab i ran out and told the others in the lab then i sat down and wrote down what to do next
is it difficult being a woman in science
its harder for those women with a family i am under the impression that many female scientists four or five years after their phd give up they have difficulty projecting that they will have a family life when they will be on the road moving from lab to lab for the next 10 to 15 years
i also felt that to enter the game as a woman in science you always feel some colleagues are commenting lets say it is like no one will forgive you   the fact that you may not fail but you may have a phase that is a little bit down you feel that as a woman you have to really make sure you are on the money
do you still do experiments what does your work consist of
i am not doing experiments but i am running a lab so i am very close to the projects i also travel once or twice a week in germany or abroad right now my work is a lot of replying to email requests and there are a lot of documents   i need to take care of a lot of paperwork i also write articles and reviews
tell me about the biotech companies you co founded crispr therapeutics and ers genomics why two companies
i had the hope i could use crispr for human genetic disorders crispr therapeutics is working first on cystic fibrosis and sickle cell disease and certain types of eye disease these are more amenable because they involve gene in blood cells and cells of the eye which are more accessible for targeting
the other is ers genomics which is a company that is a licensing platform to allow other companies to go ahead and have access to the intellectual property
what is your life like now
i like to start early but i also work late i am rarely in bed before midnight right now i have a very bad tendency to wake up in the middle of the night and work sometimes i then go to sleep again for an hour i dont have time to have a social life or even a cultural life


ballet conductors and concert conductors tend to be separate species ballet music requires a maestro or occasionally a maestra to set tempos to make the choreography effective accompany individual dancers with sensitivity and elicit good orchestral playing new yorks current exemplar of this genre is david lamarche of american ballet theater notably in scores by delibes
occasionally a guest conductor   ive heard adrian boult colin davis bernard haitink antonio pappano and gennady rozhdestvensky conduct the royal ballet at covent garden   shows further dimensions in ballet music valery gergievs work with the mariinsky ballet on the other hand has shown the problems that can arise though he is a great conductor his harsh heavy emphasis is often hostile to the buoyancy needed for ballet
andrew litton became music director of new york city ballet in late 2015 because he combines this job with performances elsewhere his appearances still sometimes seem like those of a guest but he conducted the entire closing week of the companys spring season at the david h koch theater   the traditional block of a midsummer nights dream performances   and showed all the virtues of his appointment this was an unusually powerful and eloquent rendition of the music which is a singular collage of items by felix mendelssohn culled from multiple scores by george balanchine for his two act drama
the sections from mendelssohns first walpurgisnacht music near the end of act i acquired a special force it has always seemed perfect that the huntress hippolyta executes fouette turns   fouette means whipped and the step sums up the hunts drive and thrill   but the power of mr littons conducting made the fouettes seem more musically judicious than ever many remarked on the exceptional emphasis that mr litton brought in the overture to the heehaw music illustrating bottom as ass balanchines stage action at this moment shows us bottom but before his transformation one of several musical imperfections in this marvelous ballet when the motif is echoed in the scherzo bottom is not onstage
mr litton has yet to master all the skills of the ideal ballet conductor though he leads impressively his tempo for the opening movement of the symphony no 9 for strings   which here begins the act ii wedding divertissement   was somewhat too slow for the steps in later performances the wind and especially brass sections let him down with some particularly poor playing and wrong notes
nonetheless the dancers glowed all week rising with spontaneity and color to mendelssohns call the role of titania beautifully showcases dissimilar dancers young miriam miller with face and limbs registering wonderfully throughout the theater is all springtime bloom teresa reichlen marvelously incisive and exact is warmly imperious sara mearns at her freshest and grandest makes the dance joyously voluptuous ms miller so exquisite in her expansive use of her upper body needs to acquire more lower body strength if shes to become the ballerina of central balanchine roles for which she seems otherwise ideal she has moments when her thigh action suggests a powerful impetus reminiscent of suzanne farrell sometimes she holds a shape with thrilling firmness these highlights however arent yet part of anything consistent
lauren lovette making her debut in the act ii divertissement pas de deux at sundays closing performance is another upper body beauty on this occasion handsomely partnered by chase finlay she cast a spell with a singing thread of technical tenacity will she become a balanchine ballerina as a rule shes surest in roles by other choreographers balanchines classicism makes her look sentimental as if shes telling us how much she loves this choreography rather than showing us why its lovely can she demonstrate authority tiler peck and sterling hyltin earlier in the week currently exemplify the heights this pas de deux can reach
a run of midsummer performances is an endearing way to get to know city ballets dancers better savannah lowery is at her finest as hippolyta and georgina pazcoguin   bidding a temporary farewell to city ballet before moving to broadway for the new production of cats   swept through the same role with a searing enthusiasm that like her terrific dewdrop in george balanchines the nutcracker during christmas week showed how the company had made too little use of her gifts in balanchine
harrison ball in his debut as puck finds his best balanchine role to date anthony huxley even though he has not mastered every aspect of the scherzo is a bright scintillating oberon watching this artist grow has become one of the biggest delights this company offers cameron dieck and peter walker made vivid debuts as lysander and demetrius for mr dieck this crowned a season in which he constantly made newly strong impressions his series of jumps on the spot in concerto dsch became one of the seasons talking points
the five pre midsummer weeks of the season contained much fine dancing too sara adams emilie gerrity emily kikta meagan mann unity phelan especially and indiana woodward were among the most repeatedly eye catching younger women taylor stanley richly deserved his promotion to principal and joseph gordon russell janzen and andrew scordato all made important advances
still the season showed several lapses its easy to see that robert fairchild back after a year on broadway in an american in paris has lost much of his former dance finesse since it took him seasons to acquire thats disconcerting as is the new slickness of his manner in several roles ms peck almost always impressive has several roles in which shes not really believable while ms mearns invariably holds the attention she too danced one serenade with a glazed diva quality that felt phony some choreography   the first two movements of western symphony above all   needs restudying in the elegy of serenade the heroic turning jumps into the mans arms   whether delivered by ms peck or erica pereira   have none of the oomph that balanchine required here
the season followed immediately in the steps of miami city ballets exceptional week at the koch let no new yorkers think their home companies exemplify the most musical dancing today the miamians set the high water mark for the year so far its exciting to have mr litton reshaping city ballets music with such authority but the marriage between music and dance is a more elusive alchemy


he strode past the magic digits still painted on the grass   1986  and slapped hard on his glove with his hand this was matt harveys way to congratulate himself on a job well done and his message to all who doubted dont worry about me
this was the pitcher the mets yearned to see seven innings of angry fastballs and wicked off speed stuff in a 1 0 victory over the chicago white sox at citi field on monday it was also the character they were desperate to welcome home
the mets had just spent the weekend celebrating their last group of champions whose swagger still resonates three decades later in harvey they had a player who embodies one part of that teams spirit he knows he is good and burns to embarrass you while proving it losing that edge it seemed meant losing an essential piece of his soul
manager terry collins did not hesitate when asked later what most encouraged him about harvey the emotion the intensity when he got out of that inning in the seventh he was genuinely fired up and thats great to see
collins could have cited harveys fastball which hit 98 miles an hour and was still humming at 96 in the seventh inning he could have cited his stamina this was the deepest harvey had pitched since the final game of the world series last november he could have cited his precision use of the slider changeup and curve
but collins baseballs oldest manager at 67   seemed to speak for the sport baseball welcomes all types the humble the brainy the quirky but the swashbuckler is a special one think of bob gibson nolan ryan roger clemens pedro martinez harveys record does not approach any of theirs but his attitude and purpose match his crisis of confidence before monday deeply had unsettled the mets
its tough going out there when you dont feel comfortable harvey said finally being able to feel comfortable on the mound and execute pitches its a little bit easier to get your confidence back
yes harvey is speaking with the news media again his refusal to do so after his last start in washington became its own story when someone asked him about it monday a mets media relations official tried to deflect the question harvey though responded calmly
he said he had been frustrated and tired of answering the same kinds of questions after the same kinds of outings he said it was not right and not acceptable basically he called for a truce
harvey is not easy to embrace he seems to love the trappings of celebrity without the composed self assurance of derek jeter who pulled off the rare trick of being accessible and distant all at once harvey contributes to jeters players tribune website as its nyc bureau chief a title that is equal parts awkward and bizarre   or maybe just an inside joke
if harvey seems unsure of how exactly to strut in the citys glare the mound has always been his happy place within a year of his major league debut he was starting the all star game at citi field then came tommy john surgery a year off and a comeback unlike any we have seen 33 starts through the end of the world series with a 275 earned run average
i think a lot of people set a bar for matt thats extremely high said second baseman neil walker who homered off jose quintana for the games only run on monday hes certainly capable of being there but hes also human
the mets had resisted the idea of harvey as anything but the cocksure superhero he dresses after all at a locker with its own full length cabinet the one marked by a sticker depicting himself in mid delivery inside a batman logo when collins cited harveys lack of confidence after his start on may 19 catcher kevin plawecki disagreed
the matt harvey i know is not one that loses confidence plawecki said
yet it was hard to argue the point after the beating in washington five days later the pitching coach dan warthen has refused all interviews through this ordeal but told collins on monday that something indefinable seemed better this time
i asked him when he came in how he warmed up collins said he said he always warms up good hes just got a little different air to him today and i think he proved it
collins entered the game hoping for six good innings no more to give harvey a foundation for future success then harvey through his pitching reminded collins not to lower his standards
working with a different catcher rene rivera harvey established his fastball early using it for 17 of his first 19 pitches then he introduced the other stuff almost always where he wanted it his mechanical adjustment harvey explained was to stay over the rubber a bit longer to give his arm time to find the proper release point from there he commanded everything
his kind of stuff when hes locating hes going to throw the ball well said alex avila the veteran white sox catcher who has caught several cy young award winners trust me ive seen really good pitchers like himself struggle at times but theres always a chance with that kind of stuff and track record to put together a good game
harvey retired the first 13 hitters until j b shuck singled with one out in the fifth forcing harvey to work from the stretch for the first time the stretch harvey later acknowledged had been a challenge for him and here he got a break brett lawrie blistered a liner to first but wilmer flores snared it and stepped on the bag for a double play
through six innings harvey had faced the minimum 18 batters collins liked the idea of letting him continue reasoning that a little adversity might not be so bad he told warthen that the seventh belonged to harvey unless a run scored
harvey walked the leadoff man then allowed a single a sacrifice bunt moved the runners but harvey got the dangerous todd frazier to pop out on a 94 mile an hour fastball then shuck grounded out on another fastball at 95 and harvey could stalk off the mound with pride
it was only a first step harvey said his earned run average is 537 and his record is 4 7 he needs more games like this to re establish himself
its a work in progress harvey said im happy that i was able to go out there and feel comfortable in my mechanics and get the job done
maybe it was all about those mechanics nothing more complicated than getting his arm in the right place to do what it does best or maybe harvey who had known almost nothing but success just needed time to cope with failure on monday he came roaring from the depths
when youre mentally strong you dont worry about the other stuff collins said you fight through it and thats the matt harvey we always knew


paris   when david haggerty was elected president of the international tennis federation in late september he planned to focus on revamping the long running team competitions davis cup and fed cup and on increasing revenue and the games developmental footprint
it seemed a busy agenda at the time but that was before a series of crises rocked global sports the upcoming olympics in rio de janeiro and tennis it all has amounted to a wild ride on the learning curve for haggerty a former american tennis industry executive
it isnt exactly what i planned he said in an interview at the french open last week
from the russian doping scandal and maria sharapovas positive test for the newly banned drug meldonium to renewed concerns about match fixing and integrity in tennis that compelled the sport to commission an inquiry in january there has been no shortage of brush fires to try to extinguish
the itf the international governing body now led by haggerty is just one of the entities in tenniss overly fragmented power structure there are also the mens tour the atp the womens tour the wta and the four grand slam tournaments all of which operate independently   sometimes very independently   of one another
but there has been more cooperation of late in part because it has become a necessity under duress and in part because the new wave of leaders in tennis has much in common haggerty the wta chief executive steve simon and the atp chief executive chris kermode were all fine amateur players who tried in vain to break through to the higher levels on the professional tour
i came in with ideas and an ambitious program and the good news is the ambitious program continues strategically haggerty said but you learn a lot when you have challenges and we certainly have had some challenges and i think it made us stronger united us made us work together more as a sport
the proof will be in the progress not in collegial dialogue or the number of meetings but haggerty a former president of the united states tennis association has long been a consensus builder unafraid to act and there has been an unmistakable shift toward greater transparency in areas that had become particularly sensitive to the touch
the tennis integrity unit the sports internal anticorruption watchdog has begun publishing quarterly reports that indicate the number of professional matches that have triggered betting alerts haggerty also said last week that the games governing bodies had now agreed in principle that it is time to change policy and announce provisional bans after a player tested positive rather than waiting for each case to be adjudicated before releasing the information and then only in the case when a violation had been confirmed
but players under the current policy are still banned even if no suspension is announced which can lead to speculation when a player is off the tour for an extended period with an injury that he or she is serving a silent ban as the case is processed marin cilic the 2014 united states open champion cited an injury in 2013 when he was in fact serving a suspension he was eventually given a nine month ban later reduced on appeal to four months for ingesting a banned stimulant
rafael nadal is suing a former french minister roselyne bachelot for defamation in france after she said that one of his long layoffs from the game was linked not to injury but to a positive test an allegation that nadal and the itf have rejected
without announcing provisional suspensions theres mystery and theres supposition haggerty said i think the tennis bodies will come to an agreement to publish and announce provisional suspensions and i think that would be a form of transparency and a way to have confidence that nothing is being withheld or suppressed
other sports do announce provisional bans after adverse analytical findings including track and field
there are only a few that do haggerty said but i think we are confident in the system and the laboratories and the way we do this so we will be diligent not to put someone in a position where there isnt a case to prove
kermode confirmed in an email that the mens tour supported the move this change will help remove any unfair suspicion or doubt around players who are forced out of competition for an extended period of time for legitimate injury reasons kermode said
but haggerty said nadals call for the itf to publish all of his doping test results was more problematic haggerty and nadal met in barcelona earlier this year
there are legal issues haggerty said he can release all the information he wants to he can absolutely do that we cant
part of the concern in releasing tests and test dates is that it could reveal the patterns of testing to would be cheaters it also would require release forms and cooperation from all the other bodies that conduct testing such as the national antidoping agencies
its easy to say hard to do haggerty said
haggerty has concerns about the olympic tennis venue   worries about the lighting and the impact of cost cutting moves by the rio organizing committee the russians have even had the chutzpah to name sharapova to their olympic team even though she is suspended and facing a sanction that is likely to be announced soon i dont know technically if they can he said of russia putting her on its provisional roster they at least think they can
on the anticorruption front haggerty said the itf had increased oversight at the futures level which has generated the most concern about match fixing with its microscopic prize money haggerty said that more observers had been assigned to those tournaments and that there was also more digital oversight of officials after two umpires were penalized for corruption   without any announcement   and four others charged
well be able to livestream matches which will go a long way in being able to have somebody be able to watch and see suspicious patterns he said
as for his original agenda haggerty said he believed the support was there to expand the fed cup the womens team event that has rarely punched its weight from eight teams to 16 in 2018 with a final four at a neutral venue
he has also expressed support for the final four concept for the davis cup the mens team competition that is the itfs primary revenue generator but there has been resistance to the idea he said and the more likely change in the short term would be a neutral site for the final from 2018 so that the itf could secure a large indoor facility well in advance and better promote the final
our interview in paris was about to be interrupted however by an adviser who explained to haggerty that nadal was about to conduct a news conference on short notice to announce his withdrawal from the french open because of a wrist injury
it was yet another unexpected development in a tennis year that has had so many


the rate of triplet and higher order births rose rapidly during the 1980s and 1990s but that trend has ended
according to a new report from the national center for health statistics the rate of triplet and higher order births plunged 41 percent from 1998 to 2014 more than 90 percent of these births are triplets
almost all of the decline occurred among women 25 and older particularly women 45 and older a drop of 67 percent to 7699 per 100000 births from 2326 non hispanic white women had the largest drop about 46 percent
but rates of triplet or higher order births were still 57 percent higher in this group than among non hispanic blacks and more than twice as high as the rate among hispanic women
the decline was nationwide only oklahoma and louisiana had increases in the number of triplets and even there the increases were small   8 percent in oklahoma and 4 percent in louisiana
older mothers are more likely to have a multiple birth and the increase before 1998 was largely attributed to rising average maternal age according to the lead author joyce a martin a statistician with the nchs
age of mothers has continued to increase she said so you would expect the rate of triplets to increase so the decline cannot be attributed to any changes in maternal age
we think the decline is likely largely related to changes in fertility therapies particularly assisted reproductive technology she added
fertility centers now are urged for example not to implant multiple embryos in women receiving treatment


on monday night earth and mars will become cosmically cozy the two will be at their closest in more than a decade separated by just 47 million miles
normally mars is about 140 million miles from earth on average but that gap can widen to as much as 250 million miles when the two planets are on opposite sides of the sun
the last time mars snuggled up so closely was in 2005 when the planets were about 43 million miles apart according to nasa the red planet really put the squeeze on us in 2003 when it was only 35 million miles away the tightest hug in more than 60000 years
mondays celestial embrace will be a great opportunity for skygazers to view the orangey red orb without a telescope the planet has been particularly bright since mid may when it was approaching opposition or aligning with earth and the sun it will remain similarly big and bright all week and begin to fade in mid june
if the weather prevents you from having a clear view you can watch a live stream by the slooh community observatory which manages a large network of telescopes across the globe beginning at 9 pm eastern
the next time mars will cuddle earth this closely will be july 31 2018


beverly hills calif   simon cowell is back
on tuesday mr cowell   whose acid tongued criticism during the first nine seasons of american idol helped turn the program into a network tv phenomenon   will return as a judge on an american competition show for the first time in two and a half years when he replaces howard stern on nbcs americas got talent
the got talent format which mr cowell created and has sold around the world is a summer stalwart for the network and is heading into its 11th season
in a wide ranging interview at mr cowells home here he reflected on why he gave up watching american idol how the voice made him sick when it made its debut and the mistakes that occurred during the brief three season run of the x factor on fox he also touched on his new idea for a competition show now that idol is off the air and shared his thoughts on the rise of donald j trump these are edited and condensed excerpts from the conversation
whats it like being in the got talent chair versus x factor or idol
i was really confident until i sat in the chair and you kind of go oh god this is a big show here im used to being on big shows but im thinking i really hope this is going to work and for about 10 seconds i felt nervous and then this 83 year old woman in a leotard came on and stood on her head and sang the national anthem and i said you know what im home and i never looked back
why did you want to be on this show
i used to watch these sort of variety shows as a kid and as much as i like being on a music show it does get a bit tedious when its just singer after singer after singer on this show   and of course we get singers on there   its that surprise factor where literally a box will appear on the stage and you dont know whats inside the box or what the acts going to be
as far as viewers in the united states are concerned this is act iii for simon cowell do you still have something left to prove
yeah of course particularly this year with the end of idol ive been reminded about it a lot it takes me back to when i first launched the show being on a show that big its the best feeling in the world im not going to lie when we were doing big big numbers it was incredible
did you watch idol over the last couple of years
shakes his head no
why
i completely lost interest in it to be honest with you
in your final years on idol where were you where was your head
i was just bored i had done nine seasons the first three or four years were genuinely probably the best three or four years of my life it was so much fun so unexpected we didnt know what was going to happen the show just took off and became a huge hit and we were in the middle of something that we were making up every week then it all started to get a bit serious and paula abdul left and then it just wasnt the same to me
did you learn any lessons from x factor
i read a book once about coke and pepsi and it was called the other guy blinked and we blinked we thought 12 million viewers was bad now im thinking christ if i could launch a show with 12 million today id be a hero but we beat ourselves up so much about it and we changed so many things the show became unrecognizable i blame myself but we made crazy decisions we didnt treat it like a hit we treated it as a failure i wasnt aware the market had gone down to that level so quickly i was in this la la land head space of 30 or 40 million and i thought 12 million feels terrible
do you watch the voice
not a lot but when i first saw it i got a pit in my stomach no one took it that seriously and i watched the first episode and it was like being punched in the stomach it was such a great idea and those chairs the panel is so good you just go they beat us to it
whats the state of competition shows these days
i wouldnt want to be launching anything with a gimmick right now they tried that with rising star everyone thought ok to launch a new competition show now we need to have either a spinning chair or a wall that goes up and down its not as simple as that if you have brand recognition and a network that supports the show and reinvests in the show youve got a real shot but obviously with idol going it leaves a hole in the market for something new i think and we might have something
another show would it be a singing show
im not going to give too much away but the idea is unique if we do make it itll become clearer why its a good idea its not a gimmick show
but you said you found singing shows a little tedious with that relentless parade of singers
i think theyre too long idol was at what 47 hours thats four five months on the air thats half the year thats too long the shows have become too long we were making one hour shows and even that was a struggle youre making a movie twice a week theyre just way too long its an effort to watch them if we go back to where we were   maybe 25 30 hours maximum one hour shows the audition shows are always going to be popular people love auditions and start it at the beginning of the year never go in the fall start january february got talent works because weve established ourselves as a summer show it feels like summer when its on
you basically created the role of the blunt speaking judge on competition shows a couple of years after you did it donald trump did it on the apprentice on nbc when you see him campaigning do you see a reality tv show judge
people are always drawn to people who speak bluntly whether you agree or disagree you listen you see the same thing with bernie sanders the guys in his early 70s and every teenage kid is listening to him i think donald trump understood when youre on tv you have a tremendous platform we all recognized that years ago we were all sitting there running record labels years ago thinking sales are going down its harder to break new artists and then along comes this train we all thought we better get on this quick i always understood the significance   and still do now   the power of television nothing can compete with that


two mysterious stone rings found deep in a french cave were probably built by neanderthals about 176500 years ago proving that the ancient cousins of humans were capable of more complex behavior than previously thought scientists say
the structures were made from hundreds of stalagmites chopped to a similar length and laid out in two oval patterns up to 16 inches high the notion that neanderthals could have made them defies long held assumptions that these hominids were incapable of the complex behavior necessary to work underground
using sophisticated dating techniques a team led by archaeologist jacques jaubert of the university of bordeaux france found that the stalagmites must have been broken off the ground around 176500 years ago making these edifices among the oldest known well dated constructions made by humans
the oval structures may have served some symbolic or ritual purpose dr jaubert said
wil roebroeks a neanderthal expert at the university of leiden netherlands called the rings an intriguing find which underlines that a lot of neanderthal material culture including their architecture simply did not survive in the open
dr roebroeks who wasnt involved in the study said the fact that similar rings hadnt been found anywhere else made it hard to test any theory about how they came to be


when christine ramirez signed over that first check in april 2008 she had no idea that the decision would eventually upend her life
a broker offered a tempting deal if she invested in a real estate fund called the diversified lending group which was managed by someone named bruce friedman she would be eligible for a guaranteed return of 12 percent she could use the proceeds to pay the premium on a new metlife life insurance policy
ms ramirez chose not to buy the insurance policy but she did invest in mr friedmans fund a total of 279769 including her personal savings a retirement account and proceeds from a line of credit on her home in simi valley calif
dlg came crashing down months later when the securities and exchange commission sued mr friedman accusing him of misappropriating millions of dollars in investor funds according to court documents he operated a ponzi scheme that defrauded hundreds of investors including a sitting congressman of more than 200 million the money was gone
i think i cried every day for a year said ms ramirez 75 it wasnt that i didnt do my homework i was told it was approved by metlife and that it was guaranteed
now ms ramirez and some others who lost their money are suing metlife claiming that the insurer ignored or failed to notice signs that agents and brokers were peddling mr friedmans financing program to retirees and others litigation has been winding its way through the courts for years and metlife is fighting back
but last month a los angeles superior court judge cleared ms ramirezs case to move to trial in july her lawyers represent 98 people in seven cases and hers is the first of this group to move forward she is being given preference because she is battling late stage breast cancer
metlife has settled some cases with its own customers who were duped by the dlg offer but the current batch of lawsuits involves people who did not buy its insurance ms ramirez was never a customer of metlife instead these people only put their money in the dlg investment that was pitched to them by sales people some who were affiliated with metlife and some who were independent contractors approved to sell its products as such the legal fight raises questions about how far a large companys liability should extend
big companies like metlife are run by people and when they fall below the standard of care or engage in improper conduct our clients who are also real people get hurt - and thats what happened here said richard e donahoo founder of donahoo  associates one of the lawyers representing ms ramirez
metlife has argued in court documents that it had no relationship with dlg and that it did not sell or materially assist in the sale of the dlg financing program neither was it legally obligated to supervise the broker who made the sale to ms ramirez metlife said because he was a contractor and licensed through another unaffiliated broker dealer even though he was authorized to sell metlife insurance products the company has added that it did not take or receive anything from ms ramirez and so it is not liable for any damages a metlife spokesman christopher stern said the company does not comment on continuing litigation
mr friedman was selling promissory notes that claimed to back real estate investments promissory notes are similar to bonds and not uncommon products for insurance agents to sell but regulators have warned about the potential for fraud and abuse agents presented the notes as premium financing for metlife insurance products the lawsuits say in other words the investment return would be able to fund the premium payments on a life insurance policy metlife does not generally allow premium financing something these agents admitted in depositions
tony russon at the time a managing partner at a metlife insurance subsidiary and a registered principal for a related broker dealer introduced mr friedman and his fund to the agents in about 2004 the lawsuit says the agents were also given dlg welcome packets to use in making sales that discussed the guaranteed returns promised to ms ramirez and others mr russon is named in the lawsuit along with metlife and the subsidiaries
it turns out according to the lawsuit and related filings that mr friedman owed mr russon about 750000 from an unrelated side deal and had an agreement to send half of his future income to mr russon until that debt was paid off all of this unknown to metlife mr friedman also bought millions of dollars of life insurance in several policies from metlife with the commissions going to mr russon according to legal documents
in 2006 a senior fraud investigator at metlife raised questions with executives about the dlg program metlife has said in court documents regarding that 2006 investigation that its underwriting department declined a policy application that disclosed that its premiums would be paid with returns on dlg promissory notes emphasizing that metlife did not permit such programs mr russon was fired in may 2009 soon after mr friedmans fraud collapsed
a lawyer for mr russon said ms ramirez had never met mr russon and that she did not buy any insurance products through him or his agency nor did she buy into dlg through his office we intend on defending mr russons interests vigorously at trial the lawyer said
mr friedman used a significant portion of the investor money to support an extravagant lifestyle including expensive vacations jewelry and a 65 million home in malibu the government said he also pledged millions of dollars to charity including the dodgers dream foundation
this case is about aiding and abetting mr donahoo said mr friedman who was a felon likely could never have obtained the millions from the hundreds of people that he cheated without the legitimacy that a company like metlife provided
few at the time knew that he had been convicted decades earlier of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from an employer he was eventually charged in the dlg matter but mr friedman fled the country as the investigation progressed and he died in a french prison in march 2012 while awaiting extradition his victims received a fraction of every dollar they had invested metlife paid 10 million of life insurance from his policies to the receiver who was tasked with recovering money
the court battle comes as policy makers in washington decide whether large financial institutions are too big to manage - an outgrowth of the fight over too big to fail the idea that a large financial institution can damage the whole economy in times of distress
metlife the largest american life insurer fought the governments labeling of it as a systemically important financial institution which would have subjected it to extra regulation a federal district court judge in washington ruled in favor of the insurer in march allowing it to shed that label but concerns remain about whether the countrys biggest financial institutions have adequate controls to manage the host of assets and employees including outside contractors
too big to manage is really the next frontier of regulatory challenges in the financial industry said robert j jackson jr a professor of law at columbia university even the best senior managers will tell you that running an organization of this size and scope well and keeping an eye on all of his employees is an enormous challenge that were not yet prepared for
a number of large financial institutions including metlife have already shed significant assets in january metlife announced its intention to spin off its american retail life insurance business which would include the subsidiaries involved in ms ramirezs lawsuit the sale will reduce the companys total assets by more than 25 percent
without a safety net ms ramirez said she had to rethink her entire plan for retirement - trips to new york to see family and a vacation to europe she now rents out a room in her two bedroom home to help make ends meet i had to give up my privacy along with losing all of my savings ms ramirez said
paul walker 71 another reported victim of the scheme who is part of the pending litigation and will serve as a witness in her case said he was ready to go to court to tell his story
when you lose all your money thats like your blood and sweat and tears he said im mad as hell


gawker medias legal battle with hulk hogan over the publication of a sex tape has had wide ranging impact
a 140 million verdict threatens the future of the company and the emergence of the billionaire peter thiel as the behind the scenes financial supporter of the professional wrestlers lawsuits has highlighted a simmering fissure between silicon valley and the news media
but gawkers legal entanglements do not end with hulk hogan
the company has acknowledged facing lawsuits with plaintiffs ranging from an individual who claims he invented email to the website of the british tabloid the daily mail currently gawker media is fighting five defamation related lawsuits according to a person who has been briefed on the companys legal situation but who spoke on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to discuss legal strategy that does not include the invasion of privacy lawsuit brought by hogan whose real name is terry g bollea the company plans to appeal the verdict in that case
charles j harder the los angeles based lawyer who represented mr bollea is involved in at least two of the other lawsuits brought against the company
when asked about the lawsuits gawker issued a statement criticizing mr thiels twisted scheme to destroy a news organization and demanded that he be transparent about which cases he was underwriting
will he confirm that hes behind the other two cases ayyadurai and terrill that his lawyer charles harder is publicly handling the statement read referencing the cases of shiva ayyadurai who says he invented email and ashley terrill a journalist who was the subject of a 2015 gawker article chronicling her reported quest to gather information on a former tinder executive mr harder is representing mr ayyadurai and ms terrill mr thiel has said that he is supporting other cases against gawker though he declined to disclose which ones
ms terrill could not be reached for comment but mr ayyadurai said in an interview that he was not aware of mr thiel being involved in his lawsuit to the best of my knowledge he said theres no other third party involved
most libel lawsuits are filed in state court but because those court cases are not filed in a central location and many records are not available online it is difficult to generate a reliable tally of lawsuits previously filed against gawker or to compare them with the number of cases brought against other news organizations the new york times is currently facing two libel cases one of them a pro se case   in which a plaintiff is self represented   which it won but which is now being appealed
defamation is a very idiosyncratic claim   people sue publishers all the time over true articles that bruise their feelings dave heller deputy director of the media law resource center said in an email so its not surprising that a publisher will face defamation suits   especially one like gawker thats going to cover public figures in an irreverent way so being sued may be a badge of honor   but if you start losing these cases you have to look in the mirror and ask whether you are failing the basics of journalism
mr heller cautioned that complaints against news organizations were not all necessarily legitimate pro se complaints for example tend to be nuisance suits that no lawyer would touch he said one of the defamation related lawsuits gawker currently faces is pro se said the person who has been briefed on the companys legal situation
mr ayyadurai the man who claims he invented email said he had been looking into his legal options since 2012 when gizmodo a gawker property published an article that harshly criticized his professional track record he said he was not asked for comment before publication the article had the headline corruption lies and death threats the crazy story of the man who pretended to invent email in 2014 when the actress fran drescher said she married mr ayyadurai gizmodo followed up with another story headlined if fran drescher read gizmodo she would not have married this fraud
mr ayyadurai said he hired mr harder to pursue a lawsuit around the time of the march verdict in mr bolleas case calling it a lucky coincidence that mr harder was available after years of his looking for the right legal team
on may 10 mr ayyadurai sued gawker media nick denton the companys founder and majority owner and two gawker journalists john cook and sam biddle the complaint was filed in massachusetts by another lawyer though mr harder is the lead on the case mr ayyadurai is seeking 35 million
the first amendment refers to journalism he said not what they do
gawker has said it stands by its reporting in an open letter to mr thiel published on thursday mr denton asked readers to review gizmodos article on mr ayyadurai and decide for themselves whether the reporting was newsworthy other news organizations including the los angeles times have cast doubt on mr ayyadurais claims
many who have sued gawker said that it overstepped the boundaries of privacy slandered reputations or failed to do adequate reporting before posting articles several of the suits have found fault with gawkers tendency to link coverage across several websites opening up the stories for reader discussion and in some cases online harassment
though several suits over the years have been dismissed relatively quickly gawker has occasionally faced an uphill battle in court
in 2012 a young north carolina woman sued gawker media and deep dive media for defamation accusing both of aggregating a local news article speculating about whether she had exposed herself in a high school yearbook photo she was not named in the article a district judge denied gawkers request to dismiss the suit and both parties later settled in mediation according to chris mauriello the womans lawyer
stuart karle an adjunct professor at columbia universitys graduate school of journalism and the general counsel of north base media a venture capital firm investing in developing world media said in an email that the number of lawsuits against gawker spoke to the impact its articles were having
but the other angle and the especially troubling one given the thiel reveal is the fact   and it does now appear to be a fact   that even a successful digital publisher can be threatened with ruin by a concerted litigation attack financed by someone or some group who wants to destroy it he said in that context this number of defamation actions is far more sinister
he added that is of course what lawsuits against the press are almost always about not the last story the one in the lawsuit but the next story the one that hasnt been written or filmed and now cant be because there isnt the time or the money to do it


juba south sudan   if there is any chance for south sudan to get back on its feet it will need to be serious about the mundane
so says fredrick lokule a veteran civil servant who is passionate about bureaucracy of all things   specifically tax collection the thankless task that any functioning state requires
but the government of south sudan the worlds youngest country has long been driven by personalities not by policies now it cannot afford to pay even its most experienced technocrats
mr lokule who is in charge of his states revenue authority says he has not been paid for more than two months his office sits on an unpaved road and experiences frequent power failures so his employees have grown used to working in the dark
people are patient mr lokule said but of course weve been frustrated because of a lack of this a lack of that
south sudan has at least officially just emerged from more than two years of a brutal civil war that killed tens of thousands of people and displaced over two million
much of the damage remains even here in the capital nearly 28000 people are still sheltering in a united nations camp on the outskirts of the city many of them fled their homes in december 2013 after troops loyal to president salva kiir clashed with those loyal to riek machar who had been dismissed that year as vice president and killed hundreds of civilians in the city during the early stages of the war
since then most of the wars atrocities often perpetrated along ethnic lines have occurred far from juba in the countrys north and east civilians were killed deliberately child soldiers were recruited to fight women were raped en masse
in recent weeks the countrys top priority has been to form a transitional government that strikes a delicate peace between former warring rivals but south sudans governing elite have done little to focus on something just as critical to the countrys health righting the devastated economy
you cannot talk about improving the economic situation now because peace and security are the cornerstones for whatever you do michael makuei the countrys minister of information said last month as the government was being formed
after an august peace agreement mr machar returned to juba on april 26 and was sworn into his old position as the vice president to mr kiir essentially returning the country to the fragile political situation it was in before the war
both leaders claim membership in the sudan peoples liberation movement which began in 1983 as the political wing of an army fighting for autonomy from sudan
but the party has always been divided by power struggles since south sudan achieved independence in 2011 the movement has functioned less like a political party and more like a tenuous coalition of war veterans who have never quite been able to put down their weapons its members have been accused of committing war crimes fanning the flames of ethnic tension and profiting from rampant corruption
our apologies to the people of south sudan for the situation we the leaders have created mr kiir said in a speech after mr machar resumed his post you have been patient throughout the duration of the crisis
more than half of south sudans roughly 12 million people live below the poverty line food prices have skyrocketed because of inflation people are dying in hospitals where medical supplies are running low oil fields were damaged in the war slashing production to less than half of peak levels
now saddled with fees and debt repayments totaling about 25 for every barrel of crude exported via sudan   and facing low oil prices globally   south sudan is desperately short on hard currency
mr machar who met with officials from the international monetary fund last week to discuss a much needed economic recovery insisted before his return to the capital that if the peace plan was followed development would come
the money spent by the government on perpetrating the war will be available for other things he said
people in the capital are struggling to make ends meet abraham matoch 27 a laptop technician said his workplace had not had a regular electricity supply for about two years so he pays top dollar for power from privately owned generators many of which run on fuel from the black market his business is barely profitable but he said his five siblings relied on him for support
all i want is for the economy to be stable he said
in order to secure the outside funding that south sudan sorely needs the countrys leaders must prove their ability to govern but high level officials argue that the transitional government has much to accomplish before it can address the problems plaguing the population
to that end   and despite the lack of cash   south sudans government has expanded a new cabinet of 30 ministers was appointed shortly after mr machars arrival with former rebels leading 10 ministries including those of the interior mining and petroleum
lam akol a veteran of the sudan peoples liberation movement who now leads an opposition party became the minister of agriculture   a sector about which he admitted he knows very little
during his first few hours in office he greeted a parade of well wishers from behind his huge desk offering candy and cookies as the electricity supply sputtered
i dont deny that many of the problems have been personal he said of the governments internal power struggles but now there are many centers in this government ensuring that no one center is controlling everything
troops from both sides of the conflict are undergoing a balancing act of their own leaders of the two armies have begun talks on how to enforce security in juba the plans include the formation of a police force with 1500 recruits from each side
col william gatjiath deng a spokesman for mr machars troops said he was disappointed that the government had been slow to demilitarize the capital in accordance with the peace plan he also acknowledged that some of his troops might have trouble adapting to the transition after two years of conflict
they are still holding the violence in their minds he said but we trained them we told them we are here for peace
the soldiers who do not know when they will receive salaries have settled in a garrison on the edge of juba and have built small homes out of wood straw and mud during the day civilians from the nearby displaced persons camp are welcomed into the makeshift barracks women have volunteered as cooks preparing huge vats of beans to distribute to the troops
nyakoang doar 54 who has been living in the united nations camp since her husband and three of her six children were killed in december 2013 said the government had not stopped killing civilians in mr machars ethnic group the nuer until his soldiers had begun to arrive here this year
we women are really suffering she said pointing a finger at colonel gatjiath as she waited for a batch of beans to boil you men are not doing so well
since the formation of the transitional government reports of violent skirmishes across the country have raised fears that south sudan will not be able to maintain peace in the buildup to national elections in 2018 in which mr machar could square off with mr kiir once again for control of the party
but technocrats like mr lokule hope the country can put personal politics aside for now and focus instead on a blueprint for development that will attract foreign investors he said he was proud to be involved in the establishment of a new national tax revenue authority which should come to fruition soon as part of the peace deal
when we split from sudan we came with the spirit to build a country he said we hope everything will be ok and this depends on keeping the peace


summer in new york city means ice cream trucks bell jingling fleets of pleasure craft festooned with pictures of perfectly swirled desserts and beaming children delivering frozen providence into grateful sweaty hands
but behind those cheery facades simmer turf wars   long running occasionally bloody feuds between ice cream vendors for control of the citys prime selling spots
and in a recent battle for a lucrative zone of tourist attractions and sunny pedestrian plazas a place filled with people willing to pay 4 for a plain vanilla cone no sprinkles the king of ice cream land has lost to an upstart
mister softee says he has been muscled out of midtown
new york ice cream staffed by drivers who used to cover midtown manhattan for mister softee has had the area locked down for at least a year mister softee said the renegade is enforcing its dominance with threats and intimidation that sometimes get physical
if one of my drivers goes to midtown theyll bring their trucks in and surround them   a bunch of guys said peter bouziotis who runs the softee depot in the bronx which covers manhattan theyll start banging on the windows
at the corner of 40th street and seventh avenue in times square a new york ice cream man in the window of his purple trimmed white truck was unapologetic
from 34th to 60th street river to river thats ours he said on a recent afternoon moments after handing a chocolate cone to a delighted looking little boy the vendor would not allow his name to be published for fear of losing his job
you will never see a mister softee truck in midtown he continued if you do there will be problems and you wont see him there very long
boxing in a softee truck so the driver cannot do business getting up in his face grabbing his collar and delivering some unsolicited advice
happens all the time the new york ice cream man said
new york ice creams founder dimitrios tsirkos did not respond to repeated requests for comment
mister softees vice president jim conway said the company had urged its drivers to retake the heart of the city to no avail
corporately we would love to see people go in there we consider it wide open territory and anyone would do great selling there mr conway said the issue is that people just fear for their safety
mr conway said mister softee had not sought legal remedy for the bullying its just the way it is he said life on the street
a city permit allows mobile vendors to sell anywhere within the city at a franchise operation like mister softee routes are assigned by the depot manager so that drivers for the same company do not trip over one another
but mr bouziotis said im not going to push anyone to sell ice cream where they feel endangered
bad blood has run through the new york ice cream trade for decades in 1969 a mister softee driver was kidnapped by rivals who blew up his truck in 2004 a cone selling couple in their 60s were ambushed by competitors who beat them into critical condition with a wrench in a 2010 brawl caught on video two drivers near columbus circle exchanged punches before one man pushed the others face into a planter
but drivers for mister softee whose cone headed bowtied likeness adorns more than 350 trucks across the five boroughs can play hard too
in 2012 a frozen yogurt vendor said that a softee duo snapped his brakes with a crowbar and the founder of the van leeuwen ice cream company said he had gotten death threats from softee drivers a lawyer for mister softee jeffrey zucker said that while he had not heard about the 2012 allegations a franchisee could lose his or her mister softee franchise for engaging in that type of criminal activity
let me tell you about this business adam vega a thickly muscled heavily tattooed mister softee man who works the upper reaches of the upper east side and east harlem said on wednesday every truck has a bat inside
mr vega 41 said that if he comes across a rival on his route i jump out and say listen young man this is my route you gotta get out of there
the rift between new york ice cream and mister softee goes back to around 2013 according to court documents mr tsirkos held at least a dozen softee franchises at the time mostly in midtown
several of his drivers said that he was upset at high franchise fees and inflated prices for supplies so he took his trucks they are owned by individuals not mister softee added sprinkles and a waffle cone to the logo and struck out on his own under the name master softee
mister softee cried trademark infringement
in court at least mister softee is winning the upstarts have changed their name to new york ice cream and the look of their trucks
mr tsirkos has been ordered to compensate mister softee for his misdeeds last week a federal judge ordered him to pay softee 28785844 in lawyers fees bringing the total he owes to over 767000 so far mister softees lawyers say mr tsirkos has parted with only 2426
on the streets it has been tougher
at the bronx softee depot on southern boulevard on wednesday mark rodriguez a former army infantryman in afghanistan said that he had managed to sell ice cream on 33rd street near madison square garden for several hours one recent afternoon
they didnt chase you a colleague leon frierson asked
no mr rodriguez said too many cops nobodys gonna try anything


beijing   a squeal of brakes the screech of ripping metal and a battery powered three wheel scooter   top heavy with parcels for delivery   tips over after hitting a car the courier picks himself up as the driver jumps out of his car shouting and pointing at his vehicles shattered headlights
it is another skirmish in the smoldering class war being waged on the roads of beijing
the growing number of private car drivers is at odds with the millions of residents who ride two  and three wheeled electric cycles the conflict has stirred emotions about inequality in urban china pitting wealthier drivers against the blue collar workers who need the electric bikes to make a living
were just scapegoats liu xiaoyan an electric bike courier who watched the aftermath of the crash said recently at an intersection in northeast beijing they always say that electric bikes are the road killers but the cars are the real killers
electric bicycles have proliferated from a demand for deliveries of goods sold online beijing and several other chinese cities have moved to rein in the bikes with some considering outright bans
the steps have been welcomed by car drivers who fume at cyclists buzzing through red lights and riding against traffic often while peeking at smartphones mounted on their handlebars pedestrians also complain that the bikes honk noisily and hog the sidewalks
i didnt feel so unsafe cycling in beijing before but now you have all these food delivery guys with very little training said robert earley a canadian entrepreneur in beijing working on clean transport initiatives in the capital in the past two years ive been hit by bikes going the wrong way one electric one a motorbike
but owners of electric bikes and industry representatives said the bikes were being unfairly maligned for problems caused by the fact that there are too many cars they have a point in beijing cars often clog bike lanes and use sidewalks as parking lots with impunity
the motor vehicles have occupied all the lanes for electric bikes so they have no place to go said ma guilong a retired professor at tsinghua university in beijing who is one of the countrys experts on electric vehicles
many times ive been obediently riding in the bike lane and suddenly hit by a car professor ma said ive taken quite a few tumbles like that
electric bikes have been a boon to online retailers though the bikes are popular with couriers mostly migrants from the countryside who speed deliveries through congested roads in 2015 online retail sales in china reached 388 trillion renminbi or 590 billion an increase of one third over the previous year according to government estimates
if there werent electric bikes the logistics costs of e commerce would rise said guo jinzhi the chairwoman of the beijing bicycle industry association it would be very difficult for e commerce to grow so quickly
beijings streets are not the most anarchic in china but the friction here is striking since ancient times the roads of the capital were meant to be an orderly geometric reflection of control for decades the roads have been divided between main roads for the few cars and side lanes for the river of bicycles
but riding on the busiest roads now can feel like a slowed down scene from mad max fury road a churning cavalcade of cars motorcycles pedal and electric bikes scooters skateboarders battery powered microcars segway like transporters and pedestrians who rely on the brute force of numbers to push through intersections   even if the traffic light is red
it is not unusual to see cars perform abrupt u turns and lane switches that defy regulations and the basic instincts of safety or to see buses that barge in and out of lanes
the traffic rules can be a hassle we have to get around fast or the customers complain wang jinchun 25 a fast food courier said as he loaded his bike with two batteries each the size of a large shoe box
but the cars are very dangerous especially at night every day you feel that you are playing with your life mr wang said before riding off down the wrong side of a road
chinese cities were far more sedate when bicycles ruled the road electric bikes first went on sale around 1996 but remained a novelty in a sea of pedaled bicycles
beijing now has 56 million motor vehicles on its roads even with restrictions on new sales the city has up to 25 million electric bicycles and sales have reached 300000 each year said ms guo of the bicycle association there are also hundreds of thousands of unregistered three wheeled electric scooters although the government tried in effect to ban them in 2014
over the past few years theyve become the main driver of urbanization in china said ni jie the chairman of luyuan electric vehicles an electric bike manufacturer in eastern china and a vocal defender of the industry its become a major mode of transport for the newly employed in china and workers from the countryside
the bikes cost just a few hundred dollars no license is required and only a few owners ever bother to register them
theyre a menace said xing dayong a taxi driver who had just aimed a string of curses at a cyclist who swerved in front of his car theyre fast they go the wrong way and they dont make a sound
about 260000 people die in road accidents in china every year 60 percent of them pedestrians cyclists or people on motorbikes according to the world health organization
the central government keeps promising to do something about electric bikes but appears mired by indecision the standards that govern electric bicycles were introduced in 1999 but most new bikes violate the limits for speed weight and battery size
by law bikes can travel at a maximum speed of about 13 miles an hour and weigh no more than about 90 pounds but many bikes are much heavier and souped up models can reach almost 30 miles an hour according to a recent test by a beijing newspaper the government has never set standards for the bigger and faster three wheelers
instead cities are taking action the beijing government revealed in march that electric bikes were involved in 113 fatalities last year or 12 percent of the recorded traffic deaths and 21423 injuries 37 percent of the injury total
in april beijing banned electric bikes and three wheelers from 10 stretches of road including parts of changan avenue the main thoroughfare bike owners and makers said they were worried that beijing would copy chinese cities that had imposed harsher restrictions
shenzhen a bustling city in southern china cracked down in march on electric cycles that were unregistered or deemed too big companies there said their customers were irate about late deliveries
guangzhou the capital of guangdong province has been considering a proposal to ban the riding or selling of electric bikes in much of the city critics have gone online to denounce the restrictions as a means of discriminating against migrant workers
theres no way to control them said wu ziguo a migrant worker who rides a three wheeler to deliver water cooler bottles in beijing
if you try to restrict how people make a living youll discover that the whole city depends on couriers for food water every need


the contemporary art collector and publisher peter m brant announced that he had assumed full control over art in america magazine and artnews as well as a stable of other publications that were part of a complex merger last year
in the deal mr brant agreed to sell art in america which has been published since 1913 but has struggled recently to the company that owns artnews published since 1902 mr brant sold the magazine for about 17 million
under the terms of the deal mr brants media company became the majority shareholder of artnewss parent artnews sa whose chief executive izabela depczyk eventually resigned and was replaced by vincent fremont a friend of mr brants and a founding director of the andy warhol foundation for the visual arts the deal initially gave rise to speculation that mr brant who also owns interview magazine might have been moving to divest himself of his art publishing empire but he quickly consolidated all of the publications online and has now announced that with the completion of their merger last thursday brant publications has become their legal owner
under plans announced last year art in america is to continue its regular publication schedule of 11 issues a year and artnews will come out in print about four times a year continuing popular themed editions such as the annual list of the worlds top 200 collectors online mr brant said the consolidation would move under one umbrella some of the most important cultural publications that together provide the complete content and history of decorative arts classical arts and art related news
in an interview last year he said that despite the challenges facing print publications he believed there was still a place for magazines particularly those that covered art we are committed to staying in that world he said adding interest in art is growing were living in a much more artistic world


paris   a miserable rain soaked day provided the perfect platform for guy forget the director of the french open to renew his campaign for a roof over philippe chatrier court
the weather however was not so good for the present tournament
all of mondays scheduled matches at roland garros were washed away by the worst weather of what has been a consistently wet event this year the french open is the only one of the four grand slam events without a roof over at least one court and mondays heavy rain and the ensuing shift of the schedule could affect the tournaments outcome
the complete washout the first at roland garros in 16 years left the tournament in an awkward stance with six of the 16 fourth round matches having been completed sunday and the remaining scheduled for completion tuesday the forecast on tuesday also calls for rain
tournament officials particularly want to avoid a jam of backlogged matches that could force some players to play on consecutive days that would be particularly challenging for the men who play best of five sets
if players need to play two matches in two days forget said i guess the guy who is more fit will win
with the womens final still scheduled for saturday whoever reaches the final from the top half of the draw which includes the top seed serena williams and her sister venus as well as last years semifinalist timea bacsinszky and the rome finalist madison keys will have to play four matches in five days
two of the fourth round matches on the bottom half of the draw   agnieszka radwanska versus tsvetana pironkova and simona halep versus samantha stosur   were unfinished sunday so whoever reaches the semifinal out of those four players will have had had less rest than her semifinal opponent either garbine muguruza or shelby rogers
forget said he was optimistic that the matches would be played tuesday and that with two days of matches on secondary courts the tournament would get back on track but he would not rule out the possibility of extending it into next monday if rainy conditions persisted
today is evidence it shows us that this is absolutely necessary   we must have a roof forget said
he said it was a day of frustration and annoyance
forget noted that the united states open recently had a streak of four consecutive tournaments going an extra day but arthur ashe stadium now boasts a new roof forget has set his sights on 2020 for a roof at roland garros
when and if play resumes tuesday a dense schedule of matches could put all the remaining top players on court including serena williams and novak djokovic the mens no 1 seed both of their matches were scratched monday delaying their searches for elusive titles
djokovic playing in his 12th french open has yet to win this event and a victory would complete a career grand slam williams needs one more major tournament victory to match steffi grafs open era record of 22 grand slam titles if the rain persists and heavy muddy courts become the norm those players championship hopes could be affected
serena williams could benefit from the day of rest since she and her sister played four sets of doubles sunday but her next singles opponent could have a better chance to defeat williams than she has in the past
williams is scheduled to play no 18 seeded elina svitolina for a place in the quarterfinals svitolina 21 has not beaten williams 34 in three attempts and may have no clue how to but her coach definitely knows how
justine henin who began working with svitolina earlier this year won six of 14 matches against williams including a 2 0 record at roland garros where she won four singles titles
part of what made henin so difficult for williams was her energy her feisty and picturesque one handed backhand and perhaps more than anything her desire to win
that relentless spirit would be hard for anyone to match svitolina included but other differences include svitolinas two handed backhand and her height at 5 feet 9 inches she stands about five inches taller than henin
she has different game and i have different game svitolina said so its not like i have her in my team so im going to play exactly like her because its impossible we are completely different persons so we try to find something in between what suits me what suits my game and its just whats the best for me
henin and williams had some memorable confrontations including their 2003 semifinal at roland garros svitolina recalled watching their last meeting a three set final at the australian open in 2010 that williams won
but williams sent a clear message that she was not playing henin and that any notion that svitolina has some form of anti serena kryptonite with henin watching from the box is folly
it really doesnt matter williams said its just really about going out there and playing your best
if wet conditions continue though they could nullify any advantage williams might expect from her power game heavy wet tennis balls could slightly dampen her serve and her potent ground strokes
for example in his straight sets win over the hard serving john isner on sunday andy murray the no 2 seed conceded that the wet conditions after a downpour probably helped him
when we came back out the balls were extremely slow murray said i was able to return a lot more serves get a lot more in the service games extend the rallies and thats where i was able to dictate most of the points
on the mens side the defending champion stan wawrinka the no 3 seed and albert ramos vinolas were able to complete their fourth round matches and will face each other in a quarterfinal
murray will face no 9 seeded richard gasquet   and the french crowd   in another quarterfinal
i played a number of times against french players here in difficult atmospheres and i managed ok murray said im sure ill be fine on whatever day we play
djokovic will play no 14 seeded roberto bautista agut on tuesday weather permitting and if he wins he will have to come back wednesday for a quarterfinal match djokovic is not unfamiliar with rain disruptions here in his 2012 final against rafael nadal djokovic lost the first two sets won the third and was leading in the fourth when rain suspended play
when they came back the next day nadal needed less than an hour to finish off djokovic


kandahar afghanistan   taliban militants overran several checkpoints in southern helmand province and killed at least 25 policemen over the past two days officials said on monday in the first major assaults in the province since the insurgents named a new leader last week
while the taliban made major inroads in helmand last year the violence had seemed relatively contained in recent months after broad changes by the afghan army there and a new influx of american troops and advisers but the fighting has again intensified with an increased tempo of attacks in the districts of nad ali gereshk sangin and marja as well as in babaji a suburb of the provincial capital lashkar gah
gul agha a commander of afghan local police militia forces in gereshk said taliban fighters had overrun five checkpoints in the district bordering the provincial capital killed 12 fighters and executed their unit commander
a local commander named safar muhammad akka was dragged and hanged in yakhchal area of gereshk by taliban mr agha said he was an old man but very anti taliban
a regional police commander esmatullah dawlatzai put the death toll at 25 national policemen and afghan local police militia fighters with 15 wounded in three districts over the past two days but the head of the helmand provincial council abdul karim attal said on monday that as many as 40 policemen had been killed or wounded in the past 24 hours across several districts
mr attal said that the government had repeatedly announced operations to clear taliban threats but that little progress had been made
the reason is that the security officials are involved in corruption   they are selling weapons bullets and want to continue the same condition mr attal said if we dont see keen focus to change the overall security policy here we will lose the province
after their supreme leader was killed in an american drone strike in pakistan the taliban announced the promotion of his deputy mawlawi haibatullah akhundzada as their new leader on wednesday officials expect violence to escalate after the selection of mawlawi haibatullah who is a former judge with deep religious credentials but is not known for military victories as it did with the insurgencys leadership change last summer
however farhad dawari a university lecturer and analyst based in lashkar gah said the escalation in helmand had followed the patterns of previous years and probably had less to do with mawlawi haibatullahs selection
the taliban use the winter for training and the early spring to reap the taxes and other benefits from opium fields with those two things behind them mr dawari said the insurgents will begin pressing the helmand provincial capital again
what we are hearing is that the talibans elite force is trying to make its way from musa qala district and is set on taking lashkar gah he said
on sunday night as the taliban attacked army posts in gereshk just outside the city belt government forces in lashkar gah used heavy artillery mr dawari said no one slept in the city for most of the night he added
in baghlan province in northern afghanistan taliban fighters reportedly burned the homes of local police officials and their relatives as they were forced out by a government operation
safdar mohseni the head of the baghlan provincial council said the taliban had burned about 14 homes belonging to police officials as they were fleeing mangala village
the insurgents controlled large parts of at least three districts in the province and threatened the main highway connecting northern provinces to kabul the afghan capital mr mohseni said
they are very close to the highway on both sides in chashme sher area and can threaten it any time mr mohseni said yesterday they attacked two government vehicles civilian transport vehicles pass easily but military and government cars have a hard time


helsinki finland   seeking to shine some light into the dark world of internet trolls a journalist with finlands national broadcaster asked members of her audience to share their experience of encounters with russias troll army a raucous and often venomous force of online agitators
the response was overwhelming though not in the direction that the journalist jessikka aro had hoped
as she expected she received some feedback from people who had clashed with aggressively pro russian voices online but she was taken aback and shaken by a vicious retaliatory campaign of harassment and insults against her and her work by those same pro russian voices
everything in my life went to hell thanks to the trolls said ms aro a 35 year old investigative reporter with the social media division of finlands state broadcaster yle kioski
abusive online harassment is hardly limited to pro russian internet trolls ukraine and other countries at odds with the kremlin also have legions of aggressive avengers on social media
but pro russian voices have become such a noisy and disruptive presence that both nato and the european union have set up special units to combat what they see as a growing threat not only to civil discourse but to the well being of europes democratic order and even to its security
this information war said rastislav kacer a veteran diplomat who served as slovakias ambassador to washington and at natos headquarters in brussels is just part of a bigger struggle while not involving bloodshed he added it is equally as dangerous as more conventional hostile action
for ms aro the abuse increased sharply last year when following up on reports in the opposition russian news media she visited st petersburg to investigate the workings of a russian troll factory the big office churns out fake news and comment particularly on ukraine and floods websites and social media with denunciations of russias critics
in response to her reporting pro russian activists in helsinki organized a protest outside the headquarters of yle accusing it of being a troll factory itself only a handful of people showed up
at the same time ms aro has been peppered with abusive emails vilified as a drug dealer on social media sites and mocked as a delusional bimbo in a music video posted on youtube
there are so many layers of fakery you get lost said ms aro who was awarded the finnish grand prize for journalism in march
as ms aros experiences illustrate finland a country at the center of russias concerns about natos expansion toward its borders has emerged as a particularly active front in the information wars a member of the european union with an 830 mile long border with russia finland has stayed outside the united states led military alliance but unnerved by russian military actions in ukraine and its saber rattling in the baltic sea has expanded cooperation with nato and debated whether to apply for full membership
public opinion is deeply divided making finland a prime target for a campaign by russia
their big thing is to keep finland out of nato said saara jantunen a researcher at the finnish defense forces in helsinki who last year published a book in finland entitled info war she said that she too had been savaged on social media sometimes by the same and apparently fake commentators who have hounded ms aro
they fill the information space with so much abuse and conspiracy talk that even sane people start to lose their minds she added
europes main response so far has been to try to counter outright lies in november the european union launched disinformation review a weekly compendium of pro kremlin distortions and untruths
but facts have been powerless against a torrent of abuse and ridicule targeted at european journalists researchers and others labeled nato stooges
pro russian activists insist that they are merely exercising their right to free speech and that they do not take money or instructions from moscow
the most abusive messages against ms aro were mostly sent anonymously or from accounts set up under fake names on facebook and other social media
one of her most vocal critics in finland however has openly declared his identity he is johan backman a tireless supporter of president vladimir v putin of russia who highlights the blurred lines between state sponsored harassment and the expression of strongly held personal views
fluent in russian mr backman now spends much of his time in moscow appearing regularly in the russian news media and at conferences in russia as a human rights defender he also serves as the representative in northern europe for the russian institute for strategic studies a state funded research group led by a soviet era intelligence officer
mr backman who also represents the donetsk peoples republic the breakaway state set up with russian support in eastern ukraine denied targeting ms aro as part of any information war rather he insisted that russia was itself the victim of a campaign of disinformation and distortion conducted by the west
in a recent interview in moscow he said that ms aro was part of this campaign and that she had tried to curtail the freedom of speech of russias supporters in finland by labeling them as russian trolls all the same mr backman added her complaints about being targeted for abuse have been very beneficial for russia because they have made others think twice about criticizing moscow
she says she is a victim and nobody wants to be a victim he said this changed the atmosphere in the journalistic community
mr backman said he used his own private means to fund his activities in support of what he described as an entirely defensive campaign by russia to counter western propaganda his activities however invariably follow moscows political and geopolitical script particularly on nato which he regularly denounces as a tool for united states military occupation
aside from nato mr backmans biggest bugbear of late has been ms aro and the russo phobic tendencies that she in his view represents
just days after ms aro made her first appeal in september 2014 for information about russian trolls mr backman told russian peoples line a nationalist russian website and other media that she was a well known assistant of american and baltic special services
around the same time she received a call late at night on her cellphone from a number in ukraine nobody spoke and all she could hear was gunfire this was followed by text and email messages denouncing her as a nato whore and a message purporting to come from her father   who died 20 years ago   saying he was watching her
the hardest blow ms aro said came early this year when a finnish language news site mvlehtinet which is based in spain and mostly focuses on vilifying immigrants dug up and published court records that showed she had been convicted of using illegal amphetamines in 2004 she had been fined 300 euros
the websites headline natos information expert jessikka aro turned out to be a convicted drug dealer it also posted photographs of ms aro dancing in a slinky outfit at a nightclub in bangkok
mr backman requested and received ms aros old case file from the court shortly before the website published the documents he denied passing them on to the site
the false claim that ms aro was a drug dealer triggered an unusual open letter signed by more than 20 finnish editors infuriated by what they denounced as the poisoning of public debate with insults defamation and outright lies the finnish police began an investigation into the website for harassment and hate speech
i dont know if these people are acting on orders from russia but they are clearly what lenin called useful idiots said mika pettersson the editor of finlands national news agency and an organizer of the editors open letter they are playing into putins pocket nationalist movements in finland and other european countries want to destabilize the european union and nato and this goes straight into putins narrative
ilja janitskin the founder and head of mvlehti who is based in barcelona spain said in response to emailed questions that he had no connection with russia other than his surname his political views he said are closer to those of donald j trump not mr putin
he added that he had become interested in ms aro only after she accused his website of distributing russian propaganda
like mr backman he denied receiving any money from russian sources insisting that his website which in just 18 months has become one of finlands most widely read online news sources finances itself from advertising and donations by readers
ms aro acknowledged that she had used amphetamines regularly in her early 20s but dismissed as a total lie claims that she had been or is a drug dealer
they get inside your head and you start thinking if i do this what will the trolls do next she said


verizon reached a series of tentative agreements with unions representing nearly 40000 striking workers over the holiday weekend retreating on some of the major points of contention including pension cuts and greater flexibility to outsource work
but after a six and a half week strike the company also gained some important tools for paring down its work force in the coming years
the tentative agreements reached today are good for our employees good for our customers and will be good for our business marc reed verizons chief administrative officer said in a statement they also include key changes sought by the company to better position our wireline business for success in the digital world
the agreements reached on sunday and monday between verizon and two major unions will most likely bring to an end the work stoppage which began on april 13 the striking members in both unions the communications workers of america and the international brotherhood of electrical workers must now vote on the agreements that is likely to happen in the next two or three weeks and they are widely expected to approve them they will return to their jobs beginning on wednesday as part of a short term back to work agreement
this contract is a victory for working families across the country and an affirmation of the power of working people chris shelton president of the communications workers of america said in a statement
the four year contracts would give workers a nearly 11 percent increase in pay over all up from the 65 percent increase that verizon had proposed before the strike as well as modest ratification bonuses and profit sharing
verizon had long argued that it needed to cut costs and increase its flexibility to manage its work force and preserve the competitiveness of its wireline business which includes landlines video and internet service that run through wires
that business which employs the overwhelming majority of the striking workers has declined in profitability in recent years as mobile phone service and hand held devices have gained popularity many of the companys competitors are not unionized and therefore better able to rein in labor costs
the unions say the company is more than profitable enough   with nearly 18 billion in net income last year   to support a large work force with good benefits and wages
they say that verizons fiber optic fios network which provides telephone video and internet service remains lucrative but they argue that the companys interest in it has flagged because the labor costs are much higher than for its wireless business which is overwhelmingly nonunion
perhaps the most consequential issue at stake in the standoff was verizons ability to outsource work the previous contracts included a provision requiring that a certain percentage of customer calls originating in a state be answered by workers in that state   ranging from just over 50 percent for some types of calls in some states to more than 80 percent in others verizon sought to significantly lower those numbers
under the tentative new contracts a similar percentage of calls must be answered by a unionized worker somewhere in verizons wireline footprint which runs from virginia to massachusetts rather than the particular state from which the call originates
both sides claimed victory in the change
we only care that our members somewhere in the footprint are doing the work said robert master assistant to the district 1 vice president of the communications workers of america the push to outsource call center work was rebuffed
lending partial vindication to this claim was a commitment by the company to create over 1000 unionized call center jobs over the next four years to accommodate new demand from customers the company also agreed to reduce the number of call center closings
for its part verizon argued that the new call center rule would allow it to wring out inefficiencies under the old contracts a call that originated in new york city would frequently be answered in new york city then transferred to new jersey or another state where a worker with the right expertise could handle it now the representative in new jersey can answer the call directly more often
its a big deal it eliminates an unnecessary step said richard j young a verizon spokesman its all about minutes here and there minutes add up to hours hours add up to jobs
the company also won the right to offer buyout incentives to employees once a year without first getting the unions blessing making it easier to eliminate jobs that the new rule could eventually render obsolete
elsewhere the outcome appeared more one sided the unions managed to beat back proposed pension cuts including a cap on the accrual of pension benefits after 30 years of service
the company also agreed to withdraw a proposal that would have allowed it to relocate workers for up to two months anywhere in its geographic coverage area although it had already expressed an openness to withdrawing the proposal before the strike
proposals to change seniority rules and to make the companys sickness and disability policy more strict were also withdrawn and the company agreed to change a performance review program in new york city that many workers considered abusive
significantly the new contracts also cover some 65 unionized workers at verizon wireless stores signaling the first time that retail wireless workers at the company have been included in a union contract a potentially important precedent
some labor experts argued that these victories could reverberate through the broader economy
workers over all have been greatly diminished in their bargaining power and wages have been stagnant for quite some time said jeffrey h keefe a professor emeritus at the rutgers school of management and labor relations who has studied the telecom industry for decades i want to see the details of this contract but this may be a real shot in the arm for unions
verizon for its part also achieved at least one clear victory in the new contracts hundreds of millions of dollars in health care cost savings
the unions had largely indicated that they would accept these health care measures before the strike
the standoff between the two sides grew more bitter during the first month after the strike began in april and the unions came under particular strain when verizon discontinued health care benefits for the striking workers on may 1
but the tone appeared to shift in mid may after labor secretary thomas e perez and allison beck director of the federal mediation and conciliation service began to broker the talks
verizon had initially predicted that the strike would not materially affect its financial position in the second quarter but its chief financial officer conceded at a recent investor conference that the strikes effect on installations could hurt the companys performance
mr keefe said that it was quite rare for a strike in the telecom industry to have a significant economic impact on the target company as opposed to a public relations impact but he said verizon may have been vulnerable because so few of its replacement workers typically managers had experience with installations
theres more to running a network than hiring a few replacement workers and running them through school mr keefe said
mr young the verizon spokesman rejected that argument saying verizons replacement workers had begun installing fios for new customers a few weeks earlier than initially planned and for more customers than expected
the companys real miscalculation may have been its assessment of the unions ability to hold out
the total number of installations is off and its not unexpected considering it was a six week strike mr young said you never know going in you hope its a short duration but you have to deal with the hand youre dealt


new haven conn   on the scale of the global crises she deals with on a daily basis the issue that samantha power the united states ambassador to the united nations weighed in on during a commencement speech at yale last week might have seemed a minor even insular concern
the subject in question was the universitys decision not to change the name of calhoun college named after a confederate leader and vocal advocate of slavery ms power a yale graduate herself made clear that she regarded the issue as a serious one
ms power who won a pulitzer prize for  a problem from hell america and the age of genocide ranked the dispute on the yale campus alongside the horrific situation faced by refugees another cause that she said had eluded resolution
some of you who have poured a lot of yourselves into these and other struggles over the last four years might look at all that remains unchanged and feel discouraged she said in delivering her remarks on may 22 she urged graduating seniors to continue their fight for causes inside yale and outside yale no matter how painful the setbacks
this has been an intense year on campus and the issues that have aroused the most emotion and anger have been mostly inside yale an alert about provocative halloween costumes allegations of sexual assault complaints about the low number of minority faculty members and the residential building or college named after john c calhoun an 1804 graduate who called slavery a public good
meanwhile the world outside yale has received less attention and certainly inspired less passion syrian refugees were the focus of some concern this year and the black lives matter movement received vocal support in 2014 for the most part however students have kept their focus on the yale experience   often themselves
that these in house issues should inflame students is easy to understand said isaac stanley becker a 2016 graduate and former editor of the student newspaper the yale daily news
it is interesting that at a time when we are more connected than ever before with events around the world that the issues that are most powerfully felt are those close to home he said but it is not surprising this is where we live this is home
some students trace their criticism of the yale administration to their disappointment at discovering that entrenched biases persist and that the institution was not the bastion of morality and tolerance they had expected
you may have felt it living in a college named for a man who once argued that enslaving your ancestors was a positive good  ms power said
these kinds of reactions are hardly unique to yale students at other universities around the world have campaigned to remove from buildings and institutions the names of historically compromised personalities seen as offensive including woodrow wilson at princeton university
at some schools students have gone further demanding safe zones and trigger warnings to protect themselves against speakers references and material they consider offensive
the question is whether this kind of self referential examination   a rhetorical selfie held up to the student experience   is the correct antidote to vestiges of racism sexism and general narrow mindedness
why do so many students see themselves as vulnerable to the slings and arrows of outrageous texts arguments and comments asked todd gitlin a journalism professor at columbia university in an op ed why so fearful
during the yale graduation ceremony several speakers suggested that students should break out of their echo chambers where solace is found in shared opinions
back in 1962 john f kennedy speaking at another yale graduation warned against enjoying the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought
since then the problem has become worse ms power said as social media and its algorithms are increasingly engineered to reflect back to us the world as we already see it
ms power urged the graduating students to stay involved despite their frustration at the slow pace of change but also to keep their minds open
its in your interest to engage the people you disagree with rather than shutting them out or shutting them up she said


if michelin gave stars for unintentionally brilliant dish names an eatery in pingyao china might well be the worlds top restaurant it has a large sign outside showing some of its tastiest dishes with english translations in bowl you flour silk beef cats ear and a noodle dish in broth known as sauce on my grandma
the chinese and english languages are so completely different that you often see awkward translations like these they may make english speakers chuckle but chinese officialdom is not amused when major international events come to china the state tries to clean up the most egregious ones before the 2008 beijing olympic games for example 400000 signs and 1300 menus were revised including racist park a permanent cultural exhibition that was rebranded as minorities park
still a stroll through just about any chinese city will reveal the joys of eating in china a restaurant menu in xian offers the smell of urine dry noodles shenzhen is proud of its famous gollum shrimp a beijing restaurant serves the hand that grasps the cowboy bone and fried swarm
public institutions dont do much better with their signs one warns travelers in shanghai to beware walletcarefully slide it means to suggest that you should watch your wallet and your step on the slippery floor in beijing some wheelchair accessible bathrooms are marked deformed person
and it is worth a visit to the ecstasy retail clothing chain on the island of taiwan just to see what is posted out front apparently unaware that its trademark is also a street name for the illegal drug mdma the store has signs saying welcome to the ecstasy world and the ecstasy family make you crazy


beijing   nearly 27 years later the carnage of june 4 1989 remains a raw political scar in china so raw that a man has been detained on subversion charges his supporters say because he shared pictures of liquor bottles labeled to mark the day soldiers extinguished democracy protests based in tiananmen square in beijing
the man fu hailu an itinerant worker in chengdu the capital of sichuan province in southwest china was formally detained by the police on sunday on suspicion of inciting subversion of state power according to human rights websites that follow cases in china including canyuorg
mr fus wife liu tianyan said by telephone on monday that she was unsure whether her husband had anything to do with the macabrely humorous images they included a beer bottle with a label showing a man sitting in front of a column of tanks   echoing an iconic image of public defiance of the armed crackdown in 1989
my impression is that i may have seen those pictures ms liu said but these kinds of things just get passed around i wasnt paying attention so i dont know whether he had anything to do with them its just some pictures so i wasnt paying attention
but chinas security apparatus always vigilant against discussion of the traumas of 1989 apparently was paying close attention the police took mr fu away on saturday after the images spread on wechat a popular chinese social media platform that allows circles of friends to share messages and pictures
the photographs also showed what appeared to be bottles for baijiu the fiery chinese liquor with similar labels but ms liu said that as far as she knew her husband did not know how to create labels or images like that on a computer nor did he make liquor she said
i didnt hear him talk about june 4 ms liu said its true that he cares a lot about social justice   the police food safety public welfare issues
the labels played on the similarity in mandarin chinese between the word for liquor and the word for nine as in 1989 jiu in both cases
remember eight liquor six four said the beer bottle label echoing the date of june 4 1989 when armed soldiers seized tiananmen square after pushing through parts of beijing often shooting at protesters or residents who tried to stop them hundreds possibly thousands died in the mayhem in beijing and there was heavy bloodshed in chengdu and other cities where the protests persisted for days after june 4
mr fu 29 a former soldier from sichuan worked on and off as a security guard and in other menial jobs and liked to write verse ms liu said she was unsure whether he had a lawyer the authorities may detain mr fu for at least two weeks and could decide to keep him longer to formally arrest him or to release him possibly with conditions
the communist party goes to great lengths every year to avoid rekindling memories of the schisms and bloodshed of 1989   the efforts are so strenuous that they serve to remind many of the june 4 anniversary every year around this time dissidents and outspoken liberals are placed under house arrest or are taken outside beijing on compulsory trips accompanied by state security officers
the liquor bottles are by no means the first grim sign of humor inspired by 1989 to outfox censors looking for june 4 people have taken to referring to may 35   four days into june in 1991 the overseas edition of peoples daily published a poem that was ostensibly an ode to china from a homesick student abroad but read diagonally words in the poem attacked li peng the prime minister in 1989 who enforced the armed crackdown
li peng step down to placate public outrage the poem said


two california teenagers who recently visited the san francisco museum of modern art were less than impressed by some of the exhibits and wondered if they could do better
and thus a scheme was hatched they placed a pair of eyeglasses on the floor stood back and watched as within minutes visitors regarded their prank as a work of art with some even taking photos of the fake installation
the teenagers kevin nguyen 16 and tj khayatan 17 both of san jose had been left scratching their heads at the simplicity of some of the museums exhibits including two stuffed animals on a blanket
is this really what you call art kevin said in an interview over the weekend
tj added we looked at it and we were like this is pretty easy we could make this ourselves 
inspired during their visit on may 21 they experimented with putting a jacket on the floor and then a baseball cap but neither drew attention
kevin then placed his burberry glasses on the floor beneath a placard describing the theme of the gallery he said neither he nor tj did anything to influence museum visitors such as standing around and looking at the glasses
within about three minutes people appeared to be viewing their handiwork as bona fide art though kevin said that without his glasses he could not see what was happening too well
news sites like the huffington post and nbc bay area reported on the episode after tj posted photos on twitter helping to propel a lively debate about what counts as art an sfmoma representative was unavailable for comment but the museum offered a response last week on twitter
the museum was referring to duchamps fountain a urinal that the artist turned on its side and put on a pedestal it was among the works he used to challenge traditional notions of making and exhibiting art the museum said on its website
kevin who will be a junior in high school in the fall said that when art is more abstract it is more difficult to interpret and he loses interest
tj who plans to attend community college in the fall said the two did not get to see all of the museums exhibits and would probably visit again
and if they do return will they pull another prank
given the attention it got it might be a good idea he said we had a good laugh about it


paris   martin senn the former chief executive of zurich insurance group has killed himself the company said on monday citing information from his family
mr senn had resigned in december mentioning business setbacks in recent months
news of his death drew comparisons in the european news media to the suicide less than three years ago of the companys chief financial officer
details of mr senns death were not made public by the company beyond confirmation that his family had said he killed himself on friday
but swiss news outlets including the daily newspaper blick reported that mr senn had died at his vacation home in klosters near davos in eastern switzerland
roman ruegg a spokesman for the police of graubunden canton which includes klosters said on monday that police officers had confirmed mr senns death friday evening he said he could neither confirm nor deny swiss news reports that mr senn had shot himself as the investigation was continuing
mr ruegg said that if there had been a suicide note the police had not obtained it
mr senn 59 who had a long career in finance joined zurich insurance in 2006 he rose to the chief executives job in 2010 earning high marks for helping the company navigate the financial crisis without major losses he stepped down in december citing setbacks that included the companys failure to acquire rsa insurance group a smaller british rival and losses that arose from insurance claims related to huge chemical explosions in tianjin china last august
less than three years ago in august 2013 zurich insurances chief financial officer pierre wauthier a 53 year old father of two killed himself leaving behind a note in which he referred to tensions with josef ackermann the demanding swiss executive who was the companys chairman mr ackermann stepped down soon after
subsequent investigations by zurich insurance and finma the swiss financial watchdog found that mr wauthier had not been under undue pressure although those findings were disputed by mr wauthiers survivors
at the time of mr senns departure in december tom de swaan the zurich insurance chairman had praised him as a leader of the highest integrity someone with a very rare sense of how to balance the interests of different stakeholder groups mr senn he said had set in motion a transformation that will make our company more customer centric more efficient and more successful
mario greco the former chief executive of the italian insurer generali became chief executive of zurich insurance in march
on monday the company issued a statement saying with the passing of martin we lose not only a highly valued former ceo and colleague but also a close friend our thoughts are with his bereaved family and friends to whom we extend our deepest sympathies


dakar senegal   hissene habre the former president of chad was sentenced to life in prison after he was found guilty of crimes against humanity torture and sex crimes on monday more than 20 years after the start of a campaign to hold him accountable for the suffering and death of tens of thousands of people
mr habre who ruled chad from 1982 to 1990 when he was deposed by the current president idriss deby stood trial before a special court in senegal created to handle the case prosecutors had sought a life sentence which he is expected to serve in senegal
the systematic torture at such a large scale was his way of governing said gberdao gustave kam the presiding judge on a three judge panel who read a summary of the verdict hissene habre showed no compassion toward the victims or any regret about the massacres and rapes that were committed
victims and relatives of victims screamed with joy after the verdict was announced mr habre who had sat silently during the 90 minute hearing raised his fists to supporters and shouted for several minutes until armed guards led him away
the fact that the trial even took place was considered a victory for many of the victims of mr habres government the case meandered through the judiciary in belgium and elsewhere for years before landing in senegal where mr habre 73 fled after being forced from power
on monday morning a group of about 30 victims and widows of victims slowly walked into the courthouse together many graying and using canes a testament to the time it had taken for the case to come to trial
this is a testimony to the perseverance of a band of victims activists and supporters who made this trial happen said reed brody a human rights watch lawyer from new york who was influential in pursuing the case this trial was the result of the sweat and determination of the survivors
several international human rights lawyers were in the gallery on monday to hear the verdict including the prosecutor who indicted augusto pinochet the dictator who ruled chile from 1973 to 1990 mr habre has been called the african pinochet
during the trial which started in july prosecutors presented secret police archives that recorded the names of 12321 prisoners interrogation reports and information about the deaths in detention of more than 1200 people
francois serres mr habres lawyer has dismissed the records as fakes
during the trial defense attorneys said there was no evidence connecting mr habre to crimes committed by others and contended that the prosecution was political mr habres son and other relatives were in court on monday but declined to comment before the proceedings
according to a chadian truth commission mr habres government killed more than 40000 people who were believed to be enemies of the state or who had merely come under suspicion
evidence heard by the court known as the extraordinary african chambers included tales of torture and putrid conditions in prisons where mr habres enemies were taken sometimes without being given any reason for their detention
testimony involving sex crimes also figured in the trial one woman described mr habres raping her insisting when a judge interrupted that she be allowed to continue her testimony in public so that the world could know what the former president had done
on monday the judges specifically convicted mr habre of that rape
others testified about relatives who had disappeared and former prisoners described being wounded after their limbs were tied behind their backs
one former prisoner clement abaifouta said in an interview that he could never forget the horrors he had seen in jail mr abaifouta who was in court for the verdict had worked in a prison kitchen and a laundry room before he was ordered to take on a new role as gravedigger
what broke my life is the fact that i buried about 1000 people he said with all that habre did we could cut him into pieces and it wouldnt satisfy everyone
mr habre was first indicted in 2000 the setting of the trial in senegal offered a peculiarity the courts of one country prosecuting the former leader of another in a human rights case
the trial proceeded with the blessing of the african union even though the organization has long complained that africans are often singled out before the international criminal court in the hague
the hague court had no jurisdiction in this case because its authority is limited to events that took place after it was fully established in 2002 but the international court of justice the highest united nations court ordered senegal to try mr habre or extradite him for trial elsewhere this prompted senegal to create a special court with the backing of the african union
the three judge panel with two judges from senegal and one from burkina faso used senegalese law to reach the verdict
mr habre took power during a coup that was covertly aided by the united states and he received weapons and assistance from france israel and the united states to keep libya to the north of chad and col muammar el qaddafi then the libyan leader at bay
at the beginning of the case mr habre was a combative defendant brought into court by force after refusing to participate in the hearings some of his supporters started a website denouncing the trial and his treatment by the court
mr habre often wore sunglasses and a turban during testimony rarely turning to look at the more than 90 witnesses according to courtroom observers he dressed in a similar fashion on monday looking more like a nomad facing a sandstorm than a former president on trial
suleyman guengueng a political prisoner during the habre years who documented the abuses he saw while in detention was in the courtroom on monday to hear the verdict and said he hoped the trial would send a message to dictators around the world as well as to their victims
to all the dictators violating human rights in the world this can happen mr guengueng said to all their victims dont shut your mouth open your mouth


amsterdam   the board of trustees at the rijksmuseum announced on monday that taco dibbits the museums director of collections would replace wim pijbes as general director mr pijbes who had seen the museum through a major expansion announced his resignation in march after accepting a job as director of a new private museum
mr dibbits who has been with the rijksmuseum since 2002 will assume the post after mr pijbes steps down on july 15
its one of the most beautiful museums in the world and its a dream come true for me mr dibbits said in a telephone interview ive already got a fantastic team of people and we hope that we can make as many people as possible enjoy and be inspired and be touched by the great works of art that the museum houses
mr dibbits 47 joined the rijksmuseum 14 years ago as the curator of 17th century painting before the museum closed for a decade long expansion and renovation at a cost of 375 million euros or about 415 million i came in because the museum was going to renovate he said and i was excited to have a central role in the renovation project
mr dibbits was responsible for the re installation of the museums collections and was instrumental in developing the digital strategy of the museum which has made free high resolution images of its works available to the public in 2008 he was promoted to director of collections
mr dibbits was educated at the vrije universiteit amsterdam and at the university of cambridge and had previously served as the director of the old masters department at christies in london
the rijksmuseum which houses the dutch national collection of about a million works of art moved to its current location in 1885 among its best known works are rembrandts night watch and vermeers milkmaid
mr pijbes is to be the director of the museum voorlinden a private contemporary art museum and sculpture garden financed by a chemical industry executive joop van caldenborgh that is to open in september on a nature reserve near the hague
hes experienced at the rijksmuseum so he knows the collection he knows the institution and he knows the building mr pijbes said on monday referring to mr dibbits he has a very international network which i think is very relevant today because the rijksmuseum is a global player and very active as a lender and as a co producer in all kinds of projects


for some of the most important drugs prices may be too low
you hear a lot about high drug prices you hear politicians calling for lower drug prices but you may not be hearing about how low prices contribute to drug shortages
the drugs most prone to shortage are generic injectable ones administered to patients in the hospital or a doctors office they include anticancer agents heart attack medications and anesthetics many used in life threatening emergency situations when such drugs are in short supply they cause dangerous delays in care as hospitals seek alternatives even when good substitutes can be found   and sometimes they cannot   they may be less familiar to doctors come with different side effects or not work as well all of which pose risk to patients
for example when morphine is in short supply doctors might switch to hydromorphone an alternative opiate painkiller hydromorphone is seven times more powerful than morphine failing to account for that difference can kill in 2011 during a morphine shortage two fatalities were linked to the accidental dosing of hydromorphone as if it were morphine this year the generic injectable form of nitroglycerin   used to treat serious heart attacks in emergency departments   is among the drugs in shortage prompting the food and drug administration to seek additional supplies overseas
hospital pharmacists say drug shortages are their biggest problem clinicians are spending time making sure patients arent impacted by drug shortages said erin fox a pharmacist and director of the university of utahs drug information service which tracks drug shortages but its incredibly frustrating to not have access to basic essentials
the number of drugs in short supply peaked in 2014 at 320 the vast majority of which were generic injectables that doesnt mean the problem has faded according to a recent study in the journal health affairs by ms fox and colleagues the number of emergency and critical care drugs in short supply has grown in recent years these include pain medications sedatives electrolyte solutions antibiotics antidotes and drugs that undo the effects of anesthesia
according to another recent study by ms fox and colleagues one third of drugs in short supply are used in emergency departments to treat critical health problems like respiratory distress heart problems and overdoses half of drugs used by emergency physicians that are in short supply are for life threatening conditions and 10 percent have no good substitutes such supply disruptions are not brief   most last at least nine months according to the study   so they affect many patients
generic injectables are prone to shortage because of low profit margins and high production costs except in unusual circumstances generic drugs   whether injectable or oral   have low profit margins because no manufacturer retains exclusive rights to produce them were prices and profit margins to rise high enough to justify the upfront investment of drug production other manufacturers would enter the market the additional competition would then push prices and profit margins back down again
prices are also held in check by group purchasing organizations they consolidate drug orders across hospitals directing large volumes to a small number of manufactures that provide the best deals this also concentrates the market in a few manufacturers most generic injectables are produced by three or fewer companies when a manufacturing problem arises at one of them it threatens a large proportion of supply and sometimes for dozens of drugs at a time
facing low prices these few manufacturers must keep tight control over capacity in order to turn a small profit they cannot afford to produce more drugs than will sell nor can they afford for backup plants and production lines to sit idle waiting to fill a shortage instead manufacturers use whatever capacity and resources they have to produce more profitable products when a manufacturing problem arises that forces a halt in production there is no backup causing a shortage
generic injectables cost more to make than generic oral drugs they must be made in a sterile environment because they are injected directly into the blood spine or eye they do not pass through the digestive system which confers a degree of protection getting injectable production started and approved by regulators can take years and can cost hundreds of millions of dollars
even if prices and profit margins rise during a shortage they typically dont rise high enough or for long enough to coax manufacturers into adding capacity this is why some drugs are persistently in short supply fewer shortages arise in europe where generic injectable prices are higher
a 2012 law gave the fda new tools and responsibilities to fight shortages since then the number of new shortages has come down and some older ones have been resolved the fda averted 80 percent of new potential shortages in 2013 for example it did so by accelerating approvals for alternative drugs advising manufacturers on how to overcome shortages and devising workarounds to purify drugs contaminated during faulty production
even with this progress shortages still arise   nearly 200 of them last year the one thing the fda does not have the authority to do is raise drug prices for most drugs we wouldnt want them to for some critical generic injectables maybe its an idea worth considering


at a clinic in harlem where many of the patients have roots in the dominican republic dr juan tapia mendoza talks to patients about the zika virus daily he asks if they are planning to visit the island this summer he reminds them that the virus can be transmitted through sex
in new york city there have been 109 reported cases of zika including 17 women who were pregnant when they learned they had the virus according to city health officials they all contracted the virus while visiting other countries
now as the annual wave of summer travel between new york and the caribbean begins dr tapia mendoza is worried that the number of cases in the community will rise
our concern is this is just the tip of the iceberg he said of the citys growing number of cases while the symptoms of zika including fever rash and joint pain are relatively mild the disease is of particular concern for pregnant women because of a link to microcephaly a condition in which infants are born with unusually small heads and most often brain damage
on the citys subways bright yellow posters with images of mosquitoes urge new yorkers   in english and spanish   to use repellent this summer and to remove standing water at home
the mosquito known to transmit the virus the aedes aegypti is typically found in southern states like texas and florida and not in new york but state and city officials are working to combat another type of mosquito the aedes albopictus that is found in new york and might be capable of passing on the virus
were optimistic that we wont see zika transmission in new york city the citys health commissioner dr mary t bassett said in an interview but we have the potential for it so we are taking very seriously the potential risk and seeking to reduce it
the bigger danger for new yorkers for the moment is travel to an area affected by zika by either a woman who is pregnant or a sexual partner
doctors are urging pregnant women to avoid traveling to regions affected by the virus and to use condoms or to forgo sex if their partner has visited those areas
new york states health commissioner dr howard a zucker said the number of sexually transmitted cases was small but it was best to err on the side of caution
if the partner has traveled to one of those regions then using condoms to protect the mother is important dr zucker said for low income pregnant women the state health department is distributing kits with repellent condoms and larvicide tablets to treat standing water the state has 50 confirmed cases of the zika virus outside new york city state health officials said
in new york city health officials are urging doctors in spanish speaking communities where immigrants live to talk about the virus and to test those who have symptoms at the pediatrics 2000 clinic in harlem dr tapia mendoza said many patients did not seem worried about traveling to the caribbean and were more concerned about getting dengue fever
when i tell them about zika and especially that it is sexually transmitted i feel like a lot of my patients brush it off dr tapia mendoza said
one recent morning obed ledezma 19 arrived at the clinic at 135th street and broadway for an appointment when he told dr tapia mendoza that he was considering visiting the dominican republic this summer the doctor explained the risks of the zika virus
mr ledezma said he did not realize that men could be infected or that the virus could be transmitted sexually
i thought it was only pregnant women i feel like theyre not specific enough he said of news reports on the virus
in the waiting room liannett rodriguez a 14 year old high school freshman said she was concerned about getting the virus when she visits the dominican republic in june but that her family was not canceling the trip
im going to try my best to put repellent on she said
at the community league health center in the washington heights section of manhattan patients were not abandoning their caribbean plans either lissa southerland a regional director at the community healthcare network which runs the health center said the trip was not simply a vacation   people were going to see family or to care for relatives
we havent heard a ton of patients saying no im not going to go because of this she said


washington   the supreme court is trying hard to reach common ground in the wake of the vacancy created by the death of justice antonin scalia in february but some justices are trying harder than others
a burst of 11 decisions issued in just over a week in late may provided one telling snapshot of a court divided over the value of consensus a series of public remarks last week from three justices delivered another
the court seems to have split into two camps with the four justices at its ideological center working diligently to deliver unified opinions the remaining members of the court seem less committed to that project
the recent run of rulings accounting for more than a quarter of all decisions in argued cases so far this term tells the story
the courts most conservative members   justices clarence thomas and samuel a alito jr   wrote eight concurrences or dissents its two most liberal members   justices ruth bader ginsburg and sonia sotomayor   wrote four
the remaining justices make up the new center of the court three of them   chief justice john g roberts jr and justices anthony m kennedy and elena kagan   voted together in every case and justice stephen g breyer cast a single dissenting vote none wrote a concurrence or dissent
two members of that core group offered public reflections last week on the courts current state declaring themselves satisfied
i try to achieve as much consensus as i can chief justice roberts said at a judicial conference in white sulphur springs wva we kind of have to have a commitment as a group i think we spend a fair amount of time   maybe a little more than others in the past   talking about things talking them out it sometimes brings you a bit closer together
the resulting decisions can be narrow or nonexistent as when the court unanimously returned a major case on access to contraception to the lower courts that effectively deferred a supreme court ruling on the matter for at least a year and probably much longer
the chief justice acknowledged its been subject to some criticism that you can put things off
some people think thats bad he said i think it has something to do with judicial philosophy i think we should be as restrained in when we decide the issues when its necessary to do so i think thats part of how i look at the job
the contraception opinion was unsigned but some sophisticated observers suspect that justice breyer played a major role in setting it in motion he did not address the case directly in remarks at an awards ceremony last week but he took issue with the idea that the supreme court is diminished when it fails to rule in significant cases
if you believe the supreme court should decide all the major issues for the country youd like them all decided he said i happen not to believe that
justice ginsburg the leader of the courts liberal wing sounded less content with the current state of affairs on thursday at a judicial conference in saratoga springs ny
eight as you know is not a good number for a multimember court she said
in his own remarks justice breyer said an eight member court was capable of deciding most cases supporting the point with statistics from recent terms
were unanimous 50 percent of the time he said twenty percent of the time were 5 4 and half of those are kind of random not what the press would call the usual suspects
that was just about correct though the fraction of 5 to 4 decisions that split along the usual ideological lines in recent terms was more like two thirds but justice breyers larger point was true there is no reason to think the court is likely to deadlock all that often
the number of closely divided decisions was never large and justice scalia was not the decisive vote in all of them in the term that ended last june he was in the majority in six of 19 decisions decided by a 5 to 4 vote
the recent run of 11 decisions followed the general pattern none were 4 to 4 deadlocks five were authentically unanimous while a sixth was unanimous about the bottom line but divided over the rationale one split 5 to 3 another 6 to 2
the three remaining decisions were 7 to 1 with justice thomas in dissent every time
one case concerned prosecutors exclusion of all black potential jurors from the trial of a black defendant facing the death penalty chief justice roberts writing for the majority said a prosecutors explanation for striking a black potential juror was nonsense but it was good enough for justice thomas the member of the court least interested in consensus
that same day the four more quarrelsome justices issued dueling concurrences in a series of cases about offenders sentenced to die in prison the court itself had done nothing more than return the cases to lower courts for reconsideration in light of a january decision that had seemed to give the prisoners a fresh shot at eventual release
justices thomas and alito in separate concurrences said there were still reasons to sustain the sentences justice sotomayor joined by justice ginsburg said lower courts should grant relief in all but the rarest cases
john p elwood a lawyer with vinson  elkins wrote on scotusblog that he was struck by the level of discord
thats a lot of disagreement he wrote for people who agree on the disposition of a case


bronwen dickeys book pit bull the battle over an american icon should give pause to anyone who thinks that americans love dogs many of us do of course but as she shows we love some dogs sometimes we are terrified of others and reason and facts may not play much of a role in directing our affections read an excerpt
pit bulls are familiar demons and there have been campaigns by those who love the dogs to change their bad reputation so the territory the book covers may be familiar in outline but the case that the dogs dont deserve to be seen as monsters lies largely in the details and ms dickey not only writes about the ebb and flow of public fear and loathing she takes the reader on a thoroughly comprehensible tour of genetics and behavioral science to explain why breeding never guarantees an individual dogs personality and shouldnt be used to condemn it
pit bulls were far from the first dog to wear the cujo mantle and among the several episodes of mania she writes about none was half as weird as the spitz rabies panic of the 1870s
the spitz is a small dog that looks a bit like a husky at the time of the panic the breed name was used loosely she writes and it included what we know as the pomeranian at the time doctors had no idea that rabies was transmitted by a virus in an infected animals saliva and some thought that certain breeds spread the illness so they called for restrictions or bans on the spitz which was common in new york city and connected to rabies cases there on nov 17 1876 an editorial in the new york times stated there are but four venomous beasts among the fauna of the united states these are the rattlesnake the copperhead the moccasin and the spitz dog and of the four the latter is by far the most aggressive and deadly in its hostility to man
based on this and other accounts ms dickey writes the most unsettling aspect of the 1870s spitz panic is that americans seemed to take so much pleasure in it the act of hating both the dogs and the people who owned them energized large swaths of the populace
the spitz of course is no more venomous than the toy poodle and no more likely to carry rabies
the pit bull does of course have a heritage that disturbs many people it is descended from fighting dogs bred for a bloody and cruel sport that was considered all the more horrendous because it was seen as low class
but as dog fighting was outlawed pit bulls became popular pets from the civil war onward they were considered beloved family members and guard dogs they were praised as cheerful and reliable as lovable as they were courageous
helen keller loved hers james thurber wrote of his passion for rex teddy roosevelt was a fan and of course the dog that ran with the little rascals was a pit bull
starting in the 1970s stories about the dangers of pit bulls began to proliferate many of them simply wrong and many of them mistaken about the breed involved in incidents dog fighting resurfaced and stories spread about the toughness and strength of pit bulls some with no basis in fact like the assertion that a pit bull bite exerts 740 pounds of pressure per square inch more than any other dog ms dickey finds no credible source for this number most recent research shows that the maximum force of a bite is related to the size of the dog alone
ms dickeys research and reporting are exhaustive and the book does sometimes get sluggish with details but it is this work that makes her convincing when she argues that the dogs are more victims than monsters
pit bulls have of course attacked other dogs as well as people but ms dickey argues that the idea that the breed is more dangerous than others is weakly supported by facts data on dog bites are unreliable because people are notoriously unreliable at identifying dog breeds furthermore only some of the dogs within a given breed behave the way theyre supposed to not all herders herd not all guard dogs guard breeds are not different species their genetics are often messy and most pit bulls now come from lines that had been bred to be pets not fighters for many years
she finds that pit bulls are still scorned because it is often poor people who own them and she writes about dogs that have been killed because of cities that have banned the breed the book includes a small but disturbing photo of a pile of dead pit bulls killed in 2006 because of what amounted to a ban on the breed in denver
dogs do bite about 35 people are killed by dogs   all dogs   each year in the united states she notes and children are the most frequent victims she writes that the best safety measures are close supervision of children and dogs laws against dogs running free compulsory licensing and vaccinations and education
but she argues picking out one breed to blame is neither warranted nor effective and a reader of her book will be hard put to disagree


when california officials announced an end to restrictions on urban water use they cited the recent wet winter as one reason el nino the climate pattern that brought a succession of storms to northern california had given the state a reprieve from its water woes they said
those storms left a mountain snowpack that while ordinary by historical standards far exceeded the meager accumulations of 2015 the healthy snowpack   which will provide about one third of the states water as it melts this spring   and successful efforts to sharply reduce water use gave officials enough confidence to suspend the restrictions that had been imposed last april
at the same time they acknowledged that californias five year drought was far from over especially in southern california where el nino did not have much of an impact they kept agricultural restrictions in place and said they could impose new statewide curbs if drier than normal conditions returned
the odds of that happening would appear to be strong as signaled by two announcements that occurred around the same time as californias decision to lift the water restrictions
one the news that the water level at lake mead the huge reservoir on the colorado river has reached a historical low suggested that long term problems for the water supply in california related to a warming climate have not changed the other suggested that there is a potential short term challenge ahead in the form of la nina
this month forecasters with the federal climate prediction center and the international research institute for climate and society issued their latest seasonal outlook saying that el nino was coming to an end and that the odds now favored the development of la nina by the fall
our models are pretty much in agreement   over the next several months they are really flipping us into a la nina said mike halpert the deputy director of the climate prediction center which is part of the national oceanic and atmospheric administration
el nino and la nina are two sides of the same story one that involves atmospheric pressure prevailing winds and sea surface temperatures in the equatorial pacific
when average water temperatures in the eastern pacific rise by a certain amount above normal forecasters declare an el nino eventually though the water begins to cool which is what is happening now
mr halpert and his colleagues say as of now there is a 75 percent possibility that water temperatures will fall far enough by the end of summer to result in la nina
as with el nino the jet streams that circle the planet would be affected though in different ways that in turn would affect weather in north america and around the world
just as with el nino because there are many other variables that affect the weather there are no certainties of specific la nina related effects in specific locales
but typically mr halpert said la nina brings wet weather to the pacific northwest and ohio valley and drier than average conditions across the southern part of the country forecasters are making no predictions about effects in the northeast
for california mr halpert said la nina could mean another dry winter in the south while the far northern part of the state could be slightly wetter than normal because winter is when california gets nearly all of its precipitation that could put more pressure on water supplies
on the day of californias announcement the federal bureau of reclamation reported that the level of lake mead which stretches across the nevada desert behind hoover dam was slightly more than 1074 feet above sea level
that is the lowest level since the dam was filled in the 1930s and is 150 feet below the level when the reservoir was last full in 1983
put another way lake mead part of the colorado river system that supplies water to california and six other western states is now at 37 percent of capacity
the lake level is something of an arbitrary milestone   it can and will be raised later this year by increasing releases from lake powell upstream on the colorado that will help avoid triggering reductions in the amount of water allotted to arizona and nevada
but the historic low is another symbol of the devastating drought that has affected the rocky mountain basin for a decade and a half said jonathan overpeck a director of the institute for the environment at the university of arizona
and if the drought continues the lake level could fall even farther potentially triggering cutbacks to californias annual allotment of 44 million acre feet or about 10 percent of the water the state uses in a year
the rocky mountain basin has been through droughts before dr overpeck said but this one is different previous droughts were marked by lower than normal precipitation he said but with this one the precipitation hasnt been that low
but its been much warmer than normal he said this is what i like to call a hot drought or a climate change drought and theres going to be more and more of them in the future
warmer temperatures have the same effect in the rockies as they do in the sierra nevada they reduce snowpack because more precipitation falls as rain rather than snow and snow accumulates at higher elevations than before meaning less terrain is covered
warmer spring temperatures can also make the snowpack melt faster which in extreme circumstances can force water managers to dump water out of reservoirs to protect against flooding although the sierra snowpack has been melting fairly fast this spring a representative of the california department of water resources said that the reservoirs had not been affected
dr overpeck said that the upper basin of the colorado   mostly parts of utah wyoming and colorado   was warming as quickly as anywhere in the continental united states
as the atmosphere warms it is holding more moisture and it has to get that moisture from somewhere he said
the region normally goes through wet and dry cycles he added and could enter a wet period that might last for a decade or two so it is possible that lake mead could some day be filled to capacity once more
but the chances go down because of the effects of warming dr overpeck said
on the other hand he added we could also go into a major precipitation deficit that lasts for decades
couple that with warming and it would be just devastating


for ts ongoing series the neo expressionist painter georg baselitz responded to a poem by jane hirshfield the author of eight collections of poetry
engraving world tree with an empty beehive on one branch
a too beautiful view rejects the mind it is like a person with a garrulous mouth but no ears
when basho finished his months of walking he took off his used up sandals let them fall
one turned into the scent of withered chrysanthemum the other walked out of the story
its only after you notice an ache that you know it must always have been there as an actor is there before he steps in from the wing
another of bashos haiku a long weathered skull through whose eyes grow tall blowing grasses
they look now into a photograph a scraped field in france september 1916 men bending smoking gleaning the harrowed rucksacks for letters
war walking chrysanthemum sandal wheat field bee smoke of camera lens war
theyre in the past yet we just keep traveling toward them then away carrying with us the remnant salvageable
refugee honey
  jane hirshfield


i dont eat breakfast its not that i dislike whats offered given the choice of breakfast food or lunch food id almost always choose eggs or waffles its just that im not hungry at 730 am when i leave for work
in fact im rarely hungry until about lunchtime so other than a morning cup of coffee i dont eat much before noon this habit has forced me to be subjected to more lectures on how im hurting myself my diet my work and my health than almost any other only a fool would skip the most important meal of the day right
as with many other nutritional pieces of advice our belief in the power of breakfast is based on misinterpreted research and biased studies
it does not take much of an effort to find research that shows an association between skipping breakfast and poor health a 2013 study published in the journal circulation found that men who skipped breakfast had a significantly higher risk of coronary heart disease than men who ate breakfast but like almost all studies of breakfast this is an association not causation
more than most other domains this topic is one that suffers from publication bias in a paper published in the american journal of clinical nutrition in 2013 researchers reviewed the literature on the effect of breakfast on obesity to look specifically at this issue they first noted that nutrition researchers love to publish results showing a correlation between skipping breakfast and obesity they love to do so again and again at some point theres no reason to keep publishing on this
however they also found major flaws in the reporting of findings people were consistently biased in interpreting their results in favor of a relationship between skipping breakfast and obesity they improperly used causal language to describe their results they misleadingly cited others results and they also improperly used causal language in citing others results people believe and want you to believe that skipping breakfast is bad
good reviews of all the observational research note the methodological flaws in this domain as well as the problems of combining the results of publication bias influenced studies into a meta analysis the associations should be viewed with skepticism and confirmed with prospective trials
few randomized controlled trials exist those that do although methodologically weak like most nutrition studies dont support the necessity of breakfast
further confusing the field is a 2014 study with more financial conflicts of interest than i thought possible that found that getting breakfast skippers to eat breakfast and getting breakfast eaters to skip breakfast made no difference with respect to weight loss but a 1992 trial that did the same thing found that both groups lost weight a balanced perspective would acknowledge that we have no idea whats going on
many of the studies are funded by the food industry which has a clear bias kellogg funded a highly cited article that found that cereal for breakfast is associated with being thinner the quaker oats center of excellence part of pepsico financed a trial regarding consumption of oatmeal or frosted cornflakes if you eat it in a highly controlled setting each weekday for four weeks and found that only the no breakfast group which lost weight experienced an increase in cholesterol
many studies focus on children and argue that kids who eat breakfast are also thinner but this research suffers from the same flaws that the research in adults does
what about the argument that children who eat breakfast behave and perform better in school systematic reviews find that this is often the case but you have to consider that much of the research is looking at the impact of school breakfast programs
one of the reasons that breakfast seems to improve childrens learning and progress is that unfortunately too many dont get enough to eat hunger affects almost one in seven households in america or about 15 million children many more children get school lunches than school breakfasts
its not hard to imagine that children who are hungry will do better if they are nourished this isnt the same though as testing whether children who are already well nourished and dont want breakfast should be forced to eat it
it has been found that children who skip breakfast are more likely to be overweight than children who eat two breakfasts but that seems to be because children who want more breakfasts are going hungry at home no child who is hungry should be deprived of breakfast thats different than saying that eating breakfast helps you to lose weight
the bottom line is that the evidence for the importance of breakfast is something of a mess if youre hungry eat it but dont feel bad if youd rather skip it and dont listen to those who lecture you breakfast has no mystical powers


monaco   recipe for a great monaco grand prix first inundate the track with water put one of the fastest drivers at the back of the pack the championship leaders in second and third on the grid then let loose the 22 cars in the narrow city streets two hours later on the penultimate lap let the rain fall again
that was the scenario set by mother nature here on sunday and it produced the hoped for result an exciting race unfortunately for the second race in a row daniel ricciardo the best driver in the field paid the price for a blunder by his red bull team and finished second
this time though the winner was not ricciardos teenage teammate max verstappen   who crashed out after only 34 laps of the 78 lap race   but the mercedes driver lewis hamilton who finally put an end to a streak of eight disastrous race results
starting from third on the grid the reigning world champion took advantage of every opportunity available to take his first victory since the united states grand prix last october it was the 44th victory of his career and his second in monaco he last won here in 2008 when he also started third in the rain
just when you feel that it cant get worse it gets better said hamilton i prayed for a day like this and it came through so i feel really blessed
his teammate nico rosberg who won the first four races of the season as well as the final three last year dropped from second place on the grid in monaco to finish in seventh position after losing a final position on the last lap thanks to the rain rosberg had won the three previous monaco grand prix
two weeks ago the two mercedes drivers collided on the first lap of the spanish grand prix knocking each other out of the race and handing the lead to ricciardo in his red bull the austrian team then used a strategy that favored ricciardos teammate making verstappen the youngest winner in formula one history at 18
striking back in monaco ricciardo started from the first pole position of his career on a track where the pole is the usual prerequisite for victory he then drove a perfect race but then on lap 32 the team called him for a tire change that the pit crew was not ready for costing him precious seconds
he returned to the track just behind hamiltons mercedes and could never pass the british driver again as overtaking is next to impossible in monaco
two weekends in a row now i have been screwed it sucks it hurts ricciardo said using uncharacteristically crude language we had the speed on the wet on the start i thought i was the best in all conditions but then the pit stop
for his part verstappen showed the limits of raw inexperienced youth in monaco first he crashed out of saturdays qualifying session destroying his car and forcing him to start the race at the back of the pack then came his crash during the race making this the second year in a row he did not finish here
however naturally talented a driver might be monaco requires not only speed but also experience understanding and full concentration
all of those qualities came together for hamilton who ended a bad run that seemed to get worse at every race including during qualifying on saturday in monaco when he had another problem with his car that prevented him from taking part in the full session he nevertheless managed to qualify third with rosberg starting second it rained early saturday morning and the rain continued during the start of the race which began behind a safety car to avoid accidents
rosberg got off to a very slow start blocking hamilton and allowing ricciardo to speed off to a lead of 131 seconds by lap 16 that is when mercedes told rosberg to let hamilton pass to attack ricciardo but despite hamiltons charge ricciardo was never in trouble or out of control he had dropped behind hamilton after making a first pit stop on lap 23 but easily climbed back up to the british driver
hamilton then made his pit stop on lap 31 and ricciardo came in the following lap the red bull engineers failed to communicate correctly with the mechanics and he had to wait several seconds without any wheels on his car as his team scrambled he returned to the track just behind the hamilton with a normal pit stop he would have returned to the track far in the lead
we will investigate and find out said helmut marko one of the red bull team directors but it was a human mistake i feel really sorry and all we can do is apologize to him
one of the most outstanding drives of the race was that of sergio perez the mexican driver for the force india team who finished the race in third position after starting seventh and just ahead of sebastian vettels ferrari
in these conditions it was one of my best races in formula one said perez who has scored six podium finishes in the series but never won a race
rosberg leads the series with 106 points and hamilton is second with 82 so there is less than one race victory of 25 points between the two mercedes drivers ricciardo is third with 66 points


london   time and the record books still divide the city of madrid when it comes to soccer it is written that real is the imperious one the club that since 1955 has won the european cup or the champions league an unprecedented 11 times while its neighbor atletico has never worn that crown
sports like life isnt always fair
atletico fans call themselves and their team el pupas the cursed ones and that remains their fate after saturdays champions league final in milan
real madrid did not win that final it won the penalty shootout that even cristiano ronaldo the man who struck the last decisive kick has said is always a lottery
not far away silent and spent stood juanfran the atletico defender was the only man to miss in the shootout the fall guy whose shot hit the base of a post and failed to cross the line
that miss   a failure in accuracy by just three inches from a player who had run all night in the heat and humidity   decided the showcase final of soccers biggest and richest club contest
how has it come to this how in a sport that has been played since the 1880s has soccer become traduced by a lottery of penalties neither goalkeeper got a hand on any of the nine kicks saturday or 10 if you count antoine griezmanns penalty shot for atletico which hit the crossbar shortly after halftime
all that effort as players ran the equivalent of 10 miles while trying to score proper goals in regular and extra time came down to a three inch error ronaldo was hailed again as the hero and juanfran as the wretched failure
if we are not careful we might overlook entirely the fact that luka modric reals diminutive croatian playmaker was consistently the most creative talent on this long and energy sapping night
his measured passes to ronaldo and gareth bale and karim benzema distinguished the final but he wasnt called upon for the test of nerves in the shootout the kick at 12 paces that has all the subtly of a firing squad
we showed great character to the end modric said on television after the game standing on the field with his five year old son ivano atop his shoulders we were calm on our penalties everything is about mentality then and this is the trophy of real madrid
his eyes were blazing with the joy of winning juanfrans were wet with tears of regret and in less than two weeks these players will be expected to go at it again this time scattered around france for the 2016 european championship or around the united states for the copa america centenario an extra tournament that has been squeezed into the already overcrowded calendar
the winner take all end to europes club season saw zinedine zidane reals manager for just half a season win promotion to the pantheon of those who have won the champions league or european cup both as a player and a coach
six others did it before zidane the first to accomplish that double was real madrids own miguel munoz who won the european cup three straight times as a player in the 50s then twice again as a manager in the 60s
after him came giovanni trapattoni of italy the dutchman johan cruyff the italian carlo ancelotti the dutchman frank rijkaard and the spaniard pep guardiola who won as both a player and manager of barcelona
even though he was not able to make his imprint by signing a single player after taking over zidane did very well guiding real after the owners fired rafael benitez in january
and though no one on saturday could approach what he did by winning the champions league final for madrid in 2002 with his memorable volley zidane matched up with atletico coach diego simeone in building a game plan around hard work and attrition
real went toe to toe bludgeon to bludgeon with atletico in a game that was more about work ethic than beauty one that was neither won nor lost over 120 minutes
so the penalty drama was the only way to finish it
at least it was better than drawing straws or flipping a coin a process that actually happened at the 1968 olympic games in mexico city to decide a tie in the quarterfinals between israel and bulgaria with israel coming out the unlucky loser
an israeli then proposed to fifa that the way to settle a tie should be penalty kicks and that has been the way ever since
there was a short period in which an equally contrived ending was tried playing on until one side or the other scored a golden goal but that was abandoned as too unfair a way to end a stalemate
the truth is that soccer like many sports has become beholden to television and has a schedule far too busy to fairly decide a tie but there is a better way
i was privileged to see one in 1971 when chelsea beat real madrid to win the cup winners cup trophy in piraeus greece the port city near athens
the first game on may 19 ended in a tie 1 1 the replay two nights later was settled by peter osgood a center forward of such virtuosity that he scored in both games
chelsea won that second game 2 1 athens was a wonderful place to stay for two extra days in the sunshine and justice seemed to have been served
no time for that any more we settle these things in one night no matter how capricious the means el pupas indeed


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good morning we give thanks today to all those who died in military service to this nation to their families and to all those who have spent or will spend part of today decorating their graves it is in its way a terrible day certainly for a holiday most of us look forward to for weeks sorry we must say to the mothers whose sons die horribly anthony swofford wrote in jarhead his 2003 memoir of the gulf war this will never end sorry
so we thank them and pay homage to them as americans do with cooking and friendship feasting and cheer
those who have delayed thinking about what to cook today can find a great number of memorial day recipes on cooking
those who have not may be looking for lighter fare for this evening for a post cookout meal a simple platter of grilled asparagus with caper salsa may suffice or perhaps you could try this easy light persian salad from mark bittman i like a radish sandwich with butter and salt after an afternoon of burgers and ribs maybe youd prefer chilled pea mint soup
then when tuesday and wednesday come you can ramp back up toward full calorie fare try david taniss recipe for wild salmon with green sauce or my adaptation of the los angeles chef suzanne goins ridiculously good recipe for lamb meatballs with spiced tomato sauce check out melissa clarks recipe for a chicken sheet pan dinner with potatoes arugula and garlic yogurt or martha rose shulmans recipe for a risotto with asparagus and pesto
you can find other recipes on cooking as always i hope youll save the ones you like to your recipe box and i hope youll share them with friends and family as well since cooking is or ought to be a social activity the social network part ii you dont get to 500 million recipes without burning a few casseroles and if you run into problems doing that or with anything to do with our site or apps please reach out for help were at cookingcarenytimescom
thats all for later though pretty soon itll be time to fire up the grill or to suggest gently please that the person firing up the grill spend a little time reading our guide to grilling and then to heat hot dogs and burgers lamb chops and cheese and to consider the bounty afforded this nation by the efforts of people who died fighting its wars
speaking of here is phil klay on citizen soldiers and the moral risk of the modern military an essay he wrote for brookings that you should read right now slowly for the nuances on memorial day back to work tomorrow


welcome to watching the new york timess what to watch guide we comb through releases big and small famous and esoteric to email readers twice a week with our timely recommendations our most recent suggestions also appear below to receive our guide straight to your inbox sign up here
i hope youre all having meaningful memorial days im currently dedicating my life to stopping ants from entering my kitchen and its not going well between that and finishing up lady dynamite i really have my hands full
ive also been thinking a lot about the average show if you lined up every one from best to worst whod be in the middle is there a caliber of show that occurs most often theres without a doubt more excellent television than ever before but its not as if we somehow stopped making bad tv   certainly the number of crummy shows is also higher than its ever been so has the quality of the average series changed in the last 10 years how about the last 20 30 i dont know that there are good answers to these but its fun to think about just imagining a spreadsheet of tv goodness data brings me a little thrill
plenty to watch this week and lots to think about let me know if you have a secret tv spreadsheet watchingnytimescom see you friday short week
this eight hour mini series which starts monday night and will run simultaneously on history lifetime and ae is particularly worth watching if you have never seen the 1977 original mini series either way this adaptation of alex haleys seminal book is affecting deep performances particularly from anika noni rose as kunta kintes daughter kizzy and strong production values go a long way but there are a few moments that feel a little stilted particularly toward the end monday tuesday wednesday and thursday 9 pm history lifetime ae lmn
maybe just maybe there might still be legs to the prime time variety show at least thats nbcs hope with this latest attempt maya and marty starring maya rudolph and martin short airing tuesday if not them who though thats what people said about rudolphs one off variety show in 2014 and neil patrick harriss failed series this fall weve been wrong before all the other shows i mention in this newsletter are shows ive watched but maya and marty hasnt taped yet so i cant vouch for it what i can vouch for though is my own curiosity and my general enthusiasm for rudolph and short as performers tuesdays 10 pm nbc
aboriginal stories finally get center stage in this supernatural   and superhero   drama this australian coproduction with sundance tv is set in the near future and centers on the conflict between human society and hairies a subhuman group forced to live in subjugation would you believe an unlikely candidate suddenly finds an element of magic within himself yeah yeah there are some familiar narrative moves but cleverman draws on aboriginal mythology and australian social strife in ways that are new and interesting if you like shows like black mirror mr robot humans or even daredevil cleverman is for you wednesdays 10 pm sundance
netflixs peaky blinders is back tuesday for its third season and it was recently renewed for two more seasons rejoice and then make like cillian murphy and get rid of your sideburns watch seasons 1 and 2 on netflix
ian mckellen and anthony hopkins star in starzs version of the famous play the dresser about a demanding actor and his devoted dresser backstage during a world war ii era production of king lear its beautifully done but you have to really be in the mood for a melancholy highbrow british period movie monday 9 pm starz rent the 1983 academy award nominated version starring albert finney and tom courtenay on itunes and amazon
reply all is about the internet and web culture and its a show i enjoy tremendously but isnt really connected to tv in any way
however its most recent episodes   on the inside on the inside part ii and on the inside part iii   are about a convicted murderer who maintains his innocence if youre a fan of the jinx making a murderer or serial give it a whirl the fourth and final installment in the story comes out june 8 so pace yourself
t j miller plays the gnarly erlich on silicon valley and in this seasons premiere he hurled a stream of insults at stephen tobolowskys jack turns out there was a lot more where those came from this four minute supercut of his barbs is glorious even if youve never watched the show


in the rough countryside of northern morocco the writer and horticulturist umberto pasti has created rohuna his garden which is nothing less than autobiography writ from earth and flora
i first came here to this patch of dusty land 40 miles south of tangier 18 years ago tired after a long walk i fell asleep under a fig tree and had a strange dream full of words whose relation to one another i didnt understand mouth nasturtium exedra unicorn
at the time i didnt know that the jinn the local spirits possess those who fall asleep under trees in the middle of nowhere what i did know was that i was going to build a garden here i told my moroccan friend who was traveling with me that i wanted to buy the land there were 20 or so owners to negotiate with but after about 100 meetings with the adouls muslim notaries the deal was done in the meantime id already set myself up in a shack made out of reeds and palm leaves built with help from rachid the obsidian eyed child who had popped out from behind a bramble one day a huge smile on his face today he is rohunas head gardener objectively it wasnt an ideal place for a garden sure a few trees grew in the dusty scorching heat   three figs a small cluster of pomegranates and a eucalyptus   and the view of the sleepy stony ground of the ocean was biblical the solitude exciting but unfortunately you could only get there either by scrambling along a difficult path or on the back of a mule the chalky soil was in many places in fact sand or lifeless clay the temperature could climb to almost 122 degrees and the rocks were home to scorpions and vipers including the rare magnificent vipera latastei whose bite is lethal whats more the peasants who lived in the village nearby were stubborn and suspicious and many had never seen a european
my father had died not too long before leaving me some money i used all of it making up for the roadblocks that destiny had placed in my path as a gardener by the time my cleopatra syndrome reached its height i had hired 600 workers there were three houses to build a track to lay down miles of stone walls to erect and in the meantime we had to transport hundreds of tons of good topsoil so that everything would turn out as i had dreamed my vision for the garden i am still convinced is for how it has always been   but always when in what dimension did a sliver of moroccan countryside coincide with something out of the background of a renaissance painting populated by centaurs basilisks hippogriffs
these were tiring years but there were also many moments of joy the morning on which the pump wed attached to the third probe yielded a crystal clear rivulet when coming back from tangier i saw the iris planifolia that months before wed transplanted by the thousands from the construction site of a tourist dock all in bloom in the beginning i was very strict with myself other than fruit trees i only planted greenery threatened by the urbanization that has disfigured northern morocco snatching them from the jaws of excavators and bulldozers gigantic olive trees holly oaks strawberry bushes viburnum shrubs and fig trees then i let myself go but only in the ornamental terraces around the houses where i liberally planted the species that id seen in the gardens in the countrys north damask roses madonna lilies canna indica iris germanica and iris pallida dalmation irises dietes iridioides fortnight lilies tithonia hollyhocks carnations and geraniums these terraces of which there are roughly 20 are each themed theres the englishmans garden with its lilies and fuchsias the italians garden planted with olives myrtle and lilies of the nile and the egyptian garden because when i sit there i feel as if im in luxor i surprised my partner and guardian angel with stephans terrace which i named after him we now drink gin and tonics there on summer nights and bandos gardens take their name from one of the gardeners the meandering bloodlines of his family one of the oldest in the village leave me as awestruck as those of the guermantes family do the narrator of in search of lost time in these gardens its my men who decide what to plant among the mulberries the apricots and the pears delighting me with their audacity orange streptosolen jamesonii marmalade bushes next to beer colored tecoma garrocha alongside horseshoe pelargoniums as red as the idea of red itself purple african daisies and tagetes lemmonii lemmons marigold those perfumed clouds of gold
but this gardeners heart truly resides beyond the path that leads to the village on the margins of the forest of fig trees that yields as in a fable to the wooden bridge built for me by my friend najim here wild plants grow   roughly 300 native species   from the magisterial quercus ilex the evergreen oak to the minuscule acis tingitana and all the rock roses euphorbia helianthemum and thyme that made northern morocco a paradise wild bulbs are our forte there are 17 species of iris six native 12 narcissus varietals five kinds of ornithogalum stars of bethlehem and tulips romulea merendera dipcadi fritillaries gladioli grape hyacinths crocuses meadow saffrons and garlics and im not talking about small clusters such boundless phoenician horizons demand courage for winter picnics straw mats and rugs are spread out among the thousands of iris tingitana moroccan irises   in their honor we drink mint tea and break bread
to live in this arcadia is a great privilege here the lives of people are intertwined with the lives of plants and of the animals and the rhythms of nature itself this is the morocco that i love more than anything else in the world the noble and rustic morocco for which i live i am grateful to the men who work with me   and to the jinn that possesses me still


pittsburgh   every nhl coach is to some degree a salesman instead of hawking insurance or knives he peddles a less tangible commodity belief if this pack of alpha males does this and not that if it just trusts him and the process then glory will follow
the transformation that ushered the pittsburgh penguins to the stanley cup finals began on dec 12 when mike sullivan stood before them hours after taking over and summoned his powers of persuasion
in his booming baritone sullivan commanded the meeting he conveyed his agenda in blunt terms he saw a group that would dazzle for a period maybe a game before reverting to poor habits he saw great players stars like sidney crosby and evgeni malkin and kris letang but not a great team he wanted opponents to despise playing the penguins unable to contain their pace and skill and they would soon enough he told them
the players were all at a point where we knew what we were doing wasnt good enough it wasnt right and we needed to buy into something said defenseman ben lovejoy who added we were all at a point where we were going to do what we were told
sullivan explained his ideal that day and every day since his candid approach connected with the disparate personalities in the penguins locker room where no one ever worries where he stands with sullivan under his stewardship they rampaged across the league going 33 16 5 the rest of the season and 12 6 in the playoffs where he has navigated a thorny goalie situation with aplomb they clinched all three series at consol energy center where the joy ride continues in game 1 on monday night against san jose
it is the penguins first finals appearance since 2009 when another coach promoted during the season from the organizations affiliate in wilkes barre pa dan bylsma guided them to a title at the time bylsma was the youngest coach in the nhl an ascending talent much as sullivan was when he was hired 13 years ago at age 35 to coach his hometown boston bruins
his two seasons straddled a lockout and he could not coax a second playoff berth out of a roster gutted by injuries free agency and trades this series he will have to contend with the impact of one such deal joe thornton the sharks playmaking center
sullivans experience in boston taught him a lot about what he did not know he recognized the importance of filling in those gaps by serving as an assistant honing the craft for seven seasons six of them spent with john tortorella in tampa bay new york and vancouver
if an opportunity presented itself like this one sullivan said sunday i would be more prepared for it
sullivan left his post in player development for the chicago blackhawks to work in wilkes barrescranton which has a reputation for being an excellent incubator for coaches players and executives he subjugated his ego to return to the minor leagues for the first time since 2002 when a few months after retiring he called mike oconnell his first professional coach and then the bruins general manager to express his interest in coaching their top affiliate in providence ri
as oconnell remembers it he told sullivan mike i like you a lot and i dont know if i really want to do this to you to which sullivan replied yes you do
youve got to give people a chance sometimes oconnell a senior adviser with the kings said in a telephone interview
sullivan took such advantage that when the bruins fired robbie ftorek with nine games remaining in 2003 oconnell elevated him to serve as a top assistant he began running practices and offering his thoughts on personnel cultivating respect among his charges   many of whom he played against   by being firm but fair demanding but not overbearing an expert communicator his career as a player   despite never scoring more than nine goals in a season he retained enough value as a reliable defensive minded forward to last 11 years in the nhl   informed his coaching style
anything hes asking you to do as a player hes done mike knuble who played for sullivan in boston said in a telephone interview if hes asking you to block a shot he made a career blocking shots he did the dirty work in the corners he walked the walk
that credibility infused his dealings with the penguins who needed a strong voice to restore accountability he learned across his coaching stops the magnitude of having a strong connection with the star players
no matter what position or what the detail is everything is important crosby said
sullivan leaned on veterans like crosby matt cullen and eric fehr to help reinforce his message and he had the benefit of having forged relationships at wilkes barrescranton with several young players who came to emerge as important contributors in pittsburgh
when sullivan decided to bench the rookie goaltender matt murray for marc andre fleury in game 5 of the conference finals against tampa bay he spent 10 minutes with murray explaining his decision murray just walked out satisfied
he trusts us and we trust him the rookie wing conor sheary said of sullivan
sullivan demanded a commitment to defense while concocting tactical changes that maximized the penguins greatest asset their speed playing that style at both ends unlocked production from crosby and the sniper phil kessel but it also demands consistent effort from four lines and when sullivan sensed that their conditioning was lacking he increased the intensity of their practices he considers video review an essential tool and when it is warranted no one is spared from criticism
no matter who you are up and down the lineup he wants you playing defense he wants you backchecking sheary said after practice saturday hell show you all these things and make sure youre doing them if youre not youre going to hear from him
in sullivans meritocracy he rewards responsible two way players with ice time nick bonino has averaged almost as much as malkin in these playoffs and at times sullivan has elevated rookies like bryan rust and tom kuhnhackl to play alongside crosby
he reads the game to get his best players on the ice at the right time and i dont think he had that in his bag of tricks back in 2003 said the nhl network analyst brian lawton who played with sullivan on the inaugural sharks teams and served as vice president for hockey operations when sullivan was at tampa bay im sure he understood the concept but i just dont think his senses as a coach were where they are today
sullivan has a penetrating glare and a rigid jaw line and he is as serious lawton said as any coach he has known but sullivan allowed himself to smile saturday when asked about his influence   his salesmanship job if you will   on a team that improbable as it seemed five months ago is four victories from winning the stanley cup
when we play a certain way were a very good team and were hard to play against sullivan said and thats how i see it


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a verizon service disruption unleashed travel chaos at a terminal at kennedy international airport on sunday night grinding the check in process to a near halt and forcing airline employees to hand write boarding passes for thousands of unhappy passengers
large numbers of travelers were affected by the disruption which began around 4 pm in terminal 7 which is operated by british airways said neal buccino a spokesman for the port authority of new york and new jersey which operates the airport the check in line stretched to an estimated 1500 people at one point he said
mr buccino said the server that provided wireless internet and other computer services for the terminal had some kind of problem an airport official said the services were provided by verizon which did not offer a comment when reached on sunday night
we apologize for any inconvenience caused as a result of a system outage a spokeswoman for british airways wrote in an email our colleagues are working as quickly as they can to assist all customers traveling tonight
a line of frustrated economy class passengers could be seen stretching out the terminal doors snaking up the sidewalk all the way back onto the elevated roadway that leads to the terminal inside airline employees were writing boarding passes by hand sometimes in pencil
terminal 7 is operated by british airways not the port authority but mr buccino said port authority police officers had been dispatched there to help control the crowd he described the scene as orderly but said tensions had sometimes flared


since jeurys famila took over as the mets closer last season there have been few times when he has not looked indomitable after running through the bullpen gate at citi field
but for the second time in three games mets manager terry collins called on familia in a nonsave situation sunday night and he faltered
familia was 16 for 16 in save opportunities this season among the best in the major leagues but after blowing a four run lead on friday familia allowed two runs after the mets had tied the game in the eighth on sunday and the mets fell by 4 2 to the los angeles dodgers at citi field
kike hernandez led off the ninth with a single familia retired chase utley but walked the next two batters adrian gonzalez then drove in two runs with a single
this is very uncharacteristic of him since hes taken over the closing job collins said
before familias downfall the mets had just grabbed back the momentum after being subdued by dodgers starter clayton kershaw for more than seven innings
after exiting the game with two outs in the eighth and a 2 1 lead kershaw watched from the dugout his mouth agape as curtis granderson hit a triple that right fielder yasiel puig crashed into the wall trying to catch kevin plawecki who had led off the inning with a single came home to tie the game
kershaw had pitched masterfully whittling away at the mets hopes for a victory with each dominating strikeout but dodgers manager dave roberts pulled kershaw after his 114th pitch a hard line drive by pinch hitter michael conforto roberts brought in reliever adam liberatore to get the final out of the eighth
on friday familia was saved by grandersons game ending home run in the ninth just as the dodgers offense picked up kershaw on sunday
its a little tough for me but at the same time i understand im not perfect familia said
the mets loss occurred in front of the third straight capacity crowd at citi field where fans again directed their anger at utley
throughout the night on the main scoreboard utleys head shot showed him with a knowing grin the right side of his lip lifted ever so slightly the image quite likely only stoked the crowd who hurled boos and derogatory names at utley throughout the night utley remains an object of scorn in citi field for the takeout slide that led to a broken leg for shortstop ruben tejada in last yeara playoffs
utley hit two home runs on saturday and had nine rbi in the first two games of the series he was again a disruptive force sunday scoring the first run of the game in the third inning
perhaps more indignation should have been directed toward kershaw who is 7 0 with a 129 era in 11 regular season starts against the mets
after allowing a leadoff double to granderson kershaw retired the next 11 batters without a ball in play leaving the infield six of the outs came by strikeout including two against yoenis cespedes the national league leader in home runs
in the fourth kershaw sat cespedes down with a curveball so deceiving that it seemed to hiccup in the air throwing off cespedess timing
the dodgers were momentarily jolted in the top of the fifth when kershaw grounded out to second instead of running toward first base he tucked his neck into his left shoulder and walked off the field with the assistance of training staff
he returned in the bottom half and finished with 10 strikeouts in seven and two thirds innings despite not getting the win kershaw recorded his 100th strikeout on sunday against only five walks this season the fewest for any pitcher reaching the century mark in strikeouts according to the elias sports bureau


ben zobrist hit a three run homer john lackey pitched seven solid innings and the host chicago cubs completed a sweep of the philadelphia phillies with a 7 2 victory on sunday
miguel montero added a solo homer and drove in two runs as the cubs 34 14 won their fifth straight and became the first team this season to get to 20 games over 500
zobrists two out drive to right field off vince velasquez 5 2 made it 5 0 in the third it extended zobrists hitting streak to 15 games and helped send the cubs to their sixth series sweep
strasburg rolls on stephen strasburg won his 12th consecutive decision dating to last season jayson werth connected for a pinch hit grand slam and the washington nationals closed out the season series against the st louis cardinals with a 10 2 rout at home
strasburg 9 0 pitched six innings of one run ball as the nationals salvaged a split of the four game series strasburg a right hander improved to 12 0 in 15 starts since losing to the mets on sept 9 last season and the nationals have won all 15 of those games
memorable home run hyun soo kims first major league home run broke a seventh inning tie and the visiting baltimore orioles hung on for a 6 4 victory over the cleveland indians
kim signed as a free agent after playing 10 seasons in south korea drove a 2 2 pitch from jeff manship into the seats in right field with two out nolan reimold added a leadoff homer in the ninth
brewer stays hot jonathan lucroy drove in three runs and the milwaukee brewers earned a 5 4 home victory over cincinnati
lucroy finished with nine rbi in the series the leadoff hitter jonathan villar scored three runs and drove in another and brewers won for the fifth time in six games
injury sidelines royals catcher the kansas city all star catcher salvador perez was expected to be out seven to 10 days with a bruised left thigh after colliding with the rookie third baseman cheslor cuthbert while catching a foul pop up on saturday
jordan spieth birdied his final three holes chipping in from behind the 17th green and closing with a 34 foot putt and shot a five under par 65 to win the dean  deluca invitational in forth worth
it was the eighth career win for spieth the worlds no 2 ranked player and came in his third tournament after blowing a five stroke lead on the back nine last month when he was trying to win the masters for the second year in a row he will try to defend his united states open title in three weeks
at 17 under 263 spieth finished three strokes ahead of harris english ryan palmer and webb simpson tied for third
spieth had two curling 20 foot birdie putts on the back nine he also had a 14 foot par save on no 14 right after his only bogey
englishman wins bmw pga chris wood of england shot a front nine 29 before overcoming a late run of bogeys to win the bmw pga championship in virginia water england by one stroke for the biggest victory of his career while the overnight leader scott hend of australia imploded in the final round
wood held a four stroke lead after making a birdie at no 11 but dropped shots on nos 14 16 and 17 trimming his advantage to one wood played the par 5 18th safe to make par for a three under 69 on the day and a nine under 279 over all finishing a shot ahead of rikard karlberg 65 at wentworth
hend began with a one stroke lead and took two shots out of a fairway bunker for a double bogey on no 1 he dropped nine shots in his first 10 holes to tumble down the leaderboard and wound up shooting 78 tying for 15th
thai victorious in michigan ariya jutanugarn of thailand became the first player to win three straight lpga tour events in three years closing with a five under par 67 for a five stroke victory at the volvik championship in ann arbor mich
jutanugarn 20 was the first player since inbee park in 2013 to win three straight tournaments and the first ever to make her first three career victories consecutive
jutanugarn finished at 15 under 273 at travis pointe after starting the day with a one shot edge because of a closing eagle in the third round
christina kim was second after a 71
new orleans pelicans guard bryce dejean jones was shot and killed on his daughters first birthday on saturday after kicking down the door of what he mistakenly thought was his girlfriends apartment in dallas
the dallas police said sunday that they would not have more information about the shooting until after the memorial day holiday and would not say whether the man who shot dejean jones 23 would face charges it is legal in texas for people to use deadly force to protect themselves from intruders
dejean jones was visiting his girlfriend for his daughters birthday and had gone for a walk early saturday according to his agent scott w nichols his girlfriend lives on the fourth floor and dejean jones who was visiting the apartment complex for the first time went to the third
a man living in the third floor apartment was sleeping when he heard his front door being kicked open senior cpl demarquis black of the dallas police said in a statement when dejean jones began kicking at the bedroom door the man got a handgun and fired dejean jones collapsed in an outdoor passageway and died at a hospital
grizzlies hire new coach memphis hired david fizdale as its new coach and will introduce him at a news conference on tuesday
the grizzlies did not disclose the terms but yahoo sports reported that fizdale agreed to a four year deal
fizdale spent the past eight years with the miami heat the past two as the assistant head coach to erik spoelstra
the federal and state authorities in mexico mounted an operation to find the kidnapped soccer star alan pulido who was abducted in the crime plagued northern border state of tamaulipas
pulido 25 is a forward for olympiacos of greece and was part of mexicos 2014 world cup team though he was not called up for the copa america tournament which starts this week
riding a pink bicycle the home favorite vincenzo nibali clinched a second giro ditalia victory and a fourth grand tour title but the hopes of his countryman giacomo nizzolo for his first stage win were again dashed as he was disqualified
nibali riding for astana also won the giro in 2013 a repeat seemed impossible on friday as he started nearly five minutes behind the leader steven kruijswijk of the netherlands but nibali surged into the lead aided by kruijswijks crash into a snowbank
the final leg a flat 101 miles from cuneo to turin should have been a coronation procession but it was not short on drama with several crashes and heavy rain falling nibali knew he just had to finish safely to secure the title
the six time paralympic gold medalist david weir of england became the first wheelchair racer to complete a mile in under three minutes finishing the westminster mile in london in 2 minutes 57 seconds and beating his previous best by six seconds
weir who has won the london marathon six times said ive always said i could do it
the englishman tony bellew knocked out the congolese ilunga makabu in the third round to win the world boxing councils cruiserweight title in liverpool england
bellew 33 had lost two world title attempts at light heavyweight against nathan cleverly in 2011 and adonis stevenson in 2013 but was victorious after stepping up to cruiserweight
bellew a liverpudlian played pretty ricky conlan in sylvester stallones film creed


martin truex jr did not avoid ladders or black cats never worried about cracking mirrors or stepping on cracks he knew his bad luck on the sprint cup circuit would change
truex showed that in a big way sunday night leading a nascar record 588 miles to win the coca cola 600 at charlotte motor speedway   and break free of the bad luck that seemed to hit him when dominating races
theres a lot of emotion right now not real sure its sunk in yet truex said real amazing weekend the kind you dream about
truex started from the pole in concord nc moved quickly out front and led all but eight of 400 laps for his first win in 34 events
truex ran strong enough in the past year to grab several checkered flags but something always went awry he led 141 laps at texas yet finished sixth after poor pit strategy in kansas he was out front for 172 laps until a loose wheel knocked him back to 14th a year ago here truex led a race best 131 laps but fell to fifth when he pitted for fuel late
truex never let it get to him
i had confidence i had faith said truex who bettered jim paschals mark of leading 335 laps to win at charlotte in 1967
kevin harvick was second followed by jimmie johnson denny hamlin brad keselowski and kurt busch
truex took the surprise out of this one early and was barely touched by the field he was passed by johnson on a restart 55 laps from the end but truex went back in front a lap later and was not pushed again
truexs single car furniture row racing team outclassed the armada of multicar sprint cup powerhouses
johnson a four time coca cola 600 winner was on truexs door a handful of times on restarts but then would fade back harvick who won here in 2011 and 2013 was the best of the rest   he got by johnson 44 laps from the end yet never made a serious run at the top
i mean they have had a few runs where they have just been the class of the field and things have kept them from victory lane johnson said of truex and his crew tonight he wasnt going to be denied there was no way around that
formula one drought ends after crashes engine problems and eight formula one races without a win lewis hamiltons jubilation was evident as he threw himself into the arms of his mercedes team after winning a rainy incident packed monaco grand prix
the despondent red bull driver daniel ricciardo started from the pole position and finished second   after a blunder from his team which failed to have his tires ready   and sergio perez was third for force india
hamiltons victory was even sweeter because he closed the gap on the championship leader nico rosberg his teammate who finished a lowly seventh after obeying orders to let hamilton pass early on
two weeks ago hamilton and rosberg crashed into each other at the spanish grand prix both going out of the race and failing to pick up points this time the struggling rosberg moved aside to give hamilton a chance to catch ricciardo and clinch his 44th career win
because of poor visibility and a drenched circuit the first few laps in monaco were behind a safety car but once the racing began properly it was a thriller featuring multiple crashes
as soon as it rained i knew there was an opportunity said hamilton whose only other monaco win was in 2008 for mclaren fortunately i was quick enough in the wet
hamilton closed the championship gap on rosberg to 24 points while ricciardo is another 16 points behind in third


kevin molino scored in extra time sunday to give orlando city a 2 2 tie with new york city fc at yankee stadium
molino put away a header from the center of the box in the 94th minute to extend orlando citys unbeaten streak to three games carlos rivas fired a cross to the far post that cyle larin centered to set up molinos sixth goal of the season
frederic brillant scored his first career mls goal in the 42nd minute and david villa chipped in from the center of the box to give new york city a 2 0 lead in the 66th
julio baptista off a feed from molino rolled a right footed kick past nycfc goalkeeper josh saunders into the bottom left corner   baptistas first mls goal   to put orlando city 3 3 7 within striking distance about six minutes later
new york city fc 4 4 6 is winless in its past two matches after having gone unbeaten in its previous five


westhampton beach ny   there are almost as many territorial disputes in the hamptons as there are fish in the peconic bay local versus weekender weekender versus weekender surfer versus fisherman versus environmentalist those for dunes and breakwaters and those against
but one of the most intense and longstanding disputes involves a few dozen plastic strips that would be attached to utility poles in this east end village of 2000 to 20000 depending on the season
since 2008 members of the hampton synagogue on sunset avenue have been trying to erect an eruv in westhampton beach and neighboring quogue both villages within the town of southampton observant jews particularly those belonging to orthodox sects cannot carry or push anything outside the home on the sabbath an eruv typically composed of natural barriers and hanging wires symbolically extends the home and thus makes it easier to travel to services or to visit friends and relatives on friday nights and saturdays
the east end eruv association as the group promoting the plan is known approached verizon and the long island power authority for permission to use roughly 30 utility poles to demarcate the eruv but the administrators of the town and two villages objected after years of court battles and even a mocking segment in 2011 on comedy centrals the daily show southampton settled with the association last fall followed by quogue this spring and westhampton beach is likely to do the same after a public hearing on thursday
part of the eruv is already in place though few people outside the synagogues community seem to have noticed
im overwhelmed since last summer when i see these young families who can now come to services with their children or their parents when they didnt in the past marc schneier the rabbi at hampton synagogue for 26 years said in a phone interview
part of what has attracted so much attention to the dispute is that opponents of the eruv have included other more secular jews they have made comparisons with communities like lawrence on the border of nassau county and queens and east ramapo in rockland county as the populations of orthodox jews grew stores closed on saturdays and conflicts over public schools arose
arnold sheiffer one of the leaders of a group known both as jewish people for the betterment of westhampton beach and jewish people opposed to the eruv argues that the eruv will simply create another ghetto in the hamptons
as a reform jew i find it extremely offensive to create a distinction that this is a jewish area mr sheiffer said in a phone interview from vero beach fla where he also has a home the courts have been wrong before black people couldnt sit at lunch counters and women couldnt vote and abortions were illegal case law isnt always right
indeed it took three separate court case to see the eruv through
in 2011 the eruv association sued the municipalities after they threatened to fine the utilities if they allowed the eruv to be installed the united states district court for the eastern district of new york found in 2014 that the utilities had not violated their franchise agreements with westhampton beach and installation of part of the eruv could proceed the rest will rise in quogue within the next week or two
jewish people opposed to the eruv tried to intervene in that case in 2013 its suit was dismissed twice with the united states court of appeals for the second circuit rejecting the argument that placing an eruv on ostensibly public property violated the first amendment the final case decided last fall by the state supreme court in riverhead found that southampton had erred when the towns zoning board rejected the eruv
because some of the cases involved civil rights claims when the municipalities lost in court the town and villages became liable to pay the eruv associations legal fees which total in the millions of dollars the groups law firm weil gotshal  manges agreed to waive those fees if the municipalities settled
they claim its a wonderful diverse village and we agree and we dont want to see that change either and an eruv isnt going to change that yehudah buchweitz a partner at the firm said
peter sartorius the mayor of quogue said that the village decided to settle because it had little choice and he also argued that the litigation resulted from the neighboring communities more than his own our decision was really based on the decisions that came down around us and not really against us he said
the southampton town supervisor jay schneiderman took office in january after the community reached its settlement   a fact he said he was grateful for
this barrier created a lot of barriers and now that its behind us i hope people can start to come together again he said
the mayor and village board in westhampton beach declined to comment before the meeting on thursday but their lawyer brian s sokoloff expressed resignation
im not satisfied with the second circuits ruling that a religious symbol can be placed on public property he said but i recognize and my clients recognize that this is now the law until it is overturned in another case
some in westhampton beach remain bothered by the eruvs possible effect
kevin mathews who was working in his mothers boutique on main street on a recent weekday afternoon worried that business might fall off on saturdays weve only got 10 weeks a year to make a living so every day counts he said
among those who led the push for an eruv was marvin tenzer who also happened to live in tenafly nj where a similar fight was waged a decade ago ultimately coming down in favor of that eruv association as well
what amazes me is everyone complained the eruv would be ugly and ruin the town and now everyone is complaining that they cant even find it mr tenzer said


a new york state corrections officer was badly burned on sunday morning when a package he picked up outside his home exploded the authorities said
investigators said it was not clear whether the 52 year old officer whose name was not released was targeted because of his work
he sustained serious burns to his hands and arms and was in stable condition on sunday afternoon at suny upstate university hospital in syracuse the authorities said
the oneida county sheriffs office was leading the investigation with help from the federal bureau of investigation the bureau of alcohol tobacco firearms and explosives the new york state police the new york state department of corrections and community supervision and the utica police department
the state of new york has no tolerance for any violence of this sort and i have ordered a full investigation to find those responsible for this horrific incident gov andrew m cuomo said in a statement adding on behalf of all new yorkers our thoughts and prayers are with this correction officer and his family during this difficult time and we join them in hoping for a full and speedy recovery
the officer walked out of his home on old floyd road in floyd ny shortly before 8 am and picked up the package near his mailbox robert maciol the oneida county sheriff said at a news conference
the town is about 12 miles northwest of utica and near the marcy correctional facility
the authorities searched the neighborhood for other explosive devices but found none
were very confident that others in the neighborhood are not in danger sheriff maciol said
he would not describe the package in greater detail or discuss how sophisticated the explosive device was but he said that it was clear the device was intentionally placed outside the home and that investigators were working to determine who was responsible


during the two weeks he spent rehabbing in port st lucie fla and binghamton ny wilmer flores was isolated from his mets teammates flores whose hair has grown noticeably bushier since he was placed on the disabled list may 12 with a strain of his left hamstring could not even find a place to get his hair cut
when he returned to the mets on sunday he stepped into a circus atmosphere engulfing citi field
first there was one more game to play against the los angeles dodgers who in two days had drawn more ire from mets fans than a stalled no 7 train thanks mainly to chase utley
utley sat quietly at his locker before sunday nights game seemingly unfazed by the animosity lingering since his hard slide in last years playoffs resulted in a broken leg for ruben tejada the mets shortstop at the time the furor only grew when utley hit a tying three run double with two outs in the ninth inning friday
mets fans might have felt redeemed when noah syndergaard threw behind utley in the third inning saturday even though syndergaard and manager terry collins were ejected as a result but utley responded saturday with two home runs including a grand slam off hansel robles prompting mets fans to all but run to the hardware store in search of pitchforks and torches
more concerning to the mets faithful should be the health of third baseman david wright who in the midst of utleys spree of vengeance sat out saturdays game with a neck injury collins said that wright received medication which collins said he believed was an anti inflammatory he also said that doctors would re evaluate wright in 48 hours
collins did not believe that the neck injury was related to wrights spinal stenosis or that the extra preparation and stretching that wright went through before every game had contributed to his new ailment however collins did speculate that wrights neck pain could be connected to the shoulder soreness he had this month
after being ejected saturday for arguing in defense of syndergaard collins appeared more relaxed sunday as the former mets ace dwight gooden was exiting the teams news conference room collins who was beginning his pregame session with the news media asked you got an inning in you tonight
while gooden will not be brushing off his no 16 jersey syndergaard could be in line to make a rare relief appearance tuesday since he threw only 34 pitches before his ejection syndergaard is expected to start on friday
syndergaard an authority on finely manicured hair joked with flores about his new look before sundays game flores who remains close to tejada greeted syndergaard with a big hug when he first saw him in the clubhouse
as unfamiliar as floress mane may have been to his teammates he entered a locker room with a seemingly different figure sitting at matt harveys locker harvey whose era is an unsightly 608 will look to return to his all star form when he starts monday against the white sox at citi field
the mets could also formally welcome james loney before harveys start on saturday before the utley incident and a celebration of the mets 1986 world series championship team loney a first baseman was acquired from the san diego padres for cash
during floress absence the need for another option at first base arose when lucas duda went on the disabled list with a stress fracture in his lower back loney will platoon at first with flores although on sunday flores started at third base in place of wright in activating flores the mets optioned matt reynolds to class aaa las vegas
loney a slick fielder is a career 285 hitter over 10 seasons including parts of seven with the dodgers he is the latest solid infield veteran along with shortstop asdrubal cabrera and second baseman neil walker to join the mets since last season
collins also saw the benefit of having loney help flores learn the position
theres no question that that can go on said collins who has known loney since loney was 17 calling him a tremendous kid
during spring training the former mets first baseman keith hernandez who won 11 gold glove awards worked with flores advising him on what to expect on certain plays and imparting positioning tips collins said flores was a model student
flores was encouraged by the games he played at first at class aa binghamton the extra innings of practice gained during his rehab assignment combined with his preseason preparation had flores feeling comfortable with his upcoming duty at that corner of the infield
when i came into the season for spring training i knew what i was going to do flores said so its nothing new


with donald j trump pulling even or ahead of hillary clinton in a series of recent national polls the once unthinkable has become at least plausible but if he is to be elected the 45th president he must compete on a political map that for now looks forbidding
in the republican primaries he proved a master of nationalizing the political debate appealing to voters across regional lines with jeremiads about immigration and crime that captivated an almost uniformly white primary electorate at the outset of the general election mr trump has dominated the day to day political combat on national television and social media
in the general election however his fate will be determined not by his twitter followers or a relatively homogeneous republican electorate but by a set of interlocking and increasingly diverse regions home to some 90 million americans that hold many of the 270 electoral votes he needs to win
republicans enter the general election at a hefty disadvantage since the 1992 campaign 18 states have voted consistently for democrats in presidential elections giving their party a firm foundation of 242 electoral votes to build upon
and in the four regions likely to decide the presidency   florida the upper southeast the rust belt and the interior west   mr trump faces daunting obstacles according to interviews last week with elected officials political strategists and voters
of course months remain before voting begins and this political year has defied many predictions but if mrs clinton clinches the democratic nomination as expected she may find an electoral bulwark in these coveted swing state voters
miami   had republicans nominated marco rubio or jeb bush for president tomas regalado would have hurled himself into the task of electing their candidate
i would have been all in mr regalado the republican mayor of miami said in his office overlooking biscayne bay
instead mr regalado a former broadcast journalist intends to sit out the presidential race he considers mrs clinton untrustworthy but views mr trump as a poisonous candidate who has aggravated racial divisions in miami mr regalado said mr trump is seen as a bully as a person who despises people that dont look like him
mr regalado 69 said he had been inundated with angry email some of it mentioning mr trump by name sometimes they say yeah trump is right you guys have to all go back to your country said mr regalado who was born in havana and emigrated as a teenager this is my country i cant go back to cuba
since mr trump became the presumptive republican nominee he has consolidated support from national party leaders and from many in the rank and file he has pulled nearly even with mrs clinton in many polls including in florida
but the southern tip of the nations most populous swing state has been a blazing exception to the trend   most of all in miami dade county a densely populated bastion of diversity that cast about a tenth of the statewide vote in 2012
if mr trump has effectively staked his campaign nationwide on strong support from whites florida may present the most punishing test of his strategy as hispanics here including conservative leaning cuban americans who twice helped george w bush carry the state turn away from his candidacy en masse
mr trump has trampled local sensibilities in myriad ways from his belittling treatment of mr rubio and mr bush to his personal coarseness slashing comments on immigration and endorsement of open relations with the castro government
in addition to mr regalado two republican members of congress from florida ileana ros lehtinen and carlos curbelo have said they will not back mr trump as has carlos a gimenez the republican mayor of miami dade county all four are cuban american
early polls show voters in the area resoundingly rejecting mr trump a quinnipiac university poll this month found mr trump about even with mrs clinton statewide but losing a band of southeastern counties including miami dade and broward by 38 percentage points
roxana m leon 63 an independent voter raised in chile said she wanted major change in washington but found mr trump too objectionable to support hes not the right person said ms leon who works as a secretary i am sick and tired of the old establishment but i will vote for clinton
some voters who were once intrigued by mr trump now regard him with distaste carlos guerrero 55 said he had been willing to look the other way on many of mr trumps speeches   including the way he speaks of latin people   because he liked mr trumps overall message
but mr guerrero a republican who described himself as a religious catholic said he recoiled when mr trump began attacking heidi cruz senator ted cruzs wife he is not qualified to run this country mr guerrero who is an actor said of mr trump this country was made by people who believed in god
should mr trump get trounced in south florida he might be hard pressed to make up the difference elsewhere
trump supporters believe he can improve upon mitt romneys performance in north florida in the conservative panhandle region and in the jacksonville area but mr romney found it difficult in 2012 to overcome a catastrophic defeat in miami he cut into president obamas support across most of florida but the president held steady in tampa and orlando two other diverse cities and expanded his margin of victory in miami dade by about 69000 votes over his 2008 lead
mr obama ultimately captured florida by about 74000 votes
mr trump has his supporters here norma samour the owner of a shopping center said she was a habitual republican voter and would likely back mr trump despite some mixed feelings he will make the united states more like it was 15 years ago said ms samour 56 who was raised in el salvador and is of palestinian descent people all over the world used to respect the united states
yet the falloff mr trump faces has at a minimum severely hindered republican efforts to win statewide mr gimenez the miami dade mayor said nominating mr bush or mr rubio would have allowed republicans to challenge the democrats dominance in south florida
i dont think the margin of defeat in miami itself would have been as large mr gimenez said because of that they may have been able to carry the state alexander burns
raleigh nc   north carolina has a split political personality consider debbie holt
a staunch supporter of abortion rights ms holt 56 who owns a barbecue restaurant in downtown raleigh makes clear where she stands on other fronts in the culture wars with signs in her storefront window stop profiling muslims says one another go to the bathroom where you feel best
yet ms holt is also an outspoken supporter of mr trump he dont take any stuff just like me she drawled in between ringing up lunch rush customers using a more piquant word for stuff
shannon white is as confused about her presidential preference as ms holt is confident a mormon and arizona transplant who usually votes for republicans ms white said she had no regard for mrs clinton but doubted mr trumps adherence to any principles and was uneasy about his abusive language
im actually thinking more that i am going to go libertarian ms white 42 said after wrestling with a mannequin at the apparel store she and her husband recently opened
for decades this state has embodied contradictory impulses simultaneously electing a racial hard liner like jesse helms and new south democrats like terry sanford and jim hunt but as its demographics shift discerning which way the state will tilt in november seems harder than ever
north carolina may be the most evenly divided presidential battleground in the country
its two biggest population centers charlotte and the so called research triangle of raleigh durham and chapel hill have been transformed by an influx of political centrists from other states the fastest growing party registration preference is not republican nor democrat but unaffiliated the rural white jessecrats conservative democrats who reliably cast ballots for mr helms are dying off elections are now won in the fast growing edge towns like cary outside raleigh which natives joke stands for containment area for relocated yankees
neither mr trump with his hard edge nationalism nor mrs clinton with a swirl of scandal surrounding her is a natural fit for a state that hungers for political moderation but is increasingly disenchanted with the political class
they dont like either party and they dont like either candidate said carter wrenn a veteran republican strategist here it will just depend on which one they dislike less on election day
polls show mr trump and mrs clinton begin the general election close to evenly matched the surest sign of a jump ball democrats believe mr trump starts with a narrow advantage while republicans believe mrs clinton does what they agree on is that as at the national level republicans are largely coalescing around mr trump and ruling out the possibility that mrs clinton could run away with the state
then again mr trump needs north carolina much more than mrs clinton does
with his difficulties among hispanic voters pushing typical swing states such as colorado nevada and florida toward the democrats mr trump will probably need to carry the combined 28 electoral votes from north carolina and virginia to capture the white house
but virginia demographically and politically is a step to north carolinas left increasing the pressure on mr trump to win here while mr obama twice carried virginia by six percentage points in 2008 and by less than four in 2012 he won north carolina by less than one percentage point in 2008 and then in a more closely contested election lost north carolina in 2012 by about two points
some republicans worry that the backlash to the so called bathroom bill aimed at transgender people that gov pat mccrory signed into law in march could lead moderates to cast their ballots for democrats in november but democrats fret that the deep unpopularity of both mr trump and mrs clinton and the scorched earth campaign to come could depress turnout among the states centrists and progressives
finishing breakfast with her 4 year old daughter at a raleigh diner adrian blackwell 37 who works in medical sales and voted for mr obama twice said she would sit out the election i really cant in good conscience give my vote to hillary or trump she said citing mrs clintons establishment ties and mr trumps policies i feel worried for our country
brad crone a democratic strategist acknowledged that trump is doing better than folks think saying that anti incumbency and hillarys high negatives had created a difficult environment for her
what could tip the scales for mr trump here is if he can improve his negative image as voters opinions of him appear less fixed than they are of mrs clinton
im not a fan of his antics said rick peele 57 who works for an architecture firm leans republican and was meeting a friend for lunch in downtown raleigh last week but i havent been impressed with hillary either he added quickly
asked when he had faced such a choice for president he shot back never jonathan martin
wilkes barre pa   mr trumps best play for the white house is to cut a swath through the rust belt flipping states traditionally won by democrats that harbor large numbers of the white working class voters who have welcomed his hard line on immigration and trade
a handful of victories in the rust belt states stretching from pennsylvania to wisconsin could allow mr trump to lose florida and still become president but all rust belt states are not equal ohio which mr obama won by just two percentage points four years ago is the most likely republican pickup michigan which mr obama won by about 10 points is the biggest stretch
pennsylvania   the second closest battleground in 2012 after ohio   perennially tempts republicans to pour in resources in hopes of expanding the electoral map to win the rust belt a region that has generally gone democratic in six straight presidential elections mr trump will have to win here
the challenge for him in pennsylvania is to expand his appeal to blue collar voters without alienating white collar republicans including women repelled by his free floating insults and businesspeople who doubt his conservatism
i support the republican party but im not personally on the trump train said melissa wilson a preschool teacher in chester county outside philadelphia i might not vote for president i dont think that hes going to be able to speak to other nations and not cause us problems
if enough college educated republicans like ms wilson reject mr trump his rust belt dreams will probably be thwarted
he has to pull away the marginal obama voters which tends to be lower socioeconomic whites said henry olsen an electoral analyst at the conservative ethics and public policy center the question for trump is whether his persona and issue stance will alienate classic romney voters in the managerial class the margin for error is very small
two counties in eastern pennsylvania may best illustrate the give and take luzerne where working class white democrats are flocking to mr trump and chester the states wealthiest
in luzerne county registered democrats far outnumber republicans but mr trump won more votes in his april primary than mrs clinton did in hers before the vote 4647 democrats and independents in luzerne county switched their registration to republican   nearly four times the number of republicans and independents who reregistered as democrats
mrs clintons allies say she would need to hold on only to mr obamas coalition of young people women and minorities to carry pennsylvania but republicans say mr trump is making his own new math and some democrats acknowledge worries
i know families whove been lifelong democrats who switched to republican to vote for trump said mike decosmo the chairman of the luzerne county democratic party pretty much the same thing happened when reagan ran
mr decosmo mentioned a family who owns a gutter installation business in hazle township a father and four adult sons active democrats who left the party all blue collar workers he said its really tough
in wilkes barre the county seat two members of the plumbers and pipe fitters union matt hilstolsky and jason king pledged on their lunch break to vote for mr trump despite expecting their union to endorse mrs clinton bringing back jobs is the no 1 thing mr hilstolsky said
elaine bernardo who works in customer service for nabisco   the maker of oreos that mr trump often assails for moving production to mexico   said she was a democrat but a republican at heart and planned to vote for mr trump
the middle class is being eradicated she said pointing to sinking economic fortunes in the area people who have homes that were in a certain price range can expect now 50 percent of the value they could have gotten 30 years ago they are having their houses sold at tax sales
in relying on white working class voters mr trump is bucking a demographic tide the share of those voters in the rust belt is on the decline while the share of college graduates is rising said ruy teixeira an elections analyst at the liberal center for american progress
trump is trying to run up historically large margins among the white working class mr teixeira said but theres less of them to run up
in chester county by contrast it seems as though minds are still being made up about mr trump
val digiorgio the county republican chairman said he hears from both main line republicans of the philadelphia suburbs who say they will not vote for mr trump and others including a lot of democrats and independents who are energized by his candidacy
the question is whether trump makes up enough ground with those type of voters to offset what hes going to lose mr digiorgio said
he gave him a 50 50 chance
at a fund raiser for a state lawmaker in west chester this month guests in business attire expressed strong misgivings about voting for mr trump but some were already reconciling themselves to the idea
im not enthusiastic im afraid he isnt trustworthy said peg layden a grandmother who said she voted for mr cruz in the primary but i will definitely vote for the nominee trip gabriel
phoenix   hector salinas 21 was born in this city but grew up in mexico nancy herrera 31 was born in mexico but entered the united states illegally when she was 3 and gained legal status only when she married an american citizen 10 years ago
they are co workers at mi familia vota a nonprofit nonpartisan group that helps latinos become citizens and register to vote they are barred from discussing specific candidates but this year they have not had to
the moment we talk about immigrant rights immigration reform people stop us and say where do i sign im going to vote this year because i dont want donald trump to be my president mr salinas said
arizona is both a flash point in the nations immigration battles and a microcosm of a changing united states one in three residents is latino and one in four latinos is old enough to vote and while the white population is aging   its median age is 43   the median age of latinos is 26
already hispanics are a majority of public school students the voters of tomorrow said joseph garcia the director of the morrison institute latino public policy center at arizona state university
but will hispanics vote this year
the november election presents a unique enticement not only is mr trump on the ballot but so is one of his most outspoken supporters joe arpaio the swaggering maricopa county sheriff who is seeking re election and was found in contempt of court this month for defying a federal judges order to stop profiling latinos
the democrats have the best chance of winning arizona since bill clinton won arizona in 1996 said jaime molera a republican strategist and former state schools superintendent who worked for former senator jon kyl one of the most conservative voices in congress
the 2012 election offered a good window into how ethnicity and age play out here in politics mr romney carried the state by about nine points winning two thirds of the white vote and 71 percent of voters 65 and above president obama was favored by 63 percent of voters under 30 and gathered almost three quarters of the latino vote
latinos might well help turn arizona blue but if the left and right here agree on anything it is that latinos alone may not be able to do so just yet they will need help from moderate republicans and independents who together form the states most potent voting bloc
with mrs clinton showing weakness on the democratic side peeling off those middle of the road and right of center voters will not be an easy job   but it is being done by going door to door by grass roots groups and lower level democratic candidates all are seeking to capitalize on animus toward mr trump and mr arpaio particularly among younger voters who have grown up hearing stories about the sheriffs harsh treatment of latinos maricopa county whose seat is phoenix is home to about 60 percent of arizonas population
canvassers and candidates alike are highlighting the financial costs and reputational harm to arizona brought on by mr arpaios crusades against undocumented immigrants and they are portraying mr trumps and mr arpaios stances as indistinguishable
arpaio is the original trump said stacy pearson the campaign manager for paul penzone a former phoenix police sergeant making his second run for sheriff as a democrat after nearly defeating mr arpaio in 2012 trumps my way or the highway approach could have been a slogan for arpaios entire career
in an interview mr arpaio welcomed the association saying the november elections would not be decided by party affiliation or ethnicity personalities count more than ever this time around he said
republicans he added have nothing to worry about
but mr molera the republican strategist said that if republicans say theyre not concerned they dont want to admit it or they just dont get it
an immigration law enacted in arizona in 2010 which gave the police broad powers to stop people they suspected of being in the country illegally spawned several civil rights groups that have recruited many young latinos drawing on their own experiences   seeing parents deported neighbors caught in workplace raids siblings who dropped out of college after the state required undocumented immigrants to pay out of state tuition   these activists are advising immigrants of their rights and pressing those who are eligible to register to vote
sometimes it means pressing people who are not eligible to vote
i spent 30 minutes talking to a man   he was very angry very disillusioned said mr salinas as he prepared to knock on doors on phoenixs overwhelmingly hispanic west side he was undocumented but he took home three voter registration forms for his kids
in 2010 there were 91000 latinos registered to cast their ballots by mail in arizona this month the number has climbed above 300000   and state officials say that people who vote by mail are twice as likely to cast their ballots
a lot of people are tired of all the stuff that keeps pushing them down mr salinas said we want to turn the light on so they can believe again if they believe again theyll participate and if they participate change comes faster fernanda santos


paris   the qualifying cutoff for the tennis events at the rio de janeiro olympics comes the monday after the french open adding pressure on many of the players on the olympic bubble who are now getting their last chance to secure the ranking points necessary to reach the games
but a gold medal goal has proved far from universal among the players
the 80th ranked ernests gulbis whose surprise run to the fourth round in paris will propel him into the top 60 and therefore inside the olympics ranking cutoff said he had already decided not to compete in rio in part because of the lack of incentives for participation
i really dont like that in olympic games there is no points and no prize money gulbis said its a little bit like tennis tourism from my side
while none of the shortlisted medal contenders have withdrawn several men who would have safely qualified for the competition have indicated that they have no intention of competing months before the games are to begin five of the men who fall between 15th and 23rd in the atp rankings have ruled themselves out they are the over 30 veterans john isner kevin anderson and feliciano lopez and two players in their early 20s bernard tomic and dominic thiem
gulbis is not alone in citing the lack of ranking points for olympic performance   which had previously been on offer for the mens singles since 2000 and the womens singles since 2004   as a reason for not competing
isner a member of the atp player council said he had lobbied for increased ranking points at the olympics after being frustrated at receiving only 135 points for reaching the quarterfinals in 2012 by contrast the atp tournament held that week in washington offered 500 points to the champion even though its field had been depleted by the olympics
paltry though they may have been in the past isner said the absence of ranking points was a very very big factor in his decision not to play in rio as was his not wanting to miss the atp tournament in atlanta where he has won three titles in a row he noted that two other formerly top ranked americans andy roddick and mardy fish had skipped the 2008 and 2012 olympics
still isner said most of the feedback he had received about his decision had been negative
ive been called unpatriotic   i dont think its that said isner who plans to represent the united states in july in a davis cup quarterfinal against croatia in oregon i dont consider myself that at all
for gulbis and anderson the increased davis cup participation mandated for olympic eligibility was an additional problem the atp also stopped awarding ranking points for davis cup victories this year those changes came after years of negotiations between the atp and wta tours and the international tennis federation which oversees the olympic tennis events as well as the davis cup and fed cup team events
the itf believes that players are honored to play the olympics and that for the majority of players ranking points are not a consideration for their participation said nick imison an itf spokesman
eric butorac president of the atp players council said a sticking point between the itf and the atp had been the abandonment of a payment structure in which the itf compensated the smaller atp tournaments that were adversely affected by the olympics every four years
they helped compensate because they make so much money off of our players and they disrupt the tour a lot butorac said of the itf and the olympics this year the itf said they werent going to compensate and they basically told us that they didnt care if we had points or not
some top players who still intended to compete including the mens world no 1 novak djokovic and the fourth ranked stan wawrinka expressed frustration at the decision not to give ranking points
to be quite frank i dont see a reason why not djokovic said we have the best players in the world participating in arguably the fifth grand slam its of that importance for all of us   even more because it happens every four years i mean its a subject for discussion i would definitely encourage people to rethink of getting points out there
butorac said that when negotiations ended last year most players did not object to the end of ranking points in the olympics
some wanted it but the majority that i asked said that they really didnt want them and that the olympics should be about representing your country butorac said the olympics means a lot of different things to different people there are some players to whom its bigger than winning a grand slam other players theyd rather win a masters series title than win the olympics
and thats not to say that anyones right or wrong i get kind of upset when people criticize someone like isner for not playing because hes trying to live a professional tennis career whether or not he plays in the olympics is his own business tennis players are independent contractors and they should be able to do what they want
the 15th ranked thiem a promising 23 year old who plays a fourth round match in paris on monday has in particular faced criticism in his homeland over his lack of olympic interest the sports editor of the austrian newspaper kronenzeitung published an open letter calling on thiem to play
thiem who said he hoped to break into the top 10 of the atp this year said his conception of tennis had never included the olympics where the sport was reintroduced as an event in 1988 after having been absent for most of the previous century
i still think that swimming and athletics are the real olympic sports thiem said
roberta vinci the united states open runner up last year planned to play in rio but echoed thiems thoughts on the sports attachment to the event
probably if you think one big tournament in tennis you think wimbledon roland garros not the olympics vinci told wta insider if you want to swim the olympics is unbelievable
those who have tasted olympic gold possess a deeper attachment to the event andy murray who won gold in singles and silver in mixed doubles in london expressed confusion over why other players did not want to play in the games
there are different reasons for playing tournaments sometimes murray said for me davis cup and olympics im not playing for ranking points
venus williams a four time gold medalist said her olympic triumphs were her most prized accomplishments
the proudest moment for me when they do the on court announcements are the olympic results williams said for me that feels legitimate
she later expressed bewilderment at ranking points becoming a sticking point
who needs ranking points if youre playing for a gold medal she said
the canadian milos raonic ranked ninth lost in the second round of his lone olympic appearance but expressed a similar sentiment
points or no points it doesnt really matter he said i think the goal and the target is very simple youre there to win a medal the shinier the better


scituate mass   for almost 12 years the parishioners of st frances x cabrini have prayed eaten meals watched the super bowl and even slept in the church holding a round the clock vigil to protest the archdiocese of bostons decision to close it
they have used detailed sign up sheets to ensure that at least one person was in the church at all times had communion wafers secretly consecrated by sympathetic priests and held weekly services led entirely by lay members of the congregation
on sunday having exhausted their options in vatican and american courts the parishioners held their last service but not without a final act of defiance a man who was ordained a roman catholic priest but was later married stood at the altar of the deconsecrated church and led services for parishioners who said they intended to break away from the archdiocesan hierarchy and form an independent catholic church
in every revolution obviously there are collateral damage and there are casualties said jon rogers an organizer of the vigil with his wife maryellen our beloved church is one of those casualties
the parishioners plan to leave the church by 1159 pm monday and hold a service next sunday in a masonic lodge a temporary stop while they try to raise money for a building of their own
in a statement the archdiocese said it hoped the congregants would join other parishes their sense of loss from the closing of the parish is understandable the statement said for this reason the archdiocese kept its commitment to allow the appeals process to conclude both in civil and canonical courts
with their vigil the parishioners tapped into a deep well of mistrust after the archdiocese rocked by a sexual abuse scandal moved to close dozens of parishes in 2004   citing a decline in priests and congregants
the way the sex abuse scandal was handled pretty clearly shattered the trust that a lot of people had in the hierarchy said james otoole a professor of history at boston college who added that the vigil had most likely also been motivated by the writings of the second vatican council in the 1960s which expanded the role of laypeople in the church
it turns out that if you tell the people for 50 years that they are the church they start to believe it and they start to act on it and think they have the authority in a way to argue with the hierarchy mr otoole said
at the time eight other churches started vigils over their own closures but st frances had the last remaining one this community has tested the vatican canonical system and the us legal system to their highest level peter borre a lawyer who has supported closed churches said to the congregation on sunday nobody else has done this
the archdiocese filed a lawsuit against the parishioners last year arguing that they were trespassing in may 2015 a state superior court justice ruled against the parishioners who later appealed to the united states supreme court but this month justices refused to hear the case and the congregants agreed to leave   after a final celebration
the abuse scandal loomed large over the days proceedings and the leader of the service terry mcdonough criticized the archdiocese the hierarchy has to lead fall or get out of the way he said adding that is the great tragedy that those who have no children are destroying the spiritual homes of our children
but at other times on sunday the members sang and clapped they carried the 11 prayer quilts that had been made to commemorate the vigil   one for each full year   down the aisle and the service ended with a loud rendition of when the saints go marching in
at least 200 people filled the pews for what the church called a celebration of faith and transition generations of families prayed together in the pews   including the arnold family whose triplets christian scott and sean had taken the friday night vigil shift for most of their young lives
weve been doing this for 11 years said sean 17 so like not doing this what else are we going to do
his brother scott took a moment to consider the question
maybe well take our mother out to a nice dinner he said
for some the end of the vigil is causing deeply mixed emotions
for reasons that i cant understand i feel nervous margaret obrien 86 said on sunday morning on the other hand im kind of relieved we fought the good fight we did everything we could
ms obrien said she would miss seeing fellow parishioners so often   they regularly handed off shifts to one another   so she planned to convene them at dunkin donuts
the vigil has been as much a social outlet as a prayerful one and the past week was filled with final shifts and goodbyes
on friday afternoon dee schmid had the shift from 4 to 630 pm but a fellow parishioner veronica tutunjian stopped by to help her fix a hummingbird feeder nearby a sign up sheet for shifts after the final vigil was blank
i feel sad and everyone who comes in feels sad but im looking forward to a new beginning ms schmid said as she left handing off to marian macisaac 61 an activities coordinator whose family helped build the church ms macisaac lived here for two months when she lost her apartment
it has the sweat of my family members in the bricks ms macisaac said i had my first communion here theres been weddings here theres been funerals here
ms macisaac settled into her shift and took out her phone on which she sometimes plays solitaire to pass the time as she reflected on the last 12 years she turned defiant
we dont have to take their pay pray and obey   we dont have to obey ms macisaac said and we showed that to the world


paris   milos raonic went down in straight sets at the french open on sunday to the spanish outsider albert ramos vinolas in the sort of cool overcast and heavy conditions that attacking players have learned to rue on the red clay of roland garros
bring on the grass court season and the big hitting raonic already a contender will be much more of a conversation piece than usual
raonic a canadian has hired john mcenroe as a coaching consultant which means headlines and camera flashes galore before raonic ranked no 9 in the world so much as smacks one huge serve in anger at the all england club in late june
it doesnt seem like hes been able to do as well as certainly someone with his game could do and i think he could win it mcenroe said of raonics chances at wimbledon where he reached the semifinals in 2014 but has never been past the third round otherwise hopefully i can add that little bit and give him a little bit better understanding of how to take advantage of his attributes his size hes a big strong great dedicated and smart kid
and yet for a deeply rational young man like raonic who likes to be the boss hiring mcenroe is a surprising move all the more so because he already had two coaches in riccardo piatti an italian considered one of the games better technicians and carlos moya a spaniard who like mcenroe was once no 1
could too many top chefs spoil the bouillabaisse
at the end of the day every coach i have is to some extent an adviser raonic said after his 6 2 6 4 6 4 defeat in the fourth round and its my job personally out of everything i hear to weigh what its worth and weigh what is best for me im the ceo of milos raonic tennis thats it
a former superstar who decides to coach is now on a well blazed trail in tennis it began with jimmy connors coaching andy roddick in the 2000s and began in earnest with ivan lendl helping andy murray end britains wimbledon singles drought in 2013
others have piled in including amelie mauresmo martina navratilova very briefly michael chang goran ivanisevic and mcenroes former rivals stefan edberg and boris becker with becker helping novak djokovic strengthen his grip on the mens game
but none of these tennis luminaries has had quite the media footprint at the time of their appointment as mcenroe he is the most prominent english language voice in the sport as a commentator and is still at 57 a bigger magnet than most of todays contenders including raonic he announced his own hiring during his daily show on eurosport at roland garros delivering the news as a lyric while strumming a guitar
i thought that was a different way to announce it because i dont do social media dont tweet do facebook any of it he said when we spoke on sunday i actually prefer talking to people
but can mcenroe really sublimate his ego and put himself at the service of a 25 year old player
i think so i mean i hope so mcenroe said thats what we are going to find out im hoping this is not a one shot thing i think it would be incredibly difficult to make an impact that quickly i think its a process
mcenroe remains a bundle of nervous energy shifting in his chair and folding and unfolding his arms repeatedly in the sparsely decorated nbc office at the french open he does have recent coaching experience as the eponymous director of his academy on randalls island in new york and offering occasional counsel to young american prospects like noah rubin
his coaching resume on tour is not nearly so up to date there was an informal arrangement with becker in 1993 shortly after mcenroe retired mcenroe was also the united states davis cup captain for one season in 2000
boris asked me to work with him between wimbledon and the us open in 1993 and its a long story and pretty humorous but basically he didnt listen to a word i said mcenroe said
i was going through a divorce he was going through this fight with tiriac mcenroe said referring to beckers former agent ion tiriac so the tennis part suddenly seemed to become secondary but the idea was good
for most of the last 20 years the timing seemed wrong to mcenroe or his personality seemed too strong for contemporary stars to bring him on board but he sounded genuinely eager now for at least a part time role
only one of my six kids is still at the house and im not getting any younger he said i think the former players coming in has been great for the sport and especially for some of the players like boris i think it was a great move and it turned out to be a win win
mcenroe also praised moyas work with raonic
the best ive ever seen milos play was this year at the australian he said of raonics attack minded run to the australian open semifinals in january i really felt he was playing the style of play in order to get into these top guys heads and potentially take it to that next level
mcenroe and raonic have mutual friends in the family of jann wenner the founder of rolling stone and have gotten to know each other away from the courts
i was sort of just looking for another set of eyes to be a bit more efficient on grass said raonic who emphasized that it was also about generally improving
mcenroe was one of the games great volleyers and won three wimbledon singles titles moya never got past the fourth round and ivan ljubicic who had previously helped coach raonic never got past the third
perhaps that consulting fee will be money well spent after all even if the odds of a long term gig have to be viewed as long with all the alpha males involved
they just need clarity of roles and responsibilities and john can be a tremendous added value the message just has to be unified to milos said paul annacone the former coach of pete sampras and roger federer john can help milos get more comfortable coming forward and finishing at net
mcenroe got a head start in paris attending practice on saturday and sitting next to moya in the players box on the suzanne lenglen court on sunday for the first two sets as raonic was gradually enmeshed in the unseeded ramos vinolass web
believe me i know what its like to get sucked into playing the type of game you dont want to play and proving something you dont need to prove so i really felt for him mcenroe said
the results did not improve after mcenroe left to fulfill his television duties there will be more such multitasking during wimbledon along with plenty of camera flashes but first come the practice court and the grass court tournament at queens club let the cross border consulting project begin
if not an american a canadian a north american brother said mcenroe arms folded with a slightly nervous chuckle


neptune nj   mike rice was waiting outside the blue warehouse where he works as the director of team tournaments for hoop group putting on high school and amateur athletic union basketball tournaments
he had put in a full morning and was preparing for a full afternoon and evening in the big business of youth basketball
the college basketball season may have ended last month on kris jenkinss dramatic winning shot for villanova but for rice the former rutgers coach that ending was the beginning of an all important second season recruiting season
rices career nearly disintegrated three years ago when a widely viewed videotape showed him cursing rutgers players throwing balls at them and using homophobic slurs rice became the face of coaching abuse and he was fired
for most of his career rice was involved in the demand side of the college basketball industry he was an assistant coach at fordham marquette niagara chicago state st josephs and pittsburgh then he became the head coach at robert morris in pittsburgh his hometown
for the last three years rice has worked feverishly in the ever expanding supply side of the college basketball industry putting on camps aau tournaments and workout regimens for players who range from elementary school to high school
the day we met was typical morning practice and workouts at the hoop group training facility then an evening workout with middle school players on friday rice flew to anaheim calif with team rio an elite 15 and under aau squad for a four game tournament
the supply side of the industry has sustained a coach like rice in a way that might have been impossible a decade ago
in addition to his work at hoop group he is a coach for the patrick school in new jersey the coach of a top aau team and the coach of his sons and daughters aau teams
this has given mike a platform to stay involved with basketball said rob kennedy the president of hoop group years ago he may have had to completely change course and go into some other line of work
this will be hoop groups 54th summer of basketball camp in the poconos
the group was founded by kennedys parents as a weeklong instructional camp now hoop group has expanded from instruction to elite camps it also runs some of the biggest aau tournaments on the east coast
there are tournaments for high academic performers who want to be recruited by ivy league programs and other similarly selective division i schools there are the tournaments coming up in july for elite players looking to compete for schools in power 5 conferences
there are also showcase tournaments coming in july that cater to players bound for junior college
the industry has provided a safety net for coaches like rice
meanwhile rice is busy on the all consuming supply side of the industry a side driven by the dreams of children   and the hopes of parents   to play for their high schools and if things work out at the college level
rice said he was part of the basketball events management business
i laugh at that he said you never heard of anything like that when i was growing up
rice grew up in pittsburgh and spent time in youngstown ohio where his father was the basketball coach at youngstown state when he was a junior in high school he began to play with an aau team made up of players from the akron youngstown area they played teams from columbus
at that time only the best players would be chosen for the teams rice said nowadays there are millions of grass roots basketball teams and theyre all different levels
this has definitely been good for the business of basketball and to an extent great for producing battle tested young players used to top flight competition
the best players playing against the best players is never a bad thing he said
but what about the soul of the youth industry
there has been mounting criticism of the aau system
the negatives are lack of loyalty no patience players who switch aau teams at the drop of a hat
whatever happened to the stick to it work ethic making a situation better by working harder and grinding it out rice said that doesnt exist anymore
the best aau team is the person who will pay for you to stay at the best hotels rice said or the guy who will provide you with the best sneakers the guy who will promise you the most shots
there are some valid points on why this system isnt the best he said
its very simple whats the problem he said i just dont know how to fix it
i asked rice if he wanted back into the demand side of the business as a head coach he said he had had conversations with a number of people but nothing had resulted in an offer
these camps can also be a bridge back to the big time the supply side of the industry while not as glamorous as being the head coach at a major division i program may be rices calling
i love what i do he said is it paying me like the big east absolutely not but i enjoy everyday that im in a gym im preparing for a tournament preparing for a practice working out a group of individuals i love that im involved
he is also free from the pressure of having to win high profile high pressure conference games in front of student bodies eager for trips to the ncaa tournament
the three years working exclusively with young players have given rice an opportunity to reflect and adjust
the flaws of the aau system are adult driven overzealous parents and coaches allow their emotions to override a sense of decorum rice is learning lessons as he teaches them which he can also use should he ever take that bridge back to the demand side
everything that ive gone through and learned throughout this process ill use to make myself better rice said
i always ask my players whats the sign of a bad player rice said he makes the same mistakes ive got to have the same approach to what i do you cant make the same mistakes


skokie ill   president obamas supreme court nominee merrick b garland returned to his high school on sunday and told its graduates that they must learn to deal with the unexpected
when you are facing the unanticipated twists and turns life will surely take when the bad things happen it can be a tremendous solace to get outside yourself and focus on someone else judge garland said during a 15 minute commencement speech at his alma mater niles west high school in skokie a northern suburb of chicago
judge garland the chief judge for the united states court of appeals for the district of columbia circuit and a 1970 graduate of niles west was selected in march by mr obama to fill the supreme court seat left vacant after the death of justice antonin scalia republicans leaders in the senate however have vowed not to hold hearings or a confirmation vote until a new president takes office
on sunday judge garland stayed away from addressing his own twists and turns of the partisan divide over his nomination focusing instead on the values that he learned while a standout student in skokie he encouraged graduates to consider going into public service
i owe this place a lot judge garland said as he praised niles west for instilling in him a sense of community and reinforcing teachings from his parents about an obligation to give back to society judge garland has spent much of his career in public service including a lead role in the investigation of the 1995 oklahoma city bombing and 20 years on the appeals court
describing the most rewarding moments from his time in washington he pointed to his 18 years tutoring children at j o wilson elementary school in the northeastern part of the city
the most personally rewarding experiences in my career judge garland said have not been high profile cases ive investigated or legal disputes ive resolved
the class speaker thea gonzales said she was glad judge garland had focused on the students instead of his own situation calling it an example of his emphasis on public service
it showed that he cared more about the school and where the school was going said ms gonzales 17 case in point   he was focusing outward
when you fail what people are going to remember is your response ms gonzales said in her own speech to the graduates a sentiment in line with judge garlands message and if you want to be someone remembered as a survivor you have to find strength
before the ceremony ali lueder 30 of morton grove who graduated from niles west in 2003 stood outside the field passing out tickets to members of her family there to see her younger brother walk across the stage she acknowledged that despite judge garlands record of success and the respect he had garnered from politicians and in legal circles he might not join the supreme court
he has done the right things and he probably wants to continue to do the right things ms lueder said we just hope it works out for him


los angeles   in hollywood everyone knows the go to lawyers
for divorce theres laura wasser now representing johnny depp in his split with amber heard
for a potential criminal charge think blair berk who helped caitlyn jenner avoid one after a traffic accident in which one person died or thomas mesereau who got michael jackson acquitted
and if it just seems to be a workaday violation of a famous persons rights like slapping reese witherspoons name on jewelry without her permission that was the sort of case charles j harder was known for   until now
mr harder and his boutique hollywood firm harder mirell  abrams are suddenly in the limelight last week it was revealed that their legal victory for the former professional wrestler hulk hogan in his suit against gawker media over publication of a sex video was secretly underwritten by the silicon valley billionaire peter thiel hulk hogan whose real name is terry gene bollea was awarded 140 million
mr thiel a paypal founder had a longstanding dispute with gawker which published an article in 2007 saying he was gay
the case and mr thiels place in it have sent a shudder through many in the news media at issue is whether mr thiels role in the case will motivate other wealthy and powerful people to settle scores by giving money to litigants whose causes they support
the gawker case is likely to continue with appeals and a june 10 hearing into matters that are still pending
a smaller question but almost as fascinating in los angeles legal circles is this how did mr harder a 46 year old beverly hills lawyer who has specialized in protecting stars from having their rights infringed upon by retailers and marketers wind up in the middle of this free speech fight
mr harder would not comment for this article but a close look at his resume and conversations with people familiar with his background who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of confidentiality strictures suggest that mr harders emergence as a power player happened as most things do in hollywood that is through a combination of grit talent shrewd calculation   and knowing the right people
mr harders growing connections with celebrities their representatives and well heeled entrepreneurs was clearly rooted in a legal action filed in 2009 in state and federal courts here
in those interrelated cases mr harder represented six famous actresses   sandra bullock michelle pfeiffer cameron diaz mandy moore kate hudson and diane keaton   against a group of computer retailers and other companies accused of a somewhat mundane violation the actresses images appeared in catalogs and on websites on the screens of various devices offered for sale
after working its way through the courts and mediation that dispute ended in confidential settlements and dismissal for mr harder the outcome was successful enough to set a pattern for succeeding cases that found him and his colleagues in quick succession filing various privacy rights claims for a growing client list that included george clooney julia roberts bradley cooper liam neeson jude law halle berry tyra banks clint eastwood and ms witherspoon
the claims and the outcomes   settlements rather than trials   were often similar in one departure mr harder in 2011 fought all the way through trial to a 15 million verdict for the producer vittorio cecchi gori in a complicated dispute with a former colleague gianni nunnari over rights in films that included 300 the departed and shutter island
at least once before mr harder has tangled with gawker in 2012 on behalf of lena dunham he demanded that the site take down a posting of ms dunhams book proposal which it largely did though it continued to display fragments and commentary
in early october 2012 gawker refused a demand by mr bolleas longtime lawyer david houston that it remove the sex video from its site mr harder   then at the firm wolf rifkin shapiro schulman  rabkin   was retained and quickly filed suit
whether mr thiel had assured funding at that point is unclear but mr harder and his colleagues were confident enough of their footing to start their own firm the following january taking mr bollea and other clients with them
during the gawker trial mr harder though lead counsel played a relatively small role in the handling of witnesses who were often questioned by others but he currently represents clients in two additional suits against gawker one was filed this month in a boston federal court by shiva ayyadurai who claims he invented email and another was filed in january in a manhattan federal court by ashley terrill a journalist it is not known if mr thiel has played any role in supporting those suits
harder mirell  abrams currently has its offices in a small fashionable building adjoining the beverly wilshire hotel on rodeo drive it is near the century city quarters of much larger law firms like ziffren brittenham and jackoway tyerman and talent representatives like the creative artists agency
it is also a short drive from the san fernando valley where mr harder grew up he attended montclair college preparatory school now closed in van nuys and did his undergraduate work at the university of california santa cruz
after receiving a law degree from loyola law school in los angeles mr harder clerked briefly for judge a andrew hauk who was then at the united states district court for the central district of california in los angeles
mr harder then spent about a year with the lavely  singer law firm the firm and its principal partners john h lavely jr and martin d singer are known as fierce defenders of prominent celebrities like arnold schwarzenegger and sylvester stallone
but mr harder did little trial work for the firm either then or during a second stint at lavely  singer in between he worked for a web company load media network
in 2001 a case he was working on received attention in the new york times his client wendy withers was told not to report to work at a financially troubled new york ad agency after having left her previous job
it was a modest claim and   unlike the hulk hogan case with its huge award   it was settled ms withers collected two months pay


washington   donald j trump the manhattan real estate mogul who boasts about his wealth maintains a fleet of aircraft and sells his own brand of neckties paid respects on sunday to an incongruous constituency
look at all these bikers mr trump standing before a crowd in front of the lincoln memorial said with admiration do we love the bikers yes we love the bikers
mr trump was addressing a gathering at the 29th annual rolling thunder motorcycle run a vast event over memorial day weekend that is dedicated to accounting for military members taken as prisoners of war or listed as missing in action
bikers assembled at the pentagon before riding en masse into the nations capital with many dressed in leather vests covered in patches their bikes rumbling throughout the afternoon
for the blunt spoken mr trump who likes to stress his desire to strengthen the military and improve how veterans are treated the gathering provided a receptive audience if one where he might otherwise seem out of place
he speaks whats on his mind and means what he says said tom christian 43 a heating and air conditioning contractor from tennessee and thats what a biker does thats the way we are we say what we think if you like it you like it if you dont go the other way
the warm embrace from the crowd gave no hint of the controversy that mr trump incited last year when he denigrated the military service of senator john mccain of arizona a former prisoner of war in north vietnam mr trump said mr mccain a fellow republican was not a war hero saying i like people that werent captured ok
mr trump is the latest political figure but not the only one to pay attention to bikers wearing a black harley davidson helmet sarah palin the former governor of alaska appeared at rolling thunder in 2011 months before saying she would not run for president in 2012
and one of mr trumps former republican rivals gov scott walker of wisconsin a proud harley davidson owner campaigned at harley dealerships and wore motorcycle boots on the campaign trail asked during a debate what he wanted his secret service code name to be he suggested harley
campaigning in wisconsin in march mr trump observed that mr walker was always on a harley
im not a huge biker i have to be honest with you ok mr trump added i always liked the limo better
nancy regg a spokeswoman for rolling thunder said the group had invited mr trump to appear the group did not extend an invitation to hillary clinton or senator bernie sanders she said
richard mcfadden 58 an annual rolling thunder attendee from north carolina said mrs clinton would not have been welcome
just like asking jane fonda to show up itd be a very very bad thing said mr mcfadden who works in computer support and wore a button that read hillary for prison 2016
mr trumps supporters include a group called bikers for trump which has more than 46000 likes on facebook speaking on sunday mr trump told the crowd of seeing large numbers of bikers at his campaign events
i said what are they all doing here and my people would say theyre here to protect you mr trump he said its an amazing thing and i want to tell you some of these people are tough
but when he shakes their hands there is love and its an incredible feeling and thats why i wanted to be with you today he said
wearing a red make america great again hat and forgoing a necktie mr trump pledged to rebuild the military and said george s patton and other deceased generals were spinning in their graves
he lamented that veterans have been treated so badly in this country and asserted that in many cases immigrants in the country illegally were taken better care of he said that on tuesday he will detail the money he had raised for veterans groups
standing before the reflecting pool with the washington monument offering a striking backdrop mr trump also expressed disappointment about the size of the crowd which did not fill the space cordoned off in front of the lincoln memorial for the event
i thought this would be like dr martin luther king where the people would be lined up from here all the way to the washington monument he said
he seemed to blame event organizers saying he passed enormous crowds along the roads on the way to the gathering including the most beautiful bikes ive ever seen in my life
two retirees from new jersey tom gadosky and his companion marney pratt who are both 67 traveled to rolling thunder on their three wheeled harley davidson both plan to vote for mr trump in november
a lot of the people if you walk around are baby boomers like us ms pratt said weve been through it all we want to have it back again
neither of them was bothered by what mr trump had said about mr mccain people mr gadosky said have very short memories


oklahoma city   after his avalanche of 3 pointers had filled chesapeake energy arena with silence klay thompson left the court and was greeted in a corridor by joe lacob the owner of the golden state warriors who bowed before him a few minutes later thompson sat at his locker and tried to decompress
whoo he said
thompson sounded like a teakettle and the water was still boiling in his case it was the slow release of adrenaline   the electric residue from what he described as the greatest game of his life a season saving victory against the oklahoma city thunder on saturday night
the warriors having twice avoided elimination in the series will host the thunder on monday for game 7 of the western conference finals the cleveland cavaliers who are waiting to learn the identity of their opponent in the nba finals must be enjoying their view from a safe distance two worthy candidates smashing each other to smithereens
thompson a 6 foot 7 shooting guard with a swan like release was brilliant in game 6 he set an nba playoff record by sinking 11 3 pointers and the warriors after trailing for much of the game and by as many as 8 points in the fourth quarter needed all of them in a 108 101 victory
his competitive embers still smoldering after the game thompson revealed that he had a couple of regrets by his estimation he should have finished with 13 3 pointers only the most demanding technician could come up with such an exact figure but it was a window into his psyche the warriors are a team of perfectionists
i missed some wide open looks early thompson said
the warriors won the game and extended the series by shooting 21 of 44 from 3 point range the thunder on the other hand shot 3 of 23 from the 3 point line kevin durant and russell westbrook combined to shoot 20 of 58 from the field ensuring that a familiar phrase   hero ball   would trail the thunder like a toxic stench on their trip back to oracle arena
here were two teams that took different paths through the final minutes of game 6 the warriors produced quality shots with screens cuts and passes they looked for the open man they trusted one another to make the right decisions in basketball a pass is the greatest form of trust
the biggest thing stephen curry said is just moving the ball and moving bodies setting screens for each other trying to create confusion and miscommunication on their end
before the fourth quarter even started curry told thompson that he would continue to look for him curry the leagues two time reigning most valuable player tends to produce his finest basketball in late game situations but he could sense that thompson was rolling
this is your time thompson recalled curry telling him put on a show out there and have fun
curry had his moments too he made consecutive 3 pointers to tie the game later thompson hit his fifth 3 pointer of the quarter to give the warriors the lead for good curry cluttered the box score with 31 points 10 rebounds and 9 assists curry and thompson have been teammates for five seasons and it shows
its kind of just telepathic playing with each other for so long thompson said you just kind of feel it when someones on their shot or being aggressive
as billy donovan the coach of the thunder observed it wasnt like steph was just going one on one
if the thunder were discombobulated on defense   and they were no doubt   they were even more unkempt on offense after showcasing so much teamwork throughout the playoffs the thunder relapsed and settled for isolation sets durant and westbrook searched for seams by dribbling in jagged lines westbrook had an especially difficult time he committed three turnovers in the final 55 seconds so much dribbling so many mistakes so many questions ahead of game 7
at his postgame news conference donovan used the word stagnant no fewer than three times once upon a time his team led this series by three games to one
you go 13 percent from the 3 point line and they go 47 thats a huge discrepancy donovan said adding i thought we made some really positive strides over the last month and a half or since the playoffs started but i thought we got a little stagnant offensively no question
the warriors played a different game of their eight 3 pointers in the fourth quarter six came off assists one that did not thompson measuring up westbrook from 28 feet and then launching a twisting heave that fell through to cut into the thunders lead it was not his most high percentage shot
that was the only one all night that i thought what are you doing warriors coach steve kerr said but thats the beauty of steph and klay they kind of walk that fine line between lethal and crazy and we have to live with some crazy shots and some crazy misses because they make more than their fair share
thompson argued that his feet were set and that he had a strong base beneath him in other words he felt confident
thompson went on to explain that he thinks of the game as a process describing himself as a continuous player rather than dwell on individual possessions   the makes the misses   he searches for his place within the games broader rhythms so he works with his teammates feeding off them trusting them
for one game at least it was enough to outlast an opponent that looked more like a collection of disassembled parts


this is what to expect in the week ahead
auto industry
volkswagen could reveal more about the cost of its emissions scandal when it reports first quarter earnings on tuesday the company has set aside about 18 billion so far to cover fines and legal settlements stemming from its admission that it programmed cars to deliver false emissions data volkswagen which also makes audi and porsche vehicles previously announced that its car sales rose less than 1 percent in the first four months of the year a sign the scandal is taking a toll jack ewing
economy
on tuesday at 830 am the commerce department will release the latest data on consumer spending and income in april economists are looking for a 04 percentage point increase in both income and outlays as spending rebounds from a soft start to the year consumers are benefiting from steady gains in hiring and signs of life in wage growth which should provide a tailwind for consumer activity in the months ahead nelson d schwartz
oil industry
officials of the organization of petroleum exporting countries are scheduled to meet in vienna on thursday to discuss the oil markets analysts say that major agreements are most unlikely but the gathering will be notable as the first since saudi arabias king salman replaced ali al naimi the countrys oil minister for more than 20 years with khalid al falih an industry executive this month since 2014 mr naimi had dismayed some opec members by advocating a survival of the fittest strategy of producing large volumes of oil to preserve market share rather than cutting production to support prices but his departure is unlikely to bring relief for other exporters mr falih has already committed himself to these policies and some analysts say he may even favor an increase in output to bolster saudi arabias ambitious economic growth plans stanley reed
economy
the governing council of the european central bank is not expected to adjust monetary policy when it meets in vienna on thursday as it waits to see the effect of higher oil prices as well as relatively strong growth in the eurozone over the first three months of the year mario draghi the president of the central bank will hold a news conference after the meeting and is expected to call on governments to do more to improve economic performance in the eurozone rather than relying on monetary stimulus the council periodically meets outside its base in frankfurt jack ewing
on friday at 830 am the labor department is scheduled to release its report on the nations hiring and unemployment for may analysts are expecting that employers hired 160000 workers in the month although that consensus estimate equals the additions to aprils payrolls it is well below the 200000 plus monthly gains that the economy has been averaging over the last three years which have brought the jobless rate down to 5 percent experts noted that mays figures could appear softer than they really were a reflection of the more than 35000 workers who had been on strike at verizon since mid april an agreement in principle was reached last week some of the decline may be offset by temporary workers hired by verizon to fill in for striking union members economists as well as the public will be looking to see if average hourly earnings continue to rise and whether the job market is strong enough to bring sidelined workers back to the labor force patricia cohen


aboard wavertree in kill van kull   in the 131 years since the iron hulled cargo ship wavertree was built it has been tossed and tattered   its main mast ripped away in a hurricane and its role demoted to sand barge
so when the vessel sailed from the south street seaport to staten island last year for a mast to hull restoration the crew feared that the extensive damage would draw out repairs and delay the ships return to its manhattan berth
they should have known better wavertree which has endured no shortage of natural and economic calamity turned out to be more resilient than anyone anticipated in september after more than a year away it is set to return to the south street seaport museum mended gleaming and ready to remind visitors of the ships that define new york citys history the 15 month 13 million city funded undertaking has progressed ahead of schedule hastening the goal of once again sailing wavertree through new york harbor
we were pleasantly surprised jonathan boulware the executive director of the seaport museum said its a real testament to the eras wrought iron
when it was commissioned in southampton england by r w leyland  company of liverpool wavertree was among the last large scale sailing ships fashioned from wrought iron and it remains the largest afloat according to the museum last may workers brought it by tugboat to the caddell dry dock and repair company in the richmond terrace section of staten island and expected to replace 10 large metal plates on the hull instead the 4  1/2  by 20 foot slabs of iron which sit below the water line needed only minor repairs
wavertree has nonetheless required an ambitious overhaul carried out by a crew of up to three dozen the ship spent five months in dry dock where workers scrubbed away barnacles seaweed and other gunk before adding layers of protective paint to its underside the team has also been replacing three decks the wood that once covered the main deck has been exchanged for steel to keep out water the poop deck is being repaired traditionally using wooden planks caulked with cotton and oakum then sealed with pitch and wavertree once again has its tween deck a modest level between the main deck and the cargo hold that had been absent for decades
the most daunting task workers said has been the renovation of the ships three square rigged masts and their rigging for that caddell built a pair of basketball court size sheds outfitted with both old fashioned and highly modern tools inside one the crew is building 16 spars from laminated timber the other has held more than three miles of wire which was stripped of its old protective coating and wrapped in a new layer of tar soaked pine and leather
though the crew did not expect to fully rig the ship by september time and money saved on the hull plates accelerated the schedule i marvel at how effectively and efficiently weve been able to conduct the restoration mr boulware said
although its immense iron frame and masts give wavertree a distinguished profile today it was a relatively common model when it was built by oswald mordaunt  company in 1885 a plaque identifies the 325 foot wavertree as the companys hull no 231 mr boulware noted that stringers which fortify the hull on the ships port side dip below those on its starboard   one of several imperfections in the construction
the cramped quarters once held bunk beds stacked tightly to accommodate a crew of 35 men in the ships heyday over the years wavertree circumnavigated the globe nearly 30 times ferrying sundry cargo   coal kerosene jute cotton tea coffee molasses timber on jan 14 1895 it called on the port of new york bearing a load of nitrate from chile
in 1910 a violent storm off cape horn splintered wavertrees masts ending its cargo shuttling days its owners sold the ship to chilean businessmen who used it as a warehouse for 30 years it transferred hands again in 1947 beginning a career as a sand barge in buenos aires wavertree was acquired by the museum in 1968
the ships homecoming was made possible in part by the impending departure of peking another tall mast sailing ship which has graced the seaport since 1974 peking too has been battered   by war by waves and by weather it suffered through plummeting tourism in lower manhattan after the sept 11 attacks and the devastation of hurricane sandy in 2012
faced with mounting financial difficulties the museum considered dispensing with the four masted barque which was built in hamburg germany in 1911 however salvation came from the german government which is spending 30 million euros about 33 million to bring peking home carried across the atlantic ocean on the back of a heavy lift ship
ill be sad to see her go but its whats best for everyone mr boulware said its about resource allocation
funding for wavertrees restoration has come from the city council the office of the manhattan borough president and the citys cultural affairs department wavertree is an incredible object with a direct connection to the site that really gives the area an authentic sense of its past tom finkelpearl the departments commissioner said
the wavertree project was also helped by a 48 million grant given to the museum in march by the lower manhattan development corporation the money will go toward improving safety and accessibility at the museum and adding an 11000 square foot education center mr boulware said
the port is what built the city and what continues to build it today mr boulware said showing off the museums first new exhibition since 2012 street of ships the port and its people it plumbed the museums collections to tell the history of the port of new york once the fulcrum of world shipping
that exhibition will be complete mr boulware said when wavertree assumes its place again in the museums marina


washington   a ruling by the internal revenue service creates a significant obstacle to a new type of health care network that the obama administration has promoted as a way to provide better care at lower cost industry lawyers and providers say
health care markets are rapidly changing as independent doctors and hospitals race to form networks known as accountable care organizations in which they coordinate care for patients the doctors and hospitals have financial incentives to keep patients healthy and to control costs and they can share in the savings if they meet performance goals
the new entities which now cover more than 28 million people according to leavitt partners a health care consulting firm help manage care for medicare beneficiaries for people with employer sponsored insurance and for consumers who buy coverage through online marketplaces under the affordable care act
in its recent ruling the irs denied a tax exemption sought by an accountable care organization that coordinates care for people with commercial insurance the tax agency said the organization did not meet the test for tax exempt status because it was not operated exclusively for charitable purposes and it provided private benefits to some doctors in its network
the name and location of the organization formed by a nonprofit health care system were not disclosed the ruling does not affect accountable care organizations formed solely to participate in medicare but it could affect similar entities serving privately insured patients many accountable care organizations coordinate care for both medicare beneficiaries and privately insured patients
melinda r hatton senior vice president and general counsel of the american hospital association said the irs ruling appears to be a serious obstacle for nonprofit hospitals striving to coordinate care for their communities
in a letter asking the tax agency to reconsider its position ms hatton said the irs ruling is in conflict with the direction that the department of health and human services has given to the hospital field it is she said imperative for the government to make clear that hospitals can participate in accountable care organizations without incurring the catastrophic loss of their tax exempt status
t j sullivan an expert on the tax treatment of health care providers said the irs ruling meant that accountable care organizations will face an uphill battle in trying to qualify for federal income tax exemptions if they do not participate in medicare
the irs acknowledged that the organization in question was trying to increase the quality of care lower costs and improve the health of the community   the triple aim championed by president obama
but it said the organization has also negotiated agreements with insurers on behalf of doctors   and that is not a charitable activity or one that directly benefits the community as a whole
the presence of a single substantial nonexempt purpose destroys the exemption regardless of the number or importance of the exempt purposes the agency said
catherine e livingston a tax lawyer at the firm jones day who was the health care counsel at the irs from 2010 to 2013 said the ruling was out of step with trends sweeping the health care industry
in the past she said insurers paid for every service and procedure one patient at a time but now the fundamental thrust of all american health policy led by the department of health and human services is to think about health care on a population wide communitywide basis the irs has not yet accepted this new paradigm
the tax agency said that an accountable care organization participating in medicare could be tax exempt because it advances the charitable purpose of lessening the burdens of government
by contrast the irs told the group seeking tax exempt status you are not established pursuant to a statute managed by government officials or funded by government grants and there is no government oversight of your activities similar to that of an aco in medicare under the 2010 health care law the government has recognized more than 400 accountable care organizations for medicare beneficiaries
the accountable care organization is a relatively new way of managing and financing health care based on the premise that insurers should not just pay for more and more services provided to people who are sick or injured
many health plans see accountable care models as the wave of the future said clare krusing a spokeswoman for americas health insurance plans a trade group but she said insurers also see a risk that doctors and hospitals working together in an accountable care organization will operate as a provider monopoly and charge far higher rates than they could if they were doing business independently


the defendants are nine new york city correction officers who have been charged in connection with the brutal beating of an inmate at the rikers island jail complex
but like a bit player who steals the show the notorious bloods street gang has drawn much of the focus in the officers trial in state supreme court in the bronx the inmate jahmal lightfoot who was beaten in july 2012 was associated with the bloods and jailed alongside other members in an area that was known as a bloods stronghold
the bloods and its various subgroups have emerged as some of the largest and most violent of the gangs that thrive behind the walls of rikers according to law enforcement officials and others familiar with the jail these sources said the bloods along with the crips the latin kings the trinitarios and many lesser known groups pose a growing threat to security at the jail where they have incited violence among inmates and run an underground network of drug dealing and other illicit activities both on and off the island
the reach of some gangs has extended to correction officers some of whom have been recruited to smuggle contraband into the jail for inmates in exchange for bribes or other benefits law enforcement officials said a two year investigation of corruption at rikers island led by the citys investigation department has resulted in the arrest of 31 correction officers and staff members some on suspicion of gang related crimes the most recent arrests include those of two officers who were accused of smuggling in scalpels and drugs as part of an operation that city investigators said was run mainly by three subgroups of the bloods   the blood hound brims gorilla stones and mac ballas
gang activity at rikers is a significant problem said mark g peters the commissioner of the investigation department which along with the bronx district attorneys office has led the inquiry at rikers it is central not only to some of the violence were seeing but also to some of the smuggling operations and corruption
darcel d clark the bronx district attorney who has made prosecuting crimes at rikers a priority said she was establishing a prosecution bureau on the island in part to gather intelligence more quickly on criminal activity by gangs
rikers island is the hub of criminal networks ms clark said our investigations into violent gangs have uncovered murder conspiracies emanating from inside and extending well beyond the walls of rikers all too often inmates successfully interfere with witness cooperation from inside jail and a lot of the gang leaders continue to run their organizations from inside jail walls crumble away when it comes to these types of crimes because of the hold that the gangs have over our jails
across the nation jails and prisons have struggled to control gangs that many correction officials and gang experts say have grown bigger stronger and more violent theyre all over said daniel b vasquez a correction consultant who was a warden at san quentin state prison in california for 10 years its a serious problem for the officers and administrators to try to manage these prisons with so many gang members
in new york gangs have fueled an increase in violence at the citys jails in the 2015 fiscal year there were 108 stabbings and slashings of inmates in city jails   most of which involved a gang member as either an assailant or a victim or both according to correction officials   compared with 41 in the 2011 fiscal year the number of fights among inmates also rose during the same period to 4542 from 3669
in may the correction officers benevolent association the union representing new york city correction officers filed a lawsuit against the city claiming that it had failed to provide adequate training and equipment and had not taken other measures to protect officers from the most violent inmates the lawsuit specifically identified two reputed members of the bloods who were responsible for dozens of correction officers being treated for potentially life altering injuries
correction department officials said they would not comment on pending litigation but they emphasized that under mayor bill de blasio they had spent nearly 200 million to improve officer safety including hiring additional officers increasing training and buying safety equipment and gear nearly 2000 correction officers have completed training on ways to de escalate conflict and improve safety the officials said
there has been a recent decline in the most serious violence in city jails there were 79 inmate assaults that resulted in serious injuries to correction officers in the 2015 fiscal year down from 92 the year before at the same time instances of force against inmates that resulted in serious injuries also dropped to 141 from 161
rikers islands nine operating jails house about 8000 inmates each jail is divided into sections known as housing areas with 50 to 100 inmates supervised by two officers while the correction department does not intentionally place members of the same gang together that is often what happens in part because it can be difficult to identify gang members or parse out inmates affiliations with various subgroups according to law enforcement officials and others familiar with rikers
when inmates first arrive at the jail complex they are asked about gang affiliations but it is unclear how forthcoming they are any tattoos are photographed if inmates are determined to belong to a gang they are classified as belonging to a security risk group
despite such efforts some housing areas at rikers have become known as gang areas   say a bloods house or a crips house   raising concerns among officers who say it is more difficult and more dangerous to enforce order when they are outnumbered by gang members
correction department officials said last week that they had intensified efforts to gather intelligence on gangs and adopted a more sophisticated system for housing inmates that considers factors including their affiliations with particular gangs those deemed to be more prone to violence are placed in individual cells are more closely supervised and are subject to more precautionary measures
we are moving aggressively to stop gang activity through better intelligence safer housing of inmates and a concerted push to arrest those involved in crimes in our jails joseph ponte the correction commissioner said
martin f horn who was commissioner of the department from 2003 to 2009 said he would try to break up gangs and spread out members to prevent any one gang from dominating a housing area giving one group or gang control of a housing unit is a bad practice mr horn said it is tantamount to ceding control of order in that housing area to the gang rather than to the city officials by the same token controlling it is difficult too because it arises sub rosa
david m kennedy a professor at john jay college of criminal justice and director of the national network for safe communities a group within the college that works with cities to prevent gang violence said gangs at rikers and other jails and prisons could be more dangerous than their counterparts on the outside because they tended to be stronger better organized and more cohesive some gangs such as 415   named after the san francisco area code   were started in jails and prisons before spreading outside others exist exclusively in confinement
in the case of the bloods professor kennedy said there have been gangs in new york city that claimed the bloods name but operated independently without any centralized leadership
things can be different in lockup where suddenly there can be a good deal more solidity and even real hierarchy he said


joel raphaelsons most famous contribution to pop culture was hardly his favorite piece of copywriting
a little too clunky he said the truth is i wasnt especially proud of it
he is proud now though at age 87 and after a career in advertising that spanned more than 40 years that the pithy phrase he suggested in a may 1964 memo   nationwide is on your side   still stands out in an increasingly fragmented and chaotic marketing landscape
today few companies can boast that they have remained loyal to their messaging from a campaign born in the 1960s but the words became so emblematic of nationwides ethos that mr raphaelsons typewritten memo once hung in the lobby of its headquarters the words themselves are hardly even necessary anymore peyton manning needs only to hum nationwides infectious jingle for commercial viewers to recognize it
nationwide brought things back full circle last month when it named mr raphaelsons former employer ogilvy  mather worldwide its lead creative agency replacing mckinney after seven years ogilvy part of wpp lost the account in 1993 and then in 2013 was added to a roster of agencies involved in the account now it will again handle nationwides account on its own
this presents adam tucker president of ogilvy  mather advertising new york with a relatively unique challenge can a brands messaging stay relevant even when it is tied directly to a tag line that is older than many of its customers
in truth mr tucker said in an interview from his office on manhattans west side the success of nationwides more recent campaigns in particular those with mr manning has helped the 52 year old on your side message reach newer audiences
in the case of nationwide i think its been a competitive business advantage to stay true to the line mr tucker said he compared it with another of ogilvys clients ibm which has had to change its tag line several times to keep up with trends in the technology space
we went from e business to smarter planet to outthink the new line today mr tucker said of ibm it depends a lot on the category and the business and what makes sense for the brand
terrance williams nationwides chief marketing officer says the company annually assesses the influence of the motto but feels it still connects with customers
we try to ensure that were resonating creating content thats relevant that cuts through but maintains the truism of who we are as an organization mr williams said on your side in our view is really the best way we can convey why we are unique
it is not always a given that a longstanding slogan should be grandfathered into every new campaign in 2012 the car rental company avis dumped its famous tag line we try harder after 50 years for a new direction focusing on corporate rather than leisure clients
striking that balance between loyalty to tradition and the desire for something new is not always easy
wheaties for instance has been known as the breakfast of champions since 1933 and as such it has featured star athletes including lou gehrig and michael jordan on the front of its cereal boxes but today part of the slogans success according to dave oehler marketing manager for wheaties derives from its versatility   allowing wheaties to appeal to a range of fans even those who follow mixed martial arts or motocross
this idea of celebrating champions but being able to redefine how we think about champions is whats great about it mr oehler said it still has the flexibility to allow us to evolve
maxwell house has used the slogan good to the last drop in all of its messaging since 1917 when the phrase was supposedly uttered by theodore roosevelt after a cup of the coffee
its a huge part of the brands dna matt plumb director of marketing for maxwell house said of the slogan but we still need to make sure it communicates our brands point of view our benefits   and that those continue to resonate with consumers
most brands today are much quicker to give up on a slogan if it does not gain immediate traction dave taylor president of taylor brand group a consulting firm said the segmentation of the media marketplace has forced some companies to create splintered messages rather than unifying behind a single slogan social media has also made marketing managers more sensitive to criticism than in the past
it can take a lot of courage i think for a brand to say hey i think this is a good slogan and were going to help people understand what we mean by it mr taylor said
mr taylor also notes that it might not be a coincidence that another long lasting active slogan belongs to allstate nationwides competitor which has used the phrase youre in good hands since 1950
the insurance business itself doesnt change a lot mr taylor said the concept of the product isnt new   its about security feeling comfortable with what you got
mr raphaelson typically refuses to accept much praise for nationwide is on your side which he said he discovered while flipping through old insurance records from a competitor state farm he could not say for sure why the phrase has resonated but he thinks that it has had a big effect on nationwide
they internalized it as a kind of stance for the attitude that they wanted their agents to take mr raphaelson said that it should govern their relations with their customers
mr tucker said the endurance of on your side should also be partly attributed to the jingle which has become catchy enough that the agency could replace the words with silly phrases like chicken parm you taste so good such as in mr mannings recent ads
mr raphaelson admitted that he initially disagreed with the idea of attaching a tune to the phrase early in the campaign
i thought that it was a bad idea mr raphaelson said insurance is a serious business


sacramento   when bernie sanders held a rally at an outdoor stadium here the other night more than 15000 people turned out in a display of cheering chanting singing and cartwheels
gov jerry brown the states most prominent democrat was not there but he might as well have been mr sanderss speech was replete with the kind of to the barricades flourishes that have long been part of mr browns campaign language
the political establishment is getting nervous mr sanders said the corporate establishment is getting nervous and they should be nervous because real change is coming
as the democratic presidential primary nears in california it is easy to find in mr sanders the kind of populist appeal that has long animated mr brown who ran for president in 1992 on a we the people pledge to accept no contribution over 100 but it is just as easy to find in hillary clinton mr sanderss opponent the kind of political moderation and fiscal restraint that has come to define mr browns tenure as governor
mr brown is in many ways a blend of these two very different candidates having created a style that has made him an enduringly popular and successful california governor and it is not only mr brown the california democratic party stands as a model of electoral success and cohesion in contrast to national democrats struggling through a divisive primary and debate about an uncertain future
california is one of the few states in the country and easily the largest where democrats are completely in control holding every statewide office as well as overwhelming majorities in the assembly and the senate not to mention both united states senate seats mr brown and his party are using that power to try to enact legislation   on guns tobacco the environment the minimum wage and immigrant rights   that suggest the kind of agenda that has eluded national democrats
the democratic presidential primary is like watching reruns from the 90s in terms of where we were as a party in california said chris lehane a former white house aide to bill clinton and al gore who moved here as a democratic consultant in 2000 we are fairly unified in what we stand for and what we are fighting for
democrats now make up nearly 44 percent of the states 246 million registered voters by contrast republicans make up just 27 percent barely ahead of independent voters who make up 24 percent according to californias secretary of state
jim brulte the chairman of the california republican party said that he expected the disparity to increase even more in the months ahead because of the competitive democratic primary while hopes for a contested republican primary fizzled after donald j trump all but locked up the nomination
california is a state that all things being equal wants to vote democrat mr brulte said we are still adding republican registration statewide but the statewide republican registration is being dwarfed by the democratic registration increase
the divergent fortunes of state and national democrats go beyond voter registration california democrats have a bench of younger candidates waiting to step up as its older leaders   mr brown 78 and senators barbara l boxer 75 and dianne feinstein 82   approach retirement by contrast the choice of mrs clinton 68 and mr sanders 74 is a reminder of the absence of fresh players prepared to take the national field
given the democratic dominance here it is easy to forget that ronald reagan served two terms as governor and that richard m nixon was born in orange county an area that was once an emblem of conservatism but is becoming increasingly democratic republicans won every presidential election here from 1952 to 1988 with the exception of lyndon b johnson in 1964 after the assassination of john f kennedy bill clinton put the state into the democratic presidential column in 1992 and it has been there ever since
the democrats more recent success in the state is in part the result of good fortune california has been going through a period of prosperity and in recent years mr brown has been spared the need to impose politically contentious spending cuts
it is also demographic in 1994 the states republican governor pete wilson championed a voter initiative to deny social services to illegal immigrants the initiative passed but was thrown out in court it left a political legacy that has hurt the republican party to this day over the past 12 years hispanics have grown into the largest ethnic group in the state making up 39 percent of the population
the decline in republican party registration in california parallels almost identically the decline in the white population in california mr brulte said in 1988 the white population was just a hair under 60 percent today its under 40 percent at the same time republican registration has gone from 385 percent to under 28 percent
mr lehane said that shift accounted more than anything else for democratic fortunes its the same demographic shift that is taking place across the country he said what that all adds up to is a california democratic party that represents where the rest of the country is ultimately going to end up
finally mr brown is a crucial reason the state party seems to be doing well
jerry brown is a unique combination of the leadership qualities of hillary and bernie said gavin newsom the lieutenant governor who is running to succeed mr brown when his term ends in early 2019 jerry is extraordinarily adept at populism but he also has the hardheaded pragmatism that comes with experience wisdom   and age
it certainly seems appealing to california voters according the latest field poll in april 55 percent approved of his performance but he has not endorsed anyone in the presidential primary on june 7 and it is difficult to say whether voters prefer the sanders or the clinton side of their governor a poll last week by the public policy institute of california found mr sanders and mrs clinton essentially tied a surprise to mrs clinton who had expected california to be a relatively easy win as a result both candidates are making frequent appearances here and are advertising on television in advance of the primary
mr brown who declined a request for an interview has benefited from spending most of his life in elected office the son of a governor he served two terms as governor in the 1970s before being elected again in 2010 you cannot denigrate experience ms feinstein said he knows how to get things done
and mr browns popularity has given him latitude in setting an agenda on issues like putting money aside to deal with budget shortfalls and expanding rights for illegal immigrants hes a fiscal conservative and a social moderate with a tinge of jesuit guilt said karen skelton a political consultant referring to mr browns early years in a seminary
democrats are understandably worried about whether the partys focus and unity will survive mr browns eventual departure
when jerry brown is gone   and i say that as a candidate for governor im not naive about this   its going to be very hard to replicate mr newsom said by no means am i suggesting blind optimism that weve figured it out hes figured it out the governor has proved you dont have to be profligate to be progressive he has found that sweet spot


eight people were shot two of them fatally on sunday morning in an eruption of violence that involved a shootout between the houston police and two men wielding at least one high powered weapon the authorities said
one victim was shot and killed inside a vehicle and both gunmen were shot leaving one dead and the other critically wounded officials said five other people including two deputy constables were wounded
houstons interim police chief martha montalvo said the circumstances that led to the shooting were not immediately clear were trying to piece all of this together she said
the shooting began shortly after 10 am officials said an officer arriving at memorial drive tire  auto an auto repair shop was met by a barrage of gunfire which left his vehicle riddled with bullet holes the authorities said
by the grace of god he did not sustain any injuries chief montalvo said
during the shootout one deputy constable was shot in a hand and the other in his tactical vest the police said the conditions of the other people who were injured were not immediately known
neither suspect was identified john cannon a spokesman for the houston police department described the dead gunman as the main active shooter who is believed to have fatally shot the person in the vehicle then fired at the police officers and a police department helicopter
that gunman was fatally shot by a member of houstons swat team
the role of the second gunman was less clear were trying to figure out what his role in this was officer cannon said during a news conference was he a suspect or someone who happened to be armed with a gun
asked if the police regarded him as a suspect he said well say he is a suspect because he had a gun
the wounded gunman was taken to a hospital in critical condition officials said
an abc 13 news helicopter hovering over the scene of the shooting showed a nearby gas station gutted by a fire that the police said had been ignited during the shootout and a police car with its rear windshield blown out
the police departments helicopter was hit by five bullets chief montalvo said no one in the helicopter was injured


lake george ny   a few days before memorial day this popular tourist destination in the adirondacks was already a postcard perfect image of summer the t shirt shops were open the a  w root beer stand offered more than 60 flavors of ice cream and the steamship mohican was cruising the blue waters of lake george
but this village is trying to change its reputation as a summer only spot and become a year round destination
in july a 120 room courtyard marriott hotel is expected to open on canada street the main thoroughfare as a way to attract visitors beyond the warm weather months construction of the six story hotel which will tower over the surrounding two story homes and stores is possible because of a zoning amendment passed in 2015 that allows taller buildings on the west side of the street buildings on the east side close to the lake will remain small
weve got to grow up said robert m blais who for 45 years has been the mayor of this village of 900 full time residents our biggest asset is tourism but we need it year round
the marriott is seen as central to efforts to promote the idea that lake george does not go into hibernation in the off season supporters say its upscale rooms will attract younger professionals who want more modern facilities while its large convention space will bring in visitors for events meetings and weddings
some local business owners are also coming up with ways to lure visitors throughout the year
in january john carr the owner of the adirondack pub and brewery had an ice bar constructed for a party that attracted hundreds of people to drink wines and liquor produced in new york he also organized a beer celebration in february
this november he is planning a pumpkin festival   of sorts participants will be encouraged to bring their aging jack o lanterns for target shooting on his property using a giant slingshot
all these little events really do keep us busy in the off season mr carr said
elliott heyman the owner of the 20 room windsor motel on the edge of town said he welcomes the marriott business brings business said mr heyman whose motel is open from memorial day weekend until mid october with the marriott open i think the village could be more full time
today the greater lake george area which includes surrounding towns like queensbury has 4958 hotel rooms open during the summer season 2218 of those are open all year long according to the lake george regional chamber of commerce
but not everyone believes that a taller hotel will give the village year round appeal
its going to change the whole personality of the village said mercedes gaudier a retired art teacher who has lived here since the 1970s i look at it this way   you have a beautiful natural treasure you wouldnt be putting six story hotels on the rim of the grand canyon why do that to lake george i think in the end money and the developer won
residents tend to be very protective of the pristine 32 mile long lake
stringent efforts are maintained to prevent zebra mussels milfoil and other invasive species from gaining a toehold a few years ago scuba divers removed a colony of zebra mussels discovered near the village all boats brought in by trailer from elsewhere are inspected and if necessary decontaminated before they are allowed to slide into lake george
environmentalists also are working with municipalities to cut the amount of rock salt dumped on roads during the winter to keep it out of the lake and reduce storm water runoff which can pollute the lake and fuel algae and plant growth
yet in the six million acre adirondack park known for its rugged summits wilderness lakes and miles of hiking trails the touristy village has always borne more resemblance to coney island than to a quiet mountain town
visitors can choose from watersides zip lines jet ski rentals paragliding a historical fort the nearby great escape amusement park and according to the mayor nine miniature golf courses in one two block walk visitors will find two arcades dr morbids haunted house and the house of frankenstein wax museum a t shirt shop famous for its x rated slogans has been so successful its owner opened a second store a block away
in a place whose architectural character might best be described as postmodern kitsch   most inns are in the style of the 1950s motor lodges   many wonder what harm another hotel would do
there is no character   its a mish mosh mr heyman the motel owner said i think its all good for the village


frozen peas that could make you sick a water heater that might explode cars with steering wheels that were prone to fail and cause a crash
those are just a few of the thousands of products that manufacturers have recalled this year   and the deluge shows no sign of slowing across almost every product category the scope and complexity of recalls are on the rise a record 51 million vehicles were recalled last year nearly three times as many as were sold annual food recalls have doubled since 2002 according to a study by an insurance company and the governments primary products watchdog the consumer product safety commission announces at least one recall every day on average
two trends are driving the increase consumer advocates and regulators say first the high number of recalls is in some ways a sign of improvements in attention to public safety some manufacturers will always cut corners or make mistakes but better detection tools and stricter safety rules mean that problems that once went undetected are now more often spotted and traced back to their source
that was the case in the recent recall of millions of bags of frozen vegetables and fruits from crf frozen foods a manufacturer in pasco wash a routine test by the ohio department of agriculture on packages of frozen corn and peas came back positive for the bacterium that causes listeria which can make young children pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems seriously ill
the centers for disease control and prevention used whole genome sequencing to link the listeria strain found in crfs frozen vegetables to an outbreak that sent eight people in three states to the hospital
that kind of testing wasnt done 15 years ago said gene grabowski a crisis communications specialist who has worked on more than 175 product recalls including crfs you would just get a 24 hour flu or a stomach ache and nobody questioned it now its being identified
but sales and manufacturing changes including many industries reliance on fewer more widely shared suppliers also make todays recalls larger and more complicated than before
its the multiplier effect said kevin pollack a vice president at stericycle which helps companies manage recalls an issue with one subingredient or component can cause a recall that spans many companies and geographies because of the interconnected nature of supply chains
the national highway traffic safety administration which has decades of experience in handling deadly product flaws calls the continuing takata airbag recall the most complex it has ever overseen the scope is huge 14 automakers and as many as one in every four of the 250 million vehicles on americas roads are affected the fix is tricky and the stakes are high after prolonged exposure to heat and humidity the defective airbags can explode hurtling chunks of metal into the vehicles cabin at least 13 deaths worldwide have been linked to the flaw
nearly 29 million takata airbag inflaters have been recalled in the united states and at least 35 million more are scheduled for recall but manufacturers dont have the parts to replace all of them yet the help offered by manufacturers varies widely from company to company the letter honda sent to many customers specifically mentions the possibility of a loaner car suggesting that owners talk to their dealers about the provision of or reimbursement for temporary alternative transportation
bill vines who has a 2011 honda cr v received a recall notice in march and contacted his dealer in rutland vt a week later he is now driving a ford fusion from enterprise rent a car arranged and paid for by honda and the dealer while his own car sits in the parking lot of the inn he owns
i clearly would prefer to be driving my honda but when you get a letter saying your car could kill you and the passengers youre driving you pay attention he said
other automakers have taken different tacks robert osborn a bmw owner in santa rosa calif received a letter in march saying that his convertible was being recalled but that parts were not yet available for a fix
mr osborn contacted his local bmw service center as the letter suggested but he was turned down when he asked for a substitute car to drive until his was fixed without another transportation option he nervously and reluctantly continues to drive the bmw
i live near the ocean its humid here i dont know if theyve figured out this much time plus this much moisture equals exploding airbag mr osborn said the letter i got is not very comforting it offers scary possibilities but no concrete details about heres what to do or not do in the meantime
rebecca kiehne a spokeswoman for bmw of north america declined to provide specifics on the companys policy on loaner cars
we have authorized our service centers to provide adequate customer assistance if support is required we will do our best to provide that support she said parts are not rapidly available were trying to address it as quickly as we can
many recalls including some of the largest had minimal customer impact the record for sheer unit numbers was a 2004 recall of toy jewelry imported from india and sold for 75 cents or less apiece in vending machines nationwide some of the jewelry contained lead prompting a recall of 150 million pieces but not a single instance of harm or sickness was reported said patty davis a spokeswoman for the consumer product safety commission
over all products of all kinds have been getting safer consumer protection experts said vehicle deaths are down to a record low rate of roughly one death per 100 million car miles traveled last year the fewest childrens products were recalled in at least 15 years according to kids in danger an advocacy group that cited sustained faithful implementation of a 2008 law tightening product safety rules as the main reason for the long term decline
still with new recall notices rolling out daily regulators are pressing companies to do a better job of identifying problems and alerting customers a patchwork of federal and state agencies coordinates recalls and the most centralized notification site recallsgov is an incomplete guide officials acknowledge
that puts the onus on manufacturers to be aggressive and creative in reaching their customers with more traceable purchases like automobiles and prescription medications companies will typically use letters emails phone calls and sometimes even text messages to spur people into action
it almost looks like a marketing campaign said mr pollack of stericycle we may contact an owner 10 to 20 times to get them to bring an item in
for the takata recall in particular the highway safety administration says it is serious about its goal of a 100 percent repair rate   even though the phased repair approach means some defective cars and trucks wont be recalled until late 2019 honda the manufacturer with the largest number of affected vehicles is trying novel ways to get owners attention even hiring private investigators and matching the email addresses linked to specific vehicle identification numbers with peoples facebook accounts to send them personalized recall messages
but for car owners like mr osborn automakers outreach efforts are a cold comfort until parts for fixes are available
ive had my airbag deployed before a few years ago i was in an accident he said the risk crosses my mind every time i get in the car


the governments primary products watchdog the consumer product safety commission announces recalls on at least one product every day on average sometimes they go unnoticed by consumers other times buyers are injured   or worse   by defective goods
below are 10 notable recalls from the last 40 years
problem fuel tank placement caused fires after collisions
number of incidents 27 deaths and 24 injuries
the landmark auto safety scandal led to the first criminal charges against an american corporation for a defective product a jury acquitted ford
problem poisoned pills
number of incidents 7 deaths
seven people in the chicago area died after taking tylenol capsules that had been laced with cyanide the perpetrator was never caught in the crimes aftermath tamper proof seals became an industry standard
problem tire failures and tread separations
number of incidents 271 deaths
ford explorer suvs were the vehicles most heavily affected by one of the deadliest known vehicle defects more than 14 million tires were recalled
problem contained lead
number of incidents zero
americas largest ever consumer goods recall involved 150 million pieces of toy jewelry sold in vending machines for 75 cents or less recalled for containing lead that could harm children if swallowed the jewelry was never linked to any reported injuries
problem increased heart attack risk
number of incidents linked to 27000 heart attacks or deaths
prescribed to around 80 million people worldwide to treat acute pain and other conditions vioxx was withdrawn from the market after a clinical trial showed that it doubled the risk of heart attacks strokes and death merck agreed to pay 485 billion to settle 27000 consumer lawsuits
problem melamine contamination
number of incidents 14 cat and dog deaths
more than 5000 pet food products were recalled for melamine contamination the scandal led to stricter pet food safety rules and a broader investigation into the safety of chinese made food products
problem improper inspections
number of incidents zero
americas largest ever meat recall required 143 million pounds of beef to be removed from the market because the processor did not properly inspect and isolate sick animals but it was designated a low risk recall and no illnesses were ever reported
problem salmonella contamination
number of incidents 714 confirmed illnesses
a salmonella outbreak linked to peanut butter and other products was believed to have sickened as many as 22000 people the fallout bankrupted the peanut corporation of america and led to a criminal conviction against its chief executive
problem skin rashes
number of incidents 10150 injuries reported
fitbit recalled 11 million fitbit force wrist fitness trackers after some buyers had allergic reactions to the devices materials the consumer product safety commission received more than 10000 incident reports making it the agencys second largest recall in terms of reported injuries the largest was a trampoline with defective netting linked to nearly 11000 injury reports
problem fire risk
number of incidents not yet tallied
no widespread recall has been issued yet but federal regulators are investigating reports of at least 52 hoverboard related fires in february they issued a warning that prompted many major retailers to stop selling the trendy toys


washington   michael jordan the basketball star was famous for being able to jump 48 inches into the air putting the top of his head 10 and a half feet off the ground well above the baskets rim
if the secret service has its way the new security fence around the white house will be about three and a half feet higher than that
nearly two years after an armed man climbed over the existing seven foot fence around 1600 pennsylvania avenue and ran through the front door of the white house the secret service is moving aggressively to design and build a taller stronger security perimeter visitors to washington could soon see a 14 foot barrier ringing the presidents home
pressure to move quickly is intense fence jumping at the white house has become a regular occurrence two people jumped the barrier last month including one who had stolen a womans purse and was hoping for a clean getaway there was a jumper the day after thanksgiving last year and in 2014 officers tackled a man who had scaled the fence and run onto the north lawn
but before a new fence can go up the secret service needs to obtain approval from two federal boards in a process that is filled with sensitivities surrounding historical preservation aesthetics and security in a city used to delicate politicking the question of what the new white house fence should look like is expected to be difficult
were trying to find that balance of security but also keep the historic nature of the white house and keep it open for the public joseph p clancy the director of the secret service said in an interview the public doesnt want to come to the white house and see a wall where you cant actually see it
in recent weeks officials at the secret service have presented their thinking a fence that looks similar to the existing one with spear tip finials atop vertical black iron pickets that are twice as thick closer together and nearly twice as tall as the current ones
during appearances before the united states commission of fine arts and the national capital planning commission officials at the secret service and the national park service which is also working on the fence project said they had to find a way to keep people from penetrating the barriers to the 18 acre white house complex where the president works and the first family lives
this is an immediate need thomas dougherty the chief strategy officer for the secret service told members of the planning commission at an informational meeting last month the current fence is currently deficient it is not now a modern alternative to security we want to move on to a stronger higher fence
mr dougherty told commission members that the new fence should have anticlimb and antiblast features as well as early detection abilities sketches provided to the commission by the secret service show security sensors at 30 foot intervals atop the fence
but the images presented by the secret service raise questions will visitors still be able to see the white house clearly will the new fence make taking pictures difficult will the peoples house look like a stronghold set apart from those that it serves
l preston bryant jr the chairman of the planning commission said he supported the idea of a 14 foot fence as a necessary security measure but he also expressed hope that the final design for the fence would remain elegant and simple like the building it protects
i dont want our federal facilities to be fortresses mr bryant said in an interview we have tens of millions of people from around the world who visit washington dc every year we want them to see that our federal facilities and our government are open transparent we want to impress upon them the theme of freedom
eric shaw the director of the office of planning for the district of columbia said during the planning commission meeting that the proposed fence looked a little heavy and he questioned comparisons made by the secret service to similar fences like the one around buckingham palace the london home for the british monarchy
it looked like the white house was kind of behind bars mr shaw said of the renderings of the new fence it felt like we were sort of almost encasing the white house in a way
he added in the seat of democracy its always weird to look at buckingham palace the whole idea in the end is its actually a house its not a palace
members of the fine arts commission which is charged with protecting the aesthetics around federal property in washington expressed similar concerns
alex krieger one of the commissions members noted that the thicker pickets in the proposed fence could result in an overall visual impact that is more extreme than what was presented in the photographic simulations according to minutes of the meeting provided by the organization he also noted the historical progression of increasing fence heights around the white house and suggested that the trend had been toward less attractive fences
thomas jefferson had a small post and rail fence erected around the white house in 1801 according to the white house historical association and a low and heavy wrought iron fence went up along the north front of the building 30 years later but it was not until the early 1920s that a taller fence circled the building
mr clancy said the secret service was committed to building something new that maintained the look of past fences he said that was why it had largely rejected putting in glass or plexiglass panels like those that might be found at a zoo or a sports arena
you also have to think of the aesthetics   how would that look in front of the white house he said the fence is traditional its what they have had for 100 years and whatever we put in place here is going to be here another 100 years so i think most are settled on the fence as the best way
because the project is in its preliminary design stage no final cost has been determined a spokeswoman for the secret service said
the secret service will appear again before the two commissions this summer and final approval for the fence could come this fall the current schedule calls for construction of the fence to begin in 2018


san diego   a locked security zone resembling a prison is not the most obvious location for a musical gathering but on saturday as they have every year since 2008 musicians assembled on either side of the border between the united states and mexico carrying traditional mexican string instruments and dance shoes with clickety clack wooden heels through the thick metal weave of the fence the grids so tight that a pinkie could barely squeeze through they struggled to make out the faces of their friends and musical colleagues who were gathered and facing them on the tijuana side
on saturday some 60 musicians traveled to the heavily patrolled enforcement zone oddly named friendship park for an annual musical event known as the fandango fronterizo a heady mix of joyful fiesta and sober political statement the fandango is a gritty affirmation of son jarocho   a centuries old string music tradition from rural veracruz a southern mexican state along the gulf of mexico that has strong spanish african and indigenous roots
the fandango at the border did not start out as an overtly political act but through the years as the national debate over immigration has become ever more divisive and as violence in mexico has continued the events symbolism has deepened and grown more bittersweet the fandango itself is a communal custom involving musicians gathered in a circle from which son jarocho grew
the idea for the event came from jorge castillo a lanky 57 year old librarian and musician with a salt and pepper beard who was born in el paso and grew up in ciudad juarez in mexico mr castillo bought his first jarana a stringed instrument in 2007 and started attending fandangos in san diego like many here he quickly grew frustrated by the fact that many of his fellow musicians who lacked papers were unable to cross the border volunteering for a beach cleanup one day near the border site mr castillo had a revelation when i saw the fence and the people on the other side i thought wow this is the perfect place for a fandango
when the event had its debut we didnt know how we would feel mr castillo recalled it was very powerful the only thing that can cross besides the birds and the winds is the music
since then the fence has become increasingly militarized holes once big enough to accommodate mexican popsicles or mangoes on a stick have been shrunk as the wall becomes taller and thicker it has become a challenge to keep both sides in sync said adrian florido a longtime organizer to see friends through the fence you have to close an eye and peep
organizing a two nation event in a highly politicized federally controlled space is not for the faint of heart last year the fandango was almost canceled because of concerns about contraband being smuggled in instrument cases planning takes six months often via skype
to reach the bleak steel entry wall   at the southernmost corner of the continental united states   musicians lugged instruments a mile and a half from a parking lot astride tire ruts of united states border patrol vehicles in the sands of imperial beach along the pacific ocean their ranks included those who could legally cross the border and those who could not the fandango is a way to transform something very painful to immigrants into a space that heals said carolina martinez a 34 year old musician from medellin colombia whose parents still reside in her home city
the custom weaves together music poetic verse and foot percussion   petticoated dancers in swoopy skirts elaborately stomping out rhythms on a wooden platform popularized in the united states by ritchie valenss hit interpretation of la bamba son jarocho evolved from the fandango and has become a spirited fixture on both sides of the border
in solidarity with their border compadres musicians participated in simultaneous fandangos in far flung locations like new york zurich montreal mexico city and tenosique tabasco on mexicos southern border with guatemala
by design fandangos are communal and are not the place for prima donnas in mexico they are held to honor patron saints and are staples at birthday parties weddings and funerals eduardo garcia a professor and son jarocho teacher in san diego has compared the warm feeling of kinship of fandangos to a campfire in the middle of nowhere
its a practice that instills conviviencia or being present with each other said martha e gonzalez an assistant professor at scripps college and lead singer of the grammy award winning chicano rock group quetzal which she founded with her partner quetzal flores in los angeles the fandango calls a community into being
the call begins with el siquisiri a welcome song on the tijuana side a city park next to a bullring three master musicians who were invited guests appeared as flickers of light and color through the fence adriana cao romero a harpist and dentist from mexico city alddo flores from veracruz playing a carved gourd he strums with a bicycle spoke and felix machucho a 68 year old farmer and wizened master of verse from rural veracruz who had flown in an airplane for the first time to be there
at a typical fandango musicians encircle the tarima or dance platform the rituals spiritual heart the border version had two tarimas on either side of the fence son jarocho musicians play a variety of guitarlike instruments the eight stringed jarana which is strummed and the more difficult four string requinto which carries the melody and is plucked with a long and somewhat lethal looking pick carved from a bulls horn once passe the genre has had a resurgence over the past few decades it has inspired a trans border clutch of gifted artists like tacho utrera from consolapan veracruz revered for his elegant ebony and cedar requintos on saturday he kicked off the opening son
at a music workshop in tijuana last week young beginners trained with elders in sombreros like mr machucho who comes from an august lineage and considers his knack for improvising verses an inheritance he said from the rooftop of a cultural center multigenerational rhythms reverberated late into the night
for many especially those whose immigration status divides them from loved ones fandangos serve as a form of social glue said elisabeth le guin a music and musicology professor at the university of california los angeles at the fandango musicians make a community across borders through beauty she said
the festive atmosphere and music   women with silk flowers in their hair a multitasking male bass player cradling an infant a dancer in san diego swaying in unison with her soul sister in tijuana   is in stark contrast to what is arguably the countrys most surreal public space access is restricted by united states customs and border protection to a four hour window on saturdays and sundays
in an opening welcome that felt like a blessing mr castillo spoke of the border that divides that ends up uniting
there would be five sons in three hours including senor presidente about corruption in mexico and the rousing la bamba played at a speedy clip with only 10 minutes to spare the event concluded with the 90 or so musicians from both sides of the fence counting in unison from one to 43 a solemn reminder of the chilling disappearance of 43 college students in the state of guerrero just south of mexico city in 2014
jubilant melodies from the tijuana side wafted through the air a defiant coda as the steel gates on the united states snapped shut
to panquetzani a mexican herbalist from long beach who has studied the jarana with elders in veracruz juxtapositions like these make the fandango fronterizo so hauntingly compelling theres beauty and theres sadness   and thats what son jarocho is all about she said


in combat lives can be erased in an instant military men and women accept that as a given but what if peril stalks them as civilians long after the guns have fallen silent as the years pass does the nation bear an abiding obligation to them when they find they face death on the installment plan
these are questions that have long dogged a particular group of americans several hundred thousand of them nearly all men they were soldiers and sailors who in the first years after world war ii took part in atmospheric nuclear tests conducted in the pacific and in nevada they were posted within range of exploding bombs   in effect made to be guinea pigs in studies of how combat troops might stand up in a war fought with nuclear arms across the decades many among these atomic veterans suffered cancers and other diseases try convincing them that their troubles had nothing to do with the radiation they absorbed
on this memorial day their plight shapes the latest installment of retro report a series of video documentaries examining important news stories of the past and their lasting consequences this episode was prepared in collaboration with reveal from the center for investigative reporting based in emeryville calif near san francisco
one theme of the report echoes across americas more recent conflicts what does the government owe its men and women in uniform who fall victim not to enemy fire but rather   or so they are convinced   to decisions made by their own commanders they include vietnam war combatants who breathed in defoliants sprayed by american aircraft and later became gravely ill more recently those who served in afghanistan and the middle east have had to deal with cancers respiratory problems and incapacitating fatigue many suspect the ailments can be traced to their contact years earlier with burn pits assorted poisons and artillery shells made of depleted uranium
issues affecting atomic veterans date to the dawn of the nuclear age with the bombs dropped on japan in 1945 the united states then spent years trying out new designs for its growing nuclear arsenal more than 200 tests were conducted in the atmosphere from 1946 to 1962 in the marshall islands and at sites in the nevada desert many thousands of soldiers and sailors   numbers are elusive but some estimates go as high as 400000   observed the explosions on the sea or in trenches a few miles from ground zero
they were men like frank farmer who witnessed 18 atomic detonations in 1958 while stationed on a ship in the pacific you feel the heat blast from it mr farmer now 80 said in the video its so bright you actually see your bones in your hands
he and his shipmates were issued no protective gear i was wearing a t shirt and dungaree pants thats all he said
a 1963 treaty banned atmospheric tests experimentation went underground or less commonly underwater continuing into the early 1990s but long before then atomic veterans sensed that things were not going well for them despite government assurances that their exposure to radiation had been insufficient to inflict physical harm veterans could see they were getting sick in disproportionate numbers some began to speak out ignoring oaths they had signed never to discuss their experiences
more and more i heard about guys that had prostate cancer and lung cancer and all kinds of cancers said mr farmer who suffered hearing loss and a body rash that did not go away
lincoln grahlfs who steered a navy tugboat near atomic test sites in the marshalls in july 1946 has chronically labored with boils now 93 he is convinced that his offspring too paid a price a daughter died of a brain tumor at 46 her daughter was born with a deformed foot
i wish somebody had warned me that if i had children they might be born with some defects mr grahlfs said but nobody did
in some instances experiments went well beyond having american service members as bomb test bystanders in the early postwar years for example 18 patients in civilian hospitals were injected with radioactive plutonium without their knowledge more than two dozen other patients were radiated over their entire bodies   not to treat medical problems but instead to see what the effects would be
decades passed before corrective measures were taken while it can often be difficult to prove a cause and effect relationship between military duty and a malady congress in 1988 established a system of compensation it specified 13 kinds of cancer   a list later expanded to 21   that were presumed to have been the result of exposure to radiation
early in his presidency bill clinton created an advisory committee on human radiation experiments to review the consequences of nuclear testing on the panels recommendation mr clinton apologized for past official actions when the government does wrong we have a moral responsibility to admit it he said on oct 3 1995
the timing proved unfortunate that same day a california jury acquitted o j simpson in his murder trial and the presidential apology got lost in the news swirl mr farmer and mr grahlfs never heard it
compensating aggrieved veterans did not always go smoothly in many cases it was not clear from available records if a man had in fact been stationed near a bomb test and there was an ineluctable reality by the time the government got around to cutting checks many of the men were dead
issues raised by their difficulties resound in modern wars as with the atomic veterans officialdoms default position has generally been to wave off any suggestion of a link between a soldiers illness and a command level decision that was the case with agent orange the most notorious defoliant used by the american military in vietnam years passed before the government accepted a presumptive connection between herbicides and cancers afflicting vietnam veterans
in conflicts of more recent vintage soldiers who served in afghanistan and iraq and in the 1991 persian gulf war complain of breathing problems neurological damage gastrointestinal disorders and other illnesses many suspect that blame lies with practices off the battlefield
in afghanistan and iraq all manner of waste   batteries plastics medicines dead animals   was soaked in jet fuel and set ablaze in open pits men and women standing nearby breathed in poisons other soldiers handled armaments made of depleted uranium a heavy metal with toxic properties as for a multi symptom malady known as gulf war illness studies done for the department of veterans affairs estimate that it has afflicted more than one third of the nearly 700000 service members assigned to the middle east in 1990 and 1991
again the official stance has been that no conclusive evidence ties medical problems to wartime practices compensation for iraq and afghanistan veterans is not on the table similarly there has been scant congressional movement on a bill to compensate soldiers who were dispatched in the 1970s to the marshall islands where cancer rates were predictably high to haul away radiation tainted debris
within the diminishing cadre of atomic veterans some feel as if they embody a biblical sentiment expressed in the book of micah and repeated in matthew 1036 and a mans foes shall be they of his own household
mr farmer recalled how he and his mates for weeks drank and bathed in fallout contaminated water for people thats smart enough to become admirals and presidents he said youd think theyd have enough sense not to put you into something like that


los angeles   moviegoers in north america have spent roughly 44 billion on tickets this year a 5 percent increase over the same period in 2015 five films have taken in more than 300 million   two is typical   and more anticipated giants are on the way including the pixar sequel finding dory and star trek beyond
and yet very few champagne corks are popping in hollywood why
for a start big budget sequels typically the safest route to box office success generated ragged holiday weekend sales x men apocalypse 20th century fox took in an estimated 65 million between friday and sunday 29 percent less than initial results for its franchise predecessor the film delivered the sixth best opening among the eight x men movies after taking inflation into account
bombing was alice through the looking glass which cost walt disney studios 170 million to make it took in 281 million according to comscore which compiles box office data were obviously frustrated and disappointed said dave hollis disneys executive vice president for distribution alice in wonderland arrived to 127 million in domestic ticket sales in 2010 after adjusting for inflation
but the misgivings in hollywood extend beyond one disappointing weekend even one as important as memorial day a troubling box office trend started last summer and has only become more pronounced the riches are not flowing evenly   four of the six major movie factories are struggling   and only expensive event films seem to be drawing crowds with many general purpose middle tier movies being virtually ignored despite aggressive marketing
what seems to be succeeding are familiar and liked brands marvels captain america civil war bold interpretations deadpool the jungle book or movies that are events for a particular audience miracles from heaven the angry birds movie increasingly lost in the mix are films aimed at older audiences or designed as alternatives to effects driven spectacles the nice guys whiskey tango foxtrot money monster mothers day the finest hours the boss how to be single hail caesar
studios have long fought through hits and misses the worry is that audiences   unhappy with rising ticket and concession prices and increasingly bivouacked in their living rooms   seem to be saying that an entire section of studio output is no longer viable in theaters unless its a must see movie well catch it on netflix
several films planned for release over the summer will either add to this concern or diminish it including me before you a romantic drama from new line cinema and metro goldwyn mayer starring emilia clarke of game of thrones central intelligence a warner bros crime comedy starring dwayne johnson and kevin hart and free state of jones a civil war period drama from stx entertainment starring matthew mcconaughey
i do still think that smart summer counterprogramming can work said dan fellman a box office consultant who previously served as distribution chief at warner bros if youre going to appeal to an older audience though youd better have great reviews
some analysts arent so sure doug creutz a media analyst at cowen and company wrote in a recent report with box office trends over the last 16 months suggesting that a few films are likely to take the lions share of the returns it is difficult to envision a scenario in which a significant number of this summers releases are not money losers or at least disappointments
its failure with alice through the looking glass notwithstanding disney has been setting the studio pace by focusing on event films that trade on established brands with smash hits like star wars the force awakens zootopia and the jungle book disney has captured about 32 percent of the domestic box office so far this year according to the database box office mojo hits like deadpool and kung fu panda 3 have powered fox to second place with roughly 20 percent market share
that has left four studios   warner universal paramount and sony   trying to compete for the balance and mostly waging their campaigns with lesser properties
studio executives cautioned against reading too much into lackluster returns for x men apocalypse and the collapse of alice through the looking glass noting that they faced different challenges
directed by bryan singer x men apocalypse which cost at least 178 million to make not including marketing lacked some of the franchises major stars and received weak reviews this movie is going to play better than people think said chris aronson foxs president of domestic distribution the critics lashed out but the exit polls are very good people like this movie
mr aronson estimated that x men apocalypse would take in 80 million for the four day weekend overseas the movie has collected an additional 1588 million
alice through the looking glass directed by james bobin received withering reviews disney may have taken too long to make a sequel certainly not helping were domestic violence accusations that emerged last week against johnny depp who plays the mad hatter amber heard mr depps estranged wife appearing in los angeles superior court on friday received a restraining order against the actor
mr depps lawyer laura wasser has rejected ms heards claims saying she is attempting to secure a premature financial resolution by alleging abuse
disney had no comment about mr depps situation and whether it contributed to the audience rejection of alice through the looking glass mr hollis estimated that the movie would generate 36 million over the four day holiday analysts had expected at least 60 million in ticket sales


the renovation of the new york philharmonics lincoln center home david geffen hall is the classical music equivalent of the second avenue subway it is an enormous undertaking for a new york institution   one that has been discussed for years tentatively begun and then shelved over cost concerns and finally restarted by a new generation determined to get it done
now with a key player on the project unexpectedly out of the picture the responsibility for keeping it on track during a particularly crucial period has fallen largely to katherine g farley chairwoman of lincoln center
were moving full steam ahead ms farley said in a recent interview sitting alongside members of the transition team that is leading lincoln center as it seeks a successor to jed bernstein who stepped down as the centers president last month after failing to disclose a relationship with an employee ms farley said that the projects design team was preparing a preliminary concept and budget to present in june to officials at lincoln center and the philharmonic and that she expected that a fuller design could be shared with the board and possibly the public by the fall
while officials have described the plan as likely to cost around 500 million ms farley said that the actual figure could be different its a number that passes the sanity test   its not a budget she said you dont know what its going to cost until you know what it is
the hall was renamed for david geffen last year after he made a 100 million gift toward the renovation since then oscar s schafer chairman of the philharmonics board donated 20 million to be divided between the renovation project and the orchestras endowment and a gala concert raised another 22 million toward the renovation that leaves hundreds of millions of dollars to raise
vin cipolla a former president of the municipal art society of new york who was brought on board to direct the capital campaign for the hall project said that fund raising was right where we want it to be but he declined to provide a dollar figure noting that the campaign was still in its quiet phase
ms farley said that there had been several other significant gifts which had not been announced and said that it should be easier to raise money for the redone hall than for some aspects of lincoln centers 12 billion redevelopment project which was completed in 2012
last time there was a central mechanical plant   that was hard she said this time its a much sexier thing to raise money for
but it is undoubtedly a delicate moment to be without a president michael m kaiser who led the john f kennedy center for the performing arts in washington for more than a decade said that the timing of the transition was complicated
its obviously better to have a leader in charge when youre doing the fund raising and when youre doing the actual design of the facility said mr kaiser now chairman of the devos institute of arts management at the university of maryland it doesnt mean its impossible to do that without one but certainly whoever comes in to become the president of lincoln center is going to want to play a role in this
matthew vanbesien president of the philharmonic said he was confident that the cooperation between the orchestra and lincoln center   something not always present in the past   would continue he said that jaap van zweden who will take over the orchestras music directorship in 2018 had met with the halls design team this spring in dallas where he is the music director of the dallas symphony orchestra to share his thoughts and priorities the philharmonic is going through its own transition with alan gilbert ending his tenure as music director after next season
its always an unfortunate thing when theres a departure like that mr vanbesien said of mr bernstein but this has been a really collaborative team effort kind of from the very beginning so i think that helps mitigate whatever complications might arise
the hurdles ahead are substantial as the philharmonic works to raise a share of the costs of the hall it is grappling with its own financial challenges it ran a 527 million operating deficit last year up from 21 million the year before
ms farley chairwoman of the board since 2010 noted that several transition team members had played important roles in the redevelopment of lincoln center which included the well received renovation of the smaller alice tully hall in my day job i worked for 32 years at tishman speyer in the real estate business and im an architect by background so im very comfortable in this world said ms farley who retired this year from tishman speyer where she was a senior managing director
the current plan for the design team heatherwick studio of london and diamond schmitt architects of toronto aims at essentially creating a new concert hall inside the skin of the max abramovitz designed building that opened in 1962 as philharmonic hall and was later renamed for avery fisher
the most recent plans call for a modified version of a traditional shoebox shaped hall as opposed to the so called vineyard style seating that surrounds the stages at the berlin philharmonie walt disney concert hall in los angeles and elsewhere spaces for education and outreach programs are a priority ms farley said still to be decided are issues such as whether to include a pipe organ and whether to add a smaller space for more intimate concerts
lincoln center has hired a search committee to find a successor to mr bernstein who was paid 116 million in salary benefits and other compensation in 2014 according to the organizations most recent tax filing released this month center officials said that they were rethinking key aspects of one of mr bernsteins signature projects creating a performing arts hall of fame while they intend to go ahead with the project they said that they had postponed a dinner for the first honorees which had been scheduled for june in the hopes of finding a better date they also said they were moving away from plans to have the names of honorees etched in the stones around lincoln centers fountain and to put displays in the lobbies of each of the centers theaters
for ms farley the quest for a new home for the philharmonic has taken more than a decade earlier when she was on the philharmonic board she led its building committee and worked on a plan to redo the hall by the architect norman foster which was later unceremoniously abandoned she was also involved in talks about moving the philharmonic back to carnegie hall which ultimately fell apart and caused some ill will with lincoln center this time she said was different
we think the stars are aligned now she said this is the right time


basma abdel aziz was walking in downtown cairo one morning when she saw a long line of people standing in front of a closed government building
returning hours later ms abdel aziz a psychiatrist who counsels torture victims passed the same people still waiting listlessly   a young woman and an elderly man a mother holding her baby the building remained closed
when she got home she immediately started writing about the people in line and didnt stop for 11 hours the story became her surreal debut novel the queue which takes place after a failed revolution in an unnamed middle eastern city the narrative unfolds over 140 days as civilians are forced to wait in an endless line to petition a shadowy authority called the gate for basic services
fiction gave me a very wide space to say what i wanted to say about totalitarian authority ms abdel aziz said in a recent interview
the queue which was just published in english by melville house has drawn comparisons to western classics like george orwells 1984 and the trial by franz kafka it represents a new wave of dystopian and surrealist fiction from middle eastern writers who are grappling with the chaotic aftermath and stinging disappointments of the arab spring
five years after the popular uprisings in egypt tunisia libya and elsewhere a bleak apocalyptic strain of post revolutionary literature has taken root in the region some writers are using science fiction and fantasy tropes to describe grim current political realities others are writing about controversial subjects like sexuality and atheism or exhuming painful historical episodes that were previously off limits
in a literary culture where poetry has long been the most celebrated medium writers are experimenting with a range of genres and styles including comics and graphic novels hallucinatory horror novels and allegorical works of science fiction
theres a shift away from realism which has dominated arabic literature said the kuwait born novelist saleem haddad whose new book guapa is narrated by a young gay arab man whose friend has been imprisoned after a political revolt whats coming to the surface now is darker and a bit deeper
science fiction and surrealism have long provided an escape valve for writers living under oppressive regimes in latin america decades of fascism and civil war helped inspire masterpieces of magical realism from authors like gabriel garcia marquez and isabel allende in russia the postmodern novelist vladimir sorokin has published disturbing and controversial futuristic novels that surreptitiously skewer the countrys repressive government
dystopian themes are not entirely new in arabic fiction but they have become much more prominent in recent years publishers and translators say the genre has proliferated in part because it captures the sense of despair that many writers say they feel in the face of cyclical violence and repression at the same time futuristic settings may give writers some measure of cover to explore charged political ideas without being labeled dissidents
these futuristic stories are all about lost utopia said layla al zubaidi co editor of a collection of post arab spring writing titled diaries of an unfinished revolution people really could imagine a better future and now its almost worse than it was before
in the turbulent months after the uprisings when the promises of democracy and greater social freedom remained elusive some novelists channeled their frustrations and fears into grim apocalyptic tales in mohammed rabies gritty novel otared which will be published in english this year by the american university in cairo a former egyptian police officer joins a fight against a mysterious occupying power that rules the country in 2025
mr rabie said he wrote the novel in response to the successive defeats that advocates of democracy faced after the 2011 demonstrations that ended president hosni mubaraks 30 year rule while there are parallels to present day egyptian society setting the story in the near future allowed him to write more freely without drawing explicit connections to egypts current ruler he said in an email interview translated by his arabic publisher
nael eltoukhy whose darkly satirical 2013 novel women of karantina takes place partly in a crime ridden alexandria in the year 2064 said he felt that a futuristic farce was the best way to reflect the jaded mood in egypt
in egypt especially after the revolution everything is terrible but everything is also funny he said in an interview now i think its worse than the time of mubarak
gloomy futuristic stories have proved popular with readers and several of these novels have been critical and commercial hits otared was a finalist for this years prestigious international prize for arabic fiction
publishers say the books have caught on with the public in part because they distill a collective feeling of frustration
this new body of post revolutionary literature shows a sharp tonal shift from the ecstatic outpouring that arrived immediately after the arab spring when many writers published breathless memoirs or dug out old manuscripts they had stashed away for years
celebrated egyptian novelists like ahdaf soueif and mona prince wrote firsthand nonfiction accounts of the 2011 protests in tahrir square the syrian novelist samar yazbek published diaries she kept during the syrian uprising a new generation of writers drew inspiration from the stunning scenes of citizens rising up together against entrenched dictatorships
there was something about the experience of the revolution where suddenly you had a voice and your voice had weight and it had meaning said yasmine el rashidi an egyptian journalist whose first novel chronicle of a last summer about a young womans political awakening in cairo during and after mr mubaraks rule will be published in the united states next month
in the years since the revolution that optimism has withered and the authorities have cracked down on creative expression across the region in saudi arabia the poet ashraf fayadh was sentenced to death last year for his verses which religious authorities called blasphemous after an international outcry his sentence was reduced to eight years in prison and 800 lashes
in egypt under the strict rule of president abdel fattah el sisi the government has shut art galleries raided publishing houses and confiscated copies of books it views as controversial last year customs officers seized 400 copies of walls of freedom about egyptian political street art and charged that the book was instigating revolt
we are concerned now with what we publish said sherif joseph rizk director of dar al tanweer egypt an arabic publishing house if something is banned it does create commercial problems
despite explicit protections for free speech in egypts 2014 constitution the authorities have targeted individual writers and artists the novelist ahmed naji is serving a two year prison sentence for violating public modesty with sexually explicit passages in his experimental novel the use of life many fear that his imprisonment will lead to more self censorship
the arab spring and the revolution broke peoples fears and gave them the initiative to express themselves said ms abdel aziz whose novel the queue was published in arabic in 2013 now we are back to oppression
ms abdel aziz 39 earned a masters degree in neuropsychiatry in 2005 and now works part time at a center in cairo that counsels victims of torture and violence she has published two short story collections and several nonfiction books on sensitive subjects like torture and the human rights violations committed by egyptian security forces
but after mr mubaraks fall writing a factual account felt like an inadequate way to capture the surreal experience of ordinary egyptians who lived through the uprisings and subsequent crackdowns she said instead she aimed to write a universal story that reflected what was unfolding around her but transcended geography and current events
she started writing the queue in september 2012 the novel follows a young salesman yehya who was shot during a failed uprising yehya is denied medical treatment and forced to wait in an endless line to petition the gate for a permit to have surgery as he grows weaker the line only gets longer stretching on for miles
ms abdel aziz uses coded language for loaded political terms and events throughout the novel which was translated by elisabeth jaquette the 2011 uprising against mr mubarak is called the first storm a later civilian revolt that ended in bloodshed is referred to as the disgraceful events
ms abdel aziz worries about the growing scrutiny egyptian writers and activists face about a dozen of her friends are in prison she said she has been arrested three times for taking part in demonstrations and protests but she feels that living in fear is futile
im not afraid anymore she said i will not stop writing


east hampton ny   when the leaves return to the trees outside david rattrays office window at the east hampton star it means only one thing the beginning of the mayhem
and on thursday morning with the leaves an adolescent green mr rattray the stars editor gathered his staff in the papers central newsroom to hash out their coverage plans for this summers version of it which would start in earnest over memorial day weekend
the star newsroom is a tight space with walls that have cracks from the day a couple of years ago when engineers showed up close to the papers deadline to tilt the cedar clad house back onto a proper vertical a vital fix for a building mr rattrays family built in 1900
the weekly paper still came out on time the newsroom staff just worked through the righting
as mr rattray ran through the story lineup for the next issue the papers editor at large irene silverman who has worked there since 1968 tracked a daddy longlegs meandering path across her desk
first there was the memorial day mayhem post mortem when the town governments crackdown on wild partying in the township would be put to the test for the first time
then there was a hamptons style battle royal playing out before zoning officials action on a new tennis court at the old gardiner estate was threatening to kill the om at the neighbors meditation house but what really caught mr rattrays ear was word of 18 french fries at duryeas a beloved old lobster shack in montauk that had just received a st barts style makeover from its new owner the billionaire investor marc rowan i think theres an editorial about 18 fries   about why and for whom mr rattray said
some member of the rattray clan has been running this meeting for 81 years   since the family bought the paper from the boughtons who bought it from its founder george burling in 1890 for 100 the paper is still extra wide like the original and it has resisted the money saving appeal of shrinking down
but while in 1890 the star served as a place to announce a local lads marriage to the best girl in the country it now covers fights over housing for immigrants the school curriculum and the tensions among the superwealthy the somewhat wealthy and the not at all wealthy who work for them and somewhere along the way it picked up a logo under its masthead shines for all an alternative might be it endures
through the advent of the movie house the radio the television glossy new magazines and now the internet the star has continued to stand and thats a 131 year testament to the central role that family owned small town newspapers can still play   even though like its big city brethren it faces its worst and possibly last threat from the web
the star a paid weekly is luckier than most in its class many big real estate brokers still view its great big print spreads as a good way to market their huge hamptons properties and craigslist does not have enough of a presence here to kill off the stars classified listings
advertising has given the star enough resources to start a new four times yearly glossy magazine east and enough juice to maintain the papers mission which is to ask hard questions not be afraid to make public officials angry mr rattray said
but new competitors like curbedcom owned by vox media and patch not to mention facebook have exerted pressure circulation is down to a maximum of 12000 from 16000 though many tens of thousands more read it online
our gross is about half of what it was at its peak in 2006 mr rattray told me as we sat in the garden behind the star headquarters on thursday with the first of the holiday traffic trickling by on main street
with a shrinking advertising base mr rattray a fit 53 has had to pare his staff and take on some of the more menial duties himself helping with obituaries letters to the editor which are published in full in keeping with a longstanding star policy and even the community and government calendars
he still has to find time to write the editorials the latest of which favored the towns moves against the excesses of the summer bar and party scene   the primary generator of mayhem the scene has been stoked by what longtime residents see as an invasion of club promoters and developers with sensibilities that can seem more manhattan than montauk a hamlet with a proud blue collar fishing tradition
there were already signs of a public backlash after the towns strict enforcement of state and local codes pushed one popular   and in some quarters infamous   club cyrils fish house to shut down and another the surf lodge to at least temporarily halt its concert lineup of big acts but mr rattray went ahead with his editorial anyway
without a tough minded but fair family owned newspaper the forces kind of arrayed against this place the south fork would win mr rattray said maybe thats arrogant to think but its how i was raised
its also how mr rattray is raising his three children   the oldest is 15   who he hopes will succeed him
but most young people interested in media careers seem drawn not to newspapers but to where the growth and opportunity are modern start ups with their use of instagram and facebook and their new ways of working more closely with advertisers and making them part of the editorial content
i got to see that firsthand when i visited the young crew running whalebone media who in about a year have built their own honest to goodness media company with the stylishly beachy sensibility of its surfer millennial founders whalebone publishes a free glossy lifestyle magazine with a circulation of 20000 and it tells prospective advertisers that it drew more than two million views through social media in its first several months of operation
whalebones offices are sleek and new with big windows facing montauk harbor
its publisher eddie berrang and managing director bronson lamb began the company in conjunction with their friend jesse james joeckels montauk based clothing brand whalebone mr joeckel founded the whalebone creative label in 2010 after designing t shirts and logos for local surf shops they went door to door to get enough sponsorship to publish the first issue of whalebone magazine their first major advertiser soul cycle which had taken over the old single screen montauk movie theater where the ticket taker also worked the popcorn machine
when i referred to whalebone as a publication mr berrang 34 corrected me the word publication its an antiquated term he said its just a dying medium
whalebone has a robust web presence that will soon include a new retail site the whole experience relies on what the company calls submersive media the whalebone crew designs sponsors ads to run seamlessly and openly in the editorial content such that a gorgeous spread of old montauk fishing photos in the latest issue of the magazine is prominently presented by chris coleman with saunders real estate their young readers are unfazed by that sort of integration they say
thats good because as traditional print advertising dwindles media organizations everywhere have to come up with new ways to pay for their coverage
yet newspapers like the star can change only so much hard news missions preclude slow dancing with advertisers with the more traditional model mr rattray says i can only see out about 18 months
regardless of what happens after that this much is true now the star still shines for all after 131 years it endures its new media cousins should be so fortunate


how do you plan a spontaneous looking dance party that was one task facing the choreographer celia rowlson hall on the brooklyn set of the music video for in common the nonchalantly danceable new single from alicia keys directed by pierre debusschere in high definition black and white the video features about a dozen dancers for whom the term backup doesnt apply they are front and center
as ms keys sings from her perch on a free standing fire escape intimate duets seductive solos and euphoric jam sessions unfold on an abstracted city street below two wiry men   khalil williams and xavier d who excel in the contortionist street dance style called bone breaking   twist their arms behind their backs reaching for each others hands the formidable niv acosta best known in the new york downtown dance and theater scene floats toward the camera vogueing with a sultry stare
if you could love somebody like me you must be messed up too ms keys sings taking comfort in shared imperfections for their own bodies and for one another the dancers seem to feel unconditional love
ms rowlson hall who also directs her own music videos and movement based films jokes about being a glorified cheerleader on the set but rising to a directors call for beautiful lines and the illusion of spontaneity takes choreographic chops in a recent phone interview she spoke about casting choices improvisational hugging and choreographing to a song without the song these are edited excerpts from that conversation
what kind of direction did you get from the creative team
they wanted the video to be diverse and super relatable they wanted dance but not you know 5 6 7 8 and everyone goes into a routine   more of an improvised feeling one of the big things was casting they were talking to various choreographers and when i gave my two cents about people i wanted to pull into the mix like niv and xavier i think pierre was very interested in that
what were you looking for in the casting process
we didnt want just one style or look or gender we were looking for great dancers with great looks that you dont see every day the people we chose have a lot going on in their careers and i think thats why they stood out in the audition because theyre not just waiting to be formed into the directors idea their attitude is more heres what i do what do you think of it
what was the concept for the choreography
with pierres images in general theres a lot of negative space and its all about line he wanted beautiful lines for the duets i worked with specific points of embrace and breaking out of those to find new points of embrace so finding your chin resting on your partners lower rib and how to get into that position naturally   something more than a standard hug with stephanie crousillat and pierce cady i gave them an opening moment then directed their movement as they improvised with khalil and x i had them do their bone crushing while staying connected the whole time they had never done that before
what about the group sections
i gave each person a starting point and then asked different people to play with levels like reaching up or crouching down so they were doing their own thing but the space wasnt blocked with everyone dancing at midlevel somebody was always moving to another point and somebody was always high and low
youre also a director is it ever challenging to choreograph and not direct
not at all because i do both im actually overly sensitive in never wanting to step over the boundaries but i do give through my choreography things i know id want like points for cutting in and out of movement because i know how to cut dance so im secretly infusing my choreography with what id do as a director
did you choreograph to the music did the lyrics influence you
even as a choreographer i wasnt given the song i listened to it in a meeting and that was it she alicia keys performed it on the set but because we were shooting at 48 frames per second she had to sing twice as fast as the actual tempo i only really listened to the lyrics a few days ago and i was like wait this is what she was saying the whole time


st petersburg fla   one of the first questions that greet players who are new to the yankees is how they will handle the new york fishbowl where the fans can be unforgiving the news media seems ever present and the scrutiny is ceaseless
since starlin castro arrived in a winter trade with the chicago cubs he has confronted the transition the same way at each turn   with a smile
while castro has made the adjustment to second base his new position as seamlessly as he has the move to his new team he took another opportunity to endear himself to the yankees on sunday when he blasted a two run homer in the seventh inning breaking up a no hitter by tampa bays jake odorizzi and sending the yankees on their way to a 2 1 victory over the rays
really fortunate is how manager joe girardi described the win in which castros homer was the yankees only hit although the lead it gave them was in safe hands with relievers dellin betances andrew miller and aroldis chapman who struck out seven of the nine batters they faced
the yankees who were last no hit by six houston astros pitchers on june 11 2003 had done little to impede odorizzis bid they hit no threatening balls and had only one base runner until brett gardner coaxed an eight pitch walk from odorizzi with one out in the seventh
castro then drove a 91 mile per hour fastball to the deepest part of the park   the notch in the left center field fence   and suddenly the yankees were ahead as the ball cleared the wall landing 421 feet from home castro stepped on first base with an ear to ear grin
he was not the only one smiling
dustin ackley said the atmosphere in the dugout was similar to that of a game last september in which the rookie slade heathcott hit a late game winning home run against the rays and was mobbed upon his return
it was awesome castro said of the reception especially because it was the seventh inning already and with the bullpen weve got its almost game over thats a game that we felt good about
nathan eovaldi who pitched out of two big jams in the fifth and sixth innings had something to feel good about after another strong start he has allowed two runs in 18 innings over his last three starts
the only dent the rays put in him came in the third inning when evan longoria continued his career long torment of the yankees by poking a two out belt high slider to right field scoring brandon guyer with the games first run longoria who drove in four runs on saturday now has 90 rbi against the yankees the most in the majors since 2008
longoria just missed putting the game out of reach in the fifth with two on and two outs as aaron hicks caught longorias towering fly ball with his back against the right field wall
i thought he hit that one out eovaldi said fortunately it stayed in
eovaldi left the bases loaded in the sixth when curt casali popped up a 3 2 pitch
im watching the game i know whats going on eovaldi said when they scored the one run i knew i had to keep it right there
when the yankees acquired castro they gave up what would have been a valuable commodity for this team pitcher adam warren who had been a capable reliever and spot starter what the yankees were getting was a three time all star who they hoped would find some consistency in new york where he would be shifting to second base and would have less pressure to anchor the lineup as he had for mostly bad cubs teams
instead castro has proved to be one of the yankees most reliable bats he got off to a hot start and remains second on the team in doubles nine home runs seven and total bases 79
with the yankees getting little out of alex rodriguez and mark teixeira   who have combined to hit nine home runs and are batting below 200   and with carlos beltran getting a day off castro batted third on sunday girardi said he appreciated being able to use castro in different spots in the lineup and many of his teammates are learning more about him like his lightning quick hands and the ever present smile he carries around the field and the clubhouse
hes got a lot of talent on both sides of the ball said gardner who had not seen castro play much in the national league hes a lot bigger and stronger than i thought hes really got a knack for putting the bat on the ball
other than gardners walk and castros home run the yankees managed one other base runner in the sixth when brad miller double clutched and threw just late on dustin ackleys grounder the play was ruled an error on miller but any thought that the good fortune might inspire the yankees vanished quickly the next better ronald torreyes bounced into a 4 6 3 double play
teixeira made his return as a late inning replacement for ackley who jammed his right shoulder diving into first base on millers error ackley stayed behind sunday night to have a magnetic resonance imaging test on his shoulder and girardi feared that ackley might have to go on the disabled list
it was an emergency said teixeira who had not played since tuesday because of a neck spasm that required a cortisone shot   his second of the season he took fielding and batting practice on sunday but his luck did not change in his one at bat a shattered bat fly ball to center
teixeira is hitting 193 and he has not hit a home run in 36 games and 125 at bats the longest streaks of his 14 year career the other slugger rodriguez struck out twice more and is 1 for 16 with nine strikeouts since his return
but those worries along with any others the yankees had to confront on sunday were wiped away   along with odorizzis no hitter   by a solitary swing of castros bat
inside pitch
luis severino who is on the disabled list with a strained triceps gave up two hits in three scoreless innings sunday in a rehabilitation assignment for tampa in high class a


visitors to the gorilla exhibit at the cincinnati zoo were screaming panicked
somehow a 4 year old boy had slipped through the exhibits barrier on saturday afternoon and was now being dragged around like a toy by a hulking silverback gorilla
in videos of the encounter posted to twitter a woman can be heard calling to the sobbing child mommy loves you im right here
after about 10 excruciating minutes witnesses said zoo workers shot and killed the animal named harambe the boy who was hurt but not severely was taken to a hospital and released on saturday night zoo officials said
it was pure panic said brittany nicely 29 who was there with her two children
ms nicely said that out of the corner of her eye she spotted the boy on the wrong side of wooden and wire barriers along the edge of the enclosure she reached for him she said but not in time and he fell about 10 feet into a shallow moat
harambe a teenage western lowland gorilla then grabbed the child but his intentions were not clear at times he stood over the boy in what appeared to be a protective posture but then he darted across the water dragging the child roughly behind him
he wasnt throwing him around ms nicely said he wasnt mauling him to death which is what i thought was going to happen
the gorilla could have easily crushed the boy at any moment however if only by carelessness she said
cincinnati fire department personnel responding to the scene witnessed the gorilla violently dragging and throwing the child according to an incident report the department said a zoo employee shot harambe as the boy was positioned between his legs with a single round from a long rifle
the zoo said in a statement that the decision to use lethal force had been a difficult one a tranquilizer would have taken several minutes to neutralize the animal prolonging the risk the dart could also agitate the animal the zoo said and cause a violent reaction
the zoo security teams quick response saved the childs life the zoos director thane maynard said we are all devastated that this tragic accident resulted in the death of a critically endangered gorilla this is a huge loss for the zoo family and the gorilla population worldwide
the breach raised concerns about the apparent ease with which the boy was able to get into the arms of such a powerful animal the zoo said in a facebook post on sunday that the gorilla world exhibit met safety guidelines and had experienced no other breach since its opening in 1978
the barrier that we have in place has been effective for 38 years mr maynard said nevertheless we will study this incident as we work toward continuous improvement for the safety of our visitors and animals
mr maynard did not return messages seeking additional comment
the incident also led hundreds of people on social media to question the mothers culpability but ms nicely said it would be unfair to judge the mother too harshly
i dont feel like it was neglectful she said she had three other kids that she was with she had a baby in her arms it was literally the blink of an eye
she added i saw it and i couldnt even prevent it it happened so fast
western lowland gorillas are threatened by habitat destruction disease and poachers with fewer than 175000 left in the wild in africa according to the zoo the zoo described harambe who was born in captivity as an intelligent and curious animal who was on his way to becoming a group leader
on friday the day before his death the zoo celebrated his 17th birthday
on sunday visitors left flowers at a gorilla statue inside the zoo


sydney australia   mass bleaching on the great barrier reef in the past three months has killed as much as half of the coral in the north but left large parts of the southern reaches with only minor damage scientists in australia said on sunday
the current bleaching is the third to strike the roughly 1400 mile long reef in 18 years and the most extreme scientists have recorded
in the north the mortality rates are off the scale said prof terry hughes the director of the arc center of excellence for coral reef studies based at james cook university in townsville queensland there the coral mortality rates are approaching 50 percent and the impact of the bleaching is still unfolding
but from cairns in tropical north queensland southward down the east coast of the state about 95 percent of the coral has survived professor hughes said mildly bleached coral should regain its color over the next few months although the stress from bleaching is likely to slow the areas reproduction and growth he said
bleaching occurs when water temperatures rise as little as 1 degree celsius or 18 degrees fahrenheit the coral then expels tiny colorful algae causing it to turn white the coral can recover if the water temperature drops and the algae known as zooxanthellae recolonize it otherwise it may die
scientists diving on the reef in march and april recorded an average death rate of 35 percent for bleached coral in the north and central parts of the reef mass bleaching reduces the disparity between corals that might survive and those that are more vulnerable resulting in higher death rates across the reef professor hughes said
another scientist verena schoepf from the university of western australia said portions of the reef off the kimberley coast had suffered severe but patchy bleaching and death rates of about 15 percent so far in the current bleaching event the kimberley region is across the far north of the state of western australia
we are seeing these events occur so close together due to global warming that coral does not have time to recover professor hughes said some of the large 50  to 100 year old corals we saw on the very northern parts of the reef are now dead we wont see them there again


paris   the tears are becoming habitual for shelby rogers she stood on court for the second consecutive match her racket at her feet and tears flowing down her cheeks while she savored her latest stunning victory
rogers had never been to the fourth round of a major tournament before sunday but once there she demonstrated all the composure of an experienced hand smothering the 25th seeded irina camelia begu 6 3 6 4 on suzanne lenglen court for her fourth straight upset victory and a date in the french open quarterfinals against garbine muguruza
with a no 108 ranking and four straight wins on the rust colored clay of roland garros rogers may be the most unexpected american hit in france since jerry lewis
i keep reminding myself to play one point at a time and that this is just another tennis match an elated rogers said after the match but thats getting a little bit harder to do as the rounds get farther
with each successive challenge rogers has produced an almost shocking victory much to the dismay of no 17 karolina pliskova elena vesnina no 10 petra kvitova and now begu
when she earned her spot in the fourth round by beating kvitova in three sets rogers reacted to the winning point by dropping her racket and putting her hands to her face as tears leaked out
it was much the same on sunday although she had an easier time with begu the players were on serve in the second set with begu serving at 4 5 rogers won the first point then was faced with a high bouncing ball that had drifted well wide to her backhand
begu seemed to calculate that she had won the point but rogers pounced on it and hit a backhand around the pole for a winner begu looked anguished three points later begu hit long and again rogers dropped her racket put her hands to her face and cried
one hundred percent tears all the time she said laughing sad happy hungry reading a book watching a movie they flow very easily
this time during a postmatch interview marion bartoli the former player from france provided a tissue which gave rogers the opportunity to beam
there was less emotion on display when no 2 andy murray disposed of the last remaining american man no 15 john isner on a damp day in which matches were again delayed by rain the soggy conditions slowed isners thunderous serve and after a tough first set murray won handily 7 6 9 6 4 6 3
i dont think the conditions had much to do with it isner said i have lost to andy on every surface
richard gasquet the no 9 seeded frenchman delighted the fans on philippe chatrier court by holding on to beat no 5 kei nishikori 6 4 6 2 4 6 6 2 it was also a good day for stan wawrinka last years champion and the no 3 seed he also needed a fourth set but beat no 22 viktor troicki 7 6 5 6 7 7 6 3 6 2
the biggest upset on the mens side belonged to albert ramos vinolas of spain who defeated the eighth seeded canadian milos raonic 6 2 6 4 6 4 ramos vinolas 28 is ranked 55th in the world and has reached the fourth round at a major tournament for the first time
in womens doubles venus and serena williams defeated vitalia diatchenko and galina voskoboeva 7 6 8 4 6 6 0 in a continuation of a match that had been suspended after the first set on saturday but only about two hours later the williams sisters took to the court again for their third round encounter against kiki bertens and johanna larsson who won 6 3 6 3
ousted in doubles the williams sisters can concentrate solely on singles where each is scheduled to play a fourth round match on monday they are on the opposite side of the draw from rogers and muguruza who have played each other just once muguruza beat rogers in straight sets on hardcourts last year in miami
but the red clay seems to be rogerss preferred surface she grew up in south carolina not far from the site of the wta tournament in charleston where the clay is green but rogers noted that the first time she played on red clay at an international tennis federation junior tournament in llanos de curundu panama eight years ago she won twice
can i just say i won singles and doubles first time on red clay she playfully pointed out during her news conference i want to add that
still for rogers 23 to get this far is a most unexpected achievement she was the second to last player accepted into the main draw but she has never played better she has never won a singles title and her best year end ranking was 72 in 2014 injuries hampered her play last year and she fell to no 146
her previous best performance in 10 major tournaments was a third round showing at the united states open last year
now her task grows more challenging as she enters the second week of a major tournament for the first time taking down the no 4 muguruza one of the most complete players on tour when her game is honed would be no easy feat
on sunday muguruza defeated no 13 seeded svetlana kuznetsova   a french open champion in 2009   6 3 6 4 and advanced to the french open quarterfinals for the third straight year
im ready to step up to the challenge rogers said i have nothing to lose i have no pressure its just been a great experience here and i want to keep enjoying it and keep pushing myself im definitely outside of my comfort zone already i keep telling myself you belong here you belong here 
rogers may not feel any pressure but muguruzas confidence is soaring a finalist at last years wimbledon muguruza has never been past the quarterfinals at the french open
this is where i have stopped in the past muguruza said which means im extremely motivated to move on
but the same goes for rogers she said that she had gone to her parents to hug them in celebration tears still flowing of course after each match and each time they had told her the same thing youre not done


san francisco   in the last five years ahmed mansoor a human rights activist in the united arab emirates has been jailed and fired from his job along with having his passport confiscated his car stolen his email hacked his location tracked and his bank account robbed of 140000 he has also been beaten twice in the same week
mr mansoors experience has become a cautionary tale for dissidents journalists and human rights activists it used to be that only a handful of countries had access to sophisticated hacking and spying tools but these days nearly all kinds of countries be they small oil rich nations like the emirates or poor but populous countries like ethiopia are buying commercial spyware or hiring and training programmers to develop their own hacking and surveillance tools
the barriers to join the global surveillance apparatus have never been lower dozens of companies ranging from nso group and cellebrite in israel to finfisher in germany and hacking team in italy sell digital spy tools to governments
a number of companies in the united states are training foreign law enforcement and intelligence officials to code their own surveillance tools in many cases these tools are able to circumvent security measures like encryption some countries are using them to watch dissidents others are using them to aggressively silence and punish their critics inside and outside their borders
theres no substantial regulation said bill marczak a senior fellow at the citizen lab at the university of torontos munk school of global affairs who has been tracking the spread of spyware around the globe any government who wants spyware can buy it outright or hire someone to develop it for you and when we see the poorest countries deploying spyware its clear money is no longer a barrier
mr marczak examined mr mansoors emails and found that before his arrest he had been targeted by spyware sold by finfisher and hacking team which sell surveillance tools to governments for comparably cheap six  and seven figure sums both companies sell tools that turn computers and phones into listening devices that can monitor a targets messages calls and whereabouts
in 2011 in the midst of the arab spring mr mansoor was arrested with four others on charges of insulting emirate rulers he and the others had called for universal suffrage they were quickly released and pardoned following international pressure
but mr mansoors real troubles began shortly after his release he was beaten and robbed of his car and 140000 was stolen from his bank account he did not learn that he was being monitored until a year later when mr marczak found the spyware on his devices
it was as bad as someone encroaching in your living room a total invasion of privacy and you begin to learn that maybe you shouldnt trust anyone anymore mr mansoor recalled
mr marczak was able to trace the spyware back to the royal group a conglomerate run by a member of the al nahyan family one of the six ruling families of the emirates representatives from the emirates embassy in washington said they were still investigating the matter and did not return requests for further comment
invoices from hacking team showed that through 2015 the emirates were hacking teams second biggest customers behind only morocco and they paid hacking team more than 634500 to deploy spyware on 1100 people the invoices came to light last year after hacking team itself was hacked and thousands of internal emails and contracts were leaked online
eric rabe a spokesman for hacking team said his company no longer had contracts with the emirates but that is in large part because hacking teams global license was revoked this year by the italian ministry of economic development
for now hacking team can no longer sell its tools outside europe and its chief executive david vincenzetti is under investigation for some of those deals
new evidence suggests to mr marczak that the emirates may now be developing their own custom spyware to monitor their critics at home and abroad
the uae has gotten much more sophisticated since we first caught them using hacking team software in 2012 mr marczak said theyve clearly upped their game theyre not on the level of the united states or the russians but theyre clearly moving up the chain
late last year mr marczak was contacted by rori donaghy a london based journalist who writes for the middle east eye an online news site and a founder of the emirates center for human rights an independent organization that tracks human rights abuses in the emirates mr donaghy asked mr marczak to examine suspicious emails he had received from a fictitious organization called the right to fight the emails asked him to click on links about a panel on human rights
mr marczak found that the emails were laden with highly customized spyware unlike the off the shelf varieties he has become accustomed to finding on the computers of journalists and dissidents as mr marczak examined the spyware further he found that it was being deployed from 67 different servers and that the emails had baited more than 400 people into clicking its links and unknowingly loading its malware onto their machines
he also found that 24 emiratis were being targeted with the same spyware on twitter at least three of those targeted were arrested shortly after the surveillance began another was later convicted of insulting emirate rulers in absentia
mr marczak and the citizen lab plan to release details of the custom emirates spyware online on monday he has developed a tool he called himaya   an arabic word that roughly means protection   that will allow others to see if they are being targeted as well
mr donaghy said he was frightened by mr marczaks findings but not surprised
once you dig beneath the surface you find an autocratic state with power centralized among a handful of people who have increasingly used their wealth for surveillance in sophisticated ways mr donaghy said
the emirates have cultivated an image as progressive allies of the united states in the middle east their rulers often highlight their sizable foreign aid budget and their womens rights efforts but human rights monitors say the emirates have been aggressive in trying to neutralize their critics
the uae has taken some of the most dramatic steps to shut down individual human rights activists and dissenting voices said james lynch the deputy director for amnesty internationals program in the middle east and north africa it is highly sensitive to its image and fully aware of who is criticizing the country from abroad
last summer mr lynch was invited to speak about labor rights at a construction conference in dubai and was turned away at the airport officials did not give a reason but he later saw that his deportation certificate listed reasons of security
mr mansoor who still resides in the emirates has been outspoken about the use of spyware but is increasingly limited in what he can do he worries that anyone he speaks to will also become a target
and more recently the state has started punishing the families of those who speak out as well in march the emirates revoked the passports of three siblings whose father was charged with attempting to overthrow the state
youll wake up one day and find yourself labeled a terrorist mr mansoor said despite the fact you dont even know how to put a bullet inside a gun


donald j trump   he of the huge rallies beautiful wall and superlative buildings   is happy to go small at least with his team
asked on fox news sunday about hillary clintons stark advantage in staff and organization mr trumps campaign manager corey lewandowski insisted that the trump campaign preferred to have a smaller leaner more efficient team
he dismissed as ridiculous the notion that mrs clintons edge in paid staff around the country put the trump campaign at a disadvantage or that there was any confusion among republican donors about which trump affiliated super pac to support
he also shook his head when asked about a report of dissension within the lean and efficient team including fears among the staff that some of the campaigns trump tower offices were bugged with listening devices
this is media hype he said he also said that the relationship between him and paul manafort the trump campaigns chairman and chief strategist who was widely reported to be mr lewandowskis chief internal rival was fantastic
there is no sunlight between me and paul he said
as for the reports of people fearing they were targets of bugging he said i think thats a lot of speculation i dont think thats going on at all
mr manafort appearing on abcs this week also gave a less than definitive denial about the bugging
do i believe it he said no i dont believe it but i dont know who said that
mr manafort also tried to do some damage control on mr trumps attack on gov susana martinez of new mexico which came during a campaign rally in her state but he said the media had misunderstood the criticism of governor martinez who is hispanic
he was talking about the welfare system and how its out of control in new mexico mr manafort said he also argued that mitt romney the 2012 republican presidential nominee had criticized mr trump because he was jealous
senator dianne feinstein democrat of california also appeared on the show defending mrs clinton after a damaging report from the state departments inspector general about her use of a personal email server
hillary herself has said yes i made a mistake if i had a chance to do it over again id do it differently i mean what do people want senator feinstein said this goes on and on and on were reaching the final stages of a primary hillary clinton is going to win this primary i say enough is enough
ms feinstein a clinton supporter also expressed frustration as she has in private about senator bernie sanderss aggressive campaign against mrs clinton in spite of the fact that he trails her significantly in the delegate count
he ought to be able to read the signposts as well as anybody else and if he did that he would know that its all but over she said so the question comes you know why doesnt he do those things which bring all democrats together so that we can have a convention thats positive not negative   so that we can have a platform that all this great wide broad based party can say this is my platform i am proud of it and the democrats together can march to victory in november
mr sanders himself seemed less than ready to start the unifying the party
the inspector general just came out with a report it was not a good report for secretary clinton he said on cbss face the nation that is something that the american people democrats and delegates are going to have to take a hard look
he also said that he would not try to sway superdelegates in states where mrs clinton had won the popular vote in primary contests but he expressed his usual frustration that many superdelegates had given their support to mrs clinton before the voting began
thats not rigged he said i think its just a dumb process which has certainly disadvantaged our campaign
he also appeared on nbcs meet the press calling the upcoming primary in california where polls show him to be closing in on mrs clinton as the big enchilada but he also explicitly said that mrs clinton was a better choice than mr trump for president
but where my mind is right now is to do everything that i can in the remaining caucuses and primaries to try to win them and make the case he said but if your question is do i think that secretary clinton is significantly a better candidate for america than is donald trump that is not a debate of course that is true
senator marco rubio of florida appeared on cnns state of the union with jake tapper in an almost somber interview about his dashed presidential hopes he confirmed his long held intention not to run for re election in florida though he said that maybe he would have if a good friend of his lt gov carlos lopez cantera of florida were not running for the office but he also said it was likely that he would run for president or some other office in the future
mr rubio whom mr trump disparaged as little marco said he would go to the republican convention and if asked speak in support of the partys nominee because i dont want hillary clinton to be president but he also said he was not interested in being mr trumps running mate
in my view that wouldnt be the right choice for him he said we have real policy differences on foreign policy and on some other issues and i think he just   he would be better served by having someone more aligned with him on some of these things or someone who didnt run against him and had some of the interaction that we had
he did say though that he would be interested in being commissioner of the national football league
i mean who wouldnt want that job he said


tehran   in a sign of further tension between regional rivals iran will not allow its citizens to travel to saudi arabia for the annual muslim pilgrimage to mecca in september irans state television reported on sunday
the decision which means that tens of thousands of iranians cannot make their spiritual journey to the main pilgrimage site of islam came after several failed rounds of talks between officials of both countries and on the heels of accusations that saudi arabia has started a cyberwar against iran
irans culture minister ali jannati told state television that no pilgrims would be sent to the muslim holy sites of mecca and medina because of obstacles created by saudi officials
in a statement irans hajj and pilgrimage organization condemned saudi arabia for what it said was a lack of cooperation too much time has been lost and it is now too late to organize the pilgrimage the organization said according to the semiofficial mehr news agency
the saudi ministry of hajj and umrah accused a visiting iranian delegation of refusing to sign an agreement resolving issues they will be responsible in front of allah almighty and its people for the inability of the iranian citizens to perform hajj for this year the ministry said in a statement published by the official saudi press agency
the annual hajj pilgrimage is one of the pillars of islam according to religious tenets every muslim is duty bound to visit mecca the absence of iranian shiites during the pilgrimage will further widen the rift with sunnis some extremist sunni adherents accuse shiites of not being true muslims
relations between iran and saudi arabia have remained strained since the start of the conflict in syria more than five years ago iran supports president bashar al assads government in damascus while saudi arabia supports rebel militias
throughout the last year there have been tensions over iranian visits to mecca during the 2015 hajj many pilgrims died in a stampede with saudi arabia claiming around 700 deaths and iran saying more than 4500 people had been killed an independent investigation by the associated press put the death toll at 2411
in january iranian protesters ransacked the saudi embassy in tehran after a shiite muslim cleric was executed in saudi arabia events that led to the severing of diplomatic ties between the two countries
besides supporting several opposing groups in multiple conflicts in the middle east both countries are engaged in a low level cyberwar since saturday several websites belonging to official institutions including that of irans cyberpolice have been taken down by hackers in an interview with state television the deputy commander of the digital police force hussein ramezani said the ip addresses of the attackers originated in saudi arabia
among the targeted websites were crucial pieces of government infrastructure including the deeds and property organization and the postal service irans statistical center was also hacked
the al jazeera news channel reported that a saudi hacker known as nimr tiger of saudi arabia had announced that his group electronic decisive storm attacked iranian satellite channels websites the semiofficial iranian news agency tabnak said other sites had been hit by a hacker called da3s
this is not the islamic state tabnaks website said it appears this comes from saudi arabia
the attacks occurred a week after gen gholamreza jalali the head of the iranian passive defense organization warned against coming cyberattacks by saudi arabia
in 2012 saudi arabia accused iran of hacking the state owned oil company saudi aramco an attack widely seen as iranian retaliation for the hacking of its main oil terminal on kharg island in the persian gulf
in march the united states justice department unsealed an indictment against seven iranian computer experts accused of carrying out cyberattacks against several targets including financial institutions and a dam in the united states as part of an assignment for irans islamic revolutionary guards corps on sunday general jalali said the experts were still in iran


orlando fla   delegates puffed on e cigarettes between chants of freedom educational booths proclaimed the virtues of hemp trickle up economics and the literature of ayn rand a woman on stilts wearing purple angel wings greeted activists as they milled between seminars on drug war policies and on how to abolish the government in three steps
in a year when the two major parties are consumed by tensions defections and chaos the libertarian party which sees itself as their alternative displayed some of the same traits as it wrestled with nominating two former republican governors for its presidential ticket at its annual convention over the weekend but there was also a palpable sense of excitement at the event held at a hotel here less than 10 miles from disney world
for an antiwar party that promotes legalizing marijuana and tearing up the tax code 2016 has brought hope that acceptance in the political mainstream is imminent amid broad discontent with the probable nominees from the major parties
we have been given the gift of trump and clinton said larry sharpe a businessman and candidate for the libertarian vice presidential nomination their ears are open and i want them to hear who we are and vote for us for who we are
the libertarian party is the countrys third largest by voter registration excluding people who consider themselves independent but it is often overlooked as a political sideshow with a hodgepodge of positions that many consider to be either overly liberal on social issues or too conservative fiscally
with donald j trumps rise spawning a contingent of conservative republicans who will not support him and backers of senator bernie sanders feeling that the democratic party is favoring his opponent hillary clinton libertarians think they are poised to peel away voters from both sides the party aims to be on the general election ballot in all 50 states
there are republican voters who are going to feel cheated by the fact that their presidential nomination has been taken by a reality show star and there are democratic voters who are going to feel cheated when that corporate shill boxes out senator sanders at the convention in that rigged process nicholas sarwark the libertarian partys national chairman said on sunday when those people feel cheated we present an option for them
although only the most fanatical party loyalists feel confident about their chances of winning the presidency many think that libertarians are poised to win a record number of votes some believe they could steal a state which no third party has done since george wallace in 1968 or get enough votes to influence the election as ross perot and ralph nader did
more than disrupting the election though they see it as a golden opportunity for true national exposure and expansion the party received more than a million votes in 2012 its most ever and recent polling suggests a growing appetite for third party candidates
an nbc newswall street journal poll this month found that 47 percent of registered voters would consider a third party candidate if mr trump and mrs clinton were the major party nominees political analysts were taken by surprise this spring when two separate polls showed gary johnson the former new mexico governor and the 2012 libertarian party nominee pulling 10 percent and 11 percent of the national vote
the party chose mr johnson again as its standard bearer at its nominating convention on sunday if he can get to 15 percent in polls he can stand on the debate stage as the first third party candidate to do so since mr perot in 1992 the feat would provide a bounty of free news media attention for a party that does not have the money for expensive advertising or voter outreach efforts
mr johnson believes that with sufficient exposure and a positive message he can attract both the young progressive voters who are backing mr sanders and republicans who want limited government but fear that mr trump would ratchet up spending and start trade wars
we should be portraying an optimistic message mr johnson dressed in a dark suit with no tie and wearing sneakers said in an interview life is good in america
looking to add credibility to his campaign mr johnson is teaming up with william weld the former massachusetts governor as his running mate mr weld who has compared mr trumps immigration policies to those of nazi germany said he was reaching out to republican donors who have decided that they cannot support their partys presumptive nominee
im going to go knocking on every door i can to try to help us along mr weld said
as with republicans and democrats the libertarians displayed their own intraparty divides on sunday during a raucous round of voting many delegates expressed concern that the party was becoming a landing ground for failed former republicans and sacrificing its purity to appear more palatable mr johnson secured the nomination on the second ballot of voting and mr weld was forced to publicly promise his allegiance to the party before he was voted onto the ticket also on a second ballot
the possible effect of the libertarians on the november election remains unclear as most state polls have not included any of the candidates and the party is not yet on the ballot in every state
kyle kondik of the center for politics at the university of virginia said a ticket with mr johnson and mr weld could capture many votes in their home states of new mexico and massachusetts alaska arizona colorado and nevada have also shown a propensity to find unconventional candidates appealing he said so the libertarians could tilt close races there
the libertarian ticket is kind of a mix of left and right mr kondik said there is potential appeal for it to be a soft landing spot for voters of all stripes
still the climb will be steep there were just 411000 registered libertarian voters as of february and mr kondik noted third party candidates tend to underperform their poll numbers
ultimately it would be a giant shock if they carried even one state mr kondik said perot never did and he got 19 percent
despite efforts to broaden their base and become an acceptable alternative to the american public libertarians battle perceptions that they are republican lite or old white guys the conventions carnival like atmosphere belied those caricatures a cross dresser clad in a leopard print leotard strode across the stage with an umbrella to introduce one candidate and professional dancers basked in strobe lights at a party before the candidates debated on saturday night
the debate itself offered a window into some of the challenges the libertarians face as they try to package themselves for broader consumption while sticking to their limited government principles the conversation often drifted into strained arguments about how common sense would keep heroin out of the hands of children how government issued drivers licenses are unnecessary   one suggestion was a pink flashing light for new drivers   and how public infrastructure could be built without taxes
who will build the roads austin petersen a presidential candidate and founder of the libertarian republic a magazine said during the debate where were going we dont need roads
there were also lesser known presidential hopefuls such as vermin supreme a performance artist who wandered the event with a rubber boot on his head and marc allan feldman who began his speech with a libertarian rap in which he proclaimed republicans and democrats are wack
and then there was john mcafee the antivirus software pioneer who in 2012 was in hiding in belize after the police there sought him for questioning in the death of his neighbor mr mcafee who presented a campaign video declaring heres to the crazy ones doused some of the enthusiasm when he said none of the candidates   himself included   had any chance of becoming president
win or lose most remained encouraged that this year will be important for the libertarian party and that even if they do not take the white house this time there are opportunities to win state and local races and to convert republicans and democrats
scott scrimshaw a community chaplain from oregon switched from republican to libertarian six months ago after he surveyed the field of candidates and found himself disappointed a longtime admirer of ronald reagan he said that he could not trust mr trump with his vote and that he did not want to choose between the lesser of two evils
i feel we are really on the edge of entering a new era of american politics mr scrimshaw said the era of the third party


in the house in queens that morning a telephone rang
a stranger with a gun stood nearby his face hidden behind a ski mask he pointed the gun at one of the men who lived there
pick up the phone he said according to a criminal complaint speak in english anything other than english ill shoot you
the hostage answered
the events on that march day last year with police officers arriving in droves to an armed robbery in one home and a standoff in another rattled the predominantly bangladeshi block in jamaica a block that breathed a collective sigh of relief when the suspect surrendered that afternoon
but that relief disappeared last week with the disclosure by prosecutors of a far more sinister scheme in connection with that day one meant to ensure that the suspects trial would end in his favor the addresses of both homes and the names of people inside had been jotted on a list the list was for a hit man the police and prosecutors said with instructions to kill everyone on it so they could not testify
a young man outside one of the homes brushed off a reporter on wednesday
its still going on he said before driving away
it all began on march 16 2015 a monday around 8 am a man in a ski mask knocked on the front door of an attached house on a block of 168th street one of several nearly identical homes in a row but the door was not chosen at random
the mans name was edward leasure 35 the police said he had been in prison twice after convictions for theft and robbery a woman answered his knock and mr leasure stepped inside according to the criminal complaint he led the woman and her husband into a bedroom
wheres the safe he asked the husband according to the complaint you had a big party saturday night i know you have a safe show me the safe or ill shoot your wife in the foot
the woman grabbed some cash 300 and handed it to mr leasure then he left not through the front door but through an exit that led to the roof said a neighbor arman hossain 37 he climbed over the short partitions that separated the rowhouses passing over one house then another and another stopping at the fourth
the police were coming the couple from the first house had called 911 and officers arrived in cars and vans and from above a helicopter
mr leasure entered the second home and punched a woman in the shoulder according to the complaint he gathered her and two other people in a room at gunpoint be calm dont scream he said according to the complaint im just going to wait until the police leave
that is when the phone rang it was the hostages brother calling at the urging of the police officers suspecting that mr leasure was hiding inside had instructed the brother about what to say on the phone
speaking in their native bengali the brother asked is there a man in there with a gun the complaint states if there is say ok see you for dinner
the hostage careful to obey his captor answered in english ok ok ok he said yes dinner
the call ended mr leasure took a pair of pants from the house and stashed his own in a pile of laundry the complaint states he also hid his ski mask jacket boots and in a dresser drawer his gun
two floors below in the basement mr hossain the neighbor was unaware of the situation upstairs and why the police were outside i hear boom boom boom on my door he said last week swat team officers hurried him outside to a van
the standoff lasted about four hours mr leasure surrendered
his trial was set for next month last week prosecutors announced the arrests of mr leasures girlfriend and his father and described the murder for hire plot
one month ago the father eddie marcus 53 approached a man in jamaica the same neighborhood the standoff was in and offered to pay him to kill witnesses who would be testifying against his son according to another criminal complaint mr marcus gave the man the list of names the complaint states
a few days later mr marcus introduced the man who is not identified in the complaint but who cooperated with the queens district attorneys office to his sons girlfriend latisha larrymore 31 ms larrymore said she knew someone who would sell him a gun and a silencer the complaint states
on may 12 in a telephone call monitored by the police ms larrymore told the man she had asked a friend for money but the friend had refused the complaint states she discussed forms of collateral
the plot ended there ms larrymore and mr marcus were arrested on may 23 and charged with conspiracy and solicitation to commit murder ms larrymore according to the complaint said that mr leasure from jail had instructed her to meet his father because his father had found a lawyer who will take care of the situation which she said was code for a hit man
the account of ms larrymores actions is difficult to reconcile with her public persona in recent months ms larrymore who poses atop her motorcycle in facebook photos was in an accident in july and lost a leg her recovery and rehabilitation have been the subject of facebook videos applauded by her friends as well as the focus of an online fund raising effort
i cant believe it because shes a churchgoing person her grandfather wendell larrymore 81 said on friday she got mixed up with the wrong person
mr leasure has not been charged in the conspiracy his scheduled trial date in june   and its list of witnesses   remains unchanged


rome   the migrant ships kept sinking first came a battered blue decked vessel that flipped over on wednesday as terrified migrants plunged into the mediterranean sea the next day a flimsy craft capsized with hundreds of people aboard and on friday still another boat sank into the deceptively placid waters of the mediterranean
three days and three sunken ships are again confronting europe with the horrors of its refugee crisis as desperate people trying to reach the continent keep dying at sea at least 700 people from the three boats are believed to have drowned the united nations refugee agency announced on sunday in one of the deadliest weeks in the mediterranean in recent memory
the latest drownings   which would push the death toll for the year to more than 2000 people   are a reminder of the cruel paradox of the mediterranean calendar as summer approaches with blue skies warm weather and tranquil waters prized by tourists human trafficking along the north african coastline traditionally kicks into a higher gear
taking advantage of calm conditions smugglers in libya send out more and more migrants toward italy often on unseaworthy vessels drowning deaths are inevitable even as italian coast guard and navy ships race to answer distress calls last year more than 3700 migrants died in the mediterranean a figure that could be surpassed this year
in a statement on sunday the united nations childrens fund said many of the migrants who drowned in the past week were believed to be unaccompanied adolescents
the grisly week also underscored the complex problem that the refugee crisis poses for europe the continents leaders facing an anti immigrant backlash in many countries have signed a controversial deal with turkey that so far has sharply reduced the migrant flow into greece last year roughly one million people marched through the balkans toward germany
yet closing the greek route has shifted attention to the longer more dangerous sea route from libya to italy as of wednesday roughly 41000 migrants had been rescued at sea after leaving libya nearly the same number from the same period last year according to the united nations and the international organization for migration
the potential for a sudden increase in traffic is clear an additional 4000 migrants were rescued on thursday alone the same day that as many as 550 people died on the second migrant boat that sank
this was a very intense and exceptional week for the number of fatalities said federico fossi a spokesman for the united nations high commissioner for refugees
the deaths also point to the lack of solutions to the migrant crisis which has been exacerbated by the violent chaos in libya and fueled by the conflict in syria
officials with the refugee agency have been interviewing survivors of the three shipwrecks after they have been delivered to italian ports those interviews were the primary basis for the estimate of 700 deaths though some migration specialists cautioned that the number might turn out to be higher the italian authorities have also released grisly video footage taken by rescue ships approaching at least two of the sunken vessels
what was apparently the deadliest episode occurred on thursday a boat was towed away from the libyan coastline by a larger smuggler ship survivors described being crammed onto a flimsy vessel filled with 670 people once the larger boat dropped the towline the smaller one capsized
there were already 100 people missing from the ship that sank on wednesday   a wooden fishing boat that flipped within sight of the italian navy which later released a video that showed desperate people clinging to the deck or being tossed into the sea on friday the navy rescued 135 migrants   and recovered 45 bodies   from a sinking smuggling boat on its way from libya to italy
this week was a massacre said giovanna di benedetto a spokeswoman in sicily with save the children the nonprofit humanitarian group
mr fossi the united nations spokesman warned that the death toll could grow and surely many of those victims will be women and children as usual he added
the vast majority of migrants trying to reach italy are coming from sub saharan african nations like eritrea gambia ghana and nigeria last year refugees from syria afghanistan and iraq poured into europe mostly traveling through turkey into greece
now that the greece route is largely shut down the question is whether syrians and iraqis will try to reach libya for the dangerous journey to italy that was the case in 2014 before smugglers began focusing on greece
prime minister matteo renzi of italy has tried for months to force the european union to focus on libya he raised the issue again at the recent meeting of the group of 7 nations and has proposed holding a group of 7 meeting next year in sicily which has borne the brunt of italys migrant crisis mr renzi also has proposed the creation of euro bonds to help finance the response to the crisis   a move opposed by germany so far
much attention has been focused on germany as it absorbs nearly one million refugees who arrived last year but italy is also feeling the strain with the summer migrant season soon to arrive more than 115000 migrants are already in italy an enormous increase from only a few years ago
italian news media regularly broadcasts videos and photographs of sinking boats as well as men women and children wrapped in thermal blankets in one striking image a rescue official held a 9 month old girl who had lost her pregnant mother
on saturday at the vatican pope francis showed a gathering of children a life jacket used by a syrian girl who died while trying to reach the greek island of lesbos
migrants are not a danger   they are in danger francis told his young audience


jerusalem   in a politically fractious country troubled by monumental security challenges israels military has long served as an equalizer and unifier a peoples army that at least in the eyes of the jewish majority reflected the general interest
but the israeli people and with them the government have shifted to the right amid an upsurge of palestinian stabbings and other attacks now the military finds itself at the center of a tumultuous debate about its role as the nations conscience and most trusted institution
some government ministers and an increasingly shrill segment of the public have been pushing for tougher action in the face of months of palestinian attacks that have killed about 30 civilians and soldiers other israelis want the military to remain a moderating force and a bulwark against extremism
the debate about the militarys role has been highlighted by a series of clashes among its high command the government and an aggressive segment of the public in recent months the pressure on the military is also growing in light of the appointment of avigdor lieberman a hard liner as defense minister mr lieberman has been among the harshest critics of israeli security policies and will now serve as the armys overlord
his immediate predecessor moshe yaalon a conservative and former military chief of staff who was pushed out had staunchly backed the generals who have spoken out against manifestations of extremism in the ranks and in broader society
generally the image of an army is that it wants to push forward and it has to be restrained sometimes by the politicians statesmen who think in a wider context and know that they need to make compromises said shlomo avineri a professor of political science at the hebrew university of jerusalem in israel the present situation is almost the opposite
the military chiefs mr avineri said are not wishy washy liberals the fissure is not between the traditional israeli right and left he said but between strategic hawks or pragmatists who put israels security first and ideological hawks who are more concerned with historical rights and jewish nationalism
in recent years mr avineri said senior military officials together with the mossad and shin bet security chiefs were widely credited with having opposed and ultimately blocked israeli government plans to prepare for an attack on irans nuclear facilities believing that it would have disastrous consequences
the debate over the militarys role could have a profound impact in israel where most jewish 18 year olds are drafted for compulsory service and many perform reserve duty for decades after
during independence day celebrations this month millions looked skyward to catch a glimpse of the traditional cross country flyover of fighter jets hercules transport planes air to air refueling craft and attack helicopters the commanders of the air ground and naval forces often become household names here
but the recent surge in violence has strained those views of the military
the wave of terrorist attacks or intifada or whatever you want to label the events of the past eight months have raised the level of fear in israeli society said yohanan plesner the president of the israel democracy institute a nonpartisan research group
that puts a lot of tension on the military leadership and the soldiers who are put in situations where they are supposed to fight terror protect themselves and comply with the idfs values he said referring to the israel defense forces
lt gen gadi eisenkot the chief of staff of the israeli military recently caused a stir when he told an audience of high school students that he would not want a soldier to empty a magazine on a palestinian girl of 13 holding a pair of scissors he was attacked by rightist politicians who advocate a policy based on the talmudic lesson whoever comes to slay you slay him first
the military chiefs have urged restraint and a strict adherence to open fire regulations saying a soldier should shoot to neutralize a threat but not beyond that at the same time palestinians and human rights groups accuse the military of excessive use of force in the west bank where it enforces israels 49 year occupation
the military brass also came under fire for its swift condemnation of the actions of an israeli sergeant elor azaria who fatally shot a disarmed and wounded palestinian assailant in the head as he lay on the ground after he had stabbed and wounded another soldier many israelis including mr lieberman said the denunciation prejudged the case and undermined the troops as they battled palestinian violence outraged israelis flooded social networks and hailed sergeant azaria who has been charged with manslaughter as a hero
prime minister benjamin netanyahu backed the military prosecutors but sensing the public mood also called the soldiers father in a show of support
then maj gen yair golan the deputy chief of the military caused an uproar in a speech for israels holocaust remembrance day this month when he said he discerned disturbing trends in israeli society that reminded him of processes that led to the rise of nazi germany
mr netanyahu rebuked general golan criticizing his remarks as outrageous and said the idf is the peoples army and must remain out of political debates
the militarys code of ethics known as the spirit of the idf states clearly that the armys mission is to protect israel and its independence while being subordinate to the directions of the democratic civilian authorities and the laws of the state
still commanders are encouraged to voice their opinions freely in what the politicians call appropriate forums
yaakov amidror a major general in the reserves and a former national security adviser said that there is no war between the military and the prime minister instead he said general golan crossed a forbidden line between the professionals and the decision makers
because we force everybody to serve mr amidror said we have to be even more conservative in what officers can say
underlying the complexity of the issue mordechai kremnitzer and yedidia z stern both vice presidents of the israel democracy institute penned opposing views about general golans speech in the hebrew edition of the haaretz newspaper
in an article written with prof avi sagi one of the authors of the spirit of the idf mr stern criticized general golan for becoming involved in the public discourse while in uniform mr kremnitzer countered army values do not spring up from within the military but are derived from the core values of israeli society he argued that it was general golans right and even his duty to warn of any damage to those values
military civilian lines are further blurred in israel by the number of retired generals who try to capitalize on their army prestige by entering politics
but the army remains the one island of social solidarity where the countrys political and economic divides vanish
micah goodman an israeli american jewish philosopher had just returned from a week of reserve duty with his infantry unit in northern israel where he said he slept in the field with high tech investors and truck drivers all wearing the same uniform
according to the ethos said mr goodman 42 the people are meant to educate the army meaning that the values of the army are a projection of the values of the people
but as in many other places in the world he said there is a sense that those social values are eroding
the more that israelis feel that israel is losing its core values and that the army is the last bastion of those old school israeli values he said so the temptation of reversing the model grows


speedway ind   every year for decades on the morning of the indianapolis 500 the speedway historian donald davidson made it a tradition to walk from his home here to the indianapolis motor speedway which is about a mile away
when davidson decided to move here from his native england in 1964 to pursue his fascination with the greatest spectacle in racing   as it was widely known then   he chose to live in speedway the town named for the racetrack within its borders
there was never any other real consideration for him
i mean where else would i live he said grinning speedway the town and the speedway itself have become my life
indeed davidsons encyclopedic knowledge of the race and more than a half century of attending it and associating with its stars is listed by some sources alongside the actress joyce dewitt of threes company among the towns most notable residents she merely lived here as a child davidson has been living in the same house here within earshot of the epicenter of racing for nearly five decades
now 73 and somewhat hobbled by arthritis in his ankles davidson concedes that he has had to give up his neighborhood walk in favor of a ride but he will always remember the ritual fondly he would leave his home through the back gate walking a few paces down a back alley onto 15th street then zigzag over toward 16th where the speedways main entrance used to be davidson said he would be reminded what a grass roots tradition the race was for so many others
you would see fathers and sons families and friends carrying their picnic baskets and their blankets their chair cushions dragging their coolers it was a very cool thing he said it was so all american i loved it always did still do
by the time he would reach the gates of the famed brickyard the trickle of friends and neighbors he started out with would integrate into an ever larger throng of racegoers who swelled this working class towns population normally about 12000 residents to several hundred thousand
the speedway and the town were founded by carl fisher who along with a group of partners bought a large tract of farmland five miles west of downtown indianapolis in 1909 the two and a half mile racetrack was built first and rebuilt again with a brick surface two years later after an original base of cinders proved too destructive and the first 500 mile race was held in 1911 the town was laid out a year later
fisher envisioned the town as an experiment he wanted to create a new kind of city a 20th century city populated by cars not horses as its primary mode of transportation not only would the residents build the cars and parts to supply greater indianapoliss burgeoning auto industry they and the town would also produce inventions and innovations in transportation
the towns mission statement was fulfilled to a degree as several plants were built and operated here for many years feeding a middle class economy but speedways growth was stunted by an overall decline in the indianapolis auto industry
when davidson moved here speedway was in many ways just a quiet little town   except for the month of may when the hordes would converge here for weeks of practice qualifying and the race itself practice days could draw 50000 pole position qualifying might bring in 200000 the race for which official attendance figures were never given drew an estimated 400000 making it the largest single day sporting event in the world
but in the last 20 years the race and the sport of indycar racing itself have been in decline a dispute between speedway management and the competitors for control of the sport devolved into boycotts the split of sanctioning bodies and schedules and the general flight of sponsors
though the rift was healed over time the sports recovery has been further slowed by a rocky economy so the old wounds have been hard to heal and the herds flocking to the speedway on race mornings have been thinned by more than the loss of davidson
but this year the indications were that the good old days may be back again
this year the town will be more like it was for many years on race day at least because of the huge amount of interest around this years 100th running of the 500 davidson said adding this would be a good year to do the walk again
speedway the town built by a racetrack more than a century ago was once again the center of the racing world


oklahoma city   golden states record 73 regular season wins prompted much conjecture about how the stephen curry led warriors would have stacked up against the michael jordan powered chicago teams that once posted 72 victories in 1998 the bulls won the last of their six nba championships with jordan but only after finding themselves in circumstances similar to what these warriors are now facing
that spring the top seeded bulls were taken to a seventh game by the indiana pacers in the eastern conference finals between games 6 and 7 the bulls coach phil jackson huddled with his players and told them not to fear failing
the fear is not losing jackson told them the fear is not producing the effort needed
steve kerr now the warriors second year coach was an important reserve on that bulls team and he remembers distinctly what happened next jordan spoke up and said something to the effect of forget that only his language was too blue for black and white newsprint
his teammates got the point behind sparkling performances from luc longley toni kukoc and kerr who contributed 11 points off the bench the bulls handed the pacers a 5 point defeat at united center in the series deciding game and went on to beat the utah jazz in six games in the nba finals in jordans last rodeo with the bulls
eighteen years later it is the defending champion warriors turn to navigate a game 7 conference final unlike the 1998 bulls the warriors are in the early stages of dynasty building some thought their foundation was crumbling after they lost three of the first four games in this series to the surging oklahoma city thunder but since then golden state has dramatically held on and it can still validate its unprecedented regular season performance by winning this round and then a second straight championship
after winning games 5 and 6 against the thunder including saturday nights instant classic here the homebound warriors will also have momentum and the crowd on their side monday night at oracle arena
however kerr said weve got to play a great game our crowds not going to be enough
it will be kerrs first game 7 as a head coach but he has experience as a player that he can fall back on during a pro career that spanned a decade and a half he appeared in 128 postseason games as a backcourt contributor including a few game 7s kerrs introduction to the most dramatic of series curtain closers was the 1992 eastern conference semifinals when the cleveland team he played for turned back boston two years later kerr by then a bull appeared in another in the second round of the 1994 postseason with jordan on his baseball sabbatical chicago lost to the knicks
the 1998 game 7 against the pacers made a lasting impact on kerr in particular he took to heart jacksons directive about approaching the challenge with maximum effort and minimal fear
and sometimes you have to fail   as kerr did with the cavaliers in 1992   to learn how to succeed the warriors core of curry klay thompson and draymond green was on the losing end of a game 7 in the first round of the 2014 playoffs against the los angeles clippers after which mark jackson was fired as the coach paving the way for kerrs hiring
then came a championship and now another game 7
have another opportunity to get the job done curry said late saturday night after he contributed 31 points including consecutive 3 pointers in the final minutes to erase what remained of the thunders 8 point fourth quarter lead with 14 seconds left curry raised his hands and gave the sellout crowd at chesapeake energy arena a seven finger salute
if we thought tonight was hard game 7 is going to be even tougher said curry who also had 10 rebounds and 9 assists we cant expect just because were at home we can just show up and win
given his familys history in seventh games curry ought to consider hanging garlic bulbs from his locker to ward off evil spirits a toronto raptors team coached by lenny wilkens took the philadelphia 76ers to a game 7 in the 2001 eastern conference semifinals but lost by a point when vince carter missed a last second jump shot off an inbounds pass from currys father dell
stephen curry who was 13 at the time watched the game from home on tv
im still mad at lenny wilkens for making him the takeout man on the last shot he said of his fathers role in the final play but its cool just being around the game and understanding the hype and the sense of urgency in a game 7 situation
dell curry who was at saturday nights game to watch his son reflected later on what lies ahead monday night theres a little more pressure he said you cant think about that you have to treat it as another playoff game no panic trust each other make big shots dont get too high or too low
his son contributed a few more bullet points in his postgame news conference be physical be smart execute our game plan
curry could have been summarizing the play of his teammate andre iguodala in the final 2 minutes 6 seconds of game 6 iguodala recorded a layup two steals and an assist in that span prompting kerr to proclaim him as kind of the unsung hero
iguodala who was named the most valuable player of the nba finals last spring is the warriors philosopher king
we have a lot of believers on this team he said saturday night we say the course and the process is the journey and youve got to enjoy each moment and not look ahead not look back
last year the warriors dispatched the houston rockets in five games to advance to the finals this seesaw series however stomach roiling has given the warriors a moment worth savoring
im excited to go back home for game 7 green said because man to be in this situation people would die for this
he added theyre going to come out and battle were going to come out and battle
and kerr shall lead them after saturdays game which included 11 lead changes he ran into rick welts the warriors president and chief of operations in a hallway
that was kind of fun kerr told welts
kerr used the same word again in his postgame news conference as he talked about game 7s why not as jackson more or less told him 18 years ago embrace the moment and the results will take care of themselves


dakar senegal   one robot slammed into some blocks and nearly fell to the floor another sideswiped a wall yet another spun in dizzying circles
so when the robot built by students from an all girls school finally navigated the twists of the maze flawlessly rounding every corner and touching every required flag the crowd went nuts
the girls were among students from 25 schools who gathered in dakar to compete in the second annual pan african robotics competition
for five days in a city where horses and carts are still fixtures on the many unpaved roads boys and girls from sixth grade to high school hunched over laptops and tablets at a camp entering code to guide their small blue robots through a labyrinth meant to test their skills in a competition on the final day
the event was organized by sidy ndao a senegalese born engineering professor at the university of nebraska lincoln who is on a mission to help further science technology engineering and math education known as stem skills in west africa
in america the need for more stem education has become a stump speech delivered by many economists and business leaders they emphasize that improving these skills will help the united states create more jobs compete better globally and increase its economic growth
the same is true dr ndao said in senegal and across west africa where incorporating stem education can help set a course to improve everything from sanitation systems to agriculture and can create jobs in a place with soaring unemployment
theres a lot of work to be done here said dr ndao 33
it is not that schools in the region do not emphasize math and science already the all girls school at the competition the mariama ba de goree school is known as one of the best math schools in senegal though some schools outside dakar the capital do not even have electricity many private schools in the city have computer labs include math and science clubs and offer more technology courses than in the past
but dr ndao said the schools sometimes emphasized rote memorization rather than focusing on contextual learning students do not connect theories they learn with practical experiences he argued
we have kids brought in from math and science schools and when they see an airplane flying they think its magic dr ndao said but if you give them any math problem they can solve it
dr ndao went to school in senegal until his teenage years struggling through elementary school but something clicked in junior high and he decided math was his thing
dr ndaos parents wanted a better education for him so he went to new york where he lived with a relative and enrolled in high school dr ndao said he had quickly risen to the top of his high school class and received a scholarship to city college of new york where he studied mechanical engineering
but there was a catch he said he was in the united states illegally people wanted to hire me but i didnt have any papers he said
dr ndao is an author of a paper titled near field heat transfer enabled nanothermomechanical memory and logic devices but when he first got out of college he went to work sweeping the aisles of a 99 cent store in the bronx
eventually he entered a masters degree program at city college then went on to complete doctorate and postdoctoral work at new yorks rensselaer polytechnic institute and the massachusetts institute of technology his documentation issue was resolved when he married an american citizen he said adding that he has a green card now
at the university of nebraska dr ndao a fan of nanotechnology has focused on very small things and how they transfer heat he is researching how heat instead of electricity can be used for computations in space exploration
having settled into a tenure track position in lincoln where he lives with his wife and five children dr ndao wants to help west african children understand how math and science can improve their country he persuaded the university of nebraska to help sponsor the robotics event
in senegal entrepreneurs and government officials are embracing the idea of improving stem education a technology hub under construction in a new city being built outside dakar will contain training and research facilities coding clubs for girls and women are popping up in the country and across the region
but there are challenges internet access is expensive and schools in some areas do not have electricity
dr ndaos camp and competition are still a work in progress despite the pan african title the schools that sent students this year to the dakar event were all from senegal something that dr ndao hopes will change
his event aimed to tie together the farming societies of nebraska known for its corn and senegal known for its peanuts
on some american farms satellite controlled driverless tractors are being tested to help make farmers work more efficient in parts of senegal farmers can be seen bending over fields carved by a horse drawn plow
we can change our future if we learn more about technology said joanna kengmeni one of the students at the camp
at the camp students built robots from a kit learned to program them and then created models of farms of the future that incorporated uses for their robots one team created a robot with a fan that could cool crops in desertlike heat or at least monitor temperatures students said another team planned to use its robot for weed removal
another student at the camp arame coumba dieng who was dressed in a head scarf and pink uniform said she had taken to coding immediately
for me its not difficult ms dieng said you just need concentration
ms diengs parents had religious schooling but they did not go to a traditional school to learn math and science so they sent her from their village to dakar to study at the lycee de thiaroye one administrator there described her as miss mathematics
i love math she said
ms dieng said she was not sure how she would reach her goal of becoming an engineer she needs to balance her dreams with returning to her home village after graduation to help her parents who have trouble making enough money to survive


a number of republicans rationalize donald j trumps proposals on immigration and trade as just political show similarly some free trade democrats suggest that hillary clintons protectionist stance is merely rhetoric
but academic research and recent history show that newly elected presidents try to hew closely to their campaign commitments
new presidents actually believe they have a mandate feel empowered said shirley anne warshaw a presidential scholar at gettysburg college there is no reason to think it would be any different this time
thus politicians and voters should assume that a president trump would start deporting millions of undocumented immigrants and building a wall along the mexican border threaten china with a trade war roll back regulations concerning wall street and the environment and make nice with the russian president vladimir v putin
the assumption should be that a president clinton would seek to increase taxes on the wealthy initiate a plethora of new social programs that fall well short of what bernie sanders has advocated and stymie the proposed trans pacific partnership trade accord
there was some skepticism whether as candidates ronald reagan and george w bush were serious about their huge tax cut proposals they were or whether barack obama really would push to overhaul the health care system he did
sometimes presidents follow campaign commitments that are politically risky president bill clinton fulfilled his promise to ease a ban on gays in the military which at the time was not popular and some presidents need to be dragged into breaking an unwise promise it took the elder george bush almost two years to abandon his no new taxes pledge the 1990 budget deal with tax increases had two effects it helped usher in the economic good times of the 1990s and cost mr bush politically
mr trump who has railed against politicians who dont keep their promises could be expected to start deporting 11 million undocumented workers he said hed do so over two years without specifying how he would cover the astronomical costs he would also try to start building the wall along americas southern border though it would most likely cost much more than he estimates and he wont be able to compel mexico to pay for it
on trade international and domestic laws would limit his ability to make good on his vow to impose huge tariffs on chinese or mexican goods he could try to circumvent these restrictions by invoking presidential powers in responding to an unusual and extraordinary threat
under a trump presidency wall street and environmental regulations would presumably be rolled back he could be expected to tap industry friendly regulators and get congress to starve funding for the affected agencies and obtain some legislative changes
mr trumps foreign policy isnt clear to most though he seems to have given little thought to the subject as his pronouncements are largely generic other countries need to bear more of the burden for their own defense for example there are some unconventional views he has spoken of his admiration for mr putin the president can take military action against a perceived threat and mr trump might not be shy in doing that
in the case of mrs clinton some wall street backers say her proposals and tougher rhetoric on banks is just a political response to her democratic rival bernie sanders dont bet on it but you can bet that shell push hard to raise taxes on the wealthy
on trade there is a view among some of her policy and business supporters that she really is a free trader and that her opposition to mr obamas pacific trade pact and her pledge to renegotiate the north american free trade agreement are just political gesturing in reality she wouldnt back down and the trans pacific partnership pact is dead if it isnt enacted in a lame duck session after this years election
mr trump lacks a lot of policy specifics but both he and mrs clinton have laid out a road map of where they want to take the country voters should take that seriously


how do you memorialize a priest like the rev john c flynn from 1989 until he retired   reluctantly   in 2010 he led st martin of tours church and became famous for taking his ministry into the bronx neighborhood of crotona when he despaired over saying funeral masses for teenagers felled by drugs and gang violence he took to the streets offering to exchange a crucifix for a gun it was symbolic he admitted but so he said was the cross that was at the center of his faith
symbols matter so why not a street sign for a street priest
on friday several dozen friends and parishioners gathered on east 182nd street at the corner of grote street for the unveiling of a sign for john c flynn way the last time so many people gathered on the corner to celebrate father flynn was in september 2012 when hundreds spilled onto the streets after his own funeral mass at the church that was a gray day with rain hiding the tears that streamed down mourners faces
it was sunny on friday the kind of day father flynn relished especially during his regular walks through the neighborhood the warmth held the promise of summer but it also salved a fresh wound the week had begun with a funeral for sister cecilia mccarthy a longtime ally of father flynns and the principal of st martin of tours school from 1967 to 2001 the school closed in 2011 a victim of falling enrollment and growing deficits despite the entreaties of father flynn and others
one by one those who dedicated decades to improving the spiritual and material lives of residents of this part of the bronx have gone on to their eternal rewards today there is much talk about a so called new bronx where developers and investors promise to bring jobs and housing though skeptics of gentrification question whom it is all for but if the once ravaged parts of the borough have enjoyed a modest comeback it is because of people like father flynn sister cecilia and her successor sister nora mcart and astin jacobo the schools custodian a relentless community advocate
they represent the old bronx in the best sense of that phrase father flynns legacy forged on the streets included helping residents organize and demand their fair share from the city whether in housing public safety or education he was among a group of clergy members who acted as liaisons to the police in the unsettled days after the shooting of amadou diallo in 1999 and when drug dealers said real jobs would get them off the streets father flynn put together the save a generation program to get them high school diplomas and employment training
the strength of the old bronx was its people who learned to have confidence in themselves and pride in their communities at a time when both qualities were in short supply father flynns early years at the church were marked by murders more or less on every nearby block on some days he could stand on the church steps and watch customers filing into the apartment building across the street to buy crack vials labeled st martin green cap a brand name inspired by the church
despite these trials father flynn always managed to find a way to smile and he always made sure to be out on the street where he would learn who was sick hungry or looking for work on friday his old friend ramona robles showed up for the unveiling of the sign wearing a shirt adorned with a faded image of father flynn in his vestments she had helped him cook for church events now she returned to honor him
whenever someone was killed in the neighborhood he would go and pray to bless the place she said when my husband was sick with cancer father flynn dedicated himself to being with him they talked about the yankees and when my husband died father flynn let us have his wake at the church for three days
a few of the young people who met him decades ago also gathered on friday including jose padilla who led the effort to persuade councilman ritchie torres a bronx democrat to sponsor the street naming father flynn loved being among young people whether to toss a ball   he remained slim and fit into his 70s   or to talk baseball and religion during visits to the school
the schools closing had been heartbreaking for the community though father flynns memory was failing by then he cobbled together a proposal to save the school his idea was to run it for catholics evangelical christians and muslims who would share academic courses and study religion separately he wrote to officials of the archdiocese of new york but the proposal went nowhere today the old st martin of tours school is a public school
father flynn died at 83 a year after the school closed a devotee of saint francis of assisi he never got to savor the election of pope francis but his life   spent among the poor in love and service   had already presaged franciss pastoral priorities in a diary he kept for the new york times in 1994 father flynn was clear about his lifes work
love includes suffering but nonlove not facing loves responsibility also includes suffering he wrote the choice you must make is which suffering to avoid the suffering that love demands and that brings peace or the suffering that comes from emptiness and feelings of nonfulfillment


washington   in recent days sri lanka zimbabwe and south africa joined the growing list of countries hunting down tax evaders among citizens who own offshore accounts the french bank bnp paribas said it would shut its cayman islands branch in pakistan a cricketer turned politician who had attacked the prime minister over his familys offshore accounts admitted that he too had used a shell company
and the group of 7 nations meeting in japan agreed to crack down on illicit finance
it was the latest fallout from the panama papers the largest leak of secret documents to journalists in history in the eight weeks since the publication of the first articles by some 370 reporters in 76 countries an effort organized by the international consortium of investigative journalists the impact of the revelations on the shadowy world of offshore finance has been striking   even as prospects for long term reform remain uncertain
investigations are underway in dozens of countries including the united states proposed laws requiring disclosure of the true owners of offshore companies to tax collectors or to the public have new momentum cartoonists have had a field day reflecting the widespread anger and disgust pressuring governments to act
the reaction around the world has been pretty spectacular said gabriel zucman an economist at the university of california berkeley who has estimated that 8 percent of the worlds personal wealth is hidden in tax havens the demand for financial transparency and tax reform is really growing its the first time theres been public outrage at the global level on these issues
the disclosure by an anonymous leaker of 115 million documents from a panamanian law firm at the center of the offshore industry to a german newspaper was a landmark in another way as well it was the latest and biggest in a series of recent megaleaks establishing the large scale unauthorized disclosure of government and corporate secrets as a contagious phenomenon that is unlikely to go away
since 2010 when a low ranking intelligence analyst in iraq copied thousands of classified files onto cds labeled as lady gaga songs and gave them to the antisecrecy organization wikileaks it has become clear that technology has revolutionized leaking pfc chelsea manning then known as bradley disclosed hundreds of thousands of diplomatic cables and military field reports in 2013 edward j snowden citing private manning as an inspiration gave a similar number of highly classified national security agency documents to a few journalists
about a year ago a self described whistle blower using the name john doe contacted bastian obermayer a reporter for the newspaper suddeutsche zeitung in munich and eventually passed to him a far greater volume of material from the panamanian law firm mossack fonseca the trove totaled 26 terabytes more than 1000 times the size of the manning files in a subsequent manifesto issued by way of the german newspaper john doe cited the precedent of mr snowden who he said deserved a heros welcome
trevor timm the executive director of the freedom of the press foundation which supports what it calls transparency journalism said the impact of each leak had inspired the next leaker
especially with the panama papers i think its now a trend mr timm said when people inside organizations see the impact that whistle blowing on this scale can have they follow that example
none of this would have been conceivable in the photocopier era when the panama papers would have required a fleet of tractor trailers to deliver these are disclosures not of documents but of databases   entire libraries said steven aftergood who tracks government secrecy for the federation of american scientists john does manifesto was tellingly titled the revolution will be digitized
of course what many advocates cheer the organizations exposed by the leaks denounce in a series of statements mossack fonseca has criticized journalists use of information stolen from our files asserted that news reports misrepresented the nature of our work and threatened legal action it is not clear whether john doe is a disgruntled insider or a hacker who broke into the law firms files as the firm has suggested
the same tools that are being used by activists and journalists for what they consider to be high minded purposes can be used by others hackers stole nude photographs from celebrities apple accounts in 2014 and posted them on the web a computer break in later that year attributed to north korea obtained hundreds of sony corporation emails many of which were made public the hacker group known as anonymous has released voluminous email files of two security firms stratfor and hbgary federal
for mr obermayer and a colleague at suddeutsche zeitung frederik obermaier the fact that anonymous companies created by mossack fonseca were being used to evade taxes and launder illicit money justified publication they shared the panama papers with the international journalists group to bring strength and local expertise to the data
when the articles were published their newspapers web servers crashed from the initial volume of readers mr obermayer said it was a really strange feeling   that something that started with you has led to mass demonstrations in several countries
within days icelands prime minister whose offshore company was revealed by the papers had stepped down so had a spanish government minister an armenian justice official and a member of the ethics committee of fifa the world soccer association president vladimir v putin of russia whose friends had moved 2 billion through offshore companies denounced the disclosures as an american plot to smear his country
a mexican cartel suspect was arrested in uruguay at an address disclosed in the documents sierra leone began to investigate mining contracts the swiss police raided the european soccer headquarters the art market was rocked by revelations of subterfuge in the sale of valuable paintings the list went on
in the united states the revelations of hidden wealth have resonated amid growing public concern about economic inequality the word yacht appears in the documents 19380 times president obama has deplored how the rich and some companies are gaming the system as he said the documents showed and has proposed multiple reforms
in fact some experts believe the panama label is misleading obscuring the central role of several states including delaware wyoming and nevada in registering companies with hidden ownership mossack fonseca probably represents just 5 or 10 percent of the industry creating anonymous companies mr zucman of berkeley said so the disclosures have left the vast majority hidden
and no matter where shell companies may be registered he said much of the wealth they own is invested in the united states in real estate stocks and bonds the us could find out who the true owners are mr zucman said
but the united states may illustrate the difficulty of moving from splashy revelations to serious change states with a stake in the lucrative corporate registration business are likely to resist serious changes and congress appears unlikely to act anytime soon on comprehensive reform bills
the offshore system is incredibly resilient with a ton of smart lawyers and accountants to find new ways to hide money said marina walker guevara the deputy director of the international journalists consortium
david marchant the editor of offshorealert a news site that covers offshore finance called the panama papers an extraordinary event that dwarfs past exposes of the industry a session on the leak at the annual offshorealert conference in miami this month grew heated he said as champions of transparency debated industry players who said privacy had been trampled
mr marchant said he believed the reform push from the leak would fade the people using the offshore system to evade their financial responsibilities tend to be very wealthy and influential people he said he predicted that any changes in laws and regulations after the disclosures would be mostly window dressing
on the other hand mr marchant said the example of john doe will probably be followed by other leakers this is the age we live in he said this record will be broken before long


fort worth tex   the dinner crowd was sparse for a downtown steakhouse a handful of families and couples lost in conversations ryan lundeby 32 an army ranger with five deployments to iraq and afghanistan took in the scene from his table seemingly meditative beneath his shaved head and long beard
he was not
he watches hes always watching he notices everything said his wife mary superman noticing skills thats what i call it look hes doing it now   ryan
that table over there mr lundeby said his voice soft his eyes holding a line the guy threw his straw wrapper on the ground im waiting to see if he picks it up
he did not mr lundebys breathing slowed
after 14 years of war the number of veterans with multiple tours of combat duty is the largest in modern american history   more than 90000 soldiers and marines many of them elite fighters who deployed four or more times new evidence suggests that these veterans are not like most others when it comes to adjusting to civilian life
an analysis of army data shows that unlike most of the military these soldiers risk of committing suicide actually drops when they are deployed and soars after they return home for the 85 percent of soldiers who make up the rest of the service and were deployed the reverse is true
its exactly the opposite of what you see in the trauma literature where more exposure predicts more problems said ronald kessler of harvard who led the study
the findings may shed a clearer light on the need of this important group of veterans whose experience is largely unparalleled in american history in their numerous exposures to insurgent warfare without clear fronts or predictable local populations researchers are finding that these elite fighters do not easily fit into the classic mold of veterans traumatized by their experience in war as psychologists and others grow to understand this they are starting to rethink some approaches to their treatment
the idea that these elite fighters can adapt solely by addressing emotional trauma some experts said is badly misplaced their primary difficulty is not necessarily one of healing emotional wounds they thrived in combat it is rather a matter of unlearning the very skills that have kept them alive unceasing vigilance snap decision making intolerance for carelessness the urge to act fast and decisively
i dont even leave my house much said jeff ewert who served with the marines in iraq and now lives in utah im scared not because im an uber killer or anything i just minimize my exposure because i know how easy it is to cross that line to act without thinking
alan peterson an air force veteran who oversees two large research consortiums studying combat stress at the university of texas health science center at san antonio is sharply aware of the challenges turning off this hyper hardwiring after returning from a deployment is not an automatic function of the brain he said we have virtually no science to guide us in managing these instincts we need to figure that out or were going to end up with a generation that struggles for much of their lives
mr lundebys ranger battalion specialized in extractions   surprise raids on high ranking insurgents the soldiers usually struck at night   vampire work some called it   and often the missions were over within a couple of hours
it is one thing to train for such work it is another to perform well when something goes sideways in a 2007 raid in baghdad the team blew the front door off a house leaving a screen door half attached the first man inside   the point man and team leader   tripped on the screen and fell down mr lundeby was behind him
you want to help him you feel this almost tidal pull he said but thats someone elses job yours is to keep the momentum going
he next remembers being in the house the green haze of the night vision gear going room to room watching for anything amiss and then a few doors down we pulled the guy out put him in the truck and were gone done
the military is very good at identifying and amplifying the psychological factors that make a high performing fighter the pentagon has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on testing and analyzing these elements but its researchers publish very few of their findings and refuse to speak in specifics on the record
psychiatrists and psychologists who have worked with the military say the sought after mental profile is based largely on two well known kinds of testing one is a 44 item questionnaire that assesses personality the other test is intended to gauge performance
people who excel in combat tend to be assertive active excitement seeking and enthusiastic
i hate to use the cliche but these are guys who love to be at the tip of the spear said a psychologist who works with the military he asked that his name be omitted to protect that relationship its more than the camaraderie theres a need to protect life directly   and if necessary to take life
the performance measure has more to do with attention and decision making it is based in part on a theory of concentration styles developed by researchers studying athletes
the classic analyst takes in the information and then retreats into their head and wants to think about it then maybe checks the environment again and thinks some more said dr charles a morgan iii a psychiatrist at the university of new haven who has worked extensively with special operations forces the elite combat troops operate much differently he said they immediately take in their surroundings they have a high degree of external focus but theyre able to switch internally make a quick decision   then act and adjust as they go
in training and in combat this intense awareness and decision making become much sharper essentially the decision making and acting become second nature said bret moore the deputy director of the armys warrior resiliency program of the regional health command central in san antonio you do not want these guys thinking too much
that may help explain the recent suicide findings the research team led by dr kessler of harvard and dr robert ursano of the uniformed services university of the health sciences analyzed 496 suicides among men in the army from 2004 to 2009 the risks for two jobs   infantryman and combat engineer   were higher across the board at 37 per 100000 each year but the rate was 30 per 100000 while deployed compared with 40 per 100000 when back home the rate across the rest of the army was much lower at home 15 per 100000 compared with during deployment where it was 22 per 100000
these are the guys we think who are getting into fights or in trouble with the law who are impulsive and dont manage well when theyre back in a civilian world that seems boring and frustrating dr kessler said
mr lundeby had the makings of a combat soldier from an early age growing up in modesto calif the younger of two brothers he was mostly easygoing   a boy scout a driven athlete   but for a sensitivity to injustices small and large he had this intense sense of what was fair and just and he would go toe to toe with anyone said his mother vicky lundeby he had to be the one to make things right
that quality left him feeling bored and disconnected after high school studying graphic arts at a local community college the news coming out of iraq in 2003 put him in motion he signed up for the army reserve then the national guard in 2005 hurricane katrina landed his guard unit in new orleans working for a month to contain looting and help people evacuate to safety i decided right there he said i want to do this every day
katrina changed him said his father luther i feel like it gave him that purpose he wanted
ryan lundeby joined the army and soon set his sights on the rangers beginning an intense training regimen in 2007 he deployed for the first time to iraq it felt like christmas finally a chance to do this for keeps
but returning home for good in 2010 he was a man on constant patrol he raged at fellow drivers whom he considered rude or careless he confronted litterers often by picking up the offending cigarette butt or fast food wrapper and throwing it in their faces when a driver cut off mary then his fiancee on her way home from work he jumped on his motorcycle in nothing but running shorts and prowled the neighborhood to make the man pay
i dont know what i would have done if id found him he said but i feel like thats what happens to guys you react   and next thing you know the police are there
the combat veterans in this category form a pretty closed club said ford sypher a friend of mr lundebys and a fellow ranger who deployed five times and after leaving the army has returned to the middle east now as a documentary filmmaker we dont talk about this stuff much with anyone but were all trying to figure out ways to manage it
for now there is no therapy that reliably reverses or dials down the instincts acquired in multiple combat tours military backed researchers are experimenting with a variety of approaches for these veterans including virtual reality and biofeedback techniques in effect to train new instincts that overwrite the old ones
there are psychologists who argue that vigilance snap decision making and other combat attributes can be helpful in some aspects of civilian life you begin by letting people know that theyre not crazy its not at all abnormal to have these reactions   its normal said richard tedeschi a psychologist at the university of north carolina charlotte who works with veterans and those skills he added can be turned to a future mission whether thats related to family or helping other vets or to a job
mr lundeby has been lucky he has a supportive family and group of friends and a wife who understands his quirks and helps him manage them she was the one who demanded he visit a veterans clinic which led to therapy with a former marine who understood how to get him to think before acting   even if the urge was strong
he got me to ask do i have time to do this   to right every wrong said mr lundeby who several months ago landed his first post deployment job at a helicopter manufacturer and he got me to see the humanity of the people i was confronting
so i may always be a ranger in some ways he said but ive stopped trying to be the worlds sheriff


on oct 26 1981 a beautiful fall monday in new york a small group of cbs sports officials gathered in the executive dining room at the network building at west 52nd street and sixth avenue the dark granite heap known as black rock after a sumptuous lunch served on fine china a vote was on the agenda the winner of the poll would become the networks top nfl play by play voice and the partner of john madden the new primary color commentator for cbss football coverage
the loser was of all broadcasters vin scully
yes that vin scully the legendary voice of the los angeles dodgers and major league baseball broadcasts now in his 67th and final year behind the microphone the veneration scully has received during his victory lap this season is well earned as one of the games foremost raconteurs the 88 year old scully is widely considered among the best in the business
but there was a time when his trademark wordiness and deliberate pace cost him a prime gig and the chance to work with one of footballs biggest personalities
cbs sports had little prestige in the spring of 1981 when terry oneil then 31 became an executive producer a fallen wunderkind oneil had risen quickly through the ranks at abc at the time considered by many the leading broadcast sports network he had been producer of the highest rated show in sports television at the time monday night football but had lasted only a few weeks his mistake was to run afoul of the shows star howard cosell who ran oneil off the show and eventually off abc
a side note scully had been considered for the original play by play role on monday night football but could not escape his baseball contract to take the job
oneil was hired by the president of cbs sports van gordon sauter a bearish man with a henry viii beard and an erudite mien he is also a brother in law of gov jerry brown of california and given the mandate to turn around the entire operation that included remaking the announcing teams for the nfl then as now the networks most important sports property
oneil made the operation more professional but it was sauter who saw the potential in a former coach and everyman who had completed two undistinguished seasons as a cbs analyst madden
hed only done a handful of games to that point oneil said and none of them were sent to new york audiences i had never seen him live on the air
after hunting up tapes of maddens work on games and watching his miller lite commercials oneil was convinced
he was obviously a great personality waiting to burst oneil said
once it was agreed upon at cbs that madden would become the star sauter gave oneil new marching orders find him a partner
a seasoned hand was required to guide the nascent color analyst cbs was fortunate to have two top choices even having let two promising young announcers bob costas and al michaels slip to the competition pat summerall was entrenched in the top slot but there were two concerns
first summerall a former giants kicker with a basso profundo voice had taken to drinking in the broadcast booth with his partner tom brookshier and his work had suffered as a result
second sauter hugely preferred another cbs broadcaster scully
in 1975 scully reduced his workload with the dodgers to assume a more frequent national presence on cbs including prestigious assignments like the masters and less distinguished ones like celebrity challenge of the sexes he also called regional football games for the network
sauter thought it was time to elevate the elegant scully to a more prominent role the two men shared a powerful agent ed hookstratten and it was widely assumed in television circles that the fix was in
the rumors were that it was a done deal oneil said
oneil however strongly preferred summerall thinking that his terse style would make a better combination with the energetic and verbose madden than the similarly loquacious scully
it was a question of the pacing the timing oneil said in televised football replays are a tremendous part of the production oneil said the better person to frame madden would be summerall the decision carried extra weight because cbs would broadcast that seasons super bowl
sauter and i went back and forth for a few weeks oneil said i hoped it would remain private but of course it didnt the sports media world was alive with the gossip that as oneil put it the new kid from abc was already in trouble with his boss
he added the only hail mary i had to achieve the correct outcome was to suggest that we listen to both teams together in actual game action
oneil suggested that cbs put off a final decision until after the eighth week of the nfl season scully would work four games with madden in september while summerall was working the united states open tennis tournament then in october when scully jumped to cbs radio for the baseball postseason madden would work four games with summerall
i knew it was no way to treat two guys on the way to the broadcasting hall of fame oneil said we tried to camouflage it in the press   the new kid being me needs to see the personnel at work that sort of thing but it inevitably took on the feeling of a face off for the role i belatedly realized there was going to be a loser and it would be awkward
it swiftly became apparent that oneils initial judgment had been correct summeralls concision worked far better with the bombastic madden than did scullys pull up a chair storytelling once you saw the two combos on the air oneil said it was very easy to see
only one man   sauter   remained unconvinced speaking of the madden scully pairing oneil said that sauter could have brute forced it on me if he wanted to instead oneil persuaded his boss to take a straw poll including votes from a half dozen other cbs sports lieutenants in late october and just after that lunch in the cbs executive dining room the executives voted one by one for summerall
sauter went around the table oneil said saving him for last oneil recalled the moment i began to agree with the rest of the guys   well not to echo whats already been said but ...   that sort of thing before i got any further sauter slammed his fist down on the table rattling the china i know what you think he yelled
outflanked sauter relented and summerall was given the top spot oneil said the fact sauter allowed himself to be outvoted tells you a lot about him
there was one tricky detail left someone had to tell scully that he had lost a broadcasting contest the job fell to oneil
in my naivete i thought i could sell it as a positive he said but i didnt handle it well
scully was across town in a hotel preparing to call game 6 of the world series between the yankees and the dodgers for cbs radio when the telephone rang in his room
oneil said i offered to come over to talk to him but he said just tell me 
oneil tried some ham handed spin telling scully that he had good news scully would be working the rest of the season with hank stram and would call two playoff games including the nfc championship game he left out the fact that the super bowl would be called by the winner of the competition summerall who went on to work with madden for the next 20 seasons they moved together to fox in 1994
i should have just said that the decision has been made in pats favor oneil said
indeed scully did not see any good news
i understood his disappointment oneil said but it went beyond that scully was spitting mad his contract with cbs was nearing its completion and he soon began to seek other broadcast homes by the spring of 1982 he had left cbs for nbc taking over as the primary voice of its baseball coverage he turned down a hefty sum to stay at cbs reportedly 10 million over seven years according to oneils 1989 memoir the game behind the game scully told cbs management that the two huge factors in his decision to leave were his loss of the vote to summerall and the good news phone call from oneil
scully finished the 1981 season with stram including a memorable call of the nfc championship game which pitted the dallas cowboys against the san francisco 49ers oneil produced the game from candlestick park and worried about tensions backstage but scully took the high road
he was always professional as you would expect oneil said we did the game together without any problems
indeed the game became a classic when joe montana threw the winning touchdown pass in the bay area gloaming with dwight clark hauling in what would later be called the catch scullys call of the moment while not as iconic as his famous descriptions of kirk gibsons world series home run in 1988 she is gone or sandy koufaxs perfect game in 1965 when he wrote his name in capital letters in the record books that k stands out even more than the o u f a x was superb hitting hard on dwiiiiiight ... claaaaaark his voice rising an octave or two to tower above the roar of the delirious home fans
it was his last nfl game scullys only comment for this article was to remember thinking as he boarded a plane out of san francisco that this was a hell of a game to quit doing football
the thought that scully might be as synonymous with the pigskin as he is with the hardball is a tantalizing one but it is hard to argue that cbs erred in selecting summerall to work with madden oneil has no regrets save for the clumsiness in how he told a broadcasting titan that he had been passed over and he remains a fan of scullys work
i thought then and still do now that hes a legend he said


the problem with emerging naked from a flaming temple is that its hard to top
its hard to top that is unless you happen to have a dragon with a flair for dramatic timing so it went on sunday as daenerys targaryen wrapped up this weeks game of thrones with a stump speech for the ages
populist rhetoric check i know most khals prefer an elite inner circle of bloodriders dany told the assembled but i want you all relatable local reference check i remember like it was yesterday khal drogo promising me the seven kingdoms at the mother of mountains easily my favorite mountain in essos
demonization of outsiders you better believe it look at them over there with their iron suits and stone houses they think theyre better than you but were going to show them different oh and by the way did you happen to notice that im sitting on an actual dragon right now and let me hear you say it are you with me now and always
they were its hard to blame them   it was quite the performance i was ready to air out some iron suits and tear down a stone house or two myself and i dont even own an arakh
danys dragon rally wrapped up an episode titled blood of my blood which you may recall is how dothraki leaders and bloodriders address one another the phrase also applied neatly to nearly every other story of the night
there was the excruciating in law meet and greet in horn hill as well as the loathsome walder freys harsh treatment of his own son in law welcome back tobias menzies in kings landing the marriage of tommen and margaery and their ongoing issues create all sorts of awkward ties between the lannisters and tyrells that whole things not going to end well
finally there was uncle benjen the brother of ned stark who made a heroic return to the story saving bran and meera from their wight pursuers with some sort of flaming mace i guess all the other wights got lost
but first back to dany the speech a near copy of the one khal drogo made in season 1 was fiery enough to almost make me overlook a couple of things
one was the convenience of drogons arrival as alluded to above youll recall that he was the one who kicked off this whole dothraki revival tour at the end of last season by dumping dany in a field and apparently disappearing now hes back at her beck and call or are we to believe that drogon knew all along that danys capture was for the best in the long run can dragons have greensight
i guess another possibility is that this was the plan all along   that once dany realized where she was she hatched a plan to be captured and assume command of the dothraki forces but if that was the case why not just use the dragon to do it or why leave the ring for daario and jorah to find its not a huge thing but i hope the writers clarify at some point rather than continuing to rely on the drogon ex machina route
the other thing dany didnt exactly refute daarios point that she was a conqueror not a throne sitter did she rather he almost seemed to remind her oh yeah ive been meaning to rile up everyone with my dragon...
my colleague james poniewozik recently wrote about danys inclination toward permanent revolution contrasting it with tyrions belief in realpolitik solutions will tyrions steadying hand be enough to offset danys wheel breaking proclivities or at least keep her from burning everything up the way her mad father did she certainly seems to have a knack for it
i assume that was him the mad king aerys ii in brans visions he seemed just as charming as advertised it was interesting that the show chose to include him in the same episode that found dany reaffirming her stone house toppling intentions   could it have been a warning which is to say are we sure we want dany to be successful in her attempt to retake westeros shes been a sympathetic character largely because shes been a liberator of the oppressed but isnt that also an expedient way to build an army have we been backing someone who would actually be a disastrous ruler
for the record i would love it if the mother of dragons turned out to be a villain in this story though i dont really expect it to go that way the dragons seem destined to be the fire opposing the white walkers ice
but there could be a fascinating reckoning coming though it likely wont be anytime soon this is dany were talking about   so far shes more prone to spinning wheels than breaking them it could take her another season and a half just to get back to meereen
speaking of leisurely arcs benjens been missing for a while   it turns out he was killed by white walkers but saved by a strategic dragonglass stab by some forest children read that sentence again this show is so nutty sometimes bran spent much of the escape trying to boot up like a three eyed cable box downloading seemingly the entire story including some intriguing things we havent seen yet troubling thought what if this whole show ends with bran staring at a snow globe
the good news for bran is that he traded a hodor for a ranger an upgrade in ability if not in heart no offense big guy wherever you are the previous three eyed raven brought in benjen to watch brans back and he also suggested that theyd all be returning to the main story soon hopefully by heading to the wall to wait for the night king im sure jon snow will appreciate having another formerly dead guy around too   maybe they can start a support group
back in kings landing the high sparrow is proving cagier than many of us probably expected or wanted the joint lannister tyrell offensive came to naught because the sparrow and margaery brought tommen into the fold what just happened mace the lovable doofus asked his mother in kings landing hes beaten us she replied
of course its easy to look smart when your opponent is an inbred boy king a few swords shy of a throne if joffreys penalty for jaime and cerseis sins was psychopathy tommens would seem to be imbecility not only did tommen thwart the planned overthrow of the faith militant by embracing it he shunted jaime off to deal with the blackfish situation at riverrun
thats fine with me i like jaime better on the road anyway especially if he takes bronn with him the preview of next weeks episode seemed to suggest as much cersei was good with it too stand at the head of our army where you belong she told him show them what lannisters are ... and then they both got so fired up with all the revenge talk they collapsed into each others arms dont ever change you crazy kids
i dont think for a second that margaery is buying any of the sparrow rhetoric   if you had any doubt that she was a formidable operator notice how slickly she avoided her own walk of shame but im actually more intrigued by the person weve seen hardly at all her brother loras
when we last saw him he was coming apart groveling in the dirt and ready to do anything to make it all stop i cant help thinking the show is setting him up for some sort of shocking kamikaze act tommen is too valuable to margaery   she controls him and if he goes shell be left looking for another heir to hook up with i dont even know who would be next aside from the eternally rowing gendry
jaime is heading out to riverrun so that leaves ... cersei would the show go there she has a trial by combat coming up as she reminded us sunday and whens the last time anything went wrong at one of those
sorry   i meant right whens the last time anything went right at one of those
finally over at tarly acres sams big reunion with his family combined the real twin pillars of game of thrones awful fathers and terrible dinner parties
meeting the prospective in laws is always tense even if you dont belong to a loathed people and your significant other isnt hated by one of his parents which is to say gilly never really stood a chance of being accepted and sam knew it strategically withholding all potentially inflammatory information from his letter
it wasnt a very large piece of parchment he explained pathetically which i enjoyed but hey at least they got a nice sword out of it
im not totally sure why the shows spending so much time on sam and gilly aside from perhaps using them to stand in for all the humble family units at risk of getting ground up by these clashes between more powerful clans that said you saw sams house hes not exactly the salt of the earth
i imagine the whole point of the homecoming was to put that valyrian steel sword in sams hands for future use you will never wield that sword his father told him which i imagine most of us heard as you will definitely be wielding that sword before long it happened quicker than i thought but good for him
with a dad like that he deserves it
 it looks like our long faceless nightmare may almost be over arya has effectively cut her ties with the house of black and white we thought she seemed unlikely to kill the meryl streep of braavos and she did not which no doubt delighted the horrible waif jaqens dont let her suffer absolutely went in one ear and out the other im happy for arya to introduce the waif to needle and then move on perhaps as a new understudy to replace the troupes resident eve harrington im not sure weve seen the last of those guys based on the warmth between arya and the actress and the casting of richard e grant as the temperamental playwright
 i dont think were through with jaqen either or he with arya i suspect all the apparent exceptions hes made for her   overlooking her nobility giving her another chance after she killed meryn trant   signal an agenda he hasnt revealed yet i do think were done with stick beatings though and for that a man is glad
 i think our father could learn a thing or two from your father sams sister told gilly which made me laugh and then made me feel guilty for laughing craster was the worst which is saying something on this show
 you need at least 1000 ships daario told dany hmm if only there were a couple of renegade siblings with a bunch of ships ...
 hodor never forget
 what did you think was dinner at the tarlys the worst one yet what did you make of brans visions whos naming these swords anyway heartsbane whos been the most reprehensible father on this show please let us know in the comments


sam sifton emails readers of cooking seven days a week to talk about food and suggest recipes that email also appears here to receive it in your inbox register here
good morning i presume youre all set for memorial day if not check out this strong collection of recipes appropriate for holiday feasting and make a plan
but dont just plan today for tomorrow plan for tomorrows tomorrow and the ones that follow and shop accordingly you dont need to be prepper prepared but wouldnt it be nice just this once not to run out of half and half on wednesday morning not to mention if you know youre going to be cooking burgers and brats tomorrow it could be nice to lay in some vegetarian feed tonight - maybe yotam ottolenghis recipe for saffron spiked baked rice with a cucumber mache salad on the side
then on monday grilling for tuesday you could make david taniss recipe for wok fried asparagus with walnuts asparagus bought today will work i promise
on wednesday though how about picking up a fat farmed trout on the way home and making tamar adlers recipe for it she cooks it in a fireplace you could do so on a pan set over your grill or simply on the stove the fish pairs nicely with rice and should you want to add a riot of flavors to your meal a tomato and pomegranate salad
thursday go simple alex witchel got us the recipe for the fettuccine alfredo they used to serve at elaines on the upper east side consume it with more wine than you usually drink and a slow reading of frank conroys stop time
slide a chicken into beer brine before you go to bed and on friday night heading into the weekend you can make this terrific recipe for beer brined roast chicken that we picked up from adrienne cheatham of red rooster harlem in new york
were living well here but if these recipes dont intrigue more and different ones can be found on cooking perhaps youd prefer some stir fried tofu with red chard save the ones you like then cook them
now have you watched the video for this new song from garbage empty which as jezebel pointed out last week sounds just like old garbage songs and thats great youghta shirley mansons 49 and still on top of her game
have you seen this smart funny helpful new entertaining book from the irrepressible holly peterson called smoke  fire recipes and menus for entertaining outdoors its an invaluable guide to hamptons style partying and her hot dog knowledge is strong
and do make some time soon to start reading nathaniel philbricks latest tale valiant ambition about george washington benedict arnold and the importance and perils of loyalty enjoy your holiday tomorrow if you run into problems with the site or apps please reach out for help were at cookingcarenytimescom


new york
an article last sunday about how two manhattan buildings would look if they were built according to current codes misidentified the law that resulted in the development of so called dumbbell tenements throughout new york city it was the tenement law of 1879 not the tenement law of 1901
travel
because of a production error this weekends travel section omits an article intended to accompany a cover article about vladimir and vera nabokovs cross country journeys to the american west during which the author researched lolita the omitted information with suggestions on reading material and lodging on such a trip can be found at nytimescomtravel

an article on may 22 about an emerging dubai arts hub misidentified the currency of the united arab emirates it is the dirham not the dinar
arts  leisure
an article last sunday about the new version of the roots mini series misidentified the university where the historian matthew f delmont is a professor it is arizona state university not the university of arizona the article also misstated stephanie smallwoods position at the university of washington she is an associate professor who was hired as an adviser for the show she is not an assistant professor

an article last sunday about paul simon misidentified the creator of the zoomoozophone an instrument used on mr simons new album it was created by dean drummond not by harry partch

an article last sunday about the ensemble casts in superhero films misstated the release date for the film x men apocalypse it was released on friday may 27   not on friday may 20

an article last sunday about a new espn documentary about oj simpson misidentified an espn spokeswoman who commented on the project she is jay jay nesheim not betsy rudnick the article also misstated the number of movie theaters that will show oj made in america it will be in two theaters in new york and los angeles   not in four

an article last sunday about the new york city ballet dancer maria kowroski misidentified the final movement of vienna waltzes it is known as the rosenkavalier finale not as gold und silber walzer

an article last sunday about the trumpeter susana santos silva misstated the circumstances of one of her appearances in new york city she was to appear in a duo with the saxophonist ingrid laubrock at the manhattan inn on thursday may 26 she was not sitting in for one set with the trumpeter jamie branchs trio then in another set with the trumpeter peter evans and the drummer levy lorenzo

a listing last sunday of 50 summer festivals of music dance and theater misstated the ending date of the ravinia festival in highland park ill it closes sept 17 not sept 11 the listing also misstated the ending date of the saratoga performing arts center festival it closes july 30 not july 3

an article last sunday about august darnells new show cherchez la femme the musical misstated the year that stony browder jr died mr browder a brother of mr darnell who inspired a character in the show died in 2001 not 1991
magazine
an article on may 1 about the representation of the middle class on tv including shows like roseanne misstated the job that the character roseanne conner had at her loose meat sandwich restaurant she was an owner not the manager

an article on may 15 about a child with a rare form of leukemia gave an incomplete name for the website that the childs parents used to arrange play dates and meal deliveries it is lotsa helping hands not helping hands

an article on may 15 about cancer misidentified a type of thyroid cancer that was downgraded it was the encapsulated follicular variant of papillary thyroid cancer not papillary thyroid cancer itself
book review
an essay in the bookends feature on april 3 about shifting critical perspectives on ernest hemingway referred incorrectly to the connection between the southern spanish town of ronda and for whom the bell tolls the town was the model for a locale that served as the setting for events described retrospectively in one chapter by the character pilar   not the setting for the novel as a whole which takes place near segovia some 300 miles to the north
sunday styles
because of an editing error an article last sunday about celebrities who are trying to save elephants from extinction referred incorrectly to the mother of maggie q an actress who starred in nikita and stalker she is not an actress herself and did not appear in either of those shows

a picture caption in the evening hours column last sunday misspelled the name of an award presented at the korea society dinner may 18 it is the van fleet award not the va fleet award it also incorrectly rendered the name of the awards recipient he is kwon oh joon not kwon oh joon and it misidentified a guest he is ambassador oh joon the south korean representative to the united nations not kwon oh joon the evenings honoree
real estate
a may 15 cover article about young people who can no longer afford to live in the neighborhoods where they grew up referred incorrectly to the neighborhood where blink fitness on macombs road in the bronx is and misstated its distance from the apartment of chyann sapp one of the people described in the article it is in mount eden not university heights and about a half mile from her apartment not a few blocks away
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brett eibners single capped the biggest ninth inning comeback in kansas city royals history a seven run rally saturday that lifted the world series champions over the visiting chicago white sox 8 7
theres no shot clock theres no time clock white sox manager robin ventura said if you cant close it out thats what happens today we couldnt close it out
held to six hits through eight innings the royals doubled their total in the 32 minute bottom of the ninth scoring four of the runs with two out eibner who was playing in his second major league game also doubled in the ninth
darvish makes strong return the texas rangers right hander yu darvish made his first major league start in nearly 22 months allowing one run and striking out seven in five innings of a 5 2 win over the visiting pittsburgh pirates darvish who had last pitched in a major league game on aug 9 2014 had tommy john surgery in march 2015
around the majors joey votto scored the go ahead run in the ninth after an inning ending double play was overturned and the visiting cincinnati reds snapped their 11 game losing streak with a 7 6 win over the milwaukee brewers devon travis drove home russell martin with two outs in the bottom of the ninth as the host toronto blue jays rallied to beat the boston red sox 10 9
the new orleans pelicans rookie guard bryce dejean jones was fatally shot after breaking down the door to a dallas apartment authorities said
a man living at the apartment was sleeping when he heard his front door kicked open dallas police senior cpl demarquis black said in a statement when dejean jones 23 began kicking at the bedroom door the man retrieved a handgun and fired
officers who responded found dejean jones collapsed in an outdoor passageway and he later died at a hospital
christian pulisic 17 became the youngest american scorer in the modern era as the united states routed bolivia 4 0 in kansas city kan in an exhibition to sweep its three warm up matches for the copa america
gyasi zardes scored in the 26th and 52nd minutes around defender john brookss goal in the 37th pulisic scored the final goal in the 69th minute at 17 years 253 days he bettered the mark set by juan agudelo 17 years 359 days against south africa in 2010
the united states plays fourth ranked colombia on friday in the copa america opener at santa clara calif
fifa dismisses plot allegation an alleged plot by fifas president gianni infantino to oust the official who oversaw the salary offer he refused to accept has been called ludicrous by fifa world soccers governing body
fifa responded to reports in saturdays edition of frankfurter allgemeine zeitung a german newspaper that the paper said were based on leaked details of fifa council meetings this month infantino told council members a proposed salary of 2 million swiss francs 2 million was insulting the newspaper said
a money win for hull hull secured an immediate return to the premier league and a cash bonanza by beating sheffield wednesday 1 0 in a playoff final in london mohamed diame scored in the 72nd minute on a curling right footed shot from about 25 yards out
promotion is worth at least 250 million in future earnings to hull with the premier leagues new domestic and international television deals starting next season and worth 12 billion over three years
justin gatlin blasted to victory in the 100 meters at the prefontaine classic leading from start to finish with the fastest time of the year
gatlin the 2004 olympic champion who was banned for doping between 2006 and 2010 clocked a wind assisted 988 seconds at hayward field in eugene ore asafa powell finished second in 994 seconds and tyson gay third in 998 seconds gatlin has won the prefontaine event five times
kendra harrison delivered the biggest surprise of the meet with the fastest womens 100 meter hurdles in 28 years storming to victory in 1224 seconds
agence france presse
scott hend eagled no 18 for the second straight day to reclaim the lead at the end of the third round of the bmw pga championship in virginia water england
hend entered tied for the lead with danny willett at 10 under par and ended it at nine under willett dropped five shots in his final 10 holes for a 76 tumbling to a tie for fifth tyrrell hatton shot 66 and was a shot behind hend
around golf ariya jutanugarn made a 15 foot eagle putt on the 18th hole to take a one stroke lead in the volvik championship in ann arbor mich she is trying to become the first player to win three straight lpga tour events since inbee park in 2013 jordan spieth shot a five under 65 even while missing many fairways and a few greens to take a one stroke lead at the dean  deluca invitational in fort worth tex ryan palmer and webb simpson were tied for second rocco mediate shot an even par 71 including his first bogeys of the week in the senior pga championship to take a two stroke lead in benton harbor mich


st petersburg fla   most baseball teams change their uniforms as if they were underwear an alternate third jersey and sometimes a fourth and fifth along with home and away has become de rigueur logos get tweaked patches come and go color schemes get overhauled
throughout the years though the yankees have offered a bulwark against encroaching fads
their uniform today is nearly identical to what it has been for generations pinstripes at home simple traveling grays and a dark blue cap with the iconic interlocking n and y the yankees are the only team in baseball that does not have last names on the back of its home and road jerseys
babe ruth would have looked little different in his uniform from the way alex rodriguez does in his
so it was somewhat jarring friday night when the yankees came to bat here wearing new matte finish batting helmets something they plan to do on the road for the rest of the season
the yankees are hardly the only team that has departed in some way from the glossy hard plastic finish that baseball players wear   at least until they are covered in pine tar dirt and scratches the pittsburgh pirates began wearing them last year the entire national league west wears matte finish helmets this season and the yankees helmets remain the same conservative shade of blue so dark it edges up to the border of black
but still these are the yankees impervious to whims their uniforms a proxy for their blue bloodlines
its a little surprising to see the yankees do this because they never seem to change anything said paul lukas whose uni watch blog on espn catalogs all matter of sports uniform minutiae theyve resisted a lot of the other trends its kind of like why now this seems more spontaneous and spontaneity doesnt seem to be a yankee virtue or characteristic
as it turns out this does not appear to be some marketing maneuver driven from higher ups in the house of steinbrenner it was simple rob cucuzza the teams equipment manager had received a prototype from the helmet manufacturer rawlings during spring training he got around to showing it to players early this season they liked it so after checking with general manager brian cashman he ordered a set
it took rawlings two to three weeks to get them to us cucuzza said that was that
cucuzza said the decision to use the helmets   and only on the road   was just a matter of aesthetics
i like the way it fits with our uniform it looks good with the gray cucuzza said i dont think it looks good against white we wont wear them at home
the players reviews were generally positive but their enthusiasm like the new helmets was muted
this is the same helmet we were wearing its just a different finish third baseman chase headley said so long as its not neon green i dont really care   as long as it protects me
manager joe girardi and masahiro tanaka and aroldis chapman pitchers who will not wear the helmets unless they hit in the yankees remaining interleague games at colorado and san diego and against the mets said the finish reminded them of stylish cars tanaka said he used to drive a matte black porsche in japan
its something cool chapman said
radical helmet and uniform designs in football have been pushed by manufacturers and embraced by universities to attract recruits but the yankees are not banking on winning over potential free agents with their uniform swag professional observers if they are lukewarm about the new helmets at least praised the yankees for showing restraint
the yankees have been admirable in sticking to their brand rather than being sucked in by trends   they are the antithesis of oregon in the ncaa said heather cocks an author of a fashion blog that often mocks celebrity couture but i guess even the mighty bronx bombers arent immune to the whims of fashion
lukas said i do find it interesting in an era when the design direction is always toward something that is flashing glitzy shinier more superhero like this is going in the opposite direction its less shiny less glossy
dustin ackley a reserve first baseman and outfielder who was acquired from seattle last july said he appreciated the simplicity of the yankees uniform   and he thinks the helmet fits with it when he played for the mariners they had five different jerseys to wear
here you know what youre wearing every day ackley said in seattle are we wearing teal today or blue it makes it easier coming to the park every day not having to think about what youre wearing or if the pitcher decides he has a superstition i like simplicity
cucuzza said the helmets did not signal further changes though the yankees like all major league teams do wear stylized caps on mothers day fathers day memorial day and independence day the yankees wore their white billed batting practice caps for a game in 2013
i dont think youll ever see that   or names on the back of the uniforms cucuzza said
cocks questioned if the new helmets were being introduced on the road to avoid an angry response from fans she also wondered if they were a hit how long it would take the yankees to begin serving frozen yogurt out of miniature replica helmets
then again sometimes a new hat is just a new hat cocks said be grateful there wasnt a push for a cartoon of steinbrenner on the front if oregon has taught us anything about uniforms its that it could always be worse


harrison nj   bradley wright phillips recorded the fastest hat trick in mls history as the red bulls beat toronto fc 3 0
wright phillips who scored in the fourth 25th and 27th minutes has eight goals in the last seven games after going scoreless in the first seven it was his first hat trick since 2014 when he had three
he opened the scoring with a header later froze a defender and went near post and finished with a goal from the corner of the 6 yard box sacha kljestan recorded two assists and leads mls with 10
the red bulls played a man down for the entire second half after gonzalo veron received a red card in the 43rd minute
the red bulls 6 7 1 who had an mls low 3 points on april 24 moved into a tie for second place in the eastern conference


adriane sarah glazier and the author scott turow are to be married may 29 at a private home in salem wis and will do so under a provision of wisconsin law allowing couples to marry themselves during the ceremony dave barry the humorist and a friend of the couple is to lead the couple in the smashing of a glass and other jewish traditions and the rev john c cusick a roman catholic priest is to lead several blessings
the bride 51 is a senior vice president advising charities and philanthropists as an executive in two of bank of americas wealth management divisions she works in chicago she graduated from smith and received a law degree from northwestern
she is a daughter of babette c glazier of chicago and the late robert e glazier
mr turow 67 is the author of presumed innocent the burden of proof and other books and is a partner in the chicago office of the law firm dentons handling white collar criminal litigation he graduated from amherst college and received a masters degree in creative writing from stanford and a law degree from harvard
mr turow is the son of the late rita pastron turow and the late dr david d turow who lived in winnetka ill
the brides previous marriage ended in divorce as did the grooms
ms glazier and mr turow met in 1987 when he interviewed her for a summer clerkship with his law firm they met again in 2012 when ms glazier sought him out for career advice


shayndi raice a daughter of dr deborah raice fox of suffern ny and pinchus d raice of manhattan is to be married may 29 to dov weiss the son of toby hilsenrad weiss and rabbi avi weiss of riverdale the bronx the grooms father is to lead the ceremony at the hebrew institute of riverdale a synagogue in the bronx
the couple graduated from yeshiva university he cum laudethey also received masters degrees in modern jewish history and he a rabbinical ordination
ms raice 34 who will keep her name works in chicago as a reporter for the wall street journal covering the federal reserve and the united states economy she received masters degrees in journalism and politics from columbia
her father is a partner in the manhattan law firm pryor cashman where he oversees its financial institutions practice the brides mother is an endocrinologist at endocrine associates of rockland a group practice in pomona ny
mr weiss 43 is an assistant professor of jewish thought at the university of illinois urbana champaign his book pious irreverence confronting god in rabbinic judaism is to be published by the university of pennsylvania this fall he received a phd with distinction in the history of judaism from the university of chicago divinity school
his mother retired as the director of alumni affairs at yeshiva university the grooms father is the founding rabbi of the hebrew institute of riverdale from which he retired as the senior rabbi and continues as the rabbi in residence he also founded yeshivat chovevei torah an orthodox rabbinical school for men as well as yeshivat maharat an orthodox rabbinical school that ordains women both in the bronx
in 1999 ms raice said she noticed mr weiss then a rabbinical student playing guitar during the jewish holiday sukkot with a rabbi who taught at her high school at one of the schools events she became infatuated with him from afar but romance would wait until 2015 when a mutual friend set them up on a date


dr bo li the daughter of li lin and dr ying li of gainesville fla was married may 28 to dr michael lao the son of min gao and xing gao of danville calif the rev timothy j mills an american baptist minister officiated at the carneros inn a resort in napa calif
the couple met at albany medical college from which both received medical degrees they became acquainted when dr li decided to sell her medical textbooks to someone in the new first year class and dr lao was one of the first to offer to buy them
dr li 29 will keep her name she is a fourth year resident in radiology at the westside campus of mount sinai st lukes hospital in new york in july she is to begin a breast imaging fellowship at ronald reagan ucla medical center in los angeles she graduated from rensselaer polytechnic institute
her father a pathologist is the director of hematopathology at the university of florida health shands hospital in gainesville her mother is a research assistant in the molecular cell biology department at the university of florida also in gainesville
dr lao 31 is a second year resident in urology at the hartford hospital in connecticut he graduated from the university of california san diego and received a masters in medical sciences from boston university
his mother retired as an accountant for new way an assisted living center in concord calif his father an electrical engineer is a systems designer at cisco systems in san jose calif


david lee hutchinson and christopher walter london were married may 28 at mr londons house in pound ridge ny joanne pace the town clerk of pound ridge officiated
mr hutchinson left 58 is an associate principal working in the stamford conn office of perkins eastman architects in new york specializing in the design of higher education and health care projects he graduated from louisiana state university he is also a painter whose work is in museum collections he is a son of mary ann cenac of georgetown tex and the late carl p hutchinson
mr london 62 is a writer on architectural history whose specialty is british colonial architecture in india he has written or edited three books on the topic bombay gothic architecture in victorian and edwardian india and the arts of kutch he is also the treasurer and on the board of the historic districts council a preservation organization in new york and is the president of naumburg orchestral concerts a free classical music series in central park in the naumburg bandshell which is named for elkan naumburg a maternal great grandfather
mr london graduated from connecticut college and received a masters in art history from williams college he also holds a doctorate in modern history from oxford university he is a son of ellin n london of shelburne vt and the late dr robert d london and a maternal great grandson of henry morgenthau sr the united states ambassador to ottoman turkey from 1913 to 1916
the couple met in 1993 at a party given by robert janjigian in his apartment on 73rd street on the upper east side


dr rima arvind rana a daughter of pravina a rana and arvind m rana of lodi nj was married may 28 to dr nitesh vijay patel a son of priti v patel of iselin nj and the late vijay h patel pandit vimalkumar vinod raval a hindu priest officiated at the hilton pearl river in pearl river ny
dr rana 27 will keep her name she received a medical degree from rowan university this month and is to begin work as an intern in july at university hospital in newark she graduated magna cum laude from rutgers
her mother and father work as laboratory technologists in the teterboro nj offices of quest diagnostics
dr patel also 27 is a second year resident in neurosurgery at university hospital in newark and at robert wood johnson university hospital in new brunswick nj he graduated summa cum laude from rutgers from which he also received a medical degree
his father retired as the owner of news center a convenience store in jersey city
the couple met as teenagers through a mutual friend


morgan elizabeth knowles a daughter of beth a knowles of ashland ohio and temple l knowles of skowhegan me is to be married may 29 to second lt joshua robert king the son of nancy prince king and robert c king jr of short hills nj the rev clay d porr a nondenominational minister is to officiate at the park savoy estate an event space in florham park nj
mrs king 25 is to begin studying in october for a doctor of chiropractic degree at the san jose calif campus of the palmer college of chiropractic she graduated from gordon college in wenham mass in may
her father is a residential contractor in skowhegan her mother is the baker at bella bleus at the waters edge event center a restaurant and catering business in ashland
lieutenant king 22 graduated from the naval academy on may 27
his father is a managing director for health care investment banking at goldman sachs
the couple met as children the brides father and the grooms mother had known each other when they were young and the two families were friendly for many years afterward but the couples romance didnt begin until 2012 when he asked her to be his date at his high school prom


elinor elizabeth macphail and alexander daniel oneal were married may 28 at redtail ridge farm in johnstown ohio bruce mandeville a friend of the couple who became a universal life minister for the occasion officiated
the bride 25 and groom 24 are professional riders in three day equestrian events and they train horses and riders at their facility in reddick fla
the bride is the daughter of sally crane cox of columbus ohio and angus n macphail of portland me and the stepdaughter of cary l cox the groom is a son of stephanie linne oneal and daniel k oneal of st charles ill
ms macphail and mr oneal met in january 2010 at a riders party in ocala fla to celebrate the beginning of the equestrian season
i was incredibly interested in her but a bit intimidated said mr oneal who was 18 at the time and competing in his first year on the circuit in ocala i had seen her around at horse shows and thought that she was an incredible rider and quite beautiful but when we got to talking i realized that she was far less intimidating than i thought shed be
ms macphail who was 20 at the time and had already been named twice to a development program for young riders run by the united states olympic team said that while she was pretty interested in mr oneal the age difference between them was a problem he was a talented rider and very mature for his age but he was just a little too young for me she said
the next day mr oneal learned that ms macphail was dating another rider i was completely bummed out he said but i kind of looked at it as well i guess it was too good to be true 
soon ms macphail moved to a training base in middleburg va which was also where her boyfriend lived and mr oneal stayed in ocala to ride and train
in may 2013 they crossed paths again in fairburn ga where she was competing in her first international three day event at the olympic level during the event ms macphail was thrown from her saddle while attempting a water jump and her horse began galloping back to the stable area about a mile away ms macphail her riding outfit drenched took off in pursuit and eventually ran into a very concerned mr oneal who was there to compete in another event and had caught her horse and returned it to its stall
i was really worried that maybe she had been hurt he said but then i saw her running back in full gear and i knew she was all right
by july ms macphail was unattached and said that she had begun seeing mr oneal through a different set of eyes
unlike many of the other riders i knew he didnt have an ego she said and now older and more mature too so in october 2013 with her mother and his parents in attendance at an event in lexington ky they decided it was time to declare   to themselves and to the world   that they were officially dating
they celebrated by winning in their respective age groups he in the 21 and under division and she in 22 and over
he won the young rider division ms macphail said laughing and i won the cougar division


komal m patel the daughter of dr umangi m patel and mukesh r patel of newburgh ny is to be married may 29 to dr ravi navin shah the son of dr taru n shah and navin b shah of duluth ga vimesh thakar a hindu priest is to lead the ceremony at the mandarin oriental in new york
the bride 29 received an mba from columbia earlier this month in september she is to become a health care consultant in the summit nj office of the boston consulting group she graduated from case western reserve university and received a master of public health from dartmouth
the groom 31 is a chief resident in the department of psychiatry at the new york state psychiatric institute in new york in september he is to begin working as an assistant professor of psychiatry at columbia university college of physicians and surgeons in new york he graduated cum laude from princeton and received a medical degree and an mba from the university of pennsylvania
the couple were introduced in october 2012 by a mutual friend amid hundreds of people mostly in their 20s at garba in the city at chelsea piers an annual indian dance event featuring traditional dance from the state of gujarat
i totally thought she noticed me the way i noticed her said dr shah who was swept off his feet by the sight of ms patel whirling around in a pink and white lengha a long skirt with a cropped top and pleated scarf draped around her body she makes perfect eye contact when she looks at you
during one portion of the dance they had been partners for about 30 seconds three or four times they locked eyes while hitting sticks that they each held for five beats before moving on to the next partner
dr shah convinced of their special connection knew he had to go to a party their mutual friend was giving after the dance and rushed home to shower and change clothes
im komal she recalled saying to him when they met at the party she had no recollection of him
i was totally shocked he said in my mind we exchanged looks it loomed large in my mind not in hers i rolled with the punches
but they did connect and spent several hours chatting she said learning they were both interested in health care that members of their families were from gujarat and that their mothers were doctors and their fathers were engineers
later that evening when he told her he liked her and wanted to take her out ms patel did not play hard to get what are you doing tomorrow she recalled saying
he said that he was surprised thinking he would have to wait a week to see her
i grew up with smart strong women he said he did not flinch when she told him that she would pick a restaurant   she preferred the east village while he preferred the west village the next afternoon when she texted him three clues medieval middle class and east village to guess which restaurant she had met her match
i did not know the bourgeois pig served dinner he said to her chagrin within 10 minutes of her text to keep from being upstaged she playfully changed the reservation to a nearby mexican restaurant
the conversation flowed from dinner to dessert and late into the evening at a wine bar he took her to in the west village nobody was getting bored he said
she was impressed she said from the beginning with how he is a naturally happy and positive person
people have better halves she said but hes my best half


abby hannah volin and max samuel polonsky are to be married on sunday rabbi aaron alexander will perform the ceremony at adas israel in washington
the bride 36 works in washington on state legislation and policy for the humane society of the united states she graduated from tufts and received a law degree from loyola university chicago
she is a daughter of andrea g volin and leonard s volin of potomac md the brides father who is retired was a senior partner focusing on corporate and banking law at the washington law firm housley kantarian and bronstein her mother also retired was the music teacher at bannockburn elementary school in bethesda md
the groom 34 is a lawyer in the trading and markets division of the securities and exchange commission he graduated from brandeis and received a law degree from the university of pennsylvania
he is the son of rita s polonsky and alan h polonsky of cherry hill nj both his parents are partners at their law firm in audubon nj where the grooms father focuses on social security and disability law and the grooms mother on family law
the couple met at a mutual friends potluck sabbath dinner in new york in 2008 although they dated briefly in the summer of 2009 something wasnt quite right
it didnt stick ms volin said but in 2010 after getting out of a fairly serious relationship she reached out to mr polonsky
this time she said he stuck
after they dated for two years ms volin got a dream job opportunity in washington to work at the humane society the couple had a lot to consider they both had jobs they loved and had planned to move into mr polonskys freshly purchased two bedroom apartment in the west village a dream location for them its like the holy grail of new york living ms volin said
for mr polonsky moving to be with ms volin was a no brainer sometimes you need to make a move he said i was following her for love
they dated long distance for eight months while mr polonsky looked for a job in washington traveling there every other weekend to be with ms volin
once he finally found a job and moved he and ms volin focused on getting acclimated with their new life together but as newness became routine ms volin learned she had stage one breast cancer
it was pretty devastating mr polonsky said i never had any doubt that i would be her man and be who she needed you cant let yourself doubt
her partners positive attitude constantly surprised her she asked if he dreaded coming home from work to someone who was cranky and bald from the drugs and he said he loved to get there and be there for her
he was my rock through all of this she said it wasnt a fun time
after several rounds of chemotherapy and a mastectomy ms volins cancer went into remission in january 2015 nine months later mr polonsky proposed on the balcony of their apartment he was too nervous to remove the ring which he bought before the cancer diagnosis from his pocket and it was her turn to be his helper taking it out herself
the couple has bought a home in the takoma neighborhood of washington that is a real fixer upper everyone was warning us about how hard it is to renovate a house ms volin said
she has reason for being confident that they can handle it
i think everything has its unique challenges she said weve shown that were a really strong unit and that whatever obstacle that is in front of us we will be able to overcome


allegra irene fanjul a daughter of catherine fanjul and andres b fanjul of palm beach fla was married may 28 to calixto garcia velez iv the son of mayli garcia velez and mr garcia velez iii of wellington fla the rev brian king performed the ceremony at st edward catholic church in palm beach
the bride 25 designs jewelry and writes a blog for her own company very allegra in palm beach she graduated from florida atlantic university
her father is a principal and senior executive of two companies in west palm beach fla the fanjul corporation which operates sugar mills and resorts and florida crystals corporation which owns land sugar  and rice processing facilities and a distribution center the fanjul family formerly a major sugar producer in cuba moved to palm beach county after the 1959 revolution her mother is on the boards of the catholic charities of the diocese of palm beach and st marys medical center in west palm beach
the groom 26 is a client risk adviser at celedinas insurance group in palm beach gardens fla a brokerage division of the marsh  mclennan companies he also graduated from florida atlantic
the grooms mother is a founding associate of equestrian sothebys international realty in wellington his father is the director of cgv global consultants a business consulting company in wellington and a horse breeder and professional polo player
the couple first met at a sixth grade birthday party in 2002 i was only age 11 but thought he was cute and nice and we liked each other right away ms fanjul said while he denies it he told his mother that he was going to marry that girl 
but it was not until the summer of 2009 that ms fanjul and mr garcia velez had their first date a birthday party for mr garcia velezs mother we have big spanish families and like to hang with both sides ms fanjul said
she added when he drove me home we had our first kiss
mr garcia velez was so taken with her that he decided to drop the california college in which he had enrolled and chose to study in florida instead i knew i would have to come back to florida because she was the one he said
during their courtship mr garcia velez was at florida atlantic during the school year but his summers were spent playing polo professionally for the grants farm manor polo team in santa barbara calif
those separations were difficult for the couple it was difficult to go from spending so much time together on a daily basis to him being on the opposite side of the country for three months said ms fanjul who traveled to see him several times each summer being long distance was definitely a challenge but we were able to build our relationship and make it stronger on the grounds of trust and true love
mr garcia velez eventually decided to quit polo and come back to florida year round this was also a hard transition but he knew that i supported him in every way possible ms fanjul said
mr garcia velez proposed july 18 in southampton ny earlier that day ms fanjul had been hosting a trunk show of her jewelry in sag harbor ny after she changed clothes and walked into the garden of the meadow club mr garcia velez surprised her with a ring
he got down on one knee and proposed with a beautiful cushion cut single diamond with a band of diamonds she said i was so excited and both of our families were there to celebrate which the groom had secretly arranged
at their wedding the bride wore a strapless gown with caviar beading from the final collection designed by oscar de la renta


sara aliza eisen and matthew stone levine are to be married may 29 at weylin b seymours an event space in brooklyn rabbi gavriel bellino is to officiate
the bride 31 works in manhattan as an on air anchor for cnbc where she is a host of worldwide exchange and squawk on the street she graduated from nyu and received a masters in journalism from northwestern
she is a daughter of dr jane eisen and dr drore eisen of cincinnati the brides father is a dermatologist in cincinnati he is also a founder and the medical director of cdx diagnostics a laboratory specializing in cancer detection and prevention in suffern ny the brides mother retired as a pediatric dentist
the groom 35 works in manhattan as a managing editor of bloomberg television he oversees the networks editorial content in the united states he graduated cum laude from the university of pennsylvania and received a masters in international relations at the university of sussex in england
he is the son of laura e stone and ezra c levine of washington the grooms mother a former lawyer in washington was until 2015 a board member of house of ruth which provides services to homeless women and families his father retired as a senior counsel in the washington office of morrison  foerster a san francisco law firm
the couple met in 2011 while working at bloomberg television


mia garcia yabut a daughter of carmen j yabut and dr edmond p yabut of nashville is to be married may 29 to edward walter scott wiese a son of mary jo wiese and edward a wiese of baltimore the rev john duffell a roman catholic priest is to perform the ceremony at st patricks church in bedford ny
the couple met at yale from which they graduated he cum laude
the bride 26 will take her husbands name she is a research technician in new york for weill cornell medicine the biomedical research unit and medical school of cornell university where she helps conduct stem cell research
the groom also 26 is an associate producer in new york for world news tonight on abc where he prepares video segments


max wyman charnley and ernesto felipe rodriguez are to be married may 29 at libbie hill park in richmond va kimberly b odonnell a retired judge of the city of richmond juvenile and domestic relations district court is to officiate
mr charnley left 28 is a hair stylist in washington for ian mccabe studio he graduated from virginia commonwealth university in richmond
he is a son of rosemary wyman and walter charnley of floyd va his mother retired as a private elder caretaker who also did end of life support his father is a property manager in floyd and charlotte nc
mr rodriguez 30 is a legislative assistant in washington for senator martin heinrich democrat of new mexico mr rodriguez graduated from the george washington university and received his law degree from american university
he is the son of rosa rosales rodriguez and ernesto rodriguez of san diego his mother who is retired was a client manager in san diego for bank of america where she managed portfolios for large investors his father is an operations manager in san diego for the federal aviation administration where he oversees air traffic controllers
the couple were introduced in june 2012 through okcupid


jessica michelle newman a daughter of darene s newman of rochester hills mich and the late mitchell l newman was married may 28 to kevin carty kozlowski a son of maureen f carty and stanley j kozlowski also of rochester hills dr julia a rudolf a friend of the couple who became a universal life minister for the event officiated at the ford piquette avenue plant in detroit which is now a museum and event space
the bride 28 is simultaneously studying for an mba at mit and a masters degree in public policy at harvard from which she received an undergraduate degree summa cum laude
until march the groom 27 was a software developer at bloomberg the financial news company in new york he graduated from the university of michigan and received a masters degree in finance from case western reserve university
the couple met in 2001 at the audition for their middle school show choir and began dating during a high school production of fiddler on the roof


laura michelle greene a daughter of barbara a dziorney and andrew d greene of great neck ny was married may 28 to brendan nathaniel charney the son of suzanne m trimel and marc d charney of montclair nj the rev natalie fenimore a unitarian universalist minister performed the ceremony at the unitarian universalist congregation at shelter rock in manhasset ny
ms greene 28 is keeping her name she is a los angeles based associate clinical social worker for special needs patients at behavior and education an agency whose headquarters are in manhattan beach calif she graduated from barnard and received a masters degree in social work from ucla
her father is a lawyer in lake success ny her mother is an architect in great neck
mr charney 30 is an associate specializing in media  and intellectual property law in the los angeles office of the seattle law firm davis wright tremaine he graduated from columbia and received a law degree from the university of southern california
his mother is a montclair based communications consultant to international human rights organizations his father is a staff editor at the new york times
the couple met at a party hosted by a mutual friend in new york in october 2009


laura caitlin flusty and jacob reed smilovitz were married may 28 at the knollwood country club in west bloomfield mich rabbi joshua bennett officiated
the couple met at the university of michigan from which they graduated with distinction
the bride 25 will continue to use her name professionally she works in consumer marketing for american express in new york overseeing the creation and distribution of marketing materials to new cardmembers she is the daughter of wendy g flusty and richard a flusty of farmington hills mich
the groom 26 is a senior manager in the strategy and development group of the new york times where he helps manage mergers and acquisitions and other corporate strategies he is a son of donna rockwell smilovitz and bernie smilovitz of franklin mich


neil robert brown and eric scott braverman are to be married may 29 in st charles iowa alexis r blane a universal life minister is to officiate at the farm of mr browns family
mr brown left 36 is the director in charge of research in a business unit of kkr the new york investment firm where he identifies investment opportunities in developing countries he is also a director of the lugar center an organization in washington that works on bipartisanship nonproliferation and food issues he is also a director of the association of american rhodes scholars in vienna va he graduated magna cum laude from harvard and received two masters degrees in forced migration and in political theory from oxford university which he attended as a rhodes scholar
he is a son of anita m brown and darrell d brown ii
mr braverman 41 is a senior fellow at the yale jackson institute for global affairs in new haven where he teaches graduate students and conducts research on innovation and ethics in government he is also the chief executive of rex group a consultancy in washington that focuses on strategy organization and governance from 2013 to 2015 he was the chief executive of the clinton foundation in new york he graduated summa cum laude from yale from which he also received a law degree
he is the son of cindi hasit of cherry hill nj and stanley m braverman of new york and is the stepson of maryanne p braverman and of yakir hasit
the couple was introduced by a mutual friend in 2010 in washington


brittany anne campbell a daughter of paula a campbell and john campbell of river vale nj is to be married may 29 to james michael rawdon a son of lynn murray of congers ny and james phillip rawdon of northvale nj the rev ron sheppard an interfaith minister ordained by the all faiths seminary international in new york is to officiate at battellos restaurant in jersey city
the bride 26 is a sales account manager at google in new york she graduated and received a masters in new media management from syracuse
her father is a harness racer who competes at the meadowlands racetrack in east rutherford nj he is a member of the harness racing hall of fame in goshen ny her mother is the president and a founder of the standardbred retirement foundation a nonprofit foundation based in millstone nj that rescues retired harness horses
the groom 27 works in new york as the supervisor of media and strategy for petsmart which is based in phoenix he graduated from montclair state university
his father is a manager in fort lee nj for the bergen county utility company the groom is the stepson of diane rawdon an accounts payable specialist at suez north america a water services company based in paramus nj
the couple met at pascack valley high school in hillsdale nj but did not start dating until april 2010 when they were in college


ashley michelle nathanson and michael joseph czin were married may 28 at memorial continental hall part of the headquarters complex of the daughters of the american revolution organization in washington rabbi deborah reichmann officiated
mrs czin 31 is a program examiner in washington for the office of management and budget she graduated cum laude from harvard and received a masters in public health from johns hopkins she is a daughter of cynthia e vaughn of crofton md and the late dr barry r nathanson
until may 24 mr czin also 31 was the communications director for mayor muriel bowser of washington he was the chief spokesman in washington for the democratic national committee during the 2014 election he graduated from muhlenberg college he is a son of felicia tedeschi czin and peter czin of washington
the couple met in iowa in 2007 when they were field organizers with hillary clintons first presidential campaign


jenna bass levy the daughter of judith b bass and jack levy of new york is to be married may 29 to andrew daniel keller the son of ruth brod and thomas g keller both of new york cantor eliot i vogel is to officiate at cipriani 42nd street in new york
the bride 29 is a corporate associate at the law firm kaye scholer in new york she graduated summa cum laude from the university of pennsylvania and received a law degree from nyu her father is a deputy managing partner at morrison cohen another new york law firm her mother is a media and entertainment lawyer in new york
the groom who is 30 and also a nyu graduate is a vice president for artists and repertoire at capitol records in new york his mother retired as the owner of first friends pre school in new york his father also retired owned a photo agency bearing his name in new york
the couple met in the sixth grade at the abraham joshua heschel school in new york they began dating when they were in college


angel hsu and carlin isaiah rosengarten are to be married may 29 at gadsden house an events space in charleston sc jack a yeh a friend of the couple who became a universal life minister for the occasion is to officiate
dr hsu 33 will keep her name she is an assistant professor of environmental studies at yale nus college in singapore and at the yale school of forestry and environmental studies in new haven she also is the director the yale data driven environmental solutions group in new haven which works with governments the united nations and other organizations on environmental problems she graduated from wake forest and received a masters degree in environmental studies from cambridge she has a doctoral degree in environmental policy from yale
she is a daughter of pen hsin hsu and chien yeh hsu of mount pleasant sc the brides father retired as the head of research and development in st stephens sc for albany international a paper and textile maker and is now a reviewer of legal documents in charlotte nc her mother is a computer systems analyst for bluecross blueshield of south carolina in columbia
mr rosengarten 32 is an environmental policy consultant he graduated from dartmouth and received a masters degree in environmental management from yale
he is a son of dale rosengarten and theodore rosengarten of mcclellanville sc the grooms mother is a curator for special collections at addlestone library at the college of charleston in charleston sc his father is a professor of jewish studies at the college of charleston and is an associate scholar of jewish studies at the university of south carolina he is the author of all gods dangers the life of nate shaw which won a national book award in 1975
the couple met in 2012 at a bar in charleston


melissa jill danilow the daughter of susan frier danilow and greg a danilow of new york was married may 27 to mack phillip kline the son of martha hornstein kline and robert s kline of virginia beach rabbi allison tick brill met with the couple at temple emanu el in new york to solemnize their civil marriage certificate on june 4 rabbi tick brill is to lead a religious ceremony at villa camelia a private house on the island of capri italy
mrs kline 27 completed the first year of the mba program at columbia this month she graduated summa cum laude from the university of pennsylvania
her father is a senior partner in the new york law firm weil gotshal  manges where he works in its securities litigation practice her mother retired as the executive director of the gracie mansion conservancy under the administration of mayor michael r bloomberg and is a trustee of the new york historical society
mr kline also 27 is a vice president in the investment management division of jpmorgan chase helping insurance companies manage investments he graduated from the university of virginia and is studying for an mba at columbia
his mother retired as a high school english literature teacher at norfolk collegiate school in norfolk va his father is the chairman of rk auto a chevrolet and subaru dealership in virginia beach
the couple met at jpmorgan chase in 2011 when the bride was an analyst there


alexandra eleanor tucker the daughter of dr amy l tucker and dr jim b tucker both of charlottesville va is to be married may 29 to vaughn morton stewart iii the son of eva sproull andrews and vaughn stewart both of anniston ala pamela a harris a judge of the federal court of appeals for the fourth circuit is to officiate at woodend sanctuary in chevy chase md
the bride 26 is a law clerk for judge harris and a summa cum laude graduate of dartmouth she received her law degree from stanford her parents are associate professors at the university of virginia school of medicine the bride is the stepdaughter of christine mcdowell tucker a retired clinical psychologist who practiced in charlottesville
the groom 27 is a regulatory associate at the washington law firm wilmer cutler pickering hale  dorr where the couple met in june 2013 as summer associates he graduated magna cum laude from the university of pennsylvania and received a law degree cum laude from nyu his father is the mayor of anniston the groom is the stepson of alicia stewart


lucia graves and alex seitz wald are to be married may 29 at the camden public library amphitheater in camden me alissa w kimmell a friend who was ordained by the american marriage ministries for the occasion is to officiate daniel b edelman another friend will lead some jewish wedding traditions
the bride 31 is a columnist who writes about politics and womens issues for the american editions of the guardian the british newspaper in washington she graduated from oberlin college she is a daughter of dr julie baller graves and dr howard c b graves of albany calif
the groom 29 is a political reporter in the washington bureau of msnbc covering the presidential race he graduated from brown and is the son of kathrin j seitz of rockport me and the late stephen l wald and the stepson of sheila k wald of santa barbara calif and of richard m anderson
the couple met in 2011 at a political event in washington


sarah alice frank feldman and emily martha loeb are to be married may 29 at the farm at old edwards inn a resort in highlands nc rabbi scott g perlo is to officiate
ms feldman left 28 is the press secretary for senator claire mccaskill a missouri democrat ms feldman graduated cum laude from the university of pennsylvania
she is the daughter of marilyn frank and david j feldman of philadelphia
ms loeb 34 is a special counsel in the government controversies and public policy litigation practice of jenner  block a chicago law firm she works in the washington office until january she was an associate counsel in the office of the white house counsel she graduated magna cum laude from penn and received her law degree cum laude from new york university
she is a daughter of margery engel loeb and robert h loeb jr of victoria tex
the couple met at a cocktail party in 2012 in washington


jane bowman gray a daughter of jane webster gray of plymouth meeting pa and the late peyton r gray was married may 28 to james donald henderson iii the son of cynthia johnson henderson and mr henderson jr of burlington nc the rev e clifford cutler an episcopal priest officiated at the yeamans hall club a golf club in hanahan sc
the couple both 28 met at the university of north carolina from which they graduated she with distinction they met in a political science class
mrs henderson works in new york as the senior account manager responsible for united states retailers at lyst a london based company that curates clothes and accessories for sale online
the brides father was the director of the wissahickon valley watershed association in ambler pa until 2007 her mother was a fund raiser for springside school in chestnut hill pa
the bride is a paternal granddaughter of the late bowman gray jr and a great granddaughter of bowman gray sr who were the presidents and chairmen of the r j reynolds tobacco company
the groom who is known as trace is an associate broadcast producer at droga 5 an advertising agency in new york until may he was a producer and a creative executive at verisimilitude a film production company in new york
his father who is retired was the executive vice president of tapco underwriters an insurance broker in burlington nc


tawny elizabeth kotchko and kevin barry joyce were married may 28 at the larchmont yacht club in larchmont ny the rev james l francek a minister affiliated with citi ministries officiated
the bride 32 is the senior manager of digital domestic subscriber aqcquisition for the new york times she graduated from loyola university maryland in baltimoreshe is the daughter of karen l kotchko and richard p kotchko of fairfield conn the brides father is the purchasing officer for the town of westport conn her mother a cosmetologist owns studio 416 a salon in fairfield
the groom also 32 is an accountant in new york with ernst  young he graduated from georgetown and received an mba from fordham he is a son of jane barry joyce and david e joyce of larchmont
the couple met through mutual friends in 2007 in new york and began dating in may 2012


ashley taylor yanover and marlon eric lewinter were married may 28 by rabbi robert silvers at congregation bnai israel in boca raton fla
until march mrs lewinter 27 was a manager of student administrative services and events at the american musical and dramatic academy in new york she graduated from the university of florida and has a masters in education from the university of south florida she is the daughter of stacy j yanover and dr clifford j yanover of boca raton
next month mr lewinter 35 is to become the senior director of marketing and public relations for the apparel line eleven by venus williams he graduated from quinnipiac university and is the son of nada lewinter and robert s lewinter of boynton beach fla
the couple became engaged in march 2015 on nbcs today show


elysse michelle applebaum and sam robert cherington are to be married may 29 at elysian a restaurant in los angeles cantor mark thompson is to officiate
ms applebaum 29 is keeping her name she is a writer and television script coordinator in los angeles who most recently worked on finding carter for mtv she graduated summa cum laude from the university of southern california
she is a daughter of terry e applebaum and jay applebaum of villa park calif
mr cherington 30 is a script writer for animated television shows at hasbro studios in burbank calif he graduated from hampshire college in amherst mass
he is a son of deborah a krepcio and paul v cherington of philadelphia
the couple were introduced through matchcom in june 2010 and quickly realized they had first crossed paths a few years before at a mixer for aspiring television writers


dr whitney lynn tolpinrud and dr brian joseph rebolledo were married may 28 at red butte gardens an outdoor event space in salt lake city the rev thomas goldsmith a unitarian universalist minister officiated
the bride 33 and groom 34 met at the university of san diego from which they both graduated she magna cum laude and he cum laude
the bride who will continue to use her name professionally is a dermatologist at bruder dermatology in new york she is a member of the chickasaw nation and maintains a practice at the chickasaw nation medical center in ada okla she received her medical degree from yale
she is the daughter of alicia l tolpinrud and randall r tolpinrud of salt lake city the brides father is a founder and the president of the pax natura foundation an organization in salt lake city dedicated to tropical forest conservation her mother retired as a real estate agent in salt lake city
the groom is a chief resident in orthopedic surgery at the hospital for special surgery in new york he received his medical degree from cornell and will begin a sports medicine fellowship at stanford in july
he is the son of joann romero of whittier calif and michael j rebolledo of diamond bar calif and the stepson of patricia rebolledo and of edward a romero the grooms mother is a secretary at granada middle school in whittier his father is a retired captain of the los angeles county fire department


jessica ann levine a daughter of randi charno levine and jeffrey e levine of manhattan is to be married sunday to evan isaac sherman the son of stacey j sherman and michael a sherman of beverly hills calif rabbi michael stanger is to officiate at the brooklyn museum
the bride 28 will take her husbands name she received her mba from columbia this month she graduated summa cum laude from the university of pennsylvania and received a masters in evidence based social interventions from oxford
her father is the founder and chairman of douglaston development a real estate developer in manhattan he is also chairman of levine builders a construction company and clinton management a property management company both in douglaston queens he also is the president of the jewish national fund her mother is a freelance journalist and a commissioner for the smithsonian national portrait gallery
the groom 29 works in new york for invesco the atlanta based investment management company he is an acquisitions associate in the real estate division responsible for the new york metropolitan region he graduated cum laude from brandeis
his father is the chairman of the business litigation practice at the los angeles based law firm stubbs alderton  markiles
the couple met in january 2013 through mutual friends at a birthday party in manhattan


beatty cynthia cohan and james semon vrettos were married may 23 at their apartment in new york rabbi michel lerner officiated
the bride 67 is a psychotherapist and sex therapist in new york and east hampton ny she is host of a weekly show ask beatty on the progressive radio network she graduated from the university of manitoba in winnipeg and received a masters degree in social work from mcgill university in montreal
the bride was a widow her first marriage ended in divorce she is the daughter of the late edith sair and the late maurice sair who lived in winnipeg manitoba
the groom 69 is a sociologist and an adjunct professor of criminology at the john jay college of criminal justice in new york he is also the host of the weekly the radical imagination a local cable show in new york he graduated from the university of colorado in boulder and received a masters degree in sociology from the new school and a phd in sociology from columbia his previous two marriages ended in divorce he is a son of the late luba schiff and the late james s vrettos who lived in new york
the couple met in 1967 at the university of colorado when ms cohan was studying there for two semesters they briefly dated the following year but broke the relationship off after having had no contact for more than four decades they reconnected when mr vrettos emailed ms cohan in may 2013


sarah ann merry the daughter of victoria a meisner of bethel me and david e merry of smithfield me was married may 28 to adam derek mariucci a son of gayle e mariucci and steve mariucci of monte sereno calif the rev edward hopkins a roman catholic priest performed the ceremony at st patricks old cathedral in manhattan
the couple met at santa clara university from which they graduated
the bride 28 is an assistant district attorney in the bronx she received a law degree cum laude from brooklyn law school her father is the chief executive of fmj storage in smithfield her mother retired as a master sergeant in the air force
the groom 29 is an agent in manhattan for nest seekers international his father a former head coach of the san francisco 49ers and detroit lions is now an analyst for the nfl network


jacqueline tamara leaird a daughter of kay l leaird of vineyard haven mass and the late john e leaird is to be married may 29 to joseph harold schiltz a son of alice b schiltz hamed of strykersville ny and the late peter g schiltz the rev laura everett a minister of the united church of christ is to officiate at the allen farm sheep and wool company in chilmark mass
the bride 35 known as j t will take her husbands name she is an associate managing director with uncommon schools in brooklyn where she manages four charter middle schools she graduated from dartmouth and received a masters degree in special education from vanderbilt
the groom 34 is the assistant director of field service for the greater new york councils of the boy scouts of america where he supports the boards and operations of the troops in queens he graduated from fordham he is the stepson of bill h hamed
the couple met in august 2014 through okcupid


oklahoma city   amid the steady drumbeat of an arena rooting for him to fail klay thompson refused to let the golden state warriors fade away with his team facing elimination from the nba playoffs for the second time in three nights thompson spotted up from the 3 point line and carried his team
on saturday night the warriors prolonged their season long quest for a second straight nba championship by defeating the oklahoma city thunder 108 101 in game 6 of the western conference finals
thompson so often overshadowed by stephen curry scored 41 points as the warriors tied the series at three games apiece forcing a game 7 set for monday night in oakland calif thompson sank 11 of 18 3 point attempts and curry added 31 points 10 rebounds and 9 assists
i dont think there could be any more pressure on us in game 7 than there was tonight warriors coach steve kerr said
the game was an all consuming nightmare for the thunders kevin durant and russell westbrook durant finished with 29 points but shot 10 of 31 from the field westbrook was only marginally more accurate scoring 28 points while shooting 10 of 27
the thunder who were 3 of 23 from 3 point range will have one more chance to advance to their first nba finals since 2012
the thunder took an 8 point lead into the fourth quarter and kept trying to build on it but thompson refused to let them pull away his fourth 3 pointer of the quarter cut oklahoma citys lead to 4 curry later drained back to back 3 pointers to tie the game 99 99
we didnt draw a whole lot up that created shots for them kerr said of thompson and curry they were mostly just kind of playing the way they play
with less than two minutes to play the warriors andre iguodala stripped westbrook of the ball and found thompson in a comfortable spot behind the 3 point line it might as well have been a layup the warriors were up by 3 and the crowd fell silent
it was one of those nights where you make a few easy looks thompson said and then you take those 30 footers with your feet not set and they just happen to keep going in
later after the thunder had forced a rare miss by thompson westbrook threw the ball away   one of three turnovers he committed in the final 55 seconds curry scored to seal the victory
i thought we got a little stagnant coming down the stretch thunder coach billy donovan said
at the start of the night the warriors must have felt as if they were walking into the worlds loudest mausoleum they had lost games 3 and 4 here by a combined 52 points it was the first time the warriors had lost consecutive games this season and they did not merely lose they were roasted
we knew what we got ourselves into after game 4 green said
kerr had recognized that the thunder had too much length and too much size for him to employ his favored small lineup in which green slides from forward to center so when the warriors returned home for game 5 kerr went big and planted andrew bogut in the post it helped that bogut avoided foul trouble and the warriors won to ensure a trip back to oklahoma city
before game 6 kerr acknowledged that more pressure might be on the thunder they had a chance to close out the series at home and while durant and westbrook had endured their share of pressure cookers this opportunity   48 minutes from the finals   was still slightly foreign
the warriors had been tested   tested last season when they won their first title in 40 years tested without curry whose injuries in the first round scrambled their rhythm and tested just days ago when they avoided elimination for the first time on saturday the warriors were hoping for more of the same
the thunder fans bedecked in matching blue t shirts roared when durant scored the games first points the arena practically shook when he soared for a dunk soon afterward meanwhile green who had entrenched himself as one of the citys most loathsome visitors when he kicked steven adams in the groin in game 3 was booed every time he touched the ball
despite missing 13 of their first 18 shots the warriors survived the first few earsplitting possessions and trailed by 23 20 at the end of the first quarter
the thunder soon found some separation with curry waiting to check back into the game westbrook lobbed a pass to andre roberson for a dunk that pushed the lead to 12 curry did not score his first points until nearly five minutes had elapsed in the second quarter
but the thunder had their own problems durant hounded by the warriors iguodala shot 6 of 19 from the field in the first half and oklahoma city was 2 of 14 from 3 point range
theres a reason hes been one of the best defenders in the league for a long time kerr said of iguodala
the thunder led by 53 48 at the break but thompson opened the second half with two 3 pointers the pace for both teams was frenetic treading that fine line between aggressive and reckless when the warriors festus ezeli committed an offensive foul that wiped away a layup by thompson an exasperated curry pointed at his temple think
it was not the most conducive environment for cerebral basketball not with the circus tempo and not with the noise curry had the added annoyance of being defended by westbrook who draped himself all over curry there was some ill will between them too after game 5 westbrook laughed when durant was asked whether curry was an underrated defender
i could care less about other peoples opinions about me curry said before game 6 i know what i do for my team and i know what my teammates expect of me
the warriors also knew what they expected from thompson and he delivered when they needed it most


before this wacky game even began saturday night dwight gooden had some special praise for noah syndergaard his modern day fire balling equivalent
he throws tight inside where a lot of pitchers today dont go gooden said
then in the third inning against the dodgers syndergaard went far far inside where few pitches ever wander   whipping the ball at 99 miles per hour behind the back and above the waist of the citi field antihero chase utley utley bent slightly safely toward the plate chaos quickly ensued both syndergaard and manager terry collins were ejected by the plate umpire adam hamari and the mets were forced to do some quick ad libbing on the mound
while neither syndergaard nor collins admitted the pitch was deliberate they both argued that hamari should have issued the customary warning instead of ane immediate ejection
there was a time in this game when you had a shot said collins who said he was worried that syndergaard could be suspended nobody got hit he added that hamari made an assumption which hes allowed to do i disagreed with it
to the vast appreciation of the citi field sellout crowd reliever logan verrett entered the game and struck out utley the fans joy did not last long however utley soon thundered two homers over the wall in right center field including a grand slam in the seventh inning and the dodgers went on to rout the mets 9 1 with the aid of five total home runs and five shutout innings from their starter kenta maeda
last season in game 3 of the world series syndergaard nearly struck the red hot alcides escobar of the royals with his first pitch while he has a modest history of such things syndergaard had never before been thrown out of a game syndergaard perhaps cynically insisted his pitch behind utley was an accident
it was a warm one i got a little sweaty and the ball got away from me syndergaard said a warning would have sufficed
utley soon followed with two revenge blasts the first homer in the sixth inning was a solo shot off verrett the second his fourth homer of the season and the sixth grand slam of his career came off hansel robles and stunned the audience into silence
the mets had honored the 1986 team with a ceremony on saturday that included virtually the entire championship cast nothing though could tamp down the ill feelings left over from game 2 of last years national league division series when utleys takeout slide broke the leg of ruben tejada and eliminated him from the remainder of the postseason
utley said syndergaards pitch had possibly been intended to send a message but that he understood it he also suggested that the jeers from the crowd had motivated him
a loud energizing environment gets the best out of you utley said it gets the adrenaline going
syndergaards pitch was so outrageously located that it left hamari with little choice in the matter said the crew chief tom hallion
we have a judgment of whether we thought it was intentional and if it was we can either warn or eject hallion said with what happened in that situation we felt the ejection was warranted because the pitch was thrown behind utley we have to make a snap decision we cant think about ok this guy did this or he did that in game 6 or whatever
hamari did not hesitate waving his arm to indicate syndergaard and his 187 earned run average were no longer a part of the game
i was very confused at the time syndergaard said such a quick trigger i was dumbfounded a whirlwind of emotions it rattled me
collins charged from the dugout immediately and his protestations were far from politic
there had already been a bit of unrelated nonsense between the two teams before the ejections the mets reportedly complained to major league baseball about the dodgers using a global positioning device to situate their fielders
we observed some members of the dodgers organization using technology to establish defensive positions presumably for use during the game mets general manager sandy alderson told espn major league baseball is going to look at that issue
the dodgers did not deny using such a device as a positioning and scouting aid though they said it was not employed during a game there is no mlb rule outlawing the method the dodgers reportedly asked the mets if they could paint lines on the citi field grass as markers for their fielders but alderson denied the request
with one more game to play sunday in this series utley was asked if he might be thrown at again
possibly he said anything can happen in baseball


the police in brazil said on saturday that they had made the first arrest in the search for more than 30 possible attackers in the gang rape of a 16 year old girl a case that has prompted widespread outrage and vows by the federal government to combat crimes against women news agencies reported
brazilians reacted with shock after the may 21 assault came to light last week graphic photos and videos of the unconscious naked teenager were posted on twitter and several men joked online about the attack
the authorities said the teenager had been raped in the sao joao shantytown on the west side of rio de janeiro as she was visiting her boyfriend the associated press reported the girl told the police that she was briefly alone with him but remembered nothing until she woke up naked the next day in another building among dozens of men who had guns
the first arrest came after the military police fanned out in search of four suspects who had been identified the news organization agence france presse reported the police said they did not know if the boyfriend was one of the attackers though he was being sought
the case has rocked brazil latin americas largest nation and highlighted its deep rooted problem of violence against women president michel temer promised to create a federal police unit to address crimes against women the associated press reported
its absurd that in the 21st century we have to live with barbarous crimes like this said mr temer who also called an emergency meeting of the security ministers for each of brazils states to consider gender related crimes
demonstrators gathered in downtown rio on friday night with signs that said machismo kills and no means no agence france presse reported in sao paulo protesters made a mural with messages that included i like to wear necklines thats not an invitation to rape me
the girl in brief comments to the o globo newspaper said its the stigma that hurts me the most it is as if people are saying its her fault she was using scanty clothes i want people to know that it is not the womans fault you cant blame a robbery victim for being robbed
at a news conference on friday the police said the girl had reported being raped by 33 men officials said they had been unable to confirm how many men might have taken part rios police chief fernando veloso said that if images had not been posted online the authorities might not have learned of the attack
the brazilian center for latin american studies found that more than 92000 women were killed in gender related crimes including rape and domestic abuse from 1980 to 2010


on the city college of new yorks handsome gothic campus leaking ceilings have turned hallways into obstacle courses of buckets the bathrooms sometimes run out of toilet paper the lectures are becoming uncomfortably overcrowded and course selections are dwindling because of steep budget cuts
the faculty of the colleges well regarded engineering school is so disengaged and beaten an assessment last year warned that if serious shortcomings were not rectified the school could fail to earn reaccreditation
on friday michelle obama will deliver a commencement address at the college the flagship school of the city university of new york system which is the largest urban public university in the country she is likely to celebrate its proud legacy of creating opportunity for new yorks striving class
established in 1847 as the free academy of new york to educate the children of the whole people as its founder townsend harris said city college has been called the poor mans harvard tuition free until 1976 it has produced 10 nobel prize winners it was a hotbed of jewish intellectuals in the 1930s and today it welcomes the ambitious children of families from around the world many of them poor and working class
but any evocation of the past by ms obama will mask a troubled present
we have gone backwards said frederick r brodzinski a senior administrator and adjunct professor in computer science who plans to retire in september after 30 years at the university morale is horrible on campus there are too many highly paid administrators and theres a lack of clear leadership we have stepped down on the ladder that we were climbing for about 10 years
the troubles at city college and throughout the entire cuny system are representative of a funding crisis that has been building at public universities across the country even as the role of higher education as an engine of economic mobility has become increasingly vital governments have been pulling back their support
since the 2008 recession states have reduced spending on public higher education by 17 percent per student while tuition has risen by 33 percent according to a recent report by the nonpartisan center on budget and policy priorities arizona is spending 56 percent less while students are paying 88 percent more in louisiana students are spending 80 percent more on tuition while state funding has been cut by 39 percent
the university of california system relied on state funding for almost a quarter of its budget as recently as 2002 according to the american academy of arts and sciences now that figure is 9 percent after 1 billion in cuts
cuny a collection of 24 community undergraduate and graduate schools where 45000 employees help to educate 274000 students annually has been caught in the political feud between mayor bill de blasio and gov andrew m cuomo both democrats
the governor proposed shifting some 485 million in costs to new york city from the state which has paid for the bulk of the senior colleges since a fiscal crisis in the 1970s the city eventually won but the governors 16 billion appropriation did little to stem the chronic underfunding of the system
while enrollment has climbed by more than 12 percent over the last eight years albanys funding of operating costs   the main source of public money for the 11 four year colleges where two thirds of students are enrolled   has dropped by 17 percent adjusted for inflation according to stephen brier a cuny professor of urban education and co author of the forthcoming book austerity blues fighting for the soul of public higher education
the 25000 faculty and staff members represented by cunys biggest union the professional staff congress have not had a raise in six years they have vowed to walk out in the fall if the contract dispute is not resolved   knowing that a strike could lead to arrests and fines
and students are paying more the share of cunys 32 billion budget that comes from tuition has climbed to 45 percent from 20 percent in 1989 in the last five years tuition at its four year colleges has risen by 300 per year to 6330 for new york state residents undergraduates must also pay an extra 280 a year at least in fees it is a daunting burden to students more than half of whom report family incomes below 30000 according to school data
this is the kind of crisis thats been brewing for a while said mr brier we were a tad complacent in new york getting by and now were not but this is also part of a much larger set of developments nationally where public universities are in severe crisis
state officials have argued that support from albany when including items such as debt service employee benefits and tuition assistance has risen by 20 percent since 2011 they also contend that cuny has too much administrative bloat yet the systems overhead costs have increased at a slower pace since 2007 than other area public institutions according to howard j bunsis a professor of accounting at eastern michigan university who has researched government and nonprofit accounting
more than anything though it has been the compounding nature of the fiscal pressures year after year with this year being the worst that has eaten away at the experience of cunys students and faculty from canceled electives to instructors improvising in the face of shortages
some even fret that the university may lose the momentum it has gained in the last two decades after it ended an open admissions policy for its four year colleges and successfully raised academic standards and launched new programs
joseph awadjie an immigrant from ghana earned a bachelors degree at brooklyn college in 2007 after working for a while at a physical therapy practice he returned to the college in 2013 to pursue a masters degree in kinesiology he said he was struck by a rapidly deteriorating campus   some call it brokelyn college   where students were often unable to get into the courses they needed to meet requirements one of his courses cardiac rehabilitation lacked essential materials such as inhalers and carbon dioxide masks
its like two different worlds he said
mr awadjie has become even more aware of the systemwide problems from his perch as chairman of the cuny university student senate he fielded no more than five complaints a month when his term began in 2014 but this year he said he has gotten more than 60 a month many about overcrowded classes
at city college anais mcallister 22 a senior from yonkers said she had planned to major in english with a concentration in education which would have allowed her to become a teacher after graduation when some of her required education classes were canceled she realized she would need another year   and another 6000 at least   to graduate with the education credential
with her scholarship expiring at the end of this academic year and a younger brother entering trade school in the fall to obtain his plumber certification she dropped the education concentration
the fact that this can happen where your department can be cut financially where you have to think about dropping it is ridiculous she said
technical problems are common with elevators escalators and copy machines frequently out of order computers and other equipment often do not work in classrooms wi fi signals are a tease
at lehman college in the bronx robert farrell an associate professor in the library department said the librarys entire book budget this academic year was 13000 down from about 60000 a decade ago because the roof has been chronically leaky about 200 books were damaged during a rainstorm three years ago a tarp still covers some volumes
mr farrell also said that the library has had to reduce its spending on academic journals and database subscriptions we cant be a serious institution of higher learning without providing our faculty and students with access to these kinds of things he said
senior professors said cunys woes have hampered its ability to retain and recruit faculty so the university has relied increasingly on adjuncts while the number of full time faculty at cunys four year colleges has been flat since 2009 the number of adjuncts has climbed by 23 percent
the bigger class sizes have made it harder to grade papers three page papers are now more common students and instructors said versus the once standard five or six pages classes overstuffed have become more impersonal
michael batson an adjunct lecturer who has taught history at the college of staten island since 2000 said that he traditionally gave his freshmen many from immigrant families low risk assignments at first in order to offer intensive instruction
but his classes have steadily increased in size while staying in the same cramped classrooms group projects   which he favors as a way to get small clusters of students to work together   have also become impossible
its a workload issue and it does affect the kind of things you can do he said
nowhere has the frustration been more keenly felt than at city college which has had five provosts in the last six years since the arrival of lisa s coico the first cuny alumna to serve as college president a former provost at temple university with a background in microbiology and immunology she was chosen to lead an ambitious expansion of the colleges science programs she has also polarized the campus
last fall with albanys budget uncertain the cuny administration asked its colleges to cut their budgets by at least 3 percent city college citing increased personnel costs and declining enrollment particularly in graduate programs imposed a 10 percent cut or 146 million programs with the steepest enrollment declines suffered the most with the humanities and education departments cut by more than 40 percent each
it is a good budget model and its better than the way we used to do it for the past 40 years which was arbitrary very political and you had to go and beg for everything said gordon a gebert the interim dean of the architecture school
many others disagreed in october nearly two dozen department leaders and faculty members active in governance in a letter to cunys chancellor james b milliken warned that these cuts could mean the closing of programs for undergraduate majors and graduate students forcing students to transfer in order to complete their degrees and producing a consequent decline in city colleges graduation rate
not long after a group of senior staff members urged the chancellor to investigate generous bonuses unusually high starting salaries and disproportionate salary increases to unnamed employees according to a letter obtained by the times
according to public data analyzed by the times the college paid administrators classified as executives a total of 725 million in the last year up 45 percent from 2009 eleven of the 18 biggest salary increases by percentage came in 2015 even as the college was slashing its budget the provosts office and government relations operations in particular have expanded
when asked about the personnel moves the college in a statement said it had invested in hiring new faculty and staff as well as moving existing staff to the executive level consistent with increased responsibilities for these areas
the schools use of foundation money has also been questioned documents obtained by the times indicated that the colleges 21st century foundation paid for some of ms coicos personal expenses such as fruit baskets housekeeping services and rugs when she took office in 2010 the foundation was then reimbursed for more than 150000 from cunys research foundation that has raised eyebrows among governance experts because such funds are typically earmarked for research
the college did not make ms coico available for an interview in response to written questions the college said that ms coico does not owe monies to either foundation
one thing that ms coico has accomplished according to the college is repairing campus facilities and starting new projects such as a 200000 square foot center for discovery and innovation which was finished in 2015 to facilitate research in fields such as nanotechnology neuroscience and photonics
still during a recent visit to the colleges north academic center water tumbled from the ceiling because of an apparent plumbing leak into 10 buckets on the first floor
christine li a biology professor recalled a genetics class in a lecture hall notorious for water leaks where she has been worried about plugging my computer when it rains one day she was surprised when she heard students gasp all these enormous water bugs were coming at me she said another professor sitting in on the lecture got up on stage and started stomping on them not a very conducive learning environment
even as enrollments in the colleges more technical programs grow they have endured problems the engineering school is set to have its accreditation renewed this fall to get an assessment the school in october invited in national experts in various engineering fields
while the experts praised the students they found poor and unsafe lab conditions not conducive to good learning according to reports obtained by the times
computers used outdated technologies such as floppy disks and archaic operating systems public places teemed with rodents roaches bedbugs and other vermin and the computer science department reported experiencing a water leak for over 18 years
in its response the college said it welcomed constructive and valuable suggestions such as upgrades for laboratory computer and equipment and renovation of teaching spaces it also said that the curriculum remains strong and many aspects have been strengthened since the last visit
but just a few weeks ago the college proposed   then scrapped after student protests   a new 300 excellence fee for full time engineering undergraduates to help defray lab costs
it is not possible to meet the needs of the undergraduate program the proposal read without a reliable new income stream as a means to address the shortfall


los angeles   autopsies of the 14 people killed in the san bernardino calif terrorist attack last year confirm that all died quickly after being shot at least twice but the reports also reveal details of the carnage
san bernardino county released the heavily redacted autopsies on friday as part of a public records request by the associated press
the dec 2 attack which also left 22 injured targeted san bernardino county public health workers attending an annual training event in a large conference room that had been decorated for christmas dressed in black and wearing ski masks one of their co workers syed rizwan farook and his wife tashfeen malik opened fire on the group the couple were killed in a shootout with the police later that day
the autopsies of the attackers were not released friday a county spokesman david wert said the investigation into their deaths had not been finished
the victims autopsies detail the chaos inside the 85 foot by 40 foot conference room
the body of harry bowman 46 was found nearest the rooms northernmost door mr bowman a father of two daughters who had recently been hired by the county was shot five times
eight other bodies were found in the conference room as far as more than 50 feet from where mr bowman lay
three victims all men were found clustered near a christmas tree
the room was in disarray the autopsy reports said the chairs food property and decorations were strewn about the room there were several dozen cartridge casings around the room there were multiple bullet holes in the ceiling walls furniture and floor
some of the ceiling tiles had come crashing down the autopsies said
three victims died just outside the building and two others were pronounced dead at a triage station set up nearby
it is unclear how long the two victims who were taken to the triage station shannon johnson 45 and bennetta bet badal 46 lived before they were pronounced dead
mr johnsons autopsy shows that he died of a gunshot wound to the right thigh though he also was hit in the back elbow and buttocks one of his co workers has credited mr johnson with saving her life saying that when the bullets began flying he held her close and told her i got you
ms bet badal a native of iran who came to the united states when she was 18 to escape the persecution of christians died of a gunshot wound to the abdomen her autopsy said she had also been hit in the legs and the chest
the san bernardino assault was the deadliest terrorist attack in the united states since sept 11 2001 the fbi said the attackers had become radicalized before they met online and had communicated privately about jihad and martyrdom before they married


katwijk the netherlands   its wings beating against a gathering breeze the eagle moves gracefully through a cloudy sky then swoops talons outstretched on its prey below
the target however is not another bird but a small drone and when the eagle connects there is a metallic clunk with the device in its grasp the bird of prey returns to the ground
at a disused military airfield in the netherlands hunting birds like the eagle are being trained to harness their instincts to help combat the security threats stemming from the proliferation of drones
the birds of prey learn to intercept small off the shelf drones   unmanned aerial vehicles   of the type that can pose risks to aircraft drop contraband into jails conduct surveillance or fly dangerously over public events
the thought of terrorists using drones haunts security officials in europe and elsewhere and among those who watched the demonstration at valkenburg naval air base this month was mark wiebes a detective chief superintendent in the dutch police
mr wiebes described the tests as very promising and said that subject to a final assessment birds of prey were likely to be deployed soon in the netherlands along with other measures to counter drones the metropolitan police service in london is also considering using trained birds to fight drones
the dutch have experimented with other methods such as jamming drone signals capturing drones in nets fired by defender drones or shooting them out of the sky with buckshot
birds of prey have the advantage of being able to bring drones safely to the ground rather than causing them to crash which can pose risks to those below
we have seen a number of incidents around airfields and in the end we want to be prepared should anyone want to use a drone for an attack of some sort mr wiebes said
this meeting of biological skills and cutting edge science should not be a surprise mr wiebes added he said technology could evolve from nature a workbench of thousands of generations in which solutions are found for problems
the man who created the project sjoerd hoogendoorn a security consultant put it more colorfully mostly the most crazy ideas work the best
mr hoogendoorn came up with the program at home while researching drone threats through a mutual friend he contacted ben de keijzer a bird handler with a quarter of a centurys experience
after initial trials the two men formed a company based in the hague called guard from above and they approached the dutch police in late 2014 what appealed to the authorities was the chance to use a low tech solution for a high tech problem said mr hoogendoorn adding that drones can be used for very positive good things but also bad things
for his eagles the reward for a successful interception is a piece of meat and they were accomplishing their task despite the wind   which handlers say creates a bigger problem for drone operators than for birds
worries have been raised that birds could be struck and seriously injured by a drones blades mr hoogendoorn said that the safety of the animals was a top priority and that although eagles talons had scales to protect them work was underway to give them more covering mr wiebes said safety measures could include some form of glovelike sheath for the talons
mr hoogendoorn said his interest in security issues had been deepened by a chance visit to new york during the week of the sept 11 2001 attacks
it made a huge impact on me as a visitor he said i have been waiting for my chance i think this is a good way to make the world a little bit more safe
the initiative is timely given the number of drone incidents in europe
in france drones were found close to nuclear power stations in 2014 the same year in britain a man was fined after losing control of a device near a nuclear submarine facility
the next year another briton was prosecuted after flying a drone over soccer stadiums and tourist attractions
in the netherlands there was a near miss involving a drone and an aircraft at amsterdam airport schiphol in april the type of episode that seems worryingly frequent
in january a drone was spotted between two low flying tornado military aircraft in scotland the next month heathrow airport near london reported a drone incident involving an airbus a320 passenger plane whose captain assessed the risk of collision as high
the drone flashed beneath by about 100 to 150 feet and slightly left of the fuselage a report said describing the object as black with a red strobe light on top and a diameter of two to three feet the entire event lasted no more than three or four seconds making any evasive action virtually impossible
britain has also faced a surge in drone flights near prisons there were 33 sightings last year compared with two in 2014 in december drugs a mobile phone a charger and usb cards were found on a drone at oakwood prison in the west midlands region of england
alan mckenna an associate lecturer in the law school at the university of kent said the experiment with birds of prey reflected growing concerns in europe
there are so many unknowns what if a drone does hit an aircraft can it bring that aircraft down dr mckenna said adding that research is being carried out now on those questions
we all know its going to be feasible to use a drone with a bomb attached he said
around the world the authorities are waking up to the potential threats and advantages of drones the united states has introduced a federal registration program and nasa is working on a traffic management system for drones
but in europe the rules vary by country for example dr mckenna said ireland has a registration requirement but britain where a small effective drone can be bought for as little as 100 pounds or about 150 there is no control over the sale or registration of drones he said rules existed for where and how drones may be flown
we have got regulations that make certain types of drone flying illegal but how do we enforce them dr mckenna said
the challenge for governments is how to encourage the economic potential of drone use while combating security risks
dr mckenna said he was skeptical that birds of prey would be adopted widely to deter the illegal use of drones but he acknowledged that they might be one part of the solution
you couldnt have an eagle 247 in a particular area he said adding that one possible use would be at public events like a music festival
mr hoogendoorn said teams of eagles could be placed on standby at high risk locations different birds could be deployed at night he added though it is harder to fly drones after dark
eagles are already used around some airports to scare away birds that can pose a danger to aircraft if sucked into engines mr wiebes said suggesting that birds of prey are suited to this type of location
the dutch police expect to use birds of prey that instead of hunting for a dove or a rabbit will hunt for these drones he said
its majestic to see mr wiebes said as a magnificent bald eagle perched on the arm of a handler but they are not pets


ware mass   to the biologist tom french the 35 mile uninhabited island was a conservationists dream where better he thought to bring a locally endangered species so it could thrive far from existential threats like car tires or humans
the species in question though was a venomous snake and mr frenchs plan set off a cascade of anger and a clash between science and politics petitions piled up worried constituents emailed videos of swimming snakes to state legislators the objections became so vociferous that lawmakers held an oversight hearing where massachusetts top environmental official apologized and promised to convene a committee that could at least consider other options
the plans sinuous path has confounded mr french the assistant director of the state division of fisheries and wildlifes natural heritage and endangered species program
ive got a pretty thick skin but this one is unique mr french said in an interview before the hearing on may 10 which went on for more than four hours he added it disappoints me that people dont think more highly of our native species
the uproar is over the timber rattlesnake   latin name crotalus horridus   which is large ranges from yellowish to black and has a plangent rattle and a supply of venom that it primarily uses to snare prey for feeding the species lives throughout the eastern united states but its population has dwindled in new england where the creatures live in colonies hunkered in deep dens to survive cold winters
centuries of hunting and human development that encroached on forested land have left the species exceedingly rare in new england in massachusetts conservationists estimate there are fewer than 200 timber rattlers left in five colonies
mr french has an unusual proposal seed a new colony of snakes on an uninhabited island called mount zion in the middle of the quabbin reservoir in the center of the state
the island is prime snake real estate with a boulder field forested habitat and exposed bedrock for basking the plan would most likely place fewer than 10 snakes there every year beginning no sooner than next spring the snakes would have trackers inside them so scientists could follow their movements
the whole point of this project mr french said was to find a place we could protect rattlesnakes from people
but neighbors are more worried about protecting people from rattlesnakes
instead of snakes on a plane itd be snakes on an island said charles comeau an engineer who lives in ware which borders the reservoir referring to the 2006 action film it would definitely make you think twice about where you step where you walk into the woods
a major problem for many locals is that the island is not exactly an island   it is in fact connected to the mainland by causeways and another island snakes also happen to be excellent swimmers
all it takes is two of em to get across and then all of a sudden you got snakes all throughout the town of ware said kyle whitcomb a police officer in ware who was fishing in a pond near the reservoir on a day off earlier this year he added im petrified of snakes
the fears are largely unfounded deaths from timber rattlesnakes are rare in the unusual event that they bite a human they do not always use venom and if they do there are antidotes but last year a pennsylvania man who was highly allergic died after being bitten by a rattlesnake
perhaps more significantly many people do not like snakes rating them in polls as more frightening than public speaking heights or needles the debate highlights the difficulty of protecting unpopular species
snakes really inspire emotional responses and they have a bad reputation even though theyre virtually harmless if youre paying attention to where you put your hands and feet said david a steen an assistant research professor at auburn university in alabama who is trying to reintroduce the indigo snake to part of that state putting rattlesnakes on an island is kind of a compromise
mr french has said repeatedly at public hearings and in the news media that the rattlesnakes would be unlikely to leave the island which is full of food and they would die if they did not return to their dens he said a state fact sheet said the last recorded human fatality from a rattlesnake in massachusetts was in 1791
but no one is listening mr french said
i can show you the scientific journal article i can say it over and over he said and people will say sorry i just dont believe you
this has left mr french in a quandary
i can hear somebodys concern and i can empathize with it he said but if i know the concern is a false worry i dont quite know what to do with it
the plan has drawn support from conservationists and some local nature groups but state lawmakers have gotten an earful from worried citizens
people are scared of snakes said senator eric p lesser a democrat who this week filed legislation to put a one year moratorium on the plan our responsibility is to soberly separate that out and say ok whats driven by irrational fears and sort of rational concern about an animal that does pose fears because its poisonous
for the fairly rural and modest income communities that border the quabbin reservoir there is another issue the reservoir was created by displacing four towns in the 1930s some residents feel that the rattlesnake plan is another example of the state steamrollering local wishes and they worry that it could be a first step toward losing access to parts of the reservoir where they hike boat and hunt
i see no public good for the residents of central massachusetts or for those in the rest of the commonwealth by creating a colony of pit vipers on any land mass in the watershed said dan hammock a former selectman and county commissioner from erving north of the reservoir who testified before lawmakers at the hearing
at the hearing the state secretary of energy and environmental affairs apologized for not communicating better with residents and announced a committee of legislators and community representatives who would consider the plan or alternatives
gov charlie baker a republican said this week that the plan was on pause but that to his own surprise he was standing up for the species
i cant believe here i am defending snakes mr baker said during an interview on a boston herald radio program i dont like snakes either ok im not a snake guy but they absolutely have a role to play in nature
one aspect of the plan is already underway   100 miles away from the quabbin in a windowless room at the roger williams park zoo in providence ri
there one morning this month baby snake no 600093 coiled in its plastic bin flicked its tongue unaware of the furor over its future it is one of five timber rattlesnakes that have been bred for the island
if we only conserve the cute and the cuddly said lou perrotti the zoos director of conservation were going to have forests full of butterflies and bunny rabbits and theyre going to be very nonfunctioning ecosystems that would eventually collapse
a lot of us very passionate biologists mr perrotti added were going to save the snake


st petersburg fla   when manager joe girardi arrived at the pitchers mound with an outstretched hand reliever nick goody placed the baseball in it
but as goody began the walk back to the dugout girardi went the same way when goody recoiled and stepped the other way so did girardi and they bumped into each other
it was that kind of afternoon for the yankees as they lost to the tampa bay rays 9 5 on saturday they could not get out of their own way
nobody hindered the cause more than michael pineda who after an encouraging performance last sunday at oakland reverted to dispiriting form with his briefest outing this season
pineda gave up three runs in another rough first inning   his season long bugaboo   and allowed a two run homer by evan longoria in the second by the time longoria singled with two outs in the fourth driving in the rays sixth run girardi had seen enough
its very frustrating to me to start the season like this pineda said through an interpreter im putting the team in a tough spot
as pineda left he carried with him a 692 era   which stood as the worst mark in baseball among qualified starters   and questions about how long he might maintain his spot in the starting rotation pineda has an option to be sent to the minor leagues
as of right now theres no changes girardi said adding that he was speaking daily with the pitching coach larry rothschild and general manager brian cashman
carlos beltran said he had repeatedly heard from opponents how uncomfortable pinedas slider changeup and fastball were to hit
every time i hear something from a player on the opposite team i let him know beltran said
beltran reached a career milestone with a flourish with his 2500th hit coming on his team leading 12th home run of the season but fitting for the yankees afternoon he left the game shortly afterward when a muscle in his upper back knotted up while he was checking his swing
alex rodriguez another aging slugger dropped to 1 for 13 with seven strikeouts since returning thursday from three weeks on the disabled list his only hit a monstrous home run on friday night on saturday with the bases loaded he chased a fastball from enny romero to end the seventh
the yankees had another prime opportunity in the eighth cutting their deficit to 9 5 but jacoby ellsbury and aaron hicks grounded out with two runners aboard


soc trang vietnam   when the rice shoots began to wither on lam thi lois farm in the heart of the mekong delta a usually verdant region of vietnam she faced a hard choice let them die in the parched earth or pump salty water from the river to give them a chance
like many seasoned farmers here she risked the saline water the crop perished within days
the mekong delta vietnams premier rice growing region is suffering its worst drought since french colonial administrators began recording statistics in 1926 giant cracks some a foot deep gouge the hard earth brown stalks of dead rice litter the fields and the dryness is so severe even the pests lie shriveled on the ground
ive been planting rice since i was 13 and i have never seen anything like this ms loi 38 said as she sat in her neat living room in february i got one bag of rice last year we harvested 14 tons
the increasingly dramatic effect of el nino the weather phenomenon that causes excessive heat and reduced rainfall in southeast asia is the prime reason for the crop failures in the delta scientists say but it is not the only one
the communist governments insistence that farmers grow three rice crops a year instead of the traditional one or two has depleted the soil of nutrients exacerbating the impact of the drought they say
and water from the sea has invaded the lower reaches of the mekong river which is more shallow than usual sweeping saline water farther up the delta than ever before and wiping out rice fields
all 13 provinces in the delta home to 17 million people or one fifth of vietnams population are suffering from salt water in agricultural lands the government said the ministry of agriculture and rural development reported in march that 200000 households experienced serious water shortages and that the number was rising
saline water has long been invading the delta but because of the drought there is not enough fresh water in the river and its distributaries to dilute the seawater the salt is having a more deleterious impact the scientists say
the rice crop crisis has highlighted the need for the government to adjust its heavy emphasis on rice growing and to encourage shrimp farming as a more profitable and practical substitute said nguyen huu thien a consultant with the international union for conservation of nature
vietnam is the second biggest rice exporter after thailand mr thien said referring to the southeast asian region but there is no glory in that because the farmers are not thriving and there is a lot of migration out of the delta
the government is stuck on a rice first policy that harks back to the 1970s after the communist victory in the vietnam war when the people were hungry and the country was isolated bereft of trading partners and without a manufacturing sector
in those days the government mobilized work teams to construct earthen dikes along major canals in the delta to keep the salt water out and to foster better conditions for rice growing said timothy gorman a researcher on the delta at cornell university
government financed sluice gates were built in the 1990s he said by 2001 some farmers were so fed up with the efforts to hold back the salt water that they attacked the sluice gates and destroyed them making way for the cultivation of tiger prawns in the western part of the delta
many farmers know the saline water is good for producing shrimp mr gorman said but while they get subsidies for rice they are not encouraged to switch to shrimp
the construction of hydropower dams upstream from the delta and dams in chinas southern province of yunnan are adding to the woes
a 2010 study commissioned by the mekong river commission warned against the building of 11 dams in laos and cambodia because they would trap valuable sediment and stop it from reaching the delta the report was ignored two of the dams are under construction and the rest are scheduled to go ahead
in a rare concession to vietnam the chinese released water from dams in yunnan province in march but the flow was too small to make a difference to the failing rice crops the vietnamese authorities said
resentment toward the government is rising among the villagers
the provincial authorities kept them in the dark residents said in october the water level in the vast tonle sap lake in cambodia which feeds into the mekong river was perilously low
two other big reservoirs of water in the vietnamese provinces of an giang and dong thap that help soak the rice fields were also at extremely low levels
ms loi said she had not been warned she went ahead plowing and planting she has lost more than 1000 on seeds fertilizers and labor she said
yet when she attended a meeting called recently by district officials to discuss the problems the villagers were met with scorn she said they offered me only 120 she said it is nothing we have no right to negotiate with them they said the farmers dont know anything but we do know our business
on the banks of the river two hours away a more prosperous rice farmer huynh anh dung 34 presides over six acres of land his share of a vast property founded by his grandfather nearly 100 years ago
when his rice crop failed in february because of salty water he decided to forsake a third crop he knew it was folly to try again
a friend had a machine that measures the salt in the water he said there was 48 parts per thousand anything over two parts per thousand kills the plants
some farmers have fled to ho chi minh city to find work leaving villages with only half their population
in some towns and villages farmers like mr dung have comfortable homes with polished wood furniture televisions motorbikes for getting around on the roads and outboard motor boats on the rivers a mildly sweet iced tea with crushed ice is served as a welcoming drink to visitors
mr dung is staying put tethered to his ancestral lands he had saved enough money from past crops that he did not need part time work his uncle had started growing organic bitter melons on a portion of land on the family farm a project that was doing well
on a recent morning he hired a worker to dig shallow trenches in the fields so that when the rains finally arrive the salt now embedded in the earth will run away more quickly
the signs of well being will not last said mr thien who was one of the authors of the 2010 report on the dams with so many dams coming on line upstream the lack of sediment will eventually kill the delta leaving it a wasteland in the next 100 years or so
the impact of the dams will be irreversible he said
mr dung could not see so far into the future as he contemplated the salt damage and his scorched earth thunder rumbled in the distance gray clouds hung overhead the first in six months i hope it rains he said


paris   out on court 3 in the gloaming serena and venus williams were playing ferocious doubles ripping returns and passing shots with unmistakable intent finishing each serve with a bit of extra venom
they are thinking olympics with every stroke of the ball said patrick mouratoglou serenas coach serenas got the desire here doubles and singles
a great deal has changed since the williamses first arrived at roland garros venus the older sister in 1997 serena in 1998
back then there were no skycams zipping along overhead and no digital scoreboards glowing in the fading light back then nobody in the sisters entourage was getting distracted by a smartphone during their matches and their parents   richard williams and oracene price   were still together and still fixtures at courtside
on saturday evening the sisters new day to day tennis mentors were sitting side by side in the stands mouratoglou and venuss de facto coach david witt but what has not changed is the sisters elemental connection and their taste for competition and for solving tennis conundrums with an often irresistible burst of power
it was quite a sight back in the late 1990s and so it remains nearly 20 years later with serena now 34 years old and venus about to turn 36
in my view they were technically ahead of the others 15 or 20 years ago said georges goven the former french player and longtime coach they were ahead with their style of play the open stance method of transferring the weight and all the rest they in some fashion invented a tennis that was more economical in terms of the footwork while being more effective
goven noted that others had imitated this style of play which he said the williamses have been able to maintain at a high level in part because they did not play a lot of tournaments each year
they are like older model cars without many kilometers on the odometer goven said so that has given them a certain freshness and that plus their talent tells the story
it was and remains one of the most unlikely and remarkable tales in sports and in this very latest installment of their long running reality show the sisters are both back in the fourth round of the french open in singles for the first time since 2010
before playing doubles they played the home team on this rain interrupted saturday serena facing kristina mladenovic of france on center court and venus facing another frenchwoman alize cornet across the concourse on the suzanne lenglen court
both sisters prevailed with difficulty serena finishing off mladenovic on her fifth match point 6 4 7 6 10 and venus roaring back from a rough second set to win 7 6 5 1 6 6 0
they have both played better in their lives but they played well enough in the round of 16 serena will face elina svitolina of ukraine while venus will take on the quick and crafty swiss player timea bacsinszky a semifinalist here last year before serena defeated her in three sets on her way to the title
svitolina has hired justine henin as a coaching consultant this season   one more reminder of the williamses staying power in a sport that can grind down its champions
henin who won four french opens remains one of the precious few to have had a true rivalry with serena younger than both sisters at 33 she has been retired now for more than five years and is also working at roland garros as a television analyst so is the former williams rival amelie mauresmo who at 36 is less than a year older than venus
witt said venus could be five years younger as far as he was concerned
shes still looking to do the same thing get deep in tournaments and play good matches witt said she and serena love the tennis and love getting out there and enjoying the battle and theres no talk of retirement she loves being in the stadium loves playing front of people and loves just getting out there in the battle the rest of it shes not into all that shes not into the drama
there was some on saturday however as venus was given a warning in the third set of her match against cornet by the chair umpire carlos ramos for receiving coaching she did not take it lightly
honestly at 36 years old i have never had a coaching violation she said to the officials on court dont even go there i play fair i play the game with honesty i would never tell anyone to do that just fyi
the drama in serenas match peaked in the second set tiebreaker delayed for nearly three hours by rain immediately after mladenovic who was living very dangerously on her service games evened the set at 6 6
after the break mladenovic jumped out to a 5 2 lead but missed an inside out forehand that would have put her up by 6 2 serena rallied from there yet still struggled to close shanking an overhead on her first match point and requiring four more match points before winning
i think today in general i didnt play my usual game she said some of those break points most of them i should have won and i didnt and lately i have been really converting those break points but i have got to focus on the positives i guess
the positives include sweeping to the title on clay in rome before roland garros after a difficult by her standards start to the season
if you judge her from today youd say her game is poor because she was not moving well and was hitting her shots with her weight too far back mouratoglou said she was hitting short and not finding the angles but if you look at it through the lens of what shes done for the last few weeks her level of play is comfortably high enough to win the title here
mouratoglou attributes serenas failure to win a title this year until rome to the lingering disappointment over her upset losses in the 2015 united states open semifinals to roberta vinci and in the 2016 australian open final to angelique kerber
lots of disillusionment and a small loss of motivation he said but the desire is there now she came to rome to win the tournament shes got it back you feel it in the matches
an all williams singles semifinal in paris is still a possibility though not likely considering bacsinszkys form and venuss struggles in recent years on red clay
there is also doubles where the sisters who had not played together since 2014 until losing in the first round in rome are trying to get their groove back in time for rio both are committed to the olympics even though there are concerns about the zika virus
its something thats been on my mind serena said im really just going to have to go superprotected maybe
for now they are still in the second round in paris after their match with vitalia diatchenko and galina voskoboeva was suspended for darkness with the williamses saving two set points to take a 7 6 8 lead into the locker room
they will be back for more on sunday back at roland garros one of the tennis playgrounds they know best


the mets trotted out their 1986 champions saturday night for a belated curtain call and some premature comparisons inevitably the amazins of old were asked their opinions of the amazins of new and their responses were not always diplomatic
eighty six you kidding me dwight gooden said when asked before the ceremony which mets starting rotation was best sixty nine was the most talented we had the most heart these guys today have got to win it first
the 86 team won a championship next door at shea stadium while last years bunch could not quite handle the kansas city royals in the world series the old champs therefore retain their nostalgic aura and were greeted with standing ovations before the mets current cast faced the dodgers at citi field the night celebrated the 30th anniversary of what was perhaps the most successful year in the franchises uneven history
the on field introductions by howie rose were poignant marked by the presence of so many great players fond memories and the absence of gary carter who died in 2012 of brain cancer carters wife sandy and their son d j took garys spot on the infield during the introductions
the 1986 mets finished 108 54 during the regular season then knocked off the houston astros and the boston red sox in two tough meandering series to win the championship
davey johnson that teams manager said saturday that his squad had been constructed very differently from the current version he pointed out that his edition had more table setters at the top of the lineup players like lenny dykstra and wally backman he also noted that his starters had had more experience after a couple of near misses in previous seasons
by 1986 they were veteran pitchers who knew how to handle the pressure johnson said my young guys learned from losing
johnson 73 lives in florida now and is involved in real estate after a long baseball career he last managed in 2013 with the nationals and kept true to some basic tenets
they have bigger guys now johnson said but i was always a numbers guy even before sabermetrics and we had players in 1986 who crouched low and battled to get on we didnt have anyone in the rotation struggling like matt harvey though hell get out of it i would say this team now compares favorably you still need a balanced lineup good defense
in 1986 the mets starting rotation boasted remarkable earned run averages gooden at 284 ron darling 281 sid fernandez 352 and bob ojeda 257 noah syndergaard entered the game saturday with a 194 era jacob degrom was at 281 and steven matz at 236 but harveys era had ballooned to 608
darling suggested that only gooden and fernandez had possessed the sort of overpowering stuff to match the present day rotation but that his group had been more wily and experienced
its unfair to compare them until they have five or six years under their belts darling said of the current mets rotation lets wait to judge them and see if they can win 15 games a season for five years
at this juncture it is unlikely that harvey will be able to post that sort of mark this season gooden said that he could relate to harveys problems that it was not always so easy for him in his first few years in new york
it happens gooden said you lose confidence question yourself but once he gets one or two good starts hell be fine
of course those mets of old would face their own issues particularly behavioral problems with strawberry gooden and others
ultimately it was left to the current manager terry collins to state the obvious that comparisons between the old timers and the newcomers were a futile exercise and not particularly relevant collins has his own troubles for one david wright was out of the lineup again with a neck injury
they had power speed they could catch the ball collins said of the 1986 team we dont have the speed they had which would be nice because it created some things
were just different were made up differently were trying to create our own identity
if the 86 mets paraded through the clubhouse collins said the current players no disrespect would not recognize many of them
darryl strawberry offered some universal wisdom for all teams all ballplayers all eras
have fun as a group strawberry advised we didnt care about numbers we cared about winning


paris   it is not often that a tennis player leads a cheer for a chair umpire or insists that he come down from his perch and join a post match interview but after beating aljaz bedene   and the encroaching darkness   in the last match of the day at roland garros novak djokovic was in a cheerful and appreciative mood
with the sky darkening over philippe chatrier court in the third set djokovic jogged from one corner of the court to the other between points rather than take the usual plodding steps and sprinted to his chair during changeovers
at one point he even waved away a ball girl bringing a towel so intent was he to expedite the match and prevent the chair umpire pascal maria from suspending play because of darkness
on the penultimate point djokovic put his hands together and begged maria to stay in his chair rather than take time to check a ball mark maria dutifully stayed put
when it was finally over and the top seeded djokovic had defeated bedene 6 2 6 3 6 3 in 2 hours 2 minutes djokovic pointed to maria and then led the fans in a cheer for the reluctant umpire
finally instead of signing his own name on the television camera as is usually the custom djokovic wrote marias name
this was the temperament of a man who knew that the most difficult opponent in his half of the draw was no longer there rafael nadal the most successful mens player in the history of the french open had withdrawn with a wrist injury the day before
nadals absence significantly changes the landscape for several players perhaps most notably for djokovic who is seeking his first french open title theoretically he could have met nadal in a semifinal
but djokovic who will next face no 14 seeded roberto bautista took no joy in hearing the news that nadal like roger federer before him had withdrawn because of injury or in watching nadals announcement the day before
it was sad seeing him in the press conference djokovic said his mood changing from gleeful to somber you could feel his pain definitely
no 6 seeded jo wilfried tsonga of france was also felled by injury retiring from his match with ernests gulbis despite leading 5 2 in the first set but tsonga as popular as he is in paris is not nadal
when word filtered across the grounds on friday that nadals wrist injury would sink his hopes for a 10th title dominic thiem knew what it meant but he tried to block it out of his mind
thiem the no 13 seed with high expectations for a glittering future could have faced nadal in the round of 16
it would have been a daunting challenge but beating nadal the ruler of clay in his own kingdom would have been as memorable a victory as thiem 22 of austria had ever known
then again he had tried before
well i already made this experience said thiem who lost to nadal in straight sets here in 2014 its not such a nice one
on saturday thiem beat 19 year old alexander zverev 6 7 4 6 3 6 3 6 3 in their third round match and he now will face marcel granollers instead of nadal
granollers was the most immediate beneficiary of nadals misfortune he had been scheduled to play nadal a fellow spaniard on saturday instead granollers advanced in a walkover and will play thiem for a place in the quarterfinals which neither has ever reached
after he beat zverev thiem politely wished nadal well then pondered the fact that his odds of winning had significantly increased
of course maybe i go different into the match against him than against rafa he said because against rafa im the underdog against granollers im probably the favorite
even if granollers loses he made roughly 78920 in extra prize money the moment nadal stepped down and it is not the first time this spring that granollers has been so fortunate
at the masters 1000 event in monte carlo in april granollers lost in the qualifying rounds but when david ferrer was forced to withdraw because of injury granollers gained entry into the main draw   with a first round bye no less   as a so called lucky loser
the same thing happened at madrid and granollerss luck did not change once he arrived in paris his second round opponent nicolas mahut had a knee injury and lost the first two sets before retiring from the match
injuries are of course a part of the sport especially with nadal but not so much for federer who withdrew before the tournament with an undisclosed ailment ending his streak of 65 consecutive major tournaments
but federer will turn 35 in august and with two of the so called big four djokovic federer nadal and andy murray already out of the tournament it led djokovic to speculate that perhaps this is more than just a fluke perhaps there is a changeover of the elite guard taking place
there might be djokovic said theres going to be how soon we dont know
but before the sun sets on the current stars of mens tennis djokovic hopes to secure a french open title


cape canaveral fla   nasa successfully inflated a new experimental room at the international space station on saturday producing the worlds first pump up compartment for astronauts
the operation took much longer than expected stretching over three days
the astronaut jeffrey williams spent seven hours on saturday opening and closing an air valve to expand the compartment enough air finally seeped inside so that the puffy white pod could stretch to its full size of 13 feet in length and 105 feet in diameter which is equivalent to a small bedroom internal air tanks provided the final pressurization to complete the job
mr williams and his five crewmates will now have to wait a week before entering the pod nasa wants to make certain the chamber is airtight before opening the door
it was nasas second attempt to inflate the bigelow expandable activity module or beam named for the aerospace company that created it as a precursor to potential moon and mars habitats and orbiting tourist hotels
the beam barely expanded during thursdays inflation attempt experts believe the soft sided compartment was tightly packed for so long before its launch last month that its fabric layers had trouble unfolding
pressure inside the chamber was relieved on friday to ease the friction among the multiple layers by saturday the cubicle had swelled an additional six feet in length and looked more like a giant beach ball with every pulse of air
in all mr williams opened the valve 25 times on saturday for a total of 25 minutes worth of air flowing from the space station into the chamber
popping noises could be heard as pressure built inside the beam officials said it was the sound of internal straps releasing as the pod swelled in both length and girth
nasa insisted on a slow inflation to avoid a sudden pressurization of the beam that could stress the connecting parts of the space station
nasa paid 178 million to bigelow aerospace for this version of the beam which could lead to a bigger inflatable room being constructed at the space station
the companys founder robert bigelow is developing a pair of private inflatable space stations that could fly in a few years mr bigelow a longtime hotel entrepreneur sees inflatables as the future of spaceflight
because expandable spacecraft can be compressed for launch the saved space allows rockets to carry more cargo the standard aluminum rooms that currently make up the space station cannot be larger than what fits into a rocket
the beam   which sits empty except for sensors   will remain attached to the orbiting lab for two years as engineers measure temperature radiation levels and resistance to impact from space debris given its experimental status the compartment will be off limits to astronauts most of the time
spacex formally known as space exploration technologies corporation of hawthorne calif delivered the beam early last month and the compartment was installed on the outside of the 250 mile high outpost launch delays had kept it grounded an extra six months


for a few months the rumor has been flying around dining and social circles that the venerable four seasons restaurant would move to 280 park avenue between east 48th and 49th streets a 15 year lease for 20000 square feet of space in that office tower which was recently renovated was signed on thursday
the restaurant is relocating because aby rosen the owner of 375 park avenue at 52nd street known as the seagram building where the world famous restaurant has operated since its founding in 1959 would not renew its lease the restaurant is owned by julian niccolini alex von bidder and members of the bronfman family
it will close after dinner service on july 16 and when it moves it will take the four seasons name with it the owners have trademarked it and the logo of the four seasonal trees
with the guidance of paul goldberger an architecture critic mr niccolini and mr von bidder have selected isay weinfeld a brazilian architect to design the space he will also be responsible for creating the furnishings tableware and serving gear and he plans to enlist artists to participate
like the original the new restaurant will consist of two dining rooms one on each side of the office tower at street level the four seasons is known for its grill room a clubby lunchtime magnet for powerful business types with regular customers like henry kissinger the businessman leonard lauder and the developer harry macklowe the more formal pool room is so named for its centerpiece a bubbling white marble pool
whether these rooms will be replicated in some way in the new space remains to be seen its up to the architect mr niccolini said on saturday he will determine that we really dont know
the original four seasons whose interior of french walnut paneling has new york city landmark status was designed by philip johnson our new architect will be like another philip johnson but for this new century mr niccolini said
in addition to the two dining rooms there will be outdoor dining spaces for each thats really an exciting part he said a private dining room will be installed on the second floor demolition and construction are to begin next week and the new restaurant complex is targeting late 2017 for its reopening
in the meantime mr niccolini said he and mr von bidder had been talking to other restaurants nearby to create short term pop ups they are even considering having a four seasons food truck to sell classics like the crab cakes
the space that the restaurant will vacate will be taken over by major food group which owns downtown restaurants like carbone santina and dirty french jeff zalaznick and the chefs mario carbone and rich torrisi the partners in major food are planning a modern seafood restaurant in what is now the pool room and they expect pay homage to the four seasons by serving vintage dishes in the grill room the new restaurant is to open at the end of the year but as yet does not have a name


the two pilots had to trust each other in more than two decades of aerobatic performances they would turn loops in the air and swoop down low enough to fly just a few yards above the ground in some maneuvers their wings would be inches from each other all while crowds of people watched from below
i knew every move he was going to make and vice versa william segalla said of his longtime flying partner william gordon who together formed the iron eagles aerobatic team the men traveled throughout north and south america for performances with their christen eagle biplanes
youve got to have a certain bond with each other mr segalla 55 said and we had that we had that
mr gordon who first trained as a pilot in the late 1980s could fly aerobatic planes and helicopters and in recent years he had taken an interest in so called warbirds vintage military aircraft like the p 47 thunderbolt he was flying on friday night when it crashed into the hudson river
the world war ii vintage plane which had been flying alongside two other planes as part of a promotional photo shoot plunged into the river around 730 pm a few miles south of the george washington bridge near the manhattan shoreline mr gordons body was recovered by police divers a few hours later on friday night
an army corps of engineers ship equipped with a crane was dispatched to the crash site and pulled the p 47 thunderbolt which belonged to the american airpower museum in farmingdale ny from the water on saturday appearing largely intact the cause of the crash remains under investigation
on saturday mr gordon 56 was remembered as a careful yet versatile pilot friends said he found his way to flying somewhat by accident but once he did he became an expert reading voraciously about the subject and becoming a skilled mechanic
mr gordon was scheduled to fly this weekend in the bethpage air show a two day event at jones beach on long island that in past years has attracted more than 300000 people he was set to fly the thunderbolt as part of an exhibition celebrating the 75th anniversary of the plane a single seat fighter plane prized for being able stay in the air even after being battered in combat
the pilot was a friend to us all and we send our deepest sympathy to his family and our friends at the american air power museum the organizers of the bethpage air show said in a statement posted on the events website the show would continue as planned but with heavy hearts
on a warm saturday afternoon near the museum in farmingdale six vintage aircrafts flew overhead in a v shape performing a so called missing man formation in a tribute to mr gordon who flew warbirds for the museum on a second pass the center plane broke away from the others leaving behind a trail of white smoke one by one the others took off in different directions their white smoke trails intersecting against a blue sky
mr gordon who had worked in construction for decades retired about five years ago friends said and turned his focus toward aviation he has two adult children and in recent years he remarried his wife died of cancer last year friends said that mr gordon was in the process of moving to key west fla and taking over an aviation related business
another pilot dan dameo who met mr gordon about 20 years ago acknowledged that his friend might have looked tough   he was quiet and muscular with a mustache that curled downward but when you knew him mr dameo 79 said he was a gentle lamb
he never bragged he added he never boasted
mr segalla said he immediately felt a kinship with mr gordon soon after they met in the 1970s they both went by bill they both had sons who went by bill and they were both in construction and that was before they started flying together
believe it or not it was on a whim mr segalla said of how his friend started flying a guy bet him he could never get his pilots license hes the type of guy who if someone said he couldnt do it he did it
but he was anything but capricious when it came to flying the two men trained for two years before they started their acrobatic performances and mr segalla added he was fastidious about safety they disbanded the iron eagles about two years ago
a lot of people call us stunt pilots mr segalla said were pilots who have trained and trained to do these things until we felt comfortable enough to bring it in front of a crowd
mr gordon also spent several years as the chief pilot of the old rhinebeck aerodrome in red hook ny which describes itself as a living museum that features vintage aircraft dating back to the pioneer era of aviation over the years he logged plenty of time flying fighter planes from world war i and world war ii
his friends said he knew the risks that flying entailed particularly when performing daring maneuvers he would still go in and do it mr segalla said just because it was his passion


milan   the ingredients were familiar an early goal a frenzied rally a grueling stretch of extra time a crushing finish
familiar too was the result real madrid defeated atletico madrid in the champions league final here saturday night beating its crosstown rival for the continental crown for the second time in three years
real madrid has now won 11 european championships a record total   and also 11 more than atletico which was agonizingly close to finally tasting glory
for all the similarities to the 2014 final though this match at the san siro stadium was not a rerun
last time real madrid fell behind in the first half scored in the dying seconds of added time and then ran away with a three goal win in extra time on this night it was real that scored early atletico that leveled the score late and the merengues holding off atleticos pushes who barely edged to a victory 5 3 in a penalty shootout after a 1 1 draw
the game ended as so many of reals seem to with cristiano ronaldo shirtless ronaldo who was largely quiet throughout the match while playing with what appeared to be a lingering leg injury was given the opportunity to seal the win after juanfran missed atleticos fourth penalty kick injured or not ronaldo did not waver coolly shooting the ball past goalkeeper jan oblak ripping off his own shirt and waving it wildly as his teammates ran toward him
gareth bale leapt in the air marcelo danced amid the celebration ronaldo found a moment to embrace his manager zinedine zidane a former star for the french national team who became the seventh man to have won a champions league title as both a player and a coach
i had a vision ronaldo said adding that he had asked zidane if he could take the fifth penalty kick because i was going to score the winning goal
the atletico players slumped in a heap near midfield they were understandably battered having come just seconds from winning the clubs first european title two years ago only to make it back to the final and be gutted again
diego simeone atleticos manager looked dazed as he trudged around the field trying to console his players he seemed to have made the right moves   his halftime substitute yannick ferreira carrasco scored the tying goal with about 10 minutes remaining in regulation   but it was not enough
atletico slumbered through a somnolent first half but was far better in the second and looked more likely to win in regulation after it could not the team was left with regrets most notably a missed penalty kick from antoine griezmann just after halftime that could have changed the tenor of the game shooting toward his teams fans griezmann bounced his shot off the crossbar as simeone grimaced on the sideline
i dont believe in excuses simeone said to lose two finals is a failure we must now go home and tend to our wounds
real madrids victory concluded a bizarre season   even by the clubs circus standards   in which its president florentino perez fired manager rafael benitez in an attempt to shake the players out of an early season slump perez then elevated zidane who had been coaching madrids second team but had never coached in the top division and watched as zidane ripped through the next five months and became the eighth manager to claim the continental crown in his first season
when you have players of this caliber zidane said you can achieve something big like we have tonight
this was the fourth european cup final to be played at the san siro stadium and it was similar to the last two editions both of which had late game drama in 1970 feyenoord from the netherlands beat rangers of scotland by 2 1 after extra time thirty one years after that bayern munich beat valencia in a thrilling penalty shootout
those games were classics on their own but saturdays had a different feel if only because of the geography involved two years ago an estimated 90000 spanish fans traveled to lisbon for the final   many of them in caravans that clogged the motorways   and while few expected a repeat of that number the spanish presence in the city center here was impossible to miss
spotless white jerseys red and white striped scarves countless ronaldo shirts a fair few for fernando torres
a flock of real madrid fans sang long and loud down the street from the towering cathedral early in the morning steps away in the galleria vittorio emanuele ii atletico fans drowned out the noise of tourists and shoppers
these clubs and their fans know each other so well that there was no novelty no fascination to the meeting it was simply another round between rivals that are separated by little more than a 20 minute taxi ride across the spanish capital
not surprisingly the game was played with an edge tacklers flew in early and there was little early flow from either team as constant fouls bogged down play
one of those fouls   juanfran knocked over bale about 15 minutes in   preceded a goal by real madrids sergio ramos with the free kick off to the right flank toni kroos whipped in a cross and bale flicked the ball with his head before ramos slid in and jammed it over the line ramos took off running celebrating the goal his first in the champions league since his last second header sent the 2014 final in lisbon into extra time
the real fans roared while the atletico fans fumed their frustration turning to anger after they saw replays of the goal ramos appeared onside for krooss free kick but offside for bales flick the goal should have been ruled out
of course it was not and just as atletico did two years ago real fell into a shell after its opening strike soaking up pressure and nearly making it to the finish line with a 1 0 victory before a late goal changed the story
this time it was carrasco oblak made a dazzling save to deny ronaldo at one end and seconds later at the other juanfran sent a cross in front of the goal that was there to be finished
carrasco ran to the stands to kiss his girlfriend the red and white striped end of the san siro erupted
at that moment it felt as if atletico might go on and finish what it could not two years ago things felt different
but they were not the ending was just the same


mark salling an actor best known for playing the bad boy love interest in the fox tv series glee was charged in a two count federal indictment on friday with receiving and possessing child pornography the justice department said in a statement
mr salling 33 who played noah puck puckerman on the musical dramedy for six seasons from 2009 to 2015 was arrested last december by the los angeles police departmant and homeland security investigations a branch of us immigration and customs enforcement on child pornography charges
during his arrest the authorities searched his home in shadow hills calif and seized a laptop a hard drive and a usb flash drive that contained thousands of pornographic images and videos depicting children the department said on friday he was released on a 20000 bond
the case was referred to federal law enforcement officials after investigators discovered the extent of the child pornography collection the authorities said the indictment on friday specifically charged mr salling with using the internet on two dates in 2015   dec 26 and dec 29   to receive a still image and multiple videos depicting young girls
it doesnt matter who you are or what you do if you hurt a child you will be held accountable lt andrea grossman commander of the lapd internet crimes against children task force said in a statement these images are more than photographs they are child abuse
the justice department said that mr salling had agreed to turn himself in on june 3 and would be arraigned on that date


the mets did not wait long to fill their first base vacancy acquiring the proven journeyman james loney on saturday from the san diego padres for cash
loney 32 and a 10 year veteran will be part of a platoon to replace lucas duda who sustained a spinal injury and is expected to be out for up to six weeks
this season loney was hitting 342 for el paso of the class aaa pacific coast league he batted 280 with four homers and 32 rbi last year with tampa bay before he was released this spring loney a left handed hitter ranked as the second toughest hitter in the american league to strike out in 2015
hell add a nice dimension mets manager terry collins said ive known him since he was 17 a good first baseman not tremendous power hell face right handed pitchers
collins was uncertain when loney would be available
filip bondy


philadelphia   amid the constant icing there was physical therapy when he was not on crutches he was exercising in the pool he had his meals served in the training room so he did not have to leave
dylan molloy was going to do whatever it took to play on saturday in browns first appearance in the ncaa mens lacrosse final four since 1994 but the coaches feared there was no way he could overcome a broken bone in his foot in less than two weeks
with the amount of swelling and the amount of pain he was in yeah brown coach lars tiffany said there wasnt much optimism
and yet somehow there was molloy the nations leader in points warming up with a healthy limp before the matchup with top seeded maryland at lincoln financial field he did not start tiffany wanted to keep the terrapins on their toes but with 9 minutes 2 seconds left in the first quarter molloy scored his first goal energizing the bears in a seesawing battle against maryland
ultimately the terrapins playing in their third consecutive national semifinal game outlasted brown 15 14 in overtime colin heacock provided the game winning goal less than two minutes into the period
molloy two goals mainly orbited around the goal visibly hobbling at times and sapped of the explosiveness and bulldozing strength that made his game so distinctive he served largely as a decoy absorbing attention while bailey tills four goals and henry blynn two goals two assists could attack
but his very presence in uniform was a surprise molloy who sustained the injury in browns win over johns hopkins on may 14 did not play last week in the quarterfinal game against navy meanwhile browns team doctor brett d owens was contacting orthopedic specialists in providence and new york for consultation about the possibility of molloys recovery
eventually tiffany said owens spoke to several orthopedists who work with nfl teams and they indicated it was possible for molloy to play
they said weve gotten some athletes through this tiffany said relating owenss conversation not really the running backs or wide receivers but more so like linemen guys who dont need to be explosive
owens then flew to philadelphia on saturday morning to give molloy a shot of lidocaine to numb the pain in his foot tiffany said molloy had surgery scheduled for tuesday
molloy who appeared at the postgame news conference on a scooter said that his foot had certainly been in pain but that he had wanted to play
its a broken bone it couldnt feel much better than it was feeling the last couple days molloy said the swelling was definitely down from last week i was going to be out there regardless
though browns unrelenting offense led the nation in scoring this season averaging more than 16 goals per game the bears were up against a seasoned maryland defense which was able to contribute in more ways than one when browns goalie jack kelly drifted away from the net to cover an attackman for what is known as a 10 man ride terps defenseman matt dunn saw the open opportunity and heaved the ball from well beyond midfield scoring on a bounce
trailing by four with six minutes left the bears finally seemed to be able to build momentum scoring three straight goals in a span of about 90 seconds three minutes later with 149 remaining brown tied the score on a shot by brendan caputo
in the overtime maryland attacked quickly matt rambo five assists found heacock wide open in the middle and after a pump fake got kelly in the air heacock slipped the ball down low for an easy winner
the terps will play in their fourth national title game in six years facing unseeded north carolina which had not played in the final four since 1993
the tar heels used all that pent up frustration to explode for nine goals in the first quarter of their 18 13 win over seventh seeded loyola maryland in the first game saturday
chris cloutier a sophomore midfielder from kitchener ontario scored half of north carolinas goals a stunning total that tied syracuses gary gait 1988 and browns oliver marti 1992 for the most in an ncaa division i tournament game cloutiers nine goals were two more than any player had collected in a game on championship weekend and nearly a third of his total goals for the season 29
his breakthrough performance steve pontrellos five points and stephen kellys 19 face off wins and two assists kept north carolinas offense running on all cylinders against a defense ranked ninth in division i in goals allowed per game
we had a lot of moments of indecision loyola coach charley toomey said we didnt give our goalies a lot of chances to make saves


paris   the defending champion serena williams needed five match points saturday after waiting out a rain delay of more than two and a half hours but she eventually moved into the fourth round of the french open with a 6 4 7 6 10 victory over 26th seeded kristina mladenovic of france
her sister venus williams also won a match interrupted by rain
on the mens side the sixth seeded jo wilfried tsonga of france had to quit his third round match because of a groin strain tsonga a two time semifinalist was leading ernests gulbis of latvia 5 2 in the opening set when he was forced to stop
the tight well played match at court philippe chatrier between mladenovic and serena williams was suspended when a thunderstorm arrived before second set tiebreaker
once they resumed williams erased one set point for mladenovic at 9 8 with a swinging forehand volley winner four times williams was a point from victory in the tiebreaker   at 6 5 7 6 8 7 and 10 9   and could not close it out but on her fifth opportunity mladenovic pushed a forehand wide to end the match
she played really really well and forced me to bring out my best tennis williams said im happy i got through that
serena was really aggressive went for her shots and took risks her coach patrick mouratoglou said thats her game
her older sister now needs one more victory to reach the quarterfinals here for the first time in 10 years
playing a terrific final set the ninth seeded venus williams beat frances alize cornet 7 6 5 1 6 6 0 to reach the fourth round williams lost at that stage in paris in 2010 missed the tournament the next year then lost in the first or second round in every appearance from 2012 through last year
she lost to her sister in the 2002 french open final and since then has made it as far as the quarterfinals only twice most recently in 2006
next for venus williams who turns 36 next month is a matchup with no 8 timea bacsinszky
serena williams the no 1 seed is trying to become the first woman to win consecutive titles at roland garros since justine henin took three in a row from 2005 through 2007
next up for her will be elina svitolina who defeated ana ivanovic 6 4 6 4
in her seven previous matches with ivanovic the 18th seeded svitolina of ukraine had only managed to win a set svitolina had also lost twice at roland garros to ivanovic the 2008 champion
first win against ana its huge for me said svitolina whose best result at the french open was a spot in the quarterfinals last year when she lost to ivanovic
svitolina 21 who had won just one match on clay this season before coming to paris said she played with a better mentality than during her previous matches against the serb ivanovic
i was really confident today svitolina said i dont know just everything was right
svitolina who made her debut on the tour four years ago added henin to her coaching team this year
although an injury hampered her quick progression this season svitolina said henins experience has helped her mentally
henins knowledge of williamss game may be a strong asset too the now retired henin beat williams twice at the french open in 2003 and 2007
tsongas withdrawal came a day after the nine time french open champion rafael nadal the fourth seed pulled out with a wrist injury
roger federer the worlds third ranked player chose not to play in the tournament because of a back injury


raanana israel   david coffer sank into a green plastic chair his eyes fixated on two tennis courts as five teenagers whizzed balls across the court slinging groundstrokes to one another
though he is not physically spry as he nears 70 coffer is full of energy he is not shy about speaking his mind age is all about your spirit he says
coffer a jewish businessman and philanthropist from britain who made his money in real estate is the man responsible for changing the youth tennis landscape in israel he and his son adam finance and manage the david squad an elite tennis roster that handpicks the top players in israel to train named after ancient israels king david the david squad has become the pre eminent tennis academy in israel
between the two courts youve got two players ranked at the top of their division in the country two national champions and one world champion   not bad right coffer said pointing at each player you wont see this collection of talent in one setting in most countries especially in israel
one of those prized talents is yshai oliel israels best tennis prospect in years a tall lanky left hander originally from ramla oliel 16 has seen his stock rise steadily in recent years he is a two time champion of the prestigious junior orange bowl international tournament one of nine players to have won consecutive titles
for the last four years hes probably been one of the top three players in his age group in the world said shlomo glickstein the chief executive of the israeli tennis association and a former top 25 player on the atp tour
oliel is far and away the best junior player in israel his year round schedule includes minimal time spent training and competing in israel because of the lack of top level competition available for the few weeks a year he does spend in israel he often trains with the davis cup team and with dudi sela israels top professional player on the atp tour
the rest of the year he plays tournaments around the world and spends weeks at a time training in florida or in spain where he practices with the former atp player francisco clavet to improve his conditioning and movement around the court
oliels highest ranking in the 18 and under junior circuit was 48 which came last year and he is currently in the top 60 his coaches have taken cautionary steps in his development and they have been deliberate in ramping up his schedule and training they have slowly mixed in more difficult tournaments pushing him to play the junior australian open in january and then the french open he won his two qualifying matches for the french open and will very likely be in the main draw for the boys singles tournament this week
andy zingman one of his main coaches at the david squad does not think that oliels ranking is an accurate description of where he is in his development
oliel is probably one of the top 30 or 40 players in juniors zingman said we try to challenge him and make him play tougher tournaments even if it means hes going to lose and have his ranking suffer
zingman said he could choose to have oliel play easy tournaments and thus improve his ranking but added that he would gain little besides the bump
he needs to get used to losing zingman said
not known for producing tennis players israel has seen that change slightly in the last few years thanks in large part to coffer and the david squad coffer started the david squad in 2006 and will train any player jewish or arab with the potential to excel in international competition and the willingness to abide by a strict code of conduct
coffer who with his son travels to israel several times a year has made it his goal to improve the level of youth tennis and in turn the level of professional talent that the country produces at the recent pesach national tournament in israel david squad members won the girls under 21 tournament as well as the boys under 16 under 14 and under 12
only 10 players are officially part of the squad and that suits coffer he wants to produce the best talent he can and appropriately devote his resources to all of his players he also says that keeping the squad small and exclusive adds to its mystique
ultimately coffer wants to improve the worlds perception of israel through sports
no one knows who the prime minister is of serbia or the president is of switzerland but everyone knows novak djokovic and roger federer he said theres an improved perception of those countries because of them thats what im trying to do here
though there are other tennis academies in israel none have the same level of financing that coffer provides he brings in coaches trainers nutritionists and psychologists he covers travel expenses which include trips to international tournaments as well as trips to train in florida and spain
the impact is not lost on israels other tennis governing bodies
i personally think what davids doing is a positive thing and a great program glickstein said the country just doesnt have the money to financially support all of these talented players and so hes able to do that he does what he does out of his love for israel and tennis and hes helping grow tennis in israel


democrats could hardly believe their good fortune last month when it became clear that hillary clinton was headed to a general election showdown with donald j trump mr trump carried so much baggage and had insulted so many voting blocs that some clinton supporters began to imagine a landslide
but early optimism that this would be an easy race is evaporating in the corridors of congress on airplane shuttles between new york and washington at donor gatherings and on conference calls anxiety is spreading through the democratic party that mrs clinton is struggling to find her footing
while she enjoys many demographic advantages heading into the fall key democrats say they are growing worried that her campaign has not determined how to combat her unpredictable often wily republican rival to whom criticism seldom sticks and rules of decorum seem not to apply
mrs clinton is pressing ahead with a conventional campaign echoing the 2012 themes used against the republican nominee that year mitt romney but mr trump is running a jarringly different crusade accusing her husband former president bill clinton of rape proposing that the country conduct brutal methods of torture and suggesting that south korea and japan be permitted to develop nuclear arms prominent democrats say a more provocative approach is needed
the guys a maniac john burton the chairman of the california democratic party said about mr trump referring to a famous 1964 political message he said you could run the old lbj ad against goldwater with three two one and a hydrogen bomb blows up with a little girl counting daisies
of course mr trump faces many hurdles himself and has stumbled in managing his growing campaign as he shifts toward a general election but democrats suggest that the past few weeks have shown that mrs clinton and her aides must become more agile and creative against him
the sense of nervousness crystallized this week when mrs clinton devoted campaign events across california to hitting mr trump for not releasing his tax returns and depicting him as a cold corporate titan who profited off the housing crisis such charges helped undermine mr romney four years ago yet mrs clintons remarks received little in depth coverage in the news media while cable channels went live with mr trumps rat a tat recitation of crooked hillary his favored nickname for her
ken salazar the former colorado senator who has been mentioned as a possible clinton running mate said the campaign should draw a sharp contrast between mr trumps shortcomings and mrs clintons potential to be the most qualified person to be president in our lifetime
the campaign needs to expose donald trump as the opposite   selfish egomaniac divisive and unqualified to be president mr salazar said in an email
jennifer palmieri a spokeswoman for the clinton campaign said that the news coverage mr trump is receiving is not helping him she said that unlike mr trump who uses nothing but his own mouth mrs clinton has a campaign that employs many methods of communication including videos respected surrogates and bilingual outreach we hear from friends who think we should act more like trump or criticize us for sometimes using traditional communications tactics she said but we dont think thats the answer
as a candidate mrs clinton is not without her own issues to overcome including her inability to quickly put away senator bernie sanders and her use of a private email server when she was secretary of state feeding a perception she is not trustworthy in a report delivered this past week to congress the state departments inspector general strongly criticized her for the practice
but it is the campaigns approach to mr trump that is making even mrs clintons most loyal supporters uneasy
senator chuck schumer of new york is concerned that she lacks a comprehensive strategy to confront mr trump and has told democrats that the clinton campaign must bring on a senior staff member dedicated only to the trump portfolio
as soon as she clinches the nomination we need a high level person in the campaign whose sole job is to respond to trump almost on an hourly basis said mr schumer who has begun conversations with clinton officials about who could fill that role
during a conference call this month high profile female supporters pressed mrs clintons advisers about her message   which has as a slogan breaking down barriers   and whether it needs to shift for the general election the message will be broadening karen finney a senior adviser explained according to a transcript of the call obtained by the new york times but she added leaving some participants perplexed breaking down barriers and unity will continue to be part of the theme because hillary believes we need to come together as a country in many ways
debates have broken out in mrs clintons brooklyn headquarters over the best approach to take some advisers worry that by running against mr trump as she would a traditional republican candidate mrs clinton is actually making the reality television star appear more legitimate
this month when mr trump suggested he would reduce the national debt by negotiating with creditors to accept something less than full payment economists dismissed the idea as fanciful
hours later the clinton campaign sent out a news release about mr trumps risky idea of defaulting on the national debt with a response from gene sperling formerly a senior economic adviser to both president obama and mr clinton condemning the idea
the seriousness of the campaigns response seemed to elevate a nonsensical proposal that is a danger said dan pfeiffer a former senior adviser to mr obama you have to take the threat of trump becoming president seriously but you shouldnt treat him as a serious person
at the same time mrs clintons attempts at poking mr trump have felt tame compared with what he has unleashed the day after he accused her husband of rape on fox news this month she told cnn i have concluded he is not qualified to be president
her aides were exuberant that mrs clinton a cautious candidate who for weeks had demurred when asked if mr trump was up to the job had finally publicly declared him unfit but to many clinton allies it felt like a tepid tactic from yesteryear
sometimes you get the feeling that theyre in a professional boxing match and hes in a street fight and theyre coming in with their gloves on said the rev al sharpton expressing dismay over the clinton operations apparent lack of appetite for combat
this is a street fight with a guy with a razor and a broken coca cola bottle he added and youve got to fight him like that
ms palmieri said each tactic we use is designed for a particular purpose to either engage the press or reach a certain audience
any aggressive approach by mrs clinton is potentially dangerous however because recent polls show she is viewed negatively by a majority of the electorate
the campaign says it intends to go after mr trump more forcefully particularly on national security and his business record after june 7 when mrs clinton is expected to officially clinch her partys nomination
for now her aides appear to be throwing ideas against a wall to see what sticks including trying out different monikers after the democratic national committees dangerous donald flopped an internal favorite is poor donald with its implication that mr trump famously defensive about his net worth is not nearly as wealthy as he lets on
her advisers also say that a large percentage of voters have not yet paid attention to the details of the race and do not know about mr trumps business dealings or that he has refused to release his taxes
it wouldnt be a general election without some early bed wetting from washington insiders said robby mook mrs clintons campaign manager he noted that the campaign had attacked mr trump over the tax returns and for his demeaning millions of americans
our campaign has already shown the resolve to take him on and put him on defense in ways his republican challengers never could mr mook added
william m daley mr obamas former white house chief of staff attributed any early shortcomings in taking on mr trump to mrs clintons prolonged primary battle against mr sanders the period between the june 7 contests and the july convention will reshape the race he said
to that end joel benenson mrs clintons pollster and chief strategist pointed out that at this stage in the 2008 primary battle against mrs clinton mr obama led senator john mccain by only two percentage points he went on to defeat mr mccain by 72 percentage points
it is clear however that democrats are no longer mocking mr trump many of them seem determined instead to understand his appeal
in an interview on friday gov john hickenlooper of colorado said he had purchased and begun reading mr trumps book the art of the deal
the governor said he remained confident that mrs clinton would ultimately win but added that she has to be careful because now he has momentum


to the sports editor
re two horses die after preakness undercard races may 22 the lives of these horses homeboykris and pramedya were as valuable to them as the winning profits are to the bettors and owners and victories shouldnt be celebrated where deaths are not mourned
such fatalities are all too common and often go unreported according to the equine injury database compiled by the jockey club 4649 thoroughbreds died in racetrack related events from 2009 to 2015
the practice of using animals for our own pleasure and profit runs throughout history and cultures we like to pretend that weve shed our barbaric selves but the violent echoes of the past resound in our amphitheaters   no matter how fancy our attire or elegant our hats
colleen patrick goudreau
oakland calif
to the sports editor
re harveys slide deepens as nationals hammer him a second time may 25 instead of having matt harvey stay in the rotation skip a start or go to the minors put him in the bullpen there is no shame in this his pitching woes are already nakedly public let him pitch an inning or two here or there building up his confidence while trying to regain his form
maybe this is all a result of a slower recovery from tommy john surgery compared with other pitchers who have undergone this procedure he should go at the pace at which he can both help the team and heal his arm fully
spenser alpern
new york city
to the sports editor
re fastballs can lead to tommy john surgery study finds may 20 researchers should next look into why the pitchers who had tommy john surgery threw more fastballs than the pitchers who did not so that preventive measures can be taken to reduce the frequency of the operation and increase arm health
the fastball is the easiest pitch for most pitchers to control so naturally it is thrown most often when pitchers fall behind in the count the percentage of fastballs they throw increases a lack of command for pitchers may account for the strong correlation between percent of fastballs thrown and tommy john surgery
nick sharpe
larchmont ny
to the sports editor
re greater danger at every turn safety standards take a back seat in short track racing may 22 when injury to participants occurs in many types of sports the repercussions affect society as a whole
years ago i was faced with repair of a leg nearly torn off a 20 year old man in a motocross event he was uninsured his injury could easily cost the taxpayer millions of dollars over his lifetime at a minimum there should be a law requiring participants in sporting events like auto and motorcycle racing to carry medical insurance
jeffrey kaufman
longmeadow mass
the writer is a vascular surgeon


paris   two rounds of french open tennis havent come close to turning marco trungelliti of argentina into a millionaire
but even after taxes the 67000 trungelliti earned last week in prize money for one win and one loss should cover much of his costs for the rest of the year including travel to other tournaments and paying his coach
its the first time in my life that i have money in my pocket said trungelliti 26 who is ranked 166th
with about 33578 from a first round loss the oft injured american brian baker is thinking about hiring his own physiotherapist he wont hire a coach partly because of the cost
do i want to spend all of my savings trying to hire a coach and physio and go all out this year and just hope that i make it big again said baker a former top 60 player whose career has been derailed by serious injuries
he added if your body doesnt hold up and youre finished then youre down 150 grand or whatever
big pay increases at tenniss four major tournaments are helping lower ranked players allowing to them to hire help to compete on a more equal footing with the superstars and their support teams
still they are hardly rolling in money like their counterparts in wealthier sports soccer has hundreds of players making megabucks in tennis you dont have to search far down the ranks to find players for whom balancing the books is as vital as a good forehand just look about 50 spots below multimillionaires like roger federer and serena williams
in my country so many think that im a freaking billionaire said ricardas berankis of lithuania ranked 50th but trust me its not like that
since stars like federer leaned on grand slam tournaments for larger slices of revenue for the players prize money has increased with a particular eye on helping players who lose early a first round loss at this french open is worth double what it was in 2011 and second  and third round losses are more than double   now about 67000 and 114000
the united states open paid 19000 31000 and 50000 for rounds 1 2 and 3 in 2010 the amounts last year were 39500 68600 and 120200
for eric butorac a doubles player who has been on the atp player council for eight years and is now its president the increases have helped an immense amount and are having a noticeable effect many players five years ago couldnt afford to travel with a coach now almost nobody has come to roland garros without one he said
our intention was never to have players necessarily rolling in the dough he said what we wanted was that a player ranked 90 in the world could have the same experience or a similar experience to a top player and feel like they were on somewhat of a level playing field
with friends in the lower ranks federer and others at the top understand the struggles they wanted to help butorac said on the mens side the pool of players making at least a couple of hundred thousand dollars in prizes per year has grown to about 200   150 in singles and 50 in doubles he estimated he said he pulled in 180000 last year and had about 75000 in expenses
thats a quality life he said
still players see room for improvement roland garros organizers say the tournament generated 220 million in 2015 the prize pot was 30 million
for berankis the players share is a joke
they give peanuts here and there and they are screaming we are helping them a lot he said its not really fair
a first round loser in paris for the third time this year berankis rattled off a list of typical expenses stringing rackets cost 30 to 35 each with six to eight needed per match a coach is anywhere between 1600 and 5500 per week in paris berankis shared a physiotherapist with two other players to reduce costs
soccer players basketball players they dont pay nothing for their own expenses everything is paid out by the club he said
the swedish player johanna larsson ranked 62nd said her expenses top 100000 per year she cant afford to travel full time with a coach and this year hired a training partner for only two weeks she books hotels and flights herself scouring websites for cheap deals its not more glamorous than that she said
larsson who lost in the second round got 67000 here the slams are basically financing our tennis she said
i try to save money on most things that i can and i think its pretty much the same for every player she added the players who are in the top 20 dont have to worry that much
players need a chief executives head on made for tennis shoulders spending too much one year could leave them short the next if wins dont follow
i cant permit myself a physio said gilles muller ranked 42nd from luxembourg with my season last year i could have stretched to that but its too much of a risk for me i have a family


tomelloso spain   for many winemaking conjures up images of rolling vineyards oak barrels and cavernous cellars
but here at virgen de las vinas or virgin of the vineyards the biggest producer in spains largest wine region production comes in the shape of giant steel vats and hoses connected to tank trucks employees work three shifts to keep the place running 24 hours a day
we dont elaborate wine here   we produce wine said isidro rodriguez the companys technical director this is really a factory
this is the unromantic side of winemaking in the region of castile la mancha which accounts for half of spains wine production most of it is sold in bulk and transported abroad where it can be mixed with other wines and even re exported
while spains producers churned out vast quantities of wine some began to reconsider whether sheer volume was the best strategy as overproduction sank both prices and the countrys wine reputation
castile la mancha ticks all the boxes as a bulk agricultural region but perhaps not all of them for higher quality wine said miguel angel benito a sommelier and technical director of a wine museum in penafiel in castile and leon another wine region
spain has been tapping into a growing market for bulk he added because there are millions of people who love wine but cant afford an expensive bottle
yet even some bulk producers in castile la mancha are feeling a hangover from too much of a good thing
weve boosted our exports significantly but probably too rapidly so that weve now got the wrong price pyramid with a lot of wine sold very cheaply said rafael del rey the director of the spanish observatory of the wine market an institute that researches and promotes the countrys wine
in recent years france and italy have jostled for the top spot as the worlds biggest wine producing nation with spain third well ahead of countries like the united states chile and australia
the bulk producers in castile la mancha are understandably proud of the state of the art irrigation harvest mechanization and storage systems that they put in place with help from european union subsidies coupled with relatively low labor costs their infrastructure has allowed them to lower the price of their wine to half that of frances
but mr del rey offers a telling comparison between spain and italy in 2000 both countries exported their wine at the same average price 141 euros per liter by 2014 italy was selling its wine for an average of EUR25 per liter or 278 under the current exchange rate while spains sold for EUR117 or 130
in that period italian exports rose 15 percent in volume and spains 154 percent but spains export revenue reached only EUR26 billion about half the value of italian exports
spains bulk wine has displaced italys on the european market particularly in france spain now sells about 500 million liters to france 90 percent of which are bulk exports at an average price of four tenths of a euro per liter
france has recently been exporting almost 250 million liters of bulk wine at an average of EUR124 three times spains price mr del rey said
im not saying that exactly the same liter that left spain is then re exported from france he said but its undeniable that some spanish wine becomes part of french exports with a lot of added value
but even spains neighbors are beginning to complain that the country is producing too much wine   and dumping it in their markets
in april french farmers stopped five spanish trucks near the border and drained their wine onto the road to protest what they see as unfair competition spains foreign ministry then complained to france saying it needed to prevent such attacks
cesareo cabrera del prado the president of el progreso a large producer in castile la mancha said he could understand that some french farmers were upset but each country has its strengths
while spain has been undercutting frances production costs for wine he said french dairy farmers have done the same to our spanish milk
el progreso bottles only about 5 percent of its wine the most expensive of which retails for EUR6 or 667 a bottle most of its wine is instead poured into the tanks of trucks and some is then packaged through the bag in box system a plastic bag of as much as 20 liters is placed inside a cardboard box which sometimes already carries a foreign name
in one corner of the el progreso warehouse for instance there are boxes marked as an american brand but they also carry a product of spain label of origin
some spanish wine regions however have changed their ways
two decades ago the authorities in la rioja in northern spain introduced legislation requiring producers to bottle their wine the measure was challenged going as far as the european court of justice which in 2000 rejected a case brought by somebody who still wanted to import bulk rioja wine
could castile la mancha follow riojas lead that sounds right but is simply not practical mainly because of the size of castile la manchas vineyards said javier de la fuente the general manager of the rioja wine regulatory council
when rioja introduced the ban bulk wine accounted for only 5 percent of its production he said while in castile la mancha a lot of big producers absolutely rely on bulk and its economies of scale
although many experts believe spain should reduce its reliance on bulk wine such an overhaul could be harmful they said particularly to the thousands of farmers in castile la mancha who sell their grapes for bulk production
castile la manchas producers began to emphasize bulk wine in 2009 after the european union decided to end subsidies for distilled alcohol
strong harvests since then have pushed spains pricing toward record lows and virgen de las vinas is hoping to break even this year after reporting a loss last year said enrique cepeda its chief executive he does not expect prices to rise soon
somebody who makes a seat would be happy to sell instead a porsche mr cepeda said comparing bulk wine to spains household car brand but you cant make such a switch easily
still some smaller producers in castile la mancha are gaining recognition for the quality of their wine   and finding it increasingly uncomfortable to cohabit with their giant neighbors
carlos falco a spanish aristocrat whose family runs the marques de grinon wine estate recently began lobbying politicians to help shift this region away from bulk wine
when i have a foreign customer visiting my cellar and i want to sell him a bottle for 20 30 or 40 euros the fact that he might know that there are bottles sold nearby for just a few cents doesnt really help mr falco said


senator bernie sanders of vermont is seeking to bar allies of hillary clinton from leading the powerful rules and platform committees of the democratic national convention in july escalating his battle with party leaders
in a letter sent on friday to party officials lawyers for mr sanders said that the appointments of barney frank the former massachusetts congressman and gov dannel p malloy of connecticut violated party rules mr frank is to co lead the rules committee and mr malloy the platform committee
in the letter mr sanderss lawyer brad deutsch said that both men have been harsh vocal critics of senator sanders and equally active supporters of his challenger hillary clinton mr frank has called mr sanders outrageously mccarthyite for his suggesting that mrs clinton would be influenced by her speaking fees from wall street mr malloy has led efforts among clinton allies to attack mr sanderss record on gun control
under convention rules mr deutsch said in the letter their open criticism of mr sanders made them unfit to co lead the committees
their criticisms of senator sanders have gone beyond dispassionate ideological disagreement and have exposed a deeper professional political and personal hostility toward the senator and his campaign mr deutsch wrote the chairs therefore cannot be relied upon to perform their convention duties fairly and capably while laboring under such deeply held bias
democratic officials replied on saturday morning with a letter from jim roosevelt a retired health insurance executive and lorraine c miller who head the partys permanent rules and bylaws committee they said the appointments did not violate party rules and that mr sanders had not demonstrated otherwise the question of mr franks and mr malloys qualifications had been settled in january when they were first appointed ms miller and mr roosevelt wrote and there is no mechanism to revisit it we are compelled to dismiss it they said
mr sanderss efforts to disqualify the clinton backers mark his latest bid to ensure that his ideas and supporters are well represented at the convention in july and his battles with clinton supporters have become increasingly bitter
this month sanders supporters erupted in protest at a state party meeting in nevada with some threatening the partys chairwoman there in a dispute over the selection of convention delegates
mr sanders is preparing a major push to influence the partys formal platform and mr frank and mr malloy will each wield substantial power over that process mr deutschs letter indicates that if necessary mr sanders will take his battle over the credentials of mr frank and mr malloy to the convention in philadelphia
both men were chosen in january by representative debbie wasserman schultz of florida the chairwoman of the democratic national committee who has clashed with mr sanders over her scheduling of primary debates and more recently his supporters attacks on other democratic leaders


washington   the comparison was inflammatory to say the least former gov william f weld of massachusetts equated donald j trumps immigration plan with kristallnacht the night of horror in 1938 when rampaging nazis smashed jewish homes and businesses in germany and killed scores of jews
but if it was a provocative analogy it was not a lonely one mr trumps campaign has engendered impassioned debate about the nature of his appeal and warnings from critics on the left and the right about the potential rise of fascism in the united states more strident opponents have likened mr trump to adolf hitler and benito mussolini
to supporters such comparisons are deeply unfair smear tactics used to tar conservatives and scare voters for a bipartisan establishment whose foundation has been shaken by mr trumps ascendance these backers say it is easier to delegitimize his support than to acknowledge widespread popular anger at the failure of both parties to confront the nations challenges
but the discussion comes as questions are surfacing around the globe about a revival of fascism generally defined as a governmental system that asserts complete power and emphasizes aggressive nationalism and often racism in places like russia and turkey leaders like vladimir v putin and recep tayyip erdogan employ strongman tactics in austria a nationalist candidate came within three tenths of a percentage point of becoming the first far right head of state elected in europe since world war ii
in hungary an authoritarian government has clamped down on the news media and erected razor wire fences to keep out migrants there are worries that poland may follow suit traditional parties in france germany greece and elsewhere have been challenged by nationalist movements amid an economic crisis and waves of migrants in israel fascism analogies by a former prime minister and a top general have again inflamed the long running debate about the occupation of palestinian territories
the crash of 2008 showed how globalization creates losers as well as winners said mark leonard the director of the european council on foreign relations in many countries middle class wages are stagnant and politics has become a battle over a shrinking pie populists have replaced contests between left and right with a struggle between cosmopolitan elites and angry nativists
that dislocation may not lead to a repeat of europe in the 1930s but it has fueled a debate about global political trends there is a tendency at times to try to fit current movements into understandable constructs   some refer to terrorist groups in the middle east as islamofascists   but scholars say there is a spectrum that includes right wing nationalism illiberal democracy and populist autocracy
on a world level the situation that affects many countries is economic stagnation and the arrival of immigrants said robert o paxton a professor emeritus at columbia university and one of the most prominent scholars of fascism thats a one two punch that democratic governments are having enormous trouble in meeting
mr trump dismisses the labels used by those like mr weld a longtime republican now mounting a quixotic campaign for vice president as a libertarian i dont talk about his alcoholism mr trump said through a spokeswoman so why would he talk about my foolishly perceived fascism there is nobody less of a fascist than donald trump mr weld who in the 1990s reportedly appeared in public a few times having had too much to drink declined to respond ill let that ride
americans are used to the idea that other countries may be vulnerable to such movements but while figures like father charles coughlin the demagogic radio broadcaster enjoyed wide followings in the 1930s neither major party has ever nominated anyone quite like mr trump
this could be one of those moments thats quite dangerous and well look back and wonder why we treated it as ho hum at a time when we could have stopped it said robert kagan a scholar at the brookings institution known for hawkish internationalism
mr kagan sounded the alarm this month with a washington post op ed article this is how fascism comes to america that gained wide attention ive gotten a lot of positive feedback from conservative republicans he said there are a lot of people who agree with this
fascist comparisons are not new in american politics a google search of barack obama and nazi or george w bush and nazi produces many images of the last two presidents as swastika waving fascists but with mr trump such comparisons have gone beyond the fringe and entered mainstream conversation both in the united states and abroad
president enrique pena nieto of mexico criticized mr trumps plans to build a wall on the border and to bar muslims from entering the united states thats the way mussolini arrived and the way hitler arrived he said the actor george clooney called mr trump a xenophobic fascist louis c k the comic said the guy is hitler eva schloss the 87 year old stepsister of anne frank said trump is acting like another hitler by inciting racism it got to the point that his wife melania trump was prompted to say hes not hitler
mr trump has provided plenty of ammunition for critics he was slow to denounce the white supremacist david duke and talked approvingly of beating up protesters he has praised mr putin and promised to be friends he would not condemn supporters who launched anti semitic blasts at journalists at one point mr trump retweeted a mussolini quote it is better to live one day as a lion than 100 years as a sheep
asked by chuck todd on the nbc program meet the press about the retweet mr trump brushed off the quotes origin i know who said it he said but what difference does it make whether its mussolini or somebody else
do you want to be associated with a fascist mr todd asked
no mr trump answered i want to be associated with interesting quotes he added and certainly hey it got your attention didnt it
mr trumps allies dismiss the criticism as politically motivated and historically suspect the former house speaker newt gingrich who has said he would consider being mr trumps running mate said in an interview that he was deeply offended by what he called utterly ignorant comparisons
trump does not have a political structure in the sense that the fascists did said mr gingrich a onetime college professor who earned his doctorate in modern european history he doesnt have the sort of ideology that they did he has nobody who resembles the brownshirts this is all just garbage
beyond hitler and mussolini fascism can be hard to define since world war ii only fringe figures have overtly identified themselves that way in modern political discourse the word is used as an epithet and even hitler and mussolini were elastic in their political philosophies as they came to power mussolini started out as a leftist
mr paxton the fascism scholar said he saw similarities and differences in mr trump his message about an america in decline and his us against them pronouncements about immigrants and outsiders echo europe in the 1930s mr paxton said on the other hand he said mr trump has hardly created uniformed violent youth groups moreover fascists believe in strong state control not get government off your back individualism and deregulation
others caution against comparisons i read kagans piece of course said volker perthes the director of the german institute for international and security affairs in berlin all the phenomena he describes are raising concerns but i would still not call trump or his campaign fascist maybe with german and european history in mind we are a bit more cautious than others in using the label fascism
mr perthes said real fascism requires two more elements   an outright rejection of democracy and a harsher definition of order jobbik the ultraright party in hungary would fall into this category he said but norbert hofer the far right candidate who narrowly lost the austrian presidential vote and mr trump would not
charles grant the director of the center for european reform in london distinguished between far right nationalist parties like marine le pens national front in france and actual fascism
historically it means the demonization of minorities within a society to the extent that they feel insecure he said it means encouraging the use of violence against critics it means a bellicose foreign policy that may lead to war to excite a nationalist feeling it takes xenophobia to extremes and it is contemptuous of a rules based liberal order
the debate about terminology may ignore the seriousness of the conditions that gave rise to mr trump and his european counterparts the new york real estate developer has tapped into a deep discontent in a country where many feel left behind while wall street banks get bailouts newcomers take jobs terrorists threaten innocents and china rises economically at americas expense
it seems to me in developed and semideveloped countries there is emerging a new kind of politics for which maybe the best taxonomic category would be right wing populist nationalism said stanley payne a professor emeritus at the university of wisconsin madison we are seeing a new kind of phenomenon which is different from what you had in the 20th century
roger eatwell a professor at the university of bath in england calls it illiberal democracy a form of government that keeps the trappings of democracy without the reality
elections are seen as important to legitimizing regimes he said but instead of imposing one party rule as in the past todays authoritarians use a variety of devices to control andor manipulate the media intimidate opponents and so on
either way it has found pockets of support on both sides of the atlantic lilia shevtsova a political analyst in moscow said neo fascism in liberal societies in the west stems from crisis or dysfunction while in illiberal countries like russia and turkey it reflects an attempt to fill the void left by the failure of western notions to catch on
the problem she added is that the western political leadership at the moment is too weak to fight the tide


successful youve already won the lottery by robert h frank of cornell the upshot economic view may 22 looked at the role that chance   even in such things as a persons date of birth or the first letter in a last name   can play in life
the article had 402 comments
and there it is second from last paragraph if government just confiscated more of your money wed all be happier trust us and youre welcome
barry colvin new york
this is just another way of saying if you are successful you didnt earn it your hard work smart choices deferred gratification mean nothing and by the way if you are successful since you didnt really earn it you should give away the fruits of that success
brenda pennsylvania
as to getting your rich friends to chip in more toward the common good by reminding them of their good fortune   i say yeah good luck with that
jbl boston
luck how about being tall male blue eyed with a neutral surname and born into the post world war ii middle class thats luck
view from the hill vermont
the safest way to get what you want is to try and deserve what you want
tell this to children born to deprivation and neglect with a parent incarcerated or involved with drugs or in foster care or living in shelters
charles new york city
i used to tell people that i earned my success that i worked hard for it then a friend asked did you choose the genes you were born with that gave you your talent or the formative experiences you had that gave you your work ethic now i simply tell people ive been very fortunate
phat waterloo ontario
even the most able industrious people in south sudan have little chance at success
that depends what you mean by success i hope im not the only reader who stumbled over this equation success  becoming extremely rich by usa standards
ept wisconsin


the feel good vote that could sink britains economy by peter s goodman may 22 examined next months referendum in britain on whether the nation should leave the european union a move sometimes termed brexit
the article attracted 317 comments to nytimescom the following have been edited and condensed
a brexit will only hurt the british economy if brussels decides that it will hurt the british economy the trade barriers that would presumably go up are entirely artificial any actions by the eu to penalize britain if it leaves should be framed in that light
alec dacyczyn maine
so im voting and im genuinely undecided there is a democratic deficit in the eu and they have treated the greek economic crisis with incompetence and a lack of empathy ditto the migration crisis on the other hand the loudest outers are not people i would care to spend time with and their vision for my country post exit is the opposite of mine
michael london
even if there really was a likelihood of a shaky economic future that is a price well worth paying for being out of the soviet style superstate that the eu is becoming im voting to leave
geoff lumley uk
its impossible to kick the brits out of the eu so the only way the eu can get rid of the brits is by having them vote themselves out im crossing my fingers
abo paris


anderson ind   as he approaches his 90th birthday carl erskine doesnt feel as if he has many boxes left to check but there had been one he wanted to see his childhood friend johnny wilson properly honored in his hometown that moment arrived friday when a nine foot bronze sculpture of a leaping wilson his arms outstretched a basketball in his right hand was unveiled at anderson high school
erskine the brooklyn dodgers pitcher who appeared in 11 world series games and threw two no hitters in the 1950s and wilson have been friends since meeting as children in an alley with a basketball hoop attached to a barn when erskine offered an innocent invitation do you want to play
one white child one black they were bound from that point by their love of sports and their meager economic circumstances during the depression in this north central indiana factory town the friendship with wilson was erskines bridge to his warm relationship with jackie robinson whom he joined on the dodgers in robinsons second season after breaking major league baseballs color barrier
one day robinson went out of his way to thank erskine for speaking to his wife rachel and children in front of white fans erskine said no thanks were necessary and on friday he said one name explained why johnny wilson
theirs is a friendship going on eight decades that both men see as a powerful counternarrative to the racial tensions that have consumed many american cities and at times inflamed the presidential campaign they simply never saw each other through the prism of race
erskine said the sculpture was a deserved if belated tribute to wilson
my hope is that it will mean a lot more than johnny being a great athlete erskine said in an interview what johnny stands for to me is he beat all the odds segregation was rampant in those days blacks and whites were separate except for friendship and then it didnt make any difference
wilson was an all around athlete in robinsons mold playing four sports and earning the states top high school honor mr basketball after leading anderson to the state title in 1946 scoring 30 of his teams 67 points in the championship game he also shared the state championship in the high jump and played football as well in the summer he joined erskine to play baseball and held major league dreams of his own
but while erskine has lived a life of adulation and acceptance wilson was often met with rejection he wanted to attend indiana university but the basketball coach said he wasnt good enough even though he had been named the best player in the state unstated was that the big ten conference did not offer athletic scholarships to black students
after wilson led the state in scoring while playing for tiny anderson college the fledgling professional basketball leagues also offered no opportunity so wilson signed with the harlem globetrotters in the era when the team was highly competitive barnstorming the country to take on college all star teams and white professional teams even traveling to europe and asia
as talented as wilson was in basketball his first love was baseball he had a tryout with the st louis cardinals hitting two home runs with four other hits and recording the fastest time in sprints when the attending cardinals scout was asked what he thought of wilson he said which one was wilson he was the only black player
wilson eventually signed with the chicago american giants a team in the negro leagues playing one season before returning to the globetrotters
as boys erskine and wilson worked around the segregation of the time wilson was barred from the ymca pool so erskine would swim with him at the colored pool black people did not sit on the first floor of the movie theater downtown so erskine would go to the balcony to sit with his friend when a restaurant refused to serve them they simply walked out together
when erskine asked wilson to play with his all white city youth baseball team the team won easily the next day the city made erskines team forfeit for using a black player erskine said
when erskine was flourishing with the boys of summer era dodgers wilson would try to find a radio to listen to the game when his friend was pitching one day their baseball teams played on the same day in pittsburgh and they met in schenley park across from forbes field and took in how far both of them had come
look at us from the old neighborhood erskine recalled saying to his friend
erskine returned to anderson after baseball working first in insurance and later in banking he has also been deeply involved in special olympics his youngest son jimmy was born with down syndrome and erskine still drives him back and forth to his job he is in many ways the citys most popular face
wilson who will be 89 in july met a different fate he was twice rejected as a candidate to become coach of the high school basketball team for reasons that he has always associated with race still wilson said he had no time for bitterness
when he was denied an opportunity wilson said his mother hazel would tell him its their loss they need you more than you need them dont go where you arent wanted
and so wilson did not
wilson lives on his own and rarely misses an anderson high school basketball game each week he volunteers at his churchs clothing drive often passing out items to families in need his town has also come to embrace him fully he was awarded an honorary doctorate from what is now anderson university he was inducted into the anderson high school hall of fame and the state of indiana honored him as a sagamore of the wabash an award given to those who advanced the states heritage
wilson and erskine talk frequently by phone have breakfast or play golf together during one round last summer erskine shot a hole in one and wilson was his witness
erskine who helped raise money for the sculpture which cost more than 60000 said the high school grounds were an appropriate place to honor one of its most inspirational graduates
wilson was more sanguine saying if one kid can look at that statute and say i think i can do that that would satisfy me
on the hot steamy morning erskine helped to remove the purple draping from the sculpture as it dramatically appeared with wilson in his harlem globetrotters uniform his lean body reaching skyward
hes my brother without the blood erskine said


baghdad   american commandos are on the front lines in syria in a new push toward the islamic states de facto capital in raqqa but in iraq it is an entirely different story iran not the united states has become the face of an operation to retake the jihadist stronghold of falluja from the militant group
on the outskirts of falluja tens of thousands of iraqi soldiers police officers and shiite militiamen backed by iran are preparing for an assault on the sunni city raising fears of a sectarian blood bath iran has placed advisers including its top spymaster qassim suleimani on the ground to assist in the operation
the battle over falluja has evolved into yet another example of how united states and iranian interests seemingly converge and clash at the same time in iraq both want to defeat the islamic state also known as isis or isil but the united states has long believed that irans role which relies on militias accused of sectarian abuses can make matters worse by angering sunnis and making them more sympathetic to the militants
while the battle against the islamic state straddles the borders of iraq and syria the united states has approached it as two separate fights in syria where the government of bashar al assad is an enemy americas ally is the kurds
but in iraq where the united states backs the central government and trains and advises the iraqi army it has been limited by the role of iran the most powerful foreign power inside the country
that united states dilemma is on full display in falluja as the fighting intensifies
inside the city tens of thousands of sunni civilians are trapped starving and lacking medicine according to activists and interviews with residents some were shot dead by the islamic state as they tried to flee and others died under buildings that collapsed under heavy military and militia artillery bombardment in recent days according to the united nations
the few civilians who have made it to safety have escaped at night traveling through the irrigation pipes
in an extraordinary statement on wednesday grand ayatollah ali al sistani the worlds pre eminent shiite religious leader who lives in najaf in southern iraq and is said to be concerned by irans growing role in iraq urged security forces and militia to restrain themselves and abide by the standard behaviors of jihad
the grim sectarian tableau in falluja   starving sunni civilians trapped in a city surrounded by a mostly shiite force   provides the backdrop to a final assault that iraqi officials have promised will come soon
the united states has thousands of military personnel in iraq and has trained iraqi security forces for nearly two years yet is largely on the sidelines in the battle to retake falluja it says its air and artillery strikes have killed dozens of islamic state fighters including the groups falluja commander but it worries that an assault on the city could backfire   inflaming the same sectarian sentiments that have allowed the islamic state to flourish there
already as the army and militiamen battled this past week in outlying areas taking some villages and the center of the city of karma to the northeast the fight has taken on sectarian overtones
militiamen have plastered artillery shells with the name of sheikh nimr al nimr a shiite cleric close to iran whose execution this year by saudi arabia a sunni power deepened the regions sectarian divide before firing them at falluja
a shiite militia leader in a widely circulated video is seen rallying his men with a message of revenge against the people of falluja whom many iraqi shiites believe to be islamic state sympathizers rather than innocent civilians falluja is also believed to be a staging ground for suicide bombers targeting the capital baghdad about 40 miles to the east the decision to move on the city was made after several recent attacks in baghdad killed nearly 200 people
falluja is a terrorism stronghold said the militia leader aws al khafaji the head of the abu fadhil al abbas militia its been the stronghold since 2004 until today
he continued there are no patriots no real religious people in falluja its our chance to clear iraq by eradicating the cancer of falluja
prime minister haider al abadi who has stressed that civilians must be protected in the operation and ordered that humanitarian corridors be opened to allow civilians to leave the city safely disavowed the militia leaders comments
reflecting these concerns of sectarianism and the deep sense of foreboding surrounding a battle for the city a chorus of voices in iraq and abroad has urged restraint
in his statement ayatollah sistani said the prophet muhammad used to tell his companions before sending them to fight to go forward in the name of allah with allah and upon the religion of the messenger of allah do not kill the elderly children or women do not steal the spoils but collect them and do not cut down trees unless you are forced to do so
the concern was amplified in a second statement released during friday prayers by a representative for the ayatollah saying that saving an innocent human being from dangers around him is much more important than targeting and eliminating the enemy
accounts of dire conditions in falluja have emerged from the few residents who managed to escape in recent days melissa fleming a spokeswoman for the united nations refugee agency told reporters in geneva on friday she said that some residents had been killed for refusing to fight for the jihadists and that those inside were surviving on old stacks of rice a few dates and water from unsafe sources such as drainage ditches
the stories coming out of falluja are horrifying nasr muflahi the iraq director for the norwegian refugee council said in a statement people who managed to flee speak of extreme hunger and starvation
to allay fears that the battle for falluja will heighten sectarian tensions iraqi officials including mr abadi and militia leaders have said they will adhere to a battle plan that calls for the militias not to participate in the assault on the city
if the militias do hold back as promised then the united states is likely to step up the tempo of the air campaign as it did in the battle last year for ramadi the capital of anbar province in that fight irans militias stayed on the sidelines
the american military role in iraq has been limited mostly to airstrikes and the training of the army but as in northern syria there are also special forces soldiers in iraq carrying out raids on islamic state targets in northern iraq where they work with kurdish forces two american special forces soldiers have been killed
iraqs elite counterterror forces are preparing to lead the assault on falluja they have long worked closely with the united states and are considered among the few forces loyal to the country and not to a sect a few thousand sunni tribal fighters from the area are also involved in the operation
the united states military estimates that between 500 and 1000 islamic state fighters remain in falluja and aid agencies have estimated the civilian population left in the city at 50000 to 100000
a big question going into the battle is whether the islamic state fighters will dig in and fight or as they have in some other battles throw away their weapons and try to melt into the civilian population
what we have seen is two flavors of daesh said col steven h warren an american military spokesman in baghdad using an arabic acronym for the islamic state in ramadi he said the islamic state fortified the city and fought for it while in other cities of anbar such as hit and rutba the fighters largely fled in the face of government offensives
for the united states there is also the matter of history led by the marines its forces fought two bloody battles for falluja in 2004 mindful of this past american officials would have preferred that the iraqis left falluja alone for now and focused on the islamic state stronghold of mosul in the north
but the battle is coming and there are echoes of that history already one rallying cry for the iraqi forces is revenge for the killing last year of a shiite soldier who was captured by the islamic state paraded through falluja and hanged from a bridge
if that sounds familiar it is
the american militarys assault on falluja in april of 2004 was in retaliation for an episode that became an early symbol of a war spiraling out of control the image of it as indelible as it was gruesome the bodies of four blackwater contractors dangling from the ironwork of a bridge


the drab free port zone near the geneva city center a compound of blocky gray and vanilla warehouses surrounded by train tracks roads and a barbed wire fence looks like the kind of place where beauty goes to die but within its walls crated or sealed cheek by jowl in cramped storage vaults are more than a million of some of the most exquisite artworks ever made
treasures from the glory days of ancient rome museum quality paintings by old masters an estimated 1000 works by picasso
as the price of art has skyrocketed perhaps nothing illustrates the art as bullion approach to contemporary collecting habits more than the proliferation of warehouses like this one where masterpieces are increasingly being tucked away by owners more interested in seeing them appreciate than hanging on walls
with their controlled climates confidential record keeping and enormous potential for tax savings free ports have become the parking lot of choice for high net worth buyers looking to round out investment portfolios with art
for some collectors art is being treated as a capital asset in their portfolio said evan beard who advises clients on art and finance at us trust they are becoming more financially savvy and free ports have become a pillar of all of this
the trend is prompting concerns about the use of these storage spaces for illegal activities it is also causing worries within the art world about the effect such wholesale storage has on art itself treating art as a commodity and just hiding it in storage is something that to me is not really moral said eli broad a major contemporary art collector who last year opened his own los angeles museum
free ports originated in the 19th century for the temporary storage of goods like grain tea and industrial goods in the last few decades however a handful of them   including genevas   have increasingly come to operate as storage lockers for the superrich located in tax friendly countries and cities free ports offer savings and security that collectors and dealers find almost irresistible someone who buys a 50 million painting at auction in new york for example is staring at a 44 million sales tax bill ship it to a free port and the bill disappears at least until you decide to bring it back to new york
at least four major free ports in switzerland specialize in storing art and other luxury goods like wine and jewelry and there are four more   most newly minted   around the world singapore 2010 monaco 2012 luxembourg 2014 and newark del 2015
concerned by the rapid growth of these private storage spaces and worried that they could become havens for contraband and money laundering swiss officials initiated an audit in 2012 the results of which were published two years ago the results revealed a huge increase in the value of goods stored in some warehouses since 2007 led by an increase in high value goods like art though the audit did not specifically measure the increase in stored artworks it estimated that there were more than 12 million pieces of art in the geneva free port alone some of which had not left the buildings in decades
many masterpieces have long lived outside of public view buried in the basements of museums or tucked away in the private villas of the rich
but the free ports are drawing more criticism and concern namely are they bad for art does the boxing up of millions of valuable works pervert the very essence of what art is supposed to do
yes say many in the art world works of art are created to be viewed said the director of the louvre jean luc martinez who described free ports as the greatest museums no one can see
some see even higher stakes for contemporary works as they can be whisked off their paint hardly dry before ever entering the publics consciousness storage puts the art intellectually almost in a coma said joanne heyler the director of the broad museum
not everyone agrees pointing out that there is plenty of art in the world for people to see and that much art was created as private property paintings are not a public good said david nash a new york gallery owner
even so some collectors whose businesses have come to depend on free port storage are a bit sheepish it is a shame helly nahmad a london dealer whose family is said to store 4500 works in the geneva free port told the art newspaper in 2011 it is like a composer making a piece of music and no one listens to it
so just what works are locked away because most art is tucked into storage spaces quietly it is difficult to know what is where at any given moment
but assorted legal disputes investigations and periodic exhibitions featuring stored works have provided glimpses of specific pieces lost from view
there are the rare etruscan sarcophagi discovered in geneva by the italian police two years ago found among 45 crates of looted antiquities some still wrapped in italian newspapers from the 1970s
and the 2 billion collection of the russian billionaire dmitry m rybolovlev which includes a rothko a van gogh a renoir klimts water serpents ii el grecos saint sebastian picassos les noces de pierrette and leonardo da vincis christ as salvator mundi
mr rybolovlev is suing his former art adviser a major free port operator in geneva and has since shifted his collection from geneva to storage in cyprus according to court papers filed last year
some 19 works by pierre bonnard a master of post impressionism are owned by the wildenstein family one of the great art dealing families of the 20th century according to the former lawyer for the widow of the patriarch daniel wildenstein
and there is a portrait of picassos second wife jacqueline by the artist along with 78 of his other works shipped by his stepdaughter catherine hutin to the geneva free port in 2012 according to legal papers
if jacqueline was alive and knew that her paintings were in the free ports she would just be devastated said pepita dupont author of a book about jacqueline picasso
despite enhanced swiss efforts to track inventory and ownership the free ports there remain an opaque preserve though more transparent these days than counterparts in places like singapore filled with objects whose ownership can be confoundingly convoluted
case in point 28 million worth of works by andy warhol jeff koons joan miro and others now stored in the geneva free port equalia a company registered by mossack fonseca the law firm at the center of the panama papers controversy about how the wealthy conceal their riches stored the works on behalf of a diamond broker erez daleyot in 2009 once in storage the art was used as collateral for debts mr daleyot owed to a belgian bank according to court papers now a man named leon templesman president of a new york diamond manufacturing company lazare kaplan international is trying to seize the art as part of a dispute with mr daleyot and the bank
mr templesman said the free ports embrace of confidentiality made such seizures more complicated the bank kbc said it had kept the art in the free port out of precaution and that it could not comment further on a matter involving one of its clients
david hiler president of the geneva free port said that as a result of the audit the swiss were working to address concerns about lack of transparency come september he said all storage contracts will require that clients allow additional inspections of any archaeological artifacts they want stored there
collectors and dealers choose to store art in the free ports for more pedestrian reasons than tax avoidance some simply have no more room in their homes said georgina hepburne scott who advises collectors and in a free port their property is protected in climate controlled environments often under video surveillance and behind fire resistant walls
when it is brought to light the work is preserved its not been hanging above a smoky fireplace she said
some warehouses also have viewing rooms where collectors can review their art and show it to potential buyers this year after voters in geneva rejected a plan to expand the major art museum a swiss lawyer christophe germann wrote a newspaper column advocating wholesale sharing arguing that free ports be forced to open their doors to let people see public displays of the private collections a worthy trade off for the tax benefits collectors receive
for many living artists meanwhile the fact that their work might be stored away in a climate controlled bunker has become part of the reality of doing business
ideally i would like my work to be on display rather than in storage said julia wachtel a contemporary artist who knows that some of her collectors occasionally store art
at their worst ms wachtel said free ports represent a financial system in which investors have no connection to the art they buy but she also recognizes that storage warehouses allow responsible collectors to manage their works and their limited wall space
people buying art is what keeps artists alive she said
and at the end of the day dealers say that most artworks eventually surface
even if it stays there for the lifetime of the collector said a new york dealer ezra chowaiki its not going to be there forever it will come out


there was a time not so long ago when young sports fans wrote actual letters to their heroes and sometimes received a photo or even a note or letter in return   not from an agent or public relations firm but from the athlete himself sometimes the response came autographed no invoice attached
which is why in 1971 i wrote via a family friend to mets shortstop bud harrelson my efforts were like those of extraterrestrial intelligence seekers sending a signal into the darkness in the hope that something might be out there to respond i wanted harrelsons home address so i could invite him to my bar mitzvah which was coming up in two years i would also invite president richard m nixon and don adams the actor who had starred on the sitcom get smart
harrelson was gentleman enough to answer my letter he wrote back on a piece of lined notebook paper that he had passed around the clubhouse for teammates and coaches to sign   and in 1971 those individuals included tom seaver nolan ryan gil hodges yogi berra and others who with harrelson were part of the 1969 miracle mets team that won the world series and taught me that absolutely anything was possible
harrelson it should be noted was also the third base coach on the 1986 championship mets team being honored this weekend at citi field he was the one giddily accompanying ray knight toward home plate after the ball went through bill buckners legs in game 6
but that was a different miracle back in 1971 he apologized for not being able to provide his home address but encouraged me to write back to him at shea stadium he also advised me to stay in school though i was 11 at the time and was not really thinking about quitting to try my luck in the bigs
in our current era when autographed sports memorabilia shows up on ebay for thousands of dollars i am less interested in what this letter is now worth than what led me to choose harrelson as my favorite player in the first place
after all he weighed all of 165 pounds and boasted a lifetime batting average of 236 he was alternately nicknamed twiggy and mighty mouse and mini hawk on a team of extroverts he was subdued   though always irreverently funny as when he said of his notorious brawl with pete rose in 1973 i hit him in the fist with my eye
but harrelson was also a tiny wizard with a fielders mitt a humble alchemist at shortstop who could pluck a base hit from the space time continuum and convert it to a double play he finished his career with a 969 fielding percentage won a gold glove in 1971 and played in two all star games he could also rise to an occasion as when he hit one of his few career homers over the head of rose on his first visit back to cincinnati after their fight
i see now that something in harrelson reflected the way i viewed myself as a boy that i possessed a subtle but inherent power an unpolished brilliance that would reveal itself when it was most needed like instinctively snagging a hot grounder out of the dirt and transforming it into glittering art with a pivot and a sidearm whip crack to first i would never be rusty staub i knew back then but surely there were other ways to excel
when harrelson brawled with rose that october day in 1973 taking on one of the toughest players in the game who also outweighed him by 40 pounds i felt as if i had been recognized for my own hidden abilities   those qualities that would one day rise out of me like an apparent line drive double that ascends to clear the fence it was as though harrelson knew this about me even before i did and that was why he had written back at all


mexico city   corruption is so woven into daily life in mexico that it has been enshrined in a common saying el que no transa no avanza   he who doesnt cheat doesnt get ahead
payoffs and bribes are the price of doing business an invisible line in the budget that usually goes unchecked
but a package of anticorruption measures being weighed by the national legislature could become a turning point in the countrys relationship with corruption
at the center is an ambitious initiative to impose public disclosure rules for all public servants at all levels of government called 3 de 3   or 3 out of 3   the initiative would require government officials to reveal their assets and potential conflicts of interest as well as prove that they are paying taxes
if passed the initiative which would also compel close relatives of public officials to reveal their assets would be among the farthest reaching public disclosure measures in the world its authors say
mexico has to aim for the best said eduardo bohorquez one of the principal authors and the executive director of transparencia mexicana a watchdog group
that package however hangs in the balance
the legislature ended its regular session at the end of april without taking up the measures for a vote lawmakers with june 5 governor elections in mind declined to call a special session to debate the matter before a legislated deadline of may 28 instead they put off the session until mid june
but a public outcry in recent days compelled legislators to reschedule the debate for monday
the 3 out of 3 initiative is the result of a remarkable grass roots effort in 2014 a change in mexican law allowed citizens to propose legislation with the support of at least 120000 validated signatures before that only the president and members of congress could generate legislation
the measure pushed by a group of community organizations amassed more than 630000 signatures
it has also received the support of influential business associations leaving some analysts to speculate that spiraling bribes may have cut too deeply into profits
this is clearly a historic event in terms of civil society mobilization said viridiana rios a research fellow at the wilson center in washington and a columnist for excelsior a newspaper in mexico
the increasing focus on corruption in mexico reflects in part a shift in the way social scientists and government officials are thinking about the best way to address the countrys troubles particularly violence for years the governments main strategy for combating violence was to attack drug trafficking groups
but in recent years corruption and the impunity that allows it have increasingly been regarded as the fundamental causes of violence and the nations other ills
the worst problems and challenges faced by mexico are directly caused or aggravated by corruption said juan e pardinas the managing director of the mexican institute for competitiveness a research group that has helped to lead the citizen push for the initiative
how can you solve the problem of violence and organized crime if you dont solve the problem of corruption he added corruption is weakening the capacity of the state to address the challenges of the country
according to the research by the institute nearly all corruption crimes go unpunished and those found guilty are not high level officials of 444 cases forwarded to the nations attorney generals office by federal auditors between 1998 and 2012 charges were filed in only seven
you cannot sustain a political system where people have enough information to know the extent of corruption but the state institutions are totally incapable of prosecuting it mr pardinas said
in may 2015 amid an investigation into conflict of interest allegations involving president enrique pena nietos wife and his finance minister mr pena nieto signed into law legislation establishing a national anticorruption system
it included the creation of an independent corruption prosecutor a special court to oversee corruption issues and a framework for coordinating scores of government offices that are currently charged with fighting corruption
the 2015 legislation set a deadline of this may 28 for the passage of secondary laws that would enable the anticorruption system the main political parties have been negotiating the terms of these secondary laws including 3 out of 3
one of the most contentious subjects of discussion has been defining whether the asset disclosures should be made public many lawmakers are concerned that revealing their personal wealth could make them and their relatives targets for criminals so they are pushing for a bill that would require them to disclose their assets only to the government
still the public clamor for legislators to pass a robust set of anticorruption laws has been energetic the roman catholic archdiocese of mexico in editorials published through its news service has weighed in forcefully in favor of the measures while criticizing the paralysis in the first three years of the pena nieto administration
three years lost in the labyrinths of words discussions and stonewalling one editorial lamented
in the meantime some politicians have volunteered to divulge their secrets even before a disclosure law is passed
already more than 560 public servants   of potentially tens of thousands   have signed on to the disclosure initiative revealing their assets and potential conflicts of interests they include about 13 percent of mexicos senate and 21 percent of its chamber of deputies as well as 12 governors and one member of mr pena nietos cabinet
among them is zoe robledo aburto an opposition senator representing the state of chiapas and a fervent proponent of the disclosure initiative
the politicians have little credibility theres little confidence in government institutions he said in an interview in this moment of crisis we should be sending an audacious message that can reconfigure and re establish our relationship with the citizenry
we have to demonstrate that were in politics for the right reasons not to enrich ourselves or to get us business mr robledo continued presenting the citizens with a bouquet of flowers isnt going to make things better


the stanley cup finals between the pittsburgh penguins and the san jose sharks set to begin monday in pittsburgh will showcase magnetic stars on both sides and two teams seeking postseason redemption
the penguins seemed poised for a potential dynasty after consecutive finals appearances in 2008 and in 2009 when they hoisted the cup for the third time in franchise history but the penguins had a series of disappointing postseasons characterized at times by a lack of discipline porous goaltending and anemic offense they made a string of moves this season that included a coaching change multiple trades minor league call ups and free agent signings all of which have breathed life into the club around its captain sidney crosby
pittsburgh 48 26 8 was the hottest team at the end of the regular season winning 14 of its last 16 games to finish with the second best record in the east in the playoffs the penguins knocked off the rangers who eliminated them last year the leagues best team the capitals and the defending eastern conference champions the lightning
the sharks 46 30 6 who entered the nhl in 1991 are making their first appearance in the finals after finishing the regular season with the sixth best record in the western conference they stormed through the postseason defeating the los angeles kings the nashville predators and the st louis blues
the sharks have their deepest roster in years they are the highest scoring team in the playoffs averaging 35 goals per game the penguins are second at 322 and san jose has the top three point scorers in the playoffs logan couture 24 joe pavelski 22 and brent burns 20
these teams have played only 35 times since 1991 with the sharks holding an 18 14 3 edge but the finalists are connected in other ways here are a few other things to know to feel like an expert during the cup finals
if the stanley cup were awarded for the best playoff beards the sharks would have already won it joe thornton and burns took the tradition of the playoff beard so seriously that they started growing theirs back in training camp burnss feral fur has long been a staple of his aesthetic but thorntons has gained more fame during the postseason so alluring was thorntons beard that the blues david backes gave it a tug when the two squared off in the conference finals thorntons look earned a spot on jimmy fallons superlatives segment on the tonight show as most likely to get manscaped at petco
san jose also has the edge in nicknames when the sharks acquired thornton in 2005 he was already known as jumbo joe the next season brought pavelski to the team and the announcer randy hahn called the two now linemates big joe and little joe to confuse the matter pavelski is also known as the big pavelski in a reference to the coen brothers film the big lebowski defenseman marc edouard vlasic naturally carries the sobriquet pickles while burns for reasons mentioned above is known as chewie a pseudonym he played up at the all star skills competition by donning a chewbacca mask
the sharks have cornered the market on veterans thirsting to quaff the bubbly from the stanley cup they have five players   thornton patrick marleau paul martin joel ward and dainius zubrus   who are 35 or older and have never won the cup in fact only two players on the san jose roster have even dressed for a stanley cup finals game   zubrus and goaltender martin jones
the pittsburgh assistant jacques martin started coaching in the nhl in 1986 but this is his first finals appearance he narrowly missed the glory years in colorado after the team relocated from quebec he left the soon to be two time champions to become the head coach of ottawa in 1996 he was gone from the senators by the time they reached the final in 2007
for the second time in his career sharks coach peter deboer made the stanley cup finals in his first season with a team he also led the devils to the finals in 2012 when they lost to the kings in six games deboer 47 also succeeded at the junior level capturing the memorial cup in 2003 with the kitchener rangers
in pittsburgh mike sullivan 48 replaced mike johnston in december and the penguins went 33 16 5 before winning three playoff series an assistant of john tortorellas with the lightning the rangers and the canucks sullivan was last a full time nhl head coach with the bruins in 2003 4 and 2005 6 when thornton was the star of the team that is not sullivans only connection to the sharks he played for san jose during its first three seasons in the nhl
this is one of the more unusual goalie matchups in recent memory penguins goalie matt murray 22 had just 13 games of nhl experience before these playoffs but he stepped in for the injured marc andre fleury the penguins team leader in career wins and the man who backstopped to the two finals and a stanley cup fleury was cleared to play in the second round but has made just two appearances and one start a loss in the postseason
murrays counterpart jones was traded twice this past off season first from los angeles to boston and then from boston to san jose and is in his first full season as an nhl starter jones 26 was undrafted but he signed with the kings after a tryout he backed up jonathan quick for two seasons making two brief appearances during los angeless cup run in 2014
if you need a crucial postseason goal ward the 35 year old san jose forward has had a flair for the dramatic during his nine year career he beat henrik lundqvist and the buzzer last year scoring a game winner with 13 seconds left for the capitals in 2012 his overtime goal in game 7 for washington eliminated the defending champion bruins he scored two goals including the game winner in the sharks series clincher against the blues on wednesday
in big moments the penguins turn to crosby who had three game winning goals in the conference finals against the lightning that included a game 2 overtime winner that prevented pittsburgh from falling to 0 2 in the series crosbys most notable crunchtime score came in a different uniform when he scored the gold medal winning goal in overtime for the host country canada against the united states at the 2010 olympics in vancouver
the off seasons biggest trade was right wing phil kessels departure from toronto to pittsburgh kessel was widely maligned as the leafs faded into oblivion and his start with the penguins did little to silence his critics though he posted his lowest point total in a full campaign since 2007 8 kessel gained momentum during the season picking up 38 points in 45 games after jan 1 he provided a much needed spark in the absence of the injured evgeni malkin late in the season during the playoffs kessel has excelled with nine goals and nine assists
once cast as a player who did not relish the spotlight thornton has been a huge part in shedding a negative postseason reputation for himself and his team he was stripped of his captaincy in 2014 after san jose collapsed in the playoffs but he has been a point per game player in the regular season and playoffs this season for the sharks one of the games great passers he was second in the nhl in assists with 63 and he has 15 so far in the playoffs
what rule do you most need to know when watching the finals this year thanks to the new coachs challenge system it is the offside rule
under the system coaches can challenge goals for offside or goaltender interference though in the regular season and playoffs officials have been unlikely to change their minds about goalie interference coaches lose their one timeout if they decide to challenge a call
offside is a fairly simple rule in hockey no offensive player can cross the blue line into the offensive zone before the puck does unless the puck was carried or passed there by an opposing player but this season the nhl has given its linesmen and referees new tools to verify whether offensive players were offside on scoring plays for the playoffs cameras were installed on both sides of each blue line to aid coaches challenges and numerous goals have been disallowed some by the smallest of margins
watch the back skate a player is considered offside if at least one skate does not have contact with the neutral zone or the blue line when the puck crosses into the offensive zone on a few occasions in the playoffs goals have come off the board because a players back foot was off the ice in the neutral zone before the puck completely crossed the blue line


mike myers 50 is an independent special effects coordinator in brooklyn
q what do you do as a special effects coordinator
a i research special effects test them and carry them out for example when a tv show wants to show a car blowing up i have to find the best and safest way to accomplish that on some projects i mostly consult and then coordinate the work of others right now im working full time on the gotham tv series on this show were a small team of up to eight workers a day so im also hands on
how did you get started in this field
i studied advertising design at syracuse university and then worked at a new york advertising agency for two years i moved to los angeles and worked on independent films and tv commercials and after that i worked in spain eventually i returned to new york and worked for a special effects company for seven years i started my own company nyspfx in 2013
have you blown up cars for the gotham series
weve crashed or blown up about 15 vehicles i have a license for pyrotechnics we use carefully measured amounts of black powder flammable liquids gases and pyrotechnic gels the slow burn combinations are important to prevent the resulting fireballs from being snuffed out from lack of oxygen when we work in a safe environment like the brooklyn navy yard now an industrial space we can do larger explosions because there are fewer windows and residential buildings within a close proximity the fireballs are rippingly large
how do you plan your work
i read the script and then meet with the directors and producers to determine whats possible within the budget and time constraints at the same time im working on the current episode im finishing the last episode and getting ready for the next one
does your wife ever get nervous about you working in this field
only when i allow my 10 year old daughter lydia to visit my companys work studio however she has her own safety equipment and knows safety procedures i brought her to a job once when she was 4 when we blew up a basketball backboard for a snickers commercial even though she held her ears and i put my hands over hers it was thunderously loud she said i think we can go home now


a 48 year old woman living in a brooklyn ywca that offers housing to low income and homeless women was fatally stabbed by another resident on saturday the police said
just before 7 am the police responded to a dispute involving a knife at the ywca at 30 third avenue in the boerum hill neighborhood officers found the victim liza millet in her room with dozens of stab wounds to her back and torso the police said
a woman believed to be the assailant dorothy curry had barricaded herself inside her unit down the hall officials said she was taken into custody after officers from the police departments emergency service unit forced open the door
ms millet was taken to new york methodist hospital in brooklyn where she was pronounced dead
ms curry 55 was taken to kings county hospital center for a psychiatric evaluation and was charged later on saturday with murder the police said
investigators recovered a six inch kitchen knife at the scene the police said
ms millet and ms curry had both lived for several years in the building which provides housing for 285 women according to rolanda telesford a spokeswoman for the ywca in brooklyn neither woman had a history of violence or complaints filed against them ms telesford said
the ywcas security personnel responded to the assault and no one else was hurt she said
since our founding in 1888 the organization has never experienced a violent event within its community of residents she said in a statement the organization is cooperating fully with the ongoing police investigation
the ywca moved to the 11 story building in 1927 it has provided housing for members of the alvin ailey american dance theater company engineers former prisoners and retired teachers current residents include low income and homeless women many of whom are also survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault as well as older women according to its website
the victims friends and a divorce record gave her name as liza millett but on social media she spelled her given name as lisa with an s and used her maiden name cordner
she was from port of spain the capital of trinidad and had recently returned from a visit there said her longtime friends debra longmire and maggie charles they met when they lived in trinidad stayed in contact by phone and reunited on trips home said ms longmire of atlanta
she was a beautiful person she said she liked to talk crazy and make you laugh but she was also very concerned if you had a problem and would give you advice
ms millett divorced in 2003 according to public records and her friends said she had a daughter in new york as well as a son and a daughter in trinidad she was a certified nursing assistant who worked as a security guard and home health aide ms longmire said
i used to tell her she works too much she said


as the 1986 mets reunite this weekend at citi field fans too are looking back on what was a dream season from start to finish but for a small group of mets fanatics working at major league baseball productions that year the season was an experience that surpassed any conceivable fantasy after all they got to go along for the ride
the group was part of a cadre of mlb staff members assigned at the start of the season to produce a video chronicling the teams campaign the resulting project   a 60 minute documentary called a year to remember   ended up telling a story as dramatic and triumphant as any hollywood movie and behind the scenes what unfolded was just as exhilarating
when you worked at mlb productions you got assigned to work on projects about different teams said david israel a lifelong mets fan and an associate producer of the video who was just 24 in 1986 you did your job and you were happy to do your job but you didnt necessarily love it but the bosses tried when they could to put you on teams that you loved because it would bring out the passion and to work on a mets highlight film when they were winning was the greatest
roy epstein another producer and fan said i was two years out of college my senior year in 1984 i was the guy who asked the sociology professor to delay the midterm because it was opening day then two years later im in the mets clubhouse
the production group spent months filming the team beginning during spring training in st petersburg fla and continuing through the final out of the world series at shea stadium along the way the producers got to know the players and had a front row seat to observe a club known as much for its compelling characters as its dominating play
the mets were very cooperative said steve stern who was the writer of the film and a fan in the stands at shea when the mets won their first world series championship in 1969 players liked doing that stuff you just needed the right team for it   and they were the right team
what resulted was a video that remains extremely popular with the clubs fan base available on youtube frequently mentioned on fan blogs and still occasionally played at citi field during rain delays and since 1986 was long before the days of the internet and on demand highlights it has endured as a video museum of sorts immortalizing regular season games that would have otherwise been forgotten
there are very few movies in that stratosphere for me said charlie stein a lifelong mets fan who was only 2 in 1986 but became intimately familiar with the team by watching the video over and over again as he grew up its one of the greatest pieces of media ever put together
whether or not that is hyperbole the video is more than a straightforward chronicle of a 108 victory regular season the most games the mets have ever won followed by thrilling victories in the national league championship series against the houston astros and the world series against the boston red sox
there are as many as a half dozen music videos contained within the video and a comic vignette featuring reliever roger mcdowell and infielder howard johnson explaining the intricacies of how to make the perfect hot foot a prank popular with the team that involved setting a victims shoe on fire
we shot the hot foot segment during a long rain delay epstein said they were rolling that thing for 45 minutes you couldnt get away with doing that today   using cigarettes showing kids how to light a fire
perhaps the most memorable night of the regular season was sept 17 when the club clinched the nl east title
we were in the locker room during the celebration and it was mayhem in there epstein said mcdowell is running around i look at david israel and i say these guys are going to get hurt
it was crazy and later that night after the craziness a bunch of guys went out onto the pitchers mound and i remember bobby ojeda in a wet mets t shirt with a cigar shaking like he just did a polar bear plunge i remember thinking get this guy a towel this is my season 
a few weeks later the producers were alongside the mets in houston when the nlcs began
i was in the third base camera position inside the dugout for game 1 stern said afterward the cameraman said to me weve got a new rule you cannot be here with us 
it was stern said because i kept jumping up and down
i was purely a fan at this point he said i cared way more about winning the game than anything else it was as unprofessional as it gets the fact that the film got done is a miracle
production continued throughout the playoffs and the world series and then the pace of work increased after the mets won it all bob klug who later became the director of 60 minutes edited a mystical ethereal opening sequence dramatizing the mets epic game 6 comeback in the series
stern who later won three peabody awards for his work including hbos when it was a game series wrote a script that was narrated by the actor larry keith and other staffers like epstein worked on the musical montages that included the duran duran song the wild boys for a sequence on the teams table setters lenny dykstra and wally backman bob segers like a rock focusing on the teams leaders gary carter and keith hernandez and glenn freys you belong to the city which celebrated the mets as new yorks own
today producers might gasp at the licensing fees required to put popular songs like that in a video in 1986 things were a bit different
im pretty sure no one understood what licensing was back then stern said its on the radio   why we cant use it
the players evidently took notice as well
sometime later i found out that wally backman had bought a boat and named it wild boys epstein said
the production team worked through a lot of nights to finish the video in time for it to be released for the holidays but before it could be completed the mets had to approve it in full including a sequence celebrating the teams predilection for base clearing brawls
we were in the meeting showing the film to the mets and got to the part featuring the ray knight eric davis fight stern said referring to the brawl that erupted in a mets reds game in cincinnati on july 22 after various players were ejected the episode led to gary carter playing third base and mcdowell and jesse orosco shuttling between the outfield and the pitchers mound depending on which cincinnati batter was at the plate
making it all the more memorable was that the mets won the game in the 14th inning on a three run homer by johnson
stern said al harazin an assistant general manager was in the meeting and ending up agreeing that the sequence should be included in the video and epstein gets up and high fives al harazin stern said
thirty years later the portrait of the team endures   for both the production crew and the fans who have viewed the video over and over again
ive met high level people in the entertainment business said israel who went on to produce such shows as 3rd rock from the sun and grounded for life when they find out i was on the field and in the clubhouse im their hero we talk about the film and we talk about the season were geeky kids all over again it was pure joy working on it
meanwhile for younger fans like the 31 year old stein who is a bartender in brooklyn the video is almost as meaningful he said he has staged screenings of it for friends
its mandatory viewing for anyone i get close to he said i just started seeing a girl a few weeks ago she was really bummed out about something and i said let me show you something that youll love   its the 86 mets highlight video
now its entered the lexicon of our relationship its life changing


chicago   during memorial day weekend this city reopens its lake michigan beaches regular fireworks displays start at navy pier and the downtown streets and spruced up riverwalk are crowded with tourists
but the holiday weekend is often seen here as the start of heightened violence as well that has been particularly worrying this year to community leaders and city officials as they grapple with a rise in gun violence that has traumatized some neighborhoods and left city officials searching for new ways to subdue street crime
if something doesnt change if we dont get jobs for these kids if we dont change the economic situation im worried that we could be looking at a blood bath said the rev corey brooks a pastor on the citys south side a mostly african american area where some of the shootings have been concentrated if something doesnt happen i fear that were potentially looking at one of the worst summers weve ever had
as of friday morning homicides in chicago were up 52 percent in 2016 compared with the same period a year ago and shootings had increased by 50 percent though the pace of violence had slowed in recent weeks the police said only five months into the year at least 233 people had been killed
officials are struggling with the problem and are using a range of strategies as the murder rate in chicago the nations third largest city outpaces that of new york and los angeles
over the weekend the chicago police increased the number of officers on the streets about a week after a gang sweep that led to the arrests of 140 people the police said they planned to have extra foot patrols in parks and neighborhoods and more officers on bicycles they are also using social media to track potentially troublesome house parties
i think you all know how important this weekend is the police superintendent eddie johnson said on friday afternoon at a meeting with his top command staff
on friday evening people gathered at more than 100 gymnasiums parks and churches around the city to call for gang members and others to stop the violence that has long plagued some chicago neighborhoods the activities were the start of mayor rahm emanuels third annual summer of faith and action initiative which promotes safety and urges people to put down their guns
if we all come together and reclaim our streets reclaim our parks theres no room for the gangbangers mr emanuel said stopping by one of the gatherings on friday night on the southwest side where people played basketball and painted murals
i would also say to the gangbangers what eddie johnson said mr emanuel said referring to his recently appointed superintendent theres a small percentage creating an overabundance of the gun violence the police department knows who you are they know where you live and they know what youre doing
for a few hours on friday evening under periods of pounding rain the peace held and the police scanners were filled with mundane reports of disturbances and crowd control problems after a beyonce concert but by saturday evening the police reported 19 people had been shot four fatally including a 15 year old girl
last year during the three day memorial day weekend there were 46 shootings in chicago and 14 people were killed the police said other years have been quieter in 2013 there were 22 shootings and six deaths
some community leaders are concerned about what may lie ahead because of how widespread the shootings and killings were even before the warm summer months historically the most violent time of year in chicago the rev michael pfleger said on friday that residents seemed to be hunkering down because they expected bad things to happen
its almost like everyones saying a hurricane is coming said father pfleger whose parish the faith community of st sabina is on the south side what we really need to be doing is getting out walking around dont board up your house be out on your block be vigilant fear either paralyzes you or it motivates you we could have this be the safest weekend of the summer if everyone was out talking to one another
the worries about summer come at an extraordinarily complicated time for chicago which is facing parallel crises a drastic spike in violent crime and a police department viewed with suspicion even derision in some neighborhoods
long strained relations between the chicago police and residents especially african americans boiled over after the november release of a dashboard camera video showing a white officer shooting a black teenager laquan mcdonald 16 times
in the months afterward mr emanuel faced calls for his resignation the police superintendent was fired and the justice department began an investigation into the police departments practices last month a task force appointed by mr emanuel issued a scathing report saying that racism had contributed to a long pattern of institutional failures by the department and that the department had lost the trust of residents
that mistrust some here say has made it harder to solve crimes on the streets witnesses and victims often choose not to share information with the police
people think that to get justice they have to take the law into their own hands said the rev marshall e hatch the pastor of new mount pilgrim missionary baptist church on the west side
some here expressed concern about focusing on preparations for violence on a particular weekend   memorial day or otherwise
the fact is that its constant and relentless and that you dont know when its going to happen said dr kimberly joseph a trauma surgeon at john h stroger jr hospital of cook county where some shooting victims are taken try to imagine what it must be like for a 12 year old trying to go to school every day and not knowing whats going to happen
no one knows for sure why chicagos violence has increased this year but the police say it is largely the result of a small number of people involved with the citys increasingly splintered set of gangs and a rising number of disputes playing out on social media a new area of concern is shootings along the expressways where the authorities say gang feuds are spilling out of the neighborhoods there have been 20 shootings along chicago area expressways this year the police said and no arrests
this has all amped up from what ive ever seen father pfleger said theres a boiling point and guns have become part of americas wardrobe people out here presume everyone has one and theyll tell you im going to draw mine before i get laid down 
chicagos population of 27 million is nearly equally split among whites blacks and hispanics but most of the shootings have taken place in black and hispanic neighborhoods on the citys south and west sides and the majority of the victims have been african american
for many who live in these neighborhoods a recent poll showed crime and gangs have become overriding concerns more than 20 people under 18 have been killed this year a number of bystanders have also been shot zarriel trotter 13 who appeared in an anti violence video last year was injured by a stray bullet in march
janae bonsu the national public policy chairwoman for black youth project 100 said she was hopeful that city leaders would address the increase in violence by investing more in community groups focused on better jobs and increased educational opportunities rather than just bolstering the police
the city council the mayor nobody is being brave enough to say that maybe our efforts are concentrated in the wrong place ms bonsu said when you dont have much going for yourself whether it be work whether it be school your options are on the block


baltimore   it is noon on a wednesday and jim palmer walks from his home to a favorite spot in little italy da mimmo where he has been dining for decades the restaurant is empty which means that you can hear the chefs pounding the veal in the back there will be many more customers later
the first time palmer came here in 1984 it was also empty he peeked in and backed away but the owner impressed him when she was younger and part of an orioles fan club she explained she had always wanted his autograph palmer dutifully tried the restaurant loved it and when he learned it was struggling he gave it a plug to a local columnist now here it is all these years later thriving
so is palmer who strikes you in his adopted hometown as a bit like rocky balboa in creed the last movie in the rocky series that character carried himself in philadelphia with the easy confidence of a neighborhood legend who had starred in the 1970s never had to prove himself again and never abandoned his roots that is palmer in baltimore   minus the loneliness that shrouded rocky
palmer at 70 is anything but lonely he is married with a stepson and two grown daughters and still works road trips and home games in the orioles broadcast booth he is surrounded by baseball and by fans who adore him
i always tell people now tell them who i used to be palmer said fathers will come up to me at card shows or they see me at the ballpark and go he was one of the greatest pitchers ever i never really thought of that i mean i was proud of what i was able to do but everything we did was a collective thing
the orioles have played in six world series and palmer is the only player who was there for them all he won a game in each of their victorious series   in 1966 1970 and 1983   and was swiftly inducted to the hall of fame
palmer had eight 20 victory seasons in a nine year span and won three american league cy young awards he is a proud member of the last generation of pitchers who worked 300 innings in a season having done so four times
when i got into the hall of fame i said my biggest fear about baseball is if you pay more for less thats probably what youre going to get he said and i was kind of talking about pitching
palmer talks a lot about pitching and his lifetime of doing it in a new memoir written with alan maimon nine innings to success triumph the book uses examples from palmers life to illustrate broader points and its author understands his good fortune in achieving it all
palmer arrived in the majors in 1965 in relief of robin roberts a future hall of famer who was also a roommate and mentor he finished the next season by throwing a shutout in the world series at dodger stadium beating one of his heroes sandy koufax in the last game of koufaxs career
i go up there and koufax throws me the first high fastball   shooooo palmer said mimicking the sound now he throws me the curveball and it looks the same the same and john roseboro catches it on the ground and im going this is sandy koufax
palmer was describing what turned out to be the last strikeout koufax ever got he retired after the world series his arm ruined it is almost forgotten that palmer was nearly gone too he pitched just nine games the next season and blew out his rotator cuff in the minors in 1968
i heard everything pop he said it was like rice krispies
that might have been the end the orioles were so stumped that they ordered palmer to have his teeth pulled as a remedy for the shoulder palmer passed an exam to become a life insurance salesman he was such an afterthought that the kansas city royals and the seattle pilots passed on him in the expansion draft
mark trumbo asked me how did guys deal with tommy john surgery ligament problems and all that  palmer said referring to the orioles outfielder i said they had a sore elbow and nobody really knew why some got better some didnt
palmer was one of the lucky ones one night in december 1968 at a baltimore bullets basketball game a friend who worked for a drug company listened to palmer describe his problems the friend marv foxman left at halftime went to his car and brought palmer a brown paper bag filled with pills of indocin a nonsteroidal anti inflammatory pain reliever
palmer took them as foxman instructed went to winter ball in puerto rico and found his 96 mile an hour fastball again just like that he was on his way a hard thrower with remarkable durability who would be baseballs biggest winner 186 victories in the 1970s
pitchers then palmer said were not necessarily better than those today the difference is the standards he loved pitching when he did largely for the challenge of working deep into games the way roberts had before him
thats what you did because you could do it palmer said you really learn a lot about yourself it takes guile intelligence conditioning guts
one pitcher he said stands out today   not only for his talent but it seems to palmer for his drive to go further than most the dodgers clayton kershaw who pitches at the same park where palmer beat koufax nearly 50 years ago the game he analyzes has changed from the one he played but palmer is eager to see the modern master in july
ive never met him but im going to meet him this year he said smiling were playing out at dodger stadium
one of the more impressive parts of kris bryants early career has been his willingness to play multiple positions last season when he was the national league rookie of the year for the chicago cubs bryant played mostly at third base appearing in the outfield only 19 times now he rarely stays in one spot very long
bryant has gone more than a month since he played more than three games in a row at one   and only one   position from april 15 through 19 he played just third base since then bryant has bounced among third left field right field and even first base for one out he has played multiple positions in about a third of his games
theres so many guys in this clubhouse that might play a certain area and i might need to make a sacrifice and move somewhere else for them if theyre swinging the bat hot bryant said at wrigley field recently at first its a little hard to prepare yourself each day because its a change of scenery youre in left field right field third base   its different now im a little more used to it
bryants versatility has allowed manager joe maddon to rotate javier baez and tommy la stella into the lineup at third base without a designated hitter spot in the nl maddon said outfield days give bryant almost like a day off compared to the physical demands of third base staying sharp mentally in the outfield can be a challenge
playing the outfield is a little different in terms of my offensive side because you have more time to think about it out there which can be a good thing or a bad thing bryant said i think this year so far ive made it a good thing because last year when i was playing the outfield i was thinking a lot about my at bats this year im a little more focused on the whole defensive side of things
bryants statistics are essentially the same at third base or the outfield and he has worked at the plate to improve one offensive trait in particular
making more contact bryant said i know that im going to be above average in terms of my strikeout numbers but if i could just cut down on that a couple of percentage points it can only help me
after leading the nl in strikeouts last season with 199 bryant had just 40 coming into the weekend he struck out in 306 of his plate appearances last season and had cut that rate to 196 helping the cubs to the majors best record
a regrettable fashion trend in baseball going back more than 20 years is the way most players wear their pants pulled down to their shoe tops with no stirrups or socks showing
its been like that for a while said jon jay an outfielder for the san diego padres but guys wear different stuff underneath
for jay   for every game   that means socks depicting tony gwynn the hall of famer who spent 20 seasons with the padres through 2001 the socks are in the classic padres colors   yellow brown and orange   that gwynn wore early in his career
growing up he was the best hitter around said jay like gwynn a left handed hitter ive always had a swing that went to left field and he always hit that 6 hole   that was his patented move i remember just always admiring his swing and the way he could hit the ball to all parts of the ballpark
jay chose no 19 with his previous team the st louis cardinals partly because of gwynn since coming to the padres he said he has learned more about gwynn including his reliance on video to prepare for games
mike tompkins our video guy was around him and i asked him a ton of questions about tony jay said he revolutionized it
jay has met tony gwynn jr but he never met gwynn who died of salivary gland cancer in 2014 gwynns family filed a wrongful death lawsuit monday against altria group inc the tobacco giant formerly known as philip morris and several other defendants involved in inducing gwynn to begin using smokeless tobacco or dip at san diego state in the 1970s


beijing   tropical islands in the south china sea have become a major strategic headache between china and the united states as tensions escalate over chinas construction of military installations on disputed islands the united states navy has sent extra warships to the waterway a chinese fighter jet recently flew so close to an american surveillance plane that there was nearly a collision
now china appears to be taking a softer approach to its claims
want a wedding on a remote island come to the paracels says xiao jie who administers that group of islands if you crave diving and windsurfing he adds we have just the spot for you
the paracels a cluster of islands on the western edge of the south china sea where vietnam and taiwan also have claims are perfect for tourism water sports and romantic weddings mr xiao told china daily a state run english language newspaper in an article published friday
we will develop some islands and reefs to accommodate a select number of tourists mr xiao said
as mayor of sansha city on woody island the biggest of the paracels mr xiao oversees a community of 1500 residents complete with a school a police station and a court but the mayor also has jurisdiction over other islands in the paracel chain as well as the spratlys
some tourism has already started on three tiny islands in the paracels mr xiao said
a five day cruise aboard a 10000 ton boat that stops at those tiny flecks in the sea   yinyu island quanfu island and yagong island   is now popular with couples who want tropical themed wedding photographs but cannot afford bali or hawaii said liu shibiao an agent at hainan tourism international travel agency in haikou the capital of hainan province
the three islands beaches are more pristine than the litter strewn overbuilt coastline of southern china mr liu said on the beaches the seawater is much cleaner than in any other places in china and they are very romantic he said it is cheaper than hawaii and bali
it also bears a special meaning to get married here in xisha he continued using the chinese name for the paracels these are our lands
under president xi jinping china has been challenging americas post world war ii dominance in the western pacific by fortifying islands it claims in the south china sea with weaponry runways and deepwater berths artificial islands in the spratly chain created by dredging massive amounts of sand onto tiny rocks now have chinese soldiers and construction workers bustling about
surface to air missile batteries and powerful radar facilities have been installed on woody island and tourism there is more limited tourists must fly in and fly out on the same day
the cruises to the paracels serve islands that do not have military installations mr xiao said but there is a patriotic element to the tours which are open only to chinese passport holders
an online advertisement by mr lius agency for travel to the three islands says tourists will enjoy patriotic events including a national flag raising ceremony tourists are required to take an oath before the chinese flag the advertisement says
the cruise ship the star of the gulf of tonkin sails from sanya a port in hainan and then stops at yinyu island quanfu island and yagong island over five days time spent on the islands is brief because there are no hotels or restaurants but tourists are encouraged to socialize with local fishermen the islands do not have the capacity to handle wedding ceremonies for now mr liu said
passengers sleep on the ship and spend much of their time drinking and watching movies he said
are there plans for cruises to the new artificial islands in the spratlys near the philippines which now have military runways and deep ports
sure we want to organize trips there who doesnt mr liu said but it is not our call we need approval from the government and more so the military


lebron james has always had a knack for drawing superlatives at 17 he was labeled the chosen one on the cover of sports illustrated at various points in his 13 year nba career he has been called the most valuable player a choke artist and a champion   sometimes all three in the same breath
but after so many nba seasons of james in the spotlight mark jackson the espn analyst and former coach still managed to come up with an even greater compliment for james the cavaliers 12 time all nba forward when asked on the air during game 5 of the eastern conference finals how far james could take a roster like that of the woeful philadelphia 76ers jackson did not hesitate to declare that the broadcast crew would have been in philadelphia that night for the conference finals game rather than in cleveland
although there was no doubt some hyperbole involved in saying that james would be the difference between a 10 win season and an appearance in the conference finals that faith is not totally misplaced with fridays victory over the toronto raptors james has done what michael jordan magic johnson kobe bryant larry bird and a host of other greats never accomplished led teams to six consecutive appearances in the nba finals outside bill russell and a few of his teammates with the boston celtics it had never been done in fact no one else has ever even had five
jamess success has coincided with his becoming a free agent before the 2010 11 season when he was able to choose where he wanted to play he first chose to team with the all stars dwyane wade and chris bosh with the miami heat winning two titles in four years and then he returned to cleveland where he has played with the all stars kyrie irving and kevin love
coincidentally the aging seldom used gunner james jones has also been along for the ride jones has been by jamess side on each of the miami heat and cleveland teams that reached the finals though he did not play beyond the eastern conference finals in 2011 because of injuries
even though james has played with such highly talented teammates and given that the eastern conference has not been all that competitive in recent years it is still a feat to accomplish a run of so many consecutive conference championships kareem abdul jabbar and johnson never led the lakers to more than the four straight finals appearances they had from 1982 to 1985 jordans bulls and bryants lakers never qualified more than three years in a row jordans retirement to play baseball broke up what might have been a longer run the tim duncan dynasty in san antonio topped out at two straight
the biggest knock against james is that even though his teams have performed so well during the regular season he has not found that much success once he reaches the finals in his six previous appearances   james also led the cavaliers to the finals in 2006 7   he has come away with just two titles as opposed to russell who played in the finals 12 times including a stretch of 10 straight and came away with 11 rings jordan had six titles in six appearances abdul jabbar won six times in 10 tries while bryant won five times in seven tries
but if there is one player who provides an analogue to james it is jerry west like james west was not a stranger to superlative nicknames with people calling him the logo mr clutch and mr outside he was undoubtedly one of the greatest players to grace an nba court yet he won just one career title in nine trips to the finals despite playing with a legendary group of teammates that at various points included two other members of the nbas 50th anniversary team elgin baylor and wilt chamberlain
just as jamess prime has coincided with some historically great teams like bryants lakers duncans spurs and stephen currys warriors west found himself trying to win championships against russells celtics walt fraziers knicks and chamberlains 76ers
james and the cavaliers still have a realistic shot at winning a championship this season which would perhaps settle any doubts for the remaining naysayers about jamess legacy but if the widespread admiration for west all these years later is any indication jamess consistent ability to lead his teams to great success even if that does not always lead to a championship will very likely have a lasting impact that goes far beyond audacious nicknames and praise from broadcasters


one of the latest symbols of the overinflated luxury housing market is a pink mansion perched above the mediterranean on the french riviera
the 13000 square foot property built and owned by the fashion magnate pierre cardin is composed of giant terra cotta orbs arranged in a sprawling hive the homes name befits its price le palais bulles or the bubble palace is being offered for sale at approximately 450 million
the listing is part of a global pileup of homes listed for 100 million or more a record 27 properties with nine figure prices are officially for sale according to christies international real estate that is up from 19 last year and about a dozen in 2014
if you add in high priced whisper listings that are offered privately brokers say the actual number of nine figure listings worldwide could easily top 40 or 50
its a bumper crop said dan conn chief executive of christies international real estate its just a new world in terms of what people are building and offering for sale
the rise in nine figure real estate listings comes just as sales of luxury real estate have cooled many say the sudden surge in hyperprice homes   often built and sold by speculative investors   is the ultimate bubble signal
when you have a record number of homes for sale at a price point of 100 million or more that tells you these homes arent selling said jonathan miller president of miller samuel inc a real estate appraisal and research firm its not as deep a market as some might hope
last year only two homes in the world sold for over 100 million according to christies one was a 9455 square foot house in hong kong purchased for 193 million by jack ma the chief of alibaba the other was a townhouse in london that sold for 132 million this year a ranch in texas went on the market for 700 million and a home in dallas listed for 100 million both sold but the actual sale prices have not been disclosed
the last time a sudden pop in 100 million plus listings occurred was in 2007 and 2008 just before the housing crash in 2008 at least four homes in the world listed for nine figures only one ended up selling for close to that a mansion in palm beach owned by donald trump and listed for 100 million sold for 95 million mr trump says it sold for 100 million a 103 room mansion in surrey england called updown court was listed for 138 million but sold in 2011 for about 50 million a log mansion planned for the yellowstone club in montana with a promised price of 155 million was never built and the land sold for 10 million
of course anyone can slap a 100 million price tag on a home to get attention yet actual sales of nine figure homes are rare even in good times between 2011 and 2016 only 15 homes in the world have sold for 100 million or more according to christies and five of those were in 2014
the era of aspirational pricing is over and im not sure it ever really worked mr miller said these prices get headlines but the properties just dont sell
brokers promoting the listings say their properties are one of a kind masterpieces   like picassos or modiglianis   that rarely come on the market they add that the more than 1800 billionaires in the world see property as a safer store of wealth than stocks or art mr conn estimates that of the 27 nine figure listings a third will sell for under 100 million a third will sell for around 100 million and a third for far more
i dont think its a sign of a bubble mr conn said its a sign of growing wealth in the world and the quality of some of the new construction
yet the market for megamansions and penthouses has cooled significantly in the last year prices for homes in the top 5 percent of the real estate market fell 11 percent in the first quarter of 2016 according to redfin prices for the rest of the housing market increased 47 percent
brokers say the very top of the market   consisting of eight  and nine figure homes   is faring the worst as slowing economies overseas and volatile stock markets have spooked buyers the supply of homes for the rich exploded as builders aimed at the high end after the financial crisis
of the 10 most expensive listings in the world seven are in the united states and four of these are in los angeles the most expensive listing in the world is the 500 million compound being built in the bel air neighborhood of los angeles by nile niami a film producer and speculative builder the property will have a 74000 square foot main house a 30 car garage and a monaco style casino
in nearby holmby hills a more modest 38000 square foot mansion built by the investor and developer gala asher came on the market in april for 150 million the ultramodern house on the prestigious carolwood drive has a 5300 square foot master suite and a club level with bar dance floor wine room lap pool theater complex beauty parlor and massage rooms the property also includes several guesthouses and staff housing the broker ginger glass said the price of the property was justified
buyers today want new construction she said and there isnt anything thats new like this in such a great location
still more nine figure homes are on the way real estate agents and developers say a home under construction in bel air is likely to have more than 50000 square feet of living space with finishes rivaling a superyachts the price will be yacht like too at around 300 million among the homes amenities the worlds largest safe


ask real estate is a weekly column that answers questions from across the new york region submit yours to realestateqanytimescom
the beep goes on
every 30 seconds for the last several months the smoke detector in a neighbors apartment has been making the low battery beep you can hear it five floors down from his apartment i hear it in my apartment day and night disrupting my peace and quiet ive repeatedly attempted to contact the neighbor but never get a response building management said it would contact the super but the super told me that unless a tenant requests it he does not fix things inside apartments what are my options
flatbush brooklyn
as loud as that beep might be your neighbor might not hear it the neighbor may be partially deaf in the frequency range of the beep which is quite common said alan fierstein the owner of acoustilog an acoustical consultancy the repeated beeps only worsen the deafness
this could explain the neighbors behavior but it does not ease your discomfort the citys noise code prohibits people from making unreasonable noise or permitting such noise to continue by ignoring the problem you could argue that the landlord is potentially violating the noise code you could ask the landlord to measure the noise and if he refuses you could hire someone yourself but you would be paying a large sum for a test that would give you information not a resolution
the landlord is required to install and maintain smoke detectors said james b fishman a manhattan lawyer who represents tenants so you could try another approach reminding your landlord that a beeping smoke detector violates city rules
you could also try to contact the unresponsive neighbor again leaving another letter and perhaps some batteries

changing ownership
i live with my husband in the co op apartment where he was raised he and his mother are both named on the stock certificate and proprietary lease when we married my husband told me that he would add my name to the documents and remove hers three years later his mother who is not living there is still not ready for this change while i understand her hesitation to add me to the documents my mother in law could at least remove her name i spent 40000 of my savings on renovations if we sell she will have to approve the sale and is entitled to 50 percent of the proceeds even though the apartment is worth substantially more than the 5000 she paid decades ago my husband feels caught in the middle how do i resolve this without causing friction
bayside queens
yours is not the first marriage to have money issues in your case your husband promised you something that was not his to give his mother owns those shares and she can do with them as she pleases now that youve sunk your nest egg into her investment the emotional stakes are high
family feelings are so loaded about money   where the money came from where the money is going said olivia mellan a money coach who suggests that you slow the process down
consider your mother in laws perspective and her leverage half the apartment is hers and she does not have to give it to you just because you live there you cannot compel your mother in law to make a gift of her 50 percent interest in the apartment said peter lese a manhattan trusts and estates lawyer
even if 5000 seems like chump change by todays standards she is the one who made that initial investment and she is entitled to reap its rewards presumably she did not compel you to invest your savings in her asset
the fact that the mother in law may have invested less money in the apartment   or that someone with no legal title to the apartment invested any money at all   is of no consequence said eric d sherman a manhattan real estate lawyer
to ease your financial anxieties the three of you should try to come to an agreement about your remodeling costs one solution your mother in law and your husband agree in writing to give you the first 40000 from the eventual sale of the property and divide the rest between the two of them if your mother in law balks your husband could reimburse you out of his portion of the proceeds
your husband should also ask his mother about her will should she die before the apartment is sold her shares and her interest in the proprietary lease would be disposed of according to the will mr sherman said theoretically she could leave her shares to someone other than you or your husband further complicating the situation whatever resolution you reach there may be tax implications to consider if she gifts the shares to you or her son or leaves them to him in her will mr lese said

smoky entrance
some of the doormen in my large rental building smoke outside while on duty standing a few feet from the front entrance under a no smoking sign entering and exiting through a cloud of smoke is unpleasant my comings and goings interrupt their smoking   they have to put the cigarette down on a window ledge and walk to the door how can i put an end to this
midtown east manhattan
it takes a healthy dose of gumption to smoke beneath a no smoking sign   particularly if you are the person who is supposed to enforce the rule theyre not supposed to be smoking cigarettes said patricia napier fitzpatrick the president of the etiquette school of new york and i think it looks terrible for the building to be smoking out there
the doormens behavior not only breaks the rules it also puts your health at risk secondhand smoke is a known carcinogen hence the no smoking sign there is no safe exposure to secondhand smoke said patrick kwan the director of nyc smoke free especially for the people who are most vulnerable like children
as frustrated as you might be avoid confronting the doormen yourself staff discipline is not your responsibility and it might not solve the problem instead you could end up in a confrontation with one or more of the doormen and the smoking would continue anyway because you do not have the authority to stop it
write a letter to your landlord or managing agent whenever this behavior occurs keep a log of the dates and times of the incidents and the staff involved send management this information
this will establish a firm timeline of events and can be used by management when speaking with their staff said mark b levine a principal of the excel bradshaw management group


we traveled more than 3000 miles from the arctic circle to the atlantic ocean in nine days visiting six countries we saw nine museums sang on a live television show went on three walking tours and lingered over glasses of red wine while hurtling past grassy hills in the moonlight
and once we started our trip we never stood in an airport security line we did it all using europes exemplary train system
the excursion was inspired by a 2011 rail adventure after traveling to istanbul for work susan a university professor celebrated a professional milestone by taking trains west to paris we initially thought of redoing that trip from the opposite direction but decided a less familiar route might be more fun if not europe from west to east how about europe from north to south
consulting rail maps we decided to start about 90 miles above the arctic circle in kiruna the northernmost town in sweden with regular passenger service where to conclude we considered various southern european destinations but settled on lisbon
the pleasure we decided would be in the process we would think of trains not as mere modes of transit but as relaxing destinations in themselves during our stops   in stockholm copenhagen cologne paris barcelona and madrid   we would resist the urge to hit every tourist destination but in each city we would take in culture and eat or drink something typical
we landed at kirunas tiny airport on a sunday afternoon beginning our travels then made perfect sense   until we learned that we had missed by a day kirunafestivalen a three day event that attracted pop acts known throughout europe ah there was a reason that a city of 23000 felt as if nearly everyone had just left it was true
once settled into our hotel we put on jackets   the end of june high was 53 degrees   and walked to the russet red kiruna church completed in 1912 in a park of birch trees south of the city center the late afternoon sun which never quite set brilliantly lit the interior of the church designed by the architect gustaf wickman to evoke a goahti the wooden arched hut used by the sami people of northern sweden norway and finland into the 1800s
someday however the church will go to pieces
it stands between the center of kiruna and the reason for the citys existence the worlds largest iron ore mine which is slowly encroaching on the ground beneath the town in 2004 the mines owner luossavaara kiirunavaara ab notified the city that mining would eventually render part of the town unstable there was a choice close the mine or move the center
the town cant exist without the mine said niklas siren the 42 year old deputy mayor we would lose half the population within just a few years if the mine closed down
so the church will be disassembled and moved beam by beam as part of a gradual shift of the city center estimated to displace about 3000 homes
susan saw part of the mine the next day on a hard hat tour of a section preserved as a museum that would satisfy almost any travelers quest for information about the sublevel caving method of ore extraction meanwhile john headed to the basement sami museum a collection of cultural artifacts from as long ago as the 17th century the mine tour at 345 krona about 42 was not for the faint of wallet   or the claustrophobic   but the museum visit was a bargain 20 kronor which lunchtime visitors could leave in a wooden honor box
by midafternoon we were at the kiruna station waiting for the train to stockholm eager to meet the strangers we would sleep with that night
we had hoped to book a private two bunk compartment for the 16 hour trip but by the time we made our travel arrangements those accommodations were sold out so we had selected two bunks in a couchette
the compartment had six seats which converted to padded bunks we and our travel companions   an austrian couple who appeared to be in their 60s and two swedish college students who had been camping at the music festival   each received two clean sheets a blanket a pillow and drinking water
for the next eight hours we enjoyed the passing landscape chatted read and made trips to the cafe car which served drinks snacks and simple meals the austrians the first to turn in converted the seats so by the time we finished a last glass of wine as the cafe car closed at 11 pm   with the sun still well above the horizon   all we had to do was climb into our top bunks
no one snored too loudly and we wished our travel companions good journeys as we parted in stockholm at breakfast time our hotel room was ready immediately so we were able to get a shower before heading to djurgarden island to lunch on smorgas open faced salmon and shrimp salad sandwiches and tour the vasa museum there we spent hours marveling at a wooden ship retrieved from stockholms harbor in 1961 more than 300 years after it sank on its first voyage
when john headed to the abba museum   dedicated to the 1970s pop music of agnetha faltskog bjorn ulvaeus benny andersson and anni frid lyngstad   susan chose a walk around the island and found herself at the entrance to skansen a park sheltering historic buildings from throughout sweden
the ticket seller said that admission included a concert which turned out to be allsang pa skansen an hourlong variety show that takes place every summer tuesday and has been broadcast live since 1979 john caught up to watch some of the musicians we had missed in kiruna including tomas ledin a singer songwriter whose career is well into its fifth decade we heard girls and their moms scream for the 29 year old singer mans zelmerlow as he performed heroes the number with which he had just won the annual eurovision song contest we bought the allsang songbook and sang along enthusiastically and phonetically to a tune called trettifyran which we learned was a swedish version of this ole house recorded by rosemary clooney in the 1950s
the next morning we continued south to malmo and copenhagen over the stunning 10 mile oresund bridge   inspiration for the hit swedish danish tv police drama the bridge which has spawned britishfrench and american remakes in copenhagen we took a guided walking tour of the christianshavn neighborhood that ended at an alternative community christiania and learned that climbing 250 steps to the base of the spire of our saviors church would for the next week exact a toll on our hamstrings
over the next two days we crossed from rodby denmark to puttgarden germany on one of the few european trains carried by a ferry took a fast german intercityexpress to cologne where we viewed roman ruins and drank kolsch and rode a high speed thalys train to paris where we visited museums and had two lovely meals one was lunch at la bulle an elegant and yet homey spot on rue louis blanc in the 10th arrondissement where we had excellent ratatouille and lieu a white fish we even did laundry at a french coin operated lavarie before taking a tgv or train a grande vitesse to barcelona for two nights there we ate tapas attended mass in the 12th century church of st anna wandered through the barri gotic and took a walking tour of the architectural marvels of antoni gaudi
there were times when it paid to be patient a few hours north of cologne the german ice train air conditioning failed as the temperature outside hit 97 degrees passengers were taken off at dortmund and placed on other trains ours pulled into cologne 70 minutes behind our original schedule   the only time in 14 long distance and local train segments that we arrived significantly late match that statistic by flying
two days later in the gare de lyon in paris the platform for our train to barcelona was not announced until 12 minutes before departure leaving hundreds of people scurrying to find their cars boarding stress dissipated however as the train sped along at 185 miles per hour and we watched for landmarks   the 13th century cathedral of beziers france the beaches near sete   while listening to a member of the train crew do donald duck impressions for the children onboard
we didnt see everything we would have liked in the cities we visited after congratulating ourselves for getting to view 10 picasso paintings on loan to the prado museum during a brief stop in madrid we realized we had missed the artists antiwar masterpiece guernica at the nearby reina sofia museum
overall though we were heartened to find that by choosing hotels close to center city train stations we had designed a trip especially suitable for anyone who likes to explore cities by walking and for older travelers who may find it a challenge to move around in copenhagen for example the savoy hotel was three blocks from the train station and a two minute walk from mikkeller a convivial craft beer bar in cologne we were delighted to find that the relatively inexpensive and ever reliable ibis chain had a hotel in the train station
for the final international leg of the trip from madrid to lisbon we boarded the lusitania trenhotel operated by the spanish rail company renfe we had reserved an ingeniously designed first class two berth cabin with a sink the lusitanias cafe was open all night and we passed midnight there sharing red wine and savoring the cheerful hum of conversations
such delights are dwindling there is no longer a sleeper train between paris and madrid amsterdam has lost a direct overnight route to warsaw the paris to rome sleeper john took in july 2013 was discontinued the following winter
one reason is that high speed trains have eliminated the need for overnight travel on routes such as paris to zurich and yet mark smith   whose website the man in seat sixty one is an indispensable guide to train travel   points out that there remain routes with no good daytime high speed service including nice to rome more than eight hours and paris to madrid about nine hours
smart marketing mr smith said could bolster demand for sleepers as an alternative to low cost airlines instead of spending four hours to take a one hour flight he said travelers could leave in the evening and wake up refreshed at their destination having saved the price of a hotel room
why should you have to go to an airport as if you were flying to the states just to go a few hundred miles down the road i think the market is there
well rested after our overnight trip from madrid we took a three hour walking tour of lisbons older neighborhoods we then heeded our guides advice to seek lunch in a nondescript place that seemed oblivious to tourists and we found it in the reviravolta where we sat at a decidedly unglamorous formica table and devoured plates of expertly grilled sea bass and sardines
but lisbon was not quite our final stop as it lies on the tagus river
to complete the journey we rode a suburban train 45 minutes west to the beach town of cascais where a cabdriver cheerfully agreed to take us four and a half miles to praia do guincho a rocky beach on the atlantic ocean gusts of 40 knots or more blew sand into our eyes as we made our way gingerly to the water a windsurfer told us he was giving up for the day because the wind was too strong
we touched our toes to the sea and then headed back to the waiting taxi we had one more train trip to make back to lisbon we looked out the windows on that final journey satisfied that we had solved the conundrum of european travelers with limited vacation time is it better to cover a lot of ground or focus on relaxing over nine days watching from comfortable second class seats as the countryside changed from birch forests to olive groves we had done both
point to point tickets for the itinerary from kiruna sweden to lisbon can be purchased online from the railway companies of sweden sjsjse denmark dsb dsbdkom dsbin english germany deutsche bahn bahncom france sncf sncfcom spain renfrerenfecom and the multinational company thalys thalyscom which runs the high speed train we took from cologne germany to paris all have english language versions of their websites
hotell kebne konduktorsgatan 7 kiruna sweden hotellkebnecomclean friendly and an easy walk from most of kirunas attractions
hotel hf fenix music rua joaquim antonio de aguiar 5 lisbonhfhotelscomgbhf fenix music a reasonably priced hotel with a small rooftop pool balconies on some rooms and an extensive breakfast buffet
arumecarrer botella 11 barcelona arumerestaurantcom a jolly intimate place for catalangalician dishes
a tasco do chico rua do diario de noticias 39 lisbon a cozy wine bar and restaurant in the bairro alto neighborhood and a regular haunt of fado singers performers of ballads in a mournful romantic style that can be traced back at least 200 years


west point ny   it was 630 am at the united states military academy the sun was rising over the hudson river and paula broadwell was in athletic gear with a half dozen women she rotated between sprints and burpees sweating onto the pavement the group was perched atop an overlook called trophy point in the shadow of a 46 foot battle monument memorializing those killed in the civil war there is a female statue in bronze at the top arms outstretched regally who is said to represent fame
ms broadwell was here in april for a 40th anniversary celebration for the academys first class of women who enrolled two decades before she would graduate near the top of her class with multiple varsity letters it was also the first time she had been back to campus since 2012 when she achieved her own kind of unwanted fame
yes this is that paula broadwell the mentee turned biographer of david h petraeus the west point graduate and military intelligence officer who was revealed through a high profile fbi investigation to have had a romantic relationship with mr petraeus a former cia director and the highest profile general from the wars in iraq and afghanistan this is also the paula broadwell who would be publicly portrayed as a homewrecker a stalker a temptress the woman who brought down the director of the cia and perhaps with the most frequency as the mistress a word for which there is no male equivalent
as far as infidelity scandals go this one had everything he with a phd from princeton was the revered thinking mans general honorable visionary charismatic credited with turning around the failing war effort in iraq and doing more one armed push ups than anyone his colleagues knew there was talk the washington post put it that one day king david would be president through his lawyer david kendall mr petraeus declined to comment for this article
she was the younger equally ambitious overachiever olympic distance triathlete two masters degrees deputy director of the center on counterterrorism at tufts university a research associate at harvard where she had first met the general six years before she was a standout said sue fulton a former military captain and member of the first class of women at west point who later became a friend
there was hubris the man tasked with guarding the nations secrets revealing them a woman who had achieved incredible journalistic access committing the ultimate journalistic sin another friend of the generals jill kelley also became tangled up in the coverage after she reported to the fbi that she was getting harassing emails investigators later learned they were sent by ms broadwell under a pseudonym ms broadwell now 43 declined to comment on the emails other than to say that she regretted sending them ms kelley said the two have never spoken directly
the downfall was swift mr petraeus now 63 resigned apologized to the senate armed services committee and later pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of mishandling classified material related to eight personal notebooks hed shared with ms broadwell for two months he remained home in isolation   reading communicating with friends and pedaling on his exercise bike one foot in front of the other one day at a time peter mansoor a military historian who was mr petraeuss right hand man in iraq recalled mr petraeus as saying he was sentenced last april to two years probation and a 100000 fine ms broadwell was never charged
nearly four years later mr petraeus is now a partner in a new york private equity firm and has advised the white house on the war against the islamic state he publishes op ed articles speaks publicly and has affiliations with three universities including harvard he was recently listed among five former military leaders suggested by a washington post columnist whom republicans might have considered drafting for president
i wouldnt be the least bit surprised to see him in some senior role in the next administration democratic or republican said vernon loeb the managing editor at the houston chronicle with whom ms broadwell wrote her biography of mr petraeus
ms broadwell has struggled to find her footing for weeks reporters camped outside her home in charlotte nc where she was trying to restore her marriage friends sent over groceries and hot meals for her family   her husband scott and sons 8 and 10   and staged interference so ms broadwell could cut across her neighbors lawns climbing over fences to escape for a morning run
she lost her military security clearance her promotion from major to lieutenant colonel was revoked when the news broke the fbi still has her computers   including her dissertation research   and she withdrew from her phd program she said she was told in more than one job interview that while she was qualified hiring her would be a public relations nightmare
four years on her name still pops up in the news with regularity she tracks these references with precision every time there is a new development   a legal update mr petraeuss sentencing the recently self published memoir by the woman on the receiving end of her emails   she said she is reminded that for him the affair is a footnote to an otherwise celebrated career but for her   not as decorated not as public but still accomplished in her own right   it has become a lasting stain
im the first to admit i screwed up ms broadwell said really badly i know that but how long does a person pay for their mistake
that seems to be the question of the moment in an age when one mistake can permanently cement your reputation but the shame of the mistress is a particular category donna rice monica lewinsky rielle hunter ... the names have come to represent a kind of archetype
that may be in part an unfair standard between men and women caught in an affair said david bradley the chairman of atlantic media who knew mr petraeus and ms broadwell and once sat down with ms broadwell to offer professional advice in the aftermath he reached out to both by email to offer sympathy and support but i think its equally the danger   the white hot danger   for the private citizen caught in an affair with a public figure
ms broadwell was not exactly an entirely private figure before of course it was just that what she was known for publicly was him and so her fall seemed to elicit a particular brand of female schadenfreude she seemed a little too eager a little too ambitious a little too self promoting enjoying the attention just a little too much yes she would challenge jon stewart to a push up competition   to raise money for wounded veterans   and win she could also run a six minute mile my immediate reaction was oh no theyre going to destroy her said ms fulton who did not know ms broadwell at the time but reached out after the affair became public to offer her support
to journalists she was the woman who   without any journalistic experience   had persuaded the highest commander in the land to give her unusual access and then abused it when the book came out and she appeared on the daily show with jon stewart mr stewart joked that the real controversy here is is he awesome or incredibly awesome
to military colleagues she was guilty of hollywooding commanding the attention to herself in a culture that is all about the team and then there was the infidelity a crime for active duty officers for a reason service members are required to deploy for months and months at a time   so you have to be able to trust your spouse ms fulton said it happens of course so often that theres a name for it a zipper malfunction and yet to violate that trust is viewed as particularly egregious
and so the public inquisition into the mistress began with everything from her fitness acumen   could she really run a six minute mile   to her body fat 13 percent to her usually tight shirts and pants scrutinized she was called by a senior military source a shameless self promoting prom queen who got her claws into him she was curvaceous with expressive green eyes one general described her as seemingly immune to the notion of modesty referring to the attire she was said to have worn in afghanistan
mr petraeus meanwhile was described by former aides as the consummate gentleman and family man he had let his guard down the washington post said in a headline supporters said hed done the honorable thing by quitting when he resigned the president offered his prayers for the general and his wife the petraeus family friends lamented in the news media would get through this
and then there was the   in hindsight   unfortunate title of ms broadwells book all in the education of general david petraeus there were porn parodies and a saturday night live skit in which a buttoned up book event is actually a live reading of a steamy sex scene there were rape and death threats one sent in a handwritten letter to her home her facebook page still vacillates between you ruined america and will you go out on a date with me
i think the worst feeling is when you dont have control over your life ms broadwell said she was sitting on the couch in her living room in charlotte while her children were at school and thats what this felt like
the first year was hell she said she and her husband a radiologist with whom she is still together went into counseling she went into therapy they explained to the children that mommy made a really big mistake she had panic attacks lost weight and retreated from public view hiring a team to manage the legal threat against her would she be tried for conspiracy to commit espionage for cyberstalking for something else she was often reading about her legal status in the news
mr petraeus had many defenders   and a four decade career of service to stand on ms broadwell did not she said she never heard from her best friend   a crime agent with the fbi she asked another friend a woman she had mentored if shed be willing to speak up on her behalf but this woman was applying for a job with the cia it was too controversial to even touch certainly if you were active duty you would pay a price ms fulton said
there was the emotional toll of the abrupt severing of an intensely personal relationship but there was also the professional one her career tangled up with this man with whom she was once in love her advocates his allies mr petraeus had been helping her with her phd at kings college london on military and organizational innovation his unit was one of the case studies they were working on another book together this one focused on his leadership style called relentless
before the fallout the republican senators lindsey graham of south carolina and richard burr of north carolina had sat her down in mr burrs office to discuss a future congressional run she said suddenly overnight she became   in her word   radioactive a spokeswoman for senator burrs office confirmed that the meeting took place but said that he could not recall the precise nature of it
she has such confidence such presence in the way she carries herself and she commands this attention said rose keravuori a longtime friend and former west point classmate i think people expected her to go into politics or do something different and then this happened and just nobody helped her up it was hard to reconcile so many people being sort of gleeful in it
in march ms kelley the florida woman caught up in the petraeus soap opera self published a book in which she printed dozens of her email exchanges with the general as well as emails sent by ms broadwell it is called collateral damage and in it she describes her own struggle to restore a damaged reputation which led her and her husband to sue the government for invading their privacy the suit was dropped in march
the book landed ms kelley on good morning america as well as a flurry of media attention while ms broadwell was on a camping trip with her family in the mountains she had spotty cellphone service but drove back down to call her lawyers
a few days later she was still nervously checking the google alerts on her phone
you know petraeus when we were working together he would never read anything about himself she said seated in the lobby of a charlotte hotel sometimes i wonder am i doing myself mental harm by reading all of it
these days her coping mechanism is to stay busy she is on the board of multiple local leadership organizations and shes a member of an opera club she volunteers for a group that provides safe houses for human trafficking victims another that helps veterans rehabilitate she drops off her sons at the bus stop each day then goes for a morning run she continues to push for women in combat and is active in a group called west point women which planned the event at her alma mater
she is emotional when she speaks about the charlotte community that embraced her family but shes torn should she try to reclaim her past   her dream of becoming a national security adviser   or should she pursue something entirely different should she fight to restore her military status or simply move on
the truth is the military is not a place where you can rehabilitate she said theres a zero defects policy   thats military code so the whole redemption thing its not common
my husband says i just need to walk away she continued sue fulton says i needs to fight back my lawyers   i literally ask them what would you tell me to do if i were your daughter some days i think if i could just move on and it was never again in the news i probably would but i cant my fabric is to fight back
with a friend kyleanne hunter   a former marine attack helicopter pilot   she has founded a nonprofit think broader focused on combating gender bias in the news media perhaps unsurprisingly the sliver of bias that bothers her the most is mistress
she recently presented on the topic to a roomful of editors at the huffington post as well as to a team at yahoo and the united nations she is working with a professor at harvard to try to come up with a system for tracking biased language she said   from unnecessary words female fighter pilot to journalists primarily relying on male sources to the subtle ways language can affect the way an article is framed
she has also quietly reached out to female journalists she thought would be sympathetic asking them to stop using the word mistress christiane amanpour at cnn norah odonnell at cbs susan glasser at politico who advised her staff to refrain from using the word
you know that character on game of thrones tyrion she asked he says at one point something to the effect of youve got to own your weakness and then nobody can use it against you well im trying to figure out how to do that
ms broadwell was pleased to discover last month after conversations with the associated press that it had addressed mistress in an updated style guide advising friend companion or lover in its place or language that reflects that it takes two to tango said the aps standards editor thomas kent
after an article in the new york times about mr petraeuss plea deal used the word to refer to her last year ms broadwell was in touch with the public editor at the time who wrote a column about it advising that the times hasten the departure of the word it has appeared just several times in 2016
her hometown newspaper the charlotte observer said it would work to retire the term opting instead to call ms broadwell and mr petraeus lovers it takes two to have an affair said the newspapers editor rick thames
the campaign can feel a little like putting out brush fires ms broadwell said but for now its given her some sense of purpose
on the one hand i dont want to define myself by this she said but on the other hand ive been defined by this so if i can change things for the better because of it then why not
of course she added maybe some day i just need to take off the google alerts and live in oblivion


when danielle and jon murray of raleigh nc learned they were having their first child five years ago they were too embarrassed to tell their friends and family
to be honest we were not married at the time ms murray said and coming from christian families and with jon working at a church it was kind of a taboo thing
when she became pregnant with their second child the couple by then married hosted a gender reveal party with their third child they posted a photo on facebook
but when she got pregnant for a fourth time last year mr murray a videographer wrote a parody of the electronic hit shut up and dance by walk the moon and filmed a three and a half minute video
called were having one more baby the video shows the telegenic couple bouncing around their home with their daughters while ms murray waves the sonogram yes we know how it happens goes one line we just like having kids
to date the video has garnered nearly 18 million views
consider the modern couple who have just learned theyre having a baby how should they inform their friends and family write a note so 1950s place a call so 1970s send a mass email so 1990s
these days when couples want to let their loved ones know theyre having a child they often whip out their cellphones shoot a video and post it on social media couples are putting their babies names in lights even before their babies have names
pregnancy announcement videos have become so popular theyre becoming businesses all their own with youtube compilations pinterest pages and morning television segments
even celebrities are getting into the game alanis morissette michael buble and his wife luisana lopilato and ivanka trump all announced their latest pregnancies via video in may janet jackson revealed shes pregnant at age 49 in a video that same month a zoo in australia released a video to report that one of its elephants is having a calf
given this exploding form a little deconstruction may be helpful herewith a guide to five popular styles
by far the most common form of announcement videos involves startling unsuspecting future grandparents wannabe grannies it seems have a tendency to scream shout jiggle and whoop
daniel woods is a wedding videographer in johnstown ohio when his wife ciera got pregnant he asked unwitting family members to sit for an interview
i used various excuses mr woods said i told cieras parents it was an anniversary video i told my parents i needed to do a color correction
with the camera rolling mr woods stepped forward with his clapper and announced cieras pregnant take one he gave his in laws a sign that read grandparents starting in april 2016
the slow motion reactions of all 25 people and the couples dog which involved bulging eyes forehead slaps thumbs up and cheers all set to the tune of ive been waiting for this is like the steven spielberg of pregnancy announcement videos its impossible to watch without tearing up
mr woods said we wanted there to be something our kid could look at and say this is how everyone reacted
what says coming attraction more than a coming attraction video one couple filmed their pregnancy announcement as a tease for a thriller called the baby
judy and gavin holt made a trailer in the style of a horror movie
the plot based on a true story opens with a kissing couple in front of their home in california but soon poltergeists invade the cats starting freaking out and doors automatically open and close a voice over from ms holt intones i can feel it growing inside of me
after going viral on reddit the video has been viewed almost one million times the only pushback ms holts mother was upset that scaring her pregnant daughter would harm the unborn baby
parody music videos are popular for pregnancy announcements just as theyre popular with so much else on the web examples include knockoffs of miley cyrus bruno mars and taylor swift
mr murray who shoots videos for the assembly of god church where he works warned that while music videos are catchy they also present a particular challenge
i see all these parodies that just dont sound good he said in were having one more baby he and his wife recorded the lyrics on a studio mike then lip synced during the shoot
at that point it was just matching up the audio he said
christmas morning is a frequent setting for pregnancy unveilings one couple gave the future grandparents a giant box with pink and blue balloons as the soon to be grandma shrieked oh my god youre having a baby the camera rolled
caryn and bryan canatella of austin tex went even further mr canatella volunteered to scan his mother in laws old family photographs for christmas
the couple then gathered her extended family still dressed in holiday pajamas to screen the compilation unbeknown to all the video ended with a tease and then theres more followed by the audio of a heartbeat and a picture of ms canatellas sonogram
the video mr canatella shot of the familys reaction includes an inset of what they were watching on the screen part of the pleasure is observing as each family member figures out the message culminating with grandma who hastily pushes ms canatellas bewildered nephew off her lap and leaps into the air
the video has been viewed three quarters of a million times on youtube
not all pregnancy announcement videos focus on the happy moment of revelation the current vogue extends all the way to the moment of discovery an entire subspecies involves filming the pregnancy test   or at least the reading of the test
one couple matt and april fetch of los angeles chronicled their five year fertility struggle on youtube including a number of negative tests in one video ms fetch displays her sad texts to her husband then addresses the camera
her natural intercourse cycle has not worked she says holding the pregnancy test tube then she breaks down in tears i dont know why but all of a sudden out of nowhere im getting very emotional she says
almost two years later the couple posted another video it opens with ms fetch sitting in a parking lot describing her anxiety before going to the doctor for a blood test it ends with the couple nervously listening to a voice mail message at home a nurse reports their result is positive
for the next four minutes the couple weeps hugs and shares the moment with their 54000 viewers
so whats going on here why this sudden interest in pregnancy announcements
in many ways its not that complicated for as long as humans have shared stories those stories have focused on moments of beginnings and endings   births deaths marriages graduations
whats new is that we have the means of documentation in our pockets at all times and the means of distribution at our fingertips just as quickly the only innovation in pregnancy announcement videos is the video part
but what impact that has the most popular video i watched is also the shortest and simplest it is one shot and lasts one minute it also came with this description after 4 miscarriages and 1 stillborn birth we had given up on the idea of having babies of our own especially at our age
the shooter dana griffin graves is holding the camera while her husband arkell graves is preparing dinner theres something in the oven too she says
he opens the door to find a bag of buns and two images of a sonogram
he quickly pivots and stares at the camera hopeful youre pregnant youre pregnant youre pregnant
nineteen weeks almost five months its a boy
the man covers his face with his shirt and sobs like the baby he soon will have
when their son kaleb arkell graves was later born prematurely at 24 weeks the couple chronicled the experience on social media
what began as a private moment has become a community the graveses have a youtube channel a hashtag teamkaleb a gofundme account a facebook page with over 150000 likes and a video that has been viewed more than 10 million times
in the booming world of everyday cinema buns in the oven just may be the first blockbuster


each saturday farhad manjoo and mike isaac technology reporters at the new york times review the weeks news offering analysis and maybe a joke or two about the most important developments in the tech industry
mike ahoy farhad i cant wait for the holiday weekend when i plan to abscond from my life of doing absolutely nothing in the city to doing absolutely nothing in the country
farhad wait its a holiday i couldnt tell   i still have to chat with you which isnt much of a holiday oh snap
mike indeed onto the news
so amazon stopped honoring partial refunds on most items that drop in price after you buy them probably a reaction to the many start ups that track that sort of thing and alert users to when they can get a refund from amazon probably smart although i am bummed that i now have to buy toilet paper full price no matter what
volkswagen invested a bunch of money into gett a ride hailing app thats big in europe not to be outdone uber quickly put out a news release saying that it too had raised money from an automaker toyota   which is classic uber ruining someones victory lap
also alibaba said its accounting practices were under investigation by the securities and exchange commission which reminds me i should probably do my taxes
farhad you do know the deadline has passed right anyway speaking of huge federal court cases google won a long running dispute with oracle over the legality of the code in its android operating system parts of android use the open source language java which oracle owns
oracle claimed it was entitled to 9 billion in royalties from google the case was supercomplicated but many programmers worried that a win for oracle would cast a shadow over the legality of using open source code which is at the center of a lot of the technology that modern computing relies on a jury sided with google
do you understand any of this im guessing no the upshot for you is thanks to this win your phone wont get superexpensive and will probably still keep getting better and thats probably pretty much all you care about
mike farhad please i use an iphone
lets talk about the big news of the week or month in tech and media land thielgate
ill make this quick our colleague andrew ross sorkin spoke to nick denton founder of gawker media which was embroiled in a lawsuit with hulk hogan nee terry bollea after gawker published a tape of mr er hogan having sex with another mans wife on camera it finally got out that peter thiel a billionaire silicon valley figure of facebook and paypal fame was the one funding mr bolleas lawsuit   along with a few others who have not been disclosed   an apparent vendetta for what thiel considers nasty vindictive coverage from the outlet for more than a decade
the story is sort of unbelievable in and of itself but also hits a sweet spot within all the crazy things that editors love tech billionaires tech billionaires and of course media
farhad man what a crazy story and its been interesting to see the reaction to the whole situation online predictably everyone lined up with their tribes   people in the media seem overwhelmingly on gawkers side while tech people have been roundly supportive of thiel
the basic argument of those on the tech side was that gawker was singularly bad they said that gawker abused its journalistic platform it routinely invaded peoples private lives including outing their sexual orientation and in other ways made life very difficult for wealthy coastal techies
ive certainly not been a fan of everything gawker has done but im struck by the inability of techies to consider both the proportionality of this punishment and the chilling effects this case could induce on the media generally first to me it doesnt make sense that a small excerpt from a sex tape should result in a company ending decision and i dont see how techies could support that
mike i remember tech versus the fbi squaring off a few months ago the government said that the iphone they wanted to hack was a special one off case and that it wouldnt force apple to hack its own phones again in the future apple and techies said they feared the precedent it could set deja vu
farhad right its a strange twist and imagine if this same kind of punishment   the idea that a single post could lead to damages of 140 million   were applied to to the rest of the tech industry it would be ruinous to a business whose mantra is to move fast and break things for example the blood testing start up theranos just had to invalidate two years of blood tests because of alleged lab mismanagement the adult meetup site ashley madison protected its user database so poorly that its whole collection was leaked after a hack ruining many lives facebook google twitter snapchat and several other tech companies have been forced to sign 20 year legal agreements with the federal trade commission over their reckless privacy standards
all of these examples are potentially far more damaging to the world than a leaked sex tape but none of these companies were fined anywhere near hundreds of millions of dollars for their recklessness do tech venture capitalists really want to support a system in which moving fast and breaking things results in company ending lawsuits
mike heres the flip side of that argument ive had quite a few tech workers tell me via twitter that the reason anti slapp laws   or those that protect against frivolous lawsuits   exist is because of this very thing if the system is doing its job then the news organization has nothing to worry about and the frivolous will be sorted out while those cases with merit will soldier on
im not sure i quite believe that but its fair to say that gawker had its day in court   with a lot of caveats over jurisdiction and judge and jury gawker supporters would say   and that the company lost the case this should be a deterrent to bad journalism
thats a rosy view but again i dont quite buy it wholesale do i agree with every story gawker chooses to publish no do i think they do good journalism absolutely do i think people with money will use a tactic such as thiels for only its proper and intended purpose of eliminating the wrong in the world no way jose
farhad thats mr jose to you pal anyway sure gawker had its day in court and it lost and it is appealing but as the journalist felix salmon has argued if thiel like litigation financing becomes widespread it could place burdens on all publications even ones that arent as reckless as gawker was it essentially forces media companies to put more of their articles through legal review an idea that doesnt scale to the kind of freewheeling media that tech types are themselves financing   sites like buzzfeed vox business insider and vice
but i dont want to get too carried away with this because taking a cue from wired i should add here that i love peter thiel hes a gentleman and a scholar a first rate chap peter i have two children and a mortgage please dont sue me
mike you could always pawn some of your gadgetry to post bail until next week


daveed diggs is still getting to know the city when the 34 year old rapper and actor who grew up in oakland calif moved here about two and a half years ago for a little show called hamilton he probably figured there would be plenty of time for exploring he was wrong over the past month however thanks to a temporary change in the musicals schedule he has finally been able to enjoy the citys sunday brunch scene mr diggs a tony award nominee for his portrayal of the marquis de lafayette and thomas jefferson lives in washington heights with his girlfriend the actress jalene goodwin and their dog soccer a westie with some other thing mixed into it
morning after i wake up 11 ish hopefully before noon it depends on the night before i go out on saturday nights dinner drinks and if im feeling young dancing i make the energy to go out you cant let the broadway schedule run you
track work in the last couple of weeks me and my brother malcolm have started doing really slow versions of sprint workouts on this beautiful track across from yankee stadium i jog down there and i meet him and we do the old dude on the track sprints soccer gets walked probably before i go
brunchy time since we have sundays off for a limited amount of time ive been all about brunch this is like a really brunchy city so i try a new place every week i went to a place on the upper west side i had a great french toast and oysters it was like nautical themed i went with a friend from the show
movie magic on the best sunny days i try to stay out as much as i can go see a movie or play i just saw purple rain at the amc in midtown i cried the whole time i went with my mom and my brother and my girlfriend me and my mom had been trading prince stories all week she was a dj in the late 70s early 80s and she remembers getting his first album in the mail my favorite prince album is sign o the times
vinyl baby ill visit a record store i basically inherited my moms records and my dads records too and then i just kept adding to the collection i partly buy vinyl more now because theres a need for a collector to have something streaming is not satisfying i feel like i didnt do anything other than supporting the artist i have all of kendrick lamar on vinyl
surround sound i make music i have a decent setup i took out all of the clothes from one of the closets and put a microphone in there and put some soundproofing on the walls its literally a regular closet not a walk in i have the control room set up in the living room and i wired everything through the wall theres a microphone and a monitor i close the door start the track and just rap if im really in the zone ill put the headphones on and ill keep working until i fall asleep music is one of those things where itll take as much time as you give it
muse i still write about oakland ive been thinking about that place a lot particularly because its changing so fast the gentrification there is just like on a whole new level both my parents got priced out they live in richmond now it feels personal to me
keep it local jalene will cook something or well order she cooks a lot of trinidadian food stewed chicken well get stuff at c town down the street or once a week well go to trader joes at 72nd
always writing im on the couch with sportscenter or music on and when i have thoughts i write them down in google docs on my phone i used to work in notebooks exclusively but i lost so many of them i dont think that quickly theres no reason for somebody whos good at writing rap to be good at freestyling theyre different parts of your brain you can develop both skills im a much better writer
british bedtime ritual i love detective shows ive seen every episode of agatha christies poirot i never go to sleep before 3 right before falling asleep i like to watch this old british court show rumpole of the bailey i find it comforting


brother white
the young man taking orders behind the counter at royal rib house greeted john white who was next in line for ribs with a smile mr white gave a wave behind him was a long queue snaking out of the store and down a sleepy block in bedford stuyvesant brooklyn on a warm spring evening judging from the handshakes and hugs given out many customers were regulars catching up with friends they see once or twice a week as they picked up their rotisserie style barbecue and soul food from royal rib house but often enough there were also those returning to the neighborhood from other parts of brooklyn or farther afield what united them was a deep love of fall off the bone ribs
once inside the small waiting room those in line became serious customers waited to place their order with one of the young men working behind the gate a vestige of a time when running a restaurant in the neighborhood was a riskier proposition jason barnett was busy packing orders and chopping meat with a loud thwack pausing only to share a quick word with a customer who asked to pass along a hello to mr barnetts mother carole grier who does most of the cooking
it was ms griers father calvin grier who opened royal rib house more than 40 years ago and everyone who works in the takeout is a relative or a neighbor   mr barnett with the cleaver is his grandson and jonathan mears who has been taking orders for five years is a family friend
when mr grier moved to new york city from the carolinas with his young wife in the early 1960s his daughter said he worked as a taxi driver on most shifts he would scope out locations for the restaurant he dreamed of opening after a few brief attempts to break into the restaurant business he found the storefront at 303 halsey street and opened a takeout restaurant offering southern classics and specializing in the slow baked ribs the place is known for
mr white 73 has been coming to royal rib house for as long as it has been in business having spent his entire life in bedford stuyvesant as he waited for his order to be packed he declared royal rib house a cornerstone of the neighborhood and added besides the courtesy i receive every time i come im here because the food is excellent he received his bulging bag from across the counter and went on his way
next was jezra kaye 64 who used to live in the neighborhood lots of what was great about brooklyn when i moved here in 1981 is gone she said but just walking in this place is a comfort she said she makes the trip from her home across brooklyn every few weeks
with just a few straight backed chairs inside the small brick walled waiting area royal rib house is only a temporary hangout people come from near and far for the nostalgia said s emmanuel a street vendor who sells his wares nearby he said he had watched many local stores and restaurants come and go during his lifetime and he listed a few of the places that had recently changed a family run hardware store a block away yielding to luxury apartments an adjacent pet supply store that used to be a restaurant owned by a relative of mr whites
but when people come back to see the neighborhood he said royal ribs is still here


at noon on tuesday a flock of sparrows gathered as usual outside jans hobby shop on lexington avenue near 93rd street   waiting for their usual midday meal from madame inside
they finally sent a representative in off the sunny sidewalk a little brown bird that hopped gamely into the store and looked at collette hutchins 83
ah my friends want food tout de suite blurted ms hutchins who with her son fred has run the shop for 43 years at three different locations on the upper east side
the throwback shop stocks plastic kit models the related supplies and little else it also serves as a display space for the trove of models meticulously assembled and decorated with historical precision by mr hutchins the obligatory hobby geek ever at his cluttered work space in the rear
ms hutchinss childhood in wartime france helped foster her sons fascination with world war ii model planes and other historical weaponry
he pores over the latest battleship or fighter plane made from scratch as classical music fills the shop and his mother looks on proudly and extols her son in her strong french accent
here we show art and history ms hutchins said freddie started building models when he was 5 years old and he hasnt stopped since now hes 58
in warm weather mr hutchins may work on the sidewalk on one of the numerous large replica battleships he has built from scratch
from behind the crowded counter under a large model plane hanging from the tin ceiling ms hutchins calls customers feeds her sparrows and phones her twin sister ginette bedard who lives in howard beach queens and still runs in the new york city marathon each year ms hutchins is often irreverent sometimes irritable and indelicately vigilant about shoplifting
ms hutchins runs for 90 minutes around her block each morning she said nearby on york avenue then she opens the shop in her running suit and sneakers her hair in a tall bun and her eyes accented with generous strokes of green blue eye shadow
im an artist   i love color said ms hutchins a painter who bought the business for her son when he was a teenager
as a boy freddie avoided the local bullies by staying inside and building the models he bought at jans stationery shop on york avenue he said when his father became terminally ill ms hutchins began cooking at a french restaurant her son helped her cook but soon convinced her to buy jans for 12000 in 1973 she paid cash
it was my incentive and her money he recalled it was a pact made in heaven and shes been here ever since
and i got myself a job for life ms hutchins said
when she was a little girl ms hutchins said she noticed her jewish friends and neighbors disappearing fleeing the nazis rise to power and control of the lorraine region where she lived
in our school the germans put a picture of adolf hitler over the teachers desk and made us stand and say heil hitler ms hutchins recalled then in 1945   same school same teacher   they took hitler off the wall and put up a picture of charles de gaulle and we stood up and said vive de gaulle
ms hutchins said some of her relatives who opposed the nazis were put into prison camps and her two teenage brothers were pressed into military service for germany but then they deserted
one hid out in the family hayloft during the remaining months of the war in uniform and a thick beard said ms hutchins who became curious about why the barn was suddenly off limits and why her mother constantly took food there
i said to myself hm rabbits dont eat meat she recalled one day i saw a man in there with a beard and i ran and told my mother theres a german soldier in the barn she wanted to laugh
she recalled that when american troops reclaimed her region for france they loved the local schnapps made from mirabelle plums
they told the children well give you chocolate for schnapps and they gave us two little hershey bars she said ms hutchins then pointed at her sons displayed aircraft models of british lancaster bombers and the german v 1 missiles   and said she saw the real versions soaring over her farmhouse
i saw this tank for real she said grabbing a model for the tiger 1 a german tank in a box
in the 1950s in lorraine she met her husband a former united states marine who had fought in the pacific they moved to casablanca in morocco and then settled in new york city
the shops long hours   open seven days a week and closed only on thanksgiving and christmas   will continue as long as she is alive she said
to retire is to expire she said im going to die with my boots on


humans may be quick to judge but only one horseshoe crab can ultimately gauge the loveliness of another when these crabs appear on a beach   suddenly and in large numbers   they can seem fearsome and even malevolent and thats before you glimpse beneath their intimidating pointy tailed carapace at a mouth set in the center of 12 madly churning legs beauty in this case is in the compound eyes of the beholder horseshoe crabs each have a total of 10 eyes through which they obviously find one another appealing these trilobite relatives have been attracting mates successfully for well over 400 million years
in and around new york city the crab limulus polyphemus returns to shallow bays in spring after a winter spent in deeper water at the full and new moons of may and june females migrate toward shorelines and release powerful pheromones as each makes her way to shore dozens of males jockey for position but only one latches directly onto her back using specifically modified front claws that efficiently hook onto the rear half of the shell these claws which resemble boxing gloves are a surefire identifier of a crabs sex size is another adult males are far smaller than females
though only one male is on the females back a half dozen or more in thrall to her pheromones swarm nearby as the female and her mate partially bury themselves in the sand to lay eggs other males surround them in hopes that their sperm might also fertilize some of the eggs
following the extreme high tides allows the crabs to lay eggs where aquatic predators will not go the damp sand covered by water only once or twice a month still some eggs wash out of nests becoming valuable forage for an array of animals and the basis of a critical and far reaching food chain teeming masses of shorebirds fuel their northward migration along the atlantic flyway by feeding on crab eggs timing is critical as is the abundance of eggs a poor year for crab reproduction can mean a poor year for birds in places thousands of miles to the north with unfortunate ecological implications it is possible that climate change has already begun to disrupt this delicate system overharvesting may also be playing a role in declining crab numbers
while an adult female may lay up to 80000 eggs in a season few of the resulting hatchlings will live to adulthood horseshoe crabs rely on sheer numbers for success the huge quantity of eggs produced in a condensed few weeks satiates shorebirds like red knots ruddy turnstones and sanderlings and fish from mummichogs to flounder yet still allows a good many eggs to survive to become the next generation
there are many local shorelines worth visiting at this time of year to observe both crabs and the shorebirds drawn by their presence great kills park on staten island and pelham bay in the bronx have large mud flats as does the marine park nature center in brooklyn all three attract many crabs one particularly compelling place to see horseshoe crabs in new york city is plumb beach a very accessible spot off the eastbound belt parkway in brooklyn crabs can easily be observed here throughout the next few weeks


even most new yorkers have forgotten that congress passed the bill of rights in new york according to the curious case of kiryas joel the rise of a village theocracy and the battle to defend the separation of church and state chicago review press 2799 new york state is also where the establishment clause of the first amendments freedom of religion protections was cynically abridged exactly two centuries later
written by louis grumet with john caher the book recounts the political and constitutional maneuvering behind a state law passed in 1989 empowering the satmar hasidic enclave in orange county to establish its own public school system
the insular muscularly politically incorrect satmars in the village of kiryas joel wanted as the authors write to have their cake and eat it too   that is to segregate the village from secular society while wringing every public service it might be entitled to from government
that presented a predicament how to pay for the education of students with special needs who were ostracized because of their religious reclusiveness when they were assigned to classes in the secular school district
the state constitution bars direct aid to parochial schools the first amendment to the united states constitution prohibits government from passing any legislation that establishes a religion or prefers one to another
the authors recount how democrats in brooklyn where the satmar sect is based george e pataki then a republican assemblyman in the hudson valley who was wooing the hasidim who vote as a bloc and gov mario m cuomo worked to establish the first governmental unit in american history that was created solely to serve the needs and interests of only one religious group   certain that the courts would overturn their largess
as sure as im sitting here said mel miller then the assembly speaker i thought it was going to be vetoed and if not vetoed then knocked out by the courts sometimes you make these political calculations   its just politics
mr cuomo rationalized its just a school for 13 poor retarded immigrant children the authors quote him as saying whos going to sue he added mr grumet executive director of the new york state school board association did
eventually the united states supreme court voided the district on its fourth appeal the legislature finally found a solution that seemed to pass constitutional muster
while the authors provide fascinating insights into raw politics and constitutional law they do so largely through a single lens imagine how much more revealing the book would have been had mr grumet and george shebitz counsel for the kiryas joel school district been able to collaborate
in a word is there a brooklyn style brooklyn interiors rizzoli international 45 by kathleen hackett suggests it might be renegade she opens the boroughs front doors to reveal a vital diversity the single common thread she writes is a refusal   to follow the herd to adopt trends to strive for the neighbors sofa


the transat bakerly is a one person sailboat race from plymouth england to new york city   3000 plus nautical miles across an often unforgiving sea which is to say its a piece of cake for the first week then comes the second youre one week alone youre tired and now beginning the hard conditions said thibaut vauchel camus 37 who competed in the race this year for the first time leaving plymouth at 230 pm on may 2 on what would be a 17 day 12 hour and 42 minute sprint to victory in his class his 40 foot long boat the solidaires en peloton arsep was built more for speed than for comfort
by the second week its cold and wet with strong winds and crossing waves mr vauchel camus said speaking from his home near mont saint michel in france youre getting damage to your sail your rudder your electronics and you need to find solutions to fix it under bad conditions youre fighting with the weather fighting with the boat fighting to fix it in the second week i lost all my instruments
he learned to sleep in intervals of about 20 minutes and   this being 2016   to use his satellite internet connection to upload selfies and videos of his exertions finally after two and a half weeks the new york skyline came into view he knew he was the first to reach the finish line it was something like liberation he said the ocean is finished the problem is finished i arrived by night it was a special thing to see all the new york lights its not the same thing as when you arrive by day you have a mystery you know it is new york but you dont see it well its a good feeling his nearest competitor was 66 miles behind him now i go for a short sleep in my bed he said not long after returning home on tuesday and tonight ill take a glass of wine with friends


by 1973 the italianate painting studio that thomas cole had designed for himself in catskill was in decrepit condition his heirs sold it and the new owners demolished it the building was constructed in 1846 as part of a family enclave called cedar grove a property that included the artists still standing federal style home as well as an adjacent storage barn that housed his former studio
this year the thomas cole national historic site celebrates the construction of coles new studio a replica built upon the footprint of the original building and according to the artists architectural plan the spaces inaugural exhibition thomas cole the artist as architect through oct 30 is a pleasant surprise
those familiar with cole an english emigre who is considered to be a founder of the hudson river school americas first indigenous art movement know of his passion for capturing the identity of the newborn nation in his paintings but his ambition to influence its architectural character the subject of this exhibit is less known in this gem of a show the curator and catalog author annette blaugrund provides an architectural perspective to coles story that is particularly fitting for the new studios debut
two drawings of coles original studio   one by frederic edwin church 1848 another by jasper francis cropsey 1850   illustrate both coles architectural talents and the restoration teams meticulous attention to his specifications an entrance portico stately floor to ceiling paned windows a low hip roof and decorative bargeboard with acorn shaped finials mindful that the interior would function as a gallery not a work space restorers painted the walls an iron ore red and added moldings to tame the buildings sweeping 18 foot ceilings these touches lend an intimacy to the expansive light drenched space making it more inviting to art viewers
thomas cole born in 1801 immigrated to the united states from lancashire at age 17 a textile print designer wood engraver and mostly self taught painter he was by 1825 a rising star in new york city known for composing expansive vistas of untrammeled wilderness paintings like sunrise in the catskills 1826 with its details of blasted trees craggy rocks and dark mountains swathed in luminous light were based on sketches he made during his sojourns to the hudson river valley
inspired by cole two generations of artists   albert bierstadt and sanford robinson gifford among them   set their sights beyond the hudson and crossed the continent to document the new nations natural wonders and the hudson river school was born the movement vividly resonated with coles contemporaries the transcendentalist writers william cullen bryant and ralph waldo emerson
cole indicates an early architectural interest in view of monte video the seat of daniel wadsworth esq 1828 which portrays wadsworths estate set within an expansive wooded scene but his focus on architecture sharpened following several trips to europe a view near tivoli 1832 details the crumbling remains of the emperor neros roman aqueduct a symbol of past glorious empires and the decadence that felled them
for view of florence from san miniato 1837 cole shifted his eye from close up to a panorama of the italian city capturing the eclectic architectural forms   domes spires arches and steeple   that cole was already using in works like the course of empire consummation circa 1835 36
the architects dream 1840 composed like an operatic stage set epitomizes coles architectonic imagination billowing tieback curtains unfurl to reveal a figure   presumably cole   reclining on a pedestal architectural plans in hand books piled high he gazes toward a surreal cityscape an architectural hodgepodge of egyptian new kingdom structures greek temples and a gothic cathedral its an over the top fantasy to be sure but one that conveys the breadth of coles architectural knowledge as well as his ambition to construct a defining aesthetic for a new republic given a fresh start might the united states reinvent the grandeur of lost empires and get civilization right if nothing else cole hoped to raise the level of american taste
cole also sought to become an architect for hire listing himself as such in new york city directories from 1834 to 1836 in 1838 he entered a competition and won a prize for his design for the ohio statehouse the building completed in 1861 with many intervening revisions drew significantly from coles original plans which included a long horizontal doric colonnaded structure flanked by recessed windows and capped by a unique drum wearing a low saucer dome
also on view are coles designs for the washington monument plans for the gothic revival style st lukes episcopal church in catskill built in 1841 and later torn down and studies for a villa he hoped to build as a new family home but cole died in 1848 at age 47
one wonders had cole lived longer how much farther from the hudson river school his vision might have roamed


food trends seem to come in waves that bring in the new modify the old and sweep away the unviable you might still be enjoying the ramen craze or those ice creams flavored with herbs and vegetables and then the food halls roll in
in new york city food halls have been opening faster than nail salons and each with its own personality
westchester county has finally claimed its first exit 4 food hall in mount kisco and more are anticipated at the westchester in white plains the malls food court is being revamped with a promise of soignee atmosphere and food to please discriminating palates as for the casual exit 4 which has been open since february cuisine is being offered that is fresh and innovative in a space that ranks well above mall food courts experienced cooks and chefs with strong points of view helped plan exit 4s nine stations and much of what is offered here happens to be good for you   and for the planet
isi albanese a co owner with jeff friedlaender is ecologically aware the reusable glassware is handsome the cutlery is metal not plastic and the big cloth napkins mean less paper goes into landfills at the bar beers are on tap eliminating as much bottle and can disposal as possible tables floors and wall design use reclaimed wood
visitors will find detailed menus posted at each station next to bins and trays heaped with enticing ingredients but they might find ordering a little bewildering amid all the hustle and buzz
a look at the menus online beforehand may be helpful service is semicafeteria style submit a credit card with your first order and any subsequent orders will be added to the tab at the end check out at any register if an item is ready you can take it to a table if it needs preparation you will be given a number when its ready it will be brought over
navigating the hall is easy communal high tables stand in the center of a semicircle of food stations anchored at one end by x4 on tap a popular wine beer and coffee bar that offers an interesting selection of craft beers that can be tasted in flights there are happy hour specials from 3 to 6 pm mondays through thursdays
a bar menu offers small plates like sliders wings and dumplings the adjoining charcuterie 153 can put together salumi for you as well   a plate of thin sliced cheeses and meats like mortadella prosciutto and various salamis all perfect with a glass of red wine or beer
next is myong feiners dirty roots with a menu of her famous salads try the x4 cobb which includes avocado chickpeas chicken and a quail egg or the chopped baked salmon with kale quinoa and sesame
have them alone or with a dirty roots sandwich a grilled vegetable panini with balsamic pesto perhaps or an ahi tuna banh mi or a chicken club
the scent of pizza is hard to resist so follow it to the back of the room where fuoco fires its fragrant combinations from a plain but perfect margherita to a delicious fig with caramelized onions to a mushroom with truffle oil or you can build your own next door at piacci fresh pastas and sauces are the specialty about a half dozen are offered every day we have the lemon herb spaghetti and fettuccine bolognese earmarked to try on a future visit unless we succumb to the lumache ala vodka instead
at rotiss a q our pulled pork taco with lots of fresh slaw hit all the right notes crunchy tender and savory this station roasts chicken and racks of ribs and matches these with lots of sides like cornbread and even mac and cheese eat dinner here or take it home
a seafood section ends the semicircle at inno sushi by james customers can order sushi or sashimi of their choice or take packages of the ready made rolls plain and fancy back to the office desk or home dinner table
the final anchor appropriately is mount kisco seafoods rawsome seafood bar a bed of ice holds luscious seasonal oysters and coppery clams all shucked to order pretty platters can be assembled to a customers liking and might include other items like shrimp crab claws in season and lobster
exit 4 is lively and fun and   though the desire to sample all the offerings at one sitting is hard to resist   it is perhaps best enjoyed in smaller bites reservations are not taken and waiting at peak meal hours may be hard for those with small children but turnover is usually swift the communal tables there are some low ones in back discourage lingering those avoiding peak times will enjoy a less hectic atmosphere
finally the name itself might be a bit of a puzzle for those coming to mount kisco via the saw mill river parkway less than a mile to the west exit 4 actually refers to the exit on interstate 684 about two miles to the east


decades before ted talks so called massive open online courses and youtube videos made top educators accessible to the masses the great courses built a loyal audience of lifelong learners by making the worlds greatest professors available to anyone with a vcr or cassette player
larry weinberg 72 typifies the great courses core customer a voracious learner he got hooked on the great courses video and audio classes shortly after he retired from boeing a decade ago his personal library now includes more than 200 courses as varied as understanding multivariable calculus and yoga for a healthy mind and body all carefully cataloged on bookshelves and computer hard drives
i havent watched all of them yet said mr weinberg who has a phd in math and a law degree they are kind of like books i have lots of books but that doesnt stop me from buying new ones
when so much educational material is available online much of it free courses like these are something of a throwback nevertheless for the last 25 years the format has gained the company a loyal customer base made up primarily of older professionals and retirees customers pay from 35 to more than 500 for audio and video courses that offer the intellectual stimulation of college without the worries of finishing assignments or taking final exams
now the great courses program hopes to broaden its demographics with an all you can learn streaming service great courses plus which it introduced late last year with the streaming option customers are not limited to a single course for 1999 a month or about 180 for an annual subscription they have unlimited online access to more than 280 of the most recent and popular courses from the companys library of roughly 600 courses on topics including astrophysics and wine tasting
im a big believer that we are the netflix of learning said paul suijk chief executive of the teaching company of chantilly va which owns the great courses and has 150 million a year in revenue looking at netflix and where they are going i think there are many similarities
for years great courses was just about the only game in town its advertisements have long been familiar to anyone who reads the new york times book review or the new yorker but now it faces competition from massive open online courses or moocs offered by colleges and even from outlets like youtube
coursera for example offers courses from more than 140 universities and organizations around the world with topics as varied as grammar and punctuation and tibetan meditation students can take classes free or pay for a more complete experience with assessments and interaction with professors
about 25 percent to 30 percent of coursera users are purely enrichment learners and the demographics of the great courses said daphne koller president and co founder of coursera the average age of a coursera student is 33 versus 45 plus for the typical great courses customer
i think theres an appetite for a broad range of learning experiences said jonathan haber an educational researcher who tried to learn the equivalent of a four year liberal arts degree in one year using only moocs and other forms of free education including great courses he wrote about his project on his blog and in the book moocs published by the mit press
if you are interested in community and interaction moocs may be your best option mr haber said if you are interested in lectures the great courses are probably your best option
the great courses do not offer the same opportunity as moocs to interact with professors instead writers and producers try to predict as much of that exchange as possible by addressing common questions in the lecture said marcy mcdonald who was senior director of content for the great courses and is now a freelance course producer
the production quality and depth of great courses material is still a cut above most of what is available free people go to youtube looking for an answer to a question said ron davis a chemistry professor at georgetown university who has a youtube channel and recently finished his second great courses series on chemistry the great courses is about immersing yourself
while the plots do not have the same twists and turns as those of house of cards or breaking bad the courses do attract binge learners who power through dozens of 30 minute lectures on a weekend data on plus subscribers show that many are sampling a wide range of courses that suit their moods or circumstances whether it is a high school student needing to catch up on organic chemistry or a foodie interested in the finer points of french cuisine
the inspiration for the great courses came after its founder tom rollins skipped his evidence class on federal rules during his second year in law school at harvard in a panic before the final exam he found a series of video lectures taught by prof irving younger of cornell university
i was prepared for the worst weekend of my life mr rollins said instead he was captivated got an a on the exam and after serving as chief of staff to senator edward m kennedys labor committee built a business based on that experience it made me realize that we dramatically undervalue the power of great teachers he said
mr rollins filmed the first courses   which covered psychology political theory and shakespeare   at georgetown university but quickly realized that taking crews and equipment on location added cost and complexity in 1992 he brought production in house to the original headquarters in springfield va shooting with two cameras and the same backdrop
a turning point came in 1996 when mr rollins shifted gears from thinking solely about content to creating a successful business he pored over harvard business school case studies sought outside expertise and created a 120 page playbook for doing business and building customer loyalty through direct marketing and abundant print advertising he built a loyal audience of repeat customers
despite the successes mr rollins started looking for a buyer around 2000 when many of his early investors were ready to leave he ultimately struck a deal with brentwood associates a private equity firm based in los angeles
in 2006 brentwood invested 50 million a majority stake in the teaching company with the goal of improving production quality and expanding the companys reach when streaming video took off it made the business model that much more appealing we bought a fantastic dvd company which sold dvds via direct marketing said bill barnum who helped found brentwoods private equity group and then there was an incredible revolution on the device side and with new online distribution channels
under brentwood the company has more than tripled the circulation of its course catalogs to about 70 million in 2013 it added indirect distribution channels including audiblecom amazon instant video comcast video on demand and even netflix
in addition the company has forged partnerships with the culinary institute of america the smithsonian institution and the mayo clinic among others to produce videos these partnerships offer access to experts locations and resources and expand the marketing reach the fundamentals of photography which is produced with national geographic is the best selling course in the history of the company
most videos are still produced in one of the companys two studios one with a permanent set and one that changes with the topic one week it resembles the site of an archaeological dig and the next it is a physiology lab increasingly postproduction animation is part of the equation though it is still a far cry from hollywood most courses are easily converted into audio only products which account for roughly 20 percent of the companys revenue
new customers might be drawn to a single topic but the companys direct marketing aims to turn them into repeat customers roughly a third of first time buyers buy more courses according to the company
great courses producers typically generate ideas for new courses but those ideas are tested using customer surveys if a topic gets the green light internal talent scouts search for the expert best suited to write the course and present it on camera you could be einstein but if youre not engaging youre not going to cut it said mr suijk the chief executive were trying to find the professors who are truly special


on a recent sunny afternoon a 6 year old boy picked his way through a scrap heap on governors island
it contained old doors shredded lawn chairs a decrepit exercise bike and a bundle of metal crutches at the center were a pile of tires and a few dozen planks balanced precariously against a spiral column like pickup sticks
as the boy zayne cowie climbed up the pile of tires he passed an old car seat a painted canvas when he reached the highest tire he ducked between two planks and kept going as his mother watched in silence he pulled himself onto the top of the column he crouched and waved then he shouted
how am i going to get down
this was not just any scrap heap awaiting a garbage truck or a bonfire but the raw materials for playground an adventure playground opening this weekend on a long strip of lawn behind building 12 a stately brick structure that once served as officers quarters for the army
unlike conventional playgrounds adventure playgrounds which date to the 1940s require only scavenged junk some adults to look on and a fence   as much to keep parents out as to keep materials in the children do the rest
the plan is to allow children to strew the stuff across 15000 square feet this summer building little worlds   and destroying them   at will
children will get to use more than their imaginations they will get nails hammers screwdrivers hand drills saws and clamps
for children at least the element of danger is part of the draw
theres a difference between risk and hazard said eve mosher zaynes mother and one of eight organizers behind playground despite how dangerous the site may appear organizers are careful to remove potential hazards   sharp edges rusty nails splintered wood
there will also be supervision trained playworkers will act as lifeguards of a sort watching closely but stepping in only when necessary or when asked there will be one such worker for every 10 children
playground for children 6 and older will be open weekends until ferry service to the island ends in late september it will also include a separate family play area for children 3 and up with pots pans and milk crates and the opportunity to dig in the mud parents must sign a waiver for children to enter
during the week it will become a summer camp which will help cover operating costs for the season estimated at roughly 50000 most of that will go toward staffing organizers said theyre still hiring
the idea for playground emerged two years ago when ms mosher an artist was chatting with an old friend alexander khost an educator and web developer at a birthday party for one of mr khosts sons they discovered that they shared an unusual dream to build an adventure playground in the city
before long they were joined by like minded collaborators including an acrobat at the muse a circus school in the bushwick neighborhood of brooklyn my rule is ms mosher said if youre ever going to do a project you have to have a circus strongman
the first of the adventure playgrounds appeared in denmark during world war ii they sprouted up next in england where children had started playing on bomb sites
in the united states the spaces proliferated later several playgrounds built in the 1960s in manhattan including popular spaces in central park incorporated adventure play ideas
but the citys true adventure playgrounds for the public appeared in the early 1970s when mayor john v lindsay offered a few vacant lots for experimentation according to reilly wilson who is pursuing her doctorate in environmental psychology at the city university of new york and serves as the chairwoman of playgrounds board they didnt last long
why an adventure playground now from the moment they wake up to the moment they go to sleep mr khost said kids arent given a space or a time to choose how theyre going to use it without an adult coming and telling them that isnt safe or youre wasting your time
weve lost touch with the value of being able to wander and roam and the freedom to create to tinker to fail he added
the results can be surprising at the groups pop up event on governors island last summer which was effectively the trial run for the playground several children were building a structure they said it was a wastewater treatment plant ms wilson said they had very specific ideas about how it was going to interact with other houses people were building she added
before governors island the group offered several pop ups including in fort greene park in prospect park and at the brooklyn childrens museum they rented a truck and gathered materials from the curb at night
the pop ups were a hit
at the museum courtney rattenbury an assistant principal at a public school watched as her 7 year old son charlie made an x wing starfighter from cardboard and duct tape he made it completely by himself and played in it for three hours she said
roger a hart an expert in childrens play and a professor of environmental psychology at the city university of new york graduate center said that the current enthusiasm for adventure play in new york may reflect a nagging doubt about childrens overscheduled lives there has been a loss of child initiated activity he said
as it turns out children take to these spaces naturally its the parents who need to be trained at first it can be hard to step back ms rattenbury said theyll rope it off and say parents stay behind the tape
if we want our kids to be curious motivated resilient brave morgan leichter saxby the summer camps director said we need to give them opportunities to do that
on adventure playgrounds children learn to assess risk on their own added ms leichter saxby who trains playworkers around the world through her nonprofit pop up adventure play and she noted according to one recent study an adventure playground in houston had a lower injury rate than a nearby traditional playground
theyre places where children are totally focused she said
the governors island iteration will be less elaborate than many adventure playgrounds   no trees or tall structures no playing with fire but even the organizers admit to feeling a little trepidation especially when it comes to letting their own children experiment with tools and scrap
the best thing for me is to step back and look away mr khost said


robert kirkman the man behind amcs the walking dead   tvs highest rated drama among 18  to 49 year olds   and its successful spinoff fear the walking dead has a new comic book based horror show outcast coming to tv how will it be different heres mr kirkmans take
walking dead is a survival show first and foremost he said by phone from los angeles recently outcast is an exorcism show
pretty simple
ok theres more
theres a different kind of struggle going on beneath the surface he said of the show which is focused on kyle barnes a damaged young man with a family history of demonic possession and his wary ally a hard living evangelist known as reverend anderson its a struggle that some people can see and some people just cant see i think that makes it more terrifying
fans will judge probably with a ruthlessness reminiscent of the zombie apocalypse survivors of the walking dead whether outcast whose 10 episode first season begins friday june 3 on cinemax is indeed more terrifying the exorcism subgenre and its trappings   priests screaming at levitating victims crazy devil voices the vomiting of evil colored substances   havent much changed since the exorcist in 1973 a tv remake of which naturally will be on fox this fall
the immediate popularity of the walking dead which was a comic book years before it became a series gave outcast a very different route to television mr kirkman conceived of the outcast comic which he would eventually collaborate on with the artist paul azaceta during the first season of the walking dead and mentioned it to an executive who handled international rights for that show calls were made the next day people started getting interested and by accident we sold a tv show the outcast comic and show were then developed simultaneously
for the show the storys setting the fictional town of rome wva was built on sound stages and shot on locations in and around chester sc pop 5500 during a break in filming there last fall patrick fugit still best known for playing a naive young journalist in almost famous 2000 talked about portraying kyle a hero whos angry defensive and paranoid
theres something about playing southern men where they have a very quiet expression he said they emote and express quite a lot and they also try not to its like a battle within them how much theyre letting crack through the surface i saw an opportunity for kyle to be very bright inside but sort of shrouded by darkness wanting to break through that but also trying to contain it for everybodys safety
mr kirkman said kyle would become a very different character as the show progressed cinemax has already commissioned a second season and that mr fugit was cast with those changes in mind
kyle barnes is somebody who starts out not very engaging and very distant he said hes hiding away from the world because he feels like this phenomenon of demonic possession that he keeps encountering is caused by him we needed an actor who could play that insular role could kind of live inside himself in an interesting way but who could also come out of that shell over time and play the character that kyle barnes is eventually going to become i think the evolution of kyle is going to be much more dramatic and startling than anything weve seen in the walking dead
one challenge to kyles likability as a character is a startling scene in the first episode which has been available since may 20 online in which he hits a child albeit one possessed of demonic strength and fully capable of hitting back its another reminder of the exorcist in which the 12 year old victim is struck and choked by a priest philip glenister the british actor and star of life on mars who plays reverend anderson laughed as he recalled telling the crew that he would have to wear a disguise once the scene was made public
no children were harmed in the making of this scene he said during lunch in a community hall in chester adults were but no children an adult female stunt double actually took mr fugits stage punch
its very technical and for actors its really boring mr glenister said you spend most of your time setting stuff up and then youre told react to this joshua will be levitating but hes not levitating today because hes in school so just pretend hes levitating people go oh that poor child i can assure you he didnt do anything
for mr kirkman working on the different versions of the story at the same time came naturally and even had one advantage when he wrote the walking dead comic book he would have ideas for scenes that didnt fit the comics format but by the time he was writing the tv show nearly a decade later he had forgotten them with outcast im able to go oh its really great if i can expand this scene by eight pages and do this too but i dont have room so i guess we can just put that in the show
the walking dead with its millions of demographically desirable viewers casts a formidable shadow but mr kirkman is confident that the new show will have its own impact
i think that outcast does this thing where youre relaxed and youre watching these people and theyre living their lives and then they go into this room and theres this boy thats levitating and its insane and its intense and its terrifying he said and then they step outside for a break and theyre in this picturesque west virginia landscape that looks like its a painting and its bright and its sunshine and everythings perfect just right next door is hell on earth but youd never know it if you didnt go into that room


when maya rudolph and martin short shared the stage last year at the saturday night live 40th anniversary special audiences thought they were simply paying tribute to their mutual history on that nbc series so did they
but as these two comedians later learned   and nbc decided somewhat after the fact   they were also testing the waters for their own prime time variety series maya  marty debuts on tuesday may 31 and promises a frothy mix of sketches celebrity guests music and other performances
what shape that will take exactly was still being figured out on a recent visit to their offices at nbcs 30 rockefeller plaza headquarters it is sure to draw upon their years of experience not only at snl but also for mr short 66 on sctv in film and on broadway and for ms rudolph 43 at the groundlings in movies like bridesmaids and a previous 2014 variety special the maya rudolph show
while it pays homage to classic variety shows of the past maya  marty is also hoping to capitalize on the spontaneous and playful dynamic between ms rudolph and mr short here are edited excerpts from an interview with them
martin short how are you today
maya rudolph a little tired i was just packing because im heading from here to the airport
short why are you tired
rudolph life
short oh yeah i know its cumulative did you go to the party last night
rudolph no i did not go to the party last night did you
short yes i did
rudolph and
short gets very close to mayas face boom bah boom bah oom bah oom bah oom that was that
my first question was going to be do you feel like theres chemistry between you two
rudolph nope
short theres no chemistry and theres a kind of underlying resentment
rudolph are you telling me that its hard for you to find chemistry with others because youre very chemical um   
short dependent
rudolph no youre easy to love
short awww to reporter headline
you have just a couple of weeks before your debut does the show feel ready
short its ramping up we did a test show last week and that made everyone feel like ohhhh there could be a show here it felt very loose and thats what youre always trying to achieve
rudolph theres something about that studio i was watching an old letterman late night   its the studio that were in and its amazing to be in that same space and recognize all the corners nooks and crannies but know that youre mounting something new
short that whole floor is just hilarious i was walking in the hallway and there was one 35 year old guy who just wanted to tell me what i had meant to him he was doing a thing on fallon and he was dressed like a baby in a diaper with a sailor hat and i might have been dressed as a rabbit so he wasnt even aware that he looked odd
rudolph its crazy to think about all that is going on in this building at one time im just surprised that the 3000th person that plugs in a hair dryer doesnt bring the whole place down
how did that sketch at the snl anniversary show come about
short we had conceived that idea with the composer marc shaiman and fred armisen but throughout that process maya and i found that we had a natural rapport wed break into characters or little improvs and then snap out of it with a great deal of ease sometimes you meet people and you kind of go   
rudolph is it you wait its you they begin feeling each others faces father
short if i only could see if this damn acid accident hadnt happened id see your face
rudolph your hand smells so good what is that a cream a lotion a salve
short keep guessing laughs
despite being from different generations of comedy history do you still feel like peers
rudolph i grew up on marty when i was a kid i wanted to be gilda radner but he was dating gilda radner thats the difference but we have a comedy fraternity and theres no age were brothers and sisters
short im 66 years old i could easily a year ago symbolically at 65 have said singing excuse me while i disappear... the epitaphs kind of written but this was something that was uniquely fascinating you never know going in what the end results going to be but you do know if the company youre keeping makes you feel happy
did you do any other bonding exercises before starting work on the show
short maya and paul thomas anderson her partner and their 400 children came up to my cottage north of toronto with some writers we hung out for about five days had dinners theres different buildings and properties   
rudolph like he said a little cottage
short all right an estate this is the place where fergie and prince andrew honeymooned we canadians call it a cottage
rudolph listen this guy has his own stamp
short its true by the way i have my own coin
are you taking any inspiration from classic variety shows of the past
short i was looking at sonny and cher and thinking all they did was insult each other but people knew they were married so it was ok steve martin and i have this show together and all we do is insult each other no one questions whether we like each other because they know its a joke and were married too
rudolph i watched saturday night live with my parents the muppet show was a big one for me and the carol burnett show was another staple everyone seemed to have shields and yarnell the mimes we thought they were hilarious and we re enacted them all the time at home
short on sctv if we were doing a bad list of guests coming up it would be from shields and yarnell shields just shields they couldnt get them both
how will you distinguish your show from saturday night live or the many other topical comedy programs out there
rudolph if theres something going on politically i tune into snl this is a variety show in the performance aspect it isnt the place to get a take on the news its an extension of what weve been doing all these years and a place for multiple guests to come we have different friends who do different things   people we love people who are just amazing performers that allows it to feel more like a party
short were trying to explore the parameters of what you can do whether its showing a scene from a broadway show or having a stand up or having someone sing still cut to show 5 what do you mean martys in bellevue he was institutionalized last night uh huh running naked around the waldorf towers


thirteen years ago aaron bell one of the few african americans to have penetrated the racially hermetic world of advertising in the 1970s discovered that he had a brain tumor although the lesion was benign the surgery required to remove it left him with impaired memory and only one vocal cord for several months he couldnt speak at the time he received his diagnosis mr bell was working as a creative director at uniworld his disabilities compelled him to stop in 2007 to retain his sanity he told me on a recent afternoon he began taking classes at the art students league on west 57th street in manhattan
there are many art directors who are accomplished artists he recalled during an interview in a welding studio in new jersey not far from the lincoln tunnel i wasnt one of them over the past nine years he has been printmaking drawing working in mixed media and making sculpture forced to speak softly and sparingly he turned to art as his voice last year the art students league honored that voice when it selected him for inclusion in its competitive model to monument program the initiative run in conjunction with new york citys parks department has for the past several years in spring placed enormous works of site specific public art in various places in van cortlandt park in the bronx and riverside park south an expanse of green running below west 72nd street in manhattan
in november mr bell presented to the parks department a maquette of his proposed work stand loud stand tall a structure that would reach 16 feet high and depict a human body with a noose in the place of its head at the center of the noose was a circle with a slash through it a symbolic call to defeating intolerance at the base of the sculpture was a quotation from the rev martin luther king jr our lives begin to die the day we are silent about the things that matter
the location in riverside park south where mr bells sculpture was to go had been determined at random but only strengthened the pieces resonance as conceptual art mr bell had pulled a number out of a hat at the art students league that assigned him a spot near west 68th street right beneath a strip of apartment buildings on riverside boulevard bearing the name trump
the realities of a moment in which recurring episodes of police brutality present themselves as modern day lynchings would seem to make a project like mr bells especially purposeful but the parks department did not embrace his proposal in an email to the league jennifer lantzas the agencys deputy director of public art expressed apprehension on the part of staff members that the image of the noose could be problematic for the borough mr bells design was rejected sam biederman a spokesman for the department told me in an email that the decision was based on a concern among parks officials that the proposed site is adjacent to an area regularly programmed with passive recreational activities such as yoga pilates and senior movement
precisely when it became civic policy to guard the potential sensitivities of grown women in lululemon is unclear but the fate of mr bells project reported last week by the west side rag illustrates the ways in which a culture of emotionally protectionist politics has swelled beyond the world of oberlin and yale mr bell argued for his original idea in writing but his repeated requests to speak to city officials in person were ignored the theme for the model to monument exhibit this year was the public square and its responsibilities my interpretation of that idea is a place where people interact for the benefit of social conscience and justice he said i knew that i wanted to do a piece that would introduce a dialogue the piece i designed is about humanity against hatred
forced to replace the noose with something else mr bell is evoking a large mouth instead but he is not happy about it the mouth is simply a resolution to satisfy members of the parks department he told me
mr bells upbringing in mount vernon ny as the son of a prominent musician   his father was the jazz bassist aaron bell who played with duke ellington and had a doctorate in education   did not shield him from the miseries of racial inequality when he was a student at pratt institute in brooklyn in 1968 the younger mr bell was beaten up on halloween night by a gang of white teenagers who struck him at the base of his skull with a metal bar a report in the daily news about the attack described him as having been put on the serious list at brooklyn hospital at the time members of pratts black students union complained about the failure of the police to arrest anyone five days after a report had been filed and descriptions of some of the assailants provided mr bell said he had seizures for years after the attack once on his way to see his father play at the la mama theater a seizure left him passed out on the sidewalk a police car deposited him on the steps of bellevue hospital center with all the money in his wallet removed he said
stand loud stand tall had been a long time coming


carolina herreras fabled life is one that is best captured in pictures over the years the camera has caught her immaculate in tennis whites at her beach house in venezuela clasping the hand of a youthful mick jagger on the island of mustique lolling on the beach in majorca damp hair slicked back her lips in a sultry pout
there are the glamour shots bruce webers 2001 portrait in which mrs herrera kicks up her heels and her ruffled skirt at a party in santo domingo robert mapplethorpes 1979 portrait of the designer in a veiled pillbox hat and gumball size pearl earrings looking every inch the movie siren and the famous warhol screen print her eyes rimmed in turquoise her expression serene
mementos of a life on the fly those images fill coffee table books countless magazines and the silver frames that crowd her office suggesting to a visitor that when the designer does finally appear in the flesh shell be carefully sealed under glass
no such thing mrs herrera as she is deferentially known in the trade stepped briskly into her seventh avenue office the other day dressed in a crisply tailored patterned shirt and buoyant knee length skirt she was animated her staccato delivery as pointed and direct as it was more than three decades ago when she introduced the fashion line that would jumpstart her career
we met on the eve of her departure for atlanta where a retrospective celebrating her 35 years in fashion was to be held at the scad fash museum of fashion and film part of a joint exhibition with the scad museum of art in savannah ga on view in the show called refined irreverence is the designers vibrant legacy
but mrs herrera said she was not resting on her laurels im very competitive she said her tone adamantine if you dont compete youre not challenged enough and if you think you are doing everything perfectly then its time to retire
retirement is not on her agenda there are gowns to whip up parties to go to and of course there is the legend to uphold
carolina herrera first claimed attention with her extravagant evening dresses and wedding gowns one of them famously worn by caroline kennedy but well before 1981 when she hung her shingle on east 57th street and created the pouf shouldered confections that would earn her the sobriquet our lady of the sleeves she was a fixture on the international scene
with her husband reinaldo herrera a venezuelan aristocrat and newsman she had secured a coveted spot at the intersection of fashion and society in a way that is almost unheard of now an anomaly among a generation of designers more likely these days to be found as judges on rupauls drag race than mingling with clients in the rarefied precincts of park avenue
at 77 with an instagram following of over a million mrs herrera is still turning heads pristine in her signature white shirts her hair deftly wound into a champagne colored chignon and she is still making news
earlier this month the house of herrera announced the opening of a 4000 square foot luxury boutique on rodeo drive in beverly hills calif the latest in an international network of shops that house both her ready to wear and bridal collections
in the spring of last year puig her parent company appointed francois kress as the houses chief executive the announcement was swiftly followed by the replacement of several members of her design team with laura kim and fernando garcia veterans of oscar de la renta and partners in the up and coming label monse
it was a turbulent period during which she dismissed herve pierre her creative director of 14 years eliding over the pressures that may have prompted that decision she said simply it was time for me to change he felt it too
she added sometimes in life even if youre sad about it you have to move on
its a precept she learned as a girl on her familys estate in venezuela there she may have languished in what hamish bowles a columnist for vogue has described as a lost era of white gloved propriety where exquisitely turned out ladies indulged in concours delegance for charity attended dog shows and garden parties and exerted themselves with tennis and riding
that wasnt the future she chose in the late 60s soon after their marriage the second for mrs herrera who wed for the first time at 18 the couple embarked on what some may view as an extended honeymoon flitting blithely from the vip room of studio 54 to kensington palace to visit their friend princess margaret on to paris where they mingled with the rothschilds and to the south of france as guests of the fiat magnate gianni agnelli
their outings were chronicled in the society pages mrs herrera a showy fixture on the best dressed lists before the gilded pair made their move to new york she would be seen each winter sweeping toward the entrance of the costume institute gala at the metropolitan museum of art a magnet for guests and passers by
on one such occasion andre leon talley a former editor at womens wear daily and vogue spied her making her entrance she was wearing as he effusively recalled a deep black velvet dress with an extraordinary infanta skirt
when she came up the stairs he added the red sea parted
fond of entertaining in their tuberose scented upper east side townhouse the herreras gave intimate dinners that from a current vantage are the stuff of myth
as recounted by michael gross in the new york times one memorable new years eve the herreras had just called guests together to eat 12 grapes each one per each month of 1987 that gesture would have seemed decadent were it not offered in a spirit of cheery bonhomie it was an old spanish custom mrs herrera declared at the time
the designers intimate showings on east 57th street were attended by the elite c z guest doris duke and jacqueline kennedy onassis a devout client her first show at the metropolitan club was in the phrase of john duka then a times fashion columnist greeted by thunderous applause as thunderous almost as the ruffles mrs herrera showed
but in some quarters those early collections met with stinging skepticism mrs herrera had emerged as joan juliet buck the writer and former french vogue editor later recalled as one of a group of society ladies extending their love of clothes into an attempt at self definition
her efforts were underappreciated during one of her maiden runway presentations carrie donovan then fashion editor of the times magazine was heard to say its all a little matronly dont you think
more painful was the assessment of the wwd chief john fairchild in whose eyes she was a dilettante i felt vulnerable mrs herrera recalled the other day i thought why dont they accept me im working the same way as everybody else
her sensibilities shaken she was given to placing nighttime phone calls to reporters she thought may have mr fairchilds ear seeking reassurance and murmuring hopefully i know you understand me
those uncertain days cast a long shadow designers tell you they dont read the reviews   it is not true mrs herrera said sometimes those reviews can open your eyes but sometimes you say how unfair they did hurt me
still on the eve of her show which runs through sept 25 she was taking the long view the retrospective   curated by rafael gomes the director of fashion exhibitions at scad with the assistance of patricia lansing one of mrs herreras four daughters   is a testament to where mrs herrera has been it also hints broadly at where she may be going
displayed on a series of alabaster mannequins are the red carpet dazzlers that attest to her relevance the cabbage rose patterned gown worn by lucy liu at the 2013 golden globes the red and black bustled faille taylor swift wore to the same event the following year and the blush tone slip of a dress its hemline pooling on the floor that lady gaga wore at the 2016 producers guild of america awards
many of those pieces seem surprisingly contemporary for mr bowles of vogue the designer remains a kind of benchmark of a certain elegance   one thinks of oscar de la renta and perhaps someone like galanos or trigere in an earlier moment   who managed to combine her very high standards with a kind of subtle innovation
hers is obviously not a hidebound elegance mr bowles said the cultural changes that run through her life are reflected in her work
there is one look the designer recalled with particular pride a velvet tuxedo jacket shown with shorts that in 1987 was decades ahead of its time
when she strolled through the exhibition late last week mrs herrera said she was moved it was a dream that became a reality she said i was left speechless
what will visitors and fashion students glean from the exhibition the designer considered for a beat they will see that the clothes are timeless she said finally
and they will learn to persevere


michael cerveris has lived at the same address a prewar co op building in chelsea for 19 years its a number that astonishes him because during his first three years in new york he hung his hat in 13 different places this by the way is not a just a convenient figure of speech mr cerveris routinely wears a hat
like most kids coming out of college and coming to the city i didnt have much in the way of money or possessions so i sublet and house sat and stayed with friends said mr cerveris 55 who won a tony last year for his portrayal of a closeted gay man in the musical fun home a dedicated moonlighter in february he released an album of original folkamericana songs piety and last month the single pony girl a fragment of which mr cerveris sings to his onstage daughter in fun home
through the 1980s and most of the 90s work often took mr cerveris out of town and out of the country after playing the title role in the rock musical tommy on broadway he went with the show to germany for a year and a half then when his contract was up he bought a eurail pass and meandered around eastern europe
back in new york in 1997 he was poleaxed by the high rents i wasnt sure what to do he said and then a friend told me i had enough money to make a down payment on an apartment that was like the last month it was possible for regular people to buy an apartment in new york
mr cerveriss stints as a house sitter and couch surfer nonpareil had taken him to the lower east side and upper west side among other locales chelsea in the west 20s was an unfamiliar neighborhood when a real estate agent began showing him around but he took to the area quickly there were few skyscrapers and many mom and pop stores alas no longer the case and the subways and the river were close at hand i really like being able to walk so quickly to the hudson mr cerveris said that sense of feeling the edge of the island helps make it feel not so claustrophobic
the one bedroom apartment he settled on had some of the old world charm he feared he had left behind in the old world coming back from europe i didnt want the sort of apartment where you open the front door and you can see every room he said i liked that there was a little foyer and that you had to walk down a hallway to get to the bedroom
the very deep kitchen sink helped seal the deal it felt as from another era he said probably every other apartment in the building had the sink removed long ago but i love it
a nook for an office or overnight guests would have been welcome but for a manhattan apartment the rooms ive got are pretty large continued mr cerveris who shares those rooms with his energetic dog evangeline family pictures and photographs of himself in costume shot by amy arbus particularly cherished is an evocative oil painting of a tree and a half sunk rowboat by rebecca rebouche an artist in new orleans where mr cerveris a frequent visitor to the city bought a house three years ago i really connected with it he said of the painting there are the words mud and creek in the picture and i grew up on a creek in west virginia and the boat is named mercy thats kind of moving to me
mr cerveriss aesthetic is something of a work in progress initially the apartment contained many items of furniture with a common thread they were picked up off the street and they filled a void
but a few years ago i decided that it looked too much like a college dorm room i still had milk crates for storing things said mr cerveris who upgraded to a large shelving unit that he built himself
i thought it was time for me to be a bit more of an adult so i bought some pieces of furniture that sort of matched some other pieces of furniture in the place i think my philosophy of furniture is similar to my philosophy of musical instruments i own he continued indicating a guitar a violin and a dulcimer hanging just inside the entrance to the living room i like pieces that have a history and life in them that preceded me i dont buy a lot of brand new things
thus the antique farmhouse cupboard he bought upstate and the vintage pedestal sink in the bathroom that he laboriously carted home from a loft sale to replace a more modern fixture when i turned over the basin the workmans name and the date were scrawled on the bottom mr cerveris said it was 1937 which was when my building was built so i thought perfect this is what was meant to be 
but mr cerveriss fondness for items that are pre owned is preference not policy he made exceptions for the theodore alexander bookcases and for the pub table and bar chairs recent acquisitions from abc carpet  home that sit in a corner of the living room mr cerveris used to eat at the coffee table the assiduous evangeline made this a losing proposition it does help though if the new things seem old   for example the yellow retro northstar refrigerator and stove
about the same time mr cerveris decided it was time to stop living like an undergraduate he made another major decision to take down the numerous show posters and plaques lining the hallway to the bedroom it looked like an agents office he said they all went into a closet to be joined by his tonys for fun home and assassins
recently though ive made peace with the whole thing he said ive finally given the awards pride of place
well not exactly theyre on a high shelf in a corner of the living room i have an ambivalence about awards in the arts especially competitive awards he said but im grateful to have them and grateful for the memory of the work they represent
there are places in the apartment where the boards creak and there are times during the year when the bathroom door cant be counted on to close and stay closed
but i sometimes enjoy that the floor is going to creak mr cerveris said there are nuisances that become endearing not everyday but youd miss them if they were gone so while its annoying to not be able to close the door every time you want to close it theres something about the fact that im subtly being reminded that the season is changing and that time is passing it kind of helps me stay grounded i suppose


the first summery trend off the shoulder tops and dresses the most popular variation is a proenza schouler black ribbon halter which first appeared earlier this year there are evening versions and most of the daytime styles have elastic to keep them in place
related column


a year ago the times explored summer love in 15 only in new york permutations there was new romance kindled on a coney island roller coaster and enduring love deepened in a bronx nursing home readers encountered the musician mike mcginnis and the dancer davalois fearon who had some previous entanglements to work through a visiting ukrainian couple who availed themselves of new yorks same sex marriage laws and a young irishwoman who met her future husband through an ad for a roommate in the village voice it happens
a year later the reporters of the summer love series returned to ask hows everybody doing great said some its complicated said others
some had broken up or disappeared some enjoyed sharing their stories once but declined to do so a second time romantic tales sometimes gave way to other powerful forces money real estate career health collard greens and the gorilla species survival plan love conquers all as virgil noted but sometimes real estate conquers love
still in matters of the heart and flesh the return of summer is a time for both optimism and reassessment nothing captures the diversity of life in this city like a look at its lovers happy or tormented in their passions and perhaps nothing captures the challenges and rewards of new york like a look at how those lovers are faring a year later   john leland
laurie smolenski texted nico de rosa to say good night recently
mr de rosa was in their apartment in soho feeding his pit bull sofia before crawling into bed
ms smolenski was boarding a catamaran on the brisbane river to go to class on a cloudless morning
their relationship was one jump started by calamity the night they met in the summer of 2012 mr de rosa got into an accident on his vespa on the williamsburg bridge just months later they moved in together after a fire in his apartment which involved a back injury for him
we were thrown into things pretty quick mr de rosa said
but in the last year things have slowed down   way down they have 9627 miles and a 14 hour time difference to thank for that
ms smolenski 32 accepted a fellowship last fall to pursue a masters degree in peace and conflict studies at the university of queensland in brisbane australia she left in february mr de rosa 36 stayed in new york nursing a new back injury
but if distance has slowed the pace of their romance mobile technology has deepened their bond whatsapp has kept us so close said ms smolenski referring to the mobile messaging service often one of us is waking up when the other one is going to sleep
but its more than just that daily ritual
nico has been so great said ms smolenski having lived abroad before including in australia he was able to be particularly empathetic as she adapted to a new place he got why i wanted to do it and why it was hard at some points she said
at first she said brisbane struck me as incredibly tacky and very 1990s once she stopped comparing it with new york though she began to discover its charms the sunlight the extra sleep trees full of crows and kookaburras
mr de rosa recalled the day he dropped ms smolenski off at the airport
its one of those bittersweet experiences he said because your heart is broken and youre sad but that experience that your partner is going to have youre going to live through it vicariously
ms smolenski has more than a year left to go in her program mr de rosa said it was very much worth sticking it out to see what comes next
shes really stuck by me more times than she should have he said im just really lucky
the two will reunite for a vacation in japan in june   annie correal
handball brought dori ten and albert apuzzi together but it has been cruel to their bodies
the game takes a toll on your body the way that jamming on the brakes of your car wears them out faster said mr apuzzi 60 one of the great players in new york city handball history
he and ms ten 55 had been regulars at the seaside courts in coney island when they faced off in a dramatic challenge match in 1988 that began a relationship and eventually a marriage that has centered on handball that match ended when ms ten twisted her ankle and mr apuzzi carried her off the court to his car to hoots from the crowd
the couple is known as mr and mrs handball at the courts where they still spend weekends ms ten officiates and plays in pickup games there and mr apuzzi sells equipment out of his car helps run tournaments and works with younger players
back then you could bounce back from injuries in no time recalled ms ten who now pops motrin pills like candy for her lingering aches and pains
it just takes longer to bounce back said ms ten a physician assistant who in the past year made the finals of the one wall doubles nationals and keeps sharp in pickup games at the coney courts
during the past year mr apuzzi has been sidelined with a bad hip he had hip resurfacing surgery on tuesday and came through like a champion ms ten said adding that he was already up and about on crutches and had to be talked out of visiting the handball courts the day after the operation
ms ten said mr apuzzis increasing immobilization had presented a challenge to their relationship which centered on exercising together and sharing handball glory as competitors the more his hip hobbled him the less they could enjoy working out together
in the months leading up to the surgery she said our universe came to a complete standstill   it was nothing but going to doctors offices
but going through the surgery has made us even closer she said because when you go through an illness you have to lean on each other temporarily until youre back in the saddle
she added when this is all over were going to hawaii and going hiking and swimming   corey kilgannon
the runaway hit of the summer love series was the story of kerry ryan and john juback whose romance was kindled by a year spent as roommates in manhattan and tested by their age difference and the skepticism of her parents the story by kirk semple was read by more than a million readers around the world
the couple got so much attention after sharing their story that they declined to be interviewed for this update
whereas we were very happy with last years article and got amazing responses from all over the world on it ms ryan wrote in an email wed rather keep the magic and not do any more
she added we loved spreading the love   annie correal
no one can accuse michael king 43 and tifphani white king 39 of rushing into marriage when they married last june in st pauls chapel at columbia university they had been dating 23 years with one break and living together for over a decade so did getting married change anything
we were i guess already feeling as if we were married said mr king who is a barber with a shop in south jamaica queens i feel as if i might stand up a little taller now that we are married he added her having my last name   it feels good
people ask ms white king how married life is i always say i dont know what took me so long i wish i did it earlier she said
the two met young   he was 18 she was 15   and fell hard for each other even though they were very different she was the straight a student and sheltered only child of doting parents living in the suburbs he was the queens boy with a difficult home life who took five years to graduate from high school but somehow it worked and it still works she challenges him intellectually his outgoing personality balances out her shyness
their first year of marriage has been busy ms white king a partner at deloitte tax llp who advises international corporations on tax issues has picked up new clients in south america asia and the middle east mr king renovated his barber shop and is thinking of opening a second one
they have been so busy that they didnt get around to taking a honeymoon until this month when they spent a week in singapore and bali speaking before they left ms white king said they were looking forward to seeing the singapore zoo and the national orchid garden in the singapore botanic gardens as well as of course relaxing on the beach
they are hoping to have a child but say that if it doesnt happen that will be all right
you put things out in the universe and you hope it comes true ms white king said were not spring chickens either so whatever god has in store for us will be great   kate taylor
there was no big trip no fancy party and no romantic dinner this may for their 25th anniversary instead margot perron and mike feller celebrated in their usual understated way
i waved at him from the couch ms perron said
literally mr feller confirmed
ms perrons one sentimental gesture was to put on a pair of silver earrings shaped like the blossoms from a dogwood tree she had worn a dress with dogwood blossoms woven into the lace at their wedding in prospect park in brooklyn the same place they met as newly hired city park rangers in the summer of 1983 it was where they became inseparable it was the start of margot and mike
mr fellers gesture was to tend the garden they share together it is under a flowering dogwood tree in their backyard in northern queens
the garden and their marriage are still going strong both remain dependable and comfortable on a solid foundation
mr feller 58 who retired two years ago as chief naturalist for the citys parks department decided to change things up this spring he planted jerusalem artichokes for the first time and in a seismic upheaval he switched to pole beans after years of favoring bush beans
they have been snacking on the bounty and sharing it with their neighbors
but the biggest change is to come this summer the younger of the couples daughters opal is going away to college leaving them empty nesters ms perron 57 president of van cortlandt park conservancy said they had already gotten a taste of what it would be like when their daughters went to sleep away camps they took walks outside they had more time for themselves
weve had rehearsals but this looms large mr feller said   winnie hu
julio rodriguez is still cooking for dolores batista the dishes change but not the devotion that goes into each one
whatever he makes she still tells him oh my favorite
but this year she really does have a favorite a savory puerto rican stew of codfish cakes onions peppers potatoes olives and capers
mr rodriguez 72 a chef and cookbook author has been experimenting with more vegetables and salads as they pursue a healthier diet a new favorite is a white bean soup with collard greens seasoned with bits of ham last fall mr rodriguez created a website thecaribbeanchefnyc to share his recipes and passions
the menu is not the only thing that has expanded the couple welcomed a new grandson kai to their combined families in february
they remain unmarried though they have lived together since 1999 ms batista who declined to give her age sees that as nothing more than a technicality i think were lifers she said
mr rodriguez added that he would still like to get married someday if it doesnt happen were still together he said thats the important part she still brings a smile to my face
ms batista an insurance agent for allstate had an unusually busy year at work with mr rodriguez at her side she took a break this winter with a seven night princess cruise to mexico she relaxed with a massage and a facial he sang for 600 people in a karaoke contest with a live band he came in second and won a bottle of champagne
for a change mr rodriguez had dinner cooked for him the ships head chef after learning that mr rodriguez too was a chef would check with him to make sure the food was up to his standards he was happy ms batista said he was like the food critic
the food was excellent mr rodriguez said i gained about six pounds in a week   winnie hu
the various couples in this four person love story are still together even if distance has posed an obstacle to much romance two members of the quartet have been on the road for much of the fall winter and spring
but first its necessary to explain how the two men and two women even know each other and how they all connect and how they ended up in brooklyn nate quiroga 29 met mandy blouin also 29 in seattle in 2007 the summer after their sophomore year in college
benjamin verdoes 34 met ifrah ahmed 25 at an elementary school in seattle in november 2010 mr verdoes was a substitute teacher ms ahmed was a tutor helping students from her native somalia strengthen their english
about a month later mr verdoes and mr quiroga both musicians started playing music together eventually they formed a two man band iska dhaaf which in somali means roughly let it go
the two couples   or is it three   started spending holidays and evenings together
but ms ahmed had a dream to be a lawyer specializing in human rights she was accepted by several law schools including her top pick the city university of new york school of law which was far away from seattle
everyone decided to follow ms ahmed and in the summer of 2014 all four moved now the two couples live a 15 minute walk apart in the bedford stuyvesant neighborhood of brooklyn
now for the update iska dhaaf has spent much of the past eight months on the road mr quiroga and mr verdoes spent november in paris before going to berlin in december ms blouin a web designer who has also been doing portraits visited over christmas ms ahmed joined for new years we get our little fix now and then ms blouin said
this year the men spent a bit of time in brooklyn before hitting the road again playing a few weeks in los angeles before touring up the west coast
i miss him for sure but hes pursuing his dream and im doing mine said ms ahmed who is about to start an internship at the center for constitutional rights focusing on human rights
the band released its second album the wanting creature on may 20 and was scheduled to play the sasquatch music festival at an outdoor amphitheater in washington state on memorial day
mr quiroga admits that hes spent more time with mr verdoes in the past eight months than with ms blouin its very true mr quiroga said its a bit bizarre in that sense benjamin and i have had to share many a bed   kim barker
ann iervolino 58 and peter cipolla 59 have been together for a while now how long is a while almost nine years
nine years of playing on the marine park bocce courts of walks on the beach of italian dinners of goodnight calls nine years of living apart they are each caring for an aging parent
nine years ms iervolino sometimes reminds mr cipolla without a ring status quo she reported recently a year after the times wrote about them
how does she feel about that
not gonna say she said no comment   vivian yee
ashwini chawla has one year of college left and she is excited to see what her relationship with her boyfriend will look like in the adult world
ms chawla met sanam wadhwani about three years ago when they were counselors together at a camp in kerhonkson near poughkeepsie she was just 17 and he was 19 and they were paired together for an icebreaker event on the first day
they stole moments together to get to know each other after camp they grew close very quickly as mr wadhwani grappled with the death of his father ms chawla was able to meet him before he died
mr wadhwani will graduate from hofstra university in the fall with a degree in marketing and ms chawla a student in the macaulay honors program at city college said he was considering moving to miami he spent time there with his family growing up and ms chawla said she was game to join him in that balmy city
i love it ms chawla said id move there in a heartbeat
mr wadhwani she said plans to get a job right out of college she is deciding between medical school and seeking a masters degree in biology and if they move to miami she would probably take a gap year to get settled she said
in miami she said they can test out what it will be like to live together and depend on each other day to day they want to see what it might be like if they were married she said
they plan to start by getting a puppy she said   elizabeth a harris
love as perhaps youve heard can be a roller coaster ride
last summer two college kids named lisa guerrera and rich oflanagan laughed on the boardwalk and screamed on the cyclone roller coaster at brooklyns coney island a date night destination for a pile of decades
this winter they broke up
ms guerrera and mr oflanagan were a year apart at oceanside high school on long island but they did not meet until just after mr oflanagan graduated
in a high school movie they would have been an unlikely couple   he a football star and she the president of the mock trial debate team in life they got along they spent some time together and started dating
but they are young she was living in harlem and he on long island and they attended different schools they grew apart she went on a study abroad program in melbourne australia for a few weeks last winter and when she came back the distance between them was finally too great
we just kind of moved in separate directions mr oflanagan said it just wasnt something that worked thats all but we ended on good terms
they were together for more than three years and they still keep in touch
this summer mr oflanagan now 22 plans to go backpacking by himself for a few weeks in iceland ms guerrera 20 will be in new york doing research on molecular compounds and taking linear algebra   elizabeth a harris
when youve been together 75 years one more year can sometimes seem like just another ring in the trunk of a very large tree
you slow down time speeds up
arthur and selma bachner cheerful 90 ish lovebirds who flew their childhood nest in the bronx and returned to live in a nursing home have mostly stayed put apart from a day trip to the hamptons and a granddaughters new years eve wedding at the pierre
but their life has not been uneventful
they made their first friends since moving to the hebrew home at riverdale in the bronx in 2014 the husbands in the early stages of dementia said arthur 91 the wife is more or less confined to a wheelchair we talk we read we kibitz
arthur went to the gym the other day for the first time and rode an exercise machine   the one where the arms go back and forth and the legs go up and down selma is knitting a sweater for her 3 year old great granddaughter
and last month they met bill clinton when he came to stump for his wife he shook my hand said selma who just turned 89 he said hello selma how are you what a glad hander said arthur
selma born just seven years after women won the right to vote is looking forward to electing one to run the country or failing that to emigrating if trump becomes president she said im looking for another country to go to either israel or canada
it is a given when youre 90 that change will seldom be for the better arthurs macular degeneration is accelerating hes responding by reading more   a book about the koch brothers detective novels its the fact that im eventually not going to see anymore he said i want to catch up
selma more troublingly has been having infections they feel that if its not operated on i could go into septic shock she said the doctor said hes never operated on anyone my age an anesthesiologist will decide whether surgery is safe
the best parts of their life remain unchanged all day every day they are together
i am blessed really said arthur i wish everybody had a wife like i have
you know selma said weve had a wonderful life   andy newman
the first time mike mcginnis a musician from maine danced with davalois fearon a ripped modern dancer he said he moved like the tin man before he had oil
their slow burning love evolved over three borough dates and a desire to be like john and yoko or frida and diego without the fighting
and the extemporizing continues
for their wedding last august the couple staged davamike presents at an artists space in bushwick brooklyn making the traditional walk down the aisle blindfolded ms fearon groped the air in a dramatic ballet as she followed the sound of mr mcginniss clarinet through the room they exchanged vows in a ring ceremony officiated by the choreographer stephen petronio ms fearons boss
on a recent evening at their favorite rooftop bar under the empire state building mr mcginnis said his wife had loosened him up and taught him the importance of sleep but the biggest bonus he said is having an in house art therapist
mr mcginnis 43 had talked for years about uniting two of his jazz heroes to record an album she pushed him in the right way he said to get rolling on it
ms fearon 32 said she got sick of hearing about it and told him to own his idea
nothing tried nothing done she said repeating a mantra she learned from her mother
in january the ensemble will make its debut at the joyce theater with consider water
for the score mr mcginnis recorded ambient sounds while on their honeymoon in the rural jamaican town where ms fearon had lived in a house without running water
for the choreography ms fearon integrated the hip hop and reggae that live in my body with the european lineage of her classical training
i had been brainwashed to believe that only white males could be choreographers she said
but her husband who braids classical strains and jazz in his work encouraged her to be more avant garde
i think that i have become more of who i am through his support she said   emily s rueb
as if it werent hard enough being in a long term relationship with a 500 pound gorilla suki has had health issues since she last appeared in these pages she is one of five love interests or less anthropomorphically procreation mates involved with ernie a 33 year old silverback gorilla and leader of their troop at the bronx zoo
last summer suki gave birth but she suffered what patrick thomas the general curator of the wildlife conservation society termed a retained placenta and was anesthetized so veterinarians could remove the placenta and cut the umbilical cord
when she awakened suki was disoriented and angry mr thomas said refusing to nurse the baby in her place the zookeepers bottle fed the newborn for months
the daily feedings were done near the troop so the baby would grow up seeing hearing and smelling gorillas ernie and suki   much like human parents hovering over an incubator in a neonatal unit   would often stop by to watch the feedings
the good news is that the baby gorilla njemba has become integrated into the troop suki has put aside her anger issues to become a nurturing mother she passes halcyon days with ernie and his other mates   julia layla tuti and kumi   that are filled with childs play heads of lettuce oranges and yams
visitors to the zoo keep asking when ernie and his troop will produce another baby gorilla
the answer to that is out of the gorillas hands as well as the zookeepers
to keep the north american zoo population manageable and ensure a healthy genetic mix gorillas arent permitted to procreate until their keepers get the go ahead from the scientists who run the gorilla species survival plan for the association of zoos and aquariums based in cleveland
to date except for the cavaliers and the nba playoffs zoo officials report that there is no news from cleveland   michael winerip
the swing dancers katherine mcclintic and caleb wiese were on the cusp of tying the knot last year at central presbyterian church they did and then danced until 2 am at a reception for 300
she was 24 he was 27
even my parents danced which was weird mr wiese said
nine months later in their upper manhattan apartment they were still playfully affectionate but some things had changed ms mcclintic who was working for a tech start up lost her job and now works part time for her church while auditioning for dance roles mr wiese who was finishing a graduate program in mathematics decided he did not want to become an academic after all hes still figuring out what to do instead in the meantime hes tutoring math students at coffee shops
both say the financial uncertainties have brought them closer together
everythings wishy washy but i always have katherine mr wiese said thats something thats not up in the air if we were still dating itd be more crazy
ms mcclintic said she had to adjust to being home together normally when people are around im like hey lets do things it took a while for me to just chill out now i look forward to it
after the wedding they wanted to travel to the south of france but without steady jobs they visited mr wieses parents in florida instead
they havent been swing dancing much lately because ms mcclintic has regular dance classes at night but with the warm weather that may change
now theres no reason not to go to the lower east side at midnight he said
we should go tonight she said we could totally go   john leland


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in the new york times book review adam hochschild reviews secondhand time the last of the soviets the most recent book by last years nobel prize winner svetlana alexievich to be translated into english hochschild writes
on this weeks podcast hochschild talks about secondhand time alexandra alter has news from the publishing world stephanie danler discusses her debut novel sweetbitter jojo moyes talks about the film adaptation of her novel me before you and gregory cowles and parul sehgal talk about what people are reading pamela paul is the host
archive inside the new york times book review podcast


nine new books recommended by the editors of the new york times book review this week
larose by louise erdrich harperharpercollins 2799 a man who accidentally killed his best friends son gives the man his own child in this powerful story about justice and forgiveness set in and near a north dakota ojibwe reservation
the discovery of chance the life and thought of alexander herzen by aileen m kelly harvard university 3995 a gripping biography of the 19th century russian socialist writer
a country road a tree by jo baker knopf 2695 bakers skillful biographical novel focuses on samuel becketts experience in wartime france and its effect on his later work
the edge of the empire a journey to britannia from the heart of rome to hadrians wall by bronwen riley pegasus 2895 riley offers an erudite and fascinating work on the centuries long roman occupation of britain
unforbidden pleasures by adam phillips farrar straus  giroux 25 linked essays examine the idea that forbidden pleasures tend to obscure the meaningfulness to our lives of unforbidden ones
valiant ambition george washington benedict arnold and the fate of the american revolution by nathaniel philbrick viking 30 benedict arnold takes center stage in philbricks vivid tale
the immortal irishman the irish revolutionary who became an american hero by timothy egan houghton mifflin harcourt 28 thomas meaghers extraordinary life artfully told
the romanovs 1613 1918 by simon sebag montefiore knopf 35 an essential opus covers the dynasty from its rise to its apogee to its fall
the seed collectors by scarlett thomas soft skullcounterpoint 26 a family of botanists wrestle with their inheritance in this lively novel


replacing a space filled with nostalgia is not an easy feat for a developer in new york so its no surprise that there was a bit of an uproar when william s macklowe presented plans to replace bowlmor lanes in greenwich village which was one of the citys oldest bowling alleys and a popular party spot until it closed in 2014 with a new condominium building
longtime bowlers revelers and area residents aided by a neighborhood preservation group and local politicians said mr macklowes plan for a residential tower some 300 feet high would not fit in with the surrounding neighborhood which is largely defined by low  to midrise historic structures
in a recent interview mr macklowe said his tower at 21 east 12th street is as of right meaning it is legally allowed to be built as designed given the existing zoning designation but he added that the projects architect annabelle selldorf gave careful consideration to the buildings design
while im always appreciative of opposite points of view i really believe we are building something that will contribute to the community said mr macklowe who asked the architect to design a building with stone and not glass but time will be the judge
he opted to make the building which sits just outside the greenwich village historic district 22 stories high but set back the tower on a wide base that will house retail space the residences in the tower will begin on the third floor
the apartments have been designed so that each will be a corner unit which allows for more natural light especially since the tower is set back from the street said ms selldorf who recently was given a medal of honor by the new york chapter of the american institute of architects
i think recessing the residents back from the street equates to a more balanced footprint ms selldorf said i understand the height is a concern to some people including myself but i designed the building to be discreet simple and elegant which fits the neighborhood
andrew berman the executive director of the greenwich village society for historic preservation said he was disappointed with city officials for ignoring the organizations plea to rezone the area and essentially prohibit such a tall structure
there will be a total of 52 units in the sandstone colored building all with large casement windows that measure 8 feet by 56 feet units range from one bedrooms starting at 24 million to four bedrooms priced from 825 million there will be two penthouses and two townhomes priced between 115 million to about 16 million each townhome will come with a private 3200 square foot garden according to mr macklowe
ms selldorf said she liked that residents and neighbors will be looking down on a green space that will be built on the roof of the retail base
although greenwich village as a whole sees little new ground up construction the northeastern pocket has seen some activity over the last several years as former parking garages have been turned into residences and new restaurants have popped up on the side streets
the location is a plus plus said beth fisher a senior managing director of the corcoran sunshine marketing group which is handling sales for the building itll attract people looking for new infrastructure and amenities that are not part of older properties
the building which is also developed by goldman sachs is steps away from union square and will also include a basement parking garage for residents other amenities include a residents lounge area that is attached to an outdoor terrace and a childrens playroom
the more than 13000 square feet of ground floor retail space will help clean up the streetscape mr macklowe said
sales are expected to begin next month with the building scheduled to be completed by late 2017 or early 2018


when guard malachi richardson walked off the elevated court at nrg stadium in houston after his syracuse mens basketball team lost to north carolina in the final four in april he spent the next two weeks not thinking about his future
it wasnt a rushed decision he said in an interview this month i had a lot of time
richardson said he went back to campus and concentrated on his classes he worked out on his own time and even though he was still a freshman learned that he had been invited to the nba scouting combine after performing well there he signed with an agent a point of no return in leaving college ball behind many mock drafts predict he will be selected in the first round next month
i had to believe in myself and the opportunity existed at the time and i thought leaving school would be the best he said
richardson not only was able to say he was testing the waters of professional basketball but he was able to do it in a meaningful way without compromising his eligibility under an ncaa rule change reached in cooperation with the nba and in use for the first time this year the deadline for players to declare they were turning professional   and thus forfeiting their remaining college eligibility   was extended more than a month and a new apparatus was put in place to give prospects feedback on their draft stock
in past years any college basketball player with remaining eligibility effectively had to decide to turn pro by early april only then could he have participated in the scouting combine worked out for teams and received a good sense of how nba front offices valued him but if he fared poorly or was projected as a late pick it was too late his decision to leave college was final
but in january the ncaas division i council adopted a proposal that allowed players an extra five weeks upon declaring for the draft to make up their mind and withdraw their names this year the ultimate deadline came last wednesday just before midnight
several players used the expanded window to announce a decision only last week the seton hall sophomore isaiah whitehead stayed in the draft marylands melo trimble oregons dillon brooks and wisconsins nigel hayes returned to college
its really student athlete friendly jim haney executive director of the national association of basketball coaches said casting the rule as another concession the college sports establishment has made as advocates clamor for the rules of amateurism to be relaxed
the earlier stricter policy haney added was meant to help coaches know with certainty what their roster would look like for the next year but the reality is it wasnt helping kids make informed decisions
there are only 60 draft spots and rookie salaries under the collective bargaining agreement are strictly slotted as a result the decision of when to go pro can involve millions of dollars
leave college too early and a late draft position   or none at all   could force a player to compete overseas or in the nba development league where he might not receive the same quality of development or the high profile that a strong college program could offer wait too long and a player could lose a year of earning power or find himself in a draft class loaded with talent at his position
because of ncaa amateurism rules signing with an agent remains a red line so while top of the draft talents like louisiana states ben simmons and dukes brandon ingram signed with agents shortly after the season players like richardson waited weeks as they consulted coaches scouts and family members
getting the opportunity to gather information about the nba and visit with professionals at that level was a really valuable experience for me hayes the wisconsin player said in a statement
the new rule was also notable in that it represented a collaboration between the nba and the ncaa in the past some top college officials including conference commissioners have chafed at the enormous impact the nba has had on the college game without their consultation
the nbas decade old rule agreed to by its players union that players must be a year removed from high school has spawned a college game dominated by top players who compete only as freshmen and it is no secret that the nba would prefer most players to stay in college longer
the longer you stay in school and play kiki vandeweghe the nba executive vice president for basketball operations said the more information we would have about you the more you would be scouted the more familiar we would be with your game the better predictor you can have for success   keeping in mind that these draft picks are worth millions of dollars
if athletes situations appear improved from the previous system those arguably harmed are coaches who have lost more than a month of knowing which of their star players is likely to return
purdue coach matt painter for example learned only last week that forward caleb swanigan would return for his sophomore season
its just a challenge he said noting that adding a replacement this late in the recruiting year would be difficult
for advocates of players rights the logical place to push further would be allowing players to consult with professionals with a fiduciary interest in their futures before the decision deadline villanova coach jay wright said on a podcast recently that he favored allowing players to meet with agents without losing their eligibility
if he decides hes going to go wright said of josh hart villanovas leading scorer last season then he needs an agent to handle that process immediately to be prepared for that he should be interviewing agents right now
as it happened the situation resolved itself last wednesday hart announced that he would return for his senior season with the wildcats and help them defend their national title


rooms from 127 euros about 142
like the rest of france dijon the capital of burgundy has seen an explosion of refurbished midrange hotels housed in a renovated 1926 haussmann style building this 42 room five story property in the city center was opened in 2015 by the hotelier brothers bruno and christophe massucco it is dijons first design hotel member and interior spaces are accordingly whimsical and contemporary a refreshing touch in sometimes stodgy burgundy but at times spaces are confined and overly designed the lobby is cramped the breakfast room is crammed with chandeliers and a dj station and a small glass floored elevator barely fits two pieces of luggage and seems to be the sole reason for the hotels name
ideally located in dijons ancient city center the hotel is a flat eight minute walk or three minute tram ride from the train station and a 10 minute walk to sites like les halles dijon the citys covered food market the 13th century leglise notre dame de dijon and many shops restaurants and museums theres a bus stop just outside for going farther afield
my cocoon room the least expensive category was soundproofed but tight quarters even for one person tasteful ligne roset furniture charcoal wool curtains and slate colored walls clashed with more frivolous design surprises like an iphone shaped tv a small black ceramic polar bear crawling up the wall and an empty frame mounted askew on the ceiling above the bed maybe cool if youre under 30 silly if youre not my window opened to a quiet courtyard and the air conditioning was powerful a rarity in france the minibar was stocked with salted caramel cookies goji berry juice creme de cassis nips and jars of mustard sweetened with chablis and morels beds had quilted headboards and quality duvets but pillows were overstuffed wi fi was free and fast
the toilet was separated from the rest of the room by a sliding door that was heavily scuffed on the bottom the shower featured a black and white tile mosaic and missoni toiletries
vertigo has several small leisure spaces a subterranean spa features a narrow pool decorated with blue lit disco balls and ergonomic loungers a sauna and exercise and massage rooms a cigar room in a second floor loft is furnished with leather loungers and at night the breakfast lounge transforms into a clubby bar bathed in pink light ideal for sipping glasses of rose and champagne at midnight on an august weeknight it was empty members of the staff were quick and responsive to in person and email requests but noticeably inexperienced and unpolished the best amenity is the free use of an electric car a bmw i3 for exploring burgundys vineyards there are also free regular and electric bicycles
breakfast was a whopping EUR20 for standard buffet fare like croissants eggs and bacon theres no restaurant but room service offers a limited menu of soups desserts and precooked jars of local dishes like boeuf bourguignon and alsatian choucroute garnie priced steeply at EUR14 to EUR18 per jar its available 247
this is a fun and welcome addition to dijon the hotels design a mixed bag thats more likely to induce claustrophobia than vertigo is easy to overlook because of the excellent central location affordable price comfortable beds and quiet rooms


black and white photos of italian noodle makers and vintage menus from hong kong dim sum parlors decorate the honey paw billed as a nondenominational noodle joint and the latest relatably cool restaurant from one of portlands most winning chef restaurateur teams andrew taylor and mike wiley along with their managing partner arlin smith they had already colonized a stretch of middle street near the old port with the critical favorites hugos and eventide oyster co when the honey paw opened next door in april 2015 it quickly delivered on the expectation of success   eater named it the states restaurant of the year
the original premise of a global noodle centric spot has given way to a focus on asian flavors but with culinary techniques borrowed from across the world the chef de cuisine thomas pisha duffly is of chinese and irish descent with roots in indonesia and massachusetts all of that is reflected in the changing menu at the honey paw where shrimp toast a dim sum standard has morphed into a lobster and scallop mousse tartine that was one of the first dishes that we conceptualized for the space mr pisha duffly said it kind of epitomizes the way we think of cuisine on the night i visited it was sprinkled with bits of seaweed and fresh radish for an out of this world asian new england french mash up
the nose to tail approach means a regular entree of cumin lamb moo shu is served with lamb breast one night and hearts another its like a make your own taco our server said yes and piled on masa pancakes with salsa verde and buttermilk cheese it could rival david changs momofuku pork buns in addictiveness ditto the crisp fried spoonbread with uni butter   umami heaven
the handmade noodles which come in many sizes include a fermented rice variety and the thai style coconut chicken curry had a broth so rich it was almost textured the lighting is soft and the service unstuffy
the homey vibe is helped by the seating a counter extends all around the space with a huge shared table in the center there are no individual tables because mr pisha duffly said part of this style of food that we love is the communal aspect of dining in summers the restaurant swells from 38 seats to 50 thanks to a patio where soft serve flavors like caramelized honey with honeycomb will probably taste even sweeter


a sprawling 14th floor apartment at 10 madison square west the witkoff groups condominium conversion of a century old showroom building at the international toy center sold for 14255500 and was the most expensive closed sale of the week according to city records
the 3309 square foot sponsor unit no 14d at broadway and west 24th street overlooks madison square park with sweeping cityscape views from its oversize windows its monthly carrying costs total 7546
there are four bedrooms and four and a half baths the large master suite with east facing exposures that look out at the park contains three walk in closets and a spalike bath with a double vanity and a soaking tub
the apartment with wide plank oak floors and ceiling heights of nearly 11 feet is entered through a foyer that leads to a sizable gallery that separates the master suite from the other en suite bedrooms there is also a utility closet with a side by side washer and dryer
a second gallery leads to a massive 23 by 32 foot corner great room that connects to the chefs kitchen which has bianco carrara marble and siematic cabinets
kirk rundhaug holly parker and darren sukenik of douglas elliman real estate were the selling brokers while megan duryea scott of stribling  associates represented the buyer identified as the sweet pea trust
the witkoff group which developed the 125 unit luxury condominium with a subsidiary of the vector group had acquired the former toy showroom aka toy building north at auction in 2011 for about 190 million the building was reimagined with the help of goldstein hill  west architects which added six stories to the top and created a space for a private courtyard interiors are by alan wanzenberg and landscaping by mathews nielsen
the building offers numerous amenities among them a 10000 square foot residents club a 60 foot heated lap pool a fitness center with yoga and pilates studios and the courtyard garden
big ticket includes closed sales from the previous week ending wednesday


memorial day weekend celebrates service members who died in the line of duty in tributes across the country including ceremonies at pearl harbor in hawaii in gettysburg pa site of the bloodiest battle of the civil war with over 50000 casualties the 149th memorial day parade is scheduled for may 30 honoring veterans in and attending the event the route ends at the soldiers national cemetery where president lincoln gave his famous address
at the nearby gettysburg national military park run by the national park service civil war historians dressed in period style bivouac the battlefield memorial day weekend and every weekend from april 2 to oct 30 offering a living history look at the armies visitors can walk among them to learn about battle strategy and period weapons
elaine glusac
its an affordable safari to kenya with luxury accommodations and international airfare is part of the deal for a limited time south african airways vacations is offering the seven night discover kilimanjaro and the masai mara package which includes a stay in nairobi as well as three lodges in or adjacent to some of the countrys most renowned national parks each with unique geography amboseli national park in the foothills of mount kilimanjaro lake nakuru national park a two hour drive northwest of nairobi and home to more than 450 species of birds including thousands of flamingos and masai mara national reserve in the southwest and full of expansive grasslands
travelers can expect to see lions elephants cheetahs and herds of wildebeest prices from 3699 a person which includes round trip airfare on saa from john f kennedy international airport in new york accommodations game drives and activities most meals a boat ride near lake nakuru and transfers the trip must be booked by june 30 for travel between sept 23 and dec 9 this year
shivani vora


everyone brave is forgiven by chris cleave 424 pp simon  schuster 2699
inspired by the courtship of his own grandparents cleaves foray into historical fiction is both grand and intimate the novels ability to stay small and quiet against the raging tableau of war is what also makes it glorious
mary north a pampered socialite is assigned a teaching job just as londons children are being evacuated   all the children that is except those who happen to be disabled mentally impaired or black as mary sees to her charges in the dusty mostly empty rooms of the hawley street school she drifts into a romance with tom shaw its earnest young administrator then falls deeply in love with toms former roommate alistair heath a soldier who will soon be sent to the isolated island of malta
cleave crafts an absorbing account of survival racism classism love and pain and the scars left by all of them he writes of the men who dont come back the buildings flattened to rubble the hope that sinks into the thames thats not to say the novel is all ash gray hardly the characters brave concord is both inspiring and heart rending and cleaves prose is imbued with a dickensian flair deploying brilliant metaphors people spoke in whispers as if the war were listening and crackling dialogue the correspondence between mary and alistair is worthy of noel coward were the british all this witty as the luftwaffe dropped its bombs probably not but who cares if everyone brave is forgiven then we can surely forgive chris cleave
the girl from the paradise ballroom by alison love 321 pp broadway paper 16
this british authors american debut is a soapy romantic spin through wartime london the novel opens in 1937 as olivia a calculating young dance hall hostess and a panglossian italian singer named antonio have a most decidedly uncute meet cute interestingly hes the ingenue here
amid a melodramatic plot worthy of douglas sirk olivia seeking security weds bernard a lovestruck toady with a savior complex while antonio suffers the moods of his wife danila a harpy who has fallen under the spell of his neer do well fascist brother darting through olivia and antonios star crossed tale the supporting players prove a plucky engaging lot adding to the storys energy and resonance   none more so than antonios obstinate sister filomena who emerges from the books shadows to become its moral compass
a surprising plot twist sends the action in a different but still involving direction even if things do get a tad silly with characters even coming back from the dead as if this were a british riff on days of our lives finally capitulating to treacle with an eye roll inducing ending still the story compels with its vivid cast of flawed characters all fighting for their own kinds of survival with their own kinds of weapons especially olivia who mollifies her grumpy husband with a seductive tango after they quarrel its going to be all right thought olivia as triumph turned her limbs to jelly deep down though she felt the icy whisper of disdain that her husband should fall for something so obvious
lilac girls by martha hall kelly 487 pp ballantine 26
the female prisoners who underwent horrific surgical experiments at the ravensbruck concentration camp became known as the rabbits in her first novel kelly rotates portraits of two real life women involved in this story an american named caroline ferriday who led a crusade on behalf of the survivors and herta oberheuser the nazi surgeon who performed the gruesome operations with that of a fictional polish woman kasia loosely based on two of the actual rabbits
although kellys novel is clearly the result of exhaustive research the deficiency in lilac girls rests unfortunately with its characters caroline comes off as a dilettante and kasia starts out as something of a joan of arc a passionate if naive operative in the polish resistance whose feelings of guilt when she takes down her entire family after a botched assignment arent plumbed in any meaningful way herta arriving at ravensbruck oblivious to its real purpose is aghast when she learns its secret but the next time we see her shes encased in ice heartless cruel infuriating what happened like everyone else shes a stereotype with no narrative force of her own
postwar things only get worse caroline and kasia devolve into shrill selfish brats it takes some doing to make a concentration camp survivor appear an ingrate and herta mercifully disappears from the story   though alas not for good lilac girls is an earnest attempt to tell the rabbits story but it sinks under the weight of its own ambition
tightrope by simon mawer 500 pp other press paper 1595
in this sequel to mawers 2012 novel trapeze a young glamorous british spy named marian sutro returns to postwar england after parachuting behind enemy lines and being captured by the nazis diffident and depressed she marries a bland former airman and accepts a clerical job at a vaguely defined french english cultural organization even as she engages in clandestine affairs to keep her life interesting drifting back into the espionage game to save her homosexual brother from ruin she finds herself entangled with a russian spy she persuades to become a double agent and then he disappears
marian is an interesting heroine   merle oberon meets mata hari   but the book shes trapped in cant seem to get going or at least get going anywhere worthwhile a successful espionage fable needs to burrow deep beneath the masks these spies wear even in their private lives think of le carres enigmatic george smiley but marian remains a tabula rasa aloof and unknowable
theres also a structural problem the story is bloated a hundred pages too long and told through an omniscient narrator until a first person voice a man who had a boyhood crush on marian pops up he leaves hes back a storytelling jack in the box its a distracting and ill considered device and when marian tries to play the british and the russians against each other mawers climax simply deflates as marian herself declares its all irrelevant   just a dusty piece of history


were it a kinder world mikhail bulgakovs incandescent novel the master and margarita would be commemorating its 75th rather than 50th anniversary for the author completed it in 1940 just as his own brief life was ending but in the soviet union of the time   then concluding one of the most grotesquely violent decades in history   the fate of authors like bulgakov was so precarious that he was fortunate to die of natural causes having finished the book he reportedly said to his wife from his deathbed now it deserves to be put in the commode under your linens she did not even try to get it published a censored version finally appeared in 1966 67
the novel spans several spring days in 1930s moscow during which the capital is visited by the devil himself trailed by a piebald entourage including an easily insulted giant cat with a fondness for vodka and guns registering himself as a foreign artiste specializing in black magic woland as the novels devil is known proceeds to expose via a series of seances at the variety theater the greed and servility that rules even socialist moscow but this is a warm up woland is in moscow for margarita an unhappily married woman who once loved the master the author of a novel about pontius pilates consignment of christ to the cross chapters of which appear in bulgakovs novel the master burned most of the manuscript after it was turned down by a publisher and committed himself to a mental asylum at wolands invitation margarita goes through hell   literally   to search for her beloved
but this tells you nothing the master and margarita is one of those novels that even in translation make you feel that not one word could have been written differently ive read it half a dozen times now in three translations and in the original and its mystery has only increased its like those 10 ruble notes that woland rains down on his audience at the variety   they change into bottle labels the next day you try to hold the novels face and it turns away once again
with his plays mostly banned bulgakov used every freedom inside the covers of margarita and its pages bristle with a deeply informed indifference to every dogma whether historical religious political or artistic bulgakovs earthbound christ ignores the mythology of the gospels and soviet atheism both as does a satan figure who is munificent and majestic rather than petty and evil the pilate narrative is equally dark on the rules it migrates from one teller to another from speech to novel inside a novel to dream few novels have incorporated fantastical elements into straight realism the absurd into the sane as hilariously and boldly as this one long before there was latin american magic realism there was soviet magic realism it was a lot funnier
but what other style could fit a world where heaven was now indeed hell what kind of diabolical sorcery could compare with the disappearance of millions by stalin and his security apparatus the novels galling play was to propose that in a place like the ussr justice was with the dark forces the gospel according to the devil
initially bulgakovs talent exonerated his politically questionable background the author epitomized the russian intelligentsia snuffed out by the bolsheviks of which his contemporary nabokov was also a member   impossibly cultured preoccupied with the fate of the nation conservative but not reactionary liberal but not revolutionary molecularly russian but open to europe and above all fastidiously humane even stalin counted himself an admirer   he attended one of bulgakovs plays 15 times and when bulgakov reached a nadir and burned an early draft of margarita it was to stalin he wrote asking permission to emigrate if his country could not find use for his talents
bulgakov could not bend it wasnt for lack of trying   he didnt believe that a russian writer could function outside his homeland and tried sincerely to write a play with the right message the closest he came a play about stalins early years was banned by the dictator himself but bulgakovs great fortune was that for some reason he was allowed to live though relatively little of his work reached the public a death of a different kind for me not being allowed to write is tantamount to being buried alive he wrote to stalin
margarita has too many achievements to list but the way it keeps faith in love and art even in moments of unspeakable humiliation and cruelty must be the greatest in my home it stands on that small shelf of titles reserved for the most difficult days although sacred to russians the novel has been something of a cult classic in america maybe its the humor america grew up on vaudeville and slapstick more youthful and accessible forms whereas russian humor is winking and wry at home between the lines its time for the master and margarita to rise to its rightful place in the canon of great world literature let it inspire american authors with its openness to sentiment its dedication to the loftiest questions in the last century it has surely against its own wishes proved bitterly prescient about the way of the world again and again may the 21st prove its political preoccupations obsolete but as literature it will live forever


spring has brought its usual raft of new books about baseball and if none are moneyball like breakouts they still offer plenty to entertain fans between innings
michael leahys the last innocents follows seven dodgers including sandy koufax through the 1960s telling a story about baseball and about larger cultural changes the former mets pitcher ron darlings game 7 1986 works on a much smaller canvas to deliver just what the title promises a close analysis of one game the night when darling performed poorly but the mets won the world series anyway in the only rule is it has to work two number crunching geeks ben lindbergh and sam miller write about what happened when they were given the reins to run a minor league baseball team in california
speaking of geekdom the espn commentator tim kurkjians latest book of anecdotal essays is titled im fascinated by sacrifice flies it includes a defense of that statement i must explain that they are not meaningless humorless pointless as well as chapters on what its like to be hit by a pitch funny things fans have shouted to players and a catalog of the games superstitions elliot johnson chews grape flavored gum on defense and watermelon flavored gum when batting the hits are in the watermelon gum he says
where kurkjians book is diverting jeff passans the arm which investigates the increase in injuries to pitchers is troubling passan closely follows two major leaguers as they go through rehab after surgery trying to rebuild their arms and their careers the book also examines the rising numbers of teenage players going under the knife and other alarming trends its a reminder that football with its more chilling crisis of concussions isnt the only sport with a major health problem
quotable
if you can read a book instead of taking a pill then read the book read to find out more about yourself   mark haddon in an interview with electric lit
delightful mail
fans of authors correspondence will find a delightful example of the genre in jay to bee which collects letters sent by the troubled new zealand writer janet frame to the american painter william theophilus brown in an introduction denis harold the books editor calls it not an academic work but    the uncensored revelation of a great writers imagination at play frames playful spirit can be seen in the many doodles she included in her correspondence as well as in her words one postcard begins by the time you read this i shall have been swallowed by a carnivorous plant which you have been sheltering unbeknownst in your otherwise paradisal garden


click on the slide show to see this weeks featured properties in new york city
 in gramercy a two bedroom three and a half bath triplex with a fireplace a washerdryer and a mezzanine used as a third bedroom in an elevator building
 in midtown east a one bedroom one bath in the horizon building a full service elevator high rise with many amenities including a pool
 in south slope brooklyn a two bedroom two bath condo with a washerdryer and three outdoor spaces on the top two levels of a 2006 condominium


the public assessment of arthur russell from near footnote to new paradigm master is one of the most curious stories in music of the last half century
russell a singer songwriter cellist composer was born in iowa dropped out of high school lived for a time in a buddhist commune in northern california and moved to new york city in 1973 settling in the east village he died from complications of aids in 1992 at 40 during his new york period he was known in various not very overlapping circles the avant garde music scene around the kitchen and experimental intermedia the djs producers and dancers who gathered in the paradise garage to hear his disco tracks like go bang 5 recorded under the name dinosaur l the danceteria going new wave types interested in the guitar pop band the necessaries in which mr russell had a short and rocky tenure philip glass allen ginsberg and david byrne all championed russell in various ways the new york times published reviews of several of his performances as well as a short obituary after his death
he was noted to say more would be pushing it
but russell was ahead of his time genre agnostic in a way that we are perhaps only now getting accustomed to and preoccupied with process he was a pop and dance music songwriter and a constructor of musical systems based on pitch matrices and linguistics he composed works for hybrid chamber ensembles like instrumentals which was performed at moogfest this month by a group led by his old friend peter gordon and in 1986 he released world of echo an album of mantra like free ranging songs for voice cello and digital echo effects which has become a kind of secret handshake among musicheads
since his death he has been the subject of tribute records scholarly works a film documentary and repertory ensembles kanye west recently sampled the world of echo track answers me for 30 hours on his new album the life of pablo russells song a little lost appeared in aziz ansaris netflix series master of none
and especially since 2004 when steve knutsons audika label started issuing carefully prepared releases of russells known and unknown music he has become central to the education of young pop bands and musicians looking toward pops center from the outside those include grizzly bear julianna barwick james blake cate le bon mica levi and devonte hynes of blood orange and the new york public library for the performing arts will announce shortly that it has acquired russells archives giving a new generation an unusual opportunity to try to decipher the work of a musician the times called the kind of genre busting artist who defined downtown new york city in the 1970s and 80s
concerning the archive ms barwick wrote in an email recently that it will be like a look into his mind adding i want to know more about his process with such varied works were the processes similar or were they different every time
shell soon be able to find out
the library acquired the archive   166 linear feet   from russells estate which is shepherded by tom lee russells partner the library doesnt comment on the terms of its acquisitions it includes a thousand or so reels cassettes dats beta and vhs tapes with hundreds of hours of unreleased and probably unreleasable material representing how russell made his work   laying down individual tracks or practicing or jamming   often in long sessions and with musicians who may have had little idea what they were working on at the time he kept many versions of songs one example in the collection recorded on a tdk 90 cassette tape over remixes of salsoul label disco by walter gibbons contains a version of russells song my tiger my timing sung with jennifer warnes it becomes a long mantra of blissful pop hooks practice becoming ritual extended over a whole side of a tape
these sorts of items may be crucial to understanding russell after the paper material is assessed and cataloged with the proper metadata some months from now anyone interested will be able to come to the librarys division of music and recorded sound to look through it all the tapes will be digitized and cataloged as well   a process that may take as long as a year according to jonathan hiam the librarys curator for the project   but then will be available for onsite listening while the library has been collecting broad amounts of american music material back to the 1930s including the papers of john cage henry cowell benny goodman and pauline oliveros mr hiam said that its next major focus is music of the late 1970s and beyond both popular and classical the russell archive may be a test case for how to do it right
it has been said by those who knew him that russell had a resistance toward finishing things he might have been very interested in how mr west continued to revise the life of pablo but what the paper archives make clear through russells personal notes   often written in small music composition notebooks   is how much he sought to incorporate a conscious sense of openness and flexibility into his work some of his most useful notes probably from the early 1980s deal with world of echo here he wrestled with the idea of form and completeness in fascinating ways often using the notation p idea the p may have stood for parenthetical such as
p idea the construction of structure which can be abandoned at any moment and that is transparent   woe
and
p idea the use of woe to demystify the process of presentation packaging and glamor of the music at the same time as mystifying it
the papers and notebooks include scores personal correspondence grant proposals gig fliers and lyrics to hundreds of songs among those are some from world of echo which are hardest to decipher   including the extraordinary soon to be innocent funlets see as well as answers me the song mr west used the handwritten material shows russell as a mixture of things abstracted articulate ambitious very serious and very funny next to the notes about presentation and packaging he wrote send nude photos to critics
since the early 90s the papers have been divided among mr lee mr knutson of audika and a storage space in queens i think the notebooks show his daily life mr lee said in a recent telephone interview russell always carried a pen and paper a lot of lyrics and melodies that eventually found their way to a song are hastily notated as if subject to change
for me its fascinating to look at those books mr lee continued im always seeing the germ of something that became a song because im so attached to him after he died i wanted to get inside his head so badly when youre living with someone youre not thinking how are you creating your work but after he died i thought who is this guy i lived side by side with that could be revealed through the books and tapes
other than mr lee and mr knutson one of the few people to have seen this material is the composer and scholar matthew marble who just a couple of months ago defended his dissertation on russell buddhist bubblegum esoteric buddhism in the creative process of arthur russell for a doctorate in philosophy at princeton it was a considerable labor in focusing on russells shift from esoteric systems to the relative freedom of his later work mr marble had to try to decode russells methods of musical and numerical notation
arthur never worked mr marble said in an interview so he had nothing but time to work on music which most people assume means honing cello skills or playing concerts   but the archive shows that he spent a lot of time working mental alterations on music he got fixated in this kind of rube goldbergian way his mind functioned like that he craved complexity
but later he seemed to crave uncertainty the percussionist mustafa ahmed told mr marble that russell used a mantric alphabet to come up with sung melodies that could be a key to the flexible construction of the world of echo lyrics which were often written down with three possibilities for a single word and mumbled all the same non verbalpop feel says another note to self in the composition books
one of the librarys interesting challenges may be in how to catalog russells work for starters neither the terms popular or classical really describe him a group of his lyrics on a notebook page might apply to more than one known and recorded piece of work a tape of a practice session might or might not be leading toward a finished take mr hiam the curator said that this was the first time the library has had such a large number of recorded materials demonstrating a composers creative process he revised and rerecorded and wrote new material in old notebooks traditional modes of definition may only help to show the ways that russell resisted them


click on the slide show to see this weeks featured properties in the new york region
 in redding conn a four bedroom three bath expanded 1918 house with an original great room with a floor to ceiling stone fireplace a family room with a fireplace a large art studio and two two car garages on six acres
 in old brookville ny a redone five bedroom three and a half bath 1983 house with a finished basement a stone patio a built in grill area and an attached two car garage on a 211 acre lot


a mere 193 million
thats how much compensation wells fargos chief executive john g stumpf was awarded last year making him perfectly representative of the best paid chief executives in the country
among the 200 highest paid chief executives at american companies with annual revenue of at least 1 billion that filed proxies by april 30 the average pay was give or take a few thousand dollars equivalent to mr stumpfs own a cool 193 million
yet by the topsy turvy standards of corporate pay whats remarkable is not how big that number is but how small
after years of steady increases the average compensation among the top executives in 2015 was down 15 percent from the 2014 figure of 226 million according to the equilar 200 highest paid ceo rankings conducted for the new york times read how the figures were calculated
by other measures too chief executive compensation declined cash and stock awards the main components of pay packages fell last year among the companies in the equilar 200 the biggest pay package worth 946 million went to dara khosrowshahi of expedia that meant that for the first time since 2012 no company in the rankings awarded its chief more than 100 million
all of which raises a tantalizing prospect has executive pay finally peaked have the ceos and the compensation committees that set their pay discovered something approaching modesty
some experts say that is the case were hearing a great deal more concern from compensation committee chairs about absolute pay said kenneth daly chief executive of the national association of corporate directors a trade group for board members they seem to have a lot more steel in their backs
maybe what is certain is that last years weak stock market pulled down the value of executive pay packages after posting fairly consistent gains for years the standard  poors 500 stock index and the dow jones industrial average each fell slightly in 2015 because the average compensation package was 69 percent stock lower share prices meant less pay for ceos
but the relation between pay and performance remains tenuous at best some executives pay fell despite gains in the price of shares of their companies and several ceos reaped huge windfalls even while presiding over precipitous declines in total shareholder return
take philippe dauman the embattled chief of the media conglomerate viacom mr dauman was awarded 541 million last year a 22 percent raise from 2014 over the year viacom shares plunged 43 percent
or consider stephen a wynn the las vegas casino magnate using the equilar criteria he made 207 million as ceo of wynn resorts last year down 19 percent from 2014 that may seem like an appropriate haircut in a difficult year but his shareholders fared even worse shares of wynn resorts plunged 54 percent wiping out half the companys value total shareholder return which includes dividends was down almost as much at 51 percent
such flagrant disparities   chief executives are paid tens of millions of dollars for running troubled companies   rile critics
moral outrage is the right term said heather slavkin corzo director of the afl cios investment office the rules of our economy have been written to allow the rich and powerful to keep getting richer and more powerful while the rest of us are fighting for the scraps its reprehensible
presidential candidates are talking about high ceo pay in equally charged terms for democrats and republicans alike stagnant wages and income inequality have emerged as reliable rallying cries the sentiments that fueled the occupy wall street movement and were given academic heft through the work of the french economist thomas piketty have become talking points for bernie sanders hillary clinton and donald j trump
the inequality movement has created a whole backlash against ceo pay said alan johnson managing director of johnson associates a compensation consulting firm
weighing in on verizons labor dispute senator sanders an avowed socialist took a shot at the companys chief executive lowell mcadam who made 183 million last year
when the ceo of a company makes almost 20 million a year but then tries to outsource jobs reduce wages and cut health benefits   thats the kind of corporate greed we need to get rid of in america mr sanderss campaign wrote in an email to supporters recently and thats exactly what verizon is doing right now
starting her campaign last year mrs clinton contrasted working americans with chief executives families have fought their way back from tough economic times she wrote in a campaign email but its not enough   not when the average ceo makes about 300 times what the average worker makes
no less than mr trump the presumptive republican nominee and a wealthy businessman himself suggested that executive pay was in some instances excessive you see these guys making these enormous amounts of money mr trump said on face the nation last year its a total and complete joke
the presidential contenders are responding to a sense of outrage among many working class men and women
in the wealthiest country in the history of the world it should be a no brainer that someone who works full time should be able to support their family and send their children to school ms slavkin corzo said this type of wealth inequality has dangerous ramifications for our economy over all its immoral
that sentiment resonates beyond the picket lines even mr johnson who is paid to advise companies on pay said things had gotten out of hand i wish all ceos were paid less money he said i think theyre paid too much from a moral standpoint but it is a competitive market
several factors account for big paydays at the highest reaches of corporate america among them the ease with which companies can give away stock and chummy board members who reward their friends
but another driver of high pay is the practice of benchmarking a chief executives compensation against that of others in a so called peer group
companies are accustomed to benchmarking against other companies in their industries said andrew goldstein leader of the north american executive compensation practice at willis towers watson a consultancy you tend to get these clusters of compensation in these industry groups and companies are prone to benchmark themselves against larger companies and set pay at the high end of any range
at first data a payments processor with a market value of about 11 billion that went public last year the chief executive frank j bisignano was awarded 516 million in 2015 some of it tied to long term performance the board benchmarked his pay against 21 other companies it determined made up first datas peer group
but those companies tended to be much larger than first data with average market values of about 37 billion the peer group included visa 188 billion market cap mastercard 104 billion market cap and accenture 77 billion market cap
yet despite first datas relatively small size mr bisignano who joined the company in 2013 after working at jpmorgan chase was awarded more than any chief of the companies in his peer group the closest was kenneth chenault of american express who made 217 million less than half of mr bisignanos package first data declined to comment
nobody wants to be in the bottom half mr daly said so over time the average compensation in any group goes up
first data may be an outlier in the payments industry in other sectors of the economy however specifically media and technology enormous pay packages have become the norm
in 2014 the four chief executives reporting to the media mogul john malone were awarded a combined 358 million last year those four men   david m zaslav michael t fries gregory b maffei and thomas m rutledge   were still awarded 1034 million
other media and technology chiefs picked up the slack sumner m redstone has routinely bestowed great riches upon his lieutenants mr dauman of viacom and leslie moonves chief executive of cbs last year was no exception
mr moonves was the second highest paid executive on the equilar list with a package worth 564 million mr dauman was right behind him with a 541 million package that included a contract extension they received this compensation although cbs shares fell 16 percent last year and viacoms share performance was dismal
its not clear how much longer mr redstones largess will endure he is ailing has publicly split with mr dauman and the futures of cbs and viacom are the subject of enormous speculation
every year they get paid more than they should due to that unusual governance situation said steven n kaplan a professor of finance at the university of chicago booth school of business referring to mr moonves and mr dauman those guys may be going down once sumner is gone
should the pay of mr dauman and mr moonves fall in the coming years plenty of other media chiefs will still reap big rewards robert a iger of walt disney was awarded 435 million last year jeffrey l bewkes of time warner received 315 million james e meyer of sirius xm made 292 million and brian l roberts of comcast took in 275 million
technology company chiefs also did well marissa a mayer of yahoo was awarded 36 million marc benioff founder and chief executive of salesforce received a 334 million package and mr khosrowshahi of expedia the lucky high earner of 2015 according to equilar had compensation of 946 million mr khosrowshahi is a director of the new york times company his package reflecting a new five and a half year contract was almost exclusively stock that vests over time so much of its value is closely linked to expedias share price
defenders of executive pay cite factors like those as evidence that seemingly astronomical rewards really dont add up to that much money in a statement sarah gavin an expedia spokeswoman said mr khosrowshahi has been a transformational ceo for expedia adding that much of his compensation was structured to give him an additional incentive to create long term shareholder value
all told tech and media ceos made up 17 of the highest paid 30 spots on equilars list last year
according to bureau of labor statistics data compiled by the afl cio the average worker in the united states who doesnt have management responsibility earns 36875 a year by that measure the average chief executive on the equilar list makes roughly 523 times the average worker salary
its not a perfect comparison executive pay includes stock grants often with multiyear payouts and performance targets while low paid workers rarely receive stock let alone long term incentive packages nonetheless the discrepancy is stark a bank teller at wells fargo making that average wage would have to work more than half a millennium until 2539 to earn what that companys chief executive mr stumpf who made the average among chiefs on the equilar list earned last year
incomplete as such ratios may be chief executives will have to get used to them starting in 2018 companies will be required to disclose the ratio of their ceos pay to the median compensation of their employees the securities and exchange commission will allow companies significant leeway when interpreting their own data which could keep ratios down
in the interim data from other sources offers a hint of what to expect payscale a company that makes enterprise software has surveyed more than 80000 workers about their pay using that data it is possible to roughly approximate ratios of the sort that the sec will soon require
the biggest gap between ceo and worker pay was at expedia where mr khosrowshahi made 993 times the median pay of his employees as reported to payscale that is not so surprising given mr khosrowshahis enormous multiyear contract but it held true even with expedias high median salary of 95300
perhaps more glaring was the discrepancy between the walmart chief executive c douglas mcmillon who made 194 million nearly the average among the equilar 200 and his workers who reported a median salary of just 24600 mr mcmillon thus made 789 times the income of his median employee using payscale and equilar data
walmart said it had raised wages for more than 12 million employees in february mr mcmillon himself started as an hourly worker at walmart and the company said that most of his compensation was based on company performance
such huge gulfs between worker and executive pay are a recent phenomenon according to an analysis by the economic policy institute a research organization that focuses on labor issues ceos of the top 350 american companies by sales made just 30 times what average workers in their industries did in 1978 by 1989 chiefs were making 59 times what their average workers made by 2000 they were making 383 times what the average workers made
its an eye popping number said ms slavkin corzo that means the typical worker would have to work for hundreds of years to make what a ceo makes in one year
eye popping as such numbers may be compensation specialists dont expect the secs ratio rule to change these disparities very much but mr johnson said it might embarrass retailers like walmart it will throw another log on the fire but i dont think it will have a huge impact he said
being the chief executive of a big publicly traded company isnt the only way to get paid these days
masimo a small medical device company with a market value of just 24 billion and annual sales of about 630 million saw fit to award its chief executive joe kiani 1192 million in cash and stock palo alto networks an enterprise technology company with just under 1 billion in sales awarded its chief executive mark d mclaughlin 666 million and paul j taubman an investment banker who recently took his firm pjt partners public received a package composed almost entirely of stock worth 755 million because their companies didnt have 1 billion in sales they were not included in the equilar 200
a business leader does not even have to be a ceo to make a fortune lowly chief financial officers chief operating officers and division heads are also hauling in staggering pay packages
when google reorganized last yearto become alphabet it placed sundar pichai in charge of its search business for taking control of the subsidiary called google he was awarded stock and cash worth 1006 million
alphabets chief financial officer ruth porat who was recruited from morgan stanley was awarded 311 million and patrick pichette the companys departing chief financial officer received a golden parachute worth 566 million
among companies that gave lavish packages to chief executives other senior executives were also richly rewarded at viacom thomas e dooley the chief operating officer was awarded 294 million at comcast michael j cavanagh the chief financial officer received 406 million
and at first data where mr bisignano received the sixth highest total compensation among chief executives last year his deputies fared well too
daniel charron executive vice president of global business solutions was awarded 248 million while the total for guy chiarello the companys president was 206 million
these are very high numbers some people think its too much mr kaplan said but if you look at what people are making in the market   technology and globalization have played into this   these are market rates
yet the highest earners in the united states are not employees at public companies encumbered by pesky compensation committees they are hedge fund managers like kenneth c griffin who runs citadel and made 17 billion last year james simons founder of renaissance technologies also earned 17 billion in 2015
three other hedge fund managers   ray dalio of bridgewater associates david tepper of appaloosa management and israel englander of millennium management   each made more than 1 billion another three men made 500 million or more
the figures for hedge fund managers compiled by institutional investors alpha magazine take into account the money they have invested in their funds as well as the fees they charge
together the top 25 best paid hedge fund managers took in a combined 13 billion last year
on a case by case basis large executive pay packages are easy to understand big companies employ thousands of people and generate billions in sales competition for top executive talent is intense especially in todays global marketplace from that perspective mr kaplan said in this day and age i dont think theyre particularly overpaid
and chief executive pay declined in 2015 according to the equilar 200 which included companies with 1 billion in revenue not 1 billion in market capitalization as was the case last year cash compensation fell to 6 million on average compared with 69 million in 2014 while stock and option awards slumped to 133 million down from 157 million in 2014 some executives with large stock holdings felt a twinge when their companys share price fell
but it is too soon to call this decline a trend in 2012 after years of steady increases average pay dipped 10 percent what followed were two years of strong gains until last year and for all the talk about measures designed to incentivize long term performance many chief executives took home enormous cash bonuses which do little to promote foresight mr moonves got 237 million in cash while mr dauman received 183 million
what is more when executive compensation is compared with worker salaries todays pay packages seem gargantuan
seen in this light the compensation committees that set ceo pay are orchestrating a large scale transfer of wealth to a few hundred individuals   most of them men most of them white
previous efforts to rein in executive pay havent yielded many results so called say on pay measures which let investors voice their opinions on executive pay have had little effect the secs pay ratio rule may make some companies look bad yet many analysts predict executive pay will continue the trajectory it has followed for decades climbing ever higher
the amount of power that weve allowed to be concentrated in the hands of ceos is worrisome ms slavkin corzo said there is nobody out there that has the power to put their thumb on the scale on the other direction there are lots of ways you can tweak around the edges but at the end of the day if you want change its about changing the power structures in corporate america


the c suite leans right
republican candidates have drawn overwhelming support from the highest paid chief executives in the country this election cycle according to an analysis by the center for responsive politics conducted for the new york times
that may not be so surprising given the republicans reputation as the party of business but none of the people on this years highest paid list contributed to the campaign of donald j trump a fellow businessman and the presumptive republican presidential nominee
their unwillingness to support mr trump at least so far is a further indication that the partys new standard bearer is struggling to connect with some of its most influential constituents
together the 200 best compensated ceos and their spouses gave more than 65 million to republican candidates and groups supporting their campaigns but less than 1 million to democratic candidates and groups
leslie h wexner chief of the company that owns victorias secret along with his wife abigail were the top political donors among those included on the equilar 200 highest paid ceo rankings
ms wexner gave 15 million to groups that supported ohio governor john kasichs bid for the republican presidential nomination in doing so she was supporting the hometown candidate l brands the parent company of victorias secret is based in columbus ohio mr wexner gave 500000 to a group supporting the campaign of jeb bush and nearly 100000 to national republican committees
the second most prolific political donors among the top paid chieftains were robert j hugin the recently retired chief executive of the drug company celgene and his wife kathleen mr hugin gave 250000 to a super pac supporting new jersey governor chris christies unsuccessful bid for the republican presidential nomination and nearly 200000 to national republican committees
most of the other biggest political donors   including stephen a wynn of wynn resorts and his wife andrea john b hess of the hess corporation and his wife susan rupert murdoch of 21st century fox and meg whitman of hewlett packard enterprise also supported republicans by a wide margin
salesforcecoms leader marc benioff was the top donor to democrats among the high earners along with his wife lynne he contributed 173400 most of that to national democratic committees
but even among the big donors supporting democrats few of the chief executives supported hillary clinton who is closing in on the democratic nomination for president and none contributed to her rival bernie sanders
mrs clinton received just 56000 in contributions from the top paid chiefs in the country her super pac priorities usa action received no contributions from the group not even from mr benioff who has publicly said he supports mrs clinton
among the other candidates drawing support from the ceo class were rob portman republican senator from ohio kelly ayotte republican senator from new hampshire and chuck schumer democratic senator from new york
chief executives of public companies are not always big political contributors they must balance the risk of appearing partisan with the interests of their companies and many of the best compensated chief executives have much of their net worth tied up in stock which can complicate the impulse to write big checks to favored candidates
nonetheless the center for responsive politics analysis reveals a clear willingness among some of the countrys richest business leaders to exert their influence on democracy and a clear propensity to support republicans
like many of the republican partys top donors however the best paid ceos in the country remain wary of throwing their support behind mr trump even as the republican national committee scrambles to shore up big money for his candidacy
ms whitman gave more than 200000 to groups that supported the failed bid by mr christie to become the republican presidential nominee after mr christie threw his support behind mr trump ms whitman criticized him and assailed mr trump
donald trump is unfit to be president ms whitman said in february but that didnt end her political spending the next month she donated 100000 to a super pac devoted to defeating mr trump


appointing more women to corporate boards has long been viewed as a good thing for a companys performance and for society as a whole
but gender diversity among directors carries another benefit 2015 proxy filings show a bigger paycheck for the companys chief executive
an analysis of ceo pay at 100 large companies last year by equilar a compensation research firm in redwood city calif found that companies with greater gender diversity on their boards paid their chief executives about 15 percent more than the compensation dispensed by companies with less diverse boards in dollars this translated to approximately 2 million more in median pay last year among these companies
this data which comes from a smaller set than equilars broader study of pay at the top 200 companies doesnt necessarily prove cause and effect of course there could be other reasons for the disparity too the more diverse companies could be bigger or more profitable than average for example
still it stumped me for some reason i had expected women directors to stand tougher on pay issues
but nell minow a longtime expert on corporate governance was unsurprised by the findings
its very difficult for women to get on boards and i think they are under even more pressure to go along and get along said ms minow a vice chairwoman at valueedge advisors a consulting firm that works with shareholder groups on compensation and other issues the culture of the boardroom is to vote yes you want to stay on the board dont you
today roughly one in five directors at a wide array of public companies is female equilar said thats up 31 percent over the last five years
if ms minow is right about board culture anyone arguing for more women on boards should recognize that gender alone may not be enough to generate a new approach to pay
among the 100 largest companies equilar studied 57 percent have boards where women make up more than a fifth of the members which is the average share of female directors among standard  poors 500 corporations
the median pay among the chief executives overseeing the companies whose boards had more gender diversity was 157 million last year equilar found this compares with 136 million received by heads of companies whose boards had 20 percent or fewer women
chief executive compensation at companies with more diverse boards also exceeded by 8 percent the 145 million median pay received by ceos employed at the top 100 companies
at the 10 large united states company boards with the greatest gender diversity 46 of the 124 directors were women thats more than a third
macys the giant retailer ranked atop this list with six female directors out of 13 wells fargo came second with 40 percent of its board consisting of women procter  gamble and hewlett packard each had boards made up of 385 percent women
at abbott laboratories and cardinal health women directors accounted for 364 percent of the boards at the remaining companies   accenture att manpowergroup and tenet healthcare   one third of the board members were women
whos at the bottom of the list twenty first century fox with 77 percent of its board made up of women express scripts and qualcomm did a little better with 83 percent emerson electric had 91 percent and humana inc came in at 10 percent
most of the top 10 companies paid their chiefs more than the 145 million median at the top 100 companies equilar said but four did not among these were manpowergroup whose chief executive jonas prising received 91 million last year and terry lundgren macys chief executive who received 116 million
just being a director of course does not mean that you can have a direct impact on a companys pay practices that is the domain of the compensation committee the board group that oversees the methodology used to determine top executives pay
women are not that common on these crucial committees even among the 10 most diverse boards just under a third of the directors who are women   14 of 46   belong to compensation committees
still less likely the analysis showed is that a woman will serve as chairwoman of a boards compensation committee women performed that function at just two of the 10 most diverse boards last year
the chief executives at both of those companies   accenture and att   made more than the median pay at the top 100 companies analyzed by equilar
marjorie magner a partner at brysam global partners a private equity firm heads accentures compensation committee and is its lead director pierre nanterme accentures chief executive received 158 million last year or 13 million more than the median pay at the top 100 companies
ms magner declined to comment
the other compensation committee chairwoman was joyce roche former president and chief executive of girls inc a nonprofit organization that tries to build confidence in girls under ms roches stewardship at att randall l stephenson its chief executive received 224 million thats almost 8 million more than the median pay for the 100 top companies in 2015
ms roche declined to respond to questions about the pay situation at att
she was also atts compensation committee chairwoman in 2014 when mr stephenson received almost 24 million company shareholders expressed displeasure with that pay package at atts annual meeting last year where 23 percent of votes cast were against its compensation practices thats far above the 5 percent of nays cast on pay at the companies in the standard  poors 500 stock index during the same year
another notable detail about the highly diverse boards theres a lot of overlap among the directors at the 20 companies with the most gender diversity four directors who are women sit on two of their boards
these multiple directorships arent unusual nearly one quarter of women directors at sp 500 companies sat on one or more corporate boards last year equilar found among directors who are men only 19 percent held multiple board seats
does this indicate the existence of an old girls network a small and relatively elite group of women who are sought after for board seats ms minow said it did
when you talk to executives they always tell you we are looking for a consensus builder in a director she said what that means is someone who doesnt rock the boat
its not as if the pool of qualified women executives   those with so called c suite experience   isnt growing it is
but it remains a relatively untapped pool a study earlier this year by equilar and the us 30 percent club a group formed by business leaders seeking greater gender balance at public companies found that four of five women executives currently working had never served on a board
it is certainly good news that women have made headway as corporate directors in recent years but for those who had hoped women who are directors would rein in runaway executive pay the data indicates that gender diversity in the boardroom just doesnt translate into meaningful change


as daenerys targaryen in hbos game of thrones the british actress emilia clarke battles evil while armed with dragons and an apparent immunity to fire but as louisa clark in me before you shes a mere mortal caring for a demonically angry englishman sam claflin determined to end his life after being hit by a motorcycle and paralyzed at which point lou decides to help him live again
its a role ms clarke was determined to play the moment she received the jojo moyes novel from which thea sharrocks romantic drama opening on june 3 was adapted i was utterly convinced that someone had found me and written me emilia down she said it wasnt even a question that i would do whatever it took to be able to play lou
that included chemistry reads with six men before she and mr claflin the hunger games were partnered which was wonderful because we already knew each other she said we sort of cheated
in a phone interview the emmy nominated berkshire reared ms clarke 29 a drama center london grad who had but two tiny parts on her professional resume when she was cast as daenerys spoke about her love of the sea warrior women and unlikely namesakes these are edited excerpts from the conversation
why are you calling from california
i spend half my time in london half my time in los angeles but sometimes la can feel a bit intense and soul sucking when youre by the sea youve got that sea air blowing all of the anxiety cobwebs away from every person whos desperate to make it the people walk around with no shoes on and surf and i feel like im on holiday every day
do you surf
no no no no no i like watching pretty boys surf but i dont surf many boyfriends have tried to get me on surfboards but its just not attractive its not 90210 its 911
how is louisa like you
where we meet lou is very much where you would have met me when i was 15 and younger her naivete and simplicity are what bring the comedy to play because its done in this really open innocent way in terms of her choices and how she lives her life you see a girl growing up and discovering the things that will change her fundamentally and thats lovely to watch
she may be innocent but shes strong
lou is a badass in her own right absolutely theres a beautiful arc that happens and it isnt dragons and killing zombies but its having the courage to be brave within her world which is stepping outside her comfort zone realizing her potential
assisted suicide is a sensitive topic for many people how do you feel about it
well i am very english and very liberal so i believe that everybody in life should be able to have a choice regardless of the subject and i think thats the thing were talking about in this movie
lou is fierce and so is daenerys are you
nooo laughs i have days when i can be then i have months when i am not id rather crack a joke than punch someone in the face
what do the dothraki mean to daenerys
they are the first people to truly recognize her as a powerful woman and to fall to her power so coming back to them and having their loyalty keeps them close to her heart
where is daenerys headed this season
the next episodes might be a real turning point as she is about to make a real move toward the targaryen in her blood
how do you feel about the 146 babies whove been named khaleesi one title queen for your thrones character
its mental there should be 146 babies called george r r martin i cant take any credit for that but i hope all 146 are blondes


the title track from ariana grandes new album dangerous woman posits ms grande not that long ago an ingenue as an avatar of sexual strength and control yet theres something curiously dry about the song her voice which is powerful is practically tamed her vocals are so weakened lines like i wanna savor and i live for danger lack punch its like hearing her shout in a field very far away   shes singing with force but nothing hits hard
something similar is happening on work from home the single from 727 the new album by the girl group fifth harmony here too the vocals have been compressed so the rhythm of the words stands out rather than their timbre or meaning
both ms grande and the members of fifth harmony   ally brooke camila cabello dinah jane lauren jauregui and normani kordei   are formidable but loose singers the sort of vocalists who grew up with mariah carey as a vocal inspiration not a cautionary tale
but whats striking about these albums is how gently they treat their stars as if they were fragile artifacts in need of safe shipping in the past each act has delivered memorable singing but something deadening is at play on these records which reflect a pop universe not much interested in displays of vocal flamboyance
pop as ever is struggling to identify its center   is it dance music centric wallops and bloops melodic post hip hop rap singing ms grande a boisterous soul singer by disposition has never been a neat pop fit but on previous albums has found ways to let her huge voice predominate on dangerous woman though shes curiously muted   several of the songs are strong but they rely on her gifts less fifth harmonys album especially reflects a group of impressive singers fighting against technology and algorithms designed to flatten them into a homogenized whole much of the time they are reduced to rhythmic components serving up unmemorable lyrics at quick tempos
in small part thats the result of the spread of tropical house one of the most anodyne branches of dance music into the pop mainstream over the past two years kygo a titan on streaming services with a feather light sound contributed production to two songs on fifth harmonys album also rb has had diminishing influence over the sound of pop as its been subsumed into hip hop meaning that singers inclined toward flash and power have found themselves stymied at every turn
add to this one additional recent phenomenon the resurgence of lite reggae on the pop charts whether in the form of the felix jaehn tropical house remix of omis cheerleader last year or the cloying banal lovers rock of rude by the canadian band magic the year before in each case the source genre is denuded reduced to an unobtrusive lilt   reggae as signifier not engine
this isnt novel alas theres no shortage of reggae or reggae ish music made by white performers or pop with echoes of jamaican sounds a small cluster of songs currently on the billboard hot 100 are reggae based justin biebers sorry drakes controlla beyonces hold up rihannas work and light it up by major lazer featuring myla and fuse odg
light it up is perhaps the most noteworthy major lazer is the reggae and dancehall influenced side project of diplo whos become one of pops go to producers who knew seven or eight years ago that his pan global dance music experimentation would lead to this with a handful of innocuous reggae songs on radio he also had a hand in hold up
this sudden ubiquity has meant that even singers not inclined toward reggae are nudged toward it both ms grande and fifth harmony have reggae esque songs on their new albums and with each theyre among the highlights ms grandes cool sultry side to side features nicki minaj and fifth harmonys scared of happy incorporates a quick beat somewhere between dancehall and soca for the most rhythmically intriguing song on its album
the recent reggae pop blueprint might have been written by diplo but hes not responsible for these songs side to side is by the pop studio wizards max martin and ilya and scared of happy is by the rb minded pop producers stargate along with bloodpop who also was a producer on mr biebers sorry both songs are relatively speaking toothless with borrowing so casual as to be inoffensive   there is no play for authenticity only an acknowledgment of the genres universal appeal
but they both reflect a flawed assumption that reggae is incompatible with power that its ease isnt designed for vocal complexity neither ms grande nor fifth harmony are built for relaxation but on these songs   and the rest of their new albums   theyre encouraged to sit passively by as the beats wash over burying them with softness


los angeles   back when the writer comedians known as the lonely island   andy samberg akiva schaffer and jorma taccone   first met as teenagers in berkeley calif they bonded over a love of comedy music and skateboarding the same things they get into today except skateboarding   which we dont get to do anymore since were adults mr schaffer said
at least the first two obsessions get a workout in their new movie popstar never stop never stopping due friday june 3 it is directed by mr schaffer 38 and mr taccone 39 who also star in it as two thirds of the style boyz the former boy band of conner4real a justin bieber like solo artist played by mr samberg who is 37
conner4real travels with a swarm of employees including a bagpiper and a perspective manipulator someone short whose sole purpose is to make him look taller a typical conner4real hit is im so humble sample lyrics im not your normal definition of a rock stari dont complain when my private jet is subpar
popstar is as much about using the fake documentary structure upon which to hang the lonely islands signature parodies   the group rose to prominence on saturday night live as the creators of the often viral snl digital short   as it is about sending up the exaggerated bling happy swagger of teen heartthrobs
to give popstar the right look and feel the three men cribbed bits and pieces from concert films like justin bieber never say never and katy perry part of me
like almost everything we do it doesnt come from wanting to make fun of it mr taccone said pointing to a humiliating wardrobe malfunction of conner4reals that was inspired by costume changes in ms perrys stage show we were genuinely like thats so cool a bunch of flower petals land on her and shes in a different outfit then we were like in our world what if it went one step further
on a recent warm afternoon mr schaffer mr taccone and mr samberg settled onto a gray sectional couch in their hollywood office to talk about their creative process why there was no justin bieber celebrity cameo and who sent the lavish bouquet of flowers on their coffee table
they began by introducing themselves by name and health status im andy right now i have a weird chest cold so i sound a bit more throaty than normal mr samberg said im jorma and i have a weird chest cold mr taccone said i am akiva mr schaffer said and im as fit as a fiddle
here are edited excerpts from the conversation
popstar is both ridiculing and sympathetic about justin bieber so where do you actually land on the subject
andy samberg there are two sides to it on the one hand pop stars got it made theyre super catered to theyre super rich and they travel the world having a wonderful life making art on the other hand in cases like biebers they grow up in public are judged super harshly for making teenager kind of mistakes and are expected to behave the way a mature adult would because theyre afforded the things that a successful mature adult gets and that was definitely something we were interested in exploring but the thing we even were more interested in was the relationship between pop stars and their fan base because of social media its all im best friends with my fans and what happens when those fans decide they want to move on what do you fall back on how have you treated your friends how have you treated your family
andy is it easier or harder to be directed by your two best friends
samberg its easier
jorma taccone you dont have to tiptoe around if you were directing jodie foster youd never say to her maybe on this one lets take it down a little with us its bluntly youre being too big
samberg theres also something freeing about knowing that we were going to edit it if youre on someone elses set and theyre pushing you to do something out of your comfort zone youre going to be so much more hesitant   its up to them to decide whether or not you look bad ill say this you know when its not funny
akiva schaffer thats also true about comedy in general most people just want to say the best jokes if you have a good suggestion for them its not that rude to yell it across a room
these are just some of the talking heads in your movie nas akon 50 cent seal pink snoop dogg usher questlove dj khaled how did you cajole so many a listers into coming onboard
taccone usually theres some element of getting on the phone to explain what we want to do then there were people like seal who had no idea if he wanted to do it or if it was going to be funny so someone said seal is open to an idea he needs someone to call him then we had andy call him
samberg we worked at snl for seven years you spend every single week pitching crazy ideas to super famous people were very good about not taking it personally also
whats the trick to getting committed performances out of music heavyweights
schaffer wed say when you think of style boyz just think of beastie boys like a party band that has a lot of fun then you ask them a question what did you think of the style boyz and theyd just answer with the beastie boys in their minds
but you also let them improvise right
samberg when youre dealing with people who are charismatic big personalities in their own right someone like ringo starr all the way to asap rocky you want them to put it in their own words because it lends authenticity and the more theyd do that the funnier it was to us asap rocky is a very nice dude these flowers are from him points to white lilies on the coffee table he sent them over because i did an intro video for him for coachella and theyre just making the whole room smell great
theres just a single fleeting shot of justin bieber in the entire film why not more
taccone we reached out and asked if he wanted to do an interview in his defense he was probably just busy weve worked with him twice before he was in the 100th digital short for us we have a very nice relationship with him
do you remember when you all met
taccone not the first day but akiva and i were both very short guys and akiva was very excited to see another guy who was probably under 5 feet at the time we were tiny
schaffer there werent that many teeny little white guys at our school
one hallmark of your work is that your hip hop parodies actually show how good you are at the form how closely do you study music videos do you have conversations about movement
schaffer laughs im going to go ahead as the nontheater major and say no the word movement has never been used the only thing we do is go you look really dumb there sometimes in editing we cut out the part where i look really stupid thats what you do for a real artist as well sometimes though you watch a music video and think ooof they left in some of the lame stuff


how does a young boxer turn into a dancer it starts with situps and ends with a fit
in anna rose holmers directorial debut the fits opening friday june 3 the focus is an 11 year old toni royalty hightower who trains as a boxer with her brother at a cincinnati community center but dreams of joining the dance team that also rehearses there every narrative element of the film is expressed through movement ms holmer said in a recent interview every tension and conflict that toni has she has to go through physically
as such toni isnt much of a talker during her transformation from boxer to dancer she finds herself in that awkward teenage place caught between girl and woman but theres an eerie element the dancers on the team start having fainting episodes these raw violent eruptions of self expression   dances of catharsis   become a mysterious rite of passage they may be real they may be fake how far will a girl go to fit in
inspired by real cases of mass hysteria   from medieval times to now   ms holmer who wrote the film with lisa kjerulff and saela davis became obsessed with episodes that occur mainly within groups of adolescent girls in close knit societies i started to think about it in terms of dance   theres not that big of a difference between flailing and performing she said i also think about performance in general and how we perform for each other how you form your own identity and how that becomes a performance especially in adolescence
ms holmer who is not a dancer was introduced to the form when she directed and produced with matt wolf a ballet in sneakers jerome robbins and opus jazz a companion documentary to ny export opus jazz a contemporary retelling conceived by ellen bar and sean suozzi of new york city ballet of the 1958 robbins work she also produced with ms bar ballet 422 jody lee lipess film about the choreographer justin peck in it the focus is mr pecks creative process but the way the film tells the story from the point of view of his body is similar to ms hightowers quietly riveting depiction of toni
yet the fits which played to acclaim at the venice and sundance film festivals couldnt be further from the rarefied world of ballet the film was shot at a community center in cincinnatis rough west end neighborhood where the queen city boxing club in the basement and the q kidz dance team on the first and second floors meet the q kidz which ms holmer discovered on youtube are featured in the film ms hightower now 11 has been part of the team since she was 6 many of the dancers will perform at a free screening by rooftop films at the elevated acre in manhattan at 8 pm on tuesday may 31
the dance team specializes in drill stand battles call and response sequences for opposing dancers immediately attracted ms holmer to the form the sequined costumes also helped but beyond that ms holmer found that drill was a way to show a more complicated version of femininity drill also incorporates a lot of mundane movements into the choreography she said like fanning your nails or punching or a group pointing at someone
marquicia jones woods known to all as ms quicy pronounced kwee cee formed the organization 29 years ago as a way to get kids off the streets i actually didnt start it as a dance team she said i started working with the kids in my neighborhood to basically give them something to do to keep them out of the hustle and bustle of crime and the drugs
when ms jones woods also the films associate producer was first contacted by ms holmer she said she thought she was being punked but after the director described her idea about the fits she understood the fits to her are less dramatic or literal than those depicted in the film but are something she sees all the time with her girls its more like them trying to do something for acceptance ms jones woods said trying to be a part of the it group
while she loves the movie she said it is hard for her to watch i see the turmoil i see the struggle she said i see everything that my kids go through on a day to day basis
ms holmer who called ms jones woods a superhero whos a human walking around regards her film as a collaboration among many ms jones woodss twins mariah and chariah jones the films choreographers focused on the q kidz numbers while the choreographer and filmmaker celia rowlson hall served as movement consultant and worked with each dancer on her individual fits
i would say think of something you really want to get rid of put it in this part of your body and then how do you shake it out ms rowlson hall said i always thought about it as this bundle ball of energy that needs to get out and needs to give space for the body to grow
ms rowlson hall also worked with ms hightower on her physicality throughout the film how she walks as a boxer is different than as a dancer in a lot of the early takes we had royalty hold her breath ms holmer said she opens up in such a big way throughout the film and is full of air full of life at the end
for ms holmer who is deeply influenced by robbins and his ability to fuse mundane movements with a very formal intention one of the films most affecting scenes happens in the gym when toni sweeps the floor with a push broom as beezy a fellow member of the dance team played by alexis neblett who is actually ms hightowers stepsister   shes an adorable sprite the sky to tonis earth   chatters incessantly and dances around her
the way that beezy moves is with complete freedom and joy and thats what she teaches toni ms holmer said toni is literally moving back and forth across the floor on this prescribed path its about beezy inviting her to play toni has to break a routine   break the kind of choreography that she knows   in order to enter into this friendship audiences may see that scene as theyre sweeping in a gym but i see it as dance


talujon an adventurous percussion group arrives at roulette in brooklyn on thursday june 2 with a program of works inspired by the shimmering sound of the indonesian gamelan john cages haikai takes structural cues from the haiku form but you dont need to know the scores to appreciate the spare flickering ambiguity of the landscape
lou harrisons concerto for violin and percussion orchestra melds a soulful solo line here played by jennifer choi to an agile glinting ensemble an intriguing recent piece is nick brookes the traps written for six mini gamelans part electronic and part acoustic that fit in attache cases 8 pm rouletteorg
on friday the ensemble counterinduction gives the premiere of douglas boyces geology inspired tethys featuring one of its members the essential violinist miranda cuckson works by kyle bartlett and ryan streber round out the program at the tenri cultural institute 8 pm counterinductioncom


if youre a new yorker   and not a member of the 1 percent   the odds are that youve made a faustian bargain to secure a room of your own in this overcrowded overpriced city philip ridleys juicy little thriller radiant vermin which begins previews as part of the brits off broadway festival may be just for you
the story follows one young couples twisting route to acquiring their dream home   and since this is a work by mr ridley whose comedy comes exclusively in shades of black you can expect the moral compromises portrayed to involve a bit more than cash under the table david mercatali directs this london import from the man whose sensational futurist fable mercury fur gave shivery new meaning to the idea of partying down through july 3 59e59 theaters 59e59org


a brutal crime takes place onlookers shrug and do nothing the stabbing death of a woman named kitty genovese outside her apartment building in queens in 1964 was the archetypal instance of such a social phenomenon or was it the witness a documentary opening on friday june 3 calls the familiar version of the case into question the specter of public indifference was carved in stone by reporting in the new york times that said dozens of witnesses ignored the victims calls for help this film directed by james solomon challenges that contention using witness accounts police reports and more as bill genovese kittys brother searches for a less callous version of her death in re examining the case the film becomes a study of how the news media shapes narratives that can take on a life of their own when as in this case they capture an attitude or opinion that was waiting to be crystallized


minneapolis   diary of a wimpy kid the musical is a hit at the childrens theater company here reviews were strong and tickets are scarce even with a weeks worth of added performances as the production sprints toward closing night next month a question hangs over the boisterous proceedings whats next
theres ample speculation that the show based on jeff kinneys wildly popular illustration dotted novels for young people is eventually heading east to a broadway ever hungry for family friendly fare matilda the musical is closing on jan 1 and while school of rock the musical is a tony nominated hit tuck everlasting like wimpy kid an adaptation of a childrens book turned out to be short lived
as directed by rachel rockwell wimpy kid is faithful to the books on which its based the set is dominated by a gigantic sheet of notebook paper which forms the backdrop and spills over into the orchestra pit
most of the scenic elements are built or projected in the black and white rudimentary two dimensional style that is the visual signature of mr kinneys books the music by michael mahler and alan schmuckler is a pastiche of styles from hip hop and motown to techno pop and old style broadway balladry
in an unusual move the creative and production teams will return to the twin cities before the june 12 closing to test some tweaks to the show with the current ensemble those changes wont be incorporated into the minneapolis production but could find their way into the shows next to be determined incarnation
still no plans for a new york transfer have been announced and the commercial producers who put money into the childrens theater production have not yet reached out to broadway theater owners
i have no doubt that this is a show that will appeal to new york audiences said isaac robert hurwitz an executive with fox stage productions which   with broadway producer kevin mccollum   holds the stage rights to the wimpy kid books its a matter of getting the show in the shape it needs to be in and then to determine the best way to get it in front of as many people as possible
the seed of the musical was planted three years ago when mr mccollum and fox announced a partnership to develop for the stage promising titles from the studios 4500 film catalog
childrens theater company which won a tony award as the nations outstanding regional theater in 2003 had been mulling a stage version of wimpy kid for this its 50th anniversary season the nonprofit theaters producer jennifer collins ritter   who had worked with both mr mccollum and mr hurwitz in new york   reached out to the new commercial partnership
mr mccollums broadway credits include something rotten and in the heights but he also ran the nonprofit ordway center for the performing arts across the mississippi river in st paul during the late 1990s making him familiar with the work of childrens theater he and mr hurwitz a founder of the new york musical theater festival have had a close hand in shaping the show
consider four days before the cast assembled for the first rehearsal in minneapolis wimpy kid still did not have a working script
ms rockwell gathered mr hurwitz and mr kinney into a church conference room in chicago where she is based with the composing team and kevin del aguila who wrote the book they pounded out a rehearsal draft over the course of a day then headed north to begin rehearsals
kevin and i read all the parts and mike and alan sang everything at the piano recalled ms rockwell it was very comden and green
diary of a wimpy kid which mr mccollum somewhat grandiosely describes as a classic heros journey with an unreliable narrator centers on greg heffley an ordinary kid trying to navigate the perils of middle school
hes hardly a wholly sympathetic character though greg suffers the neglect at home typical of a middle child sandwiched between the headbanger rodrick and the spoiled toddler manny he thinks nothing of denigrating ignoring or even injuring his profoundly dorky best friend rowley
gregs adventures fill 10 books that have sold more than 164 million copies and three feature films with a fourth in development the musical borrows much of its material and structure from the first novel which chronicles gregs determined but hapless efforts to climb his schools popularity ladder
but mr kinney said the relationship between greg and rowley in the stage play actually gave him insights into his characters
because greg occupies the lowest rung of the family pecking order mr kinney said it gives you permission to like greg when his mistreats rowley because greg feels like he has to be above somebody that was something i hadnt understood was necessary to root for this character who is kind of a crummy friend you take rodrick and manny away and now gregs just a jerk
wimpy kid is not the companys first venture into commercial theater in 2002 childrens theater hosted a production of a year with frog and toad which has enjoyed a successful life around the country despite fizzling on broadway that project came to the theater prepackaged with a finished draft a completed creative team and a new york cast
with wimpy kid the minneapolis theater was more fully engaged in the process helping select the cast and creative team enhancement money allowed the theater to expand its budget beyond the 750000 to 1 million it typically spends on musicals
by new play development standards wimpy kid progressed relatively quickly but not without detours last summer the original writing team of the composer lyricist joe iconis and book writer joe tracz was replaced amicably and because of scheduling conflicts according to mr mccollum the original creative team did not return a request for comment
both the nonprofit theater and the commercial producers had to make compromises mr mccollum and mr hurwitz for instance are accustomed to a dozen or more preview performances to fine tune a new work before the critics show up childrens theaters schedule allows for three previews
the theater is also committed to using its own company and local actors though twin cities performers filled out most of the 20 plus member wimpy kid cast ms rockwell chose the chicago area actor ricky falbo as greg and david rosenthal who appeared in the broadway production of matilda as rowley
life for wimpy kid beyond minneapolis would be healthy for the childrens theater said peter brosius its artistic director but it would also advance the cause of multigenerational theaters like his own
such shows he said help people reimagine their notions of what theater for families can be it lifts the boats of all theaters who do this kind of work
mr kinney who will see the publication of double down the 11th book in the series this november is pleased with how his characters have evolved for the stage given the various incarnations of the characters that now live off the page many creative hands have shaped greg rowley and company he acknowledges
whats so exciting to me about this play is that the work this team has done is better than my own work he said i can see that my work inspired it and ill take credit for that part of it but its a wonderful feeling as a writer when someone can go one better than what youve done


send your workplace conundrums to workologistnytimescom including your name and contact information even if you want it withheld for publication the workologist is a guy with well intentioned opinions not a professional career adviser letters may be edited
recently i attended an off site event connected to my job some fellow employees were in attendance including the person who co leads my department i dont work directly for this person but he does oversee some activities that i participate in at the conclusion of the event this manager was describing a work situation to me as we walked out to the parking lot and said you know what will happen   our business partner will jew the price down
i was flabbergasted i am jewish and this is blatant bigotry moreover our company attempts to stand out for embracing diversity in general
i said nothing at the time because i did not know what to do i feel sure this man has no idea that i am jewish the work he oversees counts toward my productivity and ultimate bonus so any response on my part informal or formal could have financial consequences   as well as create a hostile work situation still i am troubled by knowing his bigoted stance and that he is probably a jew hater is there any win win action i can take here
anonymous
anybody jewish or not should be offended by such a remark which unambiguously trades on and perpetuates an ugly stereotype i understand that in the shock of the moment its hard to know what to say but the fact that the aftermath includes your assumption that this manager is probably a jew hater strongly suggests that you need to say something the comment is weighing on you and justifiably so pretending it never happened isnt going to resolve that
the specifics depend in part on what sort of resolution you want you might turn to your own direct supervisor for counsel it doesnt sound like you are looking to see this manager punished if so make that clear   but also make it clear that you were offended and left uncomfortable the supervisor should take on the role of addressing the issue and making sure there are no repercussions for you it is a potentially serious problem for your organization to have someone tossing around language offensive to others within the company and among its clients partners customers and others
or you could try to have a private conversation with the manager who made the remark its possible that the incident is attributable to ignorance rather than hate and that you will receive an immediate apology but again   i would frame it very carefully as something more forward looking than a confrontation i need you to know partly for your own sake that this was offensive to me and would be offensive to many others either way the goal is to move decisively from what was said in the past to why it shouldnt be said in the future
yes it could be that no matter how your response is framed this person will turn out to be an unrepentant bigot who will seek ways to retaliate to be safe take careful notes and document the process in case this evolves into full blown and overt workplace discrimination
admittedly none of this sounds appealing maybe it would be easier to do nothing and let it slide you could grit your teeth and carry on knowing that you didnt confront offensive speech and that you believe that a bigot represents your company and has partial control over your financial future wait a minute that doesnt sound so easy either does it
i recently began volunteering at a midsize nonprofit organization a senior level employee brought me into the position which previously was a paid job it was understood that i would be volunteering about a third of the hours but when i started showing up the employees werent quite sure what to do with me they said theyd get back to me after meeting with the manager who brought me in but i havent heard back whom do i follow up with how much should i push for a volunteer position before i move on
kb
the bigger question here is how to think about the difference between a volunteer position and a paid one the baseline mind set should be that most of the same standards apply in both situations except as a volunteer you have way less to lose
in this situation before you follow up with anybody figure out what based on your observations so far you believe represents the best overlap between what you want to get out of the experience and what this workplace needs have informal conversations as needed without regard to official structures to sort that out then take the lead and propose your own future to the person who brought you in to the person who seems to be the de facto day to day soul of the office or to both
you may receive countersuggestions which you should take seriously but the point is to set a tone you are not a problem can someone tell me what to do you are a solution here are my thoughts about what i can do to make everybodys life easier
this is largely the advice i would offer to anybody starting a new job when parameters are unclear use that as an opportunity to define them yourself but as a volunteer you have some advantages over someone who needs a paycheck so show initiative but if you conclude that its unlikely youre going to get what you want because you happened to volunteer for a dysfunctional organization cut your losses find a place that appreciates what you have to offer   particularly because you are after all offering it free


to help guests feel calm and closer to nature hotels are bringing the outdoors inside
at ellerman house in cape town south africa the hotels wine gallery was influenced by the japanese design principle of katei which weaves the outdoors into architectural spaces the gallery looks out at an extensive vertical garden featuring indigenous plants a koi pond and a landscaped walkway room rates from about 460 per night
in miami beach 1 hotel  homes south beach was designed to reflect the natural world with 3000 feet of living wall wrapping the exterior made up of 11000 local tropical plant varieties there are nods to nature throughout with a moss mural in the lobby entrance suspended terrariums and a lab where guests can make their own terrariums rooms from 400 per night
others weave in more sweeping natural elements the los suenos marriott ocean  golf resort in costa rica on 1100 acres of rain forest replicates a lush rain forest feeling through an entryway featuring indigenous plants and flowers rooms from approximately 340 a night
at big cedar lodge in the ozark mountain range in missouri the 18000 square foot wilderness inspired spa has aspen trees river stones and moss flanking the hallway entrance
ma yansong the founder of mad architects who has designed nature inspired hotels like the conrad hotel beijing and sheraton huzhou hot spring resort says that hotels are increasingly realizing that natural elements can enhance a guests experience people need to feel connected to nature in order to find their place in the city bringing nature into our design can help bridge that connection he said


late may early june at the right moment and if you are in the right frame of mind the world is all abundance all beauty all in flower but sometimes this feeling   like the tulips and daffodils and hyacinths of late winter and the first days of spring   must be forced one afternoon a few weeks ago when both the dispiriting news of the world and a loss in my own life had sunk me low i resolved to drag myself out of bed out of my apartment and over to the brooklyn botanic garden luckily for me it was cherry blossom time as i lumbered along a carpet of soft fallen pink petals my senses which had been so tired and dull for weeks became heightened and focused
even my sense of taste no i didnt reach down scoop up some petals and eat them but i started thinking of certain dishes and drinks that make use of flowers and their flavors on warm days in spring and summer theres little that pleases me more than the easiest highball made with assertively floral gin soda and a dash or two of bitters it can also be fun to get more creative with flowers im not much of a baker but as i rested on a bench in the garden i wondered if the best confection in my limited repertoire   an olive oil cake made with lavender and lemon   might somehow translate into an elegant cocktail and whether the incomparable cheerfulness and brightness bestowed by the sight of a too tall sunflower might also be persuasively rendered in drinkable form
when i got home i did some experimenting i looked for bottles in my liquor cabinet that were heavy on botanicals those gins to which i already referred elderflower liqueur creme de violette i raided my pantry too how about some orange blossom water dried lavender chamomile tea
some things worked my successes that day are represented by two of the recipes at right ah sunflower and the lavender hill cob and some did not chamomile frequently faded out too demure for many spirits and orange blossom water overpowered most so strong is the affinity between liquor and perfume that i once met a whiskey distiller who spoke of her choice after completing a chemistry degree between those two fields for her career but you must tread lightly when using floral elements in cocktails lest they come out not only smelling like cologne which is tolerable but also tasting like it which is not
a walk in a garden wont soothe away all stress or subdue all sorrow and neither will a good cocktail but they can lift us up even simply garnishing a drink with fresh flowers make sure they are edible grade and do avoid mums in the name of research i learned the hard way how terrible they taste makes a cocktail more beautiful more special more like a john singer sargent painting more like a sunny   even hopeful   spring day in a glass
recipes ah sunflower  brooklyn sunrise  lavender hill cob


we were enjoying a late morning cup of coffee in one of the outdoor cafes of banska bystrica preparing to head home when my mother suggested that we buy some berries in slovakia strawberries are a summer treat and my mother was excited to buy them for my kids i didnt have the heart to tell her that in california where i live we eat berries year round
it had been 13 years since i left my native country but i still return once a year each time i note how much more western my hometown has become communism ended in 1989 with the fall of the soviet empire when i was 10 but the changes were slow at first the bookstore that never changed its window display was no longer limited to selling titles approved by the government a statue of the virgin mary forbidden under communism went up in the central square restaurants and cafes once a rarity began to appear in the brick and cobblestone downtown now every time i return to my picturesque hometown with its pastel brick houses and 16th century clock tower another childhood landmark has disappeared the old movie theater which never sold popcorn because eating was forbidden during the shows has been replaced by a multiplex cinema
so it surprised me last year when my mother and i entered the fruit and vegetable shop near the center square the items were behind the counter although privately owned the shop was set up like an old soviet style store where you wait in line and ask an attendant for what you need as in the old days a line of people stretched to the door there were two attendants older women with the same short haircut that european women of a certain age tend to favor one would grab the blueberries or cabbages and the other would ring them up there was no greeting when a customer approached just an impatient bark next in line
most customers were older women but at the front of the line was a college age woman tall and thin with long hair she was the legendary slovak beauty   the type many in the line once resembled after receiving her order the woman looked in her bag she pulled out an onion this onion isnt good
until then we had all been holding private conversations now we were silent waiting for the tirade we knew was coming
what do you mean its not good the first shopkeeper demanded
with the practiced indifference of youth the woman replied its rotten
the first shop attendant turned to the second speaking loud enough for everyone to hear can you hear what she is saying she says its rotten
the second shopkeeper responded just as loudly this is ridiculous
no one else made a sound i felt as if i should say something   tell the shopkeepers that this is not how you treat people but instead i stood there it was as though the whole old life how it used to be just clicked in my brain and kept me from doing anything
from childhood i was taught never to question anyone in authority from teachers and doctors to shopkeepers now i was 6 years old again in a panic that i forgot the assignment of taking a toothbrush to school the teacher yelled at me and i listened in silence we all did i remember that on one of the few occasions that we ate out my mom forced herself to eat a sundae topped with spoiled whipped cream because she didnt want to tell the waiter but this woman was too young to know any of this she had been raised with choices exposed to a different life through television and travel
im not taking the onion she said
then dont take it the first shop attendant said
there is nothing wrong with this onion the second one chimed in its perfectly fine
the woman rolled her eyes and walked out as soon as she was gone the second shopkeeper held up the onion and announced for all to hear the girl has never seen an onion in her life look at it you just peel off a couple of layers and it is all fine
we could all see that the onion was bad the outer layers were moldy and brown still no one said anything one woman nodded as if in agreement my mother and i just exchanged looks
each time we passed that shop during the rest of the trip i refused to go in i felt ashamed for not speaking up i knew that in america others would have supported me for saying something but in slovakia for all the changes i knew that i couldnt count on people to stand with me that for those who experienced communism there is still an underlying fear we cannot shake


lauren writes a while ago i discovered a pet raccoon named pumpkin on instagram now i desperately want one but my boyfriend doesnt i keep sending him videos of raccoons doing cute things like walking on a leash and wearing clothes but he says it will destroy our house
i really should just write no 150 times but having investigated i can confirm that pumpkin is really cute cuter even than the garbage eating monster that opened my door with its demon hands and walked into my living room in brooklyn just to show me he could kill me at any time and he could raccoon feces frequently carry an infectious parasite that can blind you put you in a coma and kill your kids even pumpkins owner warns that raccoons shouldnt be kept as pets is she trying to suppress competing pet raccoon stagrams probably but regardless its almost certainly illegal for you to have one in your state unless you register it as a phony companion animal which would make you as monstrous as the raccoon so no


gold is funny   you dont talk about it says susan okey a gold panning instructor at marshall gold discovery state historic park in coloma calif where james w marshall spotted a few flecks of gold in a sawmill in 1848 prompting the greatest voluntary mass migration of people the western hemisphere had ever seen you will be tempted to yelp when you see that telltale metallic glow control yourself if you yell eureka everybody is going to come over to where you are and start looking okey says
all you need is a pan and a glass or plastic vial with a lid   and a stretch of river or stream in a region known to yield gold go out after a storm because rainwater can scour the landscape dislodging your quarry situate yourself on public land along the inside curve of a bend in the river fill your pan with sand and sediment try digging from the crevices of boulders and in the roots of riverbank grasses where gold often catches
submerge your pan sloshing water back and forth over the dirt dont be distracted by so called fools gold glittery substances like iron pyrite and silicate minerals gold is more than 19 times as heavy as water it will sink as you wash away lighter materials the last sand left in your pan is often black an iron oxide called magnetite that miners call pay dirt tip your pan and create a gentle wave action the gold will lodge along the top edge while the sand collects at the bottom dry the pad of a finger and use it to dab up any precious metal tidbits secure them in your vial take your time okey says newcomers might need 30 minutes to complete a pan okey can pan out in less than two minutes
dont be alarmed if you start to feel obsessed okey and her colleagues teach gold panning to more than a third of the 70000 or so fourth graders who visit the park each year as part of their public school state history curriculum you can see someone get gold fever   its a look in their eyes okey says and children are as susceptible as their adult chaperones avoid that myopia if you dont find a nugget youve still been out there in nature okey says thats gold too


re rhodes
david samuels profiled ben rhodes an aspiring novelist turned national security communications adviser who rewrote the rules of diplomacy for the digital age
david samuelss profile of ben rhodes asserts that the obama administration orchestrated ploughshares funds support of the iran nuclear agreement
preventing an iranian nuclear bomb has been a core goal of our organization for decades to say that we or other security experts were freshly minted or cheerleading is absurd our expertise in this field is nationally recognized we were promoting negotiations long before this administration took office
our support was based on policy not politics we back the administration when theyre right and we oppose them when theyre wrong we supported the administrations new start treaty with russia and the historic iran agreement because they make america safer we oppose the administrations 1 trillion plan to build new nuclear weapons because it makes the world more dangerous
we always act independently based on our own mission to reduce nuclear threats we will continue to do so   no matter who is in the oval office joe cirincione president ploughshares fund washington
abandoning longtime allies while embracing states that have long been enemies is a strategic shift more momentous than what can ordinarily be explained as foreign policy in a free society it requires the assent of the american people like its manipulation of the constitutions treaty process this white house subverted that assent to convince americans that they live in a different less dangerous world
its a fair bet that most americans didnt sign onto a duplicitous larger restructuring of the american narrative by junior fiction writers when they sent obama to the white house in 2008 but its what the country got and thanks to ben rhodess work creating his force multipliers of freshly minted star journalists and partisan experts will continue to get david reaboi the federalist
a president and his minions who boastfully prevaricate and treat those of us in the public and the media as dupes or an opposing party candidate who while espousing some objectionable views in an even more objectionable manner nevertheless does so openly and truthfully
tough choice but rhodes might have succeeded in demonstrating the value of offensive integrity over genteel deceit steven s orlow flushing ny
much rightly has been made of the arrogance and foolishness of the presidential speechwriter ben rhodess boast of pulling a woolly iran nuclear deal over the eyes of naive young journalists but for me the more vital issue is the hollowing out of americas corps of correspondents
the fact that ever fewer news organizations can afford to field reporters at home and abroad is a terrible blow to the crucial role of the press in informing and interpreting for our already abysmally ignorant citizenry the notion of reporters relying on government officials for unverified information is sickening i came of age as a journalist in an era when reporters treated officials with skepticism like politicians they have questionable products to sell they and their claims must be thoroughly examined a weakened press means a weakened populace and a weakened democracy americans should worry deeply about this i do lewis m simons washington
the magazines profile of ben rhodes makes unfounded assertions about me and since the article was published the editor of the magazine has acknowledged that they erred in failing to give me the chance to offer my blanket objections before publication
david samuels states that my twitter feed was a source of information for the white house staff member tanya somanader laura rozen was my rss feed somanader told him she just found everything and retweeted it samuels misinterpreted that to support an argument that i along with the atlantics jeffrey goldberg were retailing the administrations narrative this is untrue
i have covered the iran nuclear talks intensively for years and my twitter feed is widely followed by people around the world interested in this issue
my reporting stands on its own it was certainly not done as a favor to any administration the magazines failure to make good faith efforts to let me respond is baffling and negligent laura rozen washington


no one likes to be stuck in a long slow moving security line at the airport unless you meet the person youre going to marry
thats what happened to josh mankiewicz and anh tu dang in 2009 at los angeles international airport thanks to transportation security administration procedures
standing ahead of me was this stunning woman mr mankiewicz said i was staring at her she didnt notice finally we started talking actually i started talking and she responded
ms dang figured there was nothing else to do she recalled thinking he seemed kind of nice i may as well talk to him
their conversation was brief and friendly luckily mr mankiewicz a correspondent since 1995 for the nbc news magazine program dateline could read the upside down tag hanging from ms dangs bag
unluckily when he returned to los angeles from his business trip and searched for her name on google he found several anh tu dangs just not the one who had caught his attention
but mr mankiewicz who had never married had impulsively given his business card to ms dang who was divorced and the owner and chief executive of the home health care business careworks health service in laguna hills calif i was 100 percent sure i would never hear from her and that what i had done was something silly and overconfident he said
once ms dang returned to los angeles from her trip and looked up mr mankiewicz she was worried that he may have a big head and big ego he might have girlfriends in chicago and new york and i didnt want to be another person on that list of women she said
after about four weeks she decided to call he was handsome and apparently smart she said i thought let me give it a shot and see what happens
when ms dang now 42 identified herself as the woman from the airport mr mankiewicz now 60 didnt immediately recognize who was calling i wondered if maybe id lost something he said but when he realized it was ms dang whose nickname is tee he quickly invited her to dinner
i remember walking into the restaurant and being struck by how beautiful she was mr mankiewicz said
the couple dated for over a month but not exclusively and then mr mankiewicz decided to pursue another relationship i wasnt the right fit for him ms dang said you know how you can tell when a guys heart isnt into it
she let me off the hook pretty easily he said
then one day four years later in summer 2013 mr mankiewicz who had months before broken off his previous relationship found himself on the street where ms dang lived he called her and they met for lunch
not to say we were boyfriend and girlfriend from that day forward but i was definitely smitten he said i always wanted someone who could stand up on her own and stand up to me someone who didnt need me but wanted to be with me and that was tee
mark thompson a los angeles newscaster who has known mr mankiewicz since childhood said his friend has been with some women in the past who were into drama she is the opposite mr thompson said she is not looking to litigate every cup of espresso
despite their age difference shell say i remember when this song came out i was in the seventh grade he said and ill say i was covering the mondale campaign they found compatibility in their professions
on dateline mr mankiewicz speaks to people whose family members have been murdered in her home health care business ms dang speaks to people who have often undergone devastating physical or mental losses
were both in roles where we are talking to people who are dealing with sadness and trauma and they need compassion and understanding she said reaching people at an emotionally fragile time gives us something in common and helps us be sensitive to one another
five weeks after they had begun dating again real drama emerged in their relationship ms dang received a diagnosis of breast cancer and she subsequently had a double mastectomy
mr mankiewicz insisted she recuperate in his two bedroom beverly hills condominium ultimately she would have eight operations in spite of her protestations that she could stay at her own place and simply lie on her couch have the pharmacy deliver medicine and order takeout food
she comes off as 10 feet tall and bulletproof mr mankiewicz said but she needed my help and i wanted to help her this told me things about myself and my relationship to her namely that i was in love with her in a way i hadnt realized
the operations forced ms dang to acknowledge her vulnerabilities i was crying   this is hard she said i wasnt expecting this to happen to me at 39
and the recovery experience left her exposed to mr mankiewicz in a way she hadnt planned i couldnt be superwoman hear me roar she said i hadnt showered in days my hair was a mess and i had tubes coming out of my body
after she recovered she moved back to her santa monica apartment but this time he was not letting go and she felt safe i could tell him anything and he wouldnt judge me she said he can see through me like a pane of glass and read me better than anybody else
the couple could hardly have come from more different backgrounds mr mankiewiczs grandfather the screenwriter herman j mankiewicz shared an academy award for writing citizen kane his father frank mankiewicz was press secretary for senator robert f kennedy presidential campaign manager for george mcgovern and president of national public radio
i grew up with this front row seat to national politics mr mankiewicz said every conversation with my dad was like opening a history book i met robert kennedy a few times george cukor sat at our dinner table i watched a lot of tv news and vietnam played out in my living room i was interested in being a news reporter since i was 10 years old
by contrast when bombs were falling on saigon in 1975 and ms dang was 1 1/2  years old her mother then eight months pregnant with ms dangs brother escaped to guam by boat the family later joined by ms dangs father khoi van dang who was disabled when ms dang was 13 settled in orange county calif where they became naturalized citizens
my family did not allow me to watch tv during the week unless it was something on pbs and probably about an elephant ms dang said she was a shy motivated student by sixth grade she was reading at a 12th grade level it was easy for me to go into my room spend the day there reading and come out at 6 at night she said
mr mankiewicz takes their cultural differences in stride my dad is from a successful jewish family and my mom who had been raised a mormon was the first member of her family to attend college he said the lesson my parents gave me was you dont have to have a lot in common with someone to love them
from her perspective ms dang believes the vietnamese culture can be tough on daughters subconsciously it is ingrained that you need to take care of your guy she said josh likes it that for lack of a better word i am not subservient
joey dang ms dangs brother saw another possibly more lighthearted connection they both love clothes and fashion tee used to take pictures of her shoes and put them on the outside of the boxes mr dang said as soon as i saw his closet i thought this is a man who gets my sister mr mankiewiczs closet is color coordinated with his jackets evenly spaced
after one year of steady dating mr mankiewicz was not making a move toward the altar his father who met ms dang on his 90th birthday in 2014 told his son he should marry her but his son balked he wasnt interested in having children he was afraid if he was a part of someone else he wouldnt be himself anymore and he joked dateline was not the biggest commercial for matrimony
the next year mr mankiewicz changed his mind about staying single perhaps as his brother ben mankiewicz a host of turner classic movies suggested because four events converged ben had a child their father died their aging mother had moved to los angeles and his big brother had met the right woman its a testament to his emotional maturity that it was ok to change his life at 60 ben mankiewicz said it took courage its hokey to say but im proud of him
their mother holly howell said all i could say to myself was its about time he was seeing her a lot and i thought if he doesnt hurry up shed say to hell with it
in november 2015 at the restaurant where theyd had their first date mr mankiewicz proposed to ms dang she gasped like someone in the movies i grew up watching he said we made a champagne toast and took a picture and then we sat there silently texting
the wedding was set for what would have been the 92nd birthday of mr mankiewiczs father eight weeks before after the last of her operations ms dang moved in to mr mankiewiczs condominium he lamented having to give away 220 of his shirts to make room for her clothes in his closet
on may 16 they were married before a small gathering of family and friends on the deck of the home of mr thompson the newscaster who became a universal life minister to officiate
sometimes the path to love is slow sometimes   courtesy of tsa   it is excruciatingly slow mr mankiewicz said but i suppose we should thank them it gave us time to have that first talk
his mother delighted in the two families newfound connection
he finally came to his senses ms howell said i mean it you have to work really hard not to like her theres not an ounce of snobbishness in her she doesnt think shes a big shot she has views of her own
ms dangs mother ahn thi le was sold on her new son in law at hello im a buddhist my house is a buddhist temple she said the first time he came to visit me he said thank you for creating your daughter he touched my heart right away for her i thought you dont have to find another person you found him eureka


the number of home sales in the bronx soared in the first quarter of this year by 35 percent far outpacing manhattan brooklyn and queens
in staten island sales also jumped 35 percent but activity there has been inconsistent over the past several years whereas the bronx has experienced a steady climb
although the number of transactions in the bronx compared with the rest of the city is still relatively small the increase in deals may indicate that the borough is at last living down its rough and tumble reputation brokers say the sales were not only to buyers moving within the bronx but also to people who had been priced out of manhattan and other areas
peter segalla an associate broker with houlihan lawrence last summer traded one address in the bronx a riverfront condo in riverdale for another a co op on pelham parkway transplants from elsewhere mr segalla said referring to brooklyn queens and manhattan are increasingly common although getting people from outside the borough to consider the bronx is a slow educational process he said
friends of the buyers tell them what youre moving to the bronx what are you thinking 
the bronx is the new brooklyn he added and anybody in the know is certainly aware of that
anca vasiliu an architect and former manhattanite said that when she and her husband went apartment hunting they found that agents were very skittish about proposing the bronx to buyers from outside the borough
but having moved in january to a two bedroom co op in an art deco building on pelham parkway in the bronx she said you feel like you have breathing room ms vasiliu who had lived in the east village for two decades added that there are things that are still here that have been kind of lost in other parts of new york many of her neighbors have spent their whole lives in the area which makes it feel less transient than other parts of the city she said
despite the overall residential stability there certainly have been a lot more properties changing hands
in the first three months of this year 989 market rate co ops condos and houses sold in the bronx up from 732 in the same period last year for a 35 percent increase according to data prepared by the real estate board of new york a trade association
in staten island which had 1195 transactions sales also jumped 35 percent in the first quarter but analysts at the real estate board say its data for the borough is less reliable than for the other boroughs and that activity there has been up and down over the past several years
queens which had the third strongest growth posted a distant 6 percent increase in sales volume
meanwhile sales volume in manhattan and brooklyn declined slightly over the same period according to the board in manhattan 3053 sales took place in the first quarter down about 2 percent from 3107 in the year ago quarter and brooklyn had 2806 sales in the first quarter down from 2911 a year ago for a 4 percent dip
while housing buzz has been focused recently on parts of the south bronx including mott haven and port morris the latest flurry of sales occurred largely in other parts of the borough including parkchester woodlawn and country club according to the data
of course the arrival of new residents is not good news for everyone prompting some long term bronx residents to fear they will soon be priced out of their neighborhoods but according to a housing report released this month from nyu furman center which studies real estate and urban policy gentrification is not widespread in the bronx affecting only pockets but that reports data cut off is 2014 so it may not present an up to date picture of the pace of change
of the 15 low income new york neighborhoods experiencing the sharpest increases in rent from 1990 to 2014 the report said two were in the bronx rents in mott havenhunts point climbed 28 percent and in morrisaniabelmont by 235 percent the report attributed the spike to gentrification specifically the arrival of more young white college educated residents
sought after brooklyn had seven neighborhoods that made the list with rents in williamsburggreenpoint soaring nearly 79 percent
some in the bronx are anticipating change and soon maybe we arent williamsburg yet said susanna blankley the director of community action for safe apartments a bronx focused tenant group the reality is theres nowhere left to live in brooklyn even if youre making 45000 a year
ms blankley who is currently focused on a proposed city rezoning of jerome avenue in the bronx which she worries is going to displace longtime residents acknowledges that gentrification is tough to stop but she said it can be managed with affordable housing requirements
we want new jobs to come in of course we also want quality housing she said but it needs to be affordable to those who live here
ms blankleys group is affiliated with an affordable housing portfolio the new settlement apartments she said the landlord new settlement is regularly approached by buyers hoping to snap up its 17 apartment buildings which are in the mount eden neighborhood of the west bronx
most buyers in the bronx purchased houses the boroughs outlying areas often resemble the suburbs they brush against in total 699 one  to three family dwellings traded in the first quarter the real estate board said and the submarket that had the lions share or 125 was the eastern bronx a waterfront area by westchester county including neighborhoods like country club throgs neck and city island
properties can have stuck in time prices with 12 of 13 bronx submarkets averaging less than 500000 according to the board plus tax bills on those houses can be a quarter of those in westchester said teddy montee a salesman with djk residential who lives in the area
i never thought i would ever live in the bronx said mr montee who was renting on the west side of manhattan a couple of years ago and house hunting in westchester county when city island materialized on his cars navigation system
the island with restaurants with names like the lobster box and mailboxes shaped like lighthouses wound up being a fortuitous detour
mr montee 33 and reagan john rada 35 also a real estate salesman bought a four bedroom wood frame 1899 house on a tree lined street in december 2014 it cost 545000 mr montee said though this year in a reflection of the markets robustness it was appraised for around 650000
overall houses in this area which includes the bike path lined pelham bay park sold for an average of 457000 in the first quarter significantly less than the average manhattan home which sold for 911000 in the same time frame
houses traded relatively briskly in other parts of the bronx too in the woodlawnwilliamsbridge area in the north bronx 113 houses sold this winter while in westchester square and soundview in the southeast bronx 105 did both areas posted 30 percent gains in activity over 2015 according to the data
middle class bronx families in search of upgrades drove some of those sales brokers said but investors hoping to make a quick profit from undervalued properties after doing minimal renovations have also been active said allison jaffe the broker owner of key real estate services who has sold homes in the bronx for the past 12 years the guys who are flipping are back in full force she said these investors who are often buying in the bronx because they have been priced out of other boroughs are a sign that the borough is recovering from the housing downturn she added
with large tracts of public housing and affordable rentals throughout the borough the bronx does not offer as many opportunities for market rate home buyers as other boroughs in the bronx the 989 homes that changed hands in the first three months of the year for instance were dwarfed by 3784 sales in queens
in addition to single family homes the bronx also has its share of co ops many of them in riverdale the affluent enclave in the northwestern bronx in the first quarter 112 riverdale co ops sold versus 74 in the first quarter of 2015 according to the real estate board
and with prices smashing records in the 212 area code the motivation to move to a place like riverdale may never have been greater the average co op price there was 282000 compared with a first quarter average of 12 million for manhattan according to the real estate board
and in the melrosemorrisania area in the south bronx 50 market rate co ops sold in the first quarter compared with 16 in the same time frame last year the average price was 190000 the data show
major investors are also arriving scooping up apartment buildings the related companies the developer that built the time warner center and is now working on hudson yards recently added hundreds of apartments to a portfolio it owns in partnership with the citys pension funds they plan to preserve the apartments as affordable work force housing and in march york equities and harbor group international spent 140 million for 38 buildings with 935 mostly rent regulated apartments
the buildings in areas including belmont crotona park east and williamsbridge are to undergo upgrades to their stores and residential interiors said matt jones the director of acquisitions for harbor a virginia firm that had never before made a residential investment in the bronx
while the south bronx has been the subject of a great deal of attention with developers announcing major plans for mott haven near manhattan buyers coming across the harlem river from points south are not necessarily sticking close to the border
ms vasiliu for instance the buyer on pelham parkway from the east village is several miles away in the central bronx
by 2014 the east village had reached a tipping point where gentrification was not fun anymore ms vasiliu said for starters it was crowded we started going to bad restaurants because we knew we could sit down she added
in her new neighborhood which is sometimes called bronxwood ms vasiliu 40 and her husband michael behrman 38 also an architect found a place that reminded them of the pre gentrification new york with perks including the parklike new york botanical garden a short walk from their home
in 2014 ms vasiliu and mr behrman bought a one bedroom for 169000 in their current building which features terra cotta detailing on its facade and animal mosaics in the lobby then upgraded to a two bedroom which has a dining room and more than 1200 square feet at the beginning of this year it cost 235000
while co ops many in the deco style pop up for sale across the bronx condos are rarer
in parkchester 47 sold in the first quarter up from 23 in the previous year according to the real estate board the neighborhood is home to a brick condo and rental complex also called parkchester with more than 12000 apartments in 171 buildings developed by the metropolitan life insurance company the complex which resembles stuyvesant town in manhattan another development by the company also contains gardens stores and offices
in the neighborhood the average condo price in the first quarter was 145000 down a bit from the 151000 average in 2015
more condos are on their way such as on city island where on the sound a five acre waterfront complex from the developer greystone has sold 29 of its 43 units since february 2015 according to sona davidian an owner of mcclellan sothebys international realty which is handling sales
the average sales price has been 355 a square foot said ms davidian who added that the units still available start at 698000 for a three bedroom move ins start this week
similarly tahoe development a queens firm is planning a seven story 48 unit gray brick condo with mostly one bedrooms many having terraces in mott haven stores will wrap the base
groundbreaking for tahoe towers is expected in early june said anthony gurino the firms president with prices of 600 a square foot and up though the offering plan has yet to be approved one bedrooms are expected to start around 339000 he added with two bedrooms from 599000
currently old factories and auto businesses line the area but it may be only a matter of time before theyre replaced the neighborhood is on the upswing mr gurino added its a no brainer


interminable lines at airport security checkpoints have caused a great deal of unnecessary misery
many people have missed their planes and some flights have been delayed because too few passengers made it to the gate on time a video of a two hour security delay at chicagos midway international airport generated millions of views
there are many explanations for what has been happening at the airports but as economists we naturally prefer a basic economic one when something is free it is likely to be wasted think about food left on your plate at an all you can eat buffet in this case the transportation security administration has been acting as if there were no cost to tying people up for hours in security lines in effect all that time on line is free to the tsa
the agency accounts for direct monetary costs in great detail in 2015 it spent 755 billion that comes to about 10 per passenger trip of which 650 is defrayed by a fee added to airline tickets
but tsa ledgers dont capture the cost of wasted time suppose for example that a passenger budgets an extra hour to make sure she catches her flight the value of this hour surely exceeds the 650 she pays to the tsa and for nearly anyone it also exceeds 10 but you wont find such calculations in the agencys accounting
thats not entirely the tsas fault when congress cut the agencys budget last year it didnt account for the value of passengers time this omission is a common government failing a department of motor vehicles budget does not include time spent waiting for a drivers license nor does the irs budget account for the hours we spend filling out tax returns
this glaring omission creates perverse incentives for government agencies cutting staff improves an agencys bottom line while wasting citizens time has little material consequence for it aside from expressions of annoyance and outrage in tweets and articles like this one
the political scientist albert o hirschman pointed out two mechanisms that can motivate an organization to shape up the first is what he called exit the ability of customers to go elsewhere or refrain from buying moves that can pressure even the most inefficient monopolist
but exit is not an option if you want to fly we cant avoid the tsa unless we can afford to fly in a private jet drive up to a plane and just get on the agency does offer expedited precheck service at major airports after a prescreening process which helps frequent fliers but might take some pressure off the tsa to improve conditions for everyone else
mr hirschman also spoke of a second factor which he called voice   the ability of customers to stamp their feet and create a fuss but government agencies dont heed all voices equally and members of congress have very powerful voices that may explain why in our experience the lines at reagan national airport are relatively well managed especially the precheck lanes used by members of congress
perhaps lines elsewhere have grown so long that other voices are finally being heard on monday the tsa shook up its leadership and added administrators in chicago it is even beginning to consider an approach that might partly address the core economic problem by measuring and making public the time spent in line
you might object that such measurements are pointless because this time spent is a small price to pay for safety thats true but only up to a point it is an illusion to think that by waiting in line we are buying complete safety in every domain we make a trade off between risks and costs we do not post 10 mile per hour speed limits on all highways even though that would be safer we try to find a balance between travel time and fatalities
but by failing to explicitly consider the value of our time the tsa cannot make sensible trade offs for example suppose the agency finds that shoe removal does very little to improve safety but is one of the biggest sources of airport delay
in the current system the benefits of eliminating shoe removal would be felt by passengers but would not affect the tsas budget if anything the agency has an incentive to engage in procedures that appear safe rather than ones that are safe if it allows everyone to keep their shoes on and something bad happens the tsa might be blamed for speeding things up rather than keeping us safe
we have no way of knowing whether the current procedures are optimal but given the importance of salience in risk perception   what is vivid in our minds is perceived as more risky   we suspect that many policies amount to nothing more than barn door closing what we do know is that in the agencys calculus a central cost is being neglected it is entirely possible that we can reduce lines significantly with little or no negative effect on safety by for example adopting some of the expedited precheck procedures for all passengers
we think better decisions would be made if saving both time and money were part of the tsas official mandate
we are not in a position to say what procedures should change but we have suggestions that should help by improving measurement and disclosure
one change is fundamental in an interview with usa today peter v neffenger administrator of the agency said it would begin next month to post real time accurate data on airport security waiting times on its smartphone app mytsa that in itself would be a great improvement
it is important that the agency report this information scientifically and post it in a format where it can be examined by outside analysts solid data of this sort isnt hard to track passengers could swipe boarding passes as they enter the line just as they do when they reach the security zone airlines for america a lobbying group has asked the tsa to make such information more available
the agencys failure to disclose data on its own sluggishness to date has stood in stark contrast to the federal aviation administration mandate that airlines disclose data on their tardiness on time flight statistics are reported in such detail that on some travel websites buyers use them to choose flights rewarding punctual airlines and punishing laggards
systematic time tracking could help the tsa improve its operations if some airports have devised better ways of getting passengers through the lines expeditiously and still pass random tests done to monitor the system then all airports can learn how to improve posting waiting times would also make it easier to hold the tsa accountable we would not have to wait for giant lines and citizen uproar before changes are finally considered
newt gingrich tweeted a complaint about lines at the atlanta airport which he curiously blamed on bernie sanderss socialist bureaucracy perhaps forgetting that the department of homeland security of which the tsa is a part began in the administration of george w bush
fundamentally the problem isnt about politics its economics


several years ago on a beautiful valentines day evening in san francisco a friend of mine and i decided to visit the california academy of sciences the museum was love themed for the occasion with lectures about dating and exhibits of ancient dildos contraptions that resembled medieval torture devices
after perusing the historic sex toys with growing horror we wandered into a lecture where a woman was sharing the pros and cons of various online dating sites her talk led my friend to suggest i create a profile on okcupid
i had just moved to the bay area and wanted to meet people but i wasnt ready to date so in the you should message me if    section i wrote a paragraph about why someone should not message me at the top of my list dont message me if youre interested in dating
a couple of days later i received a message from someone who claimed that we had a lot in common but he insisted i answer more than just 25 questions so he could more reliably assess our compatibility curiosity drove me to his profile where i noticed that he had answered nearly 500 questions
turns out he too had created an elaborate do not message me if list that included everything i would have written if i had spent more time on my profile
we agreed to meet that weekend at a coffee shop he was thin with blue eyes and brown hair and he had the quintessential san francisco geek look to complete the stereotype he was a founder of a tech start up the san francisco equivalent of meeting a writer in hollywood the only thing that stood out about him other than his slovene accent was his glasses rather than resting on his ears as normal glasses do they clung to the sides of his head like a huge spider it didnt look quite as odd as it sounds
we grabbed lattes settled in on the patio and dived straight into deep conversation about politics and our pasts there was no chitchat about the weather or hobbies coffee turned into dinner and we spent the entire evening discussing everything from religion to robotics unearthing one surprising commonality after another
were both tech geeks but our overlap went way beyond that with us sharing identical first jobs worldviews everything even our mothers seemed like the same person we stumbled upon the odd fact that each had urged us inappropriately to frame and display our it exam certificates from microsoft because bill gates had signed them neither knew much of anything about our work but both had heard of mr gates
by 10 pm we decided to call it a night he had taken the local rail to meet me so i offered him a ride home our experiences and personalities were so strikingly similar i couldnt help but wonder if this encounter was an elaborate practical joke orchestrated by my friends as he told me how to drive to his place my suspicion only grew because he was directing me to my own apartment it turned out he lived right across the street from my building a fact neither of us had known when we met a few hours earlier
to uncover our differences i spent the week answering every question he had answered on okcupid but i only found more similarities i had to supply my answers before i could see his but one after another our answers were identical we met the next weekend for dinner where i spent five hours looking for reasons to vehemently disagree with him on something anything
after three months the only disagreement we had was over apples i liked them and he didnt but heres the thing our ridiculous lack of differences worried me my idea of a successful relationship had been that of a venn diagram with a healthy intersection not two mostly overlapping circles and that the best match was one in which you complemented not replicated each other perhaps i was missing something
dinners and weekend activities are great i blurted out one day but we need to find a more efficient way to uncover our real differences
i think we both have the same goal he said what do you propose
in software development you sometimes intentionally push the boundaries to see if a system breaks its called stress testing similar in concept to the treadmill test a doctor performs to measure a patients heart condition
why dont we stress test our relationship i asked
he was game so we spent the next 30 minutes discussing details in essence we wanted to try to create the environment of a decades long marriage to see how well our relationship might hold up he would move in with me for four weeks during which time we would go about our lives without any facade avoiding romance and doing nothing to try to impress the other person while being vocal about disagreements and upfront about our inadequacies
in addition we created exit criteria if during or after the stress test either of us felt the relationship wouldnt work we would part amicably without drama or guilt
with our terms agreed upon he moved in the next day it was quite convenient that he was already my neighbor and our test began
i dont usually wear makeup and he had never seen me use anything other than lip balm so there wasnt much to test there but what about hairy legs that i could do if i lived with someone for five years or even five months there would be plenty of times when he would have to deal with my not so smooth legs
within a couple of weeks i had achieved what my ex used to call wookie legs to amplify the effect i wore shorts then i wandered around the living room where he was crouched at the desk working on his laptop
how is it going i asked casually
im almost done he said without looking up
oh no my t shirt is stained i said pointing to an oil stain from a previous cooking experiment
thats barely noticeable he said
that stain wasnt the only thing he was barely noticing does this bother you i asked pointing to my legs
does what bother me
hair on my legs
why should that bother anyone he went back to fixing his code just like that he made the obligatory nuisance of shaving in winter a thing of the past
to test his propensity for jealousy and insecurity i left him alone most evenings to go out for dinner and movies with my friends but he was fine with the solitude and all it did was make me exhausted from so much socializing once i hit my 30s my appetite for hanging out had declined significantly all i wanted was to watch a documentary in my pajamas and go to bed early
for his part he slept late every day left coffee mugs on the night stand and set the thermostat to a balmy 75 degrees all things his ex would have thrown a fit about yet i couldnt even pretend to get upset since they were things i normally do too
he also let his goofy personality re emerge dropping the guard he had put up after mangling our first intimate encounter before our stress test began
the first time he came to my apartment i was busy researching something on my desktop he stood there looking restless
is everything ok i asked
would you mind if i did something he asked looking me straight in the eye
i was nervous thinking he wanted to kiss me maybe i said
the tension was mounting then he walked up and continued past me to my desk the next thing i knew he was changing the power settings on my desktop and laptop so they would use less energy when idle
i burst out laughing though i didnt immediately explain why when he eventually learned that i had expected him to kiss me he was so embarrassed it made him even more cautious about what he said and did around me
during our stress test however i knew he was back to his old self when instead of saying i missed you in some generic way he would hug me and say things like its too bad i cant hold you closer than what is physically possible which is ironic because atoms are mostly empty space
the geek in me truly appreciated this
after all of our test cases passed and the fourth week ended we were left with one question what now
he said he wanted to move in with me permanently unable to counter him with any logical reason not to i agreed a few weeks later he proposed and we married 12 months later
in the two years since our venn diagram of mostly overlapping circles has remained intact


the highly aestheticized films noir of the 1940s were in effect hollywoods avant garde many drew on german expressionism others were more surreal and while many were characterized by a hard boiled naturalism there were some   like robert siodmaks phantom lady 1944 or edgar g ulmers detour 1945   that were blatantly dreamlike
the chase 1946 adapted from a novel by the crime writer cornell woolrich also the source for phantom lady is one such noir a miasma in which more than one character seems to suffer from amnesia and the narrative structure suggests a dream within a dream circulating for decades in murky public domain prints and homemade dvds it has now been restored by the ucla film  television archive and reissued by kino on disc
much of the chase is set inside the malaria muddled mind of its protagonist chuck scott robert cummings who like many a noir antihero is a veteran of world war ii back home and at loose ends he is introduced standing outside a miami luncheonette hungrily watching a cook flip pancakes when as if by magic a wallet materializes at his feet seizing destiny scott dutifully returns the wallet the owner turns out to be a moody gangland type eddie roman steve cochran holed up in a blazingly white palazzo along with an abundance of baroque statues and a sinister sidekick peter lorre
roman who keeps a killer dog loose in his basement and his beautiful unhappy wife michele morgan on a tight leash hires scott as his chauffeur in addition to allowing the boss to control the cars speed from the back seat scotts duties include driving mrs roman to an empty pier from which she can stare disconsolately out at the surf his gallantry soon trumps loyalty to his employer and the scene shifts abruptly to a boat bound for havana there the nightmare begins
the chase is nothing if not arty mrs roman is dressed and posed as if she were one of the subjects of cecil beatons surrealist inflected vogue portraits while en route to cuba scott reveals a hitherto unsuspected talent for banging out rachmaninoff ian riffs on the stateroom piano the russian opera diva nina koshetz an actual associate of rachmaninoff has a small but vivid part as the proprietor of a havana curio shop
the director arthur ripley orchestrates a number of wordless stretches and makes strategic use of rear screen projection to position ms morgan before an oceanic void with its sometimes glacial pacing and abrupt changes in location the movie looks forward to the european art cinema of the 1960s the predilection of the director producer and scenarist for the unusual in mood background music and characterization makes this chase more confusing than suspenseful a film critic for the new york times wrote in 1946
credit the producer seymour nebenzal who had a distinguished career in weimar germany and a sketchier one in hollywood making ambitious pictures on tight budgets he preceded the chase   possibly the strangest of the nine hollywood films competing for a prize at the second cannes film festival   with douglas sirks first two american movies and followed it with the maria montez vehicle siren of atlantis and a remake of his german triumph m
if mr nebenzals was the strongest artistic personality associated with the chase its greatest champion has been the canadian filmmaker guy maddin mr maddin who compares the chase to david lynchs blue velvet supplies a commentary filled with love for the movie   not least its battered condition prerestoration reflecting on one actors demise he impulsively declares that it would be an honor to keel over talking about the chase
dark passage 1947 reissued on blu ray by warner archive is another dreamlike noir predicated on and inspiring mad passion in his book le surrealism au cinema the french critic ado kyrou calls it sublime
escaping from san quentin where he has been unjustly imprisoned for murdering his wife the hero humphrey bogart is rescued and sheltered by a sultry gal of mystery lauren bacall the film is the third that mr bogart and ms bacall who married in 1945 made together and their banter   some of which might as well have been lifted from to have and have not or the big sleep   has a relaxed quality
for much of the movie however mr bogart is heard but not seen employing a device robert montgomery used only months earlier in lady in the lake 1947 the writer director delmer daves employs a subjective camera to present the fugitives point of view roughly midway through he gets plastic surgery and an hour into the movie the bandages finally come off his face   its bogie ms bacall approves
although less shadowy than the havana created for the chase san francisco   where much of dark passage was shot   is also a labyrinth inhabited by monsters just as mr cummings was hunted for a crime he did not commit so mr bogart is hassled by cops and witnesses searching for him his new face notwithstanding the two most deadly are a malignly histrionic agnes moorehead and an impressively creepy clifton young a bucktoothed graduate of many our gang comedies
adapted from david goodiss novel dark passage is a movie of strange coincidences and occult connections the least of these is the repeated use of too marvelous for words a ballad by johnny mercer and richard whiting the most electrifying singled out by mr kyrou for its exaltation of total love is the transition from a san francisco bus station to a nightclub overlooking the pacific somewhere in peru as with the chase its unclear whether the protagonist has awakened from one dream or entered into another
newly released
city of women federico fellini ponders feminism and marcello mastroianni dreams a dream in this phantasmagorical comedy though the film is overlong even for a fellini aficionado it is spellbinding a dazzling visual display that is part burlesque part satire part folies bergeres and all cinema vincent canby wrote in the new york times in 1981 available on blu ray and dvd cohen media
manhunter the cannibal hannibal lecter made his screen debut in michael manns 1986 adaptation of thomas harriss red dragon the movie drives along with such intensity for much of the time that you can just let it work on your senses without worrying about whether it makes sense walter goodman wrote in the times reissued on blu ray with both the theatrical and directors cuts mgmscream
the naked island the japanese director kaneto shindo uses no dialogue to depict a farming familys daily struggle irrigating its meager crop with water brought by boat initially released as the island shindos 1960 existential parable was an art house hit the new york times critic bosley crowther mistakenly deemed it a documentarycomparable to nanook of the north on blu ray and dvd criterion
where the sidewalk ends otto preminger reunited the laura stars dana andrews and gene tierney in this tough and visually impressive 1950 police thriller reissued on blu ray writing in the times mr crowther declared that mr premingers megaphoning and some expert photography have resulted in a most vivid blend of action and new york city backgrounds twilight time
woman on the run a rare film noir with a female protagonist norman fosters taut 1950 b movie sends ann sheridan on a desperate mission through nocturnal san francisco reviewing it in the times mr crowther rated it several notches above the usual cops and corpses contributions from the coast the restoration by the ucla film  television archive in a blu raydvd dual format edition is also impressive flicker alley


in the summer of 2013 the choreographer jane comfort poked hundreds of pin size holes into a 60 foot garden hose in preparation for her trip to american dance institute a residency center in rockville md for the work she would be creating there she wanted rain   nothing too dramatic just a light shower onstage
i knew i couldnt have rain like pina bausch has rain ms comfort said in a recent phone interview bausch the german tanztheater pioneer orchestrated a relentless downpour for her 2006 production vollmond but i thought if i could have rain upstage in the last scene of the show that would be fantastic
ms comfort who has been making dance theater works in new york since 1978   without elaborate sets or simulated weather   was allowing herself to think bigger for this project that seems to be common among artists supported by american dance institute which in recent years has developed one of the countrys most robust residency programs for contemporary dance adi incubator
after breaking ground this month on a new home in catskill ny the institute is also expanding its role as a presenter of dance showing in finished form the same works and occasionally others that it incubates through residencies its first new york city season   a five week series at the kitchen with premieres by yvonne rainer brian brooks susan marshall jack ferver and ms comfort an eclectic group of artists   opens thursday june 2
all of those choreographers will have taken part in the incubator program or a version of it an incubator resident receives time and space   a dance artists most vital resources aside from dancers   as well as housing food a technical crew and a creative fee to hammer out the design components of a new work like indoor precipitation for the kitchen series those who couldnt travel to maryland got rehearsal space in manhattan since its inception in 2011 the program has grown from two residencies a year to 13 for the 2016 17 season
the need for it seemed to be greater than what we were offering adrienne willis the institutes executive director said during a recent visit to manhattan a 2011 study by the andrew w mellon foundation showed that in ms williss words american contemporary choreography was premiering before it was ready and it was having a negative impact   on artists audiences across the board
ms willis spoke at her new office in the flatiron district after a weekend at american dances future home a former lumberyard on the hudson river scheduled to open in 2018 founded as a ballet school in 1999 the institute has changed a lot since 2010 when ms willis was hired to steer it toward stronger financial footing at its strip mall location in a washington suburb the rent has been a burden she said with its own real estate in the friendlier arts ecosystem of the hudson valley programs like the incubator will have room to grow
the residency which lasts one or two weeks is designed to offset the tight schedules of many new york theaters where companies frequently have just one or two days to work with lighting and sets before presenting a brand new piece
often when you go into the theater in new york you dont have the luxury of time said the choreographer jodi melnick who developed her 2014 moment marigold including its lighting design by joe levasseur through the incubator residency she also serves on the institutes artistic advisory board adi has always made me feel that time is not a luxury its a necessity if you spend the entire day trying something that probably wont work they will still support you in trying it their first answer is always lets see what we can do
even theaters with residency programs like new york live arts which has presented several works incubated at american dance cant always supply sufficient tech time we find ourselves constrained in various ways in terms of schedule rentals different things that come up that sustain the organization said thomas o kriegsmann director of programs at live arts and were unable to go as far as we want to thats precisely where someone like adi comes in
he added the fact that theyre moving to catskill devoting even more completely to this environment where a company can live work eat and share an entire theater 247 dedicated to their creativity   its a massive thing for the field
with an annual operating budget of 5 million american dance is funded largely by the legacy of its founding benefactor solange macarthur who died in 2012 according to ms willis ms macarthur was open minded in her vision for the institute saying only that she wanted it to have an impact ideally a national one
when ms macarthur died ms willis brought the organization to a full stop she said we wanted to make sure that the money was addressing a need not just replicating existing support structures if in 10 or five years there are tons of technical residencies around the country then well do something else ms willis has also overseen initiatives to educate audiences the closing of the original ballet school washington has so many ballet schools she said and the creation in its place of a new national scholarship program meant to increase racial diversity in ballet
the renovated lumberyard or adilumberyard   which will include a black box theater studios and housing   will join a growing list of upstate satellites to the new york city dance world a capital region initiative with the joyce theater pathways to dance recently began supporting dance residencies workshops and exhibitions at nine upstate arts organizations and bard college mount tremper arts and jacobs pillow not quite upstate but close in the berkshires all offer dance residencies but theres room for more american dance has received a warm welcome from the state   a 500000 empire state development grant   and from the catskill community
four or five locals sent us donations without even meeting us which was something wed never experienced before ms willis said local banks have called and asked us to apply for grants its just a totally different world


the dutch diplomat and poet constantijn huygens referring to a small painting by a 23 year old upstart named rembrandt harmenszoon van rijn wrote compare this with all italy indeed with everything beautiful and admirable that has been preserved from the earliest antiquity
the dramatic light flecked work which huygens considered beyond compare and has long been recognized as rembrandts first mature work and first masterpiece has been in a private british collection for decades and is rarely exhibited publicly
but on friday june 3 judas returning the thirty pieces of silver goes on view at the morgan library  museum the first time it has been shown in the united states along with works from the morgans own collection that help chart the development of the style that came to define the baroque through sept 18 themorganorg


two years ago matt wilson a leading jazz drummer lost his wife felicia   a violinist and orchestra teacher mother to their four children   to leukemia reeling with grief he convened some of his closest collaborators for a series of spirited sessions in her honor the result is beginning of a memory an earnest and upbeat album just out on palmetto credited to matt wilsons big happy family it features past and present members of his three main bands arts  crafts his quartet and christmas tree o the repertory similarly honors a retrospective urge with pieces from across his 20 year recording career schoolboy thug a punkish favorite of felicias follows a more recent staple feel the sway
those pieces are likely to resurface on tuesday may 31 when most of mr wilsons expanded ensemble appears at the jazz standard among the musicians is the trumpeter terell stafford who plays with a solemn beauty on flowers for felicia the albums most poignant ballad 730 and 930 pm jazzstandardcom


the story in cleverman a six part drama that begins wednesday june 1 on sundancetv is inspired by australian aboriginal folklore but this unusual series has allegories relevant to just about anywhere in the near future a particular race is singled out for oppression and relegated to a sector known as the zone in this case that race is known as the hairies a descriptive name indeed
some people view the treatment of hairies as a human rights atrocity but the cultural resistance to equality is strong and ingrained when a young hairy dies during a police raid the headline on the tv news reads subhuman minor killed the series is a science fiction story that soon becomes a superhero story   and this superhero is aboriginal   that is drawing considerable attention in australia where racism toward indigenous populations is deep seated


if the choreographer raja feather kelly prays it must be to andy warhol the muse for a handful of works that mr kelly has created for his company the feath3r theory since 2009 the latest is andy warhols tropico which takes inspiration from lana del reys 27 minute extended music video tropico a dramatic meditation on original sin and redemption in which jesus john wayne marilyn monroe and elvis appear as saintlike figures while ms del rey morphs from eve to mary to a modern day stripper
mr kellys take will have a lighter touch a flirty wink and a queer sensibility that dispenses with spiritual heaviness and treats pop culture as a kind of religion itself he has also created an accompanying graphic novel with deadpan wit and a 12 member ensemble embodying archetypes from movies television and childrens stories mr kellys fusion of dance and theater shifts seamlessly from absurd to cheeky to the unexpectedly and piercingly sincere 8 pm thursday june 2 through saturday st marks church danspaceprojectorg


it takes about three hours and 15 minutes to watch the london production of annie bakers pulitzer prize winning play the flick about employees at a seen better days movie theater a chunk of that time is spent watching the actors leisurely sweep up trash with over 100 seats on the set thats a ton of tidying
but in a recent production of the flick at the tiny threshold repertory theater in charleston sc audiences were in and out in just over two hours thats what happens when your fictional movie theater has just 24 chairs
they didnt spend a lot of time cleaning up said courtney daniel the theaters executive director obviously weve got popcorn and things they have to pick up because its essential to the show but i think the audience got it youre cleaning
since the play had its debut at playwrights horizons three years ago it has been produced some 50 times with about 12 professional productions in north america this season including one in an actual movie theater here eight set designers talk about how they made their cinema worlds feel real on budgets that ranged from big to barely there and reveal exactly where they got all those seats
seats 111
the shows european premiere is the third production of the flick overseen by david zinn a tony award nominee this year for his set design of the humans the chairs in london are the same he used for the shows 2013 premiere at playwright horizons   there were 105 seats there   and for its commercial transfer last year at the barrow street theater which featured 77 seats they came from the great eastern seating company a pennsylvania company that sells new and used chairs
we added some gum to them in the front row but all that wear is how they came which is why we love it so much mr zinn said its nice to know that theres a warehouse somewhere filled with dirty movie theater seats
the on set projector flown overseas after being used at barrow street proved to be a challenge and not just because london theaters run on a different voltage than those in the united states
whats complicated is that we are asking a film projector to behave unlike a film projector start immediately and shut off immediately he explained we had to frankenstein projectors together to allow that to happen
seats 330
this site specific production is being mounted by mad cat a resident company at the miami theater center in a space that often doubles as a movie theater almost eliminating the need for a manufactured set or set designer or theatrical lighting the audience of about 62 sits on a riser on the stage the doors on the set lead to the actual lobby where theres a working popcorn machine and restrooms for the real and fictional movie theaters its all very meta said paul tei the artistic director of mad cat it takes about 16 seconds for the shows female character to walk up the stairs to the projection booth
in the script annie says she disappears for like 15 seconds said mr tei here you dont have to act you just have to walk up the stairs
the actors who actually clean the theater during performances are in good favor with the janitorial staff we sweep up just like the cleaning crew does after us said mr tei we tell them look weve already cleaned it for you but please dont throw out the trash we need it for props
seats 24
this 99 seat theater in a storefront space between a chinese restaurant and a sandwich shop featured a micro cinema size set without the center aisle typically built in elsewhere the audience in the front row sat about five feet from the stage
mike kordek the set designer got the seats free from a theater in savannah ga that posted an ad on craigslist the back wall consists of flats with painted on curtains total expense about 500
because we are such a small theater we try to keep costs down as much as possible mr kordek said i checked the price of curtains and it was outrageous
the 8 millimeter projector and film canisters in the booth were donated by trident technical college in charleston sc during scene changes the actors threw bags of popcorn and other garbage on the floor
we ate a lot of starbursts to have the wrappers mr kordek said of the now closed show
seats 40
markas henry said he had no specific theater in mind for his design i grew up in the country so going to the movies was a once a year kind of experience he said the biggest challenge was designing for a theater a former church that has no wing fly or backstage space if something needs to be moved onstage you have to build it into your design he said
mr henry spent about 800 on the 50s style seats found through a craigslist ad their curved plywood backs have a golden varnish the upholstery on the cushions was a pale blue gray with some tan and brown colors that inspired the rest of the set two colors of inexpensive home depot carpet line the walls the rest of the set cost an additional 2500
pieces of an old projector seen inside the booth were accentuated with painted fake parts to gave it the hefty appearance of a 70 millimeter projector its all smoke and mirrors mr henry said of the play now closed
seats 60
theres dingy then theres chet longleys design which was inspired he said by a worn out mall where you got your potato skins at bennigans before watching a movie the seats were given to the company by spotlight cinemas a dollar movie theater in columbia that was going digital most of the set which had a budget of about 1200 was assembled from freecycled sources as mr longley put it
the coverings at the top of the seats are some sort of vinyl fabric that mr longley figures were added by spotlight cinemas to extend the life of the fabric and hide dirt and stains
spotlight also lent the theater a 35 millimeter projector reels and film canisters the projector and the reels have to be returned but the seats are going to a scrap salvager after the run ends
seats 124
jack magaw visited some of chicagos grandest movie theaters to assess what he didnt want to incorporate into his design it was more about cheesy ceiling tiles the suburban equivalent of a single screen theater he said
the chairs were purchased off ebay from a former church in indiana for about 2000 and the carpeting is from exposition carpet on chicagos north side steppenwolf hired julian antos a projectionist from the music box as a consultant
the backs of the chairs were outfitted with small boxes filled with prop garbage electromagnets controlled by the stage manager released the contents onto the floor during blackouts when the lights come up they have more stuff to clean up said mr magaw when i saw a video of it i thought it as the coolest thing id ever seen
seats 68
wouldnt it be nice if this theater was built in the 60s and 70s and survived this long with minimal upgrades over the years that was how james kronzer approached his set design to go into signatures black box theater the chairs were a donation from laurel haunt a haunted house in laurel md that takes places in an abandoned movie theater the original chairs were light blue metal with dark blue upholstery and since mr kronzers design called for black metal and red upholstery they were reupholstered and repainted in total the chairs cost around 4000 about half of the shows props budget
mr kronzer said eagle eyed audience members will spot hyperrealistic touches on the set including dust on top of the exit lights dried mop water in the corners and gum in the carpets this is not a highly skilled work force that works in this room he said of the characters
seats 50
the set designer robert winn said the biggest challenge was putting a movie theater in the companys small basement space which has 90 seats and concrete columns every 15 feet its intimate he said he was inspired by the art deco touches of the arlyne theater a movie house built during the oil boom of the early 30s in longview tex where he grew up but as if retrofitted during the 1970s
for 300 mr winn got the seats from an abandoned movie theater in austin that has had other lives as a mexican wrestling venue and a bazaar as part of the deal he also got the curtains mop buckets and film reel canisters
peeking out from the booth window is a 16 millimeter projector and posters of beach girls and the monster a 50s horror movie and wes andersons bottle rocket which was shot in dallas


because i want the best for our dog i feed him soy  and wheat free turkey bits rehydrated with turmeric fortified bone broth and served in a stainless steel and acrylic dining set designed to reduce neck strain
i test his urine using an app on my phone to make sure his bilirubin and nitrite levels are on track before taking him for walks in his grosgrain and bridle leather pendleton national park collection collar leash set i apply sunscreen to his underparts lest rays reflecting off the sidewalk burn him where the skin is thinnest when we return i may daub his snout with certified organic button nose butter
because my cat is descended from generations of athletes i give him high performance salmon lentil kibbles from a company that calls itself the under armour of pet food to keep him smart and even fitter i serve it in a multi cupped contraption that forces him to fish the bits out with his paws not just stick his face in the bowl
at least in the last few days
when i started writing the pet city column in january i found myself besieged with greetings from new friends in an industry that works round the clock to find solutions to pet problems i never knew existed
did i want to check out the worlds first treat tossing camera or celebrate national pet month with foie gras dog biscuits from a michelin starred chef i did not
the pitches did not stop
then i thought why not say yes
this startup has made the first ever smart pet urine cup  iphone health analyzer send me one
a chastity belt for dogs please yes
then i got invited to a petrepreneurs home  garden pet product showcase
all that is how in the interest of service to readers i ended up with a small pet stores worth of merchandise which i spent several days having barnaby the basset and sonny the ginger tomcat test drive
one recent evening we invited barnabys neighbor boone the basset over for a product party boones owner mike lipton was drawn to the pura natural pets ear cleansing system the insides of bassets ears are biological reserves worthy of protection by the united nations the pura tip swabs are made from plant based foam and they are reusable   just rinse in hot water mostly they are really big with a q tip i usually worry about losing it in there mike said
he cleaned boones ear an amazing amount of stuff came out on the swab this is something i would actually go out of my way to buy mike said
then we fired up the furbo a device that allows you to toss treats to your dogs and watch them eat all from the comfort of somewhere other than the place where your dogs are
it is a stand up device with a reservoir that you stock with treats and a camera mounted on the front you open the app on your phone and press the treat icon and the furbo makes a cartoon speeeowwnn sound and shoots a piece of food
we stepped into the next room and began launching boone immediately figured out how to knock the unit over and get at the treats we set it up on something higher barnaby a simple soul whose idea of a good time usually involves little more than staring at the toilet or licking a wall seemed lost
after a few more tries barnaby figured out what was happening he got excited and started barking his head off furbo flashed me a message your dog is barking would you like to see how he is doing then he peed all over his new senior pet wellness mat an anti fatigue resting spot made with advanced polyurethane technology i imagined being at the office and watching this unfold on my phone screen and not being able to do anything about it
a few days later it was sonnys turn he is notoriously difficult to impress but i had high hopes for the catit flower fountain it provides continuous fresh filtered water that runs from the petals of a plastic flower features whisker stress free design and has three settings   gentle flow bubbling top and calm streams cats love fresh water its why sonny likes to drink from the toilet
sonny cautiously approached the fountain which makes a pleasing trickling sound he looked at it for several seconds and walked away
barnaby on the other hand loves it also popular in my household epi pet omega 3 6 9 dried anchovies loving pets natural value chicken tenders nulo medal series salmon and lentils adult cat food the barks  kisses ashford collection pet feeder looks nice on our kitchen floor with its bold swooping curves and contemporary silhouette
the pet product showcase at a hotel on the east side was organized by charlotte reed who describes herself as a petrendologist she strives to help people have better relationships with their pets
one way to do that ms reed said is for pets and their keepers to share products ms reed said she uses epi pet ear cleaner to remove greasy makeup after television appearances
it just cuts it right off my face and it heals the skin so when i use this it doesnt sting at all she said i think more people want to have that experience if its good for you then its good for your pet its good for your pet why shouldnt it be good for you
which brings us somehow to the dog chastity belt formally known as the pet anti breeding system stop it block it lock it says the flier if you want to delay spaying your dog for any reason the belt lets her still be a pet while being fully protected
unfortunately i could not find any dogs in heat to give it a real tryout but danielle ettkins who runs the green pup store in gowanus brooklyn agreed to let cleo her 5 month old goldendoodle try it on a fishnet triangle connected with an eight point buckle system and a collar in the front the belt like a piece of light bondage gear cleo did not seem to mind wearing it ms ettkins inspected
it certainly blocks the vulva she said i would have to see it in action
for cleo that opportunity is still several weeks off so if you have a dog about to go into heat and would like to try out the belt shoot me an email at petcitynytimescom
no marketing pitches please


two years ago my son moved to florida with his wife and decided he no longer wanted a relationship with his father brother or me my granddaughter was born 18 months ago we have been allowed to see her twice when she was a month old and again this winter my son now allows us to facetime with our granddaughter once a week but he will not speak to us or initiate the calls my husband thinks if we stop the calls my sons attitude toward us will change my brother says i am a glutton for punishment but i want my granddaughter to know i love her should i continue with facetime
cecilia new york
in a word that even a 2 year old will understand yes i disagree with your husband and brother canceling the calls and moving into showdown at the ok corral mode is not going to improve relations with your son if there is any way to make strides here it will involve more communication not less do not try to push him into a corner
i dont see these facetime calls making you a glutton for punishment either even though your son has severed ties with you he seems to value your regular presence in his daughters life thats good his failure to appear onscreen is a technicality the baby is not yet 2 unless she is a mini mark zuckerberg someone is handling the laptop for her keep calling and dont act injured by her parents or the situation let cheerful be your watchword
which brings me to my grand finale a pitch for family counseling   in new york or florida   among your nearest and not so dearest we dont know why your son has cut you off though i suspect you have asked him many times and you have not been able to solve this on your own but sometimes a family conversation moderated by a neutral professional can help everyone feel heard   which may be the first step on the long road to disney world with your son and granddaughter what have you got to lose
a friend gave us a 200 gift card from a small home goods boutique it was generous and we feel terrible because we lost it i am sure our friend will eventually ask what we bought i called the store they said they dont keep records of gift cards do we purchase something so our friend thinks we used it or do we say nothing and hope she forgets
anonymous
you left out the obvious solution get stephen hawking to build you a time machine so you can travel backward and take better care of the gift card or just tell your friend the truth thanks so much for your gift like fools we went and lost it but we really appreciate your thinking of us
we all lose things its no knock on your affection for your friend the truth may also do some practical good here perhaps the shop gave your friend a copy of the gift card or will reissue one with a credit card receipt but even if not go with the truth when possible fewer fibs to remember that way
i have a friend who is going through a divorce before she split up with her husband they booked a vacation at a resort now she has a resort credit initially she invited a man she was dating but he had a family commitment when she proposed going then she invited me but we had a hard time finding datesa few months later i stopped working so my schedule is more flexible now but when i proposed revisiting the vacation she said shes decided to bring a new man she is dating i feel resentful about this we have been friends for 20 years and i helped her through her divorce should i say something
anonymous oakland calif
like what that 20 years of friendship and some divorce support entitle you to a free vacation and you want it now your pal invited you and you werent available so she moved on which is her right get over it
my more experienced officemate often coaches me   in real time   when i am on the phone with clients telling me what she thinks i ought to be saying it is annoying and distracting but i know shes only trying to help so i dont want to be rough on her
jack new york
you and your officemate sound like julia roberts and george clooney in money monster she speaks to him through an earpiece while he is doling out financial advice on an overcooked cable tv show i loved it in the movie but i can see where it would be annoying in real life your call go to newscaster school or tell your colleague i appreciate your help but having two conversations at once is one too many can you wait to talk until after im off the phone


pittsfield mass   the worlds best female duckpin bowler holds so many bowling records that she has lost count but her game day shirt features a star for each of her tournament wins   a sartorial requirement of the womens national duckpin association with 19 stars so far her polyester constellation is running out of sky
the worlds best female duckpin bowler lives here in the berkshires where duckpin bowling is neither played nor followed if she wants to bowl she must drive two hours to an alley in connecticut where bowlers sometimes ask her for shared selfies and autographs
the worlds best female duckpin bowler is amy bisson sykes a slight woman of 37 who dominates a black and white pastime in a technicolor world her sport is so yesterday that whenever another duckpin alley closes the remaining alley owners descend like predatory relatives to cart off the mechanical parts of duckpin setting machines that have not been made in two generations
but bisson sykes was reared in the duckpin bowling alley her father owned in newington conn amid the drone of rolling balls on pine and maple the clatter of pins scattering like startled waterfowl the soundtrack of her youth
in leagues and tournaments bisson sykes used to slip into an all business cocoon that others found intimidating and even off putting wearing the mask of singular purpose she would stand with the same red and white ball firm in her right hand and raised close to her chest and then release it with the twinning of a ballerinas curtsy and a fencers thrust
i was there to win she said
the cognoscenti of duckpin often pause before describing bisson sykess talent and impact as if searching for the proper superlative
phenomenal said al zoraian the president of the national duckpin bowling congress
not unbeatable added lauree schreiber a friend and longtime opponent but shes about as close as it gets
bisson sykes has retained much of her intense focus on the 10 pin triangle but motherhood has taught her that the lanes of life are curlicue with pins that can move about and refuse to fall now she offers high fives to opponents who throw strikes and embraces the sense of community that has always enveloped the ancient game of bowling
its been an epiphany turns out some things in life are even more important than duckpin bowling
to all those armchair athletes rolling their eyes instead of balls lets be clear odds are youd be lousy at duckpin
the grapefruit size ball weighs less than four pounds and has no finger holes and the squat duckpins look like out of shape cousins to the more familiar bowling pin and even though a turn can include throwing three balls instead of the two in the more common game of tenpin bowling scores are still much lower
according to the united states bowling congress there were 55266 certified 300 games   that is 12 consecutive strikes for a perfect score   in the 2013 14 season of tenpin bowling but there has never been a 300 game in duckpin bowling as all serious duckpinners know a connecticut man named pete signore jr came closest in 1992 bowling a 279
the history of duckpin is a murky pond it was long believed that the game emerged around 1900 from a baltimore gaming hall owned by john mcgraw and wilbert robinson future members of the baseball hall of fame but research has since found references to duckpin dating to the early 1890s in new haven boston and lowell mass
the sport became popular along the eastern seaboard finding particular passion in rhode island connecticut and maryland men now gray and halting in step will recall their glory years as pin boys setting pins and clearing deadwood for the greats harry kraus and wolfie wolfensberger and the singular nick tronsky out of connecticut and dont forget the female standouts toots barger and sis atkinson and cathy dyak
big matches drew standing room only crowds local newspapers chronicled the scores and profiled the stars nick tronsky of new britain stole the show at the state duckpin tournament today with a nine game total of 1203 companies hired ringers for their league teams and some stars barnstormed taking on all local heroes in certain american crannies duckpin was life
some pastimes just fade away to resurface only with the smirk of irony like so many other endeavors duckpin has been a casualty of the fundamental change in how americans choose to spend their leisure time but some of the duckpin faithful will also cite what is known as the curse of ken sherman
in 1953 a submarine designer named kenneth sherman invented an automatic pinsetter for duckpin it was an elaborate rube goldberg like contraption of more than 1000 moving parts   cast iron gears and gaskets and pin holders   that did away with the need for pin boys and made the game faster and more efficient
but the story goes that when shermans company stopped operating nearly 50 years ago he refused to sell the patent for the sherman pinsetter to brunswick equipment   some say because he feared that brunswick would end production so that duckpin could no longer compete with tenpin
but were in the same situation as if brunswick had shut us down anyway said stan kellum 72 the executive director of the national duckpin bowling congress which is run out of a small office in a maryland bowling alley nobody is manufacturing the machines
that is why if you go behind the lanes at say highland bowl in cheshire conn the back wall is lined with cardboard boxes crammed with cast iron bits duckpin nests and assorted other parts no longer manufactured   all scavenged and saved from closed alleys
when all 20 lanes are operating smoothly the deafening roar is mere background music for the owner todd turcotte but his ears are attuned to the faintest false note in the mechanical syncopation when that happens something is broken   off
and what does turcotte do then pray he said
his situation reflects why the game of duckpin could not grow no new automatic pinsetters means no new alleys
today there are 41 congress certified duckpin bowling alleys down from nearly 450 in 1963 kellum said and were losing houses all over the place
in fact he said we just lost t bowl last year
that would be t bowl lanes in newington
the alley in which amy bisson sykes grew up
she was 3 years old when her father an insurance man named dick bisson bought the 48 lane alley in 1981 his dream was to own a duckpin bowling alley she said
the youngest of his four children amy took to the game like   well you know i never really found the sport to be difficult she said
by 12 she had her trusty red and white ball engraved with her given name by 15 she had a junior level reputation as a fierce competitor with the exceptional hand eye coordination required to consistently knock down a stubborn last pin 60 feet away the junior records piled up highest game 262 highest three game set 567 highest average 145
she played softball at american international college in springfield mass graduated with a degree in elementary education and promptly joined the professional duckpin tour reaching the finals of her first tournament at perillos bowl o drome in waterbury conn she faced an estimable opponent lynne heller a hall of famer who had recently bowled a 200 game
into that cocoon she slipped all business she won the tournament and soon a reputation
a couple of years later she wound up being matched with another bowler through the entirety of a weekend tournament at the end of it the other woman said she was glad to have spent time with her adding youre not the bitch that people say you are
bisson sykes remembers the moment as if it were yesterday at pinland bowling lanes just outside baltimore back then i probably just closed myself off to that she said i was just there to bowl but i think people took me as cocky
the tournament wins and records kept piling up then in 2007 she met stephen sykes a financial adviser through mutual friends coming from pittsfield in the berkshires he knew little of duckpin bowling and nothing of the superstar status of the woman he was now dating
they married and moved to pittsfield just 60 miles   and a duckpin chasm   away from her fathers alley in newington i thought i could handle it bisson sykes said i didnt think that it would have the impact that it did
she gave birth to her first son benjamin in 2009 returned to the tour in 2010 and was named female bowler of the year one of at least eight such honors gave birth to her second nathan in 2011 and was named bowler of the year in 2012
that same year her father died unexpectedly at 65 he took a cup of coffee to his work area at the back of the lanes where all those sherman pinsetters were clacking and whirring and collapsed
and the next year in the spring of 2013 her younger son nathan was found to have a brain tumor after two brain operations and who knows how many consultations   a neurologist a neurosurgeon a neuro oncologist a neuro ophthalmologist   it was determined that the tumor sitting on his brainstem was inoperable
these days no news is good news nathan was undergoing magnetic resonance imaging every few months but now he has yearly intervals between scans and is monitored by doctors at boston childrens hospital and dana farber cancer institute he attends preschool sings dances and trails after his older protective brother
a goofball a spitfire bisson sykes said of nathan he lights up the room
as nathan 4 illuminated a room in the sykeses house and as benjamin 6 dueled imaginary demons with his star wars saber their mother went down to the basement there inside several plastic tubs stacked in a far corner were the trophies and plaques that state her case as the worlds best female duckpin bowler once on display upstairs they lost out to the playthings of children
reading through a couple of old newspaper clippings bisson sykes mourned a pastime inexorably slipping into memory here was an article featuring t bowl her fathers bowling alley closed last year it is now a furniture store
so many places are closing bisson sykes said people just dont come out to bowl where is everybody going
bisson sykes knows at least where she will be for the memorial day weekend at turners dual lanes in hagerstown md for the first tour stop of the womens 2016 season she has already paid her 115 entry fee
she will be wearing a rubber bracelet on her right wrist that reads nate the great and in her travel bag she will have all the essentials for a duckpin assassin
the red and white ball she has carried with her since she was 12 two other balls a pair of dexter bowling shoes with the toe bottom worn away on the right shoe from so many follow through curtsies and a gray bowling shirt adorned with 19 stars
its not the same as it was of course when she turned professional 16 years ago shed see 80 maybe 100 women competing in a tour now maybe half that
but she will enjoy herself catching up with friendly adversaries visiting an outlet mall going to dinner with a few close duckpin pals and when its time she will lose herself in the fading therapeutic endeavor of throwing a ball to knock things down


we arrived in punta ala italy with a packed itinerary my daughter meenakshi then 7 and i were on a weeklong august getaway and the idea was to use the tuscan seaside resort as a base to explore the regions many medieval villages
i had arranged walking tours and cathedral visits galore and figured that the ocean would be the ideal setting for a break from the sightseeing and summer heat
the trip however turned out to be nothing like i had planned
instead of sticking to our schedule of excursions from the tiny inlet we ended up never leaving it with scenery so picturesque it was hard not to linger and we spent lazy days swimming in the shimmering sea savoring sunsets and enjoying relaxed seafood feasts
punta ala is on the tyrrhenian sea in the heart of maremma in southwest tuscany about a two hour drive north of rome two hours southwest of florence and four hours south of milan with only about 400 inhabitants it is part of the town of castiglione della pescaia italians have been vacationing here for decades but not many others even know of it
they should because its about as idyllic and photogenic as seaside spots come
the ocean is a collection of varying blue and green shades and its more than four miles of beaches have sand so silky that you have to remind yourself youre in tuscany not on a faraway island views of elba the isle where napoleon was exiled and deep green hills that frame the water add to the appeal and a small strip along the marina dotted with only a few restaurants   the closest thing to a downtown   makes it feel even more removed from the rest of the world
development began in 1962 when the milan based hotelier luigi gallia opened the gallia palace hotel on a hill near the beach then in 1964 the pesenti family which runs the multinational cement company italcementi opened the golf club punta ala about a mile from the beach but the buzz about its being a peaceful getaway started to become noticeable only after the baglioni hotel cala del porto opened in 1973
cala del portos owner roberto polito stumbled on punta ala when the hotel owner he was working for in switzerland sent him to a nearby town follonica to open a property for swiss tourists
over champagne and a deep orange sunset in his sprawling apartment on the top floor of cala del porto he told me the story of his discovery i was driving around and saw this magnificent empty beach with a wooden pier and got the idea to build a hotel where people could come and stay while they enjoyed the natural beauty he said
the 37 room upscale property he built that overlooks the marina helped to spur tourism but more life came to the area later that decade and into the 1980s when the pesentis built apartments and villas that chic italian city dwellers bought to use as their vacation homes
todays laid back beach culture however where a well dressed crowd often roams barefoot can be traced back to the two hoteliers a beach club with a restaurant thats still thriving was part of gallia palaces opening and under his hospitality company baglioni mr polito opened a beach club called alleluja cala del porto in 1980
next door theres another baglioni beach club la vela the name means sail in italian and is taken from the shape of the contemporary building that houses the club it has two levels a bar and a small spa are on the ground floor and a rooftop restaurant with ocean panoramas is on the second
all three clubs are popular hangouts for punta ala regulars meenakshi and i passed much of our time there
midday meals were leisurely unlike most of tuscany where hearty pastas and meats are staples the cuisine here is mediterranean and emphasizes seafood
at one lunch at alleluja i started with pinzimonio crisp halved raw radishes and sticks of carrots and cucumbers from a local farm along with an avocado mousse dip then came a plate of grilled calamari and octopus sprinkled with coarse salt and another course with two kinds of shrimp in a light pool of peppery tuscan olive oil   tiny sweet red prawns and giant meaty langoustines slices of steak like porcini mushrooms foraged from the hills followed the seafood and to drink it was chilled and fruity tuscan white wine
another lunch was at la vela with roland baranes with whom i had connected through mutual friends he runs a milan based cosmetics packaging business but owns an apartment in punta ala and spends the summer here with his family a tradition he has stuck with for more than four decades as we shared salt encrusted baked sea bream accompanied by grilled zucchini and radicchio he praised the simplicity of the food and of the destination
if you ask me how punta ala has changed since i was young i wouldnt really have anything to say he said the thing is that it hasnt changed and thats what makes it so special
i got a better understanding of what he was talking about the next morning on a hike through bandite di scarlino a regional park spanning more than 20000 acres thats partly in punta ala
my guide ellen sutherland who first moved to punta ala in 1974 from houston after falling in love with and marrying a local led me up a steep trail until we reached a promontory along the ocean we walked until we hit a clearing in the woods that was full of families and couples toting coolers and beach chairs ms sutherland prodded me to follow them for the big reveal cala violina an inviting crescent shaped beach with water so clear that the small fish swimming in it had no place to hide
the closest parking lot was more than a mile away and the only hint of commercialism was a small truck selling snacks but these beachgoers were undeterred by the walk and lack of amenities it was this exact scene when i came first to punta ala ms sutherland said people have always been drawn to this beach because it feels secretive
our two hour excursion ended at her 18th century farmhouse which she has turned into a four room bed and breakfast called boccadalma the hilltop property is surrounded by olive trees and during harvest season ms sutherland invites her guests to help pick olives and press them into oil
punta ala has plenty of pleasurable diversions like this away from the beach
active travelers can bike or hike through bandites many trails or play a round at golf club punta ala also given that its in tuscany winery tours are popular rocca di frassinello a winery designed by the italian architect renzo piano and the bolgheri region home to some of the countrys most prestigious labels such as ornellaia are both less than an hours drive away its also possible to rent a boat to visit elba to scuba dive along the northern part of the island
and there is no shortage of medieval villages to see like the etruscan roman roselle or pitigliano famous for the jewish community that settled there hundreds of years ago
on our last night my daughter reminded me that we were missing the souvenirs i had promised her i took her to the marina in search of a store where we could buy the requisite postcards and t shirts and stopped to ask a man toting his toddler son for a suggestion he told us that he had been coming to punta ala since he was a young boy and had yet to see a shop for tourists the people who visit come back again and again he said so they dont need a memory to take home
travelers can fly into rome florence milan or pisa and rent a car to drive topunta ala
baglioni hotel cala del porto an upscale 37 room hotel overlooking the marina and offering a large pool free beach shuttle for guests from 350 euros about 395 a night including breakfast
gallia palace hotel an upscale 71 room hotel thats a five minute walk to the beach from EUR250 including breakfast
arli hotel a bright and contemporary 25 room property with a garden sauna and pool a short walk from the beach guests get unlimited free laundry and a pass for beach access that comes with an umbrella two chairs and a loungerfrom EUR210 including breakfast
boccadalma a comfortable four room bed and breakfast in an 18th century farmhouse a 10 minute walk to the beach from EUR95 including breakfast
enosteria viniveri a casual restaurant and wine bar on the marina with 50 italian wines by the glass and a menu of seafood and meat dishes 39 340 242 3100 dinner for two with wine about EUR100
molo g a modern restaurant on the marina with a frequently changing menu of seafood dishes dinner for two with wine about EUR120
la pagoda the gallia palaces beachfront lunch only restaurant the buffet style meal includes a large selection of salads pastas and prepared dishes as well as a grill with seafood and meat cooked to order lunch for two with wineEUR120
la vela a beachfront restaurant serving thin crust pizzas salads seafood and pastas dinner for two with wine about EUR90
at various beach clubs like gallia palace beach club la vela and alleluja cala del porto daylong rentals for chairs umbrellas and towels start at EUR35
puntala cycle tours offers private and group rides starting at EUR25 for a half day tour
a round at golf club punta ala starts at EUR80
boats can be hired to visit elba or to sail around the tyrrhenian sea companies include ducchi charter ala charter and sailing in tuscany


the main thoroughfare bisecting the town of faranah a ramshackle regional capital of 80000 in central guinea is a bustling commercial carnival threadbare umbrellas shade vendors and their wares live chickens tethered to cages made of twigs and twine heaps of t shirts and flip flops racks of soccer jerseys and flowing boubou garments stacks of used tires in sizes from moped to tractor mobile phone charging stations consisting of power strips puzzled together atop card tables and electrified by portable generators repurposed soda bottles holding gasoline ethanol mixtures in hues from fruit punch to orangeade to apple juice grimy bills pass from hand to hand 1500 guinean francs for a sweet potato 2000 for an onion 5000 for a sim card 8000 for a liter of gasohol 9275 for a kilo of rice 45000 for a live chicken according to 2012 figures from the governments bureau of statistics the most recent available a troubling 55 percent of guineans survive on less than 8815 francs or 120 a day and the average per capita daily income nationwide is just over 3
during the week i spent in faranah cars passed only occasionally mostly harlequin taxis of multicolored metal patchwork held together and onto the chassis with duct tape and plastic string crammed with passengers roof loads doubling their height motorbikes jostled by honking shrilly as they slalomed around young men in western clothes strolling with friends their fingers or arms linked affectionately a few of the women were covered in hip  or full length black chadors eighty five percent of guineans and nearly all residents of faranah are muslim but only a small minority follow conservative imams most women wore snugly tailored sets of blouse long skirt and head wrap in matching patterns or t shirts over wrapped skirts of printed pagne cloth some decorated with the portrait of president alpha conde from fabric distributed free during his recent successful campaign for re election images of him wearing a blue suit and dignified expression were everywhere on childrens shirts on posters and fliers plastered onto signs and shop walls on peeling billboards bearing his slogan progress in motion
it was just 100 miles south of here in a village called meliandou near the sierra leonean and liberian borders that the ebola epidemic began in december 2013 more than 28600 people were infected and more than 11300 people died over the two years that followed guinea which is more than double the size and population of sierra leone or liberia the other two hardest hit nations had a difficult time stamping out the virus and was the last to be declared ebola free in late december 2015 in each country the virus has flared again most recently in guinea with eight deaths in march 2016 alone
the fatality rate in the faranah prefecture was extremely high eighty four percent of the 62 reported cases died and almost half died at home rather than in a medical facility the nearest ebola treatment center was a five hour drive away and there were widespread rumors that the centers were actually covers for human experimentation or that conde had manufactured the epidemic as a ploy to draw international aid money the rumors about conde took hold around faranah even though the president comes from the same maninka ethnolinguistic group as the regions inhabitants which would typically assuage their skepticism but faith in the government which has long been plagued by incompetence and corruption was already fragile and the fear and misunderstanding around ebola shattered it entirely in faranah a mob of several dozen angry residents attacked the maternity center which was being used as a base for the red cross they defaced the facility destroyed equipment and set fire to a doctors without borders vehicle parked outside nationwide guinea had a much higher fatality rate 66 percent than liberia 45 percent or sierra leone 30 percent   in part probably because of the populations determined avoidance of medical support
even if citizens had trusted the government medical workers enough to seek care the countrys feeble health care system would have had little to offer them the government of guinea devotes only 2 percent of its gross domestic product to health care amounting to about 12 per person in 2013 that figure would need to be closer to 44 to support a bare minimum of basic lifesaving services according to the world health organization and the country has among the worst maternal  infant  and child mortality rates in the world to show for that gap ten percent of children die before the age of 5 and nearly a third die before 15 most from malaria diarrhea or pneumonia many villages have no trained health workers and sick or pregnant patients must travel long distances on foot to access even rudimentary care at a health outpost   usually just a bare room with an auxiliary nurse who has little more than malaria test kits and some training in assisting childbirth even the largest hospitals operate without running water sanitation consistent electricity or reliable stores of medications or equipment the danger of pandemic emergence is highest where the levels of health care infrastructure and resources are low and 28 other countries around the world struggle with health systems as weak as guineas or worse
during the epidemic western media outlets focused much attention on the billion dollar scramble for high tech medical solutions   vaccines or antiviral drugs like zmapp   that are still making their way through clinical trials and certifications but the initiative that holds the most promise for preventing another epidemic is as rudimentary as they come the governments of guinea sierra leone and liberia with assistance from the who and ngos have tried to train all government health workers in a standard set of practices called infection prevention and control ipc and provide these workers with the low tech inexpensive equipment   soap wash buckets hand sanitizer gloves masks long sleeved gowns   needed to put those practices into effect it amounts to basic hygiene with an emphasis on hand washing which remains the single most effective practice for preventing the transmission of infectious disease the ipc trainings in west africa are adapted for the realities of conditions on the ground where access to plentiful running water plumbing electricity and cleaning supplies is often lacking and infection prevention protocols are unfamiliar
in guinea as new cases of ebola continue to appear the front line soldiers in this fight will be the health workers in faranah and other towns across the countryside most did not complete high school and some struggle with french the language of higher education in the country many serve in communities where literacy rates are less than 25 percent germ theory is unfamiliar and trust in government is low their success in adopting infection prevention practices and in recognizing symptoms of ebola and other deadly infectious diseases   and keeping themselves and other patients from spreading them   is crucial to preventing the next dangerous outbreak from becoming another epidemic
dr sadou diallo is a slight man trim and compact with a high forehead above wire rimmed glasses he is the director of obstetrics and gynecology at the matam community medical center in conakry guineas capital matam is one of the countrys busiest health facilities and an average of 400 women deliver there each month his temperament is suited to the high drama of childbirth he is preternaturally calm deliberate and gentle in his movements
for years diallo has been affiliated with an ngo called jhpiego originally the johns hopkins program for international education in gynecology and obstetrics when the ebola crisis arose jhpiego already had a network of guinean doctors nurses and midwives ready to serve as master trainers for the health system their expertise was easily upgraded to ebola and the director of the whos ebola response in guinea described them to me as providing the gold standard of training in the country now when diallo was not at the medical center he was conducting ipc trainings around the country as a jhpiego instructor
i joined diallo and his colleagues dr kadiatou traore and kaba kourtim saran a midwife in faranah in november at a disused building   basically an empty concrete room   that belonged to the municipal government hefty wooden tables and chairs had been arranged in a u shape leaving just enough space for 13 men and 12 women to wedge themselves around the perimeter a few ebola educational posters had been stuck to the walls with strips of masking tape on one graphic cartoons depicted a man suffering from each ebola symptom   bloody diarrhea fever bleeding nose and gums muscle and joint pain bloody vomiting and skin eruptions   as he is beckoned into a neat white health post by a welcoming lab coated caretaker another poster depicted ways to avoid infection with big red xs over drawings of dangerous situations representing the donts a pair of people carrying a corpse a family weeping and embracing a deceased loved one a frying pan filled with flesh which a thought bubble indicated came from a bat a squirrel or a monkey next to the donts were the dos the steps of proper hand washing
the trainers distributed the basic ipc tools to the trainees seated shoulder to shoulder at the tables small bottles of alcohol based hand sanitizer now affordably produced in country folded disposable liquid resistant long sleeved smocks crinkled green crepe bands that unfolded into hair covers paper masks latex gloves about two thirds of the group were nurses aides or health technicians called agents techniques de la sante a sort of auxiliary nurse who has completed three years of professional school after the 10th grade health technicians are the most common health care provider in guinea and often the only medical professional in a rural village the rest of the group were nurses midwives doctors and laboratory technicians
the trainees shrugged their way into the gauzy smocks helping one another with the sticky tabs behind the neck then unraveled the bonnets and tucked their hair inside diallo walked around the room face impassive gauging their level of experience stopping to offer a few words of correction here and there or demonstrate procedure he moved with economy touching materials with just the tips of his fingers minimizing the surface area of contact
elisa a young midwife from conakry doing a temporary rotation in a rural health center confidently peeled open the envelope of sterile individually packaged gloves pressing its edges flat to the table she pinched the wrist of the glove delicately placed the fingertips of her other hand inside the opening then slipped on the glove in a single motion pulling it over the edge of her smock sleeve the trainee next to her watched her out of the corner of his eye failing to recognize the purpose of sterile packaged gloves he picked them up in his hand flipping them around until he picked one stretched it on over his fist then struggled to tug each finger into place pulling at the palm with no regard for contamination
what service do you work in dr yolande hyjazi the guinea director of jhpiego asked him brusquely
laboratory he responded that is where handling pathogens is the job
traore began a circuit of the room carrying a small plastic bottle onto the students gloved palms she squirted a tablespoon of bright red paint close your eyes and wash your hands she instructed from the front of the room diallo walked slowly from student to student waving at them to close their eyes wash like you usually do he directed
despite its fearsome reputation ebola is transmissible only once an infected person is heavily symptomatic the virus itself can be killed with a simple thorough scrubbing of hands or surfaces with a chlorine solution or alcohol based sanitizer even a careful washing with soap and water can remove it
the students began rubbing their palms together vigorously paint smearing over the insides of their hands most knew to flip each hand over to scrub the back with their fingers interlaced but only a few knew all the steps they were expected to complete   cupping the fingers together with one palm up and the other down and rotating the first two joints underneath each other swirling the fingertips in each palm grasping and twisting around each thumb and then each wrist after 30 seconds diallo told them to stop and hold up their hands dull patches of ivory colored latex mottled the glossy red paint where they had failed to clean their thumbs pinkies or the tips or sides of their fingers
their next challenge he told them was to remove the gloves as if the paint were infected blood avoiding any contamination he walked around the room inspecting their efforts to invert the soiled gloves he complimented one student who had deftly wrapped one glove neatly into the other approaching another he pointed to a red swipe on his skin
you see that ebola and you he said turning to another look come here you saw this that that is ebola
his delivery was deadpan and nearby students snickered nervously traore and hyjazi looked at the students diallo had just reprimanded and burst out laughing traore waved her arms theatrically warding them off and backing away as hyjazi pointed watch out hyjazi said theyll give you ebola the room erupted in laughter
sadou diallo didnt intend to become a doctor the village where he was raised in western guinea had neither a middle school nor a high school not to mention jobs that required them but his father hoped to provide a better education for his son he asked a friend a government bureaucrat in the regional capital of kindia to host the boy so that he could continue to attend school when diallos father died his guardian along with his four wives and 14 surviving children welcomed the 12 year old as one of their own they put him through school and university found him a wife diallo excelled in mathematics and intended to pursue a career as an engineer with the mines the only industry of note in guinea but his guardian a devout man pushed him toward medicine he told diallo it would be a benediction to treat the sick it would not offer the earthly rewards of mining but it was better for his community and better for his soul diallo acquiesced to the wishes of the man he had come to call father
on aug 25 2014 diallo was called into an emergency operation at matam where he delivers babies earlier in the day his colleague and former student dr seyni guemou had performed a cesarean on a patient whose babys heartbeat had become dangerously slow and weak during delivery despite receiving immediate care from a neonatal intensive care doctor the baby did not survive and it quickly became apparent that the mother was having complications hemorrhaging alarming quantities of blood she was rushed back into the surgery room and diallo worked with guemou and two assistants to stem the bleeding ultimately removing the womans uterus
but the bleeding didnt stop diallo told me as we sat in the cramped staff room at matam shaking his head as he remembered his bewilderment her skin itself was bleeding it was unlike anything he had seen before
only 45 people had died from ebola in conakry at that point rushing into a life or death operation and worrying only about the health of the mother the surgical team hadnt thought they might need anything other than their regular kit a substandard ensemble they fatalistically call kamikaze short sleeved cotton scrubs rubber apron latex gloves paper surgical mask goggles bonnet it was only while standing next to her body covered in her blood that diallo began to suspect that the mother might have been infected
he sought out the anesthesiologist who told him that the woman had presented with a high fever but she was given antibiotics and the fever dropped the matron attending her in the delivery room confirmed that the woman vomited and experienced diarrhea but she considered those normal in labor
diallo returned to the staff room which like the rest of the medical centers in guinea did not have running water he scrubbed a cut on his left forearm vigorously with bleach then gathered the team to inform them to prepare for the near certainty that all of them had contracted the ebola virus
guemou was the first to fall ill five days after the operation as day 7 day 10 arrived more of the team   the three surgical assistants involved in the cesarean or the hysterectomy the intensive care doctor who took charge of the baby   developed fevers on day 13 diallo asked his wife to take their four children from their apartment she settled the kids with family but returned to his side and refused to leave he was certain he had contracted the virus he organized his papers and wrote out instructions for his wife in the event of his death
finally on day 15 his temperature began to rise he immediately made arrangements to leave for the doctors without borders ebola treatment unit etu which had been set up in a huge bare lot next to conakrys largest hospital his wife begged him to wait to be certain it wasnt malaria but he was firm he asked her to leave the apartment lock it behind her and stay away until tests confirmed his diagnosis if he was quarantined the red cross would sterilize the apartment before her return
he called his driver informed him that he had ebola and asked him to bring the car and leave it running with the door open and the keys inside he wanted to drive himself to the etu without putting anyone else at risk when the driver insisted on taking him diallo asked him to open the right rear door then return to the drivers seat as he told me this he sketched an agitated diagram on a scrap of paper the rectangle of the car body with an x in the back corner for him an x in the opposite front corner for the driver at the etu   a plastic village of mud spattered white tents navigated through a maze of waist high channels bounded by orange netting that was meant to keep the uninfected from stumbling upon the infected   he made certain the attendants sterilized the car before the driver left i contaminated no one he insisted
the worst of the symptoms followed several days later for five days he could barely move even to turn his own body in his cot he could talk on his cellphone but if it fell on the floor he was helpless to retrieve it attendants would tuck the phone under his ear lift him to give him water food and medication and to clean what he couldnt keep down
it was all these acts that saved me he said in a photograph taken 16 days after his arrival his shoulders are shrunken his frame swamped by the red t shirt he is wearing there is an iv port in his arm but he is standing and smiling weakly others from his team werent so lucky of the six who contracted the virus the other two doctors and one assistant did not survive the doctor who had taken charge of the infected infant died on the floor of the etu as diallo watched helpless
after 18 days diallo was released in the absence of him and his team hundreds of women who would otherwise have given birth at matam were left to deliver their babies at home women had been calling the center asking about him they took his recovery as a sign that the worst was over and began returning to matam for his care
soon after he received a call from dr yolande hyjazi asking him to consider an active role in jhpiegos ipc training for ebola prevention jhpiegos records indicate that the rate of ebola transmission to health care workers dropped to 0 to 5 percent from 5 to 35 percent after training diallo had seen the impact at matam where after ipc training the staff recognized and referred a number of pregnant women with ebola to the appropriate treatment facilities with no transmission to staff or other patients at matam he was eager to assist
the concern i have is this this will not stop repeating diallo told me it is endemic here now like malaria we must be ready at every moment when he travels for jhpiego he is often the first ebola survivor many of the trainees have met their vigilance in identifying the signs of the ebola virus   which overlap with common ailments like malaria   is crucial he is not shy about using himself as an object lesson in the high stakes of their work from using matams tragedy to add weight to his lessons and the students respond listening a little more carefully watching a little more closely
there is one obvious weakness to this strategy of training government health workers surveillance and treatment can curb ebola only if patients seek care in the first place when most guineans fall ill they first visit a local traditional healer of whom a recent census indicates there are about 80000 operating in guinea dr sakoba keita the governments ebola czar in conakry told me that for a west african even a muslim one his first reflex is his cultural background he goes to see his soothsayer or his diviner to see whats going on keita acknowledged that some traditional healers are devoted to helping their communities but he believes that more are practicing fake healing just to make money and that too many failed to heed the warnings and instructions about ebola
one of the gravest missteps at the beginning of the outbreak led those with ebola in the wrong direction   ie toward local healers and away from medical centers at that time authorities hoping to convey how important it was to follow steps to avoid contracting the virus stressed that there was no medication and no vaccine but this message unintentionally suggested that it was futile to seek treatment eventually the government settled on a new message early treatment improves the chances of survival authorities are now also trying to increase reliance on health care workers among village residents through a network of community agents these are local residents one man and one woman chosen by each community who are being trained to make sure that they have a basic understanding of issues like vaccination hygiene and childbirth there are currently 5800 community agents and the government hopes eventually to have 18000 the notion is that these guineans can serve as trusted sources for their towns encouraging sick patients and their relatives to turn to the medical system   the same tenuous groups of nurses and assistants that diallo and his colleagues have been trying to teach
on the fifth and final day of training in faranah the students were exhausted their attention strained after hundreds of slides and hours of developing action plans they were draped over one anothers chairs fanning themselves with papers and conducting sideline conversations in low tones the fan bolted to the ceiling had no electricity to power it a goat tied by its collar in the back of a truck in the yard crashed around outside the window interrupting final lectures it was a saturday and the students were eager to finish their exams and get on with their evening plans
diallo held up a set of green cotton scrubs the nurse who died at donka during ebola got it on her skirt she couldnt take it off so she just did like this he said miming wiping his leg if youre wearing scrubs you can just take it off scrubs   separate clothing for the work of caring for sick people who remain at the health care facility   are another piece of equipment that is still uncommon for many health workers
he asked six trainees three men and three women to come to the middle of the room he held a stapled checklist on the ground in front of each student were the elements of a ppe the ebola specific personal protective equipment donning the equipment which took the students 25 minutes is not even the dangerous part after an encounter with an infected patient when the caregivers are overheated and exhausted the exterior of the suit is most likely contaminated
the stakes then are highest during the removal procedure which reverses the steps diallo directed them he misted the students front and back with a chlorine solution between each step following his instructions they placed their right hands on the zipper at the level of their navels walking their fingertips slowly up to the zipper pull beneath their chins he corrected them as they went warning them not to touch their necks with contaminated gloves unzipping the suits they peeled them outward away from the sweat soaked clothing now clinging to their skin they lifted their knees high trying to extract their legs and boots and shake their skirts back down over their calves without touching the exterior of the ppe
dance dance merengue teased traore from the corner of the room
at the end of the day the trainers gave the students a pep talk and wrote their personal cellphone numbers on a flip chart encouraging the students to call them anytime with questions or concerns after rounds of group photos and farewells diallo traore and saran returned to the classroom taking advantage of the electricity from their portable generator to fill out paperwork and evaluations on laptops i brought up the new liberian ebola cases   two months after the country had been declared ebola free   which had just been identified the new cases were an unwelcome reminder that ebola not only persisted in unidentified animal reservoirs but seemed to be capable in rare cases of becoming contagious again in human survivors months after their recovery each new appearance of the virus threatened to spark a new epidemic
diallo couldnt disguise a flash of worry but he reacted to the news with his usual dry sense of humor he picked up a bottle of hand sanitizer flipped open the lid and held it out pointedly over my hands


visitors to a recent open house at a co op on east 14th street might have thought they were experiencing a computer rendering come to life
the alcove studio was filled with clean lined contemporary furniture   a large boxy sofa a desk with faceted legs a sculptural coffee table resembling the ubiquitous one designed by isamu noguchi   but nearly all of it was made of corrugated plastic with a blank white surface so was the art hanging on the walls and so was the bed which was covered in a sheer curtain instead of a duvet and had pillows filled with packing peanuts
however unsettling it was no hallucination what the visitors were seeing was one of the latest innovations in home staging lightweight flat pack faux furniture sleek enough to enable buyers to visualize what an empty home would look like fully furnished
this unconventional approach to staging made sense for valerie petersen the seller who had moved to albuquerque more than three years earlier and removed all of her furniture she didnt want to spend a lot of money renting new furniture so when she decided to list her apartment at 333 east 14th street her real estate agent frosty montgomery of brown harris stevens suggested she use a company called informed space
the idea of staging her home with plastic furniture was unexpected ms petersen said adding i was shocked when i saw it because i had no idea it would be so inventive and so full of verisimilitude   i thought it was quite fantastic
ms petersens agent who had orchestrated a renovation that included new floors an updated bathroom and fresh paint heard about the budget friendly staging service from a colleague and determined that it was exactly what the apartment needed
it does what i wanted it to do which is to show how much space you actually have for a living room dining area desk and bed ms montgomery said its very hard to visualize that if there isnt furniture in the apartment especially in a studio
of the 35 or so people who turned up for the first open house ms montgomery said some were surprised to discover that the plastic furnishings they had seen in listing photos werent virtual stand ins added in photoshop nevertheless the strategy worked a bidding war ensued and the unit is now in contract for more than the asking price of 485000
douglas pinter who owns informed space started the company in 2012 to address what he sees as a common problem the often exorbitant cost of professional home staging in new york for example fully staging a small apartment can easily cost from 5000 to 10000 for three months while larger upscale jobs might be tens of thousands more
mr pinters company charges about 1900 plus a delivery and pickup fee of 350 to stage a standard studio or one bedroom for two months and about 600 for each additional month larger homes cost a few hundred dollars more
i love conventional staging it always looks lovely said mr pinter who has staged more than 80 homes in new york and hopes to expand to other cities soon but its very expensive to execute because of logistical costs   namely storage and delivery
when the furniture is made from sheets of plastic that can be folded up logistics arent much of an issue the pieces are collapsible lightweight and rigid he said you can store many apartments worth in a small area theyre also easy to deliver and bring up
initially mr pinter used pieces that fastened with snaps transporting them to jobs in sport utility vehicles booked through uber he has since redesigned the units to assemble with hidden magnets and now uses a courier to deliver enough furniture for a whole apartment and the entire load fits conveniently in two rolling laundry bins
karen and kevin nielsen had a similar idea when they started their company in sioux falls sd in 2008 but instead of working with plastic they created reusable flat pack furniture made of cardboard and covered with slipcovers
i was a stager back in the early 2000s and grew to having about 30 homes worth of furniture ms nielsen said moving and storing all those furnishings eventually became too grueling so she and her husband began making their own collapsible pieces under the name nextstage furniture they changed the companys name to dandy pack last summer
marketed to home stagers but available to anyone dandy packs reusable products include armchairs 246 each sofas 341 and beds starting at 255 covered with slipcovers in an array of colors the company also makes a nonfunctional dining table out of wood veneer 326 that is held up by built in faux chairs
lee presser an associate broker with the corcoran group used the companys products to help stage the estate sale of a one bedroom co op at 315 west 70th street although there were a few pieces of real furniture in the apartment he added two cardboard armchairs and one cardboard love seat to make the space look larger
they were shipped to my office and i threw them into the back of a cab mr presser said i was totally set up in less than an hour
of course faux furniture isnt the solution for everyone
im not sure this is a technique that would work terribly well if you had a high end apartment said ms montgomery of brown harris stevens while collapsible furnishings might work for smaller apartments at lower price points she said they dont quite convey the aspirational lifestyle most home stagers hope to evoke at the top of the market
ivana tagliamonte an associate broker at halstead property who often recommends that clients use professional stagers agreed were always trying to achieve something that looks like a real home she said and thats only doable when you have real furnishings people dont want to feel like youre setting up for them or staging to trick them somehow
then theres the question of safety what happens if someone sits down both dandy pack and informed space provide signs that warn visitors not to sit but theres always someone who ignores it fortunately cardboard and plastic are stronger than you might think
dandy pack furniture ms nielsen said has passed lab crush tests of 1000 pounds if somebody sits on it theyre not going anywhere
and informed spaces chairs and sofas are strong enough to hold their own as well mr pinter said theyre not meant to be used but they dont collapse he said it just creases my little cushions


there is a myth explaining how blancmange acquired its arabic name from the book of cooking in maghreb and andalus in the era of almohads by an anonymous 13th century author it is reported that a cook of persia had his residence next to that of muhallab b abi safra   a famed seventh century general   and that he presented himself to prepare for him a good dish  he prepared it and offered it to him he was pleased and called it muhallabiyya
the recipe that follows is for lamb pudding today though muhallabiyya or muhallabia or muhallebi is the turkish and greek and arabic word for a lightly set milk pudding often flavored with pistachios or almonds and rosewater which is also what blancmange blanc for white manger for eat is made of or used to be we dont make it in america anymore at least not under that old pretty name
to write about something that has gone so far out of style requires i have learned some defense here is what i like about the old wobbly white pudding
i like that it is the worlds first truly international dessert finding in the middle ages a home in nearly every cookbook and in every country in europe and the middle east
i like the economy of its ingredient list even in medieval versions almond milk chicken sugar rosewater in the mid 17th century the chicken   exhausted by the centuries of labor   dropped out replaced by the thickener isinglass then sea moss or cornstarch or gelatin but it stayed simple
i have also always had a soft spot for foods devised for the physically delicate   an antiquated category including nursery and invalid foods many of which were also desserts   and for dishes flattered with the compliment delicate at their intersection is blancmange easy for a fragile body to digest and expressing that highest of human ideals delicacy which i think enjoys that usage because we all know on some level that we are such bulls in the china shop
and i like very much that blancmange with its endearing tremble and mild name has proved both resilient and wily it is as if over the centuries the dessert has been ducking or weaving or evading capture in the style of a reptile or fox or petty thief it will not be pinned or extinguished
it is impossible to figure out quite where exactly it began and when and where it went and where after that blancmange has gone by muhallibiyya isfidhabaj blancmange blancmanger blancmengier blanc manger blanched manchet blank maunger blomanger manjar blanch manjar braquo manjar blanco whitpot bramangere blamensir albus cibus cibaria alba esus albabus the gift of the muhallabiya tale is how it floats outside history like a just so story   say how the camel got his hump or the leopard his spots   providing for once a shimmering and uncontestable beginning
each time the blancmange is threatened with extinction it changes pease pudding has gone the way of the woolly mammoth haddock apple pie might as well have been a dodo why did the blancmanges mixture of capon and sugar and almond milk not lead to its demise that is just the sort of thing   meat in a sweet dish sugar in an entree   that often does we dont eat much medieval food today but blancmange dropped an ingredient and stayed
it is with us still its dust rose and copper name has rubbed off but if you put blancmange ingredients and instructions next to those for panna cotta the differences are only details panna cotta isnt necessarily flavored with nuts but neither are the blancmanges so called that im told are still served today at british childrens parties and school lunches
it might make sense even to treat blancmange as a genus in a taxonomy of sweets genus blancmange species muhallabia or isfidhabaj or panna cotta or even depending on your liberality flan or creme brulee or custard or bavarian cream which all contain eggs and which probably only the most promiscuous taxonomist would permit its just an idea but its forward looking and lowers chronological and national borders that are mostly made up
which delivers me to what i like most about blancmange as long as its without too much gelatin i find it utterly delicious jessica kerwin jenkins writes in her encyclopedia of the exquisite that blancmange tastes like heaven and it is an enrapturing old fashioned idea of heaven   beamy angels with gold harps god on a throne st peter at the milky gates
recipe blancmange


the lassis inn in arkansas bens chili bowl in washington dc dooky chases restaurant in new orleans these were among the restaurants that offered a satisfying meal as well as support for women and men active in the civil rights movement
as one regular at a now closed cafe put it the food was the magnet for the mettle
in his new book the peoples place the longtime chicago journalist dave hoekstra writes about restaurants that served as logical meeting places for activists in the 1950s 60s and beyond
to do the reporting he and the photographer paul natkin embarked on a road trip starting in new orleans and driving to among other cities memphis nashville chicago and detroit they took one flight and one really crowded greyhound bus it was like midnight cowboy  mr hoekstra said laughing
mr hoekstra had a lot of good meals but as he says in the books introduction this is not a critical look at soul food or soul food restaurants his goal he writes was to be a clarion for gallant voices
following are edited excerpts from a conversation with mr hoekstra
q if someone wanted to follow your path but had time to visit only one city what would it be
a memphis   i know at least seven or eight soul food restaurants in memphis but to get to what were getting at in the book with the whole combination of the food and the civil rights movement the four way holds a special place in my heart   they were so giving with their stories and with their hospitality just the whole history of memphis and the civil rights movement   we also went over to the lorraine motel where the rev dr martin luther king jr was assassinated in 1968 theres a lot going on there
betty joyce chester tamayo the owner of alcenias restaurant   shes great she hugs every person who walks in the door she said there were like only two or three people who ever jumped back its not really a shtick i think she really means it the connections run deep and i think its something important for whats going on right now in this country
when people go to the restaurants in the book will they get a sense of history and the movement
to varying degrees paschals in atlanta   the original location is closed but go to the new one when you walk in there are portraits on the walls of dr king of harry belafonte of julian bond its like a hall of fame of the movement that hits you right away
at dooky chases in new orleans if you can get there at the right time theyll sit down and talk with you
what these people did   they were able to create a meeting place for the movement   was really important they were unsung heroes
did you like soul food before you began work on the book
ive always liked soul food i just like the whole idea of soul what soul is what does soul mean what does soul mean to different people how do you get soul
and do you have a definition
we asked that question a lot the most common answer we got is soul is love but i also think soul is understanding
in your account of martha lous kitchen in charleston sc you observe that soul food was the original slow food
well yeah   not only in preparation but in conversation and getting together and spending two or three hours in a restaurant just talking discussing going through stuff at a measured pace
you enjoyed baked chicken lima beans sweet potato pudding catfish and in detroit vegan soul including catfish tofu what would you recommend as a dining strategy
id pace myself
do these restaurants still have a role to play in 2016
people get on social media and they rant the flip side of that is going into places like these and hearing the experiences face to face from other people in this day and age its pretty powerful and important stuff


i grew up in a strict evangelical home and participated in our church as a child without fully understanding its principles as an adult i dont subscribe to any religion my immediate family however continues to be deeply religious and very much adheres to what i now believe are extreme views they are of course free to worship as they please i however take issue with the hypocrisy in their own lives for example they are strongly anti choice yet one had an abortion during a complicated pregnancy they are pro family yet gave up an adopted child that became too difficult they boycotted a parental wedding because the bride and groom were each previously married participating would have blessed the sin there is also a personal aspect for me in that they openly oppose lgbt rights support politicians and groups that are extremely anti gay attend schools that require opposition to gay civil liberties in their codes of conduct and belong to anti gay churches im openly gay i have been told that i am not welcome in certain family members homes because of my lifestyle choice
while all of this is certainly confounding and hurtful ive come to terms with it and have limited nearly all of my interaction with my family living a happy successful life with friends i consider my chosen family my relatives know why i no longer speak to them or attend functions but they think this is entirely my fault
in the very near future however i will have to participate in milestone events like a funeral or two inevitable and a wedding likely invitation i will undoubtedly be confronted about my absence over the years by those who fully know the reasons for it and by those who should i realize there would be more appropriate occasions to offer an honest reply but i dont feel comfortable avoiding a direct answer or shouldering the blame im thinking of saying something along the lines of ive always felt it best to put as much distance between myself and those whose decisions have hurt me and my friends im struggling however because while i feel this is enough of an answer to provoke some thought it doesnt suggest that i was forced into this situation does that answer suffice or should i offer to go into further detail name withheld
as a rule   this is a matter more of etiquette than of ethics   its discourteous to refuse to continue a conversation you have started you cant hint at bad behavior and then refuse a polite inquiry about what youre referring to at the same time it would be disrespectful to refuse to answer a question about why you had been absent from so many family occasions and dishonest of course to lie you can certainly say something of the sort you have planned but you cant duck out of the conversation that may ensue
i could stop there but your account of your family situation invites a response its sad when these sort of disagreements break up a family and natural when hostility is directed at you to be both resentful and highly critical yet your familys inconstancy in matters of sexual ethics may not be as unforgivable as you obviously feel it is we all regularly fall short of our own standards thats distinct from true hypocrisy where you judge others publicly by certain standards and pretend to live by them yourself while actually ignoring them when it suits you for all you say people of your family may well admit in their own social circle that they have sinned because sinfulness is the normal condition of everyone according to the traditions to which they belong after all youre not around to see how they handle the issue
the part of their behavior thats most morally worrisome as you recount it isnt their hypocrisy its their heartlessness boycotting a parents wedding sounds unkind its hard to tell on the basis of what youve said whether giving up their adopted child was also unkind but it must surely have been difficult for the child finally many people accept indeed cherish family members who are gay even if they think homosexual acts are wrong thats the response of a loving family evangelical or not after all christ whom they seek to follow hung out with tax collectors who were even more unpopular then than now and when asked if it was permissible to stone a woman taken in adultery told the pharisees that whoever among them was without sin should cast the first stone that didnt require him to approve of taxation or infidelity
the heart of the matter is that you can maintain relationships with those who conscientiously disagree with you even if they are living in ways you disapprove of that would be my message to them but also to you
last weekend i was at a big dog park near downtown st paul as i was leaving with my dog i heard an agitated woman ahead of me tell her daughter he has to realize he cant pull this stuff anymore lets go i assumed they were talking about a misbehaving dog but they had a dog with them and when the daughter maybe 12 complained that someone might take him away if he says he cant find his mom i realized they were talking about a child
against the daughters protests they got in their car and drove off the mother assuring her daughter that she was not going to leave him in a dog park curious i stayed in my car and sure enough eventually a boy maybe 10 emerged from the gate looking very confused he looked around but saw no mother no sister no car i felt for the boy but i also didnt want to ruin the mothers plan which i assumed involved driving out of sight and then returning just to send a message
i got out of my car asked the boy if he was looking for his mother and sister he nodded and simply assured him that they were coming back i thought about telling him more but that seemed like an overstep he went back into the park i went back to my car and drove off and sure enough i passed the mothers car about 200 yards away from the park
i posted this dilemma on facebook and got responses ranging from thats child abuse you should have called the police to theres nothing wrong with leaving a child in a park for five minutes we protect our kids too much and need to calm down a few people also pointed out that merely by approaching the boy and trying to help him i could be perceived as a sex offender even though i was never closer than 10 feet
i wonder about the appropriateness of the mothers actions as well as my own this felt like a lose lose situation im not the type to get involved in these kinds of incidents but my instinct was that i needed to intervene just enough to remove the childs biggest potential anxiety that his family had abandoned him
what do you think marc conklin
let me get one issue out of the way things have gotten out of hand if anyone who talks to a child left alone in a park by his parents risks being perceived as a sex offender children are sometimes abused by their parents if we cant inquire a little about whats going on were stuck with only two options calling in the police in a situation that may in fact be just fine or doing nothing that doesnt seem like a good outcome we have common responsibilities for the well being of children in our community because a distressed and abandoned child might be open to approach by a pedophile your sticking around was an act of protection we shouldnt let paranoia get the better of prudence
the truth is we dont know very much about this boys relationship with his family except that it was going badly on the day you met but leaving a 10 year old to think that he might have been abandoned sounds cruel you very thoughtfully went out of your way to reduce a childs distress while not undermining the authority of his parent i hope i would have done what you did given the current climate though i suppose i might have alerted a police officer instead


diane arbus was teetering on the edge of a breakdown in 1956 she tearfully dissolved the decade long fashion photography enterprise that she had been conducting successfully but stressfully with her husband allan her misery was longstanding fashion photography is built on artifice diane needed temperamentally and philosophically to poke through pretensions and masks to expose the hidden truth
in the early 1950s she hit a high note of hysteria as she put it and tried to wriggle out of a sitting for glamour at a dinner party hosted by the conde nast art editor tina fredericks who had been the arbuses earliest champion in the magazine business in a letter to her friend alex eliot diane castigated herself for being a terrible coward childish hysteric quitter someone who would inevitably lie down and let everything walk over her the painter alfred leslie at another dinner with the arbuses found himself squirming at dianes nonstop searing self disparagement
although allan later said it was terrifying when diane quit he allowed that in some ways it was easier because he no longer had to cope with that load of dianes disapproval as for diane at 33 she was free to photograph whatever she chose in many of her initial efforts she posed family and close friends she was learning her craft and enlisting collaborators who made her comfortable at other times she shot unpeopled places that through her eyes came alive an empty snack bar for example in which two chairs seemed still engaged in the conversation of the couple who had vacated them she always responded to inanimate objects as if they were people her high school art teacher victor damico observed
and when she ventured onto the streets she would point her camera at people who seemed oddly familiar even if she had never met them as can be seen in diane arbus in the beginning opening july 12 at the met breuer diane was drawn to genteelly dressed middle age women in white gloves and pearls who anxiously observed all proprieties   just like her mother gertrude nemerov or she would photograph done up matrons in fur coats who reminded her of her maternal grandmother rose russek in a letter to walker evans arbus described rose   the wife of the co founder of russeks fifth avenue the department store that generated the familys wealth   as being rather vulgar but superb like a contemporary witch
the novice photographer often took portraits of women her own age toting packages or children married at 18 and now the mother of two young daughters diane recognized children for what they were not the spun sugar creations of adult fantasies but suspicious skeptical forlorn dreamy or furious creatures inhabiting their own sphere in late 1956 she was feeling not only burdened but also fragile   so light and insubstantial that she could blow away she photographed the tracery of dead leaves on autumnal trees a flyaway newspaper tumbling down a dark street a discarded raggedy ann doll on the ground
diane frequented the usual hunting grounds for new york street photographers 57th street near fifth avenue central park coney island and the lower east side unlike most of her peers however she wasnt snaring her subjects unawares she captured them at the moment that they looked up and saw her shooting late in her life she praised a magazine picture in which a photographer clicked the shutter as a man fired a gun at him it was like the ultimate photograph she said because it was the proof that he was shot
from the very beginning of her career she was taking photographs to obtain a vital proof   a corroboration of her own existence the pattern was set early when she was 15 she described to a friend how she would undress at night in her lit bathroom and watch an old man across the courtyard watch her until his wife complained she not only wanted to see she needed to be seen as a street photographer she dressed at times in something attention grabbing like a fake leopard skin coat she didnt blend into the background she jumped out of it and she fascinated her subjects people were interested in diane just as interested in her as she was in them john szarkowski a longtime director of photography at the museum of modern art once told me
that immense seductiveness was essential because she relied on others responses to feel alive she puzzled her close friend pati hill by asking what it was simply like to be happy as if she on the other hand had not experienced this emotion and wished to hill recalled to me in 2011 as if it were cigarettes or a hay ride in later years when diane was seeing a psychotherapist she complained how she had felt so little throughout her life childbirth and menstruation were the two experiences that gave her a twinge of joy she confided because they provided intense feeling and physical evidence of her being
the lively interaction between arbus and her subjects is what sustained her her reflection in the eyes of others formed her self image there is a commonly held misperception that her explorations in the margins of society communing with professional freaks and mentally unbalanced eccentrics deepened her depressions and contributed to her suicide in 1971 the opposite is closer to the truth diane was absolutely delighted by the people that she met the painter and art director marvin israel who was a central figure in her life said in a 1972 radio interview and perhaps the one thing that gave her total enthusiasm and energy was the possibility of finding more of these people
but enthusiasm and energy were in low supply for her around 1956 as she experienced a disturbing sense of being hollowed out empty unreal the crisis culminated in a breakdown that she described to hill as a spiritual automobile accident she explained that it was as if i lost my face although everyone pretended i was the same as ever before whatever that was
the dissolving of her self image coincided with the disintegration of her marriage the year after diane stopped working in the studio allan who had dreamed of becoming an actor began taking an acting class there he met and fell for an abundantly talented young woman zohra lampert
sexual fidelity wasnt stipulated in the arbus marital compact but in 1959 ms lampert declared that she would end the affair if he continued to live with diane allan   although he maintained an unusually close and caring relationship with diane for the rest of her life   reluctantly moved out the 18 year marriage was over
though it was painful the marital breakup freed diane to become an artist unlike israel who became her lover and pushed her to be more extreme the cautious allan had insulated her i always felt that it was our separation that made her a photographer he once told me shed go to bars on the bowery and to peoples houses i would have been horrified if id been with her early in her solo career diane arranged to visit the room of a 72 year old merchant seaman she had spotted on the street wearing a womans fur coat and wheeling an old baby carriage before keeping the appointment she gave her older daughter the address i really had the sense that he was one of those people one of those daily news people who like you read the next day murdered somebody she explained years later
diane had a talent for friendship and she maintained long term connections with all sorts of people   eccentrics in rooming houses freaks in sideshows socialites on park avenue she needed those relationships but she also relied on filmed verification of her impact on others the reciprocal gaze that marks her early photographs would be furthered and intensified in the collaborative form of portraiture in her mature work done with a medium format camera szarkowski for one believed that the sharpness that larger film offered was in keeping with her aim to be both particular and mythic
but even when her early 35 millimeter work is overexposed and blurry the arbus sensibility shines through she said that she photographed what gnawed at her the anxious middle age women larger than life matrons and exotic looking circus performers that she was shooting in 35 millimeter in the 50s would reappear in her medium format work so would the look of mutual recognition   right up until the last two years of her life when she slipped into a lasting depression and her subject matter and approach changed
in her weakened state she no longer engaged subjects who responded in the intense manner   angry libidinal   that charged her classic photographs instead she began photographing people who could not return her probing empathetic gaze the intellectually disabled the blind the oblivious passer by where in the 50s she had photographed the patrons and film images in movie houses now she depicted empty theaters with blank screens
weeks before her suicide she visited a friend the artist nancy grossman who was making rubbings of zippers and leather straps terribly distraught diane asked nancy to make a rubbing of her hand no i have to press down hard nancy said it will hurt i dont mind diane replied and when she left diane seemed a little more cheerful nancys rubbing had done two things that photography no longer accomplished it made her feel something and it left behind a proof of her existence


for most of her two dozen years in new york jamie koff lived on west 83rd street in a one bedroom with around 600 dark square feet her rent climbed to a bit more than 3000 a month
i started dipping my toes in the market about 10 years ago while my parents were still alive said ms koff now 44 she intended to buy a place with their help but that never happened they were from the philadelphia suburbs and city prices scared them she said shoulda woulda coulda
both parents became ill ms koff traveled back and forth to help with their care she took in her parents poodle samantha when they could no longer care for her in time both her parents died
ms koff now runs her own business fabric to finish which helps independent and emerging designers with product development from concept to cloth about two years ago she decided it was finally time to buy a place she sought the help of her friend mark d friedman a salesman at the friedman rosenthal team at halstead property she and mr friedman headed the committee for this years taste of hope an annual fund raiser for the american cancer society
ms koff was interested in a co op with one or two bedrooms and sufficient space to accommodate her furniture some of it had belonged to her parents
she wanted a building with a doorman and an elevator she was tired of going up and down stairs with the dog and toting bags and luggage if i was going to make this investment i wanted more space than i had and less effort she said its a pedestrian culture you throw stuff in the car if youre in the burbs but in our world you have to carry everything because we go everywhere by feet
in her preferred neighborhood the upper west side she found that her price range of 600000 to 800000 often yielded places in lamentable condition with poor light and no views there was a lot of oh this would be great if  she said two bedrooms almost always turned out to have tiny rooms for ground floor apartments she feared that every time someone came and went in the lobby you heard the door slam
she and mr friedman visited some places he described as wrecks on far west 72nd street a one bedroom sponsor unit in a 1925 building was listed for 749000 with monthly maintenance of 1435 it was in estate condition it just required too much work and the price was too high to warrant that ms koff said it sold for 775000
she was willing to hunt a little farther south or north in midtown west however i didnt want to be in the foot traffic of tourist central she said
so mr friedman advocated heading up to the west 90s and 100s all the stuff that they have down on 83rd street they have farther north he told her and if you still want to go to 83rd street you can walk
ms koff saw several units in a co op on west end avenue near west 95th street a one bedroom on a high floor in the 1928 building had a view of the charming block known as pomander walk the price was 785000 with monthly maintenance of 1275 last spring ms koffs offer of 775000 was accepted
the view which partly overlooked the riverside west end historic district was also a perfect resale feature whenever that day would come she said
she signed the contract and was over the moon she said ms koff explored the neighborhood walking the dog there often the co op board requested additional information about her business and her finances after a four month wait she learned that the board had turned her down
i am sitting at my desk like someone stuck a knife in my stomach ms koff said i lost sleep i was devastated
she assumed the problem was her inconsistent income and thought about hunting instead for a condominium which wouldnt require board approval but most buildings in her targeted area were co ops
within weeks however mr friedman pointed her toward a good option it was in a co op in the upper west side neighborhood sometimes called manhattan valley south of columbia university farther north and east than the neighborhoods with which she was familiar the one bedroom about 750 sunny square feet in a 1911 apartment house with a part time doorman had just returned to the market after the prospective buyers had been turned down by the co op board
ms koff was afraid the same could happen to her   again but the other buyers lived out of town and had wanted the apartment as a pied a terre mr friedman said the board required primary residents im as primary as they get ms koff said i am not going anywhere
the bedroom walls were purple it was like a skittles bag she said but the apartment was everything she wanted with a roof deck to boot the price was 699000 low enough to allow her to do extensive renovations maintenance was just under 1000 a month
this time not wanting to jinx herself ms koff didnt explore the neighborhood but board approval came quickly she paid the asking price closed in the winter and spent two months on modifications that opened the kitchen revamped the bathroom and fixed 100 years of caked in paint she posted notes on nearby apartment doors informing her neighbors about the construction which some later told her they appreciated
the night before her move i came up and turned on the light in the bathroom and started sobbing she said all the emotions started flooding i did it


husband and wife both publish books in may given the vicissitudes of publishing it would have been quite a feat even if they had bent every effort to it but this was not uppermost in the minds of michael marissen and lauren belfer though they had been working more or less in concert for a decade
mr marissen 55 is a musicologist and professor emeritus at swarthmore college oxford university press is issuing his bach  god a book of scholarly essays from the last 20 years ms belfer 61 is an established novelist city of light a fierce radiance and harpercollins has just released and after the fire which has much to do with well bach and god
mr marissen had an extremely conservative dutch calvinist upbringing in ontario though he now declares himself an agnostic he has put his profound knowledge of the bible it was shoved down my throat to use in examining the sources and deeper meanings of bachs sacred texts especially as regards their attitudes toward judaism ms belfer had a liberal minimally observant jewish upbringing in buffalo no surprise she shares many of the qualities of her latest heroine susanna kessler whom she describes as atheist jewish and after the fire partly based in history posits the rediscovery of a fictional bach church cantata with a particularly bilious text
over a late lunch at bar boulud in manhattan where they live the two discussed their working process bachian pillow talk and writing a novel with musicological accuracy these are edited excerpts from the conversation
what i find most fascinating about these books is that here is michael taking a hard look at bachs works to see what ethical problems they might present especially with regard to anti judaisim and there is lauren inventing a work of bach that seems more anti semitic than almost anything bach actually wrote is it possible that lauren is muddying the very waters that michael is trying to clarify
lauren belfer i would say no it just creates a context for how i came to this idea when i was growing up world war ii was very close i lost family members in the war when i see articles in the paper about lost works of art being rediscovered i always follow the story
about 10 years ago i received an announcement for a class about the music of bach part of a swarthmore college program that brings faculty members to new york to teach classes for alums and i just had a feeling i should sign up as it turned out michael was offering the class though i didnt know him at the time not knowing very much about bach at that point i was overwhelmed at how gorgeous the music was and yet when we began to study some of the sacred music i was quite taken aback by how some of the pieces lash out at catholics muslims jews and it was hard for me to reconcile the glorious exalted music that meant so much to me with these other pieces that had ethically problematic subject matter
and then one evening after class as i was walking to the subway i suddenly thought well what if i found a work of art that had been stolen in world war ii and then i thought but everybody finds stolen paintings what if i found something different a musical masterpiece by bach and what if it had an ethically problematic libretto so that the people who found it had to struggle with what to do with it and that was the jumping off point for the story
michael marissen actually it might be worth pointing out right away that the anti jewish polemic in the fictional cantata is not really any worse than whats in bachs vocal works there are church cantatas that are just as bad its just that theyre not as explicit
this comes up a lot in my scholarly work im accused of being inconsistent some of my colleagues say its fantastic that you sort of made bach acceptable for us again by making the st john passion not seem so bad why are you digging up this horrible stuff in the church cantatas bach was simply following luthers view that there is a time and a place for anti semitism and that the passion season is not it there are other times in the church year where it is appropriate and welcome and those are the places where you actually do get it in bach
whats more if anyone was muddying the waters it was me i wrote the text it was a sort of game in a way we thought that instead of just reporting on the general content of this fictional work it might be fun to try writing an opening chorus in rhyming german that had the proper accents
and the proper bile
marissen exactly it got everything in there but we also made sure that it was not just something we were making up but something you could find in either the writings of luther or in the new testament
belfer michael created the music too the way he described a few bars
marissen yes we didnt actually write a score its easier to write bad 18th century theological poetry than it is to write really great music
when did the two of you go from student and teacher to interested parties to collaborators
belfer after the course i contacted michael and he started advising me on research we became closer and closer friends michael was still teaching and we traveled to germany together to work on the book
marissen as lauren said i first started as a general historical adviser and i didnt seek to get more involved but eventually you just get drawn in
i dont mean to pry but i couldnt help wondering what your pillow talk must have been like
marissen i dont think we usually talked about bach at night but we had plenty of time during the day because we live together and work together in the apartment
belfer people say to us how can you live in the same house and work at home all day without making each other crazy but we never do make each other crazy we talk about what weve been doing and kind of feed off each other
marissen we certainly read each others drafts
yes i suspect that this is the most musicologically vetted novel ever
marissen thats what ive been saying it has the highest level of musicological verisimilitude of any novel ever written
belfer if we had any moments of possible tension it was around this issue of verisimilitude because i might write something like x is true and michael would say no you cant say that its only 999 percent true
lets talk about book titles between you you have come up with one very blunt one and one that is both elusive and allusive
belfer and after the fire weaves in several strands in the book it is originally from the book of kings in the hebrew bible but i first came upon it in the oratorio elijah by mendelssohn who figures in the historical part of the novel i was thinking about the contemporary characters in the novel who are all in their different ways coming to terms with what happened in the war and the holocaust and the meaning of the word holocaust is a consuming fire so i think all of my characters in the contemporary section are struggling to come to terms with life after the fire
and michael you originally called your book of essays essaying bach and religion
marissen well that was the title that i suggested to the publisher and quite reasonably they said i might want to consider something a little snappier
and the early reaction to it
marissen people who know about it are just saying funny things like reilly lewis the conductor of the washington bach consort who said bach  god thats redundant i replied but if its a contest we list the winner first of course its not a contest the book really is very much about the importance of religion to an understanding of bachs music what im trying to show is that in some of bachs music at least you cant really understand unless you have the historical and contextual stuff im against the general idea that great art is really art for arts sake and everything else is irrelevant
belfer im not looking at the question of what bach himself believed or didnt believe im trying to look at a problematic work of art and at people struggling over what to do with it today
are you willing to talk about what youre doing next
belfer well i do have another idea and im moving forward with it and thats as far as i can go
marissen ive embarked on a new edition of the four part chorale harmonizations of bach from his vocal works that students have for centuries been using as models in learning harmony and counterpoint essentially a textbook those pieces would benefit a lot from re editing from the original manuscripts so that we get the right notes and the right words and the right stanzas from the right hymns and so on im actually not planning to do any more writing about religious polemic ive done my bit


a modernized 350 year old stone house in montenegro
28 million 25 million euros
this 350 year old stone house with four bedrooms three bathrooms and a swimming pool on the bay of kotor was renovated in 2013 to add modern conveniences the 2938 square foot house on about a tenth of an acre in the town of perast has three levels
the house is known for having the largest gardens in perast said leila calic of resido montenegro who has the listing its flowers have been used to decorate an annual procession of boats out to our lady of the rocks a man made island in the bay
the homes outdoor pool about 36 by 16 feet is heated the pool area has a brick bar with a sink and a refrigerator
the first floor of the house has a living room with terra cotta tiles heavy wooden ceiling beams and a white fireplace adjacent to the living room is a self contained apartment with terra cotta tiles a sitting area a canopy bed a small kitchen and a bathroom on the wall is a peach hand painted image of a tree with winding branches in which the leaves are illuminated with lights
the second floor of the house which has an ample terrace can be reached by an external stairway as well as an internal one the kitchen has whitewashed stucco walls and ornate floor tiles built in shelves house provisions and there is a double oven
the kitchen opens to a pergola covered dining area that overlooks the pool also outdoors are a barbecue and a pizza oven as well as a shaded outdoor sitting area the garden includes palm fig orange lemon and laurel trees bougainvillea white jasmine and hydrangeas
the house is air conditioned and furniture is included in the asking price
the master bedroom is on the second floor with an adjacent bathroom with a blend of rustic and modern features such as a stone washstand in the window as well as a rain shower head the top floor of the home has two dormered bedrooms with bold striped wallpaper and picturesque views of kotor bay
perast is a tiny town of around 350 people and parking can be difficult there is no parking space with this home but owners receive a car pass during the summer months when perast is car free they can park at one of the two car parks at either end of town
the bay of kotor is often described as the mediterraneans only fjord   perhaps a stretch though not a far one perast long ruled by the venetian republic has stunning palaces and baroque architecture kayaking boating mountain biking and cycling are popular pursuits the drive to tivat airport is about 25 minutes
market overview
the housing market in montenegro was affected by the global real estate crisis of 2008 with a loss of foreign buyers though russians did continue to buy homes said ivana vukicevic the head of the property portfolio at montenegro prospects while housing prices plummeted by as much as 20 to 30 percent in mid 2009 the cost of land was rising as russians sought property on which to build homes
once the british buyers left the montenegrin real estate market at the start of the crisis they were replaced by russian buyers of second homes who constituted around 87 percent of all second buyers in montenegro between 2009 and 2014 said dolores ilic director of research and marketing at dream estates montenegro which is affiliated with savills
home prices have not recovered fully over the past three years and are still not at pre 2007 levels ms vukicevic said prices in the town of kotor on the bay are a good indicator of the fluctuation in 2007 2008 apartments in kotors old town were sold at roughly 3000 euros per square meter or about 312 a square foot but after the crisis average prices fell to 1600 to 1800 euros per square meter or about 167 to 187 a square foot
this is fairly representative of the whole market along the coast where average prices have recovered to a more realistic   not inflated   level she said prices are based on factors such as obtainable rental income quality of construction and location brokers said seafront properties continue to retain their value in most cases and overdeveloped areas have seen the smallest increase in property value
for the last few years weve seen a steady interest in properties without the excitement of a bubble and good value apartments and houses are selling well ms vukicevic said
ms ilic said that average property prices along the coast of montenegro run around 1800 euros per square meter or about 187 a square foot in tivat and 2250 euros per square meter or about 234 a square foot in kotor and budva prices for prime properties in montenegro are still considered very attractive when compared to established markets she said
who buys in montenegro
in general buyers coming from britain and the european union prefer the bay of kotor and the lustica peninsula while buyers from russia prefer the budva riviera ms ilic said
last year the federal government passed a law allowing foreign buyers to obtain a residency permit upon purchase of a property regardless of its value ms vukicevic said also with the recent introduction of notaries who handle all real property transactions buyers have better protection she said
buying basics
there are no restrictions on foreign buyers in montenegro which is a big part of its appeal while its not necessary to hire a foreign lawyer in montenegro most real estate agents advise one legal fees typically run about 1000 euros ms vukicevic said
the real estate agents commission is paid by the seller the buyer bears the costs of notarizing the contract and paying the title transfer tax which is 3 percent of the value of the property
altogether we recommend the buyers budget approximately 4 percent of the value of the property for purchase costs ms vukicevic said typically nonresidents pay in cash or obtain loans from their home countries banks as interest rates are too high to be competitive in montenegro
websites
montenegro government wwwgovme
perast perastcom
languages and currency
montenegrin serbian bosnian albanian croatian euro 1 euro  112
taxes and fees
the annual property taxes on this home are about 900 euros or about 1008
contact
leila calic resido montenegro 011 382 69 146 266 011 382 69 146 171 residomontenegrocom


waitsfield vt
what a farmhouse with three bedrooms and three and a half bathrooms
how much 1150000
size 3447 square feet
price per square foot 334
setting waitsfield is a town of about 1700 people in the mad river valley between the green and northfield mountains a rural area carved by country roads the valley is renowned for its skiing both mad river glen and sugarbush resort are within a 20 minute drive of this property this house is one of a group of historic houses moved to the area from around the state then reassembled and restored by a group of architects and designers called the weather hill company the surrounding properties are around 15 to 25 acres
indoors the two story house was built in 1825 and last updated in 2003 the interior is a mix of original woodwork and salvage including wide plank pine floors exposed ceiling beams and wood paneled walls as well as wainscoting and custom cabinetry throughout
common areas include formal living and dining rooms and a sunny breakfast room both the living and dining rooms have original fireplaces numbered brick by brick when the house was moved to the property in 1999 the dining room faces west taking in the sunset
the kitchen is part of an addition incorporating old floorboards and beams designed to blend with the original section of the house the shelving here is either original or faithfully copied by weather hill the kitchen island is antique too   a table whose legs have been hollowed out to make room for electrical wiring the room has southern exposure and the breakfast room opens to the outdoors
the master suite is on the first floor with an original fireplace and access to a stone terrace the other two bedrooms are upstairs as are a family room and an office over the attached three car garage the basement has an exercise room two eurocave wine coolers a workshop and storage the property also has a barn with additional workshop space
outdoor space the property is 234 acres about 12 of which are wooded landscaping includes terraced gardens for perennials and vegetables blueberry bushes and more than 25 fruit trees
taxes about 16000 a year
contact jane austin roth real estate 802 496 3865 roth realestatecom

mesa colo
what a contemporary with three bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms plus a farmhouse with three bedrooms and one bath on 38 acres
how much 1200000
size 4343 square feet in the main house and 1259 square feet in the guesthouse
price per square foot 214
setting mesa is an unincorporated community on the grand mesa which rises nearly two miles above sea level and occupies about 500 square miles across western colorado most of the area is surrounded by state and national parkland with a landscape that ranges from sandstone bluffs to dense spruce forest and about 300 lakes
this property is about 38 acres with panoramic views of the mesa the alpine city of grand junction popular for fishing hiking and camping is within a 40 minute drive while the ski slopes of aspen and vail are within about two hours the powderhorn mountain ski resort is 15 minutes away
indoors the two story contemporary was built in the late 1990s its exterior is a clean gray hardieplank with sharp angled sides and gently sloping roofs it was designed by glenn rappaport of black shack architects in basalt colo and received an honor award from the state chapter of the american institute of architects
designed for indoor outdoor living and 360 degree views of the mesa it has walls of windows throughout as well as a glass garage style door in the entryway that rolls into the ceiling creating a seamless transition between house and landscape the owners wanted something light and spacious but without an open floor plan so as to have different atmospheres in different spaces ceilings pitch up to 20 feet while the walls that arent glass are painted white to accommodate art
floors are a light colored maple as is some wall paneling lighting includes brightly colored pendants in the living room and horizontal neon fixtures in the library loft custom designed as a homage to the artist dan flavin the living room has a fireplace the family room has acoustic tile around its perimeter near the roofline to offset the resonance of the high ceiling the kitchen cabinets are maple
the master suite is on the entry level behind a rolling barn door it has a walk in closet as well as a dressing room and a private office its bathroom opens to a small deck and a hot tub the other two bedrooms are upstairs as is another office
the farmhouse is on a country road at the lower end of the property it was built in 1899 the property also has a 1500 square foot metal barn
outdoor space a deck surrounds three sides of the house the landscaping includes mature trees and beds of lavender and perennials there are a pond and a creek which can be heard from the farmhouse
taxes 1885 a year
contact angela taylor united country real estate realquest realty 970 314 1104 taylormaderealestatecom

homewood ala
what a house with three bedrooms and four bathrooms
how much 1150000
size approximately 3150 square feet
price per square foot 365
setting homewood is a suburb of birmingham just a few miles from the citys downtown this house is on nearly two acres on a wooded road running along a ridge edged with italian cypress trees area education is well regarded homewood high school is considered among the top five in the state and top 1000 in the country according to us news and world report there are a couple of shopping blocks within about a mile
indoors the single story house was built around 1950 and updated within the last few years the exterior is brick with a weathered wash making it look like old stone the roof is metal but designed to resemble cedar shake
common areas are anchored by a large living room with walls of windows and french doors and a vaulted ceiling rising nearly 20 feet the fireplace has an arched limestone surround one of the windows is a porthole exposure is toward the southeast with french doors opening to a stone patio and terraced gardens the dining area is in a former sun porch enclosed during renovations with french doors leading outside renovations were done by bruce mcleod an architect in birmingham
the kitchen has stainless steel appliances and some open stainless steel shelves contrasting with white cabinets and a subway tile backsplash the countertops are corian the microwave is built in there is a butlers pantry with plenty of extra storage an attached potting shed with a sink heating and cooling is used as a sewing room
the master bedroom has a high vaulted ceiling and french doors opening to a private terrace its bathroom has two vanities a soaking tub and a separate shower there is a walk in closet the other bedrooms have good closet space too the attic is used for storage at the edge of the property theres a simple rustic structure with electricity that could be used as an office
outdoor space the property is a terraced 178 acres landscaped with an herb garden perennials and pear fig and plum trees as well as blueberry bushes
taxes 6880 a year
contact barbara wheeler lah real estate 205 266 0259 lahrealestatecom


when constance wu landed the part of jessica huang the chinese american matriarch on the abc sitcom fresh off the boat she didnt realize just how significant the role would turn out to be as she developed her part ms wu heard the same dismal fact repeated over and over again it had been 20 years since a show featuring a predominantly asian american cast had aired on television abcs previous offering the 1994 margaret cho vehicle all american girl was canceled after one season
i wasnt really conscious of it until i booked the role ms wu said i was focused on the task at hand which was paying my rent
the show which was just renewed for a third season has granted ms wu a steady job and a new perspective it changed me ms wu said after doing a lot of research she shifted her focus from self interest to asian american interests
in the past year ms wu and a number of other asian american actors have emerged as fierce advocates for their own visibility   and frank critics of their industry the issue has crystallized in a word   whitewashing   that calls out hollywood for taking asian roles and stories and filling them with white actors
on facebook ms wu ticked off a list of recent films guilty of the practice and said i could go on and thats a crying shame yall on twitter she bit back against hollywood producers who believe their lead must be white and advised the creators of lily white content to care more another tip an easy way to avoid tokenism have more than one character of color she tweeted in march not so hard
 read reader responses to this article 
its never been easy for an asian american actor to get work in hollywood let alone take a stand against the people who run the place but the recent expansion of asian american roles on television has paradoxically ushered in a new generation of actors with just enough star power and job security to speak more freely about hollywoods larger failures
and their heightened profile along with an imaginative on the ground social media army has managed to push the issue of asian american representation   long relegated to the back burner   into the current heated debate about hollywoods monotone vision of the world
the harsh reality of being an actor is that its hard to make a living and that puts actors of color in a very difficult position said daniel dae kim who stars in hawaii five 0 on cbs and is currently appearing in the king and i on broadway
mr kim has wielded his twitter account to point to dire statistics and boost asian american creators last year he posted a cheeky tribute to the only asian face he could find in the entire lord of the rings series a woman who appears for a glorious three seconds
other actors lending their voices include kumail nanjiani of silicon valley ming na wen of agents of shield and aziz ansari who in his show master of none plays an indian american actor trying to make his mark
they join longtime actors and activists like bd wong of gotham margaret cho who has taken her tart comedic commentary to twitter and george takei who has leveraged his star trek fame into a social media juggernaut
theres an age old stereotypical notion that asian american people dont speak up mr wong said but were really getting into peoples faces about it
this past year has proved to be a particularly fraught period for asian american representation in movies last may sony released aloha a film set in hawaii that was packed with white actors including the green eyed blond haired emma stone as a quarter chinese quarter native hawaiian fighter pilot named allison ng
in september it was revealed that in the planned adaptation of the japanese manga series death note the hero a boy with dark powers named light yagami would be renamed simply light and played by the white actor nat wolff in the martian released in october the white actress mackenzie davis stepped into the role of the nasa employee mindy park who was conceived in the novel as korean american
the list goes on in december set photographs from the coming absolutely fabulous film showed the scottish actress janette tough dressed as an over the top asian character last month marvel studios released a trailer for doctor strange in which a character that had originated in comic books as a tibetan monk was reimagined as a celtic mystic played by tilda swinton
and in the live action american film adaptation of the manga series ghost in the shell scheduled for next year the lead character major motoko kusanagi will be called major and played by scarlett johansson in a black bob
studios say that their films are diverse like other marvel films several characters in doctor strange are significant departures from the source material not limited by race gender or ethnicity the marvel studios president kevin feige said in a statement ms swinton will play a character that was originally male and chiwetel ejiofor a character that was originally white paramount and dreamworks the studios behind ghost in the shell said that the film reflects a diverse array of cultures and countries
but many asian american actors arent convinced its all so plainly outlandish mr takei said its getting to the point where its almost laughable
the academy awards telecast in february added insult to injury the show dwelled on the diversity complaints aired through oscarssowhite yet blithely mocked asian americans with punch lines that banked on asian stereotypes the host chris rock brought three asian american children onstage to serve as a sight gag in a joke made at their expense
i have never seen the asian american community get so organized so quickly said janet yang a producer who serves as a liaison between hollywood and chinese studios she added it was the final straw
within days ms yang and 24 other academy members including the actress sandra oh the director ang lee and mr takei signed a letter to the academy taking it to task for the telecasts offensive jokes the academys terse reply only stoked the flames mr takei called it a bland corporate response
online even more asian american actors and activists have spoken out with raw unapologetic anger
ms wen castigated ghost in the shell tweeting about whitewashing and throwing in a dismissive emoji mr takei went off on doctor strange on his facebook page hollywood has been casting white actors in asian roles for decades now and we cant keep pretending there isnt something deeper at work here
mr nanjiani jumped on twitter to call out the red carpet photographer who told him smile youre in america now i know when someone is racist the fault is theirs and not yours he wrote but in the moment it makes you feel flattened reduced and bullied and ms cho helped start a hashtag campaign whitewashedout
its intense ms cho posted at the height of the action its that we have been invisible for so long we dont even know what we can do
meanwhile television shows   competing for fresh content and audiences as the number of scripted series has increased dramatically in recent years   have helped expand the boundaries of what was once thought possible asian americans increasingly play leads and love interests and star in multiple family sitcoms
following fresh off the boat abc debuted the sitcom dr ken featuring an asian american family led by the shows creator ken jeong plus the drama quantico starring the bollywood actress priyanka chopra on cws crazy ex girlfriend rachel bloom as the title character pines after the hunky vincent rodriguez iii who is filipino american they join such mold breakers as mindy kaling creator and star of the mindy project and lucy liu who plays a reimagined dr watson in elementary
these shows help but the issue is pervasive including on tv the mainstream hollywood thinking still seems to be that movies and stories about straight white people are universal and that anyone else is more niche mr ansari wrote in an email its just not true ive been watching characters with middle age white guy problems since i was a small indian boy
in films a few roles have transcended stereotypes mr takei in the first star trek installments ms liu in the charlies angels features and john cho and kal penn in the stoner hit harold  kumar go to white castle and its sequels and more are in development a film adaptation of kevin kwans novel crazy rich asians is underway and the vietnamese american actress kelly marie tran will play a major role in the next star wars installment
but mostly asian americans are invisible though they make up 54 percent of the united states population more than half of film television and streaming properties feature zero named or speaking asian characters a february report from the annenberg school for communication and journalism at the university of southern california found only 14 percent of lead characters in a sample of studio films released in 2014 were asian
for asian american actors the dearth of opportunities compounds itself an asian person who is competing against white people for an audience of white people has to train for that opportunity like its the olympics ms wu said an incredibly talented asian actor might be considered for a leading role maybe once or twice in a lifetime thats a highly pressured situation
so some are stepping behind the camera in addition to actors creating their own shows like ms kaling mr jeong and mr ansari mr kim of hawaii five 0 has started his own production company 3ad to help tell the stories of the underrepresented he said asian american and other minority actors he added are tired of waiting to be hired for the roles hollywood creates for us
audiences too are catching up there was a time when this conversation was completely foreign to people mr wong said now young participants are already fully versed in the issues and able to discuss them with great passion
ellen oh a writer for young adults who devised the whitewashedout hashtag credited a generational shift for a long time asians have been defined by the immigrant experience but now second  and third generation asian americans are finding their own voices ms oh said
theyre also employing a new vocabulary the term whitewashing is new and its extremely useful mr wong said in contrast to yellowface which protested the practice of white actors using makeup and prosthetics to play asians whitewashing gives voice to the near absence of prominent roles
and the internet has allowed people to imagine a parallel universe where asian americans dominate the screen earlier this month disappointed fans of the ghost in the shell franchise took a publicity still of ms johansson in the lead role and photoshopped in the face of rinko kikuchi the japanese star of pacific rim
recently the hashtag starringjohncho went viral reimagining the korean american star as the lead of rom coms and action flicks though mr cho has followed up the harold and kumar films with a role in the star trek franchise he hasnt been afforded the luminous leads offered to white actors with similar starts like seth rogen after knocked up or chris pratt post guardians of the galaxy
as i was photoshopping john chos face on top of tom cruises in the mission impossible poster my friends and i started chuckling a little bit like how crazy would that be said william yu the 25 year old who created the hashtag then i caught myself why should it be crazy
the campaign was followed by starringconstancewu which photoshopped the actress into posters for films starring emily blunt drew barrymore and ahem emma stone
the activist outpouring is a tidal wave said keith chow the founder of the nerds of color a website of geek culture criticism that has served as home base for several online campaigns
it has swept up some members of white hollywood in its wake ms stone has acknowledged that her aloha role made her the butt of many jokes and this month the director of doctor strange scott derrickson tweeted raw angerhurt from asian americans over hollywood whitewashing stereotyping  erasure of asians in cinema i am listening and learning
whether that translates into change onscreen is an open question everyone seems to be becoming slowly aware of how overwhelmingly white everything is mr ansari said its almost like the whole system is slowly being shamed into diversity but its moving at a snails pace he added just look at the movie posters you see its all white people


theres so much advice today on how to find rock bottom airfares that it can be difficult to filter out the noise here are three flight booking tips though that i can almost guarantee you werent aware of theyre outlier tips   meaning theyll require a bit of time and energy and in one case flexibility to employ   but when used properly theyll almost definitely save you a big chunk of money
united airlines has the most generous and flexible policy on round trip international award tickets flights booked with miles allowing for a stopover and two open jaws flying into one airport and out of another this allows for many possibilities if youre looking to visit more places than a regular round trip ticket would entail   including a way to essentially travel free one way anywhere in the united states
lets say youre flying from new york to berlin this fall a round trip ticket on united will cost 60000 miles plus taxes and fees but what if youd like to spend a little time in london too you can book a round trip flight to berlin with a three day stopover in london built into the ticket that will still cost 60000 miles even with the stopover
now lets say you make that same trip from new york to berlin but instead of returning on the same route you book an open jaw so you can return from prague to new york the cost to you is the same 60000 miles in this scenario youre responsible for getting from berlin to prague on your own
an even better way to take advantage is to use both of the permitted open jaws instead of flying from new york to berlin and open jawing from prague back home you can also open jaw at your destination if youve been meaning to visit your mother in chicago hi mom you can fly to berlin then from prague to chicago on the return for the same 60000 miles you pay to get back to new york
you can get even more creative by combining the stopover and open jaws remember that initial sojourn in london the above itinerary with two open jaws   new york to berlin and prague to chicago   can have a stopover in london built into it for thats right the exact same number of miles
heres where things get fun you can manipulate these rules to essentially wrangle a free one way ticket anywhere in the united states lets take our original itinerary new york to berlin you can still use one of your open jaws and return to new york from prague well have to forgo the stop in london   were using our stopover stateside now use new york as your stopover and resume your trip anywhere in the country using the second open jaw at any point in the coming year you read that right even if youve lived in new york city your entire life you can treat it as your stopover and resume that trip anytime anywhere in the united states for up to a year later
lets say you know you want to go to alaska next spring fly new york to berlin prague back to new york and then new york to anchorage in lets say april 2017 the cost will be   you guessed it   60000 miles you can spend a few more miles and go somewhere like honolulu or cancun that will run you slightly more   65000 miles   but its still a great bargain to fly to hawaii or mexico for only 5000 extra miles
you may not speak a foreign language but that doesnt mean you cant use the local version of an airlines website to get a discount savings can be substantial if you purchase a ticket in local currency as opposed to us dollars looking on the american portal for norwegian air shuttle the low cost european carrier norwegiancomus i found a round trip ticket from kennedy airport in new york to oslo for 68830   a decent price
i then looked on the website for norway based passengers norwegianno and searched for the same flight it takes some work   there are lots of os with slashes through them and youll need to know that hvor vil du dra means roughly destination but i found it simple enough to negotiate tip keep two browser tabs open the norwegian and english versions then you can compare if you get stuck google translate for whatever reason works on the initial landing page then stops working once youre actually booking
i found the exact flight for 4394 norwegian kroner about 538 thats a substantial difference   160 or 23 percent youll need to create an account which i recommend you do on the united states site first also use a credit card that doesnt have a foreign transaction fee   you dont want that eating into your savings
the conventional wisdom is to book tickets well in advance   preferably at least two weeks otherwise youll pay many times what you ordinarily would this is no longer the case pricelinecom now gives steep discounts on next day   and even same day   flights within the united states this is available for some international routes too but ive found the savings arent as consistent
this of course requires flexibility youre always rolling the dice with priceline you wont know exactly when you leave or the airline youre flying until you commit to buy but you do get some information youre guaranteed a nonstop or one layover and you typically get a window for arrival and departure times youll also receive a warning a little moon and stars icon if your flight could be a redeye
as im writing this the lowest published next day round trip ticket from boston to los angeles costs a little over 500 by booking a priceline deal you can buy that trip for less than 360 next day from seattle to dallas is currently 428 round trip on priceline its 285 and youre guaranteed a departure between 10 am and 6 pm maximum one layover
booking same day can yield even greater savings and ironically greater control over when you leave the current lowest published price for a same day new york to los angeles trip is nearly 900 on priceline its 428 saving you over 50 percent best of all depending on what time of day you book you can more closely deduce your flight times if you book your same day ticket in the early afternoon you will get only flights that depart after you book be ready to get going to the airport immediately however good luck with the tsa
ive booked los angeles to new york tickets on two occasions same day and paid around 350 saving hundreds of dollars in both instances ive gotten nonstop flights on delta booking at the last second isnt optimal and this is by no means a recommendation of the practice   im simply pointing out that if something last minute comes up youre not doomed to pay exorbitant prices in fact you may actually end up paying less than if you had booked ahead


a photograph is not the same as the thing photographed but sometimes photographs make you conscious of that thing in a way the thing itself never quite did more precisely they make you aware of things   stuff   about that thing of which you were barely conscious or entirely oblivious whether photographing a pepper or a toilet bowl the great early 20th century photographer edward weston repeated insistently that the camera was uniquely equipped for rendering the very substance and quintessence of the thing itself back then the potential of the camera was still being established was inevitably drawing attention to itself in the case of peter mitchells pictures of scarecrows it is as if the photographs do not exist as if we just chanced upon these creatures in the course of walks weve taken hundreds of times before so how did we miss them
well partly because mitchell was only recently persuaded that the pictures taken over a 40 year period from 1974 through 2015 might be of interest to anyone besides himself which is strange given that he has long been regarded as one of the most important british photographers working in color in his 70s now he was included in martin parrs colour before color a 2007 exhibition in new york that sought to challenge the standard art world narrative in which color photography only got going with william egglestons show at the museum of modern art in 1976 a number of american photographers were using color before then but   as that extra u in the title hinted   parr extended the catchment area to include british and european photographers like the quiet visionary luigi ghirri
the first picture by mitchell i ever saw had the same quality of oneiric lucidity associated with ghirri a red telephone box amid the desolate and lyrical emptiness of a housing estate in leeds something dropped out of time in the middle of nowhere which   a fundamental lesson of photography   is always somewhere
if mitchell has worked obsessively close to his home in leeds this should not be confused with limited ambition or parochial appeal his 1979 exhibition a new refutation of the viking 4 space mission presented the city as it might appear to visitors from mars the show will touch down again in the gorgeously alien setting of the arles photo festival this summer unwavering in his commitment to the specificity of the universal mitchell insists in his book some thing means everything to somebody that the scarecrows are essentially yorkshire further research is needed to discover the regional variations and consistencies in scarecrow design and construction but to me they are  essentially gloucestershire where i grew up they take me back to afternoons spent at my fathers allotment with these silent beings in dilapidated attendance i mean that literally they waited in a state of transient permanence
the scarecrows were i see now signposts from the past in that they seemed always to have been there looking back on his childhood in nottingham and the mining country dh lawrence writes that he was conscious as a boy of robin hood and his merry men not as a memory but as a felt presence in the landscape in both cases we are talking less about history   which is necessarily concerned with dates   than the pre existent while for archaeologists the past has to be dug up and uncovered mitchell enables us to see that its there before our eyes
mitchell goes on to say that scarecrows are friends that he likes them because
since he didnt i will we have to start with the fact that scarecrows are nearly human in a sense they are homeless   rough sleepers   and out in all weathers they tend consequently to be wrapped up warmly whatever the temperature on the grounds that while being overdressed for the heat is uncomfortable it is not life threatening in england as the cold can be so even in a field of sunflowers in midsummer they dress as if for a february blizzard in the alps
i said that they are homeless but only statues or trees are more firmly attached to a particular place one appears to be walking as if the photographs rather than the ontological limits of existence have frozen him in his tracks to that extent theyre entirely at home   in themselves and they never sleep eternal vigilance is their motto and modus vivendi they have a consciousness that is obvious because everything in a photograph is obvious this consciousness is of the kind usually achieved through deep meditation
devoid of ego they are at one with the earth and the sky and by extension all of creation including um crows after all the years in which the relationship of scarecrow to bird was one of hostility and repulsion could it be that the scarer longs to shake off the limiting function for which he was intended if only there were a photograph of a crow perched on the shoulder of the thing designed to instill fear that would offer proof on the one hand that it was not fit for its purpose on the other it would be a lovely reconciliation a pipe dream clearly the scarecrow nation still waits for its francis of assisi
i am torn between the urge to generalize and the need to recognize diversity each scarecrow has its own personality some wear waterproofs always a good idea in rainy yorkshire one looks like a cross between a melting ice cream and a condom at that critical juncture when the would be wearer realizes a chicken and egg situation if ever there was one that the penis might not attain a viable rigidity which seems a good moment to raise the issue of pronouns its easy to speak in the plural of they and them but given that each scarecrow is singular should we speak of it he or she
most seem masculine none more so than the lewd character slumped in a chair and red in the face   well what do you expect when youre caught masturbating in the middle of a winter field the reason for this chilly expediency is that scarecrow women are so hard to come by as far as i can make out theres only one real looker decked out in a pink body stocking revealing sparkly grass skirt and green wig the whole ensemble glamorously polished off with silver necklace and pink pompoms talk about all dressed up and nowhere to go the doomed party atmosphere is heightened by the fact that this is one of only a couple of pictures taken at night
the danish photographer henrik saxgren published a series of photographs called unintended sculptures featuring structures that viewed in a certain light from a given angle might be considered works of art the scarecrows could be regarded as folk art but this ignores an important dimension of their being for their aesthetic and practical value seems inseparable from some ritual or religious purpose as if they are leftovers from seasonal rites that have been forgotten looking at mitchells pictures i am reminded of the guy fawkes effigies   also made from discarded clothes bulked out with straw or waste paper   we used to wheel around in old baby carriages or carts in the weeks leading up to bonfire night when they were burned ts eliots poem the hollow men we are the hollow menwe are the stuffed menleaning togetherheadpiece filled with straw is preceded by a line slightly misquoting what we used to call out a penny for the old guy we never said old did we get it wrong   inconceivable   or did eliot conscious only of wanting money we were mouthpieces or conduits for larger forces   what eliot would have called tradition   that continue to find explosive expression every nov 5
like these effigies and unlike statues the scarecrows are far from permanent let alone immortal so it is appropriate that mitchells photographic record does not aspire to the taxonomic rigor associated with say bernd and hilla bechers gridded images of industrial structures its more like a bunch of street portraits done slowly in fields time in its physical manifestations   rain wind and sun   takes its toll the snowsuit becomes smeared in what looks like blood as if it has barely survived some frosty and atrociously extended ordeal a bloody wound suggests that crows have begun to peck away at its promethean liver eventually the clothes rot away so that the scarecrows acquire a lear on the heath air of tragedy off off you lendings the difference is that whereas lear discovers that beneath the clothes are poor naked wretches these guys are their clothes patched together not from stolen body parts but lent clothes there is nevertheless a frankensteinian quality to them they are by definition scary
as the scarecrows collapse in on themselves its as if they end up consuming their own body fat just to stay alive   if that is the word which clearly it is not one photograph resembles a police view of a crime scene in it a scarecrow ends up flat on its face decomposing like the remains of a murder victim another looks as if he has been lynched this sacrificial quality becomes more pronounced as the skeletal structure is laid bare by time eventually all thats left is a wooden cross with a few tatters blowing in the wind


the story of my first tattoo goes like this one night in middle school my friend stephanie spent the night at my house we were camped out in my bedroom and bored we had watched clueless so many times that we could recite all the best lines food had been ordered delivered and devoured we prank called all the cute boys in our class and even some of the not so cute ones one of us suggested half jokingly that we give each other matching tattoos something discreet enough to hide from our parents but accessible enough to show off at school come monday
i was scared but as the youngest of five girls i was familiar with the power of rituals   the way a shared secret between women can be its own kind of power abstinence was not an option i watched as stephanie used a bic lighter to heat up and   theoretically   sterilize a safety pin before dipping it in ink i stuck out my chubby ankle and closed my eyes as she began poking the tender meat of my leg in an uneven staccato pattern
when she was done i leaned over to admire her handiwork a patchy approximation of a heart fashioned out of eight or nine dots seared into my left ankle then i did the same to her afterward i felt giddy buoyed by a new realization my body was mine to do with what i liked the thought was instantly addicting as was the way the tattoo tightened the bond between me and stephanie we had matching tattoos which basically meant we were sisters
a few years later i got another one and another in all ive gotten six best friend tattoos always in pairs always with someone whose relationship i wanted to commemorate at a particular moment theres the pair of triangles on my wrist that i share with a friend intended to symbolize   perhaps paradoxically   the inevitability of change theres the wreath i paid a tattoo artist 60 to lay on my inner arm   a tribute to the flowers im rarely able to leave by my fathers gravestone i got that one with a friend who had recently lost his grandmother his was a series of boxes in the same spot on his body a coded tribute to her another friend i knew from college in virginia decided that we needed matching sets of daggers on our outer ribs both because they would look good peeking out from a tank top that summer and because they would serve as protective amulets against the unrelenting crush of the city wed moved to after graduation
getting a tattoo is arguably one of the most insane decisions a sensible human can make a sharp needle made up of much smaller needles hammers into your skin up to 3000 times a minute punching through skin blood and collagen fibers in order to deposit enough ink to leave a permanent mark but not too permanent tattoos inevitably deteriorate over the years as the ink migrates or breaks down and the skin loses some of its tautness slowly melting the design into a smeared photocopy of the original over each tattoo hovers a cloud of doubt
all of these elements   the danger the fear the foolishness even the pain   contribute to the thrill which doubles when you persuade someone to do it with you theres nothing that reinforces a bad choice like doing it in the company of another it makes the deed easier to rationalize both in the moment and in the seconds hours years to come after it is done
and best friend tattoos require so much prep work which adds to their legitimacy first a friendship must be deep enough to warrant the rite then the perfect symbol must be found to forge the bond instagram and pinterest are awash in ideas beavis and butt head two halves of an avocado yins and yangs that nestle when two arms are pressed together a guy i know from arizona recently texted me a photo of a ruffled roaring cougars head stamped on his upper thigh something he got with his friends the last time he was home another told me about the venn diagram tattoo that she shares with her closest friend during a rough patch in their relationship she caught sight of the overlapping circles and remembered the love that had led her to permanently alter her body easing the friction
matching tattoos dont ensure the longevity of a friendship any more than any other mutual hardship ive since grown more distant from all of the people ive been inked with over the past two decades nothing catastrophic happened there were no unforgivable betrayals it was simply the natural tectonic shifts that occur as people move through life and drift apart im not even in touch with the girl who gave me that first lopsided heart tattoo though i get occasional glimpses of her life on facebook as for the pinpricks she gave me theyre still visible   but just barely
i dont regret any of the ink when i look at it i smile and think about the feverish throes of friend love and how lucky i was to have felt it more than once recently a friend asked me to get a tattoo with her   a lightning bolt or something similar to symbolize how we invigorate each other with a neon white energy i hesitated at first what if the same thing happens what if we ultimately go through with it only to move apart but it feels worse to let a love go unrecognized instead i choose to paint a time capsule onto my body that represents the ferocity of a feeling   one too rare to go unacknowledged


most people know you from the office but your big current project is an app for lists which seems a little bit like something ryan howard would invent on first glance its the kind of thing people shouldnt need an app to do are you disrupting list making i think its too simple an idea for ryan howard its not trying to prove how brilliant and deep it is the idea is that were surrounded by lists even more than we realize because our internal monologues are in list form
so youre democratizing lists now i do sound like ryan howard i would have said i want us to democratize writing when people hear writing they think of a bad grade they got in spelling in third grade people are probably composing more words than at any time in history through text messages people are writing all the time and yet they think they cant write because theyre so intimidated by the structure when you provide a structure in the form of a list there is in a utopian way a real chance to democratize the power of writing by taking away what people are wrongly intimidated by
in a way a list is about whats not on it do you think it relies on a reader to provide a certain amount of context it has to mean something to other people right well were getting into really fundamental questions of art and literature if a work alienates a reader should that be counted against it i respect people that love ulysses for example but im on the other side of the argument ulysses would be better if it seduced me but i probably have the minority point of view
a definite theme in your work is a sort of meta ness your father was a ghostwriter which is a meta profession itself did that influence your own desire not just to become a writer but to become famous ooh yeah i remember seeing iacocca which i knew he co wrote and yet only lee iacoccas photo was on the cover i thought why isnt my dad on the cover i wonder if there was some subconscious desire to be that guy on the cover and to sort of be a famous writer and avenge my fathers anonymity
between your fathers work and your own you know what the act of writing looks like do you think that tv and movies get it right it drives me crazy sometimes when people play writers it feels as though a very disproportionate number of main characters are writers because thats what the writer knows fair enough but nothing bothers me more in a movie than an actor playing a writer and you just know hes not a writer writers recognize other writers ethan hawke is too hot to be a writer
he has published several books hasnt he no im not saying he didnt write them im saying ill never look at ethan hawke and think that guy looks like a writer a full time professional novelist in perfect shape perfect everything you could tell me he secretly wrote shakespeare i just dont buy it on screen
i read that you said that when you wake up in the middle of the night with an idea a part of the thought is i want to write it and test it out and then see if other people love it the way that i do in that moment my father gave me advice when i started stand up how about you say only what you like and keep only what they like dont say anything you dont love dont share anything you dont love dont make anything you dont love but if you love it try to make it popular my goal is not to make popular things my goal is to make the things i love as popular as i can make them
whats the most unpopular thing that youre a fan of well i loved mr show
you have a famously complicated relationship with mindy kaling   but i think thats the only romantic relationship i have ever heard you mention is that a deliberate strategy to keep your other relationships private wow i love that im honored that anyone would speculate on a conspiracy theory involving me


strolling along east 187th street on a recent weekday afternoon the rev jonathan morris explained his mission as the pastor of our lady of mount carmel church in belmont to act as a kind of bridge linking the neighborhoods various identities
on the one hand he serves a population of recently arrived immigrants many of them from mexico who are struggling to build lives for themselves in this neighborhood of the bronx he said that week he had comforted two parishioners who had lost parents but could not travel home for the funerals because they did not have legal residency and would not be able to come back
father morris also feels a duty to uphold the neighborhoods rich italian heritage which dates to the early 20th century when the area attracted families of italian laborers who helped build the nearby bronx zoo and new york botanical garden
its an immigrant church still today said father morris who says mass weekly in english spanish and italian were trying to welcome the new immigrants while honoring the churchs italian history
the priest 43 who has been with the church in belmont for a year and a half and is also a religion contributor for fox news said he sees a spirit of survival and entrepreneurship in the neighborhood pointing to a number of mexican delis and restaurants that have opened father morris said those owners could find inspiration in the successes of the longstanding shops that make up belmonts little italy
the italian businesses line several blocks on and around arthur avenue and still give the neighborhood much of its character banners in the colors of the italian flag fly from lampposts
while those italian businesses remain most of the shop owners live elsewhere having moved in recent decades to nearby suburbs or other parts of the bronx newer residents include puerto ricans and immigrants from latin america and albania
according to united states census figures from the 2009 2013 american community survey 582 percent of belmonts 26180 residents were hispanic 209 percent white non hispanic 179 percent african american and 18 percent asian
adding an element of college town to belmonts character are students from nearby fordham university who rent apartments in the neighborhood after living for a year or two in dorms
casey chun 21 a rising senior majoring in biology and economics said moving to off campus housing is part of fordham student culture i think a lot of students choose it for the independence and autonomy it offers said mr chun who lives in a two bedroom apartment on hughes avenue that rents for 1550 a month his roommate graduated this year and he is now living there alone he said
mr chun who grew up in new york city said he especially enjoys having a kitchen to cook meals and does his shopping on arthur avenue he said other businesses such as delis that are open 24 hours also cater to students
mr chun said student renters often discuss among themselves their presence in the neighborhood and how it might affect other residents some like him are interested in finding ways to be part of the community commercially theres a lot of integration but culturally were not as integrated he said
even so students really love their time in the bronx mr chun said
what youll find
by one popular definition belmont is bounded roughly by southern boulevard to the east third avenue to the west east 180th street to the south and east fordham road to the north where it meets the fordham campus residential streets are lined with attached single  and two family homes in wood frame or brick and squat brick apartment buildings the main commercial streets are arthur avenue which is lined with italian restaurants and food shops and east fordham road which has businesses catering to students like a white castle and delis
the developer ab capstone is constructing a six story building on arthur avenue that will include commercial space on the ground floor and 31 furnished student apartments on the upper floors it is one of three student housing projects that the developer has underway in belmont said joseph zanzuri ab capstones director of operations
what youll pay
the median home sales price in belmont through april 30 was 420000 compared with 295000 for the same period in 2013 a 424 percent increase said jonathan j miller the president of the appraisal firm miller samuel
on may 18 the hudson gateway association of realtors multiple listings website showed 31 homes on the market in belmont said kareem kirby an agent with the keller williams nyc group they ranged from the mid 300000s such as a three bedroom single family on lorillard place listed at 345000 to the mid 500000s such as an updated two family on cambreleng avenue listed at 539000
people looking for reasonably priced houses have opened themselves up to different areas of the bronx said gwen howard an agent with century 21 metro star in the bronx belmont is drawing some of that interest she said
as for student rentals leslie a lerner the president and owner of the lal property management corporation said he owns 10 belmont buildings with a total of 104 apartments geared mainly toward students monthly rents in his units there which are predominantly designed for sharing with two bedrooms of equal size range from 1500 to 1700 he said
what to do
the arthur avenue retail market is a vibrant food hall packed with stalls selling meats cheeses olives pastries and hand rolled cigars local restaurants include antonios trattoria and dominicks restaurant
the belmont branch of the new york public library also known as the enrico fermi cultural center offers activities for children and adults
belmont borders the main fordham campus and the bronx zoo with the new york botanical garden just beyond giving residents easy access to some of the boroughs most important institutions and green spaces
within the neighborhood the vincent ciccarone playground is popular among children it also has bocce courts
the schools
public school 32 belmont has about 865 students in prekindergarten through grade 5 the city department of educations 2014 2015 school quality snapshot shows 16 percent of students meeting state standards in english compared with 30 percent citywide in math 22 percent of students met state standards compared with 39 percent
ps 51 bronx new school has about 240 students also in prekindergarten through grade 5 its quality snapshot showed 25 percent of students meeting state standards in english and 29 percent in math ps 205 fiorello la guardia has about 1080 students in kindergarten through grade 5 its quality snapshot shows 22 percent of students meeting standards in english and 25 percent meeting standards in math
at the thomas c giordano middle school 45 with about 740 students in grades 6 through 8 13 percent of the students met state standards in english compared with 30 percent citywide and 7 percent met standards in math compared with 31 percent
the commute
its about a 15 minute walk from arthur avenue to the b and d subway at fordham roadgrand concourse the b during rush hours only the trip to midtown takes about 40 minutes another option is metro north railroads fordham station which has trains to grand central terminal most scheduled to take around 20 minutes one way peak tickets cost 875 a monthly pass is 201
the history
arthur avenue was once crowded with pushcarts selling fruits vegetables meats and other foods that changed in 1940 when mayor fiorello la guardia opened the arthur avenue retail market creating a large indoor space for vendors to set up shop it was part of the mayors effort to rid city streets of vendors which he said were a threat to traffic health and sanitation


kamala harris was working her way through a crowd at the westin bonaventure hotel in los angeles when an aide whispered in her ear that the target was in range hes here harris said ok lets do it
it was early on a saturday morning in january and a throng of union leaders and members were gathered for a banquet hall breakfast hosted by the los angeles county federation of labor one of the countrys largest union umbrella groups and a major political force in the state harris the attorney general of california had arrived in a black pantsuit and stilettos with black beads at her throat her meet and greet style involves more than the usual amount of touching she moves from the standard handshake and smile to a lower arm clasp or a hand on the shoulder or a double clasp holding the other persons wrists with both hands addressing a shy young man who said he was running for local office she offered a quick tutorial tell me your name shake my hand look me in the eye and ask me for your support thats how you do it
harris who is 51 is running for office too she is the leading democratic candidate in this years race for one of californias senate seats a rare prize that last opened up a generation ago in 1992 if she wins the june 7 democratic primary and the general election in november she will be the first black woman in the senate since carol moseley braun the first ever elected who served one term for illinois ending 17 years ago harris pre empted some potential opponents by declaring her candidacy early a few days after barbara boxer announced her retirement in early 2015 but her closest rival representative loretta sanchez pointedly told an audience in january i think we need a latina in the us senate as of that month harris had raised far more money than sanchez and had racked up endorsements from unions and other power brokers but she was well aware that in a state that is 40 percent hispanic she still needed the blessing of latino leaders
now her aide had spotted one in the crowd jimmy gomez a democratic state assemblyman from northeast los angeles heading into the scrum harris looked over her shoulder at me with a conspiratorial smile here comes the strong arming she said im going to be shameless she strode up to gomez did the forearm clasp and brisk and direct asked gomez to endorse her for senate gomez a youthful 41 year old who is a son of mexican immigrants seemed a bit taken aback he mentioned a bill he was sponsoring to ease the financial burden on low income workers of taking family leave which was stalled lets work on it harris said do you have stories of the people who are affected you need to tell their stories gomez nodded intently
though he didnt commit to an endorsement he said id love to help you out and made sure to pose for a photo with harris a few weeks later she endorsed his family leave bill and at the end of february gomez tweeted a smiling picture of himself with a ballot from the california democratic convention where harris needed 60 percent of the delegates present to win the partys endorsement just voted for kamalaharris for senate at cadem16  harris won 78 percent of the vote in april gomezs family leave bill which passed easily was signed into law
perhaps more than any other rising democratic star running for federal office this year harris embodies the future the party would like to imagine for itself in the fast approaching post obama era one indication of her cachet is the coveted prime time speaking slot she received at the 2012 democratic national convention senator cory booker told me that he reveres harris president obama said of harris in 2013 she is brilliant and she is dedicated and she is tough he wound up apologizing for adding she also happens to be by far the best looking attorney general in the country
harriss appeal is partly demographic obamas presidency was supposed to herald the dawn of a democratic party whose politicians looked more like its racially diverse voters yet beyond obama and hillary clinton the partys highest officeholders   in the senate and in governors mansions   remain conspicuously white and mostly male as attorney general harris is already one of only two black female democrats in the country elected to a statewide post for a black woman looking for pathways and validation that youre not crazy you can do this shes incredibly important says stacey abrams the democratic minority leader in the georgia house there is no one else
harriss timing and record have made her worth watching in another respect she has made her career in law enforcement elected twice as the district attorney in san francisco as the state attorney general for five years she sits atop a giant law enforcement apparatus with a staff of almost 5000 in a state with the countrys second largest nonfederal prison system with about 135000 inmates and a death row population of almost 750 the rise of black lives matter and the protracted protests in new york cleveland baltimore and ferguson mo have propelled criminal justice reform onto the national agenda but when it comes to politics and policy most democrats like republicans havent fully grasped the new sense of possibility
in the 1970s californias rising crime rates fueled ronald reagans law and order rhetoric when he was governor shaping the conservative revolution waged in his name as he ascended to the white house twenty years later the publics fear of urban gangs and the plague of crack cocaine led another crop of california politicians democrats among them to promote the kind of harsh sentencing laws that soon swept the country now the failures of that approach in terms of both efficacy and human rights have come sharply into view harris embodies the partys ambitions and contradictions on this issue as its leaders try to navigate a swing in the opposite direction
in september 2012 harris took the stage at the democratic national convention to the chords of dont stop believin  by journey and a roar from the crowd lets get right down to business she said
what followed however was a pro forma critique of obamas republican opponent a rundown of the laws and rules that mitt romney would roll back she praised obama and ended on an evocation of the american dream it belongs to little girls who have the joy of watching their mother like i did buy her first home aside from this note the speech was notably impersonal   especially in comparison with obamas career making convention speech in 2004 detailing his family history harriss biography resembles his in some of its contours and is also inextricably tied to her political identity
harriss indian born mother shyamala gopalan harris the daughter of a diplomat came to the united states at 19 in 1958 to attend the university of california berkeley on her way to earning a doctorate in nutrition and endocrinology she met donald harris a jamaican fellow graduate student he joined the economics faculty at stanford and she became a noted breast cancer researcher after kamala was born her parents wheeled her in a stroller to civil rights marches they divorced when she and her sister maya were young the girls saw their father every other weekend but it was shyamala who shaped their upbringing
she brought up her daughters in the late 60s and early 70s in a black neighborhood in berkeley sharing a house with a friend who ran a small preschool she had two black babies and she raised them to be two black women harris says of her mothers choice of community stacey johnson batiste one of harriss oldest friends remembers shyamala turning ingredients like chicken or okra into either indian dishes or soul food depending on the spices she used the girls sang in a baptist choir and every two years shyamala took her daughters to india
shyamalas extended circle included intellectuals who were tuned in to the black political consciousness of the era like the scholar mary lewis whom harris knew as aunt mary and who hosted a salon attended by fannie lou hamer maya angelou and malcolm x who visited the year before harris was born for the most part though harris lived among working class families one of her proudest accomplishments as attorney general involved helping folks like the folks i grew up with by holding out for a higher settlement with the countrys five largest mortgage servicers over their foreclosure practices during the financial crisis most of her counterparts around the country   and the obama administration   wanted her to sign off on a deal that would have brought 4 billion to california with attorney general eric schneiderman of new york harris refused and in the end california homeowners got 20 billion she was determined that the people of california would not get cheated on her watch senator elizabeth warren told me in an email
after attending the historically black howard university harris returned to california for law school at hastings in san francisco and went to work at the alameda county district attorneys office in oakland she failed the bar exam the first time she took it harris says she recently consoled a young law graduate who also didnt pass i told her its not a measure of your capacity many days she walked up the courthouse steps where in 1968 the black panthers chanted revolution has come and off the pigs
when harris began working as a deputy district attorney in 1990 violent crime was on the rise in oakland and the fear of gangs and drugs flooding the streets was at a fever pitch as some democrats including president bill clinton tilted toward a tough on crime response   by backing mandatory minimum sentences for example   harriss job as a young prosecutor was to help stem the tide of disorder and violence some civil rights activists in her berkeley circle found her career choice curious she told me her mother who had taken an unexpected path herself understood she got it harris told me she was the original rejecter of false choices
this is one of harriss favorite expressions the point was that she could work in the das office without betraying her roots she could see the importance of agitating for change from outside the system but she wanted to be on the inside she says at the table where the decisions are made and she had a perspective on crime shared by some other black leaders at the time informed by the burden it imposes on black neighborhoods lets be clear who the victims of crime are   they come from the same communities
harris saw how much power prosecutors have and sometimes she relished it when i was prosecuting child molestation cases i will tell you i was as close to a vigilante as you can get she told me but she also quickly learned about the unthinking damage the law could do one friday when she was a 23 year old intern she sat in a courtroom for hours so she could ask the judge to release a woman from jail before the weekend i remember saying she cant be here she has kids  as a prosecutor harris saw her peers making race based assumptions when considering punishment i remember being in my office and hearing a group of my colleagues outside my door talking about whether to bring a gang enhancement she told me referring to the more severe penalty that prosecutors could ask for if the defendant was part of a gang they were talking about how these young people were dressed what corner they were hanging out on and the music they were listening to i remember saying hey guys you know what members of my family dress that way i grew up with people who live on that corner  she laughed i still have a tape of that kind of music in my car
at the time harris lived as well as worked in oakland near her mother and her younger sister maya they were this power trio very enmeshed with each other says amy resner a longtime friend maya married tony west previously the no3 official in the united states justice department and she is now a senior policy adviser to hillary clinton discussing her family harris is effusive about topics like the character of her mother who died in 2009 and their favorite recipes but she steers the conversation away from anything complicated in the day and a half i spent with her she was warm but wary of spontaneity and like hillary clinton attuned to the particular challenges that the personal poses for women in politics she didnt want to talk about her past relationship with willie brown the fabled former mayor of san francisco and speaker of the california assembly whom she dated in the mid 1990s when she was about 30 and he was 60 brown is married but has lived apart from his wife for decades harris married for the first time two years ago to douglas emhoff an affable los angeles lawyer he has two children ages 16 and 21 and he and harris recently took them on a family trip to yosemite they call me s mamala harris said of her stepchildren i love that
after the saturday labor breakfast in january harriss driver took her through the hills north of los angeles to a beachfront inn for the annual lunch of the ventura county womens political council getting out of the suv harris did a quick stretch she had worked out early that morning before heading inside past a sign featuring the councils logo a high heeled pump with the stars and stripes of the american flag we used to call it stiletto justice when i was the da she told her greeters
its not a coincidence that harris shares a background in law enforcement with five of the 20 women who are already in the senate the image of toughness that comes from being in law enforcement may help candidates repel the biases against electing women to higher office says david axelrod obamas former senior adviser and strategist its an advantage as a launching pad but harris was also keen to place her law enforcement work in a broader context addressing her ventura county audience she brought up the issue of early childhood education children who are chronically truant in elementary school are three to four times as likely as others to drop out of high school she said citing a statewide study she ordered as attorney general and she continued high school dropouts nationally account for more than 80 percent of state prison inmates theyre expensive she told the audience as taxpayers you pay 464 billion a year because of the burdens high school dropouts place on our criminal justice system and our health system and our social services
improving the public return on investment for criminal justice as harris puts it is central to her philosophy if we were talking about any other system where you have a failure rate of about 70 percent the investors would say at the very least do a wholesale reconstruction if not shut it down she told me referring to californias estimated rate of recidivism in her 2009 book smart on crime she argued for re entry services for prisoners returning home and programs to help children in violent neighborhoods deal with trauma in the name of crime prevention as district attorney in san francisco harris started a program that offered first time offenders caught selling drugs the chance to earn a high school diploma and get a job instead of going to prison the initiative is small with fewer than 300 graduates over eight years but has a strikingly low recidivism rate around the country other district attorneys and obamas justice department have embraced a smart on crime approach similar to harriss   a data driven riposte to reagans enduring rhetoric
but during harriss tenure as attorney general reformers in california have taken far bigger whacks at what they see as a fundamentally broken system the carceral state   prisons prosecutors and police   is having its biggest legitimacy crisis in 40 years says jonathan simon a law professor at berkeley she could exercise significantly more leadership in 2011 the supreme court found that lack of access to medical care in californias prisons due to overcrowding amounted to cruel and unusual punishment harris represented gov jerry brown in fighting to release fewer prisoners than the lower courts initially ordered i have a client and i dont get to choose my client she said in 2012 and 2014 harris took no position on two sentencing reform measures on the state ballot saying she had to remain neutral because of her responsibility for writing the text that goes to the voters one of her predecessors as attorney general john van de kamp a fellow democrat told me that rationale was baloney
the ballot measures passed easily suggesting that harris is more cautious about addressing mass incarceration than california voters  smart on crime is still a good phrase says natasha minsker the director of the center for advocacy and policy at the aclu of california but the support for more significant reform has gotten broader and gone farther than where she is
harriss critics also charge that she has failed to take on prosecutorial misconduct   a responsibility that is core to the attorney generals job simon says in 2015 judges called out her office for defending convictions obtained by local prosecutors who inserted a false confession into the transcript of a police interrogation lied under oath and withheld crucial evidence from the defense talk to the attorney general and make sure she understands the gravity of the situation federal appellate judge alex kozinski instructed one of harriss deputies in court last year harris says that as a career prosecutor she takes allegations of misconduct very seriously my office evaluates each case based on the facts and the evidence she told me
harris has also been criticized for her response to accusations of misconduct by prosecutors and sheriffs deputies in orange county two years ago scott sanders an assistant public defender in orange county discovered hidden records showing that sheriffs deputies in the local jails were placing coveted informants in cells next to inmates who were awaiting trial   and for decades maintaining a secret database about them the district attorneys office also appears to have repeatedly failed to disclose evidence from its own files on some informants defendants were convicted based on the testimony of informants whose credibility the secret records showed prosecutors and the police questioned unknown to the judge and jury one informant labeled unreliable helped convict a man who was executed in 1998 for a murder he insisted he did not commit last march following the revelations about the database a judge described the performance of the orange county district attorneys office in the murder case before him as sadly deficient and instructed harris and her office to take over the case
harris could have conducted a far reaching inquiry instead she appealed the judges order on behalf of tony rackauckas orange countys controversial district attorney while promising a narrower criminal investigation into the case at hand when i asked about it in january harris said were not walking away but john van de kamp and erwin chemerinsky the dean of the law school at the university of california irvine have effectively given up on harris by asking for a federal investigation in a letter to the justice department signed by roughly two dozen former prosecutors law professors and advocates all the parts of the criminal justice system failed here for a very long time chemerinsky says as far as i know shes not doing anything about it in january rackauckas invited the justice department to investigate saying there was no evidence of sensational wrongdoing
aspects of harriss policy record point to the limits of the smart on crime philosophy for her and other democrats they also most likely reflect the power of californias police sheriffs and local prosecutors a force in statewide elections harris has had to work particularly hard to win their favor ever since she was san franciscos district attorney being a black woman made her stand out then too 95 percent of the countrys roughly 2400 elected district attorneys are white and 83 percent are men state senator holly mitchell of los angeles who has endorsed harriss senate campaign argues that running for office as a black woman youre held to a different standard and harris has had to contend with the aftershocks of perhaps the boldest move of her career
in april 2004 four months after she took office in san francisco a 29 year old police officer isaac espinoza was shot and killed on patrol the citys police union urged harris to seek the death penalty for the suspect three days after espinozas death harris announced that she would not more than 2000 uniformed police officers packed st marys cathedral for the funeral with harris in the front row senator dianne feinstein one of the states most powerful democrats took the pulpit and called for the death penalty waves of cops rose to their feet and applauded shyamala sent white roses to her daughters office with a card that read courage harris held firm and espinozas killer received a sentence of life in prison our members never forgave harris says gary delagnes then the president of the union
harris felt the reverberations of that anger statewide when she ran for attorney general for the first time in 2010 only one law enforcement group endorsed her and she barely squeaked by her republican opponent once in office she made a point of building bridges and some of the law enforcement leaders i spoke to praised her support as they saw it for rackauckas in orange county and the distance she has kept from sentencing reform they also said she reassured them on the death penalty in 2014 harris appealed a federal judges decision striking down californias system of capital punishment as unconstitutional by the time of her re election campaign two years ago she had the endorsement of four dozen law enforcement groups and she won easily
some of harriss critics in california are betting that if shes elected her senate seat will be secure enough   democrats have held it since 1968   that shell have the freedom to move beyond what she has tried in her home state shell be an ally to progressive change on criminal justice simon told me im not saying that based on her record im saying that because shell see that the future isnt some money for re entry services or letting out nonviolent drug offenders the future is challenging the draconian nature of our entire system
cory booker the democrats strongest voice in the senate on criminal justice takes the long view i know some people might think shes not checking every box on the list for criminal justice reform he told me still i see her as a valued activist and ally


on the island of lesbos the slow and rustic rhythms of greek life rule sheep block traffic as they amble across mountain roads bells clanking at a seaside tavern diners nibble on freshly caught calamari under the generous boughs of an old mulberry tree
this is a routine sunday afternoon at myrivilis mulberry tavern in skala sikaminias a fishing village of about 100 residents on the northern tip of lesbos greeces third largest island its a sharp contrast from last autumn when the restaurants calamari fisherman was busy hauling sea soaked asylum seekers to dry land and waiters turned tables into makeshift hospital beds for shipwrecked survivors treated for hypothermia
since last year more than a million middle eastern migrants mostly syrians afghans and iraqis fleeing war and uncertain futures have risked their lives crossing the aegean sea from turkey on flimsy boats to reach greece more than 1100 people drowned on the way nearly 60 percent of migrants landed on lesbos thrusting a quiet vacation island into newspaper headlines
the people of lesbos looked at the newcomers and saw themselves most locals are descendants of people who also braved the aegean sea fleeing turkey or forcibly displaced in the aftermath of world war i the two brothers who run myrivilis mulberry are the grandsons of a refugee they and the majority of lesbos residents received the recent arrivals with almost bottomless generosity everybody asks why said lefteris stylianou a tavern owner its normal its our mentality
islanders call it philoxenia greek for love of the other but it has come at a price summer tourism bookings are down about 70 percent potential tourists fear spending their vacation near refugee camps
they are making a mistake
lesbos locals pronounce it lesvos remains an enchanting getaway attracting bird watchers and orchid obsessives in spring and lesbians in september for the annual international eressos womens festival at the birthplace of sappho the ancient poet who wrote about her love for women and inspired the term lesbian
in recent months aid groups and thousands of international volunteers descended on lesbos to feed and shelter the migrant arrivals bringing a festival like spirit to improvised camps   even importing food trucks and pagoda tents used in european festivals we saw the similarity between a refugee camp and a party event said adil izemrane a dutch volunteer people need to drink people need to have food people need to go to the toilet
pope francis and celebrities like angelina jolie and susan sarandon also came to show their support yet new european union steps to curb migration mean arrivals have plummeted to fewer than 100 a week down from the thousands last fall and many volunteers have packed up and moved to help the bulk of migrants marooned on mainland greece now even as the sun seekers have been scared away many of the aid groups and volunteers who replaced them have moved on as well
lesbos residents say this is a perfect time to visit vacationers should not feel as if they are being callous about a pleasure trip to a place still dealing with the migrant influx residents say because they would provide vital support to an economy doubly strained by a collapse in tourism and greeces financial crisis a tourist who knows where to look can find monuments to earlier dramas the graveyard of discarded orange life jackets piled in a field and a few small graveyards of migrants who drowned on the way
the roughly 4000 migrants who remain on lesbos are mostly detained in camps there is still plenty to do to help travelers can volunteer in a large scale effort to remove boat parts and life jackets from miles of beaches and sea floor or help distribute food and clothing to migrants stuck on lesbos but most of the island remains tranquil unaffected by the crisis
the two of us american journalists reporting out of jerusalem wanted to meet the people fleeing wars on our doorstep we felt a personal pull too as the descendants of eastern european immigrants who crossed the sea for a better life in america and we heard that the islands ouzo and sardines were among the worlds best we experienced both faces of lesbos an asylum seekers portal and a sanctuary of slow greek rhythms and came away enriched
a 45 minute flight from athens landed us in mytilene the capital of lesbos in late february we rented a car and headed north for molyvos a picturesque town of stone homes and wisteria covered alleyways that cascade down a hill under a byzantine fortress within sight of the turkish coast we ambled along the small harbor where octopus tentacles hang to dry before grilling arriving at the seaside captains table fish restaurant for dinner donations from tourists helped the restaurateur melinda mcrostie found the starfish foundation one of the first grass roots aid groups on the island volunteers unwind in the small dining room where a bulletin board advertises yoga classes and sharing circles where volunteers can debrief one another about their experiences
the next morning we joined a retired canadian teacher an australian road tripper and other starfish volunteers to greet about 50 syrians and iraqis in waterlogged shoes brought ashore by the hellenic coast guard we distributed bottled water and dry socks and activated an iphones wi fi hot spot so mahmoud qadi 21 could let his father in syria know that he and his teenage brother had made it boat arrivals are rare now so starfishs international volunteers have been making about 1000 sandwiches a day for migrants held at a closed facility in the village of moria
elsewhere in the molyvos area visitors can join the dirty girls of lesvos island an islandwide laundry operation founded by an australian tourist to wash and dry clothing and blankets for people in camps or the swedish group lighthouse relief which is leading one of several efforts to clear the beaches of items migrants discarded on their arrival a short walk from the lighthouse home base is charming skala sikaminias the village made famous by its fishermens valiant rescues
we wound back to mytilene a bustling port city to chop carrots and onions in a food truck that the dutch group movement on the ground drives around lesbos serving hot curries at camps volunteers are still needed to cook and hand out food said mr izemrane a founder of the group near mytilene is the kara tepe camp where the humanitarian support agency seeks volunteers to distribute food tea and supplies although hotel reservations have fallen in most of lesbos in mytilene many budget hotels were filled with volunteers and aid workers
a short drive from mytilene is therma spa lesvos at the gera bay hot springs one of the islands five natural thermal baths we soaked in the quiet stonewalled chambers showered with a scented scrub and relaxed in an airy reception hall facing the bay for five euros about 550 each it was a steal
we wanted to explore a quieter corner of lesbos and gambled on plomari on the southern coast all we knew was that it is the source of some of greeces best olive oil and aniseed flavored ouzo we called myrta kalampoka who runs the organic eirini plomariou olive oil company with her husband nikos to arrange a tour of their orchards but when we pulled into the town square she insisted we first meet them for a glass of ouzo at to sokaki a taverna on a narrow side street near the aegean sea
take out your batteries ms kalampoka instructed and get on greek time so we recharged her way savoring the locally distilled barbayanni ouzo alongside a steady march of mezze brought to our sun drenched table wild asparagus with eggs smoked mackerel and tiny fried red mullet called barbounia that we ate whole head and all the bill was 10 euros each
slightly hazy we climbed into the kalampokas pickup truck and drove to their hillside olive grove to taste their award winning peppery oil ms kalampoka said marketing the oil as premium and organic kept their business afloat during greeces financial crisis we spent the evening watching the sun set over a pale blue chapel from the balcony of their simple guesthouse the irini plomari apartments perched over a secluded part of the plomari shore 40 euros
our lazy getaway ended abruptly the next morning in a forest clearing where sigrid van der zee of pandora travel lesvos urged us into her red jeep for a boisterous ride through muddy mountain roads beeping for fun as we splashed through puddles she is a greek speaking veteran transplant to the island with a shock of cropped blond hair revealing her dutch roots and she wants visitors to experience lesbos as an adventure not a crisis no one will come for holidays just because they pity us she said
our first stop was the myrsiniotissis convent built in 1523 and still home to a few elderly nuns we hiked the hills following in the footsteps of medieval monks along a weathered stone path lined with wildflowers to reach the limonos monastery the largest on lesbos we explored its tiny rooms where monks once lived and prayed most notably st ignatius who founded it in the 16th century and is a venerated figure on the island
leaving the trail we descended to verdant farmlands along the gulf of kalloni and stopped to photograph a flamboyance of pale flamingoes in seaside marshes in the evening we pulled into toumba eco farm a cluster of comfortable stone cottages on a mountain overlooking the sea horses roamed near the reception lodge margarita niziskioti the innkeeper poured us red wine next to a wood burning stove before we burrowed under down comforters in our cabin for a deep nights sleep
we left the island just before europe began to close its doors to migrants in march the volunteer universe that sprang up on lesbos has thinned out and largely moved with most of the migrants to mainland greece what remains is the warmth the kind welcome that the locals of lesbos extended to middle eastern strangers   and to us
take tony petrou a 75 year old guesthouse owner we met him at the sarandos restaurant in anaxos a coastal village 20 minutes southwest of molyvos he was nursing a small bottle of macedonian wine across from our table and he ordered one for us we struck up a conversation
mr petrou said he was recovering from surgery at a lesbos hospital when a syrian in his 20s stumbled into his room shivering after a four hour swim from turkey so he gave the young man his jeans and sweater several sizes too big i wanted him to have something warm he said then mr petrou called his sister could she bring him some pants
mr petrou shrugged off his act of kindness but now that he faces a summer of reduced bookings it is he who is looking for a lifeline renewed tourism
we need the help he said i think the island deserves it
information for volunteers on lesvos is a user friendly guide with constantly updated details on how volunteers can contribute to the migrant effort many aid groups require a minimum commitment of two to four weeks medics and middle eastern language speakers may find themselves more useful on the mainland
aid groups ask volunteers to contact them in advance to see how they can help and caution against voluntourists arriving to take selfies rather than helping
for information about volunteering on other greek islands see bitlyconfusedvolunteers for information on volunteering on mainland greece go to bitlygreecemainlandinfodoc
these volunteer groups update their activities online and on facebook
the dirty girls of lesvos island facebookcomdirtygirlslesvos
lighthouse relief facebookcomlighthouserelief
movement on the ground facebookcommovementontheground
humanitarian support agency facebookcomgroupshumanitariansupportagency
in the mytilene area relax at therma spa lesvos entry is 3 euros towels soap and slippers are extra call ahead to book a massage or the outdoor jacuzzi 30 2251 041503
in plomari sample award winning olive oil at the small hilltop eirini plomariou bottling plant 30 6977 016768 myrta and nikos kalampoka owners offer picnic lunches surrounded by their organic olive groves with a view of the sea their guesthouse irini plomari apartments offers simple rooms next to the sea
hike between monasteries hunt for orchids go fishing join a greek cooking class or customize your own back road adventure with sigrid van der zee tour guide of pandora travel lesvos 30 6986 729992
in molyvos the belvedere hotel has stunning sunset views and a swimming pool overlooking the aegean the rooms are spartan but clean making it a good budget option 30 2253 071974 30 2253 071975 melinda mcrostie owner of the captains table restaurant runs a well appointed luxury rental apartment with her husband theo near molyvos harbor 30 2253 071005
in mytilene the theofilos paradise boutique hotel built into a mansion offers an ample breakfast a turkish style bath a rooftop plunge pool and a respite from urban bustle 30 2251 043300
near plomari is toumba eco farm with wood floored cabins and breakfast and dinner served in the reception lodge by margarita niziskioti owner she offers horse riding trips and nearby walking trails wind through woods 30 6981 923432 30 6946 024485
myrivilis mulberry tavern also called i mouria tou myrivili on the harbor of skala sikaminias offers grilled octopus memorable broiled feta cheese saganaki and the daily catch portions are huge and the house ouzo is delightful and sneakily potent 30 2253 055319
the captains table on the harbor of molyvos is a popular spot for volunteers planning meetings usually take place over heaping plates of steamed local xorta greens grilled fish and potatoes 30 2253 071005
for a dinner away from the volunteer chatter drive to sarandos in anaxos where perfectly grilled lamb chops are accompanied by punchy skordalia garlic spread on the main road of anaxos 30 2253 041449
in mytilene zoumbouli offers excellent moussaka good local wine and occasional live music on a pleasant alleyway vernardaki 2 30 2251 021251
in plomari to sokaki makes the most of locally distilled ouzo with excellent mezze off the main square 30 2252 031000 if you have time tour the nearby barbayanni ouzo museum and distillery 30 2252 032741


with a white facade that billows outward like a crinkled origami cloud the new addition to the san francisco museum of modern art sfmoma lends a touch of unearthly beauty to the vibrant south of market neighborhood but for the crowds who have been drawn to the greatly expanded museum since it reopened may 14 after a three year 305 million makeover beauty is proving far deeper than a fiberglass reinforced polymer skin
inside the museum the more than 5000 visitors who snapped up all opening day tickets in advance and the tens of thousands who followed in the ensuing days encountered entire constellations of a single artists work installed throughout seven floors of open yet intimate feeling galleries
there were rooms of warhols including his early silver toned portraits and of chuck closes pixelated renderings of friends and family in media ranging from oil paint to paper pulp two dozen photographs by diane arbus had a room of their own while an octagonal gallery was devoted solely to seven of agnes martins serene abstract paintings the mobiles in an alexander calder gallery gently moved when doors were opened to the adjacent sculpture terrace one of six at the museum where more calders were backed by a lush living wall of 19000 plants
founded in 1935 sfmoma was the first west coast museum devoted to modern and contemporary art in 1995 after decades of sharing a building with other civic and cultural institutions it moved to a new home a five story postmodern composition in brick by the swiss architect mario botta we soon became a victim of our own success there in terms of attracting visitors and gifts said neal benezra museum director by 2006 it was clear we needed more gallery space
the museum turned to the snohetta architecture firm whose notable public projects include the norwegian national opera and ballet in oslo and the entryway pavilion of the national september 11 memorial museum in new york for sfmoma the firm designed a 10 story annex whose airy free flowing interior meshes with the reconfigured spaces of the adjacent mario botta building the exterior of which was left untouched we saw it as a very strong building said craig dykers a founder of snohetta it was nice to have a good dancing partner
with 170000 square feet of indoor and outdoor galleries   nearly three times more than before   the museum now ranks among the largest modern art museums in the country all the extra space finally allows it to showcase the exceptional depth of its own 33000 plus holdings in art and design not to mention those of the private doris and donald fisher collection whose 1100 works by top postwar and contemporary artists like gerhard richter barbara hepworth roy lichtenstein and ellsworth kelly will stay at the museum for at least 100 years the new pritzker center for photography the largest space devoted to photography in any american art museum increases sfmomas longstanding strength in that medium
museum officials predict that first year attendance will exceed one million up from an annual figure of 650000 before the expansion the museum is also expected to further enhance the arts centric profile of its neighborhood which already is home to galleries performance venues movie theaters and several other museums
for visitors needing a break a fifth floor cafe with seating on the sculpture garden offers pastries and boxed lunches like lemon thyme grilled chicken on the third floor the local small batch roaster sightglass coffee serves espresso drinks and individual pour overs in situ a full service restaurant is to open next month for lunch and dinner a project of corey lee who earned three michelin stars cooking at benu in san francisco in situ will feature a changing menu of dishes from recipes contributed by rene redzepi alice waters andoni luis aduriz and other famous chefs
in an attempt to draw a diverse audience an endowment ensures free admission in perpetuity for visitors 18 and under a free app for ios devices uses indoor positioning technology to deliver a variety of themed audio tours ranging in tone from philosophical to irreverent including a this is not an artwork tour in which comedians from the tv show silicon valley debate the artistic merit of works like marcel duchamps fountain urinal
additionally 43000 square feet of temporary exhibition space on the ground floor is open free to the public in one of those galleries a monumental richard serra walk through sculpture of slope walled interlocking steel ellipses on view for the next few years can be seen through sidewalk level windows near the new howard street entrance not surprisingly the sculpture is attracting throngs of passers by who detour into the museum slowly walk the sculptures strangely disorienting path and then briskly continue on their way


in bookends two writers take on questions about the world of books this week anna holmes and james parker debate the line between empathy and exploitation
by anna holmes
empathy is about deepening connections exploitation about filling ones pockets
heres how i see it empathy is the ability to respect and maybe even understand anothers point of view revealing larger truths about ourselves and others exploitation is the use of anothers experience for personal gain empathy requires self awareness exploitation is marked by self interest empathy is about deepening connections exploitation about filling ones pockets literal or figurative
this isnt to say that those who attempt or express empathy always succeed at it even though they may be well meaning there are times when such efforts can appear profoundly self serving when bearing witness or showing compassion feels more like public performance than real acknowledgment or understanding of another no surprise but this happens a lot in politics i am reminded of a lyric from the first act of the broadway hit hamilton when aaron burr introducing the audience to the schuylers   the three wealthy young women who will profoundly shape the narrative to come   complains theres nothing rich folks love more  than going downtown and slummin it with the poor later addressing one of the sisters directly he asks why you slummin in the city in your fancy heels  you searchin for an urchin who can give you ideals
sometimes empathy and exploitation find expression in the same space in 2012 in an essay for newyorkercom about the hbo series girls i addressed public complaints concerning lena dunhams decision to center her story on the experiences of four young white women the issue to me was not so much that dunham needed to apologize for the types of women she chose to focus on but that the people of color who did appear on the show were played simplistically to type an older black man was written as a mouthy homeless nuisance a young asian american woman as a fiercely competitive goody two shoes it felt as if dunham and the other writers were exploiting caricatures of people of color in order to accessorize the shows complicated portrayals of 20 something caucasians
i am not of the opinion that dunham and other artists cannot or should not attempt to tell the stories of people unlike themselves   and i am resistant to claims that for instance men are by definition unable to paint honest portrayals of women or koreans of latinos or african americans of say the white amish george packer in a recent essay for newyorkercom expressed a similar concern writing that such radically limiting assumptions lead one down a dead end street and into a sinkhole and argued for a robust if uneasy coexistence between the idea that identity is part of experience and that experience or the absence of such should not preclude anyone from telling other peoples stories
which brings me back to hamilton its a provocative piece of art for any number of reasons including its reversal of the sort of cultural appropriation we are accustomed to seeing in popular culture by having performers of color enact the stories of white people but even here there are problems in an interview in the online magazine slate the historian lyra monteiro argued that the musical blithely glosses over or ignores altogether the fact that americas founding fathers were involved in slavery its still white history she said and no amount of casting people of color disguises the fact that theyre erasing people of color from the actual narrative
perhaps then the line between empathy and exploitation is not so much an issue of identity but integrity a commitment to reckoning with all sides of a story and meeting people where they are not where we think they should be in the end of course theres really only so much we   as creators and consumers   can do about it beyond remaining vigilant about our true motives and staying open to criticism as george washington in hamilton sings in the finale you have no control  who lives  who dies  who tells your story
anna holmes is an award winning writer who has contributed to numerous publications including the washington post salon newsweek and the new yorker online she is the editor of two books hell hath no fury womens letters from the end of the affair and the book of jezebel based on the popular womens website she created in 2007 she is an editorial executive at first look media and lives in new york
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by james parker
keep your flaps ajar brother lower your filters sister and youll get more stuff to write about
a friend of mine was frustrated with the book he was reading   a biography of somebody or other the author seemed to dislike his subject which for my friend constituted a form of professional misconduct a beam in the biographers eye were not getting the full story he fretted and then he dropped the big line a biography should only be written in the key of sympathy
interestingly ironically   or perhaps neither   this friend and i are no longer speaking we ran out of sympathy went off key something went wrong but ive hung on to that line of his because i think it expresses both a core value in human relationships and an important literary practice namely if you dont open your heart to somebody feel the weight of his individuality expose yourself to his predicament how can you possibly hope to understand him sympathy empathy same thing and open your heart is a cliche i know soulful mechanical jargon but it means something so lets put it another way keep your flaps ajar brother lower your filters sister and youll get more data more details more stuff to write about
what are the risks of openness of unfilteredness   of a life of gaping flaps well you can be deceived you can be ripped off you can be destroyed by bores you can be overwhelmed and you can get hurt sometimes you might have to get hurt in this last respect ive always admired the violent postscript of hunter s thompsons hells angels   wherein the author after a year of riding with the angels and getting his story is arbitrarily and with summary brutality stomped by some of his subjects its nasty but its apt because it represents thompsons ritual extraction or expulsion from the milieu of his book the immersion kick is over the price is paid and the writing can begin also were all modern people incarcerated in our subjectivity and a genuine breakout experience of the other   the person the hells angel in front of us   comes to us via the grace of god alone which is to say unpredictably and as a gift nonetheless its the only way to go the only thing to aim for especially if youre writing that persons story good novelists know all this by instinct to the degree that you are using a person a character simply to propel your plot or give shape to your ideas to that same degree you are denying this character his or her full reality   and your story will suffer accordingly where empathy stops in other words exploitation starts
i was recently given a rather astonishing little book called stories from the shadows by james j oconnell md dr jim as hes known on the streets of boston where for 30 years he has been bringing medical treatment to the homeless is a scrupulous clinician and a skillful writer and his book takes the form   outwardly   of a sequence of case histories and clinical encounters patients are initially characterized by the physical or psychological symptoms they present   pulmonary tuberculosis paranoid schizophrenia   and the various treatment options are explored but then as dr oconnell digs into each patients medical history and slowly illuminates his or her current circumstances something else happens a personality begins to emerge a voice begins to be heard and an interior   charged spiritual essential   begins to make itself known its an extraordinarily instructive process here one feels is empathy the real deal not a rushed and sloppy embrace or a sweaty effort to relate but something alert and expert and observant and profoundly respectful
james parker is a contributing editor at the atlantic and has written for slate the boston globe and arthur magazine he was a staff writer at the boston phoenix and in 2008 won a deems taylor award for music criticism from the american society of composers authors and publishers


for the last 15 years my wife sarah and i have driven every summer with our golden retriever from new jersey to the northern rockies i used to say that i felt like humbert humbert the notoriously unreliable narrator of lolita who made a similar trip but instead of traveling with a precocious preteen girl i was traveling with a wife and a dewy eyed dog
but then i learned that vladimir nabokov himself had done the same thing nabokov wrote his disturbingly compelling classic lolita over the course of five breathless years from 1948 to 1953 filling 5 by 7 cards with notes he took riding shotgun while his designated driver his wife vera drove their black oldsmobile from ithaca ny to arizona utah colorado wyoming and montana
in other words at the height of the cold war an expatriate russian novelist with the resonant name of vladimir was roaming through the reddest of red states researching a book about a jaded aristocrats sexual obsession with nymphets a coinage the book put in the oxford english dictionary the wonder is that nabokov survived at all
today we revere lolita for nabokovs bold multilayered subject matter and his dazzling and allusive prose but nabokovs most enduring contribution may be his portrait of the brash kitschy postwar america he observed on his cross country journeys nabokov never learned to drive and so he estimated that between 1949 and 1959 vera drove him 150000 miles   almost all of them on the two lane blue highways that preceded the interstates
measured by the sheer number of miles covered nabokov is the most american of authors he saw more of the united states than did fitzgerald kerouac or steinbeck and what he saw was back roads america personal intimate ticky tack and yet undeniably authentic it took a russian born writer to awaken us to what mark twain knew america is not a place it is a road
nabokov went west because he was chasing butterflies he was a passionate lepidopterist who wrote the definitive scholarly study of the genus lycaeides and had several species named after him such as nabokovs wood nymph his travels over the years took him from the bright angel trail in the grand canyon to utah colorado and oregon but one of the best places to find many different species of butterflies congregating at one time was at nosebleed high altitudes along the continental divide in wyoming along the way the shape of the novel took root and he started to take notes during his butterfly hunts and write them up back in his motel rooms
so why not follow the trail of vladimir and vera today like a 21st century version of humberts nemesis clare quilty who pursued humbert and lolita across the country i went west to chase nabokov chasing butterflies and to piece together the plot of his most popular novel it became a tale of three overlapping journeys humberts with lolita vladimir with vera and mine with sarah and my retriever mack
the physical geographies of lolita are still there   not only humberts distant mountains oatmeal hills and relentless peaks but also the daisy chain of kumfy kabins sunset motels pine view courts u beam cottages and skyline courts where humbert took the captive dolores haze lolitas given name among them are some of the same motels where vladimir and vera checked in more than a half century ago
we traveled the same basic route the nabokovs did leaving the east descending into ohio and across the midwest   or as humbert put it we crossed ohio the three states beginning with i and nebraska   ah that first whiff of the west we stayed in motels too though they lacked the cheesy allure of humberts countless motor courts proclaiming their vacancy in neon lights ready to accommodate salesmen escaped convicts impotents family groups as well as the most corrupt and vigorous couples mack was no lolita either licking my hand affectionately unlike the frequently disdainful lolita whose contempt only made humbert more crazed in his obsession
i had assumed that the sight of a man of humbertesque age carrying a well worn copy of lolita might raise some eyebrows but never once during my pursuit of nabokov did i find a single motel owner who had heard of the writer or of lolita
like humbert and presumably vladimir we observed that curious roadside species hitchhiking man homo pollux of science there are fewer hitchhikers on the interstates these days   i saw only one east of the mississippi   but just as many roadside wonders like humbert and lolita we stopped in restaurants festooned with eat signs and sticky counters with sugar drunk flies wobbling off them
humbert and lolita toured the crazy quilt of forty eight states   bourbon street carlsbad caverns yellowstone crater lake fish hatcheries cliff dwellings and thousands of bear creeks soda springs and painted canyons my wife and i saw picturesque red barns in pennsylvania dutch country developments of monopoly style bungalows double wides casinos everywhere victorian farmhouses with double hung windows that look like bette davis eyes huge cell towers looming like the alien creatures from the 1953 movie war of the worlds out of scale with the environment of telephone poles and road signs observed by vladimir and vera
and the road signs passions couples adult superstore gun control means using both hands both nabokov and humbert would have been alternatively appalled and delighted by these collectables sin a bar creek badlands rest stop dicks toe service
i asked sarah if she thought that dick had a foot fetish she replied that he more likely runs a service station when humbert and lolita made their trip religious icons on the roadside were mostly confined to the south they saw a replica of the grotto of lourdes in louisiana today there are crosses everywhere   little white ones memorializing highway fatalities gigantic ones like the 198 foot worlds largest cross at the intersection of i 70 and i 57 in effingham ill
and what would nabokov have made of this sign if you die tonight heaven or hell followed by this one garys gun shop
as it happens vera nabokov once packed a browning pistol in her purse when she applied for her license to carry one she explained primly that it was for protection in traveling in isolated parts of the country in the course of entomological research she wasnt kidding nabokov killed a large rattlesnake during their 1953 trip to portal ariz
the state nabokov returned to for the third time in 1952 was wyoming i imagine that vladimir and vera approached the mountains cautiously at night cringing as trucks thundered past them studded with colored lights like dreadful giant christmas trees we knew the west had begun when we began seeing not 80 pound hay bales in the fields but the huge rolled up behemoths that only a tractor can lift
once in wyoming vladimir and vera stayed at the now defunct lazy u motel in laramie at the edge of the medicine bow mountains in southeastern wyoming traveling with them was their harvard student son dmitri driving his new 1931 model a ford from laramie the family drove over the snowy range passing a remarkably repulsive looking willowbog full of cowmerds and barbed wire where vladimir immediately stopped to pursue butterflies they eventually arrived in riverside wyo a dusty hamlet with one garage two bars three motor courts and a few ranches one mile from the ancient and obsolete little town encampment unpaved streets wooden sidewalks
if nabokov was hunting butterflies i set about hunting for trout in the north platte river which flows through the same remote saratoga valley our base was the a bar a ranch an upscale guest ranch that offers tennis par 3 golf and massages along with the traditional riding and fishing the nabokovs most likely checked into the present day riverside garage and cabins on the banks of the encampment river each log cabin wears its name on a shingle cowboy sodbuster wildcatter mountainman muleskinner
nabokov who spent july 4 1952 in riverside must have made note of the independence day festivities that day which found a second life in lolita when the european humbert is mystified by some great national celebration in town judging by the firecrackers veritable bombs that exploded all the time
from riverside vladimir and vera took a day trip into the nearby sierra madre mountains to hunt butterflies taking an abominable local road to the continental divide sixty three years later i traveled up wyoming state highway 70 to the same pass with justin howe second generation manager with his wife lissa of the a bar a ranch the highway goes through a checkerboard of timbers and lakes to reach battle pass a wide spot in the highway on the continental divide at 9955 feet from there mr howe and i bounced over a dirt forest service road in his truck to a pristine alpine lake where he had camped as a boy with his parents
on the way up to the pass as nabokov later described it in an article for the lepidopterists news he found the best hunting grounds in wyoming and captured a number of curious specimens of butterflies including the speyeria egleis that he later gave to collections at cornell harvard and the american museum of natural history
the nabokovs next drove north to the wyoming town of dubois pronounced dew boys where they hunted for butterflies along the gorgeous wind river and stayed in a log cabin unit at the then red rock motel now doing business as the longhorn ranch lodge and rv resort located under buttes on the wind river flecked with reds and browns the longhorn pays enthusiastic homage to a western aesthetic by way of hollywood attached to the office is a museum shrine to harley davidson motorcycles
we camped in a room outfitted in knotty pine and drove into dubois for dinner at the cowboy cafe a stacked log restaurant whose breakfast specials include spicy elk served with two eggs hash browns and toast on the way we found ourselves on a busy motel strewn street called ramshorn   the name nabokov modified into ramsdale the name of lolitas fictional hometown in front of a filling station at one end of town is a heroic 10 foot tall polymer statue of a rabbit with antlers the mythological creature called a jackalope
after dubois vladimir and vera went north over the dramatic togwotee pass overlooking jackson hole which humbert must have had in mind when he described heart and sky piercing snow veined gray colossi of stone of the high mountain west they wound up in jackson hole and eventually star valley and what nabokov called the altogether enchanting little town of afton wyo a place with 2500 people and many more elk and trout
the motel the nabokovs stayed in the corral lodges is still there in the center of town built in the 1940s the corral lodges is a semicircle of 15 single unit log cabins huddled around a log office that used to be a gas station in lolita it turns up as any one of the log hideaways with glossily browned pine logs that remind the 13 year old dolores haze of fried chicken bones
checking in i resisted the urge to register under a nabokovian anagram of my own name as humbert and quilty might have done still i could look straight out my cabin window at the view humbert saw the mysterious outlines of tablelike hills and then red bluffs ink blotted with junipers and then a mountain range dun grading into blue and blue into dream
on their journey west humbert and lolita had gone sightseeing in a cave advertising the worlds largest stalagmite right down the street from the corral lodges we saw the worlds largest elkhorn arch a triumphant gateway spanning the four lane main street built entirely of more than 3000 antlers shed every year by bull elk
nabokov hunted for his beloved butterflies in the nearby mountain tributaries of the salt river including the worlds largest intermitting spring on swift creek the logs that had been used to build the corral lodges were floated down swift creek to be handcrafted in the distinctive swedish cope style of cutting corners and chinking something about the rocky mountain west reminded nabokov of his youth in russia some part of me must have been born in colorado he wrote to the critic edmund wilson for i am constantly recognizing things with a delicious pang
the nabokovs made their return trip through jackson hole where dmitri would vacation with the harvard mountaineering club in 1951 they had stayed at the teton pass ranch a few miles west of tiny wilson wyo it no longer exists but one of its cabins has been moved to the nearby trail creek ranch founded in 1946 by betty woolsey captain of the first american womens ski team a working ranch it offers weekly cabin rentals and deep powder skiing an added bonus a few miles away is noras fish creek inn built in the 1930s a popular hangout with locals like the celebrity lawyer gerry spence
our final stop on the nabokov trail in wyoming was the battle mountain ranch on the hoback river southeast of jackson a working guest ranch when vera and vladimir visited on their butterfly quest it has since moved downriver and is now the broken arrow ranch home of the nonprofit city kids wilderness project every summer it hosts a camp for inner city children and teenagers from washington dc during the off season the cabins are rented out to help cover the costs of the camp it seems fitting that the guest ranch where nabokov stayed while writing lolita is now operating as a resource for disadvantaged children
a year after his 1952 trip across wyoming nabokov finished the great and coily thing that had haunted him for a half century concerned about a negative reaction he had tried at least twice to burn the cards on which he had written the manuscript each time vera rescued them from the fire rejected in the united states lolita was first published in 1955 in france and the london sunday express called it sheer unrestrained pornography but the novelist graham greene praised it rescuing it from the critical flames
it was published then to a tumultuous reception in the united states in 1958 it became an instant no 1 new york times best seller and the movie rights were grabbed up by stanley kubrick for 150000 it has been in print ever since and today nabokovs reputation has never been higher with new books published about him every year most recently robert ropers insightful biography nabokov in america
reader please allow me to give mr humbert humbert the last word on the final pages of the novel humbert finds himself back in the rocky mountain west in a scene nabokov himself anticipated in a letter written in 1951 to edmund wilson humbert walks to a cliff on the edge of a mountain where he rhapsodically and perhaps ruefully reports hearing a melodious unity of sounds rising like a vapor from a small mining town that lay at my feet in a fold of the valley ... all these sounds were of one nature that no other sounds but these came from the streets of the transparent town with the women at home and the men away reader what i heard was but the melody of children at play ...
that was exactly what my wife and i heard as we drove out of the broken arrow ranch on the hoback river the happy melody of children at play
in recent years authors and academics have been pursuing nabokov with the same monomania that ahab chased whales and lepidopterists chase butterflies
nabokov in america on the road to lolita by robert roper bloomsbury 2015 this critical biography traces the writer from ithaca ny to cambridge mass and the high mountain west showing how nabokov used closely observed details to invent a new way of experiencing america
vladimir nabokov the american years by brian boyd princeton 1991 the second and final volume of the definitive biography of nabokov chronicles the years from his arrival in the united states in 1940 through his self exile to switzerland in 1959 and death in 1977
nabokovs blues the scientific odyssey of a literary genius by kurt johnson and steve coates zoland books 1999 everything you wanted to know about the significant scientific achievements of nabokov including his pioneering classification of a diverse group of butterflies known as the latin american blues
vera mrs vladimir nabokov by stacy schiff modern library 2000 a portrait of the artists wife showing how critical she was to his success
the annotated lolita by vladimir nabokov edited and annotated by alfred appel jr vintage books 1991 the infinitely detailed reference guide to nabokovs richly allusive novel
the longhorn ranch and rv resort 5810 us highway 26 dubois wyo thelonghornranchcom from 89 to 109 is located under a red sandstone bluff
the corral lodges motel 161 south washington afton wyo corrallodgescom doubles from 99 the first motel in afton offers 15 log cabins
trail creek ranch wilson wyo trailcreekranchcom from 180 to 385 per cabin three night minimum is a working guest ranch near teton pass with sweeping views of jackson hole
a bar a ranch 820 a bar a road encampment wyo abararanchcom 485 per person includes meals and activities a traditional guest ranch where cowboys can include united states senators and celebrities like jimmy fallon


is it an exaggeration to claim that americans have a genius for overstatement you can hear it in the high minded bombast of our countrys founding documents it echoes in the boasts of poets from walt whitman i contain multitudes to jay z im not a businessmanim a business man it resounds in the carnival barks of entrepreneurs from pt barnum to a certain real estate and reality tv magnate who these days can be heard booming his sales pitch across the presidential trail as donald trump himself put it in his book the art of the deal people want to believe that something is the biggest and the greatest and the most spectacular i call it truthful hyperbole
the gift and curse of american hyperbole truthful and otherwise has lately been distilled in a single omnipresent word in 2016 everything is everything thats what the internet is telling us at least or yelling at us in capital letters with blaring hashtags attached beyonces metgala dress is everything self magazine proclaimed recently on twitter but that judgment should perhaps be taken with a grain of salt as self has bestowed the everything mantle on at least a dozen other things including this near perfect gymnastics routine justin biebers sorry performed by acrobats on hoverboards and brunch
on social media feeds and in blog headlines the profusion of everything spins the head this tiny pig dancing in the grass is everything a rustic cabin with a nice porch is everything this cream cheese filled everything croissant is everything the religiously and philosophically inclined take to facebook and tumblr to pronounce their dictums god is everything family is everything trust is everything more often everything is applied to secular objects of veneration kittens celebrities photographs of celebrities holding kittens the actress dianna agrons smile is everything according to a number of twitter testimonials but agron the former star of glee disagrees this new radiohead album agron tweeted not long ago is everything
the word everything entered english in the 14th century it is a pronoun denoting all that exists more colloquially it describes the current situation the general thrust of things hows everything but the ontological puzzle of everything   its nature what it means   has preoccupied humankind for millenniums a conviction shared by all theorists of everything from the authors of the hindu scriptures to baruch spinoza to astrophysicists is that everything is a very big thing indeed   so vast and multifarious that it can never be fully described or inventoried everything is a fudge a word we apply to the unknowable
it is also nearly always an exaggeration the self help guru instructs everything happens for a reason the how to book promises everything you need to know about gardening the devoted wife intones my husband is everything to me   and in all cases the truth is politely stretched little wonder that everything thrives on the internet where the math is so often fuzzy the everything that holds sway online exaggerates the exaggeration by eliminating any notion of uncertainty any qualification the formulation is not pumpkin spice latte is everything you want in a seasonal novelty beverage its pumpkin spice latte is everything full stop no questions asked no doubt countenanced
the result is rhetorical gold   ideal in any case for social media banter which places a premium on pithy hyperbole on outsize statements delivered with minimal keystrokes if like dianna argon youre a fan of the radiohead album a moon shaped pool you could lay out the reasons in a carefully worded facebook post but why bother when you can make a single definitive pronouncement which transmits your enthusiasm and brooks no debate the fool who dares to take issue with this new radiohead album is everything   well um its not really everything the production is a little fussy the songwriting isnt so sharp i preferred kid a   that person is a nerd and pedant scuttling through the worlds weeds when you call something everything you are taking the celestial view gazing down from an olympian perch knowing and feeling and seeing all
internet one upsmanship is a definitively 21st century art form but everything carries a hint of yesteryear   a whiff of the hot air that once swirled through medicine show tents and carnival grounds it harks back to barnum who promoted his traveling circus not with the modestly hedged hucksterism that was previously the norm but with reckless outrageous claims the greatest show on earth without a rival recognizing no equal and regarding no opposition  a perfect exhibition vast in its proportions  the acme of refined elegance and best in all things
boiled down barnums message was my show contains all the wonder and sensation in the world my show is everything that same idea is endlessly reiterated by advertising it slices it dices who could ask for anything more id like to buy the world a coke advertising says that this car   or wristwatch or weed whacker or breakfast cereal   is everything great taste less filling a balm for the worlds ills an answer to our prayers all that you want all that you need
everything is a hawkers cry a hard sell which makes perfect sense the internet is the most dizzying marketplace in human history a seething bazaar that barrages us relentlessly and from all angles we recoil at the crudity of click bait but in this atmosphere its unfair to begrudge anyone his desperation the internet has a way of placing all of us   you me the online peddler of counterfeit viagra the editor of the paris review   in the undignified position of those touts who haunt the sidewalks outside bad restaurants in tourist trap neighborhoods thrusting menus in the faces of passers by
were not just click bait addicts after all were adepts nearly everyone with a facebook account 165 billion active members and counting has learned how to trawl   and occasionally troll   for page views and every day with every post we refine our skills in so doing weve formed the largest volunteer work force the corporate world has known an army of unpaid interns doing the jobs formerly left to flacks shilling for starbucks and universal pictures and jennifer lawrence and other multinational brands
of course the brands we promote most diligently are our own we curate and spit polish our online presences in pursuit of followers and faves everything is ubiquitous because its unusually effective delivering the social media dividends we covet its a clever ploy a word vague enough to appeal to all comers and too forceful for many to ignore if a thing is really everything surely it merits a click through
these days everything is migrating from social media to the wider world it flows through everyday speech justin timberlake fielding softball questions in an entertainment tonight interview a couple of weeks back cannes film festival is amazing but my son is everything everything has infiltrated the media mainstream popping up in headlines and photo captions and magazine rubrics last year the lgbt magazine the advocate changed the title of its weekly cultural recommendations roundup from hot sheet to 7 things that are everything this week even this newspaper is not immune in texas texas is everything the timess national news desk recently tweeted
leave it to kanye west to take everything to an unexpected place the most surprising sound in ultralight beam the opening track on wests recent album the life of pablo is not the music   the gospel choir vocals that flare up over a shuddering beat   but the words in the songs refrain we on an ultralight beam west croons this is a god dreamthis is everythingthis is everything its fitting that west   who has spent years writing songs about the tussle between god and mammon while maintaining the worlds most reliably bonkers twitter feed   would be the one to transform an internet speak banality into a howl of spiritual ecstasy
or maybe west has hit upon the secret essence of everything the depths that hide in plain sight weve all experienced the sensation someone or something arrests your attention so completely that the surrounding scenery dissolves the contours of the universe seem to collapse inward until all you see is the object of your fascination   a lover or a great book or a sumptuous rack of lamb or stephen curry sinking a three pointer
these days the sublime can ambush you at unlikely moments in odd places when you find yourself staring at youtube say watching a squirrel slalom across a swimming pool on a pair of miniature water skis the inescapable mantra this is everything may strike us as glib puerile an assault on our sanity and intelligence but every now and then theres truth in it sometimes click bait can be a god dream this vine that gif those tiny pigs dancing in the grass they may have the power to obliterate the world for a minute or two that might not be everything   but its not nothing


how do you take a wedding dress on a plane
what if you bought honeymoon tickets under your maiden name but now have a new surname
such are the practical questions that arise when planning a destination wedding and honeymoon for answers you could try trawling online wedding boards where members have diamond ring avatars and plenty of opinions but if you prefer not to take advice from handles like glambride4ever or thefuturemrsjones here instead is the lowdown from united states customs and border protection the transportation security administration and major airlines
lets begin at the security checkpoint
mike england a national spokesman for the tsa said in an email that there are no rules specific to wedding dresses a post on the agencys blog suggests that the fastest way to get a wedding dress through security is obvious make sure it can lie flat in a bag that can fit through an x ray machine
if it cant our officers can screen the dress manually the blog says but this will require opening the garment bag rest assured that our officers will use gloves for the alternate screening to avoid damaging the dress allow yourself extra time for that
now theres the matter of storing your dress on the plane the airlines want to help if the plane has a closet and if theres room a flight attendant may be willing to hang the dress inside if the overhead bin above your seat is full but theres space somewhere else the attendant may place it there however airlines dont offer guarantees
our crews will do their best to accommodate a bride with their wedding dress said ross feinstein a spokesman for american airlines we know its an important day in their lives
yet there are multiple variables involved for example mr feinstein said some planes dont have closets and even if the plane you were supposed to fly in has a closet the plane could end up being swapped out at the last minute for one that doesnt or in a different situation there may be a closet but there may also be passengers on board whose say wheelchairs need to be stowed inside
so heres a good rule of thumb if you want your dress in the cabin with you make sure it can fit into an overhead bin jetblue for instance doesnt make special allowances for wedding attire on southwest airlines as with most other airlines wedding dresses must adhere to the one personal item and one carry on policy they are typically packed in a garment bag one that complies with the airlines carry on requirements and laid flat over roller bags in the overhead bins
we have had customers purchase an extra seat if the dress is too big to fit in the overhead compartment melissa ford a spokeswoman for southwest said in an email personally i flew with my wedding dress five years ago and found that by letting flight attendants and nearby customers know that i was carrying precious cargo in the overhead bin they were happy to help me out and look for storage space elsewhere
united airlines said its gate agents often accommodate customers traveling with a wedding gown as an approved carry on item as long as theres space in the plane when packed in a garment bag to protect the dress jonathan guerin a spokesman for united said in an email it can usually be stowed safely and away from any spills in the overhead bins
to make the process smoother delta air lines suggests speaking with a gate agent once the plane arrives to find out if someone is able to help find a spot for the dress if youre flying out of one of deltas united states hubs you may be able to use its early valet program which it piloted over the summer staff members take your carry on bags before you board and put them in the bin above your assigned seat the service is free though available only on certain routes during popular travel periods like summertime and holidays
if the prospect of slipping your dress into an overhead bin is distressing consider shipping it with a service that offers tracking and insurance a topic i will address in this space next week
for those who change their surname questions about traveling with a dress are soon supplanted by questions about traveling with a new name what if you already bought plane tickets for your honeymoon in your maiden name should you pay to expedite a new passport
trying to change your name on all of your identification while also planning a wedding and honeymoon will only turn the heat up on an already busy time it will also cost you money want a new passport lickety split the expedited service fee is 60 overnight delivery which the state department strongly suggests is 2066 and if more than a year has passed since your passport book was issued there is also a renewal fee of 110 if youre a member of global entry when you renew your passport you will also have to make an appointment to visit a global entry enrollment center and update your information
and then theres the cost you cant put a price on your time to update a united airlines frequent flier account with a new name after marriage for instance you must upload a copy of your marriage certificate and then allow up to two weeks for the airline to process the change hey at least you can do it online
other airlines including delta require members of their loyalty program to send a copy of their marriage certificate divorce certificate or court order by mail or gasp fax along with their frequent flier number to make a name change
so forget all that for now really a spokeswoman for customs and border protection said in an email that american citizens who change their name because of marriage divorce or any other circumstance may travel using their united states passport in their prior name as long as they bring proof of their name progression   such as a marriage certificate a divorce decree or court documents showing a legal name change
one caveat check with the countries youre going to visit to be sure they dont have different entry requirements a good place to check is the state department website at travelstategov lawful permanent residents who change their name because of marriage or any other circumstance can travel using their lpr card in their prior name as long as they provide proof of their name progression such as a marriage certificate
i asked customs and border protection if there is a time limit for how long you can travel under a maiden name that way and the spokeswoman said there is no limit so go ahead enjoy your honeymoon you can apply for that new passport when you get back


san francisco   you could see warcraft as just one more entry in the arms race of summer movies adapted from the popular video game series the film which universal will release on june 10 depicts the conflict on a mythical world called azeroth as humanity defends itself from a horde of invading orcs with its intricate visual effects immense battle sequences and a reported budget of 100 million it is a movie that its creators dearly hope will provide the foundation for a blockbuster franchise
yet warcraft is an intensely personal undertaking for its director duncan jones it is a supersize project that this filmmaker and dedicated gamer who turns 45 on may 30 passionately campaigned to make with just two previous movies on his resume
it is also a film whose yearslong creation circumscribed a period of upheaval and tragedy in mr joness life when he started work on warcraft in 2012 he had just married his wife rodene after she was given a diagnosis of breast cancer and had a double mastectomy then as the movie was nearing completion mr joness father the rock star david bowie died of cancer in january
my film started and ended with cancer mr jones said during a recent interview
now with warcraft about to enter theaters and ms jones preparing to give birth to the couples first child at roughly the same time mr jones cannot help but regard the film   with its subplots of fathers and sons and an orc couple preparing for their first baby   as a distillation of some of the very best and very worst experiences he has had
warcraft is going to be a period of my life i treasure and loathe at the same time he said
on this may afternoon mr jones was sitting in a conference room at industrial light  magic the effects company that helped create the medieval settings and motion capture orcs for warcraft
surrounded by whiteboards filled with star wars doodles and math equations mr jones was wearing a bushy beard a broad smile and a custom t shirt with an orc recreating mr bowies famous mug shot photo for a 1976 marijuana arrest
setting aside the celebrity lineage of mr jones who is the son of mr bowie and his first wife angela he has become an accomplished director in his own right his 2009 debut feature moon was a well reviewed kubrick style suspense film that starred sam rockwell as an astronaut working in solitude on a lunar base
mr joness second movie source code a science fiction thriller starring jake gyllenhaal was a commercial hit in 2011
but mr jones said he struggled to put together a planned third film and the only projects that studios offered were sequels to other directors movies
i dont want to build on someone elses legacy he said i wanted to establish my own thing
that opportunity presented itself with warcraft which the video game publisher blizzard entertainment had spent years trying to get made when the director sam raimi left the project mr jones pounced only to be disappointed by the screenplay
it was the stale fantasy trope of humans are the good guys monsters are the bad guys mr jones said it just didnt capture in my gut what made warcraft the idea of heroes being on both sides
chris metzen who is blizzards senior vice president for story and franchise development and has worked on its warcraft and world of warcraft games for more than 20 years said his company was also looking for a more balanced story that found a common humanity in both sets of characters
we were told audiences just arent going to sit for that mr metzen said and duncan comes in and almost the first thing out of his mouth was like heres how i see it its 50 50 and we just about jumped out of our chairs in joy
though mr jones had never made a film as big as warcraft mr metzen said he was obviously just a geek like us   a pc gamer who had spent an inordinate number of hours within world of warcraft specifically and just got it
there was plenty of practical experience still to come for mr jones who wrote the warcraft screenplay with charles leavitt
developing the motion capture technology to create the films gargantuan tusk mouthed orcs took many months for industrial light  magic mr jones said he did not see the first finished shot of an orc until about two weeks into filming at which point he said there was a huge sigh of relief
while shooting proceeded on hangar size stages in vancouver legendary entertainment the media company that produced the film with atlas entertainment moved from warner bros to universal and was sold to the dailan wanda group a chinese conglomerate
the movie could have faced trouble at these junctures and mr jones said i worried my pants off that id just wasted a year two years three years of my life but im very very grateful to say they did not affect us
warcraft which carries a costly price tag and faces steep competition at the summer box office has been flagged as one of the summers riskiest releases by trade publications like the hollywood reporter
but mr jones earned praise from his cast members for never being overwhelmed by the scope of the film which required a lot of on set imagination to fill in characters and settings that were added months later
theres times where were all lined up and you have to ask him where are we and where are we going said travis fimmel a star of tvs vikings and the film maggies plan who plays the films human hero anduin lothar you just have no idea duncan just had every answer hed spent so long preparing that he had the whole film in his head already
toby kebbell who plays the orc durotan a tribal leader and father to be said he was surprised to find that mr jones beneath a pleasantly rumpled exterior has the desire to be a director on the scale of james cameron or peter jackson
anyone who comes into that category is absolutely a lion mr kebbell said the ambition is something to respect i think its wonderful that someone we all thought was going to be lo fi has actually got the ability to take a genre piece make it fun keep it entertaining and choke you up
mr jones was understandably wary about discussing his father and cautioned at one point i dont want to give you too much of an in to ask me about my dad
but while he might wish for more time to mourn his father in private mr jones said he recognized that with a costly new movie needing promotional support he had to put himself out there however tentatively
the timing isnt ideal he said i would rather not have had to do all of this but in any other circumstances id want to do this thats how im approaching it
mr jones said that his father an avid fan of fantasy and science fiction and a star of films like labyrinth had been encouraging of warcraft
i showed him an early early cut of the film mr jones said and he was very excited for me and was pretty amazed about how we achieved some of the visuals i took him through how we did some things
its always nerve racking showing your parents things youve been working on he added but he loved moon and he loved source code
hes always been incredibly supportive mr jones said using the present tense
mr jones said he and mr metzen had discussed a possible three film warcraft arc if the first movie were to prove successful but mr jones has already decided that he will next direct mute a science fiction film that he has wanted to make for many years and which he said was way back down on the lower end of the budget
that desire to balance mass entertainments with smaller personal expressions came directly from mr bowie
one of the things my dad always said is that its ok to do one for you and one for them mr jones said he taught me a lot of things but thats certainly one of the many that i took to heart
the strange symmetry of becoming a father at a time when themes of fatherhood pervade his life was not lost on mr jones
listen my dad had me when he was 25 he said ive wanted to have kids since then i was living vicariously through these characters and fortunately its happening for real now
looking back to the start of warcraft mr jones said that his wife was finishing off her chemotherapy and radiation and double mastectomy and all of that
now he said shes great shes healthy shes full of baby
to have grappled with loss during the film mr jones said was tragic but at the same time the fact that weve got a baby coming it all just feels    
he paused to consider the right words well thats the circle of life unfortunately he said you go through hardships and you lose people and new people come into your life thats what life is
for him mr jones said warcraft will definitely be one of those bookmarks in life with a laugh he added for most people its just going to be a movie


on the morning of oct 29 2014 a long convoy of armored vehicles and trucks rolled northward in the shadow of iraqs zagros mountains and crossed a bridge over the khabur river which marks the border with turkey as the convoy rumbled past the border gate the road for miles ahead was lined with thousands of ecstatic kurds who clapped cheered and waved the kurdish flag many had tears in their eyes some even kissed the tanks and trucks as they passed the soldiers iraqi kurds were on their way through turkey to help defend kobani a syrian border city against isis their route that day traced an arc from northern iraq through southeastern turkey and onward into northern syria the historical heartland of the kurdish people for the bystanders who cheered them on under a hazy autumn sky the date was deliciously symbolic it was turkeys republic day what had long been a grim annual reminder of turkish rule over the kurds was transformed into rapture as they watched kurdish soldiers parade through three countries where they have long dreamed of founding their own republic
some who stood on the roadside that day have told me it changed their lives the battle against the islamic state had made the downtrodden kurds into heroes in the weeks and months that followed the kurds watched in amazement as fighters aligned with the kurdistan workers party or pkk   long branded a terrorist group by turkey and the united states   became the central protagonists in the defense of kobani the pkks syrian affiliate worked closely with the american military identifying isis targets for airstrikes
by the time isis withdrew from kobani in january 2015 the kurdish militants had paid a heavy price in blood but they gained admirers all over the world the pentagon impressed by their skill at guerrilla warfare saw an essential new ally against isis there was renewed talk in europe of removing the pkk from terrorism lists often in news articles accompanied by images of beautiful female kurdish soldiers in combat gear for many turkish kurds the lesson was unmistakable their time had come i met a 27 year old pkk activist in turkey who asked not to be named fearing reprisals from the government and who first went to kobani in 2012 when the kurds began carving out a state for themselves in syria called rojava i remember talking to pkk fighters and i thought theyre crazy to think they can do this she said now i look back and think if they can do it there we can do it here
nineteen months after that convoy passed the feelings it inspired have helped to start a renewed war between turkey and its kurdish rebels turkish tanks are now blasting the ancient cities of the kurdish southeast where young pkk supported rebels have built barricades and declared liberated zones more than a thousand people have been killed and as many as 350000 displaced according to figures from the international crisis group the fighting which intensified last fall has spread to ankara the turkish capital where two suicide bombings by kurdish militants in february and march killed 66 people another sharp escalation came in mid may when pkk supporters released a video online seeming to show one of the groups fighters bringing down a turkish attack helicopter with a shoulder fired missile a weapon to which the kurds have rarely had access yet much of the violence has been hidden from public view by state censorship and military curfews   a government word that scarcely conveys the reality of tanks encircling a kurdish town and drilling it with shellfire for weeks or months on end
the conflict has revived and in some ways exceeded the worst days of the pkks war with the turkish state in the 1990s the fighting then was brutal but it was mostly confined to remote mountains and villages now it is devastating cities as well and threatening to cripple an economy already burdened by isis bombings and waves of refugees from syria in diyarbakir the capital of a largely kurdish province artillery and bombs have destroyed much of the historic district which contains unesco world heritage sites churches mosques and khans that have stood for centuries lie in ruins tourism has collapsed images of shattered houses and dead children are stirring outrage in other countries where kurds live iraq syria and iran
this war unlike earlier chapters in the centuries old kurdish struggle is also creating a painful dilemma for the united states president recep tayyip erdogan of turkey is furious about american support for the pyd a leading kurdish party in rojava which the erdogan government considers a pkk front the white house says it has little choice erdogan has offered limited help in the fight against isis despite years of american lobbying that has pushed the united states to rely more and more on the pyd which it views as distinct from the pkk american special operations troops now arm equip and advise these kurdish fighters even as turkey shells their bases farther west   and pays islamist militias to attack them as the war in turkey grinds on the united states is confronting a perilous sideshow that has begun to drain the energy and attention of the two allies it needs most if it continues to spread it could be worse than a distraction as one obama administration official put it to me post paris post brussels we have to clear isis out if it turns out that the coalition cant operate in that space   because of turkeys conflict with the kurds   then we have a serious problem
the turkish city nusaybin sits directly on the long southern border with syria a faded cluster of stone and cinder block dwellings where truckers often stop on their way eastward to iraq driving by you would scarcely guess that it has been an outpost and a battleground for a half dozen empires over the past 3000 years from the aramaeans to the ottomans it still contains roman ruins and one of the middle easts oldest churches it has been a kurdish town since a century ago when christian residents fled southward from turkish pogroms that started during the upheavals of world war i last summer when the fighting broke out kurdish youth affiliated with the pkk built barricades around several neighborhoods making up about half the town the turks initiated several short military operations during the autumn and winter but the defenders kept them at bay with a mix of well placed roadside bombs and snipers
i entered in early march with the help of a local activist who acted as a translator and guided me as we drove along a winding road on the edge of town we had to carefully avoid army and police checkpoints journalists are strictly barred by the turkish government from reporting on the insurgency and even the mildest expression of sympathy for the rebels can earn a prison sentence as a result what has happened behind the barricades and under curfew has gone largely unreported
we stopped near a bridge over a shallow creek with big holes blasted into it the legacy of a car bomb several months earlier the rusted carcass of an upturned water truck riddled with bullet holes marked the start of the insurgents territory we walked around it and after a block or so we reached the first barricade built of paving stones it was about six feet high and three feet thick we soon passed several more the streets had been torn up to build them and were now mostly dusty earth the area seemed deserted but at last we heard voices and emerged into a vacant lot between houses a young man came out to greet us wearing a tan vest and clutching a walkie talkie he led us into a half open patio that once served as a garage where other fighters and activists were slumped on battered old couches chatting and drinking tea and smoking
they were all in their 20s apart from a heavyset middle aged woman who introduced herself laughingly in kurdish as the cook of the terrorists they wore rumpled clothes and gave off a relaxed faintly bohemian air they seemed more like leftist college students on a weekend morning than guerrilla fighters they told me they had all been protecting what they called the liberated zone since the summer some grew up here and had families still living alongside them nineteen civilians and 12 fighters were killed during the fighting in nusaybin they said on the walls were big posters of several of the dead with their names and the word sehid or martyr one of them looked no more than 16 a kid in a soccer jersey with the sweetest of smiles on his face
also on the walls were two big portraits of abdullah ocalan the founder of the pkk with his unmistakable log of a mustache and tussocky black eyebrows ocalan a man of titanic ego who ruthlessly ordered the execution of rivals and dissidents has been in prison on the turkish island imrali since his capture in 1999 he still lords over the movement   including its syrian affiliate the pyd   like an absent philosopher king issuing cloudy leftist declarations through his lawyers ocalan no longer directs the pkks day to day operations and no one has been allowed to see him for more than a year i asked the fighters what they would do if ocalan told them to take down the barricades and stop fighting we would stop one of them said with no hesitation we see ocalan as our leader
no one in nusaybin had any illusions about what was in store for them a few days earlier the wars realities burst into public view in cizre about two hours to the east cizre had been under curfew and closed to the outside world for almost three months with tanks on nearby hillsides firing down on it few images had leaked past the militarys blockade until the town was declared free of terrorists and partly reopened early on a wednesday morning
i drove in with the first wave of returning residents the damage was visible as soon as we passed the first checkpoint on the edge of town burned debris and shattered glass littered the main boulevard huge holes left by tank rounds gaped in the walls of buildings moving onward on foot i followed the returnees into a residential district where the streets were half blocked by piles of rubble roofs had collapsed earthward the buildings innards   mattresses curtains chair legs   sticking out at odd angles a weird silence reigned i saw people clutch their faces as they found their ruined homes others sobbed or shouted curses some were looking for children who were trapped in basements during the fighting the smell of rotting corpses played in the spring breeze hinting at what lay buried below one man stared in wonder at a featureless pile of bricks and stones this he explained had been the local mosque another grabbed my shoulder and stammered what is the accusation against us that we are kurds and we refuse to be slaves they are telling us if you refuse to be slaves we will kill you 
now on the patio in nusaybin the rebels talked to me about friends who died in cizre and they made clear that they expected an equally merciless assault any day i asked whether by staying behind the barricades they were committing suicide no one appeared to have survived the turkish blockade in cizre one of them said the other side has more powerful weapons we fight with our belief so they cant stop us another one told me if you die you die with honor
the founder of modern turkey mustafa kemal ataturk was bent on melding his fractious array of peoples into a single homogeneous state starting under his rule in 1923 the kurds whose presence in the area goes back well over a thousand years were rebranded mountain turks their language and customs suppressed kurdish schools organizations and publications were forbidden even the words kurd and kurdistan were prohibited hundreds of thousands of kurds fled to western turkey and europe and the southeast became a neglected backwater
the pkk aimed to reverse all of this preaching a reverence for transnational kurdish identity and language under the banner of a secular leftist program its war with the government has cost at least 30000 lives since it began in 1984 the groups leader ocalan cleverly played on turkeys rivalries with neighboring states to gain refuge for his fighters in iraq syria and iran which are home to about half of the middle easts roughly 30 million kurds
the nusaybin rebels i met were mostly born in the mid 1990s when the kurdish conflict last crescendoed one of them a lanky 27 year old with a lean foxlike face seemed startled when i asked about his childhood i got the sense that no one had bothered to ask him before he went by the nom de guerre omer aydin he spoke quickly hunching forward in his chair and steadily tapping his feet his dark eyes glinting with a nervy cheerful energy he was born in a village near nusaybin the son of a farmer his village was full of pkk sympathizers including his parents who ardently supported the groups vision for a kurdish state and would shelter and feed its armed rebels as they slipped back and forth from their strongholds in the mountains the military raided aydins village so many times   arresting young men shooting up houses and animals   that aydins father gave up and moved the family to an istanbul slum aydins parents sent him to work in a clothing factory when he was 10 one day the factory boss overheard aydin speaking kurdish the only language he knew and rounded on him shouting never speak that language in here you will speak turkish aydin told me he would never forget that
in those years the turkish military destroyed and evacuated thousands of kurdish villages creating a flood of displaced people the state supported shadowy proxy groups like kurdish hezbollah no connection to the lebanese movement which tortured and killed with impunity and fostered an atmosphere of terror the pkk responded with raids that killed hundreds of turkish soldiers and police officers kurdish children born in the 90s are known to their elders as the youth of the storm they grew up with a legacy of anger tens of thousands were arrested as teenagers and prison contact with pkk members radicalized many they are more likely to be unemployed than their non kurdish peers and there are a lot of them the bulk of the population in some kurdish areas is under 20 older kurdish political figures often declare in talks with the state that they are the last generation the government can have a dialogue with the next one they say is far more radical its a pressure tactic and it has become a talking point it may also be true
by the time aydin was in his teens his father and all of his eight brothers had been arrested on charges of pkk activity so had many other relatives one childhood friend was shot dead by turkish soldiers in the mountains aydin had spent a total of four years in school he learned turkish there he still didnt speak it well when you are 15 or 16 years old you are looking for something aydin told me after what happened to my brothers my father all the arrests and the killings i looked at my life and said i should do something toward a revolution he joined the pkk i asked him how it happened and he grinned mischievously when there is a light in the dark you will find your way to it he said
aydin trained in the mountains learning how to handle a gun set bombs evade capture and communicate with fellow members he then spent a decade in a series of turkish cities mostly helping to recruit other young kurds this too is a mark of his generation the kurds were a rural people for thousands of years but in the past two or three decades that abruptly changed and most now live in cities by 2014 the pkk had ordered aydin to nusaybin his primary task was to supervise the recruitment and training of young locals these youth affiliates were given a new name the ydg h which later grew into yps the pkk is known for its love of abbreviations many were only teenagers
at the time there was some hope for an end to the conflict after its high point in the 1990s violence had lapsed under erdogan who quietly loosened restrictions on kurdish language and culture after he came to power in 2002 he also promoted economic development in the long neglected southeast many kurds were moved and impressed when erdogan said in a 2005 speech that the kurdish problem is not only the problem of one part of my nation it is a problem of every one of us including myself progress was slow and halting but after a cease fire was declared in 2013 turkish security forces largely withdrew from kurdish cities in the southeast softening old resentments some kurds told me they felt free to walk late at night without fear of arrest for the first time you could even wave a pkk flag without receiving a jailhouse beating
erdogan had long appeared to believe that peacefully resolving the kurdish issue would bolster his reputation as a unifying leader and win more votes from turkish kurds he needed those votes to accomplish a larger goal revising turkeys constitution to create a presidential system that would augment his own powers to get there he would need to offset the rise of a new kurdish political party the hdp which was expanding beyond its base to appeal to other minorities and even to some liberal turks the partys soft spoken leader selahattin demirtas seemed to embody widespread hopes for a new center of gravity that would marginalize ocalan and the militant pkk leaders in the qandil mountains of northern iraq he spoke of a more pluralist turkey with greater local control within the kurdish areas in exchange for a reconciliation with the turkish state this vision was very popular with ordinary kurds which made the hdp a real political threat to erdogan to outflank it he would need to tackle the kurdish issue himself   and get credit for it
with all this in mind erdogan gave his blessing in mid 2014 to an unlikely series of meetings on the prison island of imrali every few weeks ocalan sat at a table with hdp leaders and members of turkeys intelligence ministry discussing the terms of a pkk disarmament hatip dicle a kurdish political figure who participated told me that the meetings helped to build trust several times the parties relayed grievances about government arrests or unwelcome pkk moves and they were sent back down the chain and resolved dicle said notes from each meeting were instantly relayed to both erdogan and the pkks leaders in the mountains finally in late february 2015 a joint news conference took place in istanbul with turkeys deputy prime minister and leading hdp members to announce a 10 point plan including both the pkks disarmament and enhanced local authority in the kurdish southeast they even relayed a message from ocalan this is a historic declaration of will to replace armed struggle with democratic politics
but that triumph was stillborn before the battle of kobani became a high point of kurdish pride it began sowing mistrust weeks before their troops were allowed to join the fighting the kurds watched with outrage as erdogan breezily predicted an isis victory in kobani and refused to allow turkish kurds to cross to the rescue there were protests across the southeast and young pkk members began building barricades the police responded with force shooting and killing dozens of protesters only weeks later and under heavy international pressure did erdogan allow the iraqi kurdish convoy to pass through and join the battle as kobani fueled a wider sense of kurdish empowerment erdogan appears to have concluded that he was being played for a fool within weeks of the news conference he began distancing himself from the peace talks he declared that there is no kurdish problem and ultimately denied that hed even known what his deputies were doing all dialogue was dropped and the government took away ocalans ability to communicate with the outside world
the pkk began making menacing noises in july amid mutual recriminations pkk militants killed two police officers in the town of sanliurfa young kurdish militants began rebuilding their barricades across the southeast and this time they were armed
the pkk and the turkish state seem to have jointly stumbled back into war like an old couple who cannot let go of their quarrels we did not think at first of barricades aydin told me we thought at first of a revolution among ordinary people based on the demand for self administration but after we declared autonomy the state attacked brutally it was like a red flag to the bull we saw we cannot defend ourselves with small barricades so we built them bigger
the radicalism of the pkks younger urban members clearly played a role some of these fighters even speak dismissively of the hdp   the flagship kurdish political party in turkey   as a pack of cowardly appeasers one young activist who spent time in cizre before the final assault there told me shed watched a delegation of sympathetic kurdish political figures arrive inside the barricades to press for a cease fire only to be rebuffed afterward she said one of the young commandos   now dead   declared lies all lies they say were with you but when we die theyll come and take selfies with our corpses
for all their talk of victimhood the young radicals have become adept at waging guerrilla war almost 500 turkish police officers and soldiers have been killed since the cease fire ended many by snipers the streets around the nusaybin liberated zone were planted with roadside bombs i was later told to be used in case of a turkish assault two days after my first visit there a car bomb exploded outside a police building a few hundred yards away killing two officers and wounding dozens of civilians
after wed finished talking aydin led me out into the bright spring sunshine i heard a high voice shouting orders in the vacant lot about two dozen women dressed in combat fatigues and balaclava style head coverings were doing an exhibition drill their boots crunching the ground in unison as they swung their rifles up across their shoulders and down a row of female commanders stood at attention in front of them it was international womens day an opportunity for women to showcase their powerful role in the movement one paradox of the pkk is its blend of ardent feminism and cultish devotion to ocalan many women are escaping difficult homes they credit ocalan with elevating kurdish women from a traditional life in which honor killings were common to a position of power and respect a number of women in the movement told me that their first experience handling weapons was revelatory one who fought as a sniper in kobani described the moment when she killed her first man an isis fighter i felt as if fire were streaming from my eyes she said i had expected some expression of remorse or unease but instead her face glowed with a kind of exaltation as she said the words
most of the women that day carried ak 47s but one had a russian made sniper rifle and i glimpsed a rocket propelled grenade launcher off to the side several dozen children and older women sat near a wall watching at one point a commander held out a sheet of paper and read a statement aloud in a strident voice in the spirit of our martyrs we will fight harder in our self administered areas we will not forget our comrades murdered in cizre she continued we invite all the women of kurdistan to fight behind the barricades aydin leaned over and told me that women made up about half the fighters in nusaybin
when the military maneuvers were over the women put away their guns and formed lines to do a traditional folk dance their voices sailing over the empty streets in trilling ululations some of the civilian women had dressed up in bright sequiny gowns for the occasion and joined the dance a tinny pa system blasted pkk anthems including one about rojava   the new kurdish statelet in syria   and the battle of kobani there were frequent choruses of allegiance to apo the kurdish word for uncle ocalans nickname
from where we stood the border was only a few hundred meters to the south from the rooftops around us you could easily see the grain silos and watchtowers of qamishli the new capital of rojava where ocalans portrait hangs almost everywhere it struck me that if the turkish military waged full scale war here it would be like the battle of kobani in reverse the syrian kurds   many of them cousins of those in nusaybin   would be sorely tempted to come to their aid
the rebels i spoke to claimed to be the voice of a colonized and dispossessed people but after nine months of war many middle class turkish kurds say the pkks decision to take on the state was madness in diyarbakirs historic sur district the fighting has destroyed a shopping and small business hub that was the heart of the citys economy thousands of jobs have been lost and investors who flocked to the city during the cease fire   when new hotels were being built   have fled even in cizre and other bastions of pkk support many people quietly admit that they blame the insurgents
i met a 42 year old gas dealer in cizre who showed me the ruins of his house what once must have been an attractive three story home with a stone courtyard we didnt want this any of it he told me when the youth started building barricades and digging trenches we warned them you are doing something dangerous we are civil people they said we are protecting you you see the result the man said he and other local business leaders held meetings with the insurgents and the governor during the autumn and appealed for peace he stared at the remains of his house for a moment both sides are responsible he said we are caught in between and our hearts are broken
within the movement the violence has clearly radicalized many young people but there too i heard some quiet but telling voices of dissent one of them was a 24 year old woman a battle tested pkk sniper whose commitment to the group was beyond question she grew up in silvan another movement stronghold to a family crowded with pkk members and martyrs she had not planned to join the organization herself but as a university student in western turkey she grew resentful that the university authorities treated her and other kurds as potential criminals she began reading ocalans writings and his ideas   especially about womens empowerment   won her over
she did her military and political training in the qandil mountains before it was over the isis assault on kobani began and she and another new recruit joined she fought inside kobani for more than a month often coming so close to isis fighters that she could see their faces she carried one grenade on each hip one to use against the enemy one to blow herself up in case of capture several of her comrades used their grenades this way she said the kurds lost huge numbers of people in her 25 person unit only three survived she described carrying away the remains of friends who were eviscerated by a suicide truck bomb you dont have time to have emotions she said you go back to your fighter mood in november she was injured in the back by a collapsing barricade and was taken to the mountains for surgery
i asked her whether she had been tempted to join the pkks struggle in turkey behind the barricades she was living in mardin at the time a short drive from nusaybin she said no then she was silent for almost a full minute her open face suddenly full of unease
when we were fighting in kobani we knew wed get a result she said here when they fight they dont see a result i dont want to die for a cause that brings no results all the world knew what we were doing in kobani the fight had a meaning here i dont see a meaning she continued when i look around at my generation everybodys mind is confused people are asking are these trenches right or wrong
her feelings echo those of many other war weary kurds who watched in dismay last summer as turkeys politics congealed once again into hostile camps all hopes for a middle ground vanished the hdp had to take sides once the fighting started and its highest ever share of votes in june   13 percent   dropped to 10 percent in the november elections many believe that if elections were held today the party would not be in parliament at all the hdps constituency was based on a bridge between kurds and non kurds gonul tol a turkey analyst at the middle east institute in washington told me after that bridge collapsed the hdp had to take a more extreme stance in order to hold onto its base it became little more than a front for the pkk
i saw this drama being enacted at some of the pkk funerals i attended in march where hdp politicians seemed desperate to shore up their base after my last visit to nusaybin an activist invited me to attend the funeral of a veteran pkk commando who was killed the night before in a gun battle with turkish soldiers we had to drive for 20 minutes along narrow country roads to get to her village a cluster of stone houses overlooking a magnificent landscape of rolling hills and olive trees several guests told me the village was a celebrated center of pkk support with many local martyrs as we arrived we could see images of the dead fighters face   lean and ascetic with short dark hair   being held aloft on posters relatives also handed out stamp size pictures for guests to pin on their lapels her name was jiyan konak and relatives told me she spent 22 years as a fighter we waited alongside geese turkeys and clucking chickens until a coffin draped in a flag emerged from her parents house with scores of women ululating and holding up the victory sign with their fingers at least half a dozen local officials and members of parliament all from the hdp were there when the ceremony began the relatives and elders gave short simple speeches the hdp members delivered long fierce tirades against the horrific enemy   the turkish government   that killed konak one of them a middle aged female lawmaker in an elegant gray patterned blazer and scarf spoke longer than anyone else kobani did not fall and northern kurdistan will triumph too she said her voice rising almost to a shriek as she neared her conclusion the kurdish woman will triumph soon leader apo will triumph soon she was not the first martyr and she wont be the last until we win our freedom on this land we will continue to fight
if the hdp has dropped all caution so has erdogan the man who once held back turkeys trigger happy security services has now given them carte blanche turkey has no kurdish problem but a terror problem he said in january no one should try to palm it off on us as a kurdish problem he later called for members of parliment to be stripped of their immunity so hdp leaders could be prosecuted and jailed as terrorists and parliamentary debates devolved into mass fistfights in mid may the parliament passed the immunity lifting measure an act that is likely to push more kurds toward militancy
at the same time erdogan has led a crackdown on the press with the state jailing critical journalists and academics en masse and closing down opposition outlets scarcely any remain he has urged parliament to redefine terrorism in a way that is ominously broad the fact that their title is lawmaker academic writer journalist or head of a civil society group doesnt change the fact that that individual is a terrorist he said in march even in erdogans own party total loyalty to the president has become a condition of survival prime minister ahmet davutoglu long viewed as a flunky was forced out unceremoniously in early may after some mild gestures of difference with erdogan including on the kurdish issue he had hinted at a return to peace talks the one who talks about peace in wartime is as much a traitor as the one who talks about war in peacetime wrote an erdogan ally in an anonymous denunciation of davutoglu posted on a blog on may 1
this all or nothing strategy seems guaranteed to return turkey to the days when the kurds were forced to choose between the pkk and the state if that happens many who are now critical of the pkks violence and hungry for an alternative will fall in line behind ocalans minions turkeys compliant mainstream media meanwhile have done their part to whip up a nationalist frenzy turn on a tv anywhere in turkey and you will see frequent footage of soldiers funerals but no mention of civilian casualties or the hundreds of thousands forced to leave their homes
anyone who tries to reach across the gap becomes a target one of the countrys few remaining bridge figures was tahir elci a celebrated kurdish human rights lawyer and president of the diyarbakir bar association elci had a long record of taking on the state but he also publicly criticized the pkk something very few people   including hdp members of parliament   were willing to do in the fall the drumbeat of death threats against elci rose after he said in a televised interview that he considered the pkk an armed political organization rather than a terrorist group a month later facing prosecution for his comments he appeared at a midday news conference in diyarbakir where he called again for an end to the conflict moments later gunfire broke out and a bullet struck him in the neck the killing remains unsolved his funeral drew tens of thousands of mourners
the turkish government has pledged to rebuild the southeast and to make peace with the kurds in its own way so far that effort does not look promising i happened to be driving toward silopi another town ravaged by war on the day in march when prime minister davutoglu then still in government was visiting we could see black hawk helicopters crisscrossing the sky as we approached and a long convoy of armored vehicles   part of his security detail   blocked traffic for hours it was painfully apparent that this remained enemy territory for the turkish state government officials have hinted that they have their own kurdish intermediaries and davutoglu met with some of these during his visit this is an old turkish strategy for decades the state paid village guards to fight the pkk and the ottomans had their own divide and rule strategies if history is any guide this will sow more violence without damaging the pkks popular legitimacy
europe once had the power to play a moderating role thanks to turkeys decades long quest to join the european union but the migrant crisis has reversed that equation european union officials are now so desperate for turkey to stop the flow of refugees that they have made little mention of turkeys civil rights issues or the kurds in recent talks one kurd who lost his house in cizre told me bitterly that no one would help because the eu only cares about stopping the migrants
the united states may have more leverage the paris and brussels attacks have raised the pressure on president obama to destroy the isis sanctuary in syria and iraq and it is clear that turkeys kurdish conflict is putting this effort at risk by dividing the administrations two key allies whats concerning is that while turkey has every right to fight the pkk its increasingly becoming a conflict pitting turkey against the kurds one administration official told me that jeopardizes the credibility of even our friends among the kurds including iraqi kurds american officials have tried to keep their kurdish allies in syria from unnecessarily provoking the turks they say they are not aware of any pyd fighters or weaponry being transferred north to be used against the turkish military the turks dispute that claim and insist that american weapons sent for use against isis have been passed northward and used by the pkk the shoulder fired missile shown in the recent online video has prompted widespread speculation about a weapons trail from syria the obama administration officials i spoke with said they believed that if a peace deal is reached the turks will eventually become reconciled to a kurdish statelet in syria just as they agreed to and even helped midwife the birth of iraqi kurdistan a decade ago perhaps but the turks say the two situations cannot be compared in mid march the syrian kurds took another step toward independence voting to establish a self governing federal region the announcement prompted angry rebuttals from the turkish and syrian governments and arab opposition factions fighting in syria
meanwhile the americans are trying to find arab allies who could substitute for the kurds in a push to conquer raqqa the islamic states capital but they are hobbled by turkeys insistence on treating not just the pyd but also anyone who has worked with it including arabs as terrorists the fact that erdogans government has itself supported hard line islamist militias in syria   including some with ties to al qaeda   only adds to the american frustration the obama administration appears to be forging ahead with its plans despite turkish complaints in late april obama announced that an additional 250 special operations troops were on their way to northeastern syria to work with the kurdish led force there american officials say they have little choice the turks have provided no viable alternatives for an assault on raqqa for erdogan fighting isis remains secondary to ousting president bashar al assad of syria whom he blames for the regions turmoil
erdogans visit to washington in late march did nothing to address these tensions the visit was for nuclear security talks but erdogan reportedly lashed out angrily at american policy during an off the record dinner with former government officials and academics and complained repeatedly about the american refusal to treat the pyd as a terrorist group during a public speech at the brookings institution his security guards got into a nasty melee outside the building shoving and shouting at journalists protesters and brookings personnel the guards ordered a prominent turkish journalist amberin zaman to leave calling her a pkk whore security staff members had to stop the guards from removing other journalists from inside the auditorium in video clips beefy turkish guards in dark suits and sunglasses can be seen shouting at pro kurdish protesters and being restrained by police officers turkeys kurdish problem seemed for a moment to have spread all the way to massachusetts avenue
a few days after my last visit to nusaybin in march the authorities announced a new military curfew and thousands of civilians began streaming out of the town within days images began appearing on twitter of tanks firing into the same buildings where i had sat chatting with young insurgents and smoke rising from the city many of the photographs were taken by sympathetic syrian kurds from just over the border in rojava where they had a good view of the fighting the turkish media reported soldiers killed by bombs and snipers the activist who had taken me to nusaybin sent me a set of color sketches she made on her ipad showing tanks fighters with guns bloodied bodies dead children
i thought about omer aydin the pkk commander who told me his life story most of the fighters i met refused to say much about their feelings they retreated behind a stoical mask and repeated the same pkk talking points not aydin i cant forget the face of this soldier i killed he said at one point at the end they are human too aydin seemed a little defensive about the justice of his cause as if he understood that he and his fellow rebels were putting the lives of ordinary people at risk a few months earlier he told me hed been on the lookout for turkish snipers when he walked past a mother holding a baby who was crying uncontrollably the sight unnerved him for a moment i passed and when he saw my weapon he stopped crying aydin said he was 5 or 6 months old i had a feeling even this baby knows why were fighting i will never forget this
one afternoon at the end of march i received a message from my activist contact in nusaybin she had fled the city there were reports of terrible firefights that day with tanks blasting buildings into rubble in an effort to recapture the pkk neighborhoods and young rebels struggling to push them back omer aydin she said was dead


luxor egypt   after five and a half years of misery the people in egypts depressed tourism industry had reason for a bit of hope
the united nations world tourism organization on may 11 chose luxor to host two of its major gatherings later this year potentially drawing 400 to 600 people and plenty of attention to this ancient city along the nile river it offered egypt a chance to receive some much needed positive public relations
egyptian tourism officials had quickly laid claim to the title world tourism capital for 2016 though thats not actually an official designation of the united nations group and hatched plans for filling empty hotel rooms packing pharaonic monuments and convincing people its safe to go to egypt
then in an instant event planning veered into crisis management after an egyptair jetliner plunged into the mediterranean last thursday killing all 66 on board
it is a position that egypt perhaps more than other countries in recent years has found itself in time and again   blindsided by yet another crisis and dreading another blow to its vital tourism sector
for many reasons the world has become a riskier place and at tourism destinations   from paris and istanbul to brazil and phuket island thailand   people have come to realize that their fortunes can change in an instant because of a man made or natural disaster
so more than ever industry leaders are learning crisis management and communications to deal with a terrorist attack an outbreak of disease or an earthquake governments and businesses are stepping up their abilities to increase security measures quickly and destinations are devising marketing strategies to persuade tourists to return using the same social media that amplified news of a crisis in the first place
the locations are also aided by some notable trends including a public awareness that threats risks and crises are global there is nowhere safe and it can happen anywhere anytime said prof dimitrios buhalis head of the tourism department at bournemouth university in england
in addition he said there is an element of solidarity that is emerging in the marketplace that if a particular place is suffering for a particular reason we need to support this place
a recent study from the world travel and tourism council showed that some destinations can be surprisingly quick to recover in the wake of a crisis on average locations that suffered a terrorist attack saw their tourist visits rebound to precrisis levels within 13 months while locations hit by environmental disaster or political turmoil took about 24 to 27 months respectively to recover
the study found that the number of arrivals in spain after the 2004 train bombings in madrid recovered within weeks and that after the 2005 bombings in london on subway trains and a double decker bus there was no notable impact on tourist arrivals to the uk at all the research which looked at 38 incidents from 2001 to 2014 and did not include sept 11 also found that it took thailand 14 months for its visits to fully rebound after the 2004 tsunami
what increasingly has been observed is that not only is tourism vulnerable but its also resilient said xiang robert li a professor of tourism marketing at temple university in philadelphia
the problem with egypt professor buhalis said is that it has had more than its fair share of problems
indeed egypts tourism sector is far from the record levels seen in 2010 when overnight visits hit 141 million according to data from the united nations world tourism organization tourism plummeted after an uprising ousted egypts 30 year dictator in 2011 the industry saw signs of recovery in 2012 and 2014 but then another uprising in 2013 that installed an increasingly authoritarian government and the explosion of a russian jet over egypts sinai peninsula in 2015 wiped out any gains for those years
last year   which also brought the embarrassing tragedy of eight mexican tourists being mistakenly gunned down by egyptian security forces in a desert in september   overnight visits sank to 91 million
because egypt was in trouble the member states of the united nations tourism organizations executive council voted to hold year end meetings in luxor as a vote of confidence
they all understood that egypt is important and they wanted to show they were standing by it taleb rifai the secretary general of the group said in an interview in the days after the may vote
on monday the organization reaffirmed that luxor will host the meetings oct 30 to nov 3 the may 19 crash of the egyptair jet flying from paris to cairo had some people in the industry wondering if there was a plot against egypt especially after egyptair was in the headlines in march when a man wearing a fake explosives vest hijacked one of its domestic flights to cyprus there were no injuries
every two months something happens in egypt why asked mohamed osman head of the luxor travel agents association
we get ready for shocks like this and we prepare our lives for this he said still he added we will never give up we know that egypt will never die
a week earlier before the crash he had been working on plans with the governor of luxor mohamed badr for leveraging the united nations meetings including possibly a performance of aida verdis opera set in egypt at luxor
mr badr in an interview in his office laid out his plans for opening monuments at night on the west bank of the nile like hatshepsut and the valley of the kings and spoke of his dream for a cable car across the river but he knew that the most important challenge was convincing foreigners that egypt and luxor are safe to that end he showed off two large monitors receiving live feeds from a network of security cameras throughout the city
what we are facing is the changing of the perception outside he said
egypts tourism officials say they have been taking the steps necessary to increase security at places like airports and historic sites and they insist that egypt is safe
i think that the fact that we are meeting there reveals that we have confidence in the country overall said sandra carvao chief of communications for the united nations world tourism group
despite the prolonged slump she said it was important to acknowledge the annual increases in visitors to egypt in 2012 and 2014
when you look at it theres a capacity to actually recover that is relatively strong she said even when the situation is complicated


classifying anyone as the most successful at anything tends to reflect more on the source than the subject so keep that in mind when i make the following statement john philip sousa is the most successful american musician of all time
marching music is a maddeningly durable genre recognizable to pretty much everyone who has lived in the united states for any period it works as a sonic shorthand for any filmmaker hoping to evoke the late 19th century and serves as the auditory backdrop for national holidays the circus and college football its not popular music but its entrenched within the popular experience it will be no less fashionable tomorrow than it is today
and this entire musical idiom is now encapsulated in one person john philip sousa even the most cursory two sentence description of marching music inevitably cites him by name i have no data on this but i would assert that if we were to ask the entire population of the united states to name every composer of marching music they could think of 98 percent of the populace would name either one person sousa or no one at all theres just no separation between the awareness of this person and the awareness of this music and its hard to believe that will ever change
now the reason this happened   or at least the explanation weve decided to accept   is that sousa was simply the best at this art he composed 136 marches over a span of six decades and is regularly described as the most famous musician of his era the story of his life and career has been shoehorned into the us education curriculum at a fundamental level i first learned of sousa in fourth grade a year before we memorized the state capitals and this it seems is how mainstream musical memory works as the timeline moves forward tangential artists in any field fade from the collective radar until only one person remains the significance of that individual is then exaggerated until the genre and the person become interchangeable sometimes this is easy to predict i have zero doubt that the worldwide memory of bob marley will eventually have the same tenacity and familiarity as the worldwide memory of reggae itself
but envisioning this process with rock music is harder almost anything can be labeled rock metallica abba mannheim steamroller a haircut a muffler if youre a successful tax lawyer who owns a hot tub clients will refer to you as a rock star cpa when describing your business to less hip neighbors the defining music of the first half of the 20th century was jazz the defining music of the second half of the 20th century was rock but with an ideology and saturation far more pervasive only television surpasses its influence
and pretty much from the moment it came into being people who liked rock insisted it was dying the critic richard meltzer supposedly claimed that rock was already dead in 1968 and he was wrong to the same degree that he was right meltzers wrongness is obvious and does not require explanation unless you honestly think purple rain is awful but his rightness is more complicated rock is dead in the sense that its aliveness is a subjective assertion based on whatever criteria the listener happens to care about
this is why the essential significance of rock remains a plausible thing to debate as does the relative value of major figures within that system the doors rem radiohead it still projects the illusion of a universe containing multitudes but it wont seem that way in 300 years
the symbolic value of rock is conflict based it emerged as a byproduct of the post world war ii invention of the teenager soundtracking a 25 year period when the gap between generations was utterly real and uncommonly vast that dissonance gave rock music a distinctive nonmusical importance for a long time but that period is over rock   or at least the anthemic metaphoric hard rock cafe version of big rock   has become more socially accessible but less socially essential synchronously shackled by its own formal limitations its cultural recession is intertwined with its cultural absorption as a result what were left with is a youth oriented music genre that a isnt symbolically important b lacks creative potential and c has no specific tie to young people it has completed its historical trajectory which means eventually it will exist primarily as an academic pursuit it will exist as something people have to be taught to feel and understand
i imagine a college classroom in 300 years in which a hip instructor is leading a tutorial filled with students these students relate to rock music with no more fluency than they do the music of mesopotamia its a style theyve learned to recognize but just barely and only because theyve taken this specific class nobody in the room can name more than two rock songs except the professor he explains the sonic structure of rock its origins the way it served as cultural currency and how it shaped and defined three generations of a global superpower he shows the class a photo or perhaps a hologram of an artist who has been intentionally selected to epitomize the entire concept for these future students that singular image defines what rock was
so whats the image
certainly theres one response to this hypothetical that feels immediate and sensible the beatles all logic points to their dominance they were the most popular band in the world during the period they were active and are only slightly less popular now five decades later the beatles defined the concept of what a rock group was supposed to be and all subsequent rock groups are consciously or unconsciously modeled upon the template they naturally embodied their 1964 appearance on the ed sullivan show is so regularly cited as the genesis for other bands that they arguably invented the culture of the 1970s a decade when they were no longer together the beatles arguably invented everything including the very notion of a bands breaking up there are still things about the beatles that cant be explained almost to the point of the supernatural the way their music resonates with toddlers for example or the way it resonated with charles manson its impossible to imagine another rock group where half its members faced unrelated assassination attempts in any reasonable world the beatles are the answer to the question who will be the sousa of rock
but our world is not reasonable and the way this question will be asked tomorrow is probably not the same way we would ask it today
in western culture virtually everything is understood through the process of storytelling often to the detriment of reality when we recount history we tend to use the life experience of one person   the journey of a particular hero in the lingo of the mythologist joseph campbell   as a prism for understanding everything else that inclination works to the beatles communal detriment but it buoys two other figures elvis presley and bob dylan the beatles are the most meaningful group but elvis and dylan are the towering individuals so eminent that i wouldnt necessarily need to use elviss last name or dylans first
still neither is an ideal manifestation of rock as a concept
it has been said that presley invented rock and roll but he actually staged a form of primordial prerock that barely resembles the post rubber soul aesthetics that came to define what this music is he also exited rock culture relatively early he was pretty much out of the game by 1973 conversely dylans career spans the entirety of rock yet he never made an album that rocked in any conventional way the live album hard rain probably comes closest still these people are rock people both are integral to the core of the enterprise and influenced everything we have come to understand about the form including the beatles themselves a group that would not have existed without elvis and would not have pursued introspection without dylan
in 300 years the idea of rock music being represented by a two-pronged combination of elvis and dylan would be equitable and oddly accurate but the passage of time makes this progressively more difficult its always easier for a culture to retain one story instead of two and the stories of presley and dylan barely intersect they supposedly met only once in a las vegas hotel room as i write this sentence the social stature of elvis and dylan feels similar perhaps even identical but its entirely possible one of them will be dropped as time plods forward and if that happens the consequence will be huge if we concede that the heros journey is the de facto story through which we understand history the differences between these two heroes would profoundly alter the description of what rock music supposedly was
if elvis minus dylan is the definition of rock then rock is remembered as showbiz like frank sinatra elvis did not write songs he interpreted songs that were written by other people and like sinatra he did this brilliantly but removing the centrality of songwriting from the rock equation radically alters it rock becomes a performative art form where the meaning of a song matters less than the person singing it it becomes personality music and the dominant qualities of presleys persona   his sexuality his masculinity his larger-than-life charisma   become the dominant signifiers of what rock was his physical decline and reclusive death become an allegory for the entire culture the reminiscence of the rock genre adopts a tragic hue punctuated by gluttony drugs and the conscious theft of black culture by white opportunists
but if dylan minus elvis becomes the definition of rock everything reverses in this contingency lyrical authenticity becomes everything rock is somehow calcified as an intellectual craft interlocked with the folk tradition it would be remembered as far more political than it actually was and significantly more political than dylan himself the fact that dylan does not have a conventionally good singing voice becomes retrospective proof that rock audiences prioritized substance over style and the portrait of his seven-decade voyage would align with the most romantic version of how an eclectic collection of autonomous states eventually became a place called america
these are the two best versions of this potential process and both are flawed
there is of course another way to consider how these things might unspool and it might be closer to the way histories are actually built im creating a binary reality where elvis and dylan start the race to posterity as equals only to have one runner fall and disappear the one who remains wins by default and maybe that happens but it might work in reverse a more plausible situation is that future people will haphazardly decide how they want to remember rock and whatever they decide will dictate who is declared its architect if the constructed memory is a caricature of big-hair arena rock the answer is probably elvis if its a buoyant unrealistic apparition of punk hagiography the answer is probably dylan but both conclusions direct us back to the same recalcitrant question what makes us remember the things we remember
in 2014 the jazz historian ted gioia published a short essay about music criticism that outraged a class of perpetually outraged music critics gioias assertion was that 21st-century music writing has devolved into a form of lifestyle journalism that willfully ignores the technical details of the music itself many critics took this attack personally and accused gioia of devaluing their vocation which is odd considering the colossal degree of power gioia ascribes to record reviewers he believes specialists are the people who galvanize history critics have almost no impact on what music is popular at any given time but theyre extraordinarily well positioned to dictate what music is reintroduced after its popularity has waned
over time critics and historians will play a larger role in deciding whose fame endures gioia wrote me in an email commercial factors will have less impact i dont see why rock and pop will follow any different trajectory from jazz and blues he rattled off several illustrative examples ben selvin outsold louis armstrong in the 1920s in 1956 nelson riddle and les baxter outsold almost every rock n roll star not named elvis but theyve been virtually erased from the public record a year after that the closeted gay crooner tab hunter was bigger than jerry lee lewis and fats domino but critics and music historians hate sentimental love songs theyve constructed a perspective that emphasizes the rise of rock and pushes everything else into the background transgressive rockers in contrast enjoy lasting fame he points to a contemporary version of that phenomenon right now electronic dance music probably outsells hip-hop this is identical to the punk-versus-disco trade-off of the 1970s my prediction edgy hip-hop music will win the fame game in the long run while edm will be seen as another mindless dance craze
gioia is touching on a variety of volatile ideas here particularly the outsize memory of transgressive art his example is the adversarial divide between punk and disco in 1977 the disco soundtrack to saturday night fever and the sex pistols never mind the bollocks heres the sex pistols were both released the soundtrack to saturday night fever has sold more than 15 million copies it took never mind the bollocks 15 years to go platinum yet virtually all pop historiographers elevate the importance of the pistols above that of the bee gees the same year the sex pistols finally sold the millionth copy of their debut spin magazine placed them on a list of the seven greatest bands of all time never mind the bollocks is part of the white house record library supposedly inserted by amy carter just before her dad lost to ronald reagan the albums reputation improves by simply existing in 1985 the british publication nme classified it as the 13th-greatest album of all time in 1993 nme made a new list and decided it now deserved to be ranked third this has as much to do with its transgressive identity as its musical integrity the album is overtly transgressive and therefore memorable while saturday night fever has been framed as a prefab totem of a facile culture and thus forgettable for more than three decades that has been the overwhelming consensus
but ive noticed   just in the last four or five years   that this consensus is shifting why because the definition of transgressive is shifting its no longer appropriate to dismiss disco as superficial more and more we recognize how disco latently pushed gay urban culture into white suburbia which is a more meaningful transgression than going on a british tv talk show and swearing at the host so is it possible that the punk-disco polarity will eventually flip yes its possible everyone could decide to reverse how we remember 1977 but theres still another stage here beyond that hypothetical inversion the stage in which everybody who was around for punk and disco is dead and buried and no one is left to contradict how that moment felt when that happens the debate over transgressions freezes and all that is left is the music which means the sex pistols could win again or maybe they lose bigger depending on the judge
there is a justice driven part of my brain that believes   or needs to believe   that the cream rises to the top and the best work endures by virtue of its goodness argues the music writer amanda petrusich author of do not sell at any price a dive into the obsessive world of 78 rpm record collectors that music becomes emblematic because its the most effective when i think of rock and who might survive i immediately think of the rolling stones theyre a band that sounds like what weve all decided rock n roll should sound like loose and wild their story reflects that ethos and sound loose and wild and also theyre good
this is true the rolling stones are good even when they release records like bridges to babylon theyve outlived every band that ever competed against them with career album sales exceeding the present population of brazil from a credibility standpoint the rolling stones are beyond reproach regardless of how they choose to promote themselves theyve performed at the super bowl in a kelloggs commercial and on an episode of beverly hills 90210 the name of the biggest magazine covering rock music was partly inspired by their sheer existence the group members have faced arrest on multiple continents headlined the most disastrous concert in california history and classified themselves with surprisingly little argument as the greatest rock and roll band in the world since 1969 working from the premise that the collective memory of rock should dovetail with the artist who most accurately represents what rock music actually was the rolling stones are a strong answer
but not the final answer
nasa sent the unmanned craft voyager i into deep space in 1977 its still out there forever fleeing earths pull no man-made object has ever traveled farther it crossed the orbit of pluto in 1989 and currently tumbles through the interstellar wasteland the hope was that this vessel would eventually be discovered by intelligent extraterrestrials so nasa included a compilation album made of gold along with a rudimentary sketch of how to play it with a stylus a team led by carl sagan curated the albums contents the record if played by the aliens is supposed to reflect the diversity and brilliance of earthling life this obviously presupposes a lot of insane hopes that the craft will somehow be found that the craft will somehow be intact that the aliens who find it will be vaguely human that these vaguely human aliens will absorb stimuli both visually and sonically and that these aliens will not still be listening to eight-tracks
but it did guarantee that one rock song will exist even if the earth is spontaneously swallowed by the sun johnny b goode by chuck berry the song was championed by ann druyan who later become sagans wife and timothy ferris a science writer and friend of sagans who contributed to rolling stone magazine according to ferris who was the albums de facto producer the folklorist alan lomax was against the selection of berry based on the argument that rock music was too childish to represent the highest achievements of the planet im assuming lomax wasnt too heavily engaged with the debate over the sex pistols and saturday night fever either johnny b goode is the only rock song on the voyager disc although a few other tunes were considered here comes the sun was a candidate and all four beatles wanted it to be included but none of them owned the songs copyright so it was killed for legal reasons
the fact that this happened in 1977 was also relevant to the songs selection johnny b goode was 19 years old that year which made it seem distinguished almost prehistoric at the time i suspect the main reason johnny b goode was chosen is that it just seemed like a reasonable track to select but it was more than reasonable it was either deliberately or accidentally the best possible artist for nasa to select chuck berry may very well become the artist society selects when rock music is retroactively reconsidered by the grandchildren of your grandchildren
lets assume all the individual components of rock shatter and dissolve leaving behind a hazy residue that categorizes rock n roll as a collection of memorable tropes if this transpires historians will reconstitute the genre like a puzzle they will look at those tropes as a suit and try to decide who fits that suit best and that theoretical suit was tailored for chuck berrys body
rock music is simple direct rhythm-based music berry made simple direct rhythm-based music
rock music is black music mainstreamed by white musicians particularly white musicians from england berry is a black man who directly influenced keith richards and jimmy page
rock music is preoccupied with sex berry was a sex addict whose only american no 1 single was about playing with his penis
rock music is lawless berry went to prison twice before he turned 40
rock music is tied to myth and legend so much so that the decline of rocks prominence coincides with the rise of the internet and the destruction of anecdotal storytelling berry is the subject of multiple urban legends several of which might actually be true and which often seem to involve cheapness violence and sexual defecation
if you tried to give rock and roll another name john lennon famously said you might call it chuck berry that quote is as close as we come to a full-on sousa scenario where the person and the thing are ideologically interchangeable chuck berrys persona is the purest distillation of what we understand rock music to be the songs he made are essential but secondary to who he was and why he made them he is the idea itself


tragicomedy central if you were compiling a list of americas funniest novelists you might not think to include louise erdrich thats no knock against her erdrichs richly layered books dealing with subjects from rape to war to marital strife to racism have rightly placed her in the top ranks of the literary pantheon they just havent earned her a reputation for you know humor so its striking that reviewers of her latest novel larose   new at no 8 on the hardcover fiction list   have singled out what mary gordon in these pages described as this serious novels unexpected comedy gordon cited a scene in which the residents of an assisted living home tamper with a villains medicine to give him an unstoppable erection and uncontrollable diarrhea this in a book about the shooting death of a 5 year old boy in a profile for erdrichs hometown newspaper the minneapolis star tribune the journalist laurie hertzel also praised the storys comic elements oh good erdrich said i was looking over my notebook a while back and i had this giant note in the middle of my pages and it said problem big problem there is no humor whatsoever in this manuscript its the hardest thing writing humor into a book but its also essential i just dont feel like ive got a book unless theres something funny in it
music man julian barness new novel the noise of time which channels the real life soviet composer dmitri shostakovich cracks the extended hardcover fiction list at no 20 shostakovich 1906 75 is having a bit of a moment in the west   barness novel follows a collection of letters and wendy lessers critical study music for silenced voices both published in 2011 some of this fascination no doubt stems from the composers political context as an artist in a totalitarian state shostakovich was both embraced and reviled in his time even as his own sympathies remained elusive in a way that must be hard for a novelist like barnes to resist shostakovich is an appealing figure for any artist to contemplate lesser said via email because his flaws seem forced on him by his times and his virtues seem preserved in the face of great personal struggle its tempting to identify with him   as everyone has from the russian audiences of his own period to music lovers of all sorts today   but in fact his situation was uniquely his thats partly why he makes such a memorable central character whether in fiction or in nonfiction he seems to know us well enough to touch us deeply and yet we can never fully know him
traitor the highest ranking newcomer on this weeks hardcover nonfiction list is valiant ambition nathaniel philbricks account of benedict arnold at no 5 if he decided this was the right thing to do it was the right thing to do philbrick told the wall street journal about arnolds treason during the american revolution i dont think there was a lot of introspection


rock am ringrock im park various venues june 3 5
this two pronged music festival takes place simultaneously on an air force base in mendig germany and in the central german city of nuremberg about 200 miles away roughly the same groups appear in each locale acts in this years dance and house music heavy lineup include major lazer panic at the disco the red hot chili peppers and rudimental rock am ringcom rock im parkcom
botticelli reimagined victoria and albert museum through july 3
this exhibition examines the legacy of the 15th century florentine artist through works that he produced and art that he inspired even though major works like venus are on view the show explores how the 19th century british painters known as the pre raphaelites revived botticellis reputation in the victorian age and how his work has made its way into pop art and contemporary fashion since thenvamacukbotticelli
tell me a story locality and narrative rockbund art museum may 28 aug 14
artists from countries across asia are on view in this multimedia show which focuses on how their work responds to the regions they come from and the areas in which they work the exhibition includes photographs of the russian island of sakhalin by the japanese photographer tomoko yoneda a video work that shows the interior of a thai temple by the artist apichatpong weerasethakul and hong kong is land an installation piece by the duo known as map office who created a map of an imaginary future hong kong rockbundartmuseumorg
ai weiwei museum of cycladic art through oct 30
the chinese artist ai weiwei who recently set up an art studio on the greek island of lesbos to document the arrival of refugees created new work for this exhibition drawing inspiration from the museums collection of archaeological artifacts to make his pieces some of his best known works like grapes and cao which shows blades of grass carved from marble are also on display the museum focuses on the artwork produced by the cycladic culture which ruled in the region several thousand years ago aiweiweicycladicgren
primavera sound parc del forum june 1 5
dance music stars from far and wide will descend on barcelona for this music festival widely regarded as southern europes leading indie music affair some bigger names have joined the lineup in recent years this years festival includes destroyer led by dan bejar the london rockers savages and the much adored radiohead a more intimate edition of the festival in porto portugal with about one third the number of acts including battles beach house moderat and savages takes place june 9 to 11 primaverasoundcom
noguchis playscapes museo tamayo through oct 9
the japanese american artist isamu noguchi 1904 1988 is known in part for his playgrounds artfully designed pieces that served as both public art and structures for children and adults to play on this exhibition includes sketches and models of these works as well as some scale replicas on view in the museum and around chapultepec the major city park that houses the museum museotamayoorg
howthelightgetsin various venues may 26 june 5
this unusual event bills itself as the worlds largest philosophy and music festival and includes a mix of talks concerts circus and other varieties of performance lectures include quantum whispers a talk with the physicist lev vaidman on the possibility of teleportation and a lecture from the british labour party politician chi onwurah on democracy and digitalization rachel sermanni king charles the fusion band sifaka and the dj duo known as zero 7 will performhowthelightgetsiniaitv
holland festival various venues june 4 26
experimental theater movies starring puppets chamber music concerts and contemporary ballet will all play a part in this spring festival the event includes works produced by the netherlands leading arts organizations like the dutch national ballet along with some major names from abroad hollandfestivalnl
odyssey navigating nameless seas singapore art museum june 4  aug 28
this maritime themed group show will focus on the ocean and will feature work by around a dozen artists among them are sally smart whose works include the 2009 installation the exquisite pirate and wyn lyn tan who has made intricate acrylic renderings of water the museums contemporary art wing 8q is simultaneously hosting imaginarium over the ocean under the sea a show about the ocean geared toward children singaporeartmuseumsg


caracas venezuela   the courts closed most days the bureau to start a business same thing the public defenders office thats been converted into a food bank for government employees
step by step venezuela has been shutting down
this country has long been accustomed to painful shortages even of basic foods but venezuela keeps drifting further into uncharted territory
in recent weeks the government has taken what may be one of the most desperate measures ever by a country to save electricity a shutdown of many of its offices for all but two half days each week
but that is only the start of the countrys woes electricity and water are being rationed and huge areas of the country have spent months with little of either
many people cannot make international calls from their phones because of a dispute between the government and phone companies over currency regulations and rates
coca cola femsa the mexican company that bottles coke in the country has even said it was halting production of sugary soft drinks because it was running out of sugar
last week protests turned violent in parts of the country where demonstrators demanded empty supermarkets be resupplied and on friday the government said it would continue its truncated workweek for an additional 15 days
theres been plenty of problems but one thing i havent seen until now is protests simply to get food said david smilde a caracas based analyst for the washington office on latin america a human rights group referring to the demonstrations last week
the growing economic crisis   fueled by low prices for oil the countrys main export a drought that has crippled venezuelas ability to generate hydroelectric power and a long decline in manufacturing and agricultural production   has turned into an intensely political one for president nicolas maduro this month he declared a state of emergency his second this year and ordered military exercises citing foreign threats
but the president looks increasingly encircled
american officials say the multiplying crises have led mr maduro to fall out of favor with members of his own socialist party who they believe may turn on him leading to chaos in the streets
old allies like brazil whose leftist president dilma rousseff was removed this month pending an impeachment trial are now openly criticizing venezuela jose mujica the leftist former president of uruguay last week called mr maduro crazy like a goat
the regional tensions came to a head last week when mr maduro went on television to chide the organization of american states which has criticized venezuelas handling of the economic and political crises mr maduro took aim at luis almagro its secretary general calling him a longtime traitor and implying he was a spy
mr almagro responded with an open letter blasting the president calling on him to allow the recall referendum his opponents are pushing this year to remove mr maduro from office
you betray your people and your supposed ideology with your diatribes without substance mr almagro wrote to deny the people that vote to deny them the possibility of deciding would make you just another petty dictator like so many this hemisphere has had
as the sparring continues mariangel gonzalez a 32 year old mother of two is most worried about the retreat of the government from daily life
venezuelas public schools are now closed on fridays another effort to save electricity so ms gonzalez was waiting in line with her elder child at an atm while her husband watched over the other one at home
right now my older girl should be at elementary school and the little one in kindergarten she said my husband and i have been inventing new routines
ms gonzalez a freelance lawyer lived a middle class life until recently but she says the government shutdown has left her without work and her family without food
the older girl who understands whats going on says what is there mom bread arepas or nothing she said that on a recent night the family ate a dinner of pasta and ketchup
for vanessa arneta who lives with seven relatives in an apartment on the outskirts of caracas its the disappearance of the citys water that is causing the most pain water arrives just once a week on thursdays to her neighborhood of san antonio de los altos
that day they quickly divide up the chores a nephew gets into the shower while another one washes the dishes ms arneta says one of her brothers washes up the bathroom while someone else fills buckets with water for later
but ms arneta says the water is now a brownish color and is making her family sick many venezuelans say they have gotten skin irritations from showering or from the inability to bathe and wash their sheets and towels
her body is filled with small bubbles and they sting horribly ms arneta said of one of her sisters
venezuelas government says the problems are the result of an economic war being waged by elites who are hoarding supplies as well as the american governments efforts to destabilize the country
but most economists agree that venezuela is suffering from years of economic mismanagement including over dependence on oil and price controls that led many businesses to stop making products
some venezuelans are channeling their frustrations into demonstrations against the government mr maduros opponents who now control the national assembly have been staging weekly protests in support of the recall referendum
last wednesday protesters clashed with police officers who fired tear gas at the demonstrations and were attacked with bottles and rocks
the economic situation of this country is collapse pablo parada a law student who was participating last week in a hunger strike in front of the oas office in caracas there are people who go hungry now
mr parada said the purpose of his hunger strike was to pressure the oas to push venezuelan officials to allow the referendum to take place this year the only way he felt the country could recover
there is often little traffic in caracas simply because so few people either for lack of money or work are going out
on a recent day in the downtown government center pedestrians milled about but nearly every building   including several museums the public registry office and a social security center   was empty giving the appearance of a holiday
only the guards were at work
its in gods hands now said one luis rios echoing a common phrase heard here
some point out what they see as the absurdity in shutting down services to save the government energy
i dont see them saving any energy this way said youheinz linares a 38 year old divorced mother who was taking care of her children ages 6 and 8 on a recent friday when there was no school
at school you have 40 kids under one light bulb in one classroom she said now you have 40 kids at home with the lights on televisions tablets consoles and computers turned on all day its illogical


arlington tex   the three women in the second row at college park center were strangers before tipoff united only by their passion for womens basketball but as the dallas wings played a home preseason game here earlier this month they gradually bonded into a boisterous cheerleading unit   shouting shimmying and shaking their fists to support the wings
the team is starting its first season in its third city
we need to promote these women said terry spivey of glenn heights a dallas suburb
from its start in 1997 the womens national basketball association has had enthusiastic fans looking for good basketball and seeing in the league affirmation of the goal of sports equality
but as its 20th season gets underway the wnbas modest attendance and television viewership just below 200000 on espns networks last season illuminate a stubborn imbalance between mens and womens professional leagues adding to the expanding debate about the place of womens sports in society
these anxieties have increased more than 40 years after the federal law known as title ix opened the way for millions of girls to play sports the womens professional leagues they move on to are still struggling to develop and hold lasting public interest
the womens world cup the play of serena and venus williams on the tennis circuit and some professional womens golf events do generate a broad following but those tend to be exceptions there has yet to be a financially viable womens mainstream sports league in the united states
building and sustaining a league a challenge across sports and genders has proved especially nettlesome for the wnba even though it has the significant advantage of backing from one of the most financially endowed leagues the national basketball association some wonder if without that subsidy the wnba would have gone the way of other womens leagues with noble aspirations but little support to keep them alive
half of the wnbas 12 teams lose money and they benefit from revenue generated by the nbas national television and sponsorship deals this season the 25 million the wnba is getting from its primary broadcaster espn is a tiny fraction of the nbas average 930 million payment from espn and tnt which will rise to about 26 billion next season
in a rare and candid moment last year james l dolan who owns the wnbas liberty and the nbas knicks told hbos real sports that he came close to handing the franchise back to the league in 2015
it hasnt made money he said its prospects of making money at that time and even today are still slim
dolan has held on to the liberty though and there seems to be little doubt of the nbas continued support of the wnba as a legacy investment in womens basketball
but the wnba has a fundamental problem it needs more fans   lots of them attendance fell to an average of 7318 a game last season almost two decades after reaching its peak of 10864 in 1998 the leagues second season
mary jo kane the director of the tucker center for research on girls  women in sport at the university of minnesota said womens leagues still take a back seat in the sports world despite the stated interest of fans but she saw some hopeful signs
if the baseline for comparison is where womens sports were in the early stage of title ix the wnbas cup runneth over she said still she added while there is no back room conspiracy to suppress interest in womens sports womens sports are still an afterthought and not considered core to the brand of sports but having said that at least theyre in the conversation
the wnbas inability to fully capitalize on its early successes has been acknowledged by one of its founders adam silver now the nba commissioner he said last fall that the league had not progressed as far as it should have   and that he had not focused on it as much as possible
as much as weve done in lending the league our name he said the people who have been in the sports business for a long time and im one of them historically underestimated the marketing it takes to launch a new property
the need to market the league   as the best womens basketball in the world with deeper talent than ever   is recognized by players
sue bird the seattle storm guard who is playing in her 14th season said theres a weird disconnect between college players and wnba players in terms of how people view us
it is as if fans needed to be reminded she said that were actually the same players
before the season the league hired a new president lisa m borders to replace laurel j richie silver likens the task of managing the league to running a political campaign   something that borders has done when she was on the atlanta city council and ran unsuccessfully for mayor more recently borders chaired the coca cola foundation
she is trying to augment increased television coverage with a vigorous digital and social media marketing plan in an effort to lift attendance and viewership
she is fond of adages like one from her grandfather who told her youve got two ears and one mouth so listen twice as much as you talk she talks about the harry truman like whistle stop tour that will take her to each market during the season and she promised to bring a businesslike approach to reversing the leagues troubles
heres my job she said emphatically i am the no 1 salesperson in the wnba my title says president but economic viability is my no 1 job
borders recognizes the challenges in making the wnba stand out to hard core womens basketball fans as well as more casual sports lovers who might not pay attention to womens sports
people have to know theres a team in their market she said during a recent interview in her office at nba headquarters in manhattan they have to know its affordable family entertainment there is no reason why people shouldnt know that a wnba game is being played
the 2016 season is a reboot an opportunity to watch the rookie season of breanna stewart one of the leagues biggest new stars who was drafted by the storm after leading the university of connecticut to four consecutive ncaa titles and to celebrate the final campaign of one of the leagues most popular players tamika catchings of the indiana fever
it is also a season to follow the dallas wings a franchise with three wnba titles and as many relocations to build an audience   exemplifying the ups and downs of the league
the wnba strives to keep the failure of other leagues from haunting it two womens soccer leagues succumbed after three seasons one of them the womens united soccer association which was launched in the afterglow of the united statess victory at the 1999 womens world cup had a group of cable television companies and executives as its backers
im optimistic but im not naive said michael alter the owner of the chicago sky its not easy to get the word out we dont have the support of all the free media we have to work really hard its a grind and were just plugging away but weve got great athletes and were doing everything possible to expose them to the media
to combat criticism that the league has not come as far as it should have executives often repeat a mantra the wnba is ahead of the nba at a similar period in its development
last years average wnba attendance of 7318 a game exceeded the 6749 at the same period of the nbas development in the mid 1960s the nba then was not the marketing juggernaut it would later become under the former commissioner david stern and lacked a nurturing financially well heeled league as its parent as the wnba has had
the comparison between the leagues is less favorable now the nba is a global sports force with 518 billion in revenue last year that just set a regular season attendance record of 17864 a game
still val ackerman the first wnba president said longevity is itself a victory there were naysayers around every corner who said we wouldnt last a year or even two years and now its 20
backed by the we got next marketing campaign and the ownership of its teams by nba franchises the wnba started with unexpected strength the year after the united states womens team won the gold medal at the 1996 summer olympics original average attendance projections of upward of 4500 fans in the first season were obliterated in the surprising rush to see the women play that average attendance of 9664 in 1997 swelled to a peak of 10864 in 1998 then began its gradual downward descent
the first year or two sure there was a lot of sampling and a lot of excitement coming out of the olympics said rick welts president of the nbas golden state warriors the league did a great job launching but a whole lot of nba fans looked watched and said i dont like this league that much that was the biggest wake up call of all that there was not an automatic migration of nba fans to the wnba it took us a while to figure out that this was not the nba and we had to approach it differently
silver said his goal within three to five years was to bring attendance back to 10000 a level the phoenix mercury the minnesota lynx and the liberty approached last year
that may help shore up finances that contribute to the wnbas low player salaries from 39676 to 111500 this season that push many of its players like maya moore diana taurasi brittney griner and tina charles to play in europe and china during the off season for multiples of their league wages
hopefully in five years players wont have to go overseas and well have the off season to make ourselves and the wnba better said the skys cappie pondexter who has played in a turkish league between seasons
often it seems the league is striving for respect even in supportive quarters
in january espn and league officials met to discuss plans for the upcoming season and narrowly avoided what could have been a major slight the leagues original 2016 television schedule omitted an opening night game an oversight john skipper the espn president said he rectified
skipper said i asked what day the season opened and what game we were doing and i was told we werent doing a game and i said guys thats an issue we cant be the leagues partner and not to do an opening day game
silver was relieved at skippers intervention
i had accepted that wed gotten all we could out of espn and was thrilled when john added the opening day game silver said it was a reminder of how much more we need to do
the opening game ended up being the lynxs 95 76 victory over the mercury with a paid attendance of 9221 fans at target center   which sells only lower bowl seats for most lynx games   on an opening weekend when league attendance was up 7 percent over last season
the wings hope they have made their final move and that it will generate attendance starting out in 1998 as the detroit shock the team moved to tulsa okla in 2010 and then relocated to the dallas fort worth area after last season
bill cameron the franchise owner thought that taking the team to tulsa where it would be the citys only major franchise would be as beneficial as it was for the seattle supersonics when they moved to oklahoma city where they became the thunder
but he was wrong the franchise which won three titles in detroit foundered in tulsa three key players did not join the relocation the team won as few as three games during five consecutive losing seasons last seasons team was hurt by injuries to its stars skylar diggins and odyssey sims but still won 18 of 34 games
as we looked ahead the protracted downturn in the energy economy in tulsa was worrisome cameron said but the dallas area beckoned
when the opportunity came to move to dallas we needed to pursue it cameron said in a short time weve almost reached the same level of ticket sales and sponsorship we had in tulsa after five years
in moving to the campus of the university of texas at arlington cameron took the team from bok center in tulsa with 17800 seats for basketball to college park center with 7000 seats
to sims it is the right size for a wnba team
obviously were not going to fill up 20000 she said at the teams media day no wnba team has done that they should just make arenas smaller even if you only have 3000 fans on a bad night itll sound loud
the small arlington arena needed most of the first half of a preseason game between the wings and the connecticut sun before the crowd appeared to reach its paid attendance of 2326 the first regular season home game a victory over the san antonio stars in a sellout arena was a better early indicator of local interest in the relocated team that will try to break through in a crowded market the region features the national football leagues dallas cowboys and major league baseballs texas rangers who play nearby as well as the nbas dallas mavericks and the national hockey leagues dallas stars
for more than a quarter even as the wings took a big lead fans were quiet many with arms folded as if sending a message to the players show me the recorded exhortations to shout defense were not being followed slowly the fans came alive they started razzing sun players at the free throw line a white haired man jawed at the visiting team
and tiesha bailey who watched the game in a state of exuberance near spivey said i was 11 when the wnba started i remember being so excited that sheryl swoopes was in houston now i have season tickets so i can take my 9 year old niece here
the houston comets were the leagues early powerhouse winning the first four wnba championships and attracting as many as 12602 fans a game in 1998 but by 2008 they were out of business victimized by their owners lack of finances
i only wanted to risk myself so far the owner hilton koch said at the time my money was only going to last so long
barbara miggins stayed on her feet through nearly all of the wings preseason game gesturing with her right arm while cradling her 17 month old daughter gina in her left her older daughters chrissy 4 and lina 5 and her husband reggie sat nearby
ive been waiting 17 years for this she said after the wings loss to the sun this is a role modeling experience for our daughters i want them to see this


john mcenroe is set to become the latest former grand slam champion to join the coaching ranks he plans to join the team of milos raonic of canada for the coming grass court season including wimbledon where mcenroe won the mens singles title in 1981 1983 and 1984
mcenroe announced the move on eurosport the pan european sports channel while playing guitar one of raonics coaches riccardo piatti later confirmed it in an email message
we are very happy about it piatti said besides the experience and knowledge we think this is going to help milos win more matches by using his net game
mcenroe now 57 and still active on the senior circuit was one of the games best and most instinctive volleyers as well as a great doubles player
raonic a 25 year old with one of the games most intimidating serves reached the semifinals at wimbledon in 2014 but has not advanced past the third round in his other four appearances
piatti said that he would work alongside mcenroe in the grass court lead up to wimbledon and that mcenroe would then work alongside raonics other coach carlos moya during wimbledon both mcenroe and moya were once ranked no 1


international
an article on april 28 about germanys struggle to integrate some of the million migrants who flooded the country last year   and to decide whom to deport   referred imprecisely to the handwritten grammar notes taped to the walls of a meeting room in cologne where asylum interviews are conducted they listed conjugations of german verbs not declensions that term is used in reference to nouns adjectives and other parts of speech but not verbs
new york
an article last sunday about how two manhattan buildings would look if they were built according to current codes misidentified the law that resulted in the development of so called dumbbell tenements throughout new york city it was the tenement law of 1879 not the tenement law of 1901
business day
an article on friday about an appeals courts rejection of an arbitration clause that prevented employees of epic systems a verona wis health care software provider from pursuing class actions misstated the location of the court the united states court of appeals for the seventh circuit in some copies it is in chicago not madison wis
weekend arts
a report in the inside art column on friday about an exhibition of work by the artist simon starling at japan society in manhattan using information from the society referred incorrectly to the exhibition it is the second solo exhibition there that features a non japanese artist not the first ansel adamss work was exhibited there in the 1980s

because of an editing error a list on friday of noteworthy television premieres this summer misstated the starting date of season 4 of survivors remorse on starz it is july 24 not june 24

because of an editing error a picture caption on may 20 with a television review of julian fellowes presents doctor thorne on amazon prime misidentified an actor he is harry richardson frank gresham is the name of the character he plays the caption also misspelled the given name of an actress as the review correctly noted she is stefanie martini not stefani
science times
a report in the observatory column on tuesday about nile crocodiles in florida misstated the distance that a tagged crocodile traveled between 2012 and 2014 it was 18 miles not 29
travel
because of a production error this weekends travel section omits an article intended to accompany a cover article about vladimir and vera nabokovs cross country journeys to the american west during which the author researched lolita the omitted information with suggested reading material and lodging for such a trip can be found at nytimescomtravel
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toronto   lebron james scored 33 points as the cleveland cavaliers advanced to their second straight nba finals on friday by beating the toronto raptors 113 87 in game 6 of the eastern conference finals
it is the third overall finals appearance for the cavaliers cleveland lost to the golden state warriors in six games last year and was swept by the san antonio spurs in 2007
it is jamess sixth straight trip to the finals after four with the miami heat and his seventh over all he broke the 30 point barrier for the first time this postseason and finished with 11 rebounds and 6 assists
i had to bring my game james said i had to be in attack mode from the beginning
kevin love had 20 points and 12 rebounds and kyrie irving had 30 points for the cavaliers who will face the winner of the golden state oklahoma city series on thursday cleveland would open at home against the thunder but would be on the road against the 73 win warriors who trail oklahoma city three games to two heading into saturdays game 6
the cavaliers are seeking to end clevelands 52 year championship drought the longest by any city with at least three professional teams no cleveland team has won it all since the browns blanked the baltimore colts 27 0 to win the nfl championship in 1964
kyle lowry scored 35 points and demar derozan had 20 as the deepest playoff run in raptors history ended much to the disappointment of a sellout crowd fans dressed in red and white t shirts formed a maple leaf pattern on either side of the court standing and cheering lets go raptors lets go raptors throughout most of the final three minutes
toronto prolonged the series with back to back home wins in games 3 and 4 but never mounted much of a challenge in game 6 falling behind by 21 in the third quarter
the cavaliers entered the game 0 4 at air canada centre counting the regular season and playoffs but looked much more like the team that handed the raptors three lopsided losses in cleveland this series
the raptors trailed 88 78 after a jumper by derozan with 10 minutes 23 seconds remaining but james scored 6 points in a 14 3 run that gave the cavs a 102 81 lead with about six minutes left
james scored 14 in the first quarter and five of clevelands nine field goals were from long range as the cavaliers built a 31 25 lead
after a video review the officials waved off a basket by bismack biyombo with 318 left in the period and gave him a flagrant foul for knocking down love
tempers flared again early in the second quarter when clevelands richard jefferson reacted angrily to catching an elbow from torontos jonas valanciunas as the two battled for a rebound patrick patterson came over and shoved jefferson out of the way and both patterson and jefferson were given technical fouls
cleveland made five more 3 pointers in the second quarter and led 55 41 at halftime the cavaliers made 10 of 15 3 point attempts in the first half while toronto was 2 of 12
lowry scored 18 points in the third quarter as toronto closed it with a 17 8 run but the cavaliers pulled away again in the fourth quarter


a group of health experts said the world health organization should consider recommending the delay or relocation of the rio de janeiro olympics because of the zika outbreak
the 150 experts issued an open letter to the united nations health agency on friday urging action in the name of public health
the authors noted that the number of infections in rio had gone up despite increased efforts to wipe out the mosquitoes that spread zika which can cause severe birth defects most notably abnormally small heads
public health experts have previously warned that the hundreds of thousands of visitors who will travel to the games in august would speed the viruss global spread
the fire is already burning but that is not a rationale not to do anything about the olympics said the university of ottawa professor amir attaran one of the letters authors it is not the time now to throw more gasoline onto the fire
rangers second baseman rougned odor began serving a seven game suspension for punching torontos jose bautista by sitting out texas 9 1 home loss to pittsburgh
odor was initially suspended for eight games over a bench clearing melee in arlington tex on may 15 but the penalty was reduced upon appeal
odor punched bautista in the jaw after bautistas hard takeout slide in the top of the eighth inning prompting both dugouts to empty
bautista who was suspended for one game sat out a 7 5 win over boston on friday josh donaldson homered twice as the blue jays ended a five game home skid
cubs club phillieschicago mashed three monster homers to beat visiting philadelphia 6 2 jorge soler homered off the video board in left in the fourth and david ross followed with a blast off a sign beyond the bleachers kris bryant had a towering shot that landed on waveland avenue beyond the left field bleachers in the fifth
around the majors stephen piscotty hit a grand slam off max scherzer and st louis won at washington 6 2 jaime garcia held the nationals to two runs and seven hits over seven innings chris davis had a tiebreaking double and mark trumbo mashed his 15th homer of the season as visiting baltimore beat cleveland 6 4 to end a four game losing streak nick markakis hit a two run single with two outs and the bases loaded in the eighth inning and the atlanta braves beat the miami marlins 4 2 for a rare home win aaron hill hit two solo homers as milwaukee outslugged visiting cincinnati 9 5 giving the reds their 11th straight loss
the university of mississippi imposed scholarship reductions on itself because of academic and recruiting violations linked to its football program but the university said it was still investigating the statements of left tackle laremy tunsil at the nfl draft
the voluntary sanctions include three years of probation and 11 fewer total scholarships over four years the penalties   which the ncaa can accept or add to   did not include a postseason ban
the violations acknowledged by the university include tunsils use of three loaner cars over a six month period
tunsils draft stock fell after posts on his social media account appeared to show him smoking through a bong attached to a gas mask and asking a football staff member by text message to arrange bill payments
tunsil said both accounts had been hacked but acknowledged that he had accepted money from a coach
the two time olympic forward phil kessel failed to make the final cut for the united states world cup of hockey roster a day after helping the pittsburgh penguins reach the stanley cup finals
jaromir jagr was left off the czech republic roster but his omission was less surprising jagr 44 retired from the national team after last years world championship
the russian team added the former los angeles kings defenseman slava voynov to its roster prompting questions from the nhl about his eligibility voynov pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of domestic violence and returned to russia last summer
auston matthews a teenager expected to be picked first in next months nhl draft was selected for team north america which is composed of american  and canadian born players ages 23 and younger
croatia has been ordered to play two world cup qualifying matches in empty stadiums for repeated cases of fans chanting fascist slogans
fifa ordered the stadium bans for home matches against turkey on sept 5 and finland on oct 9 croatia fans had chanted discriminatory slogans during exhibitions against israel and hungary in march fifa said
chile was also ordered to play one qualifier away from its national stadium over fans chants of anti gay insults fifa said five latin american soccer federations were also fined for discriminatory and unsporting conduct by fans including anti gay insults at world cup qualifiers
danny willett the reigning masters champion made six birdies in a tournament record 29 on the front nine at the bmw pga championship in virginia water england to seize a share of the second round lead willet finished with a four under par 68 and was tied with y e yang and scott hend who eagled his last hole at 10 under 134
around golf coming off back to back wins ariya jutanugarn shot a four under 68 to take the lead at the volvik championship in ann arbor mich jutanugarn had four back nine birdies and was at 11 under 133 two shots ahead of yeon ryu marina alex and christina kim rocco mediate birdied the final two holes and stretched his lead to four strokes at the senior pga championship in benton harbor mich gene sauers was second after shooting a 69


in a game teeming with an amalgam of nostalgia good and bad chase utley wrote another horror tale in his library of mets miseries friday night but a walk off home run by curtis granderson saved an atypical ninth inning by jeurys familia granting the mets a 6 5 win over the los angeles dodgers
a mixture of emotions obviously granderson said a great game of baseball there
leading by 5 1 mets manager terry collins tempted fate challenging an unwritten rule of baseball bringing in a closer with a four run lead familia gave up three singles to the first four batters he faced loading the bases with one out he then walked yasmani grandal forcing in one run before striking out pinch hitter trayce thompson
with two outs and the bases loaded utley who has 36 career home runs against the mets   the most he has hit against any team   crushed the first pitch he saw from familia for a bases clearing double that tied the game 5 5
from the opening pitch mets fans booed utley who broke ruben tejadas right leg on a hard slide in last years national league championship series just as vociferously as they had when they first acquired a distaste for the hard nosed utley a decade ago when he was a second baseman with the philadelphia phillies
it was one of many throwback moments
the year 1986 was painted along the baselines and the mets wore their racing stripe jerseys from that season when they won the world series adding to the aura were the mets opponents   the dodgers their new york national league predecessors whom they defeated in last years playoffs
even david wright turned back the clock and crushed a solo home run over the center field wall his third homer in three games as he crossed home plate the stadium audio system played the 1980s hit by simple minds dont you forget about me
entering the series between bicoastal rivals fans of the dodgers also had a reason to feel sentimental
julio urias a 19 year old left handed phenom from mexico sound familiar made his major league debut urias became the youngest dodger to appear in a game since the mexican born southpaw fernando valenzuela was called up at 19 toward the end of the 1980 season from the dodgers class aa affiliate in san antonio the mets battered urias for three first inning runs and he exited in the third having given up five hits and four walks
fragments of his special talent were visible at times several publications rank urias as the dodgers top prospect and among the best in baseball as the ace clayton kershaw intently watched each pitch with his arms draped over the dugout rail urias with his high leg kick started the game by striking out granderson he also beat wright with a 95 mile per hour fastball for another first inning strikeout
mets infielder matt reynolds who had faced urias in the minors said he had a fastball around 96 or 97 mph with a good changeup curveball and slider
he got some swing and misses out of the zone with it so that tells me hes got good deception reynolds said
within a year valenzuela and his lethal screwball became the toast of hollywood and fernandomania was born he eventually became a six time all star and so influential that the former dodgers pitcher jim brewer would travel to the clubs minor league affiliates and teach the screwball mets manager terry collins said urias of culiacan sinaloa does not throw one
while urias had a difficult night utley who returned to citi field for the first time since last years nlcs was the lone dodger to be productive against jacob degrom who struck out seven in seven innings of work utley worked two walks and drove in one of his four rbi off degrom
degrom said that his arm slot on his off speed pitches was better but that he did not yet feel he was at the level he reached last season when he won 14 games made the all star team and was possibly the best mets pitcher in the postseason
aside from wrights home run degrom was helped by juan lagares who hit a solo homer in the fifth and drove in three runs
degrom left the game ahead 5 1 and jerry blevins and addison reed combined to throw a scoreless eighth inning
collins when asked his logic for choosing familia to close the game said you guys always ask that if the leadoff hitter gets on who comes in because it becomes a save situation in a game like that you know what you cant worry about tomorrow you got to win tonight so you bring him in
familia did not speak to reporters after the game despite a mets win it was a game he apparently would rather forget


st petersburg fla   manager joe girardi had become increasingly agitated about having to answer questions about whether alex rodriguez would be his everyday designated hitter when he returned from the disabled list
he snapped he furrowed his brow and he groaned over the repeated queries about moving the 39 year old carlos beltran back to right field from the designated hitter role he had thrived in while rodriguez spent three weeks nursing a hamstring injury
those questions ceased friday night in the most emphatic way possible   with a mighty swing of rodriguezs bat
rodriguez still slugging at 40 blasted a two run homer deep over the center field wall as the yankees defeated the tampa bay rays 4 1 for good measure beltran showed that he could swing the bat well enough as a right fielder lining a solo home run just over the right field wall
the home runs backed an artful performance from masahiro tanaka who thrived for the second consecutive game pitching from the first base side of the rubber allowing two hits in seven innings
finishing off the rays was not so simple after steve pearce hit a two out solo homer off kirby yates in the ninth girardi summoned aroldis chapman he struck out logan morrison but the ball got past catcher brian mccann forcing chapman to work another hitter he struck out desmond jennings to end the game
it was a fine way for the yankees to start a 10 game four city trip and an even finer way for rodriguez to announce his presence
rodriguez is batting 188 and his absence had coincided with the yankees recent resurgence as they crawled back to 500 ever so briefly when they hastily decided to send rodriguez on a rehabilitation assignment on tuesday and wednesday at class aa trenton instead of activating him it seemed they were reluctant to break up the good thing they had going with beltran in the designated hitter role and aaron hicks a superior defender in right field
when rodriguez returned on thursday he was hitless in four at bats so the questions came again on friday
i think were trying to put out our best lineup girardi said before the game i think people have all of a sudden forgot that carlos hit really well the last four months of the season playing right field i understand why im going to be asked about it every day and if he went oh fer its going to be because he didnt dh this team was built for alex to dh and carlos to play right field
rodriguez was hitless in his other three at bats on friday striking out twice but the home run which he hit on a 95 mile per hour fastball that caught the center of the plate was majestic traveling an estimated 441 feet in giving the yankees a 3 0 lead in the sixth he punctuated the blast with a modest bat flip
thats my version of a bat flip yeah rodriguez said at 40 you dont have too much cool style   all thats left in me i dont know ive ever had any actually
the home run showed how fearsome rodriguezs bat can be in the middle of the lineup especially with mark teixeira slumping and injured and the yankees not driving the ball as they did last season when they were second in baseball in runs scored
when hes swinging the bat hes an on base guy and hes an rbi guy girardi said he hits the ball out of the ballpark so thats important and he can be pretty selective when hes going well he does a good job at both
rodriguezs chief frustration about his strained hamstring was that he felt he had just found his swing hitting three home runs in the five games before his injury even though fridays home run was his only hit in two games he was happy with his swing
there were some mechanical things going on with my swing that i wasnt happy about rodriguez said we actually talked about not driving the ball for doubles home runs and putting crooked numbers on i found something and since i found that even with the three week break i just felt a lot better
asked what he had fixed with his mechanics rodriguez was coy
over all just cleaner he said with a pause i cant tell you that
the home runs by rodriguez and beltran were the rare dent the yankees made against chris archer who has been their nemesis since he arrived in the big leagues archer   who owned a 225 era against the yankees the second lowest mark among active pitchers with at least eight starts   had lost his first four decisions this season carried a 516 era into the game and had lasted just three innings at detroit in his last start
archer put himself in peril in the sixth when he walked brett gardner on four pitches and then sent him to third on a wild pitch the rest of the defense could not help him escape second baseman taylor motter dropped a beltran grounder allowing him to reach base gardner then scored when a hard grounder from mccann skittered off the glove of first baseman logan morrison
meanwhile tanaka helped himself   snagging a comebacker and sprinting at pearce who had veered off second   and got an assist from gardner who bumped against the wall to catch a corey dickerson drive to end the fifth
it kept the game scoreless and set the stage for rodriguez who did not miss archers fastball   or an opportunity to mark his return


the kansas supreme court ruled on friday that the state legislature had failed to equitably fund public schools once again giving the state until june 30 to fix its financing system or face a court ordered shutdown of schools
the ruling was the latest volley in a long battle over public education in kansas a lawsuit from a coalition of school districts led the kansas supreme court to order the legislature in 2014 to increase funding to poorer districts
the court and the legislature have been at odds ever since in february the court said that a solution proposed by lawmakers to use block grants to allocate funds had failed to address inequities in schools in response the legislature passed a bill that it said gave poorer districts a fair share of funding gov sam brownback a republican signed the measure in april
in a 47 page ruling the court rejected that bill saying the legislatures formula creates intolerable and simply unfair wealth based disparities among the districts
this case requires us to determine whether the state has met its burden to show that recent legislation brings the states k 12 public school funding system into compliance with article 6 of the kansas constitution the ruling said we hold it has not
the legislature is expected to meet wednesday before it officially adjourns for the session
ray merrick the house speaker said in a statement the court has yet again demonstrated it is the most political body in the state of kansas
dumping the ruling at 5 pm the day before a long weekend and holding children hostage mr merrick said this despite the fact that the legislature acted in good faith to equalize the record amounts of money going to schools
satisfying the court could mean spending tens of millions more on public schools a measure that mr brownback said could be achieved by making more cuts to higher education and medicaid
kansas fiscal woes which many in the state attribute to mr brownbacks deep tax cuts in 2012 and 2013 have given the governor and the legislature very little wiggle room in the budget to devote millions more to education funding
the court reiterated that lawmakers had until june 30 to devise a solution this will give the legislature yet another opportunity to treat kansas students fairly it said
alan rupe a lawyer representing the school districts that sued the state said they were optimistic that the legislature will take this last last chance offered by the court to put kansas schoolchildren back on a path toward equitable school funding and perform its constitutional duty to provide adequate and equitable schooling to all kansas kids
in a statement mr brownback sharply criticized the ruling
it is unfortunate that the kansas supreme court has put at risk the education of kansas students by threatening to close schools on june 30 he said the court is engaging in political brinksmanship with this ruling and the cost will be borne by our children we will carefully consider the implications of the courts ruling and its disregard for the proper role of the kansas legislature


courtney rahal plans to stand in the pits at indianapolis motor speedway on sunday while her 27 year old husband graham climbs into a car and starts his ninth indianapolis 500 she will join her parents in a suite for a while returning to the pits for the end of the race
that is standard procedure for most of the spouses and sweethearts of the 33 drivers in the race which will be run for the 100th time before a sellout crowd of more than 300000 but courtney 27 is different she drives fast cars for a living too   faster than grahams
known professionally as courtney force she drives a funny car owned by her father john a 16 time series champion in the national hot rod association series while graham rahal qualified last weekend at indy at 225847 miles an hour she topped 330 mph at an nhra event in topeka kan she leads the funny car standings after seven events
of course grahams race will last 500 miles and will hopefully include 2000 left turns and courtneys races are deafening 1000 foot long nitromethane fueled bursts on a straightaway but the couple married for six months can relate
i think it is a positive because they both understand the demands that are placed on each other said the 1986 indianapolis 500 champion bobby rahal who is grahams father and owner of his racecar they dont have to explain to each other what they have to do and why they both recognize the risks   although im sure they dont dwell on that you appreciate what each other is doing
the work is extremely hazardous of course eric medlen a funny car driver for john force died in march 2007 after crashing in a test session six months later force was seriously injured in a crash at ennis tex and was out of racing for four months
graham drove in the last two races in which indycar drivers sustained fatal injuries dan wheldon the two time indy 500 winner at las vegas in october 2011 and justin wilson at long pond pa last august
we know whats out there force said the monsters always out there it is out there but you cant dwell on it ive always believed when the good lord wants you hes going to take you shes seen it lived it with losing eric
courtney said its always in the back of your head the danger but you expect that as a driver anyway
grahams occupation was what led courtney to follow him on twitter early in 2012 her first season as a driver at 19 graham won his first indycar series race in 2008   still the youngest american to win a major open wheel event
she was coming to indianapolis with friends she reached out to him for dining suggestions rahal had other obligations and could not meet her but they stayed in touch he texted her to see if she could get him tickets to an nhra event in joliet ill
i remember i was in the pit area signing autographs and he walked over to me when i was right in the middle of signing and he gave me a big hug courtney said i remember thinking oh my god hes hugging me in front of all these fans theyre going to jump to conclusions
but they liked each other when the indycar series had a race later that season in fontana calif not far from her house in yorba linda she asked graham to get her two tickets   one for her and one for her father
i made my dad go to the race with me courtney said because no one would think anything of it
they became a racing couple even though their backgrounds were different she grew up in southern california and is one of four sisters all of whom drove or work for their loquacious 66 year old father brittany force 29 is third in the top fuel standings
graham grew up in columbus ohio john force did not know bobby rahal well before graham met courtney but force said he reminds me a lot of his dad meaning graham was lower key and softer spoken than force with a droll wit
john is a great guy   very successful very demanding graham said i grew up in a very successful family so we bump heads wed be a good tv show lets put it that way
graham laughed then added john is racing that is john hes a shoot from the hip kind of guy it is difficult for me sometimes because he is so different
as courtney recalls graham began talking about marriage before she was quite ready she thought that perhaps he would propose to her when visiting the forces over christmas   almost a year after they had met graham had an accelerated plan
they went to venice italy at thanksgiving 2014 and graham came prepared he hired a gondola and hoped to propose at just the right moment of the ride he waited until the light was just right   and spotted a dumpster and nasty fencing
i thought wow this isnt romantic graham said
hed been sweet talking me then all of a sudden he said isnt the architecture really amazing here courtney said i was just kind of frozen i remember him fiddling with something in his pocket it was utterly unexpected
they finally reached a spot where he could pop the question courtney said before i said yes the first thing i said was does my dad know he knew my dad cant keep a secret
graham had already run it past john and laurie force john force said i know he loves her   thats whats important to my wife and me youve got to be in love to make that work theyre kind of a special couple
they were married last november in southern california next to a cliff that overlooked the pacific ocean but they have kept residences near their teams headquarters seeing each other as often as their schedules permit courtney has been in indianapolis most of may
i dont get to see her enough graham said the largest drawback is that we live our lives on the road its not fun its not easy its demanding and its frustrating on the weekends she disappears off to her races you try to make it work
these are the years for racing although graham starts 26th in the 33 car field sunday he has been encouraged by how his car has run this month and when the nhra season has a western swing later this summer he plans to spend time in california cheering his wife on
its just an understanding of what we do   the stresses the ups and downs how your moods can change when youre not running good courtney said that support is huge that was one thing i learned is that we could share this together


washington   as many of his republican colleagues were sliding into disconsolate resignation senator ben sasse of nebraska sat on a riverbank recently and wrote a meandering missive calling on someone to challenge his partys presumed nominee donald j trump for the presidency
why shouldnt america draft an honest leader he wrote on facebook you know  an adult
mr sasse 44 a baby faced former college president who outsmarted a bevy of better known republicans to win his seat in 2014 has stood out largely for his conservative voting record and perhaps for his children who are home schooled half of the time in senate committee hearing rooms and on his office couch
but mr sasse is now best known for his strident   and counterintuitive   opposition to his partys standard bearer one of the last remnants of never trump in a capitol slipping into the vortex of the moguls general election campaign
the house speaker paul d ryan has not given mr trump an endorsement   notwithstanding occasional unfounded claims by the candidates aides that one is coming   but the two men continue to have what the speaker has called productive conversations on policy issues senators lindsey graham of south carolina and jeff flake of arizona both republicans have treated mr trump like an insufferable relative at a family wedding but mr graham said he recently had a cordial phone call with mr trump on foreign policy and mr flake has said he is still deciding whether to endorse the businessman
far more congressional republicans have adopted wan smiles and insisted that they will give mr trump their full support senator marco rubio of florida who traded insults with mr trump when he was a presidential candidate told cnn this week that he would be honored to speak on mr trumps behalf at the republican convention
but mr sasse pronounced sass keeps his voice raised the lone conservative on capitol hill still railing to the consternation of many in his states republican party
i dont agree with his strategy said deb fischer the senior nebraska senator whose manner is generally as mild as her states farmstead cheese im not going to hand this election to hillary clinton
mr sasse is unbowed in private many people will say some version of i wish i could take the position youve taken but i dont know how that will affect me back home  mr sasse said during an interview in his senate office i dont know where its written that fighting for what you believe in will always be popular with 51 percent
mr trump has responded with his hallmark eloquence among his posts on twitter bensasse looks more like a gym rat than a us senator how the hell did he ever get elected
delegates to the nebraska republican convention were also not charmed this month they officially reprimanded mr sasse and opposed his call for a third candidate moves that were led by ms fischers nephew
party leaders were also unhappy that mr sasse followed a unity speech by ms fischer by telling the convention that he would not address his anti trumpism he instead delved into his thoughts on ordered liberty and his older daughters recent stint living on a cattle ranch
the senator missed an opportunity to express himself on this issue at the convention and get an honest reaction from the delegates said j l spray a national republican committeeman and former state chairman of the party its a little bit confusing to me at least as to what the senator wants to do now
some have suspected that mr sasse is referring to himself when he speaks of a third way a draft sasse political action committee was even formed though mr sasse has repeatedly said he has no interest in running because of his children and his senate obligations
yet in speeches to political gatherings and in interviews with reporters mr sasse offers a compelling campaign style message that reflects his impressive academic resume his work as a business turnaround specialist his orientation toward individual rights and his intense religiosity
a wrestling recruit at harvard he also has a phd from yale and at 37 he became the president of midland university in fremont neb near where he grew up at times he sounds like a college professor lamenting the lack of cultural catechesis in america
a former consultant at the boston consulting group where mitt romney another vocal republican opponent of mr trump once worked mr sasse also frequently cites the need for lifelong learning to deal with economic disruption he says that while the democrats are trying to make america european again the republicans are trying to make it 1950 again
mr sasse an evangelical christian easily quotes scripture without notes last month at a family research council event in washington mr sasse contextualized his political theology
there is a great risk in our time that our people who are scared and who are disoriented will vest too much in politics and they will believe that their american ness is the center of their identity he said and i am here to tell you brothers and sisters that is idolatrous
he talks less about his government service including a stint in the department of health and human services during the bush administration
that blending of messages helped him sail to victory in his senate race we were completely inspired said dr marie belin a pediatrician in omaha he was someone who focused more on his principles rather than toeing the party line
mr sasse can sound dismissive of the senates work i would like to see us do something beyond the small bore he said
his seniority is so low he is tied for 99th that his senate office is split between two floors he has an unusual routine keeping one of his daughters in washington for a week and then rotating in the other one his 14 year old elizabeth helps with legislative mail and the 12 year old alexandra gives tours of the capitol when other offices are short a guide on the off weeks the girls are home schooled by his wife melissa in nebraska with their 5 year old brother breck
the senators propensity for voting no on bills he finds to exceed the scope of government strikes some colleagues as sincere constitutionalism but exasperates others when she learned he had cast the lone vote against her bill to combat opioid abuse senator kelly ayotte a new hampshire republican rolled her eyes and said whatever dude
mr sasse insists that talking about the presidential race is only one part of his public mission i never made a decision not to support donald trump he said i was just never persuaded that he was trustworthy


paris   in a difficult era for american players in mens tennis the 6 foot 10 john isner has become a steady if not towering standard bearer
isner seeded 15th at the french open recovered from being down by two sets to one and then by 0 2 in the fifth set by reeling off six consecutive games to beat teymuraz gabashvili of russia 7 6 7 4 6 2 6 6 4 6 2 on court 2 on friday afternoon
the comeback victory put isner 31 into the second week for a third consecutive grand slam event the best such streak in his career as he warmed up isner could hear jack sock losing in five sets to albert ramos vinolas next door at court 3 so he knew he was again the last american man standing a role he has had at seven of the last nine grand slam events
maybe i go a bit underappreciated isner said of his role in american mens tennis but for me personally i feel like ive done a good job the fact that ive been top 20 in the world six years in a row is something i can hang my hat on for sure i want to do that again this year ive been the top american four years in a row   thats something i never would have imagined being in that spot ever heck no
isner who reached a career best ranking of no 9 in 2012 has won 10 career singles titles all on the lowest rung of the atp tour the current american mens ladder has a lower top in recent years than it has ever had before and stints in the atp top 10 have been rare since the retirement of andy roddick the last american man to win a major tournament the 2003 united states open
isners resume further pales in comparison with that of americas top female player serena williams who has held the wtas top spot for more than three consecutive years and at the french open is in pursuit of a 22nd grand slam singles title which would tie the womens record for the open era but despite isners lesser profile he still comes under scrutiny
he was the no 1 american forever it seemed like isner said of roddick and at every grand slam he played   maybe outside of this one   there were a lot of hopes pinned on him i feel that a little bit but not to the same extent but its a good position to be in i like this spot
the post roddick era has been the bleakest in the history of american mens tennis and without isner the landscape would be apocalyptic isner accounts for 10 of the 26 third round appearances that american men have had at major tournaments since roddick retired at the 2012 united states open and isners six year tenancy in the top 20 has been more often than not the countrys sole representation in an echelon it once took for granted
hes kept us relevant for a few years sock said of isner the younger guys now are definitely pushing and trying to get up there with him
isner acknowledged that the current crop he has led had been less successful than previous ones
its definitely not the american tennis of the early 2000s or 90s isner said i have been the no 1 american for a long time now generally around 14 13 in the world   which im very proud of   but its not the same its not what american tennis fans are accustomed to
he added i guess it could be worse if i wasnt around hopefully im around for a long time to come and i think i can be as well
to keep going at this tournament isner will need to improve on his 1 5 record in the round of 16 at grand slam tournaments his path will get more difficult in his next match when he faces second seeded andy murray who got some useful repetitions against another big server the 6 foot 11 ivo karlovic in winning by 6 1 6 4 7 6 3
on a day in which rafael nadal withdrew from the tournament eighth seeded milos raonic a towering server from canada grimaced with pain in his left hip during an otherwise routine 7 6 4 6 2 6 3 win over the lucky loser andrej martin
the other top 10 seeds who were in action advanced as well with no 3 stan wawrinka and no 9 richard gasquet both winning in straight sets and no 5 kei nishikori needing five sets to beat fernando verdasco


a vintage world war ii plane crashed into the hudson river during a promotional photo shoot on friday night killing the pilot the authorities said
the plane a p 47 thunderbolt belonged to the american airpower museum in farmingdale ny it was with two other planes   a p 40 from world war ii and a contemporary aircraft   in an area off west 79th street in manhattan when it crashed around 730 pm said gary lewi a spokesman for the museum
divers from the new york police department recovered the body of the pilot around 1040 the authorities identified the pilot as william gordon 56 of key west fla
frank pijuan 53 who was walking parallel to the river on the manhattan side said he had seen a low flying plane approaching from the west side of manhattan he said he thought the plane was doing acrobatic stunts then it disappeared he said
the plane from 1944 had flown twice earlier on friday with no issues and had been consistently free of troubles mr lewi said it was being photographed as part of a promotion for an air show at jones beach on long island taking place over the memorial day weekend
clearly we are dealing with a tragedy mr lewi said of the pilots death its crushing
civilian bystanders dived into the water in an attempt to rescue the pilot said a united states coast guard spokesman petty officer frank iannazzo simmons
the plane had been part of the museum for 16 years and regularly participated in air shows mr lewi said
the p 47 thunderbolts were considered stalwarts of the united states military during world war ii said albert j parisi an aviation journalist and historian who is the operations officer of the army air forces historical association in new jersey
the single seat aircraft were known for being able to withstand a lot of damage and still fly they were instrumental in the relief effort during the battle of the bulge mr parisi said
the army corps of engineers was sending a drift collection vessel the hayward which has a heavy duty crane to work with police department divers to retrieve the wreckage said ken wells a corps spokesman for the new york district
the recovery effort was expected to take place during slack tide between 11 pm on friday and 1 am on saturday he was unsure where the wreckage would be taken


san francisco   the biometric information privacy act of illinois is not a law many are familiar with but if you have ever shared a photo on social media the little known statute turns out to be one of the nations toughest regulations for how companies like facebook and google can use facial recognition technologies to identify you online
for now
on thursday an illinois state senator terry link introduced an amendment that would have weakened the law by exempting photo tagging technologies that are now commonly used on social media the proposal also had the potential to extinguish several class action lawsuits against technology companies like facebook by retroactively removing the right of illinois citizens to sue companies that might have broken the law in the past
the amendment was lobbied for by facebook according to a person involved in the effort who spoke on the condition of anonymity and it helps to illustrate how from drone aircraft to genetic information and statutes that govern how companies sell consumer information to data miners tech companies are in a capital to capital fight to keep new laws from being passed or to soften those already on the books
the illinois biometric privacy act is one of the best new privacy laws in the country said marc rotenberg president of the electronic privacy information center its bad news for consumers when internet companies start lobbying against good privacy laws
the proposed amendment which would have carved out an exemption for any biometric information collected through a photograph or video prompted a host of lawyers and privacy advocates to condemn the proposal by friday afternoon a spokesman in the office of senator link said the amendment was no longer being considered but declined to comment further the senator had also written the original law
in a comment sent by email a spokeswoman for facebook said we appreciate senator links effort to clarify the scope of the law he authored
pam dixon executive director of the world privacy forum said statehouses were increasingly becoming privacy battlegrounds as legislators wrestle with the question of not just how tech companies use peoples names and personal information but also their faces and voices
we have had a very dysfunctional congress for quite some time and as a result the most effective place to work has been the statehouses she said its where hearts and minds are being won and where laws are still being crafted and passed
biometric information like face and voice recognition has become a huge and potentially costly area as tech companies plow tons of money and powerful artificial intelligence technologies into photo and video applications that can identify people with an accuracy that would have seemed like science fiction only a few years ago
laws curbing these programs can be a huge burden for tech companies because following the laws could mean slowing the arrival of new features or creating a patchwork of features that could be turned off and on in various states
while the state violations are often small   the illinois act gives citizens the right to sue for up to 5000 per violation   potential liability can run to billions or even trillions of dollars once multiplied across hundreds of millions of individual users that has made privacy law a lucrative new area for class action lawyers who can extract multimillion dollar settlements just by bringing a case
nevertheless questions of how much tech companies should be allowed to do without notifying their users will multiply especially as people adopt more live video and voice technologies that have already made it possible for tech companies to identify people who might not even use their services
its basically a company creating the ability to capture someones identity when they might not want to reveal their identity mr rotenberg said
the biometric information privacy act was passed in illinois in 2008 and has quickly become the bane of social media companies under the current law companies have to get a users consent before turning on features that scan and store faces for identification
the law is at the center of several class action lawsuits including one that claims that facebook has secretly amassed the worlds largest privately held database of consumer biometrics data
that suit filed by edelson pc - a chicago based law firm known for suing tech companies for privacy violations - recently cleared a significant legal hurdle that allowed the suit to proceed and increases the likelihood of facebook settling the case which could potentially mean millions in fees for the edelson firm
jay edelson founder of edelson pc said of facebook these guys believe that the rules shouldnt apply to them and have the money to literally rewrite them


san francisco   after the news that one of silicon valleys stars secretly funded a lawsuit to bring down a gossip site the overwhelming response in the tech community has been more power to him
peter thiel   facebook investor paypal co founder and a billionaire with a highly developed instinct for revenge   is being hailed by the valleys elite for his stealthy actions against gawker media whose valleywag gossip blog outed him as gay and irritated other important tech people during its brief existence the suit brought by the professional wrestler hulk hogan over a sex tape resulted in a 140 million verdict against gawker
with its response the tech communitys message is clear treat us the way we want to be treated or we might retaliate even though silicon valley professes to be for free speech   this is where twitter was invented after all   the reaction opens a window into the thinking of the digerati who are becoming more guarded and elusive even as their products make the world more transparent
given mr thiels beliefs and objectives i cant fault him for his approach parker thompson a partner at the venture capital firm 500 startups said in an interview
mr thompson was just one of dozens of techies in silicon valley who talked or tweeted their approval of mr thiel and their disapproval or worse of gawker and valleywag in the last few days
click bait journalists need to be taught lessons said the billionaire vinod khosla whose efforts to close off public access to a beach on his property were covered by valleywag
gawker desperately persisted in trying to destroy people without basis no accountability said the venture capitalist chris sacca
thank you peterthiel wrote jessica livingston co founder of the influential start up incubator y combinator which was occasionally tweaked by valleywag
at least one tech billionaire however is on gawkers side pierre omidyar founder of ebay tweeted people who oppose even the slightest common sense limits on second amendment should understand the same principle applies to first
late friday first look media which was founded by mr omidyar said that in keeping with its mission to protect the first amendment it would be helping to organize supporting briefs for gawkers appeal
the possibility that gawker may have to post a bond for 50 million or more just to be able to pursue its right to appeal the jurys verdict raises serious concerns about press freedom lynn oberlander general counsel for first look said in a statement
we welcome the support at the appellate level gawker said in its own statement
in some ways silicon valleys reaction is not surprising a journalists job at least in theory is to ask questions and print the truth which means it is less than loved in citadels of power but in silicon valley even the media hates the media
gawker can burn in hell the techcrunch founder michael arrington said on twitter though he also called mr thiel cowardly for not being open about financing the lawsuits against gawker techcrunch began as a site that worked hand in hand with start ups to chart their progress
for ken shotts who teaches ethics and strategy at the stanford graduate school of business mr thiels secret campaign against gawker brought to mind general motors pursuit of ralph nader 50 years ago gm set private detectives on mr nader to get the dirt on him that would nullify his criticism of its corvair car gm went beyond the pale and was punished the president of gm was forced to appear before congress and apologize for harassing and intimidating the companys critic
companies face constraints said mr shotts thats a good thing individuals are less constrained and billionaires hardly at all
from this perspective what mr thiel did was less of an aberration and more of that old silicon valley stand by a new product launch it is now out of stealth mode and getting good reviews among potential users
as a result mr shotts said i wouldnt be surprised to see more cases like this
the situation is complicated by the fact that these days rich tech companies their owners or venture capitalists are as much the owners and producers of the media as the subject with the traditional media in a weakened state it is a trend that seems to be accelerating
andreessen horowitz one of silicon valleys most prominent venture firms owns a stake in buzzfeed and recently increased its investment in medium a platform that also produces content facebook came under scrutiny this month after reports from gizmodo a gawker property that it was playing down conservative news
facebook and andreesen horowitz declined to comment
gawker tried to have it both ways venky ganesan managing director of the venture capital firm menlo ventures said in an interview they wanted to be taken seriously as journalists yet they didnt follow all the norms
twenty five years ago tech coverage was the domain of geeks and trade reporters   people who understood their way around a motherboard were excited by it and wouldnt dream of crossing certain boundaries now with tech at its zenith much of the coverage of the industry is still done by enthusiasts combine this with the need to get the power players to come to the medias conferences and there is a real reluctance to look behind the scenes
elizabeth spiers who was the first gawker writer and is now an entrepreneur noted on her blog that the tech press is largely fawning toward successful entrepreneurs and venture capitalists and mostly unintentionally
the result she wrote is a sense of entitlement in the industry where denizens of silicon valley expect the media to actively support them and any negative portrayals are met with real anger and resentment even when theyre 100 percent accurate
sam altman the president of y combinator tried to chart a middle ground between gawker and mr thiel in a series of posts on twitter
gawker is disgusting for outing people publishing sex tapes etc he wrote but also posted that itd be bad if rich people could start silencing the media he concluded by blaming the legal system


in new york city it seemed like you couldnt go wrong getting tourists heads into the clouds especially if like one world observatory you could boast the highest observation deck in the western hemisphere atop the newly built 1 world trade center
when the observatory complex opened last year on the top three floors of the new lower manhattan building its operator legends predicted that it would draw 33 million visitors annually
that was optimistic by a million
this week the video wall in the global welcome center which displays a running tally of visitors put the total number at just 23 million since the observatory opened on may 29 2015
and it appears that the river of tourists has slowed over time one world celebrated its one millionth visitor last september four months after opening but in the eight months since then only 13 million have made their way to the attraction perched 1268 feet above city streets
with the standard ticket price set at 32 the shortfall in attendance is significant for the port authority of new york and new jersey which owns the building together with the durst organization the authority which has spent tens of billions of dollars rebuilding the trade center hoped the observatory would be a major revenue generator
in the past the authority claimed that its lease with legends would generate 875 million over 15 years legends pays the authority a flat rent of 146 million a year and as much as 50 percent of the revenues above certain undisclosed thresholds
legends and the authority insist that the observatory is a success although they both refuse to release any rent or revenue numbers for the publicly owned property citing a confidentiality agreement they say the observatory hit its numbers for 2015
between revenue numbers and customer reviews we couldnt be more happy said shervin mirhashemi president of legends which is owned by the new york yankees and the dallas cowboys we look at our attraction as a premium experience
still the national september 11 memorial and museum attracted 29 million visitors over the past year 600000 more than one world observatory
observatories have become a 21st century craze inspired in part by the profit making operation at one of the worlds biggest tourist attractions the empire state building whose two observatories are a veritable cash machine drawing more than 4 million tourists annually and producing nearly 40 percent of the towers total revenue in 2015 and 82 million in cash after expenses
top of the rock the observation deck at rockefeller center lures 2 million visitors a year
both attractions raised their prices to match one world observatorys when that venue opened
some new observatories are offering more than a view to attract tourists
at the tilt thrill ride at the john hancock center in chicago visitors can step into a glass and steel enclosure as it rotates 30 degrees
in los angeles when a four story observatory at the us bank tower is completed visitors will be able to hurtle down a 45 foot long glass bottomed slide 1000 feet above the street
but in new york the attraction has mostly been the view whether from the empire state building top of the rock or until it was destroyed in the sept 11 attacks the windows on the world complex atop the trade centers north tower with its high end restaurant bars and party rooms offering sweeping vistas over the harbor and lower manhattan
mr mirhashemi said that legends was still building its business at the trade center he said the company expected to draw 25 million tourists in 2016 and eventually more than 3 million annually
in explaining the slowdown so far this year mr mirhashemi said that tourism typically dipped between january and may but came roaring back in the summer
but in the first quarter of 2016 the empire state buildings observatories saw a 156 percent increase in attendance over the same period a year earlier according to sec filings
legends which spent almost 80 million building the complex atop 1 world trade center provides marketing and food and beverage services for a number of large sports venues including yankee stadium in the bronx angel stadium and the rose bowl in the los angeles area levis stadium in the san francisco bay area and the cowboys att stadium outside dallas one world observatory is the companys first observatory though it will also operate the observation deck at the us bank tower in los angeles
the authority selected the company in 2013 to run the attraction at the trade center over more experienced operators
barry tenenbaum president of new york city vacation packages a tourism company said the observatorys problems might be rooted in legends failure to court tour operators which often buy tickets in bulk at a significant discount
tourists from other countries often purchase a package with tickets from museums and other attractions before they land in new york the standard package for mr tenenbaums company includes admission to either the empire state building or top of the rock but not to one world observatory
legends really doesnt have a lot of experience in the tourism market mr tenenbaum said i would like to think thats why their volume is not up to snuff i think theyre going after the corporate market as much as the tourist market
mr mirhashemi said that legends was working with tour operators but on a very selective basis
soon visitors will have even more choices on the west side of manhattan a new competitor at 30 hudson yards which claims it will have the highest outdoor deck on the 89th floor is scheduled to open in 2019 with another at 1 vanderbilt next to grand central terminal to follow
analysts have wondered how many observatories are too many in new york
but some people think the sky is the limit the city could definitely accommodate three if not more observatories said andrew luan owner of new york tour1 a guided tour operator


an operative for al qaedas affiliate in yemen who was trained in bomb making by anwar al awlaki and agreed to carry out an attack targeting americans and israelis at heathrow airport in london was sentenced to 40 years in prison on friday in manhattan
the operative minh quang pham 33 never carried out the attack after returning home to britain in summer 2011 and in a letter to the judge he said he had only agreed to the plot in order to get out of yemen and return home mr pham who was extradited from britain to the united states last year pleaded guilty in january to three terrorism related charges
but the office of preet bharara the united states attorney in manhattan said mr pham had not carried out the attack because he knew he was under surveillance by the authorities after returning to britain
mr pham traveled secretly to yemen in 2010 swore allegiance to the terrorist group known as al qaeda in the arabian peninsula or aqap and worked on its online propaganda publication inspire
under questioning by the federal bureau of investigation he said that while he was in yemen he approached mr awlaki an american born radical muslim cleric who had become aqaps leading english language propagandist and volunteered to sacrifice himself in a suicide attack upon returning to britain
he said mr awlaki taught him how to mix chemicals to make an explosive device and even showed him how to tape bolts around the bomb to act as deadly shrapnel when the device exploded mr awlaki had also said to target the airport attack on arrivals from the united states or israel
the judge alison j nathan of federal district court said she agreed with the governments position that mr pham had intended to conduct the bombing and condemned his role in what she called a murderous plot
she said mr pham had been a trusted skilled and for a time dedicated participant in aqap and that she believed aspects of that continued even after he returned to britain
the government had suggested a 50 year sentence anna m skotko a prosecutor told the judge that there was no evidence mr pham had disavowed his allegiance to the terrorist group
he was a full grown well educated adult she said he was not a naive child who lost his way and was looking for a group of friends she said mr pham chose to go to yemen because he wanted to martyr himself
he chose to go there she said because he wanted to cause destruction in the west and that has remained with him to this day
mr pham weeping at one point told the judge that he had made a very serious mistake
my thinking was wrong at the time he said adding all i can say is i have reformed
mr pham who was born in vietnam lived in britain since childhood his lawyer bobbie c sternheim had asked the judge to impose a 30 year sentence the minimum
ms sternheim noted that her client had willingly spoken to the fbi had owned up to his mistakes and had not engaged in violence when he returned to britain she added we should be hopeful that people who make mistakes can reform
judge nathan before imposing the sentence noted that mr pham in his letter said he had renounced terrorism and extreme ideology i dont know whether these statements represent mr phams true beliefs the judge said i hope that they do


matt harvey wore a batting practice cap and an undershirt to the mound on friday at citi field long before fans were allowed inside the uniform will be different on monday and the stands will be packed but the setting   on a diamond with hitters up there to swing   mattered most
harvey the mets right hander whose era has swelled to 608 faced teammates alejandro de aza and matt reynolds in his between starts mound session he faced hitters on the same mound a few days before his last start too but that game was another clunker five innings five runs and just one strikeout in washington
the difference in this session was that harvey threw fewer pitches the mets hope that will help his stamina against the chicago white sox on monday
compared to when i faced him last week his stuff looked good it looked sharper he looked more in command and his fastball had a little more life said reynolds who also hit off harvey in his last between starts session he looks like hes headed on the right track to getting back where he was
harvey did not talk to reporters and the pitching coach dan warthen declined to comment manager terry collins did not watch the session but said harvey was trying to fix a mechanical flaw
the second time through the order were seeing things hes doing on the mound that are keeping him from having the ability to make the pitches he needs to make collins said were seeing a velocity drop and theres a reason for that were seeing lack of command of his breaking ball matter of fact he said his feel for the breaking ball goes all of a sudden
its about muscle memory more than anything and so were trying to get that to be where hey look you dont think about it you just do it just stay with what was working early in the game when runners get on base all of a sudden you see some things that are changing its all about trying to get him to relax and trying to get him to just pitch his game
collins said harvey had to use his lower half better and find a more consistent arm angle a scout who attended harveys last game   and was granted anonymity so he could freely discuss another teams player   said harvey might be throwing across his body too much which could affect his command
the mets insist that harvey is healthy and collins said he is not telegraphing his pitches
weve exhausted the pitch tipping idea because weve certainly studied film and ive got two guys that are very very good at picking that stuff up collins said so thats not the key the key is hes not making pitches the two pitches he made to zimmerman and rendon the other day were completely against where to locate it and yet he did
ryan zimmerman and anthony rendon hit homers off changeups two of the three home runs harvey allowed on tuesday daniel murphy hit the other off a fastball that had lost a couple of miles an hour from earlier in the game
harvey has not pitched more than six innings in a game this season and has allowed a 509 opponents batting average the third time through the batting order
in the 2015 regular season harvey had a 255 opponents average the third time through the order and lasted more than six innings in 16 of his 29 starts it was harveys comeback season after tommy john surgery and he pitched 216 innings through the end of the world series the mets believe that he still may be feeling the impact of that workload
he knows how to pitch reynolds said hes matt harvey hes done it before and hes going to continue to do it hes just got to get out of this little funk that hes in and hell be fine


paris   the racket dropped to the ground the hands went high into the air and soon after the teardrops rolled shelby rogers 23 had just achieved the biggest victory of her career in one of the greatest moments of her young life
she had defeated 10th seeded petra kvitova 6 0 6 7 3 6 0 at the french open and advanced to the fourth round of a grand slam tournament for the first time
after securing the winning point and shaking hands with the devastated kvitova rogers put her face in her hands to temporarily mask her tears and then ran to hug her parents her agent her coach and her boyfriend
its a little bit blurry for sure rogers said of the final point there was a lot of noise and a lot of applause and a lot of emotions taking over
ranked 108th in the world rogers was the second to last player accepted into the main draw but with impressive wins over karolina pliskova elena vesnina and kvitova rogers a south carolinian is negotiating the red clay as well as any of the europeans she has vanquished there is another one coming up in the romanian irina camelia begu but rogers was uninterested in discussing that match
can i enjoy this one for a little bit she asked reporters
kvitova a two time wimbledon champion acknowledged that rogers had controlled the match pounding away from the baseline and forcing her into impossible corners but kvitova said a bad night of sleep had been another obstacle to her winning
i felt just weird she said i didnt really sleep tonight and its just difficult day today for sure its one of the worst definitely to lose in a grand slam
some of rogerss earliest tennis moments   including as a ball girl at the charleston sc tournament   came on clay she was born in mount pleasant sc where tennis is big and the clay is mostly green but her skills have clearly translated well here
i have been feeling really confident she said i have had a couple of good wins here already i was just trying to focus on my game and do the things that have been working for me in my first rounds
rogerss older sister sabra pronounced saybra played tennis at emory university and the two are close shelby rogers said her older sister was unable to attend the tournament because of her work as a psychologist
but her presence was felt rogers said sabra had helped her sharpen her focus both on and off the court through journal writing rogers said it helped her keep self doubt from intruding on her mission
last year was a slog for rogers whose play was limited by back and knee injuries she qualified for the united states open and reached the third round before simona halep knocked her out
halep was back on court friday and withstood a challenge from naomi osaka an 18 year old japanese haitian player who grew up mostly in florida halep regrouped to win 4 6 6 2 6 3
osaka possesses a wicked forehand that forced halep back on her heels especially in the first set the flow of the match shifted which did not surprise osaka who acknowledged that she can be immature like any teenager
i sort of blanked out she said i stepped out of playing mode and then i realized im playing in this stadium against halep i should have focused more


a group of computer scientists released a paper on friday describing a number of security vulnerabilities in a novel cryptocurrency crowdfunding project that has raised more than 100 million
the authors of the paper argue that the money that has been put into the project known as the decentralized autonomous organization could be frozen or stolen by attackers as a result of flaws in the way that the venture known as the dao was set up the money is all in a digital currency called ether which is a newer alternative to bitcoin and exists entirely online
the threats emerged on the eve of the organizations move from fund raising to operational mode in which it will evaluate proposals to fund experimental digital projects
the dao is a sort of venture capital fund that will pick investments based on direct voting from investors the entire operation is computerized with no humans in charge
the authors of the new paper are calling for the daos investors to hold off on considering any potential investments until the vulnerabilities are fixed
the current implementation can enable attacks with severe consequences according to the paper written by the computer scientists dino mark vlad zamfir and emin gun sirer
mr gun sirer an associate professor of computer science at cornell university has particular authority in the area because he previously was an author of a paper pointing out a serious vulnerability in the structure of bitcoin the most popular virtual currency
mr gun sirer said in an email on friday that his team had decided to release the paper on the dao this week so that investors will not be subject to attacks when the fund raising deadline is over
mr gun sirer said he sent the paper to the programmers who wrote the code underlying the dao and to some of the so called curators on the project who will help guide decisions in the venture christoph jentzsch who wrote the basic code could not be reached for comment via email on friday
mr zamfir one of mr gun sirers co authors is one of the 10 curators another curator alex van de sande a programmer in brazil said on friday that the authors really raise some interesting attack vectors he said he did not see the attacks as an imminent threat but he was hoping that investors would vote to make the structure of the dao more secure potentially by dividing it into several smaller funds
the dao is built on ethereum a newer cryptocurrency network that was created to overcome some shortcomings in bitcointhe ethereum system enables so called smart contracts in which legal agreements can be written into computer code it is those smart contracts that serve as the basis for decision making and investments within the decentralized autonomous organization the dao is motivated in large part by a broader desire to find more decentralized ways to make decisions and financial transactions with fewer middlemen involved
after the organization began raising funds from investors in april the surprising level of interest led investors to buy ether - the virtual currency in the ethereum network - to invest in the dao that drove up the price of ether which in turn drove up the value of ether invested in the organization as of last weekend the aggregate value of ether that had been sent to the venture by investors around the world was more than 150 million
more recently several experts in the area have voiced concerns about the dao which has helped push down the price of ether on friday the value of the ether in the dao was 131 million even as the number of ether invested had increased
the new paper points to several ways that bad actors could exploit the voting process that investors in the dao will use to choose investments
at a fundamental level these attacks all stem from unintended consequences of the mechanisms built into the dao the paper says these problems can give rise to complex strategic behaviors all resulting in a corruption of the intended honest debate and voting process to select the most deserving proposals


the worlds biggest hedge fund bridgewater associates is poised to receive 22 million in financial aid from connecticut in an effort to keep it from moving its headquarters out of the state
the financial commitment to bridgewater the 150 billion fund founded by the billionaire ray dalio is occurring as connecticut is fighting to keep companies from leaving the state after a tax increase last year in january general electric announced it would move its fairfield conn headquarters to boston after 41 years
the money will go toward the expansion of bridgewaters headquarters in westport and facilities in wilton and norwalk according to the state bond commission a commission meeting on friday approved the funding which includes 2 million for employee training and a 17 million loan if bridgewater creates 750 jobs over the next five years the loan will be forgiven
an earlier proposal by bridgewater to build a 750 million campus in connecticut was withdrawn in 2014 because of public opposition to the project according to a local news report
bridgewater is popular with public pension funds and sovereign wealth funds and has grown rapidly in recent years its success in bringing in new investors has helped to enrich its top executives as have years of big gains
however while many of its funds made profits for its investors last year bridgewaters all weather fund which is popular among pension funds lost 7 percent
mr dalio 66 has topped the list of top paid hedge fund chiefs for years making 14 billion in 2015 alone according to institutional investors alpha magazine that year two other top bridgewater executives robert prince and greg jensen each brought home 250 million
across the industry investors are voicing frustration over disappointing hedge fund performance and the high fees managers earn on average investors pay 2 percent of total assets under management and 20 percent of any gains
a spokesman for bridgewater did not return calls seeking comment
connecticuts decision to finance bridgewaters expansion in the state is part of gov dannel p malloys first five program to encourage large companies to move their headquarters to connecticut and motivate companies already there to expand
but the governors latest move has drawn some criticism during the meeting on friday representatives raised questions on whether bridgewater lacked the capital to expand its headquarters
on monday themis klarides a republican state representative said in a statement that to make the worlds largest hedge fund a priority i find it dubious she emphasized other projects that would not be financed as a result of state funding going toward the grant to bridgewater
the debate follows a budget shortfall in connecticut based in part on its shrinking financial sector
in a statement after the meeting friday kevin lembo the state comptroller said despite my general reluctance about the state picking winners and losers i have been willing to cautiously support economic assistance to private companies but the size scope and nature of this particular proposal stands out and meets a new threshold that compels me to vote against it


an 8 year old boy brought a loaded semiautomatic pistol to an elementary school in brooklyn on friday the police said
the episode occurred at public school 91 on albany avenue a teacher there discovered the gun which was loaded with four rounds around 1130 am when the boy refused to put down his pack the police said the teacher lifted the backpack noticed that it was unusually heavy opened it and found the gun the police said the teacher told school officials who called the police
the police said there were no arrests but that they were looking into who owned the gun and how it came into the boys possession
in recent months families for excellent schools a pro charter school advocacy group that often opposes mayor bill de blasios education policies has said that new york citys schools are growing more dangerous under mr de blasio the organization recently joined a group of public school families to sue the education department contending that students were being deprived of their right to an education free of violence bullying and harassment
the data however is mixed the advocacy group using state statistics collected by school administrators maintains that the number of violent episodes rose 23 percent from the school year that ended in june 2014 to the one that ended in june 2015
but john b king jr the federal education secretary who was previously new york states education commissioner has said that the state data was inconsistent and that it rarely reflects the realities of school health and safety
the education department citing police department data that tracks any episode in a school in which the police are involved said that crime in the citys schools declined 29 percent from the 2011 12 school year to the 2014 15 year
as of friday seven guns had been found in schools so far this school year one fewer than had been found by this point last year according to the police


doctors who perform abortions in oklahoma will not face felony charges after the state senate adjourned for the year on friday without trying to override gov mary fallins veto of a bill to make the procedure a felony crime anti abortion republicans in the republican controlled legislature wanted senator nathan dahm to try for the two thirds vote needed in both chambers to override the republican governors veto it is a felony for non doctors to perform abortions governor fallin has signed numerous anti abortion bills but said mr dahms bill was vaguely worded and would not survive a legal challenge the senate president pro tem brian bingman said he did not believe mr dahm had the 32 senate votes needed ap
the parents of a woman killed on a san francisco pier by a man who was in the united states illegally filed a wrongful death lawsuit friday against the city and two federal agencies in their suit the parents of kathryn steinle accuse the san francisco sheriffs department of failing to notify federal immigration officials that it was releasing juan francisco lopez sanchez from jail last year they are also suing immigration and customs enforcement and the federal bureau of land management a blm ranger reported that a gun had been stolen from his car in downtown san francisco mr lopez sanchez says he found the gun and it fired when he picked it up unintentionally striking ms steinle in the back the killing thrust san francisco into the national debate over immigration it is a sanctuary city where undocumented immigrants without criminal records are generally protected from federal deportation agents ap
chief justice roy moore is suing the state agency that filed ethics charges against him his lawyers filed a federal lawsuit friday against the alabama judicial inquiry commission asking a court to order his immediate reinstatement as head of alabamas court system the suit says a law that led to chief justice moores automatic suspension when charges were filed against him this month is unconstitutional the lawsuit also cites news reports and reporters questions about possible charges against him in claiming that the commission violated confidentiality provisions the commission filed a complaint accusing chief justice moore of willfully failing to respect the authority of federal court decisions that cleared the way for same sex marriage ap


gov chris christie of new jersey signed legislation on friday that will help atlantic city the struggling seaside resort avoid bankruptcy and give local officials time to develop a recovery plan before the state intervenes
mr christie had been a forceful advocate for the state taking broad control in atlantic city as it contended with mounting debts and the closing of several casinos in recent years the governor had questioned whether city officials had been willing to enact the deep cuts needed to resolve the citys financial crisis
on friday mr christie said that the new measures would hold officials in atlantic city accountable and allow the state to take the reins if the city falls short in mapping out a turnaround plan
for atlantic city officials the final countdown starts today mr christie a republican said in a statement they know that if they fail to change their tendencies of wasteful spending and mismanagement my administration will be empowered to immediately step in and do the job for them
after months of political rancor lawmakers reached an agreement earlier this week and on thursday the state legislature approved the measures which give atlantic city five months to come up with a balanced budget for 2017 and create a five year plan that puts the city on a path toward financial stability
atlantic city would receive both a loan from the state and regular payments from casinos to help stabilize its finances the money from casinos would amount to 120 million in the first year and increase by at least 2 percent each year for the next nine years lawmakers said
the legislation does not spare atlantic city from having to make deep spending cuts and allows the city to use early retirement packages to try to reduce its public work force the city would also have to identify ways to increase revenue and reduce debt and it would have to make required payments to the local school district and atlantic county
atlantic citys mayor and some other city officials said they supported the measures because they believed handing over authority to the state would disenfranchise the voters of atlantic city some analysts questioned whether the local officials would be able to meet the demands of the legislation
donald guardian the mayor of atlantic city said he was aware of such skepticism but he believed that the city   and its employees and others in the community   were committed to fixing the financial situation its never easy to cut costs mr guardian a republican said in an interview but he added weve been standing together for the last six months
mr guardian said the city plans to sell vacant properties in an auction this summer it has already raised fees for city permits and will add more parking meters among other measures the city he said was looking under every stone to find ways we can either reduce costs or bring in income
but he acknowledged that tougher calls still had to be made i think its going to be a tough journey mr guardian said but i think were going to be well prepared and well have some success


islamabad pakistan   prime minister nawaz sharif of pakistan who has been facing increased political pressure over the extent of his familys wealth will undergo open heart surgery next week in london his daughter and government officials said friday
it will be the second open heart operation for mr sharif 66 who has been treated for heart problems over the past five years
mr sharif left for london last sunday for a medical checkup and had been scheduled to return this week in his absence ishaq dar the finance minister a relative of mr sharifs is managing the day to day running of the government
khawaja muhammad asif the defense minister said mr sharif would return to pakistan one week after the surgery if allowed by his doctors
details of the prime ministers impending surgery were reported friday by his daughter maryam nawaz sharif in a series of postings on her twitter account
ms sharif said a team of surgeons had advised her father to undergo the surgery after scans and tests but she did not describe precisely what the surgeons would do she said mr sharif would be on medication for the next three days and undergo the operation on tuesday
the prime minister first underwent open heart surgery in 2011 after a cardiac procedure to treat atrial fibrillation an irregular and often rapid heart rate resulted in a perforation of his heart his daughter said he has required regular medical checkups since
in april mr sharif abruptly went to london in the middle of a political crisis over revelations in leaked documents from a panamanian law firm known as the panama papers that his family had amassed secret offshore wealth the london visit led to rumors which proved unfounded that mr sharif might not return
the leaks revealed that three of mr sharifs children controlled shell companies through which they owned expensive residential properties in london
the revelations have caused an uproar in pakistan an impoverished country with a history of corruption and malfeasance and opposition politicians have pressed mr sharif to resign
mr sharif whose familys riches were made primarily through dealing in steel has denied any wrongdoing and has offered to be investigated
but differences persist between the government and opposition political parties over how an investigation would be done and lengthy negotiations are taking place between the two sides to establish the terms


nasa will try again on saturday morning to inflate a new room for the international space station
during the first attempt on thursday to pump air into the module known as the bigelow expandable activity module or beam the bulbous balloon like structure did not expand as much as expected beam is a test of technology to construct soft sided space habitats with walls made of fabric instead of metal
this fold up blowup approach would help solve the problem of how to build something spacious that can be packed into the narrow payload confines of a rocket beam was taken to the space station last month on a falcon 9 rocket launched by the space exploration technologies corporation or spacex the module was then attached to one of the stations docking ports and it remained folded up until thursday
the first steps of closing valves cutting straps and releasing bolts went without a hitch but as the crew tried to inflate it beam moved out only five inches toward the fully expanded length of 73 inches the diameter reached 103 inches but fully expanded beams diameter is meant to be 127 inches the process was halted as engineers took a closer look
we ran into higher forces than our model predicted jason crusan nasas director of advanced exploration systems said in a telephone news conference on friday
officials at nasa and bigelow aerospace the company that built beam at a cost of 178 million said there were no concerns about the module itself still they said they wanted to take a slow methodical approach to ensure that the module does not pop out suddenly potentially shaking and twisting the rest of the station
they said the snag was most likely caused by friction between the layers of fabric the launching of beam was delayed after the loss of an earlier spacex cargo flight and the additional months spent in the folded up configuration may have added to the friction
overnight beam expanded a bit more adding another inch in length and eight inches in diameter
on friday air was taken out of the module to be pumped back in on saturday coverage by nasa television on the web will begin at 845 am eastern time
if it runs into another snag deployment would likely be delayed to late next week as astronauts on the space station tend to other tasks like deploying small satellites known as cubesats
officials said that there was no rush to get beam inflated and that they were confident they would eventually succeed we have plenty of time to work this mr crusan said beam doesnt expire its perfectly safe
once inflated it will be tested for leaks astronauts will then install sensors inside the module to measure its performance during the next two years after that beam is to be detached and disposed burning up in the earths atmosphere
on friday spacex launched another falcon 9 rocket this time not for nasa but to put the thaicom 8 communications satellite in orbit
once again spacex was able to successfully land the booster stage of the rocket on a floating platform in the atlantic that is the fourth time spacex has recovered the booster part of efforts to cut the cost of launches by reusing rockets
the launch was postponed from thursday because of a glitch with the second stage engine
probably not a flight risk but still worth investigating elon musk spacexs chief executive reported on twitter


admit it you laughed like everyone else who clicked on the video of candace payne putting on a chewbacca mask in a parking lot you found yourself party to a spontaneous comedic chain reaction chewbacca roared she laughed and you joined her
but ... why the setup was mundane a woman in a van with a mask and a dash cam the video streamed through facebook live on may 19 was intended at least initially only for ms paynes friends the video has since been viewed over 150 million times a record for a facebook live video and thats not counting the autotuned version it could easily be dismissed as another freak moment caught live
but the video unwittingly followed the script of many other mega popular clips that incite laughter by showing it on screen their success hinges on a deceptively simple trick do something slightly outre add uncontrollable laughter and post
the main principle is the same one at work in any tear jerker or thriller when we see other people experiencing an emotion we can experience it too said caleb warren an assistant professor of marketing at texas am university who has studied the psychology and mechanics of comedy
but humor is the feeling most likely to set others off when someone else laughs were a lot more likely to laugh mr warren said
a whole subgenre of internet videos has emerged to produce that effect before there was the chewbacca mask there was the skype laughter chain 24 million views to date an online experiment in which a chain of strangers were linked up by webcam and each was driven to a fit of laughter upon watching the previous person laugh
onscreen laughter also factored into the success of the february viral video damn daniel in which one high school boy aggressively surprises another boy with compliments   damn daniel back at it again with the white vans   filming each campus encounter guerrilla style and posting it on snapchat midway through the stunt the merry saboteur cracks up and daniel laughs too
and a dedicated reddit community contagious laughter collects videos that show uncontrollable laughter and are primed to elicit the same the group was inspired by a 2011 video lachen in der u bahn 65 million views which documents an outbreak that started with one lone giggling german and eventually consumed an entire berlin subway car
a similar effect can be produced by videos that feature other infectious inappropriate sounds consider this youtube video of a dog pressing a car horn in a parking lot
or this vine of a person approaching a shopping basket full of squeezable toy geese pressing on them all at once and producing a disquieting unified honk
or babies scared of farts compilation 2013
but what the laugher is laughing at also matters the uncontrollable giggles are prompted by events that feel slightly inappropriate the laugh provides an emotional release from the tension
laughter is a signal mr warren said yes a transgression has occurred but the laugh means that something that feels potentially threatening off putting or socially awkward is actually nothing to worry about
the damn daniel video is funny because a high school student who surprises a classmate camera in hand might well be playing a nasty trick but in this case he has come only to deliver a compliment in the case of the chewbacca video the social transgression is extremely minor this grown woman is using a mask thats supposed to be for kids mr warren said but when we see the pure childlike joy it produces in ms payne a stay at home mother from grand prairie tex the event feels gloriously silly instead of pathetic
when laughter itself is the transgression the videos pack a one two punch its not normal for a woman to laugh to herself at length in a crowded subway car but its harmless so as her laughing fit continues others cant help joining her a similar thing happens when performers on saturday night live break character and laugh as aidy bryant and vanessa bayer did in a sketch last week featuring fred armisen the audience laughs too
online videos feel particularly intimate because they largely feature amateurs are unscripted and are filmed up close and by hand ms payne is a pleasant and attractive person to whom we freely lend our sympathies said carl plantinga a professor of film and media at calvin college who studies the psychology of cinema her enthusiasm seems to be genuine and kind
and because shes filming herself in close up her emotions are front and center   even once she puts on the mask you can see her eyes glistening in delight sympathetic viewers will involuntarily mimic her facial expressions leading to emotional contagion mr plantinga said the use of facebook live   which streams live video instantly with no opportunity to edit or scratch a take   only draws the viewer in closer
in highly intimate settings viewers dont want to see a transgression too big   that would be frightening not funny mr warren said the inherent intimacy of viral social videos helps explain why they often hinge on events so idiosyncratic and slight that their humor almost defies explanation
that very paradox forms the heart of what is so funny 34 million views as a baby laughs uncontrollably onscreen an adult woman behind the camera tries to ask whats so funny   only to break into laughter herself because everything constitutes a potential transgression to babies they are the natural stars of the genre
in mommys nose is scary a baby is struck with fear when his mother loudly blows her nose then chuckles when he realizes that her face has survived the incident the plot of baby laughing hysterically at ripping paper 85 million views is self explanatory
theres one more thing that might have helped ms paynes video become an instant online classic facebook live is a new product that the company is aggressively promoting the video features an unofficial tie in toy for the star wars franchise and ms payne mentions kohls the store where she bought the mask these corporate properties could not have produced a viral video as intimate and infectious as ms paynes and a kohls spokeswoman said the company had no involvement in the videos creation but they have all been grateful for her inadvertent endorsements and they have helped boost the videos profile after it aired
in the days since the video debuted ms payne has been showered with gifts from kohls an act of thanks caught on video and shared widely by the chain she has also gallivanted around facebooks menlo park campus photo opportunities of her in a facebook logo t shirt abounded posed with a stormtrooper at lucasfilm headquarters and joined james cordens carpool karaoke segment on his late late show alongside the force awakens director j j abrams
corporations will do anything for a laugh


more than 25 million americans will head to airports this weekend dreading their encounters with a common adversary people like shekina givens and the other employees of the troubled federal agency she works for the transportation security administration
the tsas uniformed screeners have become convenient scapegoats for the long lines missed flights and general chaos that have frustrated airline travelers all month and even if airports are relatively calm this weekend   and there is early evidence that may be the case   the agency itself has become a symbol of government inefficiency
to say customers are agitated is putting it mildly and the public outcry has resonated kerry philipovitch a senior vice president of american airlines told members of a congressional subcommittee on thursday
but ms givens a tsa screener at hartsfield jackson international airport in atlanta says the anger is misdirected she and her colleagues argue that the agency has been denied the resources it needs to contend with the expanding horde of passengers
we are doing more with less for years at this point she said and the long lines are proof of whats been going on
the tsas work force and budgets have in fact been shrinking the agencys rolls have declined to about 44900 screeners today from 47000 in 2013 even as passenger travel has increased by 15 percent but it is also true that it has been plagued by mismanagement and other problems of its own making an unloved stepchild of the department of homeland security the tsa has suffered through continual turnover in leadership repeated misconduct by senior managers low staff morale and high rates of attrition among screeners
my opinion is that a structural change is needed said thomas l bosco director of aviation for the port authority of new york and new jersey the current model that tsa has is not sustainable
the port authority and other airport agencies are considering hiring private screeners instead of using the tsa but the tsa would still have oversight of the private screeners
it is hard to find travelers who would disagree with mr bosco
we know when people are coming and how many k p reddy a venture capitalist said as he waited at hartsfield for a flight to scotland on thursday its not like road traffic mr reddy said its simple math to have enough people
michael boyd president of boyd group international an aviation consulting firm has a harsher assessment their job is to have enough people to make this work he said they dont have enough people therefore they failed
peter v neffenger the retired coast guard admiral who was appointed administrator of the agency last summer admitted as much in an interview on thursday he described the agency he took over as an organization in crisis both internally and in terms of public confidence in it
we really needed to step back and build the institution in a more deliberate way mr neffenger said
created in the aftermath of the sept 11 terrorist attacks the tsa has long struggled to balance the efficient screening of passengers and their baggage with the paramount goal of ensuring safety
there were problems from the beginning the agencys first administrator john w magaw was dismissed after six months on the job after criticism that he did not work well with lawmakers or airline or airport officials he was also criticized for long security lines resulting from the tsas screening methods
through a series of leadership changes travelers continued to complain about invasive scanning machines and unfriendly screeners john s pistole a former deputy director of the fbi arrived at the tsa in 2010 and tried to emphasize the agencys counterterrorism mission while seeking ways to speed the screening process
pre check an expedited screening system conceived by mr pistole was supposed to alleviate long waits by clearing many passengers to keep their shoes and jackets on at checkpoints and leave laptops and small containers of liquids in their carry on bags with those travelers ushered through exclusive pre check lanes screeners could devote more scrutiny to people the agency thought posed greater risk
but agency officials relied on overly optimistic projections of pre checks appeal estimating that millions of people would pay the 85 fee to enroll in it
during a hearing mr pistole who stepped down as the leader of the tsa last year told lawmakers that programs like it would not only save the agency money but also result in a smaller more capable work force focused on our counterterrorism mission
john roth the inspector general for the department of homeland security said that the subsequent cuts were a major cause of the slowdown that passengers were now experiencing
the reasons for the long lines we are seeing are not mysterious mr roth said tsa reduced its work force from previous levels because it believed that it would gain efficiencies from implementing what it called intelligence driven risk based procedures 
with the lanes set aside for pre check underused the agency started selecting passengers who had not been preapproved to bypass the standard lines during periods of high traffic to go through the less rigorous screening but the agencys classified review of the program which came to light in a recent congressional hearing revealed significant security gaps
an assistant security director disclosed that sara jane olson who was convicted in a plot by members of a 1970s radical group to kill los angeles police officers was allowed to use an expedited inspection lane even after having been recognized
mr pistole defended his decision to reduce the work force at the tsa saying the risk based screening approach had worked the problem he said was that the agency changed its detection methods
there are only so many options you can use to improve detection and one is to be more thorough which takes more time he said thoroughness and increased passenger traffic created a perfect storm for what you see now
the agency also faced a number of whistle blower lawsuits claiming that senior managers had retaliated against employees who reported security lapses and had awarded bonuses to supervisors who ignored their warnings other stories emerged that raised questions about the agencys management
one senior official kelly hoggan who was assistant administrator for the office of security operations received 90000 in bonuses over a 13 month period even though a leaked report from the department of homeland security showed that auditors were able to get fake weapons and explosives past security screeners 95 percent of the time in 70 covert tests
mr neffenger drew the ire of many employees during a congressional hearing this month when he said he would not discipline or remove mr hoggan adding that he had no evidence of wrongdoing but he has since replaced mr hoggan who is on paid leave and put limits on the amount of bonuses that employees can receive
not all the tsas troubles can be blamed on missteps by the agency the dysfunction has been compounded by an earlier 2013 bipartisan budget deal negotiated between senator patty murray democrat of washington and representative paul d ryan the current house speaker to avert a government shutdown
the deal set the security fee assessed on each segment of a plane trip to 560 but called for 60 cents of that fee to be diverted from the tsa to pay down the national debt this year 125 billion in fees is going into the treasury instead of paying for screeners and new equipment
j david cox sr president of the union that represents the screeners the american federation of government employees said that if the tsa kept all of the fees it could restore the 6000 workers it had lost in the last five years and pay them better all screeners start out as part timers and some earn less than 15 an hour mr cox said
the dwindling of their ranks while the number of passengers keeps rising has been deeply frustrating mr cox said they sort of feel like theyre at the ocean with a dipper every day he said
part of that is because of low morale and high attrition to address the problem congress has allowed mr neffenger to retain 1600 jobs that the tsa had planned to cut this year jeh johnson the homeland security secretary has also asked congress to allow the agency to redirect an additional 28 million to pay for shifting 2784 part time screeners to full time work at the 20 busiest airports
hoping to avert a disastrous start to the summer mr neffenger said he has sent a surge of additional officers and deployed most of the agencys explosive detecting dogs to those critical hubs
airlines are pitching in too in atlanta delta air lines rolled out new equipment this week for sorting travelers carry ons faster at kennedy international airport in new york a group of airlines pitched in 250000 to hire workers starting on friday to help tsa security officers explain the rules and help out at the security checkpoints
as the memorial day weekend began those measures appeared to be making a difference travelers who got an early start on thursday said they were pleasantly surprised by how short the lines at checkpoints were and how quickly they moved
at ohare international airport in chicago erin antonyzyn 38 a teacher who was flying to cincinnati to see her family said she had arrived at the airport two hours early but made it through security in 10 minutes and she had words for the tsa that it rarely hears
i think they obviously made some smart decisions she said


london   the audience sitting in the hazy light of the hackney empire theater was dressed with drab wartime smartness and flinched slightly as the sound of bombs exploding outside interrupted the opening moments of king lear but the show went on the king is coming an actor announced after a long and awkward pause the king strode onstage arms outstretched he magisterially acknowledged the thunderous applause
a man standing to the side of the auditorium held up his hand no no he told the audience some applause but not like its for anthony hopkins
but it was indeed anthony hopkins playing lear for the first time since he appeared in the role in 1986 at londons national theater at least thats how it seemed to the audience actually extras in the dresser a television movie that will have its american premiere on starz on monday the man who asked them to tamp down their applause was the films director richard eyre
an adaptation of ronald harwoods play of the same title the dresser returns mr hopkins to the stage in a way as the physically and mentally fragile actor sir struggling through his 427th performance of lear as bombs fall on london in world war ii in fact mr hopkins turned to film in 1987 the year after his run as lear at the national and has famously refused to act onstage ever since
he wasnt the only famous actor in attendance at the hackney empire the film also stars ian mckellen working with mr hopkins for the first time as norman sirs devoted dresser
it has been fun to watch anthony who eschewed theater decades ago coming back to a story about theater mr mckellen 77 said in his dressing room during a break in the filming in march last year
over breakfast at his london hotel the next morning mr hopkins 78 said he had been nervous during the previous days filming it was just like doing theater again he said o reason not the need the storm scene cordelias death it was wonderful to do all that again
colin callender and sonia friedman who produced the film in conjunction with the bbc and starz had a stage production not television in mind when they decided to remount the play which had its premiere in manchester in 1980 and went on to great success in the west end and on broadway in 1983 it was adapted by mr harwood for film and earned academy award nominations for both albert finney as sir and tom courtenay as norman
mr hopkins who had discussed playing sir with mr harwood many years earlier said that the idea had stayed with him
i felt like there was unfinished business he said i had done lear and antony and cleopatra onstage with the national then skedaddled i fear i wasnt a good team player i didnt fit into theater companies it wasnt that i had a sense of regret but i had a feeling as im getting older that i havent used my full potential i think it was really the lear that attracted me when i did it before i was a little too young the irony is that when you are old enough to play these parts you are actually too old
radiating energy and telling anecdotes about his early life in the touring theater mr hopkins didnt look too old to play anyone even if   as mr mckellen noted in a stage whisper between takes   he looked a bit like god in his woolly white haired lear wig earlier this year the bbc said that he would reprise the role in a full length adaptation of king lear to be aired on bbc2
the play which mr harwood based on his experience as a dresser to the shakespearean actor manager donald wolfit is set during the london blitz of 1940 41 and evokes the stoic wartime world of regional theater
asked what kind of research he had done into the period mr mckellen laughed i remember it he said the old warrior killing himself by doing these plays in very difficult conditions to the accompaniment of bombs falling it was how it was
the dresser and its unabashed love letter to the theater has had a long and enduring life mr harwood 81 who was at the hackney empire to watch the filming of the lear scenes said that since the plays premiere barely a day passed without a performance somewhere in the world he had first opposed the idea of another film but the casting of mr hopkins and mr mckellen proved irresistible to cast sir in this day and age is very difficult because there arent grand actors like that any more he said
mr hopkins made another point i dont think its ever been played by two men of the same age   and an advanced age it makes it more tragic


paris   a french naval vessel fitted with sophisticated underwater sensors raced on friday toward the eastern mediterranean sea as the window for locating the so called black boxes of a downed egyptian airliner rapidly closed
the ship is expected to arrive in the search zone early next week to help locate and recover the egyptair jets cockpit voice and data recorders the recorders commonly called black boxes are likely to contain the only definitive evidence about the cause of the may 19 disaster which killed all 66 people on board
as time elapses the need to find the recorders takes on increased urgency the battery powered beacons are certified to emit a distinct metronomic ping for roughly 30 days after a crash which means the egyptair jets black boxes are likely to fall silent by the middle of june
for the sake of the flying public and the aircraft industry we need to get equipment in the water to find out what happened said david gallo an oceanographer at columbia universitys lamont doherty earth observatory who helped lead a two year search in the atlantic ocean for the wreck of an air france jet that crashed in 2009
capt didier piaton a spokesman for the french navy said on friday that the survey ship laplace was en route from porto vecchio corsica and was likely to arrive in the search zone north of alexandria egypt by sunday or monday
the ship is equipped with three towed underwater listening devices that are adapted to the depth of the search area which is estimated to be more than 9800 feet according to their french manufacturer alseamar the devices are capable of detecting the beacons from a distance of up to 25 miles and can easily distinguish their signals from the noise of other vessels or sea life such as whales
french investigators said that discussions were also being finalized with the operator of a deep sea salvage vessel equipped with an underwater robot and sonar equipment
a steady drip of incomplete and often contradictory reports about various signals and scraps of data that egyptian officials may have received from the missing plane an airbus a320 has led to confusion and undermined international confidence in the investigation
neither egypts chief investigator ayman al moqadem nor its aviation minister sherif fathi responded to repeated queries on friday for clarification about news reports that an emergency radio signal from the plane had been picked up by a satellite
that signal reportedly came from one of the planes three emergency locator transmitters which are attached to the planes fuselage and are normally set off at the moment of impact but those transmitters which rely on antennas do not function under water and are not related to the black box beacons
aviation safety experts said it was possible that one of the transmitters managed to send a fleeting distress signal to a satellite at the moment the plane hit the water on may 19 such a signal if verified could help to significantly narrow the search area from the vast initial area of more than 5800 square miles
the only confirmed data received from the plane were a series of seven automated messages sent to an egyptair maintenance base in the minutes before the flight vanished from radar en route to cairo from paris those messages signaled the opening of a cockpit window and two smoke alerts   one in a bathroom and another in an electronics bay near the cockpit and close to many of the planes computerized control systems
the alerts indicate that there was an emergency on board but experts said they were insufficient to isolate the cause of the crash
egyptian officials have said terrorism is a possible cause for the crash and some news outlets have blamed security standards at charles de gaulle airport in paris from which flight 804 departed
within hours of the crash french prosecutors opened a preliminary criminal investigation that included the possibility of a security breach at charles de gaulle so far the investigation has failed to yield any evidence of foul play


donald j trump on friday rejected an offer to debate bernie sanders before the june 7 california primary saying it seems inappropriate that i would debate the second place finisher in the democratic nominating contest
the two men had been kicking around the idea of a debate since wednesday when mr trump appeared on jimmy kimmel live and mr kimmel said that mr sanders had passed along an invitation to debate mr trump who secured the republican partys nomination for president on thursday told mr kimmel he was open to the idea
but after mr sanders pressed the issue on friday mr trump released a statement batting away any debate with him
based on the fact that the democratic nominating process is totally rigged and crooked hillary clinton and deborah wasserman schultz will not allow bernie sanders to win and now that i am the presumptive republican nominee it seems inappropriate that i would debate the second place finisher mr trump said
likewise the networks want to make a killing on these events and are not proving to be too generous to charitable causes in this case womens health issues he said in his statement therefore as much as i want to debate bernie sanders   and it would be an easy payday   i will wait to debate the first place finisher in the democratic party probably crooked hillary clinton or whoever it may be
mr sanders is trailing mrs clinton by hundreds of delegates and has repeatedly said he would look forward to debating mr trump mrs clinton declined an invitation from fox news to debate mr sanders before the california primary mr sanders is locked in a tight race with mrs clinton in california and has been trying to generate free media in the state where it is expensive to advertise
at a news conference in north dakota on thursday mr trump suggested that he would debate on the condition that the networks donate 10 million to 15 million to charities that support womens health causes
then mr sanderss campaign manager jeff weaver pressed the issue on friday releasing a statement saying that the sanders campaign had received offers from two networks wishing to host the debate and make a major contribution to charity
soon after mr trump declined to debate him mr sanders told reporters in california that he hoped mr trump would change his mind
well mr trump what are you afraid of mr sanders said if youre so tough lets sit down and have that debate


the german chemical group bayers bid for monsanto may yield a poor financial harvest bayers rejected 62 billion offer for monsanto an american seed maker already appears to violate one of its crucial management principles sticking to projects whose returns beat their cost of capital raising the price from the current 122 a share to win over its intended partner would require heroic sales growth assumptions to stack up
monsantos revenue could reach 137 billion for its fiscal year that will end in august according to the average estimate of analysts on wall street assuming that bayer can increase its revenue by a chunky 10 percent a year it would hit 20 billion by 2020 allowing for a year or so to secure the necessary deal approvals that is also the year when expected annual cost savings of 15 billion would fully kick in
apply monsantos average margins over the last five years lump in the expected synergies and tax everything at 25 percent and bayers investment would throw off about 47 billion of operating profit before interest costs
it would amount to a 75 percent return on the 62 billion of debt and equity tied up in the investment   assuming monsanto can increase sales aggressively thats not far off the 76 percent cost of capital that bayer estimated for its business last year the more relevant figure though is the cost of capital of the acquired business which morningstar estimates at 83 percent on that benchmark bayer falls short
raising the offer to 135 a share - a price some analysts think could persuade monsanto to sell - would be even harder to justify using the same math it would take more than 25 billion of annual sales for bayer to clear the value hurdle that would require nearly doubling monsantos sales in less than five years
there could perhaps be more costs to squeeze out - its common for acquirers to lowball them werner baumann the chief executive of bayer may also reason that combining monsantos high tech seeds with bayers crop sprays could bring in handsome extra rewards it would be tough though to reap enough from the investment to keep shareholders happy


look were not here to nag we all know were supposed to use sunscreen more reliably than we probably do
instead of hounding you again we asked experts for tips on skin cancer prevention and using sunscreen that youre less likely to have heard the counterintuitive the new or the little known
heres what they told us we know this is a little eat your vegetables of us so well give you a reward if you make it to the end
we hope maybe youve heard these before but lets reapply
depending on your body size experts recommend using enough lotion to fill a shot glass or an ounce when youre at the beach even if people are smart enough to apply sunscreen they may not use enough said dr jerry brewer a dermatologic surgeon at the mayo clinic in minnesota
even if the bottle says the lotion is waterproof beachgoers should reapply after swimming
if youre not swimming you should reapply every two hours regardless of the spf count
you should put sunscreen on 15 minutes before exposure
look for products that are labeled broad spectrum protection with an spf of 15 to 50
dr elizabeth hale a senior vice president for the skin cancer foundation and a dermatologist in new york city said that both men and women are likely to miss the tops of their ears and the tops of the feet full disclosure the nonprofit skin cancer foundation receives some funding from sunscreen manufacturers
men are particularly likely to miss their scalps and the backs of their necks while women are more likely to miss their chest and neck areas she said
dr brewer said beachgoers often miss the bottoms of their feet which can be exposed if theyre lying on their stomachs reading or napping
this is a tricky one not even the food and drug administration is sure and we still dont know how effective they are or whether inhaling them can be dangerous
while some medical professionals suggest you should not use them i tend to think its better than nothing dr brewer said he recommended using the creams and lotions when possible but said the sprays can be useful if youre on the go and wont make time for a full reapplication
dr hale said spray on sunscreen should be applied indoors in a well ventilated area and never sprayed directly on the face trying to apply it on the beach could lead to much of it flying away in the wind leaving you with inadequate protection
though theres no quantifiable standard like the shot glass of lotion dr hale suggested spray users create an even sheen on the skin
because youre probably taking your phone to the beach you could rely on it instead of your faulty memory to remind you that its time to reapply android and ios are rife with free and inexpensive apps that could alert you when you need it
you could also seek help from wearables a jewel like device called june which can be worn as a bracelet or a brooch monitors sun exposure and syncs with an ios app that can tell you how quickly youre using up your recommended sun allowance for the day or you could try a low tech wristband like uvsunsense that changes colors to signal you should reapply sunscreen or head indoors
dr hale said that when she tries to persuade patients to take sunscreen more seriously she sometimes targets their vanity more than their health she tells them that using sunscreen every day   not just when theyre at the beach or the park   can help prevent the brown spots and wrinkles that often lead people to seek out dermatologists and that sun exposure is a primary driver of the skins aging process
i truly believe sunscreen is the no 1 anti aging ingredient she said
research in 2013 revealed that people who used sunscreen every day had markedly smoother and more resilient skin the study was funded by the national health and medical research council of australia and no sunscreen makers contributed
congratulations for making it all the way through an article about sunscreen as your reward we present you this adorable photo gallery of parents applying lotion to visibly annoyed children you earned it


the history of african americans has been shaped in part by two great journeys
the first brought hundreds of thousands of africans to the southern united states as slaves the second the great migration began around 1910 and sent six million african americans from the south to new york chicago and other cities across the country
in a study published on friday a team of geneticists sought evidence for this history in the dna of living african americans the findings published in plos genetics provide a map of african american genetic diversity shedding light on both their history and their health
buried in dna the researchers found the marks of slaverys cruelties including further evidence that white slave owners routinely fathered children with women held as slaves
and there are signs of the migration that led their descendants away from such oppression genetically related african americans are distributed closely along the routes they took to leave the south the scientists discovered
the importance of that finding is not just historical said dr esteban g burchard a physician and scientist at the university of california san francisco who was not involved in the study
a detailed map of genetic variations in african americans will help show how genes influence their risk for various diseases this has tremendous medical relevance he said
until recently most research into the link between genes and disease has focused on people of european descent were missing out on a lot of biology and diversity said simon gravel a geneticist at mcgill university in montreal
the history of african americans poses special challenges for geneticists during the slave trade their ancestors were captured from genetically diverse populations across a portion of west africa adding to the complexity is the fact that living african americans also may trace some of their ancestry to europeans and native americans
in the new study dr gravel and his colleagues analyzed the dna of 3726 african americans who participated in three separate medical studies
the scientists were able to pinpoint stretches of dna in the subjects that originated on different continents according to their calculations the ancestors of the average african american today were 821 percent african 167 percent european and 12 percent native american
dr gravel and his colleagues also estimated when those genes were introduced
when two parents from different ethnic backgrounds have a family their children share long stretches of identical dna over the generations the stretches get smaller the lengths serve as a kind of genealogical clock
most of the native american dna identified by dr gravel and his colleagues in african americans occurs now in tiny chunks the scientists concluded that most of the mingling between africans and native americans took place soon after the first slaves arrived in the american colonies in the early 1600s
the european dna in african americans on the other hand occurs in slightly longer chunks indicating a more recent origin dr gravel and his colleagues estimate that its introduction dates to the decades before the civil war
the scientists gave some attention to the x chromosome in particular because of its role in sex determination one x chromosome is inherited from mothers fathers may contribute a y or x
the researchers observed that the x chromosome of african americans has a greater african ancestry than other chromosomes dr gravel and his colleagues believe this variation is explained by european men and african women producing children   in other words slave owners raping the women they held captive
the databases that dr gravel and his colleagues studied also included information about where the subjects now live the scientists used this information to help trace the movements of african americans through the united states
they found very strong genetic connections between african americans in the deep south and those in the northeast and midwest
the genetic similarities in african americans tend to cluster along the very train lines that their forebears took as they left the jim crow south the illinois central to chicago for example and the atlantic coast line up the east coast
the scientists were intrigued to find that european americans who live in the south now are more closely related to african americans in the north or west than to present day african americans in the south
dr gravel has proposed a surprising explanation the first people to migrate out of the south were the ones with the most european ancestry he said
alondra nelson the dean of social science at columbia university and the author of the social life of dna race reparations and reconciliation after the genome said she did not think that result contributed much to understanding who left the south or why
in the study she noted the researchers found just 1 percent more european ancestry in the african americans who left the south
dr nelson noted that historians are increasingly collaborating on genetic studies like these but the new study does not include a historian among its authors
the human intentions around escaping racial terror cant possibly be reduced to genotype she said if youre interested in understanding the great migration its a tremendous lost opportunity
the authors of the new study said that the genetic variations of african americans across the united states could be important for medical research researchers who want to study the influence of genes on diseases in african americans must be aware of where their subjects live
if youre drawing your cases from chicago can you use controls from south carolina asked eimear e kenny a geneticist at the icahn school of medicine at mount sinai in new york and a co author of the new study
i think this study would suggest you have to be very very careful about that
dr burchard of uc san francisco said that a better understanding of african american genetics could also lead to discoveries that could benefit all people scientists found a rare genetic mutation in an african american woman for example that lowered her cholesterol levels that discovery led to a promising drug for heart disease
lo and behold it was relevant to all populations regardless of race said dr burchard its relevant if youre european if youre african if youre asian if youre pink white blue or green


milan   the stars the fans the weirdly operatic anthem all of it combines to make the uefa champions league final a fixture of the global sports calendar this year club soccers biggest game serves two purposes as the final act of the long european season and as the kickoff to a remarkable stretch of soccer
the coming weeks will bring the opening to the copa america centenario tournament in the united states the first game is june 3 as well as the european championships in france which run from june 10 to july 10 but first there is the matter of this final on saturday for the second time in three years it will be a meeting of intracity rivals real madrid the winner of a record 10 european titles versus atletico madrid which is seeking its first
heres what you need to know
well actually that is not a certainty   ronaldo reals portuguese winger reportedly had an injury hiccup this week in training   but assuming he is out there ronaldo remains one of the games greatest offensive forces ronaldo has scored 16 goals in the champions league this season one short of the record he set when real madrid won the title two years ago if he scores on saturday he will become the first player to score in three champions league finals
bookmakers still favor real madrid but that may reflect reputation as much as anything else atletico led by its fiery black clad argentine manager diego simeone has the defense to shut down any opponent including real madrid and the confidence to match the rojiblancos the red and white did not lose to their city rival this season with one draw and one victory and they allowed only 18 goals during the entire spanish league season giving them the best goals againstaverage of any team in europes top five leagues goalkeeper jan oblak recorded 24 league shutouts the most in team history
for los blancos look out for gareth bale who scored the decisive goal the last time these teams met in the final and karim benzema who would be a leading striker on any team but his own as well as luka modric who is often the primary operator behind the real offense and dani carvajal who makes strong runs from the back
the uruguayan central defender diego godin is the spine of the atletico defense while the teams captain gabi is an unstoppable force in the midfield the french striker antoine griezmann and the well traveled fernando torres lead the attack
zinedine zidane who won the title as a player with real madrid in 2002 and is seeking to win it again in his first year as the clubs coach has shown a knack for innovation and motivation on the field as well as destruction of his trousers on the sideline zidane endured worldwide exposuretwice in april when his tight suit pants ripped during particularly aggressive exhortations from the bench area at champions league matches
diego simeone has not had a similar wardrobe malfunction although it does sometimes appear as if he might burst a blood vessel particularly when he is stomping around after a referees decision goes against his team he has already struck one match official during this years competition
there is not much debate real madrid had a softer draw on the way to the final beating roma wolfsburg and manchester city in the knockout rounds atletico meanwhile started off with psv eindhoven in the round of 16 before dispatching the defending champion barcelona in the quarterfinals and the 2013 winner bayern munich in the semifinals
real madrid has had the more tumultuous year over all however as the teams tempestuous president florentino perez fired rafael benitez as manager in january afteran inconsistent start zidane who had never led a first division team replaced him and he responded by winning 21 of 26 matches although the club fell just short of catching barcelona in the spanish league
here are some
real madrids sergio ramos on zidane
i think when you have been a player you have a way of focusing on things in football that is different to a coach who hasnt been perhaps thats why although he has only been in charge for a short time it seems like he has for 30 years
atletico madrids koke on his teams strategy
i think we have to defend well and take advantage of their errors because in these games they commit very few


the iowa supreme court ruled in a split decision friday that sentencing juveniles to life in prison without parole is unconstitutional because it amounts to cruel and unusual punishment
in a 4 to 3 decision justice brent appel wrote that juvenile character is a work in progress and that courts should not preclude the chance for juvenile offenders to be released for good behavior by parole boards after they have fully matured we should not ask our district court judges to predict future prospects for maturation and rehabilitation when highly trained professionals say such predictions are impossible he wrote
the ruling is the latest in a national trend away from harsh sentences for juveniles the united states supreme court in recent years has banned the death penalty and mandatory sentences of life without parole for juvenile cases and 16 states prohibit life without parole sentences for juveniles
the courts and state legislatures alike have agreed that life without any chance of parole is an inappropriate sentence for a child said joshua rovner who focuses on juvenile crime for the sentencing project a washington based nonprofit group that lobbies for reduced sentences in juvenile and drug cases
there is a widespread understanding now with scientific research backing up our own common sense that juveniles are not adults and shouldnt be treated that way he said adolescence is not a permanent condition and the courts are recognizing this
the iowa case centered on isaiah sweet who was 17 when he murdered his grandparents with an assault rifle his conviction in 2012 was the first in iowa after a supreme court decision miller v alabama that declared that juveniles convicted of murder may not automatically be given life sentences and that judges must take individual circumstances including age and background into account
at sentencing the judge in the sweet case imposed the maximum penalty because the crime was horrific and showed utter lack of humanity and said mr sweet would probably pose a continued threat to society according to the appeals court ruling friday
but a psychologist who testified at sentencing said that mr sweets chances of rehabilitation were mixed and that his prospects were not likely to become clear until age 30
with such uncertainty justice appel wrote it is impossible to determine whether the offender is irretrievably corrupt at a time when even trained professionals with years of clinical experience would not attempt to make such a determination he said future parole boards would be better suited to make the determination
in a dissenting opinion justice edward mansfield said the court was overstepping its role writing that the inherent uncertainty regarding future prospects for rehabilitation is simply an insufficient basis for supplanting the judgment of our elected representatives
mr sweets case has been remanded to a lower court for resentencing
almost 40 other juveniles sentenced to life without parole in iowa will also have their sentences reduced said shellie knipfer a lawyer who represented mr sweet
she said that in 20 years as a public defender she had seen the law gradually move away from tough mandatory sentences and treating juveniles as adults
in the 1990s we had this get tough on crime idea this idea of supercriminals she said then we suddenly realized maybe it wasnt the right way to approach it we need to look at the circumstances and treat people as individuals


long before instagram feeds and masterchef cook offs highlighted a near universal obsession with the visual appearance of food a craftsman in 19th century china meticulously carved and dyed a chunk of jasper a jade like stone to look like a piece of braised pork belly the national palace museum in taipei has long showcased this uncanny sculpture known as the meat shaped stone as one of its most prized holdings very rarely loaning it out but now the glistening dish is leaving taipei to make its north american debut in a city that celebrates chinese cuisine san francisco
the sculpture will be part of a sweeping exhibition emperors treasures chinese art from the national palace museum taipei at the asian art museum of san francisco from june 17 through sept 18 its just so realistic it looks like a real mouthwatering piece of pork said jay xu the director of the museum pointing to the way the sculpture captures the dishs unlikely combination of skin fat and lean meat in each bite you cant help but fall in love with it
he noted that about 100 of the 150 objects in the show which date to the 11th century have never traveled to the united states before the others appeared 20 years ago in possessing the past treasures from the national palace museum taipei a show that originated at the metropolitan museum of art when mr xu was getting his curatorial start there
the new show mr xu adds takes a different tack we are focusing on the personal tastes predilections and fascinations of the rulers so this show is about how the personal tastes of eight emperors   and one empress   shaped the course of chinese art
other highlights include a vibrant gold and red portrait of emperor gaozong an advocate of painting and calligraphy in the 12th century and a tiny ming dynasty porcelain cup with a lively rooster and hen design made in the 15th century under emperor chenghua these chicken cups are so highly prized that one of the few left in private hands sold at sothebys hong kong for 36 million in 2014
the museum is also staging a restaurant tie in 12 local chefs including michelle mah of the slanted door anthony myint of mission chinese and brandon jew of mister jius will feature pork belly dishes on their menus during the first month of the show


assumed dead after air products and chemicals failed to take over airgas hostile takeovers seem to be again sprouting up everywhere
an examination of the most significant deals pending provides a nice lesson not only in how hostile takeovers work but in how would be acquirers often make common mistakes
the chief hurdle to take into account when planning a hostile takeover is the shareholder rights plan more commonly known as the poison pill invented in the 1980s by the lawyer marty lipton the poison pill changed takeover strategy before the poison pill target companies were often on the back foot lacking a defense against a barbarian at the gate
the poison pill effectively allowed a board to cap the number of shares a hostile bidder could acquire at a certain threshold these days that threshold is typically 10 to 15 percent of the outstanding shares to avoid setting off the poison pill a hostile bidder had to replace a majority of the targets board the new board would then eliminate the poison pill allowing the hostile bidder to acquire the target
as a result any hostile bid must be paired with a bid to replace the target board as the many hostile takeover deals out there show though sometimes this is not that easy
tribune publishinggannett
this is probably the most public hostile situation at the moment unfortunately for the gannett company and for reasons unknown it missed the deadline to nominate directors at tribune publishings coming annual meeting
this was a big mistake lacking any real leverage gannett is running a campaign asking shareholders to withhold their votes for tribune publishings directors at the june 2 annual meeting as a show of support for its offer
this is a weak straw poll at best as tribune publishings directors are elected by the plurality of shareholders present and tribune publishing does not require its directors to obtain a majority of the votes cast so even if there is overwhelming shareholder support for gannetts campaign the tribune publishing board can just ignore it and there may not even be such support because two proxy advisory services institutional shareholder services and glass lewis have come out in favor of tribune publishing calling gannetts latest offer underpriced
tribune publishings board raised the ante by selling a 1292 percent stake to the billionaire entrepreneur patrick soon shiong this type of move known as a white squire is permitted under the laws of delaware where tribune is incorporated it will be reviewed by delaware courts under the so called unocal test which looks to see whether the response is reasonable in relation to the threat posed and not preclusive or coercive
the board probably has ample justification because it received a price of 15 a share and some technological exchanges but it does not preclude gannett from succeeding provided that gannett waits a whole year to submit a slate of directors at the next annual shareholder meeting tribune publishings maneuver would not have stopped gannett had it been able to run a director election but it does make gannetts effort that much harder
prediction gannetts hostile takeover attempt is not long for this world
medivationsanofi
sanofi holds all the cards in its attempt to take over medivation the reason is that although the nomination deadline for medivations annual meeting has passed medivation allows shareholders to act by written consent at any time under the law in delaware where medivation is incorporated directors on a board in which every director is up for election at the same time can be removed at any time with or without cause companies typically limit this maneuver by eliminating the right of shareholders to call a special meeting or act by written consent this forces the hostile bidder to wait until the annual meeting to try to replace the directors and then have them remove the poison pill
sanofi has started the consent solicitation and medivation will have to fight the hardest fight - persuading its shareholders not to support the sanofi slate
prediction medivation will be sold to a third party if it can find another bidder in time or it will be forced to make a deal with sanofi
monsantobayer
bayer has made a 62 billion bid for monsanto it too has missed the deadline for nominations for monsantos board and monsanto has yet to adopt a poison pill although this can be done in a matter of hours because bayer would have to obtain antitrust approval before buying a substantial number of monsanto shares monsanto does not have to rush
but the strategy here is different bayer is doing what is called a teddy bear hug - softly wooing monsanto and saying lets get together but i am not going to be too ferocious about it it seems to be working monsanto said it would consider a higher offer that allowed its shareholders to participate in the upside
this is a not an uncommon strategy to use shareholder pressure in lieu of an uncertain full hostile bid and proxy contest foreign bidders in particular have been loath to pursue hostile deals because of the scrutiny it brings although the aversion is less these days
an interesting twist is also pushing bayers strategy its offer of 122 a share is all in cash should it want to offer a stock component in a sweetened offer things would get complicated bayer a german company is not listed in the united states and to acquire monsanto an american company in a share exchange it would have to register its shares with the securities and exchange commission this could be an arduous process for bayer that could take months or longer on top of that if bayer pays stock it will need a shareholder vote something that will probably not be necessary if bayer pays cash this means bayer is likely to face limits in pushing for an all cash deal
prediction stay tuned for more maneuvering but bayer seems to be a bit skittish about going fully hostile
westlake chemicalaxiall
the westlake chemical corporation has been bidding for the axiall corporation since january in march westlake raised its bid and nominated directors to replace axialls board at its annual meeting westlake got the timing right axialls charter forbids shareholders from calling a special meeting or otherwise acting by written consent
the pressure is getting to axiall on may 4 axiall announced that it was putting itself up for sale by saying it would consider strategic alternatives westlake is putting together a revised bid
prediction it looks as if axiall has been forced to make a deal by the pressure of the proxy contest the only question is whether a white knight can emerge
the andersonshc2 holdings
this is a quirky deal and shows that when a company is organized outside delaware things can become harder for the acquirer
in this case hc2 holdings run by the hedge fund manager philip a falcone has missed its chance to nominate directors to the board of the andersons the american agriculture company and the andersons prevents shareholders from acting by written consent or calling a special meeting the andersons has not yet adopted a poison pill a fact it has trumpeted but it really does not need to take this defensive maneuver
the reason is that it has other defenses first under the companys charter if any bid is not approved by the board the votes of two thirds of the shareholders are required to approve any merger
the andersons has adopted a control share acquisition statute in its charter which is even more prohibitive of a hostile bid it requires that any acquisition of more than 20 percent of the companys shares must be approved by the shareholders if the acquirer wants to be able to vote those shares the company also has a business combination statute that says that if an investor acquires more than 10 percent of the companys stock but less than 85 percent without board approval it cannot incorporate the remaining shares through a merger for three years
these in the aggregate make it impossible for hc2 holdings to acquire the andersons unless the board bows to shareholder pressure and approves the bid
prediction unless mr falcone can offer a rich price this hostile takeover attempt is also destined for failure
there is a lesson here - the defenses a company adopts when it goes public something that may have happened decades ago can make all the difference in a hostile situation be forewarned




cambridge mass   janet l yellen the federal reserve chairwoman said on friday that the fed was on track to raise its benchmark interest rate in the coming months reinforcing a recent effort by central bank officials to prepare investors for higher borrowing costs
ms yellen said the fed wanted to see evidence the economy was rebounding from a weak winter before it acted but she added that evidence was beginning to pile up
growth looks to be picking up from the various data that we monitor and if that continues and if the labor market continues to improve   and i expect those things will occur then it would be appropriate to raise rates ms yellen said she spoke before receiving the radcliffe medal in a ceremony at harvard university
fresh evidence has emerged that the economy is improving after a slow start to the year as resilient consumer spending and a buoyant housing market help to overcome a drop in investment by cautious companies page 2
the fed has moved forcefully in recent weeks to convince investors that it could raise rates as soon as its next meeting june 14 and 15 an account of the feds most recent meeting in april said it was thinking about a june increase and several of ms yellens colleagues have made the point explicitly in recent speeches
the central bank also has scheduled meetings in late july and in mid september
markets had all but written off a summer increase particularly after ms yellen gave a speech in late march notably lacking urgency but the new message has come through clearly a measure derived from asset prices shows that investors now see almost a 75 percent chance of a rate increase by september
the fed has held interest rates at low levels since the great recession to stimulate economic growth by encouraging borrowing and risk taking it started raising rates in december seeking to reduce those incentives but it paused as the economy appeared to weaken now it seems ready to continue
ms yellen spoke during a question and answer session with n gregory mankiw a professor of economics at harvard who was an economic adviser to president george w bush professor mankiw asked if ms yellen had any message for investors whom he described as eager to begin their holiday weekend he added that she could simply decline and move on
but ms yellen did not want to avoid the question
let me say a few sentences so i wont delay them very long she began before describing her view that the economy appeared to be gaining strength she said that the fed wanted to gradually and cautiously increase its benchmark rate and that probably in the coming months such a move would be appropriate
some of ms yellens colleagues have suggested they do not expect to wait until september
the june july time frame is a reasonable expectation william c dudley president of the federal reserve bank of new york said early this month
others have sounded slightly more cautious jerome h powell a fed governor said on thursday that he wanted to see significant strengthening in economic activity depending on the incoming data and the evolving risks another rate increase may be appropriate fairly soon mr powell said in a speech in washington
ms yellens remarks on current policy were a brief interlude in an event largely devoted to celebrating her career ben s bernanke the former fed chairman introduced ms yellen lauding her as consistently prescient in her economic analysis and forceful in her advocacy for the feds stimulus campaign after the financial crisis
he also teased ms yellen for her habit of arriving very early at airports caution was a desirable quality in a central banker he said but he joked that ms yellens security detail had been unable to convince her that sirens and flashing lights and the ability to skip security meant she no longer needed to arrive quite so early
ms yellen responded that america owed mr bernanke an enormous debt of gratitude for leading the feds response to the financial crisis which she called nothing short of magnificent
but in a panel discussion before ms yellens appearance several leading academics painted a fairly bleak picture of the economy as it has emerged from the crisis
lower income americans have seen little improvement in income little improvement in health little improvement in life expectancy said louise sheiner a fellow at the brookings institution no wonder theres so much anger out there
douglas w elmendorf dean of harvards kennedy school said policy makers had a responsibility not only to spur growth but to reduce economic inequality
we tend to talk in this country about the importance of overall economic growth he said that logic that focus on overall growth worked best in the period when a rising tide lifted all boats
in an era of yawning inequalities he said we need to be more explicit about our distributional concerns


washington   verizon reached an agreement in principle on friday on a four year contract with two unions representing nearly 40000 workers who had been striking since april 13
the two sides met on friday to complete the agreement for ratification by the membership of the two unions the communications workers of america and the international brotherhood of electrical workers
while the details were not available friday evening people close to the discussions said that it would include two key concessions from the company a commitment to create about 1500 new union positions in the united states many of them at call centers and the inclusion of some 65 verizon wireless retail workers in the new contract a first for the company
in a statement chris shelton president of the communications workers of america said the addition of new middle class jobs at verizon is a huge win not just for striking workers but for our communities and our country as a whole
marc c reed verizons chief administrative officer characterized the deal as consistent with our objective of creating high quality american jobs and achieving meaningful changes and enhancements to the contracts that will better enable our wireline business unit to compete and succeed in the digital world
the dispute centered on verizons desire to be able to outsource more work including to foreign countries and to gain more freedom to transfer workers inside the united states the company also sought concessions on worker pensions as revenue growth slowed in the so called wireline side of its business which includes landline phones and video and internet service transmitted through wires
the profitability of this business has declined in recent years as more people abandon landlines and rely on wireless growth in subscribers to verizons fios service which provides telephone video and internet service has also slowed
the unions said verizon was deliberately neglecting and in some cases smothering its wireline business noting that wireline workers typically earn more in pay and benefits than their counterparts on the wireless side which are mostly nonunion
in particular the unions and other critics said that the lucrative fios which is a source of high paying jobs could be expanded significantly but verizon had lost interest
most of the wireline workers were building fios which is the most advanced broadband network there is said robert master assistant to the vice president of district 1 of the communication workers its highly profitable and getting more profitable
to maintain its operations during the strike verizon had dispatched managers and nonunion workers to call centers and field service assignments
after weeks of tension talks began to make progress in mid may the turnaround coincided with the involvement of labor secretary thomas perez and the federal mediation and conciliation service
we believe secretary perez and the director of the fmcs were a helpful addition to the bargaining process said richard young a verizon spokesman they were clearly helpful
one apparent factor in resolving the standoff was that verizon which had predicted that the strike would not materially affect its business had begun to feel an economic pinch
last week the companys chief financial officer acknowledged that the strike could be having a negative effect because the nonunion employees who were filling in for striking workers focused on maintaining the existing network not new installations
verizon also faced growing political pressure eighty eight members of the house issued a joint statement last week expressing concern about the strike and about 15 municipalities in verizons service area which runs from virginia to massachusetts have passed resolutions siding with striking workers
when it came to wireless customers the union believed it had won a public relations victory
the picketing of wireless stores was extremely effective said mr master that is the public facing side of company
mr young the verizon spokesman rejected that claim
but the strain on workers was growing as well particularly after may 1 when the company discontinued health benefits to striking workers
the battle between the company and the unions was not entirely limited to the wireline business among the striking workers were roughly 65 workers at verizon wireless stores who will receive their first contract despite having unionized in 2014
while the numbers are small it is the first contract for retail wireless workers at verizon and could be an important precedent


since he invented the heimlich maneuver dr henry j heimlich had spent decades demonstrating the lifesaving technique on people willing to play the role of a choking victim
but this week dr heimlich 96 said he got to do the real thing
he used the abdomen squeezing maneuver on monday night on an 87 year old woman who was choking at their senior residence community in cincinnati popping a morsel of meat out of her mouth
i felt it was just confirmation of what i had been doing throughout my life he said in an interview on friday
after dr heimlichs lifesaving move a public relations team working for the parent company of the residence episcopal retirement services snapped into action recording and distributing video interviews with the doctor the woman he saved and a dining room employee
they also arranged media appearances promoting the claim that this was the first time the doctor had used the maneuver himself to save a life although decade old reports cast doubt on that
patty ris the woman who had been choking said in one of the videos that she found herself by chance at dr heimlichs table in the dining hall of deupree house the senior residence home the dining room was at full capacity about 125 people said bryan reynolds a spokesman for the company
i just sat down at a table ms ris said i ordered a hamburger and the next thing i know i could not breathe i was choking so hard
dr heimlich said he turned left to start a conversation i saw her face was all stiffened up and her skin was turning dark and she could not speak he said of all things i knew she was choking
dr heimlich said he stood up and moved behind ms riss chair turning her slightly so her back was facing him across the armrest
i made a fist of my right hand   you can do it with either hand by the way   and put my arms around her he said
he placed the thumb side of his fist just above her belly button and below the chest to compress the air in her lungs i did it three times and it apparently was pretty much done on the first time he said
a piece of meat with a little bone attached flew out of her mouth
color returned to her face dr heimlich said everyone at the table went back to eating
is this the first time dr heimlich has ever used the maneuver to save a life
yes this is he said friday i originally did my research studies that led to my developing it which was in 1974 and i never considered that i would be doing it myself
the record is murky in that regard a bbc article in 2003 quoted the doctor then 83 describing a similar encounter where he tried the maneuver on a fellow diner a man although the story lacked details such as a precise date location and name a new yorker article in 2006 made reference to a similar incident also without details but a son phil heimlich said his father had never mentioned any previous incidents to him the doctor himself did not return a follow up call
dr heimlich a thoracic surgeon began researching ways to use pressure on the diaphragm to save victims of choking in the early 1970s after he learned that nearly 4000 americans died each year from choking on food or small objects
in 1974 he developed the method that compresses the lungs causing a flow of air that carries the stuck object out of the airway and then the mouth more than 100000 people owe their lives to the technique by some estimates
on friday dr heimlich said he soon saw ms ris after saving her life   again in the dining hall
the next day she saw me and sat down next to me he said
ms ris said she later wrote him a thank you note i said god put me in this seat next to you


bismarck nd   a constant stream of changes and scuffles are unsettling donald j trumps campaign team including the abrupt dismissal this week of his national political director
a sense of paranoia is growing among his campaign staff members including some who have told associates they believe that their trump tower offices in new york may be bugged according to three people briefed on the conversations
and there is confusion among his donors who want to give money to a super pac supporting mr trump but have received conflicting signals from top aides about which one to support
on thursday mr trump secured the republican partys nomination for president a remarkable achievement for a political newcomer but inside his campaign the limits of his managerial style   reliant on his gut and built around his unpredictable personality   are vividly on display according to interviews with nearly a dozen republicans inside and outside of the operation
two months after assurances that the candidate would become more presidential and transition to a more unifying phase of his campaign mr trump continues to act as if the primary is still underway his team has struggled to fill top positions such as communications director and mr trump has made clear he still sees himself as his own chief adviser
this week mr trump fired rick wiley his national political director after mr wiley clashed with campaign officials in three states and while fights among aides are not unusual the daily leaks of damaging information from his campaign are prompting worry among republican officials
candidate trump needs to better understand that he is now the titular head of the gop said scott w reed senior political strategist for the us chamber of commerce his words and actions will have an impact on the over 6000 gop candidates running for office   from federal races down to the courthouse
asked for comment about his management style and the current state of his campaign mr trump declined criticizing the reporters writing this article you two wouldnt know how to write a good story about me if you tried   dream on mr trump said in an email relayed by his spokeswoman hope hicks
so far mr trump has shown little inclination to adjust to a political world his penchant for setting up competition and infusing tension between his subordinates has carried over from his real estate company
he certainly does love playing people against each other but in my experience he knew how to make me reach my potential said sam nunberg who was fired from the campaign in 2015 after a series of clashes with the campaign manager corey lewandowski you become very committed in that environment
but as was the case with mr wileys dismissal mr trump is reliant on information he garners himself and can be swayed by the last person he talked to
mr trump has shown himself to be a masterly communicator and his instincts especially in identifying the issues that will animate voters are shrewd but the combat within the trump campaign has undermined the daily messages the team seeks to promote on wednesday for instance mr trump met with dozens of female chief executives and entrepreneurs before his afternoon rally in california a meeting that was never publicized instead the campaign sent out a message announcing mr wileys dismissal
the shake up also hindered the campaign from pouncing on the tough day his likely democratic rival hillary clinton was having on the heels of a state department inspector generals report on her use of a private email server when she was secretary of state
the drama in trumpville this week mr reed said totally overtook the devastating report which he added should be all the country is talking about
now many republican officials worry that mr trump is uninterested in transitioning into his new role including the rigors of going up against mrs clinton in a general election fight
the trump operation for instance has talked for weeks about hiring a full time communications director but has yet to bring anyone on board ms hicks is still the sole communications staff member the clinton campaign by contrast has a press team of more than a dozen including people devoted solely to the news media for black and hispanic audiences
to complement its lean operation the trump campaign has begun relying on the republican national committee for everything from opposition research to communications help and voter data
on thursday mr trump expressed confidence that the rnc could take over for what he has not done himself
they built over years and years staffs in every state   you cant do that or you cant do it very well if youre doing it all over the next few months mr trump told reporters on thursday in north dakota you cant do that over a period of just a short while because we have november coming up very rapidly its going to be very soon
yet officials in battleground states have complained for weeks that the republican committee has not delivered the promised resources for field organizations
mr trump has also been dismissive of data analytics suggesting in interviews that his showmanship and rallies will continue to be effective he has suggested that he will compete in new states despite the scant resources he has devoted to the traditional republican map so far and he has been adamant to aides that he intends to try to compete in new york which no republican has captured since ronald reagan and has held discussions about hiring an additional pollster for the state
despite his and his aides talk of unification mr trump himself has so far proved unable and unwilling to rally the entire party around his candidacy on tuesday he deliberately attacked gov susana martinez of new mexico   a hispanic rising star and head of the republican governors association   in her home state saying she was not doing the job and he hit mitt romney the 2012 republican nominee calling him a choker and mocking his gait saying he walked like a penguin
mr trump who lent his campaign money during the primaries has begun fund raising for the general election and there are signs that high dollar donors are willing to help especially by donating to a super pac supporting him but there are several such groups and the campaign has yet to unofficially sanction one leaving some donors confused about which super pac if any they should support
there are now two super pacs that have said they are the premier group supporting the presumptive nominee neither of which mr trump has given his blessing mr trumps aides have held meetings about starting yet another super pac but so far they have not made moves
woody johnson the jets football team owner and a republican fund raiser who this week committed to helping mr trump raise hundreds of millions of dollars in a short time period said he did not believe that the unsettled nature of the presumptive nominees campaign would be a hindrance
theres no such thing as job security in a campaign mr johnson said of the churn within the trump team
but mr reed stressed that mr trump needed to grow   and fast trump is the king kong of the gop and when he steps the world rattles he said trump needs to better fully appreciate and understand this new role


in 2004 a dutch artist named jasper van den brink had an idea he would release a large flock of pigeons with led lights attached to their legs to fly up into the night skies over stockholm
he decided the project was not logistically viable but described it in the new york based magazine cabinet
people walking below could observe a marvelous light dance in the sky mr van den brink wrote in the spring 2006 issue the magazines cover featured a photograph he took of a stuffed pigeon with lights on its legs titled pigeons dont fly at night
a few weeks ago word of a new and widely celebrated artwork called fly by night by the american artist duke riley reached mr van den brink it also involves a flock of pigeons with lights attached to their legs in this case wheeling across the night sky over the brooklyn navy yard on weekends through june 12
this gave mr van den brink another idea mr riley he thought might have ripped him off
at first i thought hey this is really weird mr van den brink said by telephone and then i was like how is this possible
his legal adviser wrote a letter to the organization presenting mr rileys work creative time extending a friendly invitation to discuss mr rileys obligation to credit mr van den brink and license his work
creative times executive director katie hollander declined the invitation mr van den brinks photo of a pigeon she wrote in response is not at all like the entire flock of pigeons that are integral to fly by night furthermore she continued under us law ideas are not protected by copyright only executed works are
she added there is no need to obtain a license of mr van den brink because as noted above he has nothing to license
mr riley said he had never heard of mr van den brink or his work i definitely was not influenced by his work in any way whatsoever he said
artwork involving illuminated night flying pigeons mr riley said has been something thats been a reoccurring vision in my head for probably over three decades as proof he dug out a drawing he did as a teenager around 1988 showing a pigeon surrounded by light flying above a waterfront at night
amy adler a new york university law school professor specializing in art law said that american law sided firmly with mr riley
you cant copyright an idea she said if you allowed anyone with an idea to stop other people from making work creative expression would grind to a halt


the vision festival which runs in manhattan june 7 through june 12 has started a fund raising campaign after losing support from several key outlets including new yorks department of cultural affairs
the festival which the new york timess nate chinen described last year as an essential summit of experimental jazz and related undercurrents in poetry dance and visual art is organized by the nonprofit arts for art the festival does not receive support from major corporations and has relied on the citys funding for the past 18 years patricia parker arts for arts founder said the city awarded the organization around 20000 annually for the event
however this year a governmental panel made up of representatives from the cultural sector and city council declined the festivals application this loss of financing combined with the withdrawal of several other major donors led ms parker to start an online campaign with the goal of raising 50000
arts for art has not gotten to the place where it can protect itself easily ms parker said
many musicians including john zorn wadada leo smith and myra melford signed a letter asking for support
mr smith played at the vision festival in 2008 with his golden quintet and included that performance on the double album spiritual dimensions he will perform this year in several configurations including with a dancer its a fantastic festival one of a kind mr smith said in an interview
as of thursday may 26 the campaign had raised approximately 36000 much of it from small donations ms parker said this years festival which will be held in judson memorial church and feature the sun ra arkestra and henry grimes will continue as planned ms parker said come hell or high water well get through it


the retrial of two former dewey  leboeuf executives for fraud will go ahead without one of the defendants representing himself which was under consideration a few weeks ago
instead stephen dicarmine the former executive director at dewey has retained a new lawyer to defend him at the coming trial which is now scheduled to begin early next year in new york state supreme court in manhattan
earlier this month mr dicarmine told justice robert m stolz of state supreme court in manhattan that he wanted to defend himself and replace his longtime lawyer austin campriello justice stolz said he was reluctant to allow it and told him to think about it for a few weeks
mr dicarmine considered representing himself in part because of the mounting legal costs associated with the long running criminal matter and potential disagreement in legal strategy
his new lawyer is rita glavin a partner at seward  kissel and a former federal prosecutor
the retrial of mr dicarmine and joel sanders deweys former chief financial officer had been scheduled to start in september but the judge delayed the start to give ms glavin more time to prepare
the dewey prosecution has been a bit of a sore spot for cyrus r vance jr the manhattan district attorney after beginning with a flourish of press attention in march 2014 at that time mr vance in announcing the filing of a 106 count indictment charged that the seeds of deweys 2012 bankruptcy filing stemmed from a four year scheme to manipulate the law firms books to defraud bank lenders and institutional investors but since then things have not gone as planned for mr vance in the courtroom
the first trial which began around this time last year lasted for nearly six months before ending in a hung jury on most of those charges then in january prosecutors reached a deferred prosecution agreement with steven h davis the law firms former chairman that would avoid a second trial for him
peirce moser an assistant prosecutor working for mr vance who participated in the first trial has told judge stolz the second trial will be much shorter and prosecutors on their own have dismissed many of the charges on which the jury deadlocked judge stolz further whittled down the case by dismissing some of the most serious grand larceny charges against mr dicarmine and mr sanders
if mr dicarmine had been permitted to represent himself it would have created more drama at the coming trial mr dicarmine a 1983 graduate of california western school of law practiced law for only a few years was not a litigator and has no trial experience


a 23 year old man has been charged with murder in the death of a top aide in the cuomo administration who was fatally shot last year in the crossfire between dueling gangs during a celebration before a popular caribbean festival in brooklyn law enforcement officials said on friday
the man micah alleyne who lives in a homeless shelter in jamaica queens was arraigned in brooklyn criminal court and ordered held in custody according to the brooklyn district attorneys office the police initially said mr alleyne was 25
the police said that witnesses and mr alleynes own statements helped to identify him as one of several gunmen who had engaged in mutual combat with multiple firearms on sept 7 2015 with one of the bullets striking and killing the cuomo administration aide carey w gabay according to a criminal complaint mr alleyne was arrested early on thursday at the 71st precinct station in brooklyn and charged with murder criminal possession of a firearm and reckless endangerment
mr gabays death resonated far beyond new york with many seeing it as the senseless killing of a man whose life embodied a time honored version of the american success story a son of immigrants who grew up in public housing earned an ivy league education and dedicated himself to public service
mr gabay 43 was the first deputy counsel for the empire state development corporation the states chief economic development agency he was walking home early last labor day from jouvert a predawn celebration that precedes the annual west indian american day parade when a gunfight broke out between rival gangs he was shot in the head as he sought cover behind a car and died on sept 16
mr gabays relatives reacted to the arrest by praising the police and the district attorney our family is still grieving careys loss but we are encouraged that the justice process is finally moving forward the family said in a statement we remain thankful to all those who continue to support us during this difficult time
mr gabays death prompted gov andrew m cuomo who delivered his eulogy to reassert himself in the debate over gun violence
todays arrest is a major step forward in the pursuit of justice for careys family and loved ones mr cuomo said in a statement on friday i commend the investigators and prosecutors for their tireless efforts to ensure those responsible for careys death are held fully accountable for their actions
the police said they were still seeking two men and a woman in mr gabays killing
mr alleyne was previously arrested on assault charges in april 2015 the police said he punched a 21 year old woman in the face in october 2014 leaving her with a split lip the disposition of that case could not be determined because it is sealed
as i have said from the beginning we are determined to get justice for mr gabay and his family ken thompson the brooklyn district attorney said in a statement and we will continue to press forward until we hold everyone responsible for his death accountable
another man denentro josiah 19 was fatally stabbed earlier the same day during the festivities his killing is unsolved
mr alleyne has been living at the lincoln motor inn a motel in queens that is used by new york city to house homeless families that can not be accommodated in city shelters living there with him were his 2 year old daughter skyla and her mother tasha morgan other residents said
mr alleyne recently graduated from a phlebotomy program and had worked as a health aide other shelter residents said a woman who described herself as a close friend of ms morgans said mr alleyne had started bugging out after seeing a grainy surveillance photo of one of the shooting suspects in mr gabays killing
the woman who declined to provide her name because she feared retaliation by friends of mr alleyne said that after the shooting ms morgan showed signs of great stress crying often and losing considerable weight she did a lot of crying about it she didnt know whats going on the woman said adding she lay beside him in bed at night like i dont know who you are
in the wake of the shooting mr gabay was remembered as a dedicated public servant whose drive had propelled him to overcome challenging circumstances
his parents were jamaican immigrants and he was raised in the boston secor houses a public housing complex in the bronx he went to harvard where he studied government and was elected student government president in his senior year after graduation he attended harvard law school after getting his law degree he worked at several firms in new york specializing in corporate finance law
he became an assistant counsel to mr cuomo in 2011 and was appointed in january 2015 as first deputy counsel for the development corporation
he married his wife trenelle a hair and makeup artist in 2012 in brooklyn they settled in the boroughs clinton hill neighborhood and worshiped at the emmanuel baptist church where mr cuomo delivered a forceful rebuke of gun violence at mr gabays funeral
the violence has become so brutal so aimless he said that the most innocent can be struck down anytime anywhere


oakland calif   the night before the thunder tried for the first time to eradicate the golden state warriors from the postseason the oklahoma city players attended the film x men apocalypse the group included the 7 footer steven adams who is from new zealand but looks as if he could have emerged from the pages of a comic book
as the players strode through the lobby toward the theater reserved for them adams attracted attention from other moviegoers at the multiplex and not just because of his samson locks handlebar mustache and tattoo ink running down his right arm
adams 22 has been a paladin in the paint for the thunder in these playoffs but the nobility of making and rejecting shots and pulling down rebounds is possibly the only thing to have escaped his grasp adamss teammate forward nick collison said that as they walked through the lobby adams turned to him and said this is weird everyone is watching us
collison added hes handling it well but i think he just doesnt understand the whole star culture we have over here
with six double doubles in the playoffs matching his regular season total adams a third year center has been the breakout performer of the postseason the isosceles triangle he has formed with established stars kevin durant and russell westbrook confounded the san antonio spurs in the second round and has confused the warriors who trail 3 2 in the best of seven series after staving off elimination thursday with a 120 111 victory at home game 6 is saturday in oklahoma city
despite picking up two fouls in the opening three minutes adams had 10 rebounds in the game and finished one field goal from his seventh double double the antipodes player who took center stage on this night was the warriors australia born andrew bogut who collected 15 points and 14 rebounds after the game adams sounded as if he took the box score and balled it up and deposited it in the trash bin along with the athletic tape holding his bruised and battered body together
adams spent nearly 30 minutes in the training room before emerging briefly to talk to reporters we just have to make another adjustment man he said thats what series are about
after he was done fielding questions adams returned to the training room for roughly another half hour of treatment while he was having his body worked on the retired center dikembe mutombo a native of the democratic republic of congo stopped by the locker room to visit with a fellow congolese the forward serge ibaka mutombo stayed to talk about adams spreading praise like salve
im so proud of him mutombo said im so proud of his effort hes unbelievable
mutombo shook his head in wonderment as he recalled one of adamss second quarter baskets a dunk off a rebound of a missed 12 footer by westbrook i was like whoa mutombo said adding hes one of the most surprising big men today
adams perked up when mutombos words were relayed to him alluding to mutombos deep soothing voice which calls to mind barry white on stilts adams said he can read me a story and ill go straight to sleep
for adams and his teammates there is no resting after coasting to 55 victories in the regular season to trail the warriors 73 and the spurs 67 in the west the thunder have circled their playoff prey with a hunger that is almost primal adams epitomizes the teams commitment to getting better and to playing with and for one another
hes really really focused and concentrated on trying to do the job to the best of his ability said the thunders first year coach billy donovan and i think he does the job out of great care for the guys in the locker room
from their center the thunders cohesiveness spreads outward its ripple effects were seen late in thursdays game when durant between whistles hurried over to the bench and patted the players as if they were pillows in need of plumping which in a manner of speaking they were the warriors reserves outscored their oklahoma city counterparts by 30 to 13
but before his teammates can feed off adamss energy he has to accommodate his voracious appetite his metabolism is crazy said collison who has watched adams attack two or three entrees at one sitting with the same zeal he does loose rebounds
i think one of the best things about playing in the nba for him is hes able to afford really good food collison said
any meal that does not have to be divided among siblings qualifies as a feast for adams his father sid an englishman who settled in new zealand after serving in the navy had 18 children with five women adams is the youngest he said mealtimes growing up were as competitive as any sport you kind of did fight for food so i filled up my plate he said my dad would make us finish it and id sit there crying because id have to finish all that food he laughed i think that forced my stomach to stretch adams said
adamss father seeded a redwood forest his brothers average 6 feet 9 inches and two warren and ralph played professional basketball in new zealand in the 1980s his sisters average 6 feet and include 31 year old valerie a two time olympic champion in the shot put who stands a shade under 6 feet 4 their family resemblance is obvious adams has the same nimbleness around the basket that valerie does in the shot put circle
as a child adams lived with his father and three siblings in rotorua a rural town on new zealands north island known for its geysers and thermal pools in 2006 when adams was 13 his father died of cancer and adamss life unraveled he started ditching school and fell in with a bad crowd he was not close to his mother so his brother warren intervened collecting adams and bringing him to wellington where he lived
through his brother adams met two people who would form the core of the second family he has created kenny mcfadden a former washington state standout who played professionally in new zealand oversaw his basketball development and the strength trainer blossom cameron directed adamss education and became his legal guardian
through his brother and mcfadden a teenage adams popped onto the radar of jamie dixon then coaching at pittsburgh who had befriended both men while playing in the new zealand professional league dixon recruited adams to pittsburgh where he played one season 2012 13 before turning to the pros
the player drafted 12th over all by the thunder in 2013 bears little resemblance to the one who was kryptonite to the spurs tim duncan and has driven the warriors draymond green to distraction in the western conference finals his game now more streamlined and efficient has evolved the same cannot be said of his hair as a rookie he was cleanshaven and had a modified crew cut at some point he and his teammate enes kanter a 6 foot 11 forward decided to grow mustaches
that was the start early on someone told adams that he looked like tom selleck recently named 2016s sexiest actor alive by glamour magazine adams needed no further encouragement to continue on his hirsute path which raises the question how would he have reacted if someone had said he resembled the actor and comedian russell brand
in lock step with his mustache adams started growing out his hair which he collects in a ponytail during games he recently began pitching his own signature mustache styling wax made by handmade la conner with a scent of oakmoss and whiskey with a hint of roseweed essential oil
thunder fans both young and old have begun showing up at home games with handlebar mustaches and fake tattoos down their right arms but the real tribute to adams can be seen in his homeland the nba playoffs because of his role are competing with cricket and rugby for top billing in the evening sports news which is a first
i hope that basketball gains momentum and kids understand that you can actually make a living from it adams said not just the nba you can get a scholarship a free degree like no student loan you have to pay off thats huge in life once they realize that in new zealand i hope they get inspired


kevin vickers who became a national hero in canada after thwarting an armed attack on parliament in 2014 again took matters into his own hands on thursday this time during a diplomatic visit to ireland
the praise was less universal this time
mr vickers the former sergeant at arms to canadas house of commons is now ambassador to ireland and his actions prodded old wounds from a century of irish conflict with britain a video showed the ambassador at a memorial service for british soldiers who died during the 1916 easter rising running toward and then tussling with a protester
mr vickers a look of intense determination on his face grabbed the man by his jacket and pulled him away from the ceremony at the grangegorman military cemetery in dublin all while the protester shouted this is an insult
the video then showed mr vickers coming back into view of the camera as the authorities handcuffed the protester and led him away
some on twitter were quick to praise the ambassador including some flights of fancy
but not everyone was pleased while many headlines again labeled mr vickers a hero the irish times put the word in quotation marks and asked readers if his actions were appropriate opinions were divided back home some criticized mr vickers and raised questions about the ambassadors diplomatic qualifications
the protester later identified as brian murphy said that his grandfather fought 100 years ago in the easter rising a five day rebellion quashed by the british more than 400 people died thousands of irish were detained and parts of dublin were left in ruins the executed rebels who are still revered inspired a broader movement that led to irelands independence in 1922
honoring the lives of british soldiers who died in the rising was a step too far mr murphy told the national post of canada he said he intends to fight the disorderly conduct charge filed against him
mr vickers formerly a senior member of the royal canadian mounted police rose from relative obscurity when it emerged that during the oct 22 2014 attack he had spun backward dived to the ground and set off a volley of bullets that killed a gunman who had tried to invade parliament after killing a soldier at the nearby national war memorial
after firing the shots mr vickers entered a nearby room where prime minister stephen harper and his conservative caucus were meeting and announced i engaged the suspect and the suspect is deceased
until the attack his public profile was mostly limited to carrying the large ceremonial mace into the house of commons to open sittings but his weapons also included a 9 millimeter pistol as his main duty was to oversee security for the chamber
his actions earned him international attention as well as sustained applause in the canadian parliament when it returned to session after the attack and he was named canadas ambassador to ireland in january 2015


thermo fisher scientific has agreed to acquire the fei company a maker of microscopes that examine close up images of metals biological cells and semiconductors for 42 billion
the transaction will incorporate feis so called electron microscopy platform into thermo fishers analytical instruments business thermo fisher a waltham mass maker of devices and materials for scientific research and lab and diagnostic equipment will pay 10750 a share in cash for fei which is based in hillsboro ore the deal is expected to add to earnings in the first full year after it closes
analysts at leerink called the combination a logical fit while evercore isi said the acquisition was a nice tuck in
the move also seemed to please shareholders thermo fishers shares were flat on friday and feis stock jumped 14 percent
last week thermo fisher outlined its plans to use capital so far this year thermo fisher has signed two acquisitions - the one on friday with fei as well as one for affymetrix a maker of genetics analysis technology for 13 billion which closed in march it has also bought back 1 billion in stock and paid 240 million in dividends
thermo fishers chief executive marc n casper said in an interview well continue to be active in evaluating other opportunities over time to continue to strengthen the company and create shareholder value
the transaction is expected to close by early 2017 thermo fisher said it planned to pay for the deal with debt and cash on hand and it expected to extract about 80 million from both cost cuts and revenue gains
jpmorgan chase advised thermo fisher while goldman sachs was the financial adviser for fei on the legal side wachtell lipton rosen  katz advised thermo fisher and wilson sonsini goodrich  rosati provided counsel to fei


hiroshima japan   after his speech in hiroshima on friday president obama exchanged an emotional embrace with a bomb survivor who spent decades researching the american prisoners of war who were killed when the city was bombed
shigeaki mori was 8 when the united states dropped the atomic bomb on aug 6 1945
i interviewed mr mori now 79 this week at his home in hiroshima he told me how he was walking to school when the bomb exploded knocking him off a bridge and into a small shallow river he was lucky the river protected him from the firestorm that followed he remembered searching for food and water in the ensuing days but finding piles of charred bodies instead
their mouths were open because people had tried to identify them by their tooth fillings he said
when he grew up mr mori worked at a brokerage house and later at a piano manufacturer but id always wanted to be a historian he said
he spent his weekends researching the aftermath of the bombing double checking official histories with contemporary newspaper reports and his own interviews with fellow survivors
there were so many mistakes in the histories he said
one day a local university professor gave him a list of names that the professor had found in a government archive they were the names of american airmen who had been shot down in bombing raids over the area some of whom had been held in a detention center in hiroshima they were killed when their fellow airmen dropped the bomb and their deaths had gone unrecognized both the japanese and american governments kept the pows presence in hiroshima quiet after the war
mr mori interviewed residents who had seen the downed planes he scoured american phone books he found at libraries looking for people who might have been family members of the crewmen i made calls for three years before i found anyone he said
eventually in the 1970s declassified american documents backed up his findings the name of the first airman was added to the peace memorial in hiroshima in 2004 an additional 11 were added five years later
on friday mr mori was one of two bomb survivors who spoke briefly with mr obama after his speech first the president shook hands with sunao tsuboi 91 who was burned from head to toe in the bombing 71 years ago mr obama nodded smiled and even laughed while he listened to mr tsuboi and held his hand
he was holding my hands until the end mr tsuboi told the associated press i was almost about to ask him to stop holding my hands but he wouldnt i think he is such an earnest person or has the heart to feel for others so strongly
mr obama then moved on to shake hands with mr mori who had tears in his eyes the president gave him a hug which mr mori returned
it was emotional mr mori told television reporters afterward i dont even remember what i said


vallejo gantner the artistic director of performance space 122 a center for adventurous performance events in the east village will step down from his post as soon as a replacement can be found   and before the space reopens after a long in the works renovation
you want to leave when the goings good said mr gantner 42 who has held the top job at ps122 since 2005 you want to leave before you screw it up
ps122 which was founded in 1980 in a former schoolhouse turned community center has long been a locus for experimental dance theater and performance it has hosted work by vanguard figures like spalding gray john leguizamo meredith monk and blue man group
under mr gantners tenure it has helped to introduce a new generation of artists such as young jean lee radiohole and julie atlas muz in 2006 he started the coil festival which has helped make january in new york an international hub for avant garde performance
in 2011 ps122 moved out of its longtime home on first avenue to make way for renovations designed to update and enlarge the building the renovation also includes two new theaters built without the support columns that defined and bedeviled ps122s previous performance spaces
construction on the city funded project originally budgeted at 34 million started later than planned and has not yet been completed as the condition of the 1894 building proved worse than had been expected
chet kerr the vice chairman of ps122s board said this week that he expected it to reopen in 2017 he described mr gantners departure which has been in discussion since last year as amicable i cant tell you how much i appreciate what vallejo has done for the organization and what hes doing for the organization right now mr kerr said
mr gantner said he believes someone else should lead the ribbon cutting ive made my mind up to go before i get tired before i get calcified he said he is aiding the board in a search for someone to come in with all the fire and the energy and the mojo to really take us forward adding that he expected a new leader to be named by the end of the year


everyone knows that tickets to the hit broadway musical hamilton are next to impossible to get but for certain savvy fans and keen eyed passers by there are free uncrowded hamilton performances in central park every thursday   on the softball fields
yes hamilton has a softball team and anyone can walk up and watch it play at the heckscher ballfields near tavern on the green
no you do not need tickets and no sadly lin manuel miranda who created and stars in the musical does not play
but other performers do including christopher jackson who plays george washington onstage and third base on the ball field
he bats cleanup right after anthony ramos an outfielder who in the broadway production plays john laurens as well as alexander hamiltons son philip
the teams left fielder and fleet footed leadoff batter is ephraim sykes who is part of the ensemble and also plays george eacker
alysha deslorieux a standby performer for the roles of the schuyler sisters starts at second base and brings the team mascot to the games max her dachshund poodle mix
they play in the broadway show league where teams are made up of the cast crew musicians ushers and other theater employees from different productions
the notoriously sold out hamilton which is nominated for a record 16 tony awards this year is also mopping up on the field
five games into the season they are undefeated all of the victories have been decisive if not blowouts
they shut out the team from beautiful by a score of 5 0 beat kinky boots and phantom of the opera by seven runs each and blew out the combined team from fiddler on the roof and finding neverland 19 to 0
on thursday they routed les miserables by 10 runs putting them at 5 0 and at the top of the standings with matilda
hey were hamilton we try to win everything said the teams co manager sandy paradise poking fun at the shows seemingly boundless success which also includes drama desk awards and the pulitzer prize for drama
ms paradise who operates the spotlight onstage was penciling in the starting lineup before thursdays game on field 2 near the central park carousel
she gathered the players and pointed across the infield at their opponents from les miserables   like hamilton a revolution themed musical   and urged her players to kick some french revolutionary posterior
she led the pregame shout   to the revolution   and it was time to play ball
the performers who on the stage wear period costumes like frock coats and ornate dresses take the field wearing black and yellow uniforms with the shows name the caps bear the hamilton logo and the phrase raise a bat to freedom a variant of a line from the song the story of tonight in the musical
there is still so much buzz around our show and it translates onto the field said chris robinson who operates the light board for the show and is a utility player on the team
while some teams have trouble fielding a full squad more than 50 cast and crew members signed up for the hamilton team creating a roster as big as the bible said the teams other co manager angelo gonzalez who played first base on thursday
as the doorman at the stage door mr gonzalez makes sure things go smoothly when the cast exits to the swarms of fans awaiting them nightly
while its fabulous to be in a show that has taken the theater world by storm the problem is everyone expects us to win said sean quinn the theaters chief engineer and one of the teams pitchers
the team is tight knit said mr sykes who played little league and high school baseball growing up in st petersburg fla
theres a lot of love in the building he said referring to the theater the games are a good time for the cast and crew and the success and energy of the show definitely translates to the field
in the third inning mr sykes singled
lets get it started yelled mr ramos 24 who stepped to the plate and yelled yah as he swung ripping a towering fly ball over the left fielders head for a double and driving mr sykes home
mr ramos who grew up in bushwick brooklyn and played baseball at new utrecht high school wears his childhood nickname da franchize on the back of his jersey he said he strained his groin during a recent game and had to grimace his way through that evenings performance
its a lot of fun but we come here to win mr ramos said of the games which feature collisions and diving catches this is unsettling to the shows producers players said especially with the approach of the tony awards show on june 12 during which the cast is scheduled to perform
not to mention the fact that the games are sandwiched between the matinee and evening performance on wednesdays and the thursday evening performances
the players are occasionally asked for photos by parkgoers who happen to notice the team name and by the handful of hamilton fanatics who have learned of the softball playing offshoot of the hit show
on thursday this included lauren m wendt 15 and sabina mamedova 19 who recognized each other while sitting in the bleachers from the hamilton content they had posted on social media
lauren had her face autographed by the cast at the stage door and posted a photo of it on twitter which made a splash among fans
most people dont know about this she said of the relatively fan free games and added that she knew nothing about softball
seeing the crew is as great as seeing the cast and its great to see them out of their element she said
lauren a high school freshman from princeton nj who wore a black hamilton t shirt said she had seen the show four times usually by waiting overnight to buy cancellation tickets
sabina 18 a sophomore at hunter college said she had entered the lottery for tickets 170 times and had seen the show three times
its fun to see everybody cheering on each other here she said
lucy stone 15 from peachtree city ga watched the game wearing a red hamilton t shirt and said her family was on a five day vacation in manhattan just to try to nab hamilton tickets
they booked a hotel near the theater where the show is playing so lucy could wait outside the stage door each night she had not gotten tickets but a theater worker told her about the thursday games
between innings mr ramos posed for a photo and allowed her to videotape him reciting one of his lines
if i cant see them onstage she said at least i saw them here


every friday the new york times pop critics weigh in on the weeks most notable new songs and videos   and anything else that strikes them as intriguing   in a new version of the playlist column you can listen to this playlist on spotify here like the new format let us know at theplaylistnytimescom
a nonrevealing reveal about jay zs feelings on beyonces lemonade a visible and generous squashing of old beef a rare verse from a rapper who likes to remind you that hes an executive a rare verse that makes you think executive problems might be as troubling as rapper problems a strategic re establishment of a new york beachhead see also remixes by jadakiss fabolous dave east and more a nod to a pair of fallen stars a parents wish blue looking like pac in the tub a reminder that kings   even lapsed ones   never really stop surveying their subjects a tidal exclusive jon caramanica
last sunday kesha sang bob dylans it aint me babe at the billboard music awards in full throated dramatic pop country style she had to be given legal clearance to do so her record label kemosabe had earlier suspended approval for her to sing the song fearing that she would use it as an opportunity as a platform to discuss the litigation between her and her producer dr luke if youve heard keshas recording of dolly partons old flames cant hold a candle to you you already knew she could sing like that but how about the song itself mr dylan may have cribbed the first line from the traditional english folk song go away from my window recorded by jeannie robertson and john jacob niles among others its also possible that he deliberately constructed an emotional photonegative of the earlier song whose narrator is keeping someone out proactively setting up boundaries dont enter in robertson sang worriedly mr dylans narrator by contrast is dismissing someone with a shrug thats the song kesha chose   just as pointed in a way as the other song she performed the following night at dylan fest in nashville i shall be released ben ratliff
send my love to your new lover is the song adele made after hearing taylor swifts i knew you were trouble which introduced her to the rigorous pop genius of max martin and shellback typically great adele songs seep into all available crevices but this one is a wispy jaunt just adele a guitar some drums and not much else the video though   which had its debut during the billboard music awards last weekend   manages to look like adele typically sounds thanks to a simple effect she was filmed several times in the same setup   wearing a bright floral dress in front of a black backdrop   and then shots were layered atop each other with differing transparencies creating a sort of visual row row row your boat effect as ever adele displays how to do the most with the least   she is a master of the offhand facial expression but the overlays can be striking singing direct to the camera in one shot burying her head in her hands in another stern hand gestures paired with a look of cold angst spinning around and flaring out her dress in one giving a firm tsk tsk with the hand in the other jc
the australian electronic music producer flume aka harley streten avoids direct four on the floor propulsion when percussion sounds arrive among his pillowy sustained chords and flutelike melodies theyre likely to be the snickering syncopations of trap while the strongest rhythm comes from deep viscous bass tones that skid and lurch like improbably prolonged drunken stumbles can i should i find my way home beck sings in tiny cities the capstone of flumes new album skin in four minutes of unstable pomp with a touch of animal collective becks lyrics muse on conundrums   how can i convince myself to not believe in what i know   while his vocals are multiplied into edifices of baroque counterpoint over a slow fitful march the music is at once grand vertiginous and liable to disappear at any moment jon pareles
theres as much u2 as country in dierks bentleys new album black drums boom and guitars reverberate in grand spaces different for girls   not joe jacksons its different for girls   insists that women cant power through breakups like men can hes trying to sympathize nobody said it was fair mr bentley allows when love disappears they cant pretend it was never there elle king harmonizes with him and takes a verse herself yeah the guys can just act tough but wait a minute ms king might just be the last person to share these mars and venus generalizations about how women are naturally more romantic just last year she was the one heartlessly notching up conquests in her own exs and ohs jp
the surface is mostly subterfuge especially at the beginning the perky electroacoustic plink of the arrangement the galloping beat and vocal harmonies of the chorus the video clip thats devoted to boys will be boys high jinks but listen to the lyrics and olivia hally and pepita emmerichs the two songwriters who lead the australian group oh pep are singing about dealing with an unplanned pregnancy   and with the boyfriend parents doctors and finally the narrators own choice at the end the instruments drop away for a stark a cappella nine months til the deadlineand nine weeks to make up your mind jp
here it comes sings jenny hval dispassionately in the chorus of her new track female vampire what does she mean by that exactly the song is her first single from blood bitch   an explicitly sanguine album concerned with blood as a substance both vital and mundanely intimate another track on the album bears the wry title period piece ms hval who hails from norway is an artist of inscrutable intention predisposed toward any premise that leads you disoriented a fair distance from where you started female vampire is built on an ominous strobing electronic backdrop over which the vocals float in a soothing disquiet the lyrics are hardly clear about their vampiric implications   im so tiredof subjectivity isnt a phrase youll find in the twilight series   but ms hval evokes a goth sensibility thats fully compatible with the milieu there should be more a lot more to talk about when blood bitch is released by sacred bones on sept 30 nate chinen
more than most musicians with her training the singer songwriter composer and bassist esperanza spalding has shown a creative savvy when it comes to the visual image so her contribution to gaze a short film directed by allie avital under the banner of ray ban films is decidedly on brand on its face the film is about yearning obsession featuring kate lyn sheil as a photographer stalking the firefighter next door but its also about the act of seeing and being seen   or as the case may be frustratingly unseen ms spalding appears first in a photo shoot and later in a surreal dream sequence performing a song with a chamber electronic texture she also wrote the mournful string arrangements that provide a score for much of the film including a finale that pushes ray bans current ittakescourage campaign to the point of absurdity nc
for the occasion of eddie palmieris excellent concert last weekend in harlems marcus garvey park reimagining some of the music and the style of his 1971 latin funk opus harlem river drive red bull music academy created a short documentary about the great pianist and that moment in new york music history its the second film in an ongoing series called the note as always mr palmieri delivers great value he walks around his old neighborhoods in harlem and the south bronx he tells a vest pocket history of his career at the piano he breaks down afro cuban music into structures rumba guajira son montuno mambo great video clips from the past show him playing live in transports the poet felipe luciano and musicianhistorian aurora flores talk about the history of the young lords the latino activist group the drummer bernard purdie and the timbalero nicky marerro talk about meshing funk and cuban rhythm theres an awful lot in 14 minutes br
this is string band music in the digital era with riffs like loops and allusions to fiddle tunes dance music and deep gospel leyla mccalla played cello in the carolina chocolate drops the self conscious reincarnation of a string band tradition by music school students she continues that mission   to look way back but to push forward   on her own a day for the hunter a day for the prey is the title song of her new album and with its six beat pulse it is at once african minimalistic percussive and rootsy   aware of its antecedents and not daunted by them jp
one of last years best out of left field jazz releases was in the moment a double lp of smartly atmospheric beat music by the chicago drummer makaya mccraven distilled from a mess of live recordings the album felt cooled out but alert reflecting multiple allegiances to deep house hard bop and the non genre sometimes pegged as post rock mr mccraven now has a worthy follow up in the moment e  f sides made up of material from the same club residency but mixed more recently and mastered by the stylish producer daddy kev the music featuring mr mccraven with ace collaborators like the guitarist jeff parker and the vibraphonist known as justefan suggests an organic yet state of the art melding of modern jazz and hip hop without a speck of compromise its also refreshingly grounded in a sense of place during a soulfully polyrhythmic track called she knew you hear some spirited crowd chatter it doesnt feel at all like a problem nc


with his divorce completed vishal kapoor a plastic surgeon in beverly hills calif bought a 6500 square foot house and began outfitting it for his new life as a single man one thing he wanted was a gym so he built one and filled it with the latest equipment
he estimated that the 250 square foot gym cost about 200000 and he spent another 60000 on equipment we had the option of putting it in one of the rooms dr kapoor said but it was dark and theres no natural light the way it is now theres a lot of natural light it just makes it nicer
the summer months are a particularly popular time for updating houses with new bathrooms new kitchens or even a new roof but whether the renovations add to a homes value thats a different matter even when they do increase the price a seller may get they rarely increase it in line with how much the renovation costs
people confuse helping the home keep up with the market with an upgrade or a renovation said jonathan j miller president and chief executive of miller samuel a real estate appraisal firm that covers the new york metropolitan area the simplest example may be refinishing your floors or repainting the inside of your house those are things that need to happen every so often so the house doesnt fall behind the market
with renovations he said the relationship between cost and value are always changing at times a 100000 renovation may add only 50000 to the value of a home in other instances spending 50000 may increase the value by 100000 he said
and there are the times when the renovation may decrease the homes value mr miller said he remembered a one bedroom apartment in greenwich village that he appraised almost three decades ago the apartment had a 30000 built in entertainment system that was purple formica
the owner thinks the value is the apartment plus 30000 mr miller said the buyer is thinking its the value of the apartment minus 3000 to remove it and repair the wall here lies the problem
what is going to add value depends as much on the type of renovation as the particular housing market and mr miller said he tells clients that personal taste and market taste can be different
new roofs and insulation have great financial returns said jessica lautz managing director of survey research at the national association of realtors which teamed up last year with the national association of the remodeling industry to determine the value of renovations
ms lautz said people who would like to recoup more of their investment would do better by aiming for boring putting in new insulation and garage doors or replacing a roof siding or windows adds value and saves energy
but new kitchens and bathrooms make owners happy and their value is more difficult to discern
according to the realtors report the average price of a kitchen renovation is 60000 and carries a joy score of 98 out of 10 yet the report found only 67 percent of the price is recovered when the owner sells the house a bathroom renovation typically cost 26000 and has a joy score of 93 but only 58 percent of that will be recovered
stan humphries chief economist for zillow group said he found in his research that high end bath and kitchen renovations were among the worst investments though not as bad as finishing a basement
on the other hand he said a midrange bathroom remodel could reap a big increase in value these are renovations where a fairly bland bathroom is made into something youd bring your guests into he said the return is 171 for every 1 spent
when you get way up into the finishes for a bath or kitchen you start to really apply a strong aesthetic to that renovation he said when you make choices about backsplashes and finishes the buyer may not like it but theyre going to appreciate a usable bathroom regardless
whatever the renovation its ability to increase the value of a home can be short lived
a renovation beyond three years   unless its something major like a new story of your house   isnt going to matter that much he said the new car smell of that renovation has gone away and your neighbors have done the same thing
still ms lautz said big expensive renovations may be necessary just for sellers to attract interest on photo heavy real estate websites you look at homes online and see the new kitchens and bathrooms that really sparkle she said
this benefit varies depending on demand in a particular housing market
if youre in a housing market with very tight supply all of a sudden the value spread between a home that needs a lot of work and the home that doesnt need any narrows mr miller said in a market where there is an oversupply its just the opposite theres more of a premium for a home that has already been done
new canaan conn an affluent town an hour from new york city is experiencing one of those gluts amanda briggs the brokerage manager at houlihan lawrence there said the town had a lot of listings for large four story homes that are 10 to 15 years old
theyre perfectly maintained she said but these houses look more dated than they are the cabinets look outdated buyers want to redo them and theyre factoring in the costs to the price
ms briggs said her agency has published a guide for its brokers on the science of pricing while she demurred on what that science was she offered statistics showing the downside of getting the price wrong
in new canaan the houses that are properly priced are on the market for an average of 76 days and sell for 97 percent of the asking price but the time on the market for homes that need at least one price reduction goes up to 226 days and the eventual selling prices is only 87 percent of the list price
one factor at work is the difference between what ms briggs called buyers math and sellers math sellers think acquisition cost plus what i put into it is what its worth she said buyers are looking at price per square foot and zillows analytics
as for personal touches how they contribute to value depends on whether they make a home more or less attractive relative to the homes around it lilly lenavitt an agent with compass a real estate agency in los angeles said the basic upgrades apply in that market with a premium placed on pools the value of a gym though could go either way
if they can put a gym in and its just a room where all the equipment can come out its ok she said if youve personalized it and it can only be used as a gym youre narrowing your buyers
dr kapoor said he made his home gym look like a high end health club from top of the line equipment and wiring to the stacks of towels and refrigerator filled with gatorade
but regarding the investment potential of the space he hesitated do i think id get my money back i dont know he said
i have my kids 40 percent of the time he added they want to be with me at least now i can work out in my gym and they can pop in if they need me
and that nod to personal enjoyment may be the only guaranteed return on any renovation


london   collecting fields dont get much more rarefied than illuminated manuscripts once prized by the likes of the rothschilds and americas robber barons these exquisite products of medieval monastic life now sell for fractions of the telephone number prices paid for contemporary art stars like twombly and basquiat
but christies at least is hoping to revive the appeal of these historic objects on wednesday in london the auction house held a sale of more than 30 medieval manuscripts from the family collection of maurice burrus a french swiss tobacco and railroad magnate and renowned stamp collector who died in 1959
the pick of the burrus manuscripts was a late 15th century compilation of french verse that included alain chartiers contributions to the cycle la belle dame sans mercy which inspired keatss 1819 poem of the same title it had a presale estimate of 15 million to 25 million pounds or about 22 million to 35 million
chartiers poem lexcusation the literary gem of the manuscript put a new spin on the culture of so called courtly love from which so many of the romantic conventions of western society have derived chartiers belle dame unlike other medieval heroines rejects the overtures of her knightly suitor protesting je suis france et france vueil estre i am free and free i want to be
lest anyone admire her proto feminist independence another poet achille caulier ends the manuscripts cycle by condemning la belle dame to death one of eight large illuminations by the dunois master shows her leaving court demoted as the poem recounts to cruel woman from beautiful lady
chartier is the dante of france said eugenio donadoni a specialist in medieval and renaissance manuscripts at christies book department secular texts in the vernacular that are so wonderfully illustrated are very rare
christies like a lot of companies in the art world is trying to come up with new ways to sell old things the 39 burrus manuscripts were combined with examples of the first four collected editions of shakespeares works to be printed capitalizing on the 400th anniversary of his death
a temporary salesroom was created with theatrically lit display cases and armani black walls that could make a contemporary art collector feel at ease modernism meets medieval   thats the way to do it mr donadoni said before the sale we want to dispel the myth that illuminated manuscripts are attractive just to book types we want people to appreciate them as objects
at the sale once a newly unearthed 1623 shakespeare first folio had sold for PS19 million and the three later folio editions had sold for a total of PS605000 the audience thinned to about 50 hard core medieval manuscript enthusiasts
unfortunately for burruss heirs the chartier manuscript failed to sell the well thumbed state of the pages had been noted by specialist buyers for whom condition is crucial
the burrus collection raised PS22 million with fees considerably below the presale estimate of PS31 million but all but three of the manuscripts found buyers an agent in the room gave a top price of PS470500 for a late 15th century history of france with a burgundian royal provenance and illustrations by the so called master of the chronique scandaleuse it had been estimated at PS200000 to PS300000
half a dozen less exceptional late 15th century french and flemish manuscripts sold for between PS20000 and PS35000 each
the sale had its ups and downs but the market loves fresh material said richard a linenthal a london dealer who paid what he described as a bargain price of PS92500 for a 12th century book of gospels from southern france this is a specialized field its not a huge market
the current auction high for an illuminated manuscript is 136 million paid at christies in new york in january 2014 for a circa 1510 flemish book of hours formerly owned by the rothschild family that was slightly less than the 139 million paid this month in new york for a middling quality 1990 christopher wool word painting
but most art buyers now are looking for wall power rather than rarity and refinement so contemporary art continues to dominate most price and quality levels even though demand is not what it was in 2014
sales at the art16 fair at olympia in west london which closed on may 22 pointed to that dominance   and also the extent to which the market has cooled
aimed primarily at londons wealthy international population the contemporary fair included 91 galleries from more than 30 countries down from the 134 who exhibited last year
most works tended to be priced at under PS50000 business was sluggish at the thursday night preview   as it has been at contemporary art fairs this year   but the london gallery rook  raven did sell out their booth of new works by the south african artist lionel smit who was born in 1982
a favorite of london financiers mr smit paints characterful african faces with expressionist flourishes and he has a relatively modest resale auction high of 31000 according to the database artnet at the preview rook  raven sold two large and two medium sized paintings respectively priced at PS35000 and PS23000 each to buyers from india south africa and britain according to aretha campbell director of the gallery
that also happens to be the price range of quite a few of the burrus lots sold at christies an entire 15th century illuminated book selling for the same price as a new painting by a mid caliber contemporary artist might seem to show the skewed values of todays art market
but as mr donadoni the auction house specialist said potential buyers of something as old and rarefied   and as small   as a medieval manuscript are often stalled by one simple question
what do i do with it


representative jerrold nadler of new york a democrat whose district includes lower manhattan has written a scathing open letter denouncing donald j trump for receiving grant money intended for small business owners after the sept 11 attacks
mr nadlers broadside against mr trump is the latest salvo in efforts by democrats to illustrate his use of various loopholes over the years to help his businesses
mr trump the presumptive republican presidential nominee frequently invoked new yorks post 911 resilience to combat criticism from his primary rivals over his new york roots
mr nadler described those words by mr trump as exploitation of the citys darkest day
when do you plan on returning the taxpayer money that was designated to ease the suffering of our citys small business owners mr nadler wrote in the letter a copy of which his office provided to the new york times
he was referring to reports that mr trump had received 150000 from the world trade center business recovery grant program for his property at 40 wall street
its been reported that on your grant application you claimed 40 wall street llc   which employed 28 people and had 268 million in annual revenues at the time   as a small business mr nadler wrote despite the federal definition of a small business as having less than 6 million in revenue you accepted a 150000 payout
he added in grabbing that money with both fists you took it out of the pockets of small business owners in new york who were truly hurting and prevented them from taking full advantage of the relief so generously offered by their fellow citizens
mr nadler pointed out that mr trump had later been quoted in a television interview saying none of his properties were harmed in the attacks mr nadler also made a demand return the funds you received or donate them to a charitable organization dedicated to providing legitimate support for the victims of 911
mr trump recently made his first trip and first donation to the national september 11 memorial and museum at the site of the devastation he has not taken a position on the proposed extension of a bill providing health benefits to recovery workers who became ill at the world trade center site during the months of cleanup
in response to mr nadler mr trump said the company received this small amount of money after qualifying given the limited number of employees working at the property he said adding for many months i allowed people to stay in the building use the building and store things in the building
i was happy to do it and to this day i am still being thanked for the many people i helped the value of what i did was far greater than the money talked about he said


paris   a downbeat tennis season dipped deeper into a minor key on friday when rafael nadal who has won the french open nine times withdrew from the tournament because of a left wrist injury
the abrupt announcement sent shock waves through roland garros where nadal has cast the longest shadow across the red clay for more than a decade winning more singles titles here than any other player in history
the decision was all the more surprising because nadal had advanced to the third round on thursday with a typically lopsided 6 3 6 0 6 3 victory over facundo bagnis of argentina but nadal said he played that match only after receiving a painkilling injection in his left wrist he spoke at fridays news conference with the wrist in a blue brace his spokesman benito perez barbadillo later confirmed that the problem was an inflamed tendon sheath
one of the toughest press conferences of my career said nadal who was seeded fourth he said he could no longer hit his signature shot   his whipping topspin forehand   without major pain
its obvious if its not roland garros i will probably not take the risks of playing the first two days he said but its the most important event of the year for me so we tried our best we take risks yesterday thats why we played with anesthetic injection so without feeling at all in the wrist but you know when i am coming to roland garros i am coming thinking about winning the tournament to win the tournament i need five more matches and the doctor says thats 100 percent impossible
nadals withdrawal allowed his would be opponent marcel granollers a walkover into the fourth round and could make the road to the title considerably less arduous for no 1 seed novak djokovic who has yet to win the french open and could have faced nadal in the semifinals
nadals career has often been interrupted by injuries above all by knee tendinitis he also withdrew from the 2014 united states open with a right wrist injury which affected the left handed playing nadals two handed backhand but nadal said the injury to his left wrist was a new one he said the trouble began in a quarterfinal victory may 6 against joao sousa during the masters 1000 tournament in madrid
nadal lost in the semifinals of that tournament to andy murray and said he used mesotherapy before that match to deaden the pain he traveled to barcelona the next day for medical tests and decided to play in the masters 1000 event in rome
the doctor told me that there is nothing really bad he said so i accept that and i wanted to go to rome and i went to rome i played only with anti inflammatories
he lost to djokovic in a high quality quarterfinal and then returned to his home on majorca where the wrist resumed troubling him he said it grew worse after he arrived here
but nadal who has often played through pain and has had a resurgent season on clay after struggling by his standards in 2015 said he decided to play in paris because he believed he could manage the problem
but the thing is yesterday night i started to feel more and more pain he said and today in the morning i feel that i could not move much the wrist
he said that he had a magnetic resonance imaging scan and other medical tests and that his longtime doctor angel ruiz cotorro had advised him against continuing and told him that he risked a tear if he did so
if i continue to play it will break and that will mean months off the tour nadal said
ruiz cotorro told the spanish news website el espanol that nadals damaged tendon is the extensor carpi ulnaris tendon
thats the one next to that bump on the outer side of your wrist said dr nicholas dinubile an american orthopedic surgeon who is a member of the united states professional tennis association with the modern whip forehand and windshield wiper type movement it gets yanked a lot and can get strained especially the way rafa hits it
wrist injuries have become a major problem in recent seasons juan martin del potro the 2009 united states open champion has missed extended stretches of play dr richard berger of the mayo clinic who has operated three times on del potro explained in a telephone interview on friday that the sheath is a soft tissue tunnel surrounding the tendon
if it tears they are committed to a reconstruction and that is going to take a long time for him to rehab berger said of nadal
in the case of sheath inflammation berger said that immobilizing the wrist with a splint or cast was a normal course of treatment along with the use of ultrasound and possibly a corticosteroid injection or oral anti inflammatory medication he said platelet rich plasma injections   a treatment nadal has used for his knees   were also an option
it depends how severe it is and which tendon it actually is but i would say in general were looking at a recovery period of at least a month or six weeks berger said of an inflamed tendon sheath
nadal did not rule out playing at wimbledon which is set to begin june 27 but that could be a stretch particularly with the emphasis he has placed on competing in the olympics in rio de janeiro in august
it has been a traumatic season for tennis in january concern about match fixing led to an independent review of the sports anticorruption program in march maria sharapova one of tenniss biggest stars was suspended after testing positive for meldonium in january it was also revealed that denis pitner a croatian umpire had worked at the united states open in 2015 as a linesman after being suspended in the wake of a corruption inquiry
roger federer the 34 year old swiss star also has had a deflating season having knee surgery   the first operation of his career   after injuring himself off the court citing insufficient preparation federer withdrew from the french open ending his record streak of 65 consecutive grand slam tournament appearances
i would have preferred that this happen last year but you cant choose nadal said when you feel youre on the right track and you feel you have truly made the efforts to make that happen its very difficult to accept that you have to withdraw


at first blush the secret support that the silicon valley billionaire peter thiel provided for hulk hogans lawsuit against gawker is a salacious yarn about money power gossip and revenge
but it is also about something more important an aggressive bid by the very wealthy to control the american news media at a time when it is in a financially weakened state struggling to maintain its footing on the electronic frontiers unstable terrain
speaking with andrew ross sorkin of the new york times on wednesday mr thiel said he had financed the hogan lawsuit   which resulted in a 140 million verdict against gawker   not only because gawker media wrote in 2007 against his wishes that he was gay but also because he had determined the gossip site had too often operated with no connection to the public interest
his verdict rendered mr thiel had the resources to swap his judges gavel for an executioners sword should the 140 million verdict stand up to appeal gawker media will most likely cease to exist as we know it and if too much of gawker survives mr thiel with an estimated net worth of 27 billion indicates he will keep financing anti gawker lawsuits to kill off whatever is left
mr thiels campaign is in keeping with the pledge his favored candidate for president donald j trump made to ease barriers to lawsuits against journalists but it is actually the flip side of the media realms new coin many of his fellow billionaires have gained control of news organizations by buying them or starting them
the most striking example can be found in nevada where the conservative casino magnate sheldon adelson bought the las vegas review journal last year mr adelson is not shy about using his money to influence the politics of his state and country and the sale was followed by reports of editors suddenly altering articles about mr adelsons business dealings to put them in a more flattering light or holding from publication articles about him altogether
but as my colleague sydney ember wrote on monday mr adelson   who denies meddling   also brought welcome financial muscle to the newsroom allowing it to make new hires and equipment upgrades
some in utah voiced concern when a member of the wealthy and influential huntsman family paul huntsman moved to buy one of the states two major dailies the struggling salt lake tribune mr huntsmans brother jon is the former utah governor who ran for president in 2012 his father jon sr   the chief generator of the family fortune   has had a prominent role with the mormon church as the associated press reported this worries some civic leaders given that the tribune stands as an independent counterbalance to the church owned deseret news
paul huntsman has pledged to protect the newspapers independence and if he keeps his promise he could be more akin to the relatively new billionaire owners of the washington post the amazon founder jeff bezos and the boston globe the investor john henry their newsrooms have praised them for delivering badly needed resources   and in mr henrys case starting a whole new life sciences news outlet stat   while staying out of the way of the journalism including the globes coverage of the red sox which mr henry also owns
but billionaires do not become billionaires by being passive about their own interests in other instances once wealthy individuals are involved those interests can appear to take over michael r bloomberg has built bloomberg news into a formidable organization but when its founder seriously contemplated a run for president bloomberg news editors steered their reporters away from covering it
last month the washington post reported on concerns that some huffington post staff members had with the apparent promotion of the sleep revolution transforming your life one night at a time the book that its editor in chief arianna huffington wrote about reversing the trend of sleep deprivation some of the coverage included tie ins to uber on whose corporate board ms huffington sits the huffington post has defended the coverage as appropriate and said that ms huffington would recuse herself from news decisions involving uber
of course powerful media executives have long been part of the global fabric rupert murdoch the news corporation executive chairman has been at it for decades and his influence over his news group has taken on mythical status
and long before mr murdoch there was one william randolph hearst who defined what it meant to be a media mogul
but there is a difference between hearst and the many billionaires who are trying to control todays news media said david nasaw the author of the great hearst biography the chief the life of william randolph hearst hearst made it abundantly clear   this is my newspaper these are my views take or leave it he said hearst put his editorials on the front page with his picture and he signed them for gods sake
mr nasaw on the other hand sees mr adelson as dissembling when he says he isnt involving himself in editorial decisions at the paper and then there are the silicon valley moguls he said who try to have it both ways   they try to say you know oh no were playing by the rules and were not indulging in our personal whims
it was a reference of course to mr thiel already famous for helping to start paypal mr thiel has presented an innovative take on the old practice of media control   devoting his almost unlimited means to lawsuits that promise to shutter a news organization he does not like as felix salmon wrote in fusion this week
he is also tied to a dominating new force in news facebook which has spent the last couple of weeks addressing a report in the gawker owned technology site gizmodo that said some staff members kept conservative news items off the facebook trending list
mr thiel an early investor in facebook and a current board member attended a meeting the facebook founder mark zuckerberg held last week with prominent conservatives at which mr zuckerberg said the company was committed to preventing such behavior a lot rides on that commitment
thats because facebook has something hearst never had power over the distribution of content from most major american news organizations which increasingly rely on exposure to the huge audience facebook provides facebook has said no one person or even group of people controls what news its algorithmic formulas spit out for individual news feeds
facebook is being inundated with questions about whether mr thiels attempt to shut down a media company through the courts would jeopardize his board seat facebook would not comment on his involvement in the gawker suit but the news of it could not come at a worse time   for facebook and for the rest of us too


pittsburgh   in the waning minutes of the pittsburgh penguins 2 1 win over the tampa bay lightning in game 7 of the nhls eastern conference finals the decibel level from the delirious crowd here reached 123 that is a little lower than the level of a fighter jet taking off from an aircraft carrier
the penguins rookies most notably bryan rust and matt murray played their part in securing the win but as the team looks ahead to game 1 of the stanley cup finals against the san jose sharks here on monday night the stars are delivering too
sidney crosby the penguins captain scored the winning goal in three of the penguins four victories over tampa bay
crosby did not score a goal thursday night rust scored pittsburghs two goals but crosby led all players with six shots on goal and eight shot attempts and had the most time on ice among forwards playing 23 minutes
the penguins are headed to the stanley cup finals for the fifth time in franchise history and the first time since their title run in 2009
i thought it was incredible pittsburgh coach mike sullivan said of the final minutes it was the loudest that ive heard a building in all the years that ive been associated with this league to the point where we had to scream to the players on who was up next
few could have imagined the penguins would be in this position six months ago the fans were disillusioned pittsburgh had a poor start and was near the bottom of the league in scoring
so was crosby as one of the leagues biggest stars he has been relied on by the penguins and by the nhls marketers and television partners to produce but through the first 18 games of the season he had only two goals and a handful of assists
in mid december the changes began sullivan who had joined the organization a few months earlier to lead the teams top minor league affiliate was promoted to coach the penguins pittsburgh general manager jim rutherford then overhauled the team through trades and minor league call ups it worked
the penguins roared back in the standings finishing second in the eastern conference in points they scored the third most goals in the nhl crosby went on a torrid scoring run and ended up third in points
it wasnt easy getting to this point crosby said after game 7
against tampa bay the penguins had to contend with the brilliant play of lightning goaltender andrei vasilevskiy who relieved an injured ben bishop in game 1 and made some marvelous saves on crosby and the rest of pittsburghs lineup but the penguins outshot the lightning by 39 17 in game 7 and 269 179 in the series
the penguins have numerous weapons including phil kessel
criticized as aloof and lazy while playing with the toronto maple leafs kessel was traded to the penguins last summer like many of his teammates kessel a five time 30 goal scorer struggled at times this season
the playoffs have been kessels redemption among the players going to the stanley cup finals he is second in goals and fourth in points he collected four goals and two assists in the conference finals against tampa bay
im filled with joy kessel said of his renewal
evgeni malkin was also important in the series against the lightning he ended the round with a five game points streak collecting assists on both of rusts goals in the series winning game
but it was crosbys overtime winner in game 2 and a superb one against three goal in a game 6 victory that kept pittsburghs season alive
for crosby it has been seven years since he lifted the stanley cup as a 21 year old then it seemed as if every team would have to go through pittsburgh to pursue the cup but crosby missed most of the 2010 11 and 2011 12 seasons with concussions
maybe what could have been crosby said when asked about the long stretch between his finals appearances
crosby and malkin have been a one two punch for a decade they are third and fourth on the franchises career points list behind mario lemieux who is now an owner of the team and jaromir jagr
after the win lemieux who won the stanley cup twice as a player made his way through the crowded locker room to crosbys stall
great game lemieux told crosby both of them beamed with four more wins crosby will have as many championships as lemiuex had in his playing days
the penguins will now turn their attention to the sharks both teams rely on speed to pressure opponents and keep the puck moving toward the offensive zone
its going to be fast hockey crosby said two teams that want to play the exact same way
defenseman ben lovejoy put it more succinctly
it will be a battle he said


stocks rose on friday to wrap up their strongest week in almost three months
banks gained ground after the chairwoman of the federal reserve janet l yellen said the central bank intended to keep raising interest rates if the economy continued to improve
stocks turned higher over the last few hours of trading to finish at their highest levels of the day banks made the largest gains as they stand to make bigger profits on lending if interest rates rise further phone companies traded higher after verizon reportedly agreed in principle to a new contract with its striking employees alphabet led technology stocks higher
ms yellen emphasized that the fed would move slowly and carefully on interest rates but there were signs that the economy was improving throughout the week including increased home sales leading to big gains for stocks on friday the commerce department said the economy grew a bit more in the first quarter than it previously estimated
both inflation and growth are on an upward trend said jon adams senior investment strategist for bmo global asset management he said investors might be worrying a bit less about the feds plans because the economy was showing signs of improving
the standard  poors 500 stock index added 896 points or 04 percent to 209906 the nasdaq composite index picked up 3174 points or 06 percent to 493350
the dow jones industrial average rose 4493 points or 03 percent to 1778322
bank stocks were led higher by bank of america which rose 18 cents or 12 percent to 1488 and citigroup which picked up 47 cents or 1 percent to 4658
bank stocks have struggled this year because the fed has pushed back plans to raise rates bond prices dipped and yields rose another sign investors expect interest rates to increase the yield on the 10 year treasury note rose to 185 percent from 183 percent on thursday the yield on the treasury note is closely tied to interest rates
thomas perez the labor secretary said verizon and its unions had agreed in principle to a new four year contract about 39000 landline and cable employees in the eastern united states went on strike in april they had been working without a contract since august verizon gained 46 cents to 5062
googles parent company alphabet rose after a federal jury said the company did not need permission to use tools made by oracle when it built its android software oracle had sought 9 billion in damages and said it planned to appeal the ruling shares of alphabet added 1067 or 14 percent to 74760
benchmark american crude oil lost 15 cents to 4933 a barrel in new york brent crude which is used to price international oils gave up 27 cents to 4932 a barrel in london
the machinery maker terex dropped after the chinese heavy equipment maker zoomlion abandoned its effort to buy the company zoomlion offered to buy terex at the start of the year after terex accepted an offer from finlands konecranes terex backed out of that deal and will instead sell its crane business to konecranes terex stock sank 344 or 141 percent to 2089
the scientific equipment maker thermo fisher said it would buy the electron microscope maker fei for 10750 a share in cash or about 42 billion two months earlier thermo fisher paid 13 billion to buy affymetrix a company that makes equipment to analyze genetic codes fei stock climbed 1355 or 143 percent to 10813 and thermo fisher added 93 cents to 15213
the price of gold fell 660 to 121380 gold has slipped about 5 percent over the last two weeks


a chinese laundry detergent commercial has spurred outrage online with many social media users accusing it of blatant racism
in the commercial for qiaobi laundry detergent an asian woman shoves a detergent pod into the mouth of a black worker and unceremoniously pushes him headfirst into a washing machine
after a quick cycle the machine is opened and a pale asian man emerges with a wink to the womans delight
the advertisement which has been airing in china at least since april has been met abroad with a combination of anger and disbelief
but in china where racial stereotypes in popular culture are rampant the commercial did not seem to provoke a great deal of reaction
xu chunyan an agent for qiaobi based in the southeastern city of suzhou brushed aside the criticism saying the ad was meant to be provocative we did this for some sensational effect she said if we just show laundry like all the other advertisements ours will not stand out
still there were some critical chinese voices on weibo chinas equivalent of twitter a user wrote my god do marketing people have no sense of racial issues
amid the controversy over racism another accusation was tossed into the mix plagiarism as the website shanghaiist pointed out the advertisements concept is nearly identical to that of an ad that was broadcast in italy nearly a decade ago   except for one significant difference
in that video a skinny pale white man is placed in a spin cycle only to emerge as a black man flexing his muscles with a hip hop soundtrack while a tagline proclaimed coloured is better
westerners who visit china are often troubled by the countrys attitudes toward race which are frequently manifested in a preoccupation with pale skin
elena young a mixed race american who teaches kindergarten in zhejiang province in eastern china said on thursday that she had never been anywhere ive felt so discriminated against
their obsession with white skin is the most evident she said my first day in china my school assistant ran from shaded spot to shaded spot when we walked to lunch together because she told me she didnt want to turn black 
chinese racial biases have exploded into the broader global conversation several times in the past in 2009 online commenters assailed a mixed race contestant on a chinese reality show mocking her for having a black father leading to a string of international news stories
the episode set off a bout of soul searching for some in a country where race is not often discussed in public raymond zhou a columnist for the english newspaper china daily wrote an article in response to the episode reflecting on chinas issues with skin color
much of chinas simmering intolerance is color based he wrote it is not an exaggeration to say many of my countrymen have a subconscious adulation of races paler than us the flip side we tend to be biased against those darker skinned its outright racism but on closer examination its not totally race based many of us even look down on fellow chinese who have darker skin especially women
it is high time we introduced some sensitivity training on races and ethnicities if we are going to latch on to the orbit of globalization he added


it is lost to history whether hadrian qin shi huang or nikita khrushchev ever uttered i will build a wall
but build they did and what happened the history of walls   to keep people out or in   is also the history of people managing to get around over and under them some come tumbling down
the classic example is the great wall of china imposing and remarkably durable yes yet it didnt block various nomadic tribes from the north history is full of examples of engineering thwarted by goal oriented rank amateurs but donald trump has promised to build a wall on the united states mexican border that he says will be big beautiful tall and strong and he says mexico will pay for it
heres some more historical perspective on walls


sydney australia   leading scientists in australia and abroad have expressed concern that a new united nations report about the impact of climate change on dozens of world heritage sites is absent a chapter describing damage to the great barrier reef after the australian government requested that the section be cut
i was amazed the lead author of the report adam markham deputy director of climate and energy programs at the union of concerned scientists said by telephone
the australian government requested that the chapter be removed from the report issued by unesco and the united nations environment program on thursday so that further accounts of damage to the reef the worlds largest coral ecosystem would not adversely affect tourism
in a statement on friday the department of the environment said experience had shown that negative comments about the status of world heritage listed properties impacted on tourism the statement went on to say that the department did not support any of the countrys world heritage listed properties being included in such a publication
environment minister greg hunt had not been informed of the departments decision the statement said but concerns had been relayed to australias ambassador to the united nations educational scientific and cultural organization or unesco
but as far as i can see it is in the newspapers every day mr markham said pretty much everyone in the world knows there is a problem on the great barrier reef
mr markham said he had thought the report would galvanize support for important sites suffering degradation as sea levels and temperatures rise and as extreme weather damages the environment
the great barrier reef which stretches from the tip of northern queensland more than 1400 miles southward along australias east coast has experienced significant coral bleaching over the last year bleaching can lead to coral death
the chapter removed from the report now published on the website of the union of concerned scientists warns that australia is the worlds fourth largest coal producer and that risks come with plans to expand coal mining and shipping near the reef
its future is at risk and climate change is the primary long term threat the chapter says
australian scientists who reviewed the chapter before the report was published said they were surprised it had been cut
ove hoegh guldberg a director of the global change institute at the university of queensland said the report contained nothing new
i was naturally a bit disappointed because the process had not preserved the science he said and in one sense if you were trying not to draw attention to the problems on the reef this would not be the way to do it
prof will steffen of the climate change institute at australian national university said it was troubling that a government department had succeeded in censoring a global report
australia is the only inhabited continent that is not featured in the report he said information is the currency of democracy and the idea that government officials would exert pressure to censor scientific information on our greatest national treasure is extremely disturbing
australias conservative coalition government in the middle of a re election campaign has received little support for its approach to climate change prime minister malcolm turnbull did not mention it in a major campaign speech recently and has done little to convince voters that his government believes it is an election issue
australias national science agency the commonwealth scientific and industrial research organization or csiro is in the middle of a restructuring that includes cutting the number of climate scientists it employs drawing criticism from scientists at its partner organizations including nasa
the inclusion of the great barrier reef in the united nations report was founded on its significance mr markham said adding that references to the island of tasmania and to kakadu national park in the northern territory had also been removed from the report
the report does not cover all world heritage sites rather its authors started with about 100 natural and human made monuments including yellowstone national park and the statue of liberty and winnowed that list to 31 sites in 29 countries
terry hughes the director of the center of excellence for coral reef studies at the australian research council who spent days in april flying over the great barrier reef tracking bleaching and coral mortality rates said it was astonishing that the reef would be excluded from such a report
there is an unprecedented bleaching event underway professor hughes said climate change and coral bleaching is the single biggest threat to the tourism industry and the reef itself


at long last the epic court fight between oracle and google is ... still not over
on thursday a federal jury in san francisco found that google did not violate oracle owned copyrights in the creation of android its world dominating mobile phone operating system
the code at the heart of this court fight which has been going on for six years is java a programming language oracle acquired when it bought a once dominant silicon valley company called sun microsystems
java developed by sun engineers was considered a landmark programming language and it played a prominent role in the development of software and websites during the dot com boom it was also an important component of android and google argues that it didnt need to pay sun to use it since java was governed by an open source license
not so fast oracle has been arguing since 2010 for the second time a jury has sided with google but the fight isnt over oracle says it will appeal


president obama wants more of us to have insurance that would make up the difference between a job we might lose and any new lower paying one we might take he said so in his state of the union address in january
but what if you couldnt get a new job or wanted to hold out for one that paid as much or more than your last one thats where private unemployment insurance may come in it could make up some of the difference between your state unemployment check and your old salary
when i last wrote about this in 2009 the prospects for insurance companies selling such coverage seemed grim
but since then a product called incomeassure has emerged that might serve at least some worried people well in exchange for a monthly premium you receive a check for half of your weekly pretax pay before the job loss minus whatever you get in your state unemployment check
anything this unique comes with a pile of catches and caveats   and legal ways to game the system incomeassures faq tackles some of them but ive done my own with some pointed additions
so what am i buying here
lets say you live in new york and earn 100000 annually the highest possible weekly unemployment check is 425 but your weekly pretax salary is 1923 half of that is 96150 so if you signed up for the maximum benefit from incomeassure and then lost your job you would receive a weekly check for 53650 which is the difference between 425 and 96150
the product covers the gap for people earning up to 250000 if you earn more than that youll get a check and pay a premium based on only 250000 in annual income the check is taxable income just like unemployment checks
there is a two week pause before payments kick in and they continue for a maximum of 24 weeks after that if your state doesnt pay unemployment benefits for that long incomeassure will add money to your check whenever your state stops paying the extra amount will get you to that 50 percent replacement rate for the remainder of the 24 weeks
what does it cost
it depends on where you live what you do for a living and how much coverage you want to buy incomeassure has a calculator where you can get a quote it uses recent unemployment data to figure out what to charge
a construction worker who lives and works in new york earns 100000 and wants the biggest possible incomeassure check for the longest period of time though you can pay less and get less if you want would pay a whopping 18129 each month according to the incomeassure quote calculator that kind of job is hardly recession proof after all someone working in the leisure and hospitality industry would pay 11446 the second highest premium among the 13 categories those who work in public administration would pay the least 3475
if you earn more you pay more since theres a bigger gap to fill to get you to 50 percent of your former salary in states like florida where unemployment checks are smaller youll pay more too policies renew each year and premiums may go up or down depending on unemployment rates
so whats the catch
there are bunch of them aside from the two week wait the 24 week limit and the 50 percent cap
you cannot collect a check covering your gap in pay if you lose your job within six months of signing up for the insurance why well its hard to get hurricane insurance after the warnings have sounded too
anyone who knows they are going to be laid off after six months i am happy to sell them an insurance policy said david sterling chief executive of sterlingrisk which administers incomeassure id like to buy some lottery tickets and stock tips from them too if you lose your job before six months have passed you get your premium back but nothing else
incomeassure wont pay you unless your state agency has approved you to receive unemployment benefits this may be impossible or close to it if youre a contractor or freelancer any severance will probably affect your eligibility too check with your states unemployment office for the specific rules
isnt an emergency fund a better option
yes but many people cant or dont save enough to add up to the 12875 or so that incomeassure may pay out to a 100000 earner in new york or they must dip into that fund for half a dozen other unpleasant surprises
who are the incomeassure people
great american insurance company is the underwriter here and its industry ratings suggest that it is healthy sterlingrisk a large insurance brokerage firm is the administrator
what if my employer has announced layoffs or buyouts
another catch if its a layoff you probably wont be able to buy coverage though its worth trying if the cuts are in a division other than yours the application asks point blank if your employer has announced or implemented a plan or program of job reduction reduction in force or departmental or company restructuring
if your employer is offering buyouts then youre a lot like me since my employer announced them as i was writing this column here again youre probably out of luck though incomeassure may allow you to buy in again at a later date
dont lie incomeassure has seen bursts of applications from certain employers before and its staff can usually figure out why in about 10 seconds of internet searching if you are the subject of an investigation during the claims process or afterward and it turns out that your employer had announced layoffs right before you bought a policy youve probably committed insurance fraud and incomeassure definitely will not cut you a check
could you pull the wool over everyones eyes sure you could but its a risk and it ruins things for everyone else if we took enough hits on the chin from chief financial officers of small companies we might rate them differently but we havent david ferron product management director at great american said of the sorts of people who might have precise knowledge of an employers plans if you have enough bad experiences with people who slip through the net you build a different net
what if there was a recent acquisition announcement
mergers and acquisitions often come with layoffs on both sides but it may take months for that to happen if your company goes up on the block theres a chance that six months may go by before a buyer emerges the deal closes and the restructuring happens incomeassure does not ban people who are in this situation
what if i just got a bad review
if you did youve got an elevated chance of losing your job in the next round of layoffs but incomeassure wont ask about that
does incomeassure use my race or age in underwriting
no but it makes sense to wonder given how much discrimination exists in the workplace age comes up on the application but incomeassure says it does not use the answer in the underwriting
will this business model work
incomeassure has existed for five years there are about 1000 active policyholders and people have collected over 1 million in claims
it has been disappointing that we havent been able to find a cost effective way to get the word out that this exists mr sterling sterlingrisks chief said its also understandable if nobody is aware that something exists its hard for people to find it if they dont know to look for it in the first place
insurance agents generally dont want to sell something unless it earns them a fat commission something this product cannot pay because of its modest premiums
mr ferron said that claims have about matched the companys predictions were in it for the long haul he added
so are you buying a policy
no my family has some savings and a home equity line of credit
but if i were the sole breadwinner if i knew my extended family could not or would not help me out if i was the type of person who could not sleep unless i had every possible coverage for any eventuality
then i would give this a close look especially given that i work in an industry where layoffs and buyouts are a regular occurrence and isnt that most of us these days


a college education   even at a highly rated private institution   was once regarded as a relatively affordable route to lifelong prosperity but in recent years it has become a hobbling financial burden for many families
as a result older generations are often stepping up to help their families with college funding according to a fidelity investments survey of its investors   a more affluent group than the average   more than half of grandparents are saving or plan to start saving to help pay for college costs
sandra schiff who is retired and lives in denver has set up accounts for each of her eight grandchildren she started funding the plans with her husband ronald after running a successful wholesale plumbing business they wanted to see their grandchildren graduate from college debt free at present they have two recent graduates and two entering college
my husband and i didnt go to college ms schiff said but we heard about this opportunity to fund 529 plans and thought it would be wonderful for our grandchildren
the desire for one generation to help another with college has become more urgent in recent years according to the college board private colleges averaged more than 40000 in total expenses for the most recent academic year state schools averaged around 17000 for in state students more than 50 top tier private colleges now charge more than 60000 a year including columbia duke and stanford
one of the best vehicles for multigenerational college funding is a 529 college savings plan offered by states and managed by large mutual fund companies these plans allow investment for future educational expenses and the proceeds accumulate tax free many states also provide a tax write off for at least a portion of a contribution
but there are some potholes to avoid for those who hope to maximize the value of their contributions and minimize the total cost for a family of sending a student to college
statistics are not available on the number of grandparents who have opened 529 plans but it is clear they are widely popular today they hold more than 250 billion in 12 million accounts according to the college savings plans network an organization run by state treasurers last year more than 25 billion poured into these plans
grandparents can set up these plans naming grandchildren as beneficiaries if the grandchildren decide not to go to college the money can be kept in the accounts or used for another educational opportunity
since the children do not control the account   the owners do   the assets are not in their names that means if grandparents need to withdraw the assets for themselves they can do so although they must pay a penalty and income taxes if the assets are not used for educational purposes
while 529 plans are the prime vehicles of choice for many grandparents they can complicate a childs chances of qualifying for financial aid the stumbling block comes when students receive money from the 529 plan that will appear as income in the students name which must be reported on the fafsa the form that most colleges require for financial aid when a student applies and every year he or she is in school
to avoid a potential reduction in aid grandparents could postpone sending 529 proceeds until the last two years of college suggests gary e carpenter a syracuse based certified public accountant and executive director of the national college advocacy group a nonprofit focused on college financing
distributions from grandparents 529 plans are seen as student income and could reduce aid by 50 percent he said that means if a grandparent takes 10000 out of a 529 plan to send to a grandchild it could cut student aid by 5000 the following year
postponing the distribution until junior year would be a good idea mr carpenter said
another strategy is for grandparents to give money directly to the parents the reason it is important to avoid putting money in the students names in the early years of college is that 20 percent of a students assets are assessed in the federal formula compared to only 564 percent of parental income and nonretirement assets the more money that is in a childs name the more it pares back the aid package
how does a grandparent know if a gift will impair a grandchilds financial aid package most college websites have aid calculators and the governments aid calculator can be found at httpsstudentaidedgovsafafsaestimate
although aid calculators provide ballpark estimates a completed fafsa provides applicants with the expected family contribution the bottom line for the familys total out of pocket expenses
the expected family contribution is a number that colleges use after the need for financial aid   based on the income and assets of the parents and student   is determined some colleges mostly private ones also look at home equity under the federal aid formula retirement accounts such as 401ks iras and pensions are generally considered off limits for college funding
sending money directly to the grandchild could increase the familys expected contribution but the situation is much different if the family is unlikely to receive financial aid then 529 proceeds and direct gifts from grandparents are possible options
gifting may be a better strategy if the family wont qualify for aid notes fred amrein a fee only financial planner in wynnewood pa who specializes in college planning grandparents may want to pay college bills outright under federal laws couples can give up to 28000 a year before facing gift taxes
direct payment to the college for tuition is an allowable exception to the annual limit mr amrein added this is only recommended if the family does not qualify for need based financial aid
while direct giving is often a viable option for wealthy families it will pay for someone fortunate enough to be in that situation to consider a more sophisticated financial planning strategy questions to consider include are estate issues a concern can securities be given to reap a tax advantage through stock or bond sales
when planning a multigenerational strategy a fee only financial planner who understands college aid estate and tax laws can provide useful advice planners can provide a number of strategies that mesh with a persons estate planning giving and portfolio objectives these professionals can also discuss the best time to give
any certified financial planner with expertise in college planning can help form a strategy or a certified college finance specialist can be found through the national institute of certified college planners
it is also helpful to check with a states 529 program first when considering a dedicated account states have a number of investment options including prepaid tuition plans for state and private colleges collegesavingsorg and savingforcollegecom have thorough overviews of what each plan has to offer
no matter which option is chosen for a grandchild the parents will greatly appreciate the help
grandparents have a natural inclination to spoil their grandchildren said young j boozer iii state treasurer of alabama and chairman of the college savings plans network what better way to spoil them than with college savings the gift will last much longer than a video game
contributions to 529 plans can be made in lieu of cash gifts for birthdays holidays a confirmation or a bar or bat mitzvah they can be some of the most meaningful gifts ever but they should start early to build up savings


a popular charity rating website is changing the way it rates nonprofit groups saying the new method gives donors a better picture of how a particular charity performs over time
charity navigator which rates charities on a zero  to four star scale will start using the new rating system on wednesday the system changes the way the group assesses a charitys financial health but it leaves intact the way it rates a groups accountability and transparency the second major performance category
charity navigator is one of the more influential charity assessment organizations rating about 8000 charities many groups consider the rating absolutely critical to attract new resources and donors said elizabeth ashbourne executive director of the partnership for quality medical donations which helps coordinate supplies and equipment for disaster relief operations
michael thatcher president and chief executive of charity navigator said website users would still see charities rated on an overall scale of zero to four stars will the user experience be dramatically different he said i dont think so
but some underlying measures have been adjusted based on a continuing analysis by charity navigators staff in collaboration with a task force made up of financial experts from the nonprofit world the group also surveyed all the organizations it rates the new ratings mean donors can have even greater confidence in the financial health of the charities they choose to support mr thatcher said
elizabeth a m searing a nonprofit specialist and assistant professor at rockefeller college of public affairs  policy at the university of albany suny and a member of the task force said all of the changes they made are definitely improvements
for example ratings for expenses for program costs administration and fund raising will be calculated by averaging data from the charitys three most recent fiscal years rather than using data from the most recent fiscal year that approach helps eliminate wide swings in a charitys rating from year to year mr thatcher said and more accurately portrays a charitys financial health
the group dropped a measure of a charitys primary revenue growth as not truly reflective of a nonprofit organizations financial health a charity may for example be given a large donation that must be recognized for accounting purposes in one year yet receive the money over a period of several years
a new measure was added to calculate the ratio of a groups liabilities to assets to flag possibly excessive debt
the new system also tweaks the way a charitys administrative expenses or overhead are evaluated under the current system charities cant score a perfect 10 points on that measure unless they had zero administrative expenses which isnt realistic in most cases under the new system charities can get a 10 if they score within a given range for their type of nonprofit group ms searing said the change helps charities avoid starving themselves to avoid the appearance of high overhead
the change in the overhead rating also means that its now possible for groups to score a perfect 100 points over all   and 49 charities will do so mr thatcher said
nearly three quarters of charities will not see a change in their overall ratings under the revised system about 19 percent of charities will see their ratings go up while about 8 percent will go down theres always going to be someone whos unhappy mr thatcher said
mr thatcher said the advisory panels help strike a balance allowing input from professionals who know the nonprofit sector while guarding against any undue influence that might skew ratings you dont want to get too close to any individual charity he said
here are some questions and answers about assessing charities
should i worry if my favorite charitys rating drops
we dont advocate that a donor jump ship if a rating changes said sandra miniutti vice president of marketing for charity navigator rather she said a change suggests that donors should seek more information from the charity and see if it offers a good explanation in that way she said donors can educate themselves about the charity and decide over time if they want to continue supporting it
why doesnt charity navigator rate a charitys operational effectiveness
charity navigators long term goal is to add a results reporting component or an assessment of how effective each charity is in accomplishing its mission that takes time since each type of charity may use different criteria the hard part mr thatcher said is figuring out just what each should be measuring
what other sources are available to help me assess a charity
other sources for information on nonprofit organizations include bbb wise giving alliance charitywatch guidestar and givewell


the wilderness of the 2190 mile appalachian trail can pose many risks to its visitors getting hopelessly lost or falling ill wild animals and dangerous weather are all possibilities but no risk is so ominous as the humble tick
that is at least according to matt graves of the national park service
you would think it would be things like wildlife raging rivers and stuff like that he said but its the little things that will get you
hikers unknowingly pick up the ticks and then two or three weeks later find themselves laid low on the trail by the fever and other flulike symptoms of a tick borne illness
to be sure lightning strikes falling trees and getting lost are real dangers along the route that stretches between georgia and maine said mr graves but cases like the death of geraldine largay 66 who wandered off the trail in maine in 2013 those instances are very rare the official file on her disappearance was released wednesday by the maine warden service an experienced hiker she survived a month and kept a journal before dying from exposure her body was not found for two years
on the appalachian trail we have little subtle things dehydration norovirus from hikers spreading stomach flu to one another mr graves said
preparation is key we asked mr graves and david miller the author of a handbook for hiking the appalachian trail for tips on staying safe on the rugged path
you can expect to meet a number of people on the trail and maybe youll make a friend or two park officials simply advise hikers to trust their instincts if someones behavior seems a bit off and to keep their distance
dont worry about being judgmental or hurting someones feelings your safety may depend on it the service says
mr miller said youre probably more likely to run into a bandit in town than on the trail
on the trail you have a lot of exposure to other people he said but i dont think its particularly dangerous in that respect i would say its safer than normal
other suggested ways to keep the bad guys at bay camp away from roads dont bring jewelry and keep your money out of sight
and if you hike alone use extra caution tag along with a group if you can
its a good idea to take your phone which could potentially help in an emergency but its possible to go for days without any reception the park service says
tragically ms largay the tennessee woman who died after getting lost in western maine in 2013 had tried to send texts to her husband pleading for help because of poor cellphone reception they didnt go through
carry a current trail map and know how to read it the service says and whether you are going on a day hike or walking the 2190 miles let someone know
the park service also encourages hikers to sign the trail registers which can help family members and law enforcement officials locate them if they need to
youre allowed to carry one on parts of the trail but the park service would rather you didnt the threat of firearms being turned against you or an accidental shooting outweighs the benefit the service says it also doesnt fit with the culture of the trail
if you must carry a gun youll still have to abide by state laws
mr graves said there are bears on the trail but they are generally well behaved as are the raccoons and skunks
thunderstorm season along the trail typically runs from about april to october
mr miller said lightning was the scariest thing ever encountered on the trail
youre often right on the ridgeline and theres not a lot you can do to avoid that when a storm rolls in he said in many places its difficult to get off the trail to get down from high places
mr graves said hikers should try to spot dangerous weather as it moves in when you see big clouds coming in from the west he said seek shelter off the ridge
the new hampshire mountains have a reputation as the sketchiest section of the trail erratic weather high winds and steep rugged terrain create the potential for hikers to get into serious trouble
thats generally considered the most dangerous in regards to terrain and exposure mr miller said its difficult terrain rocky and steep and people dont make progress as quickly as they expect to
the range includes mount washington at 6288 feet the highest peak in the northeastern united states
the climate on the range can rival the severity of the greatest ranges in the world the mount washington avalanche center says on its website arctic temperatures hurricane force winds snow and icing are possible in any month
norovirus highly contagious can travel fast on the trail saddling its victims with nausea vomiting and diarrhea
in the last couple of years theres been a troublesome number of cases of norovirus just from the communal eating and tight living quarters mr miller said
the park service advises hikers to wash their hands before eating and avoid sharing utensils whether you filter it boil it or put chlorine dioxide in it always treat your drinking water
hygiene is a little bit problematic because its not like you have a wash basin available to you mr miller said most people kind of just do the best they can with hand sanitizer
when you meet people on the trail go with a fist bump
and dont forget to check for ticks


there have not been any real shocks in the french open thus far   at least when it comes to the tennis with most of the top seeds breezing through the first few rounds
when it comes to the clothes however its a different matter this year adidas decided to put its athletes in an audacious one of a kind range made to disrupt and inspire
translation eye boggling black and white zebra stripes
simona halep wears them on a top with a black ruffled skirt and suspenders suspenders ana ivanovic had a striped all over tank dress with a trompe loeil drape at the waist alexander zverev wears the stripes in a shirt headband and sneakers jo wilfried tsonga wears them in a shirt and shoes and so on
were used to out there tennis outfits in all sorts of blinding colors the williams sisters with their penchant for pushing the fashion envelope on the court have altered expectations and tolerance the french player alize lim showed up at the roland garros stadium in short overalls by le coq sportif but even in that context the adidas looks which are part of its y 3 collection are ... well pretty unexpected
especially when compared with nike which chose to outfit its players including serena williams rafael nadal and eugenie bouchard in a surprisingly muted   even dull   palette of blue thus making the adidas looks stand out even more not necessarily in a good way
consider some of the commentary
the company says the pattern is in fact a reference to an old print a dazzle camouflage from the 40s and 50s inspired by a military pattern used on ships during world war i it was not supposed to do what most camouflages do which is conceal but rather according to the economist distort an enemy submarine commanders perception of the ships size shape range heading and speed so as to make it harder to hit
aha
in a statement revealing the style graham williamson the adidas senior director of tennis said we designed the apparel as to minimize distractions for the players but he was talking about the adidas athletes themselves when it comes to their opponents the clothes probably work the opposite way much as the military intended it must be hard to keep an eye on the ball when faced with a riot of animal print
part of the shock also comes from seeing these clothes in france the home of fashion traditionally each of the four big slams has its own fashion identity the australian open at the start of the year is more relaxed and often neon wimbledon is conventional and all white the us open is the chance to pull out all the stops and make a statement and the french open is   well more elegant trickle down from the catwalk heritage and all that
you can argue justifiably that zebra print is a very direct fashion statement and it is true the paris runways were full of tiger stripes last season but this particular translation is so unsubtle as to be silly the players look like refugees from a 1980s disco party
of course the 1980s are also having a moment
why does all of this matter
well partly because the style affects athletes images and partly because the items are available now in adidas stores what we see on court is what may soon be coming to a weekend players closet near you and partly because it ups the ante trendwise for the us open what could be next
in her new book the singles game lauren weisberger author of the devil wears prada has her tennis player protagonist hit center court in a swarovski studded tiara dont laugh it is no longer as far fetched as it sounds


nearly two dozen additional athletes could be barred from the summer olympics in rio de janeiro the international olympic committee said friday officials announced that those 23 olympians who competed in five sports at the last summer games in 2012 in london were newly suspected of having doped
the ioc retested 265 doping samples from london using new scientific methods it said friday discovering possible evidence of past drug use by athletes who could compete in rio in 10 weeks the ioc said it could not immediately identify the implicated athletes for legal reasons and was in the process of informing the athletes and the six national olympic committees to which they belonged
the reanalysis of the london samples was part of continuing broad scrutiny of athletes who have competed in recent olympics
this month officials announced that they had retested 454 doping samples from the 2008 summer games in beijing discovering suspicious results among 31 athletes from 12 countries and six sports on friday the ioc said it had identified one additional suspicious sample from beijing
the russian olympic committee revealed this week that its athletes accounted for nearly half of that beijing group among them were 11 track and field athletes two weight lifters and a rower according to russian state media reports
both the beijing and london retesting results came in the wake of a detailed account this month by a former director of russias antidoping lab grigory rodchenkov who said he had worked for years at the direction of the russian government to help the countrys top athletes use performance enhancing substances without being detected just before the london games he said he created a cocktail of three anabolic steroids and liquor used by russias top athletes with a chance at winning medals
dr rodchenkov who has a phd in analytical chemistry told the new york times that russian athletes had doped leading up to the games in beijing and london and throughout the course of the sochi games in 2014 when russia controlled the olympic testing laboratory he described an overnight operation in which he switched tainted urine for clean urine that had been collected from athletes in the months before competition and passed surreptitiously through a hole in the wall of the lab building
the ioc has called dr rodchenkovs account very detailed and very worrying deferring to the world anti doping agency to verify it last week the agency announced an independent investigation into the allegations that inquiry is expected to conclude by july 15 exactly three weeks before the rio games are set to begin
time is of the essence said lauryn williams a sprinter and bobsledder from the united states who is a member of the world anti doping agencys athletes committee were two short months away from the games and were in the middle of the biggest doping scandal it just keeps coming
the iocs president thomas bach said friday that he had appointed a disciplinary commission to proceed against the dozens of athletes affected by the beijing and london retests those athletes will have the right to have additional doping samples from the games in question   stored separately in switzerland for quality control   tested as well
seeking to reassure athletes and other constituencies on friday the ioc emphasized that its continuing reanalysis of past doping samples   which the organization has the ability to do for up to 10 years after competition   was initially more narrowly focused on keeping drugged athletes out of this summers games
we cant have faith in the 2012 results said ms williams the first american woman to have won medals at both the summer and winter olympics there are people who have been cheated out of their opportunity to stand on the podium in the past we cant go into rio and then try to backpedal


the american economy is picking up speed after a slow start to the year with resilient consumer spending and a buoyant housing market just about making up for a falloff in investment by cautious companies
but the overall gains are still likely to fall short of what many experts   not to mention ordinary workers   would hope to see as the recovery nears the end of its seventh year
these crosscurrents highlight the challenge facing policy makers at the federal reserve as they weigh whether to raise interest rates when they meet in mid june or wait until july or later in the year
on friday the commerce department raised its estimate of the pace of growth in the first quarter of 2016 to 08 percent a move driven mostly by better data on inventories and housing other areas of the economy especially manufacturing and mining still face significant headwinds
one explanation for the hesitancy of businesses to spend is pressure on earnings after several years of expanding margins the commerce department said corporate profits rose just 03 percent in the first quarter after a 78 percent drop in the fourth quarter of 2015
it just confirms that we had a soft start to the year but not quite as bad as we thought ethan harris head of global economics at bank of america merrill lynch said on friday business investment was very weak but the one bit of positive news was a surge in home construction were still in the recovery stage in the real estate market especially for multifamily buildings
the governments initial estimate of first quarter economic activity released in late april showed an annual growth rate of 05 percent the third and final estimate for growth will be released on june 28
for the second quarter which covers april may and june most experts forecast that the pace will pick up to about 25 percent
underscoring the consumers ability to shrug off the anxiety that has gripped some businesses the university of michigan said on friday that its monthly survey of consumer confidence in may showed sentiment at its healthiest level since june 2015 expectations for future growth improved among both high  and middle income households according to the university of michigan researchers
the reports on friday also suggest that 2016s economic trajectory will follow an arc that has bedeviled forecasters for years a soft first quarter followed by a turnaround in the spring even though underlying conditions remain largely the same throughout the period
there is better momentum now but its still a bit of a head fake said diane swonk an independent economist based in chicago
in 11 of the last 15 years a listless january february and march were followed by a snapback in economic expansion in the next quarter a trend ms swonk said could not be explained by polar vortexes and other one off factors
it could be everything from a change in the structure of the economy to mismeasurement ms swonk said government agencies are working to improve their methods she said but budgets are tight in washington and it has been difficult for federal statisticians to keep up with the broader shift from manufacturing to services as a growth engine in recent decades
the seasonal kinks in the data can create a false sense of security she said obscuring the continuing paucity of real economic gains for many americans over time it was still a tepid quarter even if it was less bad that doesnt equal good growth
although revisions and statistical quirks are nothing new for economists ms swonk explained that they appeared much larger these days because the overall level of economic growth was low to begin with you notice it much more when youre skating so close to thin ice she said
just how thin that ice really is has prompted considerable debate within the federal reserve and on wall street as fed officials ponder a possible interest rate increase when they meet in mid june
until recently most outside experts did not expect the fed to lift its short term rate lever until september at the earliest but the official account of the central banks last meeting in april released may 18 showed that policy makers were ready to tighten monetary policy in june if they thought the economy was indeed getting stronger
ian shepherdson the chief economist at pantheon macroeconomics said positive recent indicators like retail sales and buoyant home prices in april strengthened the hand of fed hawks although they could wait because markets remained anxious before britains june 23 referendum on whether to leave the european union
with the so called brexit vote looming one alternate possibility would be for the fed to hold off in june but telegraph that it plans to move at its july gathering mr shepherdson said
next week should provide greater clarity on the economys real momentum on tuesday the commerce department will report on consumer income and spending in april and friday will bring the labor department report on may unemployment and hiring a crucial metric for the fed
buried in the details of the gross domestic product report on friday were signs that inflation was picking up to more normal levels after years of dormancy mr harris said in particular he said the so called core measure of consumer prices rose at an annual rate of 21 percent in the first quarter just above the feds 2 percent target
this nudges the fed closer to a rate hike although june is still very much up in the air mr harris said they want to see clear evidence that the second quarter is stronger than the first quarter
mr shepherdson also called the decision a close call in a note to clients on thursday were sticking to our september base case he said but we fully accept that june and july are also very real possibilities


hong kong   tsai ing wen taiwans new president made a rare appearance in chinese online videos this week the flag of taiwan officially the republic of china did not
the two flags that were standing behind ms tsai and marcus d jadotte the united states assistant secretary of commerce as they met in taiwan were pixelated and appeared as grainy blobs in footage carried by tencent video a chinese website the clip was later posted by the english language website of peoples daily the flagship newspaper of the communist party
the chinese news media focused on a stumble by ms tsai in her meeting with mr jadotte she paused awkwardly while reading the chinese version of mr jadottes name in the prepared text then ad libbed in english i have problem saying it in the chinese language
the chinese state  and party run news media have been critical of ms tsai in her first week in office one report even suggested that her status as a single woman made her extreme that article carried on the website of a newspaper run by xinhua the state news agency was widely criticized and quickly removed from most chinese websites
china considers self ruled taiwan to be part of its territory and says it must eventually be united with the mainland ms tsai heads the democratic progressive party which is traditionally pro independence but she has said she wants to maintain the status quo between the mainland and the island
china has censored images of taiwans flag before last year when ma ying jeou then taiwans president spoke about plans to meet with president xi jinping of china in singapore a flag pin on mr mas lapel was blurred out in mainland news coverage
and when chou tzu yu a taiwanese member of a korean pop group appeared in a video in january waving the flag some mainland chinese fans were incensed and called her a separatist she issued an apology online
but later a wechat account affiliated with peoples daily said there was nothing separatist about taiwans flag which is a symbol of the republic of china chou tzu yu brandishing the national flag is emphasizing the republic of china  the commentary said the republic of china includes the principle of one china 


hong kong   three members of the bodyguard unit of cambodias prime minister hun sen were convicted on friday of assaulting a pair of opposition lawmakers outside the countrys national assembly in october
the three men were given four year prison terms with three years suspended meaning they will serve one year
the brazen attack was condemned by the united states the european union and the united nations human rights groups have said the assault was part of a wider campaign against the political opposition in cambodia where mr hun sen has governed for more than 30 years
the leading cambodian opposition figure sam rainsy is in exile abroad because he faces imprisonment over a defamation charge on thursday the police sought to detain kem sokha a top figure in the cambodia national rescue party which mr sam rainsy leads
mr kem sokha has not been charged with a crime but is wanted for questioning in a court case connected to what the authorities say is his extramarital affair with a hairdresser in phnom penh the capital
mr kem sokha has refused to appear in court over the case insisting that it is political in nature however the government has said that his refusal to appear is itself a crime and on friday prosecutors issued charges against him for flouting a summons
in response the cambodia national rescue party warned that its supporters would stage a mass protest if mr kem sokha were arrested
the assault in october on the lawmakers kung sophea and nhay chamraoen followed a pro government demonstration calling on mr kem sokha to step down as first vice president of the national assembly
the lawmakers suffered severe injuries from the assault in which they were dragged from separate cars and beaten by a dozen or more people
mr kung sophea sustained back injuries a broken nose bruises on his head and legs and a ruptured eardrum mr nhay chamraoen suffered a broken nose tooth and wrist and a fracture of a bone in his face that required surgery to save his sight in one eye the two were sent to thailand for treatment
mao hoeun chay sarit and sot vanny the three men convicted of the attack denied they were acting under orders claiming they had merely been watching the protest and then retaliated when the lawmakers shouted insults at them calling them puppets of the vietnamese
the lawmakers denied making any such insults and there is no video evidence of their doing so
its basically a slap on the wrist phil robertson deputy director of human rights watchs asia division said of the mens prison sentences these people were leading a mob attacking two members of parliament in a brazen brutal attack
human rights watch said in a report issued on thursday that the protest itself appeared to have been organized by the government and that the assault had all the hallmarks of an operation carried out by cambodian state security forces
the case against the three men was intended to prevent further inquiry into the involvement of mr hun sens governing party in the attacks the report said
phay siphan a government spokesman called the report baseless and accused the lawmakers of provoking the attack
the attack came a day after protesters confronted mr hun sen in paris he blamed the opposition and warned in a speech if someone comes back at you tomorrow in phnom penh with the same game dont be angry according to the human rights watch report
the increase of pressure on the political opposition is part of an established pattern during election cycles in cambodia said sebastian strangio a journalist based in phnom penh and the author of the book hun sens cambodia
hun sen tightens the screws people are hauled into court and defamation cases fly he said then after a period of tightening which keeps opponents off balance the shackles are released and theres a period of loosening designed to placate international critics
human rights watch said that late last year mr hun sen expressed concern about color revolutions and the possibility of being ousted by a street protest movement he ordered the military including his powerful bodyguard unit to prevent such an uprising according to the report
elections in cambodia are scheduled for 2018 in the last general election in 2013 the cambodian peoples party of mr hun sen retained control but with a smaller majority than before that may have contributed to the increasing pressure on the opposition mr strangio said
hes concerned about losing the next election mr strangio said i think the cpp realizes its lost a lot of popularity and theyre determined to hold onto power by whatever means necessary


ross nd   richard omar drove his pickup truck through the cemetery gate and pulled to a stop in sight of the scattered headstones as he walked toward a low granite monument his running shoes crunched the dry prairie grass and he tilted forward into an unrelenting west wind
these are my parents he said beside a carved granite marker then he fixed bouquets of fabric flowers into place with metal stakes hoping they would last until next spring
mr omar a retired electrician was engaged in an act of filial obligation and something larger as well the consecration of a piece of american religious history this cemetery with the star crescent symbol on its gate and on many of its gravestones held the remains of a muslim community that dated back nearly 120 years up a slight hill stood the oldest mosque in the united states
the original mosque erected by pioneers from what are now syria and lebanon had been built in 1929 after it fell into disuse and ruin the descendants of its founders and the christian friends they had made over the generations raised money to put up a replacement in 2005
it is a modest square of cinder blocks perhaps 15 feet on each side topped with an aluminum dome and minarets several hundred yards off the main highway on the outskirts of a town with barely 200 residents about 60 miles west of minot the mosque and cemetery exist much as they always have surrounded by fields of wheat and corn and grazing lands in this spot all the industrial clamor of north dakotas fracking boom feels immeasurably distant
though the mosque is rarely used for religious ritual even during the holy month of ramadan which begins june 5 it remains a powerful emblem of muslim heritage and pride and in this particular election year when muslim immigrants have been made a polarizing part of the political discussion this obscure mosque in an isolated stretch of a rural state serves as a reminder that muslims have been part of the american mix for a long time and not only in populous hubs like brooklyn dearborn mich and chicagos western suburbs
some like mr omars father arrived in the almost mythically american form of homesteaders and farmers by 1920 perhaps 200 had made their way to ross and surrounding mountrail county which then had 8500 people spread over its 1900 square miles
i think it was just over there mr omar 66 said as he indicated some furrowed acres on the far side of 87th avenue northwest which was nothing but a dusty gravel track he had a team of horses hed take the rocks out of the soil for the other farmers
the elder omar had come to america from the village of bire in the bekaa valley in what is now lebanon under his birth name abdallah ayash after making some money in one of henry fords auto factories he moved to ross acquiring 120 acres on june 19 1911 by then he had changed his surname to omar which seemed to him more american before long he dropped abdallah in favor of albert
years ago when all these people came over they came over for a new life richard omar said as he walked through the cemetery pointing out adjacent farmsteads right up there used to be allay omar and over there sam omar no relation to me
the graves that he passed spoke of patriotism and assimilation amid the many juma and omar headstones marriage had brought to this muslim cemetery people with the last names of miller and horst
the marker for j d benson the husband of a woman raised in a muslim family featured a photograph of the two on horseback the stone for alex asmel gave his military service from world war i private in the 108th infantry abraham omar 1933 2004 was represented with a photograph of him with long sideburns a ducktail haircut and a black leather jacket it could fit into a scene from grease
inside the mosque a prayer rug lay on the floor pointing east toward mecca photographs of the communitys early residents including mr omars father rested on an easel mr omar took a broom to sweep cobwebs from the corners
maybe simply by being there simply by existing in their undeniably concrete way the mosque and the cemetery though little used serve a purpose amid a presidential campaign in which one partys presumptive candidate calls for a ban on muslim immigration a campaign that has coincided with a rising number of bias crimes against muslim people and institutions this little plot is a reminder that muslims were here as far back as the norwegians swedes germans finns poles and jews among whom they settled
it was not always easy prairie peddlers a book about the syrian and lebanese immigrants to north dakota notes that they were sometimes called black unwillingly conscripted into americas binary form of racism several local muslims who tried to serve in world war i the book notes were discharged for supposed disloyalty because their ancestral homeland was then part of the ottoman empire an enemy in that global conflict but over time those who seemed strange became familiar
these are community people said kenneth halvorson a high school classmate of mr omars and the sheriff of mountrail county they are part of our community they sometimes find themselves in a situation where their nationality or whatever causes them problems but not here we know that theyre good hardworking people
for the occasional american muslim who learns of this bit of history the mosque here is touchstone and affirmation aman ali 31 is a professional storyteller who grew up in an indian immigrant family in ohio during ramadan in 2010 he decided with his friend bassam tariq a filmmaker to try to visit a different mosque in a different state for each of the 30 holy days
even with gps they could not find the ross mosque a local pastor introduced them to lila thorlakson a daughter of one of the omar families and the volunteer caretaker for the mosque setting foot there praying inside mr ali said changed his life
learning that muslim communities have been in this country since the 1800s it made me realize i am the latest chapter in a book thats being written about our beautiful community he wrote in a recent email it was the first time i felt like i actually belonged here
in march 2015 an oil rig hand named kobby nai sowah died in a car crash across the state line in montana he was a muslim born in ghana and raised in florida the funeral home arranged to have him interred at the cemetery in ross in a plot near three pine trees to blunt the incessant wind
in mr omars folder of records for the assyrian moslem cemetery its official name he keeps pages with neat charts of the available grave sites realistically though few will ever be filled sarah omar shupe who was buried here in 2004 was the last community member to regularly speak arabic and read the quran
ever since the dust bowl days a steady stream of local muslims have been moving to cities for better economic prospects many of those who stayed here died or converted to christianity in marriage mr omars wife is from scandinavian stock and he can barely remember a time when he practiced islam
he is not even sure he will be buried in the cemetery that he so tenderly tends


no other candidate in modern history has captured news attention with a virtual snap of the fingers
and after a difficult week and yet another campaign shake up donald j trump commanded the cable news stage as he announced in north dakota that he had secured the 1237 delegates needed to clinch the republican nomination
mr trump seemed thrilled at a hastily called news conference that cable networks teased for over a half hour before he began speaking he basked in the glow of knowing he had done what most pundits and his rivals had predicted could never happen
was the focus the energy policy speech he would deliver right after the news conference nope it was whether he was serious when he said he would be willing to face senator bernie sanders of vermont in a debate the answer appeared to be yes and no mr trump may not be serious about debating mr sanders but he is clearly serious about seeking to elevate him over hillary clinton in their primary race which is mathematically almost impossible for mr sanders to win
mrs clinton phoning into cable networks for interviews late in the afternoon continued to face questions about the state department inspector generals report that said she had not sought permission to use a private email server she said that she thought it had been allowed but that she also would do it differently if she could do it over again
what drew the most attention however was her response to a potential sanders trump debate which she said was not a serious possibility and so it went in the final week before the unofficial start of summer with mrs clinton facing difficult headlines and mr trump choosing to drown them out


the black sedans and sport utility vehicles lined up outside the capitol early on thursday afternoon ready to rush lawmakers to airports so they could proceed with scattering across the nation leaving behind citizens pending business
even as reports of zika cases in the united states increased this week congress did not come up with a final plan to help pay to fight the virus the senate has passed a bill providing 11 billion for mosquito eradication and the like but the house version gives only 622 million and directs congress to pay for it the two sides will try to find a compromise after the memorial day recess
a far less urgent bill a bipartisan measure that would change how chemicals are regulated was left for a later date after senator rand paul republican of kentucky asked for more time to read it a need to read also caused senate democrats to slow down a broad defense policy bill pushing that measure into the post recess congress
an energy and water spending bill about as contentious as vanilla low fat yogurt went down on the house floor on thursday because conservative republicans disliked an attached amendment banning discrimination based on sexual orientation
spam lovers rejoice a resolution recognizing the contributions of hawaii to the united states culinary heritage was approved without debate
the inability to pass even routine bills raises serious questions about what congress can hope to accomplish if anything this election year
obviously we want to pass individual bills said the house speaker paul d ryan who spent most of the week repeatedly facing questions of when he might throw his support behind donald j trump answer when i feel like it if i feel like it he added that when lawmakers return they would have a family discussion about how best to proceed
with all quiet senator orrin g hatch republican of utah took to an empty senate chamber to ponder the future of social security


washington lost another landmark on thursday   but not the marble column kind
johnnys half shell a capitol hill hangout adjacent to the senate office buildings celebrated its last night as a crowd of staff members lobbyists reporters and other washington types crowded the new orleans style bar and restaurant
johnnys as it was universally known provided the setting for too many fund raisers to count given its proximity to the capitol allowing lawmakers and hill observers the chance to quickly make it back if necessary it usually wasnt
it was also a regular choice for non clandestine lunches and boisterous happy hours to relive what had just happened or had not happened in nearby government buildings
before its incarnation as johnnys a decade ago the space was occupied by the french restaurant la colline which provided a venue for similar high jinks for nearly 25 years with johnnys moving to a busier neighborhood in adams morgan some other restaurant will no doubt take its place as a capitol hill watering hole


hiring the charismatic and controversial jose mourinho as manager which manchester united finally did on friday might seem a risky move for a storied club unsettled since the longtime manager alex ferguson walked away in 2013 and already out of next seasons champions league united would seem to face an uncertain immediate future regardless of who sits in the managers chair
but mourinhos history at top clubs including porto chelsea twice inter milan and real madrid is well established so much so that one might say the future at manchester united is almost preordained if his history holds true here is what united fans can expect
mourinho will be quotable at his first news conference after being appointed manager of chelsea in 2004 mourinho set the tone for his travels around the elite of european soccer
please dont call me arrogant he said with supreme assurance i think i am a special one
the nickname the special one stuck used equally by his detractors to malign him and by his fans to glorify him
later at inter milan he accused rival managers of intellectual prostitution he called arsenals manager arsene wenger a voyeur for paying so much attention to his chelsea team
there are some guys who have this big telescope to see what happens in other families mourinho said he must be one of them
his opinions have also roved beyond the earthly to the theological
he must really think im a great guy mourinho once said of god he must think that because otherwise he would not have given me so much he has helped me out so much that he must have a very high opinion of me
mourinho will do something controversial in the midst of a sideline scuffle between players during a real madrid barcelona derby in 2011 mourinho calmly strolled up behind the barcelona assistant tito vilanova and poked him in the eye he was uncontrite afterward referring to the well known vilanova by the wrong name
in august mourinho took exception to the actions of chelseas team doctor eva carneiro after she and another trainer raced onto the field to treat the injured eden hazard late in an early season game against swansea city mourinho said the injury was not serious enough for carneiro to enter the field a decision that meant that hazard would have to leave momentarily while chelsea   already down a player after a red card   defended a free kick late in a tie game mourinho labeled carneiro impulsive and naive in his postgame news conference and the incident eventually led her to leave the team and to sue the case remains unresolved
mourinho also managed to get arrested during his first stint at chelsea after a dispute with police officers who were trying to quarantine his dog
mourinho will feud with another coach mourinho always seems to pick out a rival coach or two to face special opprobrium hes a specialist in failure is one of the many denunciations he has made of wenger over the years who will be his target this time around the obvious candidate is the new coach at manchester city pep guardiola with whom mourinho feuded in the spanish league when guardiola coached barcelona and mourinho its archrival real madrid
guardiolas tenure at barcelona was hailed from all corners and his passing tactics were said to have revolutionized the game mourinho perhaps soured from not getting the barcelona job himself was much less impressed he relentlessly denigrated guardiola barcelona and its playing style now he will be able to lob his barbs across town instead of across the country
mourinho will turn on a star player iker casillas real madrids longtime captain has said he did not speak with mourinho during mourinhos last year at the club juan mata was chelseas player of the year in 2013 but when mourinho arrived he immediately fell into the doghouse for not focusing enough on defense
which manchester united star will face mourinhos wrath next season a pretty safe guess is well juan mata who may not be relishing his pending reunion with his former manager
the teams style of play will be defensive and divisive mourinho likes his players to press defensively to play physically and to counterattack that style does not always leave room for creativity and entertainment unlike guardiola he does not emphasize possession to a fault such pragmatic play can lead to some grumbling even when the team wins if it starts losing the grumbling will turn into a roar one of the reasons uniteds job was open was that the former manager louis van gaal wore out his welcome amid his teams noticeable lack of flair united led the premier league in backward passes last year
united will win the premier league title and soon mourinho has won a league title with every team he has coached since arriving at porto in 2002 at porto chelsea and inter the title came in year 1 at real madrid and in his return to chelsea it came in year 2 with united coming off seventh  fourth  and fifth place finishes fans will be eagerly looking forward to a similarly quick trip back to the top
united might win the champions league or at least make the semifinals mourinho lifted the trophy with both porto and inter and made the last four with real madrid and in both of his stints at chelsea
mourinho will quickly wear out his welcome despite his success mourinho has not lasted more than three and a half seasons as manager at any club he thrives on tension and that can go on for only so long friction with players and owners has generally led to a departure by mutual consent if not an outright firing
another big team will hire him and the process will start all over no matter how disastrous his tenure or how messy the ending there is never a shortage of suitors for mourinhos talents and that will surely be the case at the end of his united tenure what would come next deep pocketed paris st germain desperate for champions league success could lure him to the french league and you cannot rule out a third stop at chelsea where despite everything mourinho remains revered by blues fans


tokyo   japan will recall an additional seven million vehicles fitted with airbags made by takata the japanese auto parts maker facing questions about whether it can handle the growing financial strain of a global safety scandal
japans transport ministry said on friday that it would recall cars with takata airbags that lack a drying agent to prevent their airbag inflaters from deteriorating american safety officials have said moisture and temperature changes could make the airbag unstable and prone to explode sending sharp fragments of metal flying through a cars interior the airbags have been blamed for at least 13 deaths worldwide
the new recall increases the number of vehicles affected in japan to 196 million regulators in the united states this month more than doubled the number of vehicles with takata airbags to be recalled to about 63 million adding to what was already the largest auto safety recall in american history
takata and automakers conducted an investigation in the case and the ministry decided to make an announcement based on the result said masato sahashi a transport ministry official who oversees enforcement of recalls
takata declined to comment
the widened recalls are adding to questions on how the japanese company will deal with the mounting costs of the recall takata said in the past week that it had tapped lazard an investment bank to help it seek a cash infusion
obviously takata will have a huge liability that they have to handle said takaki nakanishi an independent auto industry analyst
typically an auto parts supplier like takata shares of the cost of the recall with automakers takata remains a key auto industry supplier and analysts have said that gives carmakers an incentive to help it out
if takata disappears automakers will be in trouble koji endo managing director at advanced research japan said in an interview in the past week automakers are not happy with the situation but there is a realistic option they have to pay the cost
takata had changed the makeup of the ammonium nitrate compound that it used to make the airbag inflater adding a drying agent to make it more stable this recall involved airbags that do not have this drying agent


anaheim calif   senator bernie sanders may be trailing hillary clinton by hundreds of delegates and mrs clinton may be treating the democratic nomination as hers but julie crowell a stay at home mother and a die hard sanders supporter is holding out for an 11th hour miracle divine deliverance at the hands of the fbi
like many of mr sanderss supporters ms crowell 37 said she hoped that mrs clintons use of a private email server during her time as secretary of state would eventually yield an indictment and she described it as the kind of transgression that would disqualify another politician seeking high office
she should be removed said ms crowell of tustin calif who attended a sanders rally here on tuesday and said she planned to vote for a third party candidate if mr sanders failed to overtake mrs clinton and capture the democratic nomination i dont know why shes not already being told you cant run because youre being investigated i dont know how thats not a thing
campaigning in california where polls show a tightening primary race mr sanders continued to hit mrs clinton over her positions on wall street trade deals the minimum wage hydrofracking and super pacs   seemingly everything except her emails which he took off the table as an issue during an early democratic debate but mrs clinton faces renewed criticism after an inspector generals report faulted her for violating the state departments records retention policy and as the fbi continues to investigate the handling of classified information attendees at sanders rallies have repeatedly expressed hope that the scandal results in criminal charges
if theres any chance of her getting indicted they shouldnt even consider her for the nomination said zachary oneill 21 of escondido we cant have a criminal in the white house
and what would be a more colossal comeuppance to the democratic establishment
we cant go back and undo giving her the democratic nomination said jennifer peters 28 of costa mesa
ms peters added that if mrs clinton had broken the law she should be held accountable im hoping that the fbi sends a strong message to people like her as well as other people in politics who are using their position of power to manipulate the system for their own personal advancement ms peters said she feels like she can do whatever she wants with absolute impunity and that she somehow is above any type of repercussions
polls show that an increasing number of sanders supporters say they will not vote for mrs clinton in november a position not unlike the one many of her supporters held in 2008 before they eventually rallied around barack obama and while mr sanders has said he will do all he can to defeat donald j trump the level of vitriol for mrs clinton coursing through mr sanderss audiences lately   where bernie or bust signs are common and the mention of his rival prompts boos or shouts of corporate puppet   suggests that party unity might be even more difficult to achieve this time sanders supporters have also begun to protest at mrs clintons events with signs that read where are hillarys emails
ms peters who makes a living selling goods online said that she would not vote for mrs clinton under any circumstance   and that she would blame the democratic party for a trump victory in november
if the dnc wants to go ahead and put out the candidate who cant win and we lose in november its not because i didnt vote she said its because they were looking out for their interests and not for the better interests of the country
not everyone at mr sanderss rallies is dreading a trump victory however
victor vizcarra 48 of los angeles said he would much prefer mr trump to mrs clinton though he said he disagreed with some of mr trumps policies he added that he had watched the apprentice and expected that a trump presidency would be more exciting than a boring clinton administration
a dark side of me wants to see what happens if trump is in said mr vizcarra who works in information technology there is going to be some kind of change and even if its like a nazi type change people are so drama filled they want to see stuff like that happen its like reality tv you dont want to just see everybody be happy with each other you want to see someone fighting somebody
jackie becerra 28 an executive assistant who lives in lake forest also said she was leaning toward voting for mr trump if mr sanders was not the democratic nominee she said that she doubted mr trump would keep his promise to build a wall along the border with mexico and that even though his proposal to bar foreign muslims from entering the united states made her nervous she did not believe he could stop people from coming into the country based on their religion
everyone is like trump has these terrible social issues he hates muslims and he hates the lgbt community  she said but our world is big enough that hes not actually going to implement any of those changes in a realistic way but what he will do is potentially audit the federal government and he will try to break up some of the banks and try to at least influence government that way however with hillary it will just be a complacent run of the middle of the road presidency
such thinking worries pete navarro 65 a lawyer in los angeles who supports mr sanders but said he planned to vote for mrs clinton if she is the democratic nominee i think its a mistake to demonize hillary clinton he said i think that just serves republican purposes its chopping your nose off to spite your face
yet the email investigation keeps coming up in conversations with mr sanderss supporters who are all too aware of mrs clintons delegate lead and increasingly desperate for an equalizer
if bernie had 12 fbi agents investigating him the way hillary has said robert jost 50 of san diego the entire establishment the entire mainstream media would every day be consistently saying he should drop out of the race


apple iphones are ubiquitous with people obsessively hunched over them from new york to london to kiev but how well people can afford them varies widely even among the worlds most prosperous cities
its not so much the price of the phone but the wages their owners earn that make the difference compare new york and london for example people in each city tend to be consumed by work glued to their smartphones and caught up in a money culture driven by high finance both cities are in the top 5 on ubs wealth managements latest list of the worlds most expensive cities
but the average londoner would have to work 412 hours to earn enough to buy an iphone 6 while a new yorker can buy it in just 24 according to the ubs study thats because wages lag farther behind the staggeringly high cost of living in london than in new york london doesnt even crack the top 10 cities for average gross earnings its 13th while new york is fourth
youd need an even stronger work ethic to afford an iphone 6 in athens 98 hours work on average or beijing 218 hours   and have to slog even longer in nairobi 468 hours or kiev 627 hours but if you lived in zurich the highest paid city in the study you could snap one up after just 206 hours
the news is a little better for another consumer product sold around the world mcdonalds big mac an average kiev resident has to work only 55 minutes five times as long as the average new yorker to afford one


london   shares in the lighting business of the dutch electronics giant philips soared about 8 percent in early trading on friday after the units initial public offering in amsterdam
philips is spinning off the business philips lighting as part of its plan to focus on health care and technology a reshaping of the company that began in 2014
on thursday philips said that the offering had valued the lighting business at 3 billion euros or about 34 billion based on market capitalization the offering was priced at EUR20 a share on thursday near the midpoint of its expected range
after the offering philips lightings value including debt was EUR45 billion
shares of philips lighting rose to EUR2162 on friday morning on the euronext stock exchange in amsterdam
the lighting business includes divisions that produce traditional light bulbs and led lamps the business had about 34000 employees and posted sales of EUR75 billion in 2015
on thursday philips said that 375 million shares had been sold in the offering representing 25 percent of the lighting business
if an overallotment of shares is fully exercised philips would own 7125 percent of the lighting business after the offering philips has said it plans to fully sell down its ownership over the next several years


tehran   more than 30 college students were arrested interrogated and within 24 hours were each given 99 lashes for attending a graduation party that included men and women irans judiciary has announced
the punishments which were believed to be part of a wider crackdown by a judiciary dominated by hard liners were meted out in qazvin about 90 miles northwest of the capital and were carried out in record time mizan a news agency affiliated with the judiciary reported on thursday citing the citys prosecutor
the qazvin prosecutor esmail sadeghi niaraki said that more than 30 female and male students   the women were described as half naked meaning they were not wearing islamic coverings scarves and long coats   were arrested while dancing and jubilating after the authorities received a report that a party attended both by men and women was being held in a villa on the outskirts of qazvin
an arrest warrant was issued he said and the defendants were sentenced to 99 lashes after being questioned we hope this will be a lesson for those who break islamic norms in private places mr niaraki said
mixed gender parties dancing and the consumption of alcohol are illegal in iran although they have become common over the past decade especially in cities
lashings have been used regularly as a punishment since the islamic revolution of 1979 but in recent years the practice has been used more as a threat than an actual punishment
the arrests came a day after state news media reported raids on parties in kerman and at a singles home in semnan both provincial capitals
in kerman 23 people were arrested the official islamic republic news agency reported on wednesday although it did not provide details about whether anyone had been punished
in semnan several polluted singles houses were cleaned and 97 people including 10 women were detained
col mojtaba ashrafi of the semnan police told the news agency that the raids were carried out over a 48 hour period after the authorities monitored for several weeks 58 homes in which single people were believed to be living
living alone is not a crime in iran but colonel ashrafi told the agency that apartments occupied by single iranians are more likely to be the site of criminal conduct and he added that narcotics alcohol and satellite receivers were found in some of the homes
irans hard line judiciary began a crackdown on such behavior after the sweeping victory of a reformist and moderate coalition in the tehran constituency in parliamentary elections in february
president hassan rouhani has expressed hope that the presence of more allies in parliament will allow his government to push for at least modest social changes and more personal freedoms
the judiciary has responded by stepping up its own activities and last week it announced the arrest of several so called instagram models a blogger was arrested and prominent actors and actresses who have huge social media followings in iran were given warnings about adhering to islamic dress code and islamic behavior
judges in iran have broad freedoms to interpret islamic law and according to the constitution the government and other institutions have no right to interfere with their decisions


london   the french insurer axa said on friday that it had agreed to sell its sunlife and its embassy pensions and investment business in britain to phoenix group
this month axa said it was in talks to sell its remaining life insurance and savings business in britain after a strategic review
phoenix said it would pay 375 million pounds or about 551 million in cash for the business
as part of its exit from the life insurance and savings business in britain axa also agreed this month to sell its portfolio advisory business known as elevate to standard life for an undisclosed amount in april axa agreed to sell its offshore investment bonds business which is based on the isle of man to life company consolidation group
over all axa said that it expected to receive PS632 million from the sale of its life insurance and savings units in britain the sale of the businesses would result in axas losing 400 million euros or about 447 million in income
the sunlife deal is subject to regulatory approval and it is expected to close in the second half of this year
the acquisition of the embassy and sunlife businesses represents another important step forward in phoenixs growth strategy clive bannister the phoenix chief executive said in a news release we believe that both the embassy and sunlife businesses are a strong fit benefiting both shareholders and policyholders alike
by buying the business phoenix would gain PS123 billion in assets under management and more than 910000 policies the company said
after the transaction phoenix would have PS59 billion of assets held on behalf of 54 million policyholders


london   zoomlion of china said on friday that it would drop its pursuit of the american crane and heavy equipment maker the terex corporation
terex and konecranes of finland announced in august that they would merge in an all stock deal but zoomlion swooped in with a competing bid in january to acquire terex for 30 a share in cash or about 33 billion zoomlion raised its bid to 31 a share in march
this month terex terminated its merger agreement with konecranes and said it would instead sell its material handling and port solutions business to the finnish company for about 13 billion
terex said at the time that the port deal would allow it to continue discussions with zoomlion and would eliminate perceived regulatory concerns about a transaction with the chinese company analysts had suggested that the united states authorities might raise objections over the ports business
on friday zoomlion said it walked away from the negotiations after it was unable to agree with terex on a price after the sale of the material handling and port solutions business
following negotiations however zoomlion has concluded that terexs expectations on the valuation do not adequately reflect the impact of the sale of the ports business zoomlion said in a news release the company has therefore decided to discontinue negotiations
terex based in westport conn manufactures cranes and other heavy equipment for a number of industries including construction manufacturing shipping energy and mining it posted revenue of 65 billion in 2015 and has about 20400 employees
the company said its board and management had worked diligently to determine whether a transaction with zoomlion was achievable
unfortunately after many months of discussions zoomlion was unable to provide a fully financed binding proposal for the purchase of terex with or without the material handling and port services business david a sachs the terex chairman said the board is confident in our global management team and with terexs prospects for the future
terex said that it would proceed with its plans to sell the material handling and port services business to konecranes a deal that is expected to close in january
this transaction represents excellent value realization for our shareholders john l garrison the terex president and chief executive said
after the zoomlion announcement konecranes said that it would continue to work to complete its acquisition of terexs material handling and port solutions business
this acquisition will enhance our position as a focused and global leader in service and equipment in industrial lifting and port solutions panu routila the konecranes president and chief executive said in a news release the acquisition will significantly expand our international presence to better compete in the global markets


one died in her multimillion dollar apartment another left 13 million to charity a third was an opera costume designer who took regular trips to europe with his devoted partner all three donated their bodies to medical science and eventually served as cadavers for first year medical students at the new york university school of medicine all three had signed forms that promised cremation and the disposal of their ashes by the medical school in an appropriate and dignified manner
so how did their dissected corpses end up instead in mass graves on hart island where new york city buries the dead it considers unclaimed and indigent
those cases discovered during an investigation by the new york times into hart island burials shocked surviving family members and friends but they also raised larger questions about body donations at a time when medical schools throughout the country increasingly rely on such gifts rather than on unclaimed bodies to teach future doctors
now after searching through anatomical records at the timess request nyu is apologizing and acknowledging that the cases were part of a practice that went on for years until 2013 the school was sending a subset of privately donated cadavers to a city morgue for burial at public expense
as an institution we werent aware that this was happening lisa greiner a spokeswoman for nyu langone medical center said i promise you its not happening now
but the revelation reinforces longstanding concerns by some anatomists about the lack of regulation and oversight in a national patchwork of body donation operations and it could have repercussions at the 16 medical schools in new york state which use more than 800 donated bodies a year
how many bodies donated to nyu ended up on hart island is unknown ms greiner said partly because some records were lost in hurricane sandy and also because the longtime director of the program dr bruce bogart who withdrew from most university responsibilities in 2011 and officially retired in 2013 now has dementia
medical schools often share an excess supply of cadavers with other schools that have run short and some bodies donated elsewhere were passed to nyu indeed among the privately donated cadavers that nyu dispatched to hart island was the body of leo van witsen the author of an influential book on costume design for opera who had actually donated his corpse to columbia universitys college of physicians and surgeons
according to nyus records columbias program did not need mr van witsens body when he died at 96 in 2009 in the apartment on west 73rd street in manhattan that he and his partner had shared for decades so with permission from the executor of his will columbia transferred his body to nyu ms greiner said three years later apparently because his executor had checked off a box on an nyu form stating that the family did not want the remains returned the school sent mr van witsens corpse to a city morgue as unclaimed instead of cremating it
he deserved something much better than that even if it was scattering his ashes in central park said sharon stein a former neighbor who described mr van witsen as thorny interesting and dapper and recalled that he had escaped the holocaust as a refugee from the netherlands in 1938
without public records on body donations there is no systematic way to identify how many donors have wound up on hart island the times stumbled on the cases it linked to nyu while combing through a database of 62000 hart island burials since 1980 originally compiled by volunteers for the hart island project a nonprofit organization a gap of one to three years between death and burial typically was a sign that the deceased had served as a medical cadaver but among hundreds of such cases sometimes only an unusual name or another exceptional piece of information in the records made further investigation possible
one of the most striking involved marie muscarnera who was buried in a paupers grave in 2008 three years after her death at 91 her brother joseph who died a few months before her lies in another hart island trench yet an estate bearing ms muscarneras name is on a 2009 list of donors of money to nyus medical school in the 550000 to 999000 category
ms muscarnera it turns out grew up in brooklyn in dire poverty the oldest of 10 children in an italian immigrant family that depended on her teenage labor to survive but by the time she died in 2005 her fierce drive dressmaking talent and shrewd investments had earned her a nest egg of more than 13 million she left it all to charity including 691700 to nyus medical school separately like joseph who was disabled and lived for years under her care until he died at nyu langone she gave the medical school her body for use as a cadaver
the nyu form she signed stated i wish my remains to be cremated and the new york university school of medicine to be responsible for burying or spreading the cremains in a dignified manner
instead after using her body as a cadaver for three years the anatomy program paid a funeral home 225 to transport it to a city morgue in the bronx to be boxed in pine and ferried to hart island where the city pays inmates 50 cents an hour to do the burying cremation costs the school 155 more per body
ms greiner said money had nothing to do with it it really does not appear that any of these individuals were buried on hart island for any savings she said
she said she was unable to explain the reasoning behind nyus practice but she linked it to confusing notification letters sent out to survivors sometimes months after a donors body had been accepted as a cadaver notwithstanding the written wishes of the donor unless a surviving relative or executor responded to that notification within 90 days by checking the right box the body was not cremated but dispatched to the city morgue for a hart island burial
the wording of the notification changed a few times but no version disclosed the plan for a mass grave on hart island and one form in use for several years falsely stated that after cremation cremains that went uncollected would be buried by the city of new york in fact new york does not bury ashes and unlike many other major cities in the united states it is barred by state law from cremating bodies considered unclaimed
ms greiner said all donated bodies are now cremated at rosehill crematory in linden nj and if families do not wish the return of the ashes they are scattered in a memorial garden there
nyu was one of the first medical schools in the country to publicize annual memorial ceremonies held by grateful medical students to honor body donors each year on average it receives 46 cadavers and signs up 65 donors officials at the associated medical schools of new york of which nyu is a member said that it knew of no other school that had ever sent privately donated bodies to a potters field and that it had been unaware that nyu was doing so
todd olson who formerly directed the anatomical donation program at albert einstein college of medicine and as a professor of anatomy was a leader in the professions state and national organizations said he was sickened to learn of nyus method of disposing of some privately donated bodies
this is so out of line with common practice he said the idea of it is so disrespectful but he added every time you turn around youre going to find some people who are taking advantage of their access to the dead because they know the dead are not going to talk
to brandi schmitt an officer of the american association of clinical anatomists and the director of the anatomical donation program at the university of california the existence of such a long undetected policy at a major institution underscores the lack of transparency and oversight in donation operations nationally such operations include large for profit companies supplying a booming demand for human tissue in science and industry as well as academic programs teaching anatomy to medical students
there continues to be a need for comprehensive laws and policies to allow a layperson to understand the choice theyre making ms schmitt said of body donation it is absolutely essential to have an institutions leadership involved and to have strong policies and procedures in place that are not a secret
in recent years body donation operations of various kinds have been enmeshed in scandals federal raids on anatomical donation companies in several states led to criminal indictments this year after more than a thousand decaying body parts were discovered in a shabby detroit warehouse they had been supplied and sold for profit without the donors consent in another case george washington universitys medical school announced that it had lost track of the identities of about 50 donated cadavers used to train future doctors and families were suddenly left to wonder whether they had been sent the wrong ashes
ms schmitt said news of nyus missteps would inevitably affect the public perception of other body donation programs which rely on their reputations to attract donors doing what you say you will do has to be the cornerstone of your policies she said the families the loved ones the living donor in fact deserve to have a tracking process and an oversight process that equals respect
in the muscarnera case a surviving brother vincent had checked a box saying the family no longer wishes to have the remains of ms marie muscarnera returned in an interview last year mr muscarnera a retired teacher in his 90s who calls himself a loner said he had no idea nyu would send the bodies to a potters field and no one told him so when he was being pressed to make decisions at his sisters hospital bedside
now i think they had so much money we could have had a normal burial he said
in the family of another nyu donor a son who checked the same box as mr muscarnera was angry
its a travesty based on a falsehood said anthony r smith the son of ruth proskauer smith a celebrated feminist and reproductive rights advocate who had arranged to donate her body to nyu years before her death at 102 in her home at the dakota one of manhattans most fabled apartment buildings
ruth proskauer smith would be outraged by what your reporter learned he wrote in a letter to the times last week not because she would have cared where she was disposed of but because this hugely wealthy institution used this device to cheat the city by having taxpayers pay for burial
in a statement sent to the times by ms greiner mel rosenfeld the senior associate dean for medical education at nyu was apologetic we sincerely regret any actions on our part that did not reflect the wishes of those altruistic donors and their families who willingly donated their remains for medical education he wrote in 2013 we instituted major changes to our disposition practices for donor remains that will ensure that we honor the donors wishes with regard to their remains


beijing   at a chaotic conference in beijing in 1913 led by the chinese linguist and political anarchist wu zhihui the teacups flew as well as the words as participants tried to work out what was the chinese language
it was an urgent task two years before the last imperial dynasty had fallen in a republican revolution led by sun yat sen reformers like mr wu knew that china had to become a modern nation if it was to survive but china was home to hundreds of spoken languages and dialects and a fantastically hard writing system that only a few highly educated people and officials were familiar with according to david moser the author of a billion voices a new book recounting the creation of modern chinese
standard chinese   referred to in china as putonghua or common language   is mr moser said in an interview a frankensteinian amalgamation of several northern dialects that was finally adopted as the national language by the government in 1955 six years after the communist revolution but in some ways he said little has changed since that 1913 conference
yes you have a language but if you want mass literacy this thing is a disaster said mr moser who is the academic director at cet a chinese language program in beijing has a phd in psycholinguistics and chinese and has lived in china for more than 30 years the written symbols are fantastically hard to master
to make it easier to learn thousands of characters that do not correspond to the sound of words and must be memorized a romanization system called pinyin was introduced but the reformers most ambitious plan   abolishing the characters altogether   was never carried out
you have to feel sorry for chinese school kids said mr moser who likened learning chinese to a cognitive traffic jam in the first years of their basic education they must study and master two script systems one foreign the other familiar but devilishly hard to write and unreasonably time consuming to memorize
in mr mosers book the efforts to define a national language run parallel with the decades long fighting among warlords the kuomintang or nationalists and the eventually victorious communists to control and redefine the chinese nation as he described it
a major question he addressed is why the creation of a national language in china was so much more difficult than in say european nations
china much like the african continent had an enormous array of languages and dialects but the chinese government mostly calls them dialects rather than languages even if some are mutually unintelligible mr moser explained the political reasoning behind this
hundreds of millions of people in china and elsewhere are learning chinese but without a phonetic system to guide pronunciation it is famously difficult
although young learners in china have little choice outside the country among the chinese diaspora communities the pull of english is strong mr moser laid out some of the consequences
what is saving chinese now he said is digitization


hiroshima japan   president obama laid a wreath at the hiroshima peace memorial on friday telling an audience that included survivors of americas atomic bombing in 1945 that technology as devastating as nuclear arms demands a moral revolution
thousands of japanese lined the route of the presidential motorcade to the memorial in the hopes of glimpsing mr obama the first sitting american president to visit the most potent symbol of the dawning of the nuclear age many watched the ceremony on their cellphones
seventy one years ago on a bright cloudless morning death fell from the sky and the world was changed mr obama said in opening his speech at the memorial
technological progress without an equivalent progress in human institutions can doom us mr obama said adding that such technology requires a moral revolution as well
in an emotional moment afterward mr obama embraced and shook hands with survivors of the attack which exposed humanity to risks the president has repeatedly said the world must do far more to resolve
the first of those survivors sunao tsuboi a chairman of the hiroshima branch of the japan confederation of a  and h bomb sufferers organizations gripped mr obamas hand and did not let go until he had spoken to him for some time
i held his hand and we didnt need an interpreter mr tsuboi 91 said later i could understand what he wanted to say by his expression
in another poignant moment mr obama exchanged an embrace with shigeaki mori 79 who was 8 years old when the bomb fell mr mori spent decades researching the fates of american prisoners of war who were killed in the bombing
for weeks the white house had refused to say whether mr obama would meet survivors it was a delicate decision many survivors long for an apology for an event that destroyed just about everyone and everything they knew and there were small demonstrations near the ceremony on friday by protesters demanding an apology but mr obama said before his trip that he would not apologize for the attack
still mr obamas homage to the victims and his speech were welcomed by many japanese i am simply grateful for his visit said tomoko miyoshi 50 who lost 10 relatives in the hiroshima attack and wept as she watched mr obama on her cellphone
in his speech mr obama using the slow and deliberate cadence that he uses on only the most formal and consequential occasions said that the bombing of hiroshima demonstrated that mankind possessed the means to destroy itself
but he said that in the 71 years since the bombing world institutions had grown up to help prevent a recurrence still nations like the united states continue to possess thousands of nuclear weapons and that is something that must change he said
in a striking example of the gap between mr obamas vision of a nuclear weapons free world and the realities of purging them a new pentagon census of the american nuclear arsenal shows his administration has reduced the stockpile less than any other post cold war presidency
we must have the courage to escape the logic of fear and pursue a world without them he said although he quickly added we may not realize this goal in my lifetime but persistent effort can roll back the possibility of catastrophe
still he said more was needed noting that far more primitive weapons than nuclear arms are causing widespread destruction today mr obama called for humanity to change its mind set about war
the world was forever changed here but today the children of this city will go through their day in peace mr obama said what a precious thing that is it is worth protecting and then extending to every child that is a future we can choose a future in which hiroshima and nagasaki are known not as the dawn of atomic warfare but as the start of our own moral awakening
people in asian countries that were brutalized by imperial japan had warned that a presidential apology at hiroshima would be inappropriate mr obama not only did not apologize he made clear that japan despite a highly advanced culture was to blame for the war which grew out of the same base instinct for domination or conquest that had caused conflicts among the simplest tribes
in his speech the japanese prime minister shinzo abe said this tragedy must not be allowed to occur again
we are determined to realize a world free of nuclear weapons he said
american veterans groups had a mostly muted response neither criticizing nor endorsing mr obamas visit and remarks joe davis a spokesman in washington for the veterans of foreign wars the oldest veterans organization in the united states issued a brief statement saying a world without conflict is a vision we should all share
mr obamas visit to hiroshima peace memorial park had all the pomp ceremony and planned choreography of a state visit or a leaders funeral with thousands in attendance and much of japan watching on tv mr obama walked forward alone at the park and laid a wreath on a white pyramid he paused before the memorials cenotaph his head bowed
a moment later mr abe approached with his own wreath which he laid beside mr obamas on another pyramid after a moments reflection the two leaders shook hands   a clear signal of the extraordinary alliance their two nations had forged out of the ashes of war
mr obamas decision to visit hiroshima was in part intended to reward mr abe for his efforts to improve ties and forge a closer military relationship between the two countries the recent slaying of a young woman on okinawa and the arrest of an american marine veteran in the crime has once again strained those ties but coordination between the two nations militaries continues to intensify
mr obama also saw the visit as a testament to mankinds ability to forge beyond even the most intense of enmities before arriving in japan mr obama visited vietnam where he lifted a longstanding arms embargo
the hiroshima visit under consideration since the first days of mr obamas presidency could send ripples across asia a region still grappling with the echoes of world war ii seven decades after it ended leaders in both china and south korea worry that mr obamas visit to japans deepest wound could be taken by the japanese as an endpoint to their countrys fitful efforts to come to grips with their own wartime atrocities
but with a reclusive regime in north korea furiously building more nuclear weapons and trying to perfect the missiles to deliver them mr obama decided that reminding the world why the north koreans must be stopped was worth any hurt feelings among other countries
many historians believe the bombings on hiroshima and then nagasaki which together took the lives of more than 200000 people saved lives on balance since an invasion of the islands would have led to far greater bloodshed but the 30 acre peace memorial park that mr obama visited reflects none of that background
the park offers a victims narrative illustrating in gut wrenching detail how more than 100000 people in the city perished and thousands more were injured it provides few of the historical reasons for the bombing such as descriptions of the attack on pearl harbor the savagery of japans occupation of china or the extraordinary death toll of soldiers and civilians in the invasion of okinawa
a short inscription on the parks memorial arch reads in part we shall not repeat the evil which evil   the bombing or the conflict itself   and who is to blame are left unsaid
such failures by the japanese to acknowledge their own role in the bombings has long bothered the chinese koreans and others who suffered under the empires rule and with mr abe as mr obamas host those wounded feelings could fester mr abe has promoted a version of history that plays down japans wartime transgressions and he has moved to give the military limited powers to fight in foreign conflicts shedding pacifist constraints in place since world war ii
the chinese government suggested on friday that the wartime atrocities committed by japan on chinese soil notably in the city of nanjing deserved more attention than the bombing of hiroshima president park geun hye of south korea has not commented on mr obamas visit and is on a tour of several african countries


the survivors of the hiroshima and nagasaki atomic bombings are known in japan as hibakusha there are about 48000 of them living in nagasaki prefecture and about 83000 in hiroshima some were small children when the bombs were dropped others were young adults their average age now is over 80 several of the survivors shared their stories and thoughts about president obamas visit to hiroshima on friday
mr tsuboi was a 20 year old university student on his way to classes on the morning of aug 6 1945 when the atomic bomb fell his body was burned from head to toe
the pain was so severe that mr tsuboi was certain he would die he took a small rock and etched on a bridge here is where sunao tsuboi found his end
a classmate rescued him from the bridge and carried him to a military hospital several days later his mother and uncle found him and took him home it took him a year to walk again
later he fell in love with a woman whose parents did not want her to marry him fearing that he would soon die in despair the couple took sleeping pills but the doses were too low mr tsuboi eventually won her parents permission and seven years later they were married the couple had three children and seven grandchildren
after he retired as a middle school principal mr tsuboi decided to devote himself to working at the hiroshima branch of the japan confederation of a  and h bomb sufferers organizations
mr tsuboi said he was grateful for mr obamas visit he said that although the president had made little progress toward the vision of a nuclear free world that he outlined in 2009 thats the stupidity of humanity
he urged the president to work for world peace after he leaves office the world is more complex now mr tsuboi said but in his heart he wants people to get along well with each other
mr tanaka almost 5 years old when the bomb fell was playing under a persimmon tree on aug 9 1945 when he heard a huge thunderclap and the sky went completely white all the windows in his familys home were blown out
his mother went to work at a local elementary school where survivors were taken for medical treatment there mr tanaka heard moans and smelled the stench of burning flesh
mr tanakas parents suffered from repeated illnesses throughout their lives his father died from liver cancer 12 years after the bombing
of course we have a feeling of wanting an apology said mr tanaka the director of the nagasaki atomic bomb survivors council but the most important thing is to abolish nuclear weapons
he said he hoped mr obama would sit down and listen to the aging survivors if he does not listen to them now in 10 years he can never listen to them mr tanaka said
ms jodai was living with her grandmother and aunt in the hills of nagasaki all she remembers of the moment the bomb exploded is an electric charge of light that knocked her unconscious
with their home destroyed and no food to be found the family escaped to fukuoka about 100 miles to the northeast they arrived at the home of a distant relative who offered ms jodai her first warm bath since the bombing she was so kind ms jodai said she said you have done well to survive
over the thousands of times she has told her story she has been very frank about her belief that japan must shoulder some of the blame for the bombings i think there were a lot of chances to prevent the situation where the a bomb was dropped on japan she said if we had stopped our aggression maybe it could have saved japan from being a victim of a bomb
ms jodai said she welcomed mr obamas visit although she wants him to listen to stories of the hibakusha so he can understand the cruelty and misery and the human impact of the a bomb
mr fukahori was 16 and had been conscripted to work in a government office when the bomb dropped he dove under a desk it was such a loud sound and like lightning so bright he said all the air came out of the room
the night of aug 9 he tried to get home but the main road through the center of town was on fire on an alternate route through the mountains he encountered other victims trying to escape their clothes in tatters and their heads covered in black ash a woman clung to his leg begging for water when mr fukahori reached down to grab her arm her skin came off in strips
mr fukahori said he understood why mr obama would not be issuing an apology for the bombings
in the us there are various opinions about whether he should apologize or not mr fukahori said i understand that well because the us lost so many lives in world war ii we are all victims of war
ms miyoshi is a senior at hiroshima city university she is the granddaughter of yoshie miyoshi a survivor who lost her father and one of her brothers in the bombing
as she was growing up ms miyoshi never asked her grandmother to tell her story but in college she was invited to a workshop in gathering testimony in the marshall islands the site of numerous nuclear tests after world war ii she has since recorded her grandmothers story on video and wants more people to hear the memories
growing up in hiroshima ms miyoshi said she was taught to regard nuclear weapons as unconditionally evil and she said she never knew about japans aggression in the war
but as a political science major who also spent her junior semester at the university of hawaii she has started to consider other views i found out that in other countries there is the opinion that nuclear weapons can act as deterrence she said
as for japans role she said we should not talk only from the victims side we also can be the offenders
ms miyoshi who recalled writing a letter to president obama in 2009 asking him to come to hiroshima said she was grateful for his visit she said neither she nor her grandmother expected an apology its only a formality she said its meaningless to talk about formalities


president obama spoke on friday at the hiroshima peace memorial where the united states first dropped an atomic bomb on japan nearly 71 years ago
in announcing mr obamas trip this month the white house said he would not revisit president harry s trumans decision to drop the bomb or apologize for the attacks on hiroshima and nagasaki but some new york times readers who answered our request for suggestions for the president before he gave his speech said he should do just that
other readers recalled atrocities committed by japanese soldiers during world war ii and the japanese empires militarism they suggested that mr obama defend the decision to use atomic weapons to hasten an end to the war and ultimately save lives by avoiding an invasion of japan
most of the hundreds of respondents suggested that the president acknowledge the harsh realities of war underline the increasingly close relationship between the united states and japan and look forward to a world free from the threat of nuclear weapons
below are selected excerpts from the readers responses lightly edited for length and clarity


frankfurt   the debate in germany over chancellor angela merkels open door policy toward the flood of asylum seekers in the past year has played out in street demonstrations beer halls and on the floor of parliament now the curators of the countrys pavilion at the venice architecture biennale are weighing in with an exhibition focusing on ways to integrate and house migrants
the show at the biennale which opens saturday titled making heimat germany arrival country makes a case for continuing germanys welcome culture by presenting case studies and success stories as well as an inventory of projects to provide shelter for migrants in germany and elsewhere the word heimat can be roughly translated as homeland and the pavilion posits it as a fluid concept that must be established through policy culture   and of course architecture
merkels selfie with a refugee in september was this iconic image of germanys openness so this was our starting point for the pavilion said peter cachola schmal the director of the german architecture museum in frankfurt which was commissioned by the german ministry of environment nature conservation building and nuclear safety to curate the exhibition
featuring works from 37 countries and running until nov 27 this years biennale is curated by the pritzker prize winner alejandro aravena under the theme of reporting from the front which the biennale describes as bringing to a broader audience what it is like to improve the quality of life while working on the margins under tough circumstances
as a statement of intent the architecture museum and the berlin design firm something fantastic which was responsible for the exhibitions visual component have knocked out large openings in the walls of the german pavilion building a piece of nazi era architecture that has long been a subject of contention
its an illustration of open borders but its also about the changing of german society oliver elser a curator at the museum said at a preview last month in frankfurt
the curators worked with the canadian journalist doug saunders whose 2011 book arrival city studied the effects of migration on 20 cities around the world to develop eight theses on districts with large immigrant populations   the so called arrival cities of mr saunderss book the theses declared in bold block lettering over brightly colored backgrounds are illustrated with textual and photographic documentation of immigrant communities in germany
one thesis the arrival city is a city within a city explores how immigrants flock to areas of high population density citing districts in germany with large percentages of foreign born residents such as bahnhofsviertel in frankfurt 524 percent and neckarstadt west in mannheim 479 percent another the arrival city is affordable looks at ways to encourage inexpensive housing and discourage speculation the exhibition quotes a recent government forecast that found that germany will need an additional 100000 new housing units annually to meet demand from the wave of new arrivals   over a million and counting in the past year
the arrival city is informal argues for relaxed oversight of business practices illustrated by photographs of the dong xuan center in berlin a sprawling vietnamese market where zoning labor and licensing restrictions are largely ignored
this call for unorthodox solutions continues throughout the exhibition building codes and construction regulations the curators argue should not necessarily delay housing solutions for migrants they call on the government to repeal germanys contentious residenzpflicht or residency requirement which limits asylum seekers freedom of movement while their applications are pending
we found that its important for them to have access to support networks and to live within a city where they can for instance visit a mosque which also serves as a community space said anna scheuermann of the architecture museum the pavilions project coordinator
another aspect of the exhibition is the refugee housing database which lists existing projects to house asylum seekers many are prefabricated structures built quickly and inexpensively in rural areas or on the outskirts of cities a three story timber frame structure in lautzenhausen with a capacity of 200 residents for instance was planned in three weeks and constructed in four months
absent from the database are the voices of refugees or meaningful consideration of what it feels like to live in these spaces something the curators acknowledge but attribute partly to the fast changing situation on the ground
also missing are models of what housing solutions might look like projections or multimedia components which mr schmal said was partly because the new openings in the pavilion which have no doors cannot be secured at night
now that weve opened the pavilion he said models electronics anything valuable like that could be stolen
it was a very difficult and long process felix torkar an assistant curator at the architecture museum said of getting permission from heritage authorities in venice to alter the historic structure the four openings were cut out in april with drill hammers and reinforced with steel beams
the pavilion itself has been an active part of previous biennales both art and architecture
originally built in 1909 and designed by daniele donghi as the padiglione bavarese or bavarian pavilion the building received an austere spare neoclassical redesign by ernst haiger in 1938 under the nazi government
the structure has provoked varied artistic reactions over the years perhaps the most drastic intervention took place at the 1993 art biennale when hans haacke hung a photo of hitler and shattered the buildings marble floor plates leaving them as rubble to be walked over by visitors and winning in the process the golden lion the art biennales top award in the refugee crisis and ensuing public discourse the curators saw an opportunity to make a more permanent alteration to the structure the venice authorities required them to close the openings with bricks after the show but they are hopeful that future curators will reopen then
its the gesture of opening and also of not really being able to close it up again mr elser said for the people who arrive he added their new heimat might be germany but at the same time they are changing germany
such a message of course is not necessarily a welcome one in germany indeed in recent months public opinion has shifted on how to handle the migrant influx and the country is now bitterly divided that has complicated efforts to find sponsors the curators said
in february hornbach a home improvement chain expressed reservations about their involvement in the project
they were saying what happens if the politics change and we are on the wrong side mr schmal said but hornbach ultimately signed on as a sponsor wrapping the pavilion in posters bearing pro diversity messages that also served as a way to shield the alterations from the public eye
we want to present another picture of germany mr elser said the countrys changing the societys changing and thats exactly what were trying to express here


petersfield england   the countryside between the outermost london suburbs and the english channel is a patchwork of woodlands farmers fields and hedgerows and even the occasional vineyard   interspersed with pretty market towns and villages with venerable pubs at their centers   rising to the long ridge of low chalk hills known as the south downs
since april 2011 this corner of england has been marked by a barely visible boundary the perimeter of the 627 square miles of the south downs national park the newest of britains 15 such parks straddling the counties of hampshire west sussex and east sussex
but in real estate terms this is a perimeter that matters many buyers in britain are prepared to dig deep into their pockets for the privilege of living in a national park an official recognition of an attractive and distinctive natural environment worthy of protection restrictions on new construction in national parks mean that homes falling within the boundary have a scarcity premium too
according to research by the estate agency savills in 2015 detached houses within the boundary of the south downs national park cost an average of 576 percent more than the same type of property in the three counties it sits in of all britains national parks only in the lake district did an address within the boundary come at a higher premium 648 percent more than the average value of like for like real estate elsewhere in the county of cumbria
a property currently on the market in the high end of what is now very much a sellers market is a former vicarage in east meon a village five miles from petersfield which   with around 15000 residents   is the largest town within the south downs national park petersfield in hampshire is a pleasant if largely unremarkable town with a handsome market square and train service to central london taking around 65 minutes
this six bedroom three bathroom home was built in the 19th century and has period features such as colorful floor tiles and original doors and door frames the facade of the house which has a total of 5748 square feet of living space spread across three stories is a mix of red brick and flint the latter is a typical building material in south downs
the property also has an outdoor swimming pool and a tennis court on its three and a half acres of grounds a coach house adjacent to the main home is used as a combined garage and stable the asking price is 285 million pounds or 41 million through the knight frank agency
the home known locally as the old vicarage has a servant call bell system made up of wires and pulleys the call bell system no longer works but could be restored if a buyer wished said george clarendon the knight frank agent handling the sale adding that it brought to mind downton abbey the popular british television drama
whether the next owners will bring the servant bell back to life or rip it out of the walls is unknown but their reasons for buying in this western section of south downs are more predictable the main draws are the beautiful unspoilt countryside attractive villages excellent schools and good access to london said mr clarendon who estimates that 40 percent to 60 percent of buyers of properties of PS25 million and above   the high end of the real estate market in this western section of south downs   are families relocating from the british capital
the petersfield area is also something of high school education hub some buyers are attracted to its clutch of prestigious public meaning in britain private and usually longstanding schools such as bedales a 760 student establishment known for its progressive teaching methods and the school of choice of a number of celebrity parents who are sometimes seen in local stores and pubs other public schools in south downs have traditionally educated the children of officers serving overseas in the british armed forces
in the village of hambleton nine miles from petersfield and also within the boundary of the national park is whitedale house a mainly 18th century detached home with nine bedrooms seven bathrooms and a billiards room the property has wine cellars described by the estate agency handling the sale as extensive its 21 acres of grounds contain a swimming pool a tennis court guest cottage stables herb garden and a lake suitable for swimming shuttered windows on the southeastern facade of the main dwelling give the house a slightly gallic appearance
whitedale house   which has been given a grade ii listing through historic england which means that it may not be altered or extended without formal permission   has an asking price of PS525 million through savills
middle class families looking for homes in the PS750000 to PS125 million price bracket in petersfield and other settlements within commuting distance from london are having to fend off increasingly tough competition
according to tim slaney director of planning for the south downs national park authority although there is no formal ceiling on the total number of new dwellings approval for building new dwellings is given only in places where it is appropriate for example close to current settlements and only at a scale and nature appropriate to each individual town or village
according to the data drawn up by mr slaneys office in the year to the end of march 2015 a net total of 249 new homes were completed in the national park 83 percent of which were built on previously developed land it was the highest number of new homes delivered in the area now covered by the national park in any year since 2008 9
not everyone is pleased at the prospect of earth movers arriving to disturb petersfields leafy fringes one group of residents has banded together to oppose an application to build a 200 home project to be sited partly in a meadow
finding a balance between preserving the environment and finding space for a growing population is not of course a challenge unique to south downs the national park is just 45 miles from trafalgar square in london at its closest point pressure in the capitals housing market has an effect in markets in other parts of southeast england and the petersfield area is no exception
were very different to many other national parks in the uk mr slaney said were a vital green lung in the most populous part of the country


montalcino italy   talk to ruth infarinato an argentine television host or her american husband chris daniels an advertising consultant and they will say that their italian heritage hers from sicily and his from near naples drew them back to italy in 2008 the couple purchased and then spent two years restoring an abandoned and dilapidated water mill in the tuscany region
what they cant explain is to which period the former mill belongs   maybe the 13th century perhaps later possibly earlier if they had to guess by interpreting the buildings makeshift architecture what is certain is that they were entranced from the moment they drove down the winding roads and long gravel driveway that leads to the former mill
it feels like everything has come full circle ms infarinato said this was a project that tied us back to italy and allowed us to do things like grow wine and basically slow down
unique to the property is the heated lap pool in the basement with an adjacent hammam and infrared sauna all clad in soft white travertine stone the property owners also obtained permission for construction of an outdoor pool in the future even with such extravagances they wanted to stay true to the region and as they stripped the home down to a shell they restored its four bedrooms and baths two studies gym kitchen and bar by accentuating most of its finest features
now the house is on the market for 58 million euros or 65 million which according to diana levins moore of tuscany inside out an associate of the knight frank real estate consultancy in london reflects the average asking price for a home of this size and degree of restoration and design embellishment ms moore who has been selling tuscan real estate for more than 25 years attests that buying and renovating ancient properties in the region can be a costly challenge
the most sought after and expensive parts of tuscany are chianti and the val dorcia areas ms moore said here for a finished house you will probably pay around EUR3000 to EUR6000 per square meter and most of your cost is going to be the restoration she noted the regions incredible craftsmen that specialize in bringing these properties back to life
the spaces at the couples mill house include a ground floor reception room with variegated stone vaulted ceilings that are as grand as the nave of a church then there is the kitchen with its double height ceilings surfaced in gray brasimone stone just off the house to one side is a large annex inside a restored barn these are the guest quarters and include a kitchen bathroom living room a wood burning stove and charming reclaimed wood beamed ceilings the propertys other outbuilding is a cozy staff cottage with one bedroom a bathroom a kitchen and a sitting room that overlooks the garden
some of their asking price comes down to the homes location at the northern end of tuscanys val dorcia region from here the homeowners are a 10 minute drive from the historic town of montalcino   a prized brunello wine territory   and within or just over an hours drive to renaissance tuscan cities like siena and florence the homeowners also took care during their restorations to ensure that the property would be as close to 100 percent organic as possible insulating its walls with cork and a geothermic energy system that keeps their electric bills minimal
the land on which this former water mill turned mansion sits is what the homeowners call half of its purchasing value margheriti the local landscape designers who supply the nearby historic gardens of la foce created the couples terraced gardens of olive trees cypress and flowering shrubs and herbs that knit the home into its bosky environment that includes five hectares or 124 acres of secluded countryside and biodynamic vineyards that qualify for brunello denomination
i think of the context of the property which is hidden in a tuscan valley next to some of the most beautiful cities and important vineyards in the world mr daniels said and this somehow seems more important to me than the actual house itself


wellington new zealand   after many of new zealands top players retired moved overseas or turned their focus to sevens after last years rugby world cup victory many thought the dominance by the countrys teams in super rugby would end
richie mccaw had called an end to his prolific career daniel carter relocated to france to play for the club racing 92 sonny bill williams suited up for the all black sevens intent on winning olympic gold this summer
but it has been far from a decline this season for new zealands five super rugby franchises   the blues auckland chiefs hamilton crusaders christchurch highlanders dunedin and hurricanes wellington heading into the final round of games before a hiatus for junes international tests new zealand teams occupy four of the eight playoff spots this even though the new zealand conference is the most competitive of all
under the new system the winners of the australia new zealand south africa 1 and south africa 2 conferences all qualify for the playoffs and get home field advantage for the quarterfinals three of the wild card spots go to the next best three teams in australia or new zealand and the other goes to one from the south african group
it means that a few new zealand teams could finish with more points than conference winners in south africa or australia but would still have to play on the road in the playoffs   an important factor considering they would have to travel 7000 miles to get to south africa
with four rounds to go   three will be played after the june international window   the chiefs lead the competition with 42 points while the crusaders 41 highlanders 37 and hurricanes 36 occupy the australasian group wild card spots
the waratahs 30 points lead the australia conference while the lions 37 and the bulls 32 lead their south african conferences with the sharks 35 as the wild card
the dominance of the new zealand teams is highlighted by their success against the other conferences in 19 matches between new zealand and australian teams the new zealanders have won 16 lost 2 and had 1 draw
in 18 matches between new zealand and the south africa 2 teams new zealand teams have won 14 and lost 4 while the australian teams have won 10 and lost 5 against south africa 1 foes
new zealand teams are envied for their ability to promote young talent year after year without a drop in their standard of play and 2016 has been no exception flyhalf richie mounga who had the unenviable task of stepping into carters shoes at the crusaders has earned plaudits for his assuredness and creativity in the key playmaking role utility back damian mckenzie is earning rave reviews at the chiefs for his thrilling attacking play while the highlanders versatile loose forward luke whitelock has impressed his coach jamie joseph so much that he believes the player has done enough to earn a recall to the national team the all blacks
even the inconsistent hurricanes and new zealands worst performing team the blues have mixed the bad with moments of brilliance
new zealands derby matches are producing physical high intensity and smooth flowing play that has been a cut above what the other teams are showcasing on a regular basis
the up and down performance of the australian teams does not worry michael cheika the coach of the australian national team as he prepares for a three test series against england the six nations champion
i know that were not the best  performing conference in super rugby but i dont think that we ever claimed we were the best performing conference in super rugby cheika said maybe were not top in the conferences but i know once we decide whats necessary to be at our best for those games against england the lads will go for it
the waratahs have one fewer win but more try scoring bonus points than the brumbies whose attack has faltered after a promising start the race for the australian conference crown will most likely come down to these two teams although the loser will need to win most if not all of their remaining games to dislodge one of the new zealand teams from a wild card spot
the south african conferences have the greatest disparity with the bulls stormers lions and sharks a class above the cheetahs and the competitions newest teams the jaguares of argentine the sunwolves of japan and the southern kings of south africa
of those the jaguares have been the most disappointing their demanding travel schedule is clearly taking its toll on the expansion franchise but two wins in 11 matches is not a good return for a roster stacked with international players
the sunwolves and kings have struggled after a chaotic buildup to the start of the season
the japanese team is showing some ability on attack and could have added to its lone victory against the jaguares with better decision making in tight matches it drew with the stormers and lost several other games by just a handful of points but it also suffered a 92 17 thumping at the hands of the cheetahs
the hapless kings have just four competition points and have suffered some heavy defeats including a 73 27 loss against the jaguares and have scored 190 while giving up a competition worst 505 points for a point differential of minus 315 the next closest team is the sunwolves at minus 170


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good evening heres the latest
1 seventy one years ago on a bright cloudless morning death fell from the sky and the world was changed president obama became the first sitting us president to visit hiroshima acknowledging the more than 100000 people killed in the us atomic bombings at the end of world war ii he embraced survivors and called for a moral revolution to rein in nuclear weapons a frustrated goal of his presidency

2 in the presidential race backers of bernie sanders are holding out hope that the fbis investigation will result in the indictment of hillary clinton over her email troubles this weekend donald trump will be campaigning at the huge rolling thunder biker rally in washington and mr sanders will be in california which holds its primary on june 7 the libertarians have their convention in florida amid speculation that they might put forward a third party contender

3 top us executives arent exactly hurting but their average compensation last year   a tidy 193 million   was down 15 percent from 2014 some analysts see the dawn of a corrective era of corporate modesty if so expedia hasnt heard its ceo dara khosrowshahi above left made 946 million and yahoos leader marissa mayer made 36 million here are the highest paid 200

4 the transportation security administration sent a surge of additional officers to the nations 20 busiest airports hoping to reduce long security lines as the memorial day weekend begins the summer travel season even so be sure to give yourself a time buffer

5 for summer reading our critics recommend the girls by emma cline in which a teenage girl drifts into a 60s era manson like cult or being a beast in which the author a british veterinarian burrows swims and skulks alongside nonhuman animals for binge watching you could try laura dern in enlightened a poetic character study in half hour increments

6 talk about cross disciplinary breakthroughs geneticists analyzed the dna of more than 3700 african americans and found a trail of history running from pre slavery to the great migration above genes from white males for instance signal the coerced sex enslaved women faced experts said the dna map would help show how genes influence african americans risk for disease

7 the islamic state is under sharp attack in both syria and iraq us special operations forces helped kurdish and arab fighters push closer to raqqa the islamic states syrian stronghold and the militants are under siege in their iraqi haven of falluja where reports of starvation are building above iraqi fighters celebrated gains

8 egyptian officials added to the confusion surrounding the crash of of egyptair flight 804 responding with silence to reports that the plane may have sent an emergency signal in its final moments a french naval vessel fitted with high tech sensors is speeding toward egyptian waters to join the search for the planes black boxes before their batteries fail in a couple of weeks above a memorial in cairo for the 66 people lost

9 the us reached a troubling milestone the first infection involving a bacteria resistant even to a last resort antibiotic was identified that could lead to the rise of so called superbugs an expert compared it to a puzzle you need lots of different pieces to get a result that is resistant to everything this is the last piece of that puzzle unfortunately

10 a federal study urged new caution over the intensely debated issue of cellphone radiation researchers found that male rats exposed to rfr or radio frequency radiation had a somewhat higher risk for brain and heart tumors critics disputed the findings but the researchers urged more study noting that even a small increase in risk would have broad implications for public health

11 finally manhattanhenge is upon us thats the brief period when the setting sun aligns perfectly with manhattans east west street grid its best seen at 812 pm eastern on sunday and monday and again on july 11 and 12 other gridded cities with roughly east west orientations experience something similar just at different times a chicago astronomer suggests calling the nearest planetarium to see if your city has its own  henge
have a great weekend

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welcome to watching the new york timess what to watch guide we comb through releases big and small famous and esoteric to email readers twice a week with our timely recommendations our most recent suggestions also appear below to receive our guide straight to your inbox sign up here
the stories of your great moments in binge watching delighted me to no end in my inbox and on twitter i learned that many of you have devoured lost the west wing and alias in appallingly short periods of time its nice to be among friends
as we go into a long holiday weekend it seems like the perfect time to watch an entire show from start to finish there are lots of great one  and two season wonders out there and ive suggested a few below
while brainstorming though i was sad to discover some of my deep cut favorites arent streaming anywhere whats a girl gotta do to get the magical brilliant wonderfalls on a legal streaming service will the strange glorious 1996 drama profit ever stream again sometimes you just want to watch a young adrian pasdar ominously curl up in a cardboard box
have a great weekend   enjoy your barbecues and white shoes and let me know what you watched watchingnytimescom
enlightened is a half hour show but dont go into it expecting a comedy think of it more as a dreamy poetic character study laura dern stars as a woman trying to lead a better life who finds that her quest for decency can be alienating more often than it is helpful
season 2s the ghost is seen which centers on creator and co star mike whites character is one of the most perfect half hours of tv in living memory and some of season 1s voice overs will be lodged in my heart forever like this one from the fourth episode you can try to escape the story of your life but you cant it happened the baby died the dog died the heart broke i knew you when you were young i know your heart broke too i will know you when we are both old and maybe wise i hope wise agh i can barely handle it watch on hbo go amazon prime
there are plenty of cop shows plenty of buddy cop shows and plenty of sad people in california shows but theres none quite like terriers a tender gem that subverts some of those worn out formulas theres a distinctive voice and style to the series and the mysteries are genuinely compelling if you liked justified or have wanted a grown up version of a usa procedural or treasure shows with outstanding theme songs try this one watch on netflix
oh you mean my fondest wish the la complex a canadian import that aired in obscurity on the cw in 2012 is set within a medium scuzzy apartment building populated by young aspiring entertainers   comedians actors musicians each talented and desperate in his or her own special ways theres the fun soapy vibe of an early melrose no insane back from the dead stuff the progressive politics and diverse ensemble of degrassi and some authentic human behavior watch on netflix
the wrong mans is a 10 episode dramedy in which a mopey city council worker accidentally becomes embroiled in a massive criminal conspiracy like if tim from the british office was suddenly jack bauer james corden was a creator and co star of this series watch on hulu
hit  miss stars chloe sevigny as an assassin and trans woman who discovers she has a son the story is strong enough for the shows scanty six episodes and the performances terrific but my favorite part is honestly the british countryside ramshackle cottage stuff give me rubber boots and mud and a chicken to chase and ill be an assassin too watch on netflix
the bletchley circle is set in the early 1950s among a group of women who worked as codebreakers during world war ii   and now turn their skills to crime solving solve more crimes bletchley folk seven episodes is nowhere near enough watch on netflix
julian fellowes presents doctor thorne
that title is a mouthful but amazon will make sure that you know this four part mini series came from the maestro behind downton abbey its based on a lesser known 1858 novel by anthony trollope but doctor thorne will feel familiar to fans of trollopes more famous near contemporary jane austen mike hale writes its about a smart unmarriageable young woman and the various scenarios that could eventually render her marriageable
 read the full review
 watch doctor thorne on amazon prime
 or just rewatch downton on amazon prime
heroes on deck
looking for something thats actually appropriate for the memorial day weekend heroes on deck world war ii on lake michigan which will air on several public television stations sunday tells the story of how some world war ii pilots were trained on fake aircraft carrier decks on lake michigan more interestingly it explains how dozens of wrecked planes came to be on the bottom of that body of water neil genzlinger writes that part of the film will be catnip to aviation buffs a corsair a grumman wildcat and other battered planes encrusted in quagga mussels are brought to the surface
 read the full review
 watch the trailer
looking for a more compact watching experience this holiday weekend stream a movie these are expiring at the end of tuesday   gilbert cruz
want to laugh
groundhog day watch on netflix
bridget joness diary watch on netflix
waynes world watch on netflix
want to cry
ghost watch on netflix
want to make your old fashioned family members uncomfortable
paris is burning watch on netflix
madonna truth or dare watch on netflix
velvet goldmine watch on netflix
how does dancing with the stars even pick its stars slate has the story of how the casting director deena katz made the show our cultures foremost celebrity image rehabilitation machine
its never been easy for an asian american actor to get work in hollywood let alone take a stand against the people who run the place amanda hess writes in the new york times of asian american actors fighting for visibility but the recent expansion of asian american roles on television has paradoxically ushered in a new generation of actors with just enough star power and job security to speak more freely about hollywoods larger failures
finally if youre still thinking about this past sundays game of thrones a guy from pennsylvania totally called the origin of the name hodor back in 2014


times insider delivers behind the scenes insights into how news features and opinion come together at the new york times in this piece mujib mashal a reporter based in kabul afghanistan describes the days and nights that followed the death of mullah akhtar muhammad mansour the leader of the afghan taliban
i was awaked by a phone call early wednesday morning on the line was david moll a news editor for the times based in hong kong alerts had just come over the wire that the taliban had named a new leader and had confirmed the death of mullah akhtar muhammad mansour my job was to verify the details and write the story for the times
the news of mullah mansours death was first announced by the pentagon late saturday afternoon which was after midnight in kabul since then id gotten very little sleep working around the clock to make sense of what had happened   and unpacking what it could mean for the future of the long war in afghanistan
there was an air of uncertainty surrounding the events especially since reports of mullah mansours death had surfaced last december and had turned out to be false but now that the taliban had confirmed his death we knew this was an important moment for the first time in 15 years after so much blood and treasure and after 150000 international troops being deployed here at the peak of the war the americans had decided to strike the seemingly invulnerable taliban sanctuaries across the border in pakistan
on tuesday president obama   at a news conference in vietnam   confirmed that mullah mansour had been killed i spent all that day trying to figure out what internal discussions the taliban leadership was having   about the burial of his body said to be badly charred with half of his head missing and about who would succeed him taimoor shah my colleague in kandahar called his taliban sources in kabul my colleague zahra nader and i tried to follow up with analysts as well as with my own sources   security and government officials and sources within the taliban
unlike during a similar leadership change last year when reaching taliban leaders had been easy this time a lot of their phones were turned off many commanders believed mullah mansours reckless use of phones had played a role in his demise so they needed to be vigilant
the picture we got was one of slow deliberation the talibans top layer   a couple dozen leaders stunned by what had happened   was torn between two front runners the movements second deputy a ruthless designated terrorist and the young son of the founding leader barely 25 years old working until 3 am we thought we had an in depth report on where things stood one that would remain fresh for at least a couple days giving us some time to rest
but early wednesday morning the taliban surprised us
drawing on the taliban statement sent to reporters which broke their four day silence i sent david an initial feed from bed   just two paragraphs about the confirmation and the announcement of a new leader within 20 minutes david had a brief story online to which we kept adding over the next couple hours
within four hours of the news breaking we had a decently complete story a basic sketch of the new leaders life an explanation as to how he became a consensus candidate when the two front runners seemed headed toward a stalemate and analysis of what his selection could mean
one of the biggest challenges with reporting on the taliban is that most of their leaders are obscure characters with a few exceptions the new supreme leader mawlawi haibatullah akhundzada was no different even the most basic detail of his life   his age   was difficult to determine with some putting him and at 47 and others at 56 the tremendous flow of unverified information on social media made our jobs easier and more difficult at the same time
a grainy picture of mawlawi haibatullah began circulating some said it was him others said it wasnt the guy was so deeply fundamentalist that he opposed photography but soon enough a twitter account associated with the taliban put out a high resolution version of the same photograph and taliban spokesmen confirmed that it was mawlawi haibatullah the remarkable thing about the earlier grainy version was that one of mawlawi haibatullahs eyes had been faded so that hed resemble mullah omar the legendary one eyed founding leader of the taliban it was a clever trick in early perception building
when doug schorzman our afghanistan and pakistan editor took over the story in new york we continued to broaden certain themes in conversation with our international managing editor michael slackman we decided the story should be about more than just the announcement of a new leader after all the selection of a poor village preachers son   one with deep religious credentials   was particularly meaningful to a movement trying to return to core religious values after a tumultuous year with a leader who was seen as flashy cunning and rolling in narcotics money
the late hours on wednesday and early hours on thursday were made easier by a gift from home my mother who does not speak english and thus does not keep up with our coverage called to check whether i would make it for dinner i had slept at the office for the last two nights and hadnt been home i told her it would be another late night too bad she said   she was making the bolani delicacy a sort of leek pancakes for dinner but not to worry she would send some to the office in a pizza box
her gesture and the delicious food made the hours ahead much easier


listen to this weeks podcast  subscribe itunes  rss  stitcher audioboom
arthur russell the singer songwriter composer cellist who died in 1992 made his own original connections between minimalism and experimental music disco country and folk and top 40 pop it may be hard to understand any artist with such lack of anxiety around genre but russell was hard to understand in other ways too his lyrics could be open ended or sung in a warm blur his compositional method could be based in numbers or esoterica his importance has grown slowly since his death to the point where he has become a common reference in alternative and not so alternative culture recently his song answers me was sampled by kanye west on the life of pablo
if there are remaining mysteries around russell that havent been addressed in matt wolfs 2008 documentary wild combination or tim lawrences 2009 biography hold on to your dreams they may be solved by looking through and listening to his archives   166 linear feet of papers and tapes   which have just been acquired by the new york public library for the performing arts recently i investigated russells archive and wrote about it for arts  leisure on this weeks popcast jon pareles who saw russell perform in the mid 1980s at the kitchen and just heard his piece instrumentals performed last weekend at moogfest joins me to talk about russells wide angle slow release significance
related article
inside the trove of the genre buster arthur russell


sam sifton emails readers of cooking seven days a week to talk about food and suggest recipes that email also appears here to receive it in your inbox register here
good morning many of you will be cooking outdoors this weekend in keeping with the shared social custom of our nation firing up the grill in celebration of memorial day some of you will call that feast a cookout some of you will call it a barbecue
is there a difference you bet there is especially if youre calling it a barbecue which as jenee desmond harris pointed out a few years ago on the root is a word steeped in the cultural and racial history of the united states this year lets all try to use it correctly for a cookout grill anything say anything but for a barbecue you need to cook things low and slow in a smoky braise until it collapses serve it with macaroni and cheese and pickleback slaw
im thinking jerk ribs off a recipe i learned last summer from the new york chef harold dieterle watching him work it in an outdoor prep kitchen just off a parking lot in montauk theyd go nicely with david taniss recipe for coconut rice with peas and a side mound of john willoughby and chris schlesingers simple slaw
but i think a lot of things burgers could be good this weekend have you tried mark bittmans recipe for curry spiced lamb burgers or jonathan reynoldss recipe for a bobby flay burger - which is essentially a cuban sandwich reimagined as a burger by a redheaded catholic school kid with a passion for flavor how about a salmon burger or how about heating a cast iron pan on your grill and making a diner burger
chicken could be a good call as well i have a neat new recipe for chicken wings that are smoked then grilled its consistently beating all comers in my early season grilling matchups or you may try melissa clarks recipe for sweet and spicy grilled chicken breasts or pull out the big propane hob and fry some chicken outdoors
whatever you cook for protein and however you cook it do leave room for dessert kim seversons recipe for frozen fudge pops works on a weekend like this one so does melissas recipe for twice baked sour cherry pie
many more recipes to cook this weekend can be found on the cooking site and apps like maybe you want some vegetarian options save the ones you like and then cook them rate them leave notes on them and share them with friends and family did you know you can even save recipes from places that arent cooking into your recipe box using our handy clipping extension try it out on this bon appetit recipe for the chicken parmesan served at pietros steakhouse in manhattan which the cool kids - really - order as a side dish for steak
please reach out for help if you get into trouble along the way were at cookingcarenytimescom have a nice holiday


times insider delivers behind the scenes insights from the new york times below are highlights from television and radio interviews featuring times reporters columnists and editors
helene cooper the pentagon correspondent for the times joined nbcs meet the press to participate in a political panel and to discuss the state of bernie sanderss and donald j trumps campaigns
frank bruni an opinion columnist for the times joined the brian lehrer show on wnyc to discuss his recent column about facebooks impact on culture and society
daniel jones editor of the timess modern love column joined whyys radio times to discuss what hes learned about love from editing the column and helping to launch the new modern love podcast
carlotta gall the north africa correspondent for the times joined kcrws to the point to discuss her recent feature how kosovo was turned into fertile ground for isis


racerelated is a newsletter exploring race with reporting essays art and discussion you can receive it via email
chicago is caught in a violent spiral homicides are up 52 percent over last year and most of the victims have been african american in neighborhoods already racked with poverty poor housing and failing schools
the times has been zeroing in on chicago all year check out our explanation for why chicago is more violent than new york and this weekend a team of reporters and photographers will fan out across chicago for a project well send your way next week
many of you our racerelated readers are already familiar with chicagos struggles warren guthrie a filmmaker doing long form video interviews about the violence wrote in to tell us most of his subjects tell him i never expected to live past 21
we figured it was a good time then to take a deeper look at chicago
first up giovanni russonello who worked on our recent poll of chicago residents explaining just how hard it can be to measure racial bias
- damien cave
here at the timess polling department we often try to assess the state of race relations and discrimination in the united states its a difficult task because conversations about race often rely on coded language or careful discussion which means there are certain things we can know through surveys and a lot we cannot quantify
some divisions are relativey easy to identify for example the times recent poll of chicago conducted with the kaiser family foundation revealed that african americans and latinos are generally less satisfied than whites with police and city services and they are markedly more likely to say that racial discrimination is a major problem this tracks with historical trends including our own national poll in july 2015
but what makes polling on race so difficult and so interesting is that so called desirability bias often takes hold many people know which kinds of responses will be seen as socially unacceptable or desirable and that often shapes what they say
in our chicago poll a surprising finding was hidden beyond the responses when asked how diverse their neighborhoods were 45 percent of polled chicagoans said that most people living around them were of a different race yet a close analysis of us census data shows that the true number is just 30 percent by double digit margins african americans whites and latinos all overestimated the diversity of their neighborhoods
large swaths of chicagoans it seems wanted to believe or wanted to tell us that they are living amidst more diversity than they actually are
most notably just 49 percent of whites said that they lived around mostly white people but in a city where housing segregation was official government policy for much of the 20th century 72 percent of whites actually live in majority white census tracts typically made up of a few blocks all of which make you wonder what else do people especially whites get wrong when they talk about race
social sciences most ambitious attempt to measure bias and racial resentment is the general social survey   a rigorous study that has been conducted regularly by in person interviewers since 1972
it includes a battery of questions designed to test racial resentment respondents are asked whether african americans ought to be able to lift themselves up by their bootstraps despite social challenges whether they lack initiative whether discrimination is responsible for racial inequity and whether blacks are more hardworking or less than whites
we routinely ask questions about race and we routinely find evidence of racial bias vincent hutchings a professor at the university of michigan and a member of the surveys board of overseers said in an interview
and yet the survey can only uses respondents answers to put them somewhere along a spectrum that means we cannot provide a clean percentage of respondents who do and dont harbor bias
whats difficult is putting a point estimate on it said jocelyn kiley associate director of research at pew research center you can build a robust scale you can pick up on people who are more prejudiced or less prejudiced on that scale   but its hard to say 40 percent of people hold prejudice on this issue
polling is much better at measuring change in racial attitudes over time
thats what seth k goldman and diana mutz of the university of pennsylvania did for their book the obama effect how the 2008 campaign changed white racial attitudes using a three item battery similar to the social surveys goldman and mutz found that positive television exposure to barack obama and his family in the 2008 campaign caused an overall decline in racial prejudice   even when that coverage was on conservative programs critical of mr obama
another sign of expanding tolerance can be found with a commonly used measure of racism   approval of interracial dating pew has asked since the mid 1980s whether people think its acceptable for members of different races to marry and the increase in acceptance has been significant more than seven in 10 white americans agree that its all right for blacks and whites to date each other   up from less than half in the 1980s   and more than nine in 10 millennials feel that way
but these trends alone do not necessarily reveal the broader direction of the country when it comes to racism one of the most frequently asked survey questions nationwide regards the state of race relations and it offers a confounding counterpoint
last july the times and cbs news conducted a poll on race in america and it found that wide majorities of blacks and whites agreed that race relations in the country were generally bad   among the most negative data wed ever seen on the question
just three years earlier a nearly equal majority of both groups had said they were good
and yet despite the dire national picture a wide majority of respondents last july still felt that within their local communities race relations were mostly positive
so how did we end up with that contradiction as with so many questions on race its hard to know for those of us in polling every new polls results lead us to contemplate what other kinds of questions we might ask to paint a fuller portrait of an increasingly diverse and complicated country
- giovanni russonello
do you have suggestions for poll questions on race or data we should consider tell us at racerelatednytimescom
 why chicago has more violence than new york
 asian american actors are fighting for visibility they will not be ignored right john cho
 lens honoring the legacy of african american women and immigrant parents
 kamala harris top cop in the era of black lives matter
 unearthing the secrets of new yorks mass graves
 mississippi school district ordered to desegregate
 dj khaled is extra careful around beyonce
smart in depth coverage of race seems to be multiplying so rather than a roundup of article links we figured wed highlight some new projects to watch espns long awaited sports and culture site dedicated to race the undefeated has finally gone live forbes has launched a new daily newsletter called raceahead that will focus on the experience of black brown asian and native americans moving up through the ranks of us corporations the folks at race forward which publishes colorlines have a conference coming up in november and code switch the team covering race and ethnicity at npr has a new podcast thats also worth checking out
our occasional look at literature and race focuses this week on chicago and the great migration
i was born up north to parents who landed in new york city in the 1950s my mothers family arrived from the bahamas my fathers family from north carolina in the segregated south so journey stories always speak to me like the great migration journeys described in patricia smiths family memoir in verse shoulda been jimi savannah i love the hope that consumes this young woman before she encounters chicagos hard edges it reminds me of my mother who dreamed of snow when she was a girl in the islands without knowing how much she would hate the cold
  rachel l swarns
chicago shes heard the craving out loud the tales of where money runs like water and after you arrive it takes   what a minute   to forget that alabama ever held sweet for you she wants to find a factory that works ritual into her knuckles shes never heard a siren razor the dark she wants lucky strikes a dose of high life every friday hard lessons from a jukebox wants to wave bye to her mama all she needs is a bus ticket a brown riveted case crammed with smashed slices of white bread and fat fried slabs of perch with the whole of her chest she knows what shes been running toward
  shoulda been jimi savannah by patricia smith
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the charms of professional wrestling   half shakespeare half steel chair shots   may never be universally understood every adult fan of the sport has encountered those skeptics who cock their heads and ask you do know its fake right
well sure but that hasnt stopped pro wrestling from inching closer and closer to the respectable mainstream last year world wrestling entertainment announced a partnership with espn leading to straight faced wrestling coverage on sportscenter the biggest action star in the world dwayne johnson known as the rock got his start as an eyebrow waggling wrestler when the today show needs a guest host it enlists the wwe star john cena to don a suit and crack jokes no less an emblem of cultivated liberal intelligentsia than jon stewart recently hosted wrestlings annual summerslam his first major gig since leaving the daily show wrestling may never be cool but it is at the very least no longer seen as the exclusive province of the unwashed hoi polloi
this is partly because the rest of the world has caught up to wrestlings ethos with each passing year more and more facets of popular culture become something like wrestling a stage managed reality in which scripted stories bleed freely into real events with the blurry line between truth and untruth seeming to heighten not lessen the audiences addiction to the melodrama the modern media landscape is littered with reality shows that audiences happily accept arent actually real that in essence is wrestling wwe raw leads to the real world which leads to keeping up with the kardashians and so forth the way beyonce teased at marital problems in lemonade   writing lyrics people were happy to interpret as literal accusations of her famous husbands unfaithfulness   is wrestling the question of whether steve harvey meant to announce the wrong miss universe winner is wrestling did miley cyrus and nicki minaj authentically snap at each other at last years mtv video music awards the surrounding confusion was straight out of a wrestling playbook
its not just in entertainment either for a while it became trendy to insist that the 2016 presidential election with all its puffed chests and talk of penis size seemed more like a wrestling pay per view event than a dignified clash of political minds in politics as in wrestling the ultimate goal is simply to get the crowd on your side and like all the best wrestling villains   or heels   donald trump is a vivacious magnetic speaker unafraid to be rude to his opponents there was even a heelish consistency to his style at early debates when he actively courted conflict with the moderator megyn kelly and occasionally paused to let the crowds boo him before shouting back over them the connection isnt just implied either trump was inducted to the wwes hall of fame in 2013 owing to his participation in several story lines over the years ted cruzs rhetorical style with its dramatic pauses violent indignation and tendency to see every issue as an epic moral battleground was sometimes reminiscent of great wrestling heels the way rick perry called trumps candidacy a cancer that will lead the republican party to perdition before endorsing trump and offering to serve as his vice president this was a tacit admission that all his apocalyptic rhetoric was mainly for show pure wrestling in other words
as for trump   whose campaign theatrics feel like a one man show and whose history as a registered democrat can make his contorted appeals to the far right seem like put ons   well not for nothing is there a conspiratorial segment insisting that his candidacy is a winking performance which will eventually end with the admission that he may have laid it on a little thick
its only recently that pro wrestling itself was willing to take that sort of step to acknowledge its own artifice the very idea of a wrestler breaking character is still relatively novel barely 30 years ago the abc anchor john stossel asked the wrestler david schultz known as dr d if what he did was fake and had his ears boxed for the suggestion the necessity of maintaining character even extended out of the ring good guys and bad guys were often asked not to fraternize in public lest a fan wonder why sworn enemies were sharing a beer there are stories of wrestlers who hesitated to wise up their spouses and children even if that meant faking injuries around the house
over time though the mystery wore off in 1989 officials for the world wrestling federation testified before the new jersey senate that wrestling was only entertainment in order to avoid regulations that applied to legitimate athletic contests wrestlers began taking roles in scripted television shows and movies and wrote autobiographies that readily disclosed the secrets of the business today the wwe produces its own documentary programming explaining how a wrestling show is put together how the characters are molded into heroes and villains how they train to make the action look real but not too real in wrestling its considered a cardinal sin to genuinely hurt your opponent thereby limiting their ability to work the wwe clearly no longer cares about ensuring that wrestling seems literally real anyone past puberty who forgets that theyre watching scripted entertainment is referred to as a mark
what the wwe does care about is keeping control of the way people experience wrestling   preferably not as the disreputable carny spectacle it once was but as a family friendly 21st century entertainment when recapping wrestling history it can completely elide the messier incidents the sex scandals shady deaths neglected injuries drug abuse and more the audience meanwhile knows what the wwe cares about giving it enough knowledge of wrestlings inner workings to analyze each narrative not just through its in world logic this guy will win the championship because he seems more driven but by considering external forces this guy will win the championship because he is well spoken enough to represent the company when he inevitably shows up on today parsing both those layers   the behavior and the meta behavior the story told and the story of why its being told that way   can be an entertainment in its own right and speculating on creative decisions has long been a fascination for wrestling fans
this is how a lot of fields work these days the audiences and the creators labor alongside each other building from both ends to conceive a universe with its own logic invented worlds that however false they may be nevertheless feel good and right and amusing to untangle consider the many ways of listening to the song sorry from lemonade in which beyonce takes shots at an unnamed woman referred to as becky with the good hair a person were led to believe is having a relationship with the singers husband you can theorize about the real world identity of becky with the good hair as the internet did you can consider the context of the phrase why becky why good hair as the internet did you can think about why beyonce decided to make art suggesting that her real life husband cheated on her all of this will be more time consuming and thus be interpreted as more meaningful than if she had said outright he did it or if we said its just a song
the process of shaping a story by taking all these layers into account seems dangerously similar to what corporations do when they talk about telling the story of our brand   only as applied to real people and real events instead of mascots and promotional stunts on a spiritual level it seems distasteful to imagine a living person as a piece being moved around on a narrative chessboard his every move calculated to advance a maximally entertaining story line but this is how it all too often works   whether plotted by the public figures themselves or by some canny handler an adviser a producer a pr rep everyone is looking to sculpt the narrative to add just the right finishing touch
so when i think of how politics and pop culture are often compared to wrestling this is the element that seems most transferable not the outlandish characters or the jumbo size threats but the insistence on telling a great story with no regard for the facts donald trump can claim there were thousands of muslims in new jersey cheering when the world trade center came down bill clinton can lend weight to the myth of pedantic bernie bros overwhelming our national political discourse michael jordan can say he was cut from his varsity basketball team but was driven enough to overcome the slight kim kardashian can say she married kris humphries for love not ratings chance the rapper can brand himself as an independent unsigned artist even though his last two mixtapes were released exclusively through apple the 12th largest corporation in the world and the wwe can honor the recently deceased wrestling star chyna as a trailblazer even though it blacklisted her for an entire decade each of these doctored realities is close enough a problem only for pedants
you can be dismayed with all of this for reasons that go deeper than taste when everything becomes a story the value of concrete truth seems diminished theres too much going on in the world to dive this deep into something as frivolous as entertainment you might say worse still you can begin to treat politics   the hammer and forge of our national reality   as a similar form of show sure seeking out entertainment is a perfectly human impulse it feels joyless to sharpen yourself into a hypervigilant instrument ever ready to poke a hole in these swelling mythologies we all know those people who are no fun but when we feel ourselves becoming too consumed with mastering the language of whatever unreality is currently holding our gaze it might not hurt to consider the overarching forces subtly directing our attention and prepare ourselves to step back if were not comfortable with benefiting less than they do
and ultimately we cant expect that post truth culture will somehow collapse because of its perfidiousness the wwe for instance now tells its story without challenge its outlasted all its major competitors and holds the rights to the very images wrestlings history is made of its version of wrestling is the accepted reality of 2016 even when that version is drastically different and maybe even worse than the reality of wrestlings old school rough and tumble days if a story is told well if its history seems consistent then the machinations putting it into place can be temporarily overlooked or turned into a fun story of their own and why not in the end were all marks for a world we want to believe in


last week 52 million americans learned that their drinking water is contaminated with man made chemicals linked to cancer the environmental protection agency issued a health advisory for two compounds perfluorooctanoic acid pfoa which is used in the manufacture of teflon and other nonstick substances and the related perfluorooctane sulfonic acid pfos an epa health advisory is not a regulation it is nonbinding and nonenforceable it does however require a public water system to notify its customers of the presence of the chemical and the dangers it poses as a result the epas announcement had immediate effects within hours public wells were shut down in horsham pa and maricopa county ariz west virginias bureau for public health ordered a do not drink advisory for the water in three communities parkersburg the site of a teflon factory that until recently was operated by dupont the adjacent town of vienna and martinsburg four hours east near the maryland border the west virginia national guard sent convoys of tankers containing drinking water to vienna
rob bilott a lawyer at the cincinnati firm of taft stettinius and hollister has demanded that the epa take action on pfoa since 2001 see the lawyer who became duponts worst nightmare by that point bilott had read more than 110000 pages of internal corporate documents related to pfoa he had learned that dupont despite knowledge that the chemical was linked to increased rates of cancer and other horrific health conditions in animals and human beings had dumped mountains of the stuff into the local water supply for decades it was even known in 2001 that perfluorinated chemicals had been detected nationwide in nearly every sample tested at blood banks at least once a year since then bilott has written to the epa to renew his request
anyone who wants to understand how seriously the united states government considers its duty to protect the health of its citizens need only review the history of the correspondence between bilott and the agency it is a one sided correspondence in his annual letters bilott attaches previous correspondence new scientific findings about the dangers of pfoa and disclosures from the legal cases he has waged continuously against dupont since 1998 the epas responses are curt usually less than a single page in recent years the epa has claimed to be close to issuing a health advisory but it did not do so until last thursday
who has been drinking this poisoned water more than five million american citizens according to the environmental working group which analyzes data released publicly by the epa it has been found in dangerous concentrations in 52 public water systems across 19 states and two pacific island territories but bilott said that the new epa advisory   warning against long term exposure to drinking water with a concentration of pfoa or pfos higher than 007 parts per billion   is too conservative it needs to be much much lower he told me this week even at the lowest detectable levels it still builds up in the blood over time the environmental working group has proposed a limit of 0001 parts per billion though bilott suspects that anything above zero may be dangerous because of pfoas extraordinary bio persistence in the blood once it enters your body it stays there
it is relatively easy to remove perfluorinated chemicals from drinking water all that is required is the installation of a carbon filtration system not a particularly expensive endeavor for more than 10 years bilott has asked dupont to install a filtration system in parkersburg without success after vienna tested positive for high concentrations of pfoa last year bilott requested that chemours the dupont spinoff company that now runs the local factory provide a filtration system for that community chemours declined but on sunday it announced that it would install one
the companys supporters tried to allay public anxiety the parkersburg news and sentinel which for the last 10 years has largely managed to avoid covering the class action lawsuit facing the citys main employer   a suit in which a high percentage of its readers are plaintiffs   published an editorial in response to the epa advisory titled dont panic it accused the epa of changing its mind about pfoa overnight the editors noted that water in the area had tested at these levels for decades as if this was cause for reassurance
the parkersburg news and sentinel accused the epa of succumbing to political pressure this point has some merit in the last four and a half months the epa has received letters demanding action on pfoa from senator joe manchin of west virginia and from the three governors and six senators of new york vermont and new hampshire all states dealing with their own pfoa crises chris gibson a republican congressmen from upstate new york requested a congressional investigation after high levels of pfoa were found in the drinking water of hoosick falls ny
its frustrating to see that it takes this kind of effort to get the agency to move on a chemical like this bilott told me it shouldnt take the public having to force the issue it says a lot about our current regulatory system
bilott learned of the epa news through a google alert the agency did not bother to notify him directly theres frankly no reason why this couldnt have been done over a decade ago he says people should not have been drinking this for the last 15 years
in the last week bilott said he has received phone calls from frightened residents in pennsylvania west virginia new jersey new york new hampshire vermont colorado and california most of the callers had never heard of pfoa until thursday when they were told it was in their water they wanted information they wanted to protect their health and the health of their families they wanted help nobody seemed to be offering it so they called bilott


updated july 11 the memorial day manhattanhenge was something of a disappointment but theres another opportunity this week on monday and tuesday nights
if youre in new york city this memorial day weekend youll have the chance to watch the sun kiss the city streets as it sets
this beloved event known as manhattanhenge occurs when the setting sun aligns perfectly with the numbered streets that run east and west on manhattans city grid bathing traffic and skyscrapers in its warm red light
manhattanhenge is a two day event that happens twice a year on opposite sides of the summer solstice you can catch this years displays about 812 pm this sunday and monday and again on july 11 and 12
the sun takes two forms on manhattanhenge it can appear as a bright half disk illuminating the city sunday and july 12 or as a shining full orb monday and july 11 the differences depend on the position along the horizon at which it sets
the spectacular alignment of the sunsets are sheer accident according to jackie faherty an astrophysicist at the american museum of natural history it is the result of how the citys cross streets were built two centuries ago
in the 1800s when they made these 90 degree angles they created a bulls eye for the sun to hit she said manhattanhenge are the days of the year when the sun hits the bulls eye
but new york city isnt the only place with a solar target on its streets
cityhenges exist all over the place according to shane larson an astronomer at the adler planetarium in chicago home of chicagohenge theres also bostonhenge phillyhenge torontothenge and montrealhenge among others
if your streets are anywhere close to east or west my default statement is youre going to have a henge he said you just need to find out when
his advice for figuring out your cityhenge is to first reach out to the staff at your local planetarium and ask if they have any insight on when the sun might align with the grid he added that there are astronomy and photography apps that show you that paths of sunrises and sunsets
each of these solar spectacles from manhattanhenge to madridhenge gets its name from stonehenge the 5000 year old monument in england that was built to align with the suns position during the winter and summer solstices possibly as a way to worship the sun today by framing it within the constructs of our modern urban civilization we too celebrate the sun with our henges


pitcher julio urias is set to make his major league debut for the los angeles dodgers on friday night in new york against the mets
the 19 year old left hander is 4 1 with a 110 era at class aaa oklahoma city where he has a 27 inning scoreless streak and 44 strikeouts in 41 innings
the dodgers announced thursday that urias would replace the left hander alex wood who was out with soreness in his left triceps
i dont think you can say for sure how someone is going to handle the emotions of fulfilling a lifelong dream andrew friedman the teams president of baseball operations said of uriass scheduled debut all of our guys who have worked with julio rave about his mound presence and his ability to control his emotions
urias will be the first 19 year old to pitch for the dodgers since fernando valenzuela who was 19 when he made his debut in september 1980 the following year fernandomania was born as valenzuela won the national league rookie of the year and cy young awards
the dodgers have carefully managed urias a mexican pitcher who is one of the majors top prospects since signing him shortly after his 16th birthday they discovered him on the same 2012 scouting trip to mexico during which they signed the cuban outfielder yasiel puig
moustakas has torn acl the kansas city royals placed third baseman mike moustakas on the 15 day disabled list with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee
such injuries usually sideline a player for a long period but moustakas a 2015 all star said he would seek a second opinion
moustakas and left fielder alex gordon collided sunday while chasing a fly ball gordon went on the disabled list with a wrist fracture
around the majors jackie bradley jrs 29 game hitting streak was ended by the visiting colorado rockies during an 8 2 win over the boston red sox bradley went 0 for 4 while batting leadoff for the first time this season jose fernandez struck out 12 in seven innings and won his sixth straight start for the visiting miami marlins who defeated the tampa bay rays 9 1 fernandez struck out every hitter in the rays lineup at least once bryce harper ended a 4 for 33 skid with a no doubt about it shot into the upper deck and danny espinosa hit the winning homer in the washington nationals 2 1 victory over the visiting st louis cardinals atlanta braves outfielder hector olivera accepted an 82 game suspension without pay through aug 1 and retroactive to april 30 for violating major league baseballs new domestic violence policy olivera was arrested april 13 and charged with assault and battery after an altercation with a woman at a hotel outside washington the boston red sox retired no 26 in honor of wade boggs who produced eight all star appearances and five batting titles for the franchise
new orleans pelicans forward anthony davis is out about 24 million after not being named to the all nba first second or third team
a provision in the collective bargaining agreement called the rose rule allows a player signing a maximum extension to his rookie contracts to receive additional pay if he has met certain criteria by the end of his fourth season to qualify a player must meet one of the following conditions be named most valuable player once be named to an all nba team twice or be voted an all star starter twice
davis who averaged 243 points 103 rebounds and two blocks this season was relying on a second career all nba selection by failing to make one of the teams his five year extension is worth 121 million instead of 145 million
the players named to the all nba first team were golden states stephen curry clevelands lebron james oklahoma citys russell westbrook san antonios kawhi leonard and the clippers deandre jordan
nfl commissioner roger goodell reaffirmed the leagues commitment to concussion research in a letter to the team owners
in the wake of a congressional study that concluded that nfl officials had tried to steer the national institutes of health away from a researcher the league feared was biased goodell called for continued and robust support of independent medical research
goodell told the owners that the league had never considered not honoring a 30 million commitment to the nih in its entirety he also said that the league would provide additional money for projects relating to safety equipment and treatment of athletes who have had concussions and a study relating to the prevalence of long term health consequences
the masters champion danny willett got off to a fast start on the european tour shooting a six under par 66 to sit a stroke behind a three way tie for the lead at the bmw pga championship in virginia water england y e yang scott hend and joost luiten shared the lead
the scripps national spelling bee ended in a tie for a third consecutive year with jairam hathwar and nihar janga declared co champions after a roller coaster finish
scripps made the bee tougher forcing the last two spellers to get through three times as many words as in years past jairam misspelled two words but both times nihar followed up with a miss and the bee continued
the agent for espns chris berman denied a report by the big lead website that the announcer will retire after the coming nfl season and will not seek to join another network
chris is not retiring lou oppenheim the chief executive of headline media management said in an email loves what hes doing too much and is too young to hang em up perhaps people with an agenda put it out there
espn declined to comment
according to the big lead espn has lavish plans for a send off for berman that might be akin to the way the lakers sent kobe bryant into retirement
berman has been with espn almost since its inception in 1979 and for many years was one of the faces of the network but in recent years he has been criticized over matters including his bombastic calls of the all star games home run derby
richard sandomir


national
an article on thursday about the police chief of portland ore accused of a cover up in a friends shooting misspelled the surname of a founding member of copwatch a group that documents instances of police misconduct he is dan handelman not hendelman
business day
the state of the art column on thursday about the nonhomogeneity of the so called millennial generation misspelled the given name of googles head of human resources he is laszlo bock not lazslo

because of an editing error an article on the personal tech pages on thursday about traveling abroad with a smartphone misstated the recommended data option for visitors to spain it is one gigabyte for one week and 15 gigabytes for a two  to three week trip not 15 gigabytes for a one week visit and two gigabytes for a two  to three week visit
sports
an article on tuesday about first round matches at the french open misstated in some copies the seeding of sloane stephens she is 19th not 24th

because of an editing error a picture caption with an article on tuesday about the family of tony gwynn filing a wrongful death lawsuit against the tobacco industry misstated the length of time that elapsed between when the picture of gwynn coaching at san diego state was taken and his death in june 2014 the photo showed gwynn a year before his death not eight months before

the on horse racing column on saturday about nyquists pursuit of a triple crown misstated in some editions the significance of american pharoahs triple crown victory in 2015 he was the 12th triple crown champion ever and the first in 37 years not the 12th triple crown champion in 37 years
the arts
a picture caption on wednesday with an article about willem sandberg a former director of the stedelijk museum amsterdam and graphic designer whose work is the subject of an exhibition in bexhill on sea england misstated the date of a poster he designed it was for a museum exhibition in 1960 not 1950

the books of the times review on may 11 about the novel the fireman by joe hill misidentified the place where the nurse harper grayson lives it is new england not seattle it also misstated the number of children the fireman brings her to save it is one not two
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pittsburgh   sidney crosby is going back to the stanley cup finals for the first time in seven years thanks to a couple of rookies
bryan rust scored twice and goaltender matt murray stopped 16 of 17 shots to lead the pittsburgh penguins over the tampa bay lightning 2 1 in game 7 of the eastern conference finals on thursday pittsburgh will host san jose in game 1 on monday
the victory was pittsburghs first in a game 7 at the six year old consol energy center but these penguins are different in large part because they are youthful and fast   each partly a result of a midseason makeover by general manager jim rutherford after a sluggish first two months of the season rust   called up from the minors for good after the new year   scored his fourth and fifth goals of the postseason during a second period in which the penguins dominated outshooting the lightning by 21 5
i cant even explain to you how excited i am for the group we have and how proud i am of them for how hard they play for each other penguins coach mike sullivan said ive been in the game a long time and you dont always get associated with a group that has the chemistry this group has i do believe we have something special in that we have evolved into a team in the true sense of the word and i thought tonight that was on display
he added i told them that were not finished yet we have to re energize and get ready for this next round here which is the most important round of all
the five playoff goals from rust who turned 24 two weeks ago are the most by a penguins rookie in 46 years his first on thursday came 1 minute 55 seconds into the second period it was an illustration of the quick precise up ice puck movement and speed that have become the signature of sullivan who took over in december
rust said that if theres a way you want to write it up when youre a kid this is how it goes
weve got a lot of belief in here he added were having a lot of fun in here theres a lot of really good leadership and a lot of good character one more hill to climb
taking advantage of a lightning shift change while standing deep in his own zone olli maatta swiftly got the puck to evgeni malkin entering the tampa bay zone malkin dropped it off for chris kunitz who fed the speedy rust skating down the slot rusts wrist shot beat andrei vasilevskiy high to his glove side
playing in this series only because ben bishop had sustained a lower body injury early during game 1 vasilevskiy was solid again making several quality saves and keeping tampa bay in the game even as the lightning were outshot by 39 17 but vasilevskiy 21 allowed perhaps his first shaky goal of the series at a most inopportune time   30 seconds after drouin had tied the game midway through the second
vasilevskiy failed in an attempt to freeze the puck to the side of the net and failed to cover his post when rust slapped at the loose puck which found its way through and gave the penguins a 2 1 lead entering the third period until losing 4 3 in overtime in game 5 here on sunday the penguins had been 46 0 0 when leading after two periods
but pittsburgh bounced back with a 5 2 win in game 6 in tampa to force the winner take all contest such games had not been kind to the penguins at home they were 2 7 having lost the last five and not having won one since 1995
playoff disappointment had threatened to become part of the legacy of crosby possibly the sports most recognizable active player   but one who had not been on the leagues biggest stage since the penguins made the stanley cup finals in consecutive years capping crosbys third and fourth nhl seasons
crosby said his feelings about returning to the cup finals were just nerves excited
he added its not easy and having gone through a couple of those early on 20 and 21 years old playing in the finals i think you have more of an appreciation for it now and just love the opportunity of getting back
the lightning were trying to match those 2008 and 09 penguins feat of following a stanley cup finals defeat by claiming the cup the next year they received an unexpected boost thursday from a player who like crosby is a former nhl goal scoring champion and was a no 1 overall draft pick
steven stamkos played for the first time since march 31 because of a blood clot discovered in his collarbone that required surgery april 4
even after the morning skate stamkos and tampa bay coach jon cooper said there had been no change in the captains status but when the pregame warm ups began stamkos joined his teammates
speaking of his return stamkos said first couple shifts once you get those under your belt it comes back when you dont play for that period of time and you come back for a game 7 its not easy but it felt like the legs were good
stamkoss ice time was clearly limited   1124   as was his effect on the game he did have a quality scoring chance with 349 left in the second when he sprung down the right wing alone but murray stopped his shot from the face off circle
another among murrays best stops came when he stuck his right pad out with 714 to play when brian boyle had a step on defenseman kris letang moments after tampa bay killed off a penguins power play
murray summed things up after the game saying i keep saying this is my first time going through something like this so a lot of new experiences but ive said all along im just trying to stay within myself and stay in the moment and appreciate the moment and try to have fun and that third period was some of the most fun ive had playing hockey


oakland calif   it was stephen curry of course who held the ball and the fading hopes of the golden state warriors at the most critical time
curry dashed down the lane twisted past one oklahoma city defender and under another leapt and moved the ball from his left hand to his right he scooped it into the basket for the clinching layup that led his golden state warriors to a victory over the thunder
the warriors had a 10 point lead with 62 seconds left anxiety turned to relief
we aint going home curry repeatedly shouted into a frenzied crowd
no the warriors are not they are headed to oklahoma again hoping to drag the thunder back to oakland
trying to punctuate the best regular season in nba history with a championship the warriors staved off playoff elimination with a 120 111 victory thursday over oklahoma city in game 5 of the western conference finals
great grammar right curry said later of his on court proclamation
golden state still trails the best of seven series three games to two game 6 is saturday in oklahoma city should the warriors manage a victory there a decisive game 7 would be played in oakland on monday
i liked our will i liked our fight golden state coach steve kerr said we were embarrassed in okc the last couple of games we fought hard tonight thats half the battle we had to play a good game to fend them off and we did
curry named to the all nba first team earlier in the day led the warriors with 31 points he also had 7 rebounds and 6 assists but he would not have been in position to clinch the game without plenty of help
after three quarters of wrangling with the thunder golden state opened the fourth quarter with a 4 point lead it grew immediately thanks to an 8 0 run as curry and klay thompson rested on the bench
harrison barness 3 pointer from the top of the key after jumpers from andre iguodala and shaun livingston lifted the lead to 12
oklahoma citys kevin durant had a game high 40 points and russell westbrook had 31 points 7 rebounds and 8 assists unlike the warriors they were unable to get the kind of support from teammates that had carried them to within one victory of the nba finals
they didnt outplay us they didnt outwork us said durant whose only regret was missing an open 3 pointer with about 30 seconds left that would have closed the lead to 3 points both teams were in a slugfest tonight weve got to bring that energy back home
like durant thunder coach billy donovan was happy with his teams effort he narrowed golden states advantage to foul shooting golden state took 34 and made 31 oklahoma city was 20 of 24
the discrepancy in free throws whatever the reason that to me was the difference in the game donovan said
the warriors were 73 9 in the regular season and their path toward a second consecutive nba title was smooth until the thunder arrived after upsetting the 67 win san antonio spurs in the conference semifinals
in their first two playoff series the warriors beat houston and then portland each in five games but oklahoma city upset golden state in game 1 at oracle arena where the warriors were 39 2 in the regular season a foreboding sign for home fans expecting a championship coronation after a record breaking season
the warriors won game 2 when curry erupted for 15 points in 1 minute 58 seconds of the third quarter the kind of spirit sapping spurt that has crushed most opponents amazed fans and left kerr shrugging with a wry smile
but curry the two time league most valuable player spent games 3 and 4 in a virtual straitjacket finding his 3 pointers contested and his passing and dribbling lanes clogged by quick footed defenders with long arms with curry unable to break free and with little support from golden states usually reliable and deep cast the warriors were shellacked twice in oklahoma city by a combined 52 points their first back to back losses in more than a year
the warriors hoped to regain their confidence in front of their usually raucous yellow shirted fans at oracle arena in nba playoff history the 232 teams that have trailed a best of seven series by 3 1 have come back to win just nine times the warriors figured they could be the 10th with two of the potential three games at home
kerr sent a note via email to golden states season ticket holders on wednesday reminding them of the stakes and their role in the teams success
tomorrow night we face our first must win game of the season he wrote we are excited to be back on warriors ground playing in front of the best fans in the nba and we will do whatever it takes to reach the goal we have been fighting for all season
the warriors took a lead on the games first possession with barness 3 pointer by halftime the score was 58 50 and the warriors had 16 assists one more than the 15 they had in all of game 4
the warriors as they usually do got unpredictable contributions power forward marreese speights scored 9 points in the second quarter more than his per game average spun the offense around center andrew bogut 15 points 14 rebounds and got the biggest lifts from curry
curry missed games earlier in the postseason with a sprained knee but never said whether the injury had affected him against the thunder
it hasnt been the ideal postseason for steph with the injuries and the starts and stops to his playoff run but it doesnt matter kerr said before the game you know everyone deals with stuff
but the thunder who have had promising postseasons crumble with injuries in recent years rumbled back when golden states draymond green fouled durant on a missed 3 point shot he argued the call and received a technical foul durant made four free throws to pull the thunder to 3 behind
curry recovered golden states momentum with a 3 pointer from the left corner green blocked shots on two possessions and curry assisted on a fast break give and go with thompson to give the warriors a thin cushion but hardly a comfortable one
oklahoma city sticking close on defense and on the scoreboard took its first lead 68 67 on westbrooks 3 pointer from the left wing with 607 left in the third quarter most fans stood for the rest of a dizzying third quarter as curry and green lifted the warriors to an 81 77 lead entering the fourth quarter
it was a precarious position for a record setting team entering what threatened to be its final quarter of the season
i knew how we would play kerr said this is a championship team theyve been through a lot the last couple of years always responded well from adversity this is exactly what i expected
now the question is whether the warriors have played their last home game
weve got to bottle up that joy curry said of the emotion of extending the season and take it with us on the plane to okc


washington   hillary clinton and her advisers have offered a series of explanations over the last year for her decision to use a private email server as secretary of state a decision that she said again on thursday had been a mistake
she did not want the inconvenience of carrying two phones mrs clinton said initially she did not want a government account that might pull in nonwork matters she said later or perhaps an adviser has said she simply did not want republican lawmakers rifling through her personal emails
yet another explanation emerged thursday she was not comfortable with using a computer to read email
lewis a lukens a former state department administrative official said in a sworn deposition last week that after mrs clinton became secretary of state in 2009 he had proposed accommodating her by setting up a desktop computer in her office that would not be connected to the departments system that would have allowed her to send and receive email on a personal account mr lukens said in the deposition which he gave as part of a lawsuit brought by judicial watch a conservative legal advocacy group the group released a transcript of the deposition on thursday
but that idea was abandoned mr lukens testified after an aide to the secretary told him that mrs clinton was very comfortable checking her emails on a blackberry but shes not adept or not used to checking her emails on a desktop
his explanation will not be the last word nor will a highly critical report that came out wednesday from the state departments inspector general which challenged many of the explanations mrs clinton and her supporters have offered over the past year
while the report said that mrs clinton had never been authorized to set up a private email server and that her decision to use one had compromised security at the department she ran it left a number of questions unanswered one was why she had decided to use her own server and ultimately risk damage to her political career in the first place
and it raised new questions including why mrs clinton had declined to speak with the investigators who prepared the report
asked about that decision in an interview with abc news on thursday mrs clinton said only that she had already testified for 11 hours before the select house committee investigating the attacks in benghazi libya in 2012 and that she had offered repeatedly to speak with the fbi
i have talked about this for many many months she said
she sounded exasperated by her inability to move past the controversy and defended her actions as common practice at the state department even as she again acknowledged that the private server had been a mistake
as ive said many times if i could go back i would do it differently she said i know people have concerns about this i understand that but i think voters are going to be looking at the full picture of what i have to offer my life and my service
mrs clinton said once again that the arrangement had been allowed at the time though the inspector generals report said that she had not sought permission and that it would not have been granted because of security concerns
she also said that her use of a nonofficial email address had been widely known though the report said the extent of her use had not been known beyond a small number of officials who were privy to her private accounts
at the state department on thursday a spokesman mark c toner faced repeated questions about why the department had not done more to ensure that mrs clintons email arrangement complied with department rules and federal laws there was only a partial understanding of how much secretary clinton relied on personal email and we just did not have a complete picture he said
according to the inspector generals report two records information officials in the department raised concerns as early as 2010 that emails sent and received on mrs clintons server might contain information that should be preserved under federal law
their superior told them that the arrangement had been reviewed and approved though the inspector general found no evidence that this had happened the supervisor told them their job was to support the secretary and instructed the staff never to speak of the secretarys personal email system again
the report did not name the supervisor but several people with knowledge of the episode identified him as john bentel the former director of information resource management in the state departments executive secretariat office randall j turk a lawyer for mr bentel declined to comment thursday
senator charles e grassley the iowa republican who is chairman of the senate judiciary committee mentioned mr bentels role in remarks thursday on the senate floor and complained that mr bentel had refused a request to speak with the committee
good and honest employees just trying to do their job were told to shut up and sit down mr grassley said concerns about the secretarys email system being out of compliance with federal record keeping laws were swept under the rug
he also said mr bentel had warned mrs clinton that any emails that passed through the state departments systems would be subject to disclosure under the freedom of information act
for mrs clinton the biggest obstacle to getting past the email controversy is the fbi which has not yet completed its criminal investigation to determine whether any laws were broken in the handling of classified material or other matters relating to the emails mrs clinton is expected to be interviewed as part of the investigation but it is not clear when that will happen
the investigation could drag past the democratic national convention this summer and what is expected to be the kickoff to mrs clintons general election campaign against donald j trump in the meantime depositions will continue in the judicial watch suit cheryl d mills a longtime confidante of mrs clinton who was her counselor at the state department is scheduled to testify on friday and at least a half dozen other former officials are scheduled to follow


a yale professor and his wife who became targets of protests for an email about potentially offensive halloween costumes are resigning their positions as heads of a residential community at the university
the professor nicholas christakis a sociologist and physician announced on his twitter feed wednesday that he was stepping down as head of silliman college a residence where he and his wife served as social and intellectual mentors to students
dr christakis who directs yales human nature lab said they were not severing all their ties to the university he will stay on as a tenured professor his wife erika christakis who recently published a book about preschool will continue her work in that field he said though he did not specify in what capacity the resignations are effective in july
my wife erika and i have devoted our professional lives to advocating for the well being of all young people dr christakis said in a message attached to his twitter message he said the couple remained faithful to our confidence in yale students but added we have decided that it is time to return full time to our respective fields of public health and early childhood education
dr christakis said he would not make other public statements on the matter and he did not say why the couple made their decision to resign now the yale daily news which reported their resignations on wednesday said that some students refused to accept their diplomas from dr christakis during silliman colleges graduation ceremony on monday
in a statement the yale administration said the couple were deeply valued members of the university community and that yale looked forward to dr christakiss ongoing contributions as an exceptional scholar and educator
the couple stirred debate last fall after yales intercultural affairs committee wrote a memo warning students against wearing culturally or racially insensitive halloween costumes
ms christakis responded with a long searching email of her own wondering whether yale students really wanted to cede authority over their halloween costumes to the administration
are we all ok with this transfer of power have we lost faith in young peoples capacity   in your capacity   to exercise self censure through social norming and also in your capacity to ignore or reject things that trouble you she wrote
she added is there really no room anymore for a child or young person to be a little bit obnoxious
some students accused the couple of racial and cultural insensitivity and demanded that they resign as heads of silliman college they decided not to teach this semester but remained in their residential posts until now


mercedes benz makes vehicles with cutting edge design the g550 isnt one of them and that gives it a war horse appeal with an architecture that has remained much the same since its inception in 1979 the g class also known as the gelandewagen could be the touchstone that spawned the phrase old school
consider this the frame is welded up using fully boxed sections of steel for strength then flooded with hot wax to prevent corrosion certainly it has been refined over the decades with new engines currently a 4 liter biturbo v8 with 416 horsepower and 450 pound feet of torque and modern technology stability control and adaptive cruise control remember that when studying the exposed door hinges and solid axles
lore has it that the shah of iran wanted a vehicle that could go anywhere and mercedes saw the value in such a vehicle pressed into military and rescue service the g supposedly scales 80 percent inclines up or down it has been battle tested all over the globe and even used by the marine corps
touching the g wagen reveals its primal appeal the thing feels like an anvil the heavy doors close with authority power locks have a steampunk kerthunk action an analog machine in a digital world its your fathers rolex on wheels
the unibody construction of a gle or gls class helps to provide a serene driving dynamic the g wagen its a body on frame truck albeit a very nice leather lined one and it requires a drivers attention with constant small steering wheel corrections especially at freeway speeds at 5800 pounds its the weight of two compact sedans but it roars to 60 miles an hour in 58 seconds before capping out at 130 does anyone really want to go that fast in a brinks truck its toolshed shape doesnt create much wind roar making the g more or less quiet at speed
the 550 feels most at home on craggy roads deep in the wilderness a 7 speed automatic transmission has three locking differentials and a low range theres comfort in knowing you could claw your way out of hades with precious little head bob the operation is simpler in a range rover because of its terrain response system though
the glass and metal box that holds occupants is lined with quality hides climate controlled seats and a sound system worthy of the musicians who buy gs the comand user interface isnt the latest version but it beats anything from the 1980s the single cup holder up front looks like a basketball hoop direct marketing toward nba players well played mercedes well played
the second row   there is no third   has room for three adults both in length and girth a time machine touch includes ashtrays along with seat heaters and cup holders folding those seats to maximize the cargo room requires a certain amount of effort but once it is done plenty of provisions can be stuffed in through the back door yes a door not a hatch which would protect from the rain at least it opens on the correct side for loading stuff to and from the sidewalk
prices begin at 120000 the version i tested runs 123000 mercedes has signaled an end to production of this legend over the last decade and yet it soldiers on a combination of luxury utility status pop culture capability and automotive paleontology nothing makes people say gee quite like the g wagen


two navy jet fighters crashed off the coast of cape hatteras during a training mission thursday and their four crew members were airlifted to a hospital with minor injuries after being plucked out of the atlantic ocean by a commercial fishing vessel and coast guard rescuers officials said the fa 18 super hornet jet fighters based in virginia beach crashed after an in flight mishap said lt cmdr tiffani walker a spokeswoman for naval air force atlantic each of the planes costs at least 57 million the navy says ap
the head of chicago public schools said thursday that the district had reached the point of no return and faced severe cuts without equal funding from the state forrest claypool the schools chief executive led hundreds of people in a rally in springfield seeking more state funds the district faces a 1 billion deficit next school year he has said that with only one week left in the legislatures session the district must make a statement the governor cannot ignore the democratic led house passed and sent to the senate a budget that includes money for public schools but gov bruce rauner a republican has indicated he will veto the bill if it passes ap
the archdiocese of st paul and minneapolis on thursday filed a bankruptcy reorganization plan that would set up a trust fund of more than 65 million to compensate some 440 clergy abuse victims plus other creditors with just over half of that amount coming from insurance the plan would also create a 500000 fund to pay for counseling and incorporate the terms of a settlement reached with ramsey county in december that allowed for greater legal oversight of the archdiocese archbishop bernard hebda said he believed the plan was fair but knew some people might object and that it might need to be modified jeff anderson a lawyer for abuse victims called the plan predictably deficient ap


the baylor university regents were outraged thursday and saddened too they could not fathom how this could happen to a fine christian university
faced with a report that detailed horrible cover ups of rape and sexual harassment by players on the universitys nationally ranked football team faced with evidence that administrators created a hostile environment for women and that athletic leaders posed a risk to campus safety the regents stripped kenneth w starr of his university presidency
asterisk in a profound act of christian charity the regents nonetheless allowed starr to retain his law school professorship and to remain as chancellor for an as yet to be determined but perhaps munificent salary
to a secular layman such as me that sounds like cashiering a general while allowing him to keep his epaulets and continue to run your war a baylor representative offered a more elegant shine telling reporters thursday that chancellor starr would focus on development and religious liberty
translation starr will raise great bags of money for the university and he will pray
so many grand universities have toppled headfirst into the big sport ditch that baylors fall registers as almost unremarkable the university of north carolina turned its african and afro american studies department into a grade machine for athletes syracuse university engaged in decade long academic misconduct larry brown the coach at southern methodist in dallas oversaw the recruiting of a top player with frankly fraudulent grades
and to all of this que sera sera
alumni protest that pinhead reporters dont know the whole story that these coaches and presidents and chancellors are princely men they always know of a university worse than their own
baylor takes much pride in its baptist traditions its website notes that brother and sister colleges in christ have beaten a relentless retreat from their christian heritage not baylor which holds firm to the idea that the world needs a great university that is unambiguously christian
its sports programs occasionally fall into perdition the basketball program came undone some years back after a young forward was murdered and the coach in an un christlike act falsely accused the dead man of being a drug dealer the football program presumably is careening toward sanctions
but no worries starr was known to kneel in prayer in the locker room with his football coach art briles
when briles recruited a troubled player sam ukwuachu from boise state a student publication advised that the football player was known as a fine gentleman
that fine gentleman was later convicted of a brutal sexual assault of a female soccer player
we in the news media are not blameless we love finding down home pleasures such as coach briles whom we described as a turnaround specialist given the timbre of his magnificent voice and his knack for telling a story a more apt comparison for the coach might be johnny cash sports illustrated noted a few years ago
that same coach took no action to protect young women even when top officials were aware of a potential pattern of sexual violence by multiple football players the coach and his staff affirmatively chose not to report - that is to cover up - sexual violence and dating violence to college administrators
the report is delicate as to what starr knew or not he is however central to this narrative when he walked into waco he proclaimed himself a new man he didnt like to talk much about his time as a federal judge and special prosecutor in washington
he did talk endlessly about football and the joy of amateur athletics
early last season my colleague marc tracy noted starr fixed his hand into the shape of a bear claw and led thousands of freshmen on a raucous charge across the football field and he raised hundreds of millions of dollars needed to build a new stadium that calls to mind the great pyramid of cheops
long ago i was a political writer for the washington posts style section and i covered the roman circus that was starr monica the libidinous bubba and an impeachment trial
i recall sitting there as starr his blue eyes owlish his skin pink and dimpled sat before congress and in a sonorous i say this more in sorrow than in anger tone pounced light as a cat on a scalawag president
the evidence suggests that the president made a series of premeditated false statements under oath ... the president acting in a premeditated and calculated fashion deceived the american people
he strove to sound morally correct a thomas more for the modern age taking on a reckless liege i thought he more often called to mind a fellow who notes the lipstick on a mans collar and files that detail away for future use
now im compelled to rethink my ungenerous appraisal it appears that starr notices very little
the baylor report found a culture of widespread and willful naivete at starrs university there was the firms investigators wrote a belief by many administrators that sexual violence doesnt happen here
confronted with evidence to the contrary too many administrators offered a disapproving sniff about sins such as drinking drug use or god forbid extramarital sex administrators the report found engaged in victim blaming focusing on a young womans choices rather than robustly investigating the allegations and the alleged abuser
all of this starr oversaw
late thursday the defrocked president issued a statement professing profound contrition as for the baylor university administration it promised to foster an even more christ centered culture on campus
and isnt that grand


united nations   the countries that rendered a verdict thursday on whether an advocacy group for press freedom can freely roam the halls of the united nations included those that have jailed and harassed journalists azerbaijan china pakistan
they were among the countries on a panel that rejected a bid by the group the committee to protect journalists to acquire accreditation at the united nations
the groups application had been deferred seven times this was the first time the application was put up for a vote before a united nations accreditation panel composed of 19 countries
the vote was 10 to 6 to reject with three abstentions
the committee to protect journalists monitors attacks on journalists around the world and campaigns for the release of those who are jailed including most recently in azerbaijan
granting the committees application for consultative status would have given it access to meetings at the united nations in new york and geneva that are open only to accredited advocacy groups known as nongovernmental organizations or ngos
joel simon the executive director of the committee to protect journalists said in a statement that he was disappointed that the groups application had been rejected by a small group of countries with poor press freedom records
samantha power the ambassador from the united states among those that voted for accreditation expressed anger over the outcome
it is increasingly clear that the ngo committee acts more and more like an anti ngo committee she said
advocacy groups can be a testy presence at united nations meetings earlier this month a number of countries moved to exclude nearly two dozen advocacy groups mainly those representing transgender people and drug addicts from a global summit meeting to combat hiv and aids
the rejection of the committee to protect journalists application came as the accreditation panel has been deferring decisions on a larger share of applications by advocacy groups lengthening a backlog
at the session this week the accreditation panel received 219 new applications and still had 245 deferred applications to review according to the united nations
last year the panel received 212 new applications and had 176 deferred applications to review
the vote on the application by the committee to protect journalists reflected the sensitivities over press freedom in a variety of countries
the no votes came from azerbaijan burundi china cuba nicaragua pakistan russia south africa sudan and venezuela the yes votes came from greece guinea israel mauritania the united states and uruguay
india the most populous democracy abstained along with iran and turkey which both have reputations for persecuting journalists


paris   a little more than half his opponents age on thursday alexander zverev did not play as if he still had a lot to learn
his second round victim at the french open was stephane robert a 36 year old tour survivor with a thick beard that the 19 year old zverev has no chance of matching for the moment
roberts game is unconventional short on spin and long on abrupt shifts in pace he uses an abbreviated service motion and clipped backswing on his backhand but there is a meditative quality to his tennis and very little wasted energy he does not pound the ball he places it and he had enough tricks up his short sleeves to cause even novak djokovic some discomfort in the second round in rome earlier this month before djokovic prevailed 7 5 7 5
robert played very awkward and that was the challenge and it was a tough match said boris becker the longtime german star who is now djokovics coach
but germany has a new star on the rise in zverev a global villager known as sascha who speaks russian with his family and english with an american accent after training and studying at the saddlebrook tennis academy in florida
at 6 feet 6 inches he is all skin and bones and talent and in paris zebra stripes because that is what his clothing sponsor is making him   and too many of its other contractees   wear in public
honestly there is nothing about him that does not impress me patrick mcenroe the espn analyst and former head of player development at the united states tennis association said of zverev hes dangerous off both wings with tremendous wingspan a big serve and on court presence and hes an excellent mover his technique is second to none maybe he needs to get more comfortable in and around the front of the court and at net he is as close to a lock as there can be to win multiple majors
that is quite a statement from someone who has spent much of the last decade evaluating young talent and there is a rich vein of it at last in the mens game
the proof is in the french open draw where zverev borna coric 19 nick kyrgios 21 dominic thiem 22 and jack sock 23 have all reached the third round
zverev and thiem will face each other for the third time in a month thiem who is particularly dangerous on clay had a 4 6 6 2 6 3 victory in the semifinals in munich and a 6 4 3 6 6 0 triumph in the final in nice france
as for the prospect of an intragenerational rivalry probably it already started the 13th seeded thiem said on thursday after defeating the 32 year old guillermo garcia lopez 7 5 6 4 7 6 3
but what could really be fun in the short term are the clashes between generations with the new wave taking on an old guard that is showing unprecedented staying power even without roger federer a record 51 men age 30 or over were entered in the french open singles main draw
tennis is often at its most compelling when the youngsters rise up to take on the establishment   see monica seles going after steffi graf or pete sampras and andre agassi going after becker and stefan edberg
although djokovic continues to reign quite supreme the jostling is beginning in earnest underneath and the winner of the match between thiem and zverev is likely to take on rafael nadal in the fourth round
nadal had to save a match point to beat zverev in the fourth round on a hardcourt in indian wells calif this year and he called zverev a future no 1 pushing nadal the nine time french open champion to the brink on clay would be a greater achievement
thiem is coached by gunter bresnik a thoughtful austrian who once worked with becker although elite coaches and former stars including ivan lendl have expressed interest in helping the 41st ranked zverev he continues to be coached by his father alexander with plenty of counsel from his older brother mischa
alexander zverev sr a former tour player who emigrated from russia to germany with his family was once ranked in the top 200 in singles mischa zverev now 28 peaked at no 45 in the rankings in 2009
younger siblings have often been the more successful siblings in tennis as if they had benefited from absorbing the lessons their elders had to learn the harder and slower way consider sampras agassi michael chang andy roddick and andy murray   younger brothers all
when mischa started playing and got a wild card in hamburg sascha went backstage said zverevs agent patricio apey mischa started playing 18 19 20 sascha was 8 9 10 he got to know the confines of the hamburg tournament like the back of his hand and so that experience is something you just cant buy hes there in the locker room looking at gaston gaudio and all these other guys and suddenly you are 17 and you know exactly which locker you want and why so that to me helps explains how he got to be 17 going on 26 because he was living it with his brother
apey murrays former agent was instrumental in zverevs hiring jez green murrays former fitness coach who will need to do his job particularly well to keep the slightly built zverev healthy
but the tools are clearly there mcenroe said he believed that zverev had the biggest upside of the new wave just ahead of kyrgios followed by thiem coric the americans frances tiafoe and taylor fritz and the australian thanasi kokkinakis
i think zverevs upside is bigger than kyrgios for a few reasons mcenroe said better overall technique hes more committed to the long term regarding mind set and conditioning but that being said i love the way kyrgios is playing and acting much more composure being exhibited
zverev and kyrgios played doubles together at the french open too despite all their moxie and firepower they lost 6 3 6 4 in the first round on thursday evening to pablo carreno busta and david marrero
but it had already been a long day of solving tennis riddles for zverev
whats impressive is his maturity robert said after he had lost 6 1 3 6 6 1 6 4 ultimately thats what makes the big difference there are lots of young players who play well but he beat me in four sets i posed some real challenges for him because my game is really not simple to handle but he did not get flustered


the concertgoers hunkered against the balcony railing on the third floor of irving plaza the concert venue in manhattan where the rapper ti was headlining a show on wednesday night but what happened next was not what they had come to see
a man staggered behind a white couch just before a door flung open and a gunman identified by the police as the brooklyn rapper troy ave entered the room followed by two other men he bobbed his head in search of his target fired one round then after a pause lifted it again as he walked out of the video frame a man near the corner shielded a woman as she writhed in fear
the dramatic scene was captured in an eight second surveillance video clip released by the police on thursday as they searched for what led to the shooting the night before ronald mcphatter 33 was killed three others were shot including the suspect and another three were injured in the resulting stampede the police said
mr mcphatter who was also known as edgar was an associate of troy ave 33 whose real name is roland collins mr collins who was treated for a graze wound to the leg was arrested on thursday and charged with attempted murder and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon
the marquee at the concert hall still carried tis moniker on thursday as police investigators combed the scene robert k boyce the chief of detectives said that inside the vestiges of a stampede were left behind   overturned furniture puddles of spilled drinks and a bit of blood
the police said a gunman opened fire in a vip green room above the stage of the club around 10 pm wednesday as ti was on the main floor warming up for his performance
what we can determine right now from the witnesses and video is that a fisticuff broke out and then a gunfight directly thereafter chief boyce said it went on for about five minutes
in video from inside the green room posted by tmz a group of men appear to be trying to break up a fight when a gunshot is heard followed by two more a mans voice tells everyone to get down while a woman repeatedly yells out my leg
some people drop to the floor while others rush out and a fourth gunshot rings out the camera pans across the floor showing a man in a white shirt lying on the floor the lights in the room go off and a fifth gunshot is heard
one bullet struck a 34 year old man in the chest chief boyce said and a 26 year old woman who was in the vip area was hit in the leg they both remained at bellevue hospital in stable condition the police said
jonathan moore 38 a freelance videographer was on stage waiting for ti to come out when he heard four or five shots coming from the green room
i didnt realize they were shots at first because there was still music being played he said
mr mcphatter stumbled from the green room and collapsed by the bar he said the police said he was pronounced dead at mount sinai beth israel
three other people were taken to hospitals to be treated for injuries they suffered trying to get away from the violence chief boyce said
ti on instagram extended his condolences to mr mcphatters family and prayers to those who were injured the police said he was not involved in the shooting
jermaine coleman 42 a brooklyn rapper who goes by the name maino had been climbing the stairs to the green room when the fight broke out and chief boyce said he was not injured
mr coleman on instagram denied news media reports suggesting that a continuing dispute between him and troy ave played a role in the shooting
mr colemans lawyer identified the wounded woman as maggie heckstall an aspiring rb singer
in radio interviews on thursday william j bratton the police commissioner said he was confident the case would be solved
mr bratton cast blame on rap artists who he said glorify violence in their music and fail to cut off troublesome company when they acquire wealth and fame
the crazy world of the so called rap artists who are basically thugs that basically celebrate the violence they did all their lives mr bratton told wcbs unfortunately that violence oftentimes manifests itself during their performances
episodes like the shooting on wednesday are rare and mayor bill de blasio disagreed with the commissioners assessment at a news conference on thursday
i think thats an american problem and beyond all of the issues of law which we have to change obviously laws around gun safety in particular the mayor said
the police were still trying to figure out how the gunman got the weapon into the theater chief boyce said local hip hop promoters said it was not unusual for artist entourages to evade standard security precautions
officials at irving plaza declined to discuss the shooting on thursday and referred questions to the police in a statement the venue said it reviewed its safety and security procedures before each show and coordinated them with the police department
troy ave has had some success in recent years releasing two independent albums new york city the album in 2013 and major without a deal in 2015
mr mcphatters role with the artist was variously given as bodyguard or manager dozens of people left condolences across his social media accounts
jumaane d williams a city councilman from brooklyn said mr mcphatter was known for his sports prowess and had worked with his brother shanduke mcphatter to help at risk youths avoid violence
i remember ronald walking with us late nights talking to young men and women in an effort to steer them away from making bad life altering decisions mr williams said it pains me that he lost his life to gun violence


advocates for homeless people filed a complaint with new york citys civil rights commission on thursday accusing the police department of targeting people living on the street a practice they say violates a two year old law that prohibits bias based profiling
in june 2015 police officers began issuing move along orders in the area around 125th street in east harlem which had become a sprawling community of mostly homeless men according the complaint
the efforts grew more aggressive as up to 100 homeless people gathered in the area turning a spotlight on the citys homelessness crisis police commissioner william j bratton assigned a 38 officer unit to focus on the area and the city later started home stat a program involving several different agencies working to move people off the streets and into shelters
but advocates for homeless people say the citys efforts are discriminatory because people are being targeted simply for living on the street even though they have not broken any laws we have the right to not have the police interrupt our daily lives alexis karteron a lawyer for the new york civil liberties union said it really just boils down to pure harassment
the new york civil liberties union and picture the homeless a nonprofit in east harlem asked the human rights commission to investigate the practice the complaint says the police are violating the community safety act a law that took effect in 2014 with a goal of ending discriminatory profiling including the widespread use of stop and frisk
racial profiling was part of what was on peoples minds donna lieberman executive director of the new york civil liberties union said of the law but people pushing for the law always sought to use it to protect people of different backgrounds she said profiling people because of housing status meaning if they have no fixed address live in a shelter or are even perceived to be homeless is also against the law
in separate statements lt john grimpel a police spokesman and monica klein a spokeswoman for the mayors office said the complaint would be reviewed when it was received
ms klein said the city respects the rights of homeless new yorkers and has put in place a new comprehensive plan to reduce homelessness
lieutenant grimpel defended the police department the nypds outreach services and interactions involving the homeless are carried out in a lawful and appropriate manner he said
city councilman brad lander a brooklyn democrat who co sponsored the legislation said on thursday theres plenty of room for a policy around homelessness that is effective compassionate and within the law
with few drop in centers concerns about safety in shelters and the dearth of affordable housing in the city many homeless people preferred to stay on the streets the east harlem sidewalks had become a safe haven
jazmin berges a 32 year old woman who now lives in transitional housing in the bronx said she was homeless for about three years and was a target of police profiling last summer when she was removed from marcus garvey park in harlem she said her blankets identification and clothes were scooped up and placed in a trash bin i was feeling helpless she said i couldnt believe my property was being destroyed and i didnt want to get arrested


a federal appeals court on thursday ruled that companies cannot force their employees to sign away their right to band together in legal actions delivering a major victory for american workers and opening an opportunity for the supreme court to weigh in
the united states court of appeals for the seventh circuit in chicago struck down an arbitration clause that banned employees from joining together as a class and required workers to battle the employer one by one outside of court
in its opinion the three judge panel said that epic systems a verona wis health care software provider violated federal labor law when it required its workers to bring any disputes individually to arbitration a private system of justice where there is no judge or jury
the increasing use of mandatory arbitration agreements and the prohibition on workers proceeding as a class has been one of the most major developments in employment the last decade said benjamin sachs a professor of labor law at harvard law school most of the court decisions have facilitated this development this is a major move in the opposite direction
by preventing employees from joining together in a collective action the court said the arbitration clause ran afoul of a critical piece of the national labor relations act a landmark 1935 law that gave workers the right to unionize and engage in concerted action
the decision announced on thursday in lewis v epic systems will almost certainly prove controversial because it directly conflicts with an earlier decision by an appeals court in louisiana a split that could prompt the supreme court to wade back into the fray similar cases are pending across the country
in a pair of decisions in 2011 and 2013 the supreme court blessed the widespread use of arbitration in a case pushed by a group of credit card companies the credit card companies turned to a 1925 federal law that formalized arbitration as a means for companies to hash out their disputes with one another
arbitration clauses have proliferated over the last 10 years companies have added them to tens of millions of contracts for things as diverse as cellphone service and nursing home care
employers have argued that arbitration provides a more efficient forum for workers to resolve their disputes
that assertion has been largely anecdotal though but an investigation by the new york times found that once stripped of their ability to join together in a group many employees simply give up
federal and state officials have said they are concerned because the individual and closed door nature of arbitration can obscure patterns of wrongdoing from other employees
still courts across the country have largely upheld arbitration clauses deferring to the supreme court which ruled that the federal arbitration act the 1925 law dusted off by the credit card companies beats out even muscular federal laws
in a 2012 decision involving d r horton a homebuilding company in fort worth the federal labor board said that employers could not prevent workers from banding together preventing that the board said violated the national labor relations act which explicitly allows for collective action
undeterred d r horton appealed the labor boards decision sending the case to the appellate court in louisiana that court deferred to the earlier supreme court cases in a 2013 decision
in its decision on thursday the seventh circuit ruled that the federal arbitration act did not protect all arbitration clauses the court found that the law allows illegal arbitration clauses to be thrown out and that epic systems had precisely one of those clauses
the case began when an employee jacob lewis sued epic systems over denying him and other employees overtime wages epic citing an arbitration clause that mr lewis was required to agree to tried to get the case thrown out the district court thwarted the companys request ultimately epic appealed sending the case to the court of appeals
the court was unequivocal in answering whether epics arbitration clause violated the law the answer is yes the court said


security researchers have tied the recent spate of digital breaches on asian banks to north korea in what they say appears to be the first known case of a nation using digital attacks for financial gain
in three recent attacks on banks researchers working for the digital security firm symantec said the thieves deployed a rare piece of code that had been seen in only two previous cases the hacking attack at sony pictures in december 2014 and attacks on banks and media companies in south korea in 2013 government officials in the united states and south korea have blamed those attacks on north korea though they have not provided independent verification
on thursday the symantec researchers said they had uncovered evidence linking an attack at a bank in the philippines last october with attacks on tien phong bank in vietnam in december and one in february on the central bank of bangladesh that resulted in the theft of more than 81 million
if you believe north korea was behind those attacks then the bank attacks were also the work of north korea said eric chien a security researcher at symantec who found that identical code was used across all three attacks
weve never seen an attack where a nation state has gone in and stolen money mr chien added this is a first
the attacks have raised alarms in the global banking industry because the thieves gained access to swift a brussels based banking consortium that runs what is considered the worlds most secure payment messaging system swifts system is used by 11000 banks and companies to move money from one country to another   one reason that it is a tempting target for criminals
swift has warned publicly that the attacks are part of a broad coordinated assault on banks though it has not assigned blame it has also emphasized that it was the banks connection points to its network   and not the core swift messaging network itself   that the attackers were able to breach also american bankers have noted that the security lapses all occurred at banks in third world countries which may give some comfort to banking customers in the united states
security researchers and american government officials have tied thousands of attacks to nations in the past they have linked the united states and israel to an attack that destroyed iranian centrifuges and the chinese military and contractors to attacks that stole military and trade secrets from thousands of foreign entities
but the latest spate of attacks on banks in bangladesh and southeast asia would be the first time security researchers say that a nation has used malicious code to steal purely for financial profit
the idea that pyongyang had turned to digital theft would not be surprising north koreas economy has been ravaged by sanctions food shortages and other deprivations pyongyang does not publish economic data but estimates have put north koreas gross domestic product between 12 billion and 40 billion tiny when compared with south koreas economic output of more than 14 trillion
in the attack at bangladeshs central bank in february the thieves tried to transfer 1 billion in funds from an account at the federal reserve bank of new york fed officials became suspicious of the some of requested transfers and released only 81 million to accounts in the philippines
if you presume its north korea 1 billion is almost 10 percent of their gdp mr chien said this is not small change for them
symantec researchers said it was possible that the bank in the philippines containing the north korean code was also involved in the bangladesh bank scheme and the attempted breach on the vietnamese bank the researchers would not identify the philippines bank and did not say whether the thieves had been successful in transferring funds researchers were able to confirm only that the attackers had managed to breach the bank and install identical code strings on the banks computer systems   the same code that they discovered in bangladesh vietnam and the two previous attacks at sony in 2014 and south korea in 2013
mr chien noted that the attackers not only used identical numbers but wrote the code in the same unusual sequence across all three attacks
mr chien said the evidence pointed to all three attacks being the work of the lazarus group a name his team gave to the attackers behind the sony and south korean attacks
officials have pointed to north koreas threat of merciless countermeasures against sony if the studio released the interview a movie by seth rogen and evan goldberg that made fun of north korea and includes a fictional assassination of its leader fbi analysts also note critical mistakes north korean hackers made such as logging into their attack servers from known north korean internet addresses and even logging into both their facebook account and sonys servers from the same computers
in the months since evidence of the attacks involving the swift network started to emerge investigators have been looking for commonalities at numerous other potential breaches it remains unclear whether these breaches are connected to the ones in bangladesh and vietnam but they too have occurred in or around southeast asia
there is no evidence to date that the thieves have gone after large american or european banks though new possible attacks are being reported weekly last week evidence emerged that banco del austro an ecuadorean bank was infiltrated by hackers who were also able to sneak onto the swift network the thieves transferred several million dollars to accounts around the world according to a lawsuit the bank filed in federal court in the united states against wells fargo which facilitated one of the transfers
researchers have yet to unearth any of the code used in the ecuador attack but banking analysts say it is probably no coincidence that these attacks are happening in the developing world where security measures tend not to be as tight as they are in financial hubs like new york and london
swift has issued numerous warnings in recent weeks urging banks to step up their security protocols analysts worry that the breaches could have a chilling effect on global finance larger banks may become reluctant or even refuse to transact with smaller banks in the developing world unless they can have assurances that their networks have not been compromised by thieves and malware
at a conference on tuesday in brussels swifts chief executive gottfried leibbrandt said the recent attacks could do far more damage than breaches on retailers and telephone companies which he said suffer largely reputational and legal hits
banks that are compromised like this can be put out of business mr leibbrandt said
north korea has long been known for creative attempts to generate badly needed hard currency in the last decade united states government officials accused north korea of counterfeiting 100 bills which were known as superdollars or supernotes because the fakes were nearly flawless the federal reserve began thwarting that effort by circulating a new 100 bill over the last three years that makes counterfeiting nearly impossible the redesigned 100 is easier to authenticate and harder to replicate
north korea is hurting for money said herb lin the senior research scholar for cyberpolicy and security at stanford universitys center for international security and cooperation and a fellow at stanfords hoover institution theyve been cut out of the financial system because of sanctions they had been among the best counterfeiters in the world and only recently have they been stymied in the counterfeiting of superdollars if its true that weve cut them off from that then its not at all surprising that they would turn to something else


american military researchers have identified the first patient in the united states to be infected with bacteria that are resistant to an antibiotic that was the last resort against drug resistant germs
the patient is well now but the case raises the specter of superbugs that could cause untreatable infections because the bacteria can easily transmit their resistance to other germs that are already resistant to additional antibiotics the resistance can spread because it arises from loose genetic material that bacteria typically share with one another
think of a puzzle said dr beth bell of the centers for disease control and prevention you need lots of different pieces to get a result that is resistant to everything this is the last piece of that puzzle unfortunately in the united states we have that genetic element that would allow for bacteria that are resistant to every antibiotic
the bacteria are resistant to a drug called colistin an old antibiotic that in the united states is held in reserve to treat especially dangerous infections that are resistant to a class of drugs called carbapenems if carbapenem resistant bacteria called cre also pick up resistance to colistin they will be unstoppable
this is huge said dr lance price a researcher at george washington university we are one step away from cre strains that cannot be treated with antibiotics we now have all the pieces in place for it to be untreatable
the gene for resistance to colistin was first found in china where the drug is used in pig and poultry farming researchers reported its discovery there in november it has also been found in the intestine of one pig in the united states
cre is still relatively rare causing just 600 deaths a year but by 2013 researchers had identified it in health care facilities in 44 states dr thomas r frieden director of the centers for disease control and prevention often calls it the nightmare superbug because it is resistant to all but one antibiotic   colistin
we risk being in a post antibiotic world dr frieden said during a gathering for journalists in washington on thursday that wouldnt just be urinary tract infections or pneumonia   that could be for the 600000 patients a year who need cancer treatment
he added the medicine cabinet is empty for some patients
the colistin resistance in the united states came to light when a 49 year old woman who dr bell said was connected to the military was treated for a urinary infection at a military clinic in pennsylvania because her urine culture had unusual results the sample was sent to the walter reed national military medical center which identified the drug resistance the bacteria though resistant to colistin and some other antibiotics were not resistant to carbapenems doctors there published a report on the case in a medical journal
patrick mcgann a scientist at the walter reed army institute of research and lead author of the paper said researchers had only started analyzing samples a few weeks ago they tested samples from six patients and one of them was the womans
dr bell said researchers did not know how the patient contracted the resistant bacteria the microbes have been found in people in asia and europe but the patient had not traveled during the past five months it is possible that she contracted the bacteria from food or from contact with someone else who was infected dr bell said
public health workers will interview the woman and will probably test her family members and other close contacts for the bacteria dr bell said
infectious disease doctors have long warned that overuse of antibiotics in people and in animals put human health at risk by reducing the power of the drugs some of modern medicines most prized jewels about two million americans fall ill from antibiotic resistant bacteria every year and at least 23000 die from those infections the obama administration has elevated the issue laying out a strategy for how to bring the problem under control
the cre germs usually strike people receiving medical care in hospitals or nursing homes including patients on breathing machines or dependent on catheters healthy people are rarely if ever affected but the bugs attack broadly and the infections they cause are not limited to people with severely compromised immune systems cre was believed to be the cause of infections from improperly cleaned medical scopes that led to the death of two people at ronald reagan ucla medical center in california last year
the department of defense in a blog post about the discovery of the gene in the united states said it gave a new clue into the antibiotic resistance landscape
but the gene is rare the blog pointed out that federal health researchers had searched for the gene in 44000 samples of salmonella and 9000 samples of e colishigella taken from people and retail meat and did not find it


not so long ago donald j trump singled out woody johnson the owner of the new york jets as he criticized jeb bush for taking special interest donor money in the republican presidential campaign
that was before the new hampshire primary on feb 9 now mr johnson is one of the six finance vice chairmen at the republican national committee seeking to help mr trump raise roughly 1 billion over the next six months
hes going to be the nominee of the party mr johnson said in an interview in his midtown manhattan office on thursday ive always supported the party i think its important that we do have unity maybe not the kind of unity we all understand but well have some sort of unity
mr johnson said that mr trump sought his help during a meeting on monday at trump tower they did not discuss mr trumps criticism of mr johnson as a major donor during the primaries mr johnson said
it doesnt bother me mr johnson said ive been in sports a long time in sports were in the win business and we want to entertain our fans
the money needed to be raised is a lot but not prohibitive mr johnson said although he has not begun to make calls mr trumps children will be deployed as fund raising surrogates mr johnson said but he anticipates the candidates time will be used judiciously
mr johnson has known mr trump for roughly 30 years their daughters were friends in school and they have known each other socially mr johnson said that mr trump had taken part in a charity he had hosted over the years and that people did not have a sense of the real person and that is the man he will sell to donors
i think they confuse his persona with the kind of person he actually is mr johnson said you have to see him through his kids in a way and his wife


a new census of the american nuclear arsenal shows that the obama administration last year dismantled its smallest number of warheads since taking office
the new figures released by the pentagon also highlight a trend   that the current administration has reduced the nuclear stockpile less than any other post cold war presidency
on thursday the federation of american scientists a private group in washington that strongly supports arms control issued an analysis of the new figures on its strategic security blog the annual pentagon release did not appear to be linked to president obamas visit friday to hiroshima japan which was destroyed by an american atomic bomb almost 71 years ago
still the new figures and private analysis underscored the striking gap between mr obamas soaring vision of a world without nuclear arms which he laid out during the first months of his presidency and the tough geopolitical and bureaucratic realities of actually getting rid of those weapons
the lack of recent progress in both arms control and warhead dismantlement also seems to coincide with the administrations push for sweeping nuclear modernizations that include improved weapons bombers missiles and submarines those upgrades are estimated to cost up to 1 trillion over the next three decades
the new census is an annual public release that the pentagon has done in recent years detailing how many weapons remain in the nations nuclear arsenal and how many retired weapons have been disassembled
the census which updates the numbers to include 2015 was posted this month on the department of defenses open government website under the heading declassification of formerly restricted data the site noted that the figures were current through sept 30 2015 the end of the governments fiscal year
supporters of mr obama say the slowdowns are understandable given the rising level of hostility and intransigence of the russian president vladimir v putin as well as the inherent difficulties involved in arms control and complex technical projects
the new figures show that in 2015 the obama administration dismantled 109 warheads the fewest of his presidency and down from a peak of 356 in 2009 his first year in office
the slowdown came despite secretary of state john kerrys telling global arms controllers in april 2015 that president obama has decided that the united states will seek to accelerate the dismantlement of retired nuclear warheads by 20 percent
in march in its annual report to congress the national nuclear security administration which oversees the nations nuclear arsenal laid responsibility for the slowdown to safety reviews unusually high lightning events and a worker strike at pantex a sprawling dismantlement plant in texas lightning strikes at the plant can set off the high explosives used in destroying nuclear arms
on thursday hans m kristensen director of the nuclear information project at the federation questioned the administrations logic although 2015 was unusually low he wrote on his blog of the annual disassembly figure the obama administrations dismantlement record clearly shows a trendline of fewer and fewer warheads dismantled
at the obama administrations low rate mr kristensen added the nations backlog in nuclear arms dismantlement will persist at least until 2024
on thursday the federations blog also updated a nuclear issue that mr kristensen first raised in 2014   that mr obama has reduced the size of the nations nuclear stockpile at a far slower rate than did any of his three immediate predecessors including george bush and george w bush
the new pentagon census shows that the nations nuclear arsenal in 2015 stood at 4571 warheads   down from 5273 warheads in 2008 the last nuclear census of the administration of george w bush
the total reduction of 702 warheads or 133 percent mr kristensen noted is no small number but nonetheless represented the smallest reduction of the stockpile achieved by any previous post cold war administration
to be fair he added the modest pace is not all mr obamas fault
his vision of significant reductions and putting an end to cold war thinking has been undercut by opposition ranging from congress to the kremlin mr kristensen wrote an entrenched and almost ideologically opposed congress has fought his arms reduction vision every step of the way
moscow he added has rejected cuts beyond modest ones it agreed to in the new start treaty which was signed in 2010 and observed beginning in 2011
mr obamas visit to hiroshima takes place in the shadow of his nuclear weapons legacy mr kristensen argued his modest gains upset arms controllers he wrote not least because his modernization plans are anything but modest


the silicon valley billionaire peter thiel has put the future of gawker media in doubt by secretly funding a successful lawsuit that threatens to undermine the media companys finances
to do it mr thiel a co founder of paypal adopted tactics from a strategy used by investment firms and others who are increasingly underwriting lawsuits in the hope of turning a profit on their outcomes over the last decade the types of lawsuits that have attracted outside money range from product liability claims brought by consumers against manufacturers to lawsuits filed by one business against a competitor over commercial issues like copyright violation
but mr thiel has also turned the model of third party lawsuit funding on its head instead of looking for profits the entrepreneur had a personal goal extracting revenge against gawker and warning others who adopted the websites ethos that they could face similar legal attacks
now the question running through many media circles is whether other wealthy people upset with news accounts will decide to follow mr thiels example and go after other organizations and if so to what extent those suits could hurt the financial future of media companies and stifle free speech
but legal experts said that a lawsuit regardless of who is funding it will ultimately succeed or fall based on its merits
this case is unusual said michael mcdonald an assistant professor of finance at fairfield university in connecticut who also works as a consultant to lawsuit investors
mr thiel said he was irate that a website owned by gawker had among other things outed him and several of his friends as gay solely to be prurient and an instrument used to channel his outrage was a lawsuit filed by the retired wrestler hulk hogan against gawker that the entrepreneur financed with about 10 million
the former wrestler whose real name is terry gene bollea sued gawker media for invasion of privacy after it published a video of him having sex and a florida jury recently awarded him 140 million
i saw gawker pioneer a unique and incredibly damaging way of getting attention by bullying people mr thiel said in an interview this week
experts like mr mcdonald said they were hard pressed to find other examples in which someone financed a lawsuit in the hope of settling a score one exception appears to be a libel action brought in 1990s against james b stewart over his book den of thieves which examined a series of wall street scandals including one involving michael milken the junk bond king
that lawsuit which was brought by a minor character in the book was financed by mr milkens brother according to a 2002 article in legal affairs a magazine the case against mr stewart who is now a columnist for the new york times was dismissed but not before millions of dollars in legal fees were spent
the case involving mr thiel has raised questions about whether media companies may face other such costly cases in the future
marcus brauchli a former executive editor of the washington post wrote on twitter thursday that mr thiels actions set a lousy precedent
lawsuits financed by third parties are legal but as the legal financing industry has grown business groups have claimed that outside investing helps fuel frivolous litigation other experts however see the involvement of outside funders as a boon that helps plaintiffs without resources take on deep pocketed defendants
many academics fully embrace third party litigation funding as leveling the playing field said nora freeman engstrom a professor at stanford law school
the precise nature of the relationship between mr thiel and mr bolleas lawyer is unclear however legal experts like ms engstrom that say lawyers who accept funds from people who are not parties to a case face certain obligations like not disclosing confidential information obtained during a lawsuit to an investor or placing an investors interests ahead of those of a client
roy d simon a professor emeritus of legal ethics at hofstra university school of law said the interplay among an investor a lawyer and a plaintiff could get tricky while most firms that invest in litigation are happy to settle a case for the right price an aggrieved individual who doesnt need money might be more interested in driving a case to judgment gawker media made several settlement offers
the ordinary investor would not have an ax to grind mr simon said
for a plaintiff significant legal hurdles exist for a lawsuit against a media organization to be successful in addition many states have adopted laws intended to deter lawsuits filed by companies and others seeking to chill advocacy on public policy issues such actions are known as strategic lawsuits against public participation or slapp suits
anthony sebok a professor at the benjamin n cardozo school of law in new york said parties in a case were not normally required to disclose whether outside investors were funding a lawsuit but the issue has come to the attention of congress
last year two republican senators charles e grassley of iowa and john cornyn of texas sent a letter to three of this countrys largest litigation financing firms asking about the types of cases they funded the financial arrangements and their return on investment
third party litigation financing pumps millions of dollars into our justice system senator cornyn wrote at the time and the current lack of oversight makes it difficult to track this moneys influence


the sign welcoming patients at the main entrance of mount sinai beth israel on first avenue is translated into spanish russian chinese and hebrew a powerful testament to its immigrant heritage on the east side of manhattan
this was a hospital founded by immigrants for immigrants and today it is staffed by many immigrants
after moving across six locations over 127 years it is facing change again on wednesday the mount sinai health system which runs beth israel and six other hospital campuses in the new york city area announced that it would be closing the hospitals current building and reopening a smaller one several blocks away
in 1889 40 orthodox jews who fled persecution in russia and its surrounding countries collected 25 cents each to start a dispensary in a lower east side loft according to hospital and new york times archives beth israel became a clinic on henry street an inpatient hospital on east broadway and then three moves later a bustling hospital off stuyvesant square where its employees speak languages as diverse as thai and twi from ghana
on thursday as hospital officials offered reassurances employees and community members worried about the impact of the change on their lives
i tell them you should definitely not panic so much said michael bimpeh a technician responsible for sanitizing the hospitals equipment an immigrant from ghana with masters degrees in business and science he is an unofficial liaison between other ghanaians and union and hospital officials
on mr bimpehs night shift there are five ghanaians he said but also technicians from jamaica latin america and india we see each other as one family mr bimpeh said because we come from different countries we have to protect ourselves
all of the approximately 4000 members of the 1199 seiu union will keep their jobs or be trained for other roles throughout the system hospital officials said senior staff members spoke with employees on wednesday mr bimpeh said and on thursday they held a series of meetings for community members elected officials and employees
i want to keep an open mind but im not feeling in a great place of comfort said city councilwoman rosie mendez who represents the east village and attended one of the meetings on thursday she said when she was growing up in the williamsburg neighborhood of brooklyn her family would take the l train to beth israel whenever necessary
mount sinai officials said there would be 70 beds in the new building down from 825 beds of which only half are in use but ms mendez learned and the hospital confirmed on thursday that 153 existing beds for mental health patients would remain in the new hospital
as long as they can show me that the services that are needed will still be there and even if it may look a little different then i will get more comfortable ms mendez said
but as throngs of employees arrived for meetings in the stifling sun on thursday there was an air of unease they said they were told by hospital officials not to speak publicly about the situation
one man an electrician who asked not to be identified by name for fear of endangering his employment said that during hurricane sandy he spent his 60th birthday at beth israel and did not leave for five days after that with much of lower manhattan flooded he was making sure the generators were operating
he is a native of panama he said and he had been at st vincents hospital manhattan for 20 years when it was shut down to make way for condominiums he started working at beth israel five years ago
you get that sense of helping the less fortunate he said but added theres no more charity its more about the dollar
according to times archives when beth israel was founded other hospitals would not accept immigrants who had been in the city for less than a year beth israel took every immigrant
because of its jewish roots it kept kosher until december 2015 the neighborhood has changed significantly however
many jewish patients are no longer from a neighborhood that has become less jewish but from the hasidic community in williamsburg said david goldberg who was born at the hospital and still comes frequently to pray in the synagogue there
his rabbi left the synagogue at the end of last year maybe he knew something mr goldberg said on thursday on the way to pray
as for the hospitals downsizing mr goldberg shook his head its a big loss he said thank god im in good health


paris   moments after dispatching teliana pereira in the second round of the french open serena williams ducked into the tunnel below suzanne lenglen court and came upon her doubles partner her friend   her sister   approaching her their visit was brief serena was still processing her victory and venus williams had work to do
about six minutes later venus walked onto the same patch of red clay that her sister had just vacated giving fans at roland garros the rare opportunity to watch the sisters play consecutive matches on the same court
venus is about to turn 36 in june serena will be 35 in september as brilliant as their careers have been and as dominant as serena continues to be days such as thursday with one sister following the other at a major tournament will soon be relegated to memory
i think were unfortunately really focused on our match serena said of their back to back matches and i say unfortunately because in a few years well be like wow thats a great moment
the sisters commemorated the moment by pounding their respective opponents by identical score lines 6 2 6 1 serena took down pereira and venus defeated the american louisa chirico after some running to and fro serena did her job in 66 minutes venus required only 54
we focus less on the significance of us playing and more of like can you win this match venus said
but the sibling showcase did not seem to be lost on the fans in the 10000 seat arena which was packed for the top seeded serena and thinned out a bit by the time the ninth seeded venus arrived
even their vanquished opponents seemed to relish their roles
it was amazing to be there on suzanne lenglen pereira said i love this tournament and to be playing against her she is no 1 for a long time to me she is the best so it was an amazing opportunity to try and enjoy it
that air of graciousness was not so apparent on court 2 where alize cornet defeated the german tatjana maria 6 3 6 7 5 6 4 only to receive an accusatory finger in her face afterward
maria was upset that cornet a french player sought lengthy medical timeouts to receive treatment but then appeared to move without much difficulty later in the match
after the final point cornet fell on her back and thrust her hands to the air in celebration while maria veered away from the net and to her chair when cornet finally arose they met near the umpires chair with a loud celebration going on in the stands maria pointed her finger at cornet as if to say you know what you did
on the mens side another popular french player jo wilfried tsonga rallied from two sets down to beat marcos baghdatis 6 7 6 3 6 6 3 6 2 6 2 in 3 hours 26 minutes
in my head i was thinking oh oh thats really a bad start tsonga said but then i thought i have to remain calm serene because a tennis match could be very long and very tough
for no 4 rafael nadal it was not so tough he defeated facundo bagnis 6 3 6 0 6 3 to become the eighth player to record 200 wins at major tournaments nadal is seeking to extend his record number of french open titles to 10
novak djokovic the no 1 seed and strong favorite defeated steve darcis a qualifier from belgium 7 5 6 3 6 4 and no 7 tomas berdych beat malek jaziri of tunisia 6 1 2 6 6 2 6 4 those matches unfolded on the grand suzanne lenglen court before the williams sisters made their appearance
its huge serena said of the court its bigger than stadiums in other tournaments its like a double stadium so even though its not the center court its still a huge court
serena the defending champion is making her 15th appearance at the french open it is the 19th for venus together they have won 28 grand slam tournaments and could face each other in this years semifinals that would mark their 28th meeting and first since last years united states open serena leads head to head 16 11
serena who is seeking her 22nd major tournament title to tie steffi graf won here last year for the third time venus has never won the french open and as her career appears to wane she can take enjoyment from being in the third round for the first time since 2010
at this stage in my life in my career its like you dont want to lose early venus said but if its not the win its still a loss


what appeared to be a random slashing of a 16 year old girl last year was an orchestrated attack meant for a different teenager who had had a sexual relationship with a queens man the authorities said on thursday
the man wilson lai 25 of oakland gardens had a one year relationship starting in june 2013 with a girl who was then 14 richard a brown the queens district attorney said in a statement
an indictment announced on thursday alleged that mr lai conspired with another man devon berkley 36 of allentown pa to assault the girl
mr berkley ran up to a girl in the whitestone section of queens as she walked to school at the private whitestone academy on dec 16 according to the district attorneys office mr brown said the girl an exchange student from china was slashed in a case of mistaken identity noting that she lived in the same home as the intended victim and happened to be the same age
in an interview in february the girl who was slashed jia jia liang described turning to look behind her as she heard footsteps but the assailant who was wearing a surgical mask and gloves slashed her twice
two scars mark the left side of her face one running from the top of her cheekbone under her eye to her jawline and the other starting closer to her ear and running to her jaw
ms liang came to new york in 2014 hoping her studies at the whitestone academy would prepare her to apply for admission to an american college
the indictment offered no motive for the attack and the district attorneys office did not elaborate it was not clear on thursday if the men had lawyers
the indictment also alleges that mr lai and two unindicted co conspirators punctured the tires and damaged the body of a vehicle belonging to his intended victims family in january a note left on the vehicle stated that the wrong girl had been attacked and that the intended target was next the district attorneys office said
mr lai and mr berkley were charged with assault conspiracy endangering the welfare of a child and criminal possession of a weapon mr lai was also charged with rape criminal sexual acts criminal mischief and related charges if convicted mr berkley faces up to 25 years in prison mr lai faces up to 32 years
mr lai appeared in state supreme court before justice gregory l lasak who ordered him held without bail pending an arraignment on tuesday mr berkley was arrested on thursday in allentown and was being held there pending the outcome of an extradition hearing


if someone had told me that in the near future my head would be grazed by the enormous wings of a turkey vulture i might not have believed it i might also have worried about how much future i had
but i learned that you dont have to be dying to have this experience   just sitting on a lawn at astor court at the bronx zoo
thats where kern the vulture stars in birds in flight which phung luu director of animal behavior  conservation connections presents twice daily on weekends the morning show usually focuses on tropical species and the afternoon one on raptors you should plan to attend both   and to duck although vultures fly disconcertingly low the better to smell you my dear almost all of the dozen or so species will swoop over your head
sponsored by far more mechanical fliers   jetblue   the shows feature both natural and trained behaviors mr luu tosses grapes in the air to show how well eeyore a silvery cheeked hornbill can catch insects on the fly while some stunts have a circusy feel   rizzo a rose breasted cockatoo deposits crushed cans in a recycling bin   they do not involve risks to the birds several of which were rehabilitated after injuries saffron for instance a lovely red tailed hawk who was hit by a car is missing part of her right wing
the half hour shows rely frequently on audience volunteers one saturday a small boy held twigs for two black throated magpie jays which added them to a nest set up nearby and a little girl fed a piece of apple to a green aracari my own adult daughter marisa became a living perch for sun conures
the best moments though tend to be unscripted as mr luu put it this is a controlled situation   the bird is in complete control when scarlett a red shouldered hawk took off into the sky she was immediately harassed by bronx grackles that resented her invading their turf scarlett regally unfazed calmly circled and eventually landed off to the side of spectators where she proceeded to chow down on a mouse
amid all the fun mr luu and his staff deliver a serious message many bird species are endangered to aid their survival the shows accept donated bills which are placed in a collection box by a charming team member a double yellow headed amazon parrot
saturdays sundays and memorial day at 1130 am and 2 pm through june 19 bronx river parkway and fordham road fordham 718 367 1010 bronxzoocom


on wednesday after days of looking karen furia 65 finally found what she was searching for a hillary bumper sticker at a clinton campaign rally in salinas calif
i keep hearing bernie bernie bernie or seeing bernie fliers said ms furia a retiree i am sort of tired of hearing him
she was referring of course to senator bernie sanders mrs clintons democratic opponent who is pouring energy and resources into californias june 7 primary
his efforts appear to be paying off
for months the clinton campaign exuded confidence about california a diverse state in which 30 percent of the democratic electorate is latino with a primary rather than a caucus a format that tends to favor mrs clinton she defeated barack obama there by 83 percentage points in 2008 and had hoped the state could serve as the victorious bookend of a turbulent primary race
but now mrs clintons lead in california has evaporated going from seven percentage points over mr sanders in march to two percentage points within the margin of error in a poll released wednesday night by the nonpartisan public policy institute of california
that has created the possibility of an embarrassing defeat here for the clinton campaign and complicated mrs clintons plans to turn her focus to the general election against the presumptive republican nominee donald j trump
she dedicated this week to traversing the state for campaign events and fund raisers and will return next week despite earlier signals that her campaign would avoid spending on expensive advertising in california the campaign will begin running television ads in the los angeles fresno and sacramento markets on friday
california is a state that likes to upset expectations and has a habit of being a wild card politically said representative adam b schiff who is supporting mrs clinton
mrs clintons advisers said their internal polling showed her ahead in california
but mr sanders may be helped by the states primary rules which allow independents to vote in the democratic primary as long as they register to do so a surge of over 850000 registrations between jan 1 and march 31 could indicate momentum for mr sanders and signal a larger independent turnout than eight years ago when they made up 18 percent of the democratic primary electorate
mrs clinton does not need to win california to become her partys nominee she is expected to reach the 2383 delegates needed to clinch the nomination roughly three hours before the california results are tallied when the polls close in new jersey a mathematical fact that mrs clintons allies have been reciting to reporters
but losing the most populous state the birthplace of political movements and trends that often shape the rest of the country would deal mrs clinton a blow and send her hobbling to the democratic national convention in july
at a rally in buena park calif on wednesday mrs clinton implored californians to vote you know that this primary in california on june 7th is really important she told the crowd california is where the future starts in america
a defeat would also embolden mr sanders and his supporters some of who have pledged unrest at the philadelphia convention if their issues are not taken seriously
every minute she has to spend on sanders is a moment and a dollar she cant spend on trump said steven maviglio a sacramento based political consultant but he added its the super bowl for bernie its game over he has nowhere else to put his money when this is done
to that end mr sanders has already spent 18 days in the state speaking to crowds of thousands and his campaign has spent 15 million on an ad urging californians to choose a new direction for the democratic party
mr sanders has struggled to turn crowds into turnout in large primary states like new york and ohio but mrs clintons declaration to cnn last week that she will be the nominee of our party has energized his voters in california said senator jeff merkley of oregon the only senator publicly supporting mr sanders
you have a lot of folks who say were coming to the end of the season and we want to be a part of this conversation mr merkley said
another factor helping mr sanders is that nonwhite voters here tend to be younger than elsewhere in the country and more receptive to mr sanders while mrs clinton had strong support among minority voters in previous primary states the public policy poll showed the two candidates splitting the nonwhite vote
mark baldassare poll director and president of the public policy institute of california called the results counterintuitive but said they reflected the states young immigrants and mr sanders appeal with young voters
mrs clinton meanwhile has particular strength among women over 45
her campaigns state director buffy wicks a veteran organizer from the sacramento area who worked on mr obamas 2008 and 2012 campaigns said that blacks who favored mr obama in the 2008 contest were now backing mrs clinton in wide numbers as are the states numerous asian americans
even as the clinton campaign shifts resources to general election battleground states like ohio and florida it is flooding california with volunteers and surrogates opening nine offices across the state more than twice as many as the sanders campaign a 10th office is expected to open in the coming days
the clinton campaign has held more than 33 phone bank sessions targeting female voters in the central coast central valley and inland empire areas of the state and has made appeals with calls in spanish mandarin cantonese korean tagalog and vietnamese
ms wicks said she had the resources she needed but added its expensive so instead you have to rely on volunteers
in a state as big and diverse as california those old fashioned get out the vote efforts could make more of a difference than the sanders campaigns tv ads and attempts at free media   including an attempt to hold a televised debate against mr trump said senator barbara boxer who is supporting mrs clinton
to make an impact in california you have to spend 4 million a week on advertising ms boxer who has run four statewide races said in an interview i dont think either of them is able to do the kind of advertising it takes in california to make a difference
mrs clinton and her husband   who has also campaigned across the state from black churches in los angeles to farm stands in the central valley   have a deep reservoir of support in california and relationships that date to the 1992 campaign when bill clinton wooed hollywood democrats
mrs clintons friends say winning the state is emotionally important for her to avoid humiliation and to begin the battle against mr trump from a position of strength
its not that she mathematically needs to win it but i think she wants to win california said steven m schatz a palo alto lawyer and donor she wants to go into the convention with momentum
even some californians seemed surprised that mrs clinton has found herself in this position
a year ago there didnt seem to be any rivals said louis garcia a cabinetmaker in orange county who plans to vote for mrs clinton the fight wasnt going to be till the general election that was the expectation last year


a 4 year old boy died on thursday after falling down an elevator shaft in a brooklyn garage
typically drivers go to parking garages and wait for their vehicles to be conveyed to the ground floor never seeing the rest of the building but on wednesday night according to the police the boy rode to the third floor of the garage on union street in the park slope neighborhood with his parents in a freight elevator
the boy identified by the police as jack roberts slipped through a 10 inch gap between the elevator and the wall falling 50 feet he was taken to new york methodist hospital and later transferred to newyork presbyterian hospitalweill cornell medical center where he was pronounced dead the names of his parents were not released
as news of the boys death spread through the affluent family friendly neighborhood bouquets of flowers appeared outside the garage park slope garage condominium a beige building with abstract murals on the exterior and the interior people gathered to talk about the tragedy that had happened on the bustling block which is also home to the park slope food coop a fire station and a bicycle shop
alice soriano jacks nanny since he was 2 months old said she last saw him at 630 pm on wednesday jack has two older half sisters who adore him she said ms soriano said she did not know why the family had been inside the garage that night
his mother sent me a text about 1030 last night it said call me its emergency ms soriano said i called my priest i said please i need a prayer for jack hes our angel
jack had blonde hair which he wore in a bowl cut at a park near his house he was remembered for playing fearlessly on the jungle gym and the swings his liked freestyle dancing music lessons and soccer games ms soriano and his aunt said he wanted to be a contractor when he grew up
everybody in the neighborhood knows him everybody loved him a woman who identified herself as his aunt kathy said she declined to give her last name saying she did not want to do so without checking with her sister jacks mother
i think it was just a horrible tragic accident she said
the owner of the garage howard pronsky of berman realty did not respond to requests for an interview alexander schnell the spokesman for the new york city buildings department said the elevator was being investigated he said the department had issued a cease use order for the elevator on wednesday until further review
on thursday luxury vehicles slipped in and out of park slope garage condominium as a parking attendant declined requests for an interview from reporters
the garage a multistory building at 841 union street has two freight elevators meant for vehicles according to owners of parking spaces the building which was one of the first so called condominiums for cars in the state has more than 100 parking spaces which are selling for close to 300000
after another garage with more than 250 spaces on union street closed to become condominiums prices for spaces at park slope garage condominium shot up
owners of parking spaces there expressed shock at the boys death you teach your kids dont play with matches dont walk in front of cars and then something crazy like this happens said jackie lew a real estate agent who recently listed her parking spot in the building for 279000 the last one went for 300000 she added
when the garage opened in 1986 its spaces were valued at 29000 a price that at the time seemed outrageous the prices inched up over the years but when andrea farrington and her family bought theirs in 2004 they paid 35000 ms farrington said she had been allowed to go to her parking space on the third floor where the boy fell only once in 12 years never we were never allowed to take the kids up she said they really dont like people going up there
joseph saba a composer for television and film who bought a space to park his subaru in 2015 for 180000 said he was saddened by the boys death he too said it was odd for the family to have ridden the elevator
there have been times when we wanted to run up and get something and we have been denied mr saba said they were pretty strict about it


salt must soon be on the menu   very visibly   at hundreds more chain restaurants in new york city after a court on thursday cleared the way for the city to enforce a rule requiring many eateries to alert consumers to food items with high salt content
some chains such as applebees tgi fridays and subway have voluntarily started including the menu icon   a saltshaker in a triangle   with an explanation that items that bear the symbol contain more than 2300 milligrams or about a teaspoon of salt the daily limit recommended by many nutritionists
but other chains have held back and the national restaurant association a trade group said it would continue a court challenge to the rule which was approved by the board of health last year the rule went into effect in december but a court ruling blocked the city from enforcing it the appellate division of the new york state supreme court lifted the enforcement ban
this is really important to the health of new yorkers dr mary t bassett the citys health commissioner said we will be able to ensure that new yorkers have the information they need to make better decisions about what they eat
dr bassett said excessive amounts of salt in the diet can lead to high blood pressure which is considered a risk factor for heart disease and stroke health department officials said that on average new yorkers consume considerably more than the recommended amount
the labeling rule applies to restaurants with at least 15 stores nationwide as well as to some theater chains and some vendors in sports stadiums the health department said that about 3000 chain restaurants in the city would be affected by the rule the symbol will appear on menus and menu boards although some restaurants might not sell items that exceed the limit and therefore will not display the symbol
the restaurant industry said the costs of implementing the rule would be a burden to restaurant owners including franchisees who may operate just one or two outlets an industry official also worried about how customers might interpret the saltshaker symbol
you have a radioactive symbol for an essential nutrient said christin fernandez a spokeswoman for the national restaurant association which is based in washington this is the first of its kind it looks like a poison symbol
dr bassett said that high salt content had been found in some unlikely places including a salted caramel milkshake some chains had modified their offerings to reduce salt content and avoid having to place the saltshaker symbol next to a menu item she added
the menu labeling rule represents a foray by mayor bill de blasio a democrat into territory pioneered by his predecessor michael r bloomberg who often drew fire from the restaurant industry over pushes to police new yorkers diets
mr bloomberg a political independent ordered chain restaurants to list the number of calories for each menu item in the hopes of fighting obesity he banned most uses of trans fats in restaurants and he tried to halt the sale of large soft drinks   a move that was successfully challenged in court by the restaurant industry he also led an initiative to get food companies to voluntarily reduce the amount of salt in processed foods sold at grocery stores
the fine for not complying with the menu labeling rule is small   just 200   but thomas merrill the general counsel of the health department said that restaurants risked losing their permits if they did not meet the requirement


paris   ernests gulbis a semifinalist at the french open two years ago has since seen his ranking yo yo from the top 10 to outside the top 100 to his current position at no 80 after his second round win thursday against 26th seeded joao sousa gulbis spoke about building a team for success karma and the various clouds overshadowing sports this year he will face sixth seeded jo wilfried tsonga in the third round this interview has been edited and condensed
you split with your longtime coach gunter bresnik just before this tournament you had shared him with dominic thiem   do you think its impossible for any players at this level to manage sharing a coach
this is a good question and i dont want to say about any situation because maybe some people can do it but in our particular situation there was no chance to continue no chance my character is a way that i understand if sometimes i need to be in the second place or even third place in somebodys interests   ok but not for half a year or one year and not when im 27 years old when youre 19 20 and youre growing up then you can swallow certain things but now i dont have enough time to swallow i have these four five years left where i want my physio to be with me 100 percent my coach to be with me 100 percent this is what i have to do it was a decision based on my interests purely
youre 27 and so could be considered part of the generation below djokovic and murray who are both 29 no one younger than them has been able to make a sustained breakthrough or even to win a single masters title do you feel that sort of collective block that this older group is leading and theres openness or nothing behind and could that be good in terms of opportunity
ive never in my life thought in terms of a collective way of thinking ive never put myself inside a collective of a generation of a country of a region whatever so its very difficult for me to answer this i think that these guys who are on the top theyve reached it and theyre doing a lot of things right theyre doing a lot of things right and they have the ability to do them right they have the money to back it up because everything has costs physio costs massage guy costs coach costs and now an assistant coach its a big thing to have two or three tennis coaches which i dont really understand maybe because i am not experienced enough you can back it up and you just build everything up up up
so the rich get richer
yeah and then when youre ranked 40 30 20 you still need to think about your bills youre not earning a crazy amount of money you can make a decent living but you have to really think about which coach youre going to take who is going to travel with me et cetera et cetera all these things they help the top players a lot because theyre in bad shape they get out of these dumps very fast one two tournaments and theyre back because they did the work if youre traveling alone like i did for a period of time im in a dump ok and how do i get out of it trust me its not the easiest thing to go and practice when you have pain from an injury to go and practice in that moment is difficult
its been a year of a lot of negative news in sports with all the attention on russian sport and wider doping issues as well as in tennis more specifically with the attention on match fixing what do you make of this negativity around the sports
i think that everything what every individual does it will come around its not only about sports its about in general i truly believe that if you make your money the wrong way youre going to lose it or something else bad its a little bit out of buddhist philosophy about karmic things but i really believe it i can only speak again not collectively but individually i want to be without these thoughts i want my karma to be bright to be free of all these things and if somebody wants to make a decision that they want to sell something or they want to cheat what can you do
youre not cynical about seeing for example match fixing the way some have become suspicious
to be honest i never saw it maybe its because people are scared to approach me because i always have this aura around me that im this rich guy from latvia who doesnt need money and people who are doing these kind of things would be scared to approach me they also know my character maybe im going to take him by the neck and bring him to justice you know this is why i never got approached and nobody ever spoke with me about this im probably the most far away guy except the top players who have never gotten any knowledge about this
there have also been accusations and suspicions and whispers regarding doping in tennis especially regarding top players what are your thoughts on this cynicism that comes with pretty much every sport today
to be honest i think tennis is really clean its my honest opinion i know myself how i felt when i was playing well it seems to most of the players even that its impossible to play day after day five sets five sets five sets but when youre fit when you did your work you are physically able you are physically so strong that youre able to continue in crazy circumstances like novak and rafa or stan in australia when they play these marathon matches people are able to do it its not necessary that if somebody did his work and somebody practiced more than you you have to go and accuse somebody that they cheated they just did it better this is my opinion i honestly dont think that somebody in tennis cheats with this


las vegas   unable to shake what has become a lingering distraction for her campaign hillary clinton on thursday played down a report from the state departments inspector general that criticized her use of a private email server while she was secretary of state
in an interview with abc news mrs clinton repeated her concession that using the private email server was a mistake but she suggested that voters had more important issues to consider when making up their minds between her and the presumptive republican presidential nominee donald j trump
as ive said many times if i could go back i would do it differently mrs clinton said i know people have concerns about this i understand that but i think voters are going to be looking at the full picture of what i have to offer my life and my service and the full threat that donald trump offers our country
the inspector generals report presented to congress on wednesday said that mrs clinton had not sought or received permission to use the private email server the report also said that through her lawyers mrs clinton declined to be interviewed by the inspector general
the report gave new ammunition to mr trump and threatened to bolster the perception already held by a majority of voters according to polling that mrs clinton is not trustworthy
in the interview mrs clinton gave little ground over the email issue asserting that the report makes clear that personal email use was the practice for other secretaries of state
asked if using private email was an error of judgment she responded well it was allowed and the rules have been clarified since i left about the practice
she added having said that i have said many times it was a mistake
mrs clinton reiterated that argument in a phone interview with cnn on thursday afternoon i thought it was allowed she told wolf blitzer asked why she declined to be interviewed for the review mrs clinton said id already said everything i could on this matter
in both interviews she cited her 11 hour testimony to a house committee investigating the sept 11 2012 attack on the united states mission in benghazi libya when extensive questions about her private email use came up but unlike the benghazi committee an effort led by congressional republicans the state department report was not partisan a detail not lost on mr trump
this is not a republican group or a conservative group he said in an interview on wednesday this is a group that is much more to her liking
mr trump repeated his criticism of mrs clinton at a news conference on thursday while mrs clinton used her interviews to call her likely republican rival an unqualified loose cannon
president obama came out of meetings with our closest allies in the world and reported that they are quote rattled by the threat donald trump represents mrs clinton said on cnn
the interviews came as mrs clinton spoke in nevada on thursday at a conference for the united food and commercial workers international union which endorsed her in january later in the afternoon she returned to california to hold a pair of rallies ahead of the california primary on june 7 though mrs clinton previously led by double digits in numerous surveys a poll released wednesday showed her in a tight race with senator bernie sanders
i really dont pay a lot of attention to polls because they are usually and increasingly all over the place mrs clinton said on cnn when asked about the tightening race in california we are already insurmountably ahead in the race for the 2383 delegates needed to clinch the nomination she added


american psycho the new broadway musical based on bret easton elliss controversial 1991 novel about a murderous banker in 1980s manhattan will close on sunday june 5 the producers announced on thursday
the show adapted by roberto aguirre sacasa book and duncan sheik songs opened in april at the gerald schoenfeld theater to mixed reviews in the new york times ben brantley praised elements of the design but over all called it a mess in which conflicts of intention cancel one another out leaving you numb
the show struggled to gain traction at the box office since it opened last week it took in 565107 or about 53 percent of its potential gross earlier this month it received just two tony award nominations for best scenic design es devlin and finn ross and best lighting justin townsend
the show had its premiere in london in 2013 it was to have its new york premiere in february 2014 at second stage theater a nonprofit off broadway company but that fall the rights were pulled by the company that had been developing it for years
when it closes american psycho will have played a total of 81 performances


new jersey lawmakers on thursday approved a package of measures meant to help atlantic city avert bankruptcy and a state takeover as the seaside resort stands on the verge of running out of money
the legislation would not spare the city which faces mounting debt and has endured several casino closings from making deep spending cuts including slashing services and reducing the size of its work force nonetheless some local officials have embraced the measures which require gov chris christies approval as offering a chance to resolve the citys problems before the state steps in
this plan gives atlantic city the opportunity to do the job itself to prevent bankruptcy and make desperately needed financial reforms stephen m sweeney a democrat who is the state senate president said in a statement we must have a workable plan that is implemented and followed that will reduce spending reform government operations so that city services are maintained and the taxpayers of atlantic city and new jersey are better protected
mr christie a republican has accused atlantic city officials of being fiscally irresponsible and has pushed for state intervention speaking on a radio show on wednesday he did not explicitly offer his support for the legislation but said that everything that the senate president and i asked for is there a spokesman said on thursday that the governor was reviewing the legislation
the measures approved on thursday would give atlantic city five months to come up with a balanced budget for 2017 and a five year plan that puts the city on a path toward financial recovery the city would receive a loan from the state as well as payments from casinos in lieu of property taxes the casino money would amount to 120 million in the first year and increase by at least 2 percent a year over the next nine years lawmakers said
the payments according to a statement issued by senator sweeneys office would end the tax appeals that have choked off a stable flow of money from the casinos to the city
the legislation requires the city to identify spending cuts as well as ways to increase revenue and reduce debt the city would be able to use early retirement programs to shrink its work force lawmakers said the city would also have to make required payments to the local school district and to atlantic county
if atlantic city officials failed to come up with the plan called for in the legislation or if the city did not meet its obligations the state would have the authority to rein in the citys finances
it actually is what the assembly was looking for   something that would give atlantic city the ability to be able to reach a state of healthiness the state assembly speaker vincent prieto a democrat said in a statement it doesnt trample on collective bargaining on day one it keeps the self governance
the legislation was criticized by some lawmakers who do not believe the city should be given time to find a solution i see this as enabling that mismanagement to continue said senator gerald cardinale a republican the losers he added are the taxpayers from the rest of the state
atlantic city whose boardwalk and casinos made it a jewel of the jersey shore has lost some of its luster in recent years four of its 12 casinos closed in 2014 eliminating thousands of jobs and shrinking the tax base
as the city reckoned with the severity of its financial situation officials considered shutting down nonessential services though that move was avoided after public employees agreed to defer their paychecks for four weeks the prospect that money would soon run out still loomed
though the city has so far avoided bankruptcy some analysts expressed concern over whether officials would be able to meet the demands necessary to stave off the states intervention
marc h pfeiffer assistant director of the bloustein center for local government research at rutgers university said the legislation particularly the payments from the casinos would be helpful all that stuff has significant value mr pfeiffer said adding the question is is that enough
marty small sr the president of the city council said officials would focus on trying to develop the required plan over the coming months we have a shot he said all you can ask for in life is an opportunity and we take the opportunity seriously
mr small said that maintaining local control was essential because without it residents would have no influence in setting a financial course for their city
its going to be brutal for the work force and theres going to be cuts   theres no other way to put it he said its going to be tough but thats what we were elected to do we have to right the ship


rome   about 20 corpses from a sunken migrant boat were sighted off the coast of libya on thursday even as european union naval operations were able to rescue thousands of other migrants taking advantage of good weather to attempt to cross the mediterranean
the boat which capsized 35 miles north of the libyan port of zuwarah with an unknown number of passengers was located thursday by an aircraft from luxembourg the rescue operations for the boat were carried out by the spanish frigate reina sofia which boarded 77 migrants and two italian coast guard rescue vessels which boarded 11 more an italian official said the reina sofia was already carrying migrants from other rescues on thursday
lt rino gentile a public information officer for eu navfor med the european unions military operation to rescue migrants and fight human trafficking in the mediterranean said the number of dead would be known only once the bodies had been retrieved
about 4000 migrants were rescued from the sea on thursday as the italian coast guard coordinated and concluded nearly two dozen operations said cmdr filippo marini in total more than 10000 migrants have been rescued this week by various international agencies
warm weather and calm seas prompted many hundreds of migrants to attempt the perilous sea crossing from north africa to italy this week the italian coast guard said
in addition officials said the near closing of the route from turkey to greece after a deal between ankara and the european union earlier this year may be putting still more pressure on the route to italy
as of wednesday nearly 40500 migrants   primarily from african countries   had arrived in italy in this year a number on par with this point in 2015 when about 41500 people had landed according to interior ministry statistics
the international organization for migration estimates that 1370 migrants have drowned during the same period including seven people who died on wednesday when their crowded ship overturned as rescuers watched
more than 500 survivors from that shipwreck arrived on thursday in porto empedocle sicily where they will receive assistance and be processed to determine their status officials could not say if other passengers on the ship had remained trapped in the hold when it sank
more than 115000 migrants are now in italy more than five times the number of migrants who arrived in 2013 according to the interior ministry the migrants have been distributed among italys 20 regions with lombardy and sicily together accommodating 25 percent of the new arrivals
the reception system is always under pressure but so far italy has been able to provide adequate first assistance distributing the arrivals to different ports where they receive medical and legal assistance said flavio di giacomo a spokesman for the international organization for migration
certainly if the flux continues to be so intense it becomes more difficult to find structures but so far italy has shown it can make it


a few minutes before the first pitch of thursdays game between the yankees and the toronto blue jays alex rodriguez was introduced as the designated hitter for the first time since may 4 when a strained right hamstring sent him to the disabled list
rodriguez 40 paced around in right field tucking the brim of his hat down over his eyes almost seeming to shield himself though the home crowd was cheering louder for him than it had for any other yankee
a literary scholar might have interpreted this as a chekhovian act of foreshadowing rodriguez went incognito at the plate striking out in the ninth inning and going hitless in four at bats as the yankees lost to the blue jays 3 1 at yankee stadium
c c sabathia pitched exceptionally striking out seven which brought him to 2610 strikeouts and tied him with chuck finley for 23rd on the career list sabathia allowed only two hits in seven innings but an error by shortstop didi gregorius in the third led to two unearned runs
definitely a missed opportunity at home any time that our big guy gives us seven strong two runs rodriguez said we should win those games
earlier this week rodriguez went 3 for 6 with a home run and three rbi in two rehab games with the class aa trenton thunder he even punctuated his homer with a showy bat flip seemingly demonstrating that his confidence was high and that he was ready to return to the majors
rodriguez swung on the first pitch he saw against blue jays starter j a happ grounding out to shortstop darwin barney happ overwhelmed rodriguez with a slider to strike him out in the fourth and rodriguez casually flied out to right in the seventh
asked to evaluate rodriguezs four plate appearances manager joe girardi said they seemed ok i know he didnt get any hits but we had a lot of guys that didnt get any hits today
among them was carlos beltran who struck out four times
with rodriguez once again claiming the dh spot beltran moved back to right field in rodriguezs absence beltran had thrived offensively as the dh a role that kept his 39 year old legs fresh
after the game girardi became defensive when asked about the possibility that moving out of the dh role had led to beltrans strikeouts
im sure it all had to do with him being in right field im sure girardi said hitting a table he was 0 for 4 yesterday too lets not keep stirring this and stirring this and everything we over evaluate carlos had a rough day a lot of our right handers had a rough day today off of happ
although they had rodriguez back the yankees were without first baseman mark teixeira for a second straight game because of his neck spasms teixeira had a magnetic resonance imaging scan that showed joint inflammation
i just cant move it he said its painful
girardi said he hoped that teixeira would be able to play by sunday teixeira who also received a cortisone shot thursday said his neck had not fully healed since his return may 12 after missing two games with similar pains
it never got 100 percent but it was feeling pretty good said teixeira who has battled neck and upper back tightness throughout his 14 year career it just kind of flared up a little bit more on me
he added this just got to be too much
with teixeira sidelined the backup catcher austin romine started at first base since 2014 romine had played 23 games at first base for class aaa scrantonwilkes barre in addition to making two appearances there for the yankees
with two runners on in the fifth romine grounded into an inning ending double play it was the yankees best scoring opportunity against happ after the first inning when starlin castro belted a solo home run into the yankees bullpen in right center
the yankees lone run almost held up as enough support for sabathia who threw only 83 pitches in the third devon travis hit a grounder to gregorius who tried to backhand the ball it hit off his wrist for his eighth error this season gregorius later said the ball had taken a bad hop
with two outs jose bautista who was booed and taunted with chants of odor throughout the series   a reference to texas rangers second baseman rougned odor who punched bautista in the face in a game on may 15   singled and moved travis to third josh donaldson walked to load the bases and edwin encarnacion singled in two runs
we missed an opportunity today girardi said c c pitched great he pitched extremely well and we werent able to get him any runs
inside pitch
chasen shreve was placed on the 15 day disabled list with a joint sprain in his left shoulder he received a cortisone injection and will not pick up a baseball for seven days to replace shreve the yankees called up richard bleier from class aaa scrantonwilkes barre ... with the return of alex rodriguez the reserve rob refsnyder was optioned to scrantonwilkes barre ... to make room on the 40 man roster for bleier the yankees unconditionally released outfielder slade heathcott


london   with a blend of rose glow nostalgia and incredulity some baby boomers of a certain vintage here recall vacations in europe long ago when the sight of a rare british license plate on the arrow straight roads of northern france inspired much waving and tooting of horns in mutual recognition
in those times they will say britons emerging from the gloom of postwar austerity discovered a land of pungent cigarettes and fine cuisine vin ordinaire and menus du jour that titillated palates grown stale on bland and rationed british fare
there were time consuming border crossings too and sharp eyed customs agents currency controls carnets de passage and coupons that permitted outsiders to purchase gasoline sometimes in villages with hand pumps that recalled much earlier technologies
decades later europe has ironed out many of its idiosyncrasies no one waves anymore border controls have largely disappeared the clothing chains offer the same brands in london paris madrid or berlin with the possible exception of military veterans visiting the erstwhile battlefields of loss and glory the novelty of returning in peace to the loci of war has faded
yet as britain prepares for a referendum on june 23 on whether to remain in the european union it is perhaps worth recalling that its ties to the great landmass beyond the channel long predate the blocs establishment as a huge trading zone creating bonds that will not easily dissolve
long before the first british austins and morris minors ventured across a choppy channel to joust with french citroens and renaults british artists and poets   turner and keats byron and shelley   drew inspiration in italy france or switzerland
in the automobile age well heeled travelers in their elegant touring cars sought out the bright lights of paris and the gambling tables of monte carlo
even earlier in nice the promenade des anglais an elegant walkway along the mediterranean took its name from britons wintering there in the 19th century in munich the vast englischer garten dates to the late 18th century
these days some 13 million britons live on the continent according to the united nations seeking work or sunshine many more have second homes there even nigel lawson a leader among british conservative politicians clamoring for withdrawal from the european union maintains a residence among the expatriates of southwestern france
such tangled ties go some way toward explaining why the referendum has divided opinion so fiercely here permeating public debate with mutually exclusive arguments on everything from border controls and migration to the shape of bananas
the distinctions slice across the generations with surveys showing that the young less inclined to leave the bloc are also less likely to vote while the aged keener to leave are also more energetic voters
in some ways it is surprising that the divide between the two camps remains so stubbornly even that suggests perhaps that for half the population nostalgia is defined more by a hankering for a go it alone britain to regain a possibly apocryphal notion of self reliance outside the european union than by any recollection of shared history   and certainly not by tooting car horns or people with very long memories
this week the supreme court here ruled in favor of regulations forbidding up to two million britons who have lived abroad for more than 15 years from voting paradoxically those permitted to vote include an estimated one million british residents who are citizens of ireland or of the 53 countries in the commonwealth made up largely of onetime imperial possessions
and now to almost full disclosure as a baby boomer whose family austin once crisscrossed continental europe at a dogged 55 miles per hour i am among the millions eligible to vote but in advance i no longer wave to my compatriots to coax a signal of shared identity preferring to ask the minefield question du jour which side are you on


paper is back after years of seemingly unstoppable growth e book sales have started to slip while paper has improbably bounced back digital book sales fell nearly 10 percent in 2015 from the previous year paperback sales grew by a healthy 16 percent according to the association of american publishers which tracks sales from more than 1200 publishers
gray digital those who came of age with digital technology seem surprisingly to prefer paper to pixels young readers are less drawn to e books only 13 percent of 18  to 24 year olds primarily read e books these days compared with nearly 30 percent of 55  to 64 year olds according to a recent survey of 4992 book buyers conducted by the codex group a publishing consultancy
read it on the phone last year 15 percent of e book buyers read their books primarily on smartphones up from 6 percent in 2013 according to a survey of 6000 people by nielsen books  consumers in that same period amazons dedicated e reader kindle seems to have fallen in popularity 21 percent of e book buyers said they read on kindle e readers in 2015 compared with 30 percent in 2013
download and listen sales of downloadable audiobooks have surged in recent years vastly outpacing any other publishing format digital audiobook sales were up nearly 40 percent in 2015 over the previous year according to the association of american publishers
the hunger games factor the steepest drop in e book sales was concentrated in childrens and young adult books where digital sales fell by 43 percent last year probably because there wasnt a blockbuster crossover young adult novel series like the hunger games which attracted millions of adult readers
coloring books the huge coloring book surge continues as millions of adults pick up crayons to unwind some 12 million coloring books were sold in the united states last year up from one million in 2014 and more than 2000 coloring book titles were published compared with just 300 the previous year according to nielsen there are coloring books for every imaginable interest group including game of thrones and harry potter ones hillary clinton and donald j trump versions and in a new and surprisingly durable trend sweary coloring books because how better to demonstrate that your coloring book is not for kids than by incorporating lots of four letter words
two titles in the coloring book category that are expected to be big this summer kerby rosaness imagimorphia out in june and johanna basfords intricately patterned magical jungle out in august


london   philips the dutch electronics giant said on thursday that the initial public offering of its lighting unit valued the business at 3 billion euros or about 33 billion based on market capitalization
shares of philips lighting were priced at EUR20 a share the midpoint of its expected range of EUR1850 to EUR2250 a share
after the ipo philips lighting is valued at EUR45 billion including debt
philips said that 375 million shares were sold in the offering representing 25 percent of the lighting business goldman sachs and j p morgan securities were global co coordinators for the offering
philips lighting will begin trading on a conditional basis on the euronext stock exchange in amsterdam on friday
i am pleased with the response of investors towards philips lighting and the successful pricing of the ipo frans van houten the philips chief executive said in a news release this strategic milestone will allow royal philips to focus on the fast-growing health technology market
philips first announced plans in 2014 to spin off the lighting business as it reshapes itself to focus on health care and technology
if an overallotment of shares is fully exercised philips would own 7125 percent of the lighting business following the offering philips has said it plans to fully sell down its ownership over the next several years
philips will receive proceeds of EUR750 million from the offering
the lighting business includes divisions that produce traditional light bulbs and led lamps and that design complete lighting systems the business had about 34000 employees and posted sales of EUR75 billion in 2015
in april philips said that it was actively engaging with interested parties about the separate sale of its automotive and led components business lumileds
in january philips called off the sale of a controlling stake in the lumileds business to go scale capital an investment fund sponsored by gsr ventures of china and oak investment partners because of regulatory concerns raised in the united states


arusha tanzania   after a series of terrorist attacks on hotels and other tourist sites that raised concerns all across africa the united states has increased training exercises with militaries here focusing on how to defend civilian targets on a continent that has become a significant battleground in the war against militant islam
in ouagadougou the capital of burkina faso united states army troops simulated an elaborate hostage rescue with west african forces this month the combined forces stormed a building shot mock militants and secured the hostages
in kenya american trainers funded by the state department have been working with police commandos on how to respond to terrorist attacks like the westgate shopping mall raid in 2013 when fighters with the shabab the local affiliate of al qaeda killed 67 people and wounded 175 more
and in gabon next month paratroopers from the armys 82nd airborne division   after crossing the atlantic from their fort bragg nc headquarters   are scheduled to jump out of a plane and straight into a joint exercise part of an effort to train central african militaries in elaborate raids strikes and rescue missions
the training effort between the american military and its african partners is a far cry from the days when the pentagon viewed the continent as a place to avoid fearing open ended united nations peacekeeping missions
in the past africa was seen through the peacekeeping lens said jennifer cooke director of the africa program at the center for strategic and international studies
but now she said the us looks at africa differently
some of the threats whether its al shabab isil boko haram or aqim pose a more direct and sophisticated threat to african states to european allies and potentially to the united states she added
those four militant islamist extremist groups   the shabab in east africa the islamic state affiliate in libya boko haram in central and west africa and al qaeda in the maghreb region of west africa   are widely believed to be the terrorist organizations that pose the most direct threat to civilians across the continent
at an african land forces summit meeting here last week gen mark a milley the army chief of staff urged his african counterparts to draw on their own experiences battling colonial european powers to fight the four terrorist groups
many of you in this room are descendants of fighters who practiced guerrilla warfare against the french the british the colonial forces of europe general milley told senior military officials from 37 african countries embedded in your armies is the knowledge of how to fight guerrilla warfare
but defending soft targets   military jargon for hotels restaurants movie theaters shopping malls and other places where unarmed civilians congregate   is difficult for sophisticated militaries let alone the continents fledging security forces
american law restricts the pentagons direct work with african police forces   that is done through the state department   so the american military often finds itself struggling to make sure that its training is going to the people most likely to be charged with carrying out missions like rescuing hostages
its going to take time general milley said during his speech at the arusha meeting but were going to do this selectively without abusing people
in the conference hallways and around dinner tables much of the talk was of the most recent big attack   at grand bassam in ivory coast a country that is distant from the regional base of al qaeda in the islamic maghreb usually operating in the deserts of northern mali but on a quiet sunday in march six gunmen opened fire at the beach resort killing 16 people
their response time was fast   the ivorian military got there in less than 20 minutes one west african general was overheard telling his dining companions as the group dissected the response to the attacks
the grand bassam attack followed an attack on the hotel splendid and the cappuccino cafe in ouagadougou in january and one on the radisson blu hotel in bamako mali in november in all dozens have been killed and many more wounded and that toll does not include attacks by boko haram in the markets and towns of northern nigeria
since the recent spate of attacks african security forces have been asking the american military for help in learning how to defend these targets
theyre asking for how to do better intelligence surveillance said maj gen darryl a williams the head of army forces assigned to africa command which hosted the conference and flew the african officials to arusha theyre asking for logistics help because these threats are everywhere
american trainers are showing the african security forces how to conduct cellphone tracking and how to use human intelligence to forecast trouble using experience gained in afghanistan and iraq the american advisers are also teaching their african counterparts how to try to establish relationships in outlying communities
in burkina faso the original purpose of the joint exercise between the army and about 18 other countries in the region was supposed to be how to support peacekeeping efforts and increase the capability of african partners   the standard fare for african and american joint training events
about 200 soldiers from west africa and the united states showed up for the usual exercises pretending that they were part of a united nations peacekeeping operation in mali
but burkina fasos military still reeling from the hotel splendid attack in january asked for something more
the burkina faso armed forces came to us and said there were a number of different types of scenarios they wanted to train on said col thomas gukeisen a brigade combat team commander with the third infantry division
the west africans asked for help on how to recover isolated soldiers behind enemy lines conduct a medical evacuation and carry out a hostage rescue


related 12 new books were reading this summer and 6 not so new
for a while it seemed as if slapping the word girl on a title virtually guaranteed best seller status there was of course stieg larssons the girl with the dragon tattoo which kicked off his blockbuster crime series then came gillian flynns twisted domestic thriller gone girl which featured a charming sociopath named amy and sold nearly nine million copies in the united states alone thoroughly debunking the notion that readers prefer likable female characters last year the mantle was passed to the girl on the train by paula hawkins an addictively paced suspense novel that has sold more than 11 million copies worldwide
but this year not a single girl title has captivated millions of readers in the same way sure there were kate hamers suspense novel the girl in the red coat about an 8 year olds disappearance and monica hesses historical thriller girl in the blue coat about a teenagers disappearance in nazi occupied amsterdam both novels pulled in stellar reviews but neither broke out in a major way certainly not enough to knock the girl on the train off its throne
now it looks as if the seasonal drought is over girl books seem destined to be big this summer with several juicy and suspenseful novels arriving during the next few months and while their titles may seem formulaic at this point their plots and prose often wreak havoc on the tired trope of girls in peril
in her debut novel the girls emma cline explores the uncanny appeal of a religious cult for girls seeking refuge from moral uncertainty set in northern california in the late 1960s the narrative unfolds as an unhappy teenager evie is sucked into a charles manson like cult seduced by the blissed out feral girls in the commune leaders entourage lonely and insecure evie follows them like a stray to the farm where they live in squalor and tries to ignore undercurrents of violence and sexual abuse
ms cline was all of 25 when the manuscript set off a bidding war among 12 publishers in the fall of 2014 random house bought it in a three book seven figure deal and the producer scott rudin optioned the film rights the novel has been lavishly praised by writers like jennifer egan who called ms cline a thrilling new voice in american fiction and richard ford
with all the hype ms clines book out june 14 seems to have a good shot at becoming the must read novel of the summer but summer is a crowded publishing season and the girls faces competition from a number of other compelling novels with partly overlapping titles and themes including robin wassermans girls on fire megan mirandas all the missing girls david swinsons the second girl and kate horsleys the american girl
its hardly a spoiler to note that in each of these novels bad things happen to girls occasionally and refreshingly girls also do bad things to other people in girls on fire harper may 17 ms wasserman explores the line where close female friendships can blur into obsession and self obliteration the novel opens in small town pennsylvania in 1991 when a popular high school basketball players body is found in the woods with a bullet in his head stirring panic about satanic worship at the heart of the dark story is an intoxicating and all consuming friendship between two teenage girls the lonely hannah dexter and a magnetic new girl lacey a rebellious nirvana loving grunge groupie who flirts with satanism
female friendship is also a central theme of ms mirandas intricately plotted thriller all the missing girls simon  schuster june 28 the novel opens as a young woman named nic returns to her hometown a decade after her best friend disappeared nic has been back in town only a few days when another young woman goes missing ms miranda brings heightened suspense and a twist to this familiar scenario by telling the story which unfolds over 15 days in reverse chronological order
more girls go missing in the second girl mulholland books june 7 a hotly anticipated thriller by david swinson a retired washington police detective the novel which kicks off a new detective series features an investigator who becomes a hero when he happens upon a kidnapped teenage girl during a stakeout of a drug dealers house hes recruited to find another missing girl and worries that the high profile assignment will expose his cocaine addiction
in ms horsleys novel the american girl william morrow aug 2 a teenage girl reappears finally rather than disappearing at the outset she staggers out of the woods bloody and disoriented with no recollection of what has happened to her as a journalist investigates questions swirl over whether the girl an american exchange student in france is the victim of a crime or a murderer herself
with the proliferation of girl titles there are signs that the trend may have peaked it already seems ripe for parody the comedian amy schumer is leading the charge with her much hyped memoir out aug 16 from gallery books which explores her childhood her family relationships feminism and how she broke into comedy shes titled it the girl with the lower back tattoo


related this summer girls in titles and girls in peril
knowing you have something good to read before bed vladimir nabokov wrote is among the most pleasurable of sensations its easy to feel similarly about summer knowing youve got a few fine books tucked away for beach or lawn is akin to bliss
the timess book critics and staff members are here with some recommendations they have each chosen three books two that will be published this summer that are especially appealing and one older title that theyve set aside for longer and warmer days dwight garner
the girls by emma cline random house heres the debut novel that the publishing world cant stop talking about its a coming of age story set in northern california in the late 1960s that involves a thoughtful teenage girl who drifts into a charles manson like cult this promises to be a perceptive page turner a volume to haunt summers warm nights june 14
diane arbus portrait of a photographer by arthur lubow ecco diane arbus is one of the most important and unsettling figures in the history of photography known for her pictures of people on the margins   dwarfs cross dressers giants sideshow freaks mr lubows biography of this pioneering artist the subject of an expansive show at the met breuer opening on july 12 is the first since patricia bosworths in 1984 and it looks serious sensitive and wide ranging june 7
from the bookshelf absolutely nothing to get alarmed about the complete novels of charles wright the books in wrights new york city trilogy   the messenger the wig and absolutely nothing to get alarmed about   were published from 1963 to 1973 theyre about a young working class black intellectual and they are said to be by a friend i trust brutal pessimistic and scaldingly funny ive found a beat up old copy online and i cant wait to read wright for the first time
the innocent have nothing to fear by stuart stevens alfred a knopf face it youre going to hear about the 2016 presidential race all summer long unless you spend your vacation in a missile silo you may as well milk it for laughs as mr stevens   republican political strategist former television writer all around nonfiction guy   appears to have done in this novel his second the main character is a populist anti immigrant republican presidential candidate whatever gave him that idea june 28
here comes the sun by nicole dennis benn liveright this novel may take place in jamaica but do not mistake it for a traditional beach read its for readers who want to know whats really behind the lacquered smile of the desk clerk at that lovely resort in montego bay and what the pleasant woman at the market is really thinking when she sells tourists her jewelry and trinkets the answers are often far less pretty than the scenery but all evidence suggests that this debut deserves its ballyhoo july 19
from the bookshelf something fresh by p g wodehouse whenever a friend is down in the dumps i purchase a stack of bertie and jeeves novels and pop them in the mail on the theory that there is no blight of the soul that cant be healed by their company yet i have never read a single one of wodehouses blandings novels which seems like both a literary sin and a crime against my own mood so heres to the first of the lot which im guessing wont just be something fresh but something marvelous
youll grow out of it by jessi klein grand central publishing earlier in the 2000s i occasionally caught ms kleins sharply nerdy stand up comedy in new york shes since built a formidable career mostly behind comedys scenes including her current role as the head writer for inside amy schumer now shes publishing a book of autobiographical essays and her brain seems particularly well suited to make the transition from stage to page july 12
ninety nine stories of god by joy williams tin house books ms williams deservedly expanded her fan base last year with a collection of new and selected stories the visiting privilege this bite size follow up is a stunt of sorts 99 very short pieces   some just a sentence or two   directly or indirectly about the divine i imagine the subject and ms williamss mordancy will make a good match july 12
from the bookshelf jane eyre by charlotte bronte theres a blurry place in my memory where books i was never assigned overlap with books i was assigned but neglected to read im already 200 pages in so this is a seasonal aspiration very likely to be fulfilled i might follow it up with emily brontes wuthering heights opinions seem to vary and in interesting ways about which book is superior id like to join the jury
homegoing by yaa gyasi alfred a knopf this ambitious debut novel opens in 18th century ghana and follows seven generations of a family that descends from two half sisters who never knew each other effia who marries an english colonial officer and lives in a coastal palace and esi who is captured and sold into slavery the novel spans more than 250 years and several continents as the sisters and their descendants wrestle with the physical and psychic scars of slavery and colonialism june 7
underground airlines by ben h winters mulholland books in this alternate history mr winters imagines a horrific modern day america where the civil war never happened and slavery still exists the persistence of american slavery is a popular alternate history plotline along with the nazis winning world war ii but mr winters carves out fresh territory by blending genres adding elements of detective fiction his weary and haunted protagonist a former slave who calls himself victor works as a bounty hunter who tracks down escaped slaves for the united states marshals service hes on the trail of a man named jackdaw when his mission and the painful bargain hes made with his minders and himself begin to unravel july 5
from the bookshelf carlo rovellis seven brief lessons on physics riverhead books ive wanted to read mr rovellis surprise best seller ever since a reviewer said his breezy tone would give brian cox a run for his quarks in just 88 pages he explores mind bending topics in physics like gravitational waves the heat of black holes and quantum gravity it sounds like the rare book about physics that can be ingested in a single sitting which i hope to do sometime this summer
i am no one by patrick flanery tim duggan books summer is a great time for creepiness and paranoia and so im looking forward to i am no one in this novel strange things are happening to a new york university professor who has recently returned from abroad he seems to be under surveillance of the most insidious and unnerving kind its a terrible predicament to be in but is he hiding something july 5
modern lovers by emma straub riverhead books while youre lazing around on the beach three college friends and former bandmates now in the throes of middle age are spending their summer confronting hard truths about their pasts while dealing with their suddenly sexually active teenagers secrets unravel and revelations are made not just about them but about a fourth band member who became famous on her own tuesday
from the bookshelf in search of lost time by marcel proust ive never read proust now is the time a few of us from various parts of the country and canada have decided to read in search of lost time together and record our spur of the moment thoughts in a group google document weve just started our reactions are all over the place so far so good
heroes of the frontier by dave eggers alfred a knopf after fictional forays to silicon valley the circle and saudi arabia a hologram for the king mr eggers takes his dark vision of 21st century american confusion to the wilds of alaska in this adventure novel meets moral inquiry a midwestern single mother at the end of her rope cruises the scenic byways in a rickety rv with her two children dodging raging wildfires tourist traps personal demons and epically bad weather ultimately digging deep to find something close to old fashioned courage july 26
being a beast by charles foster metropolitan books dr foster is a british veterinarian but dont come to being a beast adventures on the species divide expecting james herriot in an effort to truly understand animals dr foster spent weeks burrowing like a badger on a welsh hillside earthworms for dinner anyone swimming with river otters catching fish with your teeth is harder than it looks and skulking in alleyways with londons urban foxes among other escapades its a sort of literary shamanism he writes in this wildly eccentric and chatty book and its been fantastic fun june 21
from the bookshelf the master and margarita by mikhail bulgakov im not usually big on rereading   there are far too many new books to get to   but this year im planning to go back to bulgakovs darkly fantastical novel which describes what happened when the devil himself strolled into moscow one summer day in the 1930s richard pevear and larissa volokhonsky have revised their translation for the 50th anniversary of the novel that as boris fishman puts it in an introduction has proved its bitter prescience about the way of the world again and again


chris kyle was decorated for killing scores of enemy fighters as a navy sniper during four deployments in iraq his best selling book american sniper detailed his adventures as the most lethal sniper in us military history and the 2014 film of the same name became the top grossing military movie of all time
but a new report suggests that mr kyle may have not been awarded some of the combat medals he claimed
mr kyle a member of the navy seals wrote in american sniper that he was awarded two silver stars and five bronze stars with valor on thursday the navy confirmed a report by the website the intercept that found that mr kyle had been awarded one silver star and three bronze stars with valor
mr kyle who was killed in 2013 by a combat veteran he was trying to help attained celebrity status for the tales of his adventures in iraq and other places including a claim that he had 160 confirmed kills as a sniper   more he said than any other member of the seals his memorial service was moved to cowboys stadium in arlington tex to accommodate the crowd
since then several claims he made publicly have come under scrutiny including one that during hurricane katrina in 2005 the navy placed him on top of the superdome in new orleans where he shot 30 looters others have challenged a claim that he killed two men who tried to carjack him in texas no evidence of either episode has ever been confirmed and in 2014 jesse ventura the wrestler turned politician turned television host won a 18 million defamation suit against mr kyles estate saying that a scene in the book where mr kyle punched a man he later identified as mr ventura never took place
mr kyles navy records have discrepancies his military discharge document known as a dd214 lists two silver stars   the militarys third highest honor   and six bronze stars with valor but his official military personnel file lists one silver star and three bronze stars with valor the navy is looking into the differences but said thursday that it considered official military personnel files authoritative sources
lt jackie pau of the navy office of information said the navy had not found evidence of additional medals
despite the discrepancies mr kyles record includes a long list of accolades his contributions in iraq cannot be overstated the evaluations said in the citation for his silver star for actions in ramadi iraq in 2006 the navy said that during 32 sniper overwatch missions he personally accounted for 91 confirmed enemy fighters killed and dozens more probably killed or wounded
his engagements the citation said directly prevented casualties to us and iraqi forces on more than 30 occasions
even so the revelation is another blow to the navy seals who have been challenged for stories of heroics in the ranks that turned out to be conflated or fabricated a recent account in newsweek challenged several assertions made in the best selling book lone survivor by marcus luttrell a member of the seals and the writer patrick robinson including the size of the attacking force and the ferociousness of the battle
the seals command under pressure to recruit more operators until recently did little to dissuade former members from profiting from telling lucrative and often exaggerated stories


a norwegian consumers group produced a 32 hour webcast of a team of readers going through the fine print of terms and conditions of downloadable apps
finn myrstad of the norwegian consumer council a government agency said the idea was to point out the absurdity and possible illegality of some of the conditions
we got the idea from slow tv he told the associated press referring to broadcasts in norway of for instance five straight hours of knitting a fire burning itself out and live minute by minute salmon fishing
mr myrstad said that the team decided to read and analyze the small print of selected apps over six months and that it discovered that many of them broke the law
we wanted to expose the absurdity of the terms and conditions of when you download an app he said you usually dont read them because theyre either too long or complicated and many of them breach consumer law and data protection laws
the webcast began tuesday morning when the team started reading the terms of around 30 popular apps it ended 32 hours later the council later tweeted a 12 second recap of the broadcast


from a certain angle summer can still look like televisions silly season   the next few months will bring us shark week a new sharknado and cbss zoo perhaps the silliest drama to win renewal from a major network in recent memory but the reality is that summer has become as serious as any other quadrant of the tv calendar and this year it feels particularly weighty here are 15 new and returning shows to watch out for between now and september including a major documentary series about the o j simpson case two of this years peabody award winners unreal and mr robot and new shows from the people behind the good wife and the walking dead
outcast cinemax june 3 having achieved ratings domination with zombies in the walking dead the writer and producer robert kirkman goes for a moodier more suggestive brand of horror in this series about a west virginia town plagued by demonic possessions patrick fugit almost famous plays the antisocial antihero and philip glenister the wild man cop of the original life on mars plays the preacher who presses him into duty as an assistant exorcist
unreal lifetime june 6 last summers breakout among new series along with mr robot on usa returns trying to achieve the same balance between the pitch perfect satire of a bachelor style reality dating show and an all about eve womens story melodrama a new season of the show within the show everlasting features b j britt agents of shield as the bachelor meanwhile rachel the fragile but expert field producer played by shiri appleby has been promoted to showrunner which means that what could go wrong will go wrong
o j made in america abc and espn june 11 already playing in theaters this 7 1/2  hour documentary will be one of the major television events of the summer in his review in the new york times a o scott wrote that this examination of events before during and after the o j simpson murder trial has the grandeur and authority of the best long form nonfiction
braindead cbs june 13 for their next act michelle and robert king creators of the good wife have written and produced a political comedy thriller horror science fiction hybrid in which a new congressional staff member mary elizabeth winstead discovers that things are even worse in washington than we thought tony shalhoub co stars as a republican senator who may be an alien zombie which sounds promising
cilla acorntv june 13 sheridan smith the dominant british actress of the moment who recently suspended her critically acclaimed performance in the london revival of funny girl citing exhaustion plays the 60s british pop star cilla black in this three part mini series ms black whose first hit was a dionne warwick cover was recently in the news her portrayal by lady gaga in a planned warwick biopic was announced by ms warwick and quickly denied by lady gaga
animal kingdom tnt june 14 jonathan lisco an executive producer of southland and halt and catch fire developed this series based on the 2010 australian movie of the same title about a violent criminal family ellen barkin plays the matriarch role that brought jacki weaver an oscar nomination in the original john wells of the west wing er and shameless directed the pilot
raised by wolves acorntv june 20 this highly praised autobiographical british comedy series written by the sisters caitlin and caroline moran comes to america on the acorn streaming service rebekah staton of pulling and spy plays a harried but unfailingly resilient mother of six who home schools forages for tea on the village green to stretch the food budget and when confronted by a daughters first period says right lets do some parenting then
queen of the south usa june 23 this english language remake of the popular telenovela la reina del sur about a young mexican woman who becomes a drug lord looks like it will be more narcos than jane the virgin or ugly betty alice braga will play the central role assayed in the original by kate del castillo now known for her role as the fixer in the infamous el chapo sean penn interview
marcella netflix july 1 anna friel stars in this british crime drama as a disgraced detective who returns to the force after her husband walks out on her and the serial killer she didnt catch appears to be killing again the character who exhibits symptoms of neurological impairment sounds like an english cousin of saga noren of the influential scandinavian series the bridge it stands to reason since hans rosenblatt the primary writer of marcella created the bridge coincidentally the british remake of the bridge called the tunnel will be shown on pbs beginning on june 19
the night of hbo july 10 james gandolfini was supposed to play the low rent lawyer who takes on an apparently hopeless cause in this eight part mini series now it stars john turturro riz ahmed of nightcrawler plays a pakistani american cabbys son accused of murder a role played by ben whishaw in the british series on which the night of is based an examination of a single case from arrest to investigation to incarceration to trial it will draw comparisons to john ridleys american crime on abc but its set in new york rather than california and favors the poetic over the sociological perhaps because the novelist richard price collaborated on the scripts with steven zaillian who directed seven episodes
mr robot usa july 13 last summers most buzzy new series   a downbeat coming of age story elaborately welded to a downbeat techno thriller   returns for its second season and adds grace gummer as an fbi agent investigating the hack that has brought down the worlds financial systems
doc  darryl espn july 14 the former mets doc gooden and darryl strawberry look back on what was and what could have been this film in espns 30 for 30 series reunites two new york sports heroes but its real distinction lies behind the camera it was directed by the comedy godfather judd apatow in collaboration with the nonfiction filmmaker michael bonfiglio you dont know bo
the get down netflix aug 12 new york of the 1970s gets the baz luhrmann treatment which means   based on past experience and the trailer netflix has released for the 13 episode first season   that there will be a lot to look at and listen to and no pressing need to think about any of it but working with the television veteran shawn ryan creator of the shield might temper mr luhrmanns tendency to put sentiment and flash ahead of story and character a largely unknown cast play the young romantics caught up in the heyday of disco rap and punk with assistance from jimmy smits and giancarlo esposito as elder statesmen of the bronx
the strain fx aug 28 as season 2 ended the fearless vampire killer nora electrocuted herself that would appear to remove mia maestro from the cast of this smart and entertaining horror series but we can still enjoy the performances of corey stoll as the heroic epidemiologist eph david bradley as the lethal pawnbroker setrakian and kevin durand as the noble exterminator fet
shut eye hulu dec 7 the premiere date was pushed back from august to december after publication jeffrey donovan of burn notice who resurfaced on tv with a supporting role in season 2 of fargo goes back to being the star in this comic noir about a failed magician who resorts to being a storefront psychic


brendan r mcguire a senior federal prosecutor in manhattan who helped to win convictions in some of the nations most prominent international terrorism cases will join the law firm wilmerhale as a partner in september the firm said on thursday
mr mcguire 40 who has spent a decade in the united states attorneys office for the southern district of new york most recently under the top prosecutor preet bharara has overseen terrorism and international narcotics cases since 2014 in the three years before that he ran the offices public corruption unit supervising the prosecutions of more than half a dozen former elected state and city officials including former state senator carl kruger and former councilman larry b seabrook as well as three businessmen who were convicted of defrauding new york city in the so called citytime case
mr mcguires deputy john p cronan 39 is expected to succeed him as chief of the southern districts terrorism unit
mr mcguire who will leave the united states attorneys office in june will work in wilmerhales white collar practice in new york and in its national security practice which is based in washington the law firm said at the firm he will join a group of former senior southern district prosecutors including boyd m johnson iii who is mr bhararas former deputy sharon cohen levin who ran the offices money laundering and asset forfeiture unit todd blanche who oversaw the violent crimes unit and anjan sahni who was chief of the wall street task force
at wilmerhale mr johnson said mr mcguire will help manage and lead high stakes investigations for companies and individuals he will also bring his expertise to banks and clients in other industries mr johnson added where national security issues have become increasingly important whether its money laundering by terrorist organizations cybersecurity attacks by nation states or organized criminals or issues related to import export and sanctions
mr mcguire a graduate of regis high school williams college and new york university school of law has roots in new york law enforcement his grandfather james mcguire spent more than 40 years with the new york police department and his father robert j mcguire served for six years as the police commissioner under mayor ed koch
as a prosecutor brendan mcguire helped convict faisal shahzad the pakistani immigrant who tried unsuccessfully to detonate a car bomb in times square in 2010 viktor bout a russian businessman accused of running an international arms trafficking network and a somali man involved in the 2009 hijacking of an american flagged cargo ship off the coast of africa
as chief of the terrorism unit mr mcguire supervised the trial of sulaiman abu ghaith a former spokesman and son in law of osama bin laden
before joining the united states attorneys office in 2005 mr mcguire worked as an associate at the law firm paul weiss rifkind wharton  garrison and later with the firm then known as stillman  friedman


athens   a greek archaeologist who has been leading a 20 year excavation in northern greece said on thursday that he believed he had unearthed the tomb of aristotle
in an address at a conference in thessaloniki greece commemorating the 2400th anniversary of aristotles birth the archaeologist konstantinos sismanidis said he had no proof but strong indications as certain as one can be to support his claim
the tomb was in a structure unearthed in the ancient village of stagira where aristotle was born about 40 miles east of thessaloniki according to mr sismanidis the structure was a monument erected in aristotles honor after his death in 322 bc
we had found the tomb he said weve now also found the altar referred to in ancient texts as well as the road leading to the tomb which was very close to the citys ancient marketplace within the city settlement
although the evidence of whose tomb it was is circumstantial several characteristics   its location and panoramic view its positioning at the center of a square marble floor and the time of its construction estimated to be at the very beginning of the hellenistic period which started after the death of aristotles most famous student alexander the great in 323 bc   all lead to the conclusion that the remains of the arched structure are part of what was once the tomb shrine of aristotle mr sismanidis said
aristotle who was born in 384 bc was a pupil of plato in athens and became a crucial figure in the emergence of western philosophy his work forms the basis of modern logic and his metaphysics became an integral part of christian theology his poetics still offers penetrating analysis of what works and does not work in theater king philip ii of macedon engaged him as a tutor to his son alexander
a separate excavation in another part of northern greece amphipolis in 2014 led to the discovery of the largest ancient tomb ever found in the country speculation linking the tomb to alexander the great set off huge media interest but archaeologists later concluded that it had probably been built for a close companion of the king and conqueror


stonehenge eroding under the forces of extreme weather venice slowly collapsing into its canals the statue of liberty gradually flooding
images like these familiar from hollywood climate catastrophe thrillers were evoked by a joint report released on thursday by unesco the united nations environment program and the union of concerned scientists that detailed the threat climate change could pose to world heritage sites on five continents
the australian continent was originally included in the report but its government requested it be removed because of concerns that the information would hurt its tourism industry
adam markham the deputy director for climate and energy at the union of concerned scientists and the reports lead author said that while many of the sites were bound to be affected by factors including a rise in sea levels intense storms and wildfires planning could go a long way toward protecting them
it is a very tough challenge but if we recognize the scale of the problem   and i dont think most people realize how big it is or how fast the changes are coming   then i think there is a lot we can do he said
the report highlights 31 sites in 29 countries that have already felt some impact from climate change including well known tourist destinations like easter island and yellowstone national park it was drawn from peer reviewed science literature technical reports and local experts as well as domestic evaluations of the sites prepared for the world heritage committee
though the report emphasizes the importance of the recent paris climate accord mr markham said that emissions already affecting the climate are likely to create a lot of change and impact
we dont have enough resources to save every threatened asset he said can we save every lighthouse that is on an eroding cliff probably not so there are going to have to be hard choices made in every country
thirteen listed heritage sites were examined in comprehensive case studies intended to demonstrate the way climate change has already had an impact in a study of the statue of liberty for instance the effects of hurricane sandy which scientists have shown were exacerbated by a rise in the sea level are explored at length
rebecca beavers the coastal adaptation coordinator of the national park service who helps the agency plan for the impact of climate change and was an adviser on the report said the damage to the facilities and infrastructure at the statue of liberty from the 2012 storm had precipitated a new focus on how best to contend with extreme weather
i think that its important to recognize that adaptation is continuous change ms beavers said its not isolated action its not a single step it really is a process
the report includes a series of recommendations for government agencies the tourism industry and heritage site managers it emphasizes that the sites themselves represent a trove of historical information on human responses to extreme weather and that the archaeological data they hold can help guide policy makers
mr markham who is british said he personally was very upset about what was happening to skara brae a 5000 year old neolithic settlement that is one of many sites off the coast of scotland at risk from coastal erosion
this is the famous one which ive never seen and i want to be able to see but i care about all of those sites mr markham said for me that is my cultural heritage disappearing into the ocean


albany   agents from the state attorney generals office conducted a search at the state university of new york polytechnic institute here on thursday scouring an office once used by a lobbyist as part of an inquiry into possible bid rigging
agents arrived with search warrants and looked through an office used by todd r howe who has past ties to gov andrew m cuomo a democrat mr howe had worked as the president of the lobbying arm of whiteman osterman  hanna a prominent albany law firm which had suny polytechnic as a client agents also served a warrant to examine communications from alain e kaloyeros the schools president
mr howe and mr kaloyeros have recently emerged as central players in a multipronged federal investigation led by the united states attorney for the southern district of new york preet bharara surrounding the buffalo billion the governors signature upstate economic initiative mr howe was fired from whiteman after news of the federal investigation broke last month
the search   conducted by several agents who looked into electronic files and removed at least two boxes of material   focused in part on a plan to build a dormitory near the universitys sleek campus but according to an official with knowledge of the investigation agents were also looking into other projects connected with suny polytechnic as well as several developers who had worked with the school
suny poly cooperated fully today with the ny ags office request to search an office previously used by todd howe at our albany campus a spokesman for suny polytechnic said in a statement we continue to cooperate fully with their investigation
the suny polytechnic inquiry by the attorney general eric t schneiderman focuses in part the official said on whether the 2015 proposal was drafted in such a way as to eliminate all developers except one columbia development companies which worked on another major project at the university such coordination would violate state antitrust laws
suny polytechnic has served as a linchpin of mr cuomos efforts to stimulate growth upstate distributing millions of dollars for nanotech related developments the school has been under scrutiny since last year when it was subpoenaed as part of an investigation into the highest profile project of the buffalo billion   a factory to be used by solarcity the state has promised 750 million to the project which is being built by lpciminelli a buffalo developer whose chief executive has been a generous campaign contributor to mr cuomo
in addition to mr howe the federal inquiry is said to be investigating joseph percoco mr cuomos longtime aide and confidant
mr cuomo has opened his own investigation into possible fraud and improper lobbying appointing a former prosecutor bart m schwartz to investigate and review all decisions related to the buffalo billion
mr kaloyeros a charismatic physicist had served on the boards of two nonprofits that manage real estate developments for the university but he resigned this year those nonprofits fuller road management corporation and fort schuyler management corporation have also drawn the interest of investigators
calls seeking comment from columbia development were not immediately returned it worked on zero energy nanotechnology a glittering 191 million building that opened in 2015


san francisco   snapchat the disappearing message service with big media ambitions has finished raising 18 billion according to a wednesday filing with the securities and exchange commission
while most start ups raise money by putting together a group of investors who buy a specified amount of stock at a particular time snapchat collected the capital over more than a year snapchat based in los angeles said in the filing that it began raising the latest round on feb 17 2015
over the last year new investors including general atlantic sequoia capital t rowe price and the hedge fund lone pine have bought stakes in snapchat according to people who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the talks were private not long after snapchat began to collect money the chinese e commerce giant alibaba also agreed to invest 200 million at a valuation of 15 billion snapchats final valuation could not be learned
as a private company snapchat is not required to disclose the identities of investors or its valuation a representative for snapchat declined to comment on the funding the start ups previous investors include fidelity investments and coatue techcrunch earlier reported some of the new investors
snapchats filing lands at a time when venture funding has cooled over the last two quarters funding for venture backed companies in the united states has fallen according to pricewaterhousecoopers and the national venture capital association in the first quarter of this year funding dropped 11 percent to 121 billion from a year earlier
snapchat has proved wildly popular especially for those ages 13 to 34 a group that is coveted by advertisers and brands that want to become a part of the next generations daily habits
snapchat was founded in 2011 to let people send messages that would disappear in a matter of seconds last year the company pushed deeper into media when it began discover a product that lets users read stories and watch video from media companies like vice espn buzzfeed and comedy central discover has given snapchat a way to make money off from its more than 100 million daily active users
snapchat splits advertising revenue with the media companies that post material to the service in exchange for wide distribution the companies adhere to certain content production commitments


in being a beast adventures across the species divide the english writer charles foster describes his experiences living underground with badgers swimming with otters and skulking overnight in alleyways with the foxes of east london all in an effort to know what it is like to be a wild thing as he puts it we spoke with him by telephone about what he calls his adventures in literary shamanism here are edited excerpts from the conversation
in regular life youre a researcher in bioethics at oxford how much time did you spend trying to be a beast
ive really been doing it all my life but for literary purposes i compressed lots of episodes into readable chunks for the badger chapter i probably spent about six weeks altogether living underground
that chapter opens with a vivid description of eating live earthworms which you describe as a good argument for cremation were you worried it would put people off
everybody asks me about the worm thing it was intended to shock people to make them ask i think this is disgusting but why do i think its disgusting is it really different in principle from a lot of other things i do
your book got good reviews in britain though most of them used some variation on the word bonkers were there any moments when you wondered if you had gone a little crazy
i get slightly irritated by the word bonkers what i want to do is make people reflect on whether their own viewpoint on the world is the only one humans should have if people simply label this weird or eccentric ive failed this is really a travel book its an attempt to visit parts of the landscape that we see all the time but that are usually invisible to us
which of the beasts in your book did you most enjoy being you seem to have special affection for the foxes who haunt the alleyways of east london
they inhabit the inner city as effortlessly as they inhabit a wild wood they taught me that if we use all our senses all the time we are able to inhabit any place more satisfactorily apart from my children the foxes have been my great tutors
youre much more down on otters which you describe as relentless killing and eating machines taking in the equivalent of about 88 big macs a day being an otter you write is like being on speed and not in a good way
they have this frantic requirement to get their calorie intake up leaving little room inside their heads for anything other than the craving they do seem to be mere circuit boards in the way other species arent
judging from your chapter on trying to paraglide with swifts birds do seem to have more fun
this morning ive been watching a chimney swift diving around a lot of that is just for the sheer hell of it theyre generally rejoicing in flight wasting calories you dont see that in otters
youre pretty hard on human beings in the book especially of the urban variety is there anything about being human that your adventures in beast being made you appreciate
our cognitive abilities can be a tremendous advantage if they are informed by all of our senses but im angry at humans who act towards the natural world with a lack of empathy which if displayed towards other humans would be seen as frankly psychopathic we have this ability to engage the natural world on so many more levels than we actually do im incredibly happy being a human being but im much happier having learned the lessons about being human that these other species have taught me


the possibility that donald j trump and bernie sanders could meet in a debate got us thinking creatively
anderson cooper welcome to a cnn special presentation im anderson cooper tonight we have an unusual showdown donald trump and bernie sanders mr trump you won 12 consecutive coin tosses backstage somehow so youll have the chance to speak first
donald j trump heads i win tails you lose i make deals ok mr sanders grimaces
thank you cnn for having me and youre welcome cnn for having me were gonna make a little money here ok some beautiful charities so what is there to say bernies done great right hes taking it to crooked hillary big crowds yuge second biggest easy im not gonna say whos got the biggest john miller tells me its me im not gonna say it
cooper all right senator sanders your response
bernie sanders thank you anderson ill be blunt to elect a demagogue a billionaire who has had his hands all ovah a corrupt wall street system that  
trump hands huh look at this tough guy now anderson hands raises hands skyward as if celebrating a touchdown or attempting to frighten a bear you see any problem with these hands
sanders the american people are sick and tired of hearing about ya damn hands
trump its ok hes having a rough night real tough guy crazy bernie
sanders the american people have had a lot of rough nights anderson a lot of rough nights under a corrupt system of  
trump not too many tough guys come out of vermont ok not too many killers
crowd begins to boo
ok here we go the donors got tickets again lotta maple syrup money in the room here it is real tough kasich can bring the pancakes big tough guys
sanders it is a known fact that the top 5 percent of the top 1 percent of the pancake  
trump look at this guy sweat you seeing this guy its like liddle marco in a parka at mar a lago disgusting
sanders anderson id like to remind everyone here of what really matters we must not elect this dangerous man as our president now let me say a word about my democratic opponent we have had our differences but i respect secretary clinton she knows her way around a superdelegate she is a smart decent capable representative of the corrupt washington establishment
cooper is that all
sanders youll hear the rest in philly anderson
cooper ok i want to ask you both about your tax returns now a lot of voters have criticized you both for   gentlemen are you still with us you do realize we can see you ducking under the lecterns
trump whispering into a live microphone im the best hider he cant see us
cooper ok lets try another one higher education senator sanders you have promised free tuition for all
trump trump university will not be a part of that anderson were getting paid ok
cooper thank you mr trump what is the status of the trump university lawsuits sir
trump let me tell you something about jeb bush all right
cooper sir i think governor bush has suffered enough
trump supporters begin to protest a robust trump chant builds mr trump joins them
trump trump trump trump
mr sanders retrieves an old boombox holding it aloft simon and garfunkel croon from the speakers theyve all come to look for amerrrrr ica
trump ben and jerry play instruments
cooper well be right back


growing up in the shadow of a famous novelist would probably deter most people from pursuing a career as a fiction writer it had the opposite effect on emma straub daughter of the best selling horror and suspense writer peter straub
i always wanted to be a novelist she said
she was so determined to write for a living that she kept at it even after the first four novels she had written were turned down
they all got rejected by every single person in publishing in the world she said with what she insists is only a touch of hyperbole its still true that i will go to a publishing party or event and the first thing i will think of is i know who you are you rejected novels 2 and 4 those days are over this month ms straub is releasing her fourth published book modern lovers which is shaping up to be one of this summers must reads the novel centers on two middle aged brooklyn couples whose marriages are in crisis in a recent telephone interview ms straub 36 spoke about it below are edited excerpts from the conversation
modern lovers falls into a crowded literary subgenre of novels about brooklynites what made you choose ditmas park as a setting
i wanted to stay as far away from the quote unquote brooklyn book as i could while still having a book take place in recognizable brooklyn i didnt want a book jacket with a row of brownstones brooklyn wasnt the point
i thought where can i put them if i put them in ditmas park they can have lawns and big houses with staircases and driveways and garages and i thought there could be people playing music in garages which seems like the most romantic thing in the world to me
i love that one of the main characters elizabeth is a real estate agent
one of the things that people mentioned often in reviews of the vacationers ms straubs previous novel was that the people seemed too upper crusty so i wanted to make sure in this book that the people really had jobs and were seen doing their jobs having one character as a real estate agent made sense on a lot of levels looking at real estate is all about fantasy and imagination and picturing how your life could be different and presenting you with all these choices at once
one notable feature of many of your characters is that they often go to great lengths to avoid conflict
i am extremely conflict averse it really wasnt until i started dating my husband that i learned it was possible to have an argument with someone and have everyone be ok afterwards
do you and your dad swap tips
my dad is probably my toughest critic when i gave him my new book he read it and would text me or call me and say he was really enjoying it and he also told me what he thought was wrong with it and i was like dad its too late youre holding the galley


at the prospect1 biennial in new orleans in 2008 three years after hurricane katrina the berlin artist katharina grosse covered a dilapidated house in the lower ninth ward with orange and yellow
now four years after hurricane sandy she is bringing her spray paint to fort tildens decaying aquatics building in queens covering it in the fiery red of a rockaways sunset
beginning on fourth of july weekend and continuing through thanksgiving ms grosses outdoor exhibition is part of rockaway moma ps1s programming that began in 2013 with bloomberg philanthropies fort tilden a former military base is part of the gateway national recreation area
klaus biesenbach the director of moma ps1 said that ms grosse is going to use the landscape and architecture as a canvas
the partners on rockaway include the national park service the jamaica bay rockaway parks conservancy and rockaway artists alliance after the exhibition the aquatics building will be razed by the park service as part of its hurricane sandy recovery program
heres a very beautiful found object said mr biesenbach who has a house in the rockaways it has history as being a military fortress as being ecologically changed because of the hurricane now its being restored to its natural habitat
for four years chrissie iles a curator at the whitney museum of american art has been exploring how artists use cinematic conventions to create their own versions of the moving image
theres been a complete revolution in the way we see ms iles said what is this new visual reality and how are artists articulating it
the results of this inquiry dreamlands immersive cinema and art 1905 2016 will take up the entire fifth floor of the whitney beginning oct 28
highlights include a video projected inside a cardboard geodesic dome production design paintings for ridley scotts film blade runner and the actress tilda swinton portraying an artificial intelligence persona who talks to viewers through a mirrored screen and a microphone in a piece by lynn hershman leeson
artifice and reality ms iles said have become versions of each other
when the turner prize winning artist simon starling was preparing the piece he would exhibit at the hiroshima city museum of contemporary art five years ago he learned about masked japanese noh theater which inspired w b yeatss 1916 play at the hawks well
now mr starling is building on that project with at twilight his first institutional show in new york and a rare solo exhibition at japan society that features a non japanese artist
it is also the first exhibition by yukie kamiya japan societys new gallery director who used to be chief curator at the hiroshima museum
the show is organized with the common guild of glasgow which will present mr starlings version of the yeats play in july
mr starling said that he was intrigued by the idea of masked theater where nobody is who they appear to be
crackers cheese peanut butter ketchup ... 
since when does a grocery list qualify as a monument enter the british artist david shrigley who has engraved these sundry items on a 17 foot tall slab of granite to be temporarily installed by the public art fund on sept 8 at the southeast entrance to central park
the piece memorial expands on mr shrigleys 2008 work gravestone which featured a grocery list in gold leaf letters the artist also has a show opening at brandeis universitys rose art museum in september
hes best known for a unique drawing style that makes satirical comments on everyday interactions said emma enderby an associate curator with the art fund its absurd its funny but its also sad and poignant
the argentine artist julio le parc has dedicated his 60 year career to participatory kinetic art as a way to encourage personal contact and promote social change he wants to clear away all the structures and systems which come between a work of art and the viewer said estrellita b brodsky a collector and curator so they result in a direct unmediated connection
ms brodsky is the guest curator for a le parc show at the perez art museum miami opening on nov 18 the artists first united states museum exhibition
for the show which will include more than 100 pieces mr le parc has insisted on a minimum of signage and labels
he wants people to engage with the artwork   he doesnt want them to read ms brodsky said he doesnt want the institution to dictate how they should interact with a work of art
marianne boeskys chelsea gallery is expanding into the space next door doubling its size   to allow for concurrent exhibitions and more ambitious shows   and closing its lower east side location
the first show in the combined west 24th street space opening on june 23 will feature work by the artists jay heikes thornton dial and lee mullican in september the gallery will present a solo exhibition of new works by donald moffett
meanwhile triple canopy the brooklyn based art and literary journal is also gaining twice the space in september with a move to chinatown with the architects leong leong the organization has designed a new home that can accommodate activities from solitary editing and coding said the director peter j russo to daylong work sessions with artists to performances and readings


san jose calif   patrick marleau and joe thornton sat side by side waiting to field questions shortly after the san jose sharks had advanced to the stanley cup finals for the first time in their 25 year history with a 5 2 victory over the st louis blues
that made sense marleau and thornton both 36 and sporting some gray in their playoff beards have much in common starting with the fact that they were the first two players taken in the 1997 nhl draft
marleau went to the sharks after the boston bruins made thornton the top overall pick
they have been teammates since 2005 for years they have been recognized as two of the leagues high end talents past all stars who have also won gold medals representing canada in the olympics thorntons 964 career regular season assists are the second most among active players marleaus 481 goals rank him fifth
yet they have borne the stigma of leading a team that until now has failed to meet stanley cup expectations marleau and thornton have each served as captain of the sharks and each has lost the job paying the price after a particularly troubling playoff exit there were indications two years ago denied by general manager doug wilson that the front office was looking to move one of the players
all of which explains why sharks coach peter deboer acknowledged that he could not imagine what wednesday nights victory in game 6 of the western conference finals meant to marleau and thornton
deboer has spent only one year with them seeing how hard they work how badly they want to win
i dont think thats changed over the last 10 years he said i just think for whatever reason it hasnt come together so i cant imagine the stuff written about them and said about them that theyve had to deal with its a great night for those guys
marleau and thornton prefer to deal with the present rather than the past
asked about the hockey platitude that sometimes a team needs to lose before it can learn to win marleau said i think you try to take what you learned in the past and apply it i think theres a big part just staying in the moment knowing what we have the opportunity we have right now for me thats the biggest thing you dont make it this far all the time obviously just trying to seize the moment
if thornton is asked the difference between this years team and those that preceded it he has a stock answer depth like the rest of the sharks organization he chooses to look forward not back
looking forward the sharks will face the pittsburgh penguins who defeated the tampa bay lightning on thursday night in game 7 of the eastern conference finals the stanley cup finals are scheduled to begin monday
the sharks said after their victory over the blues that they had been determined not to fly back to st louis for a game 7 san jose got an early goal from its current captain joe pavelski in the first period then built a 4 0 lead with two goals by forward joel ward and one by the rookie joonas donskoi two late goals by st louis forward vladimir tarasenko closed the gap before an empty net shot by sharks forward logan couture with 197 seconds left wrapped up the scoring
in that 5 2 victory thornton had one assist his 18th point in 18 playoff games this spring marleau had two assists including one on the decisive goal by ward that gives marleau 12 points in the postseason
their teammates say there is something special about helping thornton and marleau advance to the stanley cup finals
obviously im very happy for them said ward who was signed by the sharks as a free agent last summer for me to get a chance to be beside them day to day is an unbelievable experience i just want to try to help them achieve the big goal and win
the sharks know that eliminating st louis was just one step toward something bigger san jose has earned a reputation as the best nhl team in the last decade not to have won the stanley cup that players say needs to change
this is not the end goal thornton said i can tell you that right now
pavelski who was sitting alongside thornton and marleau picked up the same thread
it was fun out there tonight pavelski said it was exciting the building was great the fans were great but we realize theres more out there thats what were going to turn our attention to


government offices closed
post offices priority mail only self service kiosks are available at the main new york city post office on eighth avenue at 32nd street but there is no regular postal service
banks option to close
parking sunday rules in effect for the city
sanitation no pickups street cleaning or recycling
schools closed
financial markets stock and bond markets will be closed
transportation new york city subways and buses will operate on a sunday schedule the metro north railroad will operate on a sunday schedule long island rail road trains will operate on a holiday schedule
government offices closed
post offices priority mail express only
banks option to close
schools option to close
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kiev ukraine   a group of united nations inspectors investigating allegations of torture in ukraine has suspended its work the teams leader said this week citing a lack of cooperation from government security services
sir malcolm evans leader of the four member team from the united nations subcommittee on prevention of torture said in a statement wednesday that his group had been denied access to sites under control of ukraines domestic intelligence agency known as the sbu
the end of the teams weeklong trip a day earlier than scheduled comes at a time when ukraines government is trying to demonstrate that it can be a bastion of european values even as it is engaged in a bloody conflict in eastern ukraine with russian backed rebel militias
most of the accusations of rights abuses in the war have involved the rebels but the united nations team had been in ukraine since may 19 trying to investigate what rights groups have said are signs of detainee abuse by the sbu
after prisoner exchanges in the east between government forces and rebels some detainees have left ukrainian jails limping and saying they had fingers or ribs broken by guards
in a report published in march on extrajudicial detention and torture in ukraine the office of united nations high commissioner for human rights cited the case of a 74 year old woman who was detained and beaten because her son had been accused of terrorism
another detainee reportedly had a plastic bag placed over his head and was then hit in the face head and body later his son was taken to a separate room from which he could hear his sons screams the report said
natalya i sevostyanova a deputy justice minister in ukraine said on thursday that the united nations investigative team had been denied access to sbu centers in mariupol and kramatorsk both are front line towns that have been under regular shelling by rebel artillery that has killed dozens of civilians
vasyl s hrytsak the sbu director denied that detainees were being held at the local offices of the security services in the two towns he could not permit the united nations team to visit he said because the offices held weapons and documents that he was not obliged to share with the agency
if you arrive for example in the united states and ask to come to the cia or the fbi to visit a basement or an office do you think they will ever let you do it he told the ukrainian news media
the government of president petro o poroshenko has received western support in its fight against rebel militias including nonlethal assistance from the united states in the form of medical aid and communications equipment including radios
ukraine is a party to the united nations convention against torture and signed the optional protocol as well which allows united nations inspectors to make unannounced visits to any detention center the investigative teams leader sir malcolm said his committee expects ukraine to abide by its international obligations
international organizations are rarely granted access to rebel detention centers such as a sprawling former art gallery converted into a prison in donetsk
some united nations representatives have been detained themselves one employee yury suprun has been held since april 12 by the donetsk peoples republic according to mr hrytsak the sbu director ukraine provided the united nations mission with access to about 600 detainees compared with only four people held by separatists


a jury ruled in favor of google on thursday in a long legal dispute with oracle over software used to power most of the worlds smartphones
oracle contended that google used copyrighted material in 11000 of its 13 million lines of software code in android its mobile phone operating system oracle asked for 9 billion from google google said it made fair use of that code and owed nothing
the victory for google cheered other software developers who operate much the way google did when it comes to so called open source software unlike traditional software created by corporations and tightly held open source products are released often with some restrictions for anyone to use and modify
great news for progress and innovation chris dixon a technology investor with andreessen horowitz the venture capital firm posted on twitter after the verdict
android relies in part on java an open source software language that oracle acquired when it bought sun microsystems for 74 billion in 2010 oracle argued that google executives violated oracles copyright by using aspects of java without permission
william fitzgerald a google spokesman said in a statement that the verdict represents a win for the android ecosystem for the java programming community and for software developers who rely on open and free programming languages to build innovative consumer products
the courtroom fight was something of a watershed for technology and could offer clarity on legal rules surrounding open source technology which is used in everything from smartphones and digital recording devices to the software that runs many of the worlds biggest data centers
people who work with open source technology worried that a victory for oracle would have led other companies to make similar demands of open source products
it does give a lot of breathing room to other companies and individuals trying to do a lot of innovative activity said parker higgins director of copyright activism at the electronic frontier foundation a digital rights advocacy group
while there is an expectation in open source projects that the software tweaks of others will be given back to the community working on the software open source often requires a license as well
but where software licenses typically forbid touching code or sharing code with anyone open source licenses usually insist on sharing they detail what can and cannot be used by other companies in their products and they often require people to share their work with other developers
the idea is that collectively people working at many companies or even out of their homes or college dorms can build better technology than what is created behind the closed doors of one corporation
from the start this was a trial neither side intended oracle first sued google in 2010 accusing it of patent and copyright violations in android the outcome of that case which was decided in 2012 was largely favorable to google
but in 2014 a federal appeals court found that certain parts of java were protected by copyright providing oracle with fresh ammunition when the supreme court refused to hear an appeal of that decision last year the case was sent back to the lower courts to hear the copyright aspect of the case again
in this iteration of the courtroom fight eric e schmidt executive chairman of alphabet googles parent company testified that sun knew google was using java and approved of that use even though google did not obtain a license jonathan schwartz who was chief executive of sun before oracle bought it backed up that view and a blog post he wrote praising android was a major piece of evidence in the trial
oracle provided a series of emails and meeting documents that countered that view suggesting that larry page a founder of google and chief executive of alphabet had pressed the android team to develop the product quickly mr page denied the suggestion on the stand
the particular areas of copyright protection in java involved the so called declaring code in application programming interfaces or apis which have become the common way that networked programs on the internet share data
declaring code establishes standards and meanings by which future lines of software the actual effects the software seeks to create will operate this distinction compelled the 10 jurors   eight women and two men   to hear extensive testimony by engineers and economists about the nature of code and the copyrightable implications of this type of creativity
dorian daley oracles general counsel said the company planned to appeal we strongly believe that google developed android by illegally copying core java technology to rush into the mobile device market she said in a statement oracle brought this lawsuit to put a stop to googles illegal behavior
some lawyers cautioned against viewing the verdict as a green light for the type of software development google performed saying that the earlier federal appeals court decision validated the idea that apis can be copyrighted
i dont think the industry can sit back and rely on this decision and exhale and say these things wont be protected said christopher carani a lawyer at mcandrews held  malloy i think what youre still going to see is a lot more attention paid to securing approval to use other copyrights before the fact
john bergmayer a senior staff attorney at public knowledge a consumer rights group cheered the verdict in a statement but said he remained troubled by the implications of the earlier court decision other courts of appeal should reject the federal circuits mistaken finding of copyrightability he said for now though the jurys verdict is a welcome dose of common sense
for spectators the historic trial was also a rare look at silicon valley history not only did mr schmidt work at both sun and google he sat on the board of apple computer when apple was developing the iphone leading him to say he recused himself from knowledge of the iphone when it was clear android would be a competing product
andy rubin who led the android project at google worked at apple early in his career and later developed a type of multifunction phone which had a java license oracles executive chairman lawrence j ellison who appeared in video testimony was friends with steve jobs who led development of the iphone and scott mcnealy a founder and the chief executive of sun before mr schwartz
while the jury may now rest the court fight will probably continue the case could go to the supreme court though it was unclear whether the court would rule definitively on copyright said pamela samuelson a professor at the school of law and the school of information at the university of california berkeley they dont usually like to go against what the appeals court established she said


crimes by americans on the japanese island of okinawa home to about half the 47000 united states troops in japan have chronically irritated ties between the countries but the arrest of a marine veteran last week in connection with the murder of a woman whose body was found in the woods has escalated into a crisis that may complicate the pentagons okinawa operations
the case has inflamed japanese emotions to the point that prime minister shinzo abe raised it with uncharacteristically public anger this week in his welcome to president obama who is visiting japan for the group of 7 summit meeting and a precedent setting trip to hiroshima where the united states dropped an atomic bomb almost 71 years ago
the okinawa victim rina shimabukuro 20 an office worker from the city of uruma disappeared in the evening on april 28 after having gone out for a walk according to japanese news accounts
the suspect kenneth franklin gadson 32 who goes by his japanese wifes family name shinzato was arrested exactly four weeks later on may 19
mr shinzato who is originally from new york and served in the marines was a civilian employee at kadena air base a major american military installation on okinawa and lived with his wife and child in the city of yonabaru about 22 miles south of uruma
japanese news reports about the case which quote unidentified police sources that could not be independently corroborated provided this basic account
mr shinzato who did not know the victim was questioned by the police after bloodstains were found in his car he admitted to having killed ms shimabukuro and he provided the police with the location of ms shimabukuros body in a wooded area of onna about seven miles north uruma
he was initially charged with the illegal disposal of a body but additional charges including homicide are expected pending the results of an autopsy
it is not known precisely how ms shimabukuro was killed with some japanese news reports saying she was stabbed and others saying she was strangled no murder weapon has been found and no motive has been established it remains unclear if she was sexually assaulted
stars and stripes a newspaper that serves the united states military community quoted mr shinzatos okinawa lawyer as saying mr shinzato admitted to the police he had strangled the victim but that the admission had been made under questionable circumstances   mr shinzato was under the influence of sleeping pills taken in an attempted suicide
he was still in a daze the lawyer toshimitsu takaesu was quoted as saying i do not accept a statement taken under such conditions right now it is the statement alone with no supporting evidence
efforts to reach mr takaesu by telephone and email were not immediately answered
the english language edition of the mainichi shimbun reported on thursday that mr shinzato was not currently answering questions from investigators
mr shinzatos mother shirley gadson 63 told reporters in new york last week that she could not believe her son was guilty of such a crime
mr obama defense secretary ashton b carter caroline kennedy the united states ambassador in japan and the top marine officer on okinawa lt gen lawrence d nicholson have all offered condolences and expressed regret over the killing and have pledged american cooperation
still the apologies have failed to assuage opponents of the american military presence on okinawa who have been galvanized by what they view as a crime with no accountability
thousands of angry okinawans demonstrated near the kadena air base on wednesday according to japanese news accounts okinawas governor takeshi onaga who has campaigned for a reduced american military presence has said he was left speechless by the killing
mr abe who wants to maintain close military relations with the united states said after mr shinzatos arrest i demand that the united states take strict measures to prevent something like this from happening again
crimes committed by americans on okinawa have long been an issue on the island the most notorious was the rape of a 12 year old schoolgirl by three american servicemen in 1995 which set off mass protests
the american sensitivity to the underlying issue was reflected in a posting on the kadena air bases facebook account following mr shinzatos arrest reminding base personnel and their families to be respectful
as you go about your day the posting reads please remember that you are our best ambassadors to the people of japan and our friends and neighbors in okinawa


hate crime statutes originated as a response to bigotry a special penalty for singling people out for abuse based on factors like race ethnicity sex religion sexual orientation or most recently gender identity on thursday louisiana became the first state to add law enforcement officers to that list
a bill signed into law by gov john bel edwards on thursday set off a debate over whether the measure was really needed to protect officers or whether as civil rights groups charged it was an effort to dilute the basic meaning of hate crimes and to undermine the movement protesting the use of force by the police a similar bill is pending in congress
the action comes at a time of fierce national debate over policing and race the high profile deaths of african americans at the hands of the police   from michael brown in ferguson mo to eric garner in new york city   have prompted intense criticism of law enforcement that criticism has come in street demonstrations and on social media spawning the black lives matter movement some law enforcement groups have charged that those protests have led to an increase in attacks on police officers though there is little data to support that still some supporters of law enforcement have adopted the slogan blue lives matter
ive read various accounts of people who i would say were employing a deliberate campaign to terrorize our officers said state representative lance harris a republican and the author of the louisiana measure i just wanted to give an extra level of protection to the people who protect us
ernest l johnson sr president of the louisiana branch of the naacp countered saying hate crimes law is based upon a history of discrimination against certain groups of people and a bill like this just tries to water down that reality because there is not a history of discrimination against police and firefighters
mr edwards a democrat whose family ties to law enforcement are broad and deep said the men and women who put their lives on the line every day often under very dangerous circumstances are true heroes and they deserve every protection that we can give them mr edwardss brother daniel is the sheriff in tangipahoa parish another brother frank is the police chief of independence a town in the parish and their father grandfather and great great grandfather were also sheriffs in tangipahoa
william j johnson executive director of the national association of police organizations an alliance of officers unions lauded the bill i think its fair to say that officers are under attack nationwide and this is a reasonable response he said
but violence against police officers is near an all time low according to data kept by the fbi and private groups in recent years homicides have been less than half what they were in the 1970s when there were far fewer officers in 2015 41 officers on duty were feloniously killed a category that excludes accidental deaths the second lowest figure in the last 60 years the lowest was in 2014
so far this year 20 officers have been fatally shot while on duty according to the national law enforcement officers memorial fund that is up from 16 at the same point last year but it is a pace that would still make 2016 one of the least deadly years on record
mr harris mr johnson and others have cited two fatal episodes last august darren h goforth a sheriffs deputy in harris county tex was shot to death as he was getting gas for his patrol car and in december 2014 wenjian liu and rafael ramos new york city police officers were shot to death as they sat in a patrol car in brooklyn
in both cases law enforcement officials attributed the killings to hatred of the police the leader of a police union in new york blamed mayor bill de blasio who had voiced sympathy for protests against police killings for the shooting there the harris county sheriff ron hickman said anti law enforcement speech which he linked to black lives matter had promoted the killing of officers a statement he later said he regretted though he said he still believed deputy goforth had been targeted
the assailant in new york had made it clear that he intended to kill officers in retaliation for the killings of black men but in the texas case officials have not said what evidence they have about a motive both gunmen had histories of severe mental illness
perception matters and low frequency high impact events drive perception whether that means viral video of a shooting by an officer or violence against an officer said jim bueermann president of the police foundation a national group that researches and advises law enforcement police officers believe that the odds have increased that they will be assaulted and ambushed and attacked even though the numbers may not support that
louisiana like many states already had a law that increased penalties for crimes committed against emergency responders the hate crimes statute which is separate provides that up to five more years can be added to the prison sentence of a person who is convicted of a felony if the court finds that the victim was chosen based on prejudice against certain groups
mr harris noted that among the criteria already in the law were membership or service in or employment with an organization that meant he said that adding law enforcement officers and firefighters simply makes explicit what was already implied
the louisiana bill caused few ripples until it was close to becoming law some of the groups now lined up in favor and against it were not aware of it until a few days ago it passed louisianas republican controlled house 92 to 0 in the republican controlled senate it passed 33 to 3 mr harris said he never expected it to draw much attention but this week he said he had fielded calls from around the country
allison padilla goodman director of the anti defamation league for the region that includes louisiana said hate crime laws originated because offenses motivated by bias were often brushed off but there is zero confusion that a crime against a cop gets treated very seriously
she added hate crimes are about an identity based bias an immutable characteristic that a person cannot change adding a professional category changes and confuses the meaning of that
mr bueermann a former police chief of redlands calif said that covering officers under hate crimes laws can reinforce the notion that hatred of a group because of who they are has no place in our society which is good but it should be coupled with holding officers to higher standards of conduct
he cautioned that the laws supporters had opened a new debate that could go in directions they might not like
at some point someone might suggest that abortion physicians should also be protected he said that if you are hunted down because of your profession whatever the profession that should be a hate crime


paris   mcdonalds french headquarters have been raided by financial investigators the latest salvo in a campaign by president francois hollandes government to make multinational corporations pay more in taxes
a police official who could not be named under departmental policy said thursday that documents were removed during the raid on may 18 mcdonalds confirmed the search and said in a statement that it was cooperating fully with the authorities on this matter the company did not respond to requests for additional comment
as was the case in a raid on googles french headquarters on tuesday the police are investigating claims that mcdonalds deliberately manipulated its corporate accounts to understate its french revenue and profits and in that way reduce its tax liability
claims of tax avoidance by multinational corporations have pitted european countries against one another and prompted european union officials to investigate whether some of the blocs members are dangling unfair tax inducements to attract companies one of those european union inquiries begun in december is examining whether luxembourg granted mcdonalds overly generous tax breaks
mcdonalds golden arches are every bit as familiar to the french as to americans mcdonalds is one of the largest businesses in france with more than 73000 employees and well over 4 billion euros or about 45 billion in annual sales france ranks second to the united states in profitability for the fast food chain jean pierre petit the former chief executive of mcdonalds france told the newspaper le figaro in 2014
but france is among the european union countries that view companies aggressive tax minimization strategies as an affront to national sovereignty
mcdonalds has been under a harsh spotlight in france since december when eva joly a leading green party official brought a lawsuit on behalf of the companys workers council it accuses the company of understating its earnings to avoid a legal obligation to share profits with employees
and a february 2015 report by a coalition of european and american trade unions claimed that mcdonalds had avoided about EUR1 billion in taxes since 2009 by restructuring its business to route earnings through its luxembourg subsidiary
neither the french government nor mcdonalds has said how much money is at stake in the dispute but lexpansion a business magazine reported in april that the french authorities were demanding that the company pay EUR300 million in unpaid taxes and penalties


pitched battles between superheroes with huge fan bases check
enough explosions to flatten several manhattans check
budgets over 250 million not counting lavish marketing campaigns
double check
on paper this seasons big superhero action films   captain america civil war and batman v superman dawn of justice   from the rival studios disney and warner bros could almost be the same movie so similar are their plots action sequences and allusions to heavyweight themes of topical interest
still batman v superman would seem to have the edge where it really matters to the studios which is at the box office it opened first on march 25 it had the two most valuable intellectual properties in the comic book universe appearing together in starring roles and it had enough a list hollywood talent to fill a multiplex
yet the results are in and its not even close the theatrical run of batman v superman is all but over with a worldwide box office gross of 871 million captain america has surged past 1 billion in just three weeks
warner insists its film will earn a profit but given that the studio gets only about half the box office gross any profit margin will be slim after deducting the films enormous production and marketing costs and that has to be a disappointment considering what the studio must have expected marvels avengers topped 15 billion in 2012
more worrisome for warner and its parent time warner inc is that batman v superman was supposed to reboot the entire dc comics universe and create a multibillion dollar superhero franchise to rival marvels now thats in question
this is a significant misstep for the dc brand said doug creutz senior media and entertainment analyst for cowen  company theyve damaged their credibility with their audience im not saying they cant recover but their next few movies had better be really good
at one level the explanation for the outcome is simple captain america is a much better movie after a marathon of superhero moviegoing in times square this week i can attest to that
as a baby boomer who grew up glued to the adam west batman series that ran on tv from 1966 to 1968 im hardly a member of the high testosterone teenage target audience but i like a superhero blockbuster from time to time and i appreciate good characters who convey some development over time and a coherent even if far fetched plot
all of which batman v superman lacked despite some arresting visuals the film focuses so intently on the flaws that drive its titular superheroes into battle that it manages to undermine the appeal of both characters that left me with no one to root for and indifferent to the outcome whats a superhero movie without a hero
captain america sidestepped that problem by never calling into question the essential goodness of its hero characters instead having them take sides on an issue over which reasonable minds might differ should heroes be subject to united nations oversight
as the times movie critic a o scott put it collegial misunderstanding or intramural pickup game would have been a more accurate subtitle than civil war
but you dont need to take my word for it or that of the established critics who praised captain america and panned batman v superman after a big opening weekend attendance at batman v superman plunged suggesting bad word of mouth on the website rotten tomatoes 91 percent of the audience said they liked captain america just 67 percent liked batman v superman
the starkly different outcomes show how difficult it is to make a successful blockbuster even for a studio with an enviable track record like warner bros harry potter lord of the rings sony faltered with its latest spider man installment and forged a partnership with marvel allowing its superhero to return to the marvel fold fox has at times struggled with its x men franchise
but whatever secret code of art and science produces a superhero blockbuster disney seems to have cracked it captain america is the 13th consecutive successful installment in the marvel film universe after buying marvel for 4 billion disney has turned even obscure comic book characters into box office bonanzas ant man and it has managed to combine them in unexpected yet captivating ways
much of the credit goes to kevin feige the 42 year old president of marvel studios who runs the studio with an unusual degree of artistic independence he reports to alan horn chairman of walt disney studios who gives him wide latitude mr horn was pushed out as president of warner bros even after overseeing the successful dark knight batman trilogy
people who know him told me mr feige lives and breathes the marvel universe and has a deep and intuitive understanding of its characters and their fans hes a total film and comic book buff said michael nathanson a veteran hollywood analyst and a partner at moffettnathanson
while individual directors put their stamp on marvel films they ultimately reflect mr feiges sensibility and he got the sole producer credit for captain america civil war
hes the most underappreciated asset in hollywood mr creutz said what hes done is nothing short of a miracle
by contrast no one seems sure exactly who is responsible for batman v superman
warner has long been known as a directors studio meaning ultimate creative control lies with the director which was presumably the case with the director of batman v superman zack snyder
still it felt like filmmaking by committee mr creutz said you cant just do it by formula thats not how creativity works you need someone with a vision who can make something great there are only a limited number of people who can do that
mr snyder may not be one of those people he previously directed the 2013 superman reintroduction man of steel which wasnt exactly a resounding success it grossed about 668 million and just 75 percent of the audience on rotten tomatoes liked it
i havent studied his work but when zack snyder was named i heard doubts about whether he was the right director for this movie mr nathanson said he didnt have the track record to deliver a movie this important
mr creutz agreed looking at this objectively he wasnt the right choice
the film had two producers deborah snyder the directors wife and charles roven a veteran of warners hugely successful batman trilogy but neither works for dc entertainment geoff johns dcs chief creative officer was one of six executive producers along with christopher nolan who directed the batman trilogy and steven mnuchin donald trumps national finance chairman
in trying to emulate marvels approach warner may also have been trying to accomplish too much in one film in addition to putting batman and superman into the same film four other dc characters all destined for starring roles in future movies make at least cameo appearances wonder woman aquaman the flash and cyborg
critics objected to the blatant product placement wonder woman seems awkwardly gerrymandered into the plot batman delivers a ponderous final speech that could and probably will run as a trailer for the forthcoming justice league part one
marvel too teases future films spider man and black panther in civil war but seems more adept at it
marvel has invested many years and billions of dollars building its stable of characters audiences have been with these characters for eight to nine years mr nathanson said theyve been on a journey with them
marvel mr creutz said introduced its characters in stand alone movies then it did the big tie in movie with multiple characters warner said lets start with the tie in movie but multihero and multivillain movies are very hard to pull off
warner seems to be heeding the criticism it recently shuffled the management team overseeing the dc film universe
weve heard from the critics and the fans and the filmmakers who worked on this said dee dee myers head of corporate communications at warner bros we try to learn from every film and make the best movie we can the next time out we feel were in a good position were very excited about suicide squad coming out in august and wonder woman which is scheduled for june 2017
batman v superman is just one film and no one i spoke to faults warners dc strategy what warner is trying to do makes a ton of sense mr nathanson said but execution is difficult hopefully the saga isnt over he said


if you are a redstone apparently you are never too young or too old to be part of a lawsuit
in new court documents filed wednesday directors of national amusements added sumner m redstones two great grandchildren as so called nominal defendants to their suit challenging his mental capacity they also added phyllis redstone 91 as a nominal defendant she was the first wife of mr redstone the ailing media mogul the two divorced after 52 years of marriage
as nominal defendants the two children and phyllis redstone do not bear any responsibility or fault they were named in the suit because they are among the beneficiaries of the trust that will control the fate of mr redstones 40 billion empire after he dies or is declared incompetent
the ages of the children are not clear but both are younger than 6 they are grandchildren of mr redstones daughter shari redstone
also on wednesday lawyers for philippe p dauman the chief executive of viacom and george s abrams a longtime viacom director filed a motion with norfolk probate and family court in massachusetts to expedite proceedings in the case
the two men claim in the suit which was filed monday that mr redstone was not competent and was manipulated by his daughter last week when he ejected them from the trust and the board of national amusements the private theater chain that controls 80 percent of the voting stock in viacom and cbs lawyers for mr redstone have filed a separate petition in los angeles county superior court asking that a judge declare the decisions valid
wednesdays amended complaint included the accusation that ms redstone has frequently repeated to the viacom board that mr dauman should be replaced as part of her continuing rivalry with him
in a separate court filing on wednesday mr dauman and mr abrams requested a hearing for the earliest available date and that the process of obtaining evidence start immediately
rapid legal proceedings were necessary they said to protect the assets of the trust and because of what they characterized as the rapid deterioration of mr redstones physical and mental health mr redstone will turn 93 on friday
mr dauman and mr abrams proposed that evidence gathering include at least one medical examination of mr redstone and taking the testimony of shari redstone the entire process should be completed within three months they suggested
the substantial assets in the trust are threatened by sharis invalid attempt to take over the trust and its controlling interest in nai the motion for expedited proceedings stated referring to national amusements there can be no doubt that these actions are aimed directly at effectuating control of viacom
nancy sterling a spokeswoman for shari redstone said in a statement we are looking forward to an expedited dismissal of this meritless suit
representatives for mr redstone could not immediately be reached for comment
mr dauman and mr abrams also asked for a trial to be held in no more than four months or before the end of september if a judge concurs that would mean that the massachusetts proceedings would occur before the oct 18 hearing date set for mr redstones petition
separately frederic salerno the lead independent director of viacom put in a new request on thursday to schedule a meeting with mr redstone in an email to one of mr redstones lawyers mr salerno outlined an agenda for the meeting 1 greetings and pleasantries 2 a qa session on mr redstones thought on last weeks board strategy meeting and paramount 3 anything else mr redstone wanted to share 4 goodbyes


islamabad pakistan   pakistan officially confirmed the death of the former taliban leader mullah akhtar muhammad mansour for the first time on thursday five days after the american drone strike that killed him on pakistani soil raising diplomatic tensions
the official announcement came from sartaj aziz the chief foreign affairs adviser to prime minister nawaz sharif at a news conference in islamabad all indicators confirm that the person killed in the drone strike was mullah akhtar mansour who was traveling on a fake identity mr aziz said the dna test will also be available in a day or two
denying earlier reports including from the taliban that the body of the insurgent leader had been handed over to his relatives mr aziz said the body was still in the custody of the pakistani authorities and would be handed over after the results of dna testing were in
in recent days even after the united states afghanistan and the taliban had all confirmed the death pakistani officials had maintained that they were still trying to confirm that mullah mansour was among the two people killed in the strike on saturday in a remote corner of baluchistan province
officials say that a pakistani passport mullah mansour had been using was found just a few yards from the charred shell of the vehicle he and a driver were in when it was hit by the american missile the name on the passport was wali muhammad and it bore a residential address in killa abdullah baluchistan
reiterating a longstanding pakistani position against drone strikes mr aziz criticized the latest attack as a violation of pakistans sovereignty as well as a breach of the un charter governing the conduct of states
it was the first confirmed american drone strike in baluchistan where the talibans leadership had enjoyed a seemingly impenetrable haven for years the strike sent shock waves through pakistans security establishment which went for days without issuing any public reaction to the strike american drones had struck in other areas of pakistan for years but american officials said that pakistan had long rejected requests to allow drone strikes in baluchistan
gen raheel sharif the pakistani army chief broke the militarys silence on wednesday when he expressed serious concerns over the drone strike in a meeting with david hale the american ambassador to pakistan such acts of sovereignty violations are detrimental to relations between both countries and are counterproductive for ongoing peace process for regional stability general sharif was quoted as saying by the media wing of the pakistani military
confirming reports by american security officials that pakistani officials had not been notified about the strike until after the fact pakistani officials said general sharif was informed about the strike three and a half hours afterward while the prime minister was informed seven hours after the strike
on thursday mr aziz echoed the sentiment of the pakistani army chief saying the american strike had further complicated the process of peace talks with afghanistan
we believe this action has also undermined the afghan peace process mr aziz said on 18th may pakistan united states and china had agreed that politically negotiated settlement was the most viable option rather than violence and efforts should continue to bring the taliban on the table this understanding has not been respected
in our view there is no military solution of the conflict in afghanistan mr aziz said
pakistani officials say the killing of mullah mansour will destabilize afghanistan and have contradicted the american and afghan assertions that he was opposed to peace talks toward ending the talibans insurgency
mr aziz caused a sensation in march when during a discussion at the council on foreign relations in washington he acknowledged that the afghan taliban had long been sheltering in pakistan   an assertion that had been repeatedly denied by pakistani officials over the years despite being seen internationally as fact in recent months pakistan had come under pressure from the united states and afghanistan to force the taliban into talks with the afghan government
mr aziz acknowledged that pakistan could sway the taliban leadership saying we have some influence on them because their leadership is in pakistan and they get some medical facilities their families are here but he denied that pakistani officials could do more than urge them to come to the negotiation table
in the wake of the drone strike pakistani officials have once again objected to the presence of large numbers of afghan refugees in the country there are approximately 15 million displaced afghans in pakistan who hold pakistani proof of residency cards and there are an additional one million undocumented afghans thought to be living in different parts of the country according to human rights watch
the presence of a large number of afghan refugees has become a big security risk mr aziz said at the news briefing militants use the camps as hide outs for their nefarious activities
in an apparent effort to support the expulsion of displaced afghans the authorities in baluchistan said they had arrested six afghan spies who were living as refugees in the province


washington   american special operations forces and the syrian kurdish and arab fighters they are advising this week pushed closer to raqqa the islamic states de facto capital in northern syria
defense department officials confirmed that photographs taken by an agence france presse photographer in the village of fatisah that were released on thursday showed american commandos dressed in camouflage assisting fighters with the syrian democratic forces during their offensive against the islamic state north of raqqa
the united states has disclosed publicly that about 200 of its commandos and support personnel are on the ground in northern syria where they are working with the syrian arab and kurdish partners about 100 more are on the way
pentagon officials said the americans were not involved in any combat role on the ground a syrian militia commander told the photographer that the american troops had fired missiles from the rooftop of a house to destroy a booby trapped car in the village a characterization that pentagon officials challenged
we have been conducting advise and assist operations with elements of the syrian democratic forces for many weeks col steve warren the chief military spokesman in baghdad said in an email nothing has changed in our relationships or our distance from the front lines of combat
colonel warren said the american commandos in the photographs were operating east of the euphrates river an area where he said syrian kurdish and arab fighters had been operating
the americans were equipped with their own side arms   standard issue for self protection   and could be seen climbing into and driving in tan pickup trucks mounted with various weapons a stubby gun shown in the photographs was an mk47 40 millimeter grenade launcher a longer weapon seen was an m2 50 caliber machine gun
several of the american troops were seen wearing patches with the united states flag while others also wore the patches of the syrian kurdish and arab units a common practice among commandos as a sign of solidarity and partnership colonel warren said
the photographer told his agency that he saw as many as 20 american troops in fatisah on wednesday and heard them speaking english the americans refused to talk to the photographer the agency said
a syrian opposition commander whom the agency identified as baraa al ghanem told the photographer that american advisers were present at all positions along the front about 25000 syrian kurdish fighters and 5000 syria arabs make up the opposition group the united states is supporting in eastern and northern raqqa


for apple saying no may be getting harder
eddy cue an executive in charge of itunes and internet services for the technology giant raised the possibility of a bid for time warner at a meeting with the media conglomerate last year according to the financial times that seems at odds with the recipe for success championed by steve jobs apples founder reject 1000 ideas and focus on only the few excellent ones an aging iphone a tepid stock price and a pile of idle cash however could make even a mediocre idea look awfully tempting
the deal talk never went beyond a preliminary stage or involved apples chief executive tim cook making more movies television shows and other content available on say ipads might help strengthen the devices popularity and sales its unclear though why owning content - not to mention acquiring it by paying perhaps 75 billion for time warner including a control premium - would make more sense than just agreeing to distribute it apples resources are better spent creating compelling devices not trying to develop a sequel to game of thrones
the company has been phenomenally successful sticking to mr jobss mantra of minimalism there is growing pressure though for something new
producing beautiful cutting edge technology is in some cases turning into a business of churning out commodities about 14 billion smartphones were sold worldwide last year so its harder to find new customers willing to spend hundreds of dollars extra for an iphone no matter how elegant its design investors seem to recognize that apples stock trades at a roughly 30 percent discount to the standard  poors 500 stock index
the companys financial strength also feeds an urge for change its net cash exceeds 150 billion and its free cash flow should easily surpass 50 billion this year that makes almost any acquisition easier to rationalize
apple is well known for resisting any impulse to splurge on second rate ideas its tough to imagine one of its top executives even discussing the purchase of a tangentially related company like time warner yet the news about mr cue suggests a shift apples best hope may be that mr cook stands firm on his predecessors sage advice


the amazon gladiator frog is a fighter but it could become a ghost extinction threatens 40 percent of amphibian species worldwide and they are vanishing at alarming rates
this march robin moore a photographer and the communications director for the organization global wildlife conservation  traveled to panama to search for a single photo that would convey the gravity of the global extinction crisis threatening frogs toads and other amphibians after eight days of waiting for the right frog at the right place and the right time he captured that picture which he titled the vanishing its single long exposure was designed to give the frog a ghostly appearance and communicate that amphibians are disappearing forever around the world
since 1980 more than 200 amphibian species have disappeared from the planet as a result of habitat loss killer fungi viruses pollution and the exacerbation of these threats from climate change but in recent years some amphibian species that were thought to be lost have in a sense emerged from the dead leading scientists to study how they escaped extinction
in 2010 mr moore and his colleagues created a top 10 most wanted poster for lost frogs and launched the search for lost frogs a campaign that took 100 scientists across 19 countries to find these lazarus frogs its success led to a book in search of lost frogs published in 2014 since then the journey has continued and conservationists are working to establish ecotourism and nature reserves to protect the vital habitats where the lost frogs are found
these are some of the stories behind mr moores quest to elevate these big eyed species to the level of more charismatic species   like the ones with eyelashes as he puts it
after this toad made mr moores top 10 most wanted list in 2010 it took scientists eight months to find it in malaysias rain forest they only had a scientific illustration of the toad and didnt even know its color but two researchers indraneil das and pui yong min finally found it in 2011 at an elevation nearly 1000 feet higher than its last sighting in 1914
the poster child of lost frogs is the variable harlequin which was rediscovered in costa rica in 2003 after chytrid fungus was thought to have decimated the population by figuring out what allowed them to survive this plague scientists hope the species will hold clues for solving the amphibian crisis
this frog only lives in two populations within about 100 yards of one another along one stream in a remote private reserve in costa rica mr moore reached out to dozens of herpetologists who could not or would not reveal the frogs ultra specific location
trying to find someone who could tell me where this was was like trying to get into fort knox he said
when he finally found a guide there were no signs of the frog and humidity had disabled his camera he was lucky that it started working again just at the moment he spotted the variable harlequin on a rock
the long limbed salamander was rediscovered in an area of a low lying cloud forest in guatemala in 2014 40 years after it had last been seen to get this shot mr moore traveled with two biologists paul elias and jeremy jackson retracing their footsteps by using their original 1970s field notes from when they first found the salamanders last year international and local conservation groups established a new amphibian reserve for the rediscovered salamanders
mr moore had no luck finding the mesopotamia beaked toad rhinella rostrata last seen in 1914 in the choco forests of colombia but in the process he stumbled upon this potentially new species of beaked toad in 2010 this toad was named one of time magazines top new species and its comparison to monty burns homers boss on the simpsons brought it much attention


washington   business spending intentions in the united states weakened in april for a third straight month and contracts to buy previously owned homes surged to a 10 year high data released on thursday showed
another report showed that the number of americans seeking unemployment benefits fell last week supporting views that economic growth is gaining speed
the weak performance in business capital investment activity suggests that this segment remains a source of drag for the us economic recovery said millan mulraine deputy chief economist at td securities in new york over all domestic growth momentum appears to be on the mend
the commerce department said orders for nonmilitary capital goods excluding aircraft a closely watched proxy for business spending plans fell 08 percent after slipping 01 percent the previous month these so called core capital goods orders have now declined for three consecutive months
the manufacturing sector remains pressured by lower energy prices which have eroded profits of energy companies and forced oil field services firms like schlumberger and halliburton to slash capital spending budgets
manufacturing which accounts for 12 percent of the economy has also taken a knock from efforts by businesses to slim down an inventory bloat which has undercut growth in new orders a strong dollar has been a drag on exports
shipments of core capital goods used to calculate equipment spending in the gross domestic product report rose 03 percent last month reversing marchs 03 percent drop
much of the factory sector weakness has been concentrated in the heavy machinery segment where manufacturers have also been hurt by reduced demand for agricultural equipment in april orders for machinery tumbled 19 percent after dropping 08 percent in march
in a separate report the national association of realtors said its pending home sales index jumped 51 percent last month to its highest level since february 2006 pending home contracts become sales after a month or two and aprils surge pointed to further gains in home resales
the housing market is being underpinned by a tightening labor market which is starting to lift wages as well as still very low mortgage rates but a shortage of properties available for sale remains a hurdle and house prices have risen faster than wages sidelining some first time buyers
a third report from the labor department showed initial claims for state unemployment benefits declined 10000 to a seasonally adjusted 268000 for the week ended may 21
claims have now been below 300000 a threshold associated with a strong job market for 64 straight weeks the longest stretch since 1973
the pending homes sales and jobless claims data joined reports on retail sales housing and industrial production in suggesting the economy was gaining steam after growth slowed to a 05 percent annual pace in the first quarter the federal reserve bank of atlanta is currently estimating second quarter gdp growth at a 29 percent rate
the commerce department report also showed orders for durable goods items ranging from toasters to aircraft meant to last three years or more jumped 34 percent last month after increasing 19 percent in march
the rise in durable goods orders last month was led by an 89 percent jump in bookings for transportation equipment orders for civilian aircraft soared 649 percent there were increases in orders for motor vehicles fabricated metal products computers and electronic goods and electrical equipment appliances and components
durable goods inventories declined further in april a good sign for the manufacturings future prospects while unfilled orders increased 06 percent durable goods shipments rose 06 percent after two consecutive months of declines


agents posing online as young girls and women helped lead investigators in tennessee to the arrests of nearly three dozen people including two ministers this month part of an intensified yearlong effort to combat prostitution and human trafficking in minors
the two ministers had responded to ads on backpagecom a website often used to solicit sex partners placed by what they believed to be a 15 year old girl and were charged with felony human trafficking and prostitution the tennessee bureau of investigation said in a statement issued last friday
in addition 25 men were arrested on charges of promoting prostitution a felony or patronizing a prostitute which is a misdemeanor five women were cited for prostitution the statement said
this sting called operation someone like me was the fifth effort of its kind since gov bill haslam signed legislation into law in may 2015 giving jurisdiction over trafficking cases to tennessees bureau of investigation the 32 arrested this month represent the largest group yet an assistant special agent in charge margie quin said on thursday
the operation was conducted mostly in the northern and eastern regions of the state including in knoxville and chattanooga and in one instance included investigators from georgia
the operations name someone like me was borrowed from the words of an 18 year old woman who had become a victim of a prostitution ring a 15 year old runaway agent quin said the young woman went on to help agents prepare for their work by teaching them the language of the online sex trade
for an hour we talked with her in minute detail how they end up agreeing to meet the slang agent quin said at the end of the training conference call the agents thanked her after a silence according to the agent she said no thank you you dont know what it means to someone like me that the tbi is willing to go out and rescue these girls
the operation took place between may 17 and 20 when agents investigated posted and answered online advertisements related to commercial sex ms quin said more than 300 contacts were made during that period and 30 people were arrested
one of the agents posted ads pretending to be 15 years old two dozen people replied but just two men were arrested on felony trafficking charges jason kennedy 46 and zubin parakh 32 the tbi statement said
this was because mr kennedy a youth minister at grace baptist church and mr parakh whom agent quin said was a volunteer minister who was training to be a pastor followed through in separate instances by going to a hotel where they assumed they would find the teenager but were met by agents instead agent quin said
finding these people who are trying to buy tennessee children is a priority for us mark gwyn the bureaus director said in the statement we want anyone responding to these ads to think there may be a tbi agent on the other end of it
ms quin said mr kennedy was in the knoxville county jail on thursday and mr parakh was free on bond it was not immediately clear when their court appearances were scheduled or whether they had lawyers
mr parakh who was affiliated with the lifehouse church in oak ridge had initially been cited for patronizing prostitution the knoxville news sentinel reported the charges were upgraded to a felony warrant for trafficking after he was released it said


washington   a bitter dispute over gay rights on thursday brought down a routine energy and water spending bill in the house after conservative republicans voted against their own legislation rather than acquiesce to a bipartisan amendment banning discrimination based on sexual orientation
the bills failure by a vote of 305 to 112 portends another difficult year for spending legislation and raises questions over whether the ambitions of the new house speaker paul d ryan of wisconsin will yield any significant results
as lawmakers headed off for a weeklong memorial day recess mr ryan was left to blame democrats for the failure of a republican bill in a chamber with its largest republican majority since the 1920s
mr ryan and senator mitch mcconnell of kentucky the senate majority leader have staked their success on returning order to a recalcitrant capitol
but house republicans made clear thursday that they were unwilling to take a difficult vote in an election year and for the second year in a row a cultural fight torpedoed the appropriations process in 2015 a battle over flying the confederate flag on federal property paralyzed spending bills on the floor and dashed the promised return to an orderly process for allocating taxpayer money
i could not in good conscience vote for the appropriations bill with this damaging amendment included representative diane black republican of tennessee said calling the anti discrimination amendment a threat to religious liberty
senator john cornyn of texas the no 2 republican acknowledged that the failure of the house bill set up the possibility of another major showdown over spending   or even a government shutdown   in october when the next fiscal year begins and the election season crescendos
regardless he added its a terrible way to govern
during the revolt that drove out speaker john a boehner last fall republicans demanded a more rule abiding house where members would be allowed to introduce amendments and there would be votes on appropriations bills mr ryan so dedicated to procedure that in january he cut off a key vote to rebuke tardy lawmakers agreed
now with bipartisan majorities forming around amendments like anti discrimination legislation for gay men and lesbians some house republicans are having second thoughts
late wednesday night 43 republicans joined 180 democrats to approve an amendment to the energy spending bill that would have barred federal contractors from discriminating against workers based on sexual orientation effectively turning president obamas 2014 executive order into legislation
after the amendments passage several republicans told mr ryan during a private meeting thursday that they were not so keen on regular order as the process of parliamentary rule following is called after all according to members present
mr ryan said the collapse was to be expected when he agreed to more amendments he said he understood that some bills might fail because were not going to tightly control the process and predetermine the outcome of everything around here well thats what happened here today
the failure of mr ryan to push through a basic appropriations bill comes as house republicans concede they are also unable to produce a budget this year   also because of infighting in their ranks   and mr ryans admission that major policy proposals being devised in the house will not be turned into actual legislation these failures raise questions about what precisely mr ryan is going to be able to accomplish as he and his colleagues struggle to gain relevance in the presidential campaign
mr ryan blamed democrats for the bills demise only six voted for the spending measure
they were looking to sabotage the appropriations process he told reporters the fact that the author of the amendments that prevailed then turned around and voted against the bill containing his amendment tells us theyre trying to stop the appropriations process in its tracks
but members of the minority party are rarely held responsible for passing the majoritys bill and democrats said they had numerous reasons to oppose it notwithstanding the gay rights amendment
democrats seemed unable to contain their glee as they turned mr ryans promise of an open process   one they often rejected while in power to avoid these very disputes   on his conference
house republicans thirst to discriminate against the lgbt community is so strong that they are willing to vote down their own appropriations bill in order to prevent progress over bigotry representative nancy pelosi of california the democratic leader said in a statement in turning against a far reaching funding bill simply because it affirms protections for lgbt americans republicans have once again lain bare the depths of their bigotry
the spending bills failure seemed to take republican leaders by surprise the house appropriations committee sent out a news release hailing the bills passage then another notice recalling the release
representative hal rogers of kentucky the committees chairman said leaders would again consider putting aside the rule allowing amendments in order to pass their spending bills
we adapt to the circumstances he said
the current debate over gay rights spilled out onto the house floor last week when the chamber was working its way through the annual military policy bill in another late night voting session the house passed a republican inserted amendment that would overturn mr obamas executive order banning discrimination based on sexual orientation
democrats responded the next day by introducing a measure to counter that amendment the democratic amendment appeared to pass but republican leaders held the vote open well past the time limit to allow their members to anonymously switch their votes and defeat it
so democrats brought it up again wednesday
representative sean patrick maloney the new york democrat who sponsored the amendment signaled he was prepared to continue attaching it to other bills unless republicans were willing to vote on a separate bill broadly shielding gay lesbian and transgender individuals from discrimination
he insisted republicans picked the fight over gay rights
its a little funny to look at the democrats and say why is this happening he said


ive written before that while consuming too much salt is bad so is consuming too little a new study is making news all over the world that adds to this discussion and in the interest of being good bayesians we should update our prior assumptions based on these results
this new study was a meta analysis that examined how salt intake is associated with heart attacks strokes and death but it added to the discussion by including high blood pressure it looked at how salt intake affected those people with high blood pressure versus those with normal blood pressure
this is important because as ive discussed before weve gone from recommending that people with high blood pressure drastically restrict salt in their diets to advocating that all americans get to very low levels
there seems to be pretty good evidence that people with high blood pressure who consume an excessive amount of salt should cut back thats where doctors started back in the day and that concept holds up but the evidence doesnt support the idea that increased salt consumption by people with normal blood pressure makes that much of a difference
researchers took data from four large studies that collectively compared more than 133000 people from 49 countries followed for a median period of more than four years the people were about evenly split between those with and without hypertension
researchers found that people with high blood pressure seemed to have more of a sensitivity to sodium those with hypertension had an increase of 21 mm hg in blood pressure for each additional gram of sodium versus only 12 mm hg in people without hypertension most people should be less than 12080 mm hg they also found that people with high blood pressure who consumed more than seven grams of sodium a day had significantly greater rates of cardiac problems and death than those who consumed four to five grams of salt a day
but for people with normal blood pressure consuming more than seven grams a day had no increased risk compared with those who consumed four to five grams a day
in other words consuming too much salt appears to be a risk factor for people with hypertension but that same concern is not seen in people with normal blood pressure
theres more a growing body of evidence shows that the push for very low levels may be doing more harm than good i first discussed this almost two years ago
people with hypertension who consumed less than three grams of sodium a day had a higher risk of bad outcomes than those who consumed four to five grams they even had worse outcomes than people who consumed more than seven grams
an increased risk was also seen in those with normal blood pressure who consumed less than three grams a day these results held even when the researchers excluded those with cardiovascular disease so it seems unlikely that these results could be because unhealthy people were the ones consuming the lowest amounts of sodium
even as this new evidence comes to light the food and drug administration still recommends we consume less than 23 grams of sodium a day the world health organization still says it should be less than 2 grams and the american heart association still says it should be less than 15 grams for many people in fact the aha has already strongly rebutted this new study
bringing consumption down to such low levels wont be easy more than 95 percent of the people in the world who have been studied consume more than three grams of sodium a day
people with hypertension who are consuming more than seven grams of salt a day should cut back this new study continues to support that advice but too often in medicine we take a recommendation that applies to a select group of high risk people and then apply it too broadly and too strongly that may do no good and may even backfire


any discussion of the favorites for the 100th running of the indianapolis 500 on sunday must start with simon pagenaud based upon the success he has had this year the discussion may end there too
pagenaud turned 32 on may 18 days after winning the grand prix of indianapolis his third victory in a row in the indycar series he finished second in the first two races of the season and holds a sizable lead in the season point standings over scott dixon the reigning indycar series champion
pagenaud wins even when he loses lately although he qualified a disappointing eighth for sundays 500 after turning in better speeds in practice he earned bonus points for qualifying among the top nine dixon whose qualifying run was the 13th fastest did not allowing pagenaud to extend his lead to 78 points
this season has come together spectacularly in a way that pagenauds inaugural winless season with roger penske racing in 2015 did not
its all the preparation that we put in last year pagenaud said all that work that happened in 2015 it wasnt visible in terms of results but we built a really strong team with really awesome people
he added like roger likes to say its all about people we kept exactly the same people on the team consistency makes a big difference in racing i believe that and this year the results of 2015 are showing
penskes belief in pagenaud was unshakable through that frustrating 2015 season noted for his eye for up and coming talent penske jumped at the chance to hire pagenaud a frenchman who broke into indycar racing in 2011
penskes move seemed impulsive because at the time he had no car no personnel and no sponsor for a fourth car on his team which also includes the indy 500 winners helio castroneves and juan pablo montoya and the former series champion will power
simon is a very special talent penske said i couldnt pass up the opportunity hes proving now what a correct decision that was
pagenaud showed noteworthy consistency in three seasons with schmidt peterson motorsports being named rookie of the year in 2012 and scoring among the top five in the driver standings each year he won four races including the inaugural grand prix of indianapolis in 2014 which got penskes attention pagenaud ran away from a field that included penskes three regulars and ryan hunter reay who went on to win the indy 500 that year
now pagenaud believes he is with the best team in the sport with the best equipment and personnel the results he added were bound to come
with his teammates trying to outdo one another he said it pushes us to the limits even further
power qualified sixth for the 500 castroneves eighth and montoya 17th james hinchcliffe who was severely injured in a crash during practice for last years 500 won the pole position with a four lap effort of 230760 miles per hour compared with pagenauds 229115 mph
pagenaud who had exceeded 230 mph in practice said he was not worried about the speed difference
we set our car up for colder weather for qualifying and we guessed a little bit wrong he said the qualifying day was hot and the track became greasy it is really hard for our engineers to find the right balance of aerodynamics versus drag
pagenaud is off to the best start of any indycar series driver since dan wheldon won four of the first five races including the indy 500 in 2005 dixon was the last driver to win three races in a row in july 2013
three in a row is pretty incredible these days in indycar pagenaud said this car is magical
pagenauds victory two weeks ago was the 181st for penske in 50 years in motor sports and it was the teams 19th at indianapolis motor speedway alone counting one win for penskes nascar driver brad keselowski
that means were going for win no 20 in the 100th indianapolis 500 in the 50th year of penske racing penske said i like round numbers


lawyers representing the united states soccer federation and the union for the womens national team faced off in federal court in chicago on thursday moving their dispute over the validity of the teams collective bargaining agreement closer to a resolution
judge sharon johnson coleman reserved ruling in the case at the hearing increasing the chances that the federation and the players union could go to trial perhaps about the time the team is set to defend its olympic gold medal at the summer games in rio de janeiro
in february us soccer sued the union representing the womens team which won the world cup in canada last summer in an effort to hold the players to their contracts at the time us soccer said that it had brought the action reluctantly and only after the executive director of the union richard nichols threatened to repudiate the agreement   which includes a no strike clause   during a negotiating session over a new one
nichols who took over as executive director of the players union in 2014 and has pushed aggressively in contract negotiations for better pay for the womens team said he had made no threats though he and the union contend that the agreement expired in 2012
in its lawsuit us soccer acknowledged that the collective bargaining agreement had expired but it argued that the deal lived on in a memorandum of understanding that was signed in march 2013 that memorandum was scheduled to expire at the end of 2016
to support its position us soccer has entered into evidence emails from john b langel a former lawyer for the players union including one in which he wrote that the general principle we are working under is that items we have not specifically covered in the mou would remain the same as under the prior cba but there was no evidence that the players themselves agreed with or disputed that understanding or that langel had the authority to approve a collective bargaining agreement on their behalf
on dec 24 nichols informed us soccer that the players union considered the memorandum of understanding invalid as a collective bargaining agreement nichols said that if a new agreement was not in place in 60 days   by feb 24   the players would no longer be bound by its terms us soccer fearing a walkout that would affect scheduled national team games the start of the national womens soccer league season and possibly even the players participation in the summer games went to court seeking clarification on the agreements validity
the dispute intensified in march when five of the top players on the womens team saying they were acting on behalf of the entire team filed a wage discrimination complaint with the equal employment opportunity commission in that complaint the women contended that they were being shortchanged by us soccer   in violation of federal law   on matters including pay bonuses and per diem expenses in relation to the mens national team which operates on a different salary structure
thursdays arguments will have no bearing on that complaint which may not be resolved until 2017
while colemans decision on the collective bargaining agreement dispute is not expected until next month negotiations toward a new agreement have continued representatives of us soccer and the players union met twice recently in new york on may 9 and 16
preparations for the olympics also continue unabated the united states will play japan in two warm up games on june 2 and 5 and on thursday the federation announced that the team would face south africa on july 9 in chicago in the first of two pre olympic send off games


bryan singer who has directed three other films in the x men franchise is back behind the camera for x men apocalypse with a narrative that includes a fight to save the fate of the world the film also tells more mutant origin stories including a scene that shows scott summers or cyclops tye sheridan discovering his powers for the first time in an interview mr singer discussed the scene and some ideas behind the film here are edited excerpts from that conversation
could you tell me a little about this scene
the film opens in ancient egypt where we meet our villain after a large action sequence we find ourselves in 1983 in a classroom in ohio where we meet a young scott summers aka cyclops here hes sort of a young rambunctious student at that moment he doesnt have powers of any kind and he discovers as his eyes become very irritated during class that he is starting to develop what will become very powerful and uncontrollable optic blasts
and what about the casting
tye sheridan plays a young cyclops and the teacher was a piece of very exciting and fun casting for me its ally sheedy who i grew up with from the films the breakfast club and war games in the film war games she actually plays a girl whos disrupting class so it was a fun turn to make her the teacher whose class is being disrupted by young cyclops
what was your goal for the scene
to establish scott summers as a disruptive person who is against authority against schools and always seems to be getting in trouble in comic book lore he is to eventually become the right hand to professor xavier and the leader of the x men but in this iteration hes the opposite of that so i wanted to introduce that notion and then eventually show what its like when a young mutant discovers his or her powers for the first time and how terrifying that can be
any fun stories from shooting this scene
i had a friend who was visiting and i wanted him to have a little cameo so we were shooting in the hallway and i wanted him to remain in focus so he could see himself in the film but he couldnt be moving at the same pace as tye sheridan because tye is rushing to the bathroom because his eyes are messed up so it was funny telling him you can move at a certain rate to stay in focus but you cant move too fast or youre going to look like youre chasing after him
how did you pull off the stunt at the end
it took a lot of physical elements one was the stunt person being pulled backward into the wall which was made of breakable material simultaneously the door was pulled backward so it would appear as though the door was being blown by the optic blast pushing him backward an interactive lighting effect was used a very bright red strobe was fired off repeatedly during the scene and then as the stunt person playing cyclops tilted his head upward we had a series of explosives lined up the entire wall and ceiling of the set that would have to go off one after the other sending debris raining down onto the set and then in visual effects i used cgi to add in the actual optic beam itself
were there any issues
the first time we ratcheted the stunt person backward and blew the door it pushed him back so violently and so hard that it moved the entire bathroom set wall so we had to reset the wall and do the stunt three times to get it right


the police in florida have arrested a man in connection with the killing of an internationally known criminal law professor in 2014
the suspect sigfredo garcia 34 was arrested on wednesday night by the hallandale beach police department in broward county based on a homicide warrant in the killing of the professor dan markel 41 the tallahassee police department said on thursday
mr markel was a professor at the florida state university college of law and a leader in the world of online legal scholarship
mr garcia was arrested at a gas station in hallandale beach just north of miami according to a spokeswoman for the department maj sonia quinones the suspect who has a miami beach address was also charged with cocaine possession a police affidavit said
the police said investigators had sifted through hundreds of leads from a hotline that was set up after mr markel was shot in the head while he was in the driveway of his house in an upscale neighborhood of tallahassee the state capital in july 2014 he died the next day at a hospital
at the time the department said that there had been no indication of a robbery it was not immediately clear thursday if there would be more arrests and the police did not discuss a motive
this is still an active criminal investigation chief michael deleo of the tallahassee police said at a news conference on thursday we are not finished yet
chief deleo said professor markels murder had struck a deep chord within this community that resonated around the country
mr garcia had been arrested at least 22 times in florida according to the tallahassee democrat citing records from the florida department of law enforcement his first arrest for vehicle theft occurred in miami in 1997 just before his 15th birthday
he was arrested several other times as a teenager and as an adult with charges that included aggravated assault with a weapon criminal mischief possession of cocaine and marijuana and strong arm robbery the records showed
mr garcia was being held thursday in jail until he could be taken to leon county to face the murder charges said kristi grimm an assistant in the courts media office the circuit court judge there jonathan sjostrom has ordered the affidavit of probable cause to be sealed
but mr garcia appeared before judge mary rudd robinson in broward county on thursday on the cocaine possession charges ms grimm said when asked by the judge if he had known of the warrant for his arrest mr garcia replied no the tallahassee democrat reported he said he had met wednesday with a lawyer
at the law school where professor markel was the dalemberte professor of law dean donald j weidner issued a statement in 2014 saying his contributions to the law school and broader legal community were pervasive and lasting
professor markels influence was felt far beyond tallahassee said wayne a logan another professor at the school
in a really true sense he was a faculty member of the nations law schools   he reached out to so many people and so generously gave of his time and energy he said
professor markel helped build a network of legal scholarship and was a founder of prawfsblawg which describes itself as being about topics related to law and life
after his death in 2014 10 professors signed a statement mourning him on the blog saying his death had reverberated internationally
on thursday a blog post there simply noted the police announcement of mr garcias arrest but it said there would be nothing further we have written very little here about dans death as opposed to about dan himself to avoid the speculation it said in part
professor markel was raised in toronto and studied politics and philosophy as an undergraduate at harvard he undertook graduate studies at the hebrew university of jerusalem and cambridge before getting a law degree at harvard he had also been a scholar in residence at new york universitys law school and spent much of his time in new york
along with writing dozens of academic articles and popular essays in publications such as slate the atlantic and the new york times he was an author of a 2009 book privilege or punish criminal justice and the challenge of family ties
he was divorced in 2013 from wendi jill adelson a clinical professor at florida state law schools public interest center the couple had two boys


if you live in minneapolis theres a 95 percent chance you live within a 10 minute walk to a park
that bragging right plus a few others make minneapoliss parks system the best of the 100 biggest cities in the country beating out its next door neighbor st paul for the top spot
minneapolis earned this distinction by scoring 865 out of 100 on the fifth annual parkscore a ranking of urban parks systems published by the trust for public land a nonprofit organization that works to protect natural land and create parks often by working with cities to create new parks or improve existing ones
the score rates cities not including their larger metropolitan areas based on several criteria the percentage of residents who live roughly a half mile or closer to a park acreage and median size of the parks and per capita spending on parks among other factors
according to adrian benepe the funds director of city park development and the former new york city parks commissioner under mayor michael r bloomberg more than 80 percent of americans live in cities or in their urban shadows and having access to parks directly affects a citys quality of life
essentially we believe you cant have a great city without a great parks system mr benepe said
the organization is working to get the nations 100 biggest cities to commit to making a 10 minute walk to a park a reality for all residents so far 55 have made that pledge or promised better
he also said that parks help cities become more resilient and sustainable as communities and governments try to lighten their carbon footprints and prepare for climate change trees can reduce urban heat grasses can help absorb storm water biking or walking trails reduce car and transportation traffic and waterfront parks especially those that include marshes or wetlands can help reduce the risk of floods
many of the cities with the 10 highest scores seem like no brainers given their world famous parks systems or culture of environmental awareness   washington dc san francisco portland ore new york city and boston are all in the top 10
but theres also irvine calif one of the countrys largest planned cities which made room early on for r many community and neighborhood parks
tied for 10th place with madison wis was cincinnati which grew up as an industrial powerhouse in the 19th century and has parks that rival many of those of the older east coast cities it has more than 5000 acres of park land
mr benepe said that a few trends emerged in this years ranking based on information on parks mostly collected by using a sophisticated mapping technology called gis or geographic information systems
more cities are using public private partnerships to develop parks he said such as the high line in new york city which friends of the high line a nonprofit organization maintains and operates for the city and campus martius a public space in downtown detroit which was completed in 2004
mr benepe also said that spending on parks is slightly higher in cities that have been tracked by the trust for public lands over the last few years since last year new york city added about 12 in spending per person bringing the total to 18584 averaged over the last three years  washington dc the third highest scoring parks system spends the most at 28663 per person
one of the criteria of the parkscore is how much the cities invest in facilities like basketball hoops dog parks or senior or recreation centers
theres a huge surge in dog parks theyre growing faster than any other type of parks mr benepe said
in the last year off leash dog parks in the 100 biggest cities have grown by 4 percent according to the trust for public land to a total of 684 over the last five years theyve grown by more than 20 percent
the bottom 10 cities on the list include fresno calif charlotte nc and mesa ariz with fort wayne ind coming in last place but mr benepe said that some of those cities lower down on the list are making the biggest effort to improve their parks systems
mr benepe pointed to houston 78 which has transformed the shores of its polluted buffalo bayou into a 160 acre park led by the buffalo bayou partnership along a 23 mile stretch of the waterway it also added a connection   via bicycle paths and trails   to the neighborhoods between two major thoroughfares memorial drive and allen parkway
what were seeing is that there is somewhat of a peacetime arms race who can have the best most attractive parks systems mr benepe said leaders understand that these are key indicators of quality of life


youre alone at the beach or maybe in a pair or a small group its pretty hot out there so its time to cool down in the water
how do you make sure your phone money and keys arent stolen
its a simple question with no easy answer especially if you dont have a car nearby while its easy to suggest leaving your valuables at home or at a hotel   which is indeed sensible advice   that option isnt always practical or desirable
when i posed the question to my facebook friends i got a surprising variety of responses
 dig a hole place your stuff in a zip lock cover the hole and place your beach blanket on top of it javi calderon offered
 when i went to hawaii by myself i kept my phone and wallet in a plastic bag and when i went in the water would put it under the towel leaving a largely empty backpack on top ross maghielse said still keeping a close eye on it
 doris truong suggested stashing stuff inside a clean diaper that to others looks dirty
 get one of those dorky plastic waterproof compartments to wear around your neck pamela hobart suggested knowing full well i have no problem wearing dorky things
 ask someone to watch it for you like your computer at the library meredith pickett said if you ask people are surprisingly trustworthy
 asking a lifeguard to watch your bag michelle markowitz said they usually nod which is lifeguard for no prob id love to 
 wrap your valuables in a shirt and leave a bag sitting out in the open so a potential thief would grab the wrong thing jessica lee said
 ill generally put all my belongings in a bag and stuff that in another bag tie that bag to my sandals or something and put it under my beach towels when im going to the water michael ip said
captain steven ang of the ocean city police in new jersey said he offers beachgoers one primary rule if you dont need it dont bring it
yeah we knew that was coming but since many of us will bring our phones anyway he added a few more novel ideas like stashing your cash in a cleaned out suntan lotion bottle or a split tennis ball while no single method could bring total peace of mind the idea is to make yourself as unattractive a target to thieves as possible
theyre not going to spend a lot of time rummaging through your stuff he said they want to get something easy something in plain sight they want to grab it and they want to go
feel free to share your methods in the comments section of this article along with any lessons youve learned on the subject


when two syrian immigrant brothers refused to shake their female teachers hand this year it ignited national outrage in switzerland
this week the authorities in the northern canton of basel landschaft ruled that the students who studied at a public school in the small town of therwil could not refuse to shake their teachers hand on religious grounds they said that parents whose children refused to obey the longstanding tradition could be fined up to 5000 swiss francs about 5050
shaking a teachers hand before and after class is part of switzerlands social fabric and is considered an important sign of politeness and respect
the boys school had initially decided to grant the brothers an exemption from the custom after the boys ages 14 and 16 the sons of an imam from syria had argued that islam did not permit physical contact with a person of the opposite sex with the exception of immediate family members seeking a compromise the school decided that the boys would not have to shake male teachers hands either
but when the compromise became public last month it provoked an uproar from educators and politicians across the ideological spectrum justice minister simonetta sommaruga a social democrat argued that shaking hands with a teacher was an important part of swiss culture
beat zemp the president of the swiss teachers union also spoke out against the decision saying that the rules should apply to all students and that it sent the wrong message since the boys would need to shake hands with colleagues both male and female as their lives progressed
after the backlash the school decided to refer the issue to the regional authorities
on wednesday the cantonal board for education culture and sport in basel landschaft said that the integration of foreigners and the fostering of gender equality were in the public interest and that this consideration trumped the private interests of the two students their names have not been made public
it acknowledged that forcing the students to shake their female teachers hand was an intrusion on their religious beliefs but said that it was a proportionate one since in its view it did not involve the central tenets of islam
in addition shaking hands was an important social gesture for ones future career it added
the decision by the swiss school board comes as europe is grappling with how to integrate more than a million migrants many of whom have been arriving from conservative muslim countries it also comes amid a simmering culture war in europe over immigration
in october elections the right wing swiss peoples party won the most votes in part by railing against immigrants and what party leaders called their threat to the swiss way of life
in 2009 a majority of swiss voted in a referendum to ban the construction of minarets the prayer towers of mosques after the swiss peoples party warned of the creeping islamization of switzerland the vote underlined widespread unease about islam and undermined the countrys reputation for religious tolerance
in germany where nearly one million migrants arrived last year including many from middle eastern countries buffeted by war the government proposed an integration law this week that aims to give migrants a path to full employment but will require them to learn german and accept local laws and customs
in denmark pork meatballs and other pork dishes became the latest weapons in the battle playing out in europe over identity and integration after the central danish town of randers voted in january to require public day care centers and kindergartens to include the meat on their lunch menus
in abidingly secular france the countrys minister for families children and womens rights laurence rossignol recently set off a loud debate when she equated women who wanted to wear muslim headscarves to american negroes who had supported slavery
the ruling in switzerland has proved polarizing among leaders of the countrys 350000 muslims after the controversy first erupted the federation of islamic organizations in switzerland said that the shaking of a womans hand by a man was theologically permissible
on wednesday onder gunes a spokesman for the group reiterated that view adding that islam advocated politeness and that a student shaking a teachers hand did not pose any problems nevertheless he said the group was saddened by the ruling which he called disproportionate and a slap in the face
but the islamic central council of switzerland rejected the educational bodys ruling altogether and said in a statement that the swiss regional authorities had grossly overstepped their mandate
it argued that rather than contributing to the integration of muslims the ruling would foster feelings of alienation among swiss muslims it said that policing physical contact between individuals was a form of totalitarianism and vowed to take legal action if the ruling was enforced
mr gunes said the citizenship application by the teenagers family had been suspended by the authorities at least for now
the boys father who arrived in switzerland in 2001 has already been granted asylum we find it sad that the case resulted in a punitive ruling mr gunes said if you break someones nose in this country you dont even get a 5000 swiss franc fine
the brothers were not available wednesday for comment but in an april interview with die welt the german newspaper the younger of the brothers said the two were merely following the teachings of the prophet muhammad whom he called their idol lamenting all the fuss he stressed that their actions were not hurting anyone
the brothers he noted were trying to protect the dignity of women with their refusal to shake a womans hand


good news everybody the best drama currently on television is going off the air
fx announced wednesday that the americans its resonant soviet spy drama set in 1980s suburban washington has signed a deal for two additional and final seasons if you love the show like i do this is   like so many things on the americans   sad but perfect because it will have the chance to end well
this strange phenomenon   cheering for the end of one of your favorite dramas   is a curious byproduct of the peak tv era traditionally networks wrung everything they could out of hits and tv history is full of greats say all in the family that are greater if you dont think much about their last few seasons ending a veteran series was once more a matter of crafting a bang up finale episode than plotting a multiseason story arc
but the more ambitious and serial tv became the more jarring it was for a series to abruptly end or worse continue past its creative peak by fiat more and more series were naturally driven toward an endpoint like lost for which abc took the unusual step of setting a three season glide path to its finale whether you loved that ending or hated it it was preferable to spinning out the story gilligan style until the harlem globetrotters washed ashore on the island
the americans is one of those rare series that actually has gotten better every season but we shouldnt kid ourselves that it or any show would do that indefinitely
its core premise   protagonists with a secret hidden from their family and neighbors   is very much like that of breaking bad even if its tone is different theres a sense of dread of inevitable doom of walls closing in that implies an end and while tv series can always stretch out time the americans also has the ticking clock of the actual end of the cold war
the jenningses have brought their daughter paige in on their secret as walter white brought his wife skyler in on his functionally stan is much like hank on breaking bad the dogged investigator who doesnt realize hes been sharing beers and secrets with his quarry over a few seasons that situation creates tension over say 10 hes just going to seem like a patsy at some point
at six seasons the americans will end at around the midrange for dramas that got to end on their own terms the sopranos also ran six seasons mad men seven breaking bad five in each case thats if you count a two part final season as one the fantastic the good wife would have been better off in retrospect planning its ending a season or two earlier
optimal end of life care is not just for dramas either i miss parks and recreation but it was serial enough that it benefited from wrapping up in its seventh season compare its spiritual ancestor the office which should have closed for business when steve carell hung up his worlds best boss mug
but theres not necessarily a single golden number orange is the new black for instance has developed such a vast universe of characters and stories that i could imagine it running until it simply stops being good yes prisoners serve sentences   the ultimate built in time limits   but the show could survive the loss of individual characters including even i suspect piper likewise theres no narrative or ratings reason demanding that the walking dead do anything but stagger on and on and on though giving it an end date and a final arc might make it interesting again
game of thrones is reportedly considering two more abbreviated final seasons despite its teeming loyal khalasar of viewers this idea surprised me given that george r r martins source novels still have two volumes to go but if the current season to date is any sign hurtling toward a climax at a faster pace will be good for its story if not for hbos coffers
in a way the americans is lucky to be as modestly rated as it is its just successful enough to have stayed on the air not so successful that anyone was tempted to keep it on past the end of its useful life a planned crafted ending might mean like friday night lights that it could finally get some emmy recognition on the way out
but the real reason to kill the series kindly is artistic the americans is a moving melancholy thriller about the servants of a dying empire its very foundation is the idea that things come to an end it deserves like breaking bad the chance to follow through on its implications saving nothing for later
which is not to say i wouldnt take a sequel anyone up for better page paige


president obama was thousands of miles away on an official tour of asia far from the center of the political battle playing out for the white house but he could not escape the long shadow of donald j trump
at a gathering of the group of 7 nations in shima japan the president said at a news conference on thursday that he had discussed mr trump with the leaders of the six other industrialized nations in the group italy japan britain canada france and germany and that they were rattled by him and for good reason
i think its fair to say that they are surprised by the republican nominee they are not sure how seriously to take some of his pronouncements mr obama said
he added a lot of the proposals that hes made display either ignorance of world affairs or a cavalier attitude or an interest in getting tweets and headlines instead of actually thinking through what it is that is required to keep america safe and secure and prosperous and whats required to keep the world on an even keel
the presidents scalding characterization came before the announcement on thursday that mr trump had clinched the delegate majority for the republican presidential nomination according to a tally by the associated press
it was not the first time mr obama has questioned mr trumps fitness for office earlier this month the president said the candidate should be subjected to genuine scrutiny and not be allowed to treat the presidential campaign like a reality show
we are in serious times and this is a really serious job mr obama said at a white house news conference this is not entertainment this is not a reality show this is a contest for the presidency of the united states
in april the president rebuked mr trump after the millionaire businessman suggested that the united states and its allies should move away from decades of constraints on the use of nuclear arms
mr obama said at the end of a two day summit meeting on nuclear security that those statements reflected the views of a person who doesnt know much about foreign policy or nuclear policy or the korean peninsula or the world generally
he added we dont want somebody in the oval office who doesnt recognize how important that is
mr obama who has already visited vietnam where he announced the lifting of a decades old ban on providing military equipment to that country will head to hiroshima japan on friday


matt bomer kelsey grammer lauren ambrose david krumholtz jessica pare david arquette and zoe kravitz will be among the stars included in the latest slate of amazon pilots debuting on june 17
the company announced eight new shows on thursday including six for children that it will consider turning into series for its streaming service based in part on viewer feedback the pilots are available for the public to watch at amazoncom typically for around 30 days with any resulting series available only to the companys prime subscribers
the emmy winning transparent and golden globe winning mozart in the jungle each began as amazon pilots as did the man in the high castle the amazon original series most streamed by prime members globally
the interestings adapted from the meg wolitzer best seller follows a group of artistic teenagers from summer camp in 1974 through several decades of adulthood ms ambrose stars as an actress who uses her wit to compensate for what shes lacking in glamour money and talent mike newell harry potter and the goblet of fire four weddings and a funeral directed the pilot which also features mr krumholtz and ms pare
the last tycoon written and directed by billy ray the oscar nominated screenwriter of captain phillips was adapted from the f scott fitzgerald novel about a hollywood golden boy mr bomer battling his boss and father figure mr grammer for the soul of a film studio during the depression
four pilots are aimed at children ages 6 to 11 including sigmund and the sea monsters a live action show based on sid and marty kroffts 1970s saturday morning series about two brothers who befriend a sea monster mr arquette plays sigmunds biggest threat the hunter captain barnabas
little big awesome animated by the studio titmouse motor city metalocalypse follows two friends through a world where sea turtles fly and flowers talk
morris and the cow about a 10 year old determined to become a cowboy features the voices of jermaine fowler collegehumor and ms kravitz divergent
in toasty tales written by merriwether williams a spongebob squarepants alum three best friends happen to be marshmallows
two pilots are intended for preschoolers the curious kitty and friends about komaneko a cat who explores with video camera and knapsack in tow and jazz duck about a duck who sounds like a saxophone


kenneth w starr the former independent counsel who delivered a report that served as the basis for president bill clintons impeachment in 1998 was removed as president of baylor university on thursday after an investigation found the university mishandled accusations of sexual assault against football players
the university also fired the football coach art briles whose ascendant program brought in millions of dollars in revenue but was dogged by accusations of sexual assault committed by its players   an increasingly familiar combination in big time college sports
mr starr was stripped of his title as university president but will remain baylors chancellor and a professor at the law school the chancellor position is centered around development and religious liberty a regent said on a conference call thursday afternoon adding that mr starrs operational responsibilities have been removed
mr starrs demotion delivered a twist to the biography of a man whose reputation was built on what many considered an overzealous pursuit of allegations of sexual transgressions by mr clinton now he is being punished for leading an administration that according to a report by an outside law firm commissioned by the universitys governing board looked the other way when baylor football players were accused of sex crimes and sometimes convicted of them
we were horrified by the extent of these acts of sexual violence on our campus richard willis chairman of baylors board of regents said in a statement this investigation revealed the universitys mishandling of reports in what should have been a supportive responsive and caring environment for students
mr starr said in a statement to news organizations i join the board of regents and the senior administration of the university in expressing heartfelt contrition for the tragedy and sadness that has unfolded to those victims who were not treated with the care concern and support they deserve i am profoundly sorry
violence against women on college campuses has risen as a national conversation in recent years and one particular thread has been whether athletes in big time sports like football and basketball are afforded favorable treatment by universities and communities that come together to support and protect successful teams
critics have said that baylor sacrificed moral considerations   and the safety of other students   for the sake of its winning football team the investigation said as much describing the flouting of federal gender equity law and rebuking a university leadership that created a cultural perception that football was above the rules
in one instance according to a summary of the investigation released by the board university administrators discouraged an accuser in a manner that constituted retaliation against a complainant for reporting sexual assault
what investigations did occur the summary said were conducted in the context of a broader culture and belief by many administrators that sexual violence doesnt happen here
mr starr who was solicitor general and a federal judge before taking on the clinton case has been credited with raising hundreds of millions of dollars for baylor the countrys largest baptist university in part by yoking its fortunes to football much fund raising was centered on building a gleaming on campus home field mclane stadium which opened in 2014 the same year that mr starr added the title of chancellor to his role as president
let me be clear mr starr wrote in a public letter in february sexual violence emphatically has no place whatsoever at baylor university
that baylor had an apparently functioning athletic department was seen as an achievement in itself the university experienced one of the worst college sports scandals ever after a mens basketball player murdered a teammate in 2003 with a subsequent investigation revealing drug use and payments to players resulting in harsh ncaa penalties
baylor said it had retained a law firm for the possibility of an ncaa investigation into the latest transgressions
the circumstances took on a new dimension nearly a year ago when a former football player sam ukwuachu was convicted of sexually assaulting another baylor athlete and sentenced to six months in jail during the trial a former girlfriend of mr ukwuachus testified that he had assaulted her several years earlier when he had been a football player at boise state baylor denied that it had been apprised of mr ukwuachus history boise state disputed that denial
the ukwuachu case came a year after tevin elliott a former baylor player was convicted of sexually assaulting a baylor freshman two other baylor students testified that mr elliott had also sexually assaulted them he was sentenced to 20 years in prison
subsequent news reports have found several other accusations of sexual assault by baylor athletes including one against two players that baylor did not investigate for more than two years
after mr ukwuachus conviction mr starr chose baylors faculty athletics representative a former federal prosecutor to lead an inquiry into the universitys handling of mr ukwuachu a week later based on that investigation mr starr recommended that baylors board hire outside lawyers to conduct another investigation
soon baylor announced that the regents had retained two lawyers from pepper hamilton to conduct a thorough and independent and external investigation pepper hamilton a firm based in philadelphia said it reviewed more than one million documents and conducted 65 interviews including with individuals who identified as victimssurvivors of sexual assault or dating violence
such investigations are sometimes cited by defendants in title ix lawsuits as proof that the university did not possess deliberate indifference to a problem of sexual assault according to erin buzuvis a title ix expert and a law professor at western new england university
some courts ms buzuvis said might put a little more teeth on that requirement
baylor settled a lawsuit by an accuser of mr ukwuachus last year while one by an accuser of mr elliotts was filed earlier this year
the education departments office of civil rights is investigating nearly 200 postsecondary institutions under title ix over sexual violence cases but as of thursday baylor was not among them
athletic director ian mccaw was placed on probation the board said while mr briles was suspended with intention to terminate several news media reports said the football teams defensive coordinator phil bennett would serve as interim head coach mr willis the boards chairman said on the conference call that pepper hamiltons findings had nothing specific to implicate mr bennett
mr briles a texas lifer was one of the most successful coaches in college football   and one of the best paid with an annual salary of nearly 6 million according to usa today as a private university baylor is not required to make such figures public
formerly houstons head coach mr briles installed an unorthodox wide open offense and built the bears historically a football also ran in a state dominated by larger neighbors like texas and texas am into a powerhouse in 2011 quarterback robert griffin iii won the programs first heisman trophy   a statue of griffin now with the cleveland browns graces the front entrance to mclane stadium   and the team won or shared the big 12 title in 2013 and 2014
the allegations in the baylor report are similar to others that have surfaced at universities with prominent athletics programs florida states heisman winning quarterback jameis winston was accused of rape in 2012 he denied the charge and was not disciplined by the university after an incomplete police investigation and a hearing at tennessee a lawsuit filed this year partially blamed a noncompliant climate for sexual assaults by five athletes
despite a department of education letter in 2011 advising colleges to have detailed appropriate guidelines for handling accusations of sexual assault baylor did not appoint a full time title ix coordinator until late 2014 according to the investigation
in 1985 baylor received a partial exemption to title ix for several policies that it said conflicted with its sincerely held religious beliefs such as condemnation of premarital unchastity
the report released on thursday found that baylors religiously informed outlook on drug use alcohol and premarital sex made accusers fearful of coming forward


a day after peter thiel explained why he had given about 10 million to fund multiple lawsuits against gawker media the sites founder published an open letter to the silicon valley billionaire calling him thin skinned and a comic book villain and challenging him to a public debate about the role of journalism in society
the letter from nick denton the companys founder and majority owner was published thursday on gawker hours after the company acknowledged that it had hired an investment banker in recent weeks to help it explore strategic options including a possible sale
mr denton harshly criticized what he said was a lengthy unnecessary vendetta mr thiel waged against not only gawker media but also individual journalists
this vindictive decade long campaign is quite out of proportion to the hurt you claim mr denton wrote on thursday in the letter mr denton made it clear that he would not back down against a billionaire who showed no sign of stopping his involvement in underwriting the lawsuits even as the future of gawker remained in question
on wednesday mr thiel a co founder of paypal and an early investor in facebook acknowledged in an interview with the new york times that he had bankrolled lawsuits against gawker including one by the wrestler hulk hogan whose real name is terry g bollea in march a florida jury awarded 140 million to mr bollea in his case against the company for publishing a sex tape the company is expected to appeal the verdict
other lawsuits against gawker led by the same lawyer charles harder representing mr bollea are still pending
a spokesman for mr thiel declined to comment on thursday
in his interview with the times mr thiel   who was outed as being gay by gawkers valleywag blog nearly a decade ago   said he did not view his underwriting of the lawsuits as a business venture i would underscore that i dont expect to make any money from this he said
in his open letter mr denton issued a play by play of past stories that drew mr thiels ire and of two defamation lawsuits currently pending against gawker and criticized what he characterized as an inability by silicon valley figures to accept criticism from journalists
i can see how tempting it would be to use silicon valleys most abundant resource a vast fortune against the harsh words of the writers of a small new york media company he wrote we have our devices you have yours
mr denton also assured mr thiel that gawkers journalists would be reporting on his involvement in lawsuits against the company
we and those you have sent into battle against us have been stripped naked our texts online chats and finances revealed through the press and the courts mr denton wrote in the next phase you too will be subject to a dose of transparency
also on thursday gawker confirmed that it had hired mark patricof a senior banker at the firm houlihan lokey in recent weeks to provide financial advice houlihan lokey is known for its expertise in mergers and in corporate restructuring but the company would not directly address reports that a potential buyer had emerged everyone take a breath began a statement released by gawker on thursday
in the statement gawker said that it had worked with investment bankers for some time and that mr patricof was only the latest gawker said word of mr patricofs hiring seems to have stirred up some excitement when the fact is that nothing is new
gawkers strategic review is in its early stages and mr denton has not decided on how to proceed according to the people with direct knowledge of plans
the company has been considering its options for months gawker had weighed potential offers earlier this year that were as high as approximately 350 million according to people with direct knowledge of the matter
also this year gawker agreed to sell a minority stake to the tech venture capital firm columbus nova technology partners as part of the deal jason epstein a managing partner at columbus nova would join gawkers board the companies did not disclose the size of the stake
gawkers legal complications appear to have given pause to some other potential investors gawker confirmed in april that it had been in talks with univision an acquisition deal was nearly complete according to two people briefed on the discussions but discussions cooled after the hogan verdict was reached
last year mr denton revealed that gawker media generated about 45 million in advertising revenue in 2014 and profit of about 7 million but the prospect of further litigation draining the companys coffers prompted the media outlet to prepare contingency planning around what the company described as mr thiels revenge campaign
in the middle of a legal odyssey that threatens to cripple the company mr denton and gawker journalists are standing behind their reporting on thursday gawker posted an article that chronicled the reporting that it and the affiliated tech site valleywag had done on mr thiel over the years
the refusal to engage in public relations or access journalism the post read is usually the mark of an outlets credibility for thiel and his peers in silicon valley such a refusal amounts to repudiating their way of life
the posts headline was this is why billionaire peter thiel wants to end gawker
for his part mr denton ended his letter with a series of reported questions that challenged points mr thiel had made in the interview with the times and elsewhere and questioned whether mr thiels personal political opinions had affected his decisions as a board member for facebook
he also asked what mr thiel ultimately hoped to achieve
is your goal to bankrupt buy or wound gawker media mr denton wrote if you were to own the company after a final judgment in the hogan case what would your editorial strategy be


augusta me   she was afraid of being alone and prone to anxiety a diminutive 66 year old woman with a poor sense of direction hiking the appalachian trail by herself who wandered into terrain so wild it is used for military training she waited nearly a month in the maine woods for help that never came
geraldine a largay chronicled her journey in a black covered notebook that summer of 2013 and she kept writing after she lost her way even as her food supply dwindled along with her hopes of being found her last entry reflected a strikingly graceful acceptance of what was coming
when you find my body please call my husband george and my daughter kerry she wrote it will be the greatest kindness for them to know that i am dead and where you found me   no matter how many years from now
it would be two years before a logging company surveyor stumbled upon her campsite and remains solving a mystery that had tormented her family and defied teams of experienced searchers ms largay a retired nurse from tennessee had survived nearly a month on her own   longer than many old backwoods hands thought possible   before dying of exposure and starvation
on thursday the maine warden service released more than 1500 pages of its files on her disappearance shedding light on the fears of her friends and family and the search that pursued countless false leads the documents include brief excerpts from her journal and the plaintive text messages she tried in vain to send to her husband from a place beyond the reach of cell towers
lost since yesterday she texted off trail 3 or 4 miles call police for what to do pls
in fact she had set up camp less than two miles off the trail there with her black tent and her possessions neatly sorted into ziploc bags she penned a note to her husband on the cover of the journal george please read xoxo
ms largay had adopted the trail name inchworm making light of her pace but that pace had taken her nearly 1000 miles from harpers ferry wva where she and a friend jane lee had set off on april 23 2013 her husband of 42 years george largay drove ahead and met them in prearranged spots with supplies and sometimes took them to motels for showers and a night indoors
on june 30 in new hampshire ms lee cut short her hike to tend to a family emergency but ms largay insisted on continuing
later ms lee would tell an investigator that geraldine had a poor sense of direction the warden services investigative report said ms lee said that geraldine had taken a wrong turn on the trail more than once and ms largay became flustered and combative when she made these kinds of mistakes
ms largay a meticulous planner was gregarious and made friends easily on the trail but she feared the dark and being alone said ms lee who told park wardens that george did not know the extent of geraldines inability to deal with the rigors and challenges of the trail
but after he reported his wife missing mr largay told an investigator that gerry was probably in over her head
her doctor would tell investigators that once she ran out of the medication she took for anxiety she could suffer panic attacks
ms largay spent the night of july 21 22 in the poplar ridge lean to in western maine less than 200 miles from the end of the trail her smile was so infectious that before she set off the next morning a fellow hiker dottie rust asked to take her picture in the photo she is beaming and wearing her backpack her socks pulled high as hikers do to ward off scrapes and blisters
it was about 630 am the last time anyone was known to see her alive by 11 am she was lost
in somm trouble ms largay wrote in a text message to her husband got off trail to go to br now lost she asked him to call the appalachian mountain club to c if a trail maintainer can help me somewhere north of woods road xox
the message was never received
ms largay had left the trail in one its most rugged sections with thick underbrush and fir trees packed so tightly they almost seem to merge
you step off the trail 20 or 50 feet and turn around its very difficult to see where the trail was said douglas dolan 53 a volunteer who spent time last summer doing trail maintenance in the area if you didnt know which way the trail was you could easily walk in circles for hours
ms largay sought high ground possibly hoping for a cell signal she tried over and over to send messages but none went through
on july 23 she set up camp laying her tent atop sticks and pine needles under a canopy of hemlocks that probably obscured her from airborne rescuers she tied a shiny silver blanket between two trees possibly to attract attention and nearby trees had burn marks
it looks like some sort of fire was attempted on those trees by gerry wrote lt kevin adam of the warden service in a report
she was supposed to meet mr largay on july 23 at route 27 in wyman township the next day he reported her missing
multiple agencies and volunteers joined the hunt with searchers on foot on horseback and in helicopters she was less than a mile from the trail close enough that searchers probably passed near her without realizing it investigators questioned hikers who might have crossed paths with ms largay and they tested the dna on a discarded band aid
and they were inundated with false tips to be pursued
people suggested that she had been murdered that she might be lodged in treetops that she had fallen in the river and that she had been spotted at a womens shelter in tennessee some hikers thought they might have seen her on the trail but werent sure others had seen sketchy men who they thought might have done her harm psychics called to report visions of her including one who insisted incorrectly that she had broken her ankle
search efforts were scaled back on aug 4 ms largay kept writing daily observations and letters to her family in her journal until aug 10 even drawing out a calendar to keep track of the days she wrote a final entry that she dated aug 18 though investigators are not sure the date is accurate
her remains were found on oct 14 2015 inside her sleeping bag in a campsite she had kept neat until the very end around her was the ample gear she had hauled   items like a blue and white bandanna a rosary birthday candles lighters dental floss a sewing kit and two water bottles one still containing water
when ms largays family visited the patch of wilderness two weeks later they left a white wooden cross decorated with messages etched in black marker one written in a childs hand said i wish you were here


would president donald j trump be good or bad for your stocks
the stock market is a nervous animal that can easily find a reason to sell off sharply but so far it has taken the rise of mr trump in stride
the standard  poors 500 index has climbed 6 percent since super tuesday on march 1 when mr trumps victories showed him to be the front runner for the republican nomination and it has kept rising as mr trump has built momentum and as hillary clinton has had setbacks like the release on wednesday of a report by the state departments inspector general that was critical of her use of a private email server the benchmark index on wednesday closed at a mere 2 percent below its record high
the relatively high valuation of the stock market   its trading at 20 times historical earnings   indicates that investors dont see any big threats from his stated policies
how much do you think he will get enacted said jim paulsen chief investment strategist at wells capital management who isnt showing signs of worry politicians are great at telling you they are very important
but its not hard to conjure up ugly events in a trump presidency his trade policies could damage the economy and lead to job losses and his fiscal policies could create a far larger deficit adding trillions to the national debt stocks and mutual funds held by households have increased in value by over 8 trillion or 60 percent over the past five years if the stock market did make a big move down before the election it would be felt on main street and your street
so why is wall street not more worried and should ordinary investors be worried that wall street is not worried
it may be a little too early to tell if the stock market is being cavalier about mr trump investors dont make big decisions on the basis of a few close polls more than five months before the presidential election but polls that occurred nearer to election day and that showed mr trump well ahead would more clearly test what investors think of his becoming president if you want to know when to worry about the polls this upshot article has some good pointers
another big reason that wall street appears unfazed may be that investors still expect hillary clinton to win her policies would not be a big departure from those of president obama a clear sign of mrs clintons support on wall street is the large amounts of money that she has been raising from financial executives
while center left policies may not please some on wall street the economy has recovered under president obama and if anything the economy could get stronger not weaker house prices are strongly rising consumers are borrowing without becoming over indebted and the banking sector looks safer than it has been in many years
then there is a belief on wall street that a president trump would end up being no more than a rougher edged version of mitt romney when it comes to policy in other words mr trump would dial down his combative policies   like blocking imports from china and mexico   once those views got him the votes needed to win the presidency the other way this theory works congress and the courts prevent him from pursuing goals that could create instability like the mass deportation of illegal immigrants
a related school of thought says that limited trade battles would not do much damage to the economy   and might even help it in the long run david rosenberg the chief economist and strategist at gluskin sheff notes that ronald reagan placed tariffs on some electronics imports from japan the china of that era if the markets were to sell off because of his election success id tell clients to find another reason to be bearish mr rosenberg said
even if mr trump ended up compromising on many of his antagonistic positions the residual tension could cause harm the global economy has been vulnerable to political and economic shocks emanating out of one region europe or country china the stock market dropped more than 10 percent last year after china devalued its currency by a small amount for instance
wall streets apparently laid back reaction to mr trumps rise is a twist on the notion that gridlock is good for stocks much money has been made over the years betting that politicians dont need to be feared because they cant do much   or wont but mr trump could test this consensus view he didnt adopt confrontational trade policies all of a sudden he has pushed them for many years and he has shown little appetite for compromise or bridge building in his campaign so why expect it if he were in the white house
its too soon for the election to move the stock market by much but if mr trump were ahead in the fall it wouldnt be shocking if the herd suddenly turned


this is usually the season of hope and inspiration on college campuses but the politics of immigration and the presidential race spilled into the commencement ceremony sunday at california state university fullerton in an incident that has continued to reverberate on social media
a recording shows that the commencement speaker maria elena salinas a prominent anchor for the spanish language network univision was booed after she praised hispanic students in the crowd spoke briefly in spanish and made a critical reference to donald j trump the presumptive republican nominee
a university official confirmed wednesday that tensions had flared during ms salinass address to graduates of the college of communications the video shows her smiling broadly as members of the audience first began to yell at her when she specifically praised hispanic journalism graduates the booing became louder when she referenced mr trump
the trouble began when ms salinas referred to the assembled graduates as the new voice of hispanic america drawing cries from the crowd hispanics make up the schools largest single ethnic or racial group   at more than 40 percent of the student body   but many of the graduates were not hispanic
all of you are the future ms salinas quickly responded well really the youth are the future of our country those hispanics who are here are the future of hispanic america and the rest of you are the future of our country
audience members became more upset when ms salinas said that journalists were often unfairly turned into public enemy no 1 by politicians and their supporters
imagine they blame us so much for so many things that now they even blame us the media for creating donald trump imagine that she said as some in the crowd started to boo her isnt that terrible but we didnt right we didnt who did i dont know but they are to blame
denise de la cruz 23 a graduating student said some people looked visibly upset when ms salinas praised hispanic students and mentioned mr trump there were shouts from the crowd of get off the stage and trash she said
the negativity started really when she solely addressed latino journalism graduates not only because it felt like she wasnt including other majors but obviously not everyone present was latino said ms de la cruz who wrote about the speech and the backlash for oc weekly a local magazine as soon as she said how happy she was for latino journalism students you could hear people in the crowd yell what about us 
doris munoz 22 another student who was present said the hecklers   whom she described as a small sprinkling of people in the crowd   were friends and relatives of the graduates some shouted english only please at the speaker she said
she started getting pretty political in her speech and i think that rubbed people the wrong way ms munoz said people were making kind of sly jabs at donald trump but she just totally took him on
attempts to reach ms salinas through the network and via social media were unsuccessful on wednesday but she addressed the incident on twitter several times in recent days telling ms de la cruz that she had not heard what the hecklers said on sunday and later chastising her over the oc weekly articles interpretation of the facts
if they complained about me speaking spanish its sad racism is on the rise ms salinas said in a tweet on sunday referring to those who booed her
and she told the washington post i dont think i insulted anyone by saying a few words in spanish to the parents the whole speech was directed to everyone she added i think the message is we have to cool down the intolerance right now we really do this is ugly whats happening in the country
this is not the first time univision and mr trump have proved to be a combustible combination the network refused to broadcast his beauty pageants in protest of his remarks about mexicans leading to a lawsuit that was later settled in august jorge ramos a journalist for univision based in miami was mocked by the candidate and then escorted out of a news conference after questioning him about immigration mr trump was unapologetic
in the days after ms salinass speech critics lashed out at her on social media she told one twitter user who disliked her speech unless youre native american we are all from immigrant families
jeff cook the university spokesman said the school was aware that some audience members had expressed concerns about her remarks
she is an accomplished journalist and i am sure she is an inspirational figure for many of our students he said ms salinas also delivered a commencement address at a university wide ceremony earlier in the day without incident
ms munoz said she thought it made sense to have a latina voice like ms salinas at the ceremony i grew up watching her on television   but for some people i guess it seemed offensive or exclusive she said but its not like she gave her whole speech in spanish i just dont get it


paris   eugenie bouchards slog across the continents to regain her best form took a significant hit at the french open on thursday in a battle of former roland garros semifinalists bouchard was leading by 4 1 in the first set and appeared to be on a path to an important victory over no 8 timea bacsinszky
but in an abrupt swing that mirrored bouchards recent career downturn her focus blurred and she lost 10 games in a row bacsinszky who reached the french open semifinals last year advanced to the third round with a 6 4 6 4 win
after her loss bouchard chastised herself for her mental lapses something she had emphasized avoiding in recent months as a way to reverse her misfortune
its unacceptable really to lose 10 games in a row in a match she said i think that my focus a little bit was the part that let me down the mental part
bouchard added that the loss was particularly disappointing because she felt she had begun to steer her career onto a more successful track after months of frustration and pain
the past year has been nightmarish for bouchard a 22 year old canadian her lack of success in the wake of immense expectations generated by a breakthrough 2014 season was compounded by a frightening locker room accident at the united states open in september
bouchard started 2015 in the top 10 and reached the quarterfinals in the australian open but was then eliminated in her first matches at 10 of 15 tournaments leading up to new york there things began to look positive she won three matches enhancing her confidence
but after her third match bouchard fell in a training room and sustained a concussion which caused her to withdraw from the tournament she later filed a lawsuit against the united states tennis association
she played one more match in october but that was it for the year her ranking plummeted to 48th the year before she was no 7 the numerical reward for reaching the wimbledon final where she lost to petra kvitova and the semifinals of the australian open and the french open
asked on thursday what advice she might give a younger version of herself she gave a brief but perhaps revealing answer
for me it would be to not worry about what people say about you she said and not listen to all the noise around you
bouchards record this year is 19 11 she said that she felt fine physically and that reuniting with coach nick saviano two months ago had been beneficial
she took solace in the idea that the work they were doing together was geared toward sustaining success well into the future perhaps that could allow her to take some of the sting out of a loss that was less than an hour old
my game actually feels good she said my shots feel good my movement feels good so i think it hurts a bit more knowing i can play really well right now but i know its a long process and a long journey
when i restarted working with nick we talked about a long term plan of course immediate results would be great but its trying to improve over the long run to become the best player i can be so thats talking months a year or more
bouchard said that she intended to get going again soon after overcoming the sour taste of this loss her plan includes playing every week of the grass court season leading up to wimbledon which begins june 27
as she prepares for that tournament where she achieved her greatest success at a major bouchard was asked if she could take any comfort in the mettle she had showed by battling back in the second set against bacsinszky
she was down 5 0 bacsinszky noted and she managed to play lights out
appearing more relaxed in the face of seeming defeat bouchard began to hit the ball with greater authority she won the next four games before ultimately falling in a deuce game
i saved face a little bit bouchard said it was kind of too little too late


cats has found its grizabella
leona lewis a british pop star and animal rights activist will take on the role in a revival of cats that is scheduled to open on broadway in july
the casting of the glamour cat thats grizabella has been much anticipated since andrew lloyd webber who wrote the music for cats declared himself furious with nicole scherzinger who played the role in london for allegedly pulling out of the role in new york grizabella has the shows most famous song memory the role won betty buckley a tony award when the show made its debut on broadway in 1983
trevor nunn who directed the original will oversee the revival andy blankenbuehler who is the tony nominated choreographer of hamilton takes on the same job for cats
among others in the new cast so you think you can dance champion ricky ubeda as mr mistoffelees and quentin earl darrington as old deuteronomy


london   with a referendum on british membership in the european union four weeks away new figures released on thursday showing a rise in immigration re energized the debate over an issue that has been seized on by the campaign to leave the bloc
net migration rose to 333000 in 2015 an increase of 20000 compared to the previous year and the second highest figure on record according to the estimates from the office for national statistics
the figure was still far above the goal set by the government which once promised to reduce net migration to less than 100000 a year at the same time the numbers did nothing to support claims by opponents of european union membership that the country was leaving itself vulnerable to a huge and uncontrollable migrant influx
although the office described the increase as statistically insignificant the report immediately assumed political importance as the june 23 referendum approaches
the campaign to leave has increasingly focused on the migration issue arguing that membership in the european union makes it impossible for britain to control population flows from inside the 28 nation bloc
citizens of member states can freely travel and work in any european union country and britain with its healthy economy and low unemployment has attracted many workers from eastern and southern europe
the number of european union immigrants in the latest figures was estimated at 184000 compared with 174000 in 2014
although the rise in britains net immigration was prompted mainly by a statistical quirk   a decline in the number of britons emigrating   the figures are an embarrassment to prime minister david cameron
boris johnson a leading campaigner for a british withdrawal   frequently referred to as brexit - attacked mr cameron over his promise to control migration saying after the release of the data that it was cynical and unacceptable to say you can fulfill that pledge
he told the bbc that the statistics show the scandal of the promise made by politicians repeatedly that they could cut immigration to the tens of thousands and then to throw their hands up in the air and say theres nothing we can do because brussels has taken away our control of immigration
the campaign to remain in the european union has accused its opponents of exaggerating the connection between membership and immigration pointing to comments from michael gove a cabinet minister who wants to leave the bloc who has predicted that millions more could come to britain as the european union takes in new countries
the statistics did nothing to suggest that sort of population flow but they did underline the fact that immigration had remained above the governments goal
advocates for keeping britain in the european union said that withdrawing from the bloc would not be an answer to rising immigration and would damage the british economy
james brokenshire the immigration minister told itv news that net migration from outside of the eu and within the eu remains too high but that the figures underline that there are no quick fixes or simple solutions
leaving the eu is absolutely no panacea or silver bullet whatever some may suggest he added
david blunkett a former home secretary under labour who once opposed british membership of the forerunner of the european union but now wants the country to remain in the bloc said that greater cooperation between european nations including britain was essential
working together to tackle the causes to reduce the flow and to manage what is inevitable he said must be the only rational way of proceeding in a world which cannot be wished away and where global events have to be dealt with on a global scale
one business federation also expressed concern about the tone of the discussion in a statement seamus nevin the head of employment and skills at the federation the institute of directors said the public was being very poorly served by the current level of the debate on immigration in this country
employment is at a record high and there are big skills gaps that employers cannot fill domestically he said despite the overblown rhetoric that todays figures have sparked the actual numbers have not changed much in the last year


houston   enjoy the low gasoline prices this memorial day weekend while they last
even with global oil prices grinding higher american holiday travelers will see the cheapest prices at the pump in more than a decade for this holiday weekend saving nearly 50 cents a gallon compared with last year
but the bargain basement prices are probably fleeting
declining oil supplies have led to a near doubling of crude prices since early february on thursday the worlds benchmark prices breached 50 a barrel and for the first time since last august prices for regular gasoline have risen above 2 a gallon in all 50 states
the average gas station has raised its prices 17 cents a gallon over the last month   and 5 cents over the last week alone
the sharp decline in oil and gasoline prices since late 2014 because of a persistent global petroleum glut has been partly reversed in recent weeks as wild fires curbed production in canada and rebel attacks throttled nigerian oil exports
at the same time oil companies are cutting back production in the united states and several other countries because of the recent collapse of oil prices   which still remain at levels that are roughly half what they were two years ago and the low prices have raised demand for petroleum products in china india and the united states
oil and gasoline prices are not poised to return to levels of the days when crude was worth well over 100 a barrel which became the norm in recent years that was before the drilling frenzy in shale fields across the united states slashed imports and flooded the global market while demand slowed in europe and many developing markets
but the rig count in the united states is now down roughly 80 percent over the last two years which means less exploration and production through the end of this year as output from older wells declines since service companies have slashed their payrolls it will take as much as six months to rehire and organize new drilling crews to develop new wells energy experts say
the help the consumer has gotten in this weak economy from low oil prices is coming to an end said larry goldstein a director of the energy policy research foundation a research group funded by the government and oil industry the unanticipated supply disruptions are coming at the most inopportune time now us production is declining and global inventories hare starting to decline along with it
oil executives and other experts say that still hefty global inventories will keep prices from rising to extremes anytime soon but that oil prices are likely to rise at least another 10 percent over the next year
further steady rises in price are expected through the end of the decade given the deep cuts in exploration investment across the global oil patch
but drivers probably shouldnt worry about such projections too much for the rest of the summer
on thursday the average price for a gallon of regular gasoline nationally was 231 43 cents below a year ago according to the aaa motor club
the oil price information service which monitors fuel prices expects that the average national price this summer will be 225 to 250 a gallon of regular the cheapest summer driving since 2009 refinery repairs have been particularly helpful in reducing prices in california
aaa expects 34 million people to drive at least 50 miles this holiday weekend the most since 2005 it is part of a broader trend of more road travel as the economy improves experts say the memorial day traffic is just the beginning of a summer of traffic jams at the nations beaches and mountain parks
the statistics over the last two years have been dramatic in terms of numbers of increased road trips during the critical holiday periods said bill sutherland senior vice president for travel and publishing at aaa as the roads become busier and as the hotels become used as restaurants fill up you will want to be sure you have effectively planned out the trip
economists have been generally disappointed that lower gasoline prices have not given the economy a bigger boost over the last year they originally thought consumers would spend their extra dollars at the shopping mall but instead many people have saved their extra cash although others are buying bigger and less efficient vehicles
then there is the toll on jobs the drop in exploration and production in states like texas oklahoma louisiana and north dakota has led to layoffs totaling 120000 workers in high paying jobs more than 70 companies in the united states and canada have gone bankrupt and experts say the industry will need at least a couple of years to recover
in the next several weeks the companies are obliged to cover quarterly interest payments on loans they took out when oil prices were over 100 a barrel and several more may be unable to meet their obligations many banks have cut lines of credit seeking to reduce their own vulnerability
the depressed state of the industry has been a drag on the national economy   particularly for manufacturers who make the pipelines and drilling equipment   and that has only been partly counterbalanced by lower energy costs
still the share prices for many oil companies like exxon mobil chevron and hess have risen sharply with oil prices in recent months reflecting rising confidence that energy prices will rise even more in 2017 and 2018
in the meantime economists say that they see a benefit for lower income people who spend the highest proportion of their salaries on energy and generally drive older gas guzzling vehicles some of the states with the lowest gasoline prices like mississippi south carolina and arkansas have a large number of lower income workers many of whom drive long distances to work
and some sectors of the economy including tourism are also benefiting
people are driving more and eating out more and employment in restaurants is up incredibly said mine k yucel director of research at the federal reserve bank of dallas people care about oil prices because they see the price of gasoline on every street corner they experience the change in price every week or 10 days and they feel they have more cash in their pockets
if nothing else the rising price has raised morale in the american oil patch
there is a chance the price could go down pretty quick said denzil west president of reliance energy a texas driller with prices being a little more stable were cautiously optimistic but a lot of companies have been wrecked and all the fallout has not been seen yet


bismarck nd   donald j trump officially secured the number of delegates he needed to clinch the republican presidential nomination thursday according to an associated press tally that showed unbound delegates putting him over the top
before a speech about energy in north dakota on thursday mr trump held a news conference intended to commemorate the symbolic elevation he took questions from reporters for about 30 minutes speaking with a backdrop of more than a dozen unpledged north dakota delegates who are now supporting him
im so honored mr trump said im so honored by these people they had such great sense
among the delegates behind mr trump were john trandem and state representative ben koppelman who were the final two to commit to mr trump helping to push him over the 1237 delegate threshold each joked that he was the deciding delegate
for mr trump whose remaining rivals dropped out the of the race this month reaching the threshold puts an official capstone on a remarkable run in which he vanquished 16 other candidates many of them with deep political experience as recently as a month ago the republican race appeared to be heading for a contested convention as a never trump effort sought to prevent him from winning enough support to get the nomination
in his news conference mr trump   who in new mexico on tuesday night criticized gov susana martinez a republican and called mitt romney a choker who walks like a penguin   also said he planned to unify the republican party
we have had tremendous support of almost everybody and even if you look at congress the support has been incredible mr trump said
he added that he spoke over the phone wednesday night with the house speaker paul d ryan who so far has declined to endorse mr trump we had a very good conversation thats moving along mr trump said he is a good man well see how that all works out
at an evening rally in billings mont mr trump again celebrated his achievement today was a big day he said as the crowd cheered today was the day we hit the 1237
according to the ap mr trump now has 1238 delegates putting him beyond the 1237 needed for the nomination there are more than 300 more delegates at stake on june 7 when california and four other states hold primaries
despite the fact that mr trump won only a plurality of votes in many states in part because of the size of the partys field the presumptive nominee regularly boasts that he has won a record number of votes for a republican nominating contest
while mr trump has succeeded in winning a majority of the partys delegates some of his former rivals including senator ted cruz of texas senator marco rubio of florida and gov john kasich of ohio still control the delegates that they won during the nominating fight potentially giving them influence over the direction of the partys platform at the republican convention july 18 21 in cleveland


when president obama arrives in hiroshima japan on friday he will be the first sitting american president to visit the site where the united states first used an atomic bomb killing about 140000 people and leading to the end of world war ii the visit has presented the white house with fraught choices none of which will make everyone happy
the white house has said that the president will visit hiroshima peace memorial park and lay a wreath at the cenotaph commemorating the bombing victims in the context of hiroshima these sites are fairly politically neutral honoring peace and lost lives but the inscription on the monument reads rest in peace for the error shall not be repeated raising the charged question of which or whose error it refers to
the white house has not said whether mr obama will visit the hiroshima peace memorial museum a more difficult choice given its overwhelming portrayal of japan as victim with little reference to its role as a wartime aggressor in the 1990s the museum responded to criticism that it does not sufficiently acknowledge japans own atrocities by adding material describing hiroshimas role as a wartime manufacturing site but because of a renovation much of that content is not currently on display
this may be one of the trickiest issues because critics in the united states are casting the visit as another stop on an apology tour even if mr obama does not apologize it could be difficult to meet any survivor without expressing some regret and sympathy for what they have suffered about 84000 survivors of the atomic bomb still live in hiroshima prefecture and an additional 48000 in nagasaki according to a poll wednesday by the japanese public broadcaster nhk close to 60 percent of them said they wanted the president to meet with them and hear their stories
asked in an interview on sunday if he would oblige mr obama demurred saying he had not completed his schedule on thursday a survivors group said that three survivors had been invited to the wreath laying ceremony there was no word yet on whether they would meet the president
mr obama has already said he would not issue an apology for the bombings and prime minister shinzo abe has not pressed for one
a majority of americans say they believe the bombings were necessary to force japans surrender and end the war president harry s truman and many historians since have argued that the bombings saved millions of lives by averting the need for a full scale invasion they also say that japan which had led a rampaging campaign throughout asia had an opportunity to surrender before the bombings but chose not to in that view no apology is warranted
critics of the bombings are skeptical that they truly precipitated japans surrender the fact that cities not military targets were bombed killing more than 200000 people has led some experts in both countries to conclude the bombings amounted to war crimes in that view the president should apologize on behalf of the united states
after laying a wreath at the peace memorial mr obama is expected to make brief remarks i think you can expect me to speak to the horrors of war in general to speak to the need for a world without nuclear weapons and to speak to the us japan alliance as an example of how we can move forward he told nhk
he may also sign the guest book as secretary of state john kerry did during a visit in april it is a stark harsh compelling reminder mr kerry wrote not only of our obligation to end the threat of nuclear weapons but to rededicate all our effort to avoid war itself
since the presidents speech will not include an apology he will have to strike a delicate balance in referring to japans aggression during the war some have wondered if he will mention the japanese attack on pearl harbor along with other japanese war atrocities like the nanjing massacre in china or the bataan death march
the wounds of world war ii are still intensely felt in other parts of asia that fell victim to japans imperial war machine in china peoples daily the official communist party newspaper accused japan of being mr obamas right hand man in east asia while his visit to hiroshima is seen as a false effort to portray japan as a victim rather than a chief aggressor during the war
the official response in south korea has been more deferential the government has neither welcomed nor criticized the trip but some south korean news media as well as south korean survivors of the bombings have urged mr obama to pay tribute to a separate monument at the hiroshima peace memorial park built by koreans in memory of the korean victims
the japanese people along with the mainstream news media have been overwhelmingly supportive of mr obamas decision to visit hiroshima in a poll this week by the asahi shimbun a liberal newspaper 89 percent said they supported the trip however on thursday a group of about 50 protesters marched past the peace monument in hiroshima carrying signs that read no abe no obama no nukes base  war


when she was about four months pregnant katerina schneider read the ingredient list on the bottle of vitamins her doctor had recommended
on it were things like aluminum and titanium dioxide some of the same ingredients in the laundry detergents and cleaning products she had been throwing away to help ensure her baby was not exposed to them
she also wondered why the vitamin contained gelatin   and as a vegan where the gelatin came from gelatin is usually derived from animals
these discoveries and questions spawned a new business idea what if she could re engineer vitamins stripping out all the things she didnt like
i realized that most people didnt know if the vitamins they were taking had what they needed or where the ingredients in those vitamins came from or even what they were ms schneider said nor did they know if they worked
the idea has attracted more than 1 million in financing from angel investors including upfront ventures and troy carter now the company she founded ritual is about to find out how much this matters to consumers on thursday the company began marketing its first product a multivitamin the latest in a surge of products that are part of what the food industry calls the clean label or free of movement ritual will begin shipping the multivitamin in july based on sales by online subscription
consumers wanting to know where ingredients come from and why they are needed in a product have pushed companies like campbell soup general mills and nestle to rid many of their products of substances such as carrageenan high fructose corn syrup and artificial colorings
now some of the same efforts are coming to vitamins an 80 billion annual business in the united states last year eric ryan the co founder of method cleaning products started olly a line of so called clean vitamins sold online and through target and other stores and smartypants vitamins a line of gummy vitamins that ticks off many of the free of boxes has raised a total of 195 million from investors since it began sales in 2010
theres been this growing interest in transparency weve seen across consumer packaged goods and especially food said chris schmidt who tracks consumer health products at euromonitor a global data collection and analysis firm if anything the vitamin and dietary supplement industry has been late to the party
he said vitamins were now getting the same scrutiny as foods
people are starting to realize this is something i get nutrition from so why am i not being as demanding of a vitamin as i am of that bag of chips he said
mr schmidt said vitamin and supplement businesses became aware of a growing challenge as food businesses have tried to untangle their vitamin supply chains to satisfy curious consumers and picky certification agencies
but when companies tried to get certification that products like vitamin fortified cereals were free of genetically engineered ingredients or non gmo they hit a brick wall
third parties doing certification like the non gmo project require a whole lot more information than most vitamin companies are used to handing over said bethany davis a spokeswoman for the coalition for supplement sustainability and director of industry and regulatory affairs at foodstate a vitamins and supplements company
the coalition was formed by vitamin and supplement companies last year after food companies began dropping vitamins from their products general mills reduced the amount of riboflavin or vitamin b2 and magnesium in the original cheerios post foods ditched vitamin a vitamin d and vitamin b12 in the original grape nuts
these large companies may have difficulty getting enough supply of vitamins to make non gmo claims because the supply chains are very complex and its not the industry standard to have full transparency ms davis said
she said most vitamins were non gmo because they came from a global supply chain that also serves businesses in countries where products with genetically altered ingredients have long required labels
but some like vitamin a vitamin b12 ascorbic acid and beta carotene which typically are derived from genetically modified crops like soy and sugar beets are hard to certify the supply chain is very complex and getting all the documentation can be tricky ms davis said
even ms schneider who set out to make a non gmo multivitamin could not make a product completely free of genetically engineered ingredients
any ingredients in our product that are plant based are non gmo she said we do have some synthesized ingredients made in a lab that cant be non gmo   but were still trying to get there
the food and drug administration does not review the safety or effectiveness of dietary supplements before they go on the market ritual plans to make public the supply chains for the vitamins it includes in its products ms schneider said the companys website will also offer the research supporting the formulation of its products which differ from many of the multivitamins sold today
the vitamin industry is a black box for people right now ms schneider said
ritual multivitamins have just nine vitamins and minerals compared with more than 20 in many competitors supplements ms schneider said most multivitamins were formulated decades ago and dont take into account the nutrients inherent in many of todays diets or the restrictions some diets have
for instance although ritual is targeting women the multivitamin doesnt include calcium rather ms schneider said the product is formulated with vitamin k2 boron and magnesium with a special coating that improves absorption all of which aim to improve the uptake of calcium in foods
to accommodate vegan diets rituals vitamin d3 is derived from lichen rather than lanolin from sheeps wool and its omega 3 comes from algae instead of fish
the pills themselves resemble tiny elongated snow globes the vitamins and minerals they contain are suspended in an oil that promotes better uptake in the body ms schneider said ritual has adopted a subscription model for distribution 30 days worth for 30 the company begins shipping in july
ms schneider said she knew that her formulation might raise eyebrows but was confident of the research behind it dr luke bucci who was responsible for substantiating claims as an executive at schiff nutrition international before it was sold for 14 billion to reckitt benckiser is rituals head of research and development
nothing is in our product that doesnt have a clinical trial of some sort behind it ms schneider said but i know people will just have to try it before they believe


the golden state warriors won 73 of 82 regular season games this season never losing back to back they were the prohibitive favorites for the nba championship and the idea of the team dropping a seven game series in the playoffs seemed impossible to many
but the impossible may be coming true as golden state is down three games to two to the oklahoma city thunder and facing elimination on saturday night
plenty of athletes and teams have looked like unbeatable goliaths only to turn in a result similar to the biblical goliath here are some of them
goliath ronda rousey undefeated champion who had won her previous three bouts in under a minute
david holly holm former boxer with two ultimate fighting championship bouts
event ufc womens bantamweight championship melbourne australia nov 15 2015
the new york times said before ronda rouseys ufc dominance evokes a young mike tyson
result holm knocked rousey out in the second round
the times said after those who watched it were stunned those who read about it the next morning did a double take
more upsets mike tyson loses to buster douglas 1990 jack dempsey loses to gene tunney 1926
goliath serena williams winner of the previous four grand slam events
david roberta vinci a 32 year old who had never made a grand slam final
event united states open semifinal new york sept 11 2015
the times said before serena will be a particularly heavy favorite in the next round against roberta vinci an unseeded italian veteran better known for her doubles prowess
result vinci won 2 6 6 4 6 4
the times said after beyond any reasonable doubt a gargantuan upset
more upsets rafael nadal loses to robin soderling 2009 steffi graf loses to lori mcneil 1994
goliath the new england patriots the first 16 0 regular season nfl team
david the giants a 10 6 wild card team
event super bowl xlii glendale ariz feb 3 2008
the times said before with a victory the patriots will take their place alongside other landmark sports triumphs like the boxer rocky marcianos spotless 49 0 career record or the ucla basketball teams of the 1960s
result the giants won 17 14
the times said after one of the greatest upsets in super bowl history
more upsets colts lose to jets 1969 notre dame loses to carnegie tech now carnegie mellon 1926
goliath aleksandr karelin three time olympic champion and undefeated for 13 years
david rulon gardner wrestling in his second major international tournament
event olympic greco roman superheavyweight gold medal match sydney australia sept 27 2000
the times said before there is one dominant wrestler aleksandr karelin the 286 pound russian who has won three consecutive gold medals and nine world championships in his trademark maneuver he lifts opponents off the ground and throws them over his head
result gardner won 1 0
the times said after one of the most startling upsets in olympic wrestling history
another upset dan gable loses to larry owings 1970
goliath the soviet union winner of four straight olympic gold medals
david the united states a ragtag bunch of college kids
event olympic medal round game lake placid ny feb 22 1980
the times said before this evening the young yanks come face to face with the russians who walloped them 10 3 in madison square garden in a pre olympics tuneup the russians who are unbeaten and considered unbeatable here
result the americans won 4 3
the times said after one of the most startling and dramatic upsets in olympic history
more upsets red wings lose to oilers 2006 canadiens lose to maple leafs 1945
goliath england inventor of the game deigning to appear in its first world cup
david the united states a ragtag bunch of semipros from a country in which soccer was far off the radar
event world cup preliminary round game belo horizonte brazil june 29 1950
the times said before nothing there was no pregame coverage
result the united states won 1 0
the times said after it compared with a major league all star team being beaten in london by nine part time english baseball players associated press article
more upsets france loses to senegal 2002 brazil loses to uruguay 1950
goliath ben hogan nine time major winner
david jack fleck winner of only two minor tournaments
event united states open san francisco june 19 1955
the times said before when hogan learned that fleck would be his rival in the playoff he smiled and said thats fine 
result fleck won in the 18 hole playoff 69 72
the times said after a man who was practically unknown in the world of sports a few days ago became the united states open golf champion today
more upsets tiger woods loses to ye yang 2009 harry vardon and ted ray lose to francis ouimet 1913
goliath man o war winner of six of six career races
david the aptly named upset
event sanford memorial saratoga springs ny aug 13 1919
the times said before it was quite generally conceded that man o war was the best 2 year old that had been seen this season
result man o war lost to upset by half a length the only loss of his career
the times said after though defeated man o war was not discredited
more upsets secretariat loses to onion 1973 nijinsky loses to sassafras 1970


hiroshima japan   tokyo is japans political and commercial capital kyoto is its temple filled repository of traditional culture but hiroshima   obliterated by an american atomic bomb 71 years ago then rebuilt with a newly peaceful and prosperous country   is in many ways the heart of japans modern national identity
from a militarist empire whose armies tore across asia in the first half of the 20th century japan seared by the most horrific consequence of war embraced democracy and nonbelligerence seemingly overnight it has not sent a soldier into combat since 1945 a record of pacifism that exceeds even that of its onetime ally germany
yet as president obama travels to hiroshima on friday bringing renewed attention to the city and its legacy many worry that the ideals hiroshima has represented for so long are fading in japan the deep aversion to military entanglements is being challenged as never before by an ambitious conservative movement led by prime minister shinzo abe
hiroshima is more than just a city said kenzaburo oe the nobel laureate novelist and peace activist who has written extensively about the attack and the subsequent bombing of nagasaki which together killed more than 200000 people hiroshima has been the ultimate expression of the feelings of the japanese people though im not sure thats the case anymore
mr oe added the japanese constitution is a hiroshima constitution more than a tokyo constitution referring to the transformative basic law handed down by the united states after japans defeat the charter renounces war declares that land sea and air forces as well as other war potential will never be maintained and rejects the right of belligerency of the state
but the constitution and the array of pacifist tinged laws and policies that flow from it has come under attack as external dangers loom the pacifist movement that has long been centered in hiroshima is struggling to remain relevant to younger people many born several generations after the wars end
obama is visiting hiroshima at a time when the contrast between the city and whats happening at the national level is getting stronger said tadatoshi akiba a former mayor of the city
seven decades after world war ii mr abes governing liberal democratic party says the constraints placed on japan in the conflicts aftermath are outdated and enfeebling and it has proposed an array of constitutional amendments including a rollback of the charters pacifist clauses
mr abe argues that change is vital because a more potent and assertive china and a nuclear armed north korea have emerged on japans doorstep and he has offered a brasher alternative to the inward looking exceptionalism that grew out of hiroshima campaigning to transform japan into a normal country with a freer military and a bigger role in global affairs
for some that vision runs counter to the never again message inscribed on hiroshimas war memorial and symbolized by the skeletal atomic bomb dome preserved at ground zero nearby
abes approach is a kind of military pacifism that takes war as a given said motofumi asai a former foreign ministry official who directed the hiroshima peace institute from 2005 to 2011 and is now a professor at osaka university of economics and law if japanese people embrace this they are denying their postwar constitutional pacifism
japanese pacifism has always been strewn with contradictions the peace constitution has not stopped the country from rebuilding its military though its postwar version the self defense forces has never fought abroad japans leaders have declined to develop nuclear weapons but they welcome the nuclear umbrella provided by the united states and they have endorsed american military interventions around the world while keeping japan out of combat
japanese pacifism has been made possible by the fact that japan is protected by the united states said makoto iokibe a professor at kobe university and former president of the national defense academy of japan now the changes sought by mr abe are forcing japan to face that paradox in ways that make many uncomfortable
japan is being asked to play a new role professor iokibe said and that has created a sense of crisis among traditional postwar pacifists
mr abe has not mustered the political support needed to amend the constitution and many specialists say they think he never will the bar is high any changes require the approval of two thirds of both houses of parliament and a majority of voters in a national referendum the document has not been altered since it came into force in 1947
but the prime minister has chipped away at many of the charters byproducts since leading the liberal democrats back to power in 2012 he has ordered rare increases in defense spending lifted a decades long prohibition on weapons exports and passed security laws that for the first time allow the self defense forces to undertake combat missions overseas
the changes have been welcomed by the obama administration which is trying to deepen american diplomatic and military investment in the region but needs the help of allies at the same time mr abes moves have caused unease in many parts of asia where memories of japanese conquest and colonization are still raw especially in china
mr abe pushed through the new security laws only after his government issued an official reinterpretation of the constitution legal scholars and peace groups associated with hiroshima denounced the move as an illegitimate end run to weaken the charters peace clause article 9
in august on the 70th anniversary of the bombing leaders of seven groups representing bomb survivors delivered a letter to mr abe demanding that he withdraw the legislation he declined and parliament approved the laws the next month
peace groups are preparing to challenge the laws in the judiciary but the supreme court of japan has generally declined to second guess the government on national security issues
in opinion surveys a majority of japanese say they disagree with mr abes military policies but the issue does not appear to be a priority for many more tangible issues like japans long sputtering economy rank higher the liberal democrats are well ahead in the polls while opposition parties that have rallied around reversing the security laws languish in the single digits
mr abes agenda has encountered some public resistance including modest protests against the security bills last year but the opposition hobbled by infighting and weak leaders has failed to capitalize on such sentiment
a lot of people dont like what abe is doing said professor asai of osaka university of economics and law but when they hear him and his supporters say china north korea they think it cant be helped
mr abes aides expect him to get a lift in popularity from mr obamas trip to hiroshima most japanese have welcomed the american presidents visit even if he will not offer the apology for the bombing that some long to hear and mr abe is getting a share of the credit to the chagrin of his beleaguered opponents
if obama goes to hiroshima and abe ends up looking good because of it and that dooms article 9 what a horrible result that would be said tatsuya yoshioka director of peace boat a group that has brought atomic bomb survivors to the united states and elsewhere to speak about their experiences
mr abe must call an election this summer for the upper house of parliament the house of councillors aides say he is also considering dissolving the more powerful house of representatives turning the contest into a general election that if his liberal democrats win could keep his government in power for four more years and put supporters of constitutional change closer to their goal
haruko moritaki a veteran peace activist in hiroshima said she was glad mr obama was coming though she said she would like him to say that dropping the bomb was a mistake her father was partly blinded by the blast and he was later one of the founders of an antinuclear campaign group the japan congress against atomic and hydrogen bombs
she said her biggest regret was that mr obama had to share the spotlight with mr abe whose agenda she said was eroding the historical lessons embodied by the city
i want to see obama at the memorial but i dont want to see abe by his side ms moritaki said i dont want to see the hiroshima memorial used


the conductor seiji ozawa who has been suffering from ill health this spring has canceled his plans to return to the tanglewood festival this summer because of a lack of physical strength the boston symphony orchestra announced on thursday
mr ozawa 80 said in a statement that he was disappointed not to be coming to tanglewood the idyllic summer festival in the berkshires where he studied as a young man led the boston symphony orchestra during his 29 seasons as its music director and now has a concert hall there named for him it was to have been his first appearance there since 2006
i am very very sad and sorry that i will have to miss this summers tanglewood mr ozawa said in a written statement adding that he missed the grounds his friends and colleagues and playing tennis at his house in west stockbridge i am concentrating on eating and i am gaining more body strength now i am so much looking forward to returning to tanglewood soon
mr ozawa has suffered from ill health in recent years in 2010 he announced that he had esophageal cancer and canceled concerts to focus on treatment the following year he canceled his appearances at carnegie hall so he could recover from surgery to repair herniated discs
the orchestra said that mr ozawa had developed a fever that led him to lose weight in april from overwork during a monthlong stay in europe where he performed with the berlin philharmonic in germany and the seiji ozawa international academy switzerland in paris his immune system weakened further after he returned to japan and continued working the orchestra said
mark volpe the managing director of the boston symphony said in a statement we wish seiji a speedy recovery and look forward to his return to tanglewood in future seasons
a replacement conductor will be announced for his july 5 concert featuring young musicians both from his swiss academy string quartet ensemble and the tanglewood music center jacques lacombe who was originally to have shared a july 9 concert of the boston symphony orchestra with mr ozawa will now conduct the entire concert


senate democratic candidates began tying their republican rivals to the policies of donald j trump in march when they began their party of trump campaign now the democratic congressional campaign committee is joining in on the action
as part of a five figure digital purchase the group is releasing a targeted ad campaign on 15 house races tying republican house leadership to the policy proposals of mr trump
the ad features mainly the republican leadership but the dccc isnt targeting any of the bold republican names like speaker paul d ryan with their digital buy rather they have identified what they claim to be 15 important congressional districts where mr trump is viewed particularly negatively and targeting female independent and female republican voters in those districts
the targets range from new jersey to nevada to florida
the ads which come in both 60 second and 30 second versions rifle through some of mr trumps more contentious platforms then cuts in with either news reports or video clips of members of the republican house either directly or tangentially offering support
after mr trump says he doesnt think planned parenthood should be given federal funding as long as it continues to finance abortions a video of mr ryan cuts in saying i dont think planned parenthood should get one red cent from the taxpayer
after a clip of mr trumps remarks calling mexican immigrants rapists it shows a video of representative steve king of iowa saying for everyone who is a valedictorian there is another hundred out there hauling 75 pounds of marijuana across the desert
tying house republicans and candidates to mr trump is a plan that the dccc says will continue to highlight through november
the following is a list of districts being targeted districts
in new jersey scott garrett in new york john katko in new hampshire frank guinta in maine bruce poliquin in nevadas third district the republican primary field in nevadas fourth district cresent hardy in illinois bob dold in minnesotas second district the republican primary field in minnesotas third district erik paulsen in colorado mike coffman in iowa rod blum in arizonas first district the republican primary field in florida carlos curbelo in pennsylvania brian fitzpatrick and in virginia barbara comstock


united states stocks barely budged on thursday as investors moved cautiously after two days of large gains
utilities and phone companies rose the most because of a decline in bond yields chemical companies and banks surrendered some of their recent gains
stocks alternated between small losses and gains and moved more on individual news than broad trends the retailers dollar tree and costco rose after they reported strong quarterly results that made them exceptions in a difficult quarter for department stores watch sellers and clothing companies
stocks nudged up after jerome powell who sits on the federal reserves committee that determines interest rates suggested that the fed would wait a little longer before it raised rates again
that reduces the risk of an unpleasant surprise at the june meeting said jim mcdonald chief investment strategist for northern trust
the chairwoman of the fed janet l yellen will speak at harvard university on friday and mr mcdonald said investors did not want to make big moves before they hear her views
the standard  poors 500 stock index lost 044 point to close at 209010 the nasdaq composite index added 688 points or 01 percent to 490177 the dow jones industrial average fell 2322 points or 01 percent to 1782829
bond yields which have risen over the last few weeks dropped as prices rose that sent utility and phone company stocks higher because those stocks are seen as similar to bonds and the lower yields make them more appealing compared with bonds
nextera energy rose 159 or 13 percent to close at 11982 and con edison rose 91 cents or 13 percent to 7273 att added 21 cents to 3883
the yield on the 10 year united states treasury note fell to 183 percent from 187 percent
chemical companies which posted some of the biggest gains on wednesday traded lower monsanto which has jumped after talks about a potential sale to bayer lost 201 or 18 percent to 10962 dupont fell 127 or 19 percent to 6696 citigroup led banks lower losing 83 cents or 18 percent to 4611
weak earnings reports have weighed on retailers stocks in recent weeks among other problems shoppers are not spending as much on clothes and the strong dollar is hurting profits and sales overseas but on thursday several retailers disclosed solid results from the last three months
dollar tree said its first quarter profit more than tripled and it raised its expectations for the year its stock gained 1001 or 128 percent to 8837 also jumping after a strong report was pvh the owner of the calvin klein and tommy hilfiger brands which added 390 or 43 percent to 9373 and the wholesale club operator costco rose 517 or 36 percent to 14971
like the broader market oil prices were little changed united states crude slipped 8 cents to 4948 a barrel in new york and brent crude which is used to price international oils fell 15 cents to 4959 a barrel in london oil prices are at their highest level since october but united states crude has not closed above 50 a barrel since july
stocks have risen to some of their highest levels of 2016 driven by investors encouraged by strong monthly home sales in the united states and economic support for greece but similar news on thursday including a drop in new applications for unemployment benefits and further growth in pending home sales did not make much of a difference to wall street and a government report showed that a measurement of business investment fell for the third month in a row which suggested that manufacturing was still under pressure
the jewelry company signet jewelers slumped after it posted weaker than expected sales and lowered its projections for sales at older stores the stock lost 1149 or 106 percent to 9688
hp the maker of personal computers and printers reported a bigger profit than predicted giving it a solid outlook for the year the stock climbed 84 cents or 68 percent to 1304
us foods holding the second biggest food service distributor in the country went public with a 102 billion initial public offering it was one of the largest ipos of the year as the market turmoil over the last few months has made companies hesitant to go public the stock jumped 191 or 83 percent to 2491
in other energy trading wholesale gasoline fell 2 cents to settle at 162 a gallon heating oil declined 1 cent to 150 a gallon natural gas fell 3 cents to 196 per 1000 cubic feet
the price of gold slipped for the seventh day in a row losing 340 to 122040 an ounce silver rose 8 cents to 1634 an ounce copper was unchanged at 210 a pound
the cac in france and the dax in germany both gained 07 percent and the ftse in britain was little changed the nikkei 225 index in japan added nearly 01 percent the hang seng index in hong kong added 01 percent
the dollar slipped to 10972 yen from 11014 yen the euro inched up to 11186 from 11151


florence italy   the uffizi gallery has started a project in collaboration with indiana university to digitize its collection of ancient sculpture with the goal of making it accessible on the web by 2020
students in indiana universitys new phd program in virtual heritage along with italian colleagues here in florence will photograph the museums collection of ancient greek and roman statuary a total of about 1250 pieces between the uffizi itself and the pitti palace and boboli gardens on the other side of the arno river
the images will be used to create high resolution 3 d models which are expected to provide a wealth of information on the current state of the statues and past restorations and allow for various studies to be carried out those would include exploring the original polychromies of the sculptures many of which were painted in lively colors
it will completely change the perception of what ancient sculpture should look like michael a mcrobbie the president of indiana university said at the presentation of the project on wednesday in florence
bernard frischer a co director of the uffizi program and of the virtual world heritage laboratory at indiana university described the project as the largest ever undertaken in the field
when we started on monday walking through the galleries i almost fainted thinking this is overwhelming mr frischer said
three dimensional modeling has advanced greatly since mr frischer digitized the sculpture of the laocoon in the vatican museums 10 years ago which he said took one year and cost 25000
with developments in digital photography and the adoption of new standards for rendering graphics on web browsers my lab went from doing one statue a year to dozens and now to several hundred he said just on monday the day the uffizi is closed indiana students digitized eight statues
recently such technology has been used to record antiquities and historic sites threatened by war and other dangers including in the middle east
like many italian families the medicis who constructed the uffizi as offices for the florentine judiciary aspired to acquire antiquities and began assembling a collection in the 15th century that includes standout pieces like the medici venus sleeping ariadne and the niobids
mr mcrobbie said the 3 d models would be freely available online by the universitys bicentennial in 2020 a complete collection will be stored by both the uffizi and the university and a copy will also be stored in the digital preservation network an initiative created to address the problem of the long term preservation of digital images in the centuries ahead said mr mcrobbie who is also the chairman of the network indiana university will foot the 600000 cost of the project the uffizi said in a statement
the models could be used to create nearly exact versions through 3 d printing that other institutions could display in lieu of loans by the uffizi
right now the practice is to send the original in the future it wont always be necessary said eike schmidt the director of the uffizi
the models will also serve as a sort of backup copy of the originals in the event of war terrorism and even natural disasters said mr schmidt pointing out that just that morning a section of the road above the embankment of the arno river had collapsed after an underground water pipe apparently burst
whatever happens to the original we will be able to use the models to reconstruct parts for future restorations he said


the tale of a tech industry billionaire seeking to punish an online tabloid editor who also ran afoul of a professional wrestler who slept with the wife of a friend who goes by the name bubba the love sponge has   incredibly   shined a light on how silicon valley interacts with the press that writes about it
throw in some questions about how rich people can secretly fund lawsuits and what that means for a free press and you have a very ugly example of what happens when new york tabloid sensibilities crash into silicon valley entitlement
in case you missed it the story goes something like this nick denton the founder and boss of gawker media was sued by hulk hogan the well muscled and well mustachioed former professional wrestler whose real name is terry g bollea after gawker published a video of mr bollea having sex with the wife of the radio host bubba the love sponge who legally changed his birth name todd clem in 1999
in a decision startling for its size a florida jury found in favor of mr bollea and ordered gawker to pay him 140 million on monday andrew ross sorkin a columnist for the new york times wrote that mr denton wondered if someone in silicon valley was bankrolling mr bolleas legal case thats not illegal but it is troubling to people who worry that it is a way for the wealthy to secretly promote an agenda or punish their enemies
on tuesday evening forbes reported that peter thiel the billionaire co founder of paypal and early investor in facebook was the man behind the curtain valleywag one of gawkers websites ran an article in 2007 that outed mr thiel as gay though he is now open about his sexual orientation
mr thiel is a patient man and he says he is not motivated by revenge mr hogans victory in the courtroom happened more than eight years after the valleywag story about mr thiels sexual orientation
the tech press gets plenty of criticism   much of it deserved   for being too cozy with the people it writes about its hardly unusual for tech writers or editors to become venture capitalists public relations officials or some other eager supplicants to the industry they were supposed to be scrutinizing
the arrival of valleywag turned that dynamic on its head fawning became mocking glad handing turned into digging into personal lives much of it was cruel some of it disreputable but it was almost always attention grabbing
mr thiel is not done he told mr sorkin on wednesday that he was funding other lawsuits against gawker though he would not identify them
for the rest of the press mr thiels crusade could be a scary example for other rich people who want to get even with a publication


shima japan   president obama said on thursday that he was preparing to visit hiroshima on friday to emphasize that decades after the end of the cold war the world still faces the threat of nuclear war
i do think that part of the reason im going is because i want to once again underscore the very real risks that are out there and the sense of urgency that we all should have mr obama said during a brief news conference at the group of 7 meeting in this southern japanese resort city
mr obama said that the city of hiroshima was not just a reminder of the terrible toll of world war ii a conflict that ended 70 years ago it is also a reminder that the jobs not done in reducing conflict building institutions of peace and reducing the prospect of nuclear war in the future
mr obama cited some of the successes of his efforts to slow and even reverse the proliferation of nuclear weapons including the nuclear deal with iran a weapons treaty with russia and the nuclear security summit meetings which have eliminated nuclear material from some countries
but he pointed to north koreas burgeoning nuclear program and the stationing of tactical nuclear weapons by pakistan along its border with india as worrisome problems
north korea is a big worry for all of us he said
the president said his administrations focus on degrading and eventually destroying the islamic state was justified because it was an immediate risk but he said that north korea posed a different kind of risk
when you have such an unstable regime that is so isolated that generally flouts international norms and rules more than perhaps any nation on earth that is also devoting enormous national resources hellbent on getting nuclear weapons that they can fire long distances that poses a kind of medium term threat that we have to pay a lot of attention to he said
japan and south korea both close american allies are deeply concerned about north koreas nuclear and ballistic missile programs mr obama said that other countries in the region including china have begun taking the risks emanating from north korea more seriously
but he acknowledged that no efforts undertaken by those countries had solved the conundrum that is kim jong un north koreas unpredictable leader
in the meantime weve been working with the pentagon for several years now on making sure we can develop the kind of defense architecture that can protect the united states and our allies from an unexpected escalation he said
mr obama arrived in shima late wednesday night and immediately held a meeting with prime minister shinzo abe during their talk mr abe scolded the president for doing little to prevent the brutal murder of a woman in okinawa a crime that the japanese police have linked to an american worker at a united states military base
this case has shocked not only okinawa but also deeply shocked all of japan mr abe said at a news conference after the meeting adding i also urged the united states to make sure to take effective and thorough means to prevent a recurrence and vigorously and strictly address the situation
mr obama responded by extending my sincerest condolences and deepest regrets
on thursday the leaders of the group of 7 nations gathered at a resort here spent the morning being shuttled to the ise shrine considered the holiest place in japan led by shinto priests in white robes they toured the immaculate grounds and at one point picked up shovels and tossed bits of dirt into piles in a ceremonial tree planting
they then spent the day in and out of a series of meetings that mr obama called extremely productive
they discussed the global economy and efforts to accelerate growth he said they also talked about the various trade deals being negotiated among them including the trans pacific partnership involving japan and the united states and the transatlantic trade and investment partnership between the united states and europe
both pacts are politically troubled and the trans pacific deal has almost no chance of passing congress before the elections in november
mr obama said the leaders discussed rising protectionism and how to counter it they also talked about the american presidential election he said
indeed in one meeting where reporters were allowed to be present mr obama could be heard discussing the presumptive republican nominee donald j trump with prime minister matteo renzi of italy and at the news conference later the president said he had discussed mr trump with the leaders of all six of the other industrialized nations besides italy and japan those countries are britain canada france and germany
i think its fair to say they are surprised by the republican nominee mr obama said referring to mr trump
they are not sure how seriously to take some of his pronouncements but they are rattled by him and for good reason he said citing mr trumps ignorance of world affairs or a cavalier attitude or an interest in getting tweets and headlines instead of actually thinking through what is required to keep america safe secure and prosperous and whats required to keep the world on an even keel
mr obama said he continued to have no interest in intervening to influence the democratic primary despite concerns among many in the party that the race is showing signs of bitterness that could be difficult to overcome before the general election
during primaries people get a little grumpy with each other he said its just the nature of the process
but he said that senator bernie sanders of vermont and hillary clinton had largely agreed on the important issues


shiraz iran   for centuries irans famed carpets have been produced by hand along the nomad trail in this region of high plains around the ancient city of shiraz
sheep grazed in high mountain pastures and shorn only once a year produce a thick long wool ideal for the tough thread used in carpet making
but high quality production of hand woven carpets is no longer sustainable on the migration route of the nomads said hamid zollanvari one of irans biggest carpet makers and dealers
instead he had built a factory with 16 huge cooking pots where on a recent cool sunny spring day men in blue overalls stirred the pots with long wooden sticks boiling and coloring the thread as the colored waters bubbled they looked like live volcanos the air smelled of sheep
another room was stacked with herbs eucalyptus leaves indigo black curd turmeric acorn shells and alum ingredients for the different colors the iranian carpet is 100 percent organic mr zollanvari declared no machinery is involved
it is a scene that seems as ageless as the women who sit before the looms and weave the rugs a process that can take as long as a year and now even the factory is threatened with six years of western sanctions on the carpet business and punishing competition from rugs machine made in china and india these are hard times for the craft of persian rug making many veterans wonder whether it can survive
over the centuries invaders politicians and irans enemies have left their mark on irans carpets said prof hashem sedghamiz a local authority on carpets sitting in the green courtyard of his restored qajar dynasty house in shiraz the outsiders demanded changes started using chemicals for coloring and most recently imposed sanctions on the rugs those were blows he said damaging but not destructive
but now mr sedghamiz said the end is near ultimately he said it is modernity   that all devouring force that is changing societies at breakneck speed   that is killing the persian carpet irans pride and joy people simply are no longer interested in quality
or in paying for it he might have added
this year after the nuclear deal was completed the united states lifted six years of sanctions on carpets but even with that the persian carpet is in a critical state as fewer and fewer people buy them
these days everyone is seeking quick satisfaction and simplicity but our carpets are the complete opposite of that mr sedghamiz said
his message was not what officials of the iran national carpet center had in mind when they organized a tour for a group of foreign journalists last weekend still none of them could really argue with mr sedghamizs conclusion
one thing is for sure irans carpets are among the most complex and labor intensive handicrafts in the world
it is on the endless green slopes of fars province in irans heartland that the mother of all carpets among the first in the world is produced the hand woven nomadic persian rug
the process starts with around 16 million sheep grazed by shepherds from the nomadic qashqai and bakhtiari tribes who produce that tough long fibered wool so perfect for carpets
women take over from there making thread from the wool by hand twisting it with their fingers the finished thread is bundled and then dyed using natural ingredients like pomegranate peels for deep red or wine leaves for green after days of boiling on a wooden fire the threads are dried by the cool winds that blow in from the north each afternoon
only then does the weaving start weavers almost all of them women spend several months to a year bent over a horizontally placed loom stringing and knotting thousands of threads some follow established patterns some create their own when the carpet is finally done it is cut washed and put out in the sun to dry
its so time consuming real hand work said mr zollanvari the carpet dealer a labor of love and what does it cost he asked before answering the question himself almost nothing a 6 by 9 foot handwoven carpet costs around 400 in shiraz depending on the pattern and quality
mr zollanvari who speaks fluent english stood alongside two other carpet dealers habib bayat and mohammed ali dideroushan both of whom are united states green card holders and self declared carpet lovers
the sanctions were really painful mr dideroushan said and to him at least inexplicable lets face it what do carpets have to do with our nuclear program
the worrisome part mr bayat said is that business still has not picked up even after sanctions were lifted early this year with international financial transactions still a problem he said even the tourists that come to iran cannot pay us unless they bring plenty of cash
not only that but persian carpets have fallen out of favor even in iran with many middle class iranians preferring cheap plastic laminate floor covers those who still like carpets often go for cheaper chinese and indian knockoffs
we are selling around 10 percent of what we used to sell over a decade ago said morteza talebi the head of the council of the shiraz bazaar the century old bazaar was filled with carpet shops but there were no buyers
even the original producers of carpets the nomads are becoming harder to find mr zollanvari took the reporters to a nomadic camp outside shiraz there men cheerfully blew trumpets and shot rifles into the air to celebrate the visitors women in colorful traditional clothes were spinning wool others weaving a carpet
but it turned out that several of the nomads were recovering drug addicts from other parts of the country who were entertaining tourists as part of an attempt to stay clean
many nomads are in search of jobs and better salaries said mina bahram abadian a member of an iranian group that helps nomads and drug addicts their situation is not that different from the problems many indigenous people have worldwide she said
divorce rates are up as is drug use she said they cannot cope with all the changes they get depressed and stop making carpets


winnie the pooh and queen elizabeth ii are the same age both born the clumsy good hearted bear via the publication of a a milnes book in 1926 this week a new story winnie the pooh and the royal birthday was made available for free download in text and audio format in celebration of the 90th birthday of both famous figures
the queens actual birthday is april 21 but official celebrations are held on different dates across the commonwealth in britain they are on june 11 this year
the new releases are not the first connection between the queen and the bear milne dedicated a 1926 book of songs featuring pooh teddy bear and other songs to the newborn princess elizabeth
the new story published by disney which owns the rights to the character was written by jane riordan and illustrated by mark burgess in the manner of e h shepard who created the illustrations for the original pooh book and a 1928 sequel the house at pooh corner mr burgess also illustrated the first authorized sequel to the original pooh books return to the hundred acre wood published in 2009
in the new adventure pooh travels with his human companion christopher robin and his woodland friends eeyore and piglet to buckingham palace to present the queen with what he calls a hum
the friends also encounter a small boy who bears a strong resemblance to the queens great grandson prince george much younger than christopher robin and almost as bouncy as tigger
as pooh says on the trip home it must be a very great thing to be 90 years old


hillary clinton has declined an invitation to debate senator bernie sanders before the california primary election next month but he may have found a willing replacement donald j trump
the idea of a debate between the two men came up on wednesday when mr trump was appearing on jimmy kimmel live and mr kimmel said that mr sanders had passed along an invitation to mr trump the presumptive republican nominee mr trump who opted out of a debate in iowa in january and decided that he would no longer participate in primary debates after the republican field narrowed to three candidates said he would be open to debating mr sanders if the proceeds were donated to charity although there were conflicting reports about how serious he was
if i debated him we would have such high ratings and i think we should take that money and give it to some worthy charity mr trump said if we paid a nice sum toward a charity i would love to do that
mr sanders who faces a big delegate deficit against mrs clinton was quick to sign on
game on he wrote in a post on twitter i look forward to debating donald trump in california before the june 7 primary
asked if the offer to debate mr trump was a serious one michael briggs a spokesman for mr sanders said it was real
at a press conference in north dakota on thursday mr trump suggested that he was serious about the debate on the condition that the networks would donate 10 million to 15 million of the proceeds to charities that support womens health causes
id love to debate bernie mr trump said hes a dream
mr trump said that he had already received calls from the networks about hosting a debate with mr sanders and that if something could be agreed upon he envisioned it taking place in a big arena
mr sanders and mrs clinton had agreed to another debate before california primary and last week fox news extended invitations to both candidates to participate in one while mr sanders was eager to debate mrs clinton who is trying to turn her attention toward mr trump declined the offer
an interparty debate between mr trump and mr sanders before the democratic nomination is wrapped up would create an unusual spectacle and could leave mrs clinton in the dark as her two rivals soak up the political spotlight it could also provide mr trump with an opportunity to openly shop himself to mr sanderss supporters who he has been hoping will turn to him instead of mrs clinton in a general election
it is not clear what network would host the debate but fox news has expressed interest in getting mr trump and mr sanders on the stage together before after being rebuffed by mrs clinton to debate on the network fox in february discussed such a faceoff mr trump initially expressed interest but later backed away citing scheduling reasons
for mr sanders a debate with mr trump would provide a burst of publicity ahead of the contest in california where he is in a tight race with mrs clinton
sean spicer a spokesman for the republican national committee told cnn on thursday that a debate between mr trump and mr sanders would be phenomenal
a spokesman for the democratic national committee declined to comment


beijing   could the solution to chinas urban gridlock be a flying bus
a model for a giant elevated bus was presented over the weekend at the beijing international high tech expo though it was not the first time that what has been called a straddling bus had been proposed the bus first made an appearance at the beijing expo in 2010 but doubts about the project led to the cancellation of a trial run
six years later song youzhou the designer of the bus says that prototypes are being constructed in an interview this week he said that five chinese cities   nanyang qinhuangdao shenyang tianjin and zhoukou   have signed contracts with his teb technology development company for pilot projects that will involve the construction of hundreds of miles of tracks starting this year
the cost of each bus will run about 30 million renminbi or about 45 million which mr song put at one sixteenth the price of a subway train buses were already under construction in changzhou jiangsu province he said
the elevated bus attracted international attention when the design was first unveiled in 2010 and was chosen by time magazine as one of the 50 best inventions that year but it also attracted skepticism that the proposal could deliver on its promises
the bus powered in part by solar energy would run on tracks carrying up to 1200 passengers in raised compartments that can glide over the traffic below critics at the time it was first unveiled questioned whether the hovering bus could interact safely with other vehicles they also argued that the tracks would require relatively straight roads not found in many older urban areas and that the overhead boarding stations that the bus needed would take up too much space
mr song responded in the chinese news media that he had arranged to have shanghai jiao tong universitys institute of automotive engineering to assess the feasibility of his design
however the institutes director yin chengliang denied in an interview with the newspaper southern weekend that he had any involvement with mr song the institutes vice director and two professors said in the same report that they had conducted a design analysis but that it was a personal initiative based on their assessment the professors said the design was basically feasible but not perfect
shortly thereafter a planned pilot project in the western beijing district of mengtougou was canceled the director of the districts science and technology commission told southern weekend news of the bus was overblown and attracted the displeasure of some people which is probably why it was killed
since 2010 mr song said in the interview this week lanzhou university tongji university and xian jiaotong university have all approved the bus design after conducting separate audits
he dismissed his critics calling them so called entrepreneurs and companies with their own interests
in february local governments approached mr song with renewed interest in the bus as an environmentally efficient way to ease congestion officials said according to a 2015 study conducted by tomtom a dutch navigation company nearly one third of the worlds 50 most congested cities in the world were chinese
in 2010 the bus was only a dream but now it is in a mature stage said wang peng director of the shenyang chamber of commerce after meeting with mr song and assessing the safety of the bus technology the shenyang city government signed an agreement this month to build about 12 miles of elevated bus tracks for testing mr wang said
the elevated bus merges existing mature technology found in railroads subways and buses mr wang said the only question is now how it will interact with other traffic once implemented
to prevent traffic accidents mr song said guardrails would be constructed between the bus tracks and the car lanes that pass through the elevated bus the rails would be able to absorb at least 70 percent of a collisions impact to reduce damage to the bus and other vehicles lanes for the elevated bus would be limited to passenger vehicles no higher than 72 feet and the buses are designed to meet zoning and bridge height regulations in each city
mr song said the buses were fully capable of turning corners though the cars underneath must wait until the buses have passed before turning themselves
people didnt understand the technology before he said but now that the government supports entrepreneurship and innovation our earlier critics havent said anything


wednesday began with quickly disputed reports that the house speaker paul d ryan was about to endorse donald j trump the republican partys presumptive nominee
it ended with mr trump firing his national political director rick wiley who had been hired to great fanfare just six weeks earlier
in between mr trump insulted his former primary rivals at a rally in california
whatever pretense was made soon after mr trump lost the wisconsin primary of his being on the verge of behaving like a more traditional candidate is now gone mr trump is back in peak midprimary form
that would be fine if he werent already the presumptive nominee but the general election will feature at least 100 million voters who have not taken part in either partys primary a majority of whom mr trump will need and drama around his campaign has engulfed him on a nearly ceaseless basis
to be sure it was not all bad news for mr trump on wednesday although the good news was not at his hand in a new report the inspector general of the state department criticized hillary clinton the likely democratic nominee for her email practices while secretary of state saying that she did not seek permission for her private server
but the email scandal details are fairly well known to voters at this point mr trump is still making his opening pitch for november and he is having trouble staying on course


bismarck nd   donald j trump traveled thursday to the heart of americas oil and gas boom where he called for more fossil fuel drilling and fewer environmental regulations while vowing to cancel the paris climate agreement the 2015 accord committing nearly every nation to taking action to curb climate change
laying out his positions on energy and the environment at an oil industry conference in north dakota he vowed to rescind president obamas signature climate change rules and revive construction of the keystone xl pipeline which would bring petroleum from canadas oil sands to gulf coast refineries
it was the latest in a series of recent policy addresses including on israel and foreign policy intended to position mr trump the real estate mogul and reality show star as credible on substantive issues now that he is the presumptive republican presidential nominee
but experts remain skeptical of mr trumps command of the complexities of the global energy economy and he made claims such as a promise to restore jobs lost in coal mining that essentially defy free market forces
many of his proposals thus far dont seem to appreciate the complex forces that drive the energy system said richard g newell an energy economist at duke university who has closely followed mr trumps remarks
mr trumps decision to set his speech in north dakota was politically strategic he began the day fewer than 30 delegates shy of clinching the nomination and on thursday he reached the required 1237 delegate threshold with the help of unpledged delegates in the state who moved to support him
mr trump asked north dakotas republican congressman kevin cramer to suggest energy policies before the speech
a central question confronting the next president will be how to address climate change mr trump who has repeatedly denied the established science that climate change is caused by humans vowed in his speech to undo many of mr obamas initiatives
he did not explicitly address the scientific legitimacy of human caused climate change but said were going to deal with real environmental challenges not the phony ones weve been hearing about
mr trump said that in his first 100 days in office he would rescind environmental protection agency regulations established under mr obama to curb planet warming emissions from coal fired power plants
regulations that shut down hundreds of coal fired power plants and block the construction of new ones   how stupid is that mr trump said
however the next president will not have the legal authority to unilaterally rescind the climate rules which are now being litigated in federal courts if as is widely expected the case goes to the supreme court the justices rather than the president will determine its fate but if elected mr trump could nominate a new supreme court justice to help strike down the rule
mr trumps threats to unravel the paris agreement could carry more weight
in his speech he complained inaccurately this agreement gives foreign bureaucrats control over how much energy we use on our land in our country no way
in fact at the heart of the paris agreement are voluntary pledges put forward by the governments of over 190 nations laying out plans to lower emissions no government has control over the emissions reduction plans of other governments
once the accord is ratified by 55 countries responsible for 55 percent of global emissions it will enter into legal force and any country wishing to withdraw would have to wait four years to do so however if the deal has not been ratified by january 2017 a new american president could withdraw immediately for that reason many countries fearful that a president trump would do just that are racing to ratify the deal this year
but there would be no legal consequence if the united states the worlds second largest greenhouse gas polluter simply did not follow through with the obama administrations pledge to cut emissions up to 28 percent from 2005 levels by 2025
in an even more potent threat mr trump declared that the united states would stop all payment of us tax dollars to global warming programs
weve got big problems folks and we cant be sending money all over the world he said were going to keep our money here and our jobs here and bring our jobs back
but developing nations including india have made clear that their ability to cut emissions depends largely on financial help from other countries and as secretary of state hillary clinton pledged that rich countries including the united states would commit 100 billion annually by 2020 to help poor countries adapt to the ravages of global warming a clear signal that the united states would back down from its commitments to reduce emissions and provide financial assistance could undermine the political will in other countries such as india and china to take action
other elements of mr trumps energy proposals appear less viable as coal mining jobs have declined mr trump has vowed to fully restore their numbers
were going to bring back the coal industry save the coal industry he said i love those people
it is unclear how mr trump could restore lost jobs in the coal industry as domestic coal demand has declined companies have laid off thousands of miners but economists say that shift is driven by market forces the natural gas boom led power companies to buy cheaper gas rather than coal
most analysts would say that coal is hurting because natural gas prices have collapsed said robert mcnally the president of the rapidan group an energy consulting firm and a senior energy official in the george w bush administration donald trump would have to find a way to raise natural gas prices
mr trump also repeatedly emphasized energy independence   the idea that the united states could isolate itself from global oil markets and cease importing fuels
under my presidency we will accomplish complete american energy independence he said we will become totally independent of the need to import energy from the oil cartel or any nation hostile to our interest
but experts say that such remarks display a basic ignorance of the workings of the global oil markets
even if energy independence was achievable it would not be desirable mr newell the duke university energy economist wrote in an email our interests tend to be best served by getting each type of fuel we need from the least expensive source be it domestic or imported when domestic us energy is globally competitive like the recent oil and gas boom our imports go down but energy independence itself is one of the least useful energy policy goals   and is at times damaging
mr trumps speech which he delivered with the help of teleprompters drew a large cheering crowd to the conference packing an arena here with thousands of people
steve dewacht 45 a district manager at colter energy a company in the fracking industry said he liked what he knew of mr trumps energy policy
im hoping hes going to support the oil industry open up some new plays   in pennsylvania maybe   keep texas going and help out in north dakota he said hes got to get us off the opec train and help us make our own train
bob morman 60 who works for montana dakota utilities on the natural gas side said he was supporting mr trump but knew little about his energy plans and had come to learn more
i want to see what his stance is on oil fracking oil renewables and coal he said i would like to see coal be part of the energy mix


los angeles   johnies coffee shop restaurant the famous vacant slant roof googie style former diner on the corner of wilshire boulevard and fairfax avenue here is in the middle of a temporary makeover as a bernie sanders themed media installation
we view this as an art piece said howard gold who was busy on wednesday afternoon painting and fixing at the former diner it closed in 2000 but it is still available for film shoots
the idea said mr gold whose family owns the property is to deck the place in sanders murals posters and diner style logos   the bernie sanders chicken bucket faces wilshire   then open on thursday for a reception that is expected to draw artists movie stars and sanders supporters
mr gold and his associate jay ponti said they expected the actresses shailene woodley and frances fisher to be among the guests they also expect jeff dowd a film producer and political activist who is perhaps best known as being the real life inspiration for the dude played by jeff bridges in the big lebowski
mr gold and mr ponti said the gathering would not be a fund raiser though they might sell some buttons and shirts mostly they said it will be a chance to get attention for mr sanders before the june 7 california presidential primary
kii arens who has created art for radiohead the who and other bands and donny miller are among the artists who contributed works which include a large multicolored bernie mural that hollers from one of the diners windows
the winking bernie burger man on the front looks very much like speedee the original mascot for mcdonalds
open 27 hours says the sign on the door but thursdays event mr gold said would most likely run from 7 to 9 pm


with his signature cheerful demeanor increasingly at odds with the situation he finds himself in speaker paul d ryan is pressing ahead with unveiling his house drafted policy agenda even if it seems most people just want to talk to him about donald j trump mr ryan who has ordered house republicans to come up with policy papers in six areas said on wednesday that the rollout of those ideas would begin after the memorial day break
the first of the policy proposals which will constitute the houses confident america agenda will focus on combating poverty mr ryan said he added that each policy area including national security and taxes would be tackled less with the amorphous ideas that he has been batting around for months but with an extensive legislative framework
were not talking about principles here mr ryan said this is substance its going to be a clear explanation of the policy changes that are needed in these areas
he declined to give further details saying he wanted relevant committee leaders to get their day in the sun when the ideas are brought out in the coming weeks
what they will not be most likely are things that will be turned into actual pieces of legislation thats really not the goal mr ryan told reporters he noted that a republican would be needed in the white house to make them a reality a continuation of divided government will not help mr ryan and his fellow republicans achieve their policy dreams he conceded
mr trump the presumptive republican nominee has been kept abreast of their plans he said even though the new york businessman and reality tv star remains at odds with many house republicans on myriad policy matters
presented with the notion that republican primary voters seemed more interested in mr trumps approach to issues than those of house republicans mr ryan noted were a big tent party


mexico city   in the history of modern war fighters are much more likely to injure their enemies than kill them
but in mexico the opposite is true
according to the governments own figures mexicos armed forces are exceptionally efficient killers   stacking up bodies at extraordinary rates
the mexican authorities say the nations soldiers are simply better trained and more skilled than the cartels they battle
but experts who study the issue say mexicos kill rate is practically unheard of arguing that the numbers reveal something more ominous
they are summary executions said paul chevigny a retired new york university professor who pioneered the study of lethality among armed forces
in many forms of combat between armed groups about four people are injured for each person killed according to an assessment of wars since the late 1970s by the international committee of the red cross sometimes the number of wounded is even higher
but the body count in mexico is reversed the mexican army kills eight enemies for every one it wounds
for the nations elite marine forces the discrepancy is even more pronounced the data they provide says they kill roughly 30 combatants for each one they injure
the statistics which the government stopped reporting in early 2014 offer a rare unguarded glimpse into the role the mexican military has assumed in the war against organized crime in the last decade as the nations soldiers and marines have been forced onto the front lines human rights abuses surged
and yet the military remains largely untouched protected by a government loath to crack down on the only force able to take on the fight little has been done to investigate the thousands of accusations of torture forced disappearances and extrajudicial killings that have mounted since former president felipe calderon began his nations drug war a decade ago
of the 4000 complaints of torture that the attorney generals office has reviewed since 2006 only 15 have resulted in convictions
not only is torture generalized in mexico but it is also surrounded by impunity said juan e mendez the united nations special rapporteur on torture if the government knows it is frequent and you still dont get any prosecutions and the ones you do prosecute usually wind up going nowhere the blame lies with the state
the mexican armed forces did not respond to interview requests but gen salvador cienfuegos zepeda the defense secretary has publicly defended the military saying it is the only institution confronting organized crime   and winning
we are in the streets because society is demanding us to be there general cienfuegos told the mexican newspaper milenio this month
about 3000 people were killed by the military between 2007 and 2012 while 158 soldiers died some critics call the killings a form of pragmatism in mexico where fewer than 2 percent of murder cases are successfully prosecuted the armed forces kill their enemies because they cannot rely on the shaky legal system
waves of pressure have crashed over the government in march the inter american commission on human rights condemned mexicos human rights record including extrajudicial executions building on an earlier united nations report that described torture as widespread
in recent weeks a videotape of a soldier beating a woman while a police officer squeezed a plastic bag over her head went viral forcing a rare public apology
even in the case of 43 college students who disappeared in 2014 the role of the military and the protection it enjoys have become polarizing issues
several soldiers were present the night of the disappearances in guerrero state according to international experts asked to help determine the students fate but the military did not grant interviews to the experts and the government did not require it
the government says it takes human rights seriously passing legislation to counter abuse protect victims and allow soldiers to be tried in civilian courts it says it has a new human rights program within the military and notes that under the current president complaints against the military have dropped sharply
every report of a human rights violation is worrisome the government said but also these isolated cases do not reflect the general state of human rights in the country
but while complaints of torture against the armed forces have fallen since 2011   coinciding with an overall reduction in the number of troops deployed across mexico   the lethality of their encounters did not decline according to the data released through early 2014
the unique relationship between the military and the government dates back more than 70 years to the period after the country emerged from civil war to maintain stability historians say the governing institutional revolutionary party reached a pact with the armed forces in exchange for near total autonomy the military would not interfere in politics
unlike many latin american nations mexico has never suffered a coup and though the government long starved its armed forces of funding they were protected from scrutiny
that protection became vital after 2006 when the military entered the streets to battle the cartels and violence soared as complaints of abuses emerged in record numbers the government did little to take the military to task
then the military stopped publishing its statistics on killings two years ago without such data experts say it is hard to know how violent the war against organized crime has become
some episodes surface in court like a confrontation in tlatlaya just outside mexico city where the army killed 22 people in june 2014 the army boasted that during the confrontation only one soldier was injured
the case quickly became a scandal when mexicos human rights commission determined that as many as 15 of the people were executed and that soldiers had altered the scene to make it appear as if there had been a battle
even so the final three soldiers charged were acquitted last week joining four others previously acquitted the only soldier convicted in the case for the crime of disobedience has already served his sentence
the impunity comes despite growing ties with the united states military through exercises training and military hardware sales meant to improve the professionalism and by extension the human rights record of mexicos armed forces
two years ago the united states agreed to sell black hawk helicopters to mexico in a pact that army officials said could total more than 1 billion over 25 years and bring the mexican army closer to american military standards
we didnt sell them just helicopters said todd m rosenblum the pentagons former top official on mexico policy we sold them 15 years of working intimately together that we would not otherwise have
the closer ties have done little to assuage critics in congress all the training in the world wont work if you dont have people at the top who believe in the importance of transparency and accountability said senator patrick j leahy democrat of vermont he wrote a law barring the united states from providing training or equipment to foreign troops who commit gross human rights violations like murder or torture
some abuse cases have made their way to international bodies causing concern for the mexican government
three people in chihuahua state were whisked away on dec 29 2009 and never heard from again after seeking recourse from the state federal and military authorities the families took their case to the inter american commission in 2011
five years later the commission has delivered its confidential findings according to two people familiar with the case if the commission finds the military responsible for the disappearances as expected the ruling could become binding
another case has been brought to the international criminal court a nonprofit group in baja california collected more than 90 examples of what it calls torture by the mexican military from 2006 to 2013 the international court has not responded to the petition
the case includes ramiro lopez who was arrested with three others and tortured by the military in june 2009 the men were nearly suffocated with plastic bags and had their genitals shocked with electric current before being presented as confessed kidnappers they were convicted
but in 2015 after a rare examination by the united nations the men were found not guilty the government acquitted them but declined to pursue those responsible for the forced confessions
they should not try to justify their work by obtaining confessions under torture said mayra lopez the sister of ramiro lopez but it does not appear as if this will change anytime soon


paderno dugnano italy   even from a distance the figure is unmistakable the bulbous midsection the tapered neck the glistening veneer and those handles   oh those handles   could belong to no one else
no one but ol big ears
while saturdays european champions league final between real madrid and atletico madrid will feature megastars like cristiano ronaldo and gareth bale playing in milans historic san siro stadium the most enduring figure in club soccers biggest game actually could be the one made of metal and hailing from here just outside the city center on a nondescript street choked with industrial warehouses
freakishly oversize and with handles that appear to have been pinched from bigfoots coffee mug the coupe des clubs champions europeens that is how the trophy is inscribed has both a whimsical nickname and a girth that stretches wider than those of most of the players who hope to lift it
just last week valentina losa the chief executive of gde bertoni which makes the trophy was entertaining several visitors in a conference room at her companys factory suddenly an outside vendor who had just finished making a delivery poked his head in to say goodbye when he saw there were hundreds of trophies lining the walls all manufactured by bertoni he could not resist stepping in to look around
but the vendor did not focus on the tennis trophies or the olympic medals or even the replica of the fifa world cup trophy whose twisted golden ball is world renowned instead he asked can i and nodded toward the silver champions league trophy losa smiled and the vendor hoisted it in the air grunting at its heft and grinning at its shine
this happens a lot losa said after the vendor   who requested multiple cellphone photos   finally departed its the most common request by far
the trophy itself is about 29 inches tall and weighs roughly 16 1/2  pounds making it one of the more obese prizes in sports the nfls lombardi trophy by comparison weighs only seven pounds the champions league trophy also has a complex history   much like the tournament itself which has had a few iterations   but the current version has become as well embedded in the competition as the events ubiquitous and hyperoperatic anthem
the trophy was originally produced by a swiss designer in 1967 replacing a smaller version from the tournaments early days the next year european soccers governing body uefa made a rule that any club that won the tournament five times or three years in a row would be allowed to keep the trophy and since then real madrid ajax bayern munich liverpool ac milan and barcelona have claimed so called originals
gde bertoni first began manufacturing the trophy more than four decades ago losa said which was back when her father and grandfather were running the business the company initially had a more varied production line creating everything from art medals to sculptures but it began to gain acclaim in the sports world in 1960 when it won the contract to create the medals given out at the summer olympics in rome ten years later after brazil won the world cup for the third time   claiming that trophy as its own   and fifa needed to have a new trophy designed bertoni won out over more than 50 companies and delivered a trophy that was awarded for the first time in 1974 in west germany
from then on football was a very big part of our business losa said
that much is clear just walking through the factory medals and trophies are scattered among the large vats of chemicals and welding machinery in one corner the 2017 confederations cup trophy rested on a shelf we need to send that to fifa next week losa said while medals for a youth world cup were being finished across the room at a desk a worker looked over emailed feedback from fifa regarding a different potential medal design
middle eastern nations too are a source of sustained if wide ranging business several bertoni workers were recently touching up a series of ornate plates commissioned by the government of oman and meant to highlight tourist attractions in the tiny country bertoni also has a contract with the royal court of bahrain to produce its military medals and the company receives a steady stream of requests for trophies from the gulf states
work from uefa however is steady bertoni produces trophies and medals for a variety of youth and womens competitions but its centerpiece project starts every fall generally in september or october when construction of the next champions league trophy begins the original version of that design   made in silver   is kept by uefa regardless of who wins the competition but bertoni produces a brass replica each year that is paraded around for fans to see and then awarded to the winning club after the final
there are two particularly tricky parts of the construction luigi scacchi bertonis head of production said placing the letters on the trophy so that they are perfectly in line is difficult because of the metals curve while guerrino giorgi a veteran craftsman who typically oversees the building of the trophy said that it could take more than two weeks to make the handles it is the hardest part he said
of course the giant handles are also what distinguish the champions league trophy in addition to its english nickname the trophy is known in spanish as la orejona orejas are ears and in french as la coupe aux grandes oreilles literally the cup with big ears leaving no doubt about its identity the look of the trophy is not especially attractive   even the original designer once conceded that it might be a bit ostentatious   yet there is no denying its place
for me i like the europa league one better losa said referring to the trophy for europes second tier competition also made by bertoni and more resembling a traditional cup
but then again she continued no one ever comes in and asks for a picture with that one


the unprecedented safety shutdown of washingtons subway for a day in march laid bare the deteriorating conditions that created a crisis
but the metro which opened four decades ago and shaped the washington region is not the only transit system in the northeastern united states showing its age
the subways in new york city and boston both more than half a century older than the system in washington need billions of dollars to replace aging infrastructure and to meet rising demand all three cities home to most of the nations busiest subways are growing and attracting young people who prefer mass transit but have become frustrated by delays
as transit officials in boston new york and washington focus on improving the subways their efforts are being closely watched by planners and business groups who fear economic growth in the region could slow if the systems cannot keep up
these are mega systems with mega sized challenges and there is not going to be a silver bullet said adie tomer a fellow at the metropolitan policy program at the brookings institution
frequent disruptions have left riders stranded on trains and scrambling to make it to work on time in the washington area people are preparing for widespread closings while repairs are made in new york brooklyn residents are alarmed by the possibility of a yearlong shutdown of the l subway tunnel to manhattan in boston the crowded red line is periodically upended by technical problems and other issues
this month president obama tied the metros problems to a broader lack of investment in infrastructure across the country like the water pipes in flint mich and crumbling roads and bridges
it is just one more example of the underinvestments that have been made mr obama said at a news conference look the dc metro historically has been a great strength of this region but over time we underinvested in maintenance and repair
the federal transit administration found that public transit systems have a backlog of 86 billion in critical maintenance nationwide officials pushed for infrastructure funding on capitol hill recently as part of infrastructure week an annual series of events to highlight the issue
the northeasts three major subway systems which have the most riders in the country along with chicagos are similarly struggling with dilapidated equipment funding concerns and knotty political dynamics in new york and boston officials have encountered an additional hurdle natural disasters
hurricane sandy flooded new yorks subway in 2012 damaging several tunnels under the east river the williamsburg neighborhood in brooklyn is reeling over plans for an 18 month shutdown for hurricane related repairs to the l train tunnel in boston an onslaught of snow in 2015 paralyzed the transit system and brought attention to problems at the regional network
all three cities have seen population growth and remain top destinations for millennials many of whom eschew driving a car new york recently hit 85 million residents while the washington metropolitan area has grown to more than six million people and the boston metropolitan area has topped 47 million
with nearly six million trips each day and round the clock service new yorks subway is the heavyweight but the system which opened in 1904 has become so packed that riders are exasperated by delays and overcrowding
as betsy campbell rode a no 1 train in manhattan on a recent morning she complained of increasingly unreliable trains if service continues to deteriorate she said businesses might decide to move to other cities
it could get to the point where you just cant get around and you cant function efficiently like you need to said ms campbell who works at a foundation
last year as gov andrew m cuomo and mayor bill de blasio both democrats quarreled over whether the city should pay more for the subways a train derailed in brooklyn when a crumbling wall fell onto the tracks the city ultimately increased its contribution to the 29 billion capital plan for the metropolitan transportation authority the state run agency that operates subways buses and commuter railroads
the authoritys chairman thomas f prendergast said he understood commuters frustrations
we do feel their discomfort and pain and were working as hard as we can to expand the capacity of the system and to deliver the service better mr prendergast said in an interview
the citys first new subway station in a quarter century opened on the far west side of manhattan last year the long delayed second avenue subway is expected to open at the end of this year with three stations on the upper east side mr de blasio has proposed building a waterfront streetcar in brooklyn and queens while extending the citys ferry system and adding express buses
bostons subway known as the t opened in 1897 and is the nations oldest system it now handles nearly 800000 trips each day the regional transit network has a 7 billion backlog of repairs that officials estimate could take more than two decades to eliminate
we have a system that is running on fumes said joshua ostroff the partnerships director at transportation for massachusetts an advocacy group
after the ts problems in winter 2015 gov charlie baker a republican pushed to create a fiscal control board to oversee the massachusetts bay transportation authority riders are anxious about a fare increase of about 93 percent on average set to take effect in july and the fate of a proposal to extend the green line this month officials decided to move forward with pared down plans for the line though the funding still needs to be assembled
washingtons subway opened to great fanfare in 1976 but maintenance has lagged since a series of safety failures including a 2009 crash that killed nine people ridership has declined in march officials abruptly shut down the subway to inspect troublesome electrical cables experts have criticized the structure of the washington metropolitan area transit authority for which the federal government the district of columbia maryland and virginia share responsibility
one of the most vexing questions is how to pay to fix infrastructure with federal transit funding essentially flat many states and cities are grappling with how to cover improvements on their own
some experts have called for increasing the federal gasoline tax   which has remained the same since 1993   or raising state gas taxes sales taxes or tolls for highways and bridges many praise the so called value capture approach which allows cities to pay for projects by recovering tax revenue generated from new development
you either pay now or pay later richard a white acting president of the american public transportation association said the more you stick your head in the sand on this issue the worse the problems are going to become


what in the world offers you glimpses of what our journalists are observing around the globe let us know what you think whatintheworldnytimescom
theres an elephant at a zoo outside seoul that speaks korean
  you mean it understands some korean commands the way a dog can be trained to understand sit or stay
no i mean it can actually say korean words out loud
  pics or it didnt happen
here watch the video
to be fair the elephant a 26 year old asian male named koshik doesnt really speak korean any more than a parrot can speak korean or english or klingon but parrots are supposed to well parrot   and elephants are not and koshik knows how to say at least five korean words which are about five more than i do
the really amazing part is how he does it koshik places his trunk inside his mouth and uses it to modulate the tone and pitch of the sounds his voice makes a bit like a person putting his fingers in his mouth to whistle in this way koshik is able to emulate human speech in such detail that korean native speakers can readily understand and transcribe the imitations according to the journal current biology
whats in his vocabulary things he hears all the time from his keepers the korean words for hello sit down lie down good and no
lest you think this is just another circus trick that any jumbo dumbo or babar could pull off the team of international scientists who wrote the journal article say koshiks skills represent a wholly novel method of vocal production and formant control in this or any other species
like many innovations koshiks may have been born of sad necessity researchers say he started to imitate his keepers sounds only after he was separated from other elephants at the age of 5   and that his desire to speak like a human arose from sheer loneliness


london   dong energy the danish utility and the worlds largest offshore wind energy operator said on thursday that it could be valued at up to 1065 billion danish kroner or about 16 billion in its initial public offering in copenhagen next month
the company unveiled plans this month to list its shares on nasdaq in copenhagen after saying in september that it would pursue a public offering of shares after a review
the company said it expected to price its offering in a range of 200 kroner to 255 kroner a share for a market capitalization of 835 billion kroner to 1065 billion kroner
we look forward to welcoming new shareholders who can join us in our journey towards building a greener energy future thomas thune andersen the dong energy chairman said in a news release
the offering would consist of a sale of 151 percent to 174 percent of the company with existing stockholders selling shares
the danish government which owns 588 percent of the company plans to sell part of its stake in the offering but it will keep a 501 percent holding after the listing
the ipo is an important milestone in the development of dong energy claus hjort frederiksen the danish finance minister said
dong energy generates more than half of its electricity and heat from renewable resources it reported revenue of 708 billion kroner in 2015 and employs 6700 people
a goldman sachs investment in dong energy nearly led to a collapse of the danish government in 2014 a goldman controlled entity owns 178 percent of the company
jpmorgan chase morgan stanley and nordea bank danmark are acting as joint global coordinators on the offering


los angeles   hillary clinton and bernie sanders are locked in a tight race in california the nations most populous state and one that until recently seemed strongly in mrs clintons corner a new statewide poll has found
the poll released wednesday night by the public policy institute of california showed mrs clinton leading mr sanders among likely voters 46 percent to 44 percent   within the margin of error a survey by the organization in march found mrs clinton with a lead of 48 percent to 41 percent over mr sanders
the survey came as both mr sanders and mrs clinton have stepped up their campaign appearances here in anticipation of the june 7 primary mr sanders after initially saying he would not advertise on television here   california is one of the most expensive states for television advertising given its size and the number of media markets   took to the airwaves this week
and mrs clinton has quickly responded with ads set to begin running on friday in the los angeles fresno and sacramento markets one narrated by the actor morgan freeman another highlighting mrs clintons endorsement by the civil rights activist dolores huerta the clinton campaign will also run spanish language ads aimed at latino voters and translated commercials in cantonese mandarin vietnamese and korean
for mrs clinton in particular the ad buy is a significant reversal her campaign had halted its advertising after her decisive victories in the mid atlantic states on april 26 aside from a brief return to television in kentucky
mr sanderss aides said he intended to spend nearly all his time in california until the june 7 primary a signal of how much importance he has attached to a victory here as he tries to keep his campaign going through the convention his rallies have drawn big enthusiastic crowds in many parts of the state
even with a loss in the primary mrs clinton would almost certainly win enough delegates to capture her partys nomination that said a loss to mr sanders in this state   which she won in 2008 and which bill clinton won in the 1992 primaries   would provide a sour and deflating end to her primary campaign
it could also encourage mr sanders to stay in the race through the democratic national convention in july at a time when many democrats would be asking him to step aside and join with mrs clinton in turning the partys attention to defeating the presumptive republican nominee donald j trump
the new poll takes into account both democrats and independent voters who said they would vote in the democratic primary among democrats alone mrs clinton leads mr sanders by 49 percent to 41 percent according to the institute but there has been a surge of people registering as independents which democrats say could be aiding mr sanders
the poll showed that both mrs clinton and mr sanders would defeat mr trump in a hypothetical november contest though mr sanders appears to have the stronger position at the moment mrs clinton is leading mr trump among likely voters by 49 percent to 39 percent mr sanders would beat him 53 percent to 36 percent
the poll was based on a telephone survey of 1704 california adults taken from may 13 through sunday of those 996 were identified as likely voters the margin of sampling error among that group was plus or minus 4 percentage points


just as rumpelstiltskin spun gold from straw scores of new companies are trying to spin profits out of food waste
several start ups are chasing ways to use food waste to make other edibles some are aiming to quickly distribute food that is about to be thrown out and yet others are working to use every last ounce of ingredients
food waste in other words is now a platform for commerce
im convinced theres a business thats a kind of uber for refrigerated trucks said jesse fink a founder of the travel site priceline who now calls himself a food waste evangelist
the businesses have a lot to work with as much as 40 percent of the american food supply goes in the trash most of the waste comes from consumers and retailers the government estimates and in recent years the issue has resonated particularly with younger consumers
the business of food waste is not well tracked most data available now is on funding for individual companies but back to the roots which is based in oakland calif and sells products like a mushroom growing kit that uses coffee grounds recently raised 58 million from individual investors like michael pollan and blake mycoskie ecoscraps which is based in utah and turns food waste into gardening products has raised 13 million from peterson ventures and others according to cb insights a research firm
over the last year weve seen investors put millions of dollars into early stage brands that appeal to consumers based on their sustainability and transparency said rory eakin chief operating officer of circleup a marketplace for investors and early stage consumer brands
he cited examples like the forager project misfit and back to the roots many of these emerging brands incorporate food waste and upcycling products   using once discarded materials as components of new products   as part of their brand portfolio others he said are working to solve the unusual distribution and logistics challenges posed in using food scraps
some of the new businesses can bootstrap their operations since they are essentially taking inexpensive or free scraps from others but many have taken outside investment
take cerplus for instance which raised a small amount from friends and family investors late last year and got 20000 from y combinator in exchange for securities if cerplus has a financing round or sells for more than 100 million the company started in january as a sort of online go between linking farms and wholesalers with food on the verge of going to waste with restaurants and other businesses
we let people know whats available and offer a pretty good discount said zoe wong the co founder and chief executive
on a recent day cerplus was offering organic artichokes for 130 a pound and ripe bananas for 55 cents a pound minimum order 40 pounds the company started serving the bay area in january and now has shipped more than 13000 pounds of food to more than 60 clients ms wong said
plenty of these businesses need early stage venture capital type of investment said mr fink who is a trustee of the fink family foundation which has focused on how to reduce food waste but he said some other businesses related to food waste like large scale composting require significant capital investment
cb insights found that kleiner perkins a venture capital firm and others have put a total of 248 million into harvest power a company based in waltham mass that processes organic waste into mulch and fertilizer and liquid environmental solutions which is based in irving tex and processes waste water and used cooking oil has raised 516 million from investors including abs capital partners
even beyonce has gotten involved she recently joined other ventures to buy a stake in wtrmln wtr a company that makes cold pressed watermelon juice from melons that cannot be sold in a grocery store
the company was started in late 2013 when jody levy and harlan berger decided to do something about the hundreds of millions of pounds of watermelon that are wasted every year the company does not disclose its sales but said it expects revenue to increase 385 percent this year
its biggest challenge was creating a supply chain scuffed sunburned or otherwise unwanted melons can be sold in a secondary market but prices are volatile so farmers may just plow them under because hauling them is expensive
now wtrmln wtr wants them
its definitely created a new opportunity for us said chandler mack whose family grows potatoes and watermelons in central florida
retailers wholesalers and food service companies may reject entire semitrailers of produce if they spot a single crushed box or carton and then producers must scramble to figure out how to get rid of the produce to avoid extra transport costs
there are typically 22 pallets on a truck which is what helps keep food costs low in this country said roger gordon a food waste entrepreneur but if no one is going to pay the bill for all that the easiest place to deliver it is a dumpster
mr gordon is a co founder of food cowboy which uses a mobile app to connect rejected truckloads of fresh foods to charities and other organizations the company maintains a database with details about loading docks refrigeration and other equipment to help it coordinate
we once had a situation early on where a church at the end of a one lane road agreed to take a delivery from a 53 foot plus tractor trailer mr gordon said they thought the word truck meant something like an f 150
even old school food companies are finding gold in food waste baldor specialty foods which supplies restaurants and institutional kitchens is developing a sort of flour made from things like cabbage cores and pepper shoulders other scraps go to flying pigs farm one of its pork suppliers for animal feed we now know what pigs like and what they dont like said michael muzyk president of baldor they refuse to eat onion skins apparently
chefs like bill telepan are experimenting with the flour   baldor has not decided what to call it   and some large organic retailers have expressed interest i do think theres a positive revenue stream   eventually mr muzyk said
baldor had to reroute its conveyor belt system and figure out how to ensure that waste held in bins for processing did not violate city health regulations examples of the unusual challenges food waste entrepreneurs routinely face
not every good idea for reducing waste pays off though margaret tung thought she had a great solution for the piles of day old baked goods and almost overripe produce she saw in trash bins and garbage cans in new york city
what else an app called pareup that enables a retailer to post a list of products about to be thrown out giving users a sort of menu to peruse
but the system which began a couple of years ago never really took off i think there are certain times people are accustomed to eating things ms tung said theyre not looking for a croissant at 5 pm
the app still exists but pareup is not actively maintaining it still not too long after hanging up the phone after an interview ms tung called back
i just had a look she said five hundred transactions have taken place


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good evening heres the latest
1 president obama and other g 7 leaders meeting in japan made a side trip to the ise shrine considered the countrys holiest site mr obama said he decided to take the historic step of visiting hiroshima on friday as a way to remind the world of the dangers of nuclear weapons and he told reporters that his fellow world leaders were rattled by the political ascendance of donald trump

2 mr trump chose an an oil industry conference in north dakota to make his first policy speech on energy and the environment his priorities rejecting the paris climate agreement to focus on real environmental problems like water pollution and working to free up coal to help make the us independent of opec americas incredible energy potential remains untapped he said

3 bernie sanders buoyed by polls showing hed have a better chance of defeating mr trump than hillary clinton would persuaded mr trump to consider a debate ahead of californias primary june 7 in california a poll showed that mrs clintons lead over mr sanders had evaporated thats tough news for her at a time when the sanders side is finding more ammunition in new scrutiny of her state department era email and democratic attempts to create a unifying platform are faltering as sanders supporters urge the party to take a more critical stance on israel

4 the regular seasons superstars the golden state warriors survived what just a week ago seemed unthinkable they were on the verge of elimination against the oklahoma city thunder the warriors 120 111 victory kept the series going

5 a times special report examines mexicos armed forces and their staggering kill rates officials say their soldiers are simply better fighters than the cartels they take on but experts see something more ominous in figures showing four times or more the usual ratio of dead to injured they are summary executions said a retired new york university professor who pioneered the study of lethality among armed forces

6 ken starr the former independent prosecutor who pursued president bill clinton through scandals in the 90s was removed as president of baylor university an investigation found that his administration mishandled reports of sexual assaults by some of the universitys football players the head coach art briles was fired we were horrified by the extent of these acts of sexual violence on our campus the board of regents chairman said mr starr above at a game last fall will remain as chancellor

7 a sad mystery in maine was solved officials released a vast file on a case that set off one of the biggest search missions in state history a 66 year old retired nurse who disappeared on a solo hike in 2013 and whose remains were found last year her diary shows that she kept herself alive for a month after losing her way   and that she came to accept that help would not come in time

8 when the obamas leave the white house theyll move just two miles according to people briefed on their plans and the digs are on the magnificent side an 8200 square foot nine bedroom mansion in the capitals upscale kalorama neighborhood the obamas are expected to stay until sasha finishes high school in 2018

9 louisiana changed its hate crime law to protect a new group law enforcement officers gov john bel edwards a democrat with many officers in his family line signed what some call the blue lives matter bill it comes as federal data show violence against police officers near a record low

10 this memorial day weekend rings in the summer travel season with the lowest gasoline prices in a 11 years but oil prices have been creeping back up and briefly hit 50 a barrel for the first time since november

11 finally meet koshik south koreas talking elephant well not exactly the 26 year old asian male changes the tone and pitch of his utterances by moving his trunk inside his mouth parroting five korean words or phrases he hears often from keepers hello sit down lie down good and of course no

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swizz beatz and usher performed at the bad boy family reunion in brooklyn last weekend and the 90s nostalgia concert featured outfits designed by maxwell osborne and dao yi chow the founders of public school
on tuesday night the four reunited for another remembrance the gordon parks foundations 10th annual awards dinner im still recovering said swizz beatz who is the foundations co chairman and as he put it a secret weapon for bringing in artists
the crowd at cipriani 42nd street drew heavily from the world of music fashion and art red carpet walkers like janelle monae gayle king and victor cruz and spent the night honoring mr parks the photographer and multidisciplinary artist who died in 2006 after cocktails and jazz men in tuxedos and women in gowns wedged into tables beneath the restaurants towering columns
mr chow and mr osborne wearing black suits from their own collection were humbled to be among the honorees it was kind of undeserving in a way said mr osborne who wore his customary dark shades putting your name in the same sentence as gordon parks just doesnt make sense we need to work even harder
after inquiring about the score of a playoff basketball game mr chow talked about the 1971 blaxploitation film shaft which mr parks directed we try to capture a certain attitude in our clothes what some people would call swag he said that movie pretty much invented the term
usher who wore a light gray thom browne suit merrily posed for photos with the foundations young scholarship winners who hailed from places like the fashion institute of technology and ghetto film school the students are really really intelligent and mindful usher said while admirers circled im very pleased
mr parkss dedication to civil rights was often mentioned at the dais
bryan stevenson of the equal justice initiative delivered an impassioned speech about mass incarceration leonard a lauder the chairman emeritus of estee lauder was honored for his philanthropy and kathleen cleaver the former black panther who was once married to eldridge cleaver described being photographed by mr parks in 1970
he was brilliant and charming ms cleaver said and of course he was handsome
miso glazed sea bass was served and several of mr parkss iconic photos were auctioned off bidding for his portrait of the cleavers in algeria escalated to 65000
ms monae was wearing a black barbara bui dress with her hair in a curly trapezoidal bob she was also honored by the foundation and was tempted to join the bidding on a photo from mr parkss a man becomes invisible series i loved the one with the young man coming out of the sewer she said it was very visceral
after a performance from jon batiste the bandleader from the late show with stephen colbert the gala concluded with subdued dancing to jovial songs like cheerleader and get lucky but for some scholarship winners it felt like a beginning
this has been incredible said danielle siminerio an fit student from new jersey with a green streak in her hair ive known gordon parkss work since i first picked up a camera


its not easy covering donald j trump a celebrity millionaire candidate he jeers his opponents on the stump and on twitter   and he doesnt pull punches with reporters either
michael barbaro and megan twohey two members of the timess politics team know that as well as anyone
both have been writing about mr trumps campaign mr barbaro has also covered marco rubio and jeb bush as well as mitt romneys 2012 presidential run ms twohey an investigative reporter who recently joined the times also wrote about ted cruzs troubled half sister
their recent article on mr trump and his relationships with women got an enormous reaction from mr trump and his supporters for that piece mr barbaro and ms twohey spoke with dozens of women both on and off the record and combed through hundreds of pages of published interviews depositions court transcripts and books
this article also brought them unprecedented personal attention both positive and negative   and its still coming their way
in this inside the times podcast mr barbaro and ms twohey explain what its like to cover donald trump and share some of the feedback the times is still getting from readers
carolyn ryan the timess politics editor is the guest host


the thank you book written and illustrated by mo willems 57 pp hyperion 999 early reader ages 4 to 7
ending a long running beloved series with some kind of unexpected creative bang while not ticking off your loyal fans is hard   just ask jerry seinfeld or david chase perhaps mo willems who started out as a tv guy   he has six emmys to show for his time as a writer and animator on sesame street   had in mind the final episodes of seinfeld and the sopranos when he conceived the 25th and last book in the elephant  piggie series the backlash against those classic tv series endings was swift and merciless many thought seinfelds was too preposterous that of the sopranos too baffling willems has gone in the polar opposite direction the thank you book not only sticks to what made the series great it wraps its fans in a grateful valedictory embrace theres even a goody bag of sorts at the end   an elephant  piggie stand up card saying thank you for being a reader
but first the book offers a solid helping of the two best friends usual spirited comic back and forthing with their famously well developed personalities   gerald the elephant is a negative nelly piggie is antic and blithe   on full display this time gerald may have outdone himself in finding a non worry to worry about as the two chums sit peacefully back to back on the title page a rare serene smile on geralds face as he dozes piggie thinks i am one lucky pig she decides to get thanking declaring that shell thank everyone who is important to me
this jolts gerald awake he tells her hes sure shell forget someone she props her hoof up on his shin feistily as she grits her teeth and promises i will thank everyone
what follows is a tour de force of willems showmanship he brings back every character who has ever made an appearance in an elephant  piggie book   as well as the pigeon a character from another willems series entirely piggie thanks the ice cream dispensing penguin from should i share my ice cream who replies it is what i do she thanks brian bat from my new friend is so fun for drawing with her he replies that was fun the fun is of the heartwarming family reunion variety until the pigeon shows up and willems shows off some of his sharper elbowed comedy chops piggie thanks the cheeky bird for never giving up adding an apology because you do not get to be in our books the pigeon   who true willems fans will recall has photobombed the endpapers of all the elephant  piggie books   replies that is what you think
as piggie works through the list gerald pipes up with increasing intensity to tell her shes forgetting someone important youre sure he means himself and for several pages suspense builds but piggie hauls in others to thank until he gets right in her face and his point seems to dawn on her she crumples and says i goofed gerald gets a big thanks and a hug as she tells him hes the best friend a pig could ever have
but then comes the final twist   gerald was not talking about himself at all of course she was going to thank him he stands on his head as he tells her the person he knew she was going to forget our reader face bright red piggie acknowledges that hes right theres an almost impossibly sweet yet graphically sophisticated moment in which piggie seems to step toward the front of the page as she looks out sincerely at readers she thanks us we could not be us without you gerald adds you are the best piggie says forefeet wrapped around her heart
its a moment that reminds you of the wonderful dual nature of the series they are marvelous picture books to read aloud to a very little child but their truest home is as early readers for those who are just learning to get through a book on their own notice that elephant and piggie manage to conduct their banter without contractions and with precious few challenging words or long phrases these are in many ways the trickiest books to make because they have to be easy enough to read without being boring or rote but the task could not be more important for individual children and for society   as dr seuss noted many decades ago theyre the front lines of the effort to create eager readers and a literate culture of critical thinkers
by the end of the thank you book there is something that feels almost sacramental going on as if all the thanking is marking not just the end of the series but some timeless rite of passage the initiation into reading which after all depends on support from so many as it turns out in the fall willems is going to be launching a new imprint of early readers called elephant  piggie like reading written by various childrens authors and illustrators willems has said that elephant and piggie will introduce each book having graduated into a new role like the kids they have helped become readers


times insider delivers behind the scenes insights into how news features and opinion come together at the new york times in this piece dan levin a times reporter describes a recent road trip along the highway of tears
the skies over northern british columbia were gray and ominous as i began a two day road trip to report on the scores of indigenous women who have gone missing or been murdered along a desolate stretch of highway the atmosphere seemed fitting for a story that felt ripped from a gritty murder mystery novel except this was true crime and real grief
ive witnessed tough scenes before in my career a few years ago for example i watched a young burmese jade miner inject heroin into his arm the fix he needed before he could tell me about his addiction
but writing articles about serial killers and interviewing relatives of women who suffered violent deaths leaves a darker more chilling mark on the psyche despite the emotional armor you develop as a reporter
in march i traveled to northern canada to write about the highway of tears the name locals have given a 450 mile stretch of highway 16 that has been stalked by tragedy i knew it would be intense but the experience became more personal than i expected along with ruth fremson a times photographer i was joined on the journey by brenda wilson whose sister ramona was one of the victims and who now works as a community activist one saturday night in june 1994 ramona left her home in the town of smithers to attend a dance several miles away in a community further up on highway 16 she was last seen walking toward main street her remains were found in april 1995 buried in a shallow grave
nobody knows who killed ramona well thats not entirely true the killer knows and maybe others too a few months after she went missing an anonymous caller called ramonas mother on her home phone to say that the 16 year old girls body was by the smithers airport the police dismissed the call as a prank the mother matilda told me
over 20 years later her family is still reeling from the anguish and anger that has fermented over their lost loved one i could hear it in brendas voice as she rode in our rented jeep past the thick forests which may hide other bodies matilda was visibly shaken as she recounted the desperate days weeks and months after her daughters disappearance
but there was also fear despite the breathtaking vistas of snow capped mountains and tranquil lakes people who live in the region especially the indigenous residents are often wary and suspicious of outsiders an emotion i felt as i scanned passing cars and trucks carrying heavy mining equipment
there was this question too can vast open spaces be haunted because as much as this was an account of crime it was also a ghost story
murder at least in this part of the world is an equal opportunist white women and both white and indigenous men for that matter have also gone missing or turned up dead in the remote wild expanses of northern british columbia just about everywhere we went along the highway full color missing posters were affixed to posts and glued to the sides of buildings each with the smiling portrait of madison scott a strawberry blonde woman of 20 who vanished from a campsite near the highway in 2011 and has never been found
her face adorns a weatherworn flier stapled next to the front door of a highway trading post in the village of burns lake beside it another flier warned hitchhikers dont end up another face in the newspaper cuz there are serial killers on this road
as a reporter i hope that my articles will have a positive impact on the wider world but the highway of tears thrums with a sense of powerlessness so many women and girls just gone plucked out of existence their lives reduced to family photos and names on cold cases stained with sorrow
canada can sometimes feel like a more enlightened polite version of the united states traveling to some of the countrys indigenous communities swiftly disabused me of that notion as we were driving along highway 16 through vanderhoof a mill town where madison scott grew up we came upon a hitchhiker named mark william he was standing beside an abandoned gas station thumb out in the familiar desperate pose of someone with places to be but no way to get there mr william an unemployed 52 year old gladly accepted a ride and as he settled into the back seat the acrid stench of alcohol filled the car he had been drinking with a relative in town and had to get home to the saikuz first nation reserve nine miles away the drive took about 30 minutes past vast fields thick woods and another poster seeking tips on madison scott walking it would have taken three hours
though british columbia is a lucrative source of lumber gold and diamonds few of the profits have trickled down to aboriginal residents the saikuz reserve like many aboriginal settlements off highway 16 was a dispiriting portrait of official neglect as we drove through it mr william pointed out numerous empty buildings and homes made uninhabitable by toxic black mold dogs scampered along dirt roads past dilapidated houses and junked cars rusting on wild unkempt lawns many residents are unemployed the only form of public transportation is a shuttle bus that had shut down before the snows had even melted until next winter
we dropped mr william off at his house a ramshackle gray structure adorned with satellite dishes and a pile of firewood the plywood front steps sagged with rot as we drove away back to the highway to continue our journey the car was silent i looked out the window at the wilderness suddenly eerie sinister even and worried that mr williams next ride could well be his last


national
a national briefing item on may 12 about gov doug ducey of arizona signing a bill asserting the states ownership over a herd of horses along salt river misstated the number of horses involved it is 100 horses not 500
new york
an article in some editions on may 18 about claims that covenant house a youth shelter had inflated the number of people it serves misstated the status of funding it receives from new york city using information from city officials the city has continued to make payments on its contract with the organization funding has not been suspended

a picture caption on tuesday with an article about a chinese language ambulance service in brooklyn misspelled in some editions the surname of a medical technician whose reflection could be seen in a rearview mirror he is jason lau not lou
business day
an article in the dealbook special section on april 7 about financial technology start ups rendered incorrectly the original name of the online bank simple it was banksimple not simplebank the error was only recently called to the timess attention
the arts
a theater review on tuesday about hadestown at new york theater workshop in manhattan misspelled the given name of the actress who plays eurydice as the listing of credits correctly noted she is nabiyah be not nabiya the error was repeated in a picture caption
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san jose calif   the san jose sharks are going to the stanley cup finals for the first time in the franchises 25 year history after a convincing 5 2 victory over the st louis blues on wednesday night that ended the western conference finals in six games
two goals by san jose forward joel ward and one each from joe pavelski joonas donskoi and logan couture provided the san jose offense while st louis forward vladimir tarasenko added two goals late in the third period sharks goaltender martin jones made 24 saves
although they played down the stakes the sharks clearly wanted to avoid the need for a winner take all game 7 on the road
you dont want to waste opportunities pavelski the san jose captain said before the game
the loss had to be a bitter one for st louis which had not advanced to the conference finals since 2001 and has now gone 46 years without reaching the final round of the tournament
the sharks scored early when pavelski scooped up a missed shot by linemate joe thornton behind the st louis net and tucked it past the left pad of the goaltender brian elliott at 3 minutes 57 seconds of the first period it was pavelskis nhl leading 13th score of the postseason
ward who was signed as a free agent last summer because of his reputation for clutch playoff performances gave san jose a 2 0 lead at 502 of the second period when he deflected a shot from the right point by the defenseman brent burns ward made it 3 0 at 301 of the third period when he steered a centering pass from couture into the net and donskoi gave the sap center crowd announced at a sold out 17562 another chance to roar its approval when he scored a little more than five minutes later
jones completing his first nhl season as a starting goalie made his biggest save of the night midway through the second period when he slid across the goal mouth to rob blues forward jori lehtera on a one timer he finally surrendered goals at 1139 and 1625 of the third period to tarasenko st louiss top sniper who had been held without a point in the series couture scored into an empty net with 197 seconds left in the game
the game was arguably the most important in the san jose franchises 25 year history as it was the teams first opportunity to reach the final round of the playoffs with a single victory but sharks coach peter deboer was not about to frame it that way before the game
weve been in that mode   that this is the most important game   for a while now deboer said noting the team had been struggling as recently as late december when youre fighting for your playoff life right until the end fighting for position in the playoffs playing the la kings in the first round every game has been the most important next game thats nothing new to us
san jose reached the finals two years after a heartbreaking first round loss to the los angeles kings after having won the first three games of the series and one year after failing to make the playoffs altogether
the sharks will face either the pittsburgh penguins or the tampa bay lightning in the stanley cup finals which begin monday


san francisco   a long running scholastic science and math competition has a new champion more money and a splashy kickoff with a famous scientist
on thursday regeneron pharmaceuticals a biotechnology company based in tarrytown ny will announce that it is taking over sponsorship of the science talent search with a 10 year 100 million commitment to the high school competition
that is a sharp increase in funding when intel the worlds largest maker of semiconductors gave up its 18 year sponsorship of the prize in a surprise move last year it was paying 6 million a year
the new sponsors will be announced in new york at the american museum of natural history by neil degrasse tyson the celebrity astrophysicist who is director of the museums hayden planetarium
sponsorship of the prize increasingly reflects the state of american business as it relates to education in so called stem subjects or science technology engineering and mathematics
the contest started during world war ii counts among its finalists several nobel prize winners as well as university professors popular science authors and business executives
westinghouse electric   a pioneer in areas including electrification nuclear power commercial radio and home appliances   initially sponsored the competition westinghouse came to ruin over bad loans from its credit division and intel riding high on the personal computer and internet booms took over sponsorship in 1998
like many older companies in computer tech intel is now struggling with the transition from traditional software and pcs to a future of cloud computing and mobile devices in april intel announced that it was laying off 12000 people and would concentrate more on making chips for big cloud computing companies like amazon and google
even with its troubles the decision by intels chief executive brian m krzanich to drop a 6 million prize when intel still had net income of 2 billion in the last quarter dismayed many inside the company craig r barrett a former intel chief executive sits on the board of trustees for the society for science  the public which administers the prize
i dont overinterpret facts but im happy to observe them dr tyson said its a sign of the times and a statement about the future that a computer company doesnt see this as important and a biotech company in an industry on the eve of big breakthroughs does
he added its still a surprise why a company would do this to its branding
stock in regeneron which makes drugs that treat ailments like cardiovascular disease and degeneration of the eye has risen sixfold in the last five years intel has gained 35 percent about half as much as the tech heavy nasdaq
in addition to increasing the top prize money to 250000 from 150000 and doubling awards to the top 300 contestants and their schools to 2000 each regeneron will spend 30 million in outreach to potential contestants in underserved areas paying for things like mentoring and help with writing applications and participating in contests
this should be the best reality show in the world   we need these kinds of kids to save the planet said george d yancopoulos regenerons founding scientist and president of its laboratory division the world has challenges like cancer the zika virus and global warming we need to change who our heroes are
dr tyson attended the prestigious bronx high school of science with dr yancopoulos who in 1976 placed fourth in the contest for his experiment on cellular regeneration in a type of protozoa
i didnt compete but i remember just being in the company of people who were creating an atmosphere of learning and achievement dr tyson said leonard s schleifer regenerons founder and chief executive participated in the 1970 contest
the science talent search begins with about 1800 applicants a number that has held steady for a decade their projects are narrowed down to 300 eventually 40 finalists go to washington for several days where they meet leaders in government and science and have their projects judged
rosalind l hudnell an intel vice president and president of the companys charity intel foundation congratulated the society for science  the public in a statement
maya ajmera president of the society said intel had committed to sponsoring the groups international contest at least through 2019 but when intel said in september that it was ending its sponsorship of the united states contest she said more than 50 companies and philanthropists expressed interest in taking over the donation
regeneron stood out she said for a tremendous contribution to get more students to care and compete in addition to raising the money and paying for mentors regeneron will also support the creation and publication of science news to 4000 high schools
dr yancopoulos a child of immigrants said having the westinghouse contest around was an important reason he became a university professor and then a business scientist
much in life where you go and what you do is about dreams and role models he said when i got to bronx science i wanted to play football for notre dame but then in the hallways as a freshman id see people pointing out somebody and whispering hes a westinghouse winner my world changed
since that time he said elite schools like bronx science have done well enough in stem but in general local schools have found it increasingly hard to find the funds and the mentorship to make those kinds of inspirational moments possible
even before taking over the prize dr yancopoulos said regeneron has sponsored about 200 high schools in local science competitions a precursor to the national science talent search
i dont want the best minds in this country to be hedge fund managers he said i want them to be scientists and engineers


cleveland   lebron james was familiar with this situation not much catches james by surprise not after so many seasons and so many playoff runs
on wednesday night james strode into the pressure cooker known as game 5 of the eastern conference finals for the 13th time in his career his team was deadlocked in a postseason series at two games apiece so this was nothing new to the cleveland cavaliers leader who channeled his inner yogi by emphasizing tranquillity before the game he could have been strumming a sitar at an ashram
just a sense of calmness james said thats all a very calm moment for myself personally i relish this opportunity
sure enough the cavaliers played with a sense of calm they calmly leaked out for dunks they calmly buried jump shots they calmly defended and forced turnovers and went about the inhospitable business of eviscerating the toronto raptors in a 116 78 victory at quicken loans arena
behind james who finished with 23 points 8 assists and 6 rebounds cleveland seized a three games to two lead and though neither team has won a game on the road the cavaliers can secure a second straight trip to the finals with a win in toronto on friday night
after losing two games at air canada centre the cavaliers returned home and looked like a different team gone were their defensive lapses gone was their self doubt
they kicked our butts raptors coach dwane casey said thats the bottom line
the cavaliers led by 18 at the end of the first quarter and the indignities began to mount for toronto richard jefferson clevelands 35 year old statesman soared for an alley oop dunk the raptors demar derozan committed a personal foul just to stop the game so he could scream at an official he earned a technical
leaving nothing to chance cavaliers coach tyronn lue called a timeout with 142 seconds left in the first half he wanted to draw up one more play cleveland was up by 31
kevin love scored 25 points and kyrie irving added 23 for the cavaliers who shot 57 percent from the field more impressive perhaps was their defense
derozan finished with 14 points but was 2 of 8 from the field and his fellow guard kyle lowry had 13 points in torontos two wins derozan and lowry had combined to average 595 points a game
lord knows we didnt come with the same focus and physicality to meet what cleveland was doing casey said
it has been an odd series difficult to define after the cavaliers won the first two games here by a combined 50 points the raptors took the next two in toronto
before game 5 james underscored a couple of keys the cavaliers needed to play with more urgency on defense especially at the start of the game and they had to play with greater tempo speed he said has always been clevelands friend
when we play with pace and we run and we get fast break points weve been a very good team james said
james chose not to wade into clevelands recent propensity for drifting to the perimeter arguing that it was just a matter of making shots but the cavaliers had been at their best in this series when they had attacked the rim the seductive call of the 3 point line had been kryptonite witness their 82 attempts most of them misses in their two losses at air canada centre
nobody had been struggling more from the outside than love who shot 5 of 23 from the field while averaging 65 points in games 3 and 4   a jarring decline in production after he had averaged 184 points through the first 10 games of the playoffs lue said he had spoken with love on tuesday in an effort to reassure him
when he feels the guys trust him he trusts the guys lue said i think thats the biggest thing
on nearly every possession of the first quarter the cavaliers dumped the ball to love who went to work against his defenders   first luis scola and then patrick patterson love made his first shot and then another
the cavaliers continued to give love pass after pass doing little do disguise their motives in the first quarter he sank a 3 pointer to push clevelands lead to 11
at the other end the cavaliers hounded derozan and lowry who found their space invaded by long limbs their looks congested by active hands they combined to shoot 4 of 14 from the field in the first half
i dont know if we were ready for the train that was about to come down the tracks on us tonight casey said
not even the return of jonas valanciunas could inspire the raptors after spraining his ankle on may 7 in the raptors series against the miami heat valanciunas the starting center ceded the stage to his understudy bismack biyombo who played well in his extended absence
on wednesday valanciunas came off the bench in the first quarter and went to work scoring on a layup and a midrange jumper but the cavaliers were already beginning to build their lead possession by possession turning a playoff game into a clinic
ive been a part of some really adverse situations james said and i just didnt believe that this was one of them


the former nba forward kermit washington faces allegations that he embezzled about a half million dollars in charitable donations meant to help the needy in africa
an indictment unsealed wednesday alleged that washington took money that had been donated to a charity he founded project contact africa and used it to pay for jewelry and vacations among other things he was charged with counts including interfering with internal revenue laws
washington was charged in an indictment filed in kansas city mo on monday he was arrested tuesday in los angeles said tammy dickinson the united states attorney for the western district of missouri
a lawyer who prosecutors said would be representing washington did not return a message seeking comment
washington 64 played in the nba in the 1970s and 1980s for several teams including the los angeles lakers the boston celtics and the san diego clippers he is perhaps best known for as a laker throwing a punch that fractured the face of the houston rockets rudy tomjanovich during a game in 1977
staying another year kris jenkins who made a buzzer beating 3 pointer in villanovas championship victory over north carolina and guard josh hart will return to the program next season rather than leave for the nba which had set wednesday as the deadline for players to decide if they would enter its draft
the rangers rookie nomar mazara the youngest player in the majors hit the longest home run of the season as texas beat the visiting los angeles angels 15 9
mazara 21 drove a pitch high into the second deck in right field at globe life park a ball that would have traveled an estimated 491 feet had it landed unimpeded
rougned odor mazaras texas teammate drove in three runs in what may have been his last game before a suspension for punching torontos jose bautista during a bench clearing brawl on may 15 a decision on his appeal is expected before fridays game against pittsburgh
arrieta remains unbeaten jake arrieta allowed four runs for the first time in nearly a year but still captured his ninth win of the season as the chicago cubs won at st louis 9 8
kris bryant hit a three run homer and jason heyward and ben zobrist each drove in two runs in support of arrieta who became the second nine game winner in the majors after the chicago white sox chris sale
bradleys streak continues jackie bradley jr extended his major league best hitting streak to 29 games and boston beat visiting colorado 10 3 as the red sox won their fourth straight the red sox have scored eight or more runs 10 times in their last 14 home games
and bradley is not the only hot player for boston xander bogaerts homered to put his hitting streak at 18 games
around the majors brandon crawford hit a run scoring single with two outs in the 10th inning and the surging san francisco giants beat the visiting san diego padres 4 3 for their 13th win in 14 games matt duffy singled off brad hand 1 2 with one out and advanced on a wild pitch one out later before crawford drove a pitch past padres center fielder jon jay  cleveland roughed up a top white sox pitcher for the second straight game and beat host chicago 4 3 a day after sending chris sale to his first loss after a 9 0 start the indians scored three runs and had five hits against joel quintana who had entered the game with a 198 era  andres blanco stole home and philadelphia avoided a sweep by winning at detroit 8 5  miguel sano hit a go ahead two run homer and host minnesota staved off another series sweep by beating kansas city 7 5
the new england patriots have joined tom bradys court fight against the nfl and commissioner roger goodell for the first time
in an eight page friend of the court brief filed with the united states court of appeals for the second circuit the patriots said they stand to lose their all pro quarterback for 25 percent of the upcoming regular season based on a severely flawed process undertaken by the league in its so called deflategate investigation
brady was suspended last may for four games for what goodell said was a scheme to use improperly inflated footballs in the afc championship game in january 2015 the patriots went on to win the super bowl
the suspension was overturned by a federal judge before the 2015 regular season but a circuit court panel ruled 2 1 last month that goodell had been within the rights granted to him by the collective bargaining agreement
bills gm softens remarksbuffalo bills general manager doug whaley said he had used a poor choice of words in saying tuesday that he did not think football was intended to be played by humans whaley a former college safety said he had been trying to make the point that football is a physical game and that injuries are a part of it
all tickets for sundays 100th running of the indianapolis 500 have been sold and for only the third time in history local fans will be able to watch the race live on television
the race has traditionally been televised on tape delay in the indianapolis television market it has not been televised live locally since the 1950s
between 350000 and 375000 spectators are expected
darlington nagbe scored his first international goal on a volley in the 90th minute and the united states beat ecuador 1 0 in an exhibition in frisco tex before next months copa america
bobby wood headed a pass to nagbe who controlled the ball with his chest and scored on a right footed shot from 8 yards
the united states will play an exhibition against bolivia on saturday and then open the copa america against colombia on june 3


a 33 year old man was killed and three other people were wounded when gunfire broke out during a rap concert at irving plaza in manhattan on wednesday night sending panicked concertgoers streaming for the exits the police and witnesses said
the victims were three men and one woman a spokesman for the new york police department said one of the men arrived at new york university medical center on his own the police said the motive for the shootings was unclear and no arrests had been made as of late wednesday night the police said
the rapper ti was about to headline a concert at the club in the union square area when shots were fired around 1015 pm witnesses and the police said the rappers maino and uncle murda were on stage when the shooting happened in a third floor green room the police said
ayo fagbemi 21 a university of pennsylvania student said tis dj was playing songs to warm up the crowd for the rapper
right when he was about to go on i heard two gunshots and right after there was a stampede mr fagbemi said there were at least three rounds but after the second one was when people started running
on twitter users posted a video taken inside the club
people were freaking out diana zuluaga 40 who was in the balcony at the time said in an interview ms zuluaga a manhattan resident said the loud music covered the sound of the first gunshot but a second was more audible sending people running
it was unclear who was in the green room at the time chief william aubrey said
detectives were interviewing people who attended the concert and looking at video footage from inside and outside the venue
there were metal detectors for those attending the concert but it was not clear how the gun got into the club it was also unclear how many shots were fired
paul cantor 34 of manhattan was in the back of the club which he said was filled with about 1000 people he said his attention was drawn to a fight backstage that spilled onto the stage
mr cantor described seeing a man falling backward like a boxer who had been hit by a hard punch there was a body that came across the stage sort of with flailing arms he said
he said a second fight   perhaps related to the first   then broke out on the clubs floor it was maybe five seconds from the time he saw the fights to when people said they heard shots he said
sagine morency 20 said she got stomped on and lost a sandal in the hasty exit
ti 35 whose given name is clifford harris is a multiplatinum rapper and actor from atlanta since 2001 he has released nine studio albums and successfully crossed over into the pop realm scoring two no 1 singles on the billboard chart whatever you like and live your life featuring rihanna
in 2009 ti pleaded guilty to three federal weapons charges stemming from a 2007 sting operation in which he was caught obtaining three machine guns and two silencers that had been bought for him he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to one year and one day in prison
along with performing more than 1000 hours of community service as part of his sentence he participated in the mtv reality series tis road to redemption in which he stressed the danger of guns in 2010 he returned to prison after violating his probation
the rappers life has been chronicled in recent years on the vh1 reality show ti  tiny the family hustle he announced in february that his 10th album dime trap would be released by his own grand hustle label in partnership with jay zs roc nation ti is also an artist owner of jay zs music streaming service tidal


mark teixeira had hit three home runs in nine career at bats against toronto blue jays starter marco estrada so with estrada on the hill wednesday it seemed likely that teixeira who has three homers in 149 at bats this season would be in the yankees lineup feeling good about the prospect of ending a prolonged slump
but before the game a recurring ailment that has been as distressing as teixeiras struggles with the bat reared its ugly head again manager joe girardi said and for the second time in two weeks teixeira was benched because of neck spasms
girardi said that he was not told about any problems after tuesdays game but that teixeira who is hitting only 195 told him wednesday afternoon that his neck kind of locked up
it definitely concerns me because we dont want to be without him girardi said
without teixeira the yankees fell to the blue jays 8 4 at yankee stadium ending a six game winning streak ivan nova took the loss as russell martin a former yankee led the blue jays with two home runs
nova was seconds from putting the cap on four scoreless innings to open the game but kevin pillar barely beat out a throw at first base after chase headley made a diving snare on a ground ball along the third base line
when the umpire jim joyce signaled safe headley snapped his head and cursed having not gotten the third out of the inning
pillars speed would haunt headley and the yankees
devon travis followed by hitting a slow grounder toward headley who cleanly fielded the ball but lost his grip trying to transfer it to his throwing hand
with two runners on ryan goins laced a fastball into the right center field gap pillar scored easily and as travis rounded third shortstop didi gregorius fired the relay throw home it beat travis but catcher brian mccann could not handle the throw and travis was safe
i made a mistake there nova said of goinss run scoring double that ball went inside and he took advantage of it
martin hit his first home run off nova in the sixth a solo shot he added a two run blast in the seventh off chasen shreve who also gave up a two run homer to michael saunders in the inning martin came close to a third home run but jacoby ellsbury caught the fly ball against the center field wall in the eighth
nova who moved into the rotation may 9 had his longest outing of the season lasting six and two third innings but the blue jays scored four runs off him the most he has allowed this season as a starter
he pitched better than what his line was girardi said i thought he threw a pretty good game
the yankees best chance to throw estrada off balance came in the third when they loaded the bases with no outs ellsbury then lined out and brett gardner drove in a run on a fielders choice to second carlos beltran flied out as estrada escaped relatively unscathed
in recent days teixeira had occasionally hit third in the order and could have been up against estrada in beltrans place
that was a chance to put up a crooked number and we werent able to do it girardi said
teixeira who had a magnetic resonance imaging scan during the day did not speak to reporters after the game
theres a chance we wont have him for a few days here girardi said adding that a trip to the disabled list for teixeira was not a consideration its something i believe we can get through
dustin ackley started at first base in place of teixeira going hitless in three at bats if teixeiras injury sidelines him for an extended period the backup catcher austin romine and if necessary mccann or ronald torreyes could play first girardi suggested
romine pinch hit for ackley in the ninth and hit a solo home run
while teixeira may sit over the next few days one sliver of positive news for the yankees was the imminent return of alex rodriguez girardi said after the game that the plan was to activate rodriguez and have him play against the blue jays on thursday
rodriguez has been on the disabled list since may 4 with a strained right hamstring and has been rehabbing with class aa trenton he homered in the second inning of wednesdays game with trenton
inside pitch
x rays on the yankees top catching prospect gary sanchez revealed a nondisplaced fracture of his right thumb sanchez who was with class aaa scrantonwilkes barre after briefly being called up this month will be re evaluated and have new x rays taken in two weeks


a bitter divide over the middle east could threaten democratic party unity as representatives of senator bernie sanders of vermont vowed to upend what they see as the partys lopsided support of israel
two of the senators appointees to the partys platform drafting committee cornel west and james zogby on wednesday denounced israels occupation of the west bank and said they believed that rank and file democrats no longer hewed to the partys staunch support of the israeli government they said they would try to get their views incorporated into the platform the partys statement of core beliefs at the democratic national convention in philadelphia in july
justice for palestinians cannot be attained without the lifting of the occupation dr west one of mr sanderss five representatives on the platform committee said in an interview dr west said that while he recognized the necessity to provide for the security of jews who for thousands of years have been a hated people he thought that the platform needed to bring more balance to the plight of an occupied people
the presence of dr zogby and dr west on the 15 member panel which also has six appointees of hillary clinton and four from the party chairwoman does not guarantee their views will prevail but it raises the prospect that one of the partys most sensitive issues will be open to public debate while mrs clinton is in a fight to unify her party and appeal to voters turned off by donald j trump
it also laid bare a steady shift in the democratic party whose members have been less willing to back israels government than in years past according to a pew research center survey in april self described liberal democrats were twice as likely to sympathize with palestinians over israel than they were only two years ago forty percent of liberals sympathized more with palestinians the most since 2001 while 33 percent sympathized more with israel
mr sanders who is jewish has himself criticized israels military posture in the palestinian territories saying among other things that it used disproportionate force in responding to rockets launched from hamas controlled gaza in 2014
i have always and will always be 100 percent supportive of israels right to exist and live in peace and security mr sanders wrote in a statement i also believe that lasting peace in the region will not occur without fair and respectful treatment of the palestinian people i believe that most democrats agree with that position and that a strong consensus will be achieved at the democratic national convention
in the interview on wednesday dr west a public intellectual who is well known for his provocative statements   he once called president obama a rockefeller republican in blackface   went further than mr sanders has gone dr west accused the israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu of war crimes and said that the role of money and lobbies makes it difficult for there to be a candid dialogue on israel
dr zogby the president of the arab american institute a veteran of democratic politics and a longtime advocate of the rights of palestinians framed the drafting committees work as a healthy consensus seeking mission but it is one in which he depicted mr sanders as having the leverage
any honest assessment would say that the debate on this issue has shifted over the last 30 years and the platform has reflected that but lagged slightly behind and its now time to catch up he said in an interview clearly most democrats agree but we will see what happens
as a candidate mrs clinton has been less inclined to criticize israel emphasizing that it had a right to defend itself in a statement on wednesday jake sullivan mrs clintons chief foreign policy adviser indicated that her appointees to the platform committee would resist mr sanderss attempt to shift the center of gravity on the israel debate
hillary clintons views on israel and the us israel relationship are well documented and shes confident that her delegates will work to ensure that the party platform reflects them mr sullivan said
the reaction was less reserved among those who champion a more traditional and full throated support for israel malcolm hoenlein the executive vice chairman of the conference of presidents of major american jewish organizations said he found the inclusion of dr west on the committee disturbing he said that the presence of other representatives of mr sanders on the platform committee including representative keith ellison of minnesota a muslim who has supported the rights of palestinians raised concerns that the party could adopt positions that could be seen as hostile to israel
for us the concern is that it legitimizes and potentially puts into a major party platform a point of view that undermines the principles of the israeli us relationship that have been bipartisan for decades mr hoenlein said
at the 2012 democratic convention delegates booed officials who reinstated in the party platform a recognition of jerusalem as the capital of israel a view at odds with the united states official position that the citys status must be negotiated between israelis and palestinians
my concern is that the democratic platform is not the venue in which to litigate the israeli palestinian conflict said robert wexler a former congressman from florida and clinton supporter who served on the platform drafting committee that year
the episode which was televised was an embarrassing and revealing moment that showed the growing rift in the party over israel since then some jewish democratic leaders have warned that a growing willingness to criticize israel from within the party could pose a danger to its security in perilous times and could chase jewish voters away
dr zogby dismissed such critiques as emanating from the sky is falling crowd he then noted they are not on the platform committee


albany   the centerpiece of gov andrew m cuomos economic revitalization program in buffalo gained approval for an infusion of state money on wednesday even as the initiative continued to be shadowed by a federal investigation into how state officials awarded contracts
initially scheduled for last week the vote to release 485 million in state funds for the project a solar panel factory called solarcity had seemed destined to move forward with little fuss but amid news that the plant was delaying its opening and changing the number of jobs it had promised legislative leaders signaled that they would apply more scrutiny the vote once a formality was postponed while they sought more information from the office of the governor a democrat
but on wednesday the commotion surrounding the delay added only a few minutes of questioning to the meeting of the state board that must formally approve the funding the public authorities control board before representatives of the governor and the two legislative leaders voted in favor of the appropriation but the proxy on the board for the assemblys democratic majority attached several conditions to the assemblys approval including requiring monthly reports on solarcitys progress and clarifying what would follow if the project failed to produce the promised jobs
the proxy ashley ryle said the extra layer of disclosure would help ensure the public faith in   and the appropriate level of information on   this critical project
other conditions included specifying that the funds approved by the board were for solarcity alone preventing other projects from drawing on them without legislative leaders approval the assembly also required that a third party review all of the projects expenditures
the assembly majority ultimately supported the grant because solarcity remains a critical component to the economic resurgence of western new york kerri biche a spokeswoman for carl e heastie the assembly speaker said in a statement
brian kolb the assembly minority leader wrote in a letter that while many questions about solarcity remained mr cuomos economic development agency had provided few answers
representatives of fort schuyler management corporation a state subsidiary that oversees solarcity had failed to turn up for a briefing with mr kolb and other legislative leaders he wrote lawyers for fort schuyler and the economic development agency did however show up at wednesdays meeting to describe how public funds were shepherded through solarcity
but mr kolbs call to act prudently with public money had little effect mr kolb has a representative on the board assemblyman joseph giglio but his support was not required for the funding to be granted
even so mr giglio voted yes


donald j trump announced on wednesday that rick wiley whom he hired as his national political director six weeks ago is no longer a part of the campaign
mr wiley who managed the 2016 presidential campaign of gov scott walker of wisconsin and has deep ties to the republican party was brought in by paul manafort a top trump adviser to help streamline the campaigns operations in washington
but mr wiley quickly clashed with state party officials   several of whom complained directly to mr trump according to an aide
mr wiley did not immediately return messages on wednesday evening seeking comment
mr wiley also clashed with karen giorno who ran mr trumps operations in florida where he defeated senator marco rubio in his home state primary by nearly 20 points
earlier on wednesday before being let go entirely   news first reported by politico   mr wiley had been stripped of his role overseeing florida as bloomberg news reported
rick wiley was hired on a short term basis as a consultant until the campaign was running full steam the trump campaign said in a statement it is now doing better than ever we are leading in the polls and we have many exciting events ready to go far ahead of schedule while hillary continues her long boring quest against bernie we would like to thank rick for helping us during this transition period
mr wiley was one of mr manaforts first hires and his departure adds another wrinkle to the feud between mr manafort and corey lewandowski mr trumps campaign manager
although the trump campaign last week gave mr manafort an elevated title of campaign chairman and chief strategist mr wileys dismissal offers another sign that mr lewandowski still holds sway within the trump operation


two men linked to a hasidic neighborhood watch group in brooklyn admitted on wednesday that they had taken part in a brutal attack three years ago on a young black man in the ultra orthodox section of williamsburg
the men abraham winkler 42 and pinchas braver 21 were originally charged with assault and faced up to 25 years in prison but under an agreement with the brooklyn district attorneys office they each pleaded guilty in state supreme court in brooklyn to the lesser crime of unlawful imprisonment as part of the agreement the men are expected to be sentenced in august to three years of probation and 150 hours of community service which they must perform outside their neighborhood
in the early morning of dec 1 2013 prosecutors said mr winkler and mr braver were among five hasidic men who attacked taj patterson then a 22 year old fashion student who was walking home through the neighborhood after a night out drinking the men described by prosecutors as members or associates of the williamsburg safety patrol a private security group also known as a shomrim were responding to an ultimately incorrect report that someone in the area had been vandalizing cars
when the men saw mr patterson they mistook him for the vandal prosecutors said holding him down kicking him and eventually fracturing his eye socket so badly that he lost vision in his right eye despite the fact that police officers at the scene spoke to four witnesses and had the license plate number of a car that at least one of the attackers used to flee the case was quickly closed it remained so until mr pattersons mother went to the press with her sons story and the police reopened the investigation
in april 2014 mr winkler mr braver and three other men   joseph fried aharon hollender and mayer herskovic   were arrested and charged with assaulting mr patterson but in the months that followed the case began to fall apart
last year prosecutors dismissed charges against mr fried and mr hollender saying that the witnesses who had initially identified them had recanted in court on wednesday prosecutors cited a similar reason for offering mr winkler and mr braver the opportunity to plead guilty to lesser charges and avoid time in prison the case against mr herskovic remains he is scheduled to stand trial beginning aug 9
were thrilled to see that two of the people in tajs beating are now convicted criminals andrew stoll mr pattersons lawyer said mr stoll added that the pleas were not the end of the matter but the beginning
mr patterson has filed a lawsuit against the williamsburg safety patrol for negligent hiring practices and mr stoll said he planned to use the suit to explore the connection between the shomrim and the police department


under pressure for its imprisonment of an investigative journalist who had exposed official corruption azerbaijan freed her on wednesday in a move welcomed by international rights groups
the released journalist khadija ismayilova had been serving a seven and a half year sentence on charges that included embezzlement and tax evasion which her supporters described as part of a government effort to stifle dissent
criticism of ms ismayilovas prosecution and incarceration last september had turned into an embarrassment for president ilham aliyev who says azerbaijans nine million residents enjoy freedom of speech
an order for her release conveyed by the countrys supreme court came a few weeks after ms ismayilova was awarded an annual press freedom prize sponsored by the united nations educational scientific and cultural organization or unesco
ms ismayilova was a contributing correspondent to radio free europeradio liberty a broadcaster funded by the united states government she had reported on allegations of corruption in azerbaijan including activities involving members of mr aliyevs family
under the release order ms ismayilovas sentence was reduced to a suspended sentence of three and a half years and she was freed on probation under conditions that will confine her to baku the countrys capital in comments to news agencies after her release she vowed to seek a full acquittal and to continue my journalist work with renewed energy
last year ms ismayilova was the winner of the penbarbara goldsmith freedom to write award given by the pen american center a prominent press advocacy group based in new york
pen american center amnesty international human rights watch and the council of europe all said they were encouraged by ms ismayilovas release
suzanne nossel executive director of the pen american center called ms ismayilova an intrepid force exposing corruption in azerbaijan and said her release is a victory for journalists everywhere who go up against the toughest regimes bent on silencing those who dare challenge them
mr aliyevs government granted pardons to 148 prisoners in march including a number of human rights activists and journalists but others remain incarcerated
the office for democratic institutions and human rights of the organization for security and cooperation in europe a 57 nation group that includes azerbaijan said in a statement that ms ismayilovas release was a very positive step but it urged the azerbaijani authorities to drop all charges against her and release the remaining imprisoned journalists


federal prosecutors in manhattan asked a judge on wednesday to deny bail to reza zarrab a prominent gold trader based in turkey who has been jailed in new york pending trial on charges that he conspired to violate united states sanctions on iran
mr zarrabs lawyer had asked the judge richard m berman of federal district court to allow his client to be released on 50 million bond secured by 10 million in cash along with a proposal that mr zarrab remain in his new york residence under 24 hour armed guard and gps monitoring
but prosecutors in the office of preet bharara the united states attorney for the southern district of new york said in a memorandum to the judge that no bail conditions would reasonably assure mr zarrabs appearance in court
zarrabs proposed bail conditions mr bhararas office wrote are an attempt to use his tremendous wealth to obscure the flight risk through a facade of security that is beyond the reach of all but a small subset of fabulously wealthy defendants
the prosecutors added that the evidence of zarrabs participation in the charged offenses is overwhelming and that his culpability had been captured in voluminous and unimpeachable email communications and other evidence if convicted they said he faced potentially decades in prison
mr zarrabs lawyer benjamin brafman had no comment on the governments filing except to say we intend to vigorously respond in a formal reply memorandum mr zarrab has pleaded not guilty
in asking that bail be denied mr bhararas office claimed that mr zarrab when interviewed by a court officer made several significant misrepresentations regarding his international travel and his assets apparently seeking to minimize both
contending that mr zarrab had amassed a considerable fortune the prosecutors cited evidence that he had ownership in about 20 properties seven sea vessels 17 luxury automobiles a private airplane horses and art worth more than 10 million
the prosecutors also said mr zarrab had been accused by the turkish authorities of using his influence to secure his recent release from prison in turkey
he had used his tremendous wealth not only to purchase several homes yachts and other assets prosecutors said but also to buy access to corrupt politicians in turkey
mr zarrab was detained in 2013 by the turkish authorities as part of a broad corruption investigation of businessmen with close ties to recep tayyip erdogan the countrys prime minister at the time and is now its president
the prosecution of mr zarrab in federal court is being closely watched in turkey


on the eve of a major energy policy speech by donald j trump two former united states senators are urging him to hold the ground that he carved out during the iowa caucuses in support of the ethanol industry
while campaigning in january in iowa a major source of the corn based ethanol mr trump supported an ethanol mandate which is set to expire in 2022 and he criticized senator ted cruz one of his main rivals for opposing it
but mr trump is now being advised by representative kevin cramer of north dakota who does not favor extending the renewable fuel standard the act that provides for the mandate and believes in letting market forces determineit
mr trump is set to give a speech on energy on thursday at the williston basin petroleum conference in bismarck nd
in an interview on wednesday rick santorum a former senator from pennsylvania and winner of the gop caucuses in iowa in 2012 and jim talent a former senator from missouri said they viewed mr cramers position on ethanol unfavorably and hoped he would not encourage mr trump to embrace it
mr santorum who is now with americans for energy security and innovation a group that supports ethanol said he anticipated that mr trump would stick with his focus on what could help american jobs he pointed out that he had recently endorsed mr trump
now that i am a trump supporter newly minted and i thought it was important to weigh in he said suggesting that a letter that he and mr talent wrote to mr cramer on the topic would be a little reminder to mr trump of the need to stick with his position supporting ethanol
mr talent objected to mr cramers view that the environmental protection agency could stop setting amounts of ethanol that will be blended into gasoline once the renewable fuel standard expires


amazon web services the biggest of the cloud computing providers has a new line of work taking other cloud computing giants into other countries
on wednesday salesforcecom announced it would use aws to expand in canada and australia in a deal valued at about 400 million if successful the value of the transaction will most likely get much bigger
for sure were talking of billions of dollars in services over the next several years said marc benioff the co founder and chief executive of salesforce
salesforce already uses aws for some of its businesses but this is the first time its key applications will be on someone elses computers
mr benioff said salesforce had evaluated similar deals with microsoft and google the other two giants in selling cloud computing to corporations so far aws is still ahead on its range of offerings and low prices he said salesforce will review the contract in one year he added
cloud computing uses a massive density of computer servers and sophisticated software to rent data storage computing and applications to companies besides those capabilities the deal with aws enables salesforce to get into new markets faster since salesforce doesnt have to find facilities and recruit talent
amazon has also established itself in countries like china that have strict requirements about what data can be sent offshore meeting those regulations is difficult and time consuming and companies like salesforce put a premium on getting into markets quickly
while the deal could be a sign of larger trends in corporate computing as businesses evaluate whether to keep their own computers or work with the big public clouds for now it also has limits
that spending will probably be limited to new countries where salesforce expands mr benioff said that may change he added as the three giants bring down prices and increase the services they offer
we have our own infrastructure in the us japan the uk france and germany mr benioff said if you have critical mass your own infrastructure is still cheaper
mr benioff said that down the line aws may also become competitive purely on price as their scale and engineering enables them to run big computing systems at a lower cost if amazon microsoft and google are smart the price difference will change he said
adam selipsky vice president of marketing and sales for aws said the company was intent on getting its prices down enough to replace existing servers in established markets
our prices relative to what they can build themselves - were already at a stage where its competitive he said were just at the starting point of enterprise adoption


cairo   egypt has asked european companies to help search for the black boxes of an egyptair plane that crashed on may 19 in deep water in the mediterranean sea the airlines chairman said on wednesday
nearly a week after egyptair flight 804 crashed with 66 people on board including 30 egyptians and 15 from france investigators have no clear picture of its final moments
the egyptair chairman safwat musallam did not name the french and italian companies involved but told a news conference they were able to carry out searches at a depth of 3000 meters or 3280 yards
the plane and its cockpit data and voice recorders commonly known as the black boxes which could explain what brought down the paris to cairo flight as it entered egyptian airspace have not been found
the black boxes are believed to be lying in up to 3000 meters of water on the edge of the range for hearing and locating their signals 
maritime search experts say acoustic hydrophones must be towed in the water at depths of up to 2000 meters in order to have the best chance of picking up the signals
batteries powering the signals sent from the black boxes typically last only 30 days but egyptairs deputy chairman ahmed adel said the search would continue beyond then if necessary using other means to locate the recorders
there are many examples in similar air accidents when 30 days passed without finding the box yet these planes black boxes were found he said
mr musallam said that the jet had shown no sign of technical problems before taking off from paris he said the airbus 320 was given a regular check by an egyptian engineer and two egyptian technicians at the airport in paris
the engineer and the pilot both signed the aircraft technical log which stated that the check found that all the planes machines were safe he said
with no flight recorders to check and only fragmentary data from a handful of fault messages registering smoke in the plane in the minutes before it crashed investigators are also looking to debris and body parts for clues
hisham abdelhamid head of egypts forensics authority said it was too early to draw conclusions based on the examinations to date


a billionaire silicon valley entrepreneur was outed as being gay by a media organization his friends suffered at the hands of the same gossip site nearly a decade later the entrepreneur secretly financed a lawsuit to try to put the media company out of business
that is the back story to a legal case that had already grabbed headlines the wrestler hulk hogan sued gawker media for invasion of privacy after it published a sex tape and a florida jury recently awarded the wrestler whose real name is terry gene bollea 140 million
what the jury   and the public   did not know was that mr bollea had a secret benefactor paying about 10 million for the lawsuit peter thiel a co founder of paypal and one of the earliest investors in facebook
a 2007 article published by gawkers valleywag blog was headlined peter thiel is totally gay people that and a series of articles about his friends and others that he said ruined peoples lives for no reason drove mr thiel to mount a clandestine war against gawker he funded a team of lawyers to find and help victims of the companys coverage mount cases against gawker
its less about revenge and more about specific deterrence he said on wednesday in his first interview since his identity was revealed i saw gawker pioneer a unique and incredibly damaging way of getting attention by bullying people even when there was no connection with the public interest
mr thiel said that gawker published articles that were very painful and paralyzing for people who were targeted he said i thought it was worth fighting back
mr thiel added i can defend myself most of the people they attack are not people in my category they usually attack less prominent far less wealthy people that simply cant defend themselves he said that even someone like terry bollea who is a millionaire and famous and a successful person didnt quite have the resources to do this alone
mr thiel said that he had decided several years ago to set his plan in motion i didnt really want to do anything he said i thought it would do more harm to me than good one of my friends convinced me that if i didnt do something nobody would
mr thiel has donated money to the committee to protect journalists and has often talked about protecting freedom of speech he said he did not believe his actions were contradictory i refuse to believe that journalism means massive privacy violations he said i think much more highly of journalists than that its precisely because i respect journalists that i do not believe they are endangered by fighting back against gawker
he continued its not like it is some sort of speaking truth to power or something going on here the way ive thought about this is that gawker has been a singularly terrible bully in a way if i didnt think gawker was unique i wouldnt have done any of this if the entire media was more or less like this this would be like trying to boil the ocean mr thiel said he had not targeted any other media companies
but the revelation this week that mr thiel was covertly backing mr bolleas case as well as others has raised a series of new questions about the first amendment as well as about the role of big money in the court system   specifically the emerging field of litigation finance in which third parties like hedge funds and investment firms pay for other peoples lawsuits
roy d simon a professor emeritus of legal ethics at hofstra university school of law suggested that the practice has helped level the playing field by providing resources for people to mount cases against big institutions that would be impossible otherwise
but he said there was a risk when a lawsuit was funded by a single person with a potential agenda i am troubled by thiel professor simon said i guess that one guy is much more likely to have an agenda driven by revenge or personal dislike or wanting to prove a point
but other legal experts said that the mere fact of mr thiels involvement did not change the case and while there is no legal requirement that underwriters like mr thiel reveal their involvement to the opposing side or the jury it is considered fair game for lawyers to ask questions about financial backing   something that gawker media did on wednesday in court as part of its efforts to overturn the hogan judgment
if you really do have concerns about the merits of this case finding out who bankrolled it doesnt really help you at all said mary anne franks a professor at the university of miami school of law absent any indication that there is something unlawful about how the funding took place she said you would still need to show that theres something substantively wrong with the ruling
in a statement nick denton the founder of gawker media who was also personally named in the hogan suit said just because peter thiel is a silicon valley billionaire his opinion does not trump our millions of readers who know us for routinely driving big news stories including hillary clintons secret email account bill cosbys history with women the mayor of toronto as a crack smoker tom cruises role within scientology the nfl cover up of domestic abuse by players and just this month the hidden power of facebook to determine the news you see
mr thiel is known as a brilliant entrepreneur born in west germany and raised in california he became a chess prodigy an academic star and a promising lawyer before settling down in the bay area to found companies
he achieved demigod status among silicon valley business leaders thanks largely to his role at paypal where he became the de facto don of the early employee group known as the paypal mafia that group went on to become power players at such silicon valley institutions as tesla youtube linkedin and yelp
mr thiel is also known for his lucrative investment in facebook where he is a board member and his three venture firms founders fund mithril and valar his defunct hedge fund clarium capital has been long forgotten he also co founded the secretive data crunching start up palantir and bankrolled breakout labs which only funds what mr thiel calls hard tech start ups that tackle things like new energy transportation and biotech companies we wanted flying cars instead we got 140 characters is the founders fund tag line
but unlike most silicon valley billionaires mr thiel openly supports a wide array of eccentric philanthropic and social efforts aimed at radically altering life as we know it his thiel fellowship gives high school and college age students money to drop out of school and start companies he has donated to organizations that seek to extend the human life span such as the methuselah foundation and he co founded the seasteading institute which aims to create cities that float at sea beyond the reach of governments and their laws
a libertarian mr thiel is a pledged delegate for donald j trump for the 2016 republican national convention
he said that he hired a legal team several years ago to look for cases that he could help financially support without going into all the details we would get in touch with the plaintiffs who otherwise would have accepted a pittance for a settlement and they were obviously quite happy to have this sort of support he said in a way very similar to how a plaintiffs lawyer on contingency would do it mr thiel declined to disclose what other cases he had supported but there are at least two current cases against gawker
without revealing an exact figure he said that estimates of 10 million in expenses so far were roughly in the ballpark he added i would underscore that i dont expect to make any money from this this is not a business venture
he would not say whether he had compensated any of the people including mr bollea which could raise questions in an appeal he insisted there was no gray area in what he had done
mr thiel was not the only boldface name in silicon valley who was outed as gay by gawker media   timothy d cook the chief executive of apple is another example
owen thomas the former editor of valleywag who wrote the article about mr thiel offered his side of the story in a telephone interview on wednesday as ive said before i did not out peter thiel said mr thomas now business editor at the san francisco chronicle i did discuss his sexuality but it was known to a wide circle who felt that it was not fit for discussion beyond that circle i thought that attitude was retrograde and homophobic and that informed my reporting i believe that he was out and not in the closet
mr thiel said he considered his financial backing of the cases against gawker to be one of my greater philanthropic things that ive done i think of it in those terms
he refused to divulge exactly what other cases he has funded but said its safe to say this is not the only one
speculation that a secret benefactor was backing mr bolleas case was whispered during the trial but largely dismissed as a conspiracy theory it gained currency in large part as a result of an unusual decision mr bolleas legal team made it purposely excluded a claim that would have allowed gawkers insurance company to help pay for its defense as well as damages the move struck observers as odd because most plaintiffs seeking damages usually hope to settle the case by leveraging the deep pockets of an insurer
mr thiel said i figured it would eventually come out adding that he was happy his role might spur a conversation about it being extremely hard for the most common victims to get justice
he added its not for me to decide what happens to gawker if america rallies around gawker and decides we want more people to be outed and more sex tapes to be posted without consent then they will find a way to save gawker and i cant stop it


washington   the clinton campaign on wednesday released a 203 word statement largely dismissing the criticisms in the inspector generals report on the email practices of former secretary of state hillary clinton it reprised many of the arguments mrs clinton has made throughout the 14 month drama over her use of a personal email and server now though the statement can be compared directly with the findings in the 79 page report
from the statement the inspector general documents just how consistent her email practices were with those of other secretaries and senior officials at the state department who also used personal email
only one other secretary of state   colin l powell   exclusively used his personal email for official communications condoleezza rice said she did not use personal or government email madeleine k albright did not use email which was in its infancy when she was in the job secretary of state john kerry said he occasionally used personal email mostly to reply to people who emailed him on his personal account but the report said that after discussing the issue with his aides and other staff members he began primarily using his department account to conduct official business

the report shows that problems with the state departments electronic record keeping systems were longstanding and that there was no precedent of someone in her position having a state department email account until after the arrival of her successor
the report does acknowledge chronic issues with record keeping at the state department but it also traces how regulations were modified in the years between ms albright and mrs clinton to make sure digital communications were preserved for federal archives more than once state department officials proposed setting up an official email address for mrs clinton   in part so she could use two blackberrys her aide huma abedin rejected that telling her colleagues it doesnt make a whole lot of sense

contrary to the false theories advanced for some time now the report notes that her use of personal email was known to officials within the department during her tenure and that there is no evidence of any successful breach of the secretarys server
that mrs clinton used a private address was hardly a mystery to the dozens of people in the state department white house or other agencies who sent or received email from her it is equally clear however that senior department officials were sensitive about people raising red flags about it when two junior staff members expressed concerns to their boss in the information records management office he instructed the staff never to speak of the secretarys personal email system again
while the report does not find evidence that mrs clintons server was breached it notes that the clintons outside it consultant twice shut down the unit in the family home in chappaqua ny - on jan 9 and 10 2011 - because he feared that someone was trying to hack the system we were attacked again so i shut down for a few min he wrote in an email to ms abedin

we agree that steps ought to be taken to ensure the government can better maintain official records and if she were still at the state department secretary clinton would embrace and implement any recommendations including those in this report to help do that
among the inspector generals recommendations is to remind employees regularly that the use of personal email for official business is discouraged that they could incur penalties for doing so and that all departing officials including the secretary of state must sign a document pledging that they have turned over all federal records including emails mrs clinton has admitted her use of a personal email was a mistake but many of these regulations existed in one form or another when she was in office

as this report makes clear hillary clintons use of personal email was not unique and she took steps that went much further than others to appropriately preserve and release her records
mrs clintons use of a private email and server stored in her home was in fact unique she left the state department without turning over any emails and only did so after she was contacted by the departments lawyers who were under pressure to produce documents from the house select committee on benghazi the 55000 pages of emails she delivered did not include anything from the first three months of her tenure

wednesdays statement from the campaign does not repeat an assertion mrs clinton has made before that her arrangement while unwise was permitted last september she told the associated press what i did was allowed it was allowed by the state department the state department has confirmed that
the report says mrs clinton had an obligation to discuss using her personal email account to conduct official business had she done so the department would not have approved her exclusive use of a personal email because of potential security risks and because of restrictions on the transmission of sensitive information in fact the state department began disciplinary proceedings against an ambassador to kenya j scott gration for his use of a personal email account   in effect mimicking the practice of his boss


san francisco   silicon valley likes to keep the media on a tight leash tech executives expect obedience if not reverence from reporters they dole out information as grudgingly as possible sometimes they simply buy a chunk of a publication a time honored method of influencing what is deemed fit to write about
valleywag declined to play the game
it was a gossip sheet for the digital age abrasive knowing cynical self promoting sometimes unfair it dispensed snark by the truckload printing things that people knew or surmised but were off the table it said google co founder larry page had dated his then colleague marissa mayer that the google chairman eric schmidt was a playboy and a scamp that the napster co founder and early facebook executive sean parkers wedding was seriously over the top
most notoriously at least in retrospect the tech gossip blog said in late 2007 that peter thiel who co founded paypal and was an early and significant investor in facebook was gay
outing famous people has a long and not particularly respectable history but valleywag said it was celebrating mr thiel the point as valleywags then editor owen thomas wrote in his post was that even in silicon valley a gay investor has no way to fit into the old establishment that frees him or her to build a different hopefully better system for identifying and rewarding talented individuals and unleashing their work on the world
this was gossip with an attitude and an agenda and what it unleashed was mr thiels ire he secretly financed a suit brought by the wrestler hulk hogan against valleywags parent gawker media which has resulted in 140 million in damages gawker is appealing
the revelation of mr thiels involvement in the suit this week brings the complicated relationship of silicon valley and the media once again to the forefront the technology world is ever more important and richer with smartphones in everyones pocket conveying a stream of news that silicon valley not only delivers but helps shape at the same time the tech companies are less transparent about what they do
silicon valley is a closed world and has become more closed at the elite levels said fred turner chairman of the department of communication at stanford the gossip that circulates between people doesnt always leap into the media the way it might in new york so americans know the valley primarily through its advertising its self promotion and its products
valleywag challenged that and the valley   or at least mr thiel   pushed back
we should not be surprised that they act like entitled industrialists out here because they are mr turner said
valleywag was born in 2006 an arm of gawkers then expanding empire of blogs and it died last winter it had a hiatus or two along the way with nick denton the gawker founder stepping in to write the blog at one point its most influential years were in the beginning especially under mr thomas who ran the site from 2007 until 2009
on one hand the reporting was terribly caustic and brutal and on the other it was really thorough and investigative and accurate in a lot of cases said brandee barker former head of global communications at facebook i would read a story and think how on earth did they find this information that is correct other times id read valleywag and think this is the most evil and unfair characterization of somebody ive ever read in journalism
john cook executive editor of gawker media who helped put valleywag to rest last year said the site didnt play the access game
mr thomas now business editor of the san francisco chronicle said the goal of valleywag was to improve the tech community
silicon valley said it had ideals he said all we asked was that it live up to those ideals if youre going to say that youre a meritocracy then dont hire all of your buddies to launch a start up who all happen to be young white men dont say youre apolitical when youre secretly funding anti immigration measures
for mr thiel taking action against gawker may be a win dan lyons an author who was briefly a valleywag writer said what mr thiel did sets a scary precedent but my guess is that most people hate gawker as much as he does so he probably ends up looking like a hero among his own crowd
that response was not long in coming scott adams whose dilbert cartoon is a satirical look at the modern workplace wrote on his blog on wednesday that this is another example in which i think citizens are taking a more active role in fixing the world when government isnt the right tool for the job
mr adams wrote approvingly of mr thiel i assume he is acting out of a combination of revenge and a desire to make the world a better place
without this weeks news valleywags legacy would be uncertain several silicon valley figures asked to comment on wednesday said they had not read it or did not know it was defunct
others like the salesforce chief executive marc benioff an occasional valleywag target said simply about the site and this weeks events i dont care about any of those people
the news about mr thiel funding the suit against gawker broke just as the previous contretemps about silicon valley and the media   how facebook shapes the news that its users see sparked by a story in gizmodo another gawker property   was dying down mr thiel as it happens is a facebook board member facebook declined to comment on mr thiel
mr thomas who is himself gay argues that valleywag was not really outing mr thiel i did discuss his sexuality but it was known to a wide circle who felt that it was not fit for discussion beyond that circle he said i dont believe he was in the closet he was never hiding it
however much valleywag said it admired mr thiel for being the smartest vc in the world it took a more disparaging view as well in one post about mr thiels claims of hiring only the best to work at his hedge fund clarium capital mr thomas wrote oh really take a look at their resumes on linkedin like so many of this outspokenly harebrained libertarians theses the claim sounds good on paper but doesnt stand up to inspection
mr thiel returned the favor calling valleywag the silicon valley equivalent of al qaeda
it scares everybody he said in a 2009 interview with pe hub a private equity publication its terrible for the valley which is supposed to be about people who are willing to think out loud and be different i think they should be described as terrorists not as writers or reporters


2411412137427
that figure   24 trillion for those with an untrained eye for very large numbers   is in the same ballpark as the annual economic output of france
it is also exactly the amount that people around the world claim they lost when mt gox the tokyo based virtual currency exchange collapsed into bankruptcy in 2014 after huge unexplained losses of the volatile digital currency bitcoin
as with most of the people who lost money with bernard l madoff the investment manager who was convicted of running a ponzi scheme most of those who put their bitcoin in mt gox will be disappointed the japanese trustee overseeing the case said on wednesday that only 91 million in assets has been tracked down to distribute to claimants   a small portion of the more than 500 million in assets that mt gox claimed it had in the weeks before it went bankrupt in february 2014 and a tiny portion of the amount that claimants have requested
the giant gaps between those numbers are an indication if nothing else of the sheer number of dishonest people who have been drawn to the fiasco around mt gox and bitcoin they are also the latest reminders of the topsy turvy nature of the digital currency realm a currency designed to bring computer precision and traceability to money has been marked by multiple unsolved mysteries swirling around it
journalists and others have made many unsuccessful attempts to determine the true identity of the creator of the bitcoin technology a programmer or group of programmers going by the name satoshi nakamoto
bitcoin experts and law enforcement officials have spent over two years trying to figure out how hundreds of thousands of bitcoins disappeared from the mt gox exchange there have been lots of conspiracy theories but few solid answers
the amount that claimants have requested from the mt gox bankruptcy estate is absurd on its face given that all the bitcoins in the world today are worth about 7 billion or 03 percent of the 24 trillion being claimed
most of that huge number is an outsize claim by one individual   but even after that is taken out the rest of the claimants said they lost some 27 billion or 54 times what the exchange claimed it held before it went under
the trustee said on wednesday at a meeting with creditors that 414 million of the claims appeared to be legitimate and have been approved each of those claimants will get some portion of the 91 million it is not yet clear how much because of outstanding lawsuits and investigations
bitcoin investors have complained about how long it has taken to work through the claims not to mention the legal and accounting costs the trustee reports that those costs have added up to about 55 million so far
i am disturbed by the amount of money which the bankruptcy process has burned through kolin burges one of the most outspoken creditors said on wednesday we have seen very poor results from the investigations and the details have been constantly shrouded from the creditors
mt goxs collapse in 2014 threatened to destroy the cottage industry that was built around bitcoin in the years after it was released in early 2009 the price that people were willing to pay for bitcoin steadily declined for over a year after the bankruptcy
but the problems in tokyo also led to a professionalization of the virtual currency world with established entrepreneurs and venture capitalists getting involved and regulators establishing basic rules for businesses in the industry these days many banks are examining how to harness the technology underlying bitcoin known as the blockchain though bitcoin itself has been hurt by infighting among the developers working on the technology
mt gox was the most prominent company during bitcoins early wild west years as it became one of the first widely used places to exchange dollars or euros for bitcoin
the company was run from tokyo by a young frenchman named mark karpeles who had essentially no experience working with financial software the exchange suffered several breakdowns and attacks but many customers still kept their money there
mr karpeles filed for bankruptcy after months of unexplained behavior while he initially said the exchange could not locate 850000 bitcoins   worth about 450 million at the time   he later reported to the court that he had found 200000 bitcoins in misplaced digital wallets
those 200000 bitcoins form the bulk of the money that the bankruptcy trustee will return to mt gox customers in an unusual step the trustee has indicated that he will allow valid claimants to be paid in bitcoin rather than yen or dollars
mr karpeles was arrested by the japanese authorities last august on suspicion of illegally adding money to an account under his control though not on charges directly related to the missing bitcoins this week the trustee said he was helping with the ongoing criminal investigation of mr karpeles
japanese government officials have still given few indications of what they think happened to the missing money a tokyo computer security company wizsec has published reports on its own private investigation of the money using the blockchain ledger on which all bitcoin transactions are recorded
wizsec has said it appears that bitcoins began disappearing from mt gox back in 2011 and continued being transferred out of the exchange in small amounts over time the researchers believe that the thief altered mt goxs internal records so that mr karpeles did not realize the money was gone
the unfortunate reality of bitcoin is that its just so tempting to steal it digitally kim nilsson a researcher with wizsec said on wednesday
mr nilsson says he lost a few thousand dollars with mt gox some of which he hopes to recover from the estate
mr nilsson said he no longer trusted his bitcoin to anyone other than himself but he says he is as excited as ever about the virtual currency in part because of the way that the blockchain made it possible for individuals like him to do their own investigation of the mt gox collapse
thanks to the blockchain everyone has an equal starting point he said its possible to crowdsource forensic investigations


washington   president obama and his family plan to move to a mansion in the upscale kalorama neighborhood of washington a mere two miles from the white house when he leaves office in january according to people familiar with his plans
mr obama who has said his family will remain in the capital until his daughter sasha completes high school in 2018 will rent the 8200 square foot nine bedroom home the people said speaking on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to reveal his plans
the house   valued around 6 million according to several real estate websites with an estimated monthly rent of 22000 on zillow   is owned by joe lockhart a former press secretary and senior adviser to bill clinton mr lockhart was until this year the managing director of a communications and political consulting practice he founded the glover park group but has moved to manhattan to become executive vice president for communications for the national football league
mr lockhart and his wife giovanna gray lockhart an editor at glamour magazine would not comment on the matter referring queries to the white house jennifer friedman the deputy white house press secretary also declined to comment on the presidents plans first reported on wednesday by politico
the move will put the obamas in one of washingtons wealthiest zip codes in a secluded precinct backing up to rock creek park that is home to diplomats and a focal point of the capitals cocktail party circuit the home itself is luxurious photographs posted by washington fine properties which listed it when it sold in 2014 show spacious rooms with hardwood floors white marble countertops his and her master bathrooms and a terrace with formal gardens
it also has an au pair suite that could be suitable for marian robinson michelle obamas mother who has lived with the family in the white house
the location appears to meet mr obamas need to accommodate the secret service contingent that remains with a president after leaving office a gated courtyard on the side has space for several vehicles and the addition of a guardhouse
the neighborhood already has a sizable security presence because of its proximity to the stretch of massachusetts avenue known as embassy row the obamas will live down the block from the embassy of oman and the european union ambassador to the united states and around the corner from gerard araud the french ambassador known for entertaining often at his tudor revival mansion
its a very quiet neighborhood thats part of the reason why all of us like it there said tony podesta a well connected democratic lobbyist and brother of john d podesta hillary clintons campaign chairman
mr podesta who lives two doors from the house the obamas will rent invites neighbors for pizza parties in his backyard where he has a pizza oven several times a day a line of parked taxis snakes down the street their occupants drawn to the islamic center on the block for muslim prayers
as news of the obamas housing plans became public on wednesday journalists and news photographers flocked to the block my housekeeper was a little freaked out mr podesta said
while the obamas still own a home in chicago the president said in march that his family would remain in the washington area until sasha who attends the sidwell friends school graduated from high school the obamas said this month that their older daughter malia who graduates from sidwell next month would take a gap year before enrolling at harvard
mr obamas future home has a rich history it was built in 1928 by f moran mcconihe a real estate developer who played an important role in the expansion of kalorama and served in the general services administration under president dwight d eisenhower
it was bought by capt charles hamilton maddox a veteran of both world wars who in 1912 designed and tested in flight the first successful radio equipment used in naval aircraft his daughter muriel maddox acted alongside marlon brando in the movie the men and wrote a number of romance novels
the neighborhood has long been home to prominent politicians including woodrow wilson william howard taft franklin d roosevelt warren g harding herbert hoover and senator edward m kennedy last year donald h rumsfeld a former defense secretary sold the house in kalorama that he lived in throughout the bush administration
residents describe the neighborhood as an oasis of residential calm in the middle of a bustling city
you can get almost anyplace in washington that you want to go to in 15 minutes but on the weekend its like youre in the country said bart gordon a former democratic congressman from tennessee who is now with the law firm k  l gates and will soon be the obamas next door neighbor hell be welcomed to the neighborhood i just hope he doesnt get too rowdy


the police clashed with demonstrators wednesday outside a rally for donald j trump in anaheim calif and made eight arrests the citys police department said
law enforcement authorities from at least three counties joined with anaheim police officers in confronting about 200 demonstrators some of whom threw bottles and rocks said a police spokeswoman detective laura lomeli
seven people were arrested on charges of failing to respond to unlawful assembly warnings she said one person was charged with setting fire to a trash can no one was injured the detective said
the anaheim police department warned protesters in advance of the rally for mr trump the presumptive republican presidential nominee that there was no room for violence in anaheim
photographs posted on twitter showed police officers on horseback and motorcycles and in riot gear
detective lomeli said protesters were largely cordoned off to the north side of anaheim convention center where the rally took place
the detective said that there were still small groups of protesters several hours after mr trump left but that the crowd had mostly dispersed
the police chief raul quezada said in a statement on the departments website wednesday that the police would be prepared to take take swift and decisive enforcement action should it become necessary
while we recognize and respect the first amendment rights of all individuals to express their viewpoints and protest peacefully the chief said we will not tolerate violence or disobedience of the law during the upcoming rally in anaheim
the clash between the police and demonstrators occurred one day after a similar confrontation between officers and anti trump protesters in albuquerque


washington   steven matz finished the sixth inning here wednesday by striking out the major leagues leading hitter daniel murphy then something really crazy happened matz kept on pitching
he zipped through the seventh survived bryce harper in the eighth and turned his 2 0 shutout over to jeurys familia who closed out the washington nationals in the ninth to give the mets a series victory matz improved his career record to 11 1 in 14 starts
somehow being in new york this year hes gone a little bit under the radar with some of the other guys we have david wright said but that was about as dominant a performance as ive seen this year
it is hard for a pitcher like matz or even noah syndergaard to get much attention in the shadow of matt harvey both were slotted after harvey in the world series last fall and again in the rotation to open this season the mets long ago anointed harvey as their headliner for better or worse
in washington this week their only blemish was the latest harvey day clunker on tuesday night his starts are no longer cause for giddy anticipation harvey has not pitched beyond the sixth inning all season he begins well enough then falls apart then leaves
when harvey does not pitch the mets are 24 12 when he does they are 3 7 yet the mets cannot get enough
despite all the evidence   the fading fastball in the middle innings the 509 opponents batting average in harveys third time through the order the persistent failure to minimize damage   the mets will not skip his turn in the rotation they will not send him to the minors or the bullpen they will not even slide in logan verrett somewhere to give harvey extra rest
the mets plan is for harvey to work in the bullpen on friday but throw fewer pitches than he did in his session last week perhaps that will keep him fresher for his next start on monday they insist he is healthy
the mets plainly are desperate to bring back the caricature of harvey as their swaggering savior they are baffled not only by his 608 era but also by the lost soul they see on the mound
i said listen what weve got to get away from is woe is me   weve got to get back to who you are manager terry collins said
one of the things i still think about any time i talk to matt harvey is the guy who walked into my office the first spring training and said im not here to show you what kind of stuff i have im here to make your team and the next spring training he said im not here just to be one of the starters im here to be the best in baseball and at the end of that year although he got hurt he was the best in baseball thats the guy were trying to get back
fair enough anyone can dream or cite a hopeful precedent there is the cole hamels example young pitcher stars in the world series struggles for a year resumes ace status there is the stephen strasburg example tommy john patient takes time to harness consistent excellence then dominates again
all the ingredients that have made harvey great remain in time   maybe next season maybe even next week   they should coalesce again and he will reclaim his place among the games elite but he is not there now and the mets seem to think that following the same every five days pattern will produce different results
i think we saw some positive signs last night actually john ricco the assistant general manager said wednesday morning were watching him and we look at a lot of the numbers and we saw some encouraging signs the easiest to see is a little bit of the velocity is starting to come back   he touched 97   but even some of the more detailed stats showed some improvement those are the things dans working on
dan warthen the pitching coach has not spoken about harveys struggles the mets have refused to make warthen available to reporters shielding the organizations foremost pitching expert from questions about a pitcher is absurd but it underlines the sensitivity the mets seem to feel an insecure ineffective harvey rocks their world
harvey basks in the spotlight when times are good and coverage is fawning he rarely speaks otherwise and sometimes to be fair he is burned when he does his honesty in march about a blood clot in his bladder led to crass if predictable headlines harvey   who once posed naked with only a room service tray for espn the magazine   cannot seem to laugh at himself anymore
saying nothings better than saying the wrong thing collins said he had told harvey regarding the news media and collins has a point but with a night to reconsider harvey again declined an interview request on wednesday
his insights would help fans understand what he thinks is happening but really the important answers will come on the mound where harvey once strutted with macho fury
his opponents at citi field on monday will be the chicago white sox the team and the setting should evoke a warm memory
on may 7 2013 harvey pitched the best game of his career nine shutout innings 12 strikeouts no walks one infield single at home against the white sox so much has followed but the one constant is that harvey commands attention every time he takes the mound
for mets fans you might say it was once almost like a national holiday   and on monday it actually is happy memorial day matt harvey everybody wants a reason to celebrate


the halal guys food cart in front of laguardia community college in queens looks pretty much like any other cart on that stretch of thomson avenue and its prices are low enough not to scare away the students 5 for a falafel sandwich 7 for gyro over rice and 5 for chicken wrapped in pita and doused in sauce
but on thursday the halal guys whose familiar yellow carts have expanded into a global franchise will hand over a 30000 donation to laguardia thats 6000 sandwiches in check form
it must be good if theres a line this long said kyle mccloud a man from jacksonville fla who was about to sample his first chicken platter
the original halal guys are three immigrants from egypt   mohamed abouelenein ahmed elsaka and abdelbaset elsayed   who started out with a hot dog cart in midtown manhattan they switched to halal food in the early 1990s after noticing demand among taxi drivers
if you want to know whats good and whats bad in any town you ask a cabdriver said hesham hegazy the director for business and brand development at halal guys it took no time for the word to get out and the line to start building
the halal guys first donated to laguardia which is in the long island city neighborhood in 2013 when their entire operation was a couple of food trucks some piles of meat and pita bread serving the lunch crowd today they have signed about 335 franchise agreements mr hegazy said with locations in the philippines california and texas this gift like the two previous ones will go to the halal guys scholarship fund which is somewhat less famous than their gyros or the white sauce on them
the gift is being funded by dan rowe the chief executive of fransmart the restaurant franchise consulting firm that works with the halal guys he had promised mr hegazy that if the company signed a deal in south korea he would give part of his commission to laguardia which serves 50000 students a year most of them poor and many of them immigrants mr abouelenein one of the founders sent three of his children there one of whom now runs the company
at lunchtime on thomson avenue on wednesday two or three food carts dotted each block on the busy thoroughfare there was a korean grill and a coffee cart if youre not shaking you need another cup a sign near the bagels read there was a waffles and crepes truck and a cart offering cheeseburgers and lamb gyros there was a lonely looking woman selling fruit
but only the halal guys seemed to have an employee whose entire job was to manage the line mr hegazy said they also employ a bouncer on weekend nights to control the crowd at one of their midtown spots
as news of the donation spread down the line one by one the patrons said they were delighted or impressed some said they were more likely than ever to go back but not one student named mohammad aminoor rasul
oh thats terrible he said he was not happy at laguardia and said he planned to transfer to another college
but i love this place he said of the halal guys cart the food is really good


washington   nearly two years into the american led air war against the islamic state military officials say they have corrected the poor intelligence collection and clumsy process for identifying targets that initially plagued the campaign and are now hitting targets like oil rigs and secret cash coffers that finance the terrorist groups war machine
the destruction in recent months of these targets deep behind enemy lines   which commanders previously avoided for fear of causing civilian casualties   has seriously damaged the islamic states ability to pay its fighters govern and attract new recruits military officials say
were hitting them where it hurts a lot more than we were in the past lt gen charles q brown jr the air war commander said in one of two recent telephone interviews from his headquarters in qatar every bomb now has a greater impact
to speed up the approval of targets the pentagon shifted the authority for most strikes that posed a risk to civilians to commanders in the field from the militarys central command in tampa fla which oversees operations in the middle east
but critics say that the new process has increased the possibility of civilian casualties a charge the military disputes
were concerned that shortening the approval loop will mean more civilian casualties simply because there will likely be more bombing missions said federico borello executive director of the center for civilians in conflict the drive to defeat isis should not result in greater risk to civilian men women and children
since taking charge last june general brown an f 16 pilot and former commandant of the air forces weapons school has overhauled targeting practices lobbied spy agencies in washington for more help and insisted on higher impact missions a bomb that used to hit insignificant targets like isolated islamic state checkpoints or empty trenches could now destroy millions of dollars in cash or shut down oil wells
general brown and other officials acknowledged the scope of the problems in the operations first year which was also hampered by inexperienced planners staffing shortages and internal rivalries those disclosures filling in more details than were previously known help explain why it took the pentagon so long to focus on revenue related targets like the oil fields and cash warehouses
the pentagon estimates that the coalitions land and air operations have reclaimed 45 percent of the territory the islamic state seized in iraq in 2014 and 20 percent in syria the groups oil production has fallen about 30 percent over 400 oil tanker trucks have been destroyed with revenue from oil sales down as much as 50 percent the pentagon says
the islamic state has slashed fighters salaries in raqqa the groups de facto headquarters in syria by up to 50 percent american intelligence analysts say
the united states and its allies still drop most of their bombs   nine out of every 10   on islamic state fighters weapons or other targets that pop up on the battlefield the goal is not only to punish the islamic state but also to help iraqi troops who announced a push toward falluja this week and friendly syrian militias
the biggest shift in the past year however has been in the remaining 10 percent of targets mostly fixed sites behind the front lines that specialists are taking much more time to analyze general brown insisted on increasing the quality of these so called deliberate targets which include headquarters barracks and storage facilities to ensure that the strikes would have a deeper strategic effect on the islamic state
the military caught its first big break last may when it seized information about the leadership structure and financial operations of the islamic state also known as isis or isil the information was gathered during a delta force commando raid in eastern syria in which abu sayyaf a leader of the terrorist group was killed and his wife umm sayyaf was captured
in the past year the united states has increased the number of spy planes and other surveillance aircraft over iraq and syria as well as the number of targeting specialists assigned to the mission hundreds more special operations forces are now on the ground in the two countries sending back valuable information as are thousands of iraqi troops and syrian militia members whom the americans and their allies are training and advising
we do have a much better sense now for what this enemy looks like how this enemy operates and how theyre structured said col steve warren the militarys chief spokesman in baghdad
there was also intense pressure in the fall from president obama and defense secretary ashton b carter to accelerate the campaign which is costing 12 million a day while the number of aircraft available to commanders has remained about the same since then many of the 750 warplanes that were based in the persian gulf can fly shorter and more frequent missions since turkey opened its airfield at incirlik
airstrikes increased 22 percent the month after the targeting changes took effect in the fall and they have generally remained at higher levels damaging the islamic states military forces its leadership its financial network its attractiveness to foreign fighters and its ability to move forces on the battlefield
isil is suffering financially daniel l glaser a top treasury official said this month that said they still have a considerable amount of money
ihs conflict monitor a london based organization that tracks terrorist financing estimates that the group still earns about 56 million a month
after more than a decade of focusing on support for ground troops fighting insurgents the air force had to relearn the art of analyzing which fixed sites if destroyed would have the most significant effect on the enemy general brown said they include the islamic states oil facilities bulk cash stockpiles and factories for manufacturing roadside bombs
scott f murray a retired air force colonel and veteran of air campaigns in iraq afghanistan and kosovo who oversaw deliberate target development from shaw air force base in south carolina said his team had prepared many valid financial and oil related targets in early 2015 but senior commanders refused to approve them fearing civilian casualties
that reluctance disappeared under general brown who is scheduled to brief reporters in washington on thursday about the air campaigns progress
using a combination of satellite imagery electronic intercepts and informers tips analysts have tracked islamic state operatives storing huge amounts of cash in bank vaults private residences and other hiding places the coalition has conducted 21 strikes on cash storage and distribution sites since october destroying what the central command said was hundreds of millions of dollars
before the targeting process was poorly synchronized and inefficient information was stored in various spreadsheets and distributed via secure communications now the military is developing an online interactive database including digital maps that anyone in the intelligence agencies can use to see what targets are being worked and who is working them
the problem before was that everyone was running hard but not necessarily in the same direction lt col jeff sgarlata deputy chief of the air commands intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance division said in a telephone interview from qatar were now operating more efficiently and more effectively
but the campaign has detractors including the human rights groups concerned about civilian casualties which the military says it takes great care to avoid
the central command has reviewed 25 allegations of civilian casualties in the bombing campaign that it deemed credible and it acknowledged that airstrikes had killed 41 civilians and injured 28 others according to a spokesman cmdr kyle raines
civilian groups put that figure much higher over 415 civilians have been killed in coalition airstrikes in syria alone according to the syrian observatory for human rights a group in britain that tracks the conflict through a network of contacts in syria
other critics say the air campaign has not attacked the islamic state aggressively enough
the administration continues a misleading narrative regarding their level of effort against the islamic state said david a deptula a retired three star air force general who planned the american air campaigns in afghanistan in 2001 and in the persian gulf in 1991
yes they are accomplishing a symbolic level of effort said general deptula who is now dean of the mitchell institute for aerospace studies in arlington va however that level of effort is anemic when considered relative to previous operations
the united states has averaged about 145 strikes a day in iraq and syria since the air campaign started in august 2014 though that figure has gradually risen there were about 17 american strikes a day in april the united states conducts about 75 percent of all strikes about two thirds are in iraq and one third in syria reflecting the priority of protecting iraqi troops in combat
in contrast the nato air war in libya in 2011 involved about 50 strikes a day in its first two months the 2001 campaign in afghanistan averaged 85 daily strikes and the campaign in iraq in 2003 averaged about 800 according to the center for strategic and budgetary assessments
american military officials said that because targeting was more precise now than in past campaigns and more care was given to assessing the quality of each target fewer flights were needed


it hardly seemed like a place where a four alarm fire would snarl a vital railroad and delay tens of thousands of commuters in the countrys biggest city
in east harlem the urban garden center located under the metro north tracks at 116th street and park avenue was known as a place to pick up a cup of soil for bromeliads or get a weekly community supported agriculture delivery where children from the city could get their fingers and shoes dirty building terrariums or visit the clucking chickens but that changed suddenly on may 17 when workers reportedly poured gasoline into a hot generator in a storage lot filled with bags of fertilizer and wood pallets among other things which ignited like a giant pile of kindling
in the wake of the fire thomas f prendergast the chairman of the metropolitan transportation authority demanded an investigation should we have material like that stored under such a vital critical piece of infrastructure he said thats a question that needs to be asked and answered
new york and the transit authority said they would each be scouring the city for other places where hazardous materials might be stored near train tracks or viaducts the fire department which is conducting an investigation of the cause of the blaze issued four summonses to the garden center over the storage of gas and propane
dimitri gatanas who runs the center with his family said that for the six years they had been operating on 116th street   under a lease with the citys economic development corporation   he had often found it hard to get the attention of government officials
now everybody is looking for a scapegoat here and theyve got me at the cross hairs mr gatanas said speaking on behalf of the family for the first time since the fire
the urban garden center didnt just crawl under the tracks here and weasel their way into a space that wasnt theirs he said this was a vetted arrangement here it wasnt like we just pulled up unloaded our truck and started a business
around 2009 the economic development corporation was seeking tenants and proposals to revitalize la marqueta a struggling enclosed marketplace that once housed 500 stalls mostly owned by local puerto rican businesspeople hot bread kitchen a nonprofit group that helps poor people immigrants and minorities build culinary careers signed on as an anchor tenant and planned to install a large professional kitchen as part of its incubator program
the gatanas family has operated plant businesses around the city since the 1950s when mr gatanass grandfather dimitri gravanis an immigrant from greece opened a shop at 89th street and madison avenue when the development corporation put out its request for proposals mr gatanas was running a struggling garden center in the bronx when he heard that a space in manhattan might be available he saw a glimmer of light
mr gatanas submitted a proposal for the two lots adjacent to the market which he said had been orphaned for decades except perhaps for the film crews that shot carlitos way there the area lacked light running water and electricity one of the lots was on a hill and it was exposed to the continual 110 decibel rumble of speeding trains
i saw asphalt stanchions and i thought what a great place for a garden center mr gatanas said
the gatanas family signed a five year lease with the city for the two plots in 2010 with a five year extension
mr gatanas said it took about a year to get a mailing address which was critical not only for setting up simple things like an amazon account but also for banking transactions his packages are still misdirected sometimes he said
the hulking metal viaduct casts a long shadow above park avenue and the neighborhood
when a piece of stone fell while workers drilled on the tracks above without scaffolding mr gatanas said it took him two hours to figure out whom to contact to stop the job only two years ago the garden centers main lot and greenhouse were buried in bricks and the front door of the building across the street after a gas explosion killed eight people
matthew washington the deputy manhattan borough president was the chairman of community board 11 when the urban garden center opened
some residents may have wished that the storage lot was a bit more organized he said but there was a hope and desire from the community that it would be a more active space
and the urban garden center accomplished that he said by hiring local workers and involving the community in chicken naming contests and school tours
as the center expanded the storage lot across the street filled with mulch and multiple varieties of soil people donated tools and machinery in various states of working order there were old vehicles and two trailers one of which was used as an office and another filled with among other things mr gatanass collection of gardening books
mr gatanas said the space had become unwieldy because of poor planning but many of the items were part of his unofficial recycling program including piles of broken pallets that were remade into window boxes
and the garden center is hardly alone in using the space under the tracks as storage a few blocks south at 111th and park avenue unmarked shipping containers and wooden pallets sit behind a barbed wire fence covered in black netting
on monday night mr gatanas was using the italian restaurant across the street as a temporary office a stack of bills and letters some with blackened edges sat on the table his mother and father nicholas 77 and aspasia 63 who also work for the business eventually filled the seats mrs gatanas has been fielding dozens of calls from concerned customers and residents who know her face or see the logo on her apron have hugged her on the street
as a family were embarrassed and disappointed about whats happened here mr gatanas said we feel bad about the businesses that closed that evening because of our mistake and that a family had to be evacuated from the fourth floor building nearby
mr gatanas said they had at times fallen behind on the rent which he said was about 4500 a month the city has initiated eviction proceedings before but each time the family and the development corporation have worked out a payment arrangement
on wednesday the family found out they would be allowed to stay more than a dozen officials from the fire department and the transportation authority spent three hours inspecting the garden center and issued several new warnings mr gatanas said the development corporation presented the family with a new lease that raised the rent to 5100 and also placed additional restrictions and conditions on how the lots could be used


lawrence p odea iii the police chief in portland ore and a group of friends took a hunting trip last month to the rural eastern part of the state but instead of bagging squirrels the chief accidentally shot one of his friends in the back and then apparently tried to cover it up police officials said wednesday
the friend whose name has not been released was not seriously injured
once news of the shooting became public charlie hales portlands mayor suspended chief odea 53 pending the results of investigations into the shooting and the chiefs subsequent actions
during a period in which several big city police chiefs have been forced out after the emergence of videotapes showing officers shooting or abusing unarmed african american boys and men chief odeas problems have little to do with policing
im very thankful that my friend is ok and im tremendously upset this happened chief odea said in a statement which called the episode the result of a negligent discharge
news of the shooting comes as the police bureau in portland a city of 630000 people faces a number of difficulties including meeting the terms of a 2014 settlement agreement with the justice department related to the police bureaus treatment of the mentally ill its training and its use of force policies the department also has a shortage of police officers
sara hottman a spokeswoman for mr hales said wednesday that despite the tumult the bureaus attempts to transform itself would continue
the bureau is on a positive trajectory with reform ms hottman wrote in an email mayor hales will ensure that the acting chief and bureau leadership supports that progress and his effort to institutionalize new bureau cultures around de escalation use of force and community relationships
but others fear the reforms could stall given the uncertainty at the top of the department and a new mayor being in place next year
there is a concern that change hasnt happened quickly enough and that they could drag their heels even more said dan handelman a founding member of copwatch a group that documents instances of police misconduct
chief odea who is on administrative leave pending the outcome of at least three city and state investigations has been barred from speaking about the case by the police bureau he could not be reached for comment wednesday the mayor has appointed donna henderson an assistant chief to be the interim chief
while the facts surrounding the hunting trip remain murky officials in portland and harney county in eastern oregon said wednesday that chief odea had traveled to harney county on a hunting trip with at least five other men in late april the group had gone to hunt squirrels on a remote tract of land some 80 miles south of burns the county seat
on april 21 the officials said chief odea fired a round from his 22 caliber rifle that struck his friend in the lower left side of the back the victim 54 was airlifted to a trauma hospital according to a police dispatch record the man did not require surgery and has been released officials said
but dave ward harney countys sheriff said the hunters told sheriffs deputies that the bullet wound had been the result of a self inflicted accidental shooting
four days later however chief odea told mr hales that he had unintentionally shot his friend according to the mayors office
word of the shooting did not become public until local reporters broke the story on friday
before suspending the chief late tuesday mr hales had been supportive
larry odea is a great chief the mayor said in a statement who is heartsick over hurting a friend


in a move aimed at dampening the impact of broken windows policing the new york city council on wednesday passed bills to create a civil process for some of the most common low level infractions observed by police officers including public drinking and public urination
the passage of the bills known collectively as the criminal justice reform act and spearheaded by the council speaker melissa mark viverito was the most significant step yet toward reducing the burden of a two decade old policing policy that treats public disorder as harbingers of more dangerous offenses and has resulted in hundreds of thousands of outstanding criminal court warrants for minor infractions
lives and trajectories will be changed because of what we are set to pass today ms mark viverito a democrat said shortly before the vote
the eight bills introduced in february passed with strong majorities in the 51 member council and have the support of the police department which preserves the power to arrest offenders if necessary and of mayor bill de blasio who called them crucial to the goal of building a fairer criminal justice system
council officials estimated that after the legislation takes effect next year more than 100000 cases would be diverted from the states criminal court system annually sending them instead to a civil system overseen by a city agency
the offenses included in the bills which also cover littering and excessive noise are part of the citys administrative code and make up a large percentage of the roughly 300000 criminal summonses issued by officers last year many in minority neighborhoods under the legislation most violations of parks department rules like being in a park after dark will also be downgraded to violations from misdemeanors
the council does not have the power to change the way courts handle minor crimes under state law like marijuana possession or fare evasion
we pledged to reduce unnecessary arrests while protecting the quality of life of all our residents mr de blasio a democrat said in a statement and this legislation is an important step toward this essential goal
but the ultimate impact of the bills will depend on the degree to which police officers forgo their power to issue criminal summonses and instead make use of the new civil forms both of which will be carried by patrol officers the police department and the council are still negotiating over guidelines for when each would be used with the civil tickets expected to serve as the default approach and criminal summonses issued for recidivists and those with warrants
jason stern a lawyer who has specialized in public urination cases said officers appeared to have already scaled back since the legislation was introduced this year my phone stopped ringing mr stern said my friends in the court tell me theres almost nothing coming in
officers already use civil summonses for various offenses that end up outside the criminal justice system including for bicycling on the sidewalk traffic court and for turnstile jumpers in the subway civil transit court
the civil hearings for offenses under the new legislation will be handled by the citys office of administrative trials and hearings which would need to be expanded to handle the influx of new cases the agency already handles some summonses from police officers often related to violations by street vendors the estimated cost of the measures is about 8 million in the first year council officials said with roughly a quarter of that going to setting up the new civil hearing process fines will be payable by mail or online a hearing is required for those challenging a ticket
for public urination the fines increase on a sliding scale 75 for a first offense 250 to 350 for a second offense within a year and 350 to 450 for a third offense over that same period
failure to pay a ticket would result in a civil judgment rather than a criminal court warrant indigent offenders could be offered community service in lieu of a fine under the legislation
some reform advocates expressed only measured support monifa bandele of communities united for police reform said the legislation was not police reform and does not disrupt discriminatory broken windows policing that propels racial disparities
as for the citywide summons court where recipients of criminal summonses must still go it is in the process of moving to a newly constructed space on the 16th floor of the manhattan municipal building by december said lucian chalfen a spokesman for the state court system its current home at 346 broadway is being converted into luxury condominiums


benton harbor mich   fresh off a landmark victory bernhard langer will try to enter a league of his own at the senior pga championship
langer is coming off the 100th victory of his career   at a major no less   having won the regions tradition in alabama it was his sixth major championship as a senior and he became the second player after jack nicklaus to have won four different majors on the senior tour now known as the pga tour champions
nicklaus was the first to win the senior grand slam   it took him all of two years to win the four after he turned 50 in 1990   but he had largely retired by the time the senior british open was added to the major rotation nicklaus played that event as a major only once in its first year 2003
langer is going for an unprecedented sweep of all five senior majors as the senior pga begins thursday at harbor shores
its huge in a sense that nobodys ever done it before langer said we have had many many great players and illustrious careers and they havent
he added nobodys ever done it so its a challenge and i like challenges i like to set goals and i wasnt even aware of that until last week so this is a new goal of mine and its fun its fun to look forward to doing something that is unusual
langer 58 contended the last two times the senior pga was at the nicklaus designed harbor shores in 2012 and 2014 and he figures to be one of the favorites based on his play this year he has already won twice and leads the money list
winning back to back major titles is difficult enough langer is faced with winning back to back majors in successive weeks under the pga tour champions schedule three major tournaments are held in a four week stretch with the senior players championship two weeks from now
then again langer has done this before
six years ago he won the senior british open at carnoustie and then traveled across eight time zones and won the united states senior open at sahalee outside seattle
thats hard to do because your body is worn out and were wearing out faster in our 50s than the 20  or 30 year olds do langer said and they dont have back to back majors you learn how to manage your time and your lifestyle and what you need to do to prepare and some prepare more some prepare less i feel im well prepared i do what i need to do and hopefully im not going to be tired come saturday or sunday
john daly will play his second of what could be seven majors this year on both tours   he is exempt into the pga championship and the british open as a past champion daly has failed to seriously contend in his two pga tour champions events since turning 50
he has tied for 15th and 17th in his two tournaments although daly said he was still shaking off rust from not playing much before he turned 50
im not expecting a lot this week he said i would love to play great this week but as long as i keep making a lot of birdies for me thats the key because i know im going to make mistakes i know im going to make doubles right now its just trying to not make so many of them until i got my game where i want it
colin montgomerie is the two time defending champion
for years montgomerie was viewed as being one of the best wednesday interviews in golf and this wednesday was no exception going for his third straight title in the seniors oldest championship montgomerie was asked if he had ever won a tournament three times in a row
just the pga he replied
montgomerie never won the pga championship or any regular major so the question was posed again
just the pga at wentworth he said referring to the european tours flagship event that was all it wasnt such a big deal really beat ernie els again in 1998 and then i won in 99 and 2000 so yes ive won one tournament three times in a row the pga and im looking at this pga here so lets hope theres fate involved


a teenager died on wednesday while swimming at rockaway beach in queens in what officials said was the first drowning of the year at a public city beach just days before lifeguards would take their posts for the summer season
the authorities were called shortly after 230 pm to the boardwalk near 67th street where the police said a 19 year old man was struggling in the water teams of divers and boats were sent to look for him divers from the new york fire department found him unconscious and unresponsive after he had been in the water for nearly an hour the authorities said
the man was taken to st johns episcopal hospital in far rockaway where he was pronounced dead the authorities said his name has not been released
the swimming season at the citys public beaches begins on saturday with the memorial day weekend during the season lifeguards are stationed on the beaches from 10 am to 6 pm


volkswagen is challenging allegations made by the justice department over its diesel emissions scandal questioning the american authorities jurisdiction and contending that the accusations against it do not justify penalties
the justice department sued volkswagen in january saying that the company had installed illegal devices in nearly 600000 vehicles sold in the united states that impaired emissions controls increasing harmful air pollution volkswagen admitted in september that it had installed software to cheat on emissions tests in 11 million diesel vehicles worldwide
but in a response to the justice department filed tuesday in san francisco the german automaker appeared to back away from its mea culpa saying that the facts of the case remained unclear and that it was still conducting an internal investigation
it also challenged the courts jurisdiction over volkswagen and over its subsidiary audi saying that cars in the united states were sold through local businesses and not the parent companies it said that the statute of limitations voided any conduct at volkswagen before 2010
over all the justice department fails to allege facts sufficient for any penalties volkswagen lawyers said but the carmaker described the filing as part of the legal process and said it has no bearing on volkswagens commitment to resolving the us governments claims
the german automakers stance contrasts with that taken by general motors over its failure to disclose a deadly ignition switch defect the justice department levied a smaller than expected 900 million penalty a year and a half after the defect was revealed citing the automakers cooperation and held off from bringing criminal charges
prosecutors have also stopped short of criminal charges against volkswagen though the justice department has said that the civil suit did not preclude future action including against specific executives prosecutors have said volkswagen impeded and obstructed regulators inquiries and provided misleading information
justice department officials declined to immediately comment on volkswagens response
on tuesday the federal district judge overseeing the case charles breyer said that the automaker had made substantial progress toward reaching a settlement next month with car owners and the government
judge breyer also repeated that the settlement would include substantial compensation for owners of volkswagen and audi cars in the united states volkswagen has said it has set aside 7 billion euros or about 8 billion for legal costs worldwide even though they could be higher


a rikers island inmate beaten by correction officers in 2012 was not a victim but rather a dangerous criminal who had to be forcibly restrained after resisting orders to drop a weapon lawyers for the officers argued on wednesday
the defense lawyers offered this explanation for the beating of jahmal lightfoot during their closing arguments in the trial of nine current and former correction officers in state supreme court in the bronx they had rested their case on monday without calling any officers to testify or presenting any other witnesses or evidence
the lawyers maintained as they have from the start that the officers had committed no wrongdoing and were simply trying to do their jobs they replayed videotape from the jail reviewed court transcripts and sought to pick apart mr lightfoots credibility by highlighting his criminal record and what they saw as discrepancies in his testimony
he keeps on changing his story and the reason people change their story is because theyre not telling the truth raymond aab a lawyer for eliseo perez jr a former assistant chief for security told the jury mr aab added lightfoot is a liar
in contrast prosecutors have contended not only that mr lightfoot now 31 was unarmed when he was singled out for a beating by members of an elite correction squad but also that the weapon he supposedly had was planted as part of a cover up by the officers they have said that the beating was ordered by mr perez and gerald vaughn a former correction captain after mr perez decided that the inmate thought he was tough
mr lightfoot sustained fractures to both his eye sockets and testified that long after the beating he spit up blood and suffered from blurry vision and headaches mr lightfoot was jailed at rikers in 2010 after snatching a womans pocketbook he was released from state prison in 2014
the nine officers on trial have been charged with crimes including attempted gang assault in the first degree the most serious charge if convicted of that charge they could face a prison sentence of up to 15 years a 10th officer who has medical problems will be tried separately
the case has come to symbolize what many critics see as an entrenched culture of violence and corruption at rikers island new york citys main jail complex with 8000 inmates darcel d clark the bronx district attorney who has pledged to focus on crimes committed at rikers sat in the front row during opening statements in the trial
mr perez retired in 2013 and mr vaughn in 2014 the seven others on trial   officers tobias parker jose parra alfred rivera david rodriguez jeffrey richard harmon frierson and dwayne maynard   were suspended in june 2013 but were recently allowed to return to work on modified duty with no contact with inmates
if convicted they will be automatically fired if acquitted they could still face departmental disciplinary action
on wednesday the defense lawyers used their summations to hammer away at the prosecutions case
louis albert a lawyer for mr rivera said the holes in the prosecutions case were like swiss cheese he reminded jurors that mr lightfoot when asked to identify mr perez in the courtroom had instead picked out mr rivera that goes to the reasonable doubt that i think is throughout this case he said
defense lawyers will continue with their closing arguments on friday followed by the prosecutions summation six of the defendants will have their cases decided by a jury the three others have opted to allow justice steven barrett who has presided over the trial to make the decision
the courtroom which has been nearly empty at times as the trial has wound on for more than two months was packed with observers on wednesday including several current and former correction officers mr lightfoot did not attend
outside the courthouse an unrelated protest demanding the shutdown of rikers island was organized by akeem browder 33 the brother of kalief browder who committed suicide last year after spending three years at rikers on charges that he stole a backpack after being jailed at 16 he spent nearly two years in solitary confinement he would have been 23 on wednesday his brother said
this is his birthday he said and were not going to forget


florham park nj   for now geno smith is the starting quarterback of a team that has been candid about wanting to displace him and he dresses among prominent veterans who have lobbied for his successor to return
it is a bizarre little situation sort of like being slugged in the face by a teammate over an unpaid debt smith absorbed such a punch last august prompting the promotion of ryan fitzpatrick whose revelatory season in a way created this opportunity   however temporary perhaps   for smith
every player in the nfl i think deserves a fair opportunity smith said whether or not thats the case who knows but i believe that i do have an opportunity here and ive just got to take advantage of it
on the surface he has calling himself just wiser as he enters his fourth season smith said he had a deeper understanding of the offense the offensive coordinator chan gailey agreed basing his observation he said on the questions smith had been asking during film reviews and meetings
armed with that knowledge smith took a majority of the first team snaps wednesday when the jets had their second voluntary workout of organized team activities the longer fitzpatricks contract stalemate lasts the more of those reps will go to smith   even though the jets hope he takes none for them this season
the jets have been open about their desire to re sign fitzpatrick who wants to be rewarded for leading them to 10 victories and setting a franchise record for touchdown passes in a season
whether it happens next week next month or before training camp the expectation is that a deal will be reached fitzpatrick would reclaim his starting job coach todd bowles has said pushing smith into a backup role ahead of two developmental quarterbacks bryce petty and the rookie second round pick christian hackenberg
in an otherwise peaceful 10 minute session with the news media smith bridled when asked if he wanted fitzpatrick to re sign
thats up to the front office and ryan fitzpatrick smith said why would i speak on that come on man
bowles hesitated to say he was confident that the jets would reach an agreement with fitzpatrick
youre hopeful bowles said
that has been the jets sentiment since last season expressed by general manager mike maccagnan and teammates like receiver brandon marshall one of fitzpatricks most ardent supporters receiver eric decker and center nick mangold who attended a rangers playoff game with fitzpatrick last month
marshall decker and mangold were not present wednesday for a second consecutive day inviting speculation that they were staying away as a sign of solidarity with fitzpatrick but bowles played down their absences so did smith
i think theyve always been supportive of myself as well smith said adding i dont think theyve said anything negative about me
smith declined to say whether he envisioned himself starting the sept 11 season opener against cincinnati and it seemed a prudent decision bowles said he does not ask maccagnan for updates on fitzpatricks contract talks
just tell me when its done bowles said


gov nikki r haley a republican signed legislation wednesday that immediately outlaws most abortions in south carolina at 20 weeks beyond fertilization the only exceptions are if the mothers life is in jeopardy or a doctor determines the fetus cannot survive outside the womb doctors face up to 10000 in fines and three years in prison for each violation prison time is mandatory on a third conviction these bans are now in effect in at least 13 states and blocked by court challenges in several others supporters cite the disputed claim that a fetus can feel pain at 20 weeks opponents say later term abortions usually happen with wanted pregnancies that go horribly wrong ap
a gunman armed with a rifle body armor and extra ammunition opened fire at cars on a highway on the outskirts of phoenix leaving at least two people injured before the police captured him near a stolen vehicle that crashed into a ditch the authorities said wednesday police officials identified the suspect as james david walker 36 of san tan valley ariz they said he was being booked on suspicion of attempted homicide aggravated assault endangerment armed robbery theft of means of transportation and possession of dangerous drugs with additional charges pending he is suspected of carjacking a vehicle at a gas station and shooting at a state troopers cruiser during a manhunt tuesday night that began when drivers began reporting that a man had fired at them the officer was not injured but one person was grazed on the head with a bullet and another was hit in the leg during the highway shootings six vehicles were struck by gunfire including one troopers vehicle that was shot several times the authorities said they believed the gunman was shooting from a vehicle or the side of state route 87 there was no indication the gunfire was tied to shootings on phoenix area freeways that gained national attention last august and september ap


takata the japanese airbag maker embroiled in a huge recall has hired the investment bank lazard and is seeking a cash infusion
in an announcement on wednesday takata said it had retained lazard to lead its efforts in seeking new investment for takata as part of an endeavor to bolster the companys finances it said it was also seeking to work out a deal with affected automakers on sharing the costs of replacing millions of airbags a move it said was crucial to enabling takata to remain a viable and valued global supplier
at least 10 deaths in the united states and three overseas have been linked to takatas defective airbags which can rupture sending metal debris flying into the cars cabin more than 100 people have been injured
takata said this month that it was looking for ways to restructure its business including a possible overhaul of the division responsible for the millions of potentially dangerous airbag inflaters as it grapples with the largest auto safety recall in history
analysts have said that takata is at risk of bankruptcy without fresh capital from banks a new investor or a buyer
yoichiro nomura takatas chief financial officer said on may 11 that the company hoped to have a concrete turnaround plan in place by fall takata had appointed a committee of five lawyers and other corporate restructuring experts to advise it he said lazard is the financial adviser in the steering committee
the companys hiring of lazard to oversee a restructuring effort was reported earlier by the wall street journal
takata is facing mounting financial costs related to its recall of more than 100 million airbags worldwide as well as a flood of lawsuits from car owners and victims early this month the transportation department and takata confirmed that 17 automakers would recall up to 40 million airbag inflaters across the nation by 2019 on top of 288 million recalled previously
takata is also facing stiff penalties in november the national highway traffic safety administration announced a 70 million penalty for takata for failing to promptly disclose defects in its airbags that penalty could increase by 130 million if takata does not live up to the terms of the consent order a condition that would make it a record civil punishment for the auto industry
in addition takata faces a criminal investigation by the justice department


los angeles   anyone who figured that the remake of ghostbusters would become connected with hillary clintons presidential bid during parallel appearances on the ellen degeneres show figured right
the films stars and mrs clinton were mostly interviewed separately but ms degeneres could not resist having kate mckinnon   one of the female ghostbusters in sony pictures forthcoming film   in a bit with mrs clinton
ms mckinnon often portrays mrs clinton on saturday night live sometimes she also portrays ms degeneres on the ellen show which was taped on tuesday and was aired wednesday ms mckinnon did side by side impersonations of both and ellen demanded to know which was more fun
did i mention that im running to be the next president of the united states mrs clinton asked with a slight air of menace ms mckinnon responded by wrapping her arm around a soon beaming mrs clinton


ottawa   all of toronto is talking about the daring breakout mayor john tory went to the scene of the escape on wednesday to quiz officials about their plans everyone in town has one eye out for the fugitives but no one wants to meet them in a dark alley
whos on the loose a pair of capybaras
the animals native to south america are the worlds largest rodent   picture an oversize tail less beaver or maybe a 125 pound guinea pig a small zoo in high park on the citys west end already had one and was taking delivery of two more a mating pair bred in texas when they bolted early tuesday morning
a passer by reported glimpsing them in the area tuesday night but when mr tory arrived on wednesday park officials seemed no closer to recapturing the as yet nameless young lovers the mayor was left to look over the zoos remaining capybara chewy who sat in the grass in an otherwise empty fenced in enclosure
mr tory said a dragnet was being mounted we are deploying the full resources of the zoo team and others that they have brought to the cause he said
much of high park is forested providing plenty of cover for the two escapees both about 6 months old ponds and creeks also make good hiding places capybaras are semiaquatic and can remain submerged for long periods with only their nostrils poking above the waters surface
the animals are docile herbivores but officials still urged citizens not to try to capture them
and the city made no move to bring in trained hunters from venezuela where the creatures are regarded as a delicacy and are widely hunted before easter
megan price a spokeswoman for the toronto parks department said the plan was to lock chewy up on wednesday night and then leave the capybara enclosure open with a trail of food leading in park workers with nets were to hide in a van watching
mr tory said he was willing to take a shift but they probably decided thats beyond the competence of a mayor as they would suggest many things would be


a conservative news site posted what it said was audio proof that filmmakers behind a documentary about the gun control debate deliberately edited video to portray gun rights activists as unable to answer questions about background checks
the audio posted by the washington free beacon on wednesday seemed to differ from the video shown in the documentary under the gun in which a group of activists appear to fall silent during an interview with the news anchor katie couric
if there are no background checks for gun purchasers how do you prevent felons or terrorists from purchasing a gun ms couric asks the next shot in the film is of the activists looking on with blank stares instead of answering the question
in the audio clip of the interview posted by the free beacon ms couric prefaces her question with a remark   i know how you all are going to answer this but im asking anyway   before she asks about background checks
one if youre not in jail you should still have your basic rights someone answers about one second later
stephanie soechtig the director of the film said in a statement on wednesday that the editing was not intended to portray activists negatively
there are a wide range of views expressed in the film she said my intention was to provide a pause for the viewer to have a moment to consider this important question before presenting the facts on americans opinions on background checks i never intended to make anyone look bad and i apologize if anyone felt that way
in a brief statement of her own ms couric said i support stephanies statement and am very proud of the film
in a phone interview stephen gutowski the reporter for the free beacon who posted the audio said that he had received the clip from the virginia citizens defense league a gun rights organization whose members were interviewed in under the gun
philip van cleave the organizations president said in a phone interview that one of the people being interviewed had recorded the exchange and that people in his group often taped encounters with the news media
it wasnt an editing issue he said adding why put the question and not put an answer
when it had its premiere at the sundance film festival last winter under the gun was one of several films that explored the debate about gun control in the united states on its website sundance billed the film as scrupulously comprehensive and decidedly fair to both sides of one of the most polarizing issues that is tearing our country apart
epix the network that broadcast under the gun offered support for ms couric and ms soechtig
epix stands behind katie couric director stephanie soechtig and their creative and editorial judgment nora ryan the companys chief of staff said in a statement we encourage people to watch the film and decide for themselves


gaza city   hamas the militant islamist group that rules gaza called on wednesday for the resumption of the death penalty for certain crimes several palestinians convicted of collaborating with israel or of murder are now facing execution
in a terse statement hamas called on the competent judicial authorities to undertake their duties the statement was widely seen as a green light to begin executions because hamas officials had been arguing for days about reinstating the death penalty
we found it was important to implement the death penalty rule to maintain civil peace in society and to prevent cases of murder said yehia mousa a hamas legislator in gaza
the death penalty exists in america he said killings warrant the death penalty
we have three or four cases that are ready for the death penalty mr mousa said adding that the executions would be carried out in police stations
he did not provide more information but on april 18 a military court in gaza sentenced three men to death for collaborating with israel according to the gaza based palestinian center for human rights palestinians consider such collaboration treasonous
hamas officials began imposing the death penalty after they took control of gaza in 2007 since then the palestinian center for human rights has documented 67 executions that figure does not include hamas gunmens killings of people accused of being collaborators during wartime
hamas mostly stopped the executions after june 2014 because a national unity government led by president mahmoud abbas of the palestinian authority was officially placed in charge of gaza
an exception was the case of mahmoud ishtiwi a hamas commander who was fatally shot in april for moral crimes after he was accused of theft and of having sex with another man
as president mr abbas is required to ratify each death sentence before it is carried out but he opposes the death penalty and has not ratified a sentence since he came to power in 2005
the national unity government fell apart last year and hamas reasserted control over gaza
hamdi shakour the deputy director of programs at the palestinian center for human rights said hamas appeared to have revived the death penalty in response to the popular sentiment that crime is increasing in gaza a product of years of unemployment and poverty tight restrictions on travel and three wars in the territory
instead of talking about the collapse of the economy the social fabric and peoples living standards they are arguing that there is no preventative punishment mr shakour said
sari bashi a spokeswoman for human rights watch said its terrible the court system in gaza is rife with coercion torture and compromised procedures and so to execute people in gaza is particularly egregious


berkeley calif   the bay area has defied some heavy odds by opening two outstanding transformative museum structures in less than four months most recent and prominent is the san francisco museum of modern arts large stunning addition to its 1995 mario botta building an innovative snohetta design that expands the gallery space to 170000 square feet from 70000
but earlier at the end of january the berkeley art museum  pacific film archive unveiled an equally inspired if much smaller home in a deco style former printing plant enlarged and redesigned by diller scofidio  renfro the architects behind the broad in los angeles the institute of contemporary art in boston the current expansion of new yorks museum of modern art and the high line park in chelsea
both of these bay area projects represent a new ease with museums increasingly complex roles as social and educational entities that accommodate a full range of artistic disciplines they also share two user friendly touches that should become museum trends elevator doors printed with floor directories and an amphitheater or roman steps located invitingly near the entrance while the san francisco museums steps are of pale finely textured maple berkeleys are of relatively loud brightly knotty canary island pine designed and fabricated by the wood joinery master craftsman paul discoe from seven trees removed to make way for the expansion
these steps allow close examination of qiu zhijies 24 by 63 foot mural the world garden an eye catching expanse of detail and graphic energy that reimagines the world primarily as a chinese garden the mural inaugurates a biannual series of commissions planned for the wall and for the moment is prelude to architecture of life the visionary inaugural exhibition through sunday which uses the museums entire 25000 square feet of gallery space the show has been organized by lawrence rinder a curator at berkeley from 1988 to 1998 who returned as its director in 2008 the born again berkeley art museum  pacific film archive is very much his achievement and the show which combines art and artifacts from different cultures and several varieties of old and new scientific research seems to represent mr rinders years of looking thinking and connecting
snohetta made the best of the san francisco museums stiff botta building by largely overwhelming it diller scofidio  renfrow started from a structure with much better bones a large single story factory shed with vaulting ceilings and saw tooth skylights   perfect gallery material   attached to a slightly taller three story administrative building both made of cast concrete newly painted gleaming white
expanding downward the architects excavated beneath the factory space made possible those roman steps and created a lower level that feels surprisingly light and capacious it holds more galleries an art class area and three study centers
above ground they capitalized on the right angle formed by the meeting of the factory and the administrative wing adding a playful elegant element that remains sculpturally distinct while locking everything together the addition clad in airstream like stainless steel seems essentially folded and draped across the existing buildings the narrow portion atop the factory houses a cafe with views of the galleries and roman steps it extends over the museums front entrance creating a boxy canopy to the rear of the building the cladding fans outward sheathing a much larger ground floor space which contains the main theater of the pacific film archive fittingly it culminates in a giant outdoor digital screen facing the street that resembles a television set of late 1980s vintage
while the addition can initially look awkward as if a big flat spaceship had alighted on the building it promises to wear well because the interior spaces are varied and unfold with logic and surprises this may be scofidio diller  renfros best museum design and possibly cause for optimism about its work on the museum of modern art although the bones it is working with there are not so good
architecture of life is not your fathers theme show in that its organizational principle is not a literary conceit but a visual phenomenon it centers on form as an essential fact of existence inherent in all human activities throughout nature explored by scientists pursued by painters and composers at a moment when form receives short shrift from younger artists it plays out here in architectural models and plans and in works by artists familiar and not here are wilson bentleys photographs of snowflakes from the 1920s ernst haeckels drawings of oceanic protozoa from around 1860 and santiago ramon y cajals lacy ink drawings of gray matter in the cerebral cortex from the turn of the 20th century and there are several spectacular examples of real lace mostly from 16th  and 17th century italy lent by the lacis museum of lace and textiles in berkeley
mr rinder has cashed in chips far and wide the show includes several pomo baskets from the universitys museum of anthropology and turned wood bowls by bob stockdale from the oakland museum of california along with the improvisational quilts of rosie lee tompkins 1936 2006 from oakland one of this countrys least known great artists european loans include johannes ittens abstract painting encounter 1916 which depicts the color spectrum as a spiral and gustav caillebottes 1876 impressionist masterpiece pont de leurope depicting a massive bridge in paris
everything mirrors and enhances everything else in this superb show between the berkeley museums new home and its inspired initial use of its galleries its future looks very bright


when miles davis died 25 years ago he left behind a peerless body of work a complicated legend and a formidable archival trove given his compulsion for reinvention   the spark behind his famous boast that hed changed music five or six times   his death at 65 also opened the door to endless rounds of conjecture what other directions might davis the volatile and enigmatic trumpeter have explored who would he be collaborating with today
the pianist robert glasper has one ready answer i think id definitely be in his band at some point he said recently mr glasper who supervised the music in don cheadles brash kinetic biopic miles ahead has studied milesian music and attitude closely over the last several years his efforts paid off not only in the film but also on a seductive new album everythings beautiful featuring his remixes of davis tracks from the columbialegacy vault with a starry assortment of guests
im obviously influenced by miles davis   even just the psyche of how he thinks about music mr glasper said how he moves through and always wanted to reflect the times that hes in thats what im doing now he opened that door
mr glasper has spent most of his career bridging modern jazz hip hop and soul with his agile acoustic trio as well as the robert glasper experiment a four piece band his crossover triumphs on blue note include a pair of albums with the experiment black radio 2012 and black radio 2 2013 both yielded grammy awards cracked the top 20 on the billboard album chart and featured an array of vocalists   rappers like lupe fiasco and common and singers like erykah badu and bilal those grammys were grouped under rb not jazz
the guest list on everythings beautiful similarly includes bilal and ms badu along with the formally ambitious soul singers laura mvula and ledisi and the progressive rb groups hiatus kaiyote and king but where the black radio albums flaunt the prowess of a live band in the studio the new release rests on a foundation of sampled material so it feels something like a robert glasper experiment album without the experiment   a suggestion that elicited a hearty laugh from mr glasper no he shot back well kind of
mr glasper has the casual jittery self possession of someone given to constant motion he was a striking presence on kendrick lamars 2015 hip hop masterwork to pimp a butterfly and remade songs by mr lamar jhene aiko and others on his own album covered with the trio
his sinuous hand as an arranger comes across just as clearly on a cover recorded for the album but never commercially released sign o the times by prince one of those artists whose brief history with davis generates its own subcategory of what ifs
mr glasper naturally identifies with davis who would have turned 90 this thursday some of the first lines of dialogue in miles ahead which will be available in bonus laden blu ray dvd and digital formats on july 19 find mr cheadle as davis brusquely disavowing the word jazz and shrugging off expectations rooted in the past
daviss trademark rasp appears all over everythings beautiful more often than his horn the opening track includes a set of instructions to his sidemen during sessions in the late 60s and early 70s at one point davis goads the drummer joe chambers to play some kind of pulse that goes on all the time that doesnt sound like ting ta ting   a disparaging nod to a swinging ride cymbal pattern   in favor of a loop that doesnt break and it doesnt sound corny
hes talking about hip hop mr glasper said miles wanted hip hop without knowing what it was called
the new album supports that idea with tracks like violets which has phonte coleman rapping over bill evanss piano part on blue in green mr glasper asked the tracks producer 9th wonder to sample an unissued take rather than the canonical version from kind of blue on silence is the way ms mvula sings of dauntless introspection over a skeletal beat ghetto walkin based on the ghetto walk features bilal whose lyrics ring with cool perseverance
some guests including king and hiatus kaiyote created their own tracks for the project mr glasper takes his only piano solo on a remix of milestones by georgia anne muldrow elsewhere there are signs of his distinctive comic touch im leaving you a funky strut with guitar work by john scofield has a chorus in which ledisi belts the affronted title phrase followed by a muttered protestation from davis wait a minute wait a minute
another breakup song maiysha so long is a synthetic bossa nova whose lyrics hide a bawdy inside joke   thats what she said the punch line turned into a popular meme by the nbc sitcom the office ms badu and mr glasper longtime friends were goofing around with the joke in the studio and it stuck i figured miles would love that mr glasper said
which brings us back into the realm of speculation i think miles would have messed with a lot of different artists mr glasper mused if he was here now hed love kendrick lamar hed love andre 3000 hed love erykah
and if daviss push to reach a young black audience is one point of solidarity for mr glasper his prickly relationship with the jazz establishment suggests another a lot of times i prefer not even to say jazz because technically i do more than that mr glasper said using his own words to strike a familiar chord i dont want to put myself in a box either


with memorial day finally here the forecast for the hamptons this summer looks sunny with plenty of bright new restaurants cheery cocktail clubs and beachfront thrills to while away those lazy hot days fashion and beauty shops are popping up all over the east end and the social circuit is as robust as ever with big ticket parties nearly every weekend from now to labor day
here are our picks for the best new places to eat drink play and relax in the hamptons this summer
the hamptons skies are more crowded this summer
blade the uber like helicopter app is back and bigger than ever with a new terminal on wall street it now offers four departure points from manhattan with one way fares starting at 495 onboard snacks are catered by brands including dean and deluca though the short flight about 35 minutes barely leaves time for a second glass of chateau desclans rock angel rose
jetsmarter a service that flies to 170 countries is also offering helicopter service between new york and the hamptons on new bell 407 or bell 407gx helicopters flights are included in annual memberships starting at 9675 and are 495 one way for everyone else
although uber is still banned in east hampton getting around the east end is easier and cheaper this summer with the hampton hopper a mint green school bus that operates 12 stops from sag harbor village to montauk single rides are 12 unlimited daily passes 20 it runs thursdays to sundays download its app for a schedule
had too much pinot at the party a new app driver on tap will dispatch a designated driver to get you back home in your own vehicle starting at 35
you wont hear as much music thumping across montauk this summer town officials are enforcing existing noise codes against live music as a way of tamping down on the rowdiness that has turned this once quiet fishing village into a party capital
the surf lodge which had announced a summer concert lineup that included miike snow and gary clark jr is in limbo its very frustrating said an owner jayma cardoso who is optimistic she can work with the state liquor authority and town officials to find a compromise canceling live music is robbing the community of culture that flourishes and grows here
the restrictions wont dampen the fun at sloppy tuna a wild beachfront bar where charlie sheen has partied and popular drinks include the fireball shot earlier this year one of the owners announced the bar was closing because of an internal dispute but that has been cleared up just in time for summer were trying to keep it as the pearl that it is in montauk said jeff capri the general manager
the surf lodge 183 edgemere street montauk 631 483 5037 thesurflodgecom the sloppy tuna 148 south emerson avenue montauk 631 647 8000 lisloppytunacom
the nights may be quieter this summer but the dining scene heats up in montauk
newcomers include the grey lady a casual seafood restaurant that opened on lake montauk down the block from gosmans dock a 1951 wooden sailboat is docked nearby and available for charters you can order food from the restaurant have a little picnic go out and watch the sunset and come back said an owner ryan chadwick
ciao by the beach the site of many noise complaints last summer is now the arbor a mediterranean style restaurant that serves wines from high tech dispensers its owner marc rowan is also behind the changes at duryeas the beloved seafood shack that has been around since the 1930s plastic tables and chairs have been replaced with teak paper plates with bamboo the adjoining fish market has also been upgraded with an oyster and sushi counter
ruschmeyers is also switching things up teaming with the chef savannah jordan and the east village bistro virginias to create new dishes jay astafa a new chef at the surf lodge is introducing vegan dishes inspired by australian surf towns like cantaloupe gazpacho with eggplant bacon and borage
the grey lady 440 west lake drive montauk 631 210 6249 greyladymtkcom the arbor 240 fort pond road montauk 631 238 5430 arbormontaukcom duryeas 65 tuthill road montauk 631 668 2410 duryealobsterscom ruschmeyers 161 second house road montauk 631 668 8249 chelseahotelscom
the rest of the east end has plenty for hungry hamptonites
the greenwich a new american restaurant opens may 26 at the former red stixs space in water mill while the menu roasted chicken lobster broil may not win points for originality the cocktail list promises more unusual ingredients like lavender bitters and kaffir lime leaves
owners of the southampton social club are behind union cantina a farm to table mexican restaurant in the former southampton publick house the restaurant has three bars including the 400 rabbits tequila bar which carries more than 100 types of tequila
southampton inn is modernizing everything said the owner dede gotthelf including a new restaurant cafe klyde which offers banquets and clambakes and carry out cafe klyde for takeout
the greenwich 1020 montauk highway water mill 631 726 6200 greenwichrestaurantcom union cantina 40 bowden square southampton 631 377 3500 southampton inn 91 hill street southampton 631 283 6500 southamptoninncom
barrys bootcamp the bro friendly fitness class is opening its third and largest location in the hamptons this time within a farmhouse chic space in southampton expect sweaty celebrity sightings at the intense cardio classes
out of shape tennis fans can work out at the hampton racquet in east hampton which has a new outdoor fitness area with trx training boxing and strength training people in the city are indoors too much said john graham the founder who is also opening what he calls a country club for kids with board games art classes and of course tennis
hotels are also getting into shape at the surf lodge in montauk xtend barre offers its ballet like workouts overlooking fort pond and anna kaiser will lead her popular akt inmotion dance cardio class may 28 and aug 13
gurneys montauk resort  seawater spa offers an array of water boards including surfboards beaver beater boards paddle boards and boogie boards to guests courtesy of paddle diva water sports
barrys bootcamp 10 montauk highway southampton barrysbootcampcom hampton racquet 172 buckskill road east hampton 631 324 0297 hamptonracquetcom gurneys 290 old montauk highway montauk 631 668 2345 gurneysmontaukcom
the hamptons restaurateurzach erdem is expanding his night life empire mr erdem the owner of the ever popular 75 main in southampton is opening four new spots this summer
opening on may 27 is kozu a 250 seat japanese restaurant with a large patio overlooking main street daniel and derek koch the party promoters are holding their champagne brunches there on saturdays behind it is summer house a late night lounge with a patio filled with white linen daybeds and hydrangeas
mr erdem is reopening the former 1oak space as am a booming nightclub with graffiti decorated walls headlining djs fat joe raps may 27 and gyrating burlesque dancers from the box and when its time to sleep mr erdems hotel ze at the same address as kozu has five suites and four rooms designed by costas kondylis rates start at 800 on weekends
kozu summer house hotel ze 136 main street southampton 631 619 6660 75maingroupcom am 125 tuckahoe lane southampton 631 353 3888 75maingroupcom
craving dim sum with champagne jue lan club a clubby modern chinese restaurant named after a secret art society from the 1930s is opening a 6000 square foot night spot in southampton
the action begins during the day with a three course bottomless brunch with unlimited mimosas bloody marys or screwdrivers 3495 the art club theme comes alive in the backroom where the barn gruin gallery opens may 27 with a photo exhibition punks poets and provocateurs by marcia resnick on weekend nights the elm  main lounge takes over the backroom and features djs and an open kitchen till 4 am
jue lan club 268 elm street southampton 631 353 3610 juelanclubcom
if the hamptons runs out of rose remember the scare of 2014 the north fork has your back several wineries including bridge lane wine castello di borghese vineyard the lenz winery and roanoke vineyards on love lane will hold a north fork rose crawl on june 11 the self guided tour coincides naturally with national rose day
rose will also be flowing at andre balazss sunset beach hotel on shelter island which has lined up balearic djs on weekends between july 4 and labor day the hotel is also offering a sunset hooky day trip package that includes an 11 am seaplane flight on a thursday or friday three course lunch and 430 pm return 735
sunset beach 35 shore road shelter island 631 749 2001 sunsetbeachlicom
few artists can afford it anymore but the hamptons remain a place to see and buy art the art hamptons art fair returns for it ninth installment in bridgehampton june 23 to 26 its founder rick friedman is also holding a new home design and decor show hamptons contemporary june 3 to 5 featuring some 160 design firms and stores at the elks fairground in southampton
on the museum front guild hall features peter beard last word from paradise the artists first solo exhibition in the united states in 15 years june 18 to july 31 the parrish art museum showcases the work of three influential new york painters   ross bleckner eric fischl and david salle   on july 31 and the watermill center showcases an installation of red yellow and blue light sculptures by g t pellizzi from june 11 to aug 28
art hamptons 900 lumber lane bridgehampton 800 563 7632 arthamptonscom hamptons contemporary 605 county road 39 southampton hamptonscontemporarycom guild hall 158 main street east hampton 631 324 0806 guildhallorg the parrish art museum 279 montauk highway water mill 631 283 2118 parrishartorg the watermill center 39 water mill towd road water mill 631 726 4628 watermillcenterorg
make room in the beach bag the east hampton star the 131 year old weekly newspaper is starting a glossy magazine east that will cover the east end lifestyle with the credibility and authenticity only the east hampton star can provide according to its media kit the first issue comes out june 23
hamptons magazine part of the recently renamed greengale publishing titles also include gotham and ocean drive has been revamped its the coffee table book to keep all summer long said samantha yanks the editor the memorial day issue out may 26 features drew barrymore on the cover and is 350 pages the magazine will also be on snapchat hamptonsmag
tesla is opening a showroom in east hampton where customers can customize their electric vehicles with autopilot hardware and hepa filters and while your contractor is installing a charging station in your beachfront garage plug into new charging stations at the maidstone white fences inn and the montauk yacht club resort and marina
tesla 50 newton lane east hampton teslamotorscom
while no new mega resorts are opening in the hamptons this summer there are plenty of face lifts
the 90 year old gurneys montauk resort  seawater spa in montauk which has been transformed in recent years has 42 newly renovated rooms that feature dip dyed omber drapes and other modern touches the surf lodge has freshened up all 20 rooms with new furniture mattresses and whimsical photographs by gray malin and all 90 rooms at thesouthampton inn have been redone with paint carpenting lighting soundproof flooring and tempur pedic mattresses


a queens lawyer was accused on wednesday of stealing nearly 600000 from a deceased clients estate including profits from the sale of the slave theater in brooklyn a significant venue among civil rights activists
the lawyer frank racano 54 was charged with one count of grand larceny for allegedly writing himself checks from the estate of the client a longtime brooklyn civil court judge john l phillips jr who owned the fulton street theater before his death in 2008
judge phillips bought the theater a former vaudeville and movie house in 1984 and filled it with murals of black leaders like marcus garvey and the rev dr martin luther king jr after a black man was killed in howard beach queens in 1986 activists including the rev al sharpton began to organize rallies and other events at the slave regularly
at a time when harlem was still the traditional center of new yorks black community the slave became a touchstone of black activism in bedford stuyvesant now like much else in brooklyn it is scheduled for redevelopment
in 2010 prosecutors said samuel boykin judge phillipss nephew by marriage became the administrator of his estate mr boykin hired mr racano to assist in the sale of the judges real estate holdings including the theater and a lot behind it at 10 halsey street in 2012 and 2013 prosecutors said a buyer placed more than 700000 into mr racanos attorney trust checking account
over the next two years prosecutors said mr racano wrote and cashed 300 unauthorized checks to himself from the account in sums ranging from 45 to 7500 until it was depleted we will now hold him accountable for these shameful acts ken thompson the brooklyn district attorney said in a statement on wednesday
shortly before mr thompsons statement was released mr racano was arraigned in state supreme court in brooklyn where he pleaded not guilty he was ordered held on bail of 250000 and he is scheduled to return to court on aug 10


donald j trump and speaker paul d ryan spoke by phone on wednesday night hours after reports circulated that mr ryan the highest ranking elected republican was on the verge of endorsing the presumptive republican presidential nominee
but the call was set up days ago according to one person briefed on it who was not authorized to speak publicly and aides to mr ryan made clear that he would not offer an endorsement in the call
any such anticipation is absolutely untrue said zack roday a spokesman for mr ryans political operations the purpose of the call tonight is for the two of them to continue their conversation about unifying the party we never gave any indication that the call was about an endorsement
a spokeswoman for mr trump did not respond to an email seeking comment news of the call was first reported by bloomberg politics earlier wednesday bloomberg politics and abc news citing sources close to the trump campaign said that mr ryan was going to endorse mr trump
this month the speaker jolted the republican political establishment by telling cnn that he was not yet ready to support mr trump as the partys nominee the two have since met and mr ryan has made clear his concern with mr trumps stance on some issues as well as his language on the campaign trail
in a meeting with a few dozen capitol hill reporters on wednesday afternoon to discuss his coming policy agenda mr ryan repeatedly said he was not ready to endorse mr trump and that their staff members continued to talk about policy ideas and other issues
i dont have a timeline in my mind and i have not made a decision mr ryan said nothing has changed from that perspective and were still having productive conversations
mr ryan declined to weigh in on some of mr trumps more caustic comments of late but he did defend susana martinez the governor of new mexico and chairwoman of the republican governors association whom mr trump sharply criticized in a speech in her state on tuesday night ms martinez has refused to endorse mr trump
susanna martinez is great governor mr ryan said she turned deficits into surpluses she cut taxes shes a friend of mine i think shes a good governor ill leave it at that
mr ryan did however go on at some length about his displeasure with mr trumps apparent lust for executive power
this is one of my big concerns he said
mr ryan is a product of the conservative movement and he has sought to lay out an agenda for the party for many years yet he faces crosswinds within his own republican conference from house members whose districts support mr trump and who worry about their own future races


paris   an escalating battle between the french government and unions over labor law changes led to long gasoline lines on wednesday as protesters blocked the entrances to some of the nations eight refineries
the blockade of the refineries led the government to use force to try to disperse the union protesters in some locations it also took the rare step of dipping into its strategic petroleum reserves in order to deal with the fuel shortfalls and keep the economy stable
it was the latest and most prominent flare up in a long simmering dispute between unions and the socialist government over legislation intended to give a boost to the economy by making it easier for employers to hire and fire workers president francois hollande and prime minister manuel valls say the legislation is vital to promoting growth and reducing unemployment which is stuck above 10 percent leaders of many unions say the plan would undercut the safeguards provided to workers and the governing socialists have been split by differences over the issue
in southern france riot police officers dismantled a blockade at a refinery in fos sur mer on tuesday and a second blockade at a refinery in douchy les mines in northern france was dismantled wednesday morning the police turned water cannons on the striking workers and removed burning tires and other obstacles to allow traffic in and out of the refineries
it was unclear when the situation would become calm enough to allow fuel trucks through and in the meantime motorists faced long waits to fill their tanks in some regions of the country rationing in others and growing numbers of stations where gas had run out in northeastern france some motorists were reported to be driving over the border to belgium to fill up
the actions by the police did not seem to deter the unions
as long as the government refuses to discuss the law with us the strikes will go on philippe martinez the secretary general of frances largest union the general confederation of labor said wednesday on the radio station france inter
the union known by its french initials cgt and the other unions working closely with it on the strikes are among the least amenable to negotiations labor experts here say
but the government appeared to be in no mood to negotiate speaking to parliament on wednesday mr valls said that there would be no retreat from the text of the law and that the cgt does not lay down the law in this country
the unions have called for a nationwide strike on thursday that would affect public transportation including the suburban train system in the paris area high speed trains nationwide and air traffic controllers as well as planned 24 hour walkouts by workers at at least 16 of the 19 nuclear plants that provide electricity around the country although it was unclear how severe the strikes would be and whether they would affect electricity output
the refinery blockades have created shortages or completely drained fuel supplies at about 4000 of the countrys roughly 11500 service stations according to an interview by agence france presse with pierre auclair a founder of the app essence which tracks fuel supplies to gas stations but the shortages are not evenly distributed the countrys north is facing far more service station closures than much of the rest of the country and so are several major cities including the paris metropolitan area toulouse and lyon
the government and the unions have pledged to stand their ground suggesting a prolonged period of confrontation
mr martinez said the leaders of seven of the countrys largest unions had demanded a meeting with mr hollande to discuss the new labor law
while mr hollande appears politically weak less than a year before the next presidential election he has shown little inclination to compromise not least because some measures in the legislation have already been weakened as it has moved through parliament even the measures remaining in the proposed law are seen as insufficient by the international monetary fund to revive frances economy and generate substantial numbers of new jobs
the government forced the legislation through the lower chamber of parliament using a rarely invoked executive power the french senate will start discussing the legislation on june 13 should the disruption in gasoline supplies continue it could complicate life for visitors and residents alike during the euro 2016 soccer tournament which france will host the tournament starts on june 10 and will continue for weeks at sites across the country
the legislation known as the el khomri law for the labor minister myriam el khomri would make a number of changes in the rights of workers that could result in reduced pay or longer working hours even though it would not change the 35 hour workweek
the provisions that have proved most controversial in the proposed legislation would enable agreements negotiated at the company level to take precedence over those negotiated at the branch or industry level unions fear that at the level of individual businesses employers would have more leverage to force concessions from workers
the proposed law also states that pay for overtime cannot be less than 10 percent more than regular pay currently it cannot be less than 25 percent more than regular pay
another much contested provision would specify in a detailed manner the economic criteria for laying off workers in times of financial hardship now judges in labor courts have some leeway in determining whether a layoff is justified
fights between unions and the government are standard fare in france and presidents in the past have sometimes backed down in the face of large strikes more recently government leaders have been less willing to yield as frances economy has struggled   and so far failed   to recover after five years of slow or no growth
this fight has been particularly bitter because it has pitted a socialist government against unions and other groups on the left that see the governments policies as excessively business friendly and therefore a betrayal and an abandonment of a tradition of left leaning parties supporting workers as well as campaign promises to protect workers
huge strikes during jacques chiracs presidency forced the government to back down from changes in the pension system that would have among other things raised the retirement age for railway workers above 55 and reorganized the state transportation system cutting jobs among other changes designed to cut the governments deficit
under president nicolas sarkozy who raised the retirement age drawing the wrath of the cgt and other unions protesters held strikes that in some ways resembled the current ones all of the countrys refineries were blocked and as many as 4000 service stations had fuel shortages at the height of the union action mr sarkozy took some similar measures to those of mr hollande forcibly breaking the blockades at refineries


washington   the mets and the nationals played their second rubber match in less than a week on wednesday afternoon with the mets looking for a better result than the one they had obtained at citi field last thursday when washington hammered the erstwhile mets ace matt harvey for nine runs in two and two thirds innings
harvey who gave up five runs in tuesdays loss here remains an enormous question mark for the mets but on wednesday their captain david wright hit a first inning solo home run that gave them a lead they never relinquished at a sold out nationals park and the mets went on to win 2 0 tying the season series at 3 3 wrights homer was the games only extra base hit
but the game ball deserved to go to the rookie pitcher steven matz 7 0 in his last seven starts and 11 1 in 14 regular season games in his career facing the nationals formidable lineup   albeit one without the regular leadoff hitter ben revere and the slumping star bryce harper whom manager dusty baker gave a mental day off   matz gave up no runs and four hits in eight innings while recording seven strikeouts
harper got off to a blazing start this season but he has struggled lately as opposing managers have tried to take the bat out of his hands as seen by the major league leading 13 intentional walks he has been issued baker did call on harper to pinch hit in the bottom of the eighth with a runner on first two outs and the nationals trailing 2 0
at that point mets manager terry collins could have brought in his already warm closer jeurys familia but he stuck with matz
we had jeurys ready and i know jeurys gets bryce out collins said after the game but i think when you have a young player there are certain situations where youve got to challenge him thats one of them
matz fell behind in the count with two balls and no strikes at which point collins said the mets pitching coaching dan warthen muttered well find out what hes made of
two pitches later matz 7 1 got harper to ground out weakly to second base on an outside fastball ending the inning
matz threw the ball really well today said daniel murphy a former met now playing second base for the nationals murphy added i thought tanner threw well enough to win
tanner roark 3 4 the nationals starter mostly quieted the mets ordinarily loud bats   they entered the game tied for the major league lead in homers and have slugged 65 of them in 46 games roark gave up one earned run in seven innings lowering his era to 271
murphy hit two singles and continued to lead the majors with a 394 batting average but he helped contribute to the mets second run neil walker kicked off the top of the seventh by hitting a single matt reynolds hit into a fielders choice and murphy then committed an error on a potential double play ball by eric campbell that sent reynolds to third rene rivera then singled driving in reynolds who had entered the game at shortstop in the bottom of the first because of asdrubal cabreras back spasms
no it was not a bad hop it was a bad play murphy said of his error one of two committed by the nationals
the first round of what promises to be a season long slugfest between the mets and the nationals ended in a draw the teams are scheduled to play six more games just before the all star break with the final six scheduled for september
after wednesdays victory the mets 27 19 were a half game back of the nationals 28 19 with a day off thursday followed by three games at home versus the los angeles dodgers the nationals host the st louis cardinals for four games beginning thursday
familia finally entered the game in the bottom of the ninth and gave up successive singles to jayson werth and murphy
but familia struck out ryan zimmerman before getting anthony rendon to ground into a forceout at second base
that left catcher wilson ramos hitting 336 at the plate with two outs and runners at the corners ramos grounded to third giving familia his 16th save this season in 16 opportunities


dhaka bangladesh   a hindu store owner was hacked to death in his shop in northern bangladesh on wednesday morning a social media account linked to the islamic state later said that the killing was carried out by the groups fighters but the police said they had arrested a suspect who had a financial dispute with the victim
the victim debesh chandra pramanik was alone in his shoe store shortly after 6 am when he was attacked by unknown assailants the police said
his wife who had stepped out to get flowers returned to find him dead with wounds on his neck said ashraful islam the police superintendent in gaibandha district
mr islam described the shoe salesman as a totally innocent person mr islam said he hesitated to ascribe any motive in the killing because as he put it killing by hacking is an old style of killing people in our country
the police later arrested a local man nripen chandra who is also hindu as a suspect in the killing it was believed that the two men had a dispute over money said mozammal haque the officer in charge at the gobindoganj police station
a message posted by the amaq news agency which is linked to the islamic state said islamic state fighters had killed a hindu businessman by stabbing according to the site intelligence group which monitors jihadist websites
the bangladeshi authorities have dismissed claims on social media that representatives of islamic state and al qaeda have been behind recent killings saying that the international jihadist networks have no organizational presence in bangladesh
in recent weeks a cluster of assaults have been carried out in the country often with machetes in public places during daylight hours
for years islamist extremist groups have singled out atheist bloggers and intellectuals for attacks but they have expanded their targets in the last year to include hindus shiites christians gay rights activists and foreigners
last friday unidentified assailants riding a motorcycle cut the throat of a doctor who practiced homeopathic medicine and wounded a university professor known for espousing secular views
other victims in may included a buddhist monk who was found dead in his temple in a remote region of southeastern bangladesh his neck apparently slashed with a machete a sufi muslim leader who was found dead in a mango grove with deep cuts to his neck and a hindu tailor who had been briefly jailed over accusations that he made an unfavorable remark about the prophet muhammad


dear evan hansen an affecting new musical set at a high school is making a quick transfer to broadway this fall
the musical about a teenager with social anxiety whose stature is transformed when the school bully kills himself on sunday will end a sold out off broadway run at second stage which began march 26 the show has won strong reviews and this week its creative team won an obie the big award for off broadway shows for musical theater while its star ben platt 22 won an obie for his performance
the show is striking for its moral complexity as well as its musical ambition as it explores how a ballooning lie amplified by the connective tissue of social media reorders familial and peer relationships in a small community responding to an unexpected tragedy mr platt who is best known for his work in the pitch perfect films gives a moving performance as the title character while rachel bay jones is winning plaudits for her poignant portrayal of his single mother
dear evan hansen features music and lyrics by benj pasek and justin paul who previously collaborated on broadways a christmas story and a book by the playwright steven levenson the show which had a production last year at arena stage in washington is directed by michael greif who is no stranger to the art of musicalizing adolescent darkness   mr greif directed next to normal as well as rent
the broadway production of dear evan hansen will be produced by stacey mindich and is scheduled to begin performances in november at an unspecified shubert theater


an international feud between a celebrated hollywood actor and an australian government official already a strange spectacle keeps getting stranger
in one corner is the actor johnny depp who said on jimmy kimmel live on monday that the official looked as if he had been inbred with a tomato
in the other corner is barnaby joyce australias deputy prime minister and agriculture minister he said on wednesday that he was inside mr depps head like hannibal lecter the killer cannibal in the movie the silence of the lambs
why a fair person might wonder would a high ranking australian official and a cooler than thou actor descend into name calling across oceans why did it lead to perhaps mr depps worst acting performance ever in the form of a video apology does it have something to do with a threat to kill healthy dogs valid questions all lets catch you up
mr depp 52 known for playing such offbeat roles as hunter s thompson edward scissorhands and captain jack sparrow in the pirates of the caribbean movies was in australia last year to film the fifth installment in the franchise the trouble began when his wife amber heard 30 arrived in australia on april 21 2015 with their two yorkshire terriers pistol and boo to visit him the actress had disembarked from her private jet without declaring the dogs who were supposed to be placed in quarantine upon arrival
her lawyer jeremy kirk later said that ms heard believed that mr depps staff had taken care of the pets paperwork they had not the australian authorities were not happy and set down the conditions for the couple to make things right
mr joyce had strong words about mr depp it basically looks like he sneaked them in he declared in may 2015 mr depp either has to take his dogs back to california or were going to have to euthanize them
that struck mr depp and ms heard as a tad extreme sympathetic observers started a hashtag waronterrier and created a petition asking for canine leniency but celebrities arent above the law mr joyce maintained
if you start letting movie stars even though theyve been the sexiest man alive twice to come into our nation then why dont we just break the laws for everybody mr joyce said
in the end mr depp and ms heard agreed to send the pups back to the united states
then on wednesday night word came that she had filed for divorce after 15 months of marriage
in april ms heard pleaded guilty to providing false information on her passenger card prosecutors dropped the more serious charges which could have led to two years in jail and a fine of 20000 australian dollars about 15350
ms heard and mr depp made a video apology which the australian government uploaded to youtube the video to put it bluntly is awkward and quite excruciating to watch
australia is free of many pests and diseases that are commonplace around the world ms heard says without enthusiasm that is why australia has to have such strong biosecurity laws
mr depp continues with the energy of a man who hadnt had his espresso yet and australians are just as unique both warm and direct when you disrespect australian law they will tell you firmly
i am truly sorry that pistol and boo were not declared ms heard says protecting australia is important
mr depp closes with a passionless word of advice declare everything when you enter australia thanks
mr joyce was unimpressed mocking the couples video by saying it looked as if mr depp was auditioning for the godfather
i dont think hell get an academy award for his performance he said according to the bbc
on jimmy kimmel live mr depp revisited the whole saga dryly criticizing the choice they made to utilize the taxpayers dollars to globally chase down a couple teacup yorkies and give them 50 hours to live
mr kimmel asked who had written the video apology and mr depp dodged by replying a genius he said he didnt watch the iphone produced video before it was released because i didnt want to kill myself
then he turned to the subject of mr joyce saying he looks somehow inbred with a tomato its not a criticism i was a little worried he might explode
mr joyce lobbed his own barbs the next day telling reporters im inside his head
im pulling little strings and pulling little levers long after ive forgotten about mr depp hes remembering me he said according to the associated press im turning into his hannibal lecter
but mr joyce said the case had serious implications and he thanked mr depp for the publicity given to biosecurity laws
we cant have rabies coming into the country he said according to the sydney morning herald who does the fella think he was


the new aquazzura store on madison avenue sells shoes that complete perfect outfits colorful high heels and slightly less high heels that lace up around the ankle tied with tassel ended bows that dance with a womans stride
in photos on the companys website tagged follow my aquazzurasteps shoes act as visual punctuation zigzag straps mirror a blazers tailored lines ankle ties hug right at a denim hem the tip of a red or blue toe delights the eye when it peeks out from under a long black skirt this woman looks polished
in fact the women with whom the italian footwear label has collaborated olivia palermo in 2014 and poppy delevingne in 2015 had small collections are nothing if not masters of photo readiness the aquazzura woman is together in full dress finished the shoes are even named for such women linda alexa milla christy karlie matilde gigi
whats missing today in fashion is simply beautiful things edgardo osorio a co founder of the label in 2011 when he was 25 told w magazine in march its as if to be interesting you had to be depressed and messy but thats complete nonsense
the store is pristine and so completely symmetrical that when i walk in i feel as if im throwing it off i look to the left and right two baroque rimmed mirrors two stretches of black and white striped archway two shiny gold shelves two dusty rose couches at the front of the store theres a circular marble table covered with pointed toe flats 675 to 1050 in a rainbow array the same shoe in shades of red yellow green blue etc the message seems to be flats you collect heels you covet
i walk around the perimeter feeling my two sockless feet in my loafers i havent worn heels in more than two years i pause to look at a pair of heels with sculptural leather pineapples at the achilles 975 and some sandals with bright pompoms 825 i pick up a shoe as i would an 80 mug lift it flip it tilt it think why i dont know what im considering theres nothing to do with a shoe if you arent going to try it on
but im wearing track pants and my feet are unpedicured they feel hot the fact that im imagining the reception of my feet and legs is a female labor that is exhausting the labor of beauty the expectation of looking finished for an external gaze is in me not in the space but i cant shake it and i leave
a week later i go back but first i stop at the new met breuer the contemporary arm of the metropolitan museum of art which is on the same block one of the shows up is called unfinished thoughts left visible an exhibition of incomplete works sketches lines underpaintings halts and starts anxiety and abandonment are all visible i stop at an unfinished klimt posthumous portrait of ria munk iii
ria munk committed suicide after her fiance ended their engagement and her family commissioned the portrait but none satisfied them this one was klimts third attempt in it munks face is finished her expression is confident and bright all thats unfinished is her outfit a dress scribbled in charcoal with a tiny pointed shoe peeking out from the hem klimt it seems couldnt land on what this complicated woman should wear
in the store its golden hour ryan korban the interior designer who also did the alexander wang edon manor and fivestory spaces favors mirrors and blasted with early evening light the mirrored shelves cast lit up reflections on the walls the sun streaks with abandon i ask to try on a pair of suede mid heel pumps 725
these are so comfortable the saleswoman tells me as she unboxes them when trying on heels comfortable means not painful the contradictions embedded in heels are well examined do they elevate or limit women but its always this question that stirs me are you comfortable just because youre not in pain
to this point im surprised when i slip off the hard leather feit sandals im breaking in and find that a pair of never worn by me heels already feel better on my feet aquazzura shoes are so comfortable i would recommend them to a caryatid you can walk on the marble too the saleswoman offers
the checkerboard floor is almost glowing so i probably would have hesitated i learn that the shoes are built with a memory foam pad under the ball of the foot and constructed from supple unlined suede that molds to the shape of your feet its the end of the day and while i try on shoes the saleswoman who is wearing a pair of low black suede heels sits on the couch with me
i tie and untie several pairs including rainbow ankle boots 695 that look as if theyre painted on with thick even brush strokes forgetting im no longer in a museum i ask may i take a picture
im not sure what i want to remember maybe these are my last heels im finished


st petersburg fla   a judge on wednesday denied gawker medias motion seeking a new trial for an invasion of privacy suit brought by the former professional wrestler hulk hogan after a jury awarded him more than 140 million over the publication of a sex tape
lawyers for gawker had argued that documents sealed by the judge during the trial some of which included the wrestler making racist statements should have been made available to the jury which reached its decision in march they also tried to show that the jurors objectivity had been tainted the arguments did not persuade the judge pamela campbell who also ruled that the amount of the damages would not be reduced
gawker now plans to appeal the original verdict
the case in pinellas county circuit court is based on a grainy black and white tape made in the mid 2000s which showed the wrestler whose legal name is terry g bollea having sex with the wife of a friend gawker posted a brief excerpt from the tape in 2012 gawker argued that posting the excerpt was protected under the first amendment and that mr bollea by talking about his sex life in public had given up his right to privacy
the jury awarded mr bollea 60 million for emotional distress 55 million for economic distress and about 25 million in punitive damages
the lawyers for gawker noted that no other florida defendant had been awarded such large sums in similar cases using the economic and punitive portions as specific legal precedents
really none of those cases were like this case judge campbell said in response they were medical cases they were age or wage loss
the hearing came a day after it was revealed that mr bolleas legal case had been financed by the paypal co founder peter thiel
a lawyer for gawker seth berlin tried to bring up the issue of mr thiel as new discovery material but judge campbell refused to look at articles published by forbes and the new york times about mr thiels involvement
i dont like looking at all the stuff thats published out there   its not healthy judge campbell said well wait and see
a lawyer for mr bollea kenneth turkel said in court that he was not aware of the articles about mr thiels involvement


getting free access to consumer credit scores is becoming easier in recent years more credit cards and lenders have been making free scores including versions of the widely used fico score available to their customers
now discover has gone one step further and is making fico credit scores available free to anyone   even to people who dont have a discover card and may have no interest in getting one
the scores are available to consumers who register online at discovers credit scorecard feature they do not need to apply for a card to obtain a score said julie loeger chief marketing officer for discover
credit scores are three digit summaries of the information available in your credit report they are used by lenders to determine whether to give you a loan and what interest rate to charge discover says fico scores are used by 90 percent of major lenders
why would discover and its partners fico and the credit bureau experian which provides the data used to create the scores want to offer the scores free
ms loeger said the company received a big response when it began offering free fico scores to its card customers in 2013 and has gradually been broadening its offerings we got a lot of very positive feedback she said the programs differ slightly fico scores offered to existing discover customers are based on credit data from transunion another major credit bureau
discover also hopes of course that the feature will help attract new customers to its credit cards im not going to say we dont want to be americas favorite credit card ms loeger said
there may be offers for discover cards embedded on the website and links that compare the card with other offerings ms loeger said but there is no obligation for users to click on them its not a super hard sell she said
the company also pledges on the website that it wont sell consumer data to outside companies
john ulzheimer an expert on consumer credit said increased competition faced by fico from other credit score providers like vantagescore as well as greater scrutiny of credit bureaus from regulators were probably factors in the increased access to free scores the consumer financial protection bureau for example has urged credit card companies to make credit scores more widely available to consumers
and legislation has been proposed in congress that would overhaul the credit reporting system to make it less confusing for consumers and to give consumers access to free credit scores along with their free annual credit report   the data used to create the scores
credit bureaus may view providing the scores voluntarily as preferable to being required to do so by the government mr ulzheimer said
now there are now so many options for free scores that it doesnt make sense for most consumers to pay to get one he said if you cant get a free credit score he said youre not really looking
here are some questions and answers about credit scores
# what information must i provide to get a free score from discover
to obtain their scores consumers must register and provide basic information like their names and addresses as well as their social security numbers they must also answer security questions similar to those asked when consumers obtain their free credit reports online the questions might ask a consumer to confirm a previous address or ask the name of their mortgage lender
# is the discover offer for a single one time credit score
discover says consumers can look at the score at any time and that it will be updated at least every 30 days the fine print on the credit scorecard website notes this product may change or end in the future but ms loeger said the feature was intended to be a permanent offering
# where can i get a free copy of my credit report
you are eligible for a free copy of your credit report once a year from the major credit reporting bureaus equifax is the third major credit reporting bureau along with experian and transunion
tips for obtaining your report and maintaining a good score are available on the consumer financial protection bureaus website


ottawa   the amount of pollution created by vapor from canadas oil sands which contributes to climate change ranks on par with most major cities in north america according to a new study by the countrys environmental regulator that was published on wednesday
while the connection between the oil sands carbon emissions and climate change is well documented the study which was funded by the regulator environment and climate change canada and appeared in nature is the first to track the vapor produced in the process and the extent of the pollution that results it also adds the particularly weighty voice of the canadian government to the debate
in recent months the government under the leadership of the new prime minister justin trudeau has reversed course on global climate change while the countrys economy depends heavily on resources like the oil sands mr trudeau has made climate change a priority on his agenda
the study was published just as several major oil sands operations were trying to reopen after being evacuated because of a massive wildfire in the fort mcmurray alberta area earlier efforts to restart operations were abandoned after the fire swung north and reached the perimeter of suncors and syncrudes large mines and plants large fire breaks prevented any damage however
the study takes a close look at what happens to the tarlike bitumen of the oil sands vapor from the bitumen is released into the air when it is dug up in open pit mines and later as the oil is separated out
once in the atmosphere and exposed to sunlight those vapors mix with other chemicals to become particles known as secondary organic aerosols or soas those aerosols which form a major component of smog are considered a risk to human health
john liggio a scientist with the air quality research division of environment and climate change canada said the rate at which the oil sands created those particles was unexpected
the chemistry tells us this should happen said mr liggio who is based in toronto we were surprised by the extent its greater than houston
the concentration of oil refineries around houston makes it a particularly large source of the particles but mr liggio said the oil sands were rivaled by only the largest metropolitan areas like los angeles in north america when it came to creating the particles vehicle exhaust and electrical generation are the main sources of the particles in cities
the paper found that the rate of particle production related to the deepwater horizon spill in the gulf of mexico was about the same as that of the oil sands but the spill lasted only for a few months the oil sands has been operated for decades mr liggio said he added that the oil sands vapor also converts more easily into polluting particles than fumes from lighter grades of oil
shao meng li another environment canada scientist and co author of the study said the soa particles tended to lower temperatures by reflecting energy back toward the sun all atmospheric particles he said are know to harm cardiovascular and respiratory health
this is all new information for us said terry abel the director of oil sands at the canadian association of petroleum producers its one more piece of information about whats happening in the environment in and around these facilities he said more research would be needed to determine the impact of the particles
the study was based on data gathered by specialized instruments on aircraft that flew around the major oil sands sites north of fort mcmurray the researchers want to focus their future efforts on determining how and where most of the vapor is released other scientists are also studying the effects of the particles after they make their inevitable descent back to earth
the researchers on the study also want to look at whether oil sands projects that use underground injections of steam to release the bitumen are any better than those that use open pit mining while mr liggio said limiting emissions from the plants that process the oils sands after they were dug up might be possible what could be done with those mines was less clear
you cant build a huge bubble over a huge open pit mine he said


on a quiet stretch of the upper east side at the slightly numinous palindromic address of 17 east 71st street just down the block from the frick collection a glass window displays a folding screen a sculptural column and a single pair of womens shoes composed with the painstaking precision of a braque still life a gallery a furniture showroom no according to the small sign by the door barely visible to passers by it is the rows first new york store which opened discreetly last week
at the row ashley and mary kate olsen have made discretion abstention and quiet the cardinal virtues they generally abjure interviews and stage their collections in presentations in their tastefully designed showrooms or privately for clients many of the women who buy their clothes which are elegant and faintly monastic are decades older than the designers who are not yet 30 and many of them they have said are unaware of the olsens earlier fame
the label is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year it has collected handfuls of industry awards along the way but the new york store is only the rows second following one in los angeles for the new york store they wanted a townhouse uptown not on madison but off madison avenue a list that mary kate dressed in a row blazer and shirt over threadbare vintage jeans ticked off from her perch on a sofa on the stores third floor for the right space a former japanese tea shop and later denim store they were prepared to wait
when the space finally came available they gut renovated then designed it top to bottom with the french interior designer jacques grange whose most prominent previous retail client was yves saint laurent
its more private feeling than business feeling mr grange said speaking by phone from paris in the words of mary kate and ashley more private
indeed the store feels more like a tastefully appointed manse than a traditional retail shop its individual rooms decorated with marquee art a basquiat here a borge jorgensen sculpture there and significant furniture curtains sweep shut for privacy dressing rooms are equipped with cotton dressing gowns all of it from the furniture to the art to the clothes to the dressing gowns is for sale
i was telling people earlier that its for sale tomorrow mary kate clarified because i cant imagine moving a couch out of here today
the rows fashion and beauty assortment doesnt end with the row though the rows own product range is growing it recently began making its own shoes which are displayed in a first floor salon the sisters brought in a curated selection of items they love or respect including serge lutens fragrances sidney garber jewelry and santa maria novella beauty products they convinced masa takayama the renowned sushi chef to sell them his ceramics and they carry japanese teas in homage to the spaces former resident
we never thought of a store being just our brand ashley said we think our stuff works best when its in a proper context
in an age of e commerce and mobile shopping the olsens remain steadfastly committed to an in person experience where context can come through and service can be fine tuned for peak bliss coffee tea lunch a drawn curtain   for customers the row will oblige ashley said that she has never purchased anything online her sister added that she hasnt either save for one piece at an online auction they admitted that its appeal is not lost on them
people like shopping online because theyve made it so easy mary kate said
you dont have to deal with people ashley said and laughed
that can be unpleasant her sister said if you are going to deal with people you have to make it a pleasant experience
pleasant it is a respite from the agitated gregariousness of many multibrand stores and the frigidity of some of their luxury competitors they aim to offer the designers said the comfort of home albeit a fully shoppable one some of the art and furniture they said will rotate between their homes and the store
visiting can feel like paying a call on a tax bracket significantly higher than ones own and when mary kate asked a reporter whether it felt like a home to him he admitted that it did although he added regretfully not his
i didnt say your home she replied a touch tartly
but she admitted that even hers didnt quite match this one
this is more fantasy she said of the opportunity to create an extravagant extension of their own personal tastes this is a treat this is creating your ultimate world


the bronx museum of the arts whose attendance has quadrupled since it instituted free admission in 2012 announced wednesday that it had started a 25 million capital campaign to renovate and expand its building along the grand concourse and to establish an endowment for the first time
the building project which has already received around 7 million from the mayors office the new york city council and the bronx borough presidents office will be overseen by the architect monica ponce de leon dean of the school of architecture at princeton university and a co curator of the united states pavilion for the 15th venice biennale of architecture which opens to the public on saturday
the museum founded in 1971 last expanded in 2006 with a widely admired 19 million north wing addition designed by the miami based firm arquitectonica but the museums various parts have never been knit together well and some spaces are awkward and underused said holly block its director so the rebuilding which will add some exhibition room and create a new glassed in space for educational and public programs at the corner of 165th street and the grand concourse will make the museum feel like a visual and architectural whole for the first time she said
weve been very secret about this because we didnt want it to be public until we were sure ms block said its so great for the bronx to have any kind of capital projects like this and weve been waiting a very long time
when you walk or drive up the grand concourse it will be very clear what this building is she added right now theres a lot of confusion a lot of people think maybe its corporate offices
the first phase of the rebuilding project is expected to be completed by 2020 and the museum will remain open during the work before the museum ended its 5 suggested admission policy its attendance was roughly 25000 visitors a year it has increased to more than 100000 a year now and exhibitions like the recent retrospective of the work of the painter martin wong have drawn sizable crowds the creation of a 10 million endowment which will give the museum more stability in its operational budget and programming will be accomplished mostly through private funds which are being raised now
in a written statement about the project mayor bill de blasio said the bronx museum of the arts was born in 1971 out of a belief that all residents of our city deserve to have a major cultural institution thats a part of their community fabric he added that his administration was proud to invest in this project that will bring the talents of a remarkable architect to help build an even stronger institution


austin tex   the obama administration on wednesday faced the first major court challenge to its guidance about the civil rights of transgender students in public schools as officials from 11 states filed a lawsuit testing both the scope of federal anti discrimination law and the governments sweeping interpretation of it
the officials in states from arizona to georgia to texas to wisconsin brought the case in federal district court in wichita falls tex and said that the obama administration had conspired to turn workplaces and educational settings across the country into laboratories for a massive social experiment flouting the democratic process and running roughshod over common sense policies protecting children and basic privacy rights
the lawsuit asked the court to block the federal government from implementing applying or enforcing the new rules regulations and guidance interpretations
wednesdays litigation fed into the nations intensifying and suddenly fast moving debate about the rights of transgender people and in particular whether the administration has exceeded the scope of current laws defining discrimination in the united states
dena w iverson a spokeswoman for the justice department said officials would review the complaint and that the federal government has strong legal foundations to uphold the civil rights of transgender americans
although transgender rights have been litigated for years the issue shifted into the public consciousness in part because of the may 13 directive from the department of education and the justice department that a school must not treat a transgender student differently from the way it treats other students of the same gender identity
the government also said that a school had an obligation to provide transgender students equal access to educational programs and activities even in circumstances in which other students parents or community members raise objections or concerns the officials added that the desire to accommodate others discomfort cannot justify a policy that singles out and disadvantages a particular class of students
the guidance signed by two of the governments most senior civil rights officials did not carry the force of law but many conservatives responded with outrage at one of its implications that federal officials effectively prodded by president obama might deny money to schools that defy the recommendations
he says hes going to withhold funding if schools do not follow the policy lt gov dan patrick of texas said this month well in texas he can keep his 30 pieces of silver we will not yield to blackmail from the president of the united states
on wednesday officials in other states used language that was only slightly less bellicose and colorful in louisiana attorney general jeff landry said he worried that federal officials would wreak further havoc on our schools and he added that the administrations guidance puts the safety and security of all of our children in jeopardy and in arizona the superintendent of public instruction diane douglas said the federal governments approach was insulting and quite frankly intolerable
the plaintiffs in wednesdays lawsuit include nine states   alabama georgia louisiana oklahoma tennessee texas utah west virginia and wisconsin   as well as the governor of maine paul r lepage the arizona department of education and school districts in arizona and texas
in their lawsuit which was assigned to judge reed c oconnor an appointee of president george w bush the officials said that the federal government had gone so far beyond any reasonable reading of the relevant congressional text such that the new rules regulations guidance and interpretations functionally exercise lawmaking power reserved only to congress
that argument has become a familiar one especially after the justice department and north carolina officials traded lawsuits about a statute there that limits public restroom access for transgender people but the justice department has been unbowed and the attorney general loretta lynch has made clear her commitment to transgender rights
we see you ms lynch said this month addressing transgender people from a justice department lectern where she announced the case pushing back against north carolinas law we stand with you and we will do everything we can to protect you going forward
here in texas a state that has been at the forefront of challenging mr obama throughout his tenure wednesdays litigation came as little surprise state officials have been railing against the governments guidance for weeks and on monday a small district in north texas advanced a policy to require students to use the restroom that corresponds with the gender on their birth certificate
texas officials expected the decision of the school board in the harrold independent school district near the oklahoma border and just northwest of wichita falls to draw the justice departments ire and wednesdays lawsuit amounted to an effort to pre empt whatever resistance might emerge from washington
gov greg abbott said he welcomed the decision to sue and he asserted that states including texas were the last line of defense against an unlawfully expansive federal government
yet some legal experts and transgender rights advocates questioned the lawsuits prospects and they doubted whether the officials even had the standing to bring such a case
i see it as a political stunt and a really unfortunate one because its at the expense of transgender people including transgender youth all across the country said james d esseks an american civil liberties union lawyer who focuses on gender identity and sexual orientation issues theyre acting as though the obama administrations guidance that came out a few weeks ago is like the first time that anyone has interpreted federal bans on sex discrimination to cover transgender people
carl tobias a law professor at the university of richmond said the administration may be pushing the envelope but not a whole lot
perhaps more crucially professor tobias noted the litigation in texas could someday help push the united states supreme court to rule on whether existing laws forbid discrimination on the basis of gender identity especially because cases are now moving through states that fall under different federal appeals courts the united states court of appeals for the fourth circuit hears cases that originate in north carolina and the fifth circuit considers matters from texas
the fifth circuit has been pretty amenable to lots of arguments by texas he said it could set up that kind of situation where the supreme court may want to take it


united nations   more than a decade after the end of liberias last civil war the united nations security council voted unanimously on wednesday to lift the remaining sanctions against the west african country enabling it buy arms on the global market and ushering in a new era of normalcy for a long brutalized land
a resolution to rescind the remaining sanctions ended a gradual easing of restrictions on liberia the security council acted late last year to lift travel bans and asset freezes against several individuals and entities the council had earlier lifted the ban on liberian timber and diamonds
liberian warlords had traded in the countrys natural resources for years turning a land of abundance into one of the worst killing fields of west africa
the council vote was in many ways a vote of confidence in liberias ability to maintain peace the war ended after charles g taylor liberias warlord turned president stepped down and left the country in 2003 he was convicted by an international court for war crimes in connection with his role in the conflict in sierra leone liberias neighbor
the united states which had pushed for the original array of sanctions against liberia used the wednesday vote as an occasion to argue the case for sanctions as an effective tool   and to say that sanctions need not last forever
just as we must never hesitate to strengthen sanctions and their enforcement if necessary to address threats to international peace and security we must move expeditiously to wind down and end sanctions when they are no longer serving the purpose or when they have achieved what was sought david pressman the american alternate representative to the united nations said
even as the council voted to end sanctions two prominent liberian politicians including the speaker of the house of representatives were accused in a bribery scheme that involved changing a mining law in favor of a british firm interested in an iron ore concession


on memorial day weekend the surf lodge will kick off its beachside series of summer fashion and beauty pop ups which includes topshop and studio one eighty nine the rosario dawson and abrima erwiah fashion line that is ethically sourced and sewn in ghana first up is milk makeup the paraben free 60 percent vegan cosmetics line from the milk studios co founder mazdack rassi and his wife the fashion editor zanna rassi they have curated a summer product edit that includes a balm tint with spf that can be used on the lips and cheeks for a dewy flush at 183 edgemere street montauk
from june 2 to labor day gurneys montauk resort  seawater spa will host the fashion collective at gurneys a rotating series of weekend events for established and up and coming fashion and lifestyle brands like mara hoffman and the crochet swimwear line kiini situated on the spa roof deck which also has activities like life size chess and shuffleboard the space will offer exclusive products from a number of designers including edie parker canvas pouches with whimsical motifs like flamingos rainbows and cheeky words and la vie rebecca taylor t shirts made in collaboration with the illustrator wayne pate at 290 old montauk highway montauk
the sunset beach hotel on shelter island is also getting into the pop up game with an oliver peoples cocktail party and pop up on june 18 and a mobile trunk show from the rugged luxe accessories line kempton  co which will be selling beach bags pouches and sunglasses from the trunk of vintage land rover on june 25 at 35 shore road shelter island heights
the aptly named pop collective in southampton opening memorial day weekend will offer tata harper skin care mi ola bikinis and cf bronfman fine jewelry it will be a one stop shop for items like espadrilles embellished with anchors and elephants from house of pom and whimsical tabletop decorations with napkins tablecloths and place mats featuring lobsters crabs and coral prints from pomegranate at 42 jobs lane
tory burch will open her second tory sport store in east hampton on memorial day weekend a clean space with white flooring painted with blue stripes inspired by the casual vibe of a 1970s surf lodge located in proximity to the areas boutique fitness studios it will have gear for very sport including running tennis swim and golf   and bar and spin of course at 47 newtown lane
club monaco will open an east hampton shop on memorial day weekend with a vintage focus among the finds antiques including candlesticks and sterling silver frames on june 10 the company will release a club monaco x dannijo capsule collection of more than 40 one of a kind goods like 19th century lace camisoles dresses skirts and wraps in varying shades of summer white sourced from around the globe at 17 newtown lane east hampton
joey wolffer founder of the styleliner mobile shopping truck and co owner of wolffer estate vineyard has opened a brick and mortar store in sag harbor the styleliner by joey wolffer in a 19th century artists studio kitted out with hanging whaling lanterns and boat rope offers finds from ms wolffers travels including katerina psoma carved stone earrings from greece and vintage african fulani textiles ms wolffers own range of fringed and embroidered leather handbags are exclusive to the store at 25 madison street sag harbor
armarium the trisha gregory and alexandra lind rose destination for luxury fashion and accessories on loan will be at barons cove in sag harbor in mid july with a pop up showroom it will feature missoni summer cocktail dresses and palazzo pants brightly hued sara battaglia x ferragamo clutches and vintage pieces from la double j   all perfect for a summer night out at 31 west water street sag harbor
the baker carissa waechter of the amagansett farmers market staple carissas breads will join forces with her florist friend missi bullock on bread  flowers a flower and artisanal bread home delivery service offering essentials a loaf of salty soured pickled rye and a bouquet of garden roses say from a 61 vintage citroen van that will make its way from wainscott to montauk
the mens swimwear label orlebar brown known for its colorful trunks including artist editions created with images from the hulton getty archive will reopen its store in the hamptons this summer at a new location at 55 newtown lane east hampton
tony melillo has opened a pop up for his luxe basics line atm featuring the labels signature supersoft tees and special summery offerings like french terry sweats and a slub jersey beach cover up there will be accessories including sneakers from the paris label camille tanoh at 48 newtown lane east hampton
greg ammon son of the investment banker ted ammon whose 2001 east hampton murder was the subject of a lifetime movie and a documentary has opened a shop for big flower a resort lifestyle brand it includes summer wardrobe stables like breathable button downs and unlined suiting along with a womens wear capsule with relaxed tunics and beach dresses designed by his wife stacy the gallery space showcases vintage photos of the landscape and community including some of mr ammons own family as well as the work of local artists at 23 newtown lane east hampton


ford is recalling about 271000 2013 14 f 150 pickups with 35 liter v 6 engines because the brakes may malfunction the automaker said on wednesday the company said it was aware of nine accidents but no injuries
ford said the brake master cylinder in the affected trucks could leak fluid and as a result it was possible that the front brakes effectiveness could be reduced the rear brakes which use a different hydraulic system would still work but typically the front brakes provide the most stopping power
the automaker said if a pickup lost too much brake fluid there warning lights and chimes would go off
however many of about 120 owners who complained to the national highway traffic safety administration said it felt as if they had lost all stopping power and there was no advance warning
the pedal went straight to the floorboard an owner from yuma ariz wrote last october i had to sharply veer off to the right to avoid slamming into another vehicle
the safety agency began investigating complaints in february the agency also has owner complaints of one brake failure on a 2015 and another on 2016 model f 150 neither of which is covered by the recall
asked about those model years a ford spokeswoman elizabeth weigandt said in an email our decisions are driven by the available data and we move quickly on behalf of our customers when we determine a safety recall is needed
the action covers about 225000 vehicles in the united states almost 44000 in canada 400 in mexico and small numbers in south america and europe


ladies and gentlemen behold an opportunity to become maritime royalty the florida fish and wildlife conservation commission is hosting the lionfish challenge a statewide hunting competition intended to encourage divers to capture kill and eat the beguiling beauties which have been invading western atlantic waters and gobbling up native species for at least two decades the title of lionfish king or queen goes to whoever captures the most lionfish by sept 30
anyone can enter as long as the fish are captured off floridas shores during the first weekend participants brought in more than 14000 of the eye catching but unwelcome fish   about five times as many as during the same weekend last year according to the organizers participants may do as they wish with the captured fish some have ended up in supermarkets and on menus via partners like edible invaders others have been donated to high school students researching lionfish diets
with venomous spines that look like feathers and colorful patterns lionfish   native to the south pacific and indian oceans   can be popular aquarium eye candy but they become expensive guests reproducing rapidly and snacking on other tank inhabitants the discarding of unwanted lionfish off the coast of miami and in the caribbean in the 1980s and 1990s is believed to have kicked off an invasion that threatens marine ecosystems from brazil to north carolina
the conservation commission designed the challenge to up the ante of traditional lionfish removal and tournaments in a manner similar to what has been done with the states annual python challenge that event targets invasive burmese pythons
consideration for the crown of lionfish king or queen requires the removal of at least 50 lionfish with photographic evidence after 50 participants must drop off tails in sandwich bags at statewide checkpoints
lionfish are best taken by spear and hand held nets they are rarely taken successfully on hook and line the commission advises this means diving skills are essential to winning the contest
while a government endorsed killing competition may rub some the wrong way theres consensus that its a choice between lionfish and reefs
right now nothing keeps the population in check other than divers spearing them said amanda nalley a spokeswoman for the fish and wildlife commission which estimates that millions of lionfish   perhaps billions   lurk in nonnative waters
she says people have tried to feed lionfish to sharks hoping the fish will become part of the sharks regular diet but not only is this illegal in state waters sharks associating food with divers is dangerous there is also no indication that it works another option is to introduce a disease or parasite that could control lionfish numbers   but it is not easy to find one that would affect only lionfish she said
in the wild lionfish live about 10 years and spawn every few days releasing some 30000 eggs each time in the caribbean a single female lionfish can spawn more than two million eggs a year according to the ocean support foundation
in its new home the species has little competition and few natural predators diseases or parasites it also has a dangerous appetite   feasting on grazers that keep algae from growing on coral reefs and at least 50 ecologically and economically important species
all of the natural balance that can take thousands of years to vet itself out is missing lad akins a biologist who has been studying the invasion with a conservation group called reef said in an email
in the bahamas where the lionfish invasion has been particularly heavy mr akins and stephanie green an ecologist at oregon state university found that lionfish reduced the native prey fish and population sizes on reefs by 65 percent in just two years
and other researchers showed lionfish decreased young fish establishing themselves on reefs by almost 80 percent in only five weeks
dr green wants to know if lionfish can be managed without killing them all because thats hard to accomplish mr akins said dr green is searching for a threshold for how many lionfish can live on a reef without causing damage
in the meantime contest participants who remove 50 invaders will receive a commemorative coin and a t shirt among other incentives
the newly minted king or queen will receive a lifetime saltwater fishing license a photograph on the cover of next years saltwater regulations publication and glory
even if you dont dive you can still eat sustainable seafood restaurants now serve invasive species like lionfish not just in florida but across the country diners are encouraged to order the flaky white fish instead of harder to come by varieties like sea bass and grouper


paris   for turkish womens tennis a historic first arrived as a pair
cagla buyukakcay 26 and ipek soylu 20 playing in this years french open became the first turkish women to reach the main draw of a grand slam tournament
buyukakcay made further history on monday by winning her first round match against aliaksandra sasnovich 5 7 7 6 2 6 2 her run ended wednesday with a 6 3 4 6 6 1 loss to 22nd seeded anastasia pavlyuchenkova
buyukakcay ranked 83rd will climb about 10 spots after her four victories in paris including three in the qualifying draw that will leave her on the cusp of the olympic cutoff which is based on the rankings released after the french open she would be the first turk to compete in an olympic tennis event
soylu ranked 171st also won three matches in the qualifying draw she started well against the french veteran virginie razzano in her first round match on tuesday but faded in a 4 6 6 1 6 0 defeat
buyukakcay who had played 17 grand slam qualifying draws before finally breaking through in paris gained confidence for this run by winning the wta tournament in istanbul a stunning result that propelled her into the top 100
in turkey everybody got so excited buyukakcay said im really happy about that i saw that they really want to support me support tennis they like tennis now thats what ive seen after the tournament im really happy that im part of it right now and now im just really motivated to do better
for buyukakcay the most meaningful result from her title was hearing that it had inspired others around the country to try the sport themselves
when i won istanbul cup i got so many messages saying they just started to play tennis she said so many women play tennis now and kids of course it was big for turkey to see the best players in the world but on the other hand i think its important to have home idols in front its better for the country to be inspired
buyukakcay and soylu hail from the same city adana in southern turkey about 100 miles from the syrian border they moved to istanbul in their early teens to improve their tennis
soylu had no ambitions for a career in the sport when she began playing tennis at 6 but as her results improved she set her sights higher
my parents werent pushing me this way soylu said as i grew up i was getting results in turkey so i started to travel around the world and suddenly i said i think i can be good at this so far it has worked out well for me and i have big dreams and big aims and ill really work hard to get to them
soylu won the girls doubles title at the 2014 united states open last month on the same day that buyukakcay won the singles title in istanbul soylu claimed the doubles title becoming the first turkish woman to win a tour doubles title
ipek senoglu a retired turkish player who reached the top 60 of the wta doubles rankings in 2009 said the three year stint that the wta year end championships had in istanbul between 2011 and 2013 made tennis dreams more tangible for a younger generation
it allowed our own players to watch the top players and realize that top players are human too senoglu said it allowed them to believe that if they work hard enough they can be one day at the same place
senoglu compared the two emerging players with two top turkish soccer clubs galatasaray and fenerbahce whose intense rivalry has propelled them upward
i believe having to compete with each other makes you push harder senoglu said and at the same time it divides the pressure thats on your shoulders as well which helps at difficult moments
senoglu said buyukakcay became a celebrity in one day after winning the title in istanbul where her win was celebrated on the front pages of newspapers with so many other less uplifting topics dominating headlines in the country senoglu said that sports were being treated with increased intensity
turkey has been in a region where there has been a lot of political and cultural unrest not only now but for many many long years so turkish people need and appreciate success in sports more emotionally senoglu said thats good and bad its great when youre successful but a bit harsh   much harder criticism   when things are not going great but over all its great that two female athletes are both doing wonderful for our tennis at the moment they are getting the attention they deserve
buyukakcay said she hoped to be an ambassador for turkey as she worked her way around the global tennis tour
of course i want to put a positive image its very important because i want to show them that turkey is a lovely place to come she said
wednesdays other results from players of more established tennis nations largely matched expectations despite being at her least comfortable on clay second seeded agnieszka radwanska of poland dispatched caroline garcia of france 6 2 6 4 fourth seeded garbine muguruza had little trouble dispatching the french wild card myrtille georges 6 2 6 0 in 53 minutes
sixth seeded simona halep a finalist here in 2014 eked out a tough first set before beating zarina diyas 7 6 5 6 2 tenth seeded petra kvitova advanced against hsieh su wei of taiwan 6 4 6 1
shelby rogers ranked 108th became the first american woman to reach the third round beating elena vesnina 6 4 6 2 she was joined by 19th seeded sloane stephens who defeated veronica cepede royg 7 6 0 6 1
in the longest womens match of the year 25th seeded irina camelia begu of romania outlasted the american coco vandeweghe 6 7 4 7 64 10 8 finally staving off an upset in 3 hours 38 minutes begu has surged this spring with runs to the quarterfinals of madrid and the semifinals of rome
in mens action the defending champion stan wawrinka who needed five sets to win his first round match had an easier time in the second round defeating taro daniel 7 6 7 6 3 6 4 wawrinka seeded third next faces no 30 jeremy chardy
no 5 kei nishikori no 8 milos raonic and no 9 richard gasquet also advanced in straight sets
the top american man 15th seeded john isner beat kyle edmund of britain 6 4 6 4 6 4 he and 23rd seeded jack sock are the only american men who have reached the third round out of 10 who started the tournament


these days youre not limited to recipes in cookbooks millions upon millions of recipes are available in apps jammed with flavors from around the world
the best even guide you through preparing and serving a meal whether youre cooking for yourself after a day of work or putting on a spread for a dozen party guests
my favorite cooking app is sidechef mainly because of one clever feature you dont need to tap on your devices screen often with sticky fingers
the start page is like a glossy photo rich magazine containing thousands of recipes you can search for a dish by name or a particular ingredient or browse through categories such as desserts or holiday and when you find what you want you are presented with a list of ingredients and step by step cooking instructions
the real sidechef magic starts when you press the big cook button the app starts a timer and the screen shows instructions one at a time accompanied by a photo an electronic voice reads the instructions aloud so you can concentrate on chopping or heating without reading the screen
when its time to move on to the next step the app reminds you with a siren you merely have to nudge the next button or talk to the app to tell it youre ready its almost like having a chef at your side in your kitchen
sidechef may not have as many recipes in its database as some cooking apps but it is free and is available for both ios and android
for a cooking app with a more traditional design check out allrecipes from the cooking website of the same name which feels more like an interactive recipe book it has a searchable database of recipes and a simpler way of displaying the cooking method for each
you can search for a recipe by name or ingredient or by cooking time you can even ask the app to avoid a particular ingredient in its search results   handy if you have an allergy or if youve run out of an item recipe instructions are clear and easy to follow and some come with step by step videos
allrecipes also has a few neat extras it can suggest ingredients that are on sale at nearby stores supported by the app and alert you to sale items when you walk into one of those stores it has a built in shopping list so if youve planned ahead and selected the recipes you want to cook the ingredients are all in one list
allrecipes has a feature thats great for discovering new dishes but it works only on the mobile edition of the app its called the dinner spinner and works a bit like a slot machine spin the wheels and the app randomly searches for a recipe that matches for example appetizer plus shellfish and 20 minutes its fun and could lead to a few surprising dinners
allrecipes contains lots of delicious ideas and is easy to use its free on ios and android
yummlyis similar to allrecipes with a built in shopping list and clearly written recipe instructions but yummlys interface uses many more images its full of tempting photos that will make you want to leap into the kitchen
yummlys recipes include a lot of detail including nutritional facts but i find that using the app involves a lot of tapping and scrolling this isnt a problem when youre browsing a recipe ahead of time but it could get awkward when youre up to your elbows in flour and butter
the apps biggest strength is that it pulls its content from lots of different recipe sources so when you do a keyword search for example bacalhau or salted cod youre rewarded with a huge list of possible results despite its slightly fussy interface and occasionally slow load times yummly is worth trying out its free on ios and android
the new york times i should note offers an app called new york times cooking its free for ios only and also works on apple watch
finally theres room to mention the food network in the kitchen app this gives you access to recipes from the chefs you may have seen on the well known tv channel or the website it has a lot of content a clear and simple design and its also free on both ios and android


for estate lawyers and probate judges knotty conflicts about the mental competence of a benefactor even charges that someone has exerted undue influence are far from uncommon
but the unfolding battle over sumner m redstones wishes is in a class by itself if for no other reason than so much is at stake the control of a media empire worth 40 billion including the holdings of viacom and cbs
in this case the courts must sort out not a deathbed will but the mental acuity of mr redstone a media mogul who will turn 93 on friday he suffers from declining cognition is fed through a tube and communicates with great difficulty often through a nurse or speech therapist who interprets his utterances
these are often very difficult cases dr paul s appelbaum a psychiatrist at columbia university and expert in competence assessment said of disputes over late life directives it can be hard to determine whether a person has the capacity to make these decisions and questions regarding undue influence are if anything more difficult to assess
at issue in mr redstones case is whether he acted freely with a clear understanding of the consequences last week when he had a lawyer inform two directors at viacom that they were removed from a crucial trust   a body that will manage the corporate holdings when mr redstone dies or if he is officially declared to be incapacitated
the ousted trustees philippe p dauman the chairman and chief executive of viacom and george abrams a viacom director charged in a massachusetts court on monday that mr redstone is profoundly impaired and that his formerly estranged daughter shari redstone had isolated and manipulated him to secure trustee appointments for her own allies
lawyers for mr redstone shot back with a petition in a california court asserting that mr redstone has not been declared incompetent under the terms of the trust and as one lawyer put it mr redstone has been clear and unequivocal in his desire to remove philippe dauman and george abrams as trustees
the determination of competence exists at a ragged intersection of psychiatry geriatric medicine and the law while legal definitions may vary by state and subject psychiatrists look in essence for evidence that a person understands the relevant facts and appreciates the impact of his or her decisions said dr kenneth i shulman a professor of psychiatry and an expert on dementia at the university of toronto
but capacity cannot be considered these experts added apart from the nature of the decisions being made and their consequences in a recent lawsuit that also challenged mr redstones mental ability a california judge did not try to determine his competence he dismissed the case with a more narrow ruling that rejected the plea of mr redstones former companion manuela herzer whom the mogul had dismissed as his health care agent
on the basis of videotaped testimony in which mr redstone seemed to fade in and out of understanding but vehemently expressed his dislike of the former companion the judge concluded that mr redstone clearly did not want ms herzer at his side making health decisions
but the current dispute over corporate governance has far greater potential consequences for mr redstones companies and their thousands of shareholders and a judge could demand a far more thorough evaluation of mr redstones cognition
now were talking about the interests of third parties and the issue of competence is certain to receive more prolonged attention said john c coffee a professor at columbia university law school and the director of its center on corporate governance
determining undue influence in the end is a legal issue to be decided on the basis of facts before the court rather than a clinical one dr shulman said
improper pressures can come in two main ways the experts said one involves overt threats which are more obvious but not always witnessed but more persistent low level pressure on a cognitively impaired person   preying on his or her emotions   might also be considered undue
one common sign of improper influence experts said is a sudden and significant change in position on important issues like the wholesale rewriting of a will especially if the person has been kept in isolation from friends family or colleagues the legal complaint filed by mr dauman and mr abrams says those conditions exist mr redstones lawyers deny that he has been kept in isolation
late life changes in preferences are not necessarily improper and it is hardly unusual estate experts said for people to turn in favor of long estranged children but when such a sharp shift occurs dr shulman said at that point its important that the person is able to communicate a clear and consistent rationale for the change
whether or not mr redstone has the capacity to explain his recent actions if it comes to that is unclear and his lawyers have not offered public evidence about how he made these decisions
instead in the petition filed monday in los angeles mr redstones lawyers argued that because the conditions for declaring incompetence as explained in the trust had not been met the validity of his directives should simply be confirmed
the california claim is an effort by redstones lawyers to take the issue of competency off the table by saying it was taken care of under the terms of the trust said michael waterstone an expert on disability law and the incoming dean of loyola law school los angeles but its unclear how successful that attempt will be


seattle   never mind terminator like killer robots artificial intelligence researchers are grappling with more realistic questions like whether their creations will take too many jobs from humans
eight years after leading artificial intelligence scientists said their field did not need to be regulated the question of government oversight has re emerged as the technology has rapidly progressed
on tuesday at an event sponsored by the white house office of science and technology policy legal specialists and technologists explored questions about autonomous systems that would increasingly make decisions without human input in areas like warfare transportation and health
still despite improvement in areas like machine vision and speech understanding ai research is still far from matching the flexibility and learning capability of the human mind researchers at the conference said
the ai community keeps climbing one mountain after another and as it gets to the top of each mountain it sees ahead still more mountains said ed felten a computer scientist who is a deputy chief technology officer in the office of science and technology policy
the half day program co sponsored with the university of washington school of law and the universitys tech policy lab was the first of four events the white house has planned that will focus on law and policy as well as the social and economic implications of autonomous machine research
these issues of ai and machines learning were popping up all over the government and there was an opportunity to get more coordinated in how we address them dr felten said
after 25 artificial intelligence researchers met in 2009 the group sponsored by the association for the advancement of artificial intelligence reported that there was no imminent danger from a technology that had prompted fears of hollywood style weapons and advanced economies that were devoid of human workers
leading technologists and scientists have also pondered the possibility that artificial intelligence like genetic engineering might soon constitute an existential threat to the human race
in recent years the debate has spread to the broader social impact of autonomous programs that will perform tasks like driving cars and offering medical and financial advice
one challenge for ai according to a number of the researchers who spoke is that the public perception about the threat of ai has largely been shaped by hollywood
certainly hollywood has played a tremendous role with vision like skynet the computer network that turns on humans in the terminator movies said oren etzioni chief executive of the allen institute for artificial intelligence a nonprofit research group funded by the microsoft co founder paul allen its pretty much always the case in science fiction that ai is this monolithic entity that is scheming to take over
he cautioned that attention getting feats like googles alphago program which defeated a human champion in the board game go had plenty of humans behind the machine doing the work
at the same time despite the consensus about the limits of todays technology many of the panelists wrestled with new challenges presented by ai systems that were appearing in virtually all walks of life including services delivered by smartphones and algorithms that guide missiles
kate crawford a principal researcher at microsoft research called on the industry to add ethics to the professional training of engineers we need to start changing the skill set of the people who are going to be the data scientists of the future and the ai creators of the future she said
ai systems are pervasive ms crawford said pointing to a doll like hello barbie which speaks and listens
you might think thats a fantastic toy thats really wonderful she said what you dont realize is that it is the front to this huge data ingestion machine that is taking all of those statements by that child and then using them for a whole range of purposes


dallas   fight or flight
those are in essence the two very different approaches that the activist community is taking with exxon mobil these days
one group is made up of investors who want to hold on to their stakes in the company and prod the oil and gas giant through shareholder resolutions and by applying steady pressure to adopt new policies that reflect the realities of climate change
the other major group is campaigning to make exxon mobil a pariah and is urging big institutional shareholders to dump all their fossil fuel stocks
both groups showed up in force on wednesday at exxons annual shareholder meeting here outside several dozen protesters waved signs reading arrest exxon and keep it in the ground and chanted slogans like exxon lies oceans rise and windmills not toxic spills
nearby a 13 foot wide block of ice cut into the shape of the hashtag exxonknew   the shorthand used to call attention to the companys early research into climate change   melted in the mornings mugginess
inside the morton h meyerson symphony center where exxon mobil held its meeting activist shareholders sat among the companys loyalists their ranks included corporate crusaders like sister patricia daly a dominican sister of caldwell nj who is executive director of the tri state coalition for responsible investment that group is a member of the interfaith center on corporate responsibility which represents more than 300 institutional investors with more than 100 billion in assets
our voice has been very important said sister daly on corporate policies that affect sustainability and human rights
shareholders placed 11 proposals before the board several of them related to climate change and corporate governance
the climate resolutions were voted down on wednesday but a proxy access resolution that called for the company to give large shareholders a bigger say over corporate governance passed with nearly 62 percent of the votes two other proposals related to corporate governance also passed
a proposal calling for the company to report on how climate change regulations would affect its business received 382 percent of the vote advocates said that was the biggest showing ever for a climate resolution at an exxon meeting and a sign of increasing support for such measures over time
exxon mobils chief executive rex tillerson addressed climate change as part of his overall remarks at the annual meeting citing the companys extensive research over the decades and its work with the intergovernmental panel on climate change
we believe that addressing the risk of climate change is a global issue that will require the cooperation of governments business and individuals he said and he repeated the companys support of a carbon tax
mr tillerson also predicted that oil and gas would long be an important part of the companys mix because abundant energy supplies are vital for modern life
demand for oil and gas will remain high he said though stringent energy policies will increase the cost of carbon dioxide emissions over time that would further depress the fortunes of coal he added but would bolster the use of natural gas nuclear power and renewable energy
the company he said had worked tirelessly to understand and reduce the risk of climate change
the activist shareholders of course disagree and are impatient to see exxon mobil change its ways but is one approach more effective than the other
some have a big tent philosophy seeing the value in efforts to both work with and assail the company
its wonderful that the divestment people have built up so much momentum among people who are not shareholders anyway and dont plan to be said sister daly the lead filer of a shareholder resolution calling for exxon mobil to acknowledge the moral imperative to limit global warming to 2 degrees celsius 36 degrees fahrenheit
but others take a more one sided view bill mckibben a leader of the divestment movement and co founder of the group 350org said in an interview that the time for shareholder engagement had passed
by his count there have been 62 shareholder resolutions asking exxon mobil to act on climate change and none have passed as a majority of shareholders have sided with management to vote them down
it might finally be time for shareholders of conscience to simply break ties with this company he said fool me 62 times shame on me   and in fairly large quantities
the campaign to persuade institutions to dump their fossil fuel holdings can point to many successes globally the movement to drop at least some fossil fuel stocks has grown to 500 organizations that have sold off an amount estimated by 350org at 34 trillion
yet on college campuses where the movement began roughly four years ago divestment drives appear to be meeting some resistance this springs crop of protests on campus did not produce major victories at premier schools
in april stanford university decided against divestment stating that its advisory panel on responsible investing concluded that it could not evaluate whether the social injury caused by the fossil fuel industry outweighs the social benefit it provides and therefore did not recommend divestment that panel did recommend divesting from oil sands extraction but stanford didnt have such investments
at new york university last month 18 students occupied a campus elevator for 33 hours the elevator led to the offices of top administrators the school threatened the students with suspension   which could have made it impossible for them to enter on campus housing or to take their final exams   and contacted their parents
olivia rich one of the protesters said parents began calling them saying youve got to get out of the elevator although the school did not agree to sell any investments nyu did agree to some of the students demands including a meeting with the schools investment committee
i would say it was a win ms rich said
schools that decide against divestment often say that they support action against climate change in their classrooms and labs but that their endowment as drew gilpin faust president of harvard has put it is a resource not an instrument to impel social or political change
the divestment activists say their push makes economic as well as moral sense they argue that oil and other energy companies will inevitably face a reckoning just like the coal industry now that most nations have pledged to take the steps necessary to slow global warming after last years climate talks in paris
but the simple act of divesting may carry its own costs a new report commissioned by the independent petroleum association of america cited potentially large losses in the so called frictional costs of divestment   the transactions required to get the schools out of the mutual funds that make up the bulk of most schools endowments and move to fossil free funds or handpicked portfolios
those costs wrote professor hendrik bessembinder of arizona state university the author of the report would range between approximately 2 and 12 percent of the endowments value which for a typical large university endowment would translate to a decline in value of between 14 billion and 74 billion over a 20 year period
but those organizing the protests say that focusing on the losses of individual funds misses the point as with the campus divestment protests about south african apartheid in the 1980s much of the activism is focused on changing the national   and global   conversation
students are leading the way and shifting the narrative on climate said sara blazevic the campus strategy coordinator of the fossil fuel divestment student network we are winning the fight over the story of the climate crisis
beyond the campus other organizations have declined to sever ties with the industry this month the united methodist church decided against divestment despite the efforts of one of its prominent members mr mckibben
and in a much debated decision the american geophysical union declined to drop exxon as a sponsor at events such as a student breakfast during the groups fall meeting
the groups president margaret leinen stated that the 35000 breakfast does not constitute a threat to the groups reputation but hundreds of members and other scientists have disagreed pressing for a complete break with the company
the methodist decision like many others is at least in part about staying in the game as the more effective way to lobby for change
if we divested tomorrow were not going to put exxon mobil out of business said thomas p dinapoli new york state comptroller and one of the things we will lose is the ability to move them in a different direction as a shareholder
the divestment fight he argued glosses over shared responsibility for climate change
every organization every business has a fossil fuel footprint he said we have a real challenge out there that goes beyond whether you have exxon mobil stock
that responsibility he added is personal as well
its great to say youre for divestment he said but if you get in your car and fill the gas tank on the way to the rally it undercuts your argument


daphne guinness the honourable to use her proper title was teetering on her usual heelless skyscraper shoes through rivington guitars a few weeks ago addressing herself to guitars pedals and amps with the awed focus and connoisseurs eye she once brought to the salons of haute couture
spindly and unnaturally elevated in a reptile patterned catsuit under a lavishly embroidered vest by alexander mcqueen a minor heists worth of diamonds and gemstones encircling her fingers she cut a noticeable figure in the crowded east village shop
jimi hendrix used that she said nodding down at one pedal and peppered a store employee with requests for rare and obscure pieces rickenbacker guitars mellotron keyboards if the staff had been tempted to underestimate her they soon thought better of it
everything shes asking for is what i call a holy grail item said geoff bennington the stores manager
he took her email address to alert her should any of them come into the store in the future and she took a four figure one of a kind guitar an assistant swept in behind her to pay
ms guinness 48   an heir to the guinness brewery fortune a barons daughter a descendant of the mitford clan and famous in fashion and society circles as a muse a patroness a couture client a socialite and an artist   is adding another title to her cv rock musician
in her previous incarnations much photographed and gawped at lady gaga is one of many professed fans she was both her own model and her own work an artist of dressing up who made the world her own sort of catwalk and who makes no apparent distinction between the catwalk and the world for one memorable performance she got dressed in a street facing window at barneys
its not like she changes into jeans or anything said her friend nick knight the photographer i dont think she has any
but as a model front row fixture and fashion persons fashion person as w magazine referred to her in 2009 ms guinness has been rather more seen than heard with optimist in black her first album which arrives this week she is having her say
ms guinness wrote the album with the irish musician pat donne and used her own lyrics which tend toward the grim and the arch pronouncements from a life lived not always happily on high theres no nirvana of cooldom is a typical pronouncement as well as a song title
she is a child of the 60s and her songs have a glam rock ish slightly psychedelic flavor anchored by her sprechstimme vocals a deadpan delivery equal parts nico and marlene dietrich her inspirations to hear her tell it are all of 60s vintage
dylan was the first person to turn me on to stuff she said then it was the doors jefferson airplane small faces marc bolan david bowie another major influence was someone she discovered a bit late in her musical development she said i was 6 years old
mr bowies friend and longtime producer tony visconti ended up producing the album after initial hesitation david bowie told me i should at least meet her so i did mr visconti wrote in an email in a way david was a bit like a godfather to the album mr bowie stopped by the studio twice during the recording to give a listen
ms guinness had sung as a child and planned to study opera at the guildhall school in london her marriage at 19 to the greek shipping heir spyros niarchos curtailed that ambition at least publicly it wasnt encouraged when i was married she said but i was singing
the eventual spur to songwriting came with the death of her half brother jasper in 2011 which followed the deaths of her close friends isabella blow and mr mcqueen all my friends have died ms guinness said
her response was the title track on optimist in black an elliptical ode to those who have gone they made for the exit ms guinness chants the shining light of the exit she called recording the song the nadir of the album experience
ms guinness has been yoked   by choice and by circumstance   to mr mcqueen and ms blow since their deaths and has become a de facto ambassador of their legacies she bought ms blows entire archive of clothing including much by mr mcqueen and established the isabella blow foundation which provides scholarships to art and fashion students and supports charities working on mental health
in the weeks leading up to the albums release she traveled to australia for an exhibition of pieces from the blow collection at the powerhouse museum near sydney speaking by phone from london afterward she sounded exhausted and miserable
its very difficult to be thrown all over the globe to still be the poster child of fashion suicides she said she spoke of reorganizing the foundation in order to take a step back from it though she will remain attached and its figurehead im glad its working out but i need to live my life not all my friends deaths of course ill be there if they really need me but for my own sanity i have to
according to friends the album has been part of a necessary catharsis
she was very close to lee and to isabella and very tragically that all came to an end mr knight said referring to mr mcqueen by his given name i think it left a lot of us feeling ok well what do you do because you were close to them you became a guardian of their memory and to some degree you feel a certain responsibility for presenting them how they ought to be seen i think she got caught up in that she wanted not just to be that the music is in some degree cathartic for her
mr knight did his part to help by shooting a music video for fatal flaw another of the albums songs other friends like david lachapelle and luca pizzaroni directed others mr knight had previously cast ms guinness as prospero in a short film adaptation of the tempest in which ms guinness joined the riddles a rock band portraying the tempest itself onstage to thrash
on the eve of the albums release ms guinness said she felt excited and frightened she has been performing her first small gigs nervous enough to vomit before many of them not that her stage persona differs markedly from her offstage one
she is onstage said her friend sabine getty the jewelry designer whose roman wedding last year ms guinness attended in a black gown mantilla and headphones she doesnt even need to try
before the album she had rarely if ever performed publicly and claimed she began recording without any intention of ever releasing the songs
release ms guinness asked theatrically i dont know how to release my snake into the street how do you release anything these days when pressed she acknowledged having had three snakes   theyre nice theyve got very very short memories like lots of people   two of which she returned and one of which escaped
but of course optimist will be released to a listening public that may or may not be familiar with her even mr visconti said he knew of her only vaguely before they worked together early reviews have been warm and mr visconti a tough critic if not an entirely impartial one praised her refreshing voice and compelling stories
ms guinness is already at work on more music she plans to record new songs with mr visconti this summer and has no plans to attend the couture shows in july
are you kidding me said the fashion persons fashion person no id love to be there but my music is king


an ankle injury to a red hot jonas valanciunas in the second round of the nba playoffs came at a terrible time for the toronto raptors but for bismack biyombo the teams backup center it could not have worked out better
biyombo a 6 foot 9 defensive ace has flourished in the starting role and with the ability to opt out of his contract and become a free agent this summer he also appears to have set himself up for a huge payday
while solid all season for the raptors and a contributor in the first two rounds of the playoffs biyombo caught fire in games 3 and 4 of the eastern conference finals against the cleveland cavaliers as toronto fought back on monday tying the series at two games apiece biyombo amassed an incredible 40 rebounds while also contributing 12 points 7 blocks and 2 assists and committing just two turnovers he has put on a show with finger wags after his blocks worthy of dikembe mutombo and plenty of tough play inside against a heavily favored team
other than some fears that his physical style could end up injuring an opponent the only mild controversy that had surrounded biyombo entering wednesday nights game involved whether or not he had been given permission by mutombo to replicate his signature gesture
biyombo who like mutombo is from the democratic republic of congo has said he was given permission mutombo good naturedly denied that but also made it clear that biyombo needed no permission
hes a young man so i let him enjoy the fame mutombo said hes making me famous i will see him in the congo this summer so him and i will talk back home with nobody around us
predicting biyombos ascension a year ago would have been nearly impossible the seventh pick of the 2011 draft biyombo has always been entertaining but he never averaged more than 52 points or 49 rebounds a game in four seasons for charlotte even as he steadily improved in various advanced basketball statistics the world failed to notice he signed a free agent deal with toronto worth around 3 million for this season with a player option for a second year at roughly the same amount
that he would eventually opt out was probably a foregone conclusion even before his breakout in the playoffs as he thrived as the defensive half of a center rotation with valanciunas playing in all 82 games while averaging 55 points 8 rebounds and 16 blocks in just 22 minutes per game
still only 23 and able to play much larger than his 6 foot 9 frame he was sure to command far more than a 3 million guarantee based on his regular season performance alone now he is likely to be lobbying teams for a starting role and a salary to match
he has thus far proved himself capable of a larger role logging 39 or more minutes in three of the teams last five games heading into wednesday after playing that much only two times during the regular season and seven times in his four seasons with charlotte
biyombo has perhaps already priced himself out of toronto which is committed long term to valanciunas whose four year 64 million contract extension starts next year the raptors may not have the money or the playing time to keep biyombo
valanciunas returned wednesday night for game 5 but as he gets back into the groove biyombo will still probably handle the majority of the work judging by games 3 and 4 that should cause some discomfort for cleveland


could it be that alzheimers disease stems from the toxic remnants of the brains attempt to fight off infection
provocative new research by a team of investigators at harvard leads to this startling hypothesis which could explain the origins of plaque the mysterious hard little balls that pockmark the brains of people with alzheimers
it is still early days but alzheimers experts not associated with the work are captivated by the idea that infections including ones that are too mild to elicit symptoms may produce a fierce reaction that leaves debris in the brain causing alzheimers the idea is surprising but it makes sense and the harvard groups data published wednesday in the journal science translational medicine supports it if it holds up the hypothesis has major implications for preventing and treating this degenerative brain disease
the harvard researchers report a scenario seemingly out of science fiction a virus fungus or bacterium gets into the brain passing through a membrane   the blood brain barrier   that becomes leaky as people age the brains defense system rushes in to stop the invader by making a sticky cage out of proteins called beta amyloid the microbe like a fly in a spider web becomes trapped in the cage and dies what is left behind is the cage   a plaque that is the hallmark of alzheimers
so far the group has confirmed this hypothesis in neurons growing in petri dishes as well as in yeast roundworms fruit flies and mice there is much more work to be done to determine if a similar sequence happens in humans but plans   and funding   are in place to start those studies involving a multicenter project that will examine human brains
its interesting and provocative said dr michael w weiner a radiology professor at the university of california san francisco and a principal investigator of the alzheimers disease neuroimaging initiative a large national effort to track the progression of the disease and look for biomarkers like blood proteins and brain imaging to signal the diseases presence
dr david holtzman a professor and the chairman of neurology at the washington university school of medicine in st louis was also intrigued it is obviously outside the box he said it really is an innovative and novel study
the work began when robert d moir of harvard medical school and massachusetts general hospital had an idea about the function of amyloid proteins normal brain proteins whose role had long been a mystery
the proteins were traditionally thought to be garbage that accumulates in the brain with age but dr moir noticed that they looked a lot like proteins of the innate immune system a primitive system that is the bodys first line of defense against infections
elsewhere in the body such proteins trap microbes   viruses fungi yeast and bacteria then white blood cells come by and clear up the mess perhaps amyloid was part of this system dr moir thought
he began collaborating with rudolph e tanzi also at harvard medical school and massachusetts general hospital in a study funded by the national institutes of health and the cure alzheimers fund the idea was to see if amyloid trapped microbes in living animals and if mice without amyloid proteins were quickly ravaged by infections that amyloid could have stopped
the answers they reported were yes and yes
in one study the group injected salmonella bacteria into the brains of young mice that did not have plaques
overnight the bacteria seeded plaques dr tanzi said the hippocampus was full of plaques and each plaque had a single bacterium at its center
in contrast mice that did not make beta amyloid succumbed more quickly to the bacterial infection and did not make plaques
for years researchers had been fixated on the idea of plaques as a sort of trash that gathered in the brain few had asked if there might be some other explanation
as dr samuel e gandy a professor of neurology and psychiatry at the icahn school of medicine at mount sinai hospital in new york explained there was a long and persuasive body of research laying out the alzheimers pathway plaques form and set off the formation of tangled threadlike tau proteins then as tangles of tau kill nerve cells the brain becomes inflamed resulting in the killing of many more nerve cells
there were a few puzzling clues that something else might be going on but they did not make much sense
for example dr weiner said some investigators reported that people who had developed alzheimers had higher levels of antibodies to herpes an indicator of a previous infection than people who did not have the disease
the suggestion that herpes was causative seemed a bit far fetched he said
the new paper dr gandy and dr weiner said provides a plausible explanation
dr berislav zlokovic the director of the zilkha neurogenetic institute at the university of southern california said his studies of the blood brain barrier also fit well with the new hypothesis when he discovered that the barrier started to break down with aging he noticed that the leakiest part was the membrane that protects the hippocampus the site of learning and memory that is also where alzheimers plaques form
dr tanzi and dr moirs hypothesis he said is very hypothetical at this point but it does make sense
of course there must be more to alzheimers than the brains innate immune system what about people who have a mutated gene that guarantees they will develop the disease at an early age
for them dr tanzi says the problem is that they vastly overproduce beta amyloid there is so much that it clumps on its own without the presence of microbes
not everyone who has had a brain infection develops alzheimers though why would some be more vulnerable than others according to the new theory it probably has to do with the brains ability to clear out the balls of beta amyloid after they have killed microbes dr tanzi said for example it is known that people with a gene called apoe2 have brains that are good at sweeping out plaque and have a low risk of alzheimers in old age those with a different version apoe4 are inefficient in removing plaque and have a high risk of alzheimers
recent data suggests that the incidence of dementia is decreasing it could be because of better control of blood pressure and cholesterol levels staving off ministrokes that can cause dementia but could a decline in infections also be part of the picture
thats a possibility dr weiner said
at this point the harvard researchers have what many say is an intriguing hypothesis but they readily acknowledge that much work lies ahead
the cure alzheimers fund is starting a large collaborative project that will use gene sequencing technology to carefully look for microbes in brains from people who had alzheimers and those who did not researchers will also look for microbes in plaques found in human brains
that though is a big big second step dr tanzi said first we need to ask whether there are microbes that may sneak into the brain as we age and trigger amyloid deposition
then he said we can aim at stopping them


women used warmer gentler words in their status updates on facebook compared to men who were more likely to swear express anger and use argumentative language a study of 10 million postings released on wednesday found
in a bit of a surprise the study showed that women used slightly more assertive language said h andrew schwartz an assistant professor of computer science at stony brook university and one of its authors
the study women are warmer but no less assertive than men gender and language on facebook was a data driven analysis of the words used by more than 65000 facebook users who gave researchers permission to examine their status updates
that shift in assertiveness might reflect the cultural and societal changes brought about by a generation that heavily uses social media said margaret l kern a senior lecturer at the center for positive psychology at the university of melbourne in australia and one of the studys authors in the study the users average age was 26
those conversations have shifted over time she said on facebook people are friends theyre not talking up or down to each other
womens writing largely reflected compassion and politeness compared with men who were hostile and impersonal according to the study which mr schwartz and ms kern discussed tuesday in advance of the release
the most commonly cited topics by women included words such as wonderful happy birthday daughter baby excited and thankful women were more likely to discuss family and social life relying on words that described positive emotions such as love and intensive adverbs such as sooo sooooo and ridiculously the study said
men more frequently discussed topics related to money or work and favored words tied to politics sports competition and activities such as shooting guns or playing video games men commonly used words such as freedom liberty win lose battle and enemy
the differences were interpreted as reflecting a male tendency toward objects and impersonal topics and a female tendency toward psychological and social processes the report said
psychologists and computer scientists from stony brook the university of melbourne and the university of pennsylvania investigated the differences in language by gender participants agreed to answer 20 to 100 questions on a facebook app mypersonality which was run by study collaborators those responses allowed researchers to inventory individual users personality traits and match that data with words that they frequently used from that researchers correlated word frequency and personality traits from the 10 million postings
participants agreed to give researchers access to nearly two years of status updates starting in 2009 for privacy reasons all the posts were stripped of identifying details about the users who were between 16 and 64 years old
the study offered insights into the ways people categorize and label others based on their speech ms kern said it also was a data based way to study social media that could be replicated outside the united states to see if such gender differences surface in other cultures and societies she said
and it gave parents something to think about regarding the words they emphasize with their children
the language we use especially with our kids that becomes a part of them she said perhaps we do use language that encourages girls to be warmer and boys to be less warm


the end is in sight for philip and elizabeth jennings
the americans an fx drama that has received middling ratings but nearly universal acclaim from critics will end in 2018 fx announced wednesday this means that the show currently in its fourth season will have two more one with 13 episodes in 2017 and a sixth and final one in 2018 which will have 10 episodes
the americans which debuted in 2013 tracks the geopolitical skulduggery and domestic angst of married soviet agents played by keri russell and matthew rhys posing as travel agents in the 1980s in the suburbs of washington it was inspired by a real life covert spy ring in new jersey
the physical danger in the americans james poniewozik wrote in the new york times makes it thrilling the emotional danger makes it irresistible
in an interview with the new york times in march joe weisberg and joel fields the co showrunners indicated that the show would end within two more seasons wednesdays announcement makes that official
we have no doubt that this two season order will allow joe and joel to tell this story to its perfect conclusion eric schrier president of original programming for fx said in a statement


paris   take comfort amid the fatigue andy murray the french open can still be won after playing back to back five setters in the first two rounds
gaston gaudio an unpredictable and unseeded argentine did it as recently as 2004
but it is certainly not the recommended method of winning the french open considering how much clay court tennis murray has already played this spring in europe his early round tussles at roland garros could make the homestretch even more of an endurance test unless of course the week of intermittent rain in the forecast gives him and everyone else extra time to recover or washes all the red clay away
murray the no 2 seed arrived in paris on a high after upsetting novak djokovic in the italian open final but his performance here so far has been a matter of quantity over quality
after requiring two days and five sets to solve the unconventional riddle posed by the 37 year old radek stepanek in the first round murray needed five more sets and 3 hours 34 minutes wednesday to escape the clutches of the 164th ranked mathias bourgue
leading by 6 2 2 0 murray appeared to be on his way but bourgue a 22 year old french wild card with a whipping forehand and a wicked way with a drop shot refused to take the hint he won eight straight games on his way to taking the second and third sets bourgue showed signs of refusal again in the final set breaking murray when he served for the match at 5 1
but murray the moody man from dunblane who can find clouds on a sunny day was too fit and too experienced in the end this was the first five set match of bourgues career and murray prevailed 6 2 2 6 4 6 6 2 6 3
you cant continue playing matches like that and expect to win the tournament murray said if i can get through the next one it would be nice to win it a bit quicker
the points should certainly be shorter considering that he will face ivo karlovic the 6 foot 11 croatian with one of the games longest reaches and most devastating serves karlovic 37 is the oldest man in the third round of a grand slam tournament in singles since jimmy connors reached the semifinals at the 1991 united states open at 39
defuse karlovic and the chances are good that murray will face a player of similar stature and strengths the american john isner who will be the favorite against teymuraz gabashvili in his third round match
if he gets through dr ivo and isner back to back he should be ok said brad gilbert a coach and analyst
but to truly recover his momentum murray needs to lift his level of play considerably with men like kei nishikori and the defending champion stan wawrinka in his half of the draw   and with djokovic or the nine time champion rafael nadal potentially headed for the final
i dont want to play five sets every round and dont want to have big drop offs in matches murray said but i was trying trying to find a way it wasnt like i was not there mentally i just couldnt find the court i was missing balls
it has been a distracting week for murray and not just because of the five setters he and his french coach amelie mauresmo announced a split this month and mauresmo a former no 1 suggested in an interview with the french sports magazine lequipe that there had been more behind the change than her desire to spend more time with her infant son
andy is complex she told the magazine on court he can be the opposite of what he is in regular life that can be unsettling i was there to help i had the feeling that i couldnt make things progress anymore
but mauresmo also praised murray in the interview he has a great capacity to listen and analyze he is very curious and always searching and thats what makes for great champions
after beating stepanek murray denied that his on court behavior which can often be negative was the reason for the split with mauresmo and explained that based on his conversations with her the stumbling block had been her lack of availability before major tournaments
the tennis world is an insular world one in which the principal figures often wear multiple hats so it should come as no great surprise that mauresmo working here as an analyst for french television interviewed murray on air after wednesdays match
her first query how did you turn things around
murrays answer was that the conditions had changed the sunshine that had favored bourgues topspin forehand gave way to overcast skies that made for lower bounces murray also pushed closer to the baseline and began taking more chances
there was also the mental battle an emotional player prone to outbursts bourgue has been working with a sports psychologist to better channel his on court energies
nonetheless he cramped from the stress of it all during his first round victory against jordi samper montana before wednesdays match bourgues coach olivier malcor showed him muhammad ali footage for inspiration as well as a video about in malcors words how to handle suffering
i think for a first match against andy murray on center court in front of 15000 people he really handled his emotions well today malcor said thats my biggest victory as a coach
next challenge nutrition bourgue asked for a soda and a candy bar during the match not exactly djokovic staples clay is bourgues best and favorite surface which was easy to understand as he skidded into wide forehands and repeatedly produced something special but threatening a top player in a grand slam is one challenge finishing him off is quite another
the pivotal game turned out to be the first game of the fourth set in which murray saved three break points one with a sparkling backhand half volley drop shot winner that gave bourgue plenty of pause
thats when i said to myself theres a super long way to go bourgue said and thats what happened he raised his level
murray will need to keep doing so and though he has a historical precedent in gaudio the argentines french open success story is not entirely reassuring
after winning in five sets in the first and second rounds in 2004 gaudio had to rally from even bigger trouble against guillermo coria in the final coming back from a two set deficit gaudio saved two match points before finally lifting the trophy
for murray too the roughest weather appears to lie ahead


washington   the head of the transportation security administration facing fierce criticism over long lines at airport security checkpoints said wednesday that passengers would probably continue to experience longer than normal wait times because of an expected increase in summer travel
in an effort to ameliorate delays peter v neffenger the tsa administrator told members of the house homeland security committee that the agency was promoting screeners from part time to full time reassigning hundreds of behavioral detection officers to help on security lines and shifting bomb detection dog teams to larger airports mr neffengers testimony comes just days before millions of americans are expected to travel over the memorial day weekend the agency has come under fire recently with some passengers reporting hourslong waits to get through checkpoints
many airlines say the delays have caused passengers to miss flights
this is not a new rodeo said representative michael mccaul republican of texas and chairman of the committee why didnt we see this coming
mr neffenger said the long lines were a product of higher than forecast passenger numbers staffing shortages and changes in a program that allowed people who had not signed up for background checks to use expedited security lines the agency tightened security procedures after federal auditors managed to get fake bombs and weapons past screeners which has also contributed to the long lines
we are at a lower staffing level than we need to be to address peak demand mr neffenger told lawmakers
congress has authorized the agency to hire 768 additional screeners to handle the expected increase in passengers which is estimated at 740 million this year up from 643 million in 2013 lawmakers shifted 34 million in the tsas budget to help the agency pay for the additional screeners which the agency said would be in place next month
the number of tsa screeners has declined to 44942 this year from 47147 in 2013 according to the agency
some members of congress and the tsa attribute the decline in screeners over the years to budget cuts though some republicans blame the agency for cutting the number of screeners in recent years and some members of the committee said the problems went beyond staffing and training
representative martha e mcsally republican of arizona said the agency was distracted from its focus on airport security by operating screening at political conventions and sporting events
where is the authority for supporting things that have nothing to do with the core mission she asked
its a pretty important mission and were the screening experts said mr neffenger who added the screening was typically done in response to requests from the secret service
mr neffenger shook up his leadership team on monday replacing the agencys top security official and adding a new group of administrators at chicago ohare international one of the many airports plagued by long passenger delays
mr neffenger replaced kelly hoggan who had come under criticism for receiving 90000 in bonuses over a 13 month period the bonuses were awarded even though a leaked report from the department of homeland security showed that auditors were able to get fake weapons and explosives past security screeners 95 percent of the time in 70 covert tests
in addition several employees who say they were punished with reassignments to other airports after filing whistle blower complaints have charged that mr hoggan played a role in their forced transfers
mr hoggans bonus was paid out in 10000 increments an arrangement that members of congress have said was intended to disguise the payments
lawmakers grilled mr neffenger about the bonuses which were awarded before he joined the agency in july he said he had stopped the practice he said mr hoggan was on paid administrative leave
mr neffenger continued to urge travelers to sign up for tsa precheck an expedited screening process that allows passengers to keep their shoes on and keep their computers in their bags enrollment in the program has fallen short of expectations exacerbating the longer lines
mr neffenger said about 15000 people a month were signing up for the program
despite the changes at the agency some airports are still considering switching to private companies to provide screeners
under the tsas screening partnership program 22 of the approximately 450 commercial airports in the country including san francisco international airport now use private screeners
some airport executives and republicans in congress have proposed hiring private screeners to replace tsa workers
but some transportation experts point out that airports with private screeners which must follow tsa procedures are also experiencing longer waiting times as passenger volume increases
representative bennie thompson of mississippi the ranking democrat on the committee cautioned against what he said would be a return to the pre sept 11 privatization model in which failure to screen hijackers led to the creation of the tsa
congress and tsa must resist band aid fixes to complicated and well understood aviation security challenges mr thompson said patching and plugging holes are not answers


meg whitman is letting fuzzy math sully an otherwise clever deal
ms whitman the chief executive of hewlett packard enterprise plans to spin off and merge its information technology services business with its rival the computer sciences corporation hp enterprise is trumpeting a combination of cost cuts and other benefits worth almost 14 billion today a rough breakingviews calculation suggests the potential of creating value of a little over half that - and even that may be generous
hp enterprise the corporate computing arm that was spun out of hewlett packard last year is effectively shedding what is left of electronic data systems the information technology services company that hewlett packards former boss mark hurd bought in 2008 for nearly 14 billion hewlett packard wrote down the value of its services business by 8 billion four years later the unit logged 20 billion of revenue last year but made only about 1 billion of operating profit before special items
ms whitman has dressed the deal up well hp enterprise shareholders will receive a 15 billion dividend and because the deal is structured as a so called reverse morris trust hp enterprises shareholders will be handed their 50 percent share of the new company without having to pay any tax the new entity will also assume around 25 billion of debt and other liabilities from hp enterprise - half of which will be supported by csc shareholders
in addition hp enterprise stockholders will receive half the value of what the company estimates will be at least 15 billion of annual cost cuts from the merger these would be worth 5 billion once taxed and capitalized by a multiple of 10
then though hp enterprises pitch starts getting wobbly ms whitmans company appears to be arguing that at least some of its shareholders implied 45 billion equity stake in the new company for instance is value creation - when its really just a transfer
the numbers also arguably take an optimistic view of a sector that has been struggling for some time hp enterprise has managed to cut costs in recent years to offset falling revenue in its services business but if the woes continue that could be difficult to sustain
hp enterprise has not yet convinced its owners the stock jumped 11 percent in after hours trading on tuesday adding just over 3 billion thats not a bad salvage operation but its a far cry from what ms whitman and her executives are pushing


the sol project a new initiative to raise the profile of latino artists in theater will make its debut in november with hilary bettiss play alligator presented with the company new georges
the initiative plans to partner with 12 off broadway companies to produce one play per season so far six companies have been announced new georges rattlestick playwrights theater the public theater labyrinth theater company atlantic theater company and womens project theater
jacob padron a producer with the public theater and the sol projects artistic director said in an interview that his inspiration for the project came from 13p a playwriting collective now defunct that produced a play by each member from 2003 to 2012 mr padron added that he had more long term ambitions   to expand with regional partners and create a new canon of latino theater
pairing emerging and established playwrights with theater companies is the baseline of the sol projects partnerships mr padron said it will also work to make creative teams more diverse alligator for example will have a latina director elena araoz
the play   written by ms bettis a staff writer for the tv series the americans   follows gritty twin orphans from the florida everglades we just found it to be such a provocative play mr padron said shes asking profound questions about identity
mr padron founded the sol project with a collective of four other latino artists and an honorary board that includes the actress daphne rubin vega the pulitzer prize winning novelist junot diaz and the looking actor raul castillo next season it plans to produce a play with rattlestick the following year with the public future partners and productions will be announced later


kabul afghanistan   their forbidden young love forever dislodged their lives sending them into exile in the high mountains of central afghanistan briefly to tajikistan and even to jails in order to find protection from vengeful family members who sought to kill them in the name of honor
now more than two years after a young afghan couple from different sects zakia and mohammad ali eloped against the wishes of their families they arrived in new york city late on tuesday on a 90 day visa granted by the american embassy in kabul the couple plan to apply for asylum with the help of an international aid group
life had long before lost any sense of normalcy for the couple and their 17 month old daughter ruqia
zakias family members were forced out of their village when she eloped and they constantly pursued the couple hailing from the tajik ethnicity and sunni sect of islam they see her love and subsequent marriage to mohammad ali an ethnic hazara and a shiite a dishonor worthy of her killing
but the couples challenges chronicled in a series of new york times articles as well as in the book the lovers by the times correspondent rod nordland seem far from over even if they win asylum in the united states both are illiterate with little experience living or working beyond the potato fields of their home in bamian province
we submit to god   we tried everything here but the situation did not change there at least we will be able to live in security and safety a nervous mohammad ali said before his flight from kabul
their earlier attempts at seeking asylum through western embassies in kabul including that of the united states had failed they were told they needed to flee afghanistan first as refugees when they tried that arriving in tajikistan in the fall of 2014 it ended up a disaster they were robbed of about 5000 in savings jewelry and cellphones they said and were deported back to afghanistan
this time around the process for an american visa has been going more smoothly their case granted under humanitarian parole a limited visa program for those with a compelling emergency was facilitated by a lawyer poonam gupta of white  case llp who was hired by the aid group women for afghan women
when mohammad ali was detained by the police in kabul after his in laws accused him of kidnapping zakia women for afghan women sheltered zakia in their safe houses and their lawyers helped win mohammad alis release
since their case had become politicized and has received so much media attention we knew that their lives would be endangered as long as they remained in afghanistan said manizha naderi the executive director of women for afghan women they couldnt live anywhere in peace zakias family would hunt them down
ms naderi said the groups new york staff would try to help them adjust to life there


paris   for years lovestruck visitors to paris had affixed locks often inscribed with their initials or names to the wire mesh panels along the pont des arts flinging the keys into the seine river below but last year after a section of the bridges railing collapsed under the weight of some 700000 declarations of fidelity the city removed the locks citing reasons of aesthetics and security
some people were pleased that what they considered a blight on the city was being eliminated others however expressed regret that they would not be able to participate in what had become a cherished parisian ritual city officials while acknowledging the sensitivity of the issue said at the time that they wanted to restore views of the seine which the locks had obscured the pedestrian bridge connects the institut de france and the central square of the palais du louvre
now the pont des arts its iron grillwork freshly painted and protected by plexiglass panes has taken on a new role as the setting for an exhibition of sculptures by the contemporary artist daniel hourde
the installation the enchanted footbridge opened last week and was to be formally dedicated on wednesday evening there are seven pedestals eight statues 10 reflective metal trees and a kinetic statue of a figure engaged in what appears to be a violent movement or struggle
i imagined a kind of hanging garden mr hourde said in a telephone interview on wednesday adding that the works made for a metallic transition from when the bridge was weighed down by the locks to its newly lightened state
all sculptures are on the verge of equilibrium on the verge of rupture he said
but much as they were when the locks were removed opinions were divided
i dont know if i like it cornelia katsikotoulou 24 a tourist from greece said tuesday evening as she gazed at a gilded figure of actaeon a mythological hunter shown in the company of his dogs baring their teeth
i get mythology i get apocalypse now i get olympics ms katsikotoulou said i have to understand what it means
charlie saco 70 a retiree visiting from new jersey offered his own interpretation of one of the works
that has to be something antiwar mr saco said of a piece entitled le ciel lui tombe sur la tete or the sky is falling down on him
is that a plane he asked pointing at a jumble of steel figures tumbling onto a sculpture of a man mr hourde said that in fact the figures were letters spelling out the greek word for sky
mr saco did not lament the loss of the love locks citing the danger their weight posed to the bridge
neither did nicolas a 31 a french photographer who would not give his last name when you have the locks you have a wall he said try putting a notebook in front of your eyes and now choose what you prefer
with the see through panels on the bridge he said the place has been reclaimed
on the left bank side of the bridge a photographer for dior photographed a woman wearing a salmon colored dress
the photographer zhang jie 29 who lives in paris said he missed the locks he recalled one engraved with chinese characters that read were not together anymore


arthur miller is having quite a run on broadway this past season there were tony nominated revivals of two of his plays a view from the bridge now closed and the crucible still running
and now the nonprofit roundabout theater company says it will revive the price on broadway during the theater season that has just begun
roundabout said on wednesday that it would present the price about a mans reflections on his life as he sets about selling the furniture from his childhood home beginning previews feb 16 and opening march 16 at the american airlines theater the revival will be directed by terry kinney a co founder of steppenwolf who previously directed reasons to be pretty and one flew over the cuckoos nest on broadway casting has not been announced
this will be the fifth production of the price on broadway the original opened in 1968 and revivals were staged in 1979 1992 and 1999


mount sinai beth israel an 825 bed hospital that has served downtown manhattan for more than 125 years will close and be replaced by a much smaller building hospital officials said on wednesday
mount sinai health system which runs beth israel and six other hospital campuses in the new york city area said that it would be four years before the hospital closed and that its primary specialties behavioral and outpatient surgery services would be expanded over that time
the move adds beth israel to a list of 19 other hospitals in the city that have either closed or overhauled how they operate since 2000 a reduction in services that has hit lower manhattan especially hard the decision also reflects broader trends at a time when hospitals across the country are struggling financially
at its core health care was just too costly said dr kenneth l davis president and chief executive of the mount sinai health system
we have the macroeconomics of health care   which is that it is unaffordable for everyone dr davis said in an interview on wednesday beth israel he said stood to lose 2 billion in the next 10 years because of changes in federal reimbursement structures alone last year the hospital had an operating loss of 115 million
dr davis said large hospitals were also no longer the most efficient vehicles for delivering care in part because of medical advances not long ago for instance surgery to replace a hip or knee would require a long hospital stay a patient undergoing such a procedure now can often go home the same day
the plan for the new beth israel building calls for breaking ground in 2017 once that is completed the existing building at 16th street and first avenue will be sold with the proceeds helping to offset the costs of the change hospital officials said
the new building will have about 70 beds with an emergency department several blocks away officials said it will also include expanded outpatient facilities at three sites with more than 35 operating and procedure rooms and 16 physician practice locations to be used by over 600 doctors
the mount sinai system the largest private employer in the city said in a statement that it would invest 500 million in changing the way it delivered health care and that it was committed to retraining and placing as many of its current employees as possible elsewhere in the system dr davis said every union job had been guaranteed
while the move may make financial sense for mount sinai given the changing economics of the hospital industry it is politically delicate especially for mayor bill de blasio a central part of his 2013 campaign for mayor was his opposition to the closing of hospitals in the city
mr de blasio joined protests against the closing of long island college hospital in brooklyn getting arrested in the process in hopes of drawing attention to the issue
he also excoriated one of his main opponents in the democratic primary christine c quinn then the speaker of the city council for not doing more to fight the closing of st vincents hospital manhattan in greenwich village in 2010 the 150 year old institution at 12th street and seventh avenue was subsequently demolished to make way for the development of condominiums
on wednesday mr de blasio suggested in a statement that the city would monitor whether adequate health services would be available in the area amid the shift to a smaller version of beth israel
while it is good to see that layoffs of unionized staff will be avoided and some important investments made he said mount sinai must work with the community to ensure that the inpatient and emergency care needs of local residents are met
beth israel has been a part of the fabric of the lower east side since its founding in 1889 its hebrew name translates as house of israel and it was initially founded to serve the swelling jewish immigrant population that had settled in the area as the surrounding neighborhood changed and grew over the years the hospital served new waves of immigrants from around the world
dr davis said in a statement announcing the move that it had been planned for a long time
for several years we have been transforming the mount sinai health system toward a new model of care where we focus on keeping entire communities healthy and out of the hospital he said mount sinai downtown is a dramatic next step that will enable us to improve access and increase quality by providing care for residents of downtown manhattan where they live and work
though the change had been the subject of wide speculation it nonetheless came as a blow to those who have watched nervously as the city lost hospital after hospital
earlier this month as rumors swirled about the future of beth israel and the villager newspaper reported that it might close a group of lawmakers including representative carolyn b maloney a manhattan democrat and several council members warned of the dangers of such a move
beth israel has been a constant presence and resource for the entire city and the east side of manhattan in particular they wrote any downsizing or closure at beth israel threatens to further strain an already overburdened network of health care providers in manhattan reduce health care options and curtail services in the immediate neighborhood and eliminate jobs


cairo   the egyptian authorities expelled a french journalist this week an unusually harsh step that highlighted the crackdown on press freedoms by the government of president abdel fattah el sisi egyptian and french officials said on wednesday
the journalist remy pigaglio had worked in egypt for almost two years and had residency permits and media accreditation that allowed him to do so legally according to an article in the french newspaper la croix one of several outlets that mr pigaglio contributed to egyptian security agents detained him at the cairo airport on monday as he was returning to egypt from a 10 day vacation he was held for 30 hours before security agents deported him without giving a reason la croix reported
egypts authorities have arrested and prosecuted scores of egyptian journalists over the last two years but they have generally been reluctant to take action against foreign journalists fearing unwanted international scrutiny it is even more unusual for the government with its emphasis on procedural rules to take action against international correspondents who have been accredited to work in egypt
mr pigaglios expulsion threatened to strain relations between france and egypt at a time when the two countries are cooperating to locate the debris of egyptair flight 804 which plunged into the mediterranean last week during a flight from paris to cairo investigators are searching for the airplanes cockpit data and voice recorders   the black boxes   to explain the flights descent soon after it crossed into egyptian airspace
during a visit with french lawmakers on tuesday mr sisi reiterated the alliance between the two countries and stressed the importance of increasing egyptian french efforts to reveal the circumstances of the plane crash according to a statement from his office
france has been one of egypts most prominent allies in recent months even as the egyptian government has been accused by other european countries of human rights violations during a visit to cairo by president francois hollande in april egypt signed a deal to buy 1 billion of french weapons as well as agreeing to commercial agreements
amnesty international a human rights organization said in a statement that france and 12 other european countries should suspend weapons sales to egypt otherwise the group said the european countries risk complicity in a wave of unlawful killings enforced disappearances and torture that the group says have been carried out by the police and government forces
on wednesday frances ministry of foreign affairs said it deeply regrets egypts decision to deport mr pigaglio and urged mr sisis government to reconsider
ambassador salah abdel sadek the chairman of egypts official state information service confirmed mr pigaglios deportation but said he had not been fully briefed on the reason for the journalists expulsion
mr pigaglio had been reporting for french news organizations for two years including la croix and rtl a french radio station according to a group of french correspondents in egypt who wrote a letter protesting mr pigaglios deportation
all french correspondents in egypt find unacceptable the growing repression surveillance intimidation deportation and detention exerted by the authorities on egyptian and foreign media alike the correspondents wrote


the new york city buildings department on wednesday ordered a stop to construction on a luxury condominium tower on the upper east side of manhattan that has faced rising local opposition saying the developers improperly created a four foot wide lot to avoid zoning regulations and build a taller structure
in a letter to the developers and the architect the department issued a stop work order and said it intended to revoke the approval and permits for the tower on third avenue near 88th street where multimillion dollar condominiums are already on the market and concrete has been poured into the foundation
a planning expert hired by local opponents george m janes studied the publicly filed paperwork related to the building and found that the creation of the tiny lot along east 88th street appeared aimed at skirting regulations including one requiring a base for the tower running all the way to the street wall at 88th street
the developers instead carved out the small plot and gave themselves an easement so that residents could pass between the street and what was designated as a rear yard doing so mr janes said allowed the developers to add several more floors of valuable apartments that would have otherwise been prohibited
the department in the letter and accompanying documents shared with the new york times said its own audit had found the lot subdivided into a four foot lot for the sole purpose of avoiding a zoning lot requirement   in this case the street wall and setback requirements of the zoning code
a spokeswoman for the developers ddg partners declined to comment on the order by the buildings department
the buildings commissioner rick d chandler said in a statement that the department which had approved permits for the towers construction conducted audits because developers regularly submit creative plans to maximize the square footage that they could build in the case of the upper east side tower he said we stopped work on the site and are requiring the developer to submit new plans
the department audit found other violations in the plan including the exit onto 88th street because the small lot does not meet the definition of a public way
while the developers may still build on the site the finding appeared to require a significant redesign of the building known as 180 east 88th street which at 521 feet is set to become one of the tallest on the upper east side towers are permitted in the neighborhood but zoning rules prohibited several elements of the design the department said
ddg partners has donated at least 19900 to mayor bill de blasios campaign or political causes highlighting the way in which such donations have come to be seen by some in the real estate industry as a cost of doing business
the de blasio administration has not been accused of any wrongdoing in connection with the tower the city signed off on the creation of the four foot wide parcel lot 138 added it to the official tax map in november and gave approval for construction to begin in march
mr de blasio a democrat who has faced scrutiny over the intersection of political contributions and donors with city business said in a statement to the times that the administration listened to the communitys concerns and that the plans were found to be improper after the citys investigation
beyond this particular building opponents expressed concern that if allowed to go forward the project could set a precedent for the proliferation of tiny lots where nothing could be built in the future in order for developers to mount taller projects now
developers and contractors are on notice mr de blasio said when we see something thats not right well take swift action to correct it
councilman ben kallos and the manhattan borough president gale a brewer who are democrats and who sent a letter to the city last week flagging the zoning irregularities at the building site and requesting a stop work order praised the citys decision i am glad we won before it was too late mr kallos said


madrid   two years ago atletico madrid was the surprise team of the european soccer season
even without a global star like lionel messi or cristiano ronaldo it edged past barcelona and real madrid the two powerhouses of spanish soccer to win the spanish league la liga atletico then came within moments of beating real madrid in its first champions league final since 1974 before eventually wilting in extra time real won 4 1 and claimed a record 10th european title
on saturday atletico will once more challenge real in a champions league final but this time it will not enter as an outsider even against its far richer and more prestigious crosstown rival
i think it was a surprise to see atletico reach the final two years ago but i dont think that anybody who has followed the team since can still doubt that atletico has its place among the top teams in europe said paulo futre a former team captain of atletico and portuguese international he added of the clubs argentine manager diego simeone there are no words to describe just what simeone has done to transform this atletico team
since taking over as atleticos coach five years ago simeone has rebuilt the team within the financial limitations of a club budget that is dwarfed by that of real and other larger european clubs one that often forces atletico to sell the rights to star players at seasons end
in 2014 shortly after atletico lost the champions league final three of the pillars of the team   goalkeeper thibaut courtois defender filipe luis and forward diego costa   left for chelsea courtois was on loan to atletico from the blues at the time and luis returned to madrid after one season in london another key player arda turan had his rights sold to barcelona last summer
their replacements however have mostly adapted smoothly to the teams configuration and to simeones counterattacking style under simeone atletico has stood out as a defensive fortress it allowed only 18 goals in 38 league games this season and has won by shutout in more than half its games under him but simeone has also been able to rely on a newly formed tandem up front that pairs antoine griezmann a french forward who joined the team from real sociedad with fernando torres who returned to atletico his boyhood club last year after a long spell in england and italy
both are expected to spearhead a full strength atletico team in the champions league final in milan a change from two years ago in lisbon when simeone gambled unsuccessfully on an injured costa who had torn a hamstring in the season ending league game against barcelona
while costa managed to start that final he hobbled off after only nine minutes simeone was forced to use one of his three substitutes to replace him costing him at least one set of fresh legs in a game that real madrid tied in second half injury time and then won with three goals in extra time
atletico reached that lisbon final with a very tired team and with some serious injury worries after a massive fight for the liga said adelardo rodriguez sanchez who played a record 511 games for atletico over 17 seasons before retiring this season has again been very tough but the team is reaching the end in good shape
on its way to milan atletico knocked out two recent champions league winners   barcelona and bayern munich and since losing the champions league final two years ago atletico has had the upper hand on real winning five and drawing four of their last 10 games atleticos only defeat in the rivalry was last year again in the champions league when real madrid eliminated the team in the quarterfinals
under its new coach zinedine zidane real madrid is also back in the final after an impressive but late challenge to barcelona in the league race with real losing the title by a single point on the seasons final day reals attacking trident   ronaldo karim benzema and gareth bale   is among the sternest tests simeones defense could have drawn the three players have scored a combined 98 goals
futre called the game a 50 50 final between two teams that really know each other well but could not be much more different in terms of how they play zidane concurred with that assessment and on tuesday he smiled as he told a news conference that he was used to coping with pressure ahead of important games
ive been a player and also had pressure perhaps more as a coach but i like it even if we will suffer until the end he said
the milan final has been presented as atleticos opportunity to avenge the loss in lisbon in which real madrid defender sergio ramos forced extra time with a late header but atleticos players have pushed back at that theme
the final is not a revenge for that of lisbon but an opportunity to make history midfielder saul niguez 21 told radio marca last week he has been one of the revelations of atleticos season particularly after his goal against bayern in the semifinals helped seal his teams place against real
whatever the outcome the crosstown confrontation underlines the dominance of spanish teams in european play in recent years last wednesday seville beat liverpool 3 1 in basel switzerland to win the europa league for a third consecutive year the victory ensured that a spanish team will have won every european trophy in the last three years
bookmakers give real slightly better odds on saturday perhaps bowing to its unmatched trophy haul in the competition that does not displease adelardo the former atletico player
it would not be normal for atletico to be the favorite in such a match he said when i was playing the only times we really hurt madrid is when we started out as the victims


citigroup on wednesday became the latest big bank accused of trying to manipulate global interest rates a reminder of wall streets wide ranging abuse of power in these markets
the commodity futures trading commission a federal regulator that oversees wall street announced 425 million in penalties against citigroup covering two overlapping cases
and yet citigroup faces no criminal charges in an unexpected move the justice department confirmed on wednesday that it had closed its investigation into citigroup and some of the other banks suspected of manipulating an interest rate benchmark commonly known as the isdafix
still the trading commissions civil cases against citigroup join a long list of actions against banks suspected of manipulating benchmark interest rates and currencies last year the trading commission and the justice department announced civil and criminal charges against four of the worlds biggest banks citigroup included for a scheme to manipulate the value of the worlds currencies
we will vigorously continue to investigate any efforts to manipulate financial benchmarks and we will take action where possible to protect the integrity of these benchmarks aitan goelman the trading commissions enforcement director said in a statement on wednesday
all told banks have paid more than 15 billion in penalties for the cases including those announced on wednesday citibank alone has agreed to pay 735 million
these settlements represent a significant step for citi in resolving its legacy benchmark rate investigations the bank said in a statement in addition to adopting industrywide reforms related to participation in benchmark rates citi has made substantial investments in its systems controls and monitoring processes to better guard against inappropriate behavior our greatest priority is to ensure that we conduct business in keeping with the highest ethical standards
the action against citigroup centers on its attempts to manipulate a global benchmark rate that is a crucial tool for valuing a wide range of products across financial markets
the benchmark is known as the international swaps and derivatives association fix or in wall street parlance the isdafix its rates are published daily for various interest rate derivatives contracts which banks trade with other financial institutions and sell to clients looking to either hedge against a swing in interest rates or to speculate on the markets
at the time of the misconduct which ran from 2007 to 2012 citigroup sat on a panel of banks that each submitted what was supposed to be a reasonable bid for interest rate derivatives an average of those submissions formed the isdafix benchmark rate for that day
but rather than submit an honest bid citigroup made false reports that skewed its submissions the trading commission said the banks motive the agency said was to benefit its own trading positions at the expense of its trading partners and clients
as with earlier manipulation cases regulators plowed through emails and instant messages between traders at citigroup in which they discussed trying to push the prices on interest rate swaps to get better deals on derivative transactions the banks was handling in one march 2008 instant message a citigroup trader boasted i am very proud of myself after telling colleagues he had pushed the prices of a swap on the screen
an indication that traders within citigroup were working to manipulate the isdafix is revealed in emails sent in 2010 after the publication of a newspaper article on the cftcs preliminary investigation upon reading the article some citigroup derivatives traders responded with comments such as game over or ouch
and yet citigroup was not fully forthcoming with the government initially the bank slowly produced emails and made some dubious comments about its misconduct according to the trading commission eventually the bank discovered and produced evidence showing that its initial statements about certain misconduct were incorrect the commission said
in a separate benchmark fixing case citigroup agreed to resolve claims that it had tried to manipulate the yen london interbank offered rate also known as the yen libor and the euroyen tokyo interbank offered rate or the euroyen tibor
citigroups role in trying to manipulate overseas benchmark rates tied to the pricing of interest rates and the use of derivatives products tied to those benchmarks has been no secret in 2011 the tokyo financial services agency sanctioned citigroup for its actions and temporarily suspended a derivatives product in february citigroup agreed to pay 23 million to settle a lawsuit brought by several hedge funds and a public pension plan over claims that the bank had conspired to manipulate the yen libor rate
the investigation of citigroups manipulation of interest rates in japan stems from the broader inquiry by the trading commission the justice department and british regulators into various schemes by bankers across the globe to manipulate libor a benchmark used to determine the rates set on a wide array of consumer and business loans the justice department and british authorities also filed criminal charges against some of the traders implicated in the schemes
when barclays became the first bank to settle libor manipulation charges four years ago it set off a global scandal that led the bank to oust some of its top executives last year barclays became the first bank to settle with the trading commission over isdafix violations
the justice department has concluded there was insufficient evidence of criminal wrongdoing at barclays and citigroup the justice department added that it has not officially closed the overall isdafix investigation
but the trading commission which has a lower burden of proof is expected to announce additional cases in the coming months
the cftc remains steadfast in its commitment to ensure the integrity of global benchmarks that are critical to the us and international financial markets mr goelman said


albuquerque   donald j trump is unlikely to win the general election unless he improves his dismal standing among hispanics and women but his efforts to win over those two crucial constituencies is off to a rocky start
on tuesday night mr trump purposefully attacked gov susana martinez of new mexico who in addition to being the most prominent hispanic woman in american politics also happens to be the chairwoman of the republican governors association
appearing at a campaign rally in albuquerque the largest city in ms martinezs state mr trump unleashed a blistering assault on the governor who skipped the event by saying she was not doing the job
he faulted her by falsely asserting she was allowing syrian refugees to settle in the state and blamed her for albuquerques unemployment numbers as well as the increase in the number of new mexico residents on food stamps
its your governors fault mr trump told thousands of booing supporters we have to get your governor and get going shes got to do a better job ok your governor has got to do a better job
the swipes at ms martinez delivered in two separate instances during his speech seemed designed to send a message if the presumptive republican nominee is attacked critics can expect mr trump to hit them back far harder
the decision to go after ms martinez in her own state is not dissimilar to the time mr trump ridiculed senator bernie sanders during a stop in burlington vt the hometown of mr sanders
ms martinez has been critical of mr trump she has declined to endorse him expressed concerns about him at closed door party gatherings and did not appear at his rally here because she told reporters she was really busy
but mr trumps decision to use ms martinez the first hispanic woman governor in the countrys history for purposes of firing a warning shot at his critics confounded republicans and revived questions wednesday about whether he has a genuine appetite to unify the party
politics is about winning and after the primaries are over what you do is bring anyone who was not with you on board said luis fortuno a republican and former governor of puerto rico to do the opposite doesnt bode well for any candidate
mr trumps broadside led to a round of phone calls and text messages among republican governors a spokesman for the governors association jon thompson issued a statement that avoided criticizing mr trump but praised ms martinez for instituting conservative reforms in a blue state
even as he speaks of unity mr trump it seems cannot seem to contain his freewheeling sometimes offensive riffs which some of his supporters relish but which put off others
at a rally in anaheim calif on wednesday mr trump knocked both mitt romney the partys 2012 nominee and jeb bush the former governor of florida who unsuccessfully ran against mr trump for the republican nomination but remains popular with the partys establishment
he called mr romney a choker and mocked his gait saying he walks like a penguin onto the stage like a penguin and to boos he complained that mr bush has yet to endorse him he will get a burst of energy and he will do it believe me mr trump said alluding to a nickname   low energy jeb   he had given mr bush when the two were rivals
speaking for more than an hour tuesday night here mr trump also took aim at hillary clinton and senator elizabeth warren of massachusetts he called ms warren pocahontas a derogatory nickname because of her unsubstantiated claims during her 2012 senate run that she has native american ancestry
if mr trump was echoing the views of many in his own party he was also demonstrating why polls show him as so unpopular among women
just 21 percent of female voters have a favorable opinion of mr trump and 60 percent view him unfavorably according to a recent new york timescbs news poll among hispanic women mr trump fares even worse with 80 percent viewing him unfavorably and just 18 percent viewing him favorably according to a recent fox news poll of hispanic registered voters with slightly different question wording
if his image does not improve among latinas he will find it difficult to carry swing states with larger hispanic populations such as florida and colorado let alone more democratic leaning states such as new mexico mr trump says he expects to do well with hispanics but has upset many of them with his promise to build a wall along the united states mexico border as well as his comments that some mexicans are criminals and rapists
ms martinez who is in her second term is popular among republicans here and has been mentioned as a potential vice presidential pick   though not necessarily by mr trumps team but that seems unlikely now
the governor will not be bullied into supporting a candidate until she is convinced that candidate will fight for new mexicans said mike lonergan ms martinezs press secretary governor martinez doesnt care about what donald trump says about her
but democrats were delighted about it and mrs clinton seized on mr trumps criticism of ms martinez
last night he insulted the republican governor martinez of new mexico just gratuitously mrs clinton said at california rally on wednesday i dont know he seems to have something about women


a federal judge in brooklyn in an extraordinary opinion issued on wednesday that calls for courts to pay closer attention to how felony convictions affect peoples lives sentenced a woman in a drug case to probation rather than prison saying the collateral consequences she would face as a felon were punishment enough
the judge frederic block of federal district court said such consequences served no useful function other than to further punish criminal defendants after they have completed their court imposed sentences
the judge noted that there were nearly 50000 federal and state statutes and regulations that imposed penalties on felons
those penalties   denial of government benefits ineligibility for public housing suspension of student loans revocation or suspension of drivers licenses   can have devastating effects he wrote adding that they may be particularly disruptive to an ex convicts efforts at rehabilitation and reintegration into society
the issue of collateral consequences has been considered by other courts but judge blocks 42 page opinion with his call for reform appears to be one of the most detailed examinations yet
judge blocks sentencing opinion was issued in the case of chevelle nesbeth who was arrested last year at kennedy international airport after a search of her luggage turned up 600 grams of cocaine court records show
in the opinion the judge said he considered her crimes to be serious and called her criminal conduct inexcusable but he also listed an array of consequences that she would quite likely face as a result of her felony drug convictions like being ineligible for grants loans and work assistance for two years the duration of her college career
he noted that the inability to obtain housing and employment stemming from a conviction often results in further disastrous consequences such as losing child custody or going homeless and leads to many ex convicts becoming recidivists and restarting the criminal cycle
the judges ruling does not create a binding legal precedent for other courts but it is likely to contribute to the national debate about the criminal justice system
gabriel j chin a professor at the university of california davis school of law called the opinion groundbreaking
this is by some distance the most careful and thorough judicial examination of collateral consequences in sentencing said professor chin who has written on the subject and whose work the judge cited in the opinion
its going to generate debate on a critical issue in the criminal justice system   the ability of people convicted of crimes to get on with their lives he said
ms nesbeth had claimed that she was given the suitcases by friends and was unaware they contained drugs a jury was unpersuaded convicting her of importation of cocaine and possession of cocaine with intent to distribute the judge wrote she faced a sentence of 33 to 41 months under the advisory guidelines
but in a hearing on tuesday judge block sentenced ms nesbeth to one year of probation to include six months of home confinement and 100 hours of community service and said he would elaborate on his reasoning in the full opinion
amanda l david a federal public defender representing ms nesbeth said of the ruling its refreshing really to see a judge considering the ramifications that a lot of people dont even know about much less consider when they think about a person being sentenced but even with the probationary sentence ms david said it was disheartening that there are all these doors that are closed to her based on her conviction
the united states attorneys office in brooklyn declined to comment but in a memo to the judge before sentencing the office said the collateral consequences of ms nesbeths convictions were necessary given her serious criminal conduct such restrictions the office added were meant to promote public safety by limiting an individuals access to certain jobs or sensitive areas and to ensure that government resources are being spent on those who obey the law
in the opinion judge block quoted from the work of the legal scholar michelle alexander author of the new jim crow mass incarceration in the age of colorblindness
today a criminal freed from prison has scarcely more rights and arguably less respect than a freed slave or a black person living free in mississippi at the height of jim crow she wrote in one section quoted by judge block
the judge noted that ms nesbeth who was 20 at the time of her conviction and lived with her mother in new haven had been enrolled in college and was also working as a nail technician to help support herself
daniel c richman a former federal prosecutor who teaches criminal law at columbia added that however laudable it is for the judge to highlight this problem his decision cant solve it even for this defendant
as the judge himself has made clear professor richman added the source of the problem is outside of his control all these different statutes
indeed judge block who has served for more than two decades on the federal bench said that while judges should consider such consequences at sentencing it was for congress and state legislatures to determine whether the plethora of post sentence punishments imposed upon felons is truly warranted and to take a hard look at whether they do the country more harm than good


london   on dec 29 1170 four knights loyal to king henry ii crept up on the archbishop of canterbury thomas becket in the citys cathedral and murdered him with their swords after he clashed with the monarch
more than eight centuries later a bone fragment believed to be from beckets elbow traveled this week from esztergom basilica in hungary where it had been kept for centuries back to england where it will make several stops before returning to the site of his assassination
medieval scholars say the reasons for how and why the bone fragment wound up in hungary are still a matter of debate but at a time when britain is contemplating whether to leave the european union and hungary is being accused of failing to uphold european values the relics journey to england is being touted as a symbol of european unity
it is also seen as a testament to reconciliation between the roman catholic church and the church of england
this is a chance for hungary to show its european values said naomi howell an associate research fellow in medieval studies at the university of exeter in england it is also a symbol of the ongoing reconciliation of the catholic church and the church of england and the healing of the wounds still felt from the protestant reformation
hampton court palace where king henry viii broke off ties with the papacy in 1530 over his efforts to obtain an annulment from his first wife held its first roman catholic service in more than 450 years in february he married the mistress anne boleyn whom he later beheaded
becket had been a dear friend of king henry iis but after he became archbishop of canterbury he resisted the monarchs attempts to tame the churchs power the knights thinking the king wanted the archbishop dead killed him
becket was canonized in 1173 and he became one of the most revered saints in england his shrine in canterbury cathedral became a popular pilgrimage site and it was immortalized in chaucers canterbury tales which followed the journey of a group of pilgrims to his tomb
in medieval times beckets bones were viewed as having mystical powers according to legend they could stop dogs from barking and they cured a man who said he had suffered for 30 years from nocturnal attacks by a demon called the incubus
in another account of beckets prowess a young girl who misplaced some cheese and who feared being beaten for the transgression prayed to becket who was said to have led her back to it according to william maclehose a lecturer in the history of science and medicine at university college london
the journey of the bone relic which is held in a gold case was celebrated on monday with a holy mass at westminster cathedral in london attended by president janos ader of hungary and cardinal peter erdo the archbishop of esztergom budapest
along its journey the elbow fragment will be temporarily reunited with a piece of beckets skull   normally kept at stonyhurst college in northern england   before stopping at rochester cathedral on friday and canterbury cathedral on saturday it will then return to hungary
beckets murder has long captured the popular imagination around the world ts eliot depicted the archbishops assassination in a verse drama murder in the cathedral in 1935 in 1964 richard burton starred as the archbishop in the film becket alongside peter otoole who played king henry ii
in hungary becket was viewed as a potent emblem of resistance to state oppression in the communist era
mystery surrounds the question of how some of beckets remains ended up in hungary dr howell said a leading theory is that the elbow fragment was taken to hungary by bishop lukacs banfi who had studied with becket in paris and who was helped by margaret of france henry iis daughter in law
in any case their presence in hungary helped protect them when the shrine containing part of beckets remains was destroyed during the reformation in england when the catholic practice of revering saints was castigated


the french parliament on wednesday approved a law that gives the police and judicial authorities new powers to detain terrorism suspects put people under house arrest and use deadly force to stop attacks
the senate frances upper house of parliament approved the bill by a show of hands the national assembly the lower house had already approved it
the measure is the latest in a series of legislative changes that the government of president francois hollande has pushed through to give the authorities greater policing powers after the deadly terrorist attacks in paris last year sometimes prompting debates over civil liberties
here is a summary of new powers introduced by the law and other recent changes and proposals designed to increase the authorities antiterrorism powers
the law approved on wednesday gives the police the ability to hold someone without access to a lawyer for up to four hours to check his or her identification if they suspect that person of connections to terrorism even before the law was approved the police could detain terrorism suspects for up to 144 hours without charges
the new law also gives police officers more leeway to use deadly force against someone they believe is committing a deadly attack and authorizes them to buy weapons in sting operations to combat weapons trafficking
the law also allows the government to put someone returning from a terrorist theater of operation like syria or iraq under house arrest for up to a month
the bill has distressed some judges and human rights groups they say the government is trying to institutionalize exceptional measures that were made possible when a state of emergency was declared after last years attacks   and later extended by parliament
under the law approved on wednesday the police and prosecutors now have access to electronic eavesdropping technology that had been available only to intelligence agencies which were granted enhanced capabilities after the attacks in january 2015 at the paris offices of a satirical newspaper charlie hebdo and a kosher supermarket
prosecutors were also granted new powers similar to those of investigative judges including the ability to tap phones use hidden cameras and analyze electronic communications
the new law gives prisons greater authority to search inmates and it allows them to put microphones and cameras in prison cells with the authorization of a prosecutor
in addition the new law makes it illegal to regularly consult websites that promote terrorism except for legitimate academic or journalistic activities offenders would risk up to two years in prison and a fine of up to 30000 euros or about 33500
critics worry that these limits and new surveillance powers go well beyond fighting terrorism
no government proposal since the terrorist attacks in november had raised as much alarm among civil libertarians as one that would have stripped french citizenship from people with dual citizenship who have been convicted of terrorism related crimes
on march 30 president hollande announced he was withdrawing that proposal
polls had suggested that there was wide public support but opponents said the proposal unfairly targeted french people with immigrant backgrounds
the measure highlighted a growing split in mr hollandes socialist party among those who favored a tough law and order approach in the wake of the attacks in november that killed 130 people and those worried that the government would be impinging on civil liberties
the french parliament voted last week to extend the current state of emergency for another two months until the end of july
this is the third time the government has extended the state of emergency declared by the president after the attacks in and around paris the state of emergency enables the french authorities to conduct police raids without warrants although the latest two month extension has left that provision out and put suspects under house arrest without prior judicial authorization the authorities can also ban public demonstrations shut down websites and disband groups deemed a threat to public order by the government
the government had been pushing to make the power to declare a state of emergency part of the french constitution which would have made it more difficult for successive governments to change how that power is wielded but the proposal was dropped in march with the citizenship proposal
the state of emergency received broad approval in france in the months after the attacks with polls showing that more than two thirds of the public supported it
human rights groups have protested and some muslims believe that they are being unfairly singled out by the expanded police measures


the summer travel season will soon be upon us with notions of escape unplugging and faraway lands
but while the idea of disconnecting from technology when abroad seems relaxing the stress of visiting a foreign country without a smartphone connection can quickly counteract the benefits of a digital detox after landing in an unfamiliar place you may realize that an inability to look up mobile maps or places to eat on a phone can be crippling relying on a printed tourist guide may feel primitive and immediately inform muggers that you are holding lots of cash
so what to do there are two ways to take your cellphone abroad and get data   the frugal way and the pay full price way the inexpensive method involves some tinkering and planning ahead while the full price way is easy but requires paying even more money to your carrier
first the full price option for many years american wireless customers have been able to pay extra to their carrier for international roaming or the ability to seamlessly use a foreign network among other options att sells an international package with a modest amount of data 800 megabytes enough to last about a week for 120 and verizon wireless charges 10 a day for roaming in many countries and in recent years t mobile usa and sprint began offering free international roaming but with a caveat the data speeds are very slow
toni toikka chief executive of alekstra a research firm that analyzes cellphone bills said he finally caved in to paying att an extra 120 whenever he traveled abroad after growing tired of juggling multiple cellphones and sim cards when in europe and new york
after all the frustration they finally got me mr toikka said paying att or verizon some extra money is the most convenient option for taking a smartphone abroad he said
for frugal travelers there are some smart alternatives if they are willing to do a bit of homework
to get a good deal bring an unlocked smartphone which is a phone not restricted to use with one carrier into a foreign carriers store buy a data package and insert its sim card into the phone in wireless industry jargon these are called prepaid international sim cards even better some overseas carriers let you order a sim card ahead of time so you can get it before your trip or have it delivered to your hotel
here is a guide to taking your smartphone abroad on the cheap including analyses by alekstra on the costs of mobile services in five popular travel destinations china japan britain france and spain
first and foremost to use a foreign carriers sim card you usually have to unlock your smartphone or buy a cheap unlocked phone typically when you buy a new smartphone it comes locked so you can use it with only one carrier after you have fully paid off the phone you can ask the carrier unlock it
consider an att iphone 6s after paying the 650 for the device you can go to atts website to request an unlock in my experience with unlocking a used iphone 6 that i bought from a friend atts system took a few minutes to process the request and then notified me that the phone was unlocked
each carriers unlocking process can be found online with a web search verizon generally does not lock newer smartphones but you should call customer service to check that yours is unlocked before traveling sprint requires requesting the unlock through customer service on its website or over the phone t mobile offers an app for android users to ask for an unlock otherwise you can contact t mobile on the phone or through a web chat to request it
alternatively you can buy a cheap unlocked phone motorola offers its second generation moto g a well reviewed cheap android phone for about 150 on amazon
if you get a foreign sim card you will be using a different phone number from your regular one to simplify taking a smartphone abroad we recommend ignoring traditional phone and texting services and relying on free communication services that rely purely on data connections
there are many data based apps for messaging and calling whatsapp the messaging company acquired by facebook is a reliable service that can be used in most countries for placing phone calls or sending messages over a data connection
in china the messaging app wechat is popular
apple iphones include imessage and facetime services for sending messages and placing calls over a data connection if someone wants to contact you tell them to use one of those services
once you have freed your smartphone of carrier restrictions and downloaded a messaging app its time to find a service package for wherever you are traveling mr toikka recommends buying service from well known carriers in each country because they are more reliable than off brand carriers
for china the big carriers are china mobile and china unicom both carriers sell a package in their stores that includes one gigabyte of data for 2040   enough for a two week trip
for a longer visit you might consider the two gigabyte package offered by both carriers for 2490
if you want to buy a sim card before the trip on china unicoms website you can order a sim card including one gigabyte of data for 25 or two gigabytes for 35 and have it delivered to your hotel
in japan mr toikka recommended considering the carrier econnect it sells a one gigabyte package that can be used for 15 days for 2595 for a longer visit it offers a three gigabyte package for 4064 that is valid for 30 days
whats more you can order the econnect sim card ahead of time on the companys website and schedule a delivery date to your hotel
in france orange offers a two gigabyte package in its stores for 3360 that is its largest data offering but if you run out of data you can always buy another two gigs if you order online orange offers a holiday sim card that includes one gigabyte of data for 4486
in spain vodafone offers three cheap options in its stores its one gigabyte package costs 1120 the 15 gigabyte option costs 1680 and the two gigabyte option costs 2240 each of the packages works for 30 days we would recommend the one gigabyte option for a one week trip the 15 gigabyte package for a two  to three week trip and the two gigabyte option for a four week visit
in britain the carrier ee offers a handful of options in its stores including a two gigabyte package for 2175 and a four gigabyte package for 3625 both plans are valid for 30 days
we recommend foreign sim cards with a few caveats if you are traveling to multiple countries   among britain france and spain for example   you will need a separate sim card for each country and the costs will add up quickly in that situation contacting att and verizon to set up international roaming or tolerating t mobile and sprints slow data speeds may be better than the extra trouble of juggling multiple sims
or if you are a business traveler with a good expense account paying for atts or verizons international packages are headache free options verizon also offers its 10 a day travelpass for roaming in more than 100 countries   a nice option though the cost will pile up during a longer trip
otherwise you can save a lot of money and get a lot more high speed data by planning ahead and buying a foreign sim card


ise japan   eleven united states presidents have served since president harry s truman decided to drop an atomic weapon on hiroshima and none has set foot in that traumatized city in the 71 years since at least not while in office
president obama intends to end that streak with his visit on friday a decision that speaks volumes not only about his presidency but also about the increasingly worrisome struggle among powers great and small in east asia
mr obamas predecessors had good reasons to avoid hiroshima none wanted to be seen by american voters as apologizing for a decision that many historians even today believe on balance saved lives and there were worries about how such a visit would be viewed in china south korea and other countries in asia that suffered from the brutal world war ii killing machine that was imperial japan
but mr obama and his closest aides have become increasingly disdainful of what they view as washingtons conventional wisdom
no american president had visited cuba in nearly 90 years mr obama did none had visited myanmar he has gone twice few saw merit in negotiating with irans autocratic mullahs mr obama struck a nuclear deal with the iranians that he ranks among his greatest accomplishments and in vietnam this week he lifted a decades old embargo on military sales
mr obama has made clear that he will not apologize for the bombings of hiroshima and nagasaki but with no election left for himself he cares far less that any remorse he expresses might be included in what opponents have caricatured as an apology tour of foreign cities
mr obama also hopes a visit to hiroshima will further his efforts to curb the worlds stockpile of nuclear weapons a signature issue for him and an important reason he won the 2009 nobel peace prize
as the only nuclear power to have used a nuclear weapon the united states has a moral responsibility to act he said in prague just 10 weeks after becoming president
in a recent interview with japanese tv mr obama admitted that his efforts to reduce the worlds nuclear risks had resulted in only modest progress in at least not seeing a huge increase in nuclear stockpiles his record on nuclear nonproliferation is mixed
with russia he struck a deal ratified in 2010 to limit weapons but president vladimir v putin has shown no signs of wanting to go further under the 2015 deal with iran the government there surrendered nearly all of its nuclear material and mr obamas annual nuclear security summit meetings and other efforts succeeded in pulling bomb grade nuclear fuel out of countries like ukraine and chile but his push to modernize the american nuclear weapons stockpile could cause a new arms race and nuclear weapons programs in north korea and pakistan have arguably made the world less safe during his tenure
north korea is the worst example but we also have other parts of the world where youre still seeing the development of new nuclear technologies that could be very dangerous mr obama said this week
the calculus about how a visit to hiroshima would be seen elsewhere in asia has changed although an estimated 40000 to 50000 koreans were killed in the two bombings in 1945   more than any non japanese ethnic group   koreans have long been wary of a presidential trip to hiroshima fearing it could be interpreted as an apology for a war that ended japans occupation of korea
more broadly there is unease in south korea china and other asian countries that mr obamas visit will amount to an endorsement of prime minister shinzo abes campaign to move japan beyond guilt over its militarist past and toward his vision of a normal country with a larger role in global affairs
mr abe has promoted a version of history that plays down japans wartime transgressions and has moved to give the military limited powers to fight in foreign conflicts shedding pacifist constraints in place since world war ii
pressed by washington mr abe issued an apology in december on the issue of comfort women sex slaves taken by the japanese military from korea and other nations long seen as an open wound to koreans many in south korea criticized the apology as insufficient but president park geun hye accepted it and mr abe appeared to win credit in washington
we will acknowledge the korean experience when we have opportunities but we dont think we have to choose between different peoples histories benjamin rhodes a deputy national security adviser said in an interview
south korea has not issued a formal statement either for or against mr obamas visit to hiroshima ms park left wednesday on a tour of africa
as disputes with china mount the white house has also become less concerned about how the visit will be received in beijing one of washingtons great parlor games involves whether tokyo or beijing has the presidents favor for the first years of mr obamas presidency many japan hands were convinced that the obama team favored china seeing it as the only indispensable asian nation and crucial to a climate change pact
but with a climate agreement in paris concluded and mounting concern about chinas territorial claims in the south china and east china seas many in washington see a turn torward tokyo
i think the debate tipped last year in japans favor after china built airfields in the south china sea said michael j green who served as a senior adviser on asia during the george w bush administration
mr abe meanwhile has worked diligently to tighten japans already close embrace of the united states new guidelines written last year will further integrate the two militaries and an unpopular state secrets law passed in 2014 was intended in part to make intelligence sharing easier along with new security laws that allow japanese forces to engage in combat missions overseas these moves have won mr abe plaudits in washington
the visit to hiroshima is a gesture of respect for the japanese people mr rhodes said adding its always been evident that it would be meaningful for the japanese people to pay this kind of visit and insofar as it helps us to advance this alliance thats important
china has criticized the visit as an opportunity for japan to recast itself as a victim rather than aggressor in world war ii and for the united states to cozy up to japan which the official communist party newspaper peoples daily derided as mr obamas right hand man in east asia
we hope that when inviting other state leaders to visit hiroshima japan bears one thing in mind lu kang the foreign ministry spokesman said this month that is it will never tread on the path of militarism again as it once brought unspeakable suffering to its people and people of asia and around the world
even in tokyo there is some ambivalence about mr obamas visit mr abe is expected to get a political lift and ordinary japanese have embraced mr obamas support for nuclear disarmament
but the policy establishment is not keen to be drawn into a new debate over history and some worry that mr abe may come under pressure to visit pearl harbor in return and while japan is publicly committed to the abolition of nuclear weapons it is also anxious about the potential threat from north korea and to a lesser extent china


cigarette smoking is declining among adults in the united states according to a national survey by the centers for disease control and prevention
the report published this week the cdcs 2015 national health interview survey said the percentage of adults aged 18 and over who were cigarette smokers in 2015 was 151 percent down from 168 percent in 2014
that figure is in line with a general trend showing that smoking in that age range has tapered off since 1997 when more than one quarter of adults smoked the survey did not give reasons for the trend or analyze whether it could be attributed to smokers switching from conventional cigarettes to e cigarette devices
the report also said the percentage of current cigarette smokers was higher for men 167 percent than for women 136 percent
the trend of the last couple years is remarkable particularly the last two years said kenneth e warner a professor of public health at the university of michigan we have not seen anything like this for a very long time
professor warner said he was not certain why cigarette use was in decline but it could be a response to more federal antismoking campaigns in the past few years it is possible that a significant number of smokers are getting off of cigarettes by using alternative nicotine sources like e cigarettes he added
the overall decline in cigarette smoking comes as the use of e cigarette devices which are designed to deliver nicotine without the toxic tar of conventional cigarettes has generally risen especially among teenagers
but more americans are questioning their safety according to a reutersipsos poll released this week
after years of debate about the health risks of electronic cigarettes the food and drug administration issued rules this month banning the sale of e cigarettes to anyone under 18 and requiring that adults under the age of 26 show a photo identification to buy them
smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the united states killing about 480000 people a year
the cdc survey used estimates of data taken from interviews on issues that affect the health of americans including alcohol consumption health insurance coverage and obesity it defined cigarette smoking adults as those who had smoked more than 100 cigarettes in their lifetime and who currently smoked every day or some days
professor warner said some federal studies have put the prevalence of adults cigarette smoking higher possibly because of the differing ways they define who is a smoker but the trends are consistent with a decline
the bottom line on these numbers is that they are very encouraging he said


over the last few years drones have gone from being a contentious military tool for airstrikes to a far more mundane magnet for aerial hobbyists
but as drones move into the mainstream entrepreneurs are finding ways to harness the technology as the core of their business ideas
ryan jenson showed its business potential in a demonstration for his new venture honeycomb his idea was to use drones to scout fields for irrigation and pest problems if not caught early such problems can cost farmers thousands of dollars an acre
nevertheless farmers were left scratching their heads mr jenson said they asked him why do we need those and if we do how can we afford them
he and his two co founders at honeycomb built a rough prototype on a sunny day in august 2013 they gathered 50 growers at gold dust farms a 9000 acre farm in southern oregon that specializes in potatoes
usually farmers scout for problems on foot covering approximately 10 acres an hour the agdrone from honeycomb can cover 700 acres an hour producing high resolution 2 d and 3 d maps that can be used to assess most aspects of crop health
as the drone soared in the sky above the growers watched a screen nearby that showed a view from the drones video camera of the fields below once the drone returned they saw photographs it had taken on its trip
a big light bulb lit up said mr jenson 30 who had an interest in aerospace and engineering at a young age he took college classes at age 14 and began working for nasa at 18 when they realized youre telling me i can see every square inch of my farm whenever i want they were sold
one recent convert to honeycombs agdrone found an irrigation leak saving him nearly 100000 in crop loss another grower was able to detect the onset of blight in his potatoes early enough to apply the needed fungicide in time to save the crop
the company based in wilsonville ore now has 16 employees and has raised 2 million in financing
honeycomb is part of a new wave of commercial drone start ups often described as drone services these companies are one stop shops providing both the drones to collect the data and the software to analyze it afterward
from catastrophe response to news gathering to construction site monitoring commercial drones represent one of the fastest growing sectors in technology said lisa ellman a partner and washington based co chairwoman of the unmanned aircraft systems practice at the law firm hogan lovells
while the opportunity looms large starting a new business centered on drones or unmanned aircraft systems as they are officially known has its challenges not least of which are laws that seem to be a moving target many of these start ups are small and venture financing has been hard to secure
the regulations have made it very difficult for many small businesses to pull themselves up from the bootstraps says jeffrey j antonelli a chicago lawyer whose legal practice focuses on drones
but the rules are slowly falling into place for commercial use of drone technology since the federal aviation administration started issuing what it calls exemptions in september 2014 over 5200 permits have been issued to commercial drone operators
most have gone to larger companies companies in photography film and real estate have received the largest share of these permits
the biggest hurdle most small businesses say is that once they have the drone permit they still need someone with a manned vehicle license   like an airplane or helicopter pilot   to fly it
some commercial drone fliers have not bothered to get a license like prohibition the bar was set so high that many people have walked underneath it mr antonelli said but new faa rules for commercial drones weighing 55 pounds or less to be announced as early as june could address that hurdle
one significant potential change would be to drop the requirement for a manned vehicle license instead drone pilot certification would resemble getting a drivers license at the department of motor vehicles a process that could be completed in weeks rather than months
with a streamlined process in place the agency predicts sales of commercial drones will reach 600000 in 2016 and climb to 27 million by 2020
for now however the faa is cracking down on those flying without permits or who otherwise flout the rules last october the agency proposed a fine of 19 million for skypan international a chicago based aerial photography company which the agency said made unauthorized flights in new york and chicago airspace without authorization commercial drone operators cannot fly within five miles of an airport or above 400 feet in a response on its website skypan said it had followed the agencys rules
a string of incidents involving drones have not helped efforts at commercialization for example in september 2015 a runaway drone crashed into seats at the united states open tennis championship in queens a month later a drone crash landed near the white house such events increase public concerns about how to enforce the rules for anyone operating a drone
some new businesses like identified technologies based in pittsburgh have hired experts to address legal and regulatory issues identified technologies uses drones to create 3 d maps of construction sites that allow clients to monitor progress allocate crews more efficiently and detect problems early the company has raised 4 million in financing
identified technologies recently brought on two employees who used to work with commercial airlines with the aim of helping clients get the faa exemption find pilots get drone insurance and complete paperwork
people dont realize how much has to be done before and after a flight to remain compliant said the companys founder dick zhang we take care of everything so clients dont have to
some companies are working on supporting drone operators in meeting regulatory and insurance requirements skyward based in oregon provides software with airspace maps to show where and when it is safe to fly the company founded by jonathan evans a former pilot of blackhawk and medical helicopters also helps drone companies track who is flying a specific drone in what location and at what time creating custom reports with the information that regulators and insurers require
small businesses are expected to get a lift from larger corporations like amazon that have drone programs already underway in late 2015 amazon released a video to promote prime air the service it is developing to deliver small packages in 30 minutes or less the company posts white papers on its website proposing how to integrate drones safely into airspace
as the final barriers to entry come down many anticipate a flood of new businesses when cellphones were first invented we didnt envision all the ways we would use them said ms ellman of hogan lovells drones are very similar
she and gretchen west a senior adviser to hogan lovells recently founded the commercial drone alliance a nonprofit that aims to educate policy makers and the public about commercial drones
hobbyists and consumers who fly drones may also lead to a wave of start ups in december 2015 the faa required recreational drone owners to register their drones in the first 30 days after registration opened nearly 300000 owners registered some of these people may decide to try their hand at making money with their drones
most important hobbyists could help public perception of the industrys potential said mr jenson of honeycomb
people dont yet automatically think of drones as commercial tools he said but were getting closer


oklahoma city   inside the cramped golden state warriors locker room here late tuesday night there was deflation bordering on a sense of utter disbelief players dressed in silence blankly staring into smartphones looking for answers or perhaps it was sympathy
andre iguodala slumped in his seat wearing a yellow t shirt that read strength in numbers except the numbers were all trending the wrong way for the warriors the defending nba champions who were suddenly in a three games to one western conference finals ditch looking up at an oklahoma city thunder team that had taken more than just two games in successive blowouts at chesapeake energy arena
within 48 hours the thunder had stolen the warriors identity   a team all season tagged as irrepressible unstoppable and irresistible and now just bewildered by the 28  and 24 point beat downs theyd had to endure
their record setting 73 victory season was officially on the brink and no quantity of pronouncements that the series wasnt over could call into dispute the thunders budding ascendancy or russell westbrooks dominance largely at the expense of a struggling stephen curry
klay thompson who gave golden state a fighting chance in game 4 with a third quarter outburst   why not go out there and start gunning he said in a solo concession to the warriors predicament   glanced at a box score of the 118 94 defeat
for a second straight game the thunder had strafed a proud and normally hyperactive warriors defense for 72 first half points we did limit them to 46 points in the second half thompson said before adding i mean we had 40 assists thats a positive
in the interview room he took another look at the sheet in front of him
no never mind he said fifteen way off
fifteen measly assists from a team celebrated for its ball movement its sharing westbrook had almost as many on his own 11 to go with his 36 points 11 rebounds and 4 steals like the 67 victory san antonio spurs before them the warriors simply have not been able to handle westbrooks power and energy his ability to switch gears and tirelessly motor wherever he needs to get in order to as he likes to say create some havoc
his penetration the attention he demanded made bonus scoring contributors tuesday night of his backcourt mate andre roberson supposedly a player to leave alone and allow open looks roberson scored 17 points and serge ibaka had 15 of his 17 in the first half which was a near replica of game 3 minus the draymond green groin kick to steven adams
curry the two time league most valuable player paled in comparison to westbrook missing 14 of his 20 shots turning the ball over six times weaving little of the magic that had made him a global sensation biting on a mouth guard as he chewed up opposing defenses
hes not injured warriors coach steve kerr said to an obvious question looming over the series hes coming back from the knee but hes not injured
no im fine curry concurred ive just got to play better
and what of green who had said after being spared a suspension for the wince inducing attack on adams that he would   in the manner of his team which hadnt lost consecutive games all season   make amends for his maladroit play on sunday night
he shot 1 for 7 and like curry was responsible for six of his teams 21 turnovers a ruinous breakdown against the explosive transition game of the thunder
this is the first time in my life that i didnt respond to critics green said
facing elimination at home in oakland on thursday night the warriors could also soon be looking at a critical dissection of their collective achievements from last season through this one
in the build them up and tear them down culture that passes for talk show and twitter disseminated entertainment you just know that some people will be champing to reconsider the warriors 2015 playoff run in which new orleans memphis houston and most obviously cleveland were operating with postseason manpower shortages
there will be the predictable chortling from the old guy network all the way back to oscar robertson who revels in dissing the contemporary game in comparison to the classic one and especially from defenders of the michael jordan generation
following up their franchises first title since 1975 the warriors had the audacity to better the record 72 regular season victories claimed by jordans chicago bulls in 1995 96 then curry was unanimously voted mvp a show of perfection jordan was never afforded
to a generation of his peers and fans jordan is the godfather of all that is historically great and curry   fabulous shotmaker that he is   has also been the beneficiary of a sport gone soft with all due respect they say he couldnt do what he has done in the era of hand checking
earlier this season isiah thomas said right now perimeter defense in the nba is kind of the worst ive ever seen an absolute joke more recently gary payton wondered how it was possible that curry could be a unanimous mvp when jordan never was
charles barkley jordans inept golfing partner weighed in by saying people think us old guys hate when we talk about it it has nothing to do with the warriors greatness lebrons greatness but ive never seen the nba as bad as it is and ive been saying it the last three or four years
of course that becomes an indirect indictment of the warriors 73 victories a commentary on the quality of their competition as if the jordan era nba didnt have teams a good number of them not worth watching
yet the inalterable truth is that the 72 victory bulls did punctuate their historic regular season by winning a championship over paytons seattle supersonics kerr knows all about it he was a contributing member of that bulls team and the one a year later when he made the title clinching shot and the last one too when jordan buried that era ending jumper and the jazz in utah
better than most kerr knows the harsh standards by which the warriors will be judged if they do not rally even if it was his contractual duty to dismiss the carry over weight of the 73 wins
to me they are separate issues he said we had a tremendous regular season our guys competed every single night and did something nobodys ever done before and were proud of that
he added in the playoffs everybody starts 0 0
and now it is 3 1 for the thunder who arguably have the two best players remaining in the playoffs a field that includes clevelands lebron james and at least this version of curry the reigning mvp
long long way to go curry said
they go back to oakland for game 5 on thursday night to play for another trip here to a house of horrors they departed tuesday night wearing their first consecutive defeats by the combined astounding sum of 52 points


washington   the state departments inspector general on wednesday sharply criticized hillary clintons exclusive use of a private email server while she was secretary of state saying that she had not sought permission to use it and would not have received it if she had
the report delivered to members of congress undermined some of mrs clintons previous statements defending her use of the server and handed her republican critics including the partys presumptive nominee for president donald j trump new fodder to attack her just as she closes in on the democratic nomination
the inspector general found that mrs clinton had an obligation to discuss using her personal email account to conduct official business with department officials but that contrary to her claims that the department allowed the arrangement there was no evidence she had requested or received approval for it
and while other senior officials had used personal email accounts for official business including colin powell when he was secretary the rules made clear by the time she became the nations top diplomat that using a private server for official business was neither allowed nor encouraged because of significant security risks
mrs clintons use of a private server was known by some officials beyond her closest aides but no one in the state department told her directly to use the departments official email when two officials in the record keeping division raised concerns in 2010 their superior instructed the staff never to speak of the secretarys personal email system again the report said
the report as well as an fbi investigation and other legal challenges seeking information about her emails is certain to keep alive a controversy that has shadowed mrs clintons campaign
mrs clinton and her aides have played down the inquiries saying that she would cooperate with investigators to put the email issue behind her even so she declined to be interviewed by the inspector general steve a linick or his staff as part of his review so did several of her senior aides
a spokesman for mrs clintons campaign brian fallon did not respond to a request for comment about her refusal among other questions in a written statement he said that the report showed that her use of a private email account was not unique citing the use of personal emails by some of her predecessors she took steps that went much further than others to appropriately preserve and release her records the statement said
in an already tumultuous highly polarizing election season the reaction to the findings broke along partisan lines senator dianne feinstein of california a democratic supporter of mrs clintons said the findings revealed nothing new representative eliot l engel democrat of new york who previously criticized the inspector generals office as politicized called the report a hatchet job mr trump who has waged an often brutal attack on mrs clintons character and honesty said in a telephone interview that the findings reflected a pattern of dishonesty shes always looking for an edge and always getting caught he said
the 79 page report added considerable new detail about the former secretary of states use of the server as well as her motivation for setting it up mrs clinton has publicly said the arrangement was a matter of convenience but emails disclosed in the report made it clear that she worried that personal emails could be publicly released under the freedom of information act in november 2010 her deputy chief of staff for operations prodded her about putting you on state email to protect her email from spam mrs clinton declined she replied that while she would consider a using a separate address or device i dont want any risk of the personal being accessible
the report did not delve deeply into the issue that has become the focus of the fbis investigation   the references in dozens of emails to classified information including 22 emails that the cia said contained information on programs or sources that were top secret it nonetheless called into question the risks of using a private system for what were clearly sensitive discussions of the nations foreign policy
it noted that mrs clinton sent or received most of the emails that traversed her server from a mobile device her blackberry department officials told the inspector generals office that secretary clinton never demonstrated to them that her private server or mobile device met minimum information security requirements the report said
the report also criticized mrs clinton for not adhering to the departments rules for handling records under the federal records act once she stepped down in january 2013 she did not do so until late 2014 when the state department under pressure from republicans in congress investigating the 2011 attack in benghazi libya that killed four americans requested that she turn them over
it was only then that mrs clinton instructed her aides to cull through roughly 60000 emails that had passed through the server and turn over those involving official business those amounted to roughly half of the total secretary clinton should have surrendered all emails dealing with department business before leaving government service and because she did not do so she did not comply with the departments policies that were implemented in accordance with the federal records act the report said
while acknowledging that mrs clinton had ultimately complied with requests to turn over the emails the report determined that the effort was incomplete investigators found that she had not included those she sent and received in her first months as secretary from january to april 2009 last year the department of defense also turned over 19 emails between mrs clinton and then gen david h petraeus that had been sent from his official email account to her private account but had not been included among those turned over
the report broadly criticized the state department as well saying that officials had been slow to recognize and to manage effectively the legal requirements and cybersecurity risks that emerged in the era of emails particularly those of senior officials like mrs clinton
it said that longstanding systemic weaknesses in handling electronic records went well beyond the tenure of any one secretary of state the inspector generals review covered the practices of five secretaries going back to madeleine k albright when the internet remained a novelty especially in the hidebound bureaucracy of the state department
mrs albright and condoleezza rice told the inspector general that they did not use personal email but the report singled out mr powell who was secretary from 2001 to 2005 saying he regularly used a private email address to communicate with people outside the building
mr powell told investigators he used the address only for unclassified emails but at least two emails forwarded to him have since been determined to have included information that is now classified
the rules governing emails under previous secretaries were the report said very fluid by the time mrs clinton came to office however they were considerably more detailed and sophisticated spelling out the obligation to use department systems in most circumstances and identifying the risks of not doing so
the department issued numerous warnings dating back a decade about the cybersecurity risks of using personal emails accounts for government business the report said mrs clinton was personally sent a memo in 2011 warnings of hackers trying to target unclassified personal email accounts she was also given a classified in person briefing on the dangers the report said
the report also disclosed an attempt to hack into mrs clintons server in january 2011 it said a nondepartmental adviser to bill clinton   apparently bryan pagliano who installed the private server   informed the department that he had shut down the system because someone was trying to hack us and while they did not get in i didnt want to let them have a chance
the attack continued later that day prompting another official to write to two of mrs clintons top aides cheryl d mills and jake sullivan to warn them not to send her anything sensitive the official said that she would explain more in person the report found that while dozens of state department employees used personal email accounts periodically over the years including ms mills and mr sullivan only three officials were found to have used it exclusively for day to day operations mrs clinton mr powell and jonathan scott gration who was ambassador to kenya from 2011 to 2012
department officials never directly told mrs clinton or mr powell that they needed to end their use of personal email the report found but in mr grations case they did in 2011 officials warned him that he was not authorized to use personal email for government business in kenya he continued doing so and the department initiated disciplinary action over his failure to follow these directions and several other undisclosed infractions the report said he resigned in 2012 before any action was taken
secretary of state john kerry also acknowledged to the inspector general that he had used a personal account at times but began primarily using his department email account to conduct official business mr kerry said that while he still occasionally responded to people who emailed him on his personal account he would preserve the emails for the record


an underground water pipe burst in florence italy creating a 200 yard long sinkhole that buried dozens of cars in the early hours of wednesday
the sidewalk collapsed on the lungarno torrigiani a road alongside the arno river that is not far from the famous ponte vecchio part of the citys historic center a unesco world heritage site
dario nardella the mayor of florence wrote on twitter that no injuries had been reported and that firefighters had been sent to the scene
according to the associated press mr nardella said the sinkhole had been caused by a large gash in the pipe which is two feet in diameter and is one of the main sources of water for the surrounding neighborhood there was no leak in the banks of the arno the mayor said
mr nardella also urged people with cars parked on or near the lungarno torrigiani to remove their vehicles
there had been concerns that the saturated asphalt would be unable to handle the weight of cranes but some machinery was seen removing a number of the sunken cars later in the morning
two buildings near the hole were evacuated the local authorities said
access to the neighborhood was restricted and the water supply was temporarily cut in nearby areas while technicians tried to fix the broken pipe
emergency services were expected to take thousands of bottles of water to 18 schools in the city


many users of activity trackers have always harbored suspicions how accurate are these things
a handful of tests by journalists and researchers have tried to bring clarity to the issue results alas have been mixed
the latest study released by the plaintiffs in a class action lawsuit against fitbit found that the pulse monitoring technology used in the companys wrist bound surge and charge devices was highly inaccurate during elevated physical activity
researchers from california state polytechnic university pomona had 43 subjects wear the devices as they ran jogged and jumped rope among other activities and then compared the readings with those of an electrocardiogram
during moderate to high intensity exercise fitbits sensor was off by an average of about 19 beats a minute it found
the study which was not peer reviewed and was commissioned by the plaintiffs law firm drew a strong denunciation from fitbit which released a statement calling it biased baseless and nothing more than an attempt to extract a payout from fitbit
fitbit said the public release of the study coming before litigation in the case has begun represented a bid to tarnish its brand
we are vigorously defending against these claims it said and will resist any attempts by the plaintiffs lawyers to leverage a settlement with misleading tactics and false claims of scientific evidence
the lawsuit filed in january seeks compensatory and punitive damages it accuses the company of misleading customers about the reliability of the purepulse technology in its heart monitoring wristbands and claims this could potentially have dire medical consequences
fitbit a young company based in san francisco is a leader in the wearables industry with a market capitalization of about 3 billion in 2015 it sold 213 million devices almost double its sales a year earlier at the same time it has struggled with comparisons to its flashier rival apple watch
alex montoye an assistant professor of clinical exercise physiology at ball state university who is not connected to the lawsuit said that the pomona study needed rigorous vetting before any conclusions could be drawn
theres a clear interest in finding something in one direction he said on tuesday that doesnt mean that the science is bad but you have to be really careful when you look at the science
in another recent study in the journal medicine  science in sports  exercise two other functions of jawbone and fitbit devices the step and calories counts were put to the test by a research team led by dr montoye
the researchers tracked 30 healthy adults as they performed various tasks when the subjects were engaged in sedentary activities like using a computer the devices did relatively well but both overcounted and undercounted as things intensified dr montoye said
the researchers were surprised to find however that their own laboratory equipment got the measurements wrong as well
in general these activity monitors worked as well as our research grade monitors dr montoye said the fitbit and jawbone monitors worked about as well as the best we can do as far as measuring physical activity
the pulse trackers have been a more recent addition to the suite of activity trackers on the market most use optical sensors that reflect light onto the skin to detect blood volume
independent attempts to assess their accuracy have not exactly settled the question in 2014 cnet tested several devices not including fitbit and found that they were mostly accurate during rest but ran into trouble during exercise
a test by an indianapolis broadcaster in collaboration with ball state earlier this year that included devices from fitbit and garmin also found the heart rate calculations to be off an assessment by consumer reports in january meanwhile found that fitbits charge hr and surge models passed our tests handily accurately recording heart rates at everything from a leisurely walk up to a fast run
if that all leaves you unsure about what to trust there is always a very affordable perfectly accurate alternative a stopwatch and two fingers held to your neck


us stocks climbed wednesday as investors continued to recover confidence in the health of the global economy that sent oil prices higher and gave energy companies a lift materials companies also climbed higher
in europe the news was fairly bright a round of new rescue loans for greece was unfrozen eliminating the risk the country will default on its debts in the next few months and a survey of business sentiment in germany the largest economy in europe rose more than expected
european stock indexes rose and the us market followed them expecting stronger demand for fuel and materials used in industry and construction investors bought stock in energy and mining and chemicals companies
investors feel confident that perhaps were seeing a stabilization of growth overseas said quincy krosby market strategist at prudential financial here in the us the economy appears to be pulling out of the first quarter slump
the standard  poors 500 stock index rose 1448 points or 07 percent to 209054 the nasdaq composite index added 3384 points or 07 percent to 489489
the dow jones industrial average advanced 14546 points or 08 percent to 1785151
oil prices already at their highest levels since october ticked higher after the us government said fuel stockpiles decreased last week benchmark us crude gained 94 cents or 19 percent to 4956 a barrel in new york brent crude used to price international oils rose 113 or 23 percent to 4974 a barrel in london
energy shares jumped chevron added 158 or 16 percent to 10177 and schlumberger rose 229 or 3 percent to 7791
german conglomerate bayer said it was committed to completing its acquisition of monsanto  and the seed company rose 238 or 22 percent to 11168 monsanto rejected an offer from bayer worth 62 billion or 122 per share but said tuesday that it was open to talks
elsewhere chemicals maker lyondellbasell industries picked up 226 or 28 percent to 8271 gold and copper miner freeport mcmoran added 54 cents or 49 percent to 1165
in other deal news hewlett packard enterprise said it would sell its business service unit to csc for 85 billion the company which was formed when hewlett packard split in two last year will focus on selling tech products to big organizations like hardware and software for data centers
hewlett packard enterprise rose 110 or 68 percent to 1735 and computer sciences surged 15 or 421 percent to 5065
bank stocks made some of the biggest gains as investors anticipated that interest rates will rise allowing banks to make more money on lending the federal reserve has said it wants to keep raising interest rates if the economy is strong enough bond prices edged lower on wednesday and the yield on the 10 year us treasury note rose to 187 percent from 186 percent
wells fargo rose 130 or 26 percent to 5050 and citigroup added 108 or 24 percent to 4694
chinese e commerce company alibaba fell after it said us regulators were investigating its accounting practices the company said the securities and exchange commission has asked for documents and information related to its consolidated earnings and other items the stock lost 553 or 68 percent to 7559
a string of painful quarterly results for retailers continued wednesday clothing and accessories chain express reported disappointing results and gave weak projections for the rest of the year and its stock fell 135 or 84 percent to 1468
french drugmaker sanofi said it wanted to replace the entire board of cancer drug medivation sanofi has offered to buy the company for 93 billion or 5250 per share but medivation rejected that bid and sanofi says medivation wont discuss a deal sanofi stock gained 76 cents or 19 percent to 4097 medivation fell 43 cents to 6148
in european trading germanys dax advanced 15 percent frances cac gained 11 percent while britains ftse 100 rose 07 percent japans nikkei 225 rose 16 percent and hong kongs hang seng index jumped 27 percent south koreas kospi gained 12 percent
gold fell 540 to 122380 an ounce the price of gold has fallen 4 percent over a six day losing streak silver was unchanged at 1626 an ounce copper rose 4 cents to 210 per pound
in other energy trading wholesale gasoline fell 1 cent to 164 a gallon heating oil rose 2 cents to 151 a gallon natural gas picked up 1 cent to 199 per 1000 cubic feet
the dollar rose to 11010 yen from 10998 yen the euro inched up to 11160 from 11143


in a bid to continue aggressive digital expansion while controlling costs the new york times will offer voluntary buyout packages to members of the newsroom and several business departments at the end of the month the company announced on wednesday
members of the timess executive committee including arthur sulzberger jr the newspapers publisher and dean baquet its executive editor said in a memo to employees that the buyouts were a part of the companys larger mandate to build a more digitally focused newsroom and to reach its stated goal of doubling digital revenue by the year 2020
these plans will no doubt lead to new initiatives and investments the memo said at the same time we will also need to make tough decisions about what to stop doing wherever we can reduce costs without damaging the values and value of times journalism we will do so
in an interview mr baquet characterized the buyouts as a big step toward building the new york times of the future he said the times was not planning layoffs this year but would take other measures to cut costs in some areas and dedicate resources to other areas
i dont want to speculate about next year he said addressing layoffs other than to say ive made it very clear the newsroom has to be somewhat smaller not radically smaller but somewhat smaller
mr baquet also emphasized that the timess news operation which employs 1300 people would need to shift to accommodate more people with skills in visual journalism and more people from diverse backgrounds while continuing its focus on deep reporting
one of the goals of journalism is to play the world back to itself he said you cant do that if you dont look a little bit more like the world than we do
since january company leaders have sent more than 10 memos detailing aggressive efforts to reshape both the print and digital editions of the operation including building a print focused news hub investing in facebook live expanding internationally and beginning a spanish language edition
the underlying message has been constant growth will not come without changes and some cuts last month the times announced that it would close its editing and prepress print production operations in paris
it is a time of upheaval in the news industry after a period of ambitious growth as media companies struggle to compensate for plummeting advertising revenue while chasing new technologies like virtual reality layoffs and revamping plans have become the norm on tuesday vice media announced that it would lay off more than a dozen employees and a string of reorganization efforts have been undertaken at other outlets including mashable and the guardian
this is the first round of buyouts offered since the times announced in october 2014 that it would cut about 100 newsroom jobs layoffs happened two months later because the times did not receive enough voluntary buyouts
the announcement on wednesday did not specify the number of buyouts that would be offered but it said packages would be distributed electronically to all eligible employees on may 31 who would then have until mid july to consider the offer
as with previous buyouts the company can accept or deny buyout applications
the times is negotiating with the newsguild on a new contract and both are still working out the final terms of the buyout offer
this buyout offers an excellent opportunity for some employees to leave on their own terms grant glickson the chairman of the guild unit at the times said in an email


senator elizabeth warren delivered a scalding rebuke of donald j trump on tuesday night describing him as a a small insecure money grubber as she escalated her feud with the presumptive republican nominee
in a rousing speech at the center for popular democracys annual gala in washington ms warren embraced her role as one of mr trumps fiercest critics she assailed him unsparingly as a heartless tax dodger cozying up with wall street who preyed on the misfortunes of americans stricken by the financial crisis
donald trump was drooling over the idea of a housing meltdown because it meant he could buy up a bunch more property on the cheap said ms warren a democrat from massachusetts what kind of a man does that
she went on to argue that mr trump was rooting for people to lose their jobs and be kicked out of their houses
ill tell you exactly what kind of a man does that ms warren added it is a man who cares about no one but himself a small insecure money grubber who doesnt care who gets hurt so long as he makes a profit off it
ms warrens attacks on mr trump echo those leveled by hillary clinton the likely democratic presidential nominee who has seized on comments that he made a decade ago when he suggested that the collapse of the housing market was a good investing opportunity ms warren has been a frequent critic of mr trump on social media and has been increasingly taking him on in public forums
on tuesday night ms warren also suggested that mr trump pays no taxes while reaping the benefits of american public infrastructure and she hit him for saying that he would undo the dodd frank financial regulation legislation wondering if mr trump could even name three things about the law
donald trump is worried about helping poor little wall street ms warren said let me find the worlds smallest violin to play a sad sad song
calling mr trump an urgent threat to the country ms warren painted him as someone who inherited a fortune from his father then grew it by swindling people and skipping out on his debts
mr trump has responded to charges that he sought to profit from the recession by claiming that he was doing what he was supposed to do as a successful businessman on wednesday he called ms warren goofy in a post on twitter and said she has done less in the senate than almost anyone else
all talk no action mr trump said


brevity it seems is no longer the soul of twitter
the social media company said on tuesday that in the coming months it would peel away some of the limitations of its 140 character per post rule
this news depending on whether you are a twitter must never change die hard or a pragmatist is either the worst thing to happen in the not so long history of social media or the natural evolution of a company trying to find a bigger audience
under the new changes tagging users by their handles at the beginning of replies and adding photos gifs and videos will no longer count against the 140 character limit mike isaac reports
sadly there is still no limit to the number of tweets in a tweetstorm
while the change announced on tuesday is sure to rankle some veteran twitter users the company may have to loosen its tweet doctrine to attract users who may be confused by the social media services quirky protocols
last month twitter said it had an average of 310 million monthly users in the first three months of 2016 up from 305 million users in the last three months of 2015 that number has been inching forward far more slowly than anyone associated with the company would like
change at twitter may not be welcomed by everyone but it appears to be necessary


beijing   an article by a chinese military official suggesting that taiwans new president was extreme and emotional because she was unmarried provoked an outcry on wednesday undermining the ruling communist partys efforts to win allies across the taiwan strait
the article written by a senior scholar for the peoples liberation army described tsai ing wen taiwans first female leader as a single woman politician who was prone to a radical style because she lacked the burden of love family and children it also questioned her loyalty to china because of her familys ties to japan
the article written by maj gen wang weixing of the academy of military sciences in beijing and posted on tuesday on the website of the international herald leader a newspaper affiliated with the state news agency xinhua was roundly denounced as sexist and promptly removed from major mainland news sites
it is discrimination against women and being single sun xingjie a lecturer at jilin university in northeast china wrote in a commentary published by sina a news portal putin divorced during his presidency has russias strategy changed since
on weibo chinas equivalent of twitter a user wrote does this mean you will agree to the independence of taiwan as long as shes married
in taipei lin jih wen a political scientist at academia sinica a research institute called the commentary paparazzi news and said the mainland news media should focus on more substantial issues
the article threatened to become a public relations blunder for the communist party which has sought to win hearts and minds in taiwan in recent years as it pushes for reunification
mainland officials have reacted warily to the rise of ms tsai who took office on friday and has promised a more cautious approach to china than her predecessor in recent days officials have threatened to cut off communication with taiwan if ms tsai does not endorse the idea that there is only one china known as the 1992 consensus
general wangs commentary offered a vitriolic psychoanalysis that suggested ms tsai espoused abnormal values and was not to be trusted
in one passage general wang a member of the association for relations across the taiwan strait the semiofficial body in charge of contacts with taiwan suggested that ms tsai was loyal to japan describing her fondness for japanese rice balls and her close relationship with prime minister shinzo abe in another he offered a lengthy tirade on ms tsais personal life noting that her father had had several wives
all in all tsai ing wen has a conspicuous duplicity to her personality and her politicking general wang wrote she is doomed to dwell in this contradiction for a lifetime
general wang could not be reached for comment on wednesday and a spokesman for ms tsai declined to comment
throughout her political career ms tsai a 59 year old former law professor has faced questions about her decision to remain single and not have children in chinese society the pressure to marry can be intense and families often look down on women who remain single into their late 20s
in a 2012 interview with a taiwanese magazine ms tsai said being single had allowed her to avoid fighting a double war and to focus on her career in a facebook post that year she expounded on her philosophy
in a traditional society a woman who never marries would be regarded as less whole she wrote but in modern society what marriage provides is also available outside of marriages isnt it
for many taiwanese general wangs article reinforced an image of a china out to discredit taiwan by any means possible
alain guilloux a visiting scholar at city university of hong kong said chinas leaders would have to walk a fine line in dealing with ms tsai
if they do attack her personally or engage in character assassination or whatever they know it might backfire he said they have to keep in mind that the vast majority of taiwanese want the status quo and are asking neither for independence nor for reunification anytime soon


jakarta indonesia   the indonesian president joko widodo signed a decree on wednesday authorizing chemical castration for convicted child sex offenders and requiring those released on parole to wear electronic monitoring devices
the new punishment comes in response to the brutal gang rape and murder in april of a 14 year old girl on her way home on the island of sumatra seven teenage boys were each sentenced to 10 years in prison for the crime which prompted national outrage and revived previous calls for chemical castration as a punishment against child sex offenders
mr joko told a news conference at the presidential palace in jakarta the indonesian capital that he had signed a decree amending the countrys 2002 law on child protection to enable judges to hand down the punishment at their discretion
the inclusion of such an amendment will provide space for the judge to decide severe punishments as a deterrent effect on perpetrators mr joko said
these crimes have undermined the development of children and these crimes have disturbed our sense of peace security and public order he said so we will handle it in an extraordinary way
mr joko said that sexual violence against children has increased significantly in indonesia although his government has not provided data to back his assertions he also increased the jail sentences for child sex offenders to a maximum of 20 years from 10 years
last year mr joko claiming indonesia was facing a drugs crisis removed an unofficial moratorium on capital punishment by executing 13 convicted drug traffickers by firing squad all but one of them foreigners prompting international condemnation a second indonesian was also executed for murder
the local news media has cited the countrys national commission on violence against women as saying that around 35 indonesian women a day are victims of sexual violence
through chemical castration drugs are used to reduce a persons sex drive a number of countries have employed the punishment for convicted sex offenders and pedophiles in many cases in exchange for more lenient prison sentences they include australia russia south korea and the united states
however there are many skeptics of the procedure which was first performed in the 1940s
chemical castration risks offering a false solution and a simple one to what is inevitably a complex and difficult problem said heather barr a senior researcher on womens rights with human rights watch the new york based organization
protecting children from sexual abuse requires a complex and carefully calibrated set of responses she said including an effective social services system school based efforts to prevent and detect abuse treatment services for people at risk of abusing children and criminal justice measures that focus on prevention
chemical castration on its own addresses none of these needs ms barr continued and medical interventions should be used if at all only as part of a skilled treatment program not as a punishment


london   the french pharmaceutical company sanofi said on wednesday that it would seek to replace the board of medivation after the american drug makers directors rejected a 93 billion takeover offer
sanofi publicly announced its offer for medivation the maker of the prostate cancer drug xtandi in april saying at the time that medivations directors had failed to respond to its approach
medivations board has since called the offer inadequate and david hung its founder president and chief executive has said the french companys move was opportunistically timed
this month sanofi said that it had held extensive conversations with medivations top shareholders and that it believed there was overwhelming support for a transaction sanofi threatened to seek the removal of the board if medivation failed to engage in takeover talks
despite multiple attempts both prior to and following the public disclosure of sanofis proposal medivation has thus far refused to engage with us regarding the merits of a value creating transaction olivier brandicourt the sanofi chief executive said in a news release on wednesday unfortunately this has left us with no choice but to commence a process to elect directors who are more open to supporting the best interests of medivation shareholders
sanofis offer for medivation which is based in california is worth 5250 a share
the price represented a premium of more than 50 percent over medivations two month volume weighted average share value before takeover rumors emerged but it was less than 1 percent above its closing price on april 27
shares of medivation closed on tuesday at 6191
mr brandicourt who took over as chief executive of sanofi last year after christopher a viehbacher was ousted has said that the french company is looking for midsize acquisitions and that cancer treatment is an area of interest
on wednesday sanofi said it had filed documents with the securities and exchange commission seeking the written consent of medivation shareholders to replace the board with a slate of eight independent directors who were willing to fully and fairly evaluate all of medivations strategic options including sanofis acquisition offer
in consenting to the removal of the incumbent company board and to the election of the nominees you are sending a message to the nominees that you want the company to fully and fairly evaluate and engage in discussions regarding strategic options including the proposed offer sanofi said in a consent statement filed with the sec
the slate of directors included michael e campbell the former chairman and chief executive of arch chemicals barbara deptula the former chief corporate development officer of the drug maker shire wendy e lane the chairwoman of the investment firm lane holdings and ronald s rolfe a retired partner at the law firm cravath swaine  moore
other nominees put forward by sanofi were steven j shulman managing partner of the private equity firm shulman family ventures charles p slacik the former chief financial officer of the laboratory supplier beckman coulter james l tyree a founder of the private equity firm tyree  dangelo partners and david a wilson the former president and chief executive of the graduate management admission council the owner of the gmat exam


washington   senator ron wyden democrat of oregon introduced legislation on wednesday that would require major presidential candidates to publicly disclose their three most recent personal income tax returns a challenge to the presumptive republican nominee donald j trump who has resisted releasing his filings
mr wyden the ranking democrat on the senate finance committee is trying to goad republicans including the committee chairman senator orrin g hatch of utah and the majority leader senator mitch mcconnell of kentucky into defending mr trump giving democrats a legislative rallying point
but mr mcconnell and mr hatch as leaders of the majority are likely to ignore the bill
mr wydens measure called the presidential tax transparency act would apply to democratic and republican candidates but both of the democratic candidates hillary clinton and senator bernie sanders of vermont have disclosed their tax returns
since the days of watergate the american people have had an expectation that nominees to be the leader of the free world not hide their finances and personal tax returns mr wyden said in a statement
tax returns deliver honest answers to key questions from the american public he said do you even pay taxes do you give to charity are you abusing tax loopholes at the expense of middle class families are you keeping your money offshore people have a right to know
under mr wydens bill if a nominee refused to comply the federal election commission would be authorized to obtain the tax returns from the treasury department and release them
a spokeswoman for mr wyden lindsey held said that the bill would be introduced as a stand alone measure but it would also be put forward as an amendment to the annual military policy bill to increase its chances of getting a vote
mr trump has given different reasons for not releasing his returns including that he is being subjected to continuous audit by the internal revenue service but he has also bluntly stated that his tax rate is none of your business
in announcing the proposed legislation mr wyden said that over the past 40 years every president had released tax returns during the campaign but that federal financial disclosure rules had not required doing so
he also pointed out that all nominees for federal posts subject to senate confirmation are required by the finance committee to submit tax return information


comic books are gaining two new villains on wednesday though they are both familiar faces
over at marvel the first issue of steve rogers captain america sheds new light on the heros past that has a great effect on his present this issue written by nick spencer and drawn by jesus saiz reveals that rogerss mother was recruited by hydra one of marvels terrorist groups flash forward to today and captain america is suddenly doing some terrible things pushing an ally out of a plane and on the last page proclaiming hail hydra
the countdown begins now as to how long captain america will remain evil for those keeping score at home he died in 2007 and returned in 2009 he was also rapidly aged and lost his abilities in 2014 but was returned to pristine glory in march
while theres a cynical feeling that everything goes back to normal in the end if you look across all the stories weve published over the years thats not necessarily the case tom brevoort marvels executive editor and senior vice president of publishing said like any kind of ongoing soap opera the trick is to put our characters through new and interesting vises and see what happens and what grows out of that only time will tell where this all shakes out
over in the dc universe the 80 page special rebirth reveals dr manhattan one of the heroes in watchmen by alan moore and dave gibbons as the puppet master behind some recent troubles rebirth is written by geoff johns and drawn by a cadre of the dcs top artists phil jimenez and ivan reis among them the story addresses some of the shortcomings of the companys 2011 reboot which made some characters younger erased others and has generally made fans unhappy
i hope to inspire passion create connection and see the dc universe and its readers and fans embrace hope and optimism like its heroes do mr johns said the world needs it more than ever
the issue brings back one hero hints at the return of others re establishes some relationships and lays the time and memory high jinks on dr manhattan this comes after the company published in 2012 before watchmen a series of prequels to the seminal work
at that time mr moore called the comics completely shameless and said as far as i know there werent that many prequels or sequels to moby dick


the food and drug administration has put off making what is bound to be a controversial decision on whether to approve what could become the first drug cleared to treat duchenne muscular dystrophy the company developing the drug said on wednesday
the agency was supposed to decide on the drug eteplirsen by thursday a nonmandatory deadline under a federal law aimed at speeding up drug reviews however the drugs developer sarepta therapeutics said in a news release wednesday morning that it had been informed that the fda would miss the goal and would strive to complete their work in as timely a manner as possible
sareptas stock price rose more than 20 percent in premarket trading as investors interpreted the delay as a hint that the drug might be approved it is also possible however that the agency is procrastinating on making what would be an unpopular decision to reject the drug
an fda spokeswoman said the agency was prohibited by law from commenting on pending applications because the information was considered proprietary to the applicant
the agency is under heavy pressure to approve the drug from parents of boys with muscular dystrophy who say the drug has allowed some children to continue to walk years after they would otherwise have been confined to wheelchairs members of congress have also been urging the fda to be flexible the situation is an example of the growing influence of patients over the agencys decisions
but the agencys own reviewers concluded that sarepta had not demonstrated that the drug worked it had tested eteplirsen on only 12 boys and without an adequate control group for comparison the reviewers said
last month after an emotional daylong meeting in which parents doctors and boys with the disease pleaded for the drug to be approved a committee of outside advisers to the fda voted that the drug did not meet the standards for approval however one vote was very close
the fda usually follows the advice of advisory committees but it is not unheard of for it to go against the advice


hong kong   the alibaba group the e commerce giant said wednesday that it was under investigation by united states securities regulators over its accounting practices a potential setback for a company long seen as a symbol of chinas growing technological might
the investigation   disclosed in a stock filing   appears to focus on how alibaba deals with a web of companies in which it owns stakes or has some say in the operations the company said the securities and exchange commission was investigating how alibaba accounts for affiliated companies including a logistics venture and how it treats related party transactions
it also puts under scrutiny alibabas handling of singles day a one day shopping event in china that the company says gave it the world record for most online sales volume in a day alibaba said it had provided the commission with information about how it reported data from that event
alibaba said that it was voluntarily cooperating with the commission and that the investigation was not an indication it had violated any law
still the disclosure risks tarnishing a rare chinese company that has won global fame for its business acumen two years ago alibaba raised 25 billion in the worlds largest initial public offering its executive chairman jack ma rubs elbows with global technology and political leaders last week he attended a private lunch with president obama at the white house
but as mr mas profile has risen alibaba has grappled with challenges including allegations from the owners of famous brands that it takes a lax stance on counterfeit goods on its sales platforms   a charge it denies
its shares have also seesawed over investor concerns about chinas slowing economic growth and alibabas enormous shopping spree to try to cater to the growing legions of chinese consumers who order everything from taxis to in home massages on their smartphones the company has spent billions of dollars on services as varied as logistics food delivery and film production
it is unclear whether the investigation will have an impact on alibaba asked for comment an alibaba spokeswoman reiterated the companys statement to the commission
alibabas share price has stabilized in recent months
in the most recent quarter the company had strong revenue growth despite the broader worries about chinas slowdown
alibaba is at the center of a complicated web of companies in china that broadly touch the lives of chinese consumers
mr ma also controls the parent company of an electronic payment service called alipay alipay is a giant in its own right with a financial smartphone app widely found on chinese handsets and with offerings including money market like investments and easy money transfers chinese consumers often use alipay to buy merchandise from alibabas platforms
alipay which was valued at about 60 billion in its last fund raising round was once part of alibaba but was peeled off into a separate company in 2011 in a move that spurred acrimony with yahoo then a major investor in the chinese company
alipays parent company says that to date it has lent more than 100 billion mostly to small businesses those businesses could spend that money on marketing on alibabas e commerce sites which would in turn become alibaba revenue
according to data from dealogic alibaba has also spent 255 billion since its listing in september 2014 to broaden its services to compete with tencent and baidu fellow chinese internet giants that are scrambling to make money from a shift to mobile devices its key investments and acquisitions include its purchase of youku tudou once a youtube like service that now streams movies and tv shows and an investment in koubei a food ordering app in which alipays parent company is also an investor
one focus of the sec investigation appears to be alibabas investment in logistics which itself signaled a shift in its business approach in its filing alibaba said it had provided information to the commission about its logistics arm cainiao
alibaba has long eschewed building a logistics network to keep down costs that approach has increased profit margins but made it more vulnerable to competitors with better control over delivery channels which are underdeveloped in china
as chinese e commerce rivals offered fast delivery cainiao was created in 2013 as a way to make alibabas logistics more efficient cainiao is jointly owned by alibaba and a number of the logistics companies that deliver the bulk of the goods ordered on alibabas sales platforms like taobao and tmall at the time alibaba said cainiao would spend up to 16 billion in developing smart logistics in china in the coming years
mr ma was named as chairman when cainiao was created alibaba holds a 47 percent stake in the company and a number of companies alibaba has invested in have since worked with cainiao still alibaba does not consolidate cainiaos results with its own
that relationship has been questioned by some short sellers and researchers in a 40 page report released to its clients in october pacific square research a market analysis firm argued that alibaba did not disclose enough information about its large number of investments it said that at times alibaba used that web of investments to control companies like cainiao without taking their losses onto its balance sheet
the alibaba spokeswoman said that the company had provided disclosures about cainiaos financials in its most recent annual report that is exactly the kind of robust and transparent information that will address the underlying issues in the secs inquiry she said
alibaba recorded losses of about 60 million over the past two years in connection to cainiao according to the filing
the pacific square report also described instances that it said showed alibaba did not disclose related party transactions for example it said that alibaba had failed to disclose the amount it had spent in advertising on weibo the chinese social media service even though at that time alibaba had made a 1 billion investment in weibo by comparison weibo also a listed company disclosed the amount it had received from alibaba
in its most recent filing alibaba disclosed that it had spent about 230 million on weibo marketing in the past three years
we havent seen anything quite as difficult to untangle as this in our respective careers herb greenberg a managing partner of pacific square wrote in an email in our view alibaba is like a big ball of wet knotted yarn
asked about pacific squares assertions the alibaba spokeswoman said the company did not comment on market speculation


london   prime minister david camerons campaign to keep britain in the european union was bolstered on wednesday by a report from one of the countrys most authoritative economic research bodies which concluded that a withdrawal from the bloc would lead to up to two more years of public spending cuts or tax increases
a frequent critic of government economic plans the research body the institute for fiscal studies this time delivered some welcome news for mr cameron the think tank echoed the conclusions of several leading international organizations that the shock and uncertainty produced by a british exit   a so called brexit   would shrink the economy
voters in britain are to decide in a referendum on june 23 whether to remain in the 28 nation european union the economic risks of a departure have been highlighted repeatedly by those who want to remain while supporters of a withdrawal have focused increasingly on issues such as the need to curtail immigration and regain national sovereignty
the verdict of the institute for fiscal studies is significant because the body has a track record of contradicting government claims on the economy and its intervention provoked an angry response from campaigners for an exit who sought to question the institutes independence on the issue
the report joins a chorus of analysis that has warned of the economic risks of leaving the bloc including from the international monetary fund from the organization for economic cooperation and development and from the bank of england britains central bank
in its report the institute for fiscal studies said that a british departure would have a negative impact on public finances worth 20 billion pounds to 40 billion pounds or 29 billion to 58 billion in 2019-20 more than enough to wipe out the governments plans to create a surplus
dealing with the public finance effect would require at least an additional one or two years of austerity   spending cuts or tax rises   at the same rate as we have experienced recently to get the public finances back to balance should that remain the governments priority the institute said
the study dealt another blow to the campaign to leave the european union supporters of the push have claimed that a withdrawal would benefit britain by PS350 million a week through the cancellation of its financial contribution to the bloc
but the institutes report pointed out that this figure excluded money sent back to london under a rebate plan and that it was also based on britains gross contribution and did not take account of european union spending in britain for example to support farmers
if both of those factors were accounted for the institute said britain would gain around PS8 billion a year   or about PS150 million a week   from quitting less than half the sum claimed by campaigners for a withdrawal such a figure would be easily outweighed by the negative impact on the economy the report concluded
if leaving the eu were to reduce national income by just 06 percent that would be enough to outweigh the positive effect on the public finances the document said
supporters of an exit however criticized the study vote leave the campaign that is pushing for a british withdrawal said that the authors of a particular study on which the institute had based many of its assumptions had been proved wrong time and again the campaign also said that the institute was not a neutral organization because it received european research council funding it would face an PS800000 deficit if britain votes to leave the group said in a statement
douglas carswell a lawmaker who supports leaving the bloc wrote on twitter that the institute had a close symbiotic relationship with george osborne the chancellor of the exchequer who is campaigning to remain in the european union john redwood who backs a withdrawal and is a former conservative minister told the bbc that the institute was part of the cozy establishment consensus determined to prevent a british exit
responding to the claims paul johnson director of the institute said that for the last 30 years the ifs has really built its reputation on the independence and integrity of our work and actually there is no sum of money from anywhere in the world which would influence what we said
as the referendum campaign has progressed those campaigning for a withdrawal have struggled to describe what kind of economic relationship they would want britain to have with the european union after a separation
access to the blocs single market of around 500 million people generally entails making some financial contribution and accepting the free movement of workers across national boundaries
that idea is anathema to many campaigners seeking to leave the bloc who argue that britain can only control immigration if it can prevent free movement of people
those campaigners will hope to gain more traction on thursday when new statistics on migration are expected highlighting an issue that has become increasingly central to their case


moscow   russia and ukraine swapped high profile prisoners on wednesday in a move that could help negotiators reach a settlement in the conflict in eastern ukraine
the exchange like much of the diplomacy related to the two year old conflict was carefully choreographed to underline russias position that it had never taken part in the war while also allowing prisoners of war on both sides to return home
a ukrainian helicopter pilot lt nadiya v savchenko was released from custody in the southern russian city of rostov on don and flown to kiev ukraine on the plane of ukraines president petro o poroshenko
the plane touched down to a raucous welcome from fans and reporters in kiev where lieutenant savchenko was rushed to a ceremony at which mr poroshenko awarded her a medal for heroism the golden star
this is just the beginning mr poroshenko said
as we took back nadiya well take back donbas well take back crimea he added referring to a region in eastern ukraine and the peninsula annexed by russia in 2014
lieutenant savchenko was swapped for two russians captured in eastern ukraine who the ukrainians say were soldiers serving in the russian military intelligence service
a russian government airplane flew them from kiev to moscow where their wives greeted them on the tarmac avoiding the spectacle typical of prisoner of war exchanges of the captives walking past one another suggesting an equivalency
the trade touched on pivotal questions surrounding the unrest over the course of the conflict in ukraine russia has denied sending soldiers or weapons across the border russian soldiers fighting in ukraine in unmarked uniforms were said to have gone there on their vacations
the russian ministry of defense has refused to acknowledge any ties to the two men capt yevgeny yerofeyev and sgt aleksandr aleksandrov the ukrainian authorities placed them in a glass cage during a trial in kiev as examples of the little green men a reference to the thousands of soldiers without insignia on their uniforms in crimea and eastern ukraine a ukrainian court in april sentenced both of the men to 14 years in prison on terrorism related charges
mr poroshenko pardoned the pair saying it was necessary to gain the return of a ukrainian soldier from captivity
lieutenant savchenko a minor celebrity even before the war as the first woman to become a combat pilot in ukraine had been serving as an infantry soldier with a volunteer unit in the luhansk region of eastern ukraine when she was captured by rebel fighters the russian authorities say she then escaped from her captors and slipped into russia posing as a refugee lieutenant savchenko said she was taken to russia as a prisoner of war
a russian court convicted her of serving as an artillery spotter and directing fire at a rebel checkpoint where a russian television journalist and a sound technician were killed she was sentenced to 22 years in prison for murder lieutenant savchenko vigorously denied the charges and at one point went on a hunger strike to protest the trial which she dismissed as a farce
president vladimir v putin of russia went on television with the widow and a sister of the slain russian journalists to say they had asked him to pardon lieutenant savchenko as a humanitarian gesture
i want to thank you for this position and express hope that the decision   dictated most of all by humanism   will lead to an easing of the tensions in ukraine mr putin said he made no mention of captain yerofeyev and sergeant aleksandrov mr putins spokesman dmitri s peskov referred to the pair as citizens and said mr putin had no plans to meet them
the speaker of russias upper chamber of parliament valentina matviyenko emphasized in a statement carried by the russian information agency that the releases were not a trade but rather carried out under a treaty allowing prisoners convicted abroad to serve their terms in their home countries
during her incarceration in russia lieutenant savchenko was elected to the ukrainian parliament
with her short cropped hair and penchant for passionate patriotic speeches and boasts of fearlessness she is wildly popular in ukraine
arriving in kiev wearing jeans and a t shirt and inexplicably barefoot lieutenant savchenko waded into a crowd of fans and reporters
i am free and i want to ask forgiveness from all the mothers whose children havent returned she said i cannot bring back the ones who died but im ready to put my life on the battlefield for ukraine one more time
lieutenant savchenko had once served in a ukrainian military unit aiding the united states operation in iraq given that american tie the russian government had floated the idea of a trade of a convicted russian arms smuggler viktor bout held at a federal maximum security prison in the united states for lieutenant savchenko but the american ambassador to ukraine rejected that proposal


for weeks hillary clinton and her campaign have struggled to find a line of attack that could work against donald j trump one of the most atypical and nonideological candidates the republicans have prepared to nominate for president
on tuesday she appeared to have found one mrs clinton seized on a comment that mr trump made when he was running trump university in 2006 in which he appeared to root for a housing bubble collapse because he said people like him could make money off it
in a style similar to twitter attacks against mr trump by senator elizabeth warren of massachusetts mrs clintons team repeatedly posted that her main rival was ultimately looking out only for himself
in trumps world a good result means trump gets his and working families get hurt were better than that mrs clintons aides wrote in one post on twitter
it is an effort to try and define mr trump along the same line democrats used with mitt romney in 2012   as a heartless businessman whether it can succeed remains to be seen
in a statement mr trump said i am a businessman and i have made a lot of money in down markets in some cases as much as ive made when markets are good frankly this is the kind of thinking our country needs understanding how to get a good result out of a very bad and sad situation politicians have no idea how to do this   they dont have a clue
but mrs clintons team has hoped to portray mr trump as a dangerous con man as democrats have said for days whose self interest clashes with the reservoir of populism he has tapped into
and in critical battlegrounds like florida and nevada where the 2008 housing crisis was deeply felt mr trumps past comments could haunt him the question for mrs clinton is whether she can penetrate the din that mr trump has created around scandals from her husbands days in the white house


if european regulators get their way netflix may soon have to do more than just offer unbreakable kimmy schmidt with french subtitles
european officials proposed on wednesday a new set of rules that could force netflix and other video streaming services to carry a minimum amount of local content in individual countries as well as to help pay for its development the plan is intended to help level the playing field with national broadcasters which are already required to fund television shows and other programming in their home countries
it is part of a broader effort to regulate how the 500 million people in the region can buy get access to and consume online services like video streaming and messaging applications
the changes form the building blocks for europes broad plan for a single digital market a strategy that officials say they hope will help bolster the regions sluggish economy american technology giants are likely to be the most affected at first since players like apple facebook and netflix still dominate much of the online world for europeans
for netflix and other streaming services the proposals which could go into effect next year at the earliest might complicate their international expansion plans netflix in particular has outlined ambitious growth proposals for europe and beyond as the american market becomes saturated the company said last year that it wanted to operate in 200 countries by the end of 2016 though it has faced challenges in signing up users in some markets
netflixs objections to the latest european plan are as much about profit as principle the company already produces content in europe such as marseille a show about french politics that is similar to house of cards and the series suburra about organized crime in italy the company sees such shows filmed in the local language as a fundamental way to attract international viewers
but netflix and others do not want europe to set specific quotas for the amount of content arguing that doing so would harm consumer choice as many europeans want to watch american not local programming
we appreciate the commissions objective to have european production flourish however the proposed measures wont actually achieve that joris evers a netflix spokesman in amsterdam said in a statement
netflix and other american technology companies have found themselves at the center of the changing regulatory environment in europe
the company among others had previously benefited from a european move to change copyright rules to allow customers to temporarily view movies and television shows that they have bought on a digital service no matter where they are in the 28 nation european union previously content makers including hollywood studios had staggered movie openings across the region and film and television licensing rights were typically sold separately in each country
europes latest rule changes are more challenging for netflix
european officials on wednesday said they would give individual countries the power if they so chose to force video streaming services to help pay for the production of local content like movies and television programs
the way we watch tv or videos may have changed but our values dont gunther h oettinger the european commissioner in charge of the digital economy said in a statement on wednesday with these new rules we will uphold media pluralism
such rules already exist for traditional broadcasters like the bbc in britain and the tf1 group in france on average they pay the equivalent of millions of dollars each year or roughly 20 percent of their annual revenue in the countries where they operate to support local content
european policy makers said that online streaming rivals currently invested only around 1 percent of their annual revenue in local content netflix has been able to sidestep existing funding rules most notably in france because the companys european headquarters are in the netherlands
streaming services will also be required to ensure that at least 20 percent of their online content is from europe and that those movies and television programs are given prominence in their digital catalogs a report funded by the european commission recently found that both netflix and apple already met this requirement
the commissions digital plans are subject to the approval of the european parliament and individual member states a lengthy process that could lead to significant changes
europes proposals on digital services are only the beginning
the european commission said on wednesday that it would also propose new copyright rules in the fall that could force companies like google to pay online publishers when using their content including in its news aggregation service google news
officials also said that they were still reviewing potential new rules to control how so called online platforms like facebook and amazon operate in the 28 member bloc
european officials said they were looking into making it easier for people to move their digital information between online platforms by the end of the year giving them greater control over data that companies collected on their daily digital lives
i want online platforms and the audiovisual and creative sectors to be powerhouses in the digital economy said andrus ansip the european commission vice president in charge of the regions digital single market proposals they need the certainty of a modern and fair legal environment that is what we are providing today


hong kong   china is abuzz with craft brewing with small scale operations popping up around the country and churning out beer tasting of everything from goji berries to green tea
but like many things in china whats new isnt that new in this case its about 5000 years old
a group of researchers in china and the united states have analyzed pottery vessels discovered at a site in shaanxi province and determined that they are the first direct evidence of a beer brewing operation and the ingredients they discovered are as eclectic as any trendy brewpubs broomcorn millet tubers and a grain known as jobs tears
the scholars paper which was published this week in the proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the united states of america pnas says the mix of ingredients was probably achieved through trial and error the tubers which included snake gourd root contribute starch and sugars for fermentation and also add a sweet flavor to the beer they wrote
the study was based on analysis of a beer making tool kit that includes a funnel shards of pots and amphorae and a pottery stove that would have been used for mashing radiocarbon dating of the mijiaya site near the chan river in shaanxi province dates it to 3400 to 2900 bc
a yellowish residue from inside the funnel and pot shards was analyzed to discern the ingredients the starches showed signs of damage that resemble what happens in the process of beer brewing the authors said
it makes a very convincing case that this was a beer making facility patrick mcgovern scientific director of the biomolecular archaeology project at the university of pennsylvania museum told the blog pnas journal club he was not involved in the study
the presence of barley which did not become an important subsistence crop until the han dynasty 3000 years later led the authors to suggest that alcohol production was an important reason for the grains introduction from western eurasia where it was first domesticated
beer was probably an important part of ritual feasting in ancient china one of the studys authors jiajing wang of stanford university told the journal club so its possible that this finding of beer is associated with increased social complexity and changing events of the time
although the brew remnants that were discovered are truly ancient they are not the oldest that have been uncovered in china mr mcgovern and a team of scholars from china germany and the united states wrote a 2004 paper for pnas that analyzed 9000 year old pottery jars found in a neolithic village site in henan province called jiahu based on their analysis the jars held a rice honey and fruit beverage
mr mcgovern worked with dogfish head brewery in delaware to recreate that recipe in a beverage known as chateau jiahu


celebrities often land on capitol hill to testify about world atrocities advocate medical research or defend the rights of musicians now the chefs are coming to press for new food policies
on wednesday the house agriculture committee typically consumed with things like farm subsidies and food stamps will hold its first full hearing concerning the roughly 70 billion pounds of food wasted annually in the united states
hunger groups are increasingly looking at ways to rescue excess food from its inevitable path to garbage piles get it into low income communities and come up with incentives to prevent waste throughout the system sometimes for instance carrots that are misshapen and not great for markets or restaurants simply go to waste
according to the food policy action education fund american consumers businesses and farms spend 218 billion a year on growing processing transporting and throwing out food that is never eaten
well known chefs from across the country will be on hand for the hearing where the experts and advocates will testify and they will visit with lawmakers to call for legislative fixes to the problem on thursday the chefs will head to the white house for a round table discussion on food waste
what we hope is to raise level of consciousness about how much food is being wasted along the chain said tom colicchio the head judge on the television program top chef and the founder of the craft and colicchio  sons restaurants in new york the chefs will also urge lawmakers to support a bill sponsored by representative chellie pingree democrat of maine that would adjust food labels with the goal of waste prevention
of course they will also eat recovered food will be fashioned into a reception dinner at ms pingrees home featuring pasture raised beef tartare tendon and trap caught mackerel and maryland oysters served with green garlic and herbs


jakarta indonesia   thousands of children working in indonesias tobacco industry one of the worlds largest are being subjected to nicotine poisoning and exposed to pesticides according to a report released wednesday that called for establishing traceable supply chains to discourage the use of child labor
the report published by human rights watch based in new york said that many indonesian children working on tobacco farms mostly on the countrys main island of java suffer from nausea vomiting headaches or dizziness all of which can be signs that nicotine has seeped into the skin
the children who usually work without protective clothing are also exposed to pesticides and they face the additional hazards of doing heavy labor in extreme heat using sharp tools the report from the rights group said
kids are handling tobacco in their bare hands and it can soak into the skin margaret wurth a childrens rights researcher for human rights watch and one of the reports authors said in an interview in jakarta before its release
the report titled the harvest is in my blood calls on domestic and foreign tobacco companies that buy the crop to ban suppliers that employ underage children indonesia is trying to put its palm oil industry the worlds largest under similar scrutiny by ensuring that the oil is sold from sustainable sources that do not contribute to the destruction of rain forests the government major palm oil producers and industry associations have signed on to the effort but it remains a work in progress
most indonesian tobacco is sold on the open market making it virtually impossible to determine where it was produced indonesia is the worlds fifth largest tobacco producer
agriculture including small scale family run farms is the countrys largest industry the international labor organization has estimated that more than 15 million indonesian children do agricultural work
children between the ages of 13 and 15 are legally allowed to do light work on tobacco plantations during hours when school is not in session but human rights watchs investigation which covered planting and harvesting seasons across java and the island of lombok in 2014 and 2015 found that children as young as 8 were doing heavy labor ms wurth said
virtually all of indonesias more than 500000 tobacco farms are family run operations on 25 acres of land or less according to the report which said that adult workers as well as children were engaging in risky practices theres no meaningful training or health education ms wurth said
she said that most indonesian children working in tobacco fields do not go to local health clinics when they become ill making it difficult to determine whether the number who get sick is in the thousands or the tens of thousands we also dont know what the long term health impacts might be she said
human rights watch said it had shared its findings with 13 indonesian and multinational tobacco companies operating here and that 10 had replied none of the indonesian companies gave a detailed response and two did not respond to repeated inquiries according to the rights group


ho chi minh city vietnam   president obama told a gathering of young vietnamese on wednesday that the country need not worry about losing its most talented people but then he proceeded to describe conditions for emigration that fit vietnam perfectly
the places that lose talent its where theres a lot of corruption mr obama said in ho chi minh city at a town hall style meeting of the young southeast asian leaders initiative a united states sponsored mentoring program
mr obama said that people despair of having to pay bribes to start businesses or do the things they want to do so they leave
development agencies and businesses say they must pay bribes to vietnamese officials for anywhere from 20 percent to 50 percent of the cost of a project to get it completed
another reason people leave their home countries is environmental issues mr obama added no job is so important that its ok if your children have asthma and they cant breathe
the united states embassy in hanoi the capital recently installed air pollution monitors and during mr obamas speech the level of the most dangerous particles in hanoi was 158 which is considered unhealthy high pollution levels substantially increase the risk that children grow up with asthma and weakened lungs heavy pollution also increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes in adults
mr obama said that countries with poor education systems tend to lose talent vietnams higher education system is considered poor and many vietnamese go abroad in search of a better education more than 125000 vietnamese studied abroad in 2013 with more than 19000 going to the united states as part of efforts to improve vietnams education system the united states is supporting the creation of fulbright university vietnam
it was most likely intentional that mr obamas reasons for countries losing their most talented people were such a close match for vietnam during his three day trip which ended wednesday the president had sought to prod vietnams authoritarian communist government into loosening its grip
mr obama also called on hang lam trang anh a young rapper known as suboi who has performed at the austin tex music and technology event south by southwest she said as an artist we have a lot to say
i want to know how important it is for a nation to really help and promote their art and culture ms trang anh said
mr obama asked her to rap and even provided a brief beat by aspirating into the microphone ms trang anh obliged in vietnamese and mr obama asked what she had rapped about
i was just talking about some people having a lot of money having big houses but actually are they really happy she said
mr obama also promised that his commitment to mentoring programs would continue no matter who succeeds him even if he has to support such efforts through his own philanthropy
if you ask me what im most excited about in terms of my legacy 20 years from now i would feel really good if i see 10000 or 20000 or 50000 young leaders who are now taking over governments and businesses and nonprofit organizations he said if i can help facilitate that that would be something id be very proud of
the president then headed to shima japan where he met with prime minister shinzo abe ahead of group of 7 meetings
mr obama said he would use his visit to hiroshima on friday to reflect on the suffering caused by war mr abe said he had no specific plans to reciprocate the gesture by visiting pearl harbor


seattle   microsoft is making further cuts to what is left of its ailing smartphone business as sales of the devices continue to fade
the company said on wednesday that it would eliminate up to 1850 jobs as a result of the cutbacks about 1350 of them in finland where the mobile business that microsoft acquired from nokia a couple of years ago originated microsoft will take an accounting charge of 950 million related to the cuts it said
in an email to all microsoft employees sent early wednesday terry myerson executive vice president of the companys windows and devices group described the cuts as incredibly difficult but said that microsoft needed to be more focused in our phone hardware efforts
as downbeat a note as the layoffs were for microsofts smartphone business there isnt much left of the army of people it once had working on the devices
about 25000 workers joined microsoft as a result of the companys acquisition of nokias handset business but microsoft quickly felt pressure to cut costs as phone sales struggled in 2014 microsoft announced it was cutting 18000 jobs most of them related to the nokia deal
last year it eliminated an additional 7800 jobs trimmed the number of smartphones it offered and took a 76 billion accounting charge writing off nearly the entire value of the nokia deal microsoft has about 110000 total employees
the acquisition of nokias mobile business will go down as one of the costlier missteps in microsofts history the companys previous chief executive steven a ballmer made the deal with the goal of transforming microsoft a company that was struggling to keep pace with the likes of apple and google in the mobile business
but the fortunes of nokia a once mighty player in mobile had already soured as sales of traditional cellphones lost ground to software rich smartphones the combination of its hardware expertise and microsofts software skills never produced the results microsoft had hoped for
while some of its phones were well reviewed independent app developers treated microsofts smartphones as an afterthought making it less attractive to customers
in the first quarter of 2015 about 25 percent of smartphones shipped ran microsofts windows software according to gartner the technology research firm by the first quarter of this year the figure had fallen to less than 1 percent
since selling its phone business to microsoft nokia   a company founded in the 19th century that once made rubber boots   has transformed itself into a telecommunications equipment maker that supplies the likes of att and verizon wireless
yet the once powerful finnish phone maker cannot fully give up the ghost of its smartphone past last week nokia announced that it had licensed its brand to foxconn the taiwan tech giant and hmd global a finnish company which plan to manufacture a new line of phones under the nokia name
satya nadella microsofts current chief executive has taken a different approach to the mobile business than his predecessor pushing the companys development teams to release mobile apps including its office franchise for the iphone and the android operating system from google
microsoft has also created a common windows operating system that runs on all of its devices including phones tablets like surface and the xbox one game console the long term goal of unifying the software for all the devices is to get developers more interested in windows by giving them a much bigger audience to reach with their apps
microsoft said it would introduce new smartphones in the future suggesting that they would be aimed at business customers who have shown more interest in the companys devices
when i look back on our journey in mobility weve done hard work and had great ideas but have not always had the alignment needed across the company to make an impact mr myerson wrote in his e mail to microsoft employees


if you think santiago calatravas transportation hub and shopping mall looks like a bird or a stegosaurus you might find 3 world trade center next door reminding you of an upside down popsicle with the stick at the top
its surprising profile   which is only temporary   results from a construction technique rarely used in new york office towers the concrete core of the 69 story skyscraper is rising ahead of the steel columns and beams around its perimeter sometimes 20 or more floors ahead
on most office towers structural completion is marked by a topping out in which the uppermost beam signed by the workers is raised to the buildings pinnacle things will be different in june at 3 world trade center
there will be a ceremony with workers signing the concrete bucket that will be hoisted to the top of the tower said dara mcquillan the chief marketing officer of silverstein properties which is developing the building
the steel topping out should occur in october the 275 billion building designed by rogers stirk harbour  partners is to open in 2018 it is being constructed by tishman construction a unit of aecom and like many buildings its floor count is inflated for marketing purposes to 80 stories
do not be fooled by the cores slender aspect on the skyline
those concrete walls are three feet thick on average and embedded with steel rebar within that enclosure and sheltered from any impact are emergency stairways elevator shafts and the vertical channels through which electrical communication and plumbing lines run
the concrete core is its own safety system both in sturdiness and in the egress it gives said janno lieber the president of world trade center properties at silverstein
a core acts like a stiffening spine helping stabilize a skyscraper against tremendous lateral forces chiefly wind
concrete cores generally cost less than steel frame cores which must be reinforced to achieve comparable rigidity apartment towers typically have concrete cores and perimeters in office towers by contrast column free floor space is at a premium so steel framing is used around the perimeter since it can span greater distances
such buildings   concrete cores and steel perimeters   are called composite or mixed structures said william f baker a prominent engineer and partner in the chicago office of skidmore owings  merrill
the first examples i knew about were in chicago in the mid 1980s he said i have seen this system all over the world london shanghai seoul dubai beijing kuala lumpur et cetera new york is one of the last places to adopt it
why
until recent years resistance came from local 40 of the international association of bridge structural ornamental and reinforcing iron workers
long accustomed to being at the top of projects ironworkers were wary of working below another trade without added overhead protection especially one like concrete pouring and forming that depends on speed
until sept 11 2001 there did not seem to be much incentive to press a construction technique upon a reluctant union
in the terrorist attack however hijacked jetliners easily pierced the steel framed cores of the world trade center towers developers contractors engineers and architects in new york took a fresh look at composites
richard wood the president and chief executive of plaza construction was one of the first his company had been given the job of building 11 times square on eighth avenue between 41st and 42nd streets developed by sjp properties
the development team met with robert walsh the business manager of local 40 since 11 times square was a speculative project in which cost saving was paramount they said a composite structure was imperative otherwise mr wood said well be forced to do an all concrete building
that was probably the last thing an ironworker wanted to hear mr walsh supported the approach once he understood that we were left no choice mr wood recalled he said the only thing i demand is that you keep my people safe mr walsh did not respond to a request for comment
we cocooned the whole thing and worked very hard to create a safe environment for the ironworkers mr wood said eleven times square was completed in 2010
at 3 world trade center blue nylon mesh framed the work platforms around and below the 54th floor the highest point in the building last february when i visited it is now taller than 4 world trade center
three hundred and twenty cubic yards of concrete were being poured pumped up from trucks arriving steadily from the ferrara brothers plant in the red hook section of brooklyn while steel was being erected below
everything is wrapped to keep it contained sean johnson a silverstein vice president said
though he had plenty else to occupy him on the site mr johnson noted that a composite building presented at least one distinct problem
there are two topping out parties to plan


north wilkesboro nc   kody foster had finished his wednesday afternoon shift at the warehouse where he earns 1250 per hour normally he would be packing himself into his ford focus with its bernie sanders sticker and plaque with the number 48 in honor of the stock car racer jimmie johnson
but this week mr foster 26 couldnt get the fords check engine light to turn off and the dealership told him that fixing it would cost 1000 which he didnt have so instead he borrowed his sisters ancient red minivan with its sliding door that doesnt shut right
he drove along river road the hillsides lush and tangled with kudzu then up main street in this faltering appalachian town the largest in a county that has seen its factory jobs wither its nascar track shutter and its homegrown business   lowes the home improvement chain   move its headquarters to a charlotte suburb in 2003
mr fosters destination wedged between a pizza parlor and the opioid addiction clinic was the tapering vapor a bare bones e cigarette shop and makeshift lounge that serves as his modest oasis a place to catch a mild nicotine buzz and let a world of worry float away on banks of big cloying candy flavored clouds
in an america riddled with anxieties the worries that mr foster and his neighbors bring through the doors of the tapering vapor are common and potent fear that an honest 40 hour working class job can no longer pay the bills fear of a fraying social fabric fear that the countrys future might pale in comparison with its past
wilkes county with a population of nearly 69000 has felt those stings more than many other places the textile and furniture industries have been struggling here for years and the recession and the loss of the lowes headquarters have helped drive down the median household income that figure fell by more than 30 percent between 2000 and 2014 when adjusted for inflation the second steepest decrease in the nation according to an analysis of census data by the pew charitable trusts
still the regulars at the tapering vapor   overwhelmingly white mostly working class and ranging from their 20s to middle age   provide a haze shrouded snapshot of an anxious nation navigating an election year fueled by disquiet and malaise
mr foster drove past the old key city furniture plant the original business was killed off by cheap imports and the great recession the new tenant a legal moonshine maker called the copper barrel distillery was proudly hawking bottles of the product that had once been the not so secret shame of this place   as well as 1999 ball caps made in bangladesh emblazoned with the distillerys logo
he parked next to the addiction clinic with a discreet sign that read mountain health solutions just a few hours earlier it had been the busiest business on the block
the tapering vapor was almost empty save for andrew taylor the manager he stood behind the counter under a guy fawkes mask the universal symbol of protest and disaffection and near the dry erase board listing dozens of flavors for sale the names suggested fantasia and abundance summer melon broken neon caramel latte unlimited power
the two friends greeted each other with a joke borrowed from a popular vine video mr taylor 22 blew out a cloud that smelled like orange cheesecake
moments later another customer karen chapman came in carrying an oversize handbag she ordered a bottle of nicotine laced liquid flavored like dark chocolate and tobacco
she said she had quit smoking cigarettes in march soon after her favorite character on the reality television show mob wives angela raiola died of cancer ms chapman 47 said she had two masters degrees and was currently holding six part time jobs   a mix of clerical academic and online work none of which provided health insurance
this is not the life i saw for myself she said
now mr foster was at work at the counter his eyes locked in concentration under his ball cap he was building a custom heating coil for the kind of powerful vapor delivery device he and his friends prefer a walkie talkie size gadget called a vaporizer or a mod it was a complicated procedure involving an electric drill and a spool of 36 gauge alloy wire
mr foster has always had a knack for building before the recession his father built fancy mountain retirement homes here now retirees were nosing around the north carolina mountains again and his father was building again sometimes mr foster pitches in
but this afternoon as he sucked on a mod loaded with a banana strawberry concoction he was trying not to think about the trouble he was in about how he messed up by buying the little white ford off the showroom floor in 2012 the 265 monthly payments were killing him
how his verizon bill inched close to 300 the month before because he lost track of how much video he had streamed
how he his wife and their 4 year old son were living at his mother in laws place after the landlord sold the house they had been renting for 400 per month how even a two bedroom trailer in a crummy neighborhood around here was going for 600 per month more than i can handle he said
and how his second child was due in july
its not just me there are other people in similar boats mr foster said he acknowledged that maybe he was to blame for some if it maybe he should have stayed in college maybe he should have kept better track of his cellphones data plan
but in his america he said it seemed that just a few bad choices could doom anybody who wasnt born with donald trump money if you make just one poor decision he said then youre screwed
mr fosters social life is the tapering vapor and it is his online chatter with friends and strangers while he is immersed in the virtual worlds of games like battlefield and grand theft auto v on his playstation the internet means that few ideas are exotic anymore even in a place like this and mr foster has been evangelizing to friends and co workers lately on behalf of the documentary zeitgeist addendum mr foster had watched it online and was intrigued by its critique of international capitalism and its banking and monetary systems
mr foster likes mr sanderss promise of universal health care and his pledge to make tuition free at public colleges and universities his dream which seems distant now is to one day return to school and study marine biology
his support for mr sanders makes him an outlier in largely conservative wilkes county mr trump won the march 15 republican primary here with 47 percent of the vote garnering more than twice the votes of hillary clinton who won the democratic primary
among those who chose mr trump was mr taylor a native of western north carolina who never knew the world before the north american free trade agreement or the internet he is a gamer and amateur musician he attends baptist bible study and owns a throwback legend of zelda t shirt he plays bluegrass and the white stripes
and though globalization provides him with his preferred instruments of leisure   a foreign made xbox and a cheap sturdy japanese acoustic guitar   he is also one of globalizations discontents
on the whole mr taylor agrees with mr trump that the united states particularly places like wilkes county received raw deals from the trade pacts that began with the passage of nafta some of the textile and furniture industry remains here but it is not like it was or at least the way people tell him it was
he has long been skeptical of big government and the way government works generally it did not help that the food and drug administration announced greater regulation of the e cigarette industry this month he figured it would soon put little shops like this one out of business
i dont think hes going to be worse than anybody else up there mr taylor said of mr trump if nothing else he said hed be somewhat more interesting to watch things unfold under
like many others here both successful and not mr taylor and mr foster are united in their belief that they are living among the ruins of a lapsed golden age
the post world war ii success story that people once told about themselves here was captured in a 1948 promotional film uploaded to youtube by the state archives of north carolina called this is progressive wilkes county it shows the locals of that era bustling on now sleepy downtown thoroughfares here and in wilkesboro the smaller sister city across the yadkin river as shopkeepers offered pies and pastries mens suits and prescription drugs
every day is saturday in these thriving mountain towns a narrator says
today michael a cooper jr 30 a lawyer who grew up in north wilkesboro compares the county to a jenga tower whose pieces scattered when the old industries pulled out the methamphetamine phenomenon crested here two or three years ago but the labs continue to flourish among its 754 square miles of hollows and low mountains perhaps even more prevalent are prescription drugs   particularly opioids like oxycodone and opana
mr cooper is a rare young white collar professional who stayed in town many of his clients are people he went to high school with and are now in trouble over drugs or caught in the tangle of family court and dead end jobs it doesnt surprise him that mr trumps message resonates
if there were winners or losers in america in this century they were the losers he said youre talking to people who havent won in 30 years and now somebody is telling them theyre going to win again
mr trump is popular here for a number of reasons the county is 93 percent white but from 1990 to 2014 the hispanic population there grew from 360 people to 4154 according to census figures on a wednesday in march brona wood 58 a maintenance worker at the county courthouse came in to the tapering vapor for a bottle of liquid called fruity juice if mr trump is elected she said the mexicans is going to stop coming in here and taking everybodys jobs
eddie settle the chairman of the county commission was giving a driving tour of the county a few days before the march primaries when a pickup truck adorned with a confederate flag passed by it is a common sight here mr settle said though he argued that the confederate symbol has less to do with racism than an ingrained suspicion of those in power he said the same dynamic explained mr trumps appeal its not because hes donald trump its because hes anti establishment
as part of his tour mr settle drove by the large chicken processing plant in wilkesboro operated by tyson foods pay on the production line ranges from 10 to just under 14 per hour it employs about 2800 people
out on route 421 near the bustling wilkesboro walmart the highway is lined with common american chains   sonic chik fil a dollar tree hardees taco bell sally beauty supply   a sign of the areas low wage jobs the countys unemployment rate was almost 15 percent in february 2010 in april it was 54 percent about the same as the national rate
we dont have an unemployment problem here said jim smoak the chairman of the wilkes economic development corporation we have a wage problem
even before mr trumps rise government and business leaders here had concocted a plan for making wilkes county great again they introduced advanced engineering and computer training in high schools and at the community college they added computer controlled lathes and mills and a programmable practice production line   all to train future workers for the kia or hyundai plant or other big manufacturing facility the county hopes to lure so far no luck
some of the clientele at the tapering vapor have made their own luck working hard and earning a measure of economic security others are just getting by
billy williams 30 walked in wearing an oversize football jersey with a front tooth conspicuously missing and asked for a strawberry raspberry liquid called beetlejuice he said he had been working a few hours a week at a restaurant across the river it was not as many hours as hed like but he said it was the best work he could find given his felony cocaine conviction from many years ago
kim shumate 58 walked in looking for a replacement part for her mod she quit smoking cigarettes after her house went into foreclosure in 2012 that was after lowes at the height of the recession stopped contracting with her husbands company which had built the interiors of new stores
ms shumate cries when she thinks about her old house with its big porch and its trails through the woods so she tries not to think about it at all
lonnie ramsay 45 walked in looking for help he described a nasty falling out with his girlfriend and said he just wanted to get home to a nearby city but he only had 25 to his name he said he had been making 10 an hour at a factory
one friday afternoon someone brought a pair of virtual reality goggles hooked up to a laptop to the shop mr foster exhaled a cloud that smelled like a popsicle he said he had been reading up on the idea explored in the zeitgeist movie of a resource based economy   a system in which he said theres no money and everything is controlled by computers and resources are equally distributed and theres no ownership or anything like that
the system we have now is going to collapse he said and technology the automation process is going to keep taking over and over
that he said would free up people to do what they wanted
chris lentz 36 a worker for a utility company in a pair of mud caked boots frowned and asked if people were just given everything they ever needed then whats the point of going to work
and so it went the thick sweet haze the frustrations diversions and digital toys and the sense in this jagged hyperconnected moment that everything is possible or nothing is
mr foster took a turn with the virtual reality goggles and put himself on a roller coaster his body squirmed and bounced on the sofa as he rounded and flew down the virtual tracks until he became queasy and said hed had enough


if youre reading this article voluntarily youre probably not a millennial because everyone knows millennials dont read news in fact theres a pretty good chance you look down on millennials perhaps you consider them entitled indulgent needy and a little too much to bear   or maybe youre simply skeeved by their weird headgear strange hieroglyphs and intricate courtship rituals
i can predict all this because i work in the news media and one of the primary functions of the media these days is to traffic in gleefully broad generalizations and criticisms of millennials the more than 75 million americans born about 1980 to 2000 although millennials are now the largest demographic group in the country sorry boomers and though they are more racially diverse than any other generation in american history they are often depicted on tv in movies and music and in the news including the new york times as a collectively homogeneous cliche
nowhere is this more apparent than in corporate america especially in the technology industry which has long been obsessed with the dubious idea that young people are in the cultural vanguard
corporations like linkedin and oracle are now hiring an army of millennial consultants who charge as much as 20000 an hour for their expertise on how to manage and market to young people the wall street journal reported last week the consultant bonanza follows a trend that has been shaping the business world for the last few years   millennials executives believe are coming for every industry and businesses that do not appease them risk being trampled by them
yet theres a glaring problem with these and other efforts to go after the younger among us millennials arent real
sure the demographic group exists as an amorphous bloc but you are as likely to come upon an archetypal millennial as you are to run into joe sixpack or be invited to a barbecue at the median american household its hard to believe this even needs to be said yet here we are macroscale demographic trends rarely govern most individuals life and work decisions for most practical purposes   hiring and managing selling to creating products for   your company may be better off recognizing more discrete and meaningful characteristics in workers and customers than simply the year of their birth
if your management or marketing theories involve collapsing all millennials into a catchall anthropological category   as if youre dealing with space aliens or some newly discovered aboriginal tribe thats suddenly invaded modernity   youre doing it wrong or as i believe my millennial friends say yass literal epic fail hashtag bro
consider the question of the best way to manage millennials say you have a worker who plays hooky from your online news site to go build a treehouse or one who takes an extended leave to go on a snowboarding trip then never returns to work what should you do
one approach is to blame these workers millennialness theyre young theyve never had to shoulder any responsibility in life and they really cant even with all your rules man
another might be to consider that maybe the problem stems from something about your company your management style or just the workers personality and that it has nothing to do with the fact that the employee was born in 1983 and really enjoyed animaniacs as a kid
in other words break out of the stereotype according to laszlo bock who runs human resources at google pigeonholing workers into categories is nothing new and its rarely helpful in running a workplace
what weve seen is that every single generation enters the work force and feels like theyre a unique generation and the generation thats one or two ahead of them looks back and says who are these weird strange kids coming into the work force with their attitudes of entitlement and not wanting to fit in mr bock said its a cycle thats been repeated every 10 to 15 years for the last 50 years
googles human resources department which the company calls people operations is famous for collecting and analyzing data about its work force to empirically back up its management techniques googles workers range from recent college grads to people in their 80s and as far as mr bock has been able to tell millennials as a broad category simply arent very different from everyone else
we measure this sort of thing closely and if you look at what their underlying needs and aspirations are theres no difference at all between this new generation of workers and my generation and my fathers generation he said every single human being wants the same thing in the workplace   we want to be treated with respect we want to have a sense of meaning and agency and impact and we want our boss to just leave us alone so we can get our work done
this is not to say that todays young people are identical to old people kim parker director of social trends research at the pew research center said demographers have noted large differences in millennials compared to older cohorts they tend to be more socially liberal when it comes to issues like gay marriage and marijuana use they marry later in life and they are less enamored of traditional religious and political institutions looking at these shifts over time is a useful construct when youre trying to analyze a whole population ms parker said
but these broad trends leave lots of room for individual differences that matter in the real world and that are often papered over when we talk about millennials as a monolithic collective
for instance while its true that millennials are more likely than older people to describe themselves as religiously unaffiliated the increased rate at which they do so isnt huge in a 2014 pew study 29 percent of millennials said they werent religious versus 21 percent of people in generation x which pew defined as those born from 1965 to 1980 what this means is that most millennials and most gen xers   and indeed most americans   consider themselves religious in some way millennials theyre just like us
speaking in such broad terms also misses differences within the generation for example another pew survey from 2014 found that while most millennials favored the legalization of gay marriage millennials who described themselves as democrats were more likely to favor it than republican millennials in fact republican millennials were for gay marriage at a lower rate than democrats of every generation   meaning that a democrat born in 1928 was more likely to favor marriage equality than a republican born in 1990
considering that millennials are the most diverse generation   spanning many racial ethnic and income categories   intragenerational differences are bound to play an important role when youre talking about individual people though both are millennials a young immigrant working three sharing economy gigs is likely to look at the world very differently from a trust fund baby whos tending his tumblr in brooklyn yet only one of these stereotypes tends to make it into media accounts of millennials
that doesnt have to be the case whats most bizarre about efforts to describe young people as a broad collective is that technology has rendered such generalizations mostly unnecessary thanks to social media smartphones and reams of searchable data companies can now track their customers and workers in far more precise ways than simply noting their age cohort they have your purchase and employment histories your social media musings your educational history your credit report companies can break you down analytically psychographically financially and in just about every other way short of physically
joan kuhl one of the aforementioned army of millennial consultants told me that one of her primary jobs these days was to undo companies preconceived notions about millennials oh i should do that too its not true that millennials dont read the news as i implied above hi millennials   thanks for reading
its unbelievable the stories we hear said ms kuhl 36 who runs why millennials matter they all have stories about managers underestimating them or recruiters having an impression that they cant live up to the demands of the job or that they were a flight risk people are perceiving them as the stereotype of their generation
as my millennial friends say ugh


washington   ever since talk radio cable news and the internet emerged in the 1990s as potent political forces on the right republicans have used those media to attack their opponents through a now familiar two step
political operatives would secretly place damaging information with friendly media like the drudge report and fox news and with radio hosts like rush limbaugh   and then they would work to get the same information absorbed into the mainstream media
candidates themselves would avoid being seen slinging mud if possible so as to avoid coming across as undignified or desperate
yet by personally broaching topics like bill clintons marital indiscretions and the conspiracy theories surrounding the suicide of vincent w foster jr a clinton white house aide donald j trump is again defying the norms of presidential politics and fashioning his own outrageous style   one that has little use for a middleman let alone usual ideas about dignity
theyve reverse engineered the way it has always worked because they now have a candidate willing to say it himself said danny diaz who was a top aide in jeb bushs presidential campaign mr diaz spoke with a measure of wonder about the spectacle of the partys presumptive nominee discussing mr clintons sexual escapades
with mr trump as the presumptive republican standard bearer the line separating the conservative mischief makers and the partys more buttoned up cadre of elected officials and aides has been obliterated fusing what had been two separate but symbiotic forces mr trump has begun a real life political science experiment what happens when a major partys nominee is more provocateur than politician
that the republican party has embraced someone willing to traffic in the most inflammatory of accusations comes as wish fulfillment for an element of the right that is convinced that the party lost the past two elections because its candidates were unwilling to attack president obama forcefully enough
in this telling in 2008 senator john mccain should have focused on mr obamas relationships with his former pastor the rev jeremiah wright and the onetime radical bill ayers and on discredited claims about mr obamas birthplace and ties to islam and mitt romney lost four years later because he too ignored those issues as well as other fixations of the conservative news media like the terrorist attack on the united states consulate in benghazi libya
now republicans have a candidate who as mr limbaugh put it on his show on tuesday has gone there
trump has gone to all of this clinton conspiracy stuff mr limbaugh said mr trump he added was doing the job the american media and the republican party wont do
the drudge report was downright gleeful running a vince foster lives banner headline on tuesday
roger j stone jr the political operative who is mr trumps longtime confidant and an unapologetic stirrer of strife called mr mccain and mr romney losers for their more restrained approaches
comity gets you beat he said adding it takes guts to win   and trump doesnt look at polls he just swings
but that is precisely what has many republicans and some democrats nervous
hes never been involved in policy making or party building or the normal things a candidate would do said jon seaton a republican strategist his whole frame of reference is daytime fox news and infowars a website run by the conservative commentator alex jones
mark salter mr mccains former chief of staff said mr trump was making common cause with the lunatic fringe citing his willingness to appear on the radio show of mr jones who has said that michelle obama is a man
i fear that it if not a mortal blow at least does lasting damage as the demographic clock keeps ticking away on us mr salter said of mr trumps effect on the party alluding to its dwindling base of white voters
mr salter echoed a widespread complaint saying the news media were enabling mr trump for the sake of ratings
but mr trumps style is indisputably good tv as his primary race opponents discovered and his asymmetrical style of political warfare poses a threat to democrats and their likely nominee hillary clinton one that may not be so easily neutralized by the usual tactics
already mrs clintons campaign is testing out different responses   juggling how much to deploy the candidate herself and how much to outsource the fiercest counterattacks it clearly has not yet settled on the most effective approach
i dont think hillarys campaign should engage in this sort of stuff said james carville a democratic strategist referring to mr trumps shift toward conspiracy mongering but the pushback from surrogates and the super pac world is going to be pretty damn hard
anita dunn a former top aide to mr obama said this is the time for mrs clintons campaign to determine how best to respond to mr trumps charges noting that senator bernie sanders of vermont is still in the race and that mrs clinton will not effectively claim the democratic nomination until at least june 7
but at least in the short term mr trumps willingness to hurl the most incendiary charges has given him an overwhelming advantage
he is winning the day ms dunn said if you define winning the day by dominating the coverage she made clear that she did not
in the next breath though ms dunn wryly braced for more incoming half jokingly imagining mr trump dredging up the 1993 federal raid on the branch davidian compound in waco tex she said we havent heard david koresh yet


over the weekend an exhibition opened at the museum at the fashion institute of technology in new york entitled uniformity it displays 71 pieces from the museums collection of surprise uniforms divided into four categories   military work school sports   as well as a select group of the fashion looks they influenced like geoffrey beenes 1967 sequined football jersey gown and rei kawakubos 1998 military vest and pleated skirt for comme des garcons
i was interested in the inherent dichotomy between uniforms and fashion said emma mcclendon assistant curator of costume and the organizer of the exhibition because while they should be antithetical to one another   the first is about conformity the second about creativity   they are also deeply interrelated its ironic
but not as ironic as the fact that the show opens just as a number of recent disputes have underscored a somewhat different and disruptive reality we live in a moment in which the notion of a uniform is increasingly out of fashion at least when it comes to the implicit codes of professional and public life indeed the museum may be the only place they now make sense
if once upon a time melanie griffiths character in working girl could manipulate viewers assumptions about her job and background simply by swapping leather jackets and minidresses for greige suits today it would be impossible we are in a very murky period ms mcclendon said
just before the museums show opened for example britain was momentarily distracted from discussions over brexit leaving the european union by the news that nicola thorp a temp worker had been sent home from her receptionist job at pricewaterhousecoopers for refusing to wear heels as dictated by the dress code of her agency portico
she took her cause public starting a petition for a parliamentary hearing titled make it illegal for a company to require women to wear high heels at work if you get more than 100000 signatures parliament will consider the petition and as of tuesday afternoon she had 140712
almost immediately itv the british television network conducted a poll on whether employers should be allowed to require women to wear heels social media freaked out and portico announced it had changed its policy flats were now acceptable for women men of course could always wear them
a few days later sweatergate broke out in the united states when a weather forecaster on ktla tv in los angeles was handed a gray sweater to cover up a tank dress she was wearing on the air she said it was a joke courtesy of her co anchor but twitter took offense perceiving it as an attempt to control what women wear
all of this follows famous dress code brouhahas like the ubs scandal of 2010 when the internet discovered that the swiss bank had issued a 44 page booklet of guidelines for employee dress that included instructions on shoulder width and underwear shade
then there was the flat shoe uproar of 2015 when two women were supposedly barred from the red carpet in cannes for not wearing heels the festival director denied the report on twitter
and earlier this year kansas state senator mitch holmes was forced to issue a public apology for having included in his guidelines for the senate ethics and elections committee which he chaired a rule for those appearing before the state panel that read conferees should be dressed in professional attire for ladies low cut necklines and miniskirts are inappropriate no such specific guidelines were issued for men oops this did not sit well with many
i have decided to retract the conferee guidelines he said later in a statement which also noted my failure to clearly specify that all conferees regardless of gender should strive to present themselves professionally is unacceptable
the slippery slope may have started as a gentle incline way back in the 1970s and become a bit steeper during the casual friday movement of the 1990s and the success of the facebook ipo in 2012 with its hoodie wearing billionaires but today we are speeding down it at breakneck pace partly thanks to the hot button conversation around gender equality and fluidity
there has been a dramatic change very recently said susan scafidi a law professor at fordham university and founder of the fashion law institute
she noted that last december the new york city commission on human rights announced new guidelines for the municipal human rights law that expressly prohibited enforcing dress codes uniforms and grooming standards that impose different requirements based on sex or gender
as a result no employer may require men to wear ties unless they also require women to wear ties or ask that heels be worn unless both sexes have to wear them and though this applies only to official dress codes the trickle down effect is inevitable
dress is now open to the interpretation of the individual rather than an institution professor scafidi said
this has created an even greater tension in the more ambiguous areas of office dress especially as the boundaries between home and work become ever blurrier
theres a strain of thought that says an employee represents a company and thus dress is not about personal expression but company expression professor scafidi said but theres a counterargument that believes because we identify so much with our careers we should be able to be ourselves at work
and that has led to all sorts of complications one persons appropriate can easily be anothers disgraceful and words like professional when used to describe dress requirements can seem so vague as to be almost meaningless kanye west wearing ripped jeans and a jeweled balmain jacket at the met gala cool or rude julia roberts at the premiere of money monster at cannes this year in bare feet red carpet pioneer or a step too far
at the new york times michael golden the vice chairman told me we have customer facing jobs and those that are principally internal we ask employees to dress appropriately for the interactions planned for their day but that can have broad interpretations in the newsroom people show up in everything from double breasted suits to shorts from sneakers and birkenstocks to platform heels
all of which leaves us where confused mostly and fast trying to create our own codes or parse those of the offices around us mark zuckerberg for example is on the record as saying he wears the same gray t shirt every day so that he can focus his energy on other decisions
ms mcclendon acknowledges that she tends to wear all black pretty much every day and sculptural shapes   its the museum uniform professor scafidi said my business uniform is a black jacket with a fitted knee length sheath classic 100 millimeter single sole pumps and usually our logo pin   my equivalent of armor arms and insignia respectively
indeed according to ms mcclendon uniforms evolved for a reason they fulfill a need to identify your place in the world for the wearer and the observer at least when they are easy to read and part of the idea behind the fit show she said was to put visitors in the mind set to consider uniform dressing more broadly and how it impacts their own lives
in other words to live an examined life when it comes to your wardrobe and your workplace because these issues are only going to get more complicated
we are moving into an era where personal expression is going to trump the desire to create a corporate identity professor scafidi said its a huge power shift and it has already begun


a washington post poll recently found that nine out of 10 native americans did not find the name of the washington redskins offensive seven in 10 said they did not find the term redskin disrespectful at all
the new york times asked its readers including many native americans for their opinions about whether the term is a slur and who gets to decide if it is
the origin of the term redskin is disputed a smithsonian institution scholar ives goddard wrote in a 2005 paper that the term originated with native americans in the 18th century as a way to distinguish themselves from white settlers some native american activists however assert the term arose as a pejorative and is linked to bounties placed on the scalps of native americans by the united states government
the reader michael krigbaum who submitted one of 2689 responses to the times noted goddards work and said at no time during the crusade to soil the term redskin has the anti name crowd brought forth a fact based and historically cited argument that suggests the term was ever negative in connotation or denotation
but for many readers who identified themselves as native american the name is far from benign
i have never heard of any real life circumstance in which a non native person called a native person redskin to their face and meant it as a compliment or positive in any way said velma craig a navajo
monica draper a member of the navajo nation had a similar sentiment
as a child she said my classmates would make fun of me by calling me a redskin im sure they did not say it as a compliment
laura grabhorn a member of the central council of tlingit and haida indians of alaska said the name has never been consciously an honor for actual native people she said that as a teenager performing with other native american children at a redskins halftime show she was mocked by fans
jacob floyd a member of the creek tribe said that for me the point is that hundreds of tribal councils and native organizations have decided that it is offensive
why is that not enough floyd said the patronizing non native response continues centuries of colonial paternalism in which non natives apparently know whats best for us
many readers saw the influence of the redskins name and imagery differently   even those who were native americans and attended schools that used native american mascots
i went to a high school whose mascot was an indian lily fawn white of the ponca tribe of oklahoma said it was equally if not more horrendous to see opposing teams burning our mascot in effigy scalp the indians go back to the reservation etc were signs we read and chants we heard every friday night
she added its time we find a true mascot that uplifts and energizes rather than one that demoralizes and hurts
but lawrence alfred jr a navajo said that his community had a high school team named the redskins and that he was not offended
my grandfather whom was a navajo code talker was a redskins fan he said if you are navajo and follow tradition you will not find this offensive because in our culture we name people by the way we see it
several native american readers said the continued use of the name reflected how native american history was often overlooked
people think that native people are characters from the olden days said aaron golding a member of the seneca nation of indiana
the use of native american dress by redskins fans was a particularly sore subject for some readers
to me it is personally offensive to see non natives making a mockery of our cultural items   feathers are sacred gifts that we have a lot of respect and honor towards said victoria a member of the seminole nation of oklahoma who did not give her last name when someone wears fake feathers that are painted in the name of football its disgusting
jeffrey charley a member of the navajo nation said i do agree there is some education that is needed for the fans to know what is sacred to the native americans the feathers the headdress the war cry and why they paint their faces
non native american readers were more likely than those who identified themselves as native americans to say the redskins name carried no negative connotation
for me personally its a name ive cheered and representative of a team that has brought me entertainment for decades amy ray said
indeed several non native american readers said the name was intended to evoke positive images of native americans
people no longer associate it with a derogatory word but rather the football team christopher bolton said so in a sense the washington redskins has helped rebrand an offensive term and fight racism
ken hargreaves said it is a nickname for a fierce warrior i dont see how thats offensive redskin denotes someone as formidable to be respected and even feared
jerome m capone said the fans dont consider it an insult but a term connoting strength skill and determination dont change it and lets stop talking about it
who ultimately should decide the fate of the redskins name most readers native american and non native american alike agreed that the decision should be left up to american indian tribes bob wirths said it should be up to a majority of regular native americans as opposed to activists and academics
c wabnum a member of the kickapoo tribe in kansas said that native american people from a wide cross section including a random sampling of urban and reservation natives from various age groups and professions should decide the names fate
allan olson said the decision should rest with the leaders of todays indian communities   their political leaders their cultural leaders and their spiritual leaders
these leaders speak for native america and articulate the indian point of view in a way that few native americans have been able to do before olson said


the wheels of justice turn slowly but stomachs will churn rapidly over the toxic and counterfeit food products that police agencies have seized recently in 57 countries
care for an appetizer how about 154 pounds of chicken intestines soaked in formalin a prohibited food additive that were seized in indonesia
or perhaps some italian olives that were painted with copper sulfate solutions to make them look greener or sugar that was cut with fertilizer in sudan and dont even ask about the illicit alcohol concocted in greece britain or burundi
criminals make millions of dollars a year peddling such products and worse to unwitting or reckless buyers according to the international police agencies interpol and europol recent joint operations have netted about 11000 tons of counterfeit and hazardous food and 264000 gallons of bogus beverages the agencies largest hauls to date
fake and dangerous food and drink threaten the health and safety of people around the world who are often unsuspectingly buying these potentially dangerous goods said michael ellis who runs interpols unit on trafficking in illicit goods and anti counterfeiting measures
in hungary italy lithuania and romania customs agents and police officers have discovered counterfeit chocolates sweets and nonalcoholic sparkling wine that were headed to west africa
also as part of the global operation the south korean police arrested a man who was smuggling dietary supplements that contained harmful ingredients but were advertised online as natural products
false labeling is a persistent danger interpol said in australia a shipment of peanuts was repackaged and relabeled as pine nuts posing a potentially deadly threat to people with serious groundnut allergies
in another case the police in bolivia raided a warehouse and seized thousands of cans of sardines and the fake labels of a famous peruvian brand that would have been affixed to them
in another recent operation the police in eastern china raided two workshops that were producing fake jellyfish which contained high levels of aluminum and chemicals the bbc reported jellyfish is popular in parts of china where it is sliced and served as part of a salad


hapcheon south korea   when president obama visits hiroshima this week a small delegation from south korea plans to gather around an obscure monument there dedicated to a group of victims who endured more than their share of misery yet whom few remember
as many as 220000 people were killed by the atomic bombs that the united states dropped on japan most of them japanese civilians but 40000 to 50000 of the dead were koreans who had been taken to hiroshima or nagasaki against their will as forced laborers or had settled in the cities after fleeing deprivation in their occupied homeland
those who survived and returned to south korea after the war were then shunned and denied medical care partly to avoid upsetting the official view that the nuclear attacks were necessary to liberate korea some were banished to leper colonies
in the debates prompted by mr obamas coming visit few have as many claims to an apology   from japan from the united states even from their own government in south korea   as these korean survivors their unique experience illustrates the complicated emotional politics of memory and morality that mr obama must navigate when he becomes the first sitting american president to visit hiroshima on friday
if there is anyone he must apologize to isnt it the innocent non japanese victims like the koreans said lee su yong 88 whose parents took her to hiroshima in search of food when she was 7 we koreans didnt start the war most of us were there because the japanese forced us to be there
i met ms lee in a special nursing home for survivors in hapcheon a hilly southern county that is home to about a quarter of the 2580 registered korean survivors still alive today she said the explosion in hiroshima   and the ordeal that came before and after it   still haunts her
the rivers were floating with bodies because so many people with burn injuries jumped in there she recalled they gathered bodies by the cartload and burned them every day
korean survivors are among the most ardent supporters of mr obamas vision of a world free of nuclear weapons but in a joint statement this month they argued that the united states would have moral authority only after it apologized for the original sin of dropping the bombs and paid reparations to innocent victims
many survivors also echo general unease in south korea that mr obamas visit to hiroshima will reinforce prime minister shinzo abes efforts to present japan as a victim in world war ii obscuring its role as the aggressor that started the pacific conflict and committed atrocities across asia including in south korea which it ruled as a colony
i doubt that any of japans neighbors welcome obamas visit said gong in bae a red cross official at the nursing home the only one of its kind in south korea if japan likes to say that people killed by the atomic bombs were civilians how about all those civilians it itself had killed in nanjing korea and elsewhere
no wonder south korea is moving closer to china he added at least china and we koreans share and understand what the pain imposed by japan was like
there is widespread suspicion among south koreans that the united states is so eager to strengthen its alliance with japan to offset chinas rise that it is willing to gloss over unresolved grievances across asia over japans war record
many argue that mr obama should have put off a visit to hiroshima until mr abe visited pearl harbor to apologize for the american war dead nanjing to offer contrition to the victims of the 1937 massacre in the chinese city and south korea to face the comfort women who served as sex slaves for the japanese military
given japans attitude the mass circulation daily joongang ilbo said in an editorial mr obamas visit to hiroshima was imprudent and regrettable
nowhere are the misgivings more evident than in hapcheon sometimes called the hiroshima of south korea because so many of those killed by the bombing were from here
during its 35 year colonial rule of korea japan forced koreans to contribute to its imperial expansion and war effort drafting them as laborers and confiscating grain and even kitchen utensils and farm tools many koreans did not have enough to eat and fled to japan where they believed it would be easier to find jobs and food
ms lee said she was among the more fortunate because she was allowed to attend school in hiroshima and later managed to get a job at a bank thousands of others from hapcheon were taken to hiroshima to toil in munitions factories or worked on farms and in other menial jobs around the city
on the morning of aug 6 1945 the bomb struck as ms lee was just arriving for work the roof of the bank building caved in injuring her leg the sky turned dark as it filled with ash she recalled and people roamed the streets with molten skin dangling from their outstretched arms
radiation exposure may have contributed to the tuberculosis uterine cancer and thyroid illnesses she later suffered but ms lee survived
when i visited her nursing home last week residents sat in a large living room watching television or gazing out a window at the lush greenery some were scarred or in wheelchairs but most showed no sign of radiation exposure
thats because those who suffered the most exposure and worst injuries died long ago with little medical care survivors with untreated injuries were often sent to die in leper colonies said an jae eun of the hapcheon house of peace which provides counseling for survivors
when i was a kid it was common to see people with unhealed injuries running with pus said shim jin tae 73 who was born in hiroshima and now heads an association of atomic victims in hapcheon without medicine he recalled survivors often applied crushed raw potatoes or taro to their wounds
society treated the survivors as pariahs their children could not find spouses for fear they carried genetic defects men would divorce their wives if it was discovered they had been in hiroshima or nagasaki
like many others i concealed my story even from my son and daughter in law one of the nursing home residents kim il jo 88 told me
compared with the comfort women whose cause the korean government championed survivors of the atomic bombs endured a political handicap they were victims of an attack by the united states south koreas most important ally and for decades after the war criticism of the united states was taboo
even the number of korean victims of the bombings is uncertain because the government has never conducted an official investigation despite demands for one by survivors historians and survivors groups relied on early japanese government data to calculate the death toll and estimate that 23000 to 43000 korean survivors returned home
survivors of the explosions did not receive official health benefits in south korea until the 1990s when japan helped establish a humanitarian fund worth 8 billion yen or 73 million at current exchange rates in 2003 they also prevailed in a court case in japan that ordered the japanese government to help cover medical expenses for registered foreign survivors
but the families of the korean survivors are still fighting for recognition and support
many are tormented by the belief that radiation exposure caused genetic defects that survivors passed on to their children and grandchildren
han jeong soon 57 one of the organizers of the second generation said she blames genetic defects passed down by her parents for the bone disease she suffers from and her sons cerebral palsy
for others the atomic bomb marked the end of the war and the liberation she said to us it was the beginning of new pain and the start of a never ending war


kabul afghanistan   faced with a choice between two obvious candidates to take over the taliban   one the young son of the insurgencys founder the other chief of the haqqani terrorist network   a small slice of the groups leadership instead chose none of the above on wednesday
breaking four days of silence after their previous leader was killed by an american drone strike the taliban announced that a lesser known deputy of the group mawlawi haibatullah akhundzada a conservative cleric in his 50s would take over and continue the groups war against the afghan government
despite a lack of military credentials mawlawi haibatullah became seen during a hasty series of leadership meetings as a throwback to core religious values and a possible figure to unify around after months of leadership struggle and violent schisms according to insurgent commanders who were briefed on the selection process
for afghan officials and their american allies who are struggling to hold back an aggressive taliban offensive this year that is unlikely to offer any immediate comfort any idea of joining peace talks is a deeply divisive one within the taliban ranks and the statement announcing mawlawi haibatullahs selection emphasized victory and omitted concession
described by the taliban spokesman as quiet deeply patient and a listener mawlawi haibatullah served as a judicial leader during the days of the taliban government in afghanistan and is seen as a consensus builder still his announcement early wednesday came as surprise to many taliban commanders
the two men seen as the chief rivals for the leadership   sirajuddin haqqani the insurgencys day to day operations leader and mullah muhammad yaqoub in his 20s and the son of the groups founder mullah muhammad omar   were named as deputies on wednesday according to a statement from the talibans core leadership council in quetta pakistan
the announcement on wednesday was also the talibans first public confirmation that their leader for the past year mullah akhtar muhammad mansour had in fact been killed in a drone strike in pakistans baluchistan province for years a seemingly inviolable haven for the insurgencys leadership
the taliban spokesman zabiullah mujahid on wednesday said mullah mansour had been buried two days ago in an undisclosed location inside afghanistan
although mullah mansour presided over one of the most dramatic years of taliban battlefield gains since the group was ousted from kabul in 2001 he also deeply alienated some of the groups most influential commanders including some who questioned his religious authority
after the revelation last summer that the groups revered founder mullah omar had been dead for at least two years   and that mullah mansour had been issuing leadership decrees in his name while hiding the fact of his death   mullah mansour worked quickly to try to head off challengers to his ascent
but the leadership change and the subsequent battles as mullah mansour put down rebel commanders who would not be brought into line was an unparalleled airing of the talibans inner personality disputes after years of maneuvering that had been cloaked by fear and mystery and reports of mullah mansours extensive personal wealth and frequent travel abroad were at odds with official taliban accounts that portrayed him as a modest leader who lived conservatively
after that mawlawi haibatullah a village preachers son who grew up in kandahar province and showed no signs of flash in his personal background may have been especially attractive to a tight inner circle bent on rebuilding a more unified taliban
still some commanders expressed surprise over his selection on wednesday saying most of the groups top leaders had felt strongly about choosing either mullah yaqoub or mr haqqani
mawlawi haibatullah is not very well known among the taliban here said qair fasihuddin the taliban shadow governor of badakhshan province but obviously we are obedient to the leadership and we fully accept their decisions
both those candidates however had factors that may have worked against them
mullah yaqoub is believed to be less than 25 years old and lacked experience he was only recently made a member of the leadership council and was given nominal military authority in 15 afghan provinces
mr haqqani who leads the feared haqqani militant wing of the taliban was named the second deputy to mullah mansour last year in recent months he is said to have mostly taken over the talibans military operations but he is considered by some commanders to be uncomfortably close to pakistans military establishment
in the end the decision on mawlawi haibatullah was made by a small group of about 24 permanent members of the leadership council and about a dozen other influential clerics late on tuesday according to mr mujahid the taliban spokesman
analysts with insight into the taliban movement suggested the change in leadership would do little to shift the groups policy away from fighting and toward talking peace
mullah abdul sallam zaeef a former taliban member close to its founding leader said mullah haibatullah was widely respected within the insurgency as a religious scholar
the unity of the taliban is critical whether for the taliban as a movement or for hopes of peace mullah zaeef said noting that there was still a standing religious fatwa to fight any foreign troop presence in afghanistan he added the insistence on fighting is not the solution in afghanistan but at the same time the reason for the fighting needs to be done away with as long as there remains a motive for the fatwa any leader going against that will find itself in isolation
hailing from panjwai district of kandahar province mawlawi haibatullah belongs to the noorzai tribe his family moved to pakistan after the soviet invasion and mawlawi haibatullah has spent a good part of his life in pakistan largely in quetta   first as a refugee then as a longtime religious student and over the past 14 years as a taliban figure in exile
he rose to prominence as a judge during the taliban government in the 90s holding a variety of roles across military and civilian courts mullah omar was said to have valued his religious opinions and kept him at his side in the movements judiciary commission after the insurgencys leadership moved to pakistan
before he became a deputy to mullah mansour last summer mawlawi haibatullah was an influential figure among clergy running the madrasas in pakistan that produce a large number of taliban fighters
one of the reasons that the taliban chose haibatullah as leader is that as a religious scholar he can reunite different factions of the taliban and prevent disintegration said habibullah fawzi a former taliban diplomat
some of the leaders of a breakaway taliban faction that revolted against mullah mansour are also from the noorzai tribe and mawlawi haibatullah is believed to have been involved in trying to mediate their return
but a spokesman for the breakaway faction mullah abdul manan niazi said on wednesday that the choice of mawlawi haibatullah was unacceptable he said that members of the faction   mostly crushed by mullah mansour with their leader reportedly in pakistani detention   had not been consulted
his swift selection along with the promotion of the powerless mullah yaqoub was intended to create a situation in which mr haqqani holds the real power mullah niazi said
sheikh haibatullah is not the right choice for us mullah niazi said using the term for an elder scholar he has been selected quite similarly to mansour with no consensus of all mujahedeen   it will never be acceptable to us


be true to yourself so serayah mcneill the empire actress and singer summed up taylor swifts words of advice in response to a question from the e host sibley scoles who was reporting on the billboard music awards red carpet sunday night in las vegas
as it happened ms mcneill was talking about success in the music world and how to achieve it but she could also have been talking about the look of the evening if the academy awards red carpet has become a polished marketing event with celebrities as pawns in a high fashion game the pink version at the billboard awards revealed rock stars and those who aspire to be them dressed well seemingly by themselves
sure there were big brand names on display but aside from a select few versace as worn by priyanka chopra and ariana grande springs to mind they were pretty much unrecognizable when even heidi klum could not remember the name of the emerging designer who had made her dress but its a new designer and i love him she said it was clear this was going to be less about a runway aesthetic than a vegas aesthetic
which could be summed up as legs also spangles and side cutouts mostly on the co host ciara who started the evening in a silver philipp plein tabard dress held together on the sides by tiny strips at the hip and then slipped into six   count em   other looks during the course of the evening all of which revealed various body parts in unexpected ways she has just signed with img models so perhaps she was displaying her versatility
still ciara looked positively subdued compared with britney spears who set the tone for the night well the awards were in her current hometown in a sheer lace romper over black undies with a long train and knee high fishnet boots which resembled nothing so much as fredericks of hollywood meets game of thrones though it was apparently by reem acra
and so it went from there demi lovato wore a sheer lace top over a black bra under a boucle jacket and wide black trousers by chanel before changing into a sheer t shirt big pants and over the knee boots for her performance zendaya wore a flesh colored bra with a matching long skirt that made her look like a calvin klein mermaid keke palmer was in burgundy latex im sweating from the inside she said gwen stefani wore a transparent gown with strategically placed silver sequins for her duet with blake shelton that called to mind beyonces little left to the imagination met gala dress of 2015
of course weve been there done that the naked look is in many ways so last year a display of lingerie is no longer shocking which may be why rihanna high priestess of the peekaboo made the most shocking appearance of the evening   in a covered up bronze vintage thierry mugler coatdress
she changed into a black trouser suit with a mint green fur shoulder wrap to sing and after that a green and black tiger striped dries van noten nightie dress to receive her chart achievement award but they were all relatively sedate even the nightie dress was long and not clingy
the net effect was to make rihanna look like a grown up an adjective that also applied to adele who wore a long sleeved flower festooned gown which was the source of much twitter speculation though it turned out to be by dolce  gabbana in her new video which had its premiere during the awards even madonna who has of late displayed a pointedly non age appropriate tendency to excessive exposure chose to wear a baroque purple pantsuit by gucci in her tribute to prince coincidentally purple trousers were also keshas choice for the red carpet
as far as fashion statements go they were notable suggesting that sometimes its what you dont see   and the brands you dont immediately recognize   that lingers in the mind


london   it says everything about modern soccer that the first meeting between the two manchester clubs under their new managers is scheduled to take place 5000 miles away in beijing on july 25
manchester city with pep guardiola as its coach will meet manchester united with jose mourinho in the birds nest stadium as part of the international champions cup
neither club is a champion of anything except perhaps in spending power the tournament is a marketing exercise to cash in on the global appeal of the game in far off places from where the clubs normally play
city is owned by the ruling family of abu dhabi united is the property of the glazer family of florida the two clubs are not even four miles apart in manchester yet are symbols of soccers globalism today
city said it was getting rid of its chilean coach manuel pellegrini and would buy out the remainder of his contract once it knew that guardiola was prepared to leave his job at bayern munich
city finished fourth in the english premier league marginally qualifying for next seasons champions league once again one has to take the word champion with a pinch of salt because as saturdays champions league final confirms it is no longer necessary to be the top dog in a country to go all the way in the tournament
real madrid and atletico madrid will play that final in milan barcelona which just won the spanish league and spanish cup for a second straight year didnt make the champions league finale nor by a long shot did the manchesters
over the next few days and weeks city will spend whatever it takes to get the players guardiola wants united has already begun hunting down the stars identified by mourinho one of them being the free agent and self styled legend zlatan ibrahimovic
even at 34 ibrahimovic remains a box office draw and he still is able to score apparently at will   or at least he was able to with paris st germain his last club
but the real business   selling the players that guardiola and mourinho think wont fit in their system and buying ones that will   could cost the manchester rivals somewhere near half a billion dollars
their first coming together in beijing is guaranteed to be bogus with both clubs missing many top players after the euro 2016 and copa america centenario tournaments
but there is real animosity between guardiola and mourinho sparked from their time together in the late 90s at barcelona where guardiola was the team captain and mourinho was an assistant to the head coach louis van gaal   the same coach that united fired to make room for mourinho
that animus resurfaced when barcelona preferred guardiola as its new coach in 2008 mourinho instead took charge of the italian champion inter milan with which he won a champions league title and later coached real madrid
their styles could hardly be further apart guardiola with more than a little help from xavi hernandez and lionel messi won everything in sight playing with a flow that was as close as anyone could imagine to the beautiful game established by brazil in the 1970s
mourinho despite the considerable riches he inherited at real madrid with a team built around cristiano ronaldo set out to destroy that stylish guardiola approach by instructing reals gifted players to rough up their barcelona rivals during their matchups in some cases this involved real players kicking their colleagues on the spanish national team
the abrasiveness of mourinhos approach crystallized in 2011 when he poked the eye of guardiolas assistant tito vilanova in full view of spectators in the stadium
guardiola the seeker of purist soccer vs mourinho the dark destroyer is one way of depicting this rivalry but it takes 11 players to make a team and carry out a style and part of the reason van gaal was fired   effectively on the same day that his team won the fa cup   was the fact that mourinho was available for hire and pushing for the job
even as van gaal hugged the cup on saturday at wembley stadium the united supporters were numbed by the dutchmans approach it was pragmatic it was boring it won the fa cup but by finishing fifth in the premier league the club missed out on the champions league next season and the 100 million or so that comes with it
the owners of both clubs are a world away from manchester in the middle east and the united states they may not understand the almost tribal rivalry between two clubs that are situated so close to each other
their bottom line is commerce if the men they appoint to run their clubs   former barcelona executives in the case of city and an english accounting expert at united   tell them to switch the coaches then that is what they do
and it is coaches plural both guardiola and mourinho operate with a cast of trusted aides assistants who go where and when the main man moves on
van gaal once joked that he has learned the art of delegation he no longer had to get hands on with his players because he hired a plethora of men to do that
van gaal has flown away with a payoff reported to be close to 9 million to what he has called his paradise the portuguese coastal resort of algarve
and manchester is buzzing again guardiola and mourinho might never have chosen to be such close neighbors but the die is cast


several months ago on a whim rachelle hruska macpherson the co founder and ceo of guestofaguestcom stitched the word booyah onto a cashmere sweater the letters were crude and lopsided but she liked the way they looked before long her instagram posts of other sweaters with phrases like outlaw and wheres the outrage were sparking high demand at first she obliged only a few people   original gangsta for christy turlington fight the power for mark ruffalo   but now theyre on sale for 360 each at the crows nest inn in montauk owned by her husband the hotelier sean macpherson and at the upper east side boutique five story


its official on wednesday night amnesty international released its long awaited policy on an incredibly contentious issue calling on governments around the world to decriminalize consensual sex work amnesty also wants countries to include sex workers in the development of laws that affect their lives and safety and ensure they are protected from harm exploitation and coercion
the hullabaloo over amnestys stance on sex work started last summer when 500 delegates from 80 countries voted in favor of an initial recommendation to decriminalize the recommendation was denounced by groups whose goal is to end prostitution which they see as a source of sexual inequality and harmful to women amnesty drew support from public health advocates and activists who see decriminalization as the best means of reducing the harms associated with the sex industry including underage prostitution trafficking and violence the debate will surely repeat itself and it will almost as surely be rife with accusations of betrayal
the opposing sides in the decriminalization debate agree that its wrong to arrest people mostly women who engage in prostitution you might think that common ground would matter more than the differences between them thats what i imagined when i started reporting a cover story for the magazine about this topic several months ago but it doesnt groups that want to curtail prostitution by ending demand some of which call themselves abolitionist advocate for the arrest and prosecution of men who buy sex and of third parties in the sex trade this legal framework is called the nordic model sex workers rights groups including in the united states sex workers outreach project usa the desiree alliance and the best practices policy project generally oppose it and now amnesty has come out against the nordic model issuing a lengthy report on norway to explain why the human rights group also issued reports on sex work and the law in hong kong papua new guinea and argentina
norway adopted the nordic model in 2009 following sweden which did so in 1999 amnestys researchers spoke to 54 people in norway including police officers prosecutors academics social science providers and 30 sex workers including three victims of trafficking many of the other sex workers said they sold sex because of economic hardship recognizing this amnesty also called for broader access to education and other employment amnestys basic finding is that norways laws punish people who sell sex   not through arrest but in a variety of other ways one researcher told amnesty that police forces in oslo often use terms like they are going to crush or choke the prostitution market and unsettle pressure and stress the people in the market or as an expert adviser to the ministry of justice and public security put it it comes back to the question of is it a problem that people in prostitution are in trouble no one has said at a political level that we want prostitutes to have a good time while we also try to stamp out prostitution
in norway women engaging in sex work are evicted from their homes and also deported according to amnesty if the police find condoms by searching someone who is carrying them they consider them evidence of criminal activity sex workers remain at high risk of violence and abuse but rarely turn to the police a 2012 study found that only 16 percent of 123 women reported receiving help from the police after a violent incident one sex worker told amnesty if a customer is bad you need to manage it yourself to the end you only call the police if you think youre going to die if you call the police you risk losing everything
amnesty also calls into doubt the claim that the nordic model effectively combats trafficking calling the norwegian governments evidence to this effect fundamentally weak and undermined by alternative evidence out of 280 reported cases of sex trafficking from 2006 to 2014 only 32 ended with a conviction amnesty concludes
in a letter to the editor published in this magazine last sunday gloria steinem called the nordic model more successful than any other model because it recognizes the power difference between buyer and bought she didnt provide evidence in researching my article and in the outpouring of criticism of it from abolitionists i couldnt find a convincing case for the nordic model lets see what the response to amnestys latest reports brings


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1 the email issue that has shadowed hillary clintons presidential bid grew more damaging the state departments inspector general sharply criticized her use of a private email server as secretary and revealed that she did so to protect her personal information the fbis conclusions are still to come

2 mrs clinton bernie sanders and donald trump all campaigned in california where primaries loom june 7 security was tight at a trump rally in anaheim as the authorities sought to prevent a repeat of violent protests in new mexico on tuesday night which mr trump blamed on criminals carrying mexican flags senator elizabeth warren intensified her criticism of mr trump zinging him as a small insecure money grubber

3 officials in 11 states sued the federal government for telling public schools to let transgender students use the restrooms of their choice the suit filed in texas said the obama administration was trying to turn schools into laboratories for a massive social experiment flouting the democratic process and running roughshod over common sense policies protecting children above the nathan hale school in seattle washington was not among those suing

4 it appears that gawkers founder nick denton was right the financing for hulk hogans legal case against the gossip website did come from silicon valley specifically the money came from peter thiel above the paypal founder gawker outed as gay in 2007 its less about revenge and more about specific deterrence mr thiel said in his first interview since his identity was revealed on tuesday meanwhile a judge denied gawker a new trial over its publication of the hogan sex tape leaving a 140 million judgment in place

5 senior taliban figures appointed a low profile deputy of the leader killed in a us drone strike to take overall command but their choice mawlawi haibatullah akhundzada above has far more religious credentials than military experience some suspect he will focus on trying to quell raging factional dissent while his ostensible deputy the operations commander sirajuddin haqqani will actually run the group

6 meanwhile an afghan romeo and juliet arrived in new york with their 17 month old daughter supported by the aid group women for afghan women the wifes family had pursued them since they eloped meaning to kill her for crossing religious and ethnic boundaries we submit to god   we tried everything here but the situation did not change the nervous husband said before boarding the flight to the us from kabul

7 dont expect airport security lines to shrink anytime soon the head of the transportation security administration told a disgruntled house homeland security committee measures are being taken to ease the problem but they wont equal the increase in summer travel this is not a new rodeo the committee chairman complained why didnt we see this coming

8 new evidence bolsters the theory that alzheimers develops from the brains attempt to fight off infection researchers say the plaques found in alzheimers patients brains may be the remains of protein cages the brain used to trap microbes that managed to penetrate the blood brain barrier above amyloid plaques green trap salmonella bacteria red

9 if you needed reminding that people just need a good laugh candace payne got a heros welcome at facebook this week and is making the rounds of tv shows all because of her delight in her birthday present to herself   a chewbacca mask that makes the wookiees distinctive growly whine her video been seen more than 140 million times since friday making it the most watched facebook live video so far

10 finally good news for national health more and more people are putting out their cigarettes for good leaving only around 15 percent of people over 18 puffing compare that to 25 percent about 20 years ago a public health expert called the trend remarkable and said federal campaigns and e cigarettes might be helping

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welcome to the 20th episode of modern love the podcast this week the award winning journalist katie couric reads leslie lehrs how i got to here which tells the story of an infatuation that transcends physical beauty
you can also hear the episode on itunes and stitcher
after hear ms lehr talk about how shes doing now along with remarks from ms couric on why she connected with this essay
follow leslie lehr a prizewinning author screenwriter essayist and story consultant living in southern california on twitter you can follow katie couric on twitter instagram and facebook


good afternoon the elusive artist terence koh said over the phone earlier this week hed called to discuss his new show which opened at andrew edlin gallery over the weekend im inside the bee chapel im lying down and looking straight up at the ceiling theyre really busy today because its sunny
the beijing born canadian raised enfant terrible was once the poster boy of aughts excess   a decade ago he gold plated his own feces and sold them at art basel for about a half million dollars he also once rather infamously told t i am the naomi campbell of the art world but the past few years have brought a different turn he discontinued his gallery representations and in 2014 moved to a mountaintop in the catskills the relocation was widely construed as a ceremonial retirement of sorts but koh insists the opposite i never had any intention of quitting the art world i just moved to a different part of the world he says it was something that happened naturally he has since lived peacefully in what he describes as a personal eden dusted with goldenrod and apple trees in the branches of one he built a hut and called it a bee chapel which would become the titular heart of his new exhibition
news of edlins move to a new address pregnant with manhattan symbolism 212 bowery inspired koh to reach out in hopes of bringing the chapel   a human scale hive of sorts made of wood and wax with a door to let in a single viewer at a time   to the city i emailed andrew about three times and he ignored me he didnt know who i was because he specialized in outsider art koh says last autumn edlin visited kohs farm with his wife and daughter and come spring people were buzzing about kohs return to downtown
outside the gallery sit solar panels that power the show inside there are seven rooms built to represent the days of the week each lined with a flooring of raw earth trucked in from new jersey while honeybees are in fact quite docile creatures for the safety of litigious manhattanites there is a metal mesh physically separating humans and insects inside the chapel itself the bees occupy a one and a half inch crawl space between the interior chamber and its walls known to beekeepers as bee space you can see them through the mesh and you can smell them and theyre dropping pollen at you the hive pretty much vibrates as well koh says the idea is i want to be able to resonate with the bees at the same time as the bees are resonating with us
this notion came to him while reading the indian philosopher jiddu krishnamurti who wrote extensively during the political tumult of the 1960s   an era koh feels is particularly relevant again today indeed other framed works in the show combine organic materials like honey wax and earth with ephemera from the presidential race like bernie hillary and trump buttons krishnamurti asked how do you get out of this chaos koh relates his answer you have to start with one person first and before that the spirit
the exhibition of course advances an ecological cause in recent years dwindling bee populations have evolved from disconcerting trend into an acute threat to food production and human viability on earth the show taps into more transcendental expressions of oneness as well beyond the colonys own humming which is miced and amplified similarly themed soundtracks play in each of the spaces we create the sense that everything in the show is living in a vibration koh says in one instance he worked with nasa which suggested he include a hawaiian radio station live streaming the collision of two black holes 12 billion light years away another track   much more diy but somehow equally profound   chronicles the approach of two flames burning from opposite sides of the same candle
perhaps the most aching and esoteric drone comes from a diseased apple tree koh has named harriet removed from the orchard of a neighbors farm because it posed a threat to nearby trees transplanted into the gallery with bandaged roots that are watered several times a day harriet hangs on in a suspended state of promethean living death and receives an ongoing electroencephalogram eeg which the artist explains as a life force monitor these electrical currents that quantify the trees being are played in concert with the conjoined universes and dueling flames


max jury hadnt planned it this way the 24 year old singer songwriter and iowa native figured hed attend the prestigious berklee college of music cobble together enough songs for an album and be on his way to music stardom i was a bit naive admits jury whose self titled debut album is out june 3 he did attend berklee but after feeling stifled by the clinical nature of his classes dropped out after just a year returning instead to his hometown des moines and taking a job as a maintenance worker for the local parks department   an experience that left him dispirited me and manual labor dont really mix jury says adding that his co workers   mostly truck drivers picking up work in their off season   didnt treat me very nice this newfound sense of dislocation coupled with his then girlfriends moving to new york inspired jury to write the album track numb a video for which premieres here i was just kind of directionless and thinking well shoot what am i doing
jury eventually emerged from his funk through songwriting though his initial attempts at recording an album almost ended in catastrophe setting up at jimi hendrixs legendary electric lady studios in new york citys greenwich village jury placed candles around the studio to summon the spirits and lend some ambience to the session but when the vibrations from a particularly loud playback knocked one of the candles over spilling its wax across the mixing board the singer panicked i started to pack my bags and told my producer its all over man were done after a few hours of confusion however the equipment was restored and disaster averted despite rumors that he was kicked out of the studio jury cites a much more practical reason for finishing the album elsewhere he was running out of money its kind of an expensive place he says
taking up an offer from a friend he made at berklee jury relocated to a cabinlike studio in the woods just outside chapel hill nc there he discovered the director of music at a local church on youtube and invited him to play on the rest of the album that musician jackson russell brought along his cousins who in turn brought an extra layer of gospel to jurys sparse laurel canyon influenced tunes their influence can be heard in the opening strains of numb on which background singers elevate the once acoustic song to new heights for jury the resulting sound   a mix of 1960s soul with the piano led storytelling of tom waits and rufus wainwright   was as unexpected as the process itself ive spent the past two years getting to do what ive always wanted to do so in a sense i feel im a different place from when i wrote these songs says jury who until recently was splitting time between des moines and london but i hope people can listen to them and be comforted that someone else is going through similar things


times insider delivers behind the scenes insights from the new york times in this piece fernanda santos the timess phoenix bureau chief recalls growing up in a brazil that was widely hailed as a country of the future now not so much
phoenix   a friend texted me the other day what is going on in your country
i was born in brazil my entire family is in brazil and i lived there until i came to the united states 18 years ago at the age of 24 by then brazil had changed the name of its currency five times each time as part of a plan to rescue its economy the country had also moved from dictatorship to democracy and i had cast my first vote for president in the first presidential election held after the military stepped aside
i voted for the young governor of a tiny state a man named fernando collor de mello he won three years later i joined hundreds of thousands of students who took to the streets of brazil in protest demanding mr collors impeachment marred by allegations of corruption he resigned that year
in 2006 mr collor was elected to the brazilian senate last year he was implicated in the massive graft scandal authorities have nicknamed operation car wash more than half of brazils congress has been accused of taking part in the scheme earlier this month mr collor voted for the impeachment of president dilma rousseff
i thought about telling my friend all that just to give him some perspective instead i wrote back its a big mess
lol he replied
in brazil we often say e rir para nao chorar laugh so as not to cry so i laughed out loud with my friend
as far back as i can remember i had heard people say brasil e o pais do futuro   brazil is a country of the future and for some years at least it seemed as if this elusive future had finally arrived the middle class expanded brazils became the first initial in an acronym coined by american investors to represent the economies they thought would be dominant by 2050 the others were russia india and china the country was chosen to host the two largest athletic events on the planet only two years apart the 2014 soccer world cup and the olympic games this summer
but the brazilian miracle has come undone in spectacular fashion
brazil is slogging through a devastating economic crisis the graft scheme has hobbled the national oil company petrobras whose management and performance ranked as one of brazils greatest points of pride my little brother works there hes worried but at least he has a job for every brazilian between the ages of 18 and 24 who have a job three do not
the easy credit that allowed middle class families to buy what they needed and didnt need   new cars big screen tvs trips to disneyworld   has now left them deeply in debt
then there are the uncertainties over the olympics an epidemic of the mosquito borne zika virus has athletes reconsidering their participation some have already pulled out because of zika and other concerns such as the safety of hosting sailing competitions on guanabara bay an unwitting receptacle for raw sewage and garbage from some of rios poorest neighborhoods
as far back as i can remember i have heard people talk about cleaning up guanabara bay
my father started working when he was 13 because he had no choice he knows hardship but he also knows what its like to live in a country that rewards people for their hard work by the time i was born he and my mother were solidly anchored in the middle class
he used to tell my siblings and me around the dinner table your only obligation is to study hard as i grew older he became my translator and a barometer of the state of the brazilian economy once he told me that if anything happened to him and my mother id find a box with a few thousand dollars under their mattress that was a couple of years after mr collor ordered the confiscation of most of the money people had stored in savings accounts a failed attempt to control galloping inflation the dollars under the mattress proved to me that my parents had lost their trust in the government and the banks
their trust in the banks has since been restored my parents who are both retired live off their savings and off the dividends from modest investments even after all theyve been through and all the time ive lived in this country it was only last year that they asked what it would take for them to move to the united states brazil has exhausted me my father said
i called last week to check in on him and gauge his exhaustion now that the brazilian senate has voted to impeach ms rousseff does he think things will get better
it has to get better he said
but do you believe its going to
my father is a numbers guy he worked in finance for most of his professional life he responded by telling me about projections for a record breaking primary budget deficit this year the growing number of people who have defaulted on their monthly health insurance premiums and the political polarization that has made it so hard to get anything done in brazil that reminded me a bit of the united states these days
have you lost hope dad
your mother and i are doing ok he said its the people who are out there looking for work who are suffering young people just like you were when you left


times insider delivers behind the scenes insights into how news features and opinion come together at the new york times in this article the obituaries editor william mcdonald explains the research and thought that went into one that of donald w duncan seven years after mr duncans death
it was not unusual that the times decided to publish an obituary about donald w duncan by the newspapers standards he was deserving of one
a former green beret master sergeant mr duncan had returned from vietnam in 1966 disillusioned about the war and determined to join the fight to stop it on the home front turning down an officers commission he quit the army and became one of the wars fiercest critics well before the antiwar movement had gathered steam he wrote a memoir and magazine articles and lent his voice and presence to antiwar rallies alongside other war opponents like the berrigan brothers the folk singer joan baez the actress jane fonda and the novelist norman mailer
in sum mr duncan made an appreciable impact on the national discussion of the war he had for a time been a newsmaker and by the timess rule of thumb his death was thus newsworthy the obituary ran online on may 6 and in the paper on may 8
what was unusual about the obituary however was how belated it was mr duncan had died seven years earlier on march 25 2009 and therein lies a tale about a life in which notoriety gave way to its flip side obscurity and about a journalistic decision in which one imperative of reporting   to be timely   deferred to a greater one to simply get the story out
mr duncan had actually been on the obituary desks radar for about two years he had been brought to my attention by jeff roth who oversees the timess morgue   a vast archive of newsprint clippings and photographs housed in bank upon bank of file cabinets deep in a basement redoubt
mr roth suggested at the time that we might want to prepare an advance obituary on mr duncan something the obits desk routinely does on people of note i agreed and we put mr duncan on our to do list
months went by finally in late april i got around to making the assignment by my calculation mr duncan had just turned 86 and by that measure i thought we had better not wait for too much longer if were going to be ready for the unforeseeable deaths of others i have found it is never wise to toy with fate
the assignment went to robert d mcfadden a pulitzer prize winning reporter and gifted storyteller who has done hundreds of advance obits for the times most of them not as yet published to the relief of their subjects to be sure
mr mcfadden quickly discovered that there was plenty of material to be had about mr duncans wartime and antiwar exploits what mr duncan had written himself and what others had written about him of particular use was mr duncans own memoir the new legions subtitled by the green beret hero who said i quit  mr mcfadden found the book long out of print on a used books website ordered it and read it cover to cover
as for accounts of mr duncans early years however and crucially his later ones the trail went cold mr duncan it seemed had at some point wandered off the national stage into an exceedingly private life leaving behind large biographical holes in the public record
to fill them mr mcfadden knew he would have to do what he had often done in preparing an advance obituary find the very subject of the piece presumably still very much alive and just ask
but that was not to be done so easily there were hundreds of donald duncans across the united states listed in online phone directories rolling up his sleeves mr mcfadden cold called each but came up empty so he enlisted help from the timess newsroom researchers sleuths who use a computer screen as a magnifying glass doris burke took on the task
ms burke soon found an item in the missoula independent in montana concerning a 2005 documentary film about mr duncan titled sir no sir she noticed the name of jerry lembcke a fellow vietnam veteran who had been interviewed in the film and who is now an associate professor of sociology at holy cross college in massachusetts mr mcfadden called him professor lembcke obligingly gave him a contact number for the films director david zeiger mr mcfadden called mr zeiger who remembered that mr duncan had been living in indiana when the film was being made
now ms burke could narrow her geographic field and zero in on the most likely databases in which some trace of mr duncan might appear sure enough she promptly found one his obituary or rather an obituary that seemed to be about our mr duncan it appeared in the madison courier the local paper in madison ind a small city on the ohio river on march 26 2009 the facts in the obit seemed to align with what little mr mcfadden knew about mr duncans personal life mostly gleaned from the memoir his birth year 1930 his roman catholicism and the clincher his relationship to the entertainer mitzi gaynor a stepsister
what the couriers obituary didnt mention though was what had made us want to write about mr duncan in the first place his past as a green beret turned antiwar activist not a word
mr mcfaddens curiosity was piqued had mr duncans death been reported elsewhere not that he and ms burke could find only the courier had noted his passing but apparently without fully understanding who he had been
the news media silence was critical if another news organization particularly one with national reach had run an obituary in 2009 we would have stood down acknowledging that we had been napping back then and that it was way too late now to make up for the lapse a competitive daily newspaper isnt keen on reporting something that happened seven years ago
unless of course virtually no one else had reported it
we decided to pursue the obituary the seven years notwithstanding the thinking was we would have written about mr duncan immediately after he died had we known so we should apply the same standard now his death in a sense was still news and his story still deserved to be told whats more in an odd way the very obscurity of his death added an unexpected even poignant element
the immediate task at hand was to fill in the gaps in mr duncans biography mr mcfadden called mr duncans former parish priest in madison to see what he knew he called river valley resources an antipoverty agency that mr duncan had helped found and that had been mentioned in the courier obituary more important he reached the next of kin two daughters had been identified in the courier along with their towns of residence in new jersey mr mcfadden found their phone numbers and called
not unexpectedly the daughters valerie casey and luise wilson were completely nonplused that the times would be calling about their father after all this time they also proved to be unhesitatingly cooperative and even eager to help the times remember him before their fathers death they told mr mcfadden they had lost track of him for many years and their own knowledge of his past was sketchy but they retained memories
dad did not talk a whole lot about the war ms wilson recalled but he was involved in a lot of antiwar things we were young but he wanted us to understand he instilled in val and me a sense of whats right
readers too were grateful that mr duncan had not been forgotten mr mcfadden said that of all the obituaries he had written few had generated such a large and overwhelmingly positive response as this one
one reader spoke for many when in an email to mr mcfadden she wrote i was shocked to know he died seven years ago but was very pleased to see the times and you honor him and his activism so many stories are lost so many heroes overlooked


it takes a long time to become young pablo picasso once said he was talking about the kind of art he wanted to create but he may as well have been speaking of his birthplace malaga the southern spanish port town is one of the oldest cities in the world occupied at various points through its 2800 year history by the phoenicians the romans and the arabs all of whom left behind their own distinctive architecture and design the most spectacular of which is the 11th century moorish alcazaba made of a series of formidable ramparts of buff colored stone overlooking the alboran sea
and while those empires may have fallen and the seats of power may now be elsewhere malaga itself is newly relevant   not for nation builders but for culture seekers who throng its medieval streets visiting its surplus of museums along with of course the museo picasso malaga theres the striking centre pompidou malaga the iberian branch of the famous parisian museum of modern art   partly a huge playful cube of multicolored glass that catches the sun the year old outpost of the russian museum housed in a former tobacco factory a satellite of madrids thyssen bornemisza museum and the cac malaga centro de arte contemporaneo in addition theres also the maus malaga arte urbano soho project in the citys not very originally named soho district here a clutch of renowned international artists such as kenny scharf and the madrid based painter abraham lacalle have been invited by fernando frances the director of the cac malaga to use the citys walls as their canvas most of the contributions to date are by local artists
add to this a recent restaurant and bar boom a thriving cafe scene and a forthcoming luxury hotel   the gran miramar malaga opening later this year   and you have a place where everything old is finally new again
hotel vincci seleccion posada del patio
this recently opened hotel has an ideal central location spacious light flooded rooms and best of all a large rooftop swimming pool make sure to note the buildings exterior which was designed around the excavated remains of the moorish walls that once surrounded the city
la cosmopolita
this lively tapas bar with its mediterranean decor is the place where locals go to eat malagan specialties like antojo eggs potatoes and ham fried sardines and shrimp tartare 34 95 221 5827
cafe central
in order to beat the heat malagans start their evenings late and party until dawn  which explains the appeal of the traditional sugar rich spanish breakfast of churros a lemony muffin called a magdalena and thick hot chocolate have yours at central one of the oldest and most popular cafes in the city 34 95 222 4972
jose carlos garcia restaurante
this sleek michelin starred restaurant with an outdoor terrace serves chef jose carlos garcias brilliant tasting menus while ever changing they might include dishes like shrimp beignets with kimchi and muscatel grapes monkfish liver with sweet tomato and miso soup and suckling pig with pineapple
oleo
not only are the tapas cum sushi and sushi cum tapas outstanding at this restaurant the people watching is terrific too the menu proves how the marriage of the seafood centric malagan kitchen and the equally though different seafood centric asian kitchen can make delicious mates with dishes like crispy shrimp omelets vietnamese rolls stuffed with wild mountain goat and tempura sushi rolls filled with asparagus and mushrooms
el pimpi
this malaga institution housed in an 18th century mansion near the museo picasso malaga has long been a favorite among the citys most esteemed residents including the actor and malaga native antonio banderas and salvador dali the wine bar restaurant encompasses a maze of small rooms and hidden patios with views of the alcazaba and the neighboring roman ampitheatre
el rincon del cervecero
sample some of the best craft beers made in spain at this new and very popular beer bar the spot offers more than 250 different types of brews and the owners make their own blends for local holidays
ricardo del cid fernandez
you can find beautifully crafted sombreros panama hats and straw beach bonnets at this superb old school millinery in the old town   its a veritable time capsule of southern spanish style and gentility 34 95 222 2703
hammam al andalus
a recently opened arab style hammam in the center of the city hammam al andalus has beautiful tiled walls and marble floors and offers a variety of massages and treatments the best is the al andalus ritual which includes a bath exfoliation and a relaxing massage followed by mint tea in the resting room which is dreamily lit by lanterns and candles
jardin botanico   historico la concepcion
founded in 1994 one of the largest botanical gardens in europe   56 acres in total   is a lush and shady place for a stroll the main garden has a dazzling collection of palm trees including rare and primitive species along with bamboo birds of paradise and cycads bring some ham and cheese for a picnic afterward


sam sifton emails readers of cooking seven days a week to talk about food and suggest recipes that email also appears here to receive it in your inbox register here
good morning the smell of smoke and melting fats accompanies the food section we packed into blue times bags for delivery this morning as our cooks and reporters photographers video journalists editors engineers and designers celebrate the joys of cooking outdoors in advance of memorial day weekend
melissa clark gets philosophical with a smart article that calls for thinking about your grill and its environs not as a single tool but as the centerpiece of an outdoor kitchen one that you need not use strictly for grilling pull out a cast iron pan and make her recipe for roast chicken with spinach ricotta crostini outside and youll begin to get the idea its a recipe you may make all summer
the fire wizards john willoughby and chris schlesinger join her with an argument in favor of using the residual heat of a grills dying heat to maximize your summer pantry game using grilled lemons limes and onions to make outstanding sauces and condiments the recipes are bananas good barbecued red onion chutney a smoke enhanced chimichurri a fire licked lime chile dipping sauce
julia moskin traveled to south africa to explore the idea that the best way to cook outside is to cook outside often and making the business of grilling a habit her recipes for braai spiced t bone and corn on the cob with chile butter help make that more than a palatable idea theyre delicious
but wait theres more jeff gordinier asked professional chefs for their best advice for amateurs cooking over open fire and rounded up recipes for grilled arctic char with horseradish crema grilled broccoli with apricot puttanesca and grilled glazed carrots
eric asimov delivered a terrific column on the best beers for the backyard florence fabricant collected a bunch of new outdoor cooking tools and gewgaws for your delectation
and i have a fairly exhaustive guide to the particulars of using your grill whether gas or charcoal to its very best effect in keeping with a wednesday tradition here at cooking it has plenty of what we call no recipe recipes within it simple narrative instruction for how to grill things well i hope youll find it all useful
other recipes to cook this week can be found on the cooking site and apps make sure to check out our giant collection of recipes for memorial day save the ones you like or share them with friends and family and if you get in trouble with the technology do not hesitate to ask for help were at cookingcarenytimescom
finally a correction in mondays newsletter i identified this recipe for roasted salmon with lime herb butter as a mark bittman production it is not it came from our former restaurant critic and current obituaries impresario william grimes and it is awesome apologies feist take it away


an african market in the south bronx a playground in brooklyn and vanished landmarks of lesbian night life in the west village are among the settings for the last walks the final free summer festival organized by the arts group elastic city
the festival which will take place from july 7 to 27 will be the swan song for the group which was founded in 2010 by todd shalom since then it has worked with dozens of artists to create more than 125 participatory walks and other events in new york detroit berlin sao paulo reykjavik tokyo and other cities
while this festival takes place entirely in new york city many walks look to the world beyond its borders in la mano immigrante the immigrant hand created by created by tania bruguera and mujeres en movimiento a group will cross the border into corona queens renaming subway stops telling life stories and performing the unacknowledged but essential jobs that keep this city afloat according to a description
in market thrum created by the choreographer and performer okwui okpokwasili participants will explore the gold coast market in the south bronx using techniques of dynamic movement each walk lasts about 90 minutes and is designed for about 12 people information and reservations at elastic citycom
the final event will take place july 26 and 27 in the more bucolic setting of prospect park brooklyn where mr shalom and niegel smith the groups associate artistic director will lead the last walk a sort of greatest hits riff featuring cameos by artists who have presented previous walks
over the past seven years weve potentially expanded the way thousands of people experience their everyday mr shalom who is working on a book about the groups techniques said by email i see it like a small record label or an indie press its always been a project with a focus to produce rigorous work and get it out there directly to the public


international
the rome journal article on april 27 about a campaign to revitalize the waterfront of the tiber river misstated part of the name of an association that promotes the tiber and part of the given name of its president the association is the consorzio tiberina not tiberino and the president is giuseppe maria amendola not giovanni maria

a picture caption on april 26 with an article about the afghan governments cancellation of a planned visit by the first vice president of afghanistan abdul rashid dostum to the united states misidentified the location of the picture which showed mr dostum addressing a crowd in 2014 it was taken in kunduz province not in kabul

because of an editing error the memo from spain article on april 26 about political discord that is putting spain at risk of a constitutional crisis omitted the given name of spains socialist leader who has criticized the acting government for its lack of accountability he is pedro sanchez

because of an editing error the memo from china article on april 4 about the difficulty of determining whether carbon dioxide emissions in china are declining misidentified the city in which the natural resources defense council has its headquarters it is new york not washington the error was corrected online shortly after the article was published but editors failed to follow through with this print correction
national
because of an editing error an article on tuesday about the transportation security administrations replacing its top security official and adding new administrators at chicago ohare international airport misstated the time during which hundreds of passengers there missed flights because of long security lines it was last week and over the weekend not just on sunday

a correction in this space on tuesday about a federal judges order in a case involving executive actions by president obama on immigration misstated the date the article was published it was friday not thursday
business day
an article on tuesday about the unionization of new york employees of the babeland adult toy stores misstated in some copies using information from the union the vote count that authorized the union it was 21 to 4 not 24 to 1 the article also misstated the results of employees request for caller id to help weed out threatening phone calls two of the three stores in new york now have caller id the push was not unsuccessful

because of an editing error an article on tuesday about a lawsuit filed by the chief executive and a director of viacom challenging their removal from a trust that controls the company misidentified the city in which the suit was filed it was canton mass not norfolk

an article on monday about online commenters in china who are paid to post messages favorable to the government misstated the university affiliations of two of the three authors of a study showing that most commenters are government employees the study was not by researchers at harvard while gary king is a professor there jennifer pan is an assistant professor at stanford and margaret e roberts is an assistant professor at the university of california san diego
the arts
a report in the arts briefly column on monday about movie box office revenues using information from sony misstated the amount sony is to receive for distributing angry birds which took in the most money in north america over the weekend it is 8 percent of ticket sales not 7 percent

a music review on monday about a concert version of eddie palmieris album harlem river drive in marcus garvey park in manhattan misidentified the lead singer on the song seeds of life he is chris turner not solomon hicks the review also misidentified the drummer in the performance of azucar pa ti he is camilo molina not bernard purdie

a picture caption on friday with a film review of kaili blues was accompanied by an erroneous credit the picture is by grasshopper film not grasshopper films
food
because of an editing error an article last wednesday about the challenges facing home cooks in cuba where a dish called moros y cristianos is popular misstated the period when moors occupied parts of the iberian peninsula it was the eighth century through the 15th century not the first century

because of an editing error a recipe accompanying the spirits of the times column on may 15 for an almond apricot tart misstated the number of eggs required it is two whole eggs for the tart filling and one yolk for the crust not just two whole eggs the complete recipe is at nytimescooking

a correction in this space last wednesday for a brief report in the off the menu column referred incorrectly to the location of tapestry a new indian restaurant it is at 60 greenwich avenue not street

a city kitchen column on may 4 about pacific wild salmon misidentified who manages the bristol bay fishery in alaska it is the alaska department of fish and game not the federal government and the indigenous population
obituaries
an obituary on monday about the baritone saxophonist joe temperley omitted the name of a survivor in addition to his wife his sister and his stepson mr temperley is survived by his son stephen

an obituary on monday about the italian politician marco pannella misstated the year he recruited ilona staller an actress in pornographic films to run for parliament it was 1987 not 2000

a subheading on monday with an obituary about the north korean nuclear negotiator kang sok ju misstated how long it took for an agreement he negotiated with the united states in 1994 to fall apart as the obituary correctly stated the deal collapsed in 2002 or eight years later not 18
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hulk hogan had a secret financial backer in his legal fight against gawker media for invasion of privacy
peter thiel a billionaire entrepreneur and philanthropist helped fund the case brought by the wrestler terry gene bollea better known as hulk hogan against gawker said a person briefed on the arrangement who spoke on the condition of anonymity
mr thiel a co founder of paypal and one of the earliest investors in facebook privately agreed to help pay the expenses of mr bolleas legal team this person said
a self described libertarian mr thiel has a long history with gawker which published an article in 2007 outing him as gay mr thiel who is now open about his sexual orientation once described the gawker owned site valleywag as the silicon valley equivalent of al qaeda
the details of mr thiels arrangement to support mr bolleas case are protected by a confidentiality agreement and could not be learned
a florida jury awarded mr bollea 140 million in march over a sex tape gawker published in 2012
the revelation of mr thiels involvement in mr bolleas case which has captured headlines this year for its salacious disclosures came a day after nick denton gawkers founder was quoted in the new york times as saying that he believed that mr bolleas case was being supported by a mysterious third party
my own personal hunch is that its linked to silicon valley mr denton said
mr denton called on mr bolleas legal team which refused to comment on the possibility of an outside funder to disclose the backer
mr thiels identity was first reported late tuesday by forbes magazine
there is nothing illegal about funding such legal cases there is an entire industry known as litigation finance that often helps invest in and financially support lawyers working on contingency in small and large cases it is not common for a lawsuit to be backed by a third party that may have other motives
questions about the independence of mr bollea who never mentioned a third party backer first emerged when his lawyer removed a claim from his complaint that had the effect of eliminating gawkers insurance company from the case that struck many legal observers as odd given that most lawyers seeking large payouts want to include claims that are insured against because doing so increases the chances of a settlement


pittsburgh pirates pitcher ryan vogelsong remained hospitalized with swelling and multiple facial fractures on tuesday a day after he was struck in the head by a 92 mile per hour fastball thrown by colorado pitcher jordan lyles while vogelsong was batting
the pirates trainer todd tomczyk said vogelsong a 38 year old veteran was in good spirits but added that doctors would not be able to determine the extent of the damage around vogelsongs left eye until the swelling subsided
the pirates placed vogelsong on the 15 day disabled list and recalled reliever a j schugel from class aaa indianapolis
pirates polanco drives in five gregory polanco hit a three run homer and drove in a career best five runs as host pittsburgh routed the arizona diamondbacks 12 1
cubs pound cardinals wacha st louis pitcher michael wacha gave up a career worst eight runs in four innings six in the first and has lost five consecutive decisions for the first time after a 12 3 drubbing by visiting chicago
tiger notches 400th save francisco rodriguez earned his 400th career save in the detroit tigers 3 1 victory over the visiting philadelphia phillies
tommy john surgery for red sox reliever bostons carson smith had season ending tommy john surgery on his right elbow four days after a magnetic resonance imaging exam revealed a tear in his ulnar collateral ligament
smith will need 11 to 14 months to recover
the nfl awarded super bowls to atlanta miami and los angeles three cities that made significant financial investments in new stadiums or recently upgraded existing ones
atlanta will host the game in 2019 followed by miami in 2020 and los angeles in 2021 it was announced at the owners meetings in charlotte nc
atlanta will be hosting its third super bowl but the first at its new 14 billion stadium which is scheduled to open in 2017 the previous two were played at the georgia dome
miami will be hosting its record setting 11th super bowl after a 450 million stadium renovation
los angeles which will welcome the relocated rams this season has not hosted a super bowl in the area since 1993s game at the rose bowl in nearby pasadena the 2021 game will be played at a new 26 billion stadium in inglewood which is scheduled to open in 2019
raiders study a move to las vegas the owner mark davis of the oakland raiders said his team had begun conducting market research studies to gather information about a potential move to las vegas
davis said at the nfl owners meetings that the initial reports had come back positive about the feasibility of such a move unable to get a suitable stadium deal in oakland davis wants to move the raiders to las vegas
i have given my commitment to las vegas and if they can get done what theyre talking about doing then we will go to las vegas davis said
stanfords taylor davidson fought off a match point for a 3 6 7 5 7 5 victory over oklahoma states vladica babic in tulsa okla that gave the cardinal a 4 3 win and their 18th ncaa womens tennis championship
babic won the first set and had a match point at 5 4 in the second but davidson rallied for the title clinching win
wnba coach to lead commodores vanderbilt hired stephanie white of the wnbas indiana fever as its womens basketball coach
the hiring came a month after the resignation of melanie balcomb vanderbilts coach for 14 seasons
white plans to stay with the fever through the end of the wnba season
another wildcat transfers kentucky forward batouly camara transferred to connecticut
camara a new york city native who averaged 51 points and 43 rebounds as a freshman became the sixth wildcats player to transfer out of the program since the beginning of last season
under ncaa rules camera will have to sit out the 2016 17 season and will have three years of eligibility remaining
the dutch rider steven kruijswijk strengthened his grip on the leaders jersey by finishing second to alejandro valverde during the 16th stage of the giro ditalia in andalo italy
the prerace favorite vincenzo nibali had another bad day and saw his faint chances of winning a second giro title all but disappear
valverde edged kruijswijk on the mountainous 83 mile leg from bressanone to andalo to claim his first stage win in the giro
it was a third successive second place for kruijswijk who increased his lead over esteban chaves to three minutes
the race ends sunday in turin
tiffany hayes had 27 points and 11 rebounds angel mccoughtry scored all 15 of her points after halftime and the visiting atlanta dream defeated the liberty in overtime 85 79
hayes was 7 of 13 from the field with three 3 pointers and hit all 10 of her free throw attempts mccoughtry scored 4 of atlantas 8 overtime points as the dream held the liberty to just 2 points in the extra session
also the liberty re signed the veteran forward swin cash 10 days after cutting her for salary cap reasons cash 36 started 28 games for the liberty last season averaging 45 points and 24 rebounds a game


albuquerque   protesters outside a rally for donald j trump in albuquerque threw rocks at police horses and lighted fires on tuesday night according to the police and postings on social media
the albuquerque police said on twitter that contrary to reports no tear gas had been deployed outside the rally venue the albuquerque convention center
the police also said no gunshots had been fired
live video aired by koat tv showed officers pushing protesters onto sidewalks
the police reported that their horses were being attacked
the police said on twitter that the only arrests had been inside the rally but no figures were provided a spokesman for the police department was not immediately available
the raucous scene outside the convention center was matched by mr trumps fiery tone inside the rally which protesters disrupted less than three minutes after he started speaking
talking for over an hour mr trump the presumptive republican nominee reprised his attacks on senator elizabeth warren democrat of massachusetts and a fierce critic of his he also dismissed the news media as dishonest slime and responded to attacks by hillary clinton that accused mr trump of saying before the great recession that he wanted the housing market to collapse so that he could make money
calling mrs clinton a lowlife for an online ad she put out he said im a businessman   thats what im supposed to do thats what im supposed to do
he added hey i feel badly for everybody what am i going to do im in business ok never thought i was going to run for office
he also criticized mrs clintons voice   a complaint that many view as sexist she screams and it drives me crazy he said
mr trump did take time to note that he thought he was beginning to appeal to more female voters a group with whom he has low favorability ratings
i want to set records with women not with men he said the hell with the men right the hell with the men i want to set records with women but we are doing good we are doing good


houston   the east texas woman who claimed president obama was a drug addicted gay prostitute in his youth was defeated in a republican primary runoff election tuesday losing her bid to become one of the top education officials in texas
the woman mary lou bruner 69 a former kindergarten teacher had used her facebook page to post her extreme views on politics and education ms bruner called the boy scouts a homosexual organization and declared that because of her conservative views mr obama has had me investigated she encouraged parents to home school their children because that was the only way you can be in control of what they are taught and claimed that school shootings across the country had begun after the schools started teaching evolution
her postings drew national attention as she campaigned for a seat on the state board of education the 15 member body that sets curriculum standards adopts textbooks and establishes graduation requirements in texas public schools in march ms bruner earned the most votes in the republican primary winning 48 percent but failed to get enough votes to avoid a runoff
on tuesday ms bruner was defeated by a wide margin by keven m ellis 45 a chiropractor who is the president of the school board in lufkin because republicans dominate the district the winner of the republican race is expected to beat the democrat   amanda m rudolph a professor at stephen f austin state university   in the general election
the voters did their homework mr ellis said in a statement as he declared victory
ms bruner never backed away from her remarks on facebook im just saying what i believe and what the people of my district agree with she said when she declined an interview with the new york times in march
one of her biggest critics the nonprofit texas freedom network which collected and publicized her facebook statements said on tuesday texas escaped an education train wreck tonight
in conservative east texas some republicans continued to back her in the run up to the election but others were strongly opposed including several school district superintendents and in one surprising twist an influential tea party group that played a major role in her success in march grassroots america   we the people withdrew its endorsement days before the election on tuesday it was the first time the group had taken such an action and many cited it as one reason ms bruner lost the runoff
the executive director of grassroots america   we the people joann fleming said in a statement that the endorsement had been withdrawn because of inaccurate oral and written statements that ms bruner made at a meeting with superintendents on may 4
ms bruner said nearly 50 percent of public school students were enrolled in special education programs and claimed that texas would soon have a shortage of qualified teachers citing a shortage of 91 teachers in one district both claims among others were disputed by the superintendents some of whom spoke up loudly to correct ms bruner


oklahoma city   the golden state warriors came here with a well earned reputation as cool and collected the greatest basketball show on earth
the defending league champions and the most credentialed regular season team in nba history with 73 victories the warriors left chesapeake energy arena late tuesday night on the brink of elimination battered in successive games by an oklahoma city thunder team that played like a tornado
with a convincing 118 94 game 4 victory the thunder took a three games to one lead in the western conference finals setting up a close out game thursday night in oakland calif
russell westbrook played more like the leagues most valuable player than stephen curry who won the award this season and last westbrook riddled the warriors defense for 36 points and 11 assists with 11 rebounds for a triple double kevin durant added 26 points and 11 rebounds for the thunder
he just plays with incredible passion thunder coach billy donovan said of westbrook hes got such great force and great will and hes also a really really high basketball iq player
westbrook said i know that my energy and aggression can impact the game my energy was good tonight i was just using my size to get to the basket and create some havoc
curry endured a 6 for 20 shooting night with six turnovers klay thompson had 26 points to lead the warriors who finished with 21 turnovers
this is probably the longest team in the league that were facing and we are continuing to try to throw passes over the top of their outstretched arms warriors coach steve kerr said of the turnovers its probably not a great idea
most satisfying for the thunder and their raucous fans was draymond greens continued poor play   he shot 1 for 7 and had six turnovers   after the nba did not suspend him for his kick of steven adamss groin in game 3
the league is pro business   hes one of the best players durant said suggesting the league was not going to meddle too much in its marquee series were not upset about it thats just how it goes
given time to sleep on the nbas decision to punish but not suspend him green insisted he would not become tentative or change the essential character of his game
im never going to be careful   im an emotional player he said before game 4
he was not being defiant or flippant saying that the warriors needed all the passion they could muster against a thunder team brimming with talent and growing in confidence
green at least was a man of his word on the thunders first possession adams grabbed an offensive rebound backed into the lane against andrew bogut and was hacked by green helping out from the weak side
but for all of greens promises of a new night a renewed aggression it was adams who had a far greater impact on a first half that looked strikingly familiar to the start to sundays game 3
for the second straight game adams switching out to defend curry on the perimeter deflected one of currys pull up 3 pointers a further demonstration of the agility of adams a 7 foot new zealander it also signaled a nightmarish half for curry who missed 10 of 14 shots turned the ball over three times and added to the speculation that he is not entirely healthy
hes not injured kerr said he just had a lousy night it happens even to the best players in the world
curry said its a terrible night to have that happen its a terrible feeling not stepping up but the series isnt over theres a long way to go got to protect home court and try to figure out how to win in this building
as they did in game 3 the thunder sprinted ahead early to a double digit lead forcing kerr to call two timeouts on the way to a 22 8 deficit the second of which came at the 5 minute 41 second mark and after three straight turnovers led to 8 thunder points
the thunder were far from the durant and westbrook show with serge ibaka knocking down 6 of his 8 shots and scoring 15 points while durant and westbrook were combining for 36
once again the thunder piled up a meaty advantage at the free throw line making 21 of 28   durant hit all eight of his attempts and adams converted 5 of 6   while the warriors made 9 of 17 six of those attempts   and five of the misses   belonged to festus ezeli a backup center getting extended minutes because bogut had three fouls
donovan   one win from the nba finals after making the jump from the college game   took advantage intentionally putting ezeli at the line three times just as the game really began to resemble sunday nights
it was during the last six minutes of game 3s second quarter that the green adams episode ignited the thunder on a run that provided a 72 47 halftime lead a burst from which the warriors never recovered
this time the thunder held a 48 40 lead when the first ezeli foul occurred he missed both shots leading to an andre roberson put back basket off a missed durant jumper he scored again as adams with a no look pass from inside the lane found him at the rim for a layup
flaunting his versatility and increasing influence adams hit roberson again from the key area for another layup
the lead was 69 50 when curry hit a 3 pointer in the final seconds of the half but he left enough time on the clock for westbrook to rise up from 30 feet and nailed a half ending 3 giving his team 72 points again and a 19 point lead
it was not quite the 25 point hole the warriors were in sunday night but it was still going to require a very different warriors team in the second half
unlike game 3 in which the third quarter deficit ballooned to 41 game 4 featured a warriors push back behind thompson with the team getting as close as 80 74 with 448 left in the third
but curry could never put his imprint on the game as desperation led to another defeat and put that record 73 victory season on the brink


brussels   fearing a renewed crisis in greece that could set off economic shock waves policy makers across three continents have scrambled to strike a deal to ease the countrys debt burden there have been meetings in the united states a diplomatic blitz in europe and talks in japan
in an agreement announced early wednesday greece won additional pledges of debt relief but nothing substantial until 2018 at the earliest and only then if it continues to carry out painful reforms even so the accord could help ease concerns about another flare up of a crisis in greece as the region deals with a mass influx of migrants and a continuing terrorist threat
eurozone finance ministers also gave a green light for the next round of aid for greece money that would allow the country to pay bills in the coming months further final approvals for those disbursements will be needed but ministers allocated 103 billion euros or about 115 billion for greece to be distributed in several stages starting with EUR75 billion as soon as the second half of june
the plan for debt relief may also tamp down tensions ahead of the vote in britain on june 23 over whether to leave the european union
after weeks of frenzied diplomacy the marathon talks that began tuesday afternoon and ended early wednesday appeared to bridge some important differences officials sought to show they could ease squabbles among greeces creditors over the specifics of debt relief and the state of the countrys economy that have left the international monetary fund and germany lined up on opposite sides
the imf has painted a dark picture insisting that greece cannot meet its budget goals it has outlined particular demands on the cost and timing of the debt payments although the discussion tuesday night on debt relief looked as if it could be enough to bring the imf into the bailout officials signaled that hurdles remain
the european heavyweight in the bailout germany has a more upbeat outlook and remains profoundly skeptical of cutting athens more slack some economists warn that greek politics are unstable and that a new government might not be prepared to make alterations later in exchange for debt relief now
the fund needs to stick by rules it cant fund countries with unmanageable debt loads if it wants to remain part of the worlds most high profile bailout said mujtaba rahman the europe director for the eurasia group a political risk consultancy the germans need to prove their medicine of austerity and bailouts still works
the two sides did find some common ground
the imf made a major concession poul m thomsen the director of the funds european department told a news conference wednesday morning we had argued that these debt relief measures should be approved upfront and we have agreed that they will be approved at the end of the program period
mr thomsen said the steps taken by greece and the debt relief plans outlined by european lenders should form the basis for imf support but he also emphasized that the imf would have to carry out another analysis of the greek economy before joining the bailout
in recent days european officials have also been discussing a debt swap that would help greece that proposal calls for europe to buy a portion of the imfs loans to greece and then allow greece to borrow more money at a lower rate
asked about those plans mr thomsen said there was no concrete proposal for such a buyout but he suggested that such a step would be helpful
this type of deal could help appease the imf because it would effectively cut greeces debt costs it could also mollify germany where lawmakers want assurances that the fund will be comfortable participating in the bailout
how much of a dent the plans will put in greeces debt after three bailouts in six years was unclear on wednesday morning the country has more than EUR300 billion in debt amounting to roughly 180 percent of its gross domestic product
greece was promised debt relief last summer under the terms of a bailout of EUR86 billion the imf has said it will not contribute to the rescue effort until greeces debt load is addressed
yet the germans have largely blocked debt relief last month the german finance minister wolfgang schauble insisted at imf meetings in washington that it was not necessary saying it would distract greece from taking steps to transform its economy
with germany and the imf at an impasse jeroen dijsselbloem the dutch politician who leads the eurogroup sought to broker a compromise in recent weeks from his country home in wageningen the netherlands mr dijsselbloem spent most of the first week of may drafting a three stage plan according to two people briefed on the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity
in the short term athens would get money to reduce its debt and payment terms would be adjusted at the margins in the medium term greece would get longer grace and payment periods and in the long term there could be more far reaching though unspecified measures
but the proposal hit an obstacle when eurozone finance ministers convened in brussels this month
mr dijsselbloems short term plan according to the two people briefed on the proposal called for allowing greece to tap profits on its bonds that were made by the european central bank and eurozone central banks the bonds bought at fire sale prices in the depths of the crisis have since gone up in value and the profits would give greece a bit more leeway in the next couple of years
but mr schauble suggested it would be difficult to get german lawmakers to approve the move and pushed to make the transfer an option only after 2018 the two people said
the dutch official redrafted the plan and the finance ministers reached a consensus that they put to the imf a few days later the imf raised the stakes recommending that greeces interest payments to the eurozone be fixed at 15 percent for up to 40 years
with the imf and germany sticking firm the situation set off a flurry of back room diplomacy ahead of the meeting of the group of 7 industrial nations in japan
over the weekend treasury secretary jacob j lew of the united states urged mr schauble to put greeces debt on a sustainable path through meaningful debt relief like the imf the united states has leaned hard on germany to give easier terms to athens to help preserve stability in the europe
referring to the short term aspect of the debt relief plans that emerged wednesday morning mr dijsselbloem told the news conference that its difficult now to say what in economic terms the impact of that will be
but mr dijsselbloem suggested that the debt relief measures starting in 2018 could be far reaching and in a statement the eurogroup outlined those so called medium term plans in much greater detail than earlier in the month
some may say   i have heard it twice now   that the package is not ambitious mr dijsselbloem also told the news conference but what the eurogroup has put on the table here for short term and medium term debt relief is something that a month ago i couldnt have dreamed of that the ministers would have agreed to he said


washington   the superhero lurking in matt harvey must recognize his dire predicament it is batman after all who would find himself trapped in an impossible riddle wrapped in the clutches of doom sharks everywhere with no hope of escape   only to fight back every time and survive
yet harveys story seems stuck on repeat same bat time same bat channel same bad ending hitters are punishing his pitches and harvey the mets opening day starter is now statistically among the worst pitchers in the game
the washington nationals flattened harvey for the second start in a row on tuesday in a 7 4 victory at nationals park harvey allowed five runs in five innings capped by daniel murphys long two run homer harvey generated only four swinging strikes allowed three home runs and refused to speak with reporters after the game
hes frustrated catcher kevin plawecki said anybody would be hes a competitor and obviously wants to do well and he hasnt really gone through a tough stretch like this before so its somewhat new to him
harvey finished last season with a 253 career era in 10 starts this season he is 3 7 with a 608 era ahead of only milwaukees wily peralta 699 among qualified national league starters opponents are hitting 509 28 for 55 in harveys third time through the batting order
the mets considered skipping harveys next start or pushing it back after last weeks fiasco at citi field in which the nationals buried him for nine runs in two and two thirds innings they reconsidered when harvey said he wanted to keep pitching
now the mets may want to take a break from harvey who allowed five runs and eight hits in five innings with two walks and a career low one strikeout manager terry collins would not commit to using him the next time through the rotation
right now weve got to think whats not just best for matt but whats best for us moving forward at the moment collins said theres a lot of things to consider and thats why were not going to make any rash judgments tonight were going to sleep on it and talk about it tomorrow
collins said he would speak with general manager sandy alderson and the pitching coach dan warthen who was not made available to the news media after the game nobody wants to say much but harvey is clearly faltering in the middle innings as his fastball loses steam
one scout at the game who requested anonymity because his team had not authorized him to speak publicly said harvey looked mentally beaten and lacked his usual explosiveness in the strike zone the nationals of course were not about to offer much candor about a wounded rival
his stuff is still electric anthony rendon said to me hes still the same pitcher that comes after you good slider hard fastball   he mixes it up in and out hes going through a rough patch but im pretty sure hell find his way out like every other good pitcher does
maybe so and the mets have often cited stephen strasburg another hard throwing right hander with a tommy john scar on his right elbow as a source of hope for harvey strasburg has been inconsistent in the past but now seems at his peak 8 0 with a 279 era this season he struck out 11 in six and two thirds innings on tuesday to beat harvey for the second start in a row
harvey of course pitched into the ninth inning of the final game of the world series last fall reaching 216 total innings in his comeback after having tommy john surgery in october 2013 collins had continued to cite that as a reason for harveys struggles and said fatigue probably led to his drop in velocity in the fifth
if he had got through the fifth inning unscathed he would have left there with some real good confidence collins said
the mets are used to harveys not only pitching well but doing it with a sneer at his best he has the brash demeanor of a true staff ace the kind of pitcher whose starts are a beacon of hope every five days around the mets organization though noah syndergaard has taken that role and harvey is adrift
on tuesday he walked the leadoff batter ben revere but erased him on a double play and carried a 1 0 lead into the bottom of the fourth with one out ryan zimmerman pulled a changeup over the fence in left center for a homer the next hitter rendon did the same
harvey had begun his midgame malfunction after his three scoreless innings on tuesday his season era for the first three innings was a respectable 303 but for innings 4 through 6 it now stands at 989 harvey has not pitched more than six innings in any start and he did not get the chance this time
he gave up three hits in the fifth all on fastballs the nationals took healthy swings off the pitch with a double by revere a single by jayson werth and a sacrifice fly by bryce harper bringing murphy to the plate
murphy had homered off a hanging curveball from harvey his former teammate last week this time harvey reached for a fastball with a 1 1 count it touched 94 mph and murphy unloaded on it sending his seventh homer into the second deck of seats above right field
harvey completed the inning and then left for a pinch hitter in his wake were a wretched pitching line an unsightly era and no clear way to untangle his chains


albany   with days slipping away in the legislative session gov andrew m cuomo offered a new a la carte ethics package on tuesday despite there being seemingly little appetite for such fare
the target of mr cuomos effort was the so called llc loophole which allows donors to funnel almost unlimited amounts of money to political candidates through multiple limited liability companies beneficiaries include the governor himself who has received ample donations via such avenues
on tuesday however mr cuomo said he would advance eight bills to close the loophole before the end of the session in mid june including one that would apply only to races for governor
it is a menu selection said mr cuomo a democrat adding that the governor only option was to show that im willing to go first and im willing to go it alone
the governors proposals would cap contributions from limited liability companies at 5000 covering a variety of mix and match races including those for governor state attorney general and the legislature the timing did not seem accidental the announcement came during a rough month in albany in which two former leaders of the legislature   sheldon silver the ex speaker of the assembly and dean g skelos the former senate majority leader   were sentenced to substantial prison terms after corruption convictions
the governors office has also been dealing with the heightened scrutiny of mr cuomos signature upstate economic initiative   the buffalo billion   by preet bharara the united states attorney for the southern district of new york mr cuomo has ordered a state led investigation of possible fraud while noting that two of his former aides   joseph percoco and todd r howe   are being looked at for possible malfeasance
mr bharara was responsible for the prosecutions of mr silver a manhattan democrat and mr skelos a long island republican and made a veiled swipe at the governor after mr skeloss sentencing saying that the most effective corruption investigations are those that are truly independent
the governor promoted his eight bills in an impromptu news conference outside his office in the state capitol but even before he spoke republicans who control the state senate dismissed the effort as a red herring that failed to address deeper problems including a lack of enforcement a lack of transparency and a lack of full and honest disclosure john j flanagan the senate majority leader said in a statement
if we are going to achieve real campaign finance reform and target corruption mr flanagan a long island republican added you cant close one loophole and declare the job done
the llc loophole has for years been a bane of government watchdog groups who say that it has corrupted a system that already allows people to donate tens of thousands of dollars to statewide general elections the loophole treats limited liability companies   which are easy to establish and often purposefully opaque   as people allowing them to donate up to 60800 to a statewide candidate per election cycle
the assembly dominated by democrats has moved to close the loophole only to find such efforts stymied in the senate mr cuomo has consistently said he wanted the loophole closed but breaking apart the bills to address separate races is a new approach
on tuesday several government watchdogs praised the governors efforts as did state senator daniel l squadron a democrat who represents parts of lower manhattan and brooklyn and has pushed to close the llc loophole mr squadron criticized his republican colleagues for refusing to even consider the bills
im very pleased to see the governor moving this forward he said but i hope it does not lead to a situation where the legislature is allowed off the hook


nathan eovaldi and r a dickey share as much in common in pitching style as the musical proclivities of the portly rapper fat joe and the aging gray haired rocker jon bon jovi who were both in attendance for tuesday nights game between the yankees and the toronto blue jays
eovaldis flair   six plus innings of shutout ball   won out over dickeys fluttering artistry as the yankees defeated the blue jays 6 0 at yankee stadium
the victory moved the yankees to 22 22 the first time they have reached 500 since april 14 and extended their winning streak to six games
carlos beltran collected two rbi off dickey his former mets teammate including a booming leadoff home run into the second deck in right field in the fourth
its good after the way we started the season beltran said of reaching 500 theres no doubt we played horrible the first month
a key to the yankees turnaround has been eovaldi 5 2 who improved to 5 0 in his last six starts last wednesday he shut down the arizona diamondbacks allowing one run on one hit in six innings eovaldi who rears back and scowls before pushing forward to unfurl his fastballs was even more impressive in neutralizing a more powerful blue jays lineup
the challenges came immediately last week blue jays manager john gibbons began deploying a lineup often used by little league coaches to maximize the at bats for their best hitters he moved jose bautista into the leadoff spot followed by josh donaldson and edwin encarnacion combined those three have 30 home runs and 90 rbi
facing eovaldis upper 90s fastballs the top of the order had the potential to create a hazardous recipe but eovaldi allowed the three only one hit and the blue jays two hits over all while striking out five
really impressed yankees manager joe girardi said when asked about eovaldis outing to be able to hold that offense down when his stuff wasnt really sharp the first couple of innings i thought he did a really nice job
the yankees sturdy pitching which has carried them during their improved play over the last week was a necessity against dickey aside from beltrans homer dickey a knuckleballer gave up only two other hits entering the seventh inning
you dont win six in a row without what theyve done girardi said of his staff the rotation is extremely important starting pitching is what sustains you and theyve got it going
as dickey began to wear down and the yankees chipped away at the blue jays bullpen they were able to pick up two runs in both the seventh and the eighth
the blue jays had prime scoring opportunities in the second and the third against eovaldi but they left runners on third base both times in the third after josh thole walked and bautista singled donaldson laid down a sacrifice to move both into scoring position but eovaldi struck out encarnacion swirling a splitter into catcher austin romines mitt and michael saunders flied out
i think after the third inning i felt a lot better eovaldi said adding that he began driving his splitter to the plate to create a sharper angle i was able to locate the ball inside and my off speed got better
despite having dellin betances warming up in the bullpen girardi sent eovaldi to the mound for the seventh he walked troy tulowitzki and was replaced by betances who retired the next three batters
kirby yates and luis cessa followed and combined to preserve the two hit shutout
the four insurance runs in the late innings meant that girardi did not have to use andrew miller or aroldis chapman
after the game the yankees clubhouse seemed refreshed the yankees had crawled out of an ominous hole and talked as if they were starting anew almost two months into the season but back on even ground there are still mountains to climb


a senior officer in the brussels police pierre vandersmissen was hospitalized on tuesday after a protester smashed him in the head with a stone when an anti austerity protest became violent according to a video of the event and local news reports
after being hit commissioner vandersmissen who was not wearing protective riot gear was seen lying in the street on his face seemingly unconscious
before he had been chasing protesters with a canister of pepper spray
he is expected to be discharged from the hospital on wednesday according to news reports
once on the ground he was surrounded by protesters until a civilian in a gray hooded sweatshirt first came to his aid then officers in body armor carrying shields and batons arrived to help
one demonstrator near commissioner vandersmissen was apparently struck by the police and was seen bleeding from his head
two police officers and eight protesters were injured in the clashes according to the associated press
the protests were called by labor unions to demonstrate against the center right governments plans to cut social welfare programs
in a statement the government said that it condemns the violence committed by a minority


a police commander who was stripped of his gun and badge in april amid an extensive federal inquiry into municipal corruption has filed for retirement his lawyer and the new york police department said on tuesday
the commander deputy inspector james grant filed his retirement papers on monday his lawyer john c meringolo said inspector grant the commander of the 19th precinct on the upper east side of manhattan was among several police officials disciplined last month in connection with the investigation the inquiry is focused on the conduct of two businessmen with ties to mayor bill de blasio a democrat and their efforts to wield influence with police officials and others in the mayors administration
mr meringolo said investigators had questioned his client at home but he declined to provide additional details
any questions that hes been asked hes answered truthfully mr meringolo said we anticipate him retiring now and moving on with the next step of his life
the police department has 30 days to consider inspector grants notice during which the police commissioner william j bratton could decide to bring departmental charges against him stephen p davis the top police spokesman confirmed that inspector grant had notified the department of his retirement mr davis declined to comment further because of the continuing investigation which is also led by the internal affairs bureau
inspector grants retirement would take effect in june about a month before he completes 20 years of service a move that could significantly impact his pension mr meringolo said


it took a miracle for jim craig to win a gold medal in hockey at the 1980 olympics but after 36 years he is willing to let it go
craig the goaltender for the united states team has put the medal up for sale at an ongoing public auction along with the jerseys mask skates and stick he used during victories over the soviet union and finland at the lake placid winter games
craig who now works as a motivational speaker in st petersburg fla said tuesday that his decision to part with 17 relics from the games including an american flag that was draped over his shoulders after the victory over the soviets has nothing to do with money
he said he decided to sell the collection valued at more than 5 million because he didnt know what to do with it after it spent years on display in museums
i think im providing an opportunity for people to cherish it and enjoy it where it wouldve went into hibernation craig 59 said next to a display in a manhattan conference room that included his scuffed skates and yellowed goalie mask hopefully someone gets that flag and its flown in the white house or something where it deserves to be
craig said it will be most difficult to part with the medal which is expected to fetch between 1 million and 15 million through the online auction house lelandscom because to him it represents the success he achieved through the sacrifices of his parents and coaches
he said he didnt want to choose which of his two children would get the medal and he wanted to set up trust funds for them he also wants to donate more to charities and is helping support the family of his nephew who died at age 41 from cancer and left behind four children
craig is not the only member of the miracle on ice team to part with his olympic gear
forwards mark pavelich and mark wells auctioned off their gold medals while the captain and left wing mike eruzione and defenseman ken morrow sold their game jerseys
josh evans chairman of lelandscom said craigs collection which is on auction through june 17 is exciting because it represents not just sports but americana
years after the intense hockey games craig said he is friendly with some of the red army players he defeated in 1980 including vladimir lutchenko who helped coach craigs children in hockey in massachusetts
the legacy is that we won in so many different ways not just a hockey game craig said every day every year i learn more about how important it was


paris   with the early stages of the french open playing out in paris the two time champion maria sharapova is awaiting a ruling from the international tennis federation on her positive test at the australian open for the banned substance meldonium
in march sharapova announced that she had tested positive for the drug which was added to the world anti doping agencys prohibited list on jan 1 the itf subsequently confirmed the test result and the beginning of a provisional suspension the highest profile in a wave of meldonium cases involving athletes from the former soviet union
in tennis discussions about doping cases are not always so public under itf policy a positive test that does not end with a verdict of a violation is never announced and no pending cases are ever acknowledged the onus and the opportunity for transparency often lies in the hands of the athletes
thus on tuesday at another news conference meldonium was the topic of an awkward one sided conversation
varvara lepchenko an american citizen who was born in uzbekistan had not played in march or april returning this month at the italian open last week the russian newspaper sport express published an interview with anatoly glebov a russian trainer who contended that lepchenkos father peter had told him that lepchenko had also tested positive for meldonium at the australian open
i talked with her dad too i know about it from his lips glebov told the newspaper however the itf has not made this public
glebov also said lepchenko had been amnestied and returned to competition
lepchenko ranked 64th has repeatedly declined to discuss the report
forwarded the russian news reports via text message last week lepchenko said its not very pleasant for me as i didnt do anything wrong im able to say more later
but she did not respond to subsequent messages on friday after her quarterfinal loss at the nurnberger versicherungscup in germany lepchenko refused to comment further
asked about her two month absence from the tour lepchenko cited a knee injury its been going on since last year she said
after lepchenkos 5 7 6 4 6 3 loss to ekaterina makarova of russia on tuesday in the first round of the french open the reported positive test was the subject of most of the questions at lepchenkos news conference
at the moment i have no comment on any of this she said im here just to answer tennis questions if you have any questions about my match i would gladly answer them but otherwise i just have no comments
the itf would not say whether there was a case involving lepchenko
the rules of the tennis antidoping program do not allow us to confirm or deny that a player has tested positive until a final decision is made an itf spokeswoman said the only exception to this is if the player him  or herself acknowledges the positive test
under tenniss antidoping program players are often given provisional suspensions while their cases are being adjudicated so an absence from the tour without confirmation or denial of a doping case can stir speculation with a recent precedent still very much in mind in 2013 marin cilic cited a knee injury in withdrawing from wimbledon and subsequently missing time on the tour but it was later announced that he had tested positive for a banned substance and was serving a provisional suspension
roselyne bachelot a former french minister of sport said in march during a french television program that rafael nadal had been serving a silent ban from the sport during a seven month stretch in 2012 and 2013 when he was absent from the tour nadal who had cited knee injuries for his absence sued bachelot for defamation in a paris court in april and the itf publicly sided with nadal
the accusations by roselyne bachelot against nadal are not only surprising they are also incorrect the itf said in a statement the names of all players sanctioned for a violation of tenniss antidoping program are announced publicly as demanded by the rules of the program and the worldwide antidoping code
sharapova was the only tennis player to step forward and announce she had tested positive for meldonium at the australian open but the doubles specialist sergey betov of belarus is also known to have tested positive for the substance in melbourne his test result was not disclosed until nearly two months after sharapovas announcement he was out of competition from late february until early may
in late april a statement from the itf announced the dismissal of betovs previously confidential case because the amount of meldonium in his sample was below the revised minimums wada had announced weeks earlier after it became clear the agency lacked conclusive research on how long the drug might stay in the body after ingestion these new guidelines meant it was possible betov had last used the substance in october as he contended and he was found to have no fault or negligence a verdict that the itf does not consider an exoneration
the russian sports minister vitaly mutko said last week that all the russian athletes who had tested positive for meldonium this year had been cleared to return to competition except sharapova mutko said the athletes had been able to prove that their positive tests had resulted from using the drug before it was banned
there have been more than 300 positive tests this year for meldonium a heart medication that was frequently used as a supplement in russia sharapova has said she did not realize meldonium which she had taken for 10 years had been added to the prohibited list


commerce calif   with two weeks before californias delegate rich primary hillary clinton stopped here on tuesday and went on the attack against a rival just not the one she is currently running against
mrs clinton and senator bernie sanders of vermont each courted voters in california which has more delegates to divvy up than any other state but their appearances showed how differently they are approaching the coming contest both have harshly criticized donald j trump the presumptive republican presidential nominee but while mrs clinton has made him her main focus mr sanderss hopes are centered on an upset victory in the primary
california the nations most populous state would be a prize for mr sanders who is hoping for a marquee victory that he could showcase heading into the partys summer convention in philadelphia but however lustrous a victory might be it would be largely symbolic given mrs clintons nearly insurmountable delegate lead and she is spending her time building a case against mr trump
at a rally in los angeles county mrs clinton continued to try out different attacks against the billionaire businessman touching on subjects including his business acumen his foreign policy views and even his reality show catchphrase
you cant say to the senator from some state youre fired she said thats not the way the government works
pressing mr trump to release his tax returns mrs clinton said that perhaps he had never paid federal income tax and she brought up a comment he made before the great recession in which he expressed hope that the real estate market would crash because he could profit from such an event
he actually said he was hoping for the crash that caused hard working families in california and across america to lose their homes all because he thought he could take advantage of it to make some money for himself mrs clinton said
in a coordinated effort around the country numerous elected officials who support mrs clinton criticized mr trump along the same lines spreading that line of attack in battleground states
in a statement mr trump said he had made a lot of money in down markets
frankly this is the kind of thinking our country needs understanding how to get a good result out of a very bad and sad situation he said politicians have no idea how to do this   they dont have a clue
speaking at the rally the mayor of los angeles eric garcetti showed the fine line that mrs clinton and her allies are trying to walk while mr sanders remains in the race
they do not want to alienate the senators many supporters and to that end mr garcetti told the crowd i love all my democrats   i love bernie sanders i love the people who are supporting him
polling averages have shown mrs clinton with a consistent lead in the democratic primary in california her lack of interest in further tangling with mr sanders was apparent on monday when her campaign said it had declined an invitation from fox news to participate in a debate before the states primary
undeterred mr sanders is camping out in california vowing to hold rallies up and down the state and aiming to speak in front of 200000 people if mrs clinton longs to put the primary battle behind her he has been unrelenting
the senator asked on tuesday for a recanvassing of the results from kentucky which voted last week mrs clinton prevailed there by about 1900 votes according to unofficial results though she won only one more delegate than mr sanders
on tuesday mr sanderss campaign also released a new television advertisement that it said would run in california the ad features mr sanders talking about his signature policy issues including tuition free public colleges and wall street reform
what choice do californians have in this election mr sanders asks in the ad the biggest one of all you have the power to choose a new direction for the democratic party
at a morning rally in anaheim near disneyland mr sanders repeated his support for a ballot initiative that would legalize marijuana in california
he also took aim at mrs clinton mr trump and disney while railing against the campaign finance system and economic inequality
im probably the only politician to come to anaheim and say this mr sanders said disney pays its workers wages that are so low that many of them are forced to live in motels because they cant afford a decent place to live meanwhile disney made a record breaking profit of nearly 3 billion last quarter
mr sanders also cast california as pivotal to his campaign and said a win here could lead him to the presidency
if we win in california we are going to go marching into the democratic convention with a lot of momentum mr sanders said and if we go marching into the democratic convention with a lot of momentum we are going to march out with the democratic nomination and if we march out with the democratic nomination donald trump is toast


israels internal security minister ordered the police on tuesday to stop giving the bodies of palestinians killed while committing attacks against israelis to their families for burial after online video appeared to show a large crowd at the funeral of a man who killed a rabbi last year
the order by the minister gilad erdan contradicted an announcement this month by the israeli authorities that they would follow a recommendation from the countrys supreme court to return the bodies of nine palestinians to their families before the start of ramadan which begins in june
mr erdan announced the decision in a facebook post in response to the video made on monday at the east jerusalem funeral of alaa abu jamal a palestinian who was fatally shot by the police in october after he rammed a car into a group of civilians and then killed a rabbi with a meat cleaver the video appeared to show a crowd chanting anti israel slogans at the funeral
mr erdan said the number of people visible in the video violated an agreement made by mr abu jamals family to restrict the number of mourners to 40 and to ensure that the event did not become politicized
i just saw the outrageous photos from the funeral overnight in east jerusalem which violated the police stipulations given to the family of the terrorist who held a funeral with a large number of attendees and calls for violence and support for terrorism mr erdan wrote according to a translation published by the jerusalem post
the families of terrorists lied to the high court when they vowed to adhere to the police stipulations and its a shame that the high court believed them and exerted pressure on the police to return the bodies in time for ramadan he continued
in an interview with haaretz another israeli newspaper mohammed mahmoud a lawyer for mr abu jamals family said that the family had not violated its agreement with the government because the crowd had gathered at the local mosque   a public place   and not at the funeral
the mosque is in the middle of the village and people cant be prevented from going there mr mahmoud told haaretz the family was responsible for ensuring that no more than the number agreed entered the cemetery


washington   terry collins spent most of his playing career as an infielder in the los angeles dodgers farm system in the 1970s this was a problem because the major league team was winning pennants with an impenetrable infield of steve garvey davey lopes bill russell and ron cey
when i was in triple a there was no minor league free agency collins said tuesday in the visiting managers office at nationals park in washington the dodgers had an infield that was together for 12 years and there was a lot of guys that said if i just had a chance ... well nowadays youre going to get those chances and this is ty kellys
as the mets manager collins wrote kellys name onto a major league lineup card for the first time tuesday the mets signed kelly in november and called him up this week in his eighth pro season he was scheduled to bat eighth and play third base on tuesday
the opponent washingtons stephen strasburg who was born the same day as kelly july 20 1988 and drafted the same year strasburg was chosen first over all in 2009   385 picks ahead of kelly a 13th round choice by baltimore they faced each other in the minors last season when strasburg was on an injury rehabilitation assignment and in college when kelly played at uc davis and strasburg at san diego state
i struck out i walked and i hit a grounder to short that i beat out and they called it an error kelly said smiling it was strasburg on the mound so they couldnt call it a hit
kelly learned to be versatile in the minors playing every position besides catcher as he bounced from the orioles farm system to those of seattle st louis and toronto the mets were his fifth organization at the class aaa level but the first to promote him he was leading all of the minor leagues in batting average 391 and on base percentage 478 for class aaa las vegas
kelly has a 280 career average in the minors and a 382 for both his on base and slugging percentages the slugging percentage is low but his ability to get on base might have called for a promotion sooner because of a conversation with a coach kelly said he never saw it that way
i was told probably five years ago by bobby dickerson with the orioles that the only way you get moved up is if you beat the league kelly said so i never really wondered why i wasnt getting moved up i played well its great to play well and put up decent numbers but for someone thats not a big time prospect to get moved up youve got to beat everybody youve got to be the best in the league
this year he was so when lucas duda went on the disabled list the mets added kelly and when david wright took a scheduled day off tuesday kelly became a major leaguer collins acknowledged that he lived vicariously through such players
oh no question he said thats why you root for those guys
rare met lead in homers when yoenis cespedes hit his 15th homer monday night he overtook the major league lead in that category according to the elias sports bureau cespedes is the first met to hold the outright lead in the majors in home runs no ties this late in a season since sept 18 1982 when dave kingman topped the list kingman wound up two homers behind the major league leaders reggie jackson and gorman thomas
cespedess production seems even more critical now that lucas duda and travis darnaud are on the disabled list for a lengthy stretch duda is out with a stress fracture in his back darnaud with a strained right rotator cuff
the mets were prepared to let cespedes leave for another team in free agency but without a robust market for him he returned to the mets for three years and 75 million with a chance to opt out after this season the mets prefer not to imagine life without him
i dont even think about it right now   because he is here terry collins said ill tell you he wants to be here that is just so important yeah were paying him a lot of money dont mistake that but he wants to play in new york city that says a lot because there are a lot of guys who shy away from that challenge hes a star he does what stars do when you need them theyre there
cespedes also has the highest walk rate of his career this season drawing walks in 104 percent of his plate appearances through monday last year for the detroit tigers and the mets the figure was 49 percent collins sounded lukewarm about the walks emphasizing that cespedes must stay true to himself
i know theyre important but i know him and he likes to swing that bat collins said i look at the importance of neil walker whos hitting behind him now if he continues to swing the bat the way he has been yos going to get some balls to hit and thats going to make it all the more important that he continues to swing
age not slowing colon the mets bartolo colon turned 43 on tuesday colon is the oldest player in baseball and not surprisingly is the majors active leader in wins starts innings hits earned runs and homers
but he sets himself apart historically for what he did just before this birthday according to the elias sports bureau colon earned 47 victories from age 40 to 42 only four others had more victories from age 40 to 42 and they are some of the most celebrated to ever take the mound warren spahn 62 wins cy young 61 randy johnson 51 and roger clemens 50 colon has 222 victories in his career the others all finished with more than 300


baylor university and its president and chancellor kenneth starr have increasingly come under fire as reports of former football players committing sexual misconduct have surfaced and on tuesday the university acknowledged the rumors and speculation surrounding starrs future
the university said that its governing board was still considering the results of an investigation into the matter and that an announcement was expected by june 3
the board continues its work to review the findings of the pepper hamilton investigation the statement said referring to the law firm commissioned last year to scrutinize how baylor adjudicated and disciplined students and we anticipate further communication will come after the board completes its deliberations
along with starr athletic director ian mccaw and coach art briles have faced criticism over the handling of the allegations
starr a former solicitor general and federal judge was the independent counsel who delivered a report that led to the impeachment of president bill clinton in 1998 starr has been baylors president since 2010 and the bears have won two big 12 championships since 2013 under briles
in 2015 the former football player sam ukwuachu was convicted of sexually assaulting a baylor soccer player soon after starr recommended the board hire outside counsel to complete an independent investigation
subsequent reports from the espn show outside the lines have uncovered other accusations including one against two players whom baylor did not investigate for more than two years
two years ago the former player tevin elliott was convicted of sexually assaulting a baylor freshman last month the former defensive end shawn oakman was arrested on a sexual assault charge and a police report surfaced detailing a 2013 domestic assault accusation against him a reporter at a site published by rivalscom reported that the university knew of the allegation


opelika ala   at times in a courtroom here on tuesday as when a prosecutor and a defense lawyer spoke about heisman trophy winners and a revered college football coach it was nearly possible to forget that the defendant is considered by many to be the most powerful man in alabama
but over a dizzying day of numbers and names and after months of intrigue and scandal that could plunge alabama government into chaos a jury received its first collective glimpse at the cultivation and use of political clout in this state as michael g hubbard the speaker of the state house of representatives went on trial on 23 felony ethics violations
he just didnt want to obey matt hart a prosecutor said here in lee county where a grand jury indicted mr hubbard a republican in october 2014 he just didnt want to be held accountable to the law
much of what mr hubbard did to draw the attention of prosecutors such as steering republican party money to his printing business is not in substantial dispute but a lawyer for mr hubbard who is also accused of soliciting contracts and clients from people with interests before the state said that he had acted within the limits of the ethics statute he helped strengthen as house speaker
he tried to follow every part of the ethics law said the lawyer bill baxley who noted that mr hubbard had sought advice from state officials he went to great efforts the evidence is going to show not to run afoul of the ethics law
although mr hubbard has consolidated remarkable power in montgomery the state capital his trial in lee county circuit court might well undo a rise built in part on his engineering of the republican partys 2010 takeover of the alabama legislature he faces up to 20 years in prison on each of the 23 counts against him
mr hubbard is not the only public official in the state facing a burst of career threatening scrutiny some lawmakers have called for the impeachment or resignation of gov robert bentley a republican who is confronting investigations about his relationship with a top aide with whom he has acknowledged engaging in sexually explicit conversations
and the chief justice of the state supreme court roy s moore has been accused of judicial misconduct and could be removed from the bench for the second time in less than two decades
so mr hubbards trial expected to last into next month will further unsettle a political landscape that has already devolved into something of a national spectacle much of the courtrooms gallery was full on tuesday when mr hart in an opening statement that lasted more than 90 minutes repeatedly hinted at his plan to summon a roster of witnesses who will be asked under oath to describe how power works in mr hubbards montgomery
a lot of good things happen in the legislature mr hart said but not all good things
mr bentley will be a witness said mr hart who often referred to the house speaker as the defendant hubbard so too will former gov bob riley a republican and an array of lobbyists corporate leaders and officials from state agencies
mr hart has not accused mr bentley or mr riley of criminal misconduct but he said that they would help showcase the nature and scope of mr hubbards business dealings while he ran the house lobbyists mr hart said would explain how mr hubbard sought things of value
he went and made choices mr hart said of mr hubbard during a presentation that included a primer on alabamas system of government and its ethics standards he knew what the law was
gesturing to a slide that included an excerpt from the ethics law mr hart said once you are a public official that is the standard
but since his indictment mr hubbard has retained substantial support here the day after he was charged he went to a hotel just miles from the courthouse and staged what was effectively a campaign rally within weeks he was re elected to the house and then as speaker
and on tuesday in a renewal of a familiar argument from mr hubbards backers mr baxley his lawyer said that the speaker had not behaved any differently from any of the states other part time legislators
occasionally reading from notes scribbled on a napkin mr baxley said prosecutors had targeted mr hubbard with an attack overflowing with mumbo jumbo that was not exactly as cut and dry as mr hart made it seem
what they say happened didnt happen with the sinister implications that they say said mr baxley a democrat and a former lieutenant governor who argued that mr hubbard didnt misuse his speakers mantle instead mr baxley said mr hubbard had turned to longtime friends to support his business interests
but mr hart who spoke before mr baxley said that mr hubbards contacts could not merely be perceived as personal friends
every single one of those friends needs mr hubbard for something official said mr hart who added that mr hubbard had received assistance because he was speaker and what was valuable to everyone who dealt with him was that he was speaker


the world of competitive video game sports has moved to the mainstream without much help from television more than ever though television wants to get into the action
on tuesday eleague a new gaming league began pitting well known gamers against one another on twitch the popular online video streaming service the game the first person shooter counter strike global offensive the objective to kill the opposing team
on friday night this weeks winning teams will go to virtual war live but not just online   also on tbs the national cable television channel
eleague is not the first attempt to bring e sports as competitive video gaming is known to tv and with a 10 pm slot in the schedule the weekly three hour broadcasts are not getting the most prime placement   this weeks lead in is a syndicated rerun of the big bang theory
but if previous attempts to televise e sports including an ill fated league founded by directv have treated the industry as small time and in need of mainstream attention eleague is aiming to translate the online sensibility of e sports for television if all goes as planned eleague on tbs will be tv created in the image of successful online e sports rather than the other way around
e sports doesnt need tv said joost van dreunen the chief executive of superdata research a firm that tracks the e sports and game markets tv needs e sports
there are expected to be about 214 million viewers for e sports competitions globally this year up from 188 million last year superdata research estimates about 85 percent are male and nearly half are between 18 and 25 years old the firm says
global revenue for the e sports market including corporate sponsorships prize money ticket sales and merchandise is expected to be about 893 million this year up 19 percent from the year before according to superdata
still e sports and the money supporting it have not reached television audiences in the same way other sports have and mr van dreunen said that those in the largely young male audience watching e sports competitions online   when theyre not playing games themselves or otherwise distracted by other digital sources of entertainment   are increasingly difficult for traditional television programmers to reach
with eleague in other words the e sports competitions may be used as a carrot to attract that audience to tbs the league itself is partly a creation of turner which owns tbs and of the talent agency wme img
i thinks its a very clever way for turner to stay relevant mr van dreunen said this is where the audiences are
craig barry the chief content officer for turner sports said the eleague would distinguish itself with high production value and sports style narratives created around players and teams but he acknowledged the challenge of entering a world   and a fandom   that is growing so quickly on its own terms
if you dont have the community behind you youll fail mr barry said after the first 10 weeks if we dont have acceptance of the community then the trajectory for us specifically in season 2 is exponentially steeper
eleagues initial showing on twitch on tuesday pitted well known players with handles including spunj and taco against one another the show itself also carefully straddled two worlds
announcers in suits and headsets sat behind a polished black desk on a set arranged in a familiar sports broadcast manner a set for nba tv is in the same facility the majority of the programming however showed an individual players point of view   often that meant quick and brutal clashes as seen from behind a knife or a gun
twitch videos were accompanied by an anarchic stream of text comments from viewers comments about the overall production ranged from supportive to mocking   especially during commercial breaks   but remained focused mostly on the competition at hand viewership fluctuated between 50000 and 100000 before the stream ended total viewers passed the million mark
mr barry said he was cautiously encouraged everyones walking around here feeling comfortable that we have some positive feedback he said midbroadcast i feel as though weve approached it correctly
eleagues next test comes on friday when the tournament hits tv the main stream   with announcers player interviews and flashy production   will broadcast exclusively to tbs viewers who will have to turn on their tvs or log in to a tbs streaming service a stripped down observer feed which will pipe in audio commentary over gameplay will broadcast simultaneously on twitch
any success may entice competitors to quickly replicate some of the turner formula many big media and game companies have already increased their investments in e sports activision blizzard the games publisher behind call of duty and world of warcraft is building a media business to broadcast e sports competition that the companys chief executive bobby kotick has promised will become the espn of esports
activision hired the former chief executive of espn steve bornstein to run the business and it acquired major league gaming an organizer and internet broadcaster of e sports competitions the company believes there is an opportunity to create tournament broadcasts that are more like the slick productions for nfl games
if tuesday is any indication the companies may find that whatever they do will generate a lot of feedback
its so awesome to see cs in a tv quality production said one commenter referring to the game
but others criticized the broadcasts pacing commentary and music that led another commenter to chime in be constructive with your criticism guys


trenton   since just about the moment alex rodriguez grabbed his hamstring while running out a ground ball three weeks ago on a chilly night in baltimore rodriguez and yankees manager joe girardi had repeatedly waved off the idea of a rehabilitation assignment
as recently as sunday girardi scoffed at the possibility
were not going to waste his at bats in triple a girardi said
class aa was apparently another matter on tuesday while the yankees were playing the toronto blue jays at yankee stadium rodriguez was about 80 miles south batting third as the designated hitter for the trenton thunder
were allowed to change our mind girardi said before the game
the change of plans came monday after the yankees returned from oakland girardi said general manager brian cashman the bench coach rob thomson the hitting coach alan cockrell and the special adviser gene michael conducted a conference call and decided it would be best for rodriguez to spend two days in trenton girardi called rodriguez to inform him of the plans which do not call for him to join the yankees on friday against tampa bay as they begin a 10 game trip
as we sat and talked about it as a group with cash there on the phone we just we   i felt it was probably best that he got a couple days of at bats girardi said three weeks sneaks up on you and by the time you look up its 21 days
rodriguez knocked off some of the rust with two crisply hit ground ball singles in four at bats   he also popped up and grounded out   before leaving the game when it went into extra innings he did little to test his hamstring but he will play again in trenton on wednesday
i saw the ball surprisingly well rodriguez said you take a three week break and youre not sure how youre going to react when you get in the box i tracked it well and took a few good swings
rodriguez spoke to a group of reporters in a small room near the thunders clubhouse along the first base line it was not his first visit to trenton but the atmosphere was decidedly different than when he took questions in early august 2013 then he was on a rehabilitation assignment as he recovered from hip surgery but he was also the subject of scrutiny as major league baseball was preparing to hand down a suspension for his role in the biogenesis scandal
asked the difference between his last visit and this one rodriguez smiled well theres no pink elephant in the room he said reprising the term he had used in 2013 to describe the yankees benefiting financially if he were given a lifetime ban
when the rest of the thunder had finished infield practice rodriguez bounded up the dugout steps with three bats in hand to take batting practice he took several rounds and then retreated to the clubhouse
the thunder promoted rodriguezs appearance advertising it with his image on the marquee board outside the stadium in the hallways leading to the clubhouse there were signed jerseys of other renowned yankees who had made rehab appearances in trenton   roger clemens derek jeter bernie williams and andy pettitte among them
rodriguez who has been out since may 4 may have been familiar with some of his new teammates outfielders tyler austin and lane adams shortstop tyler wade and catcher kyle higashioka were with rodriguez during spring training he said he was just happy to be in uniform
well princetons down the street so i feel a little smarter which is hard to do for me rodriguez said with a laugh i love spending time with the kids
the yankees have hardly missed rodriguez going 14 6 without him and climbing to third place in the american league east rodriguezs absence has allowed carlos beltran 39 to shift mostly from right field to designated hitter allowing his legs to stay fresh it has also allowed the yankees to play aaron hicks a superior defender in right field
beltran and hicks have flourished in 13 games at designated hitter in rodriguezs absence beltran was hitting 365 19 for 52 with six home runs and 20 rbi when beltran has played right field in rodriguezs absence he has hit 100 2 for 20
hicks who was hitting 067 as a fourth outfielder when rodriguez was hurt had started 16 of 18 games hitting 286
but as rodriguez correctly noted he is the one major right handed power hitter in the yankees lineup he seemed to be getting his swing back after a slow start hitting three home runs in his last five games before the injury
any time joe has options its a great thing rodriguez said ive been on a championship team one of the things that was helpful for joe was having a lot of options the tougher it is for him to make a lineup the better
michael the special adviser and the assistant general manager tim naehring watched from behind home plate but their presence was already planned watching rodriguez to assess him was almost pointless michael said
he can tell more about how hes swinging it than anybody watching him michael said


about 22 years ago the media mogul sumner m redstone beat out barry diller in a fierce bidding war for paramount pictures striking a deal worth nearly 10 billion for the film and television studio mr redstone famously celebrated the prize with the toast heres to us who won
paramount is now back at the center of a brutal fight the fate of the studio has emerged as one of the central factors in the battle for control of mr redstones 40 billion entertainment empire
paramount is owned by mr redstones big entertainment company viacom which said in february that it was looking to sell a minority stake in the studio through representatives mr redstone has said he is vehemently opposed to the sale yet the sales process continues on track and viacom executives are sticking by their forecasts of reaching an agreement by the end of june
a paramount deal   against mr redstones stated wishes   could set off a reaction leading to a major shake up of viacoms board and subsequently the removal of philippe p dauman its chief executive mr redstone has that power through his control of about 80 percent of the voting shares in viacom and cbs held by national amusements the private theater chain company started by his father
mr redstone has already considered the next steps he should take as viacoms controlling shareholder and a company director according to a letter dated may 16 and sent via email to viacom directors by a lawyer for mr redstone michael c tu a partner in securities litigation at orrick herrington  sutcliffe the letter was reviewed by the new york times
in the letter mr tu wrote we request that before any further steps are taken concerning paramount that his legal and financial advisers receive a comprehensive briefing about the process to date
mr redstone also requested a detailed briefing on managements turnaround strategy for viacom
the communication underscores what his representatives say are mr redstones concerns about the broader woes facing viacom which also owns mtv comedy central and nickelodeon cable networks the company has delivered repeated weak results and its stock price has plummeted about 38 percent in the last year
mr redstone remains keenly interested in the business of viacom and as its controlling stockholder and as a director he is currently considering his next steps the letter stated
removing mr dauman would represent yet another startling turn of events in an already tangled corporate and family drama in which two of mr redstones longtime confidants including mr dauman were ousted from their positions of power in his empire and his long estranged daughter emerged victorious in her quest to control the future of her fathers companies
and now the backdrop of it all is a lawsuit brought by viacom directors that questions whether mr redstone   who turns 93 on friday is in poor health and has not been seen publicly for a year   has the mental capacity to make such complex business decisions and whether he has been manipulated by his daughter shari redstone
much is in dispute about the days after the may 16 letter was sent mike lawrence a spokesman for mr redstone said that viacoms leadership did not respond to the letter viacom directors in turn stated that they had not received a communication from mr redstone and that they had been denied access to him they added that mr tu who was not known to be associated with mr redstone did not confirm to them whether or not he had met with mr redstone in an email mr tu said that he had in fact met with his client
on may 17 and 18 viacoms board held 12 hours of strategy sessions during which executives addressed issues including paramount according to carl folta a viacom spokesman mr redstone and ms redstone listened to the meeting by phone but did not raise any issues mr folta said
on friday four days after the letter was sent mr redstone suddenly dismissed mr dauman from the board of national amusements and the trust that will control his companies after he dies or is declared incompetent george abrams a 50 year representative of mr redstone and longtime viacom director also was removed from the board and the trust they promptly filed suit mr dauman called the dismissals an unlawful corporate takeover
in their place mr redstone appointed two new members to his trust as well as new directors to national amusements all of whom have ties to his daughter
on the paramount sale mr redstone is open to receiving information that would change his mind but has yet to receive any unless viacoms board presents a concrete plan that convinces him otherwise mr redstone continues to believe that it is in the best interest of viacom that paramount not be sold mr lawrence said in a statement on sunday
taking paramount off the market would disappoint some of viacoms biggest investors mario gabelli whose investment firm gamco is the second largest voting shareholder in viacom and cbs behind mr redstone has called a paramount sale a logical step for viacom on tuesday mr gabelli said he was giving mr dauman the benefit of the doubt to turn the company around
he has six to nine months to demonstrate something mr gabelli said why would you want to have philippe go
according to one hollywood financier who requested anonymity viacoms representatives in the last month were pushing away would be bidders who might view paramount primarily as a financial investment instead the company was talking with prospective strategic partners   companies that might bring value through an alliance with their own media outlets or home markets the strongest potential bidders at that point appeared to be based in asia but close observers of the process said they could see no sign that a deal was close
several would be partners for paramount have taken themselves out of the running lions gate entertainment for instance made it clear that it would be interested in talking to viacom only if buying the whole studio was an option when mr dauman insisted that only a slice was for sale lions gate said no thanks
investment bankers with experience in the entertainment industry were also puzzled by paramounts announcement in april that it had sold pieces of its two biggest summer movies teenage mutant ninja turtles out of the shadows and star trek beyond to alibaba the chinese e commerce company those two movies would presumably be part of the appeal of investing in the broader studio said the bankers who spoke on the condition of anonymity
in the face of the viacom chaos paramount executives have tried to put their heads down and focus on an urgently needed box office turnaround friday evening for instance as news of viacoms latest legal battles broke paramount executives were busy staging a significant promotional event on their lot for star trek beyond which arrives on july 22 in the event attended by cast members like chris pine paramount announced that it would hold an ambitious outdoor imax premiere for the film at the comic con international convention in san diego


four years ago one of chinas largest agricultural importers sent representatives to the democratic national convention in charlotte nc hoping that meetings with elite party officials might yield business opportunities the company the dandong port group was particularly focused on the governors in attendance according to an interview with dandongs general counsel broadcast by chinese state television
if you really want to influence lets say us china policy he said its almost worth it to have emphasis and influence on the state level
the meetings arranged by a former south carolina governor marked a period of expansion in the united states for dandong and its affiliated companies involving negotiations with officials in washington arkansas south carolina and virginia but now the companys widening influence is coming under scrutiny by federal prosecutors who are examining the relationship between dandongs wealthy and connected chairman wang wenliang and gov terry mcauliffe of virginia a democrat who was elected in 2013
a federal law enforcement official said the inquiry included 120000 in contributions that a new jersey construction firm controlled by mr wang made to mr mcauliffes 2013 campaign and inaugural committee that official and a second law enforcement official both of whom asked for anonymity to discuss the matter said it was a preliminary inquiry of mr mcauliffes campaign donations and they provided no detail about the nature and scope of any potential violations being scrutinized
though mr wang is a chinese citizen he is also a legal permanent resident of the united states according to a spokeswoman for him which entitles him to make campaign contributions
the inquiry was first reported on monday by cnn which said that the federal bureau of investigation and the justice departments public integrity unit were involved in the review the inquiry also encompasses mr mcauliffes role as a board member of the clinton foundation to which another company linked to mr wang pledged a 2 million contribution in 2013 the foundation has raised millions of dollars from companies and wealthy individuals overseas as well as from foreign governments
representatives for mr mcauliffe and mr wang said they had not been contacted by the justice department or the fbi a spokesman for the clinton foundation also said it had not been contacted by law enforcement officials
speaking to reporters in virginia on tuesday mr mcauliffe said he was shocked by reports of an inquiry he had played no role in soliciting mr wangs pledge to the clinton foundation and said the contributions to his campaign from by mr wangs company were legitimate
im very confident this gentleman had been fully vetted mr mcauliffe said of mr wang
but the federal inquiry throws a cloud over mr mcauliffe at a critical time he is a top fund raiser for hillary clinton a close confidant of her and her husband and the governor of a swing state critical to her chances of becoming president on sunday mr mcauliffe headlined a 5000 a head virginia fund raising event for mrs clintons presidential campaign
mr mcauliffe and mr wang are in a sense mirror images wealthy self made men with intertwined careers in business and politics before becoming governor mr mcauliffe was an inveterate deal maker involved in everything from real estate to banking to electric cars last year a separate federal review found that mr mcauliffe had lobbied officials at the department of homeland security to speed visas for chinese investors in an electric car company
the review said department officials had created a perception of special consideration for mr mcauliffe and other prominent democrats but found no evidence of criminal wrongdoing
mr wang is a delegate to chinas legislative house the national peoples congress his companies run ports import agricultural products and construct chinese embassies around the world his extensive business empire is based in dandong a port city that borders north korea
after starting his career as a municipal adviser to the dandong government on planning and economics issues he amassed a fortune partly by securing construction contracts to work on chinese embassies and consular offices around the globe including the chinese embassy in washington
from 2012 to the end of last year according to federal records mr wangs companies paid 15 million to mcguirewoods consulting to lobby on trade and visa issues dandongs lobbyists included jim hodges the former south carolina governor in 2012 mr hodges arranged meetings with governors for mark t fung who was dandongs general counsel
mr wang also met with mr mcauliffe before he ran for governor at a 2012 dinner hosted by mr hodges mr mcauliffe was an american businessman investing in china mr wang was a chinese executive whose firms did business in virginia the next year when mr mcauliffe ran for governor one of mr wangs companies west legend contributed to his campaign corporate contributions are permitted in virginia
but records and interviews reveal that mr wangs companies have had numerous reasons to seek the favor of united states government officials among mr wangs ventures are importing and crushing soybeans in late 2012 his company entered negotiations to buy a privately owned port on the mississippi river in arkansas the negotiations led to a review by the committee on foreign investment in the united states which includes representatives of the departments of state commerce and homeland security
a letter from rilin one of mr wangs companies to the american embassy in beijing obtained by the new york times says that company representatives met with then gov mike beebe of arkansas while negotiating that deal which was worth 27 million reached on tuesday mr beebe said he did not remember ever having met with the company
the foreign investment committee approved the deal in april 2013 but it ultimately fell through mr wangs company complained that a delegation of chinese nationals the company wanted to review the port had been denied visas
about that same time mcguirewoods contacted the american embassy to discuss visa issues
later that year gary locke then the united states ambassador to china and the united states consul general in shenyang met with rilin in dandong according to a news release issued by the dandong port which said the company had obtained a group visa making it more convenient for employees to travel to the united states for business and education purposes
reached on tuesday mr locke who is a lawyer in seattle said that he remembered visiting dandong but added that there was no such thing as a group visa for a company
mr wangs agricultural business also extended to virginia in 2011 gov bob mcdonnell announced that perdue agribusiness had agreed with mr wangs company to export soybeans through perdues port in chesapeake va
in a statement a spokeswoman for mr wang said west legend does business in virginia and supports gov mcauliffes jobs creation agenda its political contributions comply with all federal and state laws


demar derozan was momentarily distracted by his young daughter diar who was sitting on his lap late monday night at his postgame news conference having forgotten the question that had been asked of him derozan turned to kyle lowry his toronto raptors backcourt teammate for an assist which was fitting enough
what have you learned about yourself lowry said repeating the reporters question
the nba playoffs are full of high profile buddy acts out west russell westbrook and kevin durant of the oklahoma city thunder have been grappling with stephen curry and klay thompson of the golden state warriors in a conference finals series fraught with drama
derozan and lowry have engineered their own star turn in the shadow cast by the cleveland cavaliers lebron james and kyrie irving not long ago torontos season was on the brink but with two straight home wins the raptors have tied the eastern conference finals entering game 5 on wednesday
on monday derozan and lowry combined for 67 points while shooting 28 of 43 from the field in a 105 99 game 4 victory over the cavaliers at air canada centre
its a cakewalk for me once he gets going said derozan who shot 14 of 23 from the field for 32 points it opens up everything for me on the floor teams try to focus in on him and he knows when to get me going
derozan and lowry needed two games to revive the raptors hopes of a championship   yes a championship if they have gotten used to the world outside toronto doubting or dismissing them then they are adept at channeling all that outside noise for the good of the team
weve been counted out derozan said and we like that challenge
it might sound cliche but who would be crazy enough to count them out now the cavaliers looked unstoppable when they showed up in toronto last week having won all 10 of their playoff games but derozan and lowry rediscovered their rhythm turning a seven games if needed series into a best of three
lowry in particular has returned to form after making 8 of 28 from the field in the first two games of the series he has shot 21 of 33 in the last two on monday he was 14 of 20 and scored 35 points
i think some games we havent shot the ball well and we just continue to go back and understand the work that weve put in said lowry who took the liberty of speaking for derozan i know the work hes put in and i know the work ive put in you cant go away from that you have to stay with the process that youve had throughout your career
dwane casey the coach of the raptors is fond of saying the nba is a make or miss league if your team makes enough shots you win in toronto the raptors made shots the cavaliers did not or at least not enough
the cavaliers went away from what had been working for them   aggressive drives after resisting the lure of the 3 point line in the first two games of the series 41 attempts the cavaliers had 82 3 point attempts in games 3 and 4 making 33 percent
enter bismack biyombo who has been a stout defender for the raptors   and one of the more entertaining surprises of the postseason pushed into a starting job because of an ankle injury sustained by the higher scoring jonas valanciunas biyombo has excelled at center in the raptors two wins he had a total of 40 rebounds with 26 in game 3
compared with valanciunas who is more of an interior defender when healthy biyombo also gives casey added versatility on defense biyombo has the ability to roam outside the paint and annoy opponents like james and the long range threat kevin love
its a luxury said casey who like much of canada is fond of the finger wagging biyombo a native of the democratic republic of congo biz is one of our best athletes hes always teasing about chasing lions and everything in the congo ive got to go over there this summer and see that
biyombos play has created a small quandary for casey ahead of game 5 does casey opt for more big minutes for biyombo or does he work to reintegrate valanciunas into the lineup on wednesday casey indicated that he would probably opt for more biyombo if the cavaliers continued to favor a smaller lineup with channing frye at center
in any case the raptors led by derozan and lowry seem to have unlocked some sort of formula as the series returns to cleveland
i dont know if theyve grown casey said of his players i dont know if youre going to grow in three or four games again its a feel its a rhythm its confidence if youre asking if it gives some confidence to win two games at home yes
he added but i will say this its going to be a different animal back in cleveland as it is in every series when you go into another teams home territory its a little bit tougher but it does give us more rhythm and more confidence going against them now that we have a little bit better feel of what we can and cannot do against this team


washington   advocates for victims of sexual assault on tuesday praised the senates unanimous approval of a bill that would establish a set of rights for victims including the right to be informed of the results of forensic tests and to have evidence preserved
the senate vote on monday appeared to give momentum to an issue that has drawn bipartisan interest the measure now moves to the house where the judiciary committee is examining it
rebecca oconnor vice president for public policy at the rape abuse and incest national network said the proposed protections were an important part of the effort to tackle the complex concerns of sexual assault victims its kind of this tangled web of programs that all complement one another and this is just another piece of that pie she said
advocates said that more work remained with hundreds of thousands of rape kits   collections of evidence from assaults   still untested in police stations and crime laboratories across the country
the senate measure would generally require that victims be notified of the results of rape kit tests including any dna matches as well as toxicology reports that could show whether they had been given a date rape drug for instance it would codify existing protections from the violence against women act that prevent victims from being charged for those exams meaning that the right could be upheld in court
the bill would also ensure that rape kits would be preserved without charge for 20 years or until the statute of limitations expires whichever comes first statutes of limitations vary greatly wyoming does not have one for felony sex crimes while the cutoff in illinois is three years if the victim does not report the crime within that time ms oconnor said
the fight for greater protections has played out most publicly on college campuses and in military courts martial and highly visible examples like the accusations against the comedian bill cosby   who faces trial on charges of sexual assault after a judge ruled on tuesday that the case against him could proceed   have helped bring attention to the cause ms oconnor said
congress has been working its way through a handful of bills to improve the treatment of victims
this month the senate judiciary committee approved a criminal justice bill that included a provision to eliminate the heavy backlog of rape kits awaiting testing and democrats on the senate health committee led by senator patty murray of washington have been pressing for a bill to improve medical services for victims including the development of the first national standards for care after assaults
the biggest hurdle for the measures as it has been for nearly all legislation in congress in recent years is the cost conservatives in the house have balked at most any bill that calls for new spending as some of these would
the legislation that passed the senate on monday was inspired in part by amanda nguyen who visited senator jeanne shaheen democrat of new hampshire last summer to express concerns about the handling of her sexual assault ms nguyen had been horrified to discover that her rape kit could be discarded within months under massachusetts law she has to return to the state every six months to ensure that it is not destroyed ms shaheen wrote in a post on medium
sarah haacke byrd the managing director of the joyful heart foundation a victims advocacy organization said her group was encouraged by the efforts to improve the handling of rape kits
the backlog represents a failure of the criminal justice system to protect survivors and hold perpetrators accountable she said in a statement
the provisions approved by the senate on monday were part of a bill to reauthorize the adam walsh child protection and safety act a law passed in 2006 that expanded the national sex offender registry among other actions intended to shield children the act was named after 6 year old adam walsh whose murder after he was abducted from a florida mall in 1981 drew national attention


kabul afghanistan   for the second time in less than a year senior taliban leaders have convened in the pakistani city of quetta to deliberate how to replace a dead supreme leader
unlike last summers gatherings where some leaders arrived in convoys of hundreds of vehicles to choose mullah akhtar muhammad mansour as the successor to their founding leader mullah muhammad omar taliban figures described the tone of the meetings over the past three days as decidedly low key and even shocked
they described how the american drone strike that was said to have killed mullah mansour in pakistans baluchistan province on saturday also destroyed the perception that the protection they had received for years in their pakistani havens could be permanent some angrily accused pakistani intelligence agents of selling out mullah mansours location to the americans
taliban spokesmen and commanders were happy to jump on the phone last summer first to reject news of mullah omars death and then to project an image of unity behind mullah mansour this time there has been mostly silence several commanders and participants who could still be reached said the days of heedless cellphone communication in baluchistan were gone   another casualty of the american drone strike that some officials said was aided by mullah mansours repeated use of a small collection of phones
mullah mansour presided over major battlefield victories but his leadership was marked by intensifying divisions within the taliban and at times he put rebellions down violently in recent days commanders who were briefed on the quetta meetings said that mullah mansours death was widely being seen as an opportunity to elect a new leader with a broader consensus to reunite the insurgency
but the options being discussed with no clear successor suggest it will be a turbulent process that will involve the crucial question of who controls the vast finance networks developed by mullah mansour over several years including extensive opium profits
if it turns out true that he is dead we will be sad said qari fasihuddin the taliban shadow governor of badakhshan province emphasizing that mullah mansours death had still not been confirmed by the taliban but it is true that mullah mansour did not reach leadership with consensus and this could be a moment for the leadership to solve those problems
others were alarmed by a new sense of vulnerability for the taliban leadership
since we heard the incident with mullah mansour it is really affecting our thoughts and we are feeling frustrated said mullah shafiullah a taliban commander from the musa qala district in helmand province the taliban were almost repaired from the serious blow of losing our supreme leader mullah omar and now another big loss it is becoming risky and we need to make a stand to protect our leaders
mullah abdul sattar sirat a commander in shahid hasas district of oruzgan province was even more pessimistic its hard to find good leaders who will manage to unite the taliban
the commanders said the core leadership of the taliban has held several rounds of inconclusive discussions in quetta since sunday including at the home of mullah haibatullah a deputy to mullah mansour who was described as having emerged as a guiding voice in the succession
unlike mullah mansours quick confirmation which led many taliban leaders to see it as rigged and even a coup commanders said they expect this process to be lengthy with wider consultations
several field commanders reached by phone said they had received calls from the leadership in pakistan asking about their preferred candidates one commander in northern afghanistan who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss detailed planning said three representatives from their front had been called to pakistan for a gathering scheduled for the end of may
familiar names were among the figures being discussed for the leadership including the former taliban military chief mullah qayum zakir the founding leaders son mullah muhammad yaqoub and the movements current deputy and operational leader sirajuddin haqqani another figure described as an outside possibility was mullah abdul ghani baradur formerly an influential deputy to mullah omar who had a falling out with pakistani intelligence operatives and is said to remain under house arrest
commanders said that mullah yaqoub was widely seen as a possible unifying candidate with his bloodline outweighing his relative lack of experience a recent graduate of religious studies who is believed to be in his mid  or late 20s mullah yaqoub at first revolted against mullah mansours claim to the leadership last summer he only recently pledged loyalty after being named a military commander with authority in 15 afghan provinces
mr haqqani has been closely identified with this years aggressive taliban offensive in afghanistan and has a history of effective operations planning and fund raising as leader of the haqqani militant network but he was only integrated into the talibans core leadership last year and he may struggle to find supporters among a mostly southern afghan band of commanders he is also seen as close to pakistans military intelligence apparatus and that may now count against him
sirajuddins expertise in complex military operations coupled with the finance networks mansour developed and the support from pakistan would make a dangerous mix said rahmatullah nabil the former afghan intelligence chief but he will struggle to gain the support of the southern taliban
mullah zakir and mullah baradur were described as having longer shots at the leadership mullah zakirs network of commanders in the taliban was undermined   and in some cases eliminated   by mullah mansour who saw him as a direct rival to his ascent afghan officials say
mullah baradur who continues to enjoy influence among the taliban because he was a close lieutenant of mullah omar would most likely be hampered by pakistani military officials who have kept him under house arrest some saw the discussion of his rise mostly as another way to lash out at pakistan
whoever emerges as the leader will have to win over mullah mansours money men who are largely from his ishaqzai tribe they are led by mullah gul agha ishaqzai who is said to be in charge of gathering taxes for the taliban including the income from the lucrative narcotics trade
when mullah mansour faced a revolt in his first days as leader he arranged a meeting with about 40 narcotics smugglers outside quetta according to afghan intelligence reports present in the meeting and one of its supposed organizers was mullah gul agha mullah mansour was reported to have raised more than 20 million during that meeting as well as an allotment of pickup trucks that he then dished out to placate angry taliban commanders
the ishaqzai contingent in the taliban is not happy with the two emerging leading candidates   mullah yaqoub and mr haqqani   and would instead want to see mullah gul agha in the top job said mullah sallam haqqani a taliban commander in quetta but mullah haqqani said he saw gul aghas chances as slim
as discussions continued the taliban leadership also faced another problem what to do with mullah mansours body described in a pakistani hospital post mortem as badly charred and missing half his head
even the location of the body was in question taliban commanders and hospital sources said the corpse was received by a nephew of mullah mansour soon after it arrived at the civil hospital in quetta but pakistans interior minister chaudhry nisar ali khan said at a news conference tuesday that the pakistani authorities wanted to conduct dna tests for verification


rio de janeiro   brazils interim president michel temer announced an array of proposals on tuesday aimed at restoring confidence in the sickly economy of latin americas largest country
seeking to draw a contrast with dilma rousseff the suspended leftist president whom mr temer maneuvered to oust this month he said he would try to repeal nationalist oil legislation curb public spending and shut down a sovereign wealth fund
still mr temers televised briefing was light on detail as to how he planned to win approval in a fractious congress for an array of measures like overhauling a crisis ridden pension system that allows brazilians to retire at an average age of 54
while announcing the measures mr temer 75 who is two weeks into the job expressed frustration with his critics contending his government was the victim of psychological aggression
mr temer a lawyer and politician has come under scrutiny over his cabinet which does not include any women or afro brazilians and a scandal over recordings suggesting that one of his top advisers pursued ms rousseffs ouster to cripple a colossal graft investigation into the national oil company petrobras
slapping his hand on his desk before television cameras a perturbed mr temer proclaimed ive heard temer is very fragile poor little thing he doesnt know how to govern gibberish
reactions to mr temers announcements were mixed with lawmakers loyal to ms rousseff who is preparing for an impeachment trial in the senate insisting that mr temers government is illegitimate
some economists also said that details were lacking about how mr temer could persuade legislators to peel back laws that have enhanced government control of the nations oil industry or limit education spending without raising taxes on wealthy brazilians
yet others said they were willing to give the new leader the benefit of the doubt
this was a good start monica de bolle a brazilian economist at the peterson institute for international economics said in an analysis in the newspaper o estado de s paulo the focus of these measures is the medium term because right now nothing is possible
still ms de bolle emphasized that mr temer had failed to propose a broader reform of brazils giant national development bank the bndes she also said that his government needed to hammer out a plan to renegotiate debts owed by brazilian states
various states are facing dire financial problems including rio de janeiro which is suffering from a sharp decline in oil royalties rios political leaders are seeking a moratorium on the states interest payments to the federal government for two years


an ohio law that curtails early voting and prevents people from registering to vote and casting ballots on the same day illegally discriminates against black voters a federal judge ruled on tuesday ordering a crucial swing state to change its rules before the fall elections
democrats had challenged the law describing it as one in a long series that republicans in several states had enacted to suppress voting by blacks and hispanics who are more likely than others to vote early and to vote democratic republicans denied that charge saying the law combated voter fraud judge michael h watson of federal district court in cincinnati wrote in his findings that voter fraud was very rare and that the law did nothing to prevent it
it is unclear what effect the ruling will have on turnout republicans would not say immediately whether they would appeal but they noted that even with the provision the judge struck down ohio had one of the longest early voting periods in the united states starting four weeks before an election
early voting in ohio grew out of the 2004 election when people stood in line for hours to cast ballots particularly in heavily minority and democratic urban areas thousands went home without voting george w bush carried the state by 21 percentage points if he had lost it john kerry would have become president
state law was then changed to allow any voter to get an absentee ballot without offering a reason and to open early voting   by mail or by dropping off a ballot in person   35 days before an election
ohio requires voters to register at least 30 days before an election so the change created a window known as golden week when registration and voting were underway with a single visit to a county elections office a person could register get an absentee ballot fill it out and cast it
in 2014 the republican controlled general assembly and gov john kasich also a republican enacted a law eliminating golden week early voting would start after registration had closed
judge watson cited an expert witness called by democrats who testified that black voters were far more likely than others to vote early and in person and that voting during golden week in presidential elections was more than five times as prevalent in overwhelmingly black census blocks as in overwhelmingly white ones
curtailing early voting and eliminating golden week will disproportionately burden african americans in violation of the voting rights act wrote judge watson who was appointed by mr bush and served in the 1990s as counsel to a republican governor george voinovich another federal judge made a similar ruling in 2014 but the supreme court blocked it and the case was later settled
the racial impact just sticks out like such a sore thumb said david a pepper chairman of the ohio democratic party which had challenged the law i certainly dont think thats an accident
the judge upheld other restrictions imposed by the state that democrats had also challenged like limiting early voting to one location per county and reducing the number of voting machines counties are required to have
mr kasichs office referred questions to secretary of state jon husted the elected official who oversees elections mr husted a republican said he would consult with legislative leaders about how to proceed
noting that for nearly 200 years ohioans voted for only one day mr husted said if it was constitutional for lawmakers to expand the voting period to 35 days it must also be constitutional for the same legislative body to amend the time frame to 28 days
in the 2012 presidential election state officials said about 80000 people voted in person during golden week or 14 percent of the total and 14000 of those ballots were cast by people who registered the same day no one could say how many of them would have voted if the week were eliminated


fourteen russian athletes who competed at the 2008 summer olympics in beijing are suspected of having used banned substances during the games the russian olympic committee said tuesday
the international olympic committee announced last week that it had retested 454 doping samples from the beijing games and identified 31 athletes from 12 countries in six sports with suspicious results the 12 nations olympic committees were to be notified in following days the ioc said
on tuesday russian olympic officials said they had received documents from the ioc implicating 14 of the countrys athletes who competed across three sports in beijing accounting for nearly half of the olympians under new scrutiny for doping at the 2008 games
olympic officials declined to identify the athletes until their additional samples from beijing   stored separately for quality control   had been checked and official disciplinary proceedings had begun
on tuesday however russian state television named 14 athletes including 10 olympic medalists whom it identified as the athletes in question 11 track and field athletes two weight lifters and a rower
earlier this month grigory rodchenkov the chemist who ran russias antidoping lab for a decade detailed an elaborate government run doping program that he said he helped carry out to ensure russias dominance in international competition
according to dr rodchenkov top russian athletes used performance enhancing drugs leading to the beijing games and the summer games in london in 2012 and throughout the course of the 2014 winter games in sochi which russia hosted he said he had developed a three drug cocktail of anabolic steroids and liquor that russias medal contenders used to help accelerate their recovery from grueling workouts
at sochi dr rodchenkov said russia focused its efforts not on masking the presence of drugs in an athletes system or evading detection through subtle chemistry but rather on substituting urine samples a more brazen way to beat the system each night he said he and a small team swapped out russian athletes tainted urine for clean urine collected from the athletes in the months leading to the games and passed surreptitiously through a hole in the wall of the lab building
dmitry s peskov a spokesman for president vladimir v putin has denied the allegations and called dr rodchenkovs account slander by a turncoat
russias sports minister vitaly mutko has also denied the allegations while expressing broad contrition mr mutko has acknowledged serious mistakes but he has stopped short of specifying them or admitting to any state role
in a statement on tuesday the sports ministry said it was extremely disappointed to hear the speculation that russian athletes are among those found to have violated antidoping rules at the 2008 beijing olympics adding we have taken numerous steps to eradicate the issue of doping and understand that the roots of the problem particularly in athletics go back to the past
last fall russian track and field athletes were banned from global competition after a report published by the world anti doping agency accused the country of widespread doping in june the sports governing body will convene to decide whether to lift that ban ahead of the summer olympics in rio de janeiro which start on aug 5
the all russia athletics federation which oversees the countrys track and field athletes posted a statement on its website tuesday noting that it would not allow athletes with a history of drug violations to compete at the rio games referring to its uncompromising fight against doping the organization said its tough decision had been motivated by a single aim to do everything so that clean athletes could take part in the 2016 olympic games
russias antidoping agency has been decertified by the world anti doping agency as has the countrys testing lab which was run by dr rodchenkov until november when he was forced to resign he said that month he fled to the united states and he has been living in los angeles since then
the iocs recent re analysis of the beijing samples was part of a broader retesting effort ahead of the rio games and an additional 250 samples from the 2012 summer games in london   at which dr rodchenkov said top russian athletes took steroids   are expected to be retested before rio
wada meanwhile has opened an investigation into dr rodchenkovs account of swapping out urine at the sochi olympic laboratory which he oversaw the investigation is led by richard mclaren a canadian lawyer who worked on last falls report on russian track and field wada has said it expects to complete the investigation by july 15
its a lot of disasters if you dig deeper to other sports dr rodchenkov said in los angeles this month i was upholding this system established from soviet times


the internet is going the way of the weblog the electronic message and the world wide web
the new york times announced on tuesday that it would join the associated press in lowercasing the name of the global network that lives in our pockets and in front of our faces keeping us pinned to various feeds like caged mice pressing the button that summons another hit of sugar water
the changes will take effect at both news outlets on june 1 which explains the incongruity of internet being capitalized throughout this article
jill taylor who manages the copy desks at the times announced the change in a memo to the newsroom acknowledging it will probably take a while to get shift i out of our muscle memory
the timess decision comes after an announcement by the ap in a tweet in early april during the 2016 conference of the american copy editors society the annual event where the grammar geeks punctuation freaks and syntax obsessed snobs as its website says drill their fellow editors on the latest rules governing american journalese
thomas kent the aps standards editor said the change mirrored the way the word was used in dictionaries newspapers tech publications and everyday life
in our view its become wholly generic like electricity or the telephone  he said it was never trademarked its not based on any proper noun the best reason for capitalizing it in the past may have been that the word was new but at one point ive heard phonograph was capitalized
mr kent noted that websters new world college dictionary which the ap and the times look to for guidance along with their stylebooks was changing its first entry for internet to lowercase the i
ms taylor agreed that a lowercased internet was becoming more common in everyday language and said that the associated presss shift had sealed the deal for the times
one of our guidelines is prevailing usage   its not always to be out on a limb she said now that ap has changed and all of their client newspapers are going to be following that same style its a little more seamless
ms taylor said that the change had been discussed with the timess technology reporters people for whom the internet is native territory and that it did not trouble anybody
but while many digitally savvy writers have argued on behalf of lowercasing internet   an author at new republic penned an article proposing the change in july   changes to the ap stylebook often occasion outrage from language lovers in the same way for example that changes to the facebook news feed or the instagram logo prompt protests
mr kent of the ap said of the devotion to the capital i some people feel sort of physically deep in their soul that its a proper noun
they would compare it to a physical place with a proper name but i just dont think most people see it that way anymore he added for younger people its always been there its like water
ms taylor said that along with the change to internet some collateral references would be removed from the timess stylebook because they were so antiquated
were getting rid of the net  she said were not putting a prohibition in the stylebook but were deleting the entry i dont really want to encourage anybody to use that because there are alternatives that sound more human


dylann s roof who is accused of killing nine people during a racially motivated assault last june at a charleston sc church will face two death penalty trials after the justice department said tuesday that it would seek his execution
following the departments rigorous review process to thoroughly consider all relevant factual and legal issues i have determined that the justice department will seek the death penalty attorney general loretta lynch said in a statement about the case against mr roof who was arrested less than a day after the shooting at emanuel african methodist episcopal church a historic and predominantly black congregation
the nature of the alleged crime and the resulting harm ms lynch continued compelled this decision
in a separate seven page filing in federal district court in charleston prosecutors cited nine aggravating factors including that mr roof had expressed hatred and contempt towards african americans as well as other groups and his animosity towards african americans played a role in the murders charged in the indictment
the prosecutors also wrote that mr roof had demonstrated a lack of remorse and that he had targeted men and women participating in a bible study group at the church in order to magnify the societal impact of the attack
two defense lawyers david i bruck and michael oconnell declined to comment on tuesday
last year a federal grand jury returned a 33 count indictment against mr roof who was accused of hate crimes weapons charges and obstructing the practice of religion
he is also facing murder charges in a state court and the local prosecutor scarlett a wilson said last september that she would seek the death penalty
whether mr roof 22 should be executed has been a matter of some debate in south carolina where some family members of the victims publicly forgave the suspected gunman just two days after the shooting
although gov nikki r haley has called for mr roof to be put to death others said they wanted to avoid the pain of a trial and the potential for protracted appeals
mr bruck said last summer that mr roof was willing to enter a guilty plea in exchange for a sentence of life in prison but until tuesday 15 days before lawyers were scheduled to discuss the case in open court it was not clear how the justice department would proceed
a date for mr roofs federal trial has not been set his state court trial is expected to begin in january


bexhill on sea england   hailed as one of the greatest museum directors of the last century willem sandberg organized some 800 exhibitions as head of the stedelijk museum amsterdam from 1945 to 1963 he introduced film screenings and live music to the museum which is devoted to modern art added design and photography to its collection and increased annual attendance fivefold to 300000 people
yet in a feat of creativity and sheer energy mr sandberg also found time to design all the posters and catalogs for the stedelijks exhibitions as well as its stationery invoices tickets and invitations now much of that work is on display in an important solo show his first survey in britain
the exhibition willem sandberg from type to image running through sept 4 at the de la warr pavilion here is drawn from the stedelijks collection to which mr sandberg who died in 1984 bequeathed his personal archive the show portrays him as an unusually resourceful and expressive graphic designer who applied design to advance his vision of culture as a progressive force in society
in our age in which museum directors sometimes seem more adept at administrative duties and extracting money from donors mr sandberg who championed abstraction kinetic art and other avant garde movements stands out as a creative force of his own through his passion for design
it was sandberg who insisted on continuing his work as a designer after becoming a museum director because he enjoyed it so much said carolien glazenburg curator of graphic design at the stedelijk who organized the exhibition with staff members at the de la warr and the designer fraser muggeridge there was no board of trustees to challenge him and although he often faced opposition from the dutch media and politicians that was because they thought his curatorial choices were too radical
perched on the bexhill seafront on the sussex coast the de la warr pavilion is a congenial setting for mr sandbergs work designed in the early 1930s by two modernist architects serge chermayeff and erich mendelsohn the steel and concrete structure was one of britains most innovative 20th century buildings it was intended to house the type of peoples palace that mr sandberg loved mixing exhibitions and lectures with popular dances and concerts
mr sandberg came from a family of aristocratic landowners born in 1897 he spent his 20s traveling around europe visiting the bauhaus art and design school in germany apprenticing as a printer in switzerland and working for isotype a pictorial information design project in vienna the pictograms he created there are among the earliest exhibits in the de la warr show
in 1928 he opened a graphic design studio in amsterdam and started working for the stedelijk which appointed him as a curator in 1937 the abstract art exhibition which he organized the following year was one of the first surveys of abstraction at any major museum contemporary curators including hans ulrich obrist artistic director of the serpentine galleries in london often cite mr sandberg as an important influence on their work
during world war ii when germany occupied the netherlands mr sandberg joined the resistance he used his design skills to forge identity papers for hundreds of jews and other people who risked persecution he also helped to hide precious artifacts from the gestapo for example by designing a bookplate to make it look as if a jewish collectors books belonged to the stedelijk in 1942 he organized an exhibition town and country as a cover to provide work for jewish photographers artists and designers and to procure paper on which the resistance could print leaflets and posters
the following year mr sandberg joined a plot to destroy the amsterdam records office to prevent the gestapo from identifying the citys jewish residents the attack was partly successful but he and his co conspirators were betrayed all of the others were captured and executed but mr sandberg who was away when the nazis arrived at his home survived by hiding in gennep a town near the german border under the alias henri willem van der bosch his wife and son however were arrested and imprisoned
over the two years he lived in fear of being captured worrying about his family mr sandbergs hair went white he sought solace by designing pamphlets that he called experimenta typographica filled with drawings collages typographical doodles and quotations from le corbusier proudhon stendhal and other thinkers he admired
mr sandberg painstakingly tore paper to form silhouettes of people or objects for the collages and made several copies of each pamphlet from whatever scraps of paper or card he could find
as the de la warr exhibition illustrates the frugal ingenuity of experimenta typographica defined his designs for the stedelijk where he returned after the war many of his exhibition posters were purely typographical using the small selection of typefaces available at amsterdams municipal printworks and two or three colors one of which was always red which he considered the most eye catching
he enlivened those meager ingredients with clever compositions and contrasts of hues and typefaces since he wanted the posters to popularize the museum one of his self imposed rules was that they must be joyous
by the 1950s mr sandbergs designs had become more overtly playful a poster for a glass design show used lettering to create the shape of a wineglass another poster was issued on newsprint he also improvised by combining characters from different typefaces to spell part of henry moores name on one poster and paul klees on another
mr sandberg was equally inventive in designing exhibition catalogs for the stedelijk the catalog for a textile show was covered in swatches of fabric which he persuaded the manufacturer to donate he strove to sell catalogs cheaply to make them affordable for as many people as possible
the de la warr exhibition ends with the projects mr sandberg completed after retiring from the stedelijk they include the graphic identity of the israel museum which was founded in jerusalem in 1965 and a set of dutch stamps bearing hand torn paper silhouettes like those he made for experimenta typographica
throughout the show mr sandbergs finished designs are animated by preparatory sketches notes paper silhouettes and the letters he wrote to artists and colleagues   always using lowercased letters
sandberg never used capitals ms glazenburg said writing them would have taken up too much time


tuck everlasting turns out not to be immortal
the new musical which began previews on march 31 and opened on april 26 will close on sunday the producers said at the time of its closing it will have played 28 previews and 39 regular performances
the show with music by chris miller lyrics by nathan tysen and a book by claudia shear and tim federle opened to mixed reviews and was nominated for only one tony award best costume design by gregg barnes
the musical directed by casey nicholaw is adapted from a popular 1975 childrens book by natalie babbitt about a girl who encounters an immortal family in the woods behind her home it never caught on with new york theatergoers last week it played to 70 percent capacity audiences and grossed 325361 which is well below what a broadway musical costs to run each week the early closing means that the producers   and tuck had many above the title producers   will lose the money they raised to mount the show
the musical was capitalized for up to 11 million according to a filing with the securities and exchange commission


san francisco   late last year hewlett packard split itself into two believing that smaller was better
now one of those publicly traded companies is making itself even smaller
hewlett packard enterprise said on tuesday that it would sell its business that focuses on call centers and maintains networks for clients to the computer sciences corporation in an all stock deal that would create a new company worth roughly 9 billion
the deal is meant to be the next step in the turnaround of the corporate descendants of hewlett packard which broke itself apart last fall after years of struggling to turn around its fortunes the silicon valley icon split itself into two smaller companies hp enterprise which focuses on selling hardware like servers to corporate customers and hp inc which specializes in personal computers and printers
behind the split was the belief of meg whitman the former chief executive of hewlett packard and now the leader of hp enterprise that focus is better it is a decidedly different path from what others in the corporate computing business are taking dell is in the midst of buying the data storage business emc to create a huge giant in the field
these are two quite different strategies ms whitman said in a phone interview ours is to get smaller theirs is to get bigger
on tuesday hp enterprise also said that it earned 300 million during the quarter ended april 30 flat from last year
hp enterprises turnaround now includes selling off the companys enterprise services business to computer sciences   which also happens to be the product of a corporate breakup computer sciences former parent spun out a government focused business last year and merged it with another company a structure similar to tuesdays deal
that left computer sciences as a publicly traded company focused on information technology services and executives from both hp enterprise and computer sciences told analysts on tuesday perfect for each other
under the terms of the deal hp enterprise will spin off the enterprise services unit which will then merge with computer sciences in an all stock transaction shareholders of hp enterprise and computer sciences will each own half of the new companys shares
hp enterprise estimated that its shareholders will get significant value from the deal including 45 billion from their holdings in the new company and 15 billion through a special cash dividend the combination is expected to yield about 1 billion in cost savings after the deal closes
the chairman and chief executive of computer sciences mike lawrie will hold those roles at the new company hewlett packard enterprises chief executive meg whitman will join the merged board
the complex maneuver known in deal making circles as a reverse morris trust means that shareholders in both hp enterprise and computer sciences will not have to pay taxes on the merger
the deal that we announced today is a game changing move that unlocks value ms whitman said i think it unlocks value in a way that is quite elegant
shares of hp enterprise rose nearly 11 percent in after hours trading to 18 while computer sciences shares climbed almost 24 percent to 4405
tuesdays deal essentially undoes hps nearly 13 billion takeover of electronic data systems the outsourcing business founded by h ross perot in 2008
ms whitman was careful not to overtly criticize the deal one of several by the old hewlett packard that has drawn criticism over the years she said only that her predecessors made decisions based on information that was available at the time
ceos make judgments in the market about what works she said referring to cloud computing the model that has become central to the corporate technology industry she added nobody knew what cloud was in 2008


washington   the feud on capitol hill over responding to the rapidly spreading zika virus would seem to be largely a fight over how much money is needed to fight the mosquito borne scourge
but lurking just beneath the surface are issues that have long stirred partisan mistrust including republicans fears about the use of taxpayer money for abortion and possible increased use of contraception and democratic worries about protecting the environment from potentially dangerous pesticides
public health officials warn that the virus will not stop to check party affiliation   the mosquitoes that carry it bite republicans and democrats alike
this is no way to fight an epidemic dr thomas r frieden the director of the centers for disease control and prevention said in a telephone interview on tuesday
three months is an eternity for control of an outbreak he said adding there is a narrow window of opportunity here and its closing every day that passes makes it harder to stop zika
the ancillary political issues have added an extra layer of complication that could further delay a final agreement on legislation to provide emergency funds to fight the virus which can cause severe birth defects in infants born to infected mothers
the white house first requested 19 billion to fight zika in february but only last week the senate approved a measure that would provide 11 billion in emergency funds and the house approved legislation that would reallocate 622 million from existing programs including efforts to combat ebola
while the house and senate proposals remain to be reconciled a new front in the fight emerged tuesday as the house approved a republican bill that would strip away environmental regulations on an array of pesticides
obama administration officials have threatened to veto the bill which they say is simply a repackaging of legislation first proposed in 2005 to make it seem related to the zika virus
rebranding legislation that removes important clean water act protections for public health and water quality is not an appropriate avenue for addressing the serious threat to the nation that the zika virus poses a white house statement said
for their part house republicans have accused the administration of putting up political roadblocks
in the midst of a zika threat the federal government should not be making it harder for people to kill the mosquitoes that could carry it speaker paul d ryans office said in a statement this is serious stuff were not talking about annoyances at your summer barbecue mosquitoes are the carriers of life threatening exotic diseases among which are the zika and west nile viruses
senator john cornyn of texas the no 2 senate republican had also proposed language easing the regulations on pesticides in an alternative measure on zika funding but that proposal was defeated
we had a provision in the cornyn amendment that dealt with these regulatory restrictions on use of certain types of pesticides and programs that are used said senator john thune of south dakota who is also part of the republican leadership
we just think we ought to provide some relief mr thune said right now more than ever the key until we get a vaccine is to try and make sure that people dont get infected and the way to do that is to eradicate mosquitoes i mean thats what carries the disease
congressional democrats and administration officials said that exceptions to the regulations already exist for emergency situations like fighting zika and they accused republicans of trying to exploit fears about the virus to repeal regulations they have long opposed
over the years proponents of exempting pesticide spraying from the clean water act have used the crisis of the day as the reason to support their legislation representatives peter a defazio democrat of oregon and grace f napolitano democrat of california wrote in a letter urging colleagues to oppose the republican bill
first it was the threat of west nile virus then it was fire suppression in the west then it was protecting the nations food supply and drought and now in 2016 the focus is on preventing zika they wrote
environmental regulations are hardly the only partisan sidelight in the debate over how to respond to the zika virus because the virus can cause severe birth defects in babies of infected mothers republicans have had concerns that taxpayer funds might somehow be used to help provide abortions
as a precaution senate republicans insisted on writing language into their measure on zika financing that reiterated the hyde amendment   a provision named for the longtime illinois congressman henry hyde that bans the use of government money for abortions
that amendment would automatically apply because the zika measure was attached to a regular appropriations bill but republicans said they wanted to be sure the language was included regardless of the legislative form used
there has also been debate about whether the government should stress contraception or abstinence in public education campaigns about how the zika virus can be transmitted even more readily by sexual intercourse than by mosquitoes that question is of potentially heightened concern among conservative christians not only in the united states but also in latin american countries where the virus is already prevalent
congressional republicans have not openly criticized any emphasis on the effectiveness and importance of contraception but unlike the senate measure the house bill does not include money for community health programs that might stress such prevention instead the house bill directs its money to mosquito control and vaccine development
federal health officials have emphasized that they do not believe it is the governments role to tell women if they should become pregnant but have noted that even pope francis has said that it is acceptable to use contraception to prevent zikas spread
even some republicans said they worried that these other issues were distractions from the urgent need to appropriate money and fight the zika virus and the closer the virus is to their states the more urgent they sound
we can have those side debates if people want to have them make their points on it said senator marco rubio republican of florida but this is a public health crisis and we have got to address it or people are going to get really sick here


one of the super pacs supporting donald j trump said tuesday that it was hiring former aides to rudolph w giuliani and george e pataki to advise the group as it seeks to raise money
great america pac is bringing aboard jake menges a longtime adviser to mr giuliani the former mayor of new york city and rob cole a veteran adviser to mr pataki the former governor of new york mr cole was also an adviser to the mitt romney presidential effort in 2008
the pair will join edward j rollins a veteran republican strategist officials with the group approached mr giuliani several weeks ago about the possibility of hosting events and they hope to be able to deploy him in the coming months


a dispute over who is the legitimate owner of a picasso bust of marie therese walter was settled in new york district court on monday but the legal victor remains a mystery
first reported by bloomberg news the settlement brings to a close a case in which two prominent collectors   the qatari royal family and leon black chairman of the apollo private equity firm and co chairman of the museum of modern art   claimed to own the work the plaster bust of a woman all parties declined to comment on tuesday and the court has not disclosed any details
the settlement signed by judge william h pauley said these actions are discontinued without costs to any party and without prejudice to reopening these actions if such an application is made within thirty 30 days of this order
the case involved several other prominent players in the art world including the dealer larry gagosian who said he had purchased the bust in may 2015 for about 106 million from maya widmaier picasso the daughter of picasso and ms walter then sold it to mr black pelham holdings run by guy bennett maintained in court documents that it had bought the work from ms widmaier picasso in november 2014 for 38 million euros or about 42 million


seemingly overnight treatment of men with early stage prostate cancer has undergone a sea change five years ago nearly all opted for surgery or radiation now nearly half are choosing no treatment at all
the approach is called active surveillance it means their cancers are left alone but regularly monitored to be sure they are not growing just 10 percent to 15 percent of early stage prostate cancer patients were being treated by active surveillance several years ago now national data from three independent sources consistently finds that 40 percent to 50 percent of them are making that choice
in recent years major research organizations have begun to recommend active surveillance which for years had been promoted mostly by academic urologists in major medical centers but not by urologists in private practice who treat most men in 2011 the national institutes of health held a consensus conference that concluded that it should be the preferred course for men with small and innocuous looking tumors last year the american society of clinical oncology issued guidelines with the same advice
the data includes a large new national registry established by the american urological association involving 15000 men nearly all treated by urologists in private practice through 2015 a national registry of 45 mostly private urology practices and a michigan registry of mostly private urology practices in addition preliminary 2016 data from the urology association indicates that the numbers are growing with even more than 50 percent of patients choosing active surveillance
things are changing very very quickly said dr matthew r cooperberg a urologist and epidemiologist at the university of california san francisco who has been helping collect data for the new american urological association database
half of all men with newly diagnosed prostate cancer have low risk tumors which pathologists using a scoring system that looks at the appearance of cells under a microscope rate as gleason 6 or less on a commonly used scale their risk of dying from prostate cancer in the next 10 years is less than 1 percent whether they have aggressive treatment or whether they choose active surveillance research shows
nothing though is straightforward in the cancer world is everyone with a cancer scored as gleason 6 or lower a candidate for active surveillance it is not clear
it is an easier decision for older men with a life expectancy of 10 to 15 years because most prostate cancers that grow do so very slowly but what about men in their 50s or early 60s
these men will need to have regular biopsies for long periods of time so doctors can look for signs their cancer might be growing biopsies though can result in infections that can be serious and can miss more aggressive cancers because they examine only tiny snippets of the prostate
that leads to a dilemma for younger men said dr jonathan i epstein a pathologist at johns hopkins hospital they have a longer life expectancy during which their tumor might grow and become more aggressive yet he said it is the young men who really want to avoid radical treatment for their cancer as the complications such as impotence and incontinence affect them to a much greater degree
dr william catalona a professor of urology at the northwestern university feinberg school of medicine said he worried that some younger men may find out too late that their cancer has become incurable active surveillance he warned is a tragic mistake for some
yet some doctors are beginning to question whether these tumors should even be called cancers dr cooperberg argues that the lowest risk tumors need a name that conveys their languorous growth and generally benign nature
there has to be some terminology that doesnt say its normal but doesnt use the c word he said
others like dr justin e bekelman an associate professor of radiation oncology at the perelman school of medicine at the university of pennsylvania are not ready to drop the word cancer
they have an excellent prognosis but it is still cancer and we have to follow it carefully he said
without the word cancer dr epstein said men may not take seriously the need for regular biopsies and other tests he and his colleagues at johns hopkins proposed a grading system to make it clear that gleason 6 cells are less frightening than higher grade tumors but not necessarily benign
in the gleason system which involves a pathologists assessment of how ominous the prostate cells look 6 is actually pretty much the lowest score for cells that are cancer despite the gleason scale officially starting at 2 the highest is a 10 but many men hearing that their cancer is a 6 assume the worst
in the new system which has been endorsed by the world health organization instead of calling the cells gleason 6 they will be called group 1 in a scale that goes from 1 to 5
one issue complicating the active surveillance questions said dr alan j wein the chief of urology at the perelman school of medicine is that the long term outcomes are unclear
we need follow up of at least 10 to 15 years to be sure we are not hurting these people he said the problem is weve been in the active surveillance business only since about 2000 and everyone started off very very slowly no one really has a number of patients who have gone for years and years
dr wein advocates active surveillance for most men with low risk cancers but he emphasizes that they should have a second biopsy within a year followed by regular biopsies every year or two and regular psa tests a blood tests that looks for a protein linked to prostate cancers
i tell patients this is a bet he said you are betting that the disease is not going to progress or if it progresses you will be able to tell before it progresses to a situation where it is less treatable you enhance the chances of winning the bet by doing a confirmatory biopsy
mike steskal a commodities trader who lives and works just outside philadelphia decided to take the bet he is 55 and was told last summer that he had prostate cancer after his doctor ordered a blood test for flulike symptoms that happened to include a psa test his psa level was slightly elevated which led to more tests including a biopsy that showed a gleason 6 cancer
mr steskal spent months seeing different doctors most of whom recommended aggressive treatment because he is so young he also researched prostate cancer on the internet and talked to men who had gone through various treatments finally he chose active surveillance
as part of the surveillance he had two more psa tests they came back with levels so low that no one would ever have suspected prostate cancer his higher level last summer was probably due to an infection which can cause psa levels to rise
it was pure chance that he got a prostate cancer diagnosis mr steskal said thats another thing that went into my decision
bruce perry of charleston wva who was a similar age when he received a diagnosis of prostate cancer said he wished he had had a chance to make that bet
he was 57 when he learned he had a gleason 6 cancer in 2010 im like oh my god that is a bad cancer he said the problem with men when they find out they have something like this its like get it out now i dont want it in me with prostate cancer i now know thats not the right attitude
the operation was not so bad but its consequences were difficult he said it took almost a year for me to feel confident about going out and doing anything without wearing protection
his doctors never discussed active surveillance
the sad part is that that wasnt really offered as an alternative mr perry said


oklahoma city   given time to sleep on the nbas decision to punish but not suspend him for his now infamous kicking of steven adams in the groin the golden state warriors draymond green insisted he would not become tentative or unemotional against the oklahoma city thunder
im never going to be careful he said after a morning shoot around for game 4 of the western conference finals later tuesday night at chesapeake energy arena
he wasnt being defiant or flippant explaining im an emotional player and noting that the warriors trailing in the series two games to one needed all the passion they could muster against a thunder team brimming with talent and growing in confidence
but green whose flagrant 1 foul on adams in game 3 was upgraded to a flagrant 2 by the league on monday will begin the night only a point   or one flagrant 1   away from an automatic one game suspension
steve kerr his coach understood the delicate nature of greens predicament
draymond is going to have to be very careful kerr said hes got to understand the circumstances which he does
in ruling on the incident which occurred in the second quarter of game 3 the nba called greens action excessive and unnecessary but according to a league spokesman it was difficult to ascertain if green had acted deliberately which he steadfastly claimed he had not
kevin durant after the thunders shoot around for game 4 said he and his teammates didnt give the suspension speculation much thought suggesting that the league was not about to meddle with a marquee series in which the defending champion warriors suddenly found themselves in a desperate situation   win on the road or face elimination on thursday at home and possibly again here saturday night in game 6
of green durant said hes one of the best players in the league on arguably one of the best teams in the history of the league theyre not going to suspend draymond green the league is pro business were not upset about it thats just how it goes
but kerr and the warriors also knew what awaited green on tuesday night a hostile crowd and a big rugged thunder front line   featuring adams the emerging 7 foot center whose athletic physical play in all likelihood was what frustrated and provoked green in the first place
green played coy on that note saying when we focus on us as opposed to what anybody else got going on thats when were at our best


the empty nests are filling up for the first time in modern history young adults ages 18 to 34 are more likely to live with a parent than with a romantic partner according to a new census analysis by the pew research center
millennials who have been slower than previous generations to marry and set up their own households reached that milestone in 2014 when 321 percent lived in a parents home compared with 316 percent who lived with a spouse or a partner the report found
the really seismic change is that we have so many fewer young adults partnering either marrying or cohabiting said richard fry the pew economist who wrote the report in 1960 that silent generation left home earlier than any generation before or after because they married so young
but in recent decades fewer people have been marrying and those who do are marrying at older ages in 1960 the median age for a first marriage was 20 for women and 22 for men and just one in 10 people over 25 had never married now the median ages are 27 and 29 and one in five adults older than 25 has never married in a 2014 study pew projected that a quarter of this generation of young adults might never marry
this is neither the best nor the worst development weve seen in family life said andrew j cherlin a sociologist at johns hopkins university it violates our cultural sense of how young adults should live their lives but in italy an even greater percentage live with the parents and no one sees it as problem families can feel closer to each other and have longer times together
but in some cases he cautioned the grown childrens continued presence in the parental home can signal an inability to take the steps needed to become real adults
some young adults have the failure to launch syndrome he said others are living their own lives saving money but not having to pay rent while they enroll in grad school or get the internships they need
as far back as 1880 romantic coupling was the most common living arrangement for young adults
while living with parents is now on the rise the report found other accommodations too are becoming more common about 22 percent of young adults now live in a dormitory or a prison or with a relative like a grandparent or a sibling   compared with 13 percent in 1960
with the growing rates of single parenthood about 14 percent of young adults   nearly triple the share in 1960   head their own households some living with roommates or boarders others alone or with their young children
young men have consistently been more likely to live with their parents than young women have and that remains true generally because women marry younger and move out but now living with parents is on the cusp of becoming the dominant arrangement for young women as well
what you tend to see is that racial and ethnic minorities african americans hispanics and native americans especially from disadvantaged backgrounds are the most likely to be living in their parents home and the least likely to have a partner mr fry said adding that financial difficulties helped explain that finding
so you might think that the growing diversification of the population is what accounts for the shift to living with parents he continued but that doesnt explain it since even among white young adults about 20 percent lived with their parents in 1960 and about 30 percent in 2014 so even if the population had not diversified we would still see this large increase in living with parents


the retrial of the man accused of killing etan patz the 6 year old boy who vanished in 1979 will begin after labor day a judge ruled on tuesday
the man pedro hernandez 55 of maple shade nj was tried in may 2015 but jurors deliberated for 18 days without reaching a decision the trial ended with hung jury with only one juror steadfastly voting against conviction
etan was walking alone for the first time from his familys soho loft to a school bus stop when he disappeared he was among the first children pictured on a milk carton and his disappearance helped focus awareness on missing children his case remained unsolved for decades though reports periodically surfaced that the boy had been spotted in foreign countries or walking the streets of new york
mr hernandez was a teenager working in the bodega next to the bus stop when etan disappeared he was not arrested until 2012 when relatives told the authorities that he had implicated himself in the killing of a child
in two detailed confessions videotaped after a day of interrogation mr hernandez told detectives and then prosecutors that he had lured the boy strangled him then stashed his body in the trash between buildings a block away
etans body was never found and mr hernandezs lawyer harvey fishbein argued that his client has low intelligence and had invented the account of the murder because of a personality disorder that makes it difficult for him to distinguish between fantasy and reality
etans parents stan and julie patz have said they are convinced that mr hernandez is guilty
the retrial was originally scheduled to begin in march but the manhattan district attorneys office sought a delay to add a new lead prosecutor and new psychological experts to its team mr fishbein then requested a postponement because he was undergoing medical treatment on his back mr hernandez who has been held at rikers island since his arrest agreed to the delay so that mr fishbein could continue as his lawyer
the judge who set the new schedule for the trial maxwell wiley of state supreme court in manhattan is to rule on a series of evidentiary issues in the case by july 11 jury selection is now expected to begin sept 6 or 7


albany   it was to be the salvation of buffalo a billion dollar godsend from the administration of gov andrew m cuomo that promised to revitalize the depleted city with bold investments there and across western new york
but the so called buffalo billion is in danger of becoming an albatross for many involved federal investigators are examining how money and contracts were distributed delays have bruised several projects and one of the states key corporate partners   solarcity a power company backed by elon musk that intends to open a huge solar panel factory on the buffalo river   has watched its stock price plunge over the past year
in the latest indication of the buffalo billions woes state officials unexpectedly postponed approving an infusion of nearly 500 million for the solarcity project last week as legislators in albany hinted they would exercise more oversight of the governors banner economic initiative
mr cuomo a democrat has repeatedly praised the buffalo billions successes citing new jobs new buildings and a new optimism in the city but federal investigators interest seems to lie less with whether the people of buffalo will ultimately benefit than with those who already have a tangle of well connected players   including developers and frequent donors to the governor   who have feasted on buffalo billion money
the federal inquiry led by preet bharara the united states attorney for the southern district of new york has now metastasized across the state and reached all the way to the governors office but its first stirrings became apparent in buffalo last year when prosecutors subpoenaed state institutions responsible for solarcity and two other components of the buffalo billion program seeking information about how government funded projects were awarded and what role state officials played in selecting the winners
a small group of densely interwoven figures linked to multiple projects and state entities has conceived built and promoted most of the central buffalo billion initiatives leading to accusations by some government watchdogs of conflicts of interest and questionable uses of state subsidies
by last month when investigators subpoenaed mr cuomos office the federal inquiry appeared to be focusing on the links between state officials and the sprawling investment new york has made not only in buffalo but also in syracuse and other struggling upstate cities
while no one has been charged the governors office has opened its own investigation into what it has called suspicions of improper lobbying and undisclosed conflicts of interest that may have defrauded the state the administration has also taken the unusual step of requiring that all decisions regarding the projects be reviewed by bart m schwartz the lawyer leading the governors investigation
the cuomo administration strongly defends the project noting drops in unemployment and rises in spending as signs of buffalos turnaround and at a news conference on tuesday the governor called the buffalo billion a tremendous success adding that the encroaching investigation did not go to the essence of the program
questions about the process through which a developer was chosen to develop solarcity have stuck to the project since last year when it emerged that the states request for proposals was worded in a way that appeared to exclude all bidders except the eventual winner lpciminelli state officials later said that was the result of a typographical error
lpciminelli is a prominent builder in the city whose chief executive louis p ciminelli has generously supported mr cuomo mr ciminelli and his associates and relatives have given nearly 150000 to his campaigns over the years
in november 2013 mr ciminelli and his wife ann louise hosted a fund raiser for mr cuomo in buffalo three weeks before submitting a proposal to build parts of the buffalo billion the couple gave 29200 to the governor in january 2014 shortly before lpciminelli was selected as one of the winning developers
in the latter half of 2014 mr cuomo tripled down on solarcity raising the states commitment to 750 million from 225 million even as he hopped across western new york collecting campaign donations from at least two developers connected to buffalo billion projects in the run up to his successful bid for a second term
lpciminelli which has received a federal subpoena in the case says it is not a target of the investigation
federal investigators are looking into the activities of one person tied to lpciminelli todd r howe a well connected lobbyist who once worked for mr cuomo and his father and whose links to several companies that have received state projects are under scrutiny
until he was recently fired mr howe worked for whiteman osterman  hanna a prominent albany law firm among its clients was the state university of new york polytechnic institute which as a linchpin of the cuomo administrations efforts to stimulate economic growth upstate has received and helped distribute hundreds of millions of dollars in state funds
whiteman osterman  hanna has also represented separate interests that sought buffalo billion money
a spokesman for the firm acknowledged in a statement that it had represented both lpciminelli and the fort schuyler management corporation the suny polytechnic subsidiary that awarded lpciminelli the contract to develop the site where solarcity is being built but the spokesman said the firm at no time represented both companies in the same matter
mr ciminellis brother paul ciminelli who leads a separate real estate development firm has also capitalized on the buffalo billion gold rush
ciminelli real estate corporation headed by paul ciminelli has benefited from the buffalo billion through two major enterprises a medical innovation center and an information technology project
and in 2013 when ciminelli real estate lost one of the largest tenants in its key center building in buffalo   the tenant was granted millions of dollars in tax breaks to move to a new building two blocks away   mr ciminelli did not have to wait long to recoup the loss mr cuomo announced in june 2014 that the state would bring ibm to key center
about 25 million in state money would go to redeveloping part of the building to suit ibms needs a project for which the state hired mcguire development company another buffalo developer two months after mr cuomos office announced mcguires selection it donated 25000 to the governors re election campaign with 10000 more coming later in the year
neither the ciminelli real estate corporation nor a spokeswoman for mcguire responded to a request for comment
the buffalo billion includes more than a dozen other regional projects a potpourri of state backed ventures such as an information technology hub a pharmaceutical research center a pediatric hospital a visual effects center various residential redevelopments and even a candy store renovation
those that benefited include not just the ciminelli family companies but also mcguire development which was hired for a 55 million information technology hub and uniland development company which is developing a 150 million water park resort in niagara falls like the ciminelli companies and mcguire uniland also backed mr cuomo uniland and its executives donated at least 36000 to the governors campaigns a spokeswoman for uniland declined to comment on the investigation
other companies involved in building the buffalo billion have financially supported mr cuomo as well a small chunk of buffalo billion funds designated for revitalizing neighborhoods and improving transit in the city went to about two dozen companies and local groups a few of which also donated to the governor
his office said the formal awarding of the solarcity contract was made by fort schuyler on behalf of the state it has also said that donations no matter how substantial do not influence official actions
the fear of being tainted by the ever widening investigation has become so pervasive that the operators of maid of the mist the niagara falls tour boat issued a statement this month affirming that the cuomo administration had not pressured them to hire lpciminelli
howard zemsky the chief executive of empire state development the states economic development agency argued that while mr bhararas inquiry may have cast a temporary shadow over the buffalo billion the programs long term legacy would be positive
my personal belief is that the investigation will come and go and it will find out what it finds out mr zemsky said but one thing i can tell you for sure is the economic development planning that has gone on in buffalo has had a tremendous impact
the growing concerns about the buffalo billion have reached the capital where the public authorities control board delayed a may 18 meeting at which it was set to approve 485 million in new funds for solarcity
the postponement came just days after buffalo news media reported that solarcity would create only 500 manufacturing jobs   not almost 1500 as originally projected but in a statement the company said it would create other jobs in their place
jerry gretzinger a spokesman for suny poly said solarcity had actually increased the total number of jobs it had promised throughout the state   5000 in 10 years   though automation at the buffalo factory meant that fewer jobs would be in manufacturing and more would be in research sales and management
solarcity also said that federal agents had been in contact and that it was cooperating with the investigation
for his part mr cuomo who attributed the delay in the meeting of the authorities board to a scheduling issue said last week that he wanted people to have total confidence and trust in the integrity of this government and welcomed the scrutiny by federal agents
if theres a question about buffalo billion fine any way we can help the us attorney in his investigation and well do our own independent inquiry he said
the control board is now scheduled to take up the solarcity money on wednesday but there remains the question of whether mr cuomos approach to revitalizing the upstate economy is a good return on a sizable taxpayer investment
john kaehny the executive director of reinvent albany a government watchdog group said it remained to be seen whether the buffalo billion was a good use of state funds
you have to ask yourself mr kaehny said if were going to spend 750 million to help people in buffalo how the heck did we end up with this


paris   it was a rough afternoon for poetic justice on court 3 at the french open on tuesday
on one side of the net was brian baker a former junior star from the united states who is now 31 and keeps coming back to the tour for more despite 11 surgeries
on the other side was bernard tomic a flickering flame from australia who has earned the nickname tomic the tank engine he was so ready to get off the court in madrid last month that he flipped the racket in his hand on match point putting the grip where the string bed was supposed to be and   no surprise   losing to fabio fognini
would you care if you were 23 and worth over 10 million tomic said later according to australias gold coast bulletin
poetic justice would thus have been baker ripping return winner after return winner and beating tomic in a five set mettle detector before delivering a heartfelt ted talk to tomic at the net about making the most of your talent right here right now because you never know what anvil might fall on your head tomorrow
none of this happened unfortunately instead serving big when he needed it most tomic ended up a 6 3 6 4 6 4 winner in the first round on his least favorite surface
the life lessons and tennis lessons presumably will have to come from elsewhere for tomic but he should still take a moment to consider just what is driving a thoughtful man like baker to put himself through this
i can only talk about myself baker said afterward when i explained my thesis to him you play tennis to play at the atp level play at the slams and ive had a rough go ive had a lot of ups and downs a lot of breaks ive lost probably eight years of my career with injury so every time i play i have to just appreciate being out there and enjoy these moments because as a little kid this is what the dream was to be able to be a pro and play right here at the slams
a french open junior finalist in 2003 when he lost to stan wawrinka baker already came back strong once from years of injuries reaching the final in nice and the fourth round at wimbledon in 2012
but the feel good tale came to an abrupt halt at the 2013 australian open where baker injured his right knee in the second round and left the court in a wheelchair
there have been five more surgeries and two extended layoffs since then during which he did not even touch a racket for months yet here he is again playing with a slight limp and a protected ranking
i dont want to act like woe is me baker said its not in my character maybe for like 10 minutes in a corner by myself but then ill snap out of it ive played tennis since i was 2  1/2  years old i was given a lot of talent and unfortunately my body has kind of let me down a little bit along the way but if i can get a little luck the rest of the year hopefully it will set me up for a good end of this season and early next
tomic in his benighted moments has always seemed much closer to clueless than malicious it is also important to view him in context as the son of john tomic a domineering father who has rightly earned a reputation as a bully inside the game and who was convicted of causing bodily harm in 2013 in spain for head butting tomics hitting partner thomas drouet
to be fair without handing out excuses sympathy for bernard tomic is in order and his attitude issues on court date to his early years in 2007 he was reported to tennis australia by coaches for a lack of effort in a 6 2 6 3 loss to ricardas berankis in the second round of the french open junior event
tomic was 14 then he is 23 now old enough to know much better than to pull the stunt he pulled in madrid or come up with the flippant 10 million remark
it was the kind of comment that can stick with a young man deep into adulthood and on tuesday i asked him how he felt about it now
he looked surprised and then sheepish but he owned it he also cracked a joke
i would love to say i have 10 million us but maybe 10 million australian he said yeah i shouldnt have said that but thats in the past that was my fault you got me there
was he being funny
well i was just in that moment he said i just said that and i was talking to my friends about some things so it just sort of came out i dont really care
he then paused before cracking another joke
maybe if i had 100 thats different he said talking millions again
it was all rather disarming if you were in the room and though tomic has done a lot of ill advised things in his young career many of them involving motorized vehicles he also has an endearing side
he has sacrificed a lot of his childhood to the hunt to become a tennis star without much say in the matter he has not gone through anything remotely close to bakers medical travails but he did have double hip surgery in 2014
is he bothered by his image that he doesnt care that he repeatedly doesnt give his all
yeah i get what youre saying he said i think i have to learn to deal with more and compete i struggle mentally a lot so thats one area i need to improve
avoiding eye contact he added everyone knows i have a lot of talent me i dont need to train much to be where i am 30 20 in the world i always have the talent if i want to get more in my career and life i have to be 100 percent in everything you have to give 100 percent all the time and compete all year
baker to be clear was not eager to give any lectures to tomic
thats not my role he said hes 20 in the world hes doing something right people can say he doesnt compete as well at times but you dont get to 20 without competing well and winning tight matches
tomic certainly competed well on the red clay on tuesday under the edgy watch of lleyton hewitt the recently retired star who is now australias davis cup captain
hewitts internal flame burned red hot and he played on well past the days when he was a threat to get back to no 1 long after he stopped winning big titles he never stopped hustling
a young 10 million man could learn plenty from him plenty from brian baker too even after a straight sets win at roland garros


as the islamic state burst into the international spotlight in 2014 claiming a wide swath of territory in syria and iraq and spreading its message through a stream of bloody propaganda videos over the internet a young man from the bronx watched with increasing admiration according to law enforcement officials
twice in less than two months that fall the man sajmir alimehmeti tried without success to enter britain according to a federal complaint unsealed in manhattan on tuesday the first time he was found carrying camouflage pants and shirts and a pair of nunchucks tucked away in his bag at the airport in manchester he was denied entry the complaint says
the second time he was stopped at heathrow airport in london when the british authorities looked at his cellphone and computer they found photos of the islamic state flag and the groups attacks according to the complaint and he was again sent back to the united states
after he grew frustrated with his own attempts to join the islamic state according to the authorities he tried to help another man who said he was looking to fight for the terrorist group unaware that the man was an undercover federal law enforcement employee
mr alimehmeti 22 was arrested on tuesday on charges of providing material support to a terrorist organization and passport fraud and was ordered held without bond by a magistrate judge gabriel w gorenstein of federal district court
a prosecutor brendan quigley had argued in court that mr alimehmeti posed a significant flight risk and danger to the community saying he had repeatedly demonstrated his support for the islamic state
mr alimehmetis lawyer sylvie levine had asked that her client be released on 200000 bond with restrictions like home confinement she argued that none of his statements appeared to be followed by any act
if convicted mr alimehmeti could face up to 20 years in prison on the material support charge and up to 10 years on the passport fraud count
mr alimehmetis neighbors who said he had become more religious in recent years were stunned by the news of the arrest
luis rodriguez 21 who lived down the hall from mr alimehmeti said that when the two first met mr alimehmeti wore american style clothes mr rodriguez would lend him video games like call of duty and he said they were friendly
but in 2013 mr alimehmeti disappeared for a time mr rodriguez said he thought perhaps he had traveled to albania where his brother lived according to the complaint mr alimehmetis brother was arrested on weapons and assault charges there in 2015
when he returned he was different mr rodriguez said
he got calmer he said he started working and saying he was going to school i didnt see him outside as much
nearly 100 people have been charged in the united states with supporting the islamic state also known as isis or isil and mr alimehmetis case   both in the ways that it differs from the others and in the ways that it fits into a broader pattern   highlights the ever evolving efforts by law enforcement agencies to combat a threat that is also changing
when isis first rose to the top of the threat list many of the court cases cited people for trying to go overseas to fight for the group
but by spring 2015 the cases shifted with most involving people who were believed to pose a direct threat of attack in the united states   an emphasis that has only increased since the isis inspired attacks in paris brussels and san bernardino calif
james b comey the director of the federal bureau of investigation has said there are about 900 open inquiries related to support for the islamic state across the country
diego rodriguez the assistant director in charge of the fbis new york office said that mr alimehmeti was allegedly having a hard time getting overseas to fight with the islamic state but when he couldnt leave he allegedly seemed more than willing to help others tread the same path to join an insidious and deadly terrorist organization mr rodriguez added
karen j greenberg the executive director of the center on national security at the fordham university school of law said mr alimehmetis desire to fight abroad was intriguing because it raised the question of whether the groups call for recruits was still resonating
this case in its details reinforces the trend in isis cases the preference for weapons other than explosives the importance of social media the virulence of isis videos a new trend in efforts to avoid detection online and the youth of these individuals in the united states she said in 2014 this individual was 20 the most frequent age among those indicted on isis related charges in the us
mr alimehmeti repeatedly showed his support for the organization the complaint says citing materials found on his laptop and cellphone when he tried to enter britain in december 2014 as well as secretly recorded statements he made
his laptop for example contained audio files of jihad and martyrdom lectures including some delivered by anwar al awlaki the american imam who became the leading english language propagandist for al qaedas affiliate in yemen before he was killed in a united states drone strike in 2011
ms greenberg noted that osama bin laden is rarely mentioned as a source of inspiration anymore mr awlakis message however continues to resonate
since summer 2015 mr alimehmeti began buying military style knives and equipment like handcuffs and gloves with steel knuckles according to the complaint
beginning in fall 2015 he also began meeting with undercover law enforcement employees who were posing as like minded sympathizers of the islamic state one met repeatedly with mr alimehmeti at his bronx apartment where mr alimehmeti displayed the isis flag and played isis videos on his computer and phone the complaint says
about two weeks ago mr alimehmeti was told that another purported islamic state supporter he had met had left the united states to join the group
mr alimehmeti said he was jealous of the man and hoped he would introduce him to his connections the complaint says
during that meeting on may 9 mr alimehmeti also played two isis produced music videos one of which showed the groups fighters decapitating prisoners according to the complaint which says that mr alimehmeti claimed the videos keep him motivated while he is exercising
last week the complaint says mr alimehmeti said he wanted to go to raqqah the islamic states de facto capital in northern syria because it was the heart of its operations
the next day mr alimehmeti was also introduced to a third undercover employee who posed as a would be isis fighter who had just arrived in new york by bus and would be flying from kennedy international airport that evening to join the organization
mr alimehmeti helped the purported islamic state supporter buy supplies according to the complaint including boots and a cellphone and advised him on the use of an encryption app cautioning him that even when using it dont say things straight up


san francisco   automakers are looking toward a technology driven future one where they increasingly acknowledge that getting around may not require owning a car
on tuesday two of the worlds largest automakers toyota and volkswagen said they were stepping up to invest in technology start ups that are working to change the way people travel by car toyota said it had formed a partnership with and invested an undisclosed amount in uber the biggest ride hailing company gett the app popular in europe said it was working with volkswagen and the automaker was investing 300 million in the start up
the alliances are the latest in a string of pairings between technology companies and traditional automakers that are scrambling to reposition themselves for decades automakers had abided by the well worn formula of making bigger and more powerful cars to fuel their growth
but start ups like uber and lyft and technology companies like google and tesla have disrupted that cadence these companies mostly located in silicon valley have in the last few years sped the development of self driving cars electric vehicles and ride services
automakers have become increasingly concerned about those technologies and their potential to help people travel easily and cheaply without owning a car   or even without knowing how to drive
in some american cities small groups of people are already choosing not to own cars by relying on ride hailing services like uber through which consumers can order a ride through their smartphone and car sharing companies like zipcar where they essentially pick up a car whenever they need to drive one eventually self driving cars will be a reality which would let uber and others field fleets of driverless vehicles that can operate around the clock and further cut the cost of ride services
ride sharing has huge potential in terms of shaping the future of mobility shigeki tomoyama senior managing officer of toyota said in a statement about partnering with uber we would like to explore new ways of delivering secure convenient and attractive mobility services to customers
karl brauer an analyst at the research firm kelley blue book said there was no sign that car sharing or ride sharing   sometimes called mobility services   was slowing auto sales today auto sales in the united states hit a record high in 2015 and are on the rise this year and china and other international markets will ensure the global auto market continues to grow
nevertheless auto companies are investing in companies like uber to be ahead of the curve if they do shake up car ownership down the road mr brauer said history has shown that if you wait for the market to decide youre dead he said
in january general motors invested 500 million in lyft the ride hailing app popular with american users with a focus on developing networks of autonomous vehicles ford motor is making over its dearborn mich headquarters into a silicon valley like campus of green buildings connected by self driving shuttles
and a few weeks ago fiat chrysler and google agreed to produce a test fleet of driverless minivans both bmw and mercedes benz have started to pilot ride services
even other technology companies only tangentially related to automobiles are becoming more involved in ride services apple which is working on its own autos project said this month it had invested 1 billion in didi chuxing a chinese ride hailing company that competes fiercely with uber
the scale of ride hailing as a phenomenon is encapsulated in china uber operates in more than 30 chinese cities with plans to expand to 100 by the end of the year didi is in well over 300 cities and towns throughout the country
last june uber said it had approximately 20000 regular drivers in the chinese city of chengdu alone on par with the approximately 22000 drivers in san francisco and 26000 in new york at the time
but global expansion requires capital   lots of it companies like uber have tapped venture capitalists strategic partners and large institutional investors at the rate of about once every six months to amass enough money to keep introducing operations in new cities in total uber has raised more than 10 billion from several firms to wage its land war across multiple continents
with the toyota partnership uber gets other perks apart from money the company based in san francisco which was valued at 625 billion in december plans to expand its vehicle financing program with toyota whose cars are among the most popular with uber drivers customers can lease toyota vehicles through the program and are able to pay down the cost by driving for uber
toyota said that in its work with uber the companies would also cooperate on trials in countries where ride hailing is growing
the companies also plan to develop in car apps that support uber drivers and to share their knowledge and research they said
volkswagen has been slower to jump on the mobility bandwagon partly because it has been consumed by an emission cheating scandal involving its diesel models after those revelations volkswagen replaced its chief executive about a dozen top managers departed its vw brand sales skidded in the united states and it set aside 18 billion to cover scandal related costs
next month volkswagen is supposed to detail a plan to buy back or repair about 500000 diesel models that had the cheating software and were sold in the united states
about the same time volkswagen is also planning to unveil a strategy 2025 in which mobility initiatives will play major roles in april volkswagen said it intended to set up a separate mobility company to oversee investments and initiatives on this front
we aim to become a world leading mobility provider by 2025 matthias muller chief executive of volkswagen said in a statement
shahar waiser getts chief executive stressed the synchronicity his company had with volkswagens european sales and how the companies were focused on both consumer and business clients mr waiser said gett had 500 million in revenue 30 percent of which came from the companys 4000 corporate and business clients and that it was profitable in some markets
gett which is popular in more than 60 european cities as well as moscow and new york said it planned to use the capital to continue expanding its european operations
by now people realize that the landscape is so big   and every market is so different   there will be more than a monopoly or a duopoly mr waiser said you will always see two maybe three major players in this space wherever you go


nearly two days after the most recent episode of game of thrones fans are still struggling with the loss of a gentle giant previously known for being everyones favorite thrones punch line
hodor
in the final moments of sundays episode the lumbering loyal servant died saving bran stark his paraplegic charge from an army of zombies which was sad enough on its own but the sequence also revealed that thanks to some convoluted time skipping the incident itself is actually what doomed the character to a life of simple mindedness sacrifice and a one word vocabulary hodor is short for hold the door both the last phrase the character ever heard and the one that fried his circuits as a young lad named wyllis it made sense if you saw it sort of
 recap hold the door 
the twist which recast a figure of fun into a tragic hero sparked an emotional online outpouring that has continued unabated at times crossing creatively into the real world even david benioff and db weiss the creators of the show called it one of the most shocking revelations they ever received from george rr martin who writes the books the series is based on and conceived the details of hodors origin
theres a very nice thing going around the internet that says not all heroes hold weapons some hold doors  kristian nairn the 6 foot 11 irish actor who played him said on tuesday he is a hero now but i think he always was in his own way
hes proven himself now   hes not just a joke mr nairn added but i want people to remember him both ways because i think its fun as well
the 40 year old actor who famously gave away the fact that he would not be appearing in season 5 has successfully held his tongue since shooting the final scene in november he has spent the intervening months on his thriving music career and in talks for a possible netflix series and various film roles
in a phone interview on tuesday he discussed why hodor would be happy with his send off and why despite the shows fluid ideas about death he doesnt think hodor will be returning these are edited excerpts from the conversation
have you gotten used to the idea yet
what of being dead and irrelevant no im used to being irrelevant but being dead is novel ill give it that
so hes definitely dead
yeah i dont think hes going to survive that as far as i know put it that way
any chance hell come back as a zombie
theres always a chance its actually very freeing   i have a really big mouth and its difficult for me to not tell things the fact that i can watch the rest of the show and not have to hold back because i might let something slip is freeing but i dont think hes coming back
what did you think when you read the script for sundays episode
it was a double edged sword for me i really wanted him to have a good send off i dont think theres been many better send offs on the show so far but i definitely was a bit weepy when i read it more so because these guys are my friends who i work with its going to be strange not seeing them on a professional level
did the fact that bran was responsible for not only his death but also his simple mindedness change your idea about the nature of their relationship
no it doesnt although bran was responsible for the whole chain of events that killed hodor hodor didnt have to hold that door he wasnt being warged into at that stage it was meera who asked him to hold the door it wasnt bran he wants to protect the little guy thats all hes ever done he wants to help   this is the ultimate helping hand here i just think he would be happy they could continue without him
how did it feel to finally know what you had been saying for all these years
that was great man because i literally had no idea all my theories were wrong so it was nice to know it actually meant something after all the different meanings ive given it over the years its strange to know it actually means hold the door
what was your favorite theory about it
this is more about hodors origin story but i liked the theory that he was one of the lost clegane brothers youve got hodor sandor and gregor perhaps you know gregor was very cruel to sandor when he was a child he burned his face and stuff who knows what he did to hodor he couldve dropped him out of his cot or pram and maybe thats what happened to him thats what i played around with in my head but obviously it was completely wrong
whats your understanding of what actually fried his brain
bran has some kind of telekinetic force in his brain that can overtake the electronics of animals and obviously hodor as well i think its almost like a telephone call with crossed wires brans in this time shift mode hes hearing meera say you have to warg into hodor i just think hodor got caught up in this vortex and it fried his circuitry its almost like pressing a reset button on him
so you dont think he had any sense throughout his life of what his destiny was
i dont think so i dont think he had any sense of what was coming i dont think he recognized bran when he saw him the second time around he maybe felt some sort of connection to him which was why the bond was there but i dont think he said to himself oh thats that little expletive from the courtyard stay away from him run
how did that final scene change your understanding of hodor
it didnt change it at all obviously it gave me the answers to the reality of the character but it was very true to him and to i hope the way i played him there was a lot of humanity there and i think he always had a lot of humanity i think thats exactly what hodor would have wanted well i dont think he wanted to die but i think he happily did
why do you think people are taking hodors death so hard
theres no one else like hodor on game of thrones theres no other character with that warmth humanity and a little bit of comic relief people are taking it badly hes just such a nice guy and its so rare on this show and he didnt deserve it but thats just game of thrones for you i think it was set up earlier in the episode jaqen hghar asks arya something like does death only come for the wicked and leave good people behind because hodor is such a good person and hes about to get slaughtered
what was the final day like
it was emotional man it was the day either before or after my birthday it was a really heavy day   youve got these 100 mile per hour winds being blown into your face with false snow i was really holding the door   there were like eight people pushing from the other side and i was really holding them back its definitely method acting laughs it was a very intense day but one of the nice things was they let isaac wrap me he got to come over and say mr nairn thats a wrap it was very emotional its always been a little group of us together and it felt like our little group was breaking up and its sad
how many different ways are there to say hodor
theres infinite ways to say it but its not all about the word man its about body language as well
do you have a favorite one
my favorite one i think was back in season 3 and osha was complaining about why do we always have to do the work why do we build the tent and light the fire while bran talks to the reeds and i just looked up at her and gave her this sort of why are you telling me this hodor what do you want me to do about it it was such an obscure hodor but everyone got it it was fantastic
you have other shows and films coming up as well as your music career but have you made your peace with the fact that youll always be hodor for many people
absolutely some people say that like its a bad thing to play this iconic character from this historically wonderful series of books   who wouldnt take that opportunity and be happy about it im happy to be hodor forever
great
but ask me that in 10 years


president obama will speak on friday at the site where the united states first used an atomic bomb at the end of world war ii what should he say
in announcing mr obamas visit to hiroshima japan the white house said he would not revisit president harry s trumans decision to drop the bomb or apologize for the attacks on hiroshima and nagasaki but some new york times readers who answered our request for suggestions for the presidents speech said he should do just that
maki wakiyama from urawa japan said mr obama should apologize because the bombs killed indiscriminatingly david rothauser of brookline mass said an apology by the president would set a tone of reconciliation that all nations can respond to
prime minister abe can take obamas cue and give heartfelt apologies for japans wwii atrocities against her asian neighbors thereby engendering lasting respect from former enemies mr rothauser added referring to shinzo abe of japan
but a reader from new york city joseph swartz said the president could lament the damage caused by the atomic bombs without apologizing for their use
he can say it was unfortunate that the us made a strategic choice to use nuclear weapons to end the war with japan mr swartz wrote adding that the decision had ultimately saved lives by avoiding a military invasion of japan the president must not apologize for that event he said
another reader michael ennis of dallas suggested that mr obama use his speech to urge mr abe to confront his countrys past
obama should at least confront abes attempt to whitewash japans wwii war crimes as aggressively as he confronted viet nams leaders over their human rights abuses mr ennis wrote adding abes unapologetic stance is merely exacerbating the pain and mistrust that japans ultra nationalist aggression has sown throughout asia for the last 85 years
michael sternfeld of gaithersburg md said that mr obama should remind the japanese leadership that what happened in hiroshima was the result of japan being ruled by autocratic militarists who valued conquest and glory over their own citizens
many other readers who sent their suggestions said that mr obama who has made curbing nuclear weapons a signature issue of his presidency should make good on that promise
president obama should tell the world that he has not forgotten the promise he made in his prague speech to work for global nuclear disarmament the rev holly beaumont from santa fe nm wrote
ms beaumont said the president should veto the 1 trillion he previously approved to modernize the us nuclear weapons programs
he should tell the world she added that his visit to hiroshima confirms his belief that nuclear weapons are a threat to humanity and the us the only nation to use nukes against another nation must provide the leadership to achieve nuclear disarmament
alexander martin of nashville tenn said he wanted to hear mr obama make a pledge to my fellow humans and the future inhabitants of our planet that the united states shall today unconditionally and permanently renounce its prerogative to use deploy maintain manufacture and develop nuclear weapons and shall decommission and destroy its existing nuclear weapons with all due haste
what do you think the president should say in his speech share your suggestions and check back during the week when we will publish selected readers submissions
last august on the 70th anniversary of the attacks that killed about 200000 people and ushered in the atomic age we asked readers did the united states have to drop the bomb we received thousands of responses including justifications condemnations indictments and explanations
even with decades of perspective and more historical knowledge about what was happening at that time in the war the debate over the use of atomic weapons has yielded little consensus


senator john barrasso republican of wyoming will lead the platform committee for the republican national convention officials said tuesday
mr barrassos role had been anticipated for weeks but the platform committees work took on new significance after the partys presumptive presidential nominee donald j trump suggested that he would like to see changes made to a platform that has been essentially the same since the days of ronald reagan
mr barrasso said that the process of writing the platform would be driven by the delegates and that its going to be a conservative platform that reflects our values freedom liberty and limited government
mr barrasso a doctor who frequently rails against the affordable care act on the senate floor said that people should look for a health care component in the platform an issue that has united republicans and helped them win elections across the country and for an energy component which he called a divisive issue for democrats
mr barrasso said that he met with mr trump in washington two weeks ago and that his takeaway was that no presidential candidate has ever fully embraced the platform but we expect absolute acceptance of it but attendees of those meetings said that mr trump a former democrat had made assurances that he would not seek to tinker with the platform
mr barrasso is a member of the senate republican leadership team serving as chairman of the republican policy committee


the tragically hip the canadian rock band announced tuesday that its lead singer gord downie had been given a diagnosis of terminal brain cancer but doctors have cleared mr downie to go on tour for a series of summer concerts
this feels like the right thing to do now for gord and for all of us the hip said in the statement on its website
mr downie 52 is a household name in canada and the news of his illness quickly lit up social media to the puzzlement of some beyond the countrys border
as the frontman and lyricist for the group fondly known as canadas band he writes songs that are rooted in his experience of and love for his country
that has earned the band thousands of fans including canadas prime minister justin trudeau who pinned a statement honoring mr downie to the top of his twitter page on tuesday
a magnetic live performer mr downie described his onstage persona to the novelist joseph boyden in an interview in macleans in 2009
i throw myself on the altar of song he said and i see my own personal musical life in fast flashes of faces and names and colors and sounds and i get lost in the euphoria of standing up there like howling wolf or otis redding or david bowie with a mic in my hand and an audience thats ready
randy lennox the president for entertainment production and broadcasting at bell media a canadian equivalent to viacom is the former president of the tragically hips label universal music canada and a friend of mr downies he described mr downie as a hybrid of bono and leonard cohen and compared his success to that of other rock luminaries
he is canadas poet for this generation mr lennox said and the tragically hip have sold more albums in this country than u2 than rush than every other very very renowned musical band
the canadian singer leslie feist is a close friend of mr downies my feelings are big for gord as they have been since i first met him 20 years ago she said via email hes always been a teacher to me for how to fight for the true view in a song and inhabit them with conviction i admire him deeply and wish him strength and love in this struggle
the tragically hip released their first studio album in 1989 and have won over a dozen juno awards the canadian equivalent of the grammys eleven of their 12 studio albums have gone platinum in canada some of them many times over a new album man machine poem is coming out june 17
the band never managed to catch on in the same way with american listeners as they did up north six months after their 1994 album day for night hit no 1 on the canadian charts the band was invited to play on saturday night live where they were proudly introduced by a fellow ontario native dan aykroyd
that appearance probably marked the performers deepest penetration into the american cultural consciousness and their chart performance in the united states was negligible compared to their extraordinary success in canada
mr lennox said that the bands unique appeal to canadians is directly attributable to mr downies lyrics
he writes about such indigenous subjects he said every country has their own vocabulary their own vernacular and gord just wrote for all of us like minded music lovers about canada from a canadian perspective


donald j trump has been working to mend fences with many of his detractors but among literary luminaries it is looking like it will be a tough sell
a group of more than 400 writers including big names such as stephen king david eggers amy tan junot diaz and cheryl strayed released an online petition on tuesday to express their opposition to mr trumps candidacy on the grounds that he is appealing to the darkest elements in american society
the rise of a political candidate who deliberately appeals to the basest and most violent elements in society who encourages aggression among his followers shouts down opponents intimidates dissenters and denigrates women and minorities demands from each of us an immediate and forceful response they wrote
organized on the literary website lithub signatures on the petition grew to more than 1000 from 450 within hours as celebrity authors promoted their participation on social media
in the open letter the authors voiced concern that the united states was taking a step back toward a nativist past and warned that dictatorships tend to emerge in the wake of manipulation and division demagoguery and lies
although the authors are not holding back in their disgust with the presumptive republican nominee mr trump does seem to be getting their creative juices flowing
lyz lenz a writer from iowa wrote an essay on lithub that was published on tuesday making the case that mr trumps rise evokes images from the work of william faulkner particularly the corrupt character flem snopes
america is burning she writes you might not see the flames but you can smell the smoke and weve been set on fire by one man   donald trump a flem snopes of our modern era


the group resurrecting new york city opera from bankruptcy announced on tuesday that it would be collaborating with an important figure from the companys past the director harold prince who plans to stage leonard bernsteins candide next season
its all about city opera i want the peoples opera back in new york said mr prince 88 who directed a number of celebrated productions for the old city opera including the well received company premiere of candide in 1982 which helped change perceptions of the piece
mr prince said in a telephone interview that he had been outraged to see the old company which was founded by mayor fiorello h la guardia in 1943 to bring opera to the masses descend into mismanagement and ultimately bankruptcy when that happened i was appalled furious he said you know my god fiorello gave us this
the new candide which will open on jan 6 at the rose theater at jazz at lincoln center and will be based on the productions mr prince mounted at city opera and on broadway is a centerpiece of the companys 2016 17 season the companys other operas at the rose theater next season will include a double bill that pairs rachmaninoffs rarely seen aleko with leoncavallos crowd pleasing staple pagliacci respighis la campana sommersa the sunken bell a coproduction with the teatro lirico di cagliari and peter eotvoss angels in america based on the tony kushner play which will receive its new york premiere on june 10 2017
it will be the companys first full season since it emerged from bankruptcy under new management this year it hastily put together an abbreviated season its first productions of puccinis tosca and stewart wallaces 1997 chamber opera hoppers wife received mixed reviews
michael capasso the companys new general director said in an interview that he had tried to include several of the elements that once made city opera a vibrant part of new yorks cultural scene a mixture of operatic chestnuts rarities from the past new works and seminal american pieces like candide
the idea is that well always have an american piece that has strong ties to city operas past mr capasso said so much of what is now the standard rep of american opera all comes from city opera
he added that the company was building itself back up   mining a database of 450000 people who previously bought tickets or donated to the company in the hopes of persuading them to return issuing refunds to patrons who bought tickets to performances that were canceled after the company declared bankruptcy in 2013 beginning to pay creditors in the bankruptcy case and hiring a lean staff
the company also plans to offer a pair of chamber operas next season fallujah a 90 minute one act by tobin stokes a canadian composer with a libretto by heather raffo that explores the iraq war will open on nov 17 at a location to be announced and city opera will present a spanish baroque rarity los elementos by antonio de literes 1673 1747 in may 2017 at harlem stage
los elementos will be the second installment in the nascent companys opera en espanol series which aims to present an opera in spanish each season its first florencia en el amazonas by daniel catan and inspired by the magical realism of gabriel garcia marquez will be given its new york premiere by the company on june 22 at the rose theater mr capasso said that the company also planned to perform in bryant park this summer city opera has also commissioned the composer tobias picker to write american venus about the true story of the rise and fall of a gilded age supermodel for its 75th anniversary in 2019
mr prince said he was grateful that the company had opted to reorganize in bankruptcy rather than close
the one correct thing theyve done is to allow the name to continue he said its all in business and god i hope it flourishes


152 million
uptown58
58 west 129th street between lenox and fifth avenues
manhattan
a family that invests in local real estate has bought a 2375 square foot retail condo from the developersponsor of this seven story mixed use condominium that was completed in 2015 the existing tenant in the space is the national jazz museum in harlem which moved there in march and signed a five year triple net lease the museum is responsible for electricity taxes and insurance
buyer ssm of new york llc
buyers broker vlad sapozhnikov oneworld property advisors
seller 58 west 129th street llc
sellers brokers faith hope consolo and arthur maglio douglas elliman
5142sq ft
54000 approximate annual rent
704 washington avenue between prospect place and saint marks avenue
prospect heights brooklyn
a gift shop and craft studio which is to offer classes and crafting events including clay modeling yarncraft and beading has signed a three year lease for a 1056 square foot storefront and a full usable basement the tenant expects to open on june 1
tenant pistol haute jewels dba planet cute
landlord dr desmond browne
brokers kenneth simmons and erik serras ideal properties group
1395 million
1535 richmond avenue between akron and morani streets
bulls head staten island
this two story office building completed in 2001 features a granite and insulated gold dust glass facade insulated glass windows and doors as well as a drinking water purification system the 39896 square foot building is triple net leased by santander bank which has another year left on its lease as well as two five year options to renew the bank subleases some of the space to five other tenants including the staten island board of realtors and a day care facility the property has 90 outdoor parking spaces
owner 15 rich llc
brokers stephen r preuss michael decheser and shaya deaton cushman  wakefield


robert a mcdonald the secretary of the department of veterans affairs drew bipartisan criticism after comparing the waiting times for veterans receiving medical care to standing in line for a ride at disneyland
at an event with reporters on monday mr mcdonald was asked why the department did not publicly report the so called create date when veterans first ask for medical care which could be used to calculate how long they are waiting in lengthy backlogs for their appointments
the days to an appointment is really not what we should be measuring mr mcdonald responded what we should be measuring is the veterans satisfaction what really counts is how does the veteran feel about their encounter with the va when you go to disney do they measure the number of hours you wait in line what is important is what is your satisfaction with the experience
he continued what i would like to move to actually is that kind of measure we are in the process of creating that kind of measure validating that kind of measure
the comparison to an amusement park experience did not sit well with some veterans and politicians
dale barnett the national commander of the american legion said in a statement people dont die while waiting to go on space mountain we also disagree with the substance of his comment because wait times are very important to not just the satisfaction quotient but in some cases the veterans health
the department has come under heavy criticism and congressional scrutiny for a backlog of hundreds of thousands of benefits claims fostered by repeatedly canceled appointments unreturned calls and the rapid turnover of physicians in 2014 eric shinseki resigned as va secretary as the scandal mushroomed
clearly the secretarys comments were not worthy of the veterans that he serves the house speaker paul d ryan said of mr mcdonalds comments but they are also indicative of a culture of indifference at the va
jeb bush the former governor of florida and a one time republican presidential candidate tweeted that the comment was a complete disgrace
senator john mccain a republican from arizona and a vietnam war veteran called the comment outrageous and completely inappropriate
secretary mcdonalds comparison further erodes what little confidence the american people have left in the department of veterans affairs and its commitment to our veterans he said
while the political response was especially forceful among republicans senator roy blunt a republican from missouri called on mr mcdonald to resign some democrats also protested representative tammy duckworth a democrat from illinois who was wounded while serving in iraq called the words unbelievably tone deaf and hurtful to american heroes desperately in need of care
representative ann kirkpatrick democrat of arizona said mr mcdonald was wrong to downplay the need to measure wait times while representative loretta sanchez democrat of california said she was disappointed by secretary mcdonalds callous comments
on tuesday mr mcdonald responded to the wave of criticism in a statement it was never my intention to suggest that i dont take our mission of serving veterans very seriously if my comments monday led any veterans to believe that i or the dedicated work force i am privileged to lead dont take that noble mission seriously i deeply regret that nothing could be further from the truth
before mr mcdonalds statement the va said in a statement monday we know that veterans are still waiting too long for care in our effort to determine how we can better meet veterans needs knowing that their satisfaction is our most important measure we have heard them tell us that wait times alone are not the only indication of their experience with va and thats why we must transform the way we do business
it said the create date did not reflect the veterans preference or what was deemed clinically necessary by a health care clinician now it uses a preferred date which reflects when the patient wants to be seen or when a provider says the patient needs care
based on that metric the department posts some data on its website including average waiting times and the number of patients waiting for an appointment


an overhaul in shareholder rights is coming as delaware seeks to curtail a strategy that has grown popular with hedge funds the question is whether shareholders or companies will benefit
right now shareholders of a company that is the target of a corporate takeover can protest the price being paid by petitioning a court to appraise the value of their shares the court will order the merged company to pay the shareholders fair value which may be greater or less than the amount paid in the deal plus any interest that accumulated during the courts deliberation which often takes years
appraisal rights originally came to be as a compromise mergers used to require the approval of 100 percent of shareholders that gave power to shareholders who wanted to block deals by being holdouts appraisal rights were adopted to reduce the minimum deal approval threshold to a majority that way a shareholder could dissent from the takeover but not stop it
the ability to exercise appraisal rights has always been convoluted and difficult however in delaware appraisal rights are usually available only if the deal price is paid in cash not stock this means there are ways to avoid setting off appraisal rights remember bear stearnss acquisition by jpmorgan chase in 2008 jpmorgan paid for the deal with stock instead of the measly cash amount it could have used avoiding appraisal rights
exercising appraisal rights can also be risky for shareholders if the court found that the acquirer had overpaid the shareholder seeking the appraisal would receive less than other shareholders got in the deal and lengthy court proceedings required costly experts to opine on the fairness of the price
because of these issues shareholders seldom exercise appraisal rights
that all changed after a case in delaware eight years ago made it easier to exercise appraisal rights and incited a boom in appraisal arbitrage a strategy in which a fund buys shares just before a merger closes in order to exercise the appraisal rights hedge funds like merion capital merlin partners and quadre investments arose specializing in the strategy
this was a problem for companies incorporated in delaware and thus the overhaul efforts began
a proposal last year in delaware limited appraisal rights to holders of 1 million or more of a companys stock or 1 percent of the outstanding shares whichever was less another proposal also took aim at the accumulated interest by allowing companies to prepay the acquisition amount and eliminate interest accrual
these proposals died in the legislature last year as a debate erupted over whether they went far enough or too far in limiting appraisal they were revived this year and they just passed the delaware house of representatives they appear destined to become law
the question is what effect these changes will have on appraisal rights in a just released study four professors including wei jiang at columbia university and randall thomas at vanderbilt university looked at past appraisal actions to predict what would happen
first the authors found that hedge funds dominate appraisal cases actions by hedge funds make up three quarters of the volume measured by dollars for appraisal actions in the last few years seven funds accounted for a majority of this volume
second the study found that appraisal cases seem to serve some corrective function appraisal rights are exercised more often when there is a conflict with shareholders as in a management buyout or private equity deal or when there is a lower deal premium
finally the professors found that if past filing patterns hold the new appraisal rules would significantly restrict appraisal actions the authors predict that the 1 million minimum will knock out a quarter of these actions and allowing for an interest rate cutoff could eliminate another significant number of filings
these changes are on top of a court crackdown that also limits investors seeking appraisals by setting the price paid by the acquirer as the amount to be awarded in an appraisal proceeding unless it can be shown that the sale process went awry
the proposed changes may backfire however rather than discourage appraisal petitions the elimination of interest accrual through prepayment may actually spur more appraisal actions because hedge funds would be paid sooner and be able to use that money to bring more appraisal actions
in addition the 1 million minimum seemingly unfairly knocks out small shareholders but not professional hedge funds there should be a remedy for a small shareholder who feels ill treated
perhaps more important legislators have not assessed whether the proposals uphold the intent of appraisal rights which was to protect shareholders in delaware courts it is hard to challenge a deal that was negotiated with good process appraisal rights could be the only remedy for shareholders in deals that did not have a great price absent the threat of appraisal proceedings buyers and sellers might lose the incentive to pay a fair price instead paying a price that was just high enough
the overhaul also does not fix the problems with appraisal actions they are still not available for stock deals allowing companies to bypass this option easily there will still be battles in court over the price of a deal in front of judges who are not trained in these issues and these revisions may not even deter hedge funds from exercising appraisal rights the ostensible impetus for these changes
all of this speaks caution after all it seems funny that now that shareholders want to use appraisal rights there is a push to try to end it does that seem right


a retired new york city police officer was accused on tuesday of running a multimillion dollar online escort service that catered to clients at their homes and at major manhattan hotels arranging assignations that cost as much as 20000 a night
the former officer michael rizzi was charged with money laundering in connection with managing his service bjmmanhattan stakes and entertainment since 2012 which he advertised through nearly 60 websites with names like lush playmates and elite club nyc prosecutors said that bjm promoted prostitution after personally interviewing candidates mr rizzi 44 of brooklyn would send them out on jobs with wealthy customers one of whom requested an escort named jade to accompany him on a private jet for a five day trip to a secluded resort in jamaica according to a federal complaint
speaking to reporters outside federal district court in brooklyn javier solano mr rizzis lawyer said his client ran a legitimate business that provided companionship   and only companionship there was no sex involved mr solano said adding that mr rizzi had in fact fired some women after he discovered that they had engaged in illegal activity with clients
according to telephone and real estate records mr rizzi is married to jill juliano whose father richard juliano a soldier in the gambino crime family pleaded guilty to illegal gambling charges in 2003 mr rizzi joined the police department in 1991 and retired with a pension in 2000 after suffering a line of duty injury mr solano said
in 2009 mr rizzi was arrested on charges of serving as a super agent for a separate gambling ring by officers from the police departments organized crime investigation division two years after his arrest he pleaded guilty to promoting gambling   a misdemeanor   and was penalized with a fine
according to the complaint the inquiry into the escort service began in 2012 when the police and agents from the internal revenue service and the homeland security department began investigating a staten island man named marc j schulman who ran a prostitution company called pure platinum models prosecutors claim that financial records linked shell companies that mr schulman used to mr rizzis business bjm mr rizzi eventually took over pure platinum models the prosecutors added renaming it and running it out of his home in bensonhurst after mr schulman pleaded guilty to money laundering charges in 2015
the complaint said that mr rizzi received email applications for his service from various women and then arranged face to face meetings with them at hotels across the city in one of those emails the complaint said a potential candidate wrote i am a fun loving girl who loves sex i love sex and if i can get paid for it why not
when one applicant refused to meet in person mr rizzi sent her an email in response saying it was a requirement of the job the complaint quoted him as writing i get the most business my girls make the most money my clients are the wealthiest people in the world i will never send a model i havent interviewed to them
a typical appointment with a bjm escort cost 400 to 2000 an hour prosecutors said but longer sessions were occasionally booked at rates of 7200 for 12 hours or 8400 for 14 hours a fleet of drivers was employed to squire the escorts to clients home or to deluxe hotels like the park central and the mandarin oriental the complaint said
prosecutors added that financial records showed that mr rizzi had processed more than 2 million in credit card receipts through bjm over the last few years
magistrate judge viktor v pohorelsky agreed to set him free on bail of 500000 but while searching mr rizzis residence investigators found an antique 32 caliber pistol and rearrested him on state gun charges before he was released


washington   leaders of the republican party have begun internal deliberations over what would be fundamental changes to the way its presidential nominees are chosen a recognition that the chaotic process that played out this year is seriously flawed and helped exacerbate tensions within the party
in a significant shift republican officials said it now seemed unlikely that the four states to vote first would all retain their cherished place on the electoral calendar with nevada as the most probable casualty
party leaders are even going so far as to consider diluting the traditional status of iowa new hampshire and south carolina as gatekeepers to the presidency under one proposal those states would be paired with others that voted on the same day as a way to give more voters a meaningful role much sooner
but in a move that would sharply limit who could participate in presidential primaries many party activists are also pushing to close republican contests to independent voters arguing that open primaries in some states allowed donald j trump whose conservative convictions they deeply mistrust to become the presumptive nominee
iowa new hampshire and south carolina are sure to mount fierce resistance when the changes are debated in july at the republican national convention in cleveland where party officials are planning to consider a variety of procedural and rule revisions normally overlooked and largely irrelevant in recent presidential elections party rules gained considerable scrutiny this year as until recently republicans faced the prospect of their first contested convention in 40 years
anxieties about the systems fairness stoked by mr trump when he believed he could lose the nomination mirror the bitter debate unfolding in the democratic party democrats will face a similar reckoning before their convention in philadelphia over how to address the perceived inequities in their nominating process which senator bernie sanders of vermont has denounced as unfair and corrupt
given the dissatisfaction with the rules in both parties officials say some combination of changes for 2020 is almost certain
but the parties must balance a conflicting set of priorities the first is preserving the enthusiasm and interest that are driving far more voters than usual to participate in the primaries this year the second is to be sure that the parties ability to vet and ultimately pick their nominees is not rendered obsolete by a flood of newcomers with little partisan loyalty
the central question that republicans and democrats are now struggling to answer after bruising and protracted primary campaigns is one that cuts to the identity of the modern american political party who should be allowed to participate in the presidential nominating process
this is a historic moment said elaine c kamarck a senior fellow at the brookings institution and an expert on the presidential nomination system who noted that the parties could choose two very different paths
one possibility is that the system moves even in a more public direction than it has ms kamarck said she suggested that the parties could open their primaries to even more voters in a way that reduces the influence of activists and leaders
the other end of the continuum is the possibility that parties begin to take back some of their prerogative to nominate their candidates she said
the question at this inflection point she said is which way does it go
the superdelegate system in the democratic party has become the subject of fervent criticism from mr sanders and his supporters because of the outsize role it gives to members of the party elite in choosing the nominee that would be one obvious target for reform democrats said
but the changes being considered by republicans have been more thoroughly discussed and they include several proposals for reordering the political calendar which has traditionally begun with iowa as the first state to vote followed by new hampshire south carolina and since 2008 nevada
in one possibility that members of the republican national committee have floated the early voting states also known as carve out states would retain their special status but to bring more states into the process earlier each would be paired with a nearby state that would vote on the same day so iowa would still hold the first contest in 2020 but on the same day as minnesota new hampshire would vote next but on the same day as massachusetts and the same day pairings would change in 2024 iowa would be twinned with south dakota and new hampshire with maine
i think there will be a serious discussion about the carve out states and how that process works said henry barbour the national committeeman from mississippi and a member of the convention rules committee
expanding the number of states that vote along with iowa new hampshire and south carolina would be difficult mr barbour said given how aggressively the early states fight every four years to remain first
but he did acknowledge a consensus that nevada   which has been plagued by republican infighting counting issues and ballot access problems   was in jeopardy i think theres a good bit of interest to move to another state in the west he said
colorado or new mexico would be two options to replace nevada on the calendar given their diverse electorates and history of voting republican and democratic in statewide elections
other changes under consideration include ones that would abolish the early state system as it now exists and replace it with a rotating set of states that would vote together based on a host of shared factors like population size and geography
proposals to shrink the influence of iowa new hampshire and south carolina seem to surface every four years in both parties but tradition is a powerful force to overcome even after the 2012 republican iowa caucuses ended without a clear winner because of ballot counting problems   reigniting complaints that a small and insular state wielded undue influence   efforts to dethrone iowa failed
one of the most fraught discussions taking place inside the party is whether to restrict voting in presidential primaries and caucuses to registered republicans the impetus is the impending nomination of mr trump a former democrat who holds some views that are far out of line with mainstream party orthodoxy
mr trump won the primaries in new hampshire and south carolina where voters are not required to be party members that has spurred some from the partys conservative wing including many supporters of senator ted cruz of texas to question whether independents are exercising too much influence in republican contests
i think thats probably the biggest discussion of all said ron kaufman the republican national committeeman from massachusetts and a longtime party leader
many argue that a strictly closed process inhibits the party from appealing to a broader swath of the electorate while others fear that non republican voters dilute conservative voices
people forget one thing mr kaufman said the nomination of the candidates for both parties is not an election its a process and there are those who believe that process should be determined by people who care about their parties
one impediment to any sweeping changes to limit open primaries is the republican partys aversion to dictating to states
it has been a pillar of republican party philosophy that we give maximum freedom and authority to the states said steve duprey the national committeeman for new hampshire and to try to dictate one system would seem to be antithetical to that
but im sure there will be big fights on that he added
of course any changes made now cannot address the unforeseeable republicans thought that reforms enacted after the 2012 campaign such as limiting the number of debates and compressing the nominating calendar would help make the process less unpredictable it did not turn out that way
its always the problem ms kamarck said that youre fighting the last battle


looking to improve your cooking outdoors one way to start is by listening to the pyromaniacs who do it every day indoors
in the last few years a rising generation of chefs has pledged its allegiance to the primal appeal of roaring flames you can see and smell the evidence   the orange glow of wood embers the pervasive cologne of smoke   as soon as you step into their restaurants whether the home fires are burning in chicago or seattle or oakland calif
and while its unlikely that many home cooks have the elaborate south american style smoking and grilling equipment that karen and quinn hatfield show off at odys and penelope in los angeles not to mention the tidy arsenal of almond and red oak logs piled to the ceiling these experts have a useful message to impart throw everything onto the fire
many amateur grillers long liberated from meat and corn convention have already taken this road theyre out there charring watermelon radicchio and eggplant
but keep going and youll begin looking at your charcoal grill or wood fire in new ways shove ingredients you may never have considered into the fire above it beneath it avocado yes and well tell you how cabbage absolutely tangerines carrots leeks bok choy fish heads why not
weve all learned to internalize the mantra fat adds flavor the same goes for smoke as soon as you see the fire as a vehicle for charring and perfuming ingredients with deeper layers of flavor possibilities expand
andrew brochu the chef at a new fire focused chicago spot called roister has even found himself making ramen at home over the open flame letting the flavorful smoke scurry across the bubbling broth
we just put pots and pans on the fire he said remembering one patio experiment with colleagues it was funny how shocked people were
renee erickson the chef at the whale wins in seattle where vegetables and a wood fired oven operate in harmony loves the way an hour or so in contact with the coals transforms whole onions and leeks she nestles them right on top of the molten core of the fire and waits until the skin blackens and the bulbs become noticeably juicy and squeezable
they get kind of creamy on the inside and you peel the outside off she said onions turn into onion pudding
scoop out that smoky creamy center give it a dusting of good salt and a few glugs of olive oil and you already have a side dish or as ms erickson recommends convert the cooked down interior of a leek into a sauce or a dip by whipping it into aioli or yogurt
or do what nick anderer does at marta a danny meyer restaurant inside the redbury new york hotel on east 29th street we dont have anything but fire here mr anderer said the other day were forced to think in different ways
tear off hunks of bread tossed with a generous pour of olive oil then just let them sizzle in a warm part of the grill he said they require some babying he cautioned now you have the makings of a next level panzanella salad
cook some sturdy nebrodini mushrooms until the grill marks show and slide them right into a bowl of lemon juice mustard greens olive oil and thyme for a salad roast florets of broccoli before letting them get bloomed as mr anderer describes the process at marta in an apricot puttanesca with black olives and pickled chiles when theyre still hot theyre more likely to soak up the sauce than if you marinate them beforehand
he always wants to bring the smoke to a piece of fish but home cooks may fear that a fillet will stick to the grill or fall apart in the heat
so heres a tip start by placing the fattier skin covered side of a fish on the grill keeping a pan at room temperature at the ready when the skin side is done after six minutes or so flip it like an over easy egg mr anderer said onto the unheated pan and allow the flesh to cook from its own residual heat that way you get the smoke without worrying about the stick
and dont stop there said russell moore a leader of the pyro vanguard at camino in oakland after grilling a fish fillet mr moore may go back and get the remaining head and spine of the fish and put them on the fire for a quick browning he uses those smoked leftovers as the base for an intensely flavorful fish stock
with a fire its crucial to remember that just as theres good stuff going up waves of heat and wisps of smoke theres good stuff going down the tastiness that melts from meat
by placing a bowl beneath whole roasting ducks mr brochu the chef at roister discovered that he could collect the fatty drippings for a meaty vinaigrette to brush on roasted stems of fennel he mixes two parts of drippings with one part banyuls vinegar then adds a little sugar salt and diced orange and lemon
by slicing oranges into thin disks threading wires through them and hanging the slivers a few feet over the dying embers overnight mr brochu found he could create beautiful delicious citrus chips that we havent manipulated in any way
thinking differently about fire means thinking differently about time the perfect moment to make baba ghanouj is when you already have a hot grill on hand mr moore at camino suggests putting a whole eggplant on the fire   on the medium heat coals not the molten red ones you should turn it with tongs now and then to make sure its evenly cooked and then let the metamorphosis run its course
at some point you can feel it collapse he said its pretty obvious let the eggplant cool down after the core has gone all melty and you have the raw material of a middle eastern dip   even one that you may decide to make the next day
its so easy to make that into something tasty mr moore said
few items could be easier than the bok choy recommended by bryant ng an owner and the chef at cassia in santa monica calif blanch the bok choy in salted water to tenderize it then dry it brush with canola oil or another neutral flavored oil and lay it on the grill until it starts to darken but not burn
it really really absorbs the smoke flavor mr ng said better than quite frankly a burger next dip the stalks in oyster sauce and if you havent made any he said buy a jar of oyster sauce
one signature dish at cassia offers a case study in using fire creatively grilled pigs tails come out of the raging fire after just enough time to give them a crispy crust with such a sticky meltingly tender texture that theyre practically viscous
its actually the easiest thing mr ng said he braises the tails for three or four hours beforehand with fish sauce honey and garlic it doesnt have to be pigs tails he said it could be ribs the fire is just the final step
it probably shouldnt come as a surprise that california chefs with their bottomless bounty of first rate produce are inclined to throw fruits and vegetables into the flames theyre also apt to stress the importance of listening to that produce
at odys and penelope in los angeles the hatfields are fond of giving carrots a good 20 minute char before splashing them with a glaze of brown sugar soy sauce ginger garlic and balsamic vinegar softened carrots soak up sauce but theres no point in marinating them in advance carrots are so rock hard they dont absorb anything until theyve been cooked karen hatfield said
a kind of alchemy occurs when char meets sauce one of the simplest dishes at odys and penelope involves taking cabbage an ingredient that normally plays a subsidiary role in a backyard barbecue as coleslaw and blackening it up while breaking it down on the grill after about 20 minutes on the fire the cabbage is chopped then smothered with a caesar dressing
an avocado like a head of cabbage is something rarely associated with grilling but once you consider it your world opens up at bird dog in palo alto calif the chef robbie wilson has been getting a lot of attention for peeling avocados removing the woody seeds giving the avocados facedown grill marks and the fragrance of smoke then filling their warm empty craters with spoonfuls of ponzu sauce
that avocados going to be on my tombstone but im ok with that mr wilson said i think it does embody what makes california great
one of his more interesting tricks involves fire and citrus he and his team give whole satsumas a spin on the flames waiting and watching until the outside of the fruit has darkened and the inside has softened they later slice up and cook down the fruit to create a smoked marmalade bright orange with little flecks of black in it mr wilson said that they fold into other dishes like a plate of wagyu beef
does that sound too hard not if you open your mind mr wilson said the home cook cant be afraid
recipes grilled arctic char with horseradish crema  grilled broccoli with apricot puttanesca  glazed grilled carrots  how to grill


michael w ferro jr is gambling with the money of tribune publishing shareholders
mr ferrro the chairman of tribune publishing has rebuffed gannetts improved offer to buy the company instead he has tapped the deep pockets of patrick soon shiong for a 705 million investment the move just might draw a higher offer but a poison pill and other blocking tactics mean tribune publishing investors could easily be stuck powerless with a declining asset
rather than engage enthusiastically with the latest 15 a share cash offer which values the company at 864 million including debt the tribune publishing board struck an agreement with mr soon shiong that is a bit like the one it made with mr ferro in february for the same price that gannett is proposing mr soon shiong a los angeles lakers stakeholder is getting a nearly 13 percent interest and a spot as vice chairman
collectively mr ferro and mr soon shiong own about 30 percent of tribune publishing which is also the owner of the baltimore sun the chicago tribune and the los angeles times the publisher has a poison pill defense against hostile takeovers that sets up a dilutive rights plan if an investor accumulates 20 percent or more - but neither investor has reached that threshold
there are other more subtle signs that mr ferro has no desire to give up ownership although tribune publishing says it is open to discussing a possible transaction with gannett it is asking the company the publisher of usa today to open its books for a two way due diligence process that seems at odds with a simple all cash transaction it also wants restrictions that gannett says would make it difficult to go hostile for up to two years
gannett has asked tribune publishings shareholders to vote against the companys director nominees at next weeks annual meeting but it missed the deadline to start a more substantial proxy campaign the advisory firm institutional shareholder services is behind tribune publishing on this issue partly because gannett has not put a firm tender offer on the table but the proxy adviser gives tribune publishing its lowest corporate governance grade over all
the first time tribune publishing sent gannett packing it noted the boards unanimity that language is missing this go round it is a sign perhaps that other shareholders may get a say eventually for now mr ferro has managed to keep their fate in his hands they may regret that iss notes that he did not do so well running the chicago sun times


washington   more than 4300 federal inmates were kept in prison beyond their scheduled release dates from 2009 to 2014   some of them for an extra year or more according to a report released on tuesday that highlighted wide confusion in the prison system
the findings by the justice departments inspector general are a potential embarrassment for the united states bureau of prisons at a time when the obama administration has assailed what it says are unfair and unduly harsh sentences for many inmates particularly minorities and nonviolent offenders
while it is unusual for an inmate to be held past his sentence the consequences can be extraordinarily serious the report said the delayed releases deprive inmates of their liberty and have led to millions of dollars in added prison costs and legal settlements with former inmates it concluded
the investigation found that in the most egregious cases avoidable errors by prison staffers led to 152 inmates being imprisoned beyond their release dates
in a number of cases blamed on staff errors prison officials failed to properly give inmates credit for time they had spent behind bars before their sentencing or they misinterpreted the terms of the sentence imposed by the judge the report said
the bulk of these cases led to inmates being kept behind bars for up to an additional month but 61 were held for an extra month or longer and three inmates were kept for more than a year beyond their scheduled release
in nearly 4200 other cases inmates were held for extra time for reasons that prison officials said were beyond their control such as a judges shortening a prisoners sentence to less than the time he had served or a state or local courts imposing a sentence that was not included in the federal system the report did not break out the extra time served by these inmates
prison administrators told the inspector generals office that the vast majority of untimely releases are due to some form of technicality rather than a staff error and probably could not have been prevented the report said
but the inspector generals office said it was concerned that prison administrators did not have enough information about these thousands of untimely releases to say with certainty why they occurred
the obama administration has made criminal justice reform a top priority redoubling efforts to review clemency appeals banning solitary confinement for juvenile prisoners and pushing legislation to ease criminal sentences for some types of crimes among other measures
in recent weeks the administration announced additional steps to ease the path back to society for some 600000 inmates released each year
but the inspector generals report found that some inmates were not gaining their freedom when they expected
the report did not identify the inmates improperly held for the longest stretches but the description of one case matches that of jermaine hickman a minnesota man who was imprisoned for an additional 13 months after what was supposed to be a sentence of about five years for a bank robbery conviction
released from prison in 2014 at age 33 he was paid a settlement of 175000 for the time he was wrongly imprisoned officials said
thats lost time ill never get back lost time with my kids and family lost time that they never get back as well mr hickman told a reporter after he was released
publicity over mr hickmans case in 2014 led the inspector generals office to examine how such mistakes occur and how often
the review found that such cases were a rarity and appear to have decreased slightly in recent years
nearly 462000 inmates were freed during the six years covered in the study so the delayed cases   which the bureau of prisons refers to as untimely releases   were fewer than 1 percent of all releases
but the inspector generals office found that these mistakes caused significant harm and it urged the prisons bureau to take steps to bolster its policies reporting training and interagency communications to prevent such missteps
in a joint response included in the report the prisons bureau and the justice department said they agreed with the recommendations and many of the underlying conclusions but they differed with the inspector general over some issues saying the report created the misleading perception that thousands of the untimely releases resulted from errors in the prison system rather than technical factors outside its control and could have been prevented
while most of the mistakes documented in the report led to imprisoning inmates for too long a few cases found the opposite problem prisoners were set free too early in five cases   in one case by more than two and a half years
the report said these early releases can put communities at risk if the inmates are dangerous but it did not indicate if any additional crimes were committed by any of the five former prisoners when they were improperly freed


by covered wagon and jetliner from east coast to west rust belt to sun belt americans propensity to be on the move - to new jobs and new places - has historically provided the economy with a critical dose of oomph
but as fewer and fewer americans are loading up the moving van in search of opportunity that advantage may be slipping away in recent years economists have become increasingly worried that a slide in job turnover and relocation rates is undermining the economys dynamism damping productivity and wages while making it more difficult for sidelined workers to find their way back into the labor force
its possible that one reason people arent changing jobs is because theyve all found jobs that are great for them and theyre happy betsey stevenson an economist at the university of michigan and a former member of president obamas council of economic advisers said but the other possibility is that people stay in jobs that arent as good for them because theyre terrified of changing and thats bad for the overall economy
staying put can mean that workers are not moving to jobs where they would be more productive at the same time many are forgoing the raises and ascents on the career ladder that often come with a job switch fewer openings can also have a ripple effect shrinking the bargaining power of workers in general making it tougher to ask for a bump up in pay
it also stinks if you lose your job ms stevenson said of reduced turnover its like a game of musical chairs where only half the people get up
the declining churn in the labor market may surprise those who assumed that the era of lifelong employment capped by a gold watch had given way to serial job hopping but the reality is more complicated said abigail wozniak an economist at the university of notre dame and one of the authors of a new report on the subject while it is true that fewer people have very long tenures at a single company she said that trend has been swamped by a countervailing one people are not moving as much out of what used to be entry level and temporary jobs
such road testing of jobs was once very common particularly for young workers but now quick turnover jobs are declining across the board ms wozniak said its not as easy to try things out
a new analysis by ms wozniak and economists at the federal reserve board to be published soon by the brookings institution used a combination of factors   job shifts movement in and out of the labor force interstate migration job creation and destruction among others   to measure what they called fluidity or dynamism in the labor market
what they found was a drop of 10 to 15 percent between 1980 and 2013 some individual measures showed starker declines the proportion of workers who jumped from one job to another plunged by nearly a quarter
mobility normally drops during downturns and that was the case during the great recession millions of jobs vanished and those fortunate enough to be working were less inclined to give up the one they had
but even as much of the wreckage wrought by the crash has been cleared fluidity has not bounced back to prerecession levels although there was a common perception that the mortgage crisis had stranded many americans in place economists found scant evidence to support that notion moving declined similarly among both renters and homeowners something else appears to be going on
moreover when it comes to mobility figuring out which is the chicken and which is the egg is not so easy is a less fluid labor market causing the economy to be more sluggish or is a sluggish economy causing the labor market to be less fluid
certainly movement has declined as the population ages older people are less likely to switch jobs and resettle than younger people the addition of career minded women into the work force may also make it harder for couples and families to move if only one spouse can find a new job in addition fewer new companies are being created over all and the ones that exist are growing more slowly on average
still those explanations dont account for the steep drops in mobility and job turnover found across every age group educational level and industry
one of the more intriguing findings was the role of declining social trust and what is known as social capital   the web of family friends and professional contacts for example the proportion of people who agree with the statement most people can be trusted has been shrinking for more than three decades researchers found that states with larger declines in social trust also had larger declines in labor market fluidity the lack of trust may increase the cost of job hunting and make both employees and employers more risk averse
ms wozniak added that the benefits of linkedin and facebook friends may not replace the personal connections that still remain the best way to find a job
for some the information revolution has a decided downside employers can use easily accessible information about criminal records and credit histories not to mention embarrassing tweets photos social media postings and more to screen out a wider range of candidates
the cost of conducting these kinds of checks has declined said steven j davis an economist at the university of chicago booth school of business who has separately researched fluidity employers may like it because it helps them more efficiently screen candidates but it also can make it harder for some potential workers
you get fewer second chances now mr davis said if you screwed up in a way thats out there it follows you around for life
that can particularly hurt young black men he said who have disproportionate contact with the criminal justice system offering a second chance is why president obama recently proposed barring federal agencies from asking applicants for many jobs about their criminal histories until the end of the process
mr davis also argued that an increase in government regulations including varying licensing requirements that prevent workers from setting up shop in another state have made the labor market more static though the evidence is mixed
fluidity rates varied widely throughout the country but the brookings paper found that they declined in every state most of the largest drops occurred in the west oregon wyoming washington oregon south dakota montana idaho and alaska were all in the bottom 10
states with the most activity included north carolina south carolina new york new jersey and illinois - but even these were not as fluid as they used to be
of course high rates of job turnover are not necessarily good some states have tumult in the labor market because thousands of workers lost manufacturing clerical or construction jobs they might have found new positions at lower levels that dont pay as much
on the flip side rootedness can also have other types of payoffs including stronger communities and support help with a babysitting emergency a shared beer after work or a loan when a job is lost as social trust diminishes people may feel more comfortable sticking closer to home where the faces are familiar even if job opportunities are scarcer researchers suggested
over all i dont think anyone has a good answer yet to the decline in mobility ms stevenson of the university of michigan said its a puzzle and its the one i wish politicians and policy makers were more concerned about


baltimore   in the wrenching drama that has engulfed this city since the death of freddie gray one figure seems caught in the middle marilyn j mosby
ms mosby as americans learned when riots broke out after mr gray a 25 year old black man was fatally injured in police custody is baltimores states attorney its top prosecutor her impassioned speech announcing charges   including murder   against six baltimore officers was widely credited with helping to keep the peace as armored national guard trucks still rumbled through the streets
but when a judge acquitted officer edward m nero of all charges against him on monday it was ms mosbys second trial without a conviction that puts the prosecutor a 36 year old daughter and granddaughter of police officers who once so captivated the national imagination that she was featured in vogue in a tough spot
in a majority black city where race is often a proxy for residents feelings about the police ms mosby   who was notably absent from the courtroom when officer nero was acquitted   has emerged as a kind of rorschach test
her critics many of them white say the acquittal on monday coming on the heels of a hung jury in the case of officer william g porter last year is proof that she had no business bringing charges in the first place her supporters many of them her fellow african americans give her an e for effort but are growing impatient
hal riedl who is white worked as an investigator for ms mosbys predecessor and has been deeply critical of her id say its a new low in her career he said after the verdict in my judgment it was a totally political prosecution i dont know why she was persuaded that she needed to bring the disorders to an end by charging the police
tawanda jones an african american preschool teacher whose brother tyrone west died after a 2013 encounter with the police in baltimore worked to help elect ms mosby in 2014 it doesnt change my feeling ms jones said of the acquittal on monday at the end of the day i just look at the fact that she did something
yet in the next breath ms jones also made clear that she and other critics of the police wanted more from ms mosby they accuse her of not being aggressive enough in prosecuting police misconduct in cases that have not gripped the city as mr grays has
ms mosbys office drew the ire of activists recently when it announced it would not reopen mr wests case ms jones who said she was having her brothers body exhumed to gather more evidence for a civil suit is unsatisfied
i dont want to hear none of her foolishness ms jones said i want her to go forward and do her job and at the end of the day if she dont do her job im going to be very upset
ms mosby barred by a judges order from talking to the news media about the gray cases ran for office in 2014 vowing to combat police misconduct that year in a speech at tuskegee university in alabama she had sharp words for prosecutors who had not indicted officers in the high profile deaths of other black men including michael brown in ferguson mo and eric garner on staten island mr grays death in april 2015 gave her a platform to make good on her promises
to the people of baltimore and the demonstrators across america i heard your call for no justice no peace she said then in a nationally televised news conference on the steps of the war memorial your peace is sincerely needed as i work to deliver justice on behalf of this young man
the spotlight though has had its challenges ms mosby is married to city councilman nick mosby who ran for mayor this year he withdrew after failing to gain traction many said baltimore did not need two mosbys in high offices their home has been picketed by protesters who recently shouted down ms mosby at a public meeting
as a mother of a 5  and a 7 year old i would appeal to them to stop coming to my house because its scaring my children the baltimore sun quoted her saying at the meeting
legal experts have long said it will be difficult to obtain convictions against the six officers the nero case posed particular challenges prosecutors used it to test a novel theory that the arrest of mr gray was a crime and the states star witness officer garrett e miller who is also facing charges and was compelled to testify provided the evidence that in the end exonerated officer nero all that raised questions about the prosecutors strategy
in pursuing officers so aggressively ms mosby has risked her relationship with an important constituency the police department itself whose cooperation she needs to win convictions
david jaros a law professor at the university of baltimore said there was a significant moment in the nero trial when the prosecutor jan bledsoe spoke of officers jacking up citizens   a provocative comment for a representative of the states attorneys office to make
so we have to ask mr jaros said what does this mean for her relationship with the police
reaction to the nero verdict was measured on tuesday three police officers stood in the sunshine at the penn north metro station a center of the violence of a year ago down the street a passer by pushed a toddler in a pink toy car in front of a nick mosby campaign sign at the west baltimore intersection where mr gray was arrested a bouquet of deflated balloons fluttered in the breeze
ms mosby remained out of public view a spokeswoman said she had no public appearances planned this week
it is an open question whether ms mosby will seek re election in 2018   and if she does whether she will win her supporters note that there are five trials to go officer porter will be retried and say it is unfair to render judgment on her until they have all concluded
time will tell whether folks were overcharged undercharged whatever said city councilman brandon m scott one of her supporters
the next trial of officer caesar r goodson jr scheduled to begin june 6 will be a critical test officer goodson drove the transport van in which prosecutors say mr gray was injured and faces the most serious charge second degree depraved heart murder
thats the one everyone is going to be looking at mr scott said


london   the european commission said on tuesday that it had signed off on anheuser busch inbevs more than 100 billion merger with sabmiller after the companies agreed to sell sabmillers premium brands in europe and some other european operations
the combination of sabmiller and anheuser busch would create a beer industry giant that would account for about 30 percent of global beer sales in hopes of winning regulatory approval anheuser busch has entered into a number of agreements to sell a variety of assets from the combined company
in april it accepted an offer by asahi group holdings of japan to buy the beer brands grolsch meantime and peroni as well as associated sabmiller operations in britain italy and the netherlands for 255 billion euros or about 29 billion
anheuser busch also said in april that it would be willing to sell sabmillers assets in the czech republic hungary poland romania and slovakia as part of a package of divestments to win approval from european regulators
todays decision will ensure that competition is not weakened in these markets and that eu consumers are not worse off margrethe vestager the commissioner in charge of european competition policy said in a news release
europeans buy around 125 billion euros of beer every year so even a relatively small price increase could cause considerable harm to consumers it was therefore very important to ensure that ab inbevs takeover of sabmiller did not reduce competition on european beer markets she added
in its review the commission found that the transaction without concessions would have most likely led to higher prices for beer in europe particularly in countries where sabmiller had been an active competitor
the merger of two of the four largest brewers in the european economic area would have significantly increased the number of national markets where the merged entity and the two remaining major supranational brewers would encounter each other as competitors the commission found fewer players encountering each other in a higher number of markets would have found it easier to tacitly coordinate on prices at national level
the commission said the divestitures had eased its concerns about competition after the transaction
these commitments taken together address all the commissions competition concerns including those based on an increased number of multimarket contacts as ab inbev has committed to divest essentially all the european businesses that it initially planned to acquire from sabmiller the commission said
anheuser busch agreed in november to acquire sabmiller after months of negotiations in a deal that it said would create the first truly global brewer
the combination would give anheuser busch already the worlds largest brewer a substantial operation in africa where it has little presence and greater dominance in latin america
as part of its efforts to win regulatory approval anheuser busch has entered into agreements around the world to shed brands and assets
in november anheuser busch agreed to sell sabmillers 59 percent stake in millercoors in the united states to sabmillers partner in a joint venture molson coors brewing for about 12 billion that deal includes the global rights to the miller brand and would make molson coors the second largest brewer in the united states behind anheuser busch
in march china resources beer a state owned brewer agreed to buy sabmillers 49 percent stake in the maker of snow the worlds best selling beer the deal would value sabmillers stake in cr snow around 16 billion
the divestments are all contingent on the anheuser busch sabmiller merger closing anheuser busch hopes to close the deal for sabmiller in the second half of this year
sabmiller said the transaction has now been cleared in 14 jurisdictions including the european union
in the remaining jurisdictions where regulatory clearance is still pending ab inbev will continue to engage proactively with the relevant authorities to obtain the necessary clearances as quickly as possible sabmiller said in a news release on tuesday


the republican jewish coalition a group heavily financed by the casino magnate sheldon adelson on tuesday condemned what it called a rising tide of anti semitic invective against journalists covering the presidential race
the statement came amid a torrent of twitter posts and comments against jewish journalists many of whom have written about donald j trump the presumptive republican nominee
we abhor any abuse of journalists commentators and writers whether it be from sanders clinton or trump supporters the statement said
there is no room for any of this in any campaign journalists regardless of their race religion or ethnicity should be free to do their jobs without suffering abuses anti semitic or otherwise the statement went on
among the writers who have faced such attacks is julia ioffe a magazine writer who profiled melania trump the wife of mr trump mrs trump and her husband have declined to take responsibility for the words of their supporters or urge them to stop mr trump has however condemned some forms of anti semitism most notably from the former ku klux klan leader david duke
on the democratic side some supporters of senator bernie sanders have been critical of journalists over their coverage of his views on israel
mr adelson for whom israels security is a premier issue recently announced his support for mr trump and told people he was willing to spend roughly 100 million in support of his fellow casino owner


for years chain link fences a dozen feet high have been a fixture of some of new yorks parks a reflection of a time when the city was a more dangerous place erected to protect the children playing inside
but now those fences have become barriers city officials say dividing a park from its neighbors and so at some parks the high fences will be knocked down
on tuesday the city announced that eight parks will undergo ambitious face lifts that are about more than just rehabilitation   it is a plan that represents an evolution officials said in new yorks approach to parks by making these public spaces blend better and be more welcoming to their neighborhoods
mitchell j silver the citys parks commissioner said that besides lowering or removing fences the plan also involved installing new benches greenery and distinctive walkways as well as treating the sidewalks that border parks as part of the parks themselves while the high fences were once seen as a deterrent mr silver said that creating more sight lines along the edges of parks and breathing new life into deserted patches would make them safer
as part of a citywide plan 40 million will be spent on the eight parks the parks were chosen in a nomination process that included commentary from neighborhood residents mr silver said about 690 of new yorks more than 1700 parks were recommended for an overhaul
thats proof positive of how excited new yorkers are to increase accessibility and openness in their favorite parks he said in a statement
those selected were seward park on the lower east side of manhattan faber pool and park on the north shore of staten island jackie robinson park in northern manhattan van cortlandt park and hugh grant circle and virginia park in the bronx flushing meadows corona park in queens and fort greene and prospect parks both in brooklyn
a parks accessibility to neighborhoods was also a consideration over all city officials have set a long term goal of having 85 percent of new yorkers living within walking distance of a park
in the parkchester neighborhood in the bronx hugh grant circle is not just uninviting it is also largely off limits blocked by a gate that is often locked said nilka martell a community activist who pressed for the circle to be selected for the city program called parks without borders
but as she sees it the park has potential to be a neighborhood hub used for art installations and community programs and as a complement to a farmers market held nearby
none of these things would be possible with that fence there ms martell said lifting the fence creates all these ideas how can we activate it how can we use it
at jackie robinson park a narrow strip of parkland that runs from 145th to 155th street between bradhurst and edgecombe avenues the fencing around some sections of the park was not a driving concern
erin ratner a lawyer with three children who has lived across the street from the park for nearly a decade pointed out the dead branches she worries might snap off the trees the toilets and water fountains that rarely work and improvements needed on the playgrounds
you can tell just from looking that this is not a park that gets a lot of love ms ratner 35 said
carmel gayle 75 has seen her children and now grandchildren enjoy the park during the 43 years she has lived in the area the park she said was already essential to the neighborhood we cant do without this park she said sitting on a bench with a friend young people everyone   we need this place
on the lower east side seward park has long been a respite from the neighborhoods rush and its human density it is a three acre space shaded by trees and wedged in a stretch between the manhattan and williamsburg bridges where children can clamber up jungle gyms and athletes can play basketball
it is also a place where residents can simply sit in peace and tear off chunks of a kaiser roll to feed to pigeons just as rosalind davis a retired painter was doing on a recent weekend afternoon
there are so few places to escape from all the congestion said ms davis who has been a regular at the park for years this is a place away from all the usual hustle and bustle it just needs a little love and care
seward park considered the first municipal playground in the united states has long been a place for recreation and access to greenery for the working class and mostly immigrant families living in the neighborhood when it opened in fall 1903 the new york times reported that a swarm of some 20000 eager children mobbed the gates
these days the neighborhood has changed considerably but the park still draws a crowd yet residents say the park is not reaching its full potential they point to the fountain that has long been out of service the play equipment with chipped paint and the few points of entry the park has two gates as well as a third that is unlocked when the public library branch in the park is open elsewhere along the perimeter gates are locked or a high fence stands in the way
its not doing any big harm but its very cold and not inviting ms davis said you never know where you can get in or out of this place
amy robinson the president of the seward park conservancy which was formed almost two years ago has helped lead the campaign for the park to be considered for parks without borders she said the objectives of the program aligned with the ambitions of seward parks boosters
part of that is access as times have changed weve been able to get one other gate open ms robinson said and there could be six gates open
but she also envisioned a park that was even more connected with its neighbors
the more care that is given to the park ms robinson said the more people respect the park   the more people respect the plantings and whats in the park and more than that she added the more people use it


paris   when serena williamss quest to win the grand slam ended in september it did not come until the semifinals of the united states open the second to last chance that anyone had to stop her
angelique kerbers bid for a grand slam   if it could even have been said that there was one   expired in her very first opportunity after she won the australian open in january
such is the state of womens tennis in which williams stands high above a fluctuating undercurrent of contenders
the ailing third seeded kerber was beaten by kiki bertens a lanky dutchwoman who is ranked no 58 by 6 2 3 6 6 3 in the first match on philippe chatrier court on a cool overcast day at roland garros
then on court 1 fifth seeded victoria azarenka was forced to retire down by 4 0 in the third set allowing 118th ranked karin knapp to move on
azarenkas departure could make williamss path to the semifinals easier because they were in the same quarter of the draw williams the defending champion is seeking her 22nd grand slam singles title which would tie her with steffi graf for the open era record
williams began her campaign by hammering magdalena rybarikova 6 2 6 0 in the last of five matches on the chatrier court the match took only 42 minutes   just a few minutes longer than one of azarenkas injury timeouts
azarenka arrived in paris with a back problem that had surfaced earlier in the clay court season but it was her right knee that did her in on tuesday she had obvious difficulty moving in the second set against knapp smashing her racket against the clay in frustration but she recovered remarkably well to force and win a second set tiebreaker
in the third set the problem resurfaced and azarenka pulled up hobbling and bouncing on her left leg her face twisted in frustration as she was temporarily unable to put weight on her right knee she was eventually able to limp to the net to shake hands with knapp
williams was not on court long enough to suffer any maladies but she said she was taking precautions against the cold damp weather
im just really really loading up the vitamin cs and water so i can hopefully stay healthy said williams who was sick for much of her run to the title here last year
things went more according to expectations on the mens side where rafael nadal novak djokovic and jo wilfried tsonga all won in straight sets nadal a nine time french open champion beat sam groth 6 1 6 1 6 1 in 80 minutes and hit the shot of the tournament so far a between the legs down the line winner
djokovic beat yen hsun lu 6 4 6 1 6 1 in 90 minutes tsonga the no 6 seed pushed aside jan lennard struff a german qualifier 6 3 6 4 6 4
tuesday was also an opportunity to clear up the slate of unfinished matches from the day before andy murray defeated radek stepanek in five sets in a continuation of their suspended match and 15th seeded john isner whose match with john millman of australia was suspended monday after a second set tiebreaker came back to win 6 7 4 7 6 12 7 6 7 7 5
venus williams at 35 the oldest player in the womens draw celebrated her 19th appearance in the french open by beating anett kontaveit 7 6 5 7 6 4 this is williamss 70th grand slam tournament leaving her one behind amy frazier for the career record
kerbers loss was her fifth in the first match of a tournament this season since she beat serena williams in the final in melbourne
the first rounds are always tough in the tournament especially for me kerber said but what can i say it happens
lingering soreness in her shoulder has been a part of her problem kerber went to the trainers room in the third set for treatment but it did not help
its getting worse and worse she said but i hope its not too bad


monsanto rejected bayers 62 billion takeover offer on tuesday calling the takeover approach by the german giant too low
but monsanto the top producer of genetically modified crop seeds said it was open to continued and constructive conversations about a potential merger of the two
putting the two together would yield a giant in the business of agriculture creating a one stop shop for farmers that runs from genetically modified organism crops to pesticides
the rejection came as little surprise to analysts and investors shares of monsanto have consistently traded below bayers all cash offer of 122 a share since bayer a german company formally unveiled its offer on monday
shares of monsanto rose about 2 percent in trading on tuesday afternoon to 108 each


dizengoff a shiny scarlet counter anchors this much anticipated and long delayed stand from the hummus master michael solomonov who made his name in philadelphia and has expanded to new york its a larger space than the original with his partners steven cook and the chef emily seaman who has 40 pound batches of chickpeas cooking all day so the hummus is fresh he is offering some new items small israeli vegetable salads shakshuka in the morning and in a while a little supper as mr solomonov put it were looking to expand mr cook said i dont think were opening in new york for just one location originally the partners hoped to open a branch of their federal donuts in new york but hummus took precedence the doughnuts may still be on the horizon chelsea market 75 ninth avenue 15th street 646 833 7097 dizengoffhummuscom
birch coffee the eighth store for this largely manhattan bound chain is in the south bronx 866 hunts point avenue seneca avenue hunts point bronx birchcoffeecom
the brooklyn barge fish tacos sliders and a crispy chicken sandwich are on the menu at this seasonal waterfront spot which offers activities like fishing paddleboarding boating and kayaking lessons wednesday 3 milton street west street greenpoint brooklyn 929 337 7212 thebrooklynbargecom
olmsted its only fitting that the chef greg baxtrom and his partner ian rothman have a wall of greenery and a spacious garden in a restaurant theyve named for the landscape architect frederick law olmsted asparagus peas onions radishes fiddleheads ginger lemons herbs and flowers are some of the crops that will go into a seasonal american menu that conveys a whiff of france wednesday 659 vanderbilt avenue park place prospect heights brooklyn olmstednyccom
organic avenue denise mari has resuscitated her juice bar chain which went out of business in october with this soho store outlets in chelsea bryant park and lexington avenue at 54th street are expected to follow soon all will sell snacks food in bowls and vegan products 62 bleecker street crosby street 917 675 7364 organicavenuecom
sauvage the chef lisa giffen cooked at maison premiere for the partners joshua boissy and krystof zizka their new place features foraged herbs like chickweed and natural wines in an art nouveau inspired setting that includes herbs and botanicals 905 lorimer street nassau street greenpoint brooklyn 718 486 6816 sauvagenycom
schilling eduard frauneder has been busy this year first opening his greenwich village brasserie freud and now this downtown restaurant named for the pre euro currency of his native austria more bistro than brasserie schilling in a tenement building dating from 1871 uses reclaimed lumber and touches of white gold and sage it has a communal table and seating in a garden mr frauneders menu is mostly mediterranean with a few austrian inevitables like wiener schnitzel and strudel wednesday 109 washington street rector street 212 406 1200 schillingnyccom
among the newcomers in the hamptons this season are more manhattan properties and personnel notably jean georges vongerichten at topping rose house in bridgehampton most will be open by this weekend
arbor mediterranean fare from a french chef pierre sudre and the owner of duryeas 240 fort pond road montauk 631 238 5430
daves gone fishing the popular daves grill has been renamed and has relocated to the waterfront 467 east lake drive montauk 631 668 9190 davesgrillcom
grey lady this is the hamptons outpost of a lower east side seafood spot 440 west lake drive montauk 631 210 6249 greyladymtkcom
the greenwich nick boccio and the chef carmine di giovanni of the project group in manhattan have taken new partners david schulman and sean kehlenbeck to bring a taste of their greenwich project and mulberry project style to the space that housed red stixs chinese restaurant expect more dishes for two 1020 montauk highway water mill 631 726 6200 greenwichrestaurantcom
highway restaurant  bar new owners have upgraded this place with a new chef anand sastry who worked at eleven madison park a bartender from the nomad mark noonan and valet parking 290 montauk highway east hampton 631 527 5372 highwayrestaurantcom
jue lan club this branch of the high end chinese restaurant in the flatiron district features seafood towers in addition to its somewhat inventive menu and has outdoor seating 268 elm street southampton 631 353 3610 juelanclubcom
kozu zach erdem who owns 75 main in southampton is opening this japanese restaurant in the former nello summertimes with sushi and more with chefs from nobu le bernardin and morimoto 136 main street southampton 631 619 6660
service station the roadside spot that was nichols for years has new owners and will serve comfort food 100 montauk highway east hampton
juni after nearly three years with the australian chef shaun hergatt at the helm this serene michelin starred restaurant in the hotel chandler is closing after dinner on friday 12 east 31st street 212 995 8599 juninyccom
the english the name refers to the chef todd english not the cuisine the restaurant will be american with global influences and is to open in july in the w hotel downtown near the world trade center it will also have an outdoor space called sol taco and a whiskey room 123 washington street albany street


ucla and under armour on tuesday announced the largest college sponsorship deal ever a contract that will pay the universitys athletic department 280 million in cash and apparel over 15 years
the deal extends a trend of rapidly escalating contracts as three sportswear companies   under armour nike and adidas   seek greater footholds in the lucrative college sports industry since 2014 alone the unofficial sponsorship record has changed hands five times as prominent programs have signed new agreements
in july a year after notre dames reported 90 million sponsorship deal with under armour set a new bar in college sports michigan announced that it would switch to nike from adidas for as much as 158 million per year over 11 years since then texas and ohio state who had deals with nike have signed extensions worth about 250 million each both deals averaged more than michigans contract on an annual basis
each deal represented significant growth over a prior contract ohio state for example nearly doubled its annual take to 167 million a year while texas approximately quadrupled its contracts worth to 168 million annually
uclas deal is even richer it averages 187 million per year and will go into effect in july 2017 uclas previous deal with adidas paid it 75 million per year deals typically combine cash and a certain value of apparel
every weekend its on television   every saturday in football season said sam poser an industry analyst at sterne agee its expensive but those deals really enhance the brand thats doing the deal
the bruins whose sports teams have won a record 113 national championships are perhaps best known for the unparalleled dominance of their mens basketball teams in the 1960s and 1970s under coach john wooden in one stretch they won 10 ncaa titles in 12 seasons
by many measures college sports have never been more popular with football dominating autumn saturdays and the ncaas division i mens basketball tournament still one of the tent poles of the sports calendar the college football playoff which began two years ago netted record ratings in its first season and is worth 73 billion in broadcast rights over 12 years the ncaa last month extended the broadcast deal for the basketball tournament through 2032 at a price that will eventually reach more than 1 billion per year
the ucla deal also represents the continued expansion of under armour into the college space in just 20 years the insurgent company   which endorses a smaller stable of carefully selected athletes like the nba star stephen curry quarterback tom brady the golfer jordan spieth and the baseball star bryce harper   has become a considerable thorn in the side of nike and adidas in the college marketplace in 2014 under armour supplanted adidas as the second largest seller of sportswear in the united states
while under armour based in baltimore is best known for its association with the university of maryland   an extremely close partnership blessed by the companys chief executive and founder kevin plank a maryland native and former terrapins football player   the company recently poached notre dame and wisconsin two former adidas universities in deals each worth at least 9 million a year the company also paid premiums to extend contracts with south carolina and auburn which play in the highly visible southeastern conference
under armour even recently extended its agreement with cincinnati which does not compete in a so called power 5 conference to nearly 5 million a year
ucla is the third university after utah and the recently added california berkeley that under armour will endorse in the pacific 12 the conference remains dominated by nike which is based in portland ore and whose founder phil knight has donated hundreds of millions of dollars to the university of oregon helping turn his alma mater into an avant garde football powerhouse nicknamed the university of nike
the eye popping values of these apparel deals further indicate not only the popularity but also the profitability of the most popular college sports teams tuesdays deal prompted renewed skepticism over ncaa policies that restrict athletes compensation to expansive scholarships
in a twitter post since deleted but published by tmz sports josh rosen the bruins star sophomore quarterback said of the deal were still amateurs though ... gotta love nonprofits


norristown pa   prosecutors in pennsylvania on tuesday crossed their final hurdle to bring bill cosby to trial on charges that he drugged and sexually assaulted a woman he once mentored with a judge ruling that enough evidence existed for the case to move forward
while mr cosby is fighting numerous civil cases involving similar accusations the ruling by judge elizabeth a mchugh means that the once popular entertainer must face at least one of his accusers in a criminal proceeding likely to take place here this year
this case will move forward judge mchugh told the crowded courtroom in montgomery county courthouse
the hearing while routine attracted widespread attention with more than 100 members of the news media and public packed into the courtroom and 50 others were seated in an overflow room nearby
the day came more than 11 years after andrea constand a former temple university staff member took her complaint to the police about what she said was a drugging and sexual assault at mr cosbys home near here in early 2004
although a former district attorney in montgomery county chose not to pursue charges in 2005 current prosecutors reopened the investigation last year after many other women came forward with similar accusations against mr cosby the move also followed the publication last summer of parts of a deposition mr cosby gave in a 2005 civil suit brought by ms constand in which he admitted obtaining quaaludes as part of his efforts to have sex with other women
mr cosby 78 who sat flanked by his three lawyers throughout the hearing stood at the end and said thank you
the judge wished him luck
the ruling a formal requirement for criminal trials in pennsylvania ended a first round of legal skirmishing that began as soon as the charges were filed five months ago
mr cosbys lawyers had argued that the former district attorney promised never to prosecute mr cosby as a way to induce him to testify in the civil suit brought by ms constand which was ultimately settled but at a hearing in february a trial court judge dismissed the defenses challenges
now a second round of potential legal battles begins after the ruling mr cosby waived a formal arraignment which means he automatically enters a plea of not guilty the case now moves back up to the states trial court level where another judge will be assigned that judge will set a trial date
mr cosbys lawyers are then likely to battle to suppress evidence including mr cosbys deposition from the 2005 civil case because confidentiality was part of the settlement
mr cosby is also expected to fight any attempt to introduce evidence from other women who have come forward
a taste of that battle came on tuesday during the contentious three and a half hour hearing
brian j mcmonagle mr cosbys lawyer who led the cross examination attacked the prosecution for relying on a statement ms constand gave to the police in 2005 rather than calling her as a witness
also entered as evidence was a 2005 statement mr cosby gave to the police during an interview in new york parts of which were read by the police chief of cheltenham township where mr cosbys home is mr cosby described giving ms constand the same over the counter medication he typically took to relax he said she had taken it willingly
mr mcmonagle said that using the report of a 12 year old event that ms constand did not tell the police about until a year later was denying mr cosby the right to confront his accuser this citizen deserves more he said
the defense team noted the fact that ms constand had made revisions to her police statement and cited earlier encounters between her and mr cosby including one when mr cosby touched her thigh despite this ms constand still returned to his home they said
afterward at a news conference outside the courthouse district attorney kevin r steele said that for tuesdays hearing the prosecution had only to show there was enough evidence to establish a case that a crime had been committed and that the defendant was connected to it
we are here because we want to seek the truth mr steele said
mr cosby was helped from the courtroom by his aides without speaking further his lawyers got into a separate car and when asked how mr cosby was feeling said nothing beyond one of them offering a thumbs up


the apollo theater will celebrate michael jackson and jimi hendrix two artists with history at the venue in its coming fall and winter season
on oct 22 irvin mayfield and the new orleans jazz orchestra will reimagine jacksons songs through jazz arrangements hendrix who won amateur night in 1964 and played as a sideman at the apollo to the isley brothers little richard and more will be honored in concert on nov 26
ballet hispanico will perform a world premiere on nov 18 and 19 afropunk will present a showcase of protest music on feb 25 the second women of the world festival will take place may 4 through may 7 and feature a tribute to the artist and activist abbey lincoln
of course amateur night will continue weekly on wednesdays more information is at apollotheaterorg


i came into an offset smoker recently a leaky old fellow with rust spots and broken wheels its not fancy the fire goes in one chamber and you put soaked wood chips on top of it and then the smoke runs through a second chamber to cook and flavor whatever it is youve got in there
i dont think it cost 200 new and i bet it lasts another 10 years before it needs to go to the dump
ive smoked pork butts and pork ribs in it legs of lamb magnificent but i havent yet improved on a dish i backed into accidentally during the first week i had the rig
i had a mess of chicken wings i bathed them in smoke for about 15 minutes before panicking that they would taste like stubbed out cigarettes i opened the top of the smoker and got them out of there they were pale gold the color of chamois they looked almost delicious
so i put them on a regular grill over medium heat and basted them with a thinned out barbecue sauce and cooked them crisp it took another 15 minutes the result was astonishing smoky but not aggressively so deeply flavorful the best thing id eaten in weeks
smoked chicken wings are now in regular rotation for summer 2016 the following recipe will show you how to make them even if you dont have a smoker
recipes smoked chicken wings  how to grill


the republican national committee has named six people to its finance committee to help raise money for the party and for its presumptive presidential nominee donald j trump as it looks to raise roughly 1 billion over the next six months
the financial vice chairmen include woody johnson the new york jets football owner and former ambassador mel sembler of florida two major supporters of jeb bushs failed presidential campaign the other four are elliott broidy a california based venture capitalist ray washburne a former rnc finance chairman who raised money for gov chris christies presidential race diane hendricks the widow of the philanthropist ken hendricks and ronald weiser another former ambassador who also served as an rnc finance chairman
mr trump is facing a well financed opposition and has no donor network of his own to draw on his national finance chairman steve mnuchin is a former goldman sachs executive who is working with the rnc finance chairman lewis m eisenberg
mr trump met on monday with mr johnson a longtime friend whom mr trump nonetheless poked fun at for backing mr bush early in the year the two mended fences
individual donors and their ability to write large checks are themselves a significant force but so are bundlers who have wide networks of fellow wealthy donors to tap into mr trumps campaign can only accept contributions of 5400 until the party convention july 18 21 in cleveland after that the campaign can only accept checks of 2700
on the list of bundlers who will be part of a presidential trust are joe craft a kentucky coal baron who met with mr trump in his office a week ago and his wife kelly the list also includes former ambassador sam fox diana and e llwyd ecclestone former ambassador howard leach an appointee under president george w bush dee and andy puzder of california and wilbur ross of new york
mr trump will face resistance from some of the republicans largest benefactors who have deep networks of their own to turn to several of the partys biggest donors including the hedge fund executive paul singer and the businessman bruce kovner have said they will not support mr trump or raise money for him
others including the energy executive robert murray who has been critical of president obama said this week that he met with mr trump and sees him as the horse to ride


moscow   when people disappear in the russian republic of chechnya   rights activists journalists and government critics   there is usually no public discussion
certainly no word about it appears on the bizarre if strangely compelling instagram account of ramzan a kadyrov the local strongman who became a kremlin darling by suppressing with ruthless methods the long running islamic insurgency in the northern caucasus republic only the objects of mr kadyrovs affection attain that distinction close associates his gunmen his workout routines
and now his missing cat
the cat is an expensive variety known as a bengal or toyger bred to look like a small tiger real tigers being the kind of beast usually featured on the instagram account
a week ago mr kadyrov dressed in trademark camouflage posted a picture of himself hugging the toyger
given the cats penchant for playing with children the post said it was odd that it would disappear for 10 days
now we have started to seriously worry the post informed mr kadyrovs 18 million followers did someone have the missing cat and not know where to return it he wondered the post became a television news headline with all residents of the republic urged to look for the cat
apparently some instagram followers were worried too people wrote in from vladivostok in russias far east saying they thought maybe they had seen the cat there more than 5500 miles away they wrote from japan from iceland from new zealand
even john oliver the comedian expressed concern his concern was couched in terms that it was not a good idea to leave mr kadyrov feeling anxious among other incidents the 2015 murder of a russian opposition figure boris nemtsov has been linked to figures close to mr kadyrov
on the hbo program last week tonight mr oliver described mr kadyrov as a monster energy drink come to life
after mocking the chechen leader for his seemingly endless wardrobe of vladimir v putin t shirts he suggested that viewers should message mr kadyrov directly to tell him they had seen his cat they had not or they were not sure mr oliver posted a picture of himself holding a cat and wondering if it was the missing animal
he apparently hit a nerve because mr kadyrov responded with a post in english albeit slightly fractured a rarity he photoshopped a picture of mr oliver wearing a putin t shirt with the caption i am tired of jokes i want to care for cats in chechnya by the way putin is our leader
he also wrote a paean to the russian president
yes millions of people rejoice t shirts with the image of the national leader the post said thanks to putin we have crushed terrorists among whom there were also citizens of the usa and european citizens the country directed by obama under the guise of peacekeeping operations spark new wars and bloody internal conflicts in which die millions of people
while he was at it mr kadyrov decided that his cat was not exactly missing either the toyger the post said was likely out tomcatting and would probably reappear any day now perhaps with a new lady friend
the last nuptials celebrated in the kadyrov family included a procession of hundreds of bentleys and mercedeses weeks ago according to a recent instagram post no pictures yet indicating whether similar festivities might greet the mating of a kadyrov cat


isabelle huppert the french actress who starred alongside cate blanchett in lincoln center festivals production of genets the maids in 2014 will return to the new york stage in the title role of phaedras at the brooklyn academy of music in september
the play a postmodern take on the classic tragedy reconstructs phaedras tale from three sources   including jm coetzees 2003 novel elizabeth costello   and is among the 30 plus interdisciplinary productions bam has planned for its 2016 next wave festival which runs from sept 7 through dec 18
phaedras sept 13 18 a production of odeon theatre de leurope in paris is adapted and directed by the polish director krzysztof warlikowski ms huppert playing the doomed queen grappling with desire for her stepson will perform in french with english titles
other theatrical productions include kings of war nov 3 5   a marathon adaptation of shakespeares henry v richard iii and parts 1 2 and 3 of henry vi into a single play   performed by the troupe toneelgroep amsterdam and directed by ivo van hove the crucible mikhail baryshnikov who presented his one man show brodskybaryshnikov earlier this year will star in letter to a man oct 15 30 his adaptation with the experimental director robert wilson based on the diaries of the ballets russes dancer and choreographer vaslav nijinsky
opening the festival is the loser sept 7 11 an opera by david lang that will transform bams howard gilman opera house the orchestra level which contains hundreds of seats will be closed and converted into a stage over which the operas title character rod gilfrey of anna nicole at next wave in 2013 will be held in midair with a grand piano hovering in the distance behind him on sept 30 and oct 1 donnacha dennehy   the irish composer who had a critically divisive opera debut with the last hotel   will present the hunger about irelands famine in the mid 1800s
other music offerings include wordless musics screening of terrence malicks 2011 film the tree of life nov 18 19 with a live orchestra performing the soundtrack classical music that includes works by mahler brahms and bach on dec 2 and 3 the magnetic fields will perform 50 song memoir 50 songs written by the bands stephin merritt for each year of his life
anne teresa de keersmaeker the choreographer whose recent works have explored the relationship between dance and music will continue with this fixation in vortex temporum oct 14 15 an evening length work in which she homes in on contemporary music   specifically the title work by the spectralist composer gerard grisey dance programs also include an evening length adaptation of the 1991 film boyz n the hood by the macarthur recipient kyle abraham nov 2 5 and rules of the game nov 10 12 a mixed bill with music by pharrell williams in his debut composing for the stage
closing the festival is mark morriss comic take on the nutcracker the hard nut dec 10 18 which returned to bam last year after a five year absence and will continue to take the place of american ballet theaters the nutcracker which moved to the west coast after its final run at bam in 2014
the full lineup for next wave is at bams website


paris   as andy murray and radek stepanek met at the net to shake hands after murrays harrowing five set victory a weary stepanek reached out to hug his opponent a rare gesture for a first round match
for the 37 year old stepanek this was a powerful moment even in defeat his match with murray had stretched over two days and included encroaching darkness chilly conditions a couple of contentious moments and plenty of compelling tennis mostly from stepanek
it was almost as exhausting for fans at the french open to watch as it was to play and stepanek looked as if he needed the embrace to commemorate the moment and confirm that he and murray the no 2 player in the world had engaged in such an unexpectedly grueling encounter
murray put one arm around stepanek but stood upright and kept a safe distance from his opponent a trick that was not so easy to do during the course of play
incredible match stepanek the oldest player in the draw said tough battle i can be proud of what a game i played pushing andy into the corner after what hes done on clay this year
for murray a strong contender to win the title because of his recent form on clay the outcome was not so much a moment of celebration as relief
the specter of losing to the 128th ranked stepanek who had to win three qualifying matches just to gain admittance to the main draw was a very real possibility when stepanek won the first two sets monday
after the match was suspended because of darkness play resumed tuesday with murray leading 4 2 in the fourth set the fifth set shootout as murray called it was tense throughout but murray finally broke serve in the 11th game to win 3 6 3 6 6 0 6 3 7 5
it was obviously an extremely difficult match very tricky and challenging murray said today was pretty stressful
murray said the win was more important to him than had been assumed perhaps an indication of his high expectations here with roger federer not playing because of an undisclosed injury and rafael nadal and novak djokovic on the same side of the draw murray is in a good position to win he reached the final in madrid this month and won the italian open a week before the french open began
it could turn out to be one of the biggest wins of my career he said adding it may not
when the match began monday stepanek was playing brilliantly changing pace and spin to confound murray but the match pivoted sharply when murray took the third set in only 23 minutes during the changeover he complained to the chair umpire that stepanek was using a bathroom break to delay the match and hasten the suspension
i had to go stepanek said tuesday trust me
stepanek began serving in the fifth set and with the players holding serve through the first 10 games he was the one in the lead applying increasing pressure to murray and pounding his chest after key points
murray exhibited great emotion too with fist pumps and yells after successful shots and angry growls and self directed mutterings after bad ones
at 5 5 stepanek started to show some nerves he made two unforced errors on groundstrokes into the net and double faulted murray finished it on his serve and when stepanek missed a volley for the final shot he smiled
i was hiding the sadness stepanek said
many of murrays exhortations were directed at his box in the stands which did not include his former coach amelie mauresmo in a recent interview in lequipe mauresmo answered questions about why she and murray had split when asked specifically if his on court behavior was a reason she said andy is complex
murray denied that he and mauresmo had a contentious breakup but did not deny his complexity and acknowledged that at times he could be petulant on court
some good attributes that i have on the court too he said quietly i displayed them in abundance today in my opinion and yesterday i fought extremely hard from a very very difficult position yes i was getting frustrated but i gave everything to try to win todays and yesterdays match and got myself out of a situation that not all players would have been able to get themselves out of
it was a revealing moment for the former wimbledon and united states open champion it almost seemed as if he needed a hug


paris   a stage production with a birth of a nation theme and actors who speak in contemporary language has swept its countrys top theater honors no it wasnt hamilton but ca ira 1 fin de louis a play about the early years of the french revolution which won moliere awards for best director best playwright and best play on monday night
the more than four hour long play written and directed by joel pommerat is an exploration of the early years of the french revolution dating back to 1788 the characters speak in contemporary language are dressed in clothing from the 1970s and are led by a king who poses for a selfie
as in hamilton the smash broadway hip hop musical that netted 16 tony nominations this year the 14 actors in ca ira developed some of the dialogue with weeks of improvisation during rehearsals
french critics have compared the theatrical experience to watching a revolution live and the honors for ca ira come as demonstrations against an overhaul of the labor code have swept across france
the play   the first in a series that eventually will include a version that addresses the reign of terror in france after the revolution   is told from the viewpoint of ordinary french citizens rather than leaders like robespierre and lafayette the main historic characters are king louis xvi and marie antoinette with the monarch issuing familiar demands for fiscal reforms to tame his nations astronomical budget and offering reassurance ca ira   or in english it will be fine
mr pommerat 53 was not present at the moliere ceremony at the folies bergere theater in paris because he was touring in china he also collected a fourth award for a childrens production of pinocchio
in interviews in the french media mr pommerat has said that he explored the early period of the french revolution because it raised abstract issues that are not expressed today including the disconnect between ordinary people and the elite
at mondays ceremony the spirit of protest carried to the street outside where more than a dozen demonstrators were demonstrating against a lack of minorities in the moliere award nominations the group called decolonizing the arts noted that only one nonwhite person was among the 86 artists nominated in 19 categories


two years after a little known college professor pulled off a stunning upset by defeating the house majority leader eric cantor in a republican primary contest another obscure professor is hoping to replicate that feat in florida riding a wave of progressive fervor that seeks to upend the democratic partys leadership
senator bernie sanders of vermont frustrated by how he has been treated by democratic party officials in his primary campaign against hillary clinton bolstered that effort over the weekend when he endorsed tim canova a law professor at nova southeastern university mr canova is hoping to unseat representative debbie wasserman schultz of florida the chairwoman of the democratic national committee in a primary contest in august
the support of mr sanders led to an infusion of more than 250000 into mr canovas campaign in less than two days arming him for a more vigorous fight against the veteran congresswoman
shes certainly out of touch with the grass roots of the democratic party mr canova 56 said of ms wasserman schultz in an interview she has been a very out of touch political insider and she has not been representing her constituents well
the contest is in many ways a microcosm of the national democratic race in which an insurgent progressive candidate is taking on an establishment figure mirroring the debate occurring within the party across the country
mr canova who has never run for political office before was once a legislative aide to former senator paul tsongas the democrat from massachusetts he went on to practice law fighting to strengthen he glass steagall act before shifting to academia and settling in south florida in 2012 he was active in the occupy wall street movement and was tapped by mr sanders to serve on an advisory committee on federal reserve changes after the financial crisis
sensing that ms wasserman schultz was vulnerable mr canova embarked on his campaign in january and has now raised more than 1 million these days he often echoes mr sanders as he rails against the influence of big money in politics and predatory lending practices while calling for more government action to improve the nations infrastructure there is even a green banner on his campaign website that reads join the revolution   a favorite rallying cry of mr sanders
as mr sanders has done to mrs clinton mr canova expressed doubts about whether ms wasserman schultz is a true progressive he criticized her for supporting the trans pacific partnership trade deal and opposing the use of medical marijuana and accused her of allowing corporate money to have excess influence in the democratic party
this is a party that has gone way too corporate in recent years mr canova said its turned its back on the working class
mr canova is also unimpressed with the performance of ms wasserman schultz on the national stage he accused her of struggling to keep the party together and showing favoritism to mrs clinton whose progressive credentials he also questions
she has been very divisive mr canova said of his ms wasserman schultz who has not faced a primary challenger since being elected to congress in 2004 if the democrats are able to unify at the convention apparently it will not be because of her it will be in spite of her
a spokesman for ms wasserman schultzs campaign ryan banfill pushed back against mr canova and said that her constituents know that she is a compassionate and effective voice who has always been there for them and provided strong results oriented progressive leadership at home he also noted that in the florida primary mrs clinton outperformed mr sanders in the 23rd congressional district which ms wasserman schultz represents suggesting that mr canova faces a steep uphill battle
mr canova acknowledged that ms wasserman schultz holds advantages over him in fund raising and name recognition but he has faith in the campaign playbook of mr sanders with a robust social media strategy a flood of small donations and a growing team of volunteers mr canova thinks he can win in a district that is reliably democratic
and the recent history of the republicans adds to his optimism
look at what happened two years ago to eric cantor losing to a college professor mr canova said when any long shot candidate goes up against an entrenched incumbent there are usually grass roots movements that these challenges are riding


a couple of weeks ago i wrote a column about the growing tribe of people who value experiences over security in their lives but there is something that i didnt say then that i want to emphasize you dont necessarily have to trade experience and financial security off against each other
one of my main inspirations for writing this follow up column was my friend brett davidson a few years ago brett and his wife debbie lived in britain they were running the successful consulting firm fp advance with the goal of helping financial advisers live the lives they so often help their clients achieve brett and his wife who have no children had a nice home with beautiful furniture and everything was going about as well as anyone could hope for
except they werent exactly happy with the way they were living their lives so they decided to visit a life coach kerri richardson
the very first conversation i had with kerri brett recalled i had just read a book and one of the key questions in the book was if you lived without fear what would you do eventually they chose to take a turn toward the unconventional
heres a portion of my conversation with brett after he and debbie made their decision
we began with just taking more time off however about a year before we left london we decided that working around a quarterly schedule for our face to face work would be ok for our clients and for us at kerris insistence we started investigating what would be involved with renting our home out we got an auctioneer around to see if we might sell our furniture via auction as wed decided that anything you ever put in storage never comes back out so lets bite the bullet and let it go the auctioneer guy turns up in late april or early may and says i love your stuff but i need it now so we can photograph it and get it in our catalog for june we looked at each other and said take it that forced our hand two days later we had no furniture and so we got serious about renting our place out four weeks later wed found tenants who moved in and we left
since leaving the comfort and security of their ordinary existence in london the davidsons now have a pretty nice life their itinerary over the last year has included time in amsterdam iceland canada and spain with intermittent trips back to britain for work theyve made time for a ski instructor course and yoga retreat
the point is not to make you jealous instead ask yourself the same question that brett and debbie have asked themselves why not what if you really did follow the advice of henry david thoreau and live the life youve imagined given all the tools and opportunities we have to work remotely especially if youre part of free agent nation im beginning to suspect that this is more a problem of imagination than actual constraints
even if you dont own your own company the opportunities exist according to flex jobs an online service devoted to helping people find positions that allow for remote work there was a 36 percent increase from 2014 to 2015 in listings for such jobs including some for writers engineers health care consultants and marketing professionals companies like amazon american express apple and general electric were included in the listings
worried about flexibility the davidsons are financially successful not having children makes a big difference too though not as big as you may think which is something ill address in a future column
worried about money the davidsons are not spending significantly more money to live this way between the money they earn renting out their home in london and being smart about airline miles or buying cheap flights they are close to breaking even compared with their previous life
so its not a change in expenses that has allowed the davidsons to make this shift they are able to live in this remarkable way because they restructured their lives in a way that would allow it its simply because they had the courage to ask why not
and if youre wondering how this radical shift affected their income heres what the davidsons have to say since weve left home we believe weve become more creative in our business and are doing some of the best work weve ever done were thinking bigger but also eliminating the fake busy stuff and only doing things that will really make a difference we didnt know any of this would happen before we left
consider that for a moment not only are brett and debbie living closer to their dream they also say they are doing better work professionally experience check security check winning checkmate
experiences and security dont have to be mutually exclusive and the surprising fact that the davidsons business has improved with this radical shift even though that wasnt their main intention has at least made me wonder something what if experience and security might be connected in a way that goes against the grain of the story society typically likes to tell what if putting experience first makes us happier more fulfilled more creative and more memorable people theres a lot of research to suggest that this might be the case
none of this is to suggest you drop everything and live like the davidsons maybe you dont want to travel maybe your dream is to work at home in your pajamas and walk the dog an extra two miles each day with the time youve saved from your old commute thats great
it doesnt matter what your dream is in particular what does matter is that whatever you want to do you start asking yourself a simple question why not


nagasaki japan   when miyako jodai was 6 years old the united states dropped an atomic bomb on her hometown the port city of nagasaki
she was knocked unconscious and her home was destroyed she spent the next several days huddling with dozens of others in a cave on the side of a mountain
i was so scared she said i was crying and i stepped on some of the bodies of the injured people because there was no room to walk when she finally ventured out the city was still ablaze with towering flames
ms jodai was one of the fortunate ones the bomb dropped on nagasaki the morning of aug 9 1945 killed about 74000 people about half as many as those who died in the bombing of hiroshima three days earlier
on friday president obama will become the first sitting american president since the end of world war ii to visit hiroshima nagasaki is not on the itinerary
while invoking hiroshima has become a universal shorthand for the horrors of nuclear war nagasaki on the southwestern island of kyushu has mostly lived in the other citys shadow
we know that the very highest mountain in japan is mount fuji said tomihisa taue the mayor of nagasaki in an interview in his office but we dont know the second highest mountain
yet many in nagasaki recognize that hiroshima in some ways stands in for both cities they say the message they want the world to take from mr obamas visit   that nuclear weapons must never again be used   does not require that he set foot in their city
mr taue suggested that nagasaki could also serve as a potent coda to hiroshimas opening of the nuclear age i would like the president to say from nagasaki to the world that this site should be the last place on earth to experience the atomic bombing he said
that nagasaki was bombed second has made it an afterthought in the history of and debate over nuclear weapons even though many historians argue that the bombing was harder to justify precisely because it was a repeated act
if one accepts president harry s trumans rationale that the hiroshima bombing was necessary to force japans surrender and end the war the moral calculus for dropping a second bomb on a civilian population three days later is more contentious
close to 700000 people a year visit the nagasaki atomic bomb museum compared with nearly 15 million at the hiroshima peace memorial where mr obama will lay a wreath on friday
even in the office of the nagasaki atomic bomb survivors council a sticker on a cabinet illustrates the citys secondary status   no more hiroshimas end the arms race now
ms jodai now 76 and a retired schoolteacher said she admired the presidents decision to visit hiroshima and understood that his schedule did not allow him to visit both cities still she said the nagasaki survivors should at least be invited to the ceremony in hiroshima
i feel like nagasaki has been abandoned and thrown away she said
as japan wrestles with its own history of wartime atrocities and as scholars and politicians here and in the united states continue to debate the use of the atomic bomb nagasaki in many ways offers a more complex narrative than hiroshima does
one of the earliest japanese cities to have contact with traders from the west including portuguese and dutch explorers nagasaki is also the oldest and densest stronghold of roman catholicism in japan
when american pilots dropped the bomb the devastation swept across urakami cathedral then the largest cathedral in east asia about 8000 catholics in the area were killed for the nagasaki christians long ostracized in japan over their faith it was a bitter truth that their community was destroyed by a predominantly christian nation in a mission blessed by a roman catholic chaplain
nagasakis catholic heritage combined with hiroshimas vocal role as a center of antinuclear activities helped give rise to the japanese saying ikari no hiroshima inori no nagasaki or hiroshima rages nagasaki prays
at a 6 am mass on monday morning about 100 parishioners sat in long wooden pews in the cathedral rebuilt not far from its original site the rev ritsuo hisashi the head priest said he was less concerned about whether nagasaki was commemorated as a global symbol than about the call for the elimination of nuclear weapons
nagasakis archdiocese along with 15 others in japan also opposes efforts by prime minister shinzo abe to overhaul the countrys pacifist constitution imposed by the united states after the war
nagasakis leaders have also been forthright in their reckonings with japans wartime actions before the united states dropped the bombs
in 1990 hitoshi motoshima then nagasakis mayor was shot and wounded by a right wing nationalist after he suggested that emperor hirohito bore some responsibility for world war ii
around the same time a city assemblyman masaharu oka founded a museum to commemorate the korean laborers who were conscripted to work in wartime factories in nagasaki and who were either killed or wounded by the atomic bomb
housed in a former chinese restaurant up a steep hill the museum has a decidedly handmade feel in addition to photographs of korean survivors and a replica of the cramped quarters where korean laborers lived the museum displays a gallery of graphic photos from the rape of nanjing in china and of unit 731 the biological and chemical warfare research facility where japanese scientists experimented on humans in china
toshiaki shibata the former secretary general of the masaharu oka museum and the son of two bomb survivors said he was glad mr obama would not visit nagasaki mr shibata 65 whose dyed lavender hair gives him an impish air contends that mr obamas visit is aimed at bolstering mr abes efforts to change the constitution and draw japan into war
it would be better if he doesnt come here mr shibata said
yoshitoshi fukahori 87 a bomb survivor said he did not quite understand the fuss about the presidents visit while he welcomes it and hopes mr obama will speak of a nuclear free world he said he was not expecting much a visit to nagasaki he said is not necessary
after long experience i see people get their hopes up and then are disappointed he said so i dont want to put too much stock in words


no one should be surprised that doug oneill the trainer of the kentucky derby winner nyquist has decided against sending his colt to new york for the 148th running of the belmont stakes nyquist had been fighting a fever and an elevated white blood cell count since being vanquished by a familiar rival named exaggerator on saturday in a cold muddy renewal of the preakness stakes in baltimore
the colts illness appeared to be routine and easily treatable with antibiotics if a triple crown were at stake oneill and the owner j paul reddam might have been more reluctant to cancel their belmont trip
jack sisterson oneills assistant who is in baltimore with nyquist said doug wants to do whats best for nyquist get him back to 100 percent healthwise and get him back to california
as fun as a rematch might have been to watch there would be little reward in risking nyquists health when there will be multiple opportunities down the road to tangle with exaggerator again for rich purses and under better circumstances the belmont is the race to end all races when a triple crown hangs in the balance but it is also a grueling mile and a half marathon that requires stamina and grit
nyquist showed both in kentucky and he fought back gamely in the stretch at the preakness before falling behind exaggerator and the second place finisher cherry wine no shame there   it was nyquists first defeat in nine starts
now however he is clearly a tired colt and there was no reason to put him in position to lose again
nyquists stallion rights were sold last fall to darley america sheikh mohammed bin rashid al maktoums breeding operation in this country for 8 million to 12 million with bonuses for wins in future races the gamble by the sheikh who rules dubai in the united arab emirates paid off nicely when nyquist was named 2 year old champion and the sheikh was amply rewarded when the colt became the kentucky derby champion
in the breeding shed a victory in the travers stakes in august at saratoga and a triumph in the breeders cup classic in november would be far more valuable than a belmont win nyquist has already earned 51 million in purses as well as a 1 million bonus for winning the florida derby
the belmonts 900000 first place check is nothing to sneeze at but a rested nyquist could make that up easily at the haskell invitational and the travers
the absence of nyquist does leave new york racing association officials scrambling exaggerator is now the headliner which is not terrible but the colt lost to nyquist in four previous races cherry wine was probable for the belmont but what little star power the race had left grew dimmer when the trainer steve asmussen said his colt gun runner who finished third in the derby would skip the race and resume his campaign this summer
were sorry that nyquist cannot compete at the 2016 belmont stakes and hope for a speedy recovery and return to the racetrack said chris kay nyras chief executive the greatest racing fans in the world are right here in new york and would love to see nyquist running later this spring at belmont park and this summer at saratoga race course


sumner m redstone confirmed on tuesday the appointment of two new members to his irrevocable trust which will control the future of his companies as well as new directors to national amusements the private theater chain company through which he controls his 40 billion media empire
the individuals have close ties to his daughter shari redstone and have been characterized by viacom executives as evidence of her manipulation of her father who is 92 and in poor health
named to the trust which will control his companies after he dies or is declared not competent are thaddeus jankowski the general counsel of national amusements and jill krutick a former media executive ms krutick was also named to the board of national amusements along with ms redstones daughter kimberlee ostheimer
this is my trust and my decision mr redstone said in a statement through a spokesman i have picked those who are loyal to me and removed those who are not
the development comes after two of mr redstones longtime confidants were ousted from their positions on the trust and the board of national amusements philippe p dauman the chief executive of viacom and george abrams a longtime viacom director filed a lawsuit on monday challenging the moves and questioning mr redstones competency
shortly after mr redstone filed a petition asking that a los angeles court declare his decisions valid


democrats began their most recent era of presidential futility during hillary clintons senior year of college they lost the race for the white house in five of the six elections from 1968 through 1988
in those two decades republicans won so many states so consistently that the veteran democratic strategist horace busby gave their dominance of presidential politics a name the electoral college lock
yet in 1992 bill clinton picked it beginning a new era in which democrats hold the electoral upper hand
the question in 2016 is whether the political hurricane that is donald j trump can scramble the electoral map again
the democrats have won the national popular vote in five of the past six presidential elections powered by support from the swelling population of nonwhite voters democratic nominees have flourished by repeatedly winning a phalanx of states along the east and west coasts and through the upper midwest
if mrs clinton can hold the 18 bulwark states in those areas and the district of columbia she would have 242 electoral votes that would leave her just 28 short of the needed 270 with multiple possibilities for finding them
but as any sports fan or stock market investor can attest straight line projections from the recent past can prove unreliable as mr clinton showed in 1992 demographic trends exceptional candidates and disruptive forces can tip political outcomes unexpectedly
the 1992 campaign began with signs that the republican juggernaut had weakened
four years earlier the first president george bush had kept the electoral jackpot of california in the republican column but by less than four percentage points he won another republican stronghold illinois by just two percentage points
then the 1990 91 economic recession badly eroded mr bushs standing under fire from both mr clinton and the feisty independent ross perot he lost both california and illinois decisively in 1992 as well as new jersey which he had carried by a double digit margin in 1988
whats happened since
after going republican in six straight elections through 1988 california illinois and new jersey have voted democratic six straight times together they offer one third of the electoral votes needed to win the white house
mr trumps challenge begins with holding the 24 states and 206 electoral votes that the republican nominee mitt romney captured in 2012 his search for additional states begins with places where president obama who claimed 26 states along with washington dc and 332 electoral votes barely won
the closest were florida where the democratic margin was one percentage point ohio three points and virginia four points carrying all three would leave mr trump with 266 electoral votes still four short of victory
next closest with margins of just over five points were colorado and pennsylvania mr trump lost several western states to ted cruz in the nomination fight and was shut out at colorados state republican convention his hard line message on immigration suggests he is also likely to struggle in november in that state where the hispanic and latino population is higher than the national average
his criticism of international trade deals has fared better with blue collar whites in the rust belt states of the midwest and northeast that makes pennsylvania another state that democrats have won six straight times a promising target
a recent quinnipiac poll showed mr trump virtually tied with mrs clinton in pennsylvania and florida and slightly ahead in ohio other midwestern states where mr romney finished within shouting distance include iowa wisconsin minnesota and michigan
at the same time the clinton campaign sees the possibility of expanding its electoral reach too georgia where mr obama lost by eight percentage points and arizona where he lost by nine points have recorded substantial growth in their hispanic and latino populations
if a clinton led democratic ticket breaks the partys losing streak in arizona it wouldnt be the first time beginning in 1952 republicans won arizona 11 straight times until mr clinton eked out a win there in 1996


a month ago hillary clinton had a big lead in national and battleground state polls today she has a modest lead at best a few surveys even show donald trump ahead
what happened mr trump has made gains in unifying his partys base while mrs clinton has not done the same with hers if anything her problem with bernie sanderss voters has gotten a bit worse
to some extent mr trumps gains are not surprising candidates usually rise in the polls after they win the nomination and consolidate their partys base john mccain and mitt romney erased barack obamas leads in 2008 and 2012 after they secured their partys nomination mr obama reclaimed a clear lead in 2008 after he clinched the democratic nomination
but mr trumps success is an important accomplishment a month ago there were serious reasons to question whether the party would ever fully unify behind him he has made a lot of progress and has done it without much backing from paul ryan or ted cruz the chance of a big win for mrs clinton has appeared to decline as a result
the prospect of another fairly close general election is not what democrats were hoping for against mr trump but mrs clinton will have a chance to widen the gap by winning over supporters of mr sanders
mr trump despite his gains now finds himself at around 42 or 43 percent in national polls he still trails mrs clinton in the balance of recent surveys even though she is facing a divided democratic party she is in the lead in no small part because there are simply more democratic leaning voters than republican leaning voters in the country all but one of the most recent surveys show that there are more democrats than republicans
but mrs clinton nonetheless struggles because of her inability to consolidate the independent leaning young liberal supporters of mr sanders the most recent wave of national surveys shows mrs clinton winning just 55 to 72 percent of mr sanderss supporters shes faring far worse among young and liberal voters than one would expect
the good news for mrs clinton is that theres a lot of room for improvement she could make gains after winning the nomination much as mr trump already has that could leave her with a considerable advantage
mr obamas gains in june 2008 are probably the clearest precedent he led by a wide margin until mr mccain won the nomination he regained the lead after he was the democratic partys choice
mrs clinton may find it not so easy to repeat mr obamas gains there has been weakening in her support among mr sanderss supporters over the last month or so in april mrs clinton held between 71 and 82 percent of mr sanderss supporters today its between 55 and 72 percent
exactly whats driving the shift is hard to say whats clear is that mrs clintons challenge isnt totally superficial just 20 percent of mr sanderss supporters have a favorable view of her in the most recent new york timescbs news survey while 47 percent have an unfavorable one
these numbers are not too different from the anyone but trump voters in march then the new york timescbs news survey found that just 17 percent of republican primary voters who didnt support mr trump had a favorable view of him while 50 percent were unfavorable depending on your point of view its either a surprisingly bleak comparison or a favorable precedent since mr trump has since made gains in the polls
mrs clinton could get a lot of help in unifying the party whether from president obama elizabeth warren or perhaps even mr sanders himself
the polls after mrs clinton wins the nomination   and especially after the two party conventions   will provide a somewhat more instructive comparison between the two candidates


the actor elijah wood clarified his remarks on monday after suggesting in an interview with a london newspaper that sexual abuse of child stars was more widespread in hollywood than had been reported
after the interview with the sunday times drew international headlines and questions mr wood put out a statement emphasizing that his comments werent based on personal experience
let me be clear this subject of child abuse is an important one that should be discussed and properly investigated mr wood said but as i made absolutely clear to the writer i have no firsthand experience or observation of the topic so i cannot speak with any authority beyond articles i have read and films i have seen
nevertheless his words brought renewed attention to the general plight of child actors who do not always make the jump to adult stardom as mr wood did he began his acting career at 8 and had a small part in back to the future ii he also appeared in films like flipper the good son and the ice storm before his starring role as the hobbit frodo in the lord of the rings trilogy
but other child stars often reappear in the public consciousness only when they have run into legal trouble die young or appear on nostalgic where are they now lists
mr wood 35 said he gave the sunday times interview to promote a movie the trust but the topic strayed to child stars and pedophilia clearly something major was going on in hollywood he told the interviewer though he said he was not targeted nor did he name others he thought were involved
it was all organized he was quoted as saying there are a lot of vipers in this industry people who only have their own interests in mind there is darkness in the underbelly
what bums me about these situations is that the victims cant speak as loudly as the people in power mr wood continued thats the tragedy of attempting to reveal what is happening to innocent people they can be squashed but their lives have been irreparably damaged
on monday he declined a request from the times for an interview but put out the followup statement he said he had based his comments on a documentary he had seen an open secret in which young men described sexual assault by older men in hollywood
mr wood is not the only actor to suggest that abuse of child actors is underreported corey feldman who worked in childrens films in the 1980s said in 2011 that pedophilia was the no 1 problem in hollywood calling it the big secret
there have been some high profile legal cases including that of martin weiss a manager who specialized in representing young actors and pleaded no contest to two counts of child molestation in 2012
probably every child actor has brushed shoulders with a pedophile in the industry said anne henry the co founder of bizparentz a resource for the parents of child actors
ms henry said she did not believe there were more pedophiles in entertainment than in other industries but said that the children have more contact with adults than they would otherwise leaving them vulnerable to predators actors and their financially dependent parents are often reluctant to report abuse or go public she said
how would you stand up against an abuser in the industry who probably has a lot more money than you do and power in the media she said
in california a law aimed at protecting child actors requires professionals who work with them to undergo background checks and to be fingerprinted and a parent must be present on set
in the interview mr wood credited his mother with keeping him safe
she was far more concerned with raising me to be a good human than facilitating my career he said i never went to parties where that kind of thing was going on this bizarre industry presents so many paths of temptation if you dont have some kind of foundation typically from family then it will be difficult to deal with


the questions taken from a common core fourth grade reading test came to a columbia professor in an email from an anonymous teacher part of a blistering critique of the exam the professor put the questions and the critique on her blog and before she knew it her posting ignited on the internet fueling a new round of anger about nationwide standardized testing
as fast as the company that manages the tests played whac a mole trying to get the questions taken down teachers parents and education experts kept spreading them on blogs and twitter   despite the fact that the questions are still being used in testing some argued that robust public discussion of test items and their shortcomings was the best way to ensure better tests
ever since most states adopted the common core   guidelines for kindergarten through high school reading and math   parents and teachers have pushed back with many parents choosing not to have their children take the exams although a new federal education law has lowered the stakes for testing the viral response to the anonymous teachers critique highlights the strong feelings that standardized testing continues to evoke
this is what weve come to   its an act of brave rebellion a risk to career and livelihood to publish some questions from parccs big standardized test peter greene wrote on his blog curmudgucation referring to the company that administers the test
in more than 100 notices to google and twitter parcc inc has cited copyright law to support its request to take down the postings it has also threatened legal action against celia oyler the columbia education professor who first posted the questions and the critique
the test questions however are still circulating on the web
heather reams the director of communications for parcc inc said the issue was not just a technical copyright matter the publication of the questions she said compromises the fairness of the test which will be in use until june 10
fair testing cannot exist if test questions are publicly available before the tests are administered she said
michael j petrilli the president of the thomas b fordham institute an education policy group called the parcc exams exceptionally high quality
when items leak it costs a lot to come up with new items mr petrilli said
he added that he was puzzled by the continued anti testing backlash given that under the new law most states are not using test results for teacher evaluations or school quality judgments
but many teachers and opponents of testing say parents must have a way to assess the standardized tests their children take they point to an infamous passage on an eighth grade reading test four years ago about a talking pineapple that challenged a hare to a footrace the pineapple did not move the hare won the race and all the forest animals ate the pineapple the passage and the questions based on it bewildered children in several states for a number of years before it was publicized and dropped from the test
the opponents of standardized testing also say parcc incs push to remove items from google and twitter was overreaching because many of the posts on twitter and later on blogs only referred or linked to the questions and did not include their actual language
ms reams said the company was trying to protect the integrity of the questions by cutting off access to the links to them
the teacher who leaked the questions said in the original post that she was providing the material anonymously over concerns about intense legal ramifications but felt compelled to tell others how the high stakes accountability system has deformed teaching and warped learning in many public schools across the united states
the teacher said the questions were inappropriate for fourth graders exceeding any reasonable grade level standards
for example the teacher wrote one question prompted children to write an essay using passages from a book on sharks that is considered at sixth  or seventh grade reading level and of interest to students in the ninth to 12th grade
ms reams said that although the book in question was for older children the passage was grade appropriate
professor oyler said in an interview that she had not thought much about the fact that the test was still in use when she posted the questions
i was so angry when i saw the items that i wasnt thinking about protecting the company i was thinking about the importance of the public knowing what is going on in the name of accountability she said
these tests can determine which middle school you get into whether you graduate whether youre retained for a year so people need to know that the criteria were using for these huge life decisions are valid she said
ms reams said parcc inc had the highest degree of transparency of any of the companies developing state assessment tests with 800 past questions released she said the group planned to release one third of this years questions once the testing season has ended
still the chief executive of parcc inc laura mcgiffert slover emailed professor oyler on may 12 asking her to remove the items which she said were covered by copyright and offering to waive any damage claim if the professor would turn over information about the anonymous teacher professor oyler removed the questions from her blog but did not identify their source
at the same time the fracas was still spreading on the web picked up by blogs as well as by diane ravitch a prominent education expert and opponent of nationwide standardized testing who is a research professor at new york university some of the bloggers said parcc inc was trampling on their free speech rights by trying to stifle discussion of the tests flaws
a lot of people are upset that theyre making such a fetish of this dr ravitch said its like theyre trying to put a blanket over any discussion of their test
robert a schaeffer the public education director of fairtest the national center for fair and open testing shared the parcc inc critique on email lists reaching thousands of teachers he said the importance of public oversight of the testing industry was a basic principle
mr schaeffer said that  legalities aside the reality is that in a world of social media with instant transmission you cant put a cork back in the bottle
parcc inc manages the tests for the parcc consortium   formally the partnership for assessment of readiness for college and careers the consortium is one of the groups chosen to create tests based on the common core guidelines which have been adopted by most states and have come under heavy criticism from across the political spectrum
criticism has been so intense that the parcc tests once adopted by 24 states are now being used in only seven


geneva   the authorities in switzerland said on tuesday that they had begun criminal proceedings against one of the countrys oldest banks bsi after allegations that it had laundered huge sums for politically exposed individuals linked to a scandal plagued malaysian state investment fund
the swiss attorney generals office said in a statement that it suspected deficiencies in the internal organization of the bsi sa bank and believed that due to these deficiencies the bank was unable to prevent the commission of offenses currently under investigation in the criminal proceedings relating to the investment fund 1malaysia development berhad
the prosecution arose from an investigation that switzerland started last year into suspected misappropriation of billions of dollars from the malaysian fund also known as 1mdb and that it has pursued in cooperation with the authorities in luxembourg singapore and the united states
the investigation has strained relations with malaysia and embarrassed its prime minister najib razak who is fighting a scandal that has roiled malaysian politics involving allegations that 681 million was paid into his bank accounts
the monetary authority of singapore announced separately on tuesday that it was withdrawing the license of bsis singapore branch for serious breaches of anti money laundering requirements poor management oversight of the banks operations and gross misconduct by some of the banks staff
the authority said it had considerable evidence of gross dereliction of duty by bsi management and had sent prosecutors the names of six senior managers to investigate whether they had committed criminal offenses
the swiss attorney generals office said that it had started proceedings against bsi the oldest bank in the swiss canton of ticino as a result of its own investigations into transactions linked to 1mdb and on the basis of an investigation by the swiss financial market supervisory authority
in a separate statement on tuesday the financial market authority said that through business relationships and transactions linked to the corruption scandals surrounding the malaysian sovereign wealth fund 1mdb bsi had committed serious breaches of money laundering regulations
the authority said that it had ordered bsi to hand over to the swiss government profits amounting to 95 million swiss francs or about 96 million and had started legal proceedings against two of the banks former top managers
on tuesday it also approved the takeover of bsi by a zurich based private bank efg international under an agreement reached in february between efg and bsis brazilian owner btg pactual the authority said it had approved the deal on the conditions that bsi be completely integrated into efg and dissolved within 12 months and that none of bsis top management associated with its misconduct take leadership positions in efg
efg said in a statement that it believed tuesdays developments would draw a line ending regulatory uncertainty in switzerland and singapore for clients employees investors and other stakeholders
the financial market authority said it had investigated 20 other swiss banks and had started legal proceedings against six of them over transactions linked to either 1mdb or the brazilian state oil company petrobras which has also been a subject of investigation by the swiss authorities bsis misconduct in its dealings with 1mdb was particularly serious it said
the swiss attorney generals office said in january that it suspected 4 billion earmarked for development projects in malaysia had been misappropriated from 1mdb citing cases involving companies in malaysia and saudi arabia and a united arab emirates sovereign wealth fund each involving a systematic course of action carried out by means of complex financial structures
in its business with 1mdb the swiss financial market authority said bsi handled transactions for several foreign sovereign wealth funds amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars without adequately clarifying the moneys origins and helped to set up intermediate structures for handling the funds intended to increase the confidentiality of the transactions
the sovereign wealth funds had constituted bsis most profitable group of clients the financial market authority said and generated fees that were above market rates bsis senior management did not question why the sovereign wealth funds should use a private bank to provide institutional services and pay excessive out of market fees for doing so the authority said
it said the swiss bank had also failed to apply adequate risk management procedures to business relationships with politically exposed persons the origin of whose assets was not sufficiently clarified and whose dubious transactions involving hundreds of millions of us dollars were not satisfactorily scrutinized
bsi had happily accepted the explanation that one deposit of 20 million was a gift the market authority said and in another instance it allowed 98 million to be paid into an account with no attempt to identify the commercial basis for the transaction
in many cases there were clear indications of pass through transactions the authority said citing a case in which a payment of 20 million was shifted through several accounts on the same day before being transferred to another bank such transactions were often a clear indication of money laundering but the bank failed to carry out any checks the authority said
the authoritys statement added that despite its warnings to bsi about the risks in its dealings with clients linked to 1mdb the banks board of directors and executive board had determined to continue these client relationships


who knew there were so many land use lovers among us zoning can often be a dry topic but when it plays such an outsize role in our daily lives   as highlighted in a recent upshot article on the cover of sundays metropolitan section   how can you ignore it our exploration of the many ways in which new yorks 100 year old rules are out of date and out of sync with the city itself seemed to raise as many questions for readers as it answered
we have collected some of their thoughts in the hopes of continuing the conversation about the unexpected and inexplicable ways in which zoning has shaped new york   and the ways it will no doubt continue to do so
one big debate does the fact that 40 percent of buildings in manhattan are out of compliance with current zoning rules mean the city should revise those rules many readers saw a need for an overhaul while others feared the rampant development that could follow
aurther phleger of sparks nv
i find it amusing to hear the same people who elect to live in the most dense city ny in the most dense borough manhattan and even in the most dense neighborhoods village midtown uws etc then complain that its too dense and crowded without realizing that the high density and buzz is why they decided to live there in the first place for me most zoning laws in places like ny and san francisco with the emphasis on low rise buildings and livable neighborhoods create the worst of both worlds they lack the buzz of a midtown or hong kong but also lack the convenience and peace of the suburbs things are too far to walk but you cant drive easily either if you dont like the density of manhattan then move to brooklyn or further out dont ruin a great city for the rest of us had ny been built with todays zoning it would be a very boring place
max star of murray hill manhattan
i live in a 19th century townhouse and hate the thought of tearing down pre wwii buildings in new york but if they do they should build big dense buildings and ones that are not even with the buildings around them that makes it boring tearing down a six story old building and rebuilding a six story modern building just because they could rent a modern building for more seems like a shame the worst example of this is on eighth avenue where they tore down a block of beautiful old building to build a short black box that i guess is supposed to be invisible like a stealth bomber if people dont like tall bulky buildings why do they live in manhattan i think a lot of us like a very dense space the wall street area is very popular now if you like a lot of space and sunshine people can move to long island
george of jochnowitz
new york city is underpopulated tall buildings make it possible for a higher percentage of people to be able to walk to work and a still higher percentage to be able to use public transportation rather than cars suburbs necessarily have shopping areas with great big parking lots dense populations are good for the environment stores seem to be vanishing in this age of computers thickly populated areas can help to keep retail businesses alive
georges comment prompted a few incredulous responses
lou andrews of portland ore
are you serious even though i live in portland ore the stories ive read lately tells the tale that there is serious overcrowding not underpopulation who needs an overpopulated city anyway whether portland or new york
david gottfried of new york city
higher levels of density might be comfortable for ants or dead sardines in a sardine can not for people
mr gottfried had more thoughts on this
the author like the building code does not place enough of an emphasis on the health and well being of people who have to exist in ny apartments perhaps more people can be housed if we did not worry about giving people adequate space light and ventilation but without enough ventilation we could see a return of tuberculosis the author made general references to zoning laws let me be more specific the nyc dept of buildings operates by a building code which governs nyc if i recall correctly the preface or preamble of the code states that it should be interpreted in a manner that facilitates commercial development that ambiguities shall be resolved in favor of commercial enterprises and that health concerns shall not unduly circumscribe business activity the author feels the same way alleging that governing health concerns preclude the development of many buildings but many people are suffering from sick building syndrome infections from vermin respiratory infections that might be alleviated with better ventilation mold and depression augmented or caused by living in minute apartments
or put more poetically
zane of ny
 and the sun ceased to shine and the streets and alleys were cold and no one could see beyond the next building and the flora and fauna requiring full or partial sun began to die and all was replaced by shade plants that took a lifetime to take hold
it was interesting to see people extrapolate the findings for new york to other areas houston which is generally regarded as having very limited land use restrictions drew special attention
sally of greenwich village ny
new york city has to look to houston as the model to help level out or bring down the citys lack of commercial and residential space houston has no zoning people like to make all types of arguments for zoning however the bottom line is that it causes massive market distortions to meet the demands of the citys population it also makes sure to keep the gentrified landlord class in power why because through another form of overregulating the economy in this example creating mini oligopolies there isnt market competition china doesnt have zoning   they can get things done like the people of houston do new york is simply using an outdated philosophy that really helps to keep the people down bill de blasio needs to wake up and create less land regulation than more
testy of tx
this is a pretty common misunderstanding of what no zoning in houston actually means there is no distinction between commercial and residential so a house with a family can be right next door to a house with a business in it however houston has extensive land use regulation which is part of what people usually mean when they discuss zoning houston absolutely has required setbacks maximum height restrictions maximum floor to area ratios and parking minimums and the buildings described here could not be built in houston either increased density can definitely be good for the environment and affordability but houston is far from the best example of how to do it
hguy nyc
everything ive read has explained how much houston is a mess because of this
another popular example with much more in common with new york was san francisco
rick of san francisco
really interesting read here in sf the costs of residences be they rentals or purchases and zoning are daily discussions nimby neighborhood review density bonus variance setback micro unit nonconforming parking requirement vs parking limit infrastructure impact open space air light view affordable housing almost any angle is bandied about and used to support or argue against one project or another thanks for reminding us or at least me that our greatest city was the result of exceptions as much as rules
john king the architecture critic for the san francisco chronicle and alex bozikovic who has the same job at canadas globe and mail were equally ambivalent
who could forget our rivals to the north
and its not just big cities
jerry gropp architect aia mercer island wash
mercer island is going through all this a lot earlier in the game ive sent this fine article to the city council with the thought that this might help in their research im a seattle native my wifes brooklyn born
some readers seemed to enjoy using the interactive map either to highlight their own buildings or those of particular interest
ja of new york
i wonder how this was done i live in one of the buildings identified as having too many apartments i wonder how three apartments in a four story townhouse can be deemed as too many
one landlord even made an interesting discovery
dominic of astoria ny
one of the most fascinating and inspiring aspects of our city is the architecture it is diverse quirky both beautifully historic and also innovative we are truly fortunate to live in a city in which one can walk down nearly any block and find something interesting to look at that is truly something to cherish i recognize that progress always happens   its fascinating and jarring to look at photographs of the city from the late 19th century and compare what used to exist with what exists in those locations today at the same time we seem to have been going through a major building boom in the past 10 years or so sometimes these buildings replace dilapidated and unsightly edifices so no big loss other times however we lose a bit of our history a walk down 57th street is a perfect illustration i was lucky enough to have my first job in a townhouse next door to rizzoli bookstore both of these buildings are now dirt lots no doubt awaiting yet another sleek and cold glass tower the illustrations of the jones street and 720 park buildings are good examples sure they dont conform but there is a certain unique vitality there which adds to the dynamic and diverse nature of our city you can have laws and guidelines without sacrificing artistry and soul


rome   for more than two decades the british street artist banksy has covertly   and often illicitly   stenciled his often politically tinged statements on the walls of structures worldwide shielded by anonymity
now the tables have turned perhaps with the opening on tuesday in rome of war capitalism  liberty a survey of banksys art at the palazzo cipolla that its organizers describe as unauthorized by the artist
please note the artist known as banksy is not associated or involved in this museum show reads a note accompanying the exhibition which was conceived and realized by the fondazione terzo pilastro italia e mediterraneo a nonprofit organization that supports projects in the arts and other fields
the more than 100 artworks not including 68 record and cd covers in the show were lent by private collectors many of them were clients of acoris andipa a banksy collector and one of the shows curators and a dealer of banksys commercial art through his gallery in knightsbridge london
its lovely to actually see them all back again because pretty much all of them once upon a time came from me from my collection mr andipa said of the works
the show includes the whimsical   there are several copies of girl with balloon perhaps his best known piece   as well as social commentary and satire like the work exit through the gift shop which is also the title of banksys puzzling 2010 film
despite his escalating fame and the accompanying media exposure banksy has managed to keep his identity a secret even as attempts to determine who he might be have become more sophisticated
in recent months he has painted murals at the migrant camp in calais france and opened a temporary outdoor theme park called dismaland on the english coast
there have been exhibitions of banksys work in the past most notably at the bristol museum  art gallery in 2009 but the organizers of the palazzo cipolla show say theirs is largest comprehensive survey yet
the exhibit symbolizes the fundamental concepts of banksys vision said emmanuele francesco maria emanuele the chairman of the fondazione terzo pilastro capitalism in crisis war which is a consequence and the notion of freedom that must continue to live inside us independently from the world that surrounds us


today this articles 140 character first paragraph forms the entirety of a twitter post but this will not be the case for too much longer
on tuesday twitter said it planned to introduce a series of changes in the coming months to make it easier for people to communicate with one another on the social media service in particular the modifications will loosen the 140 character limit of a twitter post a restriction that has at times stumped and infuriated people but that has come to define the tweet as an economical and idiosyncratic form of communication
under the rule bending tagging users by their handles at the beginning of replies and adding photos gifs and videos will no longer count against the 140 character limit in tweets twitter said this will enable users to post longer messages with more interactive content without running afoul of the character restriction
this is something that has been requested from people using twitter for quite some time jack dorsey chief executive of twitter said in an interview when people try to cram their thoughts into a 140 character tweet then youre just thinking a lot about twitter instead of what youre saying we shouldnt make you think about twitter mr dorsey said
the adjustments amount to the biggest makeover to the form of a tweet in years twitter began last decade as a type of short messaging   the number of characters in a post curbed to just 140 in order to fit an sms message over the years twitter has introduced some small refinements to how its product looks and feels like adding a direct messages button on the mobile home screen and changing the twitter favorite button to a heart shaped like button
but twitter which is based in san francisco has been skittish about making major changes to the service seemingly paralyzed at the thought of scaring off any members of its loyal fan base in january when several news outlets reported that twitter was considering extending the character limit of tweets in a project known as beyond 140 users revolted en masse in march mr dorsey took to twitter and the airwaves to assuage fears that the company would greatly alter the way a tweet works
now with the new changes mr dorsey can have it both ways keep the 140 character limit while also allowing tweets to be longer
the compromise is another attempt by mr dorsey to simplify the complex esoteric rules that have evolved around twitter and that have made the service somewhat impenetrable to new users he has made it clear that nothing is off the table as he tries to turn the company around
since twitter had its initial public offering in 2013 it has faced criticism for its inability to attract new users and perhaps more important to keep them returning regularly last month twitter said it had an average of 310 million monthly users in the first three months of 2016 up from 305 million users in the last three months of 2015
twitters unique syntax and 140 character limit have held the service back said debra aho williamson an analyst at the industry research firm emarketer twitter has been saying for years now that it wants to make the service more user friendly and i think users will really appreciate having the ability to say what they want to say in the way they want to say it
with the changes twitter will also end another longstanding frequently confusing convention tweets that began with someone elses user name   say a tweet from mikeisaac this reporter to fmanjoo the new york timess technology columnist   would be seen only by people who followed both users
to get around this limitation users would often put a period before the user name at the beginning of the tweet a workaround that is now commonplace but many casual users of the service were not aware of the constraint or that their tweets were not viewable by their followers because of it mr dorsey said now people will no longer have to add a period to the beginning of a tweet to display the message to all of their followers
twitter users will also be able to quote and retweet   or rebroadcast   their own older tweets which was not possible before the idea according to twitter is to resurface old ideas that may have gone unnoticed
changing the nature of tweets is risky for twitter as these qualities have attracted and retained the most loyal users said brian blau a technology analyst for gartner but for them to become mass market and move to the next level they need to make fundamental changes
nytimes readers whether these changes are significant enough is unclear but under the new rules this last paragraph of 148 characters just fits


on tuesday stocks made their biggest gains since march as technology companies like apple and microsoft soared
homebuilders also climbed after the government said sales of new homes reached an eight year high last month that was a sign the housing market and the broader economy are still in good shape
stocks opened higher after hefty gains in europe technology stocks made their biggest gain in almost three months erasing their losses from earlier this year banks rose as interest rates continued to inch higher which lets banks make more money on lending
stocks have alternated between gains and losses in recent days after a four week string of losses
a little bit of good data has reminded people that things are actually ok said david lefkowitz senior equity strategist at ubs wealth management its almost like a rubber band when things get too stretched they snap back
the standard  poors 500 stock index picked up 2802 points or 14 percent to rise to 207606 the nasdaq composite index surged 9527 points or 2 percent to 486106
the dow jones industrial average rose 21312 points or 12 percent to 1770605
tech stocks led the market higher with their biggest jump since march 1 apple picked up 147 or 15 percent to 9790 and alphabet the parent company of google added 1578 or 22 percent to 73303 microsoft rose 156 or 31 percent to 5159
homebuilding stocks jumped after the commerce department said sales of new homes had reached their highest level since january 2008 sales of both newly built and previously occupied homes grew as job gains and low mortgage rates encouraged americans to keep buying homes
toll brothers also reported better first quarter results than analysts expected and the company raised its annual projections for home prices and sales the stock gained 236 or 87 percent to 2946
beazer homes usa added 66 cents or 92 percent to 786 and pultegroup rose 91 cents or 51 percent to 1873
bond prices fell the yield on the 10 year treasury note rose to 186 percent from 184 percent
jpmorgan chase climbed 108 or 17 percent to 6454 and bank of america gained 21 cents or 16 percent to 1468
the agribusiness giant monsanto rejected an offer from the german company bayer worth 62 billion or 122 a share monsanto however said it was open to talking with bayer about a possible sale as investors hoped for a richer offer monsanto stock rose 330 or 31 percent to 10930
the streaming video company netflix jumped after it said it had struck a deal with disney starting in september netflix will have exclusive domestic rights to new movies from disney marvel lucasfilm and pixar netflix stock jumped 3 or 32 percent to 9789
the fertilizer maker cf industries ended a deal to buy ocis distribution networks for about 8 billion cf planned to reincorporate in britain as part of the deal which would have reduced its tax bill but the company said new rules from the treasury department made the combination less appealing cf industries will pay oci 150 million for calling off the deal cf industries shed 224 or 75 percent to 2761
oil traded at its highest price since early october and benchmark united states crude picked up 54 cents or 11 percent to 4862 a barrel in new york brent crude used to price international oils rose 26 cents or 05 percent to 4861 a barrel in london
retailers continued to struggle the electronics chain best buy said its quarterly sales kept falling and its outlook was weak that made best buy the latest retailer to disclose disappointing quarterly results its stock lost 245 or 74 percent to 3055
the shoe and accessories retailer dsw cut its outlook saying it expects weaker sales this year the company reported disappointing results for its first fiscal quarter and its stock gave up 253 or 116 percent to 1920
the athletic apparel maker under armour rose after it announced a deal with the university of california los angeles worth 280 million over 15 years the stock jumped 95 cents or 25 percent to 3822
twitter announced a series of format changes to make its 140 character limit a bit more flexible while that might make the platform more appealing to new users twitter did not abolish that limit entirely as some had expected already trading around record lows its stock declined 38 cents or 26 percent to 1403
the cac 40 in france added 25 percent while the german dax gained 22 percent in britain the ftse 100 rose 13 percent japans benchmark the nikkei 225 fell 09 percent as the yen continued to strengthen hurting japanese exporters the south korean kospi edged down 09 percent in hong kong the hang seng rose 01 percent
in other energy trading wholesale gasoline gained 1 cent to 165 a gallon heating oil rose 1 cent to 149 a gallon natural gas fell 8 cents to 198 per 1000 cubic feet
gold fell 2230 or 18 percent to 122920 an ounce silver slid 17 cents or 1 percent to 1625 an ounce copper was unchanged at 207 a pound
the dollar rose to 10998 yen from 10919 yen the euro slipped to 11143 from 11221


for such a tiny part of facebook its trending topics feature sure has become a major headache
on monday facebook responded to congressional questions about how it controls what people see in that little box to the right of their facebook pages and whether conservative voices were being suppressed
facebooks response can be boiled down to a simple sentiment you got us all wrong but the silicon valley company also plans to make some changes particularly in the use of a handful of mainstream news outlets to push certain topics into the feed
the increasing control of one company on how news is consumed is of course reason for concern but facebook users who rarely notice the trending topics feed may be scratching their heads at the hubbub over such little links when the real action on facebook is in its newsfeed
and then there are those who think the combination of algorithms and editors that influence the trending topics list   which is often a mix of hard news celebrity pandering and shark attack videos   are not exactly understanding the audience who you may ask is ginger zee chumlee is drone footage of a tiger shark feeding on a whale carcass off the coast of australia really that cool
after facebook deals with the political questions surrounding trending topics it may be time to address the usefulness issue


why donald trump thats the big question the stunned republican establishment americas worried allies and his frazzled democratic opponents are asking
but heres the better question why did it take someone like mr trump so long to show up and threaten to upend the nations political order
look around the advanced market democracies of the industrialized generally prosperous west versions of trump and the kind of politics he represents have been popping up everywhere
in denmark that haven of social democracy bernie sanders loves a nativist party that rails against immigration multiculturalism and the loss of sovereignty to the european union won more than a fifth of the vote in parliamentary elections last year three times the share it got in 1998
from the finns party formerly the true finns to the uk independence party populist parties with a nationalist xenophobic streak are all over europes political stage marine le pen of the national front got nearly 18 percent of the first round vote in frances last presidential elections in austria a far right party that says immigration must be stopped to protect cultural identity and social peace barely lost an election on sunday for the largely ceremonial but symbolically important office of president
remarkable though he may seem on the american political scene mr trump perhaps can be best understood as the face of a broader global dynamic the resistance to policies that encourage global competition and open borders to people who have lived too long on the losing side
this is not new there is something cyclical here said paul de grauwe professor of european political economy at the london school of economics we must keep in mind that we have seen these dynamics before
the worlds golden age of globalization around the turn of the 19th century into the 20th was capped by what came to be known as the great war the discontent bred of the worldwide economic devastation of the 1930s ended in another war
backlashes against globalization promoted a zero sum game thinking to protect ourselves we must do so at the expense of somebody else said harold james an expert on european history at princetons woodrow wilson school of public and international affairs it increases nationalism and the willingness to go to war
anger is built in expanded trade and immigration put pressure on the jobs and wages of the working class yet they also served to deliver enormous wealth and enhanced power into the hands of a tiny elite in the absence of actions to mitigate the damage and more broadly share the bounty of globalization its no surprise that righteous anger against the establishment has opened the door to unorthodox political entrepreneurs
in his new book global inequality branko milanovic from the city university of new yorks graduate center documents a shrinking middle class around the industrialized world not just in the united states and britain but also in more egalitarian nations like germany sweden and australia
the middle class allows for both democracy and stability he writes middle class people tend to eschew extremism of both the left and the right workers who feel themselves losing their perch in the middle class may be the most vulnerable of all to a populist appeal
mr trump may seem unusual to americans because the united states did not produce the kind of autocratic populist leaders europe offered the 20th century men who built power bases blaming others for their ills immigrants jews foreigners in general
in the last few decades professor milanovic argues rising inequality in the united states led not to populism but to what he calls a plutocratic equilibrium where elites purchase political power while the poor are systematically excluded and the working class is encouraged to support the status quo based on issues like gun control and gay marriage
perhaps the united states more vigorous economy allowed the plutocratic equilibrium to survive but after a couple of decades in which wages have gone nowhere for all but the most fortunate workers american voters seem willing to give nativist populism a try
mr trump may not be president of the united states the european far right may remain mostly in the minority yet these forces are to a large extent driving the agenda   pushing mainstream politicians to turn away from establishment positions
hillary clinton has rejected the trans pacific trade agreement negotiated by the obama administration that she once supported londons former mayor the conservative gadfly boris johnson is gleefully lobbying for britons to leave the european union
protectionism is on the rise around the world we dont need to wait for a president trump we are already seeing it said simon j evenett who manages the global trade alert at the university of saint gallen in switzerland having lost faith in macrostimulus policies perhaps many g 20 governments are already turning to policies that distort markets rather than boost growth
whats scarier professor de grauwe argues is voters sharp turn against reason opening space for snake oil salesmen who will promise anything to achieve political power the intellectuals have apparently failed he said so you get guys like trump that come up with statements that have nothing to do with facts
these entrepreneurs offer few solutions thousand mile walls and sky high tariffs will do nothing to mitigate the pressure bearing down on the working class if the trumps of this world came to power might they compromise further angering their frustrated base or might they instead whip up even more anger
its possible the united states will soon by governed by a president who rode into office partly by appealing to popular resentment against china a country where overt nationalism is a central plank of the governments claim to authority what would happen if an incident in the south china sea ended with 200 dead american sailors
nobody thinks of actually going to war professor milanovic said but small things can happen that the other must react to
responding to overt appeals to naked nationalism is not just about money its also about policies to strengthen workers bargaining power about policies to help displaced blue collar workers find a productive place in an economy dominated by services
aggrieved americans are unlikely to be won over with more generous food stamps or a bigger earned income tax credit anger brews as well even in countries with more robust social safety nets
we shouldnt try to stop globalization even if we could but if we dont do a better job managing a changing world economy it seems clear that it will end badly again


bubba smith an all pro defensive end in the nfl who went on to a second career as a movie actor had chronic traumatic encephalopathy the degenerative brain disease linked to repeated head trauma when he died in 2011
the findings were confirmed by researchers affiliated with the department of veterans affairs boston university and the concussion legacy foundation and released on tuesday morning with the permission of the executor of smiths estate
smith is the 90th former nfl player found to have had cte by the researchers at the boston university brain bank they have examined 94 former pro players on a scale of 1 to 4 used by the neuropathologist who examined smiths brain smith had stage 3 cte with symptoms that included cognitive impairment and problems with judgment and planning
some scientists caution that much remains unknown about cte including why it afflicts some players but not others but even the nfl which for years denied there was any connection between head trauma sustained on the field and long term cognitive impairment has admitted that there is a link
smith whose given name was charles died at age 66 of an overdose of phentermine a weight loss drug he also had heart disease and high blood pressure according to the los angeles county coroner
at 6 feet 7 inches and nearly 300 pounds smith was known as a quick and powerful lineman during a standout career at michigan state where he was named an all american in 1965 and 1966 smiths size and prowess gave rise to the chant kill bubba kill which emanated frequently from the stands he later co wrote a book with that title
smith was chosen as the no 1 overall pick in the 1967 draft by the baltimore colts he was a member of the teams that lost super bowl iii to the jets and beat the dallas cowboys in super bowl v after five seasons in baltimore smith played two seasons with the oakland raiders and two seasons in houston with the oilers
after smith retired following the 1976 season he used his size and fame to build a second career in film and television he was best known for his role as moses hightower the mild mannered florist turned lawman in the film comedy police academy 1984 and many of its sequels
he appeared on many shows including good times charlies angels semi tough hart to hart married with children and family matters he was also seen in a well known series of miller lite commercials   tastes great less filling   in the 1970s and 80s
smith joins dozens of notable nfl players found to have had cte including junior seau frank gifford and ken stabler smiths teammate on the raiders
the growing list of players found with cte has prompted other players to agree to donate their brains to cte research the former oakland raiders george atkinson phil villapiano george buehler and art thoms   all teammates of stablers and smiths   have pledged their brains to the concussion legacy foundation


what in the world offers you glimpses of what our journalists are observing around the globe let us know what you think whatintheworldnytimescom
if you are a honeybee in france the best place to live and work might be smack in the middle of paris
audric de campeau who set up his first hives in the french capital in 2009 said he was surprised to discover that his parisian bees produced more than twice as much honey as the ones he kept back in the northeastern champagne region
mr de campeau said that green spaces in paris and other large cities like new york or london actually had a better mix of trees flowers and other plants than farming areas dominated by vast single crop fields plus no crop dusted pesticides
honey produced in paris tastes of red berries and lychee mr de campeau said he said that traces of the citys high air pollution had been found in beeswax and the bees themselves but that the bees still lived longer than their country cousins
bees were cultivated in paris as far back as 1856 in the luxembourg garden where there is still a beekeeping school now the local authorities count 700 hives in parks private residences and office buildings
they have been set up on the rooftops of the national assembly frances lower house of parliament and on top of the palais garnier opera house which sells small jars of its own honey online for 15 euros or about 17
at the tour dargent a left bank restaurant diners could recently enjoy roast duckling with spices and honey from our roof as they took in the sweeping view of the cathedral of notre dame   where several hives sit atop the sacristy
even the french communist party recently set up a handful of hives on the roof of its imposing 1970s era headquarters one twitter user wryly noted that the party was now in the capitalist business of exploiting workers


while some people consider grilling over charcoal to be cumbersome we love every part of it to us its like an old friend who demands a certain measure of care and attention
we enjoy not just the end result to our taste it beats out anything cooked over gas but also the whole process we like building the fire we like positioning the lighted coals to direct the heat we like maneuvering the food around the grill we even get some perverse pleasure from cleaning out the ashes
so it always seems a shame that a lot of the grilling fires power goes to waste even if you are industrious and grill some potatoes or corn for a side dish at the same time as your chops or steak theres still plenty of heat left after all that cooking is done the coals just sadly burn out as you eat and thats no way to treat a friend
it doesnt have to be that way you can use the heat of a waning fire to supply your pantry for the week to come just put a couple of ingredients on the grill as you take your dinner off and let them cook until you feel like coming back and harvesting them
the general idea is to get a little char on the food over the remaining coals then move it off to the side and let it cook slow and low the best choices are items that only get better as they become more tender so you dont have to worry about overcooking you also want food that can last for several days in the refrigerator without a loss of flavor or texture
there are many ingredients that fill this particular bill bell peppers eggplants and tomatoes are all good choices they can spend a long time over low heat without suffering and their uses are many
but we are fans of bold flavors so our favorites for this approach are citrus chiles and onions
thin slices of lemon work fine on the grill but we prefer to halve them for this technique the lemons are ready when they have some good char on the cut surfaces black stripes are good here not bad and have softened enough to collapse easily when gently squeezed with tongs the lemon juice adds a warm subtle smokiness to chimichurri the all purpose argentine green sauce
grilled in the same fashion smoky limes have an even more distinctive flavor than lemons we are partial to the sharp smokiness their juice adds to a vietnamese style dipping sauce
there are many possible options for the chiles but we tend to use jalapenos because they are large enough to handle easily on the grill
when it comes to onions the slightly sweeter red ones are our choice sliced into rings about a half inch thick they can just be plunked directly onto the grill if you are particularly handy at flipping things with tongs less dexterous grillers can simply slide a skewer through the onions horizontally to keep the rings together after grilling roughly chop the onions and make yourself smoky barbecue flavored chutney
but you get the point respect the fire and it will in turn reward you with livelier dinners later in the week this as humphrey bogart might have said could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship
recipes barbecue red onion chutney  smoky lime chile dipping sauce  smoky chimichurri  how to grill


the system as outlined in a lawsuit filed by the new york state attorney general was as simple as it was flawed
a pizza is ordered from dominos a pizza is made a pizza is delivered
the workers who assembled and delivered the pie clock their hours on a computer system and those workers are then paid
but for years according to the lawsuit against the corporate franchiser that owns dominos pizza the computer system used by franchises across the state systematically undercounted hours worked by employees shortchanging them hundreds of thousands of dollars
the lawsuit announced on tuesday was the latest salvo in a campaign by the attorney general eric t schneiderman against what he says is a pattern of corporations shortchanging low wage workers
since 2011 mr schneiderman has secured more than 26 million for almost 20000 workers who were bilked of wages
but unlike past cases this one directly targets the corporate franchiser if the state wins mr schneiderman hopes the case sets a precedent that makes it harder for corporations that run franchise businesses to avoid responsibility for the actions taken by the stores under their corporate umbrella
wage theft is an epidemic causing harm to low wage workers struggling to support their families every single day mr schneiderman said in a statement
across the country lawsuits involving wage theft have been on the rise broadly defined wage theft involves employers violating minimum wage and overtime laws and not counting work hours and management wrongfully taking employees tips
the surge in lawsuits according to labor advocates is a reflection of the changing nature of the american workplace
increasingly corporations are using franchises subcontractors and temp companies to fill jobs one result is fierce competition to fill jobs with people who will work for the lowest possible wages and in turn corporate franchisers can insulate themselves from charges of wage violations by creating a degree of separation between the corporation and the employees
the labor department through its wage and hour division has recovered more than 1 billion in unpaid wages across the country since 2010
still even with both federal and state prosecutors focused on the issue the abuses continue labor advocates say
in 2014 the new york state attorney general lodged a victory against 23 dominos pizza outlets in new york for wage theft securing 448000 in restitution for workers
that year dominos also settled a class action lawsuit brought by employees for 13 million for wage violations in new york
that lawsuit accused a dominos franchisee dpny inc of a variety of unfair labor practices including not giving a legally required lunch break not paying for uniforms and paying a subminimum tip wage even when the workers did untipped work like cleaning ovens and floors or distributing fliers
but the new case being brought by mr schneiderman seeks to hold the corporate franchiser dominos pizza llc responsible it accuses the company of forcing franchisees to use a computer accounting system even though it was aware it was flawed
dominos corporate executives knew about the violations denied responsibility and failed to take action he said for the first time we will prove that the dominos corporate franchiser is legally responsible for rampant wage theft occurring at its stores
in a statement dominos defended its conduct saying that it had worked with the attorney generals office for more than three years and calling the lawsuit baseless
we were disappointed to learn that the attorney general chose to file a lawsuit that disregards the nature of franchising and demeans the role of small business owners instead of focusing on solutions that could have actually helped the individuals those small businesses employ the company said
we believe that every employee deserves to be treated fairly and paid what they are entitled to under the law we also believe that franchising is a tremendous source of economic opportunity in this country in general and in new york state in particular
in the course of a four year investigation the attorney generals office obtained a sample of franchisee records entered into dominos own computer system
those records showed that 78 percent of franchisees listed instances of subminimum wages and 86 percent of franchisees listed instances of unlawfully low overtime rates according to mr schneidermans office


heres one gala that wont be hard to sell out jake gyllenhaal has agreed to star in a one night only performance of sunday in the park with george to raise money for new york city center
mr gyllenhaal although best known as a film star wowed musical theater fans last summer with his star turn in an encores off center production of little shop of horrors at city center and sunday in the park with music and lyrics by stephen sondheim and a book by james lapine is one of the most beloved shows in the musical theater canon the show a look at the artistic and romantic compromises faced by the painter georges seurat won the pulitzer prize in 1985
the concert performance is being produced by jeanine tesori the tony winning composer of fun home who is leaving her position as artistic director of encores off center but continuing her relationship with city center as an artistic adviser
the gala honoring the philanthropist adrienne arsht is scheduled for oct 24 performance only tickets will be sold for 75 and up beginning at noon on may 25 at nycitycenterorg benefit tickets are considerably more expensive   2500 to 10000 or 25000 to 150000 for a table


hong kong   a landslide at a jade mine in northern myanmar has killed at least 12 people and dozens more might have been buried by the collapsed hillside an official said on tuesday
the landslide in kachin state on monday night came after heavy rainfall in recent days twelve bodies were recovered but as many as 100 people were feared missing said u tin soe a member of myanmars lower house of parliament from the hpakant area the center of jade mining in kachin
although many large scale mining operations had stopped because of the monsoon individual workers who pick over scrap piles were still laboring in weikha village outside hpakant when they were caught in the deluge mr tin soe said
hand pickers were still digging there he said that is very risky
many informal workers comb the waste piles from mining operations looking for jade that has been left behind in november about 120 such miners in the hpakant area were killed in a landslide that engulfed a village of flimsy shacks and tents
some of the worlds highest quality jade is found in kachin the green stone is largely sold to china the trade is poorly regulated and is controlled largely by people associated with myanmars military elite
last year global witness an anticorruption organization estimated the total value of the countrys jade production at 31 billion in 2014 almost half of its gross domestic product most taxes on that income are avoided and very little of the revenue from the trade is shared by miners or others in kachin the group said


hong kong   a poet in myanmar who wrote in october that he had a tattoo of the countrys president on his penis was found guilty on tuesday of defamation and sentenced to a six month jail term
the poet maung saungkha 24 had been held since november and was released on tuesday based on time served according to a court in yangon myanmars largest city
a short poem in which he made his assertion apparently about u thein sein who was president until the end of march received wide attention last fall because of its off color material and its timing
mr maung saungkha posted the poem on facebook in october one month before the landmark election that brought the nobel peace laureate daw aung san suu kyi and her national league for democracy to power
he has said he does not have such a tattoo but he said by phone on tuesday that he was inspired to write the poem by the images of political heroes like ms aung san suu kyi that some supporters have inked on their bodies
i thought where would they tattoo those whom people are embarrassed by he said thats why i wrote the poem
i am happy that i have been released he added but the verdict is unfair since i just used mr president in the poem i didnt mention u thein sein
the court in yangon found that mr thein sein had been defamed however and that by posting the poem on facebook mr maung saungkha had violated a telecommunications statute
i am totally disappointed with the sentence despite his release saw wai another poet in yangon said by telephone on tuesday i expected his unconditional release because it was not an act of terror it was just writing a poem
although myanmar has seen a dramatic end to censorship as part of a broad liberalization human rights advocates say restrictions on free speech still exist and violating them can be perilous
last year a bar manager from new zealand and two local men were sentenced to two years in prison for posting an online ad with an image of the buddha wearing headphones which was ruled denigrating to buddhism the countrys majority religion
also last year the activists chaw sandi tun and patrick kum jaa lee were arrested and later sentenced to six month prison terms for facebook posts deemed insulting to the military they were released in march and april human rights watch said
the facebook users hla bhone nay myo wai and ya pyae were also arrested separately over the past four months for posts seen as mocking the military chief senior gen min aung hlaing and ms aung san suu kyi


new delhi   the former president of the maldives has been granted refugee status in britain his office said in a statement late monday months after he entered the country on medical leave from a 13 year prison sentence on terrorism charges
the former president mohamed nasheed the countrys first democratically elected head of state was jailed for ordering the military to arrest a sitting senior judge which the court said was an abduction punishable under a section of an antiterrorism law mr nasheeds supporters denounced the action as politically motivated imposed by a government loyal to the longtime leader he had replaced maumoon abdul gayoom
mr nasheed and his supporters have been joined by a chorus of countries that have objected to his imprisonment including canada india and the united states his trial was described as deeply unfair by the united nations working group on arbitrary detention and human rights lawyers including amal clooney have lobbied for his release
the maldives an archipelago in the indian ocean with nearly 400000 people has experienced continued turmoil in the months since mr nasheeds sentencing the government has ousted or arrested officials whose loyalty to the current president abdulla yameen mr gayooms half brother has been questioned and it has cracked down on protest rallies
president yameen has jailed every opposition leader and cracked down on anyone who dares to oppose or criticize him mr nasheed said in his offices statement given the slide towards authoritarianism in the maldives myself and other opposition politicians feel we have no choice but to work from exile   for now
the british home office said in a statement that it did not comment on individual political refugee cases
the maldives ministry of foreign affairs said in a statement on monday that it was concerned about the reports of mr nasheeds refugee status in britain though it said that those reports were unconfirmed it said that mr nasheed had sought medical leave to avoid serving his prison sentence adding that he has once again exhibited a distinct lack of commitment to the legal process and continues to manipulate the process for political gain believing that he remains above the law
the ministry added further the government of the maldives is disappointed if confirmed that the uk government is allowing itself to be part of this charade and further is enabling an individual to circumvent his obligations under the law


the squids are all right   as are their cephalopod cousins the cuttlefish and octopus
in the same waters where fish have faced serious declines the tentacled trio is thriving according to a study published monday
cephalopods have increased in the worlds oceans over the last six decades zoe doubleday a marine ecologist from the university of adelaide in australia and lead author of the study said in an email our results suggest that something is going on in the marine environment on a large scale which is advantageous to cephalopods
dr doubleday and her team compiled the first global scale database of cephalopod population numbers spanning from 1953 to 2013 it included historical catch rates for 35 cephalopod species including the japanese flying squid the giant pacific octopus and the common cuttlefish the species inhabit marine ecosystems all over the world from australia and the united states to morocco and madagascar among other countries
when we looked at the data by cephalopod group we were like oh my god   theyre all going up  she said
she said it was remarkable how consistent the increases were among the three cephalopod groups which included species that swim in the open seas and creatures that scuttle through tide pools they published their findings in the journal current biology
according to a 2015 world wildlife fund report some 1200 marine vertebrate species including fish like mackerels and tunas declined by nearly half between 1970 and 2012
thats not just the loss of some fish and some turtles wrote john tanzer the director of the wwf international marine program in the report thats the unravelling of the fabric of an ecosystem that sustains life on earth
but cephalopods which are invertebrates have increased across the board
dr doubleday and her team are currently investigating why the cephalopods are doing so well while the numbers of other marine animals like fish are falling she suspects that climate change and overfishing are two causes warming oceans while detrimental to some fish may be creating beneficial growing conditions for some cephalopods and overfishing could potentially reduce the numbers of fish that prey on the squishy snacks she said
finding the answer she said may tell us an even bigger story about how human activities are changing the ocean


the house is set to pass a bill on tuesday intended to overhaul the nations 40 year old law governing toxic chemicals a measure that would for the first time subject thousands of household chemicals to regulation the house vote will send the bill to the senate where it is expected to pass this week or early next moving the measure to president obamas desk
public health advocates and environmentalists have complained for decades that the 1976 toxic substances control act is outdated and riddled with gaps that leave americans exposed to harmful chemicals under current law around 64000 chemicals are not subject to environmental testing or regulation
efforts to tighten the law have stalled for years in part because of opposition from the chemical industry the bipartisan authors of the bill say their breakthrough represents a pragmatic politically viable compromise between better environmental standards and the demands of industry in particular senator tom udall democrat of new mexico worked closely with the american chemistry council to come up with language that would win the support of the industry and pass through the generally regulation averse republican congress
the new bill would require the environmental protection agency to begin conducting tests on those 64000 chemicals but at a fairly slow pace it would require the agency to be conducting tests on about 20 chemicals at a time with a deadline of seven years per chemical it would also allow the agencys regulations to pre empt stronger state level rules
but while the chemical lobby has lauded the bill environmental groups are lukewarm about it at best were not in support of the bill but were not formally opposing it said andy igrejas the campaign director for safer chemicals healthy families which has lobbied on the bill on behalf of about 450 environmental and public health groups
this bill has some real reforms that give epa authority to go after more chemicals and order more testing mr igrejas said but taking authority away from the states is a real limitation


tehran   an iranian council that would have the authority to select a new supreme leader elected an 89 year old hard liner as its chairman on tuesday iranian state news media reported
the council the assembly of experts holds an increasingly important role in light of concerns about the health of the supreme leader ayatollah ali khamenei who received treatment for prostate cancer in 2014
we should act in such a way that both god and the leader are satisfied with us the new chairman ayatollah ahmad jannati told the semiofficial fars news agency after his election
the selection of ayatollah jannati who won a majority of the 86 votes suggested that seniority was a higher priority than the preference of voters during parliamentary elections in february ayatollah jannati managed to secure the last of 16 seats in the tehran constituency
it also signals new obstacles for a coalition of reformists and moderates under president hassan rouhani who are seeking very modest changes in the islamic republic analysts say
in addition to his new post ayatollah jannati leads the influential guardian council a vetting body that disqualified over 3000 reformist and moderate candidates for the february elections which were held in parallel with the vote for the assembly of experts
if mr rouhani was upset at the vote on tuesday however he did not let on he called the assembly an example of religious democracy and reaffirmed that when the time comes the people have chosen those who will make the decision on a new supreme leader
some in the moderate camp even said that they had supported ayatollah jannatis candidacy though more for tactical than emotional reasons we need to reassure them after their electoral losses in the parliamentary voting said farshad ghorbanpour a political analyst close to the rouhani government we are trying to reduce their concerns and keep them on board
not all reformists shared that view however and they questioned what the moderates had gained through such concessions maybe our coalition with the moderates has been a mistake one prominent reformist ibrahim asgharzadeh wrote on twitter
hard liners struck a different chord drawing on the oft repeated propaganda message that the february elections had been influenced by britain irans former imperial overseer and historic enemy one newly elected member of the assembly of experts ayatollah ali eslami said the new chairman had been elected to give a powerful slap to the british government the fars news agency reported
indeed the respected members of the assembly of experts intended to give a crushing response to the evil britain ayatollah eslami said
ayatollah khamenei the supreme leader who is supposed to be subject to the oversight of the assembly congratulated the new members and reminded them of their responsibilities
in one sentence the responsibility is this accurately and fully guarding the islamic and revolutionary identity in the country and guiding the interlinked organizations of this system toward grand and high objectives he said on his website khameneiir


an unlikely voice recently bemoaned the decline of civility in presidential politics warned that deep anger was fueling an almost radical populism and sang the praises of former president bill clinton   particularly his redemptive years of philanthropic work since leaving the white house
the voice was that of kenneth w starr the former whitewater independent counsel whose javert like pursuit of mr clinton in the 1990s helped bring a new intensity to partisan warfare and led to the impeachment of a president for only the second time in the nations history
the presumptive republican presidential nominee donald j trump increasingly seems to be trying to relitigate the scandals that mr starr investigated dredging up allegations of sexual transgressions by mr clinton to accuse hillary clinton   the likely democratic nominee   of having aided and enabled her husband at the expense of mr clintons female accusers
but mr starr expressed regret last week that so much of mr clintons legacy remained viewed through the lens of what mr starr demurely termed the unpleasantness
his remarks seemed almost to absolve mr clinton if not to exonerate him
there are certain tragic dimensions which we all lament mr starr said in a panel discussion on the presidency at the national constitution center in philadelphia
that having been said the idea of this redemptive process afterwards we have certainly seen that powerfully in mr clintons postpresidency he continued adding president carter set a very high standard which president clinton clearly continues to follow
he called mr clinton the most gifted politician of the baby boomer generation
his genuine empathy for human beings is absolutely clear mr starr said it is powerful it is palpable and the folks of arkansas really understood that about him   that he genuinely cared the i feel your pain is absolutely genuine
for some time mr starr a christian who is now the president and chancellor of baylor university a private baptist school in waco tex has sought to put his years as a political combatant behind him
after the sept 11 2001 terrorist attacks some of his associates expressed regret that so much of the clinton administrations efforts had been spent fighting those battles rather than addressing the growing threat posed by osama bin laden and in 2010 mr starr told fox news that he regretted that his investigation of mr clinton had taken so long and that it brought great pain to a lot of people
the panel discussion in philadelphia was occasioned by the release of the presidents and the constitution a living history to which mr starr contributed a chapter on ronald reagan the books editor who wrote the chapter on mr clinton is ken gormley who also wrote the 2010 book the death of american virtue clinton vs starr
its sad that the chapter is so rooted in the unpleasantness as i used to call it the recent unpleasantness mr starr said
he did not mention any of the current presidential candidates by name in last weeks discussion but mr starr 69 alluded to mr trump saying he was concerned about the transnational emergence of almost radical populism deep anger a sense of dislocation
he also seemed to echo mr trump however saying our children are not going to do as well as we did or as our parents generation and pointing to demographic shifts as a source of considerable instability
then again mr starr also alluded to the danger posed by income inequality a central theme of senator bernie sanderss presidential campaign we simply have not adjusted as a society to what seems to be the 1 percent and the 99 percent mr starr said
but it was mr starrs keening over the coarsening and polarization of american politics that seemed most noteworthy he did not volunteer any responsibility for it   though mr clinton who in 2006 accused mr starr of indicting innocent people because they wouldnt lie might well lay considerable blame at his feet
a federal judge in the reagan administration and the solicitor general under president george bush mr starr was named independent counsel in 1994 taking over the investigation of the whitewater real estate venture and the suicide of vincent w foster jr a deputy white house counsel he expanded the investigation to include the paula jones lawsuit and the monica lewinsky scandal
mr starrs conclusion that mr clinton had committed perjury in sworn testimony denying having had sexual relations with ms lewinsky eventually led to mr clintons impeachment
whether its whitewater or whether its vince or whether its benghazi its always a mess with hillary mr trump recently told the washington post
mr starr now is contending with criticism of his own leadership over baylors handling of sexual assault charges leveled against several of its football players
in the panel discussion last week he reached back to an earlier presidency   that of lyndon b johnson saying todays divisiveness deeply concerns me he recalled johnsons appealing for comity before a joint session of congress
i remember this so vividly   he said come let us reason together can we talk with one another mr starr said the utter decline and erosion of civility and discourse has i think very troubling implications
he quoted e gordon gee the president of west virginia university saying the world has become a shouting match
there are always places for shouts and strong feelings but the genius of american democracy and of presidential leadership mr starr continued is to bring unity out of our diversity e pluribus unum   out of many one and we dont seem to hear too many voices saying let us find common ground


smithers british columbia   less than a year after her 15 year old cousin vanished delphine nikal 16 was last seen hitchhiking from this isolated northern canadian town on a spring morning in 1990
ramona wilson 16 a member of her high school baseball team left home one saturday night in june 1994 to attend a dance a few towns away she never arrived her remains were found 10 months later near the local airport
tamara chipman 22 disappeared in 2005 leaving behind a toddler shes still missing gladys radek her aunt said itll be 11 years in september
dozens of canadian women and girls most of them indigenous have disappeared or been murdered near highway 16 a remote ribbon of asphalt that bisects british columbia and snakes past thick forests logging towns and impoverished indian reserves on its way to the pacific ocean so many women and girls have vanished or turned up dead along one stretch of the road that residents call it the highway of tears
a special unit formed by the royal canadian mounted police officially linked 18 such cases from 1969 to 2006 to this part of the highway and two connecting arteries more women have vanished since then and community activists and relatives of the missing say they believe the total is closer to 50 almost all the cases remain unsolved
the highway of tears and the disappearances of the indigenous women have become a political scandal in british columbia but those cases are just a small fraction of the number who have been murdered or disappeared nationwide the royal canadian mounted police have officially counted about 1200 cases over the past three decades but research by the native womens association of canada suggests the total number could be as high as 4000
in december after years of refusal by his conservative predecessor prime minister justin trudeau announced a long awaited national inquiry into the disappearances and murders of indigenous women
the inquiry set to cost 40 million canadian dollars 31 million is part of mr trudeaus promise of a total renewal of canadas relationship with its indigenous citizens and it comes at a critical time
aboriginal women and girls make up about 4 percent of the total female population of canada but 16 percent of all female homicides according to government statistics
carolyn bennett the minister of indigenous and northern affairs has spent months traveling across the country to consult with indigenous communities during her meetings families and survivors have complained of racism and sexism by the police who she said treated the deaths of indigenous women as inevitable as if their lives mattered less
whats clear is the uneven application of justice ms bennett said
one reason to doubt the estimate by the royal canadian mounted police she said is that the police often immediately deemed the womens deaths to be suicides drug overdoses or accidents over the protests of relatives who suspected foul play there was no investigation she said citing one recent case the file folders empty
a united nations report last year described measures by the previous government to protect aboriginal women from harm as inadequate and said that the lack of an inquiry into the murders and disappearances constituted grave violations of the womens human rights failures by law enforcement it added had resulted in impunity
ms radek a co founder of tears4justice an advocacy organization said when it comes to the missing racism runs deep
the federal government has allocated 84 billion canadian dollars 64 billion over five years to aid indigenous communities which have disproportionately high levels of poverty incarceration alcoholism and substance abuse and often lack basic necessities like safe drinking water
ms bennett said the breakdown in aboriginal communities was the product of generations of socioeconomic marginalization and trauma tied to government policies particularly damaging was a state financed church run boarding school system for aboriginal children who were forcibly taken from their families by officers of the royal canadian mounted police many of the 150000 children who were sent to residential schools over a century became victims of physical and sexual abuse the program was fully shut down in the mid 1990s
covering 450 miles between the city of prince george and the pacific port of prince rupert the highway of tears is both a microcosm of canadas painful indigenous legacy and a serious test for mr trudeau as he tries to repair the countrys relationship with aboriginal people
on a recent journey along highway 16 scenes of stunning wilderness were flecked by indigenous communities reeling from economic decay and the anguished memories of missing and murdered women
a few miles outside prince george the highway plunges into thick forests veined with logging roads and the occasional moose crossing sign girls dont hitchhike on the highway of tears reads a large yellow billboard alongside the road farther north killer on the loose
as a bald eagle soared overhead brenda wilson 49 the highway of tears coordinator for carrier sekani family services and the sister of one of the victims gestured to the wall of evergreens that flank the road the trees are really dense here so if youre looking for someone its pretty hard to find them she said listing the names of several women who are still missing
the provincial government announced plans in december to improve safety along highway 16 including funds for traffic cameras and vehicles for indigenous communities but little has changed on the road which lacks lighting or any public transportation other than infrequent greyhound bus service that does not reach remote communities
the perils do not stop desperate people from thumbing rides in a region where public transportation is practically nonexistent just outside the village of burns lake drucella joseph 25 an unemployed aboriginal woman eagerly climbed into the back of a passing car along with her boyfriend corey coombes friends will drive me when i really need a ride but other than that we just hitchhike she told the driver the couple gets by on his disability payments and on donated food from food banks neither has a cellphone when hitchhiking mr coombes says he protects himself by carrying a club or a screwdriver
british columbia is infamous for serial killers and criminals who often targeted aboriginal women in 2007 robert william pickton a pig farmer was convicted of killing six women though the dna or remains of 33 women were discovered on his land many of them were aboriginal one of canadas youngest serial killers cody legebokoff was 24 when he was convicted in 2014 of killing four women near the highway of tears david ramsay a former prince george provincial court judge and convicted pedophile was imprisoned in 2004 for sexually and physically assaulting indigenous girls as young as 12
anguished family members said they received little help from the authorities a sharp contrast to the cases of missing white women after ms chipman vanished in 2005 her aunt ms radek said the police objected to the family putting up its own missing posters they knew we were searching day and night and they did nothing to help us she said the next day she said a white woman disappeared near vancouver and the police were out in the streets putting up posters
after her daughter ramona disappeared in 1994 the police refused to act said matilda wilson a member of the gitxsan first nation they gave us all these different excuses that she might be back tomorrow or next week ms wilson said there was no hurry or alarm about it so we started looking ourselves
despite multiple searches ms wilson a single mother of six who is now 65 said there was no sign of ramona until she had been gone for seven months when ms wilson received an anonymous phone call telling her that the girls body was near the airport police officers searched the area but found nothing she said in april 1995 two men riding all terrain vehicles by the airport discovered ramonas remains buried under some trees plastic flowers and a glass cross now decorate her grave in a smithers cemetery a few blocks from ms wilsons tidy trailer park home
angry with the police for failing to find the teenager or to alert people to the history of missing women near highway 16 ms wilson and her family organized a memorial walk in june 1995 that has become an annual event garnering attention from the news media and inspiring activism from families of other missing women
we want closure and were not going to give up ms wilson said as she swept leaves from her daughters gravestone
one recent afternoon three young aboriginal sisters and their female cousin were walking across the moricetown indian reserve which abuts the highway asked about the highway of tears one of the women rochelle joseph an unemployed 21 year old said the sisters never hitchhiked because they grew up hearing about the victims including their cousin ms chipman
still the menace of the highway haunts their lives
the stories made us cautious ms joseph said quietly voicing their fear of a serial killer lurking behind the steering wheel of any strange car hes probably still out there


hanoi vietnam   president obama won enthusiastic applause here on tuesday with a supportive reference to vietnams disputes with china saying in a speech that big nations should not bully smaller ones but several activists who had been scheduled to meet with him before the speech were prevented from doing so underscoring the gulf with hanoi on human rights
the white house had requested the meeting as a signal to vietnams communist government that the united states cares about human rights here mr obama spent more than his allotted time with the six vietnamese civil society leaders who did attend the meeting at a jw marriott hotel but he said that several others had been prevented from coming
vietnam has made remarkable strides the economy is growing quickly the internet is booming and theres a growing confidence here mr obama said when a group of reporters were briefly allowed into the meeting but as i indicated yesterday theres still areas of significant concerns in terms of areas of free speech freedom of assembly accountability with respect to government
human rights activists who criticized mr obama on monday for lifting a decades old arms embargo against vietnam without obtaining concessions on human rights said that vietnams actions on tuesday proved their point
vietnam has demonstrated itself that it doesnt deserve the closer ties the us is offering said john sifton of human rights watch detaining or preventing civil society from meeting president obama is not just an insult to the president its also a human rights abuse in itself a deprivation of the right to freedom of expression and freedom of movement
the activists kept from the meeting included nguyen quang a 69 a businessman who had tried to run this year as an independent candidate for parliament but was disqualified by the government
he had been detained by plainclothes security officers he said later by telephone they shoved him into a car outside his home in hanoi at 630 am tuesday confiscated his cellphone preventing him from contacting his family and then drove him 50 miles east of hanoi
i was taken on a touristic tour he said the men declined to say why they were driving him around for seven hours just saying to him you know why we have to do this
a prominent blogger and journalist pham doan trang who had flown to the vietnamese capital from ho chi minh city on monday was also barred from attending she had not been heard from since landing in hanoi according to phil robertson deputy director of the asia division of human rights watch
ha huy son a lawyer who specializes in defending dissidents in court was also kept from the meeting security people have been guarding me at my home for the last two days he told agence france presse saying he had been told he could go anywhere but to the embassy
the use of security forces to keep the activists from an event that the vietnamese government had agreed to suggests that the government may have been divided over the meeting it is unusual for a government even one with a poor record on human rights to allow such a gathering with an american president to proceed and then prevent some guests from attending
benjamin rhodes a deputy national security adviser said that administration officials became aware monday night that the government was preventing some activists from attending and that american officials had objected
still he defended the decision to lift the arms embargo even if the government failed to immediately improve civil rights
we believe that broadly speaking what weve done through normalization in vietnam is empowering the vietnamese people he said adding and that we can push that process forward much more effectively by deepening the relationship than by pulling back
mr obama also took advantage of his afternoon speech at the national convention center here to make the case for improving human rights in vietnam
the audience of about 2300 well dressed vietnamese seated in red velvet seats and almost certainly vetted by the government cheered loudly when mr obama appeared they cheered again when he said vietnam is an independent and sovereign nation and no other nation can impose its will on you an apparent reference to china which has claimed much of the seas just off vietnams 2000 mile coastline
but the auditorium was notably silent when he broached the subject of human rights practices
he said that the united states was not trying to impose its form of government on vietnam but that some values were universal the rights to free speech assembly and a free press he said were enshrined in vietnams constitution
so really its about all of us each country trying to consistently apply these principles mr obama said making sure those of us in government are being true to those ideals
human rights watch estimates that about 110 political dissidents are serving prison sentences in vietnam in march nguyen huu vinh 60 a blogger was sentenced to five years in jail for writing posts that were deemed to be against the government
in the weeks before mr obamas arrival the security police detained demonstrators protesting immense fish kills on the central coast where tons of fish have washed up on shores close to a steel plant owned by a company in taiwan some of the protesters had been beaten
mr obama has been received warmly in vietnam by a government eager for a powerful ally against china but also by ordinary vietnamese citizens
after his speech as he met for a second time in two days with the celebrity chef anthony bourdain scores of onlookers braved a downpour cheerfully getting soaked for a glimpse
mr obama briefly waded into the crowd shaking hands and saying thank you
later in the afternoon he flew to ho chi minh city formerly saigon where tens of thousands of people lined the streets and cheered lustily as he drove by
by then mr quang a had been returned to his house there he said his 25 year old son had been told by the police that we took your father away because he was going to attend a meeting with obama and we had to block him


athens   the greek authorities began moving hundreds of refugees on tuesday out of a sprawling makeshift camp near the village of idomeni on the border with macedonia a crucial point on the so called balkan trail for migrants that has been closed off for months
a police operation started around 6 am and by early evening more than 2000 refugees had been taken by bus to state run encampments near thessaloniki the second largest city in greece
riot police officers were stationed outside the area as there were concerns that the operation would lead to unrest but a spokesman for the greek police lt col theodoros chronopoulos said the evacuation of the camp which had 20000 migrants at its peak in march and until tuesday morning about 8000 most of them syrians was carried out completely smoothly and would continue through the end of the week
its going much better than we expected or than wed hoped even he said
a police helicopter monitored the evacuation journalists were denied access to the camp to avoid exciting the refugees according to the authorities
the refugees had been living in squalid conditions for months hoping to be allowed to cross the border and head toward a better life in northern or western europe a vain hope as the frontier has been closed to all migrants
colonel chronopoulos said 2500 people had left the camp in the past two or three weeks in response to gentle but firm urging by the authorities
really this is an intensification of the evacuation which has been happening gradually he said
katy athersuch a communications officer for doctors without borders one of the aid organizations working at the camp said the situation was very relaxed but she expressed concerns about the lack of information for refugees worried about their fate
these people have been sitting in a camp for two and a half months and now theyre being put on a bus with no real explanation about whats happening she said theyre scared
more than a million migrants have entered the european union via greece since the beginning of last year putting immense pressure on the country as it tries to cope with the influx while simultaneously struggling to put its battered economy in order
the closing of a crucial border crossing on europes main migrant route to germany where an open door policy last year made the country a preferred destination for refugees has stranded more than 50000 people in greece
the migrants are mostly in camps   some makeshift settlements like the one at idomeni others in state run facilities
tensions can run high in such encampments resulting in violence and occasionally riots hundreds of migrants were injured in idomeni last month when macedonian police officers fired tear gas as a large group tried to storm over the border
greek society has remained largely tolerant although there have been protests in some areas against the creation of reception centers for refugees
most of the migrants are eager to continue their journeys toward more affluent countries particularly germany and sweden but those nations have also tightened their borders and more stringent controls are likely to remain in place for six more months
the european union reached a deal in march to return asylum seekers who took clandestine routes to greece from turkey and the number of arrivals has dropped sharply since the agreement took effect fewer than 2700 migrants arrived in greece in april a decline of 90 percent from march according to frontex the european unions border agency
migrant deaths have also dropped according to figures released on tuesday by the international organization for migration there were 1370 deaths on all mediterranean routes including the aegean crossing to greece from turkey from the beginning of the year through this past saturday the group said the total was almost 24 percent lower than in the same period last year when 1792 died
there are fears however that the deal on migrants between turkey and the european union might be undermined by tensions between ankara and the bloc over turkeys reluctance to alter its antiterrorism laws and over the legal victory of three refugees who successfully argued against the rejection of their asylum applications in greece the court deemed turkey an unsafe country


london   the london based financial services firm old mutual said on tuesday that it was approached by several potential buyers interested in its controlling stake in om asset management
the company which is listed in london and johannesburg said in march that it would split into four main businesses old mutuals operations include insurance asset management and banking
old mutual decided to pursue a breakup after a strategic review announced in november when the former standard bank executive bruce hemphill took over as chief executive
the company did not indicate who had approached it regarding the om asset management stake
there can be no certainty that these approaches will lead to any transaction or any certainty as to the terms on which any such transaction might proceed the company said in a news release on tuesday
the announcement followed a report by the financial times on tuesday that old mutual was nearing a deal to sell its stake in om asset management to affiliated managers group
on tuesday old mutual said it would continue to assess the options available to it regarding the separation and would update the market when appropriate as a result of its decision old mutual said that it expected to periodically receive interest in its assets
the company which was founded in 1845 in south africa has said that it expected the separation to be largely completed by the end of 2018
the companys four units are old mutual emerging markets old mutual wealth nedbank group and om asset management


hong kong   toyota is recalling more than 15 million additional vehicles in the united states over concerns with airbag inflaters from the japanese parts manufacturer takata
the announcement late monday came after the national highway traffic safety administration accelerated moves to recall vehicles fitted with the potentially dangerous airbag inflater which is already the subject of the worlds largest auto safety recall the inflaters use ammonium nitrate which can become unstable when exposed to heat and humidity that can cause ruptures when the airbags deploy sending metal parts hurling into the cabin
at least 11 deaths worldwide have been linked to the defect the safety agency said in a news release that the ruptures had contributed to more than 100 injuries in the united states
toyota said it would replace the inflaters at no cost to customers the company is recalling models of lexus scion sienna 4runner yaris corolla and matrix vehicles
takata has changed the makeup of the ammonium nitrate compound over the years and eventually added a drying agent to make it more stable the safety agency said it was focused on the airbag inflaters without the drying agent and ordered the recall of 25 million to 40 million more inflaters at the beginning of may bringing the total of recalled takata airbags to at least 63 million in the united states
toyota has recalled 47 million vehicles in the united states including this latest batch according to victor vanov a toyota representative the company dropped takata as a supplier of airbag inflaters in november last year toyota also had to recall nearly three million rav4 sport utility vehicles in february after discovering flaws in crucial safety equipment
takata had insisted for years that there was no problem with its inflaters but admitted the defect last may the safety agency gave the company until the end of 2018 to prove that the inflaters were safe but takatas future is in doubt as it faces losses and mounting costs related to the scandal
kenji endo managing director of advanced research japan said the next crucial issue would be who would pay for the widening recalls toyota could bear the cost by themselves or insist that takata pay he noted that takata might not be able to survive if it were forced to pay the entire cost
if takata disappears automakers will be in trouble he said because takata is such a major supplier automakers are not happy with the situation but they have to pay the cost as a realistic option


the boring economy seems to be making this presidential race even more exciting and uncertain
the economy has reliably been one of the most important factors influencing a presidential election a strong economy helps to keep the party in power in power a weak economy tends to cause voters to want to change the residents of the white house
but right now the economy could be best described as moderately perhaps deceptively successful
growth is lukewarm but it has been consistent enough to create hundreds of thousands of new jobs wages have not risen by much and the uneven recovery has left segments of the population behind but the overall unemployment rate is down to 5 percent thats unusual for a presidential election season   it has been at 5 percent or lower in only three of the 14 contests that have taken place since 1960
the quiet strength of the economy appears to be affecting the campaign its far easier for candidates to make economic policy messages resonate when the economy is roaring the elections of 1996 dole vs clinton and 2004 bush vs kerry or when the economy is in the doldrums 1992 bush vs clinton or when its facing threats high inflation for reagan vs carter in 1980 and a global financial meltdown for mccain vs obama in 2008 but when its middling
as the political scientist lynn vavreck an upshot contributor has pointed out people are generally not angry about the economy at least by historical standards donald trump and bernie sanders will certainly keep highlighting what they see as big weaknesses in the economy and hillary clinton will keep talking about how she would improve it but if most voters are doing sort of ok this approach may have a limited impact
indeed the lack of stark economic problems may have allowed mr trump to push unconventional policies if the economy were repeating the plunge of 2008 fewer voters might be prepared to support a candidate whose policies would disrupt world trade and whose tax cuts would almost certainly lead to a far bigger budget deficit and the advances in the economy make it harder for mr sanders to further tap discontent over issues like income inequality
the b minus economy will also pose a challenge to whomever wins the white house in november
a new president might be tempted to try bold new policies to obtain an extra point of economic growth and spread wealth more evenly but if there is a chance the economy is going to gradually pick up pace on its own why risk big disruptive initiatives or squander political capital getting expensive campaign promises through congress why unsettle a stock market that is in its second longest bull run since the 1930s the longest was the 113 month bull market from 1990 to 2000
a heavy caveat is necessary the economy may weaken   and the stock market may drop   by the time of the election problems in large economies around the world could weigh on the united states and confidence here and abroad could plummet if mr trump appears to have a good chance of winning and he is still pushing policies that could set off a trade war with china or cost taxpayers huge sums like mass deportations and construction of a border wall
still if the economy holds campaign analysts will be scraping around for precedents
george hw bush won in 1988 against michael dukakis by promising to take the country on much the same course as president reagan did but while the economy has achieved steady gains under president obama mrs clinton might not gain a big advantage by portraying herself as his economic standard bearer the economy just hasnt been growing fast enough economists expect the economy to grow at around 2 percent this year in the second half of 1988 it grew at nearly double that rate
the only years since 1960 when the economy was growing at more than 2 percent and unemployment was at 5 percent or lower at the time of the election are 1964 goldwater vs johnson 1968 nixon vs humphrey and 2000 bush vs gore but the contests of 1964 the perception that barry goldwater was extreme and 1968 vietnam and social disruption were heavily influenced by noneconomic factors the 2000 election which occurred as a big speculative bubble in the stock market and the technology sector was deflating also lacks strong parallels to today
the best comparison might be the 2012 election while unemployment was nearly 8 percent at the time and economic growth was anemic jobs growth had picked up but in that election year the federal reserve kept its foot firmly on the monetary policy pedal this helped ensure momentum in the economy continued through the presidential contest and after the fed isnt slamming on the brakes right now but it is expected to raise interest rates this year perhaps even before the election
the feds hope is that the economy will keep growing steadily without a big helping hand and it may i think its a myth that expansions die of old age janet yellen the chairwoman of the fed said late last year the economy has grown in each of the previous six years
jobs and economic growth will always matter to voters whipsaw boom bust economic cycles of the postwar years played a part in deciding who was president and the american business cycle hasnt suddenly gone away but nowadays there are no big wars to finance just a few long grinding commitments inflation is under control and the recent overhaul of the financial sector appears to have promoted steady credit growth without creating widespread losses we may be in an era when politicians cannot make much hay out of the economy
if mrs clinton becomes the democratic nominee and wins in november it could show that a cautious candidate can do well in a composed economy true the lack of drama in the economy may also be helping mr trump run a wrecking ball campaign by stirring up other issues but think about it if there is one force that can derail him or restrain him its the threat that the economy wont tolerate his more unconventional policies


recently i wrote an article accusing the eternal comic book franchise of killing movie stardom one cant coexist with the other not forever but i left something out
when an actor has tried everything else   romantic comedy comedy comedy vampire action horror working with atom egoyan working with helen mirren working with sandra bullock and even a flatulent comic book movie of his own   and stardom wont stick and then another superhero offer miraculously comes along he should take it hed be crazy not to
never mind that the part requires an entire body covered in burns never mind that the burns mean his costume obscures his musculature and handsome face he really needs the role because its good business but also because alas its good shtick the movies sarcasm speaks to him the sarcasm is him he says yes shoots the movie and now has a hit on his hands the biggest of his career   unexpectedly big at that this is the ryan reynolds exception when an actor has never seemed more like a star than in a superhero movie
who knows where mr reynolds would be without deadpool with it however he transforms comic book stardom hes playing the super antihero of the title whose whole thing is how much he doesnt want to be in deadpool for the most part he isnt in it his voice does a lot of the work the movie is actually about how its too amoral and grisly to stand alongside its peers its glib approach to violence is supposed to mock all the hand wringing that goes on everywhere else in comic book movie land but thats also just an excuse to slice dice shoot impale and blow up stuff
i liked watching an actors gimmick find a home mr reynoldss trouble as a star was that he never seemed sincere in a movie that winks as often as deadpool does thats an asset
mr reynolds gets to traipse through all the mayhem the way malcolm mcdowell did in a clockwork orange if mr mcdowell were dressed like in a set of pajamas youd get at a sex shop mr reynolds vocalizes his eye roll and audibly sighs in exasperation the part isnt as old as superman   who has been around since the franklin d roosevelt administration   or wolverine since nixon deadpool arrived during the george bush era
theres almost no baggage for an actor to contend with so for deadpool mr reynolds is free to indulge in the same high school detention attitude that made him cool in national lampoons van wilder and blade trinity but left him stranded in toxins like the change up or ripd
the limited appeal of the very popular the proposal was in ms bullocks uptight executive treating him as a dominatrix principal might his previous attempt at a comic book movie was green lantern whose title character hails from the dc imprint it was good practice for deadpool because mr reynolds actually didnt seem to want to be there either that was 2011 just before the industry went cuckoo for comic book movies and green lantern was instructive for what not to do for one thing dont cast your lot with a single radioactive looking color scheme for another dont ask a comedic actor to do pious superhero work its as if when people got a load of mr reynoldss body they forgot about his temperament
that first wolverine solo movie x men origins wolverine from 2009 basically did forget mr reynolds he had a few scenes as deadpools pre scarred alter ego at the time it looked like lowly work the movie belonged to hugh jackman and liev schreiber as his eventual opponent attempted to steal it mr reynolds was an afterthought there and a redundancy in general weve got an abundance of stars who can do what mr reynolds can but with a little more elasticity or humanity or surprise   your bradley coopers and ryan goslings and matt damons you can always imagine four or five other actors being asked to star in and saying no to a lot of roles that get a yes from mr reynolds deadpool feels like it belongs to him
in the last two years mr reynolds has turned a corner though playing a tepid lawyer he was as warmly reserved as ms mirren was strategically haughty in woman in gold and playing a gullible gambler in mississippi grind he made a fine exclamation point alongside ben mendelsohns slumped question mark it was a far cry from how overmatched he was in 2012 when denzel washington dragged him around safe house even in a real fiasco like mr egoyans 2014 abduction thriller the captive mr reynolds seemed to be working to convince you that the movie was better than it was he was wasting his time but the effort he put into that waste kind of moved me
but now hes more or less playing the part like a comic villain feigning exasperation at having to carry a whole movie if the movie becomes a series that goes on forever you wonder whether hell come to seem as body snatched as everyone else is in these movies the obscenity and violence probably limit how far into the rest of the marvel universe deadpool can actually expand the point of the movie is that mr reynoldss character doesnt want to join a soul stealing ensemble but his exception here makes you eager to find out whether superhero stardom can make him a star in any other universe


cape town   katlego sebastian mlambo a chef who grew up in a township outside johannesburg and has worked in some of south africas most prestigious kitchens says it is easy to explain the nations near universal love of braai braai means grill in afrikaans the dutch malay zulu xhosa english mash up language that has evolved here since 1652 when the first europeans arrived from the netherlands
we have 11 official languages and braai is the only word that is recognized in all of them he said
like many other food loving south africans he says that even though the modern nation encompasses many distinct cultures braai cuts across ethnicity race and class
at night everyone here can sit and watch a fire for hours mr mlambo said the spectacular weather and landscape dont hurt we call it the african tv
like grill or barbecue in the united states braai rhymes with fry can be a noun verb or adjective as in lets get those rump steaks on the braai or tell sarah to start the braaied mielies grilled corn on the cob or even im braaiing warthog ribs this weekend
braais can be held on beaches and in backyards for four guests or 40 for any reason or no reason at all traditionally held after a hunt or a slaughter a braai happens these days because a local fishmonger got a shipment of giant prawns from mozambique or because the springboks the national rugby team another cross cultural passion are playing or simply because its tuesday
whether the main attraction is open fire leg of lamb with pomegranate mint pesto at a wine country wedding or lamb necks sizzling over coals in a split oil drum on a township street corner grilled meat is both a creative passion and a daily staple in south africa
the smell of smoke is in our blood said jean nel one of south africas best known braai cooks who grew up on a remote sheep farm even if we become city slickers working in an office at night we always want to braai
the practice even has a holiday braai day officially called heritage day is observed every sept 24
in 2005 as a campaign to honor the holiday with a braai began the notion of a still divided nation unifying around a shared love of grilled meat seemed both feeble and potentially offensive but the braai has emerged as a tentative symbol of south african unity in the last decade meat has become more affordable supermarkets have expanded and food television has taken off with shows like ultimate braai master and sibas table
braai is one thing that can unite us irrespective of all of the things that are trying to tear us apart archbishop desmond tutu an anointed patron of national braai day proclaimed at an event that kicked off the movement archbishop tutu in apron and tongs manned the braai frequently prodding the steaks as grill cooks do everywhere the t bone is the shape of our continent he said
an everyday braai may consist of chicken breasts or toasties grilled cheese sandwiches but a proper braai is a social ritual from start to finish
it begins with provisioning a mix of proteins   as a shortcut food markets here sell braai packs by the kilogram   and continues through seasoning the meat and constructing the fire this alone can take hours the time is often passed by drinking beer the excellent local wine or a festive mixture of brandy and coke it concludes by pulling the meat from the grill after considerable argument over when it is done
appetizers   mr mlambo recommends pork sausages   are necessary to stave off guests hunger and he said to keep their fingers away from my braai guests must not touch the hosts tongs or test the meat but are free with advice and opinions
unless youre a strict vegetarian if you live here you learn to appreciate good meat said dani pick an owner of the butcher shop  grill a group of refined braai restaurants in johannesburg cape town dubai and five other locations in the middle east cooking a steak past medium rare is considered almost a crime
mr pick is a third generation butcher his grandmother fay was the first woman to hold a butchers license in south africa sheep and beef cattle are raised here to have less fat than american meat animals are almost always dry aged and their flavor is more mineral mr picks favorite local cut for the braai is the rump steak from the part that american butchers call round rump fans like their steak cut two to three inches thick with a thick fat cap for juiciness and well aged for tenderness
although women are responsible for the day to day cooking across cultures here men tend to take charge at a braai
the women are supposedly in the kitchen making one little salad while the men do all the work said camilla comins a chef and the author of girls on fire a book about braaiing for women but of course they are cooking all the side dishes making sure there are starters and feeding the children who are frequently asleep by the time the braaivleis grilled meats are ready
ms comins grew up on a safari camp in the karoo a vast arid swath of the interior and learned to braai from her mother who cooked almost all the familys meals over fire you have to have the know and the how ms comins said
traditional campfire cooks use metal grates for grilling and potjies dutch style caldrons for everything else as the nations population has become more urban and suburban braais have moved from campfires to charcoal kettles weber and big green egg are both popular and recently to the horror of purists onto gas grills
heritage and braai remain inextricable in addition to the basic pleasure of any cookout a braai carries nostalgia for this nations past a preindustrial time when ancestors spent evenings around wood fires under clear south african skies
braaiing is more about ritual than recipes but some of its flavors are particularly south african beef and lamb are standard but many cooks like to underline the local biodiversity with cuts of ostrich bok antelope and wildebeest
chicken is popular for everyday meals but braai purists consider poultry and seafood to be vegetables or at least intruders a proper braai must also have at least two meat elements   lamb chops and beef steaks for example or lamb kebabs and boerewors farmers sausage a hefty coil of beef and pork
although traditional dutch food is not exactly fragrant with spices south african boerewors and braai sout salt used as a rub are often highly seasoned with coriander cumin clove cinnamon and ginger
the love of spices chutney curry leaves and other aromatics are the legacy of south africas cape malay population thousands of people who were transported here as slaves from the dutch colonies in indonesia in the 17th and 18th centuries many worked professionally as cooks and their sweet chutneys complex ketchups and grilled skewers are imprinted on the south african palate
one braai classic lamb chunks marinated in tangy sweet jam and perfumed with fresh citrus or curry leaves is called sosaties   a descendant of the word satay and the popular element of chile heat called peri peri arrived here with the portuguese settlers of neighboring mozambique
in zulu the term for braai is shisa nyama which roughly translates to burn meat the term has been adopted by speakers of other african languages here
shisa nyama was here a long time before braai said faith nomonde sikaya a chef in langa outside cape town where she runs a restaurant in the house her family has lived in since 1948
that year new apartheid laws and housing policies took effect all over south africa in cape town the citys long established racially diverse neighborhoods were demolished and its residents of color expelled to the townships to make way for all white communities
today one side of the citys landmark table mountain is carpeted with golden beaches flowering hills villas and upscale coffee shops ten minutes away on the far side of the mountain the dusty cape flats stretch inland for miles covered with unauthorized shanty towns and permanent townships that are home to anywhere from one million to well over 25 million people
most townships have a butchery where customers can buy meat to braai at home or have it grilled on the spot to eat spitting hot with fat and crusty with braai sout in the past only cheaper cuts like cow hooves pig trotters and smilies sheep heads split from top to bottom were sold in township butcheries where braais were fueled by broken plywood palettes and other building materials today at mzolis a butchery in gugulethu there are t bones for sale along with many kinds of fresh sausage chops and thin steaks that cook quickly over eight roaring wood fires out back
at her restaurant mzansi mrs sikaya makes the traditional dishes served with shisa nyama all over southern africa umxhaxha corn and squash simmered with salt sugar and cinnamon umngqusho corn butter beans onions potatoes and chiles and chakalaka an improbably delicious brew of onion garlic ginger tomato carrots sweet peppers hot chiles curry powder and canned baked beans
mr nel renowned for his braais wrote a best selling cookbook in 2011 he handed in the manuscript with one stipulation its title braai the beloved country was not negotiable
that book is one of the things every south african has in common he said alluding to alan patons heartbreaking and prophetic 1948 novel cry the beloved country which is still a touchstone here
there could be no other title he said with satisfaction my editor nearly fell off her chair
recipes braai spiced t bone steaks  grilled corn with peri peri butter  how to grill


for pulling pork or chicken or other tasks like lifting a hunk of meat tossing a big salad or a bowl of pasta or holding a roast steady while you carve these utensils provide sharpness and strength the new grizzly version is especially sturdy and heat resistant to 475 degrees bear paws 1295 bearpawproductscom


for successful outdoor cooking you must keep ahead of the gunk that accumulates on the grill grates a sturdy new stainless steel scraper with a black walnut handle and a leather thong made by r murphy the venerable knife company in massachusetts is pricey but does the trick 54 food52com


when it comes to high end outdoor appliances those who may be planning to upgrade or would simply enjoy ogling equipment priced north of 10000 will find plenty to see in the sprawling new pirch manhattan kitchen and bath showroom shiny stainless steel units including one designed by the architect david rockwell and pizza ovens rotisseries and an oversize circular flat top mongolian grill are all on display the company based in san diego with branches elsewhere has chefs on hand to demonstrate and the store offers cooking classes pirch 200 lafayette street broome street pirchcom


heat this imposing cast iron pan on the grill then fill it with oysters on the half shell topped with butter or pesto and in five minutes they will be cooked to tender succulence try it with unshucked oysters and in 10 minutes they will be open warm and ready to serve what the pan will not do is burnish the oysters to look like the photograph on the package they will be delicious nonetheless the pan also works for clams shrimp bacon wrapped sea scallops and escargots for a crowd cast iron oyster grill pan 3995 crate  barrel crateandbarrelcom


rib eyes have interesting new competition this grilling season consider yak steaks tasty and extremely lean the boneless yak strip loin shown should be seared rare or medium rare then sliced sashimi thin or try a beef sirloin cap called culotte in france and picanha in brazil trim back the top layer of fat and grill it over medium heat then slice it finally the collar of mangalitsa heritage pork makes for a luscious couple of portions if you dont mind some fat you can also trim out the lean portion uncooked to use for kebabs yak steaks 85 for four heritagefoodsusacom picanha 17 a pound at le district in the store only ledistrictcom and 1799 at fleishers in the store only fleisherscom mangalitsa pork collar 1650 for 10 to 12 ounces mangalitsacom


the outdoor cooking season inevitably starts off with a crop of grilling and barbecuing guides the total grilling manual includes solid advice on equipment and safety how much charcoal to light for various situations and different cuts of meat and how best to prepare them theres a global array of recipes a trick for testing ribs and another for using a mayonnaise slather so fish wont stick but cook chicken to an internal temperature of 170 to 180 degrees i disagree 160 is more like it the total grilling manual edited by lisa atwood welden owen 29


theres a short window of time in the northeast when the weather is fine enough for anyone with even a sliver of garden roof or deck space to want to be outside as much as possible thats when i move much of my nightly cooking out of the house and into the garden turning my grill into the centerpiece of a makeshift outdoor kitchen
and by this i dont mean just grilling the usual roster of meats fish and vegetables until they are flame licked and charred i do that too but i also take things one step further with the help of a cast iron skillet a roasting pan and a rimmed baking sheet im able to cook things on my grill that i would in less delightful weather happily roast in the oven   everything from cornbread to sliced peaches to roast chicken
in fact for my favorite roast chicken recipe   a splayed bird cooked in a cast iron skillet   the grill works even better than the oven
what i love about the recipe is the golden brittle crisp skin and supremely tender meat that i can achieve by splaying the chickens legs popping the thigh bones out of their sockets before pressing them flat into a sizzling preheated pan to roast this gives the thigh meat and drumsticks a jump start while letting the breast cook more slowly everything finishes at the same time and you end up with juicy white meat succulent dark meat and bronzed crunchy skin
what i dont love is that the extremely high roasting temperature can make a splattering mess inside the oven and send billows of smoke into the kitchen
moving the chicken to the grill solves these problems on the grill splatter doesnt matter and smoke is actually a good thing seasoning the chicken without setting off the smoke detector
its the best of both worlds with all of the burnished appeal of roast chicken augmented by a hit of smoke from the grill and i get to tend to it under the open sky
a byproduct of the splayed chicken recipe is that after the bird is cooked i end up with a pan full of meaty rich chicken drippings in which i caramelize garlic and ramps to serve alongside the bird
i can achieve this on the grill too since the bird is cooked in a skillet the juices and rendering fat accumulate in the pan instead of disappearing through the grill grate into the fire
in this recipe i use the drippings to quickly saute spinach spiked with garlic anchovies and fresh dill then pile those velvety greens on top of ricotta smeared crostini but you can stick with garlic and ramps if youd rather or choose any other hardy green to saute   kale chard mustard and the like
one of the key factors in being able to use your grill like an oven is using indirect heat for avid grillers its a standard technique you create two heat zones   a hot side of the grill and a cooler side this allows you to cook larger denser ingredients or slower cooking things like baked goods over the unlit but still plenty hot side of the grill without scorching if a sear is required the pan can be slid over to the lit side for a fast and furious blast of heat
but you can also use direct heat if youve got quicker cooking ingredients that will finish in minutes just plop your skillet or any other flame proof pan onto your grill directly over the fire cover the grill and use it for small items that would otherwise fall through the grates
cherry tomatoes work beautifully glossed with olive oil seasoned with salt and surrounded by herbs they become condensed and wonderfully sweet picking up a smoky flavor and turning mahogany brown in spots toss them with pasta or a grain salad stir them into a salsa or serve them as a side dish asparagus is another option and you dont have to worry about keeping the spears perpendicular to the grill grates lest the skinny ones fall through
then for dessert try grill roasting sliced peaches toss them with butter and a little raw sugar spread them out on a rimmed sheet pan put the pan on the grill and let the peaches turn caramelized and syrupy   and perfect to spoon over ice cream
then eat it outside under the stars
recipes grilled roast chicken with spinach ricotta crostini  how to roast chicken  how to grill
and to drink 
an ordinary roast chicken is one of the most glorious pairings for wine inviting bottles from the humblest of quaffers to the exalted greats this recipe with its smokiness and chile spicing calls for narrowing the options slightly i would save the fragile greats and opt instead for a more robust red that will stand up to these assertive flavors northern rhone syrahs would be ideal i would love a good cornas five to 10 years old depending on the vintage or a st joseph a village level gevrey chambertin or pommard would be wonderful as would a more restrained west coast pinot noir i wouldnt argue if you preferred a white like a steely savennieres or a dry riesling from alsace or austria whatever you choose it would be hard to go wrong eric asimov


come summer and what is memorial day weekend but the unofficial start of summer the impulse is to move outdoors the draw is open air for those of us who live where the winters are cold and urban well take outdoors any way we can whether balcony or beach city park or ballpark rooftop or sidewalk cafe
haul out the shorts pop on the shades wriggle the bare feet in the grass or sand only one more thing is necessary for utter relaxation beer
this is not to say that beer is better for outdoor drinking than wine rose for one seems to have been invented for consuming in the bright sunlight but occasionally certain conditions simply cry out for beer the ballpark is beer territory so is the beach memorial day weekends in particular call for a celebratory brew
while i am ordinarily one to call for moderation a summer holiday seems an occasion to enjoy beer pretty much around the clock though not necessarily continuously just pick your moment
me i like to get an early start say 1030 or 11 am while a morning beer may seem excessive allow me to cite the bavarian tradition of the brotzeit which means bread time or second breakfast this late morning pick me up may include some cheese and bread or preferably a fresh pretzel some sausage perhaps some long white radishes and a wheat beer on a holiday weekend make it a wake me up
in oakland calif where a lovely beer garden thats actually called brotzeit looks out over a marina i would happily start my day with a konig ludwig hefeweizen the leading bavarian style of wheat beer a cloudy gold in the glass with aromas of cloves fresh yeast and sweet malt or as an alternative i may drink an andechs dunkelweizen a dark wheat beer with an aroma of ripe bananas and a touch of chocolate
aside from their liveliness these beers share a necessary characteristic for outdoor drinking especially if you are in it for the long haul they are relatively low in alcohol 55 percent for the hefeweizen and 50 percent for the dunkelweizen
yes you can find an appropriate time for your gnarly barley wines and imperial stouts those powerful brews which can be upward of 10 percent alcohol are better for sipping in front of a winters fire not so much in the sun where the pleasure is in the drinking not in dainty tastes
my favorite styles of beer tend to be lower in alcohol under 60 for warm weather they must be invigorating with enough flavor and aroma to capture and hold the attention while refreshing the mouth and inviting the next sip
few beers fit these criteria better than good pilsner with its brilliant bitterness that snaps the palate to attention and its dry refreshing aftertaste its a great lunchtime brew and as ive insisted for years the perfect ballpark beer especially for an early afternoon game not the vapid mass market imitations that purport to be pilsners yet are really diluted and dull but any number of craft expressions some favorites of mine include schlafly from st louis victory prima pils from downingtown pa and brooklyn pilsner
imported pilsners can be great if they are fresh ive always liked jever pilsner on a hot day and recently i found a pilsner urquell in a 16 ounce can with its czech packaging labeled plzensky prazdroj no i cant pronounce it but it sure was good
beer is easily enjoyed without paraphernalia which can make outdoor wine drinking cumbersome especially for picnics you can bring proper glassware for beer if you like but why burden yourself beer bottles and cans can be their own drinking vessels just have a cooler to keep them cold of course if you are staking out an outdoor place at a bar or restaurant you dont even need to think about that
recently on a clear sunny thursday midafternoon in london i noticed many corner pubs where crowds had spilled out onto the street pint glasses in hand
some people were smoking yes which is illegal indoors but many others were simply enjoying the fresh weather i felt compelled to join in particularly as i love english beer styles especially when they are cask conditioned ales
these cask ales are old fashioned brews carbonated not by injecting kegs with carbon dioxide as is the case with most draft beers today but naturally in the cask by yeast transforming sugar into alcohol with a byproduct of carbon dioxide that provides the fizz some fizz anyway
the carbonation in cask conditioned ales is exceedingly gentle which is why many people tasting one for the first time think the beer is flat this gentle carbonation actually gives the beer a beautiful purity and creamy texture
i love no beer more than a cask conditioned ale whether a mild bitter a malty porter or an english style india pale ale made without the ungainly piney grapefruit flavor of american hops
for a full day of outdoor drinking however make mine a bitter around 4 percent alcohol perfect for sitting at a sidewalk table or standing as they do in london and watching the world go by many good beer bars in the united states have at least one or two cask conditioned selections
after youve finished a bitter or two its late afternoon perhaps its time to eat again one of my favorite outdoor places in new york for beer and food is the beer garden at loreley on the lower east side
aside from the excellent sausages and schnitzels loreley serves a nice selection of kolsch one of my favorite styles of beers on tap kolsch with its delicately bitter flavors light carbonation and subtle fruitiness is like a slightly more complex pilsner
i find kolsch particularly refreshing and american brewers seem to have taken recent interest in the style schlafly and captain lawrence in elmsford ny make good versions but the german kolsches are still the best look for reissdorf gaffel and sunner all from the city of cologne where the tradition originated
the sun is going down and its been a long day the taste buds are possibly fatigued and you need something to awaken them may i suggest the pleasure of a gose this style is wonderfully odd in so many ways its a tart wheat beer spiked typically with coriander and salt and occasionally lime or lemon its powerfully thirst quenching and absolutely delicious
the style is identified with the german city of leipzig and good german goses come from bayerischer bahnhof and ritterguts but american craft brewers like westbrook and sixpoint make excellent versions too
its nighttime now and because youve paced yourself it feels as if youre just beginning but you know better so you want to keep it light full sail brewery makes an excellent selection of beers labeled session after the beer lovers term for brews low enough in alcohol to be consumed during a long drinking session the session lineup includes a crisp lager and a balanced ipa they come in squat bottles that look awfully cute by candlelight
as midnight approaches its time to think about calling it a night but a last round is in order why not a beer as black as night an irish stout or english porter that is guinness is often disregarded because of its ubiquity but if on draft and poured skillfully by a good bartender it is thick and toasty yet light and graceful and not as many people believe high in alcohol
i love english porter with its coffee chocolate malty flavors it too is not high in alcohol st peters old style porter and samuel smiths taddy porter are both excellent versions
now get some sleep youve earned it


the gujarat lions were supposed to be a short term fill in in the indian premier league plugging some of the holes left in the schedule after the chennai super kings and the rajasthan royals were suspended for two seasons after a betting scandal
the lions have done much more than fill in during their first season and on tuesday they will play royal challengers bangalore for a spot in the final after finishing the regular season in first place with a 9 5 record six teams entered the final weekend clustered near the top all separated by one win
the lions are supposed to be around only through next season and well understand the economics of running an ipl franchise in about two years said keshav bansal the 24 year old owner of the lions the franchise proved quickly though that it knows how to build a winner it seized an early lead in the standings with a 6 1 start then lost three straight before finishing strong
it is never easy to come in as a new franchise and make the finals but from the outset the management coaches and senior players have been determined to go on and win said brendon mccullum the former new zealand captain who now plays for gujarat
mccullum considered by many to be the best cricket captain in the last few years praised gujarats captain suresh raina for his calmness on and off the field the pair joined in a batting partnership that led gujarat to victory on saturday as it chased a target of 173 in their final game at the mumbai indians the defending champions
raina is the only player to have made the playoffs in all nine seasons of the ipl and his 58 not out against mumbai kept him ahead of virat kohli of bangalore as the leagues all time run scorer
raini and kohli will face off tuesday in bangalore and the royal challengers are possibly the hottest team in the league after four straight wins the two teams split their regular season series 1 1 but the royal challengers won by 144 runs when the two faced off in bangalore on may 14
the winner tuesday will advance to the final on sunday again in bangalore the loser will play the winner of wednesdays match between the third  and fourth place teams sunrisers hyderabad and the kolkata knight riders on friday for the other spot in the final both the wednesday and friday matches are in delhi
so it is possible that gujarat will have to beat bangalore twice in the royal challengers stadium to win the ipl
the no2 seed has won the last five finals but there are other reasons for gujarat to worry about bangalore each franchise has a budget of about 10 million for players and bangalore focused on building a murderers row with its batting lineup it spent 19 million on kohli 14 million on the south african star ab de villiers and 12 million on the west indian thumper chris gayle
kohli in spite of his huge price tag has proven to be a good value and led the league with 919 runs   a record   while de villiers was third with 603
kohli produced what could be the most dominant batting season ever in the ipl he scored 100 or more in four matches this season the rest of the league reached that number only twice in his other games kohli reached 50 six times
it hasnt been just about batting for the royal challengers the wrist spinner yuzvendra chahal took three wickets against delhi on saturday to give bangalore a low total to chase in a win or else game chahal ended the season with 19 wickets most in the league
the wednesday match between hyderabad and kolkata will be a repeat of their regular season finale which kolkata won to clinch a playoff berth
the playoffs will be missing one usual face indias veteran wicket keeper batsman and captain ms dhoni
dhoni and raini were stalwarts on the super kings who had made the playoffs every season before they were suspended
dhoni switched to the other rookie team this season rising pune supergiants dhoni did show his old magic last saturday against kings xi punjab in what was effectively a playoff to avoid last place needing 22 runs from the final over against the punjab bowler axar patel dhoni struck 24 to keep pune out of the basement and nobody was terribly surprised


this year marks the 100th anniversary of the publication of a portrait of the artist as a young man its genesis was long and tortuous   joyce began writing his novel in 1904   and the road to its canonisation as one of the seminal works of western literature was not short either the reviews spoke of the authors cloacal obsession and the slime of foul sewers comments that seem strange today insofar as it is the subjective aspect of the book the struggle that goes on inside the mind of its young protagonist that perhaps stands out to us now as its most striking feature what appeared at the time to be unprecedented about the novel seems more mundane to us today whereas what then came across as mundane now seems unprecedented joyces novel remains vital in contrast to almost all other novels published in 1916 because he forcefully strived toward an idiosyncratic form of expression a language intrinsic to the story he wanted to tell about the young protagonist stephen dedalus and his formative years in dublin in which uniqueness was the very point and the question of what constitutes the individual was the issue posed
the first time i heard about james joyce i was 18 years old working as a substitute teacher in a small community in northern norway and wanting to be a writer that ambition had prompted me to subscribe to a literary journal and in one of the issues that came in the mail there was a series of articles on the masterpieces of modernism   among them joyces novel ulysses which he published six years after portrait and which also featured the character of stephen dedalus the word modernism evoked in me a vague notion of machines futuristic and shiny and when i read about the tower that stephen inhabits at the beginning of the book i imagined some sort of medieval world of turreted castles though with cars of the 1920s and airplanes a place populated by young men reciting works in latin and greek in other words something very remote from the world in which i resided with its quaysides and fishing boats its steeply rising fells and icy ocean its fishermen and factory workers tv programs and pounding car audio systems i longed to get away what i wanted was to write and i resolved to read this marvelous work and be illuminated by all its radiance for me at that time literature represented somewhere else and my conception of ulysses was tinged by the books i had read the boyhood excesses lived out in the french fantasies of jules verne for instance or swashbuckling classics like the count of monte christo the three musketeers ivanhoe or treasure island   imaginary worlds in which i had lived half my life and which for me were the very essence of literature literature was somewhere other than me so i thought and related to that was another idea i had that everything of meaning was to be found at the center that only there did important things happen while all that occurred on the periphery   where i felt i was   was without significance and unworthy of being written about history belonged to others literature belonged to others truth belonged to others
three years later i sat in the library at the university of bergen reading ulysses in english by that time the literary adventures of my boyhood and youth had been cast aside and my naive notion of literatures essence adjusted but the idea of it belonging to others those with talent and knowledge who inhabited the center lingered on i never related ulysses to my own world to the young people at the desks around me   even though one of the scenes in the book takes place in a library among students   not to mention the cobbled streets outside the gateways and alleys the shop windows and hoardings the umbrellas strollers raincoats and overcoats no ulysses took place in the language and the reality the novel described occurred in the land of modernism in the depths of literatures continent i read it in the way an archaeologist might excavate an ancient monument layer by layer piece by piece endeavouring thereby to make some meaningful totality of it all always with my own inferiority and limitations in relation to it clear in mind it was like an idiot stumbling over the remains of troy and trying to make sense of what he had found
because i had an assignment to write about ulysses i read joyces other books too among them his first novel a portrait of the artist as a young man and how different it was where ulysses scatters portrait holds together where ulysses describes one day in a single town portrait depicts 20 years in a life and where ulysses swells with linguistic inventiveness and gleeful experimentation portrait swells with ... well what mood even now 27 years after i first read the book its moods come back to me the rain drenched school buildings in the dusk the circumambient sound of childrens voices the dull thud of a foot striking a ball the heavy arc of the ball in the dismal air the smell of cold night in the chapel and the hum of prayer the family gathered together on christmas day waiting for the dinner to be served the fire burning in the fireplace candles lighting up the table the bonds and conflicts that exist between the people seated around it the father who talks with strangers in bars and tells the same stories every time the narrow filthy lanes in which the prostitutes huddle the yellow gaslights the smell of perfume stephens trembling heart and the birds at evening circling above the library dark against the blue gray sky their cry shrill and clear and fine and falling like threads of silken light unwound from whirring spools
portrait is a bildungsroman a coming of age story perhaps the prime example of that genre in english literature it deals with identity or more precisely the way in which identity arises the events that shape us and make us who we are these circumstances are more or less the same for everyone we are born into a family and by virtue of how it receives and relates to us we become manifest to ourselves and to others we learn a language and though it does not belong to us alone but is shared by all members of the community it is by means of our language that we understand and express ourselves and that which is all around us with the language comes a culture of which whether we like it or not we become a part our circles widen we start school and the process of our socialization becomes more formal we learn about the language our culture and society and to that first identity within the family a new layer of national identity is added within this screen stephen dedalus emerges as an irish catholic son of a petty bourgeois family only to turn against all these categories in the latter half of the novel rejecting irish nationalism rejecting his catholic religion rejecting the middle class insistent on being nobodys son
the key scene in the book occurs when stephen is out walking with his friend cranly and confides to him that he has quarrelled with his mother that morning about religion   because he had refused to receive the eucharist cranly fails to see the problem surely he could do it for his mothers sake regardless of his absent faith but stephen is resolute i will not serve he says but why not this is the novels most important question and the work itself in its artistic entirety is the answer we are not merely the age in which we live not merely our language or the family to which we belong our religion our country our culture we are this and more insofar as each of us is an individual encountering and relating to all of these categories but what exactly does this individual comprise what is its nature and how do we go about capturing and describing it how do we even see it when the tools and instruments at our disposal are precisely of our age our language our religion our culture
in portrait joyce ventures inside that part of our identity for which no language yet exists probing into the space between what belongs to the individual alone and what is ours together exploring the shifts of mind the currents of our moods and feelings as they flow blindly this way and that and mapping the unarticulated more or less salient presence of the soul that part of our inner being that rises when we are enthused and falls when we are afraid or despairing portrait is about this a young mans soul and what makes joyces novel so magical what makes it essentially literary is that his conquest of what belongs to the individual alone   what is special and to joyces mind unique about stephen dedalus   is also a conquest of what belongs and is unique to each of us
literature is never the preserve of others and it knows no center which is to say that its center is any place where literature exists only by refusing to serve as stephen does may the artist do just that serve only by means of a no may a book like a portrait of the artist as a young man emerge into being and only by means of a no may a book like ulysses reach its famous conclusion and yes i said yes i will yes


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1 president obama told an enthusiastic audience in vietnam that big nations should not bully smaller ones a supportive reference to vietnams disputes with china but several activists were barred from meeting him a reminder of the tensions over human rights between the us and vietnams authoritarian government

2 the presidential race has revealed so many party fractures that the republican leadership is considering fundamental changes to the nomination process   even possibly demoting the status of iowa and new hampshire a growing number of bernie sanderss supporters say they would vote for donald trump rather than hillary clinton deepening her challenge and one of our columnists suggests that mr trumps rise may be best understood as part of an international backlash against global economic trends that enrich only some

3 five months of lawyers arguments could not persuade a pennsylvania judge to drop sexual assault charges against bill cosby this case will move forward the judge told a crowded courtroom a number of women have accused the 78 year old entertainer of sexual assault but this case involves just one a former temple university staff member for whom he was a mentor who says he drugged her to have sex with her

4 more evidence for those arguing for prison reform the justice departments inspector general said that in one six year period more than 4300 people were held in federal prisons beyond their release dates the report cited avoidable staff errors by prison officials like failing to give the inmates credit for time served before the sentencing or misinterpreting the terms of the sentences

5 canada is finally investigating the highway of tears where dozens of young women and girls   most of them indigenous   have gone missing or been murdered over the last 30 years one advocate said when it comes to the missing racism runs deep

6 analysts said the us strike that killed the talibans leader may have been meant as a message to pakistan senior taliban leaders apparently shocked that pakistani protection failed are debating who should take overall command above pakistanis protest the strike

7 an unusual critic says he thinks nasas estimates of the size of asteroids   some of which could hit earth someday   are all basically wrong hes not an astronomer hes nathan myhrvold the former chief technologist at microsoft and the author of a six volume series on cooking

8 the golden state warriors fell to the oklahoma city thunder 118 94 in tuesdays nba playoff game despite a record setting season the warriors are now down 3 1 in their series with the thunder and face elimination at home on thursday

9 twitter is about to get a little more verbose within a few months these things will no longer count against the social media services 140 character limit user handles at the beginning of replies photos gifs and videos one analyst saluted the changes as an effort to respond to users needs and turn the company around

10 broadway is breaking records again the lion king now more than 18 years old grossed 1027 million last season far outpacing any other show worldwide it has grossed more than 62 billion and it has been seen by 85 million people hamilton added a huge burst of energy and made 74 million but ranked fifth in box office behind wicked aladdin and the book of mormon

11 finally interesting news about our tentacled friends in the deep even as many fish populations are in decline cuttlefish squid and octopus are thriving one expert thinks that climate change and overfishing may be creating uniquely advantageous conditions for cephalopods

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a lavish show of meissen porcelain opens today at the frick collection   but dont expect formal arrangements of chinese vases bird shaped cruets and rococo figurines in a first the upper east side museum has invited a contemporary artist to curate and design an exhibition of centuries old objects with her own meissen inspired works alongside   and stacked on leaning against and placed in other heretical and seemingly precarious positions in relation to it the new york sculptor arlene shechet selected 130 pieces from the famed arnhold collection a promised gift to the frick which is devoting its portico gallery to porcelain no simple matter a radical and rowdy rethinking of the precious in the slide show above shechet shares the thought processes behind five of the matchups on view
the show organized by the frick curator charlotte vignon follows shechets 2014 similar recontextualization of the meissen collection at the rhode island school of design museum there the galleries were painted black here filled with natural light from the fricks fifth avenue garden the space glows at the end of the portico home to hudons life size figure of diana are two bouquet like arrays of plates freed from vitrines and cleverly attached to the curved walls on shelves and in lucite cases styled after traditional furniture in the frick mansion bowls rest facedown figures stand with their backs to us tiny containers display their detailed and usually concealed interiors overturned saucers are as meticulously painted below as they are above unencumbered by formality the pieces come alive
in 2012-13 shechet had residencies in the meissen manufactory during and after which she made three dimensional porcelain collages by splicing together scavenged factory molds semi functional fragments and dissociated wholes in idol 2012 an asparagus dish a kiln brick the figure of a lamb crowned with a broken eggshell and a rosebud glazed in 24 karat gold their pieces werent as experimental as that but you can see the artists sense of play and attempts to push the envelope shechet says one polychrome meissen fantasia a laughing chinese figure astride a rooster shaped mustard pot blurring the line between old and new is part of her gambit where one becomes the other   im interested in that confusion


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how does a brick and mortar store stay relevant in the age of online shopping james brown the founder of the high fashion boutique hostem in londons shoreditch neighborhood is leading the way with the new road residence a wisteria clad georgian townhouse in nearby whitechapel that hes converted into a kind of concept shop and art gallery that can be rented for overnight stays its an in situ showroom of the best that money can buy top flight furniture by max lamb and hans wagner art supplied by the stuart shavemodern art gallery a library selected by a kings college professor and a wine cellar stocked by the chef and manager at londons primeur purchase of just about everything can be arranged and should you fall in love with the houses chopping boards black creek mercantile crystal stemware lobmeyr or bed linens once milano you can take them home immediately from the mini store located in the boot room asks brown can the internet really compete with that


times insider delivers behind the scenes insights into how news features and opinion come together at the new york times in this piece rachel donadio the timess european culture correspondent describes her recent interview with svetlana alexievich
when the belarussian writer svetlana alexievich was awarded the nobel prize in literature last october i remember thinking to myself who is this person how can i reach her   in minsk   on deadline and why does the swedish academy which awards the nobel prize always insist on picking such obscure writers why not philip roth already
then i started reading ms alexievichs work not long into voices from chernobyl her oral history of the 1986 nuclear disaster in ukraine i was so overcome with emotion that i had to take breaks i stopped reading it before bed the testimonies of radiation poisoning victims were so raw and yet so beautiful so unsentimental so pure this i realized was a remarkable writer somehow id missed the book when it appeared in english in 2006 translated by keith gessen
few things give me more joy than helping writers and artists whose work i admire reach a wider audience and so early this month i found myself sitting with ms alexievich in a breakfast room high up in a hotel overlooking peaceful gothenburg sweden where the day before in a lovely house on a tranquil lake there had been an illuminating conference on her work organized by the university of gothenburg
ive been lucky enough to interview a few other nobel laureates for the times in 2005 i met vs naipaul at his home in wiltshire england   i was terrified before that one as he had a reputation for being fearsome   and last year in paris i spoke to patrick modiano the 2014 winner who was reluctant to elaborate on the biographical details of a life he had fictionalized in his work
i was relieved that ms alexievich one of the most seasoned interlocutors on earth was so easy to talk to she was frank and friendly i was lucky that kajsa oberg lindsten who had translated three of ms alexievichs books into swedish and her husband johan oberg were able to translate during the interview they were old close friends of the authors and the atmosphere was relaxed and intimate helping to ease the language barrier it was these swedish translations along with translations into french and german that had caught the attention of the swedish academy
we discussed secondhand time ms alexievichs 2013 oral history of post soviet russia which appears in an english translation this week that book had also blown me away her conversations with people across the former soviet union had such pathos and complexity   the history of a country and an era is told through each precious life bela shayevich who translated the book into english told me she had suffered from secondhand trauma in the process and im not surprised
at the conference the day before i liked how sara danius the permanent secretary of the swedish academy had described ms alexievichs work as an anthropology of the human heart with the field work carried out in the soviet union ms danius added what she has achieved is an atlas of emotion tracing the inner life of an entire epoch
several decades ago after her sister died young of cancer ms alexievich had an existential crisis and gave away all her books to the journalism school at the university of minsk where she had studied keeping only those by tolstoy dostoyevsky and chekhov like those authors her work also has great moral urgency it poses many questions and doesnt answer them over the succeeding years she acquired more books she said
in our conversation ms alexievich said she thought that russia had missed many opportunities in the 1990s and had never been able to embrace democracy we thought that we could show supermarkets on the television from the west and people would understand what freedom is but that didnt work she said no one had an idea of what freedom was not the democrats or the others
today she thinks that anything is possible in russia where images of the wars in ukraine and syria fill the airtime on state television i think that russian television today is committing a crime she said theres a kind of hysteria propagated by television they keep the people in a mobilized mood the question of why do we have such a bad life is not raised because russia is shown encircled by enemies
but she also made us laugh she said that after she won the nobel prize a journalist in belarus interviewed some of her former teachers who were fearful of the government and didnt know what to say they showed disdain for her and her work then she said the journalist went to a collective farm and talked to tractor drivers and they said yes we know her and we have her books and she writes the truth and now that she has the prize please tell her to buy us a new tractor


we tend to forget in our obsession with designer moves  that upheaval in the executive suite is equally disruptive and potentially meaningful when it comes to reshaping the fashion we see and wear
success for a brand often depends on the unpredictable alchemy of the designerchief executive relationship and though recently there has been a lot of movement on the creative side on tuesday it was announced that danielle sherman had resigned as creative director of edun making her the seventh designer to leave a brand after a single three year term since last summer its important to note that it has been matched by shake ups in the c suite
change at the top is normal in a downturn like the one high end fashion is experiencing with growth projected at a mere 2 to 3 percent this year when things are tough  you change management its the same as in football said luca solca head of luxury goods at exane bnp paribas nonetheless the corporate reshuffle currently underway is pretty dramatic to wit
on monday versace announced that gian giacomo ferraris its chief executive since 2009 would be replaced by jonathan akeroyd the former chief executive of alexander mcqueen
mr ferraris was widely credited with getting versace into shape for a much discussed maybe possible ipo and during his tenure blackstone became the companys first outside minority investor
mr akeroyd who had been at mcqueen for more than a decade and had a very close relationship with its creative director sarah burton was the man who steered that brand through perhaps the toughest experience any creative company could have the suicide of its namesake designer and his replacement by his former no 2
both executives seemed embedded in their respective brands so the moves came as something of a surprise and the changes raise questions about the versace listing as well as the luxury group of kering under grita loebsack its new chief executive for luxury   couture  leather goods emerging brands phew   long title who joined from unilever last july
meanwhile mr akeroyd has been replaced at mcqueen by emmanuel gintzburger who came from another kering brand yves saint laurent
and this is just the most recent example
the executive change trend started with a bang at the end of january when maureen chiquet the chief executive of chanel since 2007 was summarily dismissed at the moment the brand is being run by the chairman alain wertheimer and there have been no rumblings about a replacement for ms chiquet though there have been lots of rumors about whether hedi slimane the former saint laurent creative director who left that company last month is going to join it in some capacity so perhaps mr wertheimer is waiting for that moment before matchmaking with a new executive
ms chiquets departure was followed the next month by that of claus dietrich lahrs the chief executive of hugo boss who fell on his sword two days after issuing a profit warning that caused the companys share price to fall dramatically earlier this month he was replaced by the former cfo mark langer
then last month it was announced that michele norsa the executive who led the family owned salvatore ferragamo label through the often difficult transition to public company in 2011 was stepping down for personal reasons at the beginning of may the company announced that he would be replaced by the furla chief executive eraldo poletto this summer for their part furla said they would make an announcement about a new ceo soon
and earlier this month rodrigo bazan the chief executive of alexander wang left that label on good terms in search of another challenge after five years to join thom browne to write the next chapter for the brand as he texted
mr wang famously agreed to part ways with balenciaga last july to concentrate on growing his brand and there was a lot of talk of a minority investor at the time but thus far while talks are ongoing it has not materialized and the ceo post like the same post at chanel has yet to be filled
in other words there are more moves to come
this is one fast paced game of musical chairs and along with the designer moves that have occurred it suggests that all of us purchasers of fashion may well start noticing that things look a little different come autumn after all with new executives come new strategies and new five year plans and new approaches to retail and e tail and new product categories or reduced product categories and so on get ready


as simple as possible is a central philosophy behind the stockholm based luxury outerwear brand stutterheim which opens its first stateside store this month the hole in the wall nolita shop which was chiefly inspired by the brands newly relocated flagship in the sodermalm neighborhood of stockholm is starkly minimal with steel fixtures unvarnished hardwood floors and whitewashed brick walls the space allows stutterheims rows of colorful raincoats to be the focus we have worked long and hard to create context and circumstances for our collection to look as good as it can says johan loman the brands co founder and director of marketing
alexander stutterheim   who founded the brand with loman in 2010   drew initial inspiration from a classic 1960s fishermans raincoat that belonged to his grandfather the raincoat has remained the brands signature style since it launched stutterheim has built a steadfast following in both streetwear and high fashion worlds   and now offers two full unisex collections per year as well as a permanent core collection following the hiring of a new head designer patric wallertz last year the brand will introduce a wider range of materials and styles like bonded cotton long coats and rain resistant puffers for fallwinter 2016
stutterheim has also recently broadened its range to include quilted vests and streamlined bomber jackets as well as accessories one popular item is a rubberized cotton bucket hat that calls to mind a streetwise paddington bear while expansion proved necessary back home theyre taking a modest approach when it comes to new york   at least to start its not like were opening up a perfect retail store says loman but were learning as we go and its going to be very exciting for sure


in this series for t the writer and author of worn stories emily spivack interviews creative types about their most prized possessions
for her current show at yerba buena a trap in soft division the artist samara golden works within the limitations of physical materials to conjure intangible realities and disorienting environments an approach similar to how magicians embrace the tools at their disposal to create illusions here golden considers the intersection between her work and that of illusionists through her collection of genii the international conjurors magazine
i have a stack of about 15 magazines called genii the international conjurors magazine that i got when i first moved to los angeles about seven years ago the magazines are low budget   with graphic design youd use if you were putting together a yearbook   but theres a poetry to these special almanacs theyre trade magazines for metaphysical things the issues in my collection range from 1981 97 and they all include drawings for how to do magic tricks and fancier stage show tricks a short story section obituaries for magicians and ads at the end one ad is selling something called an illusion system which looks like something youd stand on onstage some of the covers feature old magicians but the one im looking at right now is a photo of a guy with a leather jacket feathered blond hair thats backlit and a beam of light coming out of his hands
i know in la there are a lot of people who are really into magic but im more of a voyeur and appreciator i admire how people commit to it like a religion and model their lives around it its definitely a form of art it requires a different kind of life to pursue it fully
ive always wondered whether being a magician is tricking someone into believing something or if what a magician does is part of his belief system i think that magicians need to be able to believe in what theyre doing in order to make people believe it too in my own work i have to believe in the realities im trying to create and only after that can it start to mean something to anybody else i want to create an impossible place a place that nobody could actually go in real life like for a show i had at canada i wanted you to hover over four different scenes and in seeing them from an aerial view you might think of the gallery space as a brain that you were inside
this might get too abstract but i like the idea of making art where i have to pull a thought down into a material form and then push it back into an unattainable space if i had a choice i would never use mirrors in my work but i have to use existing materials that reflect and twist the scene enough so that you can experience something unknowable i dont want to use too many tricks but the ones i do use are tools to make something that isnt really of this earth in that way what im doing is related to whats inside these magazines what the magicians are trying to create that structure theyre building to believe   thats what i want to be doing too
this interview has been edited and condensed


the photographers cookbook seems an especially timely tome given our hunger inducing instagram feeds and voyeuristic appetites yet curiously enough its contents   50 or so recipes including ansel adamss breakfast eggs poached in beer richard avedons royal pot roast and stephen shores key lime pie supreme   originate from a late 1970s cookbook project that never resulted in publication until now the recipes were first collected by an assistant registrar at what is now the george eastman museum drawn from an array of contributions by over 120 notable photographers of that era most of whom included photographs or imagery with their submissions as telling as they are of trends and cultural backgrounds   like arnold newmans dieters choice of cottage cheese salad or betty hahns kolacky an eastern european cookie   the dishes offer a unique snapshot of the artists personalities some like joseph jachnas potato chip cookies   which predated momofuku milk bars famous compost cookies by about 40 years   could even be considered visionary
like robert rauschenberg who kept preprinted copies of his signature key lime pie recipe on hand for any inquiries and which we previously shared online here stephen shore loves a good key lime pie his recipe however eschews the conventional use of sweetened condensed milk in favor of a water based filling
1 box graham cracker crust plus ingredients on the box 1 cup sugar  1/4  cup flour 3 tablespoons cornstarch  1/4  teaspoon salt 2 cups water 3 egg yolks beaten 1 tablespoon butter juice of 2 large limes approximately  1/3  to  1/2  cup grated rind of 2 limes one container of heavy whipping cream plus sugar to sweeten
1 make the graham cracker crust following instructions on box but increasing all the quantities by 50 percent be sure to use brown sugar
2 combine the sugar flour cornstarch and salt in a saucepan and stir in water gradually cook on medium heat until thickened add the beaten egg yolks gradually and return to a low heat cook for 2 minutes stirring constantly
3 stir in the butter lime juice and rind and allow them to cool slightly pour into the baked pastry shell and cool
4 make whipped cream with 1 container of heavy whipping cream and sweeten with sugar top the pie and serve


since 2010 kneeland co has been an under the radar resource for vintage textiles for fashion and interior designers including isabel marant ralph lauren home and tory burch its founder the los angeles based creative consultant and joanna williams often travels to far flung places to find inspiration   including a dead stock warehouse in her native texas or stalls along the banks of the ganges
but her roots continue to bring her back to mexico city my great grandfather built three homes in the city next to one another and my mother and her 9 siblings were raised there by my mexican grandmother and my late irish grandfather who was a great explorer and instilled a huge sense of travel and adventure in the family says williams who named her company in his honor
so when anthropologie asked if she would create a collection of home goods inspired by the city she jumped at the chance i can find inspiration on every corner in mexico city she says i especially love the old fonts used in signage that you see on colonial buildings and businesses that have been open for decades i love the neighborhood food markets with their colors and aromas and giant pinatas hanging from the ceilings and the overflowing flower markets
to get inspiration for the collection she headed south and gathered odds and ends ribbons postcards embroidery samplers and goods the resulting baskets bedsheets bath towels and shower curtain capture the spirit of her home away from home for the baskets i was inspired by the color blocking that luis barragan is known for she said referring to the late mexican architect he appreciated and understood the rich heritage of craft and color and used both to create a modern home filled with art music and decorative objects she adds i wanted something clean fresh and modern while still being able to infuse the handmade elements that you see throughout the various communities in mexico


times insider delivers behind the scenes insights into how news features and opinion come together at the new york times in this article carlotta gall a reporter in pakistan and afghanistan shares the personal back story to her recent news analysis of how kosovo has changed since she set eyes on it in 1999
it was strange and moving to return to kosovo for the first time in 15 years
i had lived and worked there for three years from 1999 to 2001   the most tumultuous time in its recent history when america led nato into war against serbia to stop its violent oppression of the kosovo albanian population
i moved on in 2001 to report on the war in afghanistan and now i live and work in north africa this is the life of a foreign correspondent but you never quite leave a country behind
i had watched the news from afar when violence spiked and when kosovo finally won its independence in 2008 and like all journalists when i met up with friends and colleagues who worked there we swapped stories and discussed the latest events
so i knew that along with much of europe kosovo had shown signs of islamic radicalization young kosovars had been running off to join the islamic state in syria friends told me that radical mosques and preachers had become prominent and religious vigilantes were threatening people
i had long followed violent islamist movements   from afghanistan to former soviet central asia the caucasus and north africa   but i was stunned to hear that kosovo which had long been a united nations protectorate had been infected too
my editors gave the go ahead for me to make a reporting trip the project would fit into a larger investigative series we were developing
i began pulling together contacts two friends who had worked with me during the war   british photographer andrew testa and kosovar translator and researcher laura kajtazi   still visited kosovo regularly and filled me in on much that i had missed
i arrived in kosovo in time to attend a two day security conference in the capital pristina which helped me catch up on regional events
it was eerie being back some landmarks were unchanged such as the gray communist era grand hotel where we foreign journalists had been corralled and then expelled by serbian paramilitaries on the first day of the nato bombing
but new buildings made me lose my bearings and i couldnt find my old house when i took a first walk around our favorite cafe on the main street where we started every reporting day during the war was gone
a whole new generation of young journalists and academics had grown up since i had worked in kosovo and i found they had been busy studying the subject of radical islam for several years their body of work was impressive including a phd thesis by former refugee dimal basha and a report by shpend kursani for the kosovo center for security studies
newspaper and tv reporters had tracked kosovars who had gone to syria and had interviewed their families and investigated the radical preachers accused of recruiting them
artan haraqija and visar duriqi helped me get started setting up appointments and translating for me during my interviews we drove around the country visiting muslim clerics local politicians and ordinary townspeople who recounted how radical islamists had taken over mosques and drawn hordes of young students to their lectures threatening anyone who got in their way
despite sudden flashbacks from the war it was a joy to rediscover kosovo though roads and buildings had been modernized the beauty of the hillside villages and snow capped mountains was unspoiled
but it was hard to contemplate the new pain afflicting families whose children had been lured into syria almost always without the parents knowledge we talked to a few who had come back from syria though some denied they had been there perhaps fearing prosecution since it is now a criminal offense to join an armed group outside kosovo
kosovars are invariably welcoming and hospitable and generally regard foreign reporters favorably because we helped expose the atrocities of the war but some didnt want to be interviewed   weary as they were of journalists questions or troubled and ashamed by the violent jihadism thats infiltrated their families
several women were outspoken in their criticism of the fundamentalists but they asked not to be named for fear of retaliation one had been threatened with death as she walked to work another complained that her grandfather had struggled to educate his six daughters but her niece had then rejected everything they had achieved and adopted a medieval lifestyle
after a few weeks i had a good idea of how much kosovo had changed since the war but my editors urged me to keep digging we wanted to uncover the origins of this newfound radicalism
over years of reporting on this subject i have found that interviewees tend to be vague about who actually recruited them or their children people often blame it on the internet but experts in the field   security analysts and former militants   say self radicalization is rare recruitment almost always involves peer to peer pressure someone whether a person or a group does the recruiting
i wanted to answer the question in kosovo who was behind this trend who was funding it how and why
i went through hours of videos of radical preachers and isis propaganda and read reams of us diplomatic cables released by wikileaks some detailed how rich donors in saudi arabia and other gulf arab countries supported the spread of fundamentalist teachings and even terrorism through charitable foundations
i traveled to leicester in the united kingdom to investigate a british muslim charity that had been accused of radicalizing many families in a village in central kosovo
i went back to kosovo for a second round of interviews revisiting some of my original sources and seeking out government officials and investigators in order to pin down facts and figures
both the counterterrorism police and the financial intelligence unit tasked with combing through the finances of radical clerics and of charities linked to them were valuable sources of information
and luck also played a part as the trial of one of the main isis recruiters zekirja qazimi was going on while i was there
i left a few weeks later   my notebooks full my head swirling with information i drove south to the blace border crossing down the same road that we took when we were expelled by the serbian paramilitaries in 1999
these were better times kosovo had improved immeasurably since those days and was tackling the radicalism but i felt a familiar burning sensation inside there was a new story of misery and injustice that needed to be told


theres a tune thats familiar to anyone who has ever had to sit through an american graduation ceremony
but the song and its history are thoroughly british
edward elgar wrote the music of the pomp and circumstance march no 1 in 1901 in london
the title is from act iii of othello farewell the neighing steed and the shrill trump the spirit stirring drum the ear piercing fife the royal banner and all quality pride pomp and circumstance of glorious war
lyrics   which do not contain go forth new graduates or any variation of that   were added for the 1902 coronation of king edward vii and the piece became known as land of hope and glory
so how did a patriotic british song become an anthem for american students
in 1905 elgar came to yale to receive an honorary doctorate of music
in his honor the pomp and circumstance march no 1 was played as the graduates and guests left the hall and the audience loved it
other colleges noticed and followed yales lead more than a century later no graduation seems complete without it
note this back story was originally published in the may 29 2015 morning briefing


front page
because of an editing error a picture caption on saturday in connection with an article about the reactions of some readers to the revelation that their ancestors had been among slaves sold in 1838 to help save georgetown university misidentified two ancestors of sandra green thomas the two whose portraits are shown hanging over her mantel are her great grandparents not her great great grandparents
international
an article on april 24 about signs of illegal logging in the exclusion zone surrounding the nuclear reactor at the chernobyl plant in ukraine referred incompletely to a typical radiation reading in the zone it is about 100 microsieverts per hour not 100 microsieverts

an article in some editions on april 24 about president obamas scheduling of meetings with western european leaders amid a growing sense in his administration that europe is faltering in the face of multiple challenges misstated the day on which he was scheduled to give a speech in germany it was monday april 25 not sunday april 24

because of an editing error an article on april 23 about a heroin prescription program in vancouver british columbia that has been successful in keeping addicts out of jail and away from emergency rooms incorrectly rendered the name of a canadian medical journal that published a study in 2012 estimating that an untreated severe opioid user costs taxpayers at least 35000 a year in medical care jail and other expenses it is the canadian medical association journal not the journal of the canadian medical association the error was corrected online after the article was published but editors failed to follow through with this print correction
national
an article on friday about a federal judges order in a case involving executive actions by president obama on immigration misstated the governments actions regarding a program designed to protect unauthorized immigrants from deportation the department of homeland security reversed about 2500 three year grants to participate in the program that were mistakenly issued after a federal judges injunction in february 2015 the government did not reverse about 100000 of the grants issued before the injunction
because of an editing error an earlier version of the above correction erroneously stated that the article had been published in print on thursday
new york
an article on may 14 about the death of susannah mushatt jones the worlds oldest person attributed an erroneous distinction to her successor emma morano she is the last woman to have been born in the 1800s not the 19th century   which officially did not end until 1901
business day
an article on monday about sexual harassment and discrimination on wall street 20 years after the filing of an explosive class action lawsuit referred incompletely to pamela k martenss role in the lawsuit while she was the lead plaintiff she later opted out of the settlement and received no money as a result of the suit

a picture caption with an article on saturday about the closing of the tampa tribune misspelled in some editions the given name of a tribune features reporter she is cloe cabrera not cole the article also misstated the founding date of the tampa bay times which closed the tribune after buying it it was founded in 1884 as the west hillsborough times not in 1898 as the st petersburg times a name by which it was also known before changing its name to the tampa bay times in 2012
the arts
an article on monday about the winners at the cannes film festival misidentified the award given to the director xavier dolan it was the grand prix not the best director award as the article correctly noted that award was shared by cristian mungiu and olivier assayas

a picture caption on monday with a television review of the return a pov documentary on pbs was accompanied by a credit that misspelled the photographers surname he is mario furloni not furlani

a music review on saturday about the met orchestra at carnegie hall misspelled the given name of the piano soloist in rachmaninoffs piano concerto no 2 he is evgeny kissin not yevgeny
obituaries
an obituary on saturday about the actor alan young misstated his role in the 2002 remake of the 1960 movie the time machine he played a flower store worker he did not play david filby the part he had played in the original film

an obituary on saturday about patricia derian who was president jimmy carters chief advocate on behalf of human rights abroad erroneously attributed a distinction to the south korean dissident kim dae jung he was the second civilian president elected in south korea after years of military dictators not the first kim young sam was the first

a picture caption on friday with an obituary about marlene marder the guitarist with the swiss post punk band liliput misidentified her she is in the center of the photo taken from the cover of a liliput record   not on the left the woman on the left is chrigle freund the bands singer at the time
opinion
an op ed article on may 18 about transgender access to bathrooms gave the wrong title of the authors most recent book it is why government fails so often and how it can do better not why government fails and how it can do better
the times welcomes comments and suggestions or complaints about errors that warrant correction messages on news coverage can be e mailed to nytnewsnytimescom or left toll free at 1 844 nyt news 1 844 698 6397 comments on editorials may be e mailed to lettersnytimescom or faxed to 212 556 3622
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tom bradys lawyers asked a federal appeals court in new york for a new hearing before an expanded panel of judges arguing on monday that it was not just a silly dispute over underinflated footballs   it was the basic right to a fair process that was shared by all union workers
setting the stage for the deflategate scandal to stretch into its third season and putting bradys four game suspension back in the hands of the courts the players union asked the 13 judges of the united states court of appeals for the second circuit to hear the case that a three judge panel decided in the leagues favor
in the appeal filed monday bradys lawyers said that commissioner roger goodells biased agenda driven and self approving appeal ruling must be vacated
brady was initially suspended four games in what goodell said was an illegal scheme to use improperly inflated footballs in the 2015 afc championship game the suspension was overturned by a federal judge on the eve of last season but a circuit court panel ruled last month that goodell was within the rights granted to him by the collective bargaining agreement
fitzpatrick wants to return to jets the free agent quarterback ryan fitzpatrick locked in a contract stalemate with the jets said he wanted to return to the team and had no plans to retire
fitzpatrick said he would like to be back according to espn and the new york post
fitzpatrick 33 appeared to be a certainty to re sign at the start of free agency in march but he and the jets have been unable to agree on financial terms
two days after the first loss of his career the kentucky derby winner nyquist developed a slight fever leaving plans temporarily in limbo for a rematch with the preakness winner exaggerator in the belmont stakes in new york
jack sisterson an assistant to nyquists trainer doug oneill said blood work on the horse had been done to make sure nothing is going on
nyquist finished third behind exaggerator in the preakness on saturday
nyquist was scheduled to be shipped to belmont park on monday but the plan was scrapped when he had a temperature of 102 degrees
josef newgarden flipped the script by posting the fastest lap in the final full practice for the indianapolis 500 in indiana
less than 24 hours after losing the pole to james hinchcliffe newgarden turned a lap of 227414 miles per hour
only one practice session on friday remains before sundays 100th running of the race
haris seferovic scored to keep eintracht frankfurt in the bundesliga with a 1 0 win at nuremberg in the second leg of their end of season playoff
seferovics 66th minute strike gave frankfurt a 2 1 win aggregate victory and left nuremberg which placed third in the second division without top flight soccer for at least another season the first leg was a 1 1 draw
pittsburgh starter ryan vogelsong was carted off the field after being struck in the head by a pitch during the second inning of a 6 3 home win over the colorado rockies
with the bases loaded and the pirates leading 1 0 rockies starter jordan lyles hit vogelsong in the left cheek with a 92 mph fastball vogelson was making his second start of the season filling in because of a rainout on sunday
the pirates later said he was admitted to a hospital with injuries to his left eye and the team expected to receive an update on his condition tuesday
suzuki wields a hot bat ichiro suzuki had four hits including a single in miamis two run eighth inning and the host marlins rallied past the tampa bay rays 7 6
suzuki 42 has 10 hits in the past three games to raise his batting average to 417 25 for 60 and increase his career hit total to 2960
pujols hits one albert pujols hit a two run home run the 569th of his career as the visiting los angeles angels beat the texas rangers 2 0
pujolss home run in the third inning tied him for 12th in career homers with rafael palmeiro
darvish nears return texas starter yu darvish nearing his first start in nearly 22 months is expected to start for the rangers in saturday nights home game against pittsburgh after five rehab outings this month
darvish a right hander from japan last pitched in a major league game on aug 9 2014 and then missed the end of that season with right elbow inflammation he had more problems the next spring and had tommy john surgery on march 17 2015
injury list the royals placed the all star outfielder alex gordon on the 15 day disabled list with a fractured right wrist the rangers five time all star outfielder josh hamilton will miss the entire season for more surgery on his left knee the indians placed reliever joba chamberlain on the 15 day dl with a strained left chest muscle
the two time olympic pole vault champion yelena isinbayeva said she would file a lawsuit if russias ban from global track and field competition was upheld and she was barred from competing in rio de janeiro
russias athletics federation was suspended by the international association of athletics federations after a world anti doping agency commission report detailed systemic state sponsored doping the iaaf was to rule next month on whether to reinstate russia ahead of the games
the university of texas football team said a new longhorn steer mascot bevo xv had been selected and would be introduced at the season opener against notre dame on sept 4
university officials had to select a new mascot after bevo xiv died in october 2015 he had been on the texas sideline since 2004
two forgo nba draft xavier forward trevon bluiett the musketeers leading scorer during the past two seasons withdrew from consideration for the nba draft and will return for his junior season
also nevada forward cameron oliver who set a wolf pack record with 99 blocks the most in a season by a freshman in mountain west conference history decided to return for his sophomore season


st louis   the san jose sharks have experienced as much playoff disappointment for more than a decade as any nhl franchise
but now they are one win from their first stanley cup finals if that does not wipe away the frustration that came with ignominious playoff exits it is certainly a good start
the sharks 6 3 victory over the st louis blues on monday night   a franchise record 11th playoff victory in a single postseason   gave them a three games to two series lead in the western conference finals it is a terrific advantage to have given the success of game 5 winners of the 371 nhl teams that have broken 2 2 series ties with game 5 victories 290 782 percent have gone on to win the series
not that the sharks want to hear about those numbers
there are so many emotions throughout a playoff said forward joe pavelski who scored the tying goal with 87 seconds left in the second period and the winning shot 16 seconds into the third we try not to get too high not to get too low
yet the sharks know how difficult sealing the deal against the blues will be st louis has a 6 3 road record during these playoffs
game 6 will be in san jose on wednesday
the sharks have had strong chances to break down the door to the cup finals they have made the playoffs 11 times over the 12 seasons since doug wilson took over as general manager before the 2003 4 campaign only the detroit red wings have matched that total of 11 in that span the sharks won six pacific division regular season titles over nine years including four straight starting in the 2007 8 season
all that has yielded only three trips to the conference finals and each of those experiences left much to be desired the sharks overall record in those three series 3 12
from the start though this fourth time in the west finals has been strikingly different for one thing the sharks are facing another team with a bad playoff past the blues   whose 40 appearances in the playoffs is the most for any non original six franchise   have not been to the cup finals since 1970
the pivotal game 5 felt as if it could go either way with the teams trading goals in much the same manner that they have traded momentum throughout the series
san jose defenseman marc edouard vlasic opened the scoring less than four minutes into the game with a high screamer from just inside the blue line but st louis answered with two first period goals that pumped the scottrade center crowd into a frenzy
first jaden schwartz picked the puck out of the crowd in front of sharks goaltender martin jones and knocked home a rebound troy brouwer   enjoying the postseason of his life   put the blues ahead by 2 1 with a spectacular goal jones sent a shot soaring off his blocker but brouwer found it on its descent and ripped a line drive that would have made stan musial proud
the second period was power play madness blues defenseman kevin shattenkirk committed a penalty that led to sharks forward joel ward tying the game with a batted shot of his own soon after sharks defenseman roman polak lost his temper punching dmitrij jaskin repeatedly from behind with the man advantage robby fabbri blasted a one timer from straight on for a 3 2 lead
after another shattenkirk penalty pavelski beat jake allen from the doorstep after a behind the net feed from joe thornton to tie the score 3 3
that third goal was a killer blues coach ken hitchcock said
pavelski now tied with his teammate logan couture for the playoff points lead at 21 deflected a shot from brent burns for a goal in the third before the sharks added two empty netters


san francisco   microsoft has largely stood by as other technology giants like facebook and google have begun work on grand plans for balloons satellites drones simplified apps and even bicycle hot spots to deliver internet access to the four billion or so people around the world who are not yet online
the venerable software company still best known for the windows software that runs most of the worlds personal computers did buy the handset business of nokia the finnish cellphone maker in 2014   a platform that could have been the basis of a mobile access strategy   only to write off most of the business a year later and sell the low end side of it last week
but now microsoft finally seems to be settling on a strategy for addressing the great global disconnect it is going to fund other businesses developing local solutions and help build the ones that show the most promise
on tuesday the company which is based in redmond wash announced the first winners of grants under a new program called the affordable access initiative the 12 recipients who will get 70000 to 150000 apiece include a company in rwanda franchising solar powered mobile kiosks that provide wi fi and battery recharges and an argentine firm that uses monitoring technologies and chatbots so that farmers can keep tabs remotely on the health of their cattle
thats a pittance compared with google which has built a fiber optic network in ugandas capital and has struck deals in sri lanka and indonesia to eventually beam the internet down from high altitude balloons nor does it display the ambition of facebook which offers a free set of basic internet services with local phone companies in more than three dozen countries and is testing the first of a planned fleet of large ultralight drones to deliver internet service from on high
microsoft said it had concluded that such grand solutions conceived and driven by american companies would take many years to put into practice and would not work everywhere
we are taking a different approach than some of the others in the area we are partnering with the locals said peggy johnson microsofts executive vice president for business development we are focused on the here and now and what you can do in the existing ecosystem
microsoft plans to offer more grants and is likely to provide additional financial support to the projects that show the greatest promise
all of the current grant recipients are for profit enterprises one of them axiom technologies is based in eastern maine and will use the money to expand internet access there another recipient airjaldi already works with facebook to deliver wireless internet service in rural india
microsofts previous affordable access projects focused on experiments with a technology called white spaces which uses vacant television bandwidth to wirelessly deliver the internet over long distances
in january the company pledged to donate 1 billion in cloud services to nonprofit organizations and universities and some of that commitment will now be spent to help the communities in which the current round of grant recipients will be working
paul garnett director of microsofts affordable access initiative said the company would announce partnerships with bigger companies later in the year that would have a much bigger impact than the current projects
microsofts approach has been toe in the water but its now foot in the water at least he said


toronto   kyle lowry scored 35 points including a driving layup in the final minute on monday night and demar derozan added 32 as the toronto raptors evened the eastern conference finals by beating the cleveland cavaliers 105 99 in game 4
demarre carroll scored 11 points and bismack biyombo had 14 rebounds as toronto improved to 8 2 at home this postseason game 5 is wednesday night in cleveland
cleveland lost consecutive playoff games to an eastern conference opponent for the first time since dropping the final three conference semifinal games to the boston celtics in 2010
on monday lebron james scored 29 points and kyrie irving had 26 for the cavaliers channing frye scored 9 of his 12 points in the fourth quarter
the raptors led by 9 points to begin the fourth but frye made consecutive 3 pointers as cleveland opened the final quarter with an 8 0 run cutting the score to 78 77 the cavaliers made their first 11 shots of the fourth quarter with their first miss fryes errant 3 point attempt with 4 minutes 12 seconds remaining
derozan made two free throws at the other end and after another miss by frye carroll made one of two to put toronto up 99 96 with 323 to go
a long 3 by irving made it 101 99 with 200 left but derozan answered with a driving bank shot at 133 toronto got the ball back after biyombo blocked j r smiths 3 and biyombo kept the offensive possession alive by rebounding lowrys missed shot after a timeout lowry let the shot clock wind down before driving for the final layup making it 105 99 with 22 seconds to go
toronto had jumped out to a 13 5 lead as cleveland missed eight of its first 10 shots
after a timeout the cavs made five of their next six but the raptors still led 27 24 after one quarter
lowry scored 15 points in the second quarter making three of torontos four 3 pointers as the raptors built a 57 41 halftime lead despite not shooting a single free throw
it was the first time a team led by 15 or more at halftime in a conference finals game without shooting a free throw since game 2 of the 2001 eastern conference finals between the milwaukee bucks and the philadelphia 76ers
derozan shot torontos first free throws at 613 of the third after being tackled by smith on a drive the foul drought came after raptors coach dwane casey was fined 25000 for criticizing the officials after torontos game 3 win
after shooting 3 for 22 from 3 point range in the first half the cavaliers made their first three long range shots in the third quarter cleveland connected on six of eight 3s in the third but derozan and lowry combined for 16 points as toronto took a 78 69 lead into the fourth


washington   facing a backlash over long security lines and management problems the head of the transportation security administration shook up his leadership team on monday replacing the agencys top security official and adding a new group of administrators at chicago ohare international airport
in an email to staff members peter v neffenger the tsa administrator announced a series of changes that included the removal of kelly hoggan who had been the assistant administrator for the office of security operations since 2013
beginning late that year mr hoggan received 90000 in bonuses over a 13 month period even though a leaked report from the department of homeland security showed that auditors were able to get fake weapons and explosives past security screeners 95 percent of the time in 70 covert tests
in addition several employees who say they were punished with reassignments to other airports after filing whistle blower complaints have alleged that mr hoggan played a role in their forced transfers
mr hoggans bonus was paid out in 10000 increments an arrangement that members of congress have said was intended to disguise the payments during a hearing of the house oversight committee two weeks ago lawmakers grilled mr neffenger about the bonus which was issued before he joined the agency in july
those bonuses were given to somebody who oversees a part of the operation that was in total failure said representative jason chaffetz republican of utah and the committees chairman
mr neffenger said he had changed the rules to cap bonuses at 10000 a year
asked during the hearing if he would discipline or remove mr hoggan mr neffenger said he would not adding that he had no evidence of any wrongdoing but by monday he appeared to have had a change of heart
mr neffenger announced that darby lajoye a deputy assistant administrator at the agency would immediately take over as acting assistant administrator of the office of security operations mr lajoye will manage security operations for the agencys work force of more than 50000 employees at about 440 airports nationwide
several current and former tsa employees said the moves to replace mr hoggan and add the new officials in chicago where passengers have endured hourslong waits at security checkpoints were insufficient
the timing of this decision is too late to make a real difference for the summer said andrew rhoades an assistant federal security director at minneapolis st paul international airport neffenger is only doing this because the media and congress are making him look bad
mr rhoades has filed a whistle blower complaint against the agency later he said he was ordered to racially profile somali americans visiting the tsas local office
mark livingston a program manager in the agencys office of the chief risk officer said the actions by mr neffenger were largely cosmetic
no one thinks he is really making any meaningful changes said mr livingston who has sued the agency claiming he was demoted because he reported misconduct by senior managers bottom line is no one in tsa believes in neffenger now he is only acting out of desperation
in the changes in chicago mr neffenger announced that a new tsa leadership team was now overseeing screening operations at ohare airport which has had some of the longest waiting times of any airport in the country
last week and over the weekend hundreds of passengers including 450 on american airlines alone missed flights because of waits of two or three hours in security lines according to local news reports many of the passengers had to spend the night in the terminal sleeping on cots
the tsa has sent 58 additional security officers and four more bomb sniffing dog teams to ohare last week mr neffenger apologized to passengers and briefed officials in chicago about efforts to address the crushing delays
the agency has attributed the lines in part to tightened security procedures and budget cuts that have caused a shortage of screeners
in his email to the agencys staff mr neffenger also announced the creation of an incident command center at the agencys headquarters the center will closely track daily screening operations shifting officers and bomb sniffing dogs to better allocate the agencys resources
these adjustments will enable more focused leadership and screening operations at critical airports in the national transportation system mr neffenger wrote


new delhi   three police officers were killed by gunmen in two separate shootings on monday in srinagar india the summer capital of jammu and kashmir state the police said
attacks on police and army officials have become relatively rare in srinagar and more often take place outside the city or closer to the disputed border with pakistan a once steady stream of armed militants crossing the border has also declined in recent years
kashmir has been a source of conflict between pakistan and india since independence and partition in 1947 pakistan has never accepted the states inclusion in india and has tried repeatedly to dislodge it both with military incursions and by supporting kashmiri insurgents
in mondays attacks attackers suspected of being militants fatally shot the police officers at close range at two separate locations
the militant separatist group hizbul mujahedeen took responsibility for the killings in the local news media though there was no official confirmation of the groups involvement
the attacks followed a weekend gun battle in which five people suspected of being militants were killed by the indian army in the border district of kupwara said col n n joshi a military spokesman in srinagar on sunday an indian soldier died of his wounds
india and pakistan regularly accuse each other of sponsoring terrorism in their respective countries and the indian army said in a news conference that it believed the men involved in the weekend gun battle were from lashkar e taiba a banned pakistan based militant group that wants to end indian control of jammu and kashmir


at first nick denton the founder of gawker media thought it an unlikely conspiracy theory
now hes starting to believe it himself
for the last several years mr denton has been the target of a lawsuit brought by the wrestler hulk hogan in the now infamous defamation case over gawkers publication of a sex tape   an editorial choice that recently resulted in a 140 million jury award to mr hogan the appeals process is likely to drag on for years and some legal experts predict that the judgment will ultimately be overturned or the award greatly reduced
during the trial a low hum of speculation emerged within the legal community that mr hogans legal case which dragged on for more than three years might be funded by someone other than mr hogan   and for reasons other than simply inflicting financial pain on gawker at the time the questions were provoked by several strategic decisions on mr hogans side that didnt appear economically rational more on that in a moment back then mr denton dismissed the idea of a third party secretly underwriting mr hogans case as rather conspiracy theorylike
but in recent weeks in the face of several new lawsuits brought against gawker that are unrelated to mr hogans case and seem to personally attack certain gawker writers mr denton is having second thoughts all of the new cases like mr hogans were brought by charles j harder a los angeles based litigator working on a contingency basis who has most likely run up huge legal bills and expenses gawker has said it has already spent as much as 10 million on its side of the case
mr denton has begun to question whether mr harder has a benefactor perhaps one of the many subjects of gawkers skewering coverage
my own personal hunch is that its linked to silicon valley but thats nothing really more than a hunch mr denton told me if youre a billionaire and you dont like the coverage of you and you dont particularly want to embroil yourself any further in a public scandal its a pretty smart rational thing to fund other legal cases
mr dentons view is based on the huge expenses of legal cases and settlements the fact that mr hogans financial health has been erratic   and on the rich history of lawsuits in which lawyers make money only if they win the case there is an entire industry that exists to provide lines of credit to lawyers working on contingency there is also a small netherworld of investors who back certain lawsuits
the answer may be entirely innocent mr denton said musing on the question of whether mr harder was paid by someone other than mr hogan but i think in order for people to understand whats going on here what the stakes are i think its important that it be out in public or at least that hed be asked the question in public
based on my conversation with mr denton as well some independent lawyers who first raised questions about the financing of mr hogans suit i approached mr harder and asked him the question directly in an email he said i do not discuss the finances of my clients including any financial arrangements they have with my firm this applies to all clients
stepping aside from this case its clear that some lawsuits have been funded for reasons beyond strict economics kenneth g langone the co founder of home depot and former director of the new york stock exchange helped fund maurice r greenbergs lawsuit against the united states government over the bankruptcy of the american international group which was viewed as being as much as about money as about principle
and max mosley the former head of formula one who successfully brought a series of suits against news of the world for publishing pictures of him involved in an orgy later funded a number of lawsuits against the same tabloid by people who said its journalists had hacked their phones
as for the lawsuits against gawker media the evidence has built up over time that there are questions that are unanswered here mr denton said the data point that really got us thinking was the move that they made on insurance which seemed designed to prevent insurance paying for our defense
mr denton is referring to a decision by mr hogans legal team to abruptly drop one of the claims   for negligent infliction of emotional distress   from its case that claim had a particularly special meaning it was the one claim that required gawkers insurance company to pay for its defense as well as potential payouts in the case of a settlement that provision of gawkers insurance policy became public after the insurance company nautilus sued gawker to try to limit payment for defense
several legal experts said that it was particularly unusual for a plaintiff using a lawyer being paid on a contingency basis not only to turn down settlement offers several sizable settlements were proffered by gawker but also to pursue a strategy that prevented an insurance company from being able to contribute to a settlement
its a very unusual thing to do because the insurance company would have deeper pockets than gawker said larry geneen a risk management consultant who has long dealt with lawsuits involving insurance companies ive never had a situation where the plaintiff intentionally took out the claim involving the insurance company
and given that mr hogan has had financial ups and downs the cost of the hundreds of motions his lawyers made is significant and the chances the award is significantly reduced based on previous cases he lost making the same claims in federal court its hard to completely understand the motivations at play
additionally mr harder has brought two new cases against gawker that seem puzzling one is a defamation case on behalf of shiva ayyadurai who claimed to have invented email gawker had written an article challenging his argument similar to an article from the washington post and others on the same topic
in la and new york power centers people are pretty used to an independent and critical press mr denton said its not like we write that much about hollywoods celebrities that isnt written in tmz or in other celebrity news sites
but some subcultures arent used to the glare mr denton added silicon valley coverage with coverage on valleywag and the coverage on gawker and gizmodo   i think that has been a change for them
gawker has made a virtual industry of skewering the industry the company got into a public battle with steve jobs over the publication of pictures of a prototype iphone that was found at a bar it has also poked at the private lives of virtually every member of silicon valleys royalty and outed many ill spare them being name checked here because it will invariably send readers scurrying to google to search the names
admittedly it is a bit hard to defend gawker media i often disagree with gawkers news judgment and it has routinely published items over the years that crossed the line of good taste ive been on the other side of gawkers critical pen and it is not fun even so i believe in a free press and that means freedom of speech for gawkers brand of journalism
mr denton does too but he also would like to see more transparency on the financial side as for the hulk hogan lawsuit its a big case that involves the balance of power between public figures and the press he said i think its in the publics interest and the media interest for the motives of people on both sides to be out there
it would be great to know the answer


who needs game of thrones when you have the latest battle for control of viacom and cbs
on friday a lawyer working on behalf of sumner m redstone notified philippe p dauman the chief executive of viacom that mr dauman had been removed as a trustee of the trust that will control viacom and cbs upon mr redstones death or mental incapacity another trustee and viacom director george abrams was also removed as a trustee both were to be replaced by other people
the maneuver which is certainly up to the intrigue of game of thrones is expected to give mr redstones daughter shari redstone future control of these companies by definition the maneuver also leaves mr dauman whom mr redstone once referred to as the son he never had in a precarious place
mr dauman and mr abrams were also removed as directors of national amusements the holding company that owns a controlling interest in viacom and cbs
this second maneuver is important
the trust will eventually control national amusements which is currently controlled by mr redstone national amusements currently controls viacom through a high vote class a stock which has 798 percent of the votes
because of these acts mr dauman will no longer be able to control viacom either before or after mr redstones inevitable death here i note for the record that mr redstone had previously remarked that his succession plan was for him not to die
viacom itself responded ferociously in a statement viacom took sides with mr dauman stating that this maneuver resulted from shari redstones long held goal which mr redstone has always opposed of gaining control of national amusements and viacom
the spokesman continued that the maneuver was disruptive and damaging to viacom and all of its shareholders ms redstone is a director of viacom also and so you have the odd juxtaposition of a company criticizing its own director and controlling shareholder
mr dauman of course also challenged his removal calling it illegal and invalid on monday he and mr abrams filed a lawsuit in a massachusetts court challenging this decision the lead independent director of viacom frederic v salerno has also raised questions about mr redstones competence the problem is that mr redstone has all the cards
mr dauman has been removed only from the trust and national amusements he remains chief executive of viacom that is the good news for him but he is now fighting to keep that position and already his actions are questionable
mr dauman has a duty of loyalty to viacom and its shareholders including national amusements putting the machinery of viacom into combat mode against the companys majority shareholder appears to be an act of self interest
unless a controlling shareholder is engaging in looting or other extreme and illegal behavior the law is clear boards are at the mercy of their controlling shareholders
national amusements can now act to remove and replace all the viacom directors except ms redstone and then the newly appointed directors can remove mr dauman as chief executive and as of now national amusements is a functioning company with its own board that board can take this action so long as mr redstone does not oppose it and try to remove the national amusements board
the more mr dauman fights back against this reality through the corporate machinery of viacom the more he risks a lawsuit for breach of fiduciary duties
mr dauman is seeking to challenge his removal at the trust itself claiming mr redstones mental incompetence but he will have a hard oar to row given his past statements of support for mr redstone that is what the massachusetts suit is about as well as establishing jurisdiction in a friendlier court than the one in los angeles that just dismissed a suit challenging mr redstones competency
this struggle for a friendly jurisdiction is why mr redstone immediately countersued in the same los angeles court to establish the validity of this change there now will be a fight over which court hears whether this change to the trust was valid
delaware where viacom is incorporated allows director removal for any reason with or without cause even if mr dauman can fight removal from the trust he may have an even harder argument against his removal as director and then chief executive after all without cause means for any reason and the court would be ruling on the capacity of national amusements a real company to act
heres where there is a twist there appears to be a mistake in viacoms bylaws that allows this removal to happen at any time
under delaware law while directors can be removed with or without cause at any time companies can restrict this right they can do so by adopting an amendment in the companys charter preventing shareholders from acting by written consent a shareholder would then have to wait until the annual meeting to remove directors or otherwise call a special meeting
according to viacoms charter there is no prohibition on shareholders action by written consent which means that the majority of votes in other words national amusements can act at any time to remove the directors
then there is a clause in viacoms bylaws that tries to take this right away under a section titled removal of directors viacoms bylaws state that any or all directors may be removed by a majority of all the aggregate voting power at a special meeting of stockholders
at first read this means that national amusements would have to call a special meeting to remove the directors and then fire mr dauman national amusements can do this but it would take months and give time for mr dauman and perhaps viacom to fight back
there is a legal problem with this provision however delaware law requires that any restriction in action by written consent be in the charter of the company and so this restriction in the bylaws may be void
moreover the bylaws can be amended at any time by viacoms shareholders acting by written consent so it appears that national amusements can amend viacoms bylaws at any time to eliminate this requirement
if im reading all this right the bottom line is that if national amusements wants it can act to replace the viacom board at any time the directors of viacom may fight this but they will be arguing that national amusements is not of sound mind and that is not true it is run by ms redstone and its board
the key to mr daumans preservation therefore is for him and his colleague to get back on the trust before mr redstone dies or show that mr redstone is mentally incompetent that way the trust gains control of national amusements and thus viacom and they can act to prevent their own removal
but that is unlikely to happen soon at least and instead will take months if not years of litigation in massachusetts and most likely elsewhere as the redstones never shy about litigation countersue
it is telling that these changes which apply equally to cbs did not elicit even a peep out of that company its executives or directors this is all about whether mr dauman or ms redstone will control these two companies
and so i am not puzzled by mr daumans response after all he has staked his whole career on mr redstone but i am puzzled by viacoms reaction the media company would do well to realize that its interests are not those of its chief executive and that mr daumans legal case may not be quite the winner he asserts


guards at the taj rajiv josephs bloodstained drama about humble sentries in 17th century india won the obie award for best new american play at a ceremony celebrating the best of off broadway on monday night omar metwally and arian moayed the actors in the atlantic theater company production were singled out for their performances as well
among the other award winners playwrights lucas hnath hailed for the christians and red speedo and stephen karam whose family drama the humans has since transferred to broadway where it is up for a tony award as best play
an award for musical theater went to the composers benj pasek and justin paul and the book writer steven levenson for dear evan hansen now playing at second stage theater the shows 23 year old star ben platt won an obie for his performance as an anxious high schooler caught up in a lie other new faces singled out included khris davis who played a boxer in lincoln center theaters the royale as well as the veterans georgia engel for john at the signature theater company and tamara tunie for familiar at playwrights horizons
the ensemble of eclipsed now on broadway after a run at the public theater shared an acting prize as well
the obies gave out special citations for the collaborators on john including the playwright annie baker the director sam gold and the shows design team the playwright dominique morisseau and the director ruben santiago hudson received a citation as well for their work on skeleton crew which just reopened at the atlantic theater company
the american theater wing and the village voice sponsor the obies which are decided by a group of journalists and theater professionals there are no set categories this year obies for lifetime achievement went to the playwright a r gurney and the actor dancer choreographer carmen de lavallade


los angeles   sony pictures needs to keep male moviegoers interested in its ghostbusters reboot after an internet attack on its female cast hillary clinton wants women to throw their support behind her presidential campaign
in a strange confluence those agendas risk colliding this week on the ellen degeneres show
to the surprise of sony ms degeneres announced on may 17 that her talk show had booked mrs clinton   a friend political ally and repeated past guest   to appear wednesday on an episode for which she had already scheduled the ghostbusters stars melissa mccarthy leslie jones kristen wiig and kate mckinnon
get your woman cards ready ms degeneres wrote on twitter to her 60 million followers a reference to the republican contender donald j trumps criticism that mrs clinton had relied on playing the womans card the shows website added this wednesday ellens sitting down with some powerful women
for mrs clinton her identification with a hip and somewhat younger group of actresses is a chance to score points with younger female voters on the heels of ms degeneress tweet came a fan made follow up post showing a smiling mrs clinton in a ghostbusters jumpsuit standing next to mr trump as the films gluttonous slimer
ms degeneres is scheduled to tape mrs clinton and the ghostbusters cast separately that may help to minimize any alignment between film and her campaign though ms degeneress enthusiasm for both has already been obvious
but the not quite joint appearance came as less than welcome news to sony whose marketing team has been fighting to tamp down what it sees as a misogynistic internet based assault on the movie the first trailer for the new film released in early march became the most disliked trailer in youtube history after a coordinated campaign by a group of mostly male naysayers
in the best of circumstances film studios are reluctant to let a big budget film   ghostbusters cost more than 150 million to make   become identified with a political candidate mr trump who must overcome major weaknesses among female voters has also shown a willingness to fuel the unwanted ghostbusters gender debate now theyre remaking ghostbusters with only women he said with derision in a recent video whats going on
amy pascal a producer of ghostbusters declined to discuss the ellen booking or its potential perils for the film warner bros which produces the ellen degeneres show said no one involved with the show would comment
in a statement tom rothman chairman of the sony motion pictures group made light of the films brush with politics all this attention is great but i hope they realize that slimer is not a registered voter mr rothman said of those with an eye on the ellen appearance
from a business aspect the new ghostbusters set for release on july 15 carries oversize weight for sony which has been hurt by a shortage of blockbusters sony urgently wants to resuscitate this franchise with a separate animated ghostbusters movie also in the pipeline
multiple people involved with the film who spoke on condition of anonymity because of confidentiality strictures said that sony secured the ellen booking two months ago and that the studio was thrilled with the chance to promote ghostbusters in such a positive prominent setting the date for the appearance was mandated by the schedules of two of the actresses ms jones and ms mckinnon who portrays mrs clinton as a humorous ball of unbridled ambition on saturday night live which concluded its season over the weekend ms mckinnon portrayed mrs clinton on that episode and the two appeared in a sketch together last year
in the months since the booking was made sony has found itself trying to douse an online brush fire over the films female cast and overall decision to revisit the original film just last week the criticism flared anew when a popular youtube critic and the operator of cinemassacre a movie and video game fan site announced that he would not review the film
sony has traced hostility toward ghostbusters to a small number of fan sites that embedded the youtube trailer the studio found that a parallel trailer release on facebook was overwhelmingly positive and actually was seen by more men than women according to people briefed on the film
the films director paul feig has fired back at the critics on social media and male cast members from the original ghostbusters   whose 229 million in 1984 ticket sales would translate to about 584 million today   have helped to mute the gender politics bill murray who has a cameo has been openly supportive
mrs clinton has leaned heavily on ellen to help humanize herself beyond policy speeches and personal attacks leveled on cable news tuesdays sit down is the third time this cycle mrs clinton will appear with ms degeneres the appearance coincides with a new abc news washington post poll showing 53 percent of voters have an unfavorable opinion of mrs clinton compared to 60 percent who said the same about mr trump
but in helping mrs clinton reach women the hit daytime show has inadvertently gotten in the way of sonys efforts to hold young males a vital component of the audience for all but a handful of summer blockbusters like for instance sex and the city in 2008
sony has circulated online posters for ghostbusters with looks that are more provocative than the janitorlike outfits displayed on one the films early promotional images one set of dark moody posters shows a shadowy ms wiig in a profile reminiscent of the noir advertisements for the graphic novel based movie sin city
even while swatting at armchair critics who dislike the notion of a female ghostbusters sony and its filmmaking team have been weathering accusations of racial bias those have come from commentators who note that the three white female ghostbusters are scientists or professionals while the black partner portrayed by ms jones is a transit worker
why cant a regular person be a ghostbuster ms jones responded on twitter


washington   a few hours before the mets opened their three game series against the division leading washington nationals on monday the mr met on manager terry collinss cap was a picture of optimism running smiling and wide eyed
below mr mets cheery face though collins stared out glumly as he confirmed that lucas duda the slugging first baseman whose offense was an integral part of the mets success the last two seasons had a stress fracture in his lower back he was placed on the 15 day disabled list and will be out collins said four to six weeks
could be longer collins added dont plan on it being shorter
on monday night the mets hardly missed duda and his big bat which knocked 27 homers last season and 30 in 2014 they slugged three homers in a 7 1 win pulling to a half game behind the nationals before tuesday nights matchup between stephen strasburg and matt harvey
the mets jumped on nationals starter gio gonzalez for five runs in the third inning which included a three run homer by david wright in the fifth yoenis cespedes hit a solo shot for his 15th homer of the year first in the majors and neil walker also homered
the only met who most likely posed no threat of homering was pitcher bartolo colon who hit his first earlier this season a day shy of 43 colon told nationals catcher wilson ramos that he planned not to swing his bat and true to his word struck out three times but he also gave up just one run and five hits in seven innings to improve to 4 3
afterward collins praised colons control saying im not sure if he threw 10 off speed pitches
the mets lead the national league with 63 home runs in 44 games which is not to say that they will not miss duda 30 who was batting 231 with seven homers and 19 runs batted in duda batting from the left side provided balance in the no 5 spot after the right handed cleanup hitter yoenis cespedes during last seasons run to the world series in the national league championship series against the cubs duda hit 400 with a home run and six rbi
we dont have a guy thats going to hit 25 to 30 collins said in reference to home runs but weve got to space it out amongst everybody else
should collins fail to squeeze out those extra homers mets fans would most likely clamor for a midseason trade   like the one that brought them cespedes last year   as the team seeks to repeat as a division winner for the first time in franchise history
john ricco the mets assistant general manager declined to rule out a trade monday saying that to replace duda the team would look internally first but also take a look externally
with the trade deadline more than two months off the immediate chatter centered around who would replace duda in the short to medium term one possibility is the former shortstop wilmer flores he could return from the disabled list where he was sent may 12 with a left hamstring injury by the end of the week another option is the utility player ty kelly who was called up for the first time from class aaa las vegas where he was leading the pacific coast league in batting average 391
an intriguing option collins and ricco both confirmed is left fielder michael conforto whose move to the infield would allow cespedes to return full time to left where he once won a gold glove
the main challenge is that conforto has never played first base
you have to be careful with a young player who doesnt even have a year under his belt whos in the three hole and now youre going to switch positions on him said ricco thats something were not going to do lightly
eric campbell a frequent pinch hitter who entering monday was batting 214 this season started monday night at first base while conforto sat out against the left hander gonzalez campbell had a sacrifice fly monday night for his second rbi of the season
flores   last seasons starting shortstop since supplanted by the new arrival asdrubal cabrera   could return friday when the mets open a series at home against the los angeles dodgers
ricco said he expected flores to play first base at class aa binghamton though not exclusively
we want to see what wilmer can do there ricco said erics going to have a few good games here so we just got this news were going to keep all our options open
collins agreed saying that half measures might not be enough for a franchise and a fan base that shared a win now mentality
were not in a position right now to just test guys he said


washington   early on saturday a middle aged pashtun man used forged documents to cross from iran into pakistan a few hours later on a lonely stretch of highway he was incinerated by an american drone
it is not exactly clear how the americans tracked mullah akhtar muhammad mansour leader of the afghan taliban to a white sedan rattling across the arid expanse of baluchistan province the united states picked up a mix of phone intercepts and tips from sources american and european officials said and there were reports that pakistan also provided intelligence president obama described mullah mansours death on monday as an important milestone   but the strike was also an illustration of the tangled relationship between washington and islamabad
not since mr obama ordered navy seals to hunt down osama bin laden in may 2011 has he authorized a military incursion in pakistan as audacious as this one the white house did not inform the pakistanis in advance of the operation which occurred outside the frontier region near afghanistan the one place where pakistan has tolerated american drone strikes in the past
by using the militarys joint special operations command rather than the cia to carry out the attack the united states denied pakistan the fig leaf of a covert operation which in the past has given the pakistanis the ability to claim they had been consulted beforehand
the fact that the top official of afghanistans taliban was able to travel freely through pakistan and even into iran contradicted years of denials by pakistani officials that they were harboring taliban leaders mr obama offered no apology for the decision to strike mullah mansour in pakistani territory saying it was a simple case of self defense
he is an individual who as head of the taliban was specifically targeting us personnel and troops inside of afghanistan who are there as part of the mission i have set to maintain a counterterrorism platform and provide assistance mr obama said during a news conference in hanoi vietnam killing mullah mansour mr obama said sent a message that were going to protect our people
to many outside experts it sent an equally powerful message to pakistan on monday the pakistani foreign ministry summoned the american ambassador david hale to lodge a protest for what it said was a violation of pakistans sovereignty the killing would obstruct multiparty efforts to negotiate a settlement between the taliban and the afghan government it said
pakistans military and intelligence establishment was said to favor mullah mansour as the groups new leader but the white house concluded he was a stubborn obstacle to reconciliation talks which have been paralyzed for months while his intransigence on the peace process had made him less valuable to the pakistanis as well experts said mr obamas decision to target him suggested he had little patience for pakistani sensitivities
the administration is no longer worried about blowing up anything said vali nasr a former state department official who worked on pakistan this is literally carrying out an operation not against an arab terrorist leader but against a pashtun ally of pakistan inside pakistani territory
mr obama approved the targeting of mullah mansour in the past few weeks according to officials with this authorization in hand the joint special operations command was able to act quickly when intelligence indicated that he was traveling through baluchistan those officials said
the united states told pakistani authorities several weeks ago that mullah mansour was a target officials said while the pakistanis provided general information on his location and activities they did not provide specific details on his movements that was supplemented by american intelligence including satellite imagery signals intelligence and human assets
for pakistan providing even the most slender of details about the possible whereabouts of mullah mansour would represent an unexpected turn pakistan had cultivated him for years and he was widely seen as its choice to lead the taliban after the 2013 death of mullah muhammad omar the founder of the insurgency movement was revealed last year
but once installed he resisted pakistani efforts to put up even the appearance of being willing to take part in a peace process as a result there was growing american pressure on pakistan to crack down on taliban leaders who take shelter there   and a growing sense within pakistans security establishment that mullah mansour was proving too independent and thus expendable
a senior american defense official said that another factor in pakistans decision to provide some limited help in tracking down mullah mansour may have been that one of his deputies sirajuddin haqqani has deep and longstanding ties to pakistans main spy service the directorate of inter services intelligence
mr haqqani who leads a taliban faction that is widely seen as one of the most violently effective parts of the insurgency may prove more willing to take cues from pakistans military leadership and the isi
for the united states and its allies in the afghan government though the possibility of an even harder line taliban leader could undo any temporary advantage provided by the killing of mullah mansour
one of the interesting questions is does this help said vikram singh a former pentagon and state department official who is now vice president for international security at the center for american progress mansour was bad news for any kind of peace process he definitely came in hard line and basically pressed for a military advantage
the white house a senior american official said had not given up on the peace process removing mullah mansour from the scene he said might actually increase the incentives for the taliban to go to the bargaining table since he was the major impediment to talks but this official acknowledged that it could also splinter the groups leadership
mullah mansour had gone to iran for undisclosed medical treatment said a european official who had been briefed on the american operation he traveled across the border to avoid pakistani hospitals where the isi tends to keep track of who is coming and going
mr obama emphasized that the strike did not reflect a shift in american strategy toward afghanistan which is focused on training and assisting afghan troops rather than engaging in combat but it may have implications for how the united states deals with pakistan
does this amount to starting a two track approach   working through pakistan while using force to eliminate taliban leaders who obstruct peace talks said husain haqqani pakistans former ambassador to the united states either way it shows a diminishing of the obama administrations already diminished trust in pakistan
barnett rubin a former senior state department official said that mullah mansours death was unlikely to have a significant impact on the taliban which can easily replace him
the effect could be far greater on pakistans government he said which now must deal with the embarrassing circumstance
we killed the leader of the taliban driving across baluchistan in a taxi mr rubin said i think we have some questions to ask of pakistan


oklahoma city   late in the morning before the nba would rule him eligible for game 4 of the western conference finals tuesday night draymond green sat on a courtside table inside chesapeake energy arena and argued that the human brain has control over the arm but not necessarily the leg
the lower appendage according to green has a mind of its own
contrasting his right legs rendezvous sunday night with the oklahoma city center steven adamss groin with the forearm smash that the cleveland cavaliers reserve dahntay jones administered the toronto raptors bismack biyombo in the same private area green said if i come punch you in your head im going to intentionally use my arm i dont think you can ever compare a leg to an arm
ever that would suggest that every kickoff and field goal in nfl history and most soccer goals have been accidents or mere reflex actions
but green the golden state warriors undersize power forward admitted there was another explanation that should also have exonerated him on the always thorny charge of intent his second quarter rockette performance was a theatrical ploy designed to sell contact and a foul the painful for adams result being an unintended consequence
on that front it was in part russell westbrooks fault
russell said i did it on purpose but hes part of the superstar group that started all this acting green said
he had a reasonable point there and only there at the end of the first half of the thunders game 3 rout of the warriors westbrook kicked out his legs as green fouled him in the act of shooting about 30 feet from the basket tripping green up
before moving on to prepare his team for an almost must win game 4 warriors coach steve kerr made one concession in an otherwise unwavering defense of his man green he said had become an ardent practitioner of bodily deception
flailing flopping   the league is rampant with that kerr said
but should that line of defense essentially spare a player who endangers another with intentional recklessness a league that has suspended stars and settled outcomes of series see knicks miami 1997 phoenix san antonio 2007 for wandering harmlessly off the bench upon the outbreak of a fight apparently thought so
clevelands jones got a one game suspension for his hit on biyombo but greens flagrant 1 foul was upgraded to flagrant 2 meaning he is now a flagrant 1 call away from an automatic one game suspension for the balance of the playoffs green was also fined 25000
kiki vandeweghe the leagues executive vice president for basketball operations called greens action unnecessary and excessive yet green will be available for kerr whose immediate concern is that flailing and flopping is analogous to the warriors predicament as they trail by two games to one and are desperate to win in a hostile environment against a team that finished 18 games behind golden states record 73 victories
theyre the most talented team weve faced over the last couple of years for sure kerr said before making his players re experience on video the horror of their 41 point third quarter deficit in game 3
certainly the thunder are healthier than the memphis grizzlies and the cavaliers were last spring when golden state rallied from deficits of two games to one against both teams on its way to the franchises first title since 1975
in game 3 billy donovan the thunders nba rookie coach liberally used a small lineup   normally kerrs choice deployment   that spaced the floor for westbrook and kevin durant and outscored the warriors by 30 with their overall positional height and bigger frontline the thunder had a 14 rebound advantage
notorious for blowing games with undisciplined fourth quarter antics the thunder have won six of their last eight games against san antonio and golden state teams that combined for 140 regular season victories
did three successive wins over the five time champion spurs galvanize the thunder raising a level of belief to match their considerable and diverse skills can westbrook and durant be beaten by anyone if they play to their full potential
beware the team that peaks in postseason the warriors conversely have nursed stephen curry through an injury challenged spring they are also facing an oklahoma city front line that athletically overmatches andrew bogut and in game 3 had green sputtering and in a flagrant foul mood
thats what frustrated me   i was just bad green said leaving us to wonder if he did after all take it all out on adams
for all the fluid and matter of fact majesty of curry green is the warriors alter ego their emotional leader and multipurpose engine
if passivity was their primary problem sunday they will need more green related passion for game 4 less california cool to match the thunders combustibility
he needs to refocus a little bit and hell admit it kerr said of greens penchant for walking a fine line between advancing chemistry and creating chaos
when the warriors played here feb 27 he delivered a halftime locker room tirade reportedly angry about his role in the offense curry blew americas minds that saturday night with a 46 point display of long range shooting in a nationally televised game that the warriors stole from the thunder in overtime green wound up missing all eight of his shots but dominated everywhere else with 14 rebounds 14 assists and 6 steals
if any one game seemed to cement the respective reputations of the conference finalists it was that one this series is far from over but the thunders character   or perceived lack of it   was apparently not set in stone
the beauty of the playoffs is their capricious nature their potential to erase all that has happened and in this case force the most decorated team in regular season history to once again demonstrate its fortitude and worth
we need to win a game on their home floor and if we do that were in really good shape kerr said
if not 73 9 will feel like ancient history compared with 1 3


the snapchat lens feature a virtual playground in the messaging app where people go to adorn their selfies with flower crowns dog ears and alien eyes generates more than 30 million snaps a day according to the service
advertisers are looking for ways to join the fun and in increasingly aggressive ways
on monday snapchat said that it had united with 20th century fox to start the first complete takeover of all of snapchats lenses to promote the release on friday of x men apocalypse this means that for 24 hours the popular flower crowns and face swap features had to wait they were replaced by a set of well known marvel characters including magneto and storm
snapchat would not say how much the takeover cost 20th century fox but reports say that sponsoring a lens can cost 450000 to 750000 depending on the day in return snapchat has promised that a potential audience of more than 100 million daily users most of them 13 through 34 years old might lend a couple of seconds of highly engaged activity to the task at hand in this case the ideal for the studio would be a user snapping a selfie using an x men filter and sharing it with friends the user could also buy movie tickets using through x men video ads placed on snapchat another first offering of its kind on the platform
sensing uncharted territory and searching for more interactive experiences brands have been wading into snapchat since the lens feature was introduced last year in february users doused themselves with a bucket of gatorade 165 million times in two days in may taco bell sponsored a lens that allowed users to turn their selfies into taco shaped portraits according to snapchat that lens was viewed 224 million times in 24 hours and users played with the filter for about 24 precious millennial world seconds on average before sending the photo
in the case of the x men takeover not all users appreciated that their selection was limited to marvel characters
x men taking over snapchat reminds me of when u2 intruded in all of our lives by placing their album in every itunes account rude one observer wrote on twitter
but the beauty of snapchat is that interactions are temporal and most of the messages sent on the app have a blink and youll miss it shelf life meaning that any annoyance over the themed lenses will evaporate by tuesday x men tickets on the other hand will be on sale through the app until thursday   practically an eternity in snapchats world


los angeles   dr patrick soon shiong the new vice chairman and second largest investor in tribune publishing is believed to be the wealthiest physician in the world and the richest person in this city surpassing all the hollywood moguls
much of that fortune valued at 119 billion by forbes came from selling generic drugs and from developing one new type of drug to treat cancer
but his meteoric rise has not been without controversy either as he has developed a reputation for exaggerating his prospects and accomplishments
he thinks big and sometimes his statements come off hyperbolic said dr eric topol professor of genomics at the scripps research institute only time will tell how much he really accomplishes dr topol said
in a brief interview monday dr soon shiong said he did not see his 705 million investment in tribune publishing which owns the los angeles times and the chicago tribune as a philanthropic exercise but he said he did consider newspapers a public trust and wanted to preserve them
dr soon shiong pronounced soon shung said he appreciated the value of a free press after having grown up in apartheid era south africa the son of immigrants from china
i recognize the press is a very valuable tool for the community where it really adds to democracy he said he also said the investment could make money if tribune could be transformed from a legacy newspaper company into a technology and content company
on politics dr soon shiong 63 called himself the quintessential independent he has donated 82400 to campaigns according to the federal election commission including 60000 to the democratic national committee but he has also donated to rudolph giuliani and rick perry both republicans
dr soon shiong said it was his medical projects that got him involved with tribune his companies were developing artificial intelligence and machine vision   for such tasks as having a computer analyze pathology slides or helping the vision impaired to navigate
michael w ferro jr who is now the biggest shareholder in tribune had been an investor in a medical imaging company merge healthcare and came to see what dr soon shiong had developed under a deal also announced monday tribune will have access to that technology for use in the newspaper business eventually paying royalties to one of dr soon shiongs companies
one use dr soon shiong said could be to point a phone camera at an article in the printed newspaper and have related video content pop up
taking a stake in the owner of the los angeles times would not be out of character for dr soon shiong while not well known outside los angeles he has taken an active role in institutions here
he is a part owner of the los angeles lakers buying magic johnsons 45 percent stake he made an unsuccessful bid to buy the dodgers losing out to a group that included magic johnson
he and his wife michele chan an actress have given at least 135 million to saint johns health center in santa monica and he has helped reopen martin luther king jr community hospital which serves impoverished south los angeles
after getting his medical degree in south africa dr soon shiong became a doctor at the university of california los angeles
in 1993 he made headlines for doing the first transplant of insulin producing pancreatic cells into a patient with type 1 diabetes while he proclaimed that the procedure had succeeded other experts questioned that claim
he started a company selling generic drugs taking advantage of a financial relationship with premier a group that buys drugs for hospitals the company app pharmaceuticals was sold to the german company fresenius for an initial payment 37 billion in 2008
his biggest accomplishment was the development of the cancer drug abraxane it consists of the widely used drug paclitaxel also known by the brand name taxol linked to particles of albumin a protein in blood that helps the drug get to the tumors better and makes the treatment more tolerable
doctors debate whether any advantages of abraxane merit the extra cost compared with generic paclitaxel but celgene the large biotechnology company saw enough in abraxane to acquire the company that controlled it for an initial payment of 29 billion in 2010
dr soon shiongs new project is nantworks an ecosystem of different companies aimed at medicine we like to think nantworks is combing the inventive spirit of thomas edison or leonardo da vinci its website says all at the scale of bell labs
one company in the network nantkwest is developing cancer treatments that harness the bodys immune system it went public last summer with an initial market value of 26 billion a record for a biotechnology company the stock has lost three quarters of its value since then
another company privately held nanthealth is trying to use dna sequencing and high powered computing to quickly analyze a patients genes and other medical information and suggest the best treatment it has raised more than 600 million including from the government of kuwait
two former executives filed a wrongful termination lawsuit accusing nanthealth of making fraudulent claims about the reliability of its technology the company says the suit is without merit
in january dr soon shiong announced a cancer moonshot 2020 program in which companies like celgene and amgen would cooperate on certain clinical trials he has also been an adviser to vice president joseph r biden jr though mr bidens cancer moonshot program is distinct from dr soon shiongs


san francisco   facebook said on monday that an internal investigation found no evidence of systemic political bias in the selection of news presented in a section of its app called trending topics
even so the social network which is making a tour of contrition after accusations that it actively suppresses conservative content said it would make some changes to trending topics including no longer referring to a list of national news sources   like fox news the new york times and buzzfeed news   to boost topics appearing on its trending topics
these improvements and safeguards are designed not only to ensure that facebook remains a platform that is open and welcoming to all groups and individuals but also to restore any loss of trust in the trending topics feature colin stretch facebook general counsel said in a statement posted to the companys site
the move is the latest attempt by facebook to control political criticism after a report from gizmodo the technology news site which cited two former facebook news curators as saying some conservative news was not promoted on trending topics depending on the individual biases of staff members trending topics shows up as the list of the most talked about items of interest on facebook and appears in the top right corner of the desktop site for hundreds of millions of users
to counter the accusations especially from republicans who said they could no longer trust facebook as an impartial platform the company held a meeting with a group of conservatives at its menlo park calif headquarters and published its internal editorial guidelines
facebook has pushed back hard against the criticism on monday it said that it could find no evidence of any systemic suppression in the section and that conservative and liberal topics are approved as trending topics at virtually identical rates according to a blog post
the silicon valley company published results of the internal investigation and its changes in a letter to senator john thune republican of south dakota who had earlier demanded answers about how trending topics works
private companies are fully entitled to espouse their own views so i appreciate facebooks efforts to address allegations of bias raised in the media and my concern about a lack of transparency in its methodology for determining trending topics senator thune said in a statement
at least one conservative leaning publication was skeptical of facebooks findings stephen k bannon executive chairman of breitbart news which declined to attend the meeting at facebook last week with other conservatives called for more transparency from the company and said in an emailed statement on monday it comes as no surprise that facebook did an internal investigation and declared itself innocent we dont need more dissembling photo ops or happy talk
the new york times found no widespread examples of intentional bias on trending topics based on interviews with current and former facebook employees instead the companys trending topics team was characterized as having a problematic culture made up largely of contract journalists some of whom said there was a lack of oversight from and communication with management
still facebook on monday noted it could not rule out the isolated biased actions of any particular individual nor could it dismiss unintentional bias in its guidelines or policies to combat that the company will make some changes to how trending topics functions including eliminating the list of external media sites and rss feeds to judge which material should be shown as trending across facebook
we want people to feel confident that our community welcomes all viewpoints and we are committed to designing our products to give all people a voice and foster the free flow of ideas and culture mr stretch wrote


paris   it has been 10 years since hawk eye changed tennis for the better 10 years since jamea jackson made the first official challenge of a line call   albeit unsuccessful   during a singles match in miami
a traditionalist by instinct i was skeptical of the whole enterprise fearing that electronic line judging would remove some of the drama and human interest from the game nor did i like the new inequities with hawk eye installed only on the main show courts at the elite tournaments hoi polloi playing in the hinterlands would not get the same digital access
but i was wrong electronic line judging actually added entertainment value giving fans a rooting interest and quick resolution while giving players increased peace of mind in a head game of a sport that still has plenty of other ways to drive you crazy
as for the inequities they were worth the trade off and didnt indian wellss owner larry ellison a man with pockets deeper than the mariana trench even decide to have the system installed on all his tournaments courts
yet 10 years later when even low tech soccer has finally adopted some elements of replay there remains one grand slam holdout where line calls are still made the old fashioned way
at the french open as in all clay court tennis the umpires not the machines still have the last word they descend from their chairs   just as they did in the days of tennis trousers and under the table payments to amateurs   to settle points of contention by examining the marks in the clay with a player usually close by to discuss the evidence
archaeology my colleague alexander wolff once called it but it remains an inexact science chair umpires sometimes spot the wrong mark in the clay which according to the television analyst rob koenig happened at least twice at the tournament in rome this month
im a big proponent of them using hawk eye on clay koenig said monday its still very accurate and within a millimeter or two of the actual mark what it does help eradicate is the big miss from the umpire
some other players and former stars agree
i think you should just have hawk eye maybe not on all the courts but maybe on the main ones said nick kyrgios the combustible young australian who had some disagreements over marks in his first round victory over marco cecchinato at roland garros on sunday there has been a couple of calls in the last couple weeks that have been really close
ion tiriac the mustachioed romanian who owns the clay court event in madrid has lobbied unsuccessfully to use hawk eye in recent years but the french open has never seriously considered it just as the sport did not seriously consider it when it adopted electronic line calling on other surfaces in 2006
on clay its easy there is the mark and its easy to see if the ball is in or out jeremy botton the french opens new chief executive said in an interview on monday its also a point of difference which we like i dont see why wed change it
as reassuring as those marks in the clay appear they do not always tell the whole story that is because the mark depends not only on where the ball lands but also on the condition of the clay where it lands
if its dry and windy and blown away on top its going to leave a smaller mark than the actual landing of the ball said gayle david bradshaw the executive vice president for rules and competition at the atp and then if theres some extra clay the explosion makes the mark larger than what the actual contact of the ball was
that raises one of the more persuasive points in favor of the status quo using hawk eye on clay might be more accurate but it could make for plenty of awkward moments when the mark and the electronic ruling are not in accord
you get on a clay court where the marks vary due to the conditions and theres just a greater risk theres going to be discrepancies that can lead to discussion or doubt bradshaw said it kind of comes down to what is sellable the mark is sellable to the player what they see is what they believe
balls leave marks on hardcourts too but players put less stock in their reliability though hawk eye has cooled tempers on cushioned acrylic and grass it risks inflaming them on clay in some cases it is doing so already with television broadcasters using the system at the french open as an analytical tool for their coverage it has been installed on the two main courts philippe chatrier and suzanne lenglen
the players do not see the hawk eye reviews while on court at roland garros but they sometimes get a look at them eventually
i have seen pictures seen the hawk eye and its actually in kyrgios said
according to peter irwin hawk eyes director of tennis the system installed in paris is exactly the same system installed elsewhere though it is being used for second guessing on television irwin said that the system had not been optimized for official use and that it had never been officially tested on clay by the games governing bodies
one of the issues is the shifting clay court surface
one thing thats integral to our system is we measure the court but we also measure the undulations in the ground irwin said so when you play on clay obviously the ground is constantly changing so that would require a lot more work from our side we would constantly have to recalibrate the system if it were to be used for officiating
on a hardcourt we do it once at the start of the tournament because the surface doesnt change on grass we do calibrate constantly throughout but clay is just a lot more change
according to irwin it would take about 30 minutes of maintenance work after each match on court to put the system back in peak working order a delay that would be a problem with a busy grand slam order of play
the good news clay dust swirling through the air on a blustery day does not affect the systems accuracy according to irwin neither does rainfall which players often play through on clay or clay piling up on a line during a rally
unless someone builds a sand castle on court were good irwin said
but there are other stumbling blocks hawk eye costs upward of 40000 per court to install on clay there is also the risk of creating a two track challenge system unless you provide the system to every court otherwise on the outside courts players would still be challenging the traditional way
so do you allow the chair umpire to come down off his chair only two or three times bradshaw asked do you put the same hawk eye rules on challenge limits out there if you didnt the guys would want to be playing outside without limitations
as in archaeology the deeper you dig into the matter the more complexity seems to appear for now at least it seems best to leave the old ways and fresh marks undisturbed
then again i was wrong about hawk eye the first time


rio de janeiro   brazils interim president michel temer on monday suffered a major setback in his campaign to win over the country when a report of recordings surfaced suggesting that one of his ministers had plotted to head off the huge petrobras corruption investigation by pursuing the impeachment of president dilma rousseff
the minister romero juca an influential leader in the brazilian democratic movement party or pmdb though denying accusations of wrongdoing said he would step down on tuesday and return to the senate earlier in the day the brazilian newspaper folha de s paulo published excerpts from a recorded conversation between mr juca and a former business executive that indicated they were seeking to impede the sprawling investigation in which both were caught up
mr temer temporarily took over the presidency on may 12 after ms rousseff was suspended for up to 180 days following a vote by the countrys senate to start an impeachment trial against her
he replaced the entire cabinet seeking to win brazilians trust and also investors confidence that he could find a way out of the nations worst economic crisis in decades yet he named many ministers already ensnared in the corruption inquiries
the new accusations are likely to raise more questions over the motives behind the drive to impeach ms rousseff they could also increase scrutiny on other cabinet ministers who face their own legal troubles
according to folha de s paulo mr juca spoke to sergio machado the former president of transpetro a subsidiary of petrobras mr machado had left that position after being implicated in the petrobras scandal
the recordings from a conversation in march suggest that mr juca entered into an agreement with the goal of impeding and even possibly stopping the investigation there was also a suggestion that the impeachment might have been part of that plan
in one excerpt mr machado made reference to his desire for the departure of dilma
following that he said that mr temer would form a government of national unity make a major agreement protect lula and protect everyone this country would return to being calm lula is luiz inacio lula da silva ms rousseffs predecessor and mentor and a founder of her workers party
mr juca then responded i think there has to be a pact
mr da silva faces multiple accusations in the petrobras investigation although no longer the supremely popular figure that he once was he has long been able to cultivate relationships with members of congress on various sides and parties
in fact it was his decision while president to forge a governing alliance with the pmdb and eschew political reform that helped give them the power they amassed that would ultimately lead to ms rousseffs suspension


one of the countrys largest retail unions represents workers in department stores grocery stores and bakeries
now it has a new category sex shop workers
last week 25 employees of babeland an adult toy store with three locations in new york city voted to join the retail wholesale and department store union the group said on monday the move workers said would help them address a number of wage and training issues as well as some concerns related more specifically to the nature of adult retail work and to a handful of transgender employees
this is the only adult sex shop that is organized stuart appelbaum the president of the retail union said in an interview on monday and i think thats significant
the employees said there were many reasons why they had wanted to unionize more transparency around hiring promotion and disciplinary decisions and support for airing grievances and navigating workplace disputes
the vote for unionizing which took place on friday was 21 to 4 the union said
its a sign of how much we love this place said lena solow who said she had worked at babeland for three years we want it to be the best place it can be
babeland sells a variety of sex toys accessories and books and the workers proudly consider themselves sex educators but that also makes them a target for invasive questions and even harassment they said
people dont go into the gap and ask what shirt fits you best added phoenix casino who has worked at babeland for two years
the employees have advocated better training and support from management to deal with problematic customers they had pushed for caller id for example to help weed out the threatening phone calls workers said they received on a daily basis two of the three stores now have caller id babeland said
the store also said that it had developed a list of new trainings based on staff feedback that would focus on how to handle difficult customers
claire cavanah a co founder of babeland who opened the first store in seattle in 1993 said she was surprised to learn that the workers wanted to form a union
for a year we have been working on this very issue making babeland a better pace to work she said in march for example the company raised the starting minimum wage to 14 from 12 for new york city employees new yorks current minimum wage is 9
i guess it was a little bit too late for the staff ms cavanah said
the seattle location was not part of fridays vote
mx casino who identifies as transgender and uses the pronouns them and they instead of he or she and others said they also wanted management to address issues for employees who identified as transgender or otherwise gender nonconforming
when massima desire clocks in and out of her shift she cringes when she sees the name that pops up on the screen
while her co workers call her massima the company uses her legal name in its computer system she said getting babeland to respect her gender identity was just one of the reasons she voted to unionize
thats a question of dignity and thats what were going to be negotiating mr appelbaum the retail union president said
ms cavanah said that babeland called employees by the names and pronouns they identified with she said she was unaware of any issues with clocking in
in recent months transgender issues have taken center stage in a national debate over civil rights this month the obama administration released a letter forbidding public schools from forcing students to use bathrooms that did not match their gender identity the directive came during a heated debate in north carolina over a state law that restricts access to bathrooms locker rooms and changing rooms
more and more transgender folks are coming out on the job and coming out earlier and so that by necessity means theres more and more work to be done on these issues said hayden mora a former labor organizer and a managing partner at the parallax group a consulting firm with a specialty in transgender workplace issues many employers and many folks in management have not yet done the work thats crucial and necessary


a federal appeals court dealt a blow to the federal governments effort to hold bank of america accountable for the sale of shoddy mortgages before the financial crisis overturning a 127 billion penalty the bank had been ordered to pay in the so called hustle case
a three judge panel ruled on monday that federal prosecutors had failed to prove that bank of americas countrywide unit had defrauded fannie mae and freddie mac the government backed mortgage firms when it sold them troubled loans
the judges said that while countrywide employees may have sold loans in 2007 and 2008 that were not of the quality that was promised in the contracts with fannie and freddie there was no evidence that these sales   an element of a loan program at countrywide that was known informally as hustle   were part of a deliberate deception
the trial evidence fails to demonstrate the contemporaneous fraudulent intent necessary to prove a scheme to defraud judge richard c wesley wrote in a 31 page ruling
the ruling by the united states court of appeals for the second circuit is one of a few setbacks in the justice departments sprawling prosecution of wall street after the mortgage crisis it is also a disappointment for preet bharara the united states attorney for the southern district of new york who brought the prosecution against bank of america and called its practice of rubber stamping risky loans and selling them to fannie mae and freddie mac spectacularly brazen
the bad lending ultimately required a taxpayer financed bailout of the nations biggest banks including bank of america
in 2014 judge jed s rakoff of the federal district court in manhattan ordered the bank to pay a 127 billion penalty in the hustle case but that sum is a small fraction of the tens of billions of dollars the bank has paid in legal fees and settlements related to countrywide which bank of america bought in 2008 since 2010 bank of america has spent 37 billion on litigation expenses most of it related to the legal fallout from the financial crisis
the hustle case stood out because in addition to bank of america federal prosecutors had sought to hold rebecca mairone a former countrywide executive liable for the faulty loans
it also represented a departure for bank of america which settled most of its mortgage related charges before they went to trial but from the beginning the banks lawyers were betting they could win the hustle case
the second circuit understood this was a massive government overreach from the beginning said josh rosenkranz of the law firm orrick who represents ms mairone the message is that government should stop looking for fraud where it doesnt exist
the case was called hustle because the governments case involved a program at countrywide known as the high speed swim lane that the lender created to sell mortgages to fannie and freddie as the subprime mortgage market was imploding
during the trial in october 2013 federal prosecutors accused ms mairone of overseeing the high speed lane program that pushed through loans to unqualified buyers and ultimately failed causing more than 1 billion in losses the faster that employees originated loans the higher their bonuses according to testimony
the appeals court ruled that countrywides contracts with fannie and freddie may have including false statements but even intentional contract breaches did not constitute fraud on the part of the mortgage lender the ruling said
the ruling is also a vindication for ms mairone who worked at jpmorgan chase at the time of the trial and had to leave her job after the jury convicted her on one count of fraud her lawyer said
since then she has worked as a consultant the appeals court ruling means ms mairone does not have to pay the 1 million penalty that the district court had ordered
the governments case was based on a whistle blower complaint originally brought by edward odonnell a former countrywide executive
mr odonnell received 57 million from the government for his role in bringing the issues to light his lawyer said the appeals court ruling would not affect that payout which was tied more broadly to his work helping federal prosecutors reach a 1665 billion settlement with bank of america in august 2014


twelve years ago as a newlywed michelle nagler went shopping for an album for her wedding photographs now im buying craft things for my kids she said the other day as she worked her way through the same store lees art shop on west 57th street in manhattan
the craft items she bought   ribbon paint and rubber stamps   were deeply discounted because lees is closing some merchandise in the store was marked down 75 percent the clerks at the cash registers said the 120 year old building was being sold
isnt that the usual story that its always about real estate said ms nagler a publisher of childrens books at random house
but the story in this case is about something else lees a midtown fixture for more than six decades is at one end of a half mile between broadway and park avenue that is now being reshaped and redefined by supertall towers one at 157 west 57th street across the street from carnegie hall near seventh avenue sold so many of its condominiums to buyers with long strings of zeros on their net worth statements that people began referring to the block as billionaires row
another supertall tower is going up across the street from lees in the block between broadway and seventh avenue it will house a nordstrom department store new york citys first full line outpost of that chain another tower has sprouted at the corner of park avenue and yet another will soon rise on the site of a secondhand fur store next to the former home of steinway  sons near avenue of the americas
the new towers are remaking 57th street at ground level longtime fixtures of 57th street like steinway and the rizzoli bookshop have moved now there is talk in real estate circles of finding a single retail tenant for the lees building that would take a page from the ralph lauren flagship store on madison avenue at 72nd street
whats going on here is destroying new yorks sense of place particularly for an artist said kate simon a photographer who has lived around the corner and up the block from lees for 38 years what would truman capote write now breakfast at nordstroms
ive been watching them build all these huge buildings she said i think this is the last nail in the coffin of the neighborhood
the lees building at 220 west 57th street was originally a clubhouse for the american society of civil engineers whose members no doubt appreciated its delicate facade as they filed in and filled its 400 seat auditorium   until the building became a schraffts restaurant lees which had been across the street in a 500 square foot storefront leased the ground floor in the 1970s
the owners of lees bought the entire building in the 1990s and spent 8 million on renovations in 2001 and 2002 that increased the retail space to 40000 square feet from 7500 square feet the extra room was on three largely unused floors upstairs new escalators were brought in through a hole in the roof and installed at night that let the store stay open by day
in 2013   five years after the death of gilbert steinberg who had owned lees since the early 1950s and six years after the death of his wife ruth who was known as ricki and also had a hand in the store   the two children who had taken over signed a contract to sell the building for 65 million
that deal crumbled and in 2014 thor equities a longtime commercial landlord and general growth properties struck a new deal with the steinberg children the real deal website reported that the price was 85 million and that the closing was expected to take place next month lees which has no plans to reopen in some other location will continue its final sale until then although many of its shelves and display cases are already empty david steinberg the chief executive of lees did not return a call seeking comment
so artists will have to look elsewhere for supplies the art students league of new york across the street has its own store anyone whos mourning the loss of lees can come across the street and pick up what they need ken park a spokesman for the school said
but longtime customers like ms simon the photographer will be left without the help that they counted on from lees employees like hector alburez i have these silver gelatin prints and if one corner is dog eared the whole deal is off she said adding that mr alburez for years has packed them so that they were never damaged in shipping
he never talks about brad pitt and angelina jolie even though i would see them in a magazine at lees art supply she said i would say something to hector and he would never talk about it and hes somebody ive known for 38 years i dont want to overemphasize that particular star couple but theyre there all the time and tony bennett would be there all the time
other customers though said the demise of lees seemed almost inevitable
what in new york isnt different from what it used to be marty merkley asked checking discounted merchandise on friday what was quaint is chichi and what was chichi is astronomically expensive but thats progress whether we like it or not gentrification on any level is the lifeblood of any city


after years of frustration proponents of releasing 28 classified pages of a congressional inquiry into the sept 11 attacks were seeing real progress in their push for disclosure of findings that are said to show high level saudi arabian support for the hijackers
we seem to be coming to a point of decision as to whether to release it or not and in what form said bob graham the former democratic senator from florida who served as a co chairman of the 2002 inquiry and has made disclosure of the pages a personal cause since leaving congress
but last minute obstacles often by design have a way of cropping up in washington and slowing things down mr graham hopes he is not seeing an example of that he said after suggestions from james r clapper jr the director of national intelligence that congress will ultimately be left to decide what to do with the pages once intelligence officials finish a review as early as next month
that approach   first raised in a private meeting last week among mr clapper mr graham and lawmakers   took mr graham by surprise it threatens to add a new layer of complexity to a process that those backing the release thought was reaching its long sought end
no one has ever questioned that this is a decision that rests at the white house said mr graham who noted that congress had long ago moved to release the pages only to be stopped by president george w bush the idea of adding another elongated contentious step to the process is befuddling
mr graham said mr clapper had compared the approach to the handling of a senate report on cia torture of terror detainees that document was reviewed by the obama administration which redacted parts of it over security concerns and the senate ultimately released an executive summary but that was a messy process that took months of bitter fighting to resolve
if the decision on making the pages public is returned to congress it is not even clear what procedure would be used to make the documents public
would it take a vote by the house and senate would it be left up to the house and senate intelligence committees which first produced the report the current chairmen of those panels senator richard m burr of north carolina and representative devin nunes of california both republicans have expressed reluctance about doing so
i am just worried mr graham said in an interview we have been at this for 13 years now
a spokesman for mr clapper declined to discuss the meeting with mr graham
the possibility of a renewed role for congress was just one new wrinkle as the potential for releasing the pages loomed some in the intelligence community have raised concerns that some of the original findings proved unsubstantiated and that a release now might do more harm than good
mr graham said he expected skeptics to take that view
it is going to be in the eye of the beholder he said i think the person looking at this without preconception is going to find it very disconcerting what the saudis did
the developments on the potential release of the 28 pages come as congress is exerting other pressure on saudi arabia over the sept 11 attacks with the senate voting without objection this month to change foreign sovereign immunity laws to give families of those killed on sept 11 2001 the opportunity to hold saudi arabia accountable in federal court
backers of that legislation are increasingly optimistic that it can pass the house and be sent to president obama
senator john cornyn of texas the no 2 senate republican and a chief author of the legislation said he had kept his republican colleagues in the house apprised of the senate legislation his aides met last week with staff members of the house judiciary committee which would consider the bill and representatives of sept 11 families backing the measure met monday with house leadership aides
this is the right thing to do said representative peter t king a new york republican and an author of the house version of the immunity legislation
the white house has raised objections to the bill saying it could spur retaliation against the united states and hurt ties with an important ally but senator chuck schumer the new york democrat who helped write the legislation said he believed that any veto could be overridden
they will have their day in court and if they werent complicit so be it he said but if they are it outweighs diplomatic considerations
saudi officials have said for years that they support the release of the 28 pages but the immunity legislation is a different story saudi officials have said a loss of immunity could force them to remove hundreds of billions of dollars in investments from the united states a move that could have implications for the economies of both nations
the congressional willingness to challenge the saudis suggests a weakening of their political standing   a fact the saudis seem to recognize the saudi government prepared a glossy 110 page white paper now being circulated around washington to show its seriousness about fighting terrorism
it is in the kingdoms national interest to defeat terrorism and it is a national priority the document first reported on by politico begins the devastating may 2003 and may 2004 terrorist bombings in the kingdom galvanized the saudi people against terrorism
that galvanizing backers of the legislation easing immunity like to note came well after the sept 11 attacks in the united states


it was not even two years ago that louis van gaal was being hailed as a genius in the crucible of a world cup quarterfinal van gaal then coaching the netherlands substituted his starting goalkeeper in the final minutes of extra time and then   with a grin on his face   watched the backup make two critical saves in the subsequent penalty kick shootout as his team advanced to a semifinal against argentina
never shy   van gaal once declared congratulations on signing the best coach in the world after he was hired by the dutch club ajax   he reveled in the global acclaim he received in brazil showing his playful side and his ego in a series of entertaining interviews it was expected that van gaals magic that summer would follow him to his next job as coach of manchester united
it did not van gaal was fired on monday two days after winning his only trophy with the club and one year short of completing the three year deal he signed before the 2014 world cup van gaal who was the first manchester united coach who was not british or irish will reportedly be replaced by another confident manager from the continent jose mourinho the portuguese tactician who once nicknamed himself the special one
van gaal of course was supposed to be special too he had won titles with ajax barcelona and bayern munich in previous stops and in that summer of 2014 he was seen as the stabilizer the veteran presence who would bring an end to the tumult that followed alex fergusons departure from united in 2013 david moyes who had replaced ferguson but was dumped even before the end of his first season as coach was a blip van gaal was held up as the rock
but soccer like all sports is a funny thing permanence is unattainable and so it was for van gaal whose early bravado about how it would take just three months for uniteds players to adapt to his presumably advanced tactics looks misguided if not silly on the far side of his tenure the results never materialized and van gaal could not even fall back on the coachs trope that his team was unlucky united scored only 49 goals during this premier league season or one more than sunderland which finished fourth from last and was nearly relegated
worse still van gaals united was unattractive and unimaginative for a club as rich as this one   in both its trophy history and its balance sheet   the product was unacceptable
if van gaal was surprised by the prospect of his ouster he might have been the only one speculation about mourinhos replacing him had been reported for months and heated up considerably in the hours before saturdays fa cup final win over crystal palace that put van gaal in the unenviable position of arriving at his own postmatch news conference trophy in tow only to be confronted with questions about his successor
united has not handled this entire process especially well but few clubs do now the club is doing its damage control on monday two newspapers in england published nearly identical accounts of how van gaal failed at united describing in similar detail his rigidity and intensity perhaps even bordering on mania over analysis including remarkable specifics about how van gaal insisted on using email tracking apps so he could be sure his players opened his postmatch emails detailing the areas of their play that he felt needed improvement
according to other reports the locker room under van gaal was toxic his tactics were limiting his players were so frustrated as to border on mutiny and his determination to be in control reached so far as to demand that players never hit a shot in the penalty area without taking another touch to settle the ball first in short he was being presented on his way out   by those at the club who once had acclaimed him as a wizard   as little more than a micromanaging bully
if nothing else van gaals humbled exit might   might   serve as a check for mourinho if he gets the job it is possible that his own experience being run out of chelsea this season would humble him but with mourinho it is impossible to know will he be a bit softer a bit more measured with pep guardiola arriving across town to take charge of manchester city next season it is difficult to imagine anything less than the brash brutal mourinho of years past
will it work uniteds fans for the second time in three years are hoping a new coaching star will be the one for them even if mourinhos tactics have not always been the most visually appealing still he is generally and regularly a winner and the post ferguson era at manchester united has not featured much of that from that standpoint mourinho may be a good choice
but there are no guarantees twenty two months ago van gaal was praised as a visionary a savant there were encomiums in the global press and memes featuring van gaals face on rio de janeiros famous christ the redeemer statue
on monday the twitter account for ryanair the budget airline used van gaals face on a picture advertising 15 flights
the text on the ad
time for a quick exit


the nine correction officers who are on trial in the july 2012 beating of an inmate at rikers island new york citys main jail complex will not be telling their side of the story in court
lawyers for all nine defendants unexpectedly rested their case on monday without calling a single witness or presenting any evidence in state supreme court in the bronx one after another the defense lawyers informed justice steven barrett and the jurors of their decision shortly after prosecutors concluded their case after weeks of testimony from more than a dozen witnesses including the former inmate who was beaten jahmal lightfoot
in response justice barrett told the jurors weve taken a long journey together and the journey is coming to an end for better or worse
the case has drawn public scrutiny at a time when persistent violence at rikers island has received intensifying criticism and prompted calls by gov andrew m cuomo a democrat and others to shut it down
prosecutors argued that mr lightfoot 31 was unarmed and did nothing to provoke a beating by members of an elite correction squad in a small cell they said the beating was ordered by eliseo perez jr an assistant chief for security and gerald vaughn a correction captain after mr perez decided that the prisoner thought he was tough three other officers have been accused of helping to cover up the beating
mr lightfoot sustained fractures of both his eye sockets and testified in court that he suffered for months afterward he said his eyes would hurt and his vision would become blurry when he tried to read and he would get headaches and spit up blood he was released from state prison in 2014
the nine officers have been charged with various crimes including attempted gang assault
defense lawyers have scrutinized and in some cases neutralized the prosecutions witnesses which have included doctors investigators and a dna expert
even the prosecutions last witness dr eric cerrati who examined mr lightfoot after the episode testified that while his injuries were consistent with being kicked by the guards as mr lightfoot claimed they could have also been caused by officers punching him in the face after he brandished a weapon as the defense has claimed
the defense lawyers have said that mr lightfoot was injured while being restrained by the officers after he was found with a weapon during a search and disregarded their orders to drop it
they have also sought to undermine the former inmates credibility by emphasizing his criminal history and by suggesting that mr lightfoot who is unemployed hopes to benefit financially with a pending lawsuit against the city mr lightfoot was jailed at rikers in 2010 after snatching a womans pocketbook he has acknowledged in court that he had been a part of the bloods gang and had been arrested for possession of marijuana and crack cocaine among other minor offenses
on monday the defense lawyers initially informed justice barrett that they would be calling witnesses including some of the officers but after a short break to discuss the case among themselves the lawyers seemed to reverse course and returned to say they were resting their case
the lawyers declined to explain their decision afterward citing an order not to discuss case that was imposed by justice barrett at the start of the trial
daniel c richman a professor at columbia law school and a former federal prosecutor said defendants and their lawyers frequently choose not to present a case as a strategic move often because the defendants have criminal histories or because it could open doors to other areas the prosecution could question
there are always some risks defendants bear by putting on a case mr richman said by not putting on a case they can avoid those risks and make a clean argument about how the prosecution failed to meet its burden
mr perez retired in 2013 and mr vaughn in 2014 the seven other correction officers on trial   tobias parker jose parra alfred rivera david rodriguez jeffrey richard harmon frierson and dwayne maynard   were suspended in june 2013 but recently returned to work on modified duty with no contact with inmates


workers arrived at maspeth federal savings bank on monday only to discover that several dozen safe deposit boxes were missing
they did not have to look far to find them
when the police arrived at the bank branch in rego park queens they found the boxes piled on the roof next to a wide hole through which it appeared thieves had broken into the vault over the weekend
the full extent of the theft remained unclear the vault held not only safe deposit boxes but also tellers cash the bank said in a statement on monday evening the branch is expected to remain closed for several days the statement said and the bank will keep our customers informed as to whether or not their safe deposit boxes were affected by the burglary
outside the bank on woodhaven boulevard caution tape roped the front doors as customers arrived to see if their belongings had been taken dozens of pilfered boxes had been left piled on the roof according to the police next to a makeshift plywood scaffold that appeared to have been constructed over the hole
theres a lot of memories inside the box said nicola maurello who arrived on monday afternoon to check if his familys jewelry collection was still intact but the bank was closed to all but investigators and law enforcement and mr maurello left without any answers
gunther duy who owns the mobil gas station and gunral service center next door to the bank said he wished he had noticed unusual activity before the theft
for a small community bank and for a community its devastating mr duy said
mr duy said he watched from his filling station all monday afternoon as customers found out what had happened
they were crying on the side of the building he said
the police may have had some warning john greco who owns the house behind maspeth federal savings bank said he called them on saturday to report suspicious findings in his backyard a hole in the fence an aluminum ladder painted flat black a black box on the roof of the bank
he made the call at 411 pm mr greco said the desk sergeant said he would get back to him mr greco said and he did
he says i guess you own a ladder quote mr greco recounted monday evening
the police said they could not comment on whether they received a call
the police have not yet made any arrests and the investigation is continuing
the audacious crime echoes an april robbery of a bank in borough park brooklyn where nearly 300000 was stolen from an hsbc vault via the roof no arrests were made in that robbery detectives will look into whether the two are linked the police said
some safe deposit boxes which are rented by a customer from a bank come with content insurance while others require users to buy insurance
tunneling into vaults or dropping into them through the ceiling is not just the stuff of hollywood heists
last year in bensonhurst brooklyn thieves dug through a hole in a closed restaurant next door to a bank and made off with valuables the same year in bayside queens another break in was carried out through a banks back wall
and in 2010 thieves entered the safe deposit vault at a bank in gravesend brooklyn but for some reason according to news reports at the time they appeared not to have stolen anything of value


donald j trump met privately on monday with woody johnson the new york jets owner and a top republican fund raiser as the presumptive nominee looks to secure the support of some of the partys largest financial backers in order to raise hundreds of millions of dollars for his general election effort
mr trump confirmed the meeting in a brief interview with the times
woodys a great guy mr trump said woody will support me hes a terrific guy hes been a friend of mine a long time
mr johnson supported jeb bush during the republican primary a decision he made early in 2015 at a time when many people were still uncertain whether mr trump was mounting a serious campaign an aide to mr johnson declined to comment on the meeting
the move came as mr trump begins to build a fund raising operation in order to raise roughly 1 billion through a joint fund raising agreement among his campaign the republican national committee and 11 state parties
mr trump and mr johnson were social friends for years before the 2016 campaign mr johnson was among the people who approached mr trump about supporting mitt romney in the 2012 presidential campaign the new york developer said
but during the lead up to this years new hampshire primary mr trump repeatedly pointed to mr johnson as an example of the type of donor whose special interest money he was not interested in
first of all i actually feel that i could run the same kind of campaign that i ran before mr trump said when asked about the old remarks he spent comparatively little money in the primaries which he lent his campaign or raised in smaller contributions as people like mr bush burned through tens of millions of dollars but were raising money for the republicans for the rnc for congress and the senate
mr trump is set to hold a fund raiser at the home of his friend thomas barrack in california on wednesday night and he has been trying to woo other major donors even as some of the partys large bundlers say they will sit on the sidelines
joe craft a kentucky coal magnate and his wife kelly knight met with mr trump last week for an introductory session


former president jimmy carter who has long put religion and racial reconciliation at the center of his life is on a mission to heal a racial divide among baptists and help the country soothe rifts that he believes are getting worse
in an interview on monday mr carter spoke of a resurgence of open racism saying i dont feel good except for one thing i think the country has been reawakened the last two or three years to the fact that we havent resolved the race issue adequately
he said that republican animosity toward president obama had a heavy racial overtone and that donald j trumps surprisingly successful campaign for president had tapped a waiting reservoir there of inherent racism
mr carter conducted telephone interviews to call attention to a summit meeting he plans to hold in atlanta this fall to bring together white black hispanic and asian baptists to work on issues of race and social inequality mr carter began the effort called the new baptist covenant in 2007 but it has taken root in only a few cities the initiative is expanding to enlist baptist congregations across the country to unite across racial lines
mr carter 91 began treatment last year for cancer that had started in his liver and spread to his brain he announced in december that doctors had found him free of cancer but that he was still receiving treatments for metastatic melanoma on monday he said he was feeling well
mr carter a democrat who was the 39th president grew up on a farm in plains ga where many of his friends were the black children of neighboring farmhands he was raised a southern baptist and was the first united states president to call himself a born again christian bringing national attention to the evangelical movement
mr carter said the election of mr obama was a hopeful sign but he added i think theres a heavy reaction among some of the racially conscious republicans against an african american being president
he said recent reports showing high unemployment and incarceration rates among black people combined with the white police attacks on innocent blacks had reawakened the country to the realization that racism was not resolved in the 1960s and 70s
he said mr trump had violated basic human rights when he referred to mexican immigrants as criminals and called for a ban on muslims entering the country
when you single out any particular group of people for secondary citizenship status thats a violation of basic human rights said mr carter who won the nobel peace prize in 2002 for his work with the carter center in promoting human rights and democracy in many countries
asked why polls showed high support among evangelical christians for mr trumps candidacy mr carter said the use of the word evangelical is a misnomer i consider myself an evangelical as well and obviously what most of the news reporters thought were evangelicals are conservative republicans
they have a heavy orientation to right wing political philosophy and he obviously is a proponent of that concept mr carter said referring to mr trump
he pointed out that the evangelicals in the southern baptist convention had aligned themselves with the republican party and organized the moral majority a conservative christian political group only in the late 1970s while he was president mr carter announced that he was leaving the southern baptist convention in 2000 after the denomination solidified its turn to the right and declared that it would not accept women as pastors
mr carter founded the new baptist covenant by reaching out to black and white baptist associations many of which had split many years ago over slavery nearly 15000 people from 30 baptist associations attended the founding meeting in 2008
hannah mcmahan the executive director of the new baptist covenant said the group had been in a pilot phase for the last two years she said black and white churches had formed partnerships called covenants in dallas macon ga st louis birmingham ala and atlanta
but the process is painstaking ms mcmahan said adding what this has given me an appreciation for is how deep the divides are and that this kind of work will not happen overnight
the work is especially challenging in this climate said the rev raphael g warnock the senior pastor of ebenezer baptist church in atlanta the church where the rev martin luther king jr was once a pastor ebenezer baptist is participating in the new baptist covenant
this is a dark moment in our national conversation pastor warnock said those of us who understand that we are better together had better raise our voices because there are others who are trafficking in theater in paranoia and they ply the trade of fear as part of their political craft
however he said im much more fired up than discouraged because the ugliness of the rhetoric were seeing in this election cycle really just brings into sharp focus the ugly underbelly of bigotry that has always been there


the family of tony gwynn a baseball hall of famer who died of salivary gland cancer in 2014 filed a wrongful death lawsuit monday against the tobacco industry charging that gwynn had been manipulated into the addiction to smokeless tobacco that ultimately killed him
the suit was filed in superior court in san diego against altria group inc the tobacco giant formerly known as philip morris and several other defendants who are accused of inducing gwynn to begin using smokeless tobacco or dip at san diego state university which he attended from 1977 to 1981 and where he later coached after a 20 year career with the san diego padres
for 31 years   1977 to 2008   gwynn used one and a half to two cans of smokeless tobacco usually skoal per day it was the equivalent the suit says of four to five packs of cigarettes every day for 31 years gwynn would dip skoal immediately upon waking up the suit said and sometimes fall asleep with the product in his right lip and cheek area
there are no damages specified in the complaint which asks for a jury trial on grounds of negligence fraud and product liability essentially the complaint says that gwynn while in college was the victim of a scheme to get him a rising star athlete addicted to smokeless tobacco while knowing the dangers it posed to him the suit says that the industry was undergoing a determined effort at the time to market its products to african americans and that gwynn was a marketing dream come true for the defendants
now that the family understands how he was targeted they understand that the industry knew they had this highly carcinogenic product and they were marketing it to people like tony said david s casey the lead lawyer for the plaintiffs they want to hold them accountable and let a jury make a decision as to what is proper in this case
gwynns son tony gwynn jr a former major league outfielder is named as a plaintiff along with the younger gwynns mother alicia gwynn and his sister anisha gwynn jones gwynn jr said his father who was 54 when he died did not smoke or drink and did not know how addictive or harmful smokeless tobacco would be when he first started dipping
the tobacco companies were using his addiction to turn him into their ultimate walking billboard gwynn jr said he never knew it but they were using him to promote their dip to the next generation of kids and fans who idolized him
altrias media relations department had no immediate comment when reached by telephone about the lawsuit
the use of smokeless tobacco is deeply embedded in the fabric of the game but there is growing awareness of its danger and a public health campaign in some cities to stop its use
san francisco los angeles and boston passed bills last season that ban the use of smokeless tobacco at ballparks   including use by players   and new york city passed similar legislation this year
richard a daynard a law professor at northeastern university who specializes in tobacco liability litigation but is not involved in the case said gwynns family quite likely had a very strong case because the tobacco companies knew of the health risks at the time gwynn began using the product he added that gwynns status as not just a star but also a person extremely well regarded by teammates opponents fans and the news media could make him sympathetic to a jury
typically what tobacco companies do is blame the victim said daynard who leads the tobacco products liability project at northeasterns law school this is someone of very strong character beloved   only good things about him theyre not going to be able to play that game
benjamin chaffee an assistant professor at the university of california san francisco school of dentistry was an author of a study last year that found that 15 percent of male high school students in the united states used smokeless tobacco and that high school athletes used at an even higher rate he said athletes who dipped implicitly endorsed the products
if you look at the marketing that smokeless tobacco companies have been doing for decades there was absolutely tying in with baseball products   caps other gear equipment or promotional items chaffee said it was a very intentional action to intertwine smokeless tobacco as part of the baseball culture   really an intentional infiltration of the values of the sport with a product that was known to be deadly and continues to be deadly today
gwynns lawsuit culls details from millions of documents made public in the tobacco master settlement agreement in 1998 it describes the graduation pleasure process designed to lure users to addiction often with free samples which gwynn received regularly at san diego state
the suit says the defendants intentionally misled the public about the health risks of smokeless tobacco a campaign chaffee said was still effective today even with warning labels
young people look at smokeless tobacco relative to cigarettes and they may say well this isnt as bad as smoking   and sometimes that comes out as not as bad as smoking must be harm free and thats absolutely not true chaffee said less harmful is not harmless theres a perception that the risks are somewhat distant in the future and that young people feel theyll be able to quit before those health risks come to take their toll and before you know it people begin using a product that is very addictive and very difficult to quit
the suit provides details of an athletic titan who was hopelessly addicted to dip despite efforts to quit he was frequently photographed with a pinch of tobacco in his cheek his 1985 and 1989 topps baseball cards are used in the official complaint to illustrate the plaintiffs argument
in 1991 gwynn developed swelling on the right side of his neck for a tumor that was found to be benign the next year he developed a lesion on his lower right lip fifteen years later when his right neck swelled again gwynn needed surgery to remove an abscess he soon reduced his dipping to one can per week but needed prescription drugs to manage the resulting anxiety cravings depression and insomnia
gwynn was found in 2010 to have cancer in his right parotid salivary gland the duct from that gland the suit says led directly to the spot where he placed his dip for so many years he died in poway calif on june 16 2014   too soon to meet his grandson and namesake anthony keith gwynn iii who was born last summer
people stop me in the grocery store all the time and the first thing they ask me is if its ok if they tell me a story about my father gwynn jr said i always say yes because those type of things help you grieve they really do they help you get through the day
gwynn said his father was proud to be a role model and would be relieved to know that his death could be a catalyst for helping to eradicate dipping
he wouldnt want to see another person have to get sick and die because of what the tobacco companies did gwynn jr said and in order to make that happen these companies have to be held accountable


later this week president obama plans to visit a memorial in hiroshima japan that displays a large photograph of the citys destruction seven decades ago the striking image is typically identified as a mushroom cloud but nuclear experts say it actually shows billowing smoke from a raging firestorm
this is not a mushroom cloud said richard l garwin a noted bomb designer and longtime adviser to washington on nuclear arms
kevin roark a spokesman at the los alamos weapons laboratory in new mexico which made the hiroshima bomb known as little boy said the image showed a smoke plume from the fires that followed
military experts say the cloud and its dark shadow can be seen as a kind of sundial that suggests when an american plane took the photograph john coster mullen an expert on the hiroshima bomb put the time as just before noon   more than three hours after the strike on the morning of aug 6 1945
the towering plume he said in an email is most definitely not the original mushroom cloud which had long since dissipated
mr roark said the cloud if it were nuclear in nature would be larger than the one resulting from the most powerful bomb the united states ever detonated which was a thousand times stronger than little boy
this is the most famous image of the hiroshima mushroom cloud which was taken minutes after the enola gay a b 29 bomber dropped the bomb that changed history the photographer was the planes tail gunner bob caron a native of brooklyn the photograph he took shows the area near the ground beginning to boil with dark smoke
i saw fires springing up mr caron once recalled pretty soon it was hard to see anything because of the smoke
hiroshima was a tinderbox survivors said paper wood and blackout curtains burst into flames the firestorm raged over miles
after the war the united states conducted more than 200 tests of nuclear devices in the atmosphere and carefully photographed their mushroom clouds one of the most powerful was code named ivy mike pictured here
the effects of nuclear weapons a federal guide said the mushroom clouds typically reached their maximum heights in about 10 minutes and could linger for about an hour or more before being dispersed by the winds
the first thing a visitor sees at the hiroshima peace memorial museum is a large blowup of the towering cloud it stretches floor to ceiling period lettering in its lower right hand corner identifies the scene as hiroshima atomic strike otherwise the image speaks for itself a grim prelude to the museums tour of destruction
the museum distributes the image to news agencies that give the photographs original source as the united states army which in 1945 ran the air force recently the associated press called the image a mushroom cloud as did a caption for the ap photograph accompanying an article in the new york times about mr obamas impending visit
so too the making of the atomic bomb a 1986 book that received a pulitzer described the image as the mushroom cloud over hiroshima
mr coster mullen author of atom bombs and in his youth a photographer for the daily news in beloit wis called the recurring misidentification a case of simple confusion
its dramatic he said of the photograph people compare it to the wimpy little mushroom cloud and say lets show this one its really big


shuffle along or the making of the musical sensation of 1921 and all that followed recently made a disappointing announcement because audra mcdonald this broadway musicals biggest star is pregnant she will soon leave the cast but tucked inside that bulletin was some potentially compensatory news savion glover the shows tony nominated choreographer will step in
the trouble is that its not at all obvious where the shows director and writer george c wolfe can put this virtuoso hoofer shuffle along has no role for a star dancer
 ben brantley calls shuffle along one of the seasons essential tickets 
thats one way it differs from mr wolfes 1992 musical jellys last jam which starred the tap master gregory hines with a plum part for the young mr glover and mr wolfes 1996 production bring in da noise bring in da funk which starred mr glover whose choreography won a tony that year more important in those shows tap   customarily used as broadway shorthand for high spirits and razzmatazz   also expressed anger and pain most innovatively it served as metaphor expressing the productions ideas about african american history with greater eloquence subtlety and direct appeal than their sometimes tendentious scripts the teaming up of mr wolfe and mr glover for the first time in 20 years raised the prospect that this dropped line of development might be picked up again
the show does have stars who dance an abundance of them its making of story requires four male leads the composers lyricists and comedians who created the original shuffle along one of the first black musicals on broadway one distinct charm of the current production is how the highly talented actor singers who play those roles strut a little stiffly or manage a nifty soft shoe as they deliver the old songs and to see that ms mcdonald whose singing and acting have long been established as extraordinary can also tap   with style not faking her rhythms secure even when exposed   is a pleasure like a needlessly extravagant gift
none of these fine performers though are great dancers much less in the hall of fame ranks of mr glover and mr hines who died in 2003 this is one way that the new shuffle along is true to the original the cast of 1921 included a couple of tap specialists who played uncle tom and old black joe bit parts not reprised in the current production but the leads and the secondary players who became stars like florence mills were comics and singers who could dance some
the new shuffle along argues that one of the ways the original changed broadway forever is that the chorus girls in contrast to the promenading showgirls of white revues really danced throwing around their hips and feet in jazz rhythm this holds water reviews of the first shuffle along   and of the many black musicals and revues that flooded broadway in the wake of its success   habitually remarked upon the superiority of black chorus dancers the verve and abandon of their fast and furious dancing made white versions look tame
this is one argument that the current shuffle along makes by showing rather than just asserting its chorus is as bursting with pep as the 1921 version was said to be its momentum is persuasive and at the end of the first act when opening night is recreated and the talent keeps crashing forward in wave after wave   the chorus girls the chorus boys the barbershop quartet the principals   you can imagine the impact of the original and what made it cross over
it isnt the original of course mr wolfe chose not to use any of the old script a convention ridden comedy that even critics of 1921 complained about mr glover didnt have a choice the 1921 choreography is as forgotten as its choreographer lawrence deas mr glovers choreography like the musical arrangements isnt punctilious about period style it samples freely from all that followed all that mr glover inherited from older performers but as a vision of 1921 for 2016 it works
what it doesnt do though is extend the choreographic development of jellys last jam and bring in da noise mr glovers choreography for shuffle along is less ambitious and more derivative in one number ms mcdonalds character jazzes up a waltz by directing a chorus boy to tap some swinging rhythms for her its ok but it pales in comparison with what mr hines did in the very similar thats how you jazz number in jellys
in the second act when the creative team has split into two rival shows mr glover stages an ensemble challenge dance it gets the idea across but its not much more than a shouting match and its nowhere near the fusion of virtuosity and significance conveyed in the challenge dance between mr glover and mr hines in jellys a duet for a man and his younger self
in the shows best dance number the chorus becomes the train on which they ride from town to town in a slogging series of one night appearances as their feet tap propulsive train rhythms their bodies convey cramped discomfort the determination and the arduous journey but even this number ends before it can arrive anywhere new and unlike mr glovers train solo in bring in da noise it lacks poignancy the sense of a black man leaving his southern home for who knows what in the north
the emotional range of the dancing in shuffle along is also narrower theres a lot of angry tap especially in the weaker second act in an absurdly premised number about how george gershwin stole four notes from the composer william grant still who played in the original shuffle along orchestra the dancer playing still taps an angry solo its an idea that would work only as metaphor   standing for everything that white artists did steal from black ones   yet the dancing is too constricted to make the metaphor resonate with mr glover playing that tiny part it would certainly have more power but probably too much
there isnt a natural place for mr glover in the shuffle along he has choreographed theres no dance equivalent of the tour de force emotional breakdown solos sung by ms mcdonald and billy porter and that absence speaks to what the dancing in shuffle along doesnt do
jellys and bring in da noise had second act problems too but the choreography had an understory that almost achieved through implication what the exposition missed in the reviews of the new shuffle along there has been an apparently similar but actually distinct idea that even if the script has problems the dancing carries the day critics said the same in 1921 its easy to understand where the compliment comes from the pleasure provided by good dancing makes its own argument but inside that praise is a kind of condescension   not to black artists but to dance on broadway and what it can be there was reason to hope for more from mr wolfe and mr glover


hamilton brought a boost the lion king provided ballast and broadway once again broke a record the theater season that just ended attracted more people and more money than any before
broadway seems to be defying the cultural odds an ancient art form in the digital age it is strengthening thanks to an ever increasing influx of tourists and a resurgent enthusiasm for musical theater
the season that ended on sunday included 13317980 visitors to broadway shows   a record number up 16 percent over the previous season according to figures released on monday by the broadway league theaters grossed 1373 billion also a record up 06 percent over the previous season although the grosses are not adjusted for inflation
once again simba ruled supreme the lion king still mighty more than 18 years after it opened grossed 1027 million on broadway last season far outpacing any other show the musical which has multiple productions running simultaneously around the globe has grossed more than 62 billion worldwide and has been seen by 85 million people over its history according to disney by contrast 478605 people have seen the broadway production of hamilton thus far
hamilton featuring a onetime simba christopher jackson in the role of george washington offered an enormous jolt of energy to the broadway season this hip hop musical about americas founding fathers has dominated the cultural conversation raked in awards and been celebrated at the white house many broadway leaders believe the show has helped the industry as a whole bringing attention from corners of the culture that have long preferred to mock jazz hands and dream ballets
case in point jeremy st louis a 44 year old sports anchor for the station bein in miami who had never been to broadway before seeing hamilton last week
i detest musicals but i was in town on business and had the opportunity to get some tickets and heard its such a great play that i couldnt miss it he said on monday now were planning to go back to new york later this year and were going to try to get tickets to the lion king and maybe something else
hamilton is doing unusually well financially   it is the only new musical that is consistently among the top five highest grossing shows and it now has the highest average ticket price on broadway but because hamilton began performances seven weeks into the season and is in a midsize 1321 seats theater it was only the fifth highest grossing show bringing in 74 million behind not only the lion king but also wicked aladdin and the book of mormon
among plays the curious incident of the dog in the night time was by far the highest grosser pulling in 329 million curious incident which last year won the tony award for best new play is a rarity for modern broadway   a long running play   and is planning to close labor day weekend after 823 performances
two poorly reviewed star vehicles were the next highest grossing plays china doll with al pacino 126 million and misery with bruce willis 125 million plays without stars did much less well of the 1373 billion grossed on broadway last season 13 percent went to plays
i continue to be really worried about the plays said victoria bailey executive director of theater development fund the organization that runs the tkts booths when people are going to the theater either as a tourist or for a celebratory event they tend to go to musicals and so i think its even harder for plays to make a go of it in the short run were holding even but what is five years from now going to look like
charlotte st martin the president of the broadway league attributed the industrys continued growth to tourism about 67 percent of the broadway audience comes from beyond new york city and its suburbs and to the mix of offerings during a season of unusually diverse programming
tourism has grown in new york for six years in a row   this year there are expected to be 597 million visitors to the city according to fred dixon the president of nyc  company the citys official tourism agency although broadways growth rate this past season was lower than it had been the previous season ms st martin said she was pleased
we have more million dollar a week shows and more shows with strong attendance than we used to she said weve become a much bigger part of pop culture with glee and smash and live television shows like the sound of music and the wiz and more people are aware that broadway isnt just something for the 1 percenter
nonetheless there are reasons for concern for the first time since the broadway league began releasing records the average ticket price actually declined albeit only slightly to 10311 from 10418 that might be good news for consumers many of whom complain about the high cost of tickets to shows at the 40 large theaters in and around times square that make up broadway but it is worrisome for producers whose costs for mounting and marketing shows seem to grow ever larger
there are other indicators that the industrys success is enjoyed by a relative few including long running hits short lived holdovers from the previous season and new shows there were 72 productions on broadway last season   41 musicals 28 plays two magic shows and one dance spectacle about half of all the grosses were earned by just 10 of those productions and as is true every season a vast majority of new productions flopped
the broadway economy is mirroring the us economy with the rich getting richer and the poor struggling said ken davenport a producer who produced a deaf west theater revival of spring awakening on broadway last season the air is being sucked out of the room by big hits and people are no longer seeking to discover new things but are going to monster brands that they know and are comfortable with
mitchell ross 22 from blairsville pa had just graduated from college when he visited new york last week he had seen many of the big sights on previous trips so he decided for the first time to see a broadway show and chose one that he knew from the movies les miserables
when you hear broadway you expect a good quality show but it really was phenomenal   so much talent in acting and singing he said the next time im back id like to see more fiddler on the roof and phantom of the opera are on my list
broadway is bracing for a tough season ahead the quadrennial confluence of the summer olympics and the presidential election is often bad news for theaters because hard as it is to believe some people prioritize politics or sports over theatergoing
also unlike this season when the much anticipated hamilton seemed to be a guaranteed hit even before it opened next season does not yet have anything quite so surefire
a revival of hello dolly starring bette midler and david hyde pierce seems to be the most likely hit but it isnt opening until the final days of the new season the spongebob musical has the potential to be big given the popularity of the animated series on which it is based but that show still needs to prove itself to audiences in chicago before booking a transfer


durham nc   the music that ended the first night of moogfest 2016 here late thursday was patient and slowly evolving an ambient blend of billowing sustained tones   floating in and out of dissonance   with the natural sounds of birds and insects that was layered together onstage for nearly eight hours by the composer robert rich there were passages that sounded like distant choirs and gentle patters of percussion there were slow washes of harmonic tension and resolution there was also another natural sound audience members snoring
it was one of mr richs rare sleep concerts his first in the united states since 2003 played for about 75 listeners   or hearers   most of whom snoozed on mattresses set up on the floor of a hotel ballroom we dreamed woke up fitfully to new expanses of music perhaps glanced at what mr rich was doing onstage and drifted off again as the electronics tapered away for a final fade out of birdcalls and the window shades opened to let in fridays daylight i was wondering how the music had affected the dreams and thinking that the music had been experimenting on us
thats the kind of speculation that moogfest encouraged amid performances by musicians from all eras of electronic music djs pop bands rappers electronic music graybeards makers of celestial consonances and makers of implacable noise instruments and interfaces not genres or demographics are at the core of the festival which is now presented and programmed by the synthesizer company moog music at moogfest the old opposition of human versus machine is replaced by a continuing inquiry what can humans and machines accomplish together
were covering festivals differently this year heres why
emmy parker of moog music one of the festivals creative directors said the event explores the relationship between the engineer and the artist as she introduced a keynote speech by the virtual reality pioneer jaron lanier he had written a symphony for moogfest he started his speech by comparing the khene an ancient laotian mouth organ with 16 reed pipes to a 16 bit digital instrument
among moogfests headliners were gary numan who added extra muscle sinew and strobes to his stark synthesizer driven songs from the late 1970s gza the wu tang clan rapper who drew shout alongs for his 1990s rhymes laurie anderson telling stories about storytelling blood orange whose leader devonte hynes showed fancy footwork and an encyclopedic grasp of rb and grimes the peppy and subversive electronics loving songwriter who reverse engineered top 10 pop on her 2015 album art angels
on friday night grimes took scream a song from that album featuring a rap in chinese by the taiwanese rapper aristophanes and did her own rap in russian instead throughout the festival visitors could step into a tent and press on panels of stretchy fabric to change the mix of grimess realiti playing in surround sound
moogfest has come and gone and returned since 2004 when it was a one night club event in new york city its previous edition held in 2014 in asheville nc where moog has its factory lost 15 million but sponsorships helped to revive moogfest in durham this years festival had some difficulty adjusting to its new home at times crowds exceeded capacities and long lines stretched outside the carolina theater a vintage movie palace and motorco music hall a club still moogfest 2017 has already been announced for may 18 21 in durham
this years moogfest had been largely booked when the north carolina legislature passed into law hb2 the so called bathroom bill that requires people to use restrooms that correspond to their gender at birth and overrules local anti discrimination ordinances hb2 has led to boycotts of the state and cancellations of north carolina concerts by bruce springsteen and pearl jam
moogfest made its opposition to the law clear one of the keynote speakers was dr martine rothblatt the chief executive of united therapeutics and the author of virtually human who is transgender in her speech she envisioned a future of transplant organs grown from patients stem cells and declared it is not someones anatomies that rule but their consciousnesses their identities their soul store windows displayed fliers opposing the bill and moogs pop up factory at the festival where employees were assembling and calibrating synthesizers amid a swarming crowd prominently positioned a larger than life photo of wendy formerly walter carlos who recorded switched on bach with an early moog
moog music has been a major part of the resurgence of modular synthesis a return to analog methods after an era of all too neat digital sounds modular synthesizers are assemblies of modules   sound generators and sound shapers   that can act on one another in unpredictable ways making unruly sounds a widely used standard called eurorack allows modules to interconnect encouraging many small companies to manufacture their own modules more than a dozen outfits shared a modular marketplace at moogfest demonstrating their capabilities in a thicket of patch cords some synthesizer tinkerers go even further akin to steampunk style antenes demonstrated a synthesizer she had built around old telephone switchboard equipment which also had patch cord connectors
the lineup also included synthesizer pioneers like morton subotnick whose set moved from barely audible chirps to volcanic devastation and a gradual climb out from the rubble and suzanne ciani who sent dulcet and percussive sequences swirling around a quadraphonic sound system tyondai braxton formerly of battles summoned some of the abstract sounds of early electronic music then kicked them into motion with dance beats
at an opposite extreme   quiet hazy haunted   was grouper the solo project of the oregon based songwriter liz harris she performed in shadows gently strumming a guitar and singing whispery ballads blurred by reverb but her video images utterly recast the songs they were a rush of oncoming amorphous shapes like headlights in a heavy rain while an enginelike hum played between songs as if she were being spirited away to some scary place
on saturday afternoon the first presbyterian church became a temple of resonances   electronically with julianna barwick who looped her voice into a celestial choir and acoustically with daniel bachmans trio playing homemade instruments hurdy gurdy like cylinders holding eight strings that all played the same note building up overtones in a lingering drone as they were cranked faster a louder almost seismic drone with ritualistic vocals that at one point suggested tibetan throat singing was deployed by the glacially slow metal band sunn o as audience members were offered earplugs
a three part noise blast shook down some plaster in the carolina theater deep subwoofer dread and grim threnodies by ben frost looming apocalyptic rumbles and hollows from tim hecker and then the more up tempo but equally assaultive oneohtrix point never kode9 used crisp digital tones and a video tour of a sterile architectural model a notel to open up dystopian hollows in dance music
jlin a dj producer associated with chicago footwork played hurtling skittering tracks that werent always tied to dance musics typical 44 time silver apples which was a duo in the late 1960s and is now just its vocalist simeon used an imposing asymmetrical construction of oscillators and effects pedals to generate nervy repetitive insistent and ultimately unstoppable tracks that now sound like precursors to bands like suicide and can
one of moogfests staples is a four hour digital sound installation each afternoon featuring musicians who usually play more conventional concerts greg fox the drummer for liturgy and other strenuous projects drummed as various synthesizer players joined him onstage generating noises and drones early in the afternoon he was a human turbine walloping fast and precise patterns during the final hour he was holding down slower tempos and then paused to sip some water and speak to the audience drumming for four hours is hard he noted
by day at moogfest there were also tech minded presentations involving new gizmos and thoughts about the future   some dire some optimistic and there were master classes with performers and producers like daniel lanois u2 bob dylan emmylou harris he answered questions about recording techniques in minute detail citing brand names and model numbers but he also insisted on perspective tools dont make music he reminded the audience amid the technical minutiae people make music with tools
established 2004 in new york city it was reconfigured as a multiday festival in 2010 in asheville nc and relocated this year to durham
what it is part music festival part science fair part futurology symposium a celebration of knobs switches patch cords and waveforms a branding opportunity for moog music that welcomes competitors
attendance about 10000 people each day for four days as well as performers instrument makers tech visionaries and bright eyed volunteers
number of events about 100 musical acts along with speeches and panels about the future of creativity demonstrations of newly invented instruments durational sound installations exhibitions of vintage synthesizers visual arts and virtual reality projects master classes and all sorts of synthesizers to play and play with
landscape multiple locations in durham all within a mile of downtown a former movie palace armory church clubs
typical festivalgoer unashamed instrument geek male anywhere from 20s to 60s knows what a voltage controlled oscillator is wearing a t shirt that was either a statement about gender politics or a picture of a vintage synthesizer the kind of concertgoer who lingers after a set to photograph the equipment
moog employees working in a pop up factory amid the swarm of visitors ideos play sound synthesizer generating boops and bell tones set off by kids and adults knocking around beach balls suspended overhead
bernie worrell of parliament funkadelic playing brief spur of the moment minimoog solos for a few dozen people in the pop up factory bending notes and tones through familiar p funk basslines and stray thoughts it was like watching picasso doodling electronic musicians have proven that the beautiful harmonies of acoustics are no less natural to the human soul when rendered synthetically and technologically


when the nfl agreed in 2012 to donate tens of millions of dollars to concussion research overseen by the national institutes of health it was widely seen as a positive turning point in footballs long history of playing down the long term effects of brain injuries on players at the time the league said that it would have no influence over how the money was used
but the league and its head neck and spine committee worked to improperly influence the government research trying to steer the study toward a doctor with ties to the league according to a study conducted by a congressional committee and released on monday
our investigation has shown that while the nfl had been publicly proclaiming its role as funder and accelerator of important research it was privately attempting to influence that research the study concluded the nfl attempted to use its unrestricted gift as leverage to steer funding away from one of its critics
the nfl in a statement said it rejected the accusations laid out in the study which was conducted by democratic members of the house committee on energy and commerce there is no dispute that there were concerns raised about both the nature of the study in question and possible conflicts of interest the league said these concerns were raised for review and consideration through the appropriate channels
it is the latest in a long history of instances in which the nfl has been found to mismanage concussion research dating to the leagues first exploration of the crisis when it used deeply flawed data to produce a series of studies
in this case some of the characters are the same including dr elliot pellman who led the leagues concussion committee for years before he was discredited for his questionable credentials and his role as a longtime denier of the effects of concussions on players
others are more recent members of the leagues concussion committee like dr richard ellenbogen co chairman of the leagues committee on brain injuries according to the congressional study he bid on the research grant and then directly lobbied the national institutes of health to discredit the work of dr robert stern the boston university neuropsychologist to whom it was awarded
in the end the nih did not receive the 16 million from the nfl that it expected for dr sterns research the study found and representative frank pallone jr of new jersey who oversaw the study accused the nfl of trying to influence research that it promised to support without interference
the nfls troublesome interactions with the nih fit a longstanding pattern of attempts to influence scientific understanding of degenerative diseases and sports related head trauma mr pallone said in a statement the nfl must recognize the importance of this ongoing impartial research and live up to its funding commitments to nih
results of the study were first reported by espn it also criticized the foundation for the national institutes of health or fnih a nonprofit intermediary between the nih and its private and public donors for not adequately buffering the relationship between the nih and the nfl
the 91 page study said that the nfl had funded the first four research projects by the nih but that it made an issue over a proposed fifth the nih recommended a study to characterize chronic traumatic encephalopathy or cte in high risk adults over the course of three to five years cte a degenerative brain disease is caused by repeated blows to the head for now it can only be diagnosed posthumously and has been discovered in roughly 100 deceased former nfl players
a year ago the nihs national institute of neurological disorders and stroke concluded a peer review grant process and recommended that dr sterns proposal be chosen the research was expected to cost 175 million with 163 million of it funded by the nfl
dr stern a professor of neurology and neurosurgery is director of clinical research for boston universitys cte center a leader in the budding research of the disease it was the work conducted at boston university along with a few others that propelled the issue of concussions into the national consciousness over the past decade
the nfl long had an uneasy relationship with boston university as the league denied the effects of concussions for years even as evidence and public pressure grew without admitting wrongdoing it settled a class action suit brought by former players for about 1 billion this year at a congressional hearing jeff miller the nfls senior vice president for health and safety admitted to a link between football and brain diseases like cte
the study released monday said the nfl tried to pressure the nih into steering the grant away from dr stern
there are many of us who have significant concerns re bu and their ability to be unbiased and collaborative dr pellman who spent 13 years as chairman of the nfls mild traumatic brain injury committee from 1994 to 2007 wrote in an email to maria freire president and executive director of the fnih
dr pellman said several others with ties to the nfl were concerned by the choice too among them he wrote were dr ellenbogen and betsy nabel the nfls chief medical officer they and others also took part in a conference call with nih officials and some followed up with calls and emails to discredit the stern proposal
the nih moved forward with dr sterns proposal the national institute of neurological disorders and stroke reaffirmed in a september meeting that dr stern had no conflict of interest and that his proposal received the highest score in the grant application review
but over the next several months mr miller of the nfl and ms freire of the fnih debated the leagues commitment to funding the research the league ultimately said it would provide 2 million for the first year of the study the nih declined the offer and said it would rather use its own money and reserve the 16 million for future research
the congressional study blamed the fnih for failing to effectively fulfill its role by allowing league officials to directly lobby with the nih and not holding the league to its financial commitment
a series of misunderstandings and disputes might have been avoided had fnih reminded the nfl of its obligation to fund the study under the original agreement years before the study concluded
the study by democratic members of the house committee on energy and commerce began in december after reports that the nfl was backing out of its promises to fund concussion research objectively


more than 14000 known asteroids zip through earths neighborhood they will all miss earth in the coming decades
but hundreds of thousands more have not yet been discovered and whether any of those are on course to slam into our planet no one knows so finding and tracking all the asteroids that could cross earths path would allow officials to issue warnings and potentially provide time to deflect dangerous ones
the community of scientists contemplating such doomsday possibilities is small and usually cordial   at least until nathan p myhrvold barged in once the chief technologist at microsoft dr myhrvold moved on to other endeavors like a six volume 2438 page compendium of cooking knowledge that has been celebrated by chefs a sequel about baking is in the works
he has also become a statistics scold of scientists
his latest target is nasa in a squabble over data from the wide field infrared survey explorer spacecraft
wise launched in 2009 snapped images of three quarters of a billion stars galaxies and other celestial objects including the heat emissions of asteroids
an offshoot called neowise used the heat data to calculate the size and reflectivity of 158000 asteroids
dr myhrvold contends that the neowise analysis is deeply flawed the bad news is its all basically wrong he said unfortunately for a lot of it its never going to be as accurate as they had hoped
he submitted his own analysis of the neowise results to the journal icarus
dr myhrvold isnt arguing that nasa has overlooked dangers from the known asteroids but he does question whether scientists know as much as they think they do
he has also zeroed in on a proposed space based telescope with a price tag of more than half a billion dollars the near earth object camera or neocam a project headed by some of the same scientists whose work he is second guessing
most of the millions of asteroids are found between the orbits of mars and jupiter but some dip closer to the sun there is no doubt that some will hit earth someday
the bigger the asteroid the greater the potential cataclysm the reflectivity of the surface   what astronomers call albedo   tells how easily it can be detected
from the practical perspective of finding asteroids dr myhrvold said its really important that we know the distribution of diameters and the distribution of albedos
according to nasas scientists the estimates of asteroid diameters made by neowise are often within 10 percent of the actual size but dr myhrvold says the uncertainties are much greater more than 100 percent in many cases
space agency officials disagree hes a very smart man said lindley johnson who oversees nasas efforts to protect the planet from space rocks but that doesnt make him an expert in everything
dr johnson said nasa experts had pointed out errors and that dr myhrvold had not fixed them its overly simplistic and he makes some assumptions that are not valid dr johnson said
other scientists say that dr myhrvolds criticisms have merit
i do think hes performed a really very useful service said alan w harris a senior research scientist at the space science institute to do the error analysis more carefully and alert people that you shouldnt just take some of the data out of the wise table and just assume theyre gospel
but even if dr myhrvold is correct dr harris said the neowise data has good enough validity to be useful for most purposes
dr myhrvold is not an astronomer he had never done research on asteroids
he is often vilified as a patent troll because intellectual ventures the company he founded after leaving microsoft in 1999 acquires patents and extracts licensing fees from other companies
during his paleontological endeavors   another hobby   he challenged research by a florida state university professor gregory m erickson about the growth rates of dinosaurs in a 2013 paper dr myhrvold described the perceived statistical wrongs and stopped just short of accusing dr erickson of manipulating the data
corrections have been appended to several of dr ericksons papers including two in nature dr erickson and his colleagues maintain that the mistakes did not alter their conclusions florida state cleared dr erickson of wrongdoing after an inquiry
having somebody like nathan having a different perspective and different background coming in and looking at it with fresh eyes i think theres nothing wrong with that said kristina curry rogers a vertebrate paleontologist at macalester college in minnesota who was an author on dr ericksons nature papers it makes us all think
dr myhrvold was drawn into asteroids research when the b612 foundation a nonprofit organization that advocates planetary defense efforts asked him to contribute money for sentinel a privately financed 450 million asteroid finding spacecraft
what they didnt know is that i had been interested in killer asteroids for a long time dr myhrvold said after all an asteroid slamming into earth is believed to have brought the age of dinosaurs to an end 66 million years ago
but dr myhrvold learned of several other efforts including nasas neocam which would cost about 500 million plus the rocket to launch it and the large synoptic survey telescope a ground based observatory already under construction in chile
each group offered computer simulations of how many unseen asteroids would be spotted making different assumptions
in a paper published in march in the publications of the astronomical society of the pacific dr myhrvold took a simpler approach to provide an apples to apples comparison he looked at the volume of space that each telescope could observe then calculated what fraction of unseen asteroids would pass through that space
i thought it all looked quite reasonable said steven r chesley a senior research scientist at nasas jet propulsion laboratory in pasadena calif nathan definitely brings a fresh approach
dr myhrvold concluded that the ground based telescope in chile a 665 million collaboration of the united states department of energy the national science foundation and other organizations could find up to 90 percent of near earth asteroids if it spent more time looking low in the sky closer to the earths horizon
zeljko ivezic the telescopes project scientist said the trade off would be a two year postponement in completing its survey of the rest of the cosmos and an additional cost of 100 million and telescope officials have asked nasa whether it would help pay for that
ultimately dr myhrvold who became wealthy from his microsoft days decided not to donate money to b612
he has also not given any money to the large synoptic survey telescope which has received some private financing from bill gates his former microsoft boss
in writing the paper published in march dr myhrvold talked with people working on the different projects including amy mainzer the principal investigator for neocam and neowise
dr myhrvold said that dr mainzer argued that a ground based telescope could not detect asteroids within earths orbit because they would be too close to the horizon
that seemed strange to dr myhrvold because even amateurs can easily spot celestial objects far inside earths orbit like venus 26 million miles closer to the sun than earth
dr myhrvold said dr mainzer responded that large telescopes were not designed to point that close to the ground but the one in chile is he noted
i was happy he pointed out there was a misconception that lsst could not see within the earth orbit said dr ivezic a professor at the university of washington
dr chesley of nasa is coordinating a more detailed analysis of the telescopes asteroid finding prowess with preliminary findings expected in late summer
in recent presentations nasa officials have portrayed neocam more as a complement than a competitor its a team sport dr johnson said there isnt any one system that is going to provide us all the data we need
nasa declined to make dr mainzer available for an interview responding to written questions she said the neowise team stood behind the findings and that the results had been validated by independent observations and other researchers
it struck dr myhrvold that the albedo calculations of the neocam team violated a basic tenet of physics known as kirchhoffs law of thermal radiation which says shinier objects radiate less heat
a simple demonstration of that dr myhrvold said is the shiny chrome cooking surface of a restaurant hibachi grill a dark grill surface would bathe diners in uncomfortable waves of heat the neocam models failed to take into account the effects of reflected sunlight he said
he then took a closer look at neowise too one aspect dr myhrvold found curious was that in more than 100 instances the neowise team reported asteroid diameters that matched exactly what had previously been determined by other methods like radar measurements and spacecraft flybys i think its a pretty strong smoking gun that something is wrong he said
for her part dr mainzer said the asteroids with exact measurement matches were used for calibration and thus the values were set to those that had been previously observed
the asteroid community while small includes two unrelated scientists named alan william harris the dr harris at the space science institute who is 71 is known as al the elder while al the younger 64 is a german aerospace center scientist who developed the computer model used by the neowise scientists
the younger dr harris agrees that dr myhrvold has raised a valid point about kirchhoffs law and that a closer look at the neowise analysis would be fruitful earlier satellites looked at longer wavelengths where reflected sunlight was less of a problem
still he disapproves of dr myhrvolds scolding tone theres very much a schoolteacher attitude about it he said
dr myhrvold insists he has no vendetta against the neowise scientists but he added i dont think its unduly mean of me to point out their data is irreproducible
kirchhoffs law could again come into play with neocam which would make observations at fairly short infrared wavelengths neocam is one of five lower cost missions under consideration and nasa is to approve one or two of them in september aiming for launch in the 2020s
dr mainzer deferred answering some follow up questions saying those issues would be best addressed by the referees reviewing dr myhrvolds paper we believe at this point its best to allow the process of peer review   the foundation of the scientific process   to move forward she wrote


on tuesday americas two foremost ballet companies playing at adjacent theaters at lincoln center are reviving two of the worlds finest full length ballet love stories american ballet theater is dancing frederick ashtons la fille mal gardee and new york city ballet is performing george balanchines a midsummer nights dream these masterpieces were made in the early 1960s by the two superlative creators of 20th century ballet both born in 1904 here by way of introduction are two youtube clips that show their contrasting ways of depicting love
the story for la fille mal gardee 1960 goes back to pre christian comedy the heroines mother wants her daughter to marry the wrong man but cannot prevail against the evident rightness of young love a comedy the mother widow simone is played by a man set in the farming countryside it shows the rural community that knows and celebrates the lovers
lise the heroine and her beloved colas have no fewer than five love scenes each showing differently their mutual devotion the final one is part of their wedding here though is their first scene
its charm lies in the way it shows these children growing up they dance with ribbons a leitmotif throughout the ballet at first they merely play at being horse and driver the ribbons are harness reins and whip but ashton shows you the moment 126 to 129 when they put away childish things
colas who has had the ribbon in his mouth like the horses bit stops turns around and stands suddenly locked in lises eyes and the dynamics and tempo change melting in lyrical tenderness its often played smilingly as here by marianela nunez and carlos acosta a wonderful fille partnership but ive also seen it played with doting seriousness   at one 1977 performance galina samsova and desmond kelly this was the first moment in the performing arts that flooded my eyes with tears i had seen the tragic emotion of romeo and juliet and swan lake without crying and i already knew fille but the heartfelt simplicity of this lovers gaze melted me
a note in ferdinand herolds score says love is upon them absolutely their ribbon games turn into poetry in one of the most beloved moments in ballet they make a cats cradle together   a childs game but one that now expresses all the intricacy of their love
balanchines a midsummer nights dream 1962 has three pairs of human lovers hermia and lysander helena and demetrius hippolyta and theseus and one married pair of fairy monarchs titania and oberon the plot of act i shows the confusions between them one pas de deux is for titania with bottom the weaver when he is transformed into an ass
but it is in act ii that balanchine demonstrates the ideal of romantic love two anonymous dancers at the wedding divertissement dance to mendelssohns string symphony no 9 the music is high sweet and tender the dance seems timeless and suspended the opposite of the pyramus and thisbe amateur dramatic show that shakespeare provides at this stage in the drama it floats above the ballets plot like the moon
the pas de deux is about the chivalry whereby a man showcases a woman and joins her in perfect harmony this exquisite performance   the clip shows the beginning middle and end of the duet spliced together almost seamlessly   is by the city ballet principals tiler peck and jared angle at last years vail international dance festival in colorado
though there are jumps balances and lifts there are no highlights the choreographys greatest beauty lies in the silken legato flow that threads together a wide range of steps the most miraculous passage is the ending 126 to 154 a long arc in which the dancers seem to move in slow motion beyond gravity mr angle lets ms peck fall one way in his arms next raises her so that she opens up into a soft arabesque 144 and then gently tips her so that she falls back the other way turns to face him and subsides in a crescent he supports her with his right hand and frames her with his left ms peck dances it on tuesday and friday at city ballet with mr angles brother tyler jared angle dances it on saturday evening with abi stafford
in these two great works   as often elsewhere   ashton and balanchine show why for many people the male female pas de deux is where ballet reaches its most moving ballet has never surpassed these peaks


tunis   the leader of tunisias main islamic political party was re elected on monday winning endorsement for his effort to move the party away from its islamist roots and stay in tune with the countrys five year old democratic revolution
the leader rachid ghannouchi a renowned islamic thinker who spent 22 years in exile during tunisias dictatorship had tears in his eyes monday as he embraced his rival in the party vote which he won with 800 of the 1058 ballots cast
the vote a culmination of a three day party congress here in tunis was a victory for mr ghannouchi 74 and an important turning point for his party ennahda as it seeks to separate the partys religious and political activities
one of the most important changes we came to was the independence of the political mission and the political party from social and cultural activities mr ghannouchi told reporters we were not able to achieve this cause before because of a lack of clarity
he said the party had matured and the countrys new constitution   guaranteeing freedom of religion and calling for a separation of politics from civil society   had made a change in the partys direction possible
the ennahda millstone works slowly he said in arabic it makes the cereals smooth very smooth after it grinds the corn
inspired by egypts muslim brotherhood the party was founded as the islamic tendency movement in 1981 and later renamed ennahda or renaissance thousands of its members were imprisoned or exiled under tunisias authoritarian presidents habib bourguiba and zine el abidine ben ali
mr ghannouchi returned to tunisia from britain in the weeks after the popular uprising that ousted mr ben ali in 2011 and led ennahda to victory in 2012 in tunisias first democratic elections
after that victory the party struggled to govern tunisia in the tumultuous period following the revolution as secular opposition to the islamists grew they were seen by some to condone a surge of salafist vigilantism in tunisia and popular confidence in the partys leadership waned amid economic difficulties and rising terrorism
mr ghannouchi reached an agreement in 2013 with the leading secularist politician beji caid essebsi for ennahda to cede power to a caretaker government before new elections
the agreement helped usher in a new constitution
though ennahda was beaten in elections in 2014 by mr essebsis party nidaa tounes mr ghannouchi was widely credited with having secured his party a permanent position in tunisian politics
mr essebsi went on to win the presidency in december 2014 and he has remained a close ally of mr ghannouchi who has never held any public office
the president attended the opening rally of ennahdas party congress in tunis standing beside mr ghannouchi and urging thousands of ennahda supporters to participate in building a sovereign modern society
islam is never in contradiction with democracy he said to widespread applause
ennahda remains a critical element in the political stability of the country and has emerged once again with the most seats in parliament after a breakup this year of the secular nidaa tounes party
mr ghannouchi has repeatedly called on his followers to put national stability and security ahead of party interests but now ennahda is evidently looking ahead to municipal elections scheduled for may 2017
party members overwhelmingly expressed their support for the motion to separate political affairs of the party from religious and cultural activities albeit with the understanding that islam remains the partys ideological foundation
before we were afraid for our identity mohammad krad a party member from the island of djerba said as he left the rally last friday now we have a constitution that says we are arab and muslim so we do not need restate it in our politics
more than 1000 representatives gathered saturday for two days of vigorous debate at the congress in the beach resort town of hammamet
the decision to separate ennahdas religious cultural and social mission from the partys political activities had been in the works for a year and a half and passed with more than 80 percent of the party vote said rafik abdessalem ennahdas head of external relations and mr ghannouchis son in law
the topic of greatest debate   and the closest vote   was over whether the partys executive council should be elected by the congress or appointed by mr ghannouchi and confirmed by the congress mr ghannouchi eventually won that vote too


according to a new estimate there are about one trillion species of microbes on earth and 99999 percent of them have yet to be discovered
as recently as 1998 the number of microbial species was thought to be a few million at most   little more than the number of insect species but estimates have been growing ever since now kenneth j locey and jay t lennon biologists at indiana university have used two techniques to conclude that the number of microbial species is larger than any previous researchers have imagined
the first method extrapolates from the available data for microbes based not on individual organisms but on samples of dna
so if we say a million we mean a million pieces of dna that we think belong to different organisms and among them represent different species dr locey said
the second approach was to use a well known model of biodiversity as a basis for making predictions if you know the number of individuals you can predict the most abundant species dr locey said
so we used those two inputs   the number of individuals over all and the number of individuals belonging to the most abundant species   to estimate the total number of species
the two methods provided numbers that matched earth contains 1011 to 1012 species of microbes
we think our approach was rigorous in that we used a theoretical prediction and a statistical estimate he said we ended up with intersecting predictions based on different methods
finding the number of species has broader implications dr locey said how many species could have actually evolved in four billion years what are the upper constraints of evolution on earth how many species have evolved how many could have evolved
as far as i know no one has approached those questions were very far away from discovering whats really out there


near the end of his life william s burroughs was recorded reading some of the most shocking sections of naked lunch his 1959 fever dream of a novel which follows the descent of a drug addict into the underworld for a release that paired the passages with experimental music
the world may not yet have been ready for such an experience
the project got buried and put out of print very quickly said the producer hal willner a longtime burroughs associate who helped record that abridged audiobook which was released by warner bros and pops up now and again on ebay
but more than 20 years later those surreal recordings   which featured music from the guitarist and composer bill frisell along with the pianist wayne horvitz and the violist eyvind kang   are getting a second life as an album with an assist from the independent musician king khan best known for his raucous live shows as an eccentric punk and soul frontman billed as psychedelic spoken word let me hang you khannibalismernest jenning record co will be released on july 15 via king khans new label with updated ambient accompaniment for the author
the album finds burroughs who died at 83 in 1997 doing the unspeakable portions of naked lunch   think sex drugs and defecation   in pop song length chunks across 13 tracks using a variety of amusing voices and a lot of foul language the focus was sections of the novel that we found very funny in an outrageous way mr willner 60 said
some see him as this true avant gardist and not at all a comedian he added of burroughs but its accessible as well as being avant garde and sophisticated
the producer revived the recordings that became let me hang you   which the albums liner notes describe as being abandoned and collecting dust on a musty shelf as forgotten as a piece of rancid ectoplasm on a peep show floor   recently with mr khan in mind as the composer who could finish the job
mr khan who was born arish ahmad khan to indian parents in montreal and is now based in berlin said he had first discovered naked lunch as a teenager around the time his father became addicted to cocaine reading naked lunch gave me a completely different view into addiction that made me sympathize with my fathers situation and helped me cope he said it made a mutation in my mind and left an ooze in my brain that i still go to for inspiration even 30 years later
after the 2013 death of lou reed whose collaborations with mr willner and artistic support of mr khan brought them all together the remaining pair found some solace in collaborating on what mr khan called the dissident art of burroughs who broke all these boundaries of sexuality and narrative paving the way for the birth of punk
with contributions from the australian garage punk band frowning clouds and the vocalist and composer m lamar mr khan added to the work of mr frisell in an attempt to heighten the unsettling mood of burroughss narration i was making a lot of strange music so it was perfect timing he said
the writing in naked lunch is really heavy and perverse at a time when society needs to be reminded that you can explore these nether regions of life and bring back something really beautiful mr khan said
on top of that he added its hilarious


detroit   eager to move on from the democratic primary race hillary clinton has turned down an invitation to debate senator bernie sanders ahead of californias primary her campaign said on monday
the announcement came hours after mrs clinton unleashed a biting critique of donald j trump while addressing a union convention mocking his business record and offering a glimpse at how she might confront him in the general election
mr sanderss campaign last week tentatively accepted an invitation by fox news to participate in a debate before californias june 7 primary and expressed hope that mrs clinton would agree to face off against the senator
in a statement issued monday evening a spokeswoman for mrs clintons campaign jennifer palmieri said mrs clintons team would contest california while turning our attention to the threat a donald trump presidency poses
we believe that hillary clintons time is best spent campaigning and meeting directly with voters across california and preparing for a general election campaign that will ensure the white house remains in democratic hands ms palmieri said
mr sanders said in a statement that he was disappointed but not surprised by mrs clintons unwillingness to debate before the largest and most important primary in the presidential nominating process he added i hope secretary clinton reconsiders her unfortunate decision to back away from her commitment to debate
earlier on monday mrs clinton left no confusion about where she was focusing her attention
speaking at a convention here for the influential service employees international union which endorsed her in november mrs clinton asserted that a lot of republicans themselves say donald trump is a disaster waiting to happen to america
she broached the subject of his business record suggesting his supposed acumen was less than met the eye
he could bankrupt america like hes bankrupted his companies mrs clinton said i mean ask yourself how can anybody lose money running a casino really
the union has spent millions underwriting the fight for 15 campaign to raise the minimum wage on that subject mrs clinton brought up mr trumps comment during a debate in november about wages being too high   though he has recently said otherwise   and his suggestion that the federal minimum wage should be eliminated
mrs clinton has not supported a 15 hourly federal minimum wage but when pressed about it in the last democratic debate she said she would sign a bill raising it to that amount if she were president
taking on mr trump on monday she warned that what little we know of his economic policies consisted of piling up debt leading the country into trade wars and letting wall street run amok with potentially devastating consequences
and she criticized his hard line approach to immigration including his desire to deport those who are in the country illegally
what kind of country would we be if we let donald trump rip our families apart she asked
mrs clinton gave her address in michigan one of the rust belt states that mr trump hopes to move into the republican column in the november election he won the states republican primary in march after highlighting his staunch opposition to trade deals mr sanders who also criticized trade deals defeated mrs clinton in the democratic primary there
during her address mrs clinton took a moment to give credit to mr sanders
i applaud senator sanders and his supporters for challenging us she said she listed money in politics and income inequality key issues for mr sanders as two areas she intended to address
mrs clinton has a virtually insurmountable delegate lead over mr sanders and last week she said there was no way she would not be the democratic partys nominee
but mr sanders defeated her this month in indiana west virginia and oregon contests that highlighted her vulnerabilities among white working class voters
now even without a debate mrs clinton and mr sanders are headed to a battle in california mr sanders is in the midst of a string of campaign events there and mrs clinton is planning several stops in the state this week
at a rally in east los angeles on monday mr sanders pointedly criticized both mrs clinton and mr trump by attacking their ties to wealthy political donors
mr sanders also called mr trump hysterically funny adding that the businessman might be lying about his net worth
trump is a multibillionaire   or so he tells us he said we dont know what is true or not because you know he lies every day so probably hes broke


as congress and the obama administration argue over funds for fighting the zika virus private donations   in cash condoms and mosquito repellent for example   are helping fill the gap in puerto rico
officials there say they are losing precious time and the donations have helped residents although the amounts are tiny compared with the need
during the ebola epidemic the cdc foundation   a charity created to support the work of the centers for disease control and prevention   raised 55 million including 38 million from foundations controlled by mark zuckerberg chief executive of facebook and paul allen a founder of microsoft
the foundation has received only 17 million in cash toward efforts to stem the zika epidemic it has also received tax deductible donations of goods whose value it does not release
last week dr johnny rullan a former health secretary of puerto rico now acting as the governors adviser for the epidemic complained that he had not seen a single public service announcement about the zika virus on television radio or in print even though the island reported its first case of local transmission in late december
like other public health officials he said im getting up at 630 to go on the radio because its free media thats not enough you need paid media and i havent seen a cent spent on that because puerto rico is broke
the bill  melinda gates foundation last week donated 15 million toward risk communication half of it through the cdc foundation and half through the pan american health organization
dr rullan said he was very grateful for this timely response
other private donations are filling the zika kits that the puerto rico health department gives pregnant women
s c johnson donated 60000 cans of off insect repellent spectrum brands contributed repel the 3m company gave ultrathon and crc industries gave its house brand
the summit chemical company donated mosquito dunks which dissolve in standing water releasing bacteria that kill mosquito larvae
the rb company gave 225000 durex condoms and church  dwight donated 150000 trojans walgreens which has 120 stores in puerto rico donated space for cdc education materials and lowered prices on condoms and repellent
although the islands official count of diagnosed cases is only in the hundreds dr rullan said he believed the real caseload was closer to 80000 half of those infected are men he said and there had been too little public discussion of the dangers of sexual transmission so he hoped the money would go for that
while waiting for congress to act on zika funding the cdc said it had redirected 85 million from other budget items to states and united states territories mostly to build up laboratories fight mosquitoes increase surveillance and protect the blood supply


in the back of an ambulance the other day an anxious father to be rattled off his wifes medical history in cantonese as she went into labor it took the two emergency medical technicians onboard both fluent in chinese just seconds to act and they pulled the ambulance over to the side of the franklin d roosevelt drive in manhattan after learning that the couples first child had been born quickly
in less than two minutes they delivered a howling baby boy
the fact that i can speak their language was a tremendous help said jason lau 26 one of the medical technicians who helped deliver the baby
the dramatic birth was a first for a new service started by a private ambulance company in brooklyn that provides chinese language emergency medical care to new york citys growing population of chinese immigrants the companys three amubulances with chinese speaking health care workers have already responded to calls beyond brooklyn   including chinatown in manhattan and flushing queens
the service was started last month by alonzo rapisarda 42 who lives in the bay ridge neighborhood of brooklyn and traces his familys roots to a great grandfather who immigrated to the united states from italy during the three generations of rapisardas who have run the family business midwood ambulance the south brooklyn area has changed from historically jewish and italian to largely chinese
bensonhurst one of its main service areas is now home to one of the citys largest concentration of chinese residents from 2000 to 2013 the number of foreign born chinese in the borough increased by nearly 50 percent to 128000 from 86000 according to the census
unlike city run ambulances which respond to 911 emergency calls private ambulance companies have their own direct phone numbers and will among other services transport ill patients from their doctors offices to hospitals or take women in labor to hospitals
the city is home to a small network of private ambulance companies that cater to certain neighborhoods including a few that serve non english speakers such as chevra hatzalah whose workers speak hebrew and assist ambulance which focuses on russian speaking patients ambulances operated by the city as well as private companies do have access to telephone based translation services but people facing medical issues often find it easier and more comforting to speak to emergency responders in their native language according to doctors and emergency medical provider
over the years mr rapisardas regular crews   107 ambulances in all   found that they were frequently unable to speak with their patients
if you cant communicate with your paramedic you could leave out something or the paramedic could misunderstand something mr rapisarda said
he said patients sometimes confused chest pain for indigestion particularly older people his workers he feared might miss something if youre not fully able to understand them or them you
several years ago he started hiring chinese speaking dispatchers paramedics and emergency medical technicians but it was only last year after mr rapisarda heard a story from a local doctor that the idea of a dedicated fleet and a 24 hour chinese dispatch was born the doctor gary chen an internal medicine specialist in bensonhurst said an older couple who were sick waited through the weekend for a monday appointment with their chinese speaking doctor rather than call an ambulance because they were afraid they would not be understood
dr chens neighbors suggested that the community needed its own ambulances and mr rapisarda agreed now mr rapisarda has three ambulances emblazoned with english and chinese characters traveling around the city
he said the response had been so positive that he was hiring more chinese speaking workers and had ordered three more ambulances each of which costs 76000 on a recent day in the companys parking depot in the gravesend section of brooklyn newly hired employees practiced carrying a dummy strapped to a chair up and down a steep staircase he said this was an essential skill in the city
in new york and around the country emergency responders have historically been white and male said scott moore a human resources and operations consultant with the american ambulance association a national trade organization and an emergency medical technician for 26 years beyond translating words mr moore said a diverse emergency response fleet can add cultural competency to how their work is done
last year mr moores organization issued its first handbook for intercultural communication demographic trends across the united states indicate a growing need for better cross cultural communication skills among health care professionals the guidebook begins
the profession is becoming more aware of the challenges that a diverse patient population presents mr moore said and understanding that care is something more than maybe just taking medical care of them
the midwood ambulance service has teamed up with the united chinese association of brooklyn a community organization which is helping spread the word about the service steve chung the associations president said the service was drawing rave reviews from the community and in particular accolades for mr rapisarda mr chung noted the only in new york factor that the new chinese language ambulance fleet was started by an italian american
but there is a history of collaboration   a long one   between the communities he said
think about it in marco polos time he visited china and we gave him good things spaghetti and pizza mr chung said with a laugh i think this is the best thing about human culture   we know each other and were sharing and who knows what good things pop up


the activists who have painted a bright target on the back of exxon mobil have colluded to push politically motivated investigations of climate dissent and conducted a real life rico type conspiracy
so say defenders of the energy company who in recent weeks have tried to flip the script on the activists whose work helped set the stage for the current investigations of possible conflicts between exxon mobils public and private statements on climate change
they say the environmentalists have been holding a series of meetings and discussions to plot their strategy dating back to a gathering in la jolla a san diego community in 2012 that meeting was conceived of by naomi oreskes a historian of science at harvard whose work has drawn parallels between the public affairs strategies of the tobacco industry and fossil fuel companies
critics refer to that founding group as the la jolla junta the discussions would grow over time to include groups like the climate campaigners 350org and the rockefeller family philanthropies
but any accusations that the group engaged in a conspiracy would seem to violate the first rule of conspiracies that they operate in secret
for anyone curious about the strategy developed at the workshop in la jolla it is no mystery   the group produced a 36 page report that is readily available online
in addition groups like the union of concerned scientists have been open about their collaboration and consultation with attorneys general
theres nothing hidden here said peter frumhoff director of science and policy at the union of concerned scientists
the 2012 report offers a road map of sorts that helps explain why those taking on exxon mobil and other fossil fuel companies might find the courts a promising battleground
here are some highlights
the participants including several veterans of the tobacco wars discussed a turning point in the fight against tobacco the unearthing of industry documents that showed the industry had long been aware of the health risks of its products and the enormous lengths to which the companies went to sow doubt about the science
the department of justice won a victory against the industry in a case relying largely on the racketeer influenced and corrupt organizations act also known as rico   despite the tobacco companies insistence that its public statements were protected under the first amendment fraud the judge noted is not protected by the constitution
the 2012 report stated similar documents may well exist in the vaults of the fossil fuel industry and their trade associations and front groups and there are many possible approaches to unearthing them
it also said state attorneys general can also subpoena documents raising the possibility that a single sympathetic state attorney general might have substantial success in bringing key internal documents to light
since november several attorneys general beginning with eric t schneiderman in new york have sent extensive subpoenas to exxon mobil seeking internal documents related to climate change the state attorneys general have said that while they consult widely in preparing an inquiry the decision to proceed is based on the merits of the case alone
lamar smith a republican from texas who is chairman of the house science committee has sent a letter to mr schneiderman citing the collaboration and resulting subpoenas as possible abuse of prosecutorial discretion
the group also discussed other strategies for lawsuits based on theories that included false advertising libel suits brought by climate scientists who have been maligned by industry surrogates and atmospheric trust litigation which is now being pursued in many states by groups like our childrens trust
dragging the companies into court risked backfiring on the activists they acknowledged as the public might dismiss the lawsuits as frivolous but there was a clear upside too the cases would allow discovery of internal company documents
part of the workshop reviewed continuing research purporting to show individual companies contributions to climate change for example professor oreskes suggested you might be able to say heres exxons contribution to whats happening to key west or venice
the group also talked about publicizing the close connections among climate change deniers the fossil fuel industry and even the tobacco companies
establishing these connections has been a big part of professor oreskess work and the work of several other organizations
part of the fight the participants said would involve creating a public narrative that could do what scientific evidence alone could not   provoke public outrage that is what happened when it became clear that the tobacco industry had lied about its products
as one participant in the 2012 workshop noted outrage is hugely important to generate language that holds carbon producers accountable should be an important part of the narrative we create others however expressed concerns about a potential negative reaction to any plans that demonized the fossil fuel industry
the effort to stoke public outrage has played out in protests and on social media through hashtags like exxonknew
the workshop concluded with ideas for what should come next
participants also made commitments to try to coordinate future efforts continue discussing strategies for gaining access to internal documents from the fossil fuel industry and its affiliated climate denial network and to help build an accessible repository for those documents that are obtained
a lot of that has in fact happened
in an interview professor oreskes said that exxon mobil was not the focus of the 2012 meeting and that the point of the meeting was not to say we should prosecute exxon mobil
instead she said the point was to ask the question given the similarities between what the fossil fuel industry did and what the tobacco industry had done was it worth looking at it and did it make sense to consider whether legal approaches could help break the climate deadlock
she said that she had been pleasantly surprised by how many of the things envisioned during the workshop had come to pass its kind of amazing actually


pittsburgh   marc andre fleury sprinted onto the ice for warm ups about 40 minutes before game 5 of the nhls eastern conference finals sunday night the home crowd which featured shawn michaels the former professional wrestler and members of the pittsburgh pirates was on its feet and roaring
this was supposed to be the night fleury the pittsburgh penguins franchise goaltender who had been backing up the 21 year old rookie matt murray for nearly three weeks put things back in order for his team
but the tampa bay lightning had other ideas
led by two goals and an assist from nikita kucherov the lightning stormed back from a 2 0 deficit midway through the game to eke out a 4 3 overtime victory now the penguins the hottest team coming into the playoffs are one loss away from elimination in this best of seven series game 6 is tuesday in tampa and it is not clear if fleury will still be defending the penguins net
describing his teams goalie situation as imperfect pittsburgh coach mike sullivan said he would settle on a starter tuesday morning
we wish the circumstances were different but theyre not sullivan said monday
two games ago it was tampa bay that looked down and out in the first three games of the series the penguins outshot the lightning 124 69 over time it seemed pittsburgh would wear them down with their speed and depth especially since the lightning were without their star goalie ben bishop who left game 1 with an injury to his left leg and one of the leagues top goal scorers steven stamkos who may miss the entire playoffs after having surgery to remove a blood clot
the lightning bounced back with a 4 3 victory in game 4 to even the series but pittsburgh nearly came back from a four goal deficit in the game outshooting the lightning 16 7 in the third period on the way to three goals
the penguins seemed poised to take control of game 5 back in pittsburgh at first they delivered holding the lightning to only four shots after one period midway through the game pittsburgh appeared to have the game in hand holding a two goal lead
but then alex killorn scored what fleury called a stupid goal to the top corner of the net two of the next three goals were scored by tampa bay sending the game into overtime it took 53 seconds and a deflection off the back of tampa bays tyler johnson to quiet the fans and put tampa bay one win away from its second straight trip to the stanley cup finals
pittsburgh had not lost two straight games since mid january
were in a tough position forward patric hornqvist said after the game
while they have performed brilliantly at times the penguins have also suffered from momentary defensive lapses ill advised penalties and questionable passes
if we play right for all 60 minutes we win forward evgeni malkin said monday before the team flew to florida
but winning will be made tougher by the absence of trevor daley who will miss the remainder of the playoffs after he broke his left ankle in game 4 except for kris letang daley had been on the ice more than any other penguins defenseman this postseason in game 5 daley was replaced by olli maatta 21 who was a healthy scratch in the previous three games maatta responded with an assist and a superb individual play that set up a goal by chris kunitz
nevertheless maatta was barely audible when speaking to reporters after the crushing defeat
i just wanted to go out there and help the team win and obviously that didnt happen he said
nobody seemed more disappointed than fleury who performed well but not spectacularly after weeks on the bench he saved 21 of the 25 shots he faced
i should have been better fleury who led the penguins to a stanley cup in 2009 said sunday its tough to lose
at the start of the season fleury was having a banner year he kept pittsburgh afloat during early season struggles that led the penguins to hire sullivan and forced general manager jim rutherford to remake the roster
fleury 31 finished with the lowest goals against average of his nhl career 229 and his best save percentage 921 but he sustained a concussion on march 31 putting an end to his regular season
fleurys injury led to a marvelous postseason run by murray who turns 22 on wednesday starting 13 straight games murray managed a 9 4 record with a 233 goals against average and a 923 save percentage after having played only 13 nhl games entering the playoffs fleury meanwhile sat on the bench after he was cleared to play on may 2
against tampa bay though murray posted a pedestrian 2 2 record with a 275 goals against average and a 896 save percentage after allowing four goals over the first two periods of game 4 murray was replaced by fleury
whoever is in net tuesday he may be called upon to steal a game to keep pittsburghs season alive
these guys have shown their resilience time and time again and now it will be tested more than ever sullivan said


new plays by david mamet and george brant and a new musical from david yazbek will be among the offerings in the atlantic theaters 2016 17 season the off broadway company announced on monday
in february neil pepe the atlantics artistic director will direct mr mamets latest work which remains untitled the theater also did not provide a plot description staged at the linda gross theater the play will be a homecoming for mr mamet a co founder of the atlantic theater where several of his works including romance 2005 and two unrelated plays by david mamet 2009 have been produced he returns to off broadway after his most recent broadway play china doll starring al pacino was a box office hit and recouped its investment despite taking a beating from critics
the atlantics season begins in august with marie and rosetta a new play with music written by mr brant grounded about sister rosetta tharpe a gospel singer and guitarist who gained fame in the 1930s and had a four decade career in sacred and secular music until her death in 1973 mr pepe will direct
november brings the premiere of the bands visit a musical about a traveling police band from egypt that winds up in a remote israeli town based on a screenplay by eran kolirin the show features music and lyrics by mr yazbek and book by itamar moses it will be directed by david cromer who replaces the tony award winning director hal prince who withdrew from the project earlier this year
in january 2017 atlantic stage 2 will mount tell hector i miss him a new play by paola lazaro set in a seedy neighborhood of old san juan puerto rico next spring the company will produce the new york premiere of animal a new dark comedy by clare lizzimore about the underside of domesticity the complexity of the brain in chaos and the thin line between sinking and survival according to a news release the golden globe nominated actress rebecca hall will star and gaye taylor upchurch will direct
as part of its season for children the atlantic will mount 1001 nights a love story about loving stories an early work by the oscar and tony award winning composer robert lopez the book of mormon frozen set to open this fall this new production features a book by adam koplan and mr lopez and will be directed by mr koplan
with the exception of ms hall casting was not announced nor were specific run dates


the case has all the ingredients to put the spotlight back on insider trading a flawed corporate director accused of repeatedly leaking information to a high rolling las vegas gambler that helped him realize about 40 million in gains and losses avoided and passing along a tip about an impending corporate spinoff that helped a near legendary professional golfer repay nearly a million dollars lost on bets
yet the charges may not be quite as easy to prove as they first appear
the justice department charged william t walters one of the most successful sports bettors in the country with trading on information provided by thomas c davis a former investment banker who was chairman of the board of dean foods and a consultant in an activist campaign involving darden restaurants mr davis agreed to plead guilty and is cooperating
a lawyer for mr walters said that he was a true american success story whose extraordinary accomplishments as a lawful sports gambler have been widely recognized and lauded and planned to fight the charges
the golfer is phil mickelson winner of five major championships and a member of the world golf hall of fame who was named as a relief defendant by the securities and exchange commission in a parallel civil complaint although not accused of violating the law mr mickelson agreed to repay more than 1 million in profits and interest from trading in dean foods stock based on information provided by mr walters
preet bharara the united states attorney in manhattan held a news conference to hail the charges saying that brazen insider trading continues to be a blot in our securities markets
this was his offices first major insider trading prosecution since a federal appeals court overturned the convictions of two hedge fund managers in united states v newman in december 2014 that led to the reversal of a number of convictions
the newman decision put a damper on insider trading cases by making it more difficult to prove a violation when tipping confidential information is involved the united states court of appeals for the second circuit held that the government must show that each recipient who trades on the information called a tippee knew the tipper received a benefit from providing the information to prove there was a breach of duty need for securities fraud
the appeals court clouded the law by asserting that when the benefit is based on friendship between the tipper and tippee then the government must further show a meaningfully close personal relationship that generates an exchange that is objective consequential and represents at least a potential gain of a pecuniary or similarly valuable nature
just being buddies would no longer be enough for an insider trading violation an approach that had been a staple of cases brought by the justice department and the securities and exchange commission in the past
to avoid the barrier set up by the opinion in the newman case the indictment describes the tangible benefit as loans mr walters made to mr davis totaling nearly 1 million during the period when he was providing information about earnings announcements and corporate restructurings at dean foods mr davis did not make any payments on the loans until word of the investigation appeared in the news in 2014
the sec which must meet the same benefit requirement stated in its complaint that mr davis gave the information as a way of buying future favors from mr walters which he cashed in by getting financial assistance when his gambling debts grew larger
is that enough to meet the benefit requirement identified in the newman case an exchange of loans for information shows something of value being passed and using inside information to build a reservoir of good will can have tangible value
but neither the justice department nor the sec link a particular loan to dispensing confidential information focusing generally on a type of mutually beneficial arrangement without any specific quid pro quo exchange for example the indictment traces a pattern of illicit disclosures by mr davis going back to 2008 but the first loan from mr walters was not made until 2010
that raises the issue whether a bookie gambler relationship is enough to show the type of beneficial exchange needed to establish insider trading the bookie wants the gambler to keep betting and so may extend credit to keep the player in the game
if mr davis repaid the loans to mr walters by giving him inside information as a type of betting chit that would probably be enough to prove a violation whether thats the theory that prosecutors and the sec plan to pursue will have to await further development of the case
the issue of what benefit is sufficient to prove insider trading will be argued in the supreme court later this year in united states v salman a case from california in which information about impending deals was passed among close family members but nothing of any tangible value was provided
there is a possibility that the justices will raise the bar for showing when tipping violated the law which could make proving the case against mr walters more difficult
prosecutors hedged their bets against that possibility by including wire fraud charges against mr walters that are a carbon copy of the insider trading counts in the indictment unlike securities fraud the elements of wire fraud do not require proving a breach of fiduciary duty by the tipper from receiving a benefit from the tippee only that the defendant obtained money or property by means of a scheme to defraud
the supreme court upheld mail and wire fraud convictions for trading on confidential information in carpenter v united states a case involving information used profitably by a reporter before its publication in the wall street journal so there is a backup plan in place if the securities fraud charges falter
a potentially more significant problem for the justice department is that the prosecution relies largely on the credibility of mr davis who will be a crucial source of evidence about the benefits he received
in addition to insider trading he pleaded guilty to perjury and obstruction of justice charges for giving false testimony in the secs investigation and throwing a prepaid cellphone he used to communicate with mr walters into a creek after fbi agents interviewed him about the trading mr davis also misappropriated 100000 from a charity he ran that paints him as a liar and thief which is unlikely to bolster his testimony if the case goes to trial
one way to strengthen the governments proof of insider trading is to call mr mickelson to testify about what mr walters told him regarding dean foods the golfer bought 24 million worth of stock in three accounts   his first time investing in the company and by far the largest purchases he had made in the accounts just a week later the announcement of a spinoff of one of the companys divisions let him sell the shares at a profit of about 931000 the equivalent of about a second place finish in a professional golf tournament
to put up that much money and make such a handsome profit would probably involve a discussion with mr walters that went beyond him just saying heres a good company for you to consider as joe nocera pointed out in the new york times mr mickelson is the real beneficiary of the decision in the newman case because evidence of his knowledge of any benefit given by mr walters to mr davis appears to be scant so hes off the hook for any insider trading charges
for prosecutors mr mickelsons repayment of the trading profits makes him into a much better potential witness because he is largely untainted by the misuse of inside information restoring some of his good guy image add to that his media savvy as a national figure and he may well be a witness who can bolster the case against mr walters because he does not have the kind of baggage that mr davis carries as a witness for the prosecution
whether the justice department can obtain a conviction is always difficult to predict and it gets even harder in this case because mr walters has been charged four times before with other offenses but has never been convicted so dont   ahem   bet against him


a rebellious slate of candidates who this year upset the normally placid balloting for the board of overseers at harvard has failed to secure positions on the board which helps set strategy for the university
calling itself free harvard fair harvard the group ran on a proposal that harvard should be free to all undergraduates because the university earns so much money from its 376 billion endowment it tied the notion to another equally provocative question does harvard shortchange asian americans in admissions
the outsider slate which was formed in january proposed five candidates against a slate of eight candidates officially nominated by the harvard alumni association after 35870 alumni votes were counted five winners were announced from the alumni group on monday
the votes garnered by each candidate were not announced so it was unclear how close the outsider slate had come
expressing displeasure at the groups defeat ron unz a conservative california software entrepreneur who formed the slate nevertheless said it had achieved part of its mission
i do think we certainly got a lot of media coverage and focus out there about the absurd disproportionate size of harvards investment income compared to their annual tuition and it could be that will start more pressure on the issue going forward he said
the slate also included ralph nader the consumer advocate and former presidential candidate mr unz and the other three candidates have written or testified extensively against affirmative action opposing race based admissions
their argument was that if harvard were free more highly qualified students from all backgrounds would apply and the university would no longer have trouble balancing its class for racial or ethnic diversity   ensuring they said that asian americans did not lose out
the issue of race at harvard has also been raised in a federal lawsuit accusing the university of discriminating against asian americans in admissions the university has denied the claims
similar claims were made against several other ivy league schools in a federal complaint announced on monday


washington   the supreme court on monday left in place a court imposed congressional redistricting map in virginia dismissing a challenge from three republican congressmen the courts brief unanimous decision said the members of congress had not shown that they had suffered the sort of direct and concrete injury that gave them standing to sue
the court therefore did not rule on the larger issues in the case wittman v personhuballah no 14 1504 which concerned the role race may play in drawing legislative maps
we cannot decide the merits of this case unless the intervenor members of congress challenging the district courts racial gerrymandering decision have standing justice stephen g breyer wrote for the court we conclude that the intervenors now lack standing we must therefore dismiss the appeal for lack of jurisdiction
the court addressed a similar question last year in alabama legislative black caucus v alabama by a 5 to 4 vote with justice anthony m kennedy and the courts four more liberal members in the majority the court indicated that the alabama legislature had relied too heavily on race in its 2012 state redistricting by maintaining high concentrations of black voters in some districts
the virginia case started with a similar challenge to a map drawn by the states general assembly a three judge federal court struck down the map saying it had put too many black voters into an oddly shaped district diminishing their voting power
the court gave the general assembly an opportunity to redraw the map but lawmakers failed to act the court then devised its own map
virginia at first defended the legislative map but switched sides after a change in administrations the three republican legislators   randy j forbes rob wittman and david brat   intervened saying they had been hurt by the court ordered plan which added democratic voters to their districts
mr forbes for instance said the plan would completely transform his district from a 48 percent democratic district into a safe 60 percent democratic district
his lawyer told the court when the case was argued in march that the change had forced mr forbes to run in a different district
thats where he lives thats where hes a 16 year incumbent and thats where hes got a huge incumbency advantage the lawyer michael a carvin said of his clients original district the injury that they imposed on him in district 4 was so severe it pushed him out
mr carvin added that his client would absolutely run in his original district if the supreme court ruled in his favor
shortly after the argument justice breyer wrote the court received a letter from mr forbess lawyers saying he would continue to run in the new district however the supreme court ruled given this letter justice breyer wrote quoting from a 2013 standing decision we do not see how any injury that forbes might have suffered is likely to be redressed by a favorable judicial decision
the other two lawmakers said the court ordered plan had hurt them by replacing part of their base electorate with unfavorable democratic voters justice breyer said that assertion was not backed up by evidence
even assuming without deciding that this kind of injury is legally recognized he wrote representatives wittman and brat have not identified record evidence establishing their alleged harm
the party invoking the courts jurisdiction cannot simply allege a non obvious harm without more justice breyer wrote here there is no more representatives wittman and brat claim that unless the enacted plan is reinstated their districts will be flooded with democratic voters and their chances of re election will accordingly be reduced
justice breyer said there was no such evidence


michelle fields the former breitbart news reporter who accused donald j trumps campaign manager of shoving her at a rally in march has resurfaced in a familiar role with a new if slightly unlikely employer the huffington post a well known liberal news outlet
ms fields said that in her move to the huffington post which was first reported by cnn she will continue covering mr trumps presidential campaign an assignment she previously had said she would not take again
i changed my mind once things cooled down and i had time to reflect she said in an email on monday
the huffington post a site that attaches an editors note to all coverage related to the republican front runner that calls mr trump a racist and a serial liar among other things will be an ideological change for ms fields 28 who has spent most of her career in conservative media
ms fields said that she considered several requests from other conservative outlets but said she was ready for a change after months of fallout from an altercation with mr trumps campaign manager corey lewandowski
ms fields accused mr lewandowski of grabbing her arm and shoving her when she tried to ask mr trump a question at a campaign rally in florida on march 8 mr lewandowski was charged with battery though prosecutors in palm beach county decided not pursue a case against him though the police said that her account of what happened reflected what was recorded on security cameras both the trump campaign and ms fieldss former employers at breitbart initially questioned ms fieldss credibility
how do you know those bruises werent there before mr trump asked after ms fields shared a photo of her arm that showed where she was grabbed mr trumps criticism came during a period of heightened scrutiny on his campaign rallies which were marked by violent scuffles between protesters and mr trumps supporters
ms fields called the following weeks a dark time and said that in addition to leaving her job at breitbart she was forced to move to a new home in washington after her home address was made public both fox news and buzzfeed initially published ms fieldss personal information without redacting it from a police report before removing the original reports
ms fields said she also lost a guest role on the fox news show cashin in as a result of the fallout fox news disputes that and the shows senior producer has said that he was open to ms fields making future appearances several other breitbart employees left their jobs in solidarity with ms fields
i had to deal with death threats she said
ms fields declined to comment on whether reports that she was planning to file a defamation lawsuit against mr trump and mr lewandowski were true
at the huffington post ms fields would probably continue covering mr trumps campaign as an outsider the huffington post is among the news organizations mr trump has frequently blacklisted from his campaign events
jim treacher a blogger at the daily caller one of ms fieldss former employers supported ms fieldss move to the huffington post in a blog post published on monday mr treacher wrote that her new role would encourage political diversity in a left leaning news site
im always glad to see a conservative invading a liberals only space mr treacher wrote adding preaching to the choir isnt enough sometimes people need to hear things they dont want to hear


the nile crocodile which inhabits sub saharan africa can grow to 21 feet long and weigh one and a half tons it eats just about anything   including humans
now four have been found in florida although none were that large they were probably brought from south africa and kept as pets or zoo displays
one was a hatchling about a foot long sitting on a porch in miami another was found on the property of a private zoo in homestead fla and a third a 10 pound female was captured in a public park also in homestead
finally five months later in march 2012 a three foot long female was trapped in a canal in homestead this one was tagged and released
she turned up again two years later and 18 miles away having grown to five and a half feet long
kenneth l krysko an author of the study that describes the animals said that there was no indication that the crocodiles were reproducing
still he said this is a very big predator and now weve introduced it into florida this is not a good thing


al mukalla yemen   a suicide bomber attacked a gathering of army recruits in the southern yemeni city of aden early monday killing at least three dozen people in what witnesses and security officials described as one of the deadliest bombings in the city since yemens civil war began 14 months ago
pictures of the aftermath showed bodies slumped around concrete barricades outside a local commanders home where the recruits had lined up a local branch of the islamic state extremist group claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement distributed on jihadist websites
the attack was part of a surge of violence by militant extremists in southern yemen since last month when a force led by the united arab emirates and backed by united states special operations forces began an offensive to drive al qaedas local affiliate al qaeda in the arabian peninsula from territory its militants captured in the south during the conflict
with the affiliates leaders on the run the deadliest attacks have come from the islamic states shadowy local branch which has carried out dozens of suicide bombings since the war began   including attacks that even the qaeda affiliate has regarded as too brutal the bombing on monday came a little more than a week after the islamic state claimed responsibility for a similar attack in al mukalla east of aden that killed at least 25 police recruits
the bombings raised the specter of a competition for supremacy in yemen between the islamic state and al qaeda the attacks also undermined an effort led by the united arab emirates to stabilize yemens chaotic south a project that emirati officials have likened to state building
yemens civil war has sharpened a long running divide between the countrys north and south much of the north including sana the capital is under the control of the houthi rebels and their allies yemens government which was driven from power   and from the capital   by the houthis has been trying to establish beachheads in aden and al mukalla with the support of military coalition led by saudi arabia that includes the united arab emirates
but an enormous military presence has so far failed to secure the south
maj gen ali nasser lakhsha the aden based deputy minister of the interior said the bombing on monday succeeded partly because many government buildings had been destroyed in the war which meant recruits had to be signed up in a relatively vulnerable area
security agencies had failed to adapt after similar previous bombings he said we did not learn the lesson unfortunately he said
delegates representing the houthis and the government have been holding peace negotiations in kuwait for the past several weeks the talks have eased the fighting in some parts of yemen   and have led to fewer airstrikes by the saudi led coalition   but many yemenis fear the calm is a prelude to a more violent phase of the war
relief agencies have warned of a catastrophic toll on yemeni civilians if the fighting continues united nations officials said last week that aid workers had been able to reach only a fraction of yemens 180000 severely malnourished children
the children were among 76 million yemenis   nearly a third of the countrys population   who are considered food insecure and a step away from famine officials said
on sunday amnesty international warned in a report that civilians trying to return to their homes during the slowdown in fighting faced new dangers from thousands of unexploded cluster munitions dropped during the conflict by the saudi led coalition the weapons outlawed by an international treaty because they kill indiscriminately often leave unexploded bomblets or submunitions that can kill or maim unsuspecting civilians the bomblets can seem like toys to children
amnesty said that it had found evidence that the coalition had used cluster munitions manufactured in the united states britain and brazil and that at least 16 yemeni civilians including nine children had been killed by the weapons between july 2015 and april 2016
these casualties took place days weeks and sometimes months after the bombs were dropped by coalition forces in yemen the report said the victims included brothers 9 and 12 both goat herders who had played with munitions they found in a valley in northern hajjah province
the 9 year old who survived was quoted by amnesty as saying that the explosion had blown him back several yards his brother whose stomach was torn open with one arm severed died in the blast amnesty said


paris   a year ago dressed in a pair of garish pink and gray plaid shorts that became a symbol of his success stan wawrinka made the french open his own by stunning novak djokovic in the final
this year wawrinka came dressed in a fluorescent yellow green shirt atop black shorts that made him stand vividly against the red clay of roland garros
but wawrinka did not need any special attire to gain attention not after being the previous years surprise winner what he almost gained was the unwelcome glare that would have accompanied his becoming the first defending champion to lose in the first round of the french open
wawrinka the no 3 seed walked triumphantly back onto philippe chatrier court on monday but had only a brief moment to enjoy the sensation he lost the first set to the giant killer lukas rosol and fell behind two sets to one before narrowly escaping with a five set victory 4 6 6 1 3 6 6 3 6 4
i came back to play a match not to enjoy and think about what i did last year wawrinka said for sure when i enter the court i had all the memory from last year but after that i was here to beat rosol today
although it was the second day of the tournament it had the feel of an opening session after much of sundays schedule was wiped out by rain mondays issue was a shortage of sunlight
the rain ended in the early afternoon but the conditions remained chilly overcast and damp throughout
when darkness finally enveloped the grounds a few matches hung in the balance including a surprisingly tense affair between no 2 seeded andy murray and the 37 year old qualifier radek stepanek which was called in the fourth set
the match was the last on court at chatrier court following wins by wawrinka kei nishikori and agnieszka radwanska
stepanek won the first two sets 6 3 6 3 but murray recovered to win the third 6 0 he seemed to have seized the momentum and the older stepanek appeared to be stalling to force the suspension
at least that is what murray seemed to suspect during the changeover after the third set when stepanek went to the bathroom murray lobbied the chair umpire damien dumusois to take action against stepaneks delaying tactics
its very predictable murray told dumusois before questioning how long stepaneks bathroom break would go
dumusois replied that he had sent someone to retrieve stepanek at which point murray opted to take a break too
when play finally resumed the light had dimmed further murray built upon his newly discovered dominance winning the first three games of the fourth set when play was suspended murray led the set by 4 2 the match was scheduled to resume tuesday
murrays previous match at roland garros a semifinal against djokovic last year was suspended after the sixth game of the fourth set because of an approaching storm murray also trailed by two sets to one then with the fourth set tied at 3 3 when play resumed murray claimed the set but djokovic won the fifth 6 1
also suspended because of darkness monday was john isners match with john millman of australia after a marathon second set tiebreaker isner won it 14 12 when millman missed an overhead slam evening the match at one set apiece
while the courts were still adequately lit garbine muguruza the no 4 seed on the womens side had to go three sets to beat anna karolina schmiedlova 3 6 6 3 6 3 after losing the first set muguruza faced nine break points in an epic 26 point game but eventually held and the rest of the match flowed in her favor
muguruza reached the quarterfinals last year and followed with an appearance in the wimbledon final so an early loss would have been seen as a big step backward instead she overcame her opponent and the chilly conditions to move on in a match that had been postponed from the day before
it was so cold she said even though i was running and playing i felt like cold i thought it was going to rain i was looking to the sky im like oh please you know but its the same as for the other girl
four seeded women did lose no 7 roberta vinci no 16 sara errani no 17 karolina pliskova and no 32 jelena ostapenko marin cilic the 10th seed in the mens draw who lost to wawrinka in the final of the geneva open on saturday made a quick exit falling to 166th ranked marco trungelliti of argentina 7 6 4 3 6 6 4 6 2
several other matches were continued from sunday jack sock the 23rd seeded american had to come back to play a fifth set against robin haase of the netherlands who had won the previous two sets and seemed to have the momentum before the rain ended play sunday sock won the fifth set easily taking the match 6 3 7 5 3 6 6 7 3 6 2
in a meeting of americans bjorn fratangelo a wild card and the 2011 french open junior champion beat sam querrey 6 3 6 1 6 7 3 6 3 to advance to the second round of the senior draw for the first time
another american the 19th seeded sloane stephens had little trouble defeating margarita gasparyan of russia 6 4 6 3 stephens was relaxed enough after that she spent some of her news conference discussing the blankets she travels with to enhance her comfort it was cold enough to have one on court though she declined
comfort has never been a problem for stephens at the french open where she has reached the fourth round in each of the last four years she recently won on the green clay at charleston sc but for some reason the roland garros clay is particularly appealing
asked why she said i dont know its red
for wawrinka the path to victory as he explained it lay in finding solutions in the fourth set rosol best known for upsetting rafael nadal at wimbledon in 2012 had two break points that could have put him in command of the match but wawrinka held and the match lurched in his favor for the first time
at 2 2 in the fourth wawrinka won a 31 shot rally to make it 15 15 rosol won the next two points but with a key service break within reach he cracked wawrinka hit an overhead winner and then at 30 40 rosol botched a backhand into the net wawrinka then found another solution by firing an ace to win the game and avoid a potential disaster
the fact that he made two mistakes is also a good solution wawrinka said


london   one of the best known depictions of queen elizabeth i is the armada portrait which celebrates the british navys improbable 1588 victory over the spanish fleet painted around 1590 by an unknown artist it was first owned by sir francis drake and remains in the hands of his descendants
now those heirs have decided to sell the work one of three versions of the portrait and in response british museums and the art fund announced on monday that they have started a campaign to raise 10 million pounds or about 145 million to ensure the painting remains in britain
the portrait unusual in its time for its large size and horizontal format shows the bejeweled queen regal and poised in front of two seascapes one of the english fleet preparing for battle the other of the defeated and wrecked spanish armada her right hand rests on a globe
it is the painting that represents everything about the elizabethan age including shakespeare the moment when england began to rule the waves and elizabeths reign said christine riding the head of arts at royal museums greenwich which together with the art fund a national fund raising group is leading the campaign to buy the painting for the national collection it indicates a gear shift in the national identity the idea of the plucky english punching above their weight of the mythology of gloriana and the idea of the queen as a strong and just woman
the art fund has pledged PS1 million and royal museum greenwich said it would use its entire annual acquisition budget of PS400000 toward the purchase
we are very anxious that it shouldnt go out on the open market which will inevitably happen im afraid if we fail to raise this sum stephen deuchar the director of the art fund told the guardian
the art fund which raised PS10 million in 2014 to buy a van dyck self portrait for the national portrait gallery in london has been successful in raising money for campaigns of these kinds said madeline adeane a spokeswoman the aim is to raise the money in about two months during which time the painting will be on display at the national maritime museum
if the campaign is successful the portrait will be relocated to the queens house on the site of the original greenwich palace where elizabeth i was born the other two versions are housed at woburn abbey and at the national portrait gallery


london   the owner of an indian restaurant in britain with a cavalier attitude to food safety was found guilty on monday of causing the death of a customer who had a severe allergy after he was served a dish containing peanuts the owner received a six year sentence
it marked the first time in britain that someone has been convicted of manslaughter over the sale of food
the customer paul wilson 38 ordered chicken tikka masala to go from the indian garden restaurant in north yorkshire in january 2014 having specified no nuts in his order
mr wilson had diligently avoided peanuts and dishes made with them ever since he had a severe reaction to eating a chocolate bar with peanuts when he was 7 years old he was very very careful his mother margaret said especially when ordering his favorite meal
mr wilson had eaten food from indian garden before and the restaurant had gone so far as to write no nuts on the lid of his curry container
but after just one bite of what would be his last meal mr wilson had an allergic reaction his roommate found him slumped on his toilet at home where he had gone into anaphylactic shock and died
prosecutors said that the restaurateur mohammed zaman 52 who owns six restaurants was about 300000 pounds or about 434000 in debt he had cut corners they said replacing almond powder in his recipes six months earlier with a cheaper mix of groundnuts and hiring untrained undocumented workers to turn out the popular curry dishes at his restaurants
another customer with a nut allergy had to be treated at a hospital after eating at mr zamans restaurant three weeks before mr wilsons death like him she had been assured her meal would not contain nuts prosecutors said
mr zaman was convicted of manslaughter by gross negligence in the death of mr wilson and six food safety offenses he was sentenced to six years in prison
he had a reckless and cavalier attitude to risk the prosecutor richard wright told a jury at teesside crown court
time and again he ignored the danger and did not protect his customers mr wright said at trial adding that mr zaman had put profit before safety and he cut corners at every turn
mr zaman had said that he left his employees to run his restaurants including ordering the ingredients and preparing the dishes and that he was not even on the premises when the deadly curry was prepared
shaun page a detective inspector on the case said that mr zaman had a duty to serve safe food to his customers and that mr wilsons death was totally avoidable
according to allergy uk a nonprofit group about 1 percent of britons are allergic to peanuts up to 13 percent of americans are allergic   as many as four million people according to food allergy research and education the centers for disease control and prevention has reported that the number of children with food allergies is rising


god of vengeance the 1920s yiddish play that is currently the subject of the off broadway drama indecent will be revived in its original language by new yiddish rep for two performances this june
written by sholem asch god of vengeance is credited with presenting the first lesbian kiss on broadway in 1923 it came under fire for its frank depictions of jewish culture and homosexuality and cast members were arrested on obscenity charges
this year the play has come into the spotlight again as the topic of paula vogels indecent which opened at the vineyard theater this month indecent which is spoken in english yiddish and german features excerpts from god of vengeance as it follows the play from its inception through its world tour and tumultuous opening in new york charles isherwood named it a new york times critics pick
new yiddish reps staged reading is to feature the entire text of the god of vengeance delivered in its original language with english supertitles eleanor reissa will direct and also act in the play david mandelbaum the artistic director of new yiddish rep will play a role as well
the performances june 25 and june 26 will be at the 14th street y as part of the jewish play projects open the festival of new jewish theater


fifa the governing body of global soccer announced on monday that the man who controlled its finances for the last eight months had been fired for violating his fiduciary duty to the organization
the dismissal of that official markus kattner came almost exactly a year after american authorities announced a far reaching corruption case focused on world soccer that has continually upended the sports leadership
mr kattner stepped in as fifas secretary general last fall after american and swiss authorities announced continuing criminal investigations into world soccer in a statement on monday fifa noted its cooperation with the investigating authorities and provided no further detail on the suspected wrongdoing by mr kattner
mr kattner joined fifa in 2003 as director of finance and later worked as deputy to jerome valcke the organizations former secretary general after mr valcke   whom swiss authorities are scrutinizing for various acts of criminal mismanagement   was placed on leave in september mr kattner succeeded him in that job overseeing the organizations contracts and money
when fifas longtime president sepp blatter was suspended weeks later mr kattner became a principal face of the organization in fifas annual financial report published in march he was listed first among fifas key management personnel
in february fifa elected a new president the swiss administrator gianni infantino to succeed mr blatter who is also under criminal investigation it additionally passed a set of reforms aimed at decentralizing decision making power and tightening financial controls
on monday however the organization indicated it was still working to purge its top ranks of people tied to possible criminal wrongdoing
an internal investigation at fifa carried out by the american law firm quinn emanuel in the wake of the justice departments announcement last spring is continuing so too is the scrutiny of federal authorities at the united states attorneys office for the eastern district of new york who have announced charges against 42 defendants 17 of whom have publicly pleaded guilty
a nonprofit association fifa has meanwhile sought to advance the governments characterization of the organization as a victim of its leaders wrongdoing in march with mr kattner acting as its top financial official fifa asked authorities for a share of the hundreds of millions of dollars it has been promised by convicted defendants
mr kattners dismissal on monday was not the first bit of upheaval for fifa since mr infantino became president three months ago after fifas annual congress this month domenico scala the head of the organizations audit and compliance committee resigned suddenly after rules were changed to give fifas governing council the ability to control the membership of fifas independent oversight bodies including its ethics committee
those bodies are factually deprived of their independence mr scala said in a statement this month it undermines a central pillar of the good governance of fifa and it destroys a substantial achievement of the reforms
fifa called mr scalas objections unfounded claims which are baseless
that same week the organization appointed a new secretary general   fatma samoura of senegal a veteran united nations diplomat   to formally assume the role mr kattner had been occupying as fifas newly rebranded chief executive
she will bring a fresh wind to fifa mr infantino said at fifas congress in mexico city not somebody from inside not somebody from the past


bayers offer for monsanto could be a triumph for an unfashionable corporate beast the conglomerate
werner baumann the chief executive of the germany based bayer can only muster the 62 billion he needs to buy the american seed maker monsanto because his own crop science business is backed by a large and successful health care arm which makes up 63 percent of bayers earnings before interest taxes depreciation and amortization or ebitda mr baumann may see this as a benefit of being diversified for shareholders however it could turn out to be the opposite
monsanto shareholders are being offered almost 15 billion more for their equity than the companys market value on may 9 the day before bayer privately made its approach because 47 billion of the total value of the deal will be funded in debt it will leave the merged group with borrowings of four times its combined ebitda
but in reality much of that debt is being loaded onto bayers health care business if the crop science unit were buying monsanto unaided it would end up with net borrowings that were more than seven times combined ebitda which looks too high for comfort the risk is that bayers options for making acquisitions in health care will be stunted buying monsanto could benefit one side of the business at the expense of the other
the biggest concern for shareholders may simply be that the deal looks like it will destroy value bayer expects 15 billion of annual synergies according to a breakingviews estimate this represents a net present value of around 11 billion compared with that 15 billion premium and bayer has not said how much is supposed to come from enhanced revenue which is typically hard to achieve in real life
as a stand alone company bayers crop science unit would be prey rather than predator monsantos ebitda is roughly 40 percent bigger than the division that is acquiring it   and it even expressed an interest in buying bayers agrochemical business earlier this year the german giant has taken steps to reduce its sprawl spinning out specialty chemicals and plastics and the remainder of its business is well run from the perspective of bayers shareholders selling the crops business for a premium might have been a much quicker and less risky way of creating value


washington   the supreme court ruled on monday that prosecutors in georgia violated the constitution by striking every black prospective juror in a death penalty case against a black defendant the vote was 7 to 1 with justice clarence thomas dissenting
the case foster v chatman no 14 8349 arose from the 1987 trial of timothy t foster an african american facing the death penalty for killing queen madge white an elderly white woman when he was 18
in notes that did not surface until decades later prosecutors marked the names of black prospective jurors with a b and highlighted those names in green they circled the word black where potential jurors had noted their race on questionnaires
they ranked those prospective jurors in case it comes down to having to pick one of the black jurors as the prosecutions investigator put it in a draft affidavit at the time in the end prosecutors struck all four black potential jurors
after mr foster was convicted stephen lanier the lead prosecutor urged the all white jury to impose a death sentence to deter other people out there in the projects the jury did so
chief justice john g roberts jr writing for the majority said the prosecutors had violated a 1986 decision batson v kentucky in which the supreme court ruled that race based discrimination in jury selection was unconstitutional and required lawyers accused of it to provide a nondiscriminatory explanation
that is a forgiving standard all i have to do is have a race neutral reason mr lanier said at the time and all of these reasons that i have given the court are racially neutral
but chief justice roberts rejected several of mr laniers reasons calling them pretextual the chief justice focused on two prospective jurors marilyn garrett and eddie hood
mr lanier had offered a list of 11 reasons for striking ms garrett including that she was too young
yet garrett was 34 chief justice roberts wrote and the state declined to strike eight white prospective jurors under the age of 36 two of those white jurors served on the jury one of those two was only 21 years old
mr lanier also said ms garrett was unfit to serve because she was divorced but the chief justice wrote mr lanier declined to strike three out of the four prospective white jurors who were also divorced
mr lanier gave eight reasons for striking a second prospective juror mr hood including that his son was the same age as the defendant and had been convicted of a crime that was he said basically the same thing that this defendant is charged with
chief justice roberts called this nonsense
hoods son had received a 12 month suspended sentence for stealing hubcaps from a car in a mall parking lot five years earlier he wrote foster was charged with capital murder of a 79 year old widow after a brutal sexual assault
mr lanier also said he doubted that mr hood would impose the death penalty in light of his religious faith but the record persuades us that hoods race and not his religious affiliation was laniers true motivation chief justice roberts wrote
in sum the chief justice wrote we are left with the firm conviction that the strikes of garrett and hood were motivated in substantial part by discriminatory intent
the decision was narrowly focused on mr fosters jury selection and is unlikely to have a broad impact evidence of the sort that surfaced in mr fosters case is rare and the batson decision is easy to evade
studies in alabama louisiana and north carolina have found that prosecutors use peremptory challenges two or three times more often to strike black potential jurors than to strike others
stephen b bright a lawyer for mr foster now 48 said his client was entitled to a new trial at which jurors are not excluded based on race but justice samuel a alito jr in a concurrence suggested that the state court in georgia might still have a path to rule against mr foster
in dissent justice thomas said the majority had not given enough deference to the trial judges assessment of the prospective jurors demeanor and of the prosecutors credibility
for instance justice thomas said the judge determined that mr hood had answered questions about the death penalty slowly and softly notes in the prosecutors files said the church of christ of which mr hood was a member did not take a formal stand against capital punishment justice thomas added
this new evidence supports the prosecutions stated reason for striking hood   that he as a member of the church of christ had taken an uncertain stance on capital punishment justice thomas wrote


drake stays on top of the billboard album chart for a third time this week as his latest album views passes the half billion mark in streams
when views young moneycash moneyrepublic came out late last month fans could get it only from apple yet the album scored huge opening week numbers more than 850000 downloads and almost 250 million streams a new peak that more than doubled the streaming record set only a week before by beyonce in its third week out views has gone to spotify and other online services giving the album a second wind online and keeping it securely at the top of the chart
in its latest week views had only 83000 sales but songs from it racked up 186 million streams according to nielsen since the album came out the songs have been streamed 572 million times in the united states in each of the three weeks that views has been out it has had higher streaming numbers than any album has ever had drake has also reclaimed no 1 on the hot 100 from justin timberlake the rappers one dance replaces cant stop the feeling at the top of the singles chart
another streaming exclusive also starts high chance the rappers coloring book a mixtape that for now is available only from apple opened at no 8 with 57 million streams and   since it is not available in any other format   zero sales
also this week beyonces lemonade parkwoodcolumbia holds at no 2 while meghan trainors thank you epic opens at no 3 and the san diego rock band pierce the veil starts at no 4 with its new record misadventures fearless rihannas anti roc nation is up two spots at no 5 in its 17th week out


houston   exxon mobil has been under pressure for over a year to explain its handling of climate change issues in the past now the company faces new pressure to explain its future particularly how it will change in response to a warming world
at the companys planned annual meeting on wednesday in dallas shareholders will vote on a resolution to prod exxon mobil to disclose the risks of climate change to its business
such resolutions have been floated before and they typically do not pass but there is a growing chorus of investors many of them large institutional shareholders who say they are worried that exxon mobil the largest publicly traded energy company in the world is not adequately preparing for tighter times if countries start acting on the pledges they made last december as part of the paris climate change accord
exxon mobil for example projects that global demand for oil will keep growing   by just over 13 percent from today to 109 million barrels of oil a day by 2040
but the international energy agencys projections include one situation where demand could drop by 22 percent to 74 million barrels a day by 2040 if measures are put in place to keep global warming at levels that while still dangerous could avoid the most devastating consequences
the shareholder resolution calls for exxon mobil to publish an annual assessment of impacts of various climate change policies including ones that would lead to the steep drops foreseen in the most severe energy agencys forecast another resolution calls for the company to give shareholders a bigger say over governance
exxon mobil previously tried to block the climate change resolution but the securities and exchange commission ruled in march that shareholders must be allowed to vote
alan t jeffers a company spokesman said last week that exxon mobil welcomed a dialogue with shareholders
we want them to understand that we see the issue of climate change we see the risks of climate change and take them seriously and we are working hard on lower emissions technology he said
mr jeffers added that his companys projection was not set in stone and that exxon mobil was flexible enough to move in new directions in the future
but big owners of the stock worry that the optimism of exxon mobils outlook for oil demand is dangerously misguided
investors cant afford to have exxon become the next kodak said scott m stringer the comptroller of new york city whose pension fund owns roughly 1 billion worth of exxon mobil stock
it is impossible for them to do business for the next 100 years as they have the last 100 years added mr stringer who supports the risk disclosure resolution
some protesters are exhorting investors to sell all of their fossil fuel stocks and are conducting campaigns to pressure exxon mobil and other companies to keep it in the ground   that is to stop extracting the very fossil fuels that are their lifeblood
and while some of those activists would consider it a victory to see these companies driven out of business a growing number of institutional shareholders want to see these companies move profitably into a future in which fossil fuels play a smaller role while renewable sources like wind and solar play a larger one
in recent months exxon mobil has been under increasing pressure to move faster in part because of the efforts of the attorneys general of new york california and several other states they are investigating exxon mobil over its past funding of publicity that cast doubt on the science of climate change while exxons own scientists were speaking and writing about the seriousness of global warming
but many investors are more interested in exxon mobils plans for the future than what the company did and said decades ago
our concern is about looking forward said anne simpson an investment director for california public employees retirement system which is backing the disclosure resolutions the critical thing now is the next 25 years
mr jeffers noted that shareholders had withdrawn a similar disclosure resolution a few years ago when exxon mobil promised to report on the risks it faced because of evolving emissions policies it concluded that there was no current risk of demand drying up to a degree that the company would have to leave some of its oil reserves in the ground a problem known as stranded assets
that conclusion did not satisfy exxon mobils critics
the world is changing around exxon said andrew j logan director of oil and gas and insurance programs at the sustainable investing organization ceres which backs the resolutions
he noted that the range of large shareholders promoting the resolutions included new york state the church of england and the norwegian sovereign wealth fund the fact that this array of actors lining up against exxon is so diverse is a powerful demonstration of just how isolated the company is at the moment mr logan said
but many investors said they would be voting with management on the climate resolution
exxon mobil goes the extra mile to ensure they are fulfilling their role as a good steward of the environment said paul l lucas a midland tex energy investor thats why it costs exxon more money to do business because they do business the right way
chevron which is facing a similar resolution is having its annual meeting on wednesday as well executives at chevron say it already carefully assesses various risks to its investments
foreign energy companies have been more receptive to such resolutions last year even before the paris agreement was completed several large european oil companies including royal dutch shell statoil of norway and bp accepted resolutions that were similar or virtually the same as those facing exxon mobil and chevron
those companies which are based in countries where the governments and public opinion are demanding new climate change initiatives have pledged to seek renewable energy opportunities
statoil even acknowledged that it may in fact end up leaving some fossil fuels in the ground probably there will be assets stranded yes because the costs of co2 doesnt make them attractive said bjorn otto sverdrup statoils senior vice president for sustainability
by contrast the political environment around climate change remains polarized in the united states for example representative lamar smith a republican who is chairman of the house committee on science space and technology has accused the obama administration and federal researchers of manipulating global warming research to pursue the administrations suspect climate agenda
last week mr smith also sent a letter to the new york attorney general eric t schneiderman demanding all communications since 2012 between mr schneidermans office and climate change activist organizations mr smith said state attorneys general were doing the bidding of environmental activists who set out to make pariahs of exxon mobil in pursuit of policies to limit climate change
analysts sympathetic to companies like exxon mobil and chevron say that some of the activists especially divestment groups on college campuses are trying to lower the equity values of oil companies and choke off capital for exploration
that these analysts say would keep the benefits of cheap energy out of the hands of the poor and emerging middle classes in the developing world
but proponents of the resolutions say transparency about climate risks can help shareholders better assess their investment and prod exxon mobil and other companies to take part in a more sustainable future
proponents point to a recent paper for example by chatham house a research organization based in london that said exxon mobil chevron and shell are faced with the choice of managing a gentle decline by downsizing or risking a rapid collapse by trying to carry on business as usual


london   the investment firm general atlantic said on monday that it had agreed to acquire a majority stake in argus media in a deal that valued the london based commodity price reporting agency at nearly 1 billion pounds or about 14 billion
adrian binks the argus executive chairman and publisher will continue to be a part of the business and retain the majority of his significant shareholding in the business alongside general atlantic the companies said
the family of argus founder jan nasmyth will sell their stake in the company and employees who are shareholders will be given an opportunity to reinvest in argus the companies said mr nasmyth died in 2008
argus is an ideal fit with general atlantics philosophy of supporting entrepreneurs to build global growth businesses gabriel caillaux a general atlantic managing director said in a news release argus data are absolutely essential for its customers day to day operations and the companys recent technology investments position it well within its market
the deal is subject to regulatory approval and is expected to be completed within two months
mr caillaux and john bernstein of general atlantic will join the argus board of directors after the transaction is completed
argus was founded in 1970 as a weekly newsletter covering the petroleum markets in the netherlands the company has 750 full time employees and more than 160 publications
argus will remain independent focused on reporting commodities and continuing to bring transparency to opaque and vital markets mr binks said


zane was the first to disappear followed a few days later by dali freckles was barely breathing when they found him buzzy by the time they rushed him to the hospital his stomach distended had died when the police found mama and her son blacky festering in a parking lot it was already too late the dutch kills cat colony in queens was gone
for nine years barbara garber rebecca wolf and other volunteers have been caring for feral cats on dead end streets at the edge of sunnyside yards like the roughly 500 registered cat colonies across new york city this cluster in long island city queens fluctuates with the seasons and the years cats are regularly abandoned there or simply appear they die of old age or are hit by vehicles on busy jackson avenue some give birth to new litters
while the police departments animal cruelty investigation squad has looked into what might have caused eight cats to disappear or die within two weeks this month the people who have cared for them have their suspicions
around the time the cats living on dutch kills street began to get sick or disappear dozens of large plastic rat traps were scattered outside a new 26 story apartment building halo lic on purves street one block over some of the traps had been cut creating larger openings and clumps of beige poison littered the pavement
if thats not overkill i dont know what is ms garber said last week as she and ms wolf began disassembling the straw lined buckets and plastic foam boxes on dutch kills street that were the cats homes
its an atrocity is what it is ms wolf said there werent even any rats because of the cats
from astoria queens to st george staten island the latest real estate boom has reshaped the city in countless ways just as it is affecting people gentrification is displacing the citys wild animals too vacant lots old factories former warehouses and even shuttered hospitals are being redeveloped forcing colonies of strays to find new habitats
complicating matters for these territorial creatures the same developments that are forcing their colonies to relocate have made it that much harder for their caretakers to find new homes nearby
if they can make room for 10000 people they can make room for a few dozen cats state assemblyman joseph r lentol said at a cat colony neighboring the greenpoint landing development site on the brooklyn waterfront where the keepers of two separate colonies fear encroaching construction
but not all developers have clashed with their four legged neighbors roosevelt island has long been a haven for wildlife when people began arriving at the mitchell lama apartment towers in the 1970s so did their cats
youd get cats that escaped but also people throwing cats out of their cars said rossana ceruzzi a former record and advertising executive who has been caring for the cats and other animals since she moved to the island 16 years ago one guy came down and pretended to be taking pictures and when i turned around he let a cat out of his backpack and ran
some 70 cats live in four colonies on the two mile long island among the greatest source of felines was the former goldwater hospital where many nurses and patients kept them as pets when cornell university took over the site about three years ago for its campus with israels technion institute ms ceruzzi asked the schools to help rescue and relocate the animals
cornell has a world class veterinary school its a land grant university and this is just part of those values 100 percent andrew winters the director of capital projects at cornell tech said
in addition to a few cats ms ceruzzi a state certified wildlife rehabilitator rescued some raccoons and a family of opossums about 20 cats now live in a fenced in section of southpoint park which opened in 2011
ms ceruzzi has found others less to be accommodating when construction began on four freedoms park in 2010 at the islands southern tip she was understandably denied access and while the monumental expanse of granite designed by louis kahn has become a popular destination ms ceruzzi said that many of the fauna that once visited are gone including a family of pheasants and a yellow fox
stephen martin director of design and planning at four freedoms said that the site was a toxic landfill overgrown with weeds its true were not putting out kibbles n bits for anyone but the memorial is an ecological sanctuary in its own right with gulls and crabs and cormorants calling our riparian shoreline home he said
new yorkers have long cared for strays in alleys bodegas and even some of the most rarefied addresses   for many years a courtyard of the san remo on central park west housed as many as 75 cats many of those underwent a practice known as trap neuter return since the passage of local law 59 by the city council in 2012 that has been the sanctioned method for dealing with the citys wild cats
that method has been in practice for years at a colony of two dozen cats at a lot on 37th street near 11th avenue in manhattan like so many parcels in and around hudson yards this one is now poised to become part of a 1005 foot 3 billion office tower being developed by tishman speyer the real estate firm that controls the chrysler building and rockefeller center
when corey johnson the local councilman was contacted by the colonys caretakers he immediately turned to kathryn wylde president of the partnership for new york city a pro business group those were not the connections he was after though she is also a cat fancier
i was showing off my new cat at the state of the city last year and kathy overheard and immediately took out her phone to show off hers mr johnson recalled
ms wylde estimates she has rescued as many as 100 cats a longtime friend of the speyers she arranged a meeting between them and the colony caretakers and they are working to find a new home for the cats   a challenge given the booming development on the west side
ms wylde would prefer the city establish a feral cat sanctuary
a lot of peoples knee jerk reaction is just oh get them off the streets and find them a good home ms wylde said as people working in welfare know its hard enough to find homes for homeless people nowadays
in long island city where tishman speyer is building three apartment towers things have been less tame when the developer started work on the towers last year it received permission from the city to turn the end of orchard street into a staging area some 16 cats under ms garber and ms wolfs care lived there they were soon joined by generators pumps pipes hoses and heavy machinery which crushed most of the cat shelters
ms garber has since moved the cats under a metal staircase across from the site but only about half a dozen remain
the city issued three violations to the contractor last week after a reporter contacted the buildings department about whether work on the street was allowed two of the violations   insufficient pedestrian protections and having a generator too close to a fire hydrant   were deemed class 1 or immediately hazardous
tishman speyer declined to comment
ms garber and ms wolf are still trying to find out what happened on dutch kills street the police department has concluded its investigation without a culprit because mama and blacky were disposed of before a necropsy could be performed
phone calls to the offices of the rabsky group the brooklyn based developer of the halo lic were not returned a man who answered a cellphone number listed on building documents under the name rafael rabinowitz a member of the firm said he was not rafael rabinowitz
i dont know anything about any dead cats the man said im not involved in any of this stuff


angelina jolie pitt the oscar winning actress and special envoy for the united nations refugee agency has taken on a new role university professor
ms jolie pitt will join the london school of economics center for women peace and security as one of four visiting professors in a new masters program that starts taking applicants in the fall according to a statement released on monday by the university one of britains most renowned academic institutions ms jolies work there will include delivering guest lectures and taking part in workshops as a visiting professor in practice
ms jolie pitt was appointed along with william hague with whom she founded the preventing sexual violence in conflict initiative in 2012 when mr hague was the british foreign secretary
i am very encouraged by the creation of this masters program ms jolie pitt said in the statement i hope other academic institutions will follow this example as it is vital that we broaden the discussion on how to advance womens rights and end impunity for crimes that disproportionately affect women such as sexual violence in conflict
ms jolie pitt who is married to the actor brad pitt and has six children said she was looking forward to sharing her experiences working with governments and the united nations she has been involved in humanitarian work with the united nations high commissioner for refugees for more than a decade taking on some of the most difficult issues related to conflict refugees women and sexual violence as a goodwill ambassador and a special envoy
her duties have been interspersed with her acting roles in films like wanted salt maleficent and kung fu panda among others and her directing work in by the sea unbroken and in the land of blood and honey she won an academy award for best supporting actress for girl interrupted 1999 her activities have fostered a surreal dichotomy in her public persona as she is photographed on red carpets and in refugee camps
in an op ed article in the new york times last year ms jolie pitt described a visit to a refugee camp in the dohuk province of iraq for many years i have visited camps and every time i sit in a tent and hear stories i try my best to give support she wrote on this trip i was speechless
what do you say to a mother with tears streaming down her face who says her daughter is in the hands of the islamic state or isis and that she wishes she were there too
she has recently waded into the global migrant crisis saying in london last week that she has been very disheartened by the response of the united states and that she feared countries would adopt increasingly isolationist policies the associated press reported she said worries about uncontrolled immigration had given a false air of legitimacy to those who promote politics of fear and separation
in its statement on monday the london school of economics gave no details about ms jolies specific teaching duties or how often she would be on campus it said the new masters program included courses titled women peace and security gender and militarization and gender and human rights students will conduct research on preventing sexual violence in conflicts and on women peace and security
the other two visiting professors were jane connors an amnesty international advocacy director and madeleine rees the secretary general of the womens international league for peace and freedom
critics of some of the summit meetings organized by the preventing sexual violence in conflict initiative have said they cost more to conduct than britains government commits in spending to prosecute rape in conflict zones the guardian reported in 2015
when she was named a goodwill ambassador for unhcr in 2001 ms jolie said she wanted to get involved because it was impossible to ignore the fact that millions of people were suffering worldwide
i honestly want to help she said i dont believe i feel differently from other people i think we all want justice and equality a chance for a life with meaning


ramallah west bank   the israeli military authorities on monday allowed building supplies to start flowing into gaza again lifting a suspension that had blocked work for more than a month on thousands of houses destroyed in the 2014 summer war
israel had suspended deliveries on april 4 after accusing emad al baz an official in gazas economic ministry of diverting the supplies away from the work they were earmarked for rebuilding private citizens homes other projects like those overseen by the united nations were not affected by the suspension
about 90 truckloads of cement were expected to cross into gaza on monday according to the office of the special coordinator for the peace process that is around the average amount that had entered daily before the suspension according to figures provided by the office
the suspension halted work on 5095 houses and apartments out of about 17800 that were made uninhabitable during the war which killed more than 2100 palestinians and 70 israelis
about 4065 damaged or destroyed homes have been rebuilt according to united nations figures
the plodding pace of reconstruction for the most severely damaged houses has become a pressing matter for palestinians many of the poorest displaced families languish in trailers and shacks waiting to rebuild and thousands of others are crammed into rental apartments
the suspension of deliveries prompted criticism of hamas the militant group that dominates gaza by some palestinians who faulted it for constructing attack tunnels into israel at a time when they could not rebuild their homes
under a system set up after the 2014 war israel allows building supplies into gaza for civilian use in a process overseen by the united nations that also involves the western backed palestinian authority and the hamas dominated gaza administration
before the suspension was lifted naji sarhan the deputy housing minister in gaza had denied that hamas was diverting cement and other materials meant for residential reconstruction he said that vendors were selling the supplies on the black market and that mr baz had confiscated illegally sold materials
even so the suspension was not lifted until the gaza government had given back the supplies it was accused of diverting and had removed mr baz from his post according to a statement by the israeli government agency that deals with civil affairs in the palestinian territories
mr sarhan wrote in an email that the resumption was good news for the people of gaza
gaza is in need for more than a million tons of cement he said it would take years for the territory to be reconstructed he said even if cement came in uninterrupted
the united nations promised to station inspectors on the palestinian side of a gaza border crossing to keep a closer eye on incoming supplies the israeli statement said
all sides need to ensure that cement is delivered according to agreed lists and is used solely for civilian purposes nickolay mladenov the united nations special coordinator for the middle east peace process said in a statement individuals or groups seeking to benefit from the deviation of construction materials   for corruption or other reasons   selfishly compound the suffering of their own people and sow the seeds of future violence


miami   the sign from god and the virgin mary came near the end of their perilous sun scorched journey from cuba to florida a dozen or so dolphins swam up to their home built overloaded sailboat dipping in and out of the water guiding them they felt toward a reimagined future
its true we are blessed rolando quintero ferrer 27 one of the 12 passengers on the boat said on his video recording of the voyage what a beautiful thing nobody will get close to us now
the omen proved true after five days of being stuffed in the boat like cigarettes in a hard pack including 24 hours on an uninhabited islet the men sailed right up to a dock in tavernier in the florida keys it was 420 am they scrambled out pointed to the parking signs in english hollered and wept they then took out a cellphone and knowing they would be welcomed dialed 911 a trick gleaned from american television
look at this great water yosvanys chinea a 42 year old carpenter joked as he held up a bottle the police had handed him when they arrived its already curing my parasites something that for me hadnt happened in 42 years
since president obama renewed diplomatic ties with the island in december 2014 cuba has undergone significant change airplane travel between miami and havana is booming cubans are expanding private microbusinesses with the help of stateside relatives one thing that has not changed however is the desperation of cubans to set sail in rickety boats for the united states   a sign that fears are increasing not decreasing as cubans worry that protections not available to other immigrants offering them legal status are in danger of being rescinded
since oct 1 more than 3500 cubans have either made it to the shores of the united states allowing them to stay here legally or been picked up at sea by the coast guard and sent home the numbers arriving this year may reach numbers not seen since the balsero exodus of the 1990s
they come for two reasons life in cuba remains incalculably difficult especially for those outside the hustle and bustle of havana freedom of expression remains severely limited and wages can be as low as 16 to 22 a month
they are also motivated by panic they believe that congress is ready to repeal the 1966 cuban adjustment act which gives cubans a unique privilege   automatic residency one year and a day after their arrival in the country attempts at a repeal have so far been unsuccessful but anti immigrant sentiment in washington makes it a possibility especially because cubans are now viewed here as economic rather than political migrants
coast guard officials said cubans had become more aggressive in trying to evade capture they at times jump in the sea or refuse to board the coast guard cutters on friday as the coast guard approached 19 cubans scrambled off their boat and swam to a lighthouse five miles off the florida keys they eventually climbed down and will most likely be taken right back to cuba two months ago six cubans on a boat had gunshot wounds and said they had been attacked in the florida straits but all the bullets managed to miss major organs prompting skepticism
we have had cases in the past of self inflicted gunshots and there is more noncompliance petty officer mark barney of the coast guard said often they continue going and refuse to let us get them off the boats it is a safety issue there are cases all the time where people are found in the water alive dead migrants gone missing
this group of cubans said they too had a plan to dodge the authorities we would all jump in the water and try to swim away mr quintero said
but first they had to get off the island no small task for a group of cubans from florencia a hilly tobacco producing area close to the center of the island the group formed slowly in an underground game of who wants out and who can you trust
it is illegal and dangerous to leave cuba by boat so many kept their plans hidden even from relatives a reflection of the secrecy surrounding these journeys which often take months or years to organize and require money ingenuity and courage
they formed a motley group several farmers a carpenter a tattoo artist a funeral home worker and a dj who doubled as a distributor of the paquetes   the black market recordings of american and latin american movies television and news shows that are pirated off satellite dishes
asael veloso a 34 year old farmer tried to leave three years ago he sold everything and hitched a ride with another bunch of so called balseros but their raft was captured eight hours from cuba and he returned home with less than he had left with
everyone contributed mr chinea the carpenter and edel sanchez spent 20 days building the sailboat in a tobacco drying house from scraps of wood the small boat was designed for six people and ended up sailing with 12 a couple helped sail and navigate a few had money or muscle power some had connections
getting the sailboat to the shore was tricky the men managed to find a tractor to pull the boat camouflaged by palm fronds to the coast when the weather looked good but the tractor could not haul the boat up a steep hill so in the middle of the night in the middle of nowhere the men had to find a second tractor to push it
they finally arrived on the shore at punta de judas on april 17 at 6 am on board they had 31 gallons of water juice powdered milk cans of sweetened condensed milk and piles of crackers and nuts they wore floppy hats and long sleeves and used blankets to cover themselves from the sun they had made six oars from tree branches
most important they had three smartphones mr quintero had jury rigged a computer battery to charge the phones during the journey this meant the men had something invaluable   gps to guide them to florida
inside the sailboat they layered tightly although most cubans disdain religion the men did not hesitate to ask dios for his blessings
i made promises to everyone to god to la virgen de la caridad del cobre mr quintero said referring to the patron saint of balseros
they would need them for two terrifying days they could not clear cuban waters
we left with the current and the wind against us said onelio rodriguez a baby faced 26 year old farmer but god is beautiful
they slept smoked cigarettes played latin music bantered about girlfriends and children poked fun at one another   especially at the man who got severely seasick the moment he boarded and scarcely moved during the five day journey   and ate nuts and crackers they also argued   over who would row who could sleep at night who was hogging space
we laughed at our own misery which is how we survive in cuba said mr sanchez 43 a farmer on the boat he joked that he already knew what his first american wish would be he never again wanted to see crackers nuts or cuba
soon after clearing cuba they landed on rocky cayo anguilla an uninhabited bahamian islet to get some rest they hid their boat in the brush and quickly discovered they had company another group of cubans was there too and in worse shape so the men shared their food and water and even caught a fish they cooked in seawater they had a sleepless night the islet was covered in opossum size rats
all night we had to fight them off mr rodriguez said one walked across me while i slept
the next day they carried the boat back to shore shimmied an american flag up the mast and sailed the wind died and they worried but mr quintero said god was just trying to protect us
luck had been on their side they had not seen the coast guard or hit a storm which can doom these crossings that was when the dolphins greeted them and their optimism swelled vamos a coronar mr veloso said describing their arrival and the cold beer that awaited them
the gps flashed that they were 18 miles from the florida keys the men started to row in the darkness finally they spotted a sea wall along a beach in tavernier and spied a dock they sailed to it and pulled out the phone
police officers showed up and the cubans took photos with them unfurling their american flag
the next morning they were whisked to the migration and refugee services offices run by the conference of catholic bishops the center fills out paperwork for arriving cubans and for those without relatives feeds and puts them up in motels until they can be relocated to other states cuban migrants and refugees have been resettled around the country for decades so no one area bears the economic burden of helping them start new lives
the quality inn in doral west of miami felt close to heaven for the men air conditioning television with dozens of channels more eggs and meat than they had seen in forever
half of the group would soon be destined for las vegas the other half for austin tex where they will look for work the centers resettlement programs have a 70 to 90 percent success rate in finding jobs said juan f lopez an associate director for the refugee services group
this is a country of laws but we say lets look at this from the humane standpoint mr lopez said we cant afford people getting here and going straight on public assistance
nearly two weeks after their arrival the men sat on a sea wall in miamis biscayne bay where they paid tribute at a shrine to la virgen de la caridad del cobre
mr chinea the carpenter thought about his wife and two sons back in florencia his eyes welling up he gave thanks now he said he could help them
we are so lucky to have arrived he said i have more here in eight days than i ever had in my 42 years in cuba
his five years of waiting and planning had paid off what you have here is a nest of hope he said what you have there is a nest of scorpions


by donald trumps reckoning his relationship with wall street could not be better
i am friends with all the major banks he said in an interview they are dying to do business with me
the presumptive republican nominee recently tapped steven t mnuchin a former goldman sachs partner and chairman and chief executive of dune capital management a private investment firm as his national finance chairman carl c icahn the billionaire activist shareholder was an early supporter thomas j barrack jr founder and executive chairman of the private equity firm colony capital is scheduled to host a los angeles fund raiser later this month mr mnuchin said
i think we will have very broad support mr mnuchin said of the financial community
still an examination of financial records and interviews with nearly two dozen executives at financial firms show that mr trumps relationship with the financial industry is far more nuanced than he suggests
while some bankers said they had a personal relationship with mr trump a majority of those interviewed about him said they had never met him and either had not done business with him or would not do so because of past dealings that did not end well
this month mr trump submitted a financial disclosure report that was released by the federal election commission in that document there was no indication that entities associated with mr trump had lending relationships with most of the countrys biggest banks including citigroup jpmorgan chase goldman sachs and morgan stanley
one of his largest banking relationships is with ladder capital a small new york firm that typically extends mortgages in amounts below what generally interests the big wall street banks
his roots and connections on wall street are fairly shallow said roy c smith a former partner at goldman sachs who teaches finance at new york university
this observation may play well with mr trumps supporters who have flocked to him in part because he is not part of the establishment though mr trump this month recruited mr mnuchin to lead his fund raising effort hillary clinton the democratic front runner has made millions of dollars giving paid speeches to corporations banks and other organizations including goldman sachs drawing fire from her opponents
part of the reason mr trump has fewer recent dealings with wall street stems from a change in his business model the casino empire that resulted in huge losses more than a billion dollars in debt and hard feelings across wall street is gone he also expanded into fee generating marketing agreements which are not capital intensive and which banks typically do not lend large sums of money against
ivanka trump executive vice president for development and acquisitions at the trump organization said the company was no longer interested in taking on huge amounts of debt
we get a tremendous amount of calls from lenders across all the major banks looking to lend against our assets and pitch their firms for future acquisitions and development opportunities were looking at she said in an interview but we have very little interest in borrowing at this point so we have almost no leverage across our portfolio
still mr trump recently said he loved debt referring to himself on cnn as the king of debt it is not known how much debt mr trumps company has or what percentage of its assets is encumbered by debt because neither mr trump nor his company which is privately held will release that information he says he is worth 11 billion and has 1 billion in cash on hand i dont need money and now i have over a billion dollars in cash so i just do my own financing he said
currently 14 entities with ties to mr trump owe banks in excess of 315 million according to the disclosures released by the federal election commission the actual amount of debt is not known and is higher   presidential candidates are required to reveal only debt of 50 million or above without further specificity for instance a ladder capital loan secured by a lease at 40 wall street is for 160 million
brian harris a founder and chief executive of ladder capital said his firm also lent mr trump 100 million in 2012 on trump tower on fifth avenue both those loans are listed simply as being higher than 50 million on the documents released by the federal election commission
in 2014 deutsche bank agreed to lend the trump organization up to 170 million to finance the gut renovation of the soon to be opened trump international hotel a building a few blocks from the white house that was once washingtons stunning old post office the loan was not disclosed on the first financial form mr trump submitted in july 2015 but it was on his most recent filing 
donald f mcgahn a lawyer at jones day and former chairman of the federal election commission who is representing mr trump said the construction loan was not initially disclosed because the trump organization had not drawn down on it as of the date listed on the 2015 federal election commission filing as a result no liability then existed he said
according to guidance from the federal office of government ethics an untapped line of credit does not have to be reported as a liability
mr trumps complicated history with wall street goes back to the early 1990s when three of his casinos ran into financial trouble the trump taj mahal filed for bankruptcy creditors often ended up with pennies on the dollar and the failures soured mr trumps relationship with a number of banks
at one point mr trump was responsible for about 900 million personally before his businesses were restructured several bankers on wall street say they are simply not willing to take on what they almost uniformly referred to as donald risk
another risk with dealing with mr trump is his proclivity to sue deutsche bank got a taste of his litigious side in 2008 when he sued it and a group of other financial institutions to avoid paying the 40 million that he had personally guaranteed on a 640 million construction loan connected to the trump international hotel  tower in chicago
things went awry when deutsche bank asserted in late 2008 that part of the construction loan was due and payable
mr trump asked the lenders for more time to pay because of the financial crisis he argued that the crisis was essentially an act of god allowing him to invoke the force majeure or extraordinary event clause in his contract with the bank he also demanded that deutsche bank instead pay him 3 billion in damages
deutsche bank countersued mr trump demanding repayment of the loan this action is an attempt by donald j trump   a self proclaimed master of negotiation and deal making   to avoid living up to the deal he reached with deutsche bank in 2005 the bank said in a legal filing this suit is classic trump
the two sides ultimately reached an agreement and the original construction loan has since been repaid in full dune capital mr mnuchins firm was part of the lending group led by deutsche bank we were happy with the outcome and it had no impact on our relationship he said
in 2012 deutsche bank and mr trump started down a new path together on the trump international hotel and tower which is now finished and stands on the site of the old chicago sun times building it was also a site of protests in march on a night of clashes that resulted in mr trumps canceling a campaign rally it included a new loan valued at 25 million to 50 million according to his federal disclosure statement
mr trump does list an additional liability connected to the chicago tower   this one in excess of 50 million   on his financial disclosure form
this loan oddly is not from a bank but is housed in a limited liability company controlled by mr trump himself
in the interview with the new york times mr trump said he bought this particular loan back from a group of banks several years ago instead of retiring it he decided to keep it outstanding and he pays interest on it to himself the llc is valued on mr trumps financial statements as practically worthless despite holding a multimillion dollar loan
we dont assess any value to it because we dont care mr trump said i have the mortgage that is all there is very simple i am the bank
jason d greenblatt chief legal officer for the trump organization would not explain why the loan was not simply paid off after the company bought it
i am not sure its appropriate for us to discuss our sort of internal financial reasoning behind transactions in the press he said its really personal corporate trade secrets if you will neither newsworthy or frankly anybodys business
as for mr harris of ladder capital he had nothing but positive things to say about mr trump as a borrower
ive read all the stories youve read but ive never had a default mr harris said ladder capital happens to employ jack weisselberg the son of allen weisselberg chief financial officer of the trump organization
ive never had to call him and say you missed a payment or you have a loan coming due   not at all mr harris added he borrows money he gets a schedule to pay us back and he does it theres no additional concerns because hes donald trump
if there were any prevailing doubts of his stature on wall street mr trump said the chief executive at deutsche bank could easily allay it
why dont you call the head of deutsche bank her name is rosemary vrablic he said in the recent interview she is the boss
ms vrablic is a private wealth manager at deutsche bank in new york she is not the companys chief executive john cryan holds that role both declined to comment on mr trump


it has been a cold spring for the forces militating against a donald j trump presidency
the closer the real estate mogul draws to the republican party nomination the fewer the remaining sources of solace but one consistent theme has been the notion that the primary and the general election are as different as night and day
i could be wrong but id be willing to make a pretty major bet that trumps not going to win mike murphy a veteran republican political strategist said on msnbc last week
about 28 million people will vote in the republican primaries mr murphy said in dismissing the winning hype surrounding mr trump compared with the 125 million expected to cast ballots in the general election
hes entering a whole different world of voter demography he said
it may be worth noting that mr murphy has long had ties to the republican establishment which has struggled to come to terms with mr trumps ascendancy his last major bet involved the failed candidacy of jeb bush the former florida governor and he ran the 100 million plus super pac that supported his run
a new york timescbs news poll released last week undercut mr murphys argument showing a close matchup between mr trump and hillary clinton the former senator and secretary of state should she win the democratic party nomination
over all mrs clinton leads mr trump 47 percent to 41 percent according to the times poll
but far more telling is how each candidate forms a coalition mrs clinton wins majorities of groups that have seen their freedoms and share of the nations resources grow in recent decades   women african americans hispanics
mr trump wins majorities of groups that have experienced a relative decline   whites and men
the anxiety of white men may not be a viable long term fuel source for the political right but in the polls telling it may be good enough for right now
the polls offer a way of framing the election as a referendum on how white men see their place in a changing country and one layer beneath on whether they perceive themselves as being joined by women and minorities or rather as being replaced by them
in those parts of the country where change has advanced the furthest people speak often about diversity and multiculturalism and inclusion and they think of themselves as speaking about a great joining the formerly marginal coming up onstage with those who were once dominant
yet there is some evidence that a sizable number of white men see the push toward diversity along with the larger changes it telegraphs as less about joining and more about replacement and a country that is less hospitable to them
that sentiment is perhaps expressed in a quote widely circulated online in these discussions though the origin is unknown when youre accustomed to privilege equality feels like oppression
for instance half of american men a plurality in this case believed that society had grown too soft and feminine the public religion research institute found more than two thirds of trump supporters felt this way according to the poll
similarly 64 percent of trump supporters reported feeling bothered when dealing with immigrants who speak little or no english   even as 64 percent of americans over all said they felt the opposite
and when it comes to the focus of their government a majority of trump supporters believed that the needs of african americans and other minorities commandeered too much attention   even as 63 percent of americans over all disagreed
together such numbers point to a feeling among many white men of being shoved aside a sense that society is growing more feminine increasing numbers of people speak a different language immigrants are pouring in unchecked and the government is more concerned about other demographic groups
arguments of this kind have floated around on white supremacist websites for years but watered down versions of that sentiment are now swirling in the mainstream of american politics
which vision will most animate the white men who are at the center of this election the feeling of being joined or of being replaced


what in the world offers you glimpses of what our journalists are observing around the globe let us know what you think whatintheworldnytimescom
which household gadget do people in south korea believe can kill you
a microwave
b blender
c electric fan
d portable cd player
the correct answer is c
it sounds like the plot of an x files episode people are said to have died merely from leaving their electric fans blowing overnight but across south korea many people believe the whirring blades can cause death   and to address those fears manufacturers equip fans with sleep timers
how exactly might the electric breeze kill theories abound in south korea among them that the cold air circulating in a sealed room could cause hypothermia leading to organ failure or maybe they suck out the oxygen causing suffocation some fear that the fan itself converts oxygen molecules into carbon dioxide
for the record none of these theories are true but that has not stopped the korean news media from reporting on supposed fan deaths even the government has endorsed the lethal breeze idea in 2006 the state funded korean consumer protection board listed asphyxiation from electric fans and air conditioners as one of the top five recurring summer accidents
the agency warned
according to the advisory there were 20 cases of fan asphyxiation between 2003 and 2005 to prevent asphyxiation it said timers should be set wind direction should be rotated and doors should be left open
among dubious koreans and well everyone outside samsungs homeland it is widely suspected that fan death was a ruse hatched by the countrys former authoritarian government in the 1970s to discourage citizens from using too much electricity the country has since been transformed into a thriving democracy but the myth proved to be a match for electric fans it survived


the tribune publishing company is testing gannetts limits
the publisher of the chicago tribune and the los angeles times has rejected both of gannetts takeover proposals the latest valued at nearly double the price of tribunes stock before news of their potential combination first surfaced in april
on monday in rejecting that latest bid tribune publishing raised the pressure saying it would issue almost five million shares to an investor who has agreed to side with the chairman michael w ferro jr on major issues the investor nant capital and a fund run by mr ferro combine to control nearly one third of tribune shares
separately a firm that is vital in wrangling shareholder votes rebutted gannetts takeover efforts by encouraging tribune publishing investors to vote in favor of its board
gannett responded on monday by saying it needed to review whether to proceed with the offer after its shareholders meeting next week in other words gannett could very well choose to walk away
the back and forth which has been intensifying since late april has many shareholders scratching their heads
the difference between truth and fiction is that fiction has to make sense and this doesnt make a lot of sense said bill smead the chief executive and chief investment officer of smead capital management which owns about 5 percent of gannett shares
gannett publisher of usa today sweetened its offer for tribune publishing a week ago to 15 a share from the 1225 offer that tribune rejected in early may tribune publishing said in a statement on monday that it had thoroughly evaluated gannetts latest proposal and determined that it was not in the best interest of its shareholders
that rejection came with some firepower in the form of a 705 million investment by nant capital founded by patrick soon shiong a billionaire who has started several health care companies and is a part owner of the los angeles lakers basketball team tribune publishing agreed to issue nant capital 47 million shares at 15 each to support the companys stand alone strategy the company announced on monday tribune publishing shares traded about 20 percent below that price on monday
nant capital has agreed to vote its shares in favor of tribune publishings election of directors and said in the case of a takeover or change in control nant would vote proportionately to how all other shares of tribune were voting
dr soon shiong was also invited to join the board of tribune publishing as vice chairman a role that will start on june 2
tribune publishings largest shareholder is merrick ventures the private equity firm founded by mr ferro
the new investment appears to offset the influence of oaktree capital management a los angeles fund that had been in favor of exploring a potential combination of the two companies oaktree was tribune publishings second largest shareholder until the investment by nant capital
oaktree capital management has urged the board in a letter filed with the securities and exchange commission to establish an independent committee to consider gannetts proposal
john b frank oaktrees vice chairman said that mr ferro had not been acting for all shareholders he detailed motives by mr ferro like his unwillingness to engage with gannett unless he personally got a piece of the action
mr ferro had been willing to negotiate with gannett only if he were able to have a significant role in the combined company and to become its largest shareholder the letter said citing a gannett proxy filing
in response to oaktree justin c dearborn the chief executive of tribune publishing said that no such committee is appropriate or necessary mr dearborn pointed to an offer by a private independent party to acquire oaktrees tribune shares for 15 each which oaktree declined
our entire board is perplexed by the apparently coordinated behavior of gannett and oaktree and we question oaktrees underlying motives mr dearborn said
those shareholders who disagree with mr ferros strategy may have little recourse because gannett missed the window to nominate its own directors to tribune publishings board gannett decided to solicit so called withhold votes this tactic aimed to put pressure on tribune publishing to entertain the offer asks shareholders to boycott their votes as a symbolic way of showing their dissatisfaction
gannetts plan however did not get much support from an influential proxy advisory firm institutional shareholder services which recommended that tribune publishing shareholders vote in favor of the companys board at the annual meeting next month iss said that the board has grounds for declining to engage on an offer with an eye popping premium to the market
the market price itself may not have fairly represented the intrinsic value of the company   let alone its prospects under the revised strategic plan being formulated by its new leadership the iss report said
gannett said in a statement on monday that it would review whether to proceed with its acquisition offer after it received the results from the withhold vote campaign
gannett has been looking to acquire tribune since at least mid april as part of its strategy to consolidate the newspaper industry to extract costs and streamline operations
it may not be willing to bid much higher than 15 when it could turn around and find another target analysts and investors said
gannett investors like us thought it was great if you could buy them at a nice price but theres many more fish in the sea as you consolidate this industry mr smead said
tribune publishing on the other hand has been investing in technology like artificial intelligence to increase its revenue
as part of the investment with nant capital tribune publishing will receive access to 100 machine vision and artificial intelligence patents for news purposes according to the term sheet that tribune publishing signed with nantworks dr soon shiongs company tribune publishing will be able to keep the first 80 million in revenue from those patents and will have to pay nantworks a 6 percent royalty on revenue thereafter
even though tribune publishing rejected the increased offer it did invite gannett to sign a mutual nondisclosure agreement by which it could start due diligence and discussions to see whether a transaction could be negotiated mondays statement showed gannett may not be apt to sign the document however if it precludes soliciting shareholder votes in the future
methuselah advisors has been advising gannett as has the law firm skadden arps slate meagher  flom goldman sachs and lazard are providing financial advice to tribune publishing with kirkland  ellis on the legal side


as the american airlines flight swooped in over new york harbor on its way into la guardia airport one evening last month joe howell grabbed the microphone and began his tour
for those of you on the left hand side just off the wing youll see the statue of liberty on liberty island mr howell began his baritone carrying all the authority of his 44 years as a flight attendant the statue of liberty opened originally in 1886 grover cleveland was the presiding president
this went on for several minutes against a smattering of groans he offered details of the statues copper plates there are 500 handmade the birthplace of the designer alsace and liberty islands original name bedloes island
now if you look on the manhattan side of the brooklyn bridge along the east river he added that is the south street seaport
unlike checked bags and exit row seating the aerial tour was free
mr howells routine is a relic of a bygone age when air travel was something anticipated not endured and flight attendants did more than look out for safety and delivered more than peanuts and tomato juice they used to think of themselves according to those like mr howell with long enough memories as hosts and hostesses of an exclusive party
but in todays age of consolidation when even the uniforms have lost their elan much of that individual charm has worn off
still some flight attendants are not going gently they are still doing what they can to keep passengers entertained or informed beyond pushing a button to play the video recordings of the in flight safety videos
consider jack sullivan a southwest airways flight attendant who impersonates elvis complete with the sunglasses and scarves
or the spirit airlines flight attendant who has taken to singing safety instructions to the tune of john denvers leaving on a jet plane
but few can match the worldwide appeal of marty cobb a 10 year southwest airlines flight attendant after a video of her comedic spinoff of the mundane safety directions spread quickly online in 2014
it has since been viewed on youtube more than 22 million times and led to appearances for her on national television including this seasons the amazing race on cbs
ms cobb said the video was nothing out of the ordinary for her
i always like to make people laugh and smile she said in a telephone interview it just made it a lot more fun for me and our crew and everybody else that really and truly is sort of old school southwest
but she acknowledged that others were not as willing to showcase their personalities for reasons that often boil down to not wanting to offend a few customers not her
the good outweighs the bad ms cobb said not everybody is going to think im funny thats just the way it is i think some people are afraid to do that because they dont want to cause any attention and theyre afraid theyre going to offend somebody
not all airlines are enamored of such displays of personality delta and american which declined to make mr howell available for comment said in statements that the airline appreciated it when flight attendants humanized their interactions but that flight attendants were reminded that less was more when it came to in flight announcements
translation stick to the script
and never has it been easier to ensure uniformity with many announcements made by video or automated technology
kara mulder a flight attendant with norwegian airlines who runs a popular blog theflightattendantlifecom said there seemed to be a cookie cutter mentality in air travel today which is why recordings have replaced some of the more personal touches
a lot of the legacy carriers dont want the liability of differences ms mulder said they want it to be a certain standard and an easy way to make it the standard is to automate everything
there is little disagreement that a flight attendants primary focus is on safety to some that leaves no room for shtick
i wear a uniform for a reason said heather poole a flight attendant and author of cruising attitude tales of crashpads crew drama and crazy passengers at 35000 feet passengers need to know i work for the airline they need to know who to go to when theres a problem and they also need to have confidence that i can handle an emergency
still in the view of some airlines flight attendants can do their job and express themselves
paul berry a spokesman for spirit said the airline encouraged its flight attendants to use their personalities as much as possible as long as they covered the mandatory information the no frills airline caters mostly to leisure travelers few of its customers are the corporate business travelers who tend to get annoyed with the fun announcements mr berry said
we ask our flight attendants to gauge the passengers and the cabin and make a decision if that particular flight would be more accepting of fun announcements or not mr berry said if the cabin seems like they are up for some fun theyre encouraged to go for it
a spokeswoman for southwest also said that the company considered its crew to be its in flight entertainment and that it hired flight attendants primarily because of their attitude
that was certainly the case with mr sullivan southwests elvis who did in fact begin his entertainment career as an impersonator on the las vegas strip when he applied for a job with southwest eight years ago he decided to keep his resume vague
i thought they were going to think theyve got some nut flying around mr sullivan said
nonetheless southwest apparently loved mr sullivans act and he has been singing elvis tunes like in the ghetto on flights ever since with crew members as backup dancers
like ms cobb mr sullivan fretted that such a mentality was disappearing from air travel as more airlines favor professionalism over high jinks in the cabin but he said he keeps letters and emails from passengers over the years who have appreciated his attempt at lightening up a stressful flight
one of his favorite stories in fact took place when a traveler started eyeing him while he was in the middle of a rousing rendition of viva las vegas finally she took out her phone to show him a picture
she found a picture of her standing with me back when i was performing in vegas in my elvis costume mr sullivan said i thought ok ive made it


eastleigh england   leaving the european union would amount to economic self destruction for britain prime minister david cameron said on monday presenting a treasury report that warned of a recession a decline in the value of the pound and half a million lost jobs
mr cameron and george osborne the chancellor of the exchequer who are campaigning for britain to stay in the european union in the referendum on june 23 have also warned that home values would fall and that britons would face costlier foreign holidays if they voted to leave the bloc
speaking a month before the vote mr cameron said that leaving the european union would jeopardize britains recovery from the economic damage caused by the world financial crisis
it would be like surviving a fall and then running straight back to the cliff edge mr cameron said at an event at the headquarters of a home improvement chain in southern england
recent opinion polls have shown voters are leaning toward remaining in the european union but the outcome remains too close to call
some polls have shown that the economy is growing in importance as an issue for voters something that opponents of european union membership have sought to counter by arguing that the only way to slow levels of migration and avoid economic stagnation is to leave the bloc
the analysis published by the treasury on monday said the economy could be as much as 6 percent smaller two years after a brexit as leaving the european union is known than if the country decided to stay in the bloc
mr osborne also speaking at the event on monday said that britain would lose at least half a million jobs within two years of a vote to leave and that a fall in the value of the pound estimated at 12 percent to 15 percent would push up inflation sharply
the campaign backing a british exit said the treasury had consistently produced flawed reports describing the latest analysis as biased because it provided no details about the possible advantages of leaving the bloc nor about the potential consequences that would come with a crisis in the eurozone
what theyve done is they assumed a disaster and then spelled out the details nigel lawson a chancellor of the exchequer in 1980s under prime minister margaret thatcher told the bbc theyve done this in order to scare the pants off the british people because they cant find anything positive to say about the european union
mr osborne defended the credibility of the report saying it had been reviewed by charlie bean a former deputy governor of the bank of england
the forecast of a yearlong recession was gloomier than a warning by the bank of englands governor mark carney who said this month that britains economy could enter a recession   defined as two consecutive calendar quarters of contraction   after a vote to leave the european union


baltimore   the acquittal monday of a police officer charged in the arrest of freddie gray the black man who suffered a fatal spinal cord injury while in police custody last year immediately renewed questions of whether any of the six police officers charged in the case would be convicted in connection with his death
officer edward m neros acquittal on four charges for his role in the opening moments of mr grays arrest was a second blow to the prosecutions sweeping case announced as baltimore was still seething after the unrest following mr grays death in april 2015 the first trial against officer william g porter ended in a hung jury in december touching off legal maneuvers that brought proceedings against the officers to a temporary halt
but legal experts said judge barry g williamss finding was a narrow one that does not forestall the possibility of convictions against other officers charged in the case they said judge williamss ruling turned not on a wholesale rejection of prosecutors broad legal theory but rather on his determination that officer nero 30 was a bit player in mr grays arrest
judge williams who ruled on the case after the officer opted to forgo a jury trial said in his verdict that there were other officers who played   or who could have reasonably been expected to play   a bigger role in the encounter and while that is no guarantee that other officers will be found guilty it is those officers who will stand trial in the coming months
the judge did seem to create a hierarchy of responsibility and say that officer nero was at the bottom said david jaros a professor of law at the university of baltimore who has been watching the case now lets see as we go up whether or not anyone else is sufficiently responsible as to be criminally liable
judge williams read his verdict matter of factly while officer nero stared straight ahead
there has been no information presented at this trial that the defendant intended for any crime to happen judge williams said
at the conclusion of his 30 minute explanation he added the verdict on each count is not guilty officer nero rose to his feet and wiped away tears as his supporters   including officer garrett e miller who is also charged in the case   moved in to embrace him
outside the courthouse perhaps a dozen protesters gathered after the verdict some chanted no justice no peace
to see that officer walk away and still no accountability that hurts me the most said the rev westley west a frequent presence at demonstrations related to mr grays death
mr grays death touched off rioting looting and arson in this city which has a long history of tension between residents and the police
he had been walking through the sandtown neighborhood in west baltimore when he saw a group of officers and took off running he was arrested and put into a transport van where prosecutors and defense lawyers have said his spinal cord was functionally severed he died a week later
last may the states top prosecutor marilyn j mosby announced charges against six police officers
for officer neros trial ms mosbys team of prosecutors tried an unusual legal theory that he and officer miller exceeded their authority by handcuffing moving and searching mr gray without first questioning and patting him down as the law requires   essentially turning a lawful detention into an unlawful arrest the prosecutors said that officer nero had committed misconduct by arresting mr gray without probable cause and that any physical contact they had made with him while doing so amounted to second degree assault
normally defense lawyers not prosecutors make claims of illegal search and seizure in court during closing arguments judge williams himself questioned prosecutors aggressively on whether they were really asserting that every arrest made without probable cause could be a criminal act
but he sidestepped those questions on monday focusing instead on the fact that no evidence showed officer nero had touched mr gray during the critical opening moments of his arrest
when the detention morphed into an arrest the defendant was not present judge williams said he cited the testimony of the states witnesses officer miller who told the court that he had handcuffed mr gray and brandon ross a friend of mr grays who witnessed the arrest
since the defendants contact with mr gray came after mr gray was detained by miller this court finds that the contact by the defendant was legally justified and not reckless the judge said
mr jaros the law professor said judge williamss finding that the detention had turned into an arrest and his focusing on the actions of officer miller could foreshadow a tougher than expected case for officer millers defense team when he is tried this summer
that certainly seemed to suggest that the case against officer miller would actually be significantly stronger than the case against officer nero and perhaps significantly stronger than we thought before the verdict came out mr jaros said although he cautioned that all of the trials will require separate findings of fact
judge williams found that officer nero acted reasonably when he did not use a seatbelt on mr gray in the police van citing questions about his training and awareness of the rules again he looked to other officers saying officer nero could reasonably have assumed that lt brian rice a superior officer who climbed into the van with mr gray or officer caesar r goodson jr the driver of the van would have secured mr gray if either believed that it was required or necessary
other observers like peter moskos a former baltimore police officer who teaches at john jay college of criminal justice in new york said it seemed that ms mosby had overplayed her hand
someone dying doesnt always make it a crime mr moskos said the prosecutors are trying to find social justice but these are trials of individual cops
a lawyer for officer nero marc zayon called for the charges against the remaining officers to be dropped
the states attorney for baltimore city rushed to charge him as well as the other five officers completely disregarding the facts of the case and the applicable law mr zayon said in a statement
despite the acquittal tessa hill aston the president of the baltimore city branch of the naacp said she remained hopeful that someone would eventually be held responsible for mr grays death
im thankful were even in court that charges were brought she said but now weve got to come out with something


it was a great disturbance in the force as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in joy
the cause was a facebook video capturing a texas womans enthusiastic infectious laughter as she tried on a chewbacca mask in her car
the video originally broadcast live on friday propelled the woman candace payne into sudden social media fame
ms payne of grand prairie tex had just bought the star wars character mask at a department store on thursday with a gift card she had gotten for her 37th birthday the week before
sitting in her car and wearing a t shirt with an image of the death star and the caption epic fail she put her smartphone in a dashboard holder and began streaming video via facebook ms payne clapped her hands with child on a christmas morning excitement and spent about two minutes explaining her purchase before removing the chewbacca electronic mask from the box
then she put it on and a social media star was born
the more she laughed the more the hinged jaws of the mask opened which triggered the wookiee sound effect provoking still more laughter
oh i am such a happy chewbacca she cried i kind of want to drive around like this
the video became an internet sensation as of monday morning it had been viewed 136 million times on facebook and had been shared on many other sites ms payne who has a publicist to field calls from the news media has been interviewed by the bbc npr and good morning america
her video spawned a happychewbacca theme on twitter and even drew praise from the actor peter mayhew who has played the 7 foot plus wookiee
in an interview on saturday ms payne said just seeing herself on the phones screen as she was recording set her off into gales of laughter
she said she did not anticipate that the video would gain widespread attention she joked that she had just wanted to document the fact that the mask belonged to her and not her 7 year old daughter or 6 year old son
regardless viewers roared   and shared her video   with approval
ms payne said the experience has brought blessing upon blessing she has heard from people with anxiety or depression who thanked her for lifting their spirits and from the mother of an autistic girl who said her daughter laughed for the first time in months
the department store that sold the mask kohls seized on the video as a marketing opportunity delivering a collection of star wars merchandise to the payne family as well as 2500 in gift cards
ms payne said she first watched the original 1977 star wars movie on her honeymoon 15 years ago she said she appreciated chewbaccas ability to be expressive and emotional with minimal dialogue
ms payne noted that chewie had endured a devastating loss in the most recent film star wars the force awakens
i finally felt that chewbacca got his joy back and all was right with the world she said


vienna   alexander van der bellen a 72 year old economics professor and former green party leader won austrias cliffhanger presidential election on monday defeating his far right rival by the slimmest of margins and pledging to unite the divided country
austria had to wait almost 24 hours after polls closed on sunday for the authorities to count almost 700000 valid mail in ballots in the end mr van der bellen won 503 percent of the vote and his far right rival norbert hofer 497 percent a difference of just over 30000 votes the interior ministry said
mr hofer conceded defeat on his facebook page writing of course i am sad today i would so gladly have taken care of our wonderful country for you as president he added the effort for this campaign is not lost but an investment in the future
the result averted the prospect of the first right wing populist head of state in post nazi europe taking office in a democratic election yet the close result illustrated how deeply divided austria is between left and right and how thoroughly the centrist elites who have run the country since 1945 have fallen from public grace
the narrowness of the victory also reflected the big strides into the mainstream the far right has made not only in austria but in much of europe   from neighboring hungary and poland where it already holds sway to france and germany where rightist movements are polling strongly before national elections next year
in britain voters are scheduled to decide next month whether their country will stay in the european union that vote could turn on issues like migrants and a rejection of european unity and the continents centrist elites   issues that also figured significantly in austrias vote
in his first speech as president elect mr van der bellen emphasized his pro european stance welcoming foreign reporters in english and promised mr hofers voters that their grievances and views would be heard
we have quite clearly got a lot of work to do mr van der bellen said obviously people do not feel sufficiently seen or heard or both even if the five month campaign proved that austrians were ready to discuss politics at length   something their new president said was a good sign
polling experts said mr van der bellen had won the election with support from city dwellers   particularly in vienna which voted 61 percent for him   women and the highly educated he promised on sunday night that he would try to heal the rifts that had opened along these and other lines as establishment politics stagnated
mr hofers showing is the first time the freedom party which has its roots in the 1950s when it was founded by former nazis and teutonic nationalists has gained close to 50 percent of the popular vote that alone signals that it is a factor to be reckoned with as austria a generally prosperous country of 84 million grapples to find its place in a globalized world and in a europe whose unity is under question
the disruptions of globalization and last years wave of one million migrants   most of whom only passed through austria en route to germany or sweden   were central themes of the election
despite austrias outward prosperity wrote rainer nowak the editor of die presse the leading center right daily people fear that it wont go so well for much longer
the parties of the center left and center right that governed for most of the past 30 years in ever duller grand coalitions were trounced in the first round of the presidential elections last month when mr hofer stunned rivals by reaping 351 percent well ahead of mr van der bellen with 21 percent
sundays runoff turned into a cliffhanger as the popular vote was counted and showed an ever narrowing lead for mr hofer the austrian public broadcaster orf projected that mr van der bellen would win by just 3000 votes when the record number of requested mail in ballots was counted on monday
that projection   and the tone of some of the orf reporting on the election   was heavily criticized by the freedom party it was not clear if there would be legal consequences but the partys attitude illustrated the countrys deep divisions
doron rabinovici a writer who was among several prominent intellectuals supporting mr van der bellen noted that the 50 50 vote is not in itself a split thats democracy but how one proceeds is what matters
we do have a problem in this country that politics has been conducted not in discussing substance but at the level of the tabloid press he said
in mr rabinovicis view that was particularly true of the last chancellor the social democrat werner faymann who resigned on may 9 after the rightward lurch in the first round of the presidential vote
mr faymann had at first supported the welcoming stance of chancellor angela merkel of germany to the hundreds of thousands of refugees who poured in from the balkans last year although most moved on to germany and sweden roughly 90000 sought asylum in austria
the freedom party which has for decades campaigned to keep out foreigners saw its support soar with opinion polls consistently showing that it would win a nationwide election
that apparently prompted mr faymann and his center right partners in government to reverse course on its approach to migrants shutting austrias borders and persuading balkan nations along the refugee trail to central europe from greece to do the same
hopes are now pinned on his successor as chancellor the leader of the social democrats christian kern 50 the former head of austrias state rail system got off to a vigorous start last week talking of a new deal that would allay peoples worries and overhaul austrias moribund state structures
the last time the outside world paid such attention to the election of an austrian president was in 1986 when austrians defied international fears and elected kurt waldheim a former united nations secretary general as president despite revelations that he had served in the wehrmacht close to the site of nazi atrocities in the balkans
mr waldheims six year tenure was scarred by almost complete diplomatic isolation
very little will change in the real world as a result of sundays vote said charles grant of the center for european reform a london think tank
nevertheless he said it was clearly a protest vote cast as trade migrants and globalization are increasingly unpopular and inequality is growing across europe and the united states
mr grant compared the outcome to the showing of the uk independence party which received almost 28 percent in european elections in 2014 but just 126 percent in britains general election last year
in france the center right daily le figaro wrote on monday that europes leaders should not be too pleased if alexander van der bellen spares them the shock of an anti european president in vienna
the very narrow vote contains a lesson the french daily added across the whole continent people are expressing more or less the same rejection of a europe that lacks both a plan and a head


london   amundi one of the largest asset managers in europe said on monday that it had agreed to acquire a majority stake in the irish institutional asset manager kleinwort benson investors from the french financial services company oddo  cie
amundi which went public in november said it would acquire an 875 percent stake in kleinwort benson investors while the remaining 125 percent would be owned by the management of the irish company
terms of the transaction were not made public
based in dublin kleinwort benson investors had 76 billion euros or about 85 billion in assets under management as of the end of march the company which also has offices in boston and new york reported revenue of EUR31 million in 2015
sean hawkshaw would continue to serve as the chief executive of kleinwort benson investors and noel ohalloran would remain as chief investment officer
the transaction is subject to regulatory approval and it is expected to close in the third quarter
the deal by oddo  cie comes after it made a takeover bid for the companys parent bhf kleinwort benson group in november and acquired the business this year
oddo  cie agreed to sell the british and channel islands wealth management businesses of bhf kleinwort benson group to societe generale in march
amundi based in paris was created in 2010 by a merger of the asset management operations of two french banks credit agricole and societe generale it had EUR987 billion in assets under management as of the end of march
sandler oneill advised oddo  cie on the transaction


one takes a pint size dog named toby almost everywhere smokes electronic cigarettes and wears his silver hair in a sweeping pompadour
the other has a portrait of richard m nixon tattooed on his back boasts that he owns more shoes than imelda marcos and traffics in conspiracy theories about the kennedy assassination
the 2016 election filled with ugly insults whispered innuendo and sordid character attacks features two central antagonists known for their colorful traits and devotion to the dark arts of politics david brock and roger j stone jr
each has a passion for his side   mr brock for hillary clinton and mr stone for donald j trump   and a zeal for attacking critics of his candidate their intensity and pugnacity make them either perfect villains or misunderstood masterminds depending on your point of view
on the wall of mr stones office in south florida which has an undisclosed address because of the death threats he said he had received hangs a spy vs spy cartoon which young staff members titled brock stone after the two battling operatives
the dynamic between the two of them is very interesting said hank sheinkopf a democratic strategist who knows both men this will be a battle about whos tougher
politics has always attracted flamboyant characters with a sometimes reckless devotion to a cause and both of these men seem to enjoy their outsize images
mr brock 53 divides his time between washington and the west village in manhattan throwing lively salons and wooing liberal donors on both coasts often accompanied by toby his schnoodle   a schnauzer poodle mix
mr stone 64 has a fashion blog and likes to quote gore vidals advice to never miss a chance to have sex or appear on television he divides his time between fort lauderdale fla and an apartment on the upper east side of manhattan crammed with political memorabilia and le corbusier furniture
socially hes a very charming likable intelligent guy mr stone said of his rival in a telephone interview on saturday he praised mr brocks style saying he is a dapper guy and likening his hairstyle to that of the title character in eraserhead david lynchs 1977 surrealist horror film
but in recent weeks as sexual assault allegations against former president bill clinton surfaced in the campaign the intersections of mr brocks past with mr stones attacks on the clintons have made for a deeper kind of intrigue
last week when mr trump brought up a decades old rape allegation against mr clinton in a fox news interview mrs clintons allies saw the influence of mr stone his thinly sourced 2015 book the clintons war on women which he wrote with robert morrow focuses on mr clintons sexual misconduct and accuses mrs clinton of silencing women who came forward to complain about it
but it is reporting by mr brock that mr stone has used to help mr trump make that case
before mr brock became the man at the center of a multimillion dollar operation built to defend the clintons he was a self described conservative hit man intent on taking them down he and mr stone knew each other socially and would occasionally compare notes
reporting for the american spectator a conservative newsmagazine mr brock asserted in 1994 that arkansas state troopers facilitated sexual liaisons for mr clinton when he was the states governor allegations that have been central to mr stones attacks
today brock claims his american spectator stories exposing bill clinton were false mr stone wrote in his book hes lying
mr brock declined to be interviewed about mr stone
mr brock now runs correct the record a super pac that coordinates with the clinton campaign to defend mrs clinton and american bridge a related group that digs up opposition research to defeat mr trump enough to knock trump tower down to the subbasement as mr brock put it in remarks to liberal donors according to politico
his mission now will largely be to get inside mr stones complicated head to anticipate and stay ahead of mr trumps attacks mrs clintons allies have vehemently denied that she was involved in silencing mr clintons accusers but mr trump will continue to push that assertion as the two candidates battle for the support of female voters
mr stone acknowledged that mr brocks operation had significantly more resources but he said the traditional tactic of dismissing these accusations as sordid rumors could backfire
brock is calling us conspiracy theorists and trying to make us all sound kooky he said the only people that scares away are the elites
mr brocks group media matters for america has taken direct aim at mr stone labeling him the underbelly of the trump machine and assembling an encyclopedia on his tactics including his involvement in a national enquirer article that accused senator ted cruzs father of associating with lee harvey oswald before president john f kennedys assassination mr stone calls media matters part of the clinton slime machine
both men operate outside the official campaigns though mr brock directly coordinates with the clinton campaign through correct the record mr stone said he had no formal or informal role within the trump campaign but he is close to mr trump and has had a major influence on strategy
and both have taken risky moves that have created drama and tensions within the campaigns they are ostensibly helping
mr stone hit a rough patch with mr trump after the first republican primary debate in august when he advised mr trump to stop attacking megyn kelly of fox news mr trump said he had fired his longtime friend and adviser mr stone said he had quit
since then a detente has occurred
mrs clinton has embraced mr brock ever since his flattering 1996 biography of the first lady the seduction of hillary rodham she said his 2002 book blinded by the right the conscience of an ex conservative provided evidence of a vast right wing conspiracy against her and her husband
the clintons encouraged mr brock to start media matters and mr clinton used to hand out copies of blinded by the right that he kept in the couples chappaqua ny home
as the campaign intensifies mr brock and mr stone are likely to keep clashing
when cnn barred mr stone from the network in february after he had used racial and gender slurs in describing two of the networks commentators he accused mr brock of influencing the cable channel
as media matters continues its campaign to highlight the worst of roger stones history we encourage other networks to follow suit bradley beychok the president of media matters said at the time
mr stone said the move was all part of mr brocks suppression game with mainstream news outlets that he said were increasingly irrelevant in the social media era he wrote on twitter my exposing bill clintons serial rapes and hillarys bullying his victims seems to have gotten under davidbrockdcs skin
not long after that mr brocks correct the record said it would spend 1 million to defend mrs clinton against attacks on social media perhaps it will start with mr stones twitter feed


stocks ended a quiet day slightly lower on monday as investors sat on the sidelines waiting for more clues about whether the federal reserve might raise interest rates next month
energy stocks fell along with the price of crude oil
the standard  poors 500 stock index fell 428 points or 02 percent to 204804 and the nasdaq composite lost 378 points or 01 percent to 476578
the dow jones industrial average fell 801 points or 005 percent to 1749293
investors had little news or no economic reports to analyze on monday so stocks traded in a narrow range throughout the day roughly 3 billion shares traded hands on the new york exchange making it one of the slowest trading days this year
several members of the federal reserve will be making speeches this week which may give insight on what fed policy makers might do at their meeting in june minutes from the feds late april meeting showed that the nations central bank seems to believe the us economy has improved enough to warrant higher interest rates
very quiet today ryan larson head of us equity trading at rbc global asset management wrote in response to an email query from the associated press the hesitation seems to directly related to what the fed may or may not do come its june meeting
on monday interest rates on three month bills hit their highest level in more than seven years
the treasury department auctioned 31 billion in three month bills at a discount rate of 0350 percent up from 0275 percent last week another 26 billion in six month bills was auctioned at a discount rate of 0480 percent up from 0370 percent last week the three month rate was the highest since nov 10 2008 at the height of the financial crisis the six month rate was the highest since march 14
the yield on the 10 year note fell to 183 percent from 184 percent
in company news monsanto rose 448 or 4 percent to 106 after german company bayer offered to buy the agricultural products company for 62 billion the deal would make the combined company the worlds largest producer of fertilizers and other agricultural products
tribune publishing fell 214 or 15 percent to 1209 after the newspaper company rejected a new takeover offer from gannett the company also announced a new investor who bought a 70 million stake in tribune
benchmark us crude shed 33 cents to 4808 per barrel on the new york mercantile exchange brent crude used to price international oils fell 37 cents to 4835 a barrel in london energy stocks followed oil prices lower
in other energy commodities wholesale gasoline rose 1 cent to 165 a gallon heating oil fell 1 cent to 148 a gallon and natural gas fell 1 cent to 206 per thousand cubic feet
the dollar fell to 10919 yen from 11023 yen and the euro fell to 11221 from 11219
precious and industrial metals futures closed mostly lower gold lost 140 to 125150 an ounce silver fell 11 cents to 1642 an ounce and copper was little changed at 206 a pound


the tom brady deflation saga is still going strong 16 months after it began at this point it has little to do with the air pressure in footballs and everything to do with whether commissioner roger goodell of the nfl overstepped his role as arbitrator when players appeal penalties here are some questions and answers about the case as it stands now
what happened monday
tom brady filed an appeal on monday with the united states court of appeals for the second circuit asking for a hearing on his suspension his lawyer theodore b olson and the nfl players association said
a panel of the court voting 2 to 1 reinstated his four game suspension last month brady now wants the full court of up to 14 judges to hear the case
what is the appeal based on
olson said goodell ignored highly pertinent rules in the collective bargaining agreement on tampering with equipment and changed his reason for penalizing brady without giving the quarterback a chance to defend himself the panel rejected similar arguments ruling that goodell acted within his authority
wait is that the ted olson
yes olson the former solicitor general famous for representing george w bush in the 2000 election case and arguing for same sex marriage joined the case after the panels ruling and is now outside counsel to brady and the players union
whats the timetable for a ruling
though the wheels of justice sometimes turn slowly it is expected that the second circuit will decide whether to hear bradys latest appeal well before the season starts
what is bradys chance of success
not great only eight of more than 27000 cases got a hearing from the full appeals court in the second circuit from 2000 to 2010 according to the boston globe
but olson said he was encouraged because the dissenting vote in bradys appeal was written by chief judge robert a katzmann who rarely breaks ranks with his fellow justices olson added that the core issue of the fairness of an arbitrator resonates far beyond this case this affects millions of people the legal principles here and we hope the court will recognize that it is more than about tom brady and the patriots olson said
demaurice smith the executive director of the nfl players association said that goodell had been rebuked four times for overstepping his role as arbitrator including in the new orleans saints bounty case and the suspension of ray rice the former baltimore ravens running back
the nfl said it would have no comment on the appeal until its lawyers had read the petition
what would happen next
whatever the result of this appeal the next step would be the final one the supreme court the body that decided marbury v madison brown v board of education and roe v wade might soon be considering deflated footballs
where do the patriots stand
brady and the patriots won the super bowl in 2015 the year of deflategate last season they were eliminated in the conference championship game the team lost its first round pick in the recent nfl draft over the scandal and will lose a fourth rounder next year
i somehow missed this whole thing can you briefly summarize it
the patriots beat the colts in the afc championship game in 2015 but afterward accusations were made that they had gained an advantage by playing with partly deflated footballs after an extensive investigation the league found that it was probable that brady knew about the scheme he was suspended for four games
brady lost his first appeal heard by commissioner goodell who in an unusual arrangement hands down penalties and also hears appeals of those penalties then brady turned to the courts he won a ruling from a district court judge in manhattan in september clearing him to play last season but the panel of appeals court judges reinstated his four game suspension and barring another reversal he will have to serve the ban at the beginning of next season


for most americans it is hard to imagine not having easy access to the internet it is also hard to imagine how you would function in modern society without it
never mind not having your favorite food delivery and ride hailing apps without broadband internet access you may have a hard time applying for a job a drivers license financial aid or public assistance
for residents of detroit which has the worst rate of internet access of any big american city thats not unusual four out of 10 residents of the motor city lack broadband
as cecilia kang reports detroit has made some economic gains in recent years unemployment has declined from 19 percent three years ago to 11 percent though that is still double the national average but in some poor detroit neighborhoods the rate can be double the citys average
no doubt poor internet access adds to the challenge of changing that rate


the vicious battle over the future of sumner m redstones 40 billion media empire boiled over from the public stage into courtrooms on both coasts monday
with sharp rhetoric directors from viacom mr redstones entertainment company charged in a lawsuit that the media mogul had been manipulated by his daughter shari redstone into changing the terms of the trust that controls his companies philippe p dauman the chairman and chief executive of viacom who was removed from the trust called it an unlawful corporate takeover
mr redstones legal team fired back with a petition in los angeles asking that a court confirm the validity of the changes he made mr redstones lawyer said his client was saddened that mr dauman is trying to make this dispute about mr redstones daughter
the dueling legal actions represent a bitter new fissure in mr redstones corporate empire which he built into an entertainment conglomerate after wresting control of viacom in 1987 they also feature a reversal of fortunes for some of the key principals involved ms redstone long estranged from her father is now reconciled with him and his actions over the weekend align with her view of how his companies should be managed mr dauman and george abrams a viacom director who was also removed from the trust are longtime confidants of mr redstone who now find themselves pushed aside and forced to challenge his mental capacity
the legal war erupted after mr redstone on friday unexpectedly ousted mr dauman and mr abrams from the trust which will gain control of mr redstones companies when he dies or is declared incompetent mr redstone also ejected them from their positions on the board of the theater chain company national amusements through which mr redstone controls his companies
after a weekend of caustic accusations mr dauman and mr abrams filed a lawsuit monday morning in the probate court in canton mass seeking to immediately block the moves the 24 page suit depicts mr redstone 92 as suffering profound physical and mental illness and being subject to the undue influence of his daughter it also claims that the changes will allow ms redstone to illegitimately tip the balance of power to her
in a four page petition filed in los angeles county superior court lawyers for mr redstone asserted that because there is no evidence that mr redstone was incapacitated or unable to manage his business affairs he still had the power to remove or add trustees
a determination of mr redstones incapacity the petition said depends on a court ruling or a document signed by three doctors stating that he lacks the competency to manage his affairs neither occurred before mr redstone changed the trust making the decisions valid the petition states
mr redstone has been clear and unequivocal in his desire to remove philippe dauman and george abrams as trustees robert n klieger a lawyer with hueston hennigan who is representing mr redstone said in a statement
the trust intended to benefit mr redstones five grandchildren wields enormous power the seven voting members could move to dismiss the boards and leadership of viacom and cbs and also make plans to merge or sell the companies
john c coffee jr a professor and the director of the center on corporate governance at columbia law school said that the burden of proof lies with the plaintiff in this case the ousted trustees and viacom
but he added at some point given the debate over his condition there will need to be something a signed document or a videotape demonstrating that they are hearing from him and not from his daughter shari
the dispute puts a renewed focus on the question of mr redstones mental capacity in november a former companion of mr redstone filed suit alleging that he was not competent and was under the influence of his daughter when he removed the companion manuela herzer from a directive that would have given her supervision of his health care that suit was dismissed two weeks ago
while the judge sided with mr redstone he did not make a decision on mr redstones competency according to the lawsuit filed by mr dauman and mr abrams mr redstones physical and mental health has diminished significantly since ms herzers suit was filed in november
mr klieger sought to use mr daumans own words from the herzer lawsuit against him it is telling that mr dauman is raising the question of mental capacity for the first time after hes been removed when just months ago in court documents he pronounced mr redstone engaged attentive and as opinionated as ever mr klieger said in the statement
the suit from mr dauman and mr abrams details how mr redstone who has not been seen publicly for nearly a year can no longer stand walk read write or speak coherently it asserts that he cannot swallow and requires a feeding tube to eat and drink and the suctioning of phlegm and saliva throughout the day and night to avoid breathing complications that description is strikingly similar to the one ms herzer provided in her lawsuit
mr dauman and mr abrams claim that mr redstones ability to understand and assess the consequences of his actions is limited
the suit also says that ms redstone made changes to mr redstones last will and testament
after years of estrangement she has inserted herself into his home taken over his life and isolated him from anyone not under her control including longtime business colleagues mr dauman said in a statement on monday sharis actions amount to an unlawful corporate takeover and if effectuated could have far reaching consequences for thousands of shareholders and employees of viacom
in a statement issued on monday nancy sterling a spokeswoman for ms redstone said it was absurd for anyone to accuse shari of manipulating her father
sumner makes his own decisions regarding whom he wants to see both in his home and elsewhere ms sterling said
the weekends developments were considered a major victory for ms redstone in her quest to shape the future of her fathers media companies she has publicly opposed mr daumans leadership of viacom when her father ceded the title in february she was the sole viacom director to vote against mr daumans elevation to chairman
in their suit mr dauman and mr abrams claimed that the people put forward to replace them on the trust and the board are under the influence and control of ms redstone
they also questioned whether mr redstones legal representation is legitimate their suit states that michael c tu a partner at the law firm orrick herrington  sutcliffe had refused to disclose whether he had ever met mr redstone and asserts that statements that mr tu made to the media related to viacom business activities were false
as counsel for mr redstone i of course have met with my client on these matters mr tu said in an email the accusations in todays filing about false statements are reckless and irresponsible these accusations and others will be vigorously contested in court
mr redstone turns 93 on friday


yishuv hadaat west bank   with shoulder length hair tumbling from beneath his knit skullcap hanamel dorfman a radical young israeli settler explains matter of factly on camera how hilltop settlement outposts like his own will continue to proliferate across the west bank from there he says bluntly israelis will cross the jordan river and start building on the other side
reminded that beyond the river there is another sovereign nation jordan mr dorfman says with an unwavering gaze everything is temporary
the stunning statement comes in one of the final scenes of the settlers a documentary by an israeli american filmmaker shimon dotan that opens a rare window into the reclusive and politically explosive hilltop youth movement
the film which had its premiere at the sundance film festival in january and was shown for the first time in israel on monday evening suggests that the fringe group of religious hippies is underestimated in its ability to influence israeli politics and thwart any possibility of peace with the palestinians
mr dotan was born in romania immigrated to israel as a boy and moved to new york in 1995 he introduced me to mr dorfman and other settlers during a recent visit to yishuv hadaat which is little more than a collection of mobile homes a ramshackle synagogue and some playground equipment on the crest of a hill we also went to the nearby outpost esh kodesh   the name means holy fire   where several residents welcomed us into their synagogue but one chased our group down in a golf cart and expressed strong unhappiness about our arriving without asking their permission
mr dorfman now 21 told me that israels government was illegitimate because it did not rule based on the laws of the torah it stays in its place in a pathetic attempt at survival he said
mr dorfman said he had been arrested numerous times but not for any major attacks on palestinians still his ideology echoes a manifesto of a new group of extremist jewish settler youth that israeli security officials revealed last year
mr dotans film chronicles the germination of the early settler movement after israel captured the west bank from jordan in 1967 including the ideas and religious zeal that fueled it and explores its latest extreme element the hilltop youth
they are but a tiny fraction of the more than 400000 israeli jews living in the occupied west bank but the object of mounting concern as they are blamed for extreme violence there like the arson last summer that killed a toddler and his parents in the village of duma
the settlers is one of the first close up views of the motives and personalities in a group that rarely opens up to outsiders though mainstream settler leaders denounce violence and try to distance themselves from the radical youth in the hills mr dotan sees the hilltop dwellers as a natural outgrowth of the original movement
those who push it forward today are the hilltop youth he said and it seems to me a very dangerous direction
often depicted as uneducated hooligans the youth in the film come off as raw but canny   an american like me might call them street smart   using acts of defiance and violence to achieve their aims there is also an aura of romance mr dorfman with his long sidelocks wispy beard and rimless glasses seems more like a hard eyed john lennon than a backwoods militant
at one point in the film a settler with a guitar sings bob marleys no woman no cry in a mixture of english and hebrew while sitting at a fire but there are also expressions of virulent racism a glorification of violence and a desire to replace the modern state of israel with a full scale biblical kingdom that would extend as far as iraq
in one scene at esh kodesh pinhasi bar on 25 speaks playfully with several young children about his legal troubles asking them if they will come along on his escapades when they get older
what will you do with me mr bar on asks as if teaching a preschool class
beat up arabs one child says
yes mr bar on says approvingly
mr dotan 66 whose previous films include a feature based on a david grossman novel the smile of the lamb 1986 and a documentary shot inside israeli prisons hot house 2007 said he had decided to explore the settlements because he views them as a threat to israel from within
living abroad for decades had intensified his zionism as he saw the jewish state through expatriate eyes
if before that i had a very strong conviction that the state of israel is probably the most meaningful thing to jews all over the world he explained it became absolutely clear to me after spending time out of israel
he said that he had interviewed more than 100 people across the west bank and israel for the film and that it had taken months to get access to the more radical outposts where he tried to let the youth tell their story in their own words
their world is farther away from my world than any other individuals in the film he said with those guys i feel completely disconnected they do justify the killing and murder of non jews period
as a storyteller he added this gap that i felt probably attracted me to them more than to others
yossi klein halevi who studied the early settlers for his 2013 book like dreamers agreed with mr dotan that the hilltop youth have a significance far beyond their numbers mr halevi a senior fellow at the shalom hartman institute an educational center in jerusalem said the youth had a strange mix between far right and a hippie sensibility he said the mainstream settler movement is terrified of these kids   it doesnt know how to control them
israeli officials estimate that a few dozen hilltop youth are responsible for the most violent acts on the west bank but dror etkes who runs kerem navot a human rights organization that opposes the israeli occupation of the west bank said that there were about 100 far flung outposts in the west bank with many hundreds of residents and that large numbers of them participate in arson and vandalism of mosques churches and olive groves
outposts like esh kodesh and yishuv hadaat that dot the hills above the settlement of shilo where mr dotan filmed many of his hilltop scenes are some of the wildest most violent areas of the west bank mr etkes said
mr bar ons views are so extreme that the residents of esh kodesh asked him to leave the outpost in february 2014 he was still living there during most of the filming of the settlers in which he openly admitted im a racist
arabs dont belong in our country he said on camera every morning i recite the prayer thank you god for not creating me a gentile im a racist ill stop for a jewish hitchhiker and not an arab because im a racist
israeli security forces have recently moved to arrest the most violent elements of the hilltop youth but several scenes in the movie suggest that the military is sometimes either confused by the fanaticism of the youth or perhaps not inclined to intervene
mr dotan said that at one point his film crew was attacked and its equipment stolen while israeli soldiers stood by he said that he had lodged a criminal complaint but that the police later informed him that it had been dismissed for lack of evidence
mr dorfman seemed nervous as he showed us around yishuv hadaat which is home to about 10 families
he said his skullcap was hand knit by his mother who he said lives in a settlement close to jerusalem he wore black cargo pants emblazoned with a stylized image of meir kahane the extremist rabbi who was murdered captioned god will avenge his blood
another settler profiled in mr dotans film is matti blumberg who lived in esh kodesh at the time and appears on screen harassing palestinian farmers as they try to care for their fields and olive groves near the outpost
maybe one day well tend to these trees ms blumberg says
mr dotan asks who determined that this land is yours
for starters god did she replies it says so explicitly in the bible it says all the land which thou seest


for residents of tornado prone regions like oklahoma texas and the southern plains the piercing wail of outdoor sirens in may   the most active month   is a warning to seek shelter because a funnel cloud has been spotted or is on its way
in an age of text alerts social media and smartphones you might think sirens had outlived their usefulness in alerting the public to approaching severe weather
but officials and enthusiasts believe they continue to serve a vital role in public safety
logan shelts the lead moderator of air raid sirens an online forum of educators and enthusiasts said tornado sirens were an outgrowth of the cold war when they were installed to alert communities in case of a nuclear attack or an air raid
sirens were first used to warn of tornadoes in 1970 that was a big improvement from alerts in times gone by
plans from the 1800s called for telegraph wires that could snap in high winds triggering alarm bells and firing a cannon according to a journal published by the american meteorological society
despite advancements in meteorology a ban on tornado warnings lasted from 1887 until 1938 because researchers believed they would promote panic the article noted even the use of the word tornado in forecasts was discouraged until 1950 when the weather bureau officially changed its policy
generally they can be heard within one mile but their reach varies by their size and the topography atmospheric conditions and seasons said aaron wolking a national sales manager with sentry siren in canon city colo
larger sirens have a two mile radius how do federal authorities determine how loud a siren should be an effective range is calculated by measuring its decibel output at 100 feet and then applying a formula developed by federal authorities that accounts for how sound waves fade over a given distance mr wolking said the companys largest siren can put out 130 decibels
the loudness and pitch of sirens exploit basic principles of human audition to signal danger elizabeth hellmuth margulis a professor of music and the director of the music cognition lab at the university of arkansas said in an email
in addition sound is especially good at carrying emotional resonance so the tone you heard as a child during drills will prompt deep and immediate feelings later in life she said
most sirens emit sounds between 400 and 600 hertz which researchers have found is the best range to get peoples attention said scott yarberry the chief operating officer and executive vice president of sentry siren
there are mechanical sirens
there are electronic sirens
sirens can put out an alert tone   a three minute uninterrupted sound   or an attack tone that modulates and sounds like a classic air raid siren
some sirens are stationary and others rotate they also come in a variety of shapes and sizes some are dual tone meaning they produce two pitches at once
for out of the way places such as golf courses lakes and hiking trails where cellphone service might be spotty or nonexistent sirens are an important redundancy to alert the public said bill bunting the chief of forecast operations at the storm prediction center in norman okla
mr shelts said social media can be ineffective in delivering warnings because there is no true management or vetting of what gets posted incomplete inaccurate or outdated information could be shared
sirens also hold up well one unit that sentry siren installed in maryland has been in continuous service since the 1920s mr yarberry said
fire departments use them to summon volunteers and some communities use them to warn of the threat of large hail or powerful winds
yeshiva toras emes kamenitz in brooklyn uses sentry sirens largest siren a model 40v2t with a two mile radius to sound the start of the sabbath mr yarberry said


each week nate cohn the upshots elections analyst and toni monkovic an upshot editor will discuss the 2016 race and post a lightly edited transcript of their written exchange
toni were going to hear about this all the way to the convention and most likely during the convention   maybe even after the convention bernie sanders does better than hillary clinton in polling against donald trump but its not nearly so simple
nate no its not there are basically two reasons
one is that bernie sanderss supporters are a big reason clinton is doing worse in her polling against trump in the recent yougov poll clinton had just a 40 point lead against trump among sanders voters while sanders had a 70 point lead trump was getting virtually the same share of the vote against both candidates   40 percent against clinton 39 percent against sanders presumably most sanders supporters will ultimately get behind clinton and on the flip side clinton supporters would have been much more negative on sanders if he had posed a more serious threat to her victory
the second thing is that sanders just hasnt faced any major attacks on his record the republicans have cheered him on against clinton whom they realize theyre inevitably going to face clinton never really attacked him either   no big negative television ad buys for example   in no small part because she didnt want to alienate his supporters
so sanders is set to lose but in a way that leaves him unscathed and therefore appearing very strong in the general there was something similar with john kasich maybe sanders really would have survived all of the attacks from clinton that would have come if he had been a bigger threat to win the nomination but as it is its just a question mark
toni we dont want to analyze each poll   that would be a waste of time as norm ornstein and alan abramowitz pointed out here in the new york times but abramowitz on twitter showed particular disdain for a fox poll showing trump leading clinton by three percentage points he pointed out for example that trump led clinton by roughly the same three points in recent polling of georgia and arizona   two states that are red not representative of a national vote
nate as you said its a single poll fox is generally a decent pollster and it had clinton ahead by seven points in a prior survey it was a bad result for clinton and there will be more of them the point about georgiaarizona is a good one we have plenty of recent polls consistent with a national clinton advantage whether its the other national surveys like thursdays cbsnyt poll or some high quality state polls
toni ross douthat of the times would like to see mitt romney run erick erickson a conservative commentator said i cant believe im even writing this but seriously mitt romney should run for president again and transcend party for the good of the country how much damage could romney do to trump if he ran a third party race a lot of state deadlines have already been missed utah is one of the most conservative states but could romney sink trump in utah if he got on the ballot there
nate romney could outright win utah i would think i think romney could do a lot of damage to trump even if he missed the deadline in a lot of states assuming he ran strongly in those states where he is on the ballot
toni it looks as if bill weld will be on gary johnsons libertarian ticket whats a ballpark figure for how much of the vote theyll ultimately get it wouldnt be too surprising if early on they got high single digit numbers because the unfavorables for both trump and clinton are so high but by election day it will be most likely be a different story right
nate early polls almost always overestimate the share of the vote for minor candidates even when there arent two candidates coming out of pretty contentious primaries but how much will it ultimately end at i dont know i could imagine a sizable protest vote of a few points on either the left or the right which would be a lot more than usual but not as much as what the current surveys show it could easily come down even more
toni lets say that in the final polling in november jill stein of the green party is at 2 percent that would hurt clinton and lets say that the johnson weld team is at 3 percent would the libertarian vote hurt trump or clinton more
nate i dont think it would make much of a difference
toni because its hard to know the trump clinton split for the libertarian vote or its too small to matter or both
nate both and theres the question of how many of them would actually vote too
toni maybe the most compelling senate race is in arizona where john mccain is in a bind one that some other down ballot republicans find themselves in if theyre against trump they face the wrath of his supporters and could lose their jobs if theyre for him they can be accused of all sorts of things including in mccains case of trading in his integrity it shapes up as a grim few months for him first he will have to beat back a primary challenge probably from kelli ward and if he wins he will face ann kirkpatrick in november
nate im a little surprised by how poorly mccain seems to be doing it seems like hes put himself in a tough spot enough of a maverick to court opposition from the right and a real primary threat not enough of a moderate to earn broad appeal in the general electorate   perhaps in no small part because of his efforts to court the partys base the democrats have a strong candidate mccains numbers are weak and although the state is conservative its more competitive than most red states id still be surprised if he lost but there are plenty of indications that hes vulnerable
toni trump has said he can win new york ill break the bad news to him before you can it would take a miracle for him to win but is there an argument that he could keep clinton several notches below 60 percent in new york in the last three elections the winning percentage for the democratic candidate in the state was 633 2012 628 2008 and 579 2004
nate i think that if trump keeps clinton several notches under 60 in new york that trump has probably won the presidency so in that sense yes its possible otherwise its hard maybe you can imagine some scenario in which trump plays extremely well among white catholics on long island and staten island but republicans already win the white vote there anyway
toni some people are still under the impression that the sanders clinton race is close in pledged delegates whats a good statistic or analogy to point out that its not
nate sanders would need another 30 results like his oregon victory to basically tie clinton in pledged delegates and then he would probably fall behind again after the puerto rico new jersey california and district of columbia contests
toni the betting markets have ticked down a bit for the democratic nominee in the general election predictwise now has it as a 67 percent chance to win that may be a reaction to recent polls but also to the recent uncertainty about whether sanders will fully embrace clintons candidacy the sanders campaign said it was willing to harm clintons prospects at least in the short term in pursuit of its goals how much would it damage clinton if he gave her only a halfhearted endorsement
nate i think clinton would ultimately be fine she has a lot of things to help her out elizabeth warren president obama the option to select a progressive vice president and donald trump himself but clearly she doesnt want to spend her summer trying to lock down her left flank at a moment when theres probably an unprecedented opportunity to peel away moderate suburban well educated and female republicans
last week nate and toni discussed whether elizabeth warren could have beaten hillary clinton and whether she should be the vice presidential pick readers can submit questions for future chats and well select one or two of the best ones


a 79 year old man came to see dr jesse sammon at the urology clinic at henry ford hospital in detroit the other day the patient was referred by his primary care doctor because of a slightly abnormal reading on a screening test for prostate cancer
it happens weekly dr sammon said with frustration
eight years have passed since the united states preventive services task force recommended against routine use of psa screening   a blood test that measures prostate specific antigen   in men older than 75 in 2012 the task force recommended against all routine psa testing regardless of age
because most prostate cancer develops slowly it doesnt typically threaten survival or cause troubling symptoms for eight to 10 years even medical associations that disagree with some of the 2012 conclusions like the american urological association therefore discourage psa testing for men with limited life expectancy
dr sammons patient probably wont survive another decade according to the standard tables used to predict life expectancy heart disease and diabetes   he was taking 10 prescription drugs   reduce his life expectancy further
moreover many conditions besides cancer can produce an elevated psa reading including an enlarged prostate   for which this patient was already taking medication
the chances of our detecting prostate cancer in this gentleman are so small and if we did find it we wouldnt treat it dr sammon said for low risk prostate cancer he pointed out the treatment of choice is observation meaning watch and wait
as the medical axiom goes the man was likely to die with not of prostate cancer   if he had it at all we counseled him not to have psa screenings anymore dr sammon said
yet he wouldnt be surprised to see the patient again next year with results from yet another psa test theres a reasonable chance his physician will order it again just out of habit dr sammon said
that happens a lot to older men
after the task force report in 2008 researchers reported virtually no change in screening rates among older men the guidelines in 2012 had greater impact that was really a bombshell said dr scott eggener a urologic oncologist at the university of chicago
still his research and other studies published in the past year have found only modest declines or no significant declines in the group with perhaps the least to gain and a lot to lose from psa screening men older than 75
# dr eggener and his colleagues analyzed data from the national health interview survey and found that from 2010 to 2013 the screening rate in that age group fell to 37 percent from about 44 percent a statistically significant decrease but smaller than the drop for younger men
even among men with a high risk of mortality within nine years almost 38 percent of those older than 75 were screened the great majority of men being tested in their 80s were also likely to die within nine years
thats just insanity said dr eggener who went on to call such widespread screening bad medicine poor use of health care resources and poor decision making
# in a jama article dr sammon and his fellow researchers using a somewhat broader sample from the same national database reported statistically significant declines in psa screening only in men younger than 75 in the older group the rate fell to 36 percent from 39 percent from 2010 to 2013 not a significant decrease
# similarly in 2011 the department of veterans affairs the largest health care provider for american men screened 39 percent of men with limited life expectancy   in this case defined as five years or less based on age and an index of serious diseases
the 2012 recommendation against all routine psa screening remains hotly controversial critics point out that screening has contributed to a sharp decline in the death rate from prostate cancer in the united states indeed the task force will update its recommendations in a report expected in 2018
theres little medical dispute however about stopping psa screening for men unlikely to live more than nine or 10 years because of their age and health that so many in this category continue to be screened nonetheless   two million men older than 75 in 2013 the chicago researchers estimated   is cause for considerable dismay
for starters the psa test loses accuracy at older ages in fact abnormal results quite often return to normal in subsequent testing
yet abnormal results often lead to more invasive testing and then to treatment   surgery or radiation   that can cause life altering side effects including incontinence and sexual dysfunction
a psa screen is not just a blood test said dr victoria tang a research fellow at the university of california san francisco and the lead author of the va study its signing up for a prostate biopsy if the screening is positive and that biopsy can cause pain bleeding infection
the biopsy taken with a rectal probe finds cancer in only 30 percent to 40 percent of men with abnormal psas dr eggener said if its a low risk cancer in a man unlikely to live another 10 years guidelines advise watchful waiting or active surveillance
sixty percent of all men with low risk cancer still opt for surgery or radiation however when they hear they have cancer they want to treat it aggressively dr sammon said
while men especially older ones increasingly choose to wait and watch even those who do must face anxiety and repeated testing
why do so many older men start down this road
in a 2014 study in the journal cancer the great majority of patients older than 75 whod had a psa test told researchers that their doctors had recommended it
more than half remembered their doctors explaining the tests advantages but only about a quarter recalled discussing its disadvantages
the kind of doctor influences testing too in the va study veterans with limited life expectancy were more likely to be screened if they had older rather than younger doctors and attending physicians rather than residents
women doctors ordered psas less often than men only 22 percent of veterans with limited life expectancy were screened if they saw geriatricians urologists by contrast screened 82 percent
perhaps older men trying to avoid overtesting should start shopping for younger female geriatricians but the more direct approach of course would be to ask questions
what tests will your physician order on those tubes of blood youve just provided is a psa screening among them
for 75 year olds still running marathons the test might make sense for most others it probably doesnt


hillary clinton has insisted that the democratic primary contest against senator bernie sanders of vermont is behind her and that the partys nomination is essentially hers
dont tell that to californians
this week mrs clinton will begin her first full swing through the state to campaign before the june 7 primary
after she delivers remarks at the service employees international unions convention in detroit on monday mrs clinton will head west for almost four days of fund raisers and campaign events in los angeles orange county riverside salinas san jose and other parts
mrs clinton a known and popular quantity who won california in 2008 has spent far less time in the state than mr sanders the vermont senator and underdog has flooded california with rallies commercials and organizers hoping an upset win can help him convince superdelegates that he is the candidate best poised to defeat the presumptive republican nominee donald j trump in the fall
youre going to see me running all over california mr sanders told abc news on sunday adding were going to do everything that we can to get every vote and every delegate that we can and go into that convention with as much momentum as is possible
while mr sanderss path appears mathematically impossible his continued fight has meant the clinton campaign has had to invest limited resources in the remaining primary states rather than fully pivoting to the general election battleground states
mrs clinton warned voters on sunday about the consequences of not fully taking on mr trump telling nbc that the coming weeks could allow the presumptive republican nominee to normalize himself as he tries to broaden his support
a central part of that effort will be reaching out to women with whom mrs clinton will aim to connect on tuesday when she tapes her third appearance on the ellen degeneres show alongside the all female cast of the coming reboot of ghostbusters
in the meantime mr sanders will continue to haunt those efforts


paris   the french insurer axa group said on monday that it would join the global movement to exit tobacco investments by unloading about 2 billion in cigarette company stocks and bonds
the decision to exit such investments comes after a campaign by activists at the union for international cancer control the tobacco free portfolios initiative and other organizations axa which is based in paris said on monday that it would immediately unload about 200 million euros or about 224 million of tobacco stocks and that it would sell off its portfolio of tobacco company bonds valued around EUR16 billion as they matured
the move puts an end to the apparent conflict involved with a financial institution that has enormous health and life insurance businesses investing in a product known to cause cancer and other diseases axa is one of the worlds top insurance and wealth management companies with 103 million clients and revenue last year of EUR99 billion
we strongly believe in the positive role insurance can play in society and that insurers are part of the solution when it comes to health prevention to protect our clients thomas buberl axas deputy chief executive said in a statement hence it makes no sense for us to continue our investments within the tobacco industry
axas announcement on monday is the latest involving investors divesting themselves of tobacco six years ago the norwegian sovereign wealth fund a titan of so called ethical investing announced that it was dropping tobacco from its portfolio
many individual investors are not even aware that their mutual funds or retirement accounts include tobacco stocks but those who act to buy only ethical investments find there can be a financial price to pay
indeed the cost of such divestment can be significant the california public employees retirement system or calpers decided in 2000 to divest its tobacco investments it is now rethinking that decision after a study found that divestment had caused it to miss out on 3 billion in investment gains
mr buberl acknowledged that the decision has a cost for us but the case for divestment is clear the human cost of tobacco is tragic its economic cost is huge
axa noted that tobacco was the major cause of long term noncommunicable diseases responsible for the deaths of six million people each year
we need companies like axa to signal that investing in an industry which kills its customers is simply the wrong thing to do cary adams chief executive of the union for international cancer control said in the same statement and this announcement to divest EUR18 billion is a milestone step in the right direction


beirut lebanon   two teams of suicide attackers waged coordinated assaults on monday deep inside syrian government territory killing scores of people and piercing a sanctuary for supporters of president bashar al assad
merely pulling off the bombings was a logistical feat that calls into question the effectiveness of syrias defenses to reach the areas attacked the jihadists would have had to move large quantities of explosives and a group of militants across more than 30 miles of government controlled territory without being detected suggesting a major security breach another possibility was that the militants had organized the attacks and built their bombs locally   an even scarier prospect for residents of the area
the attacks shattered the relative calm in two cities jableh and tartus both on syrias mediterranean coast a region where support for mr assad remains strong and where militant attacks and rebel activity have been rare while the area has a high concentration of alawites members of the muslim sect that has been the base of the assad familys power it also has large populations of christians and other muslims
mr assad has long presented his government as a bulwark against terrorism and chaos russia which backs the president and has supported his troops with airstrikes and other military aid has a naval base in tartus and an air base nearby
amaq a news agency associated with the islamic state said jihadists from the militant group had carried out the assaults to strike groupings of alawites
but the attacks on bus stations and the emergency department of a public hospital seemed to target civilians in a religiously diverse area whose population has doubled as syrians from other parts of the country including areas held by insurgents that are routinely hit with government airstrikes have sought refuge the attacks also appeared to reflect the changing tactics of the islamic state as its military fortunes have dimmed
having lost significant territory from its self declared caliphate in syria and iraq it has turned its focus to external expansion while stepping up suicide bombings against civilian targets in places like baghdad
a spokesman for president vladimir v putin of russia said on monday that a recent surge in militant attacks and bombings once again demonstrates how fragile the situation in syria is
asked whether russia would reconsider its decision to scale back its military contingent in syria the spokesman dmitri s peskov cited a previous statement by mr putin that russias bases in syria allowed for a very flexible approach to its deployments
the syrian state news agency sana and the syrian observatory for human rights which opposes the government and tracks the conflict from britain through contacts in syria described the attacks as coordinated and intended to maximize civilian casualties
in jableh two blasts struck the bus station then suicide attackers blew themselves up near an electricity administration building and at the entrance to the emergency department of a hospital
in tartus a car bomb hit the bus station then two suicide bombers targeted people who had gathered in the aftermath
noah bonsey a syria analyst with the international crisis group said the islamic state appeared to be carrying out such high profile suicide attacks against government forces and their supporters to show that it was still strong despite territorial losses
the attacks also seek to incite draconian responses from the government and its militias against sunni civilians perpetuating a cycle of radicalization that benefits the jihadists mr bonsey said
late monday pro government militias stormed though camps for the displaced searching for jihadist supporters activists said
sana said that at least 78 people had been killed in the two attacks the observatory reported at least 145 dead and many more wounded


the house and senate are gearing up for a push before a memorial day break that president obama said congress should not take unless it got some very specific business done
mr obama chided lawmakers last week saying they should not leave town at the end of this week unless they reconcile their differences over a zika prevention funding bill and send him public health legislation he is willing to sign
they should not be going off on recess before this is done mr obama said about putting resources behind an effort to stop the spread of the mosquito borne virus to the extent that were not handling this thing on the front end were going to have bigger problems on the back end
but chances of a quick compromise on the legislation seem dim the house has provided only about half as much as the 11 billion approved by the senate   both well short of the 19 billion sought by the white house and the house bill would shift money to fight zika from efforts to combat ebola which mr obama compared to robbing peter to pay paul
the president also archly referred to aggressive republican efforts in fall 2014 to make the administrations response to the ebola outbreak a major campaign issue
given that i have at least pretty vivid memories of how concerned people were about ebola the notion that we would stop monitoring as effectively and dealing with ebola in order to deal with zika doesnt make a lot of sense he said
pressuring lawmakers over recess is a tried and true tactic of both parties who find it helpful to remind voters that officials are heading off on a holiday with important business left undone   often business more important to one party than the other but the presidents complaint is likely to have little impact on the congressional schedule with legislative time for the year already starting to run short the house and the senate are trying to finish other business this week including the first significant overhaul in decades of legislation governing regulation of toxic chemicals including many found in household items


beijing   officials and exhibition organizers have pulled the plug on a giant art installation that was displayed on the facade of hong kongs tallest building just days after the artists revealed the meaning of a cryptic political message embedded in the artwork in their statement late sunday they said that the artists had shown disrespect by not consulting the organizers in advance about changes to the work
the nine minute video created by the artists sampson wong and jason lam opens with the words our 60 second friendship begins now and contains a series of numerical countdowns and phrases in chinese and english that appeared to be apolitical but on may 18 one day after the video was first displayed on the international commerce center the artists said the final countdown in the video   a series of glowing nine digit numbers   contained a subversive message
the numbers indicated the number of seconds until july 1 2047   the date when the agreement guaranteeing the former british colonys semiautonomous status for 50 years after its handover to chinese rule is set to expire   effectively transforming the iconic building into a towering countdown clock for more than a minute every night
by referring to 2047 the artists were tapping into growing fears among some residents about the increasing assertiveness of mainland china and the tightening restrictions on hong kongs civil liberties the work was shown for the first time on may 17 coinciding with the start of a three day visit to hong kong by zhang dejiang a member of the ruling communist partys politburo standing committee who oversees hong kong and macau affairs
it was a subtle message that might have gone unnoticed had the artists not issued an explanation but officials and organizers are unhappy with the revelations
in a joint statement issued late sunday night ellen pau chairwoman of the film and media art group at the hong kong arts development council or hkadc which commissioned the artwork and caroline ha thuc curator of the fifth large scale public media art exhibition human vibrations announced the removal of the artwork from the show the video had been scheduled to be displayed on the international commerce center building every night until june 22
the disrespect demonstrated by mr sampson wong and mr jason lam against the original agreement and understanding made with the curator and hkadc is jeopardizing our profession and put at risk any future possibility to work further in the public space the statement read
the statement said the artists had made changes to the work and had publicized these without consulting the curator nor hkadc
we do believe in the freedom of artistic expression and do support our artists it added
it was unclear on monday whether the council would replace the canceled artwork with another animation the council did not respond to emailed questions
mr wong had previously expressed concerns that the installation would be axed once the message became public
we dont agree with the statement the facts portrayed and the argument mr wong said when reached for comment on monday afternoon we did not change our artwork our 60 second friendship begins now 
mr wong added that he and mr lam would soon release a more comprehensive statement on their artworks cancellation


chicago   in this citys urgent push to rein in gun and gang violence the police department is keeping a list derived from a computer algorithm that assigns scores based on arrests shootings affiliations with gang members and other variables the list aims to predict who is most likely to be shot soon or to shoot someone shaquon thomas was on it
his first arrest came at age 13 and others quickly followed his face maturing in a progression of mug shots by 18 mr thomas who was known as the rapper young pappy had been wounded in a shooting the police said then last may mr thomas 19 was fatally shot in what the police said was a running gang feud his score was more than 500 putting him near the top of the chicago police departments list
we know we have a lot of violence in chicago but we also know theres a small segment thats driving this stuff eddie johnson the police superintendent said in a recent interview
the authorities hope that knowing who is most likely to be involved in violence can bring them a step closer to curtailing it they are warning those highest on the list that they are under intense scrutiny while offering social services to those who want a path away from the bloodshed
about three years into the program and on a fourth revision of the computer algorithm that generates the list critics are raising pointed questions about potential breaches to civil liberties in the creation of such a ranking and the lists efficacy remains in doubt as killings and shootings have continued to rise this year
in a city of 27 million people about 1400 are responsible for much of the violence mr johnson said and all of them are on what the department calls its strategic subject list
so far this year more than 70 percent of the people who have been shot in chicago were on the list according to the police as were more than 80 percent of those arrested in connection with shootings
in a broad drug and gang raid carried out last week amid a disturbing uptick this year in shootings and murders the police department said 117 of the 140 people arrested were on the list
and in one recent report on homicides and shootings over a two day stretch nearly everyone involved was on the list
we are targeting the correct individuals mr johnson said we just need our judicial partners and our state legislators to hold these people accountable
many government agencies and private entities are using data to try to predict outcomes and local law enforcement organizations are increasingly testing such algorithms to fight crime the computer model in chicago though is uniquely framed around this citys particular problems a large number of splintered gangs an ever younger set of gang members according to the police and a rash of gun violence that is connected to acts of retaliation between gangs
supporters of chicagos list say that it allows the police to focus on a small fraction of people creating chaos in the city rather than unfairly and ineffectively blanketing whole neighborhoods but critics wonder whether there is value in predicting who is likely to shoot or be shot with seemingly little ability to prevent it and they question the fairness and legality of creating a list of people deemed likely to commit crimes at some future time
were concerned about this said karen sheley the director of the police practices project of the american civil liberties union of illinois theres a database of citizens built on unknown factors and theres no way for people to challenge being on the list how do you get on the list in the first place we think its dangerous to single out somebody based on secret police information
the city is trying both to calm residents worries about mounting violence and to rebuild community relations with the police after years of distrust which boiled over with the release of a video six months ago showing a black teenager named laquan mcdonald being shot 16 times by a white police officer
the chicago police which began creating the strategic subject list a few years ago said they viewed it as in keeping with findings by andrew papachristos a sociologist at yale who said that the citys homicides were concentrated within a relatively small number of social networks that represent a fraction of the population in high crime neighborhoods
miles wernick a professor at the illinois institute of technology created the algorithm it draws the police say on variables tied to a persons past behavior particularly arrests and convictions to predict who is most likely to become a party to violence
the police cited proprietary technology as the reason they would not make public the 10 variables used to create the list but they said that some examples were questions like have you been shot before is your trend line for crimes increasing or decreasing do you have an arrest for weapons
dr wernick said the model intentionally avoided using variables that could discriminate in some way like race gender ethnicity and geography
jonathan h lewin the deputy chief of the chicago police departments technology and records group said this is not designed to replace the human process this is just designed to inform it
the police have been using the list in part to choose individuals for visits known as custom notifications over the past three years police officers social workers and community leaders have gone to the homes of more than 1300 people with high numbers on the list mr johnson the police superintendent said that officials were increasing those visits this year adding at least 1000 people
during these visits   with those on the list and with their families girlfriends and mothers   the police bluntly warn that the person is on the departments radar social workers who visit offer ways out of gangs including drug treatment programs housing and job training
we let you know that we know whats going on said christopher mallette the executive director of the chicago violence reduction strategy a leader in the effort you know why were here we dont want you to get killed
uncertain for now is the effectiveness the rand corporation is evaluating the citys list but results are yet to be published mr mallette said that 21 percent of the people they had succeeded in talking to had sought assistance and that fewer than 9 percent had been shot since a home visit
a juvenile who has a high score on the list and who was visited last week was shot in the leg and injured on sunday the police said they said he did not answer the door last week when the group went to his home
arthur j lurigio a professor of psychology and criminology at loyola university chicago said there was little evidence to date that the approach was slowing crime this is a first step he said but now figuring what to do with that list   thats another thing
a police computer dashboard of the strategic subject list gives a glimpse of the arc of each person on it shaquon thomass entry went on and on 23 arrests the police said mostly for misdemeanors then the shootings
when people think were profiling or targeting its not true said mr johnson who was an officer here for decades before being appointed this year to succeed the superintendent in the aftermath of the laquan mcdonald video it has nothing to do with your race your background its just all about the contacts you have with law enforcement
the police said shaquon thomas was scheduled to receive a visit   one of the custom notifications   but he died before it could take place


washington   when the house judiciary committee convenes on tuesday to consider the alleged misdeeds of the internal revenue service commissioner john koskinen it will contemplate action that has not been taken in more than 140 years and that in some respects has never been pursued the impeachment of an agency head of mr koskinens rank
tuesdays hearing on accusations by house republicans that mr koskinen lied under oath to congress and defied a congressional subpoena is a remarkable moment even for a washington long fractured by partisanship
not since secretary of war william w belknap in 1876 has the house impeached an administration official other than the president said michael j gerhardt a professor at the university of north carolina school of law and an expert on the federal impeachment process and an official below the presidents cabinet has never been impeached
this is unprecedented in many respects professor gerhardt said
senator orrin g hatch of utah the chairman of the finance committee has made clear that the senate would not convict mr koskinen which would require a nearly impossible two thirds vote but the effort in the house highlights the extent to which the irs has become a symbol for house republicans of everything they despise about the federal bureaucracy and their outrage about what they view as a pattern of obstruction by the obama administration
we can have our disagreements with him but that doesnt mean theres an impeachable offense mr hatch said last week
mr koskinen was not even in government when the irs admitted to singling out the tax exemption applications of tea party groups for scrutiny organizations on the irss lookout lists went beyond conservative groups to include groups like palestinian rights activists and open software developers but the scrutiny of hundreds of tea party applicants infuriated congressional republicans
president obama turned to mr koskinen in 2013 to lead the irs because of his reputation in the public and private sectors as a go to manager of troubled enterprises mr koskinen who was 74 at the time agreed
he is one of the truly dedicated public servants who has been respected as a top government manager for years said g william hoagland who was a longtime staff director of the senate budget committee and fiscal policy adviser to senate republican leaders
but amid the mishandling of email messages sought as evidence by house investigators that fury turned on him mr koskinen will not appear at the tuesday hearing the irs said on monday because he just returned from a multinational tax conference in china and had little time to prepare given the committees recent invitation
he provided i think a whole series of false testimony said representative jason chaffetz republican of utah and chairman of the house oversight and government reform committee who is one of the leaders of the push for impeachment you cant be under a duly issued subpoena and mislead congress and when you provide false testimony there has to be a consequence
were left with no other remedy mr chaffetz added the fbi is not going to take action the president is not going to take action but clearly he provided false testimony
congressional democrats and the white house have characterized the criticism as part of a broader effort by republicans bent on destroying the irs by slashing its budget and impeding its work
instead of taking real action on critical issues that involve the security and well being of americans house republicans are busy engaging in political witch hunts said representative sander m levin of michigan the senior democrat on the tax writing ways and means committee
the drive to impeach mr koskinen is running parallel to the republicans investigation into the deaths of american diplomats in benghazi libya and allegations against planned parenthood
the fact is that john koskinen has assumed a very difficult task and that task has been made only more difficult by the false accusations of republicans and by the continued insistence of republicans to cut the budget for the irs the white house press secretary josh earnest said at a briefing last week
the case against mr koskinen focuses on testimony that he gave to congress as part of inquiries into whether the irs improperly scrutinized applications for tax exempt status by conservative political groups the irs admitted the improper conduct and apologized the justice department ultimately said it had found mismanagement but no crime and it did not bring any charges
mr koskinen started as commissioner of the irs in december 2013 well after the scrutiny was exposed
but house republicans continued their investigations and say the new commissioner lied during testimony in the winter and spring of 2014 they point to assurances that the irs would turn over email messages sent and received by lois lerner a senior official in the exempt organizations division from 2009 to 2010 when tea party affiliated groups applying for tax exempt status were unfairly scrutinized
professor gerhardt said that impeachment might be appropriate if republicans proved their case lying to congress is a very serious charge and if somebody were actually guilty of that that is a perfectly legitimate basis for their removal he said
but he said republicans could undermine their effort if they focused on political arguments and potential wrongdoing by the irs rather than the legal arguments against mr koskinen
mr koskinens supporters say some of the house members pushing for impeachment have been using the effort for their own political gain including to raise campaign donations they also note that in recent weeks the chairman of the house judiciary committee representative robert w goodlatte republican of virginia has come under pressure by a conservative challenger in the republican primary harry griego
some house republicans have made clear that the targeting by the irs is still the main backdrop
we know they targeted peoples most cherished right their first amendment free speech rights their political speech rights said representative jim jordan republican of ohio and a leading proponent of impeachment they did it systematically they did it for a sustained period of time and then they got caught and when they got caught mr koskinens response to those investigations has been terrible
mr koskinen was unavailable for comment last week but in an interview in april he called the house impeachment resolution which was introduced in the fall groundless
we testified truthfully and completely on the basis of what we knew at the time he said he attributed the loss of some of ms lerners emails to the inadvertent destruction of very old tapes
mr koskinen is something of an unlikely target for the first impeachment of an agencys leader before his irs appointment he was enlisted to run the mortgage giant freddie mac when it was put under government conservatorship in september 2008 during the nations financial crisis before that he was named by president bill clinton to lead a federal task force overseeing the tricky y2k computer coding transition at the turn of the century and the deputy director for management of the white house office of management and budget
still only two republicans voted with democrats to confirm mr koskinen for the irs job one was mr hatch who last week told reporters at the capitol for the most part hes been very cooperative with us
fred t goldberg jr a tax lawyer and republican who was the commissioner of the irs under the first president george bush called charges of unethical or illegal behavior preposterous and calls for impeachment just way over the line
but house republicans are resolute last week mr chaffetz proposed a resolution censuring mr koskinen mr chaffetz said he viewed the step as a precursor to impeachment but one that also might be sufficient for some colleagues who regarded impeachment as too drastic
mr chaffetz said he did not know if the full house would ultimately vote on impeachment
its incumbent upon us to make the case and rally enough support in the conference in order to justify it coming to the floor he said


baghdad   iraqi forces have begun an assault on falluja a city that has been held by the islamic state longer than any other in iraq or syria prime minister haider al abadi said in a televised speech on monday
today we will tear down the black flags of the strangers who have kidnapped this city mr abadi referring to the flags of the islamic state that have been flying in falluja for more than two years said in a speech alongside military commanders just after midnight
however iraqi forces did not begin entering the city on monday but continued to fire mortar and artillery rounds at it as they have for months officials said pro government forces had taken some small districts on the outskirts of falluja as well as a government building in karma a city to the northeast of falluja that has long been contested by the government and the islamic state
mr abadi and other iraqi leaders have frequently made bold statements heralding new military offensives only for the efforts to stall on the ground but the new determination to assault falluja signaled a shift in tactics for the iraqi government
for many months army units and allied shiite militias had focused on keeping falluja cut off and under siege rather than mounting any direct assault residents and human rights groups described a worsening problem with starvation and medicine shortages
as fighting intensified around falluja in recent days the united nations said it had stockpiled supplies in baghdad in the event of a new displacement crisis but the united nations said that only 80 families had been able to leave falluja recently and that some civilians had died trying
tens of thousands of civilians remain there and would be unable to leave even if they wanted to the islamic state would most likely shoot them on the way out and militias on the outskirts of the city sometimes refuse to allow civilians to pass human rights activists have warned
any ground battle to liberate falluja is likely to be long and bloody it has often been called the city of mosques and it has long been a stronghold of sunni extremism serving as a kind of early home base for al qaeda in iraq
the united states military led by marines fought two battles for the city in 2004 and the urban house to house fighting was some of the toughest the american military had faced since the vietnam war
fighters of the islamic state also known as isis or isil have held the city since the beginning of 2014 they are believed to be deeply entrenched and likely to stay and fight unlike in cities such as tikrit and ramadi which they eventually fled as iraqi security forces closed in
perhaps mindful of the difficulty the united states faced in pacifying falluja american officials have mostly urged the iraqis to refrain from trying to take back the city instead they have pressed the iraqis to focus on other targets such as mosul one of the countrys largest cities which has been in the hands of the islamic state since june 2014
backed by american and coalition airstrikes iraqi forces have made progress in liberating territory held by the islamic state including ramadi the capital of anbar province and other cities in the euphrates river valley
but they have come at a steep cost in the level of destruction and military victories have not been matched by any sense of reconciliation between sunni and shiite arabs that would suggest a peaceful future for iraq
the american led coalition was supporting operations near falluja col steve warren a coalition spokesman in baghdad said in a twitter message on monday he said that since may 17 the coalition had struck 21 targets near falluja
for the iraqis momentum for a falluja offensive gained steam late last week after a surge in islamic state attacks in baghdad killed nearly 200 people
targeting falluja only 40 miles from the capital was immediately seen by the government and militia leaders as necessary to protect baghdad and also as a way to exact revenge
the moment has come to liberate a city in the land of iraq the iraqi military said in a statement the land that will never accept humiliation because the people of this country have determined to end the darkness of terrorism of isis criminal gangs
mr abadis announcement came after the authorities asked civilians on sunday to prepare to leave the city promising that safe passage would be provided
for mr abadi there is also a potential political benefit to beginning the offensive or at least to announcing the start of one it allows him to convey a sense of authority at a time when his government is paralyzed and facing growing protests
on friday for the second time in three weeks protesters breached the heavy security of the green zone the fortified center of baghdad that houses government buildings and embassies they even got inside mr abadis own office before withdrawing but not before at least two had died in the unrest as security forces fired tear gas and live ammunition


london   the american fertilizer maker cf industries said on monday that it had called off an 8 billion deal to acquire several european and north american operations from oci of the netherlands because of a crackdown by the united states on so called tax inversions
inversions have gained popularity in recent years as american companies look to lower their corporate tax rates and more easily use income that has been held in foreign subsidiaries but those deals have faced resistance from the united states government
in april the treasury department in conjunction with the internal revenue service announced a series of new rules meant to further curtail the practice the first deal to fall victim to those new rules was pfizers 152 billion merger with allergan
cf industries and oci said on monday that the new rules reduced the benefits of their proposed transaction and that they were unable to restructure it in a way that would be attractive to their shareholders
although the original deal created significant value for both parties changes in the regulatory and commercial environments forced us to re evaluate the combination and led us to the conclusion that terminating the agreement is in the best interests of cf industries and its shareholders tony will the cf industries president and chief executive said in a news release
the oci deal announced in august would have created the worlds largest publicly traded nitrogen company
the transaction worth 8 billion including debt was structured so that cf industries would become a subsidiary of a new holding company based in britain ocis european north american and global distribution businesses would have become part of the new company
cf industries based in deerfield ill will pay a termination fee of 150 million to oci after the deals collapse
a move by the obama administration to begin to tighten rules on inversions in 2014 killed some deals including abbvies planned 54 billion takeover of its irish counterpart shire but those rule changes ultimately failed to stem the tide of american companies seeking foreign partners to reduce their tax rates
in april the administration moved to make inversions even tougher to carry out particularly by foreign companies that have completed multiple deals with american partners in a short period which united states authorities have described as serial inverters


a fire on sunday night in a school dormitory in northern thailand killed at least 17 girls an official said
the victims ages 6 to 12 died after the fire broke out in the school in chiang rai province around 11 pm said prasert jitpleecheep an interior ministry official from the wiang pa pao district office
the girls were from predominantly christian hill tribe villages of northern thailand said suharit poomsawan who oversees a rescue team
many of the students were asleep when the blaze began said mr prasert who arrived at the scene one hour after the fire started
the fire spread wildly he said we could rescue some students from the dorm we rescued them from the second floor
many of the girls were unconscious from smoke inhalation when rescuers reached the second floor of the building mr suharit said
fire was all on the first floor he said then it spread to the stairs and it was impossible to use the stairs they could not escape it was like a trap
five girls were injured including two who were in serious condition mr prasert said the two story dormitory which had 38 girls at the time of the fire was destroyed the cause of the fire is still unknown
an image posted on the schools facebook page showed fire trucks spraying water at the building as flames shot high into the night sky
i have rescued people from many horrifying cases mr suharit said but this one they are all young girls its very heartbreaking


taiwans new government has dropped charges against 126 people who occupied a main administrative building during a protest against a trade pact with china two years ago
the decision was made on friday immediately after taiwans president tsai ing wen was sworn into office and announced on monday by premier lin chuan
the protesters were charged with counts related to the takeover of taiwans cabinet building for several hours on march 23 and 24 2014 the police used clubs and water cannons to clear the building leaving nearly 200 people injured
that act was an escalation of the occupation of taiwans legislature which lasted 23 days and succeeded in blocking the trade bill since then taiwans legislature has been considering but has yet to pass a bill on the oversight of agreements with china
ms tsai won the presidency by a large margin in january in part because of concerns about her predecessors pursuit of close ties with china her democratic progressive party was supportive of the protesters known collectively as the sunflower movement and a float at her inauguration on friday was adorned with sunflowers
the sunflower movement was a political matter and not really a simple legal matter mr lin said in a written statement under the principles of a little more harmony a little less conflict we will be as lenient as possible and withdraw this legal complaint
mr lin said that the protesters goals of closer oversight of cross strait deals had become a commonly accepted value in taiwan with lawmakers considering a legal mechanism for greater supervision
during her inauguration address ms tsai called on china to look beyond the burdens of history to improve relations for people on both sides of the taiwan strait china claims taiwan as part of its territory and says it must be eventually united taiwan has been self ruled since 1949 when chiang kai sheks kuomintang troops fled after losing chinas civil war to maos communist party
ms tsai acknowledged the history of talks between china and taiwan but stopped short of endorsing the so called 1992 consensus that formed the basis of ties between china and taiwans previous government chinas taiwan affairs office criticized ms tsai for failing to clearly endorse the consensus which states that mainland china and taiwan are part of one china each side with its own interpretation of what that means
on saturday both official and semiofficial chinese organizations that handle relations with taiwan said that ties could continue only if ms tsai accepted the consensus


on her second anniversary as chief executive of the bill  melinda gates foundation a global colossus of philanthropy dr susan desmond hellmann wrote an open letter about progress against smoking in the philippines polio across the world and sleeping sickness in africa
before joining the foundation she led development of the cancer drugs avastin and herceptin at genentech then was chancellor of the university of california san francisco we spoke for an hour at her office in seattle a condensed and edited version of the conversation follows
what i think the foundation ought to be known for is making sure we do things that others cant or wont so i wrote about the tobacco work for a couple reasons one people probably didnt know we did tobacco control work im an oncologist so i know that tobacco is the cause of death for six million people
they increased the tobacco tax so we can pay and did pay for a group that can supply them with legal aid if youre a relatively small government and big tobacco you might call it has a legal staff that can challenge your use of a tax or a policy you could access excellent legal advice
if you look at whats happened 1990 to 2015 vast improvement but we want to decrease by half again that under 5 mortality by 2030 about 40 percent of those deaths now are in the first 30 days of life most coming actually on your birthday your first day so heres a good news story we know where pregnant women have hiv in sub saharan africa so we can do extremely effective nearly universally effective arvs antiretrovirals for pregnant women using that precision public health we decreased hiv transmission from mother to child in sub saharan africa by nearly half in five years so were doing surveillance
what were doing actually is minimally invasive tissue sampling so the way that we used to do it   and we still do it    is actually reasonably effective but excruciatingly difficult a baby dies and you go to mom and it might be weeks after the death and you say did the baby have a fever were they holding their stomach did they vomit a verbal autopsy its called what were doing is adding minimally invasive tissue sampling liver lung
these families have lost a child and to my delight the principal investigator said that one of the things that people felt is this helps with closure
most importantly we can start to see heres what we believe about epidemiology of hiv tb malaria all of the things that we think are going on and heres actually truth i want the minister of health to say heres why babies die in this community in my country what do i have in my tool kit what are the kinds of medicines i want my government to buy
its almost like youre afraid to celebrate but nigeria has been polio free now for over a year and that means the continent of africa has been wild polio virus free for over a year and were down to pakistan and afghanistan im a believer i think were at the end of polio
absolutely 120 million more women receiving contraceptives by 2020 thats a lot of women and you do have these now phenomenally effective long acting contraceptives implants injectables iuds
the potential for self administration is huge she may not want others in her house to know shes using contraception it gives her agency to make her own decisions on spacing her children and it makes her more powerful
i would say that the two of them have three things in common theyre fierce theyre so all in theyre generous and theyre really committed to their family its a family foundation and im a big family person im one of seven kids my husbands one of seven kids so ive had the opportunity to see them as parents and the gates as a family bill sr works here thats kind of fun too and its so big a part of the history of this place
oh of course its complicated my life
bill and melinda are my bosses and like when i was accountable to the president of the university of california or the ceo of genentech i always like to understand how do i work with my boss melindas really instinctive melinda connects with the human condition weve had this new work in poverty and we were talking about incarceration at a young age and i was telling melinda how sad it made me and how i just wanted to cry when i heard this young mans story and melinda said sometimes you just have get to that place where you just cant even stop thinking about it and you cry then you think how can we help
bill is more the numbers guy i go on trips with bill and melinda separately the trip i took with bill were driving through tanzania and he misses nothing hes got the population of tanzania gdp of tanzania what proportion of their population is educated hes looking at every sign wow theres three telecom companies in tanzania hes basically got an excel spreadsheet of all the data and facts about every country we work in so his intellect and his ability to connect dots and use data and analytics to try and frame a problem or a strategy is extraordinary
im answering to both of them and what ive tried to do is to tap into each of their   they call them in their letter   their superpowers they have very different superpowers and yet what unifies them is this commitment to equity and generosity


hanoi vietnam   an american drone strike on saturday in a restive province of pakistan killed mullah akhtar muhammad mansour the leader of the afghan taliban the white house confirmed on monday
calling the death an important milestone president obama said in a statement released just as he was meeting with top officials in vietnam that the united states had removed the leader of an organization that has continued to plot against and unleash attacks on american and coalition forces
mansour rejected efforts by the afghan government to seriously engage in peace talks and end the violence that has taken the lives of countless innocent afghan men women and children mr obama continued in the statement the taliban should seize the opportunity to pursue the only real path for ending this long conflict   joining the afghan government in a reconciliation process that leads to lasting peace and stability
at a news conference with president tran dai quang of vietnam mr obama said that targeting mullah mansour in the drone strike did not represent a shift in strategy for the united states mission in afghanistan
we are not re entering the day to day combat operations that are currently being conducted by afghanistan forces he said
but mullah mansour was a danger to american forces there he added
he is an individual who as head of the taliban was specifically targeting us personnel and troops inside of afghanistan who are there as part of the mission i have set to maintain a counterterrorism platform and provide assistance mr obama said
killing mullah mansour sent a message that were going to protect our people he said
the strike was the first such american drone attack in the southwestern pakistani province of baluchistan which is the de facto headquarters of the afghan taliban nearly all other drone strikes have taken place in other pakistani and afghan areas
the death of mullah mansour who was consolidating his authority over a fracturing taliban as the militants made major gains on the battlefield throws the insurgency into its second leadership crisis in a year still it was unclear whether it would create any significant breathing space for the government of president ashraf ghani of afghanistan which has struggled to bring the insurgency into negotiations
even with no clear successor to mullah mansour the issue of peace talks has long been seen as deeply unpopular among the talibans most senior leadership


the german industrial giant bayer has finally revealed its 62 billion takeover bid for monsanto as it seeks to create a new titan in the world of farming
but so far the chemical makers ambitious announcement   it is the largest takeover bid by a german company and the biggest all cash acquisition offer on record   appears to have fallen on deaf ears
monsanto based in st louis is the worlds biggest manufacturer of genetically modified crop seeds bayer is hoping to unite that business with its own pesticide operations forming a one stop shop for farmers the combined company with 67 billion in sales would produce an array of products including pain medication gmo seeds and pesticides
it is an outsize takeover bid that requires the german company to win over antitrust regulators who may be leery of a huge new titan in the agricultural business but more important bayer needs to win over skeptical investors
shares in bayer tumbled nearly 6 percent on monday after the announcement to 8442 euros or about 95 as shareholders seemed to register displeasure over the high priced plan the company already bears a high debt load some EUR17 billion about 19 billion after a string of acquisitions in the last three years
the all cash offer of 122 a share would probably require bayer to take on additional debt as well as issue new stock that would dilute existing shareholders the company said it was confident in its ability to raise the money after having consulted with its lenders bank of america merrill lynch and credit suisse
shares in monsanto traded well below bayers offer closing on monday at 106 suggesting skepticism that a deal will be reached at the current offer
it is unclear whether other agricultural companies including the fellow german manufacturer basf will make rival bids
analysts also said that bayer would probably need to raise its bid to succeed with the deal   a prospect that appeared unattractive to its shareholders
on monday monsanto said only that its board was reviewing the proposal last week the companies confirmed that an approach had been made
buying monsanto would give bayer bulk as other giants in agriculture have turned to mergers to gain scale dow and dupont agreed last year to an enormous complicated merger that will fuse their crop science businesses
and syngenta a swiss pesticide maker that monsanto unsuccessfully courted last year agreed in february to sell itself for 43 billion to the china national chemical corporation
among bayers arguments is that farmers must greatly raise their productivity to feed the worlds growing population and that buying monsanto would position the german company to become a supplier of choice
the combined companys seed business and north american headquarters would be in st louis its pesticide and crop science business would be based in monheim germany bayer said it projected annual cost savings of about 15 billion after three years if the two companies combined
we have long respected monsantos business and share their vision to create an integrated business that we believe is capable of generating substantial value for both companies shareholders werner baumann bayers chief executive said in a news release together we would draw on the collective expertise of both companies to build a leading agriculture player with exceptional innovation capabilities to the benefit of farmers consumers our employees and the communities in which we operate
the takeover bid represents a test of mr baumann who became bayers chief just three weeks ago
government regulators in the united states and europe are expected to closely scrutinize any union of the two while the companies operate in separate businesses   monsanto focuses on seeds bayer on pesticides   combining them could give the merged company more pricing power over farmers
european countries including germany have also sounded alarms over the use of genetically modified crops potentially auguring resistance for bayer in its home country
and the national farmers union which represents family farms in the united states said that it was troubled by the prospective merger
the president of the trade group roger johnson said in a statement given the proposed merger between dow and dupont and the pending acquisition of syngenta ag by chinas national chemical corporation we ask that the department of justice thoughtfully consider and apply critical review to any pending and future deals including a bayermonsanto deal that would break down marketplace competition in an already heavily concentrated agriculture sector


hanoi vietnam   the united states is rescinding a decades old ban on sales of lethal military equipment to vietnam president obama announced at a news conference in hanoi on monday ending one of the last legal vestiges of the vietnam war
the united states has long made lifting the embargo contingent on vietnams improving its human rights record and recently administration officials had hinted that the ban could be removed partly in response to chinas buildup in the south china sea
but mr obama portrayed the decision as part of the long process of normalizing relations between the two countries after the vietnam war
the decision to lift the ban was not based on china or any other considerations he said with the vietnamese president tran dai quang standing stiffly by his side it was based on our desire to complete what has been a lengthy process of moving toward normalization with vietnam
mr obama insisted that the move should not be interpreted as carte blanche for weapons sales to vietnam and that the united states would review future arms sales to examine whats appropriate and whats not as it does with any country
as for human rights he said this is an area where we still have differences
human rights advocates who had asked mr obama to hold off on lifting the ban until vietnam had released some prominent political prisoners and promised to stop the police beatings of protesters condemned the decision
president obama just gave vietnam a reward that they dont deserve said john sifton the asia policy director of human rights watch
mr quang defended his countrys rights record
the consistent position and viewpoint of the vietnamese government is to protect and promote human rights he said adding those achievements have been highly recognized and appreciated by the international community
american officials have portrayed lifting the embargo as part of a strategy to help vietnam defend itself against an increasing threat from china in the south china sea analysts have speculated that in return vietnam would grant the united states access to the deepwater port at cam ranh bay
while there were no statements about such a deal on monday mr obama did announce new commercial agreements worth more than 16 billion including one in which boeing will sell 100 aircraft and pratt  whitney will sell 135 advanced aircraft engines to vietjet air a privately owned low cost airline
analysts said however that the potential market for new military contracts with vietnam was likely to be limited in the near term
mr obama said that improved ties with vietnam made sense for the united states since it was a fast growing country in one of the fastest growing regions of the world
he predicted that the trans pacific partnership a trade deal among 12 nations including vietnam that has very little chance of passing congress before the november election would someday become law all three remaining presidential candidates oppose it
mr obamas visit was part of an effort by vietnam to recalibrate its relationship with china its giant neighbor in the north china remains vietnams largest trading partner and an ideological ally but the two countries have sparred over beijings claims to waters off vietnams coast in the south china sea
since 2014 when china placed an oil rig in waters near the paracel islands which vietnam claims hanoi has repeatedly asked washington for the freedom to buy american lethal weapons the united states partly relaxed the ban two years ago allowing the purchase of nonlethal equipment for maritime defense
chinas reaction to the decision on monday was subdued
the arms embargo is a product of the cold war and should never have existed hua chunying a spokeswoman for the foreign ministry said during a news briefing in beijing we welcome normal relations between vietnam and the united states
but beneath the polite response are deep concerns in beijing about the intentions of vietnam and vietnam while seeking to defend itself from china is unlikely to completely sever itself from chinas orbit
in a sign of the complexities of the relationship the chinese ambassador to vietnam hong xiaoyong met last thursday with vietnams defense minister ngo xuan lich in hanoi both sides pledged to strengthen military ties said xinhua the chinese news agency
the lifting of the arms embargo comes at a particularly sensitive time for china the government is running a high pitched diplomatic campaign criticizing a pending arbitration ruling on the south china sea china argues that a united nations tribunal has no right to make a ruling in the case which the philippines brought against china
vietnam has loudly backed the right of the philippines to take its case to the tribunal
mr obama also announced on monday that the two sides had formalized an agreement to allow the opening of fulbright university vietnam in ho chi minh city the first independent university in vietnam in which the government would have no formal role
the universitys chairman bob kerrey a former nebraska senator and a vietnam veteran who lost part of a leg in combat said the university could start teaching undergraduates in the autumn of 2017
mr obama also said that peace corps volunteers would be posted to vietnam for the first time
earlier in the morning mr obama was whisked through hanois streets for a highly choreographed arrival ceremony at the presidential palace his route was lined with children waving small american and vietnamese flags
the president later had dinner with anthony bourdain the host of a cnn program


you may know theres added sugar in your coke or cookies but did you know that its in your salad dressing pasta sauce and bread
the food and drug administration came out friday with its new template for nutrition labels one big change was the addition of a line for added sugar to be placed below a line for total sugar the change is designed to distinguish between sugars that are naturally occurring in a food   like the milk sugar in a plain yogurt   and the sugars that food manufacturers include later to boost flavors   like the evaporated cane juice in a chobani kids strawberry yogurt
a team of researchers at the university of north carolina conducted a detailed survey of the packaged foods and drinks that are purchased in american grocery stores and found that 60 percent of them include some form of added sugar when they looked at every individual processed food in the store 68 percent had added sugar some of those products are more obvious sugary foods but not all the list includes many sauces soups fruit juices and even meat products
you might think its easy to figure out whether the food manufacturer added sugar to your food but it isnt always so while some foods include sugar in their ingredients many use different words for products that are nutritionally similar most of us have heard of high fructose corn syrup a sugar made from processing corn but there are also things like the evaporated cane juice in the yogurt and rice syrup and flo malt which are less obvious and amount to the same thing
barry popkin a professor of nutrition at the university of north carolina and one of the papers authors said that the wide variety of sugars is not always meant to confound consumers instead he said the many sugar types are chosen by food scientists to give their products the best flavor and texture some sugars are better for baked goods while others are better in soft drinks some are also cheaper than others sugar tariffs and import laws make it expensive to bring in too much foreign sugar but not all of the sugar formulations count toward the laws quotas
theres also the matter of fruit juice concentrates which are juices that have been stripped of nearly everything but sugar and evaporated a lot of seemingly natural foods include ingredients like apple juice concentrate thats sugar that will be a lot clearer when the labels are updated
its going to really surprise people who go to organic and whole foods stores when they find that all this natural food theyve been buying is full of added sugar mr popkin said its full of fruit juice concentrates and they thought it was all good stuff
the emphasis on added sugar comes from new nutrition guidelines that urge americans to consume a healthy dietary pattern containing certain types of foods according to the regulation hidden added sugars make it difficult to understand whether the food you are eating is part of that healthy pattern medical evidence shows that high sugar consumption is linked to obesity diabetes and tooth decay   though not all of that work distinguishes between added sugar and total sugar
many of the big food industry trade groups and lobbyists were satisfied with the new label rules as my colleague sabrina tavernise recently wrote but the sugar industry and the corn refiners are upset critics of the policy argue that the difference between natural and added sugars is not nutritionally meaningful and that the science establishing health harms from added sugar is weak the new label will kick in for large food companies in 2018 and for smaller companies a year later
the unc research used its master list of sugar code words to measure how many grocery store foods include sugar but measuring the precise amount of sugars that are added with the current label is quite difficult mr popkin said consumers would be surprised by recent research from his team revealing the large amounts of added sugars in products that are generally thought of as healthy   foods like infant formula protein bars and yogurt


an expanse of blue solar panels stretches across part of the yamakura dam reservoir in japans chiba prefecture
in two years if construction goes as planned 50904 panels will float atop the reservoir generating an estimated 16170 megawatt hours annually enough electricity to power almost 5000 homes according to kyocera the company building the solar plant
the project once completed will be the largest installation of its kind in the world but floating solar arrays are becoming more popular with installations already operating in australia and the united states and more planned or under construction
the growing interest is driven in part by huge growth in the solar market in recent years as the cost of the technology has dropped quickly
floating solar arrays   they are often referred to as floatovoltaics a term trademarked by one company   also have advantages over solar plants on land their proponents say renting or buying land is more expensive and there are fewer regulations for structures built on reservoirs water treatment ponds and other bodies of water not used for recreation unlike most land based solar plants floating arrays can also be hidden from public view a factor in the nonprofit sonoma clean power companys decision to pursue the technology
sonoma county boasts some of the most beautiful rolling hills and people dont want to see them covered by solar panels said rebecca simonson a senior power analyst for the renewable energy developer which has signed purchasing agreements for floating solar arrays to be built on six treated water ponds in the county the solar panels she said would not be visible from the road
the floating arrays have other assets they help keep water from evaporating making the technology attractive in drought plagued areas and restrict algae blooms and they are more efficient than land based panels because water cools the panels
the efficiencies are what motivated us to look at this said rajesh nellore the chief executive of infratech industries which has completed the first section of a floating solar plant in jamestown australia that will eventually cover five water treatment basins the installation which went into operation last year is constructed so that it generates up to 57 percent more energy than a rooftop solar plant the finished plant is expected to generate up to 20 percent more energy than a land based array
the panels are specially coated to prevent corrosion and set on a tracking system that moves them to maximize sunlight during the course of a day the company is working on a similar project in holtville a small city in southern california which has suffered from years of drought
mr nellore notes that each floating solar project comes with its own engineering challenges floating panels for example can face stiffer wind than land based arrays but he said the biggest obstacle he faced was convincing government water agencies that the floating technology served their interests
its limited by what incentives there are and what the government wants mr nellore said he noted that in los angeles the water department covered a reservoir with 345 million worth of black plastic balls to slow evaporation floating solar panels might have served the same purpose and also generated energy
kyocera for its part turned to floating panels because solar power has become so popular in japan that big tracts of land for typical panel setups are hard to come by said a spokeswoman natsuki doi she added that construction time and labor for a floating array was far less than for a land based installation
the far niente winery in oakville calif was an early adopter of floating solar panels placing 994 on pontoons over an irrigation pond in 2008 greg allen a winemaker at far niente who is a mechanical engineer by training said the company was interested in solar power and wanted to eliminate 100 percent of their energy costs
utility rebates and tax credits helped defray some of the 42 million cost for the floating array which took two and a half years to design and build and another 1302 solar panels installed on land the system is expected to pay for itself by 2020 or sooner mr allen said
the 3 foot by 5 foot solar panels on the pond are mounted on 130 foam filled plastic pontoons made from drainpipes
we were nervous about a lot of things when we got into the project mr allen said but putting the panels on water saved vineyard space and the floating system combined with a solar array on land generates up to 477 kilowatts of electricity at peak production
at least one other winery has followed suit and mr allen said far niente had received visitors from india china singapore and new south wales who are interested in the technology
inhabitants of the pond seem unperturbed he added
the fish are happy the frogs are happy the ducks came back he said its a very healthy pond


twins born minutes apart may be eerily similar or just as eerily different even if they are not identical they share yards of genetic material and yet one turns out large and one small one strong and one weak one a poet and the other a mumbler
we see these disparities in people all the time and now we see them in a pair of books on the gene published on the same day sharing yards of genetic material both works aim to explain the power and mystery of the human genome yet could not be more different
one is destined to soar into the firmament of the years must reads to win accolades and well deserved prizes and to set a new standard for lyrical science writing
the other smaller and considerably less articulate is likely to achieve none of these honors still the little book manages to deliver some vitally important messages about the interactions between the average human and the average genome that the first book soars just a little too high to provide
a cancer physician at columbia university dr siddhartha mukherjee dazzled readers with his pulitzer winning the emperor of all maladies in 2010 that achievement was evidently just a warm up for his virtuoso performance in the gene an intimate history in which he braids science history and memoir into an epic with all the range and biblical thunder of paradise lost read an excerpt
like all natural storytellers dr mukherjee knows to begin at the beginning to explain the gene he heads back to the ancient greeks who first struggled to explain how fathers and sons could be so similar and yet so different to explain his own family he must revisit partition era india where two of his fathers brothers succumbed to serious mental illness a scourge that claimed one of his first cousins as well
those are some bad genes they dog dr mukherjees heels as he writes but like so many inheritances they are complicated and disguised muffled yet threatening
slowly his story weaves past the usual landmarks mendels peas darwins finches watson and cricks rough cardboard models of component nucleosides the alphabet of the gene creates the words and sentences of the genome the eugenicists who glom on to fledgling science to purify the race contribute their own vicious story line stretching from oliver wendell holmes jr to hitler and beyond
of all the sciences biology is the most lawless dr mukherjee writes now we have become fluent enough in its language not only to understand what laws there are but also to draft new ones
it is a familiar narrative with a big difference thanks to dr mukherjees remarkably clear and compelling prose the reader has a fighting chance of arriving at the story of todays genetic manipulations with an actual understanding of the immensely complicated science and the even more complicated moral questions
looking to the future dr mukherjee worries that illness might progressively vanish but so might identity grief might be diminished but so might tenderness traumas might be erased but so might history all who contemplate such a world should understand its origins and dr mukherjees readers will get it from the ground up
dr steven lipkin lacks dr mukherjees skills even with a co author he struggles mightily in the age of genomes tales from the front lines of genetic medicine to explain the scientific concepts underlying his work what dr lipkin does have are patients read an excerpt
a clinical geneticist in new york city he is among those charged with translating complicated principles into viable medical practice in his work dr lipkin meets patients like lydia who worries that because she looks like her mother she is also fated to die young of ovarian cancer
there is samantha who suffers from a dire genetic syndrome that precludes safe pregnancy there is sean a surfer dude with a relatively mild genetic condition that is ruining his sex life
as in the rest of clinical medicine though nothing is entirely predictable for these patients lydia is relieved to hear she has little chance of developing her mothers cancer but expresses exactly zero interest in knowing more about her fathers early alzheimers disease a far more heritable condition
samantha would routinely be advised to avoid pregnancy at all costs save for one small detail she shows up for her first appointment with a healthy baby boy on one knee her one uneventful pregnancy complicates decision making about subsequent ones
as for sean a honed state of the art treatment to prop up his mutant genes is available unfortunately it is very expensive and he is uninsured
insurance is a scientific concept that dr mukherjee does not include in his glorious tour of human genetics but it governs the work of clinicians who must plead bargain and appeal for indicated tests and treatments to be approved the society that rewrites the genetic code as dr lipkin points out is likely to become one in which the very expensive tools of genetic medicine forge yet one more barrier between rich and poor
when dr lipkin sequences his own genome he runs into another feature of the landscape dr mukherjee overlooks the proliferation of cut rate poorly standardized services out there dr lipkin first springs for a cheap genotype and gets what he pays for in the form of a syndrome he knows perfectly well he doesnt have a better test corrects the error
these stories from the trenches make it clear that clinical genetics will not be spared the misery inducing features of the rest of medicine in which the reigning slogan is caveat emptor
let the poet sing his long lovely epic it is still the harried inarticulate much beleaguered guy in the white coat who will be cementing the transactions


london   within minutes of manchester united winning the fa cup final its manager louis van gaal was saying on television it is fantastic to win this title   for the club for the fans and also for me because now i have won the cups in four countries and not many managers have done that
van gaals words centered on himself and they came across like a farewell speech
as van gaal spoke the players were already making their way up the 107 steps at wembley stadium to receive the trophy from prince william van gaal followed them wearily
he could not enjoy even one hour of satisfaction saturday after united beat crystal palace 2 1 to win the cup for the first time in 12 years the story was already out that jose mourinho once van gaals protege had been offered a three year contract to replace him
this will not become official until united which is publicly traded reports the change of manager to the new york stock exchange but the story has been percolating since dec 17 when chelsea fired mourinho since then there has been a steady campaign by many in the media to get van gaal out and mourinho in
there are no niceties in the business of professional soccer manchester united won the tournament that 736 clubs in england and wales compete for every season but it failed to qualify for next seasons champions league after finishing fifth in the premier league and it was an open secret since christmas that both united and its neighbor and rival manchester city both were lining up their next managers behind the backs of the incumbents
city reached the champions league semifinals this season and it nipped united for fourth place and the final spot in the champions league despite everybody knowing that its manager manuel pellegrini would be paid off and replaced by pep guardiola this summer
van gaals time was running out despite there being another year left on his contract and despite the signs that young players were coming through to reinvigorate united
marcus rashford anthony martial and timothy fosu mensah all teenagers when the season started had burst onto the team and they look like real prospects who can help in the years to come
wayne rooney 30 was pushed into a midfield role saturday with the younger players in attack in response he looked more strong willed than ever in the final and he more than anyone refused to let palace win the game
it has been the year of the underdog in britain and jason puncheon fired palace ahead late in the second half then rooney took the contest by the scruff of the neck he surged past one two three four defenders shaking them off with bull like power
rooney then chipped the ball across from the right and when marouane fellaini knocked it down with his chest juan mata struck it between the legs of defender joel ward to tie it at 1 1
then deep into extra time the stalemate was broken by an exquisite shot from jesse lingard another player promoted through the youth system at united the ball sat up nicely for me lingard said all i had to do was hit it sweet and luckily i did that
there was no luck about it that volley hit straight as an arrow came after years of repetition at manchester uniteds academy
the appointment of van gaal as coach   with ryan giggs at his side as the intended successor   was supposed to get the club back to churning out young prospects in the same way that alex ferguson did during his 26 seasons as manager and that matt busby did before that when united had a reputation as a team that built from within creating its own style by nurturing its own talents
van gaal it has to be said never came to grips with that legacy he bought heavily from foreign teams and he only turned to youth when his overly cautious style bored the majority of united fans
but those who called for mourinho may rue what they wanted giggs is likely to be collateral damage in all this his line of succession going from academy graduate to playing idol to manager in waiting is broken
the clubs american owners have not succeeded at hiring either managers or top players since both ferguson and the clubs chief administrator david gill both left at the same time three years ago
it quickly hired   and fired   david moyes as fergusons first replacement and with the club now tactically admitting that van gaal was a poor fit it leaves the door open for mourinho to get the job that he has coveted for years
but before all the details are thrashed out by mourinhos ubiquitous agent jorge mendes the doubts are beginning to rise
is mourinho any less of a pragmatist or any more likely to give united back its devil may care attacking style than van gaal from whom he learned his coaching philosophy
can giggs be retained for another three years under another manager who puts results by whatever means necessary above an adventurous style of play
has mourinho still got it in terms of being able to impose his methods on players his final season at chelsea saw the club implode going from champion to the relegation zone of the premier league on the night that his chelsea tenure ended after a loss at leicester city mourinho blamed the players for failing to obey his coaching diktat
manchester united is gambling again its season was saved by youth yet it is about to employ a new savior whose record includes little tolerance for young players instead favoring buying what he considers to be big game winners


the architect alejandro aravena the surprise winner of this years pritzker prize and subject of a feature by michael kimmelman in ts upcoming issue wants to pull architectural focus away from starry prestige projects and attention grabbing landmark buildings under aravenas direction this years venice architecture biennale will focus on architecture that addresses actual   and often urgent   daily human needs he views the advancement of architecture not as a goal in itself but a way to improve peoples quality of life later this week aravenas central exhibition reporting from the front will open alongside national presentations and special projects many including the handful of diverse projects below offer their own reports from architectures many fronts
the notion of reporting from the front line is as its curators point out unfortunately directly applicable to the yemen pavilion this modest but important exhibition will focus on the conflict ravaged countrys vernacular architecture traditional building techniques and the spectacular ancient structures still standing in the capital sana pictured above at a moment when the destruction of important ancient structures is the stuff of international headlines boning up on imperiled world heritage is an urgent imperative
poland eyes a front line that implicates us all turning the focus of its pavilion to the construction industry and the making of buildings following hot on the heels of controversies surrounding labor conditions on high profile projects including the guggenheim abu dhabi museum the pavilions theme is fair building possible investigates the human cost of architecture above a photo taken during the process of creating the exhibition
far stands for floor area ratio   the amount of floor space a building can offer in relation to the size of land it is built upon its a hot topic in seoul where architects are driven by the market to optimize their use of space and struggle to balance this with considerations of quality of life
the architectural imagination offers a dozen exercises in speculative architecture for the city of detroit its curators cynthia davidson and monica ponce de leon have selected 12 very different architectural practices from around the us each of which spent time in the citys neighborhoods before proposing projects while these address the specific needs of detroit the curators note that the ideas are relevant to all cities dealing with empty factories and declining population twenty postcard designs showing detroit through the eyes of residents and visiting photographers including the one shown above will be distributed at the biennale
the curator malkit shoshan specializes in the architecture of conflict and for blue she focuses on the structures created by the united nations at camp castor in gao mali blue indicates on the one hand the blue helmets of the peacekeeping mission and on the other the blue men of the tuareg in whose region the mission is situated shoshan suggests the military camp itself as a permeable cultural location rather than a fortress and one that brings with it the possibility of positive change
the gaybar project explores a rather more familiar front line   that of creeping gentrification the artists hannah quinlan and rosie hastings document and recreate londons historic gay bar spaces as they shut down in the face of rapid gentrification in venice theyll present new film works exploring disappearing lgbtqi spaces in the bar of the bauer hotel


want to get this briefing by email heres the sign up
good evening heres the latest
1 vietnam warmly welcomed president obama at the start of his weeklong asia trip its his latest effort to have the us pivot to the region and counter chinas might mr obama announced the end of an arms embargo that was one of the last remnants of the vietnam war

2 an important milestone the president also confirmed that the leader of the afghan taliban mullah akhtar muhammad mansour had been killed in a us drone strike the question now whether the talibans leadership crisis   its second in a year   will push the group into peace talks with the afghan government

3 a judge in baltimore exonerated edward nero an arresting officer accused of lesser offenses in the case of freddie gray six officers were accused of wrongdoing after mr gray died last year from a spinal cord injury suffered in police custody the most serious charges against the driver of the police wagon in which mr gray was injured have yet to reach trial

4 one way to understand the shape of the presidential race is to look at two of its more flamboyant kingmakers long ago allies who are now bitter opponents david brock above left supports hillary clinton and roger stone right backs donald trump both operate outside the official campaigns the dynamic between the two of them is very interesting a democratic strategist said this will be a battle about whos tougher

5 a far right candidate lost austrias cliffhanger presidential election by the smallest of margins just 06 percent of the vote kept norbert hofer from becoming the first far right european president since the end of the nazi era right wing parties are making gains across europe which is struggling with a migration crisis slow economic growth and disillusionment with the european union

6 islamic state militants have been losing ground in syria and iraq and iraq opened operations to dislodge them from the long held city of falluja but isis sought to show its strength sending suicide bombers deep into syrian government territory above and in yemen a local branch of isis carried out a deadly suicide bombing in the capital

7 a special times report examined the 358 shootings last year in the us that killed or injured four or more people most cases were outdoors in downtrodden neighborhoods and involved criminal or gang activity or arguments most where race and age were clear involved black men age 30 or younger as both shooters and victims the 39 domestic violence shootings in contrast mainly involved whites

8 our best read article today thinks through what rock and roll will mean to humans hundreds of years from now   and in historys shorthand which musician will come to represent the entire genre the writer chuck klostermans considers considers the beatles elvis and dylan   and settles on chuck berry

9 looking ahead partisan ill will on capitol hill the house judiciary committee convenes tuesday to consider impeaching the internal revenue service commissioner republicans accuse john koskinen of having lied under oath and defying a subpoena no official below the presidents cabinet has ever been impeached and if thats not enough rancor congress will be struggling over competing bills on paying for the fight against the zika virus

10 finally good news for all the breakfast skippers out there those studies that were said to show that the first meal is the most important of the day maybe not failing to break your fast in the morning does not necessarily cause poor health it is simply a parallel factor or correlation our analyst says so dont feel bad if youd rather skip it he writes and dont listen to those who lecture you breakfast has no mystical powers

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instead of layers of shadow and liner what about applying  almost nothing
there are few regions on the terrain of my body that havent given me over the course of my life occasion to complain ive regretted my sun spurning pallor ive felt bad about my neck for reasons other than nora ephrons   mine is just really short ive registered dismay at my stomachs persistent convexity one part ive never been mad at however is my eyelids until recently i hadnt even experienced something as substantial as a thought about those dainty sheathes
address yourself to the fall runways and youll be forced like me to consider the eyelid you may even grow convinced that these centimeters represent an area of missed opportunity models at peter pilotto and iris van herpen wore a youthful slick of what looked like vaseline on their lids at alexander wang and lanvin the area was similarly emphasized but with an added hint of rose gold or taupe a few common factors connected the looks one the glossy lids were often paired with a full brow   and by full i mean the kind of bushy unplucked arc that looks glorious on teenage models and might be described as brave on anyone else two the lids appeared on faces that were otherwise free of perceptible decoration and three the lids were either colorless or nearly so
this final element becomes critical when you try the look on your own a sheen on eyelids reflects light keeping that sheen neutral makes them appear otherworldly rather than tacky it says look into my eyes not look into my unexpectedly iridescent eyelids i recently experimented with the effect when meeting a close friend for breakfast you look different today she said her gaze appraising different how i goaded more innocent she said and um your eyes are a different shape
in fact my eyes were the same shape they have always been   a roundish almond maybe more of a pistachio but id been auto applying eye shadow and eyeliner and mascara for so long that i couldnt blame her for diagnosing a discrepancy not wearing eye makeup it turns out is the easiest way to change the emotional architecture of your face an unpainted eye looks guileless almost babylike a layer of shine elevates it from i literally woke up like this to an actual look better yet its a look that can be replicated with a single product and is basically impossible to mess up
a little gloss on the lid is the makeup equivalent of parting your hair one inch to the left nobody will be able to pinpoint the difference in your appearance but it will register on some mild subtextual level your eyes after all are the windows to your soul why not give their frames a quick polish


welcome to social capital a series devoted to analyzing the social media presences of celebrities
tuesday is essential oils day on alanis morissettes instagram she doesnt post the images every week but she does it enough that i reflexively click over to her account every tuesday morning when i wake up just in case in april she posted a bright photograph of seven small apothecary bottles of her diy chakra inspired oilwatersalt blend sprays she scattered the bottles across a background of large smooth river stones the kind a massage therapist uses to scald the scapulae the sprays have impressionistic names like feminine art generate and stillness she writes in the caption that she uses them to both start and end my day
i have never purchased or tried to whip up by hand an oil that morissette recommends on her instagram but still i find them deeply comforting staring into morissettes instagram is like gazing out over the ocean or watching a prism cast rainbows on a wall it is meditative ruminant and a little numbing the feed is a colorful font of pinterest ready woo woo feel good imagery crystals organized in neat concentric circles turquoise beads in ceramic bowls a macro plate from cafe gratitude spirituality books laid out on batik tapestry wildflowers the flow of images never feels too rushed or too planned   she will post three times in a single day and then take a break for five weeks theres the sense that morissette is currently doing exactly what feels right for her and she transmits that intention into a kind of general social media zen
these images as drenched in hippie aesthetics as they are make deep sense to me at least in a very end of yoga class spritzing the air with lavender oil kind of way they provide the kind of woozy if not elliptical affirmations that growing up in new mexico i heard all the time i hail from the land of crystal healing and meditation yurts the land of checking in with your inner child during a long hike through sagebrush and yucca plants where i am from zealous self actualization was trending long before much of the country caught onto it no granola business under the desert sun can really surprise me
what strikes me more acutely about her boho mama self presentation and obsession with artfully placing bottles of tea tree essence on giant tropical leaves is that these ideas are beaming out from    alanis morissette its not that it is a shock that morissette posts inspirational quotes she loves a good frida kahlo aphorism or a selfie of her lapel pins which include the word peace in the shape of a dove and a golden button that reads sorry i am such an expletive morissette has been engaging with therapeutic new age themes for almost as long as she has been making music there was that time she thanked the entire country of india in a pop hook file under problematic faves it is that because of the cathartic explosion that was jagged little pill the 1995 album that taught me the vocabulary with which express anxiety and rage as i belted along in my bedroom morissettes current status as a kind of virtual flower child has become a poignant valentine to the idea of personal growth she has found herself at peace and in doing so has invited the rest of us to join her in her happy place
because as any child of the 90s may recall there was a time when morissette fumed at least through her music last summer in a special spotify behind the music recording to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the release of jagged little pill morissette said that you oughta know perhaps the albums grittiest song came right out of a journal entry from a devastated time but she also admitted that she was using fury as a front when i hear that song i definitely hear the anger as a protection around the searing vulnerability    it was a lot easier for me to be angry and feel the power from that anger versus the broken horrified woman on the floor
around the release of jagged little pill there was some question as to whether her indignation   a product as she would later say of wriggling her way out of a glossy canadian teen pop career in which a bevy of suits commandeered her life and aesthetic   was authentic or manufactured for top 40 singles she worked on the record with glen ballard a genius producer who had made hit after hit for the likes of wilson phillips a 1995 issue of rolling stone considered this question noting the fashionable cynicism that accompanied morissettes anointment as the stormy girl du jour but also arguing that she had earned the right to sing the postmodern blues she also told the magazine that her temper on you oughta know should not define her entire album and by extension her whole career by no means is this record just a sexual angry record that song wasnt written for the sake of revenge it was written for the sake of release im actually a pretty rational calm person
i think about this quote a lot when i scroll through morissettes instagram this is where she goes to reclaim herself as that calm rational person and i believe her good vibes are sincere her feed is a holistic homage to the idea of letting go of allowing grace and human kindness to enter into the spaces where resentment once made a home   and shaped a very public image there is a picture of morissette now 41 hugging someone with her full body accompanied with the caption that we need the vital interaction of touching of skin and souls to not only thrive and feel the connectedness of life love and god that is our birthright but as babies we actually need it to live there is a rainbow of fresh pressed juices that earn hashtags like micronutrientsfordays and watchtheglycemia and a glowing photo of her homemade oil blends that she tags with privatealchemy and sensualsupport morissettes instagram is all about how she takes care of herself how she is eating praying and loving in the quest for joy
it would be easy to dismiss these posts as an example of the type of los angeles meets santa cruz hempy goop enlightenment that strikes celebrities like a virus it would be easy to see a photo of morissette typing on an actual typewriter on a colorful blanket in the sea grass at big sur and connect this image to the same impulse that causes starlets to take selfies drinking liquefied kale in runyon canyon it would be easy to associate morissettes home decor including a wall hanging that simply says yes and several dreamcatchers with the marketing lingo for succulents and lycra pants
but then i remember this is alanis morissette and she has earned her public mindfulness retreat morissette is currently working on her memoirs and she posted a picture of herself at her writing desk urging the words to come she winks subtly through tbts at her heavy past acknowledging that without it she would not be able to embrace her present lightness she is clearly very much in love and the light of her life is her longhaired son ever whose moments of childlike wonder she captures in a way that feels less like a mommy blogger and more like an earth mother enraptured with her own creation recently she has become an advice columnist for the guardian and the host of an inspirational podcast and she often quotes her own words on her instagram feed i love my needs now i used to hate them
this philosophy seems to guide most of morissettes posts and i have subtly allowed her full lean in to new age living to guide me as well when i was a teenager i never allowed the rose quartz energy happening all around me to penetrate my angst i was too busy singing not the doctor at the top of my lungs in my beat up station wagon pushing away my imagined antagonists who wanted me to to be responsible for their fractured hearts morissette taught me how to do that but now she teaches me something new when i am in a bad mood i can simply open up her instagram and scroll back through image after image of soothing sun dappled bliss and i calm all the way down she confronted the broken woman on the floor and then decided to give herself the gift of serenity i may never use essential oils but what i get from morissettes instagram has come to feel essential indeed


though ed lee has been applauded for his unconventional mens wear he insists that there are no big concepts behind his designs instead the recent central saint martins graduate cites a straightforward passion for color texture and shape   as well as an enthusiasm for fashion history and vintage clothes of which hes become an accidental collector the result is a mens wear brand that marries louche bowie esque glamour and decadently ornate textiles with androgynous voluminous silhouettes
born in hong kong lee moved to the uk at 16 and enrolled at a buckinghamshire boarding school a decision that he considers pivotal to his creative development when i came to the uk it was the first time that i felt as though there were so many things around me and i had the time to explore them he says i was studying physics economics and business but in my spare time id spend so much time in the art department drawing and learning about different artists
with the support of his initially hesitant parents lee pursued the prestigious ba mens wear course at central saint martins which enabled him to flourish creatively he was in good company too the designer grace wales bonner was a classmate soon he landed an internship in the haute couture atelier of maison martin margiela on his placement year in college i was speechless when i got there   i still dont know how to describe it he says of the experience it was all about creating new materials from unexpected objects i would never have thought that making a jacket out of pencils or balloons could end up being so beautiful and that vintage clothes could be used to create something so modern soon after lee started to assist christelle kocher a senior designer at bottega veneta and creative director at maison lemarie who now designs the brand koche for which lee continues to freelance
back at central saint martins lee applied what he learned in paris to his graduate collection he began by deconstructing vintage clothes and textiles a la margiela and delving into decades of fashion history and couture techniques for inspiration a la kocher the result was a collection of sinuous silk shirts boxy snakeskin tailoring and sculptural tops as well as unexpected grungy slip dresses and blouses worn over dark velvet sweaters and underneath sweeping mock croc and leather coats lee wasnt preparing to take it any further than a job interview   which all changed when the singer harry styles came knocking i hadnt even made up my mind as to whether id start my own line but the fact that he wanted to order some custom shirts and gave me the freedom to do what i thought would be best for him really boosted my confidence lee says
from there he began collecting vintage clothes and planning for the upcoming season while freelancing for fashion brands and apparel manufacturers to support his line for his fallwinter 2016 collection his second since graduating lee lists elizabeth peyton franz kline and paul poiret as inspirations i wanted to take the essence of all of this richness and combine it with a modern silhouette he says before adding that his aim was to offer some more traditional mens wear shapes than he has done previously i dont just want to reproduce 1920s and 1970s looks   that would be really meaningless you have all of these delicate details but you need some rawness in it to balance it out a really beautiful satin needs an edge so i destroyed things a little bit but kept the rich detailing
the collection marks a newfound commercialism for lee who says that he tried to make the production more sustainable by choosing ready made fabrics printing fabric and generally using less repurposed vintage clothes and textiles when it came to picking a factory lee decided on hong kong where his mother is involved in the citys textile industry and can help oversee production
though lee plans to build his business slowly it wont be long before he becomes a fixture on the burgeoning london mens wear scene i would love to do a show at london collections men he says referencing the mens wear shows which will be held there in mid june i may be traveling all over the world but i see london as my base this is where my label should be in a way what i do is all about london


the boys in the bunkhouse servitude and salvation in the heartland a nonfiction work about a very dark corner of the american employment landscape is based on a series of new york times stories by reporter dan barry
colum mccann an award winning author says that mr barrys book just out this month had to be written   the same way that grapes of wrath had to be written going further mr mccann says mr barry is the closest we have to a modern steinbeck
mr mccann joins mr barry in conversation about his book written about dozens of intellectually disabled men kept in virtual servitude in a squalid farmhouse in iowa where they got out of bed every day   decade after decade   and eviscerated turkeys for 65 a month the local community accepted and befriended the men known as boys but failed to notice obvious signs of their neglect exploitation and the abuse they had endured no one said anything for 30 years
the case eventually led to the largest verdict in the history of the equal employment opportunity commission calling for 240 million in damages and had a big impact on disability rights in the workplace
in this podcast mr mccann explains how the book arose from a dare he made to mr barry in a pub its such a great story if you dont write it i will mr mccann told him mr barry is a long island man who says he takes dares seriously and could not resist thus began the boys in the bunkhouse
susan lehman is host


we just did what we wanted   we didnt care says bay garnett shes describing cheap date the low budget quarterly magazine for thinking thrifters that garnett who is a stylist and contributing editor to british vogue created along with her friends the stylist and journalist kira jolliffe and the art director marlon richards the magazine which was started in 1997 went on to become an independent publishing phenomenon with the tagline we have no spare change cheap date was borne from a shared love of thrifting for vintage clothes   and an increasing dissatisfaction with mainstream magazines at the time it was about being into clothes but not feeling catered for says jolliffe we felt like there was a gap in the market and we felt quite angry about that
drawing inspiration from satirical magazines like spy and the dark comics of robert crumb and peter bagge the magazine took aim at the fashion industry in a subversive way stories included paris and nicky hilton styled to look like geeks fake fashion campaigns shot by craig mcdean and david mamet rhapsodizing about the humble t shirt with a defiantly lo fi feel and an irreverent wit cheap date drew an impressive lineup of contributors including chloe sevigny debbie harry harmony korine anita pallenberg bryan ferry and jerry hall in all it led to an impact that far outweighed its small circulation and brief print run it ended in 2005
now more than 10 years later garnett and jolliffe are back with a limited edition hardcover book fanpages published by idea in the years since cheap date folded both have had children and moved on to other projects   but always wanted to work together again but making a follow up to cheap date proved harder than they thought it didnt make sense to do it again says garnett whom tatler once proclaimed the undisputed queen of thrift she adds there was something not right at the time and we didnt want to force it for jolliffe it seemed a natural part of growing up i did cheap date when i was very rebellious and i cant remember why i felt so rebellious about fashion my problem with fashion was that it made people feel bad about themselves and now i realize you just grow out of worrying about that
with fanpages theyve honed in on another aspect of their teenage years the time honored ritual of decorating their bedrooms with their obsessions at different points in my life ive had shrines to morten harket of a ha and prince says garnett i did always have pinboards with loads of different images   i liked the chaos of it all adds jolliffe it was an organic natural progression   this idea of having a space where people could make fanpages again its just about loving something and singing it from the rooftops the first person they approached was the actress chloe sevigny who contributed pictures of her favorite teenage heartthrobs and was shot by garnett for the cover
the brief sent out to contributors was simple to make a single page fanzine dedicated to anything each contributor was obsessed with says garnett it was about doing something that scratched the surface of stuff going back to something pure that one loves the results are simultaneously unexpected and deeply personal we were surprised by everything and thats why it was such a pleasure to work on this jolliffe says the stylist katie grand shared intimate photos of her wedding in azzedine alaia there is a hand painted homage to prince by the artist zac sandler and kate and laura mulleavy of rodarte pay tribute to their favorite poets the cut and paste collage and lovingly hand drawn aesthetic of the pages acts as a glorious riposte to the 2d effect of instagram and pinterest
garnett and jolliffes vision for fanpages is expansive   theyve also created t shirts and sweatshirts to celebrate it and are already at work on their next issue due out next year with a whole new cast of contributors as jolliffe says we want to get everyone making fanpages again


welcome to watching the new york timess what to watch guide we comb through releases big and small famous and esoteric to email readers twice a week with our timely recommendations our most recent suggestions also appear below to receive our guide straight to your inbox sign up here
how many episodes in a row do you consider a binge i prefer the term marathon   fewer negative connotations   but i think ive lost this battle so binge it is my standard to qualify for an official binge is five hours in a row of the same show i think my record is 63 episodes of the same show in a three day weekend it was bootlegged once and again on youtube and i had a horrible cold
i love binge watching the natural habitat in which i flourish is a couch but i find that i dont internalize or think seriously about shows in the same way when i watch them like this ive forgotten more about house of cards than ive remembered mainlining shows that initially aired in the traditional week to week schedule presents a different sensation too if youd only ever binge watched breaking bad you missed the auxiliary experience of sitting with a cliffhanger for what felt like forever maybe thats good or maybe not
this week weve got some broadcast shows that are worth making time for the return of some streaming series and a few british shows you might have missed id love to know your personal binge watching records too   and if you think a sweatpants day full of sex and the city counts ill grant the premise im at watchingnytimescom have a terrific week
monday
the return 10 pm pbs
criminal justice reform is one of the major civil rights questions of the day and this crushing documentary explores a facet of it the impact of californias proposition 36 which shortened the sentences of people convicted under an extreme three strikes law the return follows men who are released from prison after serving extraordinarily long sentences for seemingly minor crimes their lawyers and their families its by no means a feel good film but its affecting and significant
wednesday nashville series finale 10 pm abc
i know i know why am i so obsessed with nashville because like another obsession of mine smash it was supposed to be so good it had all the makings   including like smash a fantastic pilot and some wonderful and memorable songs plus i dont want to be on the wrong side of connie britton history
but the show had no idea which of its stories to spend time on and which to speed through raynas post accident crippling stage fright is fixed in a flash but i had to sit through all of teddys garbage life for an eternity and every week there was a new character for us not to care about i live with hope in my heart though and the idea of marshall herskovitz and ed zwick thirtysomething my so called life the afore mentioned once and again taking over for a could be season 5 as they were set to was beyond tantalizing
alas no dice so wednesday night ill be pouring one out for the late ungreat nashville ah what could have been
friday
bloodline and chefs table netflix
definitely watch season 1 of bloodline before jumping in on season 2 though the series seems a lot better and more interesting than it actually is the shows strong performances remain in season 2 especially from norbert leo butz and now in flashback ben mendelsohn by far the standout but the too pat dialogue and lapses in credibility still sting watch season 1 on netflix
chefs table continues to bounce between fetishizing tweezer plated micro garnishes and worshiping how iconoclastic and brilliant each of the spotlighted chefs are i love it tell me more about the only cheese aging in slovenia show me that sugar balloon at alinea 100 more times i want to listen to the sound of chefs scratching the mega scales on some fancy fish for forever if youre gonna be a thing be that thing chefs table decided to be the most hard core of all food pornography and boy is it im partial to this seasons episodes about enrique olvera and ana ros but theyre all interesting watch season 1 on netflix
if you like fear the walking dead izombie or black mirror try in the flesh
dont call them zombies theyre simply suffering from partially deceased syndrome this show is only nine episodes but it crams in disgusting zombie horror the kind of domestic drama youd typically see in a story about a teenager returning home from a psychiatric facility and some solid commentary about how societies respond to disease and violence watch on hulu
if you like the honourable woman broadchurch or house of cards try the politicians husband
this three hour mini series stars emily watson and david tennant who by law is required to appear in 85 percent of all programming produced in britain they play a married couple whose relationship changes when her political career takes off while his falters the show is dark and cynical and its characters behavior is occasionally so disturbing that three hours feels about right watch on netflix
game of thrones hold the door hold the door hold the door hold the door hold the door and so on as jeremy egner explains in his recap and for a little more deep reading on sunday nights episode heres a piece from vulture explaining who those creepy cool children of the forest are and a vanity fair article on the white walkers
outlander claire has lost many things since her time in paris angelica jade bastien writes this episode adds four more to the list
and we also have recaps of veep fear the walking dead and silicon valley


times insider shares historic insights from the new york times in this piece david w dunlap a metro reporter looks back at when the times took to the skies
there was a brief moment a century ago when the new york times not only delivered your news it delivered your mail
airmail at that
on nov 2 1916 the aviator victor carlstrom took off from an army field in southwest chicago his curtiss biplane the new york times was loaded with about 1000 letters and postcards bound for new york city
it was mr carlstroms hope to fly nonstop between the cities in a single day
the times then under the editorship of carr v van anda seized opportunities to promote itself and build circulation by sponsoring aviators and explorers in the early decades of the 20th century we were brand conscious before brands were big business
for its part the united states post office department was eagerly boosting the idea of moving the mails through the air   at a premium price   but was not yet doing so itself
so mr carlstrom was deputized as a temporary unpaid mail carrier his flight plan was designated by the post office as special route no 635006 providing for the transmission of mail between new york and chicago one time and one way by the new york times aeroplane
included among the letters was a contract between the times and the b f goodrich company for 50000 lines of advertising fourteen agate lines of advertising equaled one inch of one newspaper column a full page ad at that time would have amounted to about 2500 lines so this contract would have covered roughly 20 full page ads
this is the first advertising order ever sent through the mails by aeroplane and is said to be the largest tire advertising contract filed with a newspaper the times said r h macy  co received an order for goods from a customer in chicago we were evidently a century ahead of amazons drones
post cards issued by the times boasted proudly between sunrise and sunset forwarded from chicago to new york by new york times aeroplane
the mail got through examples of it are prized by collectors of pioneer airmail memorabilia matthew healey wrote in the official exhibition catalog of the world stamp show which begins may 28 in new york
but the flight did not proceed as planned
everything was going fine until i got a little past erie mr carlstrom said then i noticed that gasoline was running out beneath the machine something was wrong of course and i knew i had to stop and investigate there wasnt any telling how much gas i had lost nor how much i had left to go on i was right past erie but i turned around and went back there because i knew i would want to be near a big city and near a telephone
a nut had worked loose in the gasoline line it turned out it was a small enough problem but it fouled the effort to get to new york by nightfall instead mr carlstrom settled on hammondsport ny
the times could at least take satisfaction from the fact that the chicago to erie leg of the journey had set a new american nonstop record of 452 miles
and the next day mr carlstrom arrived on governors island in new york harbor about four minutes earlier than expected
displaying the cheerful resolve that seemed to characterize pioneering pilots he said it would have been a cinch to have made the flight without a stop if it hadnt been for that confounded nut
some day he vowed im going to leave chicago at 6 oclock and have lunch in new york at noon i can do it too this flight proved it
on nov 19 the aviator ruth law smashed his nonstop record by flying 590 miles from chicago to hornell ny miss law has shown us all the way and set a new mark at which i for one will be glad to shoot mr carlstrom said graciously
mr carlstroms flying career lasted only six more months on may 9 1917 he and a student cary p epes were killed when the biplane they were flying seemed to crumple in midair over newport news va before plummeting to the ground
not long before the new york times had also met its fate at newport news according to a 2004 biographical compilation by christine carlstrom trick tamaru mr carlstrom was going to take his brother carl for a spin in the aeroplane but something went wrong the account said and he crashed in shallow water before our startled eyes it was a sorry sight to see the big plane sink into the water with the name new york times slowly disappearing under the waves


the robobee has landed well actually it has perched which is even more impressive
the robobee is an insect size robot that weighs less than four thousandths of an ounce and it flies which is a giant achievement for such a tiny machine
until recently however it didnt perch and perching is the next frontier for tiny flying machines because robots like birds bats and insects can keep going longer if they conserve energy by resting
most micro aerial vehicles or mavs as they are called are bigger than the robobee but still are measured in inches and ounces rather than feet and pounds they have power enough to fly for 10 minutes to a half hour or so but the tasks they are designed for like searching for disaster survivors or doing environmental monitoring require hours of activity not minutes
nature also encountered the energy demands of flight during the course of evolution and so it should be no surprise that most flying creatures can rest up high where they can keep looking for whatever it is they look for   tasty mice delectable flowers   or just rest
they perch one way or another at some time or another many birds grip tree branches bats hang upside down and insects land on just about anything
for robots bigger than the robobee researchers have developed gripping mechanisms like spikes that shoot into a tree limb or other kind of perch and aerial anchors that the robot can throw out
robobee scientists came up with an elegant and necessarily lightweight solution involving an adhesive patch on the top of the robot the trick which allows the robot to detach from a perch easily is that the patch is designed for a particular kind of stickiness   electrostatic adhesion
moritz a graule a doctoral student at mit was working on the perching problem under robert j wood at harvard the leader of the team that developed the robobee
as he and dr wood and other scientists reported thursday in science they attached an electrostatic patch and a bit of foam to the top of the robobee and found that the robot attached even to flexible landing spots like leaves the patch sticks to other materials because current running through it creates an attraction between opposite electric charges
mirko kovac of the aerial robotics laboratory at imperial college london who wrote about the new research and other forms of perching in the same issue of science said in an interview that the the use of the foam was a great example of employing mechanical intelligence
traditionally he said roboticists rely on programming to accomplish a task the artificial brain of the robot has to have information from many sensors and must have the power to calculate what it needs to do such as land softly or grip a branch
but a solution that doesnt require computing power saves weight and energy particularly important for small robots the foam cushioned patch will attach to any surface without a jolt so the movement of the robot doesnt have to be as finely computed
the robobee is still in development in several ways however for instance it doesnt have an onboard power source so it is tethered by the wires that bring electricity but other researchers are working on that problem and when they do achieve an untethered robobee it will be all set to perch on a leaf near you


sam sifton emails readers of cooking six days a week to talk about food and suggest recipes that email also appears here to receive it in your inbox register here
good morning its a short workweek for many even if there will be five days recorded on the timecard - everyone around us is buzzing already about the coming memorial day weekend and the start of the summer season people are planning cookouts and feasts at least when theyre not monitoring traffic and weather apps planning their getaways or planning not to get away at all but to enjoy the fantastic quiet that can fall in new york city on a holiday weekend when conventional wisdom says everyone should get out of town
weve put together a fine collection of memorial day recipes to consider whether youre staying home or getting out on the road - dishes that welcome the season of outdoor cooking but dont always require you know actually cooking outside i hope youll take a look at them
but those recipes are for later what are you going to cook right now this week before and after work there are soft shell crabs at the fishmonger we like right now proper peelers of decent size maybe thats true for you too have you made mark bittmans recipe for soft shell crab poor boy its terrific but so is broiling a few of them under a dusting of old bay and then slapping them onto white toast with a squish of mayonnaise and a slice of the best tomato you can find
wake up a half hour early this week and surprise your family or yourself with a platter of french toast amandine or take the dish a little savory with melissa clarks recipe for apple gruyere french toast with red onions
can you find some morels and a few big bills to buy them marks recipe for pasta with morels peas and parmesan would be a righteous thing to cook this week so would for that matter his recipe for asparagus with morels and tarragon i like that alongside pierre franeys recipe for chicken breasts with lemon
youre not going to be using the oven much in coming months make the most of it now with melissa clarks recipe for oven baked fish and chips or mark bittmans recipe for roasted salmon with lime herb butter how about some trini chinese chicken or perhaps you could throw a springtime pizza with green garlic young potatoes and herbs
many more recipes to cook this week can be found on the cooking site and apps please save the ones you like and rate them when youre done cooking share them with friends leave notes on them either for yourself or for others if youve discovered a short cut or delicious substitution and if you get into trouble do not hesitate to ask for help were at cookingcarenytimescom and standing by
together we make this world great
now have you heard this baby charles cover of the arctic monkeys i bet you look good on the dance floor get on it


the main story to come out of one election after another in europe lately has been the growing number of voters turning their backs on the mainstream parties that have led the continent since the end of the cold war
the continents broad range of far right parties whose agendas are anti establishment but also anti immigration and anti europe have entered national parliaments and in some cases come close to obtaining political power


the earthquake one of the biggest ever recorded hit in the middle of a late february night in 2010 the real damage came 18 minutes later with the tsunami crashing from the pacific up the estuary of the river maule where the small hardscrabble city of constitucion nestles more than 500 people died residents were left without homes electricity and clean water
the architect alejandro aravena was on a helicopter days later surveying the damage his firm elemental and a team of consultants had been enlisted to put together a reconstruction plan arauco the forestry company that employs thousands of workers in constitucion had agreed to pay for it
aravena was picking at a plate of pernil in a truck stop recalling what happened next a story he has probably told a thousand times by this point residents in constitucion naturally suspected because we were working for the forestry company that all the benefits of reconstruction would go to the company not them he said thats why we knew from the start that the people had to participate in the reconstruction process in effect we needed to create the right client so we devised a consortium arauco the government the public and us we were taking an intuitive approach because we actually knew nothing about planning in the end ignorance helped
aravena polished off his beer when a stranger sidled up to the table it happens all the time now drivers in passing cars stop him in the street shop clerks politicians long lost acquaintances and schoolteachers ask for selfies with him they all say the same thing thank you the stranger said to aravena who smiled and posed arm in arm with the man for a picture thank you   as if the pritzker prize architectures nobel which aravena had just won had been awarded on behalf of everybody in chile even new zealand has more heroes they have the all blacks aravena half jokes about the famous rugby team were a small country we hardly ever win anything
that said chile happens to be producing some of the worlds most gifted architects right now a generation that includes cecilia puga sebastian irarrazaval pezo von ellrichshausen mathias klotz teresa moller smiljan radic the best architect in the country aravena tells me and aravena on top of the prize aravena is directing the current venice architecture biennale whose socially minded show he has titled reporting from the front naturally this has brought skeptics out of the woodwork young for an architect at 48 they note relative to other pritzker winners he hasnt built a lot and some of his signature projects including constitucion are still in medias res so its not entirely clear how they will actually turn out moreover he and his partners at elemental   gonzalo arteaga juan ignacio cerda victor oddo and diego torres   concentrate on social housing the more monotonous dry tough the better as aravena himself puts it given that people will construct homes for themselves anyhow he elaborates this architecture gives order to their interventions
we dont think of ourselves as artists he adds architects like to build things that are unique but if something is unique it cant be repeated so in terms of it serving many people in many places the value is close to zero we go into fields where the chance of failing is higher than average we make mistakes if we need to replace a window or make some other fix its easier for us because weve built up an account of good will
meaning overall the work is not the poetry in glass or curvaceous spectacle that has tended to woo pritzker jurors   one of whom as it happens aravena used to be until he quit the jury only a year ago the prize clearly acknowledges a sea change in architecture which not everyone agrees with aravena sniffed rowan moore critic for the guardianhas some of the trappings of the starchitect a high media profile a globe trotting lecture giving lifestyle a carefully cultivated look a bizarre hairstyle think desert roadkill that seems to get spikier and more top heavy with every transcontinental flight   as if engaging in public debate about the built environment and the role of architects makes him a media hound its the usual catch 22 architects who dont speak out are hermits as it happens aravena promised his family he wouldnt leave chile more than once a month which with site visits to far flung projects means he has time for three or four lectures a year he told me
before arriving in chile i had been told by some of aravenas colleagues that hes standoffish i found him earnest open a little nerdy   and deadly serious this is an era of unprecedented urban growth much of it informal which is to say illegal slum development the total number of displaced people in the world now rivals the population of france climate change is reshaping the globe for architects todays challenges and opportunities are historic in the name of artistic freedom architects made themselves irrelevant aravena says i think we may look back and see this as a tipping point
if so one place well look to is constitucion after the tsunami construction companies there floated the predictable and self serving idea of erecting an immense protective sea wall which would have made a kind of fortress or prison of the ravaged riverfront its a proposal politicians love a wall is an impressive looking thing they can cut a ribbon standing next to but residents in public meetings had bigger concerns tsunamis were rare the city flooded regularly they complained there was next to no green space inadequate housing little access to the river poor roads and miserable public buildings
elementals strategy required as much diplomacy as it did design the firm compiled public demands talked to government agencies that didnt talk to each other and compared costs then aravena presented residents with a choice build the wall and rebuild the houses destroyed along the river or get nearly everything else they asked for for millions less relocate displaced families and make the waterfront into a public forest elemental proposed new trees wouldnt stop another once in a generation tsunami but would mitigate its impact and meanwhile open up the river as parkland retention ponds would deter flooding and double as recreation sites
the general idea live with nature dont resist it its how smart planners are thinking these days about rising waters the people of constitucion voted for the forest when a tsunami hit japan in 2011 many sea walls there failed resistance was futile it turned out as elemental had argued
looking back aravena says the sea wall would have provoked riots because it would not have done what people wanted the participatory process revealed public priorities of which the tsunami turned out to be last
we were now talking in a drizzle at the foot of a cliff overlooking constitucion where elemental has installed several viewing platforms   elegant donald judd like wood boxes with concrete floors open at either end   which frame postcard views of a tourist route facing the pacific below the new riverfront was a construction site further up the river future parkland was waiting to be cleared and a promised bridge wasnt yet built progress has been slow the politics grinding aravena acknowledged he was appalled when we stopped in the citys main square to find the new mayor had approved cheap wooden kiosks blocking the double height portico of elementals austere and handsome cultural center whose weathered gray wood columns city workers were slathering in ugly caramel colored paint
but then we drove up to villa verde a housing project elemental designed for a number of the displaced residents of constitucion and others it was perched on a hill near one of the citys middle class enclaves overlooking downtown and the sea hundreds of connected two story homes some with private gardens in front all red and white a sawtooth of interlinked roofs that suggested houses a child might draw
incremental housing its called a response to scarcity elementals first incremental housing project was in iquique in northern chile in 2003 the government puts up money for a new home but not enough to cover the cost of land construction and a place much bigger than a studio apartment so elemental provides half a good house residents get what they couldnt easily build or pay for on their own a two story two bedroom home with roof kitchen and bathroom   plus an equivalent empty space next to it residents complete the second half if when and as they can
this was hardly a new idea or unique to aravena during the 1970s a policy called sites and services envisioned plots of land with plumbing and electrical connections requiring tenants to build houses from scratch but elementals incremental housing goes further with a baseline of architectural forms street walls and public spaces outlining neighborhoods aravena talks about monotony creating the cadence of a silent rhythm the syncopation of half houses and voids acts like a grid a framework binding the community together insuring visual continuity encouraging variety like the reconstruction plan for constitucion it is a collaborative undertaking
and it transforms what is often a deteriorating commodity   the social housing project   into a generator of new wealth the state puts up 22300 poor families who buy these homes for 700 put in two or three thousand dollars to customize the second half and voila equivalent sized houses on the open market here can sell for more than 100000 residents of villa verde who had next to nothing gain equity
while aravena was complaining one morning to a local television station about the kiosks in the square i made my way back to villa verde to ask families what they thought it was a quiet gray day i passed newly gated front yards whimsical and incongruous swiss chalet style balconies a muddy basketball court and a few still unfinished houses noemi moran 27 was standing in a doorway chatting with a neighbor she told me she moved into her house two years ago along with her husband a truck driver their children lucas 3 and antonia 2 and a puppy they had all been crammed into a one room adobe shack barely large enough for sleeping in a field behind morans mothers home in santa olga about 20 minutes away with money they saved over the course of the last year moran and her husband completed the second half of the house her uncle helped with drywall and windows she took me inside
the place was immaculate the tiled floor polished the ceiling paneled in wood with a large dining room table in the living room and a kitchen big enough for lucas to ride around on a tiny tricycle in the beginning i cried a lot without my mother moran told me i asked her if she was happier now it was hard to talk over the children and barking dog so she waved a hand by way of an answer look she managed
then i stumbled on luis flores 37 standing with his wife ximena troncoso 33 in front of their house we always had a dream of owning our own home troncoso told me at first the idea of only half a house made us very uncomfortable the alternative was a different more conventional housing project by other architects down the hill with apartments a little larger than elementals half house but not nearly as large as the whole house they would get at villa verde with a combined income of around 500 a month it took them more than year the couple said to save the 1500 they needed to build out the second half including a picture window and tiled terrace the couple have three children they also had moved from a single room in santa olga the new house was crammed with belongings but at 900 square feet it felt large we have hot water troncoso said ticking off the pluses we have enough room so all the kids get their own bedrooms we have independence
aravena is the son of middle class teachers who scrimped to provide him with a private education in santiago on the road between constitucion and the capital we stopped at the ayelen school that elemental finished just last year on the edge of rancagua built on a fairly meager budget 70 a square foot to serve some 1200 mostly poor children it is conceived as the anchor for a larger development that someday is supposed to include social housing the school is a charter run as a public school its construction paid for by the owner of the factory next door the structure approximates a circle in a square with a long slab roof along the front a landscaped entryway and huge round courtyard open to the sky
painted black the building is large but recedes against all the colorful posters and artworks children pin up in classrooms and halls you can see in the thin fiber cement walls and approximated circle of the courtyard roofline where corners had to be cut handsome screens of woven mimbre a local material wrap around the half moon library the schools director lorena alcota ireland told me its clear how much the architects cared and valued the students which for these children is something new in turn she said students take unusual care of the building
i stood with aravena during a recess when dozens of students were running around in the courtyard a gawky teen with braces and glasses spotting the architect fast walked over and thrust out a hand this school is so cool he said over several days i never saw aravena look happier
back in santiago aravena and his wife gica who studied architecture in her native brazil took me one sunny afternoon to see the rusted steel and glass house they built for themselves and their two young daughters aravena has a teenage son from a previous relationship its perched atop a little hill on a leafy street in santiago the house is near elementals office a scrappy suite of rooms for 20 odd employees that takes up half a floor in an aging commercial tower a few blocks in the other direction is aravenas old architecture school at the universidad catolica de santiago
we wandered over to see it the school occupies a handsome colonial era hacienda called lo contador back in the 1980s it was a competitive but collaborative atmosphere aravena told me these were the pinochet years so many foreign magazines were banned and chilean architecture students had limited access to what was going on in the rest of the world we were saved from postmodernism aravena says about the upside of censorship by default we were left to find our own identity our professors were practitioners not theorists who taught how to get buildings built it was in retrospect a very useful education
aravena and his classmates graduated into post dictatorship chile not exactly as a close knit group he recalls but united by what we were not   not postmodern not parametric not ideological we were educated we were steeped in art math literature and materials we knew how to draw and to build
the courtyard of lo contador is a lush sprawl of trees and footpaths student projects and posters hung on peeling walls around the haciendas arcade as always aravena carried a sketchbook he draws all the time to work out a plan to illustrate a point his conversation tends not toward architecture and aesthetics but toward practical affairs   negotiations economics materials numbers   which for him can be a source of wonderment he spent 10 minutes one day on a rapturous tangent about the odd number of stairs michelangelo designed for the vestibule of the laurentian library in florence
i feel i really began to study architecture when i moved to venice in 1992 he told me i was on a completely different planet there i could go to a building for a week just to draw it i spent a month drawing doric temples in sicily i was measuring everything absorbing all this history we didnt learn in chile i saw romanesque buildings and palladios buildings and albertis and brunelleschis buildings all of which finally made me realize what architecture could aspire to be
then when i came back to chile the jobs i got were for restaurants and shops one lousy client after another i was doing a discotheque in northern chile for a guy who proved to be dishonest in the end and finally couldnt take it it wasnt what i had devoted my life to learning so i quit architecture and opened a bar i was still a nerd but i was living at night and sleeping in the day that lasted a couple of years until a chance came up to design a new building for the mathematics department at the catholic universitys san joaquin campus
if you want to see the other side of aravenas architecture   the non incremental housing projects that probably tipped the scales for the pritzker judges   aravena has three on the universitys san joaquin campus the math building a classroom and study center called the siamese tower and the angelini innovation center the math building completed in 1999 is a long low structure that fills the gap between two previously existing buildings students had used the gap to cross the campus   what architects call a desire line an informal path or shortcut through a park or open space aravenas idea was to merge all three buildings seamlessly incorporating the desire line and devising the entry pavilion as a kind of knot in the form of a two story triangular grid tying together circulation inside and out
skylights open onto interior balconies where faculty on different floors can talk the diagonal desire line intersects with a stairway to a terraced cafe the buildings public square the project stuffed with ideas by a young architect anxious to prove himself wears on its sleeve lessons aravena picked up from louis kahn and le corbusier the next year aravena was hired by harvard to teach in its architecture school and the math building led to another university commission the siamese tower probably elementals most frequently photographed building
it looks bold and catchy in reproduction its a letdown in the flesh   punk squat and fussy an awkward clash of glass with recycled railroad ties arrayed as platforms around the base the brief required elemental to use glass aravena told me without providing enough money for a proper curtain wall to mitigate heat and greenhouse effects at 50000 square feet the building also wasnt big enough to make a shapely tower with practical sized floorplates so the architects drew a box sliced a wedge from its top and pinched in the sides to create an illusion of twin asymmetric towers
the glass facade like a nesting doll is just a shell enclosing a separate building with the classrooms the gap in between acting as a virtual chimney extracting heat the building feels claustrophobic and half baked uncomfortable in its own skin in a sense it provided a model for what not to do with his next campus project the neo brutalist and impressive angelini innovation center
tasked with designing a 90000 square foot 18 million building that for decades would betoken innovation aravena and his colleagues faced the obvious problem anything shiny and faddish with flying titanium panels or parametric pyrotechnics would look dated the center had to look timeless aravena likes to use the word irreducible to describe elementals approach an elemental project should be something where you cant change the design without removing something essential he says scarcity of means requires from the architect an abundance of meaning the power of architecture is the power of synthesis to say what you want in two words instead of three to achieve a solution in as few moves as possible the discipline of social housing is imposed with the innovation center we had to discipline ourselves
what resulted weighs in at 17000 tons the building is in essence about exactly what you see load bearing walls gravity and concrete organized abstractly to resemble jenga blocks so much architecture these days is devised via computer modeling that doesnt express weight but gives you planes in space aravena adds designs end up being about taste and finishes i hear that frank gehry sometimes asks for a meter of distance in his buildings to separate structure from exterior muscle from skin the innovation center is all structure all muscle
you cant always sense the weight from photographs but do standing next to it like mondrian panels multistory terraces irregularly break up the facade the larger openings at the top smaller toward the bottom as if the building by virtue of its own mass was slowly compressing the lower floors the effect is subliminal and potent
inside everything is reversed glass steel and wood light and linear finely detailed with a soaring atrium the atrium makes a vertical street with views into all the offices and through them outdoors opaque and brooding outside the building feels transparent uplifting inside the concrete frame saves energy on one of the terraces i noticed faint streaks of corrosion from rebar a leftover of the construction process and irregular patterns made by recycled wood used to impress the surface of the exposed concrete   evidence of the handmade chile is not switzerland aravena points out workers in santiago are not able to achieve what construction crews manage in basel so we turn that into an advantage he says instead of looking for perfection we embrace irregularity and variation to get the same effects on purpose would probably cost a fortune
this is essentially the strategy elemental employs with incremental housing a quotient of chance contained within a binding geometry the outcome made by many hands clearly aravena sees himself as the man in the middle his clients are often big chilean mining and forestry companies that run company towns after more than a dozen years doing incremental projects elemental has become the firm of choice for emergency and social housing in chile getting called in to relocate an andean town called chaiten after a volcano mediating between company officials and disgruntled miners in northern calama who didnt want cash payoffs but better urban conditions so their wives wouldnt leave with the children success is elusive elemental recently put several of its incremental housing designs online gratis so others might use them we would love to jump from 1000 units of social housing to a million units aravena said maybe someone else can find a way to make the leap in scale
but its not ultimately sheer numbers that count the architect likes to quote supreme court justice stephen breyer a fellow juror for the pritzker breyer would ask does a building do what a client wants do i understand the human condition better from this building in santiago i visited lo barnechea a riverside slum in a very wealthy neighborhood where aravenas incremental homes replacing tin and cardboard shacks have allowed more than 500 families to stay put rather than be moved to some disconnected project on the periphery
at renca another incremental development in the capital aravena told me about a resident who used to bathe in the backyard and slept with her husband on a cot elementals bathrooms fit a tub its bedrooms queen size beds   like in the movies the woman told aravena what she meant he elaborated was that now she can have a life of the imagination needs are not desires you can answer needs but people still have desires
he floated an analogy back on the cliff in constitucion swimming is something you do alone if the water is calm enough he said surfing means riding a wave that is so much more powerful than you but if you can manage it it is also so much cooler than swimming im not sure that a private house is especially interesting as architecture in that its either the clients vision or the architects a school or public housing project operates in a more complex space where everything becomes negotiable which i think is more creative more difficult more challenging for an architect and more rewarding
in case you missed it visit facebookcomtmagazine for a tour of the venice architecture biennale with this years director the pritzker prize winning architect alejandro aravena


eugene ore   alexi pappass hair bun wound as tightly as a coachs stopwatch slowly unraveled as she quickly completed her workout tendrils snaking down the nape of her neck as on some medusa figure
as pappas trotted over to the hayward field railing winded and sweat soaked to retrieve her spike bag and swig from a nalgene bottle after completing postrace interval work minions awaited
teenage runners   some in buns of their own others sporting ponytails   descended to seek selfies or autographs or just get a word and a smile from pappas a professional distance runner whose free spirited persona off the track perhaps more than her performances on it has made her something of a cult figure in the insular world of track and field
one college runner   alyssa harmon of northwest christian university who had competed in the same invitational as pappas that night the oregon twilight on may 6   even ripped off her bib number to be signed pappas took the race bib tightened the green scrunchie keeping the bulk of her bun intact and wrote in a spidery left handed scrawl we came to oregon made it our home now run brave whether together or alone
hanging back too shy to approach but projecting near bieberian levels of adoration were two high school runners rachael reiter and booy rogers
love the bun reiter said love that about her the bun almost has its own fan club on like twitter i tried to run in a bun once it totally fell apart she can pull it off
how to account for this phenomenon pappas 26 is a world class runner among the fastest seven or so american women in the 5000 and 10000 meters   impressive yet seemingly not worthy of veneration
of greek descent   her grandmother was born there   pappas has dual citizenship and has been accepted onto greeces 2016 olympic team in the 10000 meters having easily met the olympic standard of 32 minutes 15 seconds she finished in 314685 at a race in stanford calif on may 1
yet her appeal far transcends her results pappas is a poet essayist actress and filmmaker whose semi autobiographical movie tracktown which is set in eugene and in which she stars as a middle distance runner seeking a life of balance in a sport of immersive dedication will have its premiere on june 4 at the los angeles film festival
pappas writes a monthly poetry column for womens running magazine musing on topics including the sublime scent of trail running steeped on me like tea and the sweet pain of sprinting her insides gasping screeching flapping baby bird beaks
her essays on the running life including arch observations about training with men have appeared on several running websites she has also performed improv comedy in los angeles wrote a one act play the lonely boy eats lunch with his lunch performed at dartmouth college her alma mater and co wrote the feature film tall as the baobab tree directed by her boyfriend jeremy teicher who also co directed tracktown and was named by filmmaker magazine one of the 25 new faces of independent film in 2013
pappas may be the only elite track and field athlete who quotes william faulkner from memory and is almost certainly the only one who turned down fully funded offers to pursue a writing masters degree from columbia southern california and the university of california irvine to run professionally
yet for all her pursuits it is pappass insouciant cockeyed worldview expressed via social media   her twitter posts are part tony robbins motivational part tom robbins surrealistic   and her lack of pro athlete pretension that draw fans primarily teenage girls who run cross country to her
whatever i am to these girls im happy to be pappas said the bun is something that if your hair is long enough anyone can do thats a connection to make with young runners rather than tweeting out just ran 100 miles this week   not healthy for them anyway   why not a picture of my hair
i didnt start it by the way she said of the interest in her hairstyle a high school team in oregon had tweeted me a picture of all of them wearing the alexi bun i retweeted it it took off from there
she paused to wipe away a wisp of hair escaping from the labyrinthine marge simpson concoction atop her head and then splayed her hands across the fire engine red picnic table that serves as a centerpiece in the south eugene loftfilm editing studio she shares with teicher her smile faded her brown eyes widened she turned serious
but im not a cartoon character she said people read my poetry and this and that and when they meet me at the track they think therell be a   ta da   a show or something at home im mostly quiet and often asleep
so what then makes pappas run ... and write ... and act ... and emote at will
it could be a response to her upbringing in alameda calif a spit of land between oakland and san francisco bay
her mother roberta committed suicide when alexi was 4 pappas said she had few memories of her mother   memories of memories actually   and was effusive in her praise for her father john and her older brother louis for raising her louis taught me to shave my legs my dad took me bra shopping in a house devoid of a feminine influence
when she came of age pappas talked to her father and her mothers close friends seeking to understand her mothers actions but also simply to find out what her mother was like
how can someone be so sad that theyd want to leave pappas said what i think it was maybe she didnt have someone to share what she was going through her close friends told me she didnt talk or emote at least not like i do
as a teenager pappas vowed not to be so insulated she would instead fling open her interior life like french window shutters flapping in a stiff breeze
alexi tries to be open and talk honestly with people said teicher who met pappas at dartmouth when they were studying film and theater she talks about her fears and how hard things can be thats why people are drawn to her thats also something i as the boyfriend actually admire
making an independent film is hard its hard to keep pushing forward and be positive just like in her running but she keeps me going
for pappas self expression is a form of self preservation
when i think of my mom it makes me ... i dont know lets just say thats why at least somebody knows everything about me she said i mean if i have a bad sandwich ill tell jeremy if i see a weird leaf on a run maybe itll become a poetry tweet im making it so that people hold on to the things going on inside me
pappass varied interests as well as her intention to share them have raised a few eyebrows in eugene where the populace takes its running quite seriously pappas and others say they have heard the criticism that she could improve her times if she stopped dividing her interests
she gets criticized from all angles   the film and the track and field said jordan hasay an elite distance runner who was pappass teammate on the university of oregon cross country team that won the 2012 ncaa womens title pappas was granted a fifth year of eligibility after graduating from dartmouth and ran for oregon while completing a masters degree
but thats what works for her hasay said you find happiness in different areas it wouldnt be enough for her to focus on just one thing it doesnt hinder her only enhances her
pappass coach the olympian ian dobson said he not only accepted but also embraced her choices when tracktown was filming last year in eugene forcing pappas to miss three weeks of training dobson did not object he said he said the fact that pappas came late to the sport   meaning college   gave her fresher legs and more maturity
but that can also be a disadvantage when it comes to racing strategy and picking up the nuances of training dobson said
maybe shed be better if the film took this much time dobson said holding his hands a few inches apart instead of this much time his hands now a foot apart
but if the film wasnt there i dont think that would be good for her at all he said alexi has momentum in her life thats what she runs on she also has the ability to be focused on more than one thing without diminishing either
people it seems have to accept pappas on her terms
she was one of the top prep distance runners in california as a freshman at bishop odowd high school in oakland but ran afoul of coaches who wanted her to focus exclusively on running
i was 16 with frizzy hair and braces and wanted to explore soccer student government theater and boys pappas said
at dartmouth she was the slowest runner on the team her first year because she wanted to go to parties and explore the full college experience she said now training with oregon track club elite she wedges in her cross training exercises and core work between her film projects she edits her writing and then naps in the altitude tent wrapped around her bed
the film and creative work have kept me healthy pappas said on an average day ill finish my workout my postworkout fuel and come back here excited to work on the film ill bring my bowl of mush down for breakfast into jeremys office and look at what hes editing
you cannot run 24 hours a day theres a mental and physical benefit to having something else in your life
teicher a self proclaimed nonjock said theres a lot of emotional overlap between what were trying to do as filmmakers and what shes trying to do as an athlete its uncomfortable and challenging
pappas in her slightly skewed perspective sees herself as well a certain tuber primed for consumption
ive always thought of myself as a potato where you start out as this thing she said you cant eat a raw potato but you are a bundle of potential you can become any number of things   breakfast lunch dinner potatoes can be fancy next to a prime rib or mashed or you could be fries next to a humble hamburger i feel excited now because the running and filmmaking are what my potato self is becoming
teicher laughed your potato self he said
yeah she said the other thing about potatoes they dont rot the way other food does they dont decompose they grow eyes and ask you to make them into something ive wanted to become something and its always with bright eyes and not fear
but pappas acknowledges a certain amount of if not fear then excited trepidation for the immediate future she will spend most of the summer   when not in los angeles for the film festival   doing high altitude training with the greek olympic track team in font romeu on the border of france and spain competing in the european championships and then returning to mammoth calif for more altitude training with her mentor deena kastor before heading to rio de janeiro in august for the olympics
this might open up a whole new world for me and my running scope pappas said im officially on the team and im now the national record holder in the 10k after my time at stanford theres already been a bunch of articles about me in greece its very exciting
did those articles mention the bun
hard to tell she said the language barrier and all
my mission she said is to be conversant by summer so i can hang out with my new teammates


front page
an article on march 11 about the grueling cleanup work that continues at fukushima daiichi the radioactive nuclear power plant in northeastern japan five years after an earthquake and tsunami caused a meltdown referred imprecisely to the 2000 tons of water that is released into the ocean every week after being scrubbed of most radioactive particles it is groundwater that has seeped into the reactor buildings it is not the water that is pumped through the reactor cores to keep melted fuel from overheating a reader alerted the times to the imprecision shortly after publication but editors failed to follow up with a correction
new york
a picture caption in some editions on wednesday with an article about speculation over why dozens of law enforcement officials descended on a yeshiva in kiryas joel ny misspelled part of the name of the main synagogue there it is yetev lev not yutev lev
business day
because of an editing error an article on friday about giant food companies investments in start ups misstated in some editions the role of general mills in an 18 million investment in kite hill general mills is the lead investor not the sole investor
sports
a picture caption on thursday with an article about the success of finlands hockey teams at international tournaments this year described incorrectly the actions of finland forward sebastian aho using information from agence france presse   getty images he was reacting to a goal by a teammate he had not scored the goal

an article on thursday about the san jose sharks efforts to rejuvenate their fan base misstated in some copies the year in which the sharks lost a playoff series to the los angeles kings after winning the first three games it was 2014 not 2013
obituaries
an obituary on friday about david king a graphic designer who amassed one of the worlds largest collections of soviet political art misstated the original date of publication of his book the commissar vanishes the falsification of photographs and art in stalins russia it was 1997 not 2014
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baghdad   prime minister haider al abadi of iraq announced the beginning of military operations to retake the islamic state held city of falluja west of baghdad in a televised address late sunday night
iraqi forces were approaching a moment of great victory against the islamic state said mr abadi who was surrounded by top military commanders and the countrys elite counterterrorism forces falluja is about 40 miles west of baghdad and has been under the control of the militant group for more than two years
the announcement comes at a time of deepening political and social unrest in baghdad
clashes between protesters and iraqi security forces inside baghdads highly fortified green zone compound on friday left two people dead after security forces fired tear gas water cannons and live ammunition in an attempt to disperse the crowds more than 100 people were wounded said hospital and police officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the news media the green zone houses most iraqi government ministries and foreign embassies
many of the protesters were supporters of the powerful shiite cleric moktada al sadr who has led months of demonstrations and sit ins calling for government reforms he has since issued a statement condemning the use of force against peaceful demonstrations and has vowed to continue to support the revolution against the government
in the midst of the political crisis iraqi ground forces backed by american led coalition air support have achieved a number of territorial gains against the islamic state most recently in iraqs vast western anbar province
last week iraqi forces pushed the islamic state also known as isis or isil out of the western town of rutba 240 miles west of baghdad on the edge of anbar province last month iraqi forces cleared territory along the euphrates river valley in anbar after the provincial capital ramadi was declared fully liberated earlier this year
but the fight for falluja is expected to be complicated
the city is still home to tens of thousands of civilians and has been under islamic state rule longer than any other territory recently retaken by iraqi forces iraqi security forces repeated calls for civilians trapped inside falluja to leave on sunday but residents said checkpoints controlled by the extremists along all roads leading out of the city prevented most from fleeing
despite a string of territorial defeats the islamic state still controls significant patches of territory in the iraqs north and west including the countrys second largest city of mosul the militant group also has claimed responsibility for a series of large bombings in and around baghdad recently that killed hundreds of people


pittsburgh   two days after taking a puck to the face before the start of a game tyler johnson took a puck to his back to end one
jason garrisons wrist shot deflected off johnson as he stood in the slot facing the net and the puck flew into the net 53 seconds into overtime to pull the tampa bay lightning to within a win of their second consecutive stanley cup finals with a 4 3 win in game 5 of the eastern conference finals sunday night
johnson quipped that he thought garrison was going for my head again so i just turned around
i got lucky i guess it hit me johnson said i wasnt really sure if it hit me or not   i was just excited when i saw it in back of the net
tampa bay leads the best of seven series three games to two and has a chance to close out the series in game 6 tuesday night at amalie arena in tampa
nikita kucherovs second goal of the game tied it with 3 minutes 16 seconds left in regulation and alex killorn also scored for tampa bay which rode the momentum of game 4s home victory friday
johnson was bleeding before faceoff of that contest after a teammates shot hit him during warm ups he played in the game anyway with a protective grille over his face   one that was absent sunday
johnsons injuries he noted casually were some stitches and some missing teeth we will know more when everything settles down but no i dont want to play with anything on my face he said that was an easy decision for me as soon as they let me make the decision i made it
johnson was seemingly in the middle of everything sunday   taking two penalties delivering four hits attempting a team high tying eight shots and assisting on kucherovs late tying goal before his lower back was the final thing to touch the puck an instant before it went past penguins goalie marc andre fleury for the winner
no shots a bad shot in overtime garrison said so we will take the outcome of that
tampa bays 21 year old goalie andrei vasilevskiy made 31 saves in making his fourth consecutive start filling in for the injured vezina trophy finalist ben bishop but penguins coach mike sullivan opted for the veteran fleury over his 21 year old goalie matt murray for the first time this postseason
fleury a stanley cup winner in 2009 appeared a bit rusty in making his first start since he sustained a concussion on march 31 murrarys solid play in the first round against the rangers compelled sullivan to stick with him even as fleury was cleared to return fleury finally came on for the third period of game 4 on friday
fleury acknowledged that he still wasnt feeling his best still i have been practicing a lot so i should have been better he said
fleury had stopped the first 11 shots he faced during the initial period and a half making some quality stops particularly during the first period as tampa bay was controlling play
but killorn and kucherov scored 70 seconds apart late in the second period to tie the game 2 2 although chris kunitz restored the penguins lead less than five minutes later kucherovs second goal of the game and his nhl leading 11th of the playoffs again pulled tampa bay even it came on a wraparound late in the third and less than a minute after a ryan callahan shot beat fleury but clanged off the corner of the net
just as big was johnsons goal which was the fourth among 14 shots on goal to get past fleury in the games final 27 minutes
i think we left him kind of hanging a bit penguins defenseman olli maatta said of fleury we have to be better in front of him hes awesome up there and he always gives us a chance to win
sullivan would not commit to who will start in goal tuesday as the penguins face elimination for the first time in these playoffs
the lightning won despite trailing for much of the game and not holding a lead for any of it until the very end
i get to watch this team 100 plus times a year and its a lot of fun to be their coach tampa bay coach jon cooper said im not saying they dont give me ulcers but they just have a quiet calm about them even when sitting there down 2 0 it was just no panic nothing going on on the bench other than lets get the next one
weve been in this situation too many times and its a 60 minute game and it doesnt matter we just felt like were in this game it was just a confidence level and we got rewarded


oklahoma city   blowouts have not been uncommon in these nba playoffs but when a record setting 73 victory team loses in the way the golden state warriors did sunday night at chesapeake energy arena it must be asked if the oklahoma city thunders 133 105 trouncing of the defending champions in game 3 of the western conference finals might psychologically be worth more than one win
at the very least the warriors know how the san antonio spurs felt by the conclusion of their second round series sensing that a transformative fulfillment of potential at the seasons most propitious stage has seized hold of the kevin durant and russell westbrook led thunder
the warriors faced a two games to one deficit last season in the second round against memphis and again in the finals against cleveland but the thunder appear to be growing as they go with sunday nights all out assault they set up a pivotal game 4 on tuesday night another home court victory would put the warriors on the brink of elimination
durant and westbrook were dominant scoring 33 and 30 points with westbrook adding 12 assists and 8 rebounds
stephen curry led the warriors with 24 points and klay thompson added 18 but currys plus minus was minus 39 thompsons was minus 41 and draymond greens minus 43
we got what we deserved said warriors coach steve kerr lamenting his teams impatience on offense
bad shots quick shots   thats death here he said
in the flow of a high profile playoff series there always seems to be one player caught in the nights cross fire having to answer for the previous game under pressure to make amends
sunday that was durant coming off a 29 point game 2 performance but one in which he took only five second half shots and finished with an untidy eight turnovers
the warriors were increasingly determined to apply as much defensive heat on him and westbrook as possible to force the ball out of their hands thunder coach billy donovan said he tried some different things in the pick and roll game resulting in better court spacing
in the aftermath of game 2 durant did not need anything explained for him as he is known to be especially hard on himself but on the whole the thunder shot out of the gate as if jet propelled nurtured by a home crowd as raucous as the warriors fans at oracle arena in oakland calif
a more decisive durant set the tone not holding onto the ball when confronted by a crowd of defenders but taking every opportunity to make a strong offensive move before the warriors could attack him
he had 11 of the thunders first 25 points and when serge ibaka made a 3 pointer from the right corner the cold shooting warriors found themselves in a 28 15 hole
they climbed out of it pulling even at 38 38 on a 3 pointer by harrison barnes early in the second quarter trailing by 42 40 they even had an opportunity to take the lead but thompson misfired on an open 3 from the left corner
having pushed the boulder up the hill the warriors were flattened as it rolled back over them
the rest of the quarter was a stunning display by the thunder with the lopsidedness aggravated by the warriors losing their composure
exhibit a was that green picked up a flagrant 1 foul   while hacked in the act of shooting   with 5 minutes 57 seconds left in the half by flailing a leg between those of steven adams who wound up doubled over
kerr argued that the contact was incidental and later said he thought the league would rescind the call as opposed to raising it to a level 2 flagrant or possibly issuing a suspension
alongisde durant in the postgame interview room westbrook pointed out that green a demonstratively emotional player had kneed adams in the groin in game 2
you cant keep kicking people in their private parts westbrook said
the play further ignited the thunder who immediately went on a 25 4 run to finish the half in what looked from the opposing point of view hauntingly familiar to what befell the spurs over the first three quarters here in game 6 of the conference semifinals
after consecutive baskets by dion waiters andre iguodala fouled durant behind the 3 point line durant made all three free throws and soon after threw down a vicious slam off a westbrook penetration he then hit a pullup 3 after blocking greens layup while the warriors continued misfiring
to cap off the golden state calamity green fouled westbrook from 30 feet out as westbrook rose for a jumper with 13 seconds left in the half he made all three free throws to give him 16 points to go with his 7 assists and 6 rebounds
durants first half numbers underscored his renewed sense of unbridled aggression 23 points on 6 for 10 shooting 10 made free throws in as many attempts or six more attempts than the warriors 6 rebounds and 1 turnover
we were able to catch the ball drive kick it out get our bodies moving durant said unwilling to make the night about himself
explosive as the warriors can be the game felt over by halftime with the thunder leading by 72 47 the night only deteriorated for the warriors from there they have until tuesday night to convince themselves as kerr said that losing by 1 point or 30 its all the same
even if the thunder continue to press their case as a team that is all about change


two days after staten island residents were shaken by the sight of a womans body being wheeled down the street on a dolly the dead womans husband was taken to richmond county supreme court and arraigned on murder charges
the man anthony lopez 31 was charged with one count of second degree murder in connection with the death of his wife obiamaka aduba 26 of staten island he was remanded to jail by william e garnett a state supreme court justice
mr lopez was also arraigned on sunday on a misdemeanor complaint of criminal mischief from earlier this month the complaint said he had thrown a brick at the windshield and window of a vehicle driven by a person described as a friendacquaintance
a spokesman for the new york police department said mr lopez had 52 prior arrests 17 of which are sealed six of the arrests were related to domestic violence the spokesman added asked if ms aduba had been the victim he said they do have a domestic history
julie bolcer a spokeswoman for the office of the chief medical examiner said the cause of ms adubas death was ligature strangulation the manner of death was homicide she said
on friday just after 7 am the police department received a call about a man wheeling a body on a metal dolly mr lopez fled as officers arrived at post lane in the mariners harbor neighborhood of staten island the authorities said
mr lopez was arrested on saturday morning at around 1015 am officers acting on a tip spotted mr lopez in harlem after a brief chase that began on east 115th street mr lopez was caught at east 113th street the authorities said he had shaved his head to change his appearance
in an emailed statement the district attorney of richmond county michael e mcmahon said every loss of life is a tragedy and the horrific circumstances surrounding the victims death makes this case no less troubling he applauded the police for apprehending mr lopez and encouraged the public to use his offices domestic violence hotline


the 100 men in black dress shirts and pants formed two rows in center field at petco park in san diego before the padres played the los angeles dodgers on saturday night
the men members of the san diego gay mens chorus had been invited by the padres to sing the national anthem in keeping with the teams request the chorus would not sing live but would perform to an amplified rendition it had recorded
the group waited for its cue and after a prolonged pause a recording began   of a young woman singing said bob lehman the executive director of the chorus
before a near capacity crowd announced at more than 40000 the men awkwardly waited for the song to finish there was no announcement or attempt to stop the recording mr lehman said the men were then ushered off the field as fans taunted them with phrases like you sing like a girl and you never sounded better mr lehman said
they just kind of let us stand there he said describing the moment as surreal and devastating
mr lehman said he had bought 360 worth of tickets for family and friends none of whom stayed for the game he also said that he had thrown away a rally towel the team had given to chorus members and that members and supporters were left feeling that the wrong recording had been played deliberately
in a statement on sunday night the team said that it had found no evidence of malicious intent and that what happened was an unintentional mistake
as a result the team said it had ended its relationship with a contractor and disciplined an employee who was responsible for the game production on saturday the padres accepted full responsibility and expressed deep regret the statement said
mr lehman said he had spoken with mike dee the teams chief executive whom he described as sincerely apologetic mr lehman said he had been told that the regular technician was in a car crash the night before and that a substitute was in the control room
somebody didnt know how to press the stop button he asked i couldnt believe a professional organization like that didnt know what to do
on twitter the team said it had offered the chorus an opportunity to return


with a flick of her wrist suzanne levinson tossed a scoopful of par cooked french fries into a gleaming fryer on sunday the first test batch before her restaurants grand reopening on monday her belgian style fry cafe pommes frites destroyed last year by a deadly gas explosion in the east village will be reborn in the west village
ms levinson has spent the last year agonizing over the deaths of the two men in last years devastating blast and trying to lose herself in the planning of a new restaurant as the fries plunked into the oil she allowed herself a moment of levity vive pommes frites she whooped
for 18 years pommes frites stood in the east village offering paper cones of thick golden french fries and more than 30 special sauces late into the night free samples were doled out to passers by seduced by the scent of potatoes sizzling in oil but on march 26 2015 an explosion ripped through the basement of the building next door   caused by gas line tampering according to the authorities it toppled neighboring buildings destroying scores of apartments as well as the businesses on the street level
two men were crushed to death moises ismael locon yac 27 a busboy at a neighboring sushi restaurant and nicholas figueroa 23 who was there on a lunch date in february five people including the building owner maria hrynenko 56 and her son michael 30 were indicted on manslaughter charges in state supreme court in manhattan for the role they are accused of playing in tampering with gas lines to siphon gas illegally between buildings they owned
pommes frites will open on monday in its new location on macdougal street the space has a medieval feel and is paneled with reclaimed timber under stained glass windows are tables designed in part by omer shorshi the co owner with holes bored in the tops to hold paper cones of fries
seated at one of those tables the day before opening ms levinson spoke of perfect potato varietals and how moved she was that people had raised 26000 in the aftermath
suddenly she stopped she began to cry
reopening is extremely poignant for me ms levinson said but it doesnt change what happened the day that the building collapsed i did not mourn the loss of my business i havent mourned the loss of my business for one day its just a business she added when i think about what happened to us i dont think about us i think about what happened to the young men
she bowed her head and her shoulders heaved with sobs the two young men mr locon and mr figueroa she said are constantly on her mind
i dont want it to be an opening with fireworks and fanfare she continued after a pause we are insignificant compared to the impact this had compared to what happened to the families and loved ones were french fries
but for the three employees immigrants from the philippines there was a sense that the reopening and the restaurant were more than just that none had been there during the explosion but they felt the loss of a place that felt like home all three are roommates said mariachu odviar the sauce maker we dont have family here so we treat each other like family she said
not everyone has been able to rebuild from the rubble roop bring the owner of sams deli a staple of the east village neighborhood where it was destroyed has not reopened a shop reached by telephone mr bring said he had spent the last year at home with his wife struggling with insurance companies to get what he believes he is owed this is good news if they are going back into business mr bring said i am mentally not prepared
in the new shop on macdougal on sunday afternoon mr shorshis wife adi smolinsky arrived with their three young children a family cleaning crew who were to spend the afternoon dusting the shop
but first fries
mr shorshi dusted them with salt tossing them theatrically from a bowl into the air lightning quick his 8 year old son amitay smolinsky shorshi grabbed the first it was better than delicious taking the first bite of the first french fry it makes it taste like   exciting he said


mount everest a prolific killer collects its victims in a number of ways
it subsumes them in avalanches or sends them tumbling down a crevasse but most often its victims are taken by the thin mountain air
that is what appears to have happened to three climbers   a dutch man an australian woman and an indian man   who died in succession over recent days while making their way down from the summit
pasang phurba sherpa an official at seven summit treks confirmed the deaths of eric arnold of the netherlands and maria strydom of australia who were on the same expedition and said both had been caused by altitude sickness
all of the team together they tried to help them but they couldnt save their lives he said in an interview on sunday from kathmandu nepals capital
on monday the associated press reported that a third climber had died subhash paul of india like the others he was overcome by altitude sickness as he was descending the mountain a trekking company official told the news agency
the expedition was the fifth time that mr arnold 35 an alpinist from rotterdam had tried to reach the summit and on friday he finally made it but he was suffering from frostbite on his fingers and eyes and complained on his blog about feeling weak that night while resting at camp iv the uppermost of four camps on the route to the summit he died pasang phurba sherpa said
the australian woman ms strydom was a 34 year old lecturer on finance at monash university in melbourne and an experienced mountain climber she succumbed to illness saturday afternoon somewhere between camps iv and iii pasang phurba sherpa said
more than 250 people have died trying to climb everest since the first recorded ascent in 1953 researchers have found that they most often die during the descent after being ravaged by low pressure oxygen scarcity and severe cold in what is called the death zone above 26000 feet victims commonly show symptoms of high altitude cerebral edema a fatal swelling in the brain
favorable weather this climbing season which runs from march through may has allowed hundreds of climbers to reach the summit of everest after two years of tragedy on the mountain
in 2014 an avalanche killed 16 nepalese then in april 2015 a series of earthquakes in the country killed nearly 9000 people including at least 18 who were at the mountains base camp climbing expeditions were canceled and last year not one climber scaled everest
pasang phurba sherpa said on sunday that the rest of the seven summit treks team on the mountain which is being led by a dutch climber arnold coster was still making its way down they would assess later how to retrieve the two bodies he said
in an article about ms strydoms love of climbing published in march on the monash business schools website she said that she felt well prepared for the everest climb and that after the attempt she would take a hot shower and then turn to the next adventure
her mother posted a picture on facebook on saturday of herself and her daughter on a cruise ship smiling and holding cocktail glasses im just too devastated to communicate sorry she wrote
mr arnold said in an interview in february on a dutch radio program that he understood the risks in challenging the worlds tallest peak
it isnt a death wish but a kind of zest for life he said of his desire to make the climb for me it lies in the mountains and apparently getting a bit closer to the edge of life makes life even more beautiful for me


in a sermon on sunday to about 450 people at brown memorial baptist church in brooklyn the rev dominique chantell atchison searched scripture for words to help fight the stigma surrounding mental health issues
she used a story of a disabled man in st johns gospel who picked up a mat   forbidden on the sabbath   and walked to a healing pool to be cured it was acceptable for the man to pick up the mat ms atchison explained and it is acceptable for people to be treated for mental illness
people have to find their own way to healing she said sometimes thats god anointing a therapist or balancing the chemicals in your body with medication
clergy across new york city were talking to their flocks over the weekend about mental health as part of an ambitious education push by chirlane mccray mayor bill de blasios wife the three day campaign was one of ms mccrays largest engagement efforts to promote thrivenyc a plan to overhaul the citys mental health system over four years the city will spend 850 million on mental health programs
but first the public has to be convinced that mental illness exists and that it is acceptable to seek help ms mccray said houses of worship where some parishioners may lean on faith instead of medicine and therapy for mental health issues seemed a good place to start after an unexpectedly high level of clergy participation she said
so many clergy expressed interest that ms mccray said she and other officials thought the weekend campaign which is part of a community outreach initiative that will also include barbershops and beauty salons could be a way to galvanize support theyre front line workers theyre first responders ms mccrary said in an interview on sunday theyre like what do we do people come to us for quote unquote spiritual guidance but they are looking for something else they dont know how to handle it
according to the mayors office about 1000 churches synagogues mosques and other houses of worship participated in the three day event called mental health weekend of faith reaching an estimated 250000 people
on sunday ms mccray who said she was raised an episcopalian traveled from pulpit to pulpit at the cavernous riverside church in morningside heights in manhattan she followed a choir of fidgety children in purple robes who adorably belted out this little light of mine seated in a pew ms mccray sang along
at convent avenue baptist church in harlem she looked over a congregation of women in hats deacons in red blazers and ushers dressed in white as she spoke to the congregation of st john chrysostom roman catholic church in the bronx ms mccrays message was translated into spanish
ms mccray tailored her speeches for each church but her points remained consistent her family has dealt with mental illness and it is treatable as a child growing up in massachusetts ms mccray said she had hardworking parents who never seemed to be as happy as she thought they should be they were struggling with depression she said
as a parent ms mccray explained she was caught off guard when her daughter chiara de blasio said she had depression and substance abuse issues i wished i could just love her love her into wellness ms mccray told those gathered at convent avenue baptist church who nodded their heads while saying amen and thats right but she said that her love was not enough
chiara de blasio who has spoken publicly about seeking help in an outpatient therapy program is well into recovery her mother said and will soon graduate from college with ambitions to be a social worker
ms mccray and city commissioners were reaching out to people of many faiths in all five boroughs on friday ms mccray spoke at masjid eesa ibn maryam a mosque in queens in brooklyn on saturday she visited east midwood jewish center bethel seventh day adventist church and emmaus seventh day adventist church
many clergy members and parishioners have already participated in what the city called first aid training to learn how to identify mental illness and better direct people to find professional help ms mccray laid the groundwork earlier this year visiting some churches and holding a meeting with clergy at gracie mansion
jaspreet kaur a staff lawyer for the organization united sikhs said she got involved through those initial meetings she is now trying to engage the sikh community and initiate conversations about issues that they are too scared to even have a discussion about she said
ms atchison said that after ms mccray visited her church in march more than a dozen parishioners approached her for advice about relatives or co workers with mental illness it normalized the struggles that some people might have dealt with in their own families ms atchison said
the rev que english a senior pastor at bronx christian fellowship said mental health issues were on the list of taboo subjects like aids and domestic violence that her church was now tackling the old adage what goes on in the house stays in the house has been quite harmful to families and the community at large ms english said the pulpit isnt simply to discuss chapter and verse but to address issues that plague our parishioners when monday morning rolls around


ursula m burns the first black woman to run a fortune 500 company will not be chief executive at xerox after the company splits in two later this year the company says
ms burns 57 became head of xerox in 2009 she has spent her entire career at the company working her way up from an internship in 1980 she was president of the company before being named chief executive
xerox said on friday that after the split ms burns will become the chairwoman of a newly formed document technology company which will include its printer and copier businesses the second company will focus on business process outsourcing providing payment processing and other services
xerox based in norwalk conn said it was searching for chief executives for both companies
xerox announced in january that it would separate into two independent publicly traded companies after being pressured by the activist investor carl c icahn who argued that separate companies would be more valuable
shares of xerox corporation rose 9 cents to 914 on friday


in late january about a half dozen reporters from the las vegas review journal gathered at a colleagues apartment after work
an article about a long running lawsuit against sheldon g adelson the papers new owner had just been cut in half for the print edition on orders from the top editor and the reporters were disturbed by what they considered editorial interference with two other colleagues conferenced in they discussed the possibility of a byline strike
there was a lot of frustration a lot of venting jennifer robison a reporter who was at the meeting recalled in a recent interview i remember someone talking about ordering a pizza but nobody was in the mood for anything like that
the byline strike never materialized but the hastily arranged meeting underscored simmering tensions in a newsroom experiencing a tumultuous transition under new ownership
with newspapers struggling to survive it is not uncommon for wealthy businesspeople to step in and buy them   jeff bezos with the washington post for instance and john henry with the boston globe each case presents potential conflicts in covering the owners businesses as well as concerns that the owner might attempt to influence coverage
the problem is particularly acute for the review journal mr adelson the chairman of the las vegas sands corporation is a casino magnate a powerful republican donor a patron of education and a fierce defender of israel and his myriad interests present an almost singular example of how aggressive journalism can collide with the pursuits of a papers owner
that new dynamic has roiled the ranks of the newsroom creating a divide between top editors who see it as part of their job to review coverage of mr adelson and staff members who chafe at what they perceive as inappropriate interference in the nearly six months since mr adelson purchased the paper at least a dozen journalists have quit been fired or made plans to leave soon many cite a strained work environment and untenable oversight in particular regarding the coverage of a bitter legal dispute related to sandss operations in macau
there are advantages to having a billionaire as an owner staff members agree the newspaper has hired reporters and a graphic artist and is upgrading its videography and photography equipment some employees including ms robison have been given pay raises a broken sewer pipe under the building has been fixed recently the paper bought drones to use for news coverage
were doing a lot of investment in this newspaper in the people craig moon the new publisher said not only do we want it to be a great place to work but also a great newspaper and a great website
mr moon and glenn cook the managing editor say neither mr adelson 82 nor his associates review articles or direct news coverage theres never been any type of correspondence or information or calls from the adelsons to do anything at this newspaper mr moon who reports directly to the adelson family said in a telephone interview
in his first extensive comments on his ownership provided in written responses to questions from the new york times mr adelson said his family bought the review journal as a financial investment and hoped to improve its profitability we believe its important that our las vegas community has a strong growing financially sound newspaper he said
still current and former staff members describe a newsroom in which employees are mistrustful of top management   a wariness that began with the secret sale of the paper to mr adelson last december and was amplified by the handling of articles related to his family and business interests
morale was already not great but when sheldon acquired the paper it was like a boom got lowered ms robison said people would literally joke about whats going to happen if sheldon buys the paper so when he actually did it was this bizarre feeling it was just surreal
after 11 years at the review journal ms robison left on friday for a job in corporate communications james g wright a deputy editor plans to leave in june another staffer who has departed is john l smith a longtime columnist who filed for bankruptcy in 2007 while defending himself against a libel lawsuit brought by mr adelson after the casino magnate bought the paper mr smith was told by upper management that he was barred from writing about mr adelson and another casino owner steve wynn
among the others who have left are two reporters who covered areas aligned with mr adelsons interests gambling and stadium subsidies
theres no doubt about it   its disappointing ive been sorry to see every one of them go mr cook said in a telephone interview but were going to replace them
mr wright ms robison mr smith and stephanie grimes a features editor who was fired this month spoke on the record for this article as did several of the papers current leaders nearly a dozen other current and former employees spoke on condition of anonymity because they feared retribution from mr adelson who in the past has sued journalists who portrayed him negatively
ms robison said there was not a big epiphany moment that made her decide to leave its been kind of gradual as ive watched things change she said i feel like i can work there for as long as i want but if i do im going to cross a line i didnt know existed
the review journal is nevadas largest newspaper with a print circulation of about 100000 from a squat brick building near a freeway interchange known as the spaghetti bowl its newsroom staff of roughly 100 covers topics central to the city and the state for decades those included the many business political and personal interests of mr adelson
then suddenly last december the papers employees discovered that they worked for mr adelson in fact their reporting uncovered his ownership after he secretly purchased the paper for 140 million through a delaware based limited liability company managed by an unknown connecticut newspaper owner
the clandestine sale upset many employees and raised concerns about whether mr adelson would use the paper to advance his own agenda mr adelson owns a newspaper in israel israel hayom which has been accused of being a mouthpiece for the countrys prime minister benjamin netanyahu
within two months of the sale the papers top executives were replaced mr moon a former executive at gannett took over as publisher mr cook a senior editorial writer at the newspaper was interim editor in chief until the role was filled in february by j keith moyer a former publisher of the star tribune in minneapolis
when he was named interim editor mr cook said he decided that he would review all articles related to mr adelson and his business interests now the protocol is that both he and mr moyer review such articles mr cook said
mr adelson said he didnt ask for the policy but believed it was appropriate i hope the people in charge are fact checking to ensure that whatever is written about me or my family or my interests is fair he said
mr wright ms robison and others say they think that top editors are not just reviewing articles but trying to shape them in ways that make them more favorable to mr adelson
the tipping point for me was at the point where every day i was being asked to do things that made me feel uncomfortable   that took me farther away from doing what i would consider quality journalism and more into the realm of presenting things in tune with the owners other interests mr wright said he is leaving next month for a yearlong journalism fellowship at the university of michigan
mr moyer was traveling last week and was not available for comment mr cook said keith and i simply want to make sure that our coverage is beyond reproach and is as fair as it can possibly be we recognize that especially in the eyes of some people were never going to get it right
journalists say they have become accustomed to periods of calm in the newsroom interrupted by flare ups mr wright ms robison and others describe a strained and at times adversarial relationship with the papers new leaders after mr smith the columnist resigned in april mr moyer held a meeting and effectively told reporters that if they were unhappy with his decisions they could quit
immediately after the sale there was a kind of were in this together mentality but now with so many departures that sense of connection to the newspaper has largely disappeared
most of what happened breaks my heart said ms grimes the former features editor weve lost so many good journalists some that i know wouldnt have left without this happening
mr adelson runs his business empire from an office at his venetian resort reached by a guarded private elevator it is decorated with magazine covers featuring images of himself models of the jets he owns hang from the ceiling over a boardroom table at which he often sits
mr adelson has not set foot in the review journals newsroom since the sale and mr moyer said in an interview last month that the owner doesnt have anything to do with stories that run in the paper
in his responses mr adelson said i have never spoken to anybody in the newsroom nor have we called them to establish news gathering policies
he added by the way newspapers are the first of over 50 companies that i started where my employees tell me how to run my business
in some cases mr wright and several others said the papers new leaders may be making decisions pre emptively that they think will please the casino magnate but they also say they believe that the handling of articles related to mr adelson suggests there is influence from above
much of the controversy over editorial interference involves coverage of the macau related lawsuit against sands filed in 2010 by a former employee steven c jacobs it contains allegations of bribes to officials in macau the case which carries significant ramifications for sandss casino operations is sensitive and acrimonious mr adelsons legal team has repeatedly tried to have the judge in the case removed unsuccessfully claiming she is biased
suspicions about interference were heightened shortly after mr adelson bought the paper when the review journal reported that several of its reporters had been asked to monitor three local judges in the weeks before the purchase including the judge overseeing the suit
in the ensuing months mr wright and others say articles about the suit received particularly close scrutiny in february mr wright said mr cook instructed him to produce an article about a motion filed by lawyers for sands mr cook mandated that the article include 12 bullet points from the filing that the adelson side said showed the judges bias without regard for the articles length
we were not allowed to summarize or edit them in any way mr wright said
when mr jacobs filed a court document the papers management chose not to run an article but instead posted the document online mr cook said the document was so heavily redacted that it was basically impossible to write about for another article about the case mr wright said mr moyer removed or condensed material that outlined mr jacobss arguments saying the story was too long
staff members also point to coverage of las vegas sandss attempt to build an nfl ready stadium using hundreds of millions of dollars in public funding
the original version of an article that ran in early february a copy of which was obtained by the times quoted an economics professor as saying it was the height of hypocrisy that mr adelson was preaching to get government out of peoples lives and he turns around and says he needs 780 million to build a new stadium
word came down through mr cook that mr moon thought the article focused too much on criticism of mr adelsons proposal mr wright said the hypocrisy quote and another saying the plan was highly risky were removed before the article was published
mr wright said the message was sent that moon felt that the comments about sheldon were personally directed and wouldnt be allowed in the story
mr cook said the quote was removed because it incorrectly characterized mr adelsons viewpoint
in response to claims of editorial interference mr cook said the notion that editors shouldnt edit stories is pretty silly the reality is were supposed to be editing stories were supposed to be trying to make them better
he said it was not my motivation to be kind to the owner
the constant review though has fueled frustration in the newsroom one day in february a reporter sent an email to editors just after 4 am a copy was obtained by the times distressed and unable to sleep the reporter complained that details were inserted into his story that made it inaccurate if this continued the reporter wrote the newspaper is nothing more than the pr extension of las vegas sands through the adelson publisher
i cant live with that the reporter wrote and i hope you cant either
in his written responses mr adelson said he and his family would continue to invest in the paper and its people he laid out a vision that included creating an investigative team adding health and political sections and forming a fact checking department
mr wright said he thought there was a silver lining to having a billionaire as an owner i think he legitimately is interested in having a quality publication and he doesnt have to worry about the bottom line
but its like a lot of things in life mr wright added eventually you have to pay the bill in this case the bill is you sacrifice some editorial independence to the interests of the owner


la conner wash   going to the dentist evokes a special anxiety for verne mcleod he grew up on the swinomish indian reservation here in northwest washington state in the 1950s and vividly remembers the dentist who visited periodically the doctor worked from a trailer and did not bother with painkillers
they just strapped us down and drilled said mr mcleod 70
poor oral health a has plagued tribal lands across the nation indian preschool aged children had four times the rate of untreated tooth decay as white children in a recent study poverty diet and a decades long lack of access to good care on remote reservations compound the problem
but indians and health experts now see hope if formally trained dentists are scarce they ask can people who master many of a dentists skills but lack the professional degree get the job done just as well
daniel b kennedy is out to prove that they can
mr kennedy 56 a soft spoken tlingit native alaskan is a dental therapist the rough equivalent of a physician assistant he is trained to perform the most common procedures that dentists do from fillings to extractions since january when he started at the swinomish dental clinic over 50 miles north of seattle he has been the only dental therapist on tribal land anywhere in the lower 48 states he studied in alaska which has the nations only program   patterned after one in new zealand   aimed at training therapists specifically to work in underserved tribal areas
laws here in washington and most other states bar dental therapists who have long been opposed by the american dental association so the tribe created its own licensing system the federal indian health service which pays for medical care on indian lands cannot compensate therapists unless authorized by the state so the swinomish pronounced swin o mish needed private foundation support and meticulous accounting so that no law was violated
we had to take matters into our own hands said brian cladoosby the chairman of the swinomish senate and president of the national congress of american indians the breaking point came in 2015 after washingtons legislature   pressured by the dental lobby mr cladoosby said   declined for the fifth year in a row to pass a bill allowing a therapist program asserting tribal sovereignty the tribe forged ahead anyway
the american dental association is no friend to american indian tribes mr cladoosby said in an interview
a spokeswoman for the american dental association dr jane s grover said her group supports tribal self determination but that therapists   whatever the intentions behind their training or hiring   remain a bad idea
drilling on a tooth is a surgical procedure said dr grover who is the director of the associations council on access prevention and interprofessional relations and surgical procedures she added should be performed by a dentist
she said that poor oral health wherever it occurs is a societal problem that can include elements of poverty diet and lifestyle choice not just access to care but the ada dr grover added also has no plans to challenge the legality of the swinomish project
mr cladoosby said he thinks that gives a green light to tribes everywhere
there are 567 federally recognized tribes and im encouraging all of them to follow our lead he said
midlevel dental care is already common in many other countries including canada where it started in the 1970s in the yukon to serve remote villages not unlike alaskas three states have also begun inching toward allowing dental therapists minnesota has had a therapist program since 2009 though none of the 56 graduates so far are working with tribes maine authorized a therapist program several years ago but has yet to put it in place the vermont legislature passed a bill last month allowing dental therapists
mr kennedy who was in the first graduating class in alaskas program in 2008 said he got interested in it partly because his son was terrified of dentists after two years of training including a year of clinical work in a tribal area where he filled cavities for as long as 10 hours a day he returned home not just as someone his son trusted for treatment but as a veteran of what he called dental boot camp
i had filled hundreds of cavities by the time i got back he said
william bailey 40 who was in the clinic on a recent morning for a drop in visit after a rear molar flared up said he likes looking up from the dentists chair and seeing another person from indian country
he knows what weve gone through mr bailey said as he waited for his mouth to go numb
mr kennedy said he hears that from many patients theyre happy to see a native doing this he said
dr rachael r hogan a dentist who works at the swinomish clinic supervises mr kennedys work at first she did not think the arrangement would work the adas safety concerns made sense she said
i was leery she said but after watching mr kennedy for the past four months and visiting the training school in alaska she has changed her mind by practicing procedures over and over   more than most dental school graduates who must also study a broad range of diagnostic and disease issues   therapists can hone procedures she said to an art
their fillings are better she said are we providing substandard care by providing a therapist actually i would say its the opposite
and now what started here is getting a second wave the state of oregon authorized a pilot project in february allowing two tribes   the confederated tribes of coos lower umpqua and siuslaw indians and the coquille   to hire dental therapists by summer four students from those tribes will be in alaska for training a nonprofit tribal group called the northwest portland area indian health board helped the swinomish tribe get its therapist program started with grants from the wk kellogg foundation and the pew charitable trusts and it is also working with the oregon tribes
this is huge for my family and my tribe said one of the new students alexandria jones 24 a coquille indian who will begin training in july in anchorage it will be her first time in alaska and first time on an airplane
the coquilles dont have our own clinic yet so thats a long term goal she said thats my dream


gus wenner whose father started rolling stone magazine in 1967 made quite a pronouncement in an interview last week in my mind he said gaming is today what rock n roll was when rolling stone was founded
yes gaming as in video games
why the bold assertion
wenner media the company behind rolling stone mens journal and us weekly is set to introduce glixel a stand alone site devoted to gaming the site wont go live until october but the company plans to unveil the concept on monday with its first weekly newsletter
glixel is part of a broader digital push at wenner media which like all magazine companies finds itself confronting a world that is moving away from print even the biggest magazine publishers including conde nast and time inc are aggressively pursuing new ways to reach readers through online video and virtual reality
with glixel wenner media is trying to capitalize on the lucrative gaming market which has exploded in recent years in the united states revenue from video games is expected to reach almost 17 billion this year and nearly 20 billion in 2019 according to a recent report from pricewaterhousecoopers
gaming just felt like an area where there was a great audience opportunity a great revenue opportunity and a major void that we could fill with capabilities we had in house said mr wenner who is the head of digital for wenner media
starting a stand alone site from scratch is certainly not easy and perhaps unsurprisingly glixel will lean on its more established brethren for support at least in the beginning mr wenner said there were plans to cross promote glixel and glixel pieces will appear on rolling stones online culture channel writers from rolling stone will contribute articles to glixel
but mr wenner seemed confident that glixel would succeed on its own he said he saw glixel as a staple within our set of properties glixel he promised would not be a frivolous one off that might not exist in two years
to that end john davison who has been in the gaming business for over 20 years has been brought on to oversee glixels content
mr davison said he wanted to position glixel as a video game culture destination with a focus on the gamers themselves
we want to make it very much about the people   not just the people that make games but the people that play them mr davison said
the site when it goes live will feature articles interviews reviews and of course videos mr davison who published his first article about video games when he was 14 said he was particularly interested in articles where even if youre not completely into it when you read these stories you think jeez that sounds awesome
as for whether there will be more stand alone sites from wenner media mr wenner did not rule out the possibility
its a strategy im very interested in and i think we will continue to explore it he said but right now he said he was focusing on developing glixel and the companys other existing sites
it takes a lot to build a brand he said so were not taking that lightly


this is what to expect in the week ahead
economy
finance ministers from eurozone countries are scheduled to meet on tuesday with the aim of agreeing on the next disbursement to greece from an 86 billion euro 965 billion bailout hammered out last year the talks in the 19 member group have been complicated by warnings from the international monetary fund about greeces ability to repay its giant debt a breakthrough would ease concerns about another embarrassing showdown over greeces future in the single currency zone on wednesday the finance ministers from non euro countries are expected to join the meeting to discuss creating a blacklist of tax havens and limiting the ability of companies to shift their profits to low tax jurisdictions james kanter
on tuesday the commerce department will release the latest data on new home sales in april after several months of declines new home sales are expected to show a slight increase to an annual rate of 520000 compared with 511000 in march borrowing rates remain low and continuing strength in the labor market should continue to serve as a tailwind for the real estate market nelson d schwartz
technology
european officials will unveil proposals on wednesday that could force companies like netflix and amazon to devote at least 20 percent of their video streaming catalogs in europe to local content the rules which are still years away are also likely to ask the online services to help pay for the production of european movies and television programs those demands come as the regions policy makers look to bolster local content makers who have often fallen behind their american counterparts mark scott
economy
on wednesday russias presidential economic council will convene for the first time in three years to discuss strategies to put the country on a long term growth trend of at least 4 percent one idea that has been floated in the russian financial media is a policy sure to be unpopular to increase competitiveness by depressing wages even lower than they have fallen during the recession another strategy would cut taxes on capital investments whatever the recommendations the high level meeting is a concession that russia can no longer count on oil windfalls in a sign the kremlin is ready for a policy shift president vladimir v putin has appointed a noted economic liberal aleksei l kudrin above as deputy chairman of the advisory council outside economists are skeptical that russia can turn around quickly its gross domestic product contracted 37 percent last year last week the international monetary fund projected a 15 percent drop for 2016 andrew e kramer
oil industry
exxon mobil and chevron the countrys two largest oil companies hold their annual shareholder meetings on wednesday and they are expected to be lively activist shareholders at both companies have proposed a series of resolutions that would oblige the companies to take more responsibility for controlling climate change and to report what risks their businesses face in a warming world many of the proposals have been offered and rejected in the past but the global climate change accord reached in paris last december has given them new momentum clifford krauss
food industry
workers pushing for higher wages will stage a protest at mcdonalds annual shareholder meeting in oakbrook ill on thursday the day after a strike of fast food workers is planned in chicago by the union organized fight for 15 campaign on wednesday advocacy groups plan a protest in los angeles outside 365 the first of a chain of new lower priced stores from whole foods markets the protesters which include jewish groups object to john mackey above the co founder of whole foods sitting on the board of an organization led by a former rabbi accused of sexually abusing a teenager stephanie strom
economy
on thursday the commerce department will release the latest data on durable goods orders in april over all durable goods orders are expected have risen by 1 percent driven by strong orders for aircraft economists expect less volatile core durable goods to be flat reflecting weak business investment and continuing softness in the manufacturing sector because of weak demand overseas and the stronger dollar
on friday the commerce department will announce the first revision of its estimate of economic growth in the first quarter of 2016 the preliminary estimate released in late april pegged the annual growth rate for gross domestic product at 05 percentage point economists expect that estimate to rise to 08 percent helped by updated data showing stronger conditions in terms of construction trade and consumption nelson d schwartz
stock market
shares of philips lighting are expected to begin trading on the euronext stock exchange in amsterdam on friday after its initial public offering is priced philips lighting is being spun off from the dutch electronics giant philips which is expected to sell a 25 percent stake in the business in the offering chad bray


in 2014 a developer sought approval for an odd alteration to a lot on the upper east side of manhattan instead of a 30 foot deep lot abutting east 88th street the developer sliced off a narrow sliver only four feet wide
the change approved by new york city became part of the official map of taxable lots that november but the motivation behind it became clearer only in recent months
that thin buffer between the buildings lot and the street allowed the developers ddg partners to avoid an array of requirements for a structures shape and size when it touches the street   and ultimately opponents of the project say build a tower about 60 feet higher the upper east side tower takes its address from 88th street but because of the tiny lot the entrance is around the corner on third avenue
with permits issued in march the developers have wasted no time rebar jutted out in clusters above street level on a recent afternoon from the poured foundation of what is to be among the neighborhoods tallest towers signs outside announce the multimillion dollar condominiums now on the market height one of the developers has said is a major selling point
but the fast rising 521 foot tower known as 180 east 88th street and approved by the citys buildings department now faces a challenge from residents and elected officials arguing that the developers who donated at least 19900 to mayor bill de blasios campaign and causes used a novel tactic to circumvent zoning regulations and build taller than would ordinarily be allowed
their argument centers on the four foot wide lot along 88th street
theres lots of little lots in manhattan some that are five square feet but theyre relics or they provide access said george m janes a planning expert who has been working with local opponents of the tower this is novel this is new this is a very aggressive strategy
the brewing fight over a soaring luxury tower in one of the citys more rarefied neighborhoods highlights how a surge in residential development has rankled new yorkers up and down the economic ladder
and the presence of ddg partners on the rolls of donors to the 2013 campaign of mr de blasio a democrat and among the contributors last year to his political nonprofit the campaign for one new york emphasizes the way in which donations appear to have become a cost of doing business in the city many of those who have given to the nonprofit which advocated the mayors policies but is now defunct are developers or others who do business with the city
councilman ben kallos a democrat from the upper east side sent a letter to the buildings department last monday requesting an immediate stop work order for the tower arguing that the unbuildable lot could create a dangerous precedent for a new and dangerous loophole
in march 2014 the department said the project could go forward with the adjacent lot along 88th street but at the time of that approval the lot proposed by the developer was more than 30 feet deep   a size that could be developed into a separate building
after that determination the developers shrunk its size and filed papers with the city that created the new four foot wide property known as tax lot 138 plans describe the space between the building tax lot 37 and the side street designed as a garden for residents that is open to the street as a rear yard
mr kallos in his letter a copy of which was shared with the new york times wrote that the sole purpose of the small parcel was to frustrate the intent of the zoning resolution
the manhattan borough president gale a brewer a democrat has also questioned the citys approval of the tower at first glance this project looks like a prime example where the department of buildings has failed to enforce the law ms brewer said the zoning here is what it is not what the developer wishes it were
there has been no allegation of wrongdoing by the de blasio administration in connection with the project or favorable treatment afforded to the developers
but the buildings department which approved permits for construction said it was currently reviewing its earlier rulings we are auditing this project for compliance with the citys construction codes and zoning resolution a department spokesman alex schnell said in a statement dob conducts thousands of such audits every year
mr janes who was hired by carnegie hill neighbors to analyze the site said the developers appeared to be seeking to avoid building a bigger base for the tower which would be required if the lot touched 88th street and the square footage that would have had to go into that extra base could be used instead to add additional height to the 521 foot tower if required to add to the base he said the tower might have to be shortened by about 60 feet or roughly six floors in a typical building
its a blatant device lo van der valk the president of carnegie hill neighbors said that principle we have to put it to the city do you allow this did you do this intentionally
the luxury tower part of a boom in slim but tall condominium buildings is designed to have soaring rooms with floor to floor heights of about 15 feet the chief executive of ddg joseph a mcmillan jr said in an interview this year that the tower could have been built even taller still he said at the time its height would be a draw for buyers because it offers 360 degree views that are mostly unobstructed
the pricing reflects mr mcmillans philosophy apartment 42 a four bedroom unit three stories from the top that takes up an entire floor is listed at 155 million
though it would be taller than the surrounding apartment buildings its 32 floors would be roughly equivalent in number to the broad but shorter brown brick building facing it on third avenue
we do have tall buildings on third avenue but none are this tall mr van der valk said his concern is not that the tower would gentrify the neighborhood which includes a whole foods market across the street its already gentrified he said rather the issue is forcing developers to abide by zoning regulations were challenging an approval he added
mr mcmillan declined a request for comment on challenges to the project or his and his firms donations to mr de blasio through a spokeswoman the developers said in a statement that they have and will continue to support public officials with a positive economic development platform that allows new york city to remain a beacon and attraction for the rest of the world


madrid   spains copa del rey final between barcelona and sevilla took place sunday amid heightened police security and political tensions following an attempt to ban catalan flags from vicente calderon stadium
but in the end the match was not mired by any incident involving fans it instead turned into a bruising final which barcelona won 2 0 in extra time after three players were sent off by winning the copa del rey or kings cup barcelona secured another domestic double a week after winning la liga
while sevilla ended worn down and with only nine players it dominated much of a game in which it long held a numerical advantage after barcelona defender javier mascherano was sent off for a grabbing foul after 35 minutes
in the final minutes of regulation however barcelona regained its composure after sevilla also lost a player when ever banega was sent off for hacking neymar just outside the penalty box
earlier in the week the final was overshadowed by a political feud triggered when authorities in madrid tried to stop catalan fans from displaying the estelada a flag that has come to symbolize catalonias push for independence from the rest of spain
the flag ban however was overruled on friday by a judge in madrid and barcelonas fans filled their half of the stadium with esteladas in addition helping to defuse the tension the two teams took to the field by forming a guard of honor for each other celebrating their recent trophies
while barcelona won la liga sevilla lifted an unprecedented third consecutive europa league trophy on wednesday by beating liverpool 3 1
and even though catalan fans then booed the spanish national anthem the jeering was offset by sevillas fans who responded with rapturous applause while spains royal couple king felipe vi and queen letizia watched stoically alongside an array of politicians
only four days after returning from its europa league victory in basel switzerland sevilla started the game on the front foot showing no sign of being physically diminished by its heavy match schedule in fact barcelonas trident of superstar forwards rarely threatened in the first half apart from an early opportunity squandered by luis suarez who mis hit his shot after receiving a perfect lobbed pass from andres iniesta
and then in the 35th minute the catalan team was left without mascherano who received a red card after holding back kevin gameiro by the shirt as gameiro was making a clear run on goal on the resulting free kick banega curled the ball above barcelonas defensive wall but it was brilliantly tipped over the bar by goaltender marc andre ter stegen
sevilla also started the second half brightly after 49 minutes banega hit a strong shot off the post with ter stegen well beaten
after 55 minutes barcelona suffered another blow when suarez was also forced to leave the field after apparently injuring a leg muscle while trying to control the ball
with barcelonas top scorer injured and forced to watch in tears from the bench sevilla took charge and its fans redoubled their singing but sevillas dominance translated into few clear chances and the game turned into a messy affair with the referee producing a flurry of yellow cards within two minutes he booked neymar iniesta and dani alves for fouls or protests but it was eventually a sevilla player banega who was red carded for bringing down neymar
each team started extra time with only 10 players and it was barcelona that eventually broke the deadlock seven minutes in when jordi alba ran onto a long pass from lionel messi alba timed his shot perfectly low and across the goal face leaving sergio rico stranded after sevilla lost another player daniel carrico for a foul on messi followed by a protest messi produced another decisive pass this time for neymar who scored the final goal
it was not a night of flowing soccer but at least one when tensions stayed on the field
and while two madrid teams will face off next weekend in the champions league final   real vs atletico   barcelonas victory sunday allowed the catalan club to reaffirm its dominance over spanish soccer
winning this title makes for a magnificent season said iniesta barcelonas captain


los angeles   ask movie marketers about the value of fan conventions and their answer usually starts with an exhausted sigh between comic con and wondercon and dragon con just to name a few there are more cons than they need or want
well add another one to the list vidcon has become too big to ignore
founded six years ago in the basement of a hotel here vidcon brings together online video creators and their fans last year about 21000 people   teenagers mostly   paid up to 150 each to see youtube personalities like bart baker attend panels the family that vlogs together stays together and browse 600000 square feet of exhibit space at the anaheim convention center where the annual event is now held
the next vidcon scheduled for june 23 25 will attract roughly 30000 people organizers say and hollywood will be there in a major way for the first time new exhibitors and sponsors include 20th century fox netflix and warner bros which is planning an elaborate stunt for fantastic beasts and where to find them its harry potter prequel universal pictures which made a low key vidcon debut last year will return to screen the secret life of pets a big budget animated film
rather than just showing film clips as it has done in years past lionsgate will raise the ante by bringing emma roberts the star of nerve a coming thriller dreamworks animation has a promotion planned for trolls which is set for release in november
even if i wanted to fight against it it would be like bailing out the titanic hank green vidcons co founder said of the hollywood rush
other new non entertainment vidcon sponsors include aol calvin klein hasbro marriott mars nyx cosmetics and samsung returning companies include best buy covergirl kia and taco bell the conventions biggest sponsor of course is youtube which will bring in more than 200 representatives from top advertisers and try to connect them to video creators
in many ways vidcon is a younger version of comic con international the pop culture bacchanal attended by more than 130000 people each summer in san diego comic con has long been a powerful tool for movie and television marketers because it gives them one stop access to generation x fans with its emphasis on youtube personalities vidcon serves up the millennial and postmillennial equivalent
the vidcon audience which tends to be more female than male is one that advertisers are finding more and more difficult to reach through traditional marketing channels said brent weinstein the head of digital media at united talent agency which handles vidcon sponsorships television is losing its effect millennials and post millennials consume programming from video on demand services in fact studies have shown that this demographic tunes out anything that looks like a traditional ad online or otherwise
but they do pay attention to their snapchat twitter and facebook feeds by placing a product   movie lipstick candy bar doodad   directly in front of the socially voracious vidcon swarms marketers can sometimes create meaningful digital chatter that stretches far beyond the convention hall
its a chance for a direct conversation with a very important hard to reach audience said blair rich warners executive vice president of worldwide movie marketing noting that many youtube personalities have global followings ms rich added the vidcon influencers offer tremendous scale and that really matters to us
along with fantastic beasts due in theaters in november warner will use the convention to promote lights out a coming thriller that started as a youtube short
just as it took hollywood years to hone its comic con playbook studios are still learning what works at vidcon
last year spotting what it thought was a perfect opportunity for its low budget jem and the holograms universal ran a contest in which convention attendees could win cameo roles by making and sharing jem related videos if the stunt attracted any attention it certainly did not help the movie which took in just 22 million at the box office
universal got a better result for the visit a horror film that was screened at vidcon 2015 attendees reacted with positive posts which universal then used to build additional interest a few weeks later at comic con the visit directed by m night shyamalan and costing 5 million to make collected nearly 100 million worldwide
as an emerging event vidcon can be a real accelerator for a certain type of movie said michael moses universals co president of marketing
hollywood did not wake up to vidcon overnight television networks like nickelodeon nbc and hgtv were early adopters jeffrey katzenberg the departing chief executive of dreamworks animation gave the conventions keynote address in 2014
still the entertainment industrys more aggressive embrace is sudden enough that it could create a backlash among attendees especially if vidcons celebration of online video appears muddled as a result blistering growth   359 panels are planned for june up from 297 last year   inevitably gets messy
mr green who founded vidcon with his brother john green the author of the fault in our stars said he ultimately views hollywoods arrival as a positive development
the overlap is great in part because its important for studios to understand video fans and creators both the culture and the excitement he said that will hopefully lead to fewer studio efforts in this area that are inauthentic and gross


oakland calif   when athletics catcher stephen vogt hit a tailing liner down the left field line that bounced toward the wall for a double on sunday afternoon yankees starter michael pineda followed the drill and ran to back up catcher brian mccann
as jake smolinski crossed the plate and billy burns followed him giving oakland the lead in the fifth inning pineda hopped up and down several times while walking back to the mound he shook his head and waved his hand in disgust
the frustration was understandable given how well pineda had pitched to that point
but unlike much of this season one mistake   or even two   did not leave pineda with a days regret
the yankees rallied to regain the lead on sixth inning singles by mark teixeira and starlin castro then hung on for a 5 4 victory over the athletics at oakland coliseum
the win which completed a four game sweep of oakland was the yankees season high fifth in a row and the 12th in their last 17 games allowing them a chance to enjoy their day off on monday   the only break in a stretch of 40 games
the turnaround comes at a good time the yankees play 12 of their next 13 games against division teams
its a lot better manager joe girardi said of the teams mood after the yankees began the season losing 16 of 24 games there was a lot of frustration in our clubhouse whether it was from pitchers or whether it was from position players who were struggling with the bat everyone seems to be doing their part now
the yankees about face mirrors a more recent one by their starting pitchers it was only on tuesday after losses in back to back games in arizona to begin this trip that the rotation looked tattered c c sabathia and luis severino were on the disabled list masahiro tanaka was in a funk and pineda was a mess
pinedas habit of hanging sliders   slightly spinning cookies that sat invitingly in the middle of the plate when he had two strikes on hitters   had confounded the pitching coach larry rothschild in arizona last week rothschilds even temperament gave way to exasperation after pineda struck out nine but also gave up five runs and made two fielding blunders in five innings
it would be easy to sit here and say its going to turn and things will change but its too long rothschild said on tuesday were almost a quarter of the way through his starts so we need that straightened out
rothschild was modestly encouraged on sunday after pineda allowed six hits struck out six and walked one in six innings pineda had stayed more upright and kept his shoulder and elbow elevated resolving problems that had led to his inconsistency
he made some strides today   he just needs to keep making more strides rothschild said citing pinedas consistency with his fastball and slider the latter of which still needs to be better
pineda who improved to 2 5 and lowered his era to 634 had himself to blame in the first inning when burns singled stole second and then third when pineda   as he had with arizonas paul goldschmidt last week   never looked back at burns as he took a huge walking lead off second burns scored on a groundout by vogt
the yankees regained the lead 2 1 on homers by mccann and jacoby ellsbury and pineda had the misfortune of losing it in the fifth smolinski reached down to pull a slider into left for a one out single and with two out burns bounced a chopper over the head of third baseman chase headley who had been drawn in vogt followed by slicing a 95 mile per hour fastball that was on the outside edge scoring both runners
pinedas performance was heartening although it was the worst performance by a starter during the win streak nathan eovaldi ivan nova sabathia and tanaka each pitched at least six innings and gave up a lone run
rothschild was baffled by how a rotation that does so well in critical statistical categories   fewest walks in the american league fourth in strikeouts per nine innings and first in groundball to fly ball ratio   had a 471 era 11th best in the league entering sunday
some numbers are just hard to comprehend he said none of it makes any sense to me
equally baffling has been the slide of teixeira who has not homered in 120 at bats the worst stretch of his career teixeira had a small and significant victory on sunday he reached on a grounder when second baseman chris coghlan   playing in short right field   could not throw him out it ended an 0 for 19 slump and brought brett gardner sliding headfirst into home with the tying run
you just make sure youre running hard because you dont know whats happening behind you said gardner who began the play at second and kept running when he heard the third base coach joe espada shouting go hard go hard go hard
castro followed with a single that scored carlos beltran who added a run scoring double in the seventh
that run proved important when shortstop didi gregorius and castro booted consecutive grounders in the eighth that allowed the as to close to 5 4
when the yankees return to yankee stadium they expect that alex rodriguez out since may 4 with a strained hamstring will be in the lineup although girardi would not say if rodriguez would be slotted into his usual no 3 spot
can you worry about today girardi said we dont even know if well be here on tuesday
that may be true but with the way the yankees have begun to play and with their starting pitchers rounding into form it no longer seems as if their world is coming to an end


for the handful of companies working to develop plant based alternatives to meat finding a hearty stand in for the humble hamburger is the holy grail
one of those companies beyond meat says it has come up with that burger the company will begin selling the beyond burger on monday at a whole foods in boulder colo   alongside the case where beef poultry lamb and pork are sold
this is what i had in mind when i started the company said ethan brown who founded beyond meat in 2009
companies making plant based alternatives to a variety of animal proteins are popping up everywhere jars of just mayo an eggless spread made by hampton creek now sit near hellmanns and nut based milks now account for almost 10 percent of the 20 billion milk market
sales of products incorporating plant proteins grew 87 percent from 2014 to 2015 while overall sales of food products grew 37 percent according to spins which collects data on retail sales for the natural and specialty products industries
tom rich vice president of purchasing and distribution in the denver region of whole foods market where the beyond burger will first be sold says there is a growing interest in alternative protein sources
the beyond burger said mr rich a vegetarian tasted and felt and chewed like any other burger and on some level i just want to be able to eat the same way everyone else eats
caleb bryant a food service analyst at mintel said most consumers continued to think of a burger as meat based though he said he saw growing interest in plant based alternatives among younger consumers
this past year has been a big deal for vegetable burgers mr bryant said he noted that the superiority burger a vegetarian burger sold at the new york city restaurant that shares the same name was nominated as a semifinalist for a james beard award
indeed chefs like dan barber have been experimenting with veggie burgers and a plant based burger from impossible foods a competitor to beyond meat will soon be on the menu at select restaurants in new york san francisco and los angeles according to the companys marketing
beyond meat wants its burgers to go home via the grocery basket at whole foods where mr brown will be on and off for the next couple of weeks a package of two four ounce beyond burgers will sell for 599
i want as many people as possible to have access to our products mr brown said my goals go way beyond food
like many of the entrepreneurs developing new ways of extracting protein from plants mr brown said he was concerned about both nutrition and the environmental impact of large scale animal farming and how the food industry will adequately feed the worlds growing population
beyond meat previously sold the beast burger as frozen burger patties among vegetarian burgers such as those from morningstar farms and amys the goal however was to develop a fresh burger that would sell in a refrigerated case alongside beef and other meat burgers
the company had to solve a variety of issues for one thing it had to ensure that the middle of its burger would stay moist pink and juicy as the exterior cooked to that distinct dark brown of a traditional hamburger it had to bleed   thousands of beets were pulverized in the development process   and it had to emit the same smell as cooked beef
its hard to reduce flavor and aroma to an equation particularly when you need a solution that is simple and flexible said joseph puglisi a professor of structural biology at stanford university whose research focuses on the shapes and forms of biological molecules
the distribution of fat in the product was especially tricky said professor puglisi who serves as beyond meats lead scientific adviser and helped the company assemble its team of young chemists biologists and engineers we were able to get fat distributed throughout a patty   but in meat fat is distributed in sheets he said plants dont have ligaments
the goal was also to have no preservatives and all natural ingredients
mr brown said he spent months coaxing whole foods into selling the burgers in the meat section at whole foods in boulder the burgers will be sold in the section where other meat alternatives are sold eventually it will be sold in other whole foods stores in the region
it also will be on a new vegan menu in the stores cafe and available for takeout and for two weeks a team from beyond meat will be in the store grilling beyond burgers and listening to customers reactions
next up a t bone steak that may be a long way off mr brown said but nothings impossible


a proposal to bring the f express train back to brooklyn after nearly three decades set off a storm of debate last week dividing the borough into commuting winners and losers
on one side brownstone brooklyn rejected the prospect of fewer trains at stations in the park slope and carroll gardens neighborhoods on the other the more working class neighborhoods of borough park and kensington in southern brooklyn cheered the possibility of faster service to manhattan
with the reliability of subway routines hanging in the balance much of the borough was abuzz over the news and two members of the city council clashed over whether the plan was fair
brad lander a councilman who represents park slope called the plan atrocious saying he felt blindsided by the metropolitan transportation authority
theyre proposing to hurt people at the most crowded fastest growing stations mr lander a democrat said its utterly irrational
councilman david g greenfield a democrat whose district includes borough park argued that residents in southern brooklyn needed easier access to jobs and that the inconvenience for those who used local stops was relatively minor
they should really be a little more neighborly mr greenfield said
under the authoritys plan some f trains would run express at morning and evening rush hours from church avenue in kensington to jay street metrotech in downtown brooklyn stopping only at seventh avenue in park slope starting in the fall of 2017 about half as many f trains would stop at local stations including fourth avenue and bergen street
the f train is notorious for uneven service though it does have one of the best views in the system as the tracks rise high over the gowanus canal riders are met with sweeping views of the city and a glimpse of the statue of liberty
riders said the letter f suits the line which runs from coney island in brooklyn through manhattan to jamaica in queens it stands for its failing grade or for the frustration riders feel only about 58 percent of weekday trains complete the route on time according to recent statistics from the authority making it one of the worst lines for delays
at a time when the subway system is severely overcrowded and straining to improve service every schedule tweak is intimately felt and one riders gain is inevitably viewed as anothers loss at the same time outlying neighborhoods are increasingly the most affordable places to live but the commutes can be grueling on a monday morning a trip from coney island to herald square in manhattan takes about 55 minutes   if the trains are running on time
the express service   an earlier version of which ended in 1987 when the route received major repairs   would save its riders nearly three and a half minutes on average during their morning commute and some riders would shave off as much as seven minutes the authority found local riders would lose more than a minute on average each morning
bringing the express back has been discussed on and off for some time and mayor michael r bloomberg a political independent pushed for express trains during his 2009 re election bid
in a new report the authority recommended moving forward with the express service arguing it would benefit riders in southern brooklyn with the longest commutes but the change would require approval from the authoritys board and the heated conversation over the proposal is likely to continue
this is just the start of the process in which we will actively engage all of the communities that are affected kevin ortiz a spokesman for the authority said
mayor bill de blasio a democrat was a longtime park slope resident and the f train is the closest subway line to his home there though he tends to travel by car his office declined to say where the mayor stood on the proposal
for f express service to work mr lander said the authority would have to add more trains on the line   something it says it cannot do
while brownstone brooklyn is a more affluent area mr lander noted that express trains would also skip stops used by public housing residents in red hook and other neighborhoods the closest station to red hook is smith ninth street a local stop under the plan and a long walk for many who live in the waterfront area and also rely on buses
at the ditmas avenue stop in kensington riders loved the idea of an express train nancy lebron who works at a health care company in manhattan and has taken the f train for more than 20 years described its pace as totally molasses express service she said would be a huge relief
id probably get to work on time ms lebron said
chaim pollack 27 who works in information technology in manhattan had another idea
i would sleep an extra 10 or 15 minutes he said
at the carroll gardens station riders complained of cramped conditions that would grow worse under the plan
if there are ever delays with the trains the platform gets very crowded said angela oconnor 40 who works for a labor union if you take away every other train were going to feel it in the morning
stephanie carter 39 who works in the television industry had the same concern
im more than happy for their commute to be faster but i dont think it should come at the expense of others she said
but some riders supported the plan even if it inconvenienced them rebecca horne 45 said her neighbors in carroll gardens would adapt
it probably is more important she said for people who live farther out to be able to get in


washington   an obama administration proposal to reduce medicare payments for many prescription drugs has run into sharp bipartisan criticism suggesting that it is easier to diagnose the problem of high prices than to solve it
patients advocates have joined doctors and drug companies in warning that the federal plan could jeopardize access to important medications every member of the senate finance committee   14 republicans and 12 democrats   and more than 300 house members have expressed concern
in a letter to sylvia mathews burwell the secretary of health and human services the advocacy arm of the american cancer society said the proposal does not protect cancer patients access to the lifesaving drugs needed to treat their disease the plan focuses more on the potential for cost savings than on how to preserve and enhance the quality of care it said
the administration says medicares current payment formula rewards doctors for prescribing expensive drugs ms burwell has proposed a five year nationwide test to encourage doctors to prescribe less expensive therapies under part b of medicare
in its proposal the administration said we intend to achieve savings but did not estimate the amount
the first phase of the new payment model could begin as early aug 1 in the second phase which could start as soon as january 2017 medicare would link payment to a drugs value the government might for example pay more for drugs that it deemed more effective in treating or preventing a particular condition or it might pay the same amount for drugs that it judged to be therapeutically similar
these drugs   to treat various types of cancer rheumatoid arthritis macular degeneration and other conditions   are typically administered in doctors offices or hospital clinics they include drug products that are made from human or animal cells as well as treatments that mobilize the bodys immune system to fight cancer and other diseases
medicare typically pays 80 percent of the cost and beneficiaries are responsible for the other 20 percent meaning that they have to pay thousands of dollars a year for some drugs and drug combinations
whatever the merits of the proposal the administration has to date been outmaneuvered on capitol hill republican lawmakers say president obama should withdraw the proposal a step that appears unlikely at the moment many democrats alarmed at high drug prices said the administration was making a worthy effort but should not move ahead without doing more to protect beneficiaries
representative lois capps democrat of california and a nurse said she was concerned about several aspects of the plan she listed the nationwide scope of the project the possible impact on small medical practices in underserved areas and the potential shifting of patients from provider offices to expensive hospital settings
two dozen house democrats including black and hispanic lawmakers representing large numbers of poor people said the proposal could disrupt care for their constituents doctors practicing in small groups and rural health care providers have less purchasing power often must pay higher prices for drugs and will be unable to absorb the reimbursement cuts the lawmakers said
another 60 house democrats including some of the most liberal members of congress signed a separate letter listing even more questions and concerns
it is not surprising that drug makers like amgen genentech and merck have asked the administration to withdraw its proposal but some of their concerns seem to resonate with patients desperate for new treatments and cures
bari talente executive vice president of the national multiple sclerosis society said her group opposed the administrations plan in its current form the national alliance on mental illness an advocacy group for patients said the proposal could limit access to long acting injectable antipsychotic medications used to treat schizophrenia and other disorders
in a letter to medicare officials dr laurie h glimcher dean of weill cornell medical college in new york said this experiment puts the care of patients at unnecessary risk
the proposal comes at a time when consumers politicians and many doctors are denouncing drug prices   some over 100000 a year   as exorbitant and unsustainable
this is not just a policy question anymore said jayson s slotnik a consultant to drug and device companies its a political issue does the white house want to make this policy change despite all the objections in the final months of the administration
dr james l madara chief executive of the american medical association said officials should focus on the causes of high drug prices which are set by manufacturers not by doctors moreover he said the proposed cuts in payment for some drugs could undermine the presidents moonshot to cure cancer and his precision medicine initiative to devise treatments tailored to the genetic characteristics of individual patients medicare officials promised to address such concerns but they declined to discuss the criticism in detail saying they were still reviewing comments on the proposal
at a public forum last month dr patrick h conway the no 2 official at the centers for medicare and medicaid services said that patient and consumer input into this model is critical and that the administration might consider exempting some doctors
we care deeply about independent physician practice and access to medications in various areas of the country dr conway said
some democrats and some consumer organizations have endorsed the proposal we are actively reforming every other aspect of our health care system to pay for value except pharmaceuticals said representative jan schakowsky democrat of illinois drug manufacturers are the only entity that can charge medicare anything they want
aarp the lobby for older americans also supported the proposal saying it could reduce out of pocket costs for beneficiaries whose median income is less than 25000 a year
dr debra patt a breast cancer specialist at texas oncology a group of more than 400 doctors said this is bad medicine for patients its an experiment that is simply unworkable in cancer care
in patients with certain types of advanced breast cancer she said many specialized targeted treatments dont have low cost alternatives if patients are not able to get the more expensive therapy they are more likely to die prematurely of their disease
dr conway the medicare official said nothing in this proposal will prevent doctors from prescribing the treatment their patient needs
in the affordable care act congress gave the health secretary power to waive federal medicare law when necessary to test innovative ways of paying for health care citing this authority the administration said it wanted to require mandatory participation for doctors and hospitals that provide part b drugs to medicare beneficiaries in about three fourths of the country
representative brett guthrie republican of kentucky said mr obama and ms burwell were going far beyond what congress envisioned they are using this process to amend the statute mr guthrie said our legislative authority is being infringed upon
representative gene green democrat of texas said he too had some concerns about the size and scope of the proposed demonstration and its potential impact on medicare beneficiaries access to physician administered drugs


the names put forward to replace the executives who were suddenly ousted from the trust and board that will determine the fate of sumner m redstones 40 billion media empire have close connections to his long estranged recently reconciled daughter shari redstone according to three people briefed on the matter
the developments are likely to be cited by viacom executives as evidence of ms redstones role in the contentious shake up over the weekend of the long established succession plans for her fathers companies
on friday two longtime confidants of mr redstone 92 were unexpectedly removed from their positions on the trust that will control mr redstones companies after he dies or is declared incompetent they were also separated from the board of national amusements the private theater chain company through which mr redstone controls about 80 percent of the voting stock in viacom and cbs two of the worlds largest entertainment companies
one person expected to be named to the trust is thaddeus jankowski the senior vice president and general counsel of national amusements according to people with knowledge of the development who requested anonymity because the deliberations are private ms redstone is a director and president of national amusements where she holds a position of authority over mr jankowski
viacom executives and directors on saturday questioned mr redstones competency in making the sudden changes and asserted that he had been manipulated by his daughter
on sunday evening mr redstone released a statement through a spokesman in which he attested to being independent and engaged attentive and as opinionated as ever he also disputed claims made over the weekend by viacom directors and executives that company directors had been denied access to him
according to the statement mr redstone is opposed to the plans underway by viacom leadership to sell a stake in paramount pictures the film and television studio philippe p dauman the chief executive of viacom has said that a deal should be reached by the end of june
mr redstone regrets that mr dauman has diverted resources to these baseless attacks and misrepresentations rather than focusing on the continuing challenges that are faced by viacom the spokesman mike lawrence said in the statement
in a later statement carl folta a viacom spokesman said that the company was deeply troubled and saddened by this state of affairs
he outlined how viacom directors addressed company issues including the sale of a stake in paramount during 12 hours of meetings last week that mr redstone attended by phone
upon mr redstones death or upon him being declared incompetent his control of the voting stock in viacom and cbs is to pass to the seven voting member trust with his five grandchildren as the beneficiaries ms redstone is vice chairwoman of viacom and cbs and one of the seven members of the trust
mr dauman was unexpectedly dismissed from the trust and removed from the board of national amusements on friday george abrams a viacom director a representative of mr redstones for 50 years and an ally of mr dauman was also removed from both positions that day
their swift removal was seen as a major victory for ms redstone in her quest to dictate the future of her fathers media empire she has publicly opposed mr daumans leadership of viacom
in addition to mr jankowski the other person expected to be appointed to the trust is an undisclosed friend of ms redstone two of the people briefed on the matter said ms redstones daughter kimberlee ostheimer was also put forth to serve on the board of national amusements the three people said mr jankowski and ms ostheimer also could not be reached for comment
the weekends developments prompted immediate questions about whether or not mr redstone who is in poor health was competent to make those decisions and what role ms redstone might have played in influencing her father
in a statement on saturday ms redstone said i fully support my fathers decisions and respect his authority to make them
mr dauman called the moves invalid and illegal and said mr redstone had lacked the capacity to have taken such steps
mr lawrence disputed that viacom directors had been restricted from seeing mr redstone in his statement on sunday he detailed how mr redstone sent a letter through a lawyer to mr dauman mr abrams and frederic salerno another viacom director on may 16 to ask for details about viacoms business and share price which has declined 40 percent over the past year but received no response
mr folta the viacom spokesman said that two directors have still been unable to meet with mr redstone
the sumner redstone we knew would never refuse a meeting about his businesses and he certainly would not want advisers to stand in for him mr folta said
mr lawrence attested to mr redstones vitality he said that over the past several days mr redstone had hosted family and friends at his home and also met with lawyers and an executive from national amusements mr redstone was also looking forward to celebrating his birthday with family later this week mr lawrence said


paris   a wet and gloomy opening day at the french open seemed to be a better day for a double feature two roland garros documentaries to be precise
the first   the french by william klein   was released in 1982 and tells the inside story of the 1981 french open the last grand slam tournament that bjorn borg won
the second   in the french by geraldine maillet   was shown on french television saturday and will be released on dvd on monday it tells the not nearly so inside story of last years french open
but then maillet a quick talking former fashion model quickly found out what she was getting herself into
it was really tough to make the movie she said sunday in one way it was easy because the french federation gave me carte blanche but we didnt have the access like in kleins era klein is in the locker room hes in the massage room ilie nastase smokes chris evert cleans her own skirt
maillet said she had tried to get comparable access but it was as if people didnt even understand the concept intellectually
viewed back to back kleins film and maillets are true bookends reflecting all that has been lost and gained as professional tennis and big time sports have become ever more ubiquitous yet ever more out of reach
we have shut off the sound yannick noah the french star says wistfully in maillets film
all of todays sports agents should take a two hour break from texting to screen the french and consider what exactly it is that they are saving their clients from
as a viewer i found myself thinking they really let klein in there to film that and yet i also found myself thinking this is real i can truly relate to this and above all to them certainly to a degree that i never approach working through another ghostwritten article in the players tribune in which an athlete speaks directly to the people with a rich vocabulary and polished syntax that bear little resemblance to the voice of that player i once interviewed
unfiltered was part of the plan when klein a french american photographer and filmmaker accepted the invitation of the french tennis federations innovative president philippe chatrier a former journalist to visit roland garros
not everyone cooperated not even then john mcenroe steered clear although one of his on court rants about playing in the rain is there for posterity but many of the stars bought in
you see a young noah hobbling to the trainers table immediately after leaving the court this is noah before dreadlocks two years before he became a national hero by winning the french open and he is suffering as he strips down to his jockstrap and receives deep massage on his thighs and repair work on the blistered soles of his feet
you see nastase the romanian tennis genius long past his prime clowning for evert and virginia ruzici nastases fellow romanian star in the players lounge you hear snippets of conversation from coaches talking openly in the players boxes about their charges strengths and weaknesses and hopes and fears
there is no narrator in kleins film the images and the protagonists voices do the driving   a fresh approach at the time and one he also used in his documentary muhammad ali the greatest
boxing and tennis   mano a mano ego a ego with nowhere to seek shelter   have much in common psychologically the pace in the french is slow but there is a rawness to the language and the expressions that gives it a sense of urgency
the game itself was slower too many of the 1981 rackets were made of wood including borgs donnay model with the extra long grip to accommodate his two handed backhand though borgs loose limbed athleticism would have translated into success in any era there is a leisurely look to the rallies and an artisanal quality to the shotmaking that underscore just how far tennis has come in the fast twitch department
which is in part where maillet comes in in 1981 there was that rock n roll side that bad boy side she said but the spectacle that we see in terms of the tennis itself today is so sublime
she first saw the french in 1997 after meeting klein while working as a model in new york
he told me i love tennis fashion bugs the hell out of me  she said and i said me too i do fashion to make a living but i love tennis so i got his film on vhs and went ohhh this is fantastic
but it was not until she watched it a second time in january 2015 that she became determined to make her own film
i got a shock watching it again she said and i realized we are living in a tennis era now that is as exceptional as that one in terms of the rivalries borg mcenroe djokovic nadal
she added everyone who knew kleins film said it was a super idea impossible but what a super idea
maillets film opens with borg now nearly 60 walking the walk of a younger man in a passageway at roland garros i think my generation with the guys and the girls we started something big in tennis borg says in the film
big business in fact   something klein made clear in 1981 when he filmed borg patiently exchanging balls and posing for photographs with a group of french youngsters in a sponsor mandated appearance before the tournament
for me it was important the link between borg and today maillet said he is the link to this time when the top players are multinational corporations and marketing tools
borg is as cool in kleins film as he is in memory   a steady boat amid the waves of adulation if you think on court security has been lax at roland garros in recent years watch the french but his championship days were nearly over with his loss to mcenroe in the wimbledon final only a few weeks away
klein captures hints of world weariness behind borgs nordic mask and the ability to isolate the gesture that speaks volumes is a strength that maillet shares in her tour of the roland garros ecosystem
a fine example is her montage of rafael nadal flailing and looking resigned as he goes down in straight sets against djokovic in last years anticlimax of a quarterfinal another is serena williams practicing her serve on an outside court receiving the ball from her coach patrick mouratoglou and slamming it and her racket into the clay in a fit of poker faced pique
but the best comes after djokovic is stunned by wawrinka in the final
as wawrinka celebrates maillet keeps her camera on djokovic as he sits courtside in his chair drained and staring into the void
did you realize how long he was sitting there like that maillet asked
she may not have gotten deep inside their locker room but she at least managed to get deep inside their heads on court and there was no bitterness in her voice about the trade off
it would have been a lie to film roland garros like klein because this era does not tell that story she said this is an era with so much money in play you dont ask the players for the time you ask the agent who asks another agent and then the atp the itf and the federation i wanted to depict the dna of 2015


if you bothered to read the fine print when you created your facebook account you would have noticed just how much of yourself you were giving over to mark zuckerberg and his 340 billion social network
in exchange for an admittedly magical level of connectivity you were giving them your life as content   the right to run ads around video from your daughters basketball game pictures from your off the chain birthday party or an emotional note about your return to health after serious illness you also gave them the right to use your information to help advertisers market to you based on your likely state of pregnancy or new place among the consciously uncoupled
there are privacy protections facebook says it will not share your identity with advertisers without your permission and you can set limits on what they can know but at the heart of the relationship is a level of trust and a waiving of privacy that facebook requires from its users as it pursues its mission to make the world more open and connected
but how open is facebook willing to be in return the way it initially handled this months flare up over accusations of political bias in its trending topics feed can only lead to this answer not very
and that should concern anyone of any political persuasion as facebook continues to gain influence over the national   and international   conversation
that influence comes through the astounding growth in its users   16 billion people and counting increasingly those users are spending time on facebook not only to share personal nuggets with friends but for more than 40 percent of american adults according to pew research center to stay on top of news which flows in and out of their individually tailored and constantly updating facebook news feeds
that has helped chip away at the centrality of destination news sites like the new york times the washington post the right leaning daily caller and the left leaning talking points memo their articles must now vie for attention in the facebook algorithms that help determine which items will be prominent in which users feeds and which will be highlighted in the facebook trending section that is prominent on users home pages
so facebook born of the open internet that knocked down the traditional barriers to information becomes a gatekeeper itself it now has an inordinate power to control a good part of the national discussion should it choose to do so a role it shares with silicon valley competitors like google and twitter
its a privileged position that facebook won through its own ingenuity and popularity mr zuckerberg seemed to approach this new perch with a solemn sense of responsibility when he took the company public in 2012 swearing in an investor letter we believe that a more open world is a better world
and yet...
there we were earlier this month with facebook ensnared in one of those big public relations crises for which openness is always the best salve the report in gizmodo that facebook had a team of editorial contractors who injected their own judgment into its computer generated trending list   and at times suppressed news stories of interest to conservative readers   ran without a response from facebook which ignored gizmodos detailed questions
then came the slow and awkward response there was the initial statement that facebook could find no evidence supporting the allegations facebook said it did not insert stories artificially into the trending list and that it had rigorous guidelines to ensure neutrality but when journalists like my colleague farhad manjoo asked for more details about editorial guidelines the company declined to discuss them
only after the guardian newspaper obtained an old copy of the trending topics guidelines did facebook provide more information and an up to date copy of them they showed that humans work with algorithms to shape the lists and introduce headlines on their own under some circumstances contradicting facebooks initial statement recode noted it was openness by way of a bullet to the foot
as his staff prepared answers to pointed questions from senator john thune of south dakota mr zuckerberg took another step into the sunshine last week by holding a grievance session at facebooks campus with conservative commentators and media executives including the fox host dana perino the daily caller editor tucker carlson and the blaze founder and commentator glenn beck who wrote a defense of facebook afterward
many of mr zuckerbergs visitors seemed at least temporarily placated by his explanation that facebook had so far found no systemic attempt to excise conservative thought from the trending list and that any such move would harm facebooks primary imperative which is in lay terms to get every single person on earth to spend every waking moment on facebook and monetize the living expletive out of it
but a more important issue emerged during the meeting that had been lying beneath the surface and has been for a while now the power of the algorithms that determine what goes into individual facebook pages
what they have is a disproportionate amount of power and thats the real story mr carlson told me its just concentrated in a way youve never seen before in media
what most people dont realize is that not everything they like or share necessarily gets a prominent place in their friends newsfeeds the facebook algorithm sends it to those it determines will find it most engaging
for outlets like the daily caller the huffington post the washington post or the new york times   for whom facebooks audience is vital to growth   any algorithmic change can affect how many people see their journalism
a cautionary tale came in 2014 the news site upworthy was successfully surfing the facebook formula with click bait headlines that won many eyeballs then a change in the facebook algorithm punished click bait which can tend to overpromise on what it links to steep traffic drops followed upworthy has recovered in part by relying on more on video
throughout the media a regular guessing game takes place in which editors seek to divine how the facebook formula may have changed and what it might mean for them facebook will often give general guidance such as announcing last month that it had adjusted its programming to favor news articles that readers engage with deeply   rather than shallow quick hits   or saying that it would give priority to live facebook live videos which it is also paying media companies including the new york times to experiment with
this gives facebook enormous influence over how newsrooms almost universally eager for facebook exposure make decisions and money alan rusbridger a former editor of the guardian called this a profound and alarming development in a column in the new statesman last week
for all that sway facebook declines to talk in great detail about its algorithms noting that it does not want to make it easy to game its system that system dont forget is devised to keep people on facebook by giving them what they want not necessarily what the politicos or news organizations may want them to see there can be a mismatch in priorities
but facebooks opacity can leave big slippery slope questions to linger for instance if facebook can tweak its algorithm to reduce click bait then can they put a campaign out of business asked john cook the executive editor of gawker media gawker owns gizmodo the site that broke the trending story
no facebook executive would discuss it with me on the record thats not the only reason this column may seem a little cranky my facebook trending list this week included this beaut gastroesophageal reflux disease first of all it was dyspepsia and it was like 20 years ago see that i shared something pretty revealing your turn mr zuckerberg


paris   with its guffawing masculine hilarity the national assembly frances lower house of parliament would not be put to shame by the most boisterous american state legislature the marble and velvet setting may be more elegant but the rowdy laughter says the same thing men dominate
over the last week that male world has been shaken the assemblys vice president denis baupin was forced to resign after several women came forward publicly with accusations that he had sexually harassed numerous female colleagues for years
one said mr baupin had pushed her against a wall grabbed one of her breasts and tried to force a kiss others said he had sent explicit text messages another said he had chased her around a desk still another that he had pinched her buttocks
the paris prosecutor has announced a criminal investigation mr baupin 53 a representative from paris and a rising star of the green party has complained about a setup and has threatened to sue the media outlets that broke the story
nonetheless the charges have set off soul searching over whether anything has changed in france since the downfall of a former international monetary fund boss dominique strauss kahn after a new york hotel housekeeper accused him of assault in 2011
that it seems did nothing to stop mr baupin but in the country where even the word for bawdy joke   gauloiserie   recalls the ancestral homeland gaul there are indications that this time some things may be different
on the one hand mr baupins behavior was an open secret since the allegations have become public ranking green party members have shamefacedly acknowledged knowing of mr baupins bad behavior for years women knew never to get in an elevator alone with him or go to his office unaccompanied they nicknamed him the octopus
the men were apparently unfazed however ah so hes started up again a male green party member said nonchalantly after a shocked woman recounted an assault against her in 2011 according to the news website mediapart
yet at the time of his arrest in new york mr strauss kahn who was widely seen as a contender for president had plenty of defenders nobody has been killed jack lang a former socialist culture minister had said
mr strauss kahn known as dsk defended himself in a french court with claims that he was merely a libertine pursuing an alternative lifestyle he later settled out of court for what was reportedly a substantial sum
even if few male french politicians have stepped up to denounce mr baupin nobody is defending him either the prominent right leaning philosopher alain finkielkraut grumbled on the radio that france is americanizing itself in a hurry but added that he condemned unseemly actions
the affair has proved embarrassing to the male dominated political class   75 percent of the assemblys members are men   not least because mr baupin was a leading member of the greens one of frances most feminist friendly political parties
now even his wife emmanuelle cosse also a green and the minister of housing in the current socialist government has been accused by at least one other party member of covering up for her husband she has denied it
sandrine rousseau a spokeswoman for the greens told france inter radio and mediapart about her experience in 2011 during a party meeting
i took a break she said in the corridor along the hall along comes denis baupin he pushed me up against the wall while grabbing my breast he tried to kiss me i pushed him away forcefully at that point i was so shocked i didnt say anything
elen debost another of the four women who came forward by name to expose him wrote in an open letter to the greens that she was nauseated and vomited after seeing him in a march photo jauntily wearing lipstick in supposed support of international womens day
the condemnation has been stark prominent frenchwomen in politics   16 former ministers   have made a public vow to never shut up again writing in the sunday newspaper journal du dimanche this time its too much the women wrote omerta and the law of silence are no longer possible
the behavior of some men must change they wrote
some of mr baupins victims already perceive a change there is a difference said annie lahmer a paris regional councilor who said mr baupin had chased her around a desk in the late 1990s
bartolone asked him to resign immediately even though this had just happened ms lahmer added referring to the president of the national assembly claude bartolone
in addition people are talking more freely now than they did after the dsk affair she said for baupin nobody is saying hes just a libertine hes got no defenders weve passed to another stage
after ms lahmer spurned his advances mr baupin told her angrily you will never have a position in the party she told france inter radio
theres a big difference between the reaction to mr baupin and to mr strauss kahn said isabelle attard a representative at the assembly who told the journalists who broke the story that she had received numerous salacious texts from mr baupin in 2012 and 2013
this is a group of women who are testifying and who have the same need to say never again particularly after the publication of that photo showing mr baupin with lipstick ms attard said its not just one woman alone one woman alone would never have come forward
how could the pro feminist greens have ignored mr baupins transgressions for so long
because its a feminist party there was shame about having this man in the party ms attard said it was impossible to acknowledge that a man like denis baupin could be in the ranks
a year ago a collective of female political journalists in france created a stir by denouncing a culture of systematic sexual harassment in french politics from frequent text messages along the lines of one scoop equals one drink to explicit comments about dress and low necklines
we thought the dsk affair had shifted the lines and that macho habits the symbols of dated political tackiness were on the way to extinction alas the women wrote in the newspaper liberation
as long as politics is very much in the hands of heterosexual men more or less in their 60s nothing will change they wrote a quick look around the assembly overwhelmingly male confirms that this is still the case
yet one of the godmothers of french feminism yvette roudy who was the womens rights minister under the socialist president francois mitterrand and who translated betty friedan in the 1960s saw reason for hope in the wake of the baupin affair
we think this could advance the rights of women ms roudy said in a phone interview we certainly hope so what is good is that today women are reacting they are defending themselves
ms roudys cautious optimism was shared by at least one political analyst who specializes in women in politics
not a single political personality or intellectual has dared to excuse the conduct of denis baupin said magali della sudda of the university of bordeaux nobody is using the argument of seduction
having more women on the benches of the assembly and in other political forums means that some behaviors are simply not tolerated ms della sudda added in the baupin affair what is really interesting is that it allowed women to denounce these practices and in public she said thats new


santa cruz galapagos islands   a small energetic young woman named africa berdonces who rides a beat up bicycle and often wears flip flops has been put in charge of managing the galapagos islands one of the worlds environmental treasures
the government of ecuador made the appointment quietly on friday with a formal announcement expected in a few days ecuador governs the islands which are in the pacific ocean about 600 miles from the south american mainland
ms berdonces 30 who came to the galapagos as an infant is replacing walter bustos as the director of galapagos national park and marine reserve mr bustos an official in the ministry of the environment has served for four months as the interim director
this is my passion ms berdonces said in an interview i studied for this ive been a national park guide im a dive master im from a family in the tourism business i know the business of the galapagos from inside
ms berdonces has a masters degree in environmental studies from james cook university in australia she is the third woman to serve as the director of galapagos national park
the job is one of the most significant environmental posts in the world the director of the park which includes nearly all the land area of the volcanic island chain and thousands of square miles of the surrounding ocean is responsible for protecting the park and nurturing its distinctive plants and animals the park is home to such revered and threatened species as the giant galapagos tortoise the flightless cormorant and the blue footed booby
the stakes are high a lot could be lost and a lot could be saved said tui de roy a photographer and environmentalist who grew up in the galapagos and has been publishing pictures of the islands for decades which way it goes ms de roy said depends on human behavior
as ms berdonces takes charge the ecuadorean government is taking steps to better protect the galapagos it is banning all fishing in the northern third of the island chain and creating a sanctuary for sharks a new port on the mainland will be the exclusive conduit for cargo bound for the islands the better to keep nonnative animals and plants from reaching the islands and disturbing the ecological balance the government has also imposed a 36 room limit on new hotels to limit crowds and is bringing together the management of land and sea areas which had been overseen separately
we need both working together ms berdonces said before when a sea lion was on the rocks it was under the supervision of the park when it went into the water it was the responsibility of the marine reserve
one problem facing ms berdonces is the long running tension over the rising numbers of tourists visiting the galapagos and concerns about the harm they may do the islands were designated a unesco world heritage site in 1979 and the united nations agency declared in 2007 that they were in danger partly because of what it called unbridled tourism
the annual number of visitors had been growing steadily   to 145000 in 2006 the year before the agency acted from just 40000 in 1990 according to the galapagos conservancy an environmental organization in fairfax va unesco took the islands off the endangered list in 2010 saying they were making progress but tourism continued to grow the ecuadorean government reported that 224755 tourists landed on the islands in 2015
the galapagos have long had few human inhabitants but the magnet of employment in the tourism industry has drawn about 30000 people mostly from mainland ecuador to seek their fortunes here they work in restaurants and hotels and on island hopping cruise ships they teach surfing rent bicycles lead tours and sell sundries
two thirds of them live in the main town puerto ayora on the island of santa cruz the main street is a narrow brick paved road called avenue charles darwin that curves along glistening academy bay lined with businesses like natural selection tours tortoise jewelry and the pelican view restaurant and bar
ms berdonces father vicente 58 has run a scuba diving company on santa cruz island for more than 20 years her connection to tourism may raise concerns among some environmentalists but she has strong local support
susana schiess a swiss immigrant who runs one of the most successful restaurants on santa cruz flashed two thumbs up at news of ms berdonces appointment
she knows the islands ms schiess said she knows the problems shes very young and that could be a problem but i think shell do her best
talking about his daughters first name mr berdonces said he and his wife had expected that like them she would have a strong personality and they wanted something distinctive somehow the name africa popped up
that was it he said that was the only name for her
his daughter is focused and disciplined he said she organizes the family and her friends
he added and we always have to say yes because shes right
dr gabriel idrovo a physician national park guide and dive master has known ms berdonces since she was a teenager shes straightforward and trustworthy he said
the islands became ecuadors first national park in 1959 and the administration of the park developed slowly the first director was not named until 1971 and some directors since then have had short tenures in one three year period the post changed hands 14 times
its an important job dr idrovo said but i wouldnt want to be in her boots its a hard job its a tough balancing act


twenty six years after a co worker at smith barney sexually assaulted her at work lisa mays says she still trembles when she tells the story
it was early one morning at the walnut creek calif branch when a top producing broker the only other person in the building followed ms mays into her office and backed her into a corner
before i knew it he was lifting my skirt to get into my tights and i was begging him to stop she recalled in an interview
the assault was cut short when another employee arrived and then he just walked away like nothing happened ms mays said of her attacker
ms mays who worked as a wire operator entering trade orders into the system for brokers was one of 23 women who sued smith barney for sexual harassment and pay discrimination in an explosive class action lawsuit filed 20 years ago this month it became known as the boom boom room suit named after a basement party room at smith barneys branch office in garden city ny nearly 2000 women joined the case exposing the sordid antics of wall streets testosterone driven culture
smith barney paid 150 million in arbitration awards and settlements in the case and it and other wall street firms rushed to set up anti harassment training employee hotlines and programs to recruit women
twenty years later permanent change is less obvious
you may no longer have strippers coming for afternoon entertainment but that doesnt mean you are treated as an equal said anne c vladeck of the new york employment law firm vladeck raskin  clark its not quite as blatant as what went on in the boom boom room but its still there in a way that makes it very hard for women to succeed companies on wall street are just not changing
complaints persist about pay and promotion disparities and a lack of women in senior management roles and frustrations are growing about the limited ability of individuals to seek damages in court
brokerage firms today say they deal swiftly with harassers and have developed programs to mentor and showcase high achieving women branch managers at morgan stanley which operated a brokerage joint venture with smith barney until acquiring it in 2013 can earn up to an additional 150000 a year by recruiting and developing diverse advisers a spokesman said last year nearly 50 percent of financial adviser trainees hired were female or members of minority groups he added
he declined to say what percentage of the firms current brokers are women
women are slowly joining the senior ranks of wall street firms last year women at deutsche bank represented 205 percent of the firms directors and managing directors up from 171 percent in 2011 according to its 2015 human resources report goldman sachss latest class of managing directors was 25 percent female the highest proportion since that title was created in the mid 1990s
the least progress has been made in pay last week a managing director at bank of america merrill lynch filed a gender discrimination complaint in federal court in new york noting that her 2015 bonus was 155 million while her male counterparts was 55 million the bank has a bros club culture the complaint says a bank spokesman said we take all allegations of inappropriate behavior seriously and investigate them thoroughly
last year women filled 31 percent of jobs in the securities commodities and financial services sales agents group tracked by the bureau of labor statistics but they earned only 52 cents for every dollar that men made according to a study released last month by the institute for womens policy research in washington
among 119 job categories analyzed in the study that group had the largest gender pay gap by comparison women on average make 79 cents for every dollar men make
its unbelievable said ariane hegewisch a program director at the institute and co author of the study i get calls from women who have come across our work and they say what do i do
ms hegewisch said that todays female brokers repeatedly complain that men are circumventing reforms
the 1996 suit against smith barney as well as one in 1997 against merrill lynch drew attention to the widespread practice of branch managers excluding of women when it was time to assign the accounts of departing brokers morgan stanleys spokesman said the company today uses a formulaic gender blind process for distributing accounts
ms hegewisch said however that senior male brokers at some firms were forming teams of young white guys to work with old white guys which means the accounts stay on the team and dont get distributed when older brokers retire
in the boom boom room era some women complained that they couldnt become brokers at all
roberta thomann a former sales assistant and one of the three women in the smith barney garden city office who initiated the lawsuit said in an interview that her bosses stopped her from studying for the exam to become a broker
they gave my books to a male sales assistant so that he could study ms thomann said i never even got a chance
linda d friedman one of the lawyers who represented ms thomann and the others said that would not happen today neither would the open and celebrated brand of harassment of that era she said
still big producers can get special treatment ms mayss attacker for example worked at smith barney and then morgan stanley for another 24 years after the episode at her office despite her having reported it to his supervisor
julie vasady kovacs a former compliance supervisor at deutsche bank securities said in a 2010 lawsuit that a co worker was promoted to managing director despite having such a poor record on sexual harassment that db will not permit him to have a female administrative assistant in court papers deutsche bank denied the allegation
in an email statement a deutsche bank spokeswoman said it promptly investigates allegations of gender discrimination and takes disciplinary action where appropriate
some of the behavior depicted in cases rivals the indignities of the boom boom room the smith barney party room that the lead plaintiff pamela k martens had visited once only to be grabbed by her branch manager and kissed on the lips
maria garcia a former barclays capital sales executive described a similar incident at a conference in bogota colombia in 2011 in her discrimination case which is still in progress
in her complaint ms garcia said she was at a business dinner when a male director at barclays stopped by and kissed her on the lips in front of members of her team she said that when she told her boss about the episode after returning to new york he made it clear that he preferred she not report it to human resources
a barclays spokesman said the firm denies that ms garcia was subjected to unlawful treatment
a manager who left deutsche bank in 2010 was described in a deposition as being so intoxicated during an evening out that he urinated against a wall in front of his employees in a court filing the bank called the incident hearsay
to ms martens who was a broker at smith barney the biggest disappointment is that mandatory arbitration persists she opted out of the settlement over the issue and never received money from the case
the smith barney litigants devoted eight of their complaints 41 pages to criticisms of the practice of forcing employees to arbitrate civil rights claims
we felt that the underpinning of this abuse whether it was physical abuse or sexual abuse or sexual assaults or sexual harassment was the private justice system that wall street had carved out for itself ms martens said in an interview i wanted to come away with ending mandatory arbitration for the entire industry but at a minimum for civil rights cases
she did not get her wish
ms friedman the lawyer said that about 90 percent of the wall street women she represents do not have the option of going to court today typically they agree to this in a dear prospective employee letter that must be signed if they want the job she said
increasingly firms are prohibiting employees from participating in class actions morgan stanley has mandatory arbitration and a class action waiver
you couldnt bring the boom boom room case today ms friedman said the biggest problem we face now is that the courthouse doors are closing


hanoi vietnam   officially the top world leaders who gather thursday at the group of 7 summit meeting will talk about shared concerns like global trade or the islamic state but their private discussions are likely to cover a topic that is not on the agenda donald j trump
president obama now hears questions in his meetings with world leaders about whether mr trump has a realistic shot at becoming president
for months mr obama has answered those questions with an emphatic no
i continue to believe mr trump will not be president mr obama said in february at the end of the association of southeast asian nations summit meeting in california
but this weeks summit meeting in japan is the first among major allies since mr trump moved decisively toward securing the republican nomination and mr obamas counterparts are likely to want more detail in his explanations of an election that has prompted fascination and apprehension overseas
mr obamas japanese hosts are particularly alarmed at the prospect of a trump presidency because the real estate developer has been bashing japan for decades mr trumps criticisms have a distinctly 1980s flavor when japanese cars were flooding american markets and japanese businesses were buying premier american properties like rockefeller center in new york
you have to see the trade imbalance between japan and the united states   its unbelievable mr trump said in a recent interview they sell to us and we practically give them back nothing by comparison
he added its a very unfair situation
mr trump has criticized the military alliance between japan and the united states as being one sided and he suggested in a march interview that japan and south korea should have their own nuclear arsenals so they would be less reliant on the security umbrella provided by the united states
hosting an april summit meeting intended to limit the proliferation of nuclear weapons mr obama lashed out
the person who made the statements doesnt know much about foreign policy nuclear policy or the korean peninsula or the world generally he said not mentioning mr trump by name but he acknowledged that foreign leaders had questioned him about the presumptive republican nominee
it came up on the sidelines ive said before that people pay attention to american elections mr obama said even in those countries that are used to a carnival atmosphere in their own politics want sobriety and clarity when it comes to us elections
more recently mr trump suggested that he would be willing to hold direct negotiations with kim jong un the north korean leader in yet another challenge to a core japanese security priority
mr trumps march comments led to an almost immediate response from prime minister shinzo abe of japan whoever will become the next president of the united states the japan us alliance is the cornerstone of japans diplomacy mr abe said
other japanese officials have been even more forceful the first week in may is generally regarded as a holiday in japan and top japanese officials flood washington for meetings this year many of those meetings focused on anxieties over mr trumps remarks
at one such meeting kenichiro sasae japans ambassador to the united states joked that he was looking forward to hearing experts explain how emperor qin shi huang built the great wall of china and made the mexicans pay for it a reference to mr trumps promise to build a wall at the mexican border at mexicos expense
in a more serious vein mr sasae said he was disappointed by the isolationism expressed by some presidential candidates another clear reference to mr trump
i dont want to see that kind of united states mr sasae said i know that you know there has to be a debate about how to make the united states this strong but the question is not whether you can be strong without a proper role in the rest of the world
at another recent meeting itsunori onodera a former defense minister and a member of the japanese house of representatives gave a lengthy list of what he characterized as mr trumps misstatements i dont think there are any trump supporters present here he joked
mr onodera emphasized the ways that japan supported washingtons priorities in the region and helped pay american expenses
nothing is more important than the stability of east asia he said we dont want the us political leaders to send out the wrong message
even so some japanese officials have been concerned that the obama administration is too solicitous of china tokyos great asian rival
whatever concerns there were about the obama administration sometimes tilting toward china those have been overwhelmed with what trump is saying about japan and our alliances said michael j green who served as a senior adviser on asia during the george w bush administration theyre really worried
in private conversations japanese officials have said their only solace is that mr trump is even more critical of china than he is of japan
even if mr trump loses his ascent has led world leaders to worry that his america first platform is a harbinger of pressure for allies to pay up or make trade concessions in return for military protection
mr obama has himself insisted that allies share more of the burdens of military efforts in places like libya and syria and has openly complained that even some european allies are free riders but mr obama still accepts that the united states is an indispensable nation without whose leadership global problems fester and intensify administration officials do say that sometimes the united states must act solely for the security of other nations a message they hope will reassure the japanese


oxford england   after the murders at charlie hebdo last year the public intellectual timothy garton ash   once a dashing foreign correspondent long since a scholar amid the spires of oxford   issued an appeal to news organizations publish the offending cartoons all of you together and in that way proclaim the vitality of free speech
otherwise he warned the assassins veto will have prevailed
by this reckoning the assassins triumphed for most publications ignored his entreaty to protect their staffs from danger or to protect their readers from offense elsewhere different free speech issues abounded college campuses in convulsions over who should opine and how tech behemoths pondering how to control and profit from the blizzard of online chatter authoritarian governments snuffing out digital dissent
despite floods of online expression free speech is on the defensive mr garton ash argues and he is trying to rally the resistance he has established a multilingual website to seed tenets of free expression in nations where it is hindered he travels the world promoting his ideals and now he has written a scrupulously reasoned 491 page manifesto and users guide free speech ten principles for a connected world due out in the united states on tuesday which includes his case for defying threats his opposition to hate speech laws and his view on whether anothers religion deserves your respect
in an interview in his book lined oxford university office this frosty bearded 60 year old professor of european studies sketched out his high ambitions what i want to achieve is to animate thinking and activism he said
its to catalyze a debate that starts from the basic principles of free speech he continued and then goes out and realizes them in many many different directions
his own direction was set nearly four decades ago when as an oxford student he traveled to berlin to prepare a doctoral thesis on resistance to hitler once there he saw that the communist regime in east germany offered a living illustration of totalitarian repression and this became his new subject the secret police took notice their surveillance was the subject of his renowned 1997 memoir the file
expelled and denounced by the east german authorities for his writings   one of the nicest reviews ive ever got   mr garton ash passed the 1980s roving behind the iron curtain for publications like the new york review of books and the spectator chronicling dissident movements and befriending many of the main figures among them vaclav havel and lech walesa he also has written for the new york times
then came 1989 a pivot point that included four seminal events for free speech the fall of the berlin wall the tiananmen square crackdown which mr garton ash says presaged the biggest censorship apparatus in the world today arguably in human history the establishment of the world wide web and the fatwa against salman rushdie
today mr garton ash worries especially about echoes of the rushdie case writing that ceding to threats has become a chronic weakness of free societies
we as a society have to hold the line he said in the interview there has to be less appeasement for this solidarity is required law enforcement authorities must safeguard those who speak up and taxpayers must be willing to pay the high costs this will incur otherwise he added yielding to violent intimidation is itself objectively a kind of incitement to violence right because you encourage the next guys to have a go
not everyone agrees with his approach especially regarding charlie hebdo the award winning investigative reporter and lawyer glenn greenwald who has written extensively on transparency and civil liberties for the online publication the intercept scorns the idea to defend anothers right to offend he said doesnt mean you must join in that offense
those demanding that news organizations unite to publish charlie hebdo cartoons no matter how repellent they might find those cartoons are attempting to destroy this critical distinction mr greenwald said in an email nothing will destroy free speech faster than this kind of emotional blackmail
mr garton ash specified that if he had been an editor after the charlie hebdo massacre in january 2015 he would have reprinted the cartoons with care presenting a selection on inside pages   and only if his staff agreed to do so and could be kept safe in normal circumstances he would never print such material preferring to leave it to this out there small satirical magazine however the act of republication in the careful way i have described is to say they shall not pass
a concern nearer to mr garton ashs office is what he calls the im offended veto an especially contentious issue at universities oxford among them campaigners who espouse such positions argue that freedom from oppression sometimes outranks freedom of expression the free speech lobby they contend favors the mighty while sidelining the marginalized
to blithely assert that everyone enjoys the same right to free speech is like claiming that i have a right to buy a large house in north london because there is a free market the activist paris lees wrote recently in the guardian theoretically it is possible but life in our real world isnt like that she added free speech isnt under attack platform privilege is
liberal intellectuals such as mr garton ash who have long taken pride in siding with the oppressed find themselves in an uneasy position when disputing strands of this activism particularly no platforming disrupting or canceling talks of speakers who are deemed offensive certain cases of trigger warnings flagging potentially distressing material before students can be exposed to it and excessively defined safe spaces mandating that colleges should protect students from upsetting experiences
regarding this last concept the decorous historian mr garton ash came close to indignation well please give us a break
what you do in universities is learn how to listen to and engage with views that you find deeply uncomfortable distasteful extreme without coming to blows he said
mr garton ash is not calling for any speech anywhere the discussion of free expression he says is always about where to place the limits he advocates limits on speech that invades privacy he opposes child pornography he would protect certain official secrets within narrow limits
a vulnerability of mr garton ashs project is that his principles are so deeply rooted in enlightenment ideals which are not universally shared
in many places audiences bristle when a white brit from oxford he said turns up to advise them on how society should express itself yet mr garton ash repudiates the notion that cultures such as those of china or the islamic world are fixed like hydrogen oxygen or granite or something asserting we should have a certain confidence in our beliefs and our values but also an openness to this new world and to the conversation
he added the gift of speech is used by early humans almost certainly for two purposes one is to fight each other better because you can organize as groups get the platoon together go and kill those guys with your thigh bones the second use of speech he said is to avoid war by negotiation out of conflicts
fundamentally the book is about war and peace as well
1 we   all human beings   must be free and able to express ourselves and to seek receive and impart information and ideas regardless of frontiers
2 we neither make threats of violence nor accept violent intimidation
3 we allow no taboos against and seize every chance for the spread of knowledge
4 we require uncensored diverse trustworthy media so we can make well informed decisions and participate fully in political life
5 we express ourselves openly and with robust civility about all kinds of human difference
6 we respect the believer but not necessarily the content of the belief
7 we must be able to protect our privacy and to counter slurs on our reputations but not prevent scrutiny that is in the public interest
8 we must be empowered to challenge all limits to freedom of information justified on such grounds as national security
9 we defend the internet and other systems of communication against illegitimate encroachments by both public and private powers
10 we decide for ourselves and face the consequences


the last time they saw each other was roughly a decade ago
he was among americas most successful entertainers and her mentor
she was a former young temple university staff member who said he took advantage of his counseling role gave her pills and sexually assaulted her in his home outside philadelphia in 2004
the setting for their last encounter was a deposition in a philadelphia hotel one that would ultimately lead to an out of court settlement in 2006 in a civil suit filed against bill cosby by his former mentee andrea constand
on tuesday mr cosby and ms constand may well see each other again this time at a pretrial hearing in a pennsylvania courthouse where mr cosby 78 is facing criminal charges filed by prosecutors who say the 2004 encounter was a case of criminal sexual assault
at the hearing in the montgomery county courthouse in norristown pa prosecutors will try to demonstrate for judge elizabeth a mchugh that they have enough evidence to go to trial
some 200 members of the public and the news media are expected to crowd into the courthouse for the hearing
mr cosby who denies the charges will be among them he must be present though he is not expected to testify
the pressing question is whether ms constand now 43 and living in canada will also be there   not just as a spectator but as a witness called to testify by the prosecution neither her lawyers nor montgomery county district attorney kevin r steele are saying
prosecutors might simply rely on the statement ms constand gave when she went to the police in 2005 that would avoid exposing her to cross examination by the defense
as a matter of strategy experts say prosecutors at preliminary hearings hope to move the case to trial while revealing as little of their evidence as possible the defense typically tries to force prosecutors to offer as much evidence as they can and to question witnesses to gather information in readiness for trial
the defense is not using the hearing to get the charges dismissed but to tie witnesses down to explore as many avenues as possible and perhaps identify inconsistencies and to develop themes for trial said david rudovsky a senior fellow at the university of pennsylvania law school
if ms constand takes the stand the defense will likely try to undermine her account experts say their questions might include why she took a year to file her complaint with police and why she returned to mr cosbys home after what she has since described as two previous unwelcome encounters   including one in which she said he unbuttoned her pants and began touching her
there are so many questions that she has to answer that she is going to have a tough time said stuart p slotnick a new york defense lawyer and former prosecutor
until recently in pennsylvania a witness like ms constand would have had to testify at a preliminary hearing but a state appellate court ruling last year allowed for wider use of hearsay evidence meaning that a prosecutor could opt to introduce just ms constands police statement not her direct testimony as evidence at the hearing the strategy could be risky though since the ruling from last year is under appeal to the states supreme court
given that the admissibility of hearsay may be overturned on appeal prosecutors may not want to rely on the police statement without calling ms constand
my sense is she will be there said dennis mcandrews a pennsylvania lawyer the prosecution would obviously be taking a risk if they did not call the victim to the stand
the parameters of the questioning such as the extent to which it might delve into ms constands sexual history will be set by judge mchugh 60
under pennsylvanias rape shield law sexual relationships with someone other than the accused are typically not considered a proper subject for cross examination mr mcandrews said
the judge is likely to limit it significantly he said
prosecutors at the hearing could also enter into evidence a transcript of mr cosbys deposition from the constand civil suit in which he acknowledged obtaining quaaludes as part of an effort to have sex with women
since december when mr cosby was charged his lawyers have sought a dismissal of the charges arguing that a former district attorney who carried out an initial investigation in 2005 had made a binding commitment never to pursue charges against mr cosby so as to induce the entertainer to testify in the civil suit
a trial court judge and an appeals court however rejected that argument mr cosbys lawyers have a pending appeal though in hope of securing a last minute postponement of tuesdays hearing
mr steele is fighting those attempts this rich celebrity defendant is not entitled to unprecedented special treatment he said last week
after the hearing legal experts expect mr cosby to challenge much of the evidence
for one thing they said his legal team may ask to bar his deposition from the civil case because it is subject to a confidentiality stipulation that he and ms constand agreed to as part of their settlement
mr cosby is also expected to fight any attempt to introduce evidence from other women who have accused him of drugging and sexually assaulting them
such evidence of other alleged bad acts is sometimes ruled admissible under circumstances in which prosecutors can demonstrate that it establishes a defendants pattern of behavior a kind of fingerprint or signature of the defendant
mr cosby is being sued in civil courts by several others in a case brought by seven women who are suing mr cosby for defamation in massachusetts a judge on friday released the full transcript of a feb 22 deposition by his wife of 52 years camille o cosby the women say mr cosby sexually assaulted them and then branded them liars after they came forward the transcript shows confrontational exchanges between the lawyer for the women and mrs cosby and her lawyers mrs cosby was asked about her husbands affairs but she repeatedly refused to answer questions and often invoked spousal privilege
in the criminal case mr cosby faces three charges of aggravated indecent assault each of which carries a punishment of five to 10 years in prison and a 25000 fine the hearing would normally take place in the magisterial district court in elkins park pa where mr cosby was arraigned in december and where ms constand accuses mr cosby of drugging and assaulting her but the hearing is being held in the larger courthouse in norristown because of the expected news media attention and security issues
james koval director of communications for pennsylvania courts said officials are bracing for a high level of interest in a criminal case hearing with journalists scheduled to arrive from as far away as australia
he was planning on arriving in norristown early on monday he said we have 20 television production trucks coming in he said there will be a lot going on


cannes france   filmmakers find inspiration in love nature faith trauma other people other movies the german director maren ade discovered a muse for her latest the sensational toni erdmann   a critical favorite at the 69th cannes film festival   in an american comic who died in 1984 i fell in love with andy kaufman
maren ade pronounced mar in ah day also fell for kaufmans most outrageous creation the belligerent insult comic tony clifton whose first name she borrowed for the title character of her new movie toni is the fabrication of winfried peter simonischek a music teacher who uses this outsize persona to infiltrate the life of his only child ines sandra huller a corporate strategist on assignment in bucharest toni emerges after winfried pays a brief awkward visit to ines who barely makes time for her father exit winfried enter toni a lout with a wolfish leer a fright wig and false teeth who claims to be a consultant and coach for the chief executive of iness company
toni erdmann quickly lifted the festival mood and ms ades international profile though it was shut out on awards night its nice and weird at the same time she said of the attention the day after her movies first press screening while here she racked up 30 hours of interviews with 60 journalists from more than 15 countries seated on a terrace in the festival headquarters overlooking a yacht choked marina she seemed remarkably at ease especially given that she had been working on the movie days before the festival opened it was very very crazy to just get it here
we met again a few days later in a small italian restaurant she was at once alert and relaxed although also hoarse either from all the interviews or she thought tending to her 4 year old she had brought both her sons   the other is 6 months old   along with her partner and assorted grandparents that afternoon she and her family planned to take a boat to a nearby island for a break before heading to a friends house sipping warm milk with honey to soothe her throat and speaking in english she seemed pleased by the praise if somewhat exasperated that the movie had been described as arriving out of the blue
in your own life ms ade said nothing is out of the blue some of this surprise doubtless stems from the movies comedy a quality not always associated with german cinema especially in a temple of seriousness like cannes in addition until now ms ade 39 has been largely known only inside rarefied cinephile circles and it has been seven years since her last feature everyone else since then she has produced movies and had her children she was pregnant with one son while writing toni erdmann and pregnant with the second while working on it in postproduction as she once put it i became a mother which is also like making one film at least
the textured realism in toni erdmann also needed time it took long to develop the characters and to really find that story ms ade said it came step by step going deeper and deeper into the game theyre playing as a character toni enables winfried to insinuate himself into iness hyper rationalized life he barges into her workplace and social events becoming a classic trickster that mischievous subversive figure who upends the status quo lewis hyde a scholar of tricksters argues that they emerge from need there are large devouring forces in this world and that tricksters intelligence arose not just to feed himself but to outwit these other eaters with a demented smile and oversize teeth toni the trickster sets out to sabotage the forces devouring his daughter
most obviously toni erdmann is a father daughter story if one thankfully without the familiar therapeutic platitudes and psychological tidiness ms ade had been interested in the father daughter dynamic for a long time she said i found out that during writing its difficult to escape your own family the inspiration for tonis teeth came from a gag set she was given at a premiere of austin powers when she was 20 and working for a production house she gave the teeth to her father who she knew would make good use of them and together they with andy kaufman and tony clifton became part of her exploration of role playing
toni erdmann is only ms ades third feature after the forest for the trees 2003 and everyone else which shared the silver bear second place at the 2009 berlin film festival ms ade began making amateur movies with a camcorder when she was a teenager and attended the university of television and film munich there she and another student janine jackowski founded komplizen film which produces ms ades work along with those of other art film names like miguel gomes a third partner jonas dornbach joined komplizen in 2010 having her own company ms ade said gives her the freedom she wants   and the control she seems to like   including the luxury to rehearse on location
everything had to come out of the characters ms ade said maybe thats also why the film needs time the movie runs a comfortable perfectly calibrated two hours and 42 minutes although she did try to shorten it i went back into the editing room three weeks after giving birth because i wanted to be sure that its the right length but when she tried to cut it she felt the movie lost its complexity it makes sense ms ade is a pointillist and over the span of toni erdmann you dont only watch ines and winfried you also learn to read their looks to inhabit their silences and to recognize the weight of their seemingly meaningless moments
last november after her second son was born ms ade sat down with her co workers and asked them to be honest about whether the film had a shot at being selected for cannes its an index of this events significance to a filmmaker like ms ade whose importance isnt measured in box office numbers that she powered ahead to finish the movie by the festivals deadline her persistence and work paid off because long after this years juries have disbanded and the world has forgotten who won this years awards the 2016 edition will best be remembered as the year ms ade gave us toni erdmann a work of great beauty great feeling and great cinema


hanoi vietnam   president obama arrived in the steamy capital of vietnam ahead of schedule on sunday night to begin three days of meetings in hopes of luring yet another southeast asian country away from chinas tight embrace
he was greeted on the tarmac by a young woman in a long yellow dress who handed him a bouquet of flowers several second tier vietnamese officials shook the presidents hand before he climbed into his limousine for a quick trip to his hotel after nearly 24 hours of travel quiet clusters of people on the dark streets watched his motorcade pass except for the small groups the streets seemed to have been completely cleared
since air force one had been scheduled to land after midnight or about three hours later the official arrival ceremony with high officials in attendance was postponed until monday morning
maybe then mr obama will see the kind of emotional outpouring that greeted president bill clinton in 2000 when he became the first united states president to visit the country since the vietnam war but it is possible that relations between the two countries have reached a stage that the arrival of an american head of state no longer seems so unusual
mr obama will meet with the countrys newly installed prime minister and president on monday then get together with the countrys real power   nguyen phu trong the general secretary of the communist party
mr obamas visit is an important step in a complex dance that vietnam has carried on with china for centuries most of vietnams illustrious historical figures made their reputations by battling chinese invaders the population here is deeply nationalistic and anti chinese sentiment is visceral the american war as it is known here is mostly forgotten particularly since half of the population is under 30
vietnam relies on china for trade investment and even the water that feeds the vast mekong delta so the leadership knows it can poke the dragon only so much
indeed vietnam had mostly sought to appease china since a brief and bloody war between the countries in 1979 and had shrugged off a series of provocations as china sought in recent years to assert its dominance over the south china sea which extends the length of vietnams 2000 mile coast
but in 2014 china placed a giant deep sea drilling rig to explore for oil and gas right off the vietnamese coast and mr trong could not even get his telephone calls to beijing returned the confrontation touched off angry protests in vietnam that led to the deaths of two chinese and the destruction of taiwanese and south korean factories
since then vietnam has stepped up its contacts with the united states neither the united states nor vietnam is ready for a formal alliance but vietnam may grant american warships access to its ports and washington seems certain at least to widen exceptions to its longtime arms embargo and may end it altogether
human rights remain a barrier to closer ties government backed thugs routinely attack dissidents and recent protests over a toxic spill that killed vast numbers of fish led to beatings and arrests by the police while the country does have elections   polling places were packed sunday for a parliamentary election   candidates must be approved by the communist party
mr obama plans to meet with some dissidents and civil society leaders on tuesday before making a speech brad adams the asia director at human rights watch suggested that the president should start by calling for the right of all people to stand for election voice critical views of government associate with others and freely choose candidates
american help in reforming vietnams economy is also high on the agenda for leaders of both countries
while vietnam has grown robustly   the transformation of this citys airport and skyline over the past two decades is astonishing   the country remains saddled with a bloated state sector that dominates telecommunications and other crucial parts of the economy and reliance on low wage manufacturing that will be increasingly difficult to sustain as the country prospers
widespread corruption undermines economic growth government officials with modest salaries can be seen touring the countryside in expensive european automobiles
there are keen hopes here that the trans pacific partnership a trade agreement with the united states and 10 other countries will provide a huge boost the world bank estimated that vietnam would gain the most from the agreement adding 10 percent to its economic growth by 2030 through increased sales from its textiles and apparel industries
vietnam is the only developing country in the trans pacific pact and it had to make major concessions on issues like allowing independent labor unions and ensuring environmental compliance
vietnam has agreed to allow independent unions that can control their own finances elect their own leaders conduct strikes affiliate as they wish get assistance from outside labor organizations the united states trade representative michael froman said in a briefing
there is some debate about whether the promised changes are transformational or just cosmetic but the government took a risk in promising to make them and is now dismayed to see that the pact has little chance of passing congress anytime soon
still innovation incubators technology start ups and a focus on small and medium size companies are now all the rage among development agencies and government officials mr obama intends to address attendees at an entrepreneurship event on tuesday afternoon in ho chi minh city


kirk nieuwenhuis has seen noah syndergaards maturation for longer than most beginning with their time as teammates at class aaa las vegas in 2014
last season with the mets nieuwenhuis noticed that syndergaard had turned a corner mentally evolving into a complex psychological force on the mound creating a lethal mixture when combined with his 6 foot 6 frame and physical talent in his exceptional rookie season in 2015 he struck out 10 or more batters five times
in the sixth inning on sunday having already struck out twice against syndergaard nieuwenhuis now a starting outfielder for the milwaukee brewers was lost against his former teammate despite their history together even he did not have a cliffsnotes version of how to read syndergaard
syndergaard started him off with two 90 mile per hour changeups of which nieuwenhuis caught only air syndergaard then unfurled a 98 mph fastball leaving nieuwenhuis frozen with his bat on his shoulder
he mixes it up too much nieuwenhuis said you cant really sit on anything
the strikeout was syndergaards 10th of the game and it represented the third time he had reached double digits this season he collected one more strikeout and allowed only an unearned run in seven innings quieting the brewers lineup and leading the mets to a 3 1 victory that completed a three game sweep at citi field
the amount of growth that ive had in the span of one year is night and day syndergaard said
michael conforto hit a solo home run into the visiting bullpen in the first inning and scored a go ahead run on a single by asdrubal cabrera in the fourth facing a full count cabrera waited on a 77 mph curveball from chase anderson and drove it to right field bringing home yoenis cespedes as well
in the background of the story lines dominating the mets offense   cespedess 14 home runs which is tied for the major league lead confortos budding bat as well as the injured backs of david wright and lucas duda   cabrera has been one of the teams most consistent players he is hitting 278 with 15 runs batted in stabilizing a shortstop position that had been in flux since jose reyes left the team after the 2011 season
hes meant a lot to us mets manager terry collins said adding that cabrera had occasionally played through a bothersome knee hes been great on both sides of the ball
in the ninth cabrera helped turn a game ending double play as jeurys familia picked up his 15th save in 15 opportunities
familias appearance was surprising after he pitched in the first two games of the series because of the frequent use of the bullpen collins was willing to extend syndergaard to 115 pitches if needed
the brewers scored the unearned run in the first inning after wright misplayed a ground ball that allowed scooter gennett to reach base but syndergaard soon settled in striking out seven of eight batters in a stretch that began in the second inning
he wasnt getting his slider over collins said when he started to get it over it changed the whole game
syndergaard entered the seventh having thrown 96 pitches and collinss strategy to squeeze one more inning out of him initially appeared unwise
the brewers led off with two singles and syndergaard was showing signs of fatigue bouncing pitches well in front of home plate but with hernan perez on third base alex presley tried to advance to second on a wild pitch and was thrown out by catcher rene rivera
that seemed to calm syndergaard who threw 109 pitches a season high he fought back to strike out ramon flores aaron hill then grounded out to shortstop to end the inning
he did a great job collins said of syndergaard when you looked up and he got you through the seventh inning i saluted him
finishing with six hits allowed and no walks syndergaard improved to 5 2 and lowered his era to 194 having struck out 10 against the washington nationals last tuesday in a 2 0 win syndergaard became the fourth pitcher since 1913 to have consecutive double digit strikeout games with no walks and no earned runs
the brewers were an appetizer served at a needed time after the mets dropped the next two games to the first place nationals after syndergaards gem last week on monday they begin a three game series in washington
bartolo colon is scheduled to pitch the opening game against the nationals gio gonzalez but the focus will be on tuesdays game as matt harvey makes his first start since being shelled by the nationals on thursday in one of the worst outings of his career
after harvey threw a simulated game saturday at citi field collins said he and harvey were pleased with the results because of the seriousness placed on the practice and the number of pitches harvey threw collins chose to give him an extra day to rest even though harvey had thrown only 61 pitches in his past start
collins did not place extra emphasis on the nationals series given other issues facing the team duda who has missed four of the past six games with back soreness will have tests re evaluated by the team doctor david altchek collins expected to receive a diagnosis monday morning
im real concerned theres no question he said
the mets currently trail washington by a game and a half even though syndergaard will not start in the series players left for the trip feeling optimistic after he shut down the brewers
i think its nice to build a little momentum into that series wright said i think our confidence is high right now


naypyidaw myanmar   less than two months after a civilian government took many of the levers of power in myanmar for the first time in a half century secretary of state john kerry conducted a seemingly routine diplomatic meeting on sunday with the most improbable burmese counterpart daw aung san suu kyi the nobel peace prize winning dissident who now sits atop a government that had long kept her under house arrest
their discussion focused on myanmars brutal treatment of a muslim minority group   at a moment when outsiders are questioning whether ms aung san suu kyi a hero of the human rights movement has a double standard   and on the delicate question of whether myanmars military leaders once had a program in place to build a nuclear weapon
yet mr kerry seemed struck by the very idea that he was having the conversation at all
he recalled visiting ms aung san suu kyi at her lakeside home in yangon when it was still the capital of what was then called burma and sparring with members of the junta they assured me that there were no political prisoners in the country he said and tried to tell me that the people of myanmar prized order more than they prized democratic rights
president obama has already been to myanmar twice and mr kerry several times but it was only in april that ms aung san suu kyi 69 became state counselor and foreign minister and moved into her offices in naypyidaw a strange capital carved into a valley a dozen years ago by military leaders obsessed with the fear that the united states among others was preparing to invade
the meeting between mr kerry and ms aung san suu kyi was a milestone in one of the obama administrations biggest foreign policy experiments to coax isolated longtime adversaries into engaging with the united states and gradually moving toward more democratic governance iran and cuba have taken steps but strongly resist fundamental change efforts with north korea never got off the ground
why that policy succeeded in myanmar will be studied for decades and had as much to do with personalities as institutions   chiefly inside the military
they accepted defeat and have generally supported the political transition benjamin j rhodes the deputy national security adviser said in washington last week when the united states lifted sanctions on myanmar this work is incomplete and the militarys role in politics continues to go beyond what would constitute a full transition to democracy
in fact as soon as mr kerry left ms aung san suu kyis office his motorcade sped along this capitals empty eight lane roads up into the hills to see the nations other center of power the commander in chief of the armed forces senior gen min aung hlaing a slight man in a green uniform with none of the nobel laureates international profile his sparkling headquarters with 40 foot ceilings and gold trim and huge parade fields outside left little question who was in charge of the scarce resources of one of southeast asias poorest nations
at a news conference with ms aung san suu kyi mr kerry acknowledged that he had expressed longstanding concerns that myanmars close relationship with north korea could include the transfer of nuclear weapons technology in 2011 a state department report concluded that myanmar might be violating its pledges under the nuclear nonproliferation treaty though united states officials citing the classified nature of the data have never publicly discussed the intelligence behind their suspicions
i did raise the issue with her mr kerry said when pressed and i am satisfied that with respect to north korea he continued clearly myanmar has taken the steps to address that issue and were satisfied that were on the same page
ms aung san suu kyis comment on the nuclear ambitions of her predecessors drew laughter from burmese and americans alike if they did they havent said anything about that to me she said the previous government was not in the habit of informing me of what they were doing
ms aung san suu kyi is not myanmars president because the constitution as drafted by the military prohibits anyone whose children hold passports from another country from serving as president ms aung suu kyis husband who died in 1999 was british and their sons kim and alexander were born in britain a political ally htin kyaw was placed in the office allowing ms aung suu kyi to essentially hold the reins of power
there has already been a sharp disagreement with her american benefactors she recently urged the new united states ambassador here scot a marciel to avoid calling the muslim minority rohingya as they are known by much of the outside world
emotive terms make it very difficult for us to find a peaceful and sensible resolution to our problems ms aung san suu kyi told reporters on sunday all that we are asking is that people should be aware of the difficulties we are facing and to give us enough space to solve all our problems
by united states estimates 125000 rohingya are kept in camps under strict travel restrictions battles between buddhists and muslims who have been denied basic rights including citizenship broke out four years ago in the western state of rakhine
buddhist nationalists in ms aung san suu kyis party oppose granting rights to the rohingya and her request to mr marciel seemed to be a concession to them
from the air naypyidaw with its modern airport luxury hotels and wide carless boulevards seems almost like a mirage since it did not exist when i toured the area 30 years ago on a rail and backpack trip
the rickety train i took decades ago was a leftover from colonial times it still runs on the same tracks through the town of pyinmana long a military stronghold a return visit there on saturday showed that little had changed while the generals had built themselves a capital city resembling a florida golf resort four miles away pyinmana remains stuck in the 1950s with run down markets badly paved roads and stray dogs soaking up the sun
but at least there were ordinary burmese there few were visible in naypyidaw save for the families that came to see the uppatasanti pagoda and a display of captured white elephants considered a sign of national power
ms aung san suu kyi is clearly adapting her own diplomatic style and it resembles the style she employed in 15 years of house arrest utter calm asked sunday about the fact that the united states had retained some economic sanctions as leverage for economic and political reform and a rewriting of the constitution to ensure civilian control over the military she seemed unperturbed
were not afraid of sanctions she said were not afraid of scrutiny we believe that if we are going along the right path all sanctions should be lifted in good time


cincinnati   after the slaughter of nine worshipers at a south carolina church last june but before the massacre of eight students and a teacher at an oregon community college in october there was a shooting that the police here have labeled incident 15902259701 it happened on a clear friday night at an elks lodge on a modest block of clapboard houses northeast of this citys hilly downtown unlike the butchery that bookended it it merited no presidential statements no saturation television coverage
but what took place at 6101 prentice street on aug 21 may say more about the nature of gun violence in the united states than any of those far more famous rampages it is a snapshot of a different sort of mass violence   one that erupts with such anesthetic regularity that it is rendered almost invisible except to the mostly black victims survivors and attackers
according to the police account more than 30 people had gathered in the paneled basement bar of the lodge to mark the 39th birthday of a man named greg wallace when a former neighbor timothy murphy showed up drunk fists flew mr murphy ducked out the door burst back in with a handgun and opened fire
as partygoers scrambled for the door he chased greg wallaces younger brother dawaun to a tiny black and white tiled bathroom where he shot him nine times before the violence spilled out onto the street there another wallace relative also armed with a handgun fired back at him
by the end 27 bullets had flown hitting seven people mr murphy who died dawaun wallace who was grievously wounded four bystanders one of whom was hit in the genitals another in the leg
and barry washington
a seasonal packer for amazoncom mr washington 56 had stopped at the lodge on his way to the store for cigarettes said his sister jaci washington he was in the bathroom when mr murphy cornered dawaun wallace there a single bullet pierced mr washingtons arm then his heart
he left behind a son a daughter a brother a sister a mother and four grandchildren
my brother died on the floor of a bathroom for no reason ms washington said he had nothing to do with the whole situation i cant believe i lost my brother like this
yet many in the neighborhood where they grew up she said responded with a shrug the reality is this happens quite frequently she said and its kind of oh well this guy was killed today somebody else will be killed tomorrow 
that is more than correct the elks lodge episode was one of at least 358 armed encounters nationwide last year   nearly one a day on average   in which four or more people were killed or wounded including attackers the toll 462 dead and 1330 injured sometimes for life typically in bursts of gunfire lasting but seconds
in some cities law enforcement officials say a growing share of shootings involve more than one victim possibly driven by increased violence between street gangs but data are scarce
seeking deeper insight into the phenomenon the new york times identified and analyzed these 358 shootings with four or more casualties drawing on two databases assembled from news reports and citizen contributors and then verifying details with law enforcement agencies
only a small handful were high profile mass shootings like those in south carolina and oregon the rest are a pencil sketch of everyday america at its most violent
they chronicle how easily lives are shattered when a firearm is readily available   in a waistband a glove compartment a mailbox or garbage can that serves as a gangs gun locker they document the mayhem spawned by the most banal of offenses a push in a bar a facebook taunt the wrong choice of music at a house party they tally scores of unfortunates in the wrong place at the wrong time an 11 month old clinging to his mothers hip shot as she prepared to load him into a car a 77 year old church deacon killed by a stray bullet while watching television on his couch
the shootings took place everywhere but mostly outdoors at neighborhood barbecues family reunions music festivals basketball tournaments movie theaters housing project courtyards sweet 16 parties public parks where motives could be gleaned roughly half involved or suggested crime or gang activity arguments that spun out of control accounted for most other shootings followed by acts of domestic violence
the typical victim was a man between 18 and 30 but more than 1 in 10 were 17 or younger less is known about those who pulled the triggers because nearly half of the cases remain unsolved but of those arrested or identified as suspects the average age was 27
most of the shootings occurred in economically downtrodden neighborhoods these shootings by and large are not a middle class phenomenon
the divide is racial as well among the cases examined by the times were 39 domestic violence shootings and they largely involved white attackers and victims so did many of the high profile massacres including a wild shootout between texas biker gangs that left nine people dead and 18 wounded
over all though nearly three fourths of victims and suspected assailants whose race could be identified were black some experts suggest that helps explain why the drumbeat of dead and wounded does not inspire more outrage
clearly if its black on black we dont get the same attention because most people dont identify with that most americans are white said james alan fox a professor of criminology at northeastern university in boston people think thats not my world thats not going to happen to me 
michael nutter a former philadelphia mayor who is black said that society would not be so complacent if whites were dying from gun violence at the same rate as blacks
the general view is its one bad black guy who has shot another bad black guy he said and so one less person to worry about
droves of experts study high profile massacres by so called lone wolf assailants usually driven by mental disorders at schools workplaces and other public spaces academics regularly crunch data on single homicides and assaults but the near daily shootings that wound or kill several victims   a relatively small subset of the shootings that kill nearly 11000 people and wound roughly 60000 more each year   are uncharted territory for researchers said richard b rosenfeld a professor of criminology at the university of missouri st louis
the times compiled its list of 358 shootings with four or more casualties from largely crowd sourced lists managed by the social media network reddit and gun violence archive a nonprofit organization the groups recently combined their efforts at the website gunviolencearchiveorg
four or more casualties is a far broader measure than mass shootings which are commonly defined as the killing of at least four people not including the attacker but it captures many victims who some criminologists say are too often ignored people who might have died given a slightly different trajectory of a bullet or less sophisticated medical care
counting assailants among casualties increased the total number of cases by fewer than three dozen most of them domestic violence shootings that ended in suicide hispanics were not separately identified because police reports do not systematically identify victims and suspects by ethnicity only by race
there are 358 reasons for those 358 shootings though some remain a mystery in about a fourth of the cases investigators have discerned no motive
as for the rest some patterns stand out the fewest occurred while another felony such as a burglary was underway domestic violence shootings were nearly as infrequent but were among the deadliest
about a third were provoked by arguments typically drug  or alcohol fueled often over petty grievances
a sampling
outside a crowded bar in decatur ill a customer found an expensive watch when another man insisted it was his the customer pulled out a semiautomatic handgun shot the man in the face and wounded four people near him
after a day of drinking singing karaoke and watching football four middle aged friends in a small town north of baton rouge la got into a fight   some said over the choice of music one shot the other three then killed himself
outside an orlando fla housing project lewd comments about a young mans pregnant girlfriend resulted in 15 to 20 gunshots a 10 year old boy who peered out his window at the fracas was struck directly in one eye one of three wounded adults later acknowledged that a one on one fist fight would have settled the issue the police report said
another third of the 358 cases   and the most common in cities with more than 250000 residents   were either gang related or were drive by shootings typical of gangs
but the police and prosecutors say many of those were not directly linked to criminal activity such as a dispute over a drug deal more often a minor dust up   a boast an insult a decision to play basketball on another gangs favorite court   was taken as a sign of disrespect and answered with a bullet said andrew v papachristos a yale university professor who studies gang behavior
over all two thirds of shootings took place outdoors endangering innocent people more than 100 bystanders from toddlers to grandparents were injured or killed
among them eight family members shot as they bade one another goodbye after a reunion in philadelphia a soldier struck by a stray bullet during a shootout in a public square in savannah ga a 19 year old college sophomore killed when a gunman sprayed a crowd outside an ocala fla club
in cincinnati where last years toll of 479 gun deaths and injuries was the highest in nine years a growing share of shootings involves more than one victim   1 in 8 attacks with guns in the first half of last year compared with 1 in 12 over the same span in 2010
police officials in some other cities have noted a similar trend though others say they have not what is behind the upticks they said is a matter of speculation
in rochester multiple victim shootings accounted for fewer than 15 percent of victims in 2006 so far this year they make up 38 percent police chief michael ciminelli said that he suspected that social media was playing a role by simultaneously catalyzing minor disputes into deadly standoffs and drawing more people into them
larry c smith interim chief of police in durham nc and a 28 year veteran of the force said are we starting to reap the video game age i dont know
but five or certainly 10 years ago he added it wasnt like this
the elks lodge shooting was one of five last year in cincinnati that resulted in at least four casualties the others took place on street corners on a front porch and at a cookout in a parking lot
police officials say they suspect that as many as half of the 24 victims were not the intended targets community workers blame self taught gunmen who are often high on drugs or are drunk they are not marksmen said aaron pullins an anti violence worker they dont know how to hold the gun they just shoot
investigators have linked three of those shootings to gangs although like many of their counterparts in other cities they say the word gang conjures up a false image of a tight knit hierarchical criminal organization instead they describe fluid sometimes tiny bands of teenagers and young adults bound by illegal activity they are groups of friends who rob and shoot each other detective greg gehring said thats just what they do
and they do it all too well last year such groups accounted for 40 of cincinnatis 58 gun homicides and more than half of its 421 nonfatal shootings
two of the five shootings with four or more casualties occurred just 300 feet apart in east westwood an impoverished neighborhood with high unemployment and dropout rates on a block that averaged a shooting nearly every other month a third occurred a mile away that pattern is typical urban gun violence tends to spread around specific blocks or intersections like a contagious disease
rival gang members seeking revenge for an earlier shooting had already tried to run jonathan austin 24 off the road when they caught up to him in early december outside the schwarz market in east westwood the police said they chased him and his friends for an entire block firing up to 50 shots
mr austin was killed three of his friends were injured including an 18 year old who was shot repeatedly in the back damaging his spine detective gehring said that when he talked to the teenager last month he was bedridden in his mothers apartment worried he would never move his legs again
with the help of the markets surveillance video and one witness the police arrested a 31 year old felon on charges of murder and illegal possession of a weapon but as many as five other gunmen got away a few weeks ago one of the suspects was shot 11 times possibly in retaliation the detective said
street violence is self perpetuating that way shootings beget shootings that beget more gunmen professor papachristos the gang expert said the more violent the neighborhood the more teenagers and young men seek safety in numbers
the no 1 reason people join gangs is for protection he said the perverse irony is they are then more at risk
ali rashid abdullah 67 and broad shouldered with a neatly trimmed gray beard is an ex convict turned outreach worker for cincinnatis human relations commission he or his co workers were at the scenes of all five of cincinnatis shootings with four or more casualties last year working the crowds outside the yellow police tape trying to defuse the potential for further gunfire
they see themselves as stop signs for young black men bound for self destruction they also see themselves as truth tellers about the intersection of race and gun violence   a topic that neither the citys mayor who is white nor its police chief who is black publicly addresses
white folks dont want to say it because its politically incorrect and black folks dont know how to deal with it because it is their children pulling the trigger as well as being shot said mr abdullah who is black
no one worries more about black on black violence than african americans surveys show that they are more fearful than whites that they will be crime victims and that they feel less safe in their neighborhoods
most parents mr abdullah meets are desperate to protect their children but are trapped in unsafe neighborhoods he said just trying to survive and some are in denial refusing to believe that their sons are carrying or using pistols even in the face of clear evidence
 not my child  he said adopting the resentful tone of a defensive mother  it may be his friends but not my child because i know how i raised my child 
his reply he said is blunt these are our children killing our children slaughtering our children robbing our children its our responsibility first
african americans make up 44 percent of cincinnatis nearly 300000 residents but last year they accounted for 91 percent of shooting victims and very likely the same share of suspects arrested in shootings according to the citys assistant police chief lt col paul neudigate
nationally reliable racial breakdowns exist only for victims and offenders in gun homicides not assaults but those show a huge disparity
the gun homicide rate peaked in 1993 in tandem with a nationwide crack epidemic and then plummeted over the next seven years but blacks still die from gun attacks at six to 10 times the rate of whites depending on whether the data is drawn from medical sources or the police fbi statistics show that african americans who constitute about 13 percent of the population make up about half of both gun homicide victims and their known or suspected attackers
every time we look at the numbers we are pretty discouraged i have to tell you said gary lafree a professor of criminology at the university of maryland
some researchers say the single strongest predictor of gun homicide rates is the proportion of an areas population that is black but race they say is merely a proxy for poverty joblessness and other socio economic disadvantages that help breed violence
mr nutter now an urban policy professor at columbia university spoke out repeatedly about the disparity during his eight years as philadelphias mayor   and was accused of casting african americans in a bad light some people got upset he said i said ill stop talking about it when you stop killing each other 
cloaking the issue he said only makes it easier for the country to tune out what amounts to mass murder occurring in slow motion every day both he and mr abdullah say they wish some of the outrage over police killings of unarmed african americans would spill over to victims who die in anonymity in routine gun violence
after a white university of cincinnati police officer fatally shot an unarmed black driver in july street protests erupted here mr abdullah noted but when we kill each other he said it seems an acceptable way of life
every month the outreach workers attend more ceremonies outpourings of grief marked by teddy bears high school photos candles and scrawled tributes to the victim of the day
i feel so burned out said steve sherman one of the workers we go to vigil after vigil after vigil after vigil
from his hospital bed one of four young men shot last may at one of cincinnatis most violent intersections pointed a police officer to a suspect he gave the mans first name and he suggested that he had been shot in retaliation for an earlier shooting in the same area
officers were able to identify the suspect and confirm that his car had been shot up a few days earlier said police specialist mark longworth who headed the inquiry
but thats where this case died he said the injured victim attributed his information purely to street talk not to direct knowledge that would stand in court hints are not evidence
its frustrating because if people would do the right thing we could probably prevent some of these shootings from happening specialist longworth said but in that world very few things are worse than being labeled a snitch
nationally nearly half of last years shootings with four or more casualties ended in the same way no arrest often not even a suspect at least 160 assailants responsible for 102 murders and 635 gun injuries were still on the streets at years end
a case was more likely to be solved if one or more victims died   the situation in about half the cases but even some double triple and quadruple murders continue to stump investigators
the national clearance rate for homicides has fallen from nearly three in four in 1980 to fewer than two in three today that is partly because public attention has driven down the share of domestic violence killings which are routinely solved professor rosenfeld said
much of what remains are killings involving gangs drugs and witnesses with criminal backgrounds who are wary of talking to the police you are left with a larger percentage of homicides that are more difficult for police to clear he said
a shift in law enforcement from solving crimes to preventing them has also contributed as has rising distrust of the police in some cities said charles f wellford emeritus professor of criminology at the university of maryland still he said some law enforcement agencies are much worse at closing murder cases than others some of those same departments are worse at closing shootings with four or more casualties too
in baltimore the police have not solved any of 11 shootings last year new orleans made arrests in only one of eight cases chicago two of 16
cincinnati was more typical solving two of its five cases at least in part
detective charles zopfi had real hopes of arresting the gunmen behind a drive by shooting here last september about 20 people had gathered on a warm monday night for a cookout in a parking lot beside an apartment building there were kids and older people not your usual crowd of 16  to 23 year old guys the detective said
as a car sped down the street someone fired at least 10 bullets out a window detective zopfi said he knew from experience how people respond in such situations they look in the direction of the gunfire and only then dive for cover
but eight months later he said he has been unable even to nail down whether the vehicle was black or green he heard that of the five victims a 30 year old african american man was left paralyzed from the waist down but that man refused to take his phone calls then changed his telephone number
a wounded 3 year old named jabarri seemed the best hope of persuading witnesses to come forward the detective said sometimes the moral outrage over a child victim overwhelms the code of silence and jabarri he said was the cutest little boy who had smiled beguilingly at him from a hospital gurney even after being shot in the leg
at the detectives request jabarris mother agreed to meet with a reporter but when the reporter showed up at her home she backed out pleading a haircut appointment the code of silence is strictly enforced the detective said
mr abdullah the anti violence worker talks to some of the victims and witnesses who will not give information to the police they are scared he said we have had cases where people found out who talked and that person wound up dead so if the police cannot protect me why would i jeopardize my life and my family 
its so much bigger than the idea of no snitching  he said
barry washington was a neighborhood fixture in madisonville a racially mixed community of small neat homes in northeastern cincinnati where he grew up slim handsome and barely 5 foot 3 he had an infectious smile and a weakness for hats from jaunty duckbills to baseball caps worn backward
he helped out hard up families at the presbyterian church and brought household goods to the two bedroom apartment he shared with his 77 year old mother amanda he was getting to know a son then 37 whose existence he had only recently discovered
an all around good guy said his sister jaci there wasnt a woman who didnt love him or a man who didnt want to hang out with him
a jack of all trades mr washington could landscape a yard operate a forklift mend a torn basketball he had to revert to odd jobs after the bus stopped running last year to amazoncoms northern kentucky warehouse where he had packed shipments but his sister said he had planned to share an apartment near the warehouse so he could resume work there
madisonville is neither cincinnatis safest nor its most dangerous neighborhood the washingtons had avoided brushes with gunmen but mr washington was wary even around ninth graders  be careful  his sister recalled him saying  the little young kids are getting crazy 
sometime before 11 pm on aug 21 mr washington left his apartment in a green pullover telling his niece he needed cigarettes his mother was in bed watching a police drama
the next morning jaci washington awoke to a blizzard of text messages about a shooting she called her mother who said her brother had not come home
soon amanda washingtons phone rang a detective asking repeatedly whether she was alone
why what happened to my son she demanded is he dead
mr washington had stopped at the elks lodge a narrow single story building clad in pale green siding a 15 minute walk from their apartment greg wallaces party was underway in the basement bar a happy birthday banner and blue and yellow balloons on the walls tins of muffins and rolls sat on tables covered with plastic tablecloths
mr wallace and his brother dawaun had recently been feuding with timothy murphy the three men had grown up together in the neighborhood and as adults had each been convicted of drug trafficking court records show mr murphys mother christine poindexter said her son was upset because the wallaces were selling drugs out of his fathers house
the argument resumed when mr murphy showed up at the party and ended only when mr murphy was dead and dawaun wallace had been peppered with nine bullets tests later showed that mr murphys blood alcohol level was nearly three times the legal driving limit and that there was evidence of recent marijuana use
mr murphys killer was not prosecuted detective david gregory said because he appeared to have fired in self defense barry washingtons death was collateral damage   a stray bullet meant for dawaun
nine months later mr washingtons family is still reeling his mother a cancer survivor is virtually a shut in we loved him dearly and with a pull of the trigger he was gone she said that i cannot accept
jaci washingtons 10 year old son is withdrawn and angry her 14 year old daughter has nightmares her brother she said probably would have counseled her to forgive his killer he kept telling me you have to look for the good in everybody  she said
but she says she cannot forgive she grasps for metaphors to capture the familys loss its like the world crashing in its like a nuclear bomb went off on my couch she said its like someone hit pause in my life i just saw him and i will never see him again
mr murphys mother is not seeking forgiveness in an interview she said she did not believe her son had fired a gun at anyone insisting that the police had botched the investigation and let the real culprits go free and she is angry with jaci washington for characterizing her son as a murderer at community meetings on gun violence
ms washington and her mother no longer go to those meetings they seemed futile they said   more broken people describing more senseless deaths
i dont want pity i want results jaci washington said one more black shooting in a black neighborhood lets rally around its a facade when all is said and done were still left with the grief


the treasurys schedule of financing this week includes mondays regular weekly auction of new three  and six month bills and an auction of four week bills on tuesday
at the close of the new york cash market on friday the rate on the outstanding three month bill was 032 percent the rate on the six month issue was 045 percent and the rate on the four week issue was 024 percent
the following tax exempt fixed income issues are scheduled for pricing this week
florida 2417 million of revenue bonds competitive
florida board of education 180 million of public education capital outlay bonds competitive
denton tex 832 million of general obligation bonds competitive
ladue mo school district 851 million of general obligation bonds competitive
brookland cayce sc school district 100 million of general obligation bonds competitive
fort worth 1646 million of general obligation bonds competitive
fort worth 759 million of revenue bonds competitive
los angeles 917 million of revenue bonds competitive
mckinney tex 594 million of general obligation bonds competitive
metropolitan council minn 1231 million of general obligation bonds competitive
mount vernon wash school district 564 million of general obligation bonds competitive
santa clara calif financing authority 1609 million of revenue bonds competitive
niagara falls ny 555 million of general obligation bonds competitive
alamo tex community college district 71 million of limited tax refinancing bonds citigroup global markets
chicago 3483 million of airport revenue refinancing bonds barclays capital
connecticut 250 million of wesleyan university taxable bonds goldman sachs
connecticut 500 million of general obligation refinancing bonds bank of america merrill lynch
crowley tex independent school district 1007 million of refinancing bonds bosc
florida 3393 million of general obligation bonds rbc capital markets
frisco tex independent school district 2287 million of unlimited tax school building and refinancing bonds raymond james
greenville nc 634 million of combined enterprise system revenue bonds wells fargo securities
harris county tex cultural education facilities financing corporation 1294 million of hospital revenue bonds j p morgan securities
houston independent school district 1913 million of variable rate limited tax schoolhouse bonds morgan stanley
los angeles department of water and power 2654 million of water system revenue bonds barclays capital
los angeles 659 million of general obligation bonds morgan stanley
massachusetts educational financing authority 340 million of educational loan revenue bonds rbc capital markets
minnesota housing finance agency 1537 million of housing finance bonds rbc capital markets
new jersey health care facilities financing authority 1805 million of refinancing bonds j p morgan securities
north east texas regional mobility authority 200 million of revenue bonds bank of america merrill lynch
paducah ky 62 million of revenue refinancing bonds goldman sachs
west palm beach fla 693 million of special obligation bonds raymond james
pennsylvania turnpike commission 5451 million of revenue refinancing bonds pnc capital markets
san diego public facilities financing authority 568 million of water revenue bonds j p morgan securities
south orange calif public finance authority 62 million of utility facility lease revenue bonds wells fargo securities
southern san francisco unified school district 129 million of general obligation bonds rbc capital markets
tempe ariz 93 million of general obligation refinancing bonds rbc capital markets
virginia housing development authority 100 million of mortgage bonds bank of america merrill lynch
wisconsin 771 million of general obligation refinancing bonds robert w baird


an outbreak of a life threatening illness that has been linked to foods packaged by a processing plant in washington state has prompted a large scale voluntary recall of frozen fruits and vegetables marketed under 42 brand names
the scale of the recall reflects the severity of the outbreak of the illness listeria and of concerns about how the contaminated food might have trickled down into other products said brittany behm a spokeswoman for the centers for disease control and prevention
the processing plant crf frozen foods in pasco wash has voluntarily recalled more than 350 frozen foods   including carrots onions peaches and strawberries   that were sold in all 50 states and canada the recall began on april 23 with 11 frozen vegetables but was significantly expanded on may 2
eight people sickened with the bacterium listeria monocytogenes have been confirmed since 2013   six in california and one each in maryland and washington ms behm said all of the cases involving patients 56 to 86 years old resulted in hospitalizations
the two people from maryland and washington died but the authorities did not directly attribute their deaths to listeria because they may have already had weakened immune systems or other illnesses ms behm said
listeria primarily affects newborns older adults pregnant women and adults with weakened immune systems symptoms can include a headache stiff neck confusion fever and muscle aches
some of the affected products were sold under brand names such as earths pride panda express signature kitchens and trader joes crf said
the number of illnesses may have been suppressed because the foods were cooked first killing the bacteria the first diagnosis came in september 2013 and the most recent was in march
the cdc said epidemiologic and laboratory evidence pointed to crf as one likely source of the outbreak investigators were trying to determine if food sources used to make the products at the plant could explain some of the illnesses
it was not clear how many packages were affected by the recall a spokesman for the company gene grabowski did not respond to a phone call on friday he told the associated press that the crf plant closed two weeks ago and that the company was trying to pinpoint the source of the contamination
the website food safety news reported that food and drug administration inspectors visited the plant march 14 17 and found chipped and cracked pieces of plastic on parts of equipment that came into contact with onions among other violations
the materials and workmanship of equipment and utensils does not allow proper cleaning and maintenance the inspection report said
the expanded recall included all of the frozen products manufactured or processed at crfs plant since may 1 2014 the company said all of the affected products have best by or sell by dates between april 26 2016 and april 26 2018
federal officials are concerned that consumers will not look closely at their frozen foods to see if they are on the recall list because those products do not expire as quickly as other goods ms behm said


athens   after days of heated debate greek lawmakers voted narrowly on sunday to approve a fresh set of financial measures aimed at ensuring that eurozone finance ministers will decide this week to unlock billions of euros in badly needed rescue loans from the countrys third bailout
the legislation passed 153 to 145 with all of the government coalition members in parliament voting in favor it includes a one percentage point increase in the highest rate of sales tax to 24 percent higher taxes on coffee alcohol fuel and other goods and new rules liberalizing the market for nonperforming bank loans there is also a measure creating a privatization fund to sell off state assets and utilities including public transport companies the post office and the state power corporation
the legislation also introduces a so called contingency mechanism that would cut state spending if greece misses budget targets set by its creditors for the next three years
addressing parliament before the vote prime minister alexis tsipras said he had negotiated hard to secure the chance for the country to stand on its own two feet he later added today european leaders get the message that greece is keeping its promises now its their turn to do the same
kyriakos mitsotakis the leader of the main opposition party the conservative new democracy accused the leftist led governing coalition   which first came to power on a pledge to reverse austerity before signing a third bailout   of organized political fraud mr mitsotakis whose party is leading in opinion polls said the new taxes would annihilate everyone and accused the government of plebifying the middle class
outside the parliament building protesters gathered to express their exasperation at yet another round of austerity measures the ones approved on sunday came on top of pension cuts and increases to income tax adopted earlier this month
the vote came two days before eurozone finance ministers are to meet in brussels to sign off on rescue loans for greece and decide what kind of debt relief to offer
greece and its european creditors have been locked in talks on how to reduce the countrys debt burden which the international monetary fund is insisting on before it joins greeces third international bailout the bailout agreement signed last summer is worth 86 billion euros or 965 billion it follows two bailouts worth a total of 240 billion euros that greeces eurozone partners and the imf granted in 2010 and 2012 in exchange for a barrage of measures that have slashed the economy by a quarter and pushed the unemployment rate to 25 percent
last week the imf said that greece would need a lengthy period free from debt repayments to put its finances on a stable footing but eurozone nations led by germany are reluctant to offer debt relief to greece fearing the political impact of obliging the taxpayers bailing out greece to bear an even bigger burden for the countrys past profligacy
unless the imf and eurozone officials find a compromise   or agree to further postpone a decision on the imfs participation in the third bailout   a new crisis is likely
greece needs fresh bailout loans to pay down some 36 billion euros of debt maturing in july and the prospect of new upheaval in greece is of particular concern as europe faces other potentially destabilizing challenges including a migrant crisis   with greece a major transit country for thousands of desperate people   and a crucial vote in june on britains continued membership in the european union


cannes france   the 69th cannes film festival an event this year defined by peerless highs and embarrassing lows ended on sunday when the palme dor was awarded to i daniel blake a film about a carpenter with a heart condition up against the heartlessness of bureaucracy from the veteran british director ken loach the award was presented by mel gibson
mr loach a previous winner for the wind that shakes the barley accepted his prize first in french before switching to english were in the grip of a project of austerity he said invoking the catastrophe of neoliberalism he talked of cinemas tradition of speaking to the powerful and the mighty and the need to show that another world is possible and necessary
this years jury for the feature competition was led by george miller here in 2015 with mad max fury road who lauded the feast of cinema and also included the directors arnaud desplechin and laszlo nemes his son of saul won the grand prize last year a producer katayoon shahabi and a clutch of internationally recognizable names kirsten dunst valeria golino mads mikkelsen vanessa paradis and donald sutherland
the ceremony included a brief tribute to jean pierre leaud the screen immortal who played antoine doinel for francois truffaut beginning with the 400 blows mr leaud received an honorary palme dor presented by a visibly moved mr desplechin the best actor award went to shahab hosseini one of the stars of the iranian movie forushande the salesman from the director asghar farhadi this smooth schematic drama turns on a married couple who are performing in a production of arthur millers death of a salesman and whose lives are upended when the wife is attacked mr farhadi also won for best screenplay
the best actress prize was given to jaclyn jose the star of ma rosa a slice of naturalism from the philippine director brillante mendoza ms jose plays a tough low level drug dealer who peddles dope out of her small manila store and with her addict husband is swept up in police corruption the best director prize was surprisingly split between the romanian director cristian mungiu for graduation and to the french director olivier assayas for personal shopper the jury prize effectively third place went to american honey from the british director andrea arnold when im happy i want to dance ms arnold said swaying to the accompanying music
the canadian filmmaker xavier dolan won the grand prix second only to the palme dor for its only the end of the world a decision booed by the press who watched the ceremony in a live feed from a theater in the same building thank you for feeling the emotion of the film mr dolan said choking up as booing continued from critics across the hallway the happiest day in the life of olli maki a black and white movie about a boxer from the finnish director juho kuosmanen was awarded the prize for un certain regard a section reserved for younger and sometimes more adventurous filmmakers
the camera dor for best first feature went to divines from the french director houda benyamina it screened in la quinzaine des realisateurs a program that runs parallel with the official selection the palme for the best short film was presented to timecode from the spanish director juanjo gimenez
information about other winners is at wwwfestival cannescomenpalmarescompetition


roadway fatalities are soaring at a rate not seen in 50 years resulting from crashes collisions and other incidents caused by drivers
just dont call them accidents anymore
that is the position of a growing number of safety advocates including grass roots groups federal officials and state and local leaders across the country they are campaigning to change a 100 year old mentality that they say trivializes the single most common cause of traffic incidents human error
when you use the word accident its like god made it happen  mark rosekind the head of the national highway traffic safety administration said at a driver safety conference this month at the harvard school of public health
in our society he added language can be everything
almost all crashes stem from driver behavior like drinking distracted driving and other risky activity about 6 percent are caused by vehicle malfunctions weather and other factors
preliminary estimates by the nonprofit national safety council show deadly crashes rose by nearly 8 percent in 2015 over the previous year killing about 38000 people
dr rosekind has added his voice to a growing chorus of advocates who say that the persistence of crashes   driving is the most dangerous activity for most people   can be explained in part by widespread apathy toward the issue
changing semantics is meant to shake people particularly policy makers out of the implicit nobodys fault attitude that the word accident conveys they said
on jan 1 the state of nevada enacted a law passed almost unanimously in the legislature to change accident to crash in dozens of instances where the word is mentioned in state laws like those covering police and insurance reports
new york city adopted a policy in 2014 to reduce fatalities that states the city must no longer regard traffic crashes as mere accidents  and other cities including san francisco have taken the same step
at least 28 state departments of transportation have moved away from the term accident when referring to roadway incidents according to jeff larason director of highway safety for massachusetts the traffic safety administration changed its own policy in 1997 but has recently become more vocal about the issue
mr larason a former television traffic reporter started a blog called drop the a word and has led a campaign to get major media outlets to stop using the term last year he enlisted supporters to join with grass roots groups in urging the associated press to clarify how reporters should use the word accident
in april the ap announced a new policy when negligence is claimed or proven in a crash the new entry reads reporters should avoid accident which can be read by some as a term exonerating the person responsible the new york timess style guide does not take any position on the terminology
but use of accident has its defenders as mr larason discovered in 2014 when he posted his thoughts on the word in a facebook group popular among traffic reporters
why cant human error be an accident even if the error is preventable one person wrote what is being solved by having this debate what injustice are we correcting
and when mr larason suggested to officials at the virginia department of transportation that they stop using accident he received a note saying that drivers are familiar and comfortable with the word virginia officials also wrote that drivers might not consider a minor incident to be a crash and so the change could be confusing
mr larason counters that accident is simply the wrong word im betting its one of the most commonly used words that is used inappropriately he said
on facebook he posted a merriam webster definition that describes accident as an unexpected happening that is not due to any fault or misconduct on the part of the person injured
the word was introduced into the lexicon of manufacturing and other industries in the early 1900s when companies were looking to protect themselves from the costs of caring for workers who were injured on the job according to peter norton a historian and associate professor at the university of virginias department of engineering
the business community even developed a cartoon character   the foolish otto nobetter who suffered frequent accidents that left him maimed immolated crushed and even blown up the character was meant to warn workers about the risks of inattention
relentless safety campaigns started calling these events accidents which excused the employer of responsibility dr norton said
when traffic deaths spiked in the 1920s a consortium of auto industry interests including insurers borrowed the word to shift the focus away from the cars themselves automakers were very interested in blaming reckless drivers dr norton said
but over time he said the word has come to exonerate the driver too with accident seeming like a lightning strike beyond anyones control the word accident he added is seen by its critics as having normalized mass death in this country whereas the word crash is a resurrection of the enormity of this catastrophe
these days the pressure to change the language stems partly from aggrieved families using social media like facebook clubs and twitter to lobby for change
safety advocates often post twitter messages to journalists and policy makers urging them to stop using accident to describe a crash
when new york city changed its policy in 2014 it did so partly in response to such grass roots efforts including from a group called families for safe streets the group is led by parents like amy cohen whose son sammy was run over and killed in brooklyn in 2013
she helped start a campaign called crash not accident and said that the drivers in deadly wrecks should not be given the presumption of innocence just because they have lived to tell their side of the story
whose story do you have at the time of the crash the driver the victim is dead ms cohen said the presumption should be to call it a crash which is a neutral term


baltimore   the sky was still dark and the rain was still pelting pimlico race course but by daybreak on sunday team nyquist had made up its mind its previously undefeated colt would head to belmont park for a rematch with exaggerator who a day earlier had vanquished his nemesis in the slop to win the preakness stakes
even the great secretariat got beat nyquists trainer doug oneill said theyre not machines as much as he would seem like a machine being undefeated and doing everything like a superhorse
over in exaggerators barn the mood could not have been brighter keith desormeaux who trains exaggerator even arrived early for his morning news conference
there were after all many reasons to be happy with desormeauxs brother kent on exaggerators back the colt had finally reached the winners circle after having lost all four of his previous meetings against nyquist including a second place finish in the kentucky derby now keith desormeaux was full of energy
the dream honestly is just having a horse that is consistent and has the ability to compete at this level he said we do our best honestly to prepare and hope and make sure that weve done all we can to get the horse to the race in the best shape
goodness the actual feeling of winning honestly is still sinking in ive been pretty good with these things all week but im at a loss for words im still processing it all
exaggerator who had previously won two graded stakes on wet tracks including the grade i santa anita derby on april 9 benefited from a sloppy track on saturday and by nyquists having to duel with uncle lino through the fastest opening quarter mile in preakness history at 2238 seconds
i wanted him to have a good clean trip free running oneill said of nyquist and the fast pace would be blamed on me because i just didnt want any traffic trouble going into the first turn
after that all exaggerator had to do was sit back and wait for nyquist to tire another strong closer cherry wine passed nyquist as well and finished second three and a half lengths back
i was confident at the top of the stretch when he was moving up to the leaders without being asked desormeaux said kent was still sitting like it was in morning exercise when he asked exaggerator for his best there had to be much left in the tank
it was also a very good day for the stronach group which owns pimlico and the maryland jockey club after talk of moving the preakness to laurel park in laurel md cast an early pall over preakness week officials said a record crowd of 135256 had attended the 14 race preakness day program which generated a record handle of 94127434 nbc posted a 62 overnight rating up 7 percent from 58 from 2015
sal sinatra the president and general manager of the maryland jockey club said no decisions on the future of the preakness would be made until the maryland stadium authority completed a study to determine the viability of keeping the second leg of the triple crown at pimlico the nations second oldest track the study is expected to take a year and a half he said
in addition to exaggerator and nyquist the probables for the belmont stakes are cherry wine and his stablemate brodys cause seventh in the derby lani fifth in the preakness and ninth in the derby suddenbreakingnews fifth in the derby and destin sixth in the derby
exaggerator will be given a few days to recover at pimlico before shipping to belmont park in elmont ny for the mile and a half belmont on june 11 nyquist will head there monday
we were saying last night the motto is a new streak begins in three weeks  oneill said so its to get us motivated as humans im still very proud but i was definitely visualizing a triple crown winner thats for sure
desormeaux could not be happier about playing spoiler for him he said the pressure was already minimal and now that exaggerator had defeated his rival there was even less
im just an old country boy working in the trenches these last 30 years and now were competing on the highest level he said my emotions are more toward gratitude and the satisfaction of getting to this level
the rivalry or the fun its there but it doesnt matter who is in the race its the fact that were competing at this level


rio de janeiro   students are taking over rio de janeiro schools to protest crippling education cuts while the politician who helped bring the summer olympics to this city is battling allegations that he pocketed millions in bribes
grenade blasts from drug gang battles echo through leblon the seaside bastion of the citys elite even the governors daughter was recently mugged at gunpoint outside her home
when brazils new leader michel temer took the reins of the nation this month   a milestone in the caustic fight to oust president dilma rousseff who faces an impeachment trial   he promised a new day of national salvation
but what mr temer did not mention is that his political party and its allies have wielded immense power here in the oil rich state of rio de janeiro for most of the past decade   and this place needs a whole lot of saving too
in other words critics lament the same party that created a mess in rio is now running the country
rio is evolving into a mini venezuela as its leaders find new ways to squander brazils greatest oil bonanza said marcelo portugal a brazilian economist
the states finances are a shambles some athletes are so disgusted with the city of rios sewage infested bay that they want the olympic sailing races moved last month a stretch of a new 12 million bike path flowing gracefully by the coast   one of rios signature upgrades for the games   collapsed after being hit by a wave causing two men to plummet to their deaths
this is everything that we did not want happening at this moment said rios mayor eduardo paes a prominent member of mr temers party its not easy to host the olympics in the current brazilian environment
rios leaders had promised that the olympics would showcase brazils triumphs instead as mr temer scrambles to put brazils economy on stronger footing rio is emerging as a cautionary tale of what a government led by his brazilian democratic movement party could mean for the rest of the nation
some of the top leaders in mr temers party   including the head of the senate and the former speaker of the lower house of congress who was forced to step down this month to face graft charges   have been accused of accepting enormous bribes
but their party known as the pmdb is also coming under fire over accusations of mismanagement and graft involving the olympics
engineering executives have testified that sergio cabral the former governor from the party who helped land the rio olympics and still exerts considerable sway demanded millions in bribes they say the payments were the equivalent of 5 percent of the cost of the renovation of the landmark maracana soccer stadium and other public works projects
mr cabral also came under scrutiny for using the states helicopters to transport his children their two nannies and the family dog on weekend jaunts to a beach house
rios politicians are absolutely disgusting said leonardo siqueira 37 a cosmetics distributor he cited the collapse of the bike path graft scandals involving public works projects and streets that flood with sewage during rains
rio is in this crisis because of the pmdb mr siqueira said they are politicians who govern first and foremost for themselves not for the citizens
in a statement mr cabral said that he never took bribes and that his security advisers suggested using public helicopters to avoid potential attacks from drug gangs
under mr cabral rio carried out a polarizing pacification campaign to police the city aggressively and alter its notorious reputation for crime
but that too is coming under strain with a crime wave marked by muggings throughout the city an increase in the homicide rate and a terrifying surge in killings of children by stray bullets in one tragic episode a 1 year old boy in a suburb was fatally shot this month while in his car seat
then there is rios financial crisis which is occurring despite the revenue from deep sea oil fields off its coast the undersea wealth helped turbocharge the regional economy just a few years ago thanks to legislation giving state and local governments access to a trove of royalties
now brazils oil industry is in turmoil as petrobras the national oil company reels from bribery scandals and low energy prices
petrobras based in a huge brutalist headquarters downtown has fired tens of thousands of employees over the past two years sending a chill across other industries rios share of oil royalties is plummeting to about 1 billion this year from 35 billion in 2014
rios leaders say the fiscal crisis has forced them to delay pension payments to retired state employees the education budget was slashed prompting teachers to strike and high school students to occupy more than a dozen schools to protest deplorable conditions
some factors in rios crisis are beyond the states control like global oil prices and the weak national economy but wings of government have preserved their privileges while services suffer
judges recently won a ruling requiring the state to pay them before honoring other obligations at the other end of the social spectrum leaders are cutting back a program created five years ago to provide cash subsidies of about 22 a month to about 200000 of the states poorest residents ran out of money this month
i feel deceived as a cabinet member and revolted as a citizen paulo melo the state official in charge of antipoverty programs told reporters he condemned the state governments generalized callousness
leaders from the pmdb a largely centrist but ideologically malleable party that provided a facade of democratic opposition during brazils military dictatorship from 1964 to 1985 had vowed to reverse the decline that characterized rio after the national capital was moved to brasilia in 1960
in 2007 mr cabral took the helm of the state government which oversees major functions like the police altogether the state of rio has a population of 165 million almost the size of chile
mr cabral 53 nurtured an alliance with the governing workers party of ms rousseff enabling rio to land the olympics and secure federal funds for projects like a subway expansion
in 2009 the pmdb also took control of the city of rio which has about 63 million people the mayor mr paes 46 embarked on a frenetic urban overhaul to highlight rio on the global stage refurbishing parts of the old center and installing light rail
in the pmdbs favor most venues for the olympics have been completed easing concerns about rios preparations for the games in august on a national level mr temer has named respected economists from outside the party to important posts and party leaders say they have provided a moderating force in brazils tumultuous democracy
the pmdb is a pillar of governability said renan calheiros the head of the senate
here in rio mr paes emphasizes that the citys finances are in better shape than the states still his administration faces accusations of ineptitude involving some olympic projects highlighted by the collapse in april of part of the new coastal bike path
protesters in rio as elsewhere in brazil have long complained that their leaders have prioritized lavish mega events like the olympics and the world cup while neglecting essentials like hospitals and schools it was a central grievance in the protests that shook the nation three years ago
now people wonder about rios capacity to solve its problems
mr cabrals successor luiz fernando de souza known by his nickname pezao or bigfoot who took office in 2014 also came from the pmdb as rios problems intensified mr de souza seemed unusually focused on a painting that hung in his office death of estacio de sa depicting the agony of the portuguese military officer who founded rio in 1565
complaining about negative energy emanating from the painting mr de souza called it really heavy and had it removed a few weeks later mr de souza 61 revealed that he was battling non hodgkin lymphoma and went on medical leave
his absence left the lieutenant governor francisco dornelles in charge a veteran from the progressive party   which hews to conservative ideas and is closely allied with the pmdb   mr dornelles 81 has suggested suspending interest payments on rios debt to ease the states woes
the pmdb and its allies have simply run rio into the ground through their mixture of corruption and stunning incompetence said marcelo freixo a prominent state legislator
the self described pro business leaders of the pmdb in rio are now embracing policies commonly found in leftist countries to raise money the states leaders approved taxes of nearly 20 percent on offshore oil production in rios waters
at a time of low oil prices opponents say the measure could destroy rios oil industry the tax makes most of the projects in rio unviable said antonio guimaraes the director of the brazilian association of oil producers
despite the grim assessments some in rio draw on the citys history of resilience ruy castro 68 an author told the magazine veja that rio had an unrivaled capacity to frustrate those who root against the city
he then added a dash of skepticism were good at partying mr castro said not at legacies


continuing to treat a victory over senator bernie sanders as a fait accompli hillary clinton on sunday questioned donald j trumps business record and assailed his ideas warning that the coming weeks represented a critical period in which if left unchallenged mr trump could normalize himself as he seeks to broaden his support
but mr sanders pointed to polls showing mrs clinton with dangerously high percentages of people who have unfavorable views of her and asked whether a choice between her and mr trump in the fall would force voters to pick the lesser of two evils
even as she contends with mr sanderss unflagging critique from the left mrs clinton said it was vital for her to pivot to confront mr trump now lest he successfully repackage himself for wider consumption rather than appealing to the republican primary electorate alone
i do not want americans and you know good thinking republicans as well as democrats and independents to start to believe that this is a normal candidacy mrs clinton said of mr trumps campaign on nbcs meet the press
i know he has a plurality of republicans who have voted for him she added but i think in the course of this campaign we are going to demonstrate he has no ideas theres no evidence he has any ideas about making america great as he advertises he seems to be particularly focused on making himself appear great and as we go through this campaign were going to be demonstrating the hollowness of his rhetoric
mrs clinton also poked at mr trumps failure to release his tax returns told that mark cuban the media executive and owner of the dallas mavericks had expressed interest in being her running mate mrs clinton said she was absolutely open to considering business leaders not just elected officials
businesspeople especially successful businesspeople who are really successful   as opposed to pretend successful   i think have a lot to offer said mrs clinton whose campaign has begun taunting mr trump with a poordonald hashtag on twitter suggesting that he is not nearly as wealthy as he claims mr trump has cited an audit by the internal revenue service as his reason for keeping his tax returns private
weve got to get below the hype mrs clinton said i think were beginning to find out but i dont think we know enough and thats why he should release his tax returns
in choosing a running mate mrs clinton said she would seek above all someone prepared to be president and someone you can work with   someone you believe will be a good partner
mrs clintons intense focus on mr trump came as a new abc news washington post poll showed the two neck and neck among registered voters in a general election matchup after mrs clinton had led by nine percentage points in march voters have widely unfavorable opinions of both candidates 53 percent expressed such a view about mrs clinton and 60 percent about mr trump
mr sanders however vowed on sunday to fight all the way to the democratic convention in july pointing to polls that indicated he would fare better against mr trump than mrs clinton would in several television interviews he complained that democratic superdelegates had thrown their support to mrs clinton before he had even entered the race
i ask those superdelegates to take a look at which candidate is the stronger to defeat donald trump mr sanders said on abcs this week i dont want to see the american people voting for the lesser of two evils
when the host george stephanopoulos followed up by asking if he saw mrs clinton as the lesser of two evils mr sanders backed away slightly well if you look at   no i wouldnt describe it but thats what the american people are saying he said citing her unfavorable ratings
mr sanders and mrs clinton will be campaigning hard in california which holds its primary on june 7
in vista calif on sunday mr sanders told a cheering crowd that he was the strongest democratic candidate to defeat mr trump and that he hoped to have 50 percent of the total pledged delegates by the end of voting he also stressed that his campaign had more enthusiasm and energy than his rivals
our vision of social justice of economic justice of racial justice and of environmental justice   our vision is the future of this country mr sanders said and i hope the leadership of the democratic party understands it must be the vision of the democratic party
mrs clinton drew criticism from some democrats and republicans recently after telling voters she would put her husband former president bill clinton in charge of revitalizing the economy and job creation on sunday she clarified her intentions saying his role would be advisory not ministerial
i am going to ask my husband who has a great track record in creating jobs putting people back to work revitalizing communities to be in an advisory role working with me working with our cabinet to try to figure out what we can do in particularly hard hit areas mrs clinton said on nbc you know every first lady has taken on special projects


the question is will a certain inverted jenny be cleared for landing at the jacob k javits convention center in manhattan in the next few days
this has nothing to do with air traffic controllers or glide paths this has to do with a 24 cent postage stamp one of the most famous ever printed famous because it was a mistake the experts say it was no 76 on a sheet of 100 with upside down biplanes   the instantly recognizable inverted jennies   that slipped past inspectors at a printing plant in washington in 1918 to the chagrin of postal officials and the delight of stamp collectors ever since
the world stamp show new york a once in a decade jamboree for stamp people and the little pieces of paper they love opens on saturday the american philatelic research library which claims that it is the rightful owner of this particular jenny wants to display it at the show where a real jenny a restored curtiss jn 4h biplane from the early days of airmail a century ago will also make an appearance
but legal turbulence may stall the arrival of no 76
there is a reward at stake   actually two rewards in 2014 the library offered a 10000 reward for information leading to the recovery of no 76 which was missing at the time and 10000 for another missing jenny at the same time a prominent stamp dealer donald sundman of camden ny offered rewards of 50000 for each of the two stamps
first some history of the 100 inverted jennies this is not the one that was taped to an exhibit page a big no no to stamp collectors nor is this the jenny that was sucked up by a vacuum cleaner when it fell out of a stamp album that jenny survived but the collector who owned it soon bought another no 58 which is to be auctioned on may 31
jenny no 76 had been missing for 61 years it disappeared at a stamp show in norfolk va in 1955
yes it was one of our shows said scott english the executive director of the american philatelic society which maintains the library he is also the administrator of the library
at the time jenny no 76 was part of a block of four jennies that belonged to ethel stewart mccoy the daughter of charles m bergstresser who with charles dow and edward jones founded dow jones  company she had the money to finance her passion for stamps specifically airmail stamps and stamps with palm trees her passion for stamps seems to have extended to men after the death of her first husband she married a well known philatelist
who took off with her four jennies remains a mystery thats why you have armed guards that walk the floor of stamp shows these days mr english said the federal bureau of investigation investigated but never made any arrests
eventually   no one knows exactly when   the block of jennies was separated into four single stamps one surfaced in 1958 in the hands of a chicago area stamp dealer the fbi decided not to prosecute him that stamp made its way to the research library in the 1970s because mrs mccoy had given up her ownership rights and signed an agreement that said any jennies that turned up should go to the library a second stolen jenny from her block appeared in 1982 two years after she died
no 76 turned up last month at spink usa an auction house on west 57th street in manhattan george eveleth the head of spinks philatelic department said it was brought in by a man in his mid 20s from northern ireland who had emailed him a few weeks earlier he said he was coming to new york and hed like to bring it to our office mr eveleth said
the story the man told mr eveleth   and later mr english   was that his grandfather had died a couple of years ago leaving him some stamps he did not know the collection he inherited included a stamp that was of some value mr english said i think he got curious looking to dispose of it and started looking through the pile did some research online and realized it might be worth some money
in impeccable condition he said inverted jennies can go for a lot the estimates for no 58 range from 525000 to 16 million
mr english said the man had maintained that he did not know how his grandfather had acquired the stamp the only document that came with it was a curious letter from a long gone manhattan stamp dealer that mr english described as the stamp worlds equivalent of a pawnshop
the letter from october 1965 outlined a buyback agreement the stamp dealer s h engel  company paid the collector who had brought it in 9500 engel gave the collector the right to repurchase it for 11500 within a year mr englishs assumption is that the collector did not come back with the extra 2000 to reclaim it and that the dealer sold it to another customer who that was no one knows
officials from spink took the stamp to the philatelic foundation in manhattan which determines whether stamps are authentic the executive director larry lyons and the curator lewis kaufman began studying the stamp and comparing it with photos and electronic scans of other jennies
were skeptical mr lyons recalled of their reaction but 10 or 15 minutes later we look at each other and say its genuine he said they called the fbi an agency spokesman did not return a call seeking comment
mr lyons and mr kaufman determined that the stamp had been altered   the perforations on the left side and on the top were recut
they also began figuring out which of the 100 stamps it was checking the position of the plane in the oval frame the position of the frame itself and the position of the perforations robert g rose the chairman of the foundation said there were even subtle variations of alignment and ink from plane to plane and frame to frame they concluded it was no 76
so far the man who brought the stamp to spink has not been paid anything mr english said last week that he expected to present an agreement to his board this week if approved the deal would allow the library to take ownership of the stamp during the stamp show and it would clear the way for the man to receive a payment the united states attorneys office in manhattan would also have to have a hand in such an agreement to resolve the question of whether the stamp is stolen property but a spokeswoman for the office declined to discuss the case
mr sundman said he would not mind paying for no 76 but what about the fourth mccoy stamp the one that has not been heard from since it disappeared
mr sundman said he got a call about it last year from a man he had never met
he said i know who has the stamps and who took them mr sundman recalled he had this theory it was the spouse of somebody who worked for the aps in the 50s   the philatelic society   and he said theyre not going to give it up
mr sundman said he asked how the caller knew that he said im a psychic these things just come to me that was pretty much it other than the psychic i have nothing on the fourth stamp


paris   for much of the first half of 2016 nick kyrgios avoided the kind of on court outbursts and controversies that were part of his breakout campaign last year in contrast with his past behavior he has not accosted any fans or made audible inappropriate remarks about an opponents girlfriend
there are moments when kyrgios can be downright charming even during his first round match sunday when he repeatedly complimented his opponent and helped him find a lost piece of equipment
but then there is his more volatile side which resurfaced in a profane confrontation with the chair umpire in the same match and lit a spark on a rainy opening day at the french open
later rain suspended about half of the remaining matches leaving kyrgioss outburst as the most prominent event of an otherwise disappointing afternoon at roland garros
i thought it was really tough kyrgios said referring to the conditions he used the same general terminology to describe the code violation that was assessed against him
during his three set match with marco cecchinato of italy which kyrgios won 7 6 6 7 6 6 6 4 he barked towel at a ball person who was not as prompt with it as kyrgios would have liked
carlos ramos the chair umpire on court 1 immediately issued a code violation which prompted kyrgios to claim at the time that he was the victim of unbelievable bias
but at least kyrgios an australian who is seeded 17th was able to complete his match unlike kei nishikori svetlana kuznetsova and heather watson whose matches were suspended the american jack sock seeded no 23 had just lost a fourth set tiebreaker to robin haase when play was called just after 6 pm they were scheduled to play the fifth set monday
those who finished included petra kvitova the no 10 seed and one of several contenders in a muddled womens field hoping to upset serena williams she beat danka kovinic 6 2 4 6 7 5 on court philippe chatrier
the 11th seeded lucie safarova who lost to williams in last years final and is regaining her form after several injuries and illnesses defeated vitalia diatchenko 6 0 6 2 in 56 minutes
most of the worlds elite players including williams novak djokovic andy murray rafael nadal and last years mens champion stan wawrinka were not scheduled to play sunday
before the rain the local favorite benoit paire of france the no 19 seed beat radu albot 6 2 4 6 6 4 1 6 6 4 igor sijsling of the netherlands was also able to defeat adrian ungur of romania 6 1 6 2 7 6 5 and will play kyrgios in the second round
in his postmatch interview kyrgios 21 was asked one question about sijsling most of the rest were about his dispute with ramos in the first set tiebreaker
the incident came after kyrgios had lost a point he later claimed that with the crowd noise the ball person had not heard him the first time so kyrgios had to yell louder ramos may have been quick to unholster the code violation but he demonstrated patience after that as kyrgios strung together a couplet of obscenities in protest
how can you sit there and give me a code for that but when djokovic pushes an umpire out of the way thats all right kyrgios asked ramos tell the whole world thats all right
kyrgios was referring to an incident at the recent rome masters in which djokovic pushed aside the umpires hand while they were examining where a ball landed on the red clay surface djokovic was not penalized and kyrgios suggested that he suffered from a double standard
i mean i think we all know in this room if that was me that did that it would be an absolute circus kyrgios said during a postmatch news conference but if he did it you know nothing really happened of it it speaks for itself
kyrgioss past behavior does invoke close scrutiny from commentators fans and tennis officials he has yelled at umpires and spectators and has made comments that have angered sports officials in australia and beyond the incident that created the most turmoil happened last august in montreal during a changeover kyrgios informed wawrinka that his girlfriend had been romantically involved with another player igniting the ire of wawrinka and other players on the tour
earlier this month kitty chiller the former pentathlete and the chef de mission for the australian olympic team said that kyrgios and his fellow australian bernard tomic had to improve their behavior or risk being left off australias team at the 2016 olympics in rio de janeiro
kyrgios adopted a more conciliatory tone after the match than he had demonstrated on court
its not an easy job out there he said of the umpires especially five set matches to concentrate i think they do a good job all in all they do a good job
kyrgios was also gracious toward his opponent even during some of the more contentious points of the match he repeatedly lauded cecchinato for making a nice drop shot or an impossibly good serve
he even helped cecchinato by finding his racket dampener after it had fallen off
while cecchinato looked frantically to and fro kyrgios spotted the tiny object on the side of his court picked it up and tossed it over the net to his grateful opponent perhaps that is why cecchinato deflected a question about kyrgioss confrontation with the umpire
i dont know what he said cecchinato said i dont care he plays very good he has a big serve and i like him


cairo   egypt has deployed a submersible to help find the wreckage of egyptair flight 804 in the deep mediterranean waters where it crashed president abdel fattah el sisi said sunday as he warned that it might take a long time before the cause of the crash was determined
an international flotilla of search ships aided by surveillance planes was scouring a section of sea 180 miles north of the port city of alexandria and retrieved some wreckage belongings and human remains over the weekend
but the search crews have yet to find the main body of the plane and its cockpit data and voice recorders commonly known as the black boxes they hope the recorders will explain what caused the airbus a320 carrying 66 people to plunge from the sky early thursday as it headed to cairo from paris
a statement from the islamic state on saturday failed to mention the egyptair crash confounding speculation that the group which claimed to have been behind the bombing of a russian airliner in sinai in october might have been responsible
although egyptian officials initially pointed to terrorism as the most likely cause of the crash mr sisi stressed on sunday that all possibilities were being considered all hypotheses are possible he said please lets not jump to any conclusions
so far the strongest clues have come from signals emitted by the stricken plane indicating that several smoke detectors were activated as it hurtled toward the sea
the french air aviation authority said that while those transmissions provided evidence of a catastrophic systems failure inside the plane they did not provide enough information to determine what had caused the crash
the uncertainty added to the anguish of the relatives of the passengers most of them egyptian and french citizens funeral services for some crew members and passengers took place in cairo and other towns over the weekend other families remained at two hotels near the cairo airport waiting for news six of the victims came from a single village about 50 miles north of the egyptian capital
on sunday night at the abu el makarim mosque in central cairo men in egyptair uniforms stood solemnly as prayers were offered for mohammed farag one of three security officers on flight 804
he talked with his hands ahmad shalash said recalling mr farag wherever he went laughter followed him
black clad women sat around mr farags mother her face streaked with tears as mourners whispered condolences and prayers in her ear several people expressed frustration with the slow progress in the search for bodies
across town hundreds of people many of them in their 20s attended prayer services sunday night for engy selim 26 a french teacher who died with her mother hala el bassel a tour guide on flight 804
the two had spent more than a week vacationing in paris where the family owned a house said yousra el reedy one of ms selims closest friends
four days after the downing of the plane the crowd at the service on sunday at a mosque in the new cairo district seemed not to have moved on from the initial shock young people gathered in clusters some smoking quietly and others whispering to one another about what may have happened to the plane
ragia mourad a cousin of ms selims recalled learning the news they kept saying they couldnt find the airplane they couldnt find the airplane and we stayed in front of the tv looking for any news until we discovered the airplane she said her voice trailing off
ms reedy also struggled with words as she tried to summarize the essence of ms selim mentioning her smile her love for her students and her ability to forgive anyone
egyptair in a statement on saturday condemned efforts by unidentified people to capitalize on the tragedy by falsely claiming to be raising money for the victims families
the submersible that mr sisi said was headed for the search zone on sunday is operated by the countrys petroleum ministry and can descend to a depth of 9800 feet the vessel was not manned and is normally used for oil and gas exploration said hamdy abdel aziz a spokesman for the petroleum ministry
mr sisi said he hoped the submersible would find the flight voice and data recorders although experts said it was not clear whether it had the necessary equipment to find them
both flight recorders are fitted with acoustic beacons or pingers that can be detected from a distance of up to about three miles but those pings can be detected only by using specialized underwater microphones attached to lengthy towing cables only a few organizations have that kind of equipment and it was not believed that any of them had yet arrived in egypt
the disappearance of malaysia airlines flight 370 in 2014 renewed the focus on efforts to make black boxes easier to find when a plane crashes at sea or in a remote area one proposal involves using a satellite internet system much like the ones that provide in flight wi fi for passengers to transmit flight data back to the airline headquarters in real time
in washington on sunday government officials debated whether the islamic state or some other terrorist entity had orchestrated the egyptair crash
representative adam schiff a california democrat and the ranking member of the house intelligence committee said that the preponderance of evidence he had seen suggested terrorism might be less likely than initially thought   and that if the crash was an act of terrorism it was more likely carried out by a lone actor
weve looked at the signals intelligence weve looked at the manifests mr schiff said sunday on abcs this week we have not come up with any hard evidence of terrorism as of yet


vienna   the election for president of austria turned into a cliffhanger on sunday with a former green party leader battling a populist who is seeking to become the first far right politician to be elected head of state in europe since 1945
with all votes cast on sunday counted the race between norbert hofer 45 of the far right freedom party and alexander van der bellen a 72 year old economist was too close to call the outcome will be determined by mail in votes
nearly 900000 postal votes a record were requested before sundays election and will be counted monday
both candidates after a five month race said they would celebrate on sunday evening but the tension over who becomes president remained palpable with the 50 50 division of austria starkly illustrated
this signifies the split of the country no doubt about it said hans rauscher a centrist columnist for the newspaper der standard you can work at changing that but it is of course the result of an anti establishment mood
outside austria mr hofers unexpected first place finish in the first round last month and strong showing in sundays runoff will likely be seen as a boost to other right wing nationalist forces already wielding power and influence in neighboring hungary and in poland
aware of the strong foreign interest the two camps in austria were restrained when the first projections appeared on giant screens at their respective gatherings on sunday but in their final pre election rallies on friday the two candidates made clear their contrasting styles
briefly addressing several hundred supporters at a low key gathering in a central vienna park that day mr van der bellen encouraged supporters to get colleagues friends and family out for what he said was a vote with huge implications for austrias future he urged voters to support an open europe friendly europe conscious austria
mr hofer by contrast addressed thousands of supporters at a boisterous two hour rally in one of his partys vienna strongholds he stressed that he welcomed foreigners and migrants to austria but only if they obeyed its laws
those people who do not value our country and go to fight with isis or rape women   austria is not your home he said you cannot stay in austria
mr hofer who has portrayed himself throughout the five month campaign as the voice of reason left the heavy hitting to his party leader heinz christian strache
speaking for an hour mr strache denounced mr van der bellen as the epitome of a worn out establishment whose welcome culture for migrants endangered austria crime by foreigners is exploding because of the irresponsible politics of this government mr strache said touching on a familiar theme of the far right party
that message amplified by the tabloid news media seems to have struck a chord with austrians wary of admitting more migrants
the rightward lurch in the first round of voting last month in which mr hofer won 35 percent and mr van der bellen 21 percent reflected disappointment with the two mainstream parties the center left social democratic party and the center right peoples party those parties received a combined 22 percent of the vote
that showing led to the resignation of chancellor werner faymann a social democrat on may 9 mr faymanns successor christian kern a former head of the state rail system took office with promises of a new deal and has fueled hopes that austrias long stagnant establishment politics might be revived
neither of the mainstream parties gave a recommendation to voters before sundays election but mr kern made plain that he would vote for mr van der bellen
outside a polling station on sunday in simmering a former social democrat stronghold in vienna that fell to the freedom party in city elections last fall voters seemed evenly divided between the two candidates
three sisters wearing head scarves   amin samar and esra salem ages 18 21 and 23 and all students   said they had voted for mr van der bellen but expected mr hofer to get a majority in the district
those who said they had voted for mr hofer were more guarded about how they had voted but agreed with van der bellen supporters that sundays vote was historic it is a matter of our future said silvia tallian 48 who works at a publicly funded investment bank
hermann pomper 75 declined to say how he had voted but made plain that he did not think highly of either candidate
somebody has to represent austria so we must vote he said but the best did not make the cut from last months first round


kulturfestnyc the national yiddish theater folksbienes jewish performing arts festival that had its debut in 2015 will return this summer and on a much larger scale
the first festival which was years in the making and coincided with the folksbienes 100th anniversary lasted a week and had more than 50000 attendees now the organization   along with the museum of jewish heritage and commercial sponsors   is betting on a longer kulturfestnyc which will run from early june through august
yiddish soul a concert of eastern european and american music and the centerpiece of last years kulturfestnyc will return to summerstage in central park on june 15 other concerts will be at joes pub city winery and robert f wagner park in lower manhattan where the stomp like israeli troupe tararam will perform on aug 7
as previously announced di goldene kale the golden bride a long lost yiddish operetta that was reconstructed and staged by the folksbiene in late 2015 will return to the museum of jewish heritage from july 4 through aug 28 the entire original cast will return for the production which sold out and was a critics pick in the new york times
the festival also includes additional theatrical productions at the baruch performing arts center as well as street fairs talks and events like a singalong screening of the 1971 movie musical fiddler on the roof with cast members june 19 at the museum of jewish heritage
the full lineup is at kulturfestnycorg


istanbul   turkeys governing justice and development party unanimously elected a longtime ally of president recep tayyip erdogan to become its new leader and prime minister on sunday paving the way for a constitutional overhaul that would allow the president to extend his powers
binali yildirim the sole candidate for prime minister received votes from all 1405 delegates at a party congress later on sunday mr erdogan gave mr yildirim the official mandate to form a government
the previous prime minister ahmet davutoglu abruptly stepped down may 5 after a public rift with mr erdogan
mr yildirim 60 is expected to play a subservient role to the president and to push forward a series of constitutional amendments that would allow mr erdogan to establish an all powerful presidential system as the constitution now stands mr erdogan has some genuine powers but the post of president is largely ceremonial
we have always proudly said that we are recep tayyip erdogans companion that we share a common fate and common passion mr yildirim said in an address to his party on sunday mr president we promise that your passion will be our passion your cause will be our cause your path will be our path
by law mr erdogan is supposed to be above party politics so he did not attend the convention even so he made himself felt there with a message that was read at the opening of the ceremony in the message he called for a new constitution and a new system of government members of the party stood up as his message was read
my legal bond with the akp may have ended the day i took the presidential oath of office but my bonds of love have never ended and never will he said in the statement using the turkish abbreviation for the justice and development party
an anthem was played several times in his honor and banners celebrated him as the countrys pre eminent leader the man of the people our leader erdogan one poster read a giant portrait of mr erdogan hung from the center of the auditorium with banners of mr yildirim and mr davutoglu on either side
party leaders announced that the new government would work in harmony with the president to realize central goals for turkeys future
turkeys ruling ak party only has one leader and that is president erdogan said justice minister bekir bozdag the chairman of the party convention
sentiments expressed at the party congress have been echoed by pro government columnists who have called for obedience to the chief since mr davutoglus resignation
let everybody be comfortable and keep his eye on the chief wrote markar asayan a columnist for the pro government newspaper aksam are we not a huge orchestra looking in the eyes of its conductor can this work be done any other way


an omnipresent nine month marketing campaign propelled the angry birds movie to no 1 at the north american box office over the weekend giving sony pictures an important feather for its frayed cap
angry birds based on a 2009 mobile game that became a pop culture craze sold an estimated 39 million in tickets on the high end of prerelease analyst expectations the pg rated movie which received mediocre reviews has generated an additional 111 million overseas taking a video game and bringing it to life as a film brand is a very difficult thing to do and were thrilled to have launched a new franchise josh greenstein sonys president of worldwide marketing and distribution said by phone on sunday
most of the angry birds financial risk fell to rovio the finnish video game company which paid 173 million to make and market the movie as such rovio will receive the bulk of any profit sony working hard to move beyond a prolonged box office rough patch distributed angry birds in return for an 8 percent slice of ticket sales rovio also paid sony pictures imageworks to animate the film
captain america civil war disney fell to second place taking in about 331 million for a three week domestic total of 3474 million according to comscore which compiles box office data civil war has collected an additional 7061 million overseas
despite receiving good reviews neighbors 2 sorority rising universal fizzled in third place collecting an estimated 218 million or 55 percent less than its series predecessor generated upon its 2014 arrival comedy sequels often falter although the r rated sorority rising which cost about 35 million to make seemed ready to break that curse for whatever reason   the story line a crowded marketplace   fans did not buy in
similarly disappointing was the nice guys warner bros an action comedy set in the 1970s that cost a reported 50 million to make starring ryan gosling and russell crowe the nice guys took in 113 million funding for the film was raised by the producer joel silver warner then bought domestic distribution rights


jack gleeson known to game of thrones fans as the nefarious king joffrey will star in bears in space coming at the end of the summer to 59e59 theaters
the summer season at 59e59 to be announced on monday will start as always with east to edinburgh which will run july 12 to 31 this annual festival features several american productions doing what are essentially warm up performances before they are staged in scotland in august at the edinburgh festival fringe
new jersey repertory companys production of butler a civil war comic drama by richard strand that had a well received premiere in long branch in 2014 will run july 14 to aug 28 there are three theaters at the 59e59 complex along with the always buzzing ebar and the annual summer shorts festival is scheduled for july 22 to sept 3 neil labute cusi cram and alexander dinelaris one of the screenwriters behind the academy award winning film birdman are among the playwrights contributing brief new works for summer shorts this year
the summer slate will also include robin rices alice in black and white aug 3 to 14 touch by toni press coffman aug 18 to sept 4 and hershey felder in maestro aug 31 to oct 16 mr felder pianist composer and playwright plays the role of leonard bernstein in this show that combines narrative and bernsteins compositions to tell his life story
opening just after labor day is mr gleesons show bears in space a quirky adventure featuring music and puppets about two bears on a spaceship being chased across the universe by villains the show which also stars aaron heffernan cameron macaulay and eoghan quinn comes to new york after productions in dublin london and edinburgh and will run sept 6 to oct 2 the fall season at 59e59 will start with conor mcphersons the birds sept 9 to oct 2 and additional shows will be announced later


the clintons have been targeted by accusations of wrongdoing from whitewater to benghazi there also are self inflicted wounds president bill clintons dalliance with monica lewinsky and hillary clintons use of private email servers while secretary of state
they may be on the verge of creating another one the clinton foundation which has done a number of good works over the past 15 years would appear to present an inherent conflict of interest should mrs clinton become president and possibly does even now with her as a candidate
mrs clinton has suggested that if she is elected the foundation   which collects contributions from wealthy interests including foreign governments   would continue basically as is the work that its done has been extraordinary she said in march when asked whether there would be any ethical concerns about continuing the foundation the answer is transparency
ethics experts reject that answer they say there wouldnt be any way to avoid the appearance of conflicts if she wins the presidency
if bill seeks to raise large sums of money from donors who also have an interest in us policy the public will rightly question whether the grants affected united states foreign policy said stephen gillers a legal ethics expert at new york university school of law ethics rules he notes are not merely to prevent bad behavior but to foster public trust in the integrity of government choices hes open however to the idea of their daughter chelsea clinton running the foundation
but others say any connection is unacceptable joel fleishman who ran a foundation and has written a book on philanthropy says the clintons have to sever the relationship completely and put it in the hands of independent trustees mr fleishman says the clintons have to pick a leader of impeccable integrity and let it go its own way in raising money
the clinton foundation and its various offshoots have raised about 2 billion from wealthy individuals corporations   especially wall street   and foreign governments much of its work is widely praised
a major initiative provides care to poor people in developing countries chiefly africa to combat hivaids and malaria the foundation has negotiated with pharmaceutical companies for reduced prices for drugs and diagnostic equipment it also has programs on clean water food security and climate change these efforts have encouraged citizen and volunteer involvement
this has not been without controversy some of the donors had the potential to gain from their clinton connections the foundation also set up a canadian subsidiary that effectively shielded some donors from disclosure requirements
an article in the wall street journal this month raised questions about a financial commitment that the clinton foundation made to a for profit company run by politically connected close friends
some of these issues surfaced during mrs clintons time as secretary of state its a bigger problem now that shes the leading presidential candidate and it would be critical if she gets to the white house the corrective would appear to be to follow mr fleishmans advice separate totally from the foundation and select an unimpeachable leader the current president donna e shalala a respected former cabinet member and university president has not said whether she will stay on past this year
to be sure donald j trump would face huge conflicts of his own particularly regarding his connection to his business empire but also when it comes to issues involving the american government such as for example a dispute over a trump golf course overseas or trademark regulations
president obama his critics notwithstanding has run a remarkably scandal free administration with few ethical lapses
hillary clinton or any next president would stand to gain from emulating such a record


the print was one of dozens of pieces on display on a long white wall in queens last week mounted among bright and cheery watercolors from a distance the 10 inch square image looked like a patch of ice with a round area missing drilled for fishing perhaps a closer look revealed the ice to actually be shattered glass the round hole left by a bullet
it was a stately setting for a gritty image   a silent auction of works by long island city artists that reflect the diversity and glorious breadth of talent in the lic community according to the program for the event the lic arts open
the bullet hole print on canvas was made from a photograph taken nearby by rita frazier normandeau its beautiful ms normandeau 69 said on thursday admiring her work on the eve of the auction
she would know she and her husband of 47 years raymond normandeau 72 have been chronicling gunfire and photographing its aftermath as tenant activists in the queensbridge houses public housing complex for more than 30 years while other couples their age stroll through new york citys parks in search of exotic birds the normandeaus are on the hunt cameras in hand for the countless hazards and annoyances of life in queensbridge from cracked and broken steps to dog feces to bloodstains and bullet holes
i think it helps point to a problem that people just dont pay attention to mr normandeau said people think gunshots are normal and they shouldnt be
born in canada mr normandeau moved to new york city in the 1960s and met his wife in a store in brooklyn where she shopped and he worked demonstrating products they married in 1969 she jokes that she tried to take him back to the store to return him   no luck
later he worked as a carnival barker in coney island the two headed baby from puerto rico he shouted last week from memory the 5 year old mother from peru she was an actor appearing in bit parts in law  order and an episode of the comedian dave chappelles chappelles show
they moved into the queensbridge houses in 1977 when the smell of baking bread at the silvercup bakery now a film studio still filled the neighborhood
when crime spiked in the projects amid a citywide crack epidemic in the 1980s and 1990s the normandeaus produced the queensbridge enquirer a one  to four page free handout of journalism in a distinct shade of yellow short stories on each page might be serious john gotti linked to qb contractor or informative phone numbers of city agencies for whistle blowers to call or lyrical there were april showers in the housing projects showers of gunfire and stabbings
the most popular edition mr normandeau recalled proudly included the headline mother eats baby alive about a crack addict who bit her child people were xeroxing that and sending it to relatives he said
the publication had a setback when the messenger who delivered freshly printed stacks to queensbridge was robbed there and refused to come back
the couple stopped printing the paper a few years ago with everyone with a smartphone in their ear its harder to give out papers mr normandeau said but the spirit of the enquirer lives on at their website wwwqueensbridgeus
updated every couple of days the website crude in appearance by todays standards   junky was mr normandeaus word   invites readers to inform the normandeaus about events art show performance gunfight pit bull fight
shootings are down in queensbridge according to mr normandeau havent heard one in two weeks i think he said when he hears gunfire he said he calls 911 and makes his rote report no description of perpetrator unknown if any injuries he writes a post on the website and if he can add a photo of a bullet hole all the better some photos like one described on the website as gunshots through windows at queensbridge supermarket are for sale cost 10 it is not a big seller
in 2011 a friend in the housing complex asked ms normandeau if she had heard the shots on a recent night and showed her a shattered hallway window in her 12th street building ms normandeau took out her point and shoot camera she mounted the picture and gave it to the lic arts open whose auction was held on friday the images new setting before a wine sipping crowd more familiar with art galleries than with crime scenes lent the picture cachet and in return brought a snapshot of realism to the proceedings
the bullet hole print untitled went for 100 the minimum opening bid mr normandeau said he did not believe many people were in the market for such images if they wait long enough a bullet may come through their window he said and they wont have to buy a picture of one


mexico city   vicente fox the former president of mexico was recently stuck in mexico city traffic overcome with frustration   not by the congestion but by something that was irritating him even more donald j trump he grabbed his phone turned the lens on himself and pressed record
ha donald mr fox said holding the phone perhaps a little too close to his face what about your apologies to mexico to mexicans in the united states to mexicans in mexico
in short order the 15 second clip was on mr foxs twitter feed   another salvo in a personal campaign against the american presidential candidate that has included television appearances radio interviews and a fusillade of hectoring twitter posts
mr foxs voice is among a growing if uncoordinated chorus of influential mexicans worried about what a trump victory could mean for the complex relationship between the united states and mexico   not to mention the impact mr trumps presidential bid may have already had
the voices have included at least two former mexican presidents top government officials political analysts academics editorial writers and cultural figures
president enrique pena nieto likened the candidates language to that of hitler and mussolini in an interview with mexicos excelsior newspaper and he recently shuffled his diplomatic corps in the united states replacing mexicos ambassador to washington and installing new consuls general around the country in part to strengthen his administrations response to the rise of mr trump and what it reflects about american sentiment toward mexico
while many leaders around the world are worried about how mr trumps campaign win or lose could shape american foreign policy the concerns are particularly pointed in mexico and throughout the mexican diaspora because of the exceptionally close geographic economic demographic and cultural ties between the two countries
the two countries are now enjoying one of the more harmonious periods in a turbulent history but many in mexico fear that the friendship would rupture should mr trump win the election and follow through on his threats to undo the north american free trade agreement force mexico to pay for the construction of a wall between the countries by interrupting remittances and deport the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in the united states about half of whom are mexican
his threat is cataclysmic i think for mexico enrique krauze a mexican historian and literary magazine editor said in an interview what it would mean for bilateral trade in social terms in the tearing of families in the trauma the collective panic the opening of old wounds
he added i can use one of trumps favorite words yes this is huge its a huge danger
mexican critics of mr trump say he has already damaged the image of their country and of the mexican people with his espousal of views that many regard as xenophobic at a rally to kick off his campaign in june the republican candidate suggested that many mexican immigrants were drug traffickers and rapists
mexican officials concerned about negative impressions of mexico in the united states have been rolling out a strategy to improve the image of their country and show how the relationship between the two nations has been of mutual benefit said paulo carreno the newly appointed under secretary for north america in mexicos foreign ministry
the strategy includes cultural diplomacy grass roots activism and the deployment of mexican community and business leaders living in the united states he said
as part of the strategy the pena nieto administration shook up its diplomatic corps in the united states last month the mexican ambassador to washington miguel basanez ebergenyi who had been in the job less than a year was abruptly replaced by carlos sada solana a veteran diplomat in addition 26 consulates changed leadership
a statement from the foreign ministry announcing mr sadas appointment emphasized his experience protecting the rights of mexicans in north america as well as defending the interests of mexican abroad
in addition a few high level government officials have reacted publicly to mr trump including humberto roque villanueva the interior ministrys under secretary for population migration and migratory affairs he told the newspaper el universal this month that the mexican government was analyzing how to confront what we would call the trump emergency
i believe mr trump speaks off the top of his head and doesnt have a clear idea about financial matters or international accords he added we live in a globalized world the united states would have to return to a kind of middle ages to prohibit remittances or charge tariffs that arent charged in other parts of the world
in general however the administration has mostly refrained from commenting on the candidate
that has frustrated many mexicans who have called on the government to come to the defense of mexico and push back at mr trump more forcefully
they can package that in the traditional mexican nonsense we dont interfere in elections said jorge castaneda a former foreign minister the real reason is that they have no idea what to do so the default option is to do nothing
instead most of the mexican agitation against mr trump has come from the general public at the beginning of his campaign many mexicans viewed mr trump with a mixture of alarm and amusement but the amusement has mostly fallen away
why should we worry mr krauze asked rhetorically i couldnt think of a reason not to worry no
in the fall mr krauze and carmelo mesa lago an emeritus professor of economics and latin american studies at the university of pittsburgh drafted a letter denouncing mr trumps campaign sixty seven prominent latinos   academics scientists writers and filmmakers in the united states spain and latin america   signed it
his hate speech appeals to lower passions like xenophobia machismo political intolerance and religious dogmatism the letter said
in recent months mr castaneda has been pushing a pro mexico social media campaign with the hashtag improudtobemexican aiming at an american english speaking audience he has uploaded videos to facebook and a campaign website extolling the diversity of the mexican diaspora and its contributions to the united states
explaining the american focus of this lobby he said i dont want to convince mexicans how nasty trump is because everyone knows that thats a done deal
mr foxs drumbeat of harangues against mr trump began in february when he declared in a television interview using a forceful expletive that mexicans would not build the candidates proposed wall he escalated from there chiding mr trump with language that sometimes devolved into schoolyard churlishness
he called the candidate a false prophet dictator and loser he posted a selfie taken against the backdrop of a beach with this message trump this beautiful cancun you are not welcome here he posted photos from his wifes birthday party taunting mr trump what do you know about love or you just know about hating how sad
this month mr fox expressed contrition for some of his comments in an interview with breitbart news and apologized to mr trump but amid blowback from mexicans on social media and elsewhere who accused him of weakness he resumed his badgering posting photos on social media of a trump brand tie made in china and a trump brand jacket made in mexico   evidence he said of the candidates hypocrisy
mr fox said in a telephone interview from his home in guanajuato state that he was motivated to attack mr trump by what he called pure love for that great nation the united states
i dont understand why the american public is buying this he continued pain in his voice we are partners we are neighbors and we should be friends hes dividing not only american society but hes dividing two nations
why does he pick on mexico


kabul afghanistan   after months of failed pakistani efforts to broker peace talks with the taliban an american drone strike against the leader of the afghan militants signaled a major break with precedent as the united states circumvented pakistan in an effort to disrupt the strengthening insurgency officials said on sunday
the afghan intelligence agency said sunday that the taliban leader mullah akhtar muhammad mansour had been killed in the strike in the restive pakistani province of baluchistan the united states announced the strike saturday but could not confirm that mullah mansour had been killed
although there was still no official reaction from the main taliban spokesman some taliban commanders on sunday denied the reports saying their leader was not in the area of the strike
even if mullah mansour was not killed the attack was significant as it is believed to be the first american drone strike in baluchistan the de facto headquarters of the afghan taliban after years of such attacks in other pakistani and afghan areas
the death of mullah mansour who was consolidating his authority over a fracturing taliban as the militants made major gains on the battlefield would throw the insurgency into its second leadership crisis within a year still it was unclear whether it could create any significant breathing space for the afghan government of president ashraf ghani which has struggled to bring the insurgency into negotiations
even with no clear successor to mullah mansour the issue of peace talks has long been seen as deeply unpopular among the talibans most senior leadership
the strike in baluchistan was also seen as a signal that the obama administration was growing less patient with pakistans failure to move strongly against the taliban insurgency while pakistans powerful military establishment has quietly cooperated with the cias campaign of drone strikes against al qaeda and the pakistani taliban in the northwestern tribal areas it has refused past requests from the spy agency to expand the drone flights into baluchistan former american officials said
the united states and the afghan government have long pointed at the taliban sanctuaries across the border in pakistan particularly in baluchistan as the main reason for the resilience of the insurgents despite a campaign against them that at its peak involved nearly 150000 international troops
but until the strike against mullah mansour on saturday consecutive administrations in washington had resisted the temptation of going after taliban sanctuaries out of fear of angering pakistan instead american officials focused on pressuring the pakistani military to force the talibans leadership into joining peace talks with the afghan government
pakistani officials were alerted to the attack against mullah mansour only after the strike said a senior american official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss confidential operational details
pakistans foreign ministry issued a statement sunday denouncing the attack as a violation of the countrys sovereignty the stance echoed pakistans anger over the american raid that resulted in the death of osama bin laden in 2011 then too the united states informed pakistan of the raid only after the fact
the foreign ministry said in the statement that a man carrying a pakistani passport with the name wali muhammad who entered from iran on saturday had been targeted in the strike along with his driver it was not immediately clear if either was mullah mansour
american officials say president obama authorized a strike against mullah mansour weeks ago as it became clear that the new leader of the taliban had little interest in peace talks months of efforts involving afghanistan pakistan china and the united states to initiate face to face talks led nowhere with mullah mansour only intensifying his attacks
the opportunity on saturday after a closer surveillance of his movements was activated presented itself relatively quickly in a matter of hours and the military acted using the earlier white house authorization
it took the afghan government until noon on sunday to state that mullah mansour was dead the taliban brushed it aside as propaganda along the lines of similar claims in december the afghan government at that time said mullah mansour had been killed in fighting between rival taliban factions also in baluchistan
akhtar muhammad mansour the leader of the taliban group was killed around 345 pm yesterday as a result of an airstrike in dalbandin area of baluchistan province in pakistan the afghan intelligence agency the national directorate of security said in a statement he had been under close surveillance for a while until his vehicle was struck and destroyed on the main road in the dalbandin area
mullah hameedi a top taliban military commander in southern afghanistan confirmed a strike in the border area but denied that mullah mansour had been there we are going to persuade mullah mansour to publish his audio record to confirm he is alive he said
the united states did not offer confirmation of its own we are confident but at this point we do not have indisputable facts that he is dead said brig gen charles h cleveland a spokesman for american forces in afghanistan said on sunday
secretary of state john kerry speaking on sunday in naypyidaw the capital of myanmar was the first senior official to talk about the attack he repeatedly referred to mr mansour in the past tense
asked if pakistan had been kept in the dark about the operation until it was complete mr kerry would not say when we communicated but he indicated that he talked with nawaz sharif the pakistani prime minister on sunday morning after the strike was announced
we have long said that mansour posed an imminent threat to us and to afghan civilians he said this action sends a clear message to the world that we will continue to work with our afghan partners
pakistans relatively muted reaction similar to its standard protests against drone strikes by american forces might be due to the fact that according to taliban commanders in recent months mullah mansour had repeatedly resisted pakistani officials pressure on him to join negotiations
mansour has not been cooperative in making progress on peace settlement discussions with afghanistan said seth jones an expert on afghanistan at the rand corporation one red line for pakistan has historically been a failure by taliban operatives to accede to pakistani priorities
mullah mansour rose to the taliban leadership after the death of mullah omar in 2013 was revealed last summer a former aviation minister lacking battlefield expertise he ascended through the ranks of the insurgents gradually but was seen as a crucial figure in the talibans regrouping after an initial defeat following the american led invasion in 2001 once he rose to the movements no 2 position he began a campaign of sidelining rivals and creating a monopoly over resources and decision making
after a very public leadership confirmation last summer in front of large gatherings of taliban in quetta the capital of baluchistan mullah mansour had limited his movements afghan officials said while the reason given to his subordinates was security   he narrowly missed an attempt on his life attributed to dissidents within the taliban ranks in december   keeping the leader at a distance from the commanders followed a pattern that became routine under mullah omar
a persistent question over whether mullah mansour would strike a peace deal with the afghan government was his deep involvement in narcotics a trade that has prospered in insecurity the united nations as well as the afghan government has described mullah mansour as resembling the leader of a cartel rather than an insurgency that has relied on religious justification for its long war
mullah mansour was involved in smuggling and the mafia besides the leadership responsibility he had which is why he was in favor of continuing the war to better run his businesses said jawid kohistani an afghan security and intelligence analyst that is why he wouldnt cooperate for the calls for peace talks
when mullah omars death was revealed last summer mullah mansour was a strong though not unanimous candidate for the job but even as the taliban under his leadership remained a formidable and violent force mullah mansour struggled to unite the ranks he quashed breakaway groups and sought to buy the support of other skeptical commanders all while maintaining a publicity campaign that portrayed him as the head of a united command
much remains unclear about the succession if he is dead
one leading candidate would be sirajuddin haqqani one of mullah mansours most feared deputies who has largely been running battlefield operations in recent months while closely linked to pakistans spy agency mr haqqani would struggle to gain the support of the wider taliban as his small but lethal network has only in recent months fully integrated into the larger insurgency
whether or not mullah mansour resurfaces as he did the last time he was reported killed the united states expansion of its drone campaign into baluchistan suggests that the us is losing patience with the promises of pakistan said husain haqqani a former pakistani ambassador to washington
the taliban insurgency will probably continue but pakistan has another chance to dissociate itself from backing the greatest threat to afghan stability mr haqqani said


detroit   in downtown detroit start ups and luxury retailers are opening up and new office buildings are being built as the city works to recover from its deep economic problems
six miles to the north in the neighborhood of hope village residents like eric hill are trying to participate in that progress but are running into hurdles
his difficulties were apparent on a recent tuesday when he entered a crowded public library to use the computers to look for a new job with no internet service at home or on his mobile phone mr hill had few options to search work listings or file online job applications after losing his stocking job at a pharmacy five months ago
once i leave i worry that im missing an email an opportunity mr hill 42 said while using a library computer for a free one hour session online he cannot afford broadband he added his money goes to rent food and transportation
as one of the countrys most troubled cities tries to get back on its feet a lack of internet connectivity is keeping large segments of its population from even getting a fighting chance
detroit has the worst rate of internet access of any big american city with four in 10 of its 689000 residents lacking broadband according to the federal communications commission
while difficulties in connecting to the internet in rural areas are well known detroit is becoming a case study in how the digital divide in an urban setting can make or break a recovery
the deficiency of internet access in detroit is particularly glaring given that broadband is now considered as basic as electricity and water last year the fcc defined high speed internet as a public utility and made connecting all american homes to the web a priority yet many detroit residents cannot pay for the service or a computer to go online or for mobile data plans which enable 24 hour internet access anywhere over smartphones
i was in pain visiting detroit seeing how so many pockets arent part of the opportunity of broadband and are falling behind said mignon l clyburn an fcc commissioner who visited the city last october
detroits unemployment rate declined to 11 percent in february from 13 percent last year and 19 percent that same month in 2013 according to michigans labor statistics office but in neighborhoods like the 100 blocks that make up hope village unemployment is more than double the city average hovering around 40 percent in 2013 according to the most recent data from the census bureau
those areas are being left out for many reasons including low education rates poor transportation and fewer entry level jobs but lack of internet access city officials and economists say is also a crucial   and underappreciated   factor the consequences appear in the daily grind of finding connectivity with people unable to apply for jobs online research new opportunities connect with health insurance get college financial aid or do homework
its like fighting without a sword said deborah fisher director of the hope village initiative a nonprofit effort to improve social services in the neighborhood broadband access is a challenge and a major factor in economic opportunity and employment here
julie rice a hope village resident for the last seven years has found having limited web access a major obstacle in her search for full time employment after losing her retailing management job more than two years ago with a part time job at a furniture store paying 1088 an hour ms rice cannot afford a service to connect to the web which can cost more than 70 a month
so ms rice has made hope villages public library parkman her career center she regularly comes on the five days the library is open to search retailing openings arrange interviews and take employment tests the library typically extends her time online over the one hour session limit even so during a recent online exam for a store manager job at ann taylor she ran out of time and was locked out of the test
ms rice 57 is also applying for a small business grant to open a retail gallery but the process has taken several months because she has to wait until library hours to watch informational videos work on the online application and sign up for networking events she could do some tasks on her old samsung galaxy smartphone but she said it was too difficult to file applications on a small screen
ive come to believe internet is a human right she said its clearly a huge disadvantage if you dont have it
every day it becomes harder to find opportunities in detroit without using the web
applications for detroits summer jobs program for youth and young adults are only taken online most listings on michigans biggest private and public jobs site require email uploads of resumes and online tests college financial aid unemployment benefits and public food assistance programs have shifted to online systems as fewer government offices offer in person or phone services
all basic research for jobs and the forms we use to apply for jobs is online said jed howbert executive director for jobs and economic development in detroits mayoral office lack of broadband access is one of several obstacles to employment that we are systematically trying to take down
in hope village half of the 5700 residents live in poverty many are not getting basic digital literacy skills or access to educational resources for entry level jobs much less the growing number of jobs that require more tech skills and vocational certificates
that skills gap risks leaving some people even further behind sean pearson a hope village resident has been looking for new work for months that is better than his job filling produce boxes for 850 an hour but many of those jobs require knowledge of database software online fulfillment and sales systems and payroll applications with which he has little experience
and more than a dozen times he has gone to stores and asked to fill out paper applications only to be told to apply online
i cant come tomorrow so ill start searching again in a couple days said mr pearson 31 during a recent one hour computer session at the library
efforts are underway by nonprofits and the city to bring free wi fi to neighborhoods one nonprofit focus hope had a federal grant that brought free wireless internet to hope village until the money dried up recently
at least one small free network continues on the neighborhoods outskirts and the nonprofit detroit employment solutions corporation now regularly sends out a recreational vehicle equipped with wi fi and computers to neighborhoods including hope village
another effort by the detroit community technology project has helped bring free wireless hot spots to seven neighborhoods and is trying to reach more places
but being able to get online is only the first hurdle people require training on how to use technology and they need computers or other devices
you cant just provide access and say youre done said diana j nucera director of the community technology project
hope village will have to wait for more free hot spots with so many areas in need of broadband service there is not enough funding for the neighborhood to get them


welcome to watching the new york timess what to watch guide we comb through releases big and small famous and esoteric to email readers twice a week with our timely recommendations our most recent suggestions also appear below to receive our guide straight to your inbox sign up here
this past week was upfronts   the week where networks unveil their coming fall lineups to advertisers its also when we learn which pilots will go to series which shows will be back and which shows were canceled or stalled out before they even truly began rip nashville you beautiful tire fire most of the pilot trailers left me cold but im intrigued by pitch foxs drama about a screwball pitcher who becomes the first woman to play major league baseball and nbcs the good place starring ted danson and kristen bell i love political thrillers so im curious about abcs designated survivor in which kiefer sutherland becomes the president after everyone else is killed at the state of the union
this weekend ill be digging into lady dynamite sobbing into the season finale of call the midwife and going to tv church to light candles and pray that cbs stops making joyless cop shows and sitcoms about hapless dads
thanks to all of you who wrote in with feedback about what youd like to see in this newsletter in todays were turning more of our attention to movies than we have before and well be covering movies more often in general in the coming months wed still love to hear from you so keep those ideas and questions coming to watchingnytimescom have a terrific weekend
the plot to the 2015 german film phoenix sounds far fetched but the movie itself is suspenseful sad and   if you get on its wavelength   unforgettable her face disfigured a concentration camp survivor named nelly returns to berlin after the war has reconstructive surgery and goes in search of her husband johnny when they finally meet he does not recognize her believing her to be dead but thinking she vaguely resembles his wife johnny enlists nelly in a plot to claim her inheritance suspend your disbelief and sink into this moody noir as nelly nina hoss seen recently as a german intelligence officer in homeland is stunning watch the trailer here stream on netflix rent on amazon or itunes   gilbert cruz
what would life undeath be like for four vampires who decided to room together in a rambling mansion in new zealand and what would it look like if a film crew decided to follow that fangy quartet for a documentary jemaine clement flight of the conchords stars in what we do in the shadows which he co wrote and co directed with taika waititi who also stars and theres definitely a conchords ish feel to the whole thing this horror comedy is barely scary often silly and entirely delightful watch the trailer here watch on hbo purchase on amazon or itunes   gc
you dont have to be particularly interested in magic to enjoy an honest liar about the life of the amazing randi you just have to be interested in quirky people born in 1928 james randi   a magician and escape artist   transitioned into using the tools of his trade to debunk psychics and televangelists he took a particular dislike to uri geller who made a name for himself in the 70s through his ability to supposedly bend spoons with his mind with his hats capes cane and beard randi looks like a villainous monk though the more you get to know him over the course of the film the more he grows into your coolest uncle watch the trailer here stream on netflix rent on itunes or amazon   gc
hi margaret im a comedy girl but im not into sitcoms   more the office veep silicon valley etc maybe im a workplace comedy gal i need something new or at least new to me to watch   amy
two of my favorite comedies of all time are single camera workplace comedies sports night hulu itunes and party down hulu itunes sports night which debuted in 1998 is aaron sorkins first tv series and its set behind the scenes at a sportscenter-esque show though an interest in actual sports is not at all necessary for enjoying this series theres a laugh track early on but it disappears eventually so dont let that keep you away felicity huffman peter krause josh charles joshua malina   plus all the walk and talks and soaring monologues you could dream of
party down aired in relative obscurity on starz in 2009 and 10 it stars adam scott lizzy caplan martin starr and ken marino as la cater waiters and is arguably tvs best and funniest portrait of collective misanthropy party is one of those special shows that gets better and better upon repeat viewing and one whose characters seem different to you as you yourself mature
on the much sillier oddball side of things try better off ted netflix a kooky takedown of baffling corporate culture that aired on abc in 2009 you might also like scrubs netflix which never gets enough credit but is funny and strange and wonderful if you want something more grounded the british series w1a netflix set within the bbc itself is terrific
finally if youre willing to branch into hourlong dramedies slings and arrows amazon prime will dazzle and amaze you its set within a canadian shakespearean theater company whose former bad boy leading man has returned after years in a psychiatric facility to direct hamlet in season 2 they do macbeth and in season 3 king lear every time i watch it im amazed all over again and ive watched it a lot a lot
this new amc show adapted from a comic book series follows an ex criminal turned reverend who is soon possessed by some kind of phantasm it premieres sunday
 read the new york times review
 a special prom edition of say yes to the dress friday 930 pm tlc
 bryan cranston stars as lbj in a movie adaptation of his tony winning turn in all the way read the new york times review saturday 8 pm hbo
 mr selfridge ends its four season run sunday 1030 pm pbs
vulture has one of this weeks best longreads an in depth look at how peak tv   there were more than 400 scripted series last year almost double the number from 2009   has affected actors agents writers and the entire industry if you fancy yourself a television geek youll love it
if you still like to look at a more traditional scheduling grid ew has the breakdown of what the networks fall schedules will look like not on the grid how much time slots still matter or dont matter
finally for anyone who has fond memories of the 2009 potato chip sketch on saturday night live uproxx has a stunningly thorough history of the oddball piece
like what you read sign up here to receive our guide straight to your inbox


hong kong   china heavily censors its internet limiting what its people can see or say online to channels that the government can control
but chinas managing of its message does not end there it also taps untold masses of people to cheer for its side on online message boards and social media the common belief that they are paid 50 cents per post leads people in china to call them the fifty cent party
a new study says those people are closer to the government than previously thought
the study from researchers at harvard stanford and the university of california san diego says the legions of online commenters are not all freelancers paid by the post in fact it says that most are government employees preaching the principles of the chinese communist party on social media while carrying out their jobs in the local tax bureau or at a county government office
they are also incredibly prolific the study released by gary king jennifer pan and margaret e roberts estimates that the chinese government each year fabricates and posts around 488 million social media posts in china or about one for every 178 social media posts on chinese commercial sites posts are usually written in bursts around politically sensitive events like protests or key national political events and are often intended to distract the public from bad news
the study could shed light on an active but shadowy part of chinas complex system of tools used to guide online public opinion at home its best known tool is the great firewall the sophisticated system of internet filters and blocks that prevents people in china from accessing facebook twitter and google as well as foreign media sources such as the new york times
but it has others that depend on chinas manpower and spending to manage prodding people to write comments online represents the chinese communist partys longstanding effort to channel public opinion said david bandurski editor of the china media project at the university of hong kong the whole premise being that the party needs to be more savvy and clever in directing the agenda he said
chinas top internet monitor the cyberspace administration of china did not immediately respond to a request for comment
chinas push to polish its image at home and abroad has gained new traction under president xi jinping domestically china has tightened internet restrictions and limited criticism it has also raised mr xis profile online and aimed its digital propaganda efforts at foreign as well as domestic audiences chinese propaganda outlets like the communist partys peoples daily newspaper are now fixtures on social media services banned in china like facebook and twitter
in some cases that has left american companies to face uncomfortable contradictions for example twitter is blocked in china and used by a large and vocal chinese dissident community but last month its new china chief said on twitter to china central television chinas official broadcaster lets work together to tell great china story to the world
domestically the report found that beijing primarily sought to guide public opinion by having commenters write posts designed to regularly distract the public and change the subject rather than rebut arguments against the government line
distraction is a clever strategy in information control in that an argument in almost any human discussion is rarely an effective way to put an end to an opposing argument it said
the effects of this strategy are amplified by highly coordinated campaigns in which bursts of messages are posted around news or events as they go viral according to the report
based on a trove of leaked emails from a local internet propaganda office in the eastern chinese province of jiangxi in 2013 and 2014 the report examined 43000 confirmed government sponsored posts and cited a number of examples of government backed comment campaigns
in one example following a riot in the western region of xinjiang in 2013 the internet propaganda office reported posting hundreds of comments about local economic development and the china dream one of mr xis propaganda initiatives emphasizing chinas rising global power
the study also tracked the sources of almost all of the 43000 posts back to groups and individuals from 200 different government agencies while 20 percent came from the district internet propaganda office other comments came from local township governments and even further afield from people in the district sports bureau and the district human resources bureau the fact that most commenters are employed by the government likely allows for quick and efficient coordination according to the report
to determine the total number of posts in china the researchers used their knowledge of the number of government fabricated posts in a single county in 2013 and extrapolated how many government sponsored posts there were per internet user there
the authors also theorized that the government sees its commenters as a friendlier method of opinion guidance than censorship which frustrates many users commenters have the additional advantage of enabling the government to actively control opinion without having to censor as much as they might otherwise
tracking government activity has become trickier as chinese users shift away from social media services that are broadly accessible to anybody they increasingly use mobile chat apps like chinas wechat where only friends connected over the app can see one anothers posts


bangkok   when the local fight legend dejdamrong sor amnuaysirichoke walks into a packed arena here friday he will find much that is familiar including the roar of his fans and the rhythmic sarama music that is an integral part of traditional muay thai kickboxing in this country
but there will be one major difference his fight will be the main event of the first major professional mixed martial arts event in thailand which for years had unofficially banned the sport in an effort to protect muay thai
the fight night at bangkoks 11000 seat impact arena organized by the singapore based promotion one championship will culminate with dejdamrong defending his mma strawweight title 523 to 567 kilograms or about 1153 to 125 pounds against yoshitaka naito of japan
the nine fight event which also will include performances by two of thailands most popular music groups is sold out it is being viewed as a test of both the popularity and the acceptability of mma in this country whose sports authority in 2012 vowed never to support such an event because it was too violent and would smear the character of the popular domestic sport of muay thai
thailands ministry of interior and its ministry of tourism and sports however have both endorsed fridays event according to one championship much to the delight of local mma fans
my fathers generation is a bit skeptical and are afraid that mma will change muay thai said nuttadaj vachirarattanawong whose family run company has been promoting muay thai fights for 40 years but my generation welcomes it its good for muay thai and for the thai fighters
mma is a full contact sport that combines boxing with wrestling jujitsu taekwondo muay thai and other disciplines with attacks allowed both standing and on the ground fighters try to knock out opponents or force them into submission by using a variety of holds in muay thai fighters can use punches kicks elbows and knees from a standing position only tackling or striking an opponent on the ground is forbidden
mixed martial arts which once was called human cockfighting by united states senator john mccain has become an entertainment juggernaut and is one of the fastest growing sports in the world last month new york ended its ban on mixed martial arts   the state was the last holdout in the united states   and the promoter of one of the sports biggest brands the ultimate fighting championship said it would hold its first show in the state in november at madison square garden
nearly four years ago the sports authority of thailand said it would never support mma events claiming the sport violated the countrys boxing laws officials with the sports authority which falls under the ministry of tourism and sports said the sport was too brutal critics of the unofficial ban said that thai sports officials under pressure from muay thai promoters and gyms were trying to shield the sport from competition for ticket sales and television broadcast rights
its all about money said vachara vacharaphol chief executive of triple v broadcast company which in march signed a one year deal with one championship to televise mma fights in thailand
they felt that if mma comes in it will take away from their business vachara said after seeing one championship fights being held with great fanfare in nearby singapore malaysia indonesia and myanmar thai officials ultimately caved to public demand vachara said
its a global trend he added they cant resist it
chatri sityodtong the chairman of one championship said that one or two large scale mma events per year in thailand would make no financial impact on muay thai since its fights are held daily at venues large and small across the country and are broadcast live every weekend on thai television
chatri a former muay thai fighter and mma trainer and coach from thailand said that in the end mixed martial arts would end up promoting muay thai globally because competitors needed to possess strong kickboxing skills
i think people were confused five years ago about what mma is and whether it was harmful to muay thai he said we want to showcase muay thai which has played an integral part in me being able to escape poverty and bring my family out of poverty with me
muay thai has been viewed as the sport of the masses in thailand and many fighters come from poor rural areas a top muay thai competitor fighting in bangkok can earn around 200000 baht or 5700 in prize money for a bout but the best fighters with one championship can earn hundreds of thousands of dollars per fight
mma officials said their sport could prolong the careers of thailands muay thai fighters who usually retire when they are in their early 30s for example dejdamrong 37 a three time national champion with more than 200 victories in muay thai had been in semiretirement as a kickboxing instructor in singapore before he took an interest in jujitsu and started a new career as a mixed martial artist in 2014 he is 6 0 and won his strawweight belt a year ago
it was difficult at first because i didnt know the ground game but i got comfortable after a while he said some thai people think mma is dangerous but when they finally see it they will realize its not more dangerous than muay thai
not everyone agrees sakon wannapong the governor of the sports authority of thailand who publicly announced the unofficial ban on mma in 2012 said that he remained opposed to mma because it was not a recognized sport in thailand and remained too violent
i understand that they have invested a lot of money into this event he said i dont want to spoil their fortune but i wont support it one word never
such opposition has not dampened the determination of thai mma fighters like shannon wiratchai who is on the card for the may 27 event unlike many thai fighters he grew up learning judo and karate not muay thai
at my age muay thai was considered a low class sport wiratchai now 27 said i think mma will help promote muay thai but thai fighters need to improve because of the changing style of mma and not just rely on muay thai


this article was updated on may 23 2016 to reflect developments in the kesha and dr luke dispute
for more than 18 months a contract disagreement between the pop singer kesha and her longtime producer dr luke has been churning through courts in three states raising complex questions for the music industry about gender the control of an artists career and the power of social media
since 2014 kesha has been fighting to be released from her contracts with the megaproducer known for his work with katy perry kelly clarkson and many more and his labels parent company sony music entertainment asserting that dr luke had subjected her to years of abuse including rape and unfair business arrangements he has denied all the accusations
while the various legal turns have prompted major pop artists including taylor swift and adele to voice support for the freekesha campaign on twitter and instagram each shift in the narrative   including keshas off and on again performance at the billboard music awards and the recent release of her first song since 2013   adds another layer to the complicated continuing civil case no criminal charges have been filed
below is a close look at the dueling lawsuits and additional documents filed by both sides thus far as well as a preview of what is still to come
in 2005 kesha whose full name is kesha rose sebert was a teenager and high school student living in nashville when lukasz sebastian gottwald better known as dr luke reached out after listening to her demo recordings in september of that year shortly after she turned 18 kesha entered into a recording agreement with dr lukes production company kasz money inc kmi according to court documents
under the terms of that deal keshas contract could be extended by kmi through her sixth album with at least six songs on each album required to be produced by dr luke the contract was amended in 2008 and 2009 when kmi negotiated a deal for kesha with rca records a division of sony dr lukes label kemosabe formed in 2011 is also housed under sony
according to her lawsuit keshas recording career stalled as the producer focused on more high profile and lucrative artists until 2008 when she contributed uncredited vocals to the rapper flo ridas song right round which became a no 1 hit dr luke went on produce and write songs for keshas 2010 debut album animal as well as an ep from the same year cannibal and her 2012 follow up album warrior kesha 29 also appeared on the pitbull single timber in 2013 which was produced in part by dr luke
keshas career has been relatively quiet since   dr luke cited creative differences between the two in a 2013 profile in the new yorker   as she remains under contract with the producers companies she has recently performed live with a nashville band called yeast infection in addition to high profile appearances at coachella in april and at the billboard awards on sunday where she performed a cover of bob dylans it aint me babe
dr luke continues to produce and co write songs for flo rida r kelly becky g and other artists
according to a civil suit filed in los angeles in october 2014 kesha says that her entire experience working with dr luke was fraught with instances of sexual physical verbal and emotional abuse the suit asserts that the abuse which included constant insults about her appearance and weight continued to the point that kesha nearly lost her life after developing bulimia she entered rehab in january 2014 and stayed for two months
although dr luke has never faced a criminal complaint from kesha much of the interest surrounding her case focuses on her allegations of sexual assault she has cited dr lukes years of intimidation and his control over her career as the reasons she never dared talk about let alone report what dr luke had done to her
in one instance kesha says dr luke forced her to drink with him and then gave her sober pills to recover no exact dates are included with respect to the assault claims ms sebert took the pills and woke up the following afternoon naked in dr lukes bed sore and sick with no memory of how she got there the filing reads after which she immediately called her mother and said dr luke had raped her the suit says that kesha later learned the sober pills were gamma hydroxybutyrate or ghb a so called date rape drug
on another occasion cited in the lawsuit kesha says she was forced to snort an illicit drug before a flight with dr luke who then made sexual advances while she was intoxicated
kesha also accused dr luke of professional misconduct and intimidation and said he prevented her from having any real control over her music while threatening her career and her family if she spoke out against him and she accused dr luke of refusing to negotiate fair terms for the contract for her second album after her first album became a platinum hit trapping her in long term contracts which were one sided extortive and devastating to her health sanity and career
in a sworn affidavit from august 2015 kesha recalled one instance in the studio when dr luke demanded she record lyrics written by william of the black eyed peas he told me to sing a verse where i was calling another girl a heffer knowing how much pain that had caused me from his insults about my body she wrote according to the statement kesha refused sending dr luke into a rage during which he told the singer that he could manipulate my voice to say whatever he wanted in his computer
i cannot say words i dont mean kesha concluded i cannot work with this monster
unable to point to another case where physical abuse resulted in the termination of a record contract mark geragos keshas lawyer at the start of the case told billboard at the outset that keshas lawsuit may be a first of its kind case
the same day kesha filed her initial suit in los angeles dr luke filed a lawsuit in new york that accused kesha and her mother pebe sebert of defamation and breach of contract claiming they were using false and shocking accusations in an attempt to get the singer out of her contract he also accused kesha her mother and her new management company of trying to interfere with fulfilling her contractual obligations in addition dr luke filed a suit against keshas mother in nashville alleging defamation and tortious interference in april ms sebert dropped her counterclaims in that case a lawyer for keshas mother said she has decided to move on and find peace and forgiveness in her heart rather than dwelling in the cancerous past of an ongoing lawsuit with no end in sight
in his new york suit dr luke said that the accusations of physical and mental abuse were untrue and defamatory and that professionally he had upheld his end of the relationship by turning kesha into a platinum selling star her first single tik tok hit no 1 on the billboard hot 100 and has sold some 15 million downloads worldwide
according to the suit keshas repudiation of this contractual relationship and her and her mothers ongoing campaign to extort a release by tarnishing gottwalds reputation has caused damage to his career
in june judge barbara m scheper of los angeles superior court ruled to set aside keshas lawsuit there for now citing the singers deals with kmi and rca which stipulated that contract disputes would be handled in new york lawyers for kesha said in may that they would attempt to revive the singers suit there
in addition to her suit in los angeles kesha filed counterclaims to dr lukes lawsuit in new york in april the singer was dealt a major legal setback when her claims of infliction of emotional distress gender based hate crimes and employment discrimination were dismissed with a judge citing a lack of evidence and jurisdiction the statute of limitations had also passed on some of keshas accusations the judge said
throughout the case dr luke and his lawyers have also pointed to a 2011 deposition from a separate lawsuit brought by keshas former management company arguing that sworn answers from kesha and her mother show their subsequent allegations against dr luke to be false
in that 2011 deposition which has been only partly unsealed kesha denied having an intimate relationship with dr luke and said he had never given her a roofie kesha was then asked did you ever tell your mother that you woke up in a hotel room in gottwalds bed and you dont recall what happened that night she replied that she did not remember
kesha also said dr luke never made sexual advances at me although she did not deny that the pair were seen making out on a plane lawyers for kesha have pointed to post traumatic stress disorder and rape trauma syndrome to explain her reticence to report the abuse
in a separate deposition from the same case ms sebert denied that she had been made aware years earlier of any sexual relationship between dr luke and kesha and said that she had not been made aware that the producer had given her daughter a date rape drug
additional filings in the case include enthusiastic correspondence between kesha her mother and dr luke in the form of emails and a birthday card addressed to the foxxy est producer ever
on feb 22 dr luke wrote on twitter about the case once again denying all of the accusations lives can get ruined when theres a rush to judgment before all the facts come out he wrote look what happened at uva duke etc
in an amended filing last year keshas suit asserted that sony knew or using reasonable diligence would have discovered dr lukes prior conduct toward not just kesha but additional female artists referred to in court papers as jane does whose careers he controlled
according to the suit sony provided dr luke with unfettered and unsupervised access to vulnerable female artists beginning their careers and who would be totally dependent upon dr luke for success
in october 2015 a year after filing her initial lawsuit kesha proposed through her lawyers that she would be willing to record an album for rca under sony during the pending litigation without any involvement or interference from dr luke or his related entities
when that request was denied by lawyers for sony dr luke and kemosabe kesha filed a motion arguing that if her music career was delayed any further she would suffer irreparable harm to her commercial potential without the courts emergency help there will soon be no career left to pursue the motion said
kesha rose sebert wants nothing more than to be able to record an album read the filing which tried to block sony and dr luke from pursuing damages if kesha recorded outside of her contract her only condition is that she be allowed to record with a record label that is not affiliated with someone who has emotionally and sexually abused her
justice shirley w kornreich denied the motion calling keshas contract heavily negotiated and typical for the industry while citing a lack of evidence for the abuse allegations keshas legal team said in its filing that the truth or falsity of the allegations of abuse are not at issue in this motion the judge also declined to rule for now on a motion by dr luke to dismiss the case outright
however in contrast to the attempted negotiations in october lawyers for sony did indicate at the hearing that the company would be open to a recording arrangement for kesha that did not include dr luke
mr geragos called that an illusory promise arguing that sony would be inclined not to promote keshas music properly because of its relationship with dr luke but after the hearing mr geragos told the new york times that the offer was a positive first step to get her back in the studio
in late april with the approval of dr luke and kemosabe records kesha released true colors a collaboration with the electronic producer zedd
barring a settlement it may be a long legal road for kesha in the superior court of los angeles county where kesha filed her initial lawsuit a status hearing is scheduled for july 15 as dr lukes lawsuit continues in new york a trial date is unlikely before 2017
outside of the courtroom the two sides remain locked in a struggle for control over public perception in the case ahead of the billboard awards kesha said she had been barred from performing by dr luke and kemosabe a decision that was quickly reversed after the label obtained assurances that kesha would not use the appearance as a platform to address the litigation
following a performance that made no mention of dr luke kesha wrote online that singing is her therapy


since 1822 the church of st luke in the fields has been the steward of a tree shaded compound in the west village that encompasses the federal style church building several 19th century townhouses containing rental apartments a 1950s school and gardens that are open to the public
until recently it also included a parking lot
the patch of asphalt on the southwest corner of the complex at barrow and greenwich streets was used by staff and parishioners said the rev caroline stacey the rector of the parish but over the years as the cost of maintaining st lukes buildings and social programs mounted church leaders eyed the parking lot as a potential source of revenue they couldnt sell the parcel outright   the episcopal diocese of new york the official owner of the block would not allow it but the church could lease the land to a developer who could then build on it
thus 100 barrow a co op under construction by toll brothers city living which now holds a 99 year ground lease on the site of the parking lot was born
toll brothers forged the agreement with st luke in 2013 and hired barry rice architects to design the new building it would be constructed at the same time that the churchs four townhouses on barrow street would be gutted and converted to single family market rate rentals by the developer as part of the deal the church will continue to own the townhouses
at the same time the st lukes school which operates independently of the church pursued plans to build a two story addition atop its long low slung structure along greenwich street the churchs compound takes up the entire two acre block bounded by hudson barrow greenwich and christopher streets
many local residents were alarmed at the proposed changes to what they regard as a precious neighborhood oasis as the project made its way through the community board review process there were objections to the size of the proposed residential building which was 15 stories and to its three part design a brick base topped by a setback glass tower with a taller brick element rising at the rear because the property falls within the greenwich village historic district the project also needed the approval of the new york city landmarks preservation commission
the first time the architects appeared before the board in march 2014 the commissioners said the design was too tall and also with its multiple setbacks and balconies too fussy
two months later when the architects returned with revised plans the co op building had been reduced to 12 stories and simplified its six story base would be clad in flemish bond brick chosen to harmonize with the barrow street townhouses and the brick rear element would rise no higher than the six story glass tower the project was approved
the building topped out in february and is expected to be completed in the fall of 2017 according to david von spreckelsen the president of toll brothers city living in new york a sales gallery is open at 426 west 14th street
the 26 market rate apartments range from 1600 square foot two bedroom units to a 4400 square foot four bedroom duplex with a generous terrace they are priced from 415 million to 14 million
in exchange for a tax abatement toll brothers has set aside seven units for buyers of moderate means   defined as up to 125 percent of the area median income or 80000 to 120000 depending on the number of people in the household these units range from studios for 90000 to two bedrooms for 180000
some units will have oblique views of the hudson river others clear sight lines all the way to the empire state building east  and north facing windows will overlook the churchs gardens
the land lease arrangement raises the question of what happens after 99 years when the property reverts to the church the lease could be renewed at that time according to the participants in the current agreement or co op owners and church leaders could devise a different plan
in the meantime st luke presumably on firmer financial footing is considering adding a structure at the corner of hudson and christopher streets to support its social programs


hodor
i guess mr hold t door is more accurate we now know but hell always be hodor to us whats that oh nothing just some snow in my eye ...
as with many epic sagas the story and action in game of thrones are driven largely by characters moving toward and eventually becoming the people they are supposed to be while we tend to focus on the big ticket destinies whether its daenerys targaryen emerging triumphantly from the flames last week or jon snow rising from the dead to fight again the smaller figures have their own slots to fill
and so it went on sunday although smaller figure is perhaps not the best descriptor for the behemoth formerly known as the stable boy wyllis im not sure it makes sense to say that hodor realized his destiny on sunday because hes been relaying said destiny repeatedly from the moment we met him but i like to think as the undead splintered the door and clawed at his face that the big fella had a supremely satisfying moment of existential clarity oh so thats what ive been saying this whole time
 interview kristian nairn on hodors demise 
the white walker attack provided a tense and terrifying end to an episode largely devoted to setting up future events but the past too was on the minds of many of the characters whether it was sansa finally confronting littlefinger over abandoning her to ramsay arya enduring a skewed theatrical version of her fathers execution jorah finally proclaiming his longstanding love for dany or even varys treating kinvara with the scorn he reserves for magical posers thanks to his mutilation by a sorcerer until the priestess chilled him by recounting the details of his abuse do we think that guys still in that box in kings landing
the most crucial bit of back story of course was the revelation that the odd little children of the forest were the ones who invented white walkers in the first place as weapons against humanity we saw what that got them on sunday as their former creations returned to rampage through the magical tree cave butchering forest children and yet another direwolf rip summer killed by winter
the nights king was the darth vader to the three eyed ravens obi wan kenobi striking him down and accelerating brans jedi time traveling warg training there were also shades of the matrix the hordes breaching the barricades as our hero refuses to snap out of his alternate reality ready or not the raven told bran youre me now
and hes definitely not ready as bran flees into the frozen wasteland he must deal with the fact that not only did his most loyal companion just die presumably to save him but that bran in a convoluted sense doomed hodor to his simpleton life by recklessly vision questing on his own and drawing the white walkers to the magical cave
of course that means that the way everything transpired was the way it was always supposed to go down or something things get tricky once you start time traveling fun fact the episode was directed by jack bender who did plenty of time skipping storytelling as one of the primary directors of lost im curious and also slightly afraid to see how much an already convoluted show will further complicate itself with this new element
but in this case the mobius strip approach worked imbuing an already suspenseful and sad moment with deep poignancy and meaning the genuinely surprising revelation that hodors entire life had been sacrificed to later save brans   which will presumably have grander world saving ramifications   made for one of the most moving deaths on the show to date and recast an endearing fool in a heroic light
one last thing about the white walker invasion that could amount to nothing but im going to mention it anyway did you notice how meera brans protector dispatched that swordsman in a similar fashion to how jon snow dispatched that swordsmans twin last season at hardhome perhaps her spear was tipped in dragonglass which like the valyrian steel jons sword is made of is deadly to white walkers
but its worth recalling that meera is not just some random hanger on   shes the daughter of howland reed the guy who saved ned stark by stabbing arthur dayne at the tower of joy the show saw fit to depict her father a few weeks ago so maybe well learn more about her as the season goes on the similarity was uncanny at any rate
from the pillaged tree well head south to castle black where sansa jon davos and brienne made plans to retake winterfell with a loose coalition of northern houses and whatever stragglers they can pick up along the way
tormund is still smitten but sadly for both him and for thrones shippers everywhere it sounds like brienne will be heading to riverrun to talk to uncle blackfish about lending his restored tully forces brynden blackfish tully you may or may not recall was catelyn starks uncle who attended the red wedding but left before things got ugly he also advised robb stark not to behead lord karstark back in season 3 which was ignored and is the reason the karstarks now back ramsay
sansa could have even more troops supporting her if shed accept littlefingers help which she wont and who can blame her she talked to her former mentor for the first time since he left winterfell last season and it went about as well as youd think you were either a monster or an idiot for leaving me with ramsay she said littlefinger pleaded idiot and he seemed sincere but sansa wasnt in the forgiving mood
what do you think he did to me she asked him repeatedly forcing littlefinger to acknowledge his culpability in what resulted from his thoughtless ambition we all know what happened because it was only the most controversial thing on the show last year but whether in response to the criticism over sansas rape or because this is how this subplot was always designed the show is finally handling the fallout of sexual violence with some nuance sansa is scarred by her experiences but not defined by them   she has evolved from a person seeking men to protect her to one who relies upon herself and the occasional giant warrior maiden
none of which means shes willing to forgive or forget she rebuked littlefinger thwarting at least temporarily whatever scheme he had for capitalizing on the war in the north the man always has a plan for ramsay we can only hope for much much worse
over in braavos the other stark daughter has her eyes back but is still getting smacked around on a regular basis by the waif who has some serious class issues her grudge isnt enough to keep arya from getting a rare second chance from the faceless men however and wouldnt you know it a girls first gig as an official no one involves watching a third rate theater troupe mocking the very thing shes not supposed to care about anymore whats worse theyve mangled the story to the point that ned is the clown and joffrey seemed halfway sympathetic
silver lining she gets to kill the woman playing cersei a member of aryas kill list so that sort of counts right that said it doesnt seem like shes planning to go through with it
speaking of reframing the narrative tyrion continues to embrace his role as danys chief fixer and spin doctor its not enough that things have calmed down in meereen he tells varys the citizens have to know it was the mother of dragons breaker of chains and all that who brought it about
enter kinvara a green eyed red priestess who favors the same chokers as melisandre and thus might also be over 800 years old she promised to use a crew of silver tongued clerics to retail the message and sang the same the one weve been waiting for song about dany that melisandre has been dedicating lately to jon snow that suggests either a some interesting parallels between the two or b thats pretty much the standard red priestess line
didnt you guys say that about stannis too varys asked
kinvara eh you win some you lose some
 as expected euron greyjoy showed up to collect the iron islands crown on sunday less expected was his radical transparency sure i murdered my brother he said on the stump who didnt want to kill him i only regret not doing it sooner then he made some emasculating jokes at theons expense theon and yara realizing that conventional political strategy is useless against a bully candidate without shame rounded up some ships and made for the horizon
 apparently euron plans to offer his fleet in service to dany if theon and yara dont get there first but all that can wait for on sunday the unburnt finally gave poor jorah a taste of the sweet sweet khaleesi kindness hes been craving for as long as i can remember he only had to get greyscale battle his way through the fighting pits and nearly have his head caved in by a dothraki to get it but still worth it
 youll recall that stannis actually found a way to stop shireens greyscale before it reached stone men status too bad that family is too dead to share any of its home remedies
 is it me or do the writers seem to be winking at the universe beyond the known world more frequently this season jon snows resurrection a few weeks ago included a haircut which was an oddly heated subplot during the off season and weve had several in jokes about his brooding nature brienne had another one on sunday then on sunday we saw what could easily be construed as a response to the calls many in jest it should be noted for more male nudity on the show be careful what you wish for i guess


president barack obama made history in vietnam lifting the arms embargo in advance of a visit to hiroshima and a group of 7 meeting in japan between time constraints and presidential security he may not have a chance to sightsee in a country that has plenty to offer tourists including picturesque port cities temples and seemingly countless historic sites
if the president happens to find some room in his itinerary however travel experts share the top five attractions that he along with any traveler to vietnam should consider seeing
halong bay
this collection of more than 1600 limestone islands and islets scattered around emerald green waters is a unesco world heritage site in northeast vietnam and a must see according to beth sherer the asia product manager and vietnam specialist for the upscale trip outfitter abercrombie  kent they are incredibly beautiful and full of limestone caves and grottoes you can explore and also floating villages you can visit to see how people make their livelihoods from the water she said
the best way to navigate around the bay she said is by taking an overnight junk boat tour many local tour companies as well as ak offer these
the temple of literature
the temple of literature is a sprawling complex in hanoi that because of traffic is about a 30 minute drive from the center of the city built in 1070 and dedicated to confucius it was also vietnams first university its a peaceful place with courtyards green lawns and a pond and a highlight is seeing the names of more than a thousand scholars inscribed on tombstones said eva van truong a native of vietnam and managing director of the reverie saigon an upscale hotel in ho chi minh city visitors may also spot local students many come to the temple to pray before their exams
cu chi tunnels
situated in a tropical jungle about two and a half hours from ho chi minh city this network of extensive tunnels is where several military campaigns took place during the vietnam war and also where viet cong soldiers based themselves travelers can go into the tunnels said ms sherer but they are not for the faint of heart you have to crouch down on your hands and knees and crawl in so they are not suited for those who are claustrophobic she said
the best way to see and learn about them she said is to hire a guide who can explain the structure of the tunnel system and how vietnamese soldiers used them during the war
hoi an
ms truong says that it is worthwhile for travelers to vietnam to spend at least a day in hoi an a unesco world heritage site city on the central coast a southeast asian trading port from the 15th to 19th centuries its incredibly well preserved she said and best explored on foot the streets are pedestrian friendly and you can walk around and see the historic houses and also walk along the thu bon river she said
tourists who visit on the 14th day of the lunar month   the night of the full moon   are in for even more of a spectacle come evening all electrical lights are shut off and locals turn the city aglow by lighting colorful lanterns locals and visitors alike also light smaller versions of the lanterns to float down the river
hanois french quarter
get a flavor of city life by whiling away an afternoon in hanois french quarter also the center of activity in hanoi the architecture is from when the french colonized the city and the scene is always vibrant and bustling ms sherer said tourists will see neon light displays vendors hawking local goods such as lanterns and slippers street stalls selling bowls of the vietnamese noodle soup pho and plenty of cafes with outdoor tables filled with locals drinking vietnamese coffee ms sherer recommends taking a tuk tuk or three wheeled scooter ride through the area to get a sense of place before stopping at a cafe to people watch and absorb the sights and sounds


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good dawning to thee friends thats oswald saying sup in shakespeares king lear whats your favorite greeting grilled cheese sandwiches are on the lunch menu today thanks to jennifer steinhauer down in the washington bureau of the times grilled taleggio augmented with apricots and capers she makes them on raisin bread you dont have to
and then itll be off to the store for supplies shopping today may be a full contact affair with everyone in the neighborhood flooding the aisles of the supermarket to stock larders for the week to come but that doesnt make it a bad idea put your helmet on and get in the game
for sunday dinner try mark bittmans recipe for chicken with vinegar serve with a pot of this soubise recipe i learned from the los angeles chef suzanne goin and a platter of asparagus
on monday perhaps you could cook nigella lawsons recipe for penne alla vodka then watch clips from la dolce vita on youtube
tuesdays feeling turkish you could thread some skewers with halibut or swordfish and make david taniss recipe for turkish spiced fish skewers with yogurt sauce
on wednesday perhaps you could try marks recipe for pad kee mao a thai stir fry of uncommon excellence if you cant find the thai soy sauce simply mix regular soy into a tablespoon of molasses if you cant find holy or thai basil just use the italian kind
thursday how about melissa clarks recipe for sauteed salmon with brown butter cucumbers
slide a few egg yolks into soy sauce after dinner and on friday night you can greet the weekend with soy pickled eggs on a big bed of short grained rice or make this bonus recipe from my recent trip to london to cook with yotam ottolenghi for caramelized beets and saffron orange yogurt
other recipes to cook this week can be found on the cooking site and apps save them rate them leave notes on them share them with friends and show us your cooking on the social media platform of your choice were on facebook also twitter weve got a pinterest page we post on instagram were nytcooking for life
now check out these kitchen appliances of the future courtesy of those scamps at bon appetit read robert draper on the wild ride of donald trump in the new york times magazine and then maybe check out these upstate fly guys getting things done in the sweet water its important to remember even in newsletters life happens outside if you get in trouble holler cookingcarenytimescom have a great week


here are the weeks top stories and a look ahead
1 the crash of egyptair flight 804 an airbus a320 with 66 people aboard remains unexplained though prior security threats are being taken into consideration one analyst said automatic data transmissions indicated that something violent had set off a progressive flight control system failure as the jet moved from greek to egyptian airspace it was the latest disaster for egypt which has suffered political turmoil islamist violence and other aviation disasters

2 president obama is beginning a weeklong visit to asia bolstering resistance to chinas growing strength hell spend several days in vietnam navigating through reminders of the us war and evidence of the countrys authoritarianism he then heads to japan under the shadow of another killing linked to an american from the us base in okinawa on friday mr obama will become the first sitting us president to visit hiroshima the site of a us atomic bombing at the end of world war ii

3 open hostility toward hillary clinton pervaded the presidential race bernie sanders buoyed by polls showing him beating donald trump by margins larger than hers aimed to damage her further before the party convention in july mr trump called her crooked and heartless in a speech to the national rifle association he accused her of wanting to overturn the second amendment and set violent criminals loose

4 the steady advance of the far right in europe could power one of the movements standard bearers into the austrian presidency norbert hofer of the anti immigrant freedom party appears to have a solid chance of winning todays election if so hell be the first far right european head of state since the end of nazism

5 there was a surprise in a longstanding word war a poll showed that nine out of 10 native americans dont take offense at the term redskin prompting a turnaround by a prominent critic of the washington redskins name its unsettling to learn now that i vented all that energy and passion on behalf of such a small fraction of the native american population wrote the washington posts robert mccartney still many non natives think the words a slur do you register your opinion here

6 a massachusetts man broke through many layers of taboos to speak openly about his penis transplant the first in the us and the second successful one on record thomas manning said he hoped that speaking out would help men suffer less stigma and more hope if they lose their genitals to cancer like himself or to wartime injuries although his anatomy may have been damaged a reader commented hes got courage and hes all man

7 twitters founder and ceo wants to give 68 million of his own shares in the company to his workers to compensate for the falling value of their existing portfolios jack dorsey will need approval from shareholders at their annual meeting on wednesday and a bloomberg report says the messaging service will soon stop counting photos and links against its famed 140 character limit

8 canadas vast wildfire continues to rage crossing from alberta into saskatchewan nearly 2000 square miles have been charred an area comparable to the state of delaware an invasion of black bears may complicate plans for the return of some of the nearly 90000 people evacuated from the town of fort mcmurray

9 health news opioid prescriptions saw the first sustained drop in the us since oxycontin hit the market in 1996 the us is monitoring 279 pregnant women for possible zika infections 157 in the states and 122 in territories including puerto rico and a large study showed that eating potatoes four or more times a week could increase the risk of high blood pressure

10 finally let us take you far far away nasas new horizons spacecraft took nearly 10 years to reach pluto our virtual reality film created using data from the flyby gets you there and back in seven minutes
have a great week

your weekend briefing is published sundays at 6 am eastern
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new york
a map in some editions last sunday with an article about the opening of a walkway to randalls island from the bronx omitted another pedestrian approach the 103rd street walkway allows people to reach the southeastern corner of the island from manhattan an updated map can be found at nytimescomnyregion
metropolitan
an art review in some editions on may 8 about the longhouse reserve sculpture garden and landscape art center misstated the surname of an artist whose work the invisible is on display there he is enrique martinez celaya not ceyala

an outdoors listing in the connecticut calendar in some editions on may 1 about bird club field trips in milford misstated the telephone numbers for the new haven bird clubs tour guides they are 203 888 5757 for the tour in the river wildlife sanctuary and 203 526 7667 for the tour on the housatonic river the error was repeated in a listing on may 8

because of an editing error a theater review in some editions last sunday about white guy on the bus misstated part of the name of the theater in trenton where the play is being performed through today it is the mill hill playhouse not the mill house playhouse
sports
the on golf column on may 5 about a decision by some top golfers not to participate in the rio de janeiro olympics referred incorrectly to a precaution rory mcilroy was taking before going to the olympics while mcilroy said he was willing to get a vaccination for the zika virus there is not currently such a vaccine
the magazine
an article on page 29 this weekend about donald j trumps improbable journey to the republican nomination for president misstates the sequence of events by which paul manafort a senior adviser joined trumps presidential campaign manafort was referred to trump by more than one person close to the campaign not just by the former trump adviser roger stone and manaforts march 24 meeting with trump occurred before not after trump read a wall street journal article describing ted cruzs delegate strategy

an article on may 8 about prostitution misstated the legal status of prostitution in the netherlands it is legal throughout the country   not just in amsterdam   though subject to local regulations the article also misidentified the academic field of elizabeth bernstein a barnard professor who studies sex work she is a sociologist not an anthropologist and the article described bulgaria incorrectly it is a balkan state not a baltic state
t travel
an entry in the this and that feature on page 32 this weekend about a new collaboration between the jeweler brooke garber neidich and the fashion designer duro oluwo erroneously includes one person among those who are fans of the sidney garber jewelry line which garber neidich designs while hillary clinton might be a fan as the article noted that could not be confirmed she is however friends with garber neidich the article also refers incompletely to the fabrics oluwo uses in his designs they come from a variety of sources not just african printed fabrics

an article on page 110 this weekend about the british designer chloe lonsdales denim brand mih and her house in sussex erroneously includes one person among those involved in lonsdales london pop up shop while the boutique owner alex eagle was involved at one point that is no longer the case in addition an accompanying picture caption misidentifies a collection to which a dress of lonsdales design belongs it is part of mih jeanss pre fall 2016 collection not the cult denim project collection

a picture caption on page 144 this weekend with an article about the cultural resilience of the people of beirut in the face of continuing political strife misstates the time of day the photograph was taken it was sunset not sunrise
sunday review
an opinion article last sunday about the intelligence of fishes misidentified the cause of the overfishing of bluefin tuna bluefin tuna are harvested for sushi they are not used by the canning industry

a map accompanying an opinion article last sunday about the drawing of borders in the middle east mislabeled the country on the far right portion of the map it is iran not iraq
arts  leisure
an article last sunday about a group of gospel singers misstated the surname of the editor in chief of root a magazine aimed at young gospel fans he is hasan james not jones

a q and a with eva green on may 8 misidentified the profession of a character on the show penny dreadful dr seward played by patti lupone is an alienist not a mentalist
sunday styles
an article last sunday about the model gisele bundchen misidentified the game after which ms bundchen whose husband is the new england patriots quarterback tom brady was videotaped reacting emotionally to the teams loss it was super bowl xlvi when the patriots lost to the new york giants it was not super bowl xlix when they beat the seattle seahawks

a picture caption last sunday with a brief article about the glass house philip johnsons estate in new canaan conn omitted the credit the photograph of a dancer rehearsing at the house was taken by evan whale
vows
a report on may 8 about the marriage of irim salik and mahmud riffat misspelled part of the name of the group through which the couples officiant received her ordination it is the first nation church not the first nations church
real estate
the hunt column on may 8 misstated the sales price of a co op on montague street in brooklyn heights it was 700000 not 649000
book review
a review last sunday about the memoir sex with shakespeare referred incorrectly to the sexual orientation of the author jillian keenan while the two principal sexual relationships examined in the book were with men she says she is not mostly heterosexual

the open book feature on may 8 misstated the medium of a 1994 adaptation of richard russos novel nobodys fool in which paul newman played the protagonist it was a studio film for general release not an hbo production it was another russo novel empire falls that was adapted for a 2005 hbo mini series in which newman also had a role
travel
an article on may 15 about berlin misspelled the name of a cookie sold at a berlin bakery it is ampelmannchen not ampfelmannchen and a picture caption described krumme lanke incorrectly it is one of several lakes in the grunewald not one of two lakes

an article on may 8 about astrotourism on the canary islands overstated columbuss connection to the islands while he stopped there in 1492 he did not discover the islands other european navigators visited the islands before him

an article on may 1 about denvers union station incorrectly described the airport train schedule at denvers union station the train to the airport from union station runs every 15 minutes from 430 am to 630 pm daily it does not run every 15 minutes between 3 am and 1 am the following day
the times welcomes comments and suggestions or complaints about errors that warrant correction messages on news coverage can be e mailed to nytnewsnytimescom or left toll free at 1 844 nyt news 1 844 698 6397 comments on editorials may be e mailed to lettersnytimescom or faxed to 212 556 3622
readers dissatisfied with a response or concerned about the papers journalistic integrity may reach the public editor at publicnytimescom or 212 556 7652
for newspaper delivery questions 1 800 nytimes 1 800 698 4637 or e mail customercarenytimescom


joe kelly pitched no hit ball into the seventh inning in his first start after a month on the disabled list to lead the red sox to a 9 1 win over cleveland in boston on saturday
relying mostly on fastballs with an occasional curveball and slider kelly struck out seven and walked three
i just felt super strong out there kelly said all the work ive been putting in since i went out on the dl in getting the shoulder stronger in the training room it was good to go out there and not even think about it
kelly got plenty of support from bostons bats mookie betts had a grand slam and a solo homer and jackie bradley jr extended his majors best hitting streak to 26 games with an infield single dom dimaggio owns the red sox record with a 34 game hitting streak in 1949
kelly 2 0 came off the 15 day disabled list earlier in the day after being out with a right shoulder impingement since april 20 he shut down the indians until juan uribes double with two outs in the seventh
manager john farrell immediately pulled kelly at 104 pitches after the hit he left to a long loud ovation
cubs fall to giants matt cain pitched six strong innings and helped himself with his bat buster posey added a two run homer and the san francisco giants beat the visiting chicago cubs 5 3
cain 1 5 got his first victory since july 22 2015 ending a streak of 15 consecutive winless starts he contributed to his cause with a two run double in the second inning
chicagos jon lester 4 3 allowed five runs on six hits and three walks in his worst outing of the season the cubs are 2 3 so far on a nine game road trip
fight jersey for sale maybethe washington nationals star bryce harper said an auction house had the wrong shirt lelandscom is offering a jersey harper is said to have worn during a dugout dust up last season with his teammate jonathan papelbon but harper said he still had the jersey
around the majors lorenzo cain hit a solo home run and five kansas city pitchers helped the visiting royals beat the slumping chicago white sox 2 1 chicago has now lost eight of its last 10 williams perez took a two hitter into the seventh and atlanta beat host philadelphia 2 0 for its second series win of the season  michael fulmer struck out 11 and cameron maybin james mccann and j d martinez homered to give detroit a 5 4 win over visiting tampa bay the rays kevin kiermaier broke his glove hand trying to make a diving catch in the fifth  the fill in shortstop eduardo nunez homered to cap a five run eighth inning as minnesota beat visiting toronto 5 3 for just its fourth win in 21 games
brooks koepka overcame two early bogeys and the huge shadow of playing alongside jordan spieth in his home event to take the lead into the final round of the byron nelson in irving tex
koepka shot a five under par 65 to match the best 54 hole score at the nelson   a 16 under 194   and finish his round two strokes ahead of spieth who shot 67
spieth a native of nearby dallas played his first pga tour event at the nelson as a 16 year old amateur six years ago his image is everywhere at the tournament including 8000 bobblehead dolls that were given away saturday
mcilroy leads in ireland rory mcilroy could be on the cusp of his first irish open victory if the heavens permit him to finish lightning storms bedeviled the third round at the k club in straffan ireland play was suspended for the night with mcilroy ready to tee off at the 16th hole with a three stroke lead over the masters champion danny willett
mcilroy protested to officials amid heavy rain that fading light had prevented him from seeing the course properly officials had already suspended play twice and evacuated the course for nearly four hours because of lightning
jutanugarn seeks a streak ariya jutanugarn moved into position for her second straight lpga tour victory with a bogey free six under 65 to take the third round lead at the kingsmill championship in williamsburg va
the 20 year old jutanugarn had three birdies in a four hole stretch on the front nine then birdied three of the last six holes she won two weeks ago in alabama to become thailands first winner in lpga tour history
nneka ogwumike had 25 points and visiting los angeles rallied past the liberty 79 72 in overtime
candace parker added 14 points and 12 rebounds for the undefeated sparks who had won their first two games of the season by an average of 30 points
after the sparks rallied from a 7 point deficit in the fourth tina charles had a chance to win it for the liberty in regulation but her 15 foot jumper bounced off the rim charles had 17 points and 16 rebounds for the liberty 2 1
finland beat russia 3 1 in moscow to set up an ice hockey world championship final against canada which beat the united states 4 3
the finns the only unbeaten team are on course for their first world championship since 2011
forward sebastian aho 18 helped finland win with two goals he attributed to great passes to me adding that he was looking forward to the gold medal game i like to win and i hate to lose he said
top seeded dominic thiem of austria beat the german teenager alexander zverev 6 4 3 6 6 0 to win the nice open in france clinching his third atp title of the year
thiem broke zverevs serve six times on his way to a sixth career title zverev 19 who was seeded eighth and was playing in his first career final double faulted nine times   four in the deciding set
french player wins caroline garcia of france defeated mirjana lucic baroni of croatia 6 4 6 1 to win the strasbourg international in france for her second career title lucic baroni 34 was back in the strasbourg final 19 years after losing to steffi graf there
james hinchcliffe who nearly died last year from a life threatening leg injury sustained in a practice crash for the indianapolis 500 took the top seed heading into the nine car pole shootout for this years race
hinchcliffe barely held onto the top seed with a four lap average of 230946 miles per hour ryan hunter reay was second at 230805


wesley charlotte royce and patrick john conlisk were married may 21 at christ church in greenwich conn the rev dr james lemler an episcopal priest performed the ceremony
the couple met at yale from which each received an mba
ms royce 30 is keeping her name she works at lincoln center in new york where she is a project manager for a department that creates websites videos and apps for the performing arts centers festivals she graduated from brown
she is the daughter of karen f royce and chuck m royce both of greenwich and the stepdaughter of deborah g royce the brides father is the founder of a mutual fund company in new york that bears his name he is also the principal owner of the ocean house resort in watch hill ri and a trustee of the frick collection in manhattan her mother retired as a senior vice president in asset management at oppenheimer  company she is the president of the board of neighbor to neighbor a food pantry and clothing distribution center in greenwich and a director of the endupoto primary school for maasai children in tanzania
mr conlisk 32 is an associate manager in corporate financial planning and analysis at the headquarters of pepsico in purchase ny he graduated magna cum laude from boston college
he is the son of adelaide a conlisk and patrick o conlisk of setauket ny the grooms mother retired as a dental hygienist his father retired as a special agent in the new york field office of the united states treasury department specializing in financial crimes tax fraud and money laundering cases


reighan alexandra gillam and milton sandy frederick curry were married may 21 at the museum of contemporary art detroit the rev deon johnson an episcopal priest officiated
the bride 35 and groom 51 work in ann arbor at the university of michigan where she is an assistant professor of communication studies and afro american and african studies and he is an associate dean in the taubman college of architecture and urban planning
dr gillam who is keeping her name graduated from the university of virginia and received a phd in anthropology from cornell
she is the daughter of dorothy j gillam and warren h gillam of harrisburg pa the brides father retired as a history teacher at william penn high school in harrisburg her mother retired as a chemist for the state department of agriculture also in harrisburg
mr curry graduated from cornell and received a masters degree in architecture from harvard
he is a son of mary a curry and dr ulysses s curry of fresno calif the grooms father retired as a general practitioner in fresno
mr curry first approached ms gillam in august 2008 when she was playing ms pacman at the pixel lounge now closed in ithaca ny she thought that he wanted to play the game and told him to wait his turn but he was actually after her phone number


drew catherine damman and rory eric golod were married may 21 at the breakers in palm beach fla james m gariepy an uncle of the bride who became a universal life minister for the event officiated
the bride 30 works in new york as an associate director for chanel where she is responsible for fashion marketing advertising and events for multibrand retailers in the united states she graduated summa cum laude from boston university
she is a daughter of anne g damman and archie j damman iii of bloomfield hills mich the brides father owns adco circuits an electronics maker in rochester hills mich her mother is an interior designer in bloomfield hills
the groom also 30 is a business development manager at compass a national real estate brokerage firm based in new york he graduated from the university of richmond
he is a son of edward i golod of huntington ny and the late niki gregory who lived in cold spring harbor ny the groom is a stepson of joseph gregory his stepfather who worked in new york was the president and chief operating officer of lehman brothers the grooms mother is a former chairwoman of the maurer foundation for breast health education in hauppauge ny
the couple met in new york in december 2009 after mr golod saw a photo of ms damman on a mutual friends facebook page


andrew ernesto borchini and john scott riley johnson were married may 21 at the parker a resort in palm springs calif robert p barrett a friend of the couple who became a universal life minister for the event officiated
mr borchini left 34 is a vice president in new york with barclays the british bank where he assists the chief of staff with legal and regulatory issues he graduated from the university of virginia and received a law degree from the university of pennsylvania
he is a son of susan a borchini and charles p borchini of kissimmee fla his mother a former army captain and his father a retired army colonel are the owners of borchini realty a real estate agency in kissimmee
mr johnson also 34 is the vice president of urban standard development a real estate development company in new york where he is in charge of construction and of design and acquisition of properties he graduated from bates college
he is a son of patricia r johnson and thomas d johnson of washington his mother retired as the canon missioner of the washington national cathedral where she coordinated community outreach and charity efforts she also founded and served as chief executive of rebuilding together a nonprofit organization based in washington his father is the president of business research services a newsletter publishing company and riley  johnson a market research consultancy in bethesda md
the couple met in 2011 through mutual friends in new york


toronto   demar derozan scored 32 points and bismack biyombo set a toronto playoff record with 26 rebounds as the raptors beat cleveland 99 84 on saturday night in game 3 of the eastern conference finals the loss was the first of this postseason for the cavaliers who lead the best of seven series by two games to one
kyle lowry scored 20 points cory joseph added 14 and patrick patterson and demarre carroll had 10 points apiece for the raptors toronto lost the first two games in cleveland by a combined 50 points
in toronto where we the north is a raptors rallying cry a capacity crowd dressed in red and white t shirts helped the team improve to 7 2 at home in these playoffs game 4 is monday night at air canada centre
lebron james scored 24 points and j r smith had 22 for the cavaliers cleveland won its first 10 playoff games and was trying to match the los angeles lakers record of 11 straight victories to begin a postseason the lakers did it in 1989 and again in 2001
kyrie irving scored 13 points and channing frye had 11 for cleveland the cavaliers were held below 100 points for the first time in these playoffs
it was a rough night for cavaliers forward kevin love who scored 3 points and made one of nine field goal attempts james also had five assists moving past jason kidd and into third place on the nbas career playoff list
with his team ahead by 8 biyombo scored 6 straight points in the final quarter to put the raptors up 91 77 at 3 minutes 38 seconds
derozan scored 12 points in the first period but his buzzer beating 3 pointer was waved off after a video review lowry scored 8 points despite picking up his second foul at 540 as toronto led 27 24 after the opening quarter it was the first time in nine quarters this series that the raptors had outscored the cavaliers
james went down clutching his face after being accidentally elbowed by jason thompson during a scuffle at center court late in the second thompson and joseph were given technicals on the play james recovered to make a 3 pointer in the final seconds but cleveland trailed 60 47 at halftime
derozan scored 10 in the third quarter as the raptors led by 80 70 heading into the fourth


rebecca harbster pincus and nathan peter reigner were married may 21 rabbi jon r haddon officiated at pigeon hill farm a wedding space in east berkshire vt
the couple met in 2010 at a birthday party in burlington vt where each was studying at the university of vermont for their doctoral degrees in natural resources
dr pincus 32 will keep her name she is a visiting professor in the government department specializing in security in the arctic region at the united states coast guard academy in new london conn she also leads research at the center for arctic strategy and policy there in 2015 she went to reykjavik iceland on a fulbright scholarship where she studied political power dynamics in the arctic region and taught at the university of iceland
she graduated from georgetown and received a masters degree in environmental law from vermont law school she is a daughter of judith d pincus of ridgefield conn and the late mark j pincus the brides father was a municipal bond trader at d a pincus  company a bond trading operation that was in ridgefield
dr reigner 37 is a consultant at resource systems group an engineering and analytics firm in white river junction vt he helps national parks solve crowding and conflict issues he graduated from gettysburg college and received a masters degree in forestry from virginia polytechnic institute
he is the son of maribeth e reigner and peter k reigner of palm pa the grooms mother who is retired taught first grade at hereford elementary school in hereford pa his father also retired was a chemistry teacher at methacton high school in eagleville pa


eva helene dambrosio a daughter of carol bott dambrosio and dr leo t dambrosio of indianapolis was married at her parents house may 21 to matthew alexander herman the son of kimberly d herman and steven r herman of rockville centre ny lawrence c mandel a minister affiliated with american marriage ministries officiated
ms dambrosio who is 28 is keeping her name she is a foreign service officer working in washington as a trade negotiator in the office of south and central asian affairs at the united states trade representatives office in august she is to be posted in abu dhabi as an economic officer she graduated with distinction from indiana university
mr herman 31 is a founder and the chief technology officer working remotely from washington for trace vfx a visual effects company with offices in new york and mumbai india
both were living in mumbai in 2013 when ms dambrosio and mr herman were introduced through okcupid she was then an economic reporting officer at the united states consulate and he was setting up a new office for his company
ms dambrosio said she went on a couple of dates with local men and the first guy turned out to be around 16 and the next one told her matter of factly that he had a wife
she decided to search more familiar turf limiting herself to americans living in mumbai she came across mr hermans profile whose funny photos including one of him with a giant wooden bear in maine inspired her to send him a message
after chatting online for a couple of days they met at sanchos a mexican restaurant in mumbai where mr herman riddled her with questions about a mumbai politician the late bal thackeray all the while continually taking calls and text messages from contractors setting up his new office
it was a bad first date said ms dambrosio who at first suspected he was secretly a journalist trying to get a juicy quotation out of a united states government official she began giving him bland responses talking in diplospeak and giving him one word answers
i thought that was it he said recalling that she seemed cagey but two weeks later she did text me and asked if i wanted to go to an art fair in belapur
at the fair neither had much in the way of expectations and as a result they were a lot more relaxed
the second date was awesome she said we took a rickshaw and got totally lost in a random part of india we were laughing and joking technically everything went wrong but we still had fun
when he told her he had a motorcycle she knew he was the right person to help her start up a beat up light blue vespa with a sidecar that she had recently bought through an indian equivalent of craigslist
he stopped by to help her the next day
he looked the part of a tech start up employee so i was surprised when he was handy and mechanical she said of the vespa she said it was completely falling apart and had the engine of a lawn mower belching black smoke
he kissed her that evening on her rooftop and after finally repairing the vespa mr herman began driving with ms dambrosia in the sidecar all around mumbai on weekends as unmistakable foreigners they became quite the sight daring to ride such a sorry looking vehicle in the constant sea of indian traffic
all the mumbaikars were laughing honking and waving when they would see us go by she said


elizabeth marie walsh a daughter of dr marie b walsh and michael s walsh of baton rouge la was married may 21 to michael reid simon the son of margo l reid and gregory c simon of bethesda md the rev andrew d sutton a friend of the couple and a minister of the first united methodist church of lafayette la officiated at the carnegie institution for science in washington
ms walsh 26 is keeping her name she is the associate director of product management at evolent health a health care technology and services company in arlington va
her father is a partner in taylor porter brooks  phillips a law firm in baton rouge her mother is the director of the louisiana local technical assistance program at the louisiana transportation research center on the campus of louisiana state university the program finances highway safety improvements in louisiana
mr simon who is also 26 and is known as reid works in reston va as a software development consultant with microsoft
his mother is a bethesda based consultant to arts and environmental organizations including most recently the glen echo park partnership for arts and culture the former amusement park in glen echo md that is now an arts center his father who works in washington is the executive director of the white house cancer moonshot task force led by vice president joseph r biden jr
ms walsh and mr simon met in september 2008 during a pre semester convocation at the university of pennsylvania from which they later graduated she with two bachelors degrees in international relations and political science and he with a bachelors degree in systems science and engineering
in the brief time that we spoke i found her to be smart sassy and very confident mr simon said
they soon realized that they lived a floor apart in the same dormitory it wasnt really where the cool kids were mr simon said they became fast friends
he was very kind and very smart creative and inclusive ms walsh said he had all the qualities you would want in a friend especially when youre trying to make other friends
in july 2009 he flew to visit her at her familys home in baton rouge where he stayed for three days leading their families to start becoming skeptical about our so called friendship as mr simon put it
i distinctly remember my mom being suspicious she said moms just know
when she returned the favor by visiting his family for thanksgiving nobody believed that we were just friends anymore mr simon said
by december they were dating steadily and were still dating in january 2011 when ms walsh now in her junior year went on a five month study abroad program to cape town in march mr simon boarded a plane for cape town
getting together in south africa was a sign of our deep commitment he said we were both very ambitious and very driven people who by that time felt very comfortable around each other
after graduation both landed jobs in washington and last october he proposed on a frigid blustery day at shenandoah national park in virginia where they went hiking as they began their descent in the face of fierce cold winds mr simon suddenly dropped to one knee and pulled out an engagement ring
he was so nervous about dropping the ring that he was not willing to let it out of his hands she said laughing i had to kind of fight him for it and i finally managed to take it away and slip it on my finger


jordana nicole marshall and lonny neal kline were married may 21 by rabbi benjamin spratt at the glen island harbour club in new rochelle ny
the bride 31 teaches first grade at the rodeph sholom school in manhattan she graduated from quinnipiac university and received a dual masters degree in early childhood special and general education from bank street college of education she is a daughter of deborah d marshall and jeffrey a marshall of manhattan
the groom 35 works in manhattan for the hedge fund services unit of northern trust corporation a chicago based holding company he is a vice president who manages a team providing hedge funds with risk management and other services he graduated summa cum laude from binghamton university he is the son of arlene r kline of manhattan and david s kline of muttontown ny and the stepson of nancy s kline
the couple met in manhattan in december 2012 at a holiday party hosted by ms marshall and marni kagan the new york matchmaker she then worked for as part of her duties as a matchmakers assistant ms marshall would attend charity events and talk with guests to find potential matches for clients and recruit singles for ms kagans database
as ms marshall looked through the database for bachelors to invite to the holiday party she remembered a friend dr matthew lorber and invited him to attend and to bring two guests   one of whom was mr kline
ms marshall decided to wear her favorite red dress just to stand out a bit i know every girl in new york city wears a black dress out she said but she wasnt there to find a date   she already had a boyfriend and besides she would be busy networking
mr kline noticed ms marshall right away i was mingling and then saw this girl in a red dress mr kline said i didnt know who she was but i kept an eye on her until she came over to talk to us
ms marshall asked mr kline if there was anyone at the event he was interested in meeting he said no youre my type and theres no one else here im interested in ms marshall said i was flattered but i told him i had a boyfriend
but it didnt end there they met again a week later at another party to which ms marshall had been sent to scout for potential matches by chance she was wearing the same outfit she had worn to the first gathering and mr kline also happened to be there he immediately spotted ms marshall
im at this party and i see the girl in a red dress he said but ms marshall told him that she was still otherwise attached and worse at least by mr klines way of thinking that she was meeting the boyfriends parents the next day
that means its serious mr kline said i thought wed just go our separate ways
a month later mr kline and ms marshall were both at a young jewish professionals event   and she was again wearing that strapless red dress i yelled across the room for her to come over mr kline said
she was happy to see him with one reservation
now i was really embarrassed because i was wearing the same dress bumping into him for the third time she said
but everything still looked just fine to mr kline he asked if she was still with her boyfriend and when she said no he got her phone number
ms marshall still has the red dress yes its the one in the photo above and wears it on special occasions adding if i could get married in that dress i would


sarah halzack and neil irwin were married may 21 at the national museum of women in the arts in washington the rev william j freeman a priest with the united american catholic church officiated
ms halzack 31 who will continue to use her name professionally is the national retail reporter for the washington post she is also a dancer with the dana tai soon burgess dance company in washington and appeared in september in confluence mandala picasso dances and we choose to go to the moon at the kennedy center in washington she graduated summa cum laude from george washington
she is a daughter of mary p halzack and gregory t halzack of suffield conn
mr irwin 37 works in washington as a senior economics correspondent for the new york times and is the author of the alchemists three central bankers and a world on fire he graduated cum laude from st marys college of maryland and received an mba from columbia
the groom is the son of nancy hicks irwin and lacoste e irwin of spartanburg sc
the couple met in 2007 when mr irwin was also working at the washington post


emily ann miller and todd jeffrey olmstead were married may 21 at the sutliff cider company in lisbon iowa andre perry a friend of the couple who became a universal life minister for the occasion officiated
the bride 30 is a graphic designer and illustrator based in brooklyn she graduated from the university of iowa
she is the daughter of ann e miller and william r miller of dubuque iowa
the groom 32 is a senior audience engagement editor in new york at the wall street journal where he helps run social media efforts he graduated from colby college and received a masters degree in journalism from nyu
he is a son of jeffrey g olmstead and gwen t olmstead of bloomfield conn
the couple met in march 2007 while both were working at the java house a coffee shop in iowa city


alpha mengistu a daughter of yewubdar kanaa guma of seattle and the late mengistu assefa of addis ababa ethiopia was married may 16 to alpha kiflu a son of enanu gebrehiwot of springfield va and kiflu shimiles of fort washington md webrest mekonen yemer an officer of civil status officiated at the addis ababa city government acts and civil status document registration office
on may 21 the couple took part in a wedding ceremony at the villa dei darmiento in santagnello di sorrento italy that incorporated ethiopian orthodox christian cultural traditions dr aelaf d worku a friend of the couple who became a universal life minister for the event led the ceremony
the bride 31 works in addis ababa as the general manager of the ethiopian division of diageo the london based spirits beer and wine company she graduated cum laude from the university of pennsylvania and received an mba from harvard
her mother is an event planner in seattle for the indus entrepreneurs a nonprofit organization that supports the growth of new businesses through mentoring networking education and funding her father was the legal counsel in addis ababa for ethiopian airlines
the groom 33 is the chief financial officer at alle bejimla a consumer goods business in addis ababa he graduated from james madison university
his mother retired as an account manager in washington for xerox his father is the resident life manager for the kirov ballet academy also in washington
the couple met in march 2012 at the annual africa business conference at harvard business school


kathryn maureen canary the daughter of maureen maloney canary of wilton conn and the late david canary was married may 21 to john louis rothmeier jr the son of jackie l stiles of rolfe iowa and john l rothmeier sr of east norwich ny john canary a universal life minister and an uncle of the bride led a nondenominational ceremony at the wilton presbyterian church
mrs rothmeier 29 is a freelance copywriter and editor in new york for online lifestyle design and wellness brands in june she is to become a copywriter at nyc  company the marketing tourism and partnership organization for the city of new york she graduated from northwestern
her father was an actor best known as the chandler twins adam and stuart on the soap opera all my children he won five emmy awards for the part and appeared on the show until 2010 he also played the role of candy canaday the ranch foreman of the ponderosa on bonanza until the shows finale in 1972 her mother also an actor appeared in musical theater productions she played eileen the sister of lauren bacalls character in wonderful town in 1977 at dallas summer musicals and was cleo in the national tour of i love my wife in 1979
mr rothmeier 31 is a fund raiser for the american red cross in new york and a chairman of the leadership council of the family center a brooklyn based charity serving families affected by crisis illness and loss he graduated from fordham
his mother is a member services representative assisting customers of pharmacists mutual an insurance company in algona iowa his father is the owner of inventive printing  graphics in east norwich
the couple were introduced through matchcom in october 2009


fiona fuller mcfarland and matthew donald melton are to be married may 22 at st andrews dune church in southampton ny the rev peter larsen an episcopalian minister is to perform the ceremony
they met as midshipmen at the naval academy from which both graduated
the bride 30 is keeping her name she is a navy lieutenant stationed at the pentagon but is leaving active duty the day of the wedding she received an mba from the university of north carolina
she is a daughter of k t mcfarland and alan r mcfarland of southampton her father is the managing member of mcfarland dewey company an investment bank in new york her mother who held national security positions in the nixon ford and reagan administrations is a fox news national security analyst in new york
mr melton also 30 is the director of sales for blueline grid a security software company in bethesda md he received a masters degree in security studies from georgetown he left the navy in 2011 at the rank of lieutenant
he is the son of jane b melton and michael l melton of palm harbor fla his mother is the area marketing director for chick fil a in tampa his father is a system administrator at plano synergy a sporting goods company in clearwater fla
the couple didnt begin dating until 10 years after meeting after reconnecting through tinder in 2014


jill esther jacinto a daughter of rivka b jacinto and the late joseph p jacinto of new york is to be married may 22 to sander gerard hessel van den bergh a son of loek j van den bergh danser and bert j van den bergh of tiel the netherlands rabbi joshua stanton is to officiate at battery gardens a restaurant in new york
the bride 30 is an associate director in new york for works an agency that provides advice on professional development for women she coordinates career counseling she graduated from the university of massachusetts at amherst
the groom 31 is a management consultant with accenture the consulting firm in new york where he helps clients comply with government regulations he graduated from washington university in st louis and received a law degree and an mba from fordham
the couple was introduced by mutual friends at a fordham law school graduation party in july 2012


alyssa leigh titche the daughter of sharyl l titche and claude a titche of grand rapids mich is to be married may 22 to matthew henry mckeown the son of margaret g mckeown and david m mckeown of pittsburgh rabbi albert m lewis is to officiate at the brides parents home in grand rapids
the couple met in september 2006 on the club tennis team at the university of michigan from which they graduated he summa cum laude
the bride 29 is to join the foley  lardner law firm in los angeles in the fall she received her law degree from ucla
the groom 30 is a senior engineering manager at spacex in hawthorne calif where he works on rocket propulsion systems he received a masters degree in aerospace engineering from michigan


dr hilary elizabeth faust a daughter of leslie s collinson of mount pleasant sc and dr stephen e faust of annapolis md was married may 21 to dr david dean aufhauser jr the son of jane t dana and david d aufhauser of washington the rev william billow an episcopal priest performed the ceremony at washington national cathedral
the couple met at stanford from which they graduated the groom with distinction they started dating during their first year of medical school at the university of pennsylvania from which they also graduated
dr faust 31 is a fellow in pulmonary and critical care at the university of california san francisco medical center in july she is to transfer to the hospital of the university of pennsylvania to complete her fellowship
her father is an orthopedic surgeon at anne arundel health services in annapolis and former chairman of surgery at anne arundel medical center in annapolis until 2011 her mother taught english as a second language as an adjunct professor at anne arundel community college in arnold md
dr aufhauser also 31 is a fifth year resident in general surgery at the hospital of the university of pennsylvania
from 2006 to 2007 his mother was the general counsel of the united states agency for international development in washington his father is a partner in the washington law firm williams  connolly and is on the board of the atlantic council a foreign policy research institute in washington


samuelle terese lazar a daughter of christine a lazar and andrew s lazar of greenwich conn was married may 21 to jesse bert jacobs a son of headley jacobs and william j jacobs of greenwich the rev ian jeremiah a roman catholic priest performed the ceremony at church of st michael the archangel in greenwich
mrs jacobs 25 is an analyst in the new york branch of ing the dutch bank selling financial products to other financial institutions she graduated from fordham
the brides father is a managing director in the new york office of bank of montreal her mother is a preschool teacher at round hill nursery school in greenwich
mr jacobs also 25 is the creative manager doing multimedia and graphic design at lumentus a marketing and online reputation management business in new york he graduated from elon university in elon nc
his father is the president of jmlj capital an investment firm in greenwich
the couple met in third grade and dated on and off in high school they reconnected in november 2014 in greenwich when a mutual friend invited mr jacobs to join him for dinner with ms lazar


dr leslie erin cohen the daughter of dr karen m kostroff and dr jon r cohen of great neck ny was married may 21 to dr brendan michael finnerty the son of carol s finnerty and stephen j finnerty of naples fla the rev r john nelson a retired roman catholic priest now affiliated with the federation of christian ministries officiated in the observatory at the top of one world trade center in new york
the couple met in 2010 in their general surgery class at the weill cornell campus of newyork presbyterian hospital in manhattan she is now a chief resident in the division of plastic and reconstructive surgery at its columbia and weill cornell campuses and he is a fourth year resident in general surgery at its weill cornell campus where in july he is to become the chief resident of general surgery
in july the bride 31 is to become a fellow in microsurgery in the nyu langone medical centers department of plastic surgery she graduated from stanford and the mount sinai school of medicine in new york
her father is the senior vice president and chief medical officer of quest diagnostics in madison nj until 2006 he was the chief medical officer for north shore lij health system now known as northwell health in new hyde park ny her mother is the chief of breast surgery for northwell health hospitals in new hyde park and manhasset ny
the groom 32 graduated from northwestern and the university of illinois college of medicine
his mother retired as a second grade teacher at john y dater school in ramsey nj his father retired as an executive vice president and business manager at hudson yards studios a provider of advertising and marketing production services in new york


michelle amy cooper the daughter of sheryl g cooper and bruce l cooper of marlboro nj is to be married may 22 to jason maxwell feirman the son of mindy b feirman and steven b feirman of potomac md rabbi donald weber is to officiate at red maple vineyard in west park ny
the bride 31 is the principal at success academy springfield gardens an elementary school in queens she graduated from american university and received a masters degree in education from hunter college
the groom also 31 is the director of digital marketing in manhattan for discovery communications which owns many cable channels including discovery channel and animal planet since 2008 he has also reviewed hundreds of pizzerias on his blog i dream of pizza and pizza will be served at the reception he graduated from nyu and received an mba from columbia
the couple were introduced through a mutual friend in 2009


lane betz halley and joseph raymond goldstone were married may 17 at the manhattan marriage bureau edwina townes a staff member at the new york city clerks office officiated
mrs goldstone 53 works in brooklyn at brooklyn copper cookware where she is in charge of marketing web design and customer service she graduated from antioch college in yellow springs ohio she is a daughter of carol e titus of mount tabor nj and clinton e betz of seattle
mr goldstone 56 is an engineer in burbank calif in the image science group of arnold  richter cine technik the german camera company where he designs cameras he graduated from mit he is the son of bea h goldstone of bloomfield hills mich and the late george h goldstone
the brides previous marriage ended in divorce
the couple were introduced in 2002 by mutual friends in san francisco


christopher james beacham the son of martha miller beacham and james r beacham of portsmouth va was married may 21 to adam michael scott a son of laurie peterman scott and john b scott of coppell tex the rev dr jon m walton performed the ceremony at the first presbyterian church in sag harbor ny
mr beacham left 28 and mr scott 34 both work in new york in the securities unit of wells fargo  company the san francisco based bank mr beacham is an investment banking associate helping to develop municipal bonds and mr scott is an associate analyst conducting research for stocks in the beverage tobacco and convenience store industries
mr beacham graduated from the university of pennsylvania his mother retired as an administrative assistant at the chesapeake va campus of tidewater community college his father retired as an industrial hygiene chemist for the united states navy in norfolk va
mr scott graduated from wake forest and received an mba from nyu his father retired as a manager in the treasurers department of the exxon mobil corporation in irving tex he oversaw finances for affiliates of the company
the couple met at the housewarming party of a mutual friend in new york in september 2012 and a few weeks later after hurricane sandy displaced mr scott from his downtown apartment their relationship moved forward when mr beacham offered him refuge


mariah teresa deans a daughter of terry g williams of decatur ga and the late dwight k deans is to be married may 22 to demarkcus james harmon a son of linda j tate and earnest j harmon both of macon miss the rev dr merchuria chase williams a minister of the african methodist episcopal church and an aunt of the bride is to officiate on the lawn of the country club of the south in johns creek ga
the couple met at the university of mississippi from which the groom graduated and the bride received a masters degree in education
mrs harmon 26 is a program manager in new orleans with mass insight education a nonprofit organization based in boston that works to close the achievement gap among elementary and high school students by improving the curriculum and standardized test scores of low performing schools she graduated from vanderbilt
her mother who works in atlanta is the founding director of the black parents forum  admissions fairs which helps families learn more about private school admissions and education she is also the director of the teacher of color recruitment fairs which place teachers in independent schools her father was a train engineer with the metropolitan atlanta rapid transit authority
mr harmon 27 is a management trainee for enterprise rent a car in new orleans
his mother is a behavior specialist at b f liddell middle school in macon his father is an alderman for the city of macon


dr aimee cathleen gasior the daughter of lori a gasior and david j gasior of wayne nj is to be married may 22 to dr david bejar the son of vera bejar and frank bejar of sunny isles beach fla rabbi william kurry is to officiate at upper montclair country club in clifton nj
the couple both 29 met at princeton from which they graduated she cum laude they both received medical degrees from columbia
the bride who is taking her husbands name is a second year anesthesiology resident at newyork presbyteriancolumbia hospital
her father is an electrical engineer working in clifton for harris a military contractor based in melbourne fla her mother is the office manager at tristate property management in manhattan
the groom is a third year internal medicine resident at newyork presbyteriancolumbia hospital his father is a real estate broker in miami


kelley hazen burke a daughter of mimi h burke and kevin f burke of rye brook ny was married may 21 to michael francis baine the son of elizabeth f baine and christopher baine of rye ny the rev thomas collins a roman catholic priest performed the ceremony at the church of the resurrection in rye
mrs baine 27 is the communications manager for handy a website and app that connects independent contractors like cleaners and handymen with customers she graduated from denison university in granville ohio
her father is a senior managing director specializing in loan syndication sales and trading for antares capital a chicago based lending firm her mother is an agent for william raveis real estate in rye
mr baine also 27 works on the loan trading desk at guggenheim partners an investment management firm in new york buying and selling loans and managing money for institutional and individual clients he graduated from miami university in oxford ohio
his mother is a chaplain for the healthcare chaplaincy network at memorial sloan kettering cancer center in new york his father an investment banking and management consultant in rye retired from citigroup in new york where he was the head of strategic initiatives for the global fixed income division overseeing sales and research of derivatives loans bonds and structured products
the couple started dating during their senior year at rye high school where they were voted most likely to be happy on a deserted island


san jose calif   with a new goalie and a revitalized offense the st louis blues defeated the san jose sharks 6 3 on saturday night in game 4 of the western conference finals tying the best of seven series at two games apiece
the blues had been shut out in the last two games but the sharks came out flat and did not find any energy until the third period inside sap center their home rink where they had won the previous six playoff contests
blues coach ken hitchcock decided to start the backup jake allen in net for the first time this postseason after the blues allowed seven goals in the last two games
the strategy worked as allen stopped 31 shots allowing st louis fans to breathe a sign of relief another loss would have put their team in the position of having to win three consecutive games to return to the stanley cup finals after a 46 year absence
he gave us exactly what we needed hitchcock said of allen who replaced brian elliott hes a competitive son of a gun we needed a battler in there
hitchcock added that the blues needed to ignite their defense
we played with more passion in front of him in our own zone because i made the goalie change hitchcock said i had to make that decision
by defeating the sharks in san jose the blues made up for their game 2 loss at home
this is a big step hitchcock said this is catching our game again we came here to win a hockey game we did it we got home ice back again now weve got to bring our emotional level up
st louis forwards troy brouwer and jori lehtera scored in the first period and when the fourth line forward kyle brodziak added two more in the second the sharks made a goalie change of their own pulling starter martin jones in favor of the backup james reimer
the sharks said they were not surprised by the blues effort and were disappointed by their own performance
we knew they would be better said joe pavelski san joses captain we knew they werent going to sit back we werent as sharp as we could have been early we create a few chances but we dont get enough off it
the blues bounced back from two lackluster performances with a strong first period jumping out to a 2 0 lead
with sharks defenseman brent burns in the penalty box for tripping brouwer fired a 17 foot shot past jones at 6 minutes 14 seconds to break a shutout streak that had lasted 15659
less than four minutes later st louis took advantage of a giveaway by san jose defenseman paul martin deep in his own zone to double its lead after making a stellar save on blues forward robby fabbri jones was out of position when lehtera buried the rebound at 1011
the sharks started to pick up a little momentum when they survived 47 seconds at a two man disadvantage early in the second period then went on a power play of their own but brodziak scored a short handed goal at 609 then one at even strength at 1011 to make it 4 0 chasing jones
pavelski scored his 10th goal of the playoffs at 105 of the third period but the blues restored their lead to four goals on brouwers second of the game this one on a power play at 355
goals by sharks forwards chris tierney and melker karlsson sandwiched around an empty net tally by blues defenseman alex pietrangelo wrapped up the scoring
game 5 is set for monday night in st louis
in addition to the change at goalie hitchcock juggled lines at the start of the game in part because forwards david backes and robby fabbri did not return to action after unspecified injuries hitchcock said both players were expected to be ready for game 5
brouwer who scored his sixth and seventh goals of the playoffs said he thought the blues went back to our roots   what made us successful in the regular season and in playoffs
we were able to create chances from below the goal line rather than off the rush brouwer said


hillary clinton invoked her roles as mother and grandmother on saturday to deliver an impassioned rebuttal to donald j trumps contention that her push for stricter gun control would make families less safe saying the presumptive republican nominee would put more children at risk of violence and bigotry
the day after mr trump received the endorsement of the national rifle association mrs clinton assailed her probable general election rival as pandering to the group
i believe its the most powerful lobby in washington mrs clinton said of the nra at an event in fort lauderdale fla to benefit the trayvon martin foundations circle of mothers and we know some candidates will say or do anything to make them happy
speaking in a ballroom full of mothers who had lost children to gun violence mrs clinton defended her position on gun control and her promise to overhaul the criminal justice system
i love my daughter and granddaughter more than anything and i worry about them as every mother does and i want them always to be safe mrs clinton said parents teachers and schools should have the right to keep guns out of classrooms just like donald trump does at many of his hotels by the way
she mentioned his speech to the nra on friday which included a vow to allow teachers and principals to arm themselves this is someone running to be president of the united states a country facing a gun violence epidemic and hes talking about more guns in our schools mrs clinton said hes talking about more hatred and violence in our streets
mrs clinton delivered her remarks to a group named after mr martin an unarmed black 17 year old who was fatally shot in 2012 by a neighborhood watch volunteer george zimmerman before she spoke mrs clinton sat for dinner alongside mr martins mother sybrina fulton
we will carry the memories of your sons and daughters in our hearts every day as you do mrs clinton told the group as she affirmed her plans to strengthen background checks and take other measures to keep guns out of the wrong hands
mr trump speaking before nra members in louisville ky called mrs clinton the most anti gun anti second amendment candidate ever to run for office
mr trump said mrs clintons policies would put women in particular danger you have a woman living in a community a rough community a bad community   sorry you cant defend yourself he told the group on friday
for months mrs clinton has made gun control a major issue in her democratic primary campaign against bernie sanders whose record as a senator from vermont has been mixed on the issue she has campaigned alongside the mothers of eric garner jordan davis sandra bland and others who have lost children in clashes with the police or to gun violence some of them attended the event on saturday
the clinton campaign has featured these mothers and erica smegielski daughter of the school principal killed in the massacre in sandy hook conn in evocative television ads
but as the clinton campaign turns its focus to the fall election against mr trump and as both candidates vie for the support of white voters in the rust belt gun control has become less of a driving force
a new york timescbs news poll in january found that 57 percent of respondents wanted stricter laws governing gun sales and 88 percent favored background checks for all purchases
on saturday mrs clinton reaffirmed her commitment to both gun control and the overhaul of the criminal justice system two issues that formed the pillars of her primary campaign and have helped her win broad support among african americans
mrs clinton vowed to end the schools to prison pipeline that affects black men something is wrong when so many americans have reason to believe that our country doesnt consider their children as precious and worthy of protection as other children because of the color of their skins she said
mrs clinton also restated her promise to end the era of mass incarceration and to rebuild the bonds of trust between law enforcement and communities   issues that could resonate with voters in los angeles oakland and other california cities ahead of that states june 7 primary


a man who had been seen pushing a womans body on a dolly on staten island was arrested on saturday and charged with murder the police said
officers acting on a tip spotted the man anthony lopez on east 115th street in manhattan between first and second avenues around 1015 am mr lopez 31 who had shaved his head to alter his appearance fled but was caught on 113th street the authorities said
the police had been looking for mr lopez who lives in the bronx since just after 7 am on friday when the police department received a call about a man wheeling a body on a metal dolly the man fled as officers arrived at post lane in the mariners harbor neighborhood of staten island
the police said the woman was mr lopezs wife obiamaka aduba 26 of staten island she was pronounced dead at the scene
mr lopez was charged with second degree murder and concealment of a human corpse the police said


when frank lampard the decorated english star jogged onto the field at yankee stadium on saturday afternoon he found himself in unexpectedly antagonistic territory after being sidelined for more than two months at the beginning of the season he was finally making his debut for new york city fc in the 75th minute of their 13th game his reception was unwelcoming a chorus of boos from the crowd it was hardly the worst indignity of the day for the home team
lampards return came in the red bulls 7 0 rout of new york city as the local matchup tries to gain footing and luster   headlining major league soccers rivalry week   it has barely been much of a rivalry at all the red bulls have won all four games between the teams and have outscored nycfc by 12 goals
saturdays victory was embarrassingly easy the red bulls took the lead in the third minute led by 3 0 at halftime and kept scoring even as they cycled in their reserves four goals came on set pieces   another humiliation for new york city
it was a disaster for us david villa new york citys captain said
the victory held up a mirror to the divergence in team building between the clubs the red bulls roster is composed mostly of players who have spent considerable time in the mls and includes a significant element of homegrown talent that matriculated through the teams development academy last year the team posted the best record in the eastern conference and it has moved into the top half of the standings after a slow start to the season
new york city has continued mlss penchant for stargazing and big spending they brought in andrea pirlo villa and lampard in 2015 their inaugural season they finished eighth in the conference though until saturday their approach had brought them better results this season
lampard has drawn a particularly outsize portion of attention from the fans he finished the premier league season in england with manchester city last year and was injured when he joined new york city he ended up playing in only 10 of 34 games
when this season began he sustained a calf injury and with it even more criticism earlier in the week the disclosure of players salaries by their union did him no favors either it revealed that lampard had the fifth highest salary in the league this year at 6 million
still lampard played down the jeers he received when he entered the game saturday as little more than dissatisfaction with new york citys play to that point
i came in at 5 0 its not ideal to come in he said striking a defiant tone but i dont think the fans are aware of the injury i had if im getting booed for being injured then theres not much i can do about that i had a nice injury which is an eight  to 10 week injury at the beginning the doctors thought it was a small injury which it didnt turn out to be ive been training morning and afternoon to get fit people dont see that so if theyre going to boo for being injured then as i said theres not much i can do other than get fit play show up and go on the pitch
new york citys strong start has given it a cushion against lampards absence it sits second in the conference behind philadelphia and a point ahead of the red bulls though villa and lampard tried to diminish saturdays loss it has significance new york city now has a league worst minus 6 goal differential
the red bulls demolished nycfc quickly dax mccarty headed in an out swinging corner kick from sacha kljestan to open the scoring and the two connected again in the 51st minute bradley wright phillips scored two goals as well including a highlight worthy bicycle kick in the first half
it was a microcosm of the disparity between the two teams when they have played each other and it gave the red bulls an opportunity to crow again their fans were no less vocal their supporters chanted whos your daddy as the lead grew when the game ended and an announcement over the loudspeaker declared villa the star of the match laughter crackled from the stands
not in our wildest dreams red bulls coach jesse marsch said would we have predicted 7 0


oakland calif   when yankees general manager brian cashman was looking for a second baseman last july he had an offer to consider from oakland for ben zobrist cashmans counterpart billy beane wanted two players reliever adam warren and the minor league second baseman rob refsnyder
cashman considered the proposal but in the end said no zobrist was headed to free agency and cashman decided that the price was too steep for a short term rental
eventually beane sent zobrist to kansas city where he helped the royals win the world series for a pair of minor league pitchers
over the winter cashman used warren as a bargaining chip to trade up at second base which had been a vortex since robinson cano left as a free agent after the 2013 season cashman acquired starlin castro
although that trade has looked like a shrewd decision holding on to refsnyder proved to be valuable on saturday as he doubled in two runs in the yankees 5 1 victory over the athletics it was refsnyders first appearance since being recalled from the minors on tuesday
the victory was the season high fourth in a row for the yankees who climbed out of last place in the american league east for the first time in 27 days passing the toronto blue jays masahiro tanaka rebounded from two shaky outings by scattering five hits over seven innings delivering the fourth consecutive strong start for the yankees nathan eovaldi ivan nova c c sabathia and tanaka have each allowed one run and worked at least six innings
everything starts with pitching manager joe girardi said
the yankees provided all the help tanaka needed with a four run fourth which was capped by refsnyders drive into the gap in right center field
the baseball world seems to have as many connective threads as the seams on a ball refsnyders hit came off one of the players the athletics eventually acquired for zobrist the left handed pitcher sean manaea who was taken 34th over all in the 2013 draft after the yankees chose outfielder aaron judge and pitcher ian clarkin with the preceding picks
zobrist coincidentally was playing across the bay on saturday with warren as the chicago cubs whom zobrist signed with were playing against the san francisco giants
the yankees trade for castro a three time all star affected refsnyder who until then had been a contender to start for them at second base though he had a solid spring at the plate hitting 259 the yankees sent him to the minors to learn to play third base and to get more work in right field a position he played while leading the university of arizona to the 2012 college world series before shifting to second base
though refsnyder hit 379 as the starting second baseman over the final two weeks of last season   a performance that earned him a start in the wild card playoff game   the yankees organization has debated where to play him and whether castro a converted shortstop will play other positions besides second
he had an opportunity before we acquired starlin to be our everyday second baseman girardi said during the week but events happened that changed your mind on how they can help you every player you have in your system i think you evaluate how he can help us there were different views with what we should do with him
refsnyder who was brought up to give the yankees an added right handed bat lined out and grounded out before being lifted for a defensive replacement in right field he may not be with the team for long as alex rodriguez will most likely return from the disabled list on tuesday when the yankees return home to play toronto and refsnyders seeming competitor for a utility spot ronald torreyes delivered a two run triple friday then singled walked and scored a run saturday while playing shortstop
the possibility of refsnyders remaining with the yankees was a subject that girardi would not discuss   and that refsnyder had little interest in entertaining
thats not really my job he said my job is to prepare and help the team out any way i can thats what i focus on every time
nick goody who played with refsnyder in the minors threw two scoreless innings in relief of tanaka last season goody was in a position similar to refsnyders shuttling between scrantonwilkes barre and the yankees
nothings guaranteed goody said anybody can go up and down but from last year he proved that he can be here compete here and play here opportunities just come with time
refsnyder delivered on his opportunity after the yankees had built a 2 0 lead against manaea who had retired the first nine hitters he faced refsnyder fouled off three consecutive 3 2 pitches before driving the 10th pitch from manaea to right center to give the yankees a 4 0 lead
predominantly on righties he was fastball changeup refsnyder said of manaea whom he had never faced so you cant really sell out too much on the fastball or youre just going to swing over the top of a changeup i was just kind of just letting him take the inner half and i fought off a couple of pitches and hopefully get a pitch out over the middle
after sitting for four days refsnyder acknowledged that it was nice to take advantage of an opportunity   something he is well aware may not come often
inside pitch
the yankees had to deal with plumbing trouble an occasional hazard at the oakland stadium pipes leaked in the bathroom in the visitors dugout leaving maintenance workers to bail water out of the dugout during batting practice and forcing them to close the bathroom during the game
you had to run upstairs if you wanted to use it manager joe girardi said it kept the bullpen guys loose


olivier stern a 31 year old french socialist with an appetite for risk recently invested a third of his life savings   10000 euros about 11000   in a cryptocurrency start up that has no legal standing and runs head on into regulatory obstacles yet might very well upend the mysterious world of virtual investing
the start up a sort of venture capital fund that calls itself the decentralized autonomous organization has essentially come out of nowhere in the last month and attracted about 152 million at last count from investors around the world like mr stern   making it the most successful crowdfunded venture ever by a significant margin
the venture like so many things related to the digital currencies that cryptographers are creating on the internet is difficult to describe and it may not be legal but thousands of mostly anonymous investors have already heard about it through word of mouth and sent money   in the form of ether a freshly coded form of currency that has held itself out as a new and improved version of bitcoin the most popular virtual scrip
for these investors in some sense it is the digital equivalent of buying into a bakery with no baker no menu and no assurance that the ovens will even be delivered but among the crowd that has invested faith in the computer code that governs the project appears strong enough to override all those concerns
after it collects ether from investors   the deadline to buy in is may 28   the dao aims to put the money into other digital currency start ups the investing decisions are to be made through online polling of shareholders like mr stern who has a day job dealing with parking policy in the town of montreuil just outside paris
i think it is the beginning of something that could in a way make history said mr stern who previously lost a small sum of money he invested in bitcoin when a major bitcoin exchange   mt gox   went bust maybe it can fail maybe it can succeed but for sure it is an idea that is very interesting
the rise of the new venture comes at a time when the technology underlying virtual currencies is rapidly being embraced by the mainstream most wall street firms and many central banks are experimenting with the blockchain the online ledger system that bitcoin and ether pioneered banks hope the blockchain or something like it can provide a faster cheaper way of conducting transactions and storing data
the dao on the other hand returns to the more radical ambitions of virtual currencies it is set up according to computer code with no human executives all decisions will be made by votes of the people who buy in   using software   making it a sort of technology enabled leaderless collective
the basic code was written by a 32 year old german programmer christoph jentzsch but he is not set to have any continuing role and the dao does not hold the money of investors instead the investors own dao tokens that give them rights to vote on potential projects mr jentzsch said on wednesday in an interview that he thought the structure absolved him of any legal responsibility for what could happen with the project
of course this venture is fraught with risks mr jentzsch said in an email but he also predicted this technology represents the future of the internet
experts on virtual currencies say that mr jentzsch and others involved have stepped into dangerous regulatory legal territory american regulators have previously come down hard on entrepreneurs who sold investments using virtual currencies
patrick murck a lawyer who has long dealt with bitcoin issues said that even if mr jentzsch and his collaborators were not operating the venture they could face legal liability for promoting it if the investments go awry   and potentially even if they dont
you cant code away your legal responsibilities said mr murck who is a fellow at the berkman center for internet  society at harvard this is something that has been tried before and has failed before
as of wednesday an ether was valued at 13 and a bitcoin at 450   evidence perhaps of the strangeness and subjectivity of these new currencies the daos reliance on ether has allowed people to send their money to it from anywhere in the world without providing any identifying information a design that is already raising concerns about potential money laundering
the dao has also faced difficult questions from virtual currency aficionados who worry that the organizations code was put together relatively hastily without the sort of security testing that has preceded previous projects based on ethereum the technology platform that underpins ether
its an unstable thing right now said joseph lubin who was one of the founders of ethereum young complex machines tend to have flaws and vulnerabilities that you cant anticipate
mr jentzsch acknowledged that he did not anticipate the venture growing to anything close to the size it has reached the biggest similar projects have attracted a few million dollars
if i would have known the size it has grown to maybe the tester in me would say i need more testing he said this is very risky its all new land
so far two projects have applied to the dao for funding one of them is a company run by mr jentzsch and his brother simon that is creating a new kind of physical lock that can be controlled remotely through the ethereum network according to contracts written into the network
the code that mr jentzsch wrote for the organization has several safeguards that would make it hard for him or anyone else to game the voting of shareholders to win investments but even successful crowdfunding sites do not have a great track record of harnessing the enthusiasm of users to pick good investments
the creator of a now defunct crowdfunding site fueled by bitcoin bitshares wrote a biting online post on tuesday arguing that the dao would most likely fail for the same reason that bitshares ultimately failed people problems economic problems and political problems
my opinion is that the dao will be doa dead on arrival daniel larimer the founder of bitshares wrote the theory of jointly deciding to fund efforts will face the reality of individual self interest politics and economics
the possibility of failure did not deter mr stern the frenchman who put in the equivalent of 11000 he said he thought the dao would provide a good financial return but he was also motivated by his belief that the venture is an experiment in a new way of organizing companies and potentially even governments
its important for people to propose and try an alternative he said


kabul afghanistan   afghanistans conflict is beginning to look more like a messy civil war than a straightforward struggle between the government and its taliban enemies judging from an outbreak of violence in recent days
in northern faryab province what began friday night as an attack by the taliban on groups of pro government militiamen ended on saturday with 10 people dead after fighting broke out between two of the pro government factions
in parwan province in the north an insurgency commander named hashmatullah was killed along with five followers provincial officials said the officials said he had been killed in an airstrike by the united states led coalition working with afghan forces but the american authorities denied those claims
there were no airstrikes conducted by us forces afghanistan coalition or aaf said capt andrea m dykes a public affairs officer for the coalition using an abbreviation for the afghan air force
mr hashmatullah who like many afghans uses only one name was a militia leader who had once supported pro government forces afghan officials said he had been meeting with the taliban to coordinate attacks other officials have denounced mr hashmatullah also known as hasho or hasho i bayan as the leader of a criminal gang
in southern oruzgan province on saturday morning six police officers were killed when three other officers turned their weapons on them at a check post stole their guns and ammunition and fled to join the taliban according to haji abdul rahman the governor of charchino district
the district is completely surrounded by the taliban and the police are surrendering to them almost every day he said
the attack on the check post was the third insider attack involving the police in the last week in southern afghanistan
in the faryab fighting on friday taliban insurgents tried to overrun almar district but were repulsed by militiamen who are followers of ghulam farooq qati a commander associated with the jamiat i islami party a group that supports the government but has rivalries with other northern militia groups
after the taliban were beaten back according to a statement issued by the partys executive council fighting broke out between the jamiat militiamen and militiamen from the junbish party an uzbek group led by afghanistans first vice president the ethnic uzbek warlord abdul rashid dostum
fighting continued into saturday of the 10 people killed eight were from junbish and two from jamiat said sayed anwar sadat the governor of faryab
we have sent afghan army forces to stop the fighting between both groups mr sadat said now the situation is normal and under the control of afghan government forces in the area
nadir saeedi a provincial council member from faryab said the afghan army had had to warn both sides not to cross a border line between their positions or the army would attack them
this is not the first time we had clashes between both sides mr saeedi said if the situation gets worse no one even from the central government may be able to control it
also on saturday a suicide bomber tried to drive a car laden with explosives into an american military convoy but united states officials said no one had been killed or injured the taliban however claimed to have killed 15 americans
in other continuing fighting taliban insurgents in northern baghlan province have surrounded two afghan army units for more than two weeks according to officers in those units who were reached by telephone the officers said that they had not been able to evacuate their wounded and that one soldier who was killed recently had been buried at an isolated base


baltimore   they are louisiana horsemen keith and kent desormeaux who as soon as they were able to walk were strapped atop quarter horses and inexpensive thoroughbreds to race at bush tracks named cajun downs and quarter pole their father uncles and neighbors placed bets on them while their mamas and aunts fingered rosary beads praying they would not get hurt
they mostly came home safe and when it was time to continue their racetrack education they worked their way through their home tracks evangeline and jefferson downs and bounced around other minor league outposts until they landed here in maryland   keith as an aspiring trainer and kent hoping to be a big time jockey
so it felt right here saturday when keith gave kent a leg up on a hard luck colt by the name of exaggerator that has run his heart out with enough regularity to have won four of his 10 starts but lately had been chasing the back end and the legend of a rock star horse named nyquist in four previous races kent and exaggerator had failed to get by nyquist that was nothing to be ashamed of   nyquist was the reigning 2 year old champion and he rolled into the 141st running of the preakness stakes undefeated in eight races
not this time exaggerator outran cherry wine who finished second and nyquist who was third to win the preakness on a rain soaked track and end nyquists bid for a triple crown
the desormeaux brothers knew that this time things were going to be different it was a miserable day at scuffed up pimlico race course as a cold mist descended on an already drenched oval transforming the racetrack into a soupy gumbo that was every bit as haunting as the swamps that they grew up near in southwest louisiana
they loved it because in three previous races exaggerator had taken to a muddy track like ... well ... a duck to water he had won two stakes on wet tracks so when kent desormeaux a hall of famer edged his colt into the no 5 gate glanced inside and saw mario gutierrez aboard nyquist he knew that muddy track or not his brother keith had exaggerator geared up and ready to go
this was only the second leg of the triple crown but nyquist had been so dominant in a brief but gaudy career that his camp especially the trainer doug oneill was confident that they were pulling into new york three weeks from now intent on cracking into the history books alongside american pharoah last years triple crown champion
the desormeaux brothers however were not the only ones determined to make nyquist earn his honors   from the get go fernando perez aboard uncle lino and jevian toledo aboard awesome speed harassed gutierrez into pushing nyquist to go faster than the colt wanted
they had him surrounded said kent desormeaux who had exaggerator skipping over the puddles like a water scooter while nyquist was fighting off his challengers through a wicked half mile of 4656 seconds and a taxing three quarters of a mile in 1 minute 1197 seconds
then something remarkable happened desormeaux saw a sliver of space along the rail turn into a four lane highway the riders ahead of him were moving their horses outside so desormeaux squirted exaggerator inside and the colt shimmied up the backstretch like a seal utterly enjoying it
in the clubhouse keith desormeaux felt his heart drop no he felt worse than that after decades of sharp words and bloodied knuckles familial diplomacy had long been retired
i wanted to strangle him he said of his brother all day everyone was riding outside and hes taking my horse right into the quagmire
but kent had done his homework in warm ups and had determined not only that the rail offered the shortest distance between two points but that the footing was firm and fast when his rider asked exaggerator to go the colt looked as if he had grown a motor as he whipped around the far turn a calming breath returned to keith
he is a hall of famer keith conceded
as the contenders turned for home gutierrez felt nyquists legs go out from underneath him
i could feel exaggerator coming he said
he asked for more but the colt was wobbling
there was nothing i could do gutierrez said
so kent desormeaux vaulted his colt to the outside and rushed past nyquist as if he were on a conveyor belt the sight of another horse passing nyquist roused the colt and he fought back mounting one last push
oneill locked in on his colt and prepared for a head to head stretch battle for an instant he thought nyquist might come back there was no chance
desormeaux crossed his reins chirped in exaggerators ear and held on as his colt took off it was over not only was nyquist not catching exaggerator he was unable to hold off the fast charging cherry wine for second place
i didnt think we could get beat oneill said
the desormeaux brothers on the other hand knew they could not lose the record will show exaggerator completed the mile and three sixteenths race in 15831 and earned a 900000 first place check for his owners big chief racing llc and raised his career earnings to nearly 3 million those who believed in the colt collected 720 for a 2 bet
but that was nothing to the charge that the result put into two brothers who had blossomed from the bush tracks of louisiana to the old racetrack that had given them their first taste of the big time it was hardly old hat for kent   even if this was his third preakness victory   but it was the first triple crown win for his brother
neither kent nor keith is an affectionate sort and by their own admission they bicker and fight more than they share kind words and warm embraces
i got a fist pump keith said of their postrace celebration
when you know the type of love we have in our family he added you really dont have to show it


washington   an american drone strike targeted the leader of the taliban mullah akhtar muhammad mansour in pakistan near the border with afghanistan united states officials said on saturday in the most significant american incursion inside pakistan since navy seals killed osama bin laden the qaeda leader in 2011
in a statement issued on saturday peter cook the pentagon press secretary said the military was still assessing whether mullah mansour was killed in the strike which was carried out by an unmanned drone
mr cook said mullah mansour was actively involved in planning attacks in kabul and across afghanistan and had been an obstacle to peace and reconciliation between the government of afghanistan and the taliban prohibiting taliban leaders from participating in peace talks with the afghan government that could lead to an end to the conflict
a united states official speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the military operation said that the strike occurred around 6 am eastern time on saturday and that mullah mansour and a second adult male fighter traveling with him in a vehicle were probably killed even so officials offered caution because early assessments of the deaths of militant and terrorist leaders in american strikes have proved inaccurate in the past
the drone strike authorized by president obama took place in a remote area of pakistan along the border with afghanistan southwest of the town of ahmad wal the strike was carried out by several unmanned aircraft operated by united states special operations forces the official said
news of the strike came as gen joseph votel head of the united states central command was completing a secret trip to northern syria where he visited american special operations forces and met with local fighters being trained by the united states in the battle against the islamic state general votel is the highest ranking american military official to travel to syria during the war
but the strike against mullah mansour served as a reminder that even as the obama administration has talked of an end of combat operations in afghanistan and has focused on fighting the islamic state in iraq and syria the fighting in afghanistan   and the risk of rising militancy there   has continued
since the death of mullah omar and mansours assumption of leadership the taliban have conducted many attacks that have resulted in the death of tens of thousands of afghan civilians and afghan security forces as well as numerous us and coalition personnel mr cook said in a statement announcing the airstrike
mullah mansour had long remained a mystery to american policy makers and the united states military in the 1990s he was the taliban governments chief of aviation while afghanistan had few planes he also oversaw the tourism department when there were few tourists
but in the years after the taliban leadership was driven into exile in pakistan in 2001 mullah mansour became central to the groups reincarnation as a powerful insurgency after the death of the talibans founder mullah muhammad omar mullah mansour became the groups supreme leader and the architect of the most recent insurgent assault that swept across northern afghanistan
yet even as he was acting leader of the taliban he kept secret the fact that mullah omar had been dead since 2013
and unlike mullah omar mullah mansour did not live in hiding some of the time he lived in a southern neighborhood of quetta pakistan in an enclave where he and other taliban leaders from the same pashtun tribe the ishaqzai had built homes and although he is on the united nations no fly list mullah mansour has repeatedly taken flights in and out of pakistan afghanistan officials said to dubai where he has a house and several investments
even as the taliban operating inside afghanistan remains a formidable and violent force mullah mansour has had difficulties uniting his ranks after months of infighting in april for example a taliban spokesman said the new leader had appointed the brother and son of mullah omar the movements deceased founder to senior leadership posts
mullah mansour has faced criticism and even rebellion from field commanders who distrusted his ties to pakistan and his handling of the succession he brutally quashed breakaway groups and sought to buy the support of other skeptical commanders all while maintaining a publicity campaign that has portrayed him atop a united command
after his confirmation as the new leader of the insurgency when large gatherings of taliban were held in quetta mullah mansour had limited his movements in recent months afghan officials say while the reason given to his subordinates was security   he narrowly missed an attempt on his life blamed on dissidents within taliban ranks in december   keeping the leader at a distance from the commanders follows a pattern that became routine under mullah omar
mullah mansours deputies including sirajuddin haqqani who is largely running battlefield operations continue to move freely in pakistan


doubling down on his feud with the democratic party leadership senator bernie sanders said that if elected president he will not reappoint democratic national committee chairwoman representative debbie wasserman schultz of florida
he made the comments during an interview with cnns jake tapper that is set to air on sunday mr sanders also said he was supporting tim canova a law professor who has begun an insurgent campaign against ms wasserman schultz for her south florida congressional seat they will face off in a primary this summer
well clearly i favor her opponent mr sanders told mr tapper his views are much closer to mine
for months mr sanders has accused the party of favoring hillary clinton often calling her the anointed candidate
he has criticized the party for a debate schedule that his campaign says favors mrs clinton an arrangement under which mrs clinton raises money for the party and the appointment of clinton supporters as leaders of important convention committees
most recently he and the party have sparred over what happened at the nevada democratic convention a week ago there sanders supporters disrupted the proceedings in a fight over delegates and the state party chairwoman was later threatened after the party rebuked mr sanders for not clearly condemning what had occurred his campaign manager jeff weaver accused ms wasserman schultz of throwing shade on the sanders campaign from the very beginning
this week ms wasserman schultz pushed back against the sanders campaign in an interview with cnn weve had the same rules in place that elected barack obama she told the network these rules were adopted for state parties all across the country in 2014
in a statement on saturday she said that even though senator sanders has endorsed my opponent i remain as i have been from the beginning neutral in the presidential democratic primary
as president mr sanders would have the ability to appoint the committee chair though it is not likely he will get that chance as mrs clinton is close to clinching the nomination nevertheless he can try to draw a little blood from ms wasserman schultz with his endorsement of her primary opponent mr canova the underdog in the race
mr canova a nova southeastern university law professor has echoed mr sanderss messages about the need to combat economic inequalities and reform campaign finance he has also mirrored on a small scale mr sanderss fund raising model by raising more than 1 million through small donations that have averaged about 19 each
im so proud to know that bernie sanders favors our progressive campaign mr canova said in a statement on saturday like senator sanders im running a campaign thats truly backed by the people not big corporations   one that stands up to wall street interests instead of cozying up to them
mr sanders spent saturday campaigning across the western states
at a rally in vado nm he offered a series of familiar attacks against mrs clinton criticizing her use of super pacs her stances on trade agreements and her support of fracking he also talked about the need to improve the poverty and high school graduation rates in the state
mr sanders then went to california where he planned to hold an evening rally in national city and where he visited international friendship park an area on the united states border with mexico there he walked along two large walls separating the countries with an immigration activist and maria puga a woman whose husband was killed by border patrol agents as he attempted a crossing from mexico mr sanders vowed that if elected he will push for comprehensive immigration reform
he called a proposal by the presumptive republican nominee donald j trump to build a wall along the entire border both immoral and impractical


to the sports editor
re man vs marathon a search for rarefied air may 15 with extraordinary genes a flat course and a favorable temperature and humidity a sub two hour marathon could be accomplished however based on my studies of three extraordinary endurance athletes certain conditions will be necessary
sy mah entrant in the guinness book of records in 1987 for completing 524 marathons mary hanudel the 1987 united states female marathoner of the year and lorna michael who completed a 64 day 2900 mile staged race across the united states in 1993 all showed significant magnesium deficits this should not be surprising since the higher the adrenaline levels the lower the magnesium ion levels
in order to reduce very high adrenaline levels the runner must be well hydrated before the race on a high magnesium diet with magnesium supplements but avoiding calcium supplements water softeners and cola drinks which lower magnesium levels and training in excessive heat
william j rowe
keswick va
the writer is a former assistant clinical professor of medicine at the medical university of ohio at toledo
to the sports editor
re exile over hes eager to help may 9 i am thankful that baseball is dealing with the issue of domestic violence the yankees aroldis chapman denied that he had a problem and that the eight shots he fired into his garage meant that he should have exercised better judgment in responding to the question about the call his terrified girlfriend made to 911 he played the ethnic card   we latin people are loud when we argue and then the lamest excuse imaginable that latino baseball players were not familiar with the norms and laws of the united states
for 41 years i taught latin american history at florida state and have had to deal with the stereotype of the emotional latino as if that explained anything i have worked and lived among latinos for most of my life and know that every single one would angrily reject the cultural excuse for domestic violence
rod anderson
tallahassee fla
to the sports editor
re from roy hobbs to bryce harper legend of the natural lives on may 8 im surprised that rob neyer overlooked shoeless joe jackson who was clearly the primary inspiration for the roy hobbs character in bernard malamuds novel the natural the say it aint so joe anecdote which malamud appropriates is classic lore summarizing the 1919 black sox scandal
with the third best career batting average at 356 he was banished from baseball after the 1920 season in the 1919 world series which he was accused of and acquitted of conspiring to fix he hit 385 and played a flawless left field
james p cole
memphis


david wrights winsome smile after a clutch hit matt harveys snarling intensity and jacob degroms zipping fastball are trademark characteristics that have been missing from three of the mets marquee players this season
wright felt slighted saturday when in the bottom of the ninth with two runners in scoring position and one out the milwaukee brewers intentionally walked curtis granderson to load the bases and face wright in a tie game at citi field
in a modicum of payback and a reassuring sign for the mets wright slapped a 3 0 pitch from michael blazek into right field for a game winning single sealing the mets 5 4 comeback
the game ending hit was the ninth of wrights career the most for any mets player granted an advantageous count wright did not even check with manager terry collins for permission to swing away
i didnt want to look just in case he didnt give me the green light wright said smiling i learned a long time ago its better to ask for forgiveness than permission sometimes im just glad that ball found some open space
wright has struggled mightily this season trying to push his body through the effects of spinal stenosis with a batting average of 223 only nine rbi and visible difficulties at third base wright has known few moments of personal enjoyment this season
a similar loss of ability has plagued harvey who threw a simulated game before degroms start on saturday
three hours before degroms first pitch harvey was trying to rehabilitate his dark knight persona by pitching to the first base coach tom goodwin in a silent stadium the main spectators were the pitching coach dan warthen the bullpen coach ricky bones and collins
occasionally harvey would stop his motion before his release and look back to warthen for advice
there was no confetti released nor even a hearty backslap after the session but collins said after the game that harvey looked very good with better arm angles velocity and movement on his pitches
hes confident collins said of harvey he feels good about what happened today
the mets hope harvey regains his bravado on tuesday when he will pitch against the first place washington nationals looking to improve on his 3 6 record and 577 era
degrom another pitcher expected to perform like an ace entering this season looked to debunk theories that he like harvey could be feeling the effects from last years heavy workload
but degrom had his shortest outing at home this season allowing a season high four runs
degrom opened strong according to mlbcom all 15 of his first inning fastballs were recorded at 94 or 95 miles per hour a peak in velocity he has struggled to reach in his first six starts and during spring training degrom struck out seven but he walked three batters the third time he has done so this year
degrom was also unable to sustain the zip on his fastball all four of the brewers run scoring hits came on fastballs 2 to 3 mph slower than the ones in degroms first inning range
what were trying to do is work those guys that pitched all those innings last year and get them back in sync collins said
degrom and harvey both threw a career high 216 innings between the regular season and the playoffs last year
last season the mere mention of the phrase six man rotation around queens produced a reaction that resembled hearing nails running across a chalkboard but this season it could reduce the workloads on arms unaccustomed to their high usage   arms that the mets are trying to protect from injury
bartolo colon unflappable in his first two years with the club has also shown traces of wearing down as he approaches his 43rd birthday
steven matz returned friday after missing his previous start with a sore left forearm noah syndergaard has pitched the best and for now must be regarded as the teams ace but even he recently visited a doctor to have his right elbow examined in a precautionary move
at least so far collins does not plan to employ a six man rotation instead he preaches patience
that strategy paid off saturday with wright with the crowd standing on its feet through the rain many of the mets sensed that he would come through yoenis cespedes who hit a tying two run homer in the sixth inning ran so quickly out of the dugout that wright said he saw him sprinting in his periphery almost beating him down to first base
thats one of the best feelings in baseball for sure wright said
inside pitch
lucas duda was scratched from the lineup with a lingering back injury duda had missed two games earlier in the week with back stiffness terry collins said the recurrence was pretty concerning and that duda would have further testing after seeing a doctor ... wilmer flores who has been out with a strained hamstring is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment


almost 15 years after breaking in as a coach with the lowell lock monsters of the american hockey league tom rowe embraced a new challenge last week as general manager of the florida panthers
but that responsibility will probably pale in comparison with the job he took four years ago with yaroslavl lokomotiv of the kontinental league rebuilding a franchise while helping a city heal
it really just seems like the other day said rowe a former nhl player and scout to this day its probably my coaching highlight
on sept 7 2011 a plane carrying almost the entire yaroslavl club crashed shortly after takeoff in minsk belarus forty four people died including many of the coaches and almost all of the players
among the dead was yaroslavls coach the longtime nhl player brad mccrimmon a close friend of rowes rowe then an assistant with the carolina hurricanes said part of his motivation in going to yaroslavl a city about 160 miles northeast of moscow was to continue mccrimmons legacy
he wanted to go there for one year with the hopes of being a national hockey league head coach rowe said of mccrimmon he would have gotten that opportunity his way of running the team left a lasting impression on the front office
hes the one who set the standard i knew brad real well and i knew what kind of guy he was he and i probably coached the same way
a year after the crash lokomotiv returned to the khl for the 2012 13 season with rowe at the helm and the former nhl players nikolai borschevsky and dmitri yushkevich as his assistants together they led a mix of longtime professional journeymen and players developed in yaroslavls junior ranks
definitely our first home game was a big deal said mark flood a canadian defenseman who played for yaroslav after a stint with the winnipeg jets the fans were going crazy there were people who were emotional and happy all kinds of emotions
flood added it was more than a coaching responsibility for tom the city and the organization and the league was still in mourning over the loss of the whole team it was a big job for him and one that i think he took a lot of pride in to rebuild the team into a contender
after lokomotiv opened the season with three straight wins and victories in nine of their first 11 games russia began to rally around the team the more lokomotiv won the more the team was celebrated by local and opposing fans alike
we had fans everywhere said curtis sanford a former nhl goaltender who played three seasons in yaroslavl every stop throughout the season wed get an awful lot of fan support from not only our fans but also our oppositions fans they werent there to cheer for us but they were there to accept us and welcome lokomotiv back into the league not that it ever left
marathon khl road trips which involved crossing as many as seven time zones were not just about winning over opposing fans they also provided opportunities to honor the dead with visits to the hometowns and graves of the victims
leading that delicate balance between honoring the dead and winning hockey games was rowe a massachusetts native unfamiliar with the local language and customs he fully embraced the challenge of addressing the emotional needs of players and fans
we wanted to win as many hockey games as possible but i had to really be aware of a player if he was going through a tough day rowe said you didnt know if he was just having a bad day or if he was having a bad day because he was thinking of his buddy
my wife and i were walking down the street in yaroslavl and we had two fans come up to us one gentleman came up to me and gave me a big hug he was crying he was saying i cant thank you enough for coming over to help our team
with 24 regulation wins two overtime wins eight shootout wins and 18 regulation losses lokomotiv finished second in the tarasov division in 2012 13 the team lost to severstal in the first round of the playoffs but captured the imaginations of russian fans
that success did not continue the following season rowe was fired after yaroslavl lost five of its first six games he accepted a coaching job the following season with floridas ahl affiliate the san antonio rampage in a rise that few including rowe expected he is now at the forefront of one of the nhls most exciting clubs
formerly the teams associate general manager rowe was promoted monday and is now the centerpiece of a front office collaborative that will include dale tallon the panthers president for hockey operations and bill torrey a panthers adviser and an architect of the islanders dynasty of the early 1980s
rowe now directs a club that finished atop the atlantic division in 2015 16 with a franchise record 103 points
yet the people of yaroslavl are never far from his thoughts
when something happens in the office or somewhere in life and you think its the end of the world a lot of times ill reflect back on things that happened in russia rowe said just put it in perspective you cant let it consume every decision that you make i think i learned a lot as a person over there


manager louis van gaal earned manchester united its first trophy since alex ferguson retired three years ago with a 2 1 victory over crystal palace in extra time in the 135th fa cup final on saturday
with ferguson watching at wembley stadium in london jesse lingard completed uniteds comeback by volleying in the winner in the 110th minute
uniteds record tying 12th triumph in the fa cup the worlds oldest soccer cup competition arrived at the end of a lackluster season van gaals second with the club his future with united has seemed precarious for more than six months and his teams failure to qualify for the champions league after finishing fifth in the premier league has added to the uncertainty
reports have emerged in the british news media that van gaal will be replaced by jose mourinho who was fired by chelsea in december
weve had a tough end to the season said wayne rooney uniteds captain but i thought we worked very hard today   our determination got us through this so im delighted winning trophies lifts football clubs and lifts supporters
jason puncheon put palace a london club ahead in the 78th minute but juan mata equalized within three minutes to force extra time
even being reduced to 10 men after chris smalling was sent off in the 105th minute did not dampen uniteds resolve lingard produced the winner five minutes later to deny palace its first major trophy
it was the first time united had won the fa cup since 2004   one of 38 major trophies ferguson won as manager from 1986 to 2013
ibrahimovic leads psg zlatan ibrahimovic ended his paris st germain career in style by reaching 50 goals in an outstanding farewell season that concluded with psgs 4 2 victory over marseille in the french cup final in paris
ibrahimovic scored a penalty at the start of the second half and showed his altruistic side picking out forward edinson cavani with a perfect pass through marseilles defense as psg made it 3 1
midfielder blaise matuidi created the fourth in the 82nd allowing ibrahimovic to charge through and beat goalkeeper steve mandanda for his 156th goal in 180 games since he joined the club in 2012
it has been a fantastic adventure for me ibrahimovic said on french television we know how it was in the beginning and how it is today i can just say mission completed
psg secured consecutive domestic trebles and won the cup for a 10th time equaling marseilles record
manchester united and major league soccer teams are reportedly interested in signing ibrahimovic 34
bayern takes german cup bayern munich defeated borussia dortmund 4 3 on penalties in the german cup to seal the clubs 11th domestic double and give coach pep guardiola a winning send off
bayern goalkeeper manuel neuer saved sven benders spot kick and sokratis papastathopoulos missed the next for dortmund dortmund goalkeeper roman burki saved joshua kimmichs penalty but thomas muller kept bayern in control and douglas costa scored the decisive spot kick
it was bayerns 18th german cup win and the clubs third in four seasons
juventus records a first the substitute alvaro morata scored in extra time and juventus beat a c milan 1 0 in rome to win the italian cup becoming the first club to win the league and cup double in consecutive seasons
in the 110th minute at the stadio olimpico morata required one touch to redirect a cross from juan cuadrado past gianluigi donnarumma milans 17 year old goalkeeper
juventus earned its third trophy of the season having opened the campaign by beating lazio in the italian super cup and then rebounding from a difficult start to take a fifth straight serie a title


ocala fla   niokoa johnson was 15 too young for a drivers license but somehow old enough to race when she landed a spot in her first auto racing competition
for days niokoa practiced on the back roads of central florida on the afternoon of the race she arrived early to circle the pits of bubba raceway park a dirt track built among horse fields
on her second practice lap niokoa lost control and slammed into a concrete wall breaking her neck she was not wearing a head and neck restraint a device required in nascar but not on most short tracks like this a lower rung of the racing world
after a day on life support she died
it was the worst day of my life said her father richard johnson who rushed from the stands to pull her from the car if she had the head and neck device or something similar it likely wouldnt have happened
in the vast and unregulated world of short track racing niokoas death was not an isolated event since 2002 when nascar made head and neck restraints mandatory at least 141 people have died on short tracks and dozens of others have sustained major injuries making this the most dangerous corner of american motorsports those figures   based on police reports and news media accounts   surpass previous estimates and highlight the consequences of lax rules and scant safety protections
short track racing born in rural america in the 1930s is a catchall phrase that refers to myriad competitions on dirt or asphalt ovals from mile long speedways fit for nascar to smaller tracks that could fit in a yard the vehicles vary too from a windowless school bus to 100000 cars that can reach 160 miles per hour
the sport now comprises about 900 tracks throughout the country populated with drivers of varying ages and ambitions some hope to ascend to the sports higher circuits while others are hobbyists simply taking their souped up cars or trucks for an adrenaline fueled spin
many short tracks struggle to attract fans and drivers every week and track owners say they do not have the financial means to enact rigorous safety protocols
owners are not pushing safety because people wont show up richard johnson said its not going to change unless more tragedy or state mandate happens
bubba raceway park where niokoa johnson died has no ambulance on site and one paramedic who is not certified in lifesaving techniques other track owners many of whom face little or no legal liability for a crash have stopped providing professional safety personnel altogether
at the highest echelon of racing in the united states dale earnhardts death in 2001 set off a cascade of safety improvements in nascar which has not recorded a death since but few of those measures have trickled down to short track racing
whereas nascar imposes a battery of safety restrictions   laying out its rules in a 172 page text   the safety measures for short tracks amount to a patchwork of lenient rules and mere suggestions protocols vary state by state even track by track
there is no national governing body or overarching league like nascar or the nfl only one state regulates short track racing and local officials generally focus more on policing noise and pollution than safety
we want to leave it in the private sectors hand and make it a drivers decision said earl arnett the marion county commissioner who represents the area encompassing bubba raceway park
the few safety rules that do exist are routinely ignored drivers commonly race without fireproof gloves fire extinguishers are often not present in cars and fans stand in restricted areas
many drivers said they wanted to keep it that way while earnhardts death prompted a sweeping safety overhaul in nascar   and drivers embraced the change by wearing head and neck restraints   most short track racers resist safety changes
bubba clem the owner of the track where niokoa died said he had bolstered safety requirements in the wake of her crash he also paid for her funeral
clem a radio personality known as bubba the love sponge said he now required minors to wear head and neck restraints still he acknowledged that safety standards varied
most tracks are pretty good but some tracks could have better lighting and a better warning system clem said an average track owner on a saturday night does the best he can
still when deaths occur the owners face little accountability
insurance payouts are small usually between 5000 and 10000 and successful lawsuits are rare because of a single piece of paper that shields owners from liability
anyone who enters a pit area is required to sign a document protecting the track from legal action even when tracks are negligent   like allowing a fence to collapse or failing to extinguish a fire   these liability waivers allow the owners to escape accountability according to court records and copies of the waivers
most deaths on short tracks receive little or no media attention one notable exception occurred in 2014 when the nascar driver tony stewart struck and killed a 20 year old driver kevin ward jr in upstate new york stewart was cleared of criminal wrongdoing but faces a civil suit from wards family
twenty five percent of tracks get it right 70 percent take the money and hope you leave alive said the former nascar driver randy lajoie who now manufactures safety equipment
in the one stoplight town of bronson fla among rotting palm trees and a mud bog the dangers of short track racing were on vivid display during a new years eve race
scott mcallister a first time racer at bronson speedway did not have a head and neck device or a fire extinguisher inside his car though they are required according to the tracks rule book the prerace inspector asked for mcallisters name and sponsor but did not look inside his car
they let the rules slide here mcallister said
with fans and drivers at a premium many tracks like bronson speedway throughout the country tend to overlook their own rules
ann young a native new yorker bought the bronson track with her husband as a retirement present after searching race tracks for sale on google five years later she said she has yet to make a profit
the racecar business right now is a dying sport young said it has peaked
as a sport set primarily in rural communities short track racing has felt the aftereffect of the recession in a painful way track owners struggle to attract paying fans and drivers who can afford the racecars
the owners need cars and they need drivers so they turn a blind eye toward safety to have a show said chris frost a 40 year old driver from alabama
the bronson track in florida was the site of a fatal accident in 2014 when buddy howell a track worker was hit by a pickup truck in the infield while working as a flagman howell was killed during a spectator race in which fans take their own cars onto the track bronsons infield does not have a fence and howell had defied track rules by going into the infield
that was because of his judgment and not following safety young said of the fatality
during a recent practice at bronson cars reached full speed around the track with no ambulance or safety crews present just as racing began an ambulance pulled into the track but left a few minutes later when a track official fell ill it never returned
mcallister said he was not worried about the absence of an ambulance he recently bought a car from a friend and was bullish about his chances that evening his white camaro had never raced on asphalt before
after a lackluster race and hitting the wall mcallister was all smiles while smoking a cigarette in the pits
i had a third place car but a seventh place driver out there he said
there is at least one corner of the short track racing world that adheres to a strict rule book a circuit called the world of outlaws a group of short track drivers who tour the country
world of outlaws drivers are required to wear head and neck restraints and must use a racing seat with a halo shaped headrest that prevents the neck from moving sideways during crashes
there has not been a fatality in a world of outlaws race since 1999
tyler clem competes at the highest level of florida dirt track racing he drives a late model stock car modified to race on dirt and just last year he won the championship at the track where niokoa johnson had her fatal accident
tyler is 13 years old
tyler whose father is bubba clem is one of the many young drivers who compete every weekend at short tracks across the country some stick to races designed for children like go karts and mini racecars while others race in full bodied cars alongside middle age veterans
bubba clem is able to fund his sons racing dream   and protect his safety   better than many parents tyler races with a head and neck restraint containment seat and firesuit
hed feel naked without his head and neck system clem said it would be remiss for anybody to put their kid in a car that didnt have that i would scrimp on my motor before safety
teenage racers are a microcosm of the short track racing landscape an unregulated universe where safety stems from money
some like tyler clem are flush with cash sponsors and safety equipment others are just scraping by
its expensive but not an opportunity to be a rich little brat clem said
the young racers do not need licenses to compete on short tracks in some cases tracks require young racers to submit a resume of their driving experience others allow anyone with a car to join the race
a few recent deaths raise questions about that approach in addition to niokoa tyler morr 12 was killed in 2012 during a race in winter haven fla and amanda gambacorto 21 died in 2014 after hitting the wall during a training session for new drivers in wall township nj
jordan fowler 13 was a first time racer at bronson speedway in florida he had experience on dirt tracks near his jacksonville home but his father had to call bronson to get permission for jordan to race on asphalt for the first time
im intimidated because everyone is bigger than me but i realized it was all the same once i got out on the track jordan said
jordan made the trip to bronson in a dilapidated honda civic despite the civics mangled body and jordans lack of experience on asphalt he finished fifth he did not wear a head and neck device or a containment seat
john westbrook was not the first driver to flip his car at williams grove speedway in mechanicsburg pa but he was the one to suffer some of the greatest consequences becoming a quadriplegic after his sprint car tumbled over the guardrail and down a 16 foot embankment in september 2008
westbrook sued williams grove for negligence arguing that the track lacked a catch fence that would have prevented his car from flipping out of the racetrack
six years later a jury found that williams grove was not liable because westbrook had signed a liability waiver and westbrook received no damages
unfortunately if someone is hurt in the future no matter how negligent the track is if the release is signed they are good westbrook said if i was a track owner id be feeling pretty good right now
when anyone enters a pit area at a short track he or she must sign a liability waiver this contract protects racetracks from lawsuits but the agreements go beyond absolving the track for accidents out of their control or honest mistakes
according to multiple waivers reviewed by the new york times track owners are released from any loss liability damage or cost they may incur arising out of or related to the undersigneds injury or death whether caused by the negligence of the releases or otherwise
that piece of paper plaintiffs lawyers and safety experts said enables track owners to resist a safety overhaul
theres zero regulation of tracks   thats because of the waivers said westbrooks lawyer david inscho
insurance companies perform spot checks at racetracks to ensure that fans who are not in the pits have a reasonable expectation of safety this includes inspecting grandstands and fences
if they didnt have a catch fence we would deny coverage said tony huth a senior accident underwriter at k  k insurance
insurance underwriters point out hazards facing fans who dont sign waivers like dilapidated bleachers and dirty concession stands to track owners before issuing policies but they rarely require head and neck devices according to interviews with track owners and insurance adjusters
the insurance company manuals are geared toward spectators inscho said adding that he did not believe insurers were concerned with the drivers
most crashes involved drivers but fans and track workers have died too a 12 year old spectator from brookland ark died last year when an out of control racecar struck him down in the area where cars enter the track a 49 year old track worker from sarasota fla died in 2014 after a skidding pickup truck slammed into him
ross curtner 12 was at a race last fall at crowleys ridge speedway in paragould ark when a car on the track lost control and hit him killing him instantly he had been standing on top of a wall in the staging area where cars enter the track
eleven days before the accident the track owner trent francis posted on facebook saying i need to install more fencing to make it safer for spectators thats supposed to be the staging area
the waiver agreements make no mention of the tracks insurance policy leaving drivers crew and fans in the dark about how much the track will pay in the event of an injury or death
families of drivers who die in short track accidents receive only a few thousand dollars on average according to track owners most tracks dont pay out more than 5000 said young the bronson speedway owner
drivers who sustain injuries are not fully covered by the tracks insurance
bobby arnold a georgia driver who had to crawl out of his burning racecar last summer after an accident didnt have health insurance the track paid a lump sum and arnold was on his own for the rest of his medical expenses which totaled around 140000 he said
they covered some of it i wouldnt say most arnold said
some short tracks operate without insurance at all
thunderdome speedway in jasper ala will not open for the 2016 season because its owner kenny hogan is short on cash the track has not had insurance for years
lawyers could try to sue me but what are you going to get out of a guy who is 250000 in debt hogan said i would never sue anybody if i got hurt at a racetrack
hogan said he made it clear to drivers and spectators that his track was not insured which does not violate state law he also posts signs to warn everyone on the premises that they assume their own risk
when you show up to a track and have a damn phone book full of rules i dont want to race there hogan said when you get lawyers and insurance companies involved youll kill racing dont kill each other and use common sense
richard johnson chose not to sue bubba raceway park even though track officials failed to check his daughters car before the race he said but he believes that it wouldnt have made a difference because his daughter didnt have a head and neck device
according to a marion county sheriffs report niokoa johnson broke her neck and sustained head injuries while traveling just under 40 miles per hour richard johnson and two other men jumped on the hood of the car to pull the steering wheel and create enough room for niokoa to be removed by medical personnel
it was just a tragic accident thats all i can really say bubba clem said


washington   some of the nations largest veterans and military organizations sent letters last week to the veterans affairs department asking it to crack down on colleges that prey on veterans by charging exorbitant fees for degrees that mostly fail to deliver promised skills and jobs
the letters were signed by top officials at the american legion the national military family association the military officers association of america and nearly 20 other groups they called on the department to improve its oversight of colleges that have engaged in deceptive recruiting and other illicit practices but that continue to receive millions in funding under the gi bill
we encourage you to take steps against the dozen or so colleges facing federal and state action for deceiving students one of the letters says
the career training and for profit college industry has been accused in recent years of exploiting veterans poor people and minorities veterans are an especially enticing target because under a loophole in federal law money from the gi bill does not count against a cap on federal funding to for profit schools
the veterans affairs department has traditionally done little to police the for profit college industry despite handing more than 17 billion for the 2012 13 school year to for profit colleges a 2014 senate report found that seven of the eight for profit college operators that received the most money from the department were under investigation by state or federal authorities for misleading recruiting practices or other violations of federal law
in an emailed statement terry jemison a spokesman for the department said it relied largely on states to police the industry state agencies are required to ensure that all schools including nonaccredited schools have been licensed to operate in their state mr jemison wrote
but a recent study by yale law students found that the department was required by statute to enforce federal education guidelines prohibiting fraudulent practices democrats on capitol hill have cited the study as more evidence that the department is failing to protect veterans from predatory practices
the failure to crack down defies not only the white house priorities and congressional demands but logic and common sense senator richard blumenthal democrat of connecticut said in an interview
the industry defending itself against the allegations says it offers nontraditional students a flexible way to gain career skills
those that demonize our sector do so because of ideological reasons not rational arguments said michael dakduk a vice president at the association of private sector colleges and universities for the veteran holding down a part time or full time job in addition to their studies our sectors institutions and programs are the right fit
our sector continues to support more consumer education and resources for veterans service members and their families mr dakduk added we look forward to working with members of the veterans community as we have done in the past to strengthen resources for student veterans and their families
but among those who have called for better oversight of the gi bill are the veterans departments own education advisory committee and a group of eight state attorneys general who have sued for profit colleges accusing them of consumer fraud
the institutions that have failed to meet regulatory standards or been accused of violating legal statutes include tiny beauty schools with staggering loan default rates and online law schools with dismal graduation rates and no bar association accreditation without government money few of these institutions could attract students or stay in business
corinthian colleges once one of the largest for profit college chains went bankrupt last year after the education department suspended its access to federal student aid the chain was accused of false advertising including exaggerations about its students career placement
education advocates say the veterans departments unwillingness to police a program that costs taxpayers billions is difficult to understand
the veterans we serve are understandably angry when they discover that the very consumer fraud they faced at a predatory school is one the va knew about but approved for gi bill benefits anyway said carrie wofford of veterans education success a nonprofit group


hanoi vietnam   when bill clinton landed in this lake studded capital 16 years ago the first american president to visit since the end of the vietnam war his mission was to put that conflict behind him and the trip was among the most remarkable of his presidency
when president obama arrives here early monday his task may be a bit less dramatic but is in many ways far more ambitious these two countries bedeviled by decades of misunderstandings violence and wariness now have the chance to create a partnership that seemed unlikely even three years ago
since then chinas expansion in the south china sea has deeply shaken a new vietnamese government while the leadership here has not let up on its repression of its people   the police have beaten protesters in demonstrations over an environmental disaster   it now appears more interested in playing one superpower off against the other perhaps even giving the pentagon some rotating access to key vietnamese ports
it would not be an alliance neither side seems ready for that but it could throw beijing off balance in the daily shadowboxing over who will dominate one of the worlds most strategically vital waterways
it does show how history can work in unpredictable ways said benjamin j rhodes a deputy national security adviser who spent time over the past two years luring myanmar out of its shell even the worst conflicts can be relatively quickly left behind
in many parts of asia mr obamas strategy of focusing on the region is still more of a slogan than an operational plan he has been drawn back into middle east conflicts in iraq syria and yemen but in this part of southeast asia particularly vietnam he seems on the verge of the kind of progress mr clinton could only imagine during that first visit only 10 months before the sept 11 attacks changed americas priorities
slurping noodles in a shop in ho chi minh city at the end of that trip mr clinton wondered aloud to a reporter whether the communist leaders in vietnam were really willing to turn away from their traditional link to china it turned out they were not
but now the chinese who hindered american efforts during the vietnam war are making things easier for the united states for years the communist party leadership in vietnam headed by nguyen phu trong ignored chinese activity off the countrys coast even as its deeply nationalistic population became increasingly alarmed but in 2014 china placed a deep sea drilling rig to explore for oil and gas right off vietnam and mr trong the partys general secretary could not even get his phone calls to beijing returned
he registered his protest by visiting mr obama in the oval office last year an unsubtle signal to the chinese that vietnam had other options but with a military leadership still full of veterans of the american war as it is known here the warming of ties has proceeded at a deliberate pace
ahead of mr obamas visit a parade of american officials including deputy secretary of state antony blinken and daniel russel the state departments most senior asia hand have been showing up in hanoi their goal has been to get enough human rights guarantees from the vietnamese to allow for the lifting of sanctions on arms sales to vietnam and perhaps the return of american military units to its shores for the first time since the chaotic helicopter evacuation from saigon that is seared in the american memory
for most vietnamese half of whom are under 30 internet armed and increasingly savvy about the world around them those memories have little meaning to their lives or ambitions poll after poll shows that improved ties with the united states are highly sought
and they demonstrated their power when they took to the streets in recent weeks over a huge fish kill believed to have resulted from a spill by a taiwanese owned steel plant the government crackdown that followed was not exactly part of the game plan before mr obamas arrival
mr obama is making his first visit late in his presidency he has already been to myanmar twice but unlike mr clinton and president george w bush he arrives without the burden of having to explain what he was doing during the war by the time he turned 18 saigon now ho chi minh city had fallen
for mr obama the trip has its political sensitivities on the campaign trail republicans will almost certainly cast it as another stop on an eight year long apology tour during his visit in november 2006 mr bush avoided any notion of an apology in part by avoiding most vietnamese his attention was focused on the iraq war then in its worst phase and the trip was overshadowed by questions of whether the united states was entering another quagmire well succeed unless we quit mr bush said when pressed on the comparisons
mr obama has made clear that pragmatism outweighs other factors when it comes to maneuvering around beijing from a practical viewpoint a decision to lift the arms embargo against vietnam would have minimal effects   the vietnamese military still likes russias rock bottom prices for arms   but it would be symbolically important
the delicate balance is that we need to have both a constructive relationship with china and the ability to be firm on some issues mr rhodes said in an interview
then there is the question of the reception mr obama will receive he is more popular here and in europe than he is at home his aides are clearly hoping for a welcome more like the one mr clinton received in november 2000 mr clinton spoke to students took in the sights went shopping and spent hours in a rice field outside hanoi sifting the dirt for the remains of a downed american pilot alongside the pilots sons who had accompanied the president
mr obamas schedule is very light on the war and very focused on the future after meetings on monday with the countrys leadership he will spend tuesday with dissidents and then deliver a speech then he will head to ho chi minh city landing at the airport that was once the hub of the american military effort and will meet with entrepreneurs
on wednesday mr obama will hold a forum with members of the young southeast asian leaders initiative a signature effort of his to strengthen ties with a remarkably young population throughout the region


st barthelemy switzerland   entering the grounds of the centre social et curatif visitors are greeted by a gaggle of geese ducks and chickens and a towering castle from the 11th century on market day a handful of its residents adults with special needs congregate around tables where their vegetables apple cider and handicrafts are for sale
it seems an unlikely environment in which to produce a tennis star and yet it was here that stan wawrinka the defending french open mens singles champion was raised the center is home to 75 adults with mental disabilities and is a self sustaining facility fed by the 80 acre farm that his father wolfram has run for nearly 35 years wawrinkas mother isabelle is in charge of the tea shop and bakery
alongside the staff of 200 the residents work as farmhands bakers and everything in between while participating in activities that include gardening and woodworking
the farm is part petting zoo with cows goats alpacas and emus and part biodynamic agricultural operation that sustains the residents and their caretakers wawrinka grew up riding his fathers tractor and helping with the hay baling
i had a very happy childhood he told the swiss newspaper le matin in 2013 i was lucky to grow up surrounded by nature and animals to be outside all the time and to work on a big farm with my dad by growing up at a center for people with special needs i learned to always fight hard to achieve what i want in this regard i was incredibly lucky
signs at both entrances of the hamlet of st barthelemy show wawrinkas picture and a message congratulating him on his french open title the town with 680 inhabitants nearly one quarter of whom share the last name favre is 10 miles from lausanne and 45 miles from geneva but it feels a world away it is part of the gros de vaud a region where 90 percent of land is farm or forest
the centre social et curatif was founded in 1946 for adults with disabilities to develop personal and professional skills and achieve autonomy and social integration the center was based on anthroposophy a philosophy developed by rudolf steiner that takes a holistic approach to mental health education and agriculture the farm follows the principles of biodynamic agriculture also founded by steiner in the 1920s
wawrinka attended the waldorf school in nearby crissier which encourages self discovery and independent thinking as envisaged by steiner
wawrinkas tennis career was also developed through connections made at the center dimitri zavialoff a trained social worker also worked there zavialoff and his brother gregory became friends with wolfram and isabelle wawrinka
at 8 wawrinka and his older brother jonathan took up tennis at the local club in echallens dimitri zavialoff quickly taught himself to be a tennis coach and guided wawrinka until they parted ways in 2010 zavialoff now works with timea bacsinszky a lausanne native who reached the french open semifinals last year and rose to the top 10
gregory zavialoff peaked at no 623 in the atp rankings in 1999 and served as wawrinkas first manager jonathan wawrinka also played professionally before becoming the head pro at the prestigious tennis club stade lausanne
when wawrinka was 15 the zavialoff and wawrinka brothers decided to test their fortunes in spain stan wawrinka turned pro at 17 and the next year he won the french open junior tournament and two challenger events
st barthelemy celebrated its homegrown champion with a parade that included a marching band and a carriage ride
i dont take anything for granted wawrinka said in a 2011 interview with the french edition of tennis magazine in the beginning my parents put a lot of money on the table so i could live my dream without putting any pressure on us we made our own way
he added but ive seen so many players come and go that i never not for one minute thought i could rack up millions on the tour
wawrinka did not break through on the tour until the relatively advanced age of 28 when he won the australian open in 2014 outlasting novak djokovic and rafael nadal in the quarterfinals and the final
at the 2015 french open wawrinka marched his way to the final sailing past roger federer and earning a matchup with djokovic a significant underdog wawrinka blasted 60 winners in a four set victory
on saturday wawrinka won the geneva open beating marin cilic by 6 4 7 6 11 while playing his first final in switzerland in 11 years wawrinka will now return to paris where he will try to defend his title as the no 3 seed
wawrinka 31 has many nicknames including the stanimal stan the man iron stan and tyson but the former french player henri leconte may have said it best when he called wawrinka the bison after his french open triumph in 2015 slightly shorter and leaner than his peers the barrel chested wawrinka says his strength comes from his core and his legs
he is decidedly country tough the force he generates comes from the ground and his deep roots in an unheralded hamlet in rural switzerland


sexist comments failed business ventures caustic rhetoric unseemly business dealings
for months republican opponents of donald j trump hit him on myriad issues to no avail now the super pac supporting hillary clintons campaign priorities usa is picking up where republicans left off with two broadcast ads focusing on mr trumps remarks about women and a new online ad mocking his business exploits
the ad over and over mr trump is interrupted in mid sales pitch   for trump airlines trump university trump steaks and so on   with a red rubber stamp declaring scam failed or fraud the bottom line far from the business genius he purports to be mr trump is no better than a con man
the impact his detractors are of two minds about negative ads attacking mr trump some believe his victory in the republican primaries shows that they did not work others say his exceptionally high unfavorable ratings show that they did operatives at priorities usa say that many voters did not pay much attention to ads during the primary campaign   so expect to see a lot more
changing channels 
even as democrats have begun attacking republican congressional candidates by linking them to their presumptive presidential nominee the national republican senatorial committee released a brutal new digital ad tying democratic candidates to hillary clinton
with a loud heartbeat thumping the ad shows several democratic candidates in shadowy red and black photos as a narrator asks if voters can really support mrs clinton it calls her a living history of scandal lies and spin citing whitewater benghazi and the investigation into her use of a private email server as secretary of state says she once defended an accused child rapist and laughed about it and denounces her for fake accents fake concerns and fake laughs
political ads have deployed demon sheep and scorpions now come adorable kittens clawing at each others backs the narrator of a democratic ad attacking senator pat toomey republican of pennsylvania sarcastically intones you scratch my back   ill scratch yours suggesting mr toomey is beholden to his former colleagues on wall street
facing a closer race than expected senator john mccain of arizona has already begun attacking representative ann kirkpatrick his democratic challenger over her vote for obamacare
124 million amount spent by the koch brothers donor network on senate contests so far
10 number of republican outside groups that have run ads so far in the senate race in new hampshire


philadelphia   position players in baseball have always been evaluated on five tools hitting hitting for power speed fielding and arm strength more recently scouts have hunted for sixth tool plate discipline supposedly as ingrained and unchanging as a players date of birth
its just a mind set its who you are said joe maddon the manager of the chicago cubs whose hitters lead the majors in walks a lot of these guys have that chip thats part of their standard equipment so if you dont have that   believe me man its hard to teach
there are exceptions though outliers who make the game more interesting odubel herrera the center fielder for the surprising philadelphia phillies is one of them last sunday in his 38th game of the season herrera drew his 29th walk that exceeded his total for all of 2015 when he played 147 games
the phillies were 24 17 entering the weekend one game behind washington for the lead in the national league east the back of their bullpen has been stingy and their starters had the majors second best ratio of strikeouts to walks trailing only the mets
but the phillies had been outscored by 28 runs and only the lowly atlanta braves had scored less frequently their meager offense depends heavily on herrera whose 443 on base percentage trailed only the nationals bryce harper and the cubs ben zobrist in the national league herrera a rule 5 pick before last season has defied convention to be there
its been a learning experience he said last week through an interpreter something that has helped me is to be selective and to be patient at the plate every time im facing a pitcher i try to remember what he likes to throw so i can decide what approach to take thats a strategy that i have depending on the pitcher i decide if i can be selective or not some pitchers are very aggressive they throw strikes all the time some other pitchers like throwing balls
herrera 24 often caps his walks with a little spin or clap at the plate he had a respectable on base percentage last season 344 but struck out 129 times his goal this season was not so much to walk more but to strike out less his father odubel sr demanded it
i feel like when im having my at bat its my dad actually having my at bat because i always have him in my head herrera said one thing that he told me and he was very specific about it was that i needed to drop down my strikeouts i struck out too many times last year so what he wanted me to do was to put the ball in play because once you put the ball in play obviously you have more chances to have a hit
when he was growing up in venezuela herrera said his favorite player was dave concepcion a native of the country who retired well before herrera was born concepcion was the slick fielding shortstop for cincinnatis big red machine and herrera signed as a shortstop with texas in 2008 he played mostly second base in the minors until the phillies drafted him from the rangers class aa roster in december 2014
herrera had just won the texas league batting title at 321 and said he expected to be picked the rebuilding phillies could spare the roster spot and they had a coach juan samuel work with him on converting to the outfield
i used to step out of staff meetings excuse myself at 830 because that was when we had early work samuel said there were times i wanted to give him days off but he said no lets go i said ok my fungo never gets tired having somebody like that to work with is pleasing and rewarding because they want it as much as you want it for them
samuel had made the same defensive transition in his 16 year major league career but his offensive profile was essentially fixed as a rookie for the phillies in 1984 samuel was an electrifying player but rarely walked or resisted sliders off the plate he led the majors in strikeouts across his first five seasons struggling with the adjustments herrera has learned to make
i can look back now and if theres something i could have changed it was probably that samuel said but it was probably going to take away some of my aggressiveness hes different i think hes got some power hes a strong guy but he has so much confidence all the time thats the whole thing sometimes we might go into a little slump and you start doubting yourself a little bit you dont see that in him
herrera a left handed hitter bats with an unusually wide stance his right leg angled far toward first base a reaction to the way pitchers in venezuela used to beat him inside it looks strange but it works mirroring the team in general the phillies had baseballs worst record last season and their winning record seems out of place but their engine is not surprised
we know what were capable of herrera said we know were a great team and we have good chemistry in the clubhouse we want to shut mouths we want people to know were for real its not all about the future its also about the present
the cincinnati reds have overhauled most of their roster and did not expect to contend this season but injuries have made survival even tougher with a full rotations worth of starters on the disabled list homer bailey anthony desclafani raisel iglesias michael lorenzen and jon moscot one of the more effective replacements tim adleman left his start in the fourth inning thursday with a strained left oblique
the injury interrupts an unlikely major league career adleman 28 was drafted by the baltimore orioles in the 24th round out of georgetown in 2010 after a solid first season the orioles encouraged him to be quicker to the plate in 2011 and adleman struggled so badly that he was released the next spring
after splitting a season with two independent teams adleman who is from north carolina moved to wilton conn he could live there with family while working with weighted balls at a nearby training facility   the clubhouse in fairfield conn   trying to increase velocity
ill give it one more year adleman said he told himself if i dont think im making significant process or im back on the radar ill probably go ahead and shut it down
adleman had gotten just a 2000 bonus from the orioles and minor leaguers make a meager income he developed a routine he has maintained ever since working in the deli at the village market in wilton in the mornings then training in fairfield in the afternoons after he had been throwing 88 to 90 miles an hour adleman said his fastball jumped to the 92 to 95 range
essentially you train your arm to move like you have a two ounce ball but you have a five ounce ball in your hand adleman said the way that i did the program helped me believe that i would be able to sustain it
the results showed in 2013 when adleman had a 146 earned run average in 40 games for the independent new jersey jackals he signed with the reds advanced quickly through their farm system and made his major league debut on may 1 he has gone 1 1 with a 372 era in four starts   validating his decision to try to improve his fastball before giving up
you can never predict whats going to come of it adleman said but i still was pretty confident that if i just got somebody to notice me id have a chance
the texas rangers announced plans friday for a partnership with the city of arlington on a 1 billion retractable roof ballpark that would open by 2021 if they see the project through   public funding would be required   the rangers will join the atlanta braves in abandoning a stadium built in the 1990s the braves are leaving turner field next season for a new home suntrust park in cobb county ga
the braves moved to turner field in 1997 after it was fitted for baseball following the 1996 summer olympics the rangers opened their stadium now called globe life park in 1994 both parks have hosted a perfect game   by kenny rogers in texas and by randy johnson in atlanta   and an all star game but have never been home to a world series winner
once suntrust park is finished the oldest stadium in the national league east will be citizens bank park in philadelphia which opened in 2004 the oldest in the american league west remains the creaky oakland coliseum which greeted the as when they moved from kansas city in 1968 the rangers stadium will be their third since they moved from washington in 1972 and the third retractable roof ballpark in the division after safeco field in seattle and minute maid park in houston


the mental competency of the ailing 92 year old media mogul sumner m redstone is once again at the center of a bitter dispute
viacom and its chief executive philippe p dauman fired back with everything they had on saturday attempting to discredit a sudden move by mr redstone to change succession plans for his 40 billion media empire not only did mr dauman and two viacom directors raise questions related to mr redstones competency but they also declared that mr redstone had been manipulated and used by his daughter
the renewed scrutiny over mr redstones capacity came less than two weeks after a california judge dismissed a case on a similar issue without ruling on whether mr redstone was mentally competent
it was sparked by an unexpected development on friday in a family and corporate tale that becomes messier by the week mr redstone ousted mr dauman from the trust that will control his companies when he dies or is declared incompetent he did so after expressing dissatisfaction with the performance of viacom according to a lawyer working on behalf of mr redstone
mr dauman was also removed from the board of national amusements the private theater chain company through which mr redstone controls both viacom and cbs also ousted from both positions was george abrams a 50 year representative of mr redstone a viacom director for 29 years and an ally of mr dauman
the development set off a new round in a long running battle pitting mr dauman mr redstones longtime confidant against shari redstone mr redstones once ostracized recently reconciled daughter ms redstone has publicly opposed mr daumans leadership at viacom and his removal from the trust is a significant victory in her effort to shape the future of her fathers companies ms redstone is vice chairman of viacom and cbs and is one of seven members on the trust
but in biting language on saturday viacom executives and directors joined forces to depict the ousting of mr dauman and mr abrams as a shameful attempt by ms redstone to influence her father and gain control of his companies they also portrayed mr redstone as being in such failing health as to be unable to make such a decision
carl folta a spokesman for viacom said in a statement that mr redstone had been unduly influenced by his daughter to accomplish her long held goal which mr redstone has always opposed of gaining control of national amusements and viacom
mr folta said the move to oust mr dauman and mr abrams was completely inconsistent with his long expressed wishes and intent and extremely disruptive and damaging to viacom and all of its shareholders
for his part mr abrams said the sumner redstone i knew would never have taken this action
and frederic v salerno viacoms lead independent director raised questions about mr redstones competence saying the board decided last week to eliminate mr redstones compensation based upon his recent complete lack of communication with the viacom board and management team and his silence during recent board meetings as well as recent public disclosures raising concerns about his health
in a statement on saturday ms redstone said i fully support my fathers decisions and respect his authority to make them
removing mr dauman from the trust has raised the question of whether mr redstone or the trust after he dies will move to oust mr dauman as a director and as chief executive of viacom
the company the owner of the mtv comedy central and nickelodeon cable networks and the paramount pictures film and television studios has suffered a 40 percent decline in its stock price over the last year and has reported persistent weak results
is philippe dauman dead man walking now asked richard greenfield a media analyst with btig research referring to mr redstone he said if he is competent enough to change the trust he is competent enough to use his voting power to change management
whether mr dauman will pursue legal action is not clear
during the public sparring on saturday two questions persisted did mr redstone have the capacity to eject mr dauman and mr abrams from their positions and to what extent was ms redstone involved
mr redstone who has not been seen publicly since his 92nd birthday party last may will turn 93 on friday while he continues to control viacom and cbs much about his condition has been shrouded in mystery beyond the fact that he has suffered minor strokes and has a severe speech impediment the transcript of videotaped testimony presented during the trial showed a fiery if somewhat feeble man who responded to some basic questions but could not answer others such as his birth name
if mr redstone lacked the capacity to make corporate decisions as mr dauman asserted analysts said that would raise questions about whether mr redstones control should already have passed to the trust yet until friday neither mr dauman nor mr abrams nor other directors of viacom or cbs publicly claimed that mr redstone lacked mental capacity
in a declaration six months ago for the civil suit challenging mr redstones mental capacity mr dauman described his boss as engaged attentive and as opinionated as ever
mr redstones lawyers in a statement issued friday sought to use mr daumans own words against him citing his remarks michael c tu a partner at the law firm orrick herrington  sutcliffe said that is exactly the sumner redstone who made these decisions
in his statement on behalf of mr redstone mr tu said his client took decisive and lawful action to remove mr dauman and mr abrams from their positions after he had expressed his concerns regarding viacoms performance to messrs abrams and dauman both viacom directors and received no response from them
mr folta of viacom said that there had been no communication from mr redstone and that the only contact came through written communication on tuesday from mr tu a lawyer previously unknown until this week to anyone associated with sumner other than shari redstone
mr folta added that during a viacom board meeting on tuesday evening and all day wednesday not a sound was heard from sumner who was connected by phone and that ms redstone also connected by phone did not raise a single concern during the board session on any topic
mr redstone engaged the new law firm after the suit challenging his capacity was dismissed on may 9 sumner had concerns related as everybody knows to the potential sale of paramount and with respect to other corporate matters said robert n klieger a partner of the law firm hueston hennigan who represented mr redstone during the suit over his competency i recommended to sumner that he engage corporate counsel to represent him on those matters and helped facilitate getting orrick on board to represent him
mr folta and mr salerno said that ms redstone had denied viacom directors access to her father
dr brian crowley a psychiatrist in washington who has frequently testified in civil and criminal trials at what he called the intersection of psychiatry and law said there were two related issues in the situation mental competency and undue influence
there is no rigid definition of civil competence he said does he have the mental capacity to know what hes doing does he have the ability to exercise judgment and free will
while mr redstone is a vulnerable person and may be subject to undue influence not all influence is undue dr crowley said have they used their influence to in effect meet their own needs rather than to help him make his own decision he asked


vienna   by any measure the string of crimes has been terrible a grandmother of three walking her dog raped along a riverbank a 10 year old boy sexually assaulted at a public swimming pool a 21 year old student gang raped near the giant ferris wheel at viennas famed prater park a 54 year old woman beaten to death on the street
the fact that the crimes were committed by recent migrants from war zones and an immigrant who had lived illegally in the country for years added an especially volatile element to the political climate ahead of the presidential election on sunday when austria could become the first european country to elect a far right candidate as head of state since the end of nazism
nationalism and anti immigrant sentiment had already been whipped up by the surge of refugees who streamed into austria last year now the assaults and the coverage of them in the tabloid press could help the far right presidential candidate norbert hofer of the austrias freedom party in what appears to be a tight race against alexander van der bellen a former green party leader
the freedom party has assailed crime and migrants for years but the backlash against the latest influx of asylum seekers has been especially fierce in this election season chancellor werner faymann the leader of the coalition government was forced out on may 9 after the two centrist parties that have dominated austria for decades were trounced in the first round of presidential voting
sundays runoff between mr hofer and mr van der bellen could turn on concerns that the countrys leaders lost control under the tide of refugees and migrants who reached europe last year
at least 90000 people applied for asylum in this country of 84 million before austrias government shut its borders and persuaded all the balkan states through which the migrants trekked from greece to follow suit
since then the challenges of integrating the refugees have become clearer as concerns about crime sexual mores and cultural clashes come into stark relief across europe highlighted by the new years eve assaults on german women by arab or north african men in cologne
a link between the increased numbers of asylum seekers in the country and any rise in sexual assaults and other crimes has not been established statistically the interior ministry and the vienna police say
over all the agencies said crime has declined in the austrian capital over the past decade the number of criminal offenses nationwide also declined to 417000 in 2015 from 427000 in 2014 although a slight rise was recorded in the first quarter of this year the interior ministry said
but especially grim acts starting with the rape of the grandmother in september have been hashed over with increasing intensity feeding the anti migrant sentiment that helped propel mr hofer to first place in the first round last month
is it just a feeling or actually the shocking reality the biggest circulation daily kronen zeitung asked in early may reporting on sex crimes and robberies in three austrian cities the newspaper asserted that women increasingly fear some public spaces and questioned whether one really cannot detect a trend in the statistics
sylvia bubits 54 is living the conflicts dividing austria she is a longtime resident of traiskirchen the town just south of vienna that hosts austrias largest center for refugees displaced people first arrived from the conflicts of the cold war then from the balkans and now from the middle east and beyond
ms bubits is also the daughter of the woman now 72 who was raped while walking her dog on sept 1 since the attack ms bubits said her mother has gone from being healthy to ridden with anxiety and requiring close attention
it goes up and down ms bubits said but its basically as if she was suddenly 90
on a visit to her home on friday her mother could barely shuffle a few steps without assistance ms bubits said she and her mother wanted to speak out about what had happened to emphasize that despite the problems many austrians want to help refugees and make a place for them in their country
according to court documents her mother was walking her 13 year old dog by the schwechat a river where refugees and residents often bathe a young man helped her up a slope but then the documents said exploited her physical weakness threw her to the ground held her mouth shut ripped her clothes and forced her to engage in sex
despite the assault on her mother and an earlier attack in which she said her 22 year old sons nose was broken by refugees ms bubits said she remained a firm advocate for migrants she cried with joy when she saw two 17 year old afghans she helped last year at a reunion at a local cafe
there are two sides to this question she said of austrias coping with refugees stressing that she believes integration can work
the man accused of attacking her mother an afghan who was caught some weeks later denied his actions until dna evidence identified him he then asserted that he had drunk a bottle of vodka beforehand and could remember little prosecutors said he had recalled details that only a perpetrator could have known
at a trial in january judge petra harbich sentenced the man who says he was born on jan 1 1998 meaning he was a minor when he committed the crime to 20 months in jail for the rape and stealing a pack of cigarettes that sentence while in line with treatment of minors in austria was ridiculed by one of ms bubiss lawyers dietmar heck as too mild
mr hecks practice has also taken on the case of the 54 year old woman identified in austria only as maria e who was bludgeoned to death by a homeless kenyan man at 230 am on may 4 outside the 24 hour sports betting shop in vienna where she worked as a cleaner
it has emerged that legal bureaucratic and diplomatic hurdles prevented the police and state prosecutors from detaining or deporting the kenyan he is now 21 but came to austria as a teenager to rejoin his mother who still lives here
the man had been detained more than a dozen times and convicted at least twice for drug dealing and other crimes when he assaulted the cleaner the police had requested his detention on grounds of mental instability
a 14 member commission is investigating the case which has fed calls for a tougher approach to foreigners who some austrians say do not belong in the country
other austrians worry that politicians are effectively asking the legal system to tackle questions that judges lawyers and police cannot answer
it is all getting whipped up politically said martin mahrer a lawyer who is defending one of three young afghans who have confessed to raping a female turkish student in a park on april 22 people now want offenders to be really severely punished
mr mahrer said some of these young migrants had arrived from war zones with completely un western views about women
they do not respect the same things we do mr mahrer said but he asked are foreign offenders less equal before the law than austrians
william spindler a spokesman for the office of the united nations high commissioner for refugees noted that most newly arrived refugees do not commit crimes
there are many examples of afghans adapting very well to the west he said when asked about men from afghanistan who are unused to seeing women alone in public or consuming alcohol if crimes are committed individuals should be held to account mr spindler added
he suggested that any group of people contained potential criminals and said the large number of arrivals last year meant that the total of such individuals could run into the hundreds for any countrys migrants
a measure of how widespread calls for zero tolerance have become came in the last tv debate between the two presidential candidates mr van der bellen said episodes like the assaults on women in cologne required a tough response because that is an attempt to occupy a certain public space and that we wont countenance


united nations   conflicts last longer soldiers and rebels break the laws of war without so much as a shrug millions of people are driven from their homes by wars and natural disasters and aid workers complain that they are overstretched underfunded and in greater danger as they try to deliver relief to the people who need it most
the machinery of humanitarian aid is not only broke   but according to many critics also broken
to address these problems the united nations is sponsoring the first world humanitarian summit starting on monday in istanbul but most of the worlds most powerful leaders   those whose soldiers and diplomats can end wars and hold accountable those who violate international humanitarian law   are not going
president obama is not planning to attend nor is his top diplomat secretary of state john f kerry neither is president vladimir v putin of russia who has rebuffed the five core commitments that the united nations secretary general ban ki moon wants countries to embrace at istanbul those commitments include respecting existing humanitarian law preventing conflicts and donating more money for aid in any event they are not legally binding
china which operates a parallel aid system that channels money mostly to friendly governments is sending officials from the ministry that handles foreign aid the host nation turkey is itself under scrutiny by rights groups for turning back refugees to war zones
even some humanitarian groups have signaled their doubts about the meeting doctors without borders made a splash this month by pulling out of the conference calling it a fig leaf of good intentions
the gathering is being held at a time when the entire architecture of humanitarian relief set in place after world war ii is at a crossroads or worse   staring at its own irrelevance according to many aid experts
the humanitarian system is suffering from a crisis of legitimacy said christina bennett an analyst with a london research group overseas development institute and the lead author of a report that calls for an overhaul of the aid system
that crisis was on stark display this month at an entrance to daraya a suburb of damascus syria a convoy of trucks carrying infant formula and medicine waited to enter for six hours before being forced to leave jan egeland the humanitarian adviser to the united nations envoy to syria said in a post on twitter that the convoy had been blocked by government forces he described as well fed syrian soldiers
for the world humanitarian summit to matter mr egeland wrote in an essay on irin news a news agency that focuses on humanitarian issues it must make us better able to respond where we now fail the most
the way wars are fought has changed radically since the era after world war ii when the aid architecture was set up the aid business has not
for instance in 2013 conflicts around the world had been going on for an average of 37 years according to ms bennetts report up from 19 years in 1990 the united nations reports that currently displaced people have been displaced on average for a generation or 17 years worldwide
yet at the same time the basic protections enshrined by the refugee convention of 1951 are flouted including by countries in europe which are now offering financial incentives to turkey to keep asylum seekers at bay
most egregious the laws of war are repeatedly broken whether intentionally or not hospitals have been bombed in yemen syria and afghanistan women have been raped in south sudan by rival armies israeli forces attacked a school where families sought shelter during the war in gaza
the crisis in the humanitarian system is not something aid workers can solve themselves even with a lot more money
there is an appalling lack of engagement and political courage at the moment either to resolve or address the root causes of an unbroken chain of simultaneous complex protracted crises said william lacy swing the director general of the international organization for migration international humanitarian law continues to be violated on all sides it seems accompanied by serious erosion of international authority
as for money the world spends about 25 billion each year on humanitarian relief according to the united nations which says at least 15 billion more is needed
the united nations is eager to secure more financial pledges   the organizations funding appeal for yemen for instance is only 16 percent fulfilled   and it is seeking to appease donors by promising to make spending more transparent at present though there is little transparency on how funds are spent making it impossible to ferret out how much of every aid dollar that comes into the world body goes to beneficiaries
united nations agencies commonly dole out money to big western nongovernmental organizations or ngos which subcontract to local ngos there is a push to give the money directly to local groups which get less than 1 percent of humanitarian funds and let them decide how to spend it
new ideas have been floated on how to raise more money   like a tax on luxury goods to help pay for humanitarian relief   and new ways to get aid to civilians such as just giving them cash
john ging the director of field operations for the united nations office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs wants to refocus the attention of world leaders to a deficit of humanity
that will be a challenge
organizers rescheduled the world humanitarian summit so it did not conflict with a meeting of the worlds richest countries the g7 which will begin may 26 in japan still the only g7 leader confirmed to attend the world humanitarian summit is angela merkel the german chancellor
mr obama will be in vietnam with mr kerry the american delegation will be led by gayle e smith the head of the united states agency for international development
patricia mcilreavy a vice president of interaction a coalition of ngos based in the united states said that while she was disappointed that mr obama would not appear she hoped the meeting would yield concrete measures to minimize civilian harm during armed conflict and restoring respect for international humanitarian law
the international committee of the red cross said the highest priorities of the gathering should include protecting civilians ensuring aid reaches those in need and as it said in a statement friday tackling abuses of international humanitarian law in conflict
all told 175 countries are scheduled to participate including 53 heads of state and government it is unclear whether any major financial pledges will be made or if there will be any commitment to obey the laws of war
as world leaders gather for the first ever world humanitarian summit i have a question malala yousafzai the nobel peace prize winning education activist from pakistan said in a news release what will this summit deliver beyond words


the people of palatine ill a middle class suburb of chicago marked by generic strip malls and tidy cul de sacs had not spent much time debating the thorny questions of transgender rights but in late 2013 a transgender high school athlete so intent on defending her privacy that she is known only as student a took on her school district so she could use the girls locker room
after the federal department of educations office for civil rights ruled in her favor last fall the two sides cut a deal student a could use the locker room and the school would install private changing areas some in the community denounced the arrangement others joined the american civil liberties union of illinois which represented the girl in declaring a victory for civil rights
now the whole nation is in a pitched battle over bathroom access with the obama administration ordering all public schools to allow transgender students to use the bathrooms of their choice across the country religious conservatives are rebelling on friday lawmakers in oklahoma became the latest group to protest proposing one measure to effectively overturn the order and another calling for president obama to be impeached over it
how a clash over bathrooms an issue that appeared atop no national polls became the next frontier in americas fast moving culture wars   and ultimately landed on the desk of the president   involves an array of players some with law degrees others still in high school
the sweeping directive to public schools seemed to come out of nowhere in fact it was the product of years of study inside the government and a highly orchestrated campaign by advocates for gay and transgender people mindful of the role whites only bathrooms played in the civil rights battles of more than half a century ago they have been maneuvering behind the scenes to press federal agencies and ultimately mr obama to address a question that has roiled many school districts should those with differing anatomies share the same bathrooms
the lobbying came to a head according to people who were involved in a hastily called april 1 meeting between top white house officials   led by valerie jarrett mr obamas senior adviser and one of his closest confidantes   and national leaders of the gay and transgender rights movement north carolina had just become the first state to explicitly bar transgender people from using the bathrooms of their choice
transgender students are under attack in this country said chad griffin the president of the human rights campaign a washington based advocacy group that is active on the issue summing up the message he sought to convey to ms jarrett that day they need their federal government to stand up for them
ms jarrett and her team he said listened politely but did not reveal much including the fact that a legal directive on transgender rights that had been in the works for months was about to be released
when   or precisely how   mr obama personally weighed in is not clear the white house would not provide specifics but two days before that meeting scores of advocacy groups sent mr obama a private letter appealing to his sense of history as he nears the end of his presidency in which he has already advanced gay and transgender rights on multiple fronts
too many students   including every single transgender intersex and gender nonconforming student in north carolina   will go to sleep tonight dreading the next school day the groups wrote telling him that your legacy will be defined by the tone you have set and the personal leadership you have shown on these issues
the dispute in palatine came amid increasing confusion for school districts over how to handle questions about bathroom access for transgender students officials at the department of education said it had received hundreds of requests for guidance   so many that advocates for gay and transgender rights frustrated by the obama administrations failure to issue specific policy guidelines decided to act on their own
in august several groups seeking protection for transgender people   including the human rights campaign the national education association and the national center for lesbian rights   issued a 68 page guide for schools hoping to provide a blueprint for the white house
at the department of education catherine e lhamon 44 a former civil rights litigator who runs the agencys office of civil rights   and has made aggressive use of a federal nondiscrimination law known as title ix   was taking the lead the departments ruling in favor of student a in november was the first time it had found any school district in violation of civil rights over transgender issues
for student a the federal intervention has been life changing her mother who requested anonymity to protect the privacy of her daughter said she was close to finishing her junior year and had just gone to the prom with a group of friends she wore a nice expensive dress with a lot of sparkles her mother said student a is starting to think about which college she might attend
shes in her own teenaged world right now her mother said
the ruling in palatine reverberated across the midwest in the south dakota legislature republicans were so alarmed by the situation in palatine that in february they passed a measure restricting bathroom access for transgender students   similar to the one that later became law in north carolina opponents sent transgender south dakotans to meet with gov dennis daugaard a republican and they believe that influenced his veto of the bill
among the visitors was kendra heathscott who was 10 when she first met mr daugaard then the executive director of a social services organization that treats children with behavioral problems in his office to lobby against the bathroom measure she reintroduced herself he remembered me as a little boy she said
in wisconsin last year another republican sponsored bathroom bill began to work its way through the legislature but was beaten back by transgender rights activists many of them teenagers
in rural north central florida a retired veterinarian and cattle rancher named harrell phillips was alarmed one evening in march when his 17 year old son reported over dinner that he had encountered a transgender boy in the high school bathroom
i marched myself down to the principal said dr phillips who believes that you are born into a sex that god chose you to be
the principal and later the school superintendent citing advice from lawyers said there was nothing they could do so dr phillips turned to his best friend a lawyer in jacksonville who introduced him to roger gannam of liberty counsel an orlando based christian organization mr gannam represented kim davis the kentucky clerk jailed for refusing to issue same sex marriage licenses last year
mr gannam had just helped block a proposed anti discrimination ordinance in jacksonville with an argument religious conservatives have been lately using to powerful effect it would endanger women and young girls by allowing men   and even sexual predators   to pose as transgender and enter womens bathrooms
ocala where dr phillipss son attends school is now embroiled in a fight much like the one that engulfed palatine the school board at mr gannams prodding voted in april to require transgender students to use bathrooms that correspond with their biological sex
one transgender young man there has been suspended for using the boys bathroom the aclu of florida sued the day before the white house issued its directive and last sunday night transgender activists and their allies held a strategy session in a church   with a sheriffs deputy standing guard outside because attendees feared for their safety
its separate but equal so they might as well put black and white up on the bathrooms too said beth miller the mother of 17 year old mathew myers formerly madison an rotc student in ocala who came out as transgender this fall by asking his sergeant to permit him to switch from a womens uniform to one for men the sergeant accommodated mathew on the uniform but the school required him to use the gender neutral bathroom in the nurses office
i go to the guys bathroom all the time out in public and no one cares mathew said
dr phillips who like many americans was not focused on the issue until recently vows to take his fight to the supreme court he believes that mr obama should be impeached and is furious at the liberal left trying to push this down our throats
though north carolina was the first state to adopt a law explicitly barring all transgender people from using public facilities of their choice many say the current debate has its roots in houston in november 2015 voters there repealed the citys anti discrimination measure after a campaign in which the laws opponents boiled their message down to a five word slogan it appeared on yard signs t shirts banners and ominous ads on tv radio and the internet no men in womens bathrooms
more than 200 cities across the united states had adopted similar anti discrimination laws by the time houston went to the polls minneapolis expanded civil rights protections to transgender people back in 1975 but in houston the vote took place less than five months after the supreme court victory for same sex marriage social conservatives were energized
religious conservatives say that broad civil rights protections for transgender people are unnecessary   a solution to a problem that they argue does not exist jeremy tedesco the lead counsel for alliance defending freedom an arizona based conservative advocacy group argues that when it comes to locker rooms and restrooms separating the sexes is a matter of common decency
the repeal of the houston ordinance rattled national gay rights leaders
i think they have now created a campaign in a box that we are going to see shipped from city to city and state to state mr griffin of the human rights campaign said in an interview at the time
mr griffin was correct alliance defending freedom has a website wwwsafebathroomsorg that went live two weeks ago and its video has been viewed more than 300000 times
but the human rights campaign and its allies have a playbook of their own one patterned after their strategy for marriage equality in which they fought the battle for acceptance state by state after the defeat in houston their next targets were jacksonville fla and charlotte nc   southern cities where the advocates worked aggressively to elect politicians who would push the cause of gay and transgender rights
in charlotte an anti discrimination ordinance failed in february 2015 after that the human rights campaign and other gay rights leaders poured money into a new organization   turnout charlotte the goal was to identify and support and ask candidates where are you on this issue  said lawana mayfield an openly gay city council member
with heavy backing from the activists three new council members were elected last fall tilting the balance on the council which passed the anti discrimination ordinance in february religious conservatives who had adopted the no men in womens bathrooms message from houston were taken aback
its outrageous to have a big washington dc based organization come into the state to influence the public policy of a major city said tami fitzgerald the executive director of the north carolina values coalition an advocacy group
republicans in the legislature responded with the so called bathroom bill which gov pat mccrory signed into law on march 23 nine days later the advocates had their audience with ms jarrett the north carolina law they argued behind closed doors had created an untenable conflict
the schools were put in this weird situation by governor mccrory said mara keisling the executive director of the national center for transgender equality who was at the meeting and it just sped this whole thing up


baltimore   j paul reddam the principal owner of nyquist the kentucky derby winner was for me the most intriguing figure of the week leading to saturdays preakness stakes
you can argue that bob baffert was more intriguing by virtue of having trained american pharoah the horse that broke thoroughbred racings 37 year triple crown drought last year but id argue that baffert was among the least interesting precisely because the monkey was off his and the racing industrys back baffert himself acknowledged friday that the triple crown had changed his life
i finally felt relieved because ive been through it so many times said baffert who added that if his horse collected did not win the preakness he would pull for nyquist its good for the game he said like they say in the nfl its good for the shield
reddam on the other hand was anything but relieved
a canadian born philosopher king turned money lender turned successful horseman reddam is a multimillionaire and a haunted near witness to history
four years ago reddam arrived in baltimore on a cloud of joy and high expectations his colt ill have another had run down bodemeister to win the kentucky derby as a 15 to 1 long shot
this time reddam and his team will leave baltimore with the long lonely faces of losers his hopes for a second shot at posterity derailed by exaggerator who finally triumphed over nyquist in a muddy fast paced race at pimlico
the unique aspect of the preakness   and the reason its my favorite leg of the triple crown   is that members of the derby winning team arrive in baltimore as conquering heroes youre the greatest owner the greatest trainer the greatest jockey
whatever anyone says baffert said youre the greatest
in one of the most exciting preakness races in recent history ill have another again ran down bafferts bodemeister the favorite nipping him at the wire
with the belmont up next reddam felt that posterity was his ill have anothers calling card was his stamina which corresponded with belmonts major challenge after a great workout on the thursday before the race the trainer doug oneill told reddam we cant lose
but reddam forgot that this is horse racing he forgot the cardinal rule of managing expectations one he had learned in 2003 when he bought into a horse called ten most wanted a strong contender to win that years derby
i can remember going back to the barn two hours before post time and the trainer wally dollase looking me straight in the eye and saying two hours from now we will have won the kentucky derby  reddam recalled last week
i was like oh wow this is unbelievable he had me absolutely convinced we were walking over to win the derby
ten most wanted finished ninth far behind the winner funny cide
i remember sitting there drenched in sweat just in shock reddam said everyone was going crazy over funny cide i was just so devastated but that really taught me to control my expectations
until he found himself staring at posterity with ill have another
as we spoke reddam recalled every painful detail of the three days leading to the 2012 belmont stakes
there was a delightful barbecue thursday afternoon and then a scheduled day off on friday but soon reddam received a series of disturbing calls on friday from oneill the horse had injured a tendon in a foreleg overnight there was swelling it couldnt be ignored a veterinarian would have to look at the leg
if he was a 50000 claimer nobody would have paid attention   he would have run reddam said echoing a common sentiment in an industry where money usually comes first
but ill have another was not a 50000 claimer and this was the belmont besides scrutiny was being placed on oneill who was facing a 45 day suspension for violating medication rules with horses under his care
the horse could have run he wouldnt break down reddam said the worst that would happen is that hed have to pull up
but ill have another was withdrawn
it was really shocking reddam said because the day before we thought this is really going to happen 
a subsequent investigation by the new york times found that ill have another had physical ailments before he was pulled from the belmont and was being treated with painkillers and anti inflammatory drugs according to the timess report x rays taken of the colts front ankles and knees revealed osteoarthritis
so here we were four years later sitting at a restaurant in baltimores inner harbor reddam had the good fortune to have another derby winner
reddam was confident before saturdays race but invoking the 2012 scratch he said this is horse racing anything can happen
he added but if our horse loses somebody will have to run an extraordinary race
that race was run by exaggerator a second place finisher to nyquist in the derby exaggerator became the first derby runner up to win the preakness since 1993
after the race reddam said that his horse was valiant in defeat
he added id be lying if i said i wasnt disappointed until youre actually beaten you think youre invincible
reddam said he felt the only way that nyquist would lose saturday was if he got caught up in a crazy speed duel with exaggerator
and he did
that doesnt take away from the fact that he was a champion and he was beaten by a great horse reddam said
even with saturdays defeat reddam remains an intriguing figure in a tough fragmented industry
years ago he made what seemed to be a drastic shift from the high minded world of academia   philosophy   to the world of money lending and thoroughbred racing
reddam earned degrees in philosophy at the university of windsor and the university of toronto and received his doctorate at southern california
he went to a philosophy conference and was surprised at the combativeness of the discourse
i realized that philosophy in academia was about one upmanship he said the business world is about making money
reddam even then a serious horseplayer decided that he might as well make as much as he could and have fun doing it
as we wrapped up our conversation i asked reddam to name the greatest moments in his racing life the 2012 preakness the 2012 kentucky derby this years derby victory
theyre all different he said i love pie do i love cherry pie better than apple pie ill take them both
the low point without question was that week in new york in 2012
was there anything in his academic training that allowed him to make sense of it
people have tried to throw tens of millions of dollars   in a couple cases more   to accomplish things in racing and you cant buy it reddam said
during our conversation about racings ins and outs reddam was prophetic when he spoke about the trainer he most admired heading into saturdays race
the guy i admire outside of our own connections in this years triple crown is keith desormeaux reddam said
that guy hasnt spent millions of dollars hes bought horses on the cheap that he saw and developed them whether it was a swipe or an exaggerator
that guy is obviously a tremendous trainer
how far are you willing to go to reach the unreachable dream
for a philosopher and a businessman thats one of those gnawing questions for the ages


shuitou china   along the valleys and mountains hugging the east china sea a chinese government campaign to remove crosses from church spires has left the countryside looking as if a typhoon had raged down the coast decapitating buildings at random
in the town of shuitou workers used blowtorches to cut a 10 foot high cross off the 120 foot steeple of the salvation church it now lies in the churchyard wrapped in a red shroud
about 10 miles to the east in mabu township riot police officers blocked parishioners from entering the grounds of the dachang church while workers erected scaffolding and sawed off the cross in the nearby villages of ximei aojiang shanmen and tengqiao crosses now lie toppled on rooftops or in yards or buried like corpses
on a four day journey through this lush swath of chinas zhejiang province i spoke with residents who described in new detail the breathtaking scale of an effort to remove christianitys most potent symbol from public view over the past two years officials and residents said the authorities have torn down crosses from 1200 to 1700 churches sometimes after violent clashes with worshipers trying to stop them
its been very difficult to deal with said one church elder in shuitou who like others asked for anonymity in fear of retaliation by the authorities we can only get on our knees and pray
the campaign has been limited to zhejiang province home to one of chinas largest and most vibrant christian populations but people familiar with the governments deliberations say the removal of crosses here has set the stage for a new nationwide effort to more strictly regulate spiritual life in china reflecting the tighter control of society favored by president xi jinping
in a major speech on religious policy last month mr xi urged the ruling communist party to resolutely guard against overseas infiltrations via religious means and he warned that religions in china must sinicize or become chinese the instructions reflect the governments longstanding fear that christianity could undermine the partys authority many human rights lawyers in china are christians and many dissidents have said they are influenced by the idea that rights are god given
in recent decades the party had tolerated a religious renaissance in china allowing most chinese to worship as they chose and even encouraging the construction of churches mosques and temples despite regular crackdowns on unregistered congregations and banned spiritual groups such as falun gong
hundreds of millions of people have embraced the nations major faiths buddhism taoism islam and christianity there are now about 60 million christians in china many attend churches registered with the government but at least half worship in unregistered churches often with local authorities looking the other way
but mr xis decision to convene a religious affairs work conference last month   the first such leadership meeting in 15 years   suggested that he was unhappy with some of these policies people familiar with the partys discussions say it intends to apply some lessons from the campaign in zhejiang to rein in religious groups across the country
while the government is unlikely to begin tearing down crosses across china the sources say local authorities are expected to begin scrutinizing the finances and foreign ties of churches and other spiritual institutions as part of an effort to limit the influence of religions the party considers a threat especially christianity
what has been happening in zhejiang is a test said fan yafeng an independent legal scholar in beijing if the government views it as a success it will be expanded
broadening the campaign to regulate religion could backfire on mr xi with worshipers abandoning government run churches in favor of underground congregations which typically meet unobtrusively in office buildings or homes it could also antagonize many of the urban white collar professionals who have embraced christianity
treating it as a foreign religion could alienate these people said fredrik fallman a scholar who studies chinese christianity at the university of goteborg in sweden but this might also be the purpose   to be a warning
set in a valley 10 miles from the coast shuitou is a small market town of streaked concrete housing blocks and pell mell streets most of its traditional places of worship   buddhist taoist and ancestral shrines for deceased relatives   are small structures sometimes built on the side of a mountain and usually hidden from view
but since the 1980s 14 churches in shuitou have been financed with donations from local entrepreneurs eager to show off their newfound prosperity and hard won faith the naves are several stories tall and the spires rise more than 100 feet
until recently most were topped with bright red crosses but crosses have been removed from half the churches in shuitou with orders coming every month for more to come down many worshipers interviewed said they feared an era was coming to end
for years we had no problems with the authorities a local worshiper said our churches were welcomed by the government
the campaign began in 2014 when the government abruptly announced plans to demolish a church in the neighboring city of wenzhou saying it had not received the proper building permits then the government began issuing orders for churches across the province to remove their crosses
the salvation church a complex with three spires atop a three story congregation hall offices and a parking lot quickly became a center of resistance hundreds of parishioners encircled the church to protect the cross facing off against hundreds of riot police officers
in one confrontation about 50 church members were injured pictures of bruised and beaten christians flooded social media and the websites of overseas christian advocacy groups
according to parishioners the government put pressure on the most active members of the congregation some businessmen say their partners were pressured into canceling contracts with them others were told by their employers that they would lose their jobs if they continued to participate in protests
after the church in wenzhou was demolished the salvation church gave in and agreed to take down its cross
the government said that it was enforcing building codes and that all structures had been affected not just churches but documents reviewed by the new york times show that provincial officials were worried that churches had begun to dominate the regions skyline
the crosses have come down in waves with at least 1200 removed as of last summer according to people working for government run churches many local residents estimate the figure is now close to 1700
it was quiet late last year one local christian said but the government is now making it clear that all of the crosses will go
as the authorities pressed the campaign prominent protestant and catholic leaders across china including senior figures in the governments religious affairs bureaucracy spoke out against it in sermons and on social media
one of them was gu yuese the pastor of one of the biggest churches in the chinese speaking world the chongyi church in the provincial capital of hangzhou as one of the best known protestant leaders in china mr gu was influential and his criticism resonated beyond the region
these actions are a flagrant violation of the policy of religious freedom that the party and the government have been implementing and continuously perfecting for more than 60 years he wrote in a statement released on official government letterhead
then he was silenced in january the police detained mr gu and charged him with misusing church funds a few days later another pastor in zhejiang who had also spoken out was detained on similar charges
its a method to make us pay attention said the pastor of a government run church in wenzhou none of us have financial training so if you send in an accountant they will probably find something wrong
several clergy members in the region said they were under pressure to demonstrate their loyalty to the communist party some churches for example have begun extolling mr xis campaign to promote core socialist values   a slogan meant to offer a secular belief system that bolsters the partys legitimacy
other churches have begun displaying their building permits implicitly endorsing the governments authority to approve or reject church construction including crosses
we have to show that we are loyal christians said an employee of the historic chengxi church in wenzhou or else we could face trouble
in february a prominent lawyer was shown on state television confessing to having colluded with foreign forces especially american organizations to stir up local christians the lawyer zhang kai had been in zhejiang providing legal advice to churches that opposed the removal of their crosses
unregistered churches appear vulnerable too in december the police detained several members of the unregistered living stone church in southern chinas guizhou province after they refused to join a government run protestant church the pastor was later arrested on charges of divulging state secrets
its easy for them to fabricate a crime and accuse you said the pastor of a large unregistered church in wenzhou we have to be very careful
many worshipers in shuitou are eager to keep their heads low in hopes that the storm will blow over
one sunday last month about 300 people attended services at the salvation church women sitting on the left side and men on the right   a reflection of traditional views toward worship in the front of the church above a big red cross were six big characters that read holiness to the lord
most of the people there were in their 50s or 60s in part because many of the younger worshipers were boycotting sunday services to protest the churchs decision to comply with the governments order to remove the cross
they have begun attending services on thursdays instead to mark the day of the week the cross came down they used to participate in the churchs bible study groups but now study independently some wonder if they and others may stop worshiping in registered churches entirely and go underground
a senior church leader who spoke on the condition of anonymity said he and others had agreed to take down the cross because they feared the church would be demolished if they did not people were on the verge of losing their jobs he added and church elders felt they had no choice but to call on parishioners to give in
more than three decades ago we didnt even have a church he said persecution in church history has never stopped all we can do is pray


growing up as a member of the gila river indian community in arizona brian howard attended an elementary school that was within the boundaries of phoenix and beyond those of his reservation there in the third grade he was first called redskin
did the white classmate intend it as a term of endearment akin to buddy or was it used as a verbal fist intended to hurt and to sting
a slur said mr howard 28 a legislative associate for the national congress of american indians oh yeah yes
but the widespread acceptance of the term as a pejorative   now considered by many to be an offensive term according to websters new world college dictionary   has apparently been tossed into linguistic uncertainty by a recent washington post poll that centers on the name of a certain washington based professional football team
suddenly the poll seems to suggest redskin is not so bad after all raising the question of how society should decide what constitutes a slur after all if the would be victims of the term are not offended then ...
according to the poll nine of 10 native americans said they took no offense in the name of the washington redskins a contentious litigious issue that has pitted so called anti name advocates against the teams owner daniel snyder and roger goodell the commissioner of the national football league
in addition the poll   a survey of 504 people across the country   found that more than 70 percent of those questioned said they did not consider redskin to be disrespectful to native americans
whats more 80 percent said they would not be offended if called that name by someone who was not an american indian an interesting follow up might be to spend a day or two at say the pine ridge indian reservation in south dakota walking up to random members of the oglala lakota community and calling them redskin   and recording how well that goes over
the polls results have been interpreted as some kind of vindication for mr snyder it also led to a humbling admission by robert mccartney a longtime washington post journalist who had written many opinion articles calling on his favorite football team to drop the name which he considered a racial slur
while acknowledging that he remains deeply uncomfortable with the term mr mccartney said that its unsettling to learn now that i vented all that energy and passion on behalf of such a small fraction of the native american population
the connotation of words can evolve over time not long ago for example queer was considered a pejorative for gays and lesbians now it has become what linguists call a reclaimed epithet   a word adopted by a group in empowering defiance
in addition accepted use might depend on the circumstances the sharing of a certain racial slur among african americans does not entitle white people to use that term so freighted is its ignominious history
things can change in a mere generation as a boy in boston in the 1970s and early 1980s eugene chay identified himself as oriental or oriental american it was the accepted term
i grew up using oriental and being referred to as oriental recalled mr chay who is a senior staff lawyer for a civil rights organization called asian americans advancing justice
but by the mid 1980s mr chay had become aware of a shift in the language   of the growing sentiment that oriental was geocentric ethnocentric and disparaging to asians it was a rhetorical tool of separation and otherness he said
we didnt refer to people in the west as occidental he said
i eventually reached a point in my teens where i did not want to be referred to as oriental and where i took to task people who referred to me as oriental i asked to be referred to as asian
but redskin
geoffrey nunberg a linguist at the university of california berkeley who served as an expert for native americans petitioning to have the federal government cancel the washington redskins organizations trademark registration said the term was a qualified form of a reclaimed epithet some scholastic teams in indian country have nicknames that include redskins and braves he said sort of as a way to say if you want redskin savages then well give you redskin savages
its used in those schools in that reclaimed way mr nunberg said but that doesnt license its use by third parties
the term has come to be associated with hostility and savagery and a melange of popular culture stereotypes that include f troop and davy crockett removed in some way from the fact of sustained genocide and mistreatment
a word can be offensive simply because of its history mr nunberg said you cant pluck this term out of its history and say because my intentions are honorable its ok
debra krol a journalist in arizona and an enrolled member of the xolon salinan tribe on the central coast of california characterized the opposition to the term as symptomatic of the broader movement by blacks latinos and asian americans to strip our language of these terms that are offensive demeaning
these terms make it easier for people to think of us indians as not really americans she said kind of like three fifths of a person that blacks used to be under the us constitution
ms krol also said there was disagreement among american indians about the seriousness of the issue
there are a lot of people out there who have a problem with it she said but there are a lot of other people who really dont care either way   who say we have bigger problems to worry about than a sports teams mascot and a name
but tara houska a tribal lawyer and a member of the couchiching first nation in canada along the minnesota border pointed out that during the american indian movement of the 1960s tribal leaders across the country cited mascots and team names like the redskins and the cleveland indians as racist and dehumanizing
this goes back long before i was born said ms houska 32 who helped organize a protest in minneapolis in 2014 against the appropriation of indian culture for team names and mascots
she questioned the methodology of the post poll   which mirrored the results of a poll conducted in 2004 by the annenberg public policy center   saying that a survey of 504 people could hardly represent the feelings of 52 million native americans she also said that those who clung to family lore   of say being part cherokee on their mothers side   had experiences profoundly different from those who actually lived the native american life whether on or off a reservation
and she said the damage has been documented a decade ago the american psychological association recommended the immediate retirement of native american mascots and symbols in part because they appear to have a negative impact on the self esteem of american indian children
ms houska who lives in washington said she was bracing for all the people who would be waving the poll in her face   the poll the poll the poll   and saying she had no right to be offended by the name of the local football team
that the matter is even up for debate baffles her
its a straight up slur she said its a dictionary defined racial slur it should be a no brainer   but somehow its not


baltimore   ten years after the kentucky derby winner barbaro sustained an eventually fatal injury in the preakness stakes two horses died during the races undercard at pimlico race course on saturday including a filly owned by barbaros owners gretchen and roy jackson
pramedya broke from the no 8 hole in the days fourth race just as barbaro did when he won the kentucky derby by six and a half lengths in 2006 she broke through the gate before the start just as barbaro did in the preakness and had to be reloaded she then stumbled while coming around the turn and the jockey daniel centeno was thrown to the turf
pimlico officials said pramedya a 4 year old filly was euthanized on the track after breaking her left front cannon bone centeno was driven off in an ambulance and officials said his right collarbone was broken
the race was won by barbaros trainer michael matz with truly together
sal sinatra the maryland jockey club president and general manager said the turf course had been inspected and looked fine
its unfortunate and then obviously of course with it being barbaros connections that makes it worse he said
in the days first race the 9 year old gelding homeboykris collapsed and died after finishing first and being photographed in the winners circle officials suspected a cardiovascular collapse and he will be taken to the new bolton center in pennsylvania for a necropsy new bolton about 75 miles north of baltimore is where barbaro had surgery on his right hind leg after stumbling at the start of the 2006 preakness
homeboykris who won 14 races in 63 career starts won the champagne stakes in 2009 and finished 16th in the kentucky derby in 2010


pristina kosovo   every friday just yards from a statue of bill clinton with arm aloft in a cheery wave hundreds of young bearded men make a show of kneeling to pray on the sidewalk outside an improvised mosque in a former furniture store
the mosque is one of scores built here with saudi government money and blamed for spreading wahhabism   the conservative ideology dominant in saudi arabia   in the 17 years since an american led intervention wrested tiny kosovo from serbian oppression
since then   much of that time under the watch of american officials   saudi money and influence have transformed this once tolerant muslim society at the hem of europe into a font of islamic extremism and a pipeline for jihadists
kosovo now finds itself like the rest of europe fending off the threat of radical islam over the last two years the police have identified 314 kosovars   including two suicide bombers 44 women and 28 children   who have gone abroad to join the islamic state the highest number per capita in europe
they were radicalized and recruited kosovo investigators say by a corps of extremist clerics and secretive associations funded by saudi arabia and other conservative arab gulf states using an obscure labyrinthine network of donations from charities private individuals and government ministries
they promoted political islam said fatos makolli the director of kosovos counterterrorism police they spent a lot of money to promote it through different programs mainly with young vulnerable people and they brought in a lot of wahhabi and salafi literature they brought these people closer to radical political islam which resulted in their radicalization
after two years of investigations the police have charged 67 people arrested 14 imams and shut down 19 muslim organizations for acting against the constitution inciting hatred and recruiting for terrorism the most recent sentences which included a 10 year prison term were handed down on friday
it is a stunning turnabout for a land of 18 million people that not long ago was among the most pro american muslim societies in the world americans were welcomed as liberators after leading months of nato bombing in 1999 that spawned an independent kosovo
after the war united nations officials administered the territory and american forces helped keep the peace the saudis arrived too bringing millions of euros in aid to a poor and war ravaged land
but where the americans saw a chance to create a new democracy the saudis saw a new land to spread wahhabism
there is no evidence that any organization gave money directly to people to go to syria mr makolli said the issue is they supported thinkers who promote violence and jihad in the name of protecting islam
kosovo now has over 800 mosques 240 of them built since the war and blamed for helping indoctrinate a new generation in wahhabism they are part of what moderate imams and officials here describe as a deliberate long term strategy by saudi arabia to reshape islam in its image not only in kosovo but around the world
saudi diplomatic cables released by wikileaks in 2015 reveal a system of funding for mosques islamic centers and saudi trained clerics that spans asia africa and europe in new delhi alone 140 muslim preachers are listed as on the saudi consulates payroll
all around kosovo families are grappling with the aftermath of years of proselytizing by saudi trained preachers some daughters refuse to shake hands with or talk to male relatives some sons have gone off to jihad religious vigilantes have threatened   or committed   violence against academics journalists and politicians
the balkans europes historical fault line have yet to heal from the ethnic wars of the 1990s but they are now infected with a new intolerance moderate imams and officials in the region warn
how kosovo and the very nature of its society was fundamentally recast is a story of a decades long global ambition by saudi arabia to spread its hard line version of islam   heavily funded and systematically applied including with threats and intimidation by followers
after the war ended in 1999 idriz bilalli the imam of the central mosque in podujevo welcomed any help he could get
podujevo home to about 90000 people in northeast kosovo was a reasonably prosperous town with high schools and small businesses in an area hugged by farmland and forests it was known for its strong muslim tradition even in a land where people long wore their religion lightly
after decades of communist rule when kosovo was part of yugoslavia men and women mingle freely schools are coeducational and girls rarely wear the veil still serbian paramilitary forces burned down 218 mosques as part of their war against kosovos ethnic albanians who are 95 percent muslim mr bilalli needed help to rebuild
when two imams in their 30s fadil musliu and fadil sogojeva who were studying for masters degrees in saudi arabia showed up after the war with money to organize summer religion courses mr bilalli agreed to help
the imams were just two of some 200 kosovars who took advantage of scholarships after the war to study islam in saudi arabia many like them returned with missionary zeal
soon under mr muslius tutelage pupils started adopting a rigid manner of prayer foreign to the moderate islamic traditions of this part of europe mr bilalli recognized the influence and he grew concerned
this is wahhabism coming into our society mr bilalli 52 said in a recent interview
mr bilalli trained at the university of medina in saudi arabia in the late 1980s and as a student he had been warned by a kosovar professor to guard against the cultural differences of wahhabism he understood there was a campaign of proselytizing pushed by the saudis
the first thing the wahhabis do is to take members of our congregation who understand islam in the traditional kosovo way that we had for generations and try to draw them away from this understanding he said once they get them away from the traditional congregation then they start bombarding them with radical thoughts and ideas
the main goal of their activity is to create conflict between people he said this first creates division and then hatred and then it can come to what happened in arab countries where war starts because of these conflicting ideas
from the outset the newly arriving clerics sought to overtake the islamic community of kosovo an organization that for generations has been the custodian of the tolerant form of islam that was practiced in the region townspeople and officials say
muslims in kosovo which was a part of the ottoman empire for 500 years follow the hanafi school of islam traditionally a liberal version that is accepting of other religions
but all around the country a new breed of radical preachers was setting up in neighborhood mosques often newly built with saudi money
in some cases centuries old buildings were bulldozed including a historic library in gjakova and several 400 year old mosques as well as shrines graveyards and dervish monasteries all considered idolatrous in wahhabi teaching
from their bases the saudi trained imams propagated wahhabisms tenets the supremacy of sharia law as well as ideas of violent jihad and takfirism which authorizes the killing of muslims considered heretics for not following its interpretation of islam
the saudi sponsored charities often paid salaries and overhead costs and financed courses in religion as well as english and computer classes moderate imams and investigators explained
but the charitable assistance often had conditions attached families were given monthly stipends on the condition that they attended sermons in the mosque and that women and girls wore the veil human rights activists said
people were so needy there was no one who did not join recalled ajnishahe halimi a politician who campaigned to have a radical albanian imam expelled after families complained of abuse
within a few years of the wars end the older generation of traditional clerics began to encounter aggression from young wahhabis
paradoxically some of the most serious tensions built in gjilan an eastern kosovo town of about 90000 where up to 7000 american troops were stationed as part of kosovos united nations run peacekeeping force at camp bondsteel
they came in the name of aid one moderate imam in gjilan enver rexhepi said of the arab charities but they came with a background of different intentions and thats where the islamic religion started splitting here
one day in 2004 he recalled he was threatened by one of the most aggressive young wahhabis zekirja qazimi a former madrasa student then in his early 20s
inside his mosque mr rexhepi had long displayed an albanian flag emblazoned with a double headed eagle it was a popular symbol of kosovos liberation struggle
but strict muslim fundamentalists consider the depiction of any living being as idolatrous mr qazimi tore the flag down mr rexhepi put it back
it will not go long like this mr qazimi told him angrily mr rexhepi recounted
within days mr rexhepi was abducted and savagely beaten by masked men in woods above gjilan he later accused mr qazimi of having been behind the attack but police investigations went nowhere
ten years later in 2014 after two young kosovars blew themselves up in suicide bombings in iraq and turkey investigators began an extensive investigation into the sources of radicalism mr qazimi was arrested hiding in the same woods on friday a court sentenced him to 10 years in prison after he faced charges of inciting hatred and recruiting for a terrorist organization
before mr qazimi was arrested his influence was profound under what investigators now say was the sway of egyptian based extremists and the patronage of saudi and other gulf arab sponsors
by the mid 2000s saudi money and saudi trained clerics were already exerting influence over the islamic community of kosovo the leadership quietly condoned the drift toward conservatism critics of the organization say
mr qazimi was appointed first to a village mosque and then to el kuddus mosque on the edge of gjilan few could counter him not even mustafa bajrami his former teacher who was elected head of the islamic community of gjilan in 2012
mr bajrami comes from a prominent religious family   his father was the first chief mufti of yugoslavia during the communist period he holds a doctorate in islamic studies yet he remembers pupils began rebelling against him whenever he spoke against wahhabism
he soon realized that the students were being taught beliefs that differed from the traditional moderate curriculum by several radical imams in lectures after hours he banned the use of mosques after official prayer times
hostility only grew he would notice a dismissive gesture in the congregation during his sermons or someone would curse his wife or mutter apostate or infidel as he passed
in the village mr qazimis influence eventually became so disruptive that residents demanded his removal after he forbade girls and boys to shake hands but in gjilan he continued to draw dozens of young people to his after hours classes
they were moving 100 percent according to lessons they were taking from zekirja qazimi mr bajrami said in an interview one hundred percent in an ideological way
over time the saudi trained imams expanded their work
by 2004 mr musliu one of the masters degree students from podujevo who studied in saudi arabia had graduated and was imam of a mosque in the capital pristina
in podujevo he set up a local charitable organization called devotshmeria or devotion which taught religion classes and offered social programs for women orphans and the poor it was funded by al waqf al islami a saudi organization that was one of the 19 eventually closed by investigators
mr musliu put a cousin jetmir rrahmani in charge
then i knew something was starting that would not bring any good said mr bilalli the moderate cleric who had started out teaching with him in 2004 they had a core of 20 wahhabis
that was only the beginning mr bilalli said they started multiplying
mr bilalli began a vigorous campaign against the spread of unauthorized mosques and wahhabi teaching in 2008 he was elected head of the islamic community of podujevo and instituted religion classes for women in an effort to undercut devotshmeria
as he sought to curb the extremists mr bilalli received death threats including a note left in the mosques alms box an anonymous telephone caller vowed to make him and his family disappear he said
anyone who opposes them they see as an enemy mr bilalli said
he appealed to the leadership of the islamic community of kosovo but by then it was heavily influenced by arab gulf sponsors he said and he received little support
when mr bilalli formed a union of fellow moderates the islamic community of kosovo removed him from his post his successor bekim jashari equally concerned by the saudi influence nevertheless kept up the fight
i spent 10 years in arab countries and specialized in sectarianism within islam mr jashari said its very important to stop arab sectarianism from being introduced to kosovo
mr jashari had a couple of brief successes he blocked the saudi trained imam mr sogojeva from opening a new mosque and stopped a payment of 20000 euros about 22400 intended for it from the saudi charity al waqf al islami
he also began a website speak now to counter wahhabi teaching but he remains so concerned about wahhabi preachers that he never lets his 19 year old son attend prayers on his own
the radical imams mr musliu and mr sogojeva still preach in pristina where for prayers they draw crowds of young men who glare at foreign reporters
mr sogojeva dresses in a traditional robe and banded clerics hat but his newly built mosque is an incongruous modern multistory building he admonished his congregation with a rapid fire list of dos and donts in a recent friday sermon
neither imam seems to lack funds
in an interview mr musliu insisted that he was financed by local donations but confirmed that he had received saudi funding for his early religion courses
the instruction he said is not out of line with kosovos traditions the increase in religiosity among young people was natural after kosovo gained its freedom he said
those who are not believers and do not read enough they feel a bit shocked he said but we coordinated with other imams and everything was in line with islam
the influence of the radical clerics reached its apex with the war in syria as they extolled the virtues of jihad and used speeches and radio and television talks shows to urge young people to go there
mr qazimi who was given the 10 year prison sentence even organized a summer camp for his young followers
it is obligated for every muslim to participate in jihad he told them in one videotaped talk the prophet muhammad says that if someone has a chance to take part in jihad and doesnt he will die with great sins
the blood of infidels is the best drink for us muslims he said in another recording
among his recruits investigators say were three former civilian employees of american contracting companies at camp bondsteel where american troops are stationed they included lavdrim muhaxheri an islamic state leader who was filmed executing a man in syria with a rocket propelled grenade
after the suicide bombings the authorities opened a broad investigation and found that the saudi charity al waqf al islami had been supporting associations set up by preachers like mr qazimi in almost every regional town
al waqf al islami was established in the balkans in 1989 most of its financing came from saudi arabia qatar kuwait and bahrain kosovo investigators said in recent interviews unexplained gaps in its ledgers deepened suspicions that the group was surreptitiously funding clerics who were radicalizing young people they said
investigators from kosovos financial intelligence unit found that al waqf al islami which had an office in central pristina and a staff of 12 ran through EUR10 million from 2000 through 2012 yet they found little paperwork to explain much of the spending
more than EUR1 million went to mosque building but one and a half times that amount was disbursed in unspecified cash withdrawals which may have also gone to enriching its staff the investigators said
only 7 percent of the budget was shown to have gone to caring for orphans the charitys stated mission
by the summer of 2014 the kosovo police shut down al waqf al islami along with 12 other islamic charities and arrested 40 people
the charitys head offices in saudi arabia and the netherlands have since changed their name to al waqf apparently separating themselves from the balkans operation
asked about the accusations in a telephone interview nasr el damanhoury the director of al waqf in the netherlands said he had no direct knowledge of his groups operations in kosovo or the balkans
the charity has ceased all work outside the netherlands since he took over in 2013 he said his predecessor had returned to morocco and could not be reached and saudi board members would not comment he said
our organization has never supported extremism mr damanhoury said i have known it since 1989 i joined them three years ago they have always been a mild group
why the kosovar authorities   and american and united nations overseers   did not act sooner to forestall the spread of extremism is a question being intensely debated
as early as 2004 the prime minister at the time bajram rexhepi tried to introduce a law to ban extremist sects but he said in a recent interview at his home in northern kosovo european officials told him that it would violate freedom of religion
it was not in their interest they did not want to irritate some islamic countries mr rexhepi said they simply did not do anything
not everyone was unaware of the dangers however
at a meeting in 2003 richard c holbrooke once the united states special envoy to the balkans warned kosovar leaders not to work with the saudi joint relief committee for kosovo an umbrella organization of saudi charities whose name still appears on many of the mosques built since the war along with that of the former saudi interior minister prince naif bin abdul aziz
a year later it was among several saudi organizations that were shut down in kosovo when it came under suspicion as a front for al qaeda another was al haramain which in 2004 was designated by the united states treasury department as having links to terrorism
yet even as some organizations were shut down others kept working staff and equipment from al haramain shifted to al waqf al islami moderate imams familiar with their activities said
in recent years saudi arabia appears to have reduced its aid to kosovo kosovo central bank figures show grants from saudi arabia averaging EUR100000 a year for the past five years
it is now money from kuwait qatar and the united arab emirates   which each average approximately EUR1 million a year   that propagates the same hard line version of islam the payments come from foundations or individuals or sometimes from the ministry of zakat almsgiving from the various governments kosovos investigators say
but payments are often diverted through a second country to obscure their origin and destination they said one transfer of nearly EUR500000 from a saudi individual was frozen in 2014 since it was intended for a kosovo teenager according to the investigators and a state department report
al qaeda and other terrorist organizations were still raising millions from deep pocket donors and charitable organizations based in the gulf the treasury under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence david s cohen said in a speech in 2014 at the center for a new american security
while saudi arabia has made progress in stamping out funding for al qaeda sympathetic donors in the kingdom were still funding other terrorist groups he said
today the islamic community of kosovo has been so influenced by the largess of arab donors that it has seeded prominent positions with radical clerics its critics say
ahmet sadriu a spokesman for islamic community of kosovo said the group held to kosovos traditionally tolerant version of islam but calls are growing to overhaul an organization now seen as having been corrupted by outside forces and money
kosovos interior minister skender hyseni said he had recently reprimanded some of the senior religious officials
i told them they were doing a great disservice to their country he said in an interview kosovo is by definition by constitution a secular society there has always been historically an unspoken interreligious tolerance among albanians here and we want to make sure that we keep it that way
for some in kosovo it may already be too late
families have been torn apart some of kosovos best and brightest have been caught up in the lure of jihad
one of kosovos top political science graduates albert berisha said he left in 2013 to help the syrian people in the uprising against the government of president bashar al assad he abandoned his attempt after only two weeks   and he says he never joined the islamic state   but has been sentenced to three and a half years in prison pending appeal
ismet sakiqi an official in the prime ministers office and a veteran of the liberation struggle was shaken to find his 22 year old son visar a law student arrested on his way through turkey to syria with his fiancee he now visits his son in the same kosovo prison where he was detained under serbian rule
and in the hamlet of busavate in the wooded hills of eastern kosovo a widower shemsi maliqi struggles to explain how his family has been divided one of his sons alejhim 27 has taken his family to join the islamic state in syria
it remains unclear how alejhim became radicalized he followed his grandfather training as an imam in gjilan and served in the village mosque for six years then two years ago he asked his father to help him travel to egypt to study
mr maliqi still clings to the hope that his son is studying in egypt rather than fighting in syria but kosovos counterterrorism police recently put out an international arrest warrant for alejhim
better that he comes back dead than alive mr maliqi a poor farmer said i sent him to school not to war i sold my cow for him
alejhim had married a woman from the nearby village of vrbice who was so conservative that she was veiled up to her eyes and refused to shake hands with her brother in law
the wifes mother angrily refused to be interviewed her daughter did what was expected and followed her husband to syria she said
secretly alejhim drew three others   his sister his best friend who married his sister and his wifes sister   to follow him to syria too the others have since returned but remain radical and estranged from the family
alejhims uncle fehmi maliqi like the rest of the family is dismayed its a catastrophe he said


i was 26 and belly flat on the platform of the uptown 6 train in new york my messenger bag had flipped over my head a constellation of trampled blackened gum wads hovered inches from my face my hands and feet numb
i hadnt tripped no one had pushed me id been moving through the human flow of rush hour like everyone else heading from my day job at an educational publisher to my night job writing copy for a marketing firm id been double jobbing it for a year while my wife was in graduate school balancing two sets of deadlines and workloads coming home close to midnight for most of each week
as strangers helped me to a nearby bench then pointed out the line of blood running from my elbow i knew what had happened id been warned
two years earlier i had walked into an emergency room with what i thought was a migraine and discovered that a benign tumor had ruptured on my pituitary gland which sends signals to the bodys other glands to brew hormones as a result my body was no longer making any hormones including adrenocorticotropic hormone or acth
that in particular has worried my specialists my body no longer responds to stress like everyone elses it fails to send acth into the bloodstream to battle the adrenaline gusts that fuel high octane situations basically i dont have a fight or flight response and stress can trigger sharp fatigue low blood pressure deranged cognition or an adrenal crisis which in its worst cases can wash over my body like a stroke and can even be fatal
i was ordered to take cortisol pills at strategic times each day and to never ever break that schedule every few weeks i went to my endocrinologist for hormone tuneup sessions and at the start of each one she asked hows your stress
the lies i told her not a problem were noble i thought and i even came to believe them myself i was fine stress was fine stress was everywhere   how could it not be at my day job i took smoke breaks with co workers on our buildings rooftop and rushed through deep seeming conversations made of almost nothing but stress comparisons the creeping deadlines the tasks we juggled all of us proud of our ability to spread ourselves ever thinner
at my moonlighting job my co workers were struggling actors filmmakers and writers who used their days to audition or pitch magazines or assemble their reels the stress we compared there was more about what we didnt have and what we were suffering through to get it
i convinced myself that i was good at stress i knew its rhythms i thought and i liked the exhaustion it produced whether or not it was healthy stress was seductive in that way   a currency that proved my worth far more than my low paychecks did
but that subway platform fall shook something in me it drew a boundary i couldnt unsee in the weeks and months afterward i had more episodes like that one they were more pointed and nearly as debilitating a misstep in an email to clients a break from a project plan even the tiniest workplace realities triggered a similar paralysis i typed emails with numb hands grew unable to track the simplest details then grew anxious at the mistakes id caused frozen in a high swampy anxiety that i had created and couldnt escape i was exhausted and confused i couldnt sleep
take more cortisol when you know stress is coming my doctor said but who can truly know that stresss most insidious power is its ability like water to find the cracks and then flood right through them i had to make a change but to what stress seemed to be the lifeblood of a productive career what did it mean now to have to avoid it at all costs
the best answer i could find quit everything in the eight years after that platform fall i quit 12 jobs freelance jobs staff jobs administrative jobs management jobs some i hated some i loved but i became a serial quitter working hard until the stress snowballed enough to pose a serious threat and then i was gone i became a master of the two week notice
i took a perverse pride in it   im the best quitter in the game nobody quits jobs better than i   while i knew my reputation was being irreparably damaged i gained a reputation among friends as a career flake and i felt myself acquiring a new label   one i had never had before lazy
by my mid 30s the constant shifts from job to job were hard on my finances my resume and ultimately my marriage id taken that poisonous job stress and relocated it to my home and it flooded through the cracks there too my wife began to lose trust in my explanations for why i needed to leave every job and soon i did as well my hormone condition was below the skin and so hard to track it turned me timid and unsure in a way i hadnt been before was my illness the real problem or was it me
find something easy that you dont mind being bad at my wife said it made a brilliant kind of sense so i took a bottom level coordinator gig at a nonprofit with a tiny staff and a simple focus maybe it was a case of busted confidence or knowing my healths boundaries and the danger of crossing them but the results at that job were the same as what had come before
by the time my wife woke at 3 am to my pacing at the foot of our bed thinking aloud through a thick adrenal fog about some minor detail id forgotten to handle for an event the next day we both began sadly to consider that my most productive career choice might be to chase no career at all
one resignation and one transition document later i was back on another search weary and defeated when job no 13 came my way developing tests for a foreign language education center the work reminded me of the kind i had done in my 20s at the educational publisher and the tv marketing company but the people here were calm and quiet and tended to leave at 5 pm
my boss was a former college spanish teacher who ended each conversation by saying it is what it is or thats my story and im sticking to it she said shed train me on everything that she had a good feeling still i feared letting her down so when weeks in i found i had formatted some specs incorrectly on a very large product delivery i fell at once into a spell of anxiety and inner fracture numb handed and nauseated again i rushed to her office to confess my errors then prepared to quit again
she took a deep breath
do you know what my husband does for work she said hes a military surgeon he sees people die every single day
here it comes i thought and braced for an implication about my work ethic or my toughness stress is a part of life deal with it she would say as though i hadnt spent the last eight years doing exactly that
this job nobody dies at this job she said everything can be fixed
after that she and i calmly worked out a plan we did the same thing the next day and the day after that until soon my work became what proved to be the rarest of all career currencies just a job nothing more nothing less and i hung on to it like grim death


the idea of creativity receives plenty of lip service in the corporate world many businesses say they would love their employees to come up with original ideas that bring a flood of new customers and open new markets some aim to provide the right incentives for those ideas to bloom with varying success
spicing up the workplace with competitive energy is often seen as a way to unleash creativity just look at how many leaders use sports analogies to try to motivate their workers
but its important to set the dial just right on competition or innovation will go by the wayside according to a recent study by daniel p gross a postdoctoral fellow at harvard business school and the national bureau of economic research
first though how do you define and measure such an amorphous concept as creativity social scientists have coalesced around a definition of creativity as the act of producing ideas that are novel and appropriate to the goal at hand dr gross wrote in his paper titled creativity under fire the effects of competition on creative production he then sought to quantify creativity by studying commercial logo design competitions where a sponsors favorite design wins a prize
you go to one of these websites and you immediately see creativity in action dr gross said in an interview participants receive feedback ratings from clients as they progress with their work and they also see the rankings of other designers   making these competitions a kind of petri dish of creativity in action at various points workers can decide whether to produce an original design tweak an existing one or stop investing new energy in their logo altogether
an advantage of this type of tournament is that it incorporates tolerance for failure by allowing players to recover from unsuccessful experimentation dr gross noted in his paper
but there are limits from observing 122 such competitions dr gross found that when many qualified people are competing for a prize it becomes hard to stand out and people tend to stop exerting creative effort
on the other end of the spectrum when a designer is out in front with a good idea they might take that idea and make a few tweaks but they dont have an incentive to experiment with radical changes said dr gross who will become an assistant business professor at harvard business school this fall
dr grosss conclusion some competition can spur people to create original work but too much or too little can put the brakes on creativity when you put it all together you find that originality is greatest in the presence of one or two competitors of similar abilities he said
the lessons from his research could apply not only to competitions like these but also to managing creative talent in the workplace generally he said
dr gross cited the wisdom of a former professor of his who drew an analogy between competition and gardening
you want to scatter your seeds widely to see what sprouts dr gross said you shouldnt try to make a thousand flowers bloom or theyll all turn out to be weak


baltimore   gustav nyquist a right wing for the detroit red wings was fast asleep in st petersburg russia where he was representing his native sweden in the hockey world championship when his phone began to buzz
across the world his equine namesake had just captured the kentucky derby while pushing his record to 8 0 nyquist the two legged version had a game the next day but he could not resist sneaking a peek at the replay he has watched it several times since
he did great   the exaggerator there he made a run for it at the end he came hard on the outside but nyquist was strong said nyquist who was not a fan of horse racing before this capable colt came along
on saturday in the preakness stakes nyquist finally was bested on the racetrack by his nemesis exaggerator who pulled off the upset on his fifth try nyquist finished third
even though his namesake lost nyquist is still a fan he calls the kentucky derby simply the kentucky and a race a tournament but he is learning about the sport fast and now follows the colts every move
i was never really into it in sweden he said of horse racing its kind of a big sport but none of my friends that i grew up with we never really watched races or anything like that   we were more into hockey
still excelling with speed and smarts is something nyquist or nike as his teammates call him can relate to   he scored 17 goals and had 26 assists during the regular season and added another goal during a first round playoff exit against the tampa bay lightning that blemish briefly alarmed the horses owner j paul reddam before nyquist won the derby
obviously he has a knack for scoring goals and hes scored some big ones for us so i think that hes a fun player to watch red wings left wing justin abdelkader said of his teammate i think that can probably relate to nyquist the horse hes probably a fun horse for people to watch because hes really fast
reddam a windsor ontario native whose mother worked for a lawyer for the red wings in the 1960s has named eight horses after players on his beloved team datsyuk named after his favorite player never won a race lidstrom won one race and got hurt zetterberg hudler and mrazek were solid tatar has yet to run and kronwall well hes just a bum reddam said laughing
the players had a little fun in the locker room at defenseman niklas kronwalls expense over his namesakes skills or lack thereof
i think guys are just a little jealous that they dont have any horses named after them abdelkader said
nyquist said he was used to the ribbing from his teammates but he added its tough for them to really give me a hard time because hes doing so well so its easy to get back at them
reddam who lives in los angeles attends games when the red wings play in the area he watches about 70 games a year via satellite and calls himself a couch coach
he owns some horses with colorado avalanche defenseman erik johnson who went to the derby and the preakness with reddam and is partly responsible for nyquists name
i was telling erik that he should sign as a free agent last year with the red wings and he said theres no way im ever doing that so to tease him i named horses nyquist and mrazek reddam said then he said i want to buy a piece of nyquist and i said buddy you have no chance of doing that 
with each victory on the racetrack the word about nyquist has spread in hockey mad detroit tom mazawey executive producer and anchor for detroit sports 1051 fm is an avid horse racing and hockey fan and he was doing his part to stoke interest
im from new jersey and a big horse guy so i try to bring my passion to detroiters he said theyre not into it as much as i want them to be but we are doing the best we can around here to push it
abdelkader a michigan native said part of the allure was the unique name
its not like jones or smith   everyone in detroit knows gus nyquist he said so i think its created a lot of buzz and i think its special for the detroit fan base the people in michigan who are red wings fans
and the attention nyquist the horse has received because of his hockey connection has extended beyond detroit the fandom has reached sweden for one
eddie olczyk who played 16 seasons in the nhl and is now a hockey and horse racing analyst for nbc said he had been getting a lot of questions about the horse
its gotten a lot of traction which is great for both sports and im knee deep in both so its great to have the ability to cross promote he said and you know hockey people obviously know who nyquist the hockey player is and now they are getting to know the four legged equine athlete so theres a lot of people who are very interested in watching the horse and understand that its good for the game and positive for everybody
early sunday in sweden at 1245 am nyquist watched as his namesake raced in the preakness nyquists perfect resume might have received a blemish but according to both horses trainers a showdown between nyquist and exaggerator in the belmont was still a possibility
nyquist the player is headed back to the united states soon and the offer would still stand for him and his teammates to come meet his namesake for the first time at belmont park on june 11 after all the colt had already stood next to the stanley cup which arrived at his barn on derby day
its such a big honor to have a horse named after you for sure nyquist said and its even better that hes doing so well


my office on the sixth floor of a building on park avenue south overlooks union square theres a greenmarket below us and i also have a view of the metronome a countdown clock on a building it gives me perspective and reminds me to stop and smell the roses
the hustle and bustle of the city energizes me but my office is serene which is fitting for a company in the beauty and wellness industry my office is in a high traffic area and has glass walls so i see everyone coming and going nothing gets past me im always in the know im also the resident greeter i try to nod or wave to everyone
i have some current and vintage elizabeth arden ads in my office they make me proud this company has such a celebrated heritage the ads ground me and keep me focused on where the brand has been and where were going
i use a laptop when i travel but i hook it to a monitor when im in my office its easier on my eyes i use both screens simultaneously to multitask i might read clinical results about a product from our rd department in email on one screen and everything that isnt email on the other
about 10 years ago i bought a plaque inscribed with the phrase it can be done in the gift shop at the ronald reagan library i saw it on the former presidents desk there im competitive and im always trying to psych my team up leadership is about bringing people along
friday is our team meeting day after each department leader gives a report to the whole group i meet one on one with each person it puts a finishing touch on the week and leaves everyone free for the weekend
red doors are an iconic symbol of elizabeth arden and they are also auspicious symbols in the chinese culture every time i see this red tin box it makes me smile also everyone who knows me knows that i have an unbelievable sweet tooth i keep my emergency stash of candies in it for that afternoon pick me up i try to farm the candy out to others so i dont eat it all but im not good at making it someone elses problem i start the day with the best intentions by having a good breakfast but im allowed to have some flaws otherwise no one will identify with me
i have a clock where the hours and minutes are listed in a random order its meant to signify that creativity knows no time
in 1995 when i was on the pepsico board of directors i helped the company open a silk factory in china related to an intricate import export agreement to commemorate the factorys opening we commissioned a chinese artist to paint seven scrolls for the seven board members my scroll has a poem that incorporates my name which in chinese means i will get everything my heart desires
when my daughter was about 4 she made a plaque with her handprints that i keep on my credenza i tear up every time i look at it though she is grown now i love to be reminded of her when she was small
i always have a candle at home and at work because they can be good for stress relief i started this job on the day that superstart a new product started shipping which i took as auspicious another good sign is that i havent lit this candle
in 2014 i won a stevie award for female executive of the year i was honored but the fact that my team at strivectin which i led at the time entered me for it was just as touching i felt like sally field when she said on winning an oscar you like me you never really know if people like you or just know they have to deal with you so this was nice


atlanta   when chris bridges   better known to his fans as the rapper ludacris   was growing up his mother roberta shields made sure he knew how to swim
just like those who came before her
swimming is generational said shields who also runs the ludacris foundation im blessed because my grandfather swam his grandfather swam it wasnt a matter of if youre learning to swim but when
far too many children never get that message especially in the african american and hispanic communities the result drowning is the leading cause of accidental death for all children ages 1 to 4 and ranks second only to car crashes for those 5 to 14 according to the centers for disease control and prevention
the usa swimming foundation hopes that ludacris and other celebrities can bring a little star power to its efforts to teach children how to swim through the make a splash program   especially in an olympic year when there is a lot more attention on one of the biggest sports at the summer games
judging from a recent clinic held in atlanta it was clear that children were more impressed when the message was delivered by someone they had heard through their headphones or seen on one of their favorite television shows
its a problem we wanted to bring to light and just do our part ludacris said it starts in my home i make sure my kids know how to swim i swim
during a session at georgia techs aquatic center site of the 1996 olympic swimming events a group of youngsters squealed in unison when they found out they would get a lesson from blake michael who starred in the disney channels lemonade mouth and dog with a blog
sure the four time olympic medalist cullen jones was also there   make a splash is one of his passions   but the 19 year old michael was the one who really got the children excited
awesome jasmin flowers 8 screamed when asked what it was like to get a lesson from one of her tv favorites i watch his show all the time
michael grew up in atlanta and competed for dynamo swim club one of the nations most prominent teams he won several state titles before heading to hollywood
i didnt even realize and i think most people have no idea how important this really is he said
the next day at the carrie steele pitts home for abandoned and neglected children on atlantas west side ludacris and the singer actress keri hilson were joined by michael for another clinic
bridges changed into his swim trunks hopped into the pool and paddled around to each group as they worked with their instructors before he was done he took on jones in a race across the 25 yard pool the children cheered as jones easily touched first several seconds ahead of ludacris
of course it did not really matter who won as long as everyone understood the real message learning to swim is important even if you are not the fastest one in the water
there are a lot of people out there that this is not second nature to who dont know how to swim said jones an african american who won gold medals in both beijing and london and will be trying to make his third olympics when he competes at the united states trials next month
jones said he still had family members who are terrified to be around the water
that includes his mother who insisted that jones learn to swim after he nearly drowned in a community pool at age 5
shes getting better about it shes learning he said but shes still not comfortable god forbid if i wasnt there
hilson cut short her vacation to take part in the make a splash event like michael she grew up in the atlanta area swimming competitively joining an all african american team in her neighborhood she went on to represent georgia in the junior national championships at age 14 and several of her teammates attended college on swimming scholarships
i was pretty good said hilson breaking into a big smile im really proud of the exposure i got swimming and i just want to give that back to others in my community
debbie hesse executive director of the usa swimming foundation said that it was important to get big names outside of swimming involved in the make a splash campaign she noted that while jones has some 54000 followers on twitter ludacris reaches 115 million
until now celebrities have been reluctant to join the cause perhaps not understanding what a serious problem drowning really is
but people have started to become more aware of the message more aware of the risk hesse said we have 3500 people die every year from drowning thats 10 people every day
indeed the number of people who do not know how to swim is alarming 70 percent of african americans 60 percent of hispanics 40 percent of whites what makes this even more frustrating for hesse and others involved in the sport are studies that show swimming lessons can reduce the number of drownings by nearly 90 percent
the foundation has conducted 44 clinics since beginning the make a splash program in 2009 but the atlanta events were the first with celebrity involvement
hesse hopes it is not the last she wants the glow of an olympic year to carry on long after rio
this can change the way you look at a body of water she said you can look at it as a very fun environment one you can have a blast in instead of one that can take your life


getafe spain   the race for the spanish league title went down to the wire for barcelona real madrid and atletico madrid for the other clubs it never even began
the majority of spanish clubs started the season with no realistic expectations of winning the championship already knowing that it would be one of the two powerhouses or surging atletico lifting the trophy when it was all over
barcelona was the one celebrating last week after clinching its second consecutive title and its sixth in eight seasons madrid was second and atletico third
the rest of the teams were not even close
year in and year out most spanish teams begin the season fighting either to avoid relegation or at the most to earn a spot in european competition fourth place usually feels like a title because it guarantees participation in the champions league
its not feasible to try to compete with the top teams in the league alex aranzabal president of a small club eibar said in a statement the financial gap is too big our goal isnt to challenge the top teams we just want to try to remain in the first division and compete as best as we can in every match including against real madrid barcelona and atletico but we know we are at a disadvantage
barcelona and real madrid have won 27 of the last 32 league titles including 11 of the last 12 atletico lifted the trophy twice in that three decade span most recently in 2014 valencia won it in 2002 and 2004 and deportivo la coruna was the outsider in 2000
the difference between the top teams and the rest of the league is clear when looking at the standings the last few years the average gap between the champion and the fourth place team in the last four seasons has been nearly 25 points villarreal was fourth in 2016 finishing 24 points behind third place atletico and 27 behind barcelona the champion
the disparity is also seen on some of the score lines this past season barcelona scored six or more goals in five matches including an 8 0 rout at deportivo la coruna real madrid netted at least six goals in four games including a 10 2 thrashing of rayo vallecano and a 7 1 trouncing of celta vigo
its very easy to be a fan of real madrid or atletico but not so much of a team like getafe said esteban rivero 43 a supporter of the relegated club from suburban madrid shortly after watching his team lose 5 1 to real madrid last month fans who come here at this stadium to support getafe deserve a lot of credit they could just choose the top madrid clubs but they stick to getafe as their first team even though they know that it will likely finish 60 points behind the champion
second to last place this season getafe finished 55 points behind barcelona last place levante was 59 points off the lead
the top teams play for the title and most of the others just try to survive its how it is hugo montalt 10 said while watching one of levantes games this season as the team tried to avoid demotion
the spanish league has been working to help the smaller teams improve financially and become more competitive in ways including bolstering their revenue from television contracts barcelona and real madrid earned nearly 158 million in television rights this season twice as much as atletico and at least four times as much as the smaller clubs this difference is expected to decrease gradually over the next few years
its true that if we had a little more competitiveness it would be easier to sell our brand but its not an essential element for the leagues success said the spanish league president javier tebas we already have two very strong brands now three and we want these brands to remain strong but we also want to develop other brands and to help the leagues own brand become more of a reference


a powerful array of the republican partys largest financial backers remains deeply resistant to donald j trumps presidential candidacy forming a wall of opposition that could make it exceedingly difficult for him to meet his goal of raising 1 billion before the november election
interviews and emails with more than 50 of the republican partys largest donors or their representatives revealed a measure of contempt and distrust toward their own partys nominee that is unheard of in modern presidential politics
more than a dozen of the partys most reliable individual contributors and wealthy families indicated that they would not give to or raise money for mr trump this group has contributed a combined 90 million to conservative candidates and causes in the last three federal elections mainly to super pacs dedicated to electing republican candidates
up to this point mr trump has embraced the hostility of the republican establishment goading the partys angry base with diatribes against wealthy donors who he claimed controlled politicians and he has succeeded while defying conventions of presidential campaigning relying on media attention and large rallies to fire up supporters and funding his operation with a mix of his own money and small dollar contributions
but that formula will be tested as he presents himself to a far larger audience of voters mr trump has turned to the task of winning over elites he once attacked with some initial success and he has said he hopes to raise 1 billion an enormous task given that he named a finance chairman and started scheduling fund raisers only this month
among the partys biggest financiers disavowing mr trump are paul e singer a new york investor who has spent at least 28 million for national republicans since the 2012 election and joe ricketts the td ameritrade founder who with his wife marlene has spent nearly 30 million over the same period of time as well as the hedge fund managers william oberndorf and seth klarman and the florida hospital executive mike fernandez
if it is trump vs clinton mr oberndorf said i will be voting for hillary
the rejection of mr trump among some of the partys biggest donors and fund raisers reflects several strains of hostility to his campaign donors cited his fickleness on matters of policy and what they saw as an ad hoc populist platform focused on trade protectionism and immigration several mentioned mr trumps own fortune suggesting that if he was as wealthy as he claimed then he should not need their assistance
among the more than 50 donors contacted only nine have said unambiguously that they will contribute to mr trump they include sheldon g adelson the casino billionaire the energy executive t boone pickens foster friess a wealthy mutual fund investor and richard h roberts a pharmaceutical executive mr friess wrote in an email that mr trump deserved credit for inspiring truckers farmers welders hospitality workers   the people who really make our country function
many more donors declined to reveal their intentions or did not respond to requests for comment a remarkable silence about the de facto nominee of their party
asked how mr trump intended to win over major donors hope hicks a spokeswoman for the trump campaign responded in one sentence there is tremendous support for mr trump she said
mr trump has declared that he expects the republican party to unite around him and in recent weeks has made inroads among party leaders who once vowed to oppose him
he delivered a winning performance before lawmakers on capitol hill in a whirlwind visit to washington this month and polls show the partys rank and file are beginning to coalesce behind mr trump and that they want party leaders to do the same
some major donors have not explicitly closed the door on helping mr trump but have set a high bar for him to earn their support demanding an almost complete makeover of his candidacy and a repudiation of his own inflammatory statements
until we have a better reason to embrace and support the top of the ticket and see an agenda that is truly an opportunity agenda then we have lots of other options in which to invest and spend our time helping said betsy devos a michigan republican whose family has given nearly 95 million over the last three elections to party causes and candidates
but others simply believe mr trump is unfit to serve in the oval office michael k vlock a connecticut investor who has given nearly 5 million to republicans at the federal level since 2014 said he considered mr trump a dangerous person
hes an ignorant amoral dishonest and manipulative misogynistic philandering hyper litigious isolationist protectionist blowhard mr vlock said
mr vlock said he might give to hillary clinton instead describing her as the devil we know
i really believe our republic will survive hillary he said
at a dinner of the manhattan institute in new york earlier this month bruce kovner a new york based investor who has given 31 million to national republicans in recent years argued to a collection of influential conservatives that mr trump and mrs clinton were both unacceptable choices
when i talk to my colleagues and friends in similar positions they have the same degree of discomfort mr kovner said in an interview
unless mr trump can win over more benefactors he is likely to become the first republican presidential nominee in decades to be heavily outspent by his democratic opponent and may find it difficult to pay for both the voter turnout operations and the paid advertising campaigns that are typically required in a general election
both president obama and mitt romney raised over 1 billion in 2012 and mrs clinton is expected to exceed that figure easily
charles g and david h koch the countrys two most prolific conservative donors are not expected to back mr trump and their advisers have been scathing in private assessments of mr trumps candidacy and his policy agenda
the kochs who command a vast network of conservative donors have scheduled a conference of their allies in colorado in late july where much of their 2016 spending may be determined
a spokesman for the kochs james davis said they were chiefly focused on helping republicans retain control of congress and many of their allies along with other republican givers indicated in interviews that they were focused exclusively on the same goal
even among the handful of big donors mr trump has won over doubts persist about both his abilities as a candidate and the political apparatus supporting him
mr adelson the most important donor who has endorsed mr trump has indicated that he will cut big checks to aid his campaign only if there is a credible advocacy group set up for that purpose
but mr trump still has no sanctioned super pac able to raise unlimited sums to support his campaign a gathering next month at mr pickenss texas ranch that was to be sponsored by one of the pro trump groups great america pac has been called off because mr pickens was not sure he was hosting mr trumps preferred super pac
at a republican governors association donor retreat last week in new mexico there was a debate on the sidelines about whether to support mr trump mr friess argued that the supreme court vacancy made it imperative to rally around mr trump but mr friess acknowledged in an email that enthusiasm for mr trump was limited among his fellow major donors if some agreed there was no sensible choice other than to rally around trump mr friess said many contributors viewed that prospect with the same enthusiasm as a root canal
walter buckley the founder of a pennsylvania financial management company said he decided to support mr trump after gov chris christie of new jersey endorsed him predicting that mr trump would shake up washington mr buckley said this political system needs a shaking like its probably not had in 100 years
but mr buckley who said he would be willing to contribute to the trump campaign or to a super pac supporting him said he remained upset about mr trumps mockery of senator john mccain republican of arizona for having been captured in vietnam
i dont think anything that anybodys ever said on the political front has bothered me more than that mr buckley said


the haggler could fill every other column with an airline nightmare story and thus he must be choosy perhaps dear reader you are saying to yourself heck ive got an airline nightmare story but i dont know if its that bad is there a line between merely awful and haggler worthy
there sure is and this tale crosses it
q last year i bought two round trip tickets to kenya from justfly an online service that finds inexpensive flights a few days before my 5 year old daughter and i were about to fly out in december i learned that our return tickets had inexplicably been canceled i spent the next two weeks in nairobi frantically trying to rebook our tickets spending hour upon hour on expensive international calls trying to get help from justfly
agents there said i needed to contact united the airline we were flying on united agents said i needed to contact justfly
round i went day after day racking up nearly 400 in phone bills instead of enjoying what was intended as a vacation to see family and attend my brothers wedding i was in a state of panic
finally i was forced to buy two new tickets for a total of 2000 a week later than our originally scheduled return i lost a weeks worth of pay   im a nurse   and my daughter missed a weeks worth of school which drew a rebuke from her superintendent
after many calls united sent me a check for 750 the cost of our original homebound tickets and justfly sent me a check for 1100 that doesnt quite add up to 2000 of course and i dont expect ill be made whole for this ordeal which was emotional as well as financial but at minimum id like people to know what happened
carol kamau macungie pa
a some background about justfly it states on its very professional looking site in its about us section that it is second to none when it comes to issuing low cost tickets efficiently in a user friendly environment
many customers offer a different less flattering description the better business bureau in canada where justfly is based posted an alert about the company citing a pattern of complaints that include failure to provide promised assistance or support for products or services worse the company failed to respond to the bbb to address these issues and to add a hint of mystery a news report about the bbb alert published in a canadian newspaper last year said that efforts to contact the owners of justfly had been unsuccessful it was even unclear where the company was based
the haggler loves the elusive ones he really does he started by calling the companys 800 number and speaking to a woman who claimed she was at the companys headquarters in prince edward island unfortunately she was unable to connect the haggler to anyone other than an unnamed supervisor who could return a call in two to three hours
this offered a brief and unpleasant glimpse into ms kamaus experience seriously two hours the haggler declined the offer and enlisted the assistance of an ace researcher at the new york times kitty bennett who quickly found united states business registrations for justfly in various states all of which listed the companys address as rocky hill conn according to the filing in massachusetts the president treasurer and director of the company is douglas helal according to ms bennett there is only one douglas helal in the united states
efforts to reach mr helal with messages left on a justfly phone number with a connecticut area code and his email address at wfsb a rocky hill television news station where he is listed as a digital sales manager yielded nothing well not quite nothing the station has no connection to justfly someone identified as peter ford part of justfly customer care wrote to the haggler and asked if he could help he had evidently received the hagglers email from mr helal the haggler forwarded ms kamaus letter mr ford then wrote to ms kamau asking for more details
then things got interesting on monday a man named nick hart called the haggler he said that he was the chief financial officer of a company called momentum ventures based in montreal which owns justfly it turns out that while mr helal is indeed the president of justfly he is an employee hired primarily to give momentum an agent in the united states
under the our strategy section of momentums self congratulatory website it says we tackle every business decision with enthusiasm and we live the work that we do this enthusiasm does not seem to extend to customer service
mr hart put up a spirited even defiant defense of justfly this included a request that the haggler cease harassing mr helal which seems an unfair description of what was merely an effort to get a comment from someone who the haggler assumed ran the company on a more conciliatory note mr hart said that justfly needed to hire more phone representatives because it was more popular than originally expected
were trying to ramp up the number of agents he said
that is a fine start as for how ms kamau ended up with a canceled return flight from kenya mr ford the justfly customer service agent said in an email that was not justflys fault so whose fault was it swiss international air lines he wrote which handled a portion of that return flight
the airline investigated the issue for a couple of days and on thursday wrote to say youve got to be kidding actually a public relations representative was more diplomatic she just stated that the culprit was a travel agency which citing privacy issues she would not name
the haggler could spend the next three months untangling precisely what went wrong with ms kamaus return ticket but that would make him sad suffice it to say justfly asked ms kamau to send receipts detailing her expenses during her extra week in kenya which she did this included a 1400 bill for housing and food though not her lost wages or phone bills
for days mr ford said justfly was mulling over whether to reimburse ms kamau for days he deflected the hagglers nudges for a decision he also declined to answer this still unresolved question where is justfly based
as of press time ms kamau had heard nothing from the company the haggler is left to assume that justfly and momentum believe that they live in a post consequences corporate world a realm where so many people jump on low fares and become new customers that an unflattering performance in this space doesnt really matter
an update next time for now bargain hunting fliers consider yourself warned


donald j trump has faced a chilly reception from the republican partys major donors some of the partys most generous benefactors have said they are undecided about supporting him while others have flatly said they will never give to his campaign
we found more than a dozen donors who have given millions to republicans who say they will not give money to mr trump they explained why through interviews emails their representatives or associates
who he is new york based investor gave big to john kasich
why he matters has given about 19 million to republicans since the 2012 campaign embodies wall streets distrust of mr trump
why he wont donate not sure why anyone would give money to mr trump since he asserts he is worth 10 billion

who he is florida health care investor gave big to jeb bush
why he matters one of the most prolific donors in a key swing state has given more than 4 million to republicans in recent elections
why he wont donate he took out newspaper ads during the primaries comparing mr trump to hitler and mussolini he said he would donate to mr trump when hell freezes over adding oh no but is that not where he resides

who she is co founder of herschend family entertainment a missouri based theme park company had been an enthusiastic supporter of mike huckabee
why she matters has given over 1 million to republicans
why she wont donate she said that mr trump had degraded politics im just very disappointed in our whole country she said our company is built on families making people happy and we just go down lower and lower every day

who he is missouri businessman runs tamko building products a roofing company former marco rubio supporter
why he matters has given about 28 million to republicans part of a group of midwestern business executives who have traditionally been generous with conservative presidential candidates
why he wont donate i just cant see myself supporting his announced positions on immigration and foreign policy   at all he said the whole idea of building a wall and shutting down the border is absurd

who she is new jersey based investor strong supporter of the club for growth a conservative advocacy group
why she matters has given about 33 million to republicans in the last few elections part of a group of ideological donors who distrust his policies
why she wont donate i dont think hes very conservative

who he is boston finance executive ceo of the baupost group donated to mr bush mr rubio and chris christie
why he matters a leader in the major donor world has donated about 55 million to republican candidates and causes since the 2012 campaign with his wife beth
why he wont donate his spokeswoman said simply that he would not donate to mr trump in the general election   or even vote for him

who he is new york finance executive founder of cam capital former bush and christie supporter
why he matters has given republicans over 3 million said that a trump versus clinton race presented an unappetizing choice
why he wont donate i believe his boorish behavior throughout the campaign suggested to me that he did not have the character to be president

who he is california based investor supported mr bush
why he matters has given over 3 million to republicans since the 2012 race one of right of center west coast donors that national republicans have typically relied on
why he wont donate he said he considered mr trump such an unacceptable candidate that he would vote for hillary clinton instead

who they are hes a founder of td ameritrade a multibillion dollar online stock trading company
why they matter he has spent nearly 30 million in federal races since the 2012 campaign with his wife marlene largely through their super pac
why they wont donate they spent heavily against him in the primary and associates say they will sit it out this fall mr trump threatened the family when they opposed his campaign writing on twitter they better be careful

who he is head of the new york based hedge fund elliott management known for his hawkish foreign policy views and support for gay marriage
why he matters has directed almost 28 million to republican candidates and causes over the last three elections backed mr rubio
why he wont donate he said in a recent speech that neither mr trump nor mrs clinton represented his conservative values calling this a bleak time in the political life of america

who he is arkansas biotechnology executive chairman of the club for growth a conservative group that spent heavily against mr trump in the primaries
why he matters has given about 3 million to conservative and republican candidates and causes in the last few elections a leader among the countrys most ideologically conservative political donors with his brother warren stephens
why he wont donate unless the club endorses donald trump i will not be giving to him

who he is connecticut investor
why he matters has given nearly 5 million to republicans at the federal level since 2014 said he would not only avoid giving to mr trump but that he might actually give to mrs clinton   potentially a major defection
why he wont donate he is too selfish flawed and unpredictable to hold the power of the presidency he said

who he is libertarian investor co founder of susquehanna international group former rand paul supporter
why he matters has given 35 million to republicans in recent elections prominent in groups that favor small government
why he wont donate he said a choice between mr trump and mrs clinton was a no win situation paraphrasing simon and garfunkel anyway you look at it you lose
source for donation data the center for responsive politics and the federal election commission


cairo   in an eerie coincidence the egyptair jetliner that plunged into the mediterranean on thursday was once the target of political vandals who wrote in arabic on its underside we will bring this plane down
three egyptair security officials said the threatening graffiti which appeared about two years ago had been the work of aviation workers at cairo airport playing on the phonetic similarity between the last two letters in the planes registration su gcc and the surname of egypts president abdel fattah el sisi some workers also wrote traitor and murderer
the officials who were interviewed separately and who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the airlines security procedures because they were not authorized to speak publicly said the graffiti had been linked to the domestic egyptian political situation at the time rather than to a militant threat similar graffiti against mr sisi a former general was scrawled across cairo after the military ousted the elected president mohamed morsi in 2013
since then the airline has put into effect a variety of new security measures in response to egypts political turmoil jihadist violence and other aviation disasters like the crash of a russian plane that killed 224 people in october egyptair has fired employees for their political leanings stepped up crew searches and added extra unarmed in flight security guards three such guards died in thursdays crash of flight 804
whether those moves were sufficient remained an open question on saturday as experts pored over data emitted by the plane in its final minutes for clues as to what had brought it down the french air accident investigation authority confirmed that the data showed that several smoke alarms had been activated while the plane plunged toward the sea
but they cautioned that the signals sent by a monitoring system on board the airbus a320 jetliner did not offer enough information to conclude what had caused the crash
these are not messages that enable us to interpret anything said sebastien barthe a spokesman for frances bureau of investigations and analysis if there is smoke it means that there is potentially a fire somewhere but it doesnt tell us where the fire is and it doesnt help us establish whether it is something malevolent or something technical
in an audio message released saturday abu muhammad al adnani the official spokesman of the islamic state and the head of a unit dedicated to external attacks denounced the american led military campaign against the group but did not mention the egyptair crash
egyptairs security procedures last came under scrutiny in march when a passenger on a domestic flight pretended to be wearing an explosive vest and forced the plane to land in cyprus the crisis was resolved within hours when the man later determined to be psychologically troubled surrendered the egyptian authorities were quick to post surveillance videos that they said showed he had been searched before boarding the flight
among the 66 people on thursdays flight from charles de gaulle airport in paris were three egyptair in flight security personnel   one more than the normal team of two for reasons that were not entirely clear
egyptair security guards differ in several respects from the undercover air marshals who travel on american airlines the egyptian guards are unarmed and wear an understated uniform consisting of a dark blazer and a white shirt when called on they help crew members deal with unruly passengers they come from a wide variety of backgrounds and earn a moderate wage of about 400 a month
normally one security officer sits in the first economy row behind business class and the other is at the rear of the aircraft two members of an egyptair crew said during stopovers at foreign airports the security officers are usually responsible for searching the workers who clean the plane and checking the credentials of all crew members or employees who board they do not monitor the baggage handlers who load the planes hold
security officials said those procedures would have applied to the egyptair plane during short layovers it made at two african airports   in tunis and the eritrean capital asmara   in the days before the crash but the procedure is different in paris because european airports do not permit egyptair security officials to search local cleaning workers a source of disgruntlement among egyptian officials who feel they are being discriminated against
colleagues described the security guards who died in thursdays crash   walid ouda mohammed farag and mahmoud el sayed   as professionals who had exhibited no signs of unusual behavior they described mr farag as a lighthearted man who was often teased by friends for not having married while mr ouda cut a more taciturn figure and was polite to a fault
friends and relatives also presented a uniformly untroubled picture of the pilot capt mohamed shoukair 36 and his co pilot mohamed mamdouh assem 24 an egyptair pilot who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the news media said he had worked with both and described them as professional aviators who had not exhibited any mental or social problems at 24 years old mr assem was the average age of many co pilots at the airline he said
egyptair crew members have been subjected to much stricter security measures since the crash of the russian jetliner in october said the pilot who described the procedures before that crash as lax the new procedures include personal searches that have prevented crew members from smuggling cigarettes or currency he said
the graffiti about mr sisi occurred several times for about two years after mr morsi of the muslim brotherhood was removed as president in july 2013 at the time it was taken as a sign of the countrys bitter political divide rather than a directed threat against the plane
nonetheless over that period egyptair fired a number of employees mostly members of the ground staff who were presumed to be sympathizers of the muslim brotherhood security officials said similar purges took place in other companies in egypt at the time
more recently fears of terrorism have tightened security at regional airports including tunis where the airbus a320 had traveled just before its trip to paris the pilot said foreign flight crews face new restrictions on their movement and are now prevented for example from leaving the plane to buy items in the duty free shop he said
egyptair flights headed to europe also face added scrutiny under a european union program known as safa or safety assessment of foreign aircraft which allows for spot inspections of airplanes at european airports and penalties for violations
although egyptian society has been divided in the turmoil that followed the ouster of president hosni mubarak in 2011 there has been a tangible sense of national solidarity since thursdays crash images of grieving relatives have dominated news coverage as the official crash investigation starts many egyptians have reacted furiously to any suggestion that the airline crew bore any responsibility
ezzat shoukair a cousin of the captain said he was distressed by some of the coverage
dont listen to the lies people have been saying since the crash he said starting to weep as he spoke we just want to know where his body is otherwise where will those who miss him go when they want to visit him


in the hills and hollows of mingo county wva where unemployment is nearly triple the national average its coal on the southwest side of chicago where the landscape couldnt be more different but the economic fears are much the same its oreo cookies elsewhere it is cars computers and air conditioners
and whether it is through rolling back regulations imposing tariffs or making some none too discreet phone calls from the oval office to the c suites donald j trump has vowed to bring back the vanishing jobs of miners bakers and assembly line workers beginning on day 1 of his administration
its going to happen fast mr trump the presumptive republican nominee for president recently told a cheering crowd in charleston wva this is so easy
if only that were true
for all of the appeal his message might have for residents there mr trump captured almost 90 percent of the vote in mingo county much of what he is promising to do   on his own and through congressional legislation   couldnt be accomplished in the first 1000 days of a trump administration much less the first 100
for example mr trump has suggested easing clean air regulations enacted by democrats and republicans alike that have hurt the coal industry but king coal is unlikely to ever recapture market share lost in recent years to natural gas made cheap by the fracking boom not to mention fast growing alternative energy sources like wind and solar
nor could mr trump a billionaire businessman force steel makers to buy coal from appalachia to heat furnaces in asia europe and north america that have been idled by weak demand
i will not say he cant do anything but its very unlikely hell be able to restore coal to where it was said john deskins director of the west virginia university bureau of business and economic research with production and employment in the mines down by about a third since 2008 mr deskins said even in our most optimistic scenario we dont expect a big bounce back
of course a trump presidency is far from certain and any presidents sway over the national economy is debatable
but a big part of what has gotten mr trump this far are his outsize promises and while the case of coal and clean air illustrates the limits of a presidents power in the economic arena there are other places where mr trump would have considerably more room to maneuver
like much of his speechifying mr trumps economic and business agenda is a mixture of opening bids and dog whistle messages as well as some nuts and bolts proposals he might be able to put in effect as president even without congressional approval sorting out whats what though isnt simple or safe just ask the pundits who wrote off mr trumps candidacy as a sideshow even as he won one primary after another
for his part mr trump warns it would be a mistake to underestimate his ability to change the rules of the game
in my whole life ive gotten things done he said in an interview on saturday whether its getting a city built on the west side of manhattan or getting zoning board approvals my whole life has been finding a consensus
but when it comes to companies moving jobs out of the united states he said a tougher tone was in order
im not obama and there are stupid people in our government he said with me there will be consequences if you move and the consequences will be severe
in terms of coal and recovering all of those vanished jobs in west virginia mr trump acknowledged that price competition from cheaper natural gas was fierce
but coal is still less expensive and it has a major place in terms of energy he said and regulatory relief   whether in terms of environmental rules or workplace safety   would benefit the industry he said
i have become very well versed on coal mr trump said the regulations are brutal and they are sending inspectors into the mines two and three times a day even the miners say its out of control
in law firms corporate boardrooms lobbyist watering holes and think tanks in washington and beyond experts are quietly assessing what a trump presidency might actually look like in practice or to put it more bluntly business is business so whether they find mr trump politically abhorrent or a welcome antidote to the status quo these insiders also want to know what he might mean for their bottom line
national debate trump would put the bully in bully pulpit
perhaps the greatest opportunity for mr trump lies in the extraordinary ability of any president to direct the tone and contours of the national debate especially on issues he has highlighted like how american companies should treat their american workers and unlike most past republican candidates mr trump has not been reluctant to criticize big business on that topic
donald trump would put the bully in bully pulpit said seth harris who served as a top official in the labor department under democratic presidents
immigration where the presidents power is least restricted
consider immigration one of mr trumps signature issues he might well be able to deliver on one of his central campaign promises handing out fewer green cards to foreign workers or denying a place to h 1b visa holders unless their american employers agree to pay them more
theres a reason why so many of trumps proposals revolve around the idea of denying visas to people said william a stock a lawyer in philadelphia who is the president elect of the american immigration lawyers association thats where the presidents power is least restricted if he asserts it
the immigration and nationality act of 1952 mr stock said gives the president the ability to suspend the entry of foreign nationals whose entry is deemed to be detrimental to the interests of the us
noting that recent administrations have invoked the law to forbid entry to individuals from the former yugoslavia accused of human rights violations as well as to cuban and iranian government officials mr stock said this is a tool that is pretty powerful but its usually been used in more limited instances
financial reform when it comes to regulation people are policy
and what about dismantling the 2010 dodd frank financial law as mr trump promised this month
repealing the law might be difficult but experts who helped draft the regulations agreed that mr trump could defang them through selective enforcement   appointing different officials to the federal reserve and the securities and exchange commission   and by issuing new executive orders
a president trump would have wide latitude to name his own people to oversee less conspicuous but powerful agencies like the commodity futures trading commission the consumer financial protection bureau and the office of the comptroller of the currency and to seed treasury and other government departments with like minded officials
when it comes to regulation people are policy said aaron klein a top official at the treasury department from 2009 to 2012 and helped draft the dodd frank bill regulators who dont want to regulate can thwart the will of congress
but the presidents reach isnt unlimited nor is it speedy and however stupendous mr trumps deal making skills may be the forces of gridlock in the nations capital are no less awesome
the system doesnt change said tom korologos a longtime republican strategist and an adviser at the law firm dla piper in washington trump can say im going to repeal this or im going to repeal that but its going to take longer than 100 days
mr korologos who served on the transition teams of president ronald reagan and president george w bush isnt supporting mr trump this year he added that while the presumptive republican nominees promises might make for nice talking points it will be harder than he thinks
tax cuts a republican congress is unlikely to accept a 10 trillion deficit over 10 years
thats especially true when it comes to the macroeconomic picture mr trump claims his proposal for sweeping tax cuts for individuals and businesses wouldnt bust the budget and could lift the economys annual growth rate to 6 percent
more sober minded experts say thats magical thinking a 2016 version of voodoo economics as president george h w bush famously described what came to be known as reaganomics in the 1980s they estimate mr trumps tax plan could create a 10 trillion shortfall at the treasury over the next decade and note that annual economic growth has topped 5 percent only once in the last 35 years
i have a hard time believing that even a republican congress would enact his tax plan because it would create enormous deficits said william g gale an economist under the first president bush who is now co director of the tax policy center in washington
mr trump responded that those tax cuts go hand in hand with many other things
as a result of getting tough on trade policy and what he considers currency manipulation by china mr trump argues that more jobs would return to the united states which in turn would spur economic growth and therefore tax revenues
whether or not thats realistic any significant alteration in trade or tax policy means winning over the house ways and means committee and the senate finance committee both of which zealously guard their turf this is what makes them tick mr korologos said its going to take more than just a bunch of rhetoric to change things
labor an ebb and flow when administrations change hands in washington
like mr korologos mr harris the former labor department official has seen the ebb and flow when administrations change hands in washington except he was on the opposite side of the aisle having served on the democratic transition teams after president bill clinton was elected in 1992 and after president obamas victory in 2008
at labor where he was a top adviser under mr clinton and then as deputy secretary in the obama administration mr harris saw firsthand just how much influence the president could have
tasked with enforcing regulations on whether companies are abiding by minimum wage requirements child labor restrictions affirmative action guidelines workplace safety rules and a web of other laws mr harris said the labor department has never been very popular with big business or the republican candidates it supports
and when george w bush succeeded bill clinton the change was swift mr harris said budgets were cut and travel to inspect factories and mines decreased there was less emphasis on enforcement going into workplaces and punishing violations he said and more on educating employers about potential infractions
after mr harris returned to the labor department in 2009 budgets were increased and surprise workplace inspections were resumed
we investigated more deeply enforced procedures and were more likely to find violations he said there was no executive order or action by congress or the white house we just did it the laws existed   it was a matter of whether you were going to solve the problem aggressively or be more passive
republicans including mr trump have long argued that regulatory zeal kills jobs and undermines economic growth democrats maintain it is necessary to protect employees from abuses and risks while imposing checks on the power of big companies
both arguments contain elements of truth but mr harris said that what was critical was that rank and file civil servants quickly adapted to the message coming down from the oval office
the president sets the tone for how our government is going to relate to our country said mr harris who is now a lawyer in private practice in washington how the laws are implemented and enforced how the money is spent and how motivated people are to do their job
health care selling insurance isnt like selling credit cards
dodd frank isnt the only big obama era law mr trump has talked about repealing the other prominent target of mr trumps ire   the affordable care act   would be trickier to dispose of
even if republicans controlled the white house and both houses of congress simply repealing the affordable care act known as obamacare could bring on a political backlash from the 127 million americans who are directly covered under the law not to mention millions more who benefit from provisions like those that allow young adults to be covered under their parents policy and those that prevent insurers from dropping coverage for pre existing conditions
moreover mr trump displays a lack of understanding of how health insurance works for example one specific change in the aca that mr trump along with other republican candidates has called for   allowing insurers to sell policies across state lines   is permitted under the law now
the problem said nicholas bagley a professor of law at the university of michigan is that insurers dont want to do it because its not practical selling insurance isnt like selling credit cards mr bagley said out of state health insurers dont have networks of doctors and hospitals in place the problem isnt legal restraints and its not a solution to what ails the health care economy
mr trump responded that deregulation is still the answer despite the skepticism of experts like mr bagley
the problem is rules regulations and restrictions he said youre going to have rate increases that are catastrophic and the deductibles are so high people cant even use the health care if it was really open and you got competition going amazing things will happen
environment sending a chill down the spine of people who enforce the laws
environmental regulation offers a more promising target for mr trump who has called the environmental protection agency a laughingstock and a disgrace and has promised to cut its budget
in fact in the absence of congressional action the trump administration could target many other environmental regulations by simply going after the people who enforce them said don barry who spent two decades at the interior department and directed the united states fish and wildlife service under president clinton
decades later mr barry still recalls how a round of firings in the interior department at the dawn of the reagan administration signaled a turnabout in policy the single biggest thing they can do is send a chill down the spine of career survivors in the bureaucracy and bring things to a halt he said
similarly a trump administration might be willing to approve state environmental plans that are more friendly to fossil fuels said kevin book head of research at clearview energy partners proposed but not completed clean water regulations aimed at restricting mountaintop removal mining for coal in west virginia could be eased he said
trade trump can punish countries but jobs are unlikely to return
still even if mr trump were to win in november and roll back some environmental regulations it wouldnt significantly alter the fate of mingo county and much of the nations depressed coal industry
taking a more lenient stance on clean air or clean water rules would do nothing to help coal demand mr book said coal fired power plants have been mothballed and are being disassembled and that capacity is gone its not even close to something you could reverse by administrative fiat
if washingtons ability to gridlock even the most ambitious of presidential agendas were to block mr trumps white house plans he would still have the bully pulpit of course and unlike theodore roosevelt who coined that term mr trump probably wouldnt speak softly
still that might not be enough to keep oreos baking in chicago nabiscos bakery there isnt shuttering completely as mr trump has suggested but some oreo production will begin shifting to salinas mexico   where mondelez nabiscos corporate parent has invested 130 million to build new lines oreos will also continue to be produced at nabisco bakeries in virginia new jersey and oregon
announced in july 2015 the nabisco layoffs in chicago continued during the illinois primary in march despite jabs from mr trump and both democratic presidential contenders hillary clinton and senator bernie sanders
united technologies is similarly unlikely to rethink carriers move out of indianapolis and in an era when apple is willing to fight the obama administrations efforts to unlock an iphone on national security grounds more corporate defiance may become the norm
blanketing countries from china to mexico with import duties would be a tall order without congressional approval the white house though does retain plenty of leeway to punish countries it thinks are engaged in currency manipulation dumping of products below the cost of production and other free trade abuses
the problem for mr trump   or any president who wants to get tough on trade violators   is that in the global economy imposing tariffs on competitors abroad could have serious economic consequences at home by sharply raising prices on imported goods
cheaper flat screen televisions computers clothes furniture and other products from walmart amazon and elsewhere have been a rare bright spot for struggling working  and middle class americans and trade wars cut both ways retaliatory tariffs on american made products from countries like china would prompt howls of pain at still strong domestic manufacturers like caterpillar and boeing
but for all the uncertainty around what might happen after jan 20 2017 the lawyers and lobbyists who are now trying to gauge a trump presidency are already emerging as winners mr trumps much talked about unpredictability mr korologos said is proving to be a boon for washingtons legions of lobbyists
corporate america hates the unknown he said god only knows what the hell trump is for and corporate america is going to want someone to save them


from maine to florida washington state to southern california we are featuring six islands that make for ideal escapes into the past into nature into luxury check back each day this week for more
as i lay on my lounge chair watching the egrets preen on the sandbar at low tide oblivious to my voyeurism i felt the first tinges of surrender abandon did not come without a dogged fight life on the mainland   work traffic teenage daughters a ticker tape of obligations   is an all consuming around the clock frenzy
but the florida keys always offer an escape hatch they command relaxation managing somehow to slow the heart rates of even the most incorrigible multitaskers this is even truer here on little palm island a private five acre islet that offers a chandelier bedecked thatched roof luxury resort a smattering of mischievous key deer and one exhortation let it all go
little palm island resort and spa nudged me into that mind set the moment my husband and i arrived at the check in area and boat landing on little torch key which is about a 30 minute drive north of key west from there you take a 15 minute boat ride to the islet the car stayed behind as did our credit card number so that we wouldnt have to think about it again until the staggering bill arrived   prices range from 890 to 1700 a night excluding taxes and fees then we slipped away a rum concoction called the gumby slumber firmly in hand aboard the truman a wood paneled boat named for the president who used little palm island as a fishing camp
on little palm there are no cars and there is no lobby just a concierge who greeted us on the dock and steered us along sandy mazelike trails to our hut the first thing i noticed was the silence no ringtones or chatter cellphones are strictly banned in public areas no sports blasting from flat screens there is only one television at the resort no children under 16 no shouting or whining with only 30 suites on the property conversation was scarce even around the small but inviting freshwater pool and the nearby skinny strand of beach tranquillity isnt expected to make you giddy but it did exactly that as we anticipated the many happily uncluttered hours ahead of us as a recovering activity freak ive seen the light nothingness is bliss
couples some well into retirement age a few just a sprint to their 30s lay indulgently on lounge chairs under umbrellas reading from actual paper books or ipads many napped by far the most common pastime here with genteel drinking coming in a distant second the well made cocktails like the gumby slumber with its shredded coconut and the mojito with its watermelon slices and flash of jalapeno are hard to resist soft music   a little latin jazz a dip into calypso a u turn into new age   was piped in during the day none of it designed to rattle the brain
our elevated thatched roof hut where we happily lounged before dinner on our front veranda overlooking the atlantic summoned castaway fantasies with its rustic well appointed vibe memorable flourishes abounded my last name hung in oversize letters like scrabble tiles near the front door a small bottle of champagne in an ice bucket awaited our arrival a pair of binoculars with a florida bird guide beckoned as did the requisite fluffy robes and slippers in the bathroom was a stand alone white soaking tub at bedtime a handwritten card with an inspiring quotation greeted us atop our canopy bed
nothing beat the hot outdoor shower just outside the bathroom side door where bamboo reeds shielded me from all living creatures except the trilling birds the comfy king size bed surrounded by a gauzy billowing curtain was a close rival but the noisy on again off again air conditioner marred the cult of silence i had gladly succumbed to on the island
my husband don marveled at the incredible service which anyone paying little palm resort prices should expect when we walked up to the poolside palapa bar to fetch our first round of mojitos the bartender knew my suite number just by looking at us and without asking for my signature money feels illusory here there are literally no transactions they tally the charges for you a breakfast of light pancakes and a fluffy omelet was served on our veranda we felt right at home when a miniature key deer gazed up at us expectantly begging for scraps not unlike our black lab at home
but a few of the deers table manners needed polish at dinner on the beach one emboldened deer clambered on a table with his two front hooves spilling wine clattering plates and prompting a waiter to swat him away with a menu the two young women at the table sat wide eyed too stunned to move
the next morning i persuaded my lazy husband to trade his lounge chair for a two person kayak it was a journey well worth taking if only to commune with the ibises great blue herons and cormorants wading in the mangroves   unspoiled florida at its best
as adept as the island is at lulling you into a kind of tropical reverie the resort bungles the job of managing its guests expectations in a hotel with only one restaurant option dinners were a colossal disappointment for the exorbitant prices   49 to 68 for an entree   the food should have matched the sumptuous setting linen draped tables on the beach a mesmerizing sunset lighted torches a nearby fire pit and one night sweet live jazz after all the keys spit out fresh fish like minnesota manufactures snow banks and yet the grouper was tasteless the veal was bland the key lime pie was tired the macaroni and cheese wasnt quite stouffers
some former guests posted other complaints online and most could have been easily defused if the resorts website was more forthright about the keys imperfections at sundown the no see ums and mosquitoes race from their mangrove hideaways to begin their own feast we live in south florida so we knew to bring insect repellent but many of the guests were unprepared a free bottle of repellent in every room with a little warning about the perils of florida at sunset would temper frustrations
the same goes for what passes for a beach on little palm island the keys dont really have wide sandy beaches they have spits of sand surrounded by clear water but the shore can get mucky pretty fast in stretches people come here to gaze at the sea boat snorkel fish all of which the resort offers and not swim at its beaches but look at the beach photos on the resorts website and you are sure to be confounded and disappointed
despite these failings the place was excruciating to leave a common sentiment if the resorts farewell routine was any indication back in the car which the valet had waiting we opened our parting gifts a travel air freshener a book about the resort cold bottles of water and a little note of encouragement dont be sad that its over be happy that it happened
if you go little palm island resort and spa 28500 overseas highway little torch key fla littlepalmislandcom


schoolhouse rock
i live in a private house directly behind a public elementary school once a week beginning at 4 pm the windows of the school music room are thrown open and a very mediocre poprock band plays for hours the musicians are adults not schoolchildren as a teacher i wholeheartedly support arts in schools but i dont feel any obligation to endure this noise just so some adults can have free or cheap rehearsal space in a residential neighborhood what are my options
west village manhattan
musical abilities aside i can understand why you would not want to listen to hours of band practice the administrators who rented out the space might not be aware of the disturbance particularly if they are not in the building when the band takes the stage but obliviousness does not absolve them of responsibility
a school should be particularly cognizant of the fact that sound can be intrusive on other people because noise is intrusive on childrens learning said arline l bronzaft the chairwoman of the noise activities department of grow nyc a nonprofit group
tell the school about the ruckus that might put an end to this if it continues talk to your neighbors for added effect knock on their doors during one of the jam sessions see if any might be willing to sign your letter or call the school a chorus of complaints could get the amplifiers turned down
if your calls fall on deaf ears hire an acoustical engineer to measure the noise see if you can share the cost   usually a few thousand dollars   with disgruntled neighbors if the noise violates the city noise code send the results to the school said steven d sladkus a manhattan real estate lawyer
and if all else fails you could sue the school for creating a nuisance filing an expedited motion for an injunction against the school that should wake them up mr sladkus said

elevator repairs
my wife and i rent a ninth floor apartment in a condominium we just learned that the buildings only elevator is going to be out of service for replacement for eight to 12 weeks this summer we have a toddler so this is a significant imposition what can we do are we allowed to withhold rent or reduce rent because of the inconvenience or unavailable building services
kips bay manhattan
after about 20 years an elevators mechanical parts need to be replaced a process that can take 12 weeks or sometimes longer said robert cuzzi the executive vice president of vda an elevator consultancy
such a repair can wreak havoc on a building with only one elevator particularly among residents with physical limitations like the very young and the very old
it creates a very tough situation for all residents mr cuzzi said most people do not like to walk the stairs and some are not capable of doing so
while the work may be necessary it should not be conducted in a manner that violates the warranty of habitability a state law that protects tenants you could argue that removing the elevator service and forcing a tenant to walk up eight flights of stairs with a toddler on her hip violates the statute
the bottom line is that if the work interferes with a tenants ability to enjoy their home its a violation said jennifer addonizio rozen a manhattan lawyer who represents tenants and the tenant may be entitled to compensation
you have the right to withhold rent and if your landlord takes you to housing court for nonpayment you could ask for a rent abatement from the judge that strategy however could land you on the tenant blacklist
simply being named in a housing court proceeding makes it more difficult for the tenant to rent in the future ms rozen said
to avoid the blacklist write to your landlord and ask for a rent reduction explaining the stress this causes your family
while a cut in the rent might help your pocketbook it will do nothing to lessen the misery of climbing those stairs ask the landlord to contact the condo association or the managing agent to find ways to ease the burden management could place chairs on landings assuming there is space to do so safely so weary tenants can take a break as they walk management could reserve space on the ground floor to store strollers and carts it could also temporarily hire extra staff to help residents carry bags up stairs and assist those who need help

noisy sculptor
i live in a condo apartment with a small backyard that adjoins the yard of a neighboring property whenever the weather is nice my neighbor is outside for hours creating metal sculptures using grinders and other noisy equipment i like him and dont want to alienate him but i also want to enjoy my outdoor space on sunny days are there any rules about this kind of use in a backyard
south park slope brooklyn
nothing puts a damper on a glorious day like the sound of metal grinding next time you happen upon your neighbor strike up a conversation ask him about his work the garden the neighborhood people like to talk about stuff that theyre passionate about said brad heckman the chief executive of the new york peace institute a mediation service this could be priming for a conversation about the challenges
after you break the ice tell him how the noise affects you be polite but firm and direct dont sugarcoat it mr heckman said
rather than telling him i need you to stop making noise put the onus on him to find a solution ask him what can we do to work this out
if he shrugs you off you do have leverage the city noise code prohibits unreasonable noise the use of power tools intended for construction is specifically regulated said howard schechter a manhattan real estate lawyer
call 311 to file a complaint with the department of environmental protection and if your neighbor sells his work creating it would be considered a commercial activity which might be prohibited in your residential neighborhood mr schechter said call 311 to report the activity to the department of housing preservation and development and the division of code enforcement
with any luck it will not come to that more often than not if someone is coming from a genuine place mr heckman said theyll find a way to work it out


each saturday farhad manjoo and mike isaac technology reporters at the new york times review the weeks news offering analysis and maybe a joke or two about the most important developments in the tech industry
farhad hello michael does anyone call you that were you always mike im just realizing i know nothing about you and id like to keep it that way
mike dad calls me michael mom calls me mikey brother usually signals that he wants to talk to me with grunting noises everyone else simply elides my first and last name to refer to me as mikeisaac i think im ok with it
farhad ok then lets run through some tech news it was a big week for the big tech companies facebook continued to fend off fallout from the allegation that its trending news section suppressed conservative points of view the outcry got so heated that mark zuckerberg facebooks chief executive arranged a kind of summit meeting with conservative pundits this week from reading your story i gathered that the right leaning thinkers shared a lot of their grievances and zuck smiled and nodded but he didnt agree to any substantive change in how facebook runs its site also they had fancy snacks is that right
mike yeah cheese and fruit and everything as you can probably imagine it was mostly political theater by both facebook and conservatives most of those in attendance used the moment to try and parlay it into meetings with google and twitter which republicans said they also felt slighted by now that i think about it silicon valley is a lot like washington only with fewer suits
farhad it reminded me of one of the good old privacy dust ups that facebook regularly encountered during its rise those stories always followed the same pattern facebook would go too far with some privacy invading feature zuck would beg forgiveness the controversy would die and ultimately people would forget that they had any problem with the company and just keep using it more
by the way to me the best take on the question of facebooks bias came from the onion facebook clarifies site not intended to be users primary information source read the headline
mike wait a minute no one ever told me the onion was parody i see it shared all the time in earnest on facebook
farhad ok other companies amazon is expanding its slate of store brand items   the company will now reportedly make food diapers and other household goods a move that should send shivers through execs at every consumer product brand
mike did you know they were testing that private label under the name mama bear at one point i find that deeply unsettling despite having chosen a literal mama bear as my twitter avatar for the last three years
farhad jeff bezos amazons head honcho told a shareholder meeting that the company is planning to open more physical stores and add additional services to its prime service also if you were wondering amazon is still against the idea of its workers forming unions
mike amazon doesnt want to pay its waged workers more money for fear of cutting into its bottom line color me shocked
farhad also apple reported some huge groundbreaking news at least judging by the many dozens of tech reporters tweeting about it the company opened a new store in san francisco
mike free marketing right there at least they have new shrubbery i guess
farhad finally there was google which overflowed with announcements at its annual developer conference which took place near its headquarters in mountain view calif this week
whats new from the search giant mostly some updated takes on stuff youve seen before theres a voice controlled assistant in the mold of the amazon echo its called google home and it will go on sale later this year google also showed off a new virtual reality project called daydream which works something like facebooks oculus and the company unveiled some improvements to android its mobile operating system and revealed it was working on a messaging app called allo yes a tech giant has released a messaging app   and they say silicon valley cant innovate anymore
im kidding though there was a lot of me too stuff at googles show and though a lot of the stuff it showed off wont be out for a while i came away impressed by the range of googles ambitions google wants to add artificial intelligence to just about every digital experience we have a goal that i think will make computers far easier to use does all this make you happy
mike happy i guess i liked the shape of google home it was pretty and light sort of like i want to put a vase of flowers next to it i started buying flowers for my living room from this guy guy every week its really pleasant and probably the least metal thing ive done in my life
anyway googles home device really cemented the idea that everyone is duking it out for control over the living room these days and theoretically if any company could interpret and interact with human speech idiosyncrasies it would be google theyve had voice search for years perhaps it would work better than alexa amazons assistant which seems to not really understand a lot of voice commands   right now at least
funny thing is how all these tech companies seem to decide one path forward will be the way the future is supposed to play out facebook has a messenger app apple has ios google yahoo twitter kind of then the living room devices come from a few of these companies plus virtual reality and cars its as if all the tech ceos gather at some conclave every few years and decide what the future is supposed to look like then spend the next decade competing with each other to get there
farhad it is interesting how when one company finds even a little bit of success with something everyone else jumps on the bandwagon and soon we have 30 different versions of some dumb wearable that tells you that you forgot to take a walk this week
but i get why they do it in tech like in hollywood no one knows anything im not saying tech execs arent smart   theyre probably smarter than you and me though thats not saying much   but i bet theyd all acknowledge theyre mostly lucky and paranoid you never know whats going to be a hit so you try out a lot of stuff and when one thing looks like its gaining any traction you pour a bunch of money into it because if you dont you might miss out on the next big thing
mike i will say the nerd in me was most excited by this thing google rolled out called instant apps   essentially a way to try to use apps on your phone without having to download them and set them up its supersmart considering i download a bunch of apps that i might use once then delete a few weeks later after never opening them again google executives said my excitement did in fact betray my nerdiness but thats just fine
anyway what do you think the future holds for us farhad do you ever get called anything besides farhad i call you fhad on twitter a lot so that counts
farhad nope other than a painful period in the third grade that i dont care to recall people have mostly just called me farhad i like it that way and the future for me it holds one more week of not chatting with you until then mikey


minoo ziba fadaifard a daughter of soossan salmassi and mehdi fadaifard of brooklyn was married may 21 to john mordeson wade a son of mary l wade and james p wade of omaha the brides uncle iraj tavakoli shiraji who is a minister of the american marriage ministries led a nondenominational ceremony that included persian wedding traditions at the brooklyn botanic garden
the bride and groom both 30 met at brown university from which they graduated
mrs wade is a vice president at morgan stanley in manhattan where she works on projects aimed at improving efficiency
mr wade is an application developer for solus alternative asset management a hedge fund in manhattan where he programs software for web and mobile apps


stuart a schlesinger spent half a century building a reputation and a practice as a personal injury lawyer in new york representing clients in lawsuits and negotiating settlements on their behalf but when he appeared recently before a federal judge in manhattan he found himself in an unfamiliar position for a lawyer he was the defendant
mr schlesinger 76 had been arrested on a fraud charge in one of the more brazen schemes in the annals of new york law he settled lawsuits on behalf of clients sometimes for 1 million or more and then simply kept much of the money for himself
when his clients complained that they had not received the proceeds of their settlements mr schlesinger responded with a litany of excuses we are short staffed he said in an email to one client kenneth lawler a british man who was owed more than 900000 from the settlement of a medical malpractice lawsuit stemming from the death of his son in a new jersey hospital our phones and computer systems were down mr schlesinger wrote in another email to mr lawler sorry for the delay he said in a third email adding strangely waiting for our golf game
mr lawler 63 said that now four years after the settlement was reached he had not yet received a penny its a betrayal he said
that day in federal district court in manhattan two weeks ago mr schlesinger admitted to the judge william h pauley iii that he had improperly withheld money from settlements since 2008 and had used it for his personal benefit
when the judge asked how much money he had taken he replied approximately 5 million
several former clients watched silently in the courtroom as mr schlesinger pleaded guilty to the fraud charge which carries a maximum prison sentence of 20 years
mr schlesinger has never explained what happened to his clients money and his lawyer murray richman declined to let him be interviewed mr richman said mr schlesinger had decided to plead guilty because he wanted to see his former clients repaid hes making every effort toward restitution mr richman said hes selling everything hes got
one asset he has agreed to forfeit is an eight bedroom house on five and a half acres in quogue on long island which is listed for sale at 115 million and is advertised as having a pool and a hot tub overlooking the ocean
mr schlesinger is also no longer practicing law last year after a lawyer disciplinary committee moved for his immediate suspension he agreed to surrender his law license and was disbarred but his case has put a harsh spotlight on the process of discipline for lawyers in new york which is conducted in total secrecy until a public sanction like a suspension or disbarment is imposed
in mr schlesingers case that process took a full year during which he continued to represent clients even filing at least one medical malpractice suit
it could not be learned when the disciplinary authorities began receiving complaints against mr schlesinger several months before the committee opened its investigation in september 2014 for example it received   but did not pursue   a complaint from a queens resident new york court officials citing confidentiality laws governing investigations into misconduct by lawyers declined to say when the committee had received its first complaint against mr schlesinger how many complaints were filed or what they alleged
david bookstaver communications director for the state court system said it would require legislative action to change the law as it pertains to secrecy or transparency in attorney disciplinary proceedings
many questions remain about mr schlesingers fall but there is little doubt about the ripple effect beyond his clients his longtime law firm julien  schlesinger closed and a small collection of partners and associates including at least one of his sons had to find work elsewhere
mr schlesinger earned his law degree from fordham university in 1964 and joined a small law firm where he eventually became a partner with a prominent personal injury lawyer alfred julien their firm continued to bear both of their names after mr juliens death in 1989 lawyers who had worked at the firm either declined to be interviewed for this article or did not respond to messages seeking comment
joseph l forstadt a retired partner at the law firm stroock  stroock  lavan who is a longtime friend of mr schlesingers said that he had occasionally referred personal injury cases to him and that mr schlesinger had a great reputation for being able to win favorable settlements for clients stuart was known as the guy who could sit down with insurance companies and get the best deal possible mr forstadt said
mr schlesinger also taught as an adjunct professor at new york law school and for a time he wrote a column for the new york law journal
when mr schlesinger was arrested in december he was released on a 1 million bond which was secured by the quogue property his wife linda schlesinger a real estate agent and a first cousin stephen lefkowitz a manhattan real estate lawyer signed the bond as guarantors
i got a call from his wife saying he was in this difficult situation and would i help mr lefkowitz recalled and of course i did
mr lefkowitz 78 said that although he had known mr schlesinger since childhood and their families were close he knew little about his cousins legal practice and had been surprised at the news of his arrest
the lawyer disciplinary committee one of a number of such panels run by the state court system has said that mr schlesingers misconduct came to the committees attention through complaints from two clients that arrived on sept 2 2014 according to a confidential legal motion later filed by the committee seeking his immediate suspension the motion was released last year after he was disbarred the two clients complained that mr schlesinger owed them a total of 66000 in settlement money and an investigation ensued immediately the motion said
but the committee had in fact received an earlier complaint involving a larger unpaid settlement which it decided not to pursue in june 2014 albin f luczak of queens complained to the committee that mr schlesinger had not paid him his share of a 15 million dental malpractice settlement
mr luczak said in an interview that he had been the victim of medical negligence during a root canal that had required him to undergo several surgical procedures including the removal of muscle in his neck mr schlesinger sued on his behalf and settled the case in fall 2013
under a retainer agreement mr luczak was owed about 11 million after mr schlesinger took his legal fee
but despite repeated requests mr luczak said mr schlesinger did not send him his share mr luczak recalled that when he and his wife visited mr schlesingers office the lawyer said please trust me please trust me im treating you like family members
in march 2014 mr luczak retained a new lawyer dustin bowman of kew gardens queens after trying unsuccessfully to resolve the problem through phone calls and emails mr bowman sued mr schlesinger on mr luczaks behalf and helped him file a formal complaint with the disciplinary committee
i am writing to complain about a very serious matter mr luczak wrote to the committee on june 13 2014 he attached copies of the retainer agreement and his lawsuit against mr schlesinger
two months later mr luczak received a letter from jorge dopico the committees chief counsel informing him that because of mr luczaks pending lawsuit the committee would defer further investigation at this time
according to the committees website it does not investigate lawyers in cases in which a lawsuit is pending on a similar issue
mr bowman said he was shocked that the committee did not pursue the matter given the amount of money mr luczak was owed and what mr bowman saw as an easily provable allegation
on aug 22 2014 mr bowman wrote directly to the committee saying that mr luczak was complaining of very serious ethical violations concerning the mishandling of client money and was imploring you to keep the docket open and inquire into this matter
mr bowman said he heard nothing from the committee for nine months then in may 2015 he received a call from a committee lawyer mr bowman said he expressed surprise to the lawyer that the committee had not followed up on mr luczaks complaint and that it had taken so long to respond to his own letter
according to mr bowman the lawyer did not offer a satisfactory explanation except to suggest that the committee was understaffed and had a large backlog
mr luczak said that he and his wife had concluded at the time that what mr schlesinger had done to them he had also quite likely done to others in early 2015 mr luczak said he contacted the federal bureau of investigation and within a week a special agent james h hilliard jr came to his home to interview him and to collect copies of his papers within a day mr luczak said the fbi called him to say it would open an investigation   apparently the inquiry that led to mr schlesingers arrest
mr luczak 56 said recently that he had yet to receive any part of his settlement more than two years after it was completed nothing   zero he said
in november 2014 two months after the disciplinary committee began its investigation hal r lieberman a lawyer representing mr schlesinger in the misconduct inquiry wrote to the committee and asked that his client not be penalized
mr lieberman described mr schlesinger as a distinguished lawyer who had practiced without a blemish for 49 years adding that but for his extraordinary efforts there would be no settlement funds to begin with
on march 10 2015 mr schlesinger gave a deposition to the committee in which he expressed remorse for his actions i 100 percent acknowledge what i did he said i did wrong
but less than two weeks after making that statement mr schlesinger filed a new lawsuit a medical malpractice case on behalf of zdzislaw oleszkiewicz of queens to whom he already owed 33000 from the settlement of an earlier claim
i never imagined i could be so taken advantage of mr oleszkiewicz said through an interpreter
in may 2015 the committee filed its motion seeking mr schlesingers immediate suspension citing evidence and his admissions that he had misappropriated settlement money from at least 16 clients
victims of mr schlesingers scheme said they were uncertain as to whether they would ever recover their lost money through mr schlesingers restitution or other means cheryl parisi a staten island resident who said she was still owed about 60000 from a medical malpractice settlement recalled that one of mr schlesingers checks had bounced
mr lawler who is still owed his share of the 2012 settlement from the lawsuit stemming from the death of his 32 year old son scott said mr schlesingers actions had left him aghast
scott lawler who had worked as a software developer at barclays bank in manhattan died after abdominal surgery at a new jersey hospital the lawsuit said
mr schlesingers former clients may seek compensation from a special client protection fund that reimburses people whose lawyers have stolen their money but the awards are capped at 400000 per client meaning that people like mr luczak and mr lawler would not fully cover their losses others have followed mr luczaks path and have sued mr schlesinger dolores nordone of south salem ny is owed more than 300000 from her share of an 850000 car crash settlement reached six years ago according to her lawsuit
ms nordone 73 a former accountant said that the accident had resulted in incessant lower back pain requiring three surgeries and that she could no longer work words cant really explain how i feel she said you put your trust in someone who you believe is going to help you and its unbelievable
her lawyer arnold n kriss who went to the courtroom to see mr schlesinger plead guilty this month said i felt embarrassed as a lawyer to sit there


your happy envelope is on its way this was the title of an email that appeared not long after id sent two dead laptops and two dead cellphones to gazelle an online gadget reseller more thrilling was the 397 check that followed it was a happy ending that sent me burrowing into my closets hoping to find more expired booty to sell
its been 21 years since the founding of craigslist and ebay both of which transformed so called person to person trading in the last decade companies like gazelle have refined that process again by removing the messy human factor with sleekly designed websites mailers and labels for free shipping e resellers handle the sales of your goods themselves often paying you up front as the life spans of your things grow ever shorter and you are increasingly overwhelmed to paraphrase a kate atkinson character by the relentless culling and resolution that the material world demands selling your stuff without having to leave home would seem to be an enchanting innovation and do much to dull the sting of an objects obsolescence
clothing resellers like material wrld crossroads and thredup propose to make refreshing your wardrobe more joyful with their own trade in kits and cash incentives to shop their wares to keep the cycle going ethical elimination is a theme a corollary to ethical consumption the manifesto of crossroads a favorite of college students who worry that their urban outfitters discards may end up in a landfill is that fashion shouldnt come at a cost material wrld aims to alleviate fashion guilt with its own promise well handle yesterdays fashion so you can focus on tomorrow
as fashion gets faster these services are multiplying flush with venture capital
its the age of consignment a friend proclaimed still giddy from selling off the contents of her basement
tradesy is like a dating site for your old clothes you can post a photo tell its story and the site will price your garment a button invites online shoppers to love your listings move loot will do the same for your furniture if a piece sells the company will handle the exchange and arrange for pickup so will lofty chairish and viyet which sell high end furniture decorative items and artwork curators from lofty and viyet will vet your items in your home the luxury site the realreal a favorite of fashion conscious new yorkers trades in artwork designer clothing and jewelry
material wrld operates out of industry city a groovy former factory building in sunset park brooklyn now colonized by tenants like west elms makers studio and the storefront for art and architecture its founders rie yano 34 and jie zheng 33 met at harvard business school and left their jobs in fashion to start the company in 2012
like many fashion resellers they make you an offer upfront and send that which they wont accept to a charity in their case housing works what were encouraging is a lifestyle where if you purchase quality fashion ms yano said we can extend its life when you dont want to wear it anymore in late march material wrld received 9 million in financing from an e commerce company based in japan
resale is trending said martin ambrose 29 an associate manager at the realreal who estimates he assesses over 2000 items each month from clients many of whom are regulars the company in business since 2011 and with 123 million in financing reports that it takes in on average 100000 items each month and has sold about two million items people used to be embarrassed mr ambrose said but once you start its like an addiction
mr ambrose who wrote a college essay about the characters he met while window shopping is a resale encyclopedia some basics womens pants dont sell nor do mens dress shirts because people are very particular about these items recognizable brands like christian louboutin shoes with their red soles do shoes and handbags hold their value nicely the realreal divides the sale price 4060 once a sellers wares reach 10000 that person receives 70 percent in the world of luxury consignment mr ambrose said that benchmark is not the unicorn youd imagine
i met him one chilly february afternoon at the home of emilie cresp 33 a natural beauty entrepreneur who had decided to cull her formidable wardrobe of which over 350 pieces by chanel apc and vanessa bruno mostly were being stored at garde robe the high end closet and valet service for up to 2000 a month
i had realized pretty quickly that my gazelle sale was a fluke i owned nothing else of value   at least nothing that i wasnt using   and if i wanted to participate in the age of consignment in a meaningful way id have to do so as an observer get out of my room mom my daughter had texted from college after id sent her photos of her own left behind clothing do you really want this id written need stuff to sell
ms cresp who is french lives in a small one bedroom apartment in the west village with two full closets and a stuffed armoire i had been invited there by ann lightfoot 55 a professional organizer in manhattan with a wide network of consignors and charities who sends next to nothing to the dumpster who knew there was a booming market for used lululemon workout gear ms lightfoots company done  done home which she runs with her daughter kate pawlowski 29 cleans closets at an extremely high level chief executives film and tv directors an olympic athlete and a real housewife have been clients
she told me that many of them were inspired by marie kondo the japanese tidiness guru but were flummoxed by the process they dont know where to begin and they worry about where those things that dont spark joy will end up she said
it took six hours to sort through ms cresps clothing a typical marathon ms pawlowski said she and her mother leaven their labor with brisk good humor and a refreshing lack of dogma we could color code ms lightfoot said while folding all 70 of ms cresps sweaters but that can stress out a client by sunset mr ambrose had carted away four suitcase size zippered totes ms pawlowski left 11 garbage bags at goodwill and sent four bags to lindas stuff an online consignor based in pennsylvania
a few days later ms cresp mused on the process in an email she had decided she said to pull some vanessa bruno items back from the realreal to give to friends because the prices werent as high as shed hoped and it made more sense she wrote to offer those things to people she loved as mr ambrose had noted the more well known brands received the highest prices a chanel turtleneck dress for example was marked 895 of the 90 or so items mr ambrose removed 10 were rejected for sale
its always very sad when things come back said judith thurman the author and a new yorker writer whose stirring fashion pieces let you know that she is both a critic and a passionate collector for those of us reared on the writings of kennedy fraser ms thurmans work has long been a habit ms thurman consigns the old fashioned way among a series of shops in her yorkville neighborhood that she visits regularly she said like a lobsterman checking her pots to see what the tide has washed in
i have really good stuff but like everyone i make mistakes i get carried away she said nodding to ms kondo as one must she added when you do interrogate your objects even if they dont spark joy theyre telling you something why do i buy endless numbers of white raincoats i always have to give them away because they make me look like a dental hygienist but its a tic i have
joan juliet buck the author actress and former editor of french vogue said everyones objects are freighted its never just stuff in january ms buck purged her 42nd street loft and sold some belongings through paddle8 the online auctioneer art deco lamps a cartier watch an hermes desk set vintage r crumb comics and lots of jewelry including a long strand of steely gray south sea pearls that shed bought a few years into the job at french vogue i was miscast as an executive she said the pearls were austere very expensive and i thought they telegraphed authority i sold my mothers jewelry to buy them and yet she reported sadly the boss lady pearls didnt sell theyre coming back
this is why consignment can still break your heart not every object you send away has a happy ending
decades ago when a magazine i worked for went out of business my father very kindly bought me a suit to wear on job interviews it was double breasted by claude montana and god help me it was also taupe is taupe i should say because i still have it i wore it once to an interview with carrie donovan who was the style editor of the new york times magazine and despite its taupeness she hired me pantsuit is what my new colleagues called me and who could blame them i never wore the thing again but i saved it   it was a designer outfit after all and cost more than my rent at the time   carting it through many moves and many closet purges
two months ago flush from my gazelle success i listed it on tradesy noting its provenance worn once to a job interview in 1990 i got the job last week the listing expired having garnered zero loves on the site and no happy envelope


the actress elizabeth hurley traveled to nairobi from london a few weeks ago to witness the kenyan government burn 105 tons of poached ivory saying she felt sickened to watch the great pyres
lupita nyongo the oscar winning actress posed with a baby elephant rescued from a poachers snare telling her 26 million instagram followers 33000 elephants are killed every year so that a few people can wear and display a few trinkets we can do better
susan sarandon raised thousands for an elephant benefit in london last year the crisis facing elephants is particularly tragic she said recently
everything about them is extraordinary she said their intelligence and emotional complexity the depth of their matriarchal social ties and just their sheer physical majesty
these days it seems for every elephant that falls to poachers a celebrity rises to join the fight to save them
savetheelephants has become a rallying cry among the celebrity class a made for hollywood issue that features a beloved victim menacing villains gangsters warlords and undeniable drama if current poaching rates continue wild elephant populations could vanish in some african countries conservationists say
no wonder elephant conservation like the rain forest in the 90s has become an issue that celebrities can rally behind uniting stars of the big screen arnold schwarzenegger edward norton and small ian somerhalder of the vampire diaries not to mention sports stars yao ming andy murray fashion designers tommy hilfiger diane von furstenberg and royals the duke and duchess of cambridge prince william and kate middleton
the cause celebre in other words has become a cause celeb
stars are magnets and they attract other stars said laura fredricks a philanthropy consultant and lecturer at new york university and before you know it the whole celebrity scene is totally on board with saving elephants around the world its the sexy cause of the moment
there is no denying that the stakes are high as of 2013 the elephant population in africa had plummeted to about 400000 according to the conservation site elephantdatabaseorg from some 13 million in 1979 due to strong demand for ivory particularly in asia where it is a status symbol for the burgeoning middle class
the united states remains a leading market despite a longstanding ban on commercial importation allowances for legal ivory   say in antiques   create loopholes for ivory from poached elephants to enter the market activists say
the poaching crisis has come to resemble a war with ivory fetching more than 1000 a pound according to the conservation group save the elephants poachers often employed by criminal syndicates and sometimes armed with helicopters night vision goggles and automatic weapons are slaughtering tens of thousands of elephants a year threatening to send the worlds largest land mammal the way of its forebear the woolly mammoth
what im seeing now is a lot of anger said andrew harmon a spokesman for wildaid a global conservation group based in san francisco people are just really afraid that this will be a generation that will see elephants go extinct in the wild
given the climate conservationists have embraced celebrities amplification of their message said misty herrin a spokeswoman for the nature conservancy
indeed a photo that leonardo dicaprio posted on instagram two months ago showing him posing with two endangered sumatran elephants in indonesia got nearly 500000 likes in 2013 mr dicaprio led a drive to deliver 16 million signatures to the prime minister of thailand in support of a proposed ban on the ivory trade a world wildlife fund spokesman said
last november the wildlife conservation society cast mr schwarzenegger to star in a promotional video for its 96 elephants campaign acting terminator tough and posing in front of an army tank the human action figure barked hey stop killing 96 elephants every day just because of this ivory before blowing up an elephant tusk with explosives
the video generated 14 million views across various channels and more than 80000 letters to support legislative action a group spokeswoman said
similarly mr norton appeared in a chilling 2014 public service announcement for wildaid in partnership with save the elephants and the african wildlife foundation titled party which cuts between a cocktail party filled with ivory objects and sneering traffickers and footage of elephants being cut down by bullets
if you buy elephant ivory you may be part of a criminal gang  the actor says in the video and because youre paying them that makes you the boss
social media has played a huge role in publicizing the issue with more than 100000 users following the lead of ms nyongo yoko ono and other celebrities who signed onto wildaids jointheherd campaign in the spirit of facebooks popular rainbow filter to show support for same sex marriage users can upload split screen photos of their faces with an elephant face as their profile photo
to combat demand for ivory in asia the group has also enlisted the likes of yao ming the chinese born former houston rockets star li bingbing a prominent actress in china and maggie q an actress who starred in the cw assassin drama nikita and cbss stalker and whose mother is vietnamese
it basically takes an army of 30 people to protect one elephant said maggie q who began her acting career in asia on the other hand what is most effective is to speak to consumers and theres an entire side of the world that knows me knows my values and knows my face
many celebrities go beyond supplying a pretty picture and a quote
last summer jared leto an ambassador for the world wildlife fund co wrote an editorial in time magazine demanding that the united states do more to stop the slaughter our collective efforts dont match the scale and speed of the calamity before us he said
a number of hollywood notables have also trained their cameras on the cause making documentaries about the plight of the elephants kathryn bigelow the oscar winning director the short film last days kristin davis of sex and the city who produced and self financed gardeners of eden and paul allen the microsoft co founder and hollywood producer he produced naledi a baby elephants tale which will debut next month at the seattle international film festival
the celebrity efforts provide another crucial weapon for conservationists money
while philanthropic associations do not track donations to elephant causes specifically fund raising for wildlife in general including other much publicized endangered animals like rhinos and tigers appears to be on the rise according to the giving usa foundation
in 2014 donations to animal and environmental causes rose to 105 billion up 43 percent since 2009
at a grass roots level a celebrity fueled social media campaign like jointheherd can persuade the masses to reach for the credit card said mr harmon of wildaid since the campaign began in february wildaid has seen the number of small donors to its elephant initiative rise 94 percent he said
celebrities also persuade other celebrities to open their wallets
last fall for example owen wilson hosted the elephants forever auction at sothebys featuring artwork by tom sachs and rob pruitt among others that drew the likes of waris ahluwalia the actor and jewelry designer and ms sarandon and raised more than 1 million for elephant family benefiting asian elephants and space for giants
maybe it sounds corny but theres sort of a wisdom to elephants instyle quoted mr wilson as saying
elephant family will make further inroads into the art world this summer when it takes the elephant parade a showcase of elephant themed outdoor art by david yarrow david lachapelle and other artists to the hamptons
similarly the fashion industry has gotten involved two years ago during made fashion week the clinton foundation headed a campaign to install a 10 foot pink elephant designed by the artist tristin lowe at milk studios to raise awareness for its saveelephants campaign the concept reportedly grew out of conversations among chelsea clinton diane von furstenberg and oscar de la renta all elephant champions
at vancouver fashion week in february a group called elephanatics enlisted 13 designers to conjure elephant inspired couture clothing to reach out to a crowd that is more or less responsible for the plight of elephants   people in fashion said ava j holmes who produced the show j crew has been selling a save the elephants t shirt for charity featuring an illustration by the artist hugo guinness
certainly it will take more than art auctions and fashion shows to overcome this global crisis like the drug trade the illicit ivory trade involves vast criminal syndicates and countless corrupt government officials said trevor neilson the president of global philanthropy group in los angeles
if you want to understand the issue you have to talk former cia officers who are in touch with kenyan intelligence who can tell you who is corrupt at the port at mombasa mr neilson said
by contrast when a well meaning reality tv star in los angeles is tweeting save the elephants i think its safe to say that that has no impact whatsoever he said
even so there are reasons for hope conservationists say on a visit to the united states in september president xi jinping of china promised to enact nearly complete bans on ivory import and export
in the united states four states including california and new york have enacted ivory restrictions with others pending citing horrific cruelty meryl streep joined the humane societys fight in her home state of new jersey woody harrelson told representatives in hawaii that the world is watching
president obama has called for a near total ban on the ivory trade in the united states and conservation groups expect the new law to be put in effect this summer
meanwhile in a related issue ringling bros and barnum  bailey agreed to retire its touring circus elephants this month after years of strident opposition from stars like alec baldwin working with people for the ethical treatment of animals
such progress is enough to keep celebrities like ms davis going and going and going in recent years the erstwhile charlotte has made elephants a mission taking some 15 trips to africa helping serve the david sheldrick wildlife trust which rescues baby elephants orphaned by poaching and releasing the unflinching documentary gardeners of eden in 2014
she finds the issue gripping in part because elephants seem so human in their behavior she said each herd has its matriarchs its wise old aunts its rowdy teenagers when an elephant dies the others mourn they touch the body with their feet smell it with their trunks and stand around for a day or longer ms davis said its almost like sitting shiva
and unfortunately there is a lot of that going on in africa these days she said how on earth will we be able turn to our children and say all those elephants in books they used to be everywhere now theyre gone


emma straub wrote her best selling novel the vacationers when she was pregnant with her first child and her new novel modern lovers which comes out may 31 while pregnant with her second its all part of this giant cycle of book baby book baby ms straub 36 said the process seems to work vogue selected modern lovers as one of its top books this month saying that it nails the brooklyn mise en scene 2 million victorians a kombucha brewing enterprise gone awry she lives with her husband michael fusco straub 37 a graphic designer and their sons river 2 and miles 4 months in a house in brooklyns columbia street waterfront district soon the family will go on book tour   in outfits that match the pattern on the book cover i am hoping they will be so amused by the fact that im wearing my book jacket that they wont notice the bags under my eyes ms straub said
waking up ugh god on a really good day one person somebody sleeps past 5 am if the little one is up around 5 am he will eat and go back to sleep if the big one is up at 5 am he is likely to get a book and climb back in bed by 630 am everyone is dressed and the party has started the party is river telling us an elaborate story about some construction vehicle or a hardware store miles is squawking mike and i are trying to brush our teeth
rhinocerous fare since we have nothing to do   no classes no appointments no dates   well make pancakes we like to pancake lately well make river pancakes in different colors and in the shapes of animals luckily our son has a good imagination so when we tell him a pancake looks like a rhinoceros hes likely to believe us
just like mom river has always liked books weve instilled in him this horrible habit of reading at the table hes unable to get through a meal without about four books then well spend a few minutes or an hour trying to convince river we should leave the house which he is not fond of doing so that means suiting up in firefighter regalia
meet the grandparents i convinced my parents to move to brooklyn from the upper west side which is a gorgeous gorgeous dirty trick i played on them between us is brooklyn bridge park well go to the sandbox village well take turns rocking the baby and closing our eyes behind our sunglasses while my parents entertain river
culture club well come back home for lunch the three of us because miles only eats my breast milk are supporting the cheese industry all we really eat is cheese
her stories if both of them are asleep we might watch something on our dvr maybe a half an hour of nashville its gone full soap i say that with full respect i grew up watching soap operas when i would go to summer camp i would make my dad watch all my children and write and tell me what happened
beef books this gets us to 2 oclock once everyone is up well try to have another adventure we might jump in the car and go to the meat hook which is a butcher shop in williamsburg run by our friends no weekend passes without a walk to bookcourt which is one of rivers favorite places
more cheese well come home and have a secret pizza party thats the name of one of rivers favorite books so every time we have pizza its a secret pizza party we stick to the basics your usual margherita maybe a pepperoni a good mozzarella is important because thats what youre snacking on while you make the pizza
limping to bed by 7 pm or 730 pm rivers in bed poor miles is on no schedule whatsoever thats just the fate of the second child well watch something if were feeling ambitious a movie but mostly well watch three episodes of like unbreakable kimmy schmidt we limp to bed at an astonishingly early hour but listen 857 pm is only early if youre going to sleep all night


when horseback riding was the dominant mode of transportation equestrian shops were as common as fresh pressed juice bars are today east 24th street was so populated with places to outfit and care for horses that it came to be known as old stable row times have changed and for the city equestrian a rare breed in itself the only remaining shop of its kind on old stable row is manhattan saddlery
theres probably no equestrian store in the world that is as far away from a horse as we are said nick tsang 31 the stores owner most of his customers head to long island westchester county or new jersey to ride
the smell of leather permeates the sprawling two story shop greeting customers who arrive looking for saddles bridles halters crops stirrups and riding pants there are even horse treats and stacks of equestrian magazines pony quarterly equestrian living todays equestrian to browse while trying on riding boots
mr tsang came to horse shop ownership in an usual manner the tsangs were living in new jersey where his mother introduced the family to riding after she learned it might prove therapeutic for nicks brother who has autism as she fell in love with horses she became devoted to the miller harness company a manhattan equestrian shop that had been around since 1912 jacqueline kennedy onassis and the rockefellers were fans when the shop on east 24th street went up for sale in 2001 ms tsang bought it and eventually changed the name to manhattan saddlery
when she became ill six years later mr tsang took over though he doesnt ride much himself he cant imagine life without the shop im never closing this store he said it has such an emotional connection
that kind of devotion seems to be common among horsy types
charlotte kullen was shopping on a recent saturday as she does about once a week at the shop she finds a receptive audience for her latest stories about asantro her horse it was his birthday yesterday she said displaying photos on her phone of the dutch warmblood an athletic breed often used in competitions
owning a horse is expensive ms kullen admitted to eating a lot of frozen pizza to help pay for her horses care but riding one doesnt have to be a break the bank hobby mr tsang said it gets pigeonholed as a rich persons sport but its not
many of mr tsangs patrons are parents of children who take their lessons on other peoples horses like owen king who came in with his daughter sarah seeking a helmet and protective gear for summer riding camp
sarahs helmet which cost about 400 was a necessary expense mr king said as was a protective vest a requirement at many summer camps
mr king welcomed the safety precaution he recalled a skiing trip in argentina years ago on which he was the only one not smoking and the only one wearing a helmet
safety   or for that matter horses   was the last thing on alex roys mind when he walked into the shop mr roy who tests vintage cars as editor at large for the drive magazine comes to manhattan saddlery for apparel he can wear without irony he bought a riding jacket and a tweed cap on past visits this time he was in the market for riding gloves to be worn while driving his three wheeled morgan an open top two seater
its funny like any brick and mortar shop if you think about it you can buy anything they carry online mr roy said but you come here to talk to the people and to see the place
he bought a pair of white crochet gloves with a leather palm and dashed off to brunch


seven decades ago a new york mayor looked at his city and realized that it needed more affordable housing and lots of it sound familiar that mayor was fiorello h la guardia and his response   the sprawling stuyvesant town peter cooper village development in manhattan   dwarfs anything being planned today the complex was also at the insistence of the projects developer metropolitan life insurance company for white families only negroes and whites dont mix said frederick h ecker then the chairman of metlife which received considerable subsidies from the city on the condition that it keep rents low
by april 1960 when sam falk of the new york times took these photographs a movement among tenants and civil rights groups had prevailed against the discriminatory policy and the buildings had been formally open to black residents for a decade they were also home to my parents robert and dorothy leland and their two sons soon to be three but on the playgrounds where security guards kept out people from the surrounding neighborhood it was still possible to look around and see only white faces
the children enjoying this spring day were most likely oblivious to these adult machinations for the 25000 new yorkers who called it home the 80 acre campus was a refuge from the noise and congestion of the city the red brick complexes with their family size apartments earned the nickname rabbit town for the number of children they produced these were the shock troops of an urban suburbia making their way in what had been the gas house district north of the east village east of everything but the river it was a place to play an idyll on a spring afternoon in a pocket of the city where parents let their kids run around without supervision like stuyvesant town itself the images are a vision of calm that hides the unrest lying just below the surface


the social norms of the victorian era prevented sam clemenss youngest daughter jean from typical womens roles as wife and mother because of her epilepsy so she turned her hobby woodcarving into a business
handwritten or typed plays by mr clemenss oldest daughter susy show how seriously she took her writing even as a teenager they include stage directions set designs and costume notes
and clara the only one to live past the age of 30 studied voice in berlin and vienna sang professionally in europe and at carnegie hall and became the guardian of her fathers papers
visitors who tour the hartford home of mr clemens better known as mark twain have the chance to learn more about his daughters in the exhibition in their fathers image susy clara and jean clemens in the museum adjoining the house
the exhibition gives visitors a view of the author as his daughters knew him the loving caring papa with a bit of a temper who said that his time in hartford with his daughters and wife olivia were the happiest years of his life
the exhibition opens with photos of the daughters with a quote about each girl from their father clara is a dear  lovable child but troublesome you will like her
in addition to family photos and portraits the exhibition includes samples of the childrens books meant to impart christian values and scare the daughters into behaving a book of illustrated poems that twain read to his daughters includes one in which a girl who played with matches came to a tragic end
growing up as the daughters of a famous writer had its challenges but one perk was hearing a bedtime story nightly the girls required that the story begin with something about the cat in the ruff or frilly collar whose picture stood on the right corner of the mantel that the tale progress to include other items displayed on the mantel and that it end with something about the painting of a woman whom they called emmeline
half the exhibition is devoted to the girls childhoods visitors learn about the medical challenges that even their fathers wealth could not fully overcome diphtheria claimed the couples only son langdon when he was 19 months old
children visiting the exhibition are welcome to try on costumes that replicate those that the three girls and their friends would have worn when performing one of susys plays a small stage rests near the dress up clothes with a backdrop of an enlarged photo of a scene from a love chase which susy wrote as a teenager
a governess educated the girls at home but susy and clara each spent their freshman year at hartford public high school detailed school record books on display reveal that susy had several unexcused absences and received 11 demerits in a year clara had 13 in a single month
clara wanted to be a singer and jeans health caused doctors to place restrictions on her only susy attended college
while at bryn mawr college in pennsylvania she formed a close friendship with a classmate louise brownell susy dropped out partway through her second semester but she continued to write notes to louise that some scholars have interpreted as love letters they began dearest louise and were signed your own olivia
the references in the letters to physical affection have led to speculation that the relationship was sexual but the language is typical of the way victorian women wrote tracy brindle chief curator of the home and museum said
i think you have to be careful when you look at 19th century situations through a 21st century lens because it can be misconstrued she said
at age 24 susy died from spinal meningitis while her parents and clara were touring europe twain said later that she had been his muse when he wrote personal recollections of joan of arc
historians learned a great deal about jean through her diary ms brindle said
because epilepsy was misunderstood jean was prohibited from dating for fear that romantic relationships might prompt an attack to give herself purpose ms brindle said she began woodcarving visitors will see a blanket chest and glove box she made along with her tools and her ledger which holds the tallies of her income and expenses and shows she made a donation to the society for the prevention of cruelty to animals
jeans epilepsy led to her death at 29 just eight months after she had assumed secretarial duties for her father four months later her father died
clara became the guardian of his papers and of the familys belongings she also suppressed his more controversial writings such as unpublished work on religion and sexuality
clara performed in concert to raise money for what would become the mark twain house  museum and the concerts tickets and programs are still on display the exhibition includes a floor plan of the hartford house with notes written by clara identifying the rooms and where her father placed his desk
clara married a pianist and composer and they had one daughter nina gabrilowitsch born after her grandfathers death nina never married or had children struggled with depression and addiction and died of an overdose in 1966
after claras sisters died their father idolized their memories ms brindle said but clara and her father often clashed because their personalities were so similar she said
shortly before her death at age 88 in 1962 clara reconsidered and agreed to allow the publication of her fathers works opposing american imperialism
she had good intentions when she didnt want the darker work to get out ms brindle said
she added theres a real strength in clara she survived her two sisters passing away both parents passing away and being the only surviving daughter of such a famous man she had a tremendous burden upon her to protect his legacy


as a teenage trumpeter who loved jazz tom manuel would visit the dunton inn a local spot in east patchogue where a group of old timers   some of whom had played alongside tommy dorsey harry james and louis armstrong   would let the untried kid from lake ronkonkoma sit in during weekly jam sessions
i was terrible compared to them said mr manuel at the jazz loft an exhibition preservation and performance space in stony brook that celebrated its grand opening on saturday mr manuel now a 37 year old musician teacher and jazz historian founded the loft which houses a vast assemblage of jazz memorabilia including musical instruments archival photographs original sheet music personal letters master recordings and vintage lps
on june 2 mr manuel will lead the jazz loft big band in a concert the 17 member group will present music by count basie and duke ellington he also plans to schedule performances throughout the year
how did this come about it was partly serendipity more on that later and partly a result of mr manuels moxie   a trait that no doubt helped win over those jazz veterans he performed with some 20 years ago at the dunton inn the spot still has live jazz mr manuel who lives in st james performs there monthly
i was smart enough to know when to play and when not to said mr manuel of his neophyte days the jazz pros in turn were flattered by his attention he said some of them thought well maybe i can pass along some music to this kid and keep it alive
those sessions and his subsequent career led to some lasting friendships and eventually to the trove of memorabilia from musicians or their families that are on display or preserved in archives at the jazz loft
the collection includes material associated with both the stars and the stalwart sidemen of jazz among them are armstrong ellington john coltrane the vibraphonist teddy charles the cornetist warren vache the singer arthur prysock the trumpeter chuck genduso and the society bandleader lester lanin mr lanin was not strictly speaking a jazz man but the loft is open to other jazz tinged genres
there are old decca records masters by ella fitzgerald bing crosby hoagy carmichael les paul and others archived in a kind of cabinet of music wonders in the research library even a three tiered bandstand has history it was constructed of wood from the dance floor of new yorks erstwhile roseland ballroom the bandstand is the centerpiece of club q a performance area named after vincent quatroche a jazz inspired visual artist from greenport who died in 2011 examples of his work are also on view
some items may surprise visitors in a display case in the library for example sits the handwritten sheet music for it is written in the stars a little known song by billy strayhorn whose work take the a train was made famous by ellington explaining how he acquired the composition mr manuel said of strayhorn that he didnt like the music so he gave the song to lloyd trotman a bassist who passed it along to mr manuel who then commissioned its orchestration
hard as it is to imagine the lofts contents were once stored in mr manuels home i had stuff everywhere he said estimating that his collection includes at least 10000 pieces it was in the laundry room in the shed in the garage in the basement
the material got its new home heres where the serendipity comes in after gloria rocchio the president of the ward melville heritage organization in stony brook read a newsday article about mr manuel in 2014 i picked up the phone and called him ms rocchio said youve got the collection weve got the building lets talk she recalled saying to him
so they talked the two story stone building which once housed a museum was vacant when mr manuel presented his proposal for use of the space to the organizations board the energy was unbelievable ms rocchio said everybody in the room felt thats the man
the building was renovated with around 420000 in donations of cash and services ms rocchio said the organization now leases the property to the jazz loft for 1 per year and is providing promotional support
a few weeks ago the jazz loft was still a work in progress with some of its educational programs still in the planning stages but mr manuels goal of preserving jazz history had already become a reality
when i walk through and see these things its very personal to me he said its passing the torch he added   just as the old jazz men of his youth had hoped


my octogenarian mother remembers when going to the airport in newark was a delightful experience full of wonder
in the early 1950s her parents would take her to the newarker a sophisticated and theatrical restaurant with white tablecloths a clear view of the planes and showstopping entrees like flaming skewers of meat it was the work of joseph h baum the impresario who would later create the four seasons and windows on the world
nowadays at newark liberty international airport shish kabob flambe has mostly been replaced by shrink wrapped apples and lukewarm burritos from qdoba
but now there is a culinary oasis of sorts in newarks terminal c as part of its 120 million overhaul of the terminal united airlines formed a partnership with otg which designs builds and operates restaurants and stores in airport terminals otg expects to have completed 55 restaurants and shops in terminal c by the end of the year said eric brinker otgs vice president for experience
these days no one eats in the airport without a plane ticket so i needed a special day pass the only catch i had to be escorted my companions would be mr brinker and rich bamberger managing director of kivvit which oversees public relations for otg according to transportation security administration rules the escorter and escortee have to be able to see and hear each other at all times
so as flights departed for tokyo and wilkes barre pa i grazed from restaurant to restaurant as if on some never ending layover while imagining that i had my own secret service detail the three of us visited four of the seven restaurants that have been fully completed
with my bodyguards seated at another table i placed an order on an ipad at my first stop cbgb lab lounge and bar this place may share a name with the new york city music club that closed in 2006 but little else the vibe is hip midwest boutique hotel and only a cocktail called the dirty ashtray tecate tequila salt pepper and worcestershire sauce seemed to evoke anything remotely similar to a grungy 20th century rock venue on the bowery
every restaurant seat in terminal c is equipped with an ipad to create what otg refers to as tech enhanced hospitality diners can scan their boarding pass for updates on their flight play video games and even order products from the terminals shops to be brought to their table
the user interface is straightforward but multilayered once i found the menu app at the bottom of the screen i had to choose from different categories appetizers main dishes cocktails and drill down further from there scrolling through photos and descriptions then clicking on my final choices and finally adding a tip even before id gotten a glass of water from my server i would then pay and wait
for customers uncomfortable using an ipad such as the hungry retired teacher who sat next to me at one of the other restaurants a waiter is usually available to help
within 10 minutes of ordering my taylor ham egg and cheese sandwich 950 arrived a fluffy egg souffle replaced the usual fried egg and the addition of spicy mayonnaise gave the sandwich some elegance as i spooned a creamy yogurt parfait 8 into my mouth and tried a video game on the ipad i realized my waitress was hovering by my side she wanted to know if id ever been to the real cbgb and when i said that i had i saw spinal tap perform there she asked how the two compared between mouthfuls of parfait i explained that this was an impossible comparison and that she should be grateful the bathrooms were somewhat nicer at the airport
my next stop was saison a french restaurant under the guidance of alain ducasses restaurant group
a few taps on the ipad and 15 minutes later i had a flintstones size portion of roasted bone marrow 18 in front of me dramatically presented on a large wooden slab with a lone french radish and a pile of cocoa salt it would have made mr baum proud the pomme frites were also admirable as was a croque monsieur 16 that would be welcomed in any bistro in france with its creamy bechamel sauce ham and thick layer of melted gruyere cheese
after a walk around the terminal to rebuild my appetite i directed us to the happy clam whose menu and concept were overseen by the chef mario carbone of torrisi italian specialties fame while it gave me pause to eat raw seafood in the middle of an airport i can report that my oysters 18 for six were meaty and fresh
the tender clams in my linguine clams 20 made me happy as a mollusk but i ignored the pasta which was undercooked instead i stuffed myself with hunks of semolina bread soaked in the garlicky sauce dessert was a deliciously obscene nutella budino 850 a nutella lined butterscotch tart with caramelized bananas
the bodyguards paled as i suggested one more meal but we all managed to power through a late afternoon snack of chilled lobster and sushi at caps beer garden whose menu was created by dale talde a former top chef contestant who is the chef and owner of restaurants including talde jersey city the sweet succulent lobster 19 was unshelled before our eyes and served simply on a bed of lettuce my crunchy shrimp roll 12 a concoction of seared shrimp mayonnaise and eel sauce tempura crunch and scallion was inventive and delicious
there are also some exceptional food markets that may be a bit twee for some with their watermelon water and protein bars made from high protein cricket flour but kudos to otg for shaking up the hudson news paradigm and fear not you can still buy a coke and a candy bar
terminal c goes a long way to make flying a less horrible experience if the other terminals at newark had even a smidgen of the choices here the airport itself might once again become an enjoyable destination


a surprise of the spring party season was the number of men who shed their black tie uniform for dinner jackets that had flower patterns were made of brocade were bejeweled or featured wild flights of fantasy on the lapels the new york social calendar still offers very formal occasions organized by the metropolitan opera and met museum where men wear white tie and tails brocade fabrics came in shades of blue and velvet  in the late 60s and 70s the peacock revolution spread to mens dinner jackets but they quickly reverted to traditional black tie
related column


not long before he began filming sunset song an adaptation of the novel by lewis grassic gibbon the director terence davies was told that his leading lady had been a model in a former life
i didnt care mr davies recalled recently his shrug a tacit acknowledgment that models turned actors didnt generally fare well in the movie trade
moments after recounting that conversation to a postscreening crowd at the museum of the moving image in queens he welcomed his ingenue the former model agyness deyn
ms deyn who stars as a spunky scottish farm girl in mr daviess elegiac period film bounded to greet him looking raffishly undone and resolutely modern in an outsize gray sweatshirt and jeans her honey tone hair hanging loosely to her shoulders no discernible makeup brightening her face
at 33 she is a very different creature from the coltish artfully tarted up young woman who less than a decade ago had parlayed her peroxided blond thatch dr martens suspenders and neon accessories into a kind of demi celebrity
now with several film roles to her credit she played aphrodite in clash of the titans in 2010 and snared a small part this year in hail caesar she has shed her punkster trappings and with them the sedulously cultivated aura of cool that may have stunted her career
these days shes not hiding her ardor i feel like i have to bring myself to the fullest to the table she said last week a few days after the screening she was perched on a park bench outside the van leeuwen ice cream shop on east seventh street a neighborhood haunt
she was sharing the bench with her sister emily a partner in title a their fashion line etta mae emilys cherubic 5 month old cradled in her lap and sweet pea her dog frisking at her feet
she wasnt distracted ms deyn after all has been long accustomed to performing on camera and off even as a model youre playing a role she said not that it came naturally
when i started i thought who knows what a model is i dont she said i was pretending to be what i thought a model should be
she proved a quick study i learned that youre a blank canvas she said everyone projects onto you theyre trying to create perfection so you have the pressure of feeling like you have to be perfect then it comes out that you dont want to be perfect
the steady pounding of a nearby jackhammer and the low din of passing strangers some of them shamelessly gawking didnt faze her or derail her thoughts by the time she was 10 said ms deyn who grew up in manchester england she was used to the gaze of random passers by i was very aware of being a cute little girl she said i felt it was a lot of responsibility
the attention chafed so one day she asked to have her long hair sheared into a boyish crop   not unlike the one that would later propel her to cover girl status newly shorn i could relax she said i was relieved at not having to be that cute little girl anymore
with that she leapt to her feet stopping at a nearby cafe table to greet a cluster of friends before dropping into trash and vaudeville the venerable punk clothing emporium which had recently migrated from its grittier home on st marks place
my sister and i used to shop here ms deyn said wistfully as she darted past a wall festooned with leather and chains making her way familiarly toward a rack of concert t shirts she contemplated several including one that was garishly emblazoned with an image of mickey mouse about to spear himself with a syringe
i cant wear that she said with a hoot theyll think im on the needle after pawing idly through the racks she finally settled on a sex pistols shirt stamped with the groups trademark popcorn box logo
back on the street the late afternoon sun caught a glint of the cartier solitaire on ms deyns left hand turns out that in august she will marry her boyfriend joel a pianist turned hedge fund manager the wedding will be a low key local affair
ive never been one for the fairy tale storybook wedding ms deyn said
still there will be trimmings not least a food truck lavishly stocked with van leeuwens vegan desserts ms deyn said exchanging a conspiratorial glance with her sister who stood at her side
her sister flashed a wicked grin in preparation for the great event well be working our way through everything on the menu she said


a nice big foyer separates the entryway from the sunken living room in graham parkers hudson heights apartment
it turns out there are all sorts of uses for that wide open space mr parker the general manager of the classical music public radio station wqxr and his psychologist husband adam benson can expound on the topic with great verve and authority
the foyer is used as an extension of the dining room on thanksgiving jewish holidays and other occasions and its the site of fiercely contested chess games between the couples adopted children max 8 and georgie 6 its where max demonstrates brazilian martial arts moves like flips and cartwheels and where the very flexible georgie shows off her yoga poses the foyer has also worked admirably as a stage for the childrens plays and musicales thats max on drums and georgie on keyboards
the stair is a big thing said the london born mr parker 46 standing on the step leading to the living room the grown ups are down there and the kids are up here and the archway is the proscenium arch
it was mr benson who introduced mr parker to hudson heights or as he refers to it upstate new york city its quiet its familial and neighborhood y said mr parker who married his longtime partner in 2007 ive worked in the nonprofit space my whole career and it was nice to realize i could afford to buy an apartment up here subsequently the couple bought an apartment where they lived for a decade
but when we had kids we needed more space said mr parker who had long had his eye on a particular art deco building near fort tryon park
the couples real estate broker a close friend knew they were looking for a three bedroom apartment when just such a unit came up in the long coveted building the men hustled
it was really funny   we had scheduled it way too tightly mr parker said the sellers realtor was late and we had to get our son to a music lesson so we had about a minute and a half to look around as we walked out we said well take it  they moved in four years ago
the apartments light scale and flow were prime attractions the living room and bedrooms were spacious as for the kitchen   well perhaps the less said the better lets just say this it hadnt been updated since the 1940s and paint chips had a tendency to fall into the pots and pans it was awful mr parker said simply the bathrooms would also have benefited from a contractors attention
even so the couple held their fire they were determined to learn from past mistakes when they had moved into their previous apartment they had made some impulsive furniture purchases and injudicious paint color choices so when we got into the new place we left it shabby for six months mr parker said we sat with it we wanted to see how the light was and to figure out what rooms we were going to use for what
they finally settled on a gray a few shades warmer than pewter for the public areas the gray theme is restated in the italian glass backsplash and the under counter drawers and cabinets in the recently renovated kitchen
when we redid the kitchen in our previous apartment someone came in and said oh you can tell two guys live here its very dark  mr parker recalled soft white is the dominant color this time around
im very proud of the kitchen mr parker said adam and i love to cook and entertain and were sabbath observant so we often have people here for friday night dinner or saturday lunch after synagogue singing and whiskey drinking are part of the program
the post synagogue crowd spills into the living room whose look was shaped by darci hether an interior designer she sat with us and heard what we wanted to do and went shopping with us and helped us figure out what we needed to buy said mr parker who points with pride to the wheat colored semicircular sofa he and mr benson bought on their own
when we got it home adam said to me what have we done its huge but our decorator said guys you nailed it we will work with this couch and i have to say its the most comfortable thing in the world everyone loves sitting on it its very shape sends a message gather around
as with the purchase of the sofa the couple have boldly gone it alone in their selection of art while doing some consulting at interlochen arts academy in michigan mr parker fell in love with a piece that was part of a show by staff members nine large color swirled tiles it was the first art he had ever bought it was the first work that seth kaiser a ceramist and recent art school graduate had ever sold the couples subsequent acquisition of an armless pink chair was inspired by the tiles swooshes of cerise
a large grid of metal strands by alice hope that was once on display in the lobby of the greene space for public performances at new york public radio now hangs in the couples foyer its made of heavy chains but it has this light floaty quality that i think is amazing said mr parker who stepped in with his checkbook when the greene space lobby was redecorated and ms hopes installation became available
a more personal work a poem by jake marmer rendered as a paper cut by jacqueline nicholls hangs in the dining room a commission by mr parker for mr bensons 50th birthday last year a man sings to his wife on friday before the sabbath starts when he thanks her for all the work she does on behalf of the family mr parker explained but its not relevant to a modern gay couple this is a new poem based on the old liturgy
sabbath observance is but one of many constants classical music is always playing usually wqxr but that was true even before i started working there mr parker said i cant stand silence
thats lucky he doesnt often have it this is an apartment with an open door policy we want our kids to know they should feel as comfortable as we do inviting their friends around this may explain why visitors are frequently suggesting to the couple that they do some rejiggering of the space to accommodate the scrum expand the kitchen to incorporate the dining room take a wall down and make the third bedroom part of the kitchen put a table in the foyer and have that be the dining room no no no
i dont need a suburban size kitchen mr parker said and i always tell people you know theres a reason we bought a three bedroom apartment   for the third bedroom 


on a 2009 visit to lodz poland to gather ideas for a film sharon lockhart was drawn into a gritty urban courtyard by the sound of children playing that was where she first saw a 9 year old girl named milena slowinska
you should have seen her up on the roof ruling the court said ms lockhart a los angeles filmmaker and photographer known for her intimate studies of overlooked communities often centered on childhood shes a very powerful girl
inspired by the inventiveness of the childrens unsupervised play in which buildings became jungle gyms ms lockhart spent three months shooting their street games for a short film called podworka courtyard in polish that looked spontaneous but was actually staged
since then ms lockhart has returned to poland more than 15 times to see milena now 16 who has come to assume a prominent role in the artists life and work ms lockharts friendship with the teenager has extended to her peers at the youth center for socio therapy in rudzienko a home for troubled girls where milena lived for several years in a new 40 minute film rudzienko currently at the arts club of chicago ms lockhart explores the emotions and self expression of girls labeled difficult or unmanageable
i pay attention to children said ms lockhart who is 51 but whose open manner seems nearly as youthful as her subjects in interviews the teenagers said they were shocked to learn that she was older than 30
she has forged an ethnographic approach to photography and filmmaking that combines documentary and re enactments she spent months studying the drill practices of a japanese middle schools girls basketball team for goshogaoka 1997 screened at film festivals and institutions including the museum of contemporary art in los angeles she visited a small town in the sierra nevada foothills over four years for the film pine flat 2005 shown at the walker art center in minneapolis and she integrated herself in the world of manual laborers in bath me her own hometown for lunch break 2008 a slow motion meditation on the customs of industrial workers during their downtime
she is thinking about how everyday people can be both subjects and performers said stuart comer chief curator of media and performance art at the museum of modern art which acquired goshogaoka this year her early commitment to the fixed frame camera in the first decade of the internet when the speed of images was changing so frantically was a radical move mr comer said based on her dedication to what happens if you really scrutinize an image in all of its detail over a long period of time
ms lockhart cites the work of the french filmmaker and anthropologist jean rouch who pioneered the style of ethnofiction as inspirational as well as the durational films of andy warhol
ms lockhart described her background as working class and said she did not consider college until the age of 21 when a family friend mentioned the new england school of photography in boston in ms lockharts second year there a teacher opened her eyes to conceptual art through the work of cindy sherman sherrie levine and james welling i feel very fortunate to have found a passion said ms lockhart who moved west to get her bfa at the san francisco art institute intent on studying with the artists mike kelley and stephen prina she went on to the art center college of design in pasadena she credits her teachers for recognizing something in her that she didnt know how to define herself and hopes to do the same thing for the girls of rudzienko with whom she identifies
just listening to them and telling them that theyre special goes a long way said ms lockhart whose work often explores subtleties about class i think its something that theyll take with them and spread to others
she and milena discovered an easy rapport when ms lockhart without a translator was scouting locations for podworka she used a digital camera and body language to act out what she wanted from the children and milena became her de facto assistant director as milena explained by phone from poland we met when i was still a punk i was a little kid that all the other children listened to so i would shout instructions at them
ms lockhart showed glimpses of this little girls transition into adolescence in her exhibition milena milena this winter at the gladstone gallery in new york it included a photographic triptych of her at 13 concealing and then bashfully revealing her face through her hands shes like the mona lisa ms lockhart said in a film installation a dramatically older looking milena then 15 performs the final scene of francois truffauts 1959 film the 400 blows in which she portrays the misunderstood youth antoine who escapes from reform school
milena stares down the camera with a blend of toughness and vulnerability i feel like this is the first time youre really seeing milena ms lockhart said the idea of re enacting antoine allowed her to perform herself
the new film rudzienko at the arts club of chicago through aug 13 was shot during rural retreats ms lockhart organized the past two summers for milena and her peers who went to a farm each day from the youth center inspired by the theories of janusz korczak a polish educator who understood childrens need for freedom of expression ms lockhart brought in a movement therapist a theater director a philosopher and a curator among others to hold creative workshops to help the girls develop their voices ms lockhart filmed them speaking intimately about topics she knew they valued
the film to be included in ms lockharts show in september at the artists institute in new york opens on a frame of a country landscape a tree animated only by sounds of nature and voices slowly girls emerge from the camouflage of its branches and the screen then cuts to a written conversation including this interchange
sometimes i feel like god controls everything 
i just dont buy it i think everyone controls their own life  you walk down your own path even if somebody stands in your way 
except that sometimes along the way you can make lots of mistakes 
mistakes reveal things
the landscape tableaus   which alternate with text passages   read almost like still photographs to janine mileaf executive director of the arts club of chicago but something happens over the course of that slowness she said noting in particular the final scene of a gradually darkening field of grass from which the girls erupt in a joyous stampede it rewards that waiting that watching that carefulness its that same slowness that sharons willing to invest in these girls over years
ms lockhart said im just an artist not a politician but the social activism in the back story of her films has taken on greater dimensions in this project
logistically it was a challenge said karol thiel director of the youth center in rudzienko to take a group of 15 girls out of their highly monitored daily structure he was won over by ms lockharts vision and dedication to the girls who dont know what they deserve in life mr thiel said she isnt like an american aunt who buys kids ice cream and then leaves sharon showed them that there is a completely different world out there and that it is possible for them to become a part of it
the teenagers interviewed in polish recently at the youth center said they felt like normal girls with the artist whom they called sharonka its hard to overstate the affection and even love they expressed for her paulina mroczek 16 explained we could say just about anything to her
natalia skoroch 15 found that the theater workshops helped her overcome shyness reading poe they re enacted daydreams and nightmares in a clearing in the woods the arts club exhibition includes three photographs of girls caught in exaggerated motion in a theatrically lit forest collectively they are titled when youre free you run in the dark a comment made by malgorzata janczyk who is 16
its about escape said ms lockhart who encouraged the girls to pay attention to their own words
when she wanted us to talk sharonka would just throw out a subject like friendship god or family and then leave us alone while they were filming it said klaudia matyja 16 who has discovered that she likes to perform
milena said the workshops have helped her develop patience i used to be quite aggressive she said and last year she moved out of the youth center to live with her grandmother
ms lockhart who is married to alex slade a photographer also holds a dialogue with her own childhood in the arts club exhibition by including family snapshots originally taken by her mother outdoors in maine the artist began reshooting these pictures in 1994 appropriating them for a project she calls untitled study rephotographed snapshot
she admires her mothers aesthetic instinct for photographing people from behind which informs how ms lockhart composes her own work on a visit last year to maine she was surprised to unearth a photograph of her mother in the woods dressed in costume for one of the plays that the artist her sister and cousins used to stage i thought oh my god its exactly what were doing in poland ms lockhart said
she continues to communicate with milena and the other girls and plans to get the group back together this summer for another extended workshop
its like running a camp in another country where you dont speak the language ms lockhart said and its all because of this kid you met that you really like


when kirk spahn and jennifer alden exchanged marriage vows under towering california redwood trees ms alden a former actress who played a bride in the film wedding crashers acknowledged the many obstacles she overcame on this journey to the altar
for starters there was that troublesome brain tumor
you know the joke it aint brain surgery said ms alden 37 a california native who spent summers at alden vineyards her familys sonoma county ranch where she mastered off road motorbikes and horses this time it was
greg alden an older brother said jenny grew up more rough and tumble than one might expect from her hollywood good looks
the tumor was discovered in 2012 after she was flipped out of a hammock the growth near ms aldens left ear was unrelated to that mishap and was considered serious
drawing on her acting career she started a blog adventures in brain surgery and posted short videos online about her diagnosis and options she included her thoughts on what might happen if she lost the ability to speak which was a real possibility even as chunks of her honey blond hair were shorn for her eight hour operation her kooky expressions and wide smile prevailed
at the time ms alden was a newlywed having married a longtime beau the previous year but while recovering from her surgery in september 2012 the tumor proved to be benign she found herself alone
by may 2013 her marriage ended and her sunny demeanor too looked to be in danger but jenny is able to roll with the punches said mr alden who is the chief executive of woodside hotels the familys business
so after a rough divorce ms alden recovered and started dating
she was scrolling around facebook in early 2015 when a dark good looking man popped up in a list of people you may know she didnt think she knew kirk spahn but she wondered if she might want to
from his profile she discovered that mr spahn had attended dartmouth where ms alden graduated he had just moved to los angeles so she messaged him did they know each other in college
mr spahn now 39 an accomplished tennis player who had competed for dartmouth had no problem recalling her   having harbored a mad crush he had saved a photograph of her jumping into an icy new hampshire pond in a leopard print bikini
she had a college boyfriend and didnt have any idea that mr spahn existed
you look familiar he messaged coolly feeling anything but they exchanged flirty texts over the next week which led to a dinner date
yet when ms alden opened her front door the gracious easygoing mr spahn who counts internationally known businesspeople and world class athletes among his intimate friends froze entirely his nerves a jumble
ms alden now working in client relations and digital strategy for palo alto investors a hedge fund focused on health care was as beautiful   and effervescent   as he remembered
over dinner his freeze thawed   only too much so mr spahn gushed nonstop on life since college he was a founder of a spirits company ty ku sake along with the institute for civic leadership an educational nonprofit for youth before starting icl academy in 2014 a high school focused on social impact and civic leadership for children in the performing arts
in fact education was his familys business his father stephen spahn is the chancellor of the dwight school a high school in new york city that also has international campuses
ms alden who could barely edge in a word found mr spahns over the top enthusiasm about education and sports somewhat charming but her divorce and a few years on the dating scene made her alert to red flags always direct she asked if mr spahn perhaps had attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
he didnt he simply buckled under pressure at evenings end when ms alden gave him a perfunctory pat on the back he was well aware he had blown it
nevertheless mr spahns competitive spirit was reignited along with his collegiate ardor if ms alden had seemed perfect for him at dartmouth she was more so now sweet smart and in a city brimming with smoke and mirrors without pretense she was a city mouse who adored nature an avid skier and clearly   the adhd comment   someone who did not lack candor
in matters of romance they also had commonality in 2013 he had ended a relationship with his fiancee shortly before the wedding theyd planned to have in the caribbean the breakup had been excruciating but mr spahn who longed to start a family felt that the marriage wouldnt have lasted
after the disastrous date with ms alden he was down but determined to fight his way back a few days later he showed up at a party she casually invited him to to underscore her lack of romantic interest ms alden pointed out to mr spahn the many single women in attendance
but as ms alden set off toward another man who beckoned to her mr spahn blocked her path channeling the do the opposite rule made famous by george costanza from seinfeld he decided to do the thing he would never do
you put me in the friend zone and i dont want to be in the friend zone he told her then with one hand on the nape of her neck he kissed her she too made a move out of character she kissed him back
his confidence excited me and the kiss was perfect said ms alden who recalled that the chemistry that was missing in their first encounter had entirely combusted
they talked until morning but this time conversation was an easy volley with ms alden becoming captivated by mr spahns warm grin kind manner intelligence and passion and quirky sense of humor the next day he boarded a plane but he cut that trip short to return to ms aldens side
were both silly but hard working and we love life passionately mr spahn said
shiv vasisht a new yorker and mr spahns best friend since high school said like kirk jenny has had a lot of opportunities in life but is amazingly grounded and generous
kirk is all action and loyalty said brandon short a former linebacker for the new york giants who cited mr spahn as a pivotal player in his life after mr short left professional football mr spahn coached him to go to business school even helping with his application
within weeks mr spahn lobbed a marriage proposal yet it wasnt until late august at a practice session for the united states open that a pink diamond ring appeared in a well choreographed prank mr spahn popped the question with the help of the tennis luminaries novak djokovic and tommy haas to a very surprised ms alden who was sitting in the referees perch in arthur ashe stadium
i know a lot of very inspiring people but ive never met anyone as inspiring as jenny mr spahn said she makes the bar ive set for myself even higher
on may 7 the couple were married at nestldown a private estate in the santa cruz mountains with acres of blooming gardens california redwoods and koi filled ponds two hundred guests some who had flown in from as far as new zealand london madrid and dubai huddled under blankets beneath a threatening sky on the unseasonably chilly afternoon
the groom entered to the accompaniment of eye of the tiger its a classic the one athletes listen to get pumped up he said following him were a string of nine groomsmen including mr short mr haas nirav tolia chief executive of nextdoorcom and a saudi prince whom the groom knows through his leadership work
the bride in a sequined ines di santo gown walked delicately down a steep slippery path to a lakeside clearing in the well tended forest where dr joon yun a radiologist who became a universal life minister for the event for whom ms alden works at palo alto investors waited to officiate dr yun thanked the couple for letting the guests crash your wedding
in his vows the groom said from the first glimpse of your smile you were always with me even though you didnt know it which evoked knowing laughter from the crowd he thanked facebook for the algorithm that brought them together he said together we will leave the world a better place
the bride in turn called mr spahn her twin flame and with characteristic optimism said the obstacles that had kept them apart through the years were simply steppingstones to being together
the former tennis star monica seles a friend of the groom recited a blessing urging the couple to offer each other shelter from the rain
sure enough skies stayed bright through the evening and despite the mud staining the hem of her dress so did ms aldens smile


atlanta   taraji p henson hates math and octavia spencer has a paralyzing fear of calculus but that didnt stop either actress from playing two of the most important mathematicians the world hasnt ever known
both women are starring in hidden figures a forthcoming film that tells the astonishing true story of female african american mathematicians who were invaluable to nasas space program in the jim crow south in the early 1960s
ms henson plays katherine johnson a math savant who calculated rocket trajectories for among other spaceflights the apollo trips to the moon ms spencer plays her supervisor dorothy vaughan and the rb star janelle monae plays mary jackson a trailblazing engineer who worked at the agency too
slated for wide release in january the film is based on the book of the same title to be published this fall by margot lee shetterly the author grew up knowing ms johnson in hampton va but only recently learned about her outsize impact on americas space race
i thought oh my god what is this were hearing here ms shetterly said recalling the moment a few years back when her father a retired research scientist casually mentioned ms johnsons life work her next thought why havent we heard about it before
hidden figures comes as hollywood is under mounting pressure to diversify its offerings after this years much criticized largely all white oscars race and while this picture has been in the works for several years and the corresponding book for years before that its filmmakers know it will invariably be lumped into post oscarssowhite chatter
its not a reactionary movie said ted melfi the films director but it will be seen as one which is unfortunate
its evolution began two years ago when the producer donna gigliotti who won an academy award for shakespeare in love made an offer on the books rights a day after reading ms shetterlys proposal
for ms gigliotti the hidden figures story line had everything and more the cold war the space race the damages of segregation and racial and gender inequality all set against the countrys burgeoning civil rights struggles
desperate to get ahead of the russians the nations space agency had hired the brainiest people it could find among them ms johnson who in 1937 graduated from college in west virginia summa cum laude at 18 but for years at the agency women often worked in separate rooms from men and the white women were segregated from the black women who were known as colored computers ms johnsons push to be heard by the men   her calculations once they heeded her proved invaluable   lies at the films narrative core
i knew the story was gold ms gigliotti said
as did it seems most everyone involved in the film
ms spencer said yes without pause despite having initially mistaken the script as a work of too good to be true fiction
mr melfi st vincent heard about the plotline and cursed at the time he was deep in talks to direct the next spider man and knew he would have to back out because hidden figures was too good to pass up
ms monae found the story a thrilling revelation albeit a slightly troubling one just think about how many other stories are hidden that we dont know about she said speaking from her atlanta home
and the hip hop impresario pharrell williams who grew up near hampton and was obsessed by space clambered aboard partly by sheer will after learning about the story from his producing partner
she knew i was going to lose my mind upon hearing about it mr williams said and when i did we got on the phone with everybody and we begged he became a producer on the film other producers on the project include peter chernin jenno topping and mr melfi has written songs for it and is working with hans zimmer on the score
earlier this month days before the production wrapped here ms gigliotti along with the principal cast members squeezed in time between takes to talk about the film
they were shooting downtown in the old georgia archives building a looming marble block nicknamed the white ice cube that was built in the 60s and shuttered after engineers determined it was steadily sinking into the ground for this film which also stars kevin costner and jim parsons the building was standing in for the langley research center in virginia in the fusty air inside amid snaking cables and extras dressed like squares from 1961 portable air conditioners fought a mighty and futile battle with atlantas wilting heat
ms gigliotti sat before a monitor headphones on glued to a scene being shot in an adjacent room kirsten dunst who plays a nasa supervisor was fixing ms henson with an acid stare theyve never had a colored in here before katherine she said coolly dont embarrass me
ms henson blanched turned and was about to walk through a nearby door when her handbag got stuck on the doorknob mr melfi called cut
did i steal that or what ms henson asked sarcastically throwing an expletive in
the role of ms johnson is a meaty one as well as a departure for ms henson who is coming off the most dazzling year of her career in january she collected a golden globe for her portrayal of cookie the brazen razor tongued matriarch on foxs nighttime soap empire
as grateful as ms henson is for pop cultures adulation of cookie shes somewhat weary of being constantly associated with her mr melfi has wanted to work with her since her oscar nominated turn in the curious case of benjamin button in 2008
all of a sudden its the cookie takeover ms henson said sitting in a corner office set piece and thats all anyone wants to remember
she was dressed as un cookie like as could be wearing a largely shapeless plaid midcentury dress with her hair set in pin curls its hard to imagine a character more different from cookie than ms johnson whom ms henson met not long after the mathematician now 97 received a presidential medal of freedom in november for her contributions to rocket science
ms johnson ms henson found was regal inward and resolute a quiet storm thats what i call her ms henson said
the part challenged ms henson in unexpected ways she fizzes with energy and containing it all to play ms johnson left her exhausted at days end she used moments between takes as release valves breaking into impromptu dances and letting her wit rip
she also labored fruitlessly to understand ms johnsons intricate calculations going so far as to skip beyonces may 1 concert at the georgia dome to do her math homework it makes my heart palpitate the math she said
it was an aversion she shared to a degree with ms spencer who happens to like basic math but goes blank when it comes to calculus luckily for all mr melfi said the film is math lite
the two women along with ms monae developed deeper bonds during production and know they will all invariably be repeatedly asked about how hidden figures plays into the broader conversation around diversity in hollywood that question caused something close to resignation to come over both ms henson and ms spencer
i hate when i do a film and it has a lot of african americans and they call it a black film ms henson said i dont wake up and go lets see this weekend im going to see a chinese film im going see a black film no im going see a white film with a black person in it who does that
ms spencer said that labeling the film was not just a turnoff for some audiences but also unfairly reductive nasas largely unrecognized female mathematicians were black and white she said and this story told from the perspective of three black women paid homage to them all
this is a female driven movie about contributions that women really made to our world not just our society ms spencer said thats a big statement


responses to david samuelss profile of ben rhodes will be featured in next weeks issue
re prostitution
emily bazelon wrote about the growing movement of sex workers and activists that is making the decriminalization of sex work a feminist issue
thank you for titling emily bazelons article should prostitution be a crime since there is no one this side of the taliban who isnt trying to get rid of archaic laws that arrest and imprison prostituted people the title makes clear that bazelon has created a false dichotomy what is absent from her article is the real world the pimps brothel owners and traffickers who buy and sell other peoples bodies are the force trying to decriminalize the entire global sex industry is that what she has in mind
bazelon also dismisses the only model that offers services to prostituted people and penalizes sex buyers only with a fine and learning the realities of the global sex trade this has been more successful than any other model because it recognizes the power difference between buyer and bought
bazelon is an accurate reporter elsewhere but on this subject she divides where actually there is agreement gloria steinem new york
is it a stretch to say that a cover story might be indicative of a paradigm shift in mainstream conversation about prostitution the article in the new york times magazine is a small gain but a big deal   an actual cover story in an actual newspaper written by a reporter with name recognition that centers the voice of current and former sex workers
one complaint about the article was that the description of the activists as a fractious bunch felt belittling and dismissive fraction is bound to occur within a community as diverse and mammoth as the sex work community unfortunately bazelon did not include or even acknowledge why our community is so huge not all sex workers sell sex cam performers porn performers strippers and sensual massage workers are some other examples of sex workers
were not saying we think emily bazelons reporting was perfect were not even saying were impressed by it were saying that the hard work of simply existing as a sex worker in a public space might be starting to pay off caty simon and josephine editors of tits and sass a blog run by sex workers
bazelon states that i once wrote that any woman who claimed to have chosen prostitution was acting pathologically - enjoyment of domination and rape are in her nature  this statement does not express my view of women on the contrary it expresses my view of how men who buy sex view women in our article my co author and i were discussing sexist attitudes that were harmful and that support prostitution the quoted statement was actually our citation of important work by andrea dworkin the feminist writer and survivor of prostitution who was explaining the ideology that makes prostitution possible a sexism that insists that women like domination and rape prostitution is a sexist racist and classist institution that harms those who are sold for sex assuming that women enjoy the rapelike sex and abuse of prostitution sex buyers attitudes are indeed based in sexist notions about womens nature sex trade predators cause women harms that cannot be separated from prostitution itself regardless of its legal status melissa farley prostitution research  education san francisco
in her recent article emily bazelon trumpeted international justice missions minimal funding under the bush administration failing to note that ijm a nonpartisan organization has also been funded under the obama administration united states government funding for ijm totals less than 2 percent of the organizations budget further we were disappointed that the piece cites a comment made in a private meeting nearly a decade ago as a valid explanation of ijms practices
bazelons article focuses on the pros and cons of decriminalizing prostitution ijms focus in contrast is on the enslavement and sexual exploitation of children and adults which is legal nowhere surely no one wants it to be holly burkhalter senior adviser for justice system transformation ijm
emily bazelons article while comprehensive fails to recognize much of the serious economic research that addresses what decriminalization in the united states would look like
in a recent paper we use the fact that a rhode island district court judge unexpectedly decriminalized indoor prostitution in 2003 to calculate causal estimates of the impact of decriminalization on the composition of the sex market reported rape offenses and sexually transmitted infections while rhode islands decriminalization increased the size of the indoor sex market reported rape offenses declined 30 percent and female gonorrhea incidence declined by 40 percent your readers should be aware that strong empirical evidence for decriminalization is mounting manisha shah associate professor ucla and scott cunningham associate professor baylor university


less than 10 miles from washington bethesda md is often perceived as only a well heeled suburb of the capital but with around 60000 residents and a vibrant downtown that spans several blocks its a worthwhile destination in and of itself though many stores lining the streets are recognizable chains the lesser known retailers here make this mini metropolis an unexpected shopping gem these not so familiar boutiques sell a variety of goods from wines to clothes and are mostly owned by local entrepreneurs
high quality turkish cotton is the star at this narrow gray hued bed and bath store owned by an istanbul native ferzan jaeger though extra soft sheets and duvets in earthy tones and simple patterns are part of the selection the real finds are the traditional turkish towels called peshtemals though these towels look and feel like lightweight throws or shawls they are actually highly absorbent and fast drying ms jaeger also carries peshtemal womens robes which can do double duty as chic bathing suit cover ups
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the proprietor anna landragin a former winemaker from champagne france carries more than 500 labels from small producers around the world she also has close relationships with the winemakers themselves and regales customers with her deep knowledge of their craft her selections always change so oenophiles are in for a surprise whenever they stop in there might be a riesling from tasmania one week and patagonian red wines the next
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this trendsetting boutique part of a mini chain with three other locations throughout the south is the go to shop for a well edited collection of clothing from both popular brands like citizens of humanity and joie as well as smaller labels like the contemporary lavender brown
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extra virgin olive oil from california is the draw of this boutique and tasting room owned by mary and bart de rosa a husband and wife team from clarksville md about a half hour from bethesda the highlight of a visit is trying the more than dozen different oils many of which are organic single varietals made with one kind of olive include the robust koroneiki originally from greece and the more delicate mission from california itself unusual flavored oils are must samples who would have thought tandoori blood orange and jalapeno olive oils could be so tasty
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started by tara and ben wegdam of middleburg va who are married this accessory chain of more than two dozen stores mostly in the dc area has a following for affordable and fashionable bags jewelry scarves and leather goods for men and women
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the french open which begins sunday will be without one of tenniss biggest stars roger federer who withdrew thursday belinda bencic caroline wozniacki and the local favorite gael monfils are out too beyond top ranked novak djokovic and serena williams who are both seeking personal milestones at roland garros here are players who could take a turn in the spotlight in paris
two years ago halep lost a memorable french open final to maria sharapova with extraordinary ball control graceful movement and surprising shot selection halep nearly toppled sharapova halep was widely viewed as a lock to eventually win a grand slam title
but she faltered hindered by injuries high expectations and a failure to seize opportunities her puzzling lack of competitiveness in her semifinal match against flavia pennetta in last years united states open semifinal was the nadir
in the fall she hired the widely admired australian coach darren cahill to retool her game and help her with the mental side the results look promising as halep is serving with more accuracy and variety playing groundstrokes closer to the baseline to hurry the opponent and changing direction on her groundstrokes to play more aggressively and less predictably halep 24 dominated the field in madrid this month dropping only one set on the way to the title with her improved game halep seeded sixth enters the french open as a legitimate contender
keyss surprising run to the final of the italian open produced the first all american final in rome since billie jean king beat julie heldman at the foro italico in 1970 keys lost to serena williams 7 6 5 6 3 but looked impressive going toe to toe with one of the games greats keys 21 has tempered her extraordinary power and her improved decision making has resulted in a higher shot tolerance fewer unforced errors and a willingness to work for the right ball before going for a winner
in april she began working with thomas hogstedt who coached li na and maria sharapova hogstedt is known for being a steady hand who works hard on the practice court with his players and he could help keys seeded 15th make a serious run in paris
although only 5 feet 3 cibulkova punches above her weight class on her way to the final in madrid she won four straight three set matches toppling agnieszka radwanska caroline garcia anastasia pavlyuchenkova and sorana cirstea coming back from a set down in three of those matches she moves with an explosive athleticism looking like a gymnast as she bursts around the court with one of the best first steps in the womens game
the 22nd seeded cibulkova a 27 year old slovak plays aggressive tennis always looking to seize control of the point at the first opportunity her speed powerful groundstrokes and fierce desire to compete make her one of the toughest outs on tour
nishikori has had a stellar clay court season losing to rafael nadal in the final in barcelona and to novak djokovic in the semifinals in madrid and rome in the italian open semifinal djokovic prevailed in a three set epic 2 6 6 4 7 6 5 the match was played at an exceptionally high level with djokovic winning 112 points to nishikoris 111
the key to nishikoris rising level of play is his improved serve he saved 12 of 14 break points against djokovic the games best returner even more telling is how much more effective nishikori is at winning points on his second serve once considered a weakness in his game against djokovic he won 57 percent of second serve points an astonishingly high number against the worlds top ranked player
in addition to his improved serving nishikori 26 is becoming a better tactician he hit djokovic off the court in the first set in rome but grew passive at decisive stages of the second set his rising level of play though makes him a dangerous threat to the higher seeds as they know that the fifth seeded nishikori has the ability to make a run for the title at roland garros
along with nick kyrgios alexander zverev and borna coric thiem is a part of the next generation of grand slam contenders nicknamed dominator thiem is having a breakout season winning two titles and scoring victories over rafael nadal and roger federer thiem a 22 year old austrian seeded 13th has cracked the top 15 in the rankings with consistently strong performances
his match record this year is 32 10 a superb feat with the depth and parity on the atp tour red clay is thiems favorite surface and his heavy and penetrating forehand is a real weapon on it he has a flowing one handed backhand good volleys and an excellent serve
kyrgios 21 continues to climb the rankings with his menacing brand of power tennis which features a thunderous serve and a sledgehammer forehand he is second to novak djokovic in top 10 wins this season he reached the quarterfinals in madrid with victories over stan wawrinka and the uruguayan clay court specialist pablo cuevas before losing a three set prizefight to kei nishikori in rome kyrgios nearly took down rafael nadal
his on court demeanor including a stream of muttered profanities and glares directed at the umpire would seem to hurt his game but kyrgios a brash confrontational australian is that rare player who uses anger as his primary fuel to stoke the competitive juices like pancho gonzales and john mcenroe kyrgios thrives on a me against the world mentality it will be a fascinating story to watch kyrgios seeded 17th in paris has the game and the fire in his belly to win a grand slam title


when you hear the riff something deadly is on the way blue oyster cults biggest hit single dont fear the reaper has been spooking film audiences for nearly 40 years ever since its release in may 1976
as punk and disco were gathering strength reaper was a surprise top 15 hit appearing on the album agents of fortune but it was hardly in fashion a seamless bit of macabre romance with an expansive arrangement byrds style harmonies and lyrics about how death might not be the end rock n roll has offered plenty of terrible advice ignore your homework stay out late exceed the speed limit but flying into the arms of the guy with the scythe took the creepy cake
in the four decades since the song has been tapped more than two dozen times in film television and video games and has become a most pliable standard it can be used to take us back to the era of flares and muscle cars as in the time travel comedy the spirit of 76 1990 with earnest transcendental lyrics about the indestructible spirit flying onward after death it can be something of a punch line   bill murray and woody harrelson toke up to reaper in the sharp horror farce zombieland 2009 at its most effective however reaper scares us out of our pants as in the body strewn opening of the 1994 mini series the stand adapted from stephen kings novel
i thought the song was unbelievable the director john carpenter said he used reaper in his 1978 horror classic halloween its playing in the car as jamie lee curtiss character is being stalked by a masked lunatic we could have played against what was going on with a happy song mr carpenter said but we chose that one the thing is cinematic all the way
blue oyster cult began this life in the late 60s as a long island heavy rock band named soft white underbelly the name changed in 1972 reaper followed three albums of progressive rock with few moments of pop panache the 1994 comedy the stoned age features a profane debate over where reaper fits into the bands otherwise heavy oeuvre the song was born after the guitarist and co vocalist buck dharma real name donald roeser learned in his mid 20s that he had an erratic heartbeat
i was thinking about mortality said mr dharma who prefers to be identified by his nom du rock the whole idea of the reaper was that if there was another sphere of existence maybe lovers could bridge that gap if their love was strong enough
mr dharmas narrator tells his lover that seasons dont fear the reaper so take the hand of the dude in black without trepidation the mention of shakespeares star crossed romeo and juliet as together in eternity led to condemnations of the song as pro suicide mr dharma insisted that was not his intent likewise the songs claim that 40000 men and women every day shuffle off this mortal coil wasnt to be taken seriously
i needed a number that would be the right number of syllables   135000 people that wouldnt fit he said via phone from the road where the still active blue oyster cult members are celebrating the songs anniversary
make no mistake though the track was intended to produce the effect it had on mr carpenter i like spooky stuff mr dharma said i was very much into the horror genre
before it appeared in the stand mini series mr king excerpted lyrics from the song for an epigraph in the book in 1996 a faithful cover by the mutton birds could be heard in peter jacksons film the frighteners sealing the songs reputation as a favorite of horror and fantasy masters it is also featured in robert galbraiths novel career of evil written under a pseudonym by j k rowling
listen to reaper in a snippet on a soundtrack and you might miss the cowbell that drives it along with a repetitive guitar line that bit of innocent percussion was not lost on will ferrell who in 2000 wrote a saturday night live sendup of behind the music the vh1 nostalgia documentary series then saturating the airwaves we see the band cutting the track with a producer played by christopher walken who exhorts mr ferrells earnest cowbell player to dominate the entire session really explore the studio space this time to the other musicians frustration
i dont think it was making fun of the band at all the actor chris parnell said by phone he played a version of mr dharma in the sketch although he is referred to as eric most likely the bands sometime lead vocalist eric bloom it was much more a parody of behind the music
still snl put the ersatz blue oyster cult in 70s garb mustaches and wigs mr ferrells gut protruding from his too tight shirt more cowbell as the sketch would soon be called became one of the first super memes of the new century
in the post cowbell decade the somber reaper was suddenly fair game for comedies like the simpsons parks and recreation and in an a cappella version scrubs in the coming big screen war dogs a dark comedy about gun runners nursing home residents are entertained by a guitarist singing a gentle reaper
it had been used as a go to creepy thing but will ferrell pretty much sabotaged that mr dharma said
the band loved the skit and the attention but mr dharma acknowledges that he is relieved that the original intent of dont fear the reaper has not only been restored but also seems to be unstoppable it was used in gone girl 2014 when nick ben affleck realizes his wife has disappeared and in a murder scene in the season 2 finale of orange is the new black
it has survived the cowbell and retains its original vibe mr dharma said triumphantly
thats as it should be a semi penitent mr parnell said the song should stand on its own with its mysterious meanings
as the years have passed reaper has been put to another use its evolving into a eulogy mr dharma said we play it now when people pass away its the wheel of life i want it played at my funeral when i go


nepal may be known for being home to mount everest but its wildlife is an attraction as much as the snow peaks a new lodge from the mumbai india based taj safaris meghauli serai is situated in chitwan national park in south central nepal and has 30 rooms and an infinity pool overlooking the rapti river the park is home to 550 native bird species including the great hornbill and more than 60 species of mammals such as leopards wild dogs and bengal tigers a greater one horned rhinoceros is also a big draw in addition to safaris guests have the option to take guided jungle walks canoe on the rapti river and hike in the himalayan foothills prices from 535 per person per day including meals and most activities
shivani vora
in time for the american hiking societys national trails day june 4 mendocino county in northern california will open two new hiking trails the 23 mile peter douglas coastal trail routes hikers through redwood groves known as shady dell featuring trees with branches that have split off into candelabra shapes the land just south of sinkyone wilderness state park is owned by the nonprofit save the redwoods league
farther south in fort bragg a new one mile link will connect north and south portions of the coastal trail at noyo headlands park to create a 55 mile trail guides to the trails can be found at trailsmendocinolandtrustorg a site from the mendocino land trust offering free maps that can be downloaded the trails are part of the planned 1200 mile california coastal trail which is about halfway to its goal of edging the states entire shore in a continuous hiking trail
elaine glusac


according to the rules of modern marketing every company like every comic book superhero or extreme villain must be able to communicate an origin story among start ups origin stories while meant to lend distinction tend instead to achieve a blurring sameness someone   a visionary   experiences or observes a material privation that prompts an epiphany this typically happens while on a sofa or in a bar or a dorm room or on a hilltop in bhutan after which the visionary instead of merely saying huh wondering about the next episode of vanderpump rules and never giving the revelation another thought begins the task of mounting an empire
the story of warby parker more or less conforms to this narrative one of the young student founders lost his glasses on a backpacking trip discovered that they were too expensive to replace squinted for months and then with friends who could relate built a company in 2010 with the goal of producing good looking glasses that didnt cost many hundreds of dollars warby parker has done very well opening stores across the country that evoke libraries another most recently in cobble hill brooklyn and generally distilling knowledge class branding to its essence each pair of glasses seems to say i dont know anyone who has ever met anyone who has ever thought about voting for donald trump
imagine how you would feel though if you had been selling eyewear for decades and your origin story dated not to the era of malia obamas middle school years but to the period of ellis island arrivals and mass emigration from minsk both moscot and cohens fashion optical are new york institutions that began as pushcart businesses with immigrant founders   hyman moscot and abe cohen   selling eyeglasses on the lower east side of manhattan in the early 20th century their flagship stores are cater corner from each other on orchard and delancey streets moscots and cohens still run the businesses and they have been forced to respond to warby parkers occupy eyewear agenda
this month gary gerber the host of the internet radio program the power hour which bills itself as optometrys only live radio show interviewed harvey moscot who explained to listeners outside new york that as a purveyor of eyewear in manhattan you are at the center of optical chaos moscot has responded to the feverish competition by outstylizing everyone else remodeling its lower east side store three years ago to look like a steampunk fantasy island the vibe is so steeped in history and authenticity that it makes warby parker look like a tgi fridays moscot has also expanded internationally opening a branch in london in december
cohens faces the challenge of trying to seem hip as a franchise business with 130 stores cohens unlike moscot and warby parker sells brands that are not its own gucci tom ford and so on a few weeks ago however it began selling a house line called the collective simple frames that are meant to look as if they come with a free smith corona and sell for under 100 cohens also remodeled its flagship store outfitting it with subway tiles and making it look like the kind of place a recent graduate of a better known liberal arts college might come to shop
recently i sat down with bob cohen who runs cohens at katzs delicatessen on the lower east side the place was packed at lunchtime and has thrived by not changing anything not recalibrating not making vegan pastrami in the 1970s the neighborhood was excluded from laws that kept many stores closed on sundays and cohens made the most of it people would come from westchester county and new jersey and long island to shop and cohens began offering one hour service so that customers could go home with their glasses the same afternoon
so how can a business like cohens distinguish itself in this particular moment it is mr cohens view that his company can prevail you dont go to warby parker for fashion he said its a very basic product this of course misreads the extent to which antifashion is fashion
as an aesthetic antifashion as fashion is annoying and alienating as many people who are over 40 not particularly slender or less prestigiously schooled can attest when visiting a warby parker outlet there is democracy in a relatively low price but a sense of exclusion is woven into the gestalt are you really smart enough to be shopping at warby parker have you read even a fraction of the books displayed its dispiriting in a way to see old fashioned chain stores feel as if they must contort themselves to stay vital in what is becoming an ever more polarized retail culture a store like cohens never makes you feel like a loser maybe it should post that outside of every branch and declare a social victory


my friend herb and i went to a glorious wedding a while back pre ceremony champagne in the gardens of a four star hotel a beautiful exchange of vows magnificent food and music a happier more heartwarming event you could not imagine and as herb and i and the other guests tottered out to our cars a single thought bubble hovered over our heads inconspicuous as the goodyear blimp
whaddaya think that cost
it was major money but as the screenwriters say was it car money or house money sure i could have called the hotel on monday pretended i was planning a wedding and gotten an estimate but who wants to stoop to such coarse and vulgar behavior to satisfy coarse and vulgar curiosity
wait heres an idea the monday after a wedding or any other big showy party the guests get an email
delighted you could be with us for the reaffirmation of our vows the evening cost 30000 myrna could easily afford it as she is the founding partner of the first letem catchus investment firm and makes 700000 a year her husband frank makes 25000 a year as a life coach they pay 250 an hour for twice weekly couples counseling for much as he fights it frank is threatened by his wifes superior earning skills yes the marriage is a sham
i know what youre thinking its never going to happen money is the only taboo subject left people will tell you what they do in bed before they tell you their salary
youll never know the cost of those splashy parties like those weddings well all be attending in the coming weeks the best you can hope for going home is to get a ride with one of those women who can scan an event and spit out a figure like a whole foods register
that was a 250000 wedding we just went to
youre kidding how do you know
room and caterer 300 a head flowers 30000 videographer 7500 gown 14000 cake 2500
for a cake no
yes those were real swarovski crystals spelling out martha philip hope it lasts wedding planner 10000 orchestra 20000   my cousin jean in larchmont used them for her sons wedding you should have hooked up with the trombone player the maid of honor said he was really something penicillin 23 would you like plastic or paper for that slice of commemorative wedding cake
but how often are any of us lucky enough to find someone like that more often guests are left guessing about costs wasting precious time that could be spent cultivating people with summer houses its time for big bash transparency
the place to start of course is the invitation
saul goodman and kim wexler invite you to the 125000 wedding of their daughter emma to charles smith the ceremony will take place at 5 pm at the youlpas country club in albuquerque
and on the rsvp cards
we regret we cannot accommodate plus ones children or emotional support pets we had to liquidate an 8000 ira to pay the videographer the truth is weve been living on credit for the last two years
you see its already nicer and now nobody will have to wonder about the signs at the buffet saying take all you want but eat what you take
at the wedding itself there would be no need for whispered questions about what the bride and groom were worth those concerns would be addressed during the ceremony
do you emma take charles for richer and richer as his biodegradable shroud company whose shrouds are embedded with mushroom spawn has been sold to campbell soup for 40 million and do you charles take emma despite her air yoga income of 25000 and no help from her parents whose steel gray gran turismo is being repossessed now for as it is written in matthew chapter 1 never lease for verily you are but throwing money away
but what of all those other wedding expenses   flowers band wedding planner photographer never fear all will be revealed as the proud parents of the bride go table to table
beautiful wedding you will of course say to the mother of the bride but as someone has just thrown a brick through the window with a menacing note about the vig   it landed on our table and we took the liberty of reading it   how on earth were you able to afford this fabulous dance band
easy peasy the mob will say they were brought up on charges of cocaine trafficking after returning from a swank affair in colombia and my husband got the charges dismissed they owe us big time would you like to meet the trombone player joyce i hear hes really something 


two more apartments at the greenwich lane a new luxury condominium complex rising at the site of the former st vincents hospital campus in greenwich village have officially closed each with an unidentified buyer and were the weeks priciest transactions
the more expensive of these sponsor apartments at 1609835156 according to city records was unit m4 at 150 west 12th street a converted 1920s building the 6299 square foot duplex includes a 986 square foot private garden and a loggia the monthly carrying costs are 21913
raphael de niro and maggie leigh marshall of douglas elliman real estate brought the buyer identified as the greenwich residence trust with jordan heller listed as a successor trustee
the floor through apartment is entered through a spacious formal gallery that leads to the living and dining rooms which have dark stained herringbone wood floors and floor to ceiling windows overlooking the garden a chefs kitchen features paneled wood cabinetry and soapstone counters
there are five bedrooms and five and a half baths the master suite with south facing windows has walk in closets and a lavish bath with marble mosaic floors a custom millwork vanity and a separate soaking tub the apartment also comes with a washerdryer unit
the other apartment no 4a at the glass and brick 155 west 11th street sold for 1107091893 according to property records its monthly carrying charges total 12379
the loftlike apartment also with a washerdryer has five bedrooms and six and a half baths spread over 3641 square feet the south facing master suite contains two baths and two enormous walk in closets the buyer 155w114a llc was represented by richard abend
the corcoran sunshine marketing group is handling sales for the 200 unit greenwich lane development between seventh avenue and avenue of the americas by the rudin family and global holdings the complex designed by the architect fxfowle with interiors by thomas obrien has five apartment buildings and five townhouses most of the units have either sold or are in contract
big ticket includes closed sales from the previous week ending wednesday


click on the slide show to see this weeks featured properties in new york city
 in the financial district a two bedroom two bath with a washerdryer in the fultonhaus a keyed elevator building with a part time doorman
 in the west village a one bedroom one bath in a pet friendly brownstone with a common roof deck
 in prospect heights brooklyn a three bedroom two and a half bath co op with an eat in kitchen a den a study and a washerdryer in turner towers a prewar doorman building


sometimes a seemingly trivial comment will lodge in our brain and start to fester ultimately exhibiting a shelf life equal to that of pemmican or granite
a friend once called to tell me that she wanted to introduce me to a kingpin in our mutual industry well be sitting at the bar of the peninsula hotel she said just hanging out totally casz he knows your work and would love to meet you he has a dinner at 8 so lets say 6 630 just the three of us im wearing jeans youll love him maybe try to be a little more effusive than you normally are henry
lo the unwitting swipe and its remarkable afterglow its the gift that keeps on giving its the conversational equivalent of fingernails on a corpse its a song whose title and lyrics employ the phrase let it go 13 times one day youre brimming over with gratitude for having a work buddy like theresa someone who can roll with the punches and who you can share a laugh with the next youre wondering what she could have possibly meant by the phrase your bi curious haircut
indeed 18 years after the incident with my friend whenever i get together with work colleagues or potential employers a little voice inside my head asks am i pouring it on thick enough
wendy behary a licensed clinical social worker said she once had a male patient who made an obscure literary reference during a therapy session he looked at my puzzled reaction and asked do you read anything other than psychology books she said his tone was gentle it wasnt mean or accusatory but it hung for a while i started cursing under my breath later i went through my library looking for my copy of hamlet i thought ill recite a hamlet soliloquy when i see him next my colleagues and my mentor just stared at me wondering why i was so triggered i was having this little war inside my brain how dare he try to say he knows me
rajiv satyal is a stand up comic who lives in los angeles but 11 years ago he was living in his hometown cincinnati where he worked at procter  gamble as a marketer from ages 24 to 30 during a conversation in 2005 with his younger brother vikas about vikass future mr satyal was the recipient of the statement or i could be like you someone who gave up on his dreams
mr satyal said had it been a fight or had he tried to sit me down for a talk i wouldve said something but he just laid it in there flat it moved me three time zones across the country from cincinnati to los angeles mr satyal now performs weekly at the laugh factory in the hollywood hills west neighborhood and has opened for dave chappelle and tim allen
when our interlocutors statements are outright digs or provocations its fairly understandable that we may turn them into idees fixes and so donald trump obsesses over the length of his fingers and so tweety bird tinks he taw a puddy tat but often these slights are unintentional and more a question of perception whats going on here
the rev frank desiderio the chief adviser to the president of the paulist fathers a roman catholic society for apostolic life said often this kind of comment is something people already believe about themselves whether or not its true they secretly harbor this fear so when you articulate it it validates the fear
father desiderio said he was not immune to these kinds of comments sway as a preacher whenever someone says after a mass oh that was interesting you know its not a compliment he said people are streaming out of the service and shaking hands and saying good homily father but the one that was interesting is what sticks with you
a second kind of unintentional swipe acts less like a laser or telescope than a fun house mirror ms behary who is the founder and director of the cognitive therapy center of new jersey said that some unintentional swipes are powerful because they are misrepresentations of who you are she explained if someone says well if thats the kind of thing you like ... or you liked that movie really it could mean to you if its been said by a person who matters to you that theres something wrong with you that you dont have good taste
a third kind of statement casts a different spell barbara hillary an adventurer who after reaching the south pole in 2011 at age 79 became the first african american woman on record to stand on both poles said often these comments have power because we are completely overwhelmed by their stupidity they reinforce the idea that we are not born equally and youre made to feel guilty if you look at people and think i never seriously thought about sterilization until now she added  one person i met put this wise erudite expression on his face and asked what hotel did you stay at on the north pole thatll stop you in your tracks
two of the more common ways of dealing with the psychological pain caused by these comments are humor and counseling in the first instance the wounded party makes a joke of the incident by say deciding that the only person who would call you sarcastic is a person who gets his definition of irony from an alanis morissette song ms hillary said i try to amuse myself she told the person who asked her about the hotel on the north pole i hung out by the pool a lot i had a new bikini i wanted to try
in the counseling model a therapist will typically encourage a patient to get over his wound or grudge by mentally revisiting the incident and injecting it with compassion you try to reframe the story by giving the benefit of the doubt to the offender said father desiderio who leads workshops on forgiveness
but for other people holding on to the offense they took becomes a badge of identification or even honor i probably hold one or two grudges in my life mr satyal said not alluding to his brother but if i were to forgive these people it would compromise my belief system if i forgave them a part of my integrity would die
indeed these perceived bombshells may even become a kind of rallying cry anna mccarthy a cinema studies professor at new york university said she had shared her own one with many other female academics
when i first finished chemo and my hair was starting to grow back in the spring of 2012 i ran into a distinguished professor of film at a fund raiser said ms mccarthy who had had breast cancer but who had recently been found to be cancer free when he expressed surprise at my short gray crop i said as i usually do that i much prefer my hair the way it is now over the expensive blond tresses of my pre chemo days he told me that i no longer needed the long blond hair now that i was a tenured full professor


memorial day falls neatly between mothers day and fathers day which makes it fitting to consider two new books   one revolving chiefly around a mother the other around a father   whose authors pay tribute to exemplary men and women of the greatest generation
when betsy lerner a writer and literary agent was a rebellious pot smoking adolescent in the 1970s she did not appreciate the buttoned lip conventionality of her eisenhower era mother nor did her parents emotional reticence ease communication
in her frank and deeply personal memoir the bridge ladies ms lerner admits that even when she entered her 50s her vision of her mother and the well coiffed women she played bridge with every monday for 50 years remained clouded she clumped them all together like the presidents carved into mount rushmore indistinguishable one from another she writes
these ladies prosperous cautious jewish matrons from connecticut veterans of the depression and wives in several cases of veterans of war were just a little too old or insulated to embrace the feminine mystique to a moody teenager who preferred black t shirts and tinted glasses to twin sets and pearls they seemed square
nonetheless ms lerner craved their approval and read criticism into their most benign comments when they said i looked good i wondered if they really thought i was fat she writes any remark from her mother felt like a crushing blow
even recently she admits her combative mind set persisted when her mother asked why she didnt buy fat free cottage cheese instead of low fat it nearly set off a world war between us
but in 2013 as her mother roz was recovering from an operation the author resolved to make peace she began her campaign by infiltrating the bridge circle intending to break through the ladies polished surfaces and gain a deeper understanding of their inner lives and she hoped her mothers
sitting with roz bette bea jackie and rhoda the club had five members in case one had a conflict she eavesdropped as they bid passed and took tricks for years she had imagined that during card play the women let down their guards spilled secrets groused about their spouses and worried about their children
instead she found to her disappointment they did not ever trash anyone or share a deep feeling their commandments were thou shalt not pry thou shalt not reveal thou shalt not share
to uncover their private language she decided she would have to learn their game with trepidation she signed up for classes and though it took her ages to master the rudiments of bidding soon bridge had her in its thrall
when two years in she finally won a hand she downplayed her triumph a monkey could have won the hand she writes but she continued and you can practically see her blush on the page i head home a few inches off the ground and then i proudly call my mother
the book intermingles ms lerners progress at the game with the hard won revelations she scored from the rushmore set as she began to see them as individuals and know them as bridge partners
with bette she brought up a tragedy that her mother had always refused to discuss the death of ms lerners baby sister barbara in 1964 from pneumonia
had the ladies known about it the author asked everyone knew bette replies had her mother spoken of it during all those bridge mondays not once bette says
ms lerner found such reticence callous yet gradually grudgingly she came to accept that tlc did in fact exist in the pre tmi world just because a bridge luncheon didnt operate like a therapy session didnt mean it wasnt therapeutic she saw for the ladies it was a safe neutral zone where they went to recharge as they weathered lifes blows keeping up appearances and their spirits as they trumped finessed and ate kugel from china plates
she writes i never thought i would say this but i think the bridge ladies are brave
another kind of bravery colored the childhood of an american boy named thad carhart who was whisked away from suburban washington in 1954 along with his baby sister and three older siblings to a towering claptrap mansion in france in the quiet castle town of fontainebleau an hour from paris
in 1954 world war ii was a recent memory and nato was barely five years old mr carharts father an air force pilot had been appointed a staff officer at natos fledgling command in europe headquartered in fontainebleaus fairy tale chateau
in finding fontainebleau mr carhart explains that the castle was built as a hunting lodge in the 12th century then gussied up to palatial proportions over the next 700 years by french rulers
while his father plied his statecraft at the chateau or indulged his hobbies   fencing riding shooting and flying planes his mother toiled at the rental mansion cooking dinner on a wounded behemoth of a wood fired cast iron stove and wrangling old world domestic staff coal men gardeners maids and a floor polisher who bound brushes to his feet and skated across the parquet for three years the american family would make this history drenched hamlet their home
while bringing alive this redolent gallic chapter of his boyhood baguettes from the boulangerie inkwells and laborious handwriting exercises at school mr carhart also resurrects the mood and mores of a particular window in time the 1950s of ike and elviss america and postwar france
along the way he acquaints the reader with the regal architectural history of the chateau that dominated his adopted town like the castle his memoir imaginatively and smoothly integrates multiple influences styles and whims
when mr carhart moved back to france as an adult in the 1980s he revisited the chateau finding it oddly comforting that it had been preserved as he remembered
even better artisans were hard at work restoring its grandeur paying meticulous attention to detail this meant the author writes that the chateau would continue to teach historys lessons with its distinctive bricks mortar and slate after he was gone perpetuating my idea of france
and why not asked the chief architect of the project as he guided mr carhart through the reconstruction how can we know the past if we dont save some of it
the bridge ladies a memoir by betsy lerner harper wave 2599 272 pp
finding fontainebleau an american boy in france by thad carhart viking 27 304 pp


in the new york times book review olga grushin reviews simon sebag montefiores the romanovs 1613 1918 grushin writes
on this weeks podcast montefiore discusses the romanovs alexandra alter has news from the publishing world laura miller talks about new audiobooks of childhood favorites and parul sehgal and gregory cowles discuss what people are reading pamela paul is the host


rooms from 404 euros about 460
the jw marriott venice resort  spa is the sole resident of isola delle rose a lush private island in the venice lagoon the 40 acre island is reached via a 20 minute boat ride from the tourist thronged piazza san marco the main hotel building is four stories and gleaming white small outbuildings contain semi  to super private guesthouses the grounds include manicured gardens lawns with olive trees and wild areas where spruces palms or weeping willows encroach on white pebble paths the seasonal property opened in march 2015 followed by its michelin starred restaurant dopolavoro last july the hotel closes for winter in mid november
the antiquity of venice proper is absent on isola delle rose though it does have its own admirable history the island served as a convalescing infirmary for patients with pulmonary disorders from 1914 though closed during world war i to 1980 the main buildings exterior still hints at early 20th century institutional its easy to imagine the former residents taking in fresh air on the rooftop terrace or numerous balconies but inside the italian architect and designer matteo thun created a sleek white lobby with mirrored columns and upholstered furnishings
we booked the basic room a de luxe not the two bedroom villa with private pool for EUR4445 our small space was outfitted with contemporary wood furnishings it had a king bed flat screen tv a tiny refrigerator filled with treats and a closet with a safe
lined with tan marble the bathroom had a glassed in shower plush towels and robes and aromatherapy associates toiletries
goco spa is housed in its own pristine building where theres an indoor outdoor pool a hammam a sauna and an outdoor yoga garden a three hour visit costing EUR35 allows hotel guests to freely roam the facilities massages facials and other treatments are booked separately averaging EUR130 each one of the two additional pools for guests is near a little playground the other is on the hotels rooftop terrace where there is a splendid view of venice and the lagoon a well equipped gym is open 24 hours and is free to guests the free shuttle boat service to and from venice proper runs every day on the half hour from morning through the late evening
the buffet breakfast included in the price is such a feast of delicacies from ham to platters of grilled tomatoes it prompted my companion to text me bring a knapsack just give the brewed coffee a pass ask for a cappuccino or espresso we had every intention of returning to venice for dinner but the islands seductive tranquillity coupled with a neon orange and pink sunset led us to dine at sagra the rooftop restaurant i had crispy layered eggplant topped with huge capers which was delightful my companion praised his roasted monkfish with chanterelles as one of the best meals he had in venice main courses began at EUR20 the more lavish dinner option is the dopolavoro housed in its own elegant building some of the chef giancarlo perbellinis ingredients are harvested from the back garden the seven course tasting menu is EUR150
for travelers with deep pockets who want to experience the splendor of venice with serene breaks from the crowds this hotel is ideal


at the kilted lobster in a quiet nook of edinburghs trendy stockbridge neighborhood colin hinds the owner is more than happy to tell you what you should be eating weve had some beautiful halibut on for three weeks because it was real plentiful he said during a recent visit and the really soft flakiness of the whole sea bream is great
mr hinds who was executive chef at various edinburgh restaurants before opening the kilted lobster in october was right of course   the sea bream with a briny rock salted skin was marvelous with its juicy flesh bearing a lovely sweetness that married nicely with its tomato salsa pairing during our meal little else   seafood and not   disappointed
matching its fare this 27 seat restaurant aims for a laid back seaside feel small wooden sailboats and candleholders that resemble wave bashed sticks that have been tied together adorn the ocean blue tables and large paintings of brightly colored fish and lobsters cover the walls i wanted it to be rustic comfortable and a little bit quirky mr hinds said weve certainly got the quirky part down
in the kitchen the chefs andy wilson and grant mercer are working on rustic and comfortable our meal began with an amuse bouche of little bites served on a mirrored plate   quarter size crispy haggis balls a deliciously simple roll of smoked salmon and a perfectly executed fried oyster
of the traditional non seafood scottish dishes that dot the menu we tried the morangie brie rumbledethumps an old scottish borders dish thats a little akin to the english leftover mash up bubble and squeak the lightly crispy potato cake was a delight with or without the sweet tomato jam served with it the local beef is flavorful and worth a try   the sirloin with a salted hazelnut crumb potato fondant and garlic greens made for a comforting dish and a toffee apple panna cotta on shortbread resembled a scottish inflected cheesecake and proved to be a tasty finish
mr hinds has pledged the restaurants profits to initiatives such as training and job placement programs as well as to cooking classes for single parents on a budget i wanted to open a socially conscious restaurant that was really for the local community he said we closed the restaurant on christmas and fed almost 100 people for free
if they were all eating this well they were very lucky indeed


from maine to florida washington state to southern california we are featuring six islands that make for ideal escapes into the past into nature into luxury check back each day this week for more
if the bernie sanders campaign searched the nation for its ideal microtarget it might not find a more receptive audience than at doe bay resort on idyllic orcas island in washington after all this is a tolerant place and if youre a vegan who owns a prius and an extensive record collection but no tv you wont feel out of place
i felt the bern orcas style inside the resorts 102 degree soaking hot tubs on a recent visit and wondered if id slipped off the map and into a kind of ecotopia filled with dense forests rolling hills and naked people of all shapes and sizes
the soaking tubs are officially clothing optional but most get naked and its easy to see why sitting inside one of the tubs looking out at the tree lined contours of doe bay its hard to feel anything but relaxed youre about as far off the map as you can get within the lower 48 states and unless youre from seattle you probably dont have to worry about bumping into someone you know in the buff
doe bay has a tasty pescatarian restaurant serving organic food and produce from an on site garden along with an egalitarian array of accommodation options yurts domes cabins and a treehouse travelers can also pitch their own tents youre as likely to meet a bike messenger as a tech entrepreneur
like ireland orcas island is often called the emerald isle it is one of 172 named islands and reefs that are collectively referred to as the san juan islands orcas   arguably the most beautiful of the san juans   is shaped a bit like a basset hounds droopy ears orcas attracts plenty of visitors in the summer but it retains a quiet pastoral vibe that hints at the islands agrarian roots there are no traffic lights no fast food restaurants and no chain establishments unless you count the chevron station and a key bank location
joe symons is an orcas resident who moved to the island in the mid 1980s to escape what he calls the madness on the mainland he said he has mixed feelings about the way tourism has exacerbated income inequality on the island and created a housing shortage for seasonal workers but he still relishes the islands unique charms
its still very much like another country said mr symons author of potholes in paradise a book about life on orcas when im in line for the ferry and someone asks where im going i say back to america 
in fact it wasnt a foregone conclusion that orcas and the other san juan islands would be a part of the united states until a german arbitrator settled a boundary dispute between the united states and britain in 1872 thirteen years earlier the two nations nearly went to war after an american settler shot a pig owned by an irishman who worked for the hudson bay company the so called pig war set in motion a process that eventually placed the border at the haro strait which separates san juan island from vancouver island in canada
the geography of the place still creates a sense of space a physical and psychological separation from the mainland for those who are short on time you can bridge that gap in a half hour on seasonal kenmore air flights from seattle but i took the hourlong ferry from anacortes wash a 90 minute drive north of seattle outside rush hour and stood outside relishing the fresh air and intimate views of lopez decatur and blakely islands
as soon as you get on that boat a weight lifts from your shoulders said bruce pavitt the founder of the sub pop record label who has lived on orcas since 1997 and now commutes to seattle regularly for his new job at 8stem an interactive audio format that allows listeners to remix music when i come here there is zero stress
orcas can indeed be quiet but its not without cultural offerings there is a growing food scene that includes a saturday farmers market in the summer and popular establishments like brown bear baking where you can feast on artisan bread and pastries and new leaf cafe at the outlook inn which has seafood omelets and fresh seafood pots and on the music front there are the orcas island chamber music festival and the doe bay fest both in august and the imagine festival which is focused mostly on electronic music in september
orcas is popular with hikers who are rewarded with sweeping sea views at the peak of mount constitution in moran state park and on turtleback mountain among other places cyclists frequent sleepy relatively flat lopez island san juan island is a bit more mainstream than lopez and orcas and tends to attract tourists who like more action and amenities
if you want a taste of one of the uninhabited islands book a charter excursion to sucia island which is just a few miles north of orcas and has more than 10 miles of hiking paths along with places to camp
i did a bit of hiking at moran state park on orcas but i was mostly content to lounge around in doe bays soaking tubs walk the trails in the area and eat the kind of ridiculously healthy vegetarian fare i rarely consider ordering on the mainland
orcas is a seductive place and many are tempted to extend their stay on the island mr pavitt said he first came for a visit in 1993 and quickly realized he wanted to live on the island over the years he has seen plenty of others fall under the same spell one was the singer of a sub pop band that was about to become famous after spending time on orcas he asked mr pavitt if he could help him find a landscaping job on the island
i told him i dont think youre going to have to do that  he recalled he liked orcas that much i dont think he knew he was about to sell a half million records
mr symons prefers to politely steer people away from orcas
of all the places on the planet this has got to be one of the sweetest places in the world he said but if you print that we might have too many people coming here
if you go doe bay resort and retreat 107 doe bay road olga wash doebaycom


click on the slide show to see this weeks featured properties in the new york region
 in springfield nj a four bedroom two bath post and beam 1985 house on 289 acres with a great room with a 23 foot ceiling a partly finished basement a garden shed a tree house and a fire pit and a bordentown mailing address
 in roslyn ny a six bedroom four and a half bath house with front and back decks a conservatory a hot tub a basement an elevator a generator and a two car garage on a two acre lot on a cul de sac


its hard to define the mystery of what draws us to a particular place how is it for example that in some places we seem to feel instantly at home as if wed always belonged there or as if some unknown but vital part of ourselves had finally been awakened
of course the realities of any country or city whether one that feels instantly familiar or not   the stuff we discuss when talking to one another about where we have been its architecture and landscape its policies and programs its shops and hotels and food   all have something to do with why we are attracted to a place but they dont neatly add up to a full expression of its soul or its particular magic
that magic seems to come from the ghosts that truly define a place   the way in which time and memory and feeling seem to layer themselves into things how the past and the future pervade the present moment how they are alive in some way in the culture the buildings the food but especially the people
because even if we know no one there the people seem essential to the mysterious alchemy of our attraction their fortitude quirks traditions and behaviors give a place its atmosphere its energy and spirit it is how they act in the face of the current circumstances in which they live   and equally how they carry their past the weight of their history it is this strange and sometimes dark magic that our writers and photographers convey so beautifully in this issue
from the magnificent and decrepit fresco covered havelis in rajasthan which arent cordoned off museum style from daily life but are rather part of its fabric to the quiet craggy swedish island of gotland whose long desolate and lonely winters seem written into the wonders of its short brilliant summer months when the island explodes with wildflowers sunshine and tourism to beirut a complicated gem formed from layers of historical sediment and disruption loved and nurtured by a class of artists writers historians aristocrats activists and aesthetes in the face of war and chaos the destinations in this issue are all locations where the wonder of the place is inseparable from the soul of its people what is the city but the people shakespeare asked in coriolanus the answer now as then is clear nothing


in how to listen to jazz the music critic and historian and pianist ted gioia confesses ive offered both praise and put downs to many an artist over the years but ive never actually outlined in detail the standards i apply in making these evaluations his new book is an effort to correct that and to teach casual listeners how careful listening can demystify virtually all of the intricacies and marvels of jazz as part of his instruction gioia points readers to certain recordings including inferior ones you can perhaps learn more about swing from listening to the bands that fail to achieve it he writes
murray talks music another of several new books about jazz brings together some of the writer albert murrays interviews and essays about music in apprise magazine in 1990 he talked about improvisation as a form of resilience an ability to change and deal with new circumstances that was indicative of the american character if youve got it all nailed down and you know where all the notes go and you do all that and all you have to do is have the director come up and tell you do that youre not dealing with american experience you see
hearing from the most accomplished jazz musicians themselves is a humbling reminder that their skills ultimately exist in a realm beyond words conversations in jazz collects interviews conducted by ralph gleason a founding editor of rolling stone who died in 1975 with john coltrane duke ellington sonny rollins and others dizzy gillespie told gleason that only the most difficult songs occupied his thoughts when he wasnt performing them you get them hard things and you have to figure certain things he said but most numbers man you just go up and start playing
quotable
but now im 40 i just thought i spent my 20s and 30s in a dark room writing   this year im going to put on a big outfit and go to a party   zadie smith on attending this years met gala in an interview with refinery29
the vocabulary of pleasure
this week mark oconnell reviews unforbidden pleasures by the psychoanalyst and essayist adam phillips in an interview at the london review bookshop in london last november phillips spoke about his latest subject how much time can you spend doing forbidden things he asked not that much even serious transgressors he surmised get a majority of their pleasure from innocent activities like say drinking coffee theres lots of exciting language about exciting dangerous pleasures but theres very little language about most of the ordinary pleasures phillips said were being instructed about what to desire by the forbidders and i think thats a shame because its so limiting


nine new books recommended by the editors of the new york times book review this week
the gene an intimate history by siddhartha mukherjee scribner 32 with scope and grandeur the pulitzer prize winning author of the emperor of all maladies presents the history of the science of genetics
the noise of time by julian barnes knopf 2595 channeling the composer dmitri shostakovich barness graceful novel tells the story of his struggles under stalinism
the cook up a crack rock memoir by d watkins grand central 26 watkins now an educator tells how he took over his murdered brothers drug business in east baltimore
memories from moscow to the black sea by teffi translated by robert and elizabeth chandler anne marie jackson and irina steinberg new york review paper 1695 a popular russian writer flees the bolsheviks and goes into exile
the high places stories by fiona mcfarlane farrar straus  giroux 26 this australian writers engrossing tales concern lives upended by catastrophe most end enigmatically
the boys in the bunkhouse servitude and salvation in the heartland by dan barry harperharpercollins 2699 a powerful account of mentally disabled men kept in virtual slavery
the secret war spies cyphers and guerrillas 1939 1945 by max hastings harperharpercollins 35 the emergence of intelligence as a growth industry in world war ii a monumental study
little labors by rivka galchen new directions 1695 galchen offers observations about motherhood in highly original essays
pretentiousness why it matters by dan fox coffee house paper 1595 a nimble case for pretentiousness as a willingness to take risks


chance events play a much larger role in life than many people once imagined
most of us have no difficulty recognizing luck when its on conspicuous display as when someone wins the lottery but randomness often plays out in subtle ways and its easy to construct narratives that portray success as having been inevitable those stories are almost invariably misleading however a simple fact that has surprising implications for public policy
consider the history of the mona lisa perhaps the most famous painting in the world after having languished in obscurity for most of its early existence leonardo da vincis work was pushed into the spotlight in 1911 when it was stolen from the louvre
the widely publicized theft remained unsolved for two years until vincenzo peruggia an italian maintenance worker at the louvre was apprehended after trying to sell the painting to the uffizi gallery in florence italy his arrest provoked a second wave of publicity with images of the mona lisa splashed around the world
in the years since the painting has come to represent western culture itself yet had it never been stolen most of us would know no more about it than we do of the two obscure leonardo da vinci canvases from the same period that hang in an adjacent gallery at the louvre like kim kardashian apparently the mona lisa is famous largely for being famous
as in the art world so too in the world of work almost every career trajectory entails a complex sequence of steps each of which depends on those preceding it if any of those earlier steps had been different the entire trajectory would almost surely have been different too
inevitably some of those initial steps will have been influenced by seemingly trivial random events so it is reasonable to conclude that virtually all successful careers entail at least a modicum of luck
ones date of birth can matter enormously for example according to a 2008 study most children born in the summer tend to be among the youngest members of their class at school which appears to explain why they are significantly less likely to hold leadership positions during high school and thus another study indicates less likely to land premium jobs later in life similarly according to research published in the journal economics letters in 2012 the number of american chief executives who were born in june and july is almost one third lower than would be expected on the basis of chance alone
even the first letter of a persons last name can explain significant achievement gaps assistant professors in the 10 top ranked american economics departments for instance were more likely to be promoted to tenure the earlier the first letter of their last names fell in the alphabet a 2006 study found researchers attributed this to the custom in economics of listing co authors names alphabetically on papers noting that no similar effect existed for professors in psychology whose names are not listed alphabetically
to acknowledge the importance of random events is not to suggest that success is independent of talent and effort in highly competitive arenas those who do well are almost always extremely talented and hard working as charlie munger the vice chairman of warren e buffetts holding company berkshire hathaway has said the safest way to get what you want is to try and deserve what you want
perhaps the most useful advice for someone who aspires to material success is to develop expertise at a task that others value such expertise comes not from luck but from thousands of hours of assiduous effort
but talent and effort are not enough luck also matters even the most able industrious people in south sudan have little chance at success success is not guaranteed for deserving people in wealthy countries with highly developed legal and educational institutions and other infrastructure but its substantially more likely
being born in a good environment is one of the few dimensions of luck we can control   that is at least we can decide how lucky our children will be but as a nation weve been doing a bad job of it for at least a generation the luckiest are getting luckier even as their numbers shrink the unlucky population is growing and its luck is getting worse
these changes have stemmed in part from sharply diminished public support for education according to a 2015 report by the nonpartisan center for budget and policy priorities for example state spending per student averaged about 20 percent less in 2014 15 than in the 2007 8 school year more than 70 percent of students who graduated from four year colleges in 2015 had student loans that averaged 35000
its no surprise then that access to the benefits of a college degree continues to depend heavily on family income according to a study from the alliance for higher education and democracy at the university of pennsylvania and the pell institute for the study of opportunity in higher education 77 percent of offspring of families in the top income quartile had earned college degrees by age 24 in 2013 compared with only 9 percent of those from bottom quartile families more troubling the disparity persists even when controlling for precollege academic aptitude scores
the human tendency to underestimate lucks role has contributed to this troubling state of affairs by reducing the electorates willingness to support the public investments that make economic success possible but the taxes people want to avoid need not be personally painful
evidence from the social sciences demonstrates that beyond a certain income threshold peoples sense of well being depends much more on their relative purchasing power than on how much they spend in absolute terms if top tax rates were a little higher all homes would be a little smaller all cars a little less expensive all diamonds a little more modest and all celebrations a little less costly the standards that define special would adjust accordingly leaving most successful people quite satisfied
happily there is a simple remedy merely prompting people to reflect on their good fortune tends to make them more willing to contribute to the common good according to a 2010 study published in the journal emotion so try to engage your successful friends in discussions about their experiences with luck in the process you may increase their willingness to support the kinds of public investments that will enhance the next generations odds of success and you will almost surely hear some interesting stories


during a new years eve dinner party several years ago fun and laughter quickly turned to anguish for jennifer mcallister nevins the pipes in her kitchen were suddenly blocked and because she lived in a tribeca apartment with an open kitchen all the guests got to witness each chaotic moment as the sink backed up
its no surprise that ms mcallister nevins who loves to entertain now lives in a different tribeca loft one with an enclosed kitchen
sometimes im not as organized as i hoped and other times theres just a mess she said her next event at home is a party next month for savor a company she owns with a friend which makes stylish keepsake boxes i like having the option of having your kitchen be a private or public space
open kitchen floor plans have dominated home design for years especially in new construction and kitchen size has expanded as a result reviewing average kitchen size in a dozen new developments and apartment building conversions before 2000 the real estate firm engel  volkers found that the average kitchen accounted for about 6 percent of the total square footage of the apartment but in comparable developments after 2010 the agency found that as kitchens have been opened up to adjoining dining or living rooms the average kitchen now takes up about 8 percent of the entire apartment
kitchen size aside the pendulum has started to swing back toward enclosed kitchens several new residential buildings in manhattan have offered separated kitchens   a nod to prewar apartment design but also to the growing demand from potential buyers looking for separate cooking and entertaining spaces
i grew up in the upper east side and never saw an open kitchen said edward yedid a partner of grade new york an interior design and architecture firm
when designing the twenty 1 a nine unit condominium at 117 west 21st street in chelsea mr yedid decided to separate the kitchens because the units were all floor through with space to incorporate walls and hallways he chose to use sliding solid oak doors in the kitchen in six units so the residents would have control on how they used the kitchen he said
for someone who isnt sure if they want an open or closed kitchen pocket doors are a great feature mr yedid said
mark kolodziejczak a partner of studio tractor architecture a firm hired by ms mcallister nevins to renovate her current tribeca loft said he has long discussions with clients about how they foresee using the kitchen do they prefer having a kitchen that will be the social center of the home or something more muted
while the kitchen in ms mcallister nevinss new apartment was separate from the entertaining space it did not have doors so she decided to install two large pocket doors a design accent that seems to be gaining popularity of the roughly 450 respondents to a recent survey by the national kitchen and bath association a trade group made up of kitchen and bath designers and suppliers about 70 percent said they used pocket doors as part of a kitchen remodeling or new construction project in 2015
bryan cho an executive vice president of the related companies said his company had not built a residential building with a closed kitchen floor plan since the 1990s but demand for larger rental apartments for families was high he said so related included 45 three  and four bedroom apartments in the easton a high rise rental at 205 east 92nd street with 230 units all these larger units will have closed kitchens some will have open entries others will have space for a small table or a dining alcove attached
i think some people are attracted to a more formal way of life so maybe the trend is shifting between having a big open space to cook and entertain to having some separation mr cho said
the ability to have a closed kitchen often is dictated by the available amount of space said david penick the managing director of hines a developer if you live in a small studio or one bedroom it is wise to put the refrigerator and stovetop on one wall and incorporate a pass through or island as extra countertop or dining space
but if you have more room you can get creative said mr penick whose company is a developer of 53w53 a condominium tower that is rising next to the museum of modern art more than 90 percent of the units in the building will have separate kitchens that can be closed by a floor to ceiling automatic sliding door he said
the extra wall space created by enclosing a kitchen opens up more design options mr penick said theres more storage more counter space and room to populate kitchen specific designs
closed kitchens also work well for those who entertain a lot and hire caterers and private chefs you dont want your dinner party guests to walk through the kitchen and see whats being served said phillip mendlow a senior vice president of bluerock real estate which developed the charles a 27 unit condominium on the upper east side where all apartments come with closed kitchens
some developers are also testing out hybrid kitchen floor plans ian schrager a developer who recently broke ground on 160 leroy said all of the 49 condo units will have two fully equipped kitchens the 300 square foot enclosed chefs kitchen can be closed off by a sliding door while the adjacent open social kitchen is anchored by a large marble island and countertop
he said he took the idea from his own home where he custom installed a second dirty kitchen i personally dont mind when people cook and wash dishes in front of me mr schrager said i like the social aspect of an open kitchen but some people dont like that
the two kitchen concept isnt new many farms and suburban homes traditionally had second kitchens often called summer kitchens so the heat from the stove didnt raise the temperature in the entire house during the summer in a stand alone hut on the property or in a small room in the back of the house or in the basement they were used for butchering meat and making and preserving jams
other architects are creating closed kitchens that are adjacent to family rooms not formal dining rooms when designing the residences at 30 park place daniel lobitz a partner of robert am stern architects said incorporating flexibility into a floor plan was important we tend to like clearly defined rooms like a large foyer hallways and rooms you cant walk through he said but its important that different families can live in the same building
of the 157 units in this downtown building only 10 homes will have open kitchens 55 will have kitchens that open up to family rooms 72 units will have separate kitchens without an eat in component and 20 units will have separate eat in kitchens
julie mcallister recently moved into a four bedroom apartment at the greenwich lane a condominium complex in greenwich village she likes the option of closing the kitchen off from an adjacent office but the kitchen also opens onto a family room an area used often by her two young children
its great to keep the noise and smells inside the kitchen especially when my husband is using the office she said but i like the fact that i can see my kids play in the family room


with an increasing number of americans leaving religion behind the university of miami received a donation in late april from a wealthy atheist to endow what it says is the nations first academic chair for the study of atheism humanism and secular ethics
the chair has been established after years of discussion with a 22 million donation from louis j appignani a retired businessman and former president and chairman of the modeling school barbizon international who has given grants to many humanist and secular causes   though this is his largest so far the university which has not yet publicly announced the new chair will appoint a committee of faculty members to conduct a search for a scholar to fill the position
im trying to eliminate discrimination against atheists said mr appignani who is 83 and lives in florida so this is a step in that direction to make atheism legitimate
religion departments and professors of religious studies are a standard feature at most colleges and universities many originally founded by ministers and churches the study of atheism and secularism is only now starting to emerge as an accepted academic field scholars say with its own journal conferences course offerings and now an endowed chair
i think its a very bold step of the university of miami and i hope there will be others said richard dawkins an evolutionary biologist and atheist luminary who is the author of the god delusion
its enormously important to shake off the shackles of religion from the study of morality mr dawkins said in a telephone interview from his home in britain
the percentage of americans who claim no religious affiliation has risen rapidly in a short time to 23 percent of the population in 2014 up from 16 percent in 2007 according to a report by the pew research center younger people are even less religious with 35 percent of millennials saying they identify as atheist agnostic or with no religion in particular
secular americans are beginning to organize themselves politically next month nonbelievers are headed to washington to lobby congress and hold a reason rally at the lincoln memorial to showcase their numbers and promote the separation of church and state
with atheists still often stigmatized and disparaged in this country it took some persuading for the university of miami to agree to create a chair with the word atheism in the title according to harvey siegel a professor of philosophy who has helped to broker the arrangement he said that more than 15 years ago when he was chairman of the philosophy department he and mr appignani first began discussing the idea for a chair to study atheism and secularism
there was great reluctance on the part of the university to have an endowed chair with the word atheism in the name and that was a deal breaker for lou mr siegel said he wasnt going to do it unless it had the word atheism in it
the university had reason to be cautious thomas j leblanc executive vice president and provost said in an interview
we didnt want anyone to misunderstand and think that this was to be an advocacy position for someone who is an atheist he said our religion department isnt taking an advocacy position when it teaches about catholicism or islam similarly were not taking an advocacy position when we teach about atheism or secular ethics
asked whether he anticipated any backlash mr leblanc said this is an area where people can get overly excited if they dont actually look carefully at whats happening the idea that there are nondeity approaches to explaining our surroundings is not controversial in the academy
mr appignani said he rejected a last minute proposal from a dean to call it a chair in philosophical naturalism instead he and the university leaders worked out the title broadening the scope by including humanism and secular ethics
mr appignani was raised a roman catholic in the bronx by italian immigrant parents his father was a clothing presser in the garment district he attended catholic schools and said he became a nonbeliever at the city college of new york when he discovered the work of bertrand russell the british philosopher and nobel prize winner
with the money he made from the barbizon school he said he created the foundation that has given grants to groups like the american humanist association and the secular coalition for america and the appignani humanist legal center
over the years mr appignani has sponsored two public lectures by mr dawkins at the university of miami the discussions about a chair gained momentum last year with the arrival of a new university president julio frenk mr siegel said
dr frenk announced that he intended to recruit new talent by creating 100 new chairs in time for the universitys centennial anniversary in 2025 said margot s winick an assistant vice president at the university the chair in atheism is the fifth he has added so far she said
pitzer college a liberal arts school in southern california with about 1000 students became the first to begin a program and major in secular studies five years ago phil zuckerman a sociologist of religion who founded the program said it now offered four courses on secularism of its own and many others by the six professors associated with the department only two students have chosen to major in secular studies he said but the courses are popular for its secularism and skepticism class last year he turned away 25 students more than the 22 he was able to admit
scholars have formed a nonreligion and secularity research network which is holding its fourth conference this summer in zurich a peer reviewed journal secularism and nonreligion is now up and running
there is a real need for secular studies mr zuckerman said as rates of irreligion continue to rise not only here in the usa but all over the world we need to understand secular people secular culture and secularism as a political and ideological force


when washington took over the beleaguered mortgage giants fannie mae and freddie mac during the collapse of the housing market and the financial crisis of 2008 it was with the implicit promise that they would be returned to shareholders after being nursed back to health
but now with the unsealing of documents this week that were produced as part of a lawsuit filed against the government new evidence is coming to light on how intimately the white house was involved in the treasurys decision in august 2012 to keep all the companies profits for the government that move effectively maintained fannies and freddies status as wards of the state
the newly released documents go beyond previous disclosures in the case and make clear that the obama administration never had any intention of restoring fannie and freddie which enjoyed implicit backing from the government before the takeover to their status as stand alone entities
an email from jim parrott then a top white house official on housing finance was sent the day the so called profit sweep was announced it said the change was structured to ensure that the companies couldnt repay their debt and escape as it were
the documents also show the treasury moving to modify the terms of the mortgage finance giants 1875 billion bailout shortly after a july 2012 meeting when the federal housing finance agency fannies and freddies regulator learned that they were about to enter the golden years of profitability
since then fannie and freddie have returned to the treasury over 50 billion more than they received in the bailout but the amount they owe to the government remains outstanding
the new materials cast further doubt on arguments made in court by government lawyers that the profit sweep came about because fannie and freddie were in a death spiral and taxpayers needed protection from future losses documents unsealed last month also served to undermine that legal stance
a justice department spokeswoman declined to comment
the trickle of documents comes years after fannie and freddie shareholders sued the government contending that its decision regarding the companies profits was illegal defending against an array of these suits lawyers for the justice department have requested confidential treatment for thousands of pages of materials in a case brought in federal claims court the governments lawyers asserted presidential privilege in 45 documents
the treasurys integral role in the profit sweep comes through clearly in the new materials indicating that it was in charge of decisions on fannie and freddie and that the federal housing finance agency created by congress in 2008 as a purportedly independent regulator did as directed
in the law setting up the fhfa congress required officials to ensure that the companies were operated in a safe and sound manner with an adequate capital cushion
the profit sweep the aggrieved shareholders contend violated that part of the law because it barred the companies from being able to amass capital
in a statement adam hodge a spokesman for the treasury said the profit sweep ended the vicious cycle where fannie mae and freddie mac drew against treasurys backstop to pay the 10 percent dividend owed to taxpayers
the recent economic performance of both companies mr hodge added further undermines complaints about the sweep because the required dividends to taxpayers would have exceeded their income in five of the past six quarters finally he noted the best way to end the conservatorship is through comprehensive housing finance reform legislation
preventing the companies from using their profits to rebuild a strong capital position was an explicit goal of the obama administration the newly unsealed materials show in an email sent the day the profit sweep was announced mr parrott said diverting fannies and freddies profits would eliminate the possibility that they ever go pretend private again
sending a message to fannies and freddies shareholders that they should have no hope of profiting from the companies recovery appeared to be top of mind to mr parrott the documents show in another email sent the day the sweep was disclosed he assured treasury officials that all the investors will get this very quickly
in an email mr parrott later said that his comment about investors referred to those holding fannies and freddies mortgage backed securities who would recognize that the treasury had addressed the problem of the companies drawing from the government to pay dividends owed to taxpayers i realize that you appear to want me to be referring to the gses shareholders but i am not mr parrott said a reference to government sponsored enterprises
investors got the message but some viewed the action as illegal and began filing lawsuits against the government
unlike shareholders of other bailout recipients including citigroup bank of america and even the insurer american international group fannie and freddie investors have not been able to participate in the rebound at the companies as their operations boomed
mr parrott now a fellow at urban institute and owner of falling creek advisors a consultant to financial institutions declined to comment on the matter
the unsealed documents indicate an intense desire to get rid of fannie and freddie as independent entities once and for all they do not show any concern among treasury officials that their actions on the profit sweep might violate the law
only a small portion of the materials produced in the case in federal claims court has seen the light of day approximately 50 documents were released on wednesday to lawyers representing arnetia joyce robinson an individual investor who sued the government in federal district court in kentucky last october
according to that lawsuit ms robinson a retired bank manager and loan officer bought fannie and freddie shares in september 2008 to help fund her retirement
ms robinsons suit is one of several that have been filed by investors some of them giant institutions and speculators in fannie and freddie who bought shares after the bailout contending that the governments profit sweep was illegal one case from 2013 was brought under the administrative procedure act which governs actions taken by government agencies
royce c lamberth the district court judge overseeing the 2013 suit dismissed it in september 2014 but the case is on appeal in dismissing the complaint judge lamberth seemed to rely on the governments contention that fannie and freddie were in a death spiral
but the documents released on wednesday indicate that the financial projections for fannie and freddie the judge received were significantly out of date these projections showing large losses in the near term were produced to the court by the treasury in a document dated june 2012 but they actually contained figures from september 2011 when the companies operations had not yet begun to turn around
those projections produced by grant thornton for the treasury to use in valuing its investment in fannie and freddie did not account for improvements in the housing market that took place in late 2011 and early 2012 as the unsealed materials show treasury officials knew in the summer of 2012 that fannie and freddie had turned the corner and appeared to be well on their way to a strong recovery
experts disagree about what the governments role in housing should be and whether fannie and freddie should be wound down replaced by some sort of new mortgage finance guarantee
the significance of these documents however goes well beyond the future of housing finance they demonstrate the perils of allowing the government to act in secrecy in asking for confidentiality surrounding its actions the government argued that the release of such documents would roil the financial markets what seems clearer all the time is that their release will instead help the public understand what the government did here and why


the mets class aa affiliate has been located in binghamton ny since 1992 throughout that time it has had a logical informative and slightly bland name the binghamton mets
that will soon change next year at this time the team could well be the binghamton stud muffins
mets is definitely out the team has turned to fans to find a replacement name with greater links to the area ideas were solicited online and 1500 were received the goal said john hughes the team president was a name that captured and embraced the community   something with a positive uplifting story to it
the team has selected six finalists and fans will now vote for a winner four of the choices allude to the local merry go rounds that have given binghamton the nickname the carousel capital of the world the rocking horses the rumble ponies the timber jockeys and yes the stud muffins the choices are rounded out by bullheads celebrating a local fish and gobblers in honor of the wild turkeys of the region
hughes stressed that the move was not a slight against the mets noting that binghamton was one of the last teams in the minors to still carry its parent teams name we are a very proud new york met affiliate in the state of new york and plan to remain so he said
the change will also be a blow to the career of the teams current mascot buddy the bee buddy has been put on notice though he may make special appearances hughes said
many of the fans suggestions like stallions and stampede were rejected because they were in use in other leagues and sports other nominations were just a little too off the wall hughes cited baseball players as one of the suggestions that made him chuckle but did not make the cut
as you might expect with names this colorful many critics have emerged
i dont have a problem with the name change but the names are absurd said dave scull 68 a retired software engineer who has been a season ticket holder since the team came to town
scull said that among the fans he had talked to the reaction was 100 percent negative though he does not like any of the names scull said that if pressed he would go with bullheads but he complained that the bullhead fish and the turkey that inspired gobblers are prevalent throughout the northeast not just in the binghamton region
the choices seem really odd said andy papaleo the 34 year old owner of a dj company who has followed the team since boyhood they say they are a part of binghamton history ive lived there all my life and ive never heard any of these terms
for more binghamton friendly names he suggested the carousels or the spiedies after the marinated meat sandwich of the region he also liked the notion of changing the name to the triplets the name of the minor league team in town from the 1930s to the 1960s
im not against colorful names he said of the exotic finalists but i think it sounds like a merchandise grab
binghamtons name choices follow a continuing trend of minor league teams picking increasingly outrageous names to attract attention and maybe sell more caps and jerseys twenty first century minor league team names include the tri city dust devils the albuquerque isotopes the vermont lake monsters the richmond flying squirrels the akron rubberducks and the hartford yard goats
teams in independent leagues more reliant on attendance and merchandise sales for their revenue include the kansas city t bones the texas airhogs and the normal cornbelters
letting the internet name something can be fraught with peril the british science ministry held balloting for a name for a polar research ship this year only to see boaty mcboatface win
officials rejected the internets choice and named the ship after the naturalist david attenborough although a promise was made to name one of the ships remotely operated submarines boaty
anyone with a computer can have a twitter opinion and there have been many on the new name for the mets from both die hard fans and those who had never previously heard of binghamton several of the names have brought prurient snickers from those with creatively immoral minds
despite some negative comments hughes has good things to say about the renaming so far
its really energized our fan base and got people talking about the team he said our goal is to win people over
he noted that 5000 fans so far had submitted votes endorsing one of the six names
voting for a new name continues through june 1 the winner will be announced after the season
with a hint of trepidation in his voice papaleo the longtime fan made a prediction
i could see a lot of people voting for stud muffins


this interview with jane rosenthal was conducted and condensed by adam bryant ms rosenthal a movie producer is a founder of the tribeca film festival now part of tribeca enterprises where she is executive chairwoman
q tell me about your early years
a i always wanted to be in government and politics when i was 16 i got a job as a page in the rhode island house of representatives and i was the youngest woman there and the first high school page they actually paid the pages more than the representatives were getting too
but i wanted to help change the world and i decided that if i was going to have an impact i could do that through documentary films instead of being part of the political process i was obsessed with how you change the world through telling stories
what about your parents
my mothers family had a company called acs industries and they made pot cleaners i spent many saturdays going to the factory with my father when they were extruding polypropylene it was all different colors and these pinks and oranges and greens would come out of the machines like hair i had a very active imagination everything to me was a toy
one of my earliest memories of my mother in the early 1960s was her working for the naacp and she would go into middle income housing and sign apartment leases that black families could then use to move in the civil rights issues were very real in our house and my mother was quite passionate about discrimination and segregation she was out there doing what she could do
and whenever there was a big historical moment on tv like the i have a dream speech she would say you have to sit and watch this youre not going to know what this is but youll always remember that i made you watch it she also always said to me that you can absolutely do whatever you want it never occurred to me that no was an option
and where did your interest in filmmaking come from
my mother was also an amateur actress id go with her to rehearsals and she might have only one line but id have to sit through the whole thing i was fascinated by makeup and hair and a person transforming themselves into a character and then getting up on stage and how a show would change from a run through to a dress rehearsal to a final performance
i wanted to major in acting and my parents said no you can always go into acting they said but have a skill that you can fall back on i thought ok ill trick them ill major in film and television and then i can act in the films and i very quickly realized that i was a lousy actress and that i was much better at producing
describe your leadership style
im hands off until theres a big problem and then im completely hands on as long as i trust that everybody is doing what theyre supposed to its great if something goes wrong then i want to understand the process of how it went wrong and what you need to do
in my opinion women make better producers because were used to multitasking and nurturing and a lot of what youre doing as a producer is nurturing all the creative talent you have to create a safe environment for everybody   both on the set and in the office   to come together and do their best work
you want them to emit that spark of light like a firefly but they may have to go back and forth and back and forth changing their mind before they do but you have to remain calm and be very patient and say this is good lets keep trying
i have to ask favorite movie
i dont really have a favorite movie but mary poppins influenced me as a kid because she was a woman who could fly she could speak her own language she could take care of kids have a job and she loved to laugh she was a superwoman it spoke to me
how do you hire
its important for me to spend a lot of time with somebody im going to work with directly and not necessarily in an office situation if youre eating a meal do you get to the third hour somebody can always fake it up until the third hour and then they cant anymore and thats when the bug me factors might come out
its like if something bothers you on the first date its going to bother you for the rest of your life so forget it
so what are your pet peeves as a boss
i like the bad news fast because then its just part of the process i prefer people who are transparent and just give me the information straight dont try to couch it dont try to play me the other thing is that if anybody has to give me any kind of financial information they always have to do it in a narrative
what questions do you ask in a job interview
i like asking provocative questions or questions that are just out of the blue like if you were a superhero who would you be why
how would you answer that question
i would go back to mary poppins she could take the umbrella and just fly away she had the bag of tricks she packed light
other broader life lessons
when youve done something well like a movie thats a box office hit everybodys your best friend when youve done something thats not so good nobody calls but its ok youre still the same person so its about understanding who you really are no matter where you are or what youve accomplished
the lesson ive learned is about who or what to trust and what to take with a grain of salt or not its really about trusting your instincts because at the end of the day thats all you have if you cant trust your own instincts then you cant trust anything


in the ballet world pregnancy is no longer the secret that a dancer has to hide from the boss its no longer a potential career ender but the question remains how hard is it for a new mother to turn back into a ballerina
the experience is different for every dancer but in the case of maria kowroski the statuesque new york city ballet principal its been humbling ms kowroski who had a son with her husband the actor and former dancer martin harvey in november has been dealing with a chronic ankle injury along with the usual physical issues   depleted muscles less stamina and a loss of strength after i gave birth i did nothing for six weeks and i literally felt like mush said ms kowroski who gained 35 pounds during her pregnancy and took the barre portion of ballet class until a couple of weeks before her due date ive never felt my legs like that before
shes still working up the confidence to dance her first ballet on point that will likely come when the company performs in paris at the end of june but for ms kowroski whose comeback performance took place on may 10 in george balanchines vienna waltzes theres a new factor in the mix the emotional pull of her son dylan which made her wonder if she ever wanted to dance again i was so happy watching him change and grow every day she said in mid april i dont want to miss anything i dont want to have anyone else watch him what is ballet what do i do for a living
her existential crisis made her laugh ms kowroski 39 has been sucked into motherhood   happily so but ballerinas like julie kent alessandra ferri and jenifer ringer whom she has relied on for advice have proven its possible to succeed at both as ms ringer noted i almost feel like it freed me up to love dancing even more
beginning in early february i followed ms kowroskis progress from ballet class to private gyrotonic sessions and her return to the stage her work is far from over there is the fear that maybe i wont do the parts as well she said maybe my legs wont go up as high maybe im going to look old i want to bring something new to everything too i do feel like a different person i am a different person im a mom
big eyes big hands big feet ms kowroski took it slow as she raised her feet to releve and scrutinized herself in the mirror at ballet arts biting a lip when she couldnt maintain balance after at studio spiratis for gyrotonic training a movement system for balancing and realigning the body emily smith her instructor asked her how far she had gotten in class that morning i did the center ms kowroski said referring to the adagio portion very horribly everything is harder when youre as tall as ms kowroski who at 5 feet 9 inches is flexible and loose   which can be a problem in maintaining strength im really noticing how long my legs are now because they feel really heavy i put on my point shoes and i was like oh my god im so tall the ground is so far away
ms kowroski is hoping to use her time offstage as a way to rehabilitate her right ankle which bothered her long before her pregnancy it is stronger but shes still having difficulty after a class with her longtime teacher wilhelm burmann at steps on broadway ms kowroski returned to the theater to work by herself on point when she heard a pop at first she hoped that she had cracked her ankle back into place   it had been feeling jammed   but then it started to swell instead of panicking she took it easy i think the difference is my mentality of being an older dancer she said i didnt want to freak out
after about three days her ankle stopped aching at her apartment as dylan played nearby ms kowroski said as long as i dont have any more setbacks i should be fine i feel like my strength is getting better i put on my point shoes in class ive been jumping a little bit jumping is just so hard its not my thing im not an ashley bouder
ms bouder a fellow city ballet principal who recently had a baby girl has posted videos of herself knocking off fouettes while pregnant ms bouder is the olympian of ballerinas but when ms kowroski performed during her pregnancy up until her fourth month something more mysterious happened layers of tension melted away as she danced with strength and control but was also utterly free there was something so amazing about dancing pregnant she said one great thing was in the beginning nobody knew so i had this little secret of im dancing with a baby growing inside of me
and that feeling of transformation continued even after she spread the word it was almost like i felt like i could do no wrong ms kowroski continued this is going to sound weird but it almost felt like there was a glow inside of me
ms kowroski pinched her ankle in mid april toward the end of the month she returned to mr burmanns rigorous class she is almost there he said she is ready physically is she mentally ready but after it soon happened again ms kowroski made a decision to have an mri ever since she had foot surgery in 1996 to remove an extra bone she has experienced many sprains and now has loose ligaments the injury had plagued her for years and she wanted to know the worst
on the evening of her comeback ms kowroski still hadnt seen the results of her mri even though they were available do i find out before i go onstage she asked i dont think thats so smart
all the same she was in a good mood she would soon learn that the mri revealed only cartilage damage surgery was not necessary seated in front of her dressing room mirror at the david h koch theater ms kowroski laughed at her reflection a ponytail is an instant face lift she said wow i look younger
because she had rehearsal until 530 pm there wasnt time to go home to see her son before returning for that evenings performance of vienna waltzes she meditated and plotted her course to warm up during the programs second ballet sometimes a costume can mean the difference between a good and bad show the rehearsal dress she discovered was heavier than the one used in performance when she first wore the actual costume it was really light and it just felt strange im probably going to put it on and work with it because   her voice lowered to a whisper   it was kind of a disaster during the rehearsal she flashed too much leg not good she said
im all emotional she said fanning her eyes everything floods back
in the rosenkavalier finale of vienna waltzes the ballerina crosses the stage slowly in a long white gown when ms kowroski stepped onstage she cut a fragile vulnerable figure she could feel that too it was dark she said i was like i cant believe im out here by myself and that i do this for a living and there are people watching me right now sometimes it hits you
she later continued ive danced my whole life but it was so weird i didnt really feel like a ballerina i felt i was returning home but at the same time i felt so different i dont even know why i was overcome with emotion i didnt know what was coming out of me


if you ask the oscar winning actress reese witherspoon theres nothing the american south doesnt have historic cities a rich music culture unbeatable food and people she says who are always cheerful and greet one another with a hug and a smile
she should know
though she lives in los angeles ms witherspoon 40 was born in new orleans and raised in nashville she is so attached to her roots that she bought a house in nashville a few years ago and a year ago started a fashion accessory and home goods line draper james thats inspired by the region lots of colors and lots of prints she named it after her grandmother dorothea draper and grandfather william james witherspoon
because the brand has its flagship store in nashville and many of the goods for it are produced in southern cities   the jeans in blue ridge ga and the stationery in raleigh nc   the venture has ms witherspoon visiting the area at least once a month she reflects on why she thinks the south a place she still calls home is an appealing travel destination
below are edited excerpts from a conversation with her
q nashville is where you grew up and a city you now have a home in what are your go to spots there
a theres an area called charlotte pike with great thrift stores i grew up shopping in them and still go back but my new go to for shopping is an up and coming part of town called 12 south thats where draper james is located along with many cool stores like emerson grace a boutique selling great clothes from lots of different brands and i like going to broadway which is the heart of the citys music scene theres record stores like ernest tubb and bars to hear country music like the stage tootsies and roberts western world i also head to pinewood social they have a pool and bowling alley and also serve the best fried chicken and fried broccoli
where do you like to eat in nashville
jonathan waxmans restaurant adeles has amazing kale salad roasted chicken and spaghetti
hattie bs is known for the hot chicken the chicken is coated in some sort of spice before its fried they always have a line out the door for barbecue like ribs and brisket its edleys the fried okra there reminds me of my grandmother because thats a dish she used to make every sunday
what other cities do you enjoy visiting
charleston is a favorite its beautifully preserved king street there has great shopping and the food all over the city is insane   youll find spicy fish and shrimp and grits the best part is that the beach is only around 15 minutes from downtown
working on draper james has taken you to different cities in the south what discoveries have you made
blue ridge in georgia where the draper james jeans are made is a quaint old mining town thats worth seeing theres a train that still runs through it and the old bank is now a cute coffee shop ll beanery
and although i had been to atlanta before ive made some new discoveries there like ann mashburn a store with the most stylish clothes anns husband sid mashburn has his own store in the back of hers where he makes custom shirts for men and you get a true southern gentleman experience ive found some nice restaurants like jct kitchen which has yummy cocktails and cheese sandwiches and the optimist where the seafood is fresh and there is a mini golf course outside also a great to go spot is yeah burger where you can get many kinds of burgers along with tasty sides like crispy brussels sprouts
what are some southern traditions that travelers should partake in
the kentucky derby for sure theres such a pageantry to it with people drinking mint juleps and women all dressed up and men in their bow ties tailgating at the university of mississippi in oxford is another must football is serious in the south and people dress up for games they set up tents for tailgating and serve really good food and use real silverware
the jazz fest in new orleans is the place to hear fantastic jazz music and the spoleto festival in charleston is where you can get a flavor of opera and the arts
do you have a favorite hotel
the greenbrier in west virginia especially for families and big groups the resort was styled by dorothy draper and is a feast for the eyes theres beautiful wallpaper everywhere a bowling alley the best golf courses pools and great service


when i arrived one day a couple of years ago at the gemeente or government offices in amsterdam to apply for dutch citizenship tucked under my arm were reams of immigration course certificates language test results bank statements birth certificates police statements and endless other proofs and verifications compiled over several years
my number was called and i found myself in a cubicle chatting with a young government clerk a recent graduate who shifted about as if he wasnt entirely comfortable with his position as an administrator sitting next to me was my girlfriend jikke who had come along for support
you and the mother of your children are no longer together correct he started
we separated almost three years ago i said but were co parents and live close by each other
i had moved to amsterdam from manhattan six years before when my dutch partner at the time was pregnant with our first son soon after we had a second son then we split up we now lived only a few minutes away by bike dividing time with our children i had stayed in the netherlands to be a father to my kids and dutch citizenship would give me the rights and legal benefits that my current visa did not provide
and are you two married the clerk asked nodding toward jikke
no weve been dating a little under two years
i explained that about a year after the mother of my boys and i split up jikke and i met online she lived only blocks away right between me and my kids in a famous old jewish neighborhood where brass plaques denoted the hundreds of families removed by the nazis jikke would often come by for dinner play with the kids then go home we were taking it slow
the clerk listened to my story but was hesitating
i have some bad news he said finally if you want to be a dutch citizen youll have to give up your american passport
i was dumbstruck i flushed but i was able to swallow my rage enough to point to the official immigration checklist thats not printed there i said
as you know the immigration office is becoming more and more strict he said
are you kidding me
i knew the anti immigration parties were trying to push through all sorts of new laws aimed at dutch muslims but i hadnt heard of this
there are a lot of immigrants who have two passports he went on they collect benefits here but live somewhere else like turkey or morocco they want to cut down on that
the clerk tapped his pen against the desk there is a way around it for you however he said his eyes moving between jikke and me if youre married to a dutch citizen you can have a dutch passport and an american passport
you mean he can keep his american passport if were married my girlfriend asked wagging a finger between us
the clerk trying to be as conciliatory as possible nodded my girlfriend asked if we could have a minute the clerk seemed more than happy to run off and have a cigarette
we can get married she said calmly when he was gone
i shook my head youve already helped me so much i said its not fair i should propose properly not in a cubicle and not because some politicians are trying to score points
my girlfriend held out her hand to me and smiled we have it good she said be thankful
she urged me to think of the bigger picture once this process was over no one could deport me from the netherlands youll be permanently dutch and american for better or worse
i promise ill do it right someday
you dont have to promise anything
so i reached for her hand matched her smile and looked her in the eyes the rest was a blur
when the clerk returned he immediately recognized the decision in our flushed faces
congratulations he said
once i had a rubber stamp to be a dutch citizen and another to be a husband we celebrated by puttering around the amsterdam canals with my rickety boat drinking cheap champagne
a year later in the united states i took her to a colorado rockies game as we sat there stuffing our faces with frozen cheesecake and hot dogs i pointed to the jumbotron jikke will you marry me for real was splashed across the screen


figure out if the person is in your genetic range says john di domenico a professional impersonator who has been playing donald trump for 12 years can you mimic the voice is there a resemblance with the aid of wigs and makeup if so begin the research phase watch every video you can find listen to recorded interviews take detailed notes
concentrate first on your subjects voice determine where in the body the sound originates is it low and gravelly or pushed up into the nose dont let the persons physicality distract you for a guy that big trumps voice is high di domenico says study the jaw and lips professional actors open their mouths wide while speaking trump puckers his lips squeezing words out to mirror someone authentically youll need to break down the vocal components and build them again inside your own mouth
learn the quirks of gesture expression and posture until trump announced his candidacy last june he was just one of dozens of characters in di domenicos repertoire identifiable mostly by the phrase youre fired now nearly all his corporate clients want trump at their conferences trade shows and award ceremonies and di domenico has become a scholar of slight shifts in the candidates body language and speech patterns to really embody someone will take hundreds of hours of practice you have to build the character into your muscle memory di domenico says
sometimes it is looking the part that will keep you in character di domenico has a manicure and eyebrow bleaching before appearances dont get too comfortable always go back and refresh with original material says di domenico who checks cnn and fox all day for trump news still dont take yourself too seriously you have to be funny thats the bottom line he says
expect your source to infect your life in unexpected ways recently di domenicos brother told him his real voice is starting to sound nasally and trump like ive gotten a little more surly in my regular life di domenico says you have to be careful a character can change you


from its first issue the comic book series preacher was teeming with outrageous scenarios and incendiary imagery the aftermath of a daring escape from heaven an angel shown decapitated and another with its brains blown out by gunfire and a small town texas congregation annihilated as if by an atomic bomb
it was the kind of story its creators hoped might make a great movie but that didnt happen
it was too much for a lot of people to get their heads around said garth ennis the writer who created preacher with the comics artist steve dillon
 read our review of preacher 
not so much for the extremity of the violence or some of the sexual acts he explained but just the sheer weirdness of the concept was a lot
when preacher makes its debut as an amc drama on sunday may 22 it moves at a somewhat different pace it tells the story of jesse custer played by dominic cooper the struggling minister of the fictional annville tex who finds himself imbued with strange new abilities that give him greater command over his parishioners
at the same time custer is reconnected to his ex girlfriend tulip ruth negga a violent criminal and meets cassidy joseph gilgun a debauched irishman with an unusual aversion to sunlight also for some reason religious leaders around the world are spontaneously exploding
for amc which has ordered a 10 episode first season of preacher this series is the former mad men broadcasters latest venture into genre entertainment where savage acts and supernatural events are regular occurrences
the network has already achieved a brand altering hit with one such show the walking dead and found respectable hits with fear the walking dead and into the badlands it would surely like to see preacher succeed at that same scale but even when compared with narratives about reanimated corpses that eat human flesh preacher is a much more bizarre proposition
as is known to fans of the comics which were published between 1995 and 2000 by the vertigo imprint of dc comics there is plenty of perversity violence and potential blasphemy to come stories about the incestuous continuation of the bloodline of jesus a ku klux klansman with a sexual attraction to meat and a confrontation with god himself
but for now the creative team of the preacher tv series which includes seth rogen and evan goldberg collaborators better known for their comedic efforts is satisfied to serve up this provocative material more sparingly while staying true to the audacious spirit of the comic books
it can be monty python and quentin tarantino and the coen brothers said sam catlin the preacher showrunner
but he said you cant just do whatever you want otherwise youre at an all you can eat sundae bar and it just saturates
mr ennis a northern irish comics author who has also written for franchise characters like hellblazer and the punisher said preacher was meant to be a very american story inspired by westerns and antiheroes played by clint eastwood and john wayne
for all of its over the top plots and players mr ennis said he received fairly few negative responses from readers during preachers original run
instead of anyone going all out to get the book banned it was more like i hate what youre doing and youll never hear from me again mr ennis said and you think right well fair enough then
the property has been through the hollywood wringer many times over the past two decades mr ennis wrote screenplays for a film and john august worked on a script for the director sam mendes while a previous attempt at a tv series was developed for and dropped by hbo
eventually mr ennis said that he and mr dillon concluded that preacher was unfilmable
but if people wanted to pay for the rights for a couple of years and figure out for themselves that theyd taken on an impossible task we were perfectly happy for them to do so he said
meanwhile mr rogen and mr goldberg who have worked together on films like superbad this is the end and neighbors had their own longstanding interest in adapting preacher over which they bonded as teenagers at an early stage in their friendship
we only make things that come from archetypal moments in our relationship mr goldberg joked
about two years ago they got their chance from the producer neal h moritz the fast and the furious franchise who held the rights to preacher and who had worked with them on the ill fated 2011 superhero film the green hornet
mr moritz also connected them with mr catlin a former producer of breaking bad who was not familiar at first with preacher and was unsure how it could be translated to television
its dark its irreverent its violent   its all these different genres mr catlin said but the comic starts story wise at 250 miles an hour and i just didnt know how we were going to be able to hit the road
mr rogen and mr goldberg who are executive producers of preacher and directed its first two episodes said that their solution was to be patient in setting up their characters and their world as well as the religious crisis that is their protagonists journey
in the first five pages of the comic there were big interesting ideas that we could draw out and make much more intriguing and mysterious instead of just laying them out so plainly mr rogen said
in the comics you never really see jesse being a preacher he said by the time it starts hes done with it we made it a bigger part of his life to try to create a bigger conflict between the good spiritual side of him and the badass thrill seeking side of him
mr cooper a star of tvs agent carter and films like mamma mia and the devils double said he approached preacher with some caution because of the themes and ideas that the series would be addressing so irreverently
when theres violence when theres the discussion on religion of course you have to be guarded you have to be careful he said
but from his earliest conversations with mr rogen and mr goldberg mr cooper said their adventurousness and enthusiasm for the source material was infectious
it was like these animated children with beards explaining god and the world mr cooper said what is going on who are these people what am i about to get myself involved in i could feel myself slipping from the clutches of reality   i was already stuck and there was nothing i could do
over time mr rogen and mr goldberg said the more transgressive content that the preacher comic book became known for would make its way into the series
i think it will all come mr rogen said
if it didnt mr goldberg said as fanboys wed be furious with ourselves
joel stillerman amcs president for original programming and production said his only concern with preacher was making 10 great hours of tv for season 1 and i think were well on our way to doing that
pointing to the networks success with challenging and often violent shows like breaking bad and the walking dead mr stillerman said that with preacher there were ways to stay true to the essence of it while succeeding on the mission that we all have to tell the story and do it in a way that is as entertaining and broadly appealing as possible
so far mr rogen and mr goldberg said when creative disagreements with amc have arisen they have fought for their devotion to the comics and have persuaded the network to keep the faith
weve seen both head scratching and vehement opposition mr rogen said but we just talk to them its not like its insurmountable
mr goldberg added we have a running thing which is if its part of the story and its a good story we just go for it


birmingham england   if not for the trifling matter of britain potentially abandoning the european union rowan crozier figures the factory he oversees would already be clattering away with extra urgency men and women in blue coveralls would be busy patrolling the concrete floor monitoring molded hunks of steel that stamp loops of metal into electronics parts a new order would be destined for a major customer
mr crozier 41 is the chief executive of brandauer a small manufacturer in a gritty suburb of birmingham 125 miles northwest of london started 154 years ago as a maker of nibs for pens his factory these days makes components that land in a range of everyday items including cars and teakettles
last year a prominent american brand approached brandauer about supplying parts for a new product it planned to assemble at a factory in germany the deal appeared in hand then the americans began asking about the referendum a june 23 vote on whether britain should remain part of the european union
not since the fall of the berlin wall has europe confronted such a profound question about its future course the vote throws open elemental questions about the lines of regional power and the spirit of collective interest that has prevailed since the end of world war ii the war yielded an understanding that people would feel less inclined to murder their neighbors if their livelihoods were dependent on trading goods with one another
that idea brought the european union into being and propelled its expansion even as bitter differences emerged over its mission was it an economic confederation or a political creation that required central authority if britain leaves it could presage the disintegration of the european project
that britain is even contemplating an exit speaks to the ferment shaping politics in much of the world as people grapple with the effects of globalization automation and immigration   forces that present opportunities and pressures alike changing the look and feel of communities with the vote britain is determining its place in the world yet an argument over british identity is masquerading as an economic debate
if britain opts for a so called brexit   and polls show the electorate roughly split down the middle   that would set up the mother of all divorces british leaders would commence negotiating with the european union on the particulars of a separation agreement should they fail to strike a deal within two years british exporters could confront tariffs slapped on the goods and services they are now able to sell duty free in the 27 other countries that make up the european unions vast shared market
what would happen to exchange rates to the free movement of labor would brandauer be able to ship its components to the factory in germany without paying duties
with the knowns trumped by a proliferating set of unknowns brandauers american customer held off its order mr crozier expects to hear nothing until after voters deliver their verdict determining whether britain is to remain a central player in the largest unified market on earth or instead revert to an island separate from the troubled continent across the channel
its just this uncertainty mr crozier said honestly i think this is crazy its a big step back for the uk if we do actually step away
those campaigning for britain to depart the european union tend to dismiss such laments as the cost of liberation from an institution troubled by malaise political dysfunction and unrelenting bureaucracy in their telling brussels the headquarters of the european union is a land of pencil pushing killjoys who awake every morning eager to find new ways to strangle business with inscrutable directives writing nonsensical rules that standardize everything from the length of the workweek to the acceptable shape of bananas ditch all that they say and flush times will follow
but the terms of the discussion have veered into misleading terrain colored by talk of money   jobs to be gained or lost investments secured or imperiled what the pro brexit crowd really wants more than anything is the authority to limit the numbers of immigrants reaching their shores which is beyond reach so long as britain remains in the european union
this is an aspiration fueled by talk of polish plumbers pressing down wages would be terrorists crossing porous borders and the maddening impossibility of buying a flat in an era in which sons and daughters of london must compete with the offspring of russian oligarchs and saudi royalty in the brexit campaign the public has found an expression for those fears frustrations and desires
the problem is that brexit proponents are trying to sell an emotionally gratifying movement as economically virtuous one could wallpaper buckingham palace with the pages of recently released reports   from the international monetary fund the organization for economic cooperation and development and a half dozen academic institutions   concluding that a brexit would diminish the british economy it would put trade at risk they say it would sow unease across europe
the british treasury explored a range of trade arrangements the government might forge with europe post brexit and concluded it could lop some 62 percent off the gross domestic product by 2030 leaving the average household worse off by about 4300 pounds a year about 6240 the governor of the bank of england mark carney said that leaving the european union could swiftly send britain into a recession
it is absolutely clear we would incur significant economic costs if we left the european union said paul johnson director of the institute for fiscal studies an independent research institution in london free trade with the eu is worth quite a lot and foreign direct investment would be impeded all of the serious economic models show that
though the european union has no shortage of economic afflictions it also absorbs 44 percent of british exports a flow of trade linked to some 33 million british jobs its inclusion in the european unions vast single market is a primary reason multinational companies have in recent years expanded operations in britain from that perch they can sell goods and services from scotland to romania   an area holding more than 500 million people it is part of the reason london has grown into a financial center whose importance rivals new york
the brexit camp insists that an independent britain would somehow wind up richer
the suggestion that the worlds going to stop and trades going to stop is complete scaremongering said richard tice a property magnate and a co founder of the leave campaign once freed of the stultifying straits of brussels he added britain could expand trade with faster growing parts of the globe like china india and the united states
even mr tice acknowledged that the economy could be in for a bit of bumping and boring in the years after a brexit but he prefers to focus on more pleasing aspects
lifes not just about money said mr tice whose firm manages a hoard of real estate worth in excess of 750 million its about the quality of life the quality of public services the density of your population and looking after your own people first
in that regard a brexit collides directly with the collectivist notion that has propelled european integration for seven decades
brandauer and its exports are the fruit of this project during world war ii the factory supplied parts for british fighter planes as the germans bombed the city these days brandauer sends its wares to trade shows in germany the rebuilt city streets are full of german made luxury cars
history is history sniffed mr tice all you can do something about is the future and the eu in its current form is no longer fit for purpose
spend a little time with mr tice and you come away with the impression that whatever comes next   whether britain remains exits or perhaps even runs off to join tanzania   he will be all right brash and imposing he filled out a double breasted blue suit accented with a shiny red necktie as he occupied a bench above the lobby of the upscale may fair hotel two bedroom suite 4300 a night in london its like an extension of my office he said as women with extravagant hairstyles showed off handbags brought home from weekends in paris and waiters raced fearfully bearing trays laden with champagne a red maserati was parked in front of the entrance
the eu is stagnating he said its got unbelievable devastating levels of unemployment theres no growth there
but finding economists who say they believe that a brexit will spur the british economy is like looking for a doctor who thinks forswearing vegetables is the key to a long life
the pro brexit argument that britain will be free of lots of regulations that there will be a bonfire of red tape that will cause us to grow rapidly and well strike lots of new trade deals as this buccaneering new england   theres just no credible scenario to any of that said john van reenen director of the center for economic performance at the london school of economics there arent anything like the game changing propositions that the pro brexit camp is putting forward
a brexit vote would put into play britains access to the european market if no deal were struck within two years trade between britain and the continent could be governed by the terms of the world trade organization under its rules member nations have the authority to impose potentially steep tariffs on imports   an average of 9 percent when no preferential trade deal is in force according to the british treasury the british government could impose tariffs on imported wares lifting prices for consumers and businesses alike
that this has merely entered the realm of possibility is already having an effect in londons canary wharf district a once thriving port revamped as high rise office towers serving as headquarters for multinational banks many worry that a brexit could cost jobs
the european central bank in recent years has sought to shift trading of securities priced in euros to countries that actually use the currency a clear swipe at britain where the pound remains last year the european general court handed britain a victory in a lawsuit brought by the government so called clearing of euro denominated trades was permissible anywhere in the european union
if britain leaves european governments are likely to make another run at moving this lucrative business to their shores and financial firms could shift foreign exchange operations and investment banking to the continent executives at global banking giants such as hsbc and goldman sachs have already suggested that a brexit would prompt them to move jobs
the minute the uk is no longer part of the eu there is zero chance that london remains the center for euro denominated transactions said jacob kirkegaard a senior fellow at the peterson institute for international economics in washington london will become a much smaller more regional financial center
in the northeast of england the city of sunderland worries that it too could be a casualty in the mid 1980s at a time of fears about japans rise sunderland secured a victory nissan set up a factory there over the years the plant expanded selling cars across europe in a city of 277000 people the nissan plant now employs some 7500
but with the brexit vote the nissan factory could become a lesson in the pitfalls of redrawing the map nissan has been weighing sunderland against other plants in france and spain as it seeks a place to develop a new version of a popular sport utility vehicle if sunderland is not in the union that could increase the cost of imported parts while making its finished vehicles more expensive in european markets
our preference as a business is of course that the uk stays within europe   it makes the most sense for jobs trade and costs carlos ghosn nissans chairman and chief executive said in a written statement a position of stability is more positive than a collection of unknowns
not for nothing is birmingham sometimes referred to as the detroit of england a centerpiece of the industrial revolution it rose to formidable heights as an automaker before manufacturing shifted to lower wage countries and automation replaced working hands
when mg rover an archetypal british brand closed a major factory here in 2005 the pain spread through the local supply chain but the mg plant was recently bought and revived by saic motor a shanghai based carmaker what had been a grubby and forlorn downtown now has a glittering new train station with high speed rail connections to london and a selfridges  company department store which occupies an architectural trophy that looks something like a steel plated armadillo
as the brexit referendum approaches the politics of identity are colliding with the economics of global trade
for brandauer the vote delayed the order from the american electronics company a deal worth about 1 million mr crozier the brandauer chief had flown to california to meet with executives a handshake deal had been secured then the procurement director in the united states began asking about the implications of a brexit the director was weighing brandauer against competing suppliers in germany
ive spent the last 12 months building that relationship mr crozier grumbled
mr crozier has delayed replacing aging machinery spreading the grip of commercial purgatory were just going to sit back and wait he said
he worries that a brexit will bring limits on immigration making it difficult for him to hire people with needed skills many of brandauers parts are tiny a tenth the width of a human hair so every detail counts in designing the tools brandauer recently turned to romania for a product engineer
downtown at the post office vaults pub a pleasingly musty dark room the bartender jess milton 24 tended to 360 varieties of bottled beer many of them from belgium those bottles get here duty free what if britain goes back to being an island
i think our business would completely fail she said
a customer cradling a pint heard these words and flashed a look of disgust richard plumb 59 manages leases for the british medical system he has watched immigration refashion his community and he seethes blaming brussels
we dont have control over what happens to our country he said we cant get rid of undesirables eu regulations prevent all manner of things
what about trade economic growth and jobs mr plumb said brexit fears were overblown and if there is a price to be paid abandoning europe will be worth it
its about being our own sovereign nation again mr plumb said it would make the country feel better its a feeling


in jackson heights queens a revolution in the world of co ops has been won
at the end of a pitched battle that lasted nearly a decade residents of the hawthorne court a 14 building apartment complex with an expansive landscaped backyard can now walk on the grass
the 140 unit co op was one of the last holdouts among a distinctive group of residences in this historic district of north central queens to lift its grass walking ban while the controversy was ostensibly about landscaping it illustrates how changing demographics can create rifts in co ops where a new generation of buyers with different values challenges longstanding conventions elsewhere the tension may be defined by a push to hire a doorman or build a gym or a childrens playroom but in jackson heights the focus has been on the classic open spaces of these co ops known as garden apartments
these apartment buildings were designed starting in the early 20th century by the queensboro corporation with buildings that surround blocklong interior green spaces many will be opened to the public on june 11 as part of a historic weekend
for years many of the co ops mandated that the backyard be reserved for quiet contemplation reading a book or strolling the grounds was allowed so long as residents kept off the grass and stuck to designated walkways and benches the lawn was not to be disturbed
but over the last decade a new wave of buyers moved into jackson heights often paying significantly more than those who came before them and bringing different ideas about how the gardens should be used in one camp were the longtime residents who wished to preserve the tranquil nature of the gardens in the other were the newcomers primarily families with young children who wanted to roll out picnic blankets and let their children run on the grass heated discussions of whether the latter should be permitted transpired and rules were eventually loosened
nowhere was the feud more intense than at the hawthorne court on 76th and 77th streets between 35th and 37th avenues where co op board meetings were called factions formed and a culture clash erupted
this became a real inflammatory issue said mike lieber 70 a film producer and former cultural anthropologist who arrived at the hawthorne court in 2000 and remains neutral on the grass debate from my point of view it all seemed a lot of silliness and should have been gotten out of the way with much less effort but thats not human nature
it all began in the spring of 2007 when a group of new arrivals made a concerted push to loosen the rules in the garden a lush swath of greenery with pathways landscaping and a circle with benches at its center a proposal to lift the grass walking ban was taken to the hawthorne court council a body of representatives from each of the 14 buildings that surround the garden for a vote
arguments against opening up the lawn ranged from liability concerns to declarations that the grass was too delicate to withstand people that was probably a red herring from the beginning said debby silverfine 63 the secretary of the hawthorne court council who moved to the co op in 1986 it was more about people living in a noisy city and wanting a quiet respite
those in favor of changing the rules maintained that the lawn would be fine and that children were more prone to injury on the paved pathways
the measure did not pass
that year adam koplan and nicole citron who were expecting their first child bought a three bedroom in the hawthorne court with the idea that they would soon be having picnics in the garden real estate agents were kind of making promises that no matter what the stated policy was of the building at that moment by the time we had our kid for sure theyd be able to play in the garden said mr koplan 43 the artistic director for the flying carpet theater company who is now planning to move with his family to atlanta for unrelated reasons
but when their elder daughter nina was born the following spring the rules were still firmly in place increasingly the idea of keeping their child off the grass in their own backyard seemed absurd having been picked up each time she wandered off the paved walkways inside the co op garden nina who is now 8 developed an aversion to grass for the first couple of years she would look at me for clearance to make sure it was ok said mr koplan describing the quizzical look she would give her parents when she came across a patch of grass outside the co op it was like she internalized the struggle
as the under 5 year old set at the hawthorne court increased in number a committee was formed to review and advise on lawn access in 2009 a survey of residents was conducted and a proposal was carefully drafted to institute a trial period during the summer of 2010 in which residents could gently use the lawn on thursday and friday evenings even that move was defeated grass protectionists argued that limited lawn access for special events like a community barbecue and easter egg hunt was good enough
at that point there was a real souring amongst the young family types mr koplan said the point of view was if theyre not going to be reasonable and negotiate at all to what extent do we even need to listen to this
but given human nature barbecues which were sanctioned in paved areas behind apartment houses began to spill out onto the grass children were occasionally spotted darting across the lawn
i rolled out a yoga mat on the grass right next to the sidewalk said ms citron 43 who works in pharmaceutical market research an outraged older resident sent an email to the co op president the upside to that was i was referenced in the letter as some teenager  she said
the situation got a bit acrimonious said meg fry 48 who moved to the hawthorne court in 2005 with her husband mike novak and 1 year old son david now 12 i think there was also sort of an air of entitlement by some of the younger families at times she said not excluding herself these apartments were getting more and more expensive and sometimes when you spend that much on an apartment when you move in you want everything your way
it didnt help that nearby garden co ops including the linden court the laburnum court and the greystones were doing away with similar rules of their own
diana delgrosso who has lived at the greystones since 1981 and is a self described old timer at age 82 was among the contingent opposed to greater lawn access our philosophy is completely different from the new young people moving in and it sometimes causes a little rift she said noting that noise levels and trash accumulation were among her concerns
but since the greystones opened up its lawn in 2012 she has come around to the idea im ok with it so long as theyre civilized she said noting that the noise level sometimes gets out of hand especially when childrens birthday parties are held on the lawn when theyre screaming i yell out of the window stop screaming  she added with a laugh
friction is a given in co op living where residents buy shares in a corporation for a proprietary lease in the building and expect to have a certain amount of say in how it is run anytime you have shared space or common areas there is the potential for proverbial sparks to fly said barry weidenbaum a new york real estate lawyer for many years co op and condo smoking policies were the hot topic
enforcement of house rules can also be tricky
for example at the chateau a nearby 12 building garden co op with yard rules that date to the early 1920s a grass walking ban is still in effect according to larry papa a 21 year resident and a co op representative if im around and see someone on the lawn children running around or whatever i remind them hey guys youre not supposed to be on the lawn 
after years of debate at the hawthorne court so many people were flagrantly stepping on the grass that many board members felt enforcement of a ban had become futile last spring in an effort to promote harmonious living said mary reddy the president of the hawthorne court council a group of residents was rounded up to come up with some rules that would be agreeable to all ball playing frisbee throwing and bike riding are still not permitted nor are pets allowed but residents are welcome to run walk or socialize on the grass as long as they are respectful courteous and neighborly according to the new rules which were passed by a majority vote
there were some that were unhappy with it ms reddy said but i think theyve kind of fallen in and gotten to like it
last month on a warm spring evening nina koplan the little girl who once had an aversion to grass glanced out the window and saw one of her friends out on the lawn though she still asked permission from her parent to run out and play this time she didnt hesitate to run right across the grass


even before two deeply unpleasant days in her madrid hotel room lucie safarova last years surprise french open finalist had had enough
there had been a powerful bacterial infection followed by a debilitating condition that was slow to be diagnosed and turned out to be reactive arthritis there had been weeks in a czech hospital bed months without running much less hitting a tennis ball
when safarova made it back to the wta tour where she had only recently become a main attraction there were five consecutive opening round losses in singles the first four in straight sets
relief finally arrived in her home country the czech republic where she swept to the title in prague on april 30 and was showered in confetti on the court before boarding a flight for madrid
very special and very emotional she said in an interview last week
but instead of basking in the afterglow and enjoying the madrid open safarova ended up with food poisoning she suffered in her hotel for two days after her first round victory over coco vandeweghe and was forced to withdraw
safarova however sweet natured and newly philosophical had really had enough
im like ok well this is the last thing she said i was like now i come back and you give me food poisoning i have to be super lucky the entire rest of the year you owe me
safarova was laughing as she described her latest painful memory and laughter has served her well in the last two years   both in boom times with her impish and unconventional canadian coach rob steckley and during the unexpectedly big dips that have followed
the trouble began in august at the tournament in new haven conn where she reached the final but tore an abdominal muscle which contributed to her first round defeat at the united states open after a vacation with her boyfriend on the greek island of corfu she returned to the czech republic and was soon hospitalized with a bacterial infection
she returned to the tour in october in a push to reach her first wta tour finals she managed it but the quest affected her now fragile health
while doctors in the czech republic tried to pinpoint the source of her acute joint pain and inflammation she had to cancel a florida training camp with steckley and withdraw from the australian open she did not return to the tour until late february after recovering from a left wrist injury that also had developed
i had a long career she said and finally im figuring everything out doing so well and being at my best feeling like yeah im finally enjoying the moment and then this comes like out of nowhere and then you are just wondering why
reactive arthritis is set off by an infection and though safarova now must monitor her immune system and tournament schedule in order to reduce the risk of a relapse she said she was back to normal training and had recovered most of her endurance she is now on a gluten free and lactose free diet
just to really detox my body from all the medicine ive had to take in the last half year she said and so far i have to say that ive felt really really good on the court after changing it so i might maintain it even if the idea was just to do it for a month or so i feel still energized its just hard especially in italy all the good pasta and mozzarella just looking at it and crying
in an interview earlier this year steckley said they should have paid more attention to warning signs that safarova was getting worn down last year
any of these types of symptoms have to be dealt with immediately no matter where you are he said if youre being fatigued too quickly or not recovering properly you cant just put it down to diet or dehydration it could be something that is forming like it had been with lucie throughout the year
she took advantage of her forced layoff by working on her new house in brno spending time with her family and friends and reading robin sharmas self help hit the monk who sold his ferrari
but there is no escaping that at 29 she has lost time and momentum in a sport in which disorder continues to reign behind top ranked serena williams a champion who has bounced back from plenty of adversity of her own
that includes last years french open where williams fought through the flu and wildly fluctuating form to win the title holding off safarova in a final that started out as one way traffic and turned into something closer to the arc de triomphe roundabout at rush hour
safarova seemingly on her way to straightforward defeat rallied with help from an edgy williams then up two games to none safarova took a 30 0 lead in the third game of the third set before williams clawed and cursed her way back in front to win 6 3 6 7 2 6 2
honestly serena stepped up and played a couple really good games and just pressured me so much safarova said maybe if i would be back there again what i would do different is just take more risk even though i would maybe do mistakes i would just take the risk because she was anyway so strong that just keeping the ball in play wouldnt be the solution
safarovas ability to swing more freely on the big points and returns was a key to her surge in 2015 along with her improved fitness and her left handed serve which is a lot nastier than her personality
she is one of those really genuine girls that she could have just had the worst loss in her career and if you had something going on in your life that you needed to talk to her about she would take the time to sit down said bethanie mattek sands her regular doubles partner
their pairing   with the hashtag teambucie   has been a major success with grand slam titles last year at the australian open and the french open and another significant tour title in miami this year they intend to play at roland garros and at wimbledon
steckley a driving and creative force behind safarovas 2015 success and her eventual return to the tour this year will miss the french open citing his own health concerns and personal reasons he declined to elaborate on
its sad he wont be in paris but i hope he will be back after that safarova said
steckley indicated that he intended to continue coaching safarova but his absence from roland garros will make it harder for her to recapture the buoyant spirit of her selfie infused run that included victories over maria sharapova garbine muguruza and ana ivanovic
but i think theyre in touch almost every day so its not too far off said mattek sands who is also close to steckley hes just not going to be here in person and well miss him but he has his priorities in life too and i think we all understand it
safarova back at no 13 in the rankings with a daunting bundle of points to defend at roland garros said her own priorities and perspective had shifted too
right now honestly everybody is asking me do you feel pressure about going into the french open and everything she said and you know what im just really happy i can play


three years ago my husband and i broke up after two decades of marriage
our path since has been so gentle that we have been the cause of confusion and gossip in our little colorado mountain town both of our cars are often in the driveway meals are frequently eaten together and logistics make it easier for us adults to switch houses rather than our children doing so
neighbors sometimes cant tell the difference from before the split and after and need to be assured when they run into me at the post office yes a breakup has indeed occurred
by now my response has become a well rehearsed murmur we like each other and always have we are conflict averse quiet people no one was at fault the relationship in my opinion at least had just run its natural course
i remind them that breakups have a new paradigm they dont have to be hostile and hate filled they can be mindful respectful humanity has evolved
also i tell them were thinking about our children not only for the usual reasons of keeping them foremost in our minds during difficult times but because in recent years they have already been traumatized by things beyond their control evacuated for wildfires cut off by historic flooding and exposed to loss and devastation
the neighbors nod knowing all too well the various natural disasters our area has endured those sirens and helicopters and newscasts still seem to blare loudly in our ears   another reason for us to go quietly about the dissolution of our marriage
i smile at these neighbors and wave as they get into their cars i do not speak about the sting of all this
i dont tell them how i recently sank to my knees and laughed in half sorrow half relief only because of this my marriage had long ago turned into the cliche of roommate ness and that it could suffer such a change without any emotional upheaval was revealing in fact the silence said it all
the words i dont say to my neighbors the words that get held on my tongue are i wish you had heard a fight i wish our voices had been loud enough to carry across the valley he and i may have free speech but were not so good at frank speech
shakespeare had it right my tongue will tell the anger of my heart or else my heart concealing it will break i never spoke of the anger in my heart the mounting resentments and hurts and neither did he i never demanded attention or care and neither did he and thats why we broke
what hurts most is not the loss of the marriage what hurts most is that our relationship had never evidently been the kind worth raising ones voice about
but im getting louder now i watch couples all the time   in movies in novels and in real life   paying attention to the way they have conflict i lean over in restaurants i sit on a bench near the river where two people are talking my favorite overheard conversations include lines like really thats all youre going to say
or thats not enough for me
or thats just not so honey
dialogue basically that pushes
i want to hug such couples tell them to keep it up
the last time i tried to do that conversational push with my husband i failed and thus it was also the moment i decided to leave him
it was an ordinary day the house was quiet and i was reading on the couch he was reading a magazine while standing in the kitchen
he always did that happy to stand after a long day of sitting in meetings and i suddenly realized it had been a decade since he and i had sat on the same couch at the same time perhaps we had sat together for a moment while one of us tied shoes or to discuss a calendar but to actually watch a movie talk have sex fight raise our voices
a roaring anger flew into my body and i wanted to push him with words why hadnt he ever learned to sit on the couch with me why hadnt i ever asked him to but most important why hadnt we had a big damn fight about it
after therapy we had made no progress in solving our differences in how we experienced or received love we had identified them or at least i had he disliked touching or snuggling i did not he wanted to stay at home on evenings and weekends i wanted to go out he disliked the sensation of two bodies being in proximity i did not
all these differences expanded over the years as we became our truer selves quietly sometimes i would open my mouth to say something about our growing distance probably he did too
but no my mind would run through the list of reasons to keep quiet i would come across as unreasonable nagging or needy he was tired the children were in the house they should not hear us fighting
on the couch that day i watched him flip through the pages of his magazine he glanced up met my eyes and went back to reading i let out a quiet sigh i watched my breath expel the anger from my body let any fight i had left in me dissipate
i could nearly see my exhaled stew of emotions it looked like glitter floating around drifting to the floor i wasnt high but i felt like it the patterns in the sunlight suddenly struck me as the most painfully beautiful things i had ever seen silent sparkles swirling around making a decision
a few days later i got the words out i was leaving while our friendship had sustained us for 20 years and we were both the better for it i wanted more i was sure we could manage the coming split with respect and dignity i was sure we could guide our children through it with love and devotion
he sat on the couch with me as i told him my voice shook with the words i was trying to say   speaking my mind felt awkward and new   but i got them out i looked at him and awaited a response
are you sure he said
i nodded i waited i was not sure i was waiting for his big reaction or mine i was waiting to see how this discussion would go
it went as always quietly reasonably without obvious anger or raised voices
it has been quiet ever since we are simply not capable of sound and fury ive decided
i sometimes wonder if our inability to strike out is heartbreakingly rooted in our love for one another because we did and do love each other and we both had been so injured by our violent and loud childhoods that we found refuge and joy in the quiet
but that kind of love often doesnt survive life and in the end our silence was less about respect or affection or love than it was about cowardice he and i were equal partners in that turning inward instead of speaking out
so we have gently floated on the children stay put in the same house and he and i amicably rotate back and forth the mountains have greened up again there hasnt been a major fire in years
my current boyfriend loves banter he chats all the time about ideas movies songs his day bad drivers and the fact that he loves the look of horses standing in a field he grows annoyed when i dont push him back with words or ideas thats what conversation is for he argues
i laugh and engage we also have big complicated disagreements i am no longer interested in silence
i sometimes laugh to myself when i hear someone say im a drama free gal i know what she means and i appreciate peaceable ways but something about that phrase also breaks my heart
my ex and i still take walks to catch up on things to discuss logistical or parental matters on these walks i sometimes start a conversation of substance just to see if we can do it better we cant we retreat swiftly to talk of holidays and events and plans thanksgiving our daughters violin concert the meeting at the town hall
on these walks the neighbors will sometimes stop us to ask cautious questions our demeanor is so calm and quiet they must feel a need to have us once again confirm our split they will congratulate us on a separation so well done
and i will nod in silence


in new york city real estate one of the rarest amenities is a lawn to stretch out on thats why a growing number of luxury buildings are adding elaborate park like settings   think birch trees grassy expanses and landscaped walkways   to the list of residents only perks intended to attract buyers and renters call it gramercy park for the high rise set below a look at some of the outdoor spaces opening this spring
address 200 east 94th street
developer related companies
this 31 story condominium has a half acre private park with an outdoor playground there is also a paved outdoor terrace for lounging and sunbathing connected to the buildings three lane indoor swimming pool
address 10 city point brooklyn
developer the brodsky organization
a 10000 square foot terrace on the 18th floor of this 439 unit rental in downtown brooklyn will have flowering trees a central lawn framed by raised planters and a pergola with flowering vines designed by weintraub diaz landscape architecture the outdoor space will also have ornamental and native grasses and a vegetable and herb garden
address 40 26 college point boulevard queens
developer onex real estate partners
six acres of landscaped park atop the shops at skyview center in flushing queens will feature a basketball court running track tennis courts playground dog run putting green and more than 100 trees and from the fountains to the paving it was all designed with feng shui principles in mind to promote positive energy the outside space is shared with residents of sky view parc
address 155 west 11th street
developer the rudin family and global holdings
at the center of this nearly block long condominium complex at the site of the former st vincents hospital campus in greenwich village is a 14000 square foot garden designed by rick parisi of m paul friedberg  partners in the style of an english estate features include a formal garden with a reflecting pool a birch allee with limestone benches and a sheltered area with a trellised pavilion
address 8 vanderbilt avenue brooklyn
developer dunn development corporation and lm development partners
this collection of 23 townhouses and 98 condominiums across from the brooklyn navy yard is situated around a 30000 square foot central outdoor space with a large lawn a playground gardens and seating areas
address 160 madison avenue
developer jd carlisle development corporation with dlj real estate capital partners and mitsui fudosan america
a 2 million elevated park with trees and flower beds wraps around the fourth floor of this 319 unit rental ducking under a cantilevered section of the building
address 421 hudson street
developer myles j horn with belvedere capital management and angelo gordon  co
the landscaped mews at this west village condominium conversion and townhouse development runs the length of the block from leroy to clarkson streets designed by gunn landscape architecture it includes planting beds green walls and japanese pagoda trees
address 212 warren street battery park city
developer centurion real estate partners and five mile capital partners
river birch honey locust and crepe myrtle trees surround roughly 1000 square feet of sod on the 18th floor roof terrace of this 168 unit condominium the green space overlooks the hudson river and is equipped with cabanas and gas grills


as the memory of high school may cast a lingering shadow on later lives so a brighter summer day edward yangs magisterial four hour drama of taipei teenagers looms over the landscape of taiwanese cinema american recognition has been slower completed in 1991 but released in the united states 20 years later the film is now out on disc from criterion
a universal tale of wayward adolescence is woven into complex context taiwan a liberated japanese colony with a large native chinese population was ruled from 1949 on by newly arrived chinese nationalists backed by the american military a brighter summer day depicts but does not directly explicate the political situation rather than working its way through a neatly predigested story line it plunges the audience into a vast social fresco the british critic tony rayns one of the movies first western admirers wrote in 1993
along with his contemporary hou hsiao hsien mr yang 1947 2007 helped usher taiwanese cinema onto the world stage mr yang was also the new cinema movements most cosmopolitan member   born in shanghai raised in taipei and trained as an engineer at the university of florida early films like taipei story 1985 and the terrorizer 1986 are laconic depictions of taiwans disaffected urban elite a brighter summer day on which mr yang worked for three years   one of which he said was devoted to rehearsing his casts 60 young members   is more ambitious and personal
a city of sadness 1989 mr hous intimate yet panoramic treatment of taiwans turbulent cold war history provided a template for mr yang while not strictly autobiographical a brighter summer day drew on his own experiences set in 1960 it is based on a juvenile homicide that occurred at mr yangs school when he was 13 in an interview published in 2005 mr yang called making the movie a kind of responsibility that i had to take on
a brighter summer day is largely focused on high school turf wars and imported elvis worship the title refers to a misheard lyric from the elvis presley hit are you lonesome tonight but it is also a family drama that evokes taiwans prolonged period of martial law the protagonist sir a bright impulsive 14 year old is enrolled in a secondary school where the uniforms and regimentation provide an unforced parallel to military rule
originally on the fringes of a local gang sir is drawn into its power struggles including an emotional vortex around the murdered gang leaders girlfriend ming the title notwithstanding much of the films action takes place at night or is otherwise obscured reinforcing the sense of a clandestine youth culture coursing beneath the frozen surface of a mobilized society
seeing a brighter summer day in the early 1990s as part of a touring package of taiwanese films i was impressed by mr yangs synthesis of detached european art cinema and florid hollywood youth films familiar yet exotic his movie seemed a michelangelo antonioni version of west side story or a wim wenders remake of rebel without a cause with the added frisson of pop ballads by frankie avalon and ricky nelson performed by taiwanese singers in phonetic english
to revisit the movie is to appreciate the precision of mr yangs period details and novelistic touches an outsize flashlight stolen by sir and his friends from a night watchman in one of the movies first scenes reappears throughout to illuminate or not the tangled conflicts the schools proximity to a movie studio allows mr yang to comment both on his film and his characters as historical actors not least when the duplicitous ming is given a screen test
dialogue from rio bravo is heard as well but mr yangs lofty aspiration may be gauged by several references to war and peace a book seen by the movies most romantic character as the western equivalent of the chinese martial arts novels in which he imagines he lives that may have been mr yangs feeling as well interviewed by mr rayns he remarked if someone asked me to make a 300 episode tv series about these people id have had the material to do it
american television hasnt lacked for high school drama but few series are as treasured as freaks and geeks created by paul feig and produced by judd apatow broadcast in 1999 and 2000 but set outside detroit at the dawn of the reagan era the series was canceled by nbc at midseason but revived on cable complete with un telecast episodes and has enjoyed a long afterlife as a critical and fan favorite freaks and geeks the complete series a new blu ray box out from shout factory provides all 18 episodes both in the original broadcast aspect ratio and a superfluous wide screen format
mr feig bridesmaids the coming ghostbusters reboot and mr apatow trainwreck knocked up are now kingpins of hollywood comedy a number of the shows stars including the three main freaks   james franco seth rogen and jason segel   also enjoy great box office visibility but the seriess real star is linda cardellini in her mid 20s when the show was shot she was a more convincing teenager than her co stars some of whom like mr rogen were still in their teens more recently ms cardellini has appeared in amcs mad men and the series bloodline on netflix
if not free of sentimental moralizing freaks and geeks is generally unflinching in its identification with high school outcasts the shows period and something of its attitude is established by the use of joan jetts bad reputation as a theme a geekier alternate might have been the ramones bratty satire of in group exclusivity i dont wanna walk around with you
newly released
dillinger warren oates plays the depression era bank robber john dillinger with ben johnson mr oatess brother in the wild bunch as dillingers nemesis the g man melvin purvis in this 1973 american international production this gleeful fantasia of gangster mayhem as the new york times critic peter schjeldahl described it was written and directed by john milius reissued in a blu raydvd dual edition arrow video
dolemite the rb singer turned raunchy stand up comedian rudy ray moore made his move into cinema playing a two fisted pimp with a stable of karate smart call girls in durville martins 1975 blaxploitation farce writing about the funk revival in the times john leland called dolemite the citizen kane of kung fu pimping movies out on blu ray and dvd vinegar syndrome
in a lonely place perhaps the most evocative hollywood picture made about blacklist era hollywood during blacklist era hollywood nicholas rays 1950 film gris represents the movie industry as a crime scene humphrey bogart stars as a volatile screenwriter suspected of murder mr rays wife gloria grahame estranged from him at the time plays the even tougher and more vulnerable dame who lives next door on blu ray dvd and amazon video criterion
try and get me also known as the sound of fury cyril endfields attack on mob violence with lloyd bridges and frank lovejoy as guilty criminals who fall victim to vigilante justice was one of the last movies mr endfield would make in hollywood before leaving town mr endfield has directed the violent climactic scenes with a great deal of sharp visualization of mass hysteria and heat conveying a grim impression of the nastiness of a mob bosley crowther wrote in his 1951 review for the times blu ray and dvd olive
the whip hand one of the nuttiest and most stylish of cold war thrillers the whip hand released in 1951 was inherited by howard hughes when he took control of rko and had the movie reworked to substitute communist infiltration for a hitlerite conspiracy in an upper midwestern town the distinguished production designer william cameron menzies directed warner archiv


one of the least known sources of modern realism will be honored sunday may 22 in fort worth where the kimbell art museum is opening the brothers le nain painters of seventeenth century france contemporaries of velazquez and georges de la tour the brothers   antoine louis and mathieu   were prominent in paris in the 1630s and 1640s often signing their efforts simply le nain they elevated genre painting with dignified depictions of peasants usually seated motionless in landscapes or plain interiors odd in scale spatial illusion and gravity of mood these images are fittingly painted in a solid workmanlike style and are startlingly prescient of 19th century french artists like courbet and manet collective anonymity has always seemed appropriate to the way the le nain brought painting down to earth but this rare overview of 44 paintings   including less radical religious works   also presents new scholarship regarding which brother did what kimbell art museum fort worth 817 332 8451 kimbellartorg


danny rayburn is dead but hes not buried thats great news for the ben mendelsohn fans who were worried that the most heartbreakingly divisive character on netflixs bloodline would vanish with the florida keys changing tides after his younger brother killed him
season 2 streaming friday may 27 finds danny haunting the rayburns dreams not just those of his protector turned murderer john kyle chandler brazenly campaigning for county sheriff but also their siblings the duplicitous meg linda cardellini recently ascended to a new york law firm and the perpetually buzzed kevin norbert leo butz now the master of his own boatyard and sally sissy spacek the matriarch of this dysfunctional clan is just beginning to fathom what lurks beneath its picture postcard veneer there are new folks in town   dannys secret son nolan owen teague his mother evangeline andrea riseborough and the unsavory ozzy delvecchio john leguizamo   and theyve been telling her things


as the new york philharmonic fires the opening salvos in its new music biennial other ensembles invite listeners to travel back in time with out of the ordinary programs in out of the way places on tuesday may 24 the salon sanctuary series tunnels deep into the past with an evening of pre modern west african chants and dances the liberian born soprano dawn padmore leads a lineup of scholar performers that includes the drummer anicet mundundu the multi instrumentalist kevin nathaniel hylton and the kora player yacouba sissoko an heir to a notable family of storytellers from mali bernie wohl center in manhattan salonsanctuaryorg on thursday midtown concerts offers a refuge from the lunch hour rush as the period instrument string ensemble acronym and the elegant baritone jesse blumberg perform cantatas by the 17th century composer and hymn smith johann rosenmuller chapel of st bartholomews church in manhattan midtownconcertsorg


as the summer action blockbuster season begins the museum of the moving image serves up a reminder of how to navigate the apocalypse with its mad max weekend screening all four helpings of george millers dystopian future in the australian outback
the original mad max 1979 introduced max rockatansky a then unknown mel gibson a highway patrolman bent on revenge after marauding bikers attack his family and refined the car chase as a cinematic genre on an indie budget the road warrior 1981 surpassed the original with its character development and vehicular stunts beyond thunderdome 1985 was a cage fight spectacle with tina turner as aunty entity the matriarch of bartertown and of course fury road 2015 nominated for 10 oscars winning six rebooted the series with a new max   tom hardy   playing backup to the force of nature that is charlize therons imperator furiosa friday may 27 through may 29 astoria queens 718 784 0077 movingimageus


the italians have arrived and theyll just keep dancing for most of this week theyll be seen onstage onscreen and even offering improvised events before shows and during intermissions all this is part of the second annual festival presented by idaco nyc the italian dance connection an organization that seeks to unite dancers from italy with italian dancers working independently in new york or as members of new york companies
the cultural exchange includes works by 17 companies many of them not well known here and four film presentations the schedule also includes four world premieres their themes ranging from the plight of immigrants to tradition as a source of both tension and opportunity 6 pm tuesday may 24 opening reception and performance italian cultural institute manhattan free 730 pm wednesday through friday 530 and 730 pm saturday sheen center sheencenterorg


susana santos silva a young trumpeter from porto portugal is a fearless jazz musician who can determine a context for herself wherever she is she plays with a warm tone and a mute until she wants to recast it for the ensemble and the space shes playing in shes equally comfortable with carefully measured phrases as she is with relaxed free improvisation shes in town as part of the orquestra jazz de matosinhos a big band that works with the jazz guitarist kurt rosenwinkel at the blue note through the week leading up to sunday may 22 and then shes doing a run of small brooklyn gigs with some of the best improvisers in town on monday shes at 65 fen with the bassist pascal niggenkemper and the drummer carlo costa on tuesday at korzo with the bassist thomas morgan and pianist craig taborn on thursday shell play in a duo with the saxophonist ingrid laubrock at manhattan inn and on may 29 shell play in a trio with the pianist kris davis and the violist mat maneri at ibeam susanasantossilvacom


im not that interested in the murders or the innocence and guilt question said ezra edelman the director of o j made in america thats been done
two years ago when mr edelman was asked by connor schell of espn to make a film about o j simpson what inspired him was the proposed five hours hed get to cover his subject
it was the canvas that made me feel better about doing it mr edelman said i was intrigued by the formal challenge of making a five hour movie because i was interested in the 30 years before the murders the city race and identity and the juxtaposition with o js story this is a big american studies paper this touches on everything in our culture i wanted to tell that
o j made in america grew to 7 hours 43 minutes and starting on friday may 20 is playing in two theaters in los angeles and new york making it eligible for academy award consideration it will then be broadcast on television in five parts beginning june 11 on abc and moving to espn the following week the film will be shown in theaters with two breaks said jay jay nesheim an espn spokeswoman she also confirmed that though oscar rules require that documentaries play four times a day in theaters the academy has agreed that the release plan   showing on two screens per theater each day   would be acceptable
at the beginning of production mr edelman had few contemporary reference points for going long other than the signature sweeping documentaries of ken burns and the staircase a 2004 french series about a north carolina novelist accused of killing his wife that is considered to be the primary precursor to the current iteration of doc series it ran over six hours
now mr edelman finds himself if not in a crowd certainly not alone despite a culture of short attention spans long story nonfiction filmmaking has become the rage after the critical and commercial successes of hbos six part 4 hour 45 minute the jinx about robert durst a wealthy scion accused of killing a friend among others and netflixs 10 part 10 hour 7 minute making a murderer about steven avery a wisconsin man accused of a murder after serving 18 years in prison for a wrongful sexual assault conviction
both series were released in 2015 after the equally exalted first season of serial in 2014 the nonfiction multi episodic podcast about the murder of a maryland high school student
there has since been a deluge of single story immersive projects being pitched said josh braun a co president of submarine a film sales and production company but mr braun who is shepherding three documentaries that began as features and have been reconceived as series cautions that most projects dont actually have the requisite material that would sustain a four  or six  or 10 part nonfiction series he says not everything works
the six part missing dial about a young american adventurer who disappeared in costa rica in 2014 is to begin on the national geographic channel on may 22 a documentary series on the 1996 killing of the 6 year old jonbenet ramsey to run on cbs was recently announced coming to netflix this year will be captive an eight part series about hostage negotiators
hbo doesnt have another documentary series on its slate but one or two films being produced might turn into series depending on the facts under examination said sheila nevins the president of hbo documentary films the story tells you the length she said adding that feature length documentaries are still the standard
although lisa nishimura the vice president for original documentary programming at netflix hasnt been flooded by series pitches she conceded that her industry can be trend oriented and estimated that about half of her filmmaker meetings include discussions about the possibility of going to a multi episodic format because netflix is a streaming company we do not have parameters of x number of program hours or traditional restrictions around what needs to fall at a particular time she said we can be completely liberated and we can pass that to our creatives
ms nishimura said that her confidence in the power of multi episodic documentaries dated to the success of the 13 episode binge ready release of netflixs fictional drama series house of cards in 2013 there was no reason to think that wouldnt hold true for nonfiction as well she said
true crime stories lend themselves to the episodic format because they contain a wealth of minutiae much of it in case files that filmmakers can pick over filling hours and providing fodder for audience diy detective work that the internet culture fosters trial twists and turns as well as characters in dire predicaments can propel dramatic narratives toward a verdict
what distinguishes o j made in america from the recent fx dramatization the people v o j simpson as well as the recent crop of true crime docuseries is that it redirects audience attention away from the 1994 murders of ronald l goldman and nicole brown and the subsequent trial in which mr simpson was acquitted the new film doesnt ignore them but adds perspective through frank interviews with among others two jurors and mark fuhrman the former police detective whose record of racist remarks proved damaging to the prosecutions case and a possible explanation is proffered for why those infamous gloves didnt fit still the murders and trial are largely confined to episodes 3 and 4
what o j made in america does first is plumb the depths of racial tensions in both athletics and los angeles during mr simpsons lifetime while examining his childhood in san francisco and evolving racial identity mr simpsons skills on the football field are also amply displayed mr edelman said that espn and mr schell were consistently supportive of his longitudinal slightly elevated take on the material
we approached this the same way we have approached the 30 for 30 series mr schell said referring to the channels award winning series how can we cover this in a way that isnt obvious
as the ground shifts even the nomenclature isnt set should o j made in america be called a multi episodic or docuseries or long form nonfiction there is no agreed upon terminology
i call it a long movie mr edelman says


i am a single 76 year old woman years ago i was diagnosed with cancer and did not expect to live long i began giving away my possessions including my most valuable one a set of silver flatware that i inherited from my mother i was offered 8000 for it but gave it to my best friends daughter instead since then five years have passed and i have not seen the daughter or met her new baby needless to say i am hurt i also need money i live on social security would it be acceptable to ask for the silver back
anne marie new york
no clawing back gifts once given consider them gone still   and theres often a still isnt there   if my mothers best friend told me she was strapped for cash and asked me to consider returning some silverware she had given me years earlier i would return it in a heartbeat or offer to buy it if i were smitten with the silver stuff happens and my mothers bff falls inside the circle of people i want to look out for
but the way you posed the question makes this more complicated you didnt open with need you opened with hurt at the daughters neglect of you i sympathize with your feelings but gifts do not entitle us to mandatory visits that would be a contract for services not a present
before deciding what to do try to untangle the strands do you really need the cash or are you motivated by hurt if the issues are inextricably linked but the need is real say nothing about your feelings when you ask for the silver back your request seems acceptable to me anyway if it springs from financial difficulties not from the daughters behavior and keep in mind she may say no
my girlfriend and i agreed not to see other people i didnt force this on her we discussed it after dating for three months but i just learned that she still uses her online dating account she didnt deny it she said she looks at guys online occasionally but would never actually meet anyone i believe her but i feel as if she tore up the spirit of our agreement should we try to tape it together again
jim g
speaking of office products better to think of your relationship as a rubber band than a taped up sheet of paper as the excellent duo everything but the girl once sang now you can pull a little bit theres a little give and take and love will stretch a little bit but finally its going to break
you and your girlfriend will have a jumbo pack of issues to decide over the course of your relationship glancing at men on dating sites will probably be one of the easier ones so buckle in for lots of talking its good to know early on that you interpret rules broadly while your girlfriend takes a more literal reading as long as you trust each other and keep communicating id say theres plenty of stretch left in the old rubber band but more important how do you two feel
we live in a small town in new hampshire last week i heard that our neighbors college age son had developed a problem with heroin had gone to rehab and has been doing well since he came home no one in the neighbors family said anything to us but you know how small towns are my husband and i see the boy and our lives have been touched by addiction would it be ok if we told him were impressed by his hard work
lynne
i come from a small town too its nice to look out for our neighbors and know that theyre looking out for us but when youre the person being stared at by lots and lots of folks   particularly as a late adolescent and for behavior that may include streaks of shame as well as redemption   small town living can feel like residency under a microscope be friendly and solicitous to the young man without mentioning heroin or rehab let him make that opening move your everyday kindness is plenty for now
i am a college student and keep up with friends from home by social media many of them have been posting about a book exchange promising that if you buy and send one book you will receive 36 in return i did some research and discovered that its a pyramid scheme i dont want them to be tricked but i dont want to embarrass them or sound condescending either thoughts
anonymous
who wants 36 books chosen by strangers post that you were tempted by this offer too putting yourself in the same boat as them but after some research you learned that its a ponzi scheme some pals may feel gullible but thats not on you and youll be saving others from falling into a disappointing trap


the ny phil biennial   the new york philharmonics answer to contemporary art stalwarts like the venice biennale art basel and the frieze fairs   can be hard to get a handle on running this year from may 23 to june 11 the event sprawls from lincoln center to williamsburg brooklyn and includes a wide range of artists and ensembles playing an explosion of new and recent music how do you know what to listen to
well do you like food books the aerial acrobatics of cirque du soleil here critics and reporters for the new york times offer suggestions to link your interests to the offerings that might be just right for you
zachary woolfe
if you relive high school performing triumphs through episodes of glee   or for those whose class notes seem to fall ever farther back in alumni newsletters the film fame   check out the only high school orchestra playing at the biennial michigans interlochen arts academy orchestra which will perform on june 5 at david geffen hall
this ensemble made up of talented students between the ages of 14 and 18 who attend the fine arts boarding school at interlochen will give a concert called young americans featuring new york premieres by jennifer higdon and nico muhly and the world premieres of works by hannah lash and ashley fure two rising composers whom only these players could make seem old the muhly piece so far so good will feature dancers from interlochens dance company in new choreography by christopher williams michael cooper
if you need a quick fix for your craving take the l train to national sawdust in williamsburg brooklyn where the fierce and poised violinist jennifer koh performs bite size solo works written for her by more than 30 composers on may 24 and 31 a bonus the spaces icy chic interior with its textured white walls cut by jagged black lines will keep your design junkie date engaged as he or she contemplates your post concert dinner options in the neighborhood cafe mogador reynard
the short pieces featured on ms kohs program called shared madness are inspired by the fiendishly gymnastic caprices for solo violin by paganini but with composers as diverse as the nationals bryce dessner the jazz pianist and macarthur genius grant recipient vijay iyer and the grandmaster of american minimalism philip glass chances are no two morsels will taste the same corinna da fonseca wollheim
then clearly displays of sheer virtuosity excite you you should check out the technical skills of the brilliant soloists who will be featured in performances of gyorgy ligetis daunting concertos for piano cello and violin on respectively june 3 4 and 5 at the metropolitan museum of art
these concertos present enormous difficulties but its safe to say that the dazzling pianist conor hanick the dynamic young cellist jay campbell who organized this trio of concerts and the formidable violinist pekka kuusisto should dispatch the challenges commandingly alan gilbert the philharmonics music director who spearheaded the development of the biennial and leaves the orchestra next year conducts the lucerne festival alumni ensemble in the ligeti works which share the programs with music by unsuk chin gerard grisey alexandre lunsqui marc andre dalbavie dai fujikura and john zorn
on one level ligeti used these pieces to explore the nature of virtuosity the avant garde musical equivalent of serena williamss slashing serves in the cello concerto 1966 scored for a large chamber ensemble the soloist is like the first among equals an atmospheric mysterious first movement is followed by a fitful squirrely second the violin concerto 1992 unfolds in an episodic teeming rush of colors effects and techniques with echoes of plaintive transylvanian folk song and bouts of pulsing wildness in the piano concerto 1988 ligeti explores polyrhythms and the extremes of the piano from bristling highs to thumping lows mr hanick who played milton babbitts 12 tone second piano concerto at the juilliard school in january is becoming the soloist of choice for such thorny works anthony tommasini
the biennial event that might soothe the college nostalgist in you is an immersion in the faculty and alumni of the yale school of music on may 25 at the greene space in lower manhattan distinguished students of the schools past charles ives and present hilary purrington share the program with works by martin bresnick aaron jay kernis david lang hannah lash and christopher theofanidis who teach there zachary woolfe
if youve ever braved a gallery opening of some unknown artist just for the wine and cheese but walked away pleasantly surprised by the work on display you might check out what the philharmonic is calling play dates select concerts followed by cocktails with the composers and performers
the disadvantage over those boozy gallery openings of yore there will be a cash bar the advantage the plonk is less likely to be headache inducing the last biennial featured special cocktails including the phizzharmonic made of st germain and sparkling wine you can check nyphilorgbiennial for dates which are helpfully marked with a red martini glass icon michael cooper
the elevation isnt quite as airy the air perhaps not quite so clear but you can get a whiff of the rockies in spring when the aspen music festival and schools aspen contemporary ensemble a student septet arrives at the whitney museum of american art on june 8 like the yale school of music concert this one features a mixture of works by alumni thomas kotcheff nina c young and christopher stark and faculty members including stephen hartke and steven stucky who organized the program and was scheduled to conduct it before his death in february timothy weiss takes over conducting duties esa pekka salonens catch and release which the group played in aspen last summer rounds out the evening zachary woolfe
head to the shape shifting national sawdust on june 3 when the string quartet brooklyn rider will celebrate new york citys downtown music scene with a lively program   and drinks afterward
the musicians of downtown new york in the 1970s ignored genre boundaries and instead opted for uninhibited experimentation through collaboration brooklyn rider has continued that tradition albeit as its name implies across the river the members have dabbled in jazz folk and world music and recently released an album with the polymathic singer songwriter gabriel kahane
the biennial program showcases the groups breadth and nerve it will perform john zorns recent composition the alchemist tyondai braxtons arp rec 1 and a world premiere from one of the groups founders the violinist colin jacobsen afterward the composers and musicians will be on hand at national sawdusts bar if you see them buy them a drink andrew r chow
if youre intrigued by all things wilde especially now that rupert everett is playing him in the judas kiss at the brooklyn academy of music try the irish composer gerald barrys opera based on the importance of being earnest it is having its first staged production in the united states from june 2 through 4 at jazz at lincoln centers rose theater
this work   which translates into music the cucumber sandwiches the wit and the formidable lady bracknell played to delicious effect by a bass   is the second installment in the new opera collaboration between the philharmonic and lincoln center following the success last summer of george benjamins written on skin wilde has long intrigued opera composers from richard strauss who had a scandalous success with salome to theodore morrison whose oscar about the great writers final years had its premiere in 2013 at the santa fe opera in new mexico and in 1954 lady windermeres fan was turned into an operetta called after the ball by none other than noel coward michael cooper
for those who like their art award blessed the biennial concludes with a major and belated new york premiere on june 11 the second concerto for orchestra by mr stucky who won the 2005 pulitzer prize in music for the piece
with mr gilbert conducting the philharmonic at david geffen hall the concert also features another work by a major composer who died recently   pierre boulezs seven cello miniature masterpiece messagesquisse a showcase for the orchestras superb cello section   and the american premiere of per norgards symphony no 8 zachary woolfe


right now on broadway audience members can glimpse the behind the scenes frenzy at an elite eatery in the comedy fully committed and a ticket to the musical waitress opens a window onto the lives of workers at a small town diner who find unlikely romance amid the pie making and hash slinging
entertaining hopefully but for actors in these and other shows whats happening onstage may stir up bittersweet memories of earlier lean times when as fresh faced new arrivals in new york their only chance to emote was reciting dinner specials for surly customers at the restaurants where they worked
while waiting for their big break many performers put in time as waiters and at other food service jobs they may not be on broadway yet but they often toil in tantalizing proximity either at restaurants in or near the theater district or as servers at glitzy parties with boldface guests
the gap between where these young actors are and where they want to be can feel huge
so it seemed to keren dukes 27 who plays several roles in the curious incident of the dog in the night time the night she worked as cater waiter at a party for the musical spider man turn off the dark at the foxwoods now the lyric theater
on the guest list bono and the edge of u2 who wrote the score for the show
i was in the theater and it was so exciting she recalled but not actually to be part of it was such heartbreak it didnt help that she dropped a tray of champagne flutes just as the speeches ended
the benefits to a restaurant or food service job are many tips camaraderie with fellow wannabe actors working alongside you and flexible schedules that allow for auditioning and attending classes
it was a sense of community said the actress faith prince 58 recalling the several months she spent toiling as a waitress in 1981 at mchales the now closed bar and hamburger joint in the theater district was a hangout for stagehands and other broadway employees
ms prince most recently in disaster on broadway recalled that it felt like a family reunion when she won the major role of adelaide in a 1992 revival of guys and dolls and entered the theater for her first rehearsal on the set
a bunch of the stagehands were like hey faith faith youre doing good you got a broadway show she said and one goes do you remember me i used to order the cheeseburger and im like yeah yeah joey i remember youre a cheeseburger medium rare
another plus is free food which has helped many a young performer stretch a budget just ask leslie kritzer 38 and currently in the robber bridegroom she worked as a barista and waitress in training in 2000 at a fancy restaurant called atlas which attracted a celebrity clientele
people would order these decadent desserts all the time and not finish ms kritzer said we were a bunch of poor actors and wed bring them back to the kitchen and eat them i especially remember a banana cake souffle i probably ate a dozen or so famous peoples desserts in the half year i worked there   im not ashamed to say
on the other hand while catering a birthday party ms dukes learned the hard way that rules are rules
at the end of the night were all ready to go home and exhausted and i see there are entire platters of food untouched she explained i went to the boss and asked if i could take the food to a shelter like the ones my church has she said no and gave me every rule in the book why they couldnt risk food poisoning she took the platter of sliders or chicken dumplings and she threw it in the trash
i knew they were wasting food and throwing it away but up until then not quite how much i quit i just never went back
mostly though the skills required for service work can be applied to stage careers you learn to keep a smile on your face no matter what said lauryn ciardullo 30 an understudy to jasmine in aladdin
and of course there are the stories   about a huge tip an impossible customer or a celebrity encounter   on which performers can dine out for years
take marc kudisch 49 now playing captain hook in finding neverland when he worked in 1989 as a waiter at broadway bay a long gone seafood restaurant on the upper west side a customer he mistook for an elderly bag lady turned out to be jo van fleet who had won a best supporting actress oscar in 1956 for east of eden
i walked over and said so hows everything jo he said she became a regular of his at lunch always ordering the lobster special and a bottle of champagne and she opened up like a book mr kudisch said i was getting stories from her about ushering on broadway about the actors studio about the director elia kazan she would wander over to other tables and tell people to be nice to me because i was her friend
meet four actors who not so long ago were on the other side of the counter
fiddler on the roof
now perchik in fiddler on the roof
then peddled bottled water and candy at shows pre curtain and during intermission including at the theater where he is now onstage
why he did it its on a theater schedule and i could go to auditions and i got to see the first act of the shows that i worked like chicago billy elliot and phantom of the opera im like a closet phantom fan   the chandelier the overture i loved it still do
will never forget occasionally youd get tips from generous patrons for me it was the older women they liked the way i looked at wednesday matinees i was rolling in it
lesson learned how to deal with difficult people it was a good training ground to build up my body armor and thick skin you definitely need a lot of that in this business
the lion king
now ensemble mufasa understudy in the lion king
then waiter at several restaurants including kitchenette in harlem and catering companies
why he did it i dont have anyone paying my way through new york city so ive always held down multiple jobs
will never forget i got a 100 tip on a 100 check from a tourist once when i worked at angus mcindoe i think that it was more he was hoping for a date than for my customer service
reality check customers can be really demanding once there were these two older women and id already given them their drinks but not taken their food order one just kept yelling frittata frittata frittata over and over again new yorkers arent known for their patience
lesson learned try to remain calm youre in front of 1600 people at the minskoff every night and anything can happen thats the same in the restaurant business
on the town
now between jobs last on broadway as hildy in on the town
then singing waitress at ellens stardust diner a restaurant in the theater district
why she did it i made more money at ellens working four shifts a week than working in the ensemble after taxes and everything when i was on broadway in american idiot
will never forget at least every hour someone would ask can you sing something from wicked
reality check id be singing a beautiful ballad and a customer not even from one of my tables would go can you give me ketchup i need mustard and id be like really
lesson learned how to deal with people same in the theater every time youre in a new show you have 35 different personalities youre going to have to work with on a daily basis and its easier to be gracious and nice to most people
waitress
now dr pomatter the gynecologist love interest in waitress
then waiter at ruby foos now closed
why he did it when i first moved to new york a friend was a bartender there and said i could totally get a job for you suddenly im slinging sushi and dumplings
will never forget if you ever go out to eat on new years eve especially in times square you can rest assured your server is probably matching you drink for drink i certainly was my manager stopped me and said drew are you drinking drinks off your tables and i said absolutely not why would i when i can drink them from the bar for free two days after that i got an acting job and quit
reality check i was the worst waiter my short term memory is not fantastic id have to memorize the menu and know every ingredient it felt like a lot of responsibility at 22 i got by on my charm
lesson learned the ability to talk to anyone about anything at any time as an actor it can inform your ability to improvise and to be present in the moment


before i even got to ask him a question the actor sean hayes jumped in how long have you been doing your job he asked on the phone from los angeles
thirteen years i said
did you ever want to be an actor he inquired
at one point i replied but dreams sometimes get crushed
ok dear he said cheerily lets get started
perhaps mr hayes is full of questions because he is coming to broadway to play the man with all the answers in the return engagement of david javerbaums comedy an act of god starting previews at the booth theater on may 28 a white robed creator inhabits the body of mr hayes parks himself on a chic couch and spends 90 mostly solo minutes   gods got angels people   dishing on everything from caitlyn jenner to the ten commandments jim parsons had the title role in the plays 2015 broadway premiere
mr hayes an illinois native who grew up catholic starred in previous runs with the show in los angeles and san francisco he remains best known as the jaunty gay next door jack mcfarland on nbcs will  grace in the 10 years since it went off the air he has received a tony award nomination for his role in the 2010 revival of promises promises
a subsequent sitcom was quickly canceled but he has built a parallel career as a producer of series like hot in cleveland mr hayes said his coming projects include a new play about the pianist and composer oscar levant and a feature film of the musical avenue q
mr hayes who in 2014 married his longtime partner scott icenogle recently talked about religious belief high school drama and more here are edited excerpts from the conversation
do you believe in god
everybody has a different definition of god when people say do you believe i think they mean the christian god there are a lot of gods so i think they cancel each other out
youre the second gay man to play the role on broadway is there a pattern here
i think thats a coincidence i dont see sexuality
as you take on new projects do you have a hard time shaking jack
i gave up caring about that a long time ago i think one of the worst mistakes an actor can make is run away from the role that made them beloved in the first place that gave them an audience
youre coming back to broadway six years after promises promises why the wait
i wanted to wait to come back to broadway until there was something worth coming back for and to me this show is i know it was done a year ago but i think its important to do it again and now religion is constantly being talked about debated pondered worried about only in art can you really peel the layers away and ask the important questions
how does the material fit your comic style
its very uncanny that david javerbaum wrote in cadences that are familiar to me as i speak and as the person i am the sardonic tone of the piece and the sarcasm and the different colors that make up the god he created in the script seem to be in my wheelhouse
im guessing you were always a theater guy
i always wanted to act i loved comedy growing up being in theater in high school was a wonderful escape from home life it was chaotic my mom raised five kids by herself and she did an amazing job but we parented ourselves i never felt like i could be myself at home there werent any funny people in sports or the spanish club all the really creative witty funny people that made your belly hurt were in the theater program
that feeling never goes away does it
i still feel like im that age im 45


from maine to florida washington state to southern california we are featuring six islands that make for ideal escapes into the past into nature into luxury check back each day this week for more
just outside the golden gate bridge in san francisco bay we followed the footprints of a whale
the footprints were real flat slicks on the surface of the ocean formed when a whales flukes   the two lobes of its tail fin   push up water on a dive seabirds clustered above the same patch of water interested in the fishy breakfast being stirred up there
on this gray drizzly morning three adult humpbacks lazily circled our whale watching vessel and dived down repeatedly to feed in the burbling waters where the bay meets the pacific ocean we had barely begun our trip out to the farallon islands 26 miles west of san francisco but we had plenty of company ten minutes later out in the shipping lane five miles offshore we came upon four more humpbacks a gaggle of inert sea lions sat atop one bobbing green lane buoy watching us go by
san francisco these days doesnt feel so wild to me but then i step off its shores and head out into the bay i think about how stunning it must have been when explorers first arrived at its mouth people commute mindlessly over the golden gate bridge day after day without realizing that whales sea lions seals and harbor porpoises congregate here still venture a little farther out from shore to the farallon islands and you get a sense of what it was like to truly feel wild remote at sea
remoteness isnt that what visiting a speck of land divorced from a larger speck of land is all about
named for the spanish farallon meaning a rocky pillar jutting from the sea the farallones were called the devils teeth by sailors in the 1850s for their ragged profile and treacherous shores the cause of many a shipwreck today the string of four groups of small islands totaling 211 acres is a national wildlife refuge home to the largest colony of nesting seabirds in the contiguous united states five species of marine mammals all breed or haul out here and great white sharks visit regularly to feed on many of them
though officially part of the city and county of san francisco the outcrops are uninhabited except for southeast farallon island where a handful of conservation scientists have a field research station permits to go ashore are rarely granted
although the farallones are closed to the public wildlife viewing boats like the one run by san francisco whale tours can approach them with care our captain that day was joe nazar and our naturalist was steve wood a cheerful biologist who conducts research on marine invertebrates at dominican university of california
a word of warning this is not exactly a pleasure cruise going out to the farallones can be a challenging expedition come dressed for the moon the trip material told us its good advice i dressed for the moon in fleece and rain layers and i was still cold the air temperature topped out at 55 degrees but the wind rain and sea spray from the vessels wake chilled to the bone although the boat has a covered cabin with booth seating that recalls the interior of a cozy diner it is not where you want to be when the boat is ricocheting off eight foot swells on the open ocean about halfway to the islands one young woman came lurching out of the cabin eyes wild she headed for the railing and threw up off the starboard side of the boat
about an hour and a half went by during which the 20 or so other passengers and i stood outside in a hibernating trance eyes fixed on the waves rushing at us from the horizon then a cassins auklet flitted by along the surface of the slate gray sea and i perked up these protected seabirds nest on the farallones we were close
as if to add to the drama on our approach to the fog shrouded islands the rain came in torrents pocking the liquid mercury surface of the sea we arrived at southeast farallon island in time to observe an inflatable zodiac boat filled with cargo being lifted by crane from the water with a few researchers looking on conditions on the rocky shore are too hazardous for a dock so the outer limits an aptly named fishing boat had come on a volunteer mission to deliver provisions that had been handed off to the zodiac there is no fresh water on the island everything has to be brought in for these researchers
mr wood told us that sea lions northern elephant seals tufted puffins and other species had established zones on southeast farallon as we cruised the shoreline we got a closer look at a few of those neighborhoods on one slope was an elephant seal rookery with 500 pound juveniles lolling on the rocks there werent any two ton adult males around that day they can grow to the size of a pickup truck but we could imagine one juvenile can feed a great white shark for up to a month
more than 400 species of birds have been recorded in the farallones we saw double crested cormorants red necked phalaropes and common murres which can dive hundreds of feet underwater to catch fish that day the soundtrack to the islands was the cacophony of thousands of murres roosting together which pretty much drowned out the songs of all other seabirds save for the occasional gull squawk
there are a lot of vagrants out in the farallones mr wood explained that vagrants are technically speaking birds or other animals that dont belong here usually because theyve gotten lost or blown off course the odd sapsucker for example or the one northern gannet that took a wrong turn and has been returning to southeast farallon for four years gannets dont live in the pacific they spend most of their time in the north atlantic we spotted the lone gannets yellow head bobbing as he perched high on a dark granite outcrop exhibiting nesting behaviors his plump white feathered body stood out against the smaller birds according to scientists he is the first known northern gannet in the pacific
the strangest vagrant species of all though was homo sapiens a man wearing a fluorescent pink swim cap   no wet suit despite the 53 degree water   suddenly emerged from a small boat drifting near us and swam off to a buoy on the southeast side of the island he seemed unconcerned about sharks as we watched the swimmer front crawl his way toward shore capt nazar shook his head when i was a kid people used to come and shoot sea lions off that rock from the back of their boats he said now the sea lions are back in force he added and we humans look for other ways to get a rush
later on our way back through the golden gate we had the most intimate encounter yet with the humpbacks who seemed to be performing for us as they rolled and flipped their flukes suddenly an awful smell washed over the boat our marine biologist laughed when he told us that it was nothing more than the stinky baleen breath of a whale
if you go farallon islands whale watching and natural history tours are offered by san francisco whale tours sanfranciscowhaletourscom 99 for six hours on weekends only year round


anybody raised reading comic books has probably wished for two things the immediate arrival of the next issue and serious flesh and blood movies of favorite titles
the first was impossible the other didnt happen for me until x men opened in 2000 after id become an adult halle berry was playing storm who hails from african sorceresses and whose mutant powers include controlling the weather and that should have hit the spot
but i left concerned what did halle berrys halle berryness have to do with storm it was more like ms berry had to fulfill storms terrestrial sensuality i know i know thats acting and act she did but after 16 years and at least four dozen movies im starting to think its something else these conflicts have deepened into a personal crisis my love of comic books is conflicting with my need for movie stars
the truth about ms berry in that movie   and james marsden anna paquin and famke janssen too   became the truth about many actors in most of these movies there are too many people in them for any one actor who isnt hugh jackman to be put to completely satisfying use
right now stars are beating one another silly in captain america civil war its robert downey jr versus chris evans versus scarlett johansson versus paul rudd versus jeremy renner versus don cheadle so it went in the avengers movies a bunch of x men films including apocalypse opening friday may 27 and batman v superman dawn of justice
and i cant say that any of the actors look happy the entire point of civil war is that infighting sucks all the long faced stoicism suggests that this is miserable work and those stars have a lot of company ben affleck michael fassbender and jennifer lawrence all play comic book combatants the way bruce willis moped all over the sixth sense at least he had an excuse the comic book franchise is where traditional movie stardom is going to die
as good as comic book movies have been for making it rain money for the studios   mainly disney warner bros and fox   and as much fun as ive had at some of them the genre has perverted what it means to watch certain actors in movies when the character is more famous than the actor playing it how does anybody develop the trademarks of a star the prerogatives of the comic book are warping the properties of movie stardom one feels at permanent odds with the other
mr evanss stardom for example is almost entirely bound up in superhero work in two lousy fantastic four films from 2005 and 2007 he played johnny storm aka the human torch as if he were a quarterback who just won the heisman he could see beyond the source material and managed to give the part a personality you watched him in those movies and junk like cellular from 2004 and thought hes got something
his prize was captain america a guy whose moral rectitude makes him the punch line of jokes that johnny storm would have made mr evanss primary weapon used to be cocky self surprise he couldnt believe he was him but theres increasingly little room for that sort of lightness in the avengers galaxy the darker the superhero movies get   and theyre invariably aimed at doomsday that new x men movie is subtitled apocalypse which identifies a character but suggests a state of mind   the less necessary a recurring stars magic becomes mr evans cant upend anymore he has to uphold the brand comes first marvel is the star
mr evanss early approach to the movie superhero made a nifty template for fun that mr downey shattered in 2008 playing tony stark in what grew into three iron man movies he made tony a bitchy frontman for a band that didnt yet exist he was making robert downey jr movies but an unintended consequence of his exuberant snark is that he was no longer himself besides the pile of tony stark appearances and two stints as sherlock holmes hes barely been able to do much else and yet by the time he did stinkers like due date and the judge his carbonated sarcasm had curdled into smugness
almost 20 years ago george clooney had to fight off the stink of having been batman the part so terribly tortured michael keaton that for an exorcism he played an actor haunted by his star making superhero role in birdman now batman is the place to be batman also doesnt care who plays him christian bale ben affleck doesnt matter whatever to paraphrase mr keatons incarnation hes still batman
everybody else   or their handlers   wants in too this fall benedict cumberbatch stars in doctor strange with chiwetel ejiofor and tilda swinton in august will smith joins suicide squad with jared leto and viola davis among others batman v superman used up not only mr affleck but also for starters amy adams jesse eisenberg and laurence fishburne youre not watching a movie anymore youre watching a 24 pack of bottled water from costco
the genres success has changed the entire american movie business even movies derived from grimms fairy tales feel like comic book films how else are we to receive the huntsman winters war a gnarly poorly attended sequel to a 2012 hit that brings back charlize theron and chris hemsworth ropes in jessica chastain and poor emily blunt and requires them to swing stuff at one another joylessly well ms theron camps it up but shes missing for more than half the movie
instead of developing new properties to cannibalize for the next 30 years studios are juicing the life out their pre existing intellectual property   jurassic park and star wars some of the chapters in these franchises ive really liked some of them i cant wait to see but i dont need a new ghostbusters a new ghostbusters feels like halloween were in a perpetual state of anti originalism now in which taste is dictated by a totalitarian recommendation algorithm if you liked star wars great youll be getting it for like ever
this is different from the old jerry bruckheimer era when a bunch of dudes would stand around and drive or jailbreak in say con air or the rock the fun came from the onslaught of the casting   it rained famous men casting was the point too of steven soderberghs oceans movies mr clooney brad pitt and matt damon assessed their star pecking order and julia robertss fame became a hilarious heist tool the bliss of the fast and furious series is that its an organic descendant of bruckheimer and a peer to the oceans movies organized around the beachiness of paul walker the slabby charisma of vin diesel and the appeal of anyone else invited to play in the club if youre in these movies youre a star
the endless expansion of these prefab universes has its boons one scene in civil war features three black men   mr cheadle anthony mackie and chadwick boseman   almost talking to one another and not about white people mr boseman has even been promised his own spinoff as the black panther after empire what else in hollywood is doing this much for black actors
but is that enough the superhero movie feels like dead end brand expansion every good young actor vacuumed up by a superhero franchise or a megahit movie series costs us a fresh star persona
the world recently found out that alden ehrenreich is set to become a young han solo his cornpone cowboy movie star was nearly the best thing in the coen brothers hail caesar and he managed to keep up with cate blanchett in blue jasmine hes what they call promising and for now all that promise is about to get locked up in the franchise reincarnation business this isnt to say that mr ehrenreich wont be able do anything else jennifer lawrence has managed to balance four movies as katniss everdeen her x men duties and her work for david o russell but shes an exception mark ruffalo who as the hulk time shares his part with a visual effects department is another and mr hemsworth too but even when hes racing cars or sailing ships for ron howard code hacking for michael mann or being man meat in vacation i hate to say it all i see is thor
mr ehrenreich might have no trouble matching or surpassing mr fords charisma but at the end of the day mr fords shoes are the ones that the studio has decided to resole chris pratt basically did the best of harrison ford in guardians of the galaxy and jurassic world mr pratt knows what hes doing but can he succeed outside of recycled sci fi his sexy aggrieved chauvinist shtick is funny its also someone elses hes a karaoke movie star
secreted away in almost every movie was once a chapter in the myth of its star now the pleasures of evolving chapters are migrating away from the movies perhaps you stopped on a saturday night in february or another in april to watch beyonce successively drown herself on a police cruiser in the video for formation or lead us through the vicissitudes of her marriage in lemonade the hijacking of my evenings seemed obnoxious but these were triumphant interruptions and where else might i have been at that hour oh right the movies
the exciting thing about pop music is that the secrets are open in the last year major artists have been taking risks while giving us what we want beyonces exploring empowerment and scorn rihannas vulnerability and weedy chill kanye wests kaleidoscopic excess adeles thunderous voice gwen stefanis giddiness hurt and command of whoa and hey
last month the singing rapper drake released views a bucket of slow jams that gives his contrition and paranoia an entertaining workout views doesnt achieve artistic greatness but it doesnt have to its as important a record in the scheme of drakes ego as a mission impossible movie is in the scheme of tom cruises burnish that brand baby
the difference is that these are young singers who can appear unmediated they have figured out a way to thrive in a changing industry going right where their audience lives   on the internet and with the advent of the sneak attack album they can give you a happy shock doing it like mr cruise and the great movie stars drake beyonce and their peers understand that stardom is maintained through a tension between remoteness reliability risk drake raps about himself a lot hes conspicuously self consumed but who is drake im buying these records to find out
if youre at the new film money monster theres nothing to find out george clooney and julia roberts are reliably utterly in their comfort zone he plays the oily host of an investment show shes his producer when a disgruntled viewer takes the show hostage and things gets tense i actually found myself exhaling at the sound of ms robertss voice in mr clooneys ear
she has been at this since the late 1980s   smiling cracking up dressing people down and never ever being wrong in films in which the women she plays tend to be mixed up with money shes an automatic version of herself at the movies and unlike mr downey now rarely seems bored with herself money monster which jodie foster directed makes automatic look quaint the movie shouldnt be poignant and yet even accidentally it feels like a postcard from the twilight of what movie stardom once was money monster concedes that the culture is drifting away from movies like this the characters played by mr clooney and ms roberts arent doing romantic comedy theyre making cable tv


the actors who were singing and dancing their way through cherchez la femme the musical in a rehearsal room on great jones street were in street clothes and gymwear the shows co author songwriter and inspiration who kept a close eye on the proceedings was far more dapper when asked august darnell proudly itemized his outfit black and white wingtip shoes dark gray three piece pinstripe suit with pleated pants white shirt vintage necktie pocket handkerchief folded just so and a classic fedora once i discovered this mode of attire i never gave it up mr darnell said
now 65 mr darnell has sported his 1940s look since he played bass in dr buzzards original savannah band whose definitive 1976 hit cherchez la femme merged big band swing with disco the savannah band was led by mr darnells brother stony browder jr mr darnell born thomas darnell browder went on to lead kid creole and the coconuts which found a huge audience in europe in the 1980s with songs like im a wonderful thing baby my male curiosity and annie im not your daddy which all appear in the new musical
both bands danced across time warps and racial categories they were costumed like performers from nightclub revues in black and white movies their songs told stories and their music folded together the retro and the contemporary with multicultural panache
mr darnell had majored in drama at hofstra and went into music he said as a frustrated actor in its heyday kid creole and the coconuts always seemed like a musical waiting to happen now that musical was taking shape to open may 20 at la mama its a double time warp the 2010s looking back on the 1980s looking back on the 1940s
the story is a fictional parallel universe take on mr darnells world using songs from his albums with dialogue written by mr darnell and vivien goldman a longtime music journalist from england who wrote a novelistic history of kid creole and the coconuts indiscreet and who is now a professor at the clive davis institute of recorded music at nyus tisch school
ms goldman was drawn to kid creole because   as mr darnells alias suggests   within the danceable tropical treat songs were also thoughts on a post racial culture and on the paradoxes of masculinity kid creoles music posited manhattan as the northernmost caribbean island drawing on calypso salsa funk rock and show tunes   a reflection he said of childhood in a bronx that was multiethnic but neighborly pressed to place kid creole in a category during the 1980s mr darnell termed it mulatto music
the coconuts as choreographed by mr darnells wife at the time adriana kaegi often sang sassy comeuppances to kid creoles boasts in one song they mocked him as mr softee mr darnell and ms kaegi divorced in 1985 ms kaegi selected the costumes for the musical
in the united states kid creole didnt have the formula for a pop hit my male curiosity despite a flashy music video sequence in the 1984 film against all odds didnt break through neither did the sex of it a song prince wrote for the band because he was a fan
but across europe and japan kid creole and the coconuts were a sensation ms goldman recalls that in 1980s england their music and look spawned a zoot suited club underground mr darnell now has two residences in sweden with a chateau by a lake and in maui hawaii where he also owns a martini bar called ambrosia im living the dream he said but he still wants to work
cherchez la femme is more screwball comedy than band saga though kid creole fans will find familiar aspects theyll expect the cross cultural element obviously mr darnell said theyll expect the mixed nations theyll expect the humor the wit and the tongue in cheek comments theyre also going to expect a lot to do with womanizing a lot to do with the macho breed
much of the script was written in a burst of collaboration we laughed nonstop for five days ms goldman said i thought maybe naively that if we were laughing all the way through other people would find it funny
at a time when the most in demand broadway musical is the historically minded hip hop centered hamilton cherchez la femme is proudly old fashioned
this musical is out of sync with musicals now mr darnell said we could look at that as playwrights and say weve got to get serious topics because thats what gets the critics excited but thats not my choice we made a conscious decision we want a happy go lucky musical that reflects the kind of people we are
mia yoo la mamas artistic director said it is retro but it sheds light on who we are now by looking at something thats come before us in a new way with a cast of 15 it is a huge production for la mama she added la mama is providing rehearsal space the theater lighting props and infrastructure when an initial investor dropped out mr darnell chose to pay the actors himself
who knows when the next opportunity is going to come to have a theater in manhattan he said it doesnt happen every day so i decided to forge ahead
because a live band exceeded the budget the musical will use recorded instrumental tracks mr darnell hopes that a next larger iteration will restore a band he wrote eight new songs for the musical but as the running time was pared from three hours to two they were cut still some songs will be new to all but the most determined kid creole devotees those were on 1990s albums that sold mr darnell said seven copies
the plot is straightforward the bandleader caufy keeps isaac gay a don juan with a romantic streak scuttles a world tour with his backup singers the lemon drops to chase his girlfriend deliciosa skyler volpe back to haiti which has just fallen under the brutal dictatorship of jean claude duvalier known as baby doc on his return to new york he has to reconcile with the band
mr darnell insists it is not an autobiography but there are parallels on the 1981 kid creole album fresh fruit in foreign places the singer traverses the caribbean to find his beloved mimi while the songs dip into multiple caribbean styles
and mr darnell himself had two children with a haitian woman named mimosa if you met this woman and you told her that deliciosa is based on her mr darnell said she would slap your face because nothing is further from the truth
caufy keepss streetwise sidekick in the musical is named stingy brim sharing initials with stony browder jr who died in 2001 stony never called women bitches never in life mr darnell said but he added the character stingy always has a joint in his mouth and that was stony so its a definitely a combination of characters
kid creole and the coconuts never offered heavy handed messages only an embodiment of collaboration across differences the musical strives to work the same way ms goldman said it does touch on very deep things but we do it in such a way hopefully that it appears like a frothy confection


this is the first of a column every other month by the writer freda moon that will explore the challenges and joys of traveling with a child on a tight budget
rolling down the window of our hulking suv taxi for the mustachioed guard i felt a flash of anguish my husband infant daughter and i were at the entrance to punta mita a gated community and hotel complex occupying 1500 acres of the punta de mita peninsula 25 miles north of puerto vallarta mexico were on the list i told the gatekeeper in rusty travelers spanish after waiting an awkward few moments we were granted access to a private road lined with meticulously groomed medians planted palms interspersed with bougainvillea and golf cart crossing signs
as we drove in a truckload of landscapers was being driven out crowded in the back of a flatbed like a small scale deportation tim and i glanced at each other what was this place at the hotel we were greeted by a butler ushered into a chauffeured cart and escorted through the terraced property to the pristine beach below i felt like a dignitary
we had come to punta mita for a three day beach fiesta celebrating the marriage of a childhood friend and her sweetheart of many years it was a party i felt strongly about attending one of my favorite people was marrying a charming man in my beloved mexico and i was determined to go but after their original venue fell through the wedding party was booked at the luxurious st regis where the rack rate for a room was more than 500 and the discounted group rate wasnt much less for our two writer household the parents of an infant it was a challenge   an exercise in logistical acrobatics in budgetary gamesmanship
fortunately plane tickets from the san francisco bay area where we live to puerto vallarta are often less than 500 and while i knew the couple hoped all their guests would stay at the same hotel i booked a considerably more modest room at hotel meson punta de mita just outside the resorts gates in the small town of punta de mita we could visit during the days and quietly sneak away in the evening it felt tacky but at 80 a night it also meant we could stay six nights instead of three
almost since the moment i learned i was pregnant i had pictured my daughters first trip to mexico i saw myself chasing her around a village square   surrounded by multigenerational families and the polka beat of norteno   until well past a reasonable bedtime at home i fantasized about introducing her to the broad expanse of mexican food the monarch butterflies in michoacan the ruins of cantona and the apartment in mexico city where tim and i had lived briefly
but during our time in the riviera nayarit as the coastline of nayarit state is marketed i couldnt shake the feeling that we had traveled thousands of miles and somehow landed on a particularly photogenic corner of orange county it was disorienting still i loved that my friend and her groom had planned their wedding in a place far from the staid setting of a church i loved that mexico means as much to them as it does to me even if this mexico wasnt my mexico
i was of course prepared for mishaps and hiccups nobody expects the first international trip with an infant to be carefree and even before takeoff we had made the kinds of mistakes that lead budget travelers into trouble waiting too long to start the passport process for my daughter which meant having to pay an extra 60 expediting fee for example or not realizing that while delta air lines doesnt charge for an infant in arms plane ticket were still responsible for the not insignificant tax the mexican government charges for every foreign passenger
then there are routine catastrophes like my then 8 month old roxie needing an all hands on deck clothing and diaper change just as our lyft car arrived predawn to take us to the airport already running late tim and i spent 20 minutes scrubbing roxie with wet wipes on the seat of a parked car in the near dark while our driver paced the gratuity on this degree of patience is not optional and its not cheap
unanticipated expenses notwithstanding we had made it to punta mita at the welcome dinner servers in white guayaberas circulated with platters of barbecued meat and bottomless bottles of mexican wine long tables were set up on a beach planted with tiki torches for dessert there was a fire pit and a smores station
unlike the rocky shore at the town beach the st regis had immaculate sand while the public beaches were crowded with families stray dogs surfers snow birds and hawkers selling everything from flan to mass produced tchotchkes and handmade stuffed animals the resorts beach was tranquil it was beautiful if character less
even so unanticipated costs continued having traveled widely in mexico ive come to prefer public transit and hired drivers to rental cars but unlike elsewhere in the country on the nayarit coast the cost of taxis rivaled those in manhattan 950 pesos or about 52 for the 20 mile trip from the airport to our hotel another 100 pesos for each 175 mile taxi ride between our hotel and the st regis we would have been better off renting a car as the brides sister did through gecko a local company with relatively affordable rates though still significantly higher than those of similar companies in the united states and free airport pickup and drop off
after three days of floating with roxie in swimming pools eating paletas mexican style ice pops and bonding with our fellow guests over tamarind margaritas the wedding day arrived unsure what to do about child care for the ceremony and reception i had counted on there being veteran parents moms and dads who knew what they were doing and with whom i hoped we could share a babysitter or take turns watching one anothers children there was passing talk of my friend connecting us with the few other families making the trip but i was reluctant to bother her with parental matchmaking in the weeks leading up to her wedding
in the end planning ahead seemed like more trouble than it was worth so i put my faith in the travel gods but ultimately there was only one other couple   the brides sister and brother in law   who brought their toddler to what i began to worry was not meant to be a family friendly affair
it was embarrassing but because the bride and groom are gracious   and because so many of their friends have children albeit children surrendered wisely to caregivers for the weekend   our missteps were greeted with humor and kindness nobody it seemed had seen an 8 month old behave so well in the face of such incompetent parents
on the saturday of the wedding the rest of the guests took a shuttle from the hotel and tim roxie and i caught a ride with the brides family we bounced along a rough road in the back seat of their rented pickup before reaching a private house outside sayulita a half hour or so north of punta mita a swiss family robinson esque mansion built into a hill above a sweeping sandy beach with a bridge of unmilled branches and a large amoeba shaped infinity pool it felt like an extravagant treehouse in the palms
tim and i settled on a plan he would skip the ceremony sitting with roxie in a balconied room while i watched my friend walk down the aisle afterward we would put roxie down to sleep in her peapod an ingenious pop up tent bed i found on craigslist nearly unused for 40 we could keep an eye on her   via the modern miracle of smartphone baby monitor apps   while we ate dinner sipped tequila and danced to wedding dj classics
the ceremony was on the beach with the pacific putting on a show in the background and the sun scorching overhead it was gorgeous and to the point afterward a line of mariachis appeared from nowhere erupting in a wall of sound our small crowd retreated from the heat into a clearing in the palms where a dance floor bar and open air banquet hall had been erected for the occasion
as everyone else was sitting down for dinner tim and i changed and shushed roxie and got her ready for bed just as her eyelids fluttered to sleep we discovered that our monitors which relied on internet access werent able to connect for the first time in four days we were out of range there was nothing we could do at 8 months roxie was determined to join the party
tim strapped her to his chest her wispy curls overflowing from the canvas carrier we held our breath through speeches and prayers silently pleading with roxie to keep quiet she did but as the night wore on drinks were downed and the dance floor filled with 30 somethings on reprieve from responsibility nobody seemed to mind our tiny wedding crasher at one point i looked over and saw the bridegroom and his friends   fellow men of accomplishment mba holders with serious jobs   serenading roxie to journeys dont stop believing
it may not have been the mexico of my memory but some travel isnt about the place youre going its about the people youre traveling for by that measure our mexico trip was a triumph   and we still managed to keep our baby up way past a reasonable bedtime


its impossible not to recognize the moment you pass into dubais al quoz industrial area instead of the immense spires of gunmetal gray and glass that populate neighborhoods on either side the buildings are two  or three story warehouses in a creamsicle orange that matches the sand that spills onto the road its an abrupt transition the area is the unpolished opposite to the glamorous glossy image that springs to mind when thinking of this part of the united arab emirates
in addition to its topography al quoz is unique among neighborhoods of dubai in that it has developed an identity rather than having been assigned one dubais neighborhoods have names like media city knowledge village and the international financial center functional polished campuses that attract denizens of their namesake industries with special economic regulations jurisdictions and foreign ownership allowances
by contrast people associate al quozs storage hangars and car repair garages with dust grit bad road manners and lack of signage said hetal pawani the director of a community arts space called thejamjar thejamjardubaicom still the area has emerged organically as a creative nerve center edgy in a conservative city a place where dubais gallerists fashion designers and hip entrepreneurs are flocking
alserkal avenue alserkalavenueae a gated compound of warehouses veneered in gray corrugated metal was an early addition to the neighborhood in 2007 and now plays host to many of the creative initiatives that come to al quoz the centers galleries and cafes are a natural habitat for international fashion types bored looking beauties sporting man buns and diaphanous separates its the brainchild of abdelmonem alserkal 47 a good natured gray haired real estate heir who created the arts hub from a disused marble processing factory owned by his family
mr alserkal elegant in his traditional white robes met me in a space that was clearly once sleek but is now overflowing with clutter including his extensive collection of tintin figurines his team has recently moved to new offices as the complex completes an expansion that will double its size for the 50 new spaces we had more than 400 applications including galleries shops and start ups he said
alserkal avenues expansion mirrors the rising international profile of the artists who call al quoz home last year the iranian sculptor monir shahroudy farmanfarmaian represented by the third line gallery thethirdlinecom headquartered at alserkal had a solo exhibition at the guggenheim in new york
artists and galleries began to decamp to the area in the mid 2000s the cheap rents helped of course but so has the versatility of the structures
art spaces need to build walls break them down change things all the time to suit their programming said ms pawani of thejamjar which established itself in al quoz in 2007 and moved to alserkal avenue earlier this year if a gallery wants to set up in one of dubais prime areas they will have to rent a shop space which limits this kind of flexibility
a symbiosis emerged between the new tenants and old the areas manufacturing and construction industries were convenient for both the raw material and skilled tradesmanship necessary to make art at scale you also have neighbors where you can buy light fittings glass and who can do carpentry whatever you need she said
warehouses arent the artists only neighbors as the city boomed in the 1990s property developers bought up the inexpensive desert tracts in al quoz inland from the persian gulf coast to erect living quarters for their workers most of them migrants from south asia these two story barracks are rectangles of cinder block and concrete built around a central courtyard and enclosed by high fences topped with barbed wire al quoz is one of the only points in dubai where the elite fashion set and these low paid migrant workers cross paths
the chasm between these groups remains vast but tentative connections are being established last year the palestinian artist hazem harb exhibited a video and sculpture installation focusing on the laborers building alserkal avenues expansion thejamjar has hosted a singing competition for construction workers as part of an american idol style initiative champ of the camp
for now the man with perhaps the most insight into the changing neighborhood and surely its most popular is the chai guy a pakistani entrepreneur who cycles from labor camps to galleries with a samovar of spiced milky tea at every stop he is met by throngs looking to trade 1 dirham about 25 cents for a sugary fix   and a chat if you happen to speak punjabi


the first thing yotam ottolenghi did before he began cooking a late afternoon feast for family and friends   before sliding the lamb into the oven before building four salads before assembling an immense layer cake before he even started to sort through the mountain of ingredients stacked on the kitchen counters   was to take a look at the china on which the food would eventually be served food styling is what i do best he said so i start at the end with the plates and platters and then i start to cook
this is a task many home cooks ignore then wonder why their meals are not quite as beautiful as the ones photographed in ottolenghis best selling books or served at his london restaurants and takeout shops he put the names of the dishes he was going to cook onto sheets of paper and then matched each one with the platter that he thought would best highlight the foods color and shape cerulean blue for some plumlike beets for instance and a stark white for the grilled and crispy meat it took about five minutes but in the world of ottolenghi what food looks like and how it is served matters as much as how delicious it is and it is very delicious
ottolenghi 47 is a british citizen who was born and raised in israel married with two young boys he is also the paterfamilias of a much bigger ottolenghi household partners and employees in a thriving business that includes three restaurants two shops books five and counting starting with ottolenghi the cookbook in 2008 and a regular newspaper column ottolenghis food is vaguely vegetarian but not exclusively so a mix of israeli and palestinian and turkish and syrian and armenian and asian influences that he has made seem effortlessly elegant   at least if you can find the right spices which you can if you have access to an international market or the internet for a generation of home cooks whose crowning glory might have been a glistening sunday roast accompanied by wan vegetables the brightly colored richly scented salads and side dishes prepared in his kitchens and outlined in his recipes provide a kind of gateway to culinary excellence with color and smell and flavor all wrapped together in a magnificent synesthetic whole
it was that larger clan ottolenghi was cooking with and for this day a group of friends who have found their professional and personal lives aligned around a shared enterprise and common aesthetic it was a busmans holiday for people who really like to drive buses there was tara wigley with whom he collaborates on books and recipes she had offered up the kitchen and garden of her south london home for the feast with her were sarah joseph and esme howarth two cooks who labor alongside ottolenghi in the test kitchen atelier he maintains at his headquarters in camden others would arrive later to mix cocktails grill things open wine it would be a day of work perhaps but one that ended with a grand party i dont see it as a formal thing ottolenghi said he saw the meal he said as a middle eastern take on a proper english garden party
ottolenghi spent the previous afternoon shopping driving through thick london traffic in his prius checking his usual haunts stores at which he shops for both work and leisure he went to godfreys in highbury the same butcher that supplies his restaurants for lamb and chatted amiably with chris godfrey whose family has run the place since 1905 then he dashed across the street to the serene la fromagerie for cheese he tacked toward his home in camden for verdant herbs and vegetables and luscious yogurt from parkway greens as he does nearly every day with his sons and then to kensington high street for pomegranates fresh almonds and dried rose petals from bahar and zaman two iranian shops the groceries piled high behind him in the car
those groceries took up most of the counter space in wigleys kitchen ottolenghi is a list maker as anyone preparing a lot of food for a lot of people ought to be and after he was done selecting platters he pulled out a folded list of the tasks they needed to complete before everyone arrived wigley joseph and howarth gathered around him to talk it through it was their menu as much as his and the discussion that followed was familial and cooperative less a chef barking orders than a group of friends figuring out how best to tackle a crossword puzzle
here again were important lessons for the home cook who aspires to serve a feast do not work alone and as a corollary revel in it choose a menu collaboratively one in which all the dishes emerge from the same larder complementing one another and then cook it collaboratively as well so that if there is immense bounty on the table when youre done no one has become exhausted preparing it
by noon the kitchen was humming with activity the lamb which was now in the oven perfumed the air with ginger and cumin and cloves howarth blackened eggplants on the stovetop as the first step in creating a kind of deconstructed baba ghanouj while wigley sliced cherry tomatoes and red onions for a salad she would mix with pomegranate seeds little hunks of feta and copious amounts of mint basil and zaatar the middle eastern spice blend generally made of oregano thyme salt and toasted sesame seeds joseph meanwhile wedged herself into a corner and began to fill a roasting pan with beets and whole heads of garlic she was going to roast them all into softness then use the garlic in saffron and orange scented yogurt and place the caramelized beets on top ottolenghi said he wanted to prepare the yogurt i do like to cook you know he said
the dishes mounted they built a delicate bowl of sliced cucumber and mache it was a taste of spring scattered with mint and cilantro leaves and showered in nigella seeds with a dressing of yogurt and ginger garlic and lemon juice that they would dot onto the salad just as it was served there was basmati rice to bake as well with shallots garlic fresh curry leaves and saffron a surprisingly rich and flavorful combination a dish that would pair with almost any grilled or roasted meat ill do it howarth said eagerly the four cooks worked together as touring concert musicians might taking a day off just to jam
dessert was complicated the plan was to build what ottolenghi calls a celebration cake a dessert he serves at catered events helen goh a longtime pastry collaborator with whom he is writing a book on baking was coming to the feast ottolenghi who trained as a pastry chef at le cordon bleu in london after finishing a masters thesis in philosophy at tel aviv university wanted it to be perfect for her layers of cake held together not by flour or nuts but by what ottolenghi called the magic of whipped egg whites sabayon and the chilling effect of the freezer
the day before he made a white chocolate ganache he also baked the spongy cake layers and put them in the freezer overnight now he needed only to put the cake together a task he set to with intense concentration straightening only to examine his work somewhat critically i think its best if it is superrustic he said and here once more was guidance for the home cook this cake was far from perfect the edges of the layers were not flawlessly cut there were cracks across their centers the cream was loosely applied and the berries on top of it were spread almost willy nilly and yet they were not the cake looked incredibly elegant
when he was finished ottolenghi gathered the platters and started to fill them again he bent to the job his back almost parallel to the floor arranging the food just so a heron at work it might have seemed precious except that the results far outstripped the time spent achieving them he placed the dishes on a sideboard to await the start of the party fridge cold food is so horrible he said you can let it sit out and be beautiful instead
the kitchen already crowded began to fill with family and friends ramael scully the head chef at ottolenghis nopi arrived and quickly headed toward the grill scully was born in malaysia to parents of chinese indian malay and irish descent and raised in australia so i like to burn things he said when he arrived
scullys the man in the family ottolenghi replied to laughter
ottolenghis husband karl ottolenghi allen followed with their older son max who is 3 ottolenghi picked him up and smothered him with kisses before wigleys three children burst downstairs to take max to the garden sami tamimi the palestinian chef who collaborated with ottolenghi on two cookbooks including the now classic jerusalem from 2012 was hard on their heels everyone was hugging everyone else gossiping and catching up palming fresh almonds off the counter as snacks a party had broken out and spilled from the kitchen into the garden
the whole tableau came together there in perfect magic hour light a large boisterous family bound together by business and love ottolenghi intercepted his son running across the grass adults had started to gather around the table to seat themselves and pour one another wine lets roll up our sleeves max ottolenghi said lets eat a lot of food
recipes jerusalem lamb shawarma  cucumber and mache salad  tomato and pomegranate salad  baba ghanouj deconstructed  grilled asparagus with caper salsa  baked rice  celebration cake


jake writes in my office freezer there is a frozen vegetable biryani without a name on it it has been there for a couple of months i noticed it because i have bought that same exact meal many times this has led me to wonder if its mine but i forgot about it which would be uncharacteristic of me still do i have a reasonable claim to the biryani
you could have just left a note that says hello my brain is breaking as i hurtle toward death i dont know who or what i am anymore is this my biryani or what but you havent because you know as i do that this is a mystery biryani hovering in a quantum state between stolen property and your own and so i order you to seize it and all the ambiguity it embodies eat it in plain sight in the break room savor its power to transform you are you a thief or just a man aging into senility eating the ghost food of his younger forgotten self the mystery biryani will never say if someone yells at you though mystery solved youre a thief


when your apartment doubles as your office a workday can decay into a deserted arena for rival compulsions eventually you need to be among people again thats why i head to the movie theater at weird hours seeking some semblance of ceremony one ticket buys the ability to be privately public without companions nearby the conversation becomes visual i glance at the whispers and flirtations in the audience at those people leaving early the ones staying serenely behind i listen to the crickety rustle of popcorn i run my fingers over oxblood velvet whether youre in church or in a theater sometimes the frescoes are prettier than the liturgy
i dont buy into the rather precious notion of cinema as ritual at least not the solemn kind a laptop or a smartphone has its uses and its charms im just too distractible to relax in front of a computer screen by myself   it always feels like research the piety of moviegoing is ahistoric anyway orson welles once described how it was in the 1930s you strolled down the street and sallied into the theater at any hour of the day or night like youd go in to have a drink at a bar every movie theater was partially empty we never asked what time the movie began youd leave when you realized the reels had wound back to the point at which you entered as late as 1960 hitchcock could use no latecomers as a novel marketing gimmick for psycho
the studios have since become mere adornments of multinational conglomerates producing films merged into cinematic universes and the theaters have consolidated too they are fewer but more elaborate and to counter the routine of streaming something or other whenever both multiplexes and art houses increasingly frame every screening as an exclusive occasion star wars the force awakens sold 100 million in advance tickets more than all but a couple of dozen films grossed over their entire domestic runs last year manhattans new metrograph is a distant corner of the industry where you can see beautiful restorations of dorothy arzner pictures from an assigned seat and they sell every ticket that way such convenient hassles will never feel quite like sidling spontaneously into a cinema alone the moth circling the marquees light
that volatile mixture of introspection and sensation has on occasion fueled films themselves like tsai ming liangs goodbye dragon inn which takes place entirely during the final screening at a condemned taipei cinema the walls as cracked and stained as the hull of a shipwreck a japanese tourist clumsily attempts to cruise a ticket taker drags her leg brace around trying to bring the projectionist a steamed bun pining tsais static camera dwells on these islands in the audience the sparse crowd are all ghosts to one another trailed by a murmuring soundtrack melancholic and indelible
yet part of me loves meeting these unknowable visitors just as i love darting inside a theater midsummer pretending for two hours that the sun and its demands no longer exist the mood of the room inducts you to its conspiracy i would never shush that father and daughter softly discussing whats onscreen even the plastic bag crinklers because theyve granted me license too when each stranger fades to a half presence in the darkness youre alone with your feelings yet unable to hide them a reflective exhibitionist at manhattans long gone bleecker street cinema the house cat breathless would often escape the office and claw its way up the screen encouraged by cheers
whatever antisocial stigma remains attached to solo moviegoing is slowly dissolving the porn theaters have all closed and grindhouse is an aesthetic sensibility hanging around lobbies has lost its lurid or malevolent connotations though its still seen as faintly sad something to be avoided if possible
in my old neighborhood i used to walk past the metro torontos last adult cinema for years a sign outside promised the shaded decadence of the french riviera though at some point the fountain where a golden bird roosted stopped flowing i liked the implication that masturbation could be that baroque that impractical its almost charming reading alan hollinghursts novel the swimming pool library im always moved by his narrators reference to one patron at a gay porn theater a spry little chap of 65 or so who like a schoolgirl taken to a romantic picture sat entranced by the movies and worked his way through a bag of boiled sweets as the action unfolded by the end i heard homeless people and night shift workers just visited the metro to nap it seemed a virtuous afterlife the worlds most opulent flophouse now theyve turned the place into a climbing gym
before leaving toronto i went on a date to a derek jarman retrospective   we couldnt make it to the same movie so the idea was to see two different ones and then talk about them later mine was wittgenstein jarman shot it while going blind stricken by aids and he worked with the costume designer sandy powell to devise a palette of petal bright colors set against black curtains most of the seats were untaken as i watched tilda swinton as lady ottoline morrell so floridly poised that dark backdrop disappeared into the surrounding void it was just the two of us there her feathered outfit moving with the riotous torpor of jungles


baby blanket burp rags teething toy bottles breast pump swim diaper bathing suit sunglasses sun hat two kinds of infant sunscreen diaper cream diapers wipes changing pad onesies footies sun dresses pants t shirt shoes socks sweater sweatshirt coat baby carrier travel bassinet sleep sack car seat stroller pop up shade tent mosquito bands mosquito netting three types of natural mosquito repellent and a 10 day supply of baby food that is our mexico trip in list form
traveling internationally with an infant for the first time i was prepared for challenges and misadventures i was less prepared for how firmly rooted in my ways ive become as a traveler having prided myself on mastering the art of packing light i should have known that schlepping the daunting list of infant must haves would make me feel like a snail hauling its home before having a baby i imagined one toy one book a few outfits some diapers what else do they need i thought
i had no idea
during our trip my husband and i barely managed to make do with three heavy checked bags though there were some things we could have done without we overpacked on clothes and repellent wasnt needed though i didnt regret bringing it almost everything else was well used and handy if not necessary some like the peapod   an ultracompact 35 pound shade tent play pen and travel bed in one   has become indispensable
as a committed carry on flier ive been surprised that ditching our luggage at the check in counter or better yet curbside has been remarkably liberating my frequent flier credit card granted us one free checked bag each which easily pays for its 90 annual fee and while the delta air lines baggage policy allows them to charge for luggage for so called lap infants babies under 2 traveling without a paid seat of their own on eight flights with my daughter roxie we have yet to be charged for her bag which doubles as a bassinet being a baby it turns out has some benefits
despite the onslaught of frightening world events in the weeks leading up to our trip my biggest safety concern wasnt mexicos drug war or the recent appearance of the zika virus in the country it was much more banal what on earth do we do about a car seat our first flight with roxie a cross country trip at 4 months was during the glorious days of the infant seat the kind that snaps into a stroller and can be wheeled directly to the plane where theyre gate checked free but by our february trip roxie was 8 months old and had graduated to a seat far too large to lug through airports on buses and in and out of taxis
after falling into a rabbit hole of online research our solution was a stroller car seat combo the lilly gold sit n stroll which looks like a cross between a retro airplane seat and a bumper car with retractable wheels its clunky but the premise   one multiuse piece of baby gear   was irresistible still i wasnt about to lay down 340 without first seeing one in action so i did as any cheapskate of the modern era does i scoured craigslist where i found a heavily worn model for 15 it was battered and ugly but mostly functional if it lasted only one trip it would be worth it and if it solved our problem we would invest in a new one
ultimately the sit n stroll worked better for sitting than for smooth strolling but it saved me from another oversize piece of gear and that was good enough having lost a wheel in the sand in sayulita we retired our craigslist find and tempted by a sale splurged on a new one as soon as we got home


the tent designed for solo backpacking was as sleek as a kite for years my husband and i squeezed into it then last summer we added a third person to our crowded wigwam when our daughter roxie was born six weeks later we spent a trial night beside a redwood shaded northern california river
it was high season in wine country and the campground was festive i was already dreading keeping our neighbors awake with a crying baby when as if sensing my anxiety a mother with school age children stopped at the sight of our newborn youre brave she scoffed
but roxie didnt cry we sang to her by the campfire changed her diaper by flashlight and fed her in the warmth of a mummy bag the next morning the woman returned she hadnt heard a sound from our site all night the trip was an unqualified success
during my pregnancy i thought a lot about what travel means to me   as a woman a working mother and a travel writer what would being a parent do to my ability and desire to explore would travel become too difficult too overwhelming too expensive
frugal family a new column that will appear every two months will examine these questions it will be a counterpoint to prevailing wisdom that says any travel beyond disneyland or a holiday drive to grandmas house is the realm of single childless vagabonds and the jet setting elite but rather than lecturing smugly on why seeing the world is the greatest education a child can get i want to show the reality of say camping with an infant   a reality thats not always as smooth as our triumphant first trip as roxie grows the column will grow with her striving to be an honest representation of the ever changing challenges   and evolving joys   of family travel on a 2400 budget
roxie is days from crawling and friends tell us that travel will get harder and i believe it but i also believe it will be worth it
ill let you know
in the meantime i bought a bigger tent on sale of course


in jonathan franzens the corrections published in 2001 one of the adult lambert siblings gary takes a laptop to his basement to find some information on a corporation and its founder feeling a bit e weary fighting an e headache he ran a word search for earl eberle franzen writes gary next finds a document in an sec database and hits the download later button then as unattended men at subterranean computers are wont to do gary searches for beautiful nude and blond and is treated to a series of lewd images
e weary and e headache word search download later fortunately for franzen these fin de millennium terms have not dimmed the reputation of his pre 911 novel planted squarely in the way we live now territory or as his critics might charge the way white upper middle class midwesterners live now
social realist writers like franzen who target the bulls eye of contemporaneity of course still seek artistic timelessness ulysses is an ultraprecise document of life in dublin on june 16 1904 but bloom and stephens peregrinations are intended to reverberate outward in space and time joyce had it easier than franzen however in bridging the chasm from the here and now to eternity for starters he began ulysses nearly a decade after the events described essentially making it a work of historical fiction he was already aware of what had gone extinct in its ecosystem
also advantageous to joyce was the epoch in which he wrote even for a modernist attuned to well what was modern everyday technology wasnt that hard to keep up with evolving at a much slower clip in 1904 than in 2001 which had dial up velocity compared with the 4g bandwidth of 2016 in joyces era paradigms shifted once in a long while the light bulb the automobile the radio and then remained generally the same with incremental improvements now entire industries are disrupted overnight
silicon valley era fiction writers are in a bind to ignore the latest quotidian technology today at least when concerning the middle and upper classes of developed nations as most published fiction here tends to be is to imagine some screenless 19th century world in which people may as well still be riding in horse drawn buggies instead of hailing ubers and lyfts and not long from now self driving cars incorporating up to date devices and applications on the other hand risks mayfly ephemerality by the time the book has been printed or indeed sent to kindles consider how preposterous a novel composed in 2003 would look today   or even by 2005   if a character logged in to the now defunct social media site friendster to check whether he had any new testimonials movies bearing the burden of actually showing graphics and interfaces suffer more acute retrospective embarrassment
so whats a chronicler of the present to do one tactic is to determine which technologies best represent the decade and also stand the greatest chance of outlasting the books shelf life facebook and twitter for instance seem like safer bets to me than snapchat and seamless alternatively one can anonymize the technology lest it soon be replaced instead of having a character watching a show on netflix or hbo go it might be more prudent to talk of generically streaming it a term that may someday look as needlessly silly as word search many post pynchon writers invent their own futuristic sounding tech companies and products too as a workaround for imminent oldfangledness and perhaps legal repercussions but such evasions can come off as coy or phony the same way that made up celebrity names in fiction typically sound overdetermined and absurd   although no more overdetermined and absurd than tom cruise or keha
the most radical approach though is to put the technology directly under ones writerly microscope analyze it situate it in a historical context dissect and reassemble it before our eyes to make us see it   and our tech besotted culture   anew the result may someday look like the antiquated e weary but its an earnest assessment of current conditions with restricted foresight a gchat transcription without any attempt to understand the mediums message is merely typo riddled dialogue
or do the exact opposite dont write about the newest gadget as if its a marvel simply treat it as part of the backdrop like the landline we send texts now a form of communication i expect will seem quaint not too far into the future he texted that he was running late is sufficient he opened up the text messaging application on his apple iphone 6 plus and keyed into the 55 inch screen that he was running late is in advertorial thrall and aesthetically ugly
thats a hyperbolic example but i nearly fell into a similar trap with my new novel i had initially written that the protagonist was watching internet porn then i realized that few young men these days find their pornography offline and deleted internet i figure this will provide a little more durability until virtual reality repaves the pornographic landscape and the notion of someones being passively titillated by a 2 d low definition video is risible
then again maybe deferring technological obsolescence is ultimately irrelevant for expressing faulkners old verities and truths of the heart   and the debased ones of other organs in the corrections gary primitively searches the web for jpegs of nude blondes about a century earlier bloom stashes away a smutty photo of a nun in ulysses a tame book by todays standards that was itself banned at first in america for obscenity plus ca change


who doesnt love a generous scoop of inside dope whether it comes in the form of primary colors or an anonymous twitter account or the confessions of a former scientologist few things are more tantalizing than a backstage tour by someone in the know we crave demystification even when the topic is interesting only because of its mystique
an instruction manual on how to be cool for example would seem to be at odds with coolness itself which ive always understood to be shorthand for unforced charisma andrea linett the author of the cool factor a guide to achieving effortless style with secrets from the women who have it artisan paper 2495 has a stricter conception she defines coolness as a mixture of personalization and effortlessness at least when it comes to clothes no one looks cool blatantly copying someone else or trying too hard
linett the founding creative director of the now defunct lucky magazine had an excellent idea for a book make a list of the coolest women she knows ask them to pick out their favorite clothes photograph the women and the clothes and grill them about the methods behind their style there are it turns out plenty of rules for looking as if youre not following any rules back pockets on jeans should be a minimum of four inches across a corduroy blazer should be medium wale a thin knit turtleneck should be body skimming not tight a trench coat should have epaulets wrist belts that match the main belt and a stitched leather covered buckle not plastic or metal how dare you
linetts writing is drier than a saltine cracker   a mixture of magazine cliches and technical denim analysis   but it fits the project at hand remember those diagrams of epidermal layers that were tacked to the walls of your high school science class the books illustrated spreads contain approximately that level of detail but applied to biker jackets and cotton shirts instead of dendritic cells you wouldnt necessarily pour yourself a glass of prosecco and sit down to read a medical textbook from cover to cover and you probably shouldnt do that with this tome either but the density is what makes it a good reference volume next time i spend more than 40 on an article of clothing ill run it by linett first
chris anderson the curator of ted talks has written ted talks the official ted guide to public speaking houghton mifflin harcourt 28 in hopes of transforming people from shuddering larvae to mesmeric wisdom spouters willing to go on camera in body skimming turtlenecks most people love public speaking as much as they love gastroenteritis or having their identity stolen which is to say very little these things also have in common a certain unpreventability life is booby trapped with occasions for public speaking whether they be wedding toasts or icebreaker games on the first day of a new job public speaking is so widely dreaded that there is even a topical drug you can apply to your cheeks to prevent the painful rapid onset blushing it can induce i know this because the drug was prescribed to me
anderson includes tips on what to avoid in order to be a good speaker dont self promote dont meander dont overshare and dont strain to inspire frame your topic as an idea rather than as an issue its not enough to spin a compelling anecdote you must find a central thesis and present it artfully anderson cites examples from ted talks his advice is not new but it is solid
the writing is shakier   sometimes imprecise and often jargony an idea is anything that can change how people see the world anderson writes nope a contact lens can change the way i see the world anderson hails the moment of clarity and calls eye contact an amazing technology he allows tedious business speak like impactful and actionable to muddy the message the message is worthwhile but this offering works better as a companion to the talks than as a stand alone resource
when it comes to any type of analysis handwriting analysis is the least invasive form i can think of in the secrets of your handwriting portico 1695 allan conway explains that practitioners of this discipline interpret the strokes pressures and loops of a persons handwriting which reveal their strengths weaknesses and hidden motivations like many people i live in fear of inadvertently betraying my hidden motivations and the idea that my duane reade list may broadcast them to a casual observer is alarming indeed conway says that graphology can be used to identify gifted children sexual orientation wince and even suggest a career path im less interested in the proposed uses here than in the tools of analysis and more specifically in the harmless fun that might be obtained by wielding them
to that end heres a crib sheet theres no such thing as a murderers handwriting if you leave no margins when you fill a page you have a tendency to miserliness if you leave a lot of room at the top of the page you possess an appreciation of art and culture cramped writing signals talkative people seeking companionship
your doodles are also significant as we learn in a chapter titled the meaning of doodles it turns out that a surprising range of common doodles are phallic symbols including triangles airplanes inverted arrows and snakes well i suppose that last one isnt a mystery
mysteries that have haunted me throughout my adult years include the popularity of yoga pants as daywear the fact that internet service in america is run by a cartel health care in general and french people until recently i did not expect to solve any of these im pleased to report that i have crossed the final item off my list thanks to julie barlow and jean benoit nadeau who have decoded french mores in the bonjour effect the secret codes of french conversation revealed st martins 2599 the theory advanced by the two authors a couple who spent a decade in and out of france is that the most universal stereotypes of the french   that they are arrogant and rude   come from the fact that foreigners miss the most basic of french codes the french for example say no when they mean yes they are bored by political correctness and abhor self deprecating humor which they think makes a person sound stupid when meeting a french person it is rude to ask where he or she is from because the question will be interpreted as a subtle challenge to the persons right to be in france what begins as a study of conversation becomes a study of national character
the authors are careful to qualify their generalizations the french are not cookies from a factory they write in a typically charming example of their prose style but all of them have been subjected to a specific type of french formatting through education and the transmission of a particular set of values that are practically universal across the country the book is dense with little marrons glaces of insight like this tidbit about the french obsession with food in a country as politically and administratively centralized as france food is a politically acceptable way to talk about ones local origins the authors clearly had a ball researching the book and their glee is infectious the writing is as light as it is substantive and if that sounds like a contradiction i would refer you to a souffle


the only rite of passage more stressful than wedding planning may be canceling a wedding when a couple decides to break up after the invitations have been sent the space has been reserved and the honeymoon booked they face two tasks that can be as horrifying as ending the relationship itself telling the guests and trying to recoup cash
stacey becker a manhattan lawyer now 39 had been dating her boyfriend for about two years and living with him for three months when he proposed the november before their august 2007 wedding date they argued about thanksgiving travel plans he wanted her to go to california to visit his parents but she had had an operation and could not travel
even though his parents had already planned to fly to new york and to see ms becker he said he was homesick for california then ms becker said he told her well maybe im not ready to be married
my whole body had adrenaline running through it said ms becker who wrote a book called knot the one why getting dumped before my wedding was the best thing that ever happened to me
he had not indicated up until that point that he wasnt interested in getting married she said he quickly backtracked she said telling her he was having a bad day
but the next month he left for a business trip and came back saying he was still confused friends and family members urged her to get out of the relationship instead they decided to stay together but to postpone the wedding
wedding bell jitters have long been material for hollywood the runaway bride in the graduate or the instantly regretful groom in the heartbreak kid but while cancelers of the past had doubts about their partners todays millennials focus on the symbolism of marriage
a lot of my clients grapple with the transition to adulthood when they get engaged said christina curtis a new york city psychotherapist who was one of the creators of a premarital coaching practice brooklyn premarital this year
a pending marriage brings up issues of personal identity a re examination of dreams you had for yourself and ideas you have about the kind of person you are ms curtis said it distills your life and because millennials feel like marriage is more optional theyre really examining whether its the right choice
a 2013 study by the wedding report found that 13 percent of engagements about a quarter million dont end in marriage and yet even though many people may know someone who has had broken it off before the wedding they dont necessarily think it can happen to them when it does its often too late to get money back
when ms becker canceled her parents called most of the guests i told a few of my immediate best friends she said and they let the word trickle out
her father got the deposit back from the hilton westchester in rye brook ny the videographer and photographer also returned deposits ms beckers ex fiance recouped the hawaii honeymoon fees less a transaction fee because it was booked with travel miles
they canceled their crate  barrel and macys registries and returned the gifts they had received she wrote checks to those who had given her money at their engagement party but no one cashed them
not every vendor was cooperative her mother could not get back the dress deposit from kleinfeld bridal months later when the dress came in the store called to schedule a fitting and ms becker reminded it that she was not getting married when the shop where the bridesmaids dresses were purchased also refused to return deposit money ms becker reimbursed her attendants
though she had learned about contracts in law school ms becker had signed a very bad one with the band it included an acceleration clause meaning the balance came due at the time of a breach she pleaded with the band manager he told me i hope this will never happen to my daughter she said and he said he would make an exception they lost only the deposit
the 90 day mark is a crucial turning point thats when many reception spaces and wedding planners require 50 percent of their fees a san diego based planner courtney tibbets had a couple cancel 91 days before the wedding it was clear that they looked at their contract she said and calculated that they couldnt wait any longer
eve sturges 36 a therapist and writer in los angeles canceled her wedding eight weeks before the date she and her fiance were to marry on their daughters first birthday in petaluma calif before 150 guests but they began to argue over whether to have more children she wanted to and he didnt when he suggested they postpone she was relieved
she gave her parents a list of all of the vendors and guests you have to have family or social support when youre dealing with hard emotions she said the photographer and the florist allowed them to turn their deposits into a credits we sent flowers to people for a year with our 500 floral nonrefundable deposit she said and they used the photographer credit for family photos
to notify the guests her mother sent handwritten postcards that read the wedding of eve and jim is postponed indefinitely thank you for your love and support ms sturges was happy with the wording somebody else i know canceled a wedding and they sent a postcard that described the wedding as not happening that felt more loaded to me
eventually they decided to break up ms sturges consigned her wedding dress she used the leftover ribbon and vellum for birthday party invitations the parents kept the wine and the family depleted it over several years
though a canceled wedding has always been a social embarrassment todays weddings are often very public affairs from the engagement through the honeymoon couples announce their engagement on social media and chronicle their reception space booking band hiring and hotel selection on facebook pinterest instagram snapchat and their own wedding websites because of the voyeurism guests can feel a right to know the cancellation back story
tina weber 28 a video producer who lives in union city nj had announced her 2009 engagement on facebook soon after it offered the option to list life events after she decided to cancel her mother sent out cards to guests but ms weber heard little response until the day she changed her facebook relationship status from engaged to single i got all these likes comments and messages she said some guests wanted to know the reason
but a bombshell announcement can also lead to interesting conversations ms sturgess boss at the time told her that many years earlier she had annulled her marriage two days after the wedding and ms weber received an email from a high school friend who had learned of the broken engagement on facebook she said she was in the same situation ms weber said and was looking for words of support and advice
she added she wanted to hear how i did it
while friends and families may be shocked wedding planners usually take cancellations in stride ms tibbets the wedding planner said brides will tell me in one on one meetings im freaking out is this just wedding jitters or else they start crying
ms tibbets has had nine cancellations in eight years in business couples seldom share the reason though two brides cited infidelity the only time ms tibbets has made an exception to her refund policy she requires a nonrefundable retainer ranging from 500 to 3000 to secure a date was when a military groom had to deploy
though wedding insurance can cover unforeseen events like deployment weather events and the closing of the reception space only wedsure based in toluca lake calif offers change of heart as an add on to its cancellation postponement insurance the coverage is extremely narrow the wedding must be canceled at least 365 days before the date and only an innocent party financier such as a parent can make a claim not a bride or groom
wedsures owner rob nuccio said the policy is narrow because of past misuse or as you might call it fraud
when we started covering it in 2007 he said we offered it up to 120 days before the wedding and we were getting claims from mothers of the bride who bought the insurance because they knew in advance that there was a problem
in the ensuing years wedsure increased the minimum to 180 270 and finally 365 days one woman canceled because her fiance was having an affair with her bridesmaid mr nuccio said it wasnt covered if the hotel had burned down it would have been another story
when a wedding is canceled close enough to the date that it has been paid for in full for many thats a figure in the 20000 30000 range or more what are families to do there is a website canceledweddingscom which allows registered users to buy or sell discounted weddings or honeymoons or others have looked to charity last year the parents of a lovelorn former bride to be in sacramento decided to hold a free party for the homeless the bride did not attend this month the new york post reported that yiru sun gave a party for underprivileged children on what was to be her wedding day at a fancy event space on the upper east side the wedding had been canceled after she refused to sign a prenuptial agreement and she could not recoup the 8000 deposit
when its over for some there is the worry that a canceled wedding can signal commitment phobia to future paramours
on the date of her own canceled wedding ms becker who eventually broke up with her fiance had been invited to a wedding of a summer camp friend she didnt want to go because she was so emotional about the date but another friend who had recently gone through his own breakup persuaded her that they should go together he is now her husband and the father to their 2 year old son
ms weber met mike carmelich who is now her husband at a party a few weeks after her canceled wedding after taking the relationship extremely slowly they became engaged she logged onto macyscom to start her registry and got the message congratulations tina and johnny she typed in mr carmelichs name changed the date and began to pick new items
for the wedding itself in april 2015 she wore her unworn and nonreturnable kleinfeld dress it still fit when she asked mr carmelich if he minded he said  who cares you never took it out of the box 


in 1962 as a child from phoenix vacationing in manhattan keith peterson knew that someday he wanted to live in the city it just took a lot longer than he expected
after amherst college brought him to the east coast columbia law school brought him to new york city for a time but after living in the dorms mr peterson moved to a large one bedroom in brooklyn when he married his wife who was from warsaw joined him there
by 1992 they had a baby girl and they moved into the nicest place i could afford said mr peterson who is now 61 and works as a trusts and estates lawyer in the financial district the three story rowhouse in the historic hamilton park neighborhood of jersey city was 155000
a few years later his wife received a diagnosis of late stage cancer although they tried an experimental stem cell treatment she died 18 months later and because the treatment wasnt covered by insurance it took years for mr peterson to dig himself out of the ensuing debt
he eventually remarried in 2008 shortly before his daughter left for college and his new wife a high school friend who was also widowed joined him in jersey city they renovated the house traveled and spent freely he said
there were certain differences we didnt take into account mr peterson said including our understanding of household finances
about two years ago concerned about retirement mr peterson reviewed their finances that was when he confirmed that despite good salaries we still managed to spend it all he said
not long after mr peterson began caring for an elderly friend in chelsea who was terminally ill i was one of a team of people who looked after him he said he visited daily and in the process got to know and like the neighborhood
within a year mr petersons wife had moved out and he was making plans to sell the jersey city house to fund a divorce he sought help from a neighbor an agent at keller williams realty who listed the house for 105 million after one open house he received several offers
mr peterson realized that he could finally do what he had been wanting to do for as long as he could remember move to manhattan
he wasnt quite sure what he could afford but was hoping for a one bedroom apartment in chelsea preferably in a small spartan co op with few amenities   no elevator no doorman no dishwasher
ive always preferred washing my own dishes its therapeutic for me said mr peterson who enjoys writing his own lyrics to popular tunes i write my song lyrics while i am washing dishes i think them through and sing them to myself think pretty sane am i according to my therapist and after all i think a doctor should know sung to the tune of the beatles penny lane
his jersey city agent referred him to a colleague dawn mccloud an agent at douglas elliman real estate and she provided a list of open houses in chelsea taking mr peterson to two he was interested in
on west 22nd street they climbed five flights of stairs   all the way to the top floor   to see a one bedroom for 595000 with a maintenance of just over 800 the space was charming mr peterson said but once i got to be 90 i wouldnt be able to climb those stairs so i would be housebound and that really was impractical the apartment sold for 575000
on west 20th street in another beautiful six story co op building there was a one bedroom available on the second floor it was 615000 with maintenance of a little more than 1000 the layout was narrow but it had a clever design ms mccloud recalled the seller did some smart things with custom cabinets the price however was too high so mr peterson passed on that one as well it sold for 585000
i reassured him that we could look in a lower price range ms mccloud said all you ever read about in the news is 20 million apartments but there is real estate here that is reasonable   or at least reasonable by new york standards
next up were several apartments in the east village mr peterson picked an appealing ground floor one bedroom to visit because he liked the idea of the street noise and the passing traffic he said i want life around me the apartment had plenty of wall space for his many bookcases and no dishwasher it was listed at 525000 with a maintenance of 570
i liked everything about it mr peterson said but he couldnt make an offer until his jersey city house closed he was pleased when it sold for 1125 million to a nice young couple with a 2 year old girl cute as a bugs ear he said i thought they would be good neighbors to my neighbors who were always good neighbors to me he calculated a gross appreciation of 9 percent a year over the lifetime of my ownership
returning to the east village mr peterson found himself charmed by all the strange shops selling strange things not far from the apartment he liked was a hair salon called twigs with a jackalope in the window he said ive never seen a jackalope east of the mississippi
that clinched the deal particularly as he had no interest in looking further he offered 490000 settling at 510000 and last winter he moved in thrilled to be living in the city at last
in his new bohemian neighborhood mr peterson said i feel ancient even so he added i dont mind if they dont mind ive been walking around manhattan all my adult life but always as a commuter i was never a resident


the playwright sat wearing and occasionally playing a red epiphone guitar that was wirelessly connected to an amp with a light touch of reverb as scenes from his new show unfolded in a brooklyn rehearsal room a music stand in front of him held not music but his script   though the distinction may be moot for stew the singersongwriterbandleader who won a tony in 2008 for the book of his maiden theatrical effort passing strange the music is always the play and vice versa
but in his newest show the total bent which opens wednesday may 25 at the public theater the lines between story and song are muddier than ever
there are singing dancing and scenes with dialogue but these ingredients are mixed in a less linear way in passing strange stew narrated a semi autobiographical coming of age tale and led the onstage band as an ensemble of performers enacted the story in front of him
the total bent is something else the central story a civil rights era music industry fable set in a deep south recording studio has a fragmented narrative that owes more to the song cycles stew has written with heidi rodewald making it wagner max wagner and the james baldwin inspired notes of a native song than to musical theater antecedents the seven piece band most of whose members also deliver stray lines and lyrics has mingled with the actors to the point that the lines between their roles have blurred as such a number of contradictions within the show are inevitable
were not really doing a musical stew a falstaffian figure in kufi cap and loose fitting shirt said at a nearby middle eastern restaurant after a recent rehearsal if what you call a musical is something where every little moment is identified and everything is clear the hero and the heroine and the arc and all that   i feel like were doing something very different
but the shows director joanna settle disagrees stew she said is leaning into work that is part concert part theater i think of theater as making live events and this is really a live event that depends on the third dimension   its not immediately transparent on the page
mandy hackett the public theaters associate artistic director has been shepherding the show since its lab staging there in 2012 she was among those who recognized the theatrical potential of the songs and patter stew delivered with his band the negro problem often at the publics in house cabaret joes pub those led directly to what she called the episodic layout of passing strange where each scene was its own universe
for the total bent she said stew is challenging himself to take another step forward as a dramatic writer to really pull the story through from scene to scene its a much more complicated kind of storytelling
new forms can demand new ways of working to support stew who really needs the musicians with him to get in his creative zone as ms hackett put it the public has paid for the extra expense and logistics of rehearsals that have included the full band from the first day a departure from the typically compartmentalized musical theater approach most musicals still rehearse their performers with just a piano and occasionally a small drum kit with the actors first meeting the hired band just before technical rehearsals in the theater in a play and sing through tradition called a sitzprobe
rock n roll isnt made that way most often a band hammers out musical arrangements over a series of rehearsals layering a fully fleshed out sound over a skeleton of chords melody and rhythm provided by the songwriter instrumental parts harmonies even structural elements of songs can be up for grabs at the rehearsal in brooklyn for the total bent this working method was on full display stew simply pointed at the sax and trumpet players to come in on a certain beat no notes were named let alone written down and vocal parts for a climactic number sung by the lead actors vondie curtis hall and ato blankson wood   who play a father and son musical team riven both by the eras political ferment and the arrival of a blues besotted white british music producer david cale   were conjured aloud mouth to ear on the spot
the bands drummer marty beller who has played regularly with the negro problem and they might be giants confirmed that rehearsals had essentially worked in reverse of standard musical theater procedure the band spent a week working out the score in a room together then invited the actorsingers in along with ms settle and the choreographer david neumann   a process mr beller likened to adding new band members ms rodewald too compared the plays rehearsal process to a jam session like were all in a garage working on a song
stew sees the band as the shows essential unit referring to two actors who have been with the show since its earliest stages he said i feel like vondie and david cale have kind of joined the negro problem
music isnt just the medium   its central to the total bent the title is taken from martin luther king jrs unfulfilled dreams speech   god does not judge us by the separate incidents or the separate mistakes that we make but by the total bent of our lives   and the inspiration for the plays epicene pop singer marty roy is michael jackson both for his otherworldly talent and his uneasy relationships to gender race and celebrity   not to mention his own dominating father
this play started out with a question stew said what is the difference between a political activist and an artist both involve risk but for the activist the risk is really just the body for the artist the risk is to their inside
in one key song two backup singers confess to marty that they find the thought of marching for civil rights in the face of riot police less scary than his more outre musical experiments easier to be hosed than exposed they sing
another pet topic of stews that gets a workout is the intersection of rock and religion the ostensible battle between god and the devil thats long been a blues trope stew said he never really got the whole sacredprofane duality i connected church to rock n roll so early there wasnt like one side or the other as one character says in the total bent blues is just gospels last name
this is more than simple music criticism the metaphor is reciprocal to stew the notion of going into a place completely clean and coming out all sweaty and filled with the holy spirit aptly describes both a sanctuary and a rock club
that makes it impossible for me to criticize believers he said because i too believe in this invisible thing that i cant point to or explain but i know is there i cant point to the chord that made me a better person its not that different


sitting on the windowsill behind paul simons desk in his midtown office was an instrument shaped like a teardrop a gopichand from india with one string down the middle and two flexible bamboo sides at an interview there mr simon demonstrated how to pluck the string and squeeze the sides to get the boing thats the first sound on stranger to stranger his 12th solo studio album and his first since 2011 which is due for release june 3
stranger to stranger is a set of songs that crack jokes and ponder questions about love death spirituality baseball economic inequality brain chemistry and music itself its the latest ambitious tuneful installment in a career that has had far more to do with curiosity than crowd pleasing along the way mr simon has sold millions of records with simon and garfunkel in the 1960s and in a globe hopping solo career ever since he has racked up grammy awards and accolades he has also received scathing receptions for projects like his 1998 broadway musical the capeman although revivals concentrating on the songs rather than the storytelling were praised im a wanderer mr simon said so much of this record and the way i record is about just going there to see what is it what can you learn
at 74 mr simon could be comfortably retired savoring the continuing popularity of his older songs like america which he donated to ads for the bernie sanders campaign or the sound of silence which became a hit last year for the hard rock band disturbed or he could stay on the road performing his oldies just the way his original baby boomer fans remember them though he recently said any reunion with mr garfunkel is out of the question he could also keep trying to write new songs in the style of those oldies
instead mr simons recent albums are as experimental as anything he has ever recorded he trusts himself and he pushes himself thats a very good combination said the composer philip glass a longtime friend and occasional collaborator if one part of that equation isnt there then youre in trouble
mr simon has a clear imperative to make a pop record if you dont make it really interesting nobodys going to listen to it he said
on stranger to stranger mr simon is above all playing by ear the sound is what led me to everything he said the theme of this album   its not a lyrical theme its a sound theme this is the time that were living in and this is what it sounds like to me from the sources that i find interesting in a way its not that different from hip hop guys that are interested in sound like kanye or kendrick
in hindsight mr simon arguably brought a sampling mentality to songwriting long before the concept had a name or a technology he has always incorporated nuggets he comes across from folk songs like scarborough fair and el condor pasa to vintage gospel like the swan silvertones oh mary dont you weep and imported records like the ones that led him to south african music for his graceland album they come from different cultures but they all have something that makes you say im not listening to a weird thing he said
after some early recriminations   he is still resented by british folkies he heard and echoed in london in the 1960s   mr simon has made sure to share credit with his sources or compensate them upfront but if someone hears a line ill be your bridge over deep water if you trust in my name in oh mary dont you weep that doesnt mean theyre going to write bridge over troubled water he noted among the neat arrays of photographs and memorabilia on the walls of mr simons office he keeps a framed copy of the string arrangement for bridge over troubled water its title misheard from the demo by the arranger is like a pitcher of water
mr simon still prizes the vinyl era ideal of an album as two connected 20 minute sides which he considers a natural form yet he recognizes the ways streaming and randomly shuffled playlists can provide instant gratification the whole listening process changed he said whats harder is to say to somebody i know youve got it but if you give it a little while longer you might actually find a pleasure that exists in music that you havent experienced because they keep cutting it shorter and shorter before you get to the pleasure they just keep giving you shots of adrenaline not serotonin
he explained serotonin is the drug that puts you in the situation where you feel safe and comfortable the drug that gives you the awe is the dopamine and the adrenaline is the thing that keeps you going
when they arrive together he said i think its so incredible its an addiction and thats why artists keep doing it
stranger to stranger opens with the werewolf a jovial shuffle that gibes at the rich getting richer amid ignorance and arrogancethe national debate it was written well before the current presidential campaign mr simon said cool papa bell is named after the fastest runner in the negro leagues before baseball was integrated while the riverbank depicts the funeral of a veteran who committed suicide the title song reflects on songwriting and romance love endures all the carnage and the useless detours mr simon sings
the music on stranger to stranger exults in percussion four of the albums first six tracks dont use guitar at all the songs often stretch beyond pops typical four minutes and take startling but in the end logical twists they subtly cohere with some songs sharing rhythmic elements they also continue to expand mr simons sonic vocabulary with unique instruments as well as with electronics loops and samples
mr simon has often been called a perfectionist but mark stewart a guitarist in mr simons band since 1998 calls that a two dimensional description its more of a sonic safari mr stewart said youre looking for the rare bird and hes just so consistent in his finding the bird and of course were all assembled to help but you cant finish a musical sentence for the guy hes going to stay on the trail till he finds it
the albums snappiest song wristband starts as a fictional anecdote and turns into a larger metaphor for privilege its narrator is a singer who goes out for a smoke hears the stage door lock behind him and realizes he left behind his backstage pass wristband as he faces a bouncer whos a well dressed six foot eight eventually riots ensue among kids that cant afford the cool brandwhose anger is a shorthandfor youll never get a wristband
the music for wristband grew out of the sliding tones of a west african talking drum track mr simon asked carlos henriquez from the lincoln center jazz orchestra to duplicate them on the bass and found a stretch that felt like a montuno a latin dance vamp mr simons son adrian pointed him toward the electronic music of an italian producer digi galessio who calls himself clap clap mr simon met with him while touring europe with sting and later visited his studio in sardinia to choose some bubbling electronic syncopation there are also handclaps from a flamenco group   mr simon recorded the whole group together and isolated the clapping then slowed it down digitally   along with percussion and horns from mr simons touring band and the whole multitracked assemblage simply jumps
the albums sounds also include instruments invented by the composer harry partch   among them chromelodeon and cloud chamber bowls   that divide an octave into 43 steps which are used to bend the harmonic ambience of insomniacs lullaby and they include the gospel voices of the golden gate quartet recorded in 1939 pitch shifted and played forward and backward listening to the groups vocals in reverse mr simon heard the words street angel giving him a song title and a character mentioned in two of the albums songs a homeless poetry spouting schizophrenic who ends up in the hospital too much dopamine and youre schizophrenic mr simon said but just over here and youre a visionary
proof of love features a six beat african tinged groove and intertwining guitar parts that mr simon worked out with the cameroonian guitarist vincent nguini who has been part of his band since he made graceland in the 1980s its lyrics grew out of a trip mr simon made to a spiritual healer in brazil in 2014 i like spiritual adventures he said i half believe it and i half dont believe it but the half that believes it really likes it
at one point mr simon was asked to make music for some of the healers other visitors someone handed him a guitar and he started to play the sound of silence approaching one person at a time as i walk toward people they start to weep and fall down he recalled i walk from room to room and everywhere it happens the same way this is a big energy thing thats going on but im not controlling it i dont know why theyre doing this and i dont know if its good or bad
mr simon is already on tour mostly playing theaters although his new york city date is on june 30 at forest hills tennis stadium in queens where he grew up his band convenes africans mr nguini and bakithi kumalo from the graceland band contemporary classical musicians from ymusic bang on a can all stars and the philip glass ensemble a percussionist jamey haddad whos versed in jazz middle eastern and indian music a jazz rooted saxophonist andy snitzer an accordionist adept at tex mex zydeco and blues joel guzman and a drummer from nashville jim oblon who knows the sound of rockabilly and 50s blues that im always trying to get mr simon said noting that all his influences mesh together live so all kinds of forms can coalesce in some way that breaks this feeling that weve been dumbed down
with the band mr simon also finds new grooves for older songs he wants to honor the story of the song not necessarily the original arrangement mr stewart said how do you honor that story now thats the question he asks himself and how can he do that song for the 2000th time and believe it
mr simon is well aware that hes had an exceptionally long career i often think i dont have to do this im doing the idea i had when i was 13 he said sixty years later its a 13 year olds idea do i still want to do it thats a good question i usually ask it when i start off on each album then i start i grumble i grumble and then some idea comes along and i always say this after every album i really dont know if i want to do it again but this time i really do mean it
he shrugged but i always mean it


is the taming of the shrew shakespeares battle of the sexes comedy too 16th century retro for audiences in 2016 it is notable that over the last decade of the few high profile revivals in new york the casts of two have been entirely single sex perhaps producers think the plays dated gender politics require a conceptual idea that allows audiences to see the play with new eyes
edward hall staged an all male version at the brooklyn academy of music in 2007 and this summer one of the two offerings at the delacorte theater in central park will be an all female production staged by phyllida lloyd who has also staged productions of julius caesar and henry iv with all women this new outdoor production benefits from some superb actors in the lead roles as warring romantic partners cush jumbo the river josephine and i and janet mcteer who won a tony for a dolls house from tuesday may 24 to june 26 delacorte theater publictheaterorg


when jordan and jane vanlare decided to leave manhattan three years ago they looked throughout westchester county and into connecticut to find a grand old house they could restore and a community that had some of the qualities they loved about city living
we were primed and predisposed to new rochelle because of its diversity particularly in the public schools and the arts and culture that go on here said mr vanlare 34 a doctor and an associate partner at the consulting firm mckinsey  company he and ms vanlare 33 a bankruptcy lawyer bought a 12000 square foot georgian colonial built in 1928 on two acres near beechmont lake for 225 million the home has beaux arts detail a formal ballroom a carriage house with two additional bedrooms and an aeolian pipe organ with three keyboards
we would have bought the house without the organ but the fact that it was there really sealed the deal said mr vanlare who is having the instrument reconditioned we have the rolls which came with the house
the vanlares have an 18 month old son and are expecting a second child both of whom will attend public school the diversity the vanlares seek is reflected in the school district where the students are 44 percent hispanic or latino and 22 percent african american according to new york state education department data
in new rochelle the citys mayor noam bramson said whoever you are whatever you are interested in whatever your sense of an ideal lifestyle is you will be welcomed and have an opportunity to pursue your goals
the mayor who is 46 was born here and his mother mira bramson 83 still lives in town when she sold her familys rambling dutch colonial six years ago ms bramson who is widowed thought briefly of leaving but instead moved to a new downtown high rise the whole idea of aging in place is appealing to me she said
home to around 80000 residents across its 132 square miles new rochelle has nine miles of coastline and a variety of parks and nature reserves its established neighborhoods include sprawling residential areas in the middle and northern sections and more densely packed single  and two family homes in the south zoning was recently approved to continue the creation of a mixed use downtown district that will include 5500 apartments hundreds of which will be designated as affordable housing
like the vanlares clive and keeba henry moved to new rochelle from manhattan first to a 1200 square foot loft in the former bloomingdales building on main street one of the countrys first suburban branch department stores where they lived from 2011 until last year when their son turned 1 they bought a four bedroom 1936 tudor in the northern bonnie crest neighborhood for which they paid 755000 and invested about 60000 more in renovations
before buying the house we looked at brooklyn like everyone else but we had fallen in love with new rochelle and it became a special place said mr henry 44 a sales manager for adobe software who is originally from toronto ms henry 43 who is from oyster bay ny was most recently human resources director for moon capital management in manhattan mr henry added that new rochelle feels like the towns we grew up in
what youll find
new rochelle is shaped like the blade of a knife just a mile and a half at its widest point and 10 miles long it is bordered by long island sound on the south pelham and eastchester on the west scarsdale on the north and mamaroneck and larchmont on the east it sits two miles north of the new york city border
the housing stock is varied said anthony marciano the broker owner of century 21 marciano real estate split levels and ranches from the 1950s and 60s characterize parts of the northern end and newer waterfront areas older colonials victorians and cape cods occupy the midtown swath along with stately colonials tudors and mediterranean style homes in thehistoric district behind city hall he said multifamily homes line some streets in the southern part of town and co ops and condos are predominantly found on pelham road and palmer avenue and near the wykagyl shopping area serving the northern neighborhood of the same name luxury rentals and condos are near the downtown train station
what youll pay
there were 163 homes for sale as of may 9 said scott m cohen an associate broker with better homes and gardens rand realty to have this low an inventory means its a sellers market he said
eighty seven homes had sold since january compared with 71 in the same time frame last year according to marina kolmer an associate broker with houlihan lawrence lots of people are looking to buy she said many arepriced out of new york city
through may 9 the median single family home price was 625000 compared with 640000 a year ago and 633000 in 2008 according to ms kolmer
as of may 9 mr marciano said single family homes ranged from 69000 for a studio cottage needing total renovation to 2899 million for an eight bedroom 6841 square foot victorian on 38 acres of waterfrontproperty multifamily homes were priced at 259000 to 719000 with a median of 484900 co ops ranged from 39000 to 509000 and condos from 220000 to 165 million
in the rental market studios typically range from 900 for an apartment in a multifamily home to 1500 in a luxury high rise one bedrooms from 1200 to 2700 and two bedrooms from 1600 to 4000 ms kolmer said
what to do
residents enjoy two public beaches glen island park and hudson park where concerts are held along davenport avenue private beach clubs and yacht sailing and rowing clubs are open in the summer
nature preserves include ward acres the leatherstocking trail partly in mamaroneck and the davenport neck bird sanctuary all with hiking or walking paths the city runs a marina with 300 slips and 150 mooring spaces
the downtown improvement plan includes the construction of 990000 square feet of retail space and a performing arts center in recent years decidedly nonsuburban restaurants have popped up in the city center including alvin  friends modern restaurant and lounge and the gnarly vine wine bar
for more than 40 years the new rochelle council on the arts has fostered the performing and visual arts hosting summer jazz and fall arts festivals music and dance concerts art exhibitions and literary readings local galleries include the mahlstedt gallery and the lumen winter gallery at thenew rochelle public library
the schools
seven elementary schools serve the city including the barnard early childhood center which houses the districts only prekindergarten program and extends through second grade two middle schools feed into the one high school a 1926 french gothic structure with twin lakes a working clock tower and a planetarium there roughly 3400 students have access to about 250 courses numerous clubs and interscholastic sports teams and this fall the advanced placement capstone program a new initiative that introduces ap seminar and research classes in addition to the standard ap construct mean sat scores for the class of 2014 15 were 489 in reading 497 in math and 491 in writing compared with statewide scores of 489 502 and 478
the commute
metro north railroad service to grand central terminal is scheduled to take about 35 minutes from the new rochelle station which was built in 1887 and is listed on the national register of historic places amtraks northeast corridor trains also stop here
the history
huguenot refugees arrived in new rochelle in 1688 having fled religious persecution in france after louis xivs revocation of the edict of nantes they left the port at la rochelle and named their new home accordingly


from maine to florida washington state to southern california we are featuring six islands that make for ideal escapes into the past into nature into luxury check back each day this week for more
maine is loaded with islands   more than 3000 along its 3500 miles of coastline but isle au haut dangling way out at the edge of the gulf of maine is an outlier among them larger taller and wilder than most with half its area protected as a waterbound outpost of acadia national park
it takes a little work to get to isle au haut pronounced i la ho first you drive to stonington with its scenic harbor full of lobster boats then theres a six mile ferry ride through an archipelago of uninhabited islets where granite blocks recall the once vibrant quarrying industry past flying gulls and diving guillemots to the isle au haut town landing by a handful of houses that sit near a small store and a tiny post office
in summer months the ferry also stops farther south at duck harbor where the national park service maintains a dock and a small campground a good jumping off point for several hiking trails but the rest of the year its a four mile trek from the landing to duck harbor on a dirt road thats rough in spots
on a late april visit i biked to duck harbor fat tire mountain bike recommended the road wound through the interior of the island and crossed a cedar bog where skunk cabbage and carnivorous pitcher plants grow among the sphagnum it was quiet enough to hear the wing beats of a flushed flicker then the road passed the shore at sharks point beach where an osprey was gathering sticks for its nest finally it led to the narrow inlet of duck harbor
the harbor earned its name because american indians who summered on the island for thousands of years hunted eider ducks by driving them into the narrow cove the islands more recent history began when samuel de champlain exploring the area in 1604 named it for its hills year round farmers and fishermen arrived in the late 1700s followed a century later by rusticators   nature loving vacationers who built summer homes on the north end in 1943 the heirs of one of those families donated the bulk of the land that comprises the isle au haut portion of acadia national park most of which lies on nearby mount desert island these days about 40 people live year round on the two by five mile island and lobstering is the primary occupation the population swells to over 300 in summer
just south of duck harbor a disused road leads to several trails i started off hiking the western head trail as i meandered through hummocky spruce woodlands with plank bridges over boggy patches it felt a lot like northern maine until i scampered over a rock ledge just as i emerged from the deep woods to see waves crashing on the headland below a bald eagle soared past head and tail radiant in the spring sunshine it was overkill really like a poster proclaiming the majesty of americas wildlands
the trail winds along the shore and weaves back among the trees then crosses cobbled beaches where storms have milled the rough edges from stones and hurled them high above the tideline theyve also tossed flotsam ashore in a few spots especially lobster gear and plastic bottles the bare rock ledges along the shore here are a geologists delight telling volcanic tales 400 million years old
before long the trail meets the cliff trail which leads to a high steep bluff dramatic as a winslow homer painting birders know this south shore of the island because its a wintering area for harlequin ducks   lovers of cold turbulent waters i found no harlequins but did see rafts of eiders plenty of loons a dozen long tailed ducks many cormorants a few red breasted mergansers and a single black scoter
as i looked south toward the unfettered horizon from the top of the cliffs it was not hard to imagine several wabanaki in a large birch bark canoe searching for porpoise harpoons at the ready but there were no hunters in sight apart from the crew of a distant lobster boat there were no people at all
logistics limit isle au haut tourism aside from several cottages for rent online there are only two places for visitors to stay   at the keepers house inn a bed and breakfast in a lighthouse station and in the five lean tos at the campground the national park service aims to limit visitors to 128 per day a number thats exceeded only on late summer weekends in all fewer than 8000 people visit annually more than two million visit the larger car accessible portion of acadia national park indeed on a saturday in late april i may have been the only tourist on the parks 18 miles of trails or at least it felt that way
after following the shoreline from the cliff trail to the goat trail i eventually turned inland on the duck harbor mountain trail the strenuous route winds diabolically over between and among rock ledges requiring scrambling in spots its worth the effort with the bare ledges offering spectacular views each different from the last   and each feeling like the summit which youll know by the usgs united states geological survey benchmark
along the way you can see the full range of lower penobscot bay islands from seal island   a former bombing range now managed for nesting puffins and terns   to vinalhaven marked by three wind turbines the summit is only 309 feet but seems higher with the ocean just below it has a top of the world feeling and its easy to see how the island got its name
just as i was leaving a turkey vulture soared low over the summit very near it veered off quickly seeming startled to see a human up here i would have been too
if you go the ferry schedule changes seasonally with service to duck harbor from mid june to late september round trip fare is 39 isleauhautcomindexhtml
the campsites at duck harbor campground are available from may 15 to oct 15 and must be reserved in writing a fee of 25 covers up to three nights for a maximum of six campers per site npsgovacadplanyourvisitduckharborhtm


a six bedroom house outside helsinki
1796700 1590000 euros
on a country lane surrounded by farm fields this 1995 house is on a 09 acre lot in the well to do suburb of kauniainen about eight miles from downtown helsinki the 6800 square foot dormered wooden house was designed with a nod to french provence according to liisa jakovlew a senior broker with snellman sothebys international realty which has the listing it has six bedrooms four full baths and two half baths
a covered porch leads to a front door with sidelights the entrance hall has a floor of vitrified clinker bricks and opens to the dining room with garden views through a broad bow window tucked in a corner is a seating area with a raised hearth
siberian larch wood planks of varying widths cover the floors in the dining room and the adjacent living room and library the living room has a 16 foot vaulted ceiling with exposed beams and a v shaped window at one end
to the opposite side of the dining room the kitchen has custom made white and ocher yellow cabinets ceramic tile and wood countertops a ceramic cooktop an oven a wood burning stove a double refrigerator a freezer and a microwave a breakfast nook is next to a v shaped window the laundry room is behind the kitchen
to the right of the entry foyer the master bedroom has an en suite blue and white ceramic tile bath with a double vanity and a tub with a hand held shower a powder room and a nursery used as an office are across the hall an open staircase leads to the upper and lower levels
three upstairs bedrooms share two baths one with a tub and the other with a shower both have double vanities a large landing at the top of the staircase used for yoga opens to a tvhobby room and a balcony overlooking the backyard
on the lower level is an indoor pool five feet deep with a jetted swim current a sauna a gym a lounge with a large fireplace a billiards room a guest room a bathroom a powder room and storage
a door leads from the living room to a deck overlooking flowering gardens with apple plum beech oak and linden trees rhododendron wild strawberries rhubarb red and black currants along with a small greenhouse for herbs and flowers
the house has a shared driveway leading to a heated garage also shared with an adjoining property two of its four spaces belong to each house
the rail station with service to downtown helsinki is a 10 minute ride by bus or car from the house the train trip takes around 20 minutes a shopping mall with restaurants is a little over a mile away an indoor sports center tennis courts ski slopes and several multilingual schools for international families are nearby
market overview
generally the housing market in finland has been weak for the past few years ms jakovlew said though this year has shown a slight improvement over 2015 luxury homes are the strongest segment of the market along with small apartments
nina nykopp a real estate agent with west house in espoo attributed the sluggish market to the economic situation in finland with more unemployment than before and the uncertainty all around europe particularly concerning refugees and russian actions in ukraine
villas in the capital area within nine miles of helsinki start at around 500000 euros or 565000 depending on the size area and age of the building ms nykopp said at the high end prices mostly range from one to two million euros 113 million to 226 million with some up to 35 million euros 396 million and a few privately traded homes up to seven million euros or 791 million
in hanko a vacation spot on the baltic sea southwest of helsinki one bedroom apartments start around 60000 euros for a villa or a penthouse prices range up to around 15 million euros or around 17 million she said
during the global downturn between 2008 and 2010 helsinki prices dropped 5 percent to 10 percent altogether harri hiltunen the managing director of the finnish real estate federation said in an email but recovered quickly and are now above pre 2008 levels
construction of new single family homes has been decreasing for a decade mr hiltunen added with increased urbanization and spatial planning which favors high building density and tight living areas most new construction is blocks of flats next to public transportation
who buys in finland
foreigners buy mainly vacation homes on the east coast in lake areas and near ski resorts in northern finland mr hiltunen said citizens of other european countries who are married to finns also buy apartments in helsinki to visit grown children and grandchildren ms nykopp said russians who until four or five years ago bought vacation homes as well as luxury residences in helsinki are selling instead asian buyers are trickling in
ms jakovlew noted a recent rise in buyers of second or vacation homes from germany and britain because finland is considered a safe country with small risks for investments in housing
ms nykopp said the resort town of hanko southwest of helsinki is particularly popular its like our long island the hamptons ms nykopp said its the place to be
buying basics
there are no restrictions on foreign buyers to ensure money laundering is not involved funds from foreign buyers are tightly controlled and must be transferred by a finnish bank ms jakovlew said
a lawyer is not needed when private people buy and sell homes seldom is a lawyer consulted said mikko rajala the chairman of the finnish bar associations expert group on construction and real estate law
the real estate agent acts as the notary and normally does all the paperwork ms nykopp said though some buyers will show the deed to their lawyer for apartments which are considered housing shares similar to a co op even a notary is unnecessary mr rajala said
websites
this is finland finlandfi
finnish government governmentfi
finnish real estate federation kiinteistoliittofien
official tourism site visitfinlandcom
languages and currency
finnish and swedish euro 1 euro  113
taxes and fees
the property tax for this house is 3605 a year
transfer tax paid by the buyer is 2 percent on apartments 4 percent on houses
the real estate commission paid by the owner runs from 2 to 5 percent ms jakovlew said
contact
liisa jakovlew snellman sothebys international realty 011 358 400 484122 sothebysrealtyfi


woodstock ny
what a converted barn with a shop four bedrooms two full and two half bathrooms and a one bedroom one bath apartment
how much 775000
size 10275 square feet total with about 3300 square feet of the barn used as a residence
price per square foot 75
setting woodstock is a town of about 5900 in the catskill region of upstate new york about two hours from new york city the area has a long history as an arts community including the founding of the byrdcliffe colony in about 1902 and the premiere of the composer john cages 433  50 years later the town has several galleries and seasonal arts festivals and is within a short drive of hiking rafting and biking in the 700000 acre catskill park this converted barn part of which is used as a gallery for antiques sales is on a narrow road just off the main street
indoors the three story post and beam barn was constructed about 1860 it was almost entirely rebuilt in the 1980s and last updated within the past five years most of the interior is new with pine floors bluestone walls and exposed posts and beams radiant heat in the floors and walls of custom made south facing windows for passive solar gain all woodwork was done by local artisans
other interior details include some antique stained glass bulbous light fixtures salvaged from an old bank and some hand carved doors collected by the sellers in india ceilings in parts of the gallery rise two stories
the first floor is used for the gallery while the second floor is divided between the gallery and the owners residence there are two bedrooms here the third floor is entirely given over to the owners residence with two more bedrooms a living area a library and a kitchen
the living area is delineated by a set of bronze gates salvaged from a property in connecticut it has a vaulted ceiling with walls of glass overlooking the property nearly everything in the kitchen is wood including teak surfaces chestnut cabinets the prep island   even the sink appliances are stainless steel recently updated
the master bedroom has a vaulted ceiling and original exposed posts and beams framing a wall of windows there is a wood burning stove the closet doors were salvaged from an indian temple glass doors open to a large screened porch with mountain views the suite also has a jetted tub a stone shower room and a redwood sauna with hand carved redwood benches theres a cedar closet too
the one bedroom apartment is a sunny garret like space with skylights a living area a kitchen a bedroom and a bathroom
outdoor space the lot is just shy of a half acre with a loading dock for the gallery and a parking area
taxes approximately 13400 a year
contact judy steinfeld halter associates realty 917 596 8533 judysteinfeldcom

portland ore
what a contemporary with three bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms
how much 739000
size 2524 square feet
price per square foot 293
setting this house is on a winding wooded road in the portland heights neighborhood a few miles from downtown the property backs up to marquam nature park about 175 acres with seven miles of wooded trails connecting to a greenway around the city called the 40 mile loop the street the house is on fairmount boulevard forms a hilly three and a half mile loop popular with runners and bikers
the local high school was ranked 10th in the state by us news and world report in 2016 the oregon health  science university hospital is within a mile portland state university is within two miles toward downtown
indoors the three story contemporary was built in 1983 and updated over the last few years a clean rectangular structure sided in blue gray cedar it has an entry level an upper level and a daylight lower level following the grade of the land
common areas are open plan with light colored oak and slate floors recessed lighting and walls of windows facing woods the living area has a wall of glass rising about 11 feet and is separated from the dining area by a fireplace with a sleek slate surround and a side cabinet
the kitchen has stainless steel appliances a prep island with a range separates it from the dining area where sliding glass doors open to a deck
the master suite is on the upper level with walls of windows overlooking the woods its en suite bathroom has stainless steel counters a walk in shower and a jetted tub the other two bedrooms are downstairs both have en suite bathrooms and walk in closets one also has a murphy bed also downstairs is a study with built ins used as a darkroom there is an attached garage
outdoor space the lot is about a third of an acre in addition to the deck off the dining room there are a roof deck and a rooftop garden overlooking the park with views all the way to mount adams in washington
taxes approximately 10000 a year
contact mj steen windermere stellar real estate 503 497 5199 mjsteencom

walterboro sc
what a house with five bedrooms and four and a half bathrooms plus a cottage with two bedrooms and one bath
how much 750000
size approximately 4700 square feet in main house 1100 feet in cottage
price per square foot 129
setting walterboro is a city of about 5300 in colleton county about an hours drive from both charleston sc and savannah ga long a summer retreat for charlestonians escaping coastal humidity the city remains low key and well preserved with two substantial historic districts covering architecture dating to the early 1800s in 2015 walterboro became home to a commercial kitchen that works with entrepreneurs to help develop food businesses the area is characterized by estates timber farms wetlands and conservation land
indoors this elegant clapboard house is set above the street behind a low iron gate framed by live oaks and spanish moss with a deep front porch and a porte cochere it was built in 1915 and updated over the last 10 years inside and out most of the interior has been preserved including raised panel mahogany woodwork hardwood floors ornate plaster molding trim baseboards doors and fireplaces
common rooms are on the first floor most with pocket doors the formal living room has built in bookcases and ornate dentil molding as well as a fireplace with a columned mantel the dining room has a built in hutch two double hung floor to ceiling windows known locally as charleston windows and elsewhere as guillotine windows open to the side porch in contrast to the brighter living and dining rooms is a cozy music room with red walls a coffered ceiling and a wide brick fireplace
updates in the kitchen include granite countertops and custom wood cabinets as well as stainless steel appliances by sub zero and bosch an adjoining family room part of an addition has a fireplace and glass doors opening to a pool and patio
one bedroom is on the main floor a suite it has a bay window facing the garden three of the upstairs bedrooms including the master are also part of suites the master has a miele washer and dryer in its dressing room and a soaking tub and glass shower in its bathroom also upstairs is an office with mahogany trim and window brackets and another charleston window opening to an upper porch
the cottage is a simple white clapboard structure thought to have been built around the turn of the 20th century updated along with the main house it has a living room a dining room a den a kitchen and two bedrooms also on the property are a pump house for the pool a workshop a detached one car garage and an outdoor bathroom
outdoor space the lot is about two acres shaded by huge old growth oaks next to the swimming pool theres a cabana that the sellers use for dining with an outdoor fireplace the property also has a koi pond
taxes approximately 5600 a year
contact cameran eubanks wimberly carolina one real estate historic downtown office 843 577 0001 1126wichmanstreetcom


islands by their very isolated nature seem to inspire curiosity how big is it how long is that beach who lives there like the water around them interest encircles them perhaps because unlike many continent affixed places their borders are definite affording a genuine escape these american isles represent some of the intriguingly superlative quirky and wild within the nations fresh and sea waters
fittingly known as the big island hawaii encompasses over 4000 square miles almost twice the size of the other hawaiian islands combined it claims both the southernmost point in the united states ka lae also known as south point and the tallest mountain mauna kea more than 33000 feet if measured from the ocean floor but only 13796 feet above sea level
the undeveloped stockton island in the apostle islands national lakeshore in lake superior is renowned for its singing sands on julian bay beach that resound in squeaks and audible riffs when walked on or rubbed
there are 92000 hotel rooms concentrated largely on manhattan island though the borough is officially made up of eight islands manhattan island ellis island governors island liberty island the conjoined randalls and wards islands mill rock roosevelt island and u thant island
the national park service estimates 2500 bald eagles live on admiralty island located between juneau and sitka in southeast alaska the island also supports about 1000 brown bears or roughly one per square mile and just under two for each human resident the human population is 572
a caribbean territory of the united states the united states virgin islands is the only place in the country where cars travel on the left side of the road a throwback to european governance
since 1958 researchers have been studying the relationship between wolves and moose on remote isle royale in lake superior one of the least visited national parks in the contiguous united states at this winters count the population of wolves was down to two and moose up to 1300
more than 500 horses are ferried at the start of the summer season onto mackinac island in lake huron where it meets lake michigan cars have been banned from the 38 square mile victorian vacation destination since 1898 and horses sub for engines pulling everything from private carriages to garbage wagons
between the gulf of mexico and laguna madre in south texas padre island national seashore protects 70 miles of coastline dunes prairies and wind tidal flats it attracts nesting kemps ridley sea turtles and 380 bird species
according to the maine island trail association its 375 mile recreational waterway along the coast of maine is the oldest water trail in the country along it over 200 island and mainland sites two thirds of them private are open for visits or camping reached via kayaks sailboats or powerboats
within the florida keys national marine sanctuary lies the worlds third largest barrier reef ecosystem running nearly 150 miles from soldier key in biscayne bay to the dry tortugas the sanctuary which surrounds the florida keys archipelago protects most of the reef as well as over 6000 species of marine life and countless coral and mangrove islands
though the benedictine nuns of our lady of the rock no longer operate the ferry landing at shaw island they continue to run a farm there and sell some of their products including cheese and herbs at the shaw general store the store is the only commercial enterprise on the 77 square mile island apart from 11 campsites run by the shaw county park
thanks to a south facing beach gradually sloping sea floor and relatively small waves hundreds of shells wash up daily many of them undamaged on portsmouth island south of okracoke island in the southern outer banks barrier islands look for the state shell the scotch bonnet along with lightning whelks helmet conchs and sand dollars
largely protected by the monomoy national wildlife refuge the barrier island south of cape cod attracts up to 7000 gray seals year round harbor seals join them in the summer
the 65 foot live oak known as the angel oak tree in angel oak park on johns island just outside charleston produces 17200 square feet of shade on a sunny day when it was registered with the live oak society in 1934 it had a girth of 22 feet today some of its branches are so massive they rest on the ground


in recorded announcements at airports passengers are frequently reminded to report any suspicious activity but what qualifies as suspicious isnt always clear as an incident earlier this month illustrates calling into question the effectiveness of citizen vigilance
on may 5 aboard a plane about to fly from philadelphia to syracuse a passenger apparently alarmed by math equations her seatmate was working on caused its departure to be delayed when she suggested he might be a terrorist the man turned out to be guido menzio a university of pennsylvania economics professor working on a differential equation
the crew of the flight operated by air wisconsin for american airlines apparently followed protocol when the woman notified the flight attendant that she was too sick to fly as she left the plane according to american airlines she mentioned her concerns about her seatmate to a crew member who then met with the captain an airline security officer and eventually mr menzio the captain determined that he was not a security risk and the flight departed the woman was rebooked on a later flight with no fee penalty
anytime we have a dispute or a disagreement or concerns expressed by one passenger about another about safety the flight crew will do their best to resolve the matter peacefully and quickly said casey norton director of corporate communications for american airlines options include reseating the passengers so they are no longer neighbors moderating a conversation between them or as in this case rebooking on another flight
the department of homeland security urges awareness of potential threats through a program begun in 2010 called if you see something say something it defines suspicious activity as packages or luggage left unattended an unusual circumstance like an open door that is usually closed a person seeking in depth information on a buildings purpose security procedures or shift changes and anyone loitering around a building taking notes sketches photographs or measurements
on its website the department notes factors such as race ethnicity andor religious affiliation are not suspicious yet ethnic profiling has resulted in several incidents including one in which a southwest airlines passenger was taken off a flight in april for speaking arabic
this seems to be a case of see something say something getting out of control wrote george hobica founder of airfarewatchdogcom in an email if too many passengers cry terrorist every time someone looks middle eastern or has curly hair or is merely having a phone conversation in arabic and wears a beard it may lessen the effectiveness of citizen vigilance efforts
some fliers have been successful in spotting suspicious behavior and defusing dangerous situations including passengers who tackled the shoe bomber richard reid on a flight from paris in 2001 and another who subdued the underwear bomber umar farouk abdulmutallab on a trans atlantic flight to detroit in 2009 on 911 when united flight 93 was hijacked by terrorists it was a group of brave passengers who managed to divert its course from washington to rural pennsylvania where it crashed killing everyone on board
in each of these situations the passengers reacted to an immediate and evident threat including smoke and fire in the first two cases short of that the gray area is vast and subject to biases about appearance speech and religion some experts recommend discreetly informing the crew of any suspicions others say a casual conversation can quell fears of the unknown flier
the challenge is just like policings neighborhood watch program a certain percent of suspicious calls turn out to be nothing said jeffrey c price professor of aviation management at metropolitan state university of denver
the march bombing of the brussels airport may be contributing to a climate of greater intolerance although the moods of fliers may also reflect their air travel experience
these issues have grown in the last decade as air travel as gotten less fun and more stressful mr price said passengers on planes are more on edge theyve been standing in line for possibly hours and now theyre crammed into a seat with no leg room and given no food all of this is just a recipe for someone who is already upset and wont take much more to tip into an argument


theres no need to tip
uber has been saying it for years and the car hailing app was embraced in part because of it its all inclusive and cashless one fare and one email receipt automatically charged to your credit card after rolling up to your destination theres no riffling through your wallet for small bills no idling at the curb to deal with a credit card
but in recent weeks uber has begun allowing drivers in two states   california and massachusetts   to post signs in their cars that say tips are appreciated is this just the beginning of uber tipping and what does it mean for travelers
two class action lawsuits have led to policy changes throughout california and massachusetts where lawyers argued that uber drivers should be classified as employees not independent contractors so that they can enjoy certain protections a settlement was reached last month that allows uber to continue categorizing drivers as independent contractors however in turn uber is making concessions including clarifying its messaging regarding tipping shannon liss riordan the class action employment lawyer who represented the drivers in california and massachusetts said in a statement that uber would make clear to riders that tips are not included in its fares and that drivers will be permitted to put small signs in their cars stating that tips are not included they are not required but they would be appreciated 
uber drivers have said that the company prevented them from accepting tips and led riders to believe   through statements on its website like please thank your driver but the tip is already included and there is no need to tip   that tips are included in the price of a ride when in fact tips are not included
so where does this leave you dear rider
in a recent blog post from its public policy team uber said that its creators considered building a tipping option into the app but ultimately decided against it because we felt it would be better for riders and drivers to know for sure what they would pay or earn on each trip   without the uncertainty of tipping uber said thats still the case tipping is not included nor is it expected or required in fact riders tell us that one of the things they like most about uber is that its hassle free and thats how we intend to keep it
besides uber argues not tipping offers other benefits for both drivers and riders it cited two articles by the cornell university school of hotel administration one suggesting that the connection between service quality and tip sizes is tenuous at best and another that found there may be a race effect on tipping which as uber put it means two people providing the same level of service get paid different amounts uber has also said that tipping might prompt drivers to spend more time picking up riders in wealthy neighborhoods where tips are likely to be higher therefore failing to serve an entire city
no pressure to tip then right
not so fast heres where things get confusing riders uber continues are free to offer tips and drivers are welcome to accept them
in other words uber is telling passengers that there is no need to tip the ubertaxi option which allows riders to request licensed yellow cabs in cities such as boston is an exception further uber does not have a tipping option on its app unlike competitors like lyft which allows riders to add a gratuity through their smartphones and yet uber is saying that riders should feel free to tip it is also allowing its drivers to make it clear to passengers that they would welcome a tip
suddenly that seamless uber service has entered the murky realm of when and how much to tip a realm that many travelers would just as soon avoid as they try to navigate themselves through new places a harvard business review article called it a  dont but you probably should tipping policy  and a mistake
one reason for that writes rafi mohammed a pricing strategy consultant is that it could hurt riders after all they are rated by uber drivers customers with low ratings are less likely to be picked up when they request a ride in ubers case drivers will know whether and how much you tip before they rate you mr mohammed said as a result tipping is now a tony soprano like veiled threat pay up or ill give you a poor rating  he points out that drivers for lyft in contrast rate passengers before knowing whether they tipped acknowledging that its unlikely uber will forbid tipping he suggests that the company adopt lyfts model which allows riders to tip within the app now putting uber at a competitive disadvantage he said
so whats a traveler to do start carrying cash for uber tips budget for more expensive rides and if youre traveling on business do you ask for a second receipt just for the tip since the uber receipt for the trip itself is automatically pinged to your email inbox
i used uber three times in san francisco and berkeley in recent days and none of my drivers asked for tips or had signs in their cars it was the usual seamless experience but what if there had been a sign an opinion column in bloomberg view this month suggests uber riders skip the tip when the writer virginia postrel took an uber to los angeles international airport she said she saw a handwritten sign on the back of the passenger seat tips   appreciated   thank you
although my driver was fine and im generally a good tipper i resisted the instinct to comply she wrote he got a five star rating but nothing further   not because id begrudge him the extra money but because the only way to preserve the frictionless uber experience is to defy the social pressure to tip
uber is not the only company that has told riders that tipping is unnecessary in new york city and chicago some residents have been pleasantly surprised by the affordability of the ride sharing app via which has the tagline ride for the price of a latte in new york it can be even cheaper weekday rides from 6 am to 9 pm in manhattan south of 110th street are 5 plus tax and 595 plus tax from 9 pm to midnight and on saturdays when you search for the tipping policy you find this which has some of the same language as uber one of the things that makes via special is the all inclusive fare we never want you to pay more than that fare for a ride so although our drivers are the best in the biz a tip is neither required nor expected
but uber which is in more than 440 cities is a behemoth compared with via
for travelers who wish to tip there are of course other ride hailing options like lyft and gett that allow gratuities to be added through their apps and uber has acknowledged as much on its blog that competitive pressure means that we have to demonstrate uber offers more stable reliable opportunities to earn money than the alternatives and thats what we are focused on ensuring that uber is the best experience for drivers across the world
how riders will feel however remains to be seen


in the mid 80s a german engineer named friedhelm hillebrand helped devise a way for cellphones to send and receive text messages back then mobile bandwidth was extremely limited which meant that the messages needed to be as lightweight as possible the story goes that hillebrand experimented with a variety of greetings and phrases and concluded in very german fashion that most things that needed saying could be done so in an economical 160 characters or fewer this is perfectly sufficient he said of his findings eventually the infrastructure improved so that there were no limits to how much text we could transmit at once and by 2007 texting had surpassed voice calls as the preferred if not default mode of communication
as most rapid advances in technology tend to do this transition inspired a low grade intergenerational moral panic many feared that we would become asocial creatures misanthropes who would rather hide behind the safety of a screen than face the intimacy of a spoken conversation and maybe theres some truth in that but theres another way of looking at it maybe we didnt hate talking   just the way older phone technologies forced us to talk texting freed a generation from the strictures and inconvenience and awkwardness of phone calls while allowing people to be more loosely and constantly connected
i thought about this shift recently when trying to make sense of the rise of snapchat the latest wellspring of technosocial hand wringing like texting snapchat flourished amid scarcity though of an entirely different kind we no longer live in hillebrands era when there were hard limits on how much we could say over text but words alone can be an imperfect technology so much of what we mean lies not just in what we say or in the exact words we choose but also in the light that animates our eyes or doesnt when we deliver them and the sharpness or softness of the tone we use text barely captures even a fraction of that emotional depth and texture even when we can type as much as we want snapchat is just the latest and most well realized example of the various ways we are regaining the layers of meaning we lost when we began digitizing so many important interactions
most efforts to approximate normal human behavior in software tend to be creepy or annoying the oblong gray bubble that pops up when your conversation partner is typing officially called the typing awareness indicator is no doubt intended to be helpful the virtual version of watching someone inhale and then part their lips to speak but it becomes panic inducing if it appears and then disappears   an indication that someone wrote something then for any number of reasons deleted it similarly read receipts designed to let you know that someone opened and read your message are perhaps best at letting you know when youre being ignored in a strange turn of events texting has evolved to become almost as awkward as the phone calls it made obsolete
in 2012 i calculated that i sent about 7000 texts a month now thanks to the creeping unwieldiness of phones and the misfirings of autocorrect i can barely manage to peck out half a sentence before i become aggravated by the effort and give up to combat that fatigue ive turned to newer ways to talk and interact with friends primarily voice memos these function like a highly evolved version of voice mail   theres no expectation of a return call or even a simultaneous conversation freed from that pressure my friends and i leave one another memos about episodes of rupauls drag race and empire the themes of lemonade or even just a detailed account of a date or run in with an ex the trend is catching on elsewhere according to an article on vices website motherboard voice notes have become so popular in argentina that theyve virtually replaced text messages altogether
this is not to say that text is irredeemable a significant humanization of our text interactions happened quietly in 2011 when emoji were introduced as part of an apple ios software update they offered a palette of punctuation that clarified intent tacking on emoji like hearts skulls grins and bugged out eyes to a short message made it infinitely easier to confidently project sarcasm humor grief and love across a medium that had been until then emotionally arid if you want proof that we see ourselves in the emoji we use consider the ever present disputes over emoji inclusivity initially the characters all had the same skin tone and even now the only professional emoji are male and though the catalog of emoji has expanded in response to user demand it still struggles to keep up with the multiplicity of human experiences as a result a new bespoke emoji economy has begun to emerge in apps like bitmoji which let people create personalized avatars to adorn their text messages if our emoji couldnt become us we would become our emoji
but messages that include little actual messaging seem to be the wave of the future and snapchat is leading the way the app which allows users to send short videos and images that disappear after a short period of time is intimate by design something that sets it apart from its social media peers most of the snaps i send and receive are tightly framed with angles that could be considered unflattering theyre low resolution too the images speckled with grain snapchat does have filters but the dumb ones are the most fun especially the ones that add a comically hideous effect   bloating your face into a red tomato or distorting it into an animal mask
if we are to believe the theories about how people want to communicate nowadays   largely through anesthetized hypermediated and impersonal exchanges   snapchats recent surge in popularity makes little sense during the first few years of snapchats existence the only people i knew using the service beyond journalists like me who were trying to understand it were my youngest relatives still in high school and college and of course there was the attendant moral panic when it first blew up around 2012 the press seemed to assume it would primarily be used by horny teenagers swapping nudes
if that was ever the case it has since expanded each time i check the app im surprised to see who else in my network has started using the service my circle includes every demographic age and locale co workers who send snaps of their dogs friends on strange adventures in the desert people i talk to mostly online sending videos from their travels the videos are rarely elaborate just a few seconds of my favorite peoples faces on a large screen smiling or singing or showing off their view before they fade and disappear
its entire aesthetic flies in the face of how most people behave on facebook instagram and twitter   as if were waiting to be plucked from obscurity by a talent agent or model scout but snapchat isnt the place where you go to be pretty its the place where you go to be yourself and that is made easy thanks to the apps inbuilt ephemerality away from the fave based economies of mainstream social media theres less pressure to be dolled up or funny for all the advances in tech that let us try on various guises to play around with who we are it seems that we just want new ways to be ourselves as it turns out the mundanity of our regular lives is the most captivating thing we could share with one another


i have been with my boyfriend for several years and i love him very much we each decided to study abroad for the spring semester of our junior year and have found ourselves on opposite ends of the globe we will be apart for almost six months with only intermittent access to the phone and internet before we left we agreed that it would be best to temporarily open our relationship we wanted to fully enjoy our respective experiences and take the opportunity to explore being with other people we decided that we would not discuss our flings with each other at least until we returned we did this i believe with the implicit assumption that we would not fall in love with anyone else
although i was the anxious one before we left i have found myself in a bit of a sticky situation i am falling for a woman i met on my study abroad program i know that this is not just a casual affair and that i am developing real feelings for this woman i feel as though i am betraying my boyfriend and i am sure he would feel the same despite the fact that i am not technically breaking the rules of our relationship communication is sketchy and the prospect of talking to my boyfriend about this while the signal comes and goes is a little horrifying i know that this information would hurt him deeply and that his ability to enjoy the remainder of his semester might be diminished at the same time i know that this is not what he had in mind when we agreed to an open relationship and i feel as though i am deceiving him every time we talk should i tell him what is going on name withheld
commitments have rewards they can keep you out of situations like the one youve fallen into agreeing to allow a relationship to be open for a time carries risks if youd thought of yourself as your boyfriends exclusive partner you might not have entered into this new relationship by your account you have kept to the letter of your understanding but breached the spirit unless youve decided that you are going to return to your boyfriend youre keeping from him a central fact about your relationship
still whats done is done like it or not your boyfriend took this risk in making the agreement with you an affair once started is not fully under your control falling in love isnt exactly a choice you say youre worried about disturbing the rest of his semester could that be an excuse once he knows youre not coming back to him he can mourn and move on if real time communication isnt good enough for a proper discussion why dont you send him a message that explains as you have to me and apologizes as you probably should apologies express regret they dont always accept guilt so you could do this even if you thought you had done nothing wrong
we send our two children to the only independent k 8 school in our rural town it is a good school with caring teachers and a fine curriculum every year there are fund raisers organized by the parents association a rummage sale an auction a uniform sale all money goes to the children in addition the schools development office conducts a campaign that does not specify a dollar goal but instead a participation goal 100 percent faculty and board members and parents a former board member told me that money raised from this campaign and the parents association fund raisers goes into a single fund but the school does not market this fact it seems that if you support the parents fund raisers you are contributing to the 100 percent goal and this should be acknowledged the school prominently posts the names of all contributors to the 100 percent participation campaign
the school focuses on a different value every month septembers is honesty this fund raising practice strikes me as not very honest how does it strike you name withheld
the thing that strikes me is that all the money is in fact used in ways that meet the donors aims to support the education of the children the school could be a little more transparent about things given that at least one parent namely you feels had but i dont see why knowing that all the money goes in one fund should affect what people decide to give
your other objection is that the development office wont give you credit for contributing to its 100 percent participation campaign if you gave only through the parents association fund raisers is this dishonest i dont see why nonprofits often ask us to contribute to meet some financial goal even though weve already given and even though all the money goes into one pot fund raising methods may involve an element of manipulation but there are worse things than being wheedled into making a second gift to an institution youre enthusiastic about
two and a half years ago our otherwise healthy newfoundland dog began to seem unwell it was a sunday and our usual veterinary office was closed so we took him to a different veterinary hospital the vet diagnosed him with an ear infection and asked to keep him overnight for observation the following day we were told that our dog would need to stay another night a bit concerned we went to the veterinary hospital and asked to see our dog staff members had us wait for a little over an hour although the hospital did not appear busy when we were allowed in our dog was completely unresponsive experiencing extremely labored breathing had a racing heartbeat and was lying in his own waste distressed my husband insisted on speaking to the vet in charge while i lay next to our dog and spoke to him about 10 minutes later our dog went into cardiac arrest and died utterly devastated we contacted our regular vet who requested an independent autopsy and asked us to get a detailed report of our dogs treatment we spoke to the vet in charge who stated i think we oversedated your dog and he died from that
in the days after his death the animal hospital performed the autopsy and then cremated our dog almost immediately the treatment report we received was blank for the hours leading up to and following his death the owner of the hospital said he would reimburse our costs we paid 3500 up front if we would sign a waiver of legal liability and not file a complaint with the veterinary review board we rejected his offer and contacted an animal rights lawyer she informed us that even though it seemed as if we had an ironclad case it was difficult to win most cases she nonetheless filed a complaint which included testimony from our regular vet who noted numerous serious mistakes in our dogs treatment in the complaint we asked to be reimbursed for our expenses and for the hospitals and veterinarians licenses to be revoked or for each to be investigated after more than two years the review board wrote to us saying they found no evidence the hospital or the vet were responsible for our dogs death
my husband and i are torn about our next steps do we contact the veterinary hospital and say we lost our case but we would like to be reimbursed regardless do we write up our experience on websites like yelp in the hope that it will assist other pet owners do we simply try to move on name withheld
if what happened to you is typical people should place no confidence in the veterinary review board by your account your own vet the vet who provided the treatment and the hospitals owner all clearly thought the hospital did something wrong the hospital also destroyed evidence by cremating the dog without your permission and failed to keep proper records it sounds as if the board is among the many institutions in which professionals tend to take sides against their clients it should itself come under review theres no harm in asking for the refund but having won at the review the owner may well feel he has no incentive to give you one do share your experience online though both about the hospital and about the state board it wont bring your own dog back but in some small way it might create more vigilance in the future about how dogs   and their owners   are treated


in your latest book listen liberal you argue that wealthy democrats justify their anti working class policies by playing up social liberalism i call it a microclimate of virtue these wealthy liberals making themselves feel good despite the kind of awful anti labor policies that they have
the book also contains a couple of asides that you are somewhat of an alexander hamilton critic which would put you on the opposite side of the cultural zeitgeist right now ha i mean hamilton had a lot of admirable qualities as well i havent seen the hamilton musical yet but he was probably the most capable of the founding fathers i read somewhere that he was the only man in the 13 colonies that knew how to do double entry bookkeeping
theres this myth that we can solve income inequality by making everyone rich you dont actually like the term income inequality though   you prefer the term the social question income inequality sounds technical it sounds like an economic problem something you can work out with an equation or on a spreadsheet or something that you can solve with a twist of the knobs back in the command center and its much much much more than that
hillary clinton does a good job of saying the right things about income inequality and the working class now but you make a good case that she seems temperamentally to be the kind of liberal you study in the book do you think thats what she will return to thats who she is her identity is bound up with professionalism more so than her husband and more so than barack obama she is a characteristic figure of professional class liberalism she is a lifelong supporter of microlending which is something that a lot of americans dont know about the idea is that you can end poverty and save the world by hooking everybody up with a credit line from citibank or someone
and thatll change everything for them thats a form of idealism for her on the other hand ill be purchasing that liberalism offset in november
do you worry that if clinton becomes the nominee and defeats donald trump it would basically give her an opening for anti working class anti labor mischief because she defeated the big bad guy i think thats right but think about it from a different perspective if trump does have a chance it resides with working class voters the obvious democratic move would be to reach out to those voters and tell them to come home to the democratic party offer them all sorts of new deal style benefits i doubt she is going to do that
journalists are mostly members of the professional class that you skewer in the book do you think thats one reason journalists did not see donald trumps rise coming look i didnt pay any attention to trump all through 2015 because ive always thought he was a buffoon then i finally watched a bunch of videos of his speeches and i was surprised to see that hes obsessed with trade issues up till then that had been largely overlooked by the media it was all about what a bigot he is and he is a bigot but theres more to him than that
you mention in the book that the clinton administration was discussing plans to partly privatize social security when the monica lewinsky scandal broke which was news to me imagine putting a big piece of social security in the stock market in the late 90s youd have millions of retirees who would have gotten hammered because the nasdaq collapsed and then a couple of years later theres the collapse of the housing bubble and then the financial crisis i mean i thank god every day for social security and franklin d roosevelt
and you have to thank monica lewinsky right yeah although she didnt know thats what she was doing


st francisville la   cannons boomed shaking the leaves off 50 foot trees ready i need fire on that hill an urgent voice yelled weapons were reloaded exhausted infantrymen   black white young old   were splayed around a muddy pit watch your muzzles gentlemen their leader called dont blow your friends face off
in a wooded grove in this town near baton rouge la a television crew was meticulously recreating the brutal civil war battle of fort pillow for a remake of roots the seminal mini series about slavery the carnage in the fight was significant after union soldiers surrendered the confederates disproportionately took white soldiers hostage as prisoners of war and slaughtered hundreds of black soldiers sending survivors into the slave trade this massacre was not in the original roots broadcast in 1977 which is exactly why the producers of the new one chose to include it
it is one of many unexpected historical details put onscreen in roots which will air over four nights starting on memorial day it will be simulcast on the history lifetime and ae channels with a sprawling cast that includes laurence fishburne forest whitaker anika noni rose anna paquin the rapper ti and the english newcomer malachi kirby as kunta kinte the central character the revival aims to deliver a visceral punch of the past to a younger demographic consumed anew by questions of race inequality and heritage with a crew of contemporary influencers   will packer straight outta compton is a producer questlove oversaw the music   the hope is to recontextualize roots for the black lives matter era a solemn and exacting feat
id be lying if i said i had zero trepidation and nervousness said levar burton who began his career indelibly as the slave kunta kinte and who serves as a producer on the modern version but i do believe that we have a lot to contribute to the very important conversation of race in america and how it continues to hold us back as a society
roots is based on the best selling pulitzer prize winning 1976 book by alex haley in which he traced his own ancestors back to gambia in west africa followed their path to the united states as slaves and forward into freedom it occupies a singular place in american cultural history and remains one of the most popular television series ever its finale on abc was watched by an estimated 100 million people and it marked one of the first times that a mass viewing audience was asked to contemplate the legacy of slavery from an african american perspective in its wake generations took a new interest in their own genealogy even the word roots came to be associated with identity
so why remake it
that was the question that mr burton and many others asked of mark m wolper an executive producer and the main force behind it his father david l wolper produced the original roots as the rights were passed down the younger mr wolper rebuffed many remake offers he said but when he tried to watch it anew with his children a few years ago he came to a surprising conclusion his fathers roots was no longer good enough it didnt connect
it was a landmark to be sure but its performance style and production values are dated the makeup is terrrrrible mr burton said
and with nearly 40 years of scholarship since the original there was new information about the atrocities of the era the societies of western africa and the daily life of the enslaved as much as it was presented as a history lesson the first roots got some things wrong
in this version accuracy is at the forefront mr wolper said one day last fall in his production office in new orleans where the walls were covered with images of slave ships plantation houses and african beads im not being modest here he said we have to make it better than the first roots otherwise why bother
he was midway into a four month shoot with episodes being filmed in louisiana and south africa the original was shot mostly on the hunter ranch in california on property that was for many years by 20th century fox
though the filmmakers wouldnt disclose the budget this roots is among the costliest productions that ae networks has done said nancy dubuc its president and chief executive ae networks is the parent company of lifetime and history they have had hits like the 2012 history series hatfields  mccoys but ms dubuc said that given its legacy and the challenges of creating event worthy programming roots another history production has to stand head and shoulders above anything weve ever done before
the creators hired historians as advisers like stephanie smallwood an associate professor at the university of washington and an expert on the middle passage the treacherous monthslong journey of the enslaved across the atlantic
in the 70s dr smallwood said the basics of the slave trade like its size were still emerging now research has revealed that its not just the largest but its the most complex migration in modern history she said adding that there is also a more nuanced understanding of its human cost it doesnt rely solely on the symbolism of shackles thats a very profound part of the experience but i think we also think more in terms of the social violence of being separated from your entire genealogy in africa
that is a rift roots tries to highlight with a new understanding about the real kunta kinte now said to be an educated young man from a prominent well to do family who lived not in a remote village as depicted in the 1977 version but on the shore of a bustling trading post he spoke probably four languages mr wolper said
his characterization changed too while mr burtons is a headstrong naif the new kunta is a little tougher a little edgier mr wolper said in what he hoped would be a more contemporary spin though one of the iconic images of the original was mr burton in shackles in promotions for this one   focused thematically more on defiance resistance and the ability to overcome the shackles of the body mr wolper said   kunta kinte is shown breaking through his chains
for mr kirby the 26 year old actor who plays him it was intimidating from the audition on i spent more time worrying about what would happen if i got the part than actually preparing for it he said he had seen roots a few years earlier after his mother gave him the boxed set and i was still impacted by it he said he first heard of kunta he recalled as a schoolboy it was a name that people used to curse me if ever my hair was particularly messy
after he landed the role mr kirby and mr burton had an emotional meeting filming the scene of kunta being whipped until he says his slave name toby   a scene seared in many peoples memory   mr kirby drew on mr burtons words he said that before he made roots he was a mighty boy and afterward a mighty man in the retelling kunta kinte is played by one actor in the original john amos played him as an adult
describing the shoot months later in a phone interview mr kirby said intense is an understatement
it wasnt all horrible he added there were some very beautiful moments and moments of joy and elation but there were also moments and i think it was necessary of torment and pain
mario van peebles the director of the second episode said there were days honestly where i had to go home and sometimes have a good cry and say god i am so blessed that these people found their way out of it
for much of the cast roots felt personal as a young brown person its almost a rite of passage said the actor rege jean page who grew up between london and harare zimbabwe somebody will sit you down in front of roots and say you need to watch this characters from roots have also made regular appearances in hip hop over the years like king kunta by kendrick lamar
mr page plays chicken george the grandson of kunta ben vereen in the original and the role meant a heightened sense of responsibility he said because there is a story to be told that is underrepresented and misrepresented again and again in an interview on the civil war set in st francisville la he spoke not in his own voice but in his characters southern accent the part was massively hard to shake off he said months afterward still clad in georges shoes
recently there has been a small burst of entertainment from the academy award winning 12 years a slave to the television series underground that has shown other sides of antebellum life even as there is some pushback to revisiting that era i know there are a lot of people who are tired of the slave narrative said ms rose the tony award winning actress who plays kizzy kuntas daughter with regard to black people i think they are tired of seeing themselves enchained and downtrodden but those depictions she added were often one sided and designed to humiliate i think what it is time to move past is shame embarrassment guilt anybody who survived slavery did so with a fortitude of superhero proportions
in researching her role she listened to slave narratives collected in the library of congress but new understanding about gambian life was also invaluable she said there was civilization scholarship lineage and royalty before the africans were stolen and brought to these shores she said
a costume designer ruth e carter visualized that connection linking the indigo dyes of africa to the dusty blues   made from the same indigo   of the south she found evidence of how valuable seamstresses were in the slave trade in the war they were making cloth for the soldiers and for the plantations   that part nobody ever deals with she said adding thats why its important to tell this story and thats the reason to be detailed about it
after the original mini series mr haley was accused of botching some of the research in his book and of plagiarism he settled one lawsuit but mr haley who died in 1992 was open about his novelization and felt he was telling a broader truth he described it as faction a combination of fact and fiction said matthew f delmont a historian at arizona state university and the author of the forthcoming book making roots a nation captivated a spokeswoman for ae said that the new roots was developed with the cooperation of the haley family estate although it was not directly involved
the new roots does not delve into the lives of the white characters as often as the 1977 version did and the producers aimed for diversity behind the camera they gave the directors   mr van peebles thomas carter save the last dance and the australians phillip noyce clear and present danger and bruce beresford driving miss daisy   control over the look and feel of each episode it has already been screened at the white house
almost no one involved with roots imagines it will have the same seismic impact let alone the ratings of the original   the culture and media landscape is too different but on a much smaller scale it could still succeed as the original did in making history less abstract dr delmont said
that has already happened for mr kirby the young star i dont know where i come from past my grandparents who are jamaican he said so the idea that that kind of knowledge of self could empower you so much really spoke to me he has started researching his roots im hoping that will give me some insight he said into who i am today


have you seen the latest polls im beating hillary
donald trump was on the phone with a man he had never met a republican delegate in pennsylvania it was may 2 one day before the indiana primary election and the private plane bearing his last name in gigantic letters was taxiing along a runway at indianapolis international airport trump proceeded to quote the numbers to the man in pennsylvania ahead of clinton by 2 points in that days rasmussen poll 3 points behind her in the previous weeks george washington university poll these were the only two national polls at the moment that did not show him lagging behind the democrat by a wide margin in the general election but trump was a businessman who preferred to negotiate using numbers that were in his favor
id love your support phil the candidate said as he squinted at his own handwriting a scrawl in black marker on a piece of paper you know youre the only delegate ive talked to but i saw you on television and you appreciate what i do   i won your county by a massive amount and youre respectful of that and i just appreciate what youve said having a moral obligation to support the winner   i hadnt heard a delegate say that before
trump thanked the delegate and hung up just as the boeing 757 took off en route to a final campaign stop in south bend he settled into his plush leather seat beside a large cardboard box containing various documents relating to the trump organizations sundry enterprises its hard negotiating elevator rates while youre running for president he said on the table before him were some notes for a speech on law and order prepared by his senior policy adviser stephen miller who sat behind the candidate around a table with a few other aides including trumps campaign manager corey lewandowski on the more conventional presidential campaigns i have covered   george w bush john mccain mitt romney   the candidates mobile inner sanctum was a hive of activity the advisers hovering constantly over their boss rattling off the latest polling data or words of unsolicited advice from a big donor on trumps plane the aides spoke when spoken to and otherwise kept to their labors on their laptops
trumps attention was on the large flat screen tv on which various fox news pundits were forecasting his probable victory in indianas republican primary the following day and the bleak implications for his opponent ted cruz the republican contest they all seemed to agree was pretty much over the 69 year old billionaire now appeared destined to be clintons opponent in the general election the fox commentators even the ones who favored trump seemed to struggle for the words to convey this eventuality
the candidate took in the good news with an oddly inert expression maybe ill get beat tomorrow he said for at least the third time that day not a single poll had given him cause for worry but for all his swagger trump had an awareness of unseen deal breaking contingencies that held his triumphalism in check he was compulsively superstitious twice on other plane trips i had seen him toss a few granules of salt over his left shoulder after eating and here he was on the day before he would effectively clinch his nomination calling a single obscure delegate in a state he had already won in a landslide   an implicit nod to the forces aligned against him before resuming the affect of indomitability
on the tv fox had moved on from the election to footage of the smoky aftermath of a bombing in baghdad trump rose from his seat and walked over to the screen for a closer look boy this isis he murmured
i asked trump if he had ever been to iraq never he said sounding horrified by the thought
whats the most dangerous place in the world youve been to
he contemplated this for a second brooklyn he said laughing no he went on there are places in america that are among the most dangerous in the world you go to places like oakland or ferguson the crime numbers are worse seriously
it was a stark reminder of what set trump apart from every other politician in recent memory who had occupied his current position how little of the world he had seen beyond the archipelago of boardrooms golf courses and high rise hotels he inhabited how utterances that by now would have torpedoed a more normal campaign continued to roll off his tongue with impunity
that trump would emerge as the last candidate standing from a field that once included 17 seemed at times unimaginable over the five spasmodic weeks i had spent intermittently in the company of the trump campaign more than during any other stretch over the past year everyone   at times even trump and his loyal advisers   seemed hellbent on denying him victory now it was clear that there would be no technicalities as some had long suspected to keep the victory from him no self administered fatal error as so many had assumed no this was it the final stage of a process by which americans accepted that this man wholly unlike any politician they had ever seen was going to definitely not maybe become the standard bearer of one of the two political parties of the most powerful nation on earth
on the tv the fox news pundits were speaking consolingly of the soon to be vanquished cruzs political future standing in front of the oversize screen trump scoffed i dont think he has much of a future he returned to his seat and proceeded to scratch out a few notes for what would be his final speech as a republican competing for the nomination
this is probably the most successful club anywhere in the world trump informed me i have the best building and the best location it was early on the evening of march 23 at the wood paneled bar of mar a lago trumps private resort in palm beach fla an estate that was envisioned after the death of its original owner the cereal magnate marjorie merriweather post as a winter presidential retreat and that could conceivably be by next january a trump trademarked camp david trump strolled in wearing a navy blazer and white dress shirt   no tie   and appearing slightly tanner than usual we were supposed to have met late that morning to begin my several weeks of following the campaign but his communications director hope hicks emailed shortly before the scheduled get together something has come up and the boss is going to be occupied for a few hours i deduced   correctly as it turned out   that trump had ditched me for a golf game it was the first sunny day all week and the previous evening the candidate had crushed cruz in arizona which occasioned some celebration now trump apologized for having kept me waiting are you going to have dinner with us tonight he asked
trump sat down across the table from me and next to hicks and lewandowski who were poring over their smartphones opposite them loomed a painting of a much younger trump in tennis whites a waiter materialized and poured him a coke trump says that he has never touched alcohol
the month of march had been trumps best thus far as a presidential candidate although he had early on privately rated his chances of winning the republican nomination as one in 10 he now seemed poised to do just that on march 1 he clobbered cruz across the south winning five of the seven primaries in the region that day   victories that wiped out hope among the many republicans who viewed trump as an apocalyptic threat to their party that cruzs support among evangelicals would form a bulwark against the interloper two weeks later trump decisively won illinois and north carolina and seemed to have squeaked by in missouri though the narrow margin there meant that the result wasnt yet official
more astounding he won florida beating its native son senator marco rubio by nearly 19 points and forcing him out of the race less than two months earlier the first term senator was the republican partys favorite son precocious and upbeat but exquisitely calibrated never in danger of wandering off message   in short the antithesis of donald trump by early march trump had baited him into the tar pit where he was reduced to questioning the penis size of the man who called him liddle marco
he was branded beautifully trump said slouching contentedly in his chair he turned to lewandowski did they ever announce the results of missouri
sir theyre still certifying the counts of the delegates lewandowski said
am i leading have they taken anything away from me
so far youve lost a net of three votes
so when will we know
theyre trying to certify this by friday theyve allocated 25 delegates to you 15 to cruz   theres still 12 out there
trumps brow wrinkled so are they saying i won missouri by doing that he asked
not yet lewandowski patiently explained youve won a series of congressional districts you won five of them which is 25 delegates cruz won three   so 15 for him
distaste clouded trumps face like most americans he had until recently been almost completely ignorant of the obscure mechanics by which a candidate became the party nominee to win the nomination he needed the support of 1237 delegates achieving this was not as straightforward as simply winning the most votes in primaries in each state lifelong party officials largely controlled the delegate selection process this was the republican establishments last front in its war against trump   and trump feared not without cause that his rivals would resort to whatever connivances were necessary to deny him a 1237 majority and throw the republican convention into a melee of multiple balloting and back room deal making
what i dont like trump said is cruz has a guy working for him   his campaign manager jeff roe   thats one of the most powerful guys in missouri so when i hear theres a revote   there wasnt actually   i know too much about politics so i get it and i dont like it
cruz was perhaps the only candidate as little liked among republican party hands as trump was but trump plainly saw the cruz campaigns machinations as a reflection of the party establishments ferocious determination to stop him it was no secret that many republicans viewed trump as an explosive device poised to obliterate in a single blast the partys economic orthodoxy and its ability to project an image of tolerance trump himself had vowed to blow up the partys rigged system and yet he remained somewhat puzzled as to why the party was so opposed to him in his view he had arrived on the scene as something of a gift to the gop he had attracted to the polls hordes of americans who had previously given up on the party or on politics as a whole viewers were tuning in to the once boring republican debates in ratings smashing numbers   and this he argued was 100 percent donald trump the party had become too obsessed with ideology one thing ive seen over the years he observed is that the democrats stick together and the republicans eat their young thats why they lose so many elections you know a normal very nice very likable republican would be hard pressed to win
trump did not accept the concern that his more incendiary statements had alienated women and minorities and thereby made him unelectable im going to be better to women on womens issues than hillary clinton and everybody else combined he would later tell me now sipping his coke he cited his moderate for a republican view that planned parenthood was a valuable womens health care organization albeit one that should not receive federal funding as long as it performed abortions frankly for the general election i think thats a very good issue for me he said structurally its very hard almost impossible for a heavily conservative republican to win because of the electoral college whereas i bring in michigan look at what i did in michigan   i won it in a landslide it wasnt even close so i bring in michigan i maybe bring in new york republicans dont even go for the general election to campaign in new york because theres no chance
illinois hicks chimed in
i win illinois trump said of a state in which by the latest polling from early march he was trailing clinton by 25 points and which a republican had not won since 1988
the reason they did an autopsy of the party hicks said referring to the republican national committees internal analysis following the defeat of 2012 was because the party was dead people are accusing mr trump of killing the party   well thats already been done hes bringing the party back to life
trump said by the way im going to do great with the african american vote one poll came out saying donald trumps going to get 25 percent of the african american vote trump was referring to last septembers surveyusa poll which has a margin of error of plus or minus 10 percentage points in 1960 against kennedy nixon received 32 percent of the black vote since then the highest share of the black vote any republican nominee has received was reagans 14 percent in 1980 and i said huh   why not more im going to do great with the african americans im going to bring back jobs and ive had good relations with them and he said im going to do far better with hispanics than anyone thought i have thousands working for me when this is over one of my first pictures is going to be me at the doral   his golf resort near miami   with a thousand of my people working there most of whom are hispanic and all who love trump
as we moved to the patio for dinner trump signaled for lewandowski and hicks to join us which seemed to surprise them we were seated at a table that afforded a view of the beach while also placing the resorts owner in the center of everyone elses attention trump accepted the greetings congratulations and selfie requests with rote magnanimity   posing for the camera phones his forced wince of a smile looked as if someone were grinding a shoe into his toe   before dispatching each well wisher with an enjoy your evening he regarded the parade of men in salmon  or lime colored blazers with a flicker of amusement right out of central casting he said
melania trump joined us on the patio trump doted on her throughout the meal often touching her shoulder or leg and calling her baby his eldest son donald jr sat with his wife at a nearby table as did trumps grandchildren and his youngest son 10 year old barron melanias soft spokenness and lewandowski and hickss deferentiality   both referred to trump as sir and mr trump   lent the whole tableau an old world texture like a habsburg patriarch in repose this is fun right trump exclaimed really were having a good time
sometime after 10 he and his wife rose from the table and said good night back in his bedroom just before midnight he checked his twitter feed as he often did when he told me he felt the passing urge to knock the crap out of somebody tonight one of his eight million twitter followers had tweeted a pair of photographs a flattering image of melania alongside one of cruzs wife heidi with a sort of prune faced expression with the caption a picture is worth a thousand words and the hashtag nevercruz trump retweeted it from his own account   his last public statement of the day
the next morning a thursday lewandowski drove hicks and me from mar a lago to trumps nearby golf resort in one of the candidates many cars im corey lewandowski in shorts and loafers explained to the security guard at the entrance then more emphatically with mr trumps campaign the guard eyed him skeptically as we drove past
though he was trumps top aide lewandowski was viewed by some political observers in washington as a glorified body man   he seldom left the candidates side and he lacked the blue chip credentials usually characteristic of front running campaign strategists lewandowski handled the details not the vision he was not a guru had he been trump who is his own guru would not have hired him in his briefcase lewandowski carried a bulky black binder it contained virtually everything of significance in trumps political universe the daily weekly and monthly master schedules the full staff list with everyones contact information a similar list of the campaigns various contractors daily talking points for staff and surrogates a running tally of the delegate count a list of trump endorsers a metrics chart of field activities in each state including the daily number of calls made and doors knocked position papers on each major issue various documents requiring the candidates signature and drafts of coming speeches when he was not taking orders from the candidate he was on the phone executing them pacing around with his hand cupped over the receiver like an offensive coordinator furtively calling in plays
what lewandowski did have in common with david axelrod karl rove and other marquee strategists was a romanticized view of his candidate   one that even trump for all his self regard didnt seem to share lewandowski saw him as a braveheart like hell raiser tilting against a party elite that had not seen fit to embrace either of them though lewandowski had kicked around in the political circles of new hampshire for much of the past two decades he had never seen thousands of people turn out to greet a candidate there the way they did his new boss nor had he expected the campaigns of more experienced candidates run by better known consultants to collapse so quickly and spectacularly in the face of trumps challenge today 15 months into the job lewandowski plainly admitted that he was not this campaigns architect instead he described himself to me as a jockey on american pharoah you hold on and give him a little bit of guidance but youve got to let him run
over coffee in the clubs sunny dining room overlooking the links lewandowski and hicks joked about the toxic infighting that some media outlets had claimed was bedeviling the campaign its four principals   lewandowski hicks the deputy campaign manager michael glassner and the social media director dan scavino   were hicks insisted extremely close they had also been made aware of two things by trump there was only one star of the campaign and there was also only one communications director unlike most who held her job title hicks did not tend to the campaigns messaging strategy nor did hicks who is 27 see it as her job to spend evenings sharing off the record insights over drinks with the traveling press corps the rest of the trump team felt similarly this combined with the campaigns unusually long blacklist of media outlets it deemed unfair or unfriendly had left reporters with few of the usual means of interpreting the campaigns inner doings requiring them to rely instead on more far flung sources
among those was trumps longtime adviser roger stone an inveterate mischief maker in the dark seams of american politics who lived by the credo that as he put it the only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about depending on whom you believed stone had either been dismissed by trump last august or had quit trump had also parted company with stones former protege sam nunberg who worked for trump from 2011 until last august when it was disclosed that he had previously posted racist messages about obama and the rev al sharpton on his facebook page nunberg no longer spoke to the candidate stone remained on good terms with trump but communicated with him infrequently usually when trump called to compliment him on a tv appearance both harbored an intense dislike for lewandowski who they believed had tried to wall off their access to the candidate   stone whose formative years were spent working for the re election campaign of president richard nixon described lewandowski to me as having all of bob haldemans negative traits and none of his good ones   and merrily disseminated tales of his imminent professional demise
outside trump world these whispers dovetailed with a sense in the media and the political class that a campaign that began as an odd novelty was evolving into something darker trumps rhetoric had been inflammatory since his announcement speech in june in which he castigated mexico for sending rapists to the united states in december after a husband and wife team of islamic state sympathizers shot 35 people in san bernardino calif he issued a statement calling for a total and complete shutdown of muslims entering the united states until our countrys representatives can figure out what is going on now reports and videos were surfacing of trump supporters flinging racial slurs and sometimes attacking protesters at his rallies if you see somebody getting ready to throw a tomato knock the crap out of them would you trump told a crowd in iowa on feb 1 seriously ok just knock the hell   i promise you i will pay for the legal fees
then on march 8 lewandowski grabbed the arm of michelle fields then a reporter for breitbart news when she approached trump at a campaign event at the golf club where we were now sitting leaving bruises fields filed a complaint and the stories now circulating portrayed a trump campaign in a state of serious existential threat as one politico article put it stone had been quoted in that article and nunberg who would later announce his support for cruz had reached out to fields through an acquaintance and suggested lawyers to her
inside trump world these matters were regarded as drastically overblown trump had no intention of punishing lewandowski for the fields incident the way cruz had thrown his national spokesman rick tyler overboard the month before for ill advised facebook and twitter posts nevertheless trump quietly issued the order that his rally venues for the time being be smaller and thus more easily controlled even as he stood by his campaign manager and defended his revolution as a nonviolent one
at the golf resort i brought up the more strategic criticism that had been leveled at the campaign that trump needed to turn his guerrilla squad into something resembling a more conventional operation and asked lewandowski and hicks how that might happen ever since we won nevada all these guys have been calling us and saying we had to build out the team hicks said the campaigns core staffers had received this advice with eye rolls recognizing it as a worldview at odds with their own   and from time to time would draw up imitation organizational charts imagining what an expanded trump world would look like
but a small cloud was gathering in the otherwise unblemished sky over palm beach that evening a wall street journal article by reid j epstein was published online under the headline ted cruz gains in louisiana after loss there to donald trump epstein wrote that although trump had won that states primary cruzs team was exploiting the state partys arcane rules to help draw many of the delegates their way
the man trump called lyin ted was running a campaign operation that in the view of trump world wasnt half as brilliant as the media had given it credit for after all who had won the evangelical vote in south carolina who had swept nearly all of the south who had snatched victory in missouri from the jaws of cruzs supposed wizard roe still cruzs campaign had found a different way to win
trump read the story at mar a lago the next day unnerved he called roger stone can they really steal this thing from me stone later recalled trump asking him
stone told him that yes such a feat was entirely possible
the last time anyone in the republican party had felt the need to prepare for a brokered convention was 1976 when former gov ronald reagan of california mounted an insurrectionary challenge to president gerald ford among the operatives managing fords short but intense convention floor fight was paul manafort a 27 year old protege of fords campaign manager the future secretary of state james baker
manafort went on to advise several subsequent republican presidential campaigns but since the mid 80s much of his counsel had been devoted to helping foreign leaders including ferdinand marcos and vladimir putins ally in ukraine viktor yanukovych still with his pinstripe suits and white shoe deftness he represented a steady and low profile contrast to trumps whippetlike campaign manager he was also more than 25 years lewandowskis senior   a true peer to trump who often referred to his traveling entourage as the kids as it happened he lived on the 43rd floor of trump tower and was stones former business partner
at trumps request manafort had dinner the evening of march 24 with the candidate at mar a lago manafort offered his services pro bono   he was already plenty wealthy and presumably preferred an optimized blend of influence and independence four days later on the morning of monday march 28 members of the campaign staff assembled at the washington office of donald mcgahn trumps campaign lawyer for a secret meeting the team conferred for three and a half hours the manager of trumps shoestring delegate operation ed brookover and his deputies brian jack and alan cobb began with a review of the campaigns current delegate hunting status state by state but midway through the presentation the discussion spilled over into a deeper examination of the state of the campaign   of how the candidates message should be shaped and how his operation should be broadened
as the newcomer in the room manafort was deferential but also pointed in his observations he told lewandowski he was taking on a new role now according to two people present at the meeting he was bigger than just a campaign manager he said senators would want to meet with him directly and he should leverage that when he was in washington such leveraging was of course exactly the skill of an establishment hand like manafort not an outsider like lewandowski a spokesman for manafort said he did not recall this being said
the next morning march 29 lewandowski turned himself in to police in jupiter fla and was charged with simple battery for the incident with michelle fields ultimately the state attorney for palm beach county would decline to prosecute him what lingered in significance however was the complete senselessness of his denial that he had ever touched fields the episode was captured on video instead lewandowski had followed the example of his pugnacious boss which he and hicks characterized to me during our meeting at trumps golf resort in palm beach dont back down double down
trump meanwhile had other problems he was now campaigning in wisconsin where anti trump forces were mounting a fierce and skillfully coordinated effort to deny him the nomination at the convention ive never said this before but if i dont win it on the first ballot the dishonest establishment will never allow me to win trump told me aboard his 757 on the morning of april 5 we were departing milwaukee where voters were going to the polls and the fox news pundits on his tv were dissecting what had been the worst two week stretch of his young political career   one that had begun with his campaign managers arrest
when one commentator made reference to trumps recent unforced errors trump said ok you can turn the sound down now scavino obliged
referring to the results of the wisconsin primary that would arrive that evening trump asked me what do you think is going to happen
youre probably going to lose i said
he shrugged i have the whole machine against me
surveying his recent setbacks however he allowed that he had perhaps made some mistakes he had come to regret his decision to retweet the heidi cruz photo that night at mar a lago which had dogged him for weeks now i couldve done without it he gruffly acknowledged some people were offended i asked him if it was strategically wise to have spent the past week in wisconsin repeatedly attacking the states governor the former presidential candidate scott walker   who granted was a cruz supporter but who also enjoyed an 80 percent favorability rating among the states republicans maybe not trump mumbled well see
then there was his interview the previous week with the msnbc host chris matthews who asked him whether his pro life views meant that he also supported criminal penalties for a woman who had an abortion trump had replied that yes there should be some form of punishment now he argued to me rather unconvincingly that he had been misinterpreted i didnt mean punishment for women like prison im saying women punish themselves i didnt want people to think in terms of prison punishment and because of that i walked it back a more believable explanation furnished by a senior adviser for the trump campaign is this trump a serial non apologizer initially saw nothing wrong with his remark and refused to walk it back only when every network chief executive and over 100 media outlets besieged the trump campaign with requests for additional comment on how women should be punished for abortions did the trump campaign turn to an ally chris christie whose tenure as the republican governor of the blue state of new jersey had given him experience placating both social conservatives and the moderate voters trump hoped to attract in the general election a member of christies political team helped draft a statement that essentially repudiated trumps earlier one
in any other presidential campaign this string of failures would have cost someone his or her job but no heads had rolled in trump world   a tacit acknowledgment by the candidate perhaps that responsibility for the campaign resided in the man with the office on the 26th floor of trump tower the campaigns inner circle remained intact hicks now sat directly behind trump on the plane pecking away at her laptop alongside lewandowski whose eyes were haunted with fatigue and who had lost so much weight recently 15 pounds he would later tell me that his blue blazer drooped like a cloak around his shoulders i asked trump if his campaign managers job description had been affected by recent developments zero he insisted
that evening trump lost wisconsin by 13 points to cruz further setbacks followed in colorado and wyoming where cruzs team outmaneuvered trumps in the delegate apportioning process as even some of trumps staff members would concede to me lewandowski thought highly of the 1993 bill clinton campaign documentary the war room and admiringly regarded clintons team as a roomful of killers the able but mild mannered trump delegate crew which included jack brookover and barry bennett   all alumni of dr ben carsons recently shuttered campaign   did not seem to have the appetite for the jugular that cruzs team did
at 8 in the morning on saturday april 16 trumps top staff members convened on the fifth floor of trump tower ten months into the race the candidates headquarters looked more like the dingy redoubt of a soon to be disbanded mayoral campaign than the hypercaffeinated situation room of a presidential front runner on ordinary days no more than eight or 10 staffers inhabited the warehouselike floor which in the manner of many campaigns was decorated like a politics obsessed dorm suite a model white house topped with pink flamingos life size posters of john wayne and ronald reagan an oversize plush lion the team had named lion ted a recent description in new york magazine of its spartan condition offended the building owner who protested to me its this beautiful raw space he conceded that hillary clintons campaign offices in brooklyn might be better appointed   though she never had my location
manafort and lewandowski had gathered the team to discuss the campaigns new structure   which would now have manafort overseeing the entire delegate operation and lewandowski the campaign apparatus   and to introduce its new members including rick wiley the national political director previously scott walkers campaign manager the candidate strolled into the conference room wow this looks like a professional group of people he said smiling according to two sources who were present all right guys i need you to go win and were going to make sure you have what you need to win
after speaking for less than two minutes trump walked out for the rest of the meeting much was said by everyone in the room but nothing was decided because manafort and lewandowski had thoroughly opposing visions of how the campaign should be run the washington based strategist believed it was time for trump to close out the primaries by taking a more scripted mollifying approach the campaign manager held to the view that people attended a trump rally fully expecting the same type of raucous unpredictable drama they saw at a sporting event trump apparently was listening to both men now but it was not obvious that morning whose view would prevail   or even which of the two had the authority to give orders one attendee told me that he came out with no more clarity than he had before the meeting
when politico broke the news of the secret meeting two days later on the evening of april 18 trump was en route to a campaign rally in buffalo aboard his smaller citation x airplane with hicks lewandowski and ivanka trumps husband jared kushner who was informally advising the campaign it was the day before the new york primary and trump sat in the front of the eight seater plane i have to think about my speech now he told me and began composing one on the spot he leafed through various talking points and issue memos from which he culled a few ideas that he then scribbled on another piece of paper once he was done with the other documents he tore them in half lengthwise and let the scraps flutter to the floor
the plane touched down at the airport and the waiting fleet of black sedans whisked the candidate and his entourage to the citys hockey arena where the rally would take place trump was posing for photographs with campaign volunteers when hickss phone buzzed it was paul manafort calling to try to head off another public relations controversy
a woman whom trump had briefly considered hiring in 2015 to help with communications strategy cheri jacobus was suing the candidate his campaign and lewandowski for libel after trump tweeted that she had begged my people for a job in addition to a few other disparaging remarks trump wanted to punch back   it was what he did and in lewandowskis view the candidates brawling politically incorrect impulses were what had made him the front runner to begin with
at the candidates direction hicks had prepared a statement chiding jacobuss threat manafort was now on the phone urging trump not to release the statement attacking jacobus yet again struck him as unnecessary not to mention a distraction from the task at hand winning big in tomorrows primary it also flew in the face of manaforts publicly stated vow that his new client would now be evincing a more presidential affect
trump grew more red faced as he heard manafort out then he said dont tell me how to expletive do pr he stepped into a private room to fix his hair then posed for a few more photos with the man who was about to introduce him to the crowd rex ryan head coach of the buffalo bills that evening addressing a hockey arena filled with perhaps 17000 delirious trumpophiles he bellowed i dont want to really act more presidential until we win
the following evening at trump tower the man who stepped out before the press   heralded by sinatras new york new york   to celebrate his 35 point victory in his home states primary appeared uncharacteristically subdued he referred to his vanquished opponent not as lyin ted but as senator cruz he held his usual grievances in check after eight minutes he departed the lectern without taking any questions
manafort had managed to impose a veneer of beltway respectability on the campaign more field organizers were now materializing in states like pennsylvania where local volunteers had hitherto been left largely to fend for themselves supporters who previously received no direction from the campaign before going on tv to expound on the candidates policies   i just make expletive up representative duncan hunter of california confessed to a trump senior adviser   were now receiving daily talking points
but the moment to moment decision making   where to go whom to see what to say and how to say it   still rested almost exclusively upon the whims of trump and secondarily with the person in his immediate proximity who was almost always lewandowski that became apparent to me on the morning of april 25 the day before the string of northeastern primaries that would restore trumps indomitability the candidate was seated in the front of his citation as it departed the airstrip of warwick ri   a stop that manafort and lewandowski agreed had been a complete waste of the candidates time given that he was ahead of cruz there by 40 points but when trump told lewandowski i cant just not go there there was little point arguing lewandowski began making calls to his advance team on sunday morning some 24 hours later trump walked into a sweaty and delirious tented gathering adjacent to a warwick hotel   exulting with customary hyperbole we set this up 12 hours ago theres thousands outside   we need a bigger tent
later that day en route to west chester pa trumps thoughts kept wandering afield from politics he sat with a large stack of newspaper clippings   some of them with handwritten notes from his daughter ivanka   at his feet to his right sat his 32 year old son eric whom i heard trump refer to as honey he perused some documents relating to a land deal he was considering pausing to fret over the fate of his friend tom brady the new england patriots quarterback whose four game suspension for his role in the deflategate scandal was upheld that morning by a federal appeals court he shouldve sued the nfl in boston at the very beginning he asked lewandowski whether his campaign schedule would allow him to attend the june 25 grand opening of his turnberry golf resort on the coast of scotland
if we get to 1237 youre there lewandowski said if were at 1100 youre going nowhere trump scowled a bit but did not protest i was reminded that trump was still fundamentally a real estate developer with exactly zero previous campaign experience who had gotten this far by spending only a fraction of what his opponents had and against the wishes of his party   who was as new to the idea of a trump candidacy as the rest of us were
although his political maturation over the past year had not been altogether linear it seemed clear that an understanding of what his candidacy meant to his supporters was taking root trump seemed aware despite his insistence that voters of all stripes were drawn to him that his constituency came chiefly from white working class americans who felt left out of the obama recovery and cheated by what they saw as a rigged economic system playing to this sentiment he had begun to include in his speeches a litany of dire economic statistics pertaining to whichever state he happened to be visiting at the time the data compiled by sam clovis and stephen miller senior policy advisers invariably cited the collapse of that local manufacturing sector over the past two decades it had become axiomatic in trump world that wherever jobs had been lost was also where trumps voters could be found theyre great people he murmured back on the plane after the event in buffalo and they want help his face crinkled in disgust they dont want hope they want help
it was a sobering reminder of the expectations that a president trump might find on his shoulders come january but the moment passed and his mood seemed to regain altitude the desperate souls on the rope line reaggregating into an adoring mass of victory assuring superlative defying yugeness so youve covered other people   nobody comes close to this he said two guys from fox said theyve never seen anything like it
we rose upward through the skies in the vehicle trump referred to as just about the fastest plane made eventually passing over the ferry point golf course that trump said he had built faster than anyone else could and finally toward the great manhattan skyline that trump had made even greater   a taste of what he could do for america if its great people would only let him


from maine to florida washington state to southern california we are featuring six islands that make for ideal escapes into the past into nature into luxury check back each day this week for more
dolphins dolphins the girls shrieked leaping from their seats where they had just returned after chasing one another through the ferrys aisles they rushed to the windows crushing shoulder to shoulder to glimpse a fin rising and falling here then there cutting through the inky blue pacific even from across the cabin i was sure one of them must be the birthday girl among any group bound for santa catalina often called catalina an island 22 miles offshore from los angeles there is almost always at least one   a passenger taking advantage of the annual free ride aboard the catalina express
they are identifiable by ribbons on their chests like the prize winners at a county fair throughout the ferry ride and throughout the day they are wished a happy birthday by strangers handed free ice cream at lloyds treated to bowling at three palms avalon arcade or a free tour of the famous avalon casino in this way the once glamorous catalina   now billed birthday island by the marketers at catalina express   has become a sort of upscale multigenerational chuck e cheeses a place for birthday boys and girls as adults and children alike are called in promotional materials to celebrate their day the kids tend to be giddy and the adults tipsy the bar on our 8 am ferry had a line during much of the one hour ride from long beach to avalon the largest of the two towns on the 75 square mile island
i wasnt visiting catalina for a birthday instead i had tacked a two day detour onto a trip to los angeles that it turned out was just the right amount of time it was long enough to repeatedly walk avalons main drag a pedestrian avenue lined with fish shacks ice cream parlors and shops with names like buoys  gulls and afishinados most sold some mix of swimwear hawaiian shirts sunglasses and souvenirs to its great credit catalina doesnt take itself too seriously
my husband daughter and i took a taxi   one of the few cars on the island where the waiting list for a vehicle permit is over a decade long and where most people go by foot or golf cart   between the ferry terminal and our hotel el terado terrace otherwise we walked veering from the waterfront strip i climbed the steep side streets devouring the smell of jasmine and relishing the sight of palm trees purple flowered jacaranda and hot pink bougainvillea
sticking to town i didnt see the islands celebrated bison now our nations national mammal which roam catalinas almost entirely undeveloped interior the descendants of 14 animals brought here in 1924 for the filming of a movie but bison iconography is everywhere in avalon including a statue on the roof of our hotel   making it a sort of unofficial town mascot during these walks i would sometimes slip into seeing the streets with their art deco architectural character and moorish tiles as a sort of movie set even the towns name avalon could be mistaken for a fictional disney town
on a tour of catalina casino the iconic 1929 structure that dominates avalons waterfront our guide   a woman with terrific cruella de vil hair   explained that the building was never a gambling hall as most assume it was a casino in the italian sense a palace of entertainment during catalinas heyday it was the islands major attraction the ground floor is a magnificent theater   among the first cinemas in the country designed specifically for talkies   while the top floor 12 stories up was an opulent ballroom with a brazilian white hardwood dance floor and a tiffany chandelier that drew big band fanatics chasing their favorite performers the casinos theater still operates showing one first run movie a week one screening a night and is owned as much of the island once was by the santa catalina island company and the wrigley family yes those wrigleys the chicago cubs used to spend their spring training on the island
later standing on the green pier we watched a seal herd a thick school of darting desperate fish in contrast to long beach our mainland departure point the water in avalon harbor was as clear as an aquarium the seals meal was our entertainment who needs seaworld i thought here there was snorkeling and diving paddleboarding and kayaking parasailing and sportfishing i wanted to do it all but short on time and traveling with an infant we settled on a ride on a yellow submarine
the nautilus a semi submersible tourist vessel with large porthole windows beneath the waters surface and missiles of fish food greeted us with a mock sci fi soundtrack of a captains voice but once we got moving the hokiness gave way to excitement as my 10 month old daughter roxie stared in awe at the air bubbles the rays of light through the water and finally fish so many fish there were bright orange garibaldi the california state marine fish and a 1000 fine to catch and fail to release blue halfmoon perch and opaleye named for their opalescent blue green eyes with each blast of the food cannon they swarmed and roxie squealed like the little girls on the ferry the half hour tour was over just in time for us to catch the noon boat back to the mainland escorted from avalon harbor by a pod of dolphins
if you go the catalina express catalinaexpresscom offers multiple passages daily from three mainland departure points from 36 one way full fare adults


from maine to florida washington state to southern california we are featuring six islands that make for ideal escapes into the past into nature into luxury check back each day this week for more
when kate griffin was an adventurous collegian she and a half dozen friends spirited by boat across the waters of the st lawrence river to the small island dominated by boldt castle   a testament to true gilded age romance or a tycoons folly depending on point of view   and spent the night there
they invaded the ruined castle and searched by flashlight through its 127 rooms finding an indoor swimming pool bowling alley billiard room and other luxuries that george c boldt the proprietor of manhattans waldorf astoria built for his wife louise who as fate would have it died in 1904 before it was completed
now ms griffin a retired english teacher runs a bed and breakfast the jacob brewster house in an 1815 vintage georgian wood frame in nearby sackets harbor ny and offers well seasoned advice and lore to visitors like my wife and me on their way to the pleasures of the thousand islands region including boldt castle on heart island boldt after 70 years of dereliction has been restored and draws visitors who might never make it to castles on the rhine
islands are redolent with mystery and charm   perhaps stemming from the seclusion afforded by aquatic separation from mainland events and concerns   and there are 1864 of them in the thousand islands that speckle the st lawrence river as it nears lake ontario some are on the canadian side of a meandering marine border some in the united states almost all are privately owned still they are there for the viewing and we took in perhaps a hundred by stepping aboard a faux paddle wheel dispatched by uncle sam boat tours one of several touring fleets
on a sunny but brisk may day we found ourselves on a dock in alexandria bay a regional hub which like gettysburg niagara falls bar harbor or other timeworn tourist spots is chockablock with fast food joints fudge vendors and stores selling t shirts stuffed animals gimcrack tchotchkes and signs that carry quotes like i am not an alcoholic im a drunk alcoholics go to meetings with the season about to begin shopkeepers were painting faded outdoor benches and tables
this early in the season little was open except for the boat tour but we learned that alex bay as it is called is a jumping off point for fishing scuba diving cycling camping and golfing a year round population of 1300 explodes in the summertime to 25000
as our boat wove among islands occupied by single stately homes sheltered by pines and leafless trees a knowledgeable droll guide told us all we wanted to know about the picturesque archipelago from its ice age geological origins to its roguish prohibition era calling as a haven for liquor smugglers
standing on the sun washed top deck she pointed out the opulent estates built by the merchant princes abraham abraham and nathan straus and by george pullman designer of the railroad sleeping car homes that rival the mansions of newport she also called attention to oddities like the footbridge from a zavikon island cottage to a satellite islet that allows you to cross from canada into the united states without a passport
many islands are populated by turkey otter muskrat deer and fox and bald eagles can be seen atop the tallest pines some islands have granite cliffs others are tiny with one the size of a living room bearing a single juniper tree only those spots that are above water year round and have at least one living tree qualify as islands
the largest wolfe island in canada is 18 miles long and has a year round population of 1400 wellesley island the largest on the american side has state parks that invite overnight campers golf courses and its own lake and it supports some of the five spans of the thousand island bridge system which connects ontario to northern new york
as the two hour tour ended we were told of one other distinction that george boldt could boast of according to one popular theory he learned of fishermen who had patched together a salad dressing from the eclectic supplies of their campsite   mayonnaise ketchup worcestershire sauce sweet pickles and chopped onion he liked it so much he served it at his elegant hotel christening it thousand island dressing
the region embraces several 19th century mainland villages away from the hubbub that are worth visiting by car or bicycle we were enchanted by clayton which has a series of uncommon shops one selling several dozen flavors of olive oil and vinegar another selling local cheeses and candy the town has set up adirondack chairs for quiet contemplation of the silent majestic st lawrence the antique boat museum features 300 craft to savor and ride including the regions classic wooden runabouts not too far away is cape vincent with an 1854 lighthouse that overlooks the passage from placid river to sometimes treacherous lake
we chose to stay in sackets harbor a 40 minute drive from alex bay the villages tenderly cared for wood frame and brick buildings reflect its prime years as a 19th century port we took a short stroll through a restaurant row tin pan galley with a thai salad and cookies and cream bread pudding was our favorite and soon were immersed in an important landmark of the war of 1812   the villages battlefield constance barone the site manager described how english and canadian ships seeking to control young americas northern frontier shelled the village but were twice rebuffed though casualties were high a grove of silver maples planted in 1913 to commemorate the battles centennial graces a quiet lakeside field a teeming marina occupies the yard where 11 warships were built
ms griffins husband archie thames a retired chemistry teacher and habitual joker carried our bags up to our room the mayflower with its four poster bed and fireplace he told us that jacob brewster was a descendant of a mayflower voyager then asked us what we want for breakfast he man coffee or wimpy coffee while serving us lavish breakfasts ms griffin entertained us with her local adventures and we discovered serendipitously that she is a st lawrence university sorority sister of a friend of ours
one morning we had ms griffins eggs funny cide up a delicious english muffin concoction there was a yarn there too as befitting the story generating islands region in the mid 1990s six sackets harbor high school buddies put together 5000 each to take a crack at thoroughbred racing and the star of their stable funny cide ended up winning the kentucky derby and the preakness in 2003
if you go jacob brewster house 107 south broad street sackets harbor ny jacobbrewsterbandbcom


from maine to florida washington state to southern california we are featuring six islands that make for ideal escapes into the past into nature into luxury check back each day this week for more
i grew up on an island in maine my father was a boat builder and i spent much of my youth exploring rocky headlands sounds and islets along the coast from my bedroom window i could see the metallic blue water of southwest harbor a half dozen wharves extended from the shoreline and a fleet of lobster boats pointed into the wind swinging from their moorings
it was an exotic place to come of age fog bent the light in the morning and made the seawater appear green black wisps of mist curled through the streets in the afternoon and strafed thick stands of pine and spruce in the winter noreasters made the rain gutters sing and blew the front doors in in the summer the atlantic was a wide blue basin in constant motion and brushed by the wind around the edge of the island were rows of dead pines   wind whipped and bleached white their branches reaching to the sea like bones
my notion back then and still today is that there is no escape from an island the borders are finite and the surrounding ocean deep waves wind and flotsam drift in with the breeze and tide somehow drawn to the islands singular existence the thing is a solitary entity in the middle of a void becomes the void the sea is everything the island is a vanishing point on a map it is disconnected from the outside and when you inhabit it it becomes your world
when i finally ventured onto the mainland in my late teens i hit the highway with a vengeance i headed for the mountains first then the cities i traveled across five continents for 20 years on trains buses boats and by foot the sites and people i saw were fantastic yet somehow it was the islands that i remembered best the chalky streets of naxos paros and delos in the greek cyclades half acre atolls that drop 2000 feet to the ocean floor in fiji razor thin ridges bracing the big islands volcanic peaks in hawaii 300 foot deep blue holes in the middle of the forest on the bahamian island of andros when i finally came to a stop it was of course on an island brooklyn on the western tip of long island
everything is different on an island language weather food tradition there are phrases in the exuma islands in the bahamas that seem to exist only there day clean dawn sip sip gossip first fowl crow rooster call the molasses colored rum in barbados is special to that rocky gem and the distinctive sweet coffee can be found in the tiled corner bars in cuba where habaneros sip it morning and night balis vibrant batik sarongs are art you can wear and maldivian dhon riha tastes like seafood curry concocted in the depths of the ocean
on a globe every landmass on the planet is an island but its the little atolls that are the most magical the island of stromboli north of sicily is shaped like an anthill and blasts white smoke from its volcano all year anegada in the british virgin islands is flat as a dinner plate until you get within a few hundred yards   and palms and coral heads rise from the waves malta and gozo are home to what are likely the oldest standing structures in the world and on ibiza the endless thumping of techno sounds like warring tribes preparing for battle
it is difficult to find hard borders these days the wilderness has been penetrated from every angle airports have opened the corners of the world and highways traverse every major landmass on the planet in the old days it was easy to get lost you started walking and eventually the trappings of mankind vanished or you sailed away on a ship until you couldnt see land these days a traveler 5000 miles from home has to turn off his phone tablet and laptop to disappear
of all of the wild places you can still escape to islands are foremost many are too small for airports or ferries others are too remote in the south pacific there are islands so overgrown with mangroves you have to steer your boat a mile inland before you hit dry land others in the french west indies began as sandbars until seeds and soil morphed into an oasis you have to walk half a day to reach some of the remote beaches on kauai others off the coast of africa still hold treasure from the days of the barbary coast pirate nations
the isolation and serenity that come with cutting a border around the land you occupy are unmatched new york school poets in the 1950s and 60s migrated to eleuthera in the bahamas to reconnect with the sea and sun diane von furstenberg was on barry dillers yacht seeking shelter from a storm when she discovered her future home on nearby harbour island and paul gauguin famously repatriated to french polynesia to escape european civilization and everything that is artificial and conventional
when i was young i could never find the words to describe that isolation maybe i left before they came a 19th century poet named celia thaxter who palled around with nathaniel hawthorne henry wadsworth longfellow and john whittier on the isles of shoals on the maine new hampshire border left the shoals only a few times and always came back her descriptions and recollections capture island life better than any ive ever read
in her memoir among the isles of shoals she writes of the people the water the old fishermen the ships ... of the sky and sea the flitting of the coasters to and fro the visits of the sea fowl sunrise and sunset the changing moon the northern lights the constellations that wheel in splendor through the winter night she writes about seeds from her garden that come up a different color on the mainland of brown and swarthy fishermen the keen glance of seafarers how all the pictures of which i dream are set in this framework of the sea
i discovered thaxters writing on a solo sailing trip along the maine coast a few years ago my father had passed away and i was making a memorial journey of sorts in the first boat he had ever built i hopped from island to island finding shelter in tiny hurricane holes and exploring the granite rimmed shoreline of my youth every night id hunker down in the cockpit and read thaxters book by flashlight in one of my favorite passages she recalls an elderly african woman who rowed 10 miles to the shoals in the middle of the night to look for buried treasure her divining rod reflecting the starlight garments fluttering in the midnight wind
thaxter goes on to describe a 15 ton boulder that was thrown onto the shore of white island by the waves layers of fish bones three feet deep on star islands beaches the mosaic of stone and shell and sea wrack along the shoreline scraps of boats and masts locals gathered for firewood drowned butterflies beetles and birds dead boughs of ragged fir trees completely draped with the long shining ribbon grass that grows in the brackish water near the river mouths
one night after reading i put the book down and surveyed the harbor the vhf radio crackled below a storm was blowing in from the southwest it would blow all night and into tomorrow the forecaster said i could see lightning flickering in a few clouds on the horizon the wind got chilly and picked up a bit
a motorboat circled the harbor and headed for the mainland i recognized its low slung lines the open cockpit and the tan bimini top collapsed on the bow the cherry console and teak decking were familiar   auburn and gold the boat was a somes sound 26 a replica of a newport launch 26 feet long with a 240 horsepower chrysler inboard engine my father had built it years ago
i crawled down below mystified by the coincidence the timing the magic of maritime life i eventually drifted off to sleep embraced by the fiberglass hull the ocean the harbor and the low slung island protecting everyone in the anchorage from the sea it was disconcerting to be offshore during a big storm but far less so tucked in behind the rocky barrier i dreamed all night of maps and boats and the coast id grown up on by morning the storm had passed and i spent a few hours scanning the chart figuring which island id sail to next


of the many words donald trump has uttered over the last nine months   all the insightful insults and blustery boasts all the syntax slaying murk that sometimes boomerangs back into sense and all the hateful hate that doesnt   last month brought a new flash of negative elan trump was speaking at a rally in harrisburg pa when he took stock of his own demeanor as a candidate
now my wife is constantly saying darling be more presidential i just dont know that i want to do it quite yet he told a packed ready to rock house at some point im going to be so presidential that you people will be so bored and ill come back as a presidential person and instead of 10000 people ill have about 150 people and theyll say but boy he really looks presidential 
when were thinking about voting for president were also thinking about whats presidential i never know quite what that means except that like the sitcom wife version of melania trump in her husbands anecdote i kind of do it connotes carriage and posture and intelligence it captures dignified comportment and a degree of knowledge its the ability to depict leadership from lecterns to tarmacs its partly cosmetic   is this person tall passably fit loosely attractive warm   and almost entirely presentational its the seriousness a candidate has to project in order to be taken seriously only without seeming dour or battery operated presidential used to be something to aspire to all of that authority know how gravitas good posture and moral rectitude   it seemed so important so adult so american
but trump has tapped into something else about presidential if its a performance then it can be switched on and off as needed you can trace this tactic as far back as improbably franklin d roosevelt in her book voting deliberatively fdr and the 1936 presidential campaign mary e stuckey writes that during the summer months before the election fdr concentrated on being presidential so determinedly nonpolitical was he in fact that roosevelt didnt actually acknowledge he was running for re election until late september but when he finally did campaign roosevelt came out swinging against his republican opponents in stuckeys rendering presidential requires remaining above the fray that running for president invariably requires leaping into
richard nixon also understood the power of performance gil troy in his book see how they ran captures the sleight of hand that nixon deployed to finally land the job in 1968 his famously moist televised debate performance in 1960 haunted him so did his failure to seem as persuasively presidential   as good looking basically   as john f kennedy eight years later troy writes things had changed following his advisers and acting presidential nixon snatched the republican nomination his platitudes offered a soothing alternative to the mounting vietnam protests richard nixon the man of a thousand resentments the pit bull of american politics would again pose as an apostle of unity and peace
two terms later john osborne writing for the new republic noted that president gerald fords struggles during the 1976 republican primaries had left his campaign with only one option his best hope of nomination and election lies in his being as presidential as possible osborne wrote in hindsight it seems as if that hope had already been snatched away by chevy chases murderous impression of ford as a buffoon on saturday night live his primary challenger   ronald reagan the master of modern presidential performance   would never have gone out like that he got out in front of caricaturists by mocking himself and his opponents while simultaneously understanding how to star in a televisual campaign and deftly time a one liner during a debate
by the late 20th century presidential had become entirely bound up in technological savvy and reagan as could be expected from a former president of the screen actors guild was an artist when it came to optics brian balogh a professor at the miller center of public affairs at the university of virginia and co host of the radio show backstory with the american history guys told me that reagans stroke of genius was to continue running against the establishment while he was actually the president this was a man who during his 1984 re election bid had air force one land just outside the daytona international speedway to attend the fourth of july firecracker 400 a lot of people balogh said would say that was unpresidential a decade later the nation would be in the midst of an ongoing fit over all things unpresidential thanks to bill clintons sax playing his stated preference for briefs over boxers on mtv his extramarital affair
with barack obama the question was can the country see a nonfictional black man as presidential for the most part it could and like other presidents before him obama managed to bend the concept to suit his persona he never landed his plane outside daytona but he has publicly broken into songs like al greens lets stay together and communicated in hip hop gestures like the dropped mike and the brushing of dirt from the shoulder he visited the los angeles garage where marc maron hosts his wtf podcast he somehow balances the critique that he can be too grave and aloof with the fear that he might get too black
yet none of these detours from convention made him less presidential they actually made sense the obama era is also our hamilton moment in which the state of being presidential can belong to whomever we say it does he and the musical are both winking seeing how much each of them can make the gravity of the office their own without eroding it
so trumps presidential on off switch isnt new hes just the first candidate to acknowledge the switch as a campaign strategy hes openly anti presidential and yet he has been shrewd enough to use presidential against his rivals look at poor john kasich who wanted to be the adult in the room of the republican primaries trump turned the way kasich ate a meal into standup comedy this guy takes a pancake and hes shoving it in his mouth trump said at a stop in pennsylvania it is disgusting do you want that for your president at another rally he elaborated on the theme thats not presidential i can tell you he had trapped kasich into a moment reminiscent of the 1988 campaign when michael dukakis was photographed on a tank wearing a very large helmet and a goofy grin trump managed something similar with jeb bush originally the most conventionally presidential of the gop field he picked up on how soporific bush could seem and never stopped mocking his stamina trump has prioritized sound presentation over sound policy as if he were watching the election on a muted tv at the gym
obamas demeanor has always suggested that he believes in the office trumps has always suggested that he doesnt if trump is a student of history he has surely surmised that presidential is a kind of fraud one he can put to farcical ends on the campaign trail in order to seem presidential hell just have to pause being demagogic sexist authoritarian bigoted and nationalistic
and once he officially gets the nomination his final opponent will bring presidential to another crossroads the national data set for the concept has been almost entirely male but has any 2016 candidate checked off the presidential boxes more dutifully than hillary clinton she embodies both the authority and the stodginess of the term shes serious sturdy studied and commanding unlike trump she has a track record of public service she is also arguably the face of what a sham that gravitas can be people simply dont trust her
americans dont yet know what to do with a presidential woman neither it seems does clinton trump is making anti presidential look easy while shes making the real thing look hard that neurotic quality is what kate mckinnon on saturday night live pours into her strange affectionate incarnation of clinton wanting the job so badly that she can seem pathologically presidential she just happens to be running against somebody happy to act as if he doesnt really want it at all


los angeles   it was inevitable that walt disney studios would make a sequel to alice in wonderland that 2010 movie directed by tim burton took in more than 1 billion at the global box office sending producers across hollywood scurrying like white rabbits   were late were late   to make live action storybook movies another bite of the alice mushroom was a no brainer
but disneys return to lewis carrolls absurdist fantasyland did have one element that was quite curious james bobin
when he was hired to direct the 170 million alice through the looking glass which arrives on friday may 27 mr bobin had made only two modestly budgeted muppets movies in fact mr bobin who is british was perhaps still best known for television as a creator of hbos eccentric flight of the conchords and a writer director for da ali g show where he helped sacha baron cohen create a roster of r rated characters
this was disneys new ace
the reasoning becomes clearer if you meet mr bobin as i did late last month over afternoon iced tea in the chateau marmonts garden restaurant consider for instance how he fielded   in mile a minute foam in mouth corner fashion   an easy initial question about what appealed to him about the alice menagerie
i thought it would be interesting to take the utterly beautiful world that tim created in the first movie and push that a bit applying more absurdity and surrealism and that victorian sense of fantasy and adding some i guess comedy into it because thats largely where i have worked   whilst at the same time serving the central story which is an emotional one comedy and emotion very important he adjusted his oversize black sunglasses and continued lewis carroll you see wasnt really interested in telling an exciting story well he wasnt interested in things like cause and effect or a linear narrative its surreal its absurd its wordplay its satirical its analyzing itself its funny its an enormous challenge
with that he threw his head back and let loose a burst of laughter that was both jolly and slightly unhinged huh ha huh ha huh
i stared at him youre bonkers arent you i said using a line from the film
all the best ones are he replied not missing a beat
the affable mr bobin who hit a home run with the muppets but struck out with muppets most wanted is the latest lesser known director to benefit from hollywoods franchise obsession as studios seek to keep their film series going ad infinitum the most valuable directors are often ones who have exhibited a strong sensibility and sense of ambition but who still lack a body of big screen work and are thus considered more artistically governable sometimes it turns out poorly as when 20th century fox gave fantastic four to the inexperienced josh trank who melted under the pressure more often the new guy   and its always a guy   brings some fresh twists but doesnt leave a tangle the franchise continues on
disneys marketing needs also benefited mr bobin who will next move to sony pictures where he will mash together the men in black and 21 jump street properties to sell tickets for an alice in wonderland sequel disney wanted to advertise the movie as from the producer tim burton mr burton never intended to direct the sequel so the studio needed a filmmaker who had not yet achieved name above the title status
these big effects driven films are an entirely different form of collaboration said the longtime producer suzanne todd whose credits include the alice movies the austin powers series and little gems like christopher nolans memento james had to be very good at listening and filtering its very very bad when young directors shut out the team of old people assembled around them who know more than they do at the same time movies never turn out well when directors try to do what everyone else wants
mr bobin 43 was certainly no pushover he even pressed linda woolverton who wrote the script to add a major character named time a half human half clock who controls how eternity unfurls and also gives chase to alice
there was just a first draft of a screenplay when i came in mr bobin said linda had a nice time travel movie about alice going back to save the hatters family i said hang on a minute what about making time a person and maybe time has a thing a sparkly object that time uses to travel through time and maybe by stealing this thing alice breaks the continuum of time thereby inadvertently forcing time to pursue her right there youve got great narrative drive i did all that
mr bobin turned to a buddy mr cohen to play the role theres nothing funnier to me than sacha playing a competent idiot mr bobin said adding that mr cohen was heavily involved with creating the character
sole screenplay credit ultimately went to ms woolverton who is something of a disney legend having written beauty and the beast and maleficent among others james did spark the idea of time but he didnt just hand me something ms woolverton said we developed the character together
like its predecessor alice through the looking glass has strong feminist currents all the stars are back including mia wasikowska as alice kingsleigh helena bonham carter as the red queen johnny depp as the mad hatter and anne hathaway as the white queen also returning to support mr bobin were the visual effects whiz ken ralston who was nominated for an academy award for his work on the first alice and the costume designer colleen atwood who won an oscar for that film
but the sequel is quite different the story mostly created from whole cloth explores the why of this world ms woolverton said why does the red queen for example have such a big head the explanation involves a childhood fall which ms woolverton said reflected a fall of her own as a girl i slipped on some pickle juice and hit my head
this time around the story also focuses more on mr depps character who is more sad than mad his orange hair is combed and he wears a suit whats illness in a mad person mr bobin said is it being sane summoned by the white queen to snap the hatter out of his funk alice uses times spinning globe   called the chronosphere   to race through the computer generated oceans of time encountering many wacky creatures
time for instance has robot helpers called seconds who can stack themselves minions style into larger entities called minutes humpty dumpty rolls through the arch blue caterpillar alan rickman in his last significant role is now a blue butterfly the mad hatters father zanik hightopp rhys ifans makes an appearance
the movie needed to be sufficiently carrollian in its difficulty mr bobin said one of the successes of the movie as far as im concerned is that my 8 year old daughter understands it
that would be madelaine mr bobin and his wife francesca beauman a historian whose books include shapely ankle preferrd a history of the lonely hearts advertisement also have two sons jack is 6 and wilkie is 3 the family now lives in los angeles full time having moved from london more than a decade ago when da ali g show started to gain emmy recognition all told between that series for which he helped shape characters like borat and the short lived flight of the conchords about awkward new zealand musicians mr bobin has been nominated for 11 emmy awards
the son of a british sportscaster mr bobin has always been interested in time he studied history at oxford university dickenss a christmas carol with its backward and forward jumps is one of his favorite stories mr bobin even dresses a bit out of step with the moment he turned up for our interview wearing a brown tweed jacket with a red polka dot pocket square
he noted that his knowledge of history   specifically art history   influenced alice through the looking glass the red queens attendants are made out of vegetables for instance which is a nod to giuseppe arcimboldo a renaissance painter who turned out portraits of people with pear noses and eggplant necks when alice arrives in london at the beginning of the film the yellowish light is meant to recall sunset st pancras hotel and station from pentonville road an 1884 painting by the irish artist john oconnor
that was very much a choice mr bobin said i pictured it when i read the script for the first time london had to be busy and dirty and yellow
as my time with mr bobin ended i had one more question having never removed those sunglasses even though we were seated in the chateau marmont shade he looked the part hotshot director did he feel that way
no absolutely no he said how could you feel like that he paused for a moment before adding i guess maybe if you told the 15 year old version of me what im doing now then yes he would be pleased and surprised and possibly terrified


for the last hour the american gunship had been circling high above the city carefully observing its target with night vision sensors and waiting for clearance to strike it was 2 in the morning on oct 3 2015 and kunduz city was enveloped in total darkness the citys power had gone out five days before   soon after the taliban took over the provincial capital in a humiliating blow to the american and afghan governments   and it stayed off through the bitter fighting that followed as commandos from both nations counterattacked the aircrafts target a distinctively t shaped building set on an expansive lawn was lit by generators a beacon in the blacked out city as they prepared to fire the gunships crew members radioed to the ground force commander a united states army special forces major for more information
looking for confirmation on which building to strike   confirm it is the large t shaped building  in the center of the compound
affirm
an ac 130 circles its target like a ball swung from a string raining down gunfire along the radius at 208 am the gunship began its assault starting on the eastern end of the t shaped building and working methodically west for half an hour the ac 130 fired its 105 millimeter howitzer the largest airborne gun in existence and its 40 millimeter bofors cannon which shoots exploding incendiary rounds and is ideal for hunting people who flee targeted buildings by foot often referred to by pilots as squirters there were about 50 squirters at the site the crew noted a surprisingly high number through the infrared scope the building glowed as it burned while ghostly shapes that flitted from inside were gunned down
we started a fire good effects
at roughly the same time 150 miles south in kabul guilhem molinie the head of the afghan mission for doctors without borders known by its french initials msf was woken by a phone call his hospital in kunduz was burning a few minutes later he received a chilling update it was being bombed from the air that could mean only an american or afghan attack he began frantically calling the united states military the united nations anyone who might be able to make it stop at 219 am he spoke to an officer at the army special forces headquarters at bagram air base who said he would investigate the airstrike would continue for an additional 18 minutes the officer later texted molinie ill do my best praying for you all
by the time the sun rose the hospitals main building was a smoldering ruin it had been leveled with devastating precision the other buildings on the compound some no more than a few dozen feet away were left unharmed according to msf at least 42 people were killed in the attack and dozens injured it was among the most shocking massacres in the american led war in afghanistan and certainly the most baffling why would an american warplane destroy a working hospital full of doctors and patients
on april 29 seven months after the bombing the united states military released a heavily redacted version of its investigation into the airstrike the report asserts that it was an accident a result of equipment failures and bad decisions on the part of the gunship crew and the special forces the investigation concluded that the personnel involved did not know they were striking a medical facility gen joseph votel the head of the militarys central command said at a news conference they were absolutely trying to do the right thing
even taken at face value the report reveals more than a simple error the circumstances that led to the destruction of the hospital are a direct result of how the special forces were made to bear the weight of the united states contradictory strategy in afghanistan which seeks to both end its involvement in the war and prop up the struggling afghan government restricted to a supposedly noncombat role as advisers the special forces in kunduz ended up calling in the airstrike which was in support of afghan troops against a target a quarter mile away as self defense which meant that it bypassed many safeguards intended to prevent civilian casualties
moreover there is evidence   both buried in the report and from interviews conducted on the front lines in kunduz   that suggests that afghan troops may have deliberately provided the hospital as a target though the special forces later said they were unaware that it was the hospital the redacted investigation documents show that they passed a description that matched the msf compound to the ac 130 as a target   a fact that the military elides in its summary of the bombing this description originated from their afghan partners in my conversations with them in november in the aftermath of the bombing some of the afghan forces in kunduz citing false intelligence that the hospital had been taken over by insurgents said that it had been justifiably targeted
both the american military and the afghan government declined to comment on whether afghan forces had intended to target the hospital but a question hangs over the kunduz bombing even as the military has moved to declare the matter settled did afghan forces out of longstanding mistrust of msf draw the united states into a terrible tragedy
when maj michael hutchinson known to his friends as hutch redeployed last year to afghanistan he was sure   as he later told military investigators   that getting outside the wire to engage in combat was mostly a thing of the past the americans were there to train advise and assist the afghans it was their war now the american combat mission in afghanistan had ended in 2014 as announced by president obama in a rose garden speech that year the remaining american forces were supposed to be restricted to two narrow roles a noncombat nato training mission called resolute support was there to advise afghan forces while the american counterterrorism force under freedoms sentinel was charged with targeting al qaeda and the islamic state the us military will not be engaged in specific operations targeting members of the taliban just because theyre members of the taliban josh earnest the white house spokesman told reporters in 2014
but as the afghan government has begun to lose ground against the taliban united states forces have found themselves pulled back into combat since the new missions began in 2015 at least 87 american military personnel have been killed or wounded in action much of that fighting has fallen to special operations units like hutchinsons company which was assigned responsibility for northern afghanistan under a task force led by the first battalion third special forces group hutchinsons name is redacted in the militarys report but he is referred to throughout as the gfc for ground force commander his identity was confirmed by joe kasper representative duncan hunters chief of staff who has been in contact with special forces who were in kunduz the military declined to comment on hutchinsons role or make him available for an interview
from the start hutchinson had been wary of kunduz and its messy politics ironically i probably jinxed myself on this he later told military investigators i said i did not believe that we should get involved in kunduz any further than training and advising unless the provincial capital falls because structurally it is such a political and ethnic problem its not something that we can effectively weigh in on
kunduz a fertile wedge of rice and wheat fields tucked between the foothills of the hindu kush mountains and the amu darya river basin is one of the provinces where the taliban have made their biggest inroads in recent years yet in the months leading up to the fall of the city neither the americans nor the afghans seemed particularly worried about its stability on aug 13 brig gen wilson shoffner the united states militarys spokesman in afghanistan was asked about the situation there during a news conference i think theres been a lot of generalization when it comes to reports on the north he said kunduz is   is not now and has not been in danger of being overrun by the taliban
roughly six weeks later around 3 in the morning on sept 28 taliban fighters attacked the citys outskirts on three fronts the mujahedeen were united under one command said a taliban commander who took part in the offensive and goes by the name shahid he spoke by phone from outside the city in the weeks after the attack we broke our enemy though kunduz city was home to thousands of afghan army police and intelligence personnel its defenses quickly collapsed the officers fleeing in disarray to the airport on a plateau overlooking the city within hours of their initial assault the taliban were freely roaming the streets looting the abandoned bases of weapons secret documents ford pickup trucks humvees and even two old soviet made t 62 tanks thousands of residents jammed the highways as they fled to neighboring cities meanwhile hordes of taliban fighters some from surrounding provinces streamed into the city attracted by the prospect of a major victory it was the first time since 2001 that the taliban had captured a provincial capital
as panic spread across northern afghanistan the special forces were tapped to help save afghanistans fifth largest city there was already one group called an operational detachment alpha   an a team of 12 green berets plus some support troops including joint terminal attack controllers who direct airstrikes   based at the kunduz airport an additional operational detachment alpha plus four operators from a third one were sent up from bagram the main american military base north of kabul they arrived around 6 in the morning on sept 29 a little more than 12 hours after the city fell hutchinson was put in command of the entire force
afghan reinforcements were also flown in including a contingent of police special forces and about 200 soldiers from the afghan armys most elite unit the special operations force which was also known by its pashto initials kka and was formerly attached to the united states militarys secretive joint special operations command
these coalition troops confronted a scene of total chaos thousands of security forces and civilian officials clamoring for space on the few evacuation flights available some casting aside their uniforms and weapons on the road when the taliban attacked the airport plateau that evening the defenders began fleeing the perimeter but the special forces called in airstrikes which hammered the insurgent forces breaking their offensive and leaving dozens of dead fighters scattered through the arid hills if the americans hadnt intervened said col abdullah gard then the head of the kunduz polices quick reaction force the airport would have fallen
earlier that same day a toyota corolla pulled up to the main entrance of the doctors without borders hospital in kunduz there was a big fat guy driving said an msf employee who was on duty at the time someone told me hes the big boss of the taliban it was janat gul one of the most powerful taliban leaders in northern afghanistan with him was abdul salam the shadow governor responsible for kunduz salam and gul got out and went inside the employee recalled   unarmed as per the hospitals strict no weapons policy   to meet with expatriate staff members doctors without borders confirmed salams visit that day but said he didnt enter the hospital
according to molinie who was monitoring events from kabul the taliban leadership pledged full cooperation and protection and asked that the hospital stay operational during whatever fighting was to come the message was that we could continue our activities that we would be safe and protected and that the patients of the hospital would be safe and protected said molinie as well as the patients from government forces the hospital staff activated the mass casualty plan and readied for the flood of patients that would soon arrive
for msf dealing with the taliban was a routine part of the neutral role it seeks to maintain in afghanistan one of the worlds largest medical charities msf sees itself as an impartial humanitarian organization in the mold of the international committee of the red cross one that could cross front lines to provide treatment to anyone who needed it including wounded combatants
that role has been getting harder to play msf has been active in afghanistan since 1980 and had worked with both the mujahedeen and taliban governments but after the terror attacks of sept 11 its ethos of political neutrality contrasted sharply with that of the global war on terror where you were either with the united states and its allies or with the terrorists afghan forces have been especially resentful of the fact that as patients insurgents in msf facilities are entitled to the protection of international law
in 2004 five msf staff members were shot in an unsolved murder a taliban spokesman claimed responsibility accusing the organization of serving american interests but according to msf afghan officials presented them with credible evidence that local forces were actually responsible no action was taken against them by the government and the organization pulled out of the country
when msf returned to afghanistan in 2009 it followed the example of the red cross and negotiated its access in the field with the taliban leadership eager for the help of humanitarian groups in responding to the worsening conflict the united states and afghan governments acquiesced the initial deal with the afghan government with nato and the us molinie said was that we would reopen a mission on the condition that all parties would accept that we talk to everybody
but balancing the demands of belligerents in a ruthless war was fraught with risk in its zeal to help afghans trapped behind the talibans lines msf risked souring its relationship with the afghan government one of its more ambitious plans called for opening a hospital in the taliban held northern part of helmand province along with an airstrip to fly in international staff members and medical supplies behind insurgent lines personally i thought the idea was completely insane said a western official who was briefed on the proposal last year the afghan government would have reacted strongly against msf
in 2011 msf opened the hospital in kunduz a location it chose because it believed presciently that the provinces bloody past presaged a violent future but some members of the afghan government and security forces there had little respect for msfs neutrality and resented its treatment of wounded taliban when i visited kunduz in november their anger was still surprisingly raw despite the recent destruction of the hospital they give them medicine they transport and treat their injured gard the commander of the quick reaction force told me their existence is a big problem for us and though the hospital treated many more wounded for the government there were rumors that msf had carried out unnecessary amputations on them according to fawzia yaftali a member of the provincial council the general perception was that msf supported the taliban she said
on july 1 an episode occurred that should have been in retrospect a warning sign for all involved a team of afghan police commandos from elite units mentored by united states and nato special forces   the 222 and 333 battalions which were later part of the afghan forces sent to kunduz with the green berets   had arrived in kunduz province to track a high value target a militant commander named abu huzaifa after targeting huzaifa in an airstrike the commandos believed that he had been wounded and taken to the msf hospital in kunduz city they drove there and forced their way inside where they physically assaulted the staff members and fired their weapons into the air according to msf huzaifa was nowhere to be found
it was a kind of wild intrusion molinie said after msf phoned the governor and the police chief the commandos were called off furious that the sanctity of the hospital had been violated msf closed it to new admissions for five days until officials received guarantees from kabul that it would be respected huzaifa would be killed seven weeks later   by an american drone according to a senior afghan special forces commander   but bitterness about the hospital raid lingered among the kunduz security forces they hid him gard told me without offering any evidence his men had accompanied the police commandos to the hospital the people who work there are traitors all of them
on wednesday sept 30 the day after the talibans assault on the airport was beaten back hutchinson started planning an operation to retake the city the political pressure to do so was made apparent when before his departure hutchinson along with an afghan general spoke by videoconference with gen john campbell then the commander of american forces in afghanistan campbell who was in kabul was not happy with the afghans general campbell was understandably upset hutchinson told investigators not only was it a shock and travesty that they had   what follows is redacted in the militarys report but seems to refer to how afghan forces abandoned kunduz city without a fight the fall of kunduz had called into question the viability of obamas strategy in afghanistan and storm clouds were gathering in washington where campbell had previously been scheduled to testify before congress he was very much in a hurry to get back to dc hutchinson says in the report he had a lot on his plate campbell who is now retired declined to comment for this article
after the video conference hutchinson briefed his men on what the four star general told him this was a strategically vital mission and the whole world was watching it had to happen as soon as possible failure was not an option on this operation
the operation fit awkwardly under resolute support the noncombat training mission and freedoms sentinel which was supposed to engage only isis and al qaeda not the taliban indeed while hutchinson had submitted his operation plan to his headquarters at bagram under resolute support it came back approved under freedoms sentinel later hutchinson told investigators that he thought he was operating under resolute supports rules of engagement
the distinction between the two   which were both led by campbell   would become almost meaningless in kunduz the same unit could be carrying out a training mission one minute and a counterterrorism one the next according to the military in the first four days of fighting in kunduz 13 airstrikes were conducted under resolute support and nine under freedoms sentinel before conducting strikes aircrews would sometimes radio to ask under which mission they were about to shoot
the plan hutchinson submitted called kunduz clearing patrol was a risky mission to strike deep into the city where his men and the afghan commandos would take over the police and governors compound and set up a forward stronghold hutchinson later admitted that he had underestimated the number of taliban in the city as a small group of dedicated individuals the green berets planned to stay for only 24 hours long enough for the local afghan forces at the airport to rally and return to the city i really thought that the afghans would see that it wasnt that big of a deal and they would all come back in he said in the report we all agreed it had to happen fast and the only people who were willing to go in unfortunately were people who did not know the city of kunduz
that same wednesday night around 1030 according to the report the green berets accompanied by the afghan police and army commandos as well as gards quick reaction force rolled out of the airfield in a convoy of armored vehicles and fought their way into the city first they cleared gards compound which the insurgents had captured the day before they were hit by repeated taliban ambushes and called in airstrikes from a circling ac 130 gunship killing dozens of insurgents while entering the police compound they set off a tripwire bomb but no one was hurt the afghan and american commandos posted guards on the walls and set up a base inside a humvee with a single small scale map of kunduz spread over its hood served as the special forces command post
the city around them was still swarming with insurgents when the sun rose the attacks began hoping to overrun the police compounds defenders the taliban launched relentless assaults from the surrounding buildings sometimes getting close enough for the green berets to use grenades as the insurgents rained rockets and machine gun fire on the compounds barriers the special forces called in six danger close gun runs from f 16s the strikes near enough to risk friendly fire still the insurgents kept coming i was in a lot of effective firefights one of the green berets later wrote but this was on a completely different level than even any of the experienced special operators on any of the detachments had seen   particularly over such a sustained period of time how no one was killed or even wounded is an absolute miracle
an afghan force of 500 was supposed to show up the next day from the airport to relieve them it never did when a few afghan police and army personnel did arrive they said they would abandon their positions if the americans left it soon became apparent to hutchinson and his men that their 24 hour mission was going to last longer
by sending the special forces to hold an isolated position deep inside a city held by the taliban the american military allowed the afghan government to claim a badly needed propaganda victory on oct 1 as the green berets and the afghan commandos fought for their lives at the police compound president ashraf ghani held a news conference in kabul to declare that all of kunduz city had been retaken thank god we had no fatalities he said in fact the battle to recapture the city would rage for two more weeks and at least 38 afghan police officers and soldiers would be killed
the fact that the special forces were surrounded by taliban also meant that the liberal use of american air power in kunduz could be justified as self defense the military went further by applying what it called persons with designated special status to the afghan commandos in kunduz a designation that allows american forces to consider temporarily defending certain partnered afghan troops as part of their own self defense   essentially self defense of someone else
later investigators would conclude that hutchinson had improperly used these self defense rules in order to launch offensive pre assault fires it was his response perhaps to the conundrum he faced by engaging in combat during a supposedly noncombat mission was he supposed to wait for the commandos to get pinned down or take casualties before striking the insurgents they had been sent into the city to fight i cant expect them to assault that he told investigators referring to the kkas subsequent attack on the taliban held intelligence headquarters they cant sit out there and die on the road
armed with this authorization and ordered to take back the city of kunduz the special forces called in air support for the afghan commandos who taking advantage of their superior night vision capabilities would set out from the police compound to raid taliban positions around the city at night where there was heavy pressure on us said yaftali the kka commander wherever there was heavy fighting we told the americans to strike there
in a city where all other institutions had been abandoned by their staff the msf hospital was a lifeline for the people of kunduz dr esmatullah esmat had been a surgeon for eight years in afghanistan but he had never witnessed anything like this when i saw my patients after surgery and they would say dr esmat you saved me i felt energy he said we never felt tired a stoop shouldered stocky man with a shy smile esmat and his fellow surgeons worked in alternating 12 hour shifts over five days the hospital would receive 376 patients in its emergency room more than a quarter of them women and children esmat had to amputate the leg of a 3 year old girl i have a daughter the same age he said
it was a bloody and chaotic scene in the red room the most critical cases were prepped   head and torso wounds or traumatic amputations typically   and then sent immediately into one of the hospitals three operating theaters there stripped naked under the surgeons lamp taliban fighters civilians and government soldiers alike became patients whose lives needed to be saved esmat and his colleagues performed 138 operations during those days almost a third of them emergency laparotomies   the abdomen was cut open and internal organs were piled on the chest so that the surgical team could go through them painstaking inch by inch looking for lacerations to suture
as the wards overflowed the staff laid down mattresses between the beds and in the hallways and stretched the 90 bed hospital to fit 130 there were gruesome and strange sights like the taliban fighter from a commando unit in a distinctive camouflage pattern robe weeping uncontrollably while stroking the head of his body bagged friend it was a bit hopeless said faizullah alokozai the hospitals archivist i saw a lot of dead children
though the msf hospital was crowded with fighters whether patients or caretakers each patient was allowed one staff members and civilians who were present said the insurgents respected the rules they left their weapons outside or handed them over at the gun lockers at the entrance one employee recalled seeing a fighter give up his weapon but forget his ammunition vest when the employee nervously approached the fighter about it the man apologized profusely and handed it over we had respect for the hospital as they were serving the people said shahid the taliban commander i myself went there once when one of our men was wounded and before entering we submitted our weapons outside
msf did allow caretakers and patients to keep their cellphones however and i was told by several staff members and civilians present that some taliban caretakers also brought in hand held radios molinie said that while there was no specific rule against radios he didnt believe that they were allowed in according to msf some of the taliban patients were high ranking leaders taliban vehicles were also allowed inside the hospital grounds to drop off critically injured patients
unknown to msf afghan forces in kunduz were coming to the false conclusion that the hospital was being used as a taliban stronghold and headquarters which would have meant the loss of its protected status all their most important leaders were inside the hospital especially tajiks uzbeks and high ranking pakistanis gard said he claimed his information came from local informants who had been inside the hospital and witnessed the taliban operating there they had raised their flag and established their headquarters there
these unconfirmed reports were lent additional weight by signals intelligence yaftali the kka commander told me that his units wolfhound radio direction finders which allowed them to determine the range and bearing of enemy radios picked up taliban transmissions from inside the hospital we located about 10 to 15 radios from there he said the taliban were inside and outside the hospital
the afghan forces i spoke to said they relayed these reports to the american military and its clear that before the strike some americans were aware of the concerns that the msf hospital had been taken over by the taliban on oct 1 carter malkasian a civilian adviser to the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff at the pentagon emailed msf in new york to ask about the safety of its staff and whether taliban fighters were holed up inside the hospital
maj gen mark quantock campbells intelligence deputy told investigators although we assessed that there were taliban using the hospital you cannot shoot up a building under the current authorities period
molinie msfs head of mission in kabul said he was then unaware of the american militarys suspicions which he criticized as baseless on sept 29 he provided resolute support with gps coordinates for four of msfs facilities in kunduz including the hospital as a precaution and the day before the bombing he coordinated the delivery of three truckloads of medical supplies to kunduz with an officer at the special forces headquarters at bagram he informed me of the number of beds number of international aid workers in the hospital and that the taliban were protecting the hospital and were treating the government casualties well the officer later wrote
its unclear from the report what if anything the special forces on the ground in kunduz knew about the msf hospital several staff members at their headquarters at bagram told investigators that they had passed msfs grid coordinates on two separate occasions to the green berets at the police compound i know i read the four grids and got a read back for accuracy one person wrote i think i used the term doctors without borders not msf  hutchinson and other members of his team however said they never received the coordinates from bagram and were unaware of the hospitals location before the strike a contention the investigators accepted in their final report
but whether they heard the afghans false reports before or after the strike some of the green berets in kunduz appeared to believe them there were enemy in there one later wrote according to an email excerpt provided by representative hunters office they were using it as a command and control node they had already removed and ransomed the foreign doctors and they had fired on partnered personnel from there
for the civilians who remained in kunduz during the fighting   the united nations estimates that 13000 families were displaced by the fighting and that 848 civilians were killed or injured   life was a daily struggle to survive there was no electricity and the price of basics like bread and cooking oil had shot up for those who could find them at all heading out in search of supplies meant risking your life in the crossfire on the streets but for people like ismail zahir a floppy haired soft spoken 20 year old who worked in construction there was no other choice with his father deaf and disabled his family relied on their eldest son as their breadwinner when there were lulls in the fighting ismail would head out into the street dodging sniper fire i was afraid he said but not as afraid as i was for my family
once afghan and american forces counterattacked and airstrikes began hitting the city he grew especially worried for his sisters morsal and madina morsal 15 was quiet and fastidious like him while madina at 5 the youngest in the family was impish and apple cheeked at night they screamed in fear when bombs struck nearby they begged the family to leave kunduz
finally on oct 2 the fourth day after the fall of kunduz ismail and a friend set off across the city to find a car to hire riding tandem on a borrowed bicycle through the deserted streets taliban fighters stopped them at a checkpoint but let them pass   civilians were free to flee if they wished on the outskirts of the city they found a taxi driver he wanted the equivalent of 200 to take them to kabul five times as much as the normal rate and they had no choice but to accept
returning home with the driver he and his friend packed their families into the toyota station wagon 14 people in total most of them women and children the driver set off south toward kabul as they came around a corner they spotted an afghan army armored vehicle perhaps thinking they were insurgents it opened fire as the driver wheeled around bullets tore through the back of the car four of the boys were shot in the arms and legs but the two girls morsal and madina were the most grievously wounded somehow the car made it to the msf hospital
when esmat arrived in the red room he found morsal laid out pale and beautiful she was dead from a head wound madinas abdomen was torn open and her intestines protruded but she was still conscious and cried out mother mother as esmat looked around and saw amin bajawri the emergency room doctor and the rest of the staff members weeping he felt his own eyes sting and well all the suffering he had witnessed over the previous days was overflowing inside of him my god what is the sin of these people he cried
madinas liver and kidney had been badly lacerated to survive she needed an immediate laparotomy esmat composed himself and began preparing for the operation
that night according to the report the kka commandos at the police compound planned a raid on the abandoned headquarters of the national directorate of security the afghan intelligence service which had been occupied by the taliban after dark the insurgents daily assault on the police compound had petered out and the commandos planned to take three of their wounded comrades back to the airport resupply and then drive back into the city toward the nds compound on a northbound path that would take them past the msf hospital
the commandos asked hutchinson to provide them with air support and he replied that he would take care of them the ac 130 had already been on station above kunduz for three hours when around 1 in the morning hutchinson informed the gunship that the afghan commandos were planning to raid the nds headquarters and requested that the gunship perform a defensive scan of the area hutchinson passed on the correct grid coordinates for the nds compound which had been given to him by the afghans but because the gunship was flying higher than normal to avoid surface to air missiles its navigation system pointed the sensor   a powerful night vision telescope essentially   at an empty field located between the nds headquarters and the msf hospital confused the sensor operator scanned around and noticed a large facility nearby with people walking around at night he started observing it to determine if this was the target in fact it was the hospital the gunship hadnt been given the buildings coordinates before the mission and although the hospital had a flag with the msf logo on its roof it wasnt marked with a red cross or a crescent
the next step was crucial hutchinson who had been conferring via an interpreter with the kka ground force and couldnt see the target himself then gave the ac 130 an updated description of the compound of interest he later told investigators that the afghans described a long t shaped building with a small offshoot he continued i cant remember the word i would have used for it its a walled in compound with multiple outbuildings and there was a gate facing to the north with an arch
that description didnt resemble the nds headquarters it matched the hospital
at 2 in the morning the hospital was quiet most of the roughly 300 staff members patients and caretakers were asleep in the operating theater the night shift of surgeons was taking advantage of a quiet day to carry out follow up operations esmat who spent two hours operating on madina had finished his shift at midnight and collapsed exhausted on a cot in the outpatient department he had been worried that she might die on the operating table but she pulled through
down the hall faizullah alokozai the archivist was sound asleep next to the hospitals deputy medical director dr abdul satar zaheer shortly after 2 in the morning both men were woken by loud blasts and flashes of light realizing they were under attack the two jumped up and ran east toward the entrance to the basement into the high ceilinged hallway outside the operating theater they didnt know it but they were running toward danger the gunship had started by hitting the intensive care unit on the east end of the hospital and was working its barrage west esmat who stepped into the hallway behind them saw the passage suddenly fill with smoke and he jumped out a window onto the lawn where he crawled and hid safely in a deep window well for the duration of the attack
as faizullah and satar reached the far side of the hallway a shell punched through the roof and exploded on the floor in front of them they fell to the ground satars right arm had been blown off at the shoulder faizullah could feel his own hot blood gushing down his back the power went out and the darkness was rent with flashes of lights
faizullah crawled up to satar and held him i lost my right arm please help me his colleague cried i know faizullah replied ill get you out if were alive im not going to leave you
as they cowered reciting the islamic profession of faith more shrapnel struck them three times faizullah tried to stand them up struggling with the bulky satar whose legs seemed to be paralyzed before another explosion would send them sprawling the sound of the blasts was the hardest thing to bear
by the time the gunships fire moved on to another part of the hospital the air had filled with acrid smoke and faizullah could hear the sound of flames licking the building he got to his feet and pulled at satars arm he was limp and silent hes dead faizullah thought and ill die if i stay here
in the darkness he heard a voice please forgive me for whatever happened because im going to die take care of my children making his way forward faizullah saw that it was the young emergency room doctor amin sitting in a doorway talking on his cellphone his right leg was missing at the knee and blood was spurting and pooling underneath him
its going to catch fire amin shouted seeing faizullah we have to get out amin heaved himself onto his remaining leg and hopped through the smoke filled emergency room and faizullah followed him out through the entrance into the covered driveway where amin clutched the row of pillars that lined it i cant move he gasped and so faizullah slung him over his back and staggered out onto the front lawn of the hospital where they collapsed in the grass
as they looked back at the hospital another round of shells struck the driveway where they had just been standing partly collapsing its roof the hospital was on fire now its flames leaping up and setting tall pine trees alight the lawn was lit with its dancing orange flame from inside faizullah could hear the screams of people burning alive
sixteen service members have been disciplined for their role in the airstrike but the military has declined to pursue criminal charges the military has argued that while both the special forces and the ac 130 crew made serious errors and in doing so violated the geneva conventions they were not guilty of crimes because they had not known they were targeting a hospital the label war crimes is typically reserved for intentional acts   intentional targeting of civilians or intentionally targeting protected objects or locations gen joseph votel said hutchinson was relieved of command and reprimanded but he was recently assigned as his battalions executive officer according to representative hunters office
it is true as the report states that there was a pileup of mistakes and technical problems without any one of which the strike might have been averted an antenna that would have allowed the gunship to send video of its target to the special forces and to receive an email sent by its headquarters with the msf hospitals coordinates stopped working shortly after takeoff later the special forces headquarters at bagram sent a predator drone to observe the wrong nds location on the other side of the city and as a result wasnt watching the strike when it started
most important because the strike was carried out under the special self defense of others designation given to the afghan commandos it didnt have to be approved by anyone besides hutchinson and the aircraft commander hutchinson who was inside the police compound claimed that he thought he saw the kka convoy nearby and then heard them come under machine gun fire in fact the report states the convoy was still five and a half miles away from the target and had not yet been attacked the investigators concluded that hutchinson violated the rules of engagement and stated that his version of events surrounding his decision to authorize the strike is internally inconsistent implausible and contradicted by other available sources of credible information
but hutchinson was arguably only doing what he was asked to do by his higher ups fight with afghan forces to retake the city of kunduz as quickly as possible if someone must be held accountable let it not be the man who was ordered to sky dive without being given a parachute a green beret officer in kunduz   his name is redacted   said complaining of moral cowardice and an abject failure of leadership
as a result of the self defense justification an airstrike against a building   which would normally have gone all the way to general campbell for approval   could be approved on the spot these safeguards around airstrikes which succeeded in reducing civilian casualties from airstrikes to 204 in 2012 from 353 in 2011 according to united nations figures were intended not only to prevent simple errors or collateral damage but also to avoid acting on bad intelligence provided by afghan sources who had in the past been careless in passing on unverified rumor as fact or even seeking to maliciously use american air power to target their rivals
this in turn raises the question of what targeting information was provided by the afghan forces the military has focused on the nds headquarters coordinates which the gunships targeting system mistakenly indicated as an open field but those grids were passed to the special forces at 6 pm when the afghans informed them of their plan of attack for that night when hutchinson asked them seven hours later after the confusion with the gunships targeting system about the compound to strike they gave a description of a long t shaped building with a north facing gate which he in turn passed to the gunship
maj gen william hickman who led the militarys investigation described this as an ambiguous physical description that appeared to match the msf trauma center but its actually a rather specific description that corresponds to msfs distinctive layout it does not at all resemble the nds headquarters which is a trapezoidal compound with a south facing gate and two main rectangular buildings facing each other across a cramped courtyard
indeed according to the report when the ac 130 returned to a normal altitude the sensor operator worried that the navigation system had failed earlier tried punching in the original grid coordinates and this time it aimed his sensor at the nds headquarters the crew members then did a side by side comparison of the nds and msf sites using both of their sensors but based on hutchinsons description they decided that they were 100 percent confident that the t shaped building was their target
hutchinson and the other special forces on the ground later told investigators that the afghans had a second target that night in addition to the nds headquarters they all claimed not to know or recall what exactly it was there was actually two targets they said they were going to hit but they didnt even have a location for the other one so we didnt concern ourselves much with it hutchinson said another green beret said the afghans had provided two sets of coordinates one for the nds headquarters and the second for what was described as an insurgent command and control location but he didnt know precisely what the other grid referred to i dont recall and dont want to speculate said a third who claimed to have passed both grids to the aircraft a member of the gunship crew also said they received multiple grids that night
could the second target have been the hospital did afghan forces influenced by their longstanding animosity for msf believe that it had become a taliban headquarters and needed to be taken out unless their findings have been redacted the militarys investigators seemed not to have probed these questions
when i interviewed them in november none of the afghan forces would claim responsibility for passing on the description to the special forces yaftali the kka commander said that the decision to strike the hospital was made by the united states and that it was unfortunate but justified they were firing rpgs at us from the direction of the hospital he said
the americans were aware that they were firing from there said captain munib an afghan commando who was partnered with american forces in kunduz the kka had reported to them that the taliban were there and then they hit it independent investigations have revealed no evidence to suggest that armed taliban fighters were inside the hospital or firing from nearby
in fairness much like their american partners the afghan special forces sent up from kabul were reliant on information from local sources who had longstanding views about msfs role in kunduz that hospital is in the service of the taliban gard said when i visited him in kunduz i swear to god if they make it a hundred times well destroy it a hundred times
is there still a place in todays wars for a hospital to treat all sides on may 3 denouncing a pattern of attacks against medical facilities in conflict zones the united nations security council adopted resolution 2286 which called for an end to impunity for those responsible oddly some of the individuals seated around the security councils horseshoe shaped table represented countries involved in these strikes
in yemen for example the military coalition led by saudi arabia and supported with american and british intelligence and weaponry has repeatedly struck medical facilities it bombed an msf clinic on oct 26 despite having been provided with its coordinates in syria msf does not provide coordinates of the medical facilities it supports to the assad regime or the russian forces backing it out of fear that the information will be used to target them aid and human rights groups have accused both governments of deliberately attacking medical facilities including an msf supported hospital in northern syria on feb 15 an accusation they have denied
can we provide treatment to whoever you consider to be your enemy said jonathan whittall msfs head of humanitarian analysis when you look at the track record of the last few months when four out of the five permanent members of the security council have been involved in bombing msf facilities its a question that we urgently need to have answered
in afghanistan health facilities remain under threat both by the taliban   who frequently commit war crimes like indiscriminately attacking civilians   and by the afghan government according to the united nations on feb 18 afghan police commandos stormed into a clinic run by the swedish committee for afghanistan and executed two patients and a teenage caretaker who were suspected of being insurgents jorgen holmstrom the scas country director told me that the commandos belonged to the 333 battalion   the same unit that raided the msf hospital last july and participated in the battle for kunduz   and were accompanied by british troops a spokesman for resolute support stated that its investigation found absolutely no evidence to support that allegation of executions and declined to comment on which units were present
in kunduz the hospital remains in ruins and its staff has struggled to make sense of what happened faizullah the archivist survived but his young friend amin did not whenever i went to sleep for two minutes i was just seeing the bombing and the killing and the dead bodies faizullah said once the airstrike ended esmat tried to suture amins severed femoral artery on a makeshift operating table but to no avail madina the little girl lived through esmats operation but not the bombing her family found her two days afterward and buried her with her big sister we tried to save her but she died esmat said picking his way through the rubble she died and she burned the walls around us still stood but the roof was open to the gray winter sky
editors note the united states military initially declined to comment and referred questions to the afghan government which also declined to comment after this article went to press peter cook the pentagons spokesman said in a statement the comprehensive investigation that followed the kunduz tragedy determined that all members of both the ground force and the ac 130 aircrew were unaware that the aircraft was firing on a medical facility throughout the engagement the investigation ultimately concluded that this tragic incident was caused by a combination of human errors compounded by process and equipment failures


since his death on april 21 prince has drawn tributes from around the globe with the most fervent making the trip to his hometown minneapolis where petitions are circulating to make the stars june 7 birthday a holiday and to rename a terminal after him at minneapolis st paul international airport now new tours make it easy to follow the prince trail around town
waconiaville tours which specializes in winery visits has added a prince tour that stops at paisley park the home and studio of the star in suburban chanhassen which is not open to the public his former school the first theater where he performed and the electric fetus said to be his favorite record store in the twin cities the tours which will run four to five hours are to begin may 28 58
we thought we would let the dust settle a bit but a lot of people were asking for tours and theres a story to be told said randy luedtke the owner of waconiaville tours
to encourage prince inspired visitors the tourism association meet minneapolis has published an online guide to the former homes schools and clubs where prince lived studied and played the list also features sites including the esteemed music club first avenue cedar lake and the orpheum theater where scenes from the 1984 prince film purple rain were shot
for a lot of us he was a celebrity but for many of us here he was a neighbor said bill deef vice president of meet minneapolis the associations guide lists about 20 sites and includes maps for self guided tours
the citys bike share program nice ride also has a self guided prince for a day tour that visits four sites including the house from purple rain and the nightclub formerly known as glam slam when prince owned it
venues where prince performed and attended shows including first avenue and the dakota jazz club make it easy to experience the musical side of minneapolis
we remain true to his legacy and we hope to embody everything he was which is liberation and the freedom to be yourself said dayna frank the owner of first avenue


cowboys don delillos 16th novel zero k enters the hardcover fiction list at no 13 in a recent q and a with the los angeles times delillo counted the book among the three most significant of his career the others were also best sellers libra spent five weeks on the list in 1988 and underworld had a 10 week run in 1997 98 delillo is well known for his attention to the music and even the visual appearance of his sentences the words typed on the white page have a sculptural quality he told the paris review in 1993 but to judge from his interview with the los angeles times this devotion to craft doesnt extend to shoptalk with writer friends when i talk to novelists we tend to talk about movies he said its true its much easier to talk about i just dont talk much about my work with other writers and i dont talk much about their work a few sentences were like two characters in an old western movie in which the main element the main audio element is to be very laconic thats what happens when i talk about writing with other writers
fast food money may not buy love but it does come in handy for humbler cravings pizza for instance according to philip normans biography paul mccartney the life new at no 14 on the hardcover nonfiction list mccartney once used some of his beatles fortune to order a particular new york pizza he wanted delivered to england on the concorde mccartneys representatives did not respond to a request for comment on how much he tipped the pilot
huttslayer the latest novel from the star wars universe   claudia grays bloodline no 5 in its first week on the hardcover fiction list   puts princess leia front and center tracking her life in the decades between return of the jedi and the force awakens among other things it reveals that leia is known in some quarters as the huttslayer revered for killing the enormous sluglike villain jabba the hutt think about it gray told entertainment weekly for a human being to kill a hutt with her bare hands thats unbelievable anybody who would be able to pull that off would be remembered for it that would be legend
the president and the king the former secret service agent clint hill is best known for his presence at john f kennedys assassination in dallas but hill remained in the service for years after that and   as he recounts in five presidents written with lisa mccubbin and new on the hardcover nonfiction list at no 9   he was on hand for another indelible moment when elvis presley offered his services to president nixon he thought he could do a good job helping the united states government deal with the drug problem hill told people magazine so he thought it would be a good idea if they would make him a special agent nixon demurred but gave him a souvenir badge he went away happy hill said


a nice big foyer separates the entryway from the sunken living room in graham parkers hudson heights apartment
it turns out there are all sorts of uses for that wide open space mr parker the general manager of the classical music public radio station wqxr and his psychologist husband adam benson can expound on the topic with great verve and authority
the foyer is used as an extension of the dining room on thanksgiving jewish holidays and other occasions and its the site of fiercely contested chess games between the couples adopted children max 8 and georgie 6 its where max demonstrates brazilian martial arts moves like flips and cartwheels and where the very flexible georgie shows off her yoga poses the foyer has also worked admirably as a stage for the childrens plays and musicales thats max on drums and georgie on keyboards
the stair is a big thing said the london born mr parker 46 standing on the step leading to the living room the grown ups are down there and the kids are up here and the archway is the proscenium arch
it was mr benson who introduced mr parker to hudson heights or as he refers to it upstate new york city its quiet its familial and neighborhood y said mr parker who married his longtime partner in 2007 ive worked in the nonprofit space my whole career and it was nice to realize i could afford to buy an apartment up here subsequently the couple bought an apartment where they lived for a decade
but when we had kids we needed more space said mr parker who had long had his eye on a particular art deco building near fort tryon park
the couples real estate broker a close friend knew they were looking for a three bedroom apartment when just such a unit came up in the long coveted building the men hustled
it was really funny   we had scheduled it way too tightly mr parker said the sellers realtor was late and we had to get our son to a music lesson so we had about a minute and a half to look around as we walked out we said well take it  they moved in four years ago
the apartments light scale and flow were prime attractions the living room and bedrooms were spacious as for the kitchen   well perhaps the less said the better lets just say this it hadnt been updated since the 1940s and paint chips had a tendency to fall into the pots and pans it was awful mr parker said simply the bathrooms would also have benefited from a contractors attention
even so the couple held their fire they were determined to learn from past mistakes when they had moved into their previous apartment they had made some impulsive furniture purchases and injudicious paint color choices so when we got into the new place we left it shabby for six months mr parker said we sat with it we wanted to see how the light was and to figure out what rooms we were going to use for what
they finally settled on a gray a few shades warmer than pewter for the public areas the gray theme is restated in the italian glass backsplash and the under counter drawers and cabinets in the recently renovated kitchen
when we redid the kitchen in our previous apartment someone came in and said oh you can tell two guys live here its very dark  mr parker recalled soft white is the dominant color this time around
im very proud of the kitchen mr parker said adam and i love to cook and entertain and were sabbath observant so we often have people here for friday night dinner or saturday lunch after synagogue singing and whiskey drinking are part of the program
the post synagogue crowd spills into the living room whose look was shaped by darci hether an interior designer she sat with us and heard what we wanted to do and went shopping with us and helped us figure out what we needed to buy said mr parker who points with pride to the wheat colored semicircular sofa he and mr benson bought on their own
when we got it home adam said to me what have we done its huge but our decorator said guys you nailed it we will work with this couch and i have to say its the most comfortable thing in the world everyone loves sitting on it its very shape sends a message gather around
as with the purchase of the sofa the couple have boldly gone it alone in their selection of art while doing some consulting at interlochen arts academy in michigan mr parker fell in love with a piece that was part of a show by staff members nine large color swirled tiles it was the first art he had ever bought it was the first work that seth kaiser a ceramist and recent art school graduate had ever sold the couples subsequent acquisition of an armless pink chair was inspired by the tiles swooshes of cerise
a large grid of metal strands by alice hope that was once on display in the lobby of the greene space for public performances at new york public radio now hangs in the couples foyer its made of heavy chains but it has this light floaty quality that i think is amazing said mr parker who stepped in with his checkbook when the greene space lobby was redecorated and ms hopes installation became available
a more personal work a poem by jake marmer rendered as a paper cut by jacqueline nicholls hangs in the dining room a commission by mr parker for mr bensons 50th birthday last year a man sings to his wife on friday before the sabbath starts when he thanks her for all the work she does on behalf of the family mr parker explained but its not relevant to a modern gay couple this is a new poem based on the old liturgy
sabbath observance is but one of many constants classical music is always playing usually wqxr but that was true even before i started working there mr parker said i cant stand silence
thats lucky he doesnt often have it this is an apartment with an open door policy we want our kids to know they should feel as comfortable as we do inviting their friends around this may explain why visitors are frequently suggesting to the couple that they do some rejiggering of the space to accommodate the scrum expand the kitchen to incorporate the dining room take a wall down and make the third bedroom part of the kitchen put a table in the foyer and have that be the dining room no no no
i dont need a suburban size kitchen mr parker said and i always tell people you know theres a reason we bought a three bedroom apartment   for the third bedroom 


paris   asked if she noted a difference in security this year at the french open the spanish star garbine muguruza chose to demonstrate by frisking herself thoroughly
i sense that there is more focus on it she said friday shortly after the draw at the worlds premier clay court tennis tournament
the new level of scrutiny at roland garros is evident and understandable as france still in a state of emergency prepares for two months of sport that also present a major security headache
the european soccer championship from june 10 to july 10 will be the much bigger challenge with its full stadiums and fan zones nationwide but the french open nestled among the foliage and red clay on the fringes of the citys 16th arrondissement could also be a target
it begins sunday with novak djokovic aiming to win the only grand slam singles title that he lacks and serena williams trying to tie steffi graf for the open era record by winning her 22nd major singles title
there are new checkpoints and policies and a much more visible police presence outside the stadium gates with the security cordon clearly much wider
i think you have to have confidence in the professionals said guy forget the new french open tournament director for security questions we are required to count on the professionals the prefecture of police the special forces and we say what should we do give us the means we want there to be as close to zero risk as possible and we follow what they tell us to do to the letter
in our organization internally we have security employees inside the stadium because security is not only the risk of an attack it can be minor things too it is to protect the players the public and all the populations here from the smallest danger it was always the case and today we know with the current political situation that the risks are greater so we have taken much greater measures and now we will cross our fingers and be as vigilant as possible
that forget a former french star is now the tournament director is a reflection of the tumult in the last four months within the french tennis federation which organizes the event in february forgets predecessor gilbert ysern was dismissed by the federation president jean gachassin and summarily escorted off the roland garros premises gachassin maintained that ysern had mishandled the replacement of the french davis cup captain arnaud clement by yannick noah and too often acted unilaterally
ysern has disputed those accusations but gachassin the diminutive and ebullient former french rugby star whose final term will soon end now has major problems of his own including a police investigation into allegations that he sold french open tickets that he received as president for personal gain he has denied the charge through his legal representatives
on may 3 the police searched the french federation headquarters at roland garros all this does not help the tournaments expansion cause which has required public support even if the work is to be largely financed by loans and the federations own revenue
security inside the stadium has also too often been a concern in recent years with demonstrations and court intrusions disrupting some players concentration and sense of well being last year on opening day a fan blithely stepped over a barrier and onto the main philippe chatrier court to ask roger federer to pose for a photograph with him guards were slow to respond and federer not generally one to call out tournament organizers was not amused
obviously not one second im happy about it federer said after the incident
the timing of this years event has only increased the urgency about security the french open which lasts 15 days and attracts crowds of more than 30000 daily during the first week will be the most significant and extended sporting event in paris since the terrorist attacks in november that left 137 dead
i mean thats something i think a lot of the players wanted as well is a little bit more security williams said friday well see you know we just want to be here we want to do what we do we just want to play tennis we want to enjoy ourselves and just live our lives
williams still ranked no 1 at age 34 has an apartment in paris and many other players also have a deep connection with the city and its inhabitants
they have gone through a lot said bethanie mattek sands the reigning french open womens doubles champion with lucie safarova when we first heard about those attacks it was one of those moments where you remember where you were and you stop for a moment and think about it because its not somewhere in a land faraway its the place where you go every year
coming back its something that is in the back in your mind its something that didnt happen long ago and its something you cant really predict so as much as you dont want to kind of live in fear of what could happen you never know and i hope that the french open like with the olympics and other sports brings people together im still going to explore and love paris as i have in years past
the back story is not all that has changed at roland garros this year the backdrop is changing too the long contentious extension project into the neighboring botanical gardens is still contentious and construction of the new greenhouse court is blocked for now
but work inside the existing site has continued apace and where court 7 once stood there is now a large construction pit hidden for the duration of the tournament by temporary pavilions and concession stands
the iconic place des mousquetaires is also lacking musketeers with the four statues of the four great french players of the 1920s and 1930s   rene lacoste jean borotra henri cochet and jacques brugnon   no longer in place at least for the moment to improve pedestrian flow during the renovation
roland garros overcrowded during the first week in the best of circumstances could become even more of a scrum in 2016 but that would only be an annoyance what matters most of course is that everyone emerges safe and sound from 15 days of watching forehands backhands and long sweeping slides in the terre battue


over the course of five months two hours at a time david villa sat down with a language instructor in his familys upper west side apartment to master the fine art of english not just english actually major league soccer english
so in the field i can think that way villa said thursday i can talk to teammates the referees the coach the media better and better
it is for reasons such as this   and because villa already has scored eight goals this season for a second place new york city fc team that missed the playoffs in its inaugural campaign in 2015   that he has quickly won the hearts and minds of club officials and fans unlike many aging high salaried players who have joined mls and then failed to live up to their reputations or contracts villa has proved to be a bargain   even at 56 million a year
it is not just the goals villas work rate this year has been exceptional especially for a 34 year old forward whose greatest days   including world cup european and champions league titles   came alongside better players with bigger teams
but there is also the personal side villas embrace of the new york city experience his steady stream of selfies with fans and teammates and his eagerness to add english to his skill set as nycfc captain in order to serve as a more capable intermediary between coach patrick vieira and the players
hes a different type of leader quiet vieira said as nycfc prepared for saturdays rivalry game against the red bulls in the bronx he doesnt need to talk i try to make him involved the link between myself and the rest of the team it is important for me to make him understand that no one else here has his career
on thursday red bulls coach jesse marsch heaped praise on villa for the new york city fc turnaround crediting not only his work rate but also his willingness to challenge any ball to track back defensively and finish the chances he helps create
its hard to not be a fan of the way he plays and the things he does marsch said
villa is practically up for sainthood since last weekend when a passer by posted a photo of him delivering food to a homeless man and his son outside a starbucks when nycfc was in portland ore for a game against the timbers
i didnt know there was a photo villa said about the portland incident it was very sad seeing the man with a boy who is my own sons age it must be very hard
all travails are relative of course villa suffered his own soccer indignities last year when nycfc finished eighth in the eastern conference in its debut season and he was about the only bright spot for the first year club even the saint grew frustrated after a 5 1 defeat against the los angeles galaxy last august villa finally snapped i need teammates at my side to help me he said i cant do this alone
this season after a slow start has been better new york city fc enters saturdays match with a 4 3 5 record good enough for second place in a weak eastern conference
villa refused to blame jason kreis an intense commander who was replaced by the more laid back vieira after a single season for the teams disappointing first year villa simply says the new system works to his advantage with more emphasis on possession and through passes
the first year is always more difficult for any new club villa said this year the team is more compact the new guys are helping us there is more precision
while villa may not be an all around creator like sebastian giovinco of toronto fc who led the league in goals and assists in winning most valuable player honors last year he is one of the purest finishers in mls despite his relatively small frame the fleet villa has scored in every way imaginable though he generally requires some form of delivery from teammates
that kind of service is arriving with greater frequency this year and the prospect of the long delayed return of midfielder frank lampard also raises expectations vieira said he hoped lampard could join the squad saturday which would mean that villa might finally enjoy more of the sort of in stride passes that have come only sporadically from andrea pirlo   the teams third well pedigreed well paid international star
there is some concern about whether villa and lampard will mesh their finishing skills overlap in many ways and villa has at times drifted into the more withdrawn position that lampard would be expected to occupy as an attacking midfielder on englands national team it was theorized there was not enough room on the field to satisfy the talents of lampard and steven gerrard some fear a similar collision with villa and lampard though vieira is not in that group
thats also what they said about youri djorkaeff and zinedine zidane said vieira who played with those stars with france in the 1990s then we won the world cup
villa was not picked by spains coach vicente del bosque as part of his national teams preliminary roster for this summers european championship this does not bother him he says he will focus instead on a large match on a narrow yankee stadium field saturday in preparation vieira sat villa for much of wednesdays game in toronto using him only as a late substitute to avoid playing him three times in a week
it was a tough decision but he took it well professionally vieira said
villa has been through local derbies far more important than the one in new york including for atletico madrid against real madrid in la liga but he called saturdays match a great opportunity for his current club to prove its mettle to establish its place in front of its home crowd
a good day for the fans a day to exchange jerseys villa said in his accented but improving english this is an amazing city


liverpool sound city liverpool waters bramley moore dock may 28 and 29
some of britains liveliest pop acts will appear at this music festival which takes place on docklands in liverpools rapidly regenerating center city acts in the lineup include the edinburgh hip hop group young fathers who scooped the prestigious mercury prize in 2014 the gritty rocker pete doherty and the british rock group hot chip who have crafted some of the top dance hits of the past 15 years a string of lesser known local acts will appear alongside the headliners liverpoolsoundcitycouk
manet painting the gaze hamburger kunsthalle may 27 sept 4
one of the most distinctive aspects of edouard manets art was the steady stare of the french painters subjects it was an element that sometimes made his work a cause for scandal in the parisian salons of the late 19th century this show includes nana le balcon and le dejeuner sur lherbe among other paintings and examines how the seemingly innocuous gaze of manets subjects signaled a radical turn for art hamburger kunsthallede
stars of the white nights festival various venues may 26 july 24
this lineup of classical music opera and ballet is organized by the mariinsky theater to mark the summer solstice two ballets   set to music by prokofiev and choreographed by anton pimonov and maxim petrov   are to premiere the mariinskys director valery gergiev will conduct several performances including a new production of saint saenss samson et dalila and prokofievs peter and the wolf well over 150 performances are showing in all mariinskyus
christianity in asia sacred art and visual splendor asian civilizations museum may 27 sept 11
the rise of christian art in asia from the 1200s to the present is the subject of this exhibition it will feature work produced in asia as christianity gained traction across the east acmorgsg
100 years of chinese art opening exhibition of long museum chongqing long museum chongqing may 27 aug 28
from 2012 to 2014 the billionaire chinese couple wang wei and liu yiqian opened two long museums in shanghai now a third space is set to open in chongqing a city of 30 million about 1000 miles away the museums opening exhibition will feature chinese art from the past 100 years the show includes a section that explores the early western influence on chinese art in the wake of the xinhai revolution of 1911 a section on art from the time of the cultural revolution and one on the rebellious art of the 1990s thelongmuseumorg
apollinaire the eyes of the poet musee de lorangerie through july 18
the french critic journalist and poet apollinaire was born in 1880 wounded in world war i he died just days before the wars end in 1918 in his short but successful writing career apollinaire championed many of the major artists of his day   most notably picasso whom he defended as the voice of a new generation this exhibition looks at his influence displaying works by the artists he cheered like matisse braque and rousseau musee orangeriefr
vivid sydney various venues may 27 june 18
this spectacle of light music and ideas includes concerts outdoor light shows and a series of lectures by prominent speakers concerts are wide ranging but focus on contemporary music they include a tribute to house music a concert by bon iver and the australian debut of the multi instrumentalist esperanza spalding one of the artworks that will be shown is lighting the sails which will be projected onto the sail shaped sides of the sydney opera house the light designs were made by artists from aboriginal communities vividsydneycom
cindy sherman queensland gallery of modern art may 28 oct 3
cindy sherman has built a decades long career with distinctive self portraits which show her dressed as clowns actresses and socialites most recently ms sherman 62 has focused on aging this show which includes some work not yet shown outside of the united states features around 50 of her photographs and focuses on her output over the past 15 years qagomaqldgovau


fashion in the museum traditionally a subject of some tension is fashion art and so on has become something of a trend in recent years consider the astounding success of the metropolitan museum costume institute blockbusters   and the attention paid to the opening gala   and assorted ballyhooed smaller shows like the isaac mizrahi exhibition at the jewish museum in new york or the iris van herpen show at the high museum in atlanta so it probably shouldnt be a big surprise that moma has finally gotten in on the act
except that it took 72 years
last week the museum began an extended buildup and i mean extended for is fashion modern this megalith which will try to define the clothes that have defined us is set to open in december   of 2017
it will be the first major show moma has devoted to dress since 1944 when the architect and designer bernard rudofsky curated are clothes modern that was a critical look at the trends of the time that the museum characterized as in no sense a fashion show but rather an attempt to encourage creative thought about the problems of modern apparel
well we are a museum said paola antonelli senior curator at the museums department of architecture and design and the woman behind the upcoming show we always take things slow
in the museums blog post announcing the exhibition ms antonelli elaborated a bit to say that moma has an idiosyncratic history of collecting and exhibiting fashion is a polite exaggeration she wrote historically the museum has deliberately chosen not to engage with fashion in its galleries or its repositories wary of those most antimodern terms with which it is often derided ephemeral seasonal faddish
ms antonelli said the idea for the show had originated with the museums director glenn d lowry who had noticed her selecting clothing items for the permanent collection such as a white t shirt and observed that it was impossible to tell the full story of modern design without taking into account some very important moments that had to do with fashion
traditionally in museum interpretations those moments have focused on the kind of items the fashion world likes to consider its version of art one off haute couture dresses that take hundreds of hours to make and often achieve the seemingly impossible in cloth but momas focus will be on what ms antonelli called items of fashion that serve as a window onto social economic and political changes in the world over the last 100 years
in other words think the white t shirt levi 501s casios digital watch and the little black dress as well as the kipa and the kaffiyeh you can argue about whether they qualify as fashion   which is actually part of the point
the remit of the show recognized our expertise and lack thereof ms antonelli said we know a lot about design but we dont have a scholarly knowledge of fashion
in part that is why the museum decided to begin talking about the exhibition over a year before its opening ms antonelli has recruited an advisory board made up of 14 fashion insiders including penny martin of the gentlewoman magazine and the hood by air founder shayne oliver and last week she held a lengthy seminar to begin discussing what kind of objects may qualify for inclusion
at the moment she has 350 under consideration 99 will make it into the exhibition and though the winnowing and debate can now begin it all serves to answer one question pretty decisively does fashion have a place in the museum
its time everyone stopped being so neurotic about this issue a critical mass of major institutions seems to agree the answer is yes


here are the top 10 comments of the week on our digital platforms as selected by our readers and the journalists who moderate nearly every comment
1 if there is ever a litmus test to be president cant it be that you cannot have ever asked a stranger if your 16 year old daughter is hot
  melissa in los angeles reacting to an article about donald j trumps treatment of women during his decades in the public eye
this comment received more than 1000 reader recommendations
2 as a builder the article shows mr trump helped to empower women in the 1980s in the new york construction industry he should be applauded for this he gave real power to talented women who demonstrated their ability in a male dominated world
if all leaders could have promoted women like mr trump did in the construction industry in the 1980s america would have been better for it
  sigmar in boston
3 when youve been constantly repeating the need for a revolution and it still hasnt happened you are probably not the one who will be leading it
  john in winter park fla reacting to an article about senator bernie sanders seeking to damage hillary clintons standing late in the democratic race
this comment received more than 2000 reader recommendations
4 this is supposed to be an election not a coronation the voters of california deserve to have their voices heard before all is said and done
those of us who believe in things like single payer health care aggressive action on climate change and real attempts to level the playing field for working people in america deserve to have a seat at the table in presidential elections
bernie has been right to call out what have been fairly obvious anti democratic biases against his campaign by the democratic party since the start of the race
  richard hull in new york
this comment received over 1500 reader recommendations
5 saint peter is watching morley safer drive up to ask god a few questions
  marc sylvestre on the timess facebook page responding to an article about the death of the longtime 60 minutes anchor
6 yes of course there are safety risks when employees are high on the job
thats not really the point   the point is that because someone smokes pot when they come home from work they cant get hired   but when someone drinks a six pack after work its not a problem
what somebody did two weeks ago shouldnt make them ineligible to get a job and what someone does after work on their own time shouldnt make them ineligible to keep it
  lindsay in west virginia reacting to an article about employers nationwide who say they are having a difficult time finding workers who can pass a pre hiring drug test
this comment received more than 420 reader recommendations
7 while the levys story is inspiring and hopeful and underlines all we dont know about disease and health it misses the more common outcome of terminal disease which is death
had andrew died as everyone expected their decision to stop treatment would still have been right for their family as ours was for ours
  mama rachel md in solana beach calif reacting to a new york times magazine article about a family who made the decision to cease treatment for their childs rare cancer
8 for all those who say not again about a slavery narrative i believe that this part of our history must never be forgotten ever people say that about holocaust stories too never forget never repeat
  mh in washington dc reacting to an article about a revival of the popular 1970s mini series roots set to air simultaneously on three cable networks over the memorial day weekend
9 this is a disaster our local savannah team is named savannah bananas as a result of an online contest mascot is named split
  nancy cyr on the timess facebook page responding to an article about the class aa binghamton mets baseball team turning to the internet for a new name
10 equal pay is only warranted when equal work and experience is involved is she as regarded as kevin spacey does she get as much air time their genders are irrelevant
  amanda kuehnle on the timess facebook page reacting to an article about the actress robin wright negotiating compensation equal to that of her house of cards co star kevin spacey
this comment received over 860 likes


new york
an article in some editions last saturday about criticism over the new york police departments use of a restraint bag in an arrest misspelled the surname of a woman whose death led the police to re evaluate its practices regarding emotionally disturbed people she was eleanor bumpurs not bumpers
sports
an article on thursday about teenage sports champions misstated martina hingiss age when she won the 1997 australian open she was 16 not 15
the arts
an article last saturday about the visual artist and choreographer yve laris cohen referred incorrectly to his study of martha graham technique at the university of california berkeley he studied in the dance department founded by two former graham company members he did not study under them

a theater review on wednesday about indecent at the vineyard theater in manhattan referred incorrectly to the character lemml he is the cousin of a character named nakhmen not a cousin of sholem asch
weekend
a picture caption on friday with a film review of maggies plan carried a credit that misspelled the photographers given name he is jon pack not john

a dance review on friday about merce cunningham early works at the baryshnikov arts center in manhattan omitted a co presenter of the program besides the merce cunningham trust it was presented by the arts center

a television review on friday about a new series on amazon prime and a picture caption with it omitted part of the title of the show it is julian fellowes presents doctor thorne not doctor thorne
the magazine
an article on page 29 this weekend about donald j trumps improbable journey to the republican nomination for president misstates the sequence of events by which paul manafort a senior adviser joined trumps presidential campaign manafort was referred to trump by more than one person close to the campaign not just by the former trump adviser roger stone and manaforts march 24 meeting with trump occurred before not after trump read a wall street journal article describing ted cruzs delegate strategy
t travel
an entry in the this and that feature on page 32 this weekend about a new collaboration between the jeweler brooke garber neidich and the fashion designer duro oluwo erroneously includes one person among those who are fans of the sidney garber jewelry line which garber neidich designs while hillary clinton might be a fan as the article noted that could not be confirmed she is however friends with garber neidich the article also refers incompletely to the fabrics oluwo uses in his designs they come from a variety of sources not just african printed fabrics

an article on page 110 this weekend about the british designer chloe lonsdales denim brand mih and her house in sussex erroneously includes one person among those involved in lonsdales london pop up shop while the boutique owner alex eagle was involved at one point that is no longer the case in addition an accompanying picture caption misidentifies a collection to which a dress of lonsdales design belongs it is part of mih jeanss pre fall 2016 collection not the cult denim project collection

a picture caption on page 144 this weekend with an article about the cultural resilience of the people of beirut in the face of continuing political strife misstates the time of day the photograph was taken it was sunset not sunrise
obituaries
an obituary on thursday about the historian fritz stern referred incorrectly to his work history and his tenure as provost at columbia university he taught at cornell in the early 1950s he did not spend his entire career at columbia and he was provost of columbia from 1980 to 1983 not from 1980 to 1992
the times welcomes comments and suggestions or complaints about errors that warrant correction messages on news coverage can be e mailed to nytnewsnytimescom or left toll free at 1 844 nyt news 1 844 698 6397 comments on editorials may be e mailed to lettersnytimescom or faxed to 212 556 3622
readers dissatisfied with a response or concerned about the papers journalistic integrity may reach the public editor at publicnytimescom or 212 556 7652
for newspaper delivery questions 1 800 nytimes 1 800 698 4637 or e mail customercarenytimescom


oakland calif   when ronald torreyes walks among the tall trees of the yankees clubhouse   dellin betances andrew miller and c c sabathia among them   he looks out of place as if he should be riding horses this weekend at pimlico
so when the diminutive torreyes went to the plate in the fourth inning with runners at the corners and the yankees trailing by a run it made perfect sense when he tried to push a bunt past athletics pitcher sonny gray
what was harder to grasp was what torreyes did with the next pitch   after he had fouled off the bunt attempt it was far less modest torreyes ripped a line drive into the left center gap that just eluded the grasp of center fielder coco crisp and rolled to the wall for a triple
torreyess hit started off a five run inning   the yankees second most productive of the season   that helped make sabathia a winner friday night in his return from the disabled list with an 8 3 victory over oakland it was the yankees third consecutive win the first time this season they have reached that mark
thats part of baseball torreyes said through an interpreter referring to following the fouled off bunt with a triple every time you go up there you try to execute something but sometimes it doesnt happen but following that i was lucky enough to get a good swing in and bring in the two runs
they had plenty of heroes sabathia with the bullpen short handed delivered a strong six innings and carlos beltran contributed three doubles and three rbi but none was more unexpected than torreyes who after a scorching start to the season had cooled considerably he was 2 for his last 22 and had not played since sunday
i just kind of got in a groove as the game went on and i was able to hit my spots said sabathia who won his 100th game as a yankee with a sizable contingent present from his nearby hometown vallejo i just want to stay healthy i know what im capable of when im out there and im healthy
in addition to his triple torreyes walked and singled in five trips to the plate
torreyes who won the utility infielder spot during spring training mainly because of his defensive versatility   he can play second third or shortstop   is trying to establish himself with the yankees they are his fourth team in the last year after he made his major league debut with the dodgers and played in the farm systems of toronto and houston in 2015
torreyes weighs 150 pounds and acknowledges that he is shorter than the 5 feet 10 inches the yankees list him at the braces on his teeth make him look younger than 23
the important thing is that he just does his job manager joe girardi said of torreyes its not easy for him to do what hes doing because hes used to playing every day i think hes adjusted extremely well
friday was also a jubilant return for sabathia who had been sidelined with a strained groin but picked up where he had left off in his last start on may 4 in which he pitched seven shutout innings against baltimore on friday he allowed one run three hits and one walk and struck out eight   more than twice as many as in any of his previous five starts sabathia got particular usefulness out of his backdoor slider especially when he was ahead in the count
with betances miller and aroldis chapman each having pitched the previous two nights the yankees were able to close out the game with kirby yates and chasen shreve
beltran who was relieved that the yankees had survived his base running blunder on thursday night continued to swing the bat well as the designated hitter since alex rodriguez went on the disabled list beltran is batting 350 14 for 40 with 13 rbi beltrans hot bat and aaron hickss presence in the outfield have been factors in the yankees 11 6 record since rodriguez went out
it also may be a reason why rodriguez has taken his time returning girardi said before fridays game that while rodriguez had not had any setbacks   he was eligible to return from the disabled list on thursday   he might not be activated until the yankees return home tuesday for a series with toronto
the important thing is you know that alex is ok because the last thing you want is a setback   because if you have a setback then youre looking at four weeks girardi said of rodriguez he ran really hard today well see how he is tomorrow and then well move from there
the only real blemish for the yankees   who also ended their three game streak of mental miscues   was the continuing slide of first baseman mark teixeira he is now hitless in his last 14 at bats with eight strikeouts left six runners in scoring position and watched his average drop to 196
inside pitch
to make room for c c sabathia on the roster reliever james pazos was sent to scrantonwilkes barre it is the second time this season that pazos has been recalled and sent back down without pitching in a game


the fight for control over sumner m redstones 40 billion media empire has escalated significantly
in an unexpected development mr redstone on friday removed philippe p dauman the chief executive of viacom from the trust that will control his companies after he dies or is declared incompetent mr redstone also removed george abrams a longtime director at viacom
mr dauman and mr abrams were also removed from the board of national amusements the private theater chain company through which mr redstone 92 and in frail health controls his media empire
early saturday morning mr redstone confirmed the news through a statement from michael c tu a partner at the law firm orrick herrington  sutcliffe
sumner redstone took decisive and lawful action today which he firmly believes is in the best interests of viacom inc and its stockholders when he removed philippe dauman and george abrams as trustees of his trust and directors of national amusements inc mr tu said in the statement mr redstone acted after he expressed his concerns regarding viacoms performance to messrs abrams and dauman both viacom directors and received no response from them
in his own statement mr dauman called the moves shameful and illegal and said that mr redstone was not capable of making the decision to remove him
it is not clear how mr dauman and mr abrams will respond but the next stage of the battle is likely to involve a renewed fight over the competency of mr redstone
mr dauman formed a close bond with mr redstone decades ago when he was a young corporate lawyer mr abrams a boston lawyer and longtime viacom director was seen as an ally of mr daumans among the trusts seven voting members
the trust wields enormous power over the future of viacom and cbs similar to an activist shareholder it could vote to maintain the status quo at the two companies but also could oust their leadership teams or sell the companies
the development puts in jeopardy mr daumans position as chief executive of viacom and is viewed as a major coup by shari e redstone mr redstones daughter who is the vice chairwoman of viacom and cbs as well as a member of the trust long ostracized by her father ms redstone has said recently that the two have patched up their relationship
ms redstone does not to see eye to eye with mr dauman or approve of his stewardship of viacom which has suffered a 40 percent plunge in the stock price in the last year in february ms redstone voted against mr daumans ascent to the chairman position of viacom
shortly after news of mr redstones decision emerged   first reported by fortune   mr dauman issued a statement of denunciation
they are a shameful effort by shari redstone to seize control by unlawfully using her ailing father sumner redstones name and signature lex suvanto a spokesman for mr dauman said in a statement
as she knows and as court proceedings and other facts have demonstrated sumner redstone now lacks the capacity to have taken these steps mr suvanto said sumner redstone would never have summarily dismissed philippe dauman and george abrams his trusted friends and advisers for decades
in the statement on behalf of mr redstone mr tu said the public statement made on mr daumans behalf attacking mr redstones capacity is disappointing and incorrect as reflected by mr daumans own testimony given under oath less than six months ago that mr redstone is as engaged attentive and as opinionated as ever that is exactly the sumner redstone who made these decisions today
ms redstone could not be reached for comment
the development comes a little more than a week after a trial over his mental competency was dismissed in a california court the judge overseeing the case sided with mr redstone but made clear that he had not made a decision about whether or not mr redstone was mentally competent the judge said that a videotaped testimony of the media mogul showed that it was not in dispute that redstone suffers from either mild or moderate dementia
as part of that trial mr dauman submitted a declaration that mr redstone was engaged and attentive during meetings last fall
earlier this week the board of viacom moved to stop paying mr redstone following the dismissal of the suit a monthslong salacious legal battle that included embarrassing details about mr redstone mr redstone has suffered minor strokes and has a severe speech impediment
it is not clear whether other people were named to replace mr dauman and mr abrams on the trust
other trustees include ms redstones adult son tyler korff and leonard l lewin the divorce lawyer for sharis mother mr redstones wife of 52 years also on the trust are david r andelman a cbs director and norman i jacobs a lawyer who has represented mr redstone


key west fla   nineteen cuban migrants trying to reach the united states climbed a lighthouse off the florida keys and refused to come down during a standoff that lasted for about eight hours on friday the coast guard said
shortly before 9 am a homemade craft carrying a group of cubans was spotted in the water near the american shoal lighthouse about seven miles from shore and nearly 15 miles north of key west chief petty officer ryan doss said apparently fearful that they had been caught before reaching land the cubans jumped off the craft and climbed to the top of the lighthouse
the standoff is the latest episode involving a growing number of cubans trying to make it to the united states before immigration rules that favor them might be changed el paso is overflowing with cubans who recently arrived from mexico after being flown there from panama where they had been stranded for months and a group of more than 5000 cubans arrived this year in texas from costa rica
since october more than 3500 cubans have tried to reach the united states by sea
the migrants stuck at the top of the nearly 140 year old lighthouse on friday had planned to wait it out chief doss said
the coast guard was hesitant to forcibly remove them or even approach them because someone might have been tempted to jump into shallow water he said the group eventually came down safely the coast guard wrote on twitter
during the standoff the coast guard created a 1000 yard safety zone around the lighthouse to prevent recreational and commercial vessels from approaching
many cubans are worried that the united states will eliminate the cuban adjustment act a 1966 law that allows any cuban to apply for residency a year after arriving when tens of thousands of cubans took to the sea to try to reach the united states in 1994 the clinton administration adjusted american policy so that any cuban caught at sea would be turned back the policy known as wet foot dry foot is among the reasons so many cubans in the past few years have made the voyage by land the obama administration has said it has no plans to try to repeal the federal law
after they came down from the lighthouse the migrants were processed by the federal authorities chief doss said that several agencies would have to determine whether reaching the lighthouse was considered dry foot however the coast guard later wrote on twitter that in most instances migrants interdicted at sea will be returned to their country of origin
in 2006 several cubans who had reached an old bridge off the florida keys were repatriated a federal judge later ruled that the government had erred and ordered the bush administration to take steps to bring them back


the orlando magic completed a whirlwind week on friday by formally announcing frank vogel as their new head coach he has the playoff experience the team wanted leading the indiana pacers to four playoff appearances in his five full seasons with the team
vogel replaces scott skiles who surprised the organization when he resigned on may 12 vogels indiana teams were usually one of the top defensive clubs in the nba but he did not have his contract renewed after this season the pacers made the playoffs but were bounced in game 7 of the first round by the toronto raptors
the magic are building around young players like nikola vucevic aaron gordon victor oladipo and elfrid payton and also say they want to re sign forward evan fournier who will hit the free agent market in july
an mvp debate consider gary payton unimpressed by golden state guard stephen curry becoming the first unanimous most valuable player in nba history
payton who was known as one of the nbas great trash talkers during his 18 season hall of fame career told sports illustrated that the vote just happened to go currys way he said players like michael jordan larry bird wilt chamberlain bill russell and kareem abdul jabbar also could have been considered unanimous picks even though the vote did not go that way
the texas rangers could be playing in a new 1 billion retractable roof stadium by 2021 and would remain in arlington tex until at least 2054 under plans revealed by the team and the city
the proposed agreement for a public private partnership calls for a 50 50 split of the estimated cost of the stadium and related infrastructure with the citys portion capped at 500 million arlington voters in november are expected to be asked to support the project by continuing existing sales taxes that are used to help pay for 12 billion att stadium the home of the dallas cowboys
around the majors tim lincecum signed a one year 25 million deal with the los angeles angels giving the injury plagued team additional depth for its rotation a two time national league cy young award winner lincecum had left hip surgery on sept 3 the athletics josh reddick will probably miss at least a month after fracturing his thumb on a spike while stealing second base four minor leaguers were suspended after testing positive for performance enhancing drugs toronto outfielder david harris and seattle pitcher jose luis santiago will miss 76 games while dodgers pitcher sebastian martinez and colorado pitcher jose rodriguez will miss 72 games
new padded robots operated by remote control are being used by the pittsburgh steelers in off season workouts with more potentially available to nfl teams next year
the mobile virtual players   dummies on wheels that can weave change direction speed up and stop   are being used as more than simulated tackling surrogates by steelers coach mike tomlin who has them testing receivers and rushers the robots were developed and first used at dartmouth college and are quickly helping the steelers hone their skills without man on man drills
agence france presse
gamecocks lose quarterback the former south carolina starting quarterback connor mitch will leave the gamecocks after he graduates this summer with two years of eligibility remaining mitch won the starting job last summer but did not play again after hurting his shoulder and hip in an early september loss to kentucky
rain washed out all track activity at charlotte motor speedway which will now try to cram nascars all star weekend into one day the steady showers forced nascar to call off the scheduled sprint showdown a race that will qualify five additional drivers into the all star race the truck series race also was postponed both events were rescheduled for early saturday with the 1 million all star race still scheduled to go off in the evening
practice makes perfect team penskes will power pushed chevrolet to the top of the indianapolis 500s practice speed chart with a fast lap of 232672 miles per hour the best all week another chevy driver josef newgarden of ed carpenter racing finished second at 232344 mph but hondas claimed the next nine spots qualifying will be held saturday and sunday on the historic 25 mile oval
brendan rodgers was hired as the new coach of the scottish champion celtic seven months after being fired by liverpool he is replacing ronny deila who left after guiding celtic to its fifth straight scottish league title rodgerss first season will coincide with the return to the scottish top flight of rangers celtics fierce glasgow rival after its spell in the lower leagues for financial mismanagement
ben crane made a 14 foot birdie putt on his last hole for a seven under par 63 and a one stroke lead after two rounds at the byron nelson in irving tex at 12 under 128 crane was one stroke ahead of jordan spieth sergio garcia brooks koepka and bud cauley
crane first took the lead after six birdies in an eight hole stretch including a 70 foot shot from a greenside bunker at the par 4 third hole the last time crane led a tournament was at memphis two years ago the last of his five pga tour victories
around golf rory mcilroy who shot a two under 70 in the second round of the irish open is one stroke behind the leaders danny willett and marc warren so yeon ryu had six birdies in an eight hole stretch and shot a seven under 64 to take the lead in the kingsmill championship in williamsburg va ryu is one stroke ahead of stacy lewis amy yang and the first round leader mika miyazato kenny perry shot a two under 70 to maintain a one stroke lead over bernhard langer and billy andrade in the regions tradition in birmingham ala


tampa fla   the tampa bay lightning locker room overflowed with so much self analysis and cliche that it became nearly impossible to figure which team would show up friday night
would it be the resilient team that possessed arguably the shortest memory in the nhl this season capable of a clunker one night and brilliance the next the pittsburgh penguins after all laced up their skates one at a time as tampa bay coach jon cooper said
or would the lethargic lightning make a third consecutive appearance and allow the penguins to embarrass them once again and put a hammerlock on these eastern conference finals
tampa bay had little choice of course and decided to hit back with a prideful 4 3 victory at amalie arena to tie the series at two games each game 5 is sunday in pittsburgh
i dont think anybody in this room gives anything about what other people think about how we got here tampa bay center brian boyle said we know who we are as a team and we have confidence in ourselves as a team weve gone pretty far two years running now
the lightning appeared to have convinced themselves they could not play any worse than they had in game 3 a 4 2 loss and came out freewheeling bolting to a 2 0 lead after one period and 4 0 in the third before holding off a furious rally by the penguins
phil kessel scored the penguins first goal to cut the deficit to 4 1 early in third then evgeni malkin and chris kunitz scored two goals in 1 minute 55 seconds to cut the lightnings lead to a goal with about six minutes to play but pittsburgh could not score again
ultimately the goal is to win hockey games and when you wake up in the morning its not how they came back and made it a game its that the series is tied 2 2 cooper said
the penguins depth and speed had proved decisive in their consecutive victories but the lightning flipped the script in game 4 ryan callahan andrej sustr jonathan drouin and tyler johnson each scored for tampa bay and victor hedman and nikita kucherov each had two assists
tampa bay had been so dominant that penguins coach mike sullivan decided to switch goaltenders after johnsons goal made the score 4 0 late in the second period sullivan viewed the third period as a chance to give the veteran marc andre fleury his first appearance since march 31 matt murray had led the penguins this far but the change in net could fuel a goaltender controversy
the lightning easily played their best period of the series in the first and looked nothing like the team that had been outshot 89 49 in back to back losses gone were the dumbfounding turnovers and the perplexing   and needless   extra passes instead of trying to be slick they kept it simple and were determined from the start to recapture momentum and turn the series into a best of three contest
indeed 27 seconds into the game tampa bays first shot found the back of the net hedman fired a slap shot from the left point and callahan tipped the puck in midair redirecting it under murrays glove
we got embarrassed in game 3 and after that you just want to make a stand cooper said callahans goal thats exactly what we needed and we fed off the energy from there
less than a minute later the lightning had a power play opportunity on a tripping call against carl hagelin although they did not score they forced murray to make four spectacular saves on point blank shots and off rebounds
sustr scored 1428 into the first for a 2 0 lead beating murray at the crease after taking a crisp cross ice pass from kucherov the relentless game plan continued and tampa bay had fired 21 shots at murray by early in the second period matching its total for game 3
theyre in one of those playoff runs where theyre feeling it cooper said after game 3 and when you are going like that good things are going to happen to you
only good things happened to the lightning on friday night and they now face the task of beating the penguins two games in a row something no team has done since mid january


who would not be eager to take a drug that could help fend off age related disease to confer extra years of a healthy life
in fact many readers of our article about rapamycin claimed they would just say no to such a drug rapamycin was tested during a study of dogs at the university of washington to see if it could slow aging without too many harsh side effects
lisa wesel of maine spoke for many who argued that trying to extend life was like playing god
this is disturbing on so many levels she said you cant cheat death period nor should you try live a good life live a decent life that should be the goal the world cannot sustain billions and billions of people who have the arrogance to believe that the world is better off with them than without them
librarian writing from california felt similarly
old age sickness and death however frightening and alarming they may be to each of us as we consider our own fates are the natural order of things she wrote why do we spend so much time money and angst battling the inevitable instead of accepting with grace the course that all lives must take of course we do not want to be sick and miserable and suffer pain and indignity but those fears have led us to look on death as some kind of cruel almost shameful obscenity that we must resist and deny all too often with treatments that are in themselves terrifying and horrifying
others expressed concern about the environmental and economic implications of a longer life span
ah the unintended consequences of extending life   overpopulation increasing stress on an already stressed environment increasing stress on an already stressed retirement system wrote thomas g smith in cadillac mich humans are the most destructive of all species and the rate of the earth degrading continues to accelerate by the selfishness of us i have been a family physician for 32 years and already have seen the change brought on by life extension of just 10 years we will need strict policies to counteract the negative effects of life extension of 30 years
one reader acknowledged the appeal of being able to play with ones great great grandchildren but how in blazes am i supposed to be able to afford to live that long asked fjp in philadelphia if the answer is i would have to work to age 85 so i can afford to make it to 120 or beyond im not sure im going to sign up for that
still a number of readers found the study intriguing
im not sure how i feel about the idea of a drug to make people live longer but im puzzled by all the comments against it al maki from burnaby british columbia said im 66 and i exercise regularly and pay attention to my diet in the hope that i will live longer and healthier many people do this and many others wish they had the self discipline im surprised so many people think this is a selfish goal its seems quite normal to me
patrick from chicago agreed why oh why are so many people commenting that were somehow meant to live a finite life span and that we should just deal with it and not try to find ways to extend our life i say thats ridiculous i enjoy my life and if i could have an extra couple decades during which id be healthy id be thrilled so i suspect would many of the naysaying commenters if actually given the option
another reader put the current research into historical context
its not about living forever david bird from victoria british columbia explained its about a holistic approach to dealing with age related illnesses such as alzheimers and many cancers for those who dismiss or condemn it life expectancy at birth for a white american male rose from 47 to 75 from 1900 to 2000 for black males it rose from 33 to 68 you dont think this is unnatural because it is our norm but it wasnt the norm for our great grandparents if the results found for the mice could be replicated in humans wed live only 12 percent longer less than 10 years but our last years would be healthier putting much less strain on ourselves our families and our medical resources
wendy from wyoming added i work very closely with individuals who are trying to navigate the social security disability process most of whom are 45 64 years old during the most productive time of their financial lives they are literally impoverished by diseases of early aging   early heart disease advanced osteoarthritis early cancer ... i strongly support any treatment which will keep people productive and out of nursing facilities until their 80s and 90s everyone talks about the nature of aging but one of the truths about the human condition is that we already cheated nature many times over our evolutionary development the first hack occurred when the human species was able to grow old enough to transmit valuable survival information from grandparent to grandchild which corresponded to a dramatic improvement in human survival
perhaps the most passionate voices though came from readers completely unconcerned about human life span
not sure i want to live forever but my dog yes exclaimed brian from montana
i dont want to live longer but if dogs could live longer that would be wonderful a reader named mary mused beloved dogs are too soon gone from our lives
the heck with human research   i just want my dogs to live longer durt from los angeles said
a reader whose dog was among the 40 studied chimed in my dog rascal is featured in the article and ive been thrilled with the results of the clinical trial rose and rascal wrote from seattle this drug made rascals heart beat more efficiently again like it did when he was a younger dog hes happier and friendlier and has more energy if it buys me an extra year or two with my big dog   who will not live as long as smaller dogs   then ill take it one thing which did not make it into the article rascal is my service dog as i am disabled ... rascal is the love of my life and i have worked hard his entire life to ensure he get high quality food lots of exercise and rigorous training to make him the healthiest and happiest dog he can be ... getting an assist from science nearly 10 years later is a bonus
finally concerned citizen from anywheresville gave voice to the issues inherent in prolonging either canine or human life
i lost my dearest and most beloved heart dog four years ago she explained i loved her so much i would have done literally anything legal or safe to keep her with me a few more years if i had the resources i would have had her cloned i was nearly crazy with grief at the loss but ... if she had not died the dog i have now would have probably died in a shelter as it was she was waiting for eight months and running out of time and going kennel crazy she was older and overweight nobody wanted her i wouldnt have gotten a second dog so this dog would have died had my other dog lived
she added see it is all a cycle and it is all connected is there meaning and purpose behind this a grand design i guess i wont know myself until the end


terry collins pounded his forefinger against the tabletop that served as a lectern during his news conference friday afternoon and curled his lip into a sneer
it will happen again collins said i told him that today what he heard last october he will hear that again this summer
he was referring to cheers not the boos that trailed the cratering matt harvey and his 577 era off the mound thursday night and into an uncertain future collins as fiery as the occasionally combustible mets manager could get three hours before the start of a weekend series with the milwaukee brewers felt that he needed to clarify some lingering questions
for one thing collins said harvey would stay in the rotation and remain lined up to pitch again next week in washington against the division leading nationals harveys starting date though may be subject to change any notions of a trip to the disabled list a skipped start or even a demotion were dismissed
the mets have not been particularly good lately and harveys baffling and precipitous decline has only worsened matters after losing six of seven games the mets rebounded friday night to slip past the brewers 3 2 at citi field
another struggling player outfielder michael conforto came through with a two run homer to left field putting the mets ahead by a run in the sixth inning it was enough to help steven matz jump to a 6 1 record with jeurys familia nailing down his 14th save
we needed this bad collins said
matz skipped a start last weekend in colorado and received a cortisone shot monday to relieve some left forearm stiffness and the smooth left hander was generally sharp friday his first game since may 9 he threw first pitch strikes to 17 of the 23 batters he faced never once shook off his catcher rene rivera and as is his wont worked quickly and efficiently
matz said the battery of tests on his arm   including a magnetic resonance imaging test an x ray and a ct scan   had relieved him of any fears that he might have a threatening injury
that was the peace of mind i needed matz said
there was a hiccup in the first inning after matz allowed the leadoff batter jonathan villar to open the game with a single with two outs in the inning matz left a 2 2 fastball over the plate to the cleanup hitter chris carter who slammed it over the center field wall for his 13th homer of the season
but after the home run matz retired the next 15 batters in a row   six via strikeout   to keep the mets within striking distance he threw seven innings allowing three hits two runs and no walks while striking out eight
after giving back a run in the second on an rbi groundout by rivera brewers starter wily peralta also settled down at one point retiring 10 batters in a row
but by the sixth peralta seemed to run out of gas he surrendered a right field single to asdrubal cabrera before conforto blasted his homer to the other side
conforto had entered the game 8 for his last 48 with only three rbi in the last 14 games he said part of his problem had been chasing pitches out of the strike zone
its been very frustrating conforto said everyone has slumps but the first one at this level its tough
a strong drive to left on a ball that was moving away was a good sign for conforto
it was a little bit of a sigh of relief he said it relaxes everything
collins would like to see a similar breakthrough with harvey who had been nearly infallible on the mound in his major league career   until now
collins said he and a group of team officials and coaches met with harvey early friday to discuss steps to help him get moving in the right direction his abysmal performance thursday against washington   nine runs allowed in two and two thirds innings   seemed to sap the former ace of his confidence but collins was encouraged by harveys attitude the next day
this guy wants to pitch he wants to fight through it collins said he isnt going to run and hide he wants to get out there
though it is certainly understandable that the player wanted to play the mets brain trust needed to agree on the best course of action several options were considered after some discussion collins said they had concluded that harvey needed to pitch through his struggles against major league competition his bullpen sessions between starts have been superb eliminating the concern that he is limited by an injury
we know hes healthy collins said weve just got to get through this confidence issue to trust his stuff
and he will pitch again against the nationals next week collins said
inside pitch
david wright back did not play friday a scheduled day off manager terry collins said he thought wrights sore back would fare better playing in saturdays afternoon game


like most people who pass through the rustic parlor door of neirs tavern tracey gallagher has a history here
she remembers the familiar faces some living some not slipping in for a quick drink but ending up staying a while she recalls the birthdays and weddings celebrated in the quaint back room of the bar in woodhaven queens
as time goes on though the occasions have changed when my close friends passed away ms gallagher 54 said we had their memorials here
ed wendell who runs a neighborhood historical society remembers going to the bar as a young boy when his father would collect union dues for pan am airline and later as families moved in and out mr wendell became a regular the world around neirs kept changing our neighborhood kept changing he said but neirs remained that one constant
for most of its history neirs notoriety was largely limited to the working class of woodhaven it is a friendly den of chatter where neighbors are regulars and camaraderie is enjoyed over cold pints of beer on the outside nestled on a quiet corner of a residential neighborhood the place looks more like an aging two floor townhouse than a tavern
but longtime patrons say that neirs does not get the recognition it deserves now they are campaigning for the tavern to be declared a new york city landmark because they note some historians believe that it is in fact the citys oldest bar
neirs its patrons say deserves the historical status of mcsorleys old ale house which its manager argues is the oldest in operation having served customers since 1854 and fraunces tavern from 1762 which burned down and was rebuilt several times
were tired of queens not being represented properly loycent gordon neirs owner said queens matters woodhaven matters and were a part of the fabric and history of this city
in 1829 when queens was mostly farmland   and livestock not the j train rumbled down what became jamaica avenue   the manager of a racetrack called the union course opened a nearby tavern the blue pump room it offered a drink to bettors before and after the races years before mcsorleys served its first light or dark ale in manhattan
over time the blue pump room went by different names   the old abbey the union course tavern and finally neirs tavern   and had different owners including the neir family who had immigrated to woodhaven from germany the current owners say the family bought the bar after the racetrack closed in 1898 and added a one lane bowling alley a ballroom and a hotel over the tavern it was renamed neirs social hall and a sign with that name is on display by a stage in the back room
that is where mae west who was born in bushwick brooklyn was rumored to get her start singing her sultry tunes and its also where fred trump the father of the republican presidential candidate was said to pull up a red vinyl stool at the bar as he expanded his queens real estate empire he grew up in woodhaven
several scenes from goodfellas martin scorseses mob movie were filmed in the bar   remember the shine box episode or jimmy burkes christmas party after the lufthansa heist at john f kennedy international airport in fact some of the real life gangsters portrayed in the film were known to drink at neirs the owners claim
by 2009 however neirs was struggling the bar which had been sold by the neir family was in disrepair that year mr gordon a 36 year old lieutenant in the fire department and some friends bought the business restoring the 150 year old mahogany bar and the neirs tavern name
i really believe queens is the last true holdout of real new york city he explained and i think neirs is a microcosm of that
but much to his lament the bar has been unable to shed its unofficial title the most famous bar youve never heard of
so on a recent saturday a rally was held to try to win landmark designation for neirs standing in front of a cutout of mae west mr gordon urged patrons to fill out postcards he had addressed to the citys landmarks preservation commission the commission rejected the bars application last year
well go down to the lpc ourselves two hundred of us and let them know we will keep trying until they make this right mr gordon said in an interview
when mr gordon applied for the designation last august he cited neirs history and interior decorations including its artifacts and antiquated ice coil tap system the tavern needed protection he said even if the commission could not prevent someone from buying it
but the commission a spokeswoman said did not believe the bar rose to the level of an interior landmark because it contains standard commercial finishes making it difficult without proper documentation to prove the taverns age
applicants however can resubmit their paperwork with new evidence which mr gordon plans to compile with the help of the queens historical society and the historic districts council a citywide nonprofit that advocates preservation
at the rally dozens of supporters wore suspenders mimicking photographs of the bars patrons over the years and clothes bearing the bars logo of a jockey astride a horse
another form of activism was storytelling
there was the tale of william burlingame a world war ii veteran who married his wife peggy in the upstairs hall nearly 70 years ago ham  cheese sandwiches barrel of beer coffee the cake real simple in those days music was the radio or record player he wrote in a letter to mr gordon which hangs on a wall in 2015 after watching a television segment about neirs history mr burlingames three daughters took him back to the bar which he thought had closed ages ago
ms gallagher who wore a straight outta woodhaven shirt said she hoped her grandchildren would share their stories here one day just like she had because to her neirs is more than a neighborhood bar   it is a neighborhood protected from time
its where everyone goes she said


a plainclothes new york city police officer was stripped of his gun and badge on friday after cellphone video emerged showing him drawing his weapon on bystanders while making an arrest in harlem then punching a man who was videotaping the episode the authorities said
the officer who was assigned to the anticrime unit in the 32nd precinct in harlem was placed on modified duty until the internal affairs bureau completes its investigation the police said officials did not release his name and a spokesman for the patrolmens benevolent association did not return messages seeking comment three other officers assigned to the same precinct including a sergeant who were involved in the matter were not facing disciplinary action according to the police
in the video which was posted online by ny1 the officer is seen leaving the lobby of an apartment building on thursday evening and walking up to a man in a camouflage jacket who is holding up a cellphone the officer suddenly punches the man and they stumble before hitting the ground a few feet away
the police identified the man the officer was seen punching as jahnico harvey 19 mr harvey was arrested and charged with menacing and disorderly conduct and was issued a desk appearance ticket officials said contact information for him was not available
earlier in the video which was credited to a man named calvin west the officer and his partner are on the ground with a suspect under them the officer pulls out a gun and points it at the cameraman who appears to be several feet away
move mr west told ny1 the officer said to him get out of here im not playing with you all ill shoot
the police said the episode unfolded after two uniformed officers stopped a driver who had double parked near 480 st nicholas avenue in central harlem around 640 pm as the officers were conducting the stop two men on dirt bikes encircled them according to the police when the officers turned their attention to the dirt bikes the driver and his passenger fled on foot as did the dirt bike riders the police said
a sergeant and an officer responding to the officers backup call over the radio spotted one of the dirt bike riders running into the lobby of the building where they apprehended him
the man dayshawn bettway 21 was arrested and charged with assault reckless endangerment obstruction and resisting arrest the police said mr bettway had body slammed a resident who opened a door to see what the commotion was about mr bettway who was in custody could not be reached for comment on friday
mr harvey and mr bettway were not armed the police said
officers later learned that the car a 2015 hyundai sedan was stolen from connecticut the police said and they found ammunition and marijuana inside it the driver of the car and his passenger as well as the second dirt bike rider had not been caught as of friday evening the police said


on a narrow street on staten island lined with mostly brick and siding duplexes it was a conspicuous sight a man pushing the body of an unconscious woman on a dolly
on friday just after 7 am the authorities said someone called the police department as officers arrived to post lane in the mariners harbor neighborhood on the islands northern shore the man with the dolly ran off
the woman who was described by the police as in her 20s or 30s was pronounced dead by emergency workers at the scene the authorities said her name has not been released the medical examiner will determine the cause of death
but investigators are trying to locate the man anthony lopez 31 who was last seen with her body
later on friday the police said mr lopezs connection to the woman remained unclear and released a mug shot of mr lopez taken last month after he was arrested on a charge of fare evasion


christiansburg va   a former virginia tech freshman charged in connection with the kidnapping and killing of a 13 year old girl described her involvement in the girls death as being part of the best club in the world a police detective testified at a hearing in the case friday
police detectives said that the freshman natalie keepers helped her classmate david eisenhauer plot the killing and hide the body of nicole madison lovell 13 because ms keepers enjoyed the excitement of the secret bond she and mr eisenhauer shared
she told us detective ryan hite of the blacksburg police said in testimony that she was part of a secret club and it was the best club in the world because eisenhauer understood her
ms keepers referred to mr eisenhauer as a sociopath detective hite testified ms keepers the detective said described herself as a sociopath in training
nicole disappeared from her blacksburg home on jan 27 and was found dead three days later in north carolina mr eisenhauer 18 was arrested at his dorm on jan 30 ms keepers was arrested the next day the case gained widespread attention because of the shocking nature of the allegations and the role that social media played in bringing mr eisenhauer and nicole together
a montgomery county judge certified accessory before the fact and body concealment charges against ms keepers 19 and a murder charge for mr eisenhauer during a hearing on friday
the police said that ms keepers and mr eisenhauer turned off their cellphones and stowed them in the console of mr eisenhauers lexus sedan during crucial hours apparently in an effort to avoid an electronic record of their whereabouts but they still left an electronic trail that included gps data store surveillance footage and grisly exchanges of instant messages
i smell like cleaning supplies ms keepers texted mr eisenhauer after she helped move and wash the childs body according to the police testimony i dont want to smell like that i want to take a shower
wearing glasses and a purple hoodie ms keepers entered the courtroom with her chin planted against her chest as the evidence against her mounted however she looked at the witnesses mr eisenhauer dressed in a black suit displayed no obvious emotion during the three hour hearing
neither team of lawyers for the two called witnesses of their own the teams spent comparatively little time questioning the electronic road map portrayed by the prosecution
as long as they dont find the body for a week it will never be found the police read from a transcript of messages they said were downloaded from mr eisenhauers phone we definitely did overkill always do overkill when your life is on the line
as a capacity crowd in the fourth floor courtroom watched a video screen depicted the movements captured by a garmin gps device removed from mr eisenhauers car a detective pointed out dates and times that appeared to match the prosecutions narrative a visit to a walmart to buy a shovel a trip to the local cook out restaurant to plot the killing and a pre disappearance drive past the site thought to be where the killing took place   a remote mountainous area about a dozen miles north of the virginia tech campus the gps device showed the car stopping in the vicinity of nicoles house around midnight on the evening she disappeared
fridays hearing also included accusations by police investigators that they found blood on the road that investigators have pinpointed as the killing site on the inside and outside of mr eisenhauers car as well as a bloody palm print on the shovel
the administrator of the state medical examiners office in roanoke described the death as a homicide caused by a stab wound to the neck
in her taped confessions conducted over two days ms keepers moved from denying any knowledge of the crime to providing motives and key locations in the plot a detective testified
the prosecution led by mary pettitt the commonwealths attorney for montgomery county said that there was no reason to believe that ms keepers was present but that she did help plan the killing choose a murder site and then move the body of a girl she had never met
with fridays ruling the case advances to a grand jury which meets on july 26


tallahassee fla   when miami and florida state meet on the baseball diamond this weekend more than bragging rights will be on the line
besides solidifying their seeds for next weeks atlantic coast conference tournament in durham nc the hurricanes and the seminoles are seeking to bolster their resumes for a national seeding in the ncaa tournament
before the seminoles and the hurricanes were both acc members they used to play six times per year including a series early in the season that total was reduced to one three game series when miami joined the conference in 2004 this is the first time since 1976 that the rivals have closed the regular season against each other
its big for both of us said jim morris miamis manager we have a chance to win the acc regular season title which is huge and they have a chance to improve their seeding
the hurricanes 42 9 20 6 acc appear to be the team that is gaining momentum they have won eight straight games including a come from behind 4 2 victory in thursdays series opener a win on friday or saturday or a louisville loss to wake forest would give miami its third regular season acc crown
our team right now is the kind of team that has a lot of confidence in ourselves said outfielder willie abreu who is tied for the team lead in rbi with 48 we really dont know when its going to happen but we know its going to happen
miami which advanced to the college world series last year is ranked second in the college baseball poll and fourth in the baseball america poll which should put it in solid position to host both an ncaa regional and a super regional
florida state is slumping at the wrong time having dropped five of six the seminoles appear to be safe as a regional host but would need to take the last two games against miami and win the acc tournament to revive their super regional hopes
the seminoles 33 18 15 9 led the atlantic division for most of the season but with thursdays loss louisville clinched the division title and at least a second seed in the acc tournament the seminoles have dropped to 14th from seventh in the baseball america poll and to eighth from fourth in the collegiate baseball rankings
if florida state is going to turn things around it needs to do a better job with runners in scoring position it was 1 of 14 in those situations on thursday the seminoles also need better starting pitching over the past six games their starters have a 423 era
manager mike martin has stressed not giving teams extra opportunities the seminoles have committed five errors in the past five games
any wins going into the postseason is huge third baseman john sansone said it just gains a lot of momentum especially against miami
time is also running out if florida state wants to extend its streak of seasons in which it has won 40 games or more the last time that did not happen was in 1977 when the seminoles were 37 13


chicago   the police here on friday announced widespread arrests and seizures of numerous weapons and tens of thousands of dollars in drugs as part of a two day operation the department called one of the largest gang raids in the citys history
minutes after the announcement at police headquarters on the south side two people were shot about a block away in what apparently was a gang related shooting a witness said a young man with a gun had ridden by on a bicycle soon after the police said a passer by a woman in her 40s who had been walking out of a nearby starbucks was shot and killed a man who the police said was apparently the intended target was wounded
in all 140 people were arrested in an urgent push to tamp down the gun violence that has plagued the city and that many here fear may rise along with temperatures as of mid may 216 people have been murdered in chicago a 62 percent increase from the same period last year and shootings have increased by 60 percent
these initiatives send a clear message to anyone who contributes to the sources of violence in chicago you will be subject to the full weight of the department and our partners in law enforcement eddie johnson the citys new police superintendent said as he announced the sweep put simply violence this summer will not be tolerated
in the raid the police said 117 of the 140 people arrested were included on the police departments list of people most likely to be tied to gun violence either as a victim or as an assailant the department uses an unusual predictive computer model known as a strategic subject list which weighs factors related to a persons previous arrests gang affiliations and shootings to gauge how likely someone will end up getting shot or shooting someone chicago officials say that a small number of people   perhaps only 1400 in a city of 27 million   are driving the majority of the violence
the police said they seized 23 guns more than 45000 worth of drugs and hundreds of packs of illegal cigarettes charges included illegal possession of guns and selling drugs
chicago police officers and detectives have been engaged in a significant operation to disrupt organized gang activity that has had our communities in a stranglehold for far too long superintendent johnson said
just outside a police officer saw the shooting unfold before 4 pm
a witness kianna wilson 36 said she was down the street when a young man rode by on his bike and blew her a kiss while displaying a handgun after he blew me the kiss i heard the gunshots not even a minute later she said
jackie smith said she lived on the block where the shots were fired and heard about six loud bangs its not safe nowhere she said adding the police station is right there
superintendent johnson said later that the shooting highlighted what he had long said about the brazen nature of the violence here it illustrates how people have weapons in the city of chicago and they dont mind using them he said


investigators have found several fire code violations at the garden supply store in manhattan where a fuel spill ignited a fire underneath the metro north railroad on tuesday causing thousands of commuters to be stranded and lingering disruptions city officials said on friday
the fire department said it issued four summonses to the store urban garden center which is under the elevated tracks on park avenue in east harlem officials said the violations were related to the storage handling and use of liquefied petroleum gas they were for using the gas to heat a greenhouse keeping gasoline in quantities that required a permit which the store did not have and unlawfully storing portable fueled equipment
it is unclear what penalties could result from the summonses the store did not respond on friday to phone and email messages seeking comment
the fire started on tuesday evening when workers were refilling a generator fire officials said this week the blaze erupted forcing officials to halt train service during the evening rush and limit train service for days
metro north returned to regular service on friday although transit officials said commuters should expect some delays
the fire prompted city officials to question why flammable materials had been kept beneath the tracks
natalie grybauskas a spokeswoman for mayor bill de blasio a democrat said on friday that city agencies were reviewing these areas citywide and working together to ensure the safety of these spaces the city owns the property and a city agency manages a lease held by the urban garden center
for the most part she said spaces under train tracks and viaducts are unoccupied by businesses or structures


baltimore   the jockey mario gutierrez finished his morning news conference conducted on a platform with a microphone and speakers and immediately scanned the crowd for his wife rebecca she is his biggest fan and confidante the person whom he most wants to make happy   not the trainer doug oneill not the owner paul reddam not even nyquist
the couple held hands and chatted as they made their way from the backstretch to the clubhouse for an annual preakness week breakfast that fetes the kentucky derby winner above all gutierrez who rode the undefeated nyquist to victory is at the top of his sport and it was rebecca who helped him get back there after he had lost his way
gutierrez who was thrust into the spotlight in 2012 when he rode the derby and the preakness winner ill have another has not always been comfortable with commanding a large audience after ill have another was scratched with a tendon injury the day before the belmont a heartbroken gutierrez headed to hastings racecourse in vancouver it was a step down from the southern california circuit where he had been riding but it felt like home gutierrez had landed at hastings in 2006 after leaving his native mexico to try to make something of himself as a jockey
all the excitement all the hype they build you up so high and then all of a sudden they just take it away   its just not there anymore gutierrez 29 said of ill have anothers injury so that was hard and it was very emotional because of the horse
back at hastings in 2012 gutierrez reconnected with rebecca who had picked him up at the airport when he arrived in 2006 at the suggestion of her father a horse owner who had helped out as an interpreter in the racing office rebecca whose family is from spain speaks spanish and gutierrez did not even know how to say yes or no in english he used movies with english subtitles and catchy songs to teach himself the language
as a boy gutierrez fell hard for horses in his hometown el higo where his father became a quarter horse jockey in his mid 30s gutierrez learned the trade at age 7 and he was riding in races by the time he was 14
i just knew back then i kept telling everybody i was going to be just like my dad said gutierrez whose family has never seen him race aboard a thoroughbred
after he left hastings and returned to southern california in 2013 he found out that merely winning a kentucky derby was not enough to secure mounts he needed to be there in the mornings too so he fell behind in the standings
i think for a little bit of time i forgot why i became a jockey in the first place gutierrez said and i think that was my hardest moment because i disconnected from the love of horse racing
when you are in a slump gutierrez said it is hard to remember that love
you want to force things that you probably shouldnt force he said
rebecca whom he married just over a year ago urged him to see a sports psychologist at first gutierrez said no   none of the other jockeys did it   but he finally relented now he credits the work he has done with the psychologist who helped rekindle his love of the sport and taught him how to isolate racing and news media obligations
the psychologist whom he sees once a week even helped him get more fit he encouraged gutierrez to hire a strength and conditioning coach who helps him stretch twice a week the strength coach then suggested that gutierrez visit a chiropractor twice a week
rebecca a graphic designer acts as his chef and nutritionist
for him it was hard but in life and in sports its inevitable to have ups and downs rebecca said in those moments when going through hard times and things arent going your way thats when the most development can happen sometimes and sure enough his attitude changed immediately and he started feeling better it can be a pretty tough sport mentally for jockeys but now if he has a bad race he asks how he can grow instead of blaming himself
at the urging of his psychologist gutierrez kept a diary and set short term goals for himself one by one with nyquist underneath him he has checked them off
its almost like my paper and my pen was like a magic paper and a magic pen gutierrez said there is not one thing that i wrote in those papers that didnt become a reality even with nyquist the first time i worked him i came home and told rebecca you know what i think this is the horse that can take me all the way but those are just hopes and dreams fast forward one year later and now look at him and his accomplishments
among those who never gave up on gutierrez who is more mature but still baby faced was reddam gutierrez delivered him his first derby victory after reddam and oneill had plucked him from relative obscurity after watching him win a low level race at santa anita park oneill called him a gift from god
reddam said he admired gutierrezs determination
he came down to southern california without an agent a few years before he came down in 2012 and he didnt get a single mount so he went back to canada reddam said but then he tried again so anybody whos got that kind of drive youve got to like plus hes such a sweet humble guy and we just have the right chemistry
gutierrezs work ethic has not wavered on the monday after the kentucky derby he worked eight horses at santa anita park
hes out there every morning working horses and he never complains said his agent tom knust he didnt take any time off after the kentucky derby hes very professional and he knows his job is to ride horses he wants to be up top so hes got that drive
besides the mounting pressure to win a triple crown gutierrez also has a new challenge ahead rebecca is pregnant with their first child who is due in early september when he found out it was a boy gutierrez cried
i wanted a girl because i hear girls are so attached to their dads said gutierrez who does not want his son to become a jockey we come from very humble beginnings and not a lot of money and if you compare horse racing to how we grew up we didnt have anything and then all of sudden we are cashing 10000 checks 15000 checks weekly and a lot of things can go wrong i wish i can say i always stayed on the right path but i did some pretty crazy things i just dont want my child to go through that
he paused to think about his journey and the uno mas mario t shirts that circulated at the 2012 belmont before it all came crashing down then he remembered the position he is in today with another possible triple crown on the line
if my son loves horses i would never stop him from reaching his dream the way my family never stopped me from riding horses he said i would not encourage him but if thats the way he wants to go ill have his back 100 percent


los angeles   mayor ed lee of san francisco defended his police chief gregory p suhr for months   in fact he kept saying good things about him even as he forced him out of the job the progress we have made has been meaningful mr lee said when he announced that at his request mr suhr had resigned
mr lee would get some vehement disagreement from protesters who have demanded mr suhrs ouster over a string of fatal racially charged police shootings but what happened in san francisco mirrored recent events in chicago and baltimore where in the furor over killings by the police mayors got rid of their police chiefs   even as they and other civic leaders insisted that the chiefs had been moving things in the right direction
mr lee said he was responding to shootings that had shaken and divided our city and appointed deputy chief toney chaplin who is black as acting chief to take the place of mr suhr who is white
in a news conference on friday mr chaplin who led departmental reform efforts under mr suhr said he would largely follow the path set by his predecessor that is expected to include in the near future equipping officers with body cameras and an overhaul with the advice of the justice department of the police departments policy on use of force
im going to steer the ship in the direction weve already started in mr chaplin said my priorities going forward reforms reforms reforms
he said he had worked in the department for 26 years primarily in troubled parts of the city including time with the anti gang task force
criticism of the police and mr suhr in particular has been running high since the fatal shootings of a black man mario woods in december and a latino man luis gongora in april and mr suhr stepped down hours after an officer shot and killed a black woman who tried to drive away from the police and crashed in what they believed to be a stolen car
in the earlier shootings each man had a knife and the first man was a suspect in a stabbing but in both cases witness accounts and video recordings called into question whether the suspects posed any immediate threat and whether the police needlessly escalated the confrontations mr suhr at first defended the officers in the december shooting leading to the first concerted calls for his resignation and then had to backtrack as evidence emerged
after mr woods was shot protesters harried mr lee in the corridors of city hall and in public appearances they demanded to meet with him and called on him to fire mr suhr
in an earlier time when crime was more rampant and video cameras were rare before the birth of black lives matter and the social media that fueled it such shootings rarely cost anyone a job even in recent years while some top officials have lost their jobs over civilian deaths at the hands of officers others have held on in cities like cleveland and new york despite fierce criticism
unlike most cities that have been convulsed by such protests san francisco has a relatively small black population but residents say the citys stark and growing divide between rich and poor has exacerbated the racial divide generating similar tensions
people both for and against mr suhrs ouster said the political atmosphere demanded a change of leadership and people on both sides said they had little faith that the change would make much difference
the resignation is really reflective of the state of city politics   after so much pressure ed lee felt the need to offer something even though wed been demanding suhrs resignation for some time said frank lara who is active in a group called the justice 4 mario woods coalition i think the new chief will have a big struggle to achieve the reforms suhr said we would achieve its a systemic problem whats wrong with the sfpd is so ingrained
the rev amos c brown the president of the san francisco naacp chapter said mr suhr should have been able to continue
you had some forces that made a scapegoat out of him mr brown said if jesus buddha muhammad and confucius were running that department youd still have problems
chuck wexler chief executive of the police executive research forum a washington based group that advises police departments said that changing a departments culture was tough slow work which can increase the appeal of a quick change at the top however cosmetic
for mayors heavy news coverage of use of force cases has made that a defining issue mr wexler said and sometimes they make a calculated decision that firing the chief will change things
his group has worked with the san francisco department and mr wexler called mr suhr a reformer who tried to curb use of force and improve community relations
this wasnt a chief that was in denial he said theres no question here that politics trumped what he was doing


oakland calif   when oakland athletics outfielder josh reddick settled under a fly ball on thursday night carlos beltran retreated to second base where he was as startled as everyone else in the stadium when the ball popped out of reddicks glove and dropped to the grass
but beltran was nearly as startled when he arrived at third base and glanced up at the scoreboard suddenly he felt queasy it read two outs
im like oh my god beltran said
beltran had simply forgotten how many outs there were if he had remembered that there were two outs he would have been running at the crack of the bat and would have scored easily instead he was left at third base and the score remained tied when the next batter starlin castro ripped a line drive that was snagged by athletics third baseman danny valencia
beltran was able to explain what had happened in good humor because his blunder had not cost the yankees the game indeed he did his best to atone for it by belting a two run ninth inning homer that finally provided the yankees a cushion in their 4 1 victory
yeah terrible mistake beltran said with a smile im sorry that im laughing but its a mistake that unfortunately can happen in baseball
that is true as manager joe girardi pointed out there is probably not a player who has been in the major leagues for a while who has not at some point forgotten how many outs there were beltran sheepishly admitted that it had happened to him before so he could not promise that it would not happen again
it happened in the world series last october when kansas city right fielder alex rios thought there were two outs when there was really one and did not throw home when he had a good chance to nail curtis granderson trying to score on a fly ball like beltran rios was relieved that night when his team won
beltran said his mistake had brought him several innings of anxiety
i felt like i got caught up praying for four innings that we got the lead and would be able to win this one he said
what is troubling for the yankees is that beltran is not the only one who has recently spent time whispering invocations third baseman chase headley who was out of the lineup friday night has been picked off base and has thrown to the wrong base catcher brian mccann allowed a runner to take two bases when he loafed after a passed ball shortstop didi gregorius was thrown out trying to take an extra base and pitcher michael pineda did not look back arizonas paul goldschmidt when goldschmidt was a third of the way to third base as pineda delivered a pitch
that was all in the last three days
the list could have been longer had jacoby ellsbury not been hit in the head by the baseball that was most likely going to beat him to the bag when he stretched a double into a triple   and taken home when the ball bounced into the stands
such mental mistakes and miscalculations can be infuriating to fans who may not be able to fully understand why mark teixeira is in a funk at the plate because they have never tried to hit a 95 mile per hour fastball but when the mistakes are the types that are drilled out of little leaguers   well whats the excuse for that
girardi said such blunders were addressed individually by the coaching staff
theres nothing that goes unnoticed here whether its a bad read whether its a mental mistake   everything is always talked about girardi said friday sometimes its trying too hard sometimes its just a mental mistake the mental mistakes are the ones that bother you the most because those are the ones you have more control over
girardi said that todays players were given so much information on where to be positioned and which pitches to swing at that he wondered whether they had become too programmed but that would not seem to apply to the yankees whose mistakes in recent days have been committed mostly by veterans who know better
girardi also insisted that the yankees devoted as much time to fundamentals as ever
i take full responsibility he said i always do our job is to teach and to tell them im never going to back away from that im the guy thats in charge here and i always take full responsibility for everything that happens
so it is that beltran is not the only one who was able to breathe easier the yankees managed to win on wednesday in arizona and on thursday in oakland playing through their mental miscues that is admirable but for a team that is struggling to find its offensive muscle and a full rotation and cannot count on its redoubtable relievers   dellin betances andrew miller and aroldis chapman   to pitch every night the yankees have plenty to surmount
it would be good if they did not have to overcome themselves


fauzia abdur rahman serves only food that she would eat herself   and sometimes does   from her sidewalk cart just steps from the bronx criminal and civil courthouses
her signature jerk chicken dish is made from fresh halal chicken and her lentil spinach and mushroom stew from pricey portobellos in summer the squashes scallions leeks and herbs she uses come from farmers markets she never fries or adds sugar msg or artificial flavorings when salt is called for she uses only sea salt not iodized
the leftovers if there are any go home with her for dinner i cant serve one thing and eat something else ms abdur rahman 58 said it would be unethical
though new york city has 777 licensed food trucks and carts there is only one fauzias heavenly delights her silver cart plastered with photos of jerk chicken gyros and freshly brewed ginger tea has been drawing lines for two decades even in rain and snow near a busy intersection at east 161st street and concourse village west
ms abdur rahman is known as the cart lady of the courthouses every weekday she dishes out heaping plates of jamaican style chicken curry collard greens rice and beans sweet plantain salad and homemade banana pudding to lawyers and their clients jurors court workers police officers and anyone else who happens by at lunchtime her prices are modest an entree with two sides starts at 7 only 2 more than in her first year
its food you cant get anywhere else said steve byrnes 50 a court clerk who visits the cart every day for lunch and considers ms abdur rahman part of his family for his birthday in october she asked what he wanted   a medley of lima beans broccoli and okra   and made it especially for him
another regular michelle milanes 38 a lawyer never misses the tofu and seitan specials on wednesdays if she is tied up in court she calls ms abdur rahman to ask that she save her some ms milanes always orders two plates taking one home to her husband a firefighter i can see the line from my window so before it gets long i run down she said if you wait youll be in line half your lunch hour
ms abdur rahman was born carron richards in kingston jamaica the oldest of four children of a plumber and a stay at home mother she did not cook growing up the few times she tried it ended badly she went through a dozen eggs while trying to fry two for breakfast another time she ruined an entire pot of rice and beans everything i put on the stove would burn   that was the last thing on my mind she said i was too busy having fun
at 19 ms abdur rahman came to new york city with her younger sister for vacation she liked it so much she stayed renting a room in harlem for 20 a week she took odd jobs to support herself making beds at a nursing home fixing childrens hair for a school photographer working as a temporary office assistant
she worked her way up to a job as a secretary in an accounting firm and met her first husband an office worker in the same building she converted to his faith islam and they had a son before they divorced after seven years of marriage
ms abdur rahmans mother told her she needed a business so the daughter who never cooked began experimenting with family recipes and making them her own soon she was selling codfish cakes black bean soup and sorrel drinks from a table that she set up on sidewalks around harlem
she met her second husband amin rasheed now 67 a jewelry artist when he helped her pack up one night after their son was born she cashed in her life insurance policy for 5000 to buy her first food cart she later upgraded to her current cart which has a six burner stove top grill refrigerator and water dispenser
the other morning ms abdur rahman tossed chopped cabbage into a sturdy cast iron pot and added a sprinkle of turmeric she moved on to another pot then another soon six pots were simmering with lunch specials
a man waited at the window not ready yet she told him im still cooking
her menu changes daily so she writes the specials by hand on a sheet of paper that she then tapes to the cart its like im in my laboratory creating she said i really cook how i feel food is so vibrant alive and exciting why cook the same thing
by 130 pm she had sold more than two dozen meals her jerk chicken was running out during a typical lunch rush ms abdur rahman goes through 50 pounds of chicken 15 pounds of vegetables and 11 pounds of rice
patrick watts 61 a lawyer ordered a vegetarian plate he was her first customer when she rolled up and he still comes four days a week his clients know they can find him in line and they do some are now regulars themselves
ms abdur rahman said she did not know of anyone who has gotten sick eating her food she cooks with disposable gloves and uses different spoons for the vegetables and meats mr rasheed scrubs out the dishes and cart every night new york city health officials said the cart had no recent violations
from her perch at the center of the bronx legal system ms abdur rahman said she has seen people at their worst once the warring sides in a child custody case grabbed all her bottled sodas juices and waters to hurl at one another when she protested a man tossed her a 20 bill
after so many years ms abdur rahman has become as much a part of the life on the street as her food has after one of her regular customers got married down the street she brought her new husband by for a celebratory lunch of grilled fish jerk chicken and banana pudding they took a photo in front of her cart holding up their marriage license
children who have grown up eating ms abdur rahmans food now come with children of their own after one teenage boy confided that he had lost his mother to cancer she urged him to stay in school as incentive she offered to pay 10 for every a and b on his report card he racked up 50 one time 30 another she heard recently that he had graduated from college
ms abdur rahman would not divulge her sales figures saying only that she has made enough from her cart to send three children to college and make mortgage payments on a harlem co op her husband works beside her every day and their children help out too she said she had no plans to leave her corner anytime soon
but lately she has been taking it a little easier now if it rains or the temperature drops below 25 degrees she stays home this month she took a week off to visit her sister in florida when she returned there was relief among her customers
dont go to florida again john megaw told her mr megaw 62 a social worker who comes twice a week for jerk chicken brought lunch from home the week she was gone
when you leave he said i lose weight


lebron james is known more for his play on the court than for his bold statements off it but as the regular season was winding down he provided bulletin board material for the 15 other teams that would be joining the cleveland cavaliers in the postseason
when asked after a loss to the chicago bulls how his team would hold up over the course of 20 to 25 playoff games james balked saying his team only needed to keep things going for 16 wins
it was not quite as quotable as moses malones prediction that the 1982 83 philadelphia 76ers would go fo fo fo on their way to a championship   meaning they would need just four games to win each of the teams three playoff series after a first round bye   but it did send a strong message that james was feeling unbeatable regardless of the turmoil that had surrounded the team and the strength of the competition that the western conference was sure to provide if cleveland made the finals for a second consecutive season
after clevelands victory thursday against the toronto raptors the cavaliers were 10 0 in the postseason jamess prediction that his team would be the first to complete an undefeated postseason is still a possibility even if many are quick to note the poor quality of the competition in the eastern conference and the fact that cleveland will need to face either the golden state warriors or the oklahoma city thunder in the finals if they eliminate toronto defeating either western team let alone completing a sweep represents a colossal challenge
we know we have something were trying to accomplish coach tyronn lue who on thursday broke pat rileys record for consecutive postseason wins to begin a coaching career said after the game whoever your opponent is whoever they put in front of you thats who you have to play and if we get a chance to take care of our business and match up in the western conference well see
looking back on the teams that have come the closest to going unscathed through the playoffs shows there is no margin for error
malones 76ers nearly delivered on his fo fo fo promise when they became the first nba champions to lose only once in a postseason their lone loss came in game 4 of the eastern conference finals against the milwaukee bucks in an illustration of the difference between the media landscape then and now game accounts by neither the associated press nor the new york times even mentioned malones inability to back up his words and they certainly did not chastise him for it
the 2000 01 los angeles lakers led by shaquille oneal and kobe bryant in their prime came even closer to perfection on their way to the lakers second of three consecutive titles
the lakers entered the nba finals with an 11 0 record having dispatched the portland trail blazers the sacramento kings and the san antonio spurs with ease first rounds were then best of five series in game 1 oneal had 44 points and 20 rebounds and the lakers led with as little as 1 minute 38 seconds remaining in regulation and again with 120 left in overtime but a 3 pointer with 119 left by allen iverson who finished with 48 points put philadelphia on top to stay
for all the production that oneal and bryant supplied the lakers were able to stay close to the 76ers thanks in part to a strong effort by lue then the lakers diminutive backup guard who had 5 points 3 steals and a block in the fourth quarter alone unfortunately for lue the magic wore off in overtime he fell victim to one of iversons signature crossover dribbles before iverson hit a 16 footer just 31 seconds after his go ahead 3 pointer sealing the lakers fate
as lue tries to coach his team to the perfection that his lakers could not quite achieve he may want to look into the attitude his coach phil jackson took at the time of the loss
im kind of relieved its over in a way jackson said after the game in reference to the lakers perfect start to the postseason but it puts pressure on us to win one on our home court the streak was great now its time to get back to the business of playing ball
james however is sticking to his prediction that the best path to a championship is simply not to lose
people say you need to lose a game to go through something james said after thursdays win i think weve went through some things and if we happen to lose a game we have to be able to bounce back from it but thats not our mind set
the cavaliers heading into game 3 saturday night need six more wins to prove jamess prediction right


san salvador   el salvadors attorney general has begun arresting law enforcement officials who helped carry out a truce between gangs that until just a few years ago was central to the nations strategy for taming its infamous violence
the truce struck by el salvadors biggest gangs with the governments support won international backing and helped bring down the nations devastating murder rate by more than half in 2012 and 2013
but the governments role in facilitating the truce caused controversy at home and the nations leaders have switched to a very different approach cracking down in a no holds barred campaign to crush the gangs
attorney general douglas melendez has already arrested one of the main mediators of the truce along with about 20 law enforcement officials who helped carry it out
but mr melendez has an even bigger target top officials in the previous government
the man at the center of the truce was the former security minister david munguia payes an general who is now the defense minister court papers show until now he has remained untouched
but the attorney general has general munguia payes in his sights mr melendez who was appointed by congress is preparing to ask legislators to impeach the defense minister and remove his immunity
we will go ahead with the prosecution not only of the minister but of whomever it may be mr melendez told the new york times in an interview this week
he said he would also seek to impeach ricardo perdomo who now heads el salvadors bank regulatory agency and served as the countrys director of intelligence during the truce
mr melendezs plan raises the prospect of a clash with president salvador sanchez ceren who has repeatedly expressed public support for general munguia payes
mr sanchez ceren a former leftist guerrilla who was the vice president in the previous government of president mauricio funes rejected the gang truce when he took office two years ago
instead his government has chosen what it calls a strong hand policy it has yet to work
el salvador has become the most violent peacetime country in the world there are more than 20 homicides a day in a nation of 61 million people as the gangs fight each other and the security forces the gangs have killed almost 100 police officers and soldiers in the past 12 months
as the death toll mounts the government has clamped down tighter the army now patrols the streets in humvees the police command has given officers virtually free rein to shoot if they must in encounters with criminals and promises them legal support in cases filed against them
the gangs are fighting back one high ranking gang member said in an interview that there was now no possibility of having a new dialogue with the government
during the nearly 18 months of the truce between the countrys two main street gangs mara salvatrucha and barrio 18 the homicide rate fell from an average of 15 deaths a day to just five there were days without a single murder
as part of the agreement the government moved top gang leaders out of el salvadors maximum security prison to regular facilities where they were able to coordinate with lieutenants on the street
gang members turned in their weapons at public events and the job programs were started in 10 municipalities with support from international donors
now mr melendez has arrested one of the lead mediators for the truce a former lawmaker named raul mijango as well as law enforcement officials working in the prison system and in police intelligence for their roles in facilitating the agreement
nineteen people are in custody since the arrests began on may 3 two more people are negotiating to turn themselves in including the former chief of prisons
but general munguia payes who was the militarys negotiator with the guerrillas during the nations devastating civil war plays a crucial role in the current government as a force for political stability in the face of a restive military
although the two administrations have diverged sharply in their view of gang violence they are part of the same political party the farabundo marti national liberation front or fmln which emerged from the leftist guerrilla alliance at the end of the civil war in 1992
to build the policy it has now the government has to disqualify the policy that was in place before said paolo luers a journalist and former guerrilla who was a gang truce mediator he has not been arrested nor has fabio colindres a roman catholic bishop who was another mediator
the truce was promoted by people who arent from the fmln and the fmln is partly right when it says this is not my child  mr luers said
its all political said adam blackwell a former official with the organization of american states who coordinated the technical committee that guaranteed the truce and anti violence programs there is no logic or rational reason for this
the attorney general is playing into the hands of the political discussion more police less crime eliminating the scourge and the more we kill the better  mr blackwell added that unfortunately is more popular than building community centers and community policing and focused deterrence as a strategy
when mr mijango the lead mediator appeared in court this month dressed in the same prison whites as jailed gang members he argued that there was a peace process in place
it pains me that those who are being judged are people who only wanted to contribute to a solution to a problem that is the most serious in the country he said
but mr melendez sees it differently the document detailing the charges which the new york times obtained calls the truce a plot that allowed the gangs to reorganize and rearm and to make targets of the civilian population soldiers and the police
the attorney generals case is based on charges of illicit association with gang members it stems from allegations that the officials brought telephones into the prisons and that prison officials allowed gang leaders to meet by allowing the prison transfers
his plan as he described it is to pressure the lower level officials in custody to declare who was giving the orders
some of the people swept up in the case were simply carrying out their assignments
roberto castillo diaz an undercover officer was placed by the intelligence agency with the mediators as they met with gang leaders inside the prisons he was also in charge of picking up more than 500 guns that the gangs turned in
in a report mr castillo said that his undercover mission had the support of the president and the cabinet in an interview a cabinet member confirmed that there had been an intelligence operation supported by the police the security ministry and the presidency
since mr castillos arrest and the publication of his name in news reports his wife rosa lidia quintero has gone into hiding in fear for her life the mara salvatrucha gang controls the area where she lives she said and nobody knew that her husband was an undercover police officer
she accused the government of betrayal how can the state not protect somebody who was planted undercover on a mission she asked


moscow   russias sports minister vitaly mutko said friday that nearly all of the russian athletes who tested positive for the banned drug meldonium this year had returned to competition
the notable exception is the tennis champion maria sharapova who still faces a ban of six months to four years after acknowledging in march that she had tested positive for the drug at the australian open in january
according to the world anti doping agency there have been 330 positive tests this year for meldonium a heart medication that is commonly used as a supplement in russia
more than 40 russian athletes have tested positive for meldonium since wada added it to the prohibited list in january wreaking havoc on team lineups and affecting some of the countrys top sports figures
last week a heavyweight title fight was canceled after the russian challenger failed a test for meldonium
but russian officials believe their meldonium nightmare may be nearing its end
following a shift in wada guidelines last month most russian cases involving meldonium have been quashed or provisional suspensions lifted after the athletes proved that their positive tests had resulted from use of the drug before it was banned
in russia not one athlete has been punished mutko said at a news conference according to the interfax news agency
for weeks russian sporting officials have argued that their athletes were unfairly being penalized for meldonium taken before it was banned saying there was confusion on how long the drug takes to exit the body
responding to that complaint wada issued new guidelines in april establishing permitted amounts of meldonium in antidoping tests which would indicate whether an athlete had taken it before the ban
since then the majority of russian athletes publicly named as having tested positive for meldonium have had their cases dropped although a number of athletes are still awaiting formal rulings they have returned to competition four judoists fought in the european championships just days after the new wada decision
with the french open where sharapova is a two time champion about to begin sharapova was thought to have a hearing scheduled with the international tennis federation this week according to british news reports
another tennis player sergey betov a belarussian doubles specialist recently had his case dismissed because the amount of meldonium in his sample was below wadas revised minimums that meant it was possible that betov had last used the substance in october before it was banned on jan 1 as he contended
sharapova has said that she was taking meldonium for 10 years for various health issues and did not know that it had been added to the banned list
with many of its athletes seemingly in the clear russias top investigative agency on friday announced a probe into why sports officials did not ensure that the meldonium ban was properly observed
the moves appeared to be part of a broader effort by russia to steer its shellshocked sporting establishment into a more presentable position before a crucial international vote on whether to let the country compete at the rio de janeiro olympics in august on june 17 the international association of athletics federations will decide whether to lift a provisional suspension of russian track and field athletes imposed after wada found that the country had orchestrated a yearslong doping cover up
officials have been scrambling to prove that russia has done enough to overhaul its antidoping procedures for its athletes to participate
those efforts though took another hit last week after the new york times reported fresh accusations of an elaborate doping scheme at the 2014 sochi winter olympics revealed by grigory rodchenkov the former director of russias antidoping laboratory
since that report russian officials have issued blustery denunciations calling it a conspiracy as well as careful acknowledgments that the accusations were being taken seriously
describing the meldonium inquiry vladimir markin a spokesman for the investigative committee said in a radio interview i have an absolutely clear impression which could be a subjective impression that our so called frenemies took the bit between their teeth and decided to fully compromise russian sport in particular and russia as a whole
he added no one says that the athletes are totally clean true this problem exists but its not just russian its a world problem


san francisco   when jeremy hitchcock raised money for his technology start up in 2012 he barely had to break a sweat he was flooded with emails from venture capitalists who wanted in two months after meeting an investor over cocktails at a technology conference he scored 38 million
but last year as valuations of tech start ups wobbled and public tech stocks gyrated mr hitchcock 34 was faced with a different dynamic as he tried to garner new capital for his company dyn which monitors and reroutes internet traffic potential investors peppered him with questions others had once glossed over how would dyn produce a return for them did dyn have the size and scale to go public
dyn announced this month that it had raised 50 million from a private equity firm but as part of the discussion mr hitchcock who has not run a public company agreed to step down as chief executive so dyn could find a leader skilled in developing a business
the talks were much more thorough with investors this time mr hitchcock said adding that he had been thinking about resigning as chief executive before the fund raising round
the balance of power is shifting across tech start up land not long ago entrepreneurs had the upper hand with investors eager to get a piece of the next uber or airbnb entrepreneurs often just lifted their little fingers to get financing some investors let the entrepreneurs choose their own terms while others gave multimillion dollar paydays to start up founders long before their companies were a success
now investors have the advantage instead of venture capitalists begging to be allowed to invest entrepreneurs are coming to them begging for cash investors are exerting their newfound power by asking more questions about a start ups prospects and taking more time to invest some are pushing for management changes or for financing terms that would help cushion any losses they might face
venture capitalists are putting founders through everything short of a proctology exam before they invest said venky ganesan a partner at menlo ventures a silicon valley venture capital firm
the changing balance of power is evident in the numbers venture capitalists have put less money into start ups in the united states in the last two quarters according to the national venture capital association funding dropped 11 percent to 121 billion in the first quarter from a year earlier with a smaller capital pie entrepreneurs have to work harder for a piece
investors have also been better able to negotiate financing terms that benefit them according to a survey from the law firm fenwick  west investors of richly valued start ups have been getting more provisions such as guaranteed payouts and minimum investment gains such terms are still relatively rare but tend to become more common after the number and size of deals decline said barry kramer a fenwick  west partner
above all investors are no longer paying any price to invest in a start up since the beginning of this year about 30 companies have had to settle for lower valuations than they previously received when they raised money according to the research firm cb insights that is nearly as many as in all of 2015
investors have materially more time to do diligence than before said ben ling a partner at venture capital firm khosla ventures across our portfolio even for the best companies fund raising is a longer process
mr ling added that while particularly strong companies were being funded as always valuations for others were generally flat to about 20 percent lower than this time last year
one start up whose valuation was recently reduced was card com an online banking start up the los angeles based company closed a 55 million financing round in february that valued it lower than its last funding round in december 2014 something known in industry parlance as a down round
ben katz cardcoms chief executive said it was growing by 3000 new accounts a day had its first month with 1 million in revenue in february and should have 1 billion in new deposits this year even so mr katz 37 was pragmatic about taking money at a lower valuation
entrepreneurs shouldnt be too stressed by a down round as long as they are getting the capital they need to build their vision he said
venture capital firms that might have invested outside of their comfort zone in boom times have now reverted to form said justin langseth chief executive of zoomdata a data analytics start up when he tried to raise money at the end of last year many venture capitalists deemed zoomdata which is four years old too big or too small for their liking he said
before they would have probably tried to stretch to accommodate a company of my size said mr langseth 41 who landed 25 million from a group led by goldman sachs in february
as venture capitalists have become pickier some entrepreneurs are looking for money from nontraditional financiers jon stein who runs the financial advisory start up betterment found that many venture capitalists were telegraphing that they wanted a piece of his company for a lower price so he looked beyond venture capitalists turning to a swedish investment firm kinnevik to lead his start ups latest financing of 100 million
mr stein 36 said some start ups were postponing fund raising in the hope that they would have more leverage later theyre trying to build more traction he said
with the shifting power balance come shifting messages from investors whereas investors once worshiped growth at nearly any cost at a start up many are now more concerned about profitability entrepreneurs said
justin yoshimura 25 who invests in young companies and is chairman of the online jewelry business icecom said his start ups had generally eschewed raising large amounts of money to control spending yet some investors in recent years encouraged him and the companies he has invested in to take a lot of money and spend it on marketing and other growth tactics
now he is bemused to hear that investors are suggesting smaller rounds less spending and a focus on not losing money
everyone told us we were wrong last year that we needed to spend mr yoshimura said now when you say youre profitable everyone wants to invest


about a quarter of major league pitchers have had tommy john surgery and the reason for the epidemic has been unclear
various studies have suggested that pitching mechanics the anatomy of a pitchers arm curveballs pitching fatigue pitch velocity or just pitching too many innings could be the problem but according to research by doctors at the henry ford hospital in detroit the explanation is none of the above instead it is throwing fastballs and throwing lots of them
the researchers studied the issue by examining the records of 83 major league pitchers who had had tommy john surgery which involves replacing a torn ulnar collateral ligament in an elbow with a tendon from elsewhere in the body and a comparison group of 83 who had not
data on all 166 pitchers was collected over two years before and after surgery researchers looked at height and weight whether the pitchers were right handed or left handed a starter or a reliever the number of innings pitched a pitchers age at surgery years of major league experience and the type number and velocity of pitches they had thrown then to see exactly how they differed researchers compared the ones who had injured their elbows and needed surgery to the ones who had not
the two groups were very much alike in both groups the average age was 28 about 70 percent of the pitchers were right handed and about half were starters and half were relievers the two groups pitched the same average number of innings and the average height and weight were the same for those who had had surgery as for those who had not
the average speed of their pitches did not vary either in both groups the average velocity was about 91 miles per hour for fastballs 78 for curves and 84 for sliders and changeups
but one factor stood out pitchers who had surgery threw fastballs 468 percent of the time compared to 397 percent among those who had not had an operation the researchers concluded that just throwing fastballs   irrespective of velocity   significantly increases the risk for injury and tommy john surgery none of the other factors they looked at made any difference
the lead author of the study dr robert a keller the chief orthopedics resident at henry ford said that there had been biomechanical studies looking at the forces imposed by different pitches and that they showed that the fastball put the most torque on the shoulder and elbow
pitchers who throw at their maximum speed whatever that speed is theyre hurting their arms dr keller said the ones throwing fastballs are putting more force on their arms more often
many parents of little leaguers believe that the curveball is the culprit in arm injuries and dr keller said that the findings of his study may not translate to younger players
professional pitchers have great mechanics and know how to throw a curve or a fastball he said it may be that younger pitchers are at more risk because their mechanics are not as good
but for major league pitchers the researchers calculated that there was a 2 percent increase in the risk for ulnar collateral ligament surgery for every 1 percent increase in the number of fastballs they threw


michael lombardo is stepping down from his position as president of programming at hbo after more than three decades he was responsible for greenlighting well known series like game of thrones veep and true detective
mr lombardo 60 is expected to continue to work at hbo for several months to help with the transition to a new creative leadership team he is also working out the details for a production deal with hbo
in an interview on friday mr lombardo said that he started thinking about leaving as he faced his 60s
the thing that i love the most about what i have been doing is working with talent and the truth about my job is that is only a fraction of it mr lombardo said so this just felt like the next step i would so much rather do it at my home hbo than elsewhere
on mr lombardos watch hbo reigned at the emmy awards this year it won 43 31 more than any other network
but hbo has recently entered a bit of a rough patch on the creative front critics gave its new drama vinyl a lackluster reception
mr lombardo said that he had hesitated to leave on a down note before adding that the networks programming remains strong
there are always these cycles of up and down and hot or not mr lombardo said
mr lombardo was named president of programming at hbo in 2007 after having worked as the networks chief deal maker as its head of business affairs on the west coast mr lombardo started at hbo in 1983
i never intended to be a company man my whole life mr lombardo said i just felt like if i dont do this now i am never going to do it


san francisco   last july in a seventh floor conference room at facebooks lower manhattan offices a small group met to discuss the future of news media on the social network
facebook leaders were bullish on a relatively new section of the site that surfaced the most popular news stories like news of the terrorist attacks on the charlie hebdo newspaper in paris or stories about chris hemsworths genitalia they decided the effort called trending topics and until then a pilot operation by a dozen or so staff members should be doubled to more than 30 people one goal for the team use human judgment to make algorithms better at finding news on facebook
we asked do we consider ourselves facebook journalists said benjamin fearnow a former news curator at facebook who worked on trending topics for close to a year until april and who attended the meeting we straddled that very thin line between social media and news none of us really knew how it was going to play out
nearly a year later what began as a tiny experiment for facebook has swollen into a national headache the silicon valley company faces allegations of intentionally suppressing conservative news from appearing on trending topics in a rough and tumble presidential election year in which social media is playing an increasingly large role some republican leaders say they have lost trust in facebooks ability to maintain impartiality as a communication and news platform
an examination of trending topics based on interviews with current and former facebook employees and a demonstration of the curator tools found that facebooks employees were not directed to squelch conservative news on the site nor would that be easily accomplished by a staff member who wished to do so
instead these people said trending topics was a fledgling ill managed group   made up largely of recent college graduates with little work experience   where individual judgment of news was encouraged that led to inconsistencies in how the most popular stories were presented along with departures from the team eventually landing the group in the controversy that spotlights facebooks huge role in the type of information people see every day
weve reflected a lot said justin osofsky facebooks vice president for global operations and media partnerships which includes trending topics he said facebook had identified ways in which we should have improved
trending topics introduced in a handful of countries in january 2014 with a small staff based in new york was facebooks first major attempt to comb through the avalanche of information being posted on the social network and to make it easier for people to find current events   such as the popes visit to the united states and anything involving the kardashians   and to read and talk about them on facebook
it was a shot at competitors like google and twitter according to two former news curators who spoke on condition of anonymity because they had signed nondisclosure agreements facebook wanted people to search for more content   like news   on its own site instead of on google the search king or twitter which was widely regarded as better for real time news they said
there was one big problem facebooks trending algorithms which identify the most talked about terms were not very good at discerning what was and was not news left to their own devices roughly 40 percent of what facebooks algorithms dug up would be junk or noise a result of many people using the same word at the same time across the network the algorithm might pick up a sharp rise in the word skittles and deem it a trending topic   not exactly the events facebook had in mind
that is where humans came in facebook enlisted a set of 20 somethings as curators copy editors and team leads charged with sifting through the material the algorithms unearthed they were crucial they were told to improving facebooks ability to discern over time what constitutes news
even if you want to have computers do everything for technical reasons resource limitations and product positioning you may want humans to oversee the algorithms jonathan koren a former facebook employee who worked on algorithmic ranking for trending topics wrote in a linkedin post this week
mr fearnow who was terminated from facebook in april for breaking his nondisclosure agreement said his job as a curator was to massage the algorithm managers were ambivalent about allowing staff members to identify themselves as curators or editors on their linkedin profiles he said given concerns that outsiders would notice the element of human judgment and ask questions about it
facebook declined to comment citing employee confidentiality
during each eight hour shift curators were presented with a continuously refreshing list of trending terms they had to sort through and identify as junk or relevant and draft descriptions for those topics after labeling them and checking whether they had been independently reported by a number of major news outlets curators gave topics a value that would make them more or less likely to show up on individual users pages each user saw a different list of personalized topics based on their past actions on facebook
in facebooks editorial guidelines curators were also told to blacklist or push aside junk topics that appeared in their queue for a period of eight to 24 hours before they could potentially appear again according to current and former employees when duplicate or confusing topics arose curators were told to inject a more accurate topic term copy editors and team leads would also oversee and approve the choices being made
the work was monotonous   and not entirely gratifying workers were incentivized to compete against one another to clear the most trends from their queue former employees said top performers were given points that could be spent on facebook paraphernalia like t shirts
staff turnover was high they said most on the team were contractors though some were full time employees that led to a sense of inequality between the two groups some said starting annual salaries for contractors were in the mid to high 50000s according to former staff members
the disgruntlement may have led to leaks to news media on may 9 the news site gizmodo quoted anonymous sources who claimed to be former facebook journalists alleging that curators routinely suppressed news stories of interest to conservative readers in trending topics
facebook denied the allegations in a demonstration of its internal tools this week at its headquarters in menlo park calif facebook showed multiple layers of scrutiny by staff members that would make it extremely difficult for other workers not to notice an intentional manipulation of the system nor was it likely to be technically possible
former employees agree its hard to see any kind of intentional outright bias mr fearnow said there were an amazing amount of steps taken to avoid that he said he regularly wrote headlines and descriptions for far right conservative sites or personalities that were visible on trending topics
still current and former facebook employees said the personal judgment of curators was integral unconscious bias they said is tough to prevent facebooks 28 page editorial guidelines were also constantly updated and changed former curators said and engineers would tweak the product with little or no notice making it difficult to keep up
the reaction to the gizmodo report has been fiery senator john thune republican of south dakota has demanded answers about how trending topics works a group of 16 conservatives including glenn beck and brent bozell traveled to facebook for a fence mending meeting with top executives including the chief executive mark zuckerberg some conservative sites like breitbart are calling for mr zuckerberg to further explain himself
facebook said it was improving employee training to make its guidelines for news curators clearer including renaming some of the more nefarious sounding terminology in its guidelines changing blacklist to revisit and injection to topic correction the company continues to investigate whether any curators intentionally tried to suppress conservative news
executives said that for an experimental product they got a lot wrong
this is a relatively early product mr osofsky said there are aspects of it that clearly were continuing to work on


baltimore   the preakness stakes is the easy leg of the triple crown the one that 10 of the last 19 kentucky derby winners have rolled through triumphant to earn a ticket to new york and a date with destiny their owners and trainers treat this scuffed up old track like a summer home   feasting on crab cakes and fried chicken as they await saturday surrendering to its shirt sleeves and jeans embrace
there are no swarming crowds in the mornings as there are in kentucky before the derby no jangly nerves haunting the owners and trainers about whether their horses will live up to the expectations of americas greatest race
no the mornings here blossom languidly to the chirping of birds and the thump thump thump of feed buckets if owners and trainers treat this like camp their horses revel in what are essentially spa days the timed breezes and stout gallops are in the rearview mirror the horses saunter onto the track to stretch their legs and the riders reassure them that the heavy lifting is done
the big horse especially has little to do but to stay loose and be admired by rival horsemen this year his name is nyquist and he has been as perfect as racehorses come the colt has won all of his races   eight of them and easily   and has scared off all but two rivals from the derby
only a fool would pick against the 3 to 5 nyquist meet him his name is atop the story
before american pharoah swept the derby the preakness and the belmont stakes last year to become the 12th triple crown champion ever and the first in 37 years nyquists name and accomplishments would have been on the tip of the tongue of every self respecting horse player and horse lover
but instead of eagerly asking is he the one to end decades of thwarted charges into the history books the question becomes is he another one and is asked more with a shrug it is more than plausible affirmed after all swept the series in 1978 a year after seattle slew
still no one really knows how to act or what to think of that possibility it has elicited mixed signals from the serene barns those in the nyquist camp led by the trainer doug oneill act as if they are already halfway to new york   as if the final mile of their journey were the mile and a half of the belmont stakes
everybody is smiling happy and optimistic for tomorrow said oneill who carried himself with the same certainty in kentucky before the derby
no one is quarreling with him much either bob baffert the trainer of american pharoah is here with one of his second team colts collected who was 10 to 1 in the morning line baffert taking to the parlance of las vegas acknowledged that he might have been the headliner last year but is merely a lounge act this year
the only way you beat nyquist is if he doesnt bring his a game but crazy things happen in these races baffert said
there is a healthy amount of support coalescing around the derby runner up exaggerator 3 to 1 to rain on nyquists parade   largely because rain is expected to fall hard on pimlico race course exaggerator has shown a penchant for transforming into a jet ski on sloppy or muddy tracks having won twice on such surfaces   including the best performance of his life last month in the santa anita derby
but how can you ignore the fact that exaggerator has been unable to finish ahead of nyquist in four previous races exaggerators trainer keith desormeaux has refused to take the bait he has had nothing but admiring words for nyquist and rightfully reminded everyone that there is no shame in running second
im cashing checks for my owners he said
but beyond the rain desormeaux also sees a silver lining in how the race could play out nyquist did run fast early in kentucky but on saturday he is likely to have to fend off early challenges from as many as four horses uncle lino 20 to 1 laoban 30 to 1 stradivari 8 to 1 and collected
theres plenty of speed and were obviously coming off the pace desormeaux said
when and how exaggerator might open up his late speed on nyquist will be up to the trainers brother kent a hall of fame jockey who twice before took the first two thirds of the triple crown aboard real quiet in 1998 and big brown in 2008
i want to get my picture taken in the sun he said
so its not only a sport for fools dreamers too are welcome


san jose calif   it can take a while to get past the eccentricities
there is the scraggly beard and the flowing hair occasionally wound in a man bun the elaborate tattoos have turned his body into a canvas his attire features loud suits and a camouflage backpack he makes no attempt to hide the gap in his smile once occupied by three front teeth then there are the 150 snakes he formerly kept in the basement
but while all of that has made defenseman brent burns far and away the most colorful character in the nhl it is his uncommon skill set on the ice that is a major reason the san jose sharks hold a 2 1 edge going into saturdays game 4 of the western conference finals against the st louis blues
i dont just think hes the most dominant defenseman i think hes the most dominant player in the league plain and simple said his teammate joe thornton hes so big so strong he just does it all
with six goals and 12 assists burns is the top scoring defenseman in the playoffs his 18 points were second to his teammate logan coutures 20 among all skaters through thursday nights games
burns a 31 year old ontario native did not want to dwell friday on what others see as his quirkiness thats just how i deal with stress he said instead he preferred to put into perspective what his team has accomplished as it sits two victories away from its first appearance in the stanley cup finals
people always talk about not getting over the hurdle but that hurdle is pretty big and its pretty hard to get to burns said its special being in the battle
burnss offensive talent has been on display for years but there was a question as to which position was his strongest the year after he was the 2003 first round draft pick of the minnesota wild he played forward for canada in the world junior championship with the wild however he was back on defense
when the sharks acquired burns from minnesota on june 24 2011 san joses general manager doug wilson described burns as a future anchor for the teams blue line burns however seemed to have trouble adjusting to the san jose system and when he struggled upon returning from an injury in march 2013 the coach at the time todd mclellan moved him to forward
burns scored 22 goals as a power forward the next season but wilson announced before the 2014 15 season that burns would be back on the blue line full time when mclellan was replaced as coach by peter deboer last summer there was no doubt about where burns would play
i think it was great with pete coming in and just saying hey hes a d man burns said on april 30 the day after it was disclosed he was one of three finalists for the norris trophy given to the top nhl defenseman
this season burns has been consistently solid at both ends of the ice offensively he set franchise records for goals 27 assists 48 and points 75 by a defenseman defensively he seemed more confident in his own zone than he had in his previous four seasons with the sharks
wilson made a second move last summer that helped burns blossom with the signing of the veteran defenseman paul martin as a free agent more of a stay at home player martin has a style and personality that made him a good partner to the more freewheeling burns
the st louis blues recognize the challenge that burns presents to them at both ends of the ice and what they need to do if they are to come from behind and win three of the next four games to eliminate the sharks
its just more of being aware of where he is because hes a very active player offensively st louis defenseman kevin shattenkirk said defensively i think hes someone that we want to try and play hard we want to put him in uncomfortable situations it worked in game 1 and thats the kind of pressure we have to put on him


gov jerry brown turned in nearly a million signatures on friday backing his bid to ask voters to approve new ways to reduce californias prison population a spokesman said mr brown a democrat wants voters in november to increase credits that allow adult inmates to get out of prison more quickly and to allow earlier parole for nonviolent felons about 585000 valid signatures are required for a constitutional ballot measure this year californias district attorneys say his initiative would increase crime and undermine laws intended to protect crime victims rights ap
the last 50 wild donkeys on hawaiis big island will be rounded up the final step in a six year effort to get them in adoptive homes the donkeys are the last of more than 500 that were castoffs from the early days of hawaiian coffee and agricultural plantations when drought forced the donkeys into residential areas in search of water the herd became a problem the humane society and big island residents were working on friday to prepare the donkeys for adoption all of the donkeys will get checkups from a veterinarian before they are taken to their new homes donkeys are social animals so they must be adopted in pairs or have another animal to keep them company at their new home ap
the states top education official says state school districts do not have to comply with the obama administrations recent guidance that transgender students at public schools be allowed to use bathrooms and locker rooms consistent with their gender identity superintendent richard woods said in a letter released on friday that the directive does not have the force of law courts have issued mixed rulings on whether transgender people are protected by federal civil rights law however the directive from the obama administration says schools refusing to comply could lose federal aid mr woods said in the letter to school superintendents that his agency will take appropriate action if that happens gov nathan deal a republican this week asked mr woods to provide guidance mr deal has not promised to take legal action as in other republican led states ap


tampa fla   a pair of 18 wheel rigs waited outside the former printing plant of the tampa tribune on a recent afternoon workers were busy dismantling machinery and hauling it away preparing for the buildings demolition nearby in what had been the newsroom file folders reporters notebooks and other detritus lay scattered on the floor evidence of a hasty retreat
the tribune whose motto was life printed daily was abruptly shut down on may 3 after having covered this city and its environs for 123 years the reasons for its demise were familiar precipitous drops in advertising the rush of readers to the web the fallout of the economic recession but this particular case felt a little more personal   and left the journalists who found themselves suddenly out of work with the sense that they had been betrayed
it was the tribunes main competitor the tampa bay times based 25 miles away in st petersburg and owned by the nonprofit poynter institute that dealt the knockout punch by purchasing the tribune and then immediately shutting it down
the deal for the purchase of the tribune from the revolution capital group was struck almost five months ago but was not revealed until this month tribune employees said they knew nothing about the papers planned sale to its rival and believed that their building having been sold to a miami developer they would move into new offices in tampa as soon as suitable space could be found
people feel like fools they feel like dupes and they feel deceived said michelle bearden a 20 year veteran of the tribune who was laid off in 2014 and keeps in close touch with former colleagues revolution had already inked the deal with the tampa bay times to sell the paper there was never any intention to find a new home and continue the tribune as a competitive entity there was no commitment to this community no intention to try to make this newspaper profitable again no interest in preserving a historical tradition
about 265 people lost their jobs the times took control of its rivals lists of advertisers and subscribers
it was quick it was clinical said joe henderson 64 who started at the tribune in 1974 as a sportswriter and covered 20 world series championships several super bowls and the 2004 olympic games in athens i got two months salary im fortunate that im not in bad shape but im concerned for some of my colleagues everybody gave their heart and soul into that paper i wish it had ended better
during a farewell party at a riverfront restaurant scores of former tribune employees wistfully toasted their shared history and rifled through boxes of paraphernalia bearing the newspapers name   t shirts beach chairs mugs key rings it was all that remained of their former employer
its like losing my parents all over again said linda kemp who began working as a secretary in 1976 at the tampa times the tribunes afternoon sister paper when it closed in 1982 ms kemp moved to the promotions department at the tribune
over the years the tribune   which was awarded a pulitzer prize in 1966 for local investigative reporting   had won the enduring affection of many of its readers even as it struggled to assert itself in a protracted circulation war
the tribune was more gritty the times more refined said howard troxler a former columnist editor and reporter who spent nine years at the tribune and 20 years at the times before retiring in 2011 the tribune was kind of like the poor stepchild
occasionally mr troxler said we broke a huge story over the timess head and of course it was always especially sweet he said that the tribune   whose editorial positions tended to lean right the opposite of the times   sometimes stirred up its more conservative readers with investigations into tampas hispanic power structure particularly its judges prosecutors and legislators
yet the tribune knew and loved tampa and loved its culture he said a lot of the writers knew it well and wrote a lot of great stories about it
marjorie knapp a retired grade school teacher in pinellas county who was a tribune reader for about 40 years said she stopped about three years ago local writers were let go she said more and more news seemed to be wire service filler political stances became more conservative
the paper across the bay founded in 1884 as the west hillsborough times and later known as the st petersburg times changed its name to the tampa bay times in 2012 to telegraph its intention of being the sole provider of printed news in an area of 27 million people that includes clearwater the clearwater sun closed in 1989 after publishing for 75 years
managers at the times insisted that buying the tribune and closing it was the only way forward in a challenging and uncertain market both newspapers had made deep staff reductions in recent years and had raised cash by selling their headquarters
despite being floridas highest circulation newspaper and the winner of 12 pulitzer prizes   two of them this year   the times has had a rough patch it took out a 28 million loan in 2013 and borrowed another 133 million just before purchasing the tribune
its very hard for a metro area of this size to sustain two newspapers paul c tash chairman and chief executive of the times said in an interview the competition between the two newspapers was putting us both in peril
while he regretted that staff members at the tribune had been left unemployed mr tash said bad things have to happen for good things to happen he rejected the notion that his paper had been avaricious and noted that the times had offered jobs to some tribune employees including about 10 writers a dozen or so of its advertising sales representatives and others in finance technology and the tribunes three affiliated publications
given the suddenness of the closing the tribunes staff had no chance to put together a farewell issue a tradition for newspapers that are closing typically full of historical references and fond moments still there had been a general sense for some time that the tribunes time might be limited
weve been under threat for years now said ken koehn a 25 year veteran of the tribune who had been its managing editor since 2012 they were pretty open about it he added referring to the times managements desire to see the tribune gone
mr koehn recalled that about four years ago the times had lowered its annual subscription price to 26 in the tribunes core circulation area it used to be 10 times that he said but it caused our circulation people to react to it and then no one was making any money
pointing to the timess assumption of millions of dollars in debt as well as the sale of its headquarters in st petersburg and other properties nearby mr koehn said the times had paid a heavy price to be the only paper in the area
they look at it as though they won in the end but they really drove both papers to the brink of destruction he said if you ask me who won the newspaper war id say no one did we both lost


gov mary fallin of oklahoma vetoed a bill on friday that would impose felony charges on doctors who perform abortions calling the measure vague and unconstitutional
ms fallin is a conservative republican with a strong record of supporting restrictions on abortion which she emphasized in a statement announcing her decision a day after the legislature had passed the bill
but she acknowledged the virtual certainty that the bill would be struck down by the courts and said that the way to overturn roe v wade was the appointment of a conservative pro life justice to the united states supreme court
the bill which passed both houses of the republican dominated legislature by wide margins said doctors who performed abortions could be criminally charged and face prison terms of one to three years it also said the state would revoke the medical license of any doctors who performed an abortion unless it was necessary to protect the life of the mother
mainstream medical groups in oklahoma and nationally had condemned the bill and called on ms fallin to veto it legal groups defending abortion rights predicted a rapid challenge in state or federal courts
because it would effectively ban abortion in the state the bill would have been quickly blocked as unconstitutional legal experts said while the supreme court has allowed states to impose restrictions like waiting periods it has firmly held that women have a right to an abortion until the fetus is viable outside the womb around 24 weeks into pregnancy
the bills sponsor senator nathan dahm had said he relished the chance to fight for it in court and hoped that it could lead to a reconsideration of abortion rights by the supreme court mr dahm said friday that he was considering whether to seek an override of the governors veto which would require a two thirds majority in both houses of the legislature
liberty counsel a conservative christian legal group based in florida had promoted the bill and said it would provide the state with free legal aid to defend it on friday the group reacted angrily to ms fallins veto and called for an override
this is a despicable betrayal of her word and of innocent children whose lives will be cut short because of her cowardly act said mat staver the chairman of liberty counsel
it was unclear on friday whether the governors strongly worded rejection of the bill would dissuade legislators from seeking to save it
the bill is so ambiguous and so vague that doctors cannot be certain what medical circumstances would be considered necessary to preserve the life of the mother  ms fallin said adding that the bill could not survive a constitutional challenge


general motors said on friday that it would offer cash payments or extended warranties to 135000 owners of certain large sport utility vehicles with window stickers overstating likely gas mileage
the move reflects the increasing scrutiny global automakers are facing after a diesel emission scandal that has rocked volkswagen
gm will offer debit cards of 450 to 900 to people who bought a 2016 chevrolet traverse buick enclave or gmc acadia in place of the debit cards customers may opt for increasing the warranty coverage to 48 months or 60000 miles from 36 months or 36000 miles lease customers will be offered only debit cards the company said in a statement
the compensation plan was announced a week after gm revealed that it had overstated the mileage of the 2016 traverse enclave and acadia by one or two miles a gallon and notified dealers to replace the window stickers on about 60000 affected models in stock it briefly halted sales of the models while the stickers were being corrected
on wednesday suzuki motor said it had used improper methods to determine the fuel economy of 16 vehicles it sells in japan in april mitsubishi motors acknowledged it cheated on gas mileage tests in japan for the last 25 years a revelation that caused a plunge in its stock price the resignation of its president tetsuro aikawa and the sale of a 34 percent stake in the company to nissan motor
this is the new era we live in where theres enough testing and oversight that if any manufacturer isnt completely straight on the numbers its going to be exposed said karl brauer an analyst at the auto research firm kelley blue book the good news is that the gm case shows customers will get compensation if there is an issue
gm told dealers of its compensation plan on friday the compensation was calculated based on an assumed gasoline price of 3 a gallon and an average owner driving of 15000 miles a year
at first gm attributed the discrepancy in mileage estimates to misprinted window stickers but on friday the company said it had installed additional emissions controls on the 2016 versions of the traverse acadia and enclave and that change was not accounted for when it calculated fuel economy estimates required by the environmental protection agency
we want all of our customers to have a great ownership experience so we designed this reimbursement program to provide full and fair compensation in a simple flexible and timely manner jim cain a gm spokesman said
automakers have come under increasing pressure since volkswagens admission in september that it had equipped its most popular diesel cars with defeat devices that cheat on emissions tests by turning on pollution controls when in the lab and shutting them off in real world driving about 11 million vehicles are affected worldwide
at the request of the justice department daimler maker of mercedes benz luxury cars is conducting an internal investigation of its certification process for diesel exhaust emissions
german authorities are looking into whether gms opel division and italys fiat use engine software that turns off pollution controls south korean officials recently accused the japanese automaker nissan motor of cheating on emissions tests
the diesel cheating scandal has rocked volkswagen which until recently ranked as one of the worlds most profitable automakers since september it has replaced its chief executive and other top managers suffered a slump in sales in the united states and earmarked 18 billion to cover lawsuits vehicle recalls and other costs related to the scandal


to many defense lawyers joseph p dwyer a retired new york police officer who became a private eye was guided by justice   a highly sought investigator who uncovered key information to help their clients
but that came at a price mr dwyer had been paying a police sergeant for information from a restricted law enforcement database prosecutors charged and in a sentencing memo this week the government said mr dwyers motivation had been a desire to enrich himself citing his billings of about 500000 from 2011 to 2014 from public funds used for indigent defense
mr dwyer and the sergeant ronald g buell who has since retired from the force were charged in 2014 and pleaded guilty this year to one count of conspiracy on friday mr dwyer 48 appeared in court to be sentenced
his case has drawn much attention within the defense bar in new york whose lawyers often retain former police officers for their investigative skills more than 20 lawyers wrote to the judge on mr dwyers behalf
standing and choking back tears mr dwyer apologized and said he took full responsibility for his actions he said that in investigating cases some involving capital offenses he became too engaged and overwhelmed in trying to provide a zealous defense for his clients
in paying for restricted information he said he used poor judgment and made a terrible mistake
but he said money had not been his objective there was never an ulterior motive he said he had worked proudly for defense lawyers he said and was devastated to read the governments sentencing memo with the enrichment allegation
judge alison j nathan of federal district court in manhattan ultimately said that she would not send mr dwyer to prison prompting a row of relatives seated behind him to leap up and let out a loud shriek of joy
the parties agreed in january when mr dwyer pleaded guilty that under the advisory federal sentencing guidelines he faced 10 to 16 months in prison according to his plea agreement
there was no doubt the judge said that he broke the law and had crossed the line for reasons that involved at some level both a desire for financial gain and zealous investigation and advocacy on behalf of indigent clients
but she also cited his history of public service on the police force and as a defense investigator and said she was convinced that he would not again engage in such conduct
as prosecutors described the scheme mr dwyer relied on the sergeant to gain access to a law enforcement database at least 15 times from 2011 to 2013 to obtain personal information about potential witnesses and other people associated with 11 criminal prosecutions in which mr dwyer had been retained as a defense investigator
during that period mr buell deposited at least 17 checks into his personal bank account totaling almost 9000   which prosecutors said were from mr dwyers investigative firm
mr dwyer according to his lawyers court filing had worked in narcotics enforcement before his short police career ended when he was injured while making an arrest he became a private investigator in 1995 the filing says
before judge nathan imposed the sentence five years of probation mr dwyers lawyer guy oksenhendler called his client one of the great equalizers and said mr dwyers role was critically important to the defense
there was no evidence mr dwyer had used any of the information he obtained for a nefarious purpose mr oksenhendler said adding no one was threatened no one was intimidated
in the letters from defense lawyers which the judge cited many offered support for mr dwyer one lawyer lisa scolari wrote that mr dwyer believed that gathering information was the path to truth and the way to bring justice to our vastly overmatched indigent clients
but in the governments sentencing memo prosecutors said mr dwyers conduct had the foreseeable effect of putting victims and witnesses in danger undermining criminal investigations and jeopardizing the publics confidence in law enforcement
a prosecutor hadassa waxman said in court that the reason he had been such a good investigator was he could get his hands on things that other investigators could not get their hands on and he did that by breaking the rules
mr buell 49 who retired after more than 25 years with the police department is to be sentenced in the summer


united nations   ending months of speculation susana malcorra a veteran of the united nations system who recently became foreign minister of argentina on friday announced her candidacy in the race to become the next secretary general of the united nations
ms malcorras name had been circulating as a possible candidate ever since she resigned as secretary general ban ki moons chief of staff in november and became argentinas foreign minister
she spent the past few weeks visiting the capitals that ultimately decide who will get the job washington moscow and this week beijing she also sought to resolve differences with london over the falkland islands long a source of contention between argentina and britain she recently told the newspaper financial times that the previous argentine government had overfocused on the malvinas which is what the islands are called in argentina
ms malcorra is the fifth woman among the 10 candidates
the others include helen clark the former prime minister of new zealand who is now the administrator of the united nations development program and irina bokova a bulgarian diplomat and the director general of the united nations educational and cultural agency
there is a growing push for a woman to lead the world body for the first time in its 70 year history
ultimately the man or woman who leads the united nations needs the blessings of the five veto holding permanent members of the security council britain china france russia and the united states
but there is also pressure for transparency in the long opaque selection process ms malcorra is scheduled to appear before the 193 member general assembly in june a first round of hearings took place in april


the first sentence uttered by albert murray in murray talks music an insightful new book published by the university of minnesota press is a concise distillation of his views on the blues hes speaking in 1994 with the jazz trumpeter and composer wynton marsalis who asks a leading question about the primary motive of a blues musician
well the objective of the blues musician is to get rid of the blues mr murray answers and of course you stomp the blues not with utmost violence but with elegance
the remark strikes a resounding chord for anyone familiar with mr murrays work especially his landmark book stomping the blues and it points toward a related idea that this elegance finds truest expression in an aesthetic of swinging resilience   which is to say in jazz
mr murray the cultural critic who died in 2013 at 97 explored many variations on this theme in writing and in conversation as a founder and longtime board member of jazz at lincoln center he also saw it put into action that organization under the direction of mr marsalis has always regarded mr murrays blues philosophy as a bedrock its no accident that mr murrays legacy is now largely understood in musical as well as literary terms
his centennial was last week and among the commemorations is a book party and discussion for murray talks music on wednesday at the national jazz museum in harlem less officially his ideas find traction on two excellent new albums by tenor saxophonists j d allens americana and noah premingers dark was the night cold was the ground together with recent statements like work songs by the drummer jaimeo brown they attest to mr murrays living influence on jazz
the notion of the blues as a form of transcendence which mr murray developed in intellectual dialogue with the novelist ralph ellison and others notably the literary theorist kenneth burke finds direct purchase in the music of mr brown transcendence is the name of his band which on work songs often plays against field recordings a track called be so glad builds a modern fantasia over a sample of a chain gang recorded by alan lomax at the parchman prison farm in mississippi
mr brown 38 has ties to jazz at lincoln center but also a foothold in hip hop and rb the main field of activity for his producing partner chris sholar along with historical samples they find a place for living singers including a group of quilt makers from gees bend ala the album itself suggests a patchwork of old and new with an implicit claim for continuity there are moments when the premise strains but at its best   in a version of the prison ballad lazarus for instance with a prayerful tenor solo by mr allen   the synthesis feels natural
some of that has to do with mr allen 43 whose americana is a rigorous engagement with the blues as a feeling and a form its subtitle is musings on jazz and blues theres just one refurbished artifact on the album another man done gone a haunting elegy credited to vera hall who was recorded by lomax in the 1930s mr allen and his superb rhythm team the bassist gregg august and the drummer rudy royston play it with a troubled rolling gravitas
elsewhere rather than sampling or even covering old material they perform originals composed in a roots cast of mind mr allen isnt especially drawn to high concept as an artist but he does powerful work here   partly by framing the blues in personally relevant terms using a modern harmonic language defined by john coltrane the contours of a tune like bigger thomas reflect coltranes innovations in blues form revisited by a dauntless heir
but mr allen is pursuing something more ambitious than a gloss on coltrane plays the blues the cover of americana features a sepia photograph of african american workers in a cotton field one of its more memorable themes cotton is a waltz with a strong folklike melody easy to picture as a song with lyrics the title track unfurls as a soulful dirge inviting thoughts about darkness and oppression before leading into lightnin which uses a dirge as a springboard   a perfect illustration of mr murrays vision for the blues which shows up in the liner notes
lightnin is obviously a nod to lightnin hopkins whose version of trouble in mind receives a spare mournful reinvention on mr premingers new album every other track has its historical antecedent the album derives its title from the blind willie johnson tune recalled here in a spirit of bleary acceptance mr preminger 29 sees the delta blues as a new challenge raw material for his band with the trumpeter jason palmer the bassist kim cass and the drummer ian froman
mr preminger like mr allen has a dark dry sound on tenor and an instinctive resistance to cliche hes working here with a fixed repertory but his band locates a flow within that framework on charley pattons spoonful blues he and mr palmer emulate the magically loose rapport between ornette coleman and don cherry hard times killin floor blues by skip james becomes a furious expedition threatening to fly off the rails robert johnsons love in vain assumes a more somber clip briefly shaping up as a showcase for mr palmer
what mr murray would think of these albums is unknowable but as he once put it in conversation with paul devlin the editor of murray talks music the idea of accepting and overcoming tough circumstances is an adaptable frame
resilience or swinging is the ultimate achievement mr murray said then in 2003 the achievement of elegance is the highest thing that a human being can do


gothenburg sweden   the belarussian writer svetlana alexievich said she had spent her life asking one big   and very russian   question why doesnt peoples suffering translate into freedom its a question that lies at the heart of her five encyclopedic volumes of oral history of postwar russia when she won the nobel prize in literature last year those books were barely known in the english speaking world
that is now starting to change next week random house is releasing secondhand time the last of the soviets her 2013 oral history of post soviet russia in english translation for the first time to be followed by two more of her books by 2018 already hailed as a masterpiece across europe secondhand time is an intimate portrait of a country yearning for meaning after the sudden lurch from communism to capitalism in the 1990s plunged it into existential crisis
a series of monologues by people across the former soviet empire it is tolstoyan in scope driven by the idea that history is made not only by major players but also by ordinary people talking in their kitchens with every page the book makes clear how president vladimir v putin manages to hold his grip on a country of 143 million people across 11 time zones
in the west people demonize putin ms alexievich who turns 68 later this month said in a recent interview here speaking russian through a translator after a conference on her work at the university of gothenburg they do not understand that there is a collective putin consisting of some millions of people who do not want to be humiliated by the west  she added there is a little piece of putin in everyone
not that ms alexievich is a fan on the contrary after winning the nobel prize in october she said in a daring news conference in minsk belarus that she loved the russian world of the humanities but not the russian world of stalin or putin
a diminutive woman with a kind round face and eyes that show empathy and humor ms alexievich returned to live in minsk in 2011 to be near her daughter and granddaughter after a peripatetic decade in exile in europe she had left to protest the regime of the belarussian president alexander lukashenko who has been in power since 1994 and curtailed press freedom she said she planned to remain in minsk and hoped the nobel would give her some protection and freedom to speak her mind
her 1997 book voices from chernobyl published in english in 2006 about the 1986 nuclear disaster in ukraine was banned for years in belarus which absorbed the brunt of the radiation mr lukashenkos government though has never allowed the extent of the damage to come to light a totalitarian power is mainly busy in keeping itself alive ms alexievich said the book is now imported to belarus from russia she said but at high prices that few can afford
like all her works voices from chernobyl is nonfiction based on years of interviews but it has sophisticated literary qualities the people with whom she speaks try to make sense of radiation   invisible and powerful almost like god   and of the disintegration of their bodies and the poisoning of their land the catastrophe becomes a metaphor for the implosion of the entire soviet project
ms alexievich discussed her approach in her nobel prize lecture i collect the everyday life of feelings thoughts and words she said i collect the life of my time im interested in the history of the soul the everyday life of the soul the things that the big picture of history usually omits or disdains
she returns to her interlocutors again and again often for years to get to the essence of their stories you suddenly feel when the temperature gets higher when you get deeper into something she said she edits the conversations heavily until the narrative flows she cites shoah claude lanzmanns 1985 holocaust documentary as an influence
secondhand time includes testimonies by the friends and family of a teenage suicide a onetime kremlin official gulag survivors witnesses to ethnic sectarian violence in the caucasus anti government demonstrators in moscow and belarus a tajik laborer russians dont just want to live one person says in the book they want to live for something there is plenty of misery but there are also jokes
bela shayevich the books english translator said secondhand time was an update of 19th century russian literature for the 21st century people read russian novels not for the happy endings she added but because there is great catharsis in great pain and then something that is sublime
secondhand time is ms alexievichs fifth book her first wars unwomanly face 1985 with an expanded edition in 2002 was about russian women who had combat roles in world war ii only to return home to be shunned random house is to release it next year in a translation by richard pevear and larissa volokhonsky whose work has breathed new life into russian classics in 2018 random house will release the couples translation of the last witnesses ms alexievichs 1985 book on memories of russians who were children during world war ii
when it first appeared in the 1980s wars unwomanly face caught the attention and the praise of mikhail gorbachev then the soviet leader a few years ago ms alexievich met mr gorbachev for the first time he said youre so small how can you write such big books she recalled with a smile you are not a giant either she said she told him but you could destroy an empire
she was put on trial on charges of defaming the soviet army with her third book zinky boys 1992 about soviet soldiers in afghanistan some thousands of whom were sent back home in zinc coffins the testimonies eroded notions of military heroism she was acquitted
ms alexievich was born in stanislav now ivano frankivsk ukraine to a belarussian father who never gave up his belief in socialism but thought stalin had ruined it and a ukrainian mother both were teachers one in four belarussians died in world war ii the scars of history shaped her she studied journalism at the university of minsk at a time when students had to ask permission to read nietzsche and freud   her request was denied   but she was also influenced by war stories told by her grandmother
of the thousands of stories shes heard she said a few have affected her deeply one is that of a woman she talked to for wars unwomanly face who said she wasnt afraid of combat but hated having to wear mens underwear as part of her uniform we were prepared to die for the motherland but not in those underpants ms alexievich recalled the woman telling her
another is that of a woman in voices from chernobyl whose husband died of radiation sickness after clearing debris by the end when he is screaming in pain the woman says she has two strategies to pour vodka into his feeding tube or to make love to his ravaged body when ms alexievich first published this account she left out the womans name to protect her privacy only to get an angry phone call from her and she said no i suffered so much he suffered so much i want my last name and his name in the book she said
these testimonies have an indelible emotional impact on readers as well as on the writer sometimes i have pauses and i dont listen to anything ms alexievich said especially now because what people are telling now is really horrible
weary of war stories ms alexievich is working on two new collections   on aging and on love   and is preparing to travel across the former soviet union to gather material she has never considered writing fiction no she said decisively life is much more interesting


cannes france   a week into the cannes film festival the machine gun carrying soldiers vanished for the first stretch of this event a cluster of soldiers had been patrolling the main shopping drag that runs parallel to the promenade overlooking the mediterranean just one part of the show of force this year france remains in a state of emergency but festivalgoers exist in a bubble and in time talk about heavy security gave way to other concerns like whether maren ades toni erdmann would win the palme dor and if sean penns the last face was worse than nicolas winding refns the neon demon or xavier dolans its only the end of the world
mr penn may be the unfortunate winner of this dubious contest to judge from the insistent jeers that greeted the last face at its friday morning press screening booing   lustily rightly wrongly   is a cannes tradition michelangelo antonionis art film landmark lavventura was famously heckled as was martin scorseses taxi driver which went on to win the palme mr penn is unlikely to receive any awards here its doubtful that he will even receive many any good reviews for the last face which centers on two relief aid doctors charlize theron and javier bardem who fall in love in 2003 amid the genocidal horrors of sierra leone and liberia
as grindingly sincere as it is wildly misbegotten this is a melodramatic miasma of white tears falling amid unspeakable black suffering yet whats perplexing about it isnt that it was produced   terrible scripts are greenlit all the time   but that the festival programmers gave this movie one of the 21 prestigious slots in the feature competition the last face would have been negatively received no matter what section it appeared in yet the programmers invariably made mr penn a bigger target than he might have been by putting his movie in competition instead of screening it out of competition alongside the starry titles that play at cannes only to feed its red carpet
its similarly mystifying how mr refn and mr dolan made it into competition except as would be representatives of a younger auteurist guard the parade of beautiful bloodied women in mr refns flashy dud   about a young model elle fanning newly arrived in los angeles   suggests that he fell under the spell of both helmut newton and david lynch at an impressionable age but without learning anything including how to move beyond shocks or how to animate his visuals mr dolan in his family drama seems to be trying for the operatic excesses that sometimes work for pedro almodovar with a touch of john cassavetes thrown in
its been a strange cannes with both streets and theaters quieter and less populated than usual deal making was apparently slow though plenty of movies will make their way into theaters or onto video on demand others like the death of louis xiv a mesmerizing elegy from the spanish director albert serra will doubtless continue to find their most receptive audiences on the festival circuit set in the kings bedchambers in versailles and anchored by a poignant performance from jean pierre leaud the movie focuses on the kings slow excruciating death from gangrene despite this forbidding premise the filmmaking and mr leaud hold you turning the king into a figure of pathos even as its also clear the rot eating away at this royal body reflects the disease that decades later will be excised by the guillotine mr leaud said a few words before the movie receiving a standing ovation
this welcoming applause was an emotional acknowledgment of mr leauds stature starting of course with the 400 blows which inaugurated his working relationship with francois truffaut elsewhere at the festival though ovations can be as cheap and unreliable a marker of quality as the jeers olivier assayass competition entry personal shopper starring an exceptional kristen stewart was unfairly booed at its first press screening ms stewart who appeared in mr assayass earlier film clouds of sils maria at cannes in 2014 plays a young american working in paris whos trying to contact her dead twin even as she juggles a living malign force
personal shopper primarily comes across as a lovingly appointed platform for ms stewarts talents and beauty mr assayas places her in wide ranging situations   the movie embraces a range of genres from a paranormal thriller to a glossy action movie to a coming of age tale   and dresses her in a variety of costumes from haute couture fetish to cool girl schlub wear its a reminder that the history of cinema is also a history of male directors working with superb actresses a truism borne out in aquarius from the brazilian director kleber mendonca filho sonia braga kiss of the spider woman stars as a widow and retired music critic whose fight with some developers they want to evict her evolves into a stirring look at the intersection of class history and memory
the warmly received paterson finds jim jarmusch in a lovely self contemplative mood low key even by mr jarmuschs laid back standards it turns on a poet paterson adam driver who drives a city bus in   where else   paterson nj where he lives with his partner golshifteh farahani the poetry in the movie was actually written by ron padgett and wouldnt you know it mr jarmuschs friend the writer luc sante once wrote jims humor has a lot in common with that of ron padgett one of mr santes books is on patersons shelves along with the work of william carlos williams whose multivolume opus paterson is probably on mr jarmuschs shelves
in paterson williams famously and repeatedly advises no ideas but in things in a letter to his publisher he enlarged on this writing that it is the poets business not to talk in vague categories but to write particularly as a physician works upon a patient upon the thing before him in the particular to discover the universal thats a nice entry point for mr jarmuschs paterson which takes place over a week or so and emphasizes its protagonists bus driving routine the physical world around him   the work boots of two passengers a waterfall a tilted mailbox   and the patterns that emerge through his quotidian observations
the night after paterson had its first press screening its american distributor amazon studios hosted a party at silencio a nightclub that shares its name with the velvet draped nightspot in david lynchs film mulholland drive champagne poured as guests including mr jarmusch mingled with the amazon studio executives ted hope and bob berney both indie film veterans the company has a second jarmusch title that played out of competition gimme danger a surprisingly unsurprising documentary about iggy pop that finds mr jarmusch in elevated fanboy mode a few days later he and iggy pop after wagging their middle fingers at photographers took their turns on the red carpet with the singer showing off a bare chest under his suit jacket
going into the festival amazon studios with its deep pockets and great ambitions was the hot prospect turning everyones head the ardor may have cooled by the time cannes ends sunday given that not all its titles have been well received mr refns included but maybe not cannes is about many things including the romance of cinema and right now amazon is at least partly in the romance business compared with the superblockbusters released by the big american studios its titles   like many of this festivals selections   can seem small little more than hollywood chump change yet as movies like paterson remind us good art invariably finds a way even amid the vulgarity


phoenix   with little debate arizona last year became the only state to impose a one year limit on cash assistance to needy families cutting the maximum duration of benefits for the third time since 2010 the newest limit has begun to hit home for welfare recipients who are learning that their benefits are nearing an end
anna robinson the mother of a 4 year old boy received cash assistance for about eight months in 2013 until she landed a job at a call center for a pet supply retailer then her job was automated and her position was eliminated she will receive about four months of cash payments before they dry up
i was really proud of myself when i got a job but now i need help again ms robinson said as she picked up a box of free groceries at st marys food bank in west phoenix
as the 20th anniversary of bill clintons welfare law approaches the impact of its requirements is being felt more than ever with the political rifts that it exposed in 1996 resurfacing on the 2016 campaign trail
in her 2003 autobiography living history hillary clinton said she agreed with her husbands decision to sign the welfare bill even though it outraged some of our most loyal supporters the old program of aid to families with dependent children created in the new deal helped to create generations of welfare dependent americans she wrote
her rival for the democratic presidential nomination senator bernie sanders of vermont fiercely opposed the law as a house member then and continues to press his case against it
i spoke out against so called welfare reform because i thought it was scapegoating people who were helpless people who were very very vulnerable mr sanders said at a campaign stop in february secretary clinton at that time had a very different position on welfare reform
off the campaign trail the real world effects are coming into clearer focus arizona is perhaps the most vivid example of a national trend the withering of the cash assistance program created by the law known as temporary assistance for needy families
cash benefits in arizona are smaller now than when congress created the assistance program 20 years ago in 2009 arizona reduced the maximum benefit by 20 percent to 278 a month for a family of three with no other income that cut coupled with inflation has reduced the buying power of the maximum benefit by about half
the federal law required states to set time limits on the receipt of cash assistance and specified that the payments could not exceed five years which is still the limit in about two thirds of the states
in 2010 arizona cut cash assistance eligibility to three years from five in 2011 it reduced the limit to two years then last year it dropped to one with that limit to begin on july 1
the 12 month time limit is rapidly approaching said michael wisehart an assistant director at the arizona department of economic security which runs the welfare program
any cash assistance received since october 2002 counts against the limit according to state law and letters being sent to welfare recipients that means even a few months spent on welfare a decade ago can significantly limit future benefits arizona officials estimate that 1200 to 1600 families   roughly 15 percent of those receiving cash assistance   will be affected some may qualify for hardship exemptions
domonique christian 27 recently received a notice from the state saying that her cash assistance payments of 220 a month might soon be terminated because she had exceeded the new 12 month limit on benefits
ms christian a single mother said she could not afford to lose the aid she has two young sons and no job that money she said is for diapers clothing and food for her children bus fare and other daily expenses
the money she said is really low but it will get you by it helps its better than nothing
here as in several other states proponents say the strict limits will create a new impetus for welfare recipients to find jobs and will reduce their reliance on public benefits when president clinton signed the welfare law in 1996 he said it would replace a never ending cycle of welfare with the dignity the power and the ethic of work
and for a while it did welfare cases fell sharply employment of single mothers increased and harsh critics of the program acknowledged that the first years were not nearly so bad as they had predicted children were not sleeping on grates
but the number of welfare recipients did not increase much even as the economy softened and poverty inched up in the recession that began in 2007
the high marks given to the 1996 reform at its 10 year anniversary are much lower now as we approach its 20 year anniversary said sandra k danziger an expert on poverty and social welfare policy at the university of michigan
caseloads during the recession increased far less than the number of people receiving food stamps or unemployment insurance benefits the cash assistance program generally requires people to work to get benefits but work was not readily available
the program did not respond to economic need in the great recession said hilary hoynes a professor of economics and public policy at the university of california berkeley
many republicans including house speaker paul d ryan of wisconsin still point to the welfare law as a success and a model for reinventing other domestic programs
but for many democrats swept up more by mr sanderss liberal populism than bill clintons centrism the law is far less popular mr clinton defending his wife says she argued against more extreme welfare proposals that would have capped federal spending on medicaid and food stamps her campaign notes that child poverty decreased more than 25 percent in the clinton years and says that many families benefited from expansion of the earned income tax credit under president clinton
the welfare law has indisputably achieved one of the goals that mr clinton announced in his first campaign for president to end welfare as we know it
nationally the number of people receiving cash assistance has fallen to 41 million from 123 million in 1996 in arizona the number of cash assistance recipients has plummeted to 20495 from a monthly average of 155000 in 1996 97
the 1996 law reversed six decades of social welfare policy eliminating the individual entitlement to cash assistance for the nations poorest children and giving each state a lump sum of federal money with vast discretion over its use the amount of the main federal block grant has remained at 165 billion annually since the law was adopted but inflation has shrunk the value of that money about a third
in addition the reach of the program has been greatly reduced
in 1996 for every 100 families in poverty 68 received cash assistance that fell to 23 for every 100 in 2014 and in a dozen states including arizona the number is fewer than 10 in 100
in response the very poor have devised what kathryn j edin a professor of sociology at johns hopkins university called survival strategies some she said sell plasma a blood component some collect metal junk and aluminum cans and sell them to scrap dealers some move in temporarily with friends or relatives to save on rent
weve shredded our cash safety net said ms edin who examined those tactics in her book 200 a day living on almost nothing in america written with h luke shaefer
the proportion of poor single mothers who neither work nor receive welfare has increased sharply since 1996 according to census data analyzed by the congressional research service
timothy jeffries the director of the arizona department of economic security often declares his love for the poor and with the one year limit about to take effect he says his agency is making vigorous efforts to help people find jobs
but democrats outnumbered in the legislature see it differently it really feels like a hatred of poor people said state representative celeste plumlee a democrat who was on welfare for three years in the 2000s its just mean thats what it seems to me
arizona is not the only state to shorten its time limit for benefits on jan 1 missouri lowered its lifetime limit to 45 months from five years the general assembly controlled by republicans overrode a veto by gov jay nixon a democrat who said the change was as harsh as it is unnecessary
in the first three months of this year missouri ended benefits for 2780 households that had received cash assistance for 45 months or longer
ronald t haskins who helped write the 1996 federal law as an aide to house republicans said that for some poor people the erosion of cash benefits had been offset by increases in other programs including the earned income tax credit nutrition assistance and medicaid
but mr haskins said it is reasonable and appropriate to worry about mothers and children in families with no earnings and no cash welfare


washington   congress is moving to intervene in a legal dispute over whether female guards at the guantanamo bay prison should be barred from touching muslim detainees wading into a fight that has raised questions about the independence of the war court from outside influences
the dispute centers on military commission orders in late 2014 and early 2015 that have temporarily required the military to use only male guards to touch defendants when taking them to court or to meetings with their lawyers in line with the religious beliefs of those detainees
several senior pentagon officials and lawmakers called those orders outrageous but the issue seemed to be settled last month when col james pohl the judge overseeing the death penalty case against five detainees accused of aiding the terrorist attacks of sept 11 2001 ruled that the military could use female guards to move the detainees after all
still saying he was obliged to ensure the independence of his court from unlawful influence from any source colonel pohl said he would leave in place for six more months the ban that he had previously imposed he said that delay would deter such additional inappropriate comments and further ameliorate any taint
the military commissions act bars the coercion of judges in how they make decisions and gives them broad discretion to craft remedies to correct even the appearance that such influence had made a trial unfair detainee defense lawyers have argued that the criticism of the judges orders amounted to unlawful influence
in his order last month colonel pohl decided that comments by pentagon officials had raised the appearance of a problem requiring his remedy of keeping the ban in place for six more months but he said that previous talk by sen kelly ayotte republican of new hampshire and other politicians had not crossed a line as it fell short of an affirmative act
late last week however the senate armed services committee added a provision to its version of the annual defense authorization act that would nullify colonel pohls ban immediately and bar any future military judge from acting likewise and this week the house added the same provision to its version of the bill making it likely that it will remain in the final version of the act
ms ayotte said in a statement 911 terrorists who planned and facilitated the murder of almost 3000 people on american soil should not be able to dictate whether our female service members do their jobs because these terrorists have a problem with women she is the provisions principal supporter
david nevin a lawyer representing one of the defendants in the 911 case called the intervention by congress astonishing he said he would consider filing a new challenge based on it
it illustrates how congress views the military commission as a vehicle for expressing popular sentiment about how detainee related issues should be resolved as opposed to as an independent court acting in the normal course of business mr nevin said
eugene fidell who teaches military law at yale law school said that congress could lawfully enact legislation that changed the rules for the commissions system   even when it affected pending cases like those at guantanamo but he said legislators should not comment on particular cases doing so threatens the independence of the judiciary and the defendants right to a fair trial
a pentagon spokesman declined to comment on pending legislation in her statement ms ayotte emphasized that congress has constitutional authority to set the rules for the commissions
it is the job of military judges to rule as they deem appropriate and it is my job as a senator and a member of a separate branch of government to legislate   and that is why we must act now to ensure the order that has been in place for more than 16 months is not extended further and that this never happens again she said


paris   a judge on friday threw out a criminal case against a french photographer whose graphic image of a man shot by extremists during the november terrorist attacks in paris drew the ire of the victims family
the case was brought by the paris prosecutors office
french criminal law forbids the publication of photographs of survivors of violent crimes including terrorist acts without their permission on the grounds that it could seriously infringe on their right to human dignity
in the photograph the victim cedric gomet 30 is seen bloodied and wearing only his underwear
the judge agreed with maya vidon white the photographer and vincent toledano her lawyer they had argued that it was an inappropriate use of the law that no crime was committed and that the law did not apply because mr gomet was dead when the photo was taken
ms vidon white a longtime war photographer who has worked extensively inside and outside of france said that she was relieved by the decision but that it had taken a toll
i am confident i can continue doing my job the way ive always done it which is to portray the reality of things happening in front of me she said after the ruling which was viewed by some as a victory for press freedom
but i dont feel a total sense of relief she added
having to battle a grieving family has been worse even than working in conflict zones she said i never wanted to hurt them i never wanted to do them any harm
the prosecutors office did not respond to requests for comment
mr gomets family could still file a claim against ms vidon white who is the sister in law of a staff editor for the international new york times in paris in civil court and request monetary damages they did not indicate whether they would do so
ms vidon whites case was further complicated because she was unaware that the photograph was going to be published in vsd a glossy weekly magazine which was also a defendant in the case
france and europe generally have stricter press laws than the united states does and a broader interpretation of what it means to infringe on individual dignity


abuja nigeria   an advocacy group pushing for the rescue of more than 200 schoolchildren kidnapped by boko haram fighters more than two years ago said friday that one of the two girls who turned up this week was not among those taken in the mass abduction
military officials had said the girl serah luka was abducted in april 2014 along with dozens of classmates when members of the militant group boko haram raided their boarding school in the village of chibok
ms luka was a student at the school in chibok but was not there on the night of the boko haram attack said rotimi olawale a spokesman for the advocacy group bring back our girls she apparently was taken by boko haram at a later date from her hometown madagali ms luka was rescued thursday
every citizen returned is victory for us all bring back our girls said a statement
gov kashim shettima of borno state said both ms luka and amina ali a girl who was among those abducted from the chibok school in 2014 and rescued this week would be taken to a safe house in abuja the capital there they would be made comfortable debriefed and de radicalized if necessary he said
after years of brutal rampages by the boko haram militants some nigerians fear that anyone who has spent time with the group may have become a boko haram sympathizer
well make deliberate efforts to rehabilitate her mr shettima said how by ensuring that she continues with her education
mr shettima said dozens of people rescued during military raids including some of whom are family members of boko haram leaders were under his custody in maiduguri one is the mother of a boko haram commander another is an 8 year old girl rescued on the day she was to marry a fighter
some of them are deeply involved in the whole enterprise mr shettima said they need a lot of trauma management a lot of psychosocial support and rehabilitation


out in some parts of the ocean tiny microbes called pyrocystis fusiformis congregate and illuminate the water as waves build and crash when satbir multani and mathura govindarajan two students at new york universitys tisch school of the arts heard that these dinoflagellates did this in response to vibration they wondered what would happen if they played music around them in a series of art experiments they watched the microbes lighting up like color clad ravers dancing under black light
during the day these photosynthetic organisms consume carbon dioxide and emit oxygen playing an important role in regulating earths atmospheric balance but at night the congregating microbes get their shine on when something mechanical disturbs them like an ocean wave a current or even a predator a chemical reaction causes 4500 teensy light sources within each of their bodies to twinkle the lights may act like a burglar alarm   alerting other animals of their location so that their predators will be attacked before getting the chance to attack them
ms multani and ms govindarajan obtained living p fusiformis cells online then the students djed different beats and music while containers of microbes rested on vibrating speakers the microbes glowed for around 20 seconds under the vibrations of heavy beats and then needed to rest for about half an hour before they could start shining again they do not glow continuously when agitated wrote the students in an email
the students observed that the microbes shined brightest to single beats and wore out most quickly after hearing strings and low amplitude vibrations the microbes appeared to favor crystallize by lindsey stirling an american violinist but they werent big fans of kanye wests heartless


phil mickelson meet todd newman
its unlikely that the famous golfer knows the former portfolio manager for diamondback capital management a hedge fund based in stamford conn that went out of business in 2013 but mickelson ought to consider reaching out to thank him newman is quite likely a key reason mickelson was not charged thursday with insider trading by the securities and exchange commission
newman and another hedge fund manager anthony chiasson were indicted in 2012 on insider trading charges by preet bharara the united states attorney for the southern district of new york the sec also brought civil charges newman was accused of regularly receiving information about two stocks   dell the computer company and nvidia a chip maker   from company insiders allowing him to make what amounted to illegal trades
when newman was convicted of the charges in december 2012 he appeared to be just another wall street scalp for federal prosecutors part of their aggressive continuing effort to crack down on insider trading in all some 71 people had either pleaded guilty or been convicted of insider trading by bhararas office by the time newman was found guilty chiasson was also convicted
but then something strange happened   or at least it seemed strange to those who had assumed that bharara and the sec would continue to rack up insider trading convictions in 2014 the united states court of appeals for the second circuit overturned newmans conviction and chiassons too and tossed the original indictments in effect the appeals court ruled that newman had not been guilty of insider trading
why because the court said for a crime to have been committed the company insider   the so called tipper   had to have received a personal benefit in return for offering up inside information in addition the person who received the tip   the tippee   had to know that the tipper was receiving that personal benefit by all appearances newman didnt even know who the tippers were the information got to him through a series of intermediaries the last of whom was an analyst at diamondback without that knowledge of a personal benefit newman had not committed a crime
critics of the appeals courts newman decision including bharara say that the judges essentially redefined what constituted insider trading making it much more difficult to bring cases even when it is obvious that wrongful behavior has taken place defenders including many lawyers in the white collar defense bar say the court was simply reiterating the law as the supreme court had always intended it to be and was finally reining in overly aggressive prosecutions by bharara
whichever the case the newman decision sent an unmistakable message it told prosecutors they had to be cautious said peter j henning a law professor at wayne state university who writes the white collar watch column for dealbook in the new york times it has had a chilling effect
with that context lets take a closer look at what the government said about phil mickelsons behavior when it announced its indictment of his friend william t walters a las vegas businessman and successful sports gambler the facts as laid out by the sec are not pretty mickelson is not mentioned in the indictment only in the secs civil charges against walters
walters the government said had been trading for years on insider information provided by thomas c davis a retired investment banker who was the chairman of dean foods for a number of months in the spring and summer of 2012 davis had been engaged in confidential dean foods board discussions about spinning off its organic food subsidiary whitewave a move wall street was encouraging davis   who has pleaded guilty and is cooperating with the government   had kept walters informed about the discussions and walters had loaded up on the stock in anticipation of the spinoff
at the time mickelson owed walters gambling debts although he was a serious gambler mickelson was not a big stock trader with only about 250000 in the market according to the sec yet on july 30 and 31 2012 after a series of phone calls and texts with walters mickelson bought 24 million worth of dean foods stock   some of it with money he borrowed these were his first ever dean foods purchases the sec noted
you know of course what happened next a week later dean foods announced the whitewave spinoff the stock jumped 40 percent the very next day mickelson sold his dean foods stock reaping a profit of 931000
the case against walters as outlined by the sec and the united states attorneys office appears to be strong in all the government says the inside information walters got from davis was worth 40 million the government goes out of its way to play up the personal benefit davis received in return an inveterate gambler trying to keep up an unsustainable lifestyle he owed money to the irs and others including walters more than once walters bailed him out by either lending him money or arranging for a loan the loans totaled nearly 2 million
it is also clear that walters who is alleged to have tipped off mickelson in turn got a benefit from his tippee according to the sec mickelson used some of his dean foods profits to pay back his gambling debt to walters but did mickelson know about the personal benefit the original tipper davis was receiving i know it sounds a little strange but that really is the key legal question in the wake of the newman decision if he didnt know that davis was receiving a personal benefit in return for giving inside information to walters hes off the hook
a quick aside according to forbes mickelson has reaped around 500 million in career earnings and gets some 50 million a year in endorsement income the fact that he was trading in dean foods to repay a debt to walters surely raises questions about mickelsons financial decision making well apart from whether he traded on inside information
in its complaint against walters the sec seems to have highlighted mickelsons involvement in the case but ultimately it merely named him a relief defendant meaning that all he had to do was return the money he had made from the dean foods trade plus interest he readily agreed the total is about 103 million
a spokesman for mickelson issued a statement thursday in which he said that mickelson didnt want to benefit from any transaction that the sec sees as questionable he added that mickelson regretted any appearance that he had fallen short of the high professional and ethical standards that the companies he represents expect of their employees associates and phil himself
that should do the trick several of the companies mickelson endorses have already said theyll stick with him for mickelson this too shall pass   and probably pretty quickly still given the set of facts laid out by the government its a little hard to believe that he didnt know what he was doing
the government wont explicitly say the newman case caused the government to back away from bringing charges against mickelson but at his news conference on thursday after declining to comment on that very question bharara did say this conduct we think is nefarious and undermines faith in the market and the fairness of the markets will not be able to be prosecuted because of the newman decision
on thursday phil mickelson became exhibit a


many of the young giants of the digital economy share a common characteristic they are platforms that provide valued connections among their participants the nature of those connections and the value they provide vary widely
both google and facebook - together approaching 1 trillion in market value   are in the business of connecting advertisers to consumers but their platforms and business models are very different
another trillion dollar pair apple and microsoft have followed similarly divergent paths in monetizing their respective platforms both own operating systems that connect application developers and users and platform businesses of various stripes seem to represent a disproportionate share of the markets hot tech start ups like uber airbnb pinterest and snapchat
a surprising number of business books have been published in the last few months that seek to explore the origins and implications of the emergence of the platform paradigm the great virtue of the best of these matchmakers the new economics of multisided platforms harvard business review by david s evans and richard schmalensee is that it reminds us that there is nothing new about multisided platforms - which the authors call matchmaker businesses
the new economics mentioned in the subtitle refers to what the authors misleadingly call the discovery of multisided businesses by fellow economists in 2000 although the research cited was certainly important in understanding the dynamics of multisided markets advertising based media businesses have successfully operated in these environments for literally hundreds of years
an old world media example quickly makes clear the unusual management challenges of operating multisided platform businesses to be successful newspaper and magazine publishers need to attract both readers and advertisers who represent the two sides of the platform in most instances however to optimize overall profits publishers must subsidize one side of the market rarely does the price of a subscription cover even the incremental cost of printing and distribution of the publication
this does not reflect a rookie mistake but a nuanced understanding of the tradeoffs between circulation and advertising revenue if managers ignore the interaction between the different sides of a multisided market in developing pricing strategies they will inevitably arrive at erroneous conclusions the business analyses involved are not fundamentally different for a publisher or the operator of a digital platform like uber that must attract the right mix of drivers and riders
but what has changed in the world to make these models apparently so much more prevalent matchmakers identifies six turbocharging technologies that it claims have turbocharged the ancient matchmaker model
specifically the authors argue that the combined impact of improvements in computing power bandwidth networking and storage capacity have allowed the establishment of two foundational multisided platforms that support all the others that have rapidly emerged internet service providers who provide the fixed and mobile connections among platform participants and operating systems which provide the common language that allow app developers to achieve mass adoption
history aside the heart of matchmakers is an entrepreneurial playbook of sorts for building igniting and operating matchmakers the strongest part of the book is the detailed description of diverse platform business models both new and old some of which readers might not have even previously thought of as matchmakers
for instance south floridas upscale aventura mall is really a platform for commerce between retailers and shoppers to succeed the developer had to take into account land values local demographics nearby alternatives which retailers and entertainment services to target and what and how to charge them and the physical design similar complexity faced the founders of m pesa a mobile money transfer service in kenya that in the course of three years counted 42 percent of the adult population as registered users and transformed that economy
the problem with many of the books about the rise of the so called platform economy is that they are filled with an unbridled optimism about the collective attractiveness of these businesses particularly in their digital incarnations sure they argue incumbents will be disrupted but in their stead will be bigger stronger competitors in winner take all markets
they focus on network effects which can create a virtuous circle - sometimes called a flywheel effect - as new users on one side of a platform attract more on another and vice versa they crucial attribute of network effects businesses is that every new participant increases the value of the network to existing participants
alex moazed and nicholas l johnson are the consultants turned authors of modern monopolies what it takes to dominate the 21st century economy st martins their book promises the same frameworks and insights we use to help our clients become modern monopolies in their telling the history of platform capitalism appears to have started with ebay which in part explains the inability of their frameworks to deliver on the assurance of market domination
platform revolution how networked markets are transforming the economy and how to make them work for you norton another book written by industry consultants   these mostly with day jobs in academia   provides an even more expansive vision of the revolution wrought by the emergence of network effects as the internet era source of market power which is likely to strengthen a markets winner take all tendency
the books authors   geoffrey parker marshall w van alstyne and sangeet paul choudary   argue that the ascension of platform business models requires a fundamental rethinking of things as diverse as basic business strategy and government regulation their wide ranging vision and predictions are undermined by frequent factual errors for example sony does not own time warner movie and television studios and netflix does not have strong network effects
even matchmakers which offers the most balanced picture of the challenges and opportunities of multisided platforms plays down the structural fragility faced by all of the turbocharged matchmakers described mr evans and mr schmalensee insist that network effects power all multisided platforms whats more according to them the digital developments recounted have resulted in a huge increase in the power and reach of these effects neither statement is true
first plenty of multisided platforms do not have any significant network effects to speak of a popular tv show attracts both viewers and advertisers but it is the quality of the programming not the presence of more advertisers that keeps the audience coming back tv and cable broadcasting networks like most ad based media businesses are multisided platforms but they have negligible network effects google the mightiest exception to the digital fragility rule is a platform business that does not benefit primarily from network effects but rather from traditional economies of scale
second the strength of network effects is often a function of the existence of reinforcing competitive advantages like economies of scale and notably customer captivity the digital economy has undermined both of these barriers to entry by lowering both customer switching costs and the fixed cost base that drives scale economies
so the aventura mall benefits from the long term leases signed by retailers on the one hand and the fact that local shoppers need to go out of their way to find a comparable experience operators of digital malls by contrast rarely secure long term commitments from either advertisers or sellers and shoppers have multiple alternatives just a click away and the fixed costs expended to build a traditional mall could easily fund many dozens of digital retail platforms
even the authors of modern monopolies concede that a modern monopolys dominance is likely to be short lived given the competitive threat it faces from adjacent competitors and a constant onslaught of new entrants
all three books provide useful and mostly consistent insights into how to build more resilient and valuable platforms the diversity of businesses and outcomes described however suggest that the differences among platform businesses are far more important than their commonalities this is at least good news for consumers who will benefit from multiplying innovations that reduce the annoying frictions of everyday life and the consultants who will be kept busy helping managers devise ways to prolong their increasingly tenuous perch as master of a modern monopoly


khuzaa gaza strip   the attack tunnels hamas has constructed running from gaza into israel have long sown deep fears in the communities on the israeli side of the border fence where residents talk of nightmares about palestinian militants popping up into their dining rooms or kindergartens
now the tunnels are keeping others up at night the palestinians who live on the gaza side of the fence
people living on the edges of gaza border towns like the israelis a few miles away complain of hearing surreptitious digging in the wee hours and voice a parallel anxiety about the tunnels being rapidly rebuilt near their homes becoming targets for israeli strikes they are raising unusually harsh   albeit anonymous for fear of reprisal   criticism of hamas the militant islamist group that rules gaza for putting people at risk they also sought anonymity to avoid their neighborhoods being targeted for israeli strikes
dear god   we will be torn apart said a 42 year old woman in khuzaa a village near the fence she spoke on the condition she be identified only as umm nidal   arabic for mother of nidal her eldest son   for fear of reprisal by hamas
gesturing at the lumpy sand lot where she believes a tunnel entry point is hidden next to the shelter of tin tarp and wood where her family members have lived since their home was destroyed in the 2014 war between israel and hamas she said i am sure one million percent that those with tunnels under their houses cannot sleep or taste the joy of life
the fears of umm nidal and her neighbors only intensified over the past month as israeli officials announced that they had located two tunnels about 100 feet underground   the first since the august 2014 cease fire that ended 50 days of fighting in which more than 2100 palestinians and 70 israelis were killed
one the israelis said was equipped with electricity communications lines and a rail to help clear rubble the shin bet israels domestic intelligence agency also reported that a captured hamas fighter had revealed the routes of tunnels in northern gaza and said some included rooms for resting showers and dining areas
every tunnel that appeared on that map will be hit in the day before the night said a woman who lives with her extended family in a small shack on the edge of the northern border town of beit hanoun
the tunnels were the prime rationale israel gave for its ground invasion of gaza during the 2014 battle with hamas which began after 13 gunmen emerged from one at dawn about a mile from a small kibbutz
israels leaders say they destroyed 32 tunnels during the 2014 operation including 14 that penetrated into israeli territory during the conflict hamas fighters killed five israeli soldiers after infiltrating their base through a tunnel and at least 23 palestinian militants were killed after invading israel through tunnels on four separate occasions
israeli officials have said recently that hamas has most likely rebuilt much of its underground network at least 18 hamas members have been killed in tunnel accidents since the end of the war according to death notices posted on the website of its military wing
after the announcement of the second tunnel discovery this month hamas fighters clashed with israeli forces near the fence for two days leading to israeli airstrikes that according to palestinian news reports killed a 55 year old woman
lt col peter lerner an israeli military spokesman said on friday that hamas deliberately put civilians in harms way by digging tunnels underneath homes which he called an insidious plan to attack israelis while concealing hamas activities behind the people of gaza
taher el nounou a hamas spokesman in gaza said tunnels create a sense of a balance of power against an enemy with far more sophisticated equipment including drones the israelis can watch our fighters on the ground but can they say what is inside a tunnel mr nounou said as long as there is israeli aggression against us the tunnels will be our priority
sari bashi a spokeswoman for human rights watch and expert on international law regarding warfare said that building tunnels in residential neighborhoods was not explicitly prohibited but she said militant groups had an obligation to take all feasible measures to protect civilians including not taking the armed conflict to civilian areas to the extent possible
ms bashi said that while gazas density makes that difficult it also seems as if armed groups are choosing to dig tunnels in populated areas because it provides cover and that raises questions
in april israel suspended the delivery of cement to gaza for private individuals intending to reconstruct homes destroyed in the 2014 war accusing an official in gazas economy ministry of siphoning construction materials for other purposes the ministry denied the allegations
about 4065 of the 17800 destroyed homes or 23 percent have been reconstructed according to data from the united nations which is overseeing the mechanism for importing construction materials an additional 5095 homes were in the process of being rebuilt but the work has been halted because of the israeli suspension
among those are the home of a woman from beit hanoun who is 42 and said that when she received her first voucher to buy cement from an approved vendor he had nothing to sell her at the same time the woman   who like a dozen border residents interviewed spoke on the condition of anonymity so they could speak frankly about hamas and to avoid tipping off the israeli military   and her relatives have been jolted awake over the past year by trucks rolling by at night she said
residents said they had heard thudding noises below an incongruous looking nearby shack that they think covers a tunnel entrance they said they were too afraid to ask the truck drivers or other men they see around the shack what was going on
how can we say they are helping when they are building tunnels a woman asked of hamas tapping the rubble under her feet
naji sarhan the deputy housing minister in gaza denied that hamas was taking construction material particularly cement intended for reconstruction instead accusing vendors of illegally selling their supplies on the black market he said hamas had its own ways to obtain building materials
in beit hanouns caravan quarter a cluster of donated mobile homes where hundreds have been camped since the wars end as they wait to rebuild the anger was palpable
we have a gaza city under the ground and we have nothing up here said one 23 year old in the camp who spoke on the condition he be identified only as akram and said he made a living delivering groceries
a neighbor who is 29 and goes by the name abu mohammad said that the danger of nearby tunnels made him reluctant to rebuild i give it 995 percent that our house will be destroyed again he said i go crazy thinking about it
instead abu mohammad said he was trying to sell his plot of land on the fringe of beit hanoun and move to the relatively safer confines inside town but the only offer he has gotten was for the equivalent of 140 a square meter   less than half the 310 he paid in 2013
in johor al deek another town along gazas 32 mile edge one mother who goes by the name umm fadi said she had sold four sheep and her gold jewelry used her savings and then borrowed money to scrape together 8750 to buy a quarter of an acre in sight of the fence a similar plot farther inland would have cost more than 20000 she said
you stretch your legs to the size of your mattress umm fadi said using a palestinian saying for living within your means
she knows there are probably tunnels under the property her sister in law who declined to give her name noted that israeli airstrikes during the 2014 conflict exposed tunnels in the area the land was pounded and everything showed she said
a few months ago a relative of theirs slipped into a tunnel in the area during heavy rains and had to be pulled out by passers by
we lost our home last time umm fadi said shaking her head this time we fear for the souls of our children


baghdad   in a violent escalation of iraqs political crisis on friday protesters breached baghdads green zone the secure hub of government storming the prime ministers office as security forces fired tear gas at demonstrators and live ammunition in the air
the protesters withdrew within a couple of hours but dozens of people were injured according to officials and baghdad operations command which is in charge of security in the capital imposed a curfew for several hours and closed all entrances to the city
it was the second time in three weeks that protesters managed to breach the blast walls and razor wire of the green zone a fortified area of government buildings and embassies that was named by the american military and that for the iraqi public has long been a symbol of corruption occupation and dysfunction
the crisis on friday was a further demonstration of the rising anger among iraqis toward a leadership class that is widely reviled and presented a new challenge to the government of prime minister haider al abadi at a time when baghdad has faced a surge in attacks from the islamic state which have killed an estimated 200 people in less than 10 days
for the obama administration the political upheaval in baghdad and the string of deadly attacks by the islamic state in the capital come as it continues to boast of progress in the war against the terrorist group elsewhere in the country with a combination of airstrikes by the american led coalition and iraqi ground forces the islamic state also known as isis or isil was pushed from the western city of rutba this week which the authorities say will allow the main highway between baghdad and the jordanian capital amman to be reopened
but as the attacks in baghdad and the protests have demonstrated gains against isis on the battlefield have done little to improve the countrys stability
the scenes of chaos friday evening in central baghdad even though they were short in duration potentially represented a volatile new phase of a protest movement that began last summer and had until friday been relatively peaceful security forces had often stood aside even offering supportive messages to demonstrators saying that they too wanted to see an end to corruption protesters sometimes gave policemen and soldiers flowers
when protesters entered the green zone three weeks ago security forces largely stood by allowing them passage lending the episode a sense that it was choreographed and perhaps tacitly approved by the government this theory was widely accepted given that the protesters have not sought to bring down mr abadi but rather to support him in a push to root out corruption streamline government and end sectarian quotas for appointments that has faced resistance from other political blocs
but this time security forces put up resistance when a breakaway group of several hundred protesters pushed into the green zone videos on social media showed protesters ducking and running into the green zone to the sound of automatic gunfire
in one video that circulated on facebook the man holding the camera said there will be no surrender from this great popular revolution
others were chanting we sacrifice our blood and souls for iraq and no no to corruption
many of the protesters were loyalists of the shiite cleric moktada al sadr whose militia once fought the american military and who has sought to harness the anger of the streets to put himself once again at the center of iraqi politics a large number came from sadr city the large shiite district that was struck by two devastating islamic state suicide bombings recently killing nearly 100 people
mr sadr has cast himself as an ally of mr abadi also a shiite and a supporter of the prime ministers attempts to reform government but in the weeks since protesters ransacked parliament the government has been largely paralyzed unable to meet and vote on a slate of new ministers that mr abadi has put forward
now that his followers have stormed the green zone again and entered mr abadis office building it is hard to see mr sadr as ally to the prime minister
in a statement released friday evening mr sadr in typical fiery speech said he would intensify the pressure on the government
he equated the crackdown by security forces on the protesters on friday to the terrorist attacks by the islamic state and said the current iraqi government is no different from those of saddam hussein and col muammar el qaddafi of libya
addressing his followers he said you heroic people be patient your peaceful revolution is inevitable and will be victorious and will put an end to sectarianism quotas corruption and terrorism


tribune publishings latest takeover defense makes for a good headline but may just be disappointing clickbait
the companys chairman michael w ferro jr is drawing up plans to turn the tables on its unwanted suitor gannett according to politico the maneuver would probably require tribune publishing to lard itself with enormous debt which is what made the company vulnerable in the first place
as it stands gannett the owner of usa today and other newspapers has offered to buy tribune publishing for 490 million in cash a 99 percent premium to the price of its shares before the hostile takeover attempt was first announced in april the valuation is also superior to where most of its publicly listed peers trade
for tribune publishing to enlist the so called pac man defense and gobble up its larger rival instead would be considerably more expensive assume an all cash bid without any outside backers at a more standard premium of 30 percent to where gannetts shares now trade and the equity would cost 24 billion subtract 200 million of cash on gannetts balance sheet and factor in tribune publishings existing 390 million of debt and the combined company would have net borrowing of 26 billion
by 2017 analysts expect gannett to generate about 420 million of earnings before interest taxes depreciation and amortization or ebitda and tribune publishing almost 140 million gannett predicts 50 million of cost savings by merging the operations add it all up and total ebitda could reach 610 million net debt would be more than four times that figure
in a shrinking business that would be a worrisome level for credit rating agencies and shareholders alike an aversion to debt is a big reason gannett spun off from the companys broadcasting arm last year with net cash
tribune publishing also has its own tortured history with debt when the real estate mogul sam zell bought the publisher in 2007 the 13 billion of leverage he burdened the business with led to bankruptcy within a year oaktree capital management tribune publishings second largest owner after mr ferro endured four years of the process as one of its senior creditors
the fanciful tactic the chairman is reportedly contemplating reflects just how much he relishes his role as a newspaper owner gannett disclosed on friday that when its executives met with him last week mr ferro said he was unwilling to engage in deal talks unless he got a piece of the action with his pac man plan its not clear anyone else would want any


washington   after years of relentless growth the number of opioid prescriptions in the united states is finally falling the first sustained drop since oxycontin hit the market in 1996
for much of the past two decades doctors were writing so many prescriptions for the powerful opioid painkillers that in recent years there have been enough for every american adult to have a bottle but for each of the past three years   2013 2014 and 2015   prescriptions have declined a review of several sources of data shows
experts say the drop is an important early signal that the long running prescription opioid epidemic may be peaking that doctors have begun heeding a drumbeat of warnings about the highly addictive nature of the drugs and that federal and state efforts to curb them are having an effect
the culture is changing said dr bruce psaty a researcher at the university of washington in seattle who studies drug safety we are on the downside of a curve with opioid prescribing now
ims health an information firm whose data on prescribing is used throughout the health care industry found a 12 percent decline in opioid prescriptions nationally since a peak in 2012 another data company symphony health solutions reported a drop of about 18 percent during those years opioid prescriptions have fallen in 49 states since 2013 according to ims with some of the sharpest decreases coming in west virginia the state considered the center of the opioid epidemic and in texas and oklahoma only south dakota showed an increase
so far fewer prescriptions have not led to fewer deaths fatal overdoses from opioids have continued to rise taking more than 28000 lives in 2014 according to the most recent federal health data that number includes deaths from both prescription painkillers like percocet vicodin and oxycontin and heroin an illegal opioid whose use has been rising as access to prescription drugs has tightened
while experts agree that the decline is real they differ on what it means for patients some say opioid prescribing has been too loose for too long and that it must be tightened even if that means extra hurdles for patients in pain
the urgency of the epidemic its devastating consequences demands interventions that in some instances may make it harder for some patients to get their medication said dr nora volkow the director of the national institute on drug abuse we need to set up a system to make sure they are covered but we cannot continue the prescription practice of opioids the way we have been we just cant
others argue that efforts to rein in prescribing have gone too far and are penalizing patients who take the medicines responsibly and need them for relief
the climate has definitely shifted said dr daniel b carr the director of tufts medical schools program on pain research education and policy it is now one of reluctance fear of consequences and encumbrance with administrative hurdles a lot of patients who are appropriate candidates for opioids have been caught up in that response
opioid painkillers present a uniquely difficult public policy puzzle in part because they became so essential to so many americans and health officials remained deadlocked for years over how to handle them
in the past prescribing of opioids was limited often aimed at the pain that comes after surgery or with terminal illnesses like cancer but it took off in the 1990s as drug companies and medical experts argued that opioids could be used to treat chronic conditions like back pain without addicting patients medical residents began learning that pain was the fifth vital sign   a body function to be assessed after temperature heart rate respiration rate and blood pressure   and that opioids could help mitigate it safely sales of the drugs exploded rising to nearly 10 billion in 2015 from 1 billion in 1992 according to ims
but recently some doctors say they have detected a shift in the attitudes of some patients toward opioids
it used to be that people would come in and sometimes be quite insistent about receiving opioids said dr wanda filer the president of the american academy of family physicians but in the past year or two she said i think weve seen some dampening of that effect its all anecdotal but im hearing it state by state all around
nationally some of the biggest declines have been in the prescribing of hydrocodone according to ims and symphony health these drugs which include brands like vicodin and lortab remain the most broadly prescribed opioids often given after routine dental work or other minor procedures prescriptions for oxycontin declined but those for generic oxycodone went up ims data showed the data measures numbers of prescriptions not pills but is a rough proxy for americans use of opioids
one important development that may have helped propel the decline came in 2014 when the federal government tightened prescribing rules for one of the most common painkillers hydrocodone combined with a second analgesic like acetaminophen in the first year after the measure took effect dispensed prescriptions declined by 22 percent and pills by 16 percent according to an analysis in jama internal medicine refills   which the change made much more difficult   accounted for 73 percent of the decline
over the past few years medical schools have stepped up efforts to impress upon students the dangers of opioid prescribing dr jeanmarie perrone a professor of emergency medicine at the university of pennsylvanias perelman school of medicine predicted the next generation of doctors would be appropriately much more sparing in their use of opioids
when i was a resident treating patients pain as a vital sign was assumed said dr branson page an emergency medicine doctor in raleigh nc who finished his residency in 2008 now more of us are aware that even prescribing a small number of opioids to a patient whos never taken them before is rolling the dice on whether that patient will become addicted
still dr perrone who helped review new federal guidelines on prescribing opioids for chronic pain said there was some risk in making young doctors too cautious
sometimes now i will see a patient with a resident who says i dont want to give them opioids she said but of course they need opioids   they have lung cancer and worsening pain
the ever noisier public debate is changing minds in other medical practices too dr mitchell stark an oral surgeon in rockville md said he cut his opioid prescribing this year after reading an article about teenagers getting addicted after having their wisdom teeth removed now he tells even patients recovering from multiple extractions to try prescription strength ibuprofen first
i dont want to be the person who gets a call from someone saying my kid had an overdose with the vicodin he had left from getting his wisdom teeth out dr stark said
state prescription drug monitoring programs online databases that let doctors check whether a patient is getting prescriptions from other doctors have also helped drive declines
tennessee tried hard to get doctors to consult the database it set up in 2006 to no avail   the number of doses prescribed rose by 12 percent from 2010 to 2012 state officials said so in 2013 the state made checking the database mandatory and the number of doses declined by 14 percent from 2012 to 2015
many experts say that the drop in prescribing is at best a half victory in light of the rise of deaths from heroin and illicit fentanyl a powerful synthetic painkiller some addicts who started with prescription painkillers are merely turning to such street drugs or getting their hands on prescription drugs by other means
we are seeing in our area many more pharmacies being robbed said dr richard vaglienti the director of outpatient pain services at wvu medicine a health system in west virginia
dr thomas r frieden the director of the centers for disease control and prevention urged caution
its a tide turning but you have to put it into perspective he said the current level of prescribing he added still leaves us in very dangerous waters


new delhi   people werent frying eggs on the sidewalks in phalodi during indias hottest day ever   in fact it was so hot that many did not venture out at all
heat is a familiar part of life in phalodi in the deserts of rajasthan so residents were following a familiar drill even before temperatures soared to 1238 degrees fahrenheit on thursday when the heat comes stay indoors chug buttermilk and if you must go out cover your head and pray for shade it is a drill that may prove ever more necessary if temperatures continue to rise
dr bhani ram paliwal the principal medical officer at a government hospital in phalodi could not remember a day like thursday in 15 years of working there roughly 500 patients almost double the average number visited his outpatient department many complaining of diarrhea and fever
it was like heat waves were coming out of a clay oven he said
scientists say that if greenhouse gas emissions continue at a high pace average global temperatures could rise by more than six degrees fahrenheit by the end of the century
climate change is obviously going to be playing a role said andrew robertson a senior research scientist at the international research institute for climate and society at columbia university
may is typically the hottest month in much of india dr robertson said with lots of sun and stagnating high pressure air leading to broiling temperatures
the indian meteorological department has forecast a severe heat wave for parts of western india through saturday extreme heat was also forecast across central and northern india into next week though officials say another record high is unlikely
the heat is amplified by an accompanying drought across much of the country as farmers await the rains of this seasons monsoon they continue to struggle with the effects of inadequate rainfall from the last monsoon negligible crop yields scarce drinking water and emaciated cattle
my buffalo is giving only one third of the normal milk said dinesh bishnoi a farmer in the village of sajananiyo ki dhani near phalodi his grandfather who is 93 has never seen this kind of heat in his life he said
this year india is facing a double whammy more heat and less water said dileep mavalankar the director of the indian institute of public health in gandhinagar gujarat who helped develop the city of ahmedabads plan to cope with heat waves after a deadly one in 2010
the main protection against heat is water he said if you dont have adequate water or water gets contaminated you might die because of diarrhea and dehydration in the summer
last year more than 2400 people died from heat related illness in india according to indias national disaster management authority many of those who died were laborers and farmhands who work outside even in peak temperatures officials said
indias former record high was 60 years ago when temperatures reached 123 degrees fahrenheit in alwar also a city in rajasthan
the heat makes going outside virtually unthinkable and experts say staying indoors is a critical safety measure
if you go outside you cant survive in this heat wave dr paliwal said


washington   a man who approached the white house on friday brandishing a gun was shot and wounded by a secret service agent the agencys spokesman said the man whose identity was not released was taken into custody and treated at a nearby hospital
president obama was away at the time playing golf at andrews air force base in maryland he was told about the shooting a white house official said
the episode began shortly after 3 pm friday when the man walked toward a security checkpoint on e street southwest of the white house
the secret service uniformed division officers gave numerous verbal commands for the subject to stop and drop the firearm david a iacovetti the deputy assistant director of government and public affairs for the secret service said in a statement when the subject failed to comply with the verbal commands he was shot once by a secret service agent and taken into custody
the agents recovered the gun mr iacovetti said
the shooting in a high traffic area near the national mall crowded with tourists and other bystanders was the latest in a string of security episodes involving the white house in september 2014 a man who climbed over the fence on the north lawn eluded officers and made it through the front door of the white house before being apprehended several days later the director of the secret service julia pierson was forced to resign
since then the secret service has significantly expanded training for officers and beefed up security around the fence
in this episode the secret service said the armed man did not penetrate the white house grounds no one within or associated with the white house was injured and everyone in the white house is safe and accounted for an administration official said speaking on the condition of anonymity because she was not authorized to comment publicly about the incident
vice president joseph r biden jr was secured within the white house complex during the shooting said meghan dubyak a spokeswoman
still the white house and treasury department were placed on lockdown while the police investigated interrupting an unusually sleepy spring afternoon at the white house mr obama who is scheduled to leave on saturday for a weeklong trip to vietnam and japan decided to squeeze in a rare weekday round of golf with three close aides


louisville ky   donald j trump accused hillary clinton on friday of wanting to let violent criminals out of prison and disarm law abiding citizens in unsafe neighborhoods and warned that women in particular would be at greater risk if she were elected president
accepting the endorsement of the national rifle association at its annual convention here mr trump   who has not always been the staunchest opponent of stricter gun controls   said the november election would be a referendum on the second amendment he claimed hyperbolically that mrs clinton his likely democratic opponent wants to take away your guns
crooked hillary clinton is the most anti gun anti second amendment candidate ever to run for office he said
mrs clinton has called for tightened restrictions on guns but not for abolishing the right to own them
mr trump whose record of sexist remarks among other things has left him at a potentially crippling disadvantage among female voters polls show appealed directly to women in his speech imbuing his defense of gun rights with an undercurrent of fear
in trying to overturn the second amendment hillary clinton is telling everyone   and every woman living in a dangerous community   that she doesnt have the right to defend herself mr trump said so you have a woman living in a community a rough community a bad community   sorry you cant defend yourself
if mr trumps comments seemed reminiscent of an era when crime rates were far higher   the willie horton ads attacking michael s dukakis the democratic nominee in the 1988 presidential race came to mind   they also appeared somewhat at odds with the broad bipartisan consensus on the need to reduce incarceration rates and prison populations mr trump sought to frighten voters about the idea of criminals being released from prison
he said mrs clintons agenda was to release the violent criminals from jail freeing them to roam the streets and put innocent americans at risk
he even tried out a new epithet for mrs clinton heartless hillary
calling mrs clinton and her husband former president bill clinton heartless hypocrites he dared them to let their bodyguards immediately disarm an apparent reference to their secret service protection
lets see how good they do mr trump said lets see how they feel walking around without their guns and their bodyguards in the meantime nobody else can have the guns right
mr trumps efforts to shore up his support among the nras more than five million members could help him in the rust belt states that he would need to carry to win the white house but mrs clinton must strike a more delicate balance on the issue in the democratic primaries against senator bernie sanders of vermont who has a mixed record on gun control she has taken an aggressive tack against firearm manufacturers and sellers
in a general election contest with mr trump however mrs clinton would vie with him for the loyalties of white voters in a number of battleground states where support for gun rights runs deep indeed in recent weeks as she campaigned before largely white working class audiences in appalachian and great lakes states she has de emphasized gun control and focused more on job creation and economic aid for financially struggling communities
but on saturday mrs clinton will speak at a dinner of the trayvon martin foundations circle of mothers in fort lauderdale fla a group offering support to women who have lost a child to gun violence and she is expected to press the issue to win over voters in los angeles oakland and other california cities before that states primary on june 7
maya harris a senior policy adviser to mrs clinton dismissed mr trumps attacks on friday saying he was peddling falsehoods
along with the vast majority of americans hillary clinton believes there are common sense steps we can take at the federal level to keep guns out of the hands of criminals while respecting the second amendment ms harris said
since announcing his presidential bid mr trump   who himself has a concealed carry permit and whose two oldest sons are avid hunters   has fashioned himself a fierce advocate of gun rights he has released a policy paper on the second amendment has called for making concealed carry permits valid in all 50 states and routinely tells his audiences as he did again here on friday that terrorist attacks like those last year in paris and san bernardino calif might have been prevented if more people were armed
but his support for gun rights has not always been so absolutist
in his 2000 book the america we deserve he wrote that he generally opposed gun control but criticized the nras outsize lobbying power saying i support the ban on assault weapons and i support a slightly longer waiting period to purchase a gun
after president obama spoke in 2012 at a vigil for those killed in the school shootings in newtown conn mr trump wrote on twitter president obama spoke for me and every american in his remarks in newtown connecticut
on friday however mr trump took his support for gun rights an additional step in january he said he wanted to end gun free zones in schools in his speech here he said he wanted to do away with them entirely
were getting rid of gun free zones he said arguing that more guns would mean less gun violence as his audience cheered
officially throwing the nras support to mr trump chris w cox executive director of the groups political and lobbying arm warned that mrs clinton would appoint liberal justices to the supreme court who would roll back gun rights
we have to unite and we have to unite right now mr cox said he also played a clip of mrs clinton talking about the second amendment but not before accidentally playing a video showing mrs clinton barking like a dog
the secret service prevented attendees from bringing knives and guns   ordinarily commonplace accessories at the convention   into the hall where mr trump was speaking prompting some grumbling
there was also some grumbling about the presidential campaign despite the nras endorsement
dan kelsey 57 an it consultant and nra member from columbus ohio said he was not excited about mr trump or mrs clinton and was worried that mr trump might shift his position on the second amendment
he talks a good game but im not sure what his core values are mr kelsey said hes a good entertainer and marketer but i dont know what he really believes
yet to other members of the group mr trumps promises to support the second amendment were reassurance enough
dianne jennings 67 a certified nra pistol instructor from dayton ohio said she had nothing nice to say about mrs clinton basically i detest her
ms jennings said that she found mr trump entertaining and not politically correct and that she thought he would do a good job as president
i think people are just terrified of his persona but i think he has a lot of different personas she said and he can use the right one in the right situation


the two imposing brownstones on the upper east side of manhattan that are home to bloomberg philanthropies give off the aura of a modern day medici palace a fitting setting for michael r bloomberg media mogul former mayor of new york and one of the top philanthropists in america
last year he gave 510 million to more than 1000 organizations in six areas over his lifetime he has given 43 billion
it might seem that an average charitably minded person   or even someone way above average   could learn little from how mr bloomberg gives not true
mr bloomberg 74 has adopted a strategy of giving to organizations that seek to bring about change on a local level but serve a broader purpose he reserves a separate fund for projects that are close to his heart like the more than 1 billion he has given to his alma mater johns hopkins
giving money away would appear more straightforward than governing a role in which mr bloombergs style was criticized by some as imperious if anything though the endeavor is one in which he is content to let others move first and to focus on making the right choices
im a practical person mr bloomberg said in an interview at bloomberg philanthropies ahead of the release of its annual report if weve got a problem lets do something i want to find one small thing
melissa berman chief executive and president of rockefeller philanthropy advisors said the most successful megadonors like mr bloomberg learn as much as they can before giving team up with other groups and take a long term approach
and mr bloomberg said he had realized what he could and could not do if you try everything all at once youll do nothing he said if you look at climate change and say everyone wont cooperate you wont get anything done
one initiative he has supported is the sierra clubs campaign to shut coal fired power plants so far his foundation has given 80 million to that initiative beyond coal which has worked to close 232 coal plants in the united states
id think being a soloist falls apart he said i think theres a limit to how much you can do on your own
mr bloomberg acknowledges that he is fortunate to have a large staff of about 120 people at his foundation to carry out his ideas
he has been involved in seemingly trivial projects like painting a roof white in queens with al gore mr bloomberg said he was mocked for doing it but the white roofs by reflecting heat rather than absorbing it immediately reduced electricity bills and have since been replicated throughout the borough
we focused on things we could do in america that made a difference and were replicable elsewhere mr bloomberg said it wasnt solving all the problems it wasnt making india and china carbon neutral but it was something
chris addy a partner at the bridgespan group a philanthropic consultant said mr bloomberg stood out for his desire to try new things one of the risks of what mr addy calls financier philanthropy is that people with the means to be significant philanthropists wait for what they think will be the perfect organization and miss a lot of opportunities along the way
most can wait for the perfect deal which means youre not learning he said unlike an investment where the floor is you can lose all your money with philanthropy the floor is really high youre giving the money away a lot of people are going to benefit from those resources whether its a home run or a double
bloomberg philanthropies committed 125 million last year to a road safety initiative mr bloomberg said that he initially thought one of the projects was doomed to failure but that it was now among the foundations most successful endeavors in this area
i would have bet anything against the idea of getting the vietnamese government to pass a helmet law and that people would obey to have helmets he said they passed it they did enforce it they cut the number of traffic deaths by a third overnight
the project in vietnam was a case that showed how a philanthropist could take a chance on something that a government might not try until after seeing that it worked
the private sector can build demonstration projects they can lobby but the big problems are political problems mr bloomberg said you can show how a charter school works you cant replace the new york city public school system with charter schools
mr bloomberg has managed through philanthropy to work toward goals that were thwarted when he was mayor a case in point was his effort to impose a ban on the sale of large soft drinks in new york city and to persuade the new york state legislature to impose a statewide soda tax he was defeated on both counts but he has contributed money to successful campaigns elsewhere to impose a tax on soda sales
leslie lenkowsky professor of philanthropic studies at the school of public and environmental affairs at indiana university said that what made a great philanthropist was a great idea
but equally important is the ability to change direction or focus
mr bloomberg said he often thought about how to adapt when a problem changed even with one of his signature efforts
theres a real risk that you keep doing the same things and the effectiveness goes down and the needs of the world change he said weve been supporting smoking cessation and have spent about 600 million doing it for a half dozen years is there another way to go about it
he said he believed there might be another way while better educated people living in cities have quit smoking or never taken it up the habit persists in rural areas and the developing world the strategy may need to be tweaked to shift focus there he said
mr addy said that all philanthropists should periodically look at their portfolios and make sure they have been giving money the way they thought they were giving it
with many large problems in the world even the wealthiest philanthropists need to work with others mr bloomberg said his foundation gave 125 million to the bill  melinda gates foundations project to eradicate polio which has cost billions
if you want to have a sustainable impact on a complex wicked kind of problem you need partners ms berman said philanthropy is not a competition its really an opportunity for collaboration
mr addy said smaller donors could mirror what larger ones have done most of this stuff is transparent and in their annual reports he said you can piggyback on the people who have done a lot of research and follow in their footsteps
mr bloomberg stands apart from other donors in one way though his willingness to fund those he disagrees with if they are in favor of one of his major initiatives like gun control that is the case with senator pat toomey republican of pennsylvania
i dont agree with this guy on anything but hes good on guns mr bloomberg said you cant fight every political battle
the bigger point may be the necessity of staying focused on a goal
and for people with less to give mr lenkowsky suggested looking no farther than their own backyard
big time philanthropy operates on a progressive era notion that there is some sort of big theory that can apply to this or that problem he said there is not a lot of global influence you can have with a few thousand dollars but you can give locally and be more likely to assess what might work from what doesnt
and that after all is what all donors are trying to do with their money even if theyre not billionaires


the drama league a membership association of theatergoers on friday named hamilton the best new musical of the current theater season and the humans the best new play
the association says its awards are the oldest theatrical honors in the united states here is a list of this seasons winners
outstanding production of a musical hamilton
outstanding production of a play the humans
outstanding revival of a musical the color purple
outstanding revival of a play a view from the bridge
distinguished performance lin manuel miranda
distinguished achievement in musical theater sheldon harnick
unique contribution to the theater deaf west theater
excellence in directing ivo van hove


priorities usa action the main super pac supporting hillary clinton raised 86 million in april the group said on friday bringing the total it has raised to more than 76 million
the group has about 47 million on hand much of which will be used to savage donald j trump the presumptive republican nominee with negative ads that will not stop until election day
the prospect of a grueling campaign against mr trump has helped the group break its fund raising records and bring in more money than it did in 2012 to help president obama win re election against mitt romney donors have pledged an additional 45 million in future donations signaling that the race to defeat mr trump will continue to be exceedingly well funded
the group started running ads this week in ohio florida virginia and nevada which attempt to use mr trumps previous statements about women against him but guy cecil the groups chief strategist has said it plans to expand its lines of attack to mr trumps business record in an effort to portray him as out of touch with the working class americans who form a large base of his support
outside groups have only begun to raise money for mr trump and he has not officially blessed any of these operations great america pac reported friday that it had no debt last month and had raised more than 1 million for the sake of our children and grandchildren hillary clinton most not be allowed to take our nation in a dangerous direction stanley hubbard a businessman supporting the group said in a statement
mr cecil said those republican efforts prompted priorities to move quickly to make its case against mr trump as republican special interests begin to coalesce around their nominee our continued fund raising success is crucial to our efforts to take the fight to trump from now until november he said
the clinton campaign cannot directly coordinate with priorities but it is relying on the outside group to attack mr trump so that mrs clinton can try to avoid directly delivering the negative message in 2012 the group adeptly crafted an early   and effective   narrative that highlighted some of mr romneys dealings at bain capital to make economically struggling voters believe the republican nominee was a cold corporate titan


washington   major changes to nutrition labels on food packages became final on friday with calorie counts now shown in large type and portion sizes that reflect how much americans actually eat
it was the first significant redrawing of the nutrition information on food labels since the federal government started requiring them in the early 1990s those labels were based on eating habits and nutrition data from the 1970s and 80s and before portion sizes expanded significantly federal health officials argued that the changes were needed to bring labels into step with the reality of the modern american diet
the food and drug administration proposed the changes in 2014 but consumer advocates worried that many of the major elements would not survive lobbying by the powerful food industry a number of companies vigorously opposed for example a separate line for added sugars but the final rule announced by michelle obama on friday mostly remained intact including the line on added sugars
this has to be scored as a huge win said marion nestle a professor in the department of nutrition food studies and public health at new york university the fdas final rules confirm what the agency proposed originally on the most important elements the big ones   calories added sugars   survived
the changes jump out the calories are in large bold numbers and are easier to spot at a glance a single ice cream serving is two thirds of a cup   compared with the current half cup
most food manufacturers will be required to use the new label by july 2018 producers with less than 10 million in annual food sales will have an additional year to comply
millions of americans pay attention to food labels the changes are meant to make them easier to understand   a critical step in an era when more than one third of adults are obese public health experts say the epidemic has caused rates of diabetes to soar and has increased risks for cancer heart disease and stroke comments from companies and trade associations seemed to reflect acceptance the american beverage association said its members had already put clearer calorie counts on the front of beverage bottles as a part of ms obamas lets move campaign
the grocery manufacturers association which represents food and beverage companies said we look forward to working with fda and other stakeholders on messages and activities to help consumers understand what the new labels mean
but the sugar industry did not relent in its criticism the sugar association said it was disappointed by the fdas decision to require a separate line for added sugars it argued that the rule lacked scientific justification
the association said we are concerned that the ruling sets a dangerous precedent that is not grounded in science and could actually deter us from our shared goal of a healthier america
getting the original nutrition labels on food packages was a major battle dr david kessler the former fda commissioner said the fight went all the way to the oval office where the first president george bush sided with the agency in what was considered a major victory for public health
they got this right he said of the new changes in an interview on friday this will affect peoples lives it gives really important information to people who want to use it
it is also important for the food and beverage industry he said by putting added sugars on the label it creates incentives for industry to make healthier products because they dont want to look bad with all of that sugar on the label
michael f jacobson executive director of the center for science in the public interest said he believed the new line for added sugars would help change behavior
a lot of people will be shocked to see how much sugar is in soda he said teachers and parents will leap at that as something to show their kids
a 12 ounce can of coke has 140 calories and 39 grams of sugar which according to mr jacobson is about the equivalent of 92 teaspoons he said a shortcoming of the new rules was that companies could still express sugar in grams not in teaspoons


oklahoma lawmakers have introduced a bill that would allow students to request on religious grounds that their public schools provide a bathroom or other facility that bars transgender people
the bill appears to be one of the first state level legislative actions to challenge the obama administrations directives issued last week that said students must be allowed to use the facilities that match the gender they identify as even if that is different from their anatomical sex
the senate bill introduced on thursday in oklahoma defined sex as the physical condition of being male or female as identified at birth by an individuals anatomy
it says any student can request a religious accommodation from a school for restrooms athletic changing facilities or showers that are exclusively used by people with the anatomical sex at birth that is similar to their own this means that a male student could request that the school provide facilities only for use by other students who were male when they were born
it said a student can do so based on sincerely held religious beliefs
the proposed legislation says single occupancy facilities would not be considered an allowable accommodation
the bill was authored by senator brian bingman and speaker jeffrey hickman both republicans in response to what it described as an emergency and a need to preserve public peace health and safety it did not mention the obama administrations directive specifically
the guidance letter published last friday by the department of justice and the department of education said students must be allowed to use the facilities that match the gender they identify as even if that is different from with their anatomical sex for districts that refuse to comply the directive carries the potential threat of legal action or of the withholding of federal funds
cathryn oakley a senior legislative counsel with the human rights campaign noted that the administrations guidance letter reiterated a position that it had held and enforced in scattered cases around the country that involved state challenges
but last weeks directive was the administrations most sweeping directive yet and the proposed legislation in oklahoma appears to be the first statewide bill to directly challenge it
it is the first challenge since last week ms oakley said what is particularly notable is that they are adding religion into the mix in a way that it has not been in any other
a bill similar to oklahomas was proposed this week in south carolinas senate but it pertains to a single school district the charleston city paper reported
other opposition to the administrations guidance letter has occurred outside of legislative chambers with some state officials saying they would ignore the directive or consult with school boards such as in texas and in mississippi
in oklahoma on thursday lawmakers also filed a companion resolution that accused the obama administration of constitutional overreach in advising schools to allow transgender students to use restrooms that match the gender with which they identify they called on representatives to file articles for mr obamas impeachment newsok reported
our phones and emails are being flooded by citizens who are enraged by this presidents attempt to use our children as pawns in a liberal agenda said representative john bennett a republican in an emailed statement this directive is biblically wrong a violation of our states sovereignty and it is a serious public safety issue


madrid   a spanish judge on friday overruled a decision by the authorities in madrid to ban catalan flags from the copa del rey soccer final helping to defuse a dispute that had spilled the countrys territorial and political tensions into its favorite sport
the judges ruling was a setback for the madrid authorities who had moved to ban the estelada a catalan flag that has become a symbol of catalonias independence movement
the final of the copa del rey or kings cup one of spains biggest soccer competitions is being contested on sunday by teams from seville and barcelona the catalan capital
the ban had outraged catalonias leading politicians who vowed not to attend the match at vicente calderon stadium in madrid to protest what they described as a blatant attack on freedom of expression after the judges decision on friday however carles puigdemont head of the catalan regional government said he would go to madrid to watch the match
the judge rejected the public prosecutors argument that waving a politically charged catalan flag could lead to serious public disturbances or even violence
the estelada flag has taken on particular importance in recent years as catalan separatist parties which now hold a majority of seats in the regional parliament forge ahead with plans to secede from the rest of spain their secessionist drive comes as the country prepares for a rerun of national elections on june 26 after six months of political deadlock
at barcelonas home games where the team slogan is more than a club fans not only wave the estelada but many also shout independence in unison after 17 minutes and 14 seconds of play to mark the year 1714 when the city of barcelona was captured during the war of spanish succession
the waving of the estelada has also brought controversy outside of spain last year uefa the governing body of european soccer imposed a fine on barcelona after its fans waved catalan flags during a european club competition uefa said promoting the flag breached european soccer rules that forbid the use of gestures words objects or any other means to transmit any message that is not fit for a sports event particularly messages that are of a political ideological religious offensive or provocative nature
the spanish governments representative in madrid concepcion dancausa came to a similar conclusion ms dancausa announced the flag ban on thursday arguing that soccer in particular should not be converted into a setting of political confrontation
in response the barcelona club immediately began a court appeal and some catalan separatist politicians suggested the team should avoid traveling to madrid instead forfeiting the final
flags or no flags the match is expected to be a tense affair with catalan fans likely to jeer spains national anthem as they did last year in the presence of king felipe vi
the authorities have heightened security measures for the final with about 2500 police officers expected to patrol the stadium almost 20000 barcelona supporters are expected to travel to madrid
most of spains political establishment had backed the flag ban with the notable exception of xavier garcia albiol the regional leader of the conservative popular party in catalonia i would allow each to enter with the flag that he sees adequate he told a news briefing earlier this week


istanbul   lawmakers from president recep tayyip erdogans governing party pushed through an amendment to the turkish constitution on friday that would strip members of parliament of their immunity from prosecution a move that is likely to lead to the ouster of kurdish deputies
after months of fierce debate   including a brawl in parliament that left one deputy with a dislocated shoulder   376 of the 550 deputies voted in a secret ballot to approve the constitutional amendment allowing it to pass without a public referendum mr erdogan is certain to approve the change
the contentious amendment was proposed after mr erdogan called for members of the kurdish peoples democratic party or hdp to face prosecution for alleged ties with kurdish militants who have carried out a three decade long insurgency against turkey
this is a historic vote mr erdogan said on friday speaking in his hometown rize on the black sea coast my people do not want to see guilty lawmakers in this parliament especially the supporters of the separatist terrorist organization
the hdp is the third largest party in parliament with 59 seats 50 of those lawmakers face prosecution under the new amendment they can be prosecuted for a number of charges including some for terrorism and will effectively be removed from parliament mr erdogans governing justice and development party could then call early elections that would help him establish an executive presidency and consolidate more power
we view this motion as a political coup attempt to completely destroy the separation of powers by subordinating the legislative to the executive and leaving the former to the mercy of a thoroughly politicized and biased judiciary the hdp chairmen selahattin demirtas and figen yuksekdag wrote in a letter to members of the european parliament in strasbourg france
this coup would be a most crucial step for erdogan to replace turkeys parliamentary democracy which he has twice declared de facto over with an absolutist presidential system in which the legislative executive and judiciary powers are virtually monopolized by the president himself they added
the constitutional change could complicate turkeys relationship with the european union and jeopardize a deal agreed in march that renewed talks for turkey to join the bloc and allowed turkish citizens to travel in europe without visas in exchange for turkeys help in stemming the flow of asylum seekers to the continent
kurdish politicians warned that their exclusion from parliament could exacerbate tensions in turkeys predominantly kurdish southeast where the turkish state has been fighting a counterinsurgency campaign against the militant kurdistan workers party or pkk since the group ended a cease fire last july
taking kurds out of politics and shutting down the political channels to resolve this conflict will only disenfranchise kurdish youth further and push them toward a radical path in the fight toward great autonomy said kubra demir a kurdish activist in the southeastern city of sirnak
analysts who have watched the debate over immunity in parliament in recent weeks have likened it to a period in 1994 when kurdish deputies from the democracy party or dep were imprisoned on terrorism charges which led to one of the most violent periods in the conflict between turkey and the kurds
it took turkey almost two decades to recover from that said asli aydintasbas a fellow at the european council on foreign relations to repeat the same mistake would set back turkish democracy for quite some time
she added this will neither solve the kurdish situation or help turkeys territorial integrity in the long run i worry that erdogans zeal and constant targeting of hdp for this is paving the path for actual division of the country further down the road
the change to the constitution will not just apply to members from the kurdish party as many as 138 turkish lawmakers from all parties now find themselves vulnerable to prosecution
several members of the main opposition republican peoples party face charges for insulting mr erdogan including the partys leader who called the president a political and sexual pervert
in a statement earlier this week the hdp said that none of the investigations into its parliamentary deputies were about concerns over corruption bribery or theft they are all about freedom of expression the party said in a statement posted on twitter


a germinal governance issue for many regulated companies is not whether their boards should be spending more time on compliance issues but rather that they should be spending less time
it is an emotional reaction to the unceasing public policy regulatory and media focus on corporate compliance   and the extent to which compliance matters are consuming the boards agendas to the potential detriment of governance effectiveness
the concept of the compliance board was introduced in a 2007 op ed article by the venture capitalist thomas perkins in the wall street journal he bemoaned the metamorphosis of corporate governance from a venture capital model in which the board is heavily involved the guidance board to one in which the board is more focused on legal issues the compliance board the guidance board features industry specific composition and an emphasis on performance strategy tactics hiring and firing the compliance board on the other hand has less technical familiarity with the company and is guided in significant part by governance and compliance consultants and lawyers
the article was written when memories of enron and the expectations of the sarbanes oxley act were running strong many corporate boards were struggling with newly enacted regulatory and stock exchange requirements and best practices applicable to public companies mr perkins may have been responding in part to the perceived consequences of such increased legal requirements on effective governance
the sarbanes oxley principles are old hat to most boards but those boards are now struggling with a new and more complex wave of regulatory enforcement the leading edge of this wave is seen in the regulatory focus on individual accountability and corporate cooperation
its undertow is felt in an increase in the enforcement of laws relating to false claims foreign corrupt practices public safety price fixing market allocation and the like its froth is noticed in the rise in whistle blower claims by corporate gatekeepers such as inside counsel and compliance officers
the cumulative effect on the board agenda can seem overwhelming there is an incipient but understandable sense that in an organizations zeal to be compliant and to pay needed attention to pressing regulatory concerns of the moment the board may be deflected from attending to those matters most important for long term sustainability if not also short term performance
enter into the mix a new report principles and practices of high quality ethics programs released last month by the ethics and compliance initiative its authors reflect a cross section of prominent current and former legislators government enforcement officials and compliance officers
the report identifies specific principles and practices that characterize high quality ethics and compliance programs or in other words those that transcend minimum effectiveness standards such as those contained in the federal sentencing guidelines it is in essence a call for more comprehensive and sophisticated compliance programs the report is a thoughtful document that is likely to attract significant attention   if not outright adoption
for some corporate leaders however that attention might take the form of extreme frustration at what point does enough become enough for organizations that already feel unduly burdened by compliance commitments the reports recommendations may represent the tipping point   when compliance becomes the ultimate unstoppable corporate bureaucracy and this may be a dangerous opening for those who by the promotion of less vigorous and less costly compliance measures would intentionally or unintentionally expose the company to significant risk
at that point taking a deep breath is warranted for the board the unflattering and ineffective characteristics of the compliance board notwithstanding mature corporate leaders know that there can be no turning back legal compliance remains unalterably an important fiduciary commitment of the board the cost of doing business in a highly regulated industry requires the independent oversight of what the board determines to be an effective compliance program effective corporate compliance supports the value of corporate assets and the reputation of the corporation
the release of the ethics and compliance initiatives report offers an excellent opportunity for board dialogue on the proper balance of compliance and the other critical issues on the board agenda it also allows for the board to consider whether changes are needed to reposition the board more closely on strategy and tactics to return to its guidance board roots for it is surely best practice to periodically confirm that the fiduciary agenda is properly balanced between the tactical and the strategic between the day to day and the long term
and in the end that may be where the guidance board and the compliance board can comfortably coexist


every friday the new york times pop critics will weigh in on the weeks most notable new songs and videos   and anything else that strikes them as intriguing   in a new version of the playlist column you can listen to this playlist on spotify here like the new format let us know at theplaylistnytimescom
desiigners debut single panda which was released in december made it to the top of the billboard hot 100 before it even had a video so the clip   now widely available after a spell in tidal purgatory   doesnt need to serve as an amplifier but it does need to act as a translator desiigner a 19 year old brooklyn unknown is largely a cipher still and his lyrics verge on the inscrutable so what do we learn in this video which feels like a video game for a song inspired by one desiigner is fascinatingly unhinged bug eyed head tilted at odd angles dabbing constantly and seemingly uncontrollably as a rapper he has a pleasingly gummy style a clear inheritor of future but the precedents for his visual presence are far weirder victims in horror movies mad scientists vine comedians he hasnt been around long enough to be told how to behave or to learn best practices from his peers so eccentricity it is still thats limited information given that desiigner hasnt offered much beyond panda youve got to grab the details where they pop up and a smattering of other videos have been more telling than the panda video here is desiigner more excited than any person has ever been to perform on the late show with stephen colbert here is desiigner rapping panda at maybe half speed so that the words are sort of clear here is desiigner vomiting on stage while performing panda and not stopping for one millisecond jon caramanica
vincent is one of the outliers on car seat headrests album teens of denial   the track that doesnt get straight to the verse chorus verse of will toledos latter day new wave for most of the album he uses the legacy of chunky melodic fuzztone loving rock   the cars by way of the pixies and weezer   to reveal the insecurities and torturously layered self consciousness of growing up as a digital native vincent nearly eight minutes long is different it starts out with two minutes of absorbing slowly accreting minimalism with loops of guitar trills pinging single notes and fleeting sounds running in reverse then it steams into a crescendo of neurosis from krautrock to raveup i find it harder to speak when someone else is listening mr toledo sings before making teens of denial in a studio with a band he released 10 low fi albums recorded on his own followed by last years teens of style remakes of some previous recordings vincent shows hes still a studio tweaker a good thing jon pareles
its all green sings corinne bailey rae contentedly and newand i want to spend it with you these words lead into the chorus of green aphrodisiac a track from her artfully affirming new album the heart speaks in whispers you probably wont hear a new song with a clearer metaphorical link between springtime and spiritual renewal and ms rae has reasons for that it has been six years since she released her previous album the sea created in a fog of grief after the death of her husband shes now in a different place married to her longtime producer steve brown and tapping into a deeper current of soul appearing on the tonight show starring jimmy fallon this week she performed green aphrodisiac in verdant glittery garments easing into gear with her band in a simmering slow funk mode projecting radiant self assurance along with a touch of bliss nate chinen
the english singer sampha makes new versions of the rb ballad hes not taking its conventions and form for granted singing emotionally over strange or haunting backgrounds drake among many others has noticed featuring him on a few tracks from nothing was the same timmys prayer which came out online last monday is his first new material in three years the song is processional and full of regret sketching a scenario in which heaven is prison and he is a prisoner then the song changes hue and hes free he returns for a visit only to be turned away by the object of his desire i messed up   hoo   i know now he sings theres no room for me to play nowno way to dig my way out ben ratliff
weekend nachos the chicago band operating in the extreme corner of hardcore punk known as powerviolence is breaking up its final record apology comes out today from relapse and on it the band sounds bilious fast rugged and not without pleasure its a kind of aesthetic mobius strip so negative that it turns over and becomes joyful the band is also on tour and plays tonight at saint vitus in brooklyn thatll be a scene br
the fabulously nimble and versatile chicago rapper joey purp is in top form on this club track with echoes of the native tongues and the neptunes hes a slick talker and funny too she taking photos of methat she carry all around like rosaries see also photobooth released a few weeks ago a breathless shout exercise redolent of kendrick lamars backseat freestyle then once hes set the table chance the rapper   already having a great week   turns up rapping about girls in the club who shoot why i let him drag me here looks and read ta nehisi coates jon caramanica
an epitaph is an unusual way to announce a new album but will sheff knows how to carry it off okkervil river rip is the pensive first offering from away the new album by his band okkervil river due out on sept 9 and as the title and lyrics suggest its mr sheffs farewell to an era he saw the departure of several longtime band members and witnessed the death of his beloved grandfather then he wrote his new batch of songs in seclusion in the catskills and recorded the album with musicians from the experimental and new music scenes in new york this song wry and wistful makes it clear that hes still writing from a place of barbed interiority and confessional misdirection but it also works as a teaser for the new album in slightly crooked fashion weve got a big chance coming mr sheff sings in a plaintive deadpan a big chance coming now nc
few indie leaning rock bands take the art of the music video more seriously than yeasayer for silly me a buoyant afropop tinged track from the bands fourth album amen  goodbye the video suggests a psychedelic journey through the underworld and maybe the creative subconscious directed by mike anderson its a gorgeous mini film using a combination of handmade sculptural forms and state of the art digital animation and in its final frames it sets up a bridge to the bands previous video for i am chemistry youre invited to follow the trail and see where it leads nc
some of the best dark minimal and immersive electronic music   post techno post dub post everything   has been made by raime the english duo of joe andrews and tom halstead its second record tooth is to be released by blackest ever black on june 10 and this week on youtube it released the second streamable track from it called glassed its halting and mysterious and wary drawn tight by an elegantly stuttering rhythm and a precise repetitive guitar figure it is its own atmosphere br


the northernmost city in sweden kiruna was back in the news this week with reports that it would be moving   yes moving   about two miles east and for once an unusual story from the arctic circle had nothing to do with climate change
why would a town need to move
kirunas plan to move has been in the works for a few years now the city comfortably within the borders of the arctic circle and home to a little more than 18000 people is built on a hill above a vast iron ore mine founded in 1900 and midwifed by a state owned mining company kiruna has been an industry town for over a century
now that industry is simultaneously endangering the city and paying for its relocation as the mine on kirunas western border has expanded deeper into the ground ore is being removed from beneath the citys foundations   literally undermining the ground it sits on
if the move does not take place much of the city would collapse into the earth over the next century as the ground subsides part of a process called ground deformation luckily the mining company luossavaara kiirunavaara ab usually abbreviated as lkab has dedicated over a billion dollars to relocate kirunas residents
when is the move happening
the move will take place in phases and the first one has already begun lkab which is building the new city hall broke ground in september 2014 and construction began a year later
lkab and kirunas government are jointly coordinating the move and in a short documentary released by swedens government on tuesday residents seemed uninformed about when much of the move would take place but erika lindblad a spokeswoman for lkab said that many people would be moving within a few years she confirmed that while much of the move was planned out there were plenty of arrangements yet to be made some 400 families have already moved
will the entire town be relocated
some buildings including the kiruna church which in 2001 was voted by swedes to be the countrys most beautiful building will be moved to the new citys center as will the beloved clock tower of the current city hall
but the vast majority of buildings will be demolished and rebuilt in the new location with plenty of new housing added according to the documentary lkab will buy homes from residents paying 125 percent of a predetermined market price
in a promotional video for the project commissioned by white arkitekter a swedish firm that won a competition to redesign the city mikael stenqvist an architect at the firm explained kiruna will be a bit like a walking millipede with a thousand feet moving crawling slowly a couple of kilometers toward the east
this must be a first right
nope not even close
bob dylans hometown hibbing minn moved about two miles south of its original location between 1919 and 1921 in a situation reminiscent of kirunas hibbing moved to make way for a mining company that was hoping to unearth the iron ore believed to be underneath it hibbing was founded within 10 years of kiruna
other cities   including hill village nh and tallangatta australia   have been moved to avoid flooding caused by the construction of new dams a suburb of louisville relocated after residents were tormented by noise from a nearby airport and of course towns around the world are considering moving in response to climate change
so this really has nothing to do with climate change
apparently not while climate change threatens populations around the globe kiruna is threatened by sinkholes not rising sea levels the average annual temperature in kiruna is about 28 degrees fahrenheit or minus 22 degrees celsius according to climate dataorg
how much will this cost
because the project will continue for much of the next century its difficult to predict total costs but ms lindblad the lkab spokeswoman said the company had dedicated about 12 billion kronor to the project or well over 1 billion
how long will the process take
white arkitekter describes its vision for the city as a 100 year master plan giving a good sense of the scale of the undertaking to win the right to redesign the city it had to present a 20 year plan which would establish much of the relocation by 2033
eva ekelund who heads the citys department of land and development told the guardian that iron is under the new town center too   summoning the specter of a re relocation further down the road but it is unclear whether the town will ever have to move again


paris   in his quest to complete a career grand slam novak djokovic could have to beat the nine time champion rafael nadal in the french open semifinals
the top ranked djokovic who will face 100th ranked lu yen hsun in the first round was put in the same side of the draw as nadal on friday djokovic beat nadal in the quarterfinals last year the second loss of nadals career at roland garros
stan wawrinka the defending champion and andy murray could meet in the other semifinal
in the womens draw serena williamss attempt to equal steffi grafs open era record of 22 major titles includes a possible quarterfinal match against victoria azarenka
djokovic who has lost in the final in paris in three of the last four years is 37 3 this year but most recently lost to murray in the italian open final finally winning the french open would give him four consecutive major championships something no man has achieved since rod laver won a true grand slam in 1969
murray is seeded second for the first time at roland garros and will face a qualifier in his first match
its only two days out from the start of the tournament and i dont know who im playing against yet murray said of playing a qualifier so you dont have as much time to start preparing for it and thats what makes it tricky
the positives are that often a lot of the qualifiers maybe have not played on the bigger courts and stuff and maybe you can capitalize a bit on that at the beginning if they are a little bit nervous
because of roger federers withdrawal for an unspecified injury nadal was seeded no 4 avoiding a possible quarterfinal rematch with djokovic chasing his first major title since winning in paris two years ago nadal takes on the big server sam groth in the first round
i need to be ready to suffer a little bit during the match because i know its going to be difficult to have breaks nadal said
djokovic should have few problems before the fourth round where 14th seeded roberto bautista agut could be waiting
williams the defending champion in paris will open against 76th ranked magdalena rybarikova
before a potential quarterfinal match against azarenka the top ranked williams might also have to face kristina mladenovic and the former champion ana ivanovic in the semifinals williams could then be pitted against third seeded angelique kerber who won her first grand slam title in january by beating williams in the australian open final
williams who won her first title in nine months in rome has played only four tournaments this season
four tournaments three finals isnt bad for everyone else but then again im not everyone else said williams who lost to azarenka in the indian wells final in march
margaret smith court who won many of her 24 grand slam titles before the open era and graf are the only players with more grand slam singles titles than williams who has never won back to back titles at roland garros
in the bottom half of the draw second seeded agnieszka radwanska will start against bojana jovanovski in her bid for a first major title


a major new chamber music award the 100000 m prize from the university of michigans school of music theater  dance was given for the first time on thursday evening to the calidore string quartet
the prize was the idea of aaron dworkin the schools new dean who sees it as a way to focus attention on chamber music an increasingly important part of the musical landscape the calidore quartets award was announced as part of a performance that was broadcast on detroit public television after two days of final competition concerts in ann arbor mich
mr dworkin who founded the sphinx organization which promotes diversity in classical music said in a statement that the group was a perfect example of the extraordinary talent that we seek to showcase with this competition the quartet which formed in 2010 at the colburn school of music is in residence at stony brook university on long island it will join the chamber music society of lincoln center two roster which presents young artists on the brink of big careers this year the group features jeffrey myers and ryan meehan on violin jeremy berry on viola and estelle choi on cello
the calidore won the grand prize of the new competition which drew 172 applications from 13 countries the entrants were whittled down to a list of 29 ensembles that participated in the semifinal and final rounds and were judged by a panel of 15 in all some 200000 was awarded to ensembles in a variety of categories including some for musicians under 18
yarnwire a quartet of two percussionists and two pianists won a 20000 first prize in the competitions open category which recognizes atypical ensembles and the kenari quartet won the 20000 first prize for winds as part of the award the calidore quartet will also be presented by the university musical society in ann arbor next season


dr callie torres is hanging up her scrubs at least for now
sara ramirez the actress who has played dr torres on greys anatomy for 10 seasons announced that she was leaving the abc medical drama in a note posted on twitter after thursday nights season 12 finale the actress said she was taking some welcome time off
i look forward to always being a part of the shondaland family she added
shondaland refers to the prime time empire of shonda rhimes the creator of greys anatomy the show which debuted in 2005 was ms rhimess first series and remains one of abcs highest rated shows ms rhimes went on to create private practice and scandal and is an executive producer on how to get away with murder and the catch she remains the showrunner of greys anatomy and scandal
ms rhimes wrote on twitter on thursday i will miss callie tremendously but am excited for what the future holds for sara she will always have a home at shondaland
ms ramirez will also be familiar to younger viewers and their parents as the voice of queen miranda on disneys sofia the first she is also a broadway veteran having appeared in a class act and spamalot among other productions
it is unclear whether ms ramirez plans to return to greys anatomy at some point or to join another of ms rhimess shows abc did not respond to a request for comment
greys anatomy has lost key stars before including katherine heigl sandra oh and most notably patrick dempsey who played dr derek shepherd known as mcdreamy who was killed off in a car crash last season season 12 found the show refocusing on the title character dr meredith grey played by ellen pompeo ms pompeo also paid tribute to ms ramirez on thursday


doctors are monitoring 279 pregnant women with confirmed or suspected zika virus infections in the united states and its territories federal health officials said friday
of those women 157 are in the 50 states and the district of columbia and 122 are in territories including puerto rico public health officials are gathering data on the health consequences of the infection including the rate at which fetuses develop abnormally shrunken heads and brain damage a birth defect called microcephaly
also on friday the world health organization confirmed that the strain of zika virus in cape verde just off the western coast of africa is the same strain that is spreading in brazil almost 200 pregnant women in cape verde have been infected and the virus has been blamed for three cases of microcephaly there
the rising numbers of pregnant american women testing positive   fridays figure is more than double the previous count of 113   reflect a new case definition used by the centers for disease control and prevention rather than a surge in cases according to dr margaret honein the chief of the agencys birth defects division
no cases transmitted by mosquito have yet been reported in the 50 states the number of infected pregnant women in this country began rising dramatically in february probably reflecting the spread of the zika virus from brazil to more countries visited by americans
most of the 279 women are still pregnant dr honein said and fewer than a dozen have experienced adverse outcomes such as stillbirths microcephaly or other congenital problems
a relatively small number of the infections clearly resulted from sexual transmission rather than mosquito bites she added but in most cases it was difficult to determine how the women became infected because they had lived in or had traveled to areas where mosquitoes carrying the virus were biting
the cdc previously reported only pregnant women with symptoms like rash fever or bloodshot eyes but weve learned a lot in the last four months dr honein said
at least four published studies have cited cases in which women with no memory of having symptoms gave birth to children with birth defects
the new case definition includes all women who have had a positive test for zika virus or a likely positive for antibodies to it
antibody tests are not as accurate as tests for the virus itself because previous infections with dengue fever or shots to prevent yellow fever can create false positives
cdc wants to make sure we are monitoring all women at risk for poor outcomes said dr denise j jamieson a co leader of the pregnancy and birth defects team at the agency
each thursday the agency will update the number of infected pregnant women in the united states officials said
the outbreak in cape verde a portuguese speaking country with close links to both brazil and west africa has been a puzzle for months
the intense outbreak in the island nation started last october just as brazils surge in microcephalic babies was detected but confirmation that it was caused by the brazilian strain rather than the much older african one did not come until the pasteur institute in dakar senegal sequenced the genomes of the infecting viruses
cape verdes outbreak is now fading said dr matshidiso moeti the whos regional director for africa and there has been no outbreak in senegal which she called cape verdes door out to other countries
although that might suggest that africans have some immunity its never good news to hear that a virus with neuropathic effects is on your doorstep said dr bruce aylward the whos chief of emergency response
we dont know what the level of population immunity is in africa and we dont know if it will mitigate some of the impact he said so we have to work against a worst case scenario
although laboratory capacity in africa has been built up in the wake of the 2014 ebola outbreak the continent is still very poor and the response to the whos appeal to donors for a 50 million zika fund has been anemic dr aylward said
a recent study in clinical microbiology reviews looked at 80 sets of blood tests for the zika virus in countries around the world between 1947 when the virus was discovered in uganda and 2014 when it was detected in french polynesia   the last major outbreak before it reached south america
some samples are small some tests used methods that would confuse zika with related viruses and the results range wildly for example 12 percent of 261 ugandans tested in the 1940s were immune to the virus while nearly 60 percent of 2457 senegalese tested in the 1970s were
the authors concluded that the zika virus was probably endemic to all of sub saharan africa although there was no way to know how many people had immunity at any given time
although dr aylward said it is still not known whether immunity to the african strain confers protection from the brazilian one scott c weaver the director of the institute for human infections and immunity at the university of texas medical branch in galveston and an expert on the zika virus said he would be very surprised if there werent complete cross protection between the two
genetically the two strains are very closely related he said by contrast strains of yellow fever have much more variation and yet he did not know of a single instance in which the yellow fever vaccine which is based on one strain gathered years ago failed to protect against the other strains
testing in animal models including immune deficient mice has just begun he said but he could not name any laboratory trying to prove that infection with one strain of zika protects against later infection with another
we assume theres cross protection and were interested in other questions he said including whether microcephaly is typically caused by zika alone
at the white house on friday president obama pressured congress to give him 19 billion for the fight against zika
americans should tell their congressional representatives to get on the job he said
this is something that is solvable   it is not something that we have to panic about but it is something we have to take seriously mr obama said in the oval office after a briefing from top health officials
congress should not take its scheduled memorial day vacation without passing the legislation he said
his advisers have said the president would veto a house measure that provides only 622 million the administration was encouraged by the senates 11 billion version but is not promising to sign it
referring to the funding mr obama has requested anything short of that will be insufficient said eric schultz the deputy white house press secretary


paris   salah abdeslam thought to be the only direct participant in the november terrorist attacks in paris to have survived refused to answer questions on friday at a hearing with a french investigative judge in paris the prosecutors office and his lawyer said
although the hearing was just the first in what is expected to be a long inquiry mr abdeslams silence highlighted the obstacles facing investigators as they seek information from him about the attacks which killed 130 people
mr abdeslam who is suspected of playing a crucial logistical role in the attacks was arrested in march in molenbeek the neighborhood in brussels where he grew up and extradited to france in april
his arrest in belgium on march 18 came just four days before the terrorist attacks in the brussels airport and at a metro station after initially fighting his extradition to france he reversed himself and his lawyer frank berton had said at the time that his client was ready to cooperate with the french authorities
mr berton said however that his client was disturbed by video surveillance in his prison cell mr abdeslam is being held in isolation at the fleury merogis prison about 20 miles south of paris and is barred from contact with other inmates
he cant stand being watched 24 hours a day mr berton told reporters at the main courthouse in central paris where mr abdeslam arrived under heavy police escort on friday morning he has the impression that he is being treated completely differently from other inmates mr berton said suggesting that it helped explain why he did not want to collaborate with the investigation
agnes thibault lecuivre a spokeswoman for the paris prosecutors office said in a text message that mr abdeslam had exercised his right to remain silent from the onset and had refused to answer the questions from the investigative judge
he also refused to specify the reasons that led him to exercise his right to remain silent in this way ms thibault lecuivre said adding that he had even refused to confirm statements previously made to belgian authorities
she did not indicate whether mr abdeslam would cooperate at a later hearing no dates have been set for more hearings she said
french and belgian investigators have said evidence they found suggests mr abdeslam was heavily involved in preparations for the paris attacks
he rented cars and at least one safe house bought material used in explosives and drove across europe to pick up other suspects
but his exact role on the night of the attacks has not been firmly established he is suspected of driving three suicide bombers to the stade de france soccer stadium in st denis one of the sites that was attacked but investigators have not determined whether he had intended to carry out another suicide attack
a discarded suicide belt was found in a southern suburb of paris in the days after the attacks and is thought to have belonged to him he told belgian investigators shortly after his arrest on march 18 that he had backed out of detonating his suicide vest at the stadium
mr abdeslam has been charged in france with several terrorism related crimes including murder connected to terrorism participation in a terrorist conspiracy and possession of weapons and explosives


someone closed the wide glass doors and pulled the curtains   for privacy   and hannah kloepfer did what she had come to this store in soho to do she took a shower
she stepped beneath a row of 30 shower heads all ready to spray spritz or spurt because all 30 were already hooked up to water lines ms kloepfer an actress and playwright who had been invited to the store by an employee during a friends and family warm up before the official opening on saturday had only to choose one
ms kloepfer 25 strolled beneath the shower heads and talked about her sister an interior designer who has been rebuilding a house in new jersey that was devastated by hurricane sandy in 2012 it was interesting watching her go to places like this ms kloepfer said
but there are not many places like this a store called pirch to some it would seem yet another example of the excesses of these times another example of class stratification and elitism
in fact pirch presents itself as upscale and unapologetically expensive a gilded home depot a one stop shopping destination for people with multimillion dollar apartments and renovation budgets to match or perhaps an even more rarefied band on the economic and demographic spectrum people with multimillion dollar apartments in new york city and multimillion dollar weekend homes in places like the hamptons
pirch is trying to set itself apart from other kitchen and bath retailers by letting potential customers test drive the various faucets ovens grills and bathtubs almost everything in the store works the way it would in an actual apartment or a house
the prices set pirch apart too there is a 157000 range and a 3995 outdoor grill but customers would not know just by looking there are no price tags on anything in the store the demonstration kitchens look like the kitchens in the cooking segments on television shows spacious carefully laid out and well equipped there is even a vip elevator of sorts
pirch is nothing like a big box retailer even though it occupies a big box 32000 square feet about a third of the seven story loft building at 200 lafayette street at broome
pirchs owners and employees say they want to reinvent the entire retail shopping experience its chief executive says the store is built around dream play choose concepts customers can work their way through presumably in that order it uses phrases   such as live joyfully   that are not generally heard in conversations about renovation projects
pirchs news releases do not say it carries more than a dozen brands it curates them and it does not display its wares under fluorescent lights as most retailers do displays are artistic almost gallerylike when pirch lines up a row of dishwashers they do not seem jammed together
every range is connected to real gas or electricity and as ms kloepfer discovered every shower head is connected not only to real water but also to a touch screen device that turns it on or off the connectedness is another way that pirch aims to be different from most competitors it also means that pirchs floors are a bit like swiss cheese what with 484 holes for the water pipes and gas lines that lead to each appliance
the store is the first new york city outpost of an eight store chain that was established in california in 2011 in settling in high priced soho pirch followed the shift in sensibility that pits downtown chic against uptown stature for big money eminence and pirch has its boldface names its advertisements feature the 94 year old fashion icon iris apfel the cookbook author and reality television star padma lakshmi and the celebrity chef geoffrey zakarian
pirch also ventured into a singularly manhattan social universe with a grand opening party on thursday to benefit housing works a nonprofit that assists people with hiv and aids the invitation listed a host committee that included ms apfel ms lakshmi and mr zakarian as well as among others the interior designer jamie drake whose high profile clients include former mayor michael r bloomberg and the furniture designer mitchell gold the chairman and co founder of the retail chain mitchell gold  bob williams pirchs next door neighbor on lafayette street
so perhaps it is no surprise that pirch has a secret entrance sort of a door up the block from the store entrance as for the vip elevator   it is really a freight elevator that doubles as a way in for people whore famous or think theyre famous jeffery r sears pirchs chief executive said as he walked through the store
but he said the store is not just about high priced products where a home depot leaves off thats where we start he said adding that pirch does sell a 700 dishwasher and its a wonderful piece of equipment
you could come in and buy a kitchen set for 2000 he said whether youre a first time home buyer or building the last place youll ever live the experience should be the same a couple just starting out they should feel just as special as someone whos at a different point in their lives
that may be but mark a cohen the director of retail studies at the columbia business school said pirchs target audience of high end customers could be endlessly demanding
theres always a leak a seam a scratch something that has to be remediated he said the more affluent the customer the more demanding the customer the more sophisticated the customer ergo the more theyve paid for something the more unacceptable the scratch
ms kloepfer looked over the shower heads and stepped into an adjacent steam room where the temperature was 117 degrees according to a digital readout once again she talked about her sister and the headache of finding the right fixtures for the house in new jersey
she ended up returning so many things ms kloepfer said
its difficult seeing it in a drawer she added as opposed to actually trying a product out
back under the shower heads she made her choice no 7 in the lineup a device that looked a bit like a punching bag but is known as a raindrop and starts at 1346 the water flowed
its like im dancing she said a moment later she added we should really be praising my waterproof mascara


like on most days there are hundreds of soccer games being played around the world on friday and in many countries it is perfectly legal to bet on them
for example serie b the second tier of italian soccer is playing its final round of the regular season on friday as always bettors can choose which team they think will win or wager that a game will end in a draw
the odds on a draw between novara and modena or livorno and lanciana are about 3 1 a typical figure most of the other games are around the same
but the odds on a draw between spezia and ascoli are eye opening currently just 4 6 on betfair that means that while the chance of a draw in most of the other games is judged to be about 25 percent in the spezia ascoli game it is fully 60 percent
is the high likelihood of a draw a result of the teams being evenly matched not exactly spezia is in seventh place with a record of 17 10 14 and it is playing at home ascoli is only 13 21 7 and in 16th place of 22 teams
so what is the explanation for the shockingly low odds on a draw
the main reason could be that playing for a win would not really bring any extra benefit spezia is in the hunt for a playoff place one point would clinch one of the leagues eight playoff spots but a loss could allow the team to be caught by novara which is three points back and has a better goal difference ascoli meanwhile is fighting to stay out of the relegation playoffs again a single point is all it needs to guarantee safety
the fact that both teams are seeking a draw is certainly well known to bettors betfair does not set its own odds it is a sports market matching an individual who wants to bet on a result with another individual willing to bet the other way when a wager becomes popular the odds change much as a stock price goes up and down it is the ultimate manifestation therefore of the wisdom of crowds a betfair price represents what the worlds bettors are thinking not one bookmakers opinion
and the worlds bettors are expecting ascoli spezia to end in a draw
interest in what might otherwise be an obscure game is strong as of 930 am eastern on friday 400000 had been wagered on the game on betfair about 20 times the typical amount for a serie b game
many traditional bookmakers who stand to lose money if too many bettors are right are declining to take bets on the game at all on friday morning ladbrokes was offering odds on 10 of the 11 serie b games but not on ascoli spezia
bettors are not exactly predicting that the game will be fixed rather they expect that with both sides needing the same result there will be little motivation for either team to press for a victory especially since the consequences of a defeat could be grave
there have been similar matches before even at the games highest level at the 2004 european championships sweden and denmark went into their last game knowing a 2 2 draw would send both teams through the game ended 2 2 at the 1982 world cup a one  or two goal win by west germany over austria in the final group game would send both teams through to the next round west germany scored quickly then neither team made any effort to attack for 80 minutes embarrassed by what most agreed had been an arranged result fifa soon ordered that the final matches in group play be played simultaneously
that is the case is most leagues today including serie b
fridays game is at 230 eastern time well see
friday evening update the game did end in a draw 0 0


stocks rose on friday in a modest but broad rally that erased much of the losses from earlier in the week when investors had sold over fears of rising interest rates
health care and technology stocks rose the most helping to nudge the standard and poors 500 stock index back to slight gains for the week and year nine of the indexs 10 sectors closed higher
stocks rose from the start of trading following sizable gains in europe among the winners intel climbed nearly 2 percent and pfizer closed up 11 percent
the sp 500 rose 1228 points or 06 percent to 205232 the dow jones industrial average ended the day up 6554 points or 04 percent to 1750094 the nasdaq composite climbed 5703 points or 12 percent to 476956
applied materials led the move higher in technology stocks the maker of chipmaking equipment jumped 275 or 14 percent to 2266 after reporting earnings ahead of analysts forecasts
another big gainer for the day interoil jumped 1192 or 38 percent to 4357 after rival oil search announced a deal to buy the company for 22 billion the deal still needs approval by shareholders
fridays gains notwithstanding the major indexes have barely moved this year
among other stocks making big moves campbell soup dropped 408 or 6 percent to 5990 after reporting third quarter sales that fell short of wall street expectations the company partly blamed challenges in its v8 beverages business and problems with its fresh carrot supply
the clothes chain gap rose 73 cents or 4 percent to 1801 after announcing late thursday that its closing 75 old navy and banana republic stores outside north america the announcement came as the clothes retailer reported a 47 percent drop in first quarter profits and lower revenue
in europe stock markets reversed losses from the previous day britains ftse 100 was up 17 percent while germanys dax rose 12 percent frances cac 40 advanced 17 percent
benchmark us oil fell 33 cents at 4834 a barrel in new york brent used to price international oils lost 4 cents to 4868 a barrel in london
in other energy markets wholesale gasoline inched up to 164 a gallon heating oil rose 1 cent to 149 a gallon natural gas rose 2 cents to 206 per 1000 cubic feet
bond prices rose slightly the yield on the 10 year treasury note held steady at 185 percent the euro rose to 11219 from 11202 while the dollar rose to 11023 yen from 10989 yen
metals prices were mixed gold fell 190 to 125290 an ounce silver added 4 cents to 1653 an ounce copper remained at 206 a pound


on thursday i stepped into an elevator at the federal courthouse in san francisco smack into larry page and his retinue mr page is the chief executive of alphabet the parent company of google we were headed to the same court
oracle corporation is suing google for copyright violations that could cost alphabet 9 billion considering the sum mr page seemed pretty jolly while on his way into court
the copyright concerns android the operating system now used in 84 percent of the worlds smartphones one of those phones was in mr pages hands and he showed his crew a photo of a quote from the writer jill lepore i google therefore i am not
it is part of an essay ms lepore wrote about the way that facts have become increasingly elusive in a time where data is seen as identical with truth it isnt someone asked who ms lepore is then said oh wait we could just google it
not a bad joke even mr pages personal assistant laughed
at the same time ms lepore makes a point that everybody in the elevator should consider the oracle google trial a case i write about in the times creates a logical narrative out of selective facts as with the facts one gets on google this often willfully ignores the larger context in which things happen
in part this is the theater of the law on the witness stand mr page was a less voluble man uncertain and disputative in the face of questioning by an attorney for oracle in earlier testimony safra catz the steely co chief executive of oracle appeared more sad than incensed at googles behavior
but then there are the facts obscured or omitted in the trial much of both sides story for example involves the collapse of sun microsystems the inventor of the open source java code used in android which oracle acquired in 2010 neither side however talks about how linux another open source project was the real undoing of sun linux was also one reason google was able to get big so fast
if there are differing views on open source at the two companies it has much to do with two different generations of software makers which were essentially divided by the linux experience in life if not in law such context matters
there are other such omissions in this history like friendship sun was co founded by scott mcnealy a friend of lawrence j ellison the co founder of oracle mr mcnealy long disparaged linux before making a late stage conversion that did not save his company
mr ellison was also close friends with apples chief executive steven p jobs who believed google copied the iphone from apple and vowed to fight google with his last dying breath over the offense through this prism mr ellisons motives in bringing suit against google become more complex and human
though as ms lepore notes being human may be changing as we move under the dominion of data


washington   as chase sherman was returning home with his parents and fiancee from his brothers wedding in november he began to hallucinate apparently reacting to synthetic marijuana he took days earlier he bit his girlfriend and tried to jump out of the back seat of the car as the family drove through georgia toward florida
about an hour outside atlanta at mile marker 55 on interstate 85 his fiancee pulled over the car and his mother called the police hoping they would help calm mr sherman 32 less than a half hour later mr sherman who worked at a family owned parasailing business on the gulf coast was dead
he was stunned numerous times with taser guns carried by two sheriffs deputies while handcuffed in the back seat of a rental car
like other recent episodes involving the police this one was captured on video in this case by body cameras worn by the sheriffs deputies as they tried to subdue mr sherman
the video a copy of which was obtained in recent days by the new york times is similar to recordings of fatal encounters involving law enforcement officers in chicago north charleston sc and staten island each one depicts in stark terms a response from officers that resulted in a death in this instance there are no racial overtones both mr sherman and the deputy sheriffs are white
the footage from georgia was released friday by prosecutors in coweta county in response to requests from the family and the news media it shows the sheriffs deputies struggling to subdue mr sherman as he tried to get out of the car stunning him repeatedly with their taser guns while he was handcuffed and reacting frantically after realizing he was dead
mr shermans death was a homicide due to an altercation with law enforcement with several trigger pulls of an electronic control device according to his death certificate which said that he had been shoved to the floor of the car and that his torso was compressed by the body weight of another individual
how can they do this when they know someone is having a breakdown said l chris stewart a lawyer for the sherman family once they started shocking him how can someone comply when theyre being electrocuted over and over again
kevin and mary ann sherman chase shermans parents said they were not sure what had caused their sons odd behavior they said they first became concerned when he began acting erratically while they were in the dominican republic for the wedding chase told his mother that he had taken the synthetic marijuana the day before they traveled there
he was scared when we were down there ms sherman said he said he heard different bad things were happening in different countries he would see a couple of things that werent there he thought people were watching him and he didnt want to go anywhere without his mom and dad or brother
but his parents said he had seemed fine on the flight back to atlanta where they were to change planes and continue their trip home to destin fla then as they waited at the atlanta airport mr sherman grew agitated the family decided it would be better to drive the rest of the way so they rented a car
not long into the drive mr sherman began trying to jump out of the car
i couldnt keep him in the car   he didnt know where he was and was disoriented kevin sherman said i couldnt keep him in the car by myself so we needed to call for medical assistance
a body camera worn by one of the deputies started recording while en route to assist the shermans by the time he reached their car parked on the shoulder of the highway another deputy was already grappling with mr sherman who was handcuffed in the cars back seat on the video mr sherman seemed alternately calm and desperate to get out of the car
to try to stop him one of the deputies took out a taser gun and pointed it at him telling him to stop moving mr sherman grabbed the taser gun and a fight for it ensued
with mr shermans mother and his fiancee patti galloway watching from the front of the car the deputy shot him several times with the taser and the second deputy punched him in the head
the deputies then told the two women to get out of the car and ms sherman pointed her finger at the two deputies pleading with them not to stun her son
mr sherman was stunned again and then he appeared to wrestle away control of the taser despite still being handcuffed
moments later an emergency medical technician who had arrived at the scene tried to help subdue mr sherman
ok im dead im dead mr sherman said as he was shoved to the floor and wedged between the front and back seats i quit i quit he could be heard saying
the medical technician pushed down on mr shermans body i got all the weight of the world on him now he could be heard saying before mr sherman was shocked again
but suddenly realizing that mr sherman was not breathing the deputy sheriffs and the medical technician pulled him out of the car and began performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation while his parents and ms galloway watched
there was no way for him to resist said the lawyer mr stewart for four minutes and 10 seconds after he said i quit they still tased him and kept him on the ground thats torture and they killed him
mr shermans death was initially investigated by the georgia bureau of investigation which made the evidence it collected available to the district attorney of coweta county peter j skandalakis
mr skandalakis said friday that his offices investigation into mr shermans death was continuing
i really havent formed a final opinion about it he said adding that his office had planned to release the video before the inquirys conclusion because of public interest in the case he said he hoped to meet eventually with the sherman family
in the meantime the deputies who responded to the familys request for help have not been suspended according to mr stewart and are still working


dhaka bangladesh   a doctor in western bangladesh was killed by machete wielding assailants as he rode to his clinic on friday morning the police said the most recent in a string of such attacks in the country
sanaur rahman a homeopathic doctor was on a motorcycle driven by a friend when three men on another motorcycle approached from behind striking him in the head with a machete and killing him instantly said proloy chisim the superintendent of the police in kushtia district where the attack took place
mr rahmans friend saifuzzaman who goes by one name was critically injured in the attack and sent to dhaka the capital for treatment mr chisim said mr saifuzzaman is a professor of bengali literature at the islamic university in kushtia
the assailants escaped after the killing and mr saifuzzaman told the police there had been no witnesses
the islamic state later claimed responsibility for the attack saying mr rahman had called to christianity according to the site intelligence group which monitors jihadist websites
the attack followed a pattern of similar killings in the country in the past two years accelerating in recent weeks many of the attacks are linked to islamic militants the assailants have targeted secular bloggers activists religious minorities and intellectuals
the islamic state has claimed some of the killings on social media accounts linked to them while others have been claimed by a faction of al qaeda the bangladeshi government has consistently denied the presence of foreign militants in the country
police officials speaking before site reported the islamic state claim said that they did not know what had motivated the attack on mr rahman and his friend and that an investigation had begun
another police official in the district joynul abedin said that mr rahman was a known enthusiast of the 19th century bengali poet and folk singer lalon whose songs promoted a secularist philosophy mr rahman often organized gatherings at his clinic where people would sing lalons songs mr abedin added though he said that he could not be sure this was the motivation for the attack


a staten island woman who supports senator bernie sanders said she received death threats after photos of her wearing a cap with the message america was never great were posted widely on social media
the woman krystal lake 22 said thursday that she had ordered the custom made hat online with the phrase a play on the slogan make america great again popularized by the campaign of donald j trump the presumptive republican presidential nominee
ms lake said she had gotten tired of hearing mr trumps slogan from his supporters and thought america was never great she said that mr trumps slogan did not make room for bigger aspirations beyond the past and that he was dismissive of groups that did not fit his ideal demographic
ms lake said the hat arrived on saturday and she wore it the next day to work at the home depot on forest avenue on staten island
she surmised that a photo of her wearing the hat had been taken by a customer but she did not specifically see anyone snap a picture and heard no complaints from customers co workers or managers describing sunday as just a regular day
that sense of normalcy was shattered on wednesday however at first she said she was unaware of how much attention she was getting but in short order ms lake said she was bombarded with negative comments including death threats on social media
they were actually threatening to kill me over a hat she said on thursday i couldnt believe it i was calling my best friend and i was like how is this happening its just a hat 
ms lake said she did not take the threats seriously attributing them to internet trolls
i think im hitting them with their own medicine she said of trump supporters my whole thing was i like being different
the angry reactions caught the attention of news agencies including the staten island advance a spokeswoman for the trump campaign did not respond to an email on thursday night
some people even called home depot to complain she said so many calls came in that workers stopped answering the phone ms lake said that she called in sick on thursday and that a manager had contacted her to ask about her well being
but she said she expected to be fired from her job which she has held for nearly two years
in a statement a home depot spokesman stephen holmes did not directly address ms lakes job status but said that the company did not allow employees to wear political buttons caps or t shirts regardless of the party affiliation or candidate he said any employees refusal to follow company policies could lead to termination
mr holmes said that the company respected the personal opinions and beliefs held by our associates and our customers but that the store was not an appropriate place for workers to promote or display personal opinions beliefs political and religious affiliations or any type of proselytizing
ms lake said she did hear from others who spoke in her defense
she said she was set to graduate in two weeks with a degree in media studies from the college of staten island and wanted to pursue a career in music radio social media or journalism she has already started looking for jobs in those fields
as for the custom made cap ms lake said she had ordered only one but planned to buy many more


london   citing cross border collaboration and european union funding for the arts nearly 300 british actors musicians and writers have urged britons to vote to stay in the european union in the referendum on june 23
writing an open letter published in the conservative daily telegraph and the left leaning guardian newspapers the signers argued that britain is not just stronger in europe it is more imaginative and more creative and our global creative success would be severely weakened by walking away
the letter signed by stars including keira knightley patrick stewart benedict cumberbatch jude law and helena bonham carter continued leaving europe would be a leap into the unknown for millions of people across the uk who work in the creative industries and for the millions more at home and abroad who benefit from the growth and vibrancy of britains cultural sector
the oscar winning director danny boyle and the british poet laureate carol ann duffy added their names as did the authors hilary mantel philip pullman and john le carre
the letter was immediately described as an intervention by the luvvies a satirical term borrowed from private eye magazine to describe britains self enamored stars the guardian columnist simon jenkins wrote who can possibly argue with 250 luvvies crying remain how can anyone reply when these gods cite everyone from the bard to bowie in their cause
but there is serious money at stake john sorrell the chairman of the creative industries federation said we benefit from a vast network of talented people companies and institutions across europe
mr sorrell said creative industries had contributed 84 billion pounds or about 122 billion to the british economy prime minister david cameron of britain who supports staying in the bloc has promoted the findings of a survey by the creative industries federation showing that 96 percent of its members wanted to remain in europe
john kampfner the chief executive of the federation said that brussels had provided seed funding to films like slumdog millionaire the iron lady and the kings speech
creative europe desk uk a european union liaison to arts funding in britain suggests that the bloc has made grants worth 40 million euros or about 45 million to british groups in the past two years for the european union as a whole creative europe said there is EUR146 billion available from 2014 20 to support european art projects and encourage skill sharing and development
many cross border collaborations to fund films and television programs are made easier by membership in the single market of the european union and it is easier for british artists to work in europe and vice versa
political interventions by stars are not always welcomed by voters in last years scottish referendum the harry potter author j k rowling met with significant hostility when she came out against scottish independence and helped finance the no campaign
michael caine the actor has come out in favor of britains leaving the union as has roger daltrey of the who


since dane peters retired three years ago as head of school at brooklyn heights montessori school in brooklyn he has fused a life of consulting volunteering and leisure time its my trifecta he said paid work giving back and relaxation i call it consulteering
like mr peters who is 68 a growing number of retirees are seeking a similar equilibrium my hunch is that well be seeing more of consulteering said dorian mintzer a retirement transition coach its a great way to fit work into life rather than trying to squeeze time for life into your work schedule
ms mintzers clients she said are intentional in figuring out whats next   realizing they benefit from some work structure and want to build social connection mental engagement and meaning into their life
even after stepping away from a full time job for many retirees work is still their primary identity its an important part of how they define themselves and they dont want to totally give it up ms mintzer said but they want to create their own hours and have time for other things that matter to them
the interest in consulteering   a word mr peters said he thought up on his own   is one sign among many that traditional retirement no longer satisfies as many older people as it once did a recent study from the employee benefit research institute found that fewer older americans say theyre having a great time during retirement
based on a 15 year period of data from the university of michigans health and retirement study the most comprehensive national survey of older americans the share of people reporting very satisfying retirements dropped significantly from just over 60 percent in 1998 to under 49 percent in 2012
staving off retirement blues takes preparation the first step for mr peters and his wife chris a retired teacher was to move closer to family they relocated to greenland nh to live near their son and daughter in law and their two young granddaughters ages 3 and 5
it wasnt a rash move they rented for a year we wanted to get a lay of the land and not disrupt our son and his familys life and at the same time find a place we could afford mr peters said
consulting allowed him to look for work from his new home i did not want to stop working altogether for my own sense of self and i wanted to stay in the game and support independent schools with my expertise in leadership and governance he said yet i didnt want to keep up the pace of a 70 hour workweek
to test the waters he accepted weekend consulting assignments before retiring there was a demand so now i pick and choose when i work   generally one job a month he said
after moving to greenland mr and mrs peters began volunteering together for an acting troupe called senior moments a nonprofit performance group the group writes its own plays and short skits and performs them throughout new hampshire at senior centers my wife and i are the young kids in the group mr peters said the guy who runs it is 84
to further engage in their interest in theater they usher at a local music hall and the seacoast repertory theater and sell concessions i make a lot of popcorn mr peters said
he also serves as a board member at a handful of small nonprofits
the third leg of the stool is family and leisure dane and chris peters care for their granddaughters two days a week before and after school this year they have already traveled to san miguel mexico and have booked an alaskan cruise and a biking and barge tour in france
to keep in shape for all of these activities mr peters says he typically cycles nine miles a day fitness is a big piece of retirement for me
what it all comes down to is balancing a life of leisure with a life of purpose mr peters said the biggest challenge is time management the management comes in how many gigs i will take on and how much volunteering we can realistically do
similarly ann seltz 66 who lives in rockville md keeps a tight rein on her paid work in retirement limiting it to an average of 25 hours a week so she has time for her volunteer work and other activities
ms seltz sings in a sweet adelines barbershop group that performs locally competes regionally and includes a regular exercise program of yoga walking and aqua fitness my mission is to keep moving and stay active mentally so i dont become some fat old woman with a cane ms seltz said you need to be intentional about taking care of yourself you have to plan how you want to spend these years you cant just drift
but the transition took time i loved my last full time job recalled ms seltz a former vice president of marketing it was a fast moving hard charging media company covering the residential design and construction field and there was always a new impossible challenge or revenue number to make
then it all fell apart roughly six years ago ms seltz was let go   a circumstance faced by many older workers i was expensive upper management in a collapsing residential construction world she recalled i was laid off one day given a pretty generous severance and sent on my way
a sizable 60 percent of retirees surveyed last year by the nonprofit transamerica center for retirement studies said they were pushed out of their jobs before age 65 largely for reasons out of their control according to catherine collinson president of tcrs
after bouncing around in a few short term positions ms seltz decided to set up her own shingle starting seltzsolutionscom a marketing consulting practice to land assignments she tapped flexprofessionals an employment agency in washington and boston that matches experienced professionals with part time employment her hourly rate was about a third of what it would have been for project management and marketing assignments at the top of her game she figured
for ms seltz lowering her wage bar wasnt a stumbling block ive come to see work as something that funds my real passion   volunteering she said in fact what kept me from falling into depression when my real career blew up was my volunteer work
not all retirees are willing to work for less than they feel theyre worth that is often a mistake they have unrealistic expectations for pay and responsibility especially for part time positions said gwenn rosener co founder of flexprofessionals
this stems from justified pride in their expertise but it significantly limits the landscape of positions that can meet those expectations she said moreover many semi retirees have a sense that the world is their oyster and that the second act is about pursuing a dream or trying something new she said
employers dont want to be part of an experiment said ms rosener who explained that uncertainty does not fly well with employers who are looking for commitment and focus if youre not certain what your second act is she said find ways to explore and test your ideas through volunteer work job shadowing and classes before pursuing real employment


some consumers who bought universal life insurance policies decades ago are now facing premium increases in the double digit percentages to maintain the policies the policyholders have limited options since finding affordable replacement policies would probably be difficult now that they are much older
the increases are drawing the attention of consumer advocates who are urging state insurance commissioners to verify that the increases are justified and some policyholders are taking the matter to court
lawyers with consumer watchdog an advocacy group based in california and firms specializing in insurance litigation filed suit in february on behalf of policyholders against the transamerica life insurance company which notified some universal life customers last year that their rates would rise an estimated 38 percent other policyholders say their increases are even higher
the policies in question are more complex than basic life insurance known as term insurance because it covers a specific period of time   typically 20 to 30 years term policyholders pay a fixed premium in exchange for a payout if they die during the term of the policy if the buyers outlive the term they receive no benefit the policies dont accrue any cash value
in contrast permanent policies including universal life insurance last for the holders life   or at least to an advanced age typically 85 or 90 in addition to a death benefit the policies include a savings component that accrues value over time premiums on the policies can vary over the duration of the policy
the policies became popular in the 1980s and 1990s when interest rates were higher the lawsuit says that transamerica is breaching the terms of the policies by sharply increasing its monthly deduction rate   the amount taken from policyholders accounts to cover premiums the cost of the policys death benefit and other expenses and fees   as a pretext to avoid paying the policyholders the interest rates agreed to when the policies were sold
the lawsuit asks the court to make transamerica reverse the increases pay damages to the policyholders and reinstate the policy of any consumer who surrendered the policy the suit filed in federal district court in los angeles seeks class action status
the policies the plaintiffs argue bar the company from recovering past losses by changing the monthly deduction rates
a transamerica spokesman gregory tucker said in an email that the increases were permissible under the policies in 2015 based on its expectations about future performance of certain universal life policies transamerica prospectively increased monthly rates of these older policies he said no policyholders are being charged more than the maximum rates specified in their policies he said
premiums are based on multiple factors he noted including interest mortality taxes and expenses associated with the policy
transamerica is in full compliance with its contractual obligations and intends to contest vigorously the recently filed litigation he said
mr tucker declined to estimate how many policies might be affected
in addition to transamerica consumer advocates say other companies have been notifying customers of large rate increases for universal life policies including the axa equitable life insurance company and voya financial
this year the consumer federation of america urged the national association of insurance commissioners made up of state officials to examine whether the increases were justified
it does not take much imagination to imagine that millions of ul policyholders will be adversely affected if insurers are free to raise their rate schedules james h hunt the consumer federations life insurance actuary wrote in a letter to the association
the insurance commissioners association indicated that it was monitoring the situation but it declined to comment on the letter
transamerica the lawsuit argues is trying to impermissibly shift to the policyholders its own independent obligation to make good on the interest rate guarantees in the policies
mr hunt the actuary noted that holders were eligible for the death benefit if they needed it so they did receive some value from the policies but they could have secured the same death benefit much more cheaply by buying term insurance
mary feller a freelance writer in san francisco and her husband gordon a technology and public policy consultant each bought universal life policies from transamerica in 1989 when they were in their 30s to provide financial security for their family and as a source of retirement income its represented as the best of both worlds ms feller now 62 said in a phone interview it has life insurance to protect your family and a nest egg when you choose to cash out
the monthly payments on the policies rose before she said but always in relatively small increments but now their payments have increased more than 40 percent ms feller said and she worries that future increases may also be quite large the couple is cutting back on spending for now to cover the higher payments she said but cannot do so indefinitely
the couple has other savings but they had hoped that the life insurance policy would cover four to six years of their retirement she said she and her husband age 57 will probably have to work longer to make up the money if they cant maintain their policies she said
its discouraging she said you think youre doing all the right things and it goes up in smoke the fellers are plaintiffs in the transamerica lawsuit
carolyn tanner of hot springs village ark who has submitted a declaration for the lawsuit as a potential member of the class action said she was told that the monthly payment for her husbands 250000 life insurance policy could nearly quadruple in coming years to almost 2900 her husband lloyd tanner bought the policy in 1992 he is now 78 and in poor health and they cant afford the increase she said we still do not understand how transamerica can do this she said
here are some questions and answers about universal life insurance policies
# what options do holders of these older universal life policies have
if policyholders dont pay the higher rate imposed by their insurer the higher deduction amount will eventually deplete the policys cash value account and the policy will lapse
or holders could surrender the policies and take whatever cash value remains thats not a great choice for some ms feller noted taxes would probably be owed on the cash for one thing and policyholders are now older and likely to have more health problems which would make qualifying for a new life insurance policy difficult if they still want a death benefit
# how can i check the status of my universal life insurance policy
mr hunt recommends that policyholders contact their life insurer and request a current illustration which shows the current cash value of the policy and projects how long the policy will last based on the current premium
# are there state regulators i can contact with concerns about my policy
a list of state insurance regulators is listed on the website of the national association of insurance commissioners


when donald j trumps cessna flew to montreal on may 4 it certainly was not for a campaign event instead the quick montreal trip was a bureaucratic barrel roll evading a monthlong wait   effectively cutting a line of other airplane owners   to be allowed to fly the plane again
the plane had been grounded in april by the federal aviation administration for having an expired registration forcing mr trump to use his much larger boeing 757 during one of the final weeks of the republican nominating fight
mr trumps cessna citation x landed a little after 11 am at trudeau airport in montreal on may 4 less than 20 minutes later according to air traffic control communications the plane was preparing to take off again and less than 20 minutes after that it was in the air headed back to connecticut
the trip to montreal followed a slew of paperwork that was filed april 22 that day the plane was sold by a trump controlled company to another dt endeavor i llc which promptly registered its newly acquired airplane with the government
that second corporation was created in mid january before the cessnas registration expired its underlying assets are listed only as aircraft on mr trumps most recent financial statement its name generic and in keeping with mr trumps usual naming convention for his companies suggests it may have been lying idle until some purpose was found for it
along with the paperwork for the sale mr trump filed a declaration of international operations requesting expedited registration in support of the international flight scheduled for may 4 to montreal which is the closest canadian international airport to the new york area
the international flight prompted speedier processing for the planes registration with the new owner if a planes registration expires the owner has to wait in line to re register it a process that can take months when a plane is sold the new owner also has to wait for the planes new registration certificate but the faa lets new plane owners   like mr trumps second llc   jump ahead of this line if they plan to take the new plane on an international trip
mr trump was taking advantage of a bureaucratic maneuver that is not readily available the faa does not advertise the technique on its website
mr trumps campaign did not respond to a request for comment
the planes registration had expired at the beginning of february nevertheless mr trump continued to use it to fly to many of his campaign events until the faa ordered it grounded after the new york times revealed the paperwork problem
so a plan was made to fly to montreal as a result the same day as the paperwork was filed the faa granted mr trumps plane a temporary certificate of registration clearing it to fly again


for the first time in weeks the most significant news story dominating the cable networks on thursday was unrelated to the presidential campaign the disappearance of egyptair flight 804
but hillary clinton broke through the cable din for an interview on cnn a day after donald j trump the presumptive republican presidential nominee used the word rape to conjure old accusations made against her husband
mrs clinton made clear she was not going to join that battle instead she said voters want to know what the candidates will do for their futures a bit of a riff on one of her husbands lines from his 1992 presidential campaign when his infidelities were raised about his rivals wanting to focus on the past
mrs clinton also made her most vocal case against mr trump saying he is unqualified for the oval office and declared her democratic primary race against senator bernie sanders of vermont all but settled
the former secretary of state is not prone to the staccato style series of phone and sit down interviews that mr trump favors and she has a long way to go to frame a message against him between now and november whether the interview signals a new approach remains to be seen
as for mr trump he stayed off the campaign trail on thursday although he promoted paul j manafort to chief strategist the highest position one can hold on a campaign on friday mr trump will be in kentucky appearing at a national rifle association conference


copenhagen   the artist olafur eliasson explores the relationship between humans and their environments through visual spectacles that are as elemental in material   water light soil   as they are grand in effect
in 2003 mr eliasson transformed turbine hall at tate modern in london into a makeshift solarium he built waterfalls on industrial scaffolding in the east river in new york city in 2008 and for the cop 21 climate conference in paris last fall he left 12 blocks of a greenlandic glacier to melt in front of the pantheon
for his next installation mr eliasson has turned to the chateau de versailles outside of paris and its majestic gardens the 49 year old mr eliasson who was born in denmark to icelandic parents is the 10th contemporary artist invited to create a site specific exhibition on the 17th century palace since 2008
at versailles people tend to think only about king louis xiv but it is actually the ground from which our modern idea of democracy grew   ideas of unity freedom of speech freedom of thinking mr eliasson said over coffee in his studio in copenhagen this week
rather than encouraging visitors to experience versailles as a commercial historically objectifying vestige of the past mr eliasson said he would like his work to provoke a more active kind of visit versailles has not been standing still since the french revolution he said it has been going through all the significant phases of history like the rest of us
although mr eliasson is still working out the details of his show which runs from june 7 through november 2016 he described a series of sculptures and installations both inside the palace and outside it a mock up for one work was to be tested this week at versailles and then we will know if it will happen or not he said
the museums boutique will also be selling his solar powered little sun lamps and phone chargers so i can make every person a little sun king the roi du soleil of the common man he said
a triptych of works in the gardens will feature water in its three physical states to celebrate the ephemeral dematerialized state of things mr eliasson said in the central great canal a towering waterfall will cascade from a yellow construction crane
two circular groves letoile and la colonnade will present water as a gas and a solid in letoile a ring of nozzles 16 feet high will produce a halo of mist that responds to the weather refracting the sun on bright days and disappearing with the wind
the fountain in la colonnade will be filled with moraine granite that was ground to a fine silt by glaciers in the last ice age also an effective fertilizer mr eliasson said it offers an abstract commentary on the gardens role as a symbol of the kings fertility the idea of fertility at the expense of our society
i was very curious about the gardens as a way for the king to exercise the illusion of power and to stabilize the idea of his own hierarchical position to the point that he could make nature work according to his wishes he said and while i dont think its necessarily healthy to totally deconstruct this amazing garden you might say i wanted to nudge the castle a little bit
inside the chateau five works will be integrated into the architecture in subtle ways producing disorienting reflections of space some will be mirrored mr eliasson said not exactly a kaleidoscope but something like that
the great legacy of the baroque was that it was not ashamed of trying to influence people mr eliasson said it had absolutely no problem being highly manipulative and thats what makes it comfortable
my work can also be baroque in a way he added because the spectacle is still present even though its done with very little
one of the works the gaze of versailles two eyeball size golden spheres that will extend into the viewers space from the wall on brass stalks has not yet found a precise location he said but it will resonate with the subconscious of the castle
the luxury for me in a project like versailles is that i will see these pieces there for the first time on opening day mr eliasson said you the visitor and me the artist will stand in front of my work and go oh thats how it looks 


members of congress have been complaining for years that the annual process of funding the government through 12 separate appropriations bills is badly broken now that republican leaders are trying to restart the process by putting the spending bills on the floor some lawmakers might prefer to return to the broken model
the past few days on capitol hill have been a vivid reminder that a wide open floor fight with dozens of politically charged amendments on bills can cause uncomfortable moments for lawmakers who have grown accustomed to dodging difficult votes
case in point republican leaders allowed a vote on an amendment by representative jared huffman democrat of california to prohibit the display of confederate flags in national veteran cemeteries the confederate battle flag a symbol of hate and opposition to the united states of america has no place no place on government property mr huffman said no one spoke publicly against his amendment which passed on a 265 159 vote
top republican leaders such as speaker paul d ryan of wisconsin and kevin mccarthy of california the majority leader sided with the democrats just one democrat representative sanford d bishop jr of georgia joined 158 republicans many from the south in opposition
the flag amendment proved so problematic last year that john a boehner then the house speaker pretty much shut down the appropriations process rather than face the vote but mr ryan said lawmakers needed to brace for more challenging votes in the weeks to come
we have to get through these things mr ryan told reporters people are going to have to take tough votes and i think people are acknowledging this


hanoi vietnam   by the time president obama arrives here sunday night all day voting in tightly controlled elections for members of the rubber stamp parliament will have just finished
in this communist ruled nation the names that were not allowed to appear on the ballots tell more of a story than the 870 scrupulously vetted candidates permitted to compete for 500 seats
nearly two dozen activists registered to run as pro democracy independent candidates this year the government first allowed independent candidates to run in 2002 but this was the first year so many activists tried
after enduring harassment and denunciations orchestrated by the communist party all of them were forced out during a pre selection process
among those who ran unsuccessful campaigns for office were mai khoi 32 a popular singer songwriter known as the lady gaga of vietnam and nguyen quang a 69 a former member of the communist party businessman and founder of the civil society forum
even a trusted member of the governing elite the former deputy head of state controlled vietnam national television tran dang tuan did not pass the vetting committees run by communist party stalwarts
on paper vietnams constitution allows any citizen to run as a candidate but in reality the country remains a one party state with people allowed to vote only for the candidates handpicked by the party we want to change the fake right to participate in the elections into a real right mr quang a said
mr obamas three day visit also comes in the midst of mounting public anger over tons of dead fish that washed up on the shores of central vietnam close to a newly opened steel plant the police have quashed demonstrations in hanoi and ho chi minh city against the taiwan owned plant in the last month and hundreds of protesters have been detained organizers said
last sunday leaders of the protests in both cities were blocked from leaving their homes by security guards posted outside and more than 300 police officers watched 10 protesters hold banners on a street in hanoi before arresting them
vietnam remains one of the most repressive states in asia and while the obama administration has called for the release of political prisoners and criticized the election process as neither free nor fair washington is walking a delicate line
the administration wants to coax vietnam toward a stronger military relationship with the united states as both countries see a confluence of interests in keeping china at bay but vietnams new communist party hierarchy in place for just a few months seems more ideologically conservative and suspicious of american intentions
human rights watch has urged the united states and other western countries to use their economic leverage to press for democratic overhauls vietnams donors who regularly call for free and fair elections in countries such as burma and cambodia should publicly call for pluralistic elections in vietnam and an end to one party rule the group said
those activists who tried to participate in the nominating process faced a gantlet of procedures organized by a party group the fatherland front an independent journalist pham doan trang wrote in a report in all there were 162 so called independent candidates but only about two dozen were activists and none made it onto the ballot ms trang said
almost all the people selected by the front to participate in the vetting meetings were older loyal party members she said
in ms mai khois constituency most of the party members involved in vetting were about 60 the singer wrote on her facebook page in the end she was rejected she said because of her youth
some candidates also faced intimidation a month before the party called the meeting in mr quang as neighborhood to select the candidates party propagandists made a video in which his neighbors were asked to denounce him in the video shown on a state run website he was called a reactionary aligned with foreign forces he said
a few days before the selection meeting in march he was detained for six hours at a police station he said
when he appeared at the meeting called a voters conference all 75 selectors were members of the communist party veterans groups or the fatherland front he said i thanked them for gathering even though i didnt agree with the process mr quang a said
intimidation from the security forces frightened some of the independent candidates when a western ambassador asked some of the candidates to come to his residence only mr quang a the most experienced dared to turn up a diplomat who arranged the invitation said
the next election for the general assembly is not for another five years after she was rejected as a candidate the police closed down a concert planned by ms mai khoi she has told supporters she is not sure what she will do next
but mr quang a says he will continue to press forward in what he calls a difficult but bright journey he is not depending on support from the united states he said they have many interests here he said political and human rights is just one


tokyo   japanese officials protested to the united states on friday after the police arrested a man identified as a former american marine in connection with the killing of a woman on the island of okinawa
i am extremely upset i have no words prime minister shinzo abe told reporters at his residence on friday morning i demand that the united states take strict measures to prevent something like this from happening again
the suspect was identified by the okinawa police as kenneth franklin shinzato 32 he was arrested thursday after he admitted strangling a 20 year old woman rina shimabukuro and dumping her body in a weeded area near her home in the town of uruma according to news reports
the reports were based on background briefings by the police and prosecutors and could not be independently verified
ms shimabukuro was reported missing on april 29 her boyfriend told the police she had disappeared the previous night after texting him to say she was going for a walk the news reports said
crimes committed by americans have long been a source of friction on okinawa a small southern island that hosts about half of the roughly 50000 united states military personnel stationed in japan
the most notorious episode the rape of a 12 year old schoolgirl by three american servicemen in 1995 set off mass protests against the united states military presence
the latest episode comes just a week before president obama is scheduled to travel to japan for a meeting of leaders from the group of 7 leading industrialized countries the trip is already politically sensitive because mr obama plans to visit hiroshima site of the united states nuclear bombing at the end of world war ii he will be the first sitting american president to do so
japans foreign minister fumio kishida summoned ambassador caroline kennedy on friday to protest the killing on okinawa which he called an extremely cruel and atrocious crime okinawas governor takeshi onaga who has campaigned to reduce the american military presence on the island told reporters on thursday night that the crime had left him speechless
this incident has occurred precisely because the base is there mr onaga was quoted by the local news media as saying i dont know what to do with this anger
mr shinzato is no longer a marine but is employed in a civilian role at kadena air base a united states air force facility on okinawa the police said he was questioned by the police after his car was spotted on security camera footage taken near the area where ms shimabukuro is believed to have disappeared news reports said
dna matching ms shimabukuros was found in the car according to the reports
mr shinzato was arrested on suspicion of illegally disposing of a body a common early step in murder investigations in japan the police can hold suspects for several weeks before pressing formal charges


cairo   a piece of luggage adrift in the mediterranean sea floating nearby a passenger seat from a plane scraps of metal scattered personal belongings and finally the grim discovery of human remains
as the investigation continued friday into what caused an egyptair flight from paris to cairo to suddenly and violently plunge from the sky the discovery of the debris allowed search crews to home in on the location of the crash   an area about 180 miles north of alexandria egypt   even as its cause remained a mystery and the subject of intense speculation
data that was transmitted from the aircraft to operators on the ground published friday by a respected aviation journal revealed a rapid loss of control with alarms and computer system failures in the seconds before the plane was lost from radar
the transmissions are evidence of a catastrophic failure but do not answer the crucial question what caused it why would a plane with a good safety record and experienced pilots fall from the sky on a clear spring night
no bulk wreckage has been found and the parts of the aircraft most likely to provide clues for investigators   including the voice and data recorders   are also the ones most likely to quickly sink to the seafloor
an egyptian official has said that investigators consider terrorism to be one possible cause of the disaster but no terrorist group has claimed responsibility officials cautioned that there was no direct evidence to suggest a bomb aboard the plane or any other deliberate act of sabotage
the plane a twin engine airbus a320 jet went down thursday while flying through a cloudless night sky en route to cairo from paris
the hellenic civil aviation authority provided what a spokesman called a definitive timeline on the disaster the agency reported that the flight was proceeding normally at 148 am cairo time on thursday when greek traffic controllers last spoke with the pilot who seemed in good spirits
at 227 am when the plane was passing from greek to egyptian supervised airspace the controllers in athens tried and failed repeatedly to reach the pilots by radio even attempts on an emergency frequency failed
at the same time technical data was being transmitted from the plane automatically through its aircraft communications addressing and reporting system or acars which modern jetliners use to provide status updates to maintenance and operational centers on the ground
representatives of airbus and the federal aviation administration said they could not confirm the authenticity of the technical signals dina el fouly a spokeswoman for egyptair declined to comment on the apparently leaked data
we cannot say anything because we have already launched a committee to investigate the crash she said it hasnt told us anything until now
the data first reported on avheraldcom is written tersely in abbreviations and codes robert w mann a former airline executive and an industry analyst said the jargon in the messages told a compelling although incomplete story
at 226 am a message indicated that the right cockpit window had been opened this could have been done to vent smoke mr mann said or something else could have caused the breach
over the next two minutes there were two smoke indications one in a bathroom and another in the avionics bay the part of the plane where much of its electronic equipment is housed
mr mann cautioned that these messages did not necessarily mean that there was a fire the messages could also have been prompted by rapid decompression of the aircraft which can produce condensation that the planes sensors could mistake for smoke
finally at 229 there were two more alerts having to do with the planes flight control computer systems
the last two are troubling mr mann said you are starting to really see things rapidly degrade
first there was a problem with the autoflight control computer the jet would have been flying near its maximum speed and elevation at that time that is the most efficient way for jetliners to fly and it is safe but pilots prefer to rely on autopilot systems in those conditions because if they were to ever lose control of the plane it could be hard to regain mr mann said that is why pilots sometimes call those conditions the coffin corner
the last message had to do with the spoiler elevator controller which essentially controls the flaps responsible for pitch and roll control the computer controlling these failed as well
it looks to me like you have a progressive flight control system failure mr mann said it is over the course of two minutes which might have seemed like an eternity on that plane but is relatively fast
this is also the moment that the plane left greek airspace and at 22940 am greek controllers lost the aircrafts trace just inside egyptian airspace about halfway between crete and egypt
around this time the plane made a 90 degree turn to the left and then a full circle to the right dropping precipitously to 15000 feet from 37000 and then plunging again to 9000 feet before it disappeared from radar
the crew never gave any indication of a technical problem or other difficulties on board even during the final fatal minutes when the plane itself was transmitting data indicating a catastrophic failure
one former crash investigator said that radar evidence pointing to a series of sharp maneuvers in the moments before radar contact was lost suggested that the plane was almost certainly not under the control of the pilots
whatever upset the airbus was so sudden and violent that it could not be compensated for by the planes automated safety systems
in my mind this basically opens two axes of possibility either a sudden technical problem or some kind of illicit or terrorist act said the expert alain bouillard a former chief investigator for the french bureau of investigations and analyses
given the limited amount of evidence available so far experts said it was difficult to say with any certainty what kind of technical failure could have brought the plane down
one possibility mr bouillard said might be a malfunction in the planes cabin pressurization systems that could have caused the fuselage to rupture at high altitude such a rupture could be potentially catastrophic if the crew was unable to initiate a controlled descent to a lower altitude and make an emergency landing
if the inquiry fails to uncover strong evidence of a technical problem experts said the possibility of a more sinister chain of events would most likely take prominence but given the circumstances of this accident particularly in the absence of a claim of responsibility by a terrorist group or intelligence pointing to a perpetrator it could take months to prove with any certainty that it was a terrorist act
an initial review of the passengers aboard against american terrorist watch lists have found no matches according to representative adam b schiff of california the senior democrat on the house intelligence committee who has received several briefings on the investigation
the islamic state considered the most likely group behind the attack is normally quick to announce its role as it did last fall after the crash of a russian flight over egypts sinai desert
its important to note that attribution in the theater of terrorism is crucial said michael s smith ii a managing partner of kronos advisory a firm specializing in terrorism research
what may be most valuable to investigators   and perhaps far more difficult to recover   is material that would have quickly sunk to the seafloor
if that debris is scattered over a wide area and the pieces are relatively small it would suggest that the plane broke up in the air   supporting the theory of an onboard explosion however if the debris field is concentrated in a relatively small area that would indicate that the aircraft hit the surface of the water largely intact
the planes two data recorders or black boxes if they can be recovered would also provide important clues
the shock wave of an onboard explosion for example may have been captured by the microphones of the cockpit voice recorder experts said such a blast would also instantly disable the flight data recorder in the event of a technical failure mr bouillard said the data recorder   which tracks information including the planes position speed altitude and direction   would normally continue to function until the moment of impact
officials could also not rule out that one of the pilots intentionally brought down the plane
the flight track of the airbus on thursday indicated that it crashed halfway between crete and egypt which could mean it landed on what scientists refer to as the mediterranean ridge
the ridge has been pushed upward by the african plate of the earths crust sliding under the aegean sea deforming and crumbling the seafloor said william bf ryan a scientist at the lamont doherty earth observatory at columbia university who has studied the mediterranean seafloor
the water there is about 15 miles deep and picking out wreckage at the bottom from among the bumps which are perhaps 50 to 100 feet in size could be complex he said
if the plane crashed farther to the south the wreckage would lie on a smoother plain at a depth between 17 and 2 miles dr ryan said in that case the search would go faster   and the much desired answer to what caused the crash could come quicker


taipei   taiwans new president called on china to look beyond the divisions of history for the benefit of people on both sides of the taiwan strait as she pledged in her inauguration speech on friday to promote local industry and push the islands global trade links to help revive a stagnant economy
but president tsai ing wens call got a cool reception from the islands powerful neighbor even before she took office beijing had begun putting pressure on taiwans new leader who is more skeptical of ties with china than her predecessor was
ms tsai who was elected by a large margin in january is taiwans first female president a former law professor and trade negotiator she won top office without the benefit of a politically powerful male relative unlike most of asias other female leaders
her inauguration speech was closely watched around the region particularly in beijing for signs of how she will lead and her stance on relations with china
ms tsai offered few surprises in her address outside taiwans presidential office in central taipei she emphasized domestic issues like the need to change taiwans pension education and judicial systems provide better job opportunities for young people protect the environment and ensure food safety
the people elected a new president and new government with one single expectation solving problems she said
in discussing the relationship with china she steered a cautious line between the demands of her base in the democratic progressive party which has traditionally supported taiwans independence and chinas longstanding threats of force to block any move to formalize such a position
chinese officials have indicated that they want ms tsai to accept the so called 1992 consensus that taiwan and the mainland are part of one china each side with its own interpretation of what that means that understanding formed the basis of the warming ties between the kuomintang or nationalist party in taiwan and the chinese communist party over the past eight years
ms tsai acknowledged the history of discussions between the two sides on friday though she stopped short of endorsing the consensus
the 1992 meetings between unofficial representatives of the two sides were done in a spirit of mutual understanding and a political attitude of seeking common ground while setting aside differences she said i respect this historical fact
the foundations of cross strait relations she said are the 1992 talks and the 20 years of negotiations that followed the constitutional system of the republic of china taiwans official name and the islands democratic principles
the two governing parties across the strait must set aside the baggage of history and engage in positive dialogue for the benefit of the people on both sides she said
in a lengthy statement released friday afternoon by xinhua chinas official news agency the countrys taiwan affairs office noted ms tsais comments but said she did not go far enough the statement said the taiwan authorities new leader had adopted a vague attitude and didnt clearly acknowledge the 92 consensus
it called her remarks an incomplete examination paper
ms tsai has pledged to maintain the cross strait status quo but she is expected to take a much warier approach to relations with china than did her predecessor ma ying jeou of the nationalist party
under mr ma trade and contacts with china expanded but voters in taiwan grew concerned about the mainlands growing influence over the island that contributed to the defeat of the presidential candidate from mr mas nationalist party and its loss of control of the legislature
taiwan has been separately governed since 1949 when chiang kai shek fled to the island after his nationalist forces lost chinas civil war to maos communists mainland china claims taiwan as part of its territory and says they must eventually be unified
the taiwan strait has been a tinderbox at times over the past half century but the last eight years saw a period of detente as mr ma promoted deepening ties between the two sides still the pentagon warned last week that chinas military capabilities have grown dramatically and that its defense budget is now about 10 times that of taiwans
since ms tsais election china has taken steps indicating that it would take a much more aggressive approach to her government and renew its challenges to taiwans limited international recognition taiwan is recognized by 22 states including the vatican
dozens of telecommunications fraud suspects from taiwan were deported from kenya and malaysia to china eliciting protests from officials in taiwan china has also resumed relations with gambia a small state in africa that had previously recognized taiwans government
in another development that was seen here as resulting from chinese pressure taiwans invitation to participate as an observer in the world health organizations annual assembly first extended during mr mas initial term came this year with an explicit reference to the principle that taiwan and mainland china are part of one china a spokesman for ms tsais government said it would participate in the event in the interest of public health though it does not accept the one china principle and said the who was mistaken to mention it
just days before the inauguration chinas military conducted large scale drills on the mainlands southeastern coast near taiwan while chinas defense ministry said the exercises had no particular objective in taiwan they were widely considered another signal to the incoming government
and finally visits by tourists from the mainland dropped 10 percent in march from the previous month raising concerns that china was beginning to wield its vast economic clout to punish taiwan
many observers expect cross strait ties to deteriorate during ms tsais tenure but they note that both china and taiwan face slowing economies and other domestic issues giving them incentives to avoid serious damage to their relationship
i think were going to have sort of a cold peace for a while said bonnie s glaser a senior adviser for asia at the center for strategic and international studies in washington
the inauguration ceremony on friday was filled with evocations of the long road to democracy in taiwan which first directly elected its president just 20 years ago performances included depictions of an infamous 1947 massacre of civilians by government forces as well as recent student led protests
once again the people of taiwan have shown the world through our actions that we as a free and democratic people are committed to the defense of our freedom and democracy as a way of life ms tsai said
ms tsai said she would establish a truth and reconciliation commission in the presidential office to examine the legacies of taiwans authoritarian era she also said the new government would take an apologetic attitude in dealing with the concerns of taiwans indigenous peoples
but ms tsais priority will be bolstering taiwans economy which has contracted for three consecutive quarters exports have fallen for 15 straight months
she cited her campaign pledge to focus on developing the biotech green technology advanced manufacturing and defense industries she also said she would push for taiwan to join trade blocs including the regional comprehensive economic partnership and the trans pacific partnership
but the washington led tpp which already faces growing skepticism in the united states congress also has obstacles in taiwan taiwan bans american pork from pigs treated with the veterinary drug ractopamine and many legislators here do not support dropping that restriction to meet the trade deals requirements
china could also try to keep taiwan out of regional trade agreements beijing was willing to look the other way under ma but not under tsai sean king a senior vice president at park strategies a consulting firm based in new york said in an email
but ms glaser of the center for strategic and international studies said further efforts to challenge the new government would probably harm chinas long term goal of courting the people of taiwan with an eye toward eventual reunification
the chinese seem to believe they can pursue a harsh policy towards the government here and continue to woo the hearts and minds of the people that somehow they could have two different policies ms glaser said i think they really believe that and to me thats complete nonsense


so far donald j trump has said very little about climate change and energy policy beyond his twitter posts on the issues
he has called global warming a hoax for example and claimed that the chinese fabricated climate change just a joke he later said and in an interview this week with reuters he said that he was not a big fan of the paris climate accord and that at a minimum i will be renegotiating those agreements
but more clues about mr trumps views on environmental issues emerged this week from a four page briefing on energy policy prepared for the presumptive republican nominee by representative kevin cramer republican of north dakota and an early supporter of mr trump
mr cramer who defines himself as a climate change skeptic discussed in his briefing paper a variety of government regulations that mr trump might do away with if he were president
they included the obama administrations clean power plan currently pending in the courts as well as a federal rule intended to protect waterways and wetlands and a regulation setting standards for methane emissions that the environmental protection agency completed last week
in an interview mr cramer said he wrote in the briefing paper that a growing number of americans wanted action to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels and he outlined a broad energy policy that embraced all types of fuel sources   including coal oil solar wind and hydropower   that he called an all of the above america first energy message mr cramer from a heavy coal  and oil producing state said it was important that any policy does not punish coal or other fossil fuels
mr trump may soon share more of his views his press secretary hope hicks said that the campaign will have more to say on the topic soon he is scheduled to speak at an oil conference in north dakota on thursday
whenever mr trump does fill in more details on the topic he will have eager audiences both inside and outside his political party
republican leaders worry that mr trumps views his climate denying twitter messages notwithstanding could end up somewhere left of the partys mainstream
i think there is concern about where he stands because he hasnt come out strongly one way or another said a republican aide who insisted on anonymity because she was not authorized to speak publicly about the matter
environmental groups for their part have seized on each new scrap of information to warn of disastrous consequences should mr trump be elected
trump and cramer are two peas in the climate denial pod who would make reckless attacks on the progress we have made in the fight against climate change seth stein a spokesman for the league of conservation voters said in response to news reports thursday afternoon about mr cramers briefing paper
if mr trump were to acknowledge the reality of climate change that might provide some republican politicians with political cover to do so as well
since 2010 when a republican member of congress bob inglis lost his re election bid after saying he would favor a carbon tax many in the party have regarded any mention of climate change as the equivalent of political suicide mr inglis has since focused on persuading conservatives to be less averse to addressing climate change and started a nonprofit group the enterprise and energy initiative focusing on conservative responses to the problem
yet polls have repeatedly found that a majority of republican voters particularly young ones believe that climate change is real and that the government should take action to reduce carbon dioxide emissions
anthony leiserowitz director of the yale program on climate change communication said that a nationally representative survey of 1004 registered voters conducted in march in conjunction with george mason university found that 56 percent of trump voters agreed that climate change was occurring just over half of them however thought those changes were caused by natural changes in the environment rather than the result of human generated emissions
the number of americans over all who say climate change is real has risen to 73 percent from 66 percent two years ago according to the yalegeorge mason poll but the jump among those who believe in global warming was steepest among republicans with a 16 percent increase in two years among all republicans and a 19 percent increase among conservative republicans
jay faison a north carolina businessman who describes himself as a conservative republican said that denying climate change was the no 1 peel away issue that could pull voters away from supporting a candidate according to research conducted by clearpath the organization he founded to promote clean energy and climate change policies that could appeal to conservatives
mr faison who has said he will devote 10 million to persuading republican candidates to address climate change said that a platform that emphasized clean energy solutions could make a difference of 1 or even 2 percent in close elections   which decides a whole lot of elections
like many on both sides of the political aisle mr faison said he had no idea what mr trumps views on climate change might be but he noted that the candidate once said in an interview that he believed in immaculate air
if you believe in air pollution then perhaps we could get to the same place mr faison said if we have cleaner energy solutions and it brings more energy independence more jobs and lower air pollution then we would do these things even if we dont agree with scientists on climate change
it is a view that echoes those expressed by mr cramer who in the past has said he would support a small carbon tax if the revenue went to research on clean fuel technologies
there is no downside in reducing emissions from fuel said mr cramer who added that the climate is clearly changing but that he was skeptical about how much humans were contributing to the change and about the regulatory solutions offered by democrats
climate change has long been far down on the list of issues that voters say are important to them developing clean energy was ranked no 21 of 23 issues by trump supporters in the yalegeorge mason survey
but jerry taylor the president of the niskanen center in washington a libertarian think tank said that the importance of issues in voters minds might change during an electoral campaign if a candidate talked about them repeatedly
mr taylor said that if mr trump continued to deny the existence of climate change hillary clinton could use that to claim that republicans were anti science and out of touch with reality
climate contributes significantly to the poor branding of the republican party he said adding that just because an issue was a low priority to voters doesnt mean it cant be used to devastating effect against you


what in the world offers you glimpses of what our journalists are observing around the globe let us know what you thinkwhatintheworldnytimescom
if you google the words green smoothie you will be inundated with recipes for the perfect healthy shake you might have to look a little farther for the elixir popular in peru and bolivia which relies not on leafy greens but on the endangered titicaca water frog
while the american green smoothie is promoted as the fastest way to get your veggies its andean counterpart is considered a cure for an array of ailments including anemia fever tuberculosis typhus and even female infertility
today peruvians and bolivians of all ages regularly go to the feria a weekend market to drink the smoothie which is prepared a la minute according to arturo munoz the project coordinator of the bolivian amphibian initiative you can also find the drink in shops in lima and arequipa perus largest cities most days of the week
if you would rather make the shake heres how
1 head to lake titicaca and catch a frog
2 lop off the frogs head skin it and toss the body into a blender the less adventurous can boil it first
3 add brown sugar honey and carrots to taste
4 if you wish to distract further from the main ingredient try a little quinoa which will turn the light green blend to brown
5 and if in need of an aphrodisiac add maca root
both peru and bolivia have passed laws prohibiting this process because of the frogs critically endangered status animal rights advocates have also questioned whether the frog smoothie is a remedy for any of the aforementioned ailments there appears to be no scientific evidence supporting the claims
but there are many cases where local folk knowledge ends up working out said ben orlove an anthropologist at columbia university who has spent much of his career studying lake titicaca he added that misguided development projects upstream presented a far bigger threat to the frogs than the smoothie craze
indeed mr munoz who monitors the frog population said that when he scoured more than 100 square miles of the lake in january not a single one could be found


hundreds of millions of dollars that republican groups had been poised to spend in the 2016 presidential election are now increasingly likely to move into senate and house races as many big donors look to distance themselves from the partys presumptive nominee donald j trump
these groups and their democratic counterparts have already spent more than 25 million on advertising in senate general election races alone according to kantar mediacmag significantly outpacing both the 2014 and 2012 campaigns in outside spending and more than 134 million in advertising for senate races alone has been reserved by groups for the general election
theres at least uncertainty about what the impact of trumps candidacy would be down ticket and theres also a sense that investing in the senate is an important defensive play said steven j law the president of american crossroads a republican super pac that was one of the biggest spenders in the 2012 campaign its an insurance policy against whatever might happen at the presidential level keeping in check the potential for a president clinton or keeping in check whatever a trump presidency might mean
mr law added that many of the donors to his group which was founded by karl rove the republican strategist are still eager to play a role in the 2016 election but do not necessarily feel comfortable yet supporting mr trump
a lot of our donors were investors in either campaigns or super pac activity on behalf of specific presidential candidates who are no longer in the race and that investment opportunity has been taken away he said
crossroads which in early 2015 created a new group devoted solely to protecting the republican senate majority is in a wait and see crouch with officials saying that they currently have no plans to buttress mr trumps candidacy and that they expect the senate contests to remain the focus
and the vast political network of charles g and david h koch the billionaire brothers who have provided critical support for conservative causes which early last year pledged to spend nearly hundreds of millions of dollars on the 2016 election has spent money only on senate races so far its three most prominent groups   freedom partners action fund americans for prosperity and concerned veterans for america   have already invested 124 million in five different states
the koch network announced on tuesday that it had reserved an additional 30 million in digital and broadcast advertisements in crucial senate swing states for september alone
and republican groups that spent more than 25 million trying to stop mr trumps march to the nomination are also directing their funds elsewhere the club for growth which ran a series of negative ads against mr trump has been spending aggressively in senate and house races in georgia indiana north carolina and pennsylvania among other states the group is frequently a target of criticism in the stump speeches of mr trump who calls its members crooked as hell
larry mccarthy a republican ad maker who worked for both right to rise the group that supported jeb bush and our principles pac an anti trump group said he expected that as money from donors slows to a trickle for the stop trump movement those donors who might be reluctant to flip and support the candidate will turn to the places where they think their money will have an impact
if the traditional gop donors and financial infrastructure is not enthusiastic about the presidential race then they will circle the wagons around the senate mr mccarthy said
he noted the tightrope that the republican senatorial candidates can expect to walk with mr trump at the top of the ticket saying that most of the ads for them will feature copy lines of independence and delivering for their home state 
the investment by outside groups which was expected to be used primarily in swing states once thought to be competitive is being deployed to some states where republican incumbents now find themselves in increasingly tough races this month the cook political report shifted its projections in 13 states almost all in favor of democrats
wisconsin where senator ron johnson is seeking a second term was among those states moving from toss up to lean democratic around the same time freedom partners action fund part of the koch network aired an ad attacking his opponent former senator russ feingold over problems at a local veterans affairs hospital that he was accused of ignoring a claim his campaign has denied the group is putting 2 million behind the ad
the ad followed a 12 million campaign by americans for prosperity another koch aligned group in march the democratic senatorial campaign committee has reserved 2 million for wisconsin in the fall and could spend more
in new hampshire senator kelly ayotte locked in a tight race with gov maggie hassan has received support from 10 different republican groups who combined have given about 58 million nearly double what democratic groups have spent on the race
but democratic groups are also poised to spend a lot more the democratic senatorial campaign committees independent expenditure arm has nearly 50 million in advertising reservations for both digital and broadcast ads senate majority pac which supports democratic candidates also has reserved 75 million in new hampshire 95 million in ohio and 85 million in nevada
mel immergut a prolific fund raiser for mr bushs 2016 campaign said he was watching the presidential race closely but focusing his energy on the senate especially the races of ms ayotte and senator rob portman of ohio
i am getting very interested in a number of senate contests because i think no matter what happens in the presidential election its going to be crucial for the republican party to keep control of the senate mr immergut said if donald trump wins the white house obviously having republican control of the senate with a new president is important and thats even more the case if hillary clinton were to win
to help republican candidates navigate the fine line they may have to walk ad targeting firms are looking for ways to reach voters they had not sought before hillary republicans and trump democrats split ticket voters who could help republicans win down ballot contests
deep root analytics a republican data firm specializing in television advertising has been experimenting with models built around the type of voters who might support mrs clinton at the top of the ballot because they could not bring themselves to vote for mr trump but who would vote republican the rest of the way or those democrats drawn to mr trump rather than mrs clinton who then might also be swayed down ballot
two important political audiences this year are going to be the hillary republicans and trump democrats said brent mcgoldrick the chief executive officer of deep root analytics that will be the most marketed to advertised sought after audience in the free world over the next six months those slivers of the electorate who cant bring themselves to vote for their own candidate republicans in swing seats or seats that are safe that now that map has expanded


jerusalem   israels defense minister abruptly announced his resignation on friday saying he had lost faith in prime minister benjamin netanyahu and was fearful for israels future after his job had apparently been offered to a rival in a far right party
the minister moshe yaalon is a senior leader in mr netanyahus conservative likud party and quit amid the prime ministers political maneuvering to broaden his governing coalition which has only a one seat majority in parliament
the back room negotiations exploded into public view this week with mr netanyahu apparently having offered mr yaalons job to the ultranationalist avigdor lieberman though on friday the prime minister said he was leaving the door open to make a deal with the center left zionist union
there had been speculation that if mr lieberman joined the government mr yaalon who has been a stalwart member of mr netanyahus team for years would be offered the post of foreign minister as a sort of consolation prize his announcement on friday on facebook and twitter put an end to that possibility
this morning i informed the prime minister that following his management in the latest developments and in light of my lack of faith in him i am resigning from the government and the knesset and taking time out from political life mr yaalon wrote using the hebrew term for parliament
in a news conference later he said i viewed all my positions both when i was in uniform and as a minister as a mission and i was unwilling to sacrifice national needs and the security of israels citizens for the sake of political considerations or personal interest
mr netanyahu seemed to confirm the speculation in a statement released on friday in which he expressed regret over mr yaalons departure mr yaalon should have continued being a full partner in leadership of this country as foreign minister mr netanyahu said the reshuffle of portfolios did not stem from a lack of confidence between us but rather from the need to broaden the government
mr netanyahu added i assume that if yaalon had not been asked to leave the defense ministry the resignation would not have occurred
there are political opportunities particularly due to certain regional developments which i personally strive towards continuously the prime minister said therefore i took great efforts to have the zionist union join the government thus i am leaving the door open in the most serious manner for them to join such a move would do only good for the state of israel
the addition of mr lieberman to the government   which has been widely reported in the israeli news media but not officially announced   would further cement the rightist nature of mr netanyahus coalition
mr yaalon 65 is at the center right of the political spectrum but has served as a bulwark against the most extreme populist sentiments criticizing the military and the likud coalition by mr lieberman and others he said he planned to return someday to political life including a run for state leadership
i fought with all my might against phenomena of extremism violence and racism in israeli society that threaten its fortitude he said adding that these forces  are trickling into the military
the contrast in military credentials between mr yaalon and mr lieberman could hardly be more pronounced mr yaalon a former chief of staff and career general led commando units and took part in daring operations mr lieberman left the military at the rank of corporal he is known for hard right positions like demanding the death penalty for palestinians convicted of terrorism and the toppling of hamas the militant group that rules gaza
mr yaalon came under fire for quickly condemning the actions of an israeli soldier who shot and killed a wounded palestinian assailant in the west bank city of hebron many israelis viewed mr yaalons immediate statement that the soldier should be brought to justice because he had violated military code as prejudging the case and troops at a time when they face violent attacks by palestinians
mr netanyahu at first took a similar stand but he later called the soldiers father a move that was seen as offering support
with great sorrow senior politicians in the country have chosen incitement and divisiveness of the israeli society instead of unifying and connecting mr yaalon said it is unacceptable to me that we be divided because of cynicism or craving for control and i expressed more than once my opinion on the matter   from a position of sincere worry for the future of israeli society and future generations
israeli radio said the minister of immigration and absorption zeev elkin a member of likud had called on mr yaalon to reconsider his resignation
mr elkin said that mr yaalons place was in likud and that the prime minsters moves should not be considered insulting to him
he added that political considerations had forced mr netanyahu to make changes in the coalition government and that mr yaalon could have remained in another capacity
the minister for social equality gila gamliel also a likud member also expressed regret about mr yaalons decision calling his resignation a huge loss for the party
the resignation caps weeks of confusing negotiations by mr netanyahu and some analysts noted that mr yaalon has had long running tensions with the prime minister and could be biding his time to start a new party
certainly the other possibility is that hes had it   with the intrigues the backstabbing the manipulations of politics said gadi wolfsfeld a professor of political communications at the interdisciplinary center a private college north of tel aviv who is a frequent critic of mr netanyahu
in israel we play hardball politics mr wolfsfeld said on the other hand even on the scale of hardball cynical politics this was a shocker


maybe the gentlemen of muirfield who led the charge against admitting women as members are not misogynists merely misguided when they think of women on the links perhaps their reference point is the 1900 olympics where the american margaret abbott prevailed in the womens event according to the olympic historian david wallechinsky abbott later told people her path to victory had been paved by an apparent misunderstanding involving her competitors from france who turned up to play in high heels and tight skirts
the 600 plus all male members of muirfield golf club who failed to reach a two thirds majority in their vote to admit women would certainly seem to be stuck in a bygone century one in which men and women didnt harmoniously coexist in boardrooms and legislative chambers much less clubhouses
in the consummation of the marriage between sporting events and corporate sponsors a host site sacrifices its freedom to maintain its discriminatory membership practices the r  a was right to remove muirfield which has hosted 16 british opens from the tournament rotation if a club wants to close its doors to a sizable segment of the population thats its prerogative but it cant have its exclusionary practices and also enjoy the high visibility every few years of hosting a major attended by thousands and viewed by millions
the gentlemen of muirfield who were amenable to change   64 percent of the 616 members who cast ballots   were thwarted by a group of roughly 30 members who vigorously dug in their heels an article in the daily newspaper the scotsman revealed the contents of a letter distributed by the dissenters that expressed concerns about slow play and making women feel uncomfortable as reasons for upholding its all male membership
the letter added that the club was quite unique with its fraternity built inter alia on foursomes play with a round taking only the same time as lunch and leaving enough time for a further round after lunch even in midwinter this is one of miracles in modern day play and is much admired our foursomes and speedy play would be endangered
the scurvy thirtys rationale that women would clog their course is an antiquated ploy it calls to mind the story told by a friend an avid golfer of a round she played with her husband at the legend at arrowhead an arnold palmer designed course in glendale ariz
in the parking lot two men saw her retrieve her clubs from the trunk and harrumphed that they had better hurry up and get to the first tee lest they get stuck playing behind a dithering woman they did tee off first and my friend and her husband spent the round waiting on every shot because the men were so slow
the gentlemen of muirfield are not completely lacking in chivalry they will continue to welcome women on the course and in the clubhouse as guests and visitors perhaps one of the 397 members who voted for admitting women will host condoleezza rice the former united states national security adviser and secretary of state   and a member at augusta national   who is known for her fast play
at the pga tour stop at pebble beach in 2013 she seldom took more than 20 seconds to hit prompting the professional in her pro am group jason bohn to describe her as the perfect partner she doesnt mess around which is beautiful bohn said
but rice probably wouldnt sway any of the scurvy thirty with her swiftness if the gentlemen of muirfield want to talk about a snails pace how about the fact that it took two years of consultation among themselves to decide ultimately not to budge from their 18th century moorings
jason day and jordan spieth can be slower than an uphill putt after a rainstorm would the gentlemen of muirfield prefer not to play with the top two male golfers in the world because their foursomes and speedy play would be endangered of course slow play is the excuse the members hide behind so they dont have to address their slow evolution
golfs return to the olympics this summer after a 112 year absence is rooted in inclusiveness as tim finchem the pga tour commissioner noted last week golfs power brokers showed little interest in joining the olympic family until they commissioned a study that showed that dozens of countries that invest government money in sports invest only in sports that are in the olympic program
we agreed to go into the olympics primarily focused on growing the game and recognizing that overnight there would be coffers from governments opened up to provide financial support to grow the game he said
but its duplicitous to expect to expand the game through the biggest multisport spectacle on the planet even as one of the games most affluent and influential clubs refuses to expand its membership its like building a new course in the middle of a drought no matter how impressive the blueprint if the ground or base is arid the project is doomed


do city bees feast on flower nectar or do they mostly slurp up sugary soda
that was the question clint penick was mulling while he tended to some hives dr penick is an entomologist at north carolina state university and he wanted to find out if midsize cities had enough flowers available to sustain hungry bees or if the buzzing insects were guzzling big gulps to get their fix
bees have been caught cheating on their all natural diets before in 2010 a beekeeper in brooklyn discovered her bees were stealing sips of syrup from a nearby maraschino cherry factory after she noticed her hives were oozing bright red honey
to figure out if something similar was happening in midsize cities dr penick and his colleagues collected bees from 39 different colonies within 30 miles of raleigh north carolina their specimens came from hives managed by beekeepers as well as from wild colonies
they examined each bee for a specific carbon signature called carbon 13 this isotope is often referred to as heavy carbon because unlike regular carbon it contains an extra neutron in its nucleus the presence of heavy carbon in the bees bodies provides clues to their diets
if you find a bee that has a higher proportion of the heavy carbon then thats a clear indication that they are feeding on sugar cane or corn syrup said dr penick bees that eat mostly nectar from flowers would not have high proportions of heavy carbon he said
dr penick and his team thought they were going to find high levels of heavy carbon in the bees   evidence that they were slurping processed sugars   but to their surprise they found the opposite low levels of the isotope the bees were seeking out flowers rather than turning to dumpsters for food even in the areas that had the fewest green spaces he published his results tuesday in the journal of urban ecology
if you are an urban beekeeper in an area like raleigh or smaller dr penick said you can be pretty sure the honey youre getting is flower nectar honey and not recycled soda
dr penick said his next steps are to test whether or not the same holds true for large cities like new york or tokyo where there are more urban bees and flowers are even harder to find


cannes france   few films capture the elegant spirit of the french riviera as well as alfred hitchcocks to catch a thief the films stars cary grant and grace kelly were at their charismatic best and a series of glamorous locations provide a celebrated visual backdrop
one of the most important of these was the chateau de la croix des gardes in cannes which was called the sandford villa in the film
the chateau doesnt so much occupy an address in cannes as a good part of an entire neighborhood to the east of the resort
it sits at the summit of the leafy croix des gardes hill with 360 degree panoramic views over cannes itself the lerins islands and the mediterranean
looking inland gives views over the mountains of grasse and from the highest bedrooms the snow capped alps
the three story house is now publicly on the market for the first time in 56 years with sothebys international realty which is looking for offers in the range of 50 to 100 million euros or 57 million to 113 million
just two miles from the boulevard de la croisette canness emblematic seafront promenade the chateau is reached by a stiff climb access is via a driveway that winds its way through 25 acres of formal french gardens planted with numerous sculpted cypress and eucalyptus trees as well as cactus lavender mimosa laurel and dwarf palms
the house itself with its florentine facade pale ocher stucco finish and shuttered french windows has a belle epoque feel stepping inside one is greeted by an expansive marble staircase
the croix des gardes hill derives its name from the cross croix still standing on the hill which marks the spot where the lookouts gardes used to keep watch
but for a long time it was known as the english hill having become popular in the early 19th century when wealthy britons most prominently the slave trade abolitionist lord brougham began to construct luxurious villas on and around the hill
most of these beautiful belle epoque properties have been split up and turned into apartments or are now municipal buildings said laurence chaleil chief executive of sothebys international realty in the cote dazur this one of very few that is still available in its entirety
a swiss industrialist paul girod built the chateau which has a surface area of 1200 square meters or nearly 13000 square feet in 1919 but in 1960 it was bought by gustave leven of perrier fame
in the late 1940s mr leven purchased a semi abandoned spring in southern france and over the following decades turned perrier into the worlds largest brand of bottled mineral water
mr leven died in 2008 and the house is currently owned by a group of investors who prefer not to be identified
on the ground floor with its marble flooring there is a library and a reading room with sea views and french doors adjoining the library is a winter garden filled with hothouse plants and a floor to ceiling waterfall made out of volcanic rock
a drawing room leads to a summer terrace and gazebo for summer dining the drawing room walls are painted with murals of notable works of architecture and monuments
mrs chaleil said she believed the murals were created when the house was purchased by mr leven and was extended by the british architect alan gore
around that time the garden was redesigned and an infinity pool was created by mr gore and andre svetchine a french architect of russian origin who designed some of the cote dazurs most iconic properties a turkish lodge stands next to the pool and the grounds also contain fruit orchards and a gatehouse
on the second floor there is an office with a brown marble fireplace and what mrs chaleil describes as male and female master bedrooms while the male bedroom has parquet flooring the female one is carpeted and features extensive cedar closets
there are six main bedrooms in the three story property four of which are en suite as well as staff quarters
local legend has it that the house caught the eye of alfred hitchcock when it became the setting for one of the first great parties to mark the cannes film festival
publicity materials for the house say it served as the location of the 1955 films climactic masquerade ball scene in to catch a thief
alain kerzoncuf and nandor bokor hitchcock enthusiasts who visited the area to research the exact locations used in the film for the website the hitchcock zone came to a slightly different conclusion however
they say that the masquerade ball scene while apparently set at the sandford villa was entirely filmed at paramount studios in hollywood
but the scene in which cary grant and grace kelly stroll in the sandford villas luxurious gardens sexual tension crackling between them was indeed filmed at the property they assert exterior shots feature another unknown house
a close viewing of the film after visiting the house indicates mr kerzoncuf and mr bokors view would seem to be the correct one
later on the chateau reportedly was featured in alain resnaiss surrealist film last year at marienbad
the house is now empty as its furniture was sold in a sothebys auction in october the kitchen and some other parts of the main house require restoration
theres a lot of wasted space in this property so it would be great for someone who wanted to renovate it mrs chaleil said you can see its an old design because the staircase is so spacious in a contemporary design it would be much smaller
while a prestigious address croix des gardes is less expensive per square meter than in californie a residential area to the west of cannes nearby cap ferrat and cap dantibes also command significantly higher prices per square meter
but mrs chaleil says direct sea views are harder to come across in those areas as the owners tend to prefer discretion and many houses are hidden behind rows of trees to prevent their being photographed from the sea
cannes airport which is used almost exclusively by private jets and which the house overlooks is a 15 minute drive away the nice airport is a 30 minute drive
and that most emblematic of cannes landmarks the palais des festivals where every spring hollywood a listers are photographed on the famous red carpet it is just a brisk 40 minute walk away though the return walk to the chateau which stands 213 meters or almost 700 feet above sea level may take a little longer


bristol england   in a crescent of elegant uniform stone villas in the city of bristol in southwest england sits a grand victorian home that also bears traces of regency and georgian style the house which has been recognized by historic england as being of significant historical interest dates from about 1850
one of many illustrious merchant homes in clifton a bristol neighborhood from the late 18th and 19th centuries it is on the market for 225 million pounds or 325 million with knight frank real estate agency
then as now the area was affluent and prestigious though that has not consistently been the case according to paul wilson who owns the house with his wife jacqueline
clifton became very decrepit in the 1960s and most of the houses were rented out by the room mr wilson said
the house which sprawls over four floors was a training school for nannies before being turned into apartments
the wilsons moved into the top floor apartment 15 years ago and gradually bought up the other residences
anyone could still afford to live here then mr wilson said once they owned the whole building the couple started converting it back into the 5200 square foot single family home it now is
it was a joy for the heritage professionals mr wilson added
false ceilings were removed to reveal original cornicing and roses partitions were torn down to recreate the large rooms and fireplaces were restored when the hallway carpet was ripped up an authentic flagstone floor was discovered underneath
these houses are not really ours mrs wilson said you pour energy into them and renovate them and make sure they are good for another hundred years
the heart of the home is the large kitchen dining room which has a fireplace as well as floor to ceiling windows opening on to a private patio garden a small garage for parking is at the end
opposite the kitchen across the entrance hall is a generously sized formal dining room similar to the living and sitting rooms above the soaring ceilings large sash windows and majestic cantilevered staircase embody the enduring appeal of many of these classically designed properties
the remaining two floors have five bedrooms two have en suite bathrooms while the three on the top floor share a bathroom and are used by the couples children they are grouped around an impressive oval viewing landing crowned by a glass dome that floods the stairwell with light so though tall and large the house feels light and airy
the house overlooks a square with a large tree lined communal garden it has a playground area and large lawn and is for the private use of all the residents
bristol zoo clifton downs and isambard kingdom brunels renowned suspension bridge over the river avon are all part of the area
we are starting to see more londoners and overseas buyers said tom hood managing partner with hydes a local real estate agency its international airport makes bristol easy to reach he added we have sold flats to a number of people from russia and china who have children at clifton college
a vibrant riverside city bristol is home to the university of bristol and the old vic theater as well as the graffiti artist banksy and about 19000 businesses in 2014 it was voted the best city in which to live in britain
according to recent research by knight frank average property prices in bristol rose 66 percent in 2015 more than double the wider country markets average growth of 31 percent
in 2017 the main railway line between bristol and london will be electrified reducing travel time to the capital to 80 minutes


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1 an intense international search mission found airplane debris suitcases and human remains in the mediterranean from the crash of egyptair flight 804 the cause of the crash remains a mystery and the subject of intense speculation

2 the white house and the treasury department were put on lockdown after the secret service shot a man nearby an investigation is underway president obama was away at the time playing golf at andrews air force base in maryland well have updates here

3 the national rifle association made a relatively late endorsement of donald trumps candidacy and he in turn tried to win over remaining skeptics of his commitment to gun rights he told the nras annual meeting in louisville ky that he would do away with gun free zones at schools and said crooked hillary clinton is the most anti gun anti second amendment candidate ever to run for office

4 prosecutors released a video showing a fatal confrontation involving two georgia sheriffs deputies and a handcuffed hallucinating man the disturbing video taken by the officers body cameras as they repeatedly shocked the man with their tasers is the latest to capture a death involving the police

5 taiwan inaugurated its first female president tsai ing wen spoke cautiously about the mainland navigating between her partys commitment to taiwanese autonomy and chinas focus on ever closer ties her call for the two nations to set aside the baggage of history and engage in positive dialogue was immediately criticized by chinas taiwan affairs office

6 may is usually pretty hot in india but one desert city saw a record high of 1238 degrees fahrenheit a doctor said it was like heat waves were coming out of a clay oven severe heat is forecast across central and northern india into next week above escaping the heat in new delhi

7 palestinians living on the edge of border towns in gaza are increasingly anxious as hamas rebuilds tunnels for attacks inviting israeli military strikes dear god   we will be torn apart one woman said adding i am sure one million percent that those with tunnels under their houses cannot sleep or taste the joy of life

8 the times helped descendants of 272 slaves georgetown university sold to stay afloat in 1838 piece together their families histories some of them say it is time for georgetown to do at least two things first formally acknowledge their families second offer free educations to every descendant of those slaves our families are still here one said

9 couch time this weekend you could tune in to hbo to see bryan cranston as lbj in the movie adaptation of his tony winning role in all the way saturday 8 pm eastern heres our review and preacher adapted from a comic book series offers what our critic calls a metaphysical action caper stylized and splattery it debuts sunday on amc 10 pm eastern we have more recommendations here

10 the glass and masonry fortresses of new york are the focus of our best read story today whether pencil skyscrapers or squat apartment blocks the buildings are shaped by the same invisible force the uss first city zoning code the current code after a century of evolution would not have approved 40 percent of the citys standing edifices

11 finally counting your calories should get a little easier coming food labels put calorie counts in large type and carry more realistic portion sizes like two thirds of a cup for ice cream rather than half a cup federal rules require major food makers to use them by july 2018 this has to be scored as a huge win said the nutrition expert marion nestle

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the fact that egyptian authorities said that they were looking into whether terrorism had caused the crash of the egyptair flight from paris to cairo early thursday morning raised fears about the safety of air travel and also traveling in general heres what you need to know about staying safe in the skies and on the ground
the egyptair flight 804 that crashed originated in paris does this mean that the city and france in general are at an increased risk for a terrorist attack
yes but so are other countries in europe including belgium germany and the united kingdom said nick doyle a terrorism expert and managing director of the security risk management practice at kroll intelligence says that an attack is highly likely but obviously no one knows when or where he said
so should i avoid traveling to france since this recent possible attack happened on a flight departing france
there is no reason not to travel to france according to martin stone the head of europe middle east and africa for the new york city based global investigation firm nardello  co but travelers should be aware that there are several major sports events happening in the country over the next several months such as the french open taking place now through early june the uefa european championship the soccer tournament from june 10 through july 10 and the tour de france starting july 2 large scale events like these said mr stone are potential terrorist targets
the plane that crashed was headed to cairo does that mean that egypt is an unsafe travel destination
its hard to say whether egypt is categorically unsafe according to rana feghali the head of nardellos dubai practice but she said since the egyptair plane had stops in tunisia and cairo a security breach in one of those destinations could have led to an explosive device being loaded onto the plane that said the cause of the crash has not yet been determined
what are the chances of a terrorist attack happening on a plane
very small an estimated 35 billion people flew globally in 2015 according to the international air transport association a trade association for the worlds airlines according to perry flint the organizations head of corporate communications in the americas that same year there were two deliberate acts of unlawful interference against commercial transport aircrafts that led to the loss of passenger lives germanwings 9525 because of a pilot suicide and metrojet 9268 where terrorism is the suspected cause both of these incidents resulted in the deaths of 374 passengers and crew  barely a fraction of the total number of fliers
the risk of air terrorism may be small said mike ackerman the founder and chairman of the ft lauderdale based security consulting firm ackerman group who is an expert in travel related terrorism but the fear around it is big the incidence of air terrorism is statistically insignificant but psychologically significant because its so terrifying he said
is it safer to fly domestically within the united states than internationally
tj schulz the president of the trade association airport consultants council and an aviation security expert said that the risk of air terrorism domestically is extremely low the last successful air terrorist attack in the us was 911 and though there have been attempts since then like the underwear and shoe bombers the airport security at us airports is far more rigorous and layered now than it was when 911 happened which makes an attack much more difficult he said
is there anything i can do to stay safe from air terrorism
mr ackerman advises travelers to limit their air travel to carriers from industrialized countries because they tend to have the most thorough security standards fliers sometimes want to avoid american carriers because they think that america is a terrorist target but american airlines and other industrialized countries have rigorous security screening procedures he said
how can i protect myself from terrorism in general
mr doyle says that travelers should be aware of any potential safety risks at the destination theyre heading to and in a recent new york times article on travel to europe tim horner the head of krolls security risk management practice advised avoiding crowded areas such as concert halls and stadiums and having an exit strategy in place if you do go he also suggested knowing how to get around the city youre in emailing your itinerary and copies of your travel documents including your passport to family members and limiting the amount of personal information you carry no need to tote along all your credit cards


fashion and film stars attended amfars 23rd annual cinema against aids gala on thursday night at the hotel du cap eden roc during the cannes film festival
related
in cannes the fashion world takes its own star turn
cannes red carpet fashion


cynthia rowley stood on bondi beach last friday in sydney australia in one of her ready to wear wet suits gray with a big red heart on it she only had eyes for the ocean im stoked to get in the water she said i mean you cant come to this city and not want to surf
last year when img the company that runs over a dozen fashion weeks worldwide asked the designer if she wanted to show with them in australia she immediately said yes then they asked me if i was sure she explained backstage before her runway show on thursday why not show your clothes wherever youre invited
for her debut down under at australias mercedes benz fashion week which is devoted entirely to resort wear and showed nearly 50 designers rowley hired a band of african drummers as well as four lifeguards two from bondi rescue a hit local tv show to carry her bathing suit clad female models on surfboards of her own design as if they were california cleopatras i cant just have a simple runway show she laughed
due to jet lag and a dinner that went late she got little sleep but leave it to rowley   an avid montauk surfer who has a store both there and in honolulu   to throw in a morning of surfing the day after the show just hours before heading to the airport you go into the water and youre removed from everything but nature she said it de stresses you and washes the workweek away
in her wet suit rowley ran with a rented surfboard   a little short for her long board taste   into waves she found hollow and a bit intimidating but she stayed far out in the cerulean blue water a long time unworried about sharks   of either the oceanic or retail variety she only caught one wave but when she came back in she was beaming that was absolutely invigorating she said i could have stayed out there all day
never mind the choppy conditions in unfamiliar waters it was a little rough she said but nothing compared to working in fashion


times insider delivers behind the scenes insights into how news features and opinion come together at the new york times in this article rachel abrams who writes about consumer products and retail for the times wrestles with a serious question is it ok to find medication for serious illnesses just a little bit funny
why would weed need to be kosher
this was my initial reaction after learning that a medical marijuana company in new york had been given the seal of approval by one of the worlds largest rabbinical organizations my second reaction was i need to do a story on this my friends jokingly asked if id get free samples
first i had to figure out whether this was an anomaly or an undiscovered trend there wasnt much evidence of it being the latter but to rule it out i began calling up prominent rabbinical organizations to ask if theyd ever heard of kosher weed
the reactions pretty much ranged from what to no the orthodox union which had just certified vireo health of new york the medical marijuana company based in johnstown was not in the process of inspecting anyone else eventually i found one other company cresco labs that was in the final stages of getting certified by the chicago rabbinical council
even by the hackiest of hacky journalism standards two does not make a trend so this would be a story about an interesting swerve in marijuanas march toward mainstream acceptance
now how to write about it
getting the facts straight is a priority for any story but i was particularly concerned about embarrassing corrections on this one i needed to explain for instance that observant jews followed strict dietary rules for food and drink that did not apply to lifesaving medication since medical marijuana isnt typically considered curative these rules mattered for capsules brownies and other products
a cancer drug made out of bacon wrapped crickets i wrote referring to two of judaisms verboten animals would be fine
but ugh what if there was some obscure exception to the rules about insects that i wasnt aware of rabbis have written volumes of books dedicated to the interpretation of various jewish laws and i started imagining the correction
an earlier version of this article incorrectly implied that bacon wrapped crickets were not kosher while bacon is never kosher crickets could be kosher if... etc
better to just check i thought adding it to my list of questions
i also gave a lot of thought to how id ask my questions sure the story was about kosher weed but it was also a business story and i was talking to religious leaders who had clearly given serious thought to whether or not this was something they wanted to weigh in on the correct tone i finally reasoned was somewhere between isnt this kind of funny and this isnt funny at all
satisfied that i had narrowed it down i called rabbi moshe elefant the chief operating officer of the kosher certifying arm of the orthodox union one of the worlds largest rabbinical organizations
i shouldnt have stressed mr elefant was patient and his answers were clinical sure maybe it crossed his mind that a secular sounding reporter from a publication like the new york times would find the whole idea of kosher pot funny but that didnt seem to matter to him as much as whether i got the story right the most important thing rabbi elefant explained was that some religious people with terrible illnesses would not try marijuana unless it complied with their beliefs kosher marijuana he said was about the potential to alleviate great suffering
new york has some of the tightest restrictions on medical marijuana in the country it is approved only for a relatively short list of serious conditions such as cancer hiv and parkinsons disease
the new york department of health must clear any visitors before they can enter a medical marijuana facility vireo submitted my name and i waited a couple of days to get approved no i told my friends no free samples


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chance the rapper and drake according to jon caramanica can both be explained via their triangulation with kanye west drake seems to look at mr west as a model for emotional projection and for getting over in the business of culture chance sees him as a spiritualist in progress on this weeks popcast we talk about both their recent records chance the rappers third mixtape coloring book released on may 12 for streaming by apple music which is full of realism joy and gospel and drakes latest album views released a little earlier full of top dog wariness
related articles
jon caramanica on chance the rappers coloring book
review on views drake is still his own genre


for his bookshop and website one grand books the editor aaron hicklin asked people to name the 10 books theyd take with them if they were marooned on a desert island the next in the series is bill gates who shares his list exclusively with t through may 22 one grand is hosting a pop up shop at industry city in sunset park brooklyn as gates says if youre going to get marooned on a desert island i guess you cant exactly choose when it happens to you but if im shipwrecked this summer i hope ill have these five terrific books i read recently   which i just shared on my blog   as well as five all time favorites with me
seveneves neal stephenson
this novel about how the human race responds to the end of life on earth rekindled my love for sci fi some readers will lose patience with all the technical details about orbits and spaceflight but for me its an engrossing and thought provoking story
how not to be wrong the power of mathematical thinking jordan ellenberg
a mathematician explains how math plays into our daily lives without our even knowing it the writing is funny smooth and accessible   not what you might expect from a book on this subject ellenbergs larger point is that there are ways in which were all doing math all the time
sapiens a brief history of humankind yuval noah harari
this look at the entire history of the human race sparked lots of great conversations at our familys dinner table harari also writes about our species today and how artificial intelligence genetic engineering and other technologies will change us in the future
the power to compete ryoichi mikitani and hiroshi mikitani
why was japan the juggernaut of the 1980s eclipsed by south korea and china and can its economy come back a smart look at the future of a fascinating country
the vital question nick lane
i wish more people knew about this british biologists work he is trying to get people to fully appreciate the role energy plays in the evolution of life on earth and maybe other places even if he turns out to be wrong about certain details i suspect his ideas will be seen as an important contribution to our understanding of where we come from and where are we going
business adventures twelve classic tales from the world of wall street john brooks
warren buffett gave me this fantastic collection of articles that brooks wrote for the new yorker although brooks was writing in the 1960s his insights are timeless and a reminder that the rules for running a great company dont change i read it more than two decades ago and its still my pick for the best business book ever
the great gatsby f scott fitzgerald
the novel that i reread the most melinda and i love one line so much that we had it painted on a wall in our house his dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it
parenting with love and logic foster cline and jim fay
as the parents of three children melinda and i have spent a lot of time reading and discussing this book it has been an invaluable guide for both of us especially when it comes to de escalating those inevitable conflicts between parents and kids
sustainable energy   without the hot air david jc mackay
a fantastic guide to thinking more numerically about clean energy and the most accessible explanation of this subject that ive seen i still refer to it myself which is a bittersweet experience now   david died in april at the age of 48
the better angels of our nature steven pinker
proof that the world is becoming more peaceful its not just a question for historians but a profound statement about human nature and the possibility for a better future this book may have shaped my outlook more than any other


the roman jewelers brooches rings and earrings are inspired by the 17th century baroque aesthetic of borromini and bernini and designed he says to coax their wearers into upright postures and engender regal attitudes lavish gemstone mosaics   lemon quartz green tourmalines rose rubies   are combined with delicate miniatures painted on copper
the jewelry of the former costume designer evokes ancient rome with homage paid to the greeks and etruscans too his gilded cuffs and necklaces strung with empire era coins and intricate cameos are marvels of metalwork molded from 21 karat gold they might be mistaken for purloined antiquities
salinis modern take on flora makes clever use of elements old and new for a pair of fanciful earrings lightweight high tech carbon fiber is fashioned into delicate branches sprouting milky opal buds and diamond studded petals for a statement ring the same material is double coiled and crowned with an oversize pearl


sam sifton emails readers of cooking six days a week to talk about food and suggest recipes that email also appears here to receive it in your inbox register here
i was in london recently rambling around town with yotam ottolenghi in his prius then watching him cook with pals for this awesome feast he put together in celebration of spring check out this cool store ceramica blue where he buys plates and platters you can read about the adventure here then use the recipes to create your own extravaganza
i scored his great recipe for lamb shawarma which he served on top of rosemary cuttings from the garden in south london where we ate i think its the highest use of rosemary imaginable and beautiful to boot it pairs incredibly well with his saffron scented recipe for baked rice
to go along with how about his recipe for a deconstructed baba ghanouj and a platter of grilled asparagus with a caper salsa you could make this terrific recipe for a cucumber and mache salad - if you can find purslane to swap out for the mache so much the better and a tomato and pomegranate salad yes please that too
for dessert yotam knocked out what he calls a celebration cake a gluten free layer cake of astonishing beauty and great deliciousness get started on it tonight - youll need to freeze the layers overnight and make the ganache as well
thats one idea for a weekend of cooking anyway alternatively you could take a slightly easier route and fire up the grill for a weekend repast of mark bittmans recipe for spicy grilled shrimp or martha rose shulmans recipe for grilled halloumi and vegetables or melissa clarks recipe for yakitori chicken
we love amanda hessers recipe for rhubarb strawberry mousse this time of year and emily weinsteins recipe for a simple strawberry tart adapted from yossy arefi
and take a close look at the farmers market tomorrow do you seen dandelion greens if so grab some and make david taniss recipe for dandelion salad with beets bacon and goat cheese toasts you wont be sorry
other ideas for what to cook this weekend can be found by browsing through the cooking site and apps save the recipes of interest to you to your recipe box then cook them and if you run into problems either with the food or the technology that supports its preparation please let us know were at cookingcarenytimescom and will get back to you
now read the oral history of run dmcs 1986 collaboration with aerosmith on walk this way in the washington post read nicholas caseys horrifying report on venezuelas failing hospitals in the times hail john berry an original beastie boy who died yesterday at 52 and dont forget to wish tina fallon a happy anniversary day shes put up with me 16 years have a great weekend


times insider delivers behind the scenes insights from the new york times below are highlights from television and radio interviews featuring times reporters
robert draper a contributor to the new york times magazine joined fox news channels the kelly file to discuss his new cover story for the magazine about donald j trumps journey to become the presumptive republican nominee
michael barbaro and megan twohey reporters for the times joined cnns at this hour to discuss their recent piece on donald trumps relationship with women
julie hirschfeld davis a white house reporter for the times joined wamu radios the diane rehm show to discuss the debate over transgender bathroom access at public schools
nicholas casey the timess andes bureau chief joined kcrw radios to the point to discuss the economic crisis and public healthy emergency in venezuela


oakland calif   as if crawling out of the american league east is not a big enough task with alex rodriguez on the disabled list mark teixeira in a funk and the unsolved mysteries of pitchers michael pineda and luis severino the yankees cannot seem to help getting in their own way
not only did they have to overcome the oakland athletics which they did thursday night in a 4 1 victory they also had to overcome a series of blunders on the basepaths that made the nights chore considerably more difficult
and in the coming days they may also be made to pay for the itchy bullpen trigger finger of manager joe girardi who for the second day in a row was reluctant to put any late inning faith in a starter who had thrown superbly
one night after lifting nathan eovaldi who was working on a one hit shutout after six innings and only 85 pitches girardi lifted ivan nova with a 2 1 lead even though nova had thrown only 62 pitches through six innings
girardi said he had lifted nova because reddick danny valencia and stephen vogt who had the four hits off him were among the first four batters due in the sixth
i dont second guess myself girardi said maybe a lot of other people do theres a reason we put them together down there and its for games like today and yesterday
dellin betances andrew miller and aroldis chapman took care of their duties for the second night in a row   though betances again offered some drama but it seems unlikely that any of the three will be available on friday when c c sabathia returns from the disabled list
carlos beltran provided the bulk of the offense with a run scoring double and a two run ninth inning homer that offered some comfort but the yankees were in position to have scored many more runs but for a series of bad baserunning
the most egregious mistake belonged to beltran who was at second after his third inning double had sent brett gardner home when brian mccann followed with a liner to right field beltran stayed anchored near the bag even though there were two outs when reddick dropped the ball beltran advanced only to third he stayed there when starlin castro lined out to end the inning
beltran was able to laugh about his terrible mistake   but only after the game
when i did that i felt like i got caught up praying for four innings that we got the lead and would be able to win this one said beltran who acknowledged that it had happened before in his lenghty career when i went back and i saw the guy dropped the ball and got to third base and looked at the scoreboard and saw two outs im like oh my god
the yankees might have blown the game open in the sixth if not for more mistakes chase headley led off with a single but was picked off first by kendall graveman dustin ackley followed with a single and went to third on didi gregoriuss base hit to right but gregorius was thrown out when he tried to take second on reddicks throw to third
aaron hicks picked up his teammates by lashing a double to left scoring ackley and giving the yankees a 2 1 lead
the yankees brain cramps were not isolated incidents on wednesday in arizona headley threw to first base when he had jean segura hung up between third and home on a ground ball on tuesday catcher brian mccann loafed after a passed ball as nick ahmed raced from first to third and pineda never looked at paul goldschmidt before he took a huge lead and stole third base
its fortunate it didnt hurt us girardi said of the mistakes he added referring to the relievers in a way maybe you dont have to use those three guys if you dont make those mistakes
if the blunders are giving girardi something to stew over nova is providing a more pleasant development on which to ruminate
after starting this season where he ended last season   in the bullpen   nova has made the most of the opportunity he was given in the rotation as a result of sabathias groin injury nova has a 166 era in three starts   all of which the yankees have won
other than josh reddicks home run off a 1 2 curveball in the fourth nova allowed only three singles and a few hard hit balls one a drive to left field by yonder alonso was run down by brett gardner to end the second and another launched by marcus semien in the third landed foul a foot from being a home run nova then struck semien out
if nova continues to pitch as he has it is difficult to envision him not remaining in the rotation by the time severino who is on the disabled list is healthy enough to return perhaps that is what it will take not only to hold onto his spot but to hold onto the ball deeper into the game as well
its way different than being in the bullpen nova said i have my time to work on some pitches that i need to work


front page
a map on april 21 with the continuation of an article about what western military officials say is a significantly increased presence of russian submarines along the coastlines of scandinavia and scotland the mediterranean sea and the north atlantic meant to contest american and nato undersea dominance omitted two countries in nato croatia and luxembourg are also members
international
an article on april 20 about rodrigo duterte the front runner in the philippine presidential election misstated in some editions the political status of another candidate grace poe she is a senator not a former senator mr duterte won the election on may 9
business day
an article on tuesday about a start up that is developing self driving tractor trailer trucks described incorrectly 15 employees of the start up called otto who came from google eight of them are engineers not all 15

a subheading in some editions on thursday with an article about a bid for monsanto by bayer of germany referred incorrectly to 67 billion related to the bid that amount is the combined annual revenue of the two companies not their combined value

an article on thursday about a decision by viacoms board to stop paying a salary to its chairman emeritus sumner m redstone misstated the credentials of the person who evaluated mr redstones mental capacity he is a geriatric psychiatrist not a psychologist

because of an editing error an article on the square foot page on wednesday about a revival of inglewood calif underpinned by a new stadium and a new national football league team referred incorrectly to the founding of the kroenke group a development firm involved in that revival it was founded in the 1980s   not in 2013 which was the year that the firm bought a parcel of land next to hollywood park and the forum in inglewood
sports
the sports of the times column last friday about accusations of a russian doping scheme at the 2014 sochi olympics referred incorrectly to a bronze medal the bobsledder steven holcomb won in sochi it was the first olympic medal for the united states in the two man event in 62 years   not the first olympic medal for the united states in bobsled in 62 years the united states has won several medals in the four man event and the two woman event in recent olympics

an article on saturday about the golfer colt knost who tied the course record in the second round of the players championship misstated his age in some copies he is 30 not 31 and because of an editing error the article omitted in some copies part of the name of the callaway golf club that has a sponsorship deal with knost it is great big bertha not great bertha
the arts
an article on thursday about theaters efforts to attract new subscribers and members by offering tickets for the coming national tour of the musical hamilton misstated the number of stages in north america to which key brand entertainment brings shows through its broadway across america subsidiary it is 40 not 30 the article also omitted a word from a comment by jeff chelesvig president and chief executive of des moines performing arts he said the organization had more than doubled the number of new season tickets purchased compared to a year ago not the number of season tickets purchased
obituaries
an obituary on monday about the author katherine dunn misstated the year of her marriage to paul pomerantz and misstated the surname of her brother who survives her the marriage was in 2013 not 2012 and her brother is eugene hall not dunn
the times welcomes comments and suggestions or complaints about errors that warrant correction messages on news coverage can be e mailed to nytnewsnytimescom or left toll free at 1 844 nyt news 1 844 698 6397 comments on editorials may be e mailed to lettersnytimescom or faxed to 212 556 3622
readers dissatisfied with a response or concerned about the papers journalistic integrity may reach the public editor at publicnytimescom or 212 556 7652
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san jose calif   martin jones made 22 saves in his second straight shutout and tomas hertl scored twice thursday to give the san jose sharks a series lead for the first time in four trips to the western conference finals with a 3 0 victory over the st louis blues
joonas donskoi also scored to give the sharks a two games to one series advantage and move them as close as they have ever been to their first stanley cup finals san jose had won just three combined games in its first three trips to the conference finals part of a long history of playoff disappointment
st louis has gone 150 minutes 45 seconds without scoring since jori lehteras second period goal in its 2 1 victory in game 1
after allowing that soft goal to lehtera jones has been perfect the past two games he has stopped 58 straight shots and has posted the first back to back playoff shutouts in sharks history
game 4 is saturday in san jose where the sharks have won six straight playoff games


cleveland   at least the toronto raptors mixed it up they missed layups and 3 pointers midrange jumpers and hook shots ensuring that they were equal opportunity bricklayers on thursday night with hope already in short supply the raptors slogged their way through the final minutes of the first half missing nine straight field goal attempts
it was a stretch of ineptitude from which they could not recover   not in the playoffs and especially not against an opponent as fearsome as the cleveland cavaliers who feasted on torontos lapses en route to a 108 89 victory in game 2 of the eastern conference finals at quicken loans arena
the victory was more of the same for the cavaliers who took a two games to none series lead in running their overall postseason record to 10 0 more of lebron james who collected 23 points 11 rebounds and 11 assists for another triple double more of kyrie irving who scored 26 points and more stout defense against a weary opponent the cavaliers led by 14 at the half
we just got a great team coach tyronn lue said and theyre playing great basketball right now
demar derozan scored 22 points for the raptors but everyone else labored kyle lowry whose outside touch has been a persistent problem in the playoffs finished with 10 points while going 4 of 14 from the field and 1 of 8 from 3 point range the raptors shot 402 percent over all
i know i can be more effective lowry said adding ive been getting good looks that ive been missing and i dont think ill be missing any more of those
before the game raptors coach dwane casey tried to reassure everyone that his players were confident despite getting spanked by like 30 in game 1 the raptors actually lost by 31 but whos counting casey added that his team had already proved its toughness this season
nobodys getting ready to jump off a building or anything like that he said
but the series has quickly turned into a struggle of the highest order for the raptors who cannot handle james he dunked passed to open teammates and muscled his way to the free throw line torontos best chance at this point might be having customs stop him at the border
game 3 is scheduled for saturday night at air canada centre
the raptors sought solutions after being blown out in tuesdays opener in game 1 the raptors chose to defend the 3 point line so the cavaliers drove for layups ahead of game 2 casey knew he would need to make adjustments despite the continued absence of his starting center jonas valanciunas with a sprained ankle
theyre further along in their building process than we are casey said of the cavaliers before the game and were trying to get what they have to do that youve got to do multiple things youve got to outwork them youve got to out scrap them
with all that in mind casey started luis scola at power forward in place of patrick patterson with the hope that patterson would help anchor the teams sluggish second unit the raptors also tried to ratchet up their defensive pressure in the paint with mixed results
the cavaliers made two 3 pointers in the first five minutes and james collected six assists in the first quarter
but after the raptors went ahead by a single point midway through the second quarter they fell apart the cavaliers closed the half on a 20 5 run
through two games the raptors have not created much of a problem for the cavaliers who are now being critiqued for the quality of their postseason opponents after breezing past the detroit pistons and the atlanta hawks in the first two rounds the cavaliers have spent this week roughing up a team that finished the regular season with 56 wins
we havent overlooked any steps along this process james said and i think thats part of the reason were in this position today
compared to the meat grinder out west with the golden state warriors and the oklahoma city thunder taking turns pummeling one another the cavaliers path to the nba finals looks like a smooth ride on the autobahn but is that a product of lesser competition or the cavaliers dominant play perhaps a bit of both not that it matters to cleveland
i dont care about that lue said we just got to win games
by that standard the cavaliers are doing just fine


taipei   tsai ing wen was sworn in friday as the president of taiwan becoming the islands first female leader
her early days in office will be closely watched around the region for signs of her approach to relations with china taiwans powerful neighbor claims it as part of its territory and has threatened to use force to prevent taiwan from taking steps toward formal independence
in the january election ms tsai easily defeated her closest challenger in a campaign that featured deep concern over the economy taiwan has now had three quarters of economic contraction and exports have declined for 15 months in a row
the exiting president ma ying jeou of the nationalist party or kuomintang had pushed for closer relations with china during his eight years in office but voters grew increasingly wary of that approach and large protests erupted in 2014 against a trade pact with china
ms tsai has said she will maintain the cross strait status quo but is expected to be far more reserved than mr ma in pursuing trade and other agreements with china
even before she was inaugurated china showed clear indications of increasing pressure on ms tsais incoming government
the honeymoon for tsai ing wen is going to be very short if its not already over said jean pierre cabestan a professor of government and international studies at hong kong baptist university
chinese state media outlets have called on her to endorse the 92 consensus under which the kuomintang and chinas ruling communist party both recognize taiwan and the mainland as part of one china but each side has its own understanding of what that means
if there is a cross strait deadlock or a crisis emerges the person who changed the current situation should bear responsibility ma xiaoguang a spokesman for chinas taiwan affairs office said at a news conference last week
since the election several taiwanese citizens have been deported from kenya and malaysia to china over allegations of telecommunication fraud triggering protests from taiwans government china also resumed diplomatic relations with gambia which had previously recognized taiwans government
taiwans invitation to participate as an observer in the world health organizations annual assembly this year included for the first time a mention of one china the new government said it rejected the organizations interpretation of the terms of its involvement but would still participate out of concern for public health
in recent days chinas military has conducted drills along the taiwan strait while chinas ministry of national defense said the exercises were not directed at anyone in particular many analysts in taiwan said the timing was connected to ms tsais inauguration


the united states downed the czech republic 2 1 in a shootout thursday to reach the semifinals of the ice hockey world championship in moscow the united states will face canada   which advanced by pounding sweden 6 0 in st petersburg russia   in saturdays semifinal
although loaded with young talent the americans were heavy underdogs after losing four times in the group stage auston matthews scored in the second period to tie the game and later scored the only goal in the shootout sliding the puck between goaltender dominik furchs legs
matthews 18 is widely expected to be the no 1 pick in next months nhl draft
he almost presses too hard sometimes you know nick foligno said of his teammate matthews i talked to him i said you know your moments going to come and sure enough it comes in the shootout hes just young and hes learning but hes got all the tools and all the talent
the other semifinal will feature russia which beat germany 4 1 and finland the only unbeaten team in the tournament which beat denmark 5 1
knicks forward kristaps porzingis and minnesota timberwolves forward karl anthony towns were unanimously selected to the nba all rookie first team also making the first team were phoenixs devin booker denvers nikola jokic and philadelphias jahlil okafor
towns the rookie of the year led all rookies in scoring 183 points per game and rebounding 105 per game porzingis was third among rookies in scoring 143 second in rebounding 73 and first in blocks 186
bucks tricked by scam the milwaukee bucks said they had inadvertently provided tax information regarding employees including players to someone who was impersonating the teams president over email
chris sale went the distance on a masterful four hitter becoming the first pitcher since 2008 to win his first nine starts and the host chicago white sox edged the houston astros 2 1 to end their four game losing streak
sale walked none and struck out a season high nine on the way to his second straight complete game houston broke the shutout bid in the eighth when evan gattis clubbed sales first pitch for a home run
sale lowered his era to 158 second in the american league to his teammate jose quintanas 154
reyes nears return contrite but happy to be back on a baseball field shortstop jose reyes worked out at the colorado rockies spring training facility his first step in returning from a 59 day suspension for violating major league baseballs new domestic violence policy
reyes was suspended through may 31 after being charged with domestic violence for an altercation with his wife in hawaii last october
its good to be on the field and put that stuff behind me reyes said im sorry i made a mistake and will stand here like a man i just have to try to be a better man a better husband
around the majors milwaukee brewers pitcher junior guerra used his split finger fastball to strike out a career high 11 in a 5 3 victory over the visiting chicago cubs the atlanta braves removed infielder erick aybar from the starting lineup against the pittsburgh pirates after a chicken bone became stuck in his throat
nfl commissioner roger goodell told senators john mccain and jeff flake of arizona that the league was refunding 723734 paid by the defense department to honor military service members at league games and events
the senators had complained that the pentagon spent more than 10 million in marketing and advertising contracts with professional sports teams between 2012 and 2015 for what the senators called paid patriotism
around the nfl jaguars defensive back jalen ramsey the fifth overall selection in the nfl draft sustained a small tear to the meniscus in his right knee during an on field workout this week the team said a national poll conducted by the washington post found that nine of 10 native americans were not offended by the washington redskins name the former detroit lions running back jahvid best whose career was cut short by concussions is trying to qualify for the rio de janeiro olympics as a sprinter for st lucia
kaka remains mlss highest paid player with 72 million in total compensation from orlando city according to figures released by the players union
torontos sebastian giovinco the leagues reigning most valuable player is second with 71 million followed by torontos michael bradley 65 million and los angeless steven gerrard 61 million
frank lampard who has yet to play a match for new york city fc this season receives 6 million in total earnings just above his teammates andrea pirlo 59 million and david villa 56 million
jordan spieth covered his mouth in disbelief on the 16th green when his long eagle putt stopped short of falling in for a share of the lead
he then rushed to finish the final two holes recording a six under par 64 before the first round of the byron nelson in irving tex was suspended because of darkness sergio garcia danny lee and johnson wagner shared the lead at seven under
spieth whose first pga tour event was the nelson as a 16 year old amateur six years ago is playing only his second tournament since squandering a five stroke lead on the back nine at the masters
around golf the masters champion danny willett shot a seven under 65 in the opening round of the irish open to take a two shot lead over the home favorite rory mcilroy in straffan ireland mika miyazato had five birdies in six holes and finished with a six under 65 to take the first round lead in the lpgas kingsmill championship in williamsburg va kenny perry birdied the final hole for an eight under 64 and a two stroke lead in the regions tradition in birmingham ala the first of five pga tour champions majors


oakland calif   c c sabathias return from the disabled list friday has the potential to be a celebrated affair a caravan of cars filled with dozens of friends and family members from up the road in his hometown vallejo will arrive at the oco coliseum to watch sabathia pitch and the yankees beleaguered rotation needs a boost
sabathia who lives in the new york area year round was unsentimental about pitching in the stadium where he watched the athletics play when he was young
it just costs me money now said sabathia who was expecting 75 to 125 friends and family members to attend his mother margie handles the ticket requests and sabathia foots the bill while he was once excited about pitching here that was a long time ago he said now its just another start
if sabathia was taciturn about pitching in oakland perhaps it had less to do with the location than the results sabathia has a career 4 7 record here with a 544 era and has not won in this city since 2012
what sabathia has in mind is replicating his last appearance   seven shutout innings at baltimore which came despite a sprained groin that landed him on the 15 day disabled list it was a sign that after more than a year of searching sabathia could be making a successful transition from being a pitcher who relies on an upper 90 mile per hour fastball to one who can win with deception and location
extremely encouraged manager joe girardi said of sabathias last outing i thought his changeup was consistent his sinker was consistent his breaking ball he used he threw the ball where he wanted to hopefully he just picks up where he left off
when it comes to his starting pitchers girardi has often had to keep his fingers crossed this season masahiro tanaka has looked strong on five days rest but middling on four and nathan eovaldi appears to be turning a corner with his recent performances including six one hit innings on wednesday at arizona but michael pineda and luis severino have been so erratic that their places in the rotation   a formality when they reported to spring training   is now cast in doubt
ivan nova who began the season in the bullpen has a chance to fortify his case for remaining in the rotation if on thursday he was able to can build on his first two starts in which he has allowed two runs in 10 2/3  innings
pineda began working with the pitching coach larry rothschild on thursday trying to work out kinks in his mechanics in the stretch which rothschild has identified as the main culprit in pinedas loss of command that in turn has led to his slider getting pounded
severino on the disabled list after feeling a twinge in his elbow is scheduled to begin playing catch on flat ground friday but girardi said he will need at least one rehabilitation start because he has gone a week without throwing
asked if severinos return to the rotation is automatic once he becomes healthy girardi said i mean we havent talked about any changes obviously the biggest thing is youve got to get him healthy and see where hes at
girardi brushed off questions about whether severino who has not had a full season in the majors might be sent to the minors to iron out his problems
thats way too far down the road he said these are all question marks the big thing is weve got to get him right too similar to michael
inside pitch
alex rodriguezs return from the disabled list is moving at a leisurely pace much like the speed with which he is running rodriguez ran from home to first four times and from first to third four times along with running along the infield arc there is a chance he could return saturday but rodriguez and joe girardi said he had to be able run faster


mets manager terry collins was not alarmed by two of his teams biggest concerns entering thursdays game against the washington nationals
as collins explained the struggles of matt harvey who has seldom pitched to the standard of the superhero persona he has helped cultivate and the mets recent inability to score runs were problems that were eventually solved last season
after a 9 1 drubbing by the nationals at citi field the mets sixth loss in their last seven games those complications not only grew worse but in the case of harvey might have reached a crisis point
harvey allowed seven runs   four earned   in a catastrophic third inning that led to the shortest start of his career two and two thirds innings in total harvey gave up nine runs a career high six of which were earned
after the game stopping harveys slide no longer seemed as simple collins said he would have to examine if harveys making his next start scheduled for next week at washington was in the best interest for both him and the team
first thing we got to do is right now i think is try to build up some confidence some way somehow said collins who often paused and inhaled deeply before trying to find the words to describe harveys stumbles
harvey said his body felt fine but he did not resemble a confident figure speaking at his locker which is contradictory to the demeanor he has presented through most of his career when collins strode to the mound to pull him harvey knew his fate and began walking off head down before his manager could ask for the ball
the crowd booed harvey roundly as he left the field walking down the dugout steps and straight toward the clubhouse
theres times in this game where you got to learn from the bad times and i think right now its just one of those stretches for him catcher kevin plawecki said
harvey 3 6 was not helped by his defense in the third bryce harper collected his first career hit off harvey with one on and one out ending an 0 for 21 stretch the mets then intentionally walked daniel murphy to load the bases ryan zimmerman followed by grounding a ball toward shortstop asdrubal cabrera but cabrera bobbled the attempt making way for the first run of the inning to come home
he could have been out of the inning and now hes not and all hell breaks loose right after that collins said i think thats a confidence issue more than anything else
anthony rendon followed with a line drive to left field that michael conforto could not contain and two more runs scored
there would be no similar outbursts against stephen strasburg who struck out 10 batters and improved to 7 0
not only did the nationals assert themselves in the national league east by taking two of three from the mets in convincing fashion during their first series of the season but there continue to be troublesome signs that the mets offense is stalling
the lineup is constructed like a freight train power not speed is its forte runs are supposed to be produced via the long ball and the mets have been among the best power hitting teams in baseball   their 56 homers through the first 39 games were the most in franchise history and led the nl
but the inherent fallacy of that blueprint is an inability to manufacture runs when the ball is not flying over the fence as collins said before the game are we going to hit and run and bunt no because thats not what we do
when the mets tried to be aggressive on the basepaths against the nationals it did not work smoothly in the second trailing 2 0 after a two run homer by murphy in the first the mets had yoenis cespedes on second base and neil walker on first with one out
cespedes and walker tried a double steal as cabrera swung away knocking a single into center field cespedes slid into third base not realizing the ball was in play but no immediate throw by ben revere allowed him to recover in time to score for the mets only run
during their last seven games the mets have scored only 13 runs this month they have scored more than four runs only twice
before the loss collins was not worried about his teams offensive funk
i know its a great story to panic and to scream and holler collins said im probably not going to do that im going to probably try to maintain my composure and my confidence in my players that i have because i think were pretty good eventually that cream rises
after harveys outing and another muted night at the plate it would be understandable if a few items inside collinss office were rearranged


lawrence township nj   donald j trump spoke beneath nine chandeliers on thursday exulting in the company of so many wiseguys
trump headwear topped visitors well moussed hair one admirer boasted of fashioning a lamp out of an empty bottle of trump vodka
mr trump was in new jersey but hillary clinton was on his mind
you talk about bad judgment how bad a judgment is the email scandal he told hundreds of attendees inside an armory here where gov chris christie a top trump supporter helped convene a fund raiser thursday night to retire his own campaign debt
its always the same with her and its always the same with them mr trump said of the clinton family for her to be able to continue to run is an absolute disgrace in my opinion to this country
mr trumps escalation of hostilities with the clintons has moved apace for weeks since he wrapped up the republican nomination zipping gleefully from mrs clintons resume to her husbands sexual indiscretions and back again
yet as the presumptive republican nominee continued his offensive mrs clinton was left on thursday to scrap on two fronts sitting for an unusually forceful interview to address the boiling anger in her own party among supporters of senator bernie sanders of vermont
despite recent primary wins by mr sanders his path to the partys nomination appears mathematically impossible a fact mrs clinton sought to make clear in an interview with cnn
i will be the nominee of our party she said there is no way i wont be
the sanders campaign quickly seized on the remarks
in the past three weeks voters in indiana west virginia and oregon respectfully disagreed with secretary clinton a sanders spokesman michael briggs said in a statement we expect voters in the remaining eight contests also will disagree
mr briggs alluded to polls showing mr sanders faring better than mrs clinton against mr trump which he said made clear that millions of americans have growing doubts about the clinton campaign
in her interview mrs clinton also took aim at mr trump calling him unqualified for the presidency and unmoored on matters of foreign policy
she declined to respond to mr trumps attacks on her husband bill clinton including in an interview with fox news this week in which mr trump reminded viewers of a decades old rape allegation against the former president
i think people can judge his campaign for what it is mrs clinton said im going to run my campaign
in his remarks thursday night mr trump largely steered clear of mr clinton limiting his ribbing to the news media president obama long departed competitors jeb bush and marco rubio and   it seemed   the weight of mr christie to name a few targets
im not eating oreos anymore mr trump said repeating an oft used attack against the cookies parent company over plans to move some production to mexico neither is chris
as supporters requested some greatest hits   build the wall they shouted at one point before he came out   mr trump returned to another familiar theme antagonizing the chinese government and existing trade policies
who the hell cares if theres a trade war he asked arguing that current arrangements had harmed the united states anyway cheers soon filled the space where a model cannon in back was pointed at the stage as he spoke
the event along with a fund raiser for long island republicans a week earlier forced mr trump to flex muscles he has used sparingly over the years and never for himself
he has hosted fund raisers for party committees and has written checks but he has never been forced to entertain and dazzle donors whose support he badly needs
regular admission to the armory event was 200 intended to help mr christie retire hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign obligations news media credentials did not bear familiar trump campaign logos or slogans paid for by chris christie for president they read instead
the gathering also came amid internal shuffling in mr trumps campaign organization earlier in the day the campaign said that paul manafort the veteran republican operative he hired in march would be the campaign chairman and chief strategist lending a measure of clarity to the chain of command
corey lewandowski who has been the campaign manager since mr trump entered the race will retain the title according to hope hicks a spokeswoman for mr trump she added that mr manafort and mr lewandowski would continue to work together on many aspects of the campaign
on thursday night mr christie assumed the role of chief trump deputy earning a warm reception amid recent polls suggesting new jerseyans have an ever dimming view of him
weve been friends with donald trump for 14 years we know him well he said recalling a conversation with his wife about whether to endorse and i said to mary pat we never ever make a mistake by standing with your friend
moments later mr trump took the stage with an announcement mr christie he said had paid off his entire campaign debt


san francisco   police chief gregory p suhr was forced out on thursday after a fatal shooting of a black woman by a police officer the third killing since december involving the police force which is under federal investigation because of complaints of racial bias
mayor edwin m lee said he had asked for chief suhrs resignation after learning of the shooting
these officer involved shootings justified or not have forced our city to open its eyes to questions of when and how police use lethal force the mayor said in the statement
chief suhr had made meaningful reforms of the police force the mayor said but it hasnt been fast enough
thats why i have asked chief suhr for his resignation the mayor said efforts to contact chief suhr by calling and emailing representatives of the police department were unsuccessful
disclosures that some police officers sent racist text messages and the shootings of a black man in december and a latino man in april shook the city and led to calls for chief suhrs removal despite the turmoil chief suhr had retained the support of many influential african americans in san francisco including a former mayor willie l brown jr and the head of the local chapter of the naacp the rev amos c brown
amos brown who over the past year advised the police chief on rooting out bias in the force said he regretted chief suhrs firing
this is a good compassionate man who has been scapegoated he said
he was trying to change the culture of the police force he said i still feel that we were on our way under his leadership to do good things with that department
but he also said he was happy the mayor named deputy chief toney chaplin as interim chief calling him someone with character competency and the chemistry and courage to continue what we have started
mr chaplin a 26 year veteran of the police force is black chief suhr is white
the shooting on thursday occurred in bayview the neighborhood where mario woods a black man armed with a knife was fatally shot by the police in december
the associated press said a sergeant shot and killed a 27 year old woman on thursday as the sergeant and another officer were trying to pull her out of a stolen car she had crashed into a parked truck
san franciscos public defender jeff adachi said he was deeply disturbed by the shooting and repeated a call for the california attorney generals office to open a civil rights investigation into the san francisco police department
it is unacceptable for police encounters with unarmed citizens to end in bullet wounds and body bags mr adachi said in a statement
chief suhrs departure which comes days after he pledged not to resign is the latest in a series of exits of big city police chiefs who have come under intense pressure during the past year after public anger over the deaths of african americans at the hands of police officers
last july baltimores police commissioner anthony w batts was fired when parts of the city erupted in rioting after video emerged of officers arresting an african american man who later died of an injury sustained in police custody
in chicago garry f mccarthy the police superintendent was dismissed in december after police video was released to the public showing an officer shooting a black teenager 16 times
chief suhr 57 survived calls for his own resignation last year after mobile phone video showed police officers fatally shooting mr woods 26 the police said mr woods had been armed with a knife and had refused to follow police orders officers fired at mr woods 15 times and chief suhr defended the shooting angering many african american residents
after that shooting and the discovery that a number of police officers had been sending racist and homophobic text messages to one another demonstrators called for chief suhrs removal in response to the scandal he announced that all officers on the 2000 member force would be required to complete anti bias training and he said the department would take steps to curb the use of force
residents of the citys shrinking african american community said the police had racially profiled them for years arresting blacks for petty crimes like loitering and smoking marijuana that were ignored in white neighborhoods
as protests continued mr lee asked the justice department to investigate the force and a federal inquiry was announced in january other cities have made similar requests in the past including washington and philadelphia when their police departments came under criticism


once a year like an alarm clock that goes berserk on schedule a thing called maker faire sets up in queens the faire is science dressed up as carnival and art and cartwheeling there is for instance a life size mousetrap arranged in a giant circle a bowling ball drops as it must from a platform it lands on a trigger which flips another level and 700 feet and a dizzying array of simple machines later a bank safe drops onto a taxicab
there is a lock picking workshop do it yourself electronics with open source circuit boards workshops on 3 d printing drones a bellagio style fountain of mentos foaming coke bottles
for two days every autumn since 2010 the faire has been held at the new york hall of science housed in queens at the site of the 1964 new york worlds fair in flushing meadows corona park last year the faire had 95000 visitors according to the hall of science
but this year the organizers of the faire scheduled for oct 1 and 2 have run into the extraordinary obstacle of a professional baseball team in possession of a sweetheart lease underwritten by the public the new york mets and the teams various business arms control a million square foot parking lot   built by the public on publicly owned land but operated by the mets who collect virtually all the money from it
parking is new york bullion
we were informed that founders entertainment intends to produce a massive music event that will take away virtually all of the parking lot space at citi field on the same weekend as maker faire dan wempa a vice president of the hall of science said
the logistics of putting on maker faire are no simpler than creating a 700 foot long mousetrap that starts with a bowling ball and ends with a bank safe flushing and corona meet at a crowded corner of the city that time of year it is especially busy with the mets down the block from the hall of science and the united states open tennis tournament next door
we choose our maker faire date for the following year once the major league baseball schedule has been published to pick a weekend when the mets are out of town mr wempa said
why
thats what gives us our ability to have access to the parking at citi field mr wempa said
in years past people have come from 47 states and a few dozen countries and many of them are not taking the no 7 train so a place for cars is essential for the gathering the parking is not charity by the way the mets get the money from the fees paid by people who use the lot
mr wempa said the mets were informed of the date for the 2016 faire last year as were the police and parks departments and elected officials only on monday of this week mr wempa said did he learn that the mets had plans to rent out the parking lots for a music festival the festival plans anticipate 35000 to 50000 people for two 11 hour days of music food and drink
for a number of years until the team got better the parking lots were among the most valuable parts of the mets franchise the city paid to tear down shea stadium in 2008 and pave over the ground for parking the mets were given the rights to the first 7 million in revenue above that the city is supposed to get a share last year when nearly 26 million people went to games at citi field the city got 392000
baseball is just one way businesses like the mets make money through a company called metropolitan hospitality the stadium is rented out for film shoots parties and concerts
so is the gigantic parking lot the company says on its website set up tents for vendors host a ride and drive or create a big obstacle course all around our ballpark
or hold a music festival no doubt it is more profitable than collecting 10 or whatever from people parking at maker faire still one wonders how the mets expect the neighborhood to absorb tens of thousands of people at a music festival while 100000 are at the fair a team spokesman declined to be quoted but expressed earnest affection for the hall of science the mets have a representative on the halls board three years ago the hall published an interactive book i wrote
its a case of the nerds against the jocks or nerds against the rockers unless theyre careful a bank safe is liable to land on someones head


los angeles   after months of sifting through public critiques over how india is portrayed in the sixth and seventh grades california education officials on thursday approved a curriculum that includes teachings about the caste system and uses the term india rather than south asia
nearly 200 people lined up to speak during a meeting of the instructional committee from the state board of education dozens voiced complaints over how castes and the so called untouchables are portrayed others applauded the committee for rejecting the use of the term south asia which some scholars said should be used to refer to an area that includes modern day india pakistan and nepal
those who wanted the panel to adopt the term india say that it accurately reflects what the region has long been called and represents the most influential culture in the area
the committee debated dozens of specific sentences in the history curriculum framework which is more than 400 pages
whether we like our history or not for any particular reason we have to stick with the facts said risha krishna a committee member in discussing how to phrase a sentence about jatis groups in india that are primarily defined by birth some suggested describing such groups as self governing a definition ms krishna questioned these groups did not have autonomy to decide how they would function it was top down she said
some hindu advocates argued that the curriculum puts too much emphasis on the caste system saying that it leaves indian students vulnerable to bullying in schools dozens of students told committee members that they were taunted after learning about castes in school
but activists for the dalits members of the untouchable caste said that glossing over the caste system would do little to protect students and would be an inaccurate portrayal of india
there is no way that one would self govern yourself into oppression said thenmozhi soundararajan a leader of a coalition that includes dalits sikhs and muslims
after listening to four hours of public comment bill honig the vice chairman of the committee said that the group was focused on giving all sides a fair portrayal in the curriculum
we try to avoid any characterization of illegitimacy mr honig said we try to convey to sixth grade students and seventh grade students about the diversity of this region we tried to put in strong contributions of these societies i think we set it in the proper context


a queens man was sentenced on thursday to at least 59 years in prison in the shooting of an off duty police officer who tried to intervene during a 2013 attack on a woman the man was stalking prosecutors said
the man jose l bernazard was convicted last month in state supreme court in queens of second degree attempted murder assault and burglary among other charges prosecutors said justice deborah stevens modica sentenced him to 59  1/3  to 66  1/3  years in prison
on june 16 2013 the authorities said mr bernazard now 42 went to the home of a woman he had dated briefly and then stalked for over a year after the woman refused to let him in he climbed through a window and assaulted her and her 10 year old son the authorities said
the police officer joseph koch was attending a fathers day barbecue nearby when he heard the woman and child calling for help officer koch entered the house his badge in plain view officials said mr bernazard grabbed officer kochs gun and fired it once shooting him in the hand and shattering the bones
richard a brown the queens district attorney praised officer koch in a statement and said that a lengthy prison term was more than warranted for mr bernazard mr bernazards lawyer russell rothberg declined to comment


an oil pipeline company responsible for a vast spill in the pacific ocean last year did not do enough to prevent corrosion and its operators did not detect and react to the spill quickly enough federal regulators said thursday the company plains all american pipeline also did not have adequate systems to signal there was a major leak in the pipeline running near the santa barbara county coast the pipeline and hazardous materials safety administration said in its final report the report was issued on the anniversary of the 120000 gallon spill and two days after the company was indicted on dozens of criminal charges including four felony counts of polluting state waters and three dozen misdemeanor charges of harming wildlife beaches along the scenic coast were closed for weeks as an oil plume spread nine miles into the ocean houston based plains has apologized and said it was an accident that does not merit criminal charges ap
the owners of an aurora theater where 12 people were killed during a screening of a batman film are not liable for the shooting a jury ruled thursday in the first lawsuit stemming from the 2012 massacre jurors ruled in favor of cinemark usa in the lawsuit filed by more than two dozen surviving victims and relatives of the dead james holmes who pleaded innocent by reason of insanity at his murder trial was found guilty of killing 12 people and wounding 70 he was sentenced to life in prison reuters
j dennis hastert the former house speaker was ordered thursday to report to prison by june 22 to serve a 15 month sentence in his hush money case a prisons spokesman said the name of the prison would not be disclosed until mr hastert 74 reported he pleaded guilty to violating banking laws while seeking to pay 35 million to someone he molested when he coached high school wrestling ap


to most they are known by their public personas as speechwriters political consultants or in one case a united states ambassador to south africa
but to the office of new yorks mayor they have another identity agents of the city
what makes them unique the office argued on thursday is that the communications between mayor bill de blasio and the five close advisers should be as immune from public scrutiny as those of any city employee
city hall described the designation amid mounting scrutiny over its shielding of communications between the mayor and jonathan rosen whom the counsel to the mayor described at a news conference on wednesday as an agent of the city mr rosen who corresponds and meets with the mayor regularly is also a principal at a public affairs consulting firm berlinrosen whose clients include real estate developers and nonprofits
others on the list provided on thursday rounded out a whos who of figures often cited by government watchdog groups as representing new yorks shadow government under mr de blasio nicholas baldick and bill hyers of hilltop public solutions a political consulting firm john del cecato of akpd message and media who has helped mr de blasio write important speeches and the united states ambassador patrick gaspard
none received payment from the city the mayors office said but with the exception of mr gaspard each represents a firm that got large payments from mr de blasios political nonprofit the campaign for one new york now at the center of several inquiries into the mayors fund raising efforts
one firm berlinrosen has received subpoenas in connection with investigations by the united states attorney for the southern district of new york and the manhattan district attorney into mr de blasios fund raising on behalf of senate democrats in 2014
the notion of designating a special class of unpaid advisers   many of whom also represent clients with business before the city   appeared to be an unusual if not novel approach to city governance former officials said city hall however was careful to clarify that agent of the city is not an official designation
during the years i was corporation counsel from 98 to 2001 the concept of agency with a private person is not something that i recognize or remember said michael d hess who was a top city lawyer under mayor rudolph w giuliani referring to the concept of an outside adviser whose communications would be considered privileged
the criteria for becoming an agent of the city was not immediately clear the list provided on thursday did not include other frequent confidants and advisers to the mayor such as peter ragone who left the administration last year but remains in regular contact mr de blasio said on wednesday that infrequent advisers offering advice twice a year or three times a year would not be included
the determination rankled government watchdogs who have taken issue with the mayoral consultants paid by the campaign for one new york in part because some of their clients do business with the city the public has no guarantee that he or other outside consultants are not discussing that business with the mayor said susan lerner of the nonpartisan common cause referring to mr rosen or that he is using what hes learned from the mayor for the benefit of his clients
the subject emerged on wednesday after a story from ny1 highlighted the citys refusal to disclose emails between mr rosen and the mayor in response to requests made under the freedom of information law
at the news conference on wednesday the mayor and his counsel maya wiley defended the citys approach jonathan rosen is someone who i have consulted with for years and years mr de blasio said and we made a legal determination that that was a category that was different and appropriate
the result is that each email from those consultants must be scrutinized by the mayors office to determine whether the subject is advice to the mayor and therefore exempt or whether the consultant is acting on behalf of a client in which case it would be turned over the mayors office has provided certain emails from mr rosen in the past
dick dadey the head of the government watchdog citizens union said the approach appeared intended to thwart public scrutiny this is part of an increasing pattern of the mayor to parse legal definitions that result in the mayor being less transparent and less accountable he said


john smoltz prepares for broadcasts with the same care he once took for his starts he pulled a notebook from his bag on wednesday to show a visitor the meticulously researched handwritten numbers he would use to make a point about the mets
i wish i was better at technology and looking them up faster it took a long time said smoltz the hall of fame pitcher who was at citi field for mlb network but some of the numbers that came out of this were staggering to me
in the columns of smoltzs pages were lists of young pitchers who had worked through the world series with their statistics the following year almost always smoltz found the pitchers effectiveness declined in the follow up season
so it should be no surprise he said that the mets young starters   with the very loud exception of noah syndergaard   have not been quite as overpowering this season as they were last fall matt harvey has been the most persistent riddle
ive said this be careful what you wish for last year smoltz said all the fans the excitement of going to the world series   they emptied the tank
shortly after smoltz spoke harvey allowed a career high nine runs in a career low two and two thirds innings in a 9 1 thrashing by the washington nationals nobody talked much later about the defense that had betrayed harvey in the grisly third an old friend daniel murphy had already blasted a hanging curveball on an 0 2 count for a two run homer in the first
theres two types of people in this game ones whove been humbled and ones who will be manager terry collins said and if youve never been humbled you dont know how to get through it
that is where harvey now finds himself he has a 577 era and has not pitched more than six innings in a start all season collins would not even commit to starting him next week when his turn comes up again at nationals park he said harveys confidence was sapped
im not happy about it harvey said of his performance i know nobody else is
he said he felt fine physically but had no idea why he has struggled he stated the obvious   that he has not executed pitches   and said he wanted to start in washington
its my job to go out there and keep working and try and figure this thing out harvey said thats all im going to do is start over tomorrow keep working hard and do everything i can to fix this
catcher kevin plawecki said he doubted confidence was the problem sticking to the caricature harvey has cultivated of a brooding superhero the dark knight incapable of nuance how could harvey of all people have a crisis of confidence
the matt harvey i know is not one that loses confidence plawecki said adding later you look at matt harvey and his history its been pure dominance but this games hard there are times in this game youve got to learn from bad times
harvey is not given to public introspection his interview session lasted 98 seconds before a media relations official ended it harvey did not sound irritated he sounded defeated   which he was for the sixth time in nine starts
harvey was matched on thursday with stephen strasburg whose team has won his last 13 starts dating to last season armed with a new seven year 175 million contract strasburg   who had tommy john surgery in 2010   is finally a consistent force 7 0 with a 280 era and 75 strikeouts in 61 innings
when you give people that kind of comfort and those big pillows   oh my god scott boras the agent for strasburg and harvey said by phone on thursday afternoon weve already seen the dominance of matt harvey but im not sure weve seen the optimal dominance of stephen strasburg ive seen it   ive seen it big   but i think were going to see more and more of it
boras was right about strasburg who struck out 10 mets in six overpowering innings but harveys dominance has been missing since game 5 of the world series when he carried a shutout through eight innings before everything unraveled in the ninth the kansas city royals clinched the title that night but harvey had proven his point not only did he pitch in the postseason in his comeback from 2013 tommy john surgery he thrived
harveys fastball velocity and strikeout rates have fallen this season but not drastically he has given up an unusually high batting average on balls in play   379 coming into the game   suggesting he might be unlucky
but as thursdays fiasco played out collins said the pitching coach dan warthen noted that harvey had not been the same since he was treated for a blood clot in his bladder in late march how that would affect him now is anyones guess collins said harvey would most likely see a doctor but added i dont know we havent gotten there yet
no one has an answer but everyone has the same memory harvey sprinting to the mound for the ninth inning last nov 1 bold and bulletproof a picture of focused aggression with the season on the line
this kid went above and beyond last year collins said and im not sure hes recuperated from it
be careful what you wish for indeed


with no other options energy transfer equity needs to run down the clock
if the pipeline company can delay filing all the documents it needs to complete its merger with the williams companies it might not have to close the deal and pay a chunk of cash to shareholders
efforts by company insiders including the chief executive kelcy warren to cancel the deal are well known but a new lawsuit in the six month old dispute reveals new details about the battle among prestigious wall street law firms
the lawsuit was filed by the williams companies in delaware chancery court just six weeks before the june 28 deadline after which energy transfer which is based in dallas can walk away it asks the court to stop energy transfer from trying to break up the deal
a focus on the latest lawsuit   the third williams has filed since march   was the role of the lawyers on either side cravath swaine  moore which served as counsel for williams and wachtell lipton rosen  katz which served as energy transfers primary lawyers
the former lodged complaints about delay tactics saying the latter remained conspicuously quiet and noticeably silent over issues that have threatened to scuttle the deal and then there was latham  watkins another firm representing energy transfer the lawsuit heaps much of the blame on its failure to come up with a tax opinion needed for the deal to close
williams said last week after filing the lawsuit that energy transfer has breached the merger agreement through a pattern of delay and obstruction
mr warren of energy transfer responded that by filing three lawsuits in six weeks williams had contributed materially to the very delay in completing the securities and exchange commissions review he said that energy transfer had shown good faith by agreeing to give both parties an extra month to finish their proxy statement
we believe williamss latest lawsuit is an attempt to gain undue leverage in and undermine future discussions regarding the pending merger and will only result in future delay mr warren said
the contentiousness between typically buttoned up lawyers reflects the hostility that has festered between their clients practically from the beginning initially williams was reluctant to agree to an all stock merger with energy transfer so energy transfer threw in 6 billion in cash to sweeten the deal a divided board eventually voted with a majority in favor and the deal was signed last september
then the buyers remorse set in the stock prices of both companies declined precipitously as the energy markets collapsed last fall making the cash portion of the transaction ever more essential to williams shareholders and ever more burdensome to energy transfer but the merger agreement they signed had given energy transfer no easy way out
so in mid january energy transfer asked williams to restructure the transaction to all stock or terminate the deal altogether the lawsuit says williams rejected the proposal saying publicly that it remained committed to the deal
from then on energy transfer settled on a plan to try to avoid their obligations under the merger agreement by illegitimate means the lawsuit says
the minor grievances detailed in the lawsuit included a printer problem that held up a document for nine hours another addition to that document took eight more days to complete though it was just several paragraphs long there were other missed deadlines here and there
but then it became more complicated over an 11 day period in april energy transfer lowered its financial projections for the deal four times even as the energy market stabilized the sec said that updating these projections was unnecessary but energy transfer did it anyway after hiring yet another law firm
then energy transfers counsel latham  watkins said it might be unable to deliver a crucial tax opinion the firms reasoning was initially not disclosed   something the sec later requested causing further delays latham had one reason for holding back then energy transfer retained yet another law firm morgan lewis  bockius to provide a second theory
it was enough for mr warren to declare seven times in a conference call with analysts this month that the sides cannot close the deal
latham told cravath in mid april that it could not render an opinion because of a decline in energy transfers stock cravath countered that the status was based on the value of the assets at the signing of the deal not the closing
morgan lewis  bockius was retained to assess the tax risks in the deal this firm said that the internal revenue service would not deem the deal tax free given the nature by which they were transferring assets
in response williams sent energy transfer two proposals to fix the structure of the deal in a way that would not cause concerns over taxes or change the value accorded to either side energy transfer rejected these changes through a filing   without any explanation over email phone or letter the lawsuit said
williams also said that energy transfer was seeking to make the deal less appealing to williams shareholders jamie welch who was the chief financial officer at energy transfer until he was abruptly fired in february had called williams shareholders and asked them to vote against the deal the new york times reported in march
by making these telephone calls defendants actively sought to prejudice williamss stockholders against the proposed transaction and thereby cause it to fail the lawsuit said
energy transfer also conducted a private stock placement that gave certain shareholders including mr warren priority over others when it comes to cash distributions similar to dividends but for pipeline companies in separate litigation williams is seeking to unwind this
williams used this transaction as an example in the latest case saying that it sent the message that williamss stockholders will be second class stockholders and will not receive the same distributions as ete insiders after the deal closes
williamss board continues to recommend that its stockholders approve the deal with energy transfer


san francisco   the greek philosopher aristotle described man as a rational animal if only software were so easy to define
on the witness stand in the federal courthouse here thursday morning larry page the chief executive of googles parent company alphabet offered metaphysical musings regarding the nature of software as a lawyer for oracle corporation questioned him about the creation of the worlds most popular smartphone operating system android
oracle says google the search giant uses copyrighted material in 11000 of its 13 million lines of software code in android and wants 9 billion from google google says it made fair use of that code and owes nothing
mr page known for his love of big technology ideas questioned whether lines of software that declare how the rest of its actions will work are really software
for me declaring code is not code he said offering a philosophical view of software that may be common among google engineers but stands a good chance of confounding nearly everyone else
with jury deliberations expected to start next week whether it makes sense to nontechies that google as mr page contends engaged in established industry practice and not old fashioned copyright infringement could have a significant impact on how the technology industry creates new products
the copyrights that are crucial to the trial are related to open source software which is created and shared for general use open source technology is at the heart of many current innovations from googles android to the hardware going into giant cloud computing data centers
the open source community will heave a huge sigh of relief if google wins and will be very worried if oracle wins said pamela samuelson professor of law at the university of california berkeley it will have a chilling effect
should oracle prevail mr page could lose a significant chunk of his companys 753 billion in cash since android became a product in 2007 oracle estimates google has made 21 billion in profit from it a verdict in favor of oracle could also lead to a new way for older companies that built giant businesses from licensed software to make money
speaking on the witness stand earlier in the week safra a catz the co chief executive of oracle called java the open source product google is accused of taking the single most important asset oracle acquired in its 39 year history and spoke of billions in lost revenue as a result of googles actions oracle picked up java when it purchased sun microsystems for 74 billion in 2010
the fight between oracle and google began that year as a patent and copyright dispute and in one phase or another it has involved many of the best known names of silicon valley
the initial case was decided largely in favor of google in 2012 and the patent claims were dismissed but in 2014 a federal appeals court found certain parts of java were protected by copyright when the supreme court refused to hear an appeal of that decision last year the case was sent back to federal court
this trial which began last week has followed a tangle of careers as well as code eric schmidt the executive chairman of alphabet testified on his time working on java when he was at sun and his knowledge of apples iphone developments when he sat on the apple board andy rubin who led the android efforts at google and also testified had worked at apple early in his career and used java at danger another phone company he co founded mr rubin has since left google and is working on robots and artificial intelligence
lawrence j ellison co founder and now executive chairman of oracle appeared in a taped deposition about acquiring assets of sun though it was not mentioned in the testimony sun fell on hard times after the dot com boom largely because of competition from another open source software project linux
mr ellison was also close friends with steven p jobs apples co founder who was outraged when google revealed its plans for an iphone competitor that looked a lot like the iphone
there were even glimpses of frosty social exchanges ms catz testified to running into googles corporate lawyer at a bat mitzvah google is a very innovative company she recalled him saying the old rules do not apply to us
i immediately said thou shalt not steal she said on the stand
the jury was allowed to spend the weekend with what appeared to be notebooks full of notes on code corporate strategy and the economics of software whatever the jurors decide both sides have indicated another appeal is likely
ultimately ms samuelson said the supreme court should hear some aspect of the case if only to clarify what she termed incredibly important the first significant software copyright case in 10 years


house and senate negotiators reached agreement on thursday on far reaching legislation to overhaul the nations 40 year old law governing toxic chemicals a compromise that would subject thousands of household chemicals to regulation for the first time
public health advocates and environmentalists have complained for decades that the 1976 toxic substances control act is outdated and riddled with gaps that leave americans exposed to harmful chemicals under current law around 64000 chemicals are not subject to environmental testing or regulation
but efforts to tighten the law have stalled for years in part because of opposition from the chemical industry the bipartisan authors of the new bill say their breakthrough represents a pragmatic politically viable compromise between better environmental standards and the demands of industry
anytime you have the chamber of commerce and you have the manufacturers and the environmental defense fund all together on this thing then that gets peoples attention said senator james m inhofe of oklahoma the chairman of the senate environment and public works committee who helped negotiate the agreement
senator tom udall of new mexico one of its democratic authors said current law has been broken for nearly 40 years
some house democrats and environmental advocates have criticized the compromise as a capitulation to the chemical industry that weakens existing law representatives frank pallone jr of new jersey and paul d tonko of new york said tuesday in a joint statement unfortunately at this point it would be better for us to not act at all
aides said thursday that conversations were continuing with house democrats on some changes to the agreement in the hope of bringing them on board in the next 24 hours
senator barbara boxer of california the ranking democrat on the environment and public works committee said thursday that she opposed the first version of the bill   until she helped improve it the final version is better than current law she said
the bill is expected to reach the house and senate floors for final votes early next week mr inhofe said thursday that it could reach president obamas desk before the memorial day recess
mr obama appears poised to sign the measure an environmental protection agency spokeswoman liz purchia called the final draft a clear improvement over current law
under the new bill epa regulations would pre empt most new state regulations although states could still enact measures such as monitoring and labeling of chemicals state chemical restrictions passed before april 22 would be allowed to stand environmental groups failed in their push to allow states to enact laws stronger than federal rules
daniel rosenberg of the natural resources defense council said thursday that the new bill was still too weak citing its pre emption of states authority its failure to provide the epa with enough authority to check imported products and its restrictions on citizens abilities to petition the epa
but the authors of the bill say it would strengthen the law in other ways under the 1976 law the epa is required to evaluate the safety of new chemicals introduced in the marketplace but not the roughly 64000 chemicals that were already being used in american commerce since then about 22000 new chemicals have been introduced and evaluated and those the agency designates as toxic and hazardous are subject to regulation
the new measure would require the epa to begin evaluating those untested chemicals the epa would be required to prioritize high risk chemicals and to test at least 20 chemicals at any given moment with each test limited to seven years user fees of as much as 25 million a year would be levied on companies to help pay for the testing
those mandates still fall far short of what environmental advocates had once envisioned a law requiring the epa to test up to 300 existing chemicals a year
the new legislation would also require the epa to take only the health and environmental effects of a chemical into account when devising new rules not the financial effect of those regulations the existing law requires new chemical regulations to consider compliance costs
chemical reviews would have to consider exposure impact on vulnerable people such as pregnant women children poor communities and industrial workers
andy igrejas of safer chemicals healthy families said that although the pending deal would bolster the epas authority some issues remained
we dont get opportunities for big reforms often and we want to get it right he said
the chemical industry backed the bill cal dooley the president of the american chemistry council said this legislation balances the priorities and interests of multiple stakeholders


cairo   egypt seemed poised for a modest comeback after years of cascading crises that had devastated the lifeblood of its economy tourism there were signs of a turnaround
president vladimir v putin of russia told his egyptian counterpart abdel fattah el sisi that he might soon resume russian flights to the red sea resort of sharm el sheikh which had been suspended after a passenger plane was blown out of the sky more than six months ago
then the united nations world tourism organization chose luxor home to the famed valley of the kings archaeological site as its world tourism capital for 2016
but on thursday egypt found itself in a dark if familiar place when an egyptair passenger jet disappeared from radar and crashed into the mediterranean with 66 people on board
for years now egyptians have barely had a chance to recover from one crisis before being hit by another a damaged economy a diminished currency a repressive president and a dangerous insurgency waged by a franchise of the islamic state militant group
this latest setback was such a shock to the nation that egypts leaders abandoned their typical approach to crisis management obfuscation instead they offered what appeared to be a candid assessment acknowledging that the disaster might well have been a result of terrorism and that was even before there was hard evidence of terrorism
although visibly strained egypts civil aviation minister sherif fathi admitted that some egyptian officials had made errors in dealing with the loss of the plane egyptair flight 804 and conceded that it might be linked to islamist militants
the possibility of a terrorist attack he said was higher than the possibility of a technical failure
the initial response has been different this time said michael wahid hanna a senior fellow at the century foundation in new york we havent seen the kind of obfuscation that was typical of egypt before
mr fathis rapid acknowledgment of a possible terrorist link contrasted sharply with his governments response to the crash of a russian charter flight over the sinai peninsula in october when the government repeatedly refused to concede any connection to militancy only to reverse its position months later
that about face was typical of egyptian official reactions that have often looked like defensive crouches and that have quietly infuriated some allies and led them to question egypts ability to carry out transparent investigations
those tactics have pitted president sisi against some of his closest western allies his government has publicly clashed with italy over the case of giulio regeni an italian graduate student whose bloodied body was discovered on a cairo roadside in february egyptian officials have aggressively countered italian accusations that egypts security forces were responsible
instead egypt has offered what are widely considered implausible accounts of how mr regeni was killed
egypt also tried to shift blame for the deaths of eight mexican tourists in an egyptian military air attack in september after months of egyptian inaction over the killings in the countrys western desert apparently the result of a mistake mexicos foreign ministry issued a statement this month accusing egypt of failing to investigate the episode properly and of not sufficiently compensating the families of the dead tourists
the governments reputation for secrecy stoked cynicism among some of the relatives of missing passengers at the cairo airport on thursday we dont know anything said mervat moamen who had come for news of samar ezz el deen a newly married flight attendant on the plane
visibly frustrated she dismissed official explanations about the fate of the plane as just propaganda
conspiracy theories about the crash floated in the news media including an interview in the state run al ahram paper with a self declared expert who claimed the plane had been brought down by an electromagnetic pulse
british officials have been working with egypt to improve security at the sharm el sheikh airport but they say it is unlikely they will reverse their flight ban anytime soon
tourist numbers have fallen more than 40 percent this year and a further drop would most likely further weaken the egyptian currency this in turn would increase inflation and put new pressure on mr sisi who has responded to criticism with an iron fist this year silencing critics and street protests through mass arrests and convictions
last weekend 152 people mostly in their 20s were sentenced to two to five years in prison for participating in street protests against the transfer of two red sea islands to saudi arabia the furor over the islands appeared to rattle mr sisi catching him by surprise and dealt another blow to his sagging popularity
still analysts say the egyptair crash could also give mr sisis government a chance to capitalize on international sympathy   provided it does not engage in the sort of defensive behavior that has alienated allies in the past as the search for wreckage continued thursday evening mr sisis office issued a stream of statements describing calls of sympathy he had received from the leaders of italy greece saudi arabia and france
mr hanna the analyst said there could be a more cynical explanation for the seemingly more candid approach of egyptian officials that they see an opportunity to blame another country france for the security lapses that led to the disaster on social media on thursday some egyptians anticipating a terrorist link called for pariss charles de gaulle airport to be shut down on security grounds much as sharm el sheikhs airport was in the fall
blaming france though could alienate one of egypts diminishing number of european friends the french president francois hollande visited egypt last month to sign a 1 billion weapons contract and a slew of other investment deals with mr sisi
paradoxically the proliferation of challenges facing egypt may cause western countries to strengthen their support for mr sisi despite his harsh policies mr hanna said
it solidifies the status quo he said because the country faces serious security threats with the potential to spill over into the rest of the world other countries are loath to make a drastic change and to focus on things like human rights politics and other freedoms


los angeles   crosses flags ... arches
those words are spoken by ray kroc or rather michael keaton in the founder a film about the mcdonalds corporation as he envisions the stature the soon to be ubiquitous emblem would attain for the fast food chain in a nation that in 1954 already had steeples and flagpoles aplenty
mcdonalds can be the new american church says mr keatons kroc as he begs to join the brothers dick and mac mcdonald in transforming their small california company into much more than a string of burger joints
twists that soon left kroc in control of the mcdonalds name and its corporate identity make up the plot of a movie that both loves and loathes its hero an archetypal postwar businessman and the films portrayal of kroc comes with a notable irony unauthorized by the company the founder uses mcdonalds zealously guarded iconography to provide a bold visual tour through krocs supposed hijacking of those same mostly trademarked images
if its a biopic of anything its of the mcdonalds brand and restaurants rather than ray said john lee hancock who directed the founder set for release in the united states on aug 5 by the weinstein company
mcdonalds like most corporations maintains close control of its corporate imagery and it would have reason to keep an eye on the founder with its ambivalent portrayal of kroc
but mr hancock and a filmmaking team that includes filmnation entertainment and the producers don handfield and jeremy renner were supported by first amendment protection and concepts of fair use that generally permit incorporation of trademarks in art   within limits andy warhol was sued by the campbell soup company for his use of its logo but the company dropped the litigation and came to view his works as free publicity
in a movie biography said valerie barreiro who teaches on the topic of intellectual property at the university of southern california gould school of law i would imagine that any use would likely meet the fair use standard as long as the film does not falsely portray mcdonalds and treads carefully with trademarks in its marketing materials
ms barreiro noted that the risks are higher for an unauthorized use of trademarks in the promotion of a work perhaps not by accident a prominent poster for the founder portrays only a portion of the current mcdonalds logo where the golden arches converge to form the middle of an m
to date according to mr hancock and others mcdonalds has made no attempt to interfere with the founder to do so would risk inadvertently promoting the film in a similar situation facebook chose not to fight an unflattering portrayal of its chief executive mark zuckerberg in the 2010 movie the social network
robert gibbs global chief communications officer for mcdonalds declined to comment on the founder its use of company trademarks or its least complimentary claim about kroc that he reneged on a handshake deal to pay the mcdonald brothers a percentage of his revenue as part of a 1961 agreement in which he purchased their company for 27 million
in his 1977 autobiography grinding it out kroc did not mention the supposedly promised royalty in his summary of the deals terms but he said the mcdonald brothers reneged on an oral promise to include their original restaurant in the sale
jason french dick mcdonalds grandson said on friday that the never paid royalty would have delivered in the billions of dollars his grandfather he said did not reconcile with kroc but was occasionally involved with the corporation after krocs death
the brothers resentment involved not just the money mr french said but krocs habit of calling himself the mcdonalds founder though what he actually founded was a corporation that eventually absorbed the original mcdonalds company
the founder is based on a script by robert d siegel who wrote the wrestler mr keaton nominated for an oscar in 2015 for birdman plays kroc as a complicated beast wrapping boundless optimism and heedless drive into a single half endearing package
i couldnt remember ever reading a script where i was pulling so hard for the protagonist in the first half then questioning my own feeling for him in the second mr hancock said
mr hancock said the founder script struck him as being distinctive in that it set out to portray the history of both a business and an industry much as citizen kane described the rise of modern newspapers and the big short tackled wall streets role in the housing crisis
he spoke by telephone last week catching a reporter in the parking lot of the oldest operating mcdonalds in downey calif speedee the hamburger man one of the companys original trademarks renewed in 2010 winked from above
mr hancocks film rivals krocs boldness in using the mcdonalds name and visual identity
in large part that was engineered by michael corenblith a production designer who worked previously with mr hancock on the blind side the alamo and saving mr banks
also speaking by telephone last week mr corenblith called the process of recovering the early mcdonalds imagery as difficult as anything ive ever done that included he said his replication of walt disneys personal office in saving mr banks a film about disneys encounters with the mary poppins author p l travers
based on old photographs blueprints and other archival material the work began mr corenblith said with reconstruction of the mcdonald brothers hamburger assembly line   a precise system devised in their original san bernardino restaurant that has been likened in its effect on the industry to the automotive work of henry ford
eventually mr corenblith and his team built two full size mock ups of early mcdonalds restaurants both with working kitchens
one in newnan ga replicated the san bernardino restaurant an octagonal building that has since been destroyed the other in douglasville ga was based on the existing downey restaurant which mr corenblith repeatedly examined and measured
we were able to visit on multiple occasions under the radar he said ultimately mr corenblith added absolute high fidelity to mcdonalds own designs including the various arches and the largely retired speedee bolstered the films claim to fair use
the douglasville set which had the twin space age parabolic arches and canted windows that so captivated kroc was redressed and occasionally tweaked onscreen with digital effects to stand in for perhaps 20 early mcdonalds locations that appear in the film including the first kroc owned franchise in des plaines ill
some early research by the writer and producers was assisted by an independently owned mcdonalds museum that now occupies the site of the original restaurant everything was hush hush with us said albert okura the museums proprietor and the founder of juan pollo his own california fast food chain
at one point said mr okura producers of the founder suggested they might give the museum their sets but that plan changed said aaron ryder a producer of the film at his own behest and not under pressure from mcdonalds
i didnt want the liability mr ryder said and all the lawyers


usually there are 10 operations a week scheduled at the northport veterans affairs medical center on long island but since mid february the hospitals five operating rooms have stood empty and unused shut down after sand size black particles began falling from air ducts
the ducts are part of the hospitals hvac system providing heating ventilation and air conditioning the system is integral to improving the hospitals air quality and mitigating the airborne transmission of germs that could lead to infections
patients in need of surgical treatment have been sent to other facilities such as stony brook university hospital a half hour away or to sister facilities like the james j peters va medical center in the bronx or the manhattan campus of the vas new york harbor healthcare system said philip moschitta northports director others are being referred to the vas choice card program which allows some veterans to obtain taxpayer funded care from private doctors though it has been troubled by delays
the veterans affairs medical system the nations largest integrated health care organization has been under scrutiny since 2014 when the department confirmed that numerous patients had died awaiting treatment at a va hospital in phoenix where officials had tried to cover up long waiting times for 1700 veterans seeking medical care a study released by the government accountability office last month indicated that the system has yet to fix its scheduling problems
northport is a 502 bed teaching hospital that serves about 18000 patients per year doctors there perform 633 inpatient and 1822 outpatient surgeries a year some procedures that do not require a sterile room such as colonoscopies or cataract surgeries are currently taking place in other parts of the hospital mr moschitta said
cutting into the body those types of procedures are not being done in those rooms at this time he said
two or three of the operating rooms were reopened for a few weeks in april but they were again shuttered and sealed off with yellow caution tape because contamination returned
an environmental analysis of the air quality at the northport hospital by environmental analysis associates a san diego firm that specializes in the identification of indoor air quality problems associated with dust contamination found that the particulates came from oxidizing metal and crumbling concrete in the buildings duct system which was built in the early 1970s
the report which was obtained by the new york times linked the operating room contaminants to northports decaying building the kinds of particles deposited in the operating rooms were typically associated with galvanized duct corrosion and metal pipingfittings the report said it also mentioned that low concentrations of fiberglass fibers   irritants to the skin eyes and upper respiratory tract   were detected
mr moschitta said the problems stemmed from rusted sound attenuators in the ducts which reduce mechanical equipment noise as the forced air goes through the ducts little fragments break off he said
when you have a 45 year old facility things rust he added
the report also noted the presence of spores of cladosporium a common mold that can grow indoors on surfaces when moisture is present and can cause allergic reactions and respiratory problems
ronald brattain the chief of the hospitals engineering service said that the operating room air supply ducts have been wet and regularly exposed to high humidity because they pull air from the outside as is common in older va hospitals the humidity that is in the air is drawn through the air handler and so that by itself creates a moist environment he said
the entire va system has been plagued with crumbling buildings and deferred maintenance according to the va roughly 60 percent of its medical facilities are more than 50 years old the departments inspector general issued an audit report in 2014 warning that there was a 10 billion to 12 billion backlog in maintenance throughout the system jeopardizing patient safety at a time when aging baby boomers and newly enrolled veterans of iraq and afghanistan increasingly sought care at va hospitals
mr moschitta said that one backup plan under discussion at northport was to bring in mobile surgical units that would be parked outside the emergency room on the lawn but those units rent for 70000 to 85000 per month
mr moschitta said he is confident the problem will be solved with the installation of high efficiency particulate air filters in each of the vents in the operating rooms and that at least one of the surgical suites will be up and running in the near future barring any mishap were ready to go on june 1 he said a lot of these facilities are vintage
it is not only the operating rooms that have been affected at northport in the basement of building 200 one floor down from the operating rooms the air conditioning broke down in march 2015 and since then particulates have accumulated in five ultrasound rooms and an mri area mr brattain said the problem was a rupture of the cooling tower on the roof since then air conditioning has been provided by temporary air cooled chillers which cost 30000 a month each to rent mr brattain said and two more will be brought in for the summer months a new system is supposed to be installed in the spring of 2017
an internal email from an engineer and safety officer at the hospital obtained by the times details staff complaints about the particulates the dust is depositing on hvac registers ceilings walls and on medical equipment the email said maintenance continues to clean the surfaces but as the staff has observed the dust reappears within a short time at least three staff members have indicated their concern that this environment has affected them they have been to employee health and to their individual physicians the email was sent in april to administrators at the hospital
in a statement mr moschitta said that he took very seriously concerns about the air quality in the mri area and the ultrasound rooms and that he had asked for air sampling to be conducted to ensure the safety of our patients and employees


tampa fla   the chances of scoring were heavily in the pittsburgh penguins favor wednesday night what with the extra ice opened up by a four on three advantage and the refocused sidney crosby awaiting the puck in his sweet spot near the left face off circle
crosbys play this postseason has been flashy and frustrating even as the penguins rolled into the eastern conference finals against the tampa bay lightning
sure he has made the occasional breathtaking move and startling backward pass between his legs directly to the tape of a teammates stick
but crosby now 28 and in his 11th nhl season is still all about production if not domination and as he took a pass from evgeni malkin and blasted a shot past goalie andrei vasilevskiy in the third period of game 3 against the lightning it illustrated how crosby and the penguins had kicked into a higher gear in their 4 2 victory at amalie arena
pittsburgh took a two games to one series lead and regained home ice advantage heading into game 4 on friday night
i think we played a pretty simple game crosby said we havent tried too many set plays we just try to keep it simple as best we can
pittsburgh has really been strong on the puck crosby said and its worked for us
crosbys goal put the penguins ahead 3 1 midway through the third it was his second goal against tampa bay after his overtime winner in game 2 he now has five goals in the playoffs along with eight assists and should his arc continue upward the lightning might be facing elimination earlier than expected
indeed the penguins depth and speed suddenly clicked again in the same way they had when pittsburgh ousted the rangers in five games and the washington capitals in six the third line of phil kessel carl hagelin and nick bonino helped ignite the penguins with a combined five points kessel and hagelin each notched a goal and an assist and bonino added an assist
hagelins goal off a rebound of a kessel shot with 10 seconds left in the second period broke a scoreless tie and might have swung momentum of the series to pittsburgh the penguins had outshot the lightning 21 6 in the second period en route to 48 total shots against vasilevskiy the backup to the injured ben bishop whose status for the series still remains questionable
we knew he played great hagelin said of vasilevskiy but we knew that if we kept pressuring him that if we shoot 48 shots we know that sooner or later its going to go in
vasilevskiys confidence had seemed to grow with every puck that bounced off his chest but he has now faced an onslaught of 89 shots in the last two games tampa bay has been outshot 124 69 in the series
you see a second period like that where we generate a lot of chances and we play with a lot of speed and to be able to do that every line has to be able to go out and do that and thats what we did here tonight crosby said thats the way we know we have success so weve got to find ways to be able to get to that kind of game
as they did against the islanders in the previous round the lightning have experienced major defensive lapses increasing the pressure on vasilevskiy
its unacceptable lightning coach jon cooper said i feel bad for the kid   that hes keeping us in there and we cant find a way to bail him out but it doesnt matter who was in net we could have had bishop and vasy playing at the same time and they still mightve squeaked a couple in
bishop injured in game 1 skated again thursday but did not participate in team practice he and the teams captain center steven stamkos remained doubtful for game 4 cooper said
and now tampa bay must deal with a re energized crosby who accounted for eight shots in game 3 setting the bar higher from his six shots in game 2 he has adjusted to playing more with malkin too as coach mike sullivan continues to tweak his lines in search of the right chemistry for a run to the stanley cup finals
were just trying to make sure that when were out there that we create things crosby said of being paired with malkin the more that we play together here the last couple of games we get a little bit more comfortable
it probably hasnt been that much as far as leading up to the last couple of games we havent played together a lot so i think were starting to get a better feel for one another out there and getting some chances so i think hes just got to keep doing the same thing as a line when were together weve got to find ways to create


madrid   the killing of bulls at an annual town festival in spain was outlawed on thursday in what animal rights activists hailed as a major victory in their campaign to banish traditional events that involve what they consider cruelty
the decision by the regional government of castile and leon to ban killings at the annual toro de la vega festival in the town of tordesillas and other similar events comes amid mounting tensions in spain over festivities in which bulls take center stage including bullfighting
an overhaul in spanish politics is also influencing the debate as the country prepares for a rerun of national elections next month a new generation of far left politicians is leading the call to end public financing of festivals involving bulls which have been fiercely defended by the conservative establishment and the popular party of mariano rajoy spains caretaker prime minister
the toro de la vega festival held in september has in recent years become an epicenter of protests by animal rights activists who consider it a particularly gruesome public event bulls are killed with spears after being pursued on foot and horseback
pacma a political party that defends the rights of animals said in a statement thursday that the ban was a historic step toward eliminating all celebrations involving violence toward animals the regional governments decree however must still be approved by the regional parliament the mayor of tordesillas told reporters on thursday that his administration would appeal the ban in court
the regional decree says that the ban is a response to the rising number of protests against animal violence while it notes that the festivals are part of the countrys cultural heritage modern lawmakers must recognize that times and the sensitivities and ethics of spaniards have changed
while the ban did not address bullfighting that industry has languished in recent years as revenues and government subsidies have declined animal rights activists hope that more regions will follow the lead of catalonia which held its final corrida in 2011 after a ban on bullfighting was enacted


in another blemish on new york citys troubled jail system two rikers island correction officers and a cook accepted bribes from inmates to smuggle in contraband such as scalpels synthetic marijuana and tobacco officials said on thursday
the city employees were among 17 people including six inmates who have been indicted in three smuggling operations uncovered at rikers since september the indictments which were made public on thursday were the result of a monthslong inquiry by the new york city department of investigation and the office of the bronx district attorney darcel d clark mark g peters the commissioner of the investigation department called it the largest contraband smuggling takedown in more than a decade at rikers island
criticism of rikers island has intensified in recent years as a spate of slashings stabbings and beatings among inmates and correction officers has highlighted what many see as a culture of violence and corruption at rikers the citys main jail complex gov andrew m cuomo a democrat and other critics have called for the closing of rikers which consists of nine operating jails that house a total of about 8000 inmates
ms clark who has made overhauling the sprawling complex a top priority said that these alleged schemes fed the climate of danger and fear that makes rikers island notorious for brutality and they reveal the true scope of corruption that goes far beyond its shoreline
norman seabrook the president of the correction officers benevolent association the union that represents correction officers said on thursday that the investigation showed the dangerous environment we work in every single day
we have no tolerance for anyone who jeopardizes the safety and security of our brother and sister officers and the people we are charged with supervising he said we have enough problems maintaining security as it is we dont condone anyone who makes it worse
joseph ponte the commissioner of citys correction department noted that the department had taken aggressive steps to stem the flow of contraband into city jails including investing in more x ray machines expanding canine searches revising officer recruitment and screening policies and dedicating a group of staff members to more effectively monitor inmate phone calls we have zero tolerance for any illegal behavior in our jails and we are confident that our ongoing reforms are yielding more capable officers and safer jails he said
the investigation began with the arrest in november of kevin mckoy now 31 a correction officer who was assigned to the anna m kross center at rikers on charges that he tried to smuggle in concealed scalpels a form of synthetic marijuana known as k2 and strips of suboxone an opioid he is accused of having received a total of at least 10000 in bribes according to city officials
the day he was arrested at the jail mr mckoy had seven scalpels tucked into a leg of his long johns officials said nine more scalpels were found at his home in brooklyn
the investigation revealed that inmates would tell their relatives and friends to give contraband and cash to mr mckoy whom they referred to using the nicknames the plug and ticks and fleas
cary london a lawyer who represents mr mckoy declined on thursday to comment mr mckoy who is free on bail has been suspended from his job pending the outcome of his trial officials said
in february a second correction officer mohammed sufian 25 was arrested at rikers after he tried to smuggle tobacco into the jail in his socks in exchange for 1000 mr sufian who was a probationary employee was dismissed in april
if convicted mr mckoy and mr sufian face up to seven years in prison on the most serious charge bribe receiving officials said
the cook darnell wilson 27 was also arrested in february and was found with synthetic marijuana and tobacco concealed in his shoes officials said mr wilson who has been suspended from his job stated after his arrest that he had received 200 a week since the summer of 2015 to smuggle in those substances officials said


general mills one of americas corporate food titans is quietly establishing itself in venture capital investing in some of the hottest new food companies
it is just one of a small but growing number of giant food companies that have decided they can no longer afford to sit on the sidelines as smaller more nimble start ups outmaneuver them in the race for consumers seeking minimally processed locally sourced environmentally sustainable foods free of preservatives and chemicals
general mills latest investment is part of 18 million going into kite hill which makes versions of cheese and yogurt from nuts   no cows involved
plant based used to be more synonymous with sacrifice than with taste said john haugen vice president and general manager of 301 inc general mills venture capital arm now companies like kite hill are able to deliver plant based products that taste good
the investment is the fifth for 301 which general mills established last fall out of its former new business development unit that unit often created products based on established brands like a refrigerated pillsbury pancake batter and progresso soups in pods that could be used with single serve coffee makers
general mills is not the only food company dabbling in venture capital this year campbell put 125 million into an in house venture capital business called acre venture partners and unilever has long had a venture capital unit
big food companies traditionally favor mergers and acquisitions however this week for example hormel bought justins which makes nut butters and peanut butter cups that are gaining share against longtime market leaders and last year mondelez bought enjoy life foods a snack foods business playing in what the industry calls the free from segment of the market   even though mondelez also started its own line of such products
you could argue that we could just make an acquisition but what 301 allows us to do is engage in companies that are still small and emerging and keep the chief executive and leadership team in place to help preserve the culture mr haugen said
victor friedberg managing partner at s2g ventures a venture capital firm that invests in food and agriculture businesses said big food companies are increasingly finding it less costly to invest in or buy small businesses that is because a new business developed internally would have to generate as much as 100 million in sales in its first year to justify the investment of time and money
big food companies have many assets and advantages mr friedberg said but developing in house brands that consumers will perceive as healthier and authentic has been a problem for them   theyre just not designed to do that
but most small food companies struggle to develop on a larger scale which is why kite hill elected to take the investment from 301 instead of raising capital through one of the many accelerators and incubators set up to support small food businesses or from a conventional venture capital firm
general mills has tremendous expertise around manufacturing and the supply chain things that a company like ours can really benefit from as we expect to grow aggressively said matthew sade chief executive of kite hill we get inquiries from as far away as europe so we know theres great demand for our products   the question is how do we get there
whole foods for instance asked kite hill to make a pumpkin tart marbled with its nut based cream cheese for the holiday season the product sold so well mr sade said that whole foods wanted to stock it year round   but kite hill lacked the capacity to meet that demand
many small food businesses are wary of taking money from or getting bought out by food giants mindful of the many stories of small successful companies that are bought only to all but disappear into a multibillion dollar corporation
that reluctance has spawned a boom in small venture capital and private equity firms offering to finance small food businesses and food entrepreneurs who have cashed out like jon sebastiani the founder of krave jerky are forming businesses that offer advice and financing to small food companies
clayton christopher who sold his sweet leaf tea to nestle and then last year sold deep eddy vodka for almost 400 million to a kentucky distiller is among the founders of cavu venture partners
cavu which announced a 156 million fund to invest in food and beverage businesses this year has joined general mills in the kite hill investment khosla ventures a major silicon valley investment firm and a handful of other investors also put in a small amount
cavu also joined general mills to invest in good culture a cottage cheese business
it was kind of a strange unplanned thing that we ended up in partnership with them mr christopher said but we complement each other   general mills brings a ton of expertise around supply chains production technology and operations while where we come in is with experience building new national brands that really appeal to todays consumers
the investment in kite hill was drawn up before the wall street rumor mill began excitedly discussing general mills as a target for 3g capital the giant brazilian private equity firm that owns kraft heinz burger king and budweiser 3g is infamous for cutting costs and cheapening ingredients to achieve large increases in profit margins striking terror into big companies and small
mr sade demurred from commenting on the rumor saying he was far removed from the world of private equity where they move large pieces around on the chessboard
generally speaking he added i dont think consolidation on such a big scale is good for consumers


one percent growth may not seem like a lot   unless youre the worlds largest retailer
walmart reported on thursday that its quarterly revenue had risen 09 percent exceeding analysts forecasts and signaling that its strategies to combat a tough retail environment were working the results were particularly striking after dismal earnings reports by several retail chains last week and walmarts shares shot up nearly 10 percent
investments in everything from employee wages to store layouts had led to higher customer satisfaction the company said shoppers filled more prescriptions purchased more over the counter products and showed more of an appetite for apparel and other general merchandise
were improving our stores adding critical capabilities and deepening relationships with customers doug mcmillon walmarts president and chief executive said in a call with reporters on thursday
department stores including macys nordstrom and kohls reported that quarterly sales fell at stores open longer than a year but walmart appears to have benefited from americans increased reliance on low cost or discount stores off price retailers like ross and the tjx companies   which operates t j maxx and marshalls   reported sales increases last year
people are definitely hunting for value and i think thats what youre seeing said charlie oshea the lead retail analyst for moodys especially in the apparel sector
but doubts persist about whether walmart is growing fast enough in one increasingly important area online
for a company of its size walmart underperforms in e commerce said neil saunders a retail analyst for conlumino
percentage growth can be misleading walmarts sales increase translates to more than a billion dollars in revenue essentially the same as adding the entire businesses of burger king and tim hortons walmart does not break out a quarterly figure for online sales but said its e commerce business had grown 7 percent in the last quarter
walmart has been investing heavily to increase that business which like every other retailers continues to get clobbered by amazon some analysts said that given walmarts vast resources its web business should be growing faster and mr mcmillon acknowledged on thursday that its growth rate was too slow
the us number is better than the global number but neither is as high as wed like he said
amazon does much more business than walmartcom mr saunders said and yet it still reports double digit growth amazon reported that net product sales rose 13 percent to 793 billion in 2015 while walmart reported that global annual e commerce revenue had risen 12 percent to 137 billion in its latest fiscal year
other retailers are tackling the problems and making headway much better said bernie sosnick a retail analyst with madison global partners walmart has plowed so much capital in this that it should be doing as well or better than other retailers
but mr oshea of moodys argues that comparing walmartcom and amazon is like comparing apples to watermelons
if amazon were to get into brick and mortar would it be fair to compare amazons brick and mortar business to walmarts brick and mortar business he said probably not and were doing the reverse to that here
walmarts online reinvention mr oshea pointed out has just begun the company has been aggressively tackling its online business in the last few months and has committed to investing heavily in a number of areas including technology
the company recently announced plans to offer free two day shipping to customers who paid an annual 49 fee on thursday mr mcmillon also disclosed walmarts plans to expand its grocery pickup business to 40 markets by the end of the month up from 22 early this year
at the same time the company has expanded its online assortment at the end of last year about eight million items were available through walmartcom that number is now up to 10 million four years ago it was fewer than two million according to a spokesman dan toporek
this takes time mr oshea said you dont just flip a switch and become a great online retailer
in other areas walmart significantly outperformed its peers
over all walmart reported that profit fell to 308 billion or 98 cents a share compared with 334 billion or 103 a share a year earlier that beat expectations of 88 cents a share according to analysts polled by thomson reuters revenue was 1159 billion analysts had expected 1132 billion
walmart especially with apparel did better than other retailers for a really stressful period mr sosnick said


a super pac supporting donald j trump released a partial list of 27 supporters on thursday as officials for the group said they would report on friday having no debt last month and raising more than 1 million
the group great america pac released a list of names that included the former actress and conservative pundit stacey dash the new york radiologist dr robert lapidus and the petroleum executive james volker
the group is one of at least four potential super pacs in the works to support mr trump
stanley hubbard a businessman who signed up with the group in the last few weeks said in a statement that it was imperative to continue trying to amass support for mr trump the supporters list was intended to show a broad range of regional support around the country
with our expanding list of supporters we will have the financial resources to help donald trump win a billion dollar campaign mr hubbard said for the sake of our children and grandchildren hillary clinton must not be allowed to take our nation in a dangerous direction
jesse benton a former official for the group who now works on a volunteer basis said that on friday its filings with the federal election commission would show 166 million raised over all and no debt another recently formed super pac the committee for american sovereignty featured donors such as nick loeb a former backer of gov chris christie of new jersey
mr trump has yet to bless any of the super pacs seeking to back him and there are at least two other outside groups under discussion his aides have given conflicting signals as to which one to support


baltimore   a judge here on thursday peppered prosecutors with detailed questions about the charges against a police officer involved in the arrest of freddie gray the 25 year old black man who died after sustaining a spinal cord injury while in custody
as judge barry g williams listened to prosecutors closing arguments he interrupted to ask when exactly they believed that an assault occurred and why some of their allegations if true were crimes and not civil violations   a contention that if proved could have broad implications for policing in the city
youre saying any time theres an arrest without probable cause its a crime judge williams asked
i think it depends on the circumstances janice bledsoe a deputy states attorney said
no no no no judge williams responded pressing ms bledsoe for a definitive answer which she eventually gave saying it was misconduct later the chief deputy states attorney michael schatzow clarified that an arrest without probable cause would be a crime only if the officer was not being objectively reasonable
the trial of officer edward m nero has shifted the focus in the police encounter with mr gray from the injury that eventually killed him to the opening moments of his detention last year on a sunny april morning in the blighted sandtown neighborhood of west baltimore
officer nero has been charged with second degree assault for reportedly touching mr gray during an apprehension that prosecutors said exceeded the officers authority two counts of misconduct and reckless endangerment for failing to fasten mr grays seatbelt when he put him in the van
judge williams is the sole decider in the case and legal experts said the tone of his questions could suggest that prosecutors might face steep odds from early on experts have questioned whether the charges against the officers were too ambitious to weather a trial
he appeared troubled with the states theory that the facts as alleged by the state amounted to a crime said warren alperstein a defense lawyer who has been watching the trial and by asking when an assault may have occurred implicitly the judge is saying i dont understand your theory he said
but douglas colbert a law professor at the university of maryland who has been supportive of the prosecution said judge williams might simply have been trying to be thorough in an unusual case i believe that he was doing as much for clarification as he was in challenging he said
with judge williams expected to announce a decision monday morning   delaying a ruling until the crowds coming to the city for the preakness stakes horse race on saturday leave   baltimore is set to get its first verdict in the case of an officer charged in the encounter with mr gray whose death touched off riots and days of unrest
the legal reckoning has been a long time coming judge williams granted each of the six officers charged a separate trial but the first one of officer william g porter ended in a hung jury and a mistrial in december leading to months of legal skirmishes that have delayed the other trials
during their closing argument and rebuttal prosecutors said thursday that officer nero and another officer garrett e miller elevated a legal stop to an unlawful arrest by failing to question mr gray or to frisk him as the law requires thus they said the physical contact they made with mr gray amounted to assault
and mr schatzow said officer nero had a duty to restrain mr gray in the van with a seatbelt and failed to do so
a lawyer for officer nero marc zayon said the apprehension of mr gray   which involved handcuffing him and putting him on the ground   was legal being handcuffed is a horrible thing mr zayon said but the law allows it
and he said it was the responsibility of the vans driver not officer nero to put mr grays seatbelt on and he denied that his client had knowingly violated police procedure or the law
closing arguments came after a weeklong trial that focused on rules about detaining arresting and transporting prisoners with some officers testifying that it was rare to use seatbelts on prisoners in police wagons
one issue at trial has been the extent to which officer nero participated in the initial search and restraint of mr gray prosecutors played a statement that officer nero gave to investigators in which he said miller and i we got him in custody referring to officer garrett e miller
but officer miller testified that he not officer nero had made physical contact with mr gray during the first moments of his arrest
the trial has led to courtroom scrutiny of rules about when an officer can conduct an investigative stop   they can for example when someone flees in a high crime area   and what exactly is allowed without probable cause
but in pursuing their strategy prosecutors have been counterintuitive normally it is defense lawyers not prosecutors who tell judges that the police have overstepped their authority by subjecting their clients to illegal searches or seizures
they sound like defense attorneys in there warren brown a defense lawyer who is not involved in the case said really it was amazing


he had been very respectful he said he had testified for nearly four hours and had answered many questions the facts were clear yet his opponents still wanted to play political games well he said he would no longer play along
mayor bill de blasio a democrat seeking to extend mayoral control of new york citys schools in the face of a republican controlled state senate that appears intent on thwarting him reached on thursday for one of his default political strategies when outgunned claim the moral high ground
i wish this was about the substance mr de blasio said in an interview on wnyc of the senates reluctance to act on mayoral control i wish it was about our children and parents im having trouble seeing how it is
mr de blasio made his comments to justify his decision to skip a senate hearing on the matter on thursday he and the schools chancellor carmen farina traveled to albany two weeks ago to testify at an initial hearing for several hours the session on thursday was in manhattan opposite city hall nonetheless mr de blasio said on wednesday that he would not testify ms farina attended and testified
the mayors decision did not appear to be driven by scheduling conflicts as he spent the morning sitting for three radio interviews instead he seemed to have chosen as he has when stymied by gov andrew m cuomo that rather than negotiating he was better off publicly accusing his foe of putting politics above the needs of the citys residents
when you look at facts like that and the fact that theres no alternative theres no third way here thats been proposed it suggests to me that the substance is not the primary consideration here mr de blasio said on wnyc
i hope the state senate republicans are listening to all those facts and theyll make the right decision here in the name of the kids of our city he added thats really what it should be about
in a statement austin finan a spokesman for mr de blasio said the mayor met his commitment to the senate when he testified earlier this month and laid out a clear case for mayoral control
two years ago mr de blasio mounted a major push to wrest control of the senate from the republicans by electing a democratic majority the effort was unsuccessful and state and federal authorities are now investigating whether he and his allies violated limits on political contributions by using county committees to direct large donations to candidates
senate republicans repaid mr de blasio last year in part by ensuring that he got only a yearlong extension of mayoral control an embarrassing defeat that forced him to return this year to request another renewal
the risks in the mayors current strategy were evident on wednesday when the senate majority leader john j flanagan issued a statement in which he said he was extremely disappointed the mayor doesnt believe this hearing is significant enough to attend senator flanagan a long island republican himself did not attend the hearing he also missed the first one
several other senators chastised mr de blasio at the hearing on thursday with one suggesting that he should put his ego aside on an issue that concerned the welfare of children
outside the hearing two groups opposed to mr de blasios education policies held rallies at which they mocked him for not showing up
mayor de blasio is like a kid unprepared for a test said darlene boston an organizer with studentsfirstny an advocacy group that supports charter schools and stricter teacher evaluations and tenure policies the groups donors financed a political action committee that spent 42 million in 2014 to help republicans keep control of the senate
later in the day a charter school principal who had testified at the hearing issued a statement accusing mr de blasio of using mayoral control as a political wedge against a few children because of his opposition to lifting the cap on the number of charter schools in the city
mr de blasio suggested in his radio interviews that he was being treated unfairly noting that the legislature gave his predecessor michael r bloomberg who was first elected as a republican seven years of mayoral control in 2002 followed by a six year renewal in 2009
while mr de blasio asked for a seven year renewal at the hearing in albany he now seems resigned to something shorter on tuesday the state assembly which democrats lead approved a three year extension at a news conference at city hall on wednesday where an array of business leaders endorsed mayoral control mr de blasio asked for three years ms farina did the same at the hearing on thursday
speaking on wins on thursday morning mr de blasio was asked about his feud with mr cuomo a fellow democrat he connected it to the senates opposition on the school control issue
theres a long history of albany not supporting the city of new york he said adding i would like to see the maximum cooperation with the senate and with the governor as well but im never surprised when that isnt there


washington   the house on thursday approved an 816 billion spending measure for veterans affairs and military construction programs after hours of contentious floor debate that at times focused on cultural disputes including efforts to restrict the flying of the confederate flag and a bitter split over workplace protections for gays and lesbians employed by federal contractors
those disputes showed once again that the societal fissures that divide republicans and democrats are never far below the surface of any debate in congress even over a relatively routine spending measure
the debate over workplace protections had spilled over from wednesday night when republicans inserted an amendment to the annual military policy bill that would overturn an executive order by president obama banning federal government contractors from discriminating against employees based on sexual orientation
the bill which was considered must pass legislation passed along with the amendment by a vote of 277 to 147
during floor debate on the spending measure on thursday some democrats pushed back representative sean patrick maloney democrat of new york turned to representative pete sessions republican of texas and asked is it necessary to discriminate against gays and lesbians to support our military
mr sessions fired back accusing mr maloney of coming to the house floor with spilled milk on his face to relitigate a decision that was made last night
the argument led to an unusual skirmish on the house floor with democrats accusing republicans of abusing the process to allow their party members to anonymously switch votes at the last minute and sustain the amendment as the vote closed democrats on the house floor shouted shame shame shame
in a separate legislative tussle the house on thursday approved an amendment to the spending measure prohibiting cemeteries operated by the department of veterans affairs from flying the confederate flag democrats failed in a broader effort to ban any school that receives federal financing from flying the confederate flag
the veterans affairs and military construction spending bill is the first appropriations measure adopted by the house this year
the annual military policy bill included several provisions that republicans said showed increased support for service members and their families including a 21 percent pay raise for troops it also included a provision to continue a ban on the transfer to the united states mainland of any prisoners held at the detention center at guantanamo bay cuba
amid the skirmishing in the house the senate on thursday adopted a combined spending measure for veterans affairs and military construction programs as well as for transportation and housing programs
the senate legislation includes a measure to provide 11 billion in emergency financing to combat the mosquito borne zika virus which can cause severe neurological defects in infants born to infected mothers the vote in the senate was 89 to 8
senator susan collins republican of maine who managed the bill in the senate emphasized a provision that would provide 57 million in housing vouchers to help homeless veterans
the bill makes vital investments in our nations infrastructure helps meet the housing needs of the most vulnerable among us and provides funding for economic development projects in our communities that create jobs ms collins said in a statement


scottsdale ariz   jose reyes took the last of his dozen or so swings stepped out of the batting cage and did a little dance to the beat of the music playing from a small radio in the grass near his feet
contrite but happy to be back on a baseball field reyes worked out at the colorado rockies spring training complex on thursday his first step in returning from a 59 day suspension for violating major league baseballs new domestic violence policy
its good to be on the field and put that stuff behind me reyes said im sorry i made a mistake and will stand here like a man i just have to try to be a better man a better husband
reyes did not participate in spring training and was suspended through may 31 after being charged with domestic violence for an altercation with his wife in hawaii last october prosecutors dropped the charge before a scheduled april 4 trial after saying reyess wife was not cooperating reyes became the second player to be suspended under baseballs domestic violence policy   yankees closer aroldis chapman was the other   and will lose close to 7 million of his 22 million salary while sitting out
i put myself in this situation and im sorry about it reyes said i need to put this in the past and continue with my life and my career human beings make mistakes like i said im sorry to put rockies fans in this kind of situation
reyes stood out at colorados extended spring training not just with his purple workout shirt among the gray shirted youngsters but with his slick fielding and quick bat
a four time all star shortstop with the mets reyes spent about two hours on the rockies back fields working with some of the younger players while fielding grounders for about 20 minutes the young players seemed to enjoy being around a player of his stature laughing as he joked around on the field some of them sneaking peeks at him around the backstop
reyes spent some time in the batting cage then waited for the others to go through situational hitting drills before taking swings from both sides of the plate
being here on the field again i feel like im 18 again working out with those young kids great talents moving around that made me feel good reyes said
reyes 32 can return on june 1 but it is unclear what his role will be when he gets back
the rookie trevor story has excelled in his place hitting 277 with 11 homers and 28 rbi through colorados first 38 games and the rockies appear to have no intention of taking him out of the starting lineup
reyes has lost some of his range according to defensive metrics but he still runs well and hit a combined 274 with seven homers and 53 rbi last season with toronto and colorado
reyes is due 41 million in guaranteed salary over the next two seasons so the rockies will need to decide whether to put him in a backup infielder role or trade him
we havent talked logistics of his fit on this club yet rockies manager walt weiss said this week but we will at some point im just letting it play out
reyes has been working out on his own since november but is way behind players who went through spring training and two months of the season he still needs to get his timing right on the field take swings against live pitching and pick up all the nuances that come with playing baseball at full speed in game situations
when you get on the field its a different ballgame he said theres a lot of stuff that doesnt feel right when you get on the baseball field but my body feels great


bunker hill ind   adam confer grew up watching his dad burn rubber while racing at the bunker hill dragstrip in the 1970s
little did he know that 40 years later he would end up owning the place and at the same time saving indianas oldest continuously running dragstrip from closing forever
thats just what he did last month when he and his wife stacey moved back to the area and purchased the track to become only the third owners in the dragstrips 60 year history
i never really believed that this would happen adam told the kokomo tribune pretty soon you look around and youre like we actually own a racetrack i remember being here as a little kid so its pretty surreal
in march 2015 the dragstrips previous owners steve and darlene daniels put the 23 acre property on the market for an asking price of 650000
at that time the confers lived in michigan adam had moved there in 1999 from peru and it was where he met stacey
in 2002 adam decided to follow in his fathers footsteps and started drag racing in michigan that led him back to the bunker hill dragstrip for a race last year when he learned the place was for sale
purchasing the place was an intriguing prospect stacey said and they decided to act on it in november
we were at a position in our lives where we were able to do it she said
that included owning a successful finance and real estate business in michigan
but the confers said they could not reach a deal with the danielses at the time even so they decided to follow through with their plans and move back to indiana to be closer to family
then in april the former owners finally accepted an offer from the confers adam said the danielses gave them the keys to the place and just like that they owned the dragstrip along with a house and a full service restaurant on the property
in a lot of ways the confers are the ideal owners for the track they both have decades of business experience and adam has a lifes worth of racing experience as well as an intimate knowledge of the area
now they plan to use that experience to turn the dragstrip and restaurant into top notch facilities but that is going to take work adam said a lot of work
after taking over the confers quickly realized the track was in dire need of an upgrade adam said the dragstrip was repaved five years ago but some of the paving in the pit area was substandard leaving parts of it in shambles
its made it atrocious out here he said were celebrating our 60th year at the track but that means your equipment is celebrating its 60th year too you can look around here and see that this place needed some elbow grease to get going
the subpar track has led many racers who called the place home to race at other dragstrips like the ones in south bend muncie and indianapolis
adam said he wanted to get the eighth of a mile track back up to a professional grade level and to start building back the list of racers who consider the dragstrip their turf
stacey said she planned a big marketing push to get the track and restaurant back into public view that is especially true for the restaurant called outpost bar and grill which the previous owners opened about five years ago to diversify the business
our list is real long on what we want to work on and improve here stacey said
that has led to some long days for the confers who are also still managing their real estate and finance business adam said he has been working from 630 am to midnight since buying the track to make sure it succeeds
a lot of places come and go but were sitting on 60 years of history he said weve got a gold mine here to work with its just a matter of taking your washrag and cleaning it up thats all it needs
of course the confers are in the business to make money but adam said its more than that he said its about keeping alive a landmark in the area that was an important part of his life when he was a child
and if no one would have bought the place when it was still up and running adam said theres a good chance the dragstrip would have closed and never opened again
so many people felt that this wouldnt be here he said for me this had a lot to do with preservation if this isnt here where else are people going to race this track going away would have been bad i dont think it ever would have come back
adam said that not only is the dragstrip back in business but he also plans to make it better than it has ever been he said that may take a year or two but racers and spectators can expect some major upgrades in the future
in the next five years were going to build this up to become a premier organization that knows what its capable of adam said i want this track to be as big as its capable of being im excited not so much about where we are today but where were going theres so much opportunity here


the food and drug administration has decided to put off until 2017 a decision about whether to require generic drug makers to take more responsibility for warning patients about the risks of their products
the development dismayed consumer groups and representatives for trial lawyers who had urged the agency to close a legal loophole that prevents patients harmed by generic drugs from suing manufacturers
the fda is plainly bowing to industry pressure and in the process prioritizing industry profits over patient health and safety said dr michael carome director of the public citizens health research group which petitioned the agency to change the labeling process
at this point we worry about the agencys commitment to finalizing the rule which it acknowledged in 2013 would improve drug safety
the makers of generic drugs which lobbied heavily against the rule said they were pleased with the delay because it allowed the agency more time to consider the matter the generic pharmaceutical association an industry trade group said the delay had the backing of physicians pharmacists hospitals and others
the fda clearly appreciates the strong concerns articulated by a majority of health care experts particularly those closest to patient prescribing said chip davis the industry groups chief executive
in a statement about its decision the fda said only that its estimates about when rules would be completed were just that   projected dates   and that they may be adjusted to reflect ongoing work on specific rules
in 2011 the supreme court ruled that generic drug makers could not be held liable for failing to warn patients about the risks of their products because the companies had no control over what the warning labels said
brand name drug makers have a responsibility to change a label whenever they discover important new information about a drug and generic manufacturers are required to follow suit
after the ruling in a case known as pliva v mensing lower courts threw out dozens of lawsuits against generic drug makers placing some patients in legal limbo people who had been harmed by a generic drug would be unable to sue even as those who had taken the brand name version of the same product won million dollar judgments
those people included the family of kira gilbert who died in 2009 at age 22 of a heart attack after taking a generic version of the painkiller darvon the drug was withdrawn from the market in 2010 because it was linked to serious heart risks her familys lawsuit against generic manufacturers of the drug was dismissed in 2012 because of the supreme court ruling
tammy gilbert ms gilberts mother has been campaigning to change the rule it just kills me that they keep prolonging this and im not even sure why she said because she was on the generic form her case has been dismissed so nobodys accountable for her death
in 2013 the fda proposed changing the rules to create parity between generic and brand name drug makers for how they update their labels exposing generic companies to legal liability if they failed to properly warn of a drugs risks
the generics industry objected saying that such a change would create confusion because drugs that were equivalent could carry different warning labels
the generic industry in cooperation with its brand name counterparts proposed an alternative that would make the fda the final arbiter of label changes doing so would make sense they said because only the agency had the full picture of a drugs safety risks individual companies would know only about a limited number of patients
but consumer advocates said the agency did not have the resources to keep track of all the drugs on the market


since last november a growing number of state attorneys general have been pointing their fingers at exxon mobil investigating whether the energy companys research about climate change conflicted directly with its public statements on the issue
but now the accusers are being accused with a battle being waged over principles of free speech government overreach and collaboration with activist organizations
representative lamar smith republican of texas sent a letter on wednesday to the new york attorney general eric t schneiderman demanding all communications since 2012 between his office and climate change activist organizations
the attorneys general mr smith said are doing the bidding of environmental activists who set out to make pariahs of exxon mobil and its industry in pursuit of policies to limit climate change
those activists and the attorneys general mr smith said in the letter have secretly collaborated in the years since a two day workshop in 2012 to act under the color of law to persuade attorneys general to use their prosecutorial powers to stifle scientific discourse intimidate private entities and individuals and deprive them of their first amendment rights and freedoms
the 2012 workshop among climate activists was held in the san diego community of la jolla and its report can be found online those attending included representatives the union of concerned scientists the climate accountability institute and the massachusetts based global warming legal action project
over time discussions of legal action involved the rockefeller family philanthropies the environmental campaigner bill mckibbens 350org the al gore founded climate reality project greenpeace and eventually representatives of mr schneidermans office
the state officials have countered that there was nothing nefarious or even unusual about prosecutors consulting with outside experts including scientists and their counterparts in other states when gathering facts for an investigation
eric soufer a spokesman for mr schneiderman said it is remarkable that a do nothing congress that has refused to take any action on climate change is now attempting to disrupt this important investigation into potential corporate malfeasance the office did not take part in the 2012 meeting he said he added speaking with outside experts is a routine part of the investigative process and we make decisions based on the merits period
he also noted that mr smith the chairman of the house science committee is in the midst of a contentious investigation of federal climate scientists and has demanded private correspondence as part of the inquiry
the irony of this letter is breathtaking mr soufer said its signatories appear to be part of a multipronged media campaign funded by the fossil fuel industry aimed at suppressing the free exchange of ideas among scientists academics and responsible law enforcement
he added anyone who thinks that attorney general schneiderman will be intimidated by this effort has no idea who theyre dealing with
mr schneiderman a democrat announced his investigation of exxon in november and by march had been joined by at least four other attorneys general the democratic presidential candidates hillary clinton and senator bernie sanders of vermont have each called for a federal investigation of exxons actions
many legal experts have expressed skepticism about the legal reasoning of the states investigations the companys statements undercutting climate science they argue may actually fall within its rights under the first amendment
but mr schneiderman has said the first amendment ladies and gentlemen doesnt give you the right to commit fraud
alan jeffers a spokesman for exxon mobil said he had no comment on the letter from mr smith when several attorneys general announced at a news conference in march that they were joining mr schneidermans investigation the company called the accusations politically motivated and based on discredited reporting by activist organizations
the company also said that it recognizes the risks posed by climate change and the accusations are based on the preposterous claim that the company reached definitive conclusions about anthropogenic climate change before the worlds experts and withheld it
the company shared its findings in peer reviewed publications it said
in the weeks after the march news conference exxon mobil sued claude e walker the attorney general of the virgin islands as well as a private law firm working with him on his investigation of the energy company
mr walker has gone beyond new yorks efforts by including subpoenas to private organizations like the free market oriented competitive enterprise institute looking for evidence that the company funded such groups to spread its message to oppose regulation and sow doubt about climate science
noting that the company has no physical presence in the virgin islands exxon mobil called mr walkers actions a flagrant misuse of law enforcement power
the new letter from mr smith which he also sent to 16 other attorneys general comes as exxon mobils allies have intensified their own attack on the attorneys general
this week republican attorneys general of texas and alabama filed motions to block mr walkers inquiry the competitive enterprise institute also took out a full page advertisement in the new york times this week denouncing what it referred to as mr walkers abuse of power
mr walker did not respond to a request for comment but his lawyers have sent a letter to a lawyer for the competitive enterprise institute noting that the investigation is not targeting cei but is simply seeking production of documents related to the investigation of exxon
the groups cited by mr smith also received copies of the letter demanding that they turn over documents related to their efforts
the rockefellers whose patriarch john rockefeller built the family fortune with the company that is now as exxon mobil have been increasingly critical of the company and its industry
in 2014 they announced they would remove fossil fuel stocks from the portfolio of the rockefeller brothers fund and this month said they would remove fossil fuel stocks from their rockefeller family fund as well they called the conduct by exxon mobil that is under investigation by the attorneys general morally reprehensible
another group that received the smith letter is greenpeace usa annie leonard its executive director said americas least respected politicians have now courageously stepped up to defend one of americas most hated corporations from scrutiny
the 13 signers of the smith letter she noted have been paid millions in campaign contributions from coal oil and gas companies so this letter is more proof that the system works   for corporations


san francisco   goodbye apple genius bar you are being replaced by a tree filled genius grove which will have more room to sit and more apple customer service specialists to troubleshoot devices
on thursday the 15th anniversary of the first apple retail store the technology company unveiled what it called its largest product a new design for its sales outlets
apples 477 physical stores are showrooms for the apple lifestyle not just places to buy the latest iphones ipads macs and accessories as the company tries to reverse a recent slump in sales luring newcomers to the apple brand and persuading existing customers to buy more apple goods and services have become more important than ever
the first store with the new look   a two story location in san franciscos union square that will open to the public on saturday   has 42 foot tall glass doors that slide open to expose the interior to the street
wide aisles including one with special displays devoted to photography music and other thematic uses of apple products give visitors more room to wander learn and play with the latest iphones ipads and macs an open space that apple calls the forum provides room for presentations as well as small classes on various topics
and then there are the trees the back of the second floor is filled with ficuses each encircled by a leather bench where customers can wait or sit next to apples geniuses as they work on the customers gadgets
we didnt want it to feel like a store we wanted it to feel like a town square   very open and everyone invited angela ahrendts apples senior vice president of retail and online stores told reporters invited to thursdays preview
a courtyard next to the store which has a separate entrance and is open to the public 24 hours a day has more trees a fountain free wi fi and seating for about 200 people apple intends to hold acoustic music concerts there regularly
b j siegel apples senior director of design and development says the store relies on solar panels for electricity and is using new cooling techniques to reduce the need for air conditioning
ms ahrendts who has rarely spoken to reporters since quitting as chief executive of burberry in 2013 and joining apple two years ago said that the new design elements would be incorporated into future apple retail stores
two crucial audiences for the new store will be small businesses and mobile app developers   both will be able to hold meetings and training sessions in an on site conference room outfitted with the latest apple gear
the idea ms ahrendts said is to make the apple store a destination not just a place to shop
we want people to say meet me at apple she said with more open space and places to sit including wooden cubes and large leather medicine balls customers will be able to linger
the next generation just wants to flow ms ahrendts said


before sunrise on thursday someone passing by a community center in the red hook section of brooklyn noticed a woman sitting on a bench and alerted the police her throat had been slashed the authorities said and hours later blood splatters were drying on the sidewalk forming a trail from the nearby public housing complex where she lived
in red hook residents said they were not unfamiliar with crime long a source of frustration even as they saw their neighborhood improve in recent years still the killing of the woman who was identified by the police as sharon whigham 51 unsettled many
our community cant accept this happening said damien scott 36 who grew up in the neighborhood and works at the joseph miccio community center near where ms whigham was found
the police were called around 430 am to the sidewalk in front of the community center on west ninth street where officers found ms whigham unconscious and unresponsive the authorities said emergency workers pronounced her dead at the scene
a police spokesman said he had no information on a possible killer or a motive
later on thursday a strip of sidewalk in front of the community center remained cordoned off as investigators worked the scene
john reid a cousin of ms whigham stood by the police tape outside the community center taking in the scene before shaking his head and turning away im lost for words he said but i came for answers
darryl curry 50 said he had grown up in the neighborhood with ms whigham he passed her on the street on wednesday afternoon but he did not stop to talk i didnt think that would be the last time id see her mr curry said
thats tragic man he added i dont know why someone would do that
the trail of blood led to an apartment on henry street about a quarter of a mile from where ms whigham was found in the red hook east houses a sprawling new york city housing authority complex she lived in the same complex two blocks away she had several children and helped care for her grandchildren friends and relatives said
those who knew ms whigham hinted at tumult in her life she had her ups and downs mr curry said she struggled like anybody else police officials said that ms whigham had been arrested seven times in new york at least twice on narcotics related charges
she had spent much of her life in the neighborhood and would often sit on the bench where she was found on thursday she wasnt a stranger to red hook mr scott the community center worker said
mr scott said ms whighams death was a painful reminder of another loss in his life his mother was fatally stabbed in the housing complex in 1984
i know what the family is going through now mr scott said
ive had the time to go through the grieving process he added but its nothing you can ever completely get over
the neighborhood in south brooklyn which struggles with crime has seen a considerable transformation in recent years amid an influx of new residents upscale restaurants and retail outlets much of it centered on van brunt street
this year one other homicide has been recorded in the 76th precinct which covers the neighborhood in january a 33 year old man was found with gunshot wounds in the lobby of a building in the same complex
near the scene where ms whigham was found on thursday residents said they were dismayed and frustrated im in shock said miram acosta who was on her way to the community center for breakfast now im scared to walk around there i think ill go to mcdonalds for breakfast instead
cathy melendez passed the scene as she walked her daughter to school
the neighborhood has changed a lot she said its better than it used to be but im still not surprised it happened its just what happens here its like again


prospect park in brooklyn has just acquired some extraordinary weed killing machines theyre energy efficient quiet and ecologically sound no harmful chemicals
some might even call them cute
you can judge for yourself on sunday at fun on the farm where they will be up and running eight goats of different breeds including the pygmy alpine oberhasli and lamancha
they will eat anything said sue donoghue president of the prospect park alliance theyll eat poison ivy any kind of plant and weeds and keep eating it we have english ivy and goutweed here theyll eat all of it and when a weed is gnawed incessantly she added it wont continue to grow
the alliance obtained the goats through a grant from the national park service intended to help the property recover from storm damage when an event like hurricane sandy destroys trees part of the forest canopy disappears allowing invasive species to take root the goats which will probably remain through the summer and into the fall will help clear about 15 acres along the parks northeast perimeter theyre well equipped for the job each has four stomachs
well do tree removal and slope stabilization and replanting ms donoghue said the goats are part of the overall process
at fun on the farm presented by the lefferts historic house museum a restored dutch style farmhouse that recreates brooklyn life in the 1820s children will make goats milk ice cream with an old fashioned hand cranked device they can also take a bleat and greet goat tour led every half hour by annlilita and larry cihanek the married owners of green goats in rhinebeck ny which supplied the animals
no one can touch the goats   theyll be behind a construction fence   but children can observe them closely and those longing to pet farm creatures can do so at the nearby prospect park zoo in fact at 130 pm the lefferts staff will organize a parade to the zoo which is hosting its weekend long fleece festival including sunday sheep shearing theyre incredibly mellow about it ms donoghue said of the sheep
back at the lefferts house children can join in washing and carding the shorn fleece theyll learn how to use a drop spindle and catherine conrad will demonstrate making wool thread with a spinning wheel young visitors can also use the carded wool to create a felt ball an old fashioned toy that cats appreciate just dont give one to a goat it might try to eat it
1 to 4 pm prospect park willink entrance flatbush avenue and empire boulevard prospectparkorg


the latest new york timescbs news poll is based on telephone interviews conducted may 13 to 17 with 1300 adults throughout the united states of those 1109 said they were registered to vote
ssrs of media pa conducted sampling interviewing and tabulation for the survey interviews were in english or spanish
the sample of landline telephone exchanges called was randomly selected by a computer from a complete list of more than 82000 active residential exchanges across the country maintained by marketing systems group of horsham pa the exchanges were chosen to ensure that each region of the country was represented in its proper proportion
within each exchange random digits were added to form a complete telephone number thus permitting access to listed and unlisted numbers alike within each landline household one adult was designated by a random procedure to be the respondent for the survey
cellphone numbers were generated by a similar random process the two samples were then combined and adjusted to assure the proper ratio of landline only cellphone only and dual phone users
interviewers made multiple attempts to reach every phone number in the survey calling back unanswered numbers on different days at different times of day and night
the combined results have been weighted to adjust for variation in the sample relating to geographic region sex race hispanic origin marital status age education and for landline households the number of adults and number of phone lines in addition the sample was adjusted to reflect the percentage of the population residing in mostly democratic counties mostly republican counties and counties more closely balanced politically
in theory in 19 cases out of 20 overall results based on such samples will differ by no more than three percentage points in either direction from what would have been obtained by seeking to interview all american adults this margin includes the effects of weighting procedures which enlarge sampling error slightly
for smaller subgroups the margin of sampling error is larger for example it is plus or minus six points for the 379 self described republican primary voters or the 371 self described democratic primary voters shifts in results between polls over time also have a larger sampling error
the practical difficulties of conducting any survey of public opinion may introduce other sources of error into the poll variation in the wording order and translation of questions for instance may lead to somewhat different results
michael r kagay of princeton nj assisted the times in its polling analysis complete questions and results are available at nytimescompolls


an overwhelming majority of republican voters say their partys leaders should get behind donald j trump even as he enters the general election saddled with toxic favorability ratings among the broader electorate according to the latest new york timescbs news poll
and as mr trump faces deep skepticism with general election voters and some republican holdouts the democratic front runner hillary clinton is grappling with senator bernie sanders and how to win over his impassioned supporters
both parties thus approach their july nominating conventions with significant unease and hurdles to overcome mr trump and mrs clinton are widely disliked by voters and both parties will need to repair schisms that might spell doom in an ordinary election year but this of course is no ordinary year
mr trumps and mrs clintons soaring levels of unpopularity are extraordinary for the likely nominees of the two major parties nearly two thirds of voters for example say that mr trump is not honest and trustworthy just as many say the same of mrs clinton strong majorities of voters say the candidates do not share their values
mr trumps difficulties appear to be more troublesome at the moment if the election were held now 47 percent of registered voters would support mrs clinton versus 41 percent for mr trump mrs clintons head to head advantage has narrowed somewhat since mr trump became the presumptive republican nominee last month she led him by 10 points in a cbs news poll
in a more hypothetical matchup mr sanders leads mr trump 51 percent to 38 percent
the survey reveals that republican voters are starting to fall in line with mr trump now that he is their presumptive nominee   and that they expect party officials to do the same
eight in 10 republican voters say their leaders should support mr trump even if they disagree with him on important issues and unfavorable views toward mr trump among republican voters have plummeted 15 percentage points since last month 21 percent now express an unfavorable view of him down from 36 percent in april
republican voters are drifting toward unity even though some party elites are still withholding their support the house speaker paul d ryan continues to deliberate over whether to endorse mr trump while other prominent republicans are actively searching for a third party nominee as an alternative
yet many of the partys rank and file voters think that while mr trump may be imperfect the time has come to rally to their unlikely standard bearer   if only to keep mrs clinton out of the white house
the reason i would support him is because the alternative is less favorable in my opinion delores stockett 76 a retired teacher from osceola ark said in a follow up interview and i think republican leaders should support him for the same reason i am supporting him the alternative is not palatable to those of us who hold conservative views
republican voters remain remarkably pessimistic about the state of their party more than eight in 10 call the party divided and 43 percent say they are discouraged about its future about two thirds think mr trump can unite the party this year
by contrast fewer than half of democratic voters say their party is divided and eight in 10 are hopeful about its future more than eight in 10 think mrs clinton can unite the party after the primaries end next month
however mrs clinton is still contending with resistance to her candidacy from supporters of mr sanders as their contest carries on and grows more contentious twenty eight percent of mr sanderss primary voters say they will not support her if she is the nominee a figure that reflects the continuing anger many sanders supporters feel toward both mrs clinton and a process they believe is unfair
i dont support her mostly because i dont trust her said will lambert 32 an engineer in denver who supports mr sanders if she became the nominee i might vote for a third party candidate like the green party or i might do a write in for bernie im still not 100 percent decided because i dont necessarily want to see trump elected either its a slim possibility that i might vote for hillary but then im at a point in my life where i just dont want to vote for the lesser of two evils
still the democratic resistance is less widespread than it was in the 2008 primary while 72 percent of mr sanderss supporters say they would vote for mrs clinton this fall a timescbs news survey taken in early may 2008 found that only 60 percent of mrs clintons supporters said they would vote for barack obama in the general election
mr trump his primary race decided is still confronting opposition from some of the voters in his party who backed other candidates three in 10 voters who supported other republican candidates said they would not vote for mr trump in november
the nationwide telephone poll was conducted may 13 to 17 on cellphones and landlines with 1300 adults including 1109 registered voters the margin of sampling error is plus or minus three percentage points for all adults and for all voters
mr trump is hampered by a high level of contempt among important voting blocs only 21 percent of female voters view him favorably while 60 percent view him unfavorably a mere 14 percent of voters 18 to 29 view him positively while 65 percent of such young voters have a negative opinion about him and just 12 percent of nonwhite voters view mr trump favorably while 68 percent view him unfavorably
mrs clinton fares little better just 23 percent of white voters view her favorably while 63 percent of whites have an unfavorable view men dislike her almost as much as women dislike mr trump only 26 percent of men view her favorably and 58 percent hold an unfavorable perception of her
one factor working in mrs clintons favor though is that the current democrat in the white house is enjoying a modest rejuvenation fifty percent of americans now approve of president obamas job performance his highest rating in more than three years
majorities say that mr trump and mrs clinton have strong leadership qualities mr trump though faces considerable questions over his demeanor and the effect it would have on the country seven in 10 voters say he does not have the right temperament to be president and 61 percent say that electing him would worsen the united states image in the world
asked whether candidates for the presidency should release their tax returns six in 10 said they should mr trump has refused to release any tax forms saying last week that voters had no right to see them and telling an interviewer that his tax rate was none of your business


after weeks of negotiations house republicans have drawn a road map to lead puerto rico out of its financial quagmire with support from the obama administration
a bill introduced shortly before midnight on wednesday would put puerto ricos fiscal affairs under direct federal control and establish a legal framework for reducing its 72 billion load of debt the rules would be similar to chapter 9 municipal bankruptcy but with differences intended to reassure those creditors who believe chapter 9 is stacked against them
if enacted as is the bill would also pre empt action by the united states supreme court which has been called upon to interpret the laws governing puerto rico chapter 9 of the bankruptcy code explicitly bars puerto rico from seeking debt relief without revealing why in march the justices heard oral arguments in an expedited appeal by the island but they expressed uncertainty about how to proceed
the house bill would not change puerto ricos exclusion but instead would give puerto rico and other united states territories a set of rules for reducing their debts outside of bankruptcy guam american samoa the united states virgin islands and the northern mariana islands could use the framework too if necessary
the bill was drafted by the house committee on natural resources under direction from speaker paul d ryan who told his fellow republicans to work with democrats the result is a bipartisan compromise with provisions that different stakeholders have said they did not want but now seem willing to live with the alternative seems to be the kind of open ended legal and financial chaos that engulfed greece in 2010
josh earnest the white house press secretary said the bill showed signs of meanspirited policy making by republicans as when it called for young minimum wage earners on the island to take a pay cut but he said the white house could accept that and other shortcomings to get a bill passed
the president has made assisting puerto rico and addressing their challenging economic situation a top priority and sometimes getting bipartisan progress in congress requires supporting legislation that is not perfect mr earnest said
the bill would put puerto ricos financial affairs under a powerful federal control board despite warnings from elected officials in puerto rico that heavy handed oversight from washington would have unacceptable colonial connotations
the bill bars puerto ricos governor or legislature from exercising any control supervision oversight or review over the oversight board or its activities it would also trump a bill enacted by puerto rico in april allowing the government to default on debt payments
the control board would have seven members selected by president obama from candidates proposed by republicans and democrats in congress at least one of the seven members would be a resident of puerto rico
initially the majority would be republican nominees and congressional aides said lengthy negotiations over what to do if the democrats take control of the senate after the fall election delayed the bills introduction until almost midnight on wednesday
the bill would give the control board authority to investigate what went wrong on the island to demand reforms and to enforce credible budgets and fiscal plans the board would have the power to subpoena records and hold hearings something of potential concern to puerto rican officials past and present as well as the financial community
conceivably the investigations could show that some of puerto ricos debt was created unlawfully and the island could seek to have it voided leaving bondholders empty handed
the board would not be able to declare mission accomplished and leave until puerto rico regains normal access to the capital markets something that could take years
the board would also guide puerto rico through a court supervised process of debt reduction it would first sort through puerto ricos bewildering array of bonds and put similar creditors together in classes honoring puerto ricos existing bond priorities
each class would then get a settlement offer and have the chance to vote on it the offers would come from the board not the government of puerto rico reducing any possibility of local connections skewing deals
the bill also contains a so called collective action clause making it possible to impose binding settlements on holdout creditors who want more


the power struggle continues between kesha and her longtime producer dr luke
on tuesday kesha the 29 year old pop singer said that despite earlier approval she had been barred by her record label from performing at this weekends billboard music awards amid her contract dispute with dr luke who she claims in a lawsuit sexually and emotionally abused her for years while she was signed to his companies dr luke denies the allegations and has sued kesha for defamation and breach of contract
now just days before the awards show which will air on abc on sunday dr lukes kemosabe records has once again granted its permission on the condition that kesha not mention the lawsuits at the event
keshas performance on the billboard music awards was always approved in good faith the label said in a statement approval was only suspended when kemosabe learned kesha was to use the performance as a platform to discuss the litigation now that kemosabe has obtained assurances that it is relying upon from kesha her representatives and dick clark productions that neither kesha nor her supporters will use the performance as such a platform the approval has been restored
dick clark productions which is overseeing the show said in a statement on thursday we are pleased that kesha and kemosabe records have reached an agreement and very much look forward to having kesha perform
after her appearance was initially cut kesha said that she had planned to sing a cover of bob dylans it aint me babe without reference to dr luke i was never going to use a picture of him speak of him or allude to my legal situation in any way she wrote on instagram the performance was to be introduced by the writer and actress lena dunham said a spokeswoman for ms dunham
a representative for kesha added that she had assured dr luke in writing on monday that she would not use the show to address the producer or her legal situation keshas performance was subject to approval by kemosabe because the broadcasts of her live performances fall under her contracts with dr luke
on wednesday night in los angeles kesha appeared as a surprise guest at a concert by ben folds who had been scheduled to accompany her onstage at the billboard awards for a performance of it aint me babe last month kesha released her first song since 2013 with approval from dr luke and kemosabe
at the same time dueling lawsuits between the two parties are continuing in new york   where keshas counterclaims were rejected in april   and in california where her legal team is now trying to revive its suit


the oklahoma legislature on thursday passed a bill that would effectively ban abortions by subjecting doctors who perform them to felony charges and revoking their medical licenses   the first legislation of its kind
in a year in which states have tried to outlaw abortions at 20 weeks of pregnancy to ban the main surgical method used in the second trimester and to shut down abortion clinics with onerous regulations oklahomas bill is the most far reaching
the measure which passed the republican dominated senate by a vote of 33 to 12 will be presented to gov mary fallin a republican who will have five days to sign it veto it or allow it to take effect without her signature
if it becomes law it is certain to face a quick challenge in state or federal court and because the supreme court has consistently ruled that women have a right to obtain abortions until the fetus is viable outside the womb legal experts say it will soon be declared unconstitutional
that has not deterred anti abortion politicians in a state dominated by conservative republicans some say they welcome the chance to make a strong statement and to engage the issues in court
most people know i am for defending rights senator nathan dahm the author of the bill and a software developer from broken arrow okla told the oklahoman those rights begin at conception
mr dahm told reporters that he knew the measure would be challenged but expressed hope that the case would lead the supreme court to overturn roe v wade
ms fallin who has signed several anti abortion bills that were later blocked by the courts will not comment on the new bill until she and her staff have had a chance to review it michael mcnutt her communications director said in an email
but some legislators called the measure an ill considered diversion
im pro life and a roman catholic but i dont think we should waste our time on legislation that someone will declare unconstitutional senator ervin yen an anesthesiologist from oklahoma city and one of a small number of republicans to oppose the bill said in an interview
in an open letter on thursday the center for reproductive rights a legal group based in new york urged ms fallin to veto what it said was a blatantly unconstitutional measure
noting that it has sued oklahoma eight times in the last six years blocking lesser restrictions like the states effort to ban the second trimester surgical method the center said that this bill will almost certainly lead to expensive court challenges that the state of oklahoma simply cannot defend in light of longstanding supreme court precedent
the bill would strip doctors who perform abortions of their medical licenses unless the procedure was necessary to save a womans life the felony provision does not include that exception
currently only two clinics in oklahoma one in norman and one in tulsa provide abortions a third owned by trust women a foundation based in wichita kan is under construction and is to open next month julie burkhart trust womens chief executive expressed dismay at the bill and urged ms fallin to veto it
oklahomas proposal to criminalize abortion may be the most stringent but it is one of many new measures that continue in conservative states this year south dakota joined 12 other states in banning abortions at 20 weeks of pregnancy with a similar bill in south carolina awaiting the signature of gov nikki r haley
alabama mississippi and west virginia have passed laws to ban the use of the second trimester surgical technique even though courts in oklahoma and elsewhere have previously overturned such laws
texas regulations that could force a majority of the states abortion clinics to close are the subject of a major supreme court case the rules require that doctors have admitting privileges at local hospitals and that abortion clinics meet the stringent building and staffing standards of ambulatory surgery centers the decision expected in june could have major effects on access to abortion in several other states
but the supreme court while it is debating how far states may go in regulating abortion has given no sign that it will overturn the basic right of women to obtain the procedure which is at stake in the new oklahoma bill


three days after americans watched the georgia peanut farmer theyd elected move into the white house kunta kinte burst into their living rooms and stayed for a week stayed forever really roots still ranks as one of the most viewed television series in history but numbers are a feeble measure it was the national water cooler americans took long thirsty drafts and lingered sometimes looking one another in the eye and sometimes not
charlayne hunter gault reporting in the new york times on jan 28 1977 with three of the mini series eight episodes yet to be broadcast sampled the responses
doubters and enthusiasts whites as well as blacks young and old wealthy and poor had reactions they wanted to share she wrote some laughed when a hungry kunta kinte who was thought to have learned no english suddenly thrust his plate toward the older slave fiddler and said grits dummy some cried as kunta kinte finally gave in to the whips lash and accepted the slave name toby
there were the patrons at jocks bar in harlem who had been gathering each night to watch
joe kirkpatrick the owner said that one night viewers got so angry over the treatment of kunta kinte that they would not allow the jukebox to be turned on even after the show had ended they just wanted to talk it out he said and it wasnt until they had talked and talked for a very long time that they finally remembered they were in a bar thats when they started drinking up
there were the awkward jokes
a black man carrying an attache case stepped into the elevator of the predominantly white company where he worked
good morning kunta kinte said a white colleague cheerfully
the black man lowered his head smiled and said toby
there was the lunch counter where six young men and women talked it over
i tell you one thing injected a somber young man in the group those white folks better not mess with me today i just might have to stomp one
dont do that another of the group snapped things aint changed that much and jobs dont grow on trees
there was the breakfast table in queens where a white middle class household had lively debate over coffee and bagels after the second part
it doesnt show any good white people said the wife there must have been some decent white people and it should have been more balanced
no the good whites had their day with gone with the wind said the husband
the book by alex haley on which the mini series was based had been published less than four months earlier making its debut at no 5 on the new york times best seller list right up there with two watergate books a memoir by lillian hellman a biography of hitler and gail sheehys seminal passages despite its being mostly a novelization of mr haleys family history the book was on the nonfiction list
christopher lehmann haupt in his review of the book in the times took some issue with the form as many critics did but was generally favorable mr haley has created a metaphor for the vague awareness felt by most american blacks that they are somehow descended from people who were abducted from africa he wrote and perhaps the contrast of this semifiction to what follows it helps to heighten the shock of discovery when mr haley finally confirms his family legend it is as if he were saying that he knew he was real but didnt really believe it until he discovered corroborating evidence thus he speaks not only for americas black people but for all of us everywhere
james baldwin writing in the sunday book review for the times said of kunta kinte we are in his skin and in his darkness and presently we are shackled with him in his terror rage and pain his stink and the stink of others on the ship which brings him here it can be said that we know the rest of the story   how it turned out so to speak but frankly i dont think that we do know the rest of the story it hasnt turned out yet which is the rage and pain and danger of this country


abuja nigeria   hours after the president of nigeria met with a schoolgirl rescued this week after more than two years in boko haram captivity government officials announced thursday that another of the missing girls had been found
soldiers and vigilante forces found the girl serah luka during an operation thursday that killed 35 boko haram fighters and rescued 97 women and children according to the military
ms luka who the military said was receiving medical attention had been at the boarding school in the village of chibok just over two months when fighters raided and kidnapped the nearly 300 girls there during exam week in april 2014
earlier thursday president muhammadu buhari whisked amina ali who was found tuesday roaming a forest laden with boko haram fighters to abuja the capital in a presidential jet she sat in a plush leather chair in the presidential villa before the countrys dignitaries
ms ali shook hands with the president who held her sobbing baby a 4 month old girl safiya as he showed mother and child to a crowd of journalists
local vigilante fighters found a malnourished ms ali two days earlier as they were scouring the area for boko haram militants she was with the baby and a man claiming to be her husband
government officials said the man was really a boko haram fighter
her rescue was the first since a few dozen of the girls escaped in the days after the kidnapping in chibok   just 30 miles away from where she was found this week
now 218 girls remain missing believed to be somewhere in the sambisa forest where boko haram members have been hiding out on thursday mr buhari renewed a pledge to find them all
rest assured that this administration will continue to do all it can to rescue the remaining chibok girls who are still in boko haram captivity mr buhari said aminas rescue gives us new hope and offers a unique opportunity for vital information
the abduction of the girls has been a political embarrassment for mr buhari he took office last year after campaign pledges to find all the girls and stamp out boko haram neither has happened
on thursday before news of another girls being found was made public officials were quick to credit mr buhari with ms alis rescue
sir what we are celebrating today is your political commitment and support which has given major push to the successes recorded in the fight against terrorism said the defense minister mansur muhammad dan ali who was at the news conference to meet ms ali
hadiza bala usman a leader of a group that campaigns for the girls release said ms ali had told her that at least six of her classmates died while being held by boko haram some in childbirth and others in clashes between boko haram and the military government and military officials could not confirm the account
through the years that boko haram has been terrorizing nigeria and its neighboring countries militants have killed many children in attacks on schools but the abduction of the girls from chibok gained worldwide notoriety motivating a global social media campaign with the hashtag bringbackourgirls
on thursday ms ali stepped crying infant in her arms from a black suv as security guards kept back a surging crowd of cameramen accompanying her were her mother and brother a nurse and ms usman the activist
ms ali waited in a conference room her face covered by a black sequined shawl as journalists scrambled to get photos of her and her family government officials and relatives occasionally huddled with her talking in inaudible tones at one point ms ali put her head down on the table
mr buhari eventually emerged to greet her she removed the shawl from her face and handed her crying infant to him
the continuation of aminas education so abruptly disrupted will definitely be a priority of the federal government he said amina must be enabled to go back to school no girl in nigeria should be put through the brutality of forced marriage every girl has the right to an education and a life choice
mr buhari said that ms ali had met with trauma experts and that the nigerian government would do everything possible to ensure that the rest of her life takes a completely different course
abuja was just one stop for ms ali she met with villagers in chibok and with officials and aid workers in maiduguri her busy circuit was criticized by mausi segun a nigeria researcher for human rights watch
shes not had a moment to herself she said shes not had time to sit down with her family
binta ali ms alis mother said she had almost given up hope that her daughter would be found she is her 13th child but most of her children she said died before they were 4 years old
at the news conference kashim shettima governor of borno state where chibok is called ms ali the daughter of the world and said her rescue was an omen
its a sign of greater things to come mr shettima said


tsunamis waves tall enough to swallow the statue of liberty washed away the shorelines of marss ancient ocean according to a study published thursday
in the wake of their destructive force a martian mystery was born
planetary scientists had hypothesized for decades that a primordial ocean might have once covered much of the red planets northern hemisphere last year they presented molecular traces of atmospheric water that backed the claim but still missing from their theory were visible traces of the oceans coastline
they essentially had evidence of an ancient ocean but could not find its shore
were showing that the shorelines were there but they were overrun and buried by the tsunami waves said j alexis rodriguez a mars geologist at the planetary science institute in tucson ariz and an author of the paper
using images from spacecrafts orbiting mars dr rodriguez and his colleagues identified what they say are geological remnants like boulders and ice debris left from the tsunamis they published their results in the journal scientific reports
dr rodriguez said that some 34 billion years ago a meteor crashed into the ocean triggering a mega tsunami that plowed into the coast with waves as tall as 400 feet the meteor left behind a crater about 19 miles across when the water retreated into the ocean it dropped 30 foot tall rocks that obscured the original shoreline and also left behind channels that provided clues to the oceans elevation
following the event the researchers think mars then underwent a big freeze at which time the oceans top layer may have turned to ice like a lake in winter
then several millions of years after the first impact a second meteor slammed into the ocean generating a second mega tsunami with waves as strong as the first but made of an icy slurry similar to a canadian ice surge unlike the previous tsunami the second did not flow back into the ocean after it ravaged the shore instead it froze burying what was left of the coastline
he compared the event with plunging a car into a pool filled with red paint the red paint would overflow and dry masking the original boundaries of the pool
we reconciled this apparent contradiction that has been a major issue for a long time between the proposed existence of an ocean and the apparent absence of clear shoreline features he said
now dr rodriguez and his team would like to see future rovers search the tsunami scars in order to solve perhaps the biggest martian mystery whether the planet once harbored life
it gives us locations where we can investigate the primary composition of the ocean dr rodriguez said and determine if it was habitable or not


manila   president benigno s aquino iii said thursday that the united states would be obligated to take military action in the south china sea if china moved to reclaim a hotly contested reef directly off the philippine shore
mr aquino said he had no indication that china had imminent plans to develop the reef known as scarborough shoal which sits 185 nautical miles from manila
but he suggested that there would be a harsh response if china decided to do so saying that in his view the united states would be forced to defend the philippines or risk losing its credibility in the region
it has to maintain its ascendancy moral ascendancy and also the confidence of one of its allies mr aquino said during an interview at the presidential palace in manila
china has moved swiftly in recent years to strengthen its presence in the south china sea one of the worlds major shipping routes by building artificial islands equipped with airstrips and radar on top of rocks and shoals its actions have angered neighboring countries including the philippines which claim many of the territories as their own
if china were to succeed in making scarborough shoal a strategic outpost it would be a major coup given its proximity to american and philippine military forces the united states recently gained approval from the philippines to begin stationing troops at five bases in hopes of deterring china
mr aquino said he had not seen any recent intelligence reflecting a chinese buildup at the shoal which china effectively took control of in 2012 after a long standoff but he said the philippines would be prepared for any action by china we dont subscribe to the notion that its theirs he said
in recent weeks chinese military commentators have indicated that beijing would like to begin developing the shoal possibly by adding an airstrip a recent report by xinhua the official news agency called scarborough shoal an inalienable part of the chinese territory since ancient times
military analysts have suggested that efforts by china to reclaim the shoal could prompt an aggressive response from the united states
the united states and the philippines have a mutual defense treaty though experts said it would probably not be applied unless the chinese military attacked philippine forces unprovoked
scarborough is a red line said gregory b poling director of the asia maritime transparency initiative at the center for strategic and international studies in washington it would clearly change the balance of power
the philippines has disputed chinas claims in the south china sea before an international court at the hague a decision is expected in the coming weeks though china has vowed to ignore it
in the interview mr aquino whose six year term as president ends next month compared the dispute in the south china sea to a boxing match saying china with its vast population and considerable economic and military assets was capable of knocking out the philippines at any time
i think it would be foolhardy for us to devote all of our resources to getting weapons of mass destruction he said
mr aquino brushed aside concerns that his successor rodrigo duterte would take a softer approach toward china saying the president elect might come to see things his way once he had a full briefing
mr duterte has indicated that he would be open to negotiating directly with the chinese rather than pursuing international methods to resolve the dispute
at the same time mr duterte has made patriotic statements about the sovereignty of the philippines during the campaign he said he would ride a jet ski to the disputed territories and plant a philippine flag
in assessing his mistakes as president mr aquino said he wished he had devoted more time to communicating his achievements
he said he felt that he was sometimes held accountable for problems outside of his control some filipinos he said still saw the president as all powerful a vestige of authoritarian times
when the ceiling of the airport collapses he said with a smile its my fault


the billionaire investor steven a cohen on thursday won the dismissal of a long running lawsuit in which his former wife accused him of cheating her out of millions of dollars in their 1990 divorce
chief judge loretta a preska of federal district court in manhattan said patricia cohen failed to show that her former husband fraudulently hid 55 million from a soured 1986 real estate transaction in new york city enabling him to lowball his net worth
we respectfully disagree with the decision said gerald b lefcourt a lawyer for patricia cohen
in her lawsuit patricia cohen accused steven cohen and his brother donald who was also the couples accountant of understating the value of the real estate investment during the divorce proceedings
patricia cohen claimed she was entitled to at least half of the 55 million at stake plus interest but the judge found that there was no evidence that steven concealed any assets from patricia during the divorce and that no reasonable jury could find that he had committed fraud
judge preska also said the record showed that patricia cohen suspected steven of fraud in 1991 and 2006 more than two years before she sued in december 2009 and that the statute of limitations had run out
mark herr a spokesman for steven cohen said were pleased with the courts thorough and thoughtful decision
the divorce came two years before mr cohen created his hedge fund sac capital advisors based in stamford conn where he made his name on wall street and his fortune forbes magazine estimates his net worth at 127 billion
sac capital later ran into trouble in 2013 the fund was forced to plead guilty to criminal charges of insider trading and pay 18 billion in settlements to united states regulators
mr cohen who eventually converted sac into a so called family office point72 asset management was not criminally charged under a january settlement with the securities and exchange commission he can resume managing outside money in 2018
last month steven cohen disclosed his ownership of a new firm stamford harbor capital that can accept outside money but said he would not act as a supervisor


the watercolorist lilias trotter devoted her life to charity and missionary work although her mentor the philosopher and critic john ruskin advised her that she could become englands greatest living painter she met ruskin in the 1870s when she was in her 20s and he lavished compliments on her delicate sketches of children landscapes and flowers when he learned that she preferred to help the poor he warned her that her paintings were gradually getting debased and showing signs of real vulgarity
she eventually disappeared from his orbit altogether serving for decades as a christian missionary in algeria she kept painting but until this year the art world knew little about her output
miriam rockness an independent scholar and blogger in mount dora fla discovered miss trotters christian writings three decades ago and then set out to unearth her artworks photographs diaries and correspondence in scattered archives rediscovered journals which have been repaired by the conservation center in chicago are on long term view at wheaton college in illinois others will go on display june 2 at the new storytellers museum near nashville owned by the book and memorabilia collectors brian and sally oxley the oxleys also were executive producers of a new documentary many beautiful things the life and vision of lilias trotter featuring the actress michelle dockery lady mary on downton abbey reading quotations from miss trotters writings
ms rockness said in an interview that miss trotters family did not understand why she abandoned a career that ruskin would have fostered i think she had a freedom in north africa that she would never have had in england ms rockness added
miss trotter a daughter of a london stockbroker met ruskin in 1876 while they were staying at the same hotel in venice he was mourning the death of rose la touche a young irishwoman he had become infatuated with when she was around 10 after their meeting he began to praise miss trotters artwork in his lectures as proof that women can paint she visited him at his expansive home in cumbria in northwest england their affectionate correspondence lasted for two decades he died in 1900 at age 80 some have speculated that they were lovers
in the 1880s she began volunteering in london to help homeless prostitutes among other downtrodden groups he urged her to console him instead im bad enough to need help seeking salvation he wrote her
in 1888 she set off for algeria where she helped set up schools and tended impoverished families and sufi mystics she learned arabic and lived in mud brick homes she published religious tracts and she incorporated snapshots and watercolors into her journals alongside rhapsodic descriptions of algerian scenery the desert is lovely in its restfulness   the great brooding stillness over and through everything is so full of god she wrote in 1895
in speaking about christianity with algerian muslims she would find their common ground rather than proselytize ms rockness said miss trotter returned to britain occasionally to recover from episodes of exhaustion in her last years largely bedridden she kept sketching in pencil
after her death in 1928 at the age of 75 her relatives stored some of her artwork in boxes the oxleys purchased part of that trove in 2013 while collaborating with ms rockness on the documentary in the ashmolean museum of art and archaeology at oxford two dozen of her sketches and paintings are filed with ruskin material papers and artworks that she left behind in algeria which were taken to missionaries offices in britain in the 1980s are now being transferred to the university of londons library miss trotters watercolors have also appeared on the market priced at over 1000 each
ruskins writings to her have recently surfaced at institutions including the harry ransom center at the university of texas at austin and baylor universitys library
the oxleys museum in bon aqua tenn will also display their collections of bibles and artifacts related to c s lewis j r r tolkien and johnny cash the property formerly belonged to mr cash brian oxley pointed out the odd coincidence that a few miles from bon aqua are the remains of the ruskin colony a short lived utopian socialist community founded in the 1890s and based on ruskins writings
centennial commemorations of world war i have brought renewed attention to the german artist kathe kollwitz who initially supported the war her younger son peter who had enlisted in the german army with her encouragement was killed in 1914 on a belgian battlefield he was only 18 for the next three decades her works reflected her grief bitterness and antiwar stance
a new book kathe kollwitz the sculptures   catalogue raisonne part one hirmer by annette seeler documents ms kollwitzs work in bronze zinc plaster stucco and stone including tableaus of fatherless children and of female mourners with fists skyward in many cases only photographs of the works have turned up ms kollwitz destroyed her own pieces out of dissatisfaction and wartime bombings compounded the losses
through june 5 the kathe kollwitz museum in cologne germany is displaying about 50 of her sculptures in the galleries mirrors and lights are angled so visitors can peer into the bronze castings hollow interiors other sculptures are on view at the kathe kollwitz museum in berlin the online version of ms seelers catalog of kollwitz sculptures shows close ups of deeply gouged surfaces the artworks are at institutions like the national gallery of art in washington in private collections and at galleries including galerie st etienne in new york
ms seeler wrote about ms kollwitzs cemetery war memorials for the essay collection kathe kollwitz and the women of war femininity identity and art in germany during world wars i and ii yale university press edited by claire c whitner the senior curator at wellesley colleges davis museum the book is the catalog for a show last fall at the davis museum of kollwitz prints drawings and sculptures related to world war i and for an exhibition through may 29 at the smith college museum of art mothers arms kathe kollwitzs women and war
ms seeler said that the online catalog would be updated as new findings emerge


when the dealer leslie waddington died in 2015 the josef and anni albers foundation decided to seek new gallery representation with a request for proposals akin to an architectural competition
we told them what we were looking for and what our goals are said nicholas fox weber the foundations executive director and a cultural biographer le corbusier a life
ultimately mr weber found david zwirners responses to be the most intelligent and thoughtful he said choosing that gallery over three other finalists   pace dominique levy and hauser  wirth   to represent the work of the great colorist josef albers
hes really one of the few artists of the 20th century whose life and work span both halves of the century connecting the idealism of the german bauhaus in europe with postwar america said david leiber a director at zwirner who with mr zwirner went to milan in february to see an albers show and to meet with mr weber
in november an exhibition at zwirners gallery at west 20th street in chelsea will focus on albers including pieces from his homage to the square series which mr leiber called one of the great achievements of the 20th century mr weber once wrote that the works were hymns to the infinite possibilities both physical and spiritual of hue and light
mr leiber recalled alberss arrival at the black mountain college art school in north carolina having left the weimar bauhaus when the artist was asked what he planned to teach he responded to make open the eyes
during the auctions last week christies sold frida kahlos 1939 oil on metal painting dos desnudos en el bosque la tierra misma for 8 million an auction high for kahlo and reputedly the most ever paid at auction for a latin american artist
now phillips says it has topped that record with the private sale of diego riveras 1928 canvas baile en tehuantepec for 157 million to eduardo f costantini founder and president of the museo de arte latinoamericano de buenos aires malba
this is by my estimation the best easel painting in private hands outside of mexico a celebration of indigenous culture said august uribe phillipss deputy chairman of the americas rivera made a purposeful break from european modernism to create a national identity through the visual arts
out of view in the americas for more than 30 years the exuberant painting was first exhibited in the united states in 1930 at the met and in momas rivera retrospective in 1931
in october the painting will be on view in the philadelphia museum of art exhibition paint the revolution mexican modernism 1910 1950 in march 2017 the work will travel to malba
among the gems in robert b menschels extensive photography collection are works by the pictorialist alvin langdon coburn as well as by the postwar photographers harry callahan and aaron siskind now examples of these are coming to moma as part of a 162 piece gift from mr menschel
in october the museum will mount a photography exhibition drawn from the 511 works that the museum has acquired through mr menschels support the latest acquisition includes images by 69 photographers spanning more than 150 years   including a 1843 paris scene by william henry fox talbot and a 2002 staged portrait by carrie mae weems   with a focus on the modern period
it enables us to write a small history of photography said quentin bajac momas chief curator of photography bob is very interested in postwar modernism from the 40s 50s and early 60s his collection mixes a straight documentary approach with a more experimental one
with his recurring installation yes urs fischer invites volunteers to create sculptures from unfired clay in june he will mount this project in what is said to be his first exhibition in russia
it is part of a show at the garage museum of contemporary art in moscow which will feature nearly 100 new pieces by mr fischer along with recent paintings and sculptures
rather than large monumental statements he wants to populate it with small characters   a mouse playing the piano a tulip falling over in its vase a motorcycle helmet said kate fowle the museums chief curator hes literally developed a whole universe
two of the frick collections monumental turner paintings   the harbor of dieppe and cologne the arrival of a packet boat evening   which were purchased by henry clay frick in 1914   will be shown for the first time in a frick exhibition this fall with a third canvas from the tate depicting brest another northern european port the three canvases may have been intended to form a series
turners modern and ancient ports passages through time in spring 2017 will feature about 35 works from the 1800s mostly loans for the first time the two frick canvases will be shown with sketchbooks of turners original on site drawings and with watercolors of the same subjects some of which have not been seen in the united states
our paintings have always been recognized as a turning point in turners work in a movement that began in the teens and accelerated in the 20s said susan grace galassi the senior curator at the frick collection who organized the show moving away from naturalism towards a more poetic treatment of topographical subject matter and towards a more imaginative treatment of light and color


the video game experience has arrived in the automobile
its called the virtual cockpit and starting with audi it will become a more common feature in cars in the not too distant future
gone are the traditional mechanical dials   the speedometer the tachometer the various gauges and pointers   and in their place is a 123 inch lcd screen that houses an animated instrument cluster
the high resolution screen which lights up behind the steering wheel directly in the drivers line of sight can be programmed to show several functions   for navigation a cellphone radio and media google earth 3 d graphics and traffic data that is in addition to the usual functions of showing speed engine revolutions outside temperature and the gas level
by any standard its an abundance of information all on one screen but it also has some drivers and experts asking how much is too much and will consumers understand it
paul a green a research professor at the university of michigans transportation research institute expressed concern over displays
one of the principles here is that displays that people use while driving generally should not be dynamic said mr green who said that he had not spent any time auditioning the system it becomes like a movie that youre watching and anything that adds even a half a second or so is problematic
audi said that a central objective in designing the virtual cockpit was simplicity
if you look at the virtual cockpit and notice something different weve failed said justin goduto a spokesman for audi how can we achieve a functional operation in as few steps as possible
the on screen menus are designed to allow access to items with a single click of the steering wheel buttons mr goduto said we dont want people having to dive down
the heart of the virtual cockpit is a powerful computer processor made by nvidia
nvidia said that precision and safety were two important goals of the virtual cockpit
driver distraction is a big issue and if you have graphics that dont look good poor quality maps that lag that are hard to read it becomes a distraction said danny shapiro senior director for automotive development at nvidia
the virtual cockpit does have its adherents
michael wong test drove a new audi q7 with and without the system and wound up ordering the vehicle with the virtual cockpit
if it was a feature to sell audis theyve accomplished their mission he said
id rather have the luxury of having those functions than not said mr wong who lives in stamford conn and is in the army reserve he allowed that duplicating the information on the virtual cockpit and the center screen might be overkill he also noted that having dueling information available can be distracting but added picking up a phone call can be distracting you got to pick your poison
because the audi technology is so new and integrated into only a few of the brands vehicles   the 2016 tt and the 2017 a4 sedan q7 sport utility vehicle and r8 sports car   mass market reaction has been limited
but a study about to be made public raises concerns about how challenging it is to use audis virtual cockpit 10 said kristin kolodge executive director of driver interaction at j d power the research firm
the study which asked about buyers attitudes toward the system in the audi tt two seater coupe found that the tts virtual cockpit presented a complex system with a number of layers she said
its going to take a significant amount of time for the consumer to learn it said ms kolodge who declined to divulge specific data from the study before it was released
the virtual cockpit is not a standard feature in base models to add it to the a4 premium plus model requires buying a 3250 technology package option
but to aadel khan its worth it he bought the system for his two month old audi q7 which cost 73000
its one of the reasons i bought the car said mr khan who works in auto performance tuning in houston
i love being able to toggle the gauges from larger to smaller mr khan said hey do you need your speedometer to be big you just need a digital readout to tell you how fast youre going and having the map right in front of you is nice because youre only glancing up and down and you dont have to look to the right
mr shapiro of nvidia said that his company was working with several other manufacturers including tesla honda the volkswagen group audi is part of that family and mercedes benz which last year showed its own system that incorporates an array of digital displays in and around the dashboard
not all automakers including general motors agree with the approach however
we recognize the need to push the tech but we have different philosophies in how we present the information to the driver said nick richards a spokesman for general motors we have a belief that information should be displayed in multiple locations
he added there are some functions you want to have redundant on a nice big beautiful display in the center
gm is also taking another view at cockpit display technology the rear view
cadillacs ct6 sedan offers a feature called the full display mirror which transforms the inside rearview mirror into a high resolution digital display that is fed images from a backward facing camera mounted atop the car
the device developed by gentex corporation is a hybrid as well with a toggle to revert to a conventional mirror if the electronic display fails
it is a mirror first and foremost because there are cases when the drivers want to look at the people behind them during conversations said neil boehm vice president for engineering at gentex
on the other hand with passengers in the back or luggage piled up or youre bringing the kids home from school by having the display you still have a great view of whats behind he said
gentexs mirror will be offered in the coming chevrolet bolt and by other manufacturers in coming months mr boehm said


the horses for the 141st running of the preakness stakes are listed in order of post position with comments by joe drape and melissa hoppert of the new york times the morning line odds were set by keith feustle of pimlico race course
purse 15 million guaranteed distance 1 316 miles
track record 1522 farma way 1991 weight 126 pounds
post time 645 pm eastern television nbc
joe drapes picks exaggerator nyquist collected
melissa hopperts picks nyquist exaggerator stradivari
trainer dale romans jockey corey lanerie odds 20 1
joe drape he chased brodys cause and my man sam in last neither of them lifted a hoof in the kentucky derby
melissa hoppert he was third in his last race the blue grass but he is a strong closer and has scored a nine and a quarter length victory on a wet track
trainer gary sherlock jockey fernando perez odds 20 1
jd uncle buck has a better chance of hitting the board
mh he turned in a solid effort in the santa anita derby finishing third behind exaggerator and mor spirit
trainer doug oneill jockey mario gutierrez odds 3 5
jd the horse to beat and he will make things interesting if he comes to new york with a triple crown bid i cant pick him at 3 5
mh hope we can all agree now that he is the real deal rain should not dampen his triple crown quest
trainer alan goldberg jockey jevian toledo odds 30 1
jd a nice colt but he is stepping way way up better off shooting for the ohio derby
mh he won his last race the federico tesio stakes via disqualification on a wet track still he is in over his head
trainer keith desormeaux jockey kent desormeaux odds 3 1
jd gritty colt who always comes a running heres hoping the fifth time is a charm when it comes to vanquishing nyquist
mh with rain in the forecast it is tempting to think exaggerator can finally best nyquist on his fifth try
trainer mikio matsunaga jockey yutaka take odds 30 1
jd love this eccentric colt this is his prep for the 1 1/2  mile belmont stakes
mh he became unglued at the derby where he finished ninth and has been hiding from the crowds at belmont ever since a nice price but hes too much of a wild card
trainer bob baffert jockey javier castellano odds 10 1
jd he caught the attention of clockers pre derby with superb works expect a big effort
mh the lexington stakes winner has been working well and i do believe you can never count a baffert horse out
trainer eric guillot jockey florent geroux odds 30 1
jd along with uncle lino this one will make nyquist run fast early
mh the fourth place finisher in the blue grass has yet to win a race pass
trainer ned allard jockey jd acosta odds 30 1
jd undefeated this year in minor stakes and allowance company he will add to the early pace as well
mh good news hes an uncle mo colt and has won five in a row bad news hes beat no one worthwhile
trainer mark casse jockey jose lezcano odds 30 1
jd excellent trainer and underrated jockey add to this colts intrigue he might run a big one
mh he placed third in the florida derby but has since changed barns and finished fourth in his last race the pat day mile
trainer todd pletcher jockey john velazquez odds 8 1
jd nations leading trainer usually skips this race my guess is this lightly raced colt has been kicking down the barn and made him enter dont dismiss
mh he has raced only three times but has won twice by 11  1/4  and 14  1/2  lengths while notching a triple digit speed figure one of those wins came on a wet track


donald j trump has given a broad new role and title to paul manafort the veteran republican operative he hired in march ending weeks of confusion within mr trumps organization about the campaigns chain of command
mr manafort will now be the campaigns chairman and chief strategist according to hope hicks a spokeswoman for mr trump such titles are generally reserved for a presidential candidates highest ranking advisers
the move which was first reported by abc news formally elevates mr manafort beyond the role for which he was initially hired managing the convention for mr trump and wrangling delegates to get behind his candidacy
corey lewandowski who has been the campaign manager since mr trump entered the race will remain in that role ms hicks said she told abc news that mr lewandowski would continue overseeing day to day operations and will work with manafort on political strategy and communications among other things through the general election
the announcement came after weeks of infighting between loyalists to mr manafort and to mr lewandowski repeatedly drew outside attention and created a distraction for members of the campaign staff
mr manafort has already made substantial changes to the campaign including hiring the pollster tony fabrizio and on wednesday mr trump named arthur b culvahouse jr a washington lawyer to oversee the vetting of potential running mates
mr culvahouse who has performed a similar role for republican nominees since 1976 advised senator john mccain in 2008 with his vice presidential vetting process ultimately recommending sarah palin then the relatively unknown governor of alaska


hillary clinton declared herself the democratic partys presidential nominee on thursday and looking to the fall election said that her likely republican rival donald j trump was not qualified to be president
asked by cnns chris cuomo whether mr trump was qualified to hold the office they both seek mrs clinton declared emphatically no
she called the crash of an egyptair flight early thursday an act of terrorism and went on to portray mr trump as dangerously out of step with what a commander in chief would need to do to combat such attacks
she cited his proposal to temporarily bar muslims from entering american borders his comments about diminishing the united states involvement in nato and his remarks that he would negotiate directly with the north korean dictator kim jong un as evidence of how unmoored mr trump is on foreign policy
this month when msnbc asked a similar question mrs clinton said that mr trump had given no indication that he understood the gravity of the responsibilities that go with being commander in chief but she stopped short of emphatically declaring that he was unqualified
she did not mince words on thursday saying i have concluded he is not qualified to be president of the united states
in a statement on thursday mr trump said that mrs clinton was the candidate unqualified to president she has bad judgment mr trump said in the statement and is unfit to serve as president at this delicate and difficult time in our countrys history
mrs clintons statements come as she encounters a lingering threat for the democratic nomination from senator bernie sanders of vermont whose supporters have become increasingly antagonistic toward her candidacy despite recent primary wins by mr sanders his path to the partys nomination appears mathematically impossible a fact mrs clinton sought to make abundantly clear
i will be the nominee of our party chris she told mr cuomo there is no way i wont be
on thursday afternoon michael briggs a spokesman for mr sanders said in a statement that his candidates recent victories in indiana west virginia and oregon showed that voters there respectfully disagreed with secretary clinton he added we expect voters in the remaining eight contests also will disagree and said that some polls showing mr sanders faring better than mrs clinton against mr trump made it clear that millions of americans have growing doubts about the clinton campaign
throughout the interview mrs clinton appeared ready to put the primaries behind her and move on to mr trump asked if she would consider naming mr sanders her vice presidential nominee in an effort to unify the party and bring in his liberal and young supporters she demurred
i think the thing that brings us together is donald trump she said
she declined to respond to mr trumps attacks on her husband bill clinton including an interview with fox news on wednesday night in which mr trump brought up a decades old rape allegation against the former president i think people can judge his campaign for what it is mrs clinton said im going to run my campaign
asked if she had the urge to defend her familys honor against the onslaught of attacks that will grow louder mrs clinton said no not at all i know that is exactly what he is fishing for and im not going to be responding
the interview took place in park ridge ill the chicago suburb where mrs clinton spent her childhood mr cuomo asked what advice her mother dorothy rodham would have given her in dealing with the likely battle that awaits her against an opponent unlike any she has confronted
i think it would be the same advice that my mother always gave me mrs clinton said which is everybody gets knocked down and knocked around in life the real test is whether you get up and keep going


nearly a year after josef helfenstein announced that he would step down as director of the menil collection in houston the museum has found his successor at the metropolitan museum of art
rebecca rabinow the mets curator of modern art and curator in charge of the leonard a lauder research center for modern art on thursday was named the menils new director where she will start in july
raised in houston dr rabinow worked as an intern at the menil after graduating from college it shaped my vision for what a museum could be she said in a telephone interview adding that her approach would be looking back to see what the vision originally was and how to move it into the 21st century
janet hobby the menils president said rebecca stood out for her expertise and curatorial stature
dr rabinow was educated at smith college the sorbonne and new york universitys institute of fine arts
since joining the met in 1990 dr rabinow has organized several noteworthy exhibitions   including shows on cubism and matisse   and was an organizer of the 2007 renovation and reinstallation of the mets galleries of 19th  and early 20th century european painting and sculpture


an emergency advisory committee to the world health organization called the spread of yellow fever in africa a serious concern on thursday and advocated drastically expanding vaccinations to combat it
but the agency stopped short of declaring a global health emergency because a fast moving outbreak that began in angola in december appears to be coming under control
the committee was of the opinion that we have a serious issue on our hands said dr oyewale tomori a nigerian yellow fever expert who heads the advisory panel but it does not constitute a public health emergency of international concern
the angolan outbreak spread to three other countries including china and has claimed about 300 lives in april the who warned that its emergency stock of yellow fever vaccine was close to exhaustion dr margaret chan the director general of the who flew to angola that month to draw attention to the crisis
but increased manufacturing capacity by the four companies making the vaccine and diversion of doses away from routine vaccination to africa has brought the stockpile back to its normal level of six million doses which could triple within a few months said dr bruce aylward the agencys executive director for outbreaks and health emergencies
the vaccine costs the who about 1 a dose and one shot usually gives lifetime protection dr tomori said
the outbreak began in luanda angolas capital rose to over 2400 suspect cases and then spread to the democratic republic of congo and kenya and to china where there were 11 cases among expatriate workers
urban outbreaks are considered the most dangerous and a second one had appeared to be erupting in kinshasa congos capital but that country has a history of yellow fever vaccination and the spread was relatively slow dr aylward said in china there have been no more cases in a month and all workers traveling to or from africa are now vaccinated he said many chinese workers are in africa building roads and bridges and employed in oil fields and other industries
there is no treatment for yellow fever which is related to dengue zika and west nile viruses and it is spread by the same aedes aegypti mosquitoes
unlike the zika virus it is not known to cause microcephaly in babies but it is often lethal in itself killing through high fevers liver damage and organ failure
in april the centers for disease control and prevention said it could not give africa as much help as it normally would have because most of its mosquito disease experts were fighting the zika virus in brazil puerto rico and elsewhere
in march the disease alert service promed   which warned almost a year ago that zika might spread in latin america   issued an unusually strong alert john p woodall a founder of the service calculated how much yellow fever vaccine the world could make in a year and said that if the disease spread to parts of asia with the right climate and mosquitoes hundreds of thousands could die before yf vaccine stocks could be boosted and delivered
the four manufacturers can make up to 80 million doses a year at full capacity dr aylward said the emergency committee was convened partly to consider whether if the threat of a global epidemic loomed it would make medical sense to dilute doses to stretch supplies
that idea was rejected because the outbreak appears to be coming under control dr tomori said the next step would be to build up enough capacity to routinely vaccinate children in the tropics everywhere there is risk
yellow fever normally circulates in monkeys and human outbreaks are usually limited to jungle villages logging camps and mining areas but luanda has more than six million people
after more than five million angolans were vaccinated cases in luanda dropped new clusters appeared in several of the countrys provinces and spread to other countries and china but vaccination now appears to be containing them
dilution would be considered again only if we get any other outbreaks that turn explosive dr aylward said


st petersburg russia   with ice hockeys top federations gathered in russia for the mens world championship some people here are looking ahead two years
when it was reported last month that the international olympic committee would no longer cover the costs of insurance and transportation for nhl players to participate in the olympics starting with the 2018 pyeongchang games in south korea the leagues continued olympic participation was put in jeopardy
everyone would like to see the nhl players participate said matti nurminen general director of the finnish ice hockey association everyone wants to see a tournament with the best on best thats for sure but the ioc sees things differently now compared to previous olympics and that has caused some challenges for our sport theres a bill to pay and now theyre trying to find the money to cover it
the travel and accommodation expenses are expected to be negotiated with sponsors in cooperation with the ioc and national olympic committees but the real sticking point is insurance premiums could climb to 10 million for the 2014 sochi games in russia the bill was 7 million
this issue goes beyond health insurance it is about insuring the future income of a player and his value as an asset to the team should a long term injury occur in the same way a private owner lends art to a museum and asks it to pay an insurance premium to display a painting the nhl and its team owners are asking the ioc to pay the insurance premiums on the assets they are lending out for the international showcase
it is not an abstract problem at the 2014 sochi games the islanders john tavares tore a knee ligament while playing for canada and missed the rest of the nhl season
with the ioc no longer willing to cover those premiums and the international ice hockey federation unable to cover the cost by itself the governing bodies are reaching out to all parties involved to find a resolution
the iihf has asked the national associations and the national olympic committees if they are willing to cover that but from our perspective that responsibility rests on who is organizing the event and who is collecting all the revenues from the event nurminen said in our opinion the same party should pay the bills and thats not us all the countries replied to the iihf that they are not willing to pay for the insurance or the travel or any of the other expenses that are related to having the nhl players participate in pyeongchang
at least 150 nhl players are expected to be selected for their countries olympic teams requiring the league to shut down for the duration of the games european leagues plan to make their players available but none will have to shut down for three weeks as the nhl will
discussions among the nhl the olympic committee and the ice hockey federation are continuing with an unofficial deadline set for the end of this year when the nhl begins planning for the 2017 18 season
the agreement between the nhl and the olympic committee for the sochi games did not come until seven months before the event but the expectation was that a deal would be completed because of how important hockey is to russia that is not the case with south korea and the national federations especially those in canada and the united states need time to develop a plan b if the nhl decides not to make its players available
before 1998 the canadian and united states olympic teams were composed of former college and junior hockey players while the european squads consisted of players from professional leagues because of the disparity the level of talent missing without nhl players and the success of the olympic basketball tournament with the nbas participation the ioc struck a deal with the nhl to ensure the inclusion of its players and a competition among the worlds best players
tom renney now the president and chief executive of hockey canada was the coach for the canadian team in the last non nhl olympics in lillehammer norway in 1994
its possible to find success without nhl players but it requires a lot more hard work and wed like to know as soon as possible if we need to do it that way again so we can get started he said
jim johannson the assistant executive director for hockey operations at usa hockey said we like to talk about the growing depth of the american talent pool and if nhlers dont participate well find out pretty quick just how much depth we have
if the nhl declines to shut down for nearly three weeks to allow players to participate in the olympics the impact will be far reaching
the lack of nhlers at the olympics would of course impact the commercial value for the games for tv broadcasters as well as for sponsors and spectators around the world said rene fasel president of the iihf since 1994 without a doubt it would also impact the iihfs efforts to develop the game worldwide the olympic platform offers us a wide range of opportunities to present our game to a global audience we have 74 member national associations within the iihf and so many of these players picked up sticks for the first time after watching ice hockey at the olympics
the nhl has no tangible stake in the olympics not only does the league have to shut down its season and risk the health of its players it earns no revenue directly from the event
with all the issues related to going to the olympics and the balancing act it is and what it does to the season im not sure that there would be a lot of appetite for us on top of that to have to pay for the privilege gary bettman the nhls commissioner said last month we dont make money going to the olympics in fact we kind of disappear for two weeks because historically the ioc hasnt even let us join in promoting our participation in the olympics
that is why the nhl and the nhl players association brought back the world cup of hockey which will be held in toronto in september and takes place every four years while the national federations welcome the opportunity for another mens international tournament featuring nhl players they say it cannot replace the olympics
for now one thing is certain the national federations are unwilling to take money away from their player development programs to pay the bill
as a federation were stuck between a rock and a hard place renney said we know that every elite hockey player wants the opportunity to compete for a gold medal at the olympics we know that it is very important to them and we want to help them achieve that in any way we can
but most hockey players dont even come close to that level and if we take money away from our development programs to cover that cost how many kids wont have the opportunity to play hockey because we dont have the money to offer them free equipment to try it out


william f weld the twice elected former republican governor of massachusetts who was last seen campaigning in the 2006 republican primary for governor of new york now hopes to be on a national ticket as the vice presidential nominee of the libertarian party
and he is already on the attack
in his first interview since accepting an invitation to be the running mate of former gov gary johnson of new mexico mr weld assailed donald j trump over his call to round up and deport the 11 million immigrants in the country illegally
i can hear the glass crunching on kristallnacht in the ghettos of warsaw and vienna when i hear that honest mr weld said thursday
mr weld 70 was not uniformly critical of the presumptive republican nominee i dont consider myself part of the never trump movement he said expressing admiration for mr trumps success in the primary contest
im not horrified about everything mr trump has done at all he said adding i think hes done a lot but when i think about some of the positions i think theyre way out there
where he differs with mr trump most sharply is on mr trumps call for mass deportations
asked if he believed mr trump was a fascist mr weld demurred my kristallnacht analogy does evoke the nazi period in germany he said and thats what im worried about a slippery slope
after a circuitous answer he eventually came to a conclusion no i wouldnt call mr trump either a fascist or a nazi mr weld said im just saying we got to watch it when we get exclusionary about people on account of their status as a member of a group
mr weld also objected to mr trumps repeated threats to impose tariffs on goods imported from mexico and china thats a pretty good prescription to having china be the only superpower in about 10 years he said leaning forward to make sure a reporter understood him china   not the us
mr welds best known previous turn on the national stage was in 1997 when he resigned as governor to focus on his appointment by president bill clinton as ambassador to mexico
that did not go well he was blocked by senator jesse helms and withdrew his nomination after a heated battle in which mr weld a pillar of what was left of the moderate northeastern republican establishment loudly assailed mr helms and the archconservatives who stood behind him
a former prosecutor mr weld could appeal to some disaffected republicans on a ticket alongside mr johnson at a time when other efforts by republicans to recruit a third party candidate   in part in the hopes of keeping anti trump republican voters from staying home and costing the partys lower tier candidates   are close to fizzling
mr weld said mr johnson the libertarian presidential candidate in 2012 who is seeking the partys nomination again spoke to him last weekend about running their hope is to amass enough support in national polls to be included in the presidential debates if that happened mr weld said hopefully it would not be impossible to envision a minor party ticket winning the white house
but he also did not protest too much when asked how he would reassure those who mindful of his willingness to roll the dice in politics might question his level of commitment to a national run
theres some truth in that said mr weld who now works at a law firm mintz levin and its lobbying arm ml strategies i do like to climb mountains in politics and i do enjoy running for office
the libertarian party says it already will be on the ballot in 32 states and is working on the rest it will pick its presidential and vice presidential nominees at a convention over memorial day weekend in orlando fla
mr weld suggested that the libertarian message which emphasizes civil liberties and small government could appeal to younger voters
discussing foreign policy he spoke critically of the iraq invasion of 2003 and of putting boots on the ground in the middle east to project american strength but he was supportive of the obama administration on the iran nuclear deal that republicans frequently criticize
i thought the game was worth the candle there and thats politically incorrect in almost all circles   certainly in republican circles   but i think i do feel that way and i followed that closely mr weld said adding i know john kerry quite well and i saw his going back and forth and rather admired it mr weld unsuccessfully challenged mr kerry in the 1996 senate race
asked about hillary clinton mr weld noted that he had known her since they were both in their 20s ive always just thought of her as a really great kid he said
mr weld said he possessed a deep libertarian streak and pined for a time when that was more widespread in the republican party he complained about the polarization in congress and remembered his early days working on capitol hill before law school for senator jacob k javits republican of new york
it was a totally different era and a wonderful era he said it was wonderful to be in washington in those days and things absolutely got done


the american civil liberties union of ohio sent a letter to the city of cleveland on thursday threatening legal action if it did not begin acting on applications for permits to assemble and hold marches and rallies during the republican national convention
the convention is scheduled for july 18 21 in cleveland organizers began applying for parade permits in february the aclu letter said but have either received no response from the city or were told by city officials that no decisions on the permits would be made until about two weeks before the convention
the aclus letter said that such delays would interfere with the applicants first amendment rights it was written on behalf of organize ohio a group that has joined nearly 30 others to plan an antipoverty march during the convention citizens for trump which supports the presumptive republican nominee and john penley an antiwar activist from new york
nominating conventions are important for individuals and organizations to assemble and express their points of view on issues they care about   in other words to engage in quintessential protected first amendment activity said the letter which was signed by freda j levenson the legal director for the aclu of ohio and norman siegel a prominent civil rights lawyer from new york the citys decision to delay the granting or denial of permit applications for another seven weeks threatens to stymie the groups right to free speech the suit added
in a phone conversation ms levenson said that city officials had said during meetings that they needed to set up security plans with the secret service before making permit decisions she added that philadelphia where the democratic national convention will be held on july 25 28 had begun issuing permits
dan williams a spokesman for cleveland said thursday that officials had not yet received the aclus letter adding that the citys policy was not to comment on pending litigation he added that there was a process in place to handle permit applications but could not yet say when the city would begin issuing decisions
the letter from the aclu said that delays in addressing permit applications also denied organizers the ability to challenge the citys decisions in court a measure that protesters have resorted to previously
antiwar organizers sued new york city in federal court in 2004 saying that officials had violated their free speech rights by denying permits to hold a rally in central park just before the republican national convention a judge declined to rule for the organizers but urged the city to negotiate with them
in 2008 protesters sued st paul where the republican convention was held for not approving a march route and adopting special guidelines governing permit applications a federal judge declared the guidelines for the event null and void but rejected a request by protesters that the city be compelled to approve a particular route writing the court expects the parties to work together to plan the march


london   greenpeace activists scaled the columns in front of the british museum on thursday morning attaching and then unfurling banners that protested the oil company bps sponsorship of a new exhibition sunken cities egypts lost worlds the museum was closed until 2 pm to ensure the safety of the museums visitors a spokeswoman said in an email eleven people were arrested in connection with trespassing
there have been protests against other bp sponsored exhibitions at the museum including shakespeare staging the world in 2012 and vikings life and legend in 2014 but this was the first time the museum had to close
the protest follows another made by the theatrical group bp or not bp on tuesday evening during a vip reception for sunken cities which displays artifacts from two lost egyptian cities buried under the sea
in a statement reported by the bbc a spokesman for greenpeace said that the organization was taking a stand because of the irony of an oil company sponsoring an exhibition whose name practically spells out impacts of climate change what were they thinking
greenpeace said that 85 people took part in the british museum protest in which banners were revealed showing the names of cities threatened by climate change and renaming the exhibition sinking cities
in march bp announced that it would end its sponsorship of the tate museums where it has been a major financial donor for 20 years in 2017 there too protesters regularly objected to the sponsorship but the oil company said that it was ending the arrangement for financial reasons
in a statement the british museum said that it was grateful to bp for their long term support which has allowed the museum to bring world cultures to a global audience through hugely popular exhibitions and their associated public programmes


william j hager 86 said he had run out of options
his wife carolyn hager 78 had been ill for the last 15 of the more than 50 years they were married the cost of her medications had become so burdensome that they could no longer afford it he said so on monday morning while she was sleeping he shot her in the head he told the deputy who came to their florida home
the killing in port st lucie and mr hagers explanation were detailed in an arrest affidavit and by local news media mr hager was arrested and charged with first degree premeditated murder but the case appeared to also highlight the difficulties faced by older people who are retired or on fixed incomes and struggle to pay for their medicine when they are ill or in pain
at the sheriffs office mr hager told deputies that his wife had a lot of illnesses and other ailments which required numerous medications which he could no longer afford the affidavit said
according to a study by the aarp an advocacy group for people over 50 specialty drugs that treat complex chronic conditions such as parkinsons disease and rheumatoid arthritis come with huge price tags
deputies said that ms hager had severe arthritis and other health issues but they declined to name the drugs she needed citing privacy laws according to wptv a tv station in west palm beach records show the hagers filed for bankruptcy in 2011 and mr hager worked at sears for a short time to try to pay for the medication the station said
when a deputy sheriff arrived at the hagers house monday afternoon mr hager told him i have bad news according to the affidavit ms hagers body was propped up with pillows in a bed covered with a blanket
mr hager said he had killed her at 730 am while she was asleep according to the affidavit he placed the gun a colt 32 revolver on a dresser went into the kitchen of their home and drank coffee he then called his daughters to tell them what he had done before calling 911 in the afternoon
mr hager apologized to deputies for not calling them earlier in the day but said he had wanted to let his children know what had happened first
he said that his wife had told him in the past that she wanted to die and that he had been thinking of killing her for several days because she was in pain the affidavit said
the couple had been married for more than 50 years local news organizations said it was not immediately clear if they had medicare or any other insurance
he was perfectly clear on that he was going to be arrested and go to jail but again he felt that this is where it had gotten to him and this was his course of action chief deputy garry wilson of the sheriffs department said according to the treasure coast newspapers he showed emotion and he was very clear that he was out of options in his mind
mr hager has appeared before a circuit court judge by video from jail but had not yet been entered a formal plea or been assigned a public defender said kara odom a court administrator


david byrne the talking heads singer who made a favorably received foray into musical theater with the 2013 disco operetta here lies love at the public theater will return to the public next season with a new biographical musical saint joan
the musical which begins performances feb 14 is among more than 10 productions   including a david hare revival and harvey fiersteins return to the stage   that the public announced on thursday for its 2016 17 season
alex timbers who directed here lies love will reunite with mr byrne for saint joan   which like the george bernard shaw play of the same title tells the story of joan of arc as with here lies love an immersive show that unfolded on the dance floor of a discotheque joan will feature an anachronistic framing device a rock concert
the publics season will once again open with a production from its public works program which brings in community organizations from all over the city for a musical at the delacorte theater in central park this years show written by shaina taub and directed by kwame kwei armah will be an adaptation of shakespeares comedy twelfth night beginning sept 2
on sept 10 richard nelsons play cycle the gabriels election year in the life of one family which began this spring with hungry continues with the second installment what did you expect followed by the concluding play women of a certain age on nov 4
other productions include a revival of mr hares plenty which had its premiere at the public in 1982 and will return oct 4 the cast includes corey stoll house of cards and as previously announced rachel weisz a stage adaptation of tiny beautiful things a collection of cheryl strayeds dear sugar advice columns will star nia vardalos my big fat greek wedding as ms strayed ms vardalos also adapted the play which begins performances nov 15 and will be directed by thomas kail hamilton beginning march 14 mr fierstein will take the lead in a new gay themed play gently down the stream by martin sherman bent
closing the season is john leguizamo latin history for morons a new one man show from the actor whose brash solo show ghetto klown ran on broadway in 2011 mr leguizamos latest monologue which begins performances march 17 is inspired by his frenzied search for a latino hero for his sons american history class project


remember the late 1990s when hulking sport utility vehicles began appearing in large numbers on our roads many buyers have now abandoned low slung accords camrys and malibus to ride high in suvs which have become the best selling auto segment in the united states
but not everyone wants a monster truck compact unibody suvs known as crossovers certainly have advantages especially in tight urban spaces take bmws second generation x1 which comes to this party well dressed its just one model in a crowded field that includes the audi q3 infiniti qx50 lexus nx lincoln mkc and mercedes gla
the new x1 looks less like a hatchback and more like an off roader now it even tackles moderately tough terrain ive done it but the big news is not its ranger rick design bmw revered for its rear wheel drive dynamics has built the x1 on front wheel drive architecture sorry i should have asked the children to leave the room
this is not the big deal some would make it out to be remember mini largely front drive is a bmw company the smallest x series rides on the same architecture as the mini clubman but bmw brings only all wheel drive x1s to our terrain
as expected for a bmw the diminutive x drives well this is a fun machine that is nicely buttoned down but remember its a crossover although its sporty in the curves dont expect a sports car the nimble size makes it a good urban attack vehicle far better than a chevrolet suburban
powered by a 2 liter 4 cylinder engine with a twin scroll turbocharger providing 228 horsepower and 258 pound feet of torque early in the rev range theres a touch of lag off the line it goes from 0 to 60 miles an hour in 63 seconds according to bmw drive modes range from environmental eco to pavement loving sport the 8 speed automatic does its job seamlessly fast and furious enthusiasts should know there is no other powertrain available
the government rated average of 26 miles per gallon makes the x1 the fuel efficiency champ in its segment like most in the class the bmw prefers premium gas
serious material and lighting upgrades in the cabin give it the bmw look and it has options to match the x1s base price is 35795 a backup camera package goes for 1150 keyless ignition is part of a 3200 grouping that provides a big glass roof and adaptive led headlights at 45370 as tested its the way many people will want the car equipped personally i would add supportive sport seats a 2450 package and adaptive cruise control 1000 perhaps a second job is in order
back seat accommodations will make two adults feel welcome three not so much the cushions are a tad flat and heaters are not available for a small rig the x1s cargo hold is large and the seat backs split 40 20 40 sliding rear seats and remote seat back releases are optional
our fascination with crossovers is curious considering that americans largely eschew station wagons and hatchbacks ill argue that suvs are pumped up variations of those the x1s flexible packaging nimbleness refinement and compact form shine brightly in congested cities if only the price were more in line with the size


the utica city school district settled a lawsuit on thursday over its treatment of young refugees who the suit charged were being excluded from the citys lone high school because of their age and because they did not speak english
the lawsuit filed last year on behalf of six refugees by the new york civil liberties union and legal services of central new york claimed that utica shunted refugees who were older than 16 into lesser alternatives to high school like a ged program only for english language learners new york law provides the right to a free public education until age 21
similar allegations that refugee children are being excluded from public schools have been leveled at districts elsewhere around the state and across the country
utica in central new york has become a magnet in recent years for those escaping persecution in their home countries today nearly one out of six city residents is a refugee according to the civil liberties union
the agreement would require that the district contact all school age students documented by the mohawk valley resource center for refugees over the past four years who are not enrolled in high school to explain that they have a right to attend the refugee center is the first stop for many immigrants entering the city
it would also require that fliers outlining the right to attend high school and giving instructions on how to contact the district be distributed in five languages at more than a dozen places in utica frequented by immigrants including the bosnian islamic association of utica and the golden burma asian market
the utica city school district admitted no wrongdoing as part of the settlement donald r gerace a lawyer for the system said it was already doing many of the things outlined in the settlement
the new york civil liberties union said it expected a judge to approve the utica settlement in a matter of days a lawsuit filed against utica last year by the new york state attorney general eric t schneiderman which also said students were being funneled into alternative programs is continuing


london   nato made a formal invitation on thursday to tiny montenegro to join the alliance as its 29th member nato foreign ministers meeting in brussels signed the accession protocol under the eyes of the montenegrin prime minister milo djukanovic the membership must be approved by all 28 national governments or parliaments including the united states senate
when an informal invitation was made to montenegro in december russia responded angrily
montenegro has a population of about 600000 and little military capacity but in december adm vladimir komoyedov the chairman of the russian parliaments defense committee said they are ready to admit even the north pole to nato just for the sake of encircling russia the invitation to montenegro he said means that nato was and remains an adversary of russia


new delhi   the governing bharatiya janata party and its allies won power in the state of assam on thursday the groups first triumph in the countrys remote northeast and a morale raising victory after two dispiriting electoral defeats
this win is historic by all standards said the partys leader prime minister narendra modi in a twitter message that congratulated party workers
in assam mr modis party defeated the indian national congress party which was also ousted from power in the southern state of kerala data from the election commission showed congress trailed a coalition of parties in kerala led by the communist party of india marxist adding to the partys political losses after its poor showing in the general elections two years ago
very clearly the party as a whole has to move beyond this sort of cliched introspection business into some serious action said a lawmaker from kerala shashi tharoor referring his own congress party he suggested in an interview on the ndtv news channel that the party begin by promoting younger leaders throughout the country
the seats won by the bharatiya janata party in assam will not significantly change the power equation in the upper house of parliament whose members are elected by state legislators in the upper house the party is in the minority and often faces setbacks when trying to pass measures to modernize and streamline the economy as mr modi promised in his rise to power
but it was a salve for the party and for mr modi after a crushing defeat last fall in state elections in bihar which mr modi cast as a referendum on his first 17 months in office in february of last year it was trounced by the aam aadmi party in assembly elections in new delhi
parties with powerful female regional leaders triumphed in the southern state of tamil nadu and the eastern state of bengal despite accusations of corruption
all india anna dravida munnetra kazhagam the party headed by jayalalithaa jayaram the chief minister of tamil nadu whose corruption conviction in 2014 was overturned on appeal last year won in more than half the races on thursday evening all india trinamool congress the party of mamata banerjee all but swept west bengal winning in more than two thirds of the races and defeating an alliance of the congress party and various communist parties further cementing her grip on the state
the congress party once the unchallenged power in india could take some comfort in its performance in the union territory of puducherry where its alliance won after a close fight against an incumbent government


london   the passengers on the egyptair flight that plunged into the mediterranean sea on thursday included a french rock n roll photographer who considered skipping the flight a portuguese engineer and father of four and a couple in their 40s from angers in western france according to their families and local news reports
a young man from chad who was studying in france was on his way to see his family after his mothers death
the families of those aboard the flight awaited news of their relatives fate at charles de gaulle airport and at cairo international airport some were visibly shaken hunched over and in tears
masharei al sohaili said his uncle abdel mohsen al sohaili a kuwaiti economist who was on the flight was supposed to come to cairo for a three day break he was happy to come he said adding he had his two kids both disabled
fifty six passengers including three children were on board flight 804 from paris to cairo along with three egyptair security officers and seven crew members according to a list of passengers nationalities released by the egyptian government 30 of the passengers were egyptian and 15 were from france the remainder came from countries including algeria belgium britain canada chad iraq kuwait portugal saudi arabia and sudan
in cairo as news of the missing plane began to come out families were overcome by grief in some cases tinged with anger
struggling to escape the cameras the relative of one passenger shoved a reporter aside shouting consider the feelings of others you just care about putting something up may god burn you all you heartless people
others railed at the egyptian authorities response to the crisis mervat moamen a relative of samar ezz el deen the newly married flight attendant on the flight said she was frustrated and disappointed we dont know anything she said we have not seen anything yet it is just propaganda
pray for them she added we are hoping they are just kidnapped and that this talk is untrue
the british foreign office confirmed that one british citizen was on board and said it had been in contact with the passengers family the portuguese government confirmed that joao silva 61 a father of four and a civil engineer based in johannesburg was also aboard the plane he was in charge of african markets for mota engil an infrastructure and construction company
even before the cause of the planes disappearance was confirmed friends and colleagues began to pay tribute to the missing passengers
alain gest a center right member of the french parliament from somme wrote on twitter that ahmed helal the head of a procter  gamble facility in amiens in northern france was on the flight our heartfelt thoughts go to this very well loved manager he wrote france bleu picardie a regional radio station said that mr helal 40 a native of egypt had been a director at the consumer products giant in amiens since june 2014 and that he managed 1000 people at the site which produced detergents it said news of his disappearance had been communicated to staff on thursday morning
also among the missing is a student from chad who was training at frances prestige military academy saint cyr
the protocol officer for chads embassy in paris muhammed allamine said the man who was not identified was on his way home after his mothers death according to local news media
at least one person on the flight had doubts about whether to make the trip pascal hess a photographer from evreux in the north of france who covered rock concerts and had a passion for volleyball had lost his passport just days before the flight
he didnt sleep for three days until someone found it in the street a relative who was not named told la depeche a regional newspaper its crazy but he hesitated about going he didnt know whether he should go or not the paper said that mr hess was on his way to a resort on the red sea to join a friend who worked as a diving instructor
at charles de gaulle airport an employee who identified herself only as sonia was deeply distraught worried that her help might have doomed an egyptian family who had been running late for their flight she told the european broadcaster rtl that the family   two parents with their five children   had arrived at the wrong terminal to board the flight when the father realized the mistake and began to panic she said she tried to get egyptair to hold the flight for them
i saw that the father was becoming stressed and i assured them that i would try and call the company to see if they could make an exception and hold the plane   something that i never do she said
i hope they didnt make it she said


there is one thing the shareholders of the chemical company basf should fear more than consolidation between its german rival bayer and the american seed maker monsanto their own board wading in with a counterbid
bayers bid for monsanto puts basfs chief executive kurt bock on the spot with agricultural revenue of 58 billion euros 65 billion basf is one of the worlds big players in an industry where everyone seems to be enthusiastically coupling think of dow chemicals merger with dupont and syngentas planned takeover by chemchina only basf would be left on the shelf
moreover a bayer monsanto tie up may put basfs collaboration with the americans at risk basf and monsanto work together on research and development in plant biotechnology giving a strong reason perhaps to spoil bayers plans
yet the math of a basf counterbid would be a stretch a 30 percent sweetener on monsantos undisturbed share price would mean an interloper paying around 51 billion thats a premium equivalent to 12 billion jefferies analysts estimate that basf could generate around 720 million of annual cost synergies from merging with monsanto by 2020 but their 54 billion net present value   what they would be worth as a lump sum today   falls far short of justifying such generosity by leveraging up to 35 times the combined entities earnings before interest taxes depreciation and amortization basf could comfortably take on only about 30 billion of new debt
unlike basf bayer sells seeds which suggests greater room for synergies yet bayers chief executive werner baumann is already struggling to persuade his shareholders that an offer for the american seed group makes sense even as his companys shares have fallen 10 percent in a week mr bock sat on his hands while other potential merger targets like syngenta and dupont were snapped up he can afford to do it again


kernersville nc   an unusual coalition of largely older and conservative former military men and younger left leaning law students are waging a joint campaign for one of the most unlikely causes clemency for troops convicted of killing civilians in iraq and afghanistan
they want to push president obama to reduce sentences and grant pardons for seven convicted war criminals ranging from a private who followed an order to shoot unarmed detainees to the more well known case of robert bales an army staff sergeant sentenced to life in prison without parole for the murder of 16 afghan civilians in 2012
the campaign started with herbert donahue a retired marine corps major and his tiny organization called united american patriots tucked in a quiet office park here
mr donahue says he was called to his work by his own war experience in 44 months in vietnam as a marine rifleman he was shot twice bloodied by a mortar shell and had most of his teeth smashed out in a helicopter crash but he declined three purple hearts because anyone formally recognized for being wounded that often was sent home from the war zone
i know what combat is ive seen the beast a thousand times mr donahue 72 said as he looked at the silver star bronze star and other military honors on his office wall it can be real murky sometimes you dont have the luxury of making a moral decision
recently he gained an unexpected ally a team of university of chicago law school students formed a group focused on helping convicted troops called the combat clemency project
i dont pretend to know anything about the military for me it is about mercy said eamonn hart 29 a third year law student who was raised by what he called lefty 60s activist parents who took him to protests of the invasion of iraq the students are focusing on the mental health conditions of those convicted and other mitigating circumstances
for 10 years mr donahue had become accustomed to working largely alone united american patriots has paid for lawyers family visits and other support arguing that troops under intense pressure in combat zones are often unfairly judged and given harsh sentences because the public has sanitized and unrealistic expectations of war
few military colleagues have backed mr donahue and some have openly called him a traitor the public response to donation requests had been so cool that at one point mr donahue mortgaged his house to keep the operation going but in 2015 the lawyer of one of the soldiers contacted the university of chicago and sparked the interest of students in the legal aid clinic who then reached out to mr donahue i didnt think much of it when they first called me because they are just a bunch of damn liberals he said but i have to commend the students they have gone above and beyond
this spring one of the students mr hart submitted a clemency petition for corey clagett a former army private who pleaded guilty to shooting two unarmed detainees in iraq in 2006   killings that an army investigation found were ordered by mr clagetts staff sergeant the staff sergeant raymond girouard was also convicted in the killings but his case was dismissed on appeal he was given back pay and discharged under honorable conditions after serving three and a half years in prison mr clagett was sentenced to 18 years
as part of the project united american patriots paid for mr hart and other students to fly to fort leavenworth kan to interview the prisoners before that i didnt understand how confusing things were on the ground in iraq how arbitrary the brutality was mr hart said
the students and united american patriots approach the issue differently united american patriots says troops sometimes are held to unfair standards by senior officers who know little about combat
in vietnam i was supposed to radio in to ask permission every time i opened fire but there wasnt time mr donahue said so after my second patrol i never called back to request permission until i was sitting on a mountain of bodies today you couldnt do that its gotten so a guy has to have a lawyer in the foxhole next to him if i had it the way guys do today id have been court martialed a thousand times
the law school group led by mark heyrman of the schools legal aid clinic is reluctant to embrace that argument and is looking instead toward issues like mental health we agree on the bottom line that soldiers are being excessively punished mr heyrman said the concern is that united american patriots are trying to say we should go back to the way we did it in vietnam i dont know if that is a winning public message mr heyrman who worked with mr obama when he was a law professor at the university of chicago said he doubted that argument would work with the president
for both groups mercy has its limits they chose not to be advocates of troops convicted of premeditated crimes that combined rape and murder but after some debate they decided to urge leniency for mr bales despite his guilty plea to 16 killings in a small village
friends of mine pushed back saying how can you represent this guy when there are innocent people who could use your help i have honestly questioned my own involvement said michael lockman 31 a law student who wrote the clemency petition for mr bales but when you really start to learn about some of these cases there is a clear case for mercy the man had clear mental health issues the army knew about but chose to ignore there is shared responsibility for his crime
the army determined the sergeant had post traumatic stress disorder and a traumatic brain injury after his third combat deployment in 2010 then deployed him to afghanistan where his symptoms worsened and he massacred villagers he suspected of harboring insurgents mr lockman is asking the president to reduce mr baless sentence to 100 years which would make him eligible for parole in 2023
both mr donahue and the students admit the push is a long shot few in the public appear to support revisiting cases in which troops killed unarmed civilians a whitehousegov petition the students created seeking 100000 signatures has so far garnered only about 2100 and mr obama has given no indication he considers the sentences unjust
even so there is some precedent for reducing military sentences after world war ii the war department set up a clemency board that commuted sentences in 85 percent of thousands of serious cases it reviewed from the war during vietnam a number of young men sentenced to life in prison for killings later had their sentences reduced to only a few years by similar boards
even the most notorious massacre of vietnam in the village of my lai prompted calls for forgiveness from the american public for lt william calley the 24 year old who was sentenced to life in prison for ordering the killings the only one of the 26 soldiers and officers charged who was convicted telegrams sent to the white house urging clemency outnumbered those opposing it by a ratio of 100 to 1 and supporters on both sides of the debate over the war staged sympathy marches and other protests across the country
its too bad that one man is being made to pay for the brutality of the whole war benjamin spock the famous pediatrician turned war protester said at the time
in response president richard m nixon moved the lieutenant from prison to house arrest pending a review of the case the secretary of the army reduced lieutenant calleys sentence to 10 years and he was paroled after three in all he spent only a few weeks behind bars
that there is not the same broad outcry for the release of troops convicted of murder today is in part a mark of progress said gary solis a former marine corps prosecutor who teaches the law of military conflict at george washington university the public doesnt see it as an issue because we dont have the number of crimes we did in vietnam and the crimes arent as bad he said we have much better training and a much better force
though the pentagon does not keep count of cases that could be considered war crimes he said iraq and afghanistan produced only a few dozen cases that might qualify while vietnam led to hundreds
even so the vexing nature of a war in which the enemy is hard to identify can turn snap misjudgments of well trained troops into harsh sentences the students said sgt derrick miller a national guard soldier with exemplary performance reviews has served four years of a life sentence for shooting an afghan civilian he believed was an insurgent during his third combat deployment sergeant miller became suspicious of a civilian who entered his base saying he was there to do repairs fearing an attack he interrogated the man sergeant miller was convicted of putting a gun to the mans head when he considered his story to be inconsistent telling him to tell the truth then shooting him
he killed someone i dont want to minimize that what he did was wrong said kayla gamin 29 a third year law student who wrote a clemency petition asking that the soldiers premeditated murder conviction be reduced to voluntary manslaughter which would make him eligible for parole but given the confusion maybe his actions were understandable i think he was sincerely trying to protect his men should that kind of person spend his life in prison
in march mr clagett the former army private was released on parole after 10 years in large part because united american patriots paid for a private lawyer the day he got out of prison united american patriots offered him a job i do mostly outreach tell my story mr clagett said on a recent afternoon as he moved into his new office i let people know these things arent always clear cut and often its the lowest ranking guy who gets blamed


the supreme court on thursday unanimously ruled that the constitutions guarantee of a speedy trial does not protect people convicted of crimes from lengthy sentencing delays
the case betterman v montana no 14 1457 concerned brandon t betterman who pleaded guilty to jumping bail in the spring of 2012 he spent the next 14 months in a montana jail waiting to hear what his sentence would be
he complained to the judge saying the delay had put him on an emotional roller coaster due to the anxiety and depression caused by the uncertainty in the summer of 2013 the judge finally sentenced him to seven years in prison with four years suspended
the long delay mr betterman said had violated his sixth amendment right to a speedy trial
justice ruth bader ginsburg writing for the court rejected the argument there is a difference between trials which adjudicate guilt and sentencings which determine punishment she wrote
as a measure protecting the presumptively innocent the speedy trial right   like other similarly aimed measures   loses force upon conviction justice ginsburg said
she added that the sole remedy for a violation of the speedy trial right is dismissal of the charges which would be an unjustified windfall in most cases to remedy sentencing delay by vacating validly obtained convictions
mr betterman had not sought outright dismissal of the case against him suggesting instead that an appropriate remedy for the 14 month delay in his sentencing would be an equivalent reduction in his prison term justice ginsburg rejected the possibility of a flexible or tailored remedy a violation of the right to a speedy trial she said demands termination of the prosecution
nor did it matter she wrote that a vast majority of criminal prosecutions these days end with guilty pleas rather than trials making sentencing proceedings more important that modern reality she wrote does not bear on the presumption of innocence protection at the heart of the speedy trial clause
justice ginsburg did say that capital cases in which the sentencing phase is often elaborate and crucial may require a different speedy trial analysis
the court left open a different avenue to attack long sentencing delays
mr betterman justice ginsburg wrote retains an interest in a sentencing proceeding that is fundamentally fair it was possible she said that he could have attacked the delay in his case as a violation of a different constitutional right that of due process
but because betterman advanced no due process claim here justice ginsburg wrote we express no opinion on how he might fare under that more pliable standard
in a concurrence justice sonia sotomayor sketched out a possible framework for deciding whether sentencing delays violate due process in a second concurrence justice clarence thomas joined by justice samuel a alito jr said that was premature
we have never decided whether the due process clause creates an entitlement to a reasonably prompt sentencing hearing justice thomas wrote todays opinion leaves us free to decide the proper analytical framework to analyze such claims if and when the issue is properly before us


minneapolis   when he left goldman sachs to join the treasury department in 2006 neel kashkari held a worldview that played to type
i was a free market ideologue he said
then came a huge sudden financial crisis and the free market ideologue found himself sending bailouts to wall street in hopes of averting a second great depression later mr kashkari ran an improbable and unsuccessful race for governor of california in which he felt up close the fear anxiety and anger of financially squeezed voters
now president of the federal reserve bank of minneapolis mr kashkari is no longer a free market ideologue
maybe a humbled pragmatist he said markets can make mistakes and sometimes those mistakes can be incredibly costly
thats why mr kashkari these days sounds a little like bernie sanders the democratic presidential candidate he too believes that the dodd frank regulatory overhaul enacted under president obama didnt go far enough   and that the biggest banks may need to be broken up
that led him to create the ending too big to fail initiative it hasnt settled on recommendations for reducing the risk that bailouts would be needed during the next financial crisis whenever it occurs but the initiative has unsettled and confused some erstwhile republican allies
ive had people call me up and say what the hell are you doing   friends of mine he said with a grin
his answer grounded in those harrowing days at the treasury department were supposed to look out for big risks
mr kashkari fears the financial sector has grown too large as a share of the economy as middle class incomes have stagnated but the shift in mr kashkaris outlook goes only so far
he defends the sectors essential role in the efficient allocation of capital and rejects mr sanderss flamboyant assertion that the business model of wall street is fraud
the central cause of the 2008 crisis he argues was not fraud but rather mass delusion among lenders borrowers and investors that home prices would keep rising he thinks some executives should have gone to prison for misrepresenting some of the mortgage backed securities they sold but faults current laws for making convictions too difficult
he isnt persuaded by arguments for a national increase in the minimum wage to 15 an hour saying thats best left for the states to decide he doubts the effectiveness of trying to engineer higher pay for workers through mechanisms like the stock grants or profit incentives that top executives command he questions whether shifting the way in which wall street pays its executives can change the culture and protect main street
the most effective steps government can take to make average americans wealthier he said are investing in education and infrastructure
the kind of bank breakups that mr kashkari is exploring could come at a cost ben s bernanke the former fed chairman cautioned at a conference organized by the minneapolis fed this week that much smaller wall street firms might mean less efficiency and fewer services at higher cost
mr bernanke prefers giving time to dodd frank which calls for the largest institutions to prepare bankruptcy plans to gauge its adequacy regulators recently directed five big banks to revise their so called living wills
mr kashkari is reviewing other options besides breakups they include requiring banks to hold much larger capital cushions as insurance against failure or taxing the use of leverage borrowed money to increase investment returns
fed colleagues have had mixed reactions to his initiative casting doubt on whether his recommendations will go anywhere once he makes them later this year coaxing a gridlocked congress to engage in advance planning has become an event almost as rare as financial crises themselves
what wont deter him mr kashkari insists are objections from those in the free market circles he once traveled in while on wall street or as part of the george w bush administration
if that means people are going to be unhappy with me thats too bad he said ive long since passed the need to be loved


istanbul   turkeys governing justice and development party named a longtime loyalist to president recep tayyip erdogan as its candidate for prime minister on thursday the divided politics of modern turkey overshadowing a day when turks honor their secular founder mustafa kemal ataturk
the candidate binali yildirim the transportation minister is virtually assured of winning the office and replacing ahmet davutoglu who resigned recently after clashing with the increasingly authoritarian mr erdogan
mr yildirim 60 who is expected to be approved at a party congress on sunday is widely seen as someone who will be subservient to the president and push forward mr erdogans agenda of rewriting the constitution and establishing an executive presidential system
by law mr erdogan is supposed to be above party politics and second in power to the prime minister but party leaders did not make even a pretext of operating separately from the president meeting with mr erdogan ahead of the announcement on thursday the turkish media reported
there is not a millimeter gap between the president and cadres of the akp omer celik a party spokesman said in ankara on thursday using the turkish abbreviation for justice and development
mr erdogan and mr yildirim have worked together since the 1990s when mr erdogan was the mayor of istanbul mr yildirim was one of the founding members of the justice and development party  the islamist party that has governed turkey since 2002
in brief remarks on thursday mr yildirim said he would focus on the countrys fight against terrorism turkey faces a resurgent war with kurdish militants and threats by the islamic state our nation should feel at ease he said we will erase the trouble of terror from turkeys agenda
in contrast with mr davutoglu who served as foreign minister before becoming prime minister in 2014 mr yildirim barely registers on the world stage and is unlikely to seriously challenge mr erdogans authority
mr davutoglu too was seen in public as a loyalist to mr erdogan but privately pushed back against some of the presidents moves to accumulate power he was seen as less than enthusiastic about a presidential system and was less hawkish than mr erdogan in the war in the southeast with the kurdish militants
mr davutoglu was also the face of his countrys negotiations with the european union over stemming the flow of migrants from turkey and the chief figure on turkeys syria policy which has become deeply unpopular in the country early on in that uprising five years ago turkey pushed for the ouster of the syrian president bashar al assad and it has long armed rebel groups there the result has been millions of refugees fleeing to turkey a spillover of violence in turkish cities and no end to the conflict in syria
davutoglu was the architect of turkeys middle east policy said soner cagaptay the director of the turkish research program at the washington institute for near east policy the new prime minister will be erdogans proxy and not a political figure his role will be similar to the prime ministers in monarchies such as jordan and morocco who are handpicked and overshadowed by those countries powerful kings
analysts and turkish journalists have speculated that mr erdogans first choice as prime minister was his son in law berat albayrak the countrys energy minister but such a brazen move was too much apparently even for mr erdogan
mustafa akyol a turkish columnist who sometimes contributes to the new york times said of mr albayrak he is a member of erdogans inner circle and his first choice but he is also too young too new too inexperienced
mr yildirim mr akyol said seems to be a safe choice
in 2013 mr yildirim briefly stepped down as transport minister after facing allegations of corruption in a major high speed rail line project that overlapped with a major corruption scandal involving members of mr erdogans inner circle mr yildirim denied any wrongdoing and the case against him was eventually closed
mr yildirim a stalwart conservative turned down a place at turkeys most prestigious university out of opposition to mixing genders
i was taken aback by the sight of young people girls and boys sitting together on the lawn he told a class at the istanbul technical university in 2013 i took a look and saw that it was a different world i told myself that if i attend this school i would veer off the road


if more people were armed donald j trump says at rallies mass shootings like those in paris and san bernardino calif would be less deadly
if you have a permit to carry a concealed weapon he wants to make it valid in all 50 states as simple as a drivers license
and mr trump himself has a permit to carry a concealed handgun which he is not shy about mentioning somebody attacks me oh theyre gonna be shocked he warned last year
mr trump who promises to totally protect the second amendment is scheduled to speak on friday at the annual convention of the national rifle association on the cusp of a general election in which gun issues are expected to be more prominent than in recent presidential races his address should signal how far he is likely to go in pressing gun rights to energize the republican base in the fall campaign
whereas president obama soft pedaled gun control in both his national runs hillary clinton the likely democratic nominee is signaling a greater appetite to clash with mr trump on the issue
in a twitter message last week mrs clinton said that mr trump the presumptive republican nominee would force schools to allow guns in classrooms on his first day in office
this issue is at a tipping point said dan gross the president of the brady campaign to prevent gun violence citing mrs clintons politically effective framing of gun issues that put senator bernie sanders of vermont on the defensive in the democratic primary campaign youre going to hear about it as differentiator for the first time in decades in the general election mr gross said
mrs clintons appearances in black churches where she cited the grim statistics of gun violence and surrounded herself with families of victims helped her win crucial african american voters she relentlessly criticized mr sanders for his votes against gun control in the senate
on the other hand mrs clinton avoided speaking about gun control in rural white regions of ohio pennsylvania and kentucky whose blue collar voters will be desperately fought for by any democratic nominee against mr trump a disparaging comment by mr obama in 2008 who said that these voters cling to guns and religion did much damage
as mrs clinton turns to the general election she plans to highlight the issue in swing districts like northern virginia and the philadelphia suburbs a campaign official said where changing demographics are tipping support for gun control especially among women
mr trumps naming of 11 potential supreme court justices on wednesday seemed no coincidence on the eve of the nras meeting the groups concern for the courts conservative tilt is likely to outweigh any hesitations about mr trumps reversal from earlier liberal positions on gun control
a statement on gun rights was one of the first detailed policy papers mr trump issued last year after announcing his candidacy
he accused mrs clinton this month of seeking to abolish the second amendment and just as he argues that casualties from the terrorist attacks in paris last year would have been lower if civilians had been armed he has proposed abolishing gun free zones at military bases and at schools
i will get rid of gun free zones on schools and   you have to   and on military bases mr trump said on the campaign trail in january my first day it gets signed ok my first day theres no more gun free zones
a federal law from the 1990s established gun free school zones it could not be reversed by executive order as mr trump seems to imply his campaign did not respond to a request for comment about his gun policies
trump would not be able to eliminate gun free zones by executive order said adam winkler a law professor at the university of california los angeles and an expert on the second amendment that law can only be repealed by congress
mr trump opposes almost all recent actions aimed at reducing gun violence proposed by mr obama and democrats in congress who have sought gun regulations after horrific shootings in recent years each has failed in the face of republican opposition
the measures included expanding background checks to people buying firearms at gun shows and online limiting the capacity of magazines and banning assault weapons gun and magazine bans are a total failure mr trump wrote in his position paper the government has no business dictating what types of firearms good honest people are allowed to own
those positions represent a reversal from where he stood about 15 years ago when he first contemplated a run for president in a 2000 book mr trump supported a ban on assault weapons and a slightly longer waiting period to purchase a gun
he also criticized the power of the gun lobby the republicans walk the nra line and refuse even limited restrictions he wrote
bob barr an nra board member said that despite mr trumps inconsistencies he was preferable to mrs clinton who has said that a 2008 supreme court ruling overturning a handgun ban in washington was wrongly decided
were all very familiar with the fact mr trump does change his positions over time sometimes over a very short period of time said mr barr a former georgia congressman the most important question in my mind is would he be better than hillary clinton and the answer is absolutely yes
in polls a majority of voters align with democrats positions on gun control though political strategists often say that only opponents care passionately enough about the issue to guide their vote a new york timescbs news poll in january found that 57 percent of respondents wanted stricter laws governing gun sales and 88 percent favored background checks for all purchases
mr trump goes against that grain what we dont need to do is expand a broken system he wrote in his policy paper
one area in which mr trump does part ways with gun rights activists is on preventing people on the governments terrorist watch list from buying weapons
if somebody is on a watch list and an enemy of state and we know its an enemy of state i would keep them away absolutely he said in an interview with abc news last year
senate democrats pushed for such a bill which many of mr trumps republican rivals opposed
as a lifelong resident of new york city which has some of the strictest gun laws on the books mr trump is an unlikely supporter of gun rights in a party that usually aligns with the cause because of libertarianism or roots in rural hunting
in addition to mr trumps permit to carry a handgun his two sons are hunters
photographs of the two men from a big game hunting trip in africa resurfaced last year stirring criticism from animal rights activists for their poses with exotic animal conquests including an elephant a crocodile and a leopard
at the nra convention a year ago mr trump brought out his sons eric and donald jr
these are our people donald trump jr said these are things we do on the weekends in our free time


paris   roger federer withdrew from this years french open on thursday putting an end to one of tenniss most remarkable streaks
the last time federer 34 did not take part in the main draw in singles at a grand slam event was in the last millennium that was in august 1999 when he lost in the second round of the qualifying tournament at the united states open to a fellow swiss ivo heuberger
since then federer has played in a record 65 straight grand slam singles tournaments winning a record 17 titles and firmly establishing himself as the most successful mens player of the open era
i have been making steady progress with my overall fitness but i am still not 100 percent and feel i might be taking an unnecessary risk by playing in this event before i am really ready federer who is ranked third said in a statement thursday the decision was not easy to make but i took it to ensure i could play the remainder of the season and help to extend the rest of my career i remain as motivated and excited as ever
federer did not cite a specific injury in his withdrawal statement his remarkable longevity has been grounded in sound technique serious preparation intelligent scheduling and an attacking mind set and skill set that have allowed him to keep rallies shorter than most of his rivals have been able to
but his health has become a major concern during a deflating season in which he has played in only four tournaments and won 11 of 15 matches
this is sad but its also smart paul annacone federers former coach said of the decision to withdraw its going to be a really busy next few months
annacone added hes wrestled father time to a stalemate so far and i hope he can keep father time in check a little while longer but we all know whos undefeated
federer had surgery on his left knee on feb 3   the first operation of his career   after tearing the meniscus while running a bath for his twin daughters shortly after losing in the semifinals of the australian open his back problems   long running but long manageable   also have flared up forcing him to withdraw from the madrid tournament this month
last week he lost to dominic thiem in the third round in the italian open in rome and appeared to be hampered in his movement
i saw a lot of it in 2013 annacone said when rogers back is not right i can see when hes going out for wide balls and trying to protect it a little bit its hard to play like that just really hard and i think more times than not you end up hurting yourself more
after the loss to thiem federer said he was not certain he would play at roland garros as it turned out he was only able to practice traveling to paris and training briefly on the red clay at the stadium on wednesday
guy forget the new french open tournament director said ivan ljubicic federers coach had made a preliminary request for federer not to play his first round match until tuesday which is the last day reserved for first round singles play at roland garros
i told him of course wed try to do the most we could depending where he ended up in the draw forget said when a player asks for this kind of thing it shows that each day counts
darren cahill the espn analyst who is coaching simona halep said the cool and clammy weather in paris this week had probably not helped federers chances
been coming here many years never felt it so cold on court like it was today cahill said thursday the weather makes it tough for anyone with a back issue or any issue for that matter rogers made a career of making smart educated decisions so im sure hes doing the right thing
watching him in rome he was always going to be iffy here considering it now means five set battles he knows his body he knows the risk and potential setbacks to the grass court season if theres a hiccup in paris it seems like the right move if hes not near 100 percent
federer a three time singles finalist at the french open before winning the title in 2009 would have been seeded third this year his withdrawal announced on the eve of fridays draw means the nine time champion rafael nadal will move up to the no 4 seeding that eliminates the possibility of a quarterfinal rematch between nadal and no 1 novak djokovic who played in that round in 2015 with djokovic winning in straight sets
while his rivals focus on clay federer will shift his attention to grass and the summer olympics in rio de janeiro where he plans to chase his first gold medal in singles
given his chances at wimbledon are far greater than roland garros this would seem to be a wise choice said jim courier the united states davis cup captain and two time french open champion its a busy summer with the olympics added to the mix this year so there is a lot of meaningful tennis ahead for him
in preparation for wimbledon which he has won seven times federer has entered the grass court event in stuttgart germany for the first time and is also expected to play as usual at the tournament in halle germany but respecting that schedule depends on federers ability to recover
my plan is to achieve the highest level of fitness before returning to the atp world tour for the upcoming grass court season he said in his statement
when federer last missed a grand slam singles tournament pete sampras was no 1 and social media was a term that referred to chatty reporters on thursday he announced his decision on facebook and it was not long at all before there was a suitable hashtag whenfedererlastmissedaslam
it has been nearly 17 years federers record like many tennis records is difficult to compare across eras the greats of the pre open era rarely stayed amateurs for long and were thus ineligible to play in the grand slam tournaments for long the greats of the early open era often skipped the australian open but federers mark still merits an exclamation point in a period during which the game has become faster and more physical
people go great 65 in a row but if you really want to know how good that is think about how much tennis roger has played in those 65 annacone said how many times has he been in the quarters semis and finals
federer is three ahead of ai sugiyama the womens leader who played in 62 straight major singles tournaments from 1994 to 2009 federer is nine ahead of the closest men wayne ferreira and feliciano lopez who are tied at 56
ferreira the former south african star is long retired but lopez a flashy spanish left hander is ranked no 23 and entered in the french open if he plays he will break his tie with ferreira but he would need to play singles in every major tournament through wimbledon in 2018 to break federers record
that is far from a sure thing lopez like federer is 34 the threat to federers mark is more likely to come from younger players including the 30 year old tomas berdych who is about to play in his 51st straight major or djokovic who will turn 29 on sunday and is about to play in his 46th in a row


getting people to put on one set of glasses rather than another to view their political choices is part of what campaigns do to win elections the fight to frame the choice is one of the biggest battles
throughout the primaries donald trump has attempted to make the choice about what weve lost jobs pride and greatness hillary clinton wants people to think about how far weve come its a classic divide gains versus losses we happen to know a lot about how it affects the way people make decisions and how small changes in the way choices are presented affect whether people think they are gaining or losing something
research has illustrated the way peoples decisions over fixed choices change in light of context in times of gains people tend to be risk averse in times of loss they tend to be risk accepting
this particular dichotomy is relevant to 2016 as mr trump attempts to convince voters through his rhetoric that we are in an era of loss even his campaign slogan make america great again invites people to remember a time when we had something that is now gone if he is successful at framing the choice people may be more likely to take a risk on an outsider with no previous political experience
mrs clinton should she become the nominee will attempt the opposite she will try to convince voters that we are in a time of gains and recovery highlighting the steady climb out of the global financial crisis and how the party will continue that march forward she will attempt to paint mr trump as a risk not worth taking as her surrogates have already started to do
in addition to candidates explicit attempts to frame the choice there are other factors that implicitly affect the context of elections   and of 2016 in particular one of them is the president barack obama is framing the 2016 election without even trying but its not his policy legacy or economic record that is influencing peoples attitudes its him personally and its happening on both the right and the left
one of the most important ways he is having an impact is in the strong support mrs clinton has had from black primary voters its a remarkable change from 2008 michael tesler assistant professor of political science at the university of california irvine writing in the washington post last week calculated that on average in states with exit polls in both years mrs clinton has done about 60 points better among black voters this year
mr obamas absence is also affecting the decisions of white voters without him on the ballot to frame the choice some white democratic voters specifically those with negative views of blacks are moving away from mrs clinton a similar shift has not occurred among white democratic voters with more positive views of blacks the loss of white voters with high levels of racial anxiety has very little if anything to do with mrs clinton as a candidate and more to do with the fact that she was running against a black opponent in 2008 and she is not in 2016
mr obama is also shaping the election among republicans in 2016 as a recent yougov poll shows the survey contained an experiment in which a random half of respondents were asked to evaluate the nations economy and their personal finances since 2008 while the other half were asked to do the same thing since obama was elected president when mr obamas name was mentioned peoples subjective views of the economy and their finances changed
republicans were roughly 20 points more likely to say the nations economy and their personal finances had gotten worse when the question was framed in terms of mr obamas presidency than when it was asked using only the year ariel edwards levy at the huffington post reported democrats and independents were not similarly affected democrats were less likely to say income inequality had grown if mr obamas name was mentioned reactions to mr obama in this case driven by partisanship significantly changed peoples views of their objective conditions
the lenses through which people see the world are impressively persuasive to see how being in a frame of gains or losses affects peoples choices we can turn to pioneering work by the award winning psychologists daniel kahneman and amos tversky
in a classic test people are asked to choose between two treatments for a disease that is expected to take 600 lives the first group chooses between treatments that will save lives while the second chooses between treatments that will take lives the change in the framing of the choices affects which treatment people choose even though the number of lives saved stays the same
in the first group people can choose a treatment that will save 200 lives with certainty or gamble on a treatment that has a one third chance of saving 600 people and a two thirds chance of saving no one people in this group overwhelming 72 percent choose the sure thing   the treatment that will save 200 lives with certainty
in the second group the choice is reframed in terms of deaths and the opposite result obtains people in this group choose between a treatment that will result in the deaths of 400 people with certainty or a treatment that has a one third chance of resulting in no deaths and a two thirds chance of resulting in 600 deaths in this group people overwhelmingly 78 percent choose the gamble and risk losing everyone to the disease for the small chance of losing no one
the experiment illustrates the way peoples decisions over fixed choices change in light of context in times of gains people tend to avoid risk in times of loss theyre more willing to go for the gamble
so what is it you see in 2016 gains or losses


for people who feel compelled to get up close and personal with wildlife advocates and national park officials have a message dr doolittle is only in the movies
a recent episode in which a bison calf at yellowstone national park was euthanized after being placed in the back of an suv is one example of the dire consequences of a widespread and common occurrence humans interacting inappropriately with wild animals officials said
such encounters are fueled by the culture of selfies along with ignorance about nature and they lead to encounters that are dangerous to both people and animals
in the most recent case tourists took the animal in their vehicle to a ranger station because they believed it was cold a montana television station reported
the calf was killed because it was later rejected by its herd and began continually approaching people and cars along the roadway the national park service said in a statement
people see young animals alone in the wild and immediately assume they need rescuing said kathy uhler the director of the pocono wildlife rehabilitation and education center in stroudsburg pa ms uhler said the public needed to be reminded constantly to leave animals in their place
she called the inappropriate interactions with wildlife an epidemic
ms uhler recalled members of a pennsylvania family who picked up a bear cub put a leash on it and walked it around their yard then there was the woman who nursed a baby raccoon that she thought had been abandoned
we cant make these stories up said ms uhler who has been working with injured and orphaned wild animals with her husband eric for 36 years
in some cases people act out of compassion because they believe animals are in distress said kai williams the executive director of the international wildlife rehabilitation council in eugene ore which promotes wildlife conservation
ms williams cited cases of coyotes deer foxes and owls being transported on peoples laps in cars to veterinarians or wildlife rehabilitators she said the animals usually remain still and allow themselves to be held close because they go into shock
the human will see it as wow they really like me and whats going on is this incredibly complex stress response within the animal that can often be life threatening she said
in may 2015 in montana a moose calf walked up to a camper who found it in the woods near the carcasses of its mother and another calf who had both died during childbirth the bozeman daily chronicle reported
the calf was bleating and the camper took it to fish and wildlife officials thinking it would be cared for or relocated
instead officials killed the calf saying they were following protocol because relocating a moose risks spreading diseases and the calf would have died without its mother
the united states forest service then used explosives to blow up the three carcasses spreading the remains so they would not attract predators such as grizzly bears at the campground the chronicle reported
when not acting out of compassion people act out of selfishness about what is best for them not the animals ms uhler said
such was the case in february when beachgoers picked up a baby dolphin in argentina and passed it around for photos and petting it died after being left in the mud
people like to share their experiences ms williams said to say i did this this happened it maybe does make people take more risks
such sharing on social media has driven tourists at yellowstone to get very close to wild animals particularly bison with bisonselfie becoming a popular topic on twitter and instagram
the national park service instructs visitors to yellowstone to stay at least 25 yards away from bison and other large animals and at least 100 yards away from bears and wolves said charissa reid a park spokeswoman
while most of the four million visitors to yellowstone each year adhere to the rules ms reid said it would probably take less than an hour of driving around on a busy day to find tourists getting too close to wildlife
they arrive here theyre very excited to be here and once they get here theyre not really sure how to take it all in she said
ms reid described once seeing a woman take a flash photo two feet from one of the biggest bull bison ive ever seen in my life
such encounters have led to injuries and gorings she said but no fatalities to humans so far


assuming the contract details will be a formality and the mutual interest that phil jackson and jeff hornacek have expressed to each other leads to hornaceks becoming the next knicks head coach here is what fans will be getting aside from their wish that it be anyone but the interim incumbent kurt rambis
not an a list media star not an interview room entertainer but someone who does fit jacksons stated preference for a candidate with whom he has some spiritual or philosophical familiarity
for as long as ive known jeff hes been more on the quiet side but a high character guy a leader by example who will represent your franchise really well said jerry colangelo who drafted hornacek out of iowa state in 1986 for the phoenix suns with the next to last pick in the second round
it is the longstanding relationship between colangelo and hornacek that tangentially connects to jackson the knicks team president whose coaching search had become a wheres waldo mystery based on his clandestine wanderings while reaching out to a small sampling of candidates
hornacek 53 grew up and played high school basketball in the suburbs of chicago colangelos hometown colangelo knew hornaceks father john during his own playing days in amateur athletic league games around the city
john hornacek became a high school coach and colangelo never straying far from his chicago roots even after moving on to phoenix said he kept an eye on john hornaceks boy as he made his way through iowa state
colangelo was by then associated with the nbas predraft workout camp for college players in chicago and in 1986 made sure an invitation went out to jeff hornacek
i watched him closely at the camp and i noticed that he had kind of a funny shot not a great rotation a little flat colangelo said in a telephone interview so i said to him your dads a coach didnt he ever talk to you about your shot hornacek shrugged and said his father preferred to let his sons coaches handle him then he took colangelos advice locked himself in a gym and as colangelo said began the process of becoming one of the better nba jump shooters across a 14 year career that began with a six season run for the suns
phoenix is where we can trace hornaceks intersection with jackson as it relates to the triangle offense that hornacek may or may not be interested in running in new york
in 1988 colangelo rehired cotton fitzsimmons to coach a suns team that featured tom chambers kevin johnson and eddie johnson it even included a rookie guard named steve kerr fitzsimmons had also coached the suns in their third and fourth years of existence replacing colangelo on the bench for the 1970 71 season
and guess which offense we ran way back then colangelo said we ran the triangle
fitzsimmons he explained had been an assistant in the mid to late 1960s and head coach successor at kansas state to tex winter widely considered to be the architect of the triangle offense and later jacksons mentor when they were assistants to doug collins with the bulls in chicago
using fitzsimmonss triangle the suns rose in the west with 48  and 49 win seasons
we had the right personnel for it especially a good passing center in neal walk and a really smart physical power forward in paul silas colangelo said thats the key the right personnel i mean if you have a michael jordan and a scottie pippen its a great offense
colangelo is a widely respected executive and voice around the pro game credited for resurrecting the united states national team program and most recently hired at age 76 by the philadelphia 76ers to oversee the redirection of that downtrodden franchise
here was his take when asked about jacksons insistence to this point of running the triangle in new york and what hornacek might be thinking about that
its pretty difficult to predetermine how you are going to play until you know what kind of talent you have dont you think he said what comes first the chicken or the egg the system or the talent
in a social media culture of spontaneous and often premature revelation we already have jeff van gundy reporting that jackson will grant hornacek the latitude to run his own offense   or what he didnt allow derek fisher who was fired in february one week after hornacek was let go in phoenix
jackson has always insisted that he only wanted a system that involved all five players suggesting he would lighten up when it comes to his legacy
in his 1988 return to coach some strong up tempo suns teams fitzsimmons   a beloved figure in phoenix who died in 2004   retained principles of the triangle but did not make it the teams identity
hornacek developed under fitzsimmons averaging a career high 201 points and making the western conference all star team in 1991 92 before being a part of the trade that sent him to philadelphia and charles barkley to phoenix
years later after he retired and was hired as an assistant in utah by jerry sloan   for whom he played in two nba finals against jacksons bulls   hornacek cited his strongest coaching influences as his father sloan and fitzsimmons disciple of winter
so there we can begin to understand why jackson zeroed in on hornacek preferring him to frank vogel david blatt and in perhaps a grudging concession to external and internal pressures rambis as well
yes hornacek had a losing 101 112 record in his two plus seasons in phoenix after a 48 34 overachieving start in 2013 14 his team played a fast paced offense that catered to its guard oriented strength   talent before system
he certainly was not the most credentialed available candidate on the spring market but given their tumultuous front office history and revolving door practice with coaches the knicks for all their payroll largess and geographic prestige are not a franchise with great curb appeal maybe vogel for instance prefers another team
if hornacek is the presumptive hire for the knicks we can say the coaching search could have turned out worse or mainly where it began with rambis next comes the heavier lifting for jackson building effectively around kristaps porzingis and solving the riddle of what remains of carmelo anthonys knicks career
as for the status of the triangle stay tuned all we can tell you is that hornacek is no stranger to the subject


when brooke bleyl started job hunting after taking 10 years off to care for her children her interviews did not go well
they even said they typically dont hire people with such a gap said ms bleyl who lives outside cleveland and has three children ages 7 10 and 12
ms bleyl who worked as an employment recruiter before taking time off said she tried to fill in gaps on her resume including online selling to earn extra money but when you see ebay on someones resume you know thats a stay at home job she said and that youre just selling stuff out of your basement
after receiving rejection after rejection after rejection ms bleyl said i was very defeated she eventually found a job as an account manager at a staffing service but only with the help of a personal connection
for women hoping to return to the workplace after caring for their children the advice is often dont ask dont tell many women who described themselves as stay at home mothers can attest to receiving denigrating nods and hasty rebuffs researchers have repeatedly found ample evidence of discrimination against mothers in the hiring process and the workplace
but women may be better off explaining their decision to stay home to a potential employer upfront said joni hersch a professor of law and economics at vanderbilt law school and co author of a new study on the subject something to talk about information exchange under employment law employers afraid of running afoul of anti discrimination laws dont bring up the subject she said and female applicants picking up on those cues often dont offer information leaving hirers to guess at the reasons behind a hiatus
but professor hersch said women who conceal personal information dramatically lower their hiring prospects
ms bleyl despite her own experience shares that view its better to be upfront because its who you are she said i was so hungry to get in there and work work work
carol fishman cohen is chief executive and co founder of irelaunch a firm that works with returning professionals and potential employers her advice to applicants is to briefly acknowledge the career break and quickly move on to explain why they are the best suited for the job
dont apologize for it ms cohen said say yes i took a career break for child care reasons and now i cant wait to get back to work
not everybody will be open to such an approach but many will
i think it comes down to the hiring manager ms cohen said if the individual has someone in their own personal orbit who has taken a career break they are much more likely to be interested in the caliber and potential of that population than someone who has not had the experience
playing up volunteer and freelance work is important she said but its a mistake to emphasize mom skills that are required for managing family life the interviewer could be doing all that and working as well
some experts were skeptical of the experiment professor hersch and her co author jennifer bennett shinall an assistant law professor at vanderbilt conducted for their study they said it was too far removed from the actual job hunting experience
the authors of the study which is to be presented at the annual american law and economics association conference on friday and published in a forthcoming issue of the university of pennsylvania law review did not interview recruiters or human resources professionals
instead they asked more than 3000 people recruited online to act as potential employers and choose one of two candidates with similar experience
one applicant provided an explanation for a 10 year gap in her job history   such as taking time off to raise children and then going through a divorce   while the other provided no explanation at all those who revealed the personal information were 30 to 40 percent more likely to be chosen than those without
the number of people who preferred the woman who explained her resume gap was staggering professor hersch said i was shocked
she said that the way many employers have responded to the law prohibiting employment discrimination on the basis of sex title vii of the 1964 civil rights act serves to hinder women rather than help them in their report professor hersch and professor shinall argue that overly broad guidance offered by the equal employment opportunity commission the primary federal agency entrusted with enforcing the law in the workplace has had the effect of freezing out discussion about family life during interviews
the commission for example warns employers questions about marital status and number and ages of children are frequently used to discriminate against women and may violate title vii if used to deny or limit employment opportunities
professor hersch says that more neutral language that invites employers to broach the issue of family with all candidates   both men and women   would be preferable
a lot of the interview process is about ensuring a good fit she said but now there is an environment where youre dancing around the elephant in the room
ofer sharone a sociologist at the university of massachusetts amherst who researches career transitions and hiring disagrees he said that changing the eeoc guidelines would be disastrous
marriage and children tend to hurt women much more than men in the workplace he said and professor herschs and professor shinalls recommendation would greatly exacerbate that discrimination
employers often wrongly assume that mothers will not be able to commit to their jobs as much if theyre committed to their families saying a candidate is the wrong fit can be code for discrimination professor sharone said
reducing the choice to one woman who explains a gap and another who doesnt he said misses the more likely reality that both would probably be screened out before they got to the interview stage employers are looking to filter through a huge number of applications in the quickest way possible if theres a gap professor sharone said recruiters had consistently told him they are going to go with someone without a gap
professor sharone and other researchers did agree that if a candidate made it to the interview stage then explaining a gap was better than leaving it to the employers imagination
joan c williams founding director of the center for worklife law at the university of california hastings agreed that the researchers are on to something given how strong the bias is against mothers women should seize hold of the situation she said rather than cede interpretation to a potential employer
when stephanie bond decided to re enter the work force after taking off a couple of years to care for her two sons in 2012 she ended up getting hired by a recruiter she had contacted i said i was a road warrior and took the opportunity to reconnect with my family said ms bond who was also able to list consulting work on her resume to cover any gap
during the interview she said i was very upfront about the flexibility i needed to have which included working from home at times
her own experience as a hiring manager has taught her what to look for in candidates with a career gap but for some employers she said a gap is a complete red flag and you wouldnt get an opportunity to explain


paris   the french parliament on thursday approved a new two month extension of the state of emergency that was initially declared in the aftermath of the nov 13 attacks in and around paris
the extension will cover two major sporting events taking place this summer in france   the euro 2016 soccer tournament and the tour de france cycling race the events have prompted fear of additional terrorist attacks in a country still on high alert
forty six lawmakers in the national assembly the lower house of parliament voted in favor of the new extension with 20 against it the senate the upper house already approved the extension on may 10
patrick calvar the director of frances domestic intelligence agency told a parliamentary committee on that same day that the islamic state was planning new attacks and that the country could be assaulted by multiple bombings in crowded areas to create panic
france is clearly the most threatened country mr calvar said pointing to threats from the islamic state and al qaeda
the french authorities are particularly worried about security at the euro 2016 soccer tournament which runs from june 10 to july 10 and at the tour de france from july 2 to july 24
both are expected to draw large crowds especially in cities hosting the soccer tournament which will provide so called fan zones where hundreds of spectators can gather to watch matches on large screens
speaking earlier on thursday on rtl radio prime minister manuel valls said that the tournament would not be canceled despite the security concerns and that the fan zones would be adequately protected
the state of emergency had already been extended twice for three month periods and was scheduled to end on may 26 the new extension is expected to be the last
president francois hollande declared the state of emergency on nov 14 2015 a day after coordinated teams of islamic state militants killed 130 people and wounded more than 400 at a concert hall and in cafes and restaurants in central paris and outside a soccer stadium in st denis north of the capital
a parliamentary report published on tuesday noted that while the state of emergency had proved very useful in the immediate aftermath of the attacks several of its measures no longer present the same interest today
the state of emergency had enabled the authorities to put people under house arrest and to carry out police raids without the prior authorization of a judge sixty nine people are currently under house arrest the report said and more than 3500 raids have been carried out since nov 14
but the vast majority of those raids were carried out in the first three months of the state of emergency the report said
the government acknowledging a diminished need for those kinds of raids left that option out of the new extension instead it will focus on other law enforcement powers granted by the state of emergency to local authorities those include banning demonstrations and forbidding the access and movement of people and vehicles in specific areas at specific times
the terrorist threat remains at a high level interior minister bernard cazeneuve told lawmakers before the vote on thursday france like the european union represents a target


with this weeks imprimatur from the legendary investor warren buffett it should now be official apple the worlds largest company by market capitalization and a symbol of american technological innovation is a value stock
that may prove to be a decidedly mixed blessing
mr buffett is the worlds most prominent and successful proponent of value investing   an approach that seeks stocks that are undervalued and sell for less than their intrinsic value as benjamin graham put it his 1949 classic the intelligent investor mr buffett credits mr graham with shaping his own approach to investing
so value investors took notice when mr buffetts holding company berkshire hathaway disclosed it had invested 1 billion in apple stock during the last quarter
weve just looked at it again said bill smead who manages the smead value fund one of the most successful large cap value mutual funds over the last five years according to morningstar anybody that discounts the thinking at berkshire hathaway does so at their peril in my opinion
value stocks are typically unpopular among many investors their shares often battered by disappointing short term revenue and earnings results they usually trade at very low price to earnings ratios a common valuation measure nonetheless some academic studies have suggested that over time they outperform other stocks in part because expectations are so low
today there are numerous value investors value mutual funds and value exchange traded funds that pursue variations of the strategy many of them probably now considering adding apple to their portfolios if they havent already
apple is going to attract more value investors said toni sacconaghi a senior analyst at sanford c bernstein who covers apple theyre looking for beaten down stocks with negative sentiment apple has traded below a market multiple for years and sentiment has become increasingly pessimistic especially over the past month
mr sacconaghi has a buy recommendation on the stock not because we believe this will be a high growth company going forward but because the current price is discounting a decline in cash flow forever and we think thats overly pessimistic
according to the market research firm thomson reuters lipper just 69 of 357 actively managed value funds in the united states   fewer than 20 percent   currently hold positions in apple
thats because apple has long been considered a quintessential growth stock one of the glamorous high flying cousins to dowdy value stocks growth investors think growth stocks are undervalued too because they expect their earnings to grow faster often much faster than other investors recognize
as a result valuation measures for growth stocks can go sky high in two prominent growth stock examples shares of facebook trade at a price earnings ratio of about 73 and netflix at about 312 the price earnings average for stocks in the standard  poors 500 stock index is currently about 24
this week apples price to earnings ratio was just over 10
if apple is now a value stock though plenty of growth investors havent gotten the message among actively managed growth funds 249 of 619 or 40 percent hold apple shares according to thomson reuters lipper thats more than the 230 growth funds that owned apple stock in 2014
should growth funds suddenly decide that apple no longer meets their criteria there could be a mass exodus that would be only partly offset by new purchases from value investors
some prominent value investors arent convinced apple really is a value stock despite mr buffetts blessing or that its stock price is significantly below its intrinsic value intrinsic value considers all aspects of a business including both tangible and intangible factors
that means apple could fall into the neutral zone of stocks that are neither growth   because they arent growing fast enough   or value because theyre still not cheap enough
apple is extraordinarily cheap but its never been a value stock in the traditional sense said bruce greenwald who runs the value investing program at columbia business school and is a co author of value investing from graham to buffett and beyond wiley 2001
value investing has always focused primarily on asset value professor greenwald told me apples book value or asset value of 130 billion isnt even close to its market capitalization of about 515 billion
that means in theory that other companies could replicate apples assets at relatively low cost produce rival products and undermine apples enviably high profit margins
tech companies typically have low asset values relative to their share prices   one reason mr buffett and other value investors long shunned the sector   but their patented technologies and intellectual property nonetheless often create formidable barriers to entry by competitors
for an extraordinarily high profit margin technology company like apple the question is whether there are such moats as value investors like to put it that will continue to protect it from these competitive threats
thats always been the issue with apple professor greenwald said how sustainable are these profit levels and how big are the barriers the fear with apple is that it will get overwhelmed by new entry and new competitors the moat doesnt seem that big its not just giant rivals like samsung but smaller companies that can survive with even a small share of the smartphone market
mr smead told me this week he had not added apple to his value funds holdings even though the stock is so cheap that it meets many of his funds investing criteria
over the past five or six years when apple was doing so well we joked that we were the best performing large cap fund that didnt own apple mr smead said not that we didnt wrestle with it many times
our difficulty has been that we dont understand what kind of moat protects their technology over the next 10 years mr smead continued thats the main problem the other is that given apples huge success and its sheer magnitude it needs a monstrous new product or enhancement of an existing product to move the needle on growth
for their part many growth investors were startled on april 26 when apple reported its first quarterly revenue drop since 2003 both revenue and earnings fell short of analyst estimates and apple shares plunged 8 percent in one day they rallied some this week on news of the berkshire hathaway investment but are still down sharply from where they were as recently as mid april
but apple still has defenders among growth investors
at the end of the year apple was the second largest holding in the upright growth fund the top performing large cap growth fund so far this year according to morningstar
apples best and fastest growing days may be behind us david chiueh upright growths president and fund manager told me but even growth oriented funds like ours dont just contain high growth stocks with 35 50 percent growth rates in our portfolio
he said such rapid growth was not sustainable and added that he was happy with companies that showed solid 8 percent to 12 percent earnings growth a category in which he included apple give them some time and they will show outstanding performance he said
mr chiueh said he was also encouraged that apple had stepped up its spending on research and development suggesting that new products with strong growth prospects might still be in the offing
at some fund families apple seems to be both a value and a growth stock even though that seems contradictory at the fund giant vanguard apple is a major holding in the vanguard windsor and windsor ii funds both value funds and the vanguard morgan growth fund and us growth fund a vanguard spokeswoman declined to comment
all of which suggests that when it comes to apple value and growth may be in the eye of the beholder
still mr buffetts announcement this week underscores that apples once sizzling growth has slowed and suggests it may well be on the inexorable path from growth to value stock
thats not an especially good portent for investors among technology companies that have already made the same transition professor greenwald cited ibm intel cisco microsoft and dell companies whose share prices after great rocket rides have mostly languished in recent years dell was taken private in 2013
for those who failed to buy the stock early enough as investments they all turned out pretty badly he noted
berkshire hathaway also disclosed this week that it had increased the stake in ibm it first acquired in 2011 ibm shares have declined over the period but by mr buffetts long term standards the investment is still too new to judge
if you believe the iphone will be the global standard in 25 years youd buy apple stock professor greenwald said but many value investors have already seen where smartphones can go which is where pcs have already gone


in the world of youtube pranks long one of the platforms most popular genres its usually all fun and games   until someone incites a public panic and gets arrested
prank videos are a popular internet pastime that are spreading rapidly to other sites tubular labs a video analytics firm estimates that searches for prank related videos on social media account for some 7 billion views so far this year with youtube facebook and vine making up the majority of the search traffic
the quest for viral fame has a cost some pranksters have recently found themselves facing criminal prosecution and jail but the legal trouble has not deterred them and their videos continue to attract fans and imitators
for members of a popular youtube prank account called trollstation wearing pantyhose on their faces and running through londons national portrait gallery screaming get the paintings probably seemed like a good idea at the time
but on monday a court handed down jail sentences to four men accused of behaving in a way that incited fear and provoked violence in the fake gallery heist and for a staged kidnapping at another museum trollstation already has one member serving time for a separate bombing hoax daniel jarvis 27 received the longest jail sentence and will serve a total of seven months for both episodes
the hoaxes may have seemed harmless to them but they caused genuine distress to a number of members of the public who should be able to go about their daily business without being put in fear in this way robert short a prosecutor said in a statement
amina maz a production manager for trollstation said in an email on wednesday that the sentencing was too harsh
a suspended sentence or community service would have acted as a deterrent she wrote
on feb 25 three people in melbourne were arrested by counterterrorism authorities after posting a series of videos on youtube and facebook that depicted men dressed in traditional middle eastern robes perpetrating staged drive by shootings and bombings hours later max arman and rebeen jalal who operate the jalal brothers social media accounts confirmed on their facebook account that theyd been arrested
the brothers who range in age from 16 to 20 were released on bail under the agreement that they not post more videos in the months since the arrest they have been unapologetic and have accused the police of racial profiling
max jalal 20 said in a facebook interview on thursday that the group has made 44 videos and that the number of complaints had been minimal he said that he and his brothers planned to move to los angeles soon to pursue a career in entertainment and that they were preparing to release a game in the apple app store
this is just the beginning for us mr jalal wrote jalals arent just pranksters were internet entrepreneurs
their next court date is on friday according to leonie johnson a spokeswoman with the victoria police department
a trio of toronto based youtube pranksters called nelk have stretched the limits of police tolerance last january the groups members filmed themselves telling los angeles police department officers that they had a bunch of coke in the back of their car during a traffic stop at least two other videos have shown the group members trying to pull pranks on uniformed officers
the behavior could lead to a use of force somebody could get injured sgt michael fox told cbs los angeles at the time the department did not return a request for further comment on tuesday
the attention seems to have paid off on may 5 the group announced on twitter that they would be producing a tv show
the company which is owned by google said through a spokeswoman prank videos have been part of the online video culture from the very beginning while many prank comedians on youtube have grown fan bases around the world through original and fun content we also have strict policies that prohibit misconduct on youtube we enforce these policies with our community on youtube but we have limited visibility or control over the actions people take when off our platform


despite a 10 percent drop in pretax profits and a related fall in share price at burberry it will continue with the grand experiment that was the promotion in 2013 of its designer christopher bailey to chief executive and chief creative officer   a move that made him the first designer at a publicly listed global luxury company to hold both posts
on wednesday at its annual results presentation burberry moved to squash   or at least sidestep   rumors first reported in the financial times that after rumblings from dissatisfied shareholders a senior executive would be brought in to support mr bailey on the corporate side
speaking on a conference call carol fairweather burberrys chief financial officer said that while appointments were planned especially in the retail and digital sides of the business no such senior level addition was anticipated
change however was   specifically in the burberry fashion offering
mr baileys new three year turnaround plan which envisions PS100 million about 1464 million in cost savings reorganization of the company structure and investment to improve the retail and e tail experience also continues what has been a pretty meaningful shake up of how burberry thinks about what it makes
this may seem obvious given mr baileys background in fashion but in recent years most of burberrys news and the attention on the brand has been focused on its digital initiatives to the extent that mr baileys predecessor as ceo angela ahrendts moved to apple in 2014
in the shadow of the drumroll over the art of the trench blog and the burberry channel on apple music and shows previewed on snapchat the clothes and accessories often seemed like something of an afterthought and the runway like an exercise in repetition
things are bad in china especially for burberry which has more exposure than many of its competitors to the country and with an uncertain political environment growth in the luxury sector is slow over all points the brand made in its presentation but its worth remembering that when people arent buying it nearly always comes down to whats on the racks especially in an industry in which purchases are based not on need but desire
as a result in the third of a series of moves designed to streamline and simplify burberrys offerings ms fairweather said the product lineup would be reduced by 15 to 20 percent over the next year the better to focus consumer attention on new and special pieces the products that define the brands point of difference or as the company put it in its webcast not product breadth but product depth and handbags burberry thinks there is lots of opportunity in bags
this follows earlier decisions to combine burberrys three lines   prorsum london and brit   into one as well as to unite the mens and womens wear shows into a seasonless collection that would be sold immediately after it was unveiled on the runway the better to tap into the see now want now urge
there will also be a renewed focus on retail offerings especially localization of product not in other words selling winter clothes in a hemisphere where it is summer before you say duh consider that fashion works on its own schedule which often seems far removed from temporal logic it is currently delivering prefall clothes to stores and in a recent conversation with one e tailer i was told it had just received a fur collection
it boils down to an acknowledgment that at least at the high end of the market an excess of stuff may not necessarily add up to more than the sum of its parts but rather less optionality is not always optimum or at least thats how it sounds
when the first joint show is revealed in september and people are free to rush to their ipads to purchase well have a better sense of whether it is working


muirfield golf club the site of 16 british opens and the source of the written rules of golf dating to 1744 has been stripped of the right to host the open after voting against allowing female members
of the 648 eligible voters 616 cast ballots with 64 percent in favor of admitting women the resolution fell short of the two thirds majority required to pass
muirfield which has been in gullane scotland about 20 miles northeast of edinburgh since 1891 is run by the honourable company of edinburgh golfers it is one of two clubs among the 10 in the british open rotation to exclude women royal troon site of this years event is the other
the tournament was awarded to royal troon in 2012 at the time it was one of a handful of all male clubs to host mens majors since then the heat has been turned up on the issue of gender discrimination in membership policies the male only membership has increasingly become an anachronism undermining one of the main mandates of golfs governing bodies which is to grow the game
in 2012 augusta national golf club site of the masters announced that it was opening its membership to women following suit two years later was the royal and ancient golf club which has its headquarters in scotland at st andrews another regular british open course last year royal st georges golf club in sandwich england which has hosted the open 14 times voted to allow women with 90 percent of its members approving the measure
reacting to the decision by the muirfield membership martin slumbers the chief executive of the r  a which organizes the british open said in a statement we have consistently said that it is a matter for the honourable company to conduct a review of its membership policy and that we would await their decision the open is one of the worlds great sporting events and going forward we will not stage the championship at a venue that does not admit women as members
he added if the policy at the club should change we would reconsider muirfield as a venue in future
an article in the scotsman revealed that a group of 30 members lobbied vigorously against the inclusion of female members a letter distributed by the group among the membership cited concerns about slow play and making women feel uncomfortable as drawbacks in admitting female members
the letter added that the club was quite unique with its fraternity built inter alia on foursomes play with a round taking only the same time as lunch and leaving enough time for a further round after lunch even in midwinter this is one of the miracles in modern day play and is much admired our foursomes and speedy play would be endangered
gary player who won the 1959 british open at muirfield released a statement on his twitter account condemning the vote
as much as i love and respect muirfield as a club where i won the open i totally agree with the r  a that staging the championship at any venue that does not admit women as members is simply unacceptable he wrote i hope muirfield will reconsider their position soon and continue hosting one of the worlds greatest golf events
catriona matthew the highest ranked scottish woman on the lpga tour won the womens british open in 2009 at royal lytham and st annes golf club and lives only a few miles from muirfield she said via twitter embarrassed to be a scottish women golfer from east lothian after that decision
the british open sites are set through 2019 when the tournament will return to northern irelands royal portrush for the first time since 1951 the only occasion in which the major was held outside scotland or england since its inception in 1860 the r  a has also been noncommital about the future role of turnberry in the rotation because of the polarizing political views of donald j trump who bought the course in 2014 in advance of muirfields vote on offering women membership royal troon earlier this week announced that it was consulting its 800 members about its all male policy
on the eve of the 2013 tournament at muirfield won by phil mickelson peter dawson slumberss predecessor as the chief executive of the r  a was dismissive of questions about clubs with discriminatory memberships hosting the british open
obviously the whole issue of gender and single sex clubs has been pretty much beaten to death recently he said adding its a subject that were finding increasingly difficult to be honest
dawson noted that mens only clubs are perfectly legal and that the right of freedom of association is important
he added to be honest our natural reaction is to resist these pressures because we actually dont think they have very much substance but id like to stress were not so insular as to fail to recognize the potential damage that campaigns like this can do to the open championship
dawson retired from his r  a post in 2015 but has stayed active in the sport as the president of the international golf federation which is shepherding the sports return to the olympics in rio de janeiro this year dawson was still heading the r  a in september 2014 when the royal and ancient golf club which had separated from the r  a in 2004 voted to end its all male policy with 85 percent of the 2400 members opting to accept women
the next february membership was offered to seven women including renee powell the first african american woman to be a class a member of the pga of america and the first female head professional at a golf course in britain
powell reached by telephone at clearview golf club the club her father founded in east canton ohio expressed surprise at the vote
when the royal and ancient golf club has voted to allow women youd think all the other clubs would follow suit she said adding its unfortunate that a small group of members was effective in not allowing women to become members when the majority of the membership wanted it to happen


this week the major television networks are unveiling their offerings for the coming season to advertising buyers plenty of money and prestige are at stake two new york times reporters who cover media and television   john koblin and michael m grynbaum   assess what they saw during wednesdays cbs presentation
michael john its been a grueling week of cocktail shrimp and wagyu sliders but we made it   the 2016 upfronts are a wrap im still a bit groggy from cbss bash on wednesday at the plaza so bear with me here but the self styled tiffany networks coming comedy slate left me wondering is trump voter the new coveted demographic
all three of cbss new sitcoms feature a middle aged white man alienated by the modern world theres matt leblanc as a contractor suddenly raising the kids when his wife goes back to work man with a plan kevin james plays a police officer who retires only to find his daughter is dating a cardigan clad hipster among other indignities kevin can wait and the great indoors pits joel mchale against a bevy of millennials making his job obsolete
prime trump voters all or maybe its like the old phil hartman skit unfrozen caveman lawyer a put upon protagonist whose world frightens and confuses him
john good morning mike hope you rubbed the sleep out of your eyes but yes cbs got dinged for this on wednesday the white male lead thing fair
for starters the network is in a really strong position it has a ridiculous winning streak attracting the most viewers among the big four networks for 13 out of the last 14 years and its got televisions most dominant comedy and by a wide margin in the big bang theory the problem were heading into year 10 of that show this isnt going to last forever and the thing that scares cbs a little   the way it scares a winning but aging baseball team that cant produce anything out of the farm system   is it needs a hit a real hit not a medium size life in pieces that is a decentish performer
so theyre taking a big swing here   three big promotable stars   and probably willing and ready to take the criticism that comes with the fact that they are all white males these are shows that may not play with elites like mad men did but may play elsewhere and if they win they win cbs does love to rattle off ratings stats the way a certain candidate loves to talk about poll numbers maybe les moonves the chief executive invited it on himself when he said of trump a couple months back perhaps with some regret it may not be good for america but its damn good for cbs
michael and those sparkling nielsen numbers helped cbs upgrade its afterparty to a primo spot on fifth avenue so why mess with success unlike some of its rivals cbss upfront presentation was all about continuity over change nbc went with a we for one welcome our new digital overlords vibe fox got ne yo to perform cbs opened with a parody of ... frank sinatra
john including a video installation with martini glasses and lyrics like i did it eye way nice job guys when youre on brand youre on brand
i guess one of my takeaways just how unforgiving cbs can be at a press breakfast the networks longtime scheduling czar kelly kahl said that losing is a dirty word at cbs in the era of moonves true of any network but some shows get breaks cbs seems more reluctant to offer them the jane lynch comedy angel from hell did ok ish and it got yanked after five episodes then again thats how mr moonvess pal robert kraft and his coach bill belichick handle the new england patriots am i going too far in saying mr belichick is a friend of mr trumps too also worth noting here cbs has the nfl on thursday for the first five weeks in the fall season
so back to wednesdays upfront presentation for ad buyers their late late man james corden performed first thursday as alexander hamilton stephen colbert came on later for a quick routine they really do love mr corden dont they
michael it was hard not to read into the order of performances and the disparate levels of exposure they got although mr colbert did have to get back to his studio in time to tape his show but between the late shows growing pains and mr moonvess effusive praise for mr corden it seemed clear which host is the current toast of tiffany
john then again mr corden is an actor and he can sing hes also hosting the tonys on cbs so the hamilton tie in for him specifically is a no brainer but wait weve talked comedies and late night you wrote about reboots this week whatd you think of cbss big friday night play macgyver
michael corden  hamilton  the tonys might finally win the demo macgyver on the other hand may test the longevity of that storied tv brand the trailer didnt have the sizzle of foxs 24 legacy or abcs designated survivor i liked the quirkiness of bull which is quite literally based on the life of dr phil and pure genius with dermot mulroney not dylan mcdermott was created by jason katims a former head writer of friday night lights
john oh and the good wife is not dead yet a spinoff is coming to the cbs app and its all about christine baranski
michael theres no title yet but id watch anything with christine baranski its a good way for cbs to retain the prestige audience that took a break from hbo on sundays to catch diane lockhart  co the spinoff co stars cush jumbo who joined the good wife as alicia florricks pal lucca quinn this past season and who opens in the taming of the shrew in central park next week
john ok mike i need a break great talking see you next may
michael i guess its time for some post upfronts rr hey is there anything good on tv
john mike cant hear you watching the kevin can wait trailer again
michael omg i just realized that title is a pun


stocks dropped on thursday as investors began to acclimate to the idea that the federal reserve may raise interest rates next month
major indexes fell from the start of trading following european markets sharply lower with banks and industrial companies hit the hardest
by the close goldman sachs had dropped 3 percent and boeing fell 2 percent the biggest declines in the dow jones industrial average several commodities sank for a second day including gold silver and copper
this is all about the fed said bill strazzullo chief market strategist at bell curve trading putting june on the table was something few expected
with the drop on thursday the standard and poors 500 stock index has now slipped into a loss for year it and the dow index have each fallen in five of the past seven days
the dow fell 9122 points or 05 percent to 1743540 the sp 500 lost 759 points or 04 percent to 204004 the nasdaq composite gave up 2659 points or 06 percent to 471253
at the feds meeting in april policymakers indicated an increase in rates was likely assuming the economy and labor market continued to strengthen higher rates diminish the appeal of high dividend companies to investors seeking income
many of these stocks already had significant moves up and were due for a correction said henry smith chief investment officer of haverford trust they have decent yields but high valuations
that said some winners from the previous day became losers as investors scrambled to make sense of the new fed stance
banks climbed after wednesdays release of the fed minutes on the expectation they will be able to charge more for loans as rates rise but investors apparently thought the buying went too far the sector dropped 09 percent
among other stocks making big moves walmart jumped nearly 10 percent after reporting surprisingly strong sales and releasing an optimistic outlook the worlds largest retailer rose 605 to 6920
urban outfitters jumped 342 or 14 percent to 2801 after reporting first quarter sales that exceeded analyst forecasts the solid results from urban and wal mart contrasts with dour reports from many other retailers in recent weeks
monsanto rose 342 or 35 percent to 10055 after german drug and chemicals company bayer confirmed it has entered talks with the us based seed company
in europe germanys dax fell 15 percent while the cac 40 in france fell 09 percent britains ftse 100 index was down 18 percent
the nikkei 225 index in tokyo ended flat while south koreas kospi lost 05 percent hong kongs hang seng shed 07 percent
benchmark us crude oil fell 3 cents to close 4816 a barrel in new york brent crude used to price international oils dropped 12 cents to 4881 a barrel in london wholesale gasoline fell 2 cents to 163 a gallon heating slipped less than a penny to 148 a gallon and natural gas rose 4 cents to 204 per 1000 cubic feet
us government bond prices rose the yield on the 10 year treasury note slipped to 185 percent from 186 percent in currency trading the dollar slipped to 10989 yen from 110 yen and the euro fell to 11202 from 11229
in metals markets gold lost 1960 to 125480 an ounce silver gave up 64 cents to 1649 an ounce and copper fell 2 cents to 206 a pound


moscow   russian prosecutors said in a statement on thursday that they would investigate reports that the countrys athletes doped at three recent olympics
the prosecutors will request information from authorities in the united states from other unspecified countries and from the world anti doping agency other russian law enforcement agencies will also participate in the inquiry the statement said
over the last six months russia has been accused of running a pervasive state sponsored doping program
in november a report published by wada accused russia of running a systematic doping scheme
dr grigory rodchenkov who was identified as a linchpin in the program told the new york times in an article last week that he ran an elaborate doping program during the 2014 sochi games the scheme involved at least 15 medal winners he said
with the help of russian intelligence service agents the athletes urine samples were stealthily replaced with clean urine in the middle of the night dr rodchenkov said
russia denied it had operated any state sponsored doping scheme in sochi president vladimir v putins spokesman dmitri s peskov told reporters that dr rodchenkovs accusations look like slander by a turncoat
the united states justice department opened its own inquiry into state sponsored doping in russia two people familiar with the case said on tuesday
russias track and field team is currently facing the prospect of being barred from competing in the summer olympics in rio de janeiro which begin on aug 5
writing in the sunday times a british newspaper on sunday russias sports minister vitaly mutko acknowledged that the country had made serious mistakes and asked that its athletes be allowed to compete at the coming games
in january russian prosecutors also said that they would check accusations listed in the wada report but the inquiry resulted in no criminal charges


artificial intelligence chatbots messaging sound familiar
these were some of the themes that google brought up at its annual developer conference on wednesday at the event the silicon valley company introduced an internet connected speaker called google home that is powered by ai and a new messaging app called allo among other things
these are also some of the very same topics that have come up at developer conferences held by microsoft and facebook this year in march microsoft spent time talking about ai and bots which are the pieces of software that can be used to produce new methods of interaction with computers like chat interfaces a month later facebook said it was opening up its messenger messaging app so developers could create chatbots for the service
if theres a certain sameness to it all it illustrates how tech behemoths are all moving into an age of ai microsoft google amazon and others are all racing to become the go to company for ai betting that whoever wins will have the advantage in a technology that is permeating more and more software programs and hardware products


kandahar afghanistan   a civilian cargo plane carrying supplies for nato troops in the southern afghan province of helmand crashed this week killing seven crew members officials said on thursday
separately in the southern province of zabul an attack by two taliban infiltrators left at least eight policemen dead officials said
the plane which crashed on wednesday was run by the azerbaijani company silk way airlines the news media in azerbaijan citing government officials said that seven crew members all central asians or eastern europeans were killed and that two survivors were taken to a hospital in kandahar province
yesterday a cargo plane from azerbaijan was trying to land at dwyer base at garmsir district where foreign troops are based said taimoor shah the police chief of garmsir on the runway the plane crashed and was in flames we saw the thick black smoke rising
although the american led nato mission in afghanistan has shifted to a small advisory role an increase in violence in the south has drawn back a large number of nato personnel to help plan a defense insurgents have overrun districts in helmand province and are increasingly cutting off the capital of oruzgan province tirin kot which appears to be teetering under the pressure
the insurgents have also threatened the main highway connecting the national capital kabul to the south with fighting closing it to traffic in oruzgan
hundreds of coalition soldiers have remained at camp dwyer afghan officials say even as the nato military mission has closed bases across the country or transferred them to afghan forces the presence of nato troops at the camp has increased in recent months said mr shah who put their number at about 800
the attack in zabul occurred late wednesday at a police post on the main highway connecting kabul to the southern hub of kandahar province according to assadullah kakar a member of the zabul provincial council
mr kakar said that two policemen who had recently joined the force without a thorough vetting killed eight colleagues at the post near the provincial capital qalat
the two police probably poisoned them first and then violently killed them before managing to escape with weapons he said it seems they were shot and then stabbed in the neck and the bodies are beyond recognition


hong kong   a senior chinese official closed his three day visit to hong kong on thursday with a strong statement against local calls for greater autonomy and even independence from china a movement that has persisted amid fears that the citys liberties are eroding
if we forgo one country two systems and the basic law hong kong would undoubtedly rot the official zhang dejiang a member of chinas ruling politburo standing committee said in a speech before returning to beijing any advocacy for self determination hong kong independence and the like will not succeed
the basic law is hong kongs mini constitution and one country two systems is the arrangement under which the city is guaranteed a high degree of autonomy and civil liberties unknown in mainland china hong kongs special status expires in 2047 the 50th anniversary of the former british colonys return to chinese sovereignty
hong kong officials imposed tight security for mr zhangs visit fearing action by the citys many young pro democracy demonstrators wherever mr zhang went whole areas were barricaded and traffic was paralyzed protest banners were swiftly taken down even one hung on a hillside far from where mr zhang was to appear
minutes before mr zhangs speech thursday morning the young protest leader joshua wong and four other pro democracy activists tried to intercept his motorcade on a highway having camped out overnight nearby waiting for the chance they were arrested when they made a dash for the highway shortly before the motorcade arrived
if i had the chance to express my political opinion with dignity i dont think it is necessary for us to plan such things said nathan law one of the other protesters
mr wong and mr law were prominent leaders of the so called umbrella movement protests in 2014 during which pro democracy demonstrators blocked major streets in hong kong for months mr zhang as chairman of chinas top legislative body the national peoples congress presided over a decision limiting the scope of electoral overhaul in hong kong which set off the protests
since those protests failed to achieve their goals some of the activists involved have taken a harder line going so far as to demand that hong kong be allowed to secede from china   an idea beijing views with anathema as mr zhangs remarks on thursday emphasized
mr law and mr wong recently formed a political party to advocate a citywide referendum on hong kongs future after 2047 which would include the option of independence
we want to send a message that hong kong people should have the right to self determine their citys future mr law said on thursday they should have the confidence that when people have a choice to choose the sovereignty of hong kong they would choose one country two systems 


phil mickelson has five major golf championships and countless endorsement deals thomas c davis a former investment banker has a harvard pedigree and a country club lifestyle
they also had a secret
both men owed money to william t walters a high rolling las vegas kingmaker often considered the most successful sports bettor in the country
now federal authorities say those debts were at the center of a long running insider trading scheme
federal prosecutors in manhattan on thursday unveiled criminal charges against mr walters saying that illegal stock tips from mr davis helped him generate some 40 million in profits and avoided losses they also charged mr davis who has agreed to plead guilty and who is cooperating against mr walters
mr mickelson was not accused of wrongdoing but the securities and exchange commission listed him in a civil complaint as a relief defendant arguing that he was unjustly enriched and must disgorge ill gotten gains he made from trades mr walters recommended mr mickelson known as lefty agreed to repay nearly 1 million and his lawyer said he takes full responsibility for the decisions and associations that led him to becoming part of this investigation
the investigation hinged on mr daviss mounting debts which were far larger than mr mickelsons and which may have provided a motive to share inside information
mr davis retired from investment banking at credit suisse first boston in 2001 the government said but not from the free spending lifestyle it enabled his finances were so troubled the authorities said that he even misused money from a charity
mr walters also lent him money mr davis then the chairman of dean foods returned the favor by feeding mr walters boardroom secrets as far back as 2008 the authorities say
to disguise the scheme they said the two men used disposable cellphones and created a secret code for discussing dean foods a dallas company referring to it as the dallas cowboys
davis breached his duty and broke the law as the result of being in dire financial straits andrew j ceresney the head of the secs enforcement division said at a news conference on thursday and mr walters who was arrested at a resort in las vegas late wednesday was gambling on a sure thing
the case however is much broader than a story about gambling debts the charges represent one of the most notable insider trading prosecutions since a federal appellate court overturned two prominent convictions   a ruling that led to the dismissal of about a dozen other convictions
after the united states court of appeals for the second circuit overturned the convictions of two hedge fund managers todd newman and anthony chiasson in december 2014   and in the process imposed the greatest limits on prosecutors in a generation   the government predicted a chilling effect on future insider trading investigations preet bharara the united states attorney in manhattan who led a sweeping crackdown on insider trading warned that the ruling could allow a potential bonanza for friends and family of rich people
but in charging both mr walters and mr davis with securities fraud and wire fraud his office and the sec are sending a message that these cases can still be made
brazen insider trading continues to be a blot in our securities markets and so the integrity of our markets continues to be a priority for this office mr bharara said at the news conference still he added that there is conduct that we think is nefarious and undermines faith in the market and undermines the strength of the market that will not be able to be prosecuted because of the newman decision
mr walterss lawyer said his client had done nothing wrong bill walters is a true american success story whose extraordinary accomplishments as a lawful sports gambler have been widely recognized and lauded the lawyer barry berke said in a statement mr walters and his counsel look forward to his day in court
this is not the first time mr walters who is 69 has been the subject of a criminal investigation he has faced charges four times none of which resulted in a conviction
the latest investigation of mr walters centered largely on trading in shares of dean foods the nations largest milk processor and its decision to spin off a subsidiary
the court filings detail the following
days after learning of the planned spinoff in 2010 mr davis flew to las vegas to meet with mr walters on the next business day mr walters purchased a million shares of dean foods
the deal was delayed but two years later while at his country club mr davis dialed into a dean foods conference call to discuss a renewed spinoff effort
three minutes after the call ended mr davis rang mr walters nine minutes after that mr walters called his stockbroker to buy more shares
mr walters also called mr mickelson and recommended that he buy shares in dean foods at the time mr mickelson owed money to mr walters on a gambling debt the sec said some of the nearly 1 million in trading profit mr mickelson made on shares of dean foods went to reimburse mr walters
mr mickelson who has a reputation for betting on sports may not have known the origins of the tip but on at least two occasions the fbi contacted mr mickelson to seek his cooperation in the case against mr walters people briefed on the investigation have previously said once agents approached him on a golf course another time at an airport hangar
at thursdays news conference in lower manhattan the sec displayed a chart with the heading mickelsons trades in dean foods
gregory craig a lawyer for mr mickelson described the three time winner of the masters golf tournament as an innocent bystander
phil understands and deeply respects the high professional and ethical standards that the companies he represents expect of their employees associates and of phil himself mr craig said in a statement he subscribes to the same values and regrets any appearance that on this occasion he fell short
through all the illicit trades that underpin the case against mr walters mr davis was the common thread
in addition to the 2012 spinoff mr davis provided mr walters with sneak previews of at least six quarterly earnings statements for dean foods the sec said
authorities say that mr davis also tipped mr walters to a not yet public activist campaign by a group of hedge fund investors who were looking to shake things up at darden which owns restaurant chains including olive garden and longhorn steakhouse
in the summer of 2013 mr davis was approached by a representative of the group about its intention to acquire shares in darden mr davis signed an agreement that he would keep the plans confidential but he told mr walters nonetheless authorities said
mr davis also misappropriated 100000 from a charity he ran that raised money for a battered womens shelter in dallas according to the court filings he took the money to pay down a gambling debt at a las vegas casino
the charges against mr davis include perjury   authorities said he lied to the sec during a deposition last year   and obstruction of justice because he corruptly altered and destroyed evidence in may 2014 when news of the investigation first emerged mr davis resigned as chairman of dean foods last august
thomas m melsheimer a dallas lawyer representing mr davis said his client was pleased to be assisting the government in its investigation
the case against mr walters comes as prosecutors reassess their ability to bring insider trading cases the appeals court ruling constrained the pursuit of cases involving the sharing of inside information between friends specifically the appeals court required proof of a meaningfully close personal relationship that generates an exchange that is objective consequential and represents at least a potential gain of a pecuniary or similarly valuable nature
the case against mr walters addressed the issue of pecuniary gain head on the 40 page indictment not only details mr walters longtime friendship with mr davis   they first met 20 years ago on a golf course   but that he had entered into numerous business deals and personal loans with him
they invested in a software company together mr walters arranged for a friend to provide mr davis with a 625000 personal loan and as mr davis fell deeper into financial trouble mr walters helped bail him out with a 350000 loan that was never repaid
its a straightforward announcement that the southern district is still in the insider trading prosecution business said daniel richman a former federal prosecutor who is now a professor at columbia law school its also a reminder that however important newman is if the facts are there you can take on the burden of proving precisely the kind of exchange that newman demanded


beijing   china rejected suggestions that its fighter jets flew dangerously close to an american surveillance aircraft and instead accused the united states on thursday of threatening its security by regularly sending such flights near the chinese coast
a spokesman for the chinese ministry of foreign affairs made the counteraccusations after the pentagon raised concerns about a close encounter on tuesday with an american surveillance plane which the united states said was approached by two chinese jets that flew within 50 feet of it
american military vessels and aircraft frequently engage in surveillance in close proximity to chinas coastal waters and this constitutes a grave threat to chinas security on land and sea the spokesman for the ministry hong lei told a daily news briefing in beijing china requests that the united states immediately halt this kind of close proximity surveillance thereby avoiding the recurrence of such incidents
the flare up of competing charges reflected continuing tensions in the south china sea where the episode occurred it also rekindled memories for both sides of 2001 when a collision between an american surveillance plane and a chinese fighter jet off the chinese coast precipitated a diplomatic crisis
we share the concerns that were expressed by the defense department over these unsafe maneuvers theyre not doing anything to lessen tensions john kirby a spokesman for the state department said at a daily news briefing in washington on thursday the problem isnt are you talking or not the problem is this kind of behavior this very unsafe dangerous behavior in the air which puts peoples lives at risk unnecessarily
beijing has been at odds with washington over chinese territorial claims across much of the south china sea which are contested by vietnam the philippines and other southeast asian nations
washington says it takes no side in the disputes but wants to protect freedom of navigation in the waterway beijing has repeatedly accused it of dangerous meddling in the disputes
china has been building up islands and outcrops in the sea under its control into well equipped outposts the obama administration has sent naval ships to pass near those outposts in a challenge to suggestions that china has effective if not legal control over waters near those outposts which washington says should be open to free passage
last week china said it had sent out fighter jets when a united states navy destroyer passed near fiery cross reef in the sea which china has been rebuilding into an island outpost
in the 2001 episode the pilot of the chinese fighter jet plunged to his death after the two planes collided and the american plane had to make an emergency landing on hainan an island province in chinas far south that led to a standoff that lasted a week and a half until the 24 american crew members were released
pentagon officials said on wednesday that the american plane was on a routine patrol in international airspace when the chinese aircraft flew close to it the pentagon said that it was still investigating the encounter but that initial reports characterized the incident as unsafe
but on thursday the chinese foreign ministry gave its own version without specifying the position of the american craft the ministry spokesman mr hong said it was flying near hainan island which juts into the south china sea and is home to many chinese naval facilities including a submarine base
two chinese jet fighters engaged in tailing and surveillance in keeping with laws and regulations and they always maintained a safe distance he said they did not take any dangerous actions operationally they were totally in compliance with professional and safety standards


beijing   accusations of police brutality are roiling chinas social media for a second time this month since two men in lanzhou the capital of gansu province in the northwest said the police beat them harshly after one of them filmed a member of the public security bureau kicking the other
the episodes online moniker   lanzhou buttocks   belies its seriousness last week another scandal swept through online conversations when a 29 year old man lei yang died in the custody of the police in changping a suburb of beijing
the police said that mr lei had been picked up at a foot massage parlor during a raid targeting prostitution mr leis wife is suing the police for intentional injury resulting in death according to the chinese news media in an article that has since been removed from some social media sites
that case is being referred to as lei yangs foot massage wang zhongqiu an author and management consultant wrote on the social media platform weibo
the phrases will become this years new sayings mr wang predicted
both labels are evidence of the cynical humor that is common here in the face of widespread abuses by the police the united nations has said it is seriously concerned over torture in the criminal justice system and has called on china to address the problem
the episode in lanzhou reportedly took place on monday after the police intervened in a dispute over the use of a toilet near a building belonging to the lanzhou university of finance and economics according to the paper a chinese online publication by thursday morning the article had been taken down although some details were still available on the papers weibo account
one of the men identified by the paper as xiao peng was a student at the university it said
a short video circulated widely on weibo under the hashtag lanzhou peoples police violently enforce the law appeared to show a police officer ordering a man whom xiao peng said was a friend of his from high school into a police car after the dispute with another group of people grew verbally abusive a man in a police uniform then kicked xiao pengs friend as he got slowly into the car
the video also shows the police demanding that xiao peng hand over his mobile phone after they realize he has filmed the kick xiao peng refused and both men were taken to the police station where they were physically abused they said photographs circulating on weibo showed two mens bare buttocks with deep bruising and torn skin
on weibo many commentators compared public security bureau officers to bandits and said the problem of police brutality was endemic
are these the peoples police wrote a person with the name busy inside and out 0999 they are simply the same as bandits
my family is from lanzhou and the police there are like a bunch of bandits the sky is high and the emperor is far away they think theyre such great cops and there is no law they stink all over evil buenosalonsos wrote
there are no police in our country just thieves in uniforms just thinking if i were happy wrote
one person questioned what the two men had been doing during the altercation what the university students were doing beforehand decides if this was violence or not sniperha said
the official weibo account of the yuzhong public security bureau in lanzhou said that two police officers at the local peace police station had stopped working and that the events were being investigated by the police and by other branches of government
on tuesday wu wencui 28 mr leis wife sued the police for intentionally causing injury leading to death abuse of power and assisting in fabricating evidence according to a statement reportedly by ms wu circulating online its veracity could not be independently verified as the familys lawyer chen youxi declined to be interviewed
the statement described horrid injuries to mr leis body
on may 13 during the post mortem examination five family members saw with their own eyes the injuries all over his body the statement said what was fatal appeared to be his abnormally swollen testicles and there were serious bruises to his forehead scraped skin on his right hand and bruises and bloodstains on his legs obviously he died of external injury the result of the post mortem examination is bound to further prove this conclusion
according to chinese law the beijing procuratorate must decide within a week whether to accept the case


houston hosted the world weight lifting championships last year the sports greatest athletes many olympians among them hoisted staggering amounts of weight above their heads and the fans there oohed and aahed
could those fans believe what they were seeing no not really the feats looked superhuman there was good reason for those fans not to believe their eyes
seventeen of the weight lifters who competed in houston   including many medal winners   tested positive for banned drugs so what the fans were seeing wasnt a credible sport at its best what they saw was a lot of cheating
did that matter maybe not
the die hard weight lifting fans theyre well aware of whats going on so none of it was a shock to them said chris massey the director of events at harris county houston sports authority the other people were just out for the entertainment value of it i dont even know if any of them have connected the dots
this applies to olympic sports more broadly now in the wake of extraordinary claims by the former director of russias antidoping laboratory who said a state run doping program assisted dozens of dirty russian athletes during the 2014 sochi games
those claims drove antidoping officials to re examine urine samples from previous olympics and they said there have been 31 new positive tests from the 2008 beijing games so far
none of that helps the marketing for the rio olympics which are just 79 days away tainted or not the rio games now have a doping cloud over them adding to the zika virus cloud and political unrest cloud that already hover over rio de janeiro still perhaps inexplicably its unlikely many people will turn away from the competitions
its the same reason fans can be outraged that football has left some former players with severe brain trauma yet still slip on their favorite teams jersey and watch monday night football with entertainment fans dont often let morality ruin their fun
we know this from experience the olympics have survived scandals like this one before east germanys doping machine ben johnsons failed drug test remember the bay area laboratory co operative scandal more commonly known as balco it was a steroids case that ensnared some of the biggest names in track and field including the multiple olympic gold medal winner marion jones
yet spectators still tuned in to the summer olympics in 2004 in athens and in 2008 in beijing and more people than ever watched the olympics in 2012 held in london it was hard to be sour about things especially when nbc with its sentimental narratives often makes the athletes seem so heroic
think back to baseball during the home run boom of the late 1990s and early 2000s big personalities big biceps big hits that sent baseballs rocketing over walls fans clamored for it even though the show was fueled by performance enhancing drugs even in recent years some of the games top players have been caught doping fans expressed their disapproval some shrugged but they continued to fill seats that filled stadiums and kept watching games on tv
cycling is one sport that shows lasting damage from doping
drug scandals over the past two decades knocked the sport to its knees nearly every top rider was implicated tour de france jerseys were stripped sponsors fled teams folded even now as the sport continues to rebuild its striving to win back the publics confidence
in 2007 two german public televisions pulled their broadcasts of the tour de france because they didnt want to televise a sport fueled by pharmacology
in 2012 when lance armstrong was exposed as an unrepentant doper even casual observers considered the sport to be a complete fraud
jonathan vaughters who was one of armstrongs teammates and one of the people who helped reveal armstrongs sophisticated doping program said he was exasperated the truth had come out about doping which was good for clean athletes he said but there was a painful downside
the first people you hurt if you stop watching a sport because of doping are the clean athletes in it he said you are literally pointing a gun at those athletes and are shooting them in the head when they dont deserve it
it can take years maybe more than 10 years vaughters said to eradicate doping and change the culture of a sport and everyone in the sport and watching it has to weather it
its a time when athletes are guilty until they are proven guilty even though they are not guilty   and that might not be fair but thats how its going to be he said its really bad and makes everything look bad in the interim but in the long run it really does help clean athletes you just have to keep pounding away in the right direction and that credibility will come back
a lot of olympic sports need to pound away at doping now the sport hit hardest so far by investigations into russias doping program is track and field but its not alone athletes in bobsledding weight lifting and cross country skiing have been implicated the former russian lab director said the entire womens ice hockey team was part of the state run program in sochi who knows yet if the list goes on   and on
jim scherr former chief executive of the united states olympic committee said the public must understand that most athletes are clean and the olympics he said stand apart
were different than a league founded for entertainment to make money he said the olympics were founded to make the world a better place
the opening ceremony in rio is scheduled for aug 5 should fans expect fact or fiction these days it could be safest just to suspend disbelief


google and french regulators are fighting another round over peoples right to privacy
the search giant said on thursday that it had filed an appeal to overturn a small but symbolic fine from frances privacy watchdog which ruled in march that google had failed to comply with the countrys tough data protection laws
the french regulator fined google 100000 euros or about 112000 after the company refused to take down links worldwide to online information when people in france had made a legitimate demand to have them removed on privacy grounds
the penalty is a paltry sum compared with googles 75 billion in annual revenue but the companys appeal indicates that google wants to draw firm boundaries around internet regulations worldwide
this is a debate about the principles of international law that regulate the internet globally david price a senior product counsel at google said in an interview on thursday one nation cant make the laws for another country
the dispute centers on europes so called right to be forgotten a two year old ruling from the european court of justice the regions highest court that ruling allows anyone with connections to europe to ask search providers like google and microsofts bing service to remove links about themselves from online search results individuals must show that the information is no longer relevant people in the public spotlight like politicians cannot apply
since the courts ruling in 2014 french officials have demanded that google apply the legal decision to all of its search domains worldwide including to googlecom in the united states
in a last minute gesture google agreed in february to revise all search results on any of its domains from in the european union but not elsewhere but the commission nationale de linformatique et des libertes the french privacy regulator still issued its fine the next month
google has repeatedly said the french demands to regulate the internet worldwide could set a worrying precedent for more repressive governments   like china or russia   to demand that technology companies also bend to their will
in a blog post on thursday kent walker googles global counsel said the company had complied with europes privacy ruling within the 28 member european union but believed the right to be forgotten decision should not be applied globally
we disagree with this demand he said in reference to the french privacy regulators stance this order could lead to a global race to the bottom harming access to information that is perfectly lawful to view in ones own country
in an interview last month mathias moulin a deputy director at the french privacy agency said we need to balance between someones privacy rights and the publics access to information
on thursday a spokeswoman for the agency declined to comment on googles appeal
over the last two years google has received almost 430000 requests for links to be removed according to its transparency report the french have made the most requests google has approved 43 percent of the european requests
this volume of activity has raised concerns that google has essentially become europes largest privacy regulator as it handles more requests than almost all of the regions national authorities have individually
other national privacy officials in europe are also taking a stance against google that includes spain where officials have demanded the company not inform websites when links to web pages are removed from certain online searches according to two people with direct knowledge of the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity because discussions with the regulator were continuing google has made a practice of informing websites when links are removed which critics contend is an effort to rally support against europes privacy ruling google has not yet complied with the spanish demands
a spokesman for the spanish privacy regulator declined to comment
in france googles appeal which will be heard by the conseil detat the countrys highest administrative court in the coming months is unlikely to resolve the continuing standoff over peoples right to privacy online a decision in the case is expected next year
speaking at a conference in berlin last month peter fleischer googles global privacy counsel said that he believed europes highest court would eventually have to rule on whether the right to be forgotten decision should be applied worldwide
the european court of justice has established itself as a formidable institution in the privacy debate in europe and the rest of the world he said
googles privacy face off in france is one of various regulatory problems it faces in europe already the company has been charged in two separate european union competition cases   one related to some of its search services the other linked to its android mobile operating system
a decision and potential fine in the antitrust search case may be announced as soon as next month


after donald j trump became the presumptive republican presidential nominee he marveled that his primary fight had wrapped up before the one between hillary clinton and senator bernie sanders of vermont
mrs clintons allies share that sentiment and then some while mr trump reaches out to critics such as the conservative website national review and the iowa evangelical figure bob vander plaats and as he meets for an hour with henry a kissinger the former secretary of state the battle between mrs clinton and mr sanders has grown caustic
mr sanderss campaign manager jeff weaver denounced representative debbie wasserman schultz of florida the democratic national committee chairwoman on wednesday morning suggesting that she was a divider and accusing her of inappropriately playing favorites in the primary fight ms wasserman schultz has strenuously denied she is taking sides
the delegate math remains impossible for mr sanders without large numbers of superdelegates changing their support and mrs clintons vote totals in the kentucky primary on tuesday night hindered a potential talking point yet for mr sanders who has been discussing the issues that are now central to his campaign for decades and who is finally finding a large audience has shown no interest in going anywhere before the convention
democrats who support mrs clinton the frustration plain in their voices acknowledge they cannot dispatch mr sanders without potentially inflaming his voters whose support she will need but mrs clinton has also been seen as forfeiting moments to emphasize the stakes ceding the stage to mr sanders even after some news outlets declared her the winner in kentucky
party unity is necessary for mrs clinton at the nationally televised democratic convention in philadelphia where she will have a chance to try to reintroduce her candidacy to the public and there are few figures in the democratic party who could bring mr sanders around


the public is sharply divided along age party and education lines over whether transgender people should be allowed to use public bathrooms that match their gender identity rather than their gender at birth according to the latest new york timescbs news poll
while less than a majority 46 percent of americans say they think that transgender people should be allowed to use only public restrooms corresponding to their gender at birth a smaller number 41 percent think transgender people should be allowed to use the restroom that matches the gender they identify with
democrats college graduates and those under the age of 45 are more supportive of allowing for gender identity in bathroom choice while their counterparts take the opposite stance
the nationwide poll was conducted after president obama issued a directive to public schools last week outlining ways to avoid discrimination against transgender students the obama administration contends that the issue is a federal civil rights question while some states such as north carolina say it is an issue for individual states to decide
nearly six in 10 americans say they think decisions about which bathroom transgender students can use in public schools should be left to individual state or local governments to decide while a slim 51 percent majority of democrats think it is a federal issue more than three quarters of republicans say the matter should be decided at the state or local level
while the public narrowly disagrees with mr obamas stance on transgender rights and the restroom policy his overall job approval rating at 50 percent is at its highest level in more than three years his approval rating briefly rose after his re election in november 2012
however approval for the presidents handling of the economy 42 percent and foreign policy 47 percent remain lower than his overall rating and the public remains pessimistic about the track the country is on and sharply critical of congress and the way things are going in washington
the poll also found decreased support for a vote on judge merrick b garland whom mr obama has nominated to fill the supreme court seat of justice antonin scalia who died in february in march 53 percent of americans said the senate should hold a vote on whether to confirm judge garland who is the chief judge of the united states court of appeals for the district of columbia circuit rather than wait until next year when a new president could nominate someone in the latest poll 48 percent of the public supported action now while 45 percent said the senate should wait
in the last two months donald j trump has emerged as the republican partys presumptive nominee and the number of republicans supporting a vote on judge garland has fallen 10 points
the telephone poll was conducted on landlines and cellphones with 1300 adults nationwide and it has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points more results will be released at 630 pm on nytimescom


in the 1970s set buddy comedy the nice guys a private detective and a hired enforcer team up to solve a murder russell crowe and ryan gosling star and shane black known for his lethal weapon screenplay directs in an interview in new york mr black discussed a scene involving the first meeting of the lead characters and also answered questions about his film here are edited excerpts from that conversation
what is the setup of this scene
its the meet cute as it were russell crowes character healy has gone to visit a guy hes never met and his job is to warn him off beat him knock him down
what were some of the technical goals of the scene
the cinematographer philippe rousselot and i were fond of an unbalanced frame the idea of breaking up the frame into compartmentalized units against which the characters are framed to the left right or center also the scene doesnt really follow screen direction were on the wrong side when we go back and forth between ryan and russell i talked to the cinematographer and he said its ok we know where they are the screen is interesting so it was ok to break screen direction
the scene makes the power dynamic between these characters clear
yes russell is always on top hes always looming over ryan spends nearly the entire scene on a bench or on the ground he gets up briefly but ryan insisted on his character getting knocked down instantly again its this character who is unabashedly a coward to ryans credit he didnt want to be macho here
why did you decide to set the movie in the 1970s
look at the 70s in la and youll find a window into an era that is very cool for private eyes the city was compromised at that point it was sort of a faded prom queen tottering out senile in a ripped dress and still saying dont you want me la was blanketed in smog the hollywood sign was falling apart so this dime store chic that replaced this once brilliant glamour that seemed perfect for a private eye story
how did you work with these two actors on their scenes and achieving comedy in them
the good thing is the movie is not just a comedy so i needed not just to pluck two comedians from snl it benefits from the fact that these are guys with gravitas as actors that said theyre so good as a director its kind of daunting to be telling them what to do what we did was get together in a hotel suite for a few nights before filming and arrive at a mutual mission statement
having written lethal weapon and seen so many buddy action films come after that what kinds of things have you done to keep the genre interesting in your work
joel silver the producer and i have worked together since lethal weapon and gradually what we started to do was deconstruct the private eye we decided to take conventions that exist already within the genre and stand them on their heads these guys try things the mythic private eye would get away with but it falls flat for them because theyre real people so i wanted to inject that kind of awkwardness in reality into the private eye story


london   jurgen fitschen who is stepping down as co chief executive of deutsche bank will continue to work at the lender with a focus on germany and asia the bank said at its annual meeting on thursday
deutsche bank announced last year that anshu jain and mr fitschen would step down as co chief executives as the bank brought in john cryan to overhaul the lender which is germanys largest mr jain resigned in june mr fitschen is leaving his post as co chief executive on thursday
jurgen fitschen has put heart and soul into serving our bank mr cryan said in a news release he always puts clients first knows what they expect of us and how we can best fulfill their wishes
i am delighted that jurgen will continue to support the bank and our clients with his valuable expertise and outstanding network he said
mr cryan who joined the lender as co chief executive in july and is set to become the banks sole chief executive is seeking to simplify the company and improve its returns
in october he announced plans to eliminate as many as 35000 jobs through internal cuts close operations in 10 countries and cut the number of its investment banking customers in half
the bank reported a record loss in 2015 and endured a 58 percent plunge in profit in this years first quarter as it faced challenging conditions in the financial markets amid the attempted turnaround
mr fitschen 67 who has been at deutsche bank since 1987 has an extensive network of clients he worked for more than a decade in asia before relocating to germany and he has been a member of the banks management board since 2009 he was named co chief executive in june 2012
in his new role mr fitschen will use his network of contacts to support the banks business with key corporate clients the lender said he would continue to work closely with deutsche banks management board and with leaders in all of its businesses and regions


a bipartisan criminal justice overhaul remains stalled in the senate but its backers might have found a new argument to break it loose it would save a significant amount of money
the congressional budget office in a new report estimated that the legislation reducing mandatory minimum sentences would save the federal government 722 million over 10 years primarily through reduced costs for housing federal prisoners spending on social programs to aid those released would rise 251 million over the same period
this bill will make our communities stronger and safer and save taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars in the process senators charles e grassley republican of iowa and richard j durbin democrat of illinois two chief authors of the legislation said in a joint statement
conservatives have consistently championed changes in sentencing laws as a way to reduce the spiraling costs of housing large prison populations backers of the legislation no doubt hope that the fiscal responsibility aspect will catch the eye of senate republicans who have come out in opposition of the legislation on the grounds that it could set violent offenders free
its supporters had hoped to get moving on the bill by may 30 but the senate is occupied with spending bills and the criminal justice proposal could not come up until june at the earliest senator mitch mcconnell the kentucky republican and majority leader has given no sign that he will bring the legislation to the floor he and other senate republicans for now appear to prefer focusing on legislation trying to stem a heroin epidemic as a political alternative to the sentencing measure


london   two large oil services companies fmc technologies and technip said on thursday that they planned to merge in a 13 billion transaction
the deal is a sign of pressures on the oil services industry which performs much of the oil field work for major energy companies around the world to reduce costs at a time of lower oil and gas prices the companies said in a joint statement that they expected at least 400 million in annual cost savings from the all stock deal by 2019
the deal if completed would combine technip which is based in paris and is a major player in the demanding and costly work of developing offshore oil and gas fields with fmc a maker of energy equipment based in houston
the two companies had combined revenue of 20 billion in 2015 and would have more than 49000 employees in 45 countries they said in a joint statement
douglas j pferdehirt president and chief operating officer of fmc would become chief executive of the new company which would be called technipfmc and would be based in london where the two companies already have a joint venture it would have operating offices in houston and paris and would be listed on the new york and paris stock exchanges
thierry pilenko chairman and chief executive of technip would serve as executive chairman of the combined company
in an interview on thursday mr pferdehirt said that companies like fmc provided equipment for oil projects while outfits like technip installed it by joining forces we can reduce that complexity he said we can remove unnecessary hardware
the deal would build on the existing joint venture between the two companies which involves underwater operations we want to take this strategy further and across the full footprint of the two companies mr pilenko of technip said in a statement
analysts say that the move shows how tough things have become for the oil services industry as a result of the plunge in petroleum prices to just below 50 a barrel from more than 100 a barrel in 2014
the service companies which do much of the construction and technical work for the industry have been hit hard as their clients have canceled or postponed projects worth hundreds of billions of dollars while demanding lower prices from their vendors costly specialized ships for laying undersea pipes and placing equipment on the ocean bottom have been idled and the prices contractors can charge for products have been cut sharply
both companies recent financial results reflected the industrys difficulties
technips net income for 2015 fell by about 90 percent compared to a year earlier to 45 million euros or about 507 million on EUR122 billion in revenue
fmcs 2015 income before tax fell more than 50 percent to about 500 million on 64 billion in sales
both companies are already engaged in cost reduction programs technip said for example that it reduced its work force by 4000 last year to 34400 employees
the sector slowdown is so bad companies must act to achieve further cost cutting with mergers perhaps the only option nicholas green an analyst at sanford c bernstein in london wrote in a note to clients on wednesday mr green said the fmc technip merger raises the bar for all others
mr green estimated that the merger could help the companies reduce their costs of developing offshore oil and gas fields by 30 percent
but there may be limits to the merger activity regulators recently forced two other major oil services companies halliburton and baker hughes to drop a merger plan over fears of reduced competition
fmc and technip though say that their merger is unlikely to encounter regulatory resistance because their businesses are more complementary than competitive
and the 20 billion in combined revenues of technip and fmc are still well below the 35 billion that schlumberger the oil services giant reported for 2015 schlumberger recently completed its own takeover   of cameron an energy equipment maker in a deal valued at 127 billion


aranayake sri lanka   defying forecasts sheets of rain were still falling thursday on a rubble strewn mountainside in the tea and cinnamon district of sri lanka two days after a landslide buried three hamlets and dozens of residents who never heard it coming
as a team of elite army commandos rushed up the mountain in a seemingly hopeless search for survivors prema adikari emitted a low wail as she and a small brown dog stared at the muddy remains of a collapsed house that once belonged to her brother and his family
the neighbors shouted for them to leave but i dont think they heard over the gushing waters of the canal nearby she said sobbing her niece was only 15 she said fair and so pretty barely even a woman yet
minutes later with the rains increasing the commandos scurried back down the rugged moonscape just ahead of a new burst of mud and debris
at least i hope they will find their bodies ms adikari said to a police officer nearby so we can have a proper funeral
officials said that at least 58 people were known to have died in the past few days amid landslides and flash flooding on this island nation at the foot of india where monsoon season has just begun but the death toll was expected to rise substantially nearly 300000 people have also been displaced
in the mountainous region around the small town of aranayake more than 130 people were still missing and believed dead said maj gen sudantha ranasinghe who is in charge of the rescue operation
the kegalle district which includes aranayake was struck by two major landslides said pradeep kodippili a spokesman for the disaster management center of sri lanka kegalle is about 75 miles east of the capital colombo
thirty bodies have been recovered so far in kegalle general ranasinghe said in an interview inside a makeshift operations center that his men and district officials had set up inside a school nearby he had little hope for other villagers on the mountainside in aranayake where there were 66 houses
i have my doubts that there are any survivors left on the collapsed mountain slopes general ranasinghe said
hundreds of military personnel swarmed the landslide area shortly after dawn climbing the mountainside in knee deep mud to find their footing and any signs of life they prodded the muddy water with tree branches and poles as slippers bags and other personal items swirled by in the small streams that ran through the rubble
general ranasinghe said that the rescue operations were continuing to recover the bodies at least to give the families some peace the rains made the rescue operation treacherous and by midday on thursday the effort had been halted at least once
a shopkeeper d p nimal ratnasinghe said the mountainside broke loose tuesday night with a deafening roar that he likened to that of a helicopter landing
then i realized rocks were falling from the mountain mr ratnasinghe 46 said thursday morning mr ratnasinghes shop was flooded with mud and water but he was one of the few survivors in the immediate area
at the foot of the mountain above aranayake stood the remains of a big house its crushed roof revealing a battered washing machine and a shattered fish tank buried in mud only one thing appeared to have survived intact a buddhist shrine some survivors declared it a miracle
p g sekara 52 a resident of one of the hillside villages said the house had belonged to his sister she survived he said because she had heard the rumbling in time and had run to safety
behind the house rescuers were digging in the mud searching for three people who had last been seen in that area before the landslide a rice paddy and the canal which ran through the valley had disappeared under the mud residents said
mr sekara and other residents said they had lost hope that anyone else would be found alive theres no point in them going back looking for survivors he said youd have to look 40 feet under the mud to find people
president maithripala sirisena toured the area on wednesday declaring on twitter after the visit the loss is devastating
more than 1000 people displaced by the slides or fearful of returning until the rains subside were being housed at four temporary camps at one of those in the village of hathgampola where 113 families were sheltering survivors told of narrow escapes as the mountain gave way
dingiri mahattaya 63 said that she her daughter and her son ran for their lives once they realized what was happening big rocks started to roll down the hill with a fierce sound she said some of the rocks hit the walls and windows of the house we opened the front door and ran through the rice paddy to safety
she said she did not know when they would be able to return they tell me that my house is now filled with water and mud she said and the walls have collapsed
meteorologists said that although the tropical island frequently experiences intense monsoons and flooding this years devastation was unusually fierce for so early in the rainy season
the sri lanka department of meteorology said that a deep low pressure area in the bay of bengal that had become a tropical depression by wednesday had caused the rains but that it was moving away from the island on thursday morning however the bursts of rain showed no signs of abating
with the rainfall several small landslides struck the aranayake area on wednesday and thursday while no lives were endangered the rains made rescue operations increasingly perilous general ranasinghe said
some residents complained that they were not warned of a landslide risk by local disaster management officials but general ranasinghe said many villagers were warned to evacuate hours before the landslide
the trouble is this is a very prosperous mountain he said pointing to the exposed slopes everything grows well here people dont want to leave


on twitter facebook and nytimescom readers shared passionate reactions to an article about how donald j trump the presumptive republican nominee behaved toward women in private interactions
they debated and disagreed as they grappled with questions of workplace ethics claims of sexism and when exactly a man crosses a line with a woman
but what would you expect
did mr trumps conduct amount to sexual harassment or was it benign readers differed
a significant amount of this behavior would be actionable under the sexual harassment policies of almost any for profit or non profit organization in america if he worked in my institution he would be fired for cause   steve nyc
i need a shower after reading this but there is nothing here to surprise any woman who was in the workplace in the 1970s to 90s   patricia sears ottawa canada
it would be hard to find a man in the world that hasnt slipped and called a women hon or sweetie   tony new york
i found this article very painful to read it brought back some very upsetting and not easy to erase memories in what was a generally enjoyable professional career   susan paris
readers clashed over whether women who participated in the beauty pageants overseen by mr trump should have expected him to comment on their appearance
its hard to feel sorry for someone who voluntarily chose to enter the pageant then feels slighted because someone was critical of her appearance   susan wisconsin
dont go after the fact that we have pageants with women paraded in swimsuits go after the guy who owns the pageant   sp la
readers expressed fascination but not consensus on mr trumps behavior toward women which the women in the article described as nurturing and degrading
i worked with ivana on trump castle back in the 1980s i will not defend his degrading treatment of women concerning the gross comments he makes but he is a contradiction he is rude and crude but he does openly allow women to take on huge responsibility in his organization if he were a total male chauvinist pig he would never allow that   janet herzog new york
despite stories of genuinely doing good things for women eg head of construction being a woman he simply doesnt know how to handle rejection and has to have an element of control which even at nearly 70 years old he still exhibits   oliver norgate on the timess facebook page


big promises are to be expected from presidential candidates but reality often intrudes the elder george bush broke the no new taxes pledge that helped lead to his election and barack obamas administration has yet to live up to his prediction that his nomination would go down in history as the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal
donald j trumps vow to restore what he says is americas lost luster while perhaps not as flowery comes with campaign promises that are equally grandiose but mr trump the presumptive republican nominee has typically provided scant details on how he might make good on his promises   and ambitious ideas even the concrete kind do not always add up
central to mr trumps campaign and to his national security strategy is his intent to clamp down on illegal immigration using a vast deportation force to relocate people to the other side of a wall funded by mexico that would stretch nearly the length of the southern border
mr trump has suggested he will flesh out his ideas in a forthcoming speech but experts across many fields who have analyzed his plans so far warn that they would come at astronomical costs   whoever paid   and would in many ways defy the logic of science engineering and law
mr trump has a simple plan to reduce the population of 11 million immigrants living illegally in the united states deport them
how he says he would follow the example of the military style roundups authorized by president dwight d eisenhower in 1954 the initiative known as operation wetback expelled hundreds of thousands of mexicans
mr trump contends that the start of deportations would show immigrants he meant business and prompt many to leave on their own and that it would take about two years to finish the job there the specifics end
former senior immigration and border officials are skeptical to put it mildly deportations have peaked recently at about 400000 a year so the increase in scale to reach mr trumps goal would be exponential and many legal procedures and constitutional constraints on the police did not exist in the eisenhower era
i cant even begin to picture how we would deport 11 million people in a few years where we dont have a police state where the police cant break down your door at will and take you away without a warrant said michael chertoff who led a significant increase in immigration enforcement as the secretary of homeland security under president george w bush
finding those immigrants would be difficult experts said police officers across the country would need to ask people for proof of residency or citizenship during traffic stops and street encounters the border patrol would need highway checkpoints across the southwest and near the canadian border to avoid racial profiling any american could expect to be stopped and asked for papers
to achieve millions of deportations the obama administrations focus on deporting serious criminals would have to be scrapped said julie myers wood a director of immigration and customs enforcement also known as ice under mr bush you would not care if the person had a criminal record she said
large scale raids rare under mr obama would resume at farms factories restaurants and construction sites with agents arresting hundreds of workers and poring over company records and prosecutors would bring criminal charges against employers hiring unauthorized immigrants
mr trump has said he would triple ices deportation officers to 15000 from about 5000 but even if that could be accomplished quickly   difficult given the vetting and training required   it would still be insufficient experts said the fbi and other agencies would have to set aside some of their missions to help
john sandweg who led ice for seven months under mr obama said wholesale deportations could make it easier for immigrant gang members and drug traffickers to escape detection if the agents are looking for volume they wont spend the time to do the detective work tracking down the high value bad guy who has fake documents the hardened criminals in the shadows he said
to prevent flight after arrest the authorities would have to detain most immigrants awaiting deportation existing facilities with about 34000 beds would have to be expanded to hold at least 300000 mr sandweg estimated perhaps with tens of thousands of people in detention camps similar to the internment of japanese americans during world war ii
most deportations must be approved by judges but backlogs in the 57 immigration courts are already severe with waits as long as two years for a first hearing the federal government would have to open dozens of emergency courts and hire hundreds of judges shortcutting the painstaking selection process
the millions of immigrants from central american countries china the philippines india and other noncontiguous nations would have to be flown home at the federal governments expense arranging flights would in itself be a huge and very costly task
at the border where illegal crossings have fallen to the lowest levels since the 1970s the border patrol would face a rush of newly deported immigrants trying to return experts said many of these people have been here for decades said david v aguilar who was the chief of the border patrol and then the commissioner of customs and border protection we should expect an immediate effort to reunify with the family left behind
mr aguilar said a surge of returning deportees could divert the border patrol from the fine tuned hunt for terrorists trying to infiltrate the country now its top priority
ms wood said mass deportations would add chaos to a dysfunctional immigration system
by any tally the costs would be enormous the american action forum a conservative leaning research group calculated the federal outlay to be at least 400 billion and then only if the deportations were stretched over 20 years
but the proposals main flaw former officials said is that they are unrealistic unless you suspend the constitution and instruct the police to behave as if we live in north korea mr chertoff said it aint happening
mr trump has promised that the wall will be big beautiful tall and strong spanning 1000 miles along the southern border it will stem the flow of immigrants bringing drugs and crime and yes mexico will pay for the great wall of trump as he has called it
but the wall   symbolic of an iron fisted immigration policy and providing a rallying cry for his supporters   has proved to be as divisive in theory as it would be in practice and experts in domestic security immigration policy and civil engineering say that building it would be a daunting task and cause more problems than it would solve
mr trump has shared few details he has said that the wall would be built from precast concrete and steel and that it could be 50 feet tall if not higher after calling for it to extend across the entire 2000 mile southern border he more recently said half that length could be sufficient because of natural barriers he has pegged the cost at 4 billion to 12 billion most recently settling on around 10 billion
some see that as low theres a lot of logistics involved in this and i dont know how thoroughly theyve thought it out said todd sternfeld chief executive of superior concrete a texas based builder of walls the resources alone would be astronomical
mr sternfeld who has led major wall projects across the country and approached the trump family last summer suggested that mr trump was overly optimistic about the cost and was underestimating the complexity of the undertaking
running the numbers mr sternfeld said a 40 foot tall concrete wall using a post and panel system that went 10 feet below the ground   to minimize tunneling   would cost at least 26 billion the logistics would be nightmarish including multiple concrete casting sites and temporary housing for a crew of 1000 workers if the job were to be completed within mr trumps first four year term
maintenance would be an additional recurring expense said walter w boles an engineering professor at middle tennessee state university who specializes in concrete construction deep trench work would also be necessary for keeping a wall of that height from toppling he said and seismic sensors to detect digging would be wise for preserving its integrity from below
thats one heck of a construction project said mr boles who assessed patrick j buchanans 1996 proposal for a border barrier its certainly a lot more ambitious than i was imagining
the most common benchmark used for assessing mr trumps wall is the fencing that already exists at the border in 2006 the bush administration signed the secure fence act and 24 billion was spent to construct 670 miles of fencing over three years according to a 2009 government accountability office report many republicans including mr trump have argued that the fence turned out to be too porous with much of it designed to keep out only vehicles not pedestrians
thad bingel the chief of staff at customs and border protection during the bush administration said the fence offered a cautionary tale it became mired in lawsuits and environmental controversies that sowed deep anger along the border and required the extensive use of eminent domain a practice that mr trump has been criticized for using to seize private properties for his big developments
a wall would be even more complicated requiring redirection of water so that concrete could be mixed on location difficult work on rocky terrain and a potential disruption of archaeological sites also mr bingel said a solid wall could hamper border agents by blocking their view of the walls other side
setting aside the need for congressional approval and a likely fight with mexico over financing many who study borders doubt that a mass of concrete would accomplish its purpose from the ancient great wall of china to israels modern security barrier walls rarely prove totally impervious to people set on traversing them
walls tend to be crude solutions to complex problems and are evidence of geopolitical failure said michael dear a professor at the university of california berkeley who specializes in the border with mexico
people always find a way to go above or below or through a wall said professor dear the author of why walls wont work its just political window dressing and rabble rousing of the worst order
what about the water
billions of gallons flow between the united states and mexico funneling lifeblood to farms and communities on both sides of the border the colorado river sends water south the rio grande a natural boundary for hundreds of miles delivers precious water from mexico through dozens of canals to much of south texas
water experts in the southwest question how mr trumps border wall could accommodate those crucial flows and still provide the barrier he wants
another complication is that a nearly 50 year old treaty between mexico and the united states prevents any construction that obstructs or diverts the flow of the waterways the wall in other words could not interfere in any way with the flow of water in either direction
weve been joking how big does the hole in the wall have to be to let the water run through it said patricia mulroy a brookings institution senior fellow and former nevada water official
one option would be a wire fence but that would catch all sorts of trash there are going to be consequences for any kind of fence you build said gabriel eckstein a water law expert at texas am university
asked whether the proposed wall might impede water flows hope hicks a trump spokeswoman did not directly respond the proposal speaks for itself she said adding that details could be found on mr trumps website but the site does not address water flows
complicated environmental science and a fraught diplomatic history await anyone seeking to determine how to build a wall that cuts off the flow of people without violating the nations water treaty obligations
experts on those subjects in interviews were skeptical that one would ever be built they speculated that the financial and political challenges were too great among other reasons
with the will and the financial wherewithal though an engineering solution can be found said sally spener the united states secretary for the international boundary and water commission which manages the water relationship between mexico and the united states
but she acknowledged longstanding and delicate water sharing issues between the united states and mexico   a point emphasized by michael connor deputy secretary of the interior department who has worked closely with mexico on those subjects
a wall could be built that accommodates water flows mr connor said but the question becomes when does it become economically significant to address those issues
officials from the bureau of reclamation which reports to mr connor said they could not quantify the cost given that they had not envisioned or studied such a project
a bigger concern he said was the addition of a potential major wrinkle into the delicate bilateral diplomacy over water sharing any proposal that would threaten that relationship or trust weve built would concern me mr connor said
several treaties particularly one from 1944 outline rules for sharing water from the colorado river the tijuana river and the rio grande
it is a complex system that involves water flowing down the colorado river through nevada and arizona into mexico and down the rio grande from new mexico into mexico where it is replenished by major tributaries before turning to texas on the united states side the rio grande watershed alone includes well over four million people
the relationship has been strained by drought tensions have flared over the last 15 years when texas accused mexico of delivering insufficient supplies of water
the texas commission of environmental quality overseen by appointees of the governor cited a 2013 texas am study saying that mexicos failure to deliver its annual water allotment cost the state economy nearly 5000 jobs and 400 million each year
mexico countered that it did not have the water because of drought   a position that some american environmentalists said was valid
the issue was resolved this year when the united states jointly with mexico said the water debt had been paid off separately the united states and mexico took five years from 2007 to 2012 to reach a landmark agreement to fix canals and water delivery systems to cope with historic drought
as part of that agreement mexico agreed to share some of its water supply from the colorado river so that the water could be retained in lake mead near the nevada arizona border that situation worked out well highlighting friendly but delicate relations
i was there and i know the hurdles we had to overcome to assure them we werent manipulating the system said ms mulroy from brookings
we are dependent on the mexicans trusting us she said  its an enormous diplomatic issue
with a wall ms mulroy said the chances of another cooperative agreement would be nil


change is coming to horse racing in maryland offering the potential to bolster an industry that has long been important to the state but the pride of a downtrodden neighborhood concern about maintaining tradition and the desire of a high powered corporation to appeal to upscale clients are all in play as debate rages about the form that change should take
even as pimlico race course in baltimore prepares to host the 141st preakness stakes on saturday the maryland stadium authority is undertaking a study to determine the viability of keeping the second leg of the triple crown at that track for the long term pimlico opened in 1870 making it the nations second oldest track after saratoga race course which began operations six years earlier in saratoga springs ny pimlico has hosted the preakness since the aptly named survivor won the inaugural running in 1873 except for 16 races held in new york between 1890 to 1908
frank stronach chairman of the stronach group plans to invest as much as half a billion dollars to try to replicate what has become a bustling entertainment complex surrounding gulfstream park in hallandale beach fla but that plan contemplates moving the preakness to laurel park in laurel md halfway between baltimore and washington the mere suggestion of that has emotions running high
its like taking the colts to indianapolis said william h cole president of the baltimore development corporation its a very very difficult thing we have every reason to believe that the preakness is a product of baltimore and pimlico and not something that can be relocated simply and easily we will fight to ensure that it doesnt happen
samuel rosenberg a member of the maryland house of delegates who represents the park heights neighborhood which is home to pimlico said that moving the preakness baltimores largest annual sporting event would be a major economic and development setback for the city and for the region the race which this year will feature nyquist the undefeated kentucky derby winner drew a record 131680 fans in 2015
if it were to be held at laurel there would be a huge drop off for restaurants hotels and so on in baltimore because laurel is washington focused rosenberg said
the black eyed susan stakes which showcases top 3 year old fillies and is contested on friday encourages tourists to enjoy a long weekend
city officials and executives representing the stronach group agree that pimlico is at its end veteran racegoers well remember an electrical fire that led to a blackout there in 1998 last year low water pressure caused by increased water use rendered many toilets inoperable
timothy ritvo the chief operating officer for the stronach groups racing development business said of pimlico this building was built in the 1800s with no foundation its on sand
because business at pimlico is lacking with the exception of the coming weekend ritvo questioned the extent to which rebuilding at that location would benefit the immediate area
the whole community what do they get out of it he said they get a venue space two days a year when they can hustle cars in parking lots and stuff like that what if we had a plan for that property where we create year round jobs in the community
although ritvo said he understood the feelings of traditionalists he added that he believed the need for a dramatic change should override that we have historical guys that say you just cant move something that historic he said listen they moved yankee stadium the house that ruth built
as much as ritvo cole rosenberg and others have expressed a willingness to work together there appear to be starkly different views of how the interests of the surrounding area the state the racing business and the stronach group can best be served
i dont see it as a racetrack cole said i see it as an anchor for redevelopment of the entire neighborhood
cole said that the city had invested millions of dollars to acquire property in park heights with an eye toward reversing its fortunes safety issues there came to the forefront last june when kevin jones a 22 year old security guard at pimlico was shot and killed during a robbery attempt as he walked to work
still cole remains upbeat about what the future of that area can be if public funds are combined with private investment if you invest in pimlico you have a tremendous opportunity to invest in the redevelopment of park heights he said
laurel which sits on about 360 acres offers three times as much space as pimlico seemingly making it more suitable for the huge complex the stronach group seeks
ritvo said it had spent about 1 billion in florida to rework gulfstream park creating a complex around the racetrack and casino that includes shops and restaurants and a training track used by many kentucky derby prospects in the winter
stronach has already invested an estimated 25 million in laurel while opening four off track betting locations sal sinatra vice president of the maryland jockey club said that design work had been done that would increase laurels seating to 70000 for major events he hopes such a capacity could attract the season ending breeders cup which would be an economic boon
would a large expenditure at both pimlico and laurel make sense given their proximity the maryland stadium authoritys work should provide some answers with negotiations expected to follow
i think there is a win win out there for the city and stronach cole said


they may hold up half the sky as mao once said but chinese women are often kept in their own lane they get lower pay are forced to retire earlier and have fewer leadership positions than men
now the authorities who run chinas airports are giving women   or relegating them to some might say   their own security line
beijing capital international airport has officially added women specific lines after a three month trial the metropolises of shenzhen kunming and wuhan have done the same
they are marked by bright pink signs that say female only in chinese and english
the governments rationale is that women want to avoid being frisked by men in the womens lanes the security guards are all women
women also carry bags of personal cosmetics that need to be opened and inspected requiring greater scrutiny one security guard told state media the implication is that they are slowing down other male travelers with less fussy baggage
the policy follows an impulse in official circles these days to shield women from degrading or hostile experiences   an impulse that some see as a revival of paternalistic customs some indicators of womens standing in chinese society including pay ratios in cities seem to show their progress slowing as china has grown more prosperous womens representation in the communist partys ruling politburo remains low   only two of 25
plenty of women have no objection to the separate treatment at the airport though they say the segregated lines move faster than the unisex ones
in fact when a state run bus company in the eastern city of zhengzhou recently introduced a women only bus at rush hour to cut down on groping the complaints came mainly from men who had to wait for the next bus


cam ranh bay vietnam   the ghosts of the vietnam war have finally faded at the strategic port of cam ranh bay more than 40 years ago united states forces left this massive base where marines landed f 4c jets loaded up for bombing raids and wounded american soldiers were treated
now some vietnamese say they are yearning for the american military to return
on facebook there was a question recently what do you want from president obamas visit said vo van tao 63 who fought as a young north vietnamese infantry soldier against the united states some people said they wanted democracy i said i wanted the americans to come back to cam ranh bay a lot of people agreed with me
mr obama is scheduled to arrive in vietnam on sunday the third visit by an american president since the war ended the big question he is expected to answer is whether washington will lift a partial arms embargo and allow vietnam to buy lethal weapons from the united states the communist government has long asked for the ban to be revoked and american access to cam ranh bay could be part of the payoff
for the white house the decision on lifting the embargo has come down to a debate over trying to improve vietnams poor human rights record versus enabling vietnam to better defend itself against an increasing threat from china in the south china sea
washington has for years made lifting the ban contingent on vietnams improving human rights for its people and has prodded vietnam to allow more freedom of speech and to release political prisoners but as tensions with china have escalated in the south china sea the sentiment in the obama administration has shifted toward lifting the ban american officials familiar with the discussions said
vietnams government pressed by an ever more powerful china knows it cannot stand up to beijing alone and is cautiously moving toward increased ties with the united states
despite their shared communist ideology vietnam and china fought over islands in the south china sea in the 1970s and 80s two years ago china sent an oil rig into disputed waters close to the paracel islands which are claimed by both countries leading to clashes at sea and anti chinese riots in vietnamese cities
more recently china has built artificial islands with military runways in the south china sea just 300 miles from the vietnamese coast
vietnams needs dovetail with those of the united states which has been encouraging maritime states in southeast asia to better defend themselves an effort partly aimed at keeping the united states from being dragged into a direct naval conflict with china
the prospect of access to cam ranh bay where the vietnamese have built a new international port provides another enticement for lifting the ban
an american presence there would allow united states forces to use the port on the western edge of the south china sea complementing american facilities in the philippines on the seas eastern edge
if the united states can get regular access to cam ranh bay it would be very advantageous to maintaining the balance of power with china said alexander l vuving a vietnam specialist at the asia pacific center for security studies in honolulu if something happens in the south china sea it takes a while for the us to get there china can get there more quickly
the vietnamese who shun alliances and forbid foreign bases have made clear they would not entertain exclusive use of the facilities by the united states but would allow it to share the base with others singaporean and japanese vessels this year were the first to use the facility
deputy secretary of state antony j blinken assured hanoi during a recent visit to vietnam that washington was not seeking a base here
lifting the embargo would go a long way toward shoring up washingtons credibility among conservatives in the vietnamese military who fear the obama administration sees improved relations as a way to bring multiparty democracy to vietnam experts said
to get over the resistance of the vietnamese military the us has to show its good intentions by lifting the arms embargo dr vuving said doing so would open the door to closer military cooperation he said and access to cam ranh bay would most likely follow
defense secretary ashton b carter said in a senate hearing last month that he favored lifting the embargo
but the human rights side of the equation remains problematic for a country human rights watch describes as one of the worlds most repressive
last week the assistant secretary of state for democracy human rights and labor tom malinowski met with human rights leaders and government officials in hanoi for a final human rights assessment before the obama visit the state department said he urged hanoi to release political prisoners without condition and make other human rights improvements
vietnam still has more than 100 political prisoners activists here say including bloggers and lawyers whose only crime was to criticize the government
an american official who was briefed on the visit said there had been positive signals from the vietnamese mr blinken had praised the government in a speech last month for some progress on human rights notably allowing independent trade unions for the first time
surprisingly a leading dissident has come out in favor of lifting the arms embargo telling mr malinowski the issue should not be linked to the release of political prisoners
if obama lifts the embargo totally that would be great for vietnam and vietnam us relations said nguyen quang a the founder of the civil society forum in hanoi the communists say the us needs to respect our legitimacy and dont make trouble thats the negative from our point of view but the positive is it starts a new era with the united states
lifting the embargo is not expected to produce a windfall for american defense suppliers
since washington partly lifted the embargo in 2014 allowing the purchase of nonlethal equipment for maritime defense vietnam has not acquired any american equipment not even coastal radar systems for its coast guard said carl thayer a defense analyst in canberra australia who specializes in vietnam this was largely for lack of money he said
it would also be costly for vietnam to switch from heavy equipment made in russia long vietnams main arms supplier to american made equipment
but vietnam wants to diversify from its reliance on russian arms it is using india to train its crews on russian built submarines and is looking to israel for some weapons
last week vietnamese officials met with american military suppliers including boeing and lockheed martin at a symposium in hanoi to discuss the needs of the vietnamese military
christopher w sfedu who attended the meeting and is director of international expansion for edi usa a philadelphia based supplier of communications equipment said communications software appeared to be near the top of the militarys wish list
the russians still have privileged rights at cam ranh bay using the base for tanker aircraft that refuel reconnaissance flights over guam
protected on its southern and eastern flanks by hills looming up from the south china sea cam ranh bay juts inland for 20 miles the largest sheltered harbor in southeast asia and its most strategic because of its deep water
for mr tao a local resident the return of the americans cannot happen fast enough
the vietnamese people are very angry at the chinese airstrips in the spratlys he said referring to the disputed islands in the south china sea we figured out it will take them only one hour to come and bomb saigon


cairo   the egyptair red eye from paris to cairo an airbus a320 jetliner less than half full had just entered egyptian airspace early thursday on the final part of its journey
suddenly the twin engine jetliner jerked hard to the left then hard to the right circled and plunged 28000 feet disappearing from the radar screens of greek and egyptian air traffic controllers
that began a day of emergency rescuers scrambling officials issuing conflicting information and experts speculating about the fate of egyptair flight 804 which carried at least 66 people from roughly a dozen nations and was presumed to have crashed into the mediterranean sea
egyptair initially said wreckage of the plane had been found with the help of searchers from greece but a senior official of the airline speaking on cnn retracted that assertion hours later egyptian officials suggested that terrorism was a more likely cause for the disappearance than mechanical failure but others cautioned that it was premature to make that judgment
the loss of the flight was the second civilian aviation disaster to hit egypt in the past seven months it resurrected fears and speculation about the safety and security of egyptian aviation which has a history of lapses   as well as the specter of a security breach in paris where the plane took off
the mystery of the planes demise also raised broader questions about the vulnerability of civilian air travel to terrorism flight 804 went missing against the backdrop of threats from militant extremist groups like the islamic state and al qaeda with networks linking europe to the middle east
by thursday evening no group had claimed responsibility
with differing reports about precisely what wreckage had been discovered president abdel fattah el sisi of egypt ordered the armed forces to take all measures necessary to find the remains of the plane his office said in a statement
the statement also said work had begun immediately to unravel the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of the egyptian aircraft and establish its causes
as news of the missing plane spread in cairo relatives of those aboard rushed to the airport some overcome with grief and anger over the lack of information pray for them said a relative of a flight attendant who had just married we dont know anything
earlier in the day egypts civil aviation minister sherif fathi acknowledged at a news conference that the cause might have been terrorism mr fathi said that if you analyze the situation properly the possibility of having a terror attack is higher than the possibility of technical failure
egyptair said the pilot and co pilot had nearly 9000 hours of flying time between them officials from the interior ministry and cairo airport described them as experienced fliers with no known political affiliations
the jetliner departed paris at 1109 pm on wednesday the pilot spoke to greek air traffic controllers at 226 am and nothing seemed out of the ordinary officials said three or four minutes later the plane made its last normal radar contact
at 237 am shortly after entering egyptian airspace the plane made a 90 degree turn to the left and then a full circle to the right first plunging to 15000 feet from 37000 feet and then to 9000 feet at that point it disappeared from radar the greek defense minister panos kammenos said at a news conference on thursday afternoon
there was also conflicting information about precisely how many passengers flight 804 was carrying   66 or 69 egyptair said early in the day that 56 passengers were aboard along with seven crew members and three members of airline security personnel but three infants also were reported to have been aboard and it was unclear if they had been counted
at least 30 of the passengers were from egypt according to the airline with others from algeria belgium britain canada chad france iraq kuwait portugal saudi arabia and sudan
the aircraft was delivered to egyptair in november 2003 and had accumulated 48000 hours of flying time according to data compiled by flightradar24 an aviation website such aircraft are typically built to last 30 or 40 years and there was no indication anything was mechanically amiss
but the aircrafts north africa itinerary in the previous two days was possibly more worrisome flightradar24 data showed it had flown round trips between cairo and asmara eritrea and between cairo and tunis before going to paris american and european officials have expressed concerns about security gaps in north african airports
officials in egypt who have been under intense scrutiny since a bomb brought down a russian airliner over the sinai peninsula in october killing all 224 people on board declined to describe the events as a crash
the aviation ministers quick acknowledgment that terrorism might be a cause this time was in stark contrast to the governments handling of the loss of the russian airliner which egyptian officials had insisted for months could not have been the result of terrorism
the french president francois hollande after speaking by telephone with president sisi of egypt also raised the possibility of terrorism the information that we have been able to gather   the prime minister the members of the government and of course the egyptian authorities   unfortunately confirm for us that this plane crashed at sea and has been lost mr hollande said at the elysee palace
mr hollande said that no hypothesis was being ruled out and that search teams from france greece and egypt were hoping to recover debris that would enable us to know the truth
he added when we have the truth we must draw all the conclusions whether it is an accident or another hypothesis which everybody has in mind the terrorist hypothesis
security at charles de gaulle airport outside paris where flight 804 departed was tightened after the terrorist attacks in and around the french capital in november and scrutiny of passengers and luggage was also stepped up in the wake of the bombing of brussels airport in march
president obama was briefed by lisa o monaco his adviser for homeland security and counterterrorism and the administration offered support and assistance the white house said in a statement
administration officials said it was too early to say what had caused the plane to vanish but they said they were sharing information from a terrorist watch list as well as other data with egyptian french and other investigators
egyptair said the last radar contact with the plane had been about 230 am when it was 175 miles off the egyptian coast greek officials put the last radar contact at a minute earlier
at 314 am the greek authorities began a search operation deploying a c 130 military transport plane at 426 am   nearly two hours after the last radar contact   the plane emitted a signal although it was not clear whether that was an emergency distress signal sent by a crew member or an automated signal from the planes onboard computers
we dont know if the pilot had something to do with this or if it is just the plane sending it said ihab raslan a spokesman for the egyptian civil aviation ministry
in the october crash of the russian jetliner the plane broke up in midair 23 minutes after takeoff from the red sea resort city of sharm el sheikh the islamic state whose local affiliate is fighting the egyptian military in the sinai peninsula claimed that it had brought down the plane an airbus a321 200
the crash dealt a crippling blow to egypts tourism industry which had already declined sharply in recent years it also helped precipitate a decline in the value of the egyptian currency in recent months
russia and britain have suspended flights to sharm el sheikh since the crash the egyptian investigation has yet to officially identify the cause but president vladimir v putin of russia and mr sisi discussed the resumption of flights in a telephone call on may 10 according to a statement from the kremlin
the last major crash involving an egyptair plane occurred in 2002 when a boeing 737 traveling from cairo struck a hill near the tunis airport killing 18 of the 62 people on board
in march a hijacker wearing a fake explosives vest diverted an egyptair domestic flight to cyprus but a standoff ended with his arrest and no injuries the cypriot authorities later described the man seif eldin mustafa as psychologically disturbed he is currently battling extradition to egypt
egypt has come under criticism in the past for its lack of transparency in aviation accidents in 1999 an egyptair flight crashed into the atlantic ocean shortly after takeoff from new york killing all 217 on board
although american investigators concluded that the co pilot had steered the airplane into the sea egypt rejected the idea of suicide and still insists that the crash was caused by an unspecified mechanical failure


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1 egyptair flight 804 an airbus a320 veered suddenly en route from paris to cairo and crashed into the mediterranean with 66 people aboard egypts civil aviation minister acknowledged that the cause might be terrorism that was in a sharp contrast to egypts reticence last october when a russian airliner went down over the sinai peninsula killing all 224 people on board

2 our latest new york timescbs news poll shows that despite bernie sanderss fervent efforts to siphon support from hillary clinton most democratic voters think she will be able to unite the party and most republican voters believe their party leaders should support donald trump even if they disagree with him both candidates face major resistance from key voting blocs mrs clinton would win in a face off with mr trump if it were held now 47 percent to 41 percent but mr sanders would beat mr trump 51 38

3 unless you suspend the constitution and instruct the police to behave as if we live in north korea it aint happening that was a former secretary of homeland security speaking of mr trumps promise to deport 11 million immigrants experts who have closely examined some of his pledges warn of astronomical costs and violations of basic rules of science engineering and law

4 federal prosecutors believe they know the secret of at least some of the financial success of william walters the high roller considered one of the best sports gamblers in the country insider trading they accused him of receiving tip offs from thomas davis the former chairman of the huge milk processor dean foods who was also charged

5 care for a little virtual space travel the times used data from nasas recent flyby of pluto in a joint project with the lunar and planetary institute and the universities space research association to build a detailed virtual planetary visit download our nyt vr app and enjoy a pretty amazing show

6 morley safer the genial fixture on cbss 60 minutes for more than five decades died he was 84 and had retired just last week as a war correspondent in his youth he was one of the few us reporters covering vietnam who broke away from scripted press briefings and brought battles   and official contradictions   into americans living rooms

7 as it happens some vietnamese are so nervous about chinese expansionism that they are lobbying for us forces to return to their war era base at cam ranh bay president obama arrives in vietnam on sunday and a return may be part of talks over a deal to allow the country to buy lethal arms

8 and a vietnam veteran herbert donahue helped inspire left leaning law students to join him in trying to win clemency for us service members convicted of killing iraqi and afghan civilians one of the students said he had come to understand how confusing things were on the ground in iraq how arbitrary the brutality was a surge of bombings there over the last week killed more than 200 people

9 a storied golf club in scotland was dropped as an official site of the british open after voting narrowly to continue to exclude women as members a significant majority of the muirfield golf clubs members wanted to open the doors but the measure fell 35 votes short of the required two thirds majority

10 one of our best read stories today is about a new trend in weddings or rather in breaking them off where jitters were once focused on doubts about ones partner young people now appear to be discovering deep seated disquiet about the institution of marriage itself a pending marriage brings up issues of personal identity explained a psychotherapist with a premarital coaching practice

11 finally good news for california a relatively wet winter and a year of successful conservation has eased the drought stricken states water crisis so as of june 1 the most drastic limitations on urban water use will be suspended we are still in a drought but we are no longer in the worst snow pack in 500 years drought the head of the state water board said

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in this new column t brings together two people for the very first time   to see what happens
i look like a witch groused the italian performance artist vanessa beecroft her hair pulled back into a fiery bun the statement was both true and trolling infamous for taking controversy courting nude photographs of a legion of female clones beecroft had gone for this meeting to the opposite extreme covering herself in a spellbinding shroud no responded maya rudolph the trailblazing comedian you look so well rested rudolph who appears this month in two divergent films   rebecca millers first foray into screwball comedy maggies plan and a big screen adaptation of the angry birds video game   in addition to co hosting maya and marty a new variety show with martin short was laboring to create a safe space is that valentino she asked it was its not valentino valentino im friends with pierpaolo piccioli said beecroft referring to the labels co creative director i took the most modest thing in their closet and he was like but why 
over the course of their hour long conversation in los angeles conducted against the din of helicopter traffic two of the citys parallel universes hollywood and art collided and combined were not that different ventured rudolph who has been a longtime fan of beecrofts work which has recently included a pair of fashionable tableaux   one a nod to the craftsmanship of tods leather goods with karlie kloss lying on a table swathed in saddle covered pelts the other a mythical reimagining of a refugee camp with more than a thousand street casted models for yeezy by kanye west beecroft however watches no tv and has never heard of bridesmaids
and yet despite sheltering in different cultural harbors the women established kinship via italy where both had recently summered and advanced motherhood they liked each other well enough that by the end of the proceedings they had resolved to have a baby together rudolph was joking with beecroft you never can tell
maya rudolph your dress is absolutely beautiful most people dont know this but i always wanted to be a designer or an artist i went to fashion school for a while and i studied photography in college when my teacher would ask us to bring examples of things we were inspired by i would bring in your work i remember seeing it for the first time   the naked women standing there with similar hair and amazing shoes
vanessa beecroft when i exhibited the naked women for the first time everyones reaction was those are prostitutes and so i was like oh yeah well now youre going to see them over and over and over and over until you are ashamed of what you said i felt insulted because the women were my representatives and i decided to declare war now im switching to black american males
rudolph it sounds intuitive as if these models become a natural extension of you
beecroft its true i traveled to south sudan to shoot a documentary on the colonization of the catholic church while shooting it i nursed newborn motherless twins who were dying in an orphanage i nursed them back to health during several trips starting in 2005 and then i wanted to adopt them since i couldnt separate from them the process took nearly four years my ex husband divorced me just after this in a kind way he said this was too much for him to handle
rudolph ive never been to africa
beecroft i just got back from lamu in kenya its easy to reach from nairobi and its very kid friendly did you know that we both have four kids
rudolph its such a luxury to talk to another mother with four kids   its really rare the first thing i think of when i have to travel is going on a plane with them you have to get at least six tickets and its expensive and then you become this area of the plane and its like were so loud
beecroft i always buy them medicine its called tranquil sleep and it knocks them right out my pregnancies were quite easy but its still a lot to handle your body duplicates and then you cant drink which is my favorite thing actually i drank anyway
rudolph for me what was hardest was the vanity of it i dont think theres a woman alive who doesnt have body image issues and everyones are different
beecroft kanye west is actually a great supporter of larger women hes a real feminist in that sense
rudolph i remember working with jennifer lopez years ago on saturday night live her body is unbelievable and she was sort of the first woman famous for having a beautiful posterior everyone was saying oh my god her butt is gorgeous you look at her now and she seems normal compared to the exaggerated version that is more man made
beecroft i wish larger women would be appreciated here like they are in brazil where its like hey im bigger and thats cool but here its all about emphasizing the sexual parts the butt the breasts the lips anyway where was i oh right my ex husband left me and on the same day one year later i met kanye that same day i also met my new husband federico
rudolph thats wild
beecroft it was my friend miltoss birthday an ex boyfriend from greece whos kind of a mentor to me i kept whining to miltos about greg greg greg   thats my ex husbands name   and miltos said look he is just a greg you are the vanessa you keep going and i did and then i met kanye and federico
rudolph so kanye found you obviously
beecroft he contacted my studio i didnt know who he was   ive never had a tv   so i didnt pay attention to the request until my assistant said you have to go if you dont im going to go for you so i went and right away he felt like a brother ill never say anything bad about him because hes always been incredibly respectful   maybe not to the crew when hes working but to me
rudolph im sure that you also are an extension of him he is an artist of course and hes so visual but you can express the things that he needs to get out of him that he cant carry out
beecroft hes always saying that what he does is bad imperfect of course publicly he says its great but i see that he is never satisfied he wants to do the next hes already in the future
rudolph i dont think theres a figure like that for me maybe lorne michaels is comedys kanye laughs when did you move to the united states
beecroft when i was 23 i was invited to do a show at moma ps1 and when i flew back i was crying i thought why am i leaving this country that feels so progressive so socially and racially mixed why am i going to italy where its so stiff and bourgeois and old id been raised on the idea that america meant imperialism and capitalism americans were killing their own presidents they were killing martin luther king they were drinking coca cola but then i got here and i saw that it wasnt true that it was in fact a modern country with the helvetica font everywhere in italy if you want to eat a few pieces of watermelon you have to sit down for hours
rudolph a meal is a meal
beecroft but here you could do anything you wanted you could eat a watermelon in the subway over there its a museum
rudolph we rebel against our own i guess because when i hear that im like culture
beecroft as much as i love america i find new york quite hard a lot of people in the art world are moving to la   many of the major galleries have migrated here the lifestyle is so much gentler more comfortable and when it comes to fashion now i have given up at one point i went to europe and left the house unlocked people stole my entire closet and i thought this must mean drop it just drop this as hard as that was i actually admired them because they took the saint laurent alaia and balenciaga and left behind the american apparel dont get me wrong im a fan of american apparel   i wear it to the ymca and in la thats fine you dont even have to wear shoes here
rudolph i have a backyard and my kids run around naked every day
beecroft i used to devote part of the day to massage or yoga but now theres just so much to do as it is i dont really spend time with my kids
rudolph thats all i ever talk about with other women who work when i had my fourth child someone said how do you do it all and i said im not doing anything fully not one thing
beecroft i feel perpetually guilty i try to create the best environment for them at home i mean i buy organic vegetables in a way i feel like the more children the better because then they become this little clan who team up and protect each other
rudolph were both clearly addicted to children
beecroft we should have a baby
rudolph together


this weekend a number of influential hip hop acts   jay z dmx faith evans and more   will gather at barclays center for two sold out concerts celebrating the legacy of bad boy records founded in 1993 by sean puff daddy combs but bad boys cultural impact extends beyond the realm of music   thanks largely to combss former girlfriend the fashion stylist and costume designer misa hylton starting from their basement in scarsdale hylton created a spectrum of iconic looks for the likes of missy elliott mary j blige and combs himself that continue to remain points of reference for todays performers
hylton began dating combs when she was 15 and started her career with him in 1991 when he was an intern turned ar rep at andre harrells uptown records uptown had just signed the rb quartet jodeci who needed an image combs had this cool idea of guys in combat boots hoodies and baseball caps and so he needed someone to help him sell the idea and i was totally cool with it i was like his cheerleader hylton explains but their vision was a marked divergence from the polished new jack swing style   suits and hard bottomed shoes   that permeated rb culture at the time and harrell wasnt sold without a fight after a couple of hours andre finally agreed to let us fulfill our vision and the rest is history
after jodecis new streets facing look proved a hit harrell asked hylton to style an up and coming artist on the label mary j blige who hailed from yonkers close to hyltons native mount vernon they clicked immediately the first video i did with mary was for her first single you remind me and i dressed her in all silver it was this get up i got from patricia fields hylton remembers after that video we went on to work together to create a harder look similar to that of jodeci   combat boots tennis skirts and hockey jerseys from paragon   and that really changed the game she explains she was doing rb music but she was a hip hop girl through and through we grew up in a time where the b girl look was everything the sneakers the hoops i just made her look off an interpretation of a feeling and that feeling was hip hop hip hop is bravado hip hop is hard and the look we engineered was in response to that
combs signed faith evans too   whom hylton had known for years their cousins were childhood best friends the moment sean heard her voice he was totally smitten and he signed her hylton says then big saw her at a photo shoot and married her literally within two weeks evanss sudden wedding to the notorious big impacted how hylton would position evanss image from then on she was all of a sudden bigs wife hylton says and needed to look it   so she swapped combat boots for strands of all white pearls
perhaps most memorably hylton lavishly un dressed lil kim to make her into the provocateur shes recognized as today finding femininity in her overt sexuality   including the now infamous single pastie look that hylton created from indian bridal fabric for kim to wear to the mtv video music awards in 1999 it just felt right we were never trying to shock anybody it was too organic for that she says lets put it this way i almost died when diana touched the pastie she continues referring to diana ross because i was so damn scared it was going to come off on live tv and i would have had the fcc at my door that night we actually went after the show to shoot a video with kim and mobb deep and by the morning it was on every newspaper in the world at the time the look made headlines as a fashion faux pas today its recognized as a seminal pop culture moment
by 2000 hylton had formulated instantly recognizable identities for hip hops finest   contributing to the creation on the pages of vibe magazine and in classic mtv videos of the ghetto fabulous aesthetic because not everyone understands what ghetto fab means it can be problematic i own it   but i want it to be understood correctly she says when people hear ghetto they think derogatory i want people to understand it as a movement where things can be equally aspirational unique attainable powerful its not taking off the earrings when youre asked to for hylton the style boils down to a melding of the accessible and the untouchable whenever i style i like to keep things relatable yet aspirational it draws in the consumer she says its like i can get that but where the hell did you get that
for proof that hyltons influence still shapes the pop landscape look no further than rihanna who has called out lil kim as a styling inspiration and even channeled the pantone chic styling from kims pivotal 1997 crush on you video at an awards show last year i like to see that my ideas from 20 years ago still resonate today hylton says she shared a selection of personal candid photos from that time with t above i come from a time when we were first things first about the culture everyone had their own identity i think its the perfect time to remind people of bad boys influence and legacy because it never left


times insider shares insights into how we work at the new york times today andrew rosenthal editorial columnist responds to recent news the good the bad and that which makes him mad
what is mr rosenthal mad about this week news that bernie sanders supporters threw chairs and made death threats against the states party chairwoman after a divisive nevada democratic convention completely out of control says mr rosenthal this is not grass roots populism its just straightforward thuggish behavior
the worst news of the week in mr rosenthals view comes from the supreme court which this week returned a case on access to contraception to the lower courts for further consideration
that there is a vacancy on the supreme court and the us senate will not even consider the presidents nominee is just an outrage says mr rosenthal who sees the apparently deadlocked justices as evidence that the republican party has effectively removed the court from any meaningful existence in public life
mr rosenthal a game of thrones enthusiast says the good news is that the show is back on tv again and in the just hilarious department mr rosenthal looks to the republican party establishment that despite early expressions of outrage is now stepping in line to support donald j trump he observes
susan lehman is host


the second edition of photo london the international photography fair launched last year takes place at somerset house this week for the event 85 galleries   including the citys biggest homegrown institutions and dozens from across europe asia and america   are exhibiting old and new photography for sale the show also includes the discovery section which showcases work from new and emerging galleries   as well as 50 satellite events taking place around the capital below a handful of highlights at this years fair
in the west embankment galleries at somerset house the multimedia art museum moscow presents a solo show by sergey chilikov a key figure in the subversive sots art scene that emerged in the soviet union in the 1970s chilikovs provocation series above focused on liberating his subjects during the strict brezhnev era by encouraging them to express themselves the result is an intimate uneasy glimpse into private lives
in the new book looking for the masters in ricardos golden shoes debuting at photo london today the photographer catherine balet and her collaborator ricardo martinez paz have restaged iconic photographs to explore authorship and context with balet behind the camera and martinez paz stepping in as the subject he appears in homages to diane arbuss a young man in curlers at home on west 20th street robert doisneaus picasso and the loaves and martin parrs luxury series above among dozens more it takes a second glance to spot the impostor but martinez pazs expressive face makes a lasting impact
in the fairs discovery section germanys hardhitta gallery stands out with a selection of artists who share an interest in new york arlene gottfrieds black and white 1970s snapshots concentrate on a diverse array of the citys inhabitants one image captures a nude jewish bodybuilder posing next to a fully dressed hasid on the beach at coney island also on view are two vivid pictures of life in 1980s spanish harlem see above taken by the documentary photographer joseph rodriguez
to mark the publication of real food a collection of parrs images of garish meals phaidon is collaborating with the art of dining a company run by the chef ellen parr the photographers daughter and the set designer alice hodge who have carved out a reputation for hosting creative culinary events in london the real food van parked on the river terrace of somerset house is serving food   such as glasgows meat pies and torontos lamb shaped cookies   all inspired by the book
the most overtly political work at the fair is between bridges an installation from the german artist wolfgang tillmans which serves as a one man campaign in favor of britain remaining in the european union the uk based tillmans has designed 26 posters with slogans such as we are the european family and rupert murdoch can buy the british government but not a union of 28 countries which he is encouraging the public to share and distribute


times insider shares insights into how we work at the new york times in this article john leland a metro reporter examines how spending 12 months with his subjects eroded his objectivity in a good way
fred jones couldnt change a light bulb in his apartment ping wong wanted help with her building manager john sorensen loved the opera but was homebound and had no way of getting new music as a journalist writing about these people   trained to cover events not change them   what do you do
fred ping and john are three of the six older new yorkers i followed last year for the series 85  up which looked at daily life for one of the fastest growing age groups in the city for 12 months i visited them at home and in hospital rooms and followed them to doctor appointments and poetry readings i went to birthday gatherings and family outings in chinatown for dim sum i interviewed their physicians and caregivers and children
as with any reporting project i established an objective distance from the people i was writing about it worked perfectly until it didnt
just how attached i became was made clear to me this month when i learned that fred jones had died he was just past his 89th birthday and still confident he would make it to 110 despite numerous health problems wed talked regularly since the series had ended and id continued to visit him in his walk up apartment where he struggled gamely with the stairs he always cheered me up
id broken some rules with fred on one visit during the series several of his ceiling lights had burned out i had a choice to make here was a raw fact of life an old man stuck in permanent twilight because he couldnt climb a ladder to change a bulb it was a poignant detail to share with readers exactly what the series was intended to document   it was the reason id put in so much time on the other hand how could i let fred who had shared so much of his life sit in the dark the choice wasnt really a choice i changed the bulb and told readers that i had done so so that i wasnt secretly altering the life i was documenting it wouldnt pass muster in journalism school but i trusted that times readers could perceive the precariousness of freds situation without his having to live in darkness
the series was full of such small decisions
going in i knew that loneliness and isolation   or sometimes just a human need for someone to talk to   were major issues for older people especially those who lived alone usually i visited with no agenda content to let them steer the conversation to whatever was important to them even if it was exactly what theyd told me on my last visit they were my guides to their world i was for them a regular visitor in a life that usually didnt have enough of them by the middle of the year i had six new elders to visit and keep company each with his or her individual needs jonas mekas the oldest was the outlier his life stuffed with people and purpose before i arrived i told them about my own elderly mother and about my personal life sometimes they called me when was i coming over
under these circumstances what was the meaning of journalistic distance it seemed hypothetical the act of visiting of paying attention to their lives at a time when they often felt invisible   except to their doctors or aides   changed their lives you cant be invisible when your picture is in the newspaper every month or two and people call you to say they saw it
i reminded them that ours remained a journalistic relationship and that it had a beginning and an end but i dont think that ever registered part of the wisdom of the elderly is not getting too upset about things that havent happened yet because maybe you wont be around when they do i hoped my six elders wouldnt give me stuff to write about wouldnt fall or get sick or worse all the things that make for riveting copy no news was good news
what i didnt expect was how much the visits would change me how much i would learn about life and gratitude and resilience and purpose from fred ping john helen moses jonas mekas and ruth willig they taught me how to write about their lives even if it sometimes meant screwing in a light bulb or tracking down a missing set of keys
i didnt intervene with pings building manager once when fred started crying in the middle of an interview we were videotaping i didnt hug him even though i wanted to some boundaries held
i did give john some cds by the tenor jonas kaufmann who was his favorite it was at a party for his birthday the day the final article in the series ran i dont know if he ever listened to them his memory has declined significantly since years end and i doubt he even remembers i gave them to him as i write this john is in a nursing home recovering from a fall ill visit him sometime over the next few days maybe ill ask him then or maybe ill just let him steer the conversation to whatevers important to him that always worked out well in the past


phoenix   by the time hal steinbrenners rather tepid criticism of several of his yankees   statements of fact really   had carried across the country from new york landing on ears in the visitors clubhouse it was as if the blustery ghost of steinbrenners past had delivered a pound the fist on his desk message
chase headley mark teixeira and michael pineda   who were mentioned by steinbrenner as underperforming   took turns being grilled by reporters luis severino the other player named by steinbrenner is injured and away from the team so he was spared
the line of questioning went like this how does it feel to be singled out by the owner is it extra motivation does it add more pressure
manager joe girardi though he and general manager brian cashman were exonerated by steinbrenner nevertheless bravely located a sword to fall on
i always take full responsibility for what happens girardi said
the yankees put the brakes on any manufactured tumult on wednesday   as well as on a two game losing streak   with a 4 2 victory over the arizona diamondbacks
brett gardner got the yankees off to a good start with a two run homer in the first nathan eovaldi was near perfect for six innings and the bullpen   despite a few jittery moments   secured the victory
eovaldi allowed only one baserunner   jean segura who led off the bottom of the first with a ground ball up the middle that kicked off second base depriving both shortstop didi gregorius and second baseman starlin castro the opportunity to throw him out
eovaldi retired the next 18 batters striking out five and allowing only three balls to be hit out of the infield he might have turned a shutout over to the bullpen but third baseman chase headley chose to throw to first even as segura froze halfway home on a one out grounder
the decision to remove eovaldi after he had thrown only 85 pitches immediately looked shaky when dellin betances walked two batters to open the seventh but betances struck out jake lamb who had homered the previous two nights on a devastating 3 2 slider got wellington castillo to fly out and struck out brandon drury
i was just trying to make the people sweat a little bit back home betances said of the walks
andrew miller then came on in the eighth and hung an 0 2 slider that chris owings hit over the left field wall and removed the margin for error that jacoby ellsbury had provided in the sixth when his two out single   he had three hits and a walk   scored headley miller quickly recovered to strike out the side
i thought i was going back out eovaldi said i was a little disappointed but with those three guys coming in you cant be too frustrated about that
girardi said we had betances miller and chapman rested and thats what theyre there for adding that he would have kept eovaldi in if he had been throwing a no hitter
nate did his job and its the responsibility of the next three guys to do their job girardi said
ellsbury who had three hits and two walks scored on a wild pitch in the ninth
aroldis chapman retired the diamondbacks in order for his fourth save sparing the yankees any further drama
the stir that steinbrenners comments created outweighed their content the players steinbrenner had mentioned when he spoke to reporters at an owners meeting in manhattan were not singled out in harsh terms   certainly not as harsh as many fans would use to assess their performance
pineda and severino are a combined 1 13 and both have eras are over 650 teixeira has not hit a home run in his last 107 at bats though headley has awakened at the plate of late   he is hitting 316 since may 7   he did not have an extra base hit until may 12
though steinbrenners comments were not quoted to the players they shrugged
ive been around long enough to know youre going to get singled out when youre not producing especially the type of career ive had teixeira said ive always been someone whos been able to carry teams during tough streaks and weve been in a tough stretch the whole season and im the type of player that can carry a team   i just havent done it yet
headley and pineda said they were just as disappointed in their play thus far as steinbrenner   or anyone else   might be
its his team headley said it doesnt really mean anything to be honest i dont need a reminder by saying that make sure its not me saying i wish he wouldnt have said anything i know that i havent played the way that im capable
pineda speaking through a translator said it doesnt bother me that hes saying that but at the same time i expect a lot from myself and i know i can be better
teixeiras slump is most discomfiting
he hit 31 home runs last year even after missing all but a few at bats of the final seven weeks after fouling a ball off his shin teixeira has been swinging the bat reasonably well right handed   batting 288   but he has been dreadful hitting left handed which is where most of his power comes from
he is hitting 148 left handed and has struck out 32 times in 96 plate appearances including three tuesday night and three more wednesday he did strike one ball well but drury caught his first inning drive while crashing into the right field fence
another sign of his timing being off teixeira said is that he is hitting too many weak ground balls and is not driving the ball it is something that he has worked on with the hitting coaches alan cockrell and marcus thames but thus far the work has not translated to games
thats the thing thats a little frustrating teixeira said in the cage and in batting practice everything is fine but you know you face some tough pitchers you expand the zone a little bit   im not taking my walks like i was earlier i need to swing at better pitches and hopefully the home runs will come ill draw my walks when i need to and then hopefully get on a roll
that roll did not begin for teixeira on wednesday but the yankees can at least hope it did for them


front page
an article on wednesday about pressure that democratic officials are putting on senator bernie sanders of vermont to rein in his supporters after they disrupted a weekend democratic convention in nevada misidentified in some editions the senate leadership job held by harry reid he is the minority leader   not the majority leader the post held by senator mitch mcconnell of kentucky
international
an article on wednesday about the obama administrations lifting of sanctions on myanmar rendered incorrectly part of the name of one company in which the burmese business tycoon steven law owns a majority stake and which the treasury department will blacklist it is the shwe nar wah company not the shew nar wah company

a picture on march 22 with an article about the way in which salah abdeslam the lone surviving suspect from the paris terror attacks in november managed to elude capture for months afterward was published in error it showed najim laachraoui believed to have made the bombs used in the paris and brussels attacks   not mr abdeslam the error was pointed out shortly after publication but editors failed to follow through with a print correction
new york
an article on monday about a mechanic who sued the town of east hampton over the forcible clearance of his cluttered yard misstated the surname of one of the towns lawyers he is mark radi not nadi
business day
because of an editing error an article on wednesday about the international monetary funds push for debt relief for greece misstated the dollar equivalent of 300 billion euros the nations current debt it is 340 billion not 340 million

an article on the dealbook page on wednesday about the value of lending club to some high risk borrowers erroneously included one state among those that have no cap on interest rates while south dakota and utah are among them delaware is not
the arts
a critics notebook article last thursday about new york city ballet misidentified the composer of explosions polka one of the pieces used in the george balanchine ballet vienna waltzes he was johann strauss ii   not franz lehar who composed another piece used in the ballet
science times
a headline on tuesday with a report in the observatory column about a study of forests ability to absorb carbon dioxide misstated in some editions the location of the forests studied as the report correctly noted they are in locations throughout latin america not just in brazil
obituaries
an obituary on tuesday about the architect romaldo giurgola misstated the number of branches of government based in parliament house australias seat of government which he designed it is two   the legislative and executive branches   not all three the australian judiciary is in a different building
thursday styles
the unbuttoned column last thursday about politicians who dress more informally at official events referred imprecisely to john f kennedys inaugural attire in 1961 while the president was hatless for his inaugural address he wore a top hat to the ceremony

an article last thursday about an art installation created for hermes by the director robert wilson to mark the debut of its new furniture and housewares line misstated in one instance the surname of a deputy artistic director of hermes maison universe as the article correctly noted elsewhere he is alexis fabry not alexis aubry

an article on may 5 about the plus size model zach miko misidentified the position held by ivan bart whose agency represents mr miko mr bart is the president of img models   not of img its parent company

an article on may 5 about the decreasing number of gay dance clubs in manhattan misstated the reason the club escuelita closed the club owner who could not be reached before publication later contacted the times to say he closed the club because of declining attendance not because of a liquor license dispute

the boite column on may 5 about the market hotel a rock club in brooklyn misstated the types of drinks sold there the club sells soju cocktails it does not have a full bar
the times welcomes comments and suggestions or complaints about errors that warrant correction messages on news coverage can be e mailed to nytnewsnytimescom or left toll free at 1 844 nyt news 1 844 698 6397 comments on editorials may be e mailed to lettersnytimescom or faxed to 212 556 3622
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for newspaper delivery questions 1 800 nytimes 1 800 698 4637 or e mail customercarenytimescom


oakland calif   on one play stephen curry dribbled 14 times toying with defenders before bursting forward for a layup on another he dived over the first row of fans after a loose ball and disappeared like a magician and during one breathtaking stretch of the third quarter he did what he does best   score points in rapid succession   to turn a tight game into a blowout
curry the golden state warriors guard with unique flair for the dramatic did a bit of everything to lead the warriors to a 118 91 victory over oklahoma city in game 2 of the western conference finals on wednesday night
mainly curry scored 15 of his 28 points during a dizzying span of 1 minute 58 seconds of the third quarter loosening a physical game into a dashing runaway
before he made a 27 foot 3 pointer with 709 left in the third quarter the warriors were clinging to a 64 57 lead after he made a 26 footer with 511 left the warriors led 79 59 and it was clear to the nearly 20000 in attendance that the series would soon be tied at a game apiece game 3 is scheduled for sunday in oklahoma city
its all about our ball movement curry said of his outburst the way that theyve been defending its hard to get a rhythm if you dont move the ball
he called it our brand of basketball
his teammate festus ezeli had a different explanation
steph is gonna steph he said
currys swollen right elbow is the warriors next worry curry played it down saying it was an issue of pain not range of motion
looks like it has a tennis ball on top of it curry said
he had not seen a replay of the dive into the stands and he wondered aloud if fans had tried to catch him none did there is a narrow walkway behind the first row and curry thought he had banged his elbow against the step in front of the next line of seats
i missed the first row and didnt quite get all the way to the next row he said
golden state coach steve kerr said i just expect nothing less from steph hes the mvp for a reason he knows he didnt have his best night in game 1 and came out and played exceptionally well
this is what he does kerr added
oklahoma city had won three in a row on the road against the teams with the two best regular season records in the nba san antonio and golden state combined to lose just three times in 82 home games before the playoffs but the thunder upset the spurs in the second round with two victories in san antonio and then won game 1 here on monday
the warriors however trying to punctuate historys best regular season record 73 9 with a second consecutive nba championship had not lost consecutive games all season they avoided the difficult task of coming back to win a seven game series after losing the first two games at home
after golden states game 1 loss curry said it would be fun to play a game while trailing in the series fans found little joy in the idea fretting for 48 hours that the warriors pixie dusted ride of the past two seasons could be on the verge of collapse
but curry rarely lets them down no one had more fun on wednesday than curry and the fans at oracle arena found the mood contagious fans who spent the third quarter cheering wildly for the home team mostly headed for the exits midway through the fourth as the lead climbed into the 30s
the thunder won the opener on monday by erasing a 13 point halftime deficit largely behind 19 third quarter points from russell westbrook and frosty shooting by the warriors in the fourth
but oklahoma city had no retort this time kevin durant had 29 points but just 6 in the second half westbrook was held to 16 though he handed out a game high 12 assists
guys in the locker room arent happy that were 1 1 durant said were upset that we didnt play well tonight
the thunder behind durant kept the warriors on a short leash until currys third quarter burst oklahoma city led with less than two minutes left in the second quarter before the warriors surged to a 57 49 halftime lead
to that point the building was never louder than when currys fast break pass was deflected to iguodala who was fouled and fell as he flung up an off balance layup that banked into the basket
in the game 1 defeat the warriors got just 16 points from their bench usually a reliable strong suit with center andrew bogut slowed by an adductor strain he had 0 points and 3 rebounds in game 1 kerr mostly used a small lineup featuring no player taller than 6 feet 8 inches
in game 2 bogut was limited early by foul trouble but the warriors got strong minutes from their backup big men festus ezili 12 points and marreese speights 13 points golden states bench players combined for 50 points more than three times as many as in game 1 seven golden state players reached double figures
it was defintely what was needed golden states draymond green said when the bench is clicking like that were tough to beat
but as usual the star was curry carrying championship hopes on his slight shoulders he missed several games earlier in the playoffs with a sprained knee and threw a brief scare into the warriors in the first quarter on wednesday when he threw himself over the first row while diving for a loose ball
he disappeared out of view in front of the second row for 15 seconds and even fans around him stood silently unsure if he was ok to everyones relief except perhaps those on the oklahoma city bench nearby curry finally stood and walked back onto the court preparing for even better tricks
just hoping he didnt bang into a chair or somebodys knee kerr said of the play we were just waiting to see if he got up and he got up and looked fine and we all breathed a sigh of relief


cairo   the egyptair red eye from paris to cairo an airbus a320 jetliner less than half full had just entered egyptian airspace early thursday on the final part of its journey
suddenly the twin engine jetliner jerked hard to the left then hard to the right circled and plunged 28000 feet disappearing from the radar screens of greek and egyptian air traffic controllers
that began a day of emergency rescuers scrambling officials issuing conflicting information and experts speculating about the fate of egyptair flight 804 which carried at least 66 people from roughly a dozen nations and was presumed to have crashed into the mediterranean sea
egyptair initially said wreckage of the plane had been found with the help of searchers from greece but a senior official of the airline speaking on cnn retracted that assertion hours later egyptian officials suggested that terrorism was a more likely cause for the disappearance than mechanical failure but others cautioned that it was premature to make that judgment
the loss of the flight was the second civilian aviation disaster to hit egypt in the past seven months it resurrected fears and speculation about the safety and security of egyptian aviation which has a history of lapses   as well as the specter of a security breach in paris where the plane took off
the mystery of the planes demise also raised broader questions about the vulnerability of civilian air travel to terrorism flight 804 went missing against the backdrop of threats from militant extremist groups like the islamic state and al qaeda with networks linking europe to the middle east
by thursday evening no group had claimed responsibility
with differing reports about precisely what wreckage had been discovered president abdel fattah el sisi of egypt ordered the armed forces to take all measures necessary to find the remains of the plane his office said in a statement
the statement also said work had begun immediately to unravel the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of the egyptian aircraft and establish its causes
as news of the missing plane spread in cairo relatives of those aboard rushed to the airport some overcome with grief and anger over the lack of information pray for them said a relative of a flight attendant who had just married we dont know anything
earlier in the day egypts civil aviation minister sherif fathi acknowledged at a news conference that the cause might have been terrorism mr fathi said that if you analyze the situation properly the possibility of having a terror attack is higher than the possibility of technical failure
egyptair said the pilot and co pilot had nearly 9000 hours of flying time between them officials from the interior ministry and cairo airport described them as experienced fliers with no known political affiliations
the jetliner departed paris at 1109 pm on wednesday the pilot spoke to greek air traffic controllers at 226 am and nothing seemed out of the ordinary officials said three or four minutes later the plane made its last normal radar contact
at 237 am shortly after entering egyptian airspace the plane made a 90 degree turn to the left and then a full circle to the right first plunging to 15000 feet from 37000 feet and then to 9000 feet at that point it disappeared from radar the greek defense minister panos kammenos said at a news conference on thursday afternoon
there was also conflicting information about precisely how many passengers flight 804 was carrying   66 or 69 egyptair said early in the day that 56 passengers were aboard along with seven crew members and three members of airline security personnel but three infants also were reported to have been aboard and it was unclear if they had been counted
at least 30 of the passengers were from egypt according to the airline with others from algeria belgium britain canada chad france iraq kuwait portugal saudi arabia and sudan
the aircraft was delivered to egyptair in november 2003 and had accumulated 48000 hours of flying time according to data compiled by flightradar24 an aviation website such aircraft are typically built to last 30 or 40 years and there was no indication anything was mechanically amiss
but the aircrafts north africa itinerary in the previous two days was possibly more worrisome flightradar24 data showed it had flown round trips between cairo and asmara eritrea and between cairo and tunis before going to paris american and european officials have expressed concerns about security gaps in north african airports
officials in egypt who have been under intense scrutiny since a bomb brought down a russian airliner over the sinai peninsula in october killing all 224 people on board declined to describe the events as a crash
the aviation ministers quick acknowledgment that terrorism might be a cause this time was in stark contrast to the governments handling of the loss of the russian airliner which egyptian officials had insisted for months could not have been the result of terrorism
the french president francois hollande after speaking by telephone with president sisi of egypt also raised the possibility of terrorism the information that we have been able to gather   the prime minister the members of the government and of course the egyptian authorities   unfortunately confirm for us that this plane crashed at sea and has been lost mr hollande said at the elysee palace
mr hollande said that no hypothesis was being ruled out and that search teams from france greece and egypt were hoping to recover debris that would enable us to know the truth
he added when we have the truth we must draw all the conclusions whether it is an accident or another hypothesis which everybody has in mind the terrorist hypothesis
security at charles de gaulle airport outside paris where flight 804 departed was tightened after the terrorist attacks in and around the french capital in november and scrutiny of passengers and luggage was also stepped up in the wake of the bombing of brussels airport in march
president obama was briefed by lisa o monaco his adviser for homeland security and counterterrorism and the administration offered support and assistance the white house said in a statement
administration officials said it was too early to say what had caused the plane to vanish but they said they were sharing information from a terrorist watch list as well as other data with egyptian french and other investigators
egyptair said the last radar contact with the plane had been about 230 am when it was 175 miles off the egyptian coast greek officials put the last radar contact at a minute earlier
at 314 am the greek authorities began a search operation deploying a c 130 military transport plane at 426 am   nearly two hours after the last radar contact   the plane emitted a signal although it was not clear whether that was an emergency distress signal sent by a crew member or an automated signal from the planes onboard computers
we dont know if the pilot had something to do with this or if it is just the plane sending it said ihab raslan a spokesman for the egyptian civil aviation ministry
in the october crash of the russian jetliner the plane broke up in midair 23 minutes after takeoff from the red sea resort city of sharm el sheikh the islamic state whose local affiliate is fighting the egyptian military in the sinai peninsula claimed that it had brought down the plane an airbus a321 200
the crash dealt a crippling blow to egypts tourism industry which had already declined sharply in recent years it also helped precipitate a decline in the value of the egyptian currency in recent months
russia and britain have suspended flights to sharm el sheikh since the crash the egyptian investigation has yet to officially identify the cause but president vladimir v putin of russia and mr sisi discussed the resumption of flights in a telephone call on may 10 according to a statement from the kremlin
the last major crash involving an egyptair plane occurred in 2002 when a boeing 737 traveling from cairo struck a hill near the tunis airport killing 18 of the 62 people on board
in march a hijacker wearing a fake explosives vest diverted an egyptair domestic flight to cyprus but a standoff ended with his arrest and no injuries the cypriot authorities later described the man seif eldin mustafa as psychologically disturbed he is currently battling extradition to egypt
egypt has come under criticism in the past for its lack of transparency in aviation accidents in 1999 an egyptair flight crashed into the atlantic ocean shortly after takeoff from new york killing all 217 on board
although american investigators concluded that the co pilot had steered the airplane into the sea egypt rejected the idea of suicide and still insists that the crash was caused by an unspecified mechanical failure


sidney crosby phil kessel and chris kunitz scored third period goals helping the pittsburgh penguins beat the host tampa bay lightning 4 2 in game 3 of the eastern conference finals on wednesday night
carl hagelin broke a scoreless tie late in the second period and matt murray had 26 saves for the penguins who took a 2 1 lead over the lightning the defending eastern conference champions in the best of seven series
a power play goal by crosby restored a two goal lead midway through the final period kunitz also beat goalie andrei vasilevskiy from the right circle to make it 4 1
tyler johnson and ondrej palat scored in the third for the lightning who have lost two straight after winning the series opener in pittsburgh
tampa bay generated scoring chances early forcing pittsburghs matt murray to make 12 saves in the opening period but the lightning were outshot by 48 28 including 38 16 over the last two periods the lightning had been outshot by a combined 76 41 in the first two games
vasilevskiy won game 1 in relief of the injured ben bishop and the penguins took game 2 in pittsburgh when crosby scored the first overtime playoff goal of his career less than a minute into the extra period game 4 will be friday on the lightnings home ice
retirees suit goes forward a federal judge in minnesota denied the nhls latest attempt to throw out a class action lawsuit by former players over head injuries
the league had argued that the suit should be tossed because the issues raised by the former players were covered by the collective bargaining agreement but the judge found that the contract does not pre empt legal action in part because the retired players are no longer subject to it
dan lacouture michael peluso gary leeman bernie nicholls david christian and reed larson represent former players who allege that the nhl did not sufficiently protect the players or inform them of the dangers of head injuries they had sustained when they played
stuart davidson of robbins geller a lawyer for the players called the order a historic decision in american sports and labor law
in a statement the nhl said it disagreed with the decision but believed the opinion deferred the pre emption issues to another day
gm award nominees are namedwashingtons brian maclellan dallass jim nill and pittsburghs jim rutherford are the finalists for the nhl general manager of the year award the winner will be announced june 22 in las vegas
sevilla stunned liverpool with a 3 1 comeback victory in basel switzerland to capture a record third straight europa league title the victory gave sevilla a spot in next years champions league group stage
sevilla tied the game 18 seconds into the second half on a kevin gameiro goal from close range and coke then struck in the 64th and 70th minutes the second goal was furiously disputed by liverpool after an assistant referee signaled offsides and then lowered his flag
liverpool had taken a lead in the 35th minute on a beautifully curled left foot shot by daniel sturridge
red bulls and nycfc get ready the red bulls and new york city fc will enter their match saturday at yankee stadium with runs of recent success
the red bulls got a goal from mike grella early in the second half to beat visiting chicago 1 0 they have won three of their last five games after starting 1 6 luis robles posted his second shutout of the season in his 118th consecutive start a streak that ties an mls record
nycfc extended its club record unbeaten streak to five games with a tie against host toronto fc 1 1 kwadwo poku scored in the 16th minute but nycfcs bid to extend its three game winning streak ended with a second half goal by will johnson
extradited official arraignedjulio rocha a former head of the nicaraguan soccer federation and the last of seven men extradited in a fifa corruption case pleaded not guilty to racketeering charges
rocha 65 entered the plea in federal court in brooklyn rocha and six others including two fifa vice presidents were charged in what officials called a sprawling bribery scheme involving international soccers governing body
the former atlanta braves manager fredi gonzalez said he learned that he had been fired by an automatically generated email telling him about his ticket out of town
gonzalez said he had received the email on monday from the teams travel agency about his flight for the next day   but the braves were scheduled to play in pittsburgh through thursday night
gonzalez confirmed his dismissal   and the embarrassing logistical gaffe   with atlantas traveling secretary and then went to talk with general manager john coppolella taking two bottles of wine
there was no animosity gonzalez said
verlander reaches milestone justin verlander struck out 10 batters including the 2000th of his career to help host detroit beat minnesota 6 3
verlander 3 4 allowed three runs over seven and a third innings while matching his season high in strikeouts he became the 76th in baseball history to reach 2000 strikeouts the twins dropped to 10 29
around the majors tyler goeddel hit his first career homer jeremy hellickson pitched six sharp innings and the philadelphia phillies beat visiting miami 4 2 jeanmar gomez earned his 16th save in 17 tries khris davis hit his fourth home run in two games and oakland completed a sweep of visiting texas 8 1 davis hit a solo home run in the sixth inning a day after hitting three homers including a game ending grand slam mark trumbo and matt wieters had back to back homers and chris tillman won his fifth straight start as baltimore beat visiting seattle 5 2 kevin kiermaier logan morrison and desmond jennings each homered as visiting tampa bay beat slumping toronto 6 3 the rays outscored the blue jays by 31 7 in their three game sweep
saul alvarez vacated his world boxing council middleweight title rather than be pressured into a deal to fight gennady golovkin although alvarez said in a statement that he still wanted the fight to happen
the wbc had imposed a deadline of tuesday for scheduling a fight between alvarez and golovkin the unified titleholder but alvarez widely known as canelo said he did not want to negotiate terms under such a time constraint
alvarez said he had instructed his promoter oscar de la hoya to continue negotiating for a fight with golovkin and to finalize a deal as quickly as possible


donald j trump escalated his attacks on former president bill clintons past in an interview on wednesday with sean hannity on fox news bringing up an old allegation of rape
discussing a recent new york times article regarding mr trumps history with women mr hannity led mr trump down a line of questioning naming women who had accused mr clinton of sexual misconduct
for example i looked at the new york times mr hannity said are they going to interview juanita broaddrick are they going to interview paula jones are they going to interview kathleen willey
he continued in one case its about exposure in another case its about groping and fondling and touching against a womans will
mr trump interjected unprompted and rape
he was referring to ms broaddrick who made her allegations public in 1999 they were publicly denied by mr clintons personal lawyer david e kendall who called them absolutely false
mr trump has repeatedly mentioned past allegations against mr clinton on tuesday he wrote on twitter that mr clinton was the worst abuser of woman in us political history
and on the campaign trail mr trump has tried to tie hillary clinton to the scandals such as by referring to her as an enabler in a speech in eugene ore this month
nick merrill the traveling press secretary for the clinton campaign likened mr trumps latest allegations to doing what he does best attacking when he feels wounded and dragging the american people through the mud for his own gain
mr merrill added if thats the kind of campaign he wants to run thats his choice hillary clinton is running a campaign to be president for all of america its not surprising that after a week of still refusing to release his taxes and likening oakland and ferguson to the dangers in iraq of course he wants to change the subject so while he licks his wounds well continue to focus on improving the lives of the american people


bayer of germany has made a takeover bid for monsanto potentially signaling another huge merger in the business of crop seeds and pesticides
while the companies did not disclose details of the offer a tie up of the two companies would yield a giant whose products encompass antibiotics genetically modified crop seeds and pesticides it would have a combined annual revenue of more than 67 billion
in a short statement late wednesday monsanto said its board was reviewing the proposal bayer said early thursday that it had recently met with monsanto executives to discuss a potential deal saying it would create a leading integrated agriculture business
news of bayers interest in monsanto has percolated over the last several weeks stirring speculation that the agricultural sector could see another big deal after dow chemical and dupont agreed last year to merge
as crop prices fall analysts and investors have anticipated a flurry of deals among companies that service the farming industry monsanto which failed to buy its rival syngenta last year has been seen as a potentially attractive takeover target
the company is the worlds biggest seller of seeds including those for genetically modified crops that can better withstand pesticides
monsantos unsuccessful bid for syngenta a pesticide maker would have been worth 47 billion but syngenta steadfastly rejected entreaties arguing that the offer was too low and that a potential deal would run afoul of antitrust regulators
syngenta which is based in switzerland eventually agreed early this year to sell itself to the china national chemical corporation
afterward monsanto said that it was no longer interested in striking huge mergers instead pursuing what would largely be a self help strategy
shares in the company have slipped 14 percent so far this year closing on wednesday at 9713
bayer and basf had each expressed interest in exploring some kind of joint venture with monsanto in recent months
it was unclear whether monsanto is interested in pursuing a sale to either bayer or basf a top executive at the seed company told reuters at an investor conference on wednesday that talk of a deal with either company was wild speculation
advising monsanto on its review of the bayer proposal are morgan stanley the boutique investment bank ducera partners and the law firm wachtell lipton rosen  katz


control of the new york state senate was at stake the mayor of new york city threw his weight behind a candidate and money from powerful unions and wealthy donors poured into party committees that quickly funneled the money to candidates in the hotly contested race
the contours of that fund raising strategy have become familiar as state prosecutors and fbi agents are now investigating an effort led by mayor bill de blasio to channel donations to a group of democratic candidates around the state in 2014
but a very similar series of events played out in early 2007 during a special election for a vacant state senate seat in nassau county   only then it was mayor michael r bloomberg mr de blasios predecessor who played a crucial role
the nassau race was a very perfect example of the fact that this is an unfortunately common practice and has been for quite some time said susan lerner the executive director of common cause new york a good government advocacy group in 2007 just as in 2014 ms lerner said money was given to the political parties to be passed through to the candidates without regard to what the giver would be limited to if he or she were giving directly to the candidate
because the nassau race had striking similarities to mr de blasios effort in 2014 it could buttress the argument put forth by the mayors allies that he was simply doing what had been done many times before by singling out mr de blasio a democrat they suggest prosecutors risk criminalizing long accepted ways of conducting politics in the state
yet the current investigations focus less on the flow of money than on whether mr de blasios team went too far in trying to direct it
contributions to individual candidates are capped at a relatively low level but much larger contributions are permitted to party committees and the law allows those committees to transfer an unlimited amount of money to candidates
it is illegal however for the party committees to agree with donors in advance that the money is destined for individual campaigns a process referred to as earmarking the donations and that is a line that investigators believe mr de blasio may have crossed in 2014 by directing donations to small county committees that then transferred the money to local candidates
the line between legal and illegal is razor thin ms lerner said certainly it is a critical legal difference but in the real world theyre practically identical
no one has suggested that mr bloombergs conduct in 2007 was illegal news accounts at the time of the special election highlighted the flood of outside money into the race including from mr bloomberg a republican at the time and cited party leaders on both sides saying the election was crucial to the state senates balance of power
mr bloomberg a billionaire supported the republican candidate in that race maureen oconnell but instead of making the relatively small donation permitted by law directly to her campaign he sent three checks for a total of 250000 to a pair of republican party committees
the former mayor gave 75000 to the new york state senate republican campaign committee and the same amount to the republican partys main state committee he also sent 100000 to what is known as a housekeeping account for the state committee   a type of account that is not supposed to be used to give direct support to candidates although in practice the lines are often blurred
mr bloomberg was not alone from jan 1 2007 through the election on feb 6 the campaign committee took in 14 million   a sum that at the time helped make the race the most expensive ever for a seat in the state legislature
large donations also came from unions   local 1199 of the service employees international union sent 84400   as well as new york city real estate interests and wealthy new yorkers among them the philanthropist jane forbes clark and the businessman andrew saul who sent 25000 each
at the same time that the money was coming in it was going out to ms oconnells campaign in four transactions in january the campaign committee transferred a total of 767500 to her campaign the final transfer for 87500 was made on jan 24 mr bloombergs 75000 contribution was reported by the state committee as having been received two days later
the two republican party committees also spent enormous sums in other ways to support ms oconnell they reported spending an additional 745120 raising the total support for ms oconnell funneled through the committees to more than 15 million
it was no surprise and we didnt make any particular issue of the fact that the mayor of the city of new york mike bloomberg at the time was pumping in a lot of money said jay jacobs who has been the chairman of the nassau county democratic committee since 2001
he said that because it was a special election and there were no other contests it was clear that contributions to the party committees would go to support candidates in the race in that sense the conditions in nassau in 2007 were not unlike those in the counties where donations rolled in during the 2014 senate races in those counties the senate contests were the ones with the most competition so donations to local committees would have logically been sent in their direction
no one ever told us how to spend the money said edward s lurie a political consultant who was the executive director of the senate republican campaign committee in 2007 referring to the fund raising for the special election including the contributions from mr bloomberg we did not have to spend it on maureen oconnell
he added thats the key if you direct funds for the purpose of avoiding contribution limits then youre violating the law
ms oconnell the republican candidate in the 2007 race who is also the nassau county clerk did not respond to requests for an interview
her democratic opponent at the time craig m johnson who now works at a manhattan law firm said he did not recall details of the fund raising from the race it was really cold he said i spent my time knocking on doors trying to get myself elected meeting voters
stu loeser a spokesman for mr bloomberg declined to comment
on the democratic side the partys senate campaign committee and its state committee took in more than 1 million from jan 1 2007 through the election in february the two democratic committees made four transfers to mr johnsons campaign totaling 327200 the two party committees also reported 14 million in expenses to aide mr johnsons campaign
mr jacobs who has also served as the chairman of the state committee said the law creates a loophole that is easily exploited allowing party committees to take in donations far above the levels permitted for candidates while letting the party transfer unlimited sums to candidates campaigns
if thats not a legal provision to evade   if you want to use that word   to evade limits on contributions to individual candidates i dont know what is mr jacobs said the answer to fix the problem is fix that loophole
in the end the 2007 race was similar in another way to mr de blasios efforts which backed mostly losing candidates and failed in its objective to swing the senate to democratic control despite mr bloombergs contributions ms oconnell lost


menlo park calif   cordiality reigned and pleasantries were exchanged there was talk of virtual reality a tour of frank gehry designed buildings   and only a hint of disagreement
after more than a week of controversy over allegations that facebook displays a liberal media bias a group of 16 republican pundits and politicians met with the social networks chief mark zuckerberg its chief operating officer sheryl sandberg and other top executives on wednesday
the tete a tete at facebooks headquarters was an attempt by the company to mend fences with conservatives   and by most accounts it was a step in the right direction
the 90 minute meeting was described as mostly collegial sympathetic and inquisitive by those in attendance some of the time was spent airing concerns and grievances   quite politely   with the group saying they felt conservatives did not have a true voice in the generally liberal area of silicon valley
to reassure attendees that facebook is open to all perspectives the company walked them through a technical presentation on how it surfaces the most popular news stories on the site
when the group raised the issue of ideological diversity   or a lack thereof   among employees at facebook who mostly lean left there was a pause attendees struggled to come to an agreement over how to solve the issue
some suggested adding more training and in depth job interviews but were rebuffed by those who saw that as not being in line with conservative principles
that was all left behind later when the republican group   including dana perino of fox news and barry bennett a campaign coordinator for donald j trump   were taken on a tour of facebooks campus with its frank gehry designed structures the attendees were also given a demonstration of facebooks oculus virtual reality technology
i would actually commend facebook for being the only one of the major tech groups in silicon valley thats willing to have conversations like this zac moffatt a co founder of the political consultancy group targeted victory and a republican digital strategist said in an interview after the meeting it came about in a challenging way but i actually think that silicon valley over all it behooves them to all prepare for this and get ahead and have this type of engagement
mr zuckerberg was similarly effusive when the meeting concluded
weve built facebook to be a platform for all ideas he said in a post to his personal facebook page our communitys success depends on everyone feeling comfortable sharing anything they want
for facebook the meeting was a crucial attempt to repair its relationship with the right after a story published last week by the news site gizmodo which claimed that some facebook staff members regularly suppressed conservative news stories on a section of the social networking site known as trending
facebook disputed the allegations and later published its internal editorial guidelines to show how it surfaces popular stories but that did little to quell a backlash from conservatives against the company mr zuckerberg himself has fostered the perception that facebook leans liberal with his public comments about supporting citizenship for children of illegal immigrants and marriage equality rights
the social network can ill afford to look like it only supports one side however in the last year it has stepped up its efforts to be a major force for democrats and republicans in this years presidential election the company has long planned to sponsor both this summers republican and democratic national conventions and has worked with outlets like fox news on the republican debates
alienating a particular political party   or its constituents   could potentially hurt facebooks popularity over time with users and perhaps more important with advertisers and potential partners
it doesnt make sense for our mission or our business to suppress political content or prevent anyone from seeing what matters most to them mr zuckerberg said in his facebook post on wednesday
at the meeting which was organized by joel kaplan facebooks vice president for global public policy and the companys highest ranking republican most of the conversation focused on opening and continuing a dialogue between facebook and conservatives fruit cheese water and coffee were served peter thiel a facebook board member who is also a delegate for mr trump was also in attendance
during the discussion the group agreed that there should be no government regulation in the process facebook executives used the point to bring up an inquiry sent to them last week by senator john thune republican of south dakota mr thune has asked the company to explain its filtering practices and whether its news curators manipulated the content
facebook officials said they were looking forward to answering his questions in writing and would be responding
many conservatives left the meeting encouraged but also with a wait and see approach
well see if the dialogue continues and if they work to really make improvements and to see how they can prevent these things from happening in the future said jenny beth martin the co founder of the tea party patriots they sincerely seem to acknowledge that they have areas that they have to improve and they want to learn from those mistakes and be better in the future
arthur c brooks of the american enterprise institute a conservative think tank said he told facebook they need to think about more diversity of ideas of religious groups and not be a monoculture and they understood this and were very sympathetic to this
at least one republican who attended will not be leaving facebook rob bluey editor in chief of the daily signal said in an interview with fox news that he would not be changing how his website which is part of the heritage foundation a conservative organization uses facebook as a platform
as it stands facebook reaches over a billion people mr bluey said theres a lot of conservatives who use it


sleepy hollow ny   it would seem ripe for an eruption of not in my backyard furor   an enormous development along the water
but instead many in this corner of westchester county welcome the project believing it will provide the economic adrenaline that has long been needed while resurrecting a long derelict industrial site that reflected the unraveling of manufacturing in the region
the site   nearly 100 acres along the hudson river here where general motors once assembled 11 million cars   has had a protracted gestation period on wednesday however ground finally broke on the 1 billion development which will feature 1177 units of housing more than 200000 square feet of commercial space and a 140 room hotel
when the project edge on hudson is completed over the next decade it will transform this diverse village where more than half of the 10000 residents speak spanish
the ambitious plans are helping heal the wounds caused by the closing of the plant in 1996 which represented such a psychic shift for the village that officials changed its name   to sleepy hollow from north tarrytown
the name change evoked washington irvings tale of the legend of sleepy hollow which has as its backdrop the villages old dutch church and churchyard but the new moniker also signaled a changing economy one based not on industry but on history the river   and housing
people are happy that its finally happening the village mayor ken wray a democrat said of the start of construction weve been looking at this empty slab for 20 years now plans and approvals are one thing but its not the same as seeing someone out there with a jackhammer
the complex is expected to increase the population by a quarter and add an estimated 225 students to the school district it could also lead to gentrification especially along a stretch where low rent housing sits close to the former general motors site
but residents and local officials who have suffered through years of anemic tax revenue are eager for the property to generate income at one time gm accounted for half of all tax revenue in the village that fell to less than 5 percent after the company negotiated a deal in the 1980s that was designed to keep the plant in operation
right before gm sold the property to a development team in 2014 sleepy hollow which has an annual budget of 21 million received only 140000 a year in taxes from the site after the plant closed officials were forced to raise property taxes 20 percent in a single year
now with the site still a blank slate tax revenue has already jumped to nearly 800000 a year that has enabled the village government to cut property taxes
the tax benefits are not the only thing residents await the developers diversified realty advisors and suncal worked with the environmental group scenic hudson which years ago saw the potential of the former factory site to create open space on the hudson
as a result of discussions between scenic hudson village officials residents and the developers the complex will include 24 acres of public space including 16 acres of parkland and trails trails through the site will connect to riverwalk a planned 51 mile hudson river path that is being built in stages in addition the new green space will border kingsland point park which is managed by the village
the new open space will effectively expand the county park by 40 percent kingsland point park will flow seamlessly into the park space for this development said amy kacala a senior planner at scenic hudson thats very exciting
in addition local officials years ago had agreed on a plan that required any developer to give a large chunk of land to the village because metro north railroad train tracks cross over the site the most valuable land   from a developers perspective   is on the west side of the tracks along the river with its majestic views
about 30 acres of land on the east side of the railroad tracks has already been transferred to the village which plans to build a new department of public works building along with a baseball diamond an all purpose athletic field and a recreation center
under the development agreement suncal and diversified realty advisors have committed to paying the village 115 million to help finance those amenities
the development came together at a glacial pace in part because of concerns over its extraordinary size and in part because of the financial crisis of 2008 the first developer chosen by gm roseland property company decided to pull out when the neighboring village of tarrytown sued over the plans density and traffic impacts
my partners outvoted me and we terminated the contract jonathan d stein a former partner in roseland said
but mr stein remained bullish about the site now a managing partner of diversified realty advisors he teamed up with suncal and the two firms together bought the property from gm for 395 million
over the next year the developers will prepare the site for construction by ripping out acres of concrete foundation   all that remained after gm demolished its plant   and laying down utility lines
jim tinson chief executive of hart howerton an architecture landscape and planning firm has arranged the site so that the buildings and open space facing the new york city skyline   visible beyond the tappan zee bridge   are more urban and formal in design
by contrast the portion of the site that overlooks the rugged hudson highlands where a lighthouse stands just offshore was designed in a looser style with native plantings and winding paths
as you turn the corner and pass the lighthouse you see the hudson river valley and the pristine undulating landscape in the distance said mr tinson whose firm is also the projects master planner the parkland on our site becomes more organic and natural
unlike some gated communities that have risen on the river edge on hudson is intended to invite people to use the parkland including a sandy beach for launching kayaks and to patronize the shops and restaurants
that is reassuring to mr wray the mayor but he still wonders about the developments repercussions on the village where annual household incomes range from below the poverty line to over 1 million about 60 units in edge on hudson or about 5 percent of the total will be set aside for affordable housing
were rightfully proud of who we are as a village and the diversity we have said mr wray who heads a foundation in new york city that promotes affordable housing i think gentrification will definitely happen but the challenge of village government will be to maintain that diversity


a former new york city police officer was convicted on wednesday of faking a mental disability to get more than 200000 in benefits from the social security administration the first verdict by a jury to arise from an indictment of numerous former officers and firefighters in january 2014
a jury in state supreme court in manhattan found the former officer kevin hurley 56 guilty of grand larceny after three days of deliberations
more than 100 of those indicted in the scheme have pleaded guilty including four ringleaders who admitted that they coached officers and firefighters to mimic the symptoms of post traumatic stress in order to convince the government to grant them disability benefits many of the defendants claimed falsely that they were disabled as the result of their experiences in the terrorist attack on sept 11 2001
mr hurley of windsor ny said on his benefit applications that he was so depressed and crippled by panic attacks that he could not drive manage money or go shopping the evidence showed yet prosecutors demonstrated that he had paid all of his bills on time driven his car more than 25000 miles a year and made hundreds of purchases at stores and restaurants he collected 2000 a month from 2005 to 2013
he laughed all the way to the bank and all the way to every restaurant every store the lead prosecutor michael ohm said in his summation
joseph esposito another former officer and one of the four principal defendants in the case testified under a cooperation agreement describing how the ringleaders had recruited former officers like mr hurley taught them to feign symptoms in meetings with psychiatrists and coached them to lie on applications
mr hurleys lawyer joseph murray argued that his client was truly disabled but had forced himself to leave the house making short trips to places like walmart and quiznos in an effort to recover often with the encouragement and help of his girlfriend mr murray also argued that mr hurley had been manipulated by the schemes organizers they victimized these guys mr murray said in his summation


a police official has been reassigned and a detective has been fired amid an extensive federal inquiry into municipal corruption the new york police department announced on wednesday
the police official inspector peter deblasio had been assigned to the brooklyn south patrol borough and was transferred to an administrative position stephen p davis the top police spokesman said in a brief statement on wednesday mr davis said that the department had also fired detective michael milici who was placed on a modified assignment on march 31
police officials said that neither man would testify before a grand jury
in an email on wednesday barry i slotnick the lawyer representing inspector deblasio said we are opposing the demotion the inspector is not related to mayor bill de blasio a democrat
roy t richter president of the captains endowment association said that inspector deblasio cooperated fully and answered questions presented to him by federal investigators at his home in an early morning unscheduled interview
after his reassignment detective milici filed for retirement and was suspended neither his lawyer nor the detectives endowment association responded to phone and email messages seeking comment
detective milici was called to testify before a grand jury but refused invoking his fifth amendment rights police officials said he faced departmental charges for his refusal to cooperate which officers are required to do police officials said
in recent months the police department has placed several senior officials on modified assignments two deputy chiefs have also been moved into less prestigious positions
the investigation led by the federal authorities and with the police departments internal affairs bureau has centered on two businessmen with ties to mayor de blasio and their efforts to wield influence with police officials and others in the mayors administration


mayor bill de blasio faced with new questions about deed restrictions lifted by the city with little public input said on wednesday that he would personally sign off on all such decisions going forward
in an unusual scene at city hall mr de blasio addressed the subject while seated with top city lawyers   the corporation counsel zachary w carter and the mayors counsel maya wiley   as well as top officials from the department of citywide administrative services which handles changes to deed restrictions
mr de blasio told reporters that a process in place since at least 2010 had been followed in the decision to remove the restriction on a lot in harlem at saint nicholas avenue and 152nd street in exchange for 875000 paid by the nonprofit dance theater of harlem
but thats a different question from whether thats the right process said mr de blasio who released memos and emails related to the harlem property which was sold by the nonprofit to a developer last month we want more community engagement neither the community board nor elected officials in harlem were made aware of the change which was approved in november
the sum received for the change was in line with the citys approach to valuing protective covenants at a quarter of a propertys total appraised value mr de blasio said in this case the developer brp companies bought the property from the dance theater of harlem for 31 million in april after the city removed the restriction that limited its use to nonprofit cultural organizations in the area
according to a memo brp companies had been in talks for the last few years about creating a 30 unit residential building on the lot with space for the nonprofit according to documents the nonprofit approached the city about lifting the restriction in april 2014 it was not clear if that plan would go forward
months before brp companies entered into contract to buy the lot in may 2015 a company controlled by the developer donated 10000 to the putnam county democratic committee coinciding with a fund raising effort by mr de blasio to help senate democrats in the 2014 campaign
mr de blasio said decisions surrounding the harlem lot were made to help the dance theater of harlem pay off debt clearly in this case public benefit was achieved he said
he contrasted it with the removal of a protective deed on rivington house a nursing home on the lower east side that was sold for 116 million after a deed change the city received 16 million   far less than a quarter of the sale price those transactions remain the subject of investigations


washington   chinese aircraft flew within 50 feet of an american surveillance plane flying over the south china sea pentagon officials said wednesday the latest sign of the increasing tensions between the countries over chinas territorial claims and tactics in the strategic waterway
the encounter occurred tuesday in international airspace while the american plane was on a routine patrol the pentagon said
initial reports characterized the incident as unsafe the pentagon said adding that it was still investigating
the chinese have constructed islands in contested waters installing military radar and airstrips that buildup has raised fears among american allies like the philippines about chinese intentions in the region
last month defense secretary ashton b carter visited an american aircraft carrier in the south china sea with his filipino counterpart as part of an effort to reassure the philippines that the united states will use its military power to protect it
that move angered the chinese who accused the united states of using cold war tactics to try to contain them two weeks later the chinese declined to allow the aircraft carrier mr carter visited the uss john c stennis to make a scheduled port call in hong kong
but pentagon officials said wednesday that it had made progress reducing risk between our operational forces and those of the peoples republic of china by improved dialogue at multiple levels
over the past year dod has seen improvements in prc actions flying in a safe and professional manner it said using the abbreviation for the peoples republic of china
dod is addressing the issue through the appropriate diplomatic and military channels
chinas defense ministry said thursday that it had noted reports of the incident and would investigate it this may be related to an american military aircraft engaging in close proximity surveillance of china the ministry said in a faxed statement we will look into the matter and make an assessment


ottawa   prime minister justin trudeau of canada apologized repeatedly to the house of commons after some jostling on its floor in which he was accused of manhandling a conservative member of parliament and elbowing a female legislator
mr trudeau had grown visibly irritated as the opposition conservative and new democratic parties tried to stall a vote to limit debate on the governments assisted suicide legislation the supreme court of canada has given parliament until june 6 to pass a law allowing physician assisted deaths
arcane parliamentary tradition means that voting cannot begin until the whips for the government and the official opposition   members of parliament who maintain caucus discipline   are seated
but the opposition whip gord brown a conservative was encircled by a ring of new democrats before he could sit down
parliamentary video showed that after mr brown made no effort to take his seat a visibly angry mr trudeau strode over and forced his way into the group while taking mr browns arm in an attempt to usher him to his place mr trudeau bumped into ruth ellen brosseau one of the new democrats also on the floor she immediately raised her arms to her chest in apparent pain
the situation soon became more heated mr trudeau and tom mulcair the leader of the new democrats had an angry exchange
what kind of man elbows a woman mr mulcair shouted its pathetic youre pathetic
watching from her nearby seat was elizabeth may the leader of the green party of canada
she told the house of commons that while mr trudeaus decision to physically move mr brown was most unwise she said that from her vantage point the elbowing of ms brosseau who left the chamber was unintentional
the conservatives and new democrats were less forgiving
i am ashamed to be a witness to the person who holds the highest position in our country do such an act said nikki ashton a new democrat this was deeply traumatic what i will say if we apply a gendered lens it is very important that young women in this space feel safe to come here and work here
mr trudeau said several times that he apologized for his actions unreservedly and acknowledged that his decision to move mr brown was unadvisable
he added i look for opportunities to make amends directly to the member and to any members who feel negatively impacted by this exchange and intervention


the arrival of spring beckons millions of tourists to new york city and many are set on visiting the statue of liberty for years visitors have been greeted in lower manhattan by vendors selling boat tickets to the landmark   at least thats the pitch
on wednesday the police arrested more than a dozen ticket sellers in what officials said was a crackdown on vendors who prey on tourists by offering fake tickets to the statue of liberty the vendors some on parole for serious crimes told tourists they were getting tickets to boats that stopped at the statue of liberty and ellis island though the tickets were actually for ferries that circled new york harbor without stopping the police said
john j miller deputy police commissioner for intelligence and counterterrorism said 21 vendors were facing charges of fraudulent accosting after an investigation of ticket selling practices in and near battery park where ferries to the landmarks depart fourteen of the suspects were in police custody he said
what we found in the undercover portion of this commissioner miller said was that these aggressive ticket sellers preyed largely on people that they identified as tourists particularly foreign tourists by promising them that the tickets to the statue of liberty boat were all sold out but that if they bought these tickets it would take them to liberty island and they would have to charge a little extra and so on
some tourists walking through battery park on wednesday said that they had been approached by vendors pitching ferry tickets to the statue but did not know about the scheme yu hsuen yeh 18 a tourist from taiwan said she had been approached by several vendors within 10 minutes of arriving at the park
i thought they all went to the statue she said i didnt know it was just one
commissioner miller said the crackdown was meant to eliminate what was becoming a growing quality of life problem down there
the police began investigating complaints about aggressive ticket sellers after a 33 year old tourist from arizona was assaulted in battery park in february after he rebuffed a vendors pitch the tourist jeffrey white was knocked unconscious and sustained a skull fracture two people were arrested and charged with assault
after the episode the police deployed undercover officers to pose as tourists in battery park and near the staten island ferry terminal
what the investigation revealed was you had a large number of people who were on parole or on probation mostly parolees for serious crimes including assault narcotics and robbery who made up the bulk of the ticket sellers commissioner miller said which began to explain part of the background of this pattern of criminal activity involved in the ticket sales
the vendors worked for five different companies contracted to sell tickets for boat operators offering tours of the harbor the police said three of the businesses were run by parolees including one who managed his company while incarcerated at rikers island commissioner miller said
the companies routinely hired offenders who were getting out of jail and needed to be employed as a condition of parole commissioner miller said the practice raised concerns for the police because it put some sex offenders in contact with tourists who were traveling with children
the vendors surfaced as a problem after hurricane sandy in 2012 with as many as 50 hawking tickets in the park and at nearby subway stations and the staten island ferry terminal on a daily basis said rafael abreu director of sales and marketing for statue cruises the company is the only operator licensed to dock at both liberty island and ellis island
we were overrun in battery park mr abreu said the enforcement today is really helpful to us


after 44 years of debating sexuality issues the united methodist church voted by a narrow margin on wednesday to allow bishops to appoint a commission to re evaluate rules on gay lesbian and transgender clergy and marriage
the 428 to 405 vote by the delegates to the churchs quadrennial conference in portland ore was seen by many as a last ditch effort to save the church from schism
it was celebrated by lgbt methodists and their supporters as a way to buy time and avoid church discipline against more than 100 clergy and clergy candidates who came out as gay in advance of the conference
but it disappointed many conservatives who were exasperated that their church is still arguing over what they see as clear church teachings that prohibit openly gay and transgender clergy and same sex marriage the churchs book of discipline its governing document says that the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with christian teaching
during the debate on the convention floor marquice hobbs a young delegate from texas urged church members to lay aside all the political jargon take a stand and do not be afraid to break
but george howard the delegate from ohio who proposed the measure responded i am not afraid
he said i believe that our leaders are ready willing and able to lead this church to discover a new way forward for us all
the united methodist church is the third largest religious body in the united states after the roman catholic church and the southern baptist convention with about seven million members including hillary clinton and george w bush it has 12 million worldwide its membership ranges from theological liberals to conservative evangelicals
while many mainline protestant churches like the presbyterian church usa and the evangelical lutheran church in america have moved to permit gay clergy and same sex marriages the methodist church has remained opposed that is mainly because it includes branches in africa and asia that are growing rapidly and are theologically conservative while the american branch has had declines
the churchs liberals had hoped that growing acceptance of gay people and gay marriage in the united states would provide momentum but faced with likely rejection they embraced a proposal to ask the churchs council of bishops to find a way forward the council is made up of all active and retired bishops from the churchs 46 areas in the united states and 20 outside
the bishops council proposed that the conference defer all votes on sexuality measures more than 100 such measures were sent to the 10 day meeting the bishops proposed that they appoint a representative commission to undertake a complete examination and possible revision of every paragraph in our book of discipline regarding human sexuality
the bishops statement said that they heard from many members that the rules had language that was contradictory unnecessarily hurtful and inadequate for a diverse and global church


washington   gen carter f ham who led the united states africa command on the night of the attack on the american diplomatic compound in benghazi libya has been interviewed at least nine times by investigators scrutinizing the events in 2012 that led to the deaths of ambassador j christopher stevens and three other americans
but more than two years after house republicans created the select committee on benghazi general ham has yet to appear before that panel he was finally supposed to do so on thursday but republicans suddenly postponed the session until june 8 citing scheduling conflicts
whether by diligence or design the committees grindingly slow pace has put it on track to deliver a final report shortly before the presidential nominating conventions in july or even as late as the weeks before the november election   both points at which it could inflict maximum political damage on hillary clinton who has been a central focus of the investigation since its inception
even some republicans say the sluggishness of the committee which has long been under fire from democrats who describe it as a partisan witch hunt risks feeding its reputation as an exercise meant to harm mrs clintons presidential campaign it also illustrates how a committee created to get at the truth of a terrorist attack that killed four americans has expanded in multiple directions but could fail to come up with significant new information
the sooner you got through the investigation the better it would be to do the report said representative tom cole republican of oklahoma who is not on the panel i think the later it goes the more politicized it seems
though mr cole said he trusted representative trey gowdy the south carolina republican who is chairman of the select committee he offered some advice if you cant get it done relatively soon certainly dont put it out the month before the election that to me would discredit the hard work i know that committee has done
mr gowdy blamed what he said was obstruction by the obama administration and said wednesday that he was trying to get the report out before summer
asked whether the reports release might collide with the nominating conventions and bring accusations of a political hit job mr gowdy told a crowd of reporters i dont look at it that way
instead he said i look at it as whether or not you are going to conclude an investigation before you have talked to all the witnesses and accessed all the documents
the calendar is the calendar mr gowdy added but you know the flip side of that is to say yeah we were owed documents and yeah we had witnesses who came in at the last minute but because we were afraid of media criticism because of some conventions coming up we went ahead and shortened our investigation 
mr gowdy and republican staff members say the report will contain important revelations a prediction democrats call laughable they point to the committees eight hour questioning of mrs clinton at a hearing in october which even some conservative commentators derided as a waste of time
in a statement the senior democrat on the panel representative elijah e cummings of maryland said he had no doubt about the republicans true purpose the select committee has been a taxpayer funded attack against a presidential candidate by an opposing political party rather than an objective effort to seek the truth mr cummings said
he added despite chairman gowdys repeated claims over the past year that the committees work is close to being finished he continues to request unnecessary and duplicative interviews from the defense department that are further delaying the report closer to the election
mr gowdy a former federal prosecutor elected to congress with support from the tea party has repeatedly denied claims that he and other republicans on the committee have a political agenda but that position was not helped when one of his best friends in congress representative kevin mccarthy of california told fox news last fall that the committee had been an effective weapon against mrs clinton and was an example of a conservative strategy to fight and win
democrats have accused republicans of wasting millions of taxpayer dollars on the investigation although independent assessments have found some of that criticism to be exaggerated
still other assessments of the investigation have found that it has repeatedly shifted course and that for a long time it focused more on mrs clintons use of a private email server as secretary of state than on the benghazi attack
the hyperpartisan fighting between republicans on the select committee and the obama administration flared last month when the assistant defense secretary for legislative affairs stephen c hedger sent a scathing letter to mr gowdy accusing the committee of making a crescendo of requests for testimony and documents and of demanding that pentagon employees engage in speculation outside their knowledge and expertise
mr gowdy responded with a letter of his own the war of words escalated this week after mr gowdy appeared on fox and seemed to undercut a central allegation that republicans have made about benghazi that the military could have done more that night to help the americans who were under attack
aides to mr gowdy insist that his remark was not a departure from previous occasions on which he has said that a main question for republicans is not whether american forces could have reached benghazi to respond on the night of the attack but why they could not do so
whether or not they could have gotten there in time i dont think there is any issue with respect to that mr gowdy said in the fox interview they couldnt the next question is why could you not why were you not positioned to do it
republicans say those are among the questions they want to ask general ham and the other defense department employees they have asked to testify
white house officials have said repeatedly that the attacks were thoroughly investigated by several panels including in congress and at the state department and that concerted steps were taken to hold officials accountable for lapses and to improve security for diplomatic personnel
other republicans who have been fiercely critical of mrs clintons handling of the benghazi attacks acknowledged that the select committee had had some tough moments particularly the october hearing   one of just four public hearings held since the panel was created in may 2014
i did watch all 11 hours said representative darrell issa of california a former chairman of the house oversight and government reform committee who led his own investigation into benghazi i cant comment on anything other than it may have been a little like the oj prosecution he was guilty as hell but sometimes less is more and a much shorter hearing that stuck to some very very basic questions one time might have been helpful
representative lynn westmoreland republican of georgia and a member of the select committee blamed the obama administration for the slow pace of the investigation
if we had had the cooperation of the state department the dod the cia you know we could have gotten through this a lot quicker mr westmoreland said in an interview between house votes on wednesday using initials for the department of defense but you know when you are waiting six eight 10 months on documents and they dump em 18 20000 at a time it delays it


the war is over it was decided years ago and the outcome is permanent every team in baseball has a chance to win at least this is what the owner of the yankees believes and he would know
the reality is parity is here to stay that owner hal steinbrenner said wednesday during a break at the quarterly owners meetings at major league baseballs headquarters in manhattan were there weve got a little ways to go but look at the teams that were in the playoffs last year it looks a lot different than 10 15 20 years ago in many cases
paritys here and were just going to have to figure out how to do the best to rebuild and at the same time   because we are the yankees   we know we always have to have the veterans we always have to have the marquee players its always a balance for us
the kansas city royals are the reigning champions and the two time defending american league pennant winners the toronto blue jays snapped a 22 year playoff drought last season the pittsburgh pirates have hosted the national league wild card game three years in a row since 2001 every team has reached the postseason
steinbrenner insisted that parity was good for baseball he inherited the team from his father but not the environment that once helped the yankees dominate the sport
the yankees still outspend almost everyone but their rivals often aided by revenue sharing can easily maintain competitive payrolls the highest average annual salary belongs to a member of the arizona diamondbacks pitcher zack greinke at 344 million he beat the yankees on tuesday
the loss plunged the yankees record to 16 22 and dropped their winning percentage to 421 putting them ahead of only cincinnati houston minnesota and atlanta the yankees earned a wild card berth last fall but have not played in a postseason series since 2012
the team is still searching for a championship formula that fits the modern era yet as the league and the union negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement steinbrenner is not clamoring   in public anyway   for the right to keep more of his money the closest he came to complaining about the system on wednesday was to mildly rebuke unnamed teams for not spending to win
i think anytime you have a system like this theres always going to be a handful of people that dont use the funds for what theyre intended to be used for he said
the changes in the system alone do not fully explain the shift in the yankees landscape the truth is that their most recent dynasty   four titles in five seasons in a 13 year playoff run through 2007   was largely a result of remarkable scouting and luck in 1995 when that streak began they promoted four extraordinary players   derek jeter andy pettitte jorge posada and mariano rivera   and they kept them all for almost the entirety of their careers
theoretically the yankees could still do something similar of those players and the other homegrown star of the era bernie williams only jeter was a high draft choice but the chances of having five superstars grow up together and surrounding them with precisely the right mix of veterans are remote
were always going to have the veterans were always going to have the marquee players and the mentors steinbrenner said if youve got a good solid group   it would be tough to replicate those four jeter and all   but look if bird pans out and judge pans out severino and kaprielian and you start getting mateo a year or two from now if you can build a good group of young players that play different positions obviously i think its entirely possible is it more difficult sure it may be more difficult than it was
steinbrenner was referring to pitchers luis severino and james kaprielian first baseman greg bird outfielder aaron judge and shortstop jorge mateo and so much must happen before they are major league stars the first three are injured including severino who is 0 6 for the yankees judge 24 was hitting 261 with seven homers at class aaa through tuesday mateo 20 was hitting 331 with 13 stolen bases at high class a
all teams have prospects of course and there is no indication that the yankees farm system sets them apart before the season both baseball america and milbcom   the official website of the minors   ranked the yankees 17th of 30 teams in organizational talent steinbrenner said he was encouraged because the system was improving
as for the slow start in the majors steinbrenner mentioned specific players   michael pineda mark teixeira chase headley   but not in harsh terms he did not criticize manager joe girardi or his staff
the coaches and manager i think theyre doing all they can steinbrenner said i think theyre doing a good job ive got no complaints there
steinbrenner praised general manager brian cashmans trades for starlin castro and aaron hicks which provided at least some youth
i dont think theres a flaw in the way the teams put together steinbrenner said i think the team we have this year is better than the team we had last year
steinbrenner said he was pleased by the last homestand in which the yankees went 7 3 if they keep playing like that he said things will be fine he said he had not considered dumping veterans for young players at the trading deadline
right now thats the least of my concerns he said because i think the hittings turned the corner
he said the family had no intention of selling the team
were here to stay he said adding later as ive always said if my name wasnt steinbrenner i wouldnt be here i dont look at this as something i deserve ive been given this its a gift i respect it and i enjoy it
steinbrenner said he even found some solace in the hard times its never enjoyable to struggle but it does make one stronger and wiser i believe he said youre not going to learn all the life lessons by winning all the time thats for sure
steinbrenner projects admirable calm the threatening directives of an old generation are not his style but if the season continues this way the most fascinating question around the yankees will be what lessons exactly steinbrenner will have learned he will at least be much stronger and wiser


cleveland   lebron james wanted to correct a misconception about the cavaliers recent hiatus from the postseason just because his team went nine days between games did not mean that the players sat around watching television and eating snacks
we didnt rest james said we just didnt have a game in front of cameras
after sweeping the atlanta hawks in the eastern conference semifinals the cavaliers filled the void by practicing by working on their conditioning and by preparing for the next round their opponent turned out to be the toronto raptors who emerged from a seven game semifinal series with the miami heat to collect their booby prize james at his playoff best
james has used the postseason as a platform to remind people that he is still good at basketball in nine games james is averaging 236 points 84 rebounds and 69 assists he is shooting 524 percent and cleveland has yet to lose a game
after his team edged the raptors by 31 points in game 1 of the conference finals on tuesday night cavaliers coach tyronn lue made an observation
the guys did a great job of maximizing their time with the days off he said
even if days off are not the same as rest james is experienced enough to understand their value for a team with championship hopes playoff games are punishing ordeals the cavaliers took advantage of their time away from the spotlight to recharge recalibrate and refocus they have never looked more dominant
the raptors are in trouble entering game 2 on thursday night in game 1 coach dwane casey had his players pressure the cavaliers on the perimeter their goal was to take away the 3 point shot it was sound thinking after all the cavaliers had made an average of 168 3 pointers a game through the first two rounds
the raptors limited the cavaliers to only seven 3 pointers   but could not keep james kyrie irving and the rest of the cavaliers out of the paint it was a problem
you take away the 3 but if youre not careful youre giving up layups casey said thats where we got to get that balance and i think thats the key for this whole series
james and irving combined to shoot 22 of 30 james did not miss a shot until the third quarter he also absorbed his share of contact on his way to the rim a piece of equipment he tried to dislodge from the backboard on several dunks lue suggested that james did not benefit from any help from the officiating crew   not that it mattered
nowadays to get a flagrant foul you got to fall down and grab your head roll on the ground lue said lebron being so strong   guys bounce off of him
in the nba being too strong is a first world problem james did not sound concerned about any changes that the raptors might make
as i keep telling you guys every single day were not a jump shooting team he said you guys kept looking at me crazy about it were not a jump shooting team were a balanced team and whatever the game dictates were able to adjust to that
the raptors would welcome the return of jonas valanciunas their starting center but he missed game 1 with a sprained ankle and appears unlikely to play in game 2 bismack biyombo has done a capable job as his replacement but valanciunass absence limits the teams depth and hinders caseys rotations the raptors were outrebounded 45 23
the raptors have no margin for error but how much do they have left to give they are running out of healthy bodies and consider the workloads of their top two players demar derozan has played 557 minutes in the playoffs while kyle lowry has played 585 james has played just 339
our overall energy level has to pick up lowry said
james knows how difficult it can be to summon those mysterious energy reserves a year ago he dragged an injury ravaged team to the nba finals but without irving and kevin love the cavaliers fell to the warriors in six games
james posted monster numbers 358 points 88 assists and 133 rebounds in 457 minutes a game but he also shot just 40 percent from the field his legs weary after so many games and so much contact and so little help
the cavaliers of today hardly resemble that team the roster is intact and james is rested   whether he likes that word or not
irving said we did an unbelievable job over the last eight days of just really conditioning ourselves and preparing to run i think the fresh legs had a lot to do with it but we just continued to hammer home lets run lets run lets get out and run
james and the rest of the cavaliers are in full flight now it remains to be seen if anyone can stop them


phil jacksons long strange trip to hire a new knicks coach appears close to ending jackson the teams president has zeroed in jeff hornacek who was fired as coach of the phoenix suns this season after 49 games
jackson and hornacek met in los angeles on monday and came away with strong mutual interest according to a person briefed on their discussions while jackson and hornacek had yet to begin negotiating a contract as of wednesday night a deal was expected to be worked out within days
another person with knowledge of the coaching search said that jackson had settled on hornacek confirming a report by bleacher report
hornacek 53 coached the suns for two full seasons before this one compiling a 101 112 record although his first year   at 48 34   was considered an overachievement by most nba observers his teams played an up tempo offense at the time of his firing the suns were 14 35 and had lost 19 of 21 games
the knicks of course are no strangers to turmoil jackson fired derek fisher as coach in february after the teams record fell to 23 31 jackson named kurt rambis formerly fishers top assistant as interim coach the knicks went on to finish with a 32 50 record and were left out of the playoffs for the third straight season
still rambis was widely viewed as a favorite to keep the job on a full time basis entering next season at the start of his search jackson said he wanted to focus on candidates with whom he had personal connections and who were familiar with the triangle offense rambis then would have been a natural choice
ive seen a lot of situations where coaches end up coming in without simpatico with the general manager and those things dont work well jackson said last month when the team held exit interviews he added that he would look for someone who has compatibility with what i do as a leader
at the same time jackson knew he would face a backlash from the news media and the fan base   and possibly the owner james l dolan   if he hired rambis 58 whose career coaching record is 65 164
in recent interviews carmelo anthony was adamant in saying he wanted jackson to speak with more candidates and jackson did so meeting with david blatt who was fired by the cleveland cavaliers this season and frank vogel whose contract was not renewed after five and a half seasons with the indiana pacers
hornacek was a late entry into contention for the job with news of his meeting with jackson reported this week hornacek neither played nor coached under jackson although he was briefly teammates with rambis in phoenix in addition hornacek has never run the triangle offense in phoenix his guard centric teams were known for playing with pace
in new york hornacek would inherit a team that has struggled since jackson was hired to reshape the franchise in march 2014 jackson has churned through three coaches while trying to rebuild the roster and placate anthony who has three years left on his contract anthony has expressed impatience
how do we move forward anthony said last month how do we take advantage of this window that i have i think thats the main question thats the major question how can we take advantage of this window
the knicks are a long way from being a title contender but they do have a promising young star in 7 foot 3 kristaps porzingis who averaged 143 points 73 rebounds and 19 blocks a game in his first nba season the knicks who long ago traded away their first round draft pick will need to find additional pieces through free agency this summer
hornacek a 6 foot 3 shooting guard had a 14 year playing career with phoenix philadelphia and utah averaging 145 points per game and appearing in one all star game before becoming the coach of the suns hornacek spent three seasons as an assistant with the jazz


the revolving door at credit suisse has been turning faster as a number of senior bankers have left in the last few days
on tuesday five technology bankers most with decades at credit suisse defected to jefferies according to six people briefed on the moves who spoke on the condition of anonymity another consumer banker quit last week to work at royal bank of canada three of these people said
departures have accumulated over the last several weeks a few more bankers who cover health care resigned this month to join centerview partners while another banker who handles private equity relationships went to goldman sachs
a major reason for the exodus according to people with direct knowledge of the moves was concern that investment banking had become less of a priority for credit suisse which is based in zurich since tidjane thiam who had been the head of british insurer prudential and a newcomer to investment banking became chief executive last year
he recently unveiled a plan to realign the investment bank and its traders and deal makers to serve the needs of private banking and wealth management in other words bankers were concerned there would be less focus on efforts like trading mergers and acquisitions and initial public offerings and more emphasis on low risk activities that cater to wealthy clients
european banks in general have had more difficulty retaining vital employees lately other firms such as deutsche bank also have lost several prominent bankers recently they are more restricted in how much they can divide bonuses in cash versus stock making it easier for the american competition to poach bankers shares at credit suisse and deutsche bank have been cut in half over the last year shrinking the potential stock value of their compensation
jefferies based in new york is a subsidiary of leucadia national corporation it and smaller advisory firms have been able to capitalize on the turmoil because they are not required by regulators to defer compensation and have the firepower to offer big pay packages and build up investment banking groups still jefferies lost its four technology bankers to ubs last year
the recent moves were significant because many of the people who left had been at credit suisse many years
william brady who was at credit suisse since he was brought over by frank quattrone in the late 90s was among those who left for jefferies cully davis who was a leader of the firms equity capital markets group in the americas and helped manage several prominent initial public offerings including alibaba and google also departed cameron lester who had just returned to credit suisse as head of internet investment banking a year ago after a stint in venture capital also resigned
those three will take two other managing directors with them to jefferies steve west who focused on software and john metz who led enterprise technology
credit suisse has already designated bankers to step up to the roles that were vacated and will hire others in the technology group one of the people said david wah the global co head of credit suisses technology media and telecom group remains at the bank as does the head of technology media telecom and health care equity capital markets john kolz
additionally credit suisse has continued to hire investment bankers from other firms ray raimondi plans to join in august from barclays as head of industrials mergers and acquisitions haidee lee left bmo capital markets to lead credit suisses sell side mergers and acquisitions group where she will help smaller companies find buyers
representatives from credit suisse and jefferies declined to comment on the moves


los angeles   california on wednesday suspended its mandatory statewide 25 percent reduction in urban water use telling local communities to set their own conservation standards after a relatively wet winter and a year of enormous savings in urban water use
the new rules are a sharp change in policy for a state struggling to manage one of the worst droughts in its history they came after a winter in which el nino storms fell short of what meteorologists projected   particularly in the southern part of the state   but still partly filled parched reservoirs in northern california and more critically partly replenished the mountain snowpacks that provide water into the spring and summer
and californians responding to an executive order issued in april last year by gov jerry brown reduced their use of potable urban water by 24 percent compared with 2013 levels officials said they were hopeful that reduction would prove permanent because of changes in water use such as replacing lawns with drought tolerant shrubs
the rules do not apply to agriculture which is covered by different regulations and makes up the bulk of water use in the state cuts in supply based on seniority were imposed in the last year some of them have been rolled back already as water has become more available
the rules adopted by the state water resources control board are likely to mean a huge rollback   and in some places an elimination   of water reduction mandates that have forced people businesses and governments to curb watering of gardens and lawns take shorter showers and flush toilets less frequently
state officials said that the drought already in its fifth year was not over and that californians had to adapt to permanently more arid times because of climate change even as officials eased up on the regulations the state made permanent prohibitions against washing down sidewalks and driveways using a hose without a shut off valve to wash cars and banning the use of water on road medians
still officials said that conditions had improved enough that the drastic measures that mr brown announced were no longer needed
we are still in a drought but we are no longer in the worst snow pack in 500 years drought said felicia marcus the head of the state water board we had thought we are heading toward a cliff we were worried we were in our own australian millennial drought we wanted to make sure people didnt keep pouring water on their lawns with wild abandon
many of the 411 water agencies across the state even as they complied with the mandatory cutback had complained that the statewide requirement failed to take into account water supply conditions which vary widely from region to region and some such as in beverly hills with its estates surrounded by sweeps of lawns and gardens resisted at first but eventually complied
under the new rules which take effect on june 1 communities would set reduction guidelines based on their own projection of water supplies assuming that the next three years here continue to be uncommonly dry the state would review the projections and could impose restrictions on communities it determines were being unrealistic
max gomberg the climate and conservation manager for the board said it would review the order again in january and could return to mandatory statewide reductions if communities revert to water wasting habits or if next year were dry again some meteorologists are predicting a weather pattern next year known as la nina the opposite of an el nino meaning that rainfall levels are significantly below normal
if its looking like people have forgotten about the fact that theres a drought and gone back to wholesale water wasting well take that into consideration he said
tim quinn the executive director of the association of california water agencies applauded the rollback saying statewide restrictions failed to account for communities that had already taken steps to save water
this administration more than most listens learns adjusts and improves he said
jeff kightlinger the general manager of the metropolitan water district of southern california which supplies 19 million customers called it a reasonable and rational approach
water conditions at the end of the day are local he said people will still continue a strong push for conservation it will be not quite as vociferous as it was
the confidence on display was in many ways tentative and raised the prospect that officials could be sending mixed messages to a state that had largely fallen in line after mr brown standing last year on a barren field where snow was typically piled high proclaimed the need for the state to adapt to more arid times
the state has long struggled to find ways to get water in the north to the people in the south the states reservoir levels reflect the geographical disparity of el nino the states two largest and most important reservoirs shasta lake and oroville lake are both above their historical averages for this time of year but reservoirs farther south like new melones lake and castaic lake remain far below average
we saw some improvement said michael anderson the state climatologist of the period from october to april when 90 percent of californias precipitation occurs but it was skewed north there are definitely some regions that will still have a tough time because the rainfall missed them
the snowpack this year was close to historical levels but warm weather has melted a lot of it away and it has now dwindled to 33 percent of the historical average mr anderson said that is a result of climate change
the snowpack is fading quickly mr anderson said one of the challenges has been the really warm temperatures our expectations are that those will continue to become an increasing challenge in the decades ahead
the tepid el nino undercut the almost universal predictions of meteorologists here that had sent people out buying flood insurance and communities stockpiling sand bags were still waiting for the science community to diagnose why this particular el nino didnt go according to script mr anderson said
ms marcus said that el nino while not saving the state gave us something of a reprieve she said the board was correct in acting so aggressively last year and that it could very well end up doing so again
we felt we really had to press the emergency brake in case we were going to have a series of multiple dry years  she said weve gotten a great down payment on the future of dealing with climate change and whats coming at us


david wright arrived at citi field on wednesday and told manager terry collins that his back was feeling much better after he was scratched from tuesdays series opener because of discomfort related to his spinal stenosis
the message was clear wright did not want to miss playing against the washington nationals whom the mets trailed by a half game in the national league east
collins penciled wrights name into the lineup card but there is a reason pencils have erasers wright would have to go through batting practice and infield drills and report back to collins if he experienced any pain
with collins occasionally shadowing him wright passed his pregame test and returned to action batting third his quick return quelled a potential controversy but there is a looming fear around the mets that wrights health will seriously affect his abilities as the season progresses
wright went 0 for 4 wednesday striking out three times in the mets 7 1 loss to the nationals i feel like i can perform at a much higher level than im playing at right now wright said after the game
after collins notified wright of his decision to sit him down during batting practice tuesday the two appeared to have a verbal confrontation on wednesday collins dismissed the notion that there was any tension
believe me there was no argument there was no tiff collins said my star player wanted to play and he was hurting and the discussion was i know you want to play the situation the big game the big series the captain i get it but i have a responsibility to david wright to the other 24 guys in the clubhouse and myself
collins added he is extremely proud he wants to play he knows who he is and what he does for this organization and he wants to be on the field he thinks thats the way for him to lead and i understand that i totally get that but i will tell you when you sit and talk to him youll sense the frustration
wright has drawn criticism and concern for his 221 batting average and his looping submarine throws from third base he looked spry enough before wednesdays game fielding grounders and taking swings in the batting cage at one point he hit three straight towering home runs two to left field and one to right but in the sixth inning with the mets trailing 3 1 and representing the tying run wright looked overmatched and struck out looking against gio gonzalez
weve got concerns about david and he does too collins said after the game its something thats brand new that not a lot of people have had to deal with we dont know day to day how its going to be i can try to get him to hopefully stay a little positive that when it warms up maybe it wont be as bad


the lawyer for reza zarrab a gold trader based in turkey who is jailed in manhattan on charges of conspiring to violate united states sanctions on iran proposed on wednesday that his client be released on 50 million bond with strict conditions to ensure that he would be present for trial
mr zarrab was arrested in march on a trip to florida and was sent to new york for prosecution
in 2013 he was detained by the authorities in turkey as part of a wide ranging corruption investigation of businessmen with close ties to recep tayyip erdogan who was then turkeys prime minister and is now its president
under his lawyers proposal mr zarrabs bond would be secured by 10 million in cash and he would be required to remain in his new york residence under 24 hour armed guard and gps monitoring
the lawyer benjamin brafman said in papers filed in federal district court that the office of preet bharara the united states attorney for the southern district of new york had rejected the defenses bail proposal and wanted mr zarrab detained until trial
mr brafman noted that if his client did become a fugitive he not only would lose the 10 million cash bail and be responsible for the remainder of the 50 million bond but he also ruins the career of his wife ebru gundes a turkish pop star
mr brafman asked that the judge richard m berman hold a bail hearing for mr zarrab who has pleaded not guilty mr bhararas office had no comment


more than a quarter of gay and bisexual men in some cities and states in the south are living with hiv according to a new study   a far higher rate than in the country as a whole
the study shows how much more common hiv the virus that causes aids is among gay black men especially in the south as well as how little is being done to prevent its spread in a group whose members face discrimination and are less likely to have medical insurance
gay men with insurance are more likely to be in treatment if they are infected or to be using pre exposure prophylaxis if they are not both of which significantly cut the chances that an infection will be passed on
there are just not enough services said dr ronald o valdiserri an aids expert at the bloomberg school of public health of johns hopkins university who wrote an editorial accompanying the study
its not just medical care   its housing employment vocational rehabilitation and transportation dr valdiserri said these individuals are fairly vulnerable and there arent enough assets to cope with their illness
the study by epidemiologists at emory university in atlanta was published online tuesday in a relatively obscure outlet the journal of medical internet research public health and surveillance but it was accompanied by a second editorial by top aids specialists at the centers for disease control and prevention
in south carolina and mississippi the study estimated 28 percent of gay and bisexual men are infected with hiv in louisiana the estimated infection rate is 26 percent and in georgia 25 percent in washington dc which resembles a city more than a state in its demographics it was even higher 32 percent
the lowest estimated infection rate was in south dakota where less than 4 percent of gay and bisexual men are infected among states that have particularly large gay populations californias estimated infection rate is 17 percent floridas 18 percent and new yorks 20 percent
the trend was even more pronounced in cities researchers counted only men who had received an hiv diagnosis the statewide figures relied on estimates and consulted previous data on how much of each citys population was gay and sexually active then the researchers calculated which 25 cities had the highest infection rates among those men
in jackson miss that figure was 39 percent in columbia sc 30 percent in el paso almost 29 percent and in augusta ga 27 percent twenty one of the top 25 cities were in the south
the lowest rate just under 13 percent was found in the los angeles long beach anaheim metropolitan area
nationwide the report said about 11 percent of gay and bisexual men have an hiv diagnosis
we hope these data empower local public health officials community based organizations and everyone fighting hiv to bring resources to the gay and bisexual men who need them the most said dr jonathan mermin director of the cdcs national center for hivaids viral hepatitis std and tb prevention


last august donald j trump was busy igniting a feud with megyn kelly getting under jeb bushs skin and flying around the country to thrill his supporters with promises to build a wall on the mexican border
that month mr trump announced a new hotel and tower in bali indonesia then he embarked on a venture in jidda saudi arabia and he soon set up another business in india with a focus on kolkata
while mr trump has hopscotched the united states as a presidential candidate over the past year it has been business as usual at the trump organizations headquarters in new york complete with new endeavors and international partnerships according to entries in a 104 page financial disclosure form from mr trump that was made public on wednesday by the federal election commission
the document offered new details on the enterprises and the financial picture of mr trump the presumptive republican nominee the limitations of the form however made it impossible to calculate his specific net worth or to verify his claim that he is worth more than 10 billion
mr trumps campaign said in a statement this week that the disclosure was the largest in the history of the fec saying it would show tremendous cash flow including an increase in revenue which was directed to new construction projects reducing debt and funding the campaign among other things
a review of the disclosure form which covered a period from january 2015 to the present shows reported income of at least 615 million an increase from 380 million a year earlier portions of the new income came from mr trumps sale of the miss universe franchise as well as increased revenues from his golf courses and a reduction in some investment account holdings mr trump reported assets valued at a minimum of 15 billion
the elections commission requires the forms so as to alert the government and the public about potential conflicts of interest for those seeking office candidates typically file the forms grudgingly wary of divulging too much about their assets and debts but mr trump has wielded the forms like an advertisement of his wealth and his success as a businessman
by contrast mr trump has been unwilling to publicize his recent tax returns a traditional disclosure by major party candidates that is not required by law his tax returns could provide a more precise figure than the financial disclosures of how much he actually earns each year as well as how much he pays in taxes mr trump has cited internal revenue service audits as a reason for not releasing his returns and has pointed to his personal financial disclosures   which provide dollar figure ranges but not actual amounts   as giving an alternate view of his wealth and income
mr trump has increasingly relied on his adult children to manage aspects of the business freeing him to focus on his campaign
but mr trump is still involved and the outsize disclosure form underscores the reach of his dealings   listing 564 positions held by mr trump and 188 assets or sources of income but it also highlights the potential for conflicts down the road if he is elected and shows how he has juggled his finances as he uses his own money for his campaign
for example mr trump reduced his holdings in several baron mutual funds which were worth between about 75 and 33 million when he made his disclosure a year ago those holdings now have minimal value the form showed
mr trump also reported a new loan for at least 50 million from deutsche bank on the old post office development in washington a hotel project he reported overall liabilities of at least 315 million
while mr trump added new businesses some went away in one instance mr trump sold the miss universe pageant amid a squabble with television partners over remarks about immigrants he made during the campaign a sale that resulted in income of about 50 million likewise macys terminated its agreements to sell his licensed products
with an extensive stable of books mr trump reported income between 1 million and 5 million from his latest offering crippled america a year earlier he reported at least 85000 in income from books he reported royalties of 50000 to 100000 from his most famous book the art of the deal published in 1987
his portfolio of golf courses continued to account for a dominant share of his revenue including income of about 132 million from his course in doral fla 205 million from one in bedminster nj and 18 million from his course in turnberry scotland
over the years mr trump has celebrated his ability to collect lucrative speaking fees but his disclosure showed that he had halted that income stream during his campaign


washington   as hillary clinton and donald j trump step gingerly into a general election debate on foreign policy the rogue government in north korea has become an early test case of the challenges that mrs clinton will face in confronting the unorthodox pronouncements of her presumptive republican opponent
mr trump told reuters on tuesday that he would be open to negotiating directly with the north korean dictator kim jong un   an overture that would upend three decades of american diplomacy i would speak to him mr trump declared i would have no problem speaking to him
the previous evening in new york the senior policy adviser to mrs clinton jake sullivan laid out her strategy for dealing with the reclusive leader   one that relies on a familiar formula of tightening sanctions against the government to pressure it to enter into multiparty negotiations on its nuclear program mr sullivan said nothing about mrs clinton mr trumps likely democratic opponent meeting mr kim
foreign policy experts said mr trumps openness to a presidential meeting was problematic because it would legitimize north koreas status as a nuclear weapons power unnerve american allies like south korea and japan and likely fail to persuade mr kim to give up his weapons some predicted that after a policy review a trump administration would likely take a similar approach toward pyongyang as a clinton administration
to the extent that mr trump fleshed out his plans for dealing with the north he said he would put pressure on its neighbor china to use its influence with mr kim to curb his nuclear provocations that is essentially what mr sullivan said in his description of mrs clintons policy
putting aside the politics of a different policy the change would be at the margins i think said victor d cha the director of the asian studies program at georgetown university there is little disagreement that sanctions need to be pushed harder
the main difference between the two might be what would be on offer if north korea bends to the sanctions and is ready to come back to talks said mr cha who advised president george w bush on north korea trump seems to be saying he would go as far as putting a face to face on the table which would be a break from 30 years of past diplomacy
mr trumps remarks about mr kim reflect less a strategy than his instinct for cutting deals with people in that sense they are similar to what he has said about pursuing better relations with president vladimir v putin of russia the comments came after mr trump talked about withdrawing american troops from japan and south korea which he suggested should acquire nuclear weapons to defend themselves mrs clinton and her surrogates have said these statements show mr trump to be reckless uninformed and unfit to be commander in chief still her aides are sensitive to suggestions that he would be more open to diplomacy with north korea than mrs clinton a former secretary of state
in 2009 mr sullivan noted she appointed a special envoy stephen w bosworth to explore whether there was a serious diplomatic path with north korea after mr bosworth left she named glyn davies who negotiated an agreement in february 2012 known as the leap day deal in which pyongyang pledged to stop nuclear and long range missile tests in return for a resumption of american food aid the deal fell apart after north korea announced plans to launch a satellite
she wasnt averse to testing diplomacy with the north mr sullivan said in an interview she did have a clear eyed view of what was possible
but mrs clinton also expressed little patience for continuing the six party talks   involving the two koreas japan china russia and the united states   when there were no signs of progress since the collapse of the leap day deal north korea has continued to test bombs and launch missiles in march after yet another nuclear test the united nations security council passed stricter sanctions against the kim government
a month earlier president obama signed an executive order that would impose secondary sanctions against any individual or company that helped north korea with its weapons program or with activities that abused human rights these measures could be used to pressure chinese firms which continue to help north korea evade trade sanctions north korea mr sullivan said in his talk on monday at the asia society has to be one of the first and most important pieces of business in the first summit between the next president and xi jinping
the north korea strategy he outlined resembles the obama administrations pressure campaign against iran mrs clinton marshaled global support for stringent economic sanctions which helped pull iran to the bargaining table
with her long experience foreign policy ought to be an undisputed advantage for mrs clinton mr trump sought to hone his own foreign policy credentials on wednesday by meeting for an hour with henry a kissinger the republican elder statesman and former secretary of state at mr kissingers apartment in manhattan last week mr trump met with james a baker who served as secretary of state under the first president george bush
there is an echo   in mr trumps remarks about meeting mr kim   of the democratic primaries in 2008 between mrs clinton and then senator barack obama mr obama said he would meet with the leaders of adversaries from north korea and cuba to iran and syria without preconditions mrs clinton ridiculed him as naive and when he was elected he dropped pyongyang from that list though he did pursue talks with iran and cuba
experts on north korea said a meeting with mr kim was different in several respects from one with president raul castro of cuba for example the north already possesses nuclear weapons it is guilty of widespread human rights abuses and mr kim would insist on holding any meeting in pyongyang where he could exploit it for propaganda value
kim would control this reality show said michael j green of the center for strategic and international studies this is not like holding the miss universe contest in moscow


fiat chrysler autombiles is recalling about 500000 2007 10 jeep wranglers including 392000 in the united states because the drivers side airbag may not deploy in a crash the automaker said on wednesday
in addition about 7400 2011 16 wranglers with right hand drive typically used for mail delivery are being recalled in the united states
the action stems from investigations last year by the national highway traffic safety administration and its canadian counterpart transport canada
the automaker said the problem was that the clock spring part of the system that activates the airbag could be contaminated with dust and dirt during extensive off road driving or driving with a vehicles top andor doors removed the wrangler is designed for off road driving
if the clock spring is contaminated an airbag warning light will illuminate
the automaker said it was not aware of any accidents or injuries related to the problem the investigation last year by federal regulators quoted the automaker saying there had been four injuries but the automaker investigated further and discovered those reports were unrelated to the clock spring failures a spokesman eric mayne said on wednesday in an email
the federal investigation began last june after the national highway traffic safety administration received almost 500 complaints from owners
i feel very unsafe driving this car if there are no recalls for this problem the dealer will not fix it wrote an apple valley calif owner of a 2007 wrangler
one owner said the dealer wanted 800 for the repair
in addition to the vehicles in the united states the action covers about 35000 in canada 8500 in mexico and almost 63000 outside north america


washington   a former aide to hillary clinton when she was secretary of state testified behind closed doors for two hours wednesday in the first in a series of depositions that are likely to raise more questions about mrs clintons use of a private email server just as she prepares for an election campaign against donald j trump
the former aide lewis a lukens testified under oath about his knowledge of mrs clintons private email system as part of a lawsuit brought against the state department by a conservative legal advocacy group judicial watch
at least five other officials   including two of mrs clintons top aides at the state department cheryl mills and huma abedin   are also scheduled to testify in the lawsuit over the next six weeks in what promises to be an unwelcome distraction for the clinton campaign
the last deposition is set for june 29   less than a month before the start of the democratic national convention in philadelphia where mrs clinton is widely expected to win her partys nomination for president over challenger bernie sanders
meanwhile the fbi is continuing to investigate the issue of mrs clintons private email server to determine whether any federal laws regarding the handling of classified material or other issues may have been broken
james comey the fbi director told reporters last week that he would not let the campaign calendar dictate the schedule for his agencys investigation the justice department will ultimately make any decision on charges
the fbi has already interviewed both ms abedin and ms mills and it is also expected to speak with another former aide jake sullivan officials said
mrs clinton herself has offered to sit down with the fbi in the email case and that interview - which is sure to generate enormous political and legal attention   could come in a matter of weeks
judicial watch sued the state department under the freedom of information act for records relating to ms abedins special employment status at the state department under mrs clinton who was also a close friend the legal affairs group has been a frequent antagonist of both hillary and bill clinton over the years
after the new york times reported last year that mrs clinton had used a private email account exclusively during her entire tenure at the state department a federal judge in the lawsuit allowed judicial watch to conduct discovery and gather evidence about how the private email server was created at the state department
the judge emmet g sullivan of united states district court in washington has been sharply critical of the state departments handling of the email affair over the last year
it just boggles the mind that the state department allowed this circumstance to arise in the first place said judge sullivan who was appointed to the federal district court in 1994 by president clinton
the judge called the email episode very very very troubling
mr lukens a former ambassador to senegal was the leadoff witness in the judicial watch depositions he served as executive director of the state departments executive secretariat under mrs clinton until 2011 providing her with logistical administrative and travel support judicial watch said it was seeking his testimony because records that have already been released indicated that he had emailed ms mills and others about mrs clintons private email server
thomas fitton the president of judicial watch who took part in mr lukenss deposition said afterward that he could not discuss the substance of the testimony because of the ground rules set by judge sullivan
but mr fitton predicted that once the testimony is publicly released   perhaps as early as next week   it would show why the state department and mrs clinton have slow rolled this and withheld a complete explanation of what went on with her email system what we learned is going to be embarrassing to mrs clinton and the administration   maybe more than embarrassing
he refused to elaborate citing the courts restrictions
after the deposition state department lawyers invoked a procedure to review mr lukenss testimony for three days before deciding whether to ask the judge to keep any parts of it confidential for security or legal reasons
the state department declined to comment on the deposition
as is standard the state department does not comment on matters in litigation a department spokesman said
the clinton campaign had no immediate comment on the deposition and mr lukens could not be reached for comment


tesla motors said on wednesday it would offer about 2 billion in stock mainly to help it ramp up production of its new model 3 electric car over the next two years
the company unveiled the model 3 its first mass market car in march and has been flooded with orders even though the compact sedan will not be available for a year or more so far tesla has accepted about 375000 1000 deposits from hopeful buyers
teslas chief executive elon musk has said the company aims to produce 500000 model 3s by 2018 at its factory in fremont calif
many automakers would consider that a stretch said jessica caldwell a senior analyst at the auto researcher edmundscom a typical auto plant makes 200000 to 250000 cars a year she said
raising money is going to help them try to reach that 500000 number but a lot of people have doubts she said it seems like an unreachable goal
its also a huge leap from the 15000 cars tesla produced in the first three months of the year
its models include the model s sedan which costs about 75000 and the model x a seven passenger sport utility vehicle priced at about 80000 the model 3 will be priced at around 35000
while tesla is often hailed for design and innovation manufacturing has proved more of a challenge the release of the model x has been slowed by a recall and the automaker recently lost two production executives
the company this month hired a manufacturing executive from audi peter hochholdinger to become its production chief the previous vice president for production greg reichow decided to take a leave of absence from the company his departure was disclosed at the same time that tesla announced that john ensign who had been vice president for manufacturing since 2014 was also leaving the company
of the stock tesla plans to offer about 14 billion will be new shares the remaining amount will be sold by mr musk to cover tax expenses stemming from 55 million stock options he has exercised
news of the offer hurt tesla shares in after hours trading where they fell 252 to 20865 earlier in the day the stock climbed as high as 21531 after goldman sachs changed its recommendation on tesla shares to buy from neutral
in a note to clients an analyst for goldman patrick archambault said teslas sales goals were ambitious but nevertheless he set a stock price target of 250 over the next six months
we do not believe tesla shares are fully capturing the companys disruptive potential mr archambault wrote
in the first quarter of this year tesla lost about 283 million on revenue of 115 billion during the same period last year it reported revenue of about 940 million and a loss of 154 million


the transportation department said on wednesday that it was permanently banning e cigarettes in checked baggage or from being charged onboard an aircraft
transportation secretary anthony r foxx cited recent incidents that showed the devices could catch fire during transport passengers may continue to carry e cigarettes for personal use in carry on baggage or on their person but may not use them on flights mr foxx said
banning e cigarettes from checked bags is a prudent and important safety measure mr foxx said in a statement
the rule covers battery powered portable electronic smoking devices including e cigarettes e cigars and e pipes but does not prohibit passengers from transporting other devices containing batteries for personal use like laptop computers or cellphones
the rule makes permanent a temporary ban instituted in november the use of e cigarettes was barred by the department in a separate move in march no airline has allowed their use
the government cited two incidents of an e cigarette catching fire in luggage in the last two years it said the danger was worsened by the growing trend of smokers modifying or rebuilding their e cigarette devices
the transportation department said it took the action to eliminate any confusion over whether its existing ban on smoking which dates to 2000 includes electronic cigarettes


the exultant winner was a franchise that had become a chronic loser but commissioner adam silver appeared suddenly on stage on tuesday after the nbas annual draft lottery show to remind us of why the philadelphia 76ers despite having landed the no 1 pick should hold off on plans for a championship parade
sure its great to get a top draft pick but it takes much more than that silver said while on a big screen to his left lebron james and the cleveland cavaliers were laying waste to the toronto raptors in game 1 of the eastern conference finals
exhibit a in silvers case are the owner dan gilberts cavs who in 2011 2013 and 2014 enjoyed an unprecedented run of lottery night no 1 luck and still were essentially nowhere until james surrendered to homesickness and returned to his native northeast ohio
at the bottom end of the eastern conference under the new father son management team of jerry and bryan colangelo the 76ers now have a presumed choice of one and done prodigies ben simmons of louisiana state or dukes brandon ingram with their first pick though both would add more inexperience to a team that has mainlined it in recent seasons to the point of overdose
silver has played much defense on the subject of the 76ers and their alleged tanking to stockpile high picks lest the league get dragged into another conspiracy his staff even had to put out a public relations fire after dikembe mutombo mistakenly posted congratulations to his former team for winning the lottery   hours before the drawing was held
i dont think improvement can just be measured by wins silver said of the 76ers what people are seeing around this league is there are no shortcuts its about building a culture players are attracted to teams where there is a commitment a philosophy they can buy into
somewhere phil jackson nodded and resumed sketching triangle formations for his draft pick less knicks on the nearest napkin
in the 31 year history of the lottery only one franchise has actually won a title with its no 1 pick the san antonio spurs landed david robinson in 1987 and tim duncan a decade later with their first champagne bath coming in 1999
lets face it guesswork is the companion of analytics workouts and character evaluations notwithstanding many players drafted lower stephen curry went seventh in 2009 have turned out better than those erroneously projected for shoe company sainthood
kevin durant was the second pick in 2007 behind the injury prone greg oden a year later russell westbrook was taken fourth trailing michael beasley and o j mayo in 2009 james harden was third behind the immortal hasheem thabeet
the former seattle supersonics thus became a thundering presence in oklahoma city but a loss in the league finals to miami in 2012 was followed by a questionable trade of harden an assortment of injuries and a plateauing that was persistent until well now
in the playoffs second round the thunder won twice in san antonio where the spurs had lost once all season in game 1 of the western conference finals oklahoma city won at golden state where the warriors had lost just twice in 2015 16
for all the attention on westbrook and durant who deserve it it has taken the figurative growth of the young centers steven adams and enes kanter to create a more physical diverse style and to temporarily suppress anticipation of a cleveland golden state finals rematch
nba championship chemistry is an elusive concept almost impossible to deduce until a dave debusschere replaces a walt bellamy with the late 1960s knicks or a draymond green the 35th pick of the 2012 draft supplants a david lee for the warriors in 2014
and that explains why most often really important matters are not settled with ping pong balls losers generally rule the lottery and as silver said the best players   with the obvious exception of carmelo anthony   have become more wary of whom they commit to
there was a time in this league where players gravitated to certain markets just because they were bigger markets but i think those days are over silver said
asked why he cited the last collective bargaining agreement which he said brought elements to keep teams that are over the cap from being able to add additional players
mindful of excess management touting silver pointed to durants mammoth shoe deal saying purely from an economic standpoint those teams that perform best are going to get the most exposure not necessarily the teams that are in the largest market
and then when you add social media to that a player like lebron james in cleveland or russell westbrook in oklahoma city they can have huge global followings the differences in market size between oklahoma city and say chicago become somewhat immaterial
not the most optimistic of overviews for jacksons knicks and mikhail d prokhorovs nets whose front offices and fans are among those fantasizing of luring a luminary such as durant a free agent this summer or westbrook in 2017 ditto the lakers who still managed to breathe easier after securing the no 2 pick
the nights most compelling subplot involved 76ers coach brett brown and lakers general manager mitch kupchak onstage knowing philadelphia would receive the lakers pick if it fell below the first three
it didnt so the 76ers night while joyous wasnt perfect they also still have two incompatible young big men in jahlil okafor and nerlens noel and a third in joel embiid who has not played a minute for them in two years because of injury
like the 76ers brown kupchak hyped his largely unproven young talent while admitting that three years of record franchise losing has riled fans long spoiled by showtime shaquille oneal and a healthy kobe bryant
we cant continue to lose at this pace kupchak said now that we have the pick ill get back to los angeles and well go through the different options   drafting a player or trading a pick or a combination of the two its all possible
for the sake of their fans sanity jerry and bryan colangelo will have to at least consider similar options lottery luck may be grand but rare cases aside it is only prelude to the art of design


san jose calif   the san jose sharks were pinching pennies during the nhl lockout in 2005 and decided that an organist was a luxury the team could no longer afford for more than a decade only recorded music revved up the crowd
but two months ago the same organist james mikey day was back at the keyboard when the sharks defeated the washington capitals when he began playing time of the season a rock song by the zombies live music had returned
that change is one of several recent moves by a franchise that as it marks its 25th anniversary this season has become more concerned about retaining and attracting fans in the competitive bay area sports market attendance remains respectable but sellouts once routine are no longer automatic
even in the playoffs tickets have gone unsold for the first time in franchise history with the western conference finals between the sharks and the st louis blues tied at 1 1 shifting here thursday night there were still hundreds of tickets available wednesday
the sharks have been aware for a while that they needed to take steps to improve their performance on the business side as well as on the ice
a team is not always going to win said john tortora the teams chief operating officer fans are going to recognize that wins and losses are going to happen but if they feel valued by an organization theyre going to keep coming back that piece is what we were missing over the last two or three years and thats what were trying to bring back
until the nhl arrived in 1991 san jose   the bay areas most populated city with more than a million residents   had no major pro sports teams if residents wanted to see any of the other teams in the region they had to make a one hour trek to oakland or san francisco
that and the teams early success created a strong bond between the sharks and san jose but the overall sports landscape has shifted
the san francisco 49ers moved to neighboring santa clara the san jose earthquakes of major league soccer built a state of the art 18000 seat stadium two miles from the sharks sap center
beyond that the sharks most direct wintertime competition for fan attention the golden state warriors have become the darlings of sports fans everywhere after a history making nba season
still tortora would not describe those developments as anything other than motivation for his organization
i think the success of the other teams around us has forced us to become better he said the competition around us is greater the expectation from fans from a value standpoint is greater and we need to respond accordingly
the sharks response so far includes a nightly 10 food coupon per seat for those who renewed their season tickets earlier than usual playoff seats for season ticket holders were priced even further below those on sale to the general public and more video replays are being shown inside the sap center   a past sore point as the team was reluctant to show any play that might be considered controversial
attendance has been dropping the past two seasons after the sharks lost a 2014 playoff series to the los angeles kings despite winning the first three games
a 205 game sellout streak ended oct 25 2014 and only 13 of 41 home games this season had an attendance listed at the 17562 seat capacity ticket renewal rates which were normally around 92 percent slid to 85 percent last summer tortora said and a season ticket base of 14000 is now less than 12000
to turn things around tortora said the team added 3 million to its sales and marketing payroll and he found it significant that the owner hasso plattner approved the plan after the sharks missed the playoffs in the 2014 15 season
a lot of owners when you miss that playoff revenue tend to get conservative hasso is just the opposite tortora said of plattner a founder of the german software company sap he understands the need to invest in people he understands the need to invest in research and development
there were surveys to determine what the teams priorities should be beyond more wins the changes have not gone unnoticed
ive felt like we were spending a lot of money investing all of our time and energy to come and we werent really being recognized said carol gagliardi a 10 year season ticket holder now theyre on the right path
the sharks however are still searching for an answer to one issue with demand down many season tickets are going unsold in the resale market or are being sold at a significant loss some fans see the team as making the situation worse by offering discounted seats on a regional website
yakov and brooke libman said they attended only two regular season games because they now have two toddlers they said they could sell their tickets for only about two thirds of the remaining games often at a loss
had we been able to at least break even we would have kept our season tickets yakov libman said but because we werent able to sell enough we werent willing to invest the money
players are aware of some of the changes that have been made forward logan couture for example welcomes the live music
but defenseman marc edouard vlasic knows where the responsibility ultimately rests for filling seats each night
i mean you win and people get excited he said thats the bottom line


mountain view calif   the battle for control of the living room just began in earnest also the bedroom dining room and   its a safe bet   the bathroom as well
google which knows more things about more people than any other company organization or government in history announced on wednesday a new household device that will use that information to help people run their lives
its called google home and it is not much bigger than a grapefruit it has no buttons but is activated by voice it is the most important new venture by the search company which is repositioning itself as less a tool you go to and more an assistant that is sometimes visible but always present
we want users to have an ongoing two way dialogue with google sundar pichai googles chief executive told about 7000 attendees in an outdoor music amphitheater here in the internet companys hometown we have started becoming truly conversational
google home got top billing during the two hour keynote by mr pichai and other executives at the companys annual developer conference but many details   how much it will cost when it will be available   were not disclosed the device existed on the stage but its features still seemed to be works in progress
why introduce it now and make such a big thing of it the reason seemed to lie in mr pichais unusual shout out to a competitor credit to the team at amazon for creating a lot of excitement in this space he said
excitement and sales in less than two years amazon has sold millions of echo devices for as much as 180 the retailer does not disclose sales figures but it is clear the device is a serious hit and each of the voice activated home virtual assistants that it sells plunges the owner deeper into the companys ecosystem where he or she orders groceries and watches movies from amazon
those are millions of consumers who are lost at least to some extent to google the search company had to begin competing with amazon before that number swelled to tens of millions mr pichai pointedly noted that google was at a pivotal moment
this was googles 10th annual developers conference but the first held in the amphitheater adjacent to its headquarters the event is designed to be mostly instructive and inspirational for the freelance software engineers who use googles tools to build things but it is also promotional an opportunity taken to broadcast around the world   there were a million people listening in china mr pichai said   what tomorrow will hold
the mood was rock star the weather toasty the future full of machines that would anticipate your every mood and need google has at times been the worlds most valuable public company   apple is often no 1 at others   but it cannot take anything for granted
mario queiroz the google executive in charge of home said it would be a beautiful addition to any room in your house in a short film a family was shown waking up with home the father used it to play music in one childs room and to turn on the lights in another to get them out of bed the girl finishing her homework asked home what the spanish word was for apple the parents rearranged their schedules
it will let anyone in the family kids or adults have a conversation with google mr queiroz said indeed in the film everyone is so busy communicating with home they hardly talk to each other
google already does search solely through voice but its efforts have been confusingly branded on wednesday google promoted google assistant   the companys name for the ability to have a two way conversation to get information it will be available this summer in a messaging app called allo and later in google home
there have been efforts before to develop control centers for the home but none have made serious inroads even the echo was not an immediate hit with reviewers some of whom wondered whether it might be little more than a gimmick
before i got an echo i thought it was a joke and a bad idea said gene munster an analyst with piper jaffray but i saw the utility and ended up buying five of them for my family
for google home to stand out he said it would have to outdo the echo particularly in search you have to be able to ask it a complex question and then it would go to the internet and read it back to you mr munster said echo doesnt do a good job of that today
search is of course the foundation of googles success but amazon will do what it can to protect its lead microsoft apple and facebook are also employing artificial intelligence to enhance their products and services which is one reason this will be a battle waged on many fronts
the big tech companies are the new middlemen of commerce and communication people used to go to stores to buy brands on impulse or by design now google amazon and the others mediate the moment
a handful of big companies will dominate mobile moments and create distance between brands and their consumers said julie a ask an analyst with forrester research virtual agents will hold a lot of power
one example of that power was given by mr pichai when he demonstrated a conversation with google through his phone about taking his family to the movie jungle book
is jungle book any good he asked the reply came looks like its getting some good reviews
who or what is powering the agents opinions and how much the consumer can trust it are among many things still to be worked out


ottawa   even as a huge wildfire continues to rage nearby some residents of fort mcmurray alberta may soon be allowed to return to their city the provinces premier said on wednesday
about 88000 people fled fort mcmurray the hub of canadas oil sands industry on may 3 when the wildfire escaped the surrounding forest and ravaged several of the citys neighborhoods
their return is contingent on the restoration of a variety of basic services and of course the fire must no longer pose an imminent threat
these timelines   and this is really important   are contingent on these conditions being met the premier rachel notley said at a news conference in edmonton alberta if conditions change as they did this week the voluntary re entry may be delayed
efforts to get residents back were postponed when a branch of the fire which now blankets about a million acres moved up the western side of fort mcmurray earlier this week then crossed north hundreds of people working to reopen a hospital were pulled out efforts to restore natural gas lines were also suspended after an explosion that wrecked 10 more homes
ms notley however said that the 911 system was fully operational again that many shops were free of damage and that electricity had been restored to most areas
to avoid traffic jams and confusion people will come back in phases with those living in neighborhoods with the least amount of damage returning first
residents of neighborhoods like beacon hill which was largely wiped out will be allowed to search the ruins of their homes for items like fireproof strongboxes
schools are not scheduled to reopen until september
melissa blake the citys mayor who has been back several times over the past week warned residents what youre returning to is not what weve seen before


jerusalem   in a sharp turnaround prime minister benjamin netanyahu sought on wednesday to bring the ultranationalist yisrael beiteinu party into his governing coalition by offering to name its leader avigdor lieberman defense minister according to politicians across israels political map
an israeli government official confirmed that mr netanyahu and mr lieberman had met and formed negotiating teams with the aim of reaching a coalition deal in the coming days
just hours before meeting mr lieberman mr netanyahu seemed to have been closing in on a coalition agreement with isaac herzog the leader of the center left zionist union and the head of the opposition in the knesset or israeli parliament after days of intense back room negotiations mr herzog whose party advocates accommodation with the palestinians had been expected to serve as foreign minister an appointment that was partly intended to ease international pressure on israel
by contrast mr lieberman 57 foreign minister in two previous governments led by mr netanyahu is known as a blunt talking polarizing figure he demands the death penalty for palestinians convicted of acts of terrorism has called in the past for the toppling of hamas the islamic militant group that controls gaza and once suggested that israel could bomb the aswan dam in any future military confrontation with egypt israel signed a peace treaty with egypt in 1979
benny begin a legislator from mr netanyahus conservative likud party told israels channel 2 television that the idea of mr liebermans serving as defense minister was delusional he said this step expresses irresponsibility towards the security establishment and towards all the citizens of israel
mr netanyahu has been seeking to stabilize and strengthen his governing coalition which is dominated by right wing and religious parties because it currently holds a majority of only one in the 120 seat knesset the addition of yisrael beiteinu would give mr netanyahus coalition 67 seats
the israeli government official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the delicate coalition negotiations publicly asserted that mr liebermans joining the government could advance prospects for peace with the palestinians
the official noted that mr lieberman who immigrated to israel from the soviet union in the 1970s and lives in a west bank settlement had voiced support for a palestinian state and that a right wing government would have more credibility with the israeli public to take difficult steps for peace without fear of compromising israels security he noted that it was menachem begin the former likud leader and father of the current legislator who made peace with egypt in the 1970s
but mr lieberman has been scathing in his criticism of president mahmoud abbas of the palestinian authority he has called for the ouster of mr abbas and denounced his campaign for upgraded palestinian status at the united nations as diplomatic terrorism he has also called for reducing israels arab population by transferring arab areas of israel to palestinian control
if he becomes defense minister mr lieberman will replace moshe yaalon a likud politician and former chief of staff of the israeli military
mr netanyahus coalition zigzag has left mr herzogs zionist union an alliance of the labor party and tzipi livnis centrist hatnua in turmoil a leading labor rival shelly yacimovich who has been vocal in her opposition to joining the netanyahu coalition accused mr herzog of shaming the party by pursuing a deal
mr herzog said he had ceased negotiating with mr netanyahu late tuesday night after reaching a dead end he added that ms yacimovich by openly opposing an accord should be held responsible for mr liebermans becoming defense minister
finding himself on the defensive mr herzog held two news conferences on wednesday in the second he rebuffed calls in his party to resign as labor leader
mr lieberman who was acquitted in a longstanding corruption case in 2013 has been an ally and a fierce critic of mr netanyahu
their parties ran together in the 2013 elections but separately in 2015 yisrael beiteinu shrank to six seats in the knesset from a high of 15 in 2009 at the height of coalition talks a year ago mr lieberman shocked the political establishment by announcing that he would not join the new government saying he was choosing principles over ministerial portfolios
the change came suddenly on wednesday when mr lieberman speaking to reporters at noon challenged mr netanyahu to make him a serious offer to join the coalition the prime minister knows my phone numbers he said
the prime minister and mr lieberman met at 4 pm


under fire from the governor and many republican legislators the state department of education now says it will not follow new federal guidance on use of bathrooms and locker rooms by transgender students state superintendent carey wright announced wednesday that the department would follow the lead of state leadership and take no action until the state board of education could discuss the situation the move comes as republicans in a number of other states have opposed the guidance with some seeking to join legal challenges mississippi education officials had said friday they would follow the guidance by federal authorities calling for transgender students to be treated consistently with their gender identity they cited a need for a safe and caring school environment the state board of education chairman john kelly of gulfport said that board would have a special meeting within the next two weeks to discuss the issue the move came as opposition to ms wrights earlier announcement that she would comply turned into a landslide wednesday 27 republican state senators among the 32 member republican supermajority sent a letter to her and the board of education calling for swift and decisive action on this urgent matter ap
gov doug ducey has signed legislation repealing a pair of laws targeting abortion because they appeared to be indefensible in court the republican governor also signed another bill that opponents say is designed to make it easier to cut off abortion providers from medicaid funding tuesdays action repeals a law he signed in march that locked in outdated federal guidelines covering the most commonly used abortion drug it also repealed a 2015 law he approved requiring providers to tell patients the effects of an abortion drug are reversible that law had been on hold pending a court challenge the medicaid payment law mr ducey signed allows the state to cut off funding to providers that fail to segregate taxpayer money from funds used to provide abortions ap
the four homes planned for an aspen affordable housing complex will cost upward of 13 million each the city council decided tuesday against subsidizing the homes as the city has done with other affordable housing councilman adam frisch said selling the homes at cost is still less than the 2 million price they would carry on the market the land title guarantee company says the average single family home price in aspen was almost 59 million last year housing lottery eligibility will extend to applicants who do not meet requirements for subsidized housing but earn too little to purchase on the open market among other criteria ap


baltimore   the fanfare was so great surrounding the undefeated kentucky derby champion nyquist at the preakness stakes draw on wednesday that his camp spilled over to tables reserved for the connections of other horses yet nobody seemed to mind and when nyquist drew post 3 and was made the 3 to 5 morning line favorite for the 141st running of the race on saturday all assembled cheered
after a 37 year wait for a triple crown champion ended when american pharoah won the belmont stakes last year this triple crown season has been all about getting along while basking in the afterglow
its numbing the trainer doug oneill said of nyquists triple crown run so far to be 8 for 8 going into the preakness to be 3 5 its such an honor and such a privilege
even keith desormeaux trainer of the second place derby finisher exaggerator   nyquists toughest competition among the 10 horses set to challenge him at pimlico race course   watched with awe as a replay of the derby was shown on several screens
maybe desormeaux was smiling because he saw how close his horse had come to catching nyquist who won by one and a quarter lengths or maybe he was smiling because he knew the tables could be turned saturday when the forecast calls for a 70 percent chance of rain
exaggerator who drew post 5 and was installed by the pimlico oddsmaker keith feustle as the second choice at 3 1 has won two graded stakes on wet tracks including the grade i santa anita derby on april 9
its a nonissue for us at least desormeaux said of racing in the slop we know we can do it
still nyquists camp remained confident and rightly so nyquist the 2 year old champion has won the breeders cup juvenile the 1 million florida derby and the kentucky derby pushing his earnings to 495 million
oneill said he did not think the rain would bother his colt after all he said nyquist did not flinch on a wet track at gulfstream park on april 2 in the florida derby
the japan based lani the ninth place finisher in the kentucky derby drew post 6 and was given odds of 30 1 and will be the only other derby entrant in the preakness field after gun runner who ran third at churchill downs was withdrawn from consideration tuesday also taking a shot will be laoban post 8 30 1 and cherry wine post 1 20 1 who were on the also eligible list for the derby
the third choice in the morning line at 8 1 is stradivari a late developing colt who drew post 11 and is trained by todd pletcher stradivari recently won an allowance race at keeneland by 14 1/2  lengths under the jockey john velazquez
rounding out the field for the mile and three sixteenths preakness are uncle lino post 2 20 1 awesome speed post 4 30 1 abiding star post 9 30 1 fellowship post 10 30 1 and collected post 7 10 1 who is trained by the triple crown winner bob baffert
baffert whose derby entrant mor spirit finished 10th was happy to cede the preakness spotlight to team nyquist
oneill and nyquists owner paul reddam won the preakness with ill have another in 2012 and headed into the belmont stakes with a triple crown on the line until the horse developed a tendon injury and had to be scratched a day before the race that setback was a reminder to savor the journey oneill said
were just living in the moment he said and going to enjoy every bit of it


washington   ed white has had a devilish time getting his painkiller prescription filled for intense back pain since a federal crackdown on opioid sales battened down the pharmacy shelves at the walgreens near his home in port richey fla
across the state in fort lauderdale maureen kielian just put her son into a residential treatment facility to try to break his life threatening opioid addiction to suggest that the federal authorities have been too aggressive amid an opioid epidemic killing 29000 people a year is absurd she said
faced with these competing stories congress has whipsawed between ensuring access to narcotic painkillers for people like mr white and addressing the addiction epidemic linked to those drugs one that has become the leading cause of injury death surpassing motor vehicle fatalities in 2013 according to the centers for disease control and prevention
for now washington appears ready to allow opioid prescriptions to remain widely accessible a victory for pharmacies drug makers and lawmakers say consumers   and instead focus on the treatment of addiction not its source
the house and the senate passed bills this spring that would among other things bolster prescription drug monitoring and treatment and abuse prevention programs fund drug disposal efforts and assist states that want to expand the availability of the drug naloxone which helps reverse overdoses even though their differences have yet to be worked out lawmakers in both chambers are trumpeting those actions banking on them to bolster their re election prospects
more quietly congress passed and president obama signed a very different measure last month that curtailed drug enforcement administration powers to pursue pharmacies and wholesalers that the agency believes have contributed to the epidemic
mr white 67 said the law was crucial the crackdown by the dea has gone too far he said
advocates of a stronger response are incredulous
im shocked that congress and the president would constrain dea from taking on corporate drug dealers in the midst of the worst addiction epidemic in us history said dr andrew kolodny the director of physicians for responsible opioid prescribing and an addiction specialist this law allows opioid distributors to reap enormous profits and operate with impunity at the publics expense
congresss actions have sought to balance the conflicting demands of deep pocketed chain pharmacies such as cvs and walgreens and drug distribution companies like cardinal health and mckesson with the victims of an epidemic that has ravaged some of the poorest parts of the country   but also some of the most politically sensitive like ohio and new hampshire
chain pharmacies and drug distributors say their businesses have been disrupted and profits hurt by dea investigators who have ordered immediate closures of pharmacies deemed regional destinations for addicts seeking a fix
the dea has employed the same disrupt and dismantle tactics to take down international drug cartels and other criminals as it does to combat prescription drug abuse said john gray the president of the healthcare distribution management association a trade organization for drug wholesalers
but past and present agency officials complain that they were steamrollered by a powerful lobby
under this law the bad actors simply have to promise to be good and we wont take them to court to punish them for what theyve already done said joseph t rannazzisi who retired in october after 11 years of directing the deas office of diversion control its obvious that industry had a very strong hand in crafting this bill
to its sponsors the new law is an uncontroversial clarification of when the right to distribute controlled substances can be suspended or revoked a matter separate from the opioid addiction fight it also establishes a process for federal agencies to go through in many cases before distribution centers can be shut down giving them 30 days to rectify issues as they crop up in an attempt to reduce disruptions to patients
written by representatives tom marino republican of pennsylvania and peter welch democrat of vermont it passed the house in april by unanimous consent a month after the senate approved its version without objection the senate measure was equally bipartisan drafted by senator orrin g hatch a conservative republican from utah and senator sheldon whitehouse a liberal democrat from rhode island
the dea has a big job mr welch said id like to see them not having to waste their time on protocol issues with distribution centers because thats not where the problem exists
in a statement mr marino said until now clear comprehensive legislation that protected patients right to access necessary medication while stopping those who might abuse such drugs did not exist
for all the self congratulations over a recent rash of opioid abuse bills   the house passed 18 measures last week after the senates comprehensive version in march   congress has yet to send a treatment measure to the president
and lawmakers are steeling themselves for the real fight how to pay for it the issue has become a surprisingly potent one with some vulnerable senate republicans running for re election on their efforts to fight addiction and siding with democrats in their chamber over house republicans to make their point
senator rob portman republican of ohio and a sponsor of the senate bill said his version was superior to the houses in two areas addiction prevention and new sources of funding that do not siphon money from other programs
and because many opioid addicts begin with prescription drugs he said congress needs to approve some restrictions on who can write and fill prescriptions the one doctor one pharmacy provision in the senate bill would cut down on doctor shopping and could counter any ill effects of curbing the deas enforcement power
thats really narrowing your choices to people who know you know what you need he said
trying to strike a balance between access for the needy and restrictions to prevent abuse has bedeviled the fight against the opioid crisis since its beginnings but as the annual death toll from the epidemic soared those calling for greater restrictions seemed to have gained the upper hand with new guidelines from the cdc and greater restrictions on popular narcotics finalized by the food and drug administration
the one law that has been enacted called ensuring patient access and effective drug enforcement act of 2016 gives those arguing for greater access to these medications an unlikely lift
its a significant blow to deas enforcement authority and that doesnt make any sense to us said carmen catizone the executive director of the national association of boards of pharmacy
as the lead agency in prosecuting a drug war that liberal and conservative politicians see as flawed the dea has lost clout the agencys growing efforts to combat opioid abuse have also meant clashes with the powerful lobbies of drug makers and pharmacists
on capitol hill mr rannassizi became a symbol of the deas recalcitrance particularly after he suggested that lawmakers would be supporting criminals if they passed the measure
this offends me immensely mr marino a former prosecutor responded to mr rannassizi at a 2014 hearing on an earlier version of the legislation
by passing the law congress is sending the dea a message mr marino said to the agencys administrator michele m leonhart you should take a serious look at your regulatory culture and seek collaboration with legitimate companies that want to do the right thing


the growing burden of untreated mental disorders in the worlds two most populous countries india and china cannot be adequately addressed without changes to their health care systems and by training folk healers to become collaborators a new report has found
the analysis published as a part of a series in the journals the lancet and the lancet psychiatry draws on years of medical surveys in those countries it represents the latest effort by an international coalition of researchers to put mental health care at the center of the global health agenda last month the world bank and the world health organization convened hundreds of public officials doctors and other specialists in a landmark meeting in washington to focus attention on global mental health
the new research presented in three papers found that less than 10 percent of people in india and china with a mental disorder received effective treatment and that the resulting burden of disability from those two countries was higher than in all western countries combined
india and china together represent more than a third of the worlds population and both countries are at a remarkable stage of epidemiologic and demographic transition said a co author of one of the papers dr vikram patel a professor of international mental health and co founder of a community based mental health center sangath in goa state in india in a recorded interview accompanying the articles
one lesson experts not involved in the research said is that investment is still lagging well behind spending on other medical conditions both countries spend less than 1 percent of their total medical budget on mental health
i think politicians and service planners will find this research valuable said dr alex cohen the course director of the global mental health program at the london school of hygiene  tropical medicine but if you dont have the resources to treat more than 2 percent of the people who need it then the overall burden can seem overwhelming
in the past decade both india and china have taken steps to expand access to mental health care in china a government program started in 2004 reportedly has trained 10000 psychiatrists and built hundreds of community mental health centers in what some consider a historic investment in better psychiatric care an indian government program to increase care in communities has effectively reduced hospital costs in some areas though implementation has been spotty at best experts said
but particularly in rural areas the majority of people in both countries still have little means or access to psychiatrists or therapists
very few chinese with common mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety ever seek treatment dr michael phillips of shanghai jiao tong university and emory university said in a statement  and the country as a whole is ill prepared for the coming epidemic of dementia as the population ages rapidly
one group of practitioners that is very accessible   and one the researchers said policy makers should consider potential allies   include traditional healers herbalists and spiritual guides in china many doctors get some training in traditional healing arts like herbal treatments acupuncture and qigong in india likewise many doctors incorporate yoga and ayurveda medicine
a collaboration makes good sense for another reason the researchers wrote in view of the popularity of traditional complementary and alternative medicine it is likely that even if sufficient biomedical mental health services were available people would continue to access other therapeutic systems
yet the evidence that medical doctors and folk healers can work together to provide effective mental health care is scarce experts said a recent review of the role of traditional healing for mental disorders led by dr oye gureje of the university of ibadan in nigeria found that healers have more readily adopted conventional psychiatric diagnoses such as depression or anxiety than disorders like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder which are thought to be spiritual in nature by the healers and in some developing countries traditional healers routinely use shackles isolation and fasting   methods that might fail to meet widespread understandings of human rights and humane care the paper concluded
the growing burden detailed in the new papers was due largely to aging and population growth some diagnoses like attention deficit disorder in china declined between 1990 and 2013 others like dementia and abuse of drugs and alcohol have risen for reasons no one understands suicide rates have fallen sharply in china in that time and risen steadily in india


the metropolitan opera is not the only major american company in the market for a new music director the san francisco opera announced wednesday that its music director nicola luisotti would step down when his contract is up at the end of the 2017 18 season
the announcement means that the company will soon be under new artistic leadership as well as new administrative leadership its general director david gockley is stepping down at the end of the current season and will be succeeded by matthew shilvock
mr luisotti 55 who was born in tuscany was appointed by mr gockley and assumed the san francisco post in 2009 succeeding donald runnicles he said in a statement that he wanted mr shilvock to be able to move freely into the future with his ideas his artistic interests and to take san francisco opera into a new direction
as hard as it is for me to say this about a company i so dearly love i sincerely believe this is the right path and the right time for me and san francisco opera he said in the statement in which he said he would look to new opportunities
his departure leaves two of americas leading opera companies looking to sign new music directors at the metropolitan opera james levine who shaped the modern company and made its orchestra world class retired this month 40 years after he became its music director one widely discussed candidate to succeed him is yannick nezet seguin the music director of the philadelphia orchestra but no announcements have been made
mr shilvock who will become general director of the san francisco opera in august said in a statement that choosing a new music director would be one of his chief tasks
i will start looking immediately he said but will take the time necessary to find the right partner


black orpheus
ecm
masabumi kikuchis late solo piano playing all improvised very little of it recorded was a deep blue nebula formally abstract yet full of articulation and musical meaning affecting on an almost primal level mr kikuchi died in july 2015 at the age of 75 after having lived in new york city for more than 40 years gradually winnowing down his musical circle to a select few black orpheus is a live recording from tokyo made in october 2012 at one of his last public solo performances
i write public solo performances because mr kikuchi did record performative solo piano music at home privately in his final years   a lot of it still unreleased   and also because what he did in front of audiences seemed very private he seemed to be going way inside the results could seem perverse or beautiful   or healthily confusing
his hands often didnt move in predictable coordination he played peacefully when moving through dissonance and when he constructed a ballad phrase his investment was lingering and extraordinary as if the purpose were nothing less than to play the greatest ballad phrase ever
all of black orpheus is improvised in self sustaining pieces of four to eight minutes each called tokyo other than two ballads hed recorded before one is the title track the brazilian standard by luiz bonfa and antonio maria which hed recorded several times since the 1960s and one is little abi a pensive song that became a sort of standard for him
a committed abstractionist and a generally unsentimental musician mr kikuchi could appear contradictory around songs especially sentimental ones about seven months before this concert he spoke to me of how he didnt like playing songs and how happy he was to be free from having to play them anymore except for the songs im crazy about he added which are those i asked a lot he said his rules werent for anyone else to hold him to
when he played at slow tempos his touch could be extraordinary weaving between playing with purpose and conjuring aftereffects in real time the footprints rather than the walk the smoke stains rather than the fire on this record never mind the songs the slow improvisations here are the stars tokyo part iii which grows into a mild flurry of dissonance tokyo part iv with its bill evans like rootless chord voicings and the super slow magisterial tokyo part ix there is no steady rhythm and no single coherent load bearing beam of song in any of them on the other hand theyre leaking song all over the place


donald j trump on wednesday unveiled a list of prospective supreme court nominees seeking to pacify veteran republicans who fear he does not take judicial matters seriously and to reassure conservatives that his appointees would reflect a right leaning philosophy here is a look at his possible picks
born 1963
position united states court of appeals for the eighth circuit
background judge colloton who was nominated by president george w bush in 2003 once clerked for chief justice william h rehnquist and was an associate independent counsel on the whitewater investigation in the mid 1990s

born 1965
position colorado supreme court
background justice eid who was appointed in 2006 by gov bill owens a republican previously served as the states solicitor general and clerked for justice clarence thomas a native of spokane wash she was a speechwriter for william j bennett a secretary of education in the reagan administration before attending law school

born 1963
position united states court of appeals for the eighth circuit
background judge gruender who has been suggested by conservatives as a possible nominee before was nominated for his current post by president bush in 2003 he has also worked as a prosecutor serving as the united states attorney for the eastern district of missouri in st louis his political background includes working as missouri state political director for bob doles 1996 presidential campaign

born 1965
position united states court of appeals for the third circuit
background judge hardiman was nominated by president bush in 2003 after over a decade in private practice he grew up in waltham mass and graduated from notre dame among his notable cases was a 2014 decision overturning philadelphias 95 year ban on political contributions by police officers

born 1966
position united states court of appeals for the sixth circuit
background judge kethledge confirmed months before president bush left office worked as a clerk for justice anthony m kennedy this year he wrote a decision ordering the internal revenue service to provide information about tax exempt applications as part of a tea party lawsuit that accused the agency of unfairly targeting conservatives

born 1968
position michigan supreme court
background judge larsen who was named to the state court last fall by gov rick snyder a republican is up for election in november to complete the term which expires in 2018 she spent several years as a law professor at the university of michigan and clerked for justice antonin scalia

born 1964
position utah supreme court
background justice lee who has held his current post since 2010 is the brother of senator mike lee of utah who endorsed senator ted cruz in the republican primary and the son of rex e lee who was united states solicitor general under president ronald reagan

born 1962
position united states court of appeals for the 11th circuit
background judge pryor was alabamas attorney general when he was nominated by president bush in 2003 that year he was at the center of a national firestorm when he called for the removal of the states chief justice roy s moore who had refused to obey a federal court order to remove a ten commandments monument from the states judicial building judge pryor initially supported judge moore but wound up leading the prosecution that led to his ouster from the bench

born 1974
position minnesota supreme court
background justice stras who has been on the court since 2010 and was elected to a six year term in 2012 was previously a faculty member at the university of minnesota law school his selection six years ago by gov tim pawlenty a republican stunned much of the states judicial world given mr strass age at the time 35 and that he had spent most of his time in academia

born 1957
position united states court of appeals for the seventh circuit
background judge sykes who was nominated by president bush in 2003 has been mentioned before by mr trump as a possible choice she is the former wife of charlie sykes a prominent wisconsin radio host who fiercely opposed mr trump before the states primary last month which mr trump lost decisively

born 1966
position texas supreme court
background justice willett appointed by gov rick perry in 2005 served as an adviser to george w bush in the texas governors office and in the white house he then worked in the justice department office that coordinates the judicial nomination and confirmation process with the white house and the senate later he was deputy attorney general under greg abbott now the states governor last june justice willett an eager twitter user weighed in on the prospect of a president trumps imprint on the supreme court


coloring book
for the last few years kanye wests most visible disciple has been drake who mainlined his melody first approach his arriviste swagger and most crucial his emotional vulnerability if mr west innovated by hinting at the chinks in his armor drake succeeded by making the chinks his armor
but drake has all but ignored mr wests conscience his spirituality his connection to larger struggles both racial and spiritual in drakes hands mr west has been a template for deep feeling and pop ascendance but mr wests other disciple chance the rapper sees something different in him
to chance mr west is a hometown hero   they both come from chicago   an agitator and a penitent a guide for living a devout life without melting under public scrutiny twelve years ago on jesus walks from his debut album the college dropout mr west loudly wondered if his spirituality could ever be harmonious with his celebrity
the truest sign that mr west has succeeded is that these are not fractures at all for chance who on the jubilant nourishing coloring book his third solo release has blossomed into a crusader and a pop savant coming as close as anyone has to eradicating the walls between the sacred and the secular
make no mistake   this is an album full of gospel even if its not strictly speaking a gospel album theres how great which interpolates chris tomlins how great is our god the sauntering blessings where chance raps jesuss black life aint matter   i know i talked to his daddysaid you the man of the house now look out for your family and the confessional finish linedrown which features kirk franklin
mr franklin and chance also shared space on mr wests ultralight beam from the life of pablo on which chance had a breathtaking verse foot on the devils neck til it drifted pangaeaim moving all my family from chatham to zambia
that intimacy is echoed time and again on coloring book chance is one of hip hops pre eminent memoirists a pinpoint recollector of childhood stories who uses them as universal parables he opens summer friends with wistfulness socks on concrete jolly rancher kidsi was talking back and now i gotta stay at grandmas crib but later the song becomes a eulogy for that same childhood innocence decimated by chicago violence our summer dont get no shine no moreour summer die our summertime dont got no time no more
chance is a vernacular progressive a dexterous rapper who shrugs at his own facility at every turn   for him complexity isnt a cudgel its a showcase he shows it off in the density of his rhymes but mostly in his rhythms and melodies few rappers are as comfortable with shifting gears mid flow and even fewer sound so at ease doing so
chance isnt modest though   at least not about his ambition hes connected enough and comfortable enough to get a rare verse by the hip hop specter jay electronica on how great corral justin bieber for a cameo on juke jam and to refer to beyonce as auntie yonce and though coloring book is advertised as a mixtape its as tightly orchestrated as any album full of guests who feel the same lil wayne and 2 chainz clever on no problem a scrappy young thug and a startlingly great lil yachty on mixtape
that song is chances statement of economic purpose how can they call themselves bosses when they got so many bossesyou gotta see what your boss sayi get it straight out the faucet his resentment about record labels is mid 1990s in spirit but transposed for an era in which an artist with his gifts doesnt need one to succeed coloring book is currently available as an apple music streaming exclusive it eventually will be released more widely though will not be made available for sale he frames this distaste in religious terms they want four minute songsyou need a four hour praise dance performed every morn
of course in chances universe the pop song is the praise song hes a slick warrior for independent artists for the sanctity and sanity of his hometown for his family for the lord mr west has been juggling concerns exterior and interior big and small for more than a decade with chance theres no more need to juggle


you wont find the familiar bottles of liquor at yours sincerely a cocktail bar that opened in january next to a faux english pub called dear bushwick instead the 30 house cocktails are dispensed from a neat row of custom taps with porcelain doll heads and served in graduated glass beakers like the kind found in high school chemistry class
all that is left for the tattooed and bearded bartenders to do is add ice and an aromatic spritz   a refreshing break from the mixology bars that insist on making each cocktail by hand from scratch
the place
it occupies a former five and dime store on an otherwise quiet stretch of wilson avenue in residential bushwick lined with vinyl sided homes inside the space is long and narrow the decor is grandmotherly yet cool framed paintings of flowers hang on the dark green walls a chandelier casts a feeble light on the marble bar a long banquette and a few tables offer patrons a place to gather and set down their beakers
the crowd
fun loving 20 somethings not too jaded for small talk on a recent friday night a group of young men in capes floral t shirts and drop crotch pants discussed the netflix sitcom unbreakable kimmy schmidt with a nearby table of jewelry designers verdict brilliant at the bar a young actress from bay ridge told the bartender about going to laguardia high school she said it was stressful and asked him about his hobbies rock n roll guitar
playlist
during the rush the music is too faint to notice but it sounds like robin thickes blurred lines on repeat off hours theres a wistful indie slant that may include cat power and mac demarco
getting in
like the rest of the bushwick bar scene the crowd doesnt arrive until the clock turns to double digits
drinks
the cocktails on tap menu includes an old fashioned style swipe right made with an organic date infused bourbon and a pina colada like pineapple express made with a coconut infused rum all cocktails are 8 burgers and shakes are also available


beijing   amid the opacity of chinas social systems the cliches can sometimes pile up game of smoke and mirrors wild goose chase stumbling block
a recent high profile court case involving apple and a chinese company xintong tiandi which sells leather goods under the iphone trademark involved all of those
heres a summary on march 31 the beijing higher peoples court upheld earlier rulings by a lower court and chinas trademark arbitration board that xintong tiandi had the right to use iphone for products in class 18 of the international trademark classification system since xintong tiandi acquired the trademark in 2007 when the iphone name was not renowned in china the court ruled apple has the rights in class 9 which covers computers and smartphones class 18 covers leather goods
heres the smoke and mirrors xintong tiandi didnt exist in 2007 a russian company acquired the rights then and xintong tiandi bought the rights from it in 2011 the chinese companys lawyer xiong zhi said in a telephone interview public company filings show that xintong tiandi was set up in 2011
it may matter because iphones went on sale in china in 2009 amid frenzied scenes by 2011 it was the smartphone of choice for chinas smart set and arguably renowned in china the purchase date of the trademark raised questions about the good faith of the chinese company some lawyers said
it is a moral argument matthew dresden a lawyer with harris moure in seattle who specializes in chinese intellectual property law said in a telephone interview
but the company that filed for it in 2007 must have known what they were doing then too mr dresden added
still the issue of intent and when xintong tiandi acquired the trademark may not affect the ultimate outcome of the case mr dresden said apple has said it will appeal to the supreme peoples court
whatever rights the russian company had or didnt have are what xintong tiandi bought mr dresden said for better or worse thats what they purchased he added in the logic of how the chinese trademark system works it makes sense that it should be viewed as what was the state of the world at the time that it was filed
i dont see this as the chinese court being biased i see it as them enforcing the trademark law as it is currently implemented mr dresden wrote later in an email
heres the wild goose chase calls to the beijing higher peoples court seeking clarification on the ruling went unanswered over the course of a recent afternoon and no fax number could be located for the court
a person answering the telephone at the media office of the state administration for industry and commerce which oversees the trademark review and adjudication board that first ruled in favor of xintong tiandi in the case in 2013 berated a reporter who said she was from the new york times what question do you have can you speak when the reporter said she had been unable to send a fax to the office the man said i only heard the fax machine beeping how would i know who that was from and what it was about
when the reporter said she may file a complaint for rudeness he replied you said you want to file a complaint go file a complaint the man hung up without giving his name
mr xiong xintong tiandis lawyer explained the omission of the russian ownership detail thus the court was not obliged to recap the entire history of the case in the ruling
he rejected what he said were unfair remarks by some foreign media that the courts decision showed the chinese judicial system was not to be trusted fairness cannot be judged based on whether one has won or lost but should be based on whether there are problems in the procedures mr xiong said
its not the first time that xintong tiandi has clashed with apple over trademarks apple had prevailed in several other cases against xintong for similar issues carolyn wu an apple spokeswoman said in a statement
mr dresdens conclusion is robust companies need to do more to protect themselves in china even buying the trademark rights for all 45 classes
whether thats a stumbling block or a solution readers can decide


hamilton is about to hit the road and more than a year before it arrives in many cities theaters around the country are trying to convert the hunger for tickets into subscriptions and memberships
in many cities theaters are encouraging potential patrons to subscribe to their 2016 17 seasons even though hamilton wont arrive until the following season with the promise that those who subscribe now   and then renew   will be guaranteed hamilton tickets and can lock in their chosen subscription seats
the strategy is eyebrow raising because the theaters acknowledge that some tickets will ultimately be available for sale to nonsubscribers given the widespread publicity over the scarcity of tickets to the broadway production of hamilton though many theatergoers appear unwilling to risk facing a sold out show in their hometowns
in my 38 years of being involved with selling tickets for various activities i dont believe there has ever been this kind of but how do i get my tickets conversation said deborah f rutter the president of the john f kennedy center for the performing arts in washington
hamilton is scheduled to be at the kennedy center for 14 weeks in the summer of 2018 on wednesday the center started selling tickets for its 2016 17 season with the promise that anyone who subscribes that season and renews next will be guaranteed tickets the effort to goad people into subscribing for two years to get tickets to the show prompted criticism in the washington post from a blogger who called it a quite high entrance fee and from a letter writer who criticized what she called extortionist prices
ms rutter said there would be tickets available for purchase to nonsubscribers but that it only made sense to reach out to try to bolster subscriptions first
people have accused us of gouging but its not gouging   if you want to be first in line the best way to do that is to be a subscriber ms rutter said
the strategy is already proving a significant boon to theaters where hamilton will be staged   some are nonprofits and some are commercial enterprises but all depend on subscriptions or memberships as important elements of their budgets many arts groups have hard times sustaining subscription bases as consumers gravitate toward more a la carte and last minute planning for their cultural activities
we live and breathe by the subscription model said lauren reid chief executive of the theater unit at key brand entertainment which brings shows to 40 stages in north america through its broadway across america subsidiary
ms reid said she had never seen as high a level of consumer awareness about a new show as for hamilton consequently she added every theater expecting hamilton is teasing it early to promote subscriptions
the bottom line is hamilton is really good for our industry she said its an event and its a cultural moment and its unusual that we have an opportunity like this to highlight something special
the tactic is working in chicago the first city outside new york where hamilton will be seen starting on sept 27 broadway in chicago has sold out its fall subscription package for the first time according to lou raizin the organizations president
the company has not yet started selling tickets to nonsubscribers   and there will be many such tickets available because the show plans to stay in chicago as long as sales are healthy but mr raizin said we believe there will be very strong demand youd have to be hiding under a rock not to have that opinion
in san francisco where hamilton is expected to run at the shn orpheum theater for 21 weeks starting next march shn which operates two locations in the city expects to have 40000 members enroll for its 2016 17 season up from the usual 20000 to 23000 hamilton has been an incredible driver for membership sales said greg holland shns chief executive also noteworthy mr holland said was that 80 percent of the new membership buyers were first time visitors to the companys website
in iowa des moines performing arts has said that hamilton will come for an unspecified length of time at unspecified dates during the 2017 18 season but that has been enough to cause a spike in subscriptions to the coming season
weve more than doubled the number of new season tickets purchased compared to a year ago and our renewal rate is shooting up to the levels we always aspire to said jeff chelesvig the centers president and chief executive our goal is 11000 subscribers and i have no doubt well plow through that
the lead producer of hamilton jeffrey seller said he was aware that theaters were using the promise of a future production of the show to market shorter term subscriptions
im ok with it   its good for the theater in general he said the only thing i dont want anyone to say is that if you dont buy a subscription you wont be able to get a ticket because there will be single tickets they wont sell out through subscriptions
the broadway production of hamilton which has been essentially sold out since it opened last august is expected to continue to run for years the show is planning to visit other cities through two additional productions the one that will open in chicago this fall and stay there indefinitely and the one that will begin in san francisco next march and then tour
thus far tour stops often without specific dates or duration have been announced for atlanta boston costa mesa calif des moines houston las vegas los angeles portland ore seattle tempe ariz and washington
hamilton is also planning a fourth production in london but that has not yet been officially announced


sonoma calif   sanford i weill who built citigroup into a too big to fail colossus and dominated the new york charity and social circuit more than a decade ago lately can be found relaxed in jeans attending local wine country social events or riding his john deere farm utility vehicle across his property to visit the neighbors
mr weill a quintessential brooklyn native and his wife joan have decamped for sonoma where the rolling sun dappled hills are often compared to italys tuscany region the weills spend more than half of their time here now far from wall streets high octane environment   and its critical onlookers
of course parts of mr weills new life still look similar to his old one back east
on the lawn of his 360 acre hilltop estate named casa rosa sit two stainless steel sculptures of roses each more than 20 feet tall by the new york artist will ryman mr weill bought them after noticing them in 2011 when they were part of a public art installation adorning park avenue
the couples manhattan based interior designer mica ertegun updated the sonoma estates 11600 square foot mansion which they bought in 2010 for 30 million the property includes a vineyard that produces syrah under the weill a way label and mr weill arranged for breguet whose 23600 wristwatches he wears to become the official timepiece of a concert hall named after the weills at nearby sonoma state university a project he helped finish with a 12 million donation in 2011
i think he kind of enjoys it out here probably he finds it a bit more of a quieter lifestyle than the hustle and bustle of the city said leslie vadasz a retired intel executive whose 200 acre estate is next door to casa rosa the two have become friendly but there are some topics that are still off limits it seems
in a way he was quite a pioneer on wall street mr vadasz said in a recent interview seated in the spacious living room of his own hillside mansion but when i mentioned it either sandy or joan said look what happened he was not particularly happy about it mr weill does not appear to enjoy discussing the topic mr vadasz added there are subjects that i dont poke at and he doesnt volunteer
in an interview in an office he keeps in new york where he still spends a quarter of his time mr weill acknowledged that the fate of citigroup and the role of giant banks in the financial crisis of 2008 do not get discussed much out west
explaining the couples move mr weill said the two most interesting places in the us are new york city and the bay area and we spent more than 50 years of our married life in new york he added that the draws to the san francisco bay area are the exciting innovation and entrepreneurship there as well as the weather the food and wine and the lack of concrete
the weills signaled their westward shift on april 26 by announcing a 185 million gift to the university of california san francisco to finance a new weill institute for neurosciences
in recent years the couple has retired from board leadership roles at three new york institutions they continue to back weill cornell medical school carnegie hall and the alvin ailey american dance theater but until the latest gift was announced few new yorkers familiar with mr weills storied wall street history knew that they had moved
in his heyday in the 1990s mr weill was a sun king   one of the most powerful and successful financial individuals in new york said roy smith a finance professor at new york university business school mr weill gained that status as a deal maker with a series of ever larger mergers culminating with citicorp and the travelers group forming the behemoth citigroup in 1998 the last deal helped knock down the depression era glass steagall act which separated banking from the riskier securities business
but then he and citigroup suffered a series of setbacks he stepped down as citigroups chief executive in 2003 a few months after a bruising regulatory probe of biased wall street research uncovered his personal efforts to get the star telecommunications analyst jack grubman to reconsider a tepid neutral rating on att stock at a time when atts chief executive was a citigroup director though mr weill was not charged citigroup paid the largest fine of any wall street company
and he and citigroup were cited as contributors to the 2008 financial crisis by time magazine and the oscar winning documentary inside job knocking down glass steagall helped spawn swollen banks that are now one of the countrys major economic problems time said noting that citigroup itself required multiple government rescues costing 45 billion in 2010 testimony before a congressional panel investigating the meltdown mr weill minimized the role of glass steagalls repeal saying it had nothing to do with the financial crisis
when he retired as citigroup chairman in 2006 mr weill held 166 million citigroup shares then worth 768 million at his peak in 2007 forbes listed his net worth at 18 billion but the stock lost more than 90 percent of its value after his handpicked successor allowed citigroup to build up a huge exposure to toxic subprime assets
sensitive to his image cultivated through business success philanthropy and a penchant for putting the weill name on buildings and institutions mr weill may feel somewhat diminished said mr smith of nyu but mr weill says new york continues to be very welcoming to us and he disputed suggestions advanced by two friends in interviews that the move west was motivated partly to get away from all the noise around citi
mike conway mr weills chief of staff said the weills are not running away from anything they are just trying to expand their horizons
ms weill said the couple often enjoyed time they spent on business trips to carmel calif and once considered buying a pink house there but decided it would be a pain in the neck to get back and forth while he was still working full time the idea of the bay area came back in mid 2010 during a trip to napa valley she recalls saying gee its really nice here maybe we should think about this
in 2011 mr weill sold his 10 room apartment at 15 central park west for 88 million in 2012 he sold a 200 foot yacht for about 50 million he has held on to a 12 room mansion in greenwich conn plus spreads in the adirondacks and bahamas but nowadays friends say when he spends the night in manhattan he usually stays at a hotel
sonoma population 11000 and situated 40 miles north of san francisco stands apart from silicon valley to the south which teems with venture capital investors start ups and technology juggernauts like apple and facebook the weill estate is a few miles to the west of town reachable via roads dotted with rusting pickup trucks a jack in the box fast food franchise and a furniture consignment store
mr weill has not lost the thirst for success that helped build citigroup and its predecessors with a stock performance that more than doubled the broad market when he was chief executive his 2012 weill a way exposition 3 syrah which retails for about 79 got a 99 score from the wine critic robert parker in 2015 morgan twain peterson the owner of bedrock wine which produces weill a way said mr weill has suggested increasing margins by raising the price he often says i dont understand your business model at all he always wants the wine to be priced higher
he also keeps up with old friends including ajay banga a citigroup protege who now runs mastercard which has pledged 15 million to sponsor concerts and a planned outdoor pavilion near the weill concert hall at sonoma state
going to california helped mr weill restart the clock said mr banga who hosted an informal 83rd birthday celebration for mr weill in march at a new york restaurant hes a good guy hes gone through a lot good and bad ive heard him say you have to go through bad experiences to learn how to handle them and come out of them so you can better deal with the good times


columbus ohio   the electronic classroom of tomorrow an online charter school based here graduated 2371 students last spring at the commencement ceremony a student speaker triumphantly told her classmates that the group was the single largest graduating high school class in the nation
what she did not say was this despite the huge number of graduates   this year the school is on track to graduate 2300   more students drop out of the electronic classroom or fail to finish high school within four years than at any other school in the country according to federal data for every 100 students who graduate on time 80 do not
even as the national on time graduation rate has hit a record high of 82 percent publicly funded online schools like the electronic classroom have become the new dropout factories
these schools take on students with unorthodox needs   like serious medical problems or experiences with bullying   that traditional districts may find difficult to meet but with no physical classrooms and high pupil to teacher ratios they cannot provide support in person
if youre disconnected or struggling or you havent done well in school before its going to be tough to succeed in this environment said robert balfanz the director of the everyone graduates center a nonprofit research and advocacy group in baltimore
virtual schools have experienced explosive growth nationwide in recent years financed mostly by state money but according to a report released on tuesday by americas promise alliance a consortium of education advocacy groups the average graduation rate at online schools is 40 percent
few states have as many students in e schools as ohio online charter schools here are educating one out of every 26 high school students yet their graduation rates are worse than those in the states most impoverished cities including cleveland and youngstown
with 17000 pupils most in high school the electronic classroom is the largest online school in the state students and teachers work from home on computers communicating by email or on the schools web platform at distances that can be hundreds of miles apart
in 2014 the schools graduation rate did not even reach 39 percent because of this poor record as well as concerns about student performance on standardized tests the school is now under corrective action by a state regulator which is determining its next steps
but while some students may not have found success at the school the electronic classroom has richly rewarded private companies affiliated with its founder william lager a software executive
when students enroll in the electronic classroom or in other online charters a proportion of the state money allotted for each pupil is redirected from traditional school districts to the cyberschools at the electronic classroom which mr lager founded in 2000 the money has been used to help enrich for profit companies that he leads those companies provide school services including instructional materials and public relations
for example in the 2014 fiscal year the last year for which federal tax filings were available the school paid the companies associated with mr lager nearly 23 million or about one fifth of the nearly 115 million in government funds it took in
critics say the companies associated with mr lager have not delivered much value i dont begrudge people making money if they really can build a better mousetrap said stephen dyer a former ohio state legislator and the education policy fellow at innovation ohio a columbus think tank that is sharply critical of online charter schools
its clear that mr lager has not done a service over all to kids and certainly not appreciably better than even the most struggling school districts in the state mr dyer added but hes becoming incredibly wealthy doing a very mediocre job for kids
mr lager declined requests for an interview in an emailed statement on tuesday he did not respond to questions about his affiliated companies but said the electronic classrooms graduation rate did not accurately measure the schools performance
in the statement he said many students arrived at the school already off track and have trouble making up the course credits in time to graduate
holding a school accountable for such students is like charging a relief pitcher with a loss when they enter a game three runs behind and wiping out the record of the starting pitcher his statement said
the statement added that the school should be judged based on an accountability system that successfully controls for the academic effects of demographic factors such as poverty special needs and mobility
in an interview rick teeters the superintendent of the electronic classroom said many of the students were older than was typical for their grade while others faced serious life challenges including pregnancy or poverty
mr lager is correct in noting that the student body at the electronic classroom is highly mobile last year more than half the schools students enrolled for less than the full school year and of those who dropped out of high school half were forced to withdraw after being reported truant
also according to state data 19 percent of the students have disabilities higher than the state average
but the proportion of students who come from low income families   just under 72 percent   is lower than in cleveland columbus and dayton close to three quarters of the schools students are white
in a self published book in 2002 the kids that ecot taught mr lager wrote that the dropout rate is the most critical issue facing our public education system but it is only the first of many problems that can be solved by e learning
through the electronic classroom he wrote he planned to make public education more efficient and effective
he added no business could suffer results that any school in columbus public delivers and not be driven out of business
peggy lehner a republican state senator who sponsored a charter school reform bill that passed the legislature last fall said the problem was the school not the students
when you take on a difficult student youre basically saying we feel that our model can help this child be successful  she said and if you cant help them be successful at some point you have to say your model isnt working and if your model is not working perhaps public dollars shouldnt be going to pay for it
some of those public dollars are being paid to iq innovations and altair learning management companies associated with mr lager altair has had a contract with the school since 2000 a school spokesman neil clark said according to federal filings it received 42 million in 2014 mr lager is the companys chief executive
mr clark said altair provided a variety of services including a program of instruction strategic planning public relations financial reporting and budgeting
in filings with the ohio secretary of state mr lager is listed as a registered agent for iq innovations in campaign finance records he was listed as the companys chief executive as recently as 2015 iq innovations received 187 million from the school in 2014
mr clark said iq innovations had provided the school with grading software and digital curriculum materials since 2008
he said that neither altair nor iq innovations was required to go through a competitive bidding process
at the schools headquarters in a former mall set at the back of a parking lot here attendance clerks sit in a windowless room tracking how often students log in to the network those who do not log in for 30 days are reported as truant
guidance counselors carry caseloads of up to 500 students each and the schoolwide pupil teacher ratio is 30 to one
for some students the electronic classroom can provide a release valve from the pressures or frustrations of a traditional school several students assembled by the school to talk to a reporter said they had experienced bullying or boredom before enrolling
without the bullying i was able to focus said sydney deberry 20 who left a private school to enroll in the electronic classroom which she graduated from in 2014 that was a big distraction not only to my work but to my individuality
students who made it to graduation said self motivation was crucial contrary to popular opinion you cannot just log on once a week and get by and still pass your classes said dianna norwood 19 who graduated last year and is now a student at ohio state university
but other students complained that the school could make it difficult to succeed
alliyah graham 19 said she had sought out the electronic classroom during her junior year because she felt isolated as one of a few african american girls at a mostly white public school in a cincinnati suburb
it took three weeks for the electronic classroom to enter her in its system she said then it assigned her to classes she had already passed at her previous school when she ran into technical problems she said i really just had to wing it
ms graham who hopes to pursue a career in medicine has also been disappointed by the quality of assignments she showed a reporter a digital work sheet for a senior english class in which students were asked to read a passage and then fill in boxes circles and trapezoids noting the main idea a picturedrawing or questions you have
i feel like i did this kind of work in middle school ms graham said
when she turns in assignments she said feedback from teachers is minimal good job they write keep going
she hopes to graduate this spring
her cousin makyla woods 19 moved to cincinnati from georgia last year as a senior to live with her father since ms graham was already enrolled in the electronic classroom ms woods decided to give it a try
but she soon moved out from her fathers apartment took a job at mcdonalds and stopped doing assignments i just got lazy doing work on the computer she said


name hailey gates
age 26
hometown los angeles growing up i moved about 16 times in the city ms gates said ive lived everywhere from elviss weird bachelor pad in bel air to across the street from the house where sharon tate was murdered
now lives in a one bedroom apartment on the upper west side close to central park i have a mailer breslin and the 51st state poster and a neon pink sign of raouls in soho one of my favorite restaurants she said of her quirky design taste
claim to fame ms gates is a model and the host of states of undress a travel series on the new cable channel viceland that explores the societal impact of fashion in various countries in the first season which just ended she interviews an extremist imam in pakistan prowls a runway alongside aspiring beauty queens in venezuela and gets her hair done in the democratic republic of congo
big break in 2012 after graduating from the theater program at new york university ms gates landed a supporting role in ricki and the flash starring meryl streep she also did some modeling starring in fashion campaigns for miu miu target and costume national vice executives liked her film work which also included several independent films and contacted her to host states of undress i met with viceland and decided to do the show on tuesday ms gates said and by friday i was on a plane to pakistan
latest project she is in talks to host a second season of states of undress but she may need some time to scrub off the first seasons escapades in china i had my body lit on fire she said and in russia i took a bath in reindeer blood which apparently had some kind of youth enhancing elements
next thing ms gates who worked at the paris review after college as its advertising director now contributes to the magazine as an advisory editor she is also writing a film script which she describes as about religion and the internet
personal style her interest in fashion came at an early age when i was young i made all of my own clothes she said i would wear entirely one color tutus furry pants it was totally outrageous my family was deeply embarrassed to be seen with me


on thursday the jewelry store quiet storms will open in williamsburg brooklyn youll find a sophie bille brahe gold and pearl earring 650 among a mix of modern fine jewelers that include jemma wynne and delfina delettrez at 142 grand street
that same day away a direct to consumer travel company founded by two former warby parker executives will open a pop up with its inaugural product a carry on   a smart rollerboard with a patent pending compression system and usb charging 225   along with a curated range of souvenirs these include incense from tokyo 18 and sockerbit candy 5 from stockholm at 325 lafayette street
on friday the indian jewelry house munnuthe gem palace will open a three day exhibition at barneys on madison avenue with elaborate pieces from the companys archives they were exhibited previously at the kremlin and somerset house in london including a small box with more than 900 calibrated rubies set in gold
on saturday warby parker will open its first brooklyn outpost in cobble hill and will mark the occasion with the introduction of store exclusive milton frames with round mirrored lenses 145 at 55 bergen street
the outnet has a holiday shop featuring a series of six limited edition designer collections rolling out over the course of the summer first up is adam lippes who has created 12 easy pieces including a chambray wrap skirt 296 and a ribbon trimmed cotton top 245 at theoutnetcom
the jonathan simkhai prefall collection which includes an organza midi dress 1275 and a cold shoulder ruffled silk top 395 is available for two weeks exclusively on a digital pop up on the intermix website and at intermix boutiques at intermixonlinecom and at 98 prince street
also this week pierre hardy debuts a new e commerce site that includes styles like the biba platform embellished with psychedelic stripe 1144 available only at the online store and the new york boutique at pierrehardycom 30 jane street
from friday to monday comme des garcons will host what promises to be a typically epic once every three years sample sale called super market market 2016 for the first time the sale will include dover street market merchandise like a j w anderson box bag 183 originally 915 and a craig green bomber jacket 203 originally 1015 for up to 80 percent off the sale will also have pieces from the full range of comme des garcons lines at skylight clarkson sq 550 washington street


the ailing media mogul sumner m redstone will no longer draw a salary from viacom one of the big media companies he controls two people briefed on the development said wednesday
the move follows a drawn out legal battle in california that highlighted mr redstones failing health while challenging his mental capacity the case was dismissed last week but the details that emerged prompted viacoms board to evaluate his compensation and status
eliminating his pay is a gesture toward acknowledging that he is no longer involved in operations and deserving pay as a company executive
mr redstone 92 remains chairman emeritus and controlling shareholder of viacom and cbs a 40 billion media empire he controls about 80 percent of the voting shares in the companies through national amusements the private theater chain company started by his father control of the two companies will be passed to a trust only after he dies or is declared not competent
filed in november by a former companion and romantic partner the lawsuit included embarrassing and salacious claims about mr redstone who has had minor strokes and has a speech impediment those included details about his sexual appetite incontinence and demands to eat steak while on a feeding tube
those details prompted investors to raise questions about mr redstones pay his role at his companies and other corporate governance issues in february he stepped down as chairman at both companies
in dismissing the case after only one day the judge relied heavily on videotaped testimony from mr redstone saying the media mogul had convincingly asserted that he did not want the former companion manuela herzer to supervise his health care as she was seeking
i think he said what he wanted to say the judge said
but the same testimony a transcript of which was released to news organizations also included halting answers profanity forgetfulness and nonresponsiveness   putting renewed focus on the media moguls mental capacity there was also an evaluation by a geriatric psychiatrist
the judge in his evaluation of the testimony said it is also not in dispute that redstone suffers from either mild or moderate dementia
mr redstones total compensation was 2 million in the 2015 fiscal year down from 13 million in 2014
viacoms board met on wednesday it is not clear whether the board of cbs was making the same considerations cbs declined to comment
the viacom development was first reported by the wall street journal


bartolo colon might look physically out of place on a baseball field but he rarely presents an uncomfortable image during stoppages in play colon will casually toss the ball in the air and catch it basket style in his mitt like a little leaguer awaiting action to resume
in two plus seasons with the mets colon a rotund veteran with an unflappable demeanor on the mound and a batting helmet that sometimes spins off his head when he swings has earned folk hero status with an endearing approach to the game that occasionally defies logic he was at the center of attention for several reasons in his start wednesday but by the end of the day the overarching conclusion might have been that the magic in colons memorable run with the mets was wearing thin
colon walked five batters for the first time since april 26 2005 when he pitched for the los angeles angels and threw a season high 107 pitches in only four and two thirds innings hitting a batter and allowing three runs as the mets lost to the washington nationals 7 1
the mets six pitchers walked 11 batters
i havent seen that out of our pitching staff since ive been here manager terry collins said thats not us were better than that were a lot better than that
it was colons first game at citi field since he went deep in san diego for his first major league home run at age 42 a feat that still boggles the mind
on tuesday colon demonstrated that his homer had not been a fluke he walked out of the mets clubhouse just before 4 pm tightening the straps on his blue and white batting gloves entering the dugout he went over to the collection of bats and pulled out a glistening black and brown model looking it over like a scientist carefully inspecting a petri dish
david wright the mets captain has praised colons hand eye coordination and his ability to hit home runs in batting practice and now colon began to reveal signs of his hitting acumen first he showed bunt before pulling back the bat to swing away he then hit balls to the opposite field
while waiting his next turn colon walked to the side and spat his gum into the air taking a cut and whiffing suddenly wrights proclamations of colons hitting prowess again seemed farcical
colon then began his third round of swings waving his bat back and forth in his stance a less violent version of gary sheffields approach but the balls did not crash into the seats the way they would when sheffield who hit 509 career home runs took batting practice instead colon kept popping the ball straight up into the top of the cage
at this point the mets position players slowly began to file out onto the field for pregame stretching signaling that the pitchers batting practice was coming to a close fred wilpon the mets principal owner also made an appearance walking toward the outfield
with wilpon and just about all of the mets looking on colon entered the cage for his final swings he began by taking pitches which was puzzling showing plate discipline in batting practice is as useful as stealing a base while trailing by 10 runs
but maybe there was a method to colons madness on one of the last pitches thrown to him he took a hearty cut creating a booming snap off the bat some mets players yelled ohh and paused to gawk at the ball in flight
the ball continued to carry looking as if it might clear the fence and in the end it did bouncing off casey stengels retired no 37 above the left field railing
colon cracked a small smile as if he knew he had it in him all along
those good feelings may be tarnished after a report in the new york post on wednesday said that colon had been taken to court by a woman who contended that she had two children now school age with him out of wedlock and that he had failed to pay child support
evan schein a lawyer representing the woman and robert h moses a lawyer representing colon did not return requests for comment
i have nothing to add to that colon who is married said i dont really care to talk about my personal stuff
the news did not lead to any jeers when the starting lineup was announced wednesday and colon received the warmest reception of any mets player before the game collins was asked if he thought colon might be distracted when he pitched wednesday night
his personal issues are his personal issues collins said but bartolo can handle anything
that may no longer hold true the loss to the nationals was his third straight uninspiring start despite belting a 90 mile an hour pitch from san diegos james shields a former all star over the left field wall at petco park on may 7 colon still yielded three runs in that game and another five in his next outing against the los angeles dodgers


most borrowers who take out a single payment car title loan end up borrowing again because they cant afford to make the payment when its due new federal research shows
thats why much auto title business comes from borrowers who end up taking out multiple loans in a row and remain in debt for months the consumer financial protection bureau found in a study released on wednesday
car title loans are a type of short term high interest loan used by consumers who are short of cash to pay bills or meet unexpected expenses the title is used as collateral
but what may be intended as a short term loan often turns into long term debt because extra fees and interest are added to the original amount owed the report found most car title loans are due in 30 days but in some states they can come due in as little as two weeks
about one in five auto title borrowers has a car seized for failure to repay a lender the report found
the collateral damage can be especially severe for borrowers who have their car or truck seized costing them ready access to their job or the doctors office richard cordray the bureaus director said in a call with reporters
for its report the bureau examined about 35 million single payment loans issued by nonbank lenders from 2010 to 2013
single payment car title loans which are repaid with a balloon payment are available in 20 states five other states permit only auto title loans that are repaid in installments the report said
car title loans are usually based on a percentage of the cars value as determined by the lender the lender holds the title to the borrowers car truck or motorcycle and returns it when the loan is repaid the borrower retains use of the vehicle while the loan is outstanding but the lender can repossess it if the borrower fails to repay
the typical car title loan is 700 and the effective annual rate is about 300 percent the report said
the report found that just 12 percent of the borrowers managed to be one and done meaning they repaid their loans with fees and interest in a single payment within 30 days
car title loans are akin to payday loans although they are often for larger amounts of money they will probably be covered by new payday lending regulations the bureau is expected to propose in coming weeks
a report last year from the pew charitable trusts urged policy makers to adopt reforms to make auto title loans less risky such as adding a requirement that lenders assess a borrowers ability to repay the loan based on income and expenses
the pew report found that more than two million people or about 1 percent of american adults use high interest automobile title loans each year
borrowers spend about 3 billion annually or 1200 each in fees for loans that average 1000 pew found
here are some questions and answers about car title loans
# are car title loans used mainly for emergencies
only a quarter of borrowers use title loans for unexpected expenses according to pews research while half report using them to pay regular bills
# what alternatives are available to borrowers
delvin davis senior research analyst at the center for responsible lending said even a high interest credit card might be a better option than a car title loan i would avoid them at all costs he said once you are into it its hard to get out of it
the federal trade commission urges consumers to consider tapping any savings accounts they may have or even borrowing from family or friends
some credit unions offer borrow and save programs which allow borrowers to take out small loans if they agree to have part of the money set aside in a savings account to help provide cash for future needs
# where can i complain about a car title lender
if you have a complaint you can contact your state attorney generals office you also can file a complaint with the consumer financial protection bureau


relentless ads promised a showdown for the ages and donald j trump even made a personal appeal pledging to post his own pithy commentary on twitter in real time
but in the end many more americans chose the popular programs ncis and the voice over megyn kellys soft toned interview tuesday night with the likely republican presidential nominee
mr trump it turns out is a ratings bonanza   to a point
the debut of megyn kelly presents drew an average of 48 million viewers according to early nielsen figures a respectable number for a prime time special but less than the audience for say one of this presidential campaigns punchy debates the first quarter hour when mr trump was featured drew an average of 52 million viewers fox said on wednesday
news programming rarely outpaces entertainment and ms kellys fox special trumpeted as her barbara walters moment did not buck that trend it faced stiff competition in the 8 pm time slot the finale of ncis the long running cbs procedural that is a reliable ratings magnet drew 176 million viewers the voice on nbc attracted about 89 million fresh off the boat the abc sitcom fell short of ms kellys special but not by much with 42 million viewers
although ms kelly and mr trump had feuded for months with mr trump fiercely deriding her as crazy and worse their interview was relatively subdued ms kelly asked mostly personal questions and mr trump offered mostly unsurprising answers
ms kellys nightly cable show on fox news channel the kelly file averages around 25 million viewers about half of the audience for her special on tuesday which was shown on the fox broadcast network her fellow fox anchor bill oreilly drew about 24 million viewers directly against ms kellys show
still her interview with mr trump ranked as foxs second most watched program on a tuesday this year behind the american idol finale it was also a 140 percent improvement in the time slot from last tuesday when the channel aired new girl


linkedin said on wednesday that hackers were attempting to sell what they claimed were 117 million email addresses and passwords of its users suggesting that a data breach in 2012 was magnitudes bigger than initially thought
we are taking immediate steps to invalidate the passwords of the accounts impacted and we will contact those members to reset their passwords linkedin said in a statement we have no indication that this is as a result of a new security breach
linkedin is investigating the authenticity of the data the company said but a security researcher troy hunt said on twitter that he had verified a portion of the breach and that it was highly likely this is legit
the hacker is trying to sell the data on an illegal marketplace for five bitcoin or about 2200 according to motherboard
in 2012 the account information of 65 million users was posted to a russian hacker site linkedin settled a class action lawsuit in 2015 agreeing to compensate 800000 people who had paid for its premium services
since the attack the company has stepped up its security procedures including enabling two step verification a technique security experts recommend for your most sensitive online accounts
back in 2012 we reset the passwords of every member we believed to be compromised based on what was released and we encouraged all of our members to reset their passwords hani durzy a linkedin spokesman said in an email its also just good internet hygiene to do so regularly
those who had their password stolen arent merely in danger of someone using their linkedin account because people routinely use the same password on multiple sites hackers could also gain access to other accounts with personal information like banking websites


mountain view calif   google on wednesday introduced google home a voice controlled internet connected speaker that competes directly with amazons smart speaker echo which costs 180 the company also introduced allo a messaging app and a rebranding of its virtual assistant
heres a quick explanation of what these major announcements made at the google io developer conference mean for consumers
what do home and echo have in common
home and echo are both speakers that require a wired power connection they stream music and perform tasks like web searches adding calendar appointments and looking up movie showtimes over an internet connection
what are the differences between google home and amazon echo
google has yet to share many important details including a price tag about google home which is scheduled for release this fall however from the announcement we can glean a few differences
home which can easily be held in one hand is shorter and more compact than echo
both speakers have a cylindrical shape but the top of home is slanted downward whereas echos top is flat google is allowing consumers to choose from different colors for the bottom part of home while echo comes only in black amazon also sells a smaller voice controlled speaker called tap
most important the brains of home will be googles virtual assistant which draws from googles extensive search database whereas echo relies on alexa amazons assistant in other words consumers can expect voice commands that already work with googles assistant to work with google home
in a recent test comparing virtual assistants from amazon apple google and microsoft googles assistant was the most capable of performing basic tasks largely because it drew data from googles search engine
is home smarter than echo
thanks to homes reliance on googles search engine it will probably be a smarter speaker than the echo when it comes to basic tasks like web searches and looking up traffic data however when it comes to actions offered by outside companies   like the ability to order a pizza from a restaurant or to set your internet connected thermostat   homes success will depend largely on whether google persuades third party developers to create tasks that work with it
to do this well we really need to work with developers and third parties so we can provide these actions to our users said sundar pichai googles chief executive during his announcement of home
by contrast amazon has already made great progress with third party developers for echo alexa is capable of summoning an uber car ordering a pizza from dominos controlling smart light bulbs and much more time will tell which companys speaker gets more third party support but echo which was released last june has a major head start
what is googles assistant
heres where things get confusing google is referring to the virtual assistant portion of its search product as assistant previously it was called google now and later it was renamed to just google
the problem was that many consumers had trouble distinguishing google search from its virtual assistant because the assistant lacked a friendly name like siri or alexa the difference now google says is that its assistant is more capable of being naturally conversational than other assistants adding to the confusion googles assistant is what comes with google home and allo the new messaging app but you wont summon it by saying google assistant youll just say google
what is allo
allo is googles forthcoming messaging app which has googles assistant built into it inside the app you will be able to type google and say conversational things like lets go out for some italian food google will then respond with some suggestions for tables to reserve at italian restaurants using for example the opentable app
whats more you will be able to have conversations with friends and type google with questions or requests inside those conversations all people in the conversation will see how googles assistant responds the allo app will be released this summer for iphones and android phones


scoop nyc the boutique chain that billed itself as the ultimate closet announced last week that it was closing its 15 remaining shops
the store whose original site on the corner of broadway and spring street opened in 1996 was known as a pioneer for its merchandising in which clothes were sorted by color and style rather than by brand
stefani greenfield who opened the store with her business partner uzi ben abraham was an early champion of lines like rag  bone alice and olivia tory burch and stella mccartney
in 2004 the new york observer called a flirty top and stiletto heels the scoop girl silhouette it was a look unavoidable on the streets on sex and the city and in lucky the conde nast shopping magazine introduced in 2000
scoop was also at the forefront of a shift in shopping patterns in the city along with stores like henri bendel intermix big drop and on the west coast kitson which also closed this year it moved away from head to toe designer looks toward more individual choices
this business was driven by constantly introducing brands you didnt know about but would real soon said ed burstell now managing director of liberty of london but who was at henri bendel from 1989 to 2004 the last 10 years as general manager it celebrated finding items that were simply great for your wardrobe
it was a certain early millennium moment in time online shopping was nascent and the meatpacking district where scoop opened a washington street outpost in 2006 still sold meat nearby the soho house was a nexus for celebrities and those who wanted to be close to them its members got a discount at scoop
unlike kitson where paparazzi routinely snapped photos of the starlets of the moment   britney spears paris hilton lindsay lohan   as they shopped scoop observed privacy
celebrities were treated normally said lauren rothberg scoops vice president for retail we all recognized them but you were anonymous when you were there employees were not allowed to speak to the news media about them being there or what they purchased and security would remove photographers jennifer lopez reese witherspoon and sofia vergara all shopped there carolyn bessette kennedy was a regular at the soho store
britt aboutaleb who is the editor in chief of the fashion website rackedcom worked at scoop from 2007 to 2008 i grew up in the suburbs she said it was not a normal thing to have an oscar winning actress shop for vacation wear but there was a feeling at scoop like you were shopping with friends once naomi campbell came in looking for a dress i recognized her right away when she found one she hugged me i thought oh my god ive made it
just being a saleswoman had a certain zeitgeisty allure ms rothberg was a lawyer in brooklyn family court when she started working as a part time cashier at scoop i did it so i could get a discount on the clothes she said
she remembers fashion crazes the store helped spread jeans from seven for all mankind some of the first designer jeans to cost well over 100 jimmy choo boots that at 1000 still had wait lists longer than my body and the way some women bought up tiny shirts in bulk from the french line petit bateau even a 30 headband made from a bra strap became a covetable object
everyone wore them and fought over them ms rothberg said but i always thought that one was a bit like the emperors new clothes
its shopping bags emblazoned with the round logo and seasonal colors were enough of a status symbol that people regularly tried to buy them they were available only with purchase of a full price item
one woman called after her home was burglarized trying to replace a black and silver scoop bag from several seasons back she said you must be able to track them down ms rothberg recalled we told her it didnt work that way
the boom times didnt last mr burstell traced the fall to ms greenfields departure in 2008 stefani personified her customer he said she drove that business and broke new ground i think when she stepped away some of the realness and heart fell away as well ms greenfield who is now the host of curations caravan on hsn did not respond to requests for comment
in 2007 the yucaipa companies the private equity firm founded by ronald burkle acquired scoop
susan davidson scoops chief executive since 2009 cited increased competition from e commerce sites other brands and larger stores as factors in the stores decline are we a harbinger thats what ive been thinking about she said we were imitated widely by those who became our fiercest competitors alice and olivia rag  bone iro just to name a few we helped establish them and now theyre competing against us across the street down the block in the same towns
and we were the smallest in class with the big boys neiman bergdorf barneys saks all have huge contemporary departments now
its hard to believe that we achieved margins in excess of 46 percent and 1200 per square foot and we find ourselves in this position ms davidson said there is a mismatch in commercial rent and what retailers can afford to pay in some cases our rents double and tripled with inherited leases with extraordinary rent escalators
in recent months the company had retained an investment banker to assist in the sale there was an expression of interest but headwinds were too strong for us to overcome she said last friday and saturday may 6 and 7 the company began winding down the business
for scoops corporate employees friday will be their last day the rest of the 200 employees will remain until the stores close in the second week of july
reached by phone in cannes france frank quintero a principal at yucaipa said that while scoop faced the same challenges that other retailers have faced the company ultimately made money on the investment because of its real estate holdings we were opportunistic enough to have bought and sold much of the underlying real estate he said
last friday the meatpacking district scoop was deserted despite large red and white signs announcing 20 percent discounts four employees were chatting in the center of the store and listening to the tom tom clubs genius of love when a single shopper came in from the rain she looked at a floral blouse from msgm and a white eyelet top from ulla johnson she asked why everything was on sale
were closing said rachel leven a senior member of the sales staff
the news had come as a surprise ms leven said its all starting to make sense business has not been great and it has become less of a place you could get special items she was not sure what she would do for work next
every day was fun she said it is the end of an era


st petersburg russia   with the quarterfinals of the mens hockey world championship set to begin here and in moscow on thursday eight teams are still in pursuit of gold but only one has a chance to become the first country to earn triple gold
having claimed the under 18 and under 20 world championships this year finland is in a position to sweep this years events with a win at the mens level this weekend
finnish hockey officials credit a change in the coaching philosophy of their development program for players ages 15 to 20
in 2009 the national federation realized it was falling behind in player development canada sweden russia and the united states seemed to be producing more and better elite players
we invited everyone to the sports institute in vierumaki   agents scouts national team coaches club team coaches basically anyone who is involved with player development   to figure out how we could do things better said timo backman sports director for the finnish ice hockey association there was this big division between the club teams and the national team and as a result of that symposium we realized we needed to work together more
four years ago the federation hired four full time national team coaches who work with the club coaches and the top players
now we are all talking the same language backman said
along with improved communication regarding player expectations and development progress the finns also changed the way they approached the game
because we are such a small country and we didnt have many good players we had to focus on playing as a team with a strong defensive game but after that symposium we started focusing on making the individual players better so that we could also make the team better with more skill said matti nurminen general director of the finnish association
backman said that after tournaments national team coaches show videos of each player to his club coaches and explain what the national team would like the player to work on for the next tournament
now the club coaches feel like they are part of the system he added
finland is seeing results in a big way not only with the two gold medals it has earned this year but also with the 18 year old prospects patrik laine and jesse puljujarvi who are expected to be among the top five players selected at the nhl draft in june
laine puljujarvi and sebastian aho finished first second and third in scoring at the world junior championship in january forming the most dominant line in the tournament with 44 points in seven games
every once in a while such players come through a small country like ours and its great to have them nurminen said we need to have the stars for the promotion of the game   also for the medals obviously   but what is more important is to have 50 very good players in each age group because we will not have stars like them every year this is why development is so important
finland has had two players selected second over all in the nhl draft goaltender kari lehtonen in 2002 by the atlanta thrashers and center aleksander barkov in 2013 by the florida panthers laine who is currently third in scoring at the world championship with six goals and four assists in seven games is quickly closing the gap between him and auston matthews an american who is the consensus top pick in this years draft class
the impact of laines success is creating a ripple effect in finland
it doesnt matter if he goes no 1 or not nurminen said everyone has been talking about it for the past 10 months and they will be talking about it for at least a few more its been great promotion for our game and if he becomes the first finnish player to be selected first over all that would make it even bigger
backman added that would definitely make headlines in all the finnish newspapers and every kid would notice and if they arent playing hockey maybe they will start
aho 18 who was drafted last year in the second round by the carolina hurricanes is also representing finland at the world championship in russia puljujarvi is recovering from a minor injury sustained at the under 18 tournament last month
the final rosters of the 2016 world cup of hockey will be announced may 27 and these teenagers have given finlands general manager jere lehtinen a lot to think about
when we started thinking of players we didnt even dream of having them on the list but after world juniors we thought maybe theres a chance and now theyre here and theyre playing very well he said they are showing that they can play at this level and more importantly that they can have a good impact and they are definitely on the list now they are making it hard for me to say no
jarmo kekalainen of the columbus blue jackets the first european general manager in the nhl said that the attention to detail by the national team coaches at the junior levels had given players across the board a new level of confidence and that would lead to even more success
finland has always had a strong team concept   good structure good defense and good goaltending   but now we are seeing a lot more skill with these young players and it has allowed the team to play with more confidence in the offensive zone and not just hope for the best kekalainen said the attitude now is that we know we can win any tournament we participate in we used to just think that we could but now we know that we can
finland which finished atop group b after a 4 0 victory over canada on tuesday continues its quest for triple gold with a quarterfinal game against denmark on thursday
this is a country that loves its hockey teams backman said we have to do our best to make sure they are successful


united nations   the united nations is scheduled to host a global meeting to stop the aids epidemic should groups that represent transgender people or drug users be allowed to participate
no according to a number of countries that belong to the 193 member general assembly and they have managed to block the participation of nearly two dozen organizations from countries as diverse as cameroon jamaica and russia
no reasons have been offered none are required the general assembly operates by consensus which means member countries can object to the participation of any nongovernmental organizations that are not accredited by the united nations
the blacklisted organizations and their supporters have loudly objected michel sidibe executive director of the joint united nations program on hivaids known as unaids warned in an email that the list of excluded groups are many organizations that courageously and effectively speak to the needs of key population groups
mr sidibe went on to say that it would be impossible to end the aids epidemic as a public health threat without much closer involvement of key population groups in planning and delivering services his email sent to other united nations officials and outside groups was seen by the new york times
russia cameroon tanzania and the organization of islamic cooperation a 57 nation bloc objected to the participation of 22 nongovernmental organizations or ngos according to a united nations official who spoke on the condition of anonymity in talking about private diplomatic exchanges the objecting countries also opposed to making the list and the names of their own countries public which infuriated senior officials within the united nations
their initial list included 39 groups lobbying by the president of the general assembly mogens lykketoft a danish diplomat trimmed it to 22
the islamic bloc even objected to groups from far flung countries that are not part of the islamic bloc the united nations official said
mr lykketoft asked for comment said in a text message we have done our utmost to include as many of the ngos as possible unfortunately it is not within my mandate to overrule objections by the member states or to make the objecting countries known to the public
about 560 ngos are participating in the two day meeting scheduled on june 8 according to mr lykketofts office
the 22 organizations that have been barred reveal the sensitivities of certain countries on both gay rights and drug policy
for instance the blacklist includes a russian group esvero which works with users of injectable drugs who are particularly vulnerable to hiv the virus that causes aids russia vigorously objects to what are widely known as harm reduction strategies that treat drug addiction as a public health issue
the blacklist also includes colour pink an advocacy group for gay men and transgender people in jamaica and a cameroonian organization actwid which works for people with hiv several arab and african countries criminalize homosexuality   and at the united nations they are part of a coalition of countries that do not support gay rights
the un should be a voice of inclusivity and transparency not a tool of discrimination and prejudice ben plumley who heads an advocacy group called pangaea global said in an email
his group was among several dozen groups recently wrote to the heads of the general assembly and unaidsexpressing its profound outrage and saying it was counterproductive to bar organizations that work with some of the most vulnerable groups
by excluding organizations from these communities the general assembly is sending a terrible message to the world that it is prepared to let discrimination and prejudice yet again hamper our collective efforts to end aids the letter said it also signals a disregard for communities most affected by hiv worldwide and member state intentions to weaken the outcome of the high level meeting through exclusion and subsequent omission
of the excluded groups 16 will be attending as part of the delegations of other accredited organizations
gay rights is increasingly a contentious issue at the united nations secretary general ban ki moon has forcefully spoken out for the rights of gay lesbian and transgender people
earlier this week to mark a day for gay rights the head of unaids michel sidibe spoke out against discrimination on twitter he used the hashtag for the high level meeting hlm2016aids
lets use hlm2016aids to work towards a brighter more compassionate future for all embrace diversity leave no one behind


the food and drug administration on wednesday approved a new immunotherapy drug from roche to treat bladder cancer a form of cancer for which there have been no significant new medicines in years
the drug called tecentriq is the fourth medicine of a new class called checkpoint inhibitors that work by unleashing the bodys immune system to attack tumors
but it is the first of them approved for bladder cancer and it is the first one for roche which is the worlds leading seller of cancer drugs but fell behind rivals in immunotherapy the hottest area in oncology right now
former president jimmy carter recently went into remission after using one of these drugs mercks keytruda for metastatic melanoma the two other approved drugs in the class are yervoy and opdivo both from bristol myers squibb
yervoy is approved to treat melanoma keytruda to treat melanoma and lung cancer and opdivo to treat melanoma lung cancer and kidney cancer on tuesday opdivo was approved to treat hodgkin lymphoma a blood cancer
how much of an impact immunotherapy will have on bladder cancer is a bit unclear since patients have not been followed for a long time but the fda found roches data compelling enough and the need urgent enough to approve tecentriq about four months ahead of the agencys sept 12 deadline
gene zawatski a retired pennsylvania state police officer with bladder cancer said the chemotherapy he got every thursday after having his bladder removed kept the disease in check but knocked him out by saturday i was bedridden he said i couldnt get off the couch until monday or tuesday
he started taking tecentriq known generically as atezolizumab two years ago as part of a clinical trial the cancer has disappeared and he has had no side effects other than a sore shoulder
i feel normal said mr zawatski whose brother died of bladder cancer well as normal as a 77 year old man would feel
there are expected to be about 77000 new cases of bladder cancer this year in the united states and 16000 deaths according to the american cancer society about three quarters of the cases are in men making bladder cancer the fourth most common cancer in men it is treated with surgery chemotherapy and radiation though those are not very effective once the cancer is in advanced stages
tecentriq was approved for urothelial carcinoma which accounts for 90 percent of all bladder cancers in cases in which the disease is locally advanced or metastatic and not controlled by platinum chemotherapy the fda granted accelerated approval meaning roche will have to perform additional studies to confirm the drug works
tecentriq will cost about 12500 a month that is roughly in line with the price of the competing checkpoint drugs the high price of drugs including cancer drugs has become a public concern and political issue lately
in the study that formed the basis of the approval tecentriq shrank tumors significantly in 148 percent of the patients and the cancer completely disappeared in 55 percent there was no control group with which to compare those results
it is not yet clear whether the drug will allow people to live longer but the other checkpoint inhibitors do allow a certain percentage of the population to live a long time and roche executives say this appears to be the case with its drug as well
roche based in switzerland is the leading supplier of cancer drugs because of its acquisition of the american biotechnology company genentech which developed the blockbusters rituxan herceptin and avastin
now it is trying to catch up in immunotherapy which is one reason it sought its first approval for bladder cancer a territory not yet claimed by merck or bristol myers though they are testing their drugs for that disease as well
bladder cancer is a good candidate for an immune system drug because the tumors tend to have many mutations which alert the immune system to the presence of the disease melanomas and lung cancers also have many mutations which in melanomas are caused by ultraviolet radiation and in lung cancers by smoking for bladder cancer the mutations probably result from the bladders role in eliminating toxins from the body
over your lifetime its a place where toxins and chemicals can accumulate said dr dan chen head of product development for cancer immunotherapy at genentech
some early stage bladder cancer is already treated with a cruder decades old form of immunotherapy   bcg a bacterium that is used as a tuberculosis vaccine it can be inserted into the bladder through a catheter and is thought to stimulate the immune system in a general way that helps combat the cancer
tumors and certain immune system cells can make a protein called pd l1 it binds to a protein on the immune system t cells called pd 1 which then acts as a molecular brake preventing the t cells from attacking the cancer cells
tecentriq like keytruda and opdivo prevents pd l1 from binding to pd 1 in that way freeing the immune system to attack while keytruda and opdivo do that by binding to pd 1 tecentriq instead binds to pd l1 roche argues this will make its drug potentially safer but so far many experts see little difference among the drugs
roches study found that the drug was most likely to be successful for the roughly one third of patients with high levels of pd l1 near the tumor about 26 percent of those patients experienced significant tumor shrinkage and 12 percent had complete remissions among those whose tumors had low or undetectable levels of pd l1 95 percent had tumor shrinkage and 24 percent complete remissions
still roche applied for and was granted approval to treat all patients with advanced bladder cancer not just those with high pd l1 levels while the fda wednesday also approved a test for pd l1 developed by a roche subsidiary doctors will not be required to use it
common side effects include fatigue loss of appetite and nausea though tecentriq can also cause severe inflammations of organs like the lungs or colon


berlin   the german comic who prompted an international incident with a satirical poem about president recep tayyip erdogan of turkey will fight the ruling of a hamburg court that banned repeating most of the text his lawyer said on wednesday
in a ruling made public late tuesday the superior state court in hamburg said that the comic jan bohmermann could repeat a few selected lines but not the bulk of the poem which because of its insulting content injuring his honor mr erdogan does not have to accept
christian schertz a lawyer who is representing mr bohmermann said the comic rejected the partial injunction imposed by the court because it tried to dissect the poem into permitted and forbidden parts and in that way suggested that artistic freedom was somehow divisible
mr bohmermann will fight the ruling all the way to the federal constitutional court if need be mr schertz said in a statement and in a phone interview
mr schertz said that the hamburg courts ruling failed to take into account the way in which mr bohmermann had framed his poem as deliberate satire interspersing his reading of it with several remarks noting that the verse was an example of what would be impermissible
mr bohmermann read the poem which contained extremely crude language on his television show on march 31 by the next day it had become a litmus test of artistic freedom in germany after the public broadcaster zdf first pulled the show from its digital archive then restored it minus the reading of the poem
in what she has since conceded was a mistake chancellor angela merkel of germany said through her spokesman on april 4 that she found the poem offensive mr erdogan went on to sue mr bohmermann for insulting him under an obscure german law that requires the government to give consent in cases of insulting a head of state
ms merkels coalition government split over how to proceed with the chancellor eventually giving the go ahead to mr erdogan but also announcing that the relevant law which dates from 1871 would be repealed
the city state of hamburg said this month that it would try to push the repeal through the upper house of parliament with the intention of getting the law off the books and thus rendering action against mr bohmermann moot
the turkish leader has also filed a private suit against mr bohmermann that would proceed through the courts under a different law governing such individual action that suit is currently under scrutiny by state prosecutors in mainz which is where zdf has its headquarters and thus where mr erdogan is pursuing the private suit
the mainz prosecutors said in a brief statement on wednesday that they did not yet know whether or when their case would proceed


times insider delivers behind the scenes insights into how news features and opinion come together at the new york times in this piece david e sanger a national security correspondent tells why he didnt travel to egypt to cover secretary of state john kerrys visit with president abdel fattah el sisi
vienna   when secretary of state john kerry traveled on wednesday to the presidential palace in egypt ostensibly the united states closest arab ally and the recipient of billions of dollars in american aid the reporters traveling with him were left behind at the airport
the egyptian authorities made clear state department officials said that reporters like myself would not be welcome at the presidential palace apparently out of fear we might ask president abdel fattah el sisi a question or two about the dissidents he has jailed
instead only photographers and videographers would be permitted inside to record the ritual handshakes between mr kerry and mr sisi   images that will suggest all is right between the authoritarian former general who leads egypt and the nation that provides him with f 16s helicopters and tanks as well as riot control equipment that human rights groups say may be used to facilitate egypts crackdown against activists
in fact this meeting comes against a backdrop of increasing tension over washingtons 13 billion in annual military aid to egypt which in recent years has been dwarfed by inflows to the country from saudi arabia and the united arab emirates
the state department has lately been unable to obtain answers to its questions about whether any equipment bought with american dollars has been used by egyptians to violate human rights according to a blistering 77 page report issued last week by the government accountability office
after more than two decades of traveling with american presidents and chief diplomats   on visits to places that have included some of the worlds most repressive nations   i am used to watching leaders disappear behind closed doors but not even being allowed to see the doors close sets something of a new standard
state department officials said that once they learned reporters would be barred from the palace they never even requested visas for us so we could as is customary follow mr kerry into the capital for his two  to three hour visit instead those who made the long trip were stuck in a lounge at the airport
i decided to stay behind in vienna and meet up with the secretarys entourage this weekend in myanmar where he is meeting with daw aung san suu kyi who has emerged from a long house arrest to become a leader of the new government there have been hints that we will have some access
the contrast between myanmar once one of the worlds most closed societies and egypt made me revisit my recent travels with mr kerry in terms of what restrictions were placed on us journalists
in november mr kerry zipped through central asia on a tour of some of the worlds most repressive states including turkmenistan whose leadership shares mr sisis approach to anyone who utters a thought the government finds distasteful still president gurbanguly berdymukhammedov allowed international reporters to record his encounters with mr kerry though local turkmen journalists were kept at a far remove
the king of bahrain who knows a thing or two about clearing the streets of critics invited reporters in for the start of his meeting with mr kerry last month and with a deep understanding of how to keep them docile fed them at the palace before they were packed off
even chinas leaders routinely let the news media pool in though they do their best to ignore them
egypt used to do the same   in what now looks by comparison like the days of openness when hosni mubarak was still president
mr mubarak was not known for tolerating much criticism before he was deposed and would never have won an award from transparency international but he let reporters record his meeting with president obama in 2009 when mr obama made a trip to cairo for a landmark speech about the future of the arab world that reads today like a trail of broken dreams
even as the aging mr mubarak fell from power   pushed partly by mr obama in phone calls during the tahrir square protests   he showed some savvy about the western news media during one of his last visits to washington mr mubarak invited me and afew other reporters to his hotel suite to talk about the middle easts future   and about his differences with the obama administration
for those of us trying to divine the day to day workings of american foreign policy there are certain accepted rituals that make up the everyday fabric of diplomatic reporting
the journalists on mr kerrys small plane   an older boeing 757 that he despises   usually depart from the rear door hop into a van that joins the back of his motorcade and catch a glimpse of the start of most meetings sometimes after these private chats we are ferried back into a ceremonial room to ask questions even uncomfortable ones on rare occasions we even receive answers
tuesday in vienna where mr kerry held talks on syria was typical two old american adversaries happily or not subjected themselves to our inquiries
first came foreign minister sergey v lavrov of russia who answered and avoided questions at a half hour news conference then mr kerry traveled to the coburg palace where he had negotiated the final stages of the iran nuclear deal for a month last summer to see irans foreign minister mohammad javad zarif i arrived there before the secretary and mr zarif came over for a handshake and a few jokes he then answered a question about irans complaints that companies and banks around the world are not returning to tehran now that many sanctions have been lifted
mr sisi took power in egypt in 2013 after what was viewed by many around the world as a coup against mohamed morsi   who had been elected after mr mubaraks ouster   and led a crackdown in which more than 1000 egyptians were killed and thousands more imprisoned
after the meeting on wednesday mr kerrys spokesman mark toner emailed state department reporters with an official readout the two men had discussed a range of bilateral and regional issues including recent developments in libya and syria the statement said mr kerry had also stressed the importance of egypts role as a regional partner and reiterated us commitment to help egypt fight terrorism increase economic growth strengthen democratic institutions and bolster regional security
such anodyne descriptions of these meetings making no mention of the hard questions in the relationship are exactly why reporters are expected to press american and foreign officials
but mr sisis government seems to be avoiding questions even from its american benefactors
in its report the government accountability office said the defense department had been unable to conduct end use monitoring on missiles and night vision devices before 2015
and even though the checks were done in 2015 the report said the state department had been unable to vet the training and equipping of the military for possible human rights violations
state deemed gaos estimate of the percentage of egyptian security forces that were not vetted to be sensitive but unclassified information which is excluded from this public report it said that made it difficult to know if the military aid the united states was now giving egypt violated the so called leahy amendment which links human rights performance to the delivery of american security equipment and training
i would have loved to ask mr kerry and mr sisi about that estimate at the presidential palace on wednesday if only reporters had been allowed in


its hard to sell any company but yahoo is finding that it may be even harder when the entire world seems to know about your supposedly secret bidding
secrecy is supposed to be the sine qua non of deal making an early leak can destroy a deal by driving the share price of the target company too high or by alerting other potential bidders
as a result deal makers are known for their secrecy using code names and holding clandestine meetings in the 1980s it was not uncommon for law firms to sweep for bugs and for arbitrageurs to camp outside law firm offices to try to figure out who would be the next hostile raider target
secrets are not always kept to be sure in fact leaks in deal making are an art form practiced for a variety of purposes it may just be about a lawyer or a banker cozying up to a journalist in britain it is standard practice to do a leak announcement at the start of a negotiation as bankers are known for regularly leaking deals it is not quite like that in the united states but there is a steady stream of dialogue among lawyers bankers and journalists after all they are all in this game together and are likely to see each other again in the next big deal
the leak cycle can work both ways for companies though the conventional wisdom is that leaks hurt deals more than help
thats probably true for yahoo its sale process is unfolding in the public eye in part as a result of its decision to publicly announce that it is exploring strategic alternatives   wall street code for a sale given yahoos prominence a media feeding frenzy was always a given
but heres where it gets interesting yahoo is running an auction process so its goal is to bring in as many bidders as possible to generate a hot auction and push up the price
in this case reporting on the process has the effect of amplifying the bidders and the numbers they are putting forward take the recent reports that warren e buffett and dan gilbert of quicken loans are in the yahoo bidding
this is the type of news that bankers love there is such a glow around mr buffett that it will help make yahoo shine it shows other bidders that there is a real player with money in the bidding which will hopefully push up interest and prices
never mind that mr buffett is known for paying cheaply most of the time or that this is essentially a private equity bid - one that cannot pay top dollar
private equity firms often lose out to strategic bidders real companies that can cut costs and find efficiency in the merger of two entities many of the bidders for yahoo are private equity firms including tpg capital bain capital and vista equity partners that is another bad sign for a high price for yahoo
some of the attention over the early stages of the sales process seems unwarranted the news that there were about 40 bidders for yahoo in its first round missed the point that these were just companies that had signed confidentiality agreements the number of bidders is settling down - perhaps to 10 or so but even those bidders are probably still deciding whether to make final offers
and pay no attention to the presumed range of the latest round of bids   4 billion to 8 billion these are simply back of the envelope indications that will change substantially
a steady stream of players has emerged in the media coverage verizon the parent of aol is in the mix and is seen by many as the most likely winner theres not a lot of foundation to this assertion other than the concept of putting aol and yahoo together has become one of the more pitched merger ideas of the decade
alphabet does not appear to be bidding antitrust issues would most likely prevent it from acquiring yahoo anyway and microsoft is supposedly lurking to try to tie up with another bidder
some players may be deliberately leaking that they are not involved in the bidding to signal to their competitors to stay out as well since they do not have to worry about an internet behemoth acquiring the company and becoming even more gigantic
the round by round coverage of the bidding may push the winner to pay more for yahoo but it can also have the opposite effect if verizon thinks it is up against only private equity firms it can adjust its bid lower to account for this
reports of potential bidders walking away from yahoo can cool down the auction too if bidders are seen as dropping away too quickly yahoo will be severely damaged as it becomes known which companies kicked yahoos tires and passed
in other words the more information other bidders have about the bidding the more finely they can tune their bids to the competition at that will most likely result in lower bids
and the coverage becomes a channel for bidders to complain that yahoo is not disclosing enough information about the business for them to bid this has put pressure on yahoo to do more to push the sales process
so we await the next round of bidding - second round bids are supposedly due in june in what is definitely a slow motion auction you can be sure there will be more details and players to surface
whether it helps yahoo or not is another question


beijing   wang jun a doctor in a hospital in southern china was busy with a line of patients on wednesday when after a blow to his skull he became the latest fatality in a plague of violence afflicting the countrys hospitals
dr wangs assailants appeared to be family members of at least one patient waiting to be treated by him and his colleagues news reports said
the family members complained that the doctors were not vigorous in treating patients said a report from xinhua the main state run news agency citing staff members at the shaodong county peoples hospital in hunan province where dr wang worked as an ear nose and throat specialist
they swore at and hit dr wang jun who was treating patients and he fell to the ground injured xinhua reported
dr wang in his early 40s appeared to be the latest victim of a problem feared by many chinese hospital doctors and nurses families of patients who driven by a visceral distrust of the health care system subject medical staff members to humiliation and violence when they feel that patients have been mistreated or neglected
the issue has been common enough to inspire its own terse name in mandarin chinese yinao which roughly translates to medical ruckus
dr wang was unconscious for several hours while news reports about the attack rippled across china efforts to save him failed and he died late in the afternoon according to xinhua and other reports
by the time he died two people suspected of being assailants had been arrested and another later surrendered to the authorities the shaodong county police said in an online statement the police noted that the suspects had the same surname yang but did not give other details about them or what had prompted the assault
in 2014 law enforcement officials recorded 4599 security incidents in hospitals many of them assaults or protests by aggrieved families of former or current patients 1425 people had been arrested in such episodes xinhua said in a recent report
the chinese medical doctor association said last year that nearly 60 percent of medical staff had experienced verbal abuse and over 13 percent had been assaulted according to xinhua
the government has promised to stop the attacks and the ministry of public security has said that violence in hospitals has been falling but many doctors and nurses still say they feel unsafe especially in small town hospitals where their numbers and resources are limited and protests by medical workers after attacks have spread
dr wangs death may also inspire a torrid reaction and more official promises of action to protect hospitals
the initial reports gave conflicting details but presented the same general story   family members of a victim of a traffic accident waiting to be treated started demanding treatment and when dr wang told them to wait their turn they attacked him some reports said the patient was a child
a hospital official dismissed initial reports that dr wang had been hit with a hammer the china news service reported witnesses and video footage showed that one of the assailants used his fist to land a heavy blow the report said


in truth im not one of these people that likes seeing my name on everything the billionaire leonard a lauder said of the gleaming letters spelling out his name that had been installed on the gray cantilevered facade above the entrance of the whitney museum of american art im not going to mention names but there are some people who like to have everything named after them
mr lauder the emeritus chairman of the museum was holding court during its annual gala last tuesday evening on the whitneys fifth floor gallery which had been transformed into a minimalist dining room for 600 of the art worlds elite
luckily the evening with the most affordable seat selling for 7500 started at 7 pm because many seemed to be fading coming off a hectic two week art marathon the frieze new york art fair and the contemporary art auctions not to mention countless gallery openings and dinners
i left town before frieze started because i couldnt take doing any more business the artist dan colen said i spent a week in point reyes in northern california and then to the sfmoma gala
michael ovitz the art collector and a founder of creative artists agency was snug in a tom ford suit seated at a table decorated with a long row of dan flavin esque commercial grade fluorescent lights down the middle they gave the artists barkley hendricks john currin and rachel feinstein a sort of futuristic glow
the economics of art has become a sideshow mr ovitz said as he leaned over his fiancee tamara mellon i dont know a lot of collectors that got interested in art because of the economics we see art every weekend   new york los angeles or san francisco where theres a growing scene   wherever we happen to be saturdays are for galleries and studio visits and sundays are for museums
ms mellon wearing red chiffon and matching red stilettos she designed for her soon to debut eponymous brand whispered have you noticed black tie doesnt mean black tie anymore
nearby the artist cindy sherman in a teal leather dress by louis vuitton the evenings sponsor was discussing her studio at her new country house in long island underneath colored polka dot wall projections by the event designer david stark what i fear is when im out there i will be distracted by bike rides or the beach or feeding the chickens and i wont get any work done ms sherman said
the lights dimmed and the singer seal took the stage to perform one of his hits crazy
on the first floor the younger set or perhaps the less affluent were having their own party with a more accessible 250 entry fee the dj chelsea leyland spun hip hop as young upstarts thronged the bar
the building is open theyve tripled their attendance its a smashing success the artist glenn ligon said now this is a party


george zimmerman isnt giving up
after he failed in his first two attempts to auction the firearm he used in 2012 to fatally shoot trayvon martin an unarmed black 17 year old the former florida neighborhood watch volunteer said wednesday that he was evaluating fresh bids
mr zimmermans third auction hosted by the united gun groups website closed at noon with a high bid of 138900 by one john smith it was not known whether the buyer was serious or another of the saboteurs who had foiled mr zimmermans last attempt by driving the price up to a bogus 66 million
the initial auction listing placed last week on gunbrokercom was removed after the company received a wave of negative attention
united gun group released a statement shortly after auction saying that mr zimmerman was vetting several offers the company said it had actually conducted two auctions simultaneously one open to prequalified bidders and another open to the public
our part in the process is over and we are going back to business as usual the group said
in his listing mr zimmerman touted the weapon a kel tec pf 9 as an american firearm icon he said proceeds would be used in part to fight violence against law enforcement officers by members of black lives matter
mr zimmerman who was acquitted of murder charges in the killing of mr martin incited further outrage tuesday by attacking the teenagers parents during an interview
they didnt raise their son right he told the daily beast he attacked a complete stranger and attempted to kill him
benjamin l crump a lawyer for mr martins parents did not immediately respond to a request for comment
he told the times last week that the family was appalled by the planned auction
its insulting he said to everybody else   the public the media   its a hashtag its a cause its a news story to them thats their child
united gun group based in missouri has sought to deflect anger over the sale by contending that the online marketplace has chosen to abide by the principles of individual liberty
the constitution avoids moral judgment todd underwood the companys founder said in an email on wednesday we take our own subjective view out of the equation thousands of people have strong views on both sides you tell me who is righteous


sutton foster who has spent the past five years in leading roles on broadway violet and tv younger is heading off broadway to star in a revival of sweet charity for the new group this fall
the 1966 musical   with music by cy coleman lyrics by dorothy fields and a book by neil simon   is among four productions planned for the new groups 2016 17 season the company announced wednesday
joshua bergasse on the town will create all new choreography for sweet charity whose original production won a tony for its choreography by bob fosse leigh silverman will direct ms foster in the title role of an eternally optimistic dance hall hostess
kevin mccollum the broadway producer who worked with the new group for the first staging of avenue q in 2003 will be a co producer on sweet charity in an interview scott elliott the new groups artistic director said his company occasionally brings in commercial producers like mr mccollum to help underwrite shows   often musicals   that far exceed the typical budget of a new group production
the season which will be presented at the pershing square signature center also includes all the fine boys written and directed by erica schmidt a month in the country the new york premiere of wallace shawns play evening at the talk house which recently ended its run at the national theater in london and the whirligig the actor hamish linklaters follow up to his 2013 playwriting debut the vandal
mr elliott a longtime collaborator with mr shawn will direct his play as well as mr linklaters mr elliott called the whirligig deeply personal and said its one of the most glorious plays ive read in recent memory so far the cast includes zosia mamet girls and maura tierney the affair


wall street is putting its old washington ways on ice
big banks are infamous for lobbying against financial reform lately though they have cut back now they are pushing representative jeb hensarling a prominent congressional republican to drop a bill to repeal the dodd frank act
the latest efforts to upend the 2010 law ought to appeal to the likes of jpmorgan chase bank of america and goldman sachs they have after all complained about things as diverse as capital charges mortgage reform and how watchdogs handle annual stress tests
mr hensarling the chairman of the house financial services committee plans to introduce a bill that would undermine many of those measures wall street lobbyists though are not offering support
its not because president obama has threatened to veto similar bills financial firms have in recent years backed such efforts hoping that a push for broad changes might yield smaller concessions
they won for example exemptions for certain matters under the so called volcker rule that bans proprietary trading in december 2014 they persuaded congress not to force them to move certain derivatives operations out of units with federally insured deposits arguing that it would create more risk by moving the activity to unregulated entities
that though came at a heavy price initial supporters of the watered down measure turned against the industry worried that being seen as too soft on wall street would alienate voters
the banks understand the changing mood bosses like jpmorgans jamie dimon have been less overt in their criticism of regulations in the past few years spending on lobbying by the securities and investment industry fell 8 percent to 97 million between 2011 and 2015 according to the center for responsive politics
political attacks against banks have become sharper during the american presidential campaign also congress has diverted dividends the federal reserve pays to banks to help fund a highway bill as a result banks are playing defense
that may change if donald j trump wins the white house he told reuters on tuesday that he would overturn much of dodd frank if he became president for now though wall street is one of the biggest defenders of post crisis reform


the oklahoma city thunder survived a lengthy cold stretch by kevin durant in game 1 of the nbas western conference finals thanks in part to a strong offensive effort by steven adams their 22 year old center from new zealand
adams had averaged only 8 points a game in the regular season but in oklahoma citys upset of the golden state warriors he proved he was capable of more
in truth the 16 point 12 rebound 2 block performance adams turned in on monday was the type of game thunder fans have come to expect even if the general view of adams is tied to his long hair and his reputation for being almost annoyingly aggressive
adams can be hard to appreciate opponents have accused him of playing dirty and as a rookie in the 2013 14 season he had a penchant for getting players to retaliate against him and draw ejections but for the most part this season the focus has been on his importance to his team on both ends of the floor regardless of what a standard box score might say
adams drew a different kind of attention when in an interview after mondays game he referred to the warriors guards as quick little monkeys but in a nod to his newfound maturity he sought out reporters to explain that he intended no racist undertones and that it was largely a vernacular issue from not having grown up in the west the adams of two years ago seemed to seek out the ire of opponents the current one realizes that focusing on the game is more important
that adams is still starting demonstrates his perseverance last season the thunder traded for enes kanter who thrived to the point that in the off season oklahoma city matched portlands four year 70 million offer sheet for him when he was a restricted free agent
not content to be pushed aside adams refocused his game and became far more efficient with his combination of youth size and relevance on both ends of the court he became one of the most important cogs in the thunder machine even if he is being paid about 14 million less this season than kanter who is essentially his backup the two players average a combined 207 points and 148 rebounds making the thunders center rotation one of the most productive position groups in the nba
it can sometimes be hard to see adamss contribution to the offense but he is an extreme case of a player who understands his role and the limits of his abilities and he works within those constraints remarkably well in this his third nba season he set a career high with a 613 field goal percentage with 721 percent of his shots coming from inside three feet he had 101 dunks and no attempts from 3 point range and 762 percent of his field goals were assisted it all led to a career high offensive rating a statistic that estimates he helped produce a whopping 123 points per 100 possessions
kanter has more offensive skill than adams but because of adamss contributions on defense and his ability to function in the offense without the ball the thunders two most efficient lineups in the regular season both featured adams the thunders most used lineup   durant serge ibaka andre roberson russell westbrook and adams   played together for 816 minutes and had a net rating of 178 meaning the group scored 178 points more than it allowed per 100 possessions that lineup played for 12 minutes in game 1 against the warriors and managed to outscore the dominant golden state offense 29 21
an interesting aspect of game 1 was that the thunder looking to exploit an extreme size advantage against the warriors chose to play adams and kanter at the same time for 107 minutes given that the two centers shared the court for 47 minutes a game during the regular season it seemed to indicate that oklahoma city was committed to fighting fire with water and not going small as others teams have done unsuccessfully against the warriors
the warriors have not lost consecutive games since games 2 and 3 of last years nba finals but the thunder having eliminated the dallas mavericks and the san antonio spurs were looking to take a commanding 2 0 lead in the series on wednesday night and adams having spent a few days with people dissecting his personal history in terms of racial relations will most likely be happy to get the focus back to his contributions on the court


the brooklyn museum is offering voluntary buyouts to address a budget deficit of about 3 million the museums director anne pasternak informed the staff on wednesday
its a course correction ms pasternak said in a telephone interview
the museum which has an operating budget of 386 million joins the metropolitan museum of art and moma both of which also recently announced staff cutbacks
the museum has a full time staff of 308 including 19 curators and departments from ancient egyptian to contemporary and feminist art
since ms pasternak took over in september she said she had been looking at the budget and trying to reduce expenses
the cost of running the museum has substantially grown over the past few years she said adding that the museum is therefore being proactive


rome   this much is known american officials returned a letter to italy on wednesday that was written by christopher columbus in 1493 on his return from the new world the letter had been stolen from a library in florence and then ended up as a donation to the library of congress in 2004
what remain a mystery   or at least the subject of a continuing investigation   are the crucial particulars to fill in the gaps of an intriguing international case of whodunit
for starters when exactly was the letter stolen and by whom who made and then substituted a credible replica in its place and how did the letter make its way in 1990 to a rare books collector in switzerland who then sold it at auction two years later in new york to an anonymous buyer for 330000
italian and american law enforcement officials said on wednesday that the answers to these questions were still being investigated but that the return of the manuscript to its rightful owners should be greeted as a successful first step
this extraordinary letter by christopher columbus really completed   500 years later   the same route culture minister dario franceschini told reporters in rome it traveled there and it traveled back
mr franceschini described the letters return to italy as a symbolic event that marks the friendship and the total collaboration that exists between our countries
the eight page letter four double sided leaves addressed to king ferdinand and queen isabella of spain is one of several surviving copies of columbuss first impressions of the new world which he wrote on the return voyage of his first trip it was originally printed in spanish   the sole surviving copy is in the new york public library   but columbuss story became so popular upon his return that three editions were also printed in italy in latin and widely circulated
the letter in the library of congress collection came from an edition printed in rome by stephan plannck in 1493 of which there are about three dozen known copies an investigation that began in 2012 by italys art theft squad and agents from the united states department of homeland security found that the letter had been stolen from the riccardiana library in florence it had been included in a miscellaneous volume made up of 42 early printed books from the 1490s
it is unclear when the theft took place but fulvio silvano stacchetti the library director said he believed the letter had been stolen and replaced with a copy more than 60 years ago when the book was lent for nine months   in 1950 51   to the national library in rome that was the only time the rarely consulted tome had left florence in recent years he said
the volume that included the letter along with other precious manuscripts and books was stored in the librarys rare books room where they are kept with the utmost attention and safekeeping and access to these valuable tomes is closely vetted mr stacchetti said but some investigators and experts said that the technique used to copy the letter   a photographic plate printed with modern ink using different paper from the authentic copies   indicated that the forgery was more recent
the columbus letter is relatively easy to forge because it only has four leaves said paul needham the scheide librarian at princeton university who was called in by homeland security to examine the original in washington and the forgery in florence so its a natural candidate for theft and forgery and of course if you put something back in its place 20 years can go by before people know that its a forgery
john phillips the american ambassador to italy said on wednesday that the florentine letter was not the only copy that had gone missing in europe several original copies of this letter exist he said and homeland securitys investigation revealed that a number of them had been stolen from libraries in europe and replaced by high quality forgeries
officials said that the florentine letter was bought by a rare books collector in switzerland in 1990 and was sold to an anonymous buyer for 330000 at christies auction house in new york in 1992 the 500th anniversary of columbuss first voyage to the new world
in 2004 the letter was bequeathed to the library of congress by an estate american officials said declining to name the donor they said that both the benefactor and the library had acted in good faith with regards to the letters legitimate provenance
examinations of the forged copy carried out by scientific experts with the military police in italy found that the pages were not the same size as the original and that the binding and numbering of the pages was different the paper used for the fake letter was antique but dated to about a century after the plannck copies
experts at the smithsonian institution in washington carried out their own studies and found that chemical agents had been used to delete the ink of the riccardiana library stamp mr phillips said
mr franceschini the culture minister said on wednesday that the original letter would soon be returned to the riccardiana library its legitimate home
this is the story of a very sophisticated theft he added for many years we didnt discover that the libraries had copies of the original it shows that our level of attention has to remain high particularly at a time when collecting is taking off in emerging markets he said the temptations start now


a federal judges order last week ending the planned merger of staples and office depot took many in the antitrust community by surprise but only slightly more so than the decision of the lead defense lawyer diane sullivan to rest without presenting evidence
one must ask what such courtroom bravado   her firms website quotes the american lawyer as saying that ms sullivan isnt a hired gun shes more like a hired bazooka   says about the self confidence of merging parties and their counsel their strategy came as the vigor in federal merger enforcement had apparently been revived and even exaggerated even though this deal was in so many other ways big and audacious one must also ask whether the firm will take action quite this risky again
at the time of the order no one yet knew its details as judge emmet g sullivan of the federal district court for the district of columbia issued only a bare bones order and the promise of a later written opinion the ruling was released on tuesday and it strongly endorses competition and antitrust
though it hardly breaks legal ground the 75 page opinion emphasizes that mergers this breathtakingly big will not be taken lightly it reaffirmed a pro enforcement stance on market definition that imperfect art and science effort by which courts gauge a mergers competitive effects relying extensively on another big federal trade commission victory in the 2014 case challenging promedicas acquisition of its rival st lukes hospital and reaffirmed merger laws once strong incipiency rule which takes competitive threats seriously enough to stop even those deals that merely threaten some potential harm
the proposed merger of staples and office depot was audacious from the beginning it reprised a merger that the ftc stopped in 1997 it flouted the ftcs earlier success in a way that the commission could not lightly tolerate the defendants were caught telling customers to buy soon before the merger raised prices and staples deliberately antagonized president obama administration during the review but most of all the deal itself was so brazenly big
a merger would have combined the first  and second largest office supply chains just a few years after one of them had already acquired the third largest it would have doubled the markets concentration and it would have produced a company 15 times larger than its nearest rival
perhaps the defense was nevertheless so confident because as the intense media coverage emphasized judge sullivan had expressed doubts about the case including claims of government misconduct doubts about some testimony and expert evidence and a suggestion widely taken to disparage the governments case that the parties settle but if those were the tea leaves the defense lawyers read they were badly misled
judge sullivan took his strongest stance on market definition the ftc argued and the court accepted that it was a market in consumable office supplies to large business to business customers excluding ink toner janitorial and break room supplies
defendants not surprisingly called that definition gerrymandered and artificial because including ink and toner would substantially reduce their market share and admittedly it brings to mind certain stinging government losses on narrow market definitions like that whole foods market and wild oats competed only with premium natural and organic supermarkets or that oracles purchase of peoplesoft would restrain competition in high function financial and human resource management enterprise resource planning software
but the commissions definition in its challenge of the proposed merger of staples and office depot did just what market definition is supposed to do it heuristically gauged probable market effects or as judge sullivan wrote it was intended for analytical convenience and where any plausible definition generates concentration data as huge as this one that ought to be enough the best settled rule in merger law   and one quoted conspicuously in the ruling   is supposed to be that congresss concern was with probabilities not certainties
neither is it surprising that judge sullivan rejected defense claims concerning new entry which was that the market would be kept healthy by online competition or by competitors like target and walmart after all people said the same thing about the 1997 merger and the government proved them wrong in an overwhelmingly impressive econometric demonstration that the two companies were one anothers only real rivals
and as judge sullivan emphasized in the ruling released on tuesday the claim that amazons nascent business supplies division would discipline the new megaretailer   a point that defendants asserted   was pure speculation
why the defense would rest without evidence with so much going against it will no doubt remain between the lawyers and their clients perhaps ms sullivan did not make the call herself as staples chief executive ronald l sargent apparently fancies himself an antitrust specialist he was disappointed that the judge failed to define the relevant market correctly despite the ftc falling woefully short of proving its case
whatever may be the case judge sullivan quietly decorously confirmed that resting without evidence was probably rash he resolved a half dozen or more points of uncertainty because defendants did not present a case


cannes france   critics have called julieta the latest by the spanish director pedro almodovar in competition at the cannes film festival his most subdued film yet but what has not been subdued is the reaction in spain to the directors appearance in the panama papers leaked documents from a law firm that managed offshore accounts
in an interview here on wednesday mr almodovar said that his brother and business manager augustin had been advised to set up an offshore company to facilitate international movie deals and co productions at a time before the euro made that easier his brother released a statement in april affirming this the move was not intended to avoid taxes he said
to say that i didnt know about it is not any sort of excuse mr almodovar said of the company which operated in the british virgin islands from 1991 to 1994 so if there is any sort of responsibility to assume then i assume it completely given that caveat
it was a tool for negotiation that we didnt actually need he said
and also my brother already had his doubts about it even from the very beginning he added it disappeared on its own for a lack of transactions because we didnt use it
mr almodovar who has not been accused of a crime said the spanish media had cast him as the the most popular face of the affair when he was a minor character there are ministers who are in power right now in the country and theyre also involved in the panama papers he said
me and my brother we do not represent the entire country we merely represent ourselves he said adding that the scandal had unfolded like a six week long reality show in which drips of information trickled out in the news media for maximum effect what ive actually become is the victim of a marketing of information said the director who canceled some spanish promotional efforts for his film when news of the panama papers first broke
mr almodovar came to prominence in the 1980s at the same time as the birth of spanish democracy after the end of the franco dictatorship and his films have often been seen as capturing the history of the country
julieta is no exception it traces the life of its protagonist julieta from her youth in the energized 1980s when shes played by the spanish actress adriana ugarte to her sadness in the present day with spain in the grips of an economic crisis when shes played by the spanish actress emma suarez
i dont want to make a parallel or a parallelism between the movie and spain that cant be done the director said explaining that he missed the 80s and his youth when i talk about my 80s im talking about democracy but when im talking about now spanish people are very disappointed he said
the film is based on three short stories from the collection runaway by the canadian writer alice munro   an unexpected choice for a director whose sensibility is as over the top as ms munros is spare
mr almodovar said he was struck by the way ms munro captured family dynamics he pointed to a sense of strangeness in her work and the mystery beneath the surface of ordinary life reaching the end of her stories i got the feeling that i know less than at the beginning he said
he first asked for the rights to film the stories because of a scene that takes place on a train everything is on that train the experience of death of discovery physical pleasure and also the conception of a new life he said hed wanted to make his first movie in english he said but didnt feel comfortable enough in the language and filmed it in spanish in spain
some critics have seen julieta as an unsuccessful departure from the directors earlier work mr almodovar said the departure was deliberate i would like the audience not to be afraid that this movie is not full of humor mr almodovar said this is a complete different genre than my former movies i feel very satisfied with that


donald j trump the presumptive republican presidential nominee released a list of potential supreme court nominees on wednesday as part of an effort to quell concerns that he would not select conservative jurists
the unusual move comes as mr trump is looking to unify the republican party behind him and win over critics who remain skeptical about his candidacy while some republicans who oppose mr trump have considered supporting hillary clinton or sitting out the election he has regularly reminded them that the future of the supreme court is at stake
after the death of justice antonin scalia in february critics of mr trump expressed concern about whether he had the judgment to fill vacancies on the court he had joked about appointing his sister maryanne trump barry a federal appeals court judge in philadelphia before suggesting that he would look for someone in the mold of justice scalia and later promising to furnish some prospective candidates
mr trump said in a statement that his shortlist was representative of the kind of constitutional principles i value and as president i plan to use this list as a guide to nominate our next united states supreme court justices the trump campaign did not share how it settled on the names but mr trump has previously said that he was seeking guidance from conservative groups such as the federalist society and the heritage foundation
mr trumps selections consisted of six federal appeals court judges appointed by president george w bush and five state supreme court justices appointed by republican governors all are white and eight of the 11 are men
they include several judges who are favorites of conservative legal scholars like dianne s sykes a judge on the united states court of appeals for the seventh circuit who was appointed by president bush and had been mentioned as a potential supreme court nominee in his second term mr trump has said that he would consider her for a supreme court appointment
several of the jurists previously clerked for conservative supreme court justices after law school the federal appeals court judges on the list included steven m colloton of the eighth circuit a former clerk to chief justice william h rehnquist and raymond m kethledge of the sixth circuit who clerked for justice anthony m kennedy
the state supreme court justices included joan larsen of michigan a former clerk to justice scalia and also allison h eid of colorado david stras of minnesota and thomas rex lee of utah all three of whom clerked for justice clarence thomas in addition judge lees father rex served as solicitor general in the reagan administration and his brother mike lee is a republican senator from utah
another state supreme court justice on the list don willett of texas previously worked for the bush white houses office of faith based initiatives and later in texas government where he pushed to keep a monument of the ten commandments on public property and the words under god in the pledge of allegiance issues he has promoted on his facebook page
notably justice willett has repeatedly mocked mr trump and his presidential aspirations on his twitter account including a june 2015 posting in which he wrote donald trump haiku who would the donaldname to scotus the mind reels weeps cant finish tweet
several of the judges on mr trumps list have questioned abortion rights they included raymond w gruender a judge on the court of appeals for the eighth circuit who led a majority that permitted south dakota to enforce a law requiring doctors to tell women that abortions terminate the life of a whole separate unique living human being
they also included william h pryor jr of the 11th circuit whose appointment senate democrats had tried to block in part because in his previous role as alabama attorney general he denounced roe v wade the 1973 ruling that established a constitutional right to abortion as having manufactured a constitutional right to murder an unborn child
the next president could end up having to fill several supreme court vacancies including the one left open by justice scalias death mr trump has urged the senate to delay voting on president obamas nominee to fill that vacancy judge merrick b garland in hopes that he will have the opportunity to fill the opening
the initial reaction to the choices was mixed
nan aron the president of the liberal alliance for justice action council deplored mr trumps choice of potential justices as dangerous noting that her group had opposed several of the bush appointees her group had not researched some of the state judges yet she said
the list includes some of the most extreme conservatives on the federal bench today she said their opinions demonstrate open hostility to americans rights and liberties including reproductive justice and environmental consumer and worker protections they have ruled consistently in favor of the powerful over everyone else they would move the needle even further to the right on the supreme court
ed whelan a former clerk to justice scalia and a conservative legal commentator praised several of the names on the list but reserved judgment about whether conservatives should trust mr trump to follow through on what he says he will do
its a good list of some of the outstanding judges who give ample sign of being faithful to the constitution mr whelan said whether a president trump could actually be counted on to pick folks like this is a different question
some of mr trumps most vocal conservative critics remained doubtful despite the credentials of the judges on the list erick erickson the conservative blogger who has been working to derail his campaign insisted that mr trump still could not be trusted with the court
like every clause of every sentence uttered in every breath donald trump takes this is all subject to change mr erickson said he will waffle he will backtrack and he simply cannot be believed


jerusalem   a new french led effort to end the israeli palestinian conflict has gotten off to a predictably contentious start the palestinians are in favor israel is strongly opposed
prime minister manuel valls of france is scheduled to arrive in israel this weekend a week after the french foreign minister jean marc ayrault visited ramallah to update the palestinians and jerusalem to try to get the israelis on board
mr valls has been granting interviews to the israeli news media before his visit in an attempt to go above the head of a reluctant israeli government and appeal directly to the public
we think that the status quo works against the israelis the palestinians and peace mr valls who is generally considered friendly to israel told the yediot aharonot newspaper
details of the french initiative to move beyond the current stalemate have emerged slowly there was a plan for a meeting of interested foreign ministers to be held in paris without the israelis or palestinians in attendance that meeting was intended to lead to an international conference to establish new parameters for negotiating a palestinian state alongside israel president mahmoud abbas of the palestinian authority has welcomed the idea
but that plan has already been complicated by competing interests these include internal israeli political machinations as prime minister benjamin netanyahu seeks to broaden his right wing government which rules with a majority of one in the israeli parliament regional considerations of neighboring states including egypt and an apparent ambivalence by the obama administration which has facilitated previous rounds of israeli palestinian talks without success
president francois hollande of france said in a radio interview on tuesday that the meeting of foreign ministers scheduled for may 30 had been postponed because secretary of state john kerry could not attend mr hollande said the meeting would take place in the course of the summer without specifying a new date
briefing reporters in washington on tuesday the state department spokesman john kirby said the americans were continuing to talk with the french about a new date
we are not going to turn up our nose at any opportunity to have a constructive dialogue and to perhaps come up with ideas and solutions to get us to a two state solution he said
israel has been trying to turn the americans off the french plan
after meeting with the french foreign minister in jerusalem last week mr netanyahu said i told him that the only way to advance a true peace between us and the palestinians is by means of direct negotiations between us and them without preconditions he added they simply avoid negotiating with us as part of their desire to avoid resolving the root of the conflict which is recognizing the nation state of the jewish people ie the state of israel
dore gold the director general of israels ministry of foreign affairs and a close aide to mr netanyahu said the conference that france was trying to convene would provide a new escape route for abbas to avoid direct talks with israel
though france and israel are allies mr gold said there is a disconnect on this issue
speaking to reporters in the west bank city of ramallah this week rami hamdallah the palestinian prime minister said our previous experiences directly negotiating with the current right wing israeli government were ineffective and redundant
the french effort aims to resolve a stalemate in the israeli palestinian peace process since american brokered talks collapsed in acrimony in 2014
since then international players have been preoccupied with other issues including the battle against the islamic state
but the palestinians say that more than 20 years of failed negotiations have persuaded them to seek a more international approach in their struggle for statehood
mr hamdallah said that more than 20 countries had agreed to attend the foreign ministers conference in paris and that the international conference to follow would set a timetable for negotiations and perhaps a deadline for the withdrawal of israeli forces from the occupied territories
mr hamdallah cited the accord reached last year between world powers and iran on curbing its nuclear program as a guide for talks to resolve longstanding disagreements   a model actually he said
that analogy was not likely to be welcomed by israel which vehemently opposed the iran deal
saeb erekat a senior palestine liberation organization official and the palestinians chief negotiator told voice of palestine radio on wednesday that the french had informed the palestinians that the meeting would be convened in the first week of june before the start of the muslim holy month of ramadan
many israelis were skeptical that that would happen efraim inbar an israeli professor of political studies at bar ilan university near tel aviv said that saying in the course of the summer is like saying when the messiah will come
in an additional twist president abdel fattah el sisi of egypt made an unusual appeal on tuesday for the israelis and palestinians to make peace and called for israels fractious political parties to unite in an effort to achieve that goal
many israeli commentators speculated that mr sisis move was somehow coordinated with mr netanyahu and isaac herzog the leader of the center left zionist union and the head of israels parliamentary opposition who has been engaged in intense but ultimately unsuccessful negotiations over joining the government
both mr netanyahu and mr herzog rushed to praise mr sisis appeal and israeli politicians and analysts suggested that an alternative initiative for a regional conference convened by middle eastern leaders might be shaping up behind the scenes
i listened closely to what egypts president el sisi said yesterday mr herzog said adding i have repeatedly said there is a historic opportunity for a rare regional development which could change the face of the middle east
but by wednesday evening those plans seemed doomed after mr netanyahu met with avigdor lieberman to discuss the possibility of mr liebermans hard line yisrael beiteinu party joining the government instead of mr herzog with mr lieberman in the role of defense minister
at a news conference mr herzog said mr netanyahu faced a stark choice between heading to war and funerals or a journey of hope for israels citizens


a performance by the embattled pop star kesha at the billboard music awards on sunday may 22 has been called off as the legal and public relations fight between the singer and her longtime producer dr luke rages on
dick clark productions which is overseeing the awards show said in a statement on tuesday that dr lukes kemosabe records to which kesha remains signed rescinded its approval of the appearance after anonymous media reports last week that said keshas performance would directly reference her dispute with the producer
kesha has accused dr luke of sexually and emotionally abusing her during the course of their professional relationship and is suing him to get out of her contracts with his music companies dr luke has denied all of her claims most of which have so far been rejected by a new york judge the producer has also sued kesha for defamation and breach of contract
in a statement posted to instagram late tuesday kesha said she had planned to sing a cover of bob dylans it aint me babe at the show and did not intend to address dr luke
i was never going to use a picture of him speak of him or allude to my legal situation in any way she wrote the broadcast of keshas live performances fall under her contracts with the producer
a representative for kesha said that on monday the singer had provided dr luke with a written assurance that she would not mention or allude to the producer or her legal situation during the performance or on the red carpet
representatives for dr luke declined to comment
keshas performance was to be introduced by lena dunham said a spokeswoman for the actress ms dunham has previously expressed support for the singer writing in her feminist newsletter lenny the public outcry about keshas case has been truly heartening the swell of shock and indignation from fans and fellow performers alike
for months keshas cause has been championed on social media using the freekesha hashtag drawing support from some of the most prominent women in music including adele lady gaga and taylor swift
after years of professional dormancy kesha has returned to the stage and studio earlier this month in an appearance not subject to dr lukes approval she performed a cover of lady gagas til it happens to you a song about sexual assault dedicating it to every man woman child and animal that has ever been abused and in april kesha released her first track since 2013   a collaboration with the electronic producer zedd that dr luke and kemosabe signed off on


washington   the federal reserve sent a sharp simple message to financial markets on wednesday pay attention the fed is thinking seriously about raising its benchmark interest rate at its next meeting in june
the unusually frank bulletin was delivered in the official account of the feds april meeting which said explicitly that most officials thought it likely would be appropriate to raise rates in june if the economy shows clear signs of a rebound from a weak winter
that message was sharply at odds with the expectations of investors who had largely written off a june increase before wednesday betting instead that the fed would leave rates unchanged until later in the year measures calculated from asset prices suggested that investors saw less than a 5 percent chance of a june increase at the beginning of the week by the end of wednesday that had spiked above 30 percent
it remains far from certain however that the fed will move at its meeting on june 14 and 15 the economy has yet to demonstrate the strength the fed says it wants to see and some officials said in april there might not be time to gain the necessary confidence before the june meeting
still the account made clear that fed officials want markets to take the possibility more seriously
the markets are certainly more pessimistic than i am dennis lockhart the president of the federal reserve bank of atlanta and a bellwether for the federal open market committee said on tuesday in washington
two other fed officials similarly said on tuesday that they were thinking about a june increase
the fed which entered the year predicting quarterly rate increases instead held steady in the first quarter as the global economy weakened and markets swooned its benchmark rate remains in a range between 025 and 05 percent the fed is holding rates at historically low levels to support economic growth by encouraging borrowing and risk taking it plans to raise rates gradually reducing those incentives as the economy gains strength
the april account published after the standard three week delay showed the fed was continuing to struggle with communications officials have said repeatedly that they want to get out of the business of telling markets when rates will rise they want investors to draw inferences from the economic data they want to move from date dependence to data dependence
but the account said some fed officials were frustrated by the conclusions investors had drawn
some participants were concerned that market participants may not have properly assessed the likelihood of an increase in the target range at the june meeting it said
as a corrective it offered an account of how the fed would decide whether to raise rates in june
most participants judged that if incoming data were consistent with economic growth picking up in the second quarter labor market conditions continuing to strengthen and inflation making progress toward the committees 2 percent objective then it likely would be appropriate for the committee to increase the target range for the federal funds rate in june it said
the fed carefully distinguishes in its meeting accounts between the broader group of 17 officials who attend policy meetings and the 10 of those officials who hold votes narayana kocherlakota a professor of economics at the university of rochester who stepped down as president of the federal reserve bank of minneapolis at the end of last year noted that those 10 members were described in the minutes as more tempered in their assessment of the chances of a june hike
members generally judged it appropriate to leave their policy options open the account said
william c dudley president of the federal reserve bank of new york and one of those voting members said in a recent interview that it was reasonable to expect the fed to raise rates twice more this year but that the decision would depend on the strength of the data
we should continue to see tightening of the us labor market probably a gradual acceleration in wages as the labor market gets tighter mr dudley said and if thats how the economy plays out then i think were going to see further moves by the fed to gradually normalize interest rates
the labor market has gained strength in recent months while reported economic growth has been relatively weak economists have puzzled over which to take more seriously but the account said most fed officials had concluded the economy was doing better than the data suggested
they judged the apparent softness in spending in the first quarter was unlikely to persist it said
among the reasons strong job growth rising incomes and looser financial conditions
another key question is whether the supply of workers has receded to a normal level suggesting that continued economic growth will begin to put upward pressure on wages and prices officials were described as divided on this issue some noted evidence that people who had left the labor force were returning in significant numbers seeing better chances of finding work
concerns about the persistence of inflation below the feds 2 percent annual target appear to have diminished somewhat the april account said that for many fed officials recent developments provided greater confidence that inflation would rise to 2 percent over the medium term
other familiar concerns remained in particular about the impact of renewed global weakness
yet the account portrayed fed officials as waiting to raise rates largely from an abundance of caution and it suggested that they did not expect they would be waiting too much longer


at least one of the protesters claims is undeniably true no one asked 2000 pigeons if they wanted to have lights strapped to their legs in the name of art
nor did anyone ask the birds how they felt about being shooed from their homes at dusk and sent flying up to illuminate the brooklyn sky
but whether duke rileys avian powered performance piece fly by night constitutes pigeon abuse is a more complicated question
more than 5000 people have signed a changeorg petition calling for the show which opened may 7 at the brooklyn navy yard to be closed at sundays performance a gaggle of protesters   perhaps several dozen   gathered outside the navy yard gates
their charges that the birds are terrified by the flapping plastic flag mr riley waves to keep them flying that it is unnatural to make pigeons fly at night when they normally rest and that between their poor night vision and the distractions of the moving lights they could become disoriented and crash into the east river
theres plenty of ways to create beautiful art without using unwilling participants who are forced to perform said nora marino who runs the animal cruelty exposure fund
mr riley has kept pigeons most of his adult life and says the birds are not suffering and that they fly when he waves his trash bag flag for the same reason a dog gets excited when you pull out your car keys the birds are not forced to fly mr riley said   every night some choose to stay in their coops
the shows critics say fly by night disregards the growing sentiment against performing animals ringling bros is retiring its circus elephants seaworld its killer whales
before fly by night opened the nonprofit arts group that organized it creative time asked the director of the wild bird fund rita mcmahon to inspect the fund based on the upper west side treats more than 2000 sick and injured pigeons a year
mixing art and animals is a very risky business said ms mcmahon who is a state licensed wildlife rehabilitator but i was very impressed the pigeons were healthy and well fed their temporary homes beautiful and clean
i didnt see any traumatized pigeons she added you see them mating courting everything all over the boat i think thats a pretty good sign
fly by night runs on fridays saturdays and sundays until june 12 and the protesters say they will be out every night for the rest of the run


with a broad new class of workers becoming eligible for overtime many small businesses are scrambling to figure out how to factor the regulations into their bottom line
the obama administration on wednesday announced the final details of new labor rules to increase the salary cutoff for overtime pay although the plan was outlined a year ago and employers have several months to comply many say the change will be a challenge to small businesses that pride themselves on a scrappy entrepreneurial culture
we are pretty flexible said kelli glasser who is president and chief executive of exhibit concepts a 100 employee company in dayton ohio that designs builds and manages exhibits for museums and trade shows  if somebody needs to pick up a sick kid or go to a doctors appointment we let them do it because we know that at some point theyll make up for it once you start tracking hours that all changes
currently salaried employees who earn more than 23660 a year and meet other criteria are not entitled by law to overtime pay which is 15 times an equivalent hourly wage after an employee works more than 40 hours a week
the threshold is scheduled to roughly double to 47476 on dec 1 that means millions of workers who were salaried will have to have their hours tracked to see if they qualify for overtime pay
employers will have various options they could change the pay structure for employees making less than the new threshold to an hourly rate they could raise the pay above the threshold so they wont need to worry about overtime they could even cut the base salaries of those who regularly work more than 40 hours in expectation that overtime pay will make up the difference
among the business owners unsure of what adjustments to make is lior rachmany the chief executive and founder of dumbo moving  storage in new york after hearing about the new threshold he started examining how it would affect his 185 employees 50 percent of whom are paid a salary
mr rachmany said he was reluctant to move so many additional workers to an hourly scale i think you get a better product when people are paid a salary he said when a person knows there is a task to get done it will get done not on the clock
mr rachmany said he would probably end up hiring more entry level employees and minimizing overtime pay for his affected salaried employees he is also considering hiring freelancers and independent contractors by doing so he could increase operations in busy times and not have overtime be a yearlong worry
the fair labor standards act of 1938 established the rules governing which employees qualified for overtime pay for salaried employees to be classified as exempt from overtime they must meet certain criteria
for example their roles typically need to be administrative executive professional or managerial currently to be excluded from overtime they also must earn at least 23660 a year or 455 a week a figure that was last adjusted in 2004 before that the rate had been 250 a week since 1975 had that amount been adjusted for inflation it would be more than 52000 in todays dollars according to the economic policy institute
the labor department calculated that 42 million workers would be affected by the higher overtime level but the economic policy institute estimated that the higher pay threshold would give 125 million more employees or 23 percent of salaried workers a new or stronger right to overtime pay
although businesses have had a lot of practice over the years adjusting for minimum wage increases for hourly employees in cities and states around the country this rule change will be a significant shift for many small businesses and entrepreneurs advisers say
and unlike changes to the federal minimum wage changes to the overtime threshold do not require an act of congress said dan bosch a regulatory expert with the national federation of independent business a prominent small business trade group based in washington
as of last month many companies werent even aware that the changes were imminent
across the board nobody seems to know about this adam ochstein the founder and chief executive of stratex a chicago firm that provides human resources consulting and software to small and midsize businesses said in an interview in april
the short period of time before the new rules take effect is worrisome to some business owners
im not opposed to the change but what im worried about is that it is such a huge increase more than double and its sudden said ms glasser of exhibit concepts when we talk about minimum wage increases those are being phased in most places for this there is no phase in period
in addition the new threshold is expected to be the same across the country with no adjustments for local conditions
one amount is being applied nationwide and it is not necessarily applicable in all markets ms glasser said in dayton ohio the median household income was 46697 in 2014 the latest figure available from the united states census bureau in san francisco the median was 83222
another drawback she said was the precedent it would set for unmerited raises and there is also the risk of a trickle up effect employees not affected by the change might expect to see an increase in pay as well
even the employees who would benefit may be unhappy with the rule change a lot of salaried employees arent going to want to track their hours even if its to their benefit said john swanciger chief executive of manta an online community of more than three million small business owners manta recently surveyed its members about the pending regulations and found that more than half were unaware of the coming changes
opting out of the rule is not a choice for companies with any employees who make less than the threshold said john p quirke a lawyer and partner with mccarter  english in east brunswick nj
the practice of comp time   giving employees who work extra time a day off down the road   will also change with the new rules for employees in the private sector making less than 47476 a year comp time will not be an option
public entities can offer comp time but its illegal for private employers to do so mr quirke said employers can define what constitutes a workweek but any work beyond 40 hours in that week will be considered overtime
small organizations should start by determining which employees could be affected i think the biggest issue will be with employees routinely working 45 or 50 hours a week and happily making 40000 to 45000 a year he said companies will need to figure out what to do with them reduce their hours or bump their pay
for companies with employees who earn less than the threshold but have predictable hours the easiest strategy may be to do nothing at all that is reclassify them as nonexempt and limit their overtime hours
they will still need to track their hours even if theyre salaried said mr ochstein of stratex who added that such employers would need to keep close tabs on hours worked to ensure that overtime costs were under control dont have people working 60 or 70 hours a week he said if they are increase their salary enough so they are exempt or hire more people for those roles


artificial intelligence is a longstanding science fiction staple that is coming into its own google facebook apple and others are all developing ai tools you can try out some apps today that demonstrate fledgling forms of the technology by smartly swiftly and automatically doing tasks that would otherwise take lots of effort
the roll for instance is a new intelligent app that can help organize the thousands of photos that you take with your phone the app scans a photo library analyzing each image and trying to spot which ones are similar it then groups pictures together so copies can be deleted
the app also assigns a score to each image as a measure of its quality the artificial intelligence that does this is quite clever a professionally taken portrait of me scored nearly 90 percent in the app but a snapshot i had just taken of my cat paying little heed to lighting and composition got 20 percent the software is not flawless   a professional fashion image that i shot in a studio scored 50 percent   but it does give a sense of which photos are better or worse which is handy for knowing what to share online
best of all the roll recognizes what your images are about the app automatically tags pictures with options like fashion beauty and animals the result is a neatly compiled photo archive that can be browsed by tapping on a tagged collection of images in the app or by searching for a keyword the roll is free on ios
easilydo offers similar ai based organization and tries to do some of the jobs a real life personal assistant would do it works by connecting directly to email accounts such as gmail and exchange and to other services and apps like facebook evernote and linkedin
easilydo collects information from those sources so it can send an alert when you need to set off for a meeting scheduled in your calendar it can also get status updates on flights or track packages create calendar events based on business emails and tidy up your contacts list
many features take some time to learn but it is well designed and has made my online life a little less stressful
easilydo is available on ios and android though most of its features are free access to the full range like one feature that connects to salesforce to log professional sales information starts at around 5 a month
easilydo inc also has a new free email app that applies to your inboxes some of the same smart automation ideas used in its digital assistant it offers a unified inbox for different accounts one tap unsubscribing from mailing lists and automatic sorting of mail into different folder types like travel or other categories the app is available only for ios devices
24me is a personal digital assistant that much like easilydo connects to different online accounts and manages your affairs it is styled more like a standard to do list app or calendar app which may suit those who like to organize their days as a timeline
the app is not quite as automated as easilydo so you may have to work with it a little more throughout the day also the interface is busier and fussier it is free on ios and android
dont forget google now free and available on android and via the google app on ios
the app mainly sits in the background but often surprises you with an alert that is really useful   for example a warning of traffic on the way to your next meeting google now can also help find nearby attractions and manage restaurant reservations and you can speak to it in natural language to do searches
you do have to deliberately interact with google now to make the most of it on ios this involves the extra step of starting up the google app
one of the best known intelligent apps is apples siri which i have found is becoming cleverer all the time i use siri daily to begin phone calls send text messages and set timers reminders and alarms the app can now answer sophisticated questions about science or help with navigation now that siri is instantly accessible on the latest iphones by speaking hey siri it is even more useful
ustwos face maker app can help personalize the look of an android wear smartwatch other face design apps can be used to customize the information the watch screen displays but face maker is all about giving the watch a personal look with thousands of options for color and markers the app is free


washington   long security lines have at times prompted hours of delays at the nations airports generated heated responses from frustrated travelers and led to calls for congress and the obama administration to fix the problem here are the answers to five questions to help passengers understand why waits are longer at airport security checkpoints
the transportation security administration says the number of passengers has increased nearly 12 percent since 2011 while the number of screeners has declined by 12 percent to 41928 this year from 47630 in 2011 the agency attributes the decline to budget cuts though some republicans in congress blame the tsa for cutting the number of screeners in recent years
the tsa tightened security procedures after federal auditors managed to get fake bombs and weapons past screeners which has also contributed to the long lines the agency also stopped a program that allowed people who have not signed up for background checks to use expedited security lines
the result waits of an hour or more at some airports
last week jeh johnson the secretary of homeland security announced that the tsa would pay more overtime for screeners speed up hiring and increase the use of bomb sniffing dogs congress has shifted 34 million in the tsas budget to help the agency pay for 768 additional screeners the agency is also moving bomb sniffing dogs that screen passengers from smaller airports to larger ones
mr johnson urged travelers to sign up for tsa precheck an expedited screening process that allows passengers to keep their shoes on and keep their computers in their bags enrollment in the program has fallen short of expectations exacerbating the longer lines
yes under the tsas screening partnership program 22 of the approximately 450 commercial airports in the country including san francisco international airport now use private screeners
some airport executives and republicans in congress have proposed hiring private screeners to replace tsa workers
the port authority of new york and new jersey which operates kennedy international airport la guardia airport and newark liberty international airport as well as officials at hartsfield jackson international airport in atlanta and douglas international airport in charlotte nc say they are considering private security contractors
but some transportation experts point out that airports with private screeners which must follow tsa procedures are also experiencing longer waiting times as passenger volume increases
and even if larger airports like the ones in new york and atlanta moved to switch to private screeners they could not do so in time to handle the increased summer travel
senators edward j markey of massachusetts and richard blumenthal of connecticut both democrats have called on airlines to help reduce waiting times by waiving fees for checked baggage
without charges for checking their bags passengers will be far less likely to carry them on which snarls screening checkpoints and slows the inspection process they said in a letter to a dozen major airlines
representative bennie thompson democrat of mississippi has suggested that the agency reassign its behavior detection officers to screening duties those officers many of them former screeners are trained to look for and identify possible terrorists by studying their behavior reports by the government accountability office have questioned the value of the program
several republicans have already called the increasing security lines an example of the governments inability to operate airport security effectively
they say that mismanagement rather than a shortage of resources is the real problem
jason chaffetz republican of utah and chairman of the house oversight committee said the tsa was unable to retain its screening work force and that spending extra money at the agency would not fix the problem
signing up for tsa pre the expedited screening program could help
otherwise there is not much passengers can do to end the longer waits a social media campaign i hate the wait has been started by the airline industry giving travelers a chance to air their grievances
passengers have complained to their congressional representatives who have put pressure on federal officials to act
the tsa has said that in the short term though the long lines will probably continue


m j rumminger a freelance writer in chicago recently clicked a button to upgrade her laptop to the latest version of microsofts windows operating system the upgrade took all day to download   and then nothing happened not even a message about a failure
ms rumminger feared that installing the upgrade again would do more harm than good like breaking her apps so she decided not to try yet reminders to upgrade from microsoft frequently pop up on her computer screen
i get the sense from their messages theyre getting increasingly desperate in trying to get people to upgrade she said
ms rumminger belongs to a majority of windows users who are still shirking windows 10 the free and newest upgrade that microsoft released for its flagship operating system last july microsoft said this month that 300 million devices were running windows 10 a fraction of the roughly 15 billion windows pcs on the market
tech writers including me gave generally positive reviews to windows 10 last year but the new york times has since received emails every week from readers about upgrade headaches some say that the software system rendered their machines inoperable while others say it broke compatibility with apps or devices they rely on
one reader maureen moss emailed that windows 10 was a nightmare after the system broke her computers networking capability and compatibility with a printer another reader james bass said windows 10 took apart two toshiba laptops piece by piece first the wi fi stopped working he wrote and then the keyboard failed
yet the consensus among information technology professionals is that upgrading to windows 10 is a wise idea because the system is faster well built and more secure and microsofts free upgrade window for windows 10 is closing soon after july 29 the company will start charging 119 for a copy
microsoft said that the windows 10 release had been smooth but that there were bound to be some issues among the millions of devices running the system given the complex ecosystem of pc hardware and accessories
when youve got 300 million devices theres going to be edge cases that we dont pick up said david dennis a microsoft spokesman he said the company was continuing to update the system to address problems
to help overcome upgrade issues microsoft and tech experts offered tips on diagnosing and treating windows 10 problems
before starting an installation back up all of your data microsoft designed the windows 10 upgrade to be seamless   a push of a button and you get going while the company does not officially recommend that you create a backup this is a must for any operating system upgrade you never know if an unforeseen circumstance like a power or internet failure could interfere with your installation services like backblaze and crashplan are handy tools for making backups
brian denslow a technician for tech collective an information technology consulting company in san francisco said his experience upgrading clients to windows 10 had been smooth for example when upgrading a law firms machines to windows 10 only one out of 50 pcs had issues he said
so what is the culprit behind windows 10 upgrades going wrong mr denslow said the machines that tended to have problems were cheap computers that cost 300 or less like budget models made by acer or asus
cheaper machines tend to be loaded up with parts manufactured by component makers that have neglected to update their drivers   the software written for devices or components to work with the operating system   for the new windows system he said
before users switch to windows 10 microsoft runs a compatibility checker to see if any apps or devices will stop working after an upgrade to windows 10 yet many readers said that the checker failed to identify issues before installing the upgrade
mr dennis of microsoft said the compatibility checker was imperfect some manufacturers and component makers may not have kept their software drivers up to date which can lead to problems
so if a specific accessory or part of your computer acts badly an outdated driver is often the culprit if say your printer stopped working go to the manufacturers support website and search for a new driver for that printer model with windows 10 compatibility if there is no updated driver your best options are to stick with the older version of windows or buy a new printer
a lesser known feature in windows 10 is a button to roll back to the previous version of windows if you are having problems microsoft basically creates an archive of your past windows version and puts it in a directory so that you can revert easily
in the settings window select the recovery tab and there will be an option to go back to an older version of windows click get started and microsoft will return you to the previous version of windows
in other words when you install windows 10 you need not purge all the data from the hard drive to install a fresh copy of the operating system doing so would wipe out the directory with that older version of windows killing an important protection so create a backup install the operating system see how it hums and revert if the system is unstable the option to return to a previous version of windows is available for only one month after an upgrade to windows 10
if you have tried all of the above and windows 10 is still not playing well you can stick with your older version and tell microsoft to leave you alone
mr dennis said the company had heard feedback about it being too aggressive with encouraging people to upgrade so microsoft recently clarified the wording of the upgrade reminder to read click here to change upgrade schedule or cancel scheduled upgrade clicking through will let you opt out of the upgrade
if you are eager to get on windows 10 and your machine is not cooperating consider upgrading the parts or buying a new computer mr denslow said he and other it professionals recommended that owners of pcs with older spinning hard disk drives upgrade to solid state a newer storage technology solid state drives generally have less storage capacity than spinning hard disk drives but they load windows 10 applications faster and are more durable because they lack moving parts
mr denslow also suggested that windows users who want to hold on to their machines for many years consider spending a bit more on higher quality computers like the thinkpad by lenovo a company that is diligent about keeping drivers up to date even buying a used thinkpad for 500 he said will go a long way
problems with windows 10 are usually because of user error but not because a user installed the system wrong its the user error based on shopping on price alone mr denslow said


when the founders of credo a beauty boutique that opened in new york last week were planning how the store should look they checked out other green spaces   ones that sold say yoga mats made of recycled rubber   and thought a lot about the differences between a tesla and a prius
we wanted to be tesla said annie jackson credos vice president for merchandising and planning we didnt want the terrariums and the zen music in our store
what credo a sephora like one stop shop that opened its first outpost in san francisco last june is selling is face creams and eyeliners from companies that dont use any of the ingredients it says are harmful like formaldehyde or parabens the list bans 23 groups of ingredients like animal products and phthalates a class of plasticizing chemicals
shashi batra the founder and chief executive who once worked at sephora often cites the statistic that europe has banned 1400 cosmetic ingredients while the united states forbids only 11
but what credo is really selling is the idea of switching up your beauty routine to one that seems healthier in a way that wont take you far out of your comfort zone much as whole foods did with groceries or gwyneth paltrow does with everything this is the kind of wellness aimed at those who recycle their nespresso pods
in general when it comes to knowing if what is in your moisturizing balm is bad for you its a murky marketing driven world the food and drug administration oversees only certain topical products like sunscreen and other than requiring that labels dont misstate benefits it lets the beauty industry regulate itself words like natural nontoxic and safe have no official or legal meaning when it comes to cosmetic labeling and dermatologists routinely caution that people can be allergic to any ingredient natural or not
mr batra deliberately puts his stores near beloved   and definitely not chemical free   beauty companies the san francisco store is close to nars cosmetics and the new york store is near le labo fragrances
we want you to buy all of the brands you love and then buy ours he said we dont want to dis the brand you love
the new store at 9 prince street in nolita is marked by a bright blue storefront with windows big enough to please any exhibitionist in the airy whitewashed space blond wood display cases are stocked with artisanal products all with sleek logos and modern wrapping   skin care on one side of the store makeup on the other nothing is made of hemp
some brands tend to have personal back stories like suntegrity skincare a line of plant derived sunscreen that was developed after the founders mother died from skin cancer the green skin care doyenne tata harpers line is front and center and there are hard to find natural products like gel eyeliners made by evelyn iona and roll on deodorants from true organic of sweden credo also carries kohl eyeliners and glossy eye shadows by the makeup artist jillian dempsey shes planning to sculpt a display case for the products herself
we dont spend a lot of time going off on a tangent about why its good for you mr batra said you just come in say you want a good moisturizer and spf and we get you a good moisturizer and spf the store also offers brow waxing mini facials and makeup touch ups
its still totally about beauty ms jackson said we want to tap into that emotional part of buying beauty we want customers to buy an 18 lip gloss throw it in their bag and feel happy
rose marie swift a makeup artist and the founder of the organic color cosmetics line rms beauty who has her products at credo says she tends to prefer stores with both green and mainstream brands because her products sell better there we need to be next to where the chanel and creme de la mer are she said no ones interested in the hippie thing
but ms swift thinks credo could be the exception credo is doing it right because theyre making it look like youre walking into barneys she said theyre making it look chic


defiant and determined to transform the democratic party senator bernie sanders is opening a two month phase of his presidential campaign aimed at inflicting a heavy blow on hillary clinton in california and amassing enough leverage to advance his agenda at the convention in july   or even wrest the nomination from her
advisers to mr sanders said on wednesday that he was newly resolved to remain in the race seeing an aggressive campaign as his only chance to pressure democrats into making fundamental changes to how presidential primaries and debates are held in the future they said he also held out hope of capitalizing on any late stumbles by mrs clinton or any damage to her candidacy whether by scandal or by the presumptive republican nominee donald j trump
after sounding subdued if not downbeat about the race for weeks mr sanders resumed a combative posture against mrs clinton demanding on wednesday that she debate him before the june 7 primary in california and highlighting anew what he asserted were her weaknesses against mr trump
mr sanders his advisers said has been buoyed by a stream of polls showing him beating mr trump by larger margins than mrs clinton in some battleground states and by his belief that an upset victory in california could have a psychological impact on convention delegates who already have doubts about mrs clinton
but his newly resolute attitude is also the cumulative result of months of anger at the national democratic party over a debate schedule that his campaign said favored mrs clinton a fund raising arrangement between the party and the clinton campaign the appointment of fierce clinton partisans as leaders of important convention committees and the partys rebuke of mr sanders on tuesday for not clearly condemning a melee at the nevada democratic convention on saturday
while mr sanders says he does not want mr trump to win in november his advisers and allies say he is willing to do some harm to mrs clinton in the shorter term if it means he can capture a majority of the 475 pledged delegates at stake in california and arrive at the philadelphia convention with maximum political power
tad devine a senior adviser to mr sanders said the campaign did not think its attacks would help mr trump in the long run but added that the senators team was not thinking about the possibility that they could help derail mrs clinton from becoming the first woman elected president
the only thing that matters is what happens between now and june 14 mr devine said referring to the final democratic primary in the district of columbia we have to put the blinders on and focus on the best case to make in the upcoming states if we do that we can be in a strong position to make the best closing argument before the convention if not everyone will know in mid june and well have to take a hard look at where things stand
the prospect of a drawn out democratic fight is deeply troubling to party leaders who are eager for mrs clinton and house and senate candidates to turn to attacking mr trump without being diverted by democratic strife mr sanders has won nearly 10 million votes compared to mrs clintons 13 million and democratic leaders say she needs time to begin courting the young voters liberals and other sanders supporters who view her as an ally of corporate and big money interests
but mr sanders has sharpened his language of late saying tuesday night that the party faced a choice to remain dependent on big money campaign contributions and be a party with limited participation and limited energy or welcome into the party people who are prepared to fight for real economic and social change
mr sanderss street fighting instincts have been encouraged by his like minded campaign manager jeff weaver who has been blistering against the clinton camp and the party establishment on wednesday he took to cnn to accuse representative debbie wasserman schultz of florida the democratic national chairwoman of throwing shade on the sanders campaign from the very beginning
for weeks some current and former sanders campaign workers have privately acknowledged feeling disheartened about mr weavers determination to go after the democratic national committee fearing a pitched battle with the party they hope to support in the general election the intraparty fighting has affected morale they say and raised concerns that mr weaver a longtime sanders aide who more recently ran a comic book store was not devoted to achieving democratic unity several described the campaigns message as having devolved into a near obsession with perceived conspiracies on the part of mrs clintons allies
democratic leaders said they wanted to do everything possible to avoid having clinton sanders tensions send the philadelphia convention into the sort of chaos they had expected to mar the republican convention so far though mr sanders has not indicated that he would ask his delegates to support mrs clinton as she did in 2008 for barack obama
im hopeful that the two candidates will come together and soon which could blunt the possibility of real trouble at our convention said edward g rendell the former governor of pennsylvania and a clinton supporter who is chairman of the philadelphia host committee for the convention but you look at what happened in nevada and you worry
the melee there at which sanders supporters revolted and threatened the state democratic chairwoman in a fight over delegates intensified concerns among clinton allies senator barbara boxer of california who attended the convention said she spoke with mr sanders late tuesday and said he was distressed by the nevada episode
he will be judged as whether or not he has leadership qualities by the way he handles this she said
senator harry reid of nevada who is close to mr sanders spoke with mr sanders on friday about not letting the state convention devolve into a messy fight they spoke again on tuesday afternoon and mr reid complained that a staff member who had attended feared for her safety but mr sanderss subsequent statement condemning the violence which mostly dwelled on how dismissively he felt the party was treating him did little to soothe mr reids unease
bernie and i have known each other for a long time and i believe he is better than this mr reid said wednesday
but some sanders supporters said that democrats were ignoring an undercurrent of anger among those who fear that mrs clinton if elected would lack the courage to challenge her friends and political contributors
we want to have progressive values and socialism on the conventions agenda rather than slip back into centrist democratic thinking if she gets elected said tick segerblom a state senator in nevada and a sanders supporter i think there could be some chaos at the convention - at least outside with a lot of anarchists socialists young people
mrs clintons campaign has largely taken mr sanderss latest broadsides in stride in soliciting donations wednesday it said that the two front battle against mr sanders and mr trump was one of the toughest parts of our campaign so far a clinton campaign spokesman declined to comment about mr sanderss debate proposal in california
privately mrs clintons advisers said mr sanders could win california but emphasized their confidence that mrs clinton would still win the nomination she now has a total of 2293 pledged delegates and superdelegates she needs 90 more to win the nomination although superdelegates can shift their support up to the convention mr sanders has 1533 pledged delegates and superdelegates
mr sanders is now running slightly behind mrs clinton in california in public polls ben tulchin mr sanderss pollster pointed to signs of rising voter registration in california among young people and independents   two core sanders constituencies   as evidence that he could win the state but hispanic registration is also rising which could benefit mrs clinton with mr sanders expected to campaign aggressively over the next three weeks his supporters in the state said they were focused on winning the primary not on november
if you want to talk about historic lets talk about the record turnout numbers at his rallies said mayor bao nguyen of garden grove calif a sanders supporter senator sanders isnt obliged to help secretary clinton if she wins thats a decision his team can make if they face that choice
senator jeff merkley democrat of oregon mr sanderss lone endorser in the senate said that the partys divisions would only deepen if mr sanders was driven from the race now
you cant say to them hey we dont want to hear your views and shut the door on them mr merkley said and then a month later open the door and say hey can you come in and help us out


tehran   a house visit by a daughter of a prominent ayatollah to a female leader of the persecuted bahai religious minority touched off a debate this week in iran about the harsh treatment of a group deemed pagans and impure by the countrys dominant clerics
the issue was raised last week when the iranian news media reported that faezeh hashemi 54 a daughter of the former president ayatollah ali akbar hashemi rafsanjani had sat down for tea with fariba kamalabadi 52 a bahai leader
ms kamalabadi was on temporary leave from a 20 year prison sentence imposed on her and six other bahai leaders for spying for israel the united states state department has condemned their imprisonment and called for their release along with other prisoners of conscience
an official with irans conservative judiciary gholamhossein mohseni ejei called the meeting obscene and despicable and told reporters on wednesday that he was planning to take ms hashemi to court
ms hashemi and ms kamalabadi became acquainted in 2013 when they shared a prison cell after ms hashemi was given a six month sentence for spreading propaganda against the system
before then i had no information about these people ms hashemi said of the bahais but with the islamic republic imprisoning me i became familiar with them and this opened another window in my life
ms hashemi one of irans most prominent activists is often shielded from punishment by her powerful family connections once an outspoken lawmaker she started irans first newspaper for women in 2000 and was the first female member of the establishment to publicly ride a bicycle long deemed religiously unfit for women
meeting a member of the bahai faith however was one provocation too many even her father criticized her for having tea with a member of the bahais whom he called heretics the semiofficial fars news agency reported on monday she has committed a wrong deed and should be ashamed of herself he said
other clerics were outraged saying that meeting with ms kamalabadi a psychologist was criminal one expert in religious ethics mahdi tabataei demanded an apology to the nation from ms hashemi
the head of irans judiciary ayatollah sadegh larijani said that ms hashemi faced prosecution on national security grounds socializing with them especially relatives of senior clerics and high ranking officials is damaging the norms he said on tuesday the semiofficial tasnim news agency reported
but ms hashemi told euronews that she was not sorry at all discrimination in name of religion and the oppression of the bahais are wrong she said we are oppressive in iran not only toward these but toward many she said to the agency we should correct our behavior
some people even among the clergy have risen to her defense they met in prison of course they can be friends said fazel meybodi a reformist cleric from the shiite holy city of qum noting that not all islamic scholars agree that the bahais are spiritually impure he added these are just two humans meeting what is the problem
in contrast to iranian jews christians and zoroastrians tolerated minorities who even have representatives in parliament the bahais have been persecuted in iran ever since the 1979 islamic revolution their belief in another prophet after muhammad is anathema to shiite muslim clerics who consider muhammad the final messenger of god
there are five million to seven million bahais worldwide their headquarters is in haifa israel another reason iranians distrust them the leader of their cult is zionism the head of irans paramilitary basij organization brig gen mohammad reza naghdi said on monday supporting them means being a lackey of the zionists
because they are considered impure bahais are not allowed to pursue higher education or to become civil servants however with the rising influence of the urban middle class dogmatic religious edicts of the sort used to marginalize the bahais have come under pressure
it is not clear why bahais in iran do not have the right to work or an education and should be imprisoned sadegh zibakalam a tehran university professor and outspoken activist told a news website on tuesday did prophet muhammad order to imprison anyone who is not a muslim yet or a nonbeliever


when the obama administration directed public schools on friday to accommodate transgender students by ensuring that they may use school bathrooms and locker rooms of their choice the latest battle in the nations culture wars became even more contentious conservatives called the action an illegal overreach that will put children in danger advocates for transgender rights hailed it as a breakthrough for civil rights
high school students from around the country shared their thoughts with the new york times on facebook their opinions ranged from anger to joy and they offered a glimpse into how students are experiencing the issue in their schools and neighborhoods
the obama administration has taken significant steps in the right direction in social reform throughout its almost eight year tenure and this is just adding to its legacy the united states was built on freedom and justice for all and discriminatory laws against transgender students simply disregard not just the constitution but the well being of us citizens we live in 2016 and acceptance of everyone of every creed race sexuality gender and background is not only a reflection of the time that we live in but a necessity in american society
-zoe allen 16 dallas
its a decision that should be left for the schools administration and board to decide also it shouldnt be a reason to pull out federal funding if schools choose not to follow this law
its also up to congress to write the laws not the executive department
  josh booher 18 columbia pa
1 i dont think it is the federal governments job to dictate what each school district does with its students that is extreme government overreach and it sets a bad precedent for the future
2 i think that it is endangering females by opening the doors for any man who wants to enter locker rooms and restrooms where females are i am not saying that transgender people will be the ones committing crimes however these laws and orders will allow any guy who wants to to enter these previously all female spaces without being restricted by law if schools want to provide a gender neutral restroom or space where transgender people can go that is one thing but eliminating any place where girls can go and have privacy from men is a very bad policy
  grace driggers 17 south carolina
it is first of all not the federal governments job to determine this for every school and to be 100 percent honest this makes me as a female very uncomfortable this liberal push for equality in virtually everything is beyond ridiculous you are given a gender and whether you agree with it or not you go to the bathroom you are assigned   not the one you determine mr obama this is terrible and for everyone out there that says this is a step for a safer environment you are very very mistaken
  abbey morgan parrish ala
while i agree with the obama administration in general and am an advocate for transgender rights im pessimistic about the outcome schools that oppose challenging the gender binary will continue to do so as they probably already resent the fast pace of social change and left leaning federal government in fact schools with conservative administrations may be even more anti trans in defiance more open minded progressive schools probably have listened to student input in allowing transgender students to use the appropriate bathrooms and dont need the federal governments advice all in all this decision seemed like it was made for show however i agree with it and its significance is in its empowerment of and official solidarity with transgender students it gives them a voice
  jenny xu 16 new york
as a high schooler i honestly couldnt care less which bathroom somebody uses if theyre using whichever one matches their gender identification i believe that the whole freakout on this issue is a ploy to distract people from the real issues that face us like childhood poverty undue corporate influence in politics and income inequality
  andrew figueiredo 18 wichita kan
im a high schooler and the co president of the gay straight alliance at my school i 100 percent think that this is a step in the right direction we have been fighting for this right at my school for years and are very pleased that it is being addressed federally we are thrilled that this will make our school a safer and more comfortable place for students to learn and relieve themselves regardless of their gender identity
  robbie goldberg 16 framingham mass
this is long overdue and especially appropriate being friends with many trans people myself i find it nonsensical that conservatives will make up any excuse to oppose these laws because in reality they do not understand trans people they do not want to and as the word conservative implies they are afraid of any kind of social progress it is so easy to forget that there was extreme backlash to desegregation as well as women attending class but the right for transgender people to use whichever bathroom they associate their identity with does indeed align with civil rights and social progress there will be clamor but the noise will die down eventually as people will realize this is a non problem
  christian mixson 18 gulf shores ala


cbs is presenting its 2016 17 fall schedule to advertisers at carnegie hall on wednesday afternoon here is a preview
cbs has tried for the last couple of years to find a worthy successor to the big bang theory which remains tvs top rated comedy those efforts have yet to pay off but cbs is taking a mighty big swing this year
the network is expanding from one two hour comedy block in its fall schedule last year on wednesday night to two blocks this year adding monday night cbss entertainment president glenn geller told reporters on wednesday morning that the networks development strategy was about big comedy and big big stars
cbs executives are going with three recognizable names
 kevin james in kevin can wait
 matt leblanc in man with a plan
 joel mchale in the great indoors
mr jamess show will open the season right behind the big bang theory before moving to 8 pm on mondays in october when the networks thursday night football package ends
longtime series like ncis the most viewed drama for the last seven years and survivor continue to hold their 8 pm time slots on tuesdays and wednesdays the comedies two broke girls and mom both return
cbs is plugging in ncis new orleans into the tuesday 10 pm slot and the network is adding a new drama a reboot of an old one macgyver to its friday lineup
as network television makes greater efforts to diversify its casts cbss pickups caused a small stir all three of the new comedies feature white men as the lead characters its dramas also feature male leads mr geller defended cbss efforts saying our new series are more diverse this year than last year
he also pointed to a midseason pickup doubt that stars katherine heigl and features the transgender actress laverene cox best known for orange is the new black we are definitely moving in the right direction mr geller said


thomas bach the president of the international olympic committee said on wednesday that russian sports federations could be kept out of the summer olympics if allegations about a state sponsored cover up of doping among russian athletes were proved true
we will apply our zero tolerance policy not only with regard to the athletes but also with regard to everybody implicated and within our reach mr bach said on a call with the news media on wednesday
in an op ed piece in usa today he cited the shocking new dimension in doping and the unprecedented level of criminality of which russia had been accused
mr bach declined to say if the russian federation as a whole could be kept from competition indicating that the ioc would wait until the world anti doping agency had completed an investigation into conduct at the olympic testing laboratory at the 2014 sochi games
that investigation is seeking to verify the account of grigory rodchenkov russias former antidoping lab director who oversaw the sochi lab he told the new york times that during sochi he had worked at the direction of the russian government expunging the tainted urine of russian athletes who were using performance enhancing drugs he said that with the help of the russian intelligence service he had gained access to supposedly tamper proof drug sample bottles and had surreptitiously substituted in athletes clean urine
mr bach said the ioc had no control over whether wadas investigation would be completed before the summer olympics in rio de janeiro which start on aug 5 this is in the hands of wada he said adding that he urged anyone with further information on the sochi lab operation and dr rodchenkovs allegations to call an integrity and compliance hotline
dr rodchenkovs account cast suspicion on not just the russian athletes who competed in sochi but those who competed at recent summer games namely those in beijing in 2008 and london in 2012
according to dr rodchenkov director of the moscow antidoping lab from 2005 to 2015 russian athletes were doping in advance of beijing and london before london he said he developed a three drug cocktail of anabolic steroids that helped speed athletes recovery from grueling training regimens mixed with liquor that concoction he said drastically decreased the drugs detection window allowing athletes to dope days before competition
on tuesday the ioc announced that it had retested the doping samples of athletes who competed in beijing discovering 31 athletes from six sports and 12 countries with suspicious test results that could keep them from the rio games officials did not specify if russia was included and said that further retesting of medalists samples from the london games was planned and would be completed before the 2016 olympics
separate from the iocs announcement the russian weightlifting federation announced on tuesday that four russian lifters among them a world record holder had been suspended for doping
dr rodchenkov said in interviews with the times this month that weight lifting was the sport most ridden with drug abuse you cannot get olympic medals in weight lifting without system of doping he said
in a statement released tuesday wadas president craig reedie said the organization would publish a report upon completion of its investigation
once that inquiry is complete mr bach said the ioc may explore lifetime bans on athletes coaches and others he added that financial penalties and suspensions were also possible
the times reported on tuesday that the united states justice department was investigating state sponsored doping in russia scrutinizing russian government officials athletes coaches and antidoping authorities among the people federal prosecutors are focused on is dr rodchenkov who fled to the united states last fall with one change of clothes and the laptop he had used at sochi
mr bach declined to comment on the justice departments criminal inquiry conducted by the united states attorneys office for the eastern district of new york in brooklyn
we have no information mr bach said of the justice department investigation i dont know about any legal grounds for this


the billboard hot 100 festival will return for its second year at jones beach on aug 20 through aug 21 boasting a lineup that includes ariana grande calvin harris and j cole
the event organized with live nation also includes rae sremmurd wale sleigh bells martin garrix and desiigner whose song panda recently hit no 1 on the billboard hot 100 according to nielsen music the festivals performers have collectively tallied 81 tracks on the singles chart
ms grandes third studio album dangerous woman comes out on friday mr harris released a collaboration with rihanna this is what you came for last month
justin bieber skrillex and nicki minaj performed at last years event which drew over 40000 attendees tickets go on sale to the general public on saturday at livenationcom


yucca valley calif   the pioneertown motel is a dusty single story inn with 20 rooms in a remote community named pioneertown in the middle of the desert in southern california
the motel recently renovated by its new owners has an outdoor makeshift lobby and offers few amenities aside from morning coffee wi fi and a parking space large enough for a pickup truck outside each rooms door
across the parking lot is a street that was built as a film set with an old fashioned saloon post office bowling alley and a trading post
in april the motel was fully booked with a wait list hundreds of music lovers had caravaned from the coachella valley music and arts festival in indio calif looking for a party they found it in pioneertown where a three day jamboree called the speakeasy was in full swing
long legged model types and their scruffy faced boyfriends sprawled out on colorful couches under tents outside the motel they drank canned beer and smoked cigarettes by day huddling around firepits at night starlight and guitars in ample supply
this setting may seem incongruent to its backdrop but this is the new old west
pioneertown 125 miles outside los angeles was founded in 1946 by a group of hollywood legends including roy rogers gene autry russell hayden and dick curtis
they were tired of traveling far to film the westerns that were popular at the time they built facades and spaces to replicate a 19th century western town as well as the motel where they stayed up into the night drinking playing cards staging duels and then sleeping it off before starting again
the dream of turning pioneertown into a permanent playground with golf courses hotels restaurants and large homes never materialized there wasnt enough money or water
but 70 years later pioneertown is having something of a renaissance thanks to an influx of artists entrepreneurs and other beautiful people from los angeles silicon valley and new york city looking for a new hub for work and play
julian t pinder a filmmaker moved to pioneertown in 2014 from los angeles with his wife yasmina jones their friends were perplexed by their decision to do so initially
at first they are like what are you doing in the middle of the desert what do you do up there you are insane said mr pinder 34 then they come up here and stay for a weekend and they meet all these amazing artists and everyone is just totally laid back and there is a stress level that is gone
mr pinder and ms jones were attracted to pioneertown as an alternative to the los angeles lifestyle we were paying six grand a month and we were doing jobs we didnt want to do he said finally i said forget it instead of wasting this money on rent i can come here and buy 40 acres for 100 grand
theirs is one of the first homes seen when driving from the main highway into pioneertown mr pinder and ms jones renovated what was a run down century old mining cabin into an airy family home that has huge windows a beamed roof an open kitchen and 40 acres of uncultivated land
somewhat by necessity mr pinder has learned to kill rattlesnakes
pioneertown is an unincorporated community so small that you can address parcels with someones first name and they will arrive at the right place you can drive for miles without seeing another human or even a building peoples homes can be about a 10 minute drive apart the boulders the sand and the joshua trees make the landscape look otherworldly cellphone service is spotty
but the remoteness is among its greatest attributes say people who have moved there recently yves kamioner a belgian jewelry designer and his partner hugh glenn a retired jewelry industry executive left their new york life and their fifth avenue apartment four years ago
since then they have bought and restored three homes in the area including one that came with a church the desert is a blank page and people come here to reinvent themselves said mr kamioner 59 you are like a kid again there is oxygen up here
claire wadsworth a teacher and nikki hill a chef were residents of los angeles when they took a weekend visit to pioneertown in april 2015 they decided on the spot to move there
someone told us there was a restaurant for sale and 10 days later we had the keys said ms wadsworth 31 who married ms hill 33 last year we were just so in love and wanting something different in life ms wadsworth said
the couple opened the doors to their new restaurant la copine in the area about six months ago it would be hard to find the tiny restaurant on the side of a sparsely populated two lane highway if not for the crowds of people and cars that always surround it when its open   mostly for brunch thursday to sunday the crowd could rival that of the newest haunt in the west village beautiful artist or graphic designer couples come with friends to laugh and gossip over juice spritzers and organic stone ground grits
to kick off the speakeasy festival in april la copine hosted an alcohol fueled three course dinner of spring pea and tendril salads and coq au vin wine was byob for locals and tourists alike
the local music business is growing rocco gardner a british born musician has built a state of the art music recording studio we now have the stuff you need to have beyonce come and stay and record he said
this spring he gave a party to show off the studio musicians actors and other scantily dressed full lipped partygoers took selfies in the hot tub against the unobstructed views of valleys and joshua trees
the fashion scene with an aesthetic influenced by pioneertowns proximity to music festivals is developing as well promised land a vintage store opened five months ago nearby its racks and shelves are overflowing with bohemian skirts maxi dresses jumpsuits and leather jackets
jay carroll 36 a brand consultant who once was a creative director for levis moved to pioneertown in 2015 with a partner he is starting a mens wear line with his wife alison he is starting a company called wonder valley that sells olive oil
mr carroll understands the lure of the dusty western town im sure it correlates to the fact that the market in la has gone up he said there is also the fact that simple living is such a new hot topic with young people and this is definitely a place you can do it with it being two hours from la
not everyone is excited about the newness of the old pioneertown jim austin 58 has lived there for 12 years in a house called rimrock ranch on a quirky plot of land with numerous structures including a red barn with the word breathe written on it nearby there is a display of rocks in the shape of a heart that surrounds two joshua trees from some vantage points it looks like trees are kissing
mr austin came to pioneertown when it was truly a sleepy nowheresville now he thinks it is time to move on he sold the ranch to a young couple from oakland it is a little too crowded for me he said it was time for me to bug off rather than becoming that grumpy old dude trying to stop change
matt and mike french brothers from portland ore are among those fueling the change mike 27 and matt 32 bought the pioneertown motel in december 2014 after discovering it while visiting their parents in palm springs 30 miles away
after a refurbishment of the hotel the brothers celebrated its reopening welcoming some 80 friends and relatives to pioneertown they enjoyed an outdoor dinner under the stars a sunrise dance party and hikes in pioneertown mountains preserve
we want to be the door to the desert mike said


the south carolina legislature has passed a bill making it illegal for a woman to get an abortion at 20 weeks or more even if she has been raped or is a victim of incest
the passage of the legislation which is headed to gov nikki r haleys desk would make south carolina the 17th state to approve such a ban ms haley a republican said in march she cant imagine any scenario in which i wouldnt sign it
the republican controlled chamber voted 79 29 late tuesday to approve the measure which would allow exceptions only if the mothers life was in jeopardy or a doctor determined that the fetus could not survive outside the womb
reaction to the vote was swift alyssa miller the states director of public affairs for planned parenthood south atlantic said in a statement that the bill was dangerous for women and that it was made even more extreme by removing exceptions for victims of rape and incest
the reality is that abortion later in pregnancy is extremely rare and often takes place in complex and difficult situations where a woman and her doctor need every medical option available ms miller said these bills are simply part of an extreme political agenda to chip away at access to safe and legal abortion
but others praised the legislatures vote representative wendy k nanney a republican sponsor of the pain capable unborn child protection act said in a telephone interview wednesday that she was thrilled that it has passed
it is something we have been working on for four years she said adding that exceptions for rape and incest were not an issue
most women would not have waited to terminate a pregnancy ms nanney said that is usually done very quickly they dont wait until they are five or six months along
the legislation states that no abortion may be performed if a doctor determines the post fertilization age is 20 or more weeks exceptions can be made only in the case of fetal anomaly or if an abortion is needed to avert a womans death or physical impairment
governor haley who has five days to sign the bill was not immediately available for comment on wednesday she had been traveling outside the state when the bill went to vote
most states have enacted legislation that restricts abortion at some stage after fertilization a new york times analysis showed
the guttmacher institute which analyzes abortion data worldwide said in a study last week that it found no significant difference in abortion rates for 2010-14 between countries where abortion is legal and those where it is restricted it said high abortion rates directly correlated to high levels of unmet contraceptive need
before the vote in south carolina 16 states had laws in some form that either ban abortion at 18 weeks or at 20 weeks post fertilization the laws are being blocked by federal or state courts in three of those states while in one south dakota the law takes effect on july 1 according to the institute
elizabeth nash a policy analyst at the institute said in a phone interview that there had been 322 enacted restrictions or amendments with a negative impact on abortion services and rights following a conservative shift in state legislatures in 2010
this is not about anything more than trying to limit womens access to service she said it is incredibly troubling to see how these restrictions keep gaining traction across the country


when the actress robin wright was negotiating a pay raise that would make her earnings for house of cards equal to those of her co star kevin spacey she used a tactic that wouldve made her alter ego claire underwood proud she leveraged her power by threatening to go public about pay inequality
ms wright who plays a calculating first lady to mr spaceys equally ruthless president frank underwood on the netflix drama told the audience at a rockefeller foundation event in new york on tuesday that shed learned the two characters were equally popular with viewers
so i capitalized on it ms wright told the room according to the huffington post i was like you better pay me or im going to go public 
and they did
mr spacey was making 500000 per episode in 2014 according to reports making him one of the highest paid actors on tv that year ms wright won a golden globe award for best actress for her work on the show in 2015 mr spacey won for best actor that year forbes reported that ms wrights earnings   55 million   were beginning to catch up to mr spaceys
ms wright joined a growing group of actresses who have spoken out recently on pay inequality in hollywood spurred in part by a rousing speech made onstage at the 2015 oscars by patricia arquette ms arquette later said she had lost roles for the comments about equal pay
months later the issue was raised again by jennifer lawrence the oscar winning star of winters bone joy and the hunger games franchise data exposed by the sony pictures hack in 2014 showed that she had been paid less than her male colleagues for the film american hustle
in october ms lawrence wrote in lena dunhams newsletter lenny jeremy renner christian bale and bradley cooper all fought and succeeded in negotiating powerful deals for themselves if anything im sure they were commended for being fierce and tactical while i was busy worrying about coming across as a brat and not getting my fair share
not all high profile actresses believe that discussing personal pay issues in hollywood is appropriate in an interview with cosmopolitan in april scarlett johansson said that it would be icky for her to discuss her experience with hollywoods pay gap
theres something icky about me having that conversation unless it applies to a greater whole she said i am very fortunate i make a really good living and im proud to be an actress whos making as much as many of my male peers at this stage
but social media users had much applause for ms wright


there is one supervillain who is no longer welcome at new york comic con the dreaded ticket scalper reedpop which produces the show has announced a new verification system that it hopes will reduce the number of tickets that fall into nefarious hands
on friday may 20 fans will be able to create a profile at newyorkcomicconcomfanverification to be eligible to buy tickets when they go on sale anyone who does not register by june 13 will be unable to buy tickets for this years convention which will be held oct 6 9 at the jacob j javits convention center in manhattan
as part of this change tickets will be available only through the convention website
new york comic con has now become one of the largest ticketed events in the city and as spider man would say with great power comes great responsibility lance fensterman the global senior vice president of reedpop said we believe this system will help us thwart predatory resellers and scalpers who drive up the price and put as many new york comic con tickets in the hands of the fans that made the show what it is
reedpop has also announced another change its sister festival new york super week which begins a few days before the convention and takes place at sites around manhattan and brooklyn will be renamed nycc presents


when 5 year old timothy wiltsey vanished on a spring evening in 1991 the story his mother told the police was chilling   every parents worst nightmare made real his mother michelle lodzinski maintained that timmy as he was known had disappeared from a town carnival in new jersey
five months later the boys sneaker was found in a swampy part of an industrial park where his mother once worked his remains were found there too six months after that
but it would take a blue blanket its color long faded but the memory of it held firm by those who had seen it covering timmy long ago to finally break the case
on wednesday 25 years after timmy disappeared a jury found his mother guilty of his murder closing one of the states most notorious cold cases
the verdict coming after a trial of more than two months ended a mystery that has long haunted the middlesex county community where the child lived and confirmed the suspicions harbored by many who lived there that his mother was responsible
as the verdict was read in state superior court in new brunswick on wednesday ms lodzinski 48 sat quietly with her head bowed she could face life in prison when she is sentenced on aug 23
when she was escorted from the court her brother michael lodzinski stood up in the gallery and shouted i love you sis i love you very much
gerald krovatin a lawyer for ms lodzinski said the conviction was devastating
shes extremely disappointed he told reporters outside the courtroom
on may 25 1991 ms lodzinski said she took timmy to a memorial day carnival in kennedy park in sayreville nj they had enjoyed a few rides when she decided to get a soda turning her attention from the boy for two to three minutes
he doesnt like to wait on lines ms lodzinski told a reporter for the new york times in 1991
but when she turned back around he was gone
she screamed the carnival was shut down scores of police officers rushed to the scene the state police dispatched a helicopter scuba teams scoured the ponds in the park
the case immediately attracted national attention timmy was one of the missing children featured on a milk carton his smiling face frozen in time he was last seen wearing a red tank top and the sneakers
but from the outset suspicion fell on ms lodzinski who was estranged from timmys father at the time of the disappearance something seemed off according to prosecutors and investigators
the concerns and the circumstantial case they outlined during the trial were much the same as they were 25 years ago
early in the trial the prosecution called a witness laura mechkowski to cast doubts on whether timmy was ever at the carnival she remembered seeing ms lodzinski but not the child
when she heard about the disappearance she called the police
i got a sick feeling ms mechkowski testified i spoke with her and she did not have a child with her i was very upset there was a child missing and there was no child
prosecutors also outlined the ways that ms lodzinskis story changed over time at first she said that she had simply turned from her child for a brief moment and then he was gone
pressed by investigators she said she was threatened at knife point and timmy was taken by force in another version she said she had asked a woman she knew casually   ellen no last name   and two men to watch timmy while she went for a soda they were all gone when she returned
she was also not doing the things the public expects from a grieving parent
everyone is waiting to see a grieving mother on tv break down crying hysterical because the public they thrive on that stuff she told reporters in 1991 but im not going to do it
around the time she made those comments daniel omalley a retired science teacher was out looking for wildlife in an undeveloped part of raritan center an industrial park in edison when he stumbled upon a sneaker
teenage mutant ninja turtles adorned the shoe mr omalley had followed timmys case he testified and he recalled the description of what timmy was wearing when he disappeared
but when the police showed the sneaker to ms lodzinski she said that she did not think it was timmys according to testimony from one of the investigators raymond szkodny a retired sayreville detective sergeant
the turtles on this sneaker she told him were not the same as the turtles on the shoes she bought for timmy later however she conceded it might belong to her son
another six months passed before timmys remains were found not far from where the sneaker had been discovered
on april 25 1992 the police working with the federal bureau of investigation found the boys skull the lower jaw was missing but it still contained several teeth
it was no longer a missing persons case it was now a homicide
about 30 feet from the skull the police found a pillowcase a balloon a shovel and remnants of the waistband from timmys underwear and shorts the cause of his death could not be determined
they also found a beat up blanket but they could not make a case
most recently ms lodzinski was living in florida raising two sons born after timmy
the middlesex county prosecutors office decided to give the case another look
there was no new dna or forensic evidence but an old piece of evidence provided a crucial new lead
the tattered blue blanket weathered and frayed around the edges its color long ago faded was the key prosecutors said
this time they focused on the blanket posing new questions to three witnesses who testified that they remembered it from the lodzinski home
it was this connection that led to ms lodzinskis arrest in florida in august 2014 and her extradition to new jersey and it was the blanket that prosecutors would argue was proof of her guilt
she dumped his body in a creek like a piece of trash but she left behind a telling clue this blanket christie bevacqua the deputy first assistant prosecutor said during the trial
she held up the filthy blanket for the jurors to see
no other killer could get this she said


the atlanta braves have taken the path of so many bad teams and fired their manager fredi gonzalez
but the braves are not just another bad baseball team at the moment they are on a pace to be one of the worst teams ever
on wednesday morning the braves sat at 9 29 a 237 winning percentage that projected over a whole season would put them at 38 124 that would be the worst record of the 162 game era should they keep up the abysmal pace they would surpass the woeful 1962 mets who despite their legendary inability to play the game managed 40 wins the braves did win wednesday night beating pittsburgh by 3 1 to raise their winning percentage to 256
it was not that long ago that the braves were good they won 96 games and made the playoffs in 2013
but after a disappointing 2014 the braves remade their team trading away jason heyward justin upton and craig kimbrel andrelton simmons was shipped out in the last off season
yet despite the fire sale the braves batters have not gotten any younger six of their eight regular starters are in their 30s
those veterans are just not hitting the ball at the moment catcher a j pierzynski 39 is hitting 207 shortstop erick aybar 32 is at 174 outfielder jeff francoeur 32 is at 226
collectively the team was slugging a pitiful 313 entering wednesday the worst mark in baseball and had scored the fewest runs of any team
the braves worst category by far is home runs the team totals for homers in the rest of the major leagues ranged from 55 mets orioles and rays to 30 phillies entering wednesday the braves had 13 that matched the total hit by nolan arenado of the rockies the major league leader
although the braves pitching is better it is not good the team era 470 was fourth worst in the national league the braves did rank first in one category wild pitches with 23
there are some bright spots sort of unlike the batters the pitching staff is young starters matt wisler and julio teheran although a combined 2 7 both have solid eras
center fielder mallex smith the youngster of the starting lineup at 23 is hitting a little and first baseman freddie freeman the other player in his 20s at least has six homers
the braves have also been a little bit unlucky their ratio of 123 runs scored to 193 given up entering wednesday would be expected to produce 12 wins rather than nine
perhaps the biggest saving grace for the team is that it is not the only bad one out there the twins are now 10 29 as well the reds run differential minus 72 is actually worse
it is not uncommon for teams in any sport to get out to extreme starts and then slip back to more reasonable performances as the season goes along it certainly seems to be a reasonable guess to say the braves will not maintain their torridly bad pace and the mets record will be safe
those 1962 mets statistics make for ugly reading playing their first season in the league with players mostly too old too young or too untalented they were last in baseball in both batting average 240 and era 504 it was the type of season most baseball fans thought they would never see again
maybe they were right maybe


lincoln center theater has named the director evan cabnet to run lct3 its program for producing work by new artists
mr cabnet 38 will succeed paige evans as artistic director of the program on july 1 ms evans is leaving lincoln center to become the artistic director of signature theater company
new play development has always been my passion   even more than directing what i like to do is find new writers and find new plays and be their champion mr cabnet said there are a lot of things i want to do i want to do plays by writers that new york audiences are not yet familiar with id like to do more musicals up there and id like to find theater companies that might be a good fit and invite them in
lct3 was established in 2008 with ms evans as its first director among its most notable productions was ayad akhtars disgraced in 2012 which went on to win a pulitzer prize the following year
mr cabnet directed the roundabout theater company production of therese raquin starring keira knightley on broadway this season and in 2012 directed an ill fated production of the performers on broadway he has also been a prolific director beyond broadway his projects have included last weeks semi staged revival of do i hear a waltz at encores off the main road starring kyra sedgwick last summer at williamstown theater festival and gloria by branden jacobs jenkins last season at the vineyard theater
he has two more directing projects scheduled this summer a revival of an american daughter by wendy wasserstein at williamstown and this winter a remounting of gloria at the goodman theater in chicago
after that he said he would stop directing to focus fully on work directed and designed by others i want to be only the artistic director so i can just be a champion of this next wave of artists


the numbers tell a clear enough story last week christies and sothebys evening auctions of contemporary art in new york   the events by which the wider world takes the temperature of the art market   raised a total of 5606 million last year the equivalent auctions took in 1 billion
and the 781 million total from christies quirkily themed may 8 auction of contemporary works bound to fail was a fraction of the 7059 million the company grossed last may at its blockbuster 20th century looking forward to tomorrow sale phillipss 466 million sale of 20th century and contemporary art at its may 8 evening sale was also way down on the 1279 million it generated from contemporary art 12 months ago
the market has definitely shrunk said wendy cromwell an art adviser in new york but that isnt a result of sellers not wanting to sell in an uncertain market but of a lack of spectacular guarantees that flush out the best works theres a cause and effect she added explaining the absence of big ticket works in last weeks auctions
with christies and sothebys more mindful of the bottom line than they were in 2015 upfront offers to sellers were reined in and no work was valued at more than 40 million
still given the climate of uncertainty the auction houses had some reasons for optimism on may 10 christies sold a jean michel basquiat painting for 573 million an auction high for the artist and the following evening sothebys which has seen an exodus of expertise since its surprise acquisition in january of the new york firm art agency partners reassured investors with a seemingly solid total of 2422 million with 95 percent of the lots selling
beyond the numbers here are some of the weeks main themes
the absence of a picasso or modigliani guaranteed at 100 million not only shrunk the top line but also exposed a shortage of quality in the imps  mods market sothebys and christies evening sales in this once dominant category brought in a combined 286 million half what the houses raised last may
there just isnt the quality left out there any more all the great pictures are in museums said the london dealer alan hobart who was at christies impressionist and modern evening sale on may 12 to see a square 1919 monet once part of a rectangular waterlily canvas sell for 27 million the top impressionist price of the week
pre 1950s gems still come up for auction but they tend to be tucked away among the day sale works on paper on may at sothebys for example the powerful 1907 picasso pencil drawing tete de femme once owned by gertrude stein sold above the high estimate for 490000
and on friday at christies a circa 1910 modigliani pencil drawing tete de cariatide was pushed by at least half a dozen bidders to 16 million more than double the high estimate
there were few standout trophies in the contemporary sales predictably plenty of attention was generated by the presence of one of four versions of maurizio cattelans 2001 him   a waxwork of hitler reimagined as a kneeling schoolboy   in christies bound to fail auction
the sculpture had been entered without a guarantee by the hedge fund manager david ganek with what had seemed to be an ambitious estimate of 10 million to 15 million but at least three bidders pushed the price up to 172 million an auction high for the artist there was immediate speculation that the mystery buyer might be the auction houses owner francois pinault who in 2009 sold the version he owned mr pinaults office said by email that he was not the buyer
the weeks top result was undoubtedly the 573 million paid on may 10 at christies by the japanese internet billionaire yusaku maezawa for the monumental 1982 basquiat canvas untitled featuring a self portrait as a horned devil entered by the new york dealer collector adam lindemann and certain to sell for at least 40 million courtesy of a third party guarantee this much vaunted painting   and its price   indicated to many that contemporary art is far from slumping into a true down market
mr maezawa 40 is the founder of the online fashion mall zozotown and is hoping to open a private museum he spent almost 98 million on contemporary art last week
they were lucky to get that japanese client otherwise it could have been a different story said judith selkowitz another adviser in new york but the fact is theres still a lot of money around buyers are just a lot more selective its good to rebalance and its healthy that everything isnt running away
the challenge for the action houses is to convert the hundreds of millions the wealthy spend on contemporary art into profits for themselves the 2422 million with fees that sothebys took from its 44 lot sale on may 11   against a low estimate of 2014 million   seemed on paper to be a success the total was 24 percent less than the 3184 million achieved by christies the previous night compared with the 42 percent gap in market share at the sales last year sothebys was the sole guarantor of just five lots with a total minimum value of 155 million and all found buyers
but four works in the sale had been entered by the hedge fund manager daniel sundheim as part payment for a cy twombly blackboard painting he had bought for 705 million at sothebys back in november bloomberg reported one of them twomblys untitled bacchus 1st version v from 2004 sold for 154 million but it had been estimated at 20 million and another a 1990 christopher wool word painting fell to a single bid from mr maezawa at 139 million again below expectations
the arrangement with mr sundheim reflects sothebys willingness to expand into art related financial services and for the moment investors seem to approve of this strategy at the end of trading on tuesday sothebys stock was priced at 2774 significant recovery from the 1913 that it plumbed in february
they werent great sales but in terms of the percentages sold they did well said the london dealer james holland hibbert who noted a new sobriety in the auction market for 20th  and 21st century art
its quite old fashioned really mr holland hibbert added the good things sell for good prices


dalori nigeria   zara and her little brother thought they were finally safe
after being held captive by boko haram for months they made it to this government camp for thousands of civilians who have fled the militants cruelty but instead of a welcome residents gathered around badgering them with questions and glares
they beat her 10 year old brother convinced that anyone who has spent time among the militants even a young kidnapping victim could have become a sympathizer possibly even a suicide bomber
zara in fact was hiding a dangerous secret strapped to her back her baby the childs father was a boko haram fighter who had raped her but zara knew the crowd would still doubt her loyalties so she quickly spun a tale that the militants had killed her husband leaving her a young widowed mother
if they knew my baby was from an insurgent they wouldnt allow us to stay said zara whose full name was not used to protect her safety theyll never forget who her father is just like a leopard never forgets its spots
in northeastern nigeria the years of suffering under boko haram have upended the lives of hundreds of thousands of people stealing something   or everything   from countless families
now a deep suspicion is raging against anyone who has lived alongside the group   even girls who were held hostage repeatedly raped and left to raise infants fathered by their tormentors
much of the anger stems from fear boko haram has used dozens of women and girls   many not even in their teens   as suicide bombers in recent months killing hundreds of people in attacks on places like markets and schools girls have even been sent to blow themselves up in a camp like this one
nigerias military has made major progress against the militants soldiers have been taking back areas that were under boko haram control and the militarys victories have lifted the spirits of nigerians who are daring to talk about a post boko haram life
hopes were raised further this week when one of the more than 200 girls kidnapped from their boarding school in the town of chibok two years ago was found alive wandering the forest
but the discovery also reinforced the lingering trauma facing former hostages she was carrying an infant accompanied by a man who claimed to be her husband and an escaped captive himself the military said the man was actually a suspected boko haram fighter
as thousands of freed captives pour into the camps a rift has developed between two classes of victims the people who managed to evade the groups clutches and those who did not
i will never trust them said adamu isa a market vendor referring to anyone who had been held by boko haram the government should detain them for the rest of their lives
even the missing schoolgirls whose abduction helped rally the country against boko haram and focus international attention on the plight of nigerias victims are not immune to the suspicion
at a recent meeting with camp dwellers aid workers said that one man even insisted that the parents of the missing schoolgirls reject their own daughters if they turn up
weve discovered some extreme views said mohammed ngubdo hassan executive director of the herwa community development initiative in maiduguri
millions of people across west africa have been uprooted by boko haram and the sometimes ruthless military campaign against the group through the years
but most of the displaced managed to flee their homes before militants swarmed and subjected them to boko harams harsh interpretation of islamic rule
typically when boko haram fighters overtake a village they kill many of the young men and boys who refuse to join their ranks women are often forced to cook for the fighters or are even trained to become suicide bombers
some women and girls like zara are forced into what the group calls marriages as in many conflicts in which rape becomes a weapon of war the hostages sometimes bear the children of the fighters
these victims now face intense stigma and in some cases brutal beatings when they return to their communities according to humanitarian groups a recent unicef report documented the distrust quoting a community leader who called the babies fathered by fighters hyenas among dogs
some people will not accept a child of their enemy said abba aji kalli a state coordinator for the civilian joint task force a volunteer group that fights boko haram
at one of the camps hazida ali seethed at the mention of anyone who had become a boko haram wife as the women forced into marriages are often called
all those women who lived with boko haram are also boko haram soldiers ms ali said the military should not make the mistake of releasing them if they cant execute them they should figure out what to do with them
they should not be allowed to live alongside those who suffered ms ali added
the targets of such loathing include rukkaiya 13 whose round belly bulged through her dress in a camp here she had been kidnapped while visiting her sister in a neighboring village a fighter took her for his wife
i was so scared but there was nothing i could do rukkaiya said i kept praying to god to rescue me
she said she had no idea why she had stopped menstruating until after the military freed the village and she was able to ask a friend what might be wrong
rukkaiya was devastated when she learned that she was pregnant with a fighters baby her first thought was abortion but after some reflection she decided to keep the child
god gave me this baby right now she said were facing this war what good would it do to take another life
hafsat ibrahim was happily married with a 4 year old daughter when boko haram invaded her village militants killed her husband taking her and her daughter amira into the forest ms ibrahim was forced to marry a fighter he was strong she said and raped her often yet he was good to amira she said playing with her toes until she giggled
i didnt like him she said he told me to have his baby then ill forget about my other husband
after ms ibrahim gave birth to the child it became clear that the military was on its way the fighter begged her to flee with him but she wanted a chance at freedom and insisted on staying with the infant girl before ms ibrahim could protest he grabbed amira and ran away
the lineage of ms ibrahims baby a chubby cheeked 15 month old girl with pierced ears is an open secret in the camp some people whisper about ms ibrahim and are uncomfortable when she is nearby
sometimes they look at me in that way but its not the babys fault she said describing the girl as a blessing from god if i didnt have her id have no children at all
when boko haram took over zaras village she was 17 a fighter demanded that her parents turn her over to be married zaras mother objected but her father relented fearing that they would all be killed
the fighter took zara to a home he had claimed in the village a small shed where she became pregnant
his dream was for me to have a baby boy she said i didnt want to have an insurgents baby
before she gave birth he died in a battle with the nigerian military she said another fighter decided to marry her moving her to a home with two other girls he had taken he rotated among them raping one each night
zaras new husband did not want children she said he wanted martyrdom for himself and his wives
he wanted us to become suicide bombers zara said he told us it wouldnt be painful   just like if an ant bites you it wouldnt be a big deal because wed have a better life in heaven
zara resisted to buy herself time she told him to wait until the baby was a couple of months older before long the military arrived freeing the hostages
zara said she loved her daughter even so the girl resembles her father its an image zara cant shake


when max verstappen of the netherlands won the spanish grand prix on sunday at age 18 he became the youngest driver to win a formula one race beating sebastian vettels record by more than two years
verstappen also joined a list of teenagers who have collected grand achievements in sports against grown ups plenty of fans are expecting verstappen to go on to great things and for some athletes teenage success heralds a long career others are destined never to match those youthful heights again
nineteen appears to be the age when the precocious baseball player breaks out
bryce harper hit 22 home runs in 2012 two short of the teenage record set in 1964 by tony conigliaro of the red sox conigliaro was struck in the face by a pitch and badly injured in 1967 he finished with just 166 career homers
mel ott might have had the best season by a teenager in 1928 for the new york giants he hit 322 with 18 home runs on his way to a hall of fame career
on the pitching side dwight gooden was 17 9 for the mets in 1984 and bob feller was 17 11 for the indians in 1938 both led the major leagues in strikeouts
less well remembered is the amazing season of wally bunker in 1964 he was 19 5 with a 269 era for the orioles like many young pitchers he was plagued by arm trouble and was out of the majors at 26 with 60 career wins
after becoming the worlds no 1 player at 17 lydia ko became the youngest ever major winner on the lpga tour at 18 winning the evian championships in france in september she added another major in april just before her 19th birthday
boris beckers win at wimbledon at 17 in 1985 is well remembered but michael chang was more than 100 days younger when he triumphed at the french open in 1989 becker won five more grand slam titles chang none
young tom morris claimed the british open in 1868 at 17 and to this day is the youngest major winner in mens golf he won three more opens but died from heart problems at 24
wilfred benitez had his first professional fight at 15 at 17 he won the world boxing council light welterweight championship beating 30 year old antonio cervantes
freddy adu has been a disappointment since signing as a pro with dc united at age 14 after many stops he is now a member of the tampa bay rowdies of the north american soccer league at 26 but he still holds the record for the youngest united states national team appearance in 2006 at 16 he came on as a substitute in a friendly against canada
martina hingis became the youngest major winner when she won the 1997 australian open at 16 she won four more grand slam singles titles over the next three years but no more after age 18
joe nuxhall was the youngest ever to play in the major leagues pitching briefly in a game for the reds when he was 15 during the wartime player shortages of 1944 it took him eight years to get back to the big leagues but he eventually pitched respectably until he was 37
dominique moceanu is the youngest of the many young american gymnasts to win an olympic gold medal her medal came in the womens team competition at the 1996 atlanta games at age 14 that record will not be broken under the current rules which require a gymnast to turn 16 in the calendar year of the olympics
the youngest american gold medalist and officially the youngest from any nation in the summer games is marjorie gestring who won in springboard diving at 13 in 1936 in berlin the new york times described her as a blond small and very much tanned child from sunny california she would have been favored for another gold in 1940 but those games were canceled because of world war ii
an even younger athlete took home gold in the winter games kim yun mi was 185 days younger than gestring when she was a member of south koreas winning short track speedskating relay team in 1994
after the dutch rowing pair of roelof klein and francois brandt lost a preliminary heat at the 1900 olympics in paris they suspected the reason was that their coxswain was a man rather than a child as the french were using they recruited a french boy for the final and won the boys name and age are unknown estimates range from 7 to 12 but he is in all probability the youngest gold medalist ever


you may have heard the theory that silicon valley has been instrumental in the rise of donald j trump
the idea goes like this unlike many of his political rivals mr trump seems to understand that social media has become the nervous system of the american news business on twitter where he regularly regales his millions of followers with 140 character bursts of id mr trumps posts are mainlined and amplified by the rest of the media with one or two tweets he can dominate cable tv the web newspapers and talk radio for an entire day the pattern was on display again this week when mr trump blasted the new york times over a critical story about his treatment of women
this theory is not exactly bunk its true that mr trumps twitter feed with its staccato cadences and unending exclamation marks can be irresistible even to his critics he is among a handful of politicians who use twitter as real people do   casually bitingly and free of the jargon that clogs up most other pols tweets mr trump has also cultivated a twitter fan base that can be domineering in its attempts to harangue and silence critics another force multiplier in the day to day war for media dominance
but dont bet that mr trumps mastery over social media will help him in november he has used twitter as a tool to foment culturewide rage   its his big inescapable bullhorn yet winning a presidential campaign involves more than simply whipping up unfocused outrage it also requires more discrete personalized messaging targeted to specific sets of voters and potential volunteers a goal for which twitter is spectacularly ill suited
the point of a modern american presidential campaign is to inspire and turn out as many of your voters as possible while avoiding inspiring similar passion for your opponent in 2008 and 2012 barack obamas campaign pioneered some of the most effective ways to use social media and internet based organizing to win political campaigns the obama operation turned unfocused online passion into a data driven on the ground get out the vote operation whose effectiveness surprised longtime political observers
mr trump has eschewed many of the obama teams get out the vote efforts in contrast hillary clintons campaign has doubled down on the data heavy approach
veterans of the obama campaign say this could be mr trumps costliest mistake in the election if the internet has been mr trumps secret weapon so far it may soon turn into his achilles heel
the biggest mistake he can make is thinking that the general is going to be like the primary said david plouffe who managed mr obamas first presidential campaign and is now an executive at uber
mr trump will need to attract voters who previously voted for mr obama and those who dont usually vote at all compared to voters in the republican primary these general election voters hold more moderate views and may be less plugged in to   and perhaps even repulsed by   the twitter powered hurricane of news that mr trump has so far succeeded in creating
yet twitter by its very nature wont let mr trump pivot to some gentler version of himself with its character limit and an interface thats inscrutable to nonusers twitter tends to penalize nuance and moderation while rewarding hot takes and bombast just about every discussion on the platform turns into a preening flame war and just about any attempt to dive into substance is mocked by the platforms cool kids
in other words twitter is like a partisan primary election from mr trumps slogan to many of his policy ideas   build a wall ban muslims   his message has been perfectly tailored to the medium
but now if he tries to expand his message beyond red meat issues for the right mr trump may feel caged in by a platform that takes a dim view of self restraint were already seeing signs of this dynamic playing out consider mr trumps twitter post to celebrate cinco de mayo   a picture of himself eating a taco bowl made at trump tower with a caption proclaiming i love hispanics
that tweet ricocheted across the media   its his most shared post in months   but not for the reasons mr trump might have intended rather than being greeted as an honest attempt to reach out to a voting group that overwhelmingly dislikes him the taco bowl post was widely mocked as an obvious ham fisted pander
the failure makes sense if theres a chance that mr trumps views about latinos are indeed more inclusive than weve been led to believe twitter is the worst place for him to explain the complexities of his ideas twitter doesnt allow for complexity to express a move toward inclusiveness on twitter i love insert demographic group may be the best you can do
this gets to the larger problem with mr trumps reliance on social media twitter is effectively a mass medium in an election that may be decided by a far more personalized approach
for example hillary clintons campaign will know every voter in hamilton county ohio who is certain to vote for her and every voter who might vote for her but hasnt decided yet mr plouffe said the campaign has collected and analyzed reams of data about those voters from public records online interactions and in person events it can turn all that data into real world action
we found out that the more you know about who voters actually are the better you can figure out the right person to talk to them to persuade them to go to the polls mr plouffe said mr obama won the 2012 election by 4 percentage points nationally mr plouffe estimated that without the internet fueled get out the vote effort the race would have ended in an effective tie and mr obama would have lost a few huge states including florida
mr trumps campaign did not respond to a request to discuss how the candidate will use the internet in his general election campaign but in a recent interview with the associated press mr trump dismissed the obama data driven approach
ive always felt it was overrated mr trump told the ap obama got the votes much more so than his data processing machine and i think the same is true with me he said he would stick to the strategy that has worked for him so far including holding more of his trademark crowded rallies
buzz jacobs a republican political consultant who worked on john mccains campaign in 2008 and on marco rubios run this year said mr trump would benefit from the republican partys get out the vote effort but he was puzzled by mr trumps comments on the obama field operation
if its true that the campaign is going to disregard data wholesale that would be alarming and would leave them way behind the clinton campaign then well lose mr jacobs said
sasha issenberg a journalist who chronicled the rise of tech enabled electioneering in his book the victory lab the secret science of winning campaigns argued mr trumps approach could easily backfire the key danger in mr trumps style of campaigning mr issenberg said was the risk of inflaming his opponents as he pushes his own message
trump is very much a creature of mass media and his use of twitter fits that paradigm mr issenberg said hes put together as large an audience as possible he doesnt distinguish whether these are people who vote or dont vote whether theyre in the us whether theyre over 18 and whether they support him or hillary clinton his goal seems to be to produce content there that lands in front of as large an audience as possible
but throwing out content haphazardly is the last thing a campaign should do its immensely counterproductive for him to put out a get out the vote message in front of a hillary clinton supporter mr issenberg said
yet every day from now until election day theres a chance that mr trump will do just that last week he got into a flame war with elizabeth warren the massachusetts senator and lefty heroine who was clearly trying to bait him into a fight that would energize the democratic base
a more sober candidate might have resisted but not a denizen of twitter where restraint is tantamount to defeat better than anyone else mr trump knows that on twitter youve got to always amp it up   even if it means turning everyone off


for the second time george w bush has written a warm letter in support of a conservative group that bills itself as promoting the natural family based on heterosexual marriage but that is classified as a hate group by the southern poverty law center
the group the world congress of families based in rockford ill is holding a conference in tbilisi georgia where it had planned to honor mr bush but he declined to attend a spokesman said
in a letter dated may 2016 the former president says i commend your efforts to recognize the importance of families in building nations your work improves many lives and makes the world better
mr bush used almost the exact same words in a letter to the group when members gathered in mexico city in 2004   while he was president
freddy ford a spokesman for mr bush said in an email that the recent letter was sent because the group requested it when we declined president bushs attendance
our knowledge of the group is limited to their work to encourage adoption
in 2004 mr bush supported a constitutional amendment to define marriage as between a man and a woman and made it an issue in his re election campaign in her 2004 memoir however mr bushs wife laura bush said she had urged him to drop the issue out of respect for their gay friends
the southern poverty law center which tracks hate groups added the world congress of families to its list in 2014 calling it one of the key driving forces behind the us religious rights global export of homophobia and sexism but the liberal leaning center has been criticized for including groups that fall within the conservative mainstream like the family research council based on their stances on gay issues
the world congress of families has strongly disputed the hate group designation and the implication that it supports violence against the lgbt community
nothing could be further from the truth as wcf strongly opposes violence and would never advocate violence or hatred toward any group of people regardless of differences the group wrote in 2014
larry jacobs the groups managing director said in a statement that it seeks to fight the sexual revolution and the harm that it has brought millions of victims worldwide
this year the group planned to honor mr bush for his pro life work a bush spokesman told buzzfeed news that he hadnt known about the award


new signs that interest rates may be heading higher sent stocks flitting between gains and losses wednesday but the major indexes ended up closing pretty much where they started
stocks held onto gains through the first part of the day but in the afternoon the federal reserve released minutes of its last meeting suggesting it was more open to raising rates than many had thought caught unaware investors started dumping utilities and other high dividend payers that had been in favor for much of the year
bond prices fell sharply sending long term interest rates higher
by the close the standard and poors 500 stock index managed to eke out a gain up 042 points just 002 percent higher to 204763 the dow jones industrial average slipped 336 points less 01 percent to 1752662 the nasdaq composite climbed 2339 points or 05 percent to 473912
utilities fell 19 percent on the fed news but banks rose because they can make more money on loans if rates go higher jpmorgan chase jumped 4 percent and goldman sachs climbed 3 percent
the fed is clearly in the drivers seat of the stock market said ernie cecilia chief investment officer of bryn mawr trust he added that it was affecting prices more than any other kind of input out there
some investors are worried that a rise in rates will slow down an already sluggish us economy that grew just 05 percent in the first quarter
there is little room for error said tom cassidy chief investment officer at univest wealth management division when youre growing slowly any hiccup could result in a recession
among stocks making big moves target plunged 561 or 76 percent to 68 after reporting that sales had slowed the company also gave a forecast that disappointed investors
shares of many other retailers followed the company lower in what is shaping up to be a miserable year for the sector walmart dropped 195 or 3 percent to 6315 and costco wholesale lost 231 or 16 percent to 14129
lowes bucked the trend rising 253 or 3 percent to 7860 on surging first quarter profits and higher comparable store sales the home improvement chain also raised its outlook for the year as it benefits from a strengthening us housing market
in overseas markets germanys dax and frances cax 40 each rose 05 percent britains ftse 100 was unchanged japans nikkei 225 index was flat hong kongs hang seng lost 15 percent
us crude oil fell 12 cents or 02 percent to close at 4819 a barrel in new york brent crude used to price international oils dropped 35 cents or 07 percent to 4893 a barrel in london
in other trading wholesale gasoline rose 1 cent to 165 a gallon heating oil gained 2 cents to 148 a gallon and natural gas fell 5 cents to 2 per 1000 cubic feet
the yield on the 10 year treasury note rose to 186 percent from 171 percent late tuesday a large move the dollar rose to 110 yen from 10907 yen the euro fell to 11229 from 11317
precious and industrial metals futures closed broadly lower gold fell 250 to 127440 an ounce silver lost 12 cents to 1713 an ounce and copper dropped 1 cent to 208 a pound


jupiter fla   brian mast is used to being asked why he always wears shorts he pairs them with t shirts polo shirts even with a coat and tie but the questions   which have more to do with his prosthetic legs the most noticeable mark of his military service in afghanistan than with his sense of style   did not start until he decided to run for congress
mr mast who is running for the republican nomination in this house district in southeastern florida embraces his identity as a veteran the images are splashed across his campaign website him flashing a thumbs up draped in his army gear reading the names engraved on the national september 11 memorial a clip of him running down a suburban street in the florida sun the camera zooming in on his prosthetic legs and panning up slowly past his camouflage shorts
but when mr mast 35 announced the endorsement of senator joni ernst republican of iowa and also a combat veteran one commenter on his campaigns facebook page expressed skepticism does mr mast have to wear shorts to accommodate his prosthetics
or is he purposely using his disability for his campaign the commenter wrote what i know of him i like him but this bothers me
in a year when many voters are denouncing political correctness military valor often an almost unassailable political credential is being scrutinized with the same frankness and in some cases even scorn as other aspects of a candidates biography
this is after all an election cycle when donald j trump the presumptive republican presidential nominee belittled senator john mccain of arizona a former prisoner of war and the 2008 republican presidential nominee hes not a war hero mr trump said in july hes a war hero because he was captured i like people that werent captured
what trump showed this year was that you could touch the third rail and survive when it comes to veterans issues said peter d feaver a professor of political science and public policy at duke university and didnt just touch them but he grabbed hold of them and danced on them
but mr feaver disputes the notion that mr trumps aggressive posture signals an era in politics in which people can disrespect a veterans military credentials with impunity
i dont know that anyone else doing that same thing would get away with it he said
there is recent precedent in 2004 the swift boat veterans for truth charged in an ad that john kerry the democratic presidential candidate had misrepresented his service and that of others during the vietnam war an attack that proved damaging
still more candidates use their military background as a foundation of a campaign in the house of representatives about 18 percent of lawmakers are veterans and about 20 percent of the senate have served in the military strategists advise veterans hoping to make the jump from serving in one of the nations most trusted institutions to serving in one of the least   congress   to steel themselves for the scrutiny
mr mast does not mind the questions about his legs if they are asked in the right spirit he said on a sunny afternoon as he sat overlooking one of the numerous golf courses on floridas treasure coast his cane resting nearby he had just finished playing in a tournament to benefit a veterans organization
he explains why he wears shorts with the rapid cadence of someone who has recited this speech many times his prosthetics have sharp edges that tear his pants when he falls   a daily occurrence but i just suck it up he wrote on facebook   and he cannot bend his feet
put your leg out straight turn your foot up 90 degrees leave your shoes on   because my shoes dont come off   and try putting on a pair of pants and see how that works out for you he said
mr mast was serving in kandahar afghanistan on the night of sept 19 2010 when he took a wrong step while crossing a bridge and a roadside bomb tore through his body
i can remember it rattled my teeth he said i didnt even know if i had teeth left in my mouth because the concussion of this explosion that took off both of my legs and nearly took off my arm
about a month later mr mast was lying in a hospital bed at walter reed army medical center when he told his wife that he could not accept that perhaps the most meaningful work of his life was behind him he decided to run for public office
in one high profile senate race both candidates are trying to leverage their military credentials senator mark s kirk republican of illinois   and a former intelligence officer in the navy reserve whose campaign website features a photograph of him in fatigues   is trying to fend off a challenge from representative tammy duckworth a democrat who lost her legs and some use of her right arm in a rocket attack while serving as an army helicopter pilot in iraq
in march the national republican senatorial committee got its own reminder of the pitfalls of criticizing a veteran posting   and quickly deleting   a twitter message that read tammy duckworth has a sad record of not standing up for our veterans a spokeswoman called the post a mistake but stood by its claim
mr mast is one of 11 candidates over all for the seat now held by representative patrick murphy a democrat mr murphy who is running to replace senator marco rubio won his seat four years ago beating representative allen west by fewer than 2000 votes
seven republicans are vying for the nomination including carl domino a former state legislator and mr murphys 2014 challenger rebecca negron a school board member and wife of a powerful state senator and mark freeman a physician who owns a handful of medicare centers randy perkins who founded a company that manages natural disaster cleanup has set himself apart on the democratic side by putting about 2 million into the race which the cook political report recently listed as a democratic tossup
though he respects mr masts service mr perkins said veterans are not inherently more qualified than other candidates but he knows criticizing a veteran particularly when that critic has not served can be fraught
ive been told be very careful when youre going to be talking about brian he said
just a few miles from the sandy shoreline in jupiter a handful of customers chatted over coffee at a dunkin donuts as mr mast teed up mr trump whose mar a lago estate is about 25 miles to the south is popular in marchs primary he ran away with about 53 percent of the vote in this district
the doughnut shop customers had not heard of mr mast they said the congressional primary is still more than three months away
bill white 73 who briefly served in the navy he said he appreciated the commitment veterans had demonstrated to their country a willingness to make sacrifices that spoke volumes about them
if i dont know either candidate that was running for congress the veteran would get my vote he said


the japanese olympic committee will form a commission to investigate allegations of corruption in the awarding of the 2020 summer games the president of the organization said on wednesday
tsunekazu takeda the committees leader told parliament in tokyo that the commission would include outside lawyers and would investigate the presence or absence of illegality in payments made to a singapore company called black tidings
tokyo overcame rival bids in 2013 from madrid and istanbul to win the summer games for the first time since 1964 japanese officials have cast the olympics as an opportunity to show the world that the country has recovered from the devastating march 2011 earthquake and subsequent nuclear disaster at fukushima
suggestions that corruption played a role in that selection however have cast a pall over it
le monde a french daily on may 12 quoted french financial prosecutors as saying that investigators were examining money transfers totaling about 2 million made by a japanese bank to black tidings thought to be linked to a son of lamine diack the former head of the international association of athletics federations which governs track and field events the transfers were apparently discovered after the french authorities began a criminal investigation last year of the elder mr diack   who was also a member of the international olympic committee until 2013   on suspicion of having accepted more than 1 million in bribes to cover up positive drug tests
a world anti doping agency report in january found that black tidings was implicated in the drug testing cover up
mr takeda had previously acknowledged that payments were made but he said they were audited and were for legitimate purposes he declined to answer further questions from lawmakers on wednesday citing a confidentiality agreement with black tidings
news of the french investigation was first revealed by the guardian on may 11 the french authorities are also investigating the awarding of the 2016 summer games to rio de janeiro
the japanese olympic committee could not be reached after working hours on wednesday the organization has defended its integrity saying that tokyo was awarded the summer games because it made the superior bid
the international olympic committee said in a statement that its chief ethics and compliance officer paquerette girard zappelli has been in contact with the french magistrates in charge of the investigation on the iaaf case and with wada since its start and that she would continue to be in contact with all interested parties to clarify any alleged improper conduct it declined to make any further comment on the tokyo allegations


russia has quietly expanded its military footprint in palmyra a sprawl of ancient ruins in the syrian desert after helping syrian forces loyal to president bashar al assad drive the islamic state out of the city in march ending a 10 month occupation that included the destruction of several archaeological treasures including ancient temples and an arch dating to roman times
at a concert last week russian musicians played bach and prokofiev and also showed journalists a small but well fortified base constructed at the site
but this week the cultural heritage initiative of the american schools of oriental research warned that the russian encampment which is in close proximity to the archaeological site could imperil the remaining treasures the associated press quoted russian officials as saying that the base was only temporary to house experts removing explosives
a fresh ribbon of asphalt covers the area though experts say the debris field of old stones around the ruined city is largely unexcavated sand berms were bulldozed to form a perimeter and a panoply of defenses including antiaircraft missiles is at the ready if the russian site is a potential target that requires antiaircraft defenses what does that make the ruins
historic sites in syria continue to be damaged including a monastery northwest of aleppo where a fifth century monk st simeon stylites is said to have spent decades in hermetic contemplation it was damaged by a missile last week
the syrian army used a medieval citadel overlooking ancient palmyra as a military base and numerous syrian sites   including the great mosque of aleppo and the crac des chevaliers a medieval fortress used by crusaders   have been damaged during the five year civil war ancient sites like castles often end up militarized for strategic reasons they tend to be built on defensible terrain
although a 1954 convention requires nations to refrain from destroying cultural property during wartime such destruction has continued here are some examples of cultural heritage around the world that has been harmed as a result of negligence recklessness or worse
the ancient greek temple built in the fifth century bc was used by the ottoman authorities to store ammunition   and to shelter women and children   during a military offensive by venetian forces in september 1687 the venetians opened fire on the temple and around 700 cannonballs hit the western facade the gunpowder stored inside the building ignited blowing out 28 columns damaging several internal rooms and killing up to 300 people according to a pbs website devoted to the buildings history
in the early 19th century the british diplomat lord elgin paid the ottoman authorities for a trove of sculptures and reliefs from the parthenon and moved the treasures to britain where they now sit in the british museum for decades greece   which won its independence from the ottomans after a war in the 1820s   has sought the return of the parthenon sculptures without success
in october 1860 another lord elgin   son of the lord elgin who carted off the parthenon sculptures   ordered the destruction of a chinese architectural masterpiece the old summer palace built in the 18th century several miles northwest of the forbidden city it was at the end of the second opium war which pitted britain and france against the forces of the qing dynasty and lord elgin ordered the palace to be set on fire in retaliation for the imprisonment and torture of british and french negotiators the scale of the destruction   it took thousands of soldiers days to destroy the buildings killing hundreds of eunuchs and palace servants   has remained an enduring symbol in china of national humiliation there have been periodic calls over the years for the palace to be rebuilt
in august 1914 near the start of world war i german forces set the university library in louvain on fire killed more than 200 residents and expelled thousands of others as part of what allied propaganda called the rape of belgium the new york times called the destruction of the library an unforgivable injury to the entire world at least 200000 works including irreplaceable medieval and renaissance manuscripts went up in smoke
a mountaintop monastery here built by benedictine monks in the sixth century was destroyed by allied bombing in february 1944 the allies had mistakenly believed that german troops were inside and more than 200 italian civilians who had sought refuge in the abbey were killed german paratroopers did later occupy the ruins and used the bombed out abbey as an observation post by one account the bombing was the result of a translation error in his memoirs winston churchill defended the destruction of the monastery writing the monastery did not contain german troops but the enemy fortifications were hardly separate from the building itself
established as the capital of unified vietnam in 1802 hue was the political cultural and religious center of the nguyen dynasty which ruled until the end of world war ii many of its grand edifices were destroyed in the early months of 1968 when vietcong forces mounted the tet offensive it prompted a ferocious counterattack by the south vietnamese army with support from american forces the siege ended with the dislodgment of the vietcong forces from the citys ancient citadel which dated to the early 19th century nearly half of the citys homes were destroyed and thousands of civilians were killed


lagos nigeria   one of the girls kidnapped by boko haram more than two years ago during a mass abduction at a school in nigeria has been found community leaders in the area said on wednesday
the girl amina ali was wandering in the forest when members of a vigilante group lying in wait to ambush a boko haram camp came across her said aboku gaji a local vigilante commander
the kidnapping of nearly 300 girls during exam time at their boarding school in the nigerian town of chibok shocked the world and helped galvanize pressure on the government to fight boko haram an islamist militant group that has terrorized parts of northern nigeria for years
some girls managed to escape shortly after the fighters stormed their school and hauled their classmates away but ms ali is the first girl to be found since the early days of the episode
more than 200 girls who were taken from the school on april 14 2014 are still missing the mass abduction was one of the most notorious acts by a group that has rampaged through the north of nigeria burning entire villages and carrying out rapes beheadings lootings and other acts of violence
the inability to find and rescue the girls has been a political embarrassment for president muhammadu buhari and for the nigerian military which has made recent gains in fighting boko haram and releasing entire towns from its control mr buhari planned to meet with ms ali in abuja nigerias capital on thursday
a military spokesman on wednesday said that one of the chibok girls was among a group of people rescued by troops claiming credit for the recovery
according to the vigilante commander ms ali was with a baby and a man described as her husband the commander said that the husband had been captured by militants as well and that the two married while being held by boko haram the couple apparently escaped the militants camp
but in a news release late wednesday the military said the man was in fact a suspected boko haram terrorist who claimed to be the girls husband the release described ms ali as a nursing mother with a 4 month old baby a girl named safiya
members of the vigilante group took ms ali to chibok where her mother saw her and confirmed her identity mr aboku said other members of the community of chibok also confirmed that ms ali had been found she told her family that the other girls from chibok were still in the forest but that six of them had died
ms ali was in the custody of the nigerian military in the town of damboa according to mr aboku
hassan usman a chibok resident whose niece is among the abducted schoolgirls said he had seen the rescued girl arrive in chibok in a car driven by local vigilante members from the neighboring town of mbalala where her family lives the vigilantes took ms ali to the marketplace in the towns center the same place a suicide bombing took place earlier this year
she was so happy to see her people mr usman said people were so happy so happy that yes there is hope these girls are alive and once the government puts more effort we will see some of them
some local residents who saw her started crying
holding her baby ms ali talked with residents for about a half hour telling them she had been held in a village in the sambisa forest along with about 60 other female captives some of them were her classmates from chibok others were from other communities
american officials have said that clusters of the schoolgirls have been located at times using a combination of local intelligence gathering intercepted communications and drone footage
but rescue operations have not been carried out the officials said because of fears that any ensuing battle with boko haram fighters would put the captives at risk or incite retaliation against hostages still being held in other areas
mr usman said the rescued girl had described how boko haram tried to shield the hostages from aerial surveillance anytime they sighted a fighter jet or any helicopter or military aircraft they hide them under the ground so that it will prevent the military from seeing she told villagers mr usman said
ms ali was able to escape because the military began bombing the forest and the militants scattered leaving her unguarded nigerias military this month launched a push into sambisa called operation sambisa crackdown
ms ali was in the custody of the nigerian military and being taken to maiduguri for questioning according to the military


geneva   the world health organization said on wednesday that there was a low to moderate risk of the mosquito borne zika virus spreading to europe in the spring and summer as the groups general director warned that researchers were increasingly concerned about the threat posed by the disease
an assessment by the global health organizations european office found that the likelihood of a breakout varied widely between countries and it identified three areas that are most vulnerable parts of georgia and russia on the black seas northeast coast and the portuguese island of madeira all of which have populations of the aedes aegypti mosquito mainly responsible for spreading the virus
the disease can cause severe defects in babies and neurological disorders and its rapid spread in latin america along with the whos decision in february to declare it a public health emergency of international concern prompted the risk assessment for europe
as of early may the who had reported that the disease which can also be transmitted sexually had been found in 58 countries that included 17 in europe as of late april
the more we learn about zika the more worried we get about it dr margaret chan the who director general told reporters in geneva during a briefing on tuesday
the who said that 18 european countries mostly concentrated around the mediterranean faced a moderate risk of local outbreaks of zika if no action was taken to address the threat the risk was identified as low or very low in an additional 31 countries five northern european countries   belarus estonia finland iceland and latvia   were judged to face no threat
the organization based its assessment on responses from each country to a questionnaire and a range of variables such as the presence of the two species of mosquito known to spread the disease climate air and sea connections population density and urbanization
other parts of europe have aedes albopictus mosquitoes which is why their risk is considered moderate rather than nonexistent aedes albopictus also called the asian tiger mosquito is known to transmit zika but it has never been shown to cause large outbreaks
that may be because the virus does not reproduce as well inside the mosquito or because the mosquito also bites other animals while aedes aegypti almost exclusively feeds on humans
the european center for disease prevention and control had recorded 452 cases of zika as of april 29 all of them imported by travelers and as of mid april health authorities had not detected any cases of local infection in the 53 countries covered by the whos european office
the assessment also took into account the capacity of countries to contain any outbreak of the virus looking at their measures to control mosquito populations clinical surveillance laboratory capacity and emergency risk communication three quarters of the whos european member countries said their ability to control an outbreak was good or very good
there are countries and territories at high or moderate likelihood of transmission that have measures in place to prevent or rapidly contain local zika virus transmission which lower their overall risk for an outbreak nedret emiroglu the whos european director of communicable diseases and health security said in a statement
the organization said it would convene a regional meeting in portugal in late june to examine the findings of its assessment and to determine what is needed to plug the gaps in its capacity to contain an outbreak


facebook keeps trying to take the air out of allegations that it is anti conservative its latest attempt is happening on wednesday
thats when the social network is scheduled to hold a meeting with leading republican pundits and politicians to walk them through how it decides which articles to show on a news feature called trending topics the meeting was convened by facebooks chief executive mark zuckerberg and its highest ranking republican executive joel kaplan the companys vice president for global public policy along with about a dozen conservatives
facebook is trying to bat down concerns that it suppressed conservative articles in trending topics accusations that appeared in a report on gizmodo last week and that have since fueled a reaction against the social network facebook has tried several times to reassure people it is neutral   including by publishing its internal editorial guidelines and in a post from mr zuckerberg
that the controversy continues illustrates how difficult it is for facebook to dissociate itself from a liberal image fostered by mr zuckerberg and other top executives writes cecilia kang its an especially tough task facing mr kaplan who was brought on board for his conservative credentials and to counterbalance the left leaning perceptions of the company
theres another summit meeting taking place on wednesday by a different tech giant   but that one involves developers not politicians google is holding its annual developer conference the first one since it evolved into a holding company unit under a parent called alphabet as david streitfeld reports one of the announcements that google plans to make at the conference is its own voice activated home device called google home


sana yemen   to blare the jingle that draws the children to his ice cream cart   in the midst of a war   noah taha has been forced to improvise
there is rarely electricity here in sana not for hospitals not for homes and not to charge mr tahas little blue mp3 player to solve his problem mr taha put a solar panel on the front of his cart so he could play the jingle   a somewhat haunting tune he called the na na song after an ice cream brand   as he peddled through the yemeni capital
it was clever but mr taha said he had seen better i saw solar used on an electric wheelchair he said that was the best idea
i met mr taha on a street full of electrical shops during a recent visit to yemen my third since the signs of conflict began to emerge early in 2015 with each visit people seem more put upon running lower on money more desperate to find work and struggling to find food medical care or a safe place to live
but yemenis are also famously resilient living in the poorest country in the region and saddled for decades with feckless leaders to cope with the war many have seamlessly adapted to new roles
pediatricians have doubled as trauma surgeons businesspeople have transformed into aid workers and proprietors of electrical supply shops have become experts on solar power
we didnt know anything said khairullah ali al omeisy 24 who owns an electrical supply shop but learned all he could about solar panels when the boom began several months ago we tried to know everything
after scouring the internet he can now tell customers about the difference between chinese and canadian solar panels or the life span of vietnamese gel batteries
solar panels are all over sana these days even available on installment plans for those who cannot afford them outright
we made a huge profit mr omeisy said every shop on shaoob street was getting in on the action   and even people without a traditional shop
mohammed al fendi who until recently was a carpenter now sells the solar kits out of an old minibus he converted into a store the market is wide open he said
and he thinks it will stay that way for a while even if the war ended he doubted the ability of any new government to restore power for more than three or four hours a day
closer to yemens front lines people have made more jarring transformations
ahmed naji abdu once worked as a driver at the taj sheba one of sanas fanciest hotels now he works for the medical charity doctors without borders as a driver in taiz a city torn apart by some of the fiercest fighting in yemens civil war
mr abdus work for one of the few international organizations operating in the city was harrowing enough but his home was also in shooting distance of battles in taiz and his family was forced to abandon the upper floors of the house after errant bullets struck it the clashes have become more frequent in his neighborhood at night it doesnt stop he said
his colleague dr arwa ahmed saeed was an obstetrician in taiz when the war broke out she worked for a time at hospitals in the crossfire where the victims were fighters women and children she said
one day seven women in one family ages 11 to 21 were killed when a rocket hit their home on another occasion one of the victims was a three day old infant she said
she spoke to me in a much quieter emergency room a few miles from the fighting in a mother and child hospital run by doctors without borders the work seemed no less urgent as she shuttled around the ward treating children with respiratory problems
yet she admitted that she sometimes longed to be back at one of the front line emergency rooms despite all the misery she had seen
i feel like i offered help she said
less than a mile from the hospital where ms saeed now works a trash filled sand lot offered a reminder of the dangers medical workers have faced throughout the war
an airstrike by the saudi led coalition in december landed in the lot near a tented mobile clinic set up by doctors without borders to help displaced people it killed an 18 year old man yahya mohamed dahan when a piece of shrapnel pierced his chest his relatives said
the lot was still full of tents transformed into something resembling a neighborhood as i visited an ice cream vendor peddled by playing the same haunting jingle
on my flight out of sana i saw another doctor trying to deliver care in terrible conditions
he was accompanying a mother a father and their sick infant son muhammad who was breathing with the aid of a manual ventilator they had set up a makeshift intensive care unit in a row of seats across the aisle from me on an aging airbus operated by yemenia that is one of the few links between the capital and the outside world
one machine the size of a briefcase sat on the tray table in front of the boys mother and another a monitor of some kind with flashing red lights sat in his bassinet never leaving the doctors gaze the doctor sat next to the father and they took turns gently squeezing the airbag
it was not clear what ailed the boy and no one wanted to interrupt the doctor to ask the fathers frantic calls to jordan the planes destination requesting that an ambulance meet them on the tarmac suggested the boys condition was grave the journey which once took a few hours now takes six hours or more
planes to and from sana now stop for a two hour security check in saudi arabia the inconvenience of the stopover has infuriated yemeni travelers who see the security measures as an unnecessary and almost colonial imposition by the saudis
as muhammad fought for breath the delay was potentially fatal the doctor appealed to a saudi security agent who was on the plane checking passports to hurry things along brother we are doing everything we can the agent replied but the plane remained parked for an unbearable 45 minutes
the mother moved her thumb up and down her fingers in a rhythm meant to simulate prayer beads passengers in nearby rows uttered their own prayers for the infant the plane finally left saudi arabia and the cabin lights were dimmed members of the airline staff gathered around the family and the improvised infirmary shining flashlights on the baby so the doctor could see
the plane arrived in jordan the ambulance was waiting


it is the kind of nervous moment that almost any new yorker would recognize the reason that even in a city where crime is at historic lows direct eye contact is sometimes not considered the wisest maneuver
a man angry and ranting in a public place it could be on the subway on a street corner or in a shop in most cases it is just a fleeting incident in a very big city a brief reminder that it is a good idea to keep your wits about you
on wednesday morning however it ended with blood on the streets after a man lunged at a police officer with a knife and was shot dead by other officers one woman a bystander suffered a minor wound after being grazed by a bullet
it was shortly after 8 am when a man later identified by the police as garry conrad jr 46 of upper manhattan entered the food emporium grocery store at 49th street and eighth avenue he was disheveled and agitated
he wanted to buy beer but as he shopped he threatened customers officials said
he became aggressive and belligerent said james p oneill the chief of department for the new york police department he was swearing at the people in the store
as mr conrad was going to pay his confrontation with the cashier escalated
she asked to see some id robert k boyce the chief of detectives said
a retired state law enforcement officer in the store thought it best to find a police officer and flagged down one who was on foot patrol at the same time employees of the food emporium forced mr conrad from the premises the police said
on the corner of 49th street and eighth avenue the officer engaged him grabbing him by his backpack they both went crashing to the pavement the police said
as the suspect got back on his feet he displayed an 8 inch knife and approached the officer and two other officers who were coming to his assistance chief oneill said the man was ordered to drop the weapon but refused he said
at that point another officer rushing to the scene fired seven rounds at mr conrad and a police sergeant fired two more rounds at him according to the police their names were not released it was unclear how many times mr conrad was struck but he fell to the ground and was pronounced dead at the scene
the police said that they expect to find video recordings of the episode but all indications were that the shooting was justified
the bystander who was injured a 46 year old woman was standing north of the point of the shooting the police described her injuries as minor
the officer who wrestled mr conrad to the ground suffered a cut to his hand
it was almost a year to the day after the police shot a man wielding a hammer on a midtown street farther south on eighth avenue
that attack also took place in broad daylight on a crowded city street and as was the case then the crime scene on wednesday quickly turned into a public spectacle diners at a nearby cafe pigalle were startled by the gunfire setting down their coffee and their croissants and going out onto the street to see what had happened
guests at the hilton garden inn peered from their hotel windows as the police draped a white blanket over the dead man his blood staining the pavement


would you buy a nokia cellphone
thats the question that foxconn the taiwanese technology giant and hmd global a finnish company are hoping to answer after they joined forces on wednesday to license the once powerful brand to build smartphones and tablets primarily for customers in emerging countries
the announcement signals the potential return of nokia branded phones after the company sold its handset division in 2013 for 72 billion to microsoft which subsequently wrote down most of that investment microsoft later discontinued nokia brand smartphones
the attempt to revive nokia phones and tablets the company had previously licensed its brand to foxconn to make a tablet in china in 2014 also comes almost two decades after nokia then the worlds largest smartphone maker reached its highest valuation of almost 250 billion it is now worth around 30 billion
after a number of missteps most notably the failure from 2007 onward to adequately respond to the global popularity of apples iphone nokia has been forced to reinvent itself as a telecommunications equipment maker producing mobile network and broadband infrastructure for the likes of att and verizon wireless
the deal announced on wednesday aims   admittedly amid cutthroat competition in the worlds smartphone market   to resurrect the nokia brand for consumers that may still remember the companys glory days before it fell behind rivals like apple and samsung
to make that happen foxconn which put up most of the cash and hmd global a private equity backed finnish group led by former microsoft and nokia executives agreed to buy microsofts so called feature phone unit for 350 million the division has 4500 workers worldwide and a manufacturing facility in vietnam feature phones are basic devices mostly used in developing markets that often lack services like internet access
foxconn and hmd global also sealed a separate agreement with nokia to license its brand to manufacture new smartphones and tablets adding that they planned to spend a further 500 million over the next three years to promote the devices which would run on googles android operating system
under the complicated agreement foxconn   which also makes devices under contract for other manufacturers and has attracted criticism for how it treats its workers   would manufacture the devices which have not yet been released as well as the existing feature phones
hmd global based in helsinki would design the new smartphones and tablets the deal is expected to be completed by the end of the year hmd global is backed by a private equity firm run by jean francois baril a former nokia executive with close ties to foxconn
nokia would be paid a per device licensing fee and it will have a position on hmd globals board though it did not put any money into the entity
branding has become a critical differentiator in mobile phones which is why our business model is centered on the unique asset of the nokia brand and our extensive experience in sales and marketing arto nummela hmd globals chief executive said in a statement
nokia has tried to reinvent itself in the smartphone market before
months before completing its handset sale to microsoft the finnish telecom giant released a device based on the android operating system a belated realization that googles software had outmuscled microsofts rival version not surprisingly microsoft discontinued the device soon after taking control of the division
it also remains unclear whether the reimagined nokia phones would be able to compete in a global market where low cost rivals like xiaomi of china can offer powerful smartphones to emerging market customers often at a fraction of the cost of western rivals


beijing   for more than a minute on tuesday night nine digit numbers were displayed across the facade of hong kongs tallest skyscraper the international commerce center towering above victoria harbor the glowing white digits blinked against the night sky 979012493... 979012492... 979012491...
the seemingly innocuous numbers contained a subversive statement the animation is a countdown of the seconds until when the one country two systems framework   a guarantee that hong kong a former british colony would keep its civil liberties and a high degree of autonomy for 50 years after its return to chinese sovereignty in 1997   is set to expire
we hope to deliver this work to illustrate the biggest anxiety of the hong kong people sampson wong who created the animation with the artist jason lam said before the lights first went up
the artists planned the display to coincide with a three day visit to hong kong by zhang dejiang a member of chinas governing politburo standing committee which began on tuesday mr zhang is the highest ranking official from mainland china to visit hong kong since the pro democracy demonstrations in 2014 known as the umbrella movement
the city has gone to great lengths to contain protests during mr zhangs visit but pro democracy messages have slipped through at least seven members of the league of social democrats party were arrested on tuesday in connection with at least two banners appearing in public   one on a hillside the other along the route taken by mr zhangs motorcade   reading i want genuine universal suffrage and end chinese communist party dictatorship
due to the high level of security theres almost no channel for the hong kong people to voice and protest mr wong said
it remained to be seen how the local authorities would react to such a message however subtle being shown on the citys tallest building
mr wong said he and mr lam had been able to get the countdown project approved by submitting it as part of a longer mostly apolitical digital animation that nine minute work titled our 60 second friendship begins now was commissioned by the hong kong arts development council to be displayed on the international commerce center known as the icc as part of a broader public media art exhibition like many other buildings in the city skyline the icc lights up with animated displays at night
most of the animations shown on the icc are ad like meaningless videos mr wong said we wanted to show something relevant to the social situation of hong kong
the work is scheduled to be shown on the facade of the icc every night until june 22 but mr wong said he feared it would be canceled once the meaning of the countdown became widely known
the countdown echoes one that was conducted across china in the weeks leading up to july 1 1997 the day of hong kongs handover the numbers were called out loud in schools on television and in radio broadcasts and an electronic clock displaying the days and even seconds was erected in tiananmen square in beijing the hong kong animation was originally intended to indicate the seconds until july 1 2047 but it is off by several weeks because of technical problems
since the 2014 protests which called for full public participation in elections for hong kongs leader fizzled out without concessions from beijing or the local government many young activists have turned to 2047 as a focal point for their democratic aspirations some are even calling for a local referendum on whether hong kong should become independent from china at that time


a recent article by neil irwin looked at how innovations in technology medicine and more have changed the lives of americans and fueled economic growth over the past 150 years or so in response readers weighed in with their own ideas of what was truly life changing birth control came up a lot as did indoor plumbing the comments were impressive in their range and verve
but it was a comment by reasonable facsimile of florida that inspired me to take another look through the archives where i had spent time finding photographs to accompany the article just look at the quality of that image of the brooklyn bridge you can take a magnifying glass and see fine details reasonable is right   its amazing
here are some of our favorite comments together with a few more old pictures
control of infectious diseases and parasites for sure look how we freak out today over the threat of anything transmissible what must it have been like to live in fear of tuberculosis smallpox yellow fever plague tetanus etc imagine watching half your children die one of the greatest fears was over a disease we hardly think about today   rabies the south was plagued with hookworm around 1900 with almost half the population infected it blows me away when i hear people seriously consider the iphone as the greatest invention of all time i put the iphone well behind the pizza
you forgot to include the development of the safety bicycle during the late 1800s its advanced technology chain drives wire spoke wheels pneumatic tires etc was an essential step before automobiles could become practical even aviation think wright brothers was based on bicycle technology besides causing a technological revolution the bicycle also caused a social one   womens emancipation as susan b anthony famously said i think it has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world
my grandmother passed away several years ago at 101 she had lived through two world wars a man on the moon television phone initial and cellular the polio vaccine 911 i asked her what she thought were the greatest innovations that had occurred during her lifetime without missing a beat she replied electricity and women obtaining the right to vote indoor plumbing came in a close third
you are not even close the biggest advancement in all of human history is effective birth control it changes every aspect of life economic social day to day life moral impacts everyone and every social structure
since the origin of homo sapiens there was little recording of anything until perhaps 40000 years ago when they began to paint in caves and on rocks to me speech and the ability to tell a story is the greatest innovation ever
the biggest innovation is education and allowing even the poorest girls and boys to reach their full potential for education to be available kids have to have time to go to school so no chores fetching water or firewood and they have to survive long enough to make it to school so neonatal care food for healthy mother antibiotics and vaccinations this article didnt try to cover the social changes in the years 1870 1916 but the biggest was the idea that people should be educated especially girls and that everyone should have a chance that wasnt the case in 1870 when sprawling families were there to work the land
in my view the era that began with sputnik in the late 1950s and ended with moon landings was the greatest era of innovation we watched as the first communication satellites were built and launched nuclear submarines became the norm the concorde was built as was the saturn rocket that launched men to the moon the lockheed corporation built the worlds fastest aircraft the blackbird and the first nuclear powered aircraft carrier the uss enterprise was also launched telstar too was launched in the early 1960s the new york worlds fair in 1964 65 demonstrated touch tone dialing and ibm built the first small computers for schools and business many colleges began to offer computer programing courses the bell telephone laboratories were doing experiments with lasers and other optical electrical devices even the armalite rifle was built by eugene stoner changing the combat rifle forever microwave radio transmissions and color tv technology raced ahead as did fm stereo multiplexing and dont forget the introduction of the mustang and other pony cars im lucky i got to live in the most innovative time of all the time of the beatles the rolling stones and the beach boys too great time to be a young teenager
inventiondiscovery does not occur over a straight line use of a tool for cutting use of fire for cooking language and the narrative myth to put these diverse items to use hunting and eating animals occurred over hundreds of thousands of years
express tracks whoever thought to build four new york subway tracks on many lines instead of two was brilliant and still affects the lives of millions of commuters every day
pretty simple indoor plumbing is more important than jet travel or cellphones try living without each and see what happens to most people
i know this article has an american bent but to me from a purely public health point of view the invention of soap and sewers advanced the human cause more than any machine invention in europe a long long time ago the tradition was for the man to walk closer to the buildings on the street while dating a woman why because if anyone living above decided to throw out the days household waste out the window the man took the brunt a second after the date scrubbing with soap would be required
american innovations in commercial banking and finance made all the other innovations possible without our financial infrastructure largely perfected in 18th 19th and 20th century america by our illustrious robber barons we would have been unable to produce telephones aircraft trains roads bridges a stable food supply clean water government services and all the rest our entire modern world rests on the bottoms of shiny pants bookkeepers with green eyeshades and sleeve garters the accountants and bankers are the modern masters of the universe
sorry to let you know but there has been nothing truly new for decades internet personal computer email cellphone these are all stemming from one thing 1947 transistorsemiconductor integrated circuit 1958 the theory for these  1905 1927 mostly but electrical systems created lighting heating and allowed immense productivity in the workplace and home washers dryers toasters clocks factory machinery automobile plants aluminum vastly more impactful to humankind
the greatest era is always now for it builds on the advances of the past without which it would have to start from the beginning the greatest innovation was the roman aqueduct the knowledge of water and subsequently by others much later the flush toilet more important for all   the gutenberg first and the printing press second
i was promised a flying car by now and all i got was facebook


with metro north railroad service expected to be disrupted for several days after a fire damaged a stretch of track in east harlem government officials on wednesday questioned why a garden center under the tracks was using flammable substances
the fire on tuesday at the urban garden center on park avenue was caused by a fuel spill when workers were refilling a generator fire officials said the blaze then tore through an area filled with combustible materials said jim long a fire department spokesman
everything in there was pretty much incinerated he said
firefighters removed propane tanks from the business mr long said but it was unclear whether any had exploded in the fire the business had not been issued any permits for the handling or storage of fuel or propane mr long said
asked about the propane tanks in an interview on ny1 thomas f prendergast the chairman of the metropolitan transportation authority said the matter demanded investigation
should we have material like that stored under such a vital critical piece of infrastructure he said thats a question that needs to be asked and answered
the fire damaged the railroads elevated structure causing train service to be suspended during the evening rush on wednesday trains were running on a limited saturday schedule creating arduous delays for commuters
full service was not likely to resume until friday officials said while workers made repairs on wednesday trains were running on two outer tracks and two inner tracks were closed
new york city owns the property under the tracks and the citys economic development corporation manages a lease held by the urban garden center tenants must adhere to all relevant laws and regulations the agencys senior vice president anthony hogrebe said in a statement
if anything is found to have been in violation we will take swift and appropriate action he said
senator richard blumenthal of connecticut a democrat echoed mr prendergasts concerns and called on federal safety officials to investigate the fire
mayor bill de blasio said on wednesday that he had not known that the economic development corporation managed the property but said that it was appropriate for businesses to be located under the tracks and praised the row of shops along park avenue known as la marqueta he said the city would examine safety precautions there
if there is anything we need to strengthen we will mr de blasio told reporters
at the garden center on wednesday morning workers loaded wooden planks and charred debris into a demolition truck to be crushed a separate part of the garden center remained operational with nearly a dozen chickens clucking in a coop and an array of trees and flowers crowded between bags of concrete mix and mulch workers declined to comment on the fire
dwayne thomas an emergency medical worker who has lived in east harlem for 10 years said he had been wary of the garden center for some time especially since a deadly gas explosion nearby in 2014 the explosion which destroyed two apartment buildings and killed eight people occurred on park avenue near 116th street a short distance from where the fire broke out on tuesday the urban garden center was heavily damaged in that blast
why would you put a bunch of flammable items below a train track said mr thomas 55 the whole thing is a recipe for disaster
luis diaz said he was flipping burgers at kyle restaurant and grill on park avenue on tuesday evening when he heard a loud explosion followed by a series of smaller blasts he rushed outside to see plumes of black smoke billowing from the train tracks between 117th and 118th streets
mr diaz said he had gone to get a fire extinguisher but soon realized the extent of the inferno
it was terrifying he said we were all caught by surprise it just got worse and worse
the metro norths harlem hudson and new haven lines were running with delays of 60 to 80 minutes on wednesday on thursday the railroad planned to run additional trains to provide about 75 percent of its usual weekday service officials said
at grand central terminal on wednesday morning adam vaughn said his typical 90 minute commute had taken three hours on tuesday night mr vaughn who lives in the east village and works in stamford conn was not optimistic about the days ahead
im not even close to getting to work on time today he said i might work from home for the rest of the week


this week the major television networks are unveiling their offerings for the coming season to advertising buyers plenty of money and prestige are at stake three new york times reporters who cover media and television   emily steel john koblin and michael m grynbaum   assess what they saw during tuesdays presentations
michael emily john to kick off our discussion of abcs upfront on tuesday i thought id share a 1997 clip from the simpsons about a tv network that dreams up a new ratings bonanza a talking wisecracking dog
i thought of this during abcs big finale a video greeting from martin the talking canine protagonist of the new sitcom downward dog martin talks to the camera about his troubles and his master a harried single woman trying to have it all it turns out there was a bidding war over this show so ill reserve judgment for now but given the old school vibe at abcs presentation which featured the traditional schedule walk through and powerpoint bar charts it did feel a bit like an old dog network that hasnt yet learned the new tricks poochie indeed
john yeah the crowd wasnt exactly ... howling sorry on the other hand the new kiefer sutherland drama designated survivor got the biggest reaction weve heard over the three network presentations the trailer lasted about five minutes by far the longest weve seen this week im going to assume the length of the trailer means big endorsement heres a shorter clip at 2 minutes and 35 seconds but its got all the good stuff
big star attention grabbing premise and it won the crowd over hard which is some good news for abc after a fairly rough year
emily what didnt win over the crowd was yet another time travel show bringing the tally for next season to a grand total of three one for nbc one for fox and now one for abc abcs time after time is billed as a fantastical cat and mouse adventure through time when famed science fiction writer h g wells is transported to modern day manhattan in pursuit of jack the ripper too bad the network executives couldnt travel into the future to see that their competitors were all presenting something similar
michael there was an odd scene in the trailer where jack the ripper sees footage of modern day school shootings and nods approvingly yeesh
john how long before they reboot quantum leap its all the rage these days
emily speaking of which what do you think the future will hold for channing dungey the new president of abc entertainment did her first upfront presentation impress
john she was nervous and that was endearing she talked a little bit about being a tv junkie growing up which played well this was a down year for abc they fell into last place among adults under 50 the only stat that tv execs really care about abcs big play   in addition to breaking up tgit its powerful shonda thursday prime time block with a non shonda show notorious   will be more comedies theyve added a comedy slate on tuesday on top of what they had on wednesdays and fridays
michael their new slogan is not just funny abc funny but ive heard on good authority that the rival network tbs is allegedly very funny
john also worth mentioning on the same day that hbo said the little watched gay series looking would have its series finale in july i am sad about this but many other gay men i know do not feel this way abc promoted an eight part mini series when we rise about the gay rights movement its written by dustin lance black who won an oscar for milk and its directed by gus van sant this fits perfectly with abcs brand diversity and the crowd dug it
emily one of the events biggest personalities   besides the talking dog   was priyanka chopra the indian actress who plays alex parrish in the drama quantico about fbi recruits at a virginia base the show has delivered decentish ratings during its first season but it looks like abc is trying to make her its next big star   at least based on tuesdays presentation she opened the show singing and dancing her way down the aisle of the theater in a bright red sparkling sequin bodysuit
michael next shell have her own reality show by the way only five days until the bachelorette returns wish it had been caila though im glad to see katy mixon   aka kenny powerss love interest on eastbound and down   getting her star moment in american housewife a sendup of life in westport conn but the sharpest lines came from jimmy kimmel who got some of the biggest applause ive heard all week when he ripped into millennials in a highly amusing highly profane way not a lot of love for millennials in this crowd   even though every network and ad agency is desperately trying to get their attention
john ok guys on wednesday weve got turner in the morning and the final network cbs at carnegie hall in the afternoon cbs has been the butt of everyones jokes all week   homer simpson in a fox skit and mr kimmel in his routine on tuesday both mocked its ... elderly audience   so well see just how good les moonvess comedy department is at striking back


campina grande brazil   marina leite arrived at a hospital from her rural village in february 28 weeks pregnant and struggling to speak or breathe
she was carrying double the normal amount of amniotic fluid a life threatening complication that her doctors told her stemmed from severe fetal deformities linked to the zika virus
a week later ms leite 35 had an abortion
i followed my heart and my doctors advice for my survival she said
in almost all circumstances abortion is a crime in brazil punishable by up to three years in jail but in ms leites case because of the risk to her health the abortion was considered legal and the doctor was willing to perform it
this video documents several challenges facing pregnant women and their doctors in a country where access to legal abortions is severely restricted and where zika has compounded fears about birth defects adding a new layer of health complications some women have sought illegal abortions before knowing whether their babies had microcephaly
well before the rise of zika there were as many as 900000 illegal abortions in brazil each year according to current estimates based on a 2013 study last year the number of women who sought medical attention for botched abortions outpaced the number of women who received legal abortions by nearly 100 to one according to estimates by the countrys ministry of health
the law prohibiting abortions makes exceptions if a womans life is at risk if she was raped or if the fetus has anencephaly a rare condition in which part of the brain or skull is missing there is no exception for microcephaly or other developmental defects caused by zika in fact brazilian evangelical legislators are considering a bill to increase penalties for women who abort a fetus with microcephaly
this has not stopped women from seeking relief a new study by the guttmacher institute and the world health organization found that abortion is just as prevalent in countries where it is prohibited as it is in countries where abortion is legal the difference is whether the procedure is safe or not
in brazil women with money have better chances of finding a person qualified to assist with a clandestine medical procedure for people who cannot afford black market abortion pills which carry the added risk of being counterfeit methods include drinking abortive teas inserting sharp objects into the uterus and even jumping from roofs unsafe abortion is one of the leading causes of maternal mortality in brazil according to the health ministry
in december after a high ranking brazilian health official advised women to postpone getting pregnant because of the zika outbreak there was a spike in demand for illegal abortion pills like misoprostol better known by the brand name cytotec according to women on web which provides medication for women wanting an abortion in countries where it is banned in that month alone brazilian customs seized over 26000 abortion pills coming into the country compared with about 9000 confiscated for all of 2014 although they said their methods had not changed
several other latin american countries have since issued similar warnings el salvador went so far as to advise women not to get pregnant until 2018 because of zika in countries where sexual violence is rampant and access to birth control and sex education lags that leaves many women with few options the united nations has warned


hong kong   the heart of this global financial hub resembled an armed camp on wednesday as thousands of police officers deployed around a hotel and convention center where a senior chinese official was visiting
for many in hong kong the show of force only increased their fears that the citys civil liberties and autonomy are under assault by the government in beijing
across the taiwan strait final preparations were underway for the inauguration on friday of tsai ing wen taiwans first female president she was swept into power in part by young voters anxious about what they see as beijings rising influence over the island ms tsai is expected to have a far more cautious attitude toward promoting chinese trade and investment than her predecessor
it is a humbling week for china the worlds second biggest economy after the united states it is richer and stronger than ever and its financial clout is being felt the world over but beijing is finding it exceedingly difficult to win hearts and minds in its own backyard among the more than 30 million chinese speaking people of taiwan and hong kong
china is searching for a new approach toward both hong kong and taiwan but it has yet to find one that is different from the policies it has used before   hard line political tactics that provoke resentment and pragmatic appeals to economic interests that fall short in societies where the benefits of trade with the mainland are unevenly distributed
there are more centrifugal forces and its hard for beijing to deal with these forces said jean pierre cabestan a professor of government and international studies at hong kong baptist university i think it is a clash between two political cultures authoritarian in china and liberal in hong kong and taiwan hong kong is very much on the bridge resisting the authoritarian political culture in china
in important ways the visiting chinese official in hong kong zhang dejiang is representative of that culture as chairman of chinas legislature the national peoples congress he presided over the august 2014 decision to set strict rules on vetting candidates for hong kongs top official post the chief executive leading to the huge protests that year that captured the worlds attention he is the highest ranking member of the chinese government to visit the city since then
but mr zhang 69 is also remembered in hong kong as the communist party chief of neighboring guangdong province in 2003 when the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome or sars swept over china he was criticized for the slow response to the outbreak and for official efforts to keep the news of the deadly virus out of the media the disease spread to hong kong killing 299 people
such attitudes   a fear of democracy and heavy handed control of the news media   are at odds with the increasingly well educated populations in hong kong a former british colony where civil liberties like freedom of speech and freedom of assembly are guaranteed and taiwan a democracy for the past two decades
those concerns erupted late last year when five hong kong booksellers disappeared showing up later in chinese custody in guangdong one publisher lee bo was plucked from the streets of hong kong a violation of the one country two systems principle that safeguards the citys autonomy until 2047 the 50th anniversary of its return to chinese sovereignty
that act is like driving a truck through one country two systems  emily lau head of the democratic party in hong kongs legislature said in a telephone interview hong kong is going through very dark times
ms lau and several other pro democracy lawmakers met with mr zhang at a reception on wednesday evening telling him that the citys chief executive leung chun ying should be dismissed mr leung was standing next to mr zhang at the time ms lau said
ms lau and her colleagues also urged mr zhang to revisit the issue of democratic elections for the chief executive post they argued that opening up the position to a genuine contest rather than allowing only a narrow slate of beijing approved candidates would help to damp growing enthusiasm in hong kong for self determination and even independence she said by telephone
people are very very frustrated and thats why some including young people are looking for a way out including independence ms lau told mr zhang she said he responded that beijing was satisfied with the performance of the hong kong government and that people had differing points of view
i think he got the message loud and clear she said
earlier in the day mr zhang spoke at a conference in hong kong promoting chinas plan to forge better infrastructure links with asia and europe called one belt one road
concern that some of the newly radicalized groups in hong kong might try to disrupt mr zhangs visit   the first by a member of the elite politburo standing committee since 2012   led to extraordinary security measures
at least 6000 police officers were enlisted to provide security around the citys convention center streets were sealed off and city employees even glued down some paving bricks on sidewalks after rioters in february threw the bricks at police officers
he must feel fearful and guilty so he needs such high security and fears any contact with the people said raphael wong vice chairman of the pro democracy league of social democrats whose members had assembled in one of the designated protest zones blocks away from where mr zhang was staying he simply couldnt tolerate any dissent against the communist party
the communist party also would not tolerate taiwans declaring independence and has repeatedly vowed to take the island by force should that happen a pentagon report released last week stated that china is steadily building up its forces across the taiwan strait
on wednesday two days before ms tsai was set to take office the chinese ministry of defense announced it had been conducting military exercises across from taiwan involving air sea and land forces though it added that the exercises were not directed at any specific target
in recent months china has taken several other steps that put pressure on taiwans incoming government it extradited taiwanese suspects in alleged telephone fraud scams from kenya and malaysia leading to protests by taiwanese diplomats it also resumed diplomatic relations with gambia which had previously recognized taiwan
beijing also appears to be stepping up pressure on international organizations not to accept taiwan as a separate member
although ms tsai has promised to maintain the status quo with china many in her democratic progressive party which captured the presidency in january elections and for the first time control of the legislature support independence
under the current president ma ying jeou of the kuomintang or nationalist party cross strait economic ties have flourished but chinas intentions worried many in taiwan who saw the closer relations as tools to advance beijings goal of political control
in early 2014 demonstrators overwhelmingly young people occupied taiwans legislature for 23 days to block the passage of a cross strait trade agreement several of them then traveled to hong kong speaking out in support of taiwan independence and a democratic hong kong in july 2014 at a demonstration in the heart of the city that served as a preview of the protests that autumn
ultimately in both hong kong and taiwan the generations now moving into positions of responsibility increasingly view themselves as separate from china and that rise of identity politics could pose grave political challenges to beijing said zhang baohui a professor of political science at lingnan university in hong kong
i feel like hong kong is like taiwan more than 20 years ago before we had free elections said sung chung hsing 43 a lawyer in the islands capital taipei the young people in hong kong have realized the importance of freedom and elections i hope they can raise their voices and let the mainland government know their feelings


donald trump loves to talk about polls but theres one that you probably havent heard about and that he doesnt boast about
not surprisingly it shows him in the lead but the twist is the timing its from april 2011 and it reveals a little bit about how we got here
heading into the 2012 campaign mr trump led a public policy polling ppp survey of gop primary voters at 26 percent with mike huckabee at 17 percent mitt romney at 15 percent and newt gingrich at 11 percent similarly a wall street journalnbc poll earlier that month showed mr trump near the top as a surprise contender
a lot of gop voters have not been happy with their choice of candidates and trump is filling that void at least for the moment the news release from ppp said
the phrase for the moment which in the light of today almost seems to be teasing us was appropriately cautious in that campaign cycle mr trump had been riding the birther wave the unsubstantiated belief that president obama was not born in the united states
ppp wrote that 23 percent of gop voters say they would not be willing to vote for a candidate who stated clearly that obama was born in the us and among the hardcore birthers trump leads with 37 percent almost three times as much support as anyone else
so what went wrong for mr trump
# on april 27 president obama released a copy of his long form birth certificate to reporters
# on april 30 mr obama mercilessly mocked mr trump at the white house correspondents association dinner
# a night later mr obama announced that an american raid had killed osama bin laden
# mr trumps poll numbers collapsed
# two weeks later mr trump declared he would not run citing his passion for business and a new contract with nbc for celebrity apprentice
he was gone but the anger of many gop voters remained rick santorum not mr trump wound up being the insurgent who gave the party establishment fits he came a lot closer to beating mr romney than a lot of people remember and its not hard to imagine that mr trump could have done even better
in 2011 mr trump had a chance to give his media strategy a test run the new york times article on his farewell from the race suggested that the most noteworthy element of his flirtation as a candidate was a media culture that increasingly seems to give the spotlight to the loudest most outrageous voices stuart spencer a former political strategist for ronald reagan was quoted as saying the media made him the media kept him the media kept promoting him
mr trump also demonstrated his willingness and ability to mine racial and ethnic resentment in 2011 mr trump said china is raping us four years later he said mexico was sending rapists to the united states
in the run up to the trump candidacy of 2016 gabriel sherman reported in new york magazine that an employee of mr trump sam nunberg   who was later fired for racially charged facebook posts under his name   measured the bases pulse
but maybe more than anything mr trump showed in 2011 how he would deploy conspiracy theories being a birther was merely a start he associated with conspiracy purveyors like alex jones a syndicated radio host among many examples in the last year the times wrote in march mr trump reposted information on twitter from the website infowars hosted by mr jones to support his unsubstantiated claim that thousands of muslims in new jersey cheered the sept 11 attacks
the political scientists joseph uscinski and joseph parent who wrote the book american conspiracy theories say that those on the left and the right believe in conspiracies roughly equally but education can matter forty two percent of those without a high school diploma are high in conspiratorial predispositions compared with 23 percent with postgraduate degrees
those who are white and without a high school diploma are some of the most reliable supporters of mr trump while people with postgraduate degrees are increasingly leaning to the left
mr uscinski and mr parent found that high stress situations like job uncertainty prompt people to concoct embrace and repeat conspiracy theories another predictor of strong trump by county is a high proportion of working age adults who arent working
other research shows that conspiracy theories can be a coping mechanism for uncertainty and powerlessness a feeling of not having a voice is another strong correlate for trump support according to a rand study
one study found that conservatives who believe in conspiracy theories know more about politics than conservatives who dont this correlation was not found for liberals presumably these politically engaged conservatives would be more likely to vote in the primary season which mr trump came to dominate
last week public policy polling revisited mr trumps attraction to conspiracy theories among voters who viewed him favorably ppp found that 65 percent think president obama is a muslim 59 percent think he was not born in the united states 27 percent think vaccines cause autism 24 percent think justice antonin scalia was murdered and 7 percent think ted cruzs father was involved in the assassination of president kennedy we should probably allow for the possibility that some survey takers wanted to poke or provoke with their responses
one of the biggest sources of conspiracy theories is elections many americans believe theyre often decided by cheating in the los angeles times in 2014 mr uscinski and mr parent wrote
the birther movement which essentially gave life to mr trumps political career is an example of this suspension of belief it argues that president obama did not actually win his elections because he was ineligible to be president
that way of thinking suggests a possible out for mr trump if he loses in november accusations of cheating by the other side those wishing for him to be humbled could be disappointed how do you congratulate the winner if you dont truly feel youve lost


elizabeth spayd the editor in chief and publisher of the columbia journalism review and a longtime editor at the washington post will become the next public editor at the new york times the company announced on wednesday
she succeeds margaret sullivan who held the post from 2012 until her departure last month ms sullivan recently started a job as the media columnist for the washington post
ms spayd 57 joined the post in 1988 and spent 25 years at the paper holding a variety of reporting and editing positions in 2008 she was named the papers managing editor she took over the columbia journalism review a widely respected publication that covers the media at the start of 2014
liz is an exceptionally accomplished journalist arthur sulzberger jr the publisher of the times said in a statement her work at cjr along with her long and successful history at the washington post have given her a broad range of experiences that will serve us well as she assumes this critical position serving as a reliable and engaged representative of our readers
when he announced in february that ms sullivan was leaving mr sulzberger said he was committed to maintaining a vibrant public editor position he said replacing ms sullivan would be a difficult task
phil corbett the standards editor at the times led the search committee for the new public editor
in a memo to staff members mr sulzberger dean baquet the executive editor of the times and james bennet the newspapers new editorial page director said ms spayd had a stellar track record as an uncompromising honest and intellectually rigorous journalist one who is deeply committed to the idea of serving our readers and holding this institution to our values
ms spayd will join the times this summer according to the memo
i think the times public editor has one of the great jobs in journalism ms spayd said in an email its intellectually challenging complex and like most jobs i seem to be attracted to no doubt stressful she said one front burner topic she planned to focus on was the digital transition at the times which she called a period of radical change that will never be over
the times has the opportunity to be a pacesetter on this front and its critical that it is ill be watching the process she added
the times created the public editor position after a 2003 plagiarism scandal involving the reporter jayson blair the post comes with a mandate to review standards and practices at the paper while serving as a conduit to readers
over the years the five public editors including ms sullivan examined issues like anonymous sourcing gender stereotyping invasion of privacy and the challenges of transitioning to a digital world


taipei taiwan   the two giant pandas were sent from china on a mission with deep diplomatic implications and so when it appeared this week that one of them had died the online mourning took on a particularly political tone
in 2005 china offered the pair to taiwan but the government of the self ruled island which china claims as its own territory demurred
then in 2008 after a president who favored far closer ties with china was elected the panda couple made their way across the taiwan strait to the islands capital taipei
a poll was held to select their names the winners were tuan tuan and yuan yuan put together they form the chinese word tuanyuan or reunion which alluded to chinas goal of unification with taiwan
on friday that conciliatory president ma ying jeou will step down his successor tsai ing wen is expected to be far more cautious about trade deals and other agreements promoting cross strait ties when chinese news outlets reported on monday that tuan tuan the male half of the pair was dead some in china saw it as an ominous sign
there was just one problem the reports which were carried by prominent communist party run outlets including global times and the english language twitter account of peoples daily were wrong
tuan tuan is alive and healthy the taipei zoo quickly clarified on its facebook page it released a photograph of him on monday peering out from a cage with a selection of the days taipei newspapers arrayed in the foreground
tuan tuan says what more do you need the caption read please dont believe online rumors friends who care about tuan tuan dont need to worry
global times later apologized for its report


london   two earthquakes shook western ecuador on wednesday one month after the worst temblor to hit the country in decades killed more than 650 people and injured more than 16600
although the extent of any damage was not immediately clear the pacific tsunami warning center said in a statement that it was not issuing a tsunami warning
the first earthquake struck in the early morning in the province of esmeraldas about 100 miles northwest of the capital quito according to the united states geological survey reuters citing witnesses said that the 67 magnitude quake had cut electricity in several coastal areas and that people had been running in the streets
the second earthquake occurred nearby at midday and had a magnitude of 68 with the epicenter in the small coastal town of mompiche
president rafael correa wrote on twitter that schools in the provinces of esmeraldas and manabi would be closed until monday power was down in parts of those areas and officials were assessing the damage
a 78 magnitude earthquake on april 16 devastated and traumatized ecuador prompting mr correa to declare a national emergency
that temblor was felt in quito as well as in parts of colombia and peru and it caused ruin in ecuadors provinces on the coast the tremors flattened buildings damaged highways and knocked out electricity transforming parts of the country into disaster areas
last months quake left thousands homeless and hit hardest along the central coast of the country which is peppered with fishing villages and beach resorts
unicef said in a statement this week that ecuador was still recovering from the april quake which it noted had destroyed water systems shut down health centers and damaged or destroyed roughly 560 schools and close to 10000 buildings


suzuki motor said on wednesday that it had used improper methods to determine the fuel economy of 16 vehicles it sells in japan adding to the list of automakers that have come under scrutiny for how they perform in government tests
suzuki said that it had not sought to mislead customers and that its testing had not exaggerated mileage ratings it said it did not plan to restate any published ratings
still the disclosure is likely to add to industrywide doubts over carmakers and the fuel test results they report to governments around the world
that scrutiny has hit japans auto industry in recent weeks on wednesday mitsubishi motors said that tetsuro aikawa its president would resign after the companys disclosure that its engineers deliberately used unapproved test procedures that exaggerated fuel performance by as much as 15 percent on some models
mitsubishis new partner and financial savior nissan motor was accused by south korean environmental regulators this week of cheating on fuel tests nissan has disputed the accusation and said it was working with regulators in that country
suzuki shares fell more than 9 percent in tokyo on wednesday after news reports that it would report fuel test discrepancies and become the latest japanese automaker to come under scrutiny
osamu suzuki suzukis chairman and chief executive apologized to customers but said the company had retested its vehicles and found no significant differences between the results and their already published ratings
the problem centered on the same testing regulations that tripped up mitsubishi the way engineers calculate what is known as running resistance or the effect that tire friction and other factors have on fuel consumption under various driving conditions
mr suzuki said mileage tests at suzukis development track in central japan had produced inconsistent results which engineers attributed to wind the track is on high ground near the sea
instead of running multiple tests to produce an average suzuki engineers cut corners by extrapolating running resistance from past tests the company said that was a violation of regulations the company said but did not distort results beyond the standard margin of error
in effect we were using a way of measuring that was not approved and for that i apologize deeply mr suzuki said
the problem came to light after japanese regulators ordered all carmakers to re examine their testing methods after the revelations at mitsubishi last month mitsubishi acknowledged that it had been cheating on its mileage ratings in japan for a quarter of a century and that all models in its domestic lineup were affected
last week nissan agreed to extend mitsubishi a 22 billion lifeline in exchange for about one third of the company in a follow up report to regulators on wednesday mitsubishi said it had used earlier data to extrapolate running resistance for a number of models instead of performing multiple new tests for each one the company said it had also misreported test dates and weather conditions in ways that flattered vehicles performance
it reiterated its position that top executives were unaware of the cheating even so it said mr aikawa and ryugo nakao the executive vice president would leave their positions effective june 24
globally carmakers reporting of fuel economy and pollution ratings is under especially close scrutiny after volkswagen of germany admitted last year that it had installed software in 11 million diesel vehicles to cheat on emissions tests


colombo sri lanka   at least 37 people were killed in landslides and flash floods and hundreds of thousands were displaced sri lankan officials said on wednesday as torrential rains and gusting winds continued to lash the country just days after the beginning of the monsoon season
rescue workers recovered at least 15 bodies from two major landslides in the kegalle district about 75 miles east of the capital colombo said pradeep kodippili a spokesman for the disaster management center of sri lanka officials said the death toll from the flooding was likely to rise
one of the landslides buried three villages in the mountainous region of aranayake claiming at least 14 lives with more than 130 people still missing and feared dead said maj gen sudantha ranasinghe the commanding officer in charge of the rescue operation
military personnel and medics are still digging through the rubble from the mudslide to find survivors despite the risk of further landslides in the area general ranasinghe said
earlier the sri lanka red cross society had said that 200 families remained unaccounted for after the aranayake landslide though mr kodippili said the government was unable to confirm that figure
president maithripala sirisena toured the landslide area on wednesday and said the governments priority was locating the missing and providing relief and shelter to the displaced the loss is devastating he tweeted from his official account after the visit
while little is known about what happened in the landslide areas red cross officials said they had heard complaints from residents in the affected villages that the countrys disaster management agencies had failed to issue any alerts or evacuation warnings
the disaster management center does not have the resources and manpower to go door to door in the endangered areas said mahieash johnney a senior manager at the sri lanka red cross society it relies on getting these messages across to residents at risk from landslides by using loudspeakers and megaphones these warnings dont always get transmitted in time
meteorologists had predicted a stronger than average monsoon season in sri lanka this year the effects of a waning el nino though the tropical island nation in the indian ocean frequently experiences intense monsoons and flooding this years devastation was unusually fierce for so early in the rainy season
the sri lanka meteorological department said that a deep low pressure area in the bay of bengal that had become a tropical depression by wednesday had caused the rains but that it was moving away from the island
the sri lanka red cross was managing one of at least four camps near the aranayake landslide to provide relief to survivors mr johnney said
the red cross said 19 of sri lankas 25 districts had experienced flash flooding a result of ceaseless rains across most parts of the island since monday
three hundred members of the military were deployed in a huge rescue operation to find survivors in aranayake early on wednesday thirteen bodies were recovered from the rubble a military spokesman said adding that most of the victims had been buried in their homes by the mudslide tuesday night
by early wednesday morning the disaster management center had recorded 23 injuries related to flash flooding in the southwestern parts of the island some parts of colombo also suffered flooding


beijing   usually what newly married couples do on their wedding night needs no elaboration let alone a pen and paper
but if the pictures are to be believed a couple in southeast china spent at least part of the first night of the rest of their lives copying out the communist party constitution by hand
laying down a sheet of paper and neatly copying out the party constitution left blissful memories of their wedding night for these newlyweds said an account of the event first issued online on monday by their employers the railway bureau of the city of nanchang
it may be hard to believe that the phrase was not a euphemism
but no the couple both rail equipment maintenance staff workers showed singular devotion to the communist cause by sitting beside their bed and writing out the stolid lines of the party constitution or charter as part of a study campaign said the railway bureau which shared pictures of the occasion that spread online
one picture showed the bridegroom li yunpeng copying out the party document while his bride chen xuanchi looked on apparently admiring his penmanship the section he wrote out read
the communist party of china leads the people in developing an advanced socialist culture it promotes socialist cultural and ethical progress and combines the rule of law and the rule of virtue in running the country
needless to say many people have been agog that the couple took time off from their big night to dwell on the virtues of the party the chinese internet has been alive with debate and skepticism about the photos as well as some pity for the couple turned into props for propaganda during their most personal time
some tongue in cheek praised their political fortitude
on the wedding night the bridegroom did not rejoice in his great friendship with the bride and do what we love to do wrote one popular commentator wang wusi in a satirical essay that was widely circulated online
hostile foreign forces will certainly exploit this act of copying out the party constitution on a wedding night and they will stir up mockery of it he presciently warned the broad numbers of party members must make a stand
under president xi jinping the party has ramped up adoring propaganda about itself and mr xi but even state run news outlets said mr li and ms chen should have taken the night off and focused on each other peoples daily the partys chief newspaper weighed in with a commentary on its website
it is very necessary for party members to study the party constitution said the commentary which did not appear to have satirical intent however party members are also ordinary people and they will also experience the pull of romantic love and the gamut of emotions and desires
inevitably too there have been doubts that the couple happened to find a photographer in their wedding chamber while they happened to be writing down the party charter
amateur detectives have pointed out that the bridegroom was wearing an expensive looking watch in some pictures but not in another the brides nail polish also seems to disappear in one shot
the nanchang railway bureau insisted that the event truly happened and was the voluntary doing of the couple said a report on sohu a chinese news website party organizations have been encouraging members and others to join a 100 day campaign to write out the party constitution
already though the phrase copying out the party constitution is catching on in chinese popular culture in ways that propaganda officials did not conceive


facing perhaps the most difficult re election of his career senator john mccain republican of arizona is getting an early start against representative ann kirkpatrick the likely democratic candidate in the race with a new television ad hitting her for her strong support of the affordable care act
the advertisement mr mccains first television ad of the election cycle began airing on tuesday on network affiliates in phoenix it replays an interview in which ms kirkpatrick declares that the health care law is the vote she is most proud of while recounting problems with the new insurance coverage in arizona including premium increases and the withdrawal from the plan by a major insurer
while kirkpatricks proud of putting us at risk john mccain is leading the fight to stop obamacare the female announcer says
mr mccains campaign has also established a new website hitting his republican primary opponent kelli ward a former state legislator for various provocative statements and actions leaving mr mccain punching in two directions the primary election is not until aug 30 and mr mccains decision to start attacking ms kirkpatrick shows he is not willing to risk her getting a free pass until then
aware that mr mccain is increasingly seen as vulnerable in his fight for a sixth term his campaign team issued a memo this week noting his sizable fund raising advantage and extensive grass roots organizing efforts


hangar 17 at kennedy international airport is large enough to house a boeing 747 for 14 years however it has held something much larger the morning of sept 11 2001
from the enormous trident shaped columns that supported the world trade center towers to delicate crystal pendant earrings from a casual corner store in the shopping concourse hangar 17 contained symbols of destruction despair pathos hope and resilience
now it is nearly empty when summer ends it will close
apart from the low thunder of airport traffic the loudest sound in hangar 17 is the buzz of fluorescent ballasts echoing around the 18 acre structure water drips on a tent over a 10 foot long metal tangle that would be unrecognizable as a vehicle if it did not have wheels
hangar 17 has served since 2002 as a depot for world trade center salvage
in that time the port authority of new york and new jersey has distributed 1890 pieces of the twin towers steel and 550 other objects to the national september 11 memorial museum the new york state museum in albany and institutions and organizations around the world like the china construction steel structure museum in beijing the san francisco police department and cracker trail elementary school in sebring fla
all the steel has now been claimed the distribution program was to have ended earlier this year but patrick j foye the executive director of the port authority stepped in
there were fewer than 50 artifacts left he said on tuesday i extended the program to give the team time to find proper homes for the remaining pieces we think well be able to do that
the unclaimed inventory includes unnervingly intimate objects from the concourse shops a luxuriant afro wig a display stand stacked with 34 petite sophisticate blouses a mannequin hand wearing a feathered black satin glove with a paste diamond ring a 20 warner bros studio store gray polo shirt embroidered with wile e coyote and labeled ash
prospective recipients may have balked at items that so viscerally evoke the street scenes around the trade center after the 2001 attack even though the objects themselves are not directly connected with the 2753 people who were killed that day
as the distribution program nears an end two museum directors marveled that it even began
the port authority of new york and new jersey is not a museum said mark schaming the director of the state museum they did heroic work there was no handbook there was an instinct to collect things for a museum that didnt exist it was curatorial triage the site was still burning yet they were going in there and pulling things out
the state museum acquired about 150 objects from the hangar including the port authority police department vehicle used by officer david lim and his explosive detecting labrador retriever sirius
alice m greenwald the director of the memorial museum credited robert i davidson then the chief architect of the authority with reaching out to the architect bartholomew voorsanger soon after the attack to say weve got to save some of this stuff
mr voorsanger assigned his colleague mark wagner to comb the wreckage and decide   on the spot   what pieces warranted saving for posterity mr wagner later joined the architectural firm davis brody bond which designed the memorial museum
salvaged objects were originally kept on a tarmac at kennedy while hangar 17 which had last been used by tower air was readied at first the hangar was not much better than the tarmac as a storage space but by 2004 the authority had installed tents on the hangar floor to shelter the vehicles pieces of the giant rooftop antenna elevator motors and the like
it also built climate controlled rooms in which to store and conserve the ruins of alexander calders bent propeller sculpture extremely compacted segments called composites one of which contained the remnants of four tower floors fused into a mass only four feet high and the last column removed from the trade center site
they were reattaching pieces of rust to preserve an artifact for posterity ms greenwald said now the last column is available to the millions of people who are awed by it it was one of 400 objects and lots that the memorial museum acquired from the port authority she said
had the port authority not taken the steps it did she said this material would have gone to the scrapyard we would not have the museum we have today
by august the authority plans to have disconnected power and water to the hangar which is nearly 60 years old it will almost certainly be demolished
shown a photograph of the darkened room in which the last column was conserved 12 years ago ms greenwald said wow   its like a ghost town that chapter is now truly closed


rome italy   with a swing of her hip the soprano francesca dotto swept up a makeshift wooden staircase in a rehearsal space in teatro nazionale in rome only to have her long train get caught in one of the steps
there was a low murmur from the side of the audience where the designer valentino garavani was watching the partial run through of verdis la traviata sitting next to his longtime business partner giancarlo giammetti and the current creative directors of maison valentino maria grazia chiuri and pierpaolo piccoli
hmmm thats a haute couture dress joked one of the press agents permanently affixed to the valentino coterie in past and present incarnations
actually it was a simple white multilayered tulle slip that ms dotto who was singing the lead role of violetta had affixed over a pair of jeans so she could get used to moving in a long train on a restricted stage
but on sunday when ms dotto performs in a preview performance at the nearby teatro dellopera di roma she will be wearing the real thing an exquisite haute couture gown designed by mr garavani that took 800 hours to make
shes getting used to it i cant wait to see it up the real stairs said the film director sofia coppola during a break in the rehearsal on a recent afternoon onstage the staircase will be almost 20 feet high to better showcase the gowns shimmering green tail
ms coppola is making her opera directing debut in this production which is widely regarded as a coup for the teatro dellopera di roma gradually emerging from a period of financial and internal turmoil
mr garavani designed the four dresses worn by violetta while ms chiuri and mr piccioli designed the costumes for the rest of the cast including two haute couture gowns for the other female principal anna malavasi in the role of flora
mr garavani and mr giammetti have been deeply involved in the production which will be the first cultural project of the foundation that bears their names the costumes for the chorus and male leads were made by the opera theaters in house costume department which also made replicas of mr garavanis gowns for the alternate cast where violetta is played by maria grazia schiavo
a friend of ms coppola   the english production designer nathan crowley also known for his fashion installations for museum exhibitions and batman films   designed the sets with jader bignamini associate director of the verdi orchestra in milan as conductor
it was a fortuitous coming together of people that sometimes just happens said carlo fuortes the general manager of the rome opera house foundation who added that he had approached ms coppola a few years ago to direct mozarts cosi fan tutte for another theater but she wasnt available
the 15 performance run of la traviata is already nearly sold out it is already the biggest box office hit in the history of the theater from 1880 mr fourtes said
elegance and beauty are the dominant leitmotifs of this edition of la traviata an opera based on la dame aux camelias by alexandre dumas fils that is a constant in theater repertoires everywhere reinvented in countless enactments from minimalist to modern to full on mid 19th century period pieces
we wanted to do a new production a modern production but modern as concept without being avant garde said mr giammetti who with mr garavani has been sitting in on most of the rehearsals discreetly fussing over minutiae including jewels fans and hairdos its very traditional what were doing but with an edge thats why we chose sofia coppola who brings a modern vision
marina bianchi ms coppolas assistant director noted that it was very unusual that a costume designer is so present
ms coppola said when valentino asked me i thought i cant say no adding that she was reassured by the operas setting in paris where she lives part of the time as well as her experience directing the period drama marie antoinette in 2006
for la traviata however she said i wanted to bring out the personal side of the french courtesan the party girl used to the social scene its a very feminine world that i love
mr garavani who retired in 2008 returned to work i am hardly pensioned off i am always doing something he said to create violettas gowns a rare venture on the stage despite his much avowed passion for theater
its not his first foray with the footlights some 20 years ago he created the costumes for a short lived opera on the life of rudolph valentino and in more recent years he designed costumes for dancers of the vienna state opera ballet and new york city ballet and it came as a relief that the female leads of traviata were slim the opposite of the sopranos of mr garavanis youth who were often very large he said
i still have creativity inside he said tomorrow i could do a runway show of 100 dresses with no problem
ms chiuri and mr piccioli had already crossed paths with the world of opera collaborating with the set builders of the teatro dellopera di roma for their spring 2014 couture collection commemorating operatic heroines
opera like couture is seen as something of the past a little dusty a little obsolete instead it has to be rediscovered ms chiuri said and that is something that fashion can help to do
then too like couture opera is replete with artisans of great craftsmanship mr piccioli and ms chiuri agreed simultaneously at times interviewing the duo is reminiscent of an operatic duet the two riffing in tandem
the challenge in designing the costumes for ms malavasi and the female chorus   a soft palette counterpoint to violetta reflecting the increasing moodiness of the drama   was to preserve the sense of lightness that for us is a prerogative and make it work under the harsh lights of the stage ms chiuri said
we sought to create a big picture as though it were a painting mr piccioli said because in the end what is impressive about opera is the grandiosity of the stage so we wanted to dress all these people on the stage as if they part of one whole
small touches   substituting a smoking jacket for the hunting jacket alfredo germont violettas lover conventionally wears in the second act   were meant to underline ms coppolas intimate take on the opera
from the first meeting we concurred on the spirit and the approach with respect to the opera mr piccioli said with designers and a film director we could have transformed the opera into something else instead we opted to be more subtle seeking emotions rather than any big effect we wanted to make this opera personal
bringing our own experiences building on the matrix of a classical opera ms chiuri chimed in
for the singers wearing haute couture has been realizing every womans dream said ms malavasi who joked that as a mezzo soprano she usually plays scrappily dressed gypsies wearing maison valentino was thrilling like donning a work of art she said ms dotto said she felt a strong responsibility to wear her dresses with nonchalance with elegance and was grateful that mr garavani and mr giammetti had been very hands on during rehearsals ensuring that the dresses made me feel good
this is not a runway show she said its important that the dress be beautiful but also functional to the action nevertheless she remained a bit terrorized that something could happen to the gowns especially in the scenes where i fall ms dotto said


in todays age of expense scandals and hidden bank accounts a medieval custom of weighing elected officials in public may have new cachet
the annual weigh in seen as a metaphor for politicians misuse of public funds and a mechanism for accountability persists in high wycombe a large town outside london otherwise known for making furniture
to residents hundreds of years ago proof was literally in the pudding a widening of the waistline was jeered as a sign that an official had grown fat at taxpayers expense shrinking girth was applauded as a sign of responsibility and abstemiousness suggesting that a leader had been working hard on the peoples behalf
each may the mayor and other town officials are seated on brass scales in the middle of the town square alongside them is the macebearer who carries a huge gilded club topped with a crown
the weigh in is preceded by a tolling out ceremony involving bell ringing that originated in 1678 when residents irate at their drunken mayor stripped him of his authority
according to records in token thereof it was ordered that the great bell should be rung out in testimony of his misdemeanours
at the weigh in for those who have gained from the previous year the macebearer shouts and some more which in the old days led to the crowd flinging rotten fruit at the profligate officials those who lost weight are rewarded by the macebearers and no more   and by the crowds inevitable cheers
last year mohammed hanif the current mayor weighed no more
but steve baker a member of parliament for high wycombe was among the heavies ive been enjoying myself since the fall he told a local newspaper eating and drinking whatever i wanted
my plan now is to get to the gym build up some more muscle lose some more fat   and hopefully each year i will be lighter but fitter he said
mr baker is to be among those climbing onto the scales on friday


central park east i a small public elementary school at madison avenue and 106th street opened in 1974 with a lofty goal to offer children in east harlem the kind of nurturing arts focused education more often provided in private schools there was no fixed curriculum students learned math through cooking and carpentry studied violin and went ice skating the utopian vision was reflected in the schools democratic style of governance
the school earned a reputation as an exemplar of progressive public education its founder deborah meier became a leader in the small schools movement starting several others and winning a macarthur award in 1987
today in an era of data driven assessments central park east i remains an anomaly proud of its spirit of total freedom teachers decide what to teach and students are encouraged to pursue their own interests whether that means writing short stories or building a zoos worth of animals out of papier mache
but since monika garg took over as principal last summer simmering tensions among parents and staff members have erupted in all out war
on one side are parents and at least half the teachers who accuse the new york city education department of installing ms garg in an attempt to make the school more traditional these parents and teachers say that she is forcing teachers to adopt prepackaged curriculums bringing in families with little stake in the schools approach and retaliating against teachers who resist her policies by starting investigations focused on them they held a rally outside department headquarters on tuesday demanding that she be removed
in the nine months that shes been there she sort of has done everything she can to divide the community said bonnie massey who has a son in the second grade shes mistreated teachers shes mistreated children she has said things that are incredibly offensive
on the other side are parents who see ms garg as trying to return the school to its mission of serving the children of east harlem something they say central park east i has lost by increasingly catering to middle class families
debbie meier said in one of her books that without a powerful system of accountability well intentioned schools can easily become smug secretive tyrannical and even racist said elaina watkins who has three children at the school and supports ms garg and as a parent at cpe i can see that is what has happened at the school
what is not in dispute is that in recent years the makeup of the school which does not draw from a defined georgraphic zone has changed significantly in 2004 5 the student body was 92 percent black and hispanic 54 percent of the children qualified for free lunch today it is 53 percent black and hispanic and 25 percent qualify for free lunch in the early years most students lived in district 4 where the school is now 24 percent of the students come from district 4 and the largest share of students 29 percent come from district 3 on the upper west side
the parents who oppose ms garg say the changes are unfortunate but result from various factors gentrification a few well connected upper west siders talking up the school and the spread in east harlem of charter schools which appeal to many poor families because of their structured approach and high test scores
but ms watkins and other supporters believe the changes in the schools makeup are a consequence of exclusionary admissions and enrollment practices which they say ms garg is moving to reverse
ms garg is not the first principal to face problems at central park east i which has had five since 2003
she was previously the assistant principal at the pan american international high school in queens which serves recent immigrants she said in an interview that there was zero truth to the claim that she had been directed to make the east harlem school more traditional rather she said she had been drawn by its focus on social and emotional development
ms garg said however that she discovered significant problems once she arrived she said she found that some students were leaving the school after the fifth grade without basic math and literacy skills she said she had told the teachers that they needed either to adapt a curriculum from outside the school or to write their own which should lay out the skills that students should learn in each grade
in an attempt to stir a discussion about how the school might adjust its approach to meet the needs of students from different backgrounds she sent out two articles by a black educator and author who argues that some progressive teaching methods do not serve poor black students well about half of the schools 10 longtime teachers are black
how do we as a school make sure all our students have equity ms garg said in the interview adding that it was not only an matter of students of different races but also of students who learn differently
if we have a student who needs some instruction in a different way she said we have to be willing to do it and not say thats not the cpe i way
some parents said they found the articles offensive
kenya dilday who is black and has a daughter in second grade said thats telling me youve chosen this education because youre stupid or youre just misinformed
teachers meanwhile said that ms garg was using the education departments investigation process to try to drive them out two yvonne smith and marilyn martinez said all 10 of the schools veteran teachers were being investigated including them
the department would confirm only that two teachers had been investigated on charges of using corporal punishment in one case a teacher was removed from the school and the investigation remained open the second case was closed with a finding of poor judgment on the teachers part the department said but no action was taken
a spokeswoman for the school systems special commissioner of investigation said that there had also been a complaint made in january against a large number of the schools teachers regarding the use of school funds but that it had been closed with no further action
some of ms gargs supporters said she was dealing with problems that previous administrations had left to fester
naomi smith the principal of central park east ii an offshoot of the original school that opened in 1981 said that under the previous principal lindley uehling a small group of teachers had dominated the school now that they were no longer in control she said theyre not happy
ms uehling said she did not view that characterization as accurate she said that the school was teacher led and decisions were made by consensus but that i always had the final word
for many years central park east i controlled its own enrollment admitting students based on weekday parent tours and visits by prospective students prioritizing childrens fit with the schools model and parents commitment to its progressive approach
in recent years the education department has taken over the admissions process creating a lottery that gives priority to children who live in district 4
but the school has continued to offer tours given by parents or a parent coordinator tour leaders emphasize the schools philosophy that children should progress at their own pace and that students not reading or writing by the second or third grade is no cause for alarm
under the new system students from other districts are generally not offered seats through the lottery unless their siblings attend the school other students are put on a waiting list which is also supposed to offer district 4 children priority the list though appears to have offered a back door to admission for children from other districts
last year only 17 of the 30 children offered kindergarten seats through the lottery ended up at the school leaving another 13 seats to be filled from the waiting list there were 77 students from district 4 on the list but in the end fewer than 10 students from district 4 enrolled in the class while more than two thirds of the seats went to children from other districts
ms gargs opponents say that no one is kept out but that the school is not for everyone and that to thrive it needs families who value its approach
others including ms smith the principal of central park east ii see discriminatory forces at work
she and a mother at her school who asked to be identified only by her given name diana to protect her privacy said dianas daughter was turned away from central park east i last spring despite having won a spot in the lottery
diana said that on the last day of registration she called the school and was told she needed to show up by the end of the school day with her daughter and the girls birth certificate   not a copy but an original   that she would need to get from the health department in lower manhattan
she said she eventually spoke to ms uehling and told her that she could not get the document and her daughter in time ms uehling told her there was nothing she could do to help
diana went to the school to plead her case but ms uehling dismissed her telling her if she could not meet the deadline my seat was given up diana recalled
parents can register with a copy of a birth certificate and schools have some flexibility in when they can allow parents to register
this is how you manipulate the system to lock people out ms smith said in the end central park east ii made room for the girl
ms uehling said she did not recall the episode she said she did not believe an original birth certificate was needed to register
this year ms garg said to encourage all of the families who were offered kindergarten seats through the lottery to visit and to register she invited them to a saturday reception of the 35 children 33 enrolled
after ms garg announced that the school would add a second prekindergarten class next year with district 4 students given priority emek rave the father of a first grader wrote on the schools email list that by allowing only district 4 pre k students most of whom will not choose the school for its progressive values but for its convenient location and current reputation as a successful school without any filter or the teachers voice in the matter you will be crushing the schools values beyond repair
some parents viewed his remarks as racist implying that he did not want the school to be overrun by black and hispanic families mr rave said in an interview that he had been misunderstood he said he believed that ms garg was ending parent tours which he said would lead to the enrolling of families who did not understand the schools approach and would then be dissatisfied and push for changes
we really want children who want this type of education   otherwise it doesnt exist he said
in an interview ms meier the schools founder who is supporting the effort to remove ms garg said she should have taken a year to get to know the school better
andrew padilla 26 who grew up in east harlem and graduated from central park east i in 2001 suggested that focusing on mistakes ms garg may or may not have made missed the point he said the school was isolated from the surrounding community
i dont know if the people in the projects next door would miss the school if it left mr padilla said and the point of cpe initially was not just that it was a progressive school but that it was a progressive school that was geared toward folks in this district


paris   respecting the schedule that novak djokovic laid out in january it is now time for dessert
so will he finally get to taste some at the french open
many a great tennis champion has skidded to a halt at roland garros those who have tried tried some more and ultimately failed to win the worlds premier clay court event include pete sampras jimmy connors bill tilden john mcenroe pancho gonzales john newcombe stefan edberg and djokovics coach boris becker
i lost to guys who were better than me on clay there is no mystery becker said in an interview last week
becker at his best on faster surfaces reached three french open semifinals but never won any tour level tournament on clay djokovic is in a different class as one of the most successful clay court players in history
his career winning percentage on the surface 797 percent is the fifth best in the open era for players with more than 200 matches and since the french championships became open to non french players in 1925 no other man has had as impressive a record in paris without finding a way to win the title at least once
he definitely needs it theres no doubt said jim courier a two time french open champion novak would not be considered the greatest player of all time which he has a chance to be if hes not able to win it
djokovic an elastic serbian and the worlds no 1 player by a mathematical margin equivalent to the rift valley has been a french open finalist three times in the last four years he lost in four sets in 2012 and 2014 to the greatest clay court player in history rafael nadal which was deflating but perfectly comprehensible
djokovic then obliterated nadal a nine time champion in the quarterfinals last year only to lose the big one in an earthshaking upset to stan wawrinka who was in a state of unanticipated grace
but djokovic has also reached four semifinals and two quarterfinals at roland garros since he made his debut in 2005 shortly after his 18th birthday
no man has been so close for so long without reward   not even roger federer who reached three finals but only one semifinal before finally winning in 2009
no djokovic is all on his lonesome in the frustration department he is the only man in the top 10 in career french open match victories without the title although he is clearly still in his prime he turns 29 on sunday and in the midst of another dominant season the clock   biological and otherwise   is ticking
federer andres gomez andre agassi and wawrinka share the mens french open record each having won the title for the first time on his 11th attempt
this will be djokovics 12th try although he has proved himself remarkably adept in recent seasons at shedding midmatch and midtournament mental baggage and finding the lines when it really counts roland garros at this stage seems a psychological challenge of a very different magnitude
he lost in the french to stan last year and i think the second practice at wimbledon i organized another practice with stan because of that becker said i told novak that was clay this is grass its a new tournament and youve got to practice with the guy who gave you a very disappointing loss and novak did it and once they practiced they joked about it and it was over
paris was over so there are ways about it how you overcome situations but in order to overcome them you have to face them you have to talk about them you have to deal with it you cant run away
opportunities to talk about roland garros are legion of course along with an olympic gold medal the french open is the only major tennis prize djokovic lacks and unlike the gold medal it is a trophy he has to chase every spring
i think he has put too much out there in public the last few years as to what it means to him courier said i think one of nadals great strengths is hes always played every point so individually let alone tournaments
obviously the majors mean more to everybody but nadal is able to compartmentalize so well historically so is federer and i think novak is a little more of an emotion based guy he thrives on that energy and i think as a result of that hes been honest to his credit but maybe to a fault
this year the questions started in earnest the night he won the australian open in january and compared himself to a wolf on a hill fighting off the pack below
but wolf needs to eat a lot of different meals to get to paris djokovic said paris is a dessert
since then djokovic has dined out on american hardcourts sweeping the indian wells and miami events even with a title in madrid this month there has been some clay court indigestion including an opening round loss to jiri vesely in monte carlo and a 6 3 6 3 defeat to andy murray on sunday in the final in rome
both losses came with caveats in monte carlo djokovic was flat after a draining period on and off the court in rome he had already fought through nadal in a taxing two set quarterfinal and kei nishikori in an even more grueling three set semifinal before playing with a sore ankle against murray on very little rest
with djokovics quest the french open which begins sunday was already interesting now with murray nadal and nishikori all in the mix it is fascinating
djokovic has a week to reboot and recover which is something he does particularly well in a grand slam context and when he returns to paris this time he returns with the memory of the touching and extended ovation he received after last years loss in the final from a tough and unpredictable audience the french crowd on center court
i think he goes with good feelings to paris becker said the loss to stan gave him more than he anticipated and i think that that carries in the soul a long time how the crowd really appreciated his sportsmanship at the end and his fair play
obviously novak knows what is the task but you go day by day practice by practice match by match and then take it from there i think the overriding feeling is a good one hes looking forward to the challenge
and perhaps   at last   his just dessert


oakland calif   one message on the web forum asked neighbors to be on the lookout for two young african americans slim baggy pants early 20s another warned of a light skinned black female walking her dog and talking on her cellphone
i dont recognize her the post read has anyone described any suspect of crime like her
these postings appeared on the oakland forums of nextdoorcom a website intended to be a virtual neighborhood hangout for the tens of thousands of neighborhoods and hundreds of local police departments that use it to communicate with residents the sites chief executive and co founder nirav tolia describes it as a place to find a babysitter a plumber or a missing cat and to have a kind of leave it to beaver chatter
but people also use it to report suspected crimes and as nextdoor has grown users have complained that it has become a magnet for racial profiling leading african american and latino residents to be seen as suspects in their own neighborhoods
in response to the complaints the company has begun testing ways to prevent these kinds of postings
the site plans to require users who wish to alert neighbors of suspicious activities or people to fill out a form with a description of clothing or some other identifying markers beyond race in this way the company says it will prevent users from relying on race alone in their descriptions reducing the likelihood that innocent neighbors will be targeted
the site already requires people to register using their real names and verifies their home addresses before approving their profiles a policy that was meant in part to prevent the antagonistic posts that are common on social media
this isnt just our issue mr tolia said this is a broad societal issue that was playing out on nextdoor
he added that really egregious racially charged posts were a small fraction of the hundreds of thousands of posts that are up each day and that they were usually flagged by other users but this is a bigger issue than one guy sniping at his neighbor he said
the complaints about nextdoor have come from across the country but have been loudest here in oakland where nearly a third of all households use the platform according to the company the city is 28 percent black 26 percent white 25 percent latino and 17 percent asian
what i saw was just shocking to me monica bien who signed up for nextdoor after moving to oakland in 2014 said of the comments on the site
there is this automatic fear or suspicion of anyone different and it was validated by all these neighbors she continued it was like the bias was so insidious and somehow the online community allows them to say what they have been thinking all along but not saying
ms bien joined neighbors for racial justice an oakland group that with city officials and local law enforcement agencies has pressed the company to address the racial descriptions on the site
law enforcement officials said the postings could lead to a kind of echo chamber and prompt residents to call the police with false alarms the officials also said they were wary of being tied to accusations of racial profiling when they are under scrutiny over the way they deal with minority communities
anytime someone is asking us to respond to a supposed crime threat based on assumptions were worried about wasting resources and alienating others said lt chris bolton the oakland police officer who manages the police departments social media accounts we have to get people to understand what is a real suspicion
nextdoor founded in 2010 is not the first neighborhood based platform accused of becoming a haven for racially charged suspicions
in the georgetown section of washington a chat board run by the local business improvement district was shut down after hundreds of posts accused african americans of trying to shoplift sketchfactor an app that billed itself as a user generated guide for rooting out so called sketchy neighborhoods was lampooned as soon as it was released the creators of the app abandoned it after it faced widespread criticism
but no such platform has the reach of nextdoor which aspires to be used by every neighborhood in the country
nextdoor is testing its changes among users in the bay area and baltimore mr tolia said by the end of the summer he said they should be in place nationwide
while some users who complained of racial profiling applauded the new policy it puts the company in the thorny position of policing what constitutes a legitimate threat and what is thinly veiled prejudice
and some residents here said the changes might discourage people from reporting concerns about crime
i think there is a gray area there where it can be open to interpretation and in some cases i think there has been an overreaction said hugh bartlett an oakland resident who as a neighborhood leader on the website is responsible for helping maintain civility in the postings a concern of mine is that people feel they are being picked on when they report things in the proper manner
shikira porter a leader of neighbors for racial justice said that because of the controversy over nextdoor discussions of racial profiling had continued to spill over to chat boards and to personal conversations in the neighborhood
whether we can change attitudes i dont really know she said but we have to try to change actions


london   shareholders are set to consider whether to approve the all share merger of the london stock exchange group and deutsche borse in july after britons vote on whether to leave the european union the companies said on wednesday
the exchange operators have previously said that an exit by britain would not change the deal but that it could well affect the volume or nature of business carried out by the combined company a vote on whether to stay in the european union is set for june 23
if britain were to leave the bloc the merger would allow london which has served as a financial gateway to europe to maintain economic ties to the continent
the london stock exchange group and deutsche borse said in a news release on wednesday that they continue to make good progress with the preparation of the relevant documentation for their shareholders in relation to the recommended all share merger
the exchanges said they would publish a prospectus on the deal in june and ask london stock exchange group shareholders to vote to approve the deal in july
a deadline would also be set in july for deutsche borse investors to accept an offer to exchange their deutsche borse stock for shares in the new holding company for the combined entity
if the transaction is completed deutsche borse shareholders would own 544 percent of the combined company while london stock exchange group shareholders would own the remaining 456 percent
the announcement came just over two weeks after the intercontinental exchange the owner of the new york stock exchange said it would not pursue a counter bid for the london exchange
the intercontinental exchange had been seen as a potential rival to the planned merger between the london stock exchange and deutsche borse which confirmed that they were in discussions in february and agreed to merge in an all stock deal in march
this is the third attempt to combine the london stock exchange and deutsche borse since 2000 if the merger is approved the combined company would be based in britain and it would have headquarters in london and frankfurt
four years ago deutsche borse abandoned plans to merge with nyse euronext then the parent of the new york stock exchange after european antitrust regulators threatened to block the deal nyse euronext was acquired by ice in 2012 after the deutsche borse deal collapsed
euronext was spun off in an initial public offering in 2014


tokyo   one of the most talked about television commercials in japan this year advertises an unusual product contrition
the ad shows a group of workers and executives from an ice cream company lined up in neat rows in front of their suburban tokyo factory as gentle folk music plays they bow in apology
the companys transgression adding 10 yen or about 9 cents to the price of garigari kun a hugely popular soda flavor ice cream bar about 500 million of the bright blue snacks are consumed every year mostly by children
increasing prices are a big deal in japan the countrys sluggish economy means that the cost of most things has not risen in 20 years and almost any increase makes headlines
consumer prices are a painful economic headache for japan the countrys officials have been trying to break this stubborn pattern of deflation by pumping money into the economy and bolstering public spending japans economy which has been oscillating between growth and contraction for years picked up speed in the first quarter according to government data released on wednesday
but the price increases that do go through   like the cost of the garigari kun ice cream bar rising to Y=70 from Y=60   do not reflect a more vibrant economy or a stronger consumer they usually mean a company is facing higher costs cutting into its profit the deflationary trends are still firmly in place and wages are under more pressure than prices so buying power for most japanese has declined compared with a generation ago
garigari kun is meant to be something kids can easily buy with their allowance said fumio hagiwara a marketing executive at akagi nyugyo the maker of the ice cream bar even grown ups have less pocket money these days
akagi last increased prices a quarter of a century ago and it debated the recent rise for seven or eight years mr hagiwara said the rising cost of raw materials finally forced akagis hand he said tighter logging restrictions in china for instance meant it had to use more expensive russian lumber for ice cream sticks
in stronger economic circumstances akagis price increase would not stand out companies in other places routinely pass on higher costs to consumers but in japan businesses that face rising costs feel they have less ability to do so because wages are flat instead they take a hit to their profits or cut back rather than alienate consumers
we dont have any more income but taxes are rising said kazuko ida 65 who lives in tokyo as a result she said she is especially reluctant to spend more its one thing if luxury items are expensive but if cheap things arent cheap anymore its a real problem
japanese policy makers have long identified deflation as enemy no 1 for the economy prime minister shinzo abe won power four years ago on a promise to stamp it out the central bank has been flooding financial markets with cheap money and it has gone so far as to cut its benchmark interest rate below zero a policy that has been tried in only a few other developed countries
but the results officials have been seeking   robust increases in borrowing and spending and a sustained rise in prices   have been elusive the consumer price index is back below zero after an upswing during mr abes first two years in office wholesale prices tumbled 42 percent in april their sharpest decline in more than six years
a recent rise in the value of the yen after several years of weakness under mr abe has made beating deflation harder a weak yen means costlier imports which helps drive overall inflation but now imports on the whole are getting cheaper again
the economic report on wednesday showed that japans economy expanded 17 percent in annualized price adjusted terms in the quarter that ended in march that was significantly faster than forecasts still economists urged caution spending by households and businesses was down and so were exports   all crucial pillars of growth
rather than rely on those the economy benefited from higher government spending and a decline in imports the extra day in february because of the leap year also helped specialists said
reasons for the upside surprise were not encouraging said masamichi adachi chief japan economist at jpmorgan chase he said the economy was likely to remain stagnant
since mr abes conservative coalition was elected in december 2012 the economy has expanded in eight quarters and shrunk in five newspaper opinion surveys suggest that about half of voters are dissatisfied with his economic program known as abenomics a disorganized political opposition has offered little in the way of alternatives but an election for the upper house of parliament in july is adding to pressure to turn things around
mr abe is looking at ways to restore momentum the government is drafting a supplementary stimulus budget and is considering delaying an increase in the national sales tax planned for april 2017 the two percentage point tax increase the second of two planned rises has already been put off once supporters say it is needed to reduce japans large budget deficit but the first increase in 2014 hurt consumers and was blamed for pushing the economy into recession
in the ice cream business mr hagiwara said akagi had calculated that garigari kuns sales volume would drop by 7 percent as a result of raising prices the sales hit the company believed would be more than counterbalanced by the higher price
but it appears that for his company at least an apology is an effective way to deal with the pain mr hagiwara said sales jumped by about 10 percent in the first month or so after the price increase in march though they have since begun to fall back
we figure it will take another year before we know how consumers really take to it he said


london   in april 1967 a 20 year old art student hamish fulton hitchhiked from london to andorra in the pyrenees and back and typed up his itinerary on a few sheets of paper petrol station on route n20 to orleans 10 pm one entry read franceandorra frontier 1000 am read another he then submitted the two pages as a work of art to his college the st martins school of art
mr fultons cheeky piece   hitchhiking times from london to andorra and from andorra to london 9 15 april 1967   is now hanging on a wall of tate britain as part of the exhibition conceptual art in britain 1964 1979 running through aug 29 the exhibition brings together 70 works by 21 artists whose aim was to produce art about ideas and the creative process
some displays are quirky and amusing such as the tall pyramid of fresh oranges by roelof louw originally conceived in 1967 which visitors are invited to help themselves to others are charts maps archival photographs and writings such as the 18 sheets of conversation   with words inscribed on musical staves   between members of the text driven art  language group
none of these artworks are really for passive contemplation said andrew wilson curator of british contemporary art and archives at tate who put together the show theyre not pleasant arrangements of shapes and colors on a canvas they are provocations some of them provocations to actually thinking what art might be
such incitements were the bridge that led from modern art to contemporary art mr wilson said they were very much a hinge between two ways of thinking about art it was no longer important to produce work that was visually stimulating it was enough for art to stimulate the mind
the british contemporary artist ryan gander said theres this funny stereotype of conceptual art   or a shadow that follows it around   that its dry and boring and black and white and photocopied its just art about thinking
its about learning he added discovery investigation turning over rocks and seeing whats under them
mr gander   a conceptual artist whose works include a conveyer belt of random objects blank cartoon strips and palettes he has used for individual paintings   recalled that as a student he sought out works by that generation of artists
conceptual art he said gave him a sense that anything was possible that life was totally limitless and that i dont have to be able to make anything i just have to be mentally agile
the tate exhibition has divided critics writing in the financial times rachel spence described it as ascetic elegant and paced as unpredictably as a bach cello suite rearranged by john cage she said that mr wilson had rendered palatable a moment that can feel distinctly arid
the sunday timess waldemar januszczak countered sorry but i came into art to see things not to read them when did enjoying art become confused with doing homework between 1964 and 1979 appears to be the answer
conceptual art emerged in the united states europe and latin america in the 1960s the idea itself even if it is not made visual is as much of a work of art as any finished product the early conceptualist sol le witt wrote in a 1967 essay
in britain conceptual art took the form of a revolt against the dominance of modernist painting and sculpture in the school curriculum   and against its champion the american critic clement greenberg at one point in the mid 1960s a group of london artists and critics led by a st martins tutor pointedly destroyed a library copy of greenbergs book art  culture they tore the pages out chewed them up and returned the distilled pulp to the library in a glass phial
rejecting the notion that art had to have a tangible and aesthetic form conceptual artists argued that process was equally valid as an artistic statement richard longs a line made by walking 1967 is a photograph of a trace left in the grass by his footsteps david tremletts the spring recordings 1972 is a neat row of 81 cassette recordings of rural sounds from each of britains 81 counties michael craig martins an oak tree 1973 is a glass of water on a wall mounted shelf with an accompanying text in which he tells a viewer of the work what ive done is change a glass of water into a full grown oak tree without altering the accidents of the glass of water
this being britain puns and humor play a part a 1971 work by the provocateur keith arnatt consists of 11 photographs of him trying to swallow 11 pieces of paper each marked with one of the words eleven portraits of the artist about to eat his own words
susan hiller an american artist who moved to london in the early 1960s and never left said conceptual art opened up possibilities of making work that you could call art in completely nontraditional ways you could walk you could write you could take a photograph a million things you could do could all be art and that was very very new and very radical
ms hiller is represented in the final room of the exhibition as part of a second wave of british conceptual artists her work dedicated to the unknown artists 1972 6 consists of 305 postcards of rough seas that she bought all over britain set in neat frames with a map of where they were bought
as a woman artist and a foreigner ms hiller said she was not exactly embraced at the time by the early conceptualists they were tough she recalled they really believed in what they were doing and thought anybody who wasnt doing it was beyond the pale
yet if not for them she said she might never have become an artist   other art movements of the time such as abstract expressionism were unappealing   and she would probably never have experimented with sound works early on
you didnt need to define yourself by medium anymore ms hiller recalled because conceptual art was  democratizing the kinds of practices that could be considered art


for all the rejoicing that comes with the arrival of summer we know that warmer weather brings a new set of beauty concerns humidity frizzed hair newly exposed skin begging for additional spf and a problem area or two aching for exfoliating and toning after being covered up for months below the sunscreens hair products and spa services to get you ready for the season
pump up your spf
to make applying spf more appealing there are new sunscreens that arent creamy or streaky its all about functionality said patricia wexler a dermatologist in manhattan there are new formulations that make using spf much less invasive than it used to be dr wexler also advises regular exfoliation which can help ensure that sunscreen is evenly distributed
fresh sugar sport treatment spf 30 is a thick waxy stick that comes in a tube reminiscent of the shade of an hermes shopping bag its a tweak of the popular sugar line of lip balms but designed to be used on the face and body as well providing a higher level of sun protection the water resistant formula includes moisturizing avocado and black currant seed oil
soleil toujours a line of sunscreens that is sold at stores like barneys new york is adding several new products to its offerings next month set  protect micro mist is applied over makeup it leaves the skin looking pleasantly matte while providing broad spectrum spf 30 sun protection another addition to the line is an spf 30 mineral body lotion that comes in transparent and tinted formulas
zelens body defence sunscreen was formulated by a plastic surgeon with a practice in london it is an oil that has common sunscreen ingredients like octinoxate and avobenzone added for broad spectrum spf 30 protection along with squalane to moisturize and vitamin e the texture isnt greasy and it blends quickly into the skin it can be used on the hair as well as the body
dr russo sun protective day cleanser spf 30 was conceived by a dermatologist based in britain it works counterintuitively a milky face wash that leaves a protective layer of sunscreen on the skin after the product is rinsed off in the united states where it was introduced a few months ago the cleanser is available exclusively at space nk
hydrate your hair
for hair in particular switching up ones routine with the season makes sense what you do in the wintertime is not what youre going to do in the summer said eva scrivo a hairstylist with two salons in manhattan she suggests washing your hair less frequently because natural oils can help prevent the onslaught of frizz when humidity levels are high
goldwell kerasilk control smoothing fluid is part of a new collection of products introduced this month that aim to tame frizz and smooth the hair with ingredients like silk and glyoxylic acid it can be used on either dry or damp hair to counteract the effects of humidity
also new this month is the kerastase nutritive magistral collection which targets dryness and damage from factors like sun exposure the lines formulas include benjoin tree resin sourced from laos and indonesia to fortify the hair all promise to leave the hair moisturized for three days a standout is the nutrive masque magistral which was designed for thick locks but can help smooth any hair thats parched
rahua elixir daily hair drops introduced last month promises to help repair hair thats been damaged from the sun like the companys other products this one is made with ungurahua oil from the amazon it can be applied to the scalp and the hair itself especially at the ends
ouidad which specializes in products for curly hair is introducing curl immersion hi defining custard on june 1 it includes moisturizing coconut oil as well as kalahari melon seed oil to fortify the hair and maintain curly and wavy shapes once applied the thick gel has a light feel and delivers significant hold on humid days for even extremely curly hair
philip kingsley citrus sunshine swimcap is a new iteration of the popular swimcap conditioning treatment originally created in 1984 for the united states olympic synchronized swimming team like its predecessor it is meant to be used on damp hair to thwart the effects of chlorine and sun this version is lightly fragrant with notes of orange and bergamot
be beach body ready
in time for bikini season the caudalie vinotherapie spa at the plaza hotel recently added remodelage by martine de richeville a parisian aesthetician to its menu the treatment consists of a targeted massage to improve lymphatic drainage and stimulate the metabolism while not the most relaxing experience   the pressured circular motions can feel a bit like a rope burn   it also aims to help rid the body of toxins
a few blocks away at the peninsula spa new york the new micro puncture treatment aims to improve appearance areas like the neck and decolletage introduced this month it stimulates collagen production by piercing the top layer of the skin with tiny sterile needles followed by a biologique recherche serum that consists of 24 amino acids and vitamins the treatment is also offered for the face as well as without the serum targeted parts of the body
to slough off winter skin the red door in union square recently introduced the mint julep body treatment it includes a salt scrub as well as a cream that blends mint and lavender oils with shea butter cocoa butter and jojoba seed oil to soothe and moisturize the spa also offers a companion manicure and pedicure
a summery cocktail also inspired the new grapefruit vodka pedicure at sweet lily natural nail spa in tribeca the treatment includes a soak in a solution of 75 percent grapefruit juice water and a splash of vodka a natural antiseptic also part of the service a scrub that is made on the premises for each client with sugar and lime oil like the soak it is intended solely for beautifying not consumption


hillary clintons lead in general election polls has faded over the last few weeks one reason might be that a growing number of republicans are coalescing around donald trumps candidacy
another part of the explanation fewer live interview telephone polls
so far this year live interview telephone surveys have tended to show mrs clinton leading by a slightly larger margin than those conducted online there hasnt been a live interview telephone survey since mr trump beat back all his rivals early this month so mrs clintons seeming lead has seemed to shrink particularly fast
why does mr trump do better in online polls and are the online polls right the prevailing theory of mr trumps edge in online surveys is social desirability bias   the idea that poll respondents might be less likely to divulge a socially undesirable opinion like support for a controversial candidate like mr trump to a live interviewer than in an online questionnaire
this is not an entirely new phenomenon for mr trump he fared better in online surveys during the republican primaries than he did in telephone surveys a tendency first identified by jonathan robinson at catalist a data firm associated with the democratic party the pattern lasted all the way through the end of the primary season the online pollster morning consult conducted a study indicating that social desirability bias drove his edge
thomas edsall writing in the the new york times raised the possibility that the same phenomenon explains mr trumps strength in the online polls right now suggesting that mr trump could outperform traditional surveys showing a wide lead for mrs clinton
social desirability bias might well be helping mr trump in online polls but its a lot less clear now than it was during the primary season and even if that is whats going on theres no reason to assume the online polls are right
with the primary season effectively over i think we can say with some qualifications that the live interview surveys were probably more accurate than the online surveys
why the actual results just werent as good for mr trump as the balance of online surveys predicted they would be
mr trump has now won 41 percent of the popular vote   including the string of recent contests where he clearly broke through and outperformed his prior vote tallies on super tuesday he won just 34 percent of the vote   and he won about 39 percent between then and the new york primary
but the online surveys showed mr trump at 38 percent as early as the new year broke 40 percent around super tuesday and were in the mid 40s by march 15 his actual vote tallies consistently trailed the online surveys they look a lot more like what the live interview surveys showed at the time
the upshot published a series of demographic models throughout the primary season that estimated how mr trump might have fared if the country had voted on that date at the time our estimates showed mr trump did not approach 40 percent of the vote until march 15
with the benefit of hindsight we can do even better take all of the results so far and estimate how mr trump would do in a national primary held at any given stage of the race these estimates based on the actual results consistently match more closely with the live interview surveys than the online ones
this doesnt necessarily mean that the social desirability bias theory is wrong its possible that other differences between online and live interview polls   likely voter models or sampling procedures   accounted for mr trumps additional strength
all told its not enough evidence to make me think that the online polls are more accurate about mr trump than the live interview surveys
mr trumps advantage in online polls is a lot less clear in the general election than it was in the primary
it does seem to exist mrs clinton generally leads mr trump by less in online surveys on balance though mr trump has about 25 more points in live interview polls hes actually earning a smaller share of the vote in online surveys than in the live interview polls   the exact opposite of what one might expect if he were being hurt by social desirability bias in live interview polls
so whats going on the main difference between the online and live interview polls is there are vastly more undecided voters in the online surveys in the live interview surveys there are correspondingly more supporters of mrs clinton and mr trump with mrs clinton apparently gaining slightly more ground
why are there so many undecided voters its a methodological quirk relating to the way that online pollsters have to ask questions
consider for instance how the typical nbc newswall street journal poll a live interview survey asked the horse race question in march
and if the election for president were held today and donald trump were the republican candidate and hillary clinton were the democratic candidate for whom would you vote
notice that undecided or other or dont know isnt a stated option live interview pollsters can do that since the respondent is free to say other or i dont know and the interviewer can record it as such in the nbcwsj poll 9 percent volunteered other or neither and 2 percent werent sure
but this is a lot more challenging for an online pollster if you put dont know or other as an option a lot of people are going to take it but if you dont include it you have a problem what will the truly undecided voters do they could provide an unreliable answer or leave the survey if you provide them the option to skip they might skip through the whole questionnaire
in the end many of the online pollsters give voters the option to choose undecided voters are taking it in huge numbers
you can see the effect in another type of nbc news survey those conducted online by surveymonkey at the beginning of may the first nbc newssurveymonkey general election poll included an explicit dont know option mrs clinton led 43 to 37 with 19 percent selecting dont know
but in their second survey conducted after mr trump emerged triumphant undecided was no longer an option respondents could go out of their way to skip the question and leave it blank but they couldnt simply say undecided the result mrs clinton led 49 to 44 percent with just 7 percent electing to skip the question
this doesnt mean there isnt a social desirability bias against mr trump one could imagine for instance that mr trump would receive notably more support in the online surveys if they had as few undecided voters as the live interview surveys
but it does make it harder to compare the results of the online and live interview surveys since theres no way to be sure whether mr trump would still be doing better if there were fewer undecided voters
you could imagine for instance that a bunch of bernie sanderss supporters will take the dont know option simply to spare themselves from having to support mrs clinton in the most recent yougov online survey 30 percent of mr sanderss supporters were selecting either someone else not sure or wouldnt vote
but in the recent new york timescbs news live interview survey just 9 percent wound up in those categories mrs clinton was the beneficiary she held 82 percent of mr sanderss supporters but just 55 percent in the yougov poll mr trump did fare better among mr sanderss supporters in the yougov poll earning 15 percent of the vote than in the new york timescbs news poll where he won 10 percent
my guess is that mr trump would still fare slightly better in the online surveys than in the live interview polls even if the number of undecided voters was equal mrs clinton tends to lead by a hair more among decided voters even after removing the undecided voters
but its not clear that its a social desirability effect or that its more accurate


on april 4 a terse letter signed by the heads of the major education lobbying organizations in washington   teachers unions school boards superintendents principals and governors   landed on the desk of john king jr the secretary of education
it had been less than three weeks since the senate had confirmed mr king a former high school teacher and education commissioner in new york yet as the letter showed he had already managed to irk the entire school establishment as well as the republican majority in congress his offense trying to make good on a long unkept promise to the nations low income schoolchildren that they should receive as much education funding as everyone else
a few months before this clash congress had finished renewing the omnibus federal education law known as the elementary and secondary education act esea after years of difficult negotiation the next move was for the education department to issue regulations detailing how provisions of the law were to be put in place the department proposed a rule that would require local school districts to give schools enrolling large numbers of poor children at least as much state and local money as other schools   thus prompting the letter
equal funding doesnt sound too crazy yet many districts currently fall short nationwide districts with high levels of poverty receive 1200 less per pupil from state and local sources than districts with low levels of poverty
marguerite roza a georgetown university scholar has found that many districts spend up to a third less per pupil in poor schools compared with others this can happen for various reasons because wealthy parents unduly influence budget allocations for example it can also happen because most teachers are paid using collectively bargained salary schedules that reward longevity senior teachers tend to cluster in wealthy schools while schools where many children are poor often churn through large numbers of novice badly paid teachers
but fixing such funding inequities can be expensive as well as disruptive to longstanding arrangements of which teachers get to be in which schools thats why the unions districts and state leaders wrote the letter urging mr king to refrain from defining terms and aspects of the new law   the essence of regulation   especially as it relates to the supplement not supplant provision
supplement not supplant is a key element of the education act going back to the earliest version of the law enacted five decades ago as part of president lyndon johnsons war on poverty and the roots of controversy stretch back that far as well
the most expensive and important part of the law was and still is title i which provides federal grants to local school districts based on how many low income students are enrolled districts are required to spend the federal money on the schools where more of the poor children are the whole point of title i is that low income children have extra barriers to learning that require extra resources to overcome
the authors of the original law were wary of administrators in local districts many of whom were actively discriminating against minority schoolchildren because more than 90 percent of school revenues come from state and local sources lawmakers worried that districts would play a shell game with new title i funds   transferring a dollar of local resources to rich schools from poor ones for every new federal dollar earmarked for poor schools that arrived
a 1969 report from the naacp legal defense and educational fund inc found examples of exactly that as a result congress amended the law in 1970 to thwart such maneuvers it required districts to spend title i dollars on additional education for poor children above and beyond what they already received from other sources   that is to supplement not to supplant
but from the start the rule proved hard to enforce since few districts maintain separate bank accounts and accounting ledgers for each school under the previous version of the education act passed in 2001 the education department enforced a complicated set of policies that essentially required districts and auditors to posit a counterfactual how much money would poor students have received without title i if state law requires students to be taught for six hours a day for example a district couldnt use title i funds to teach poor children for the sixth hour because that would leave them no better off than before
this requirement proved cumbersome for schools and regulators alike so lawmakers modified it when they passed the latest version of the law in 2015 they kept the supplement not supplant provision but districts would no longer have to identify particular services as supplemental and the department was prohibited from requiring a specific methodology for distributing state and local funds
the departments proposed rule   the one that prompted the lobbyists letter   affirmed that districts could decide for themselves how to distribute their money among schools whether based on head counts student to teacher ratios a percentage increase over the previous years school budget or anything else however the result of the methodology had to be that the district spent at least as much state and local money in each title i school as in non title i schools that had to be the nonnegotiable starting point   otherwise how could title i money by any reasonable definition of the word be considered extra
the department did not mention teacher salaries but they make up the bulk of school budgets and would thus be included in calculations of spending
normally teachers unions and school advocates support democratic politicians and are the mortal enemies of conservative republicans yet this time they found an enthusiastic supporter in senator lamar alexander republican of tennessee and chairman of the senate education committee hes generally opposed to federal regulations of education on principle regardless of the issue in this way left leaning interest groups like local teachers unions are ideologically aligned with tea party republicans
the week after the lobbyist letter mr alexander hauled mr king into a public hearing and dressed him down citing a different provision he said the law specifically says that school districts shall not include teacher pay when they measure spending for purposes of comparability if mr king refused to back down he would encourage states to sue mr alexander said the education departments rule is now in a period of public debate by stakeholders
while the particulars may seem technical the underlying issue is large it comes down to whether the federal government will require states and districts that voluntarily accept federal funds to use their own money fairly a crucial question as students and teachers are held accountable for meeting exacting new educational standards like the common core in late april a coalition of civil rights organizations including the naacp the aclu the childrens defense fund and the national council of la raza delivered their own letter to mr king supporting the new rule
the original esea was a civil rights law mr king told me and president obama believes the new esea builds on that civil rights legacy
mr king the child of educators and an orphan by the time he was 12 credits his teachers in new york city public schools for helping him stay on track and achieve success but even today in queens for example a poor school gets 29 percent less money than a wealthy school nearby he said adding its unfair and could mean less art music and college counseling those things he said can determine a childs future


cannes france   this might look like a ton of fun but dont forget this is also work said the movie producer harvey weinstein long after midnight on the steps of the hotel du cap eden roc in antibes france against a backdrop of flowing champagne crashing waves and a strolling band playing tracks by the beatles the setting was the 69th annual cannes film festival and mr weinstein on the french riviera for two weeks to make film deals would later host a party onboard the odessa ii yacht with the billionaire businessman len blavatnik
you are constantly at work in cannes morning noon and night mr weinstein said cellphone in hand it doesnt stop
indeed although cannes has long been the film festival with the most star power and glimmering parties this year more than any other the power of the red carpet economy has been on show for all to see in an ever spinning carousel of premieres news media junkets and high wattage events charles finch of finch  partners a consultancy that advises brands on hollywood partnerships said that as the movie industry has shrunk the big sponsorships that were once the province of major studios have been co opted by major luxury houses instead with the related transformation of the croisette into a catwalk
megabrands such as dior and chopard spend millions of dollars on five star hotel suites on this busy stretch of mediterranean seafront grooming dressing and bejeweling starlets for a moment in the spotlight a stones throw away at the palais
the studios came to cannes for cultural gravitas and indie credentials that would give their movies added weight spending a great deal of money doing so mr finch said the festivals focus on international cinema meant a more global spotlight than american centric award ceremonies he said now its the turn of big brands to step up and do the same thing
mr finch would know he hosted his annual star studded dinner friday night alongside the watch brand jaeger lecoultre on the palatial terraces of the hotel
clive owen rubbed shoulders with george miller the director of mad max and this years main competition jury president while his fellow juror mads mikkelsen mingled with the likes of heidi klum charlotte tilbury gael garcia bernal jack oconnell and johnny coca the perennially kilted mulberry creative director dominic west held court at the center of the room and at dinner the actress rebecca hall giggled with mick jagger who was resplendent in a crushed plum hued jacket and later shamelessly cut the line at the buffet
just 24 hours later a lucky few hundred guests traveled once again along the winding coastal roads back to the hotel du cap eden roc for the vanity fair party hosted by the magazines editor graydon carter
after a lavish dinner upstairs co hosted by richard plepler the chairman of hbo the scene headed downstairs and onto the decks for an after party that resembled a 1950s movie set the hotels lush gardens had been uplit in misty pinks and yellows elegant sandy hued umbrellas positioned amid the rocks and the vanity fair logo gleamed like sunken treasure from the bottom of the pool dozens of security heavies with earpieces lurked discreetly in the bushes ready to boot any foolhardy crashers willing to try their luck there were plenty
its so much fun tonight said the model of the moment kendall jenner in a midnight blue satin wrap gown with sparkling black tassels by mathieu mirano i feel like all my friends are here
nearby kate hudson chatted with peter dundas the creative director for roberto cavalli and kirsten dunst who was full of praise for the designer of her gown the london based michael van der ham
he is one of the most talented guys in the business and i want him in the spotlight she said while leaning by the bar tell everyone about this amazing outfit
jodie foster continued to accept well wishes for her film money monster which debuted two days earlier and chloe sevigny bedecked in tweed and lace by alessandra rich did an enthusiastic rendition of the cancan russell crowe was also in high spirits telling fellow revelers that if they went to see his new movie the nice guys also starring ryan gosling please wear underwear because youll laugh your pants off
this was not a problem for a flat capped leonardo dicaprio who charged scowling through the crowd at lightning speed before setting up a base in the shadows
the party was co hosted by the jewelry brand chopard also an official partner of the film festival as well as the co host of its own yacht party earlier along with colin firth and his wife livia chopard celebrated the latest green carpet collection as part of a collaboration with gemfields the precious stones supplier to produce ethically sourced emeralds julianne moore wore several pieces to the opening ceremony which glimmered among the gold sequins on her alexander mcqueen gown
the great thing about cannes is that beyond the glitz and glamour the red carpet can be used to promote important causes in a public arena that has unparalleled reach said mrs firth the founder and creative director of eco age a brand consultancy that helps companies become more sustainable
kering the french luxury conglomerate that owns such names as gucci stella mccartney and alexander mcqueen had the same idea in addition to creating the women in motion series of talks that explore the position of women in the film industry the group hosted the cannes presidential dinner sunday night honoring the work of susan sarandon and geena davis 25 years after the release of thelma  louise
as the actresses took selfies ms sarandon said that the female centric road trip classic would most likely never have been made today given what she called a lack of imagination by male film executives
it would probably end up as an animation she said after having whipped off her heels to collect her award her comment cheered by juliette binoche vanessa paradis and jean paul gaultier whereas women can see a woman or a man in a leading role she added i dont think its as easy for a guy to see a woman in a leading role and say ill get behind that it is still a cultural thing
her seatmate at dinner salma hayek gave the subject a more positive spin
theres a lot of work to be done still i know ms hayek said before sitting back in her rose pink ruffled gucci gown but i truly believe that this is an issue that is part of more conversations that ever before its amazing to see and hear


the shift in american fashion continues diane von furstenberg creator of the wrap dress empowerer of women and founder of the company that bears her name has named a presumptive heir   and he is a man
on monday ms von furstenberg announced that she had appointed the scottish designer jonathan saunders as chief creative officer as such he will be in charge of all aspects of design for the company   including fashion art direction and advertising   and work with the chief executive paolo riva who joined dvf a year ago
it is time to reboot and in a fresh way ms von furstenberg said i have been looking for someone to be my heir for years and now i have found him
though ms von furstenberg 69 will continue as chairwoman the appointment will free her to use my voice more she said i want to focus on my work with women public speaking and philanthropy
she is also thinking about her legacy and how she wants to be remembered
one answer is as someone who told women they could be the woman they wanted to be she said another may be as the founder of a brand who prepared for the future of that brand a transition that has not traditionally been a strong point in the industry recently though that has begun to change
before his death oscar de la renta named peter copping as his successor and though the adjustment at that label is ongoing the sheer fact that it planned for the future was an important development given the number of labels with mature founders at their helm giorgio armani and ralph lauren spring to mind that ms von furstenberg is thinking the same way is significant and it is bound to be noted
i will be there to give them the juice of course ms von furstenberg said but i will absolutely let them run the show
whether this is true remains to be seen it is a complicated emotional proposition to hand over to another the reins of a company you built after hubert de givenchy sold his company to lvmh he was critical of their stewardship ditto yves saint laurent who often dismissed tom fords work when he was creative director of ysl granted neither mr de givenchy or mr saint laurent had any say over their brands at that point so their powerlessness may have had something to do with their comments
ms von furstenberg has worked with other artistic directors most recently with michael herz for two years and before that with yvan mispelaere from 2010 to 2012 and she had been enthusiastic about their potential before breaking up with them but this is the first time she has publicly ceded the creative leadership of her label which suggests she is serious it is a big commitment mr riva said
ms von furstenberg said its all in the timing
the move follows the retirement of donna karan and the refocusing of the company on the contemporary line dkny under designers maxwell osborne and dao yi chow as well as the recent decision by pvh to consolidate calvin klein under a single designer as yet unnamed
less dramatic but also significant is the addition of laura kim and fernando garcia founders of the buzzy new label monse and oscar de la renta alumni to oversee the team at carolina herrera
together the moves add up to a potential redefinition of new york fashion under a new generation of designers
still the choice of mr saunders 38 suggests that at least for dvf a radical rethink is not in order mr saunders born in glasgow and trained as a furniture and textile designer at the glasgow school of art and central saint martins in london introduced his own label in 2003 and became part of a new wave of london designers including christopher kane and peter pilotto
like ms von furstenbergs work mr saunderss has been marked by vibrant shades and fluid prints as well as an easy silhouette that placed pattern at the core of its identity though he also has a more architectural sensibility that may help to modernize the brand aesthetically the appointment makes a lot of sense
ive had my eye on him since he started ms von furstenberg said i think his sense of color is better than anyone else in the world
yet despite the endorsement of figures like catherine duchess of cambridge and diane kruger and an investment from the financier eiesha bharti pasricha mr saunders closed his doors last december for what he identified as personal reasons they seem to have had a lot to do with the perennial complications that come from outside funding ms von furstenberg came calling soon after
when i heard what happened with the company i thought we have to meet she said they finally sat down last month and agreed that mr saunders would embark on a limited consultancy for dvf
i thought we should get engaged before we got married said ms von furstenberg who tends to talk about the designers she works with in relationship metaphors but he came for the weekend and we all fell in love it felt so right we talked until 3 in the morning and i thought i cant lose him after a whirlwind few days the contract was signed
despite the fact that he has never worked full time for anyone elses label before mr saunders seemed in a similar swoon both of us felt immediately aligned as people in our thoughts about the industry and where it is heading he said
ms von furstenberg added i am so happy i will be able to sleep now if something happened to me today they would be able to handle it
mr saunders is in the process of relocating to new york his first collection for dvf will be shown during new york fashion week in september
last season ms von furstenberg invited guests into her studio to experience vignettes of models in her clothes instead of holding a traditional runway show and she has been vocal about her belief that the system needs to change but as to what form the september show will take mr riva indicated that its too early to say were discussing it a lot he said
on his first day at work however mr saunders was less restrained youre definitely going to see something different he said
it may well become the motto for the entire season


cannes france   the bfg the latest from steven spielberg is based on the 1982 book of the same title by roald dahl its the story of young sophie the newcomer ruby barnhill who one night is plucked from her bed by a giant hand she soon discovers that the hand belongs to the bfg   voiced with an ache by mark rylance   or the big friendly giant the girl and the giant bond naturally and soon enough this funny creepy quirky child snatching story turns into an odd couple tale about two lonely souls who set out to vanquish a gang of giant hooligans who snack on human beans   people
using a combination of physical sets performance capture and digital wizardry mr spielberg creates a visually seamless world that looks startlingly real the bfg is most touchingly an expression of mr spielbergs movie love evident in its emphasis on dreams a lovely interlude involving a kind of shadow play and even in an allusion to a zoetrope a protocinematic device that creates the illusion of motion
the film was adapted for the screen by melissa mathison who died in 2015 and remains best known for her screenplay for et the extra terrestrial which screened in cannes in 1982 it was mr spielbergs second appearance as a director in the festivals main competition following the sugarland express in 1974 he won the prize for best screenplay that year since then his appearances at cannes have been infrequent the color purple played out of competition in 1986 the bfg was also shown out of competition and he served as president of the feature jury in 2013 on sunday i spoke with mr spielberg about his new movie accusations that dahl was anti semitic and what he would change in the film industry at the carlton hotel here are excerpts
q how did the project come to you
a kathy kennedy she got the rights from the dahl estate about 9 10 years ago and she hired melissa to write the screenplay i read melissas script and loved it there was a lot of work to be done but it was a wonderful first draft i got involved in directing it because melissa and i have been so close all these years we raised our families together practically
and then it was just like old home week again it was such a familiar feeling being in   you cant call them story meetings theyre like life jam sessions   and out of it sometimes comes an idea that melissa will write down and it may or may not go into the script they were very casual very beautiful sessions its hard being here without her
q was the melding of technology and human beings part of your interest
not really because at first i thought we would do it with actors   darby ogill and the little people with forced perspective staging actors with false eye lines but then i realized if i shot the movie that way it would be no different from tom thumb thumbelina jack and the beanstalk   it wouldnt be magical and i thought that the most important thing i could contribute was to try to create real cinematic magic not magic as a result of an audiences experience but physical literal alchemy on the screen that was somehow similar to things weve seen before but somehow also very different
to do that i thought i need all the giants to be creatures now i could certainly make them creatures through prosthetic makeup but wouldnt it be wonderful if we had complete freedom that the creatures were done digitally i felt like we were just on the cusp of inventing soul that we could really infuse actual human god given soul into an animated character they had gotten close to it on several movies like avatar and even planet of the apes
i didnt want the technology to subvert marks honest performance and that was the big risk we took would they be able to get marks soul into bfgs face and body mark is 100 percent responsible for his performance the technology of motion capture with the suit he wears and the dots on his face delivered 80 percent of pure soulful performance to the animators and the video cameras that recorded his performance from six different angles gave the animators the next 20 percent
q at this point do you feel like there are any new and interesting hurdles for you
the bfg was a huge hurdle for me   id never done a fairy tale before every movie i make theres a hurdle to it i look for things that will scare me fear is my fuel i get to the brink of not really knowing what to do and thats when i get my best ideas confidence is my enemy and it always has been
my sequels arent as good as my originals because i go onto every sequel ive made and im too confident this movie made a ka zillion dollars which justifies the sequel so i come in like its going to be a slam dunk and i wind up making an inferior movie to the one before im talking about the lost world and jurassic park
q is it fear of failing fear of disappointing yourself your critics your admirers what is the fear
its a fear of getting lost and then staying lost in a quagmire of having made a bad choice and now im stuck with it for the next 60 days of shooting i felt that way on jaws only because it was so hard to make not because i didnt know how to make it i was lost
for a movie that became awesomely successful and gave me complete personal creative freedom i still look back at it and even now say it was my most unhappy time in my life as a filmmaker because whole days would go by and we wouldnt get a shot
q i want to bring up the question that someone in the press conference asked regarding roald dahl whom some including a biographer have said was an anti semite can you enjoy the work and not think about the artist how do we deal with that
i think that all of us who stand on the shoulders of the giants who began the industry   have run into that conundrum when talking about the birth of a nation and d w griffith and the exaltation of the ku klux klan now i dont know what i would have done if id known this about dahl before bfg i didnt research dahl thats no excuse i was completely enthralled by his writing by charlie and the chocolate factory james and the giant peach and especially the bfg which is my favorite of his books i read it to my kids so my only involvement was interpreting the book
but i said this in the press conference and i really mean it for somebody who has proclaimed himself anti semitic to be telling stories that just do the opposite embracing the differences between races and cultures and sizes and language as dahl did with the bfg its a paradox
later when i began asking questions of people who knew dahl they told me he liked to say things he didnt mean just to get a reaction and that a lot of the anti semitic comments he made werent things that he fervidly believed because everybody in his life basically his whole support team was jewish and all his comments which ive now read about   about bankers all the old fashioned mid 30s stereotypes we hear from germany   he would say for effect even if they were horrible things so i dont know i just admire the bfg and i admire his values in that and its hard even for me to even believe that somebody who could write something like that could say the terrible things that had been reported
q people are complicated
artists are complicated
q in 2013 you and your friend george lucas were at the university of california and you said some big things about the movie industry
i still stand by that what i said was that its only going to take three or four super blockbusters to damage the bottom line because these movies are all now costing between 225 and 300 million if the general public finds another genre   maybe some young filmmaker will invent a genre   which starts to supplant the superhero movie this thing could happen it almost happened a couple of summers ago not to the extent that it hurt hollywood but i dont believe that the superhero genre has the legs of the western genre i dont even think it has the legs of the sci fi genre i think that theres a firewall between sci fi and superhero   i dont like to mix them because i think its sacrilegious laughs at the same time if i had a chance to make a superhero movie id do it because its good business to do it right now if i could find a huge superhero franchise   ive got one called transformers   why not
q if it were up to you to restructure the business the studios what would you do how would you fix the studios
i dont think that the studios need fixing as long as they keep their specialty divisions active and alert to whats on the market and to what young filmmakers are ready to be given that big break my only advice   and i dont have a studio i have a very small company   is that there needs to be a good balance of crowd pleasers and movies that are good for the soul that get us to dwell in the aftertaste of an experience that is so far fetched or out of the box but three days later we realize that we saw something that might change our lives
the other thing that im a huge advocate of   and that i have practiced in my own television and movie business   is diversification behind the camera we have a lot of diversification in front of the lens but we dont have diversification behind the camera we dont have women directors we have more women directors in television   theyre doing great work   than we have on soundstages or on location making movies that needs to change and i dont believe in the quota system either thats tokenism
true talent is what we need to judge from and there is tremendous talent in all those fields of diversity from gender to race to religion and a lot of this good work is being done in television so how do we build a bridge from tv to the movies and how do we build a bridge from those who havent been given a break yet casting directors go out into the hinterlands and find actors who had no desire to act but are plucked out of school like ruby barnhill and put in the bfg why cant there be the same effort to find filmmakers


london   zlatan ibrahimovic and francesco totti have little in common other than their game and their fame
ibrahimovic born to bosnian and croatian immigrants to sweden is about to depart paris st germain   his seventh club in a career that has spanned five countries he is 34 speaks the language of every place he has played and seeks one last challenge in any land that can match his great expectations
totti born in rome has never left he has only played for his beloved as roma but he has seen 16 different coaches try to build a team around him since 1992 now he fights against the dying of his light and despite turning 40 in september there is still only one team he wants to play for
zlatan the frequent flier and totti the home alone roman are obviously gifted men they play a team game but in an extravagantly individualistic way
earlier this month when roma was battling to qualify for a champions league berth in italys serie a and totti was left on the bench fans of the team paid for a full page ad in the corriere dello sport newspaper
the king of rome will never die was its message
last weekend before his last game for psg at its parc des princes stadium ibrahimovic wrote his own farewell i came like a king left like a legend he posted on twitter
if you are that boastful you need to be better than good both men have been
totti has represented roma in 758 games during which he has scored 304 goals and contributed 190 assists
with seven clubs malmo ajax juventus inter barcelona ac milan and psg ibrahimovic has scored 390 goals in 767 appearances
it is the way that they played that has elevated them above the others on the field it is impossible to catalog the number of times that totti has lifted rome and for that matter italy with a subtle artful improvised pass or shot
and if one had to choose a single strike that personified ibrahimovic it would be his goal for sweden in november 2012
englands goalkeeper joe hart had rushed out of his penalty area to head the ball away he got decent height on his clearance or thought that he had
the ball spiraled high into the air but ibrahimovic facing away from the goal leapt toward it with a fully extended right leg ibrahimovic scissors kicked it back over his own head over hart and into the net just inches beneath the crossbar from 26 yards away
such reach such dexterous mobility for someone who is 6 foot 5 such measured yet audacious power of improvisation
a king and a legend indeed
the numbers tell you that both players in their very different career paths have justified the sometimes outrageous estimations of their worth
ibrahimovic has one last game to play for paris in the french cup final against marseille this saturday heaven knows what he or the french soccer federation intend to do to remember him
last saturday during psgs final league game against nantes he wrote his own script while french soccer conspired with him to twice break the rules of the game
in the 10th minute to coincide with the no10 he wears the referee halted the game to allow 40000 fans many of them wearing ibrahimovic masks to applaud
the nantes players looked bewildered by then ibrahimovic had scored the first goal by the 89th minute when he was substituted to allow for another moment of homage he had scored again and once more in a disregard of the rules ibrahimovics two sons maximilian 9 and vincent 8 came onto the field
one wore a psg shirt bearing the word king the other had legend on it the game wasnt over but the pageantry was in full swing
ibrahimovic by the way surpassed the psg record for league goals in a season his finally tally was 38 goals eclipsing the 37 set by carlos bianchi in 1977 78
france hasnt seen the last of him because he will be back leading sweden in the euro 2016 tournament next month after that ibrahimovic says he knows though his agent is telling reporters there are several options and the speculation includes manchester united and the los angeles galaxy with china or qatar also in the mix
totti though is looking down a single track in the last seven games for roma he came on as a substitute his body a little bulkier around the waist as a man of his years might expect cannot go the full 90 minutes yet late in the games when the speed slows down a little totti magic can still be decisive
he scored four times and assisted on two other goals in those limited spells and roma finished in third place and qualified for the champions league next season
so between rome and boston where the clubs american owners do business the haggling over an extension for one final totti season continues reports suggest that a figure of around 1 million is on the table
totti is mulling it over his fans are divided but many led by the rome radio host mario corsi want him to keep playing until he drops tottis wife the television personality ilary blasi asked him earlier in the year to retire but that was before his recent flurry of goals
saying sorry isnt the hardest word saying goodbye is


have we reached peak sleep countless studies confirm the importance of eight solid hours pajama suits have migrated from the boudoir to the boardroom and new elixirs decadent sheets and calming bedroom things perfect the art of a good nights rest
earlier this year the bedding obsessed 27 year old nell diamond launched the online store hill house home with five collections of painstakingly researched italian  and french made white cotton sheet sets a blog devoted to the culture of sleep   and a sweet signature pillowcase thats mini and monogrammable shown above in the brands new colors collection available later this week coincidentally the blue french bulldog gus a model for the brand is owned by ts senior online editor isabel wilkinson
another cool girl entrepreneur alexandra suhner isenberg   the canadian born sweden based designer behind the sleep shirt a line of cult favorite nightshirts inspired by a 19th century chemise   also recently introduced a new web store called into the bedroom it offers all the ambient trappings of a cozy place to lay your head quilts candles hampers and mugs in soothing colors and motifs
beginning next month the san francisco based online retailer ayla which specializes in nontoxic beauty products will begin offering les fleurs de bach authentiques sleep elixir from the french wellness company elixirs  co the organic flower based remedy promises to lull you into a deep sleep and keep you there 37 aylabeautycom
the newest collection from the modern sleepwear retailer lunya features technical fabric designed to increases oxygen regulate body temperature promote cell growth to heal injuries more quickly and improve blood flow   all while you snooze 62 68 lunyaco
the supermodel elle macpherson made a name for herself in the wellness industry with welleco an alkalizing greens supplement and vegan protein powder and in june she will introduce a calming lavender laced pillow mist and tea which also contains valerian root a natural remedy for insomnia 59 69 wellecocom


donald trump has been a familiar if intermittent presence in this magazine for more than three decades and long before this weeks cover story by robert draper chronicled the still hard to believe reality of trump as the probable republican nominee for the presidency of the united states the traits that have made him the republican partys most unlikely but unstoppable politician were on display in our pages
in april 1984 william e geist profiled trump after he made an eye popping impulse purchase the new jersey generals a football team in a rival league to the nfl which folded the following year the article captured trump in master builder mode detailing his plans to build a stadium in new york for the generals and a 60 story castle for himself with six cylinders of varying heights with gold leafed coned and crenelated tops to be built at 60th street and madison avenue geist wrote there is to be a moat and a drawbridge
trump admitted to his own impatience he paid 75000 to truck several 40 foot trees from florida to trump tower where a tunnel was built into the building so the trees would not be damaged by frost the 3000 pound trees were then installed in the lower plaza of the atrium mr trump did not like the look he ordered the trees removed and when workmen balked for 24 hours mr trump had the trees cut down with a chainsaw
william h meyers caught up with trump in september 1988 following trumps purchase of the plaza hotel the article followed trump as he was pressured into a game of cat and mouse with an old rival who had tried to partner with trump in joint ownership of what would become the hudson yards but trump doesnt play well with others they wanted equal control trump tells meyers i said nobody can have control in my deals i dont do partners
trumps rivalry with his own family surfaced in a short entry by phillip weiss on trumps late father fred c trump in the magazines 2000 lives they lived issue in the elder trumps office weiss wrote theres only one picture of donald a framed 1986 cover of fortune that was just before the art of the deal just before donald became a household name just before it became clear that donald had eclipsed his fathers noble achievement forever they say that when pictures were taken of father and son fred would rise just a little on his toes   so he would look taller
but trump was still his fathers son once when a cement contractor had given fred trump a 900000 bill he cut a 1 million check just for the pleasure of handling such a sum and hand delivered it to the contractor weiss wrote that same cement contractor later poured the trump tower in manhattan
when james traub checked back in with trump in 2004 he had risen from the ashes leaving behind the bankruptcy of the company that held his atlantic hotel and casino operation to launch the next iteration of the trump brand as the star of the apprentice trump does not bother to distinguish between the promotional and the actual traub wrote
last fall   after trumps ascent in the polls but before his republican primary victories that would confirm that this was in fact happening   mark leibovich sat down with trump to make sense of his presidential ambitions circa 2015 trump like the trumps of old is bold hasty independent and artful with the truth but the differences also stand out in 1984 geist offered this impression of the mogul
in 2015 leibovich wrote trump is impolite company personified a man who has called undocumented immigrants rapists claimed fox news debate moderator megyn kelly asked him difficult questions because of her period and declared karl rove to be a totally incompetent jerk what is he after exactly in running for president some people think this will be good for my brand trump said i think its irrelevant for my brand


last week the stylist elizabeth stewart found herself running down the croisette the long promenade in cannes between julia robertss hotel room and jessica chastains as the stylist to both stars during the cannes film festival which ends may 22 stewart says she prepared outfits for several events   not to mention countless backup dresses and options for last minute appearances that get on her clients schedules its all about being ready for any scenario she says
one such unexpected moment as julia roberts ascended the grand staircase for her film premiere wearing a custom armani prive dress she kicked off her heels following the event headlines screamed julia roberts went barefoot on the cannes red carpet   which stewart laughs about now she was not barefoot stewart says she got worried about going up the steps kicked off her shoes just to go up the steps but it was much photographed she put her shoes on right at the top of the stairs she adds i thought it was really funny
in the slide show above stewart gives t an exclusive look inside her trip to the cannes film festival including countless hair and makeup sessions a premiere   and some good fish


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good evening heres the latest
1 the democratic presidential race grew more bruising for the party itself bernie sanderss campaign manager accused a top democratic official of working against the candidate for personal reasons some of his supporters threatened to back donald trump if hillary clinton becomes the democratic nominee mr trump piled on gleefully tweeting that mr sanders was being treated very badly and adding the system is rigged against him

2 mr trump tried to address concerns within the republican party that he is not a conservative releasing a list of 11 potential supreme court nominees that included several who are favorites of conservative legal scholars one of our best read stories today offers a detailed look at five crucial weeks of mr trumps campaign during which he transitioned from a seemingly unelectable candidate to the de facto republican nominee

3 the president of the international olympic committee thomas bach denounced the shocking new dimension of doping he said russian sports federations could be barred from the rio olympics if allegations of state sponsored doping prove true we will apply our zero tolerance policy not only with regard to the athletes but also with regard to everybody implicated and within our reach he said

4 the labor department issued a new regulation that will enable millions more workers to make overtime as of dec 1 most salaried workers who earn up to 47476 annually will get time and a half for any labor over 40 hours a week that will include a far wider range of work than before the previous cutoff set in 2004 was 23660

5 robin wright became the latest actress to openly address pay disparities in the entertainment industry she said she had taken a hard line with the producers of the netflix series house of cards after she learned that her character was as popular as that of her better paid co star kevin spacey you better pay me or im going to go public she said she told them adding and they did

6 the asian monsoon season primed by the el nino phenomenon opened with a disaster in sri lanka torrential rains set off landslides and flash floods that displaced hundreds of thousands of people a death toll in the dozens is expected to rise

7 a nigerian schoolgirl who was taken in a mass kidnapping by boko haram more than two years ago was found and returned to her town chibok now the mother of a four month old she is the first girl to be recovered since the early days of the episode she was so happy to see her people a chibok resident said people were so happy so happy that yes there is hope these girls are alive

8 new jersey closed one of its most notorious cold cases convicting this woman of murder 25 years after her 5 year old son disappeared a bit of blue blanket found with his remains was the key investigators recently went back and found three people who could testify that the blanket was from the boys home allowing prosecutors to draw the damning connection

9 paul simon went back on tour promoting his stranger to stranger album which goes on sale june 3 our critic says the 74 year old artist is making some of the strangest most intriguing music of his career songs crack jokes and ponder questions about love death spirituality baseball economic inequality brain chemistry and music itself

10 finally good news despite reports to the contrary in chinas media this 11 year old panda is just fine the taipei zoo posted its proof   the bear with current newspapers   on facebook tuan tuan says what more do you need the zoos caption reads please dont believe online rumors friends who care about tuan tuan dont need to worry

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the 18th century swiss clockmaker pierre jaquet droz was famous for his technically elaborate creations   many of which incorporated music and other sophisticated complications the company that still bears his name has now channeled his engineering prowess into a highly intricate timepiece with a startlingly spare design the twelve cities watch   with a rose gold case and an ivory hued face created in the ancient grand feu technique in which thin layers of enamel are baked at extremely high temperatures   is aimed at a nostalgic world traveler the hour is displayed as a numeral through an aperture at the top of the dial and the wearer can customize the watch by choosing a favorite city in 12 different time zones by depressing a pusher the timepiece can be synced to any of those destinations its name glimpsed through a second aperture reminiscent of the classic ticking departure boards of europes grand train stations


this weekend an army of choreographers performers and artists will take over the alternative arts space knockdown center to explore themes of obedience and submission   and are inviting audience members to join in directed by sarah kinlaw and monica mirabile authority figure leverages movement sound and sculpture to explore different modes of obedience and how they affect us
submission to the experience begins with the ticket buying process the personality of endurance quiz five short questions with intriguingly vague options is a prerequisite and determines ones personalized entry time with questions like which best describes your sense of agency like minded groups enter the space in 20 minute intervals its a slightly ominous introduction   which only heightens the expectations set by the campaign authority figure is running on kickstarter and the social media presences of cast members like artists alexandra marzella and india salvor menuez who post to followings of over 40000 it is mysterious and its intentional in some way mirabile says of the kickstarter campaign which doesnt reveal much detail about the project each person that goes through is going to experience something different we dont want people to come in with too many preconceived ideas
individual voices played a large role in the development process more than 150 people contributed to the project mirabile kinlaw and six others choreographed the movements but the development included asking everyone to contribute their experiences everyone we are working with is someone we admire or collaborated with before kinlaw explains we asked everyone to supply their own voice the project is very much a product of that if you pay attention to the music or the movements you know who did what its been a period of growth for everyone the core group includes longtime collaborators like choreographer sigrid lauren who performs with mirabile as fluct after touring with caroline polachek of chairlift and ramona lisa kinlaw also tapped her friend to work on the score for authority figure alongside talents like eartheater dan deacon and devonte hynes of blood orange the whole thing is about authority and obedience mirabile adds its all about relationships these are people i trust
visitors will have to extend their trust to the process the directors recommend wearing comfortable shoes and clothing but refuse to get very specific about what to expect once inside be prepared to stay awhile but if you want to leave you of course can kinlaw explains if you come in a group be willing to break off   and embrace the individual experience


the actress taissa farmiga the bling ring american horror story murder house reads friends without benefits by hannah selinger an essay about romantic infatuation and learning to finally let someone go
you can also hear the episode on itunes and stitcher
afterward well talk with ms selinger a freelance writer and wine sales representative living in new york and the modern love editor daniel jones
ms farmiga will be starring with ethan hawke john travolta and karen gillan in in a valley of violence opening in september
follow hannah selinger on twitter and taissa farmiga on twitter and instagram


a pair of architecturally minded enterprises offer intriguing yet wildly divergent holiday rentals choose your fantasy
according to the author and pop philosopher alain de botton the uk has some of the poorest quality contemporary houses of any developed nation in an attempt to shake the country out of its obsession with vernacular architecture and introduce avant garde buildings to rural areas he founded the nonprofit living architecture in 2006 i hope well be seen as part of britains transition to a new kind of domestic aesthetic he says the group which commissions well known architects such as john pawson and peter zumthor and artists like grayson perry currently has seven properties ranging from austere to exuberant in kent suffolk norfolk and essex plus a houseboat anchored on the roof of queen elizabeth hall at londons south bank
the landmark trust on the other hand a charity founded in 1965 rescues and restores important historical buildings its nearly 200 properties include castles follies cottages and prisons and while the facilities at landmark trust rentals may not quite match living architectures state of the art amenities all homes have modern bathrooms and kitchens and most have working fireplaces indeed the trusts best historical offerings are just as unexpected and as gleefully off kilter as anything in living architectures portfolio
bath tower caernarfon gwynedd
this extraordinary three story sandstone tower was one of eight built by king edward i in the 13th century to protect the town from invasion in the 18th century it had a brief life as a public bathhouse hence its name upstairs the top floor double bedroom offers unimpeded views of the strait
the banqueting house gibside near newcastle upon tyne
a roofless shell when the landmark trust acquired it in 1981 this three room crenelated 18th century gothic folly is a short drive from both the city of newcastle upon tyne and antony gormleys massive angel of the north sculpture with its 54 meter wingspan
the ruin hackfall grewelthorpe
this janus faced folly sits on a precipice overlooking hackfall an 18th century woodland garden near the rugged yorkshire dales beloved of hikers and bicyclists its two facades are dramatically different gothic regularity on one side piranesi does roman ruin on the other inside however the interiors have a muted georgian inspired aesthetic
a house for essex essex by grayson perry
dedicated to a fictitious essex everywoman whose invented biography   including death by curry delivery moped   provides inspiration for the kooky tapestries covering the walls of its chapel like interiors this is the most extraordinary rental home in england a fairy tale house and a work of art none of our references were modern says perry who created the house alongside charles holland of london based fat architecture
balancing barn suffolk by mvrdv
a few miles from the idyllic suffolk seaside this 98 foot a frame structure is clad in reflective silver steel tiles half of which cantilever over a grassy slope
life house llanbister wales by john pawson
this just opened property is described by de botton as a contemporary monastery with a sense of luxurious austerity located on the nether slopes of an empty valley the life house takes its cues from japanese aesthetics pawson spent several years teaching at a university in japan


sam sifton emails readers of cooking six days a week to talk about food and suggest recipes that email also appears here to receive it in your inbox register here
in the newspaper game the first sentence or two of an article is called a lede the lede is meant to entice readers get them to read all the way to the end of the piece write a good lede and its a good day at work a grizzled newsroom veteran may mutter thats a hell of a lede
ian fisher who has served the times as a bureau chief in east africa and rome who ran our digital operations here in new york and who currently sits as our weekend editor has a hell of a lede in the food section this morning on a piece that tackles the joys and challenges of curing your own meat
curing meat is why humans could stay put when there was nothing to grow kill or steal is how his article begins it is how conquerors and discoverers lasted while they traveled the world
we couldnt put it down and the recipes ian has ones for home cured salmon for duck prosciutto for bacon and for guanciale theyre simple and safe and in the case of the salmon wont take you more than three days to prepare it would be great if you could give one or two of them a try this week or weekend
what you didnt start reading the times so you could set yourself up as a frontiersman curing sea duck breasts and wild boar against the inevitable ravages of time thats ok boys dont cry cooking has recipes for you as well
kim severson is just back from cuba with an article about the cuisine of deprivation it is accompanied by a fine recipe for congri cuban black beans and rice
or you could head in another direction entirely and make david taniss recipe for chicken saltimbocca you could make this recipe for chile crusted black sea bass which i learned at the side of the chef kerry heffernan one summer after catching approximately 20 million of them while trying to find a striped bass instead you could make mark bittmans recipe for pasta with anchovies and arugula
or you could follow our wednesday tradition and dispense with recipes entirely make some mushroom toast my riff on an old nigel slater recipe take a bag of frozen organic peas and boil them for a couple of minutes to get them hot and cooked through then put them in a food processor with a hit of olive oil some lemon juice and if you can find any some tarragon leaves whizz that all together into a thickish puree then saute a bunch of thick sliced portobellos in a lot of butter with a little bit of garlic make toast from thick slices of the best bread you can find at the store spread with the pea puree and then top with the mushrooms dinner
other ideas for what to cook tonight and in coming days are on cooking do yourself a favor and save the ones that are of interest to you to your recipe box then you know the drill rate their success when youve cooked them or leave notes on them to help others achieve success of their own and as always if you run into problems please ask for help were at cookingcarenytimescom and standing by
now meet bullet the bison who is house trained have an excellent day


times insider delivers behind the scenes insights from the new york times in this article didi kirsten tatlow a beijing based times correspondent who was born in hong kong describes how mao is still everywhere in china 50 years after the cultural revolution
beijing china   some people dream theyre having tea with the queen of england i dreamed mao zedong gave me a hand grenade
keep the pin in mao said smiling sinisterly his face tinted orange as it was the last time i saw him in his glass sarcophagus in tiananmen square in beijing
we were at a garden party showcasing chinas achievements in the last decades of high speed economic growth i rushed around like an alice in wonderland reporter looking for stories but finding mostly propaganda all the while keeping my finger firmly pressed on a tiny flap of the grenade to stop it from going off it was anxious work
perhaps royalty and dictators affect us all especially those who grow up with them i was born in the british colony of hong kong during the cultural revolution so that includes me in 1997 my home became part of china again
in the timess beijing bureau these days were busy reporting the 50th anniversary of the violent political movement mao orchestrated that lasted for about a decade until his death in 1976 and killed between 17 million and 20 million people depending on whom you believe so im certain im not the only person in china dreaming these days about the chairman
we can report on it freely but chinese media cannot because the state still heavily censors discussion leaders including president xi jinping reportedly believe   hope   that keeping a lid on the past will contribute to harmony amid todays roiling society and slowing economy as my colleague jonathan ansfield remarked what if i told you that xi jinping dreams the same dream
yet emotional wounds never really go away especially if one doesnt deal with them so in late april i interviewed a german psychoanalyst tomas plankers part of a team that in the 1990s studied chinese trauma inflicted by the cultural revolution i added a call out to the article asking readers does your family talk about what happened during the cultural revolution
the responses were powerful they spoke of pain fear anger and loss and suggested that mao for good and bad runs like a red hot wire through many peoples lives
shortly after mao died my mother took me to see his portrait in the communist party run bank of china on queens road central in hong kong a line of grieving chinese in dark pants and white shirts waited to pay their respects
standing on tiptoe i saw an enormous face in the dimness of the ground floor hall my mother was no maoist but she was born into nazi germany and wanted me to know what was going on around me still the line was too long for a child and she abandoned her plan to take me in
to this day mao is everywhere in china when i take my kids to fundazzle in beijing an indoor play hall with ball pits and climbing frames we pay with red 100 renminbi notes that bear his face
hail a cab and there he may be in a small gold frame dancing from the drivers rearview mirror a talisman against accidents
he was present in chongqing a southwestern chinese city that drapes the hills around the yangtze like a riverine hong kong when i traveled there in late 2011 to interview huang jiren the biographer of the citys flamboyant police chief wang lijun
mr wang would later make a failed asylum bid fleeing to the united states consulate in nearby chengdu and precipitating one of the biggest crises in recent chinese history the fall of bo xilai a red noble and the party boss of chongqing who extolled maos egalitarian ideals and revolutionary philosophies to mark out his political territory and mount a national leadership challenge in chongqing choirs were singing red songs and banners praised maoist values
it made sense to the losers of chinas economic miracle the farmers and others without political power to parlay into money and it frightened people who had suffered under mao
as mr huang and his driver picked me up from chongqings new high speed railway station the biographer said he had just received a call from his subject the police chief did i mind if we went to lunch via police headquarters
we drove into the headquarters situated high on a hill without a security check just a wave of the hand from mr huang i saw tidy grounds and new office blocks tennis courts and a courtside restaurant a mural of the world that included the eiffel tower
later at the intercontinental hotel mr huang leaned over the reception desk to murmur to a young woman that he wanted the usual room we took an elevator to a high floor there he suggested we pull the curtains in the middle of the day it was too bright outside he said
i looked out the window chongqing was draped in fog i said no
some of what mr huang said in the interview ended up in a letter from chongqing that mr bo and his right hand man the police chief were just getting started in changing the city he had disturbing details about the execution of a former police chief who was said to be corrupt
he took my hand tracing chinese characters on my palm in an intimate manner i said it was time to go
on the street outside mr huangs phone rang the police chief wanted to see him again he said he would drive me back to the high speed railway station before returning to headquarters any time i wanted an interview with mr wang he could arrange one chinese contacts confirmed that mr huang really was writing a biography of mr wang a flamboyant figure who wore a fedora and was said to conduct autopsies personally
i very much wanted to interview mr wang but the mao songs the wish for drawn curtains the apparently well timed phone calls from the police chief the hand touching   i returned to beijing convinced that something was rotten in the municipality of chongqing but unconvinced it was safe to return on my own at the time i was a freelancer for the international herald tribune which later became the international new york times and without the resources of the bureau i dropped it
less than a month later a briton neil heywood died in the city apparently poisoned by mr bos wife gu kailai and a chain of events began that would lead to the disgrace of mr bo his wife and mr wang all of whom are in prison today mao is still popular among chongqings poor
one gets used to the money the talismans in cars even the clocks playing the maoist anthem the east is red
but mao still has the power to shock not long after the trip to chongqing i stood for hours under a broiling sun outside the hall in tiananmen square where he lies people were irritable and as we approached the inner sanctum they began to shove
please stop pushing i said to a man in a red t shirt he hissed an unprintable word at me just as we passed maos dead discolored face it went off like a hand grenade


phoenix   when michael pineda stands atop the pitchers mound he often delivers something that looks like performance art his cap is askew his jersey fights an uphill battle to stay tucked into his pants and he carries on a nearly constant conversation with himself   the dialogue typically accompanied by flailing arms
for those tuning into watch the yankees it is not often necessary to check the scoreboard simply check with pineda
so it was tuesday night that in the fifth inning pineda stood on the infield grass behind the mound his hands on his hips and his gaze toward the roof of chase field he was the picture of exasperation
pineda had just mishandled a comebacker and by the time he threw to first it was too late moments like this had company on tuesday when the yankees were beaten by the arizona diamondbacks 5 3 the yankees have lost two straight both in phoenix
the yankees showed some fire late   driving zack greinke who had been dominating from the game and bringing the tying run to the plate in the eighth inning but reliever daniel hudson struck out brett gardner and mark teixeira to escape
gardner vehemently protested his called third strike on a low 3 2 fastball to the umpire fieldin culbreth who showed restraint in not ejecting the irate gardner before he was led away by manager joe girardi
i was obviously pretty mad gardner said its a big point in the game were making a little comeback im frustrated with the umpire frustrated with myself   i havent been swinging the bat well i just let my emotions take over too much
it was the type of competitiveness that was lacking for much of the game from the yankees whose inattentiveness was punished by the diamondbacks
chris owings turned a ground ball over the third base bag into a triple paul goldschmidt stole third when pineda failed to bring goldschmidts walking lead to a halt and nick ahmed raced from first to third when he noticed catcher brian mccann lollygagging after a passed ball
there were also errors of commission such as pinedas error and another when chase headley covering second when goldschmidt stole second failed to glove mccanns throw and goldschmidt continued to third
you cant play like that and expect to win   i know that girardi said its just poor baseball
all this left pineda an emotional spectacle
i know im better than that pineda said right now im struggling i need to get better
he has not won since his first start his record dropping to 1 5 and his era climbing to 660 there were times when pineda was very good   striking out nine hitters in five innings and generating all other outs via ground balls   but he was undone by leaving a handful of sliders over the middle of the plate it is a familiar pattern
the handful of loosely spinning sliders that pineda left up in the strike zone were punished without prejudice by the diamondbacks most gallingly an 0 2 pitch that the light hitting ahmed singled to drive in a run and pineda threw a 1 0 fastball that jake lamb blasted over the right field fence for a two run homer
pineda has been far less effective this season when he has been ahead in the count and many of the problems have come when he has been working from the stretch
that at bat tells the story of a lot of stuff thats happened this year the pitching coach larry rothschild said referring to ahmeds single it would be easy to sit here and say its going to turn and things will change but its too long were almost a quarter of the way through his starts so we need that straightened out
as confounding as pineda has been this season so too has been teixeira who has not hit a home run since april 13 a span of 103 at bats
girardi had hoped the three hits that teixeira collected on monday might be a sign of an upcoming power surge but teixeira was hitless tuesday with three strikeouts including one against hudson that ended the eighth when teixeira represented the tying run
greinke who signed a six year 2065 million deal with the diamondbacks over the winter has rarely looked the part this season   until tuesday
greinke who entered the game with a 526 era looked like the pitcher he had been in recent years with the los angeles dodgers where he had looked like a worthy sidekick to clayton kershaw greinke expertly located his diverse repertoire all over the strike zone and sometimes beneath it
mistakes were rare and only one was punished a letter high fastball in the second inning that starlin castro crushed for a home run to the deepest canyon of the park just to the left of the 413 foot sign in left center field it was the yankees only hit until dustin ackleys pinch hit single in the sixth
the yankees did little else until the eighth when didi gregorius and aaron hicks led off with singles prompting hudson to enter he retired pinch hitter carlos beltran on a run scoring groundout and jacoby ellsbury singled to drive home hicks and bring the tying run to the plate but it turned out only to be a prelude to the yankees disappointment
once hudson escaped the eighth brad ziegler retired the yankees in order in the ninth


international
an article on march 12 about chinas struggle to come up with legislation imposing tighter controls on foreign nongovernmental organizations two years after it was first proposed misstated the timing of a visit to the united states by chinas foreign minister wang yi during which he spoke about ngos in china the visit took place in february not last year the error was corrected online shortly after the article was published but editors failed to follow through with this print correction
national
an article on may 9 about widespread claims of sex abuse at private schools omitted some context involving the st georges head of school eric f peterson while mr peterson has faced calls for his resignation amid criticism that he responded too slowly to the abuse claims the incidents occurred before he came to the school in 2004

an upshot article on tuesday about the expense of instituting a single payer health care system in the united states misstated the average salary of general practitioner doctors in britain which has a single payer system the average salary is around 130000 not between 81000 and 122000

an associated press article on may 9 about the distribution of 15 million to family members of the nine shooting victims of emanuel african methodist episcopal church in charleston sc misidentified the state where clementa c pinckney the church pastor and a victim was a state senator it is south carolina not north carolina
new york
a caption last wednesday with eight photographs of places other than the stonewall inn that were important to the gay rights movement in new york city misstated the given name of a man who was killed in 1980 at one of the establishments the ramrod bar he was jorg wenz not joig his name was also rendered incorrectly in articles in 1980 and in 1981   as jiog joig and as george wentz

an article in some editions on may 7 about the campaign for one new york a group with ties to mayor bill de blasio saying it would refuse to comply with a subpoena issued by a new york state ethics panel misspelled the given name of one of the groups lawyers he is laurence d laufer not lawrence

because of an editing error an article on saturday about matthew lee a blogger whose access to the united nations has been curtailed misidentified the type of press pass he is now using it is a four month nonresident correspondent pass not a daily pass
business day
because of an editing error the dealbook column on tuesday about stock market uncertainties in a presidential election year misstated the date of the 2016 presidential election it will be nov 8 not nov 3

an article on friday about the university of minnesota law schools decision not to lower its admission standards despite declining enrollment misstated the number of law schools in minnesota there are three not four
the arts
an article on may 7 about art auctions in new york city the following week and guaranteed minimum prices to sellers using information from sothebys misstated the number of lots that house guaranteed with minimum prices using solely its own finances at the auctions in may 2015 and the total low estimate for those lots it was five lots at 61 million not eight with a total low estimate of 802 million

because of an editing error an article on monday about the art collector and dealer adam lindemanns transactions at and views of the auctions in new york city last week referred incorrectly to alfred h barr jr who was once the owner of a calder work being sold at sothebys he was the founding director of the museum of modern art not the founder
science times
the raw data column on tuesday about the science of consciousness conference in tucson misstated the surname of the composer of the planets he is gustav holst not holt
food
a brief report in the off the menu column last wednesday about tapestry a new indian restaurant at 60 greenwich street in manhattan misstated the nearest cross street it is perry street not 11th street
obituaries
an obituary last wednesday about ramon carlin a sailboat skipper who won the first whitbread round the world race misstated the surname of a sailor who was lost during that race he was bernie hosking not hocking
opinion
an op ed article on may 10 about the regulation of dark money in political campaigns misstated the nature of two thirds of anonymous third party spending during this election cycle it is political advertising spending not overall spending
the times welcomes comments and suggestions or complaints about errors that warrant correction messages on news coverage can be e mailed to nytnewsnytimescom or left toll free at 1 844 nyt news 1 844 698 6397 comments on editorials may be e mailed to lettersnytimescom or faxed to 212 556 3622
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for newspaper delivery questions 1 800 nytimes 1 800 698 4637 or e mail customercarenytimescom


donald j trump and the republican national committee announced on tuesday night that they had forged a joint fund raising agreement allowing donors to make contributions as large as 449400 spread among the national committee and party committees in 11 states
the agreement is the product of weeks of negotiations and presents mr trump with his first opportunity to collect large checks from donors as he faces the uphill climb of raising money in six months for a campaign that could realistically cost more than 1 billion
but the 11 states include only one swing state virginia
the structure is similar to the one created for mitt romneys campaign in 2012 mr romneys home state democratic leaning massachusetts was included in his agreement while mr trump has included new york a state that he believes he can make competitive despite its heavy democratic edge pennsylvania is not on the list and neither is ohio or florida
the rncs finance chairman lewis m eisenberg will work with mr trumps national finance chairman steve mnuchin a former goldman sachs executive
in 2012 mr romney and the rnc raised nearly 77 million in may alone even with the higher limits mr trump may struggle to get there and some of the funds that will be raised cannot be used for the campaign his campaign can accept only 2700 increments from each large check that comes in
mr trumps team is leaning heavily on the rnc for key components of campaign infrastructure such as field operations and voter file data his campaign manager corey lewandowski is said to be leading the fund raising effort internally with a close ally eli h miller as the chief operating officer


hillary clinton earned more than 5 million in royalties for her 2014 memoir hard choices and roughly 15 million delivering speeches last year according to a personal financial disclosure her campaign released tuesday evening
the disclosure came hours after the leading republican presidential candidate donald j trump said he had filed his personal financial disclosure with the federal election commission as required by law for presidential candidates
i filed my pfd which i am proud to say is the largest in the history of the fec mr trump said in a statement tuesday
mrs clintons campaign used the release of her financial disclosure to seize on mr trumps refusal to release his tax returns which he has said he cannot disclose because of a routine audit by the internal revenue service
despite donald trumps boasting submitting his personal financial disclosure form is no breakthrough for transparency christina reynolds a clinton spokeswoman said in a statement
the true test for donald trump she continued is whether he will adhere to the precedent followed by every presidential candidate in the modern era and make his tax returns available as hillary clinton has done
personal financial disclosures have become a familiar practice for the clintons after their decades in public office mrs clinton also had to file the standard forms while serving as secretary of state revealing bill clintons investments and paid speeches while his wife served as the nations top diplomat
the 2015 forms show mrs clinton slowed her paid speaking schedule as she prepared to run for president with the final speech delivered   weeks before she announced her candidacy   to the american camp association for an honorarium of 260000 a speech to ebay also delivered the month before her april announcement earned mrs clinton 315000 according to the disclosure
mr clinton made a total of 46 million in paid speeches last year some delivered after mrs clinton made her campaign official
those speeches paid mr clinton up to 285000 each but unlike in previous years when he gave speeches to overseas groups in some cases for nearly twice that amount his speeches in 2015 in preparation for his wifes second presidential bid were made to domestic trade groups and companies
mr clinton received 250000 for a question and answer session at an upfront presentation in new york for the spanish language network univision haim saban a major clinton donor and an owner of univision sat in the front row as mr clinton headlined the event where executives pitched the channel to advertisers
mrs clintons disclosure on tuesday seemed timed to hit mr trump earlier in the day his campaign said his forms would reveal that mr trumps income last year was in excess of 557 million not including dividends interest capital gains rents and royalties and that his net worth is in excess of 10 billion fortune has calculated his net worth at 372 billion and forbes has reported that his worth was roughly 45 billion as of september
the clinton campaign has used mr trumps reluctance to reveal his tax returns to imply that he is not as wealthy as he claims a criticism that has irked mr trump what is donald trump hiding read the subject of an email blasted out on tuesday by the clinton campaign clinton aides meanwhile have circulated the twitter hashtag poordonald


major league baseball suspended texas rangers second baseman rougned odor for eight games and fined him 5000 on tuesday for punching torontos jose bautista on the jaw
in all 14 people were disciplined for their roles during a brawl sunday at globe life park in arlington tex
blue jays pitcher jesse chavez was suspended three games for hitting prince fielder with a pitch after the brawl blue jays manager john gibbons who returned to the field for the fight after having been ejected five innings earlier was penalized three games for inciting additional fighting
bautista who made a hard takeout slide on odor was suspended one game by the mlb senior vice president joe garagiola jr for his actions and postgame comments
rangers shortstop elvis andrus was suspended for one game for aggressive actions and the blue jays first base coach tim leiper was suspended for one game for returning to the dugout after his ejection
odor and bautista appealed their discipline which will be held in abeyance pending a resolution andrus was set to serve his penalty on tuesday at oakland the league office was awaiting a decision by chavez
for the rangers pitcher matt bush was fined for intentionally throwing at bautista sam dyson and the bench coach steve buechele were fined for aggressive actions and pitcher a j griffin and catcher robinson chirinos were fined for being on the field while on the disabled list
for the blue jays third baseman josh donaldson the reigning american league most valuable player and outfielder kevin pillar were fined for aggressive actions the bench coach demarlo hale who was the acting manager after gibbonss ejection was fined for chavezs intentional actions after the umpires had warned the teams
tension had been brewing since oct 14 when bautista hit a tiebreaking three run homer against dyson in the seventh inning of game 5 of the teams al division series at rogers centre he admired the ball for a couple seconds until it glanced off the front of the second deck in left and then flipped his bat dramatically
in sundays game the last regular season game between the teams this year bush opened the eighth inning with a 96 mile per hour fastball that hit bautista on the left arm and ricocheted off his thigh
dan iassogna the home plate umpire warned both benches and justin smoak bounced to third with one out bautista slid hard and late into the right leg of odor and eight feet past second base odor shoved bautista with both hands then threw a punch to bautistas jaw that made his head snap back and his sunglasses and helmet fly off dugouts and bullpens emptied
smoak was called out for an inning ending double play and chavez hit fielder on the right thigh with the next pitch
i thought it was pretty cowardly of them too to wait until my last at bat to do that in the whole series bautista said after the game they could have come out and done it if they wanted to send a message again it shows a little bit more of their colors


senator bernie sanders prevailed over hillary clinton on tuesday in the oregon primary according to the associated press while mrs clinton claimed victory in a tight race in kentucky the days other contest
mrs clinton raced around kentucky in the two days before the primary hoping to fend off mr sanders in a state that she won easily in 2008 in unofficial results late tuesday night mrs clinton edged mr sanders by about 1900 votes or less than half a percentage point with all counties reporting the associated press had not declared a winner by midnight
the close result meant that she and mr sanders would effectively split the states delegates nonetheless winning kentucky would give her a symbolic triumph that could blunt the effect of her loss in oregon as she turns her attention to donald j trump her likely general election opponent
with a lead in delegates that is almost impossible for mr sanders to overcome mrs clinton is moving closer each week to claiming the democratic nomination but her march has been encumbered by mr sanderss persistence in the race and his success in recent contests including victories in indianas primary on may 3 and west virginias last week
his continued strength has put a spotlight on her vulnerabilities as she heads toward a likely general election matchup with mr trump and on a lack of unity and even fractiousness within the democratic party
last weekend bitter feelings from mr sanderss supporters spilled into view at nevadas state convention which descended into chaos prompted death threats against nevadas democratic chairwoman and raised the prospect of discord at the national convention in july in philadelphia the fury was sparked after a dispute over convention rules and delegate qualifications that supporters of mr sanders saw as unfair
with mr sanders pressing on with his campaign and mr trump now the presumptive republican nominee mrs clinton has been campaigning against two opponents at once trying to defeat mr sanders in state after state while also building an argument against mr trump
her task was on display as she campaigned on sunday and monday in kentucky where she spoke at a pair of black churches in louisville greeted patrons at a smoky diner in paducah and held a series of rallies where she warned about mr trump while urging voters to support her on tuesday
in an acknowledgment that she was still engaged in a primary battle she faulted mr sanders for voting against the auto industry bailout a claim that is not as clear cut as she suggested it was
but she was more expansive in taking aim at mr trump calling him a loose cannon and warning about his views on foreign policy which she said will be a big part of the general election
ill tell you this she told patrons at the diner on monday im not going to give up on kentucky in november
mr sanders also spent time in kentucky with rallies over the weekend in bowling green and paducah
he too looked toward the general election arguing that he not mrs clinton was the more formidable candidate to take on mr trump citing polls of hypothetical matchups
speaking on tuesday night at a rally in carson calif mr sanders said there are a lot of people out there many of the pundits and politicians they say bernie sanders should drop out the people of california should not have the right to determine who the next president will be
well let me be as clear as i can be he continued we are in till the last ballot is cast
with her overwhelming support from superdelegates the party leaders who can vote as they wish mrs clinton could clinch the nomination by june 7 when six states vote or caucus including california and new jersey but mr sanders has said he would try to persuade superdelegates to back him instead based on his strength against mr trump
if they want the strongest candidate to defeat donald trump bernie sanders is that candidate mr sanders said in paducah
mrs clinton and her husband former president bill clinton have been treated well by kentuckians in the past mr clinton won the state in both 1992 and 1996 and mrs clinton won in a landslide against barack obama in the 2008 primary
mr sanders noted that landslide on tuesday in pointing out that this years kentucky primary ended in a virtual tie
in this years campaign mr sanders has been embraced by white working class voters and young people in many places which has raised questions about mrs clintons ability to attract such voters in novembers general election
as she campaigned in kentucky mrs clinton recalled the prosperity of the 1990s and appealed to voters who have fond memories of her husband saying on sunday that he would be in charge of revitalizing the economy
she also worked to recover from when she said in march were going to put a lot of coal miners and coal companies out of business mrs clinton was discussing renewable energy and she went on to say that coal miners should not be left behind but the statement has haunted her
kentucky is one of the nations biggest coal mining states and mrs clinton stressed her commitment to coal miners
we cant and we must not walk away from them she said on sunday at a rally in fort mitchell i feel such a sense of obligation
afterward judy gilbert 55 said she would vote for mrs clinton in tuesdays primary but asked if she thought mrs clinton would win the state ms gilbert hesitated and brought up coal mr sanders wound up doing well in kentuckys coal regions helping offset mrs clintons advantage in louisville and lexington
you know a person could say one bad thing and everybody remembers it and she can say 10 good things and nobody remembers that ms gilbert said and thats the truth in life


phoenix   if there is any lingering tightness in alex rodriguezs right hamstring it did not carry over to his mood on tuesday as he neared a return from the disabled list
asked if he was relieved the yankees had finally begun to play better without him in the lineup winning eight of 13 games rodriguez laughed
i thought someone was going to kick me in the hamstring to make sure i stayed down another week said rodriguez who is eligible to return on thursday
joking aside rodriguezs absence has not been such a bad thing for the yankees
though the yankees are more threatening with rodriguez in the lineup especially against left handed pitchers his nearly everyday presence as the designated hitter comes with hidden costs that have been revealed during his time away
when rodriguez plays it prevents carlos beltran from being used as the designated hitter which forces manager joe girardi into a difficult choice rest beltran and remove one of the best bats from the lineup or risk wearing out his 39 year old legs later in the season
in addition with beltran getting eight of the 12 starts as the designated hitter in american league parks aaron hicks has had the chance to play every day instantly improving the yankees outfield defense and also giving him an opportunity to find his swing
hicks has recovered from an abysmal start to hit 286 with two home runs and six rbi since rodriguez injured his hamstring running out a ground ball in baltimore on may 3 hicks hit a fly ball that was caught against the center field wall on monday night by arizonas michael bourn near the 407 foot sign a few feet from being a three run home run
meanwhile beltran has hit 290 with four home runs and eight rbi as the designated hitter in rodriguezs absence he has played eight games as designated hitter matching his total from last season
i love to see the way the guys are swinging the bat rodriguez said singling out hicks also those guys have been getting at bats that havent been getting at bats and hopefully theres a residual to that later in the year
beltran played down the effect of moving to designated hitter
whatever i do playing right field or not i do the same routine beltran said i dont see dh as being key youre always going to have good stretches and not so good ones
but last season beltran had regular rest early in the season in part because of a slow start and he spent two weeks on the disabled list in july those periods of rest were seen as an important factor for beltrans keeping his legs fresh and being one of the few yankees who did not tail off at the end of the season
beltran was on the bench tuesday after playing 14 consecutive days there is no designated hitter during the series with the diamondbacks because the dh is not used in national league parks the yankees had hoped to have rodriguez ready when he is eligible to come off the disabled list thursday in oakland but girardi said after a 5 3 loss on tuesday that was unlikely
hes still got some hurdles to get by and hes just not by them yet girardi said he really hasnt had a setback we were hoping for 15 days its probably going to be a few more days than that
asked about girardis comments rodriguez said accurate accurate
rodriguez took batting practice tuesday but he said beforehand that he would need to be able to run the bases which he did not do
slowing down and starting is the big test and obviously getting on cleats and making turns rodriguez said the next 48 hours will be big
one of the many surprises rodriguez bestowed on the yankees last season after returning from his yearlong suspension was playing 151 games it was the first time since 2007 that he had not spent time on the disabled list
those trips were accompanied by rehabilitation assignments to hone his timing at the plate and find his comfort in the field but girardi said that because rodriguez had been out for only a short time and no longer played in the field no stint in the minors was necessary before he returned
while rodriguez was batting 194 when he was injured he had been showing signs of finding his swing
you know i was rodriguez said with a smile when asked about his swing at the time of his injury thats a trick question
when rodriguez does return he will continue to be the everyday designated hitter but girardi did allow himself some wiggle room
everything in life and in the game of baseball and sports can change girardi said its not always exactly how you draw it up but thats my plan
inside pitch
the yankees made a flurry of moves on tuesday as expected recalling the utility player rob refsnyder and pitchers james pazos and luis cessa from scrantonwilkes barre to make room they sent down pitchers chad green and conor mullee who made their big league debuts on monday and designated reliever phil coke for assignment


cleveland   during the cavaliers recent sabbatical from the nba playoffs clevelands j r smith went to a comedy club to see a friend perform afterward fans approached smith to offer what he described as unconditional support for his teams continued quest for a first championship
you would think theres so much pressure on us for being a team that hasnt won in x amount of years said smith referring to the 46 years   or the entirety of the organizations existence   that the team has fallen short but theyre happy with whats going on of course they want a championship but its never like you guys have to get it done its always were rooting for you guys 
smith paused to offer perspective drawn from his not so distant past with a former employer
i admire that smith said because when i was in new york there was a lot of desperation you guys got to do it 
the cavaliers after sweeping their first two playoff opponents had nine days to prepare for game 1 of the eastern conference finals at quicken loans arena on tuesday night a new round meant a new opponent the toronto raptors and a new defensive assignment demar derozan for smith who lately seems to bear only a vague resemblance to the guard who played for the knicks
defensive stopper charitable teammate judicious shooter it still depends on the day but there is little question that smith has become more dependable and   get this   a steadying force for the cavaliers in the first two rounds of the playoffs he averaged 123 points a game while shooting 478 percent from the field and 508 percent from 3 point range
when were moving the ball lebron james said the ball has energy behind it
smith is channeling much of that energy for the greater good at least as far as the cavaliers are concerned
as smith prepared for game 1 here his old team was again tiptoeing onto a different type of stage for all the wrong reasons the knicks played a bit part at tuesdays nba draft lottery having long ago traded the rights to their first round pick as one component of the disastrous andrea bargnani deal with toronto in 2013
smith of course was an unwitting participant in another debatable move made by the knicks who sent him to the cavaliers last season in a three team multiplayer deal that was largely a salary dump for the knicks to be fair smith was not exactly excelling for the knicks at the time of the trade having accrued fines for transgressions that included untying opponents shoelaces and making threats on one of his social media accounts he was also shooting 356 percent from the 3 point line
in cleveland smith has accepted life as the fourth option he was quick to acknowledge that it took time for him to buy into a sharing is caring philosophy he recalled having teammates earlier in his career who had advised him to get his shots to post his numbers to make sure he got paid smith had been eager to listen
but perhaps he learned something from the finals a year ago when the cavaliers absent the injured kyrie irving and kevin love turned to smith for some production and he floundered shooting 312 percent from the field as the golden state warriors took the series in six games smith left the arena on a hover board
on tuesday morning smith made the point that what he did on offense against the raptors hardly mattered compared with what derozan was capable of doing or not doing so smith was mostly focusing on his defensive responsibilities he did not always have that mind set   not with the knicks and not when he joined the cavaliers
it wasnt easy trust me smith said it wasnt easy coming in here and thinking im not going to shoot the ball because weve got these three guys four guys i looked at it as i really have to mature and grow up because its really about winning and playing defense
he added sometimes its hard running up and down the court for five minutes without touching the ball but you know your impact is on the defensive end
smith went so far as to suggest that his effort on defense helped keep his teammates accountable yes j r smith actually used the word accountable but there he was pointing out that it was vital for the cavaliers to involve love in the offense that he understood his place in the seriess star constellation that passing the ball made the game more enjoyable
i think the pressure releases from a lot of guys   from ky from kev from bron   when everybodys just knocking them down said smith who has a thing for monosyllabic nicknames when were flowing the way weve flowed the last two series shooting the ball moving the ball that makes it so much easier to play
when smith stepped into his news media scrum after the teams morning shootaround james bellowed his greetings from across the court
oh swish james said referring to smith by his nickname his voice bouncing off the walls of the practice facility i see you boyyyyyy
gone for now are the league imposed fines and the nights of gluttonous shooting with a more understated approach smith has secured his place in the spotlight


despite a sudden reversal by new york state officials the administration of mayor bill de blasio is forging ahead with plans for two residential towers in a park on the brooklyn waterfront that would include market rate and subsidized apartments as well as a school
the project at pier 6 in brooklyn bridge park has encountered a series of delays since it was announced in may 2014 including a lawsuit brought by some nearby residents park advocates and elected officials
new york city settled the suit one year ago and in recent weeks negotiated a new agreement for the towers with a developer and state officials
all parties had planned to announce the agreement this week but over the weekend state officials abruptly pulled back citing potential conflicts of interest city officials say they will not be deterred
were going forward anyway alicia glen the deputy mayor for housing and economic development said on tuesday we stand by the rationale for the project it puts the park in a better position to address its maritime and capital needs and we have an obligation to build affordable housing particularly in these expensive and rapidly changing neighborhoods
brooklyn bridge park is supposed to pay for itself by allowing a limited amount of luxury residential development after his election mr de blasio a democrat pushed to include affordable housing
ms glen who is also chairwoman of the brooklyn bridge park corporation a nonprofit responsible for the parks operation said the project could progress solely under the authority of the corporation but critics contend that the state has to agree to the changes that the city has made to the state approved project plan before the developer can proceed
under the new agreement the developer   a partnership between ral development services and olivers realty group   would build two buildings a 26 story market rate tower of 116 condominiums and a smaller approximately 12 story tower with 188 apartments 131 earmarked for low  and moderate income families the developer agreed to pay the city 98 million down from 105 million as well as a modest annual rent
whatever the merits of the project the citys decision will almost certainly deepen what has become a long running feud between the mayor and gov andrew m cuomo a democrat and spur another lawsuit opposing the project
in recent days the state officials raised questions about the developer and a chinese company china vanke which has invested in the project ral like many developers contributed money to the campaign for one new york a now defunct nonprofit that mr de blasio created to promote his mayoral agenda ral gave 10000 in 2015 one month before it was selected for the pier 6 project
city officials say ral submitted a proposal with a better financial deal than other applicants which is why it was chosen
vanke is also peripherally involved in a manhattan project currently under investigation by eric t schneiderman the new york state attorney general
we will not move forward with any changes until we are fully confident that all newly raised concerns have been addressed said jonah bruno a spokesman for the states economic development agency empire state development
but the developer and the city say that the information about ral has been public for a year and vanke has been an equity partner in the deal from the beginning
robert a levine a principal at ral said in a statement on tuesday that the developer had contributed money to the campaign in support of the mayors work on universal pre k
were proud of the plan we put forward mr levine stated just when we thought wed worked to reach a positive resolution for a great project the state called off its vote were shocked and disappointed
councilman stephen levin and state senator daniel l squadron two democrats whose districts include pier 6 both oppose building any additional housing in the park
mr levin and mr squadron insist that before moving forward the city needs state approval for the amendment to the state approved project plan for pier 6


cleveland   dwane casey was about an hour from coaching the toronto raptors in the opening game of the eastern conference finals but first he wanted to list some concerns
the cavaliers he said were rested lebron james had turned into a pass first facilitator kevin love had shot a crazy percentage from 3 point range through the first two rounds of the nba playoffs j r smith had committed to becoming a terrific defender and the entire team had shown an ability to jump all over opponents in the first quarter
given this alarming set of factors casey sought to put the sunniest spin possible on the situation at hand
there shouldnt be any pressure on our guys he said
if the raptors went into game 1 on tuesday night without any pressure the cavaliers made sure to provide some it came in the form of dunks and 3 pointers in blocked shots and swarming defense the cavaliers who have yet to lose a game four weeks into the postseason throttled the raptors in a 115 84 victory at quicken loans arena
the score is embarrassing casey said after the game but again its just one game
kyrie irving scored 27 points and james added 24 the cavaliers shot 554 percent from the field to turn the whole evening into a glorified pickup game at the local ymca though one with thousands of screaming fans a national television audience and a scoreboard known simply as humongotron which spewed fire and flashed an increasingly lopsided score
we were getting to our sweet spots as much as possible irving said we played at an unbelievable pace
the cavaliers who will host game 2 on thursday led by 22 at halftime and by 28 at the end of the third quarter demar derozan scored 18 points for the raptors who looked as if they had spent three months at sea before the game was 15 minutes old
the cavaliers and the raptors took opposite paths to the conference finals the cavaliers swept their first two opponents and had a nine day layoff after breezing past the atlanta hawks in the conference semifinals the raptors on the other hand went the full seven games in each of the first two rounds lots of minutes lots of travel lots of stress
theyve been off their feet derozan said of the cavaliers weve been battling the last couple of weeks
before tuesdays game casey searched for the positives perhaps the cavaliers would be rusty maybe the raptors would still be in rhythm after defeating the miami heat on sunday in the deciding game of their conference semifinals series then again casey said if he had the choice he would always opt for rest especially given his teams injuries
where to begin jonas valanciunas the raptors starting center was absent with a sprained ankle others like derozan thumb kyle lowry elbow and demarre carroll wrist played on   and played well at least for a while the raptors made 8 of their first 11 field goal attempts the only problem was that james made his first nine there was no discernible rust
toronto won two of three games against cleveland in the regular season but the cavaliers have found another level in the playoffs largely by feasting on 3 pointers in the first two rounds they averaged 363 attempts a game from beyond the arc but far from being mere long distance gluttons they were also marksmen making 462 percent of those shots
still james sounded almost defensive about the cavaliers growing reputation as a perimeter oriented team as if it were some sort of stigma
were a balanced team he said before the game we work all facets of the game both in the paint and on the perimeter
asked what the cavaliers had emphasized at practice james said everything
he added we know that were prepared and thats all we can ask
no kidding from the opening seconds the cavaliers ran at the rim and spotted up from akron they did not defend particularly well but it did not matter the raptors shot 13 of 25 in the first quarter   and still trailed by 5 points for a team tasting the conference finals for the first time in franchise history it was not a winning formula
the game got away from toronto early in the second quarter the cavaliers channing frye and matthew dellavedova came off the bench to drill back to back 3 pointers and the lead was suddenly 11 casey called a timeout unfortunately for the raptors the officiating crew allowed the cavaliers to return to the court
minutes later james drove along the baseline as carroll reached out in a desperate   and ultimately pointless   attempt to impede his path james absorbed the contact launched himself at the rim and then tried to rip it off the backboard
his dunk seemed to turn a basketball game into a spiritual experience for an arena full of fans wearing matching gold t shirts that read all in as the minutes passed and the lead swelled the cavaliers drew themselves one win closer to the ultimate prize


donald j trump and megyn kelly finally talked on tuesday night about their raucous contentious history over the last nine months and it appears that things are all patched up
i like our relationship right now mr trump said in the interview
it was a convivial easygoing interview that was taped more than two weeks ago for ms kellys first prime time special on fox megyn kelly presents
ms kelly has not been shy about the purpose of the special with barbara walters retired she has said that she hopes to fill the vacuum of the prime time host conducting the must watch interview fox increased the exposure by presenting the show on its broadcast network not the fox news cable network on which ms kelly appears on weeknights
ms kellys contract with fox news is set to expire in a little more than a year and it is an open question whether she will stay she said the prime time special gave her an opportunity to flex different muscles
the interview broadcast on tuesday was decidedly not about policy in keeping with the tradition of ms walterss prime time specials over the years ms kelly took a more personal approach and asked mr trump about his divorces his brothers alcoholism and his favorite movie and whether he was bullied as a child
she also asked him about their relationship
lets talk about us ms kelly said then asked mr trump about her first question to him in the first republican debate in august
at the time ms kelly asked about mr trumps treatment of women saying youve called women you dont like fat pigs dogs slobs and disgusting animals 
mr trump said in the interview that the question had not gone over well with him
thats the first question that i have ever been asked during a debate he told ms kelly and i am saying to myself man what a question 
mr trump said he felt it had not been fair before ms kelly jumped in you know its not a cocktail party she said
mr trump acknowledged that the debate might have been a favor to him by preparing him for the worst he also suggested that it was the first moment he realized he could have a realistic shot at the presidency
i think that first debate meant something because i felt very very comfortable with the subject and i felt very comfortable with the people i was competing against he said he also said that if he does not win i will consider it to be a total and complete waste of time energy and money
ms kelly tried to ask whether anyone had ever hurt him emotionally
when i am wounded i go after people hard ok he said and i try and un wound myself
in addition to mr trump ms kelly interviewed laverne cox michael douglas and o j simpsons former lawyer robert shapiro but it was mr trump who got the most airtime
over the last nine months mr trumps attacks on ms kelly and on fox news have been one of the more intriguing sideshows of the presidential campaign after the first debate mr trump famously said that ms kelly had blood coming out of her wherever a comment widely interpreted as referring to menstruation
he skipped the second fox news debate because of ms kellys involvement and took to calling her crazy megyn on twitter then in april ms kelly made a trip to trump tower to discuss his coming on for the special
in the final segment of the special ms kelly asked mr trump some rapid fire questions including inquiries about his favorite book all quiet on the western front and movie citizen kane
the interview ended cordially each saying thank you very much along with a firm handshake
mr trump seemed plenty pleased with it and after the special he tweeted in part well that is it well done megyn   and they all lived happily ever after


curtis granderson awaited max scherzers first pitch tapping his fingers along the handle of his bat like keys on a piano
to upstage scherzer a virtuoso in the art of pitching granderson wanted to set an early tempo when scherzer delivered a 93 mile per hour fastball granderson jumped on the offering sending it high over the right field fence at citi field and proving if nothing else that scherzer would not be infallible tuesday night
after tossing a no hitter in his previous appearance at citi field last october and striking out 20 batters in his last start on may 11 scherzer allowed another homer in the third inning to michael conforto the mets behind a masterful performance by noah syndergaard defeated the nationals 2 0
im sure he said to himself i got to get it going  manager terry collins said of granderson adding as he goes we go
the win was a placating remedy to an otherwise hectic day at citi field during which the mets revealed ailments affecting lucas duda and david wright and daniel murphy returned to his former home field for the first time
two runs were ample support for syndergaard who struck out 10 batters over seven scoreless innings in the sixth after allowing two singles syndergaard came back from a 3 0 count to strike out bryce harper with a piercing 91 mph slider syndergaard bounced off the mound gracefully before clenching his fist
he throws 100 miles an hour harper said sometimes youve just got to tip your cap hes got devastating stuff   his fastball his sliders 93 his changeups devastating as well thats a tough guy to hit
harper added i know hes not scared i know he wants to get out there and do everything he can to shut our team down thats what he did tonight
collins was particularly impressed by syndergaards decision to throw harper a slider out of the zone with a full count
that shows you that hes fearless collins said hes not afraid to do what he has to
almost the entire nationals roster had leaned against the visitors dugout railing while syndergaard warmed up before the game observing the phenomenon who clocked two home runs in his last game against the los angeles dodgers on may 11 he struck out twice tuesday in two at bats
neutralized by scherzer at the plate syndergaard more than compensated from the mound giving up five hits and no walks becoming the headlining act on a bill full of attractions
in another positive development for the mets syndergaard allowed no stolen bases   a problem in previous outings at home the reds stole five in a game there last month in the sixth catcher kevin plawecki threw out ben revere the only runner to try to steal a base on syndergaard
the nationals walked onto citi field in first place in the national league east while the mets were licking their wounds from a 4 7 trip which included the loss of their last four games the last time the mets lost five straight was last season a streak capped with scherzers hurling one of the most dominating performances in recent baseball history
in the end the memory of scherzers no hitter against the mets was erased when they stormed through the playoffs guided by the thunderous bat of murphy their former second baseman last december after the mets decided not to retain his services murphy signed with the nationals for three years and 375 million
general manager sandy alderson presented murphy with his nl championship ring before the game later as murphy walked to the batters box for his first at bat at citi field as a visitor the crowd slowly rose to its feet to salute murphy for seven years of service he went 1 for 3
the ovation from the crowd left me humbled to say the least murphy said
while the mets and murphy officially closed the chapter on their partnership the club welcomed matt reynolds who was recalled before the game from class aaa las vegas and inserted into the starting lineup after wright was scratched eric campbell started at first base for duda who has been experiencing back stiffness
reynolds who wore wrights glove at third base finished 0 for 3 he cleanly fielded a hard hit ground ball from harper for the final out of the game securing syndergaards fourth win of the season in which he outmatched one of the games premier pitchers
no stage is too big for him plawecki said


mets third baseman david wright walked onto the grass at citi field shortly after 4 pm on tuesday smiling ready to take batting practice moments later he was upset after being told by manager terry collins that he was being scratched from the lineup joining first baseman lucas duda on the bench for the opener of a three game series against the first place washington nationals
i went over and checked with him and he was not feeling well collins said of wright
collins added that wright said he felt he had to play since duda was also out
i just said i cant do that to you collins said he told wright i cant do that to us the organization you sacrificing yourself tonight could lead to a month who knows how long of not being in our lineup
wright who has spinal stenosis finally agreed its probably the right decision wright said just in the heat of the moment you want to play
wright who was used as a pinch hitter sunday in the mets last game at colorado said the situation was frustrating
you never know how its going to feel waking up he said of his back
duda first complained of a stiff back during the weekend series with the rockies and was examined on monday collins said that duda was still pretty sore today
duda most likely would have sat out wednesdays game against the left hander gio gonzalez collins said he hoped an extra two days of rest would help dudas sore back
eric campbell started at first base in place of duda while the rookie matt reynolds made his major league debut replacing wright they both went 0 for 3
after chase utley broke ruben tejadas right leg with a hard slide in game 2 of a national league division series against the los angeles dodgers last season reynolds was summoned as a backup he did not appear in any playoff games and was dropped from the world series roster for juan uribe who had been out with a chest injury
reynolds 25 was a second round pick in the 2012 draft he was hitting 238 with two home runs at class aaa las vegas
matz may return friday steven matz is scheduled to throw a side session on wednesday which would set him up to return friday after he missed his last start with a sore left elbow
general manager sandy alderson said that matz was examined at the hospital for special surgery in manhattan and that any issues that may have existed we felt were addressed and not significant classifying matzs ailment as discomfort
alderson added that there had been an abundance of caution taken after matz notified the team of the soreness because of the location of the pain and the importance of pitching to the teams success
alderson said that the mets were still learning how to balance being cautious and reasonable on the one hand and not necessarily overreacting at every opportunity
alderson displayed that discipline when asked about the nagging issue of jacob degroms drop in velocity from last season when he regularly hit the mid 90s on the radar gun alderson said degrom was pitching his tail off and that sometimes too much was made of measurements like velocity he also pointed to degroms 250 earned run average
manager terry collins suggested that extra rest might be in store for degrom and for matt harvey who has more visibly struggled this season
even though the other day he only gave up three or four hits you could just tell he wasnt putting guys away like he usually does and neither is matt collins said of degrom and harvey are those extra days helpful theyve got to be because we just came out of a 17 day stretch where they pitched consistently and we didnt see a big jump maybe its time for an extra day
rehabbing on the road two mets on the 15 day disabled list are rehabbing away from the team
wilmer flores who has a strained left hamstring strain is at the teams complex in port st lucie fla alderson said flores was able to do some work pain free on tuesday
travis darnaud is in california with what alderson called darnauds off season therapisttrainer to address his strained right rotator cuff
when asked why darnaud was not also in florida alderson said i think that hes more or less as well off out there with somebody that knows him as well as our guys would know him
alderson later added that the club had to be a little more generous in how we approach the next three or four weeks with travis
in addition alderson said that zack wheeler who is on the 60 day disabled list after having tommy john surgery last year was on target for a july 1 return but that there was less cushion surrounding that date now than there was before he had a procedure in april to remove a stitch in his right elbow
if we went back to the beginning of spring training i would have said that there was a little bit of fat in that schedule alderson said id say right now theres not a lot of fat in that schedule


new york city is investigating allegations that covenant house the largest local provider of shelter to homeless teenagers and young adults has been inflating the number of people it serves and has not been complying with the terms of its contracts with the city
the department of youth and community development opened an investigation on may 8
the city takes any allegations very seriously mark zustovich a department spokesman said in a statement and we immediately began a comprehensive review of the organizations operations to ensure fiscal integrity and the safety and well being of the young people they serve
in response to the allegations the citys economic development corporation has slowed the process of selecting a developer for a project that is to include a new national headquarters for covenant house
the scrutiny of the organization was prompted by an anonymous complaint filed in april to covenant houses internal ethics hotline a copy of the complaint was obtained by the new york times
perhaps the most significant allegation of fraud was that youths were counted more than once if they returned for shelter services covenant house says on its website in new york alone we serve close to 4000 young people each year a claim the complaint called patently false
covenant house said that of those 4000 people just over half are new to the nonprofit while the rest had previously stayed at covenant house and then returned
marcia horowitz a spokeswoman for covenant house said the nonprofit did not consider young people returning multiple times to be an indication of failure on the contrary she said covenant house views a youths return to be a reflection of a youths level of comfort with the organizations programs
according to the complaint employees believe that creighton drury who stepped down as executive director on monday to focus on the development project has inflated these numbers willfully and intentionally to secure the development deal with the city
when the citys economic development arm and covenant house announced that they were jointly seeking bids from developers mr drury said the project would help end waiting lists for young people
but the waiting lists are not as long as mr drury says according to the complaint and covenant house needs to focus on helping young homeless people exit successfully
mr drury did not respond to requests for comment in january mr drury stood alongside mayor bill de blasio a democrat when he announced the city would add 300 beds for youths over the next three years covenant house which added 76 beds in 2014 seemed an ideal backdrop for the announcement as the city held a series of news conferences about efforts to reduce homelessness
the complaint however said covenant house had opened only 50 new beds while receiving funding for 76 an assertion that ms horowitz denies
the boards of covenant house international and covenant house new york have hired a law firm cravath swaine  moore to conduct an investigation ms horowitz said
ms horowitz said the nonprofit could not comment in detail on cravaths investigation but said the firm has found no evidence so far that the nonprofit is not in compliance with contracts or that residents safety is at risk
the economic development corporation has been fielding proposals for the development which in addition to a new covenant house headquarters might also include 700 apartments at 41st street and 10th avenue in manhattan proposals were to outline how developers could make 40 percent of the apartments affordable and designate 75 to 100 apartments for formerly homeless people
but on tuesday the development corporation said no decision was imminent we have learned that certain allegations have been made against covenant house and we do not plan to make a developer selection until the facts are more fully known anthony hogrebe a spokesman for the agency said
in a note to friends of covenant house last week the nonprofits president and chief executive kevin ryan said developers had submitted bids for the project and mr drury had requested to transition from his job as executive director in order to devote his full time energy to the new headquarters
nancy downing a longtime employee of covenant house who most recently served as general counsel has been named the new executive director a shift that ms horowitz said was not related to the investigations
on tuesday covenant house expressed confidence in mr drury even if the redevelopment project does not proceed   and that is a very big if   covenant house is moving forward with the development of a new site and mr drury is leading that effort ms horowitz said


the national league championship ring is big daniel murphy said on tuesday and very nice wearing it would be bad form around the washington nationals   considering the mets logo on the face   but murphy would have every right to do so if he chose more than anyone else in uniform he was responsible for the mets march to the world series last fall
i made it clear to murph that without his substantial contribution none of us would be wearing that ring today general manager sandy alderson said
murphy said he appreciated the words but had not done it alone despite his 421 average and seven homers in the nl playoffs there were too many others to name murphy said but he listed a few beginning with the mets foundation their extraordinary starting rotation
that group is showing signs of vulnerability lately though most teams would welcome such problems the mets young starters   all bargain priced   have helped the rotation to a 330 era after noah syndergaards seven shutout innings in tuesdays 2 0 victory
yet jacob degrom has not been putting hitters away steven matz missed his last start with elbow discomfort and matt harvey has been a mystery manager terry collins acknowledged tuesday that he wondered if this was the new normal he is trying to give extra rest to some starters now hoping to trigger the lightning of october
alderson spoke about the pitchers too but not before talking about his own health concerns which are far more serious alderson has an unspecified form of cancer and he said he had surgery for it last wednesday as part of the plan his doctors devised last december
the surgery itself was im going to say fantastically successful alderson said the doctors were able to do everything they had hoped to do and were able to avoid everything they had hoped to avoid so from that standpoint everything worked out extremely well from where we were to where we are today   still on a road to full recovery
alderson 68 said he would be at citi field for some portion of every day and is in regular contact with ownership and his baseball operations staff there was no reason to push himself to work full days now alderson said but he could if he had to and plans to soon resume his regular schedule he said doctors were discussing whether he needs further chemotherapy but his focus now is recovering from the operation
we know hes not feeling well and yet thats never been in the way collins said ive never been around somebody stronger thats ever been through something like this before ever the fact that hes here today after he just had surgery a few days ago tells you how tough he is it was great to see him were glad hes doing well and we cant wait till hes back here full time
aldersons decision to let murphy leave last winter without a multiyear offer has not hurt the mets much murphys replacement at second base neil walker has 10 home runs and the long term heir dilson herrera is hitting 303 at class aaa
but murphy who was 1 for 3 on tuesday is leading the majors with a 399 average   unsustainable to be sure but a sign that his playoff joy ride might have a lasting impact he said he continued to emphasize the adjustments he made with the mets hitting coach kevin long moving closer to the plate to attack outside pitches and trying to pull balls in the air rather than serving singles to left
i think the playoffs helped elevate him to another level nationals manager dusty baker said his confidence is at an all time high he has an idea and he has a plan on what hes looking for
besides the ring the mets gave murphy a video tribute before tuesdays game and he said he was still close to his old teammates he sent matz a text message after learning that the pitcher got good news on his elbow and has spoken with the injured catcher travis darnaud murphy also said he was looking forward to meeting degroms infant son on wednesday
you spend almost a decade in the mets organization so i dont know if thats something i will completely wash off said murphy who signed a three year 375 million contract with washington the relationships my wife and our family were able to build will go far beyond baseball but the red gets more comfortable each day
life with the nationals is just fine murphy said he did not have a yard in new york but has one now in alexandria va and his son loves it the biggest surprise he said is the extent of bryce harpers talent for a baseball addict like murphy watching harper every day is a joy
as for his gaudy average murphy said he is simply looking for a pitch in his zone and trying to hit it as hard as humanly possible he had only five homers before this series and may never again combine the average and power he showed in the playoffs but those shining moments made a lasting impact reflected in the nl ring
as grand as it is murphy knows it could have been even more impressive
it was a fun ride he said i wish i had cracked a couple of homers in the world series


a chicago police officer whose fatal shooting of an unarmed woman was one in a series of killings of young black people that shattered the publics trust has quit rather than fight to keep his job the citys police board announced tuesday that the officer dante servin who was off duty when he shot rekia boyd in 2012 resigned two days before a hearing at which the board was to decide if he should be fired ms boyd 22 was walking with friends on a street when mr servin told them to be quiet he said he had fired because he had seen a person moving toward him with a gun but the police found only a cellphone at the scene he was charged with involuntary manslaughter but a judge acquitted him saying mr servin had been improperly charged and suggested that if the act was intentional then the crime if any there be is first degree murder the city settled a lawsuit in 2013 with the boyd family for 45 million ap
a federal judge says kansas cannot require people to show proof of united states citizenship when registering at motor vehicle offices to vote in federal elections judge julie robinson of united states district court issued a preliminary injunction tuesday in a lawsuit over the requirements but delayed it until may 31 so the state can appeal judge robinson said more than 18000 eligible voters would be disenfranchised in november under the law she said kansas rules violated a provision in the national voter registration act requiring only minimal information for eligibility kansas secretary of state kris kobach said he planned to appeal the american civil liberties union said the ruling sent a signal to other states that may be considering similar rules ap


waco tex   one year ago tuesday law enforcement officials here broke up one of the biggest and deadliest clashes of motorcycle gangs in the country gunfire erupted outside a twin peaks restaurant at a meeting of a regional coalition of motorcycle clubs after an altercation between two rival groups the bandidos and the cossacks so many bikers were arrested   nearly 200   that officials used the waco convention center for initial processing
police have said that the bikers who attacked one another and fired on police officers were part of a gang oriented criminal element that had brought a stockpile of weapons with them more than 300 handguns knives clubs and other weapons were recovered by the police
still a year later not all those trying to move on from the debacle are bikers with rap sheets
a crowd of about 80 bikers and their supporters rallied at the steps of the county courthouse on saturday to mark the anniversary long after they left the widow of daniel r boyett one of nine bikers who were killed sat on a bench recalling her husband who would have turned 45 this month
mr boyett was a member of the cossacks but his widow nina boyett said he was not looking for trouble mr boyett who owned a roadside service business here had made plans to be at his nephews fourth birthday party later that day
you get married you think youve got all these years to do things together and mark things off your bucket list and then one day its just all taken away from you ms boyett said
in the months after the shootout several of those arrested their lawyers and supporters including ms boyett have raised questions about the mass arrest saying that many of those arrested had no idea the meeting could turn violent were not involved in the gang rivalry and ducked or ran as shots rang out some of the arrested bikers have filed federal civil rights lawsuits against waco officials saying they were wrongfully arrested and have had their lives upended simply because they were at the meeting or wearing biker clothing
diego n obledo 41 still has the property list given to him by the authorities that shows he was not only unarmed that day but was carrying his pocket bible it was a new testament with a camouflage cover issued to him when he served in the texas air guard as he crouched behind a car in the parking lot as gunfire echoed around him he did not fit any biker stereotype he drove his car to waco and was making 123000 a year as a mortgage underwriting manager at a financial services company in san antonio
mr obledo was arrested jailed for about 15 days charged with engaging in organized criminal activity and had his bond set at 1 million because of his arrest he lost his job and the home he and his wife were in the process of buying mr obledo wore a bandidos undershirt that day but he said it was not visible he bought it the day before at an auto parts store he said and had no ties to the bandidos
i broke no law that day he said by merely wearing a t shirt   even the folks that wear patches on their vest   thats not a crime
mr obledo is one of seven arrested bikers who have filed federal lawsuits against the waco authorities and a number of others are preparing to sue mr obledo was indicted by a grand jury of the nearly 200 who were arrested about 40 were not indicted and they remain in a legal limbo as their cases were not dismissed but remain effectively dormant
if it had been one person maybe two it wouldnt be near the outrage that it is when its three dozen said paul looney a lawyer representing two bikers who were not indicted
waco police officials and prosecutors have previously defended their handling of the shootout given the weapons found and criminal history of the gangs
in january the authorities arrested the highest ranking leaders of the bandidos on federal racketeering and drug distribution charges including its national president jeffrey fay pike the federal indictment says that bandidos members had declared beginning in 2013 that they were at war with the cossacks
sgt w patrick swanton a spokesman for the waco police department declined to comment citing a court issued gag order that prevented him from discussing specifics of the case other officials including abelino reyna the mclennan county district attorney declined to comment or did not respond to requests for comment
in court documents a prosecutor told a judge at one hearing that in texas individuals can be charged as actual actors but also as parties the act of engaging in organized crime was committed when these people showed up in our fair county with the intent to show themselves as a show of force both the cossacks and their ilk and the bandidos and their ilk said michael jarrett a prosecutor in mr reynas office
several of those arrested said that it was clear that a group of bikers had turned a minor altercation into a bloody shootout and that the meeting was taking place amid the tense conflict between the bandidos and the cossacks but they and their lawyers described another group of bikers who were not connected to either club and were there to simply attend the confederation of clubs and independents meeting routine gatherings where various motorcycle clubs and supporters discuss motorcycle rights and other issues previous meetings have been held without incident
we were pretty much guilty by association because we were wearing colors said cody k ledbetter 27 a member of the cossacks who was arrested and who watched as mr boyett his stepfather was executed by a biker we have a right to assemble no matter if youre a biker no matter if youre a church group
one of those arrested ben a matcek 28 was not even at twin peaks when the shooting unfolded   he was driving there in his pickup truck with a friend he rushed a fellow member of the line riders club who had been shot to the hospital and was arrested after he and his friends pulled over in an empty parking lot two miles from twin peaks
mr matcek said he believed he was wrongfully arrested because he identified as a biker and had ties to a motorcycle club the line riders are well known in rural burleson county where they have a chapter   they host a church service every sunday at a bar partly owned by the chapter president jimmy dan smith 60 who was arrested with mr matcek they do charity and volunteer work for seniors at nursing homes and for needy schoolchildren
mr matcek has been involved in a custody dispute over his son since his arrest mr ledbetters family lost mr boyetts roadside service company mr obledos bail restrictions and nighttime curfew prevented him from being at his brothers side when his brother died of cancer last year brad terwilliger 28 who was arrested and was with mr matcek lost his job at a texas coal mine his car and his apartment
everyone thinks that were sons of anarchy and were not said mr matcek who along with mr smith and mr terwilliger was arrested but not indicted my grandparents were on a cruise in alaska and my mug shot was on the tv screen it haunts me every day i worked hard to have a good name for myself and its completely and utterly destroyed


japans economy the worlds third largest expanded at the fastest pace in a year during the first quarter on stronger private consumption and exports complicating prime minister shinzo abes decision on whether or not to delay a planned sales tax increase next year
the economy expanded by an annualized 17 percent in the first three months of the year rebounding from a 17 percent contraction in the previous quarter according to data from the cabinet office released on wednesday
many analysts had expected the data to show that the economy had contracted for a second straight quarter   technically a recession   when excluding the increase to consumption from the extra day for the leap year but private consumption rose 05 percent as households spent more on televisions food and beverage and recreation the data showed
still analysts say the rebound is not strong enough to dispel concerns
growth is not as strong as the headline number shows said hidenobu tokuda senior economist at mizuho research institute
he said he expected that the data would lead the prime minister to delay a planned sales tax hike next year and to roll out additional fiscal stimulus worth at least 5 trillion yen
japans economy minister nobuteru ishihara told reporters after the data was released that while the economy continues to recover moderately the government was ready to take a flexible policy response to risks such as volatile markets and weak demand in emerging economies
foreign demand for japanese goods also added 02 percentage point to gross domestic product growth as exports gained 06 percent
on a quarter over quarter basis the economy grew 04 percent in the first three months of the year
government officials have said the data will be crucial in mr abes decision about a tax increase
the data also comes ahead of a group of 7 leaders summit meeting in western japan next week where mr abe hopes to foster agreement on the need for global coordination of policies to jump start growth
japans economy contracted in the final quarter of last year as slow wage growth hurt private consumption while exports felt the pinch of sluggish demand from emerging markets and the pain of a strong yen
mr abe raised the sales tax to 8 percent from 5 percent in 2014 which tipped the economy into recession that led him to delay by 18 months a second tax increase to 10 percent


kiryas joel ny   in a place where young boys spend their days hunched over volumes of torah and talmud delving into timeless stories and precepts in an ancient singsong the scene was incongruous
dozens of agents with the federal bureau of investigation and county law enforcement officers   more than 50 by the count of officials in this hasidic village about 50 miles northwest of manhattan   converged on a four story brick yeshiva here on thursday some armed with guns others carrying crowbars as helicopters whirred overhead according to parents of children at the school the authorities took away boxes filled with computers office files and security camera videos
they scared all the kids said yoel weiss whose three sons moishe 12 shloime 8 and pinchas 7 attend the yeshiva that was targeted united talmudical academy of kiryas joel they made a big commotion
the motivation for the operation according to parents who learned of the questions being asked of yeshiva officials by the law enforcement authorities was a suspicion that a longtime principal had sexually abused students at least one episode of possible abuse was captured on video portions of which have been shared on social media
the parents did not want to be identified because they were wary of being drawn into the investigation the video was filmed from overhead in the office of the principal rabbi moshe hersh klein one snippet shows rabbi klein the gray bearded principal of the yeshivas third fourth and fifth grades his legs around a pupil who appears to be about 8 patting the boy and kissing his cheeks and rocking him for several seconds
kelly langmesser a spokeswoman for the fbis new york office declined to comment except to say it wasnt a raid it was a law enforcement operation
in a statement issued in response to news reports about the video two days before the authorities visited the yeshiva the yeshiva board said the footage was more than seven months old and had been investigated by the orange county district attorney no charges have been filed
christopher borek orange countys chief assistant district attorney said his offices policy was not to comment until a court filing took place h e noted that his agency was part of the task force that conducted the operation dawn dearden a spokeswoman for the united states attorneys office for the southern district of new york declined to comment
the yeshiva board said in its statement that the videos have been mischaracterized as evidence of child abuse while this type of restraint may be unacceptable to some viewers the statement said referring to the way rabbi klein can be seen holding the boy it in no way rises to the level of a criminal assault an attempt to contact rabbi klein at the yeshiva was rebuffed
over the past decade there have been a spate of sexual abuse cases within hasidic neighborhoods in brooklyn and in hasidic communities like this one   a square mile collection of large boxy houses with a population of more than 23000 half of whom are under age 13
while there is no evidence that abuse is any more prevalent among hasidim than other religious or ethnic groups the episodes have attracted attention for at least two reasons
by their very name hasidim declare themselves pious ones so such episodes smack of individual hypocrisy and the insular hasidim have long chosen to handle accusations of child sexual abuse themselves families that make such allegations have traditionally been pressured to consult a rabbi before contacting law enforcement authorities those who have gone to the authorities on their own have often been stigmatized as informers
that unwritten code has begun to break down with many hasidim complaining to the authorities about sexual crimes as of 2012 more than 100 men   rabbis teachers and camp counselors among them   had been arrested by the authorities in brooklyn perhaps the best known case centered on nehemya weberman an unlicensed 54 year old therapist who was convicted in state court in december 2012 of repeatedly abusing a young girl who sought his counseling starting when she was 12 groping her and forcing her to perform oral sex
in kiryas joel   which was founded in the late 1970s by rabbi joel teitelbaum the grand rabbi who revived the satmar hasidic dynasty after world war ii settling first in brooklyn   a half dozen parents interviewed on monday all defended rabbi klein who has been a principal at the yeshiva for over 30 years
never has there been a complaint said joel gluck an office worker he has a loving way of dealing with the kids a fatherly love i was a student of his and my kids are learning by him too if he was a danger to kids every one would pull their kids out
mr gluck and others said the video could be interpreted as an effort to calm an unruly upset young boy with hugs and kisses in a way that might be seen as invading the childs personal space but did not qualify as sexual abuse
hes a very warm warm person said melech gluck a marriage counselor hes an emotional person when he prays he cries when he goes to a grave he cries thats his nature he would make sure every kid felt welcome felt good in class should have friends or get friends
while the videos origins are a mystery several of those interviewed blamed crusaders for abuse victims for drawing attention to it specifically they mentioned nuchem rosenberg a brooklyn hasid who runs an abuse hotline
mr rosenberg who did not respond to a message left on his hotline has posted a video on youtube in which he calls the episode at the yeshiva a heinous crime that is being abetted by those who play down the rabbis actions as merely being overly affectionate when you look at it you see the student was shivering and shaking and didnt want that kind of love he says on his video every normal person considers this sex its a way he gives out his ugly sexual desire on a child


once upon a time when a city transit project had dragged on across four decades and people were starting to notice that it wasnt actually there the mayor and the chairman of the metropolitan transportation authority demanded an investigation into what the heck was taking so long
that meant some of the very people who had been working on it for all those years and whose efforts had been frustrated by forces they had no control over now had to rehash the whole wretchedly dull history of something that didnt get done
this assignment did not make anyone involved happy as robert olmsted the director of planning for the authority recalled in a chronicle of the events
in the words of one of the participants the time for action has passed lets have another study mr olmsted wrote
at least 45 years ago officials began making plans to add new tunnels to the two that carry trains across the hudson river the existing ones were built more than a century ago
on tuesday the first public hearing was held on the environmental impacts of replacing them or not if the time for action has passed no one can seriously be calling for another study the decay of those two tunnels has brought the region to the lip of a volcano
all amtrak trains going up the northeast must cross the hudson through them new jersey transit carries its customers to pennsylvania station through them trouble has been metastasizing for years
one workweek last summer on four days out of five the tunnels had to be virtually shut down because of one problem or another
hammered by time the tunnels have long needed to be overhauled   cables signals track bed the structure the works and that was before hurricane sandy came along in october 2012 and soaked everything in briny water at ruinous length
at issue now is not building replacements but how fast it can be done the customary pace of public works projects puts the entire region in peril
if just one of the two tunnels has to be shut down which could happen at any time it means train traffic will have to be reduced not by half but by 75 percent from 24 trains per hour to six thats because the sole remaining tunnel will have to be used for two way traffic and time will be lost in reversing signals according to billions for red tape focusing on the approval process for the gateway tunnel project a report from the common good a group that advocates the reform of government processes
the group is calling for president obama to issue an executive order that would turn over authority for environmental review on the project to the chairman of the council on environmental quality and for other permitting issues to the federal office of management and budget
the point is to limit years of meetings with 20 agencies sitting around and planning yet more meetings said philip k howard the president of common good
inaction is the worst result of all mr howard said
the very words environmental review cloak a process in virtue and goodness but if prolonging it means that the region loses one of those rail tunnels it would be more destructive than many environmental calamities the loss of even one tunnel would force more people into cars and lead to hundreds of thousands of tons of emissions
an earlier plan for new rail tunnels underwent about six years of environmental review the tunnels were canceled by gov chris christie of new jersey in 2010 who said the costs had swollen mr christie a republican redirected funds to keep gas taxes low and to prop up the state budget some of the earlier studies can be used to advance the current project officials say
federal officials have now promised to finish their review in two years mr howards report estimates that permits will take an additional year after that if those three years could be cut in half he said the project would save 3 billion patrick j foye the executive director of the port authority of new york and new jersey estimates that every month of delay adds 80 million in costs for that reason he said it is important that officials at the port authority   and other agencies   not become prisoners of process
environmental review is an essential if wonky maze that cannot compete with the smoking gun clarity and villainy of the time for some traffic problems in fort lee note that announced the scheme to tie up traffic at the george washington bridge but it will be far more destructive if it means we have one fewer tunnel   or two   under the hudson


washington   the chairman of the house select committee investigating the 2012 attacks in benghazi libya said on tuesday that military reinforcements could not have reached the besieged diplomatic outpost in time to prevent the killings of four americans including ambassador j christopher stevens
the panels chairman representative trey gowdy republican of south carolina told fox news whether or not they could have gotten there in time i dont think theres any issue with respect to that they couldnt the next question is why could you not why were you not positioned to do it
democrats seized on mr gowdys admission saying that it nullified one of the main republican criticisms of how the obama administration   including hillary clinton the secretary of state at the time   handled the episode republicans have argued that the pentagon was directed not to send reinforcements to back up the outnumbered security forces battling militants on the night of sept 11 2012
chairman gowdy has finally admitted what we have all known for years the committees top ranking democrat representative elijah e cummings of maryland said in a statement the central republican allegation that the military was told to withhold assets that could have saved lives in benghazi for political reasons was wrong
the allegation that forces were given a stand down order has been a recurring one in the lengthy debate over benghazi some republicans have even asserted that mrs clinton gave such an order to the defense secretary at the time leon e panetta
although it has been dismissed by other congressional investigations the theory remains popular it was revived this year in michael bays action film about the attacks 13 hours the secret soldiers of benghazi
but the committees republican chief counsel appeared to undermine it during questioning of mr panetta in january i think you ordered exactly the right forces to move out and head toward a position where they could reinforce what was occurring in benghazi or tripoli said the counsel dana k chipman a military lawyer and retired army general
this exchange mr gowdy said on fox was a small part of mr panettas closed door testimony and did not resolve broader questions about where the pentagon had positioned its forces on the tense anniversary of the september 2001 terrorist attacks
mr gowdy said previously that this issue might end up being the most surprising part of the house committees final report which he promised would be released sooner rather than later


in a noisy and bustling stretch of lower manhattan where cabdrivers blare their horns and pedestrians scurry by with laser focus people have places to be it seems and are disinclined to waste any time getting there
but every so often someone walking along canal street glances upward and pauses and then pulls out a phone to take a picture
on tuesday the windows of the office buildings on both sides of the street near the holland tunnel were covered in sticky notes recreating marge and maggie from the simpsons and a superman logo that stood as tall as an entire floor there was a homage to prince his symbol depicted in purple post its and there were cheekier messages and references to memes as well 5pm yet and bye felicia
the creations are the result of a friendly back and forth between the firms mostly advertising and marketing companies on opposite sides of canal street
wow thats funny said alexa catania 19 who stopped when a mosaic of a white ghost against a yellow background caught her eye she thought she and her friend had stumbled across the offices of snapchat on their way to lunch i was trying to figure out what it was
only in new york her friend gerald j ruland said as ms catania snapped a picture
the whole thing started last week when hi appeared in a window in the building at 75 varick street on the north side of canal across the street in the offices of the advertising company havas worldwide at 200 hudson street someone responded with sup
thats how simply things can start with a little hi said toygar bazarkaya the chief creative officer for the americas at havas worldwide
it blossomed quickly from there with workers sketching out designs and using scores and scores of the adhesive notes in a range of colors to create their displays many of which have grown far more sophisticated than the initial text message shorthand
its cool to see it evolve over six floors jeremy pagano who works in account services for an ad company on the north side building said while taking a smoke break outside
it has really come to life his co worker angela donza said
the back and forth has generated lots of attention on social media with hundreds of pictures posted on twitter and instagram with hashtags like canalnotes and postitwar even the maker of post it notes caught wind of it and has sent the companies involved briefcases packed with a variety of notes in different colors
inside the offices workers have found it exciting to watch everything unfold
its definitely surprising said kristina bostley an editorial manager for biolumina a pharmaceutical advertising agency in the building on the north side we never really know what theyre planning and they dont know what were planning
it seems unclear where the competition is headed it started organically mr bazarkaya said and he hopes it continues that way it has been a fun way for workers to have another outlet for their creativity   after work during lunch or in the occasional lulls during the day of course
we have a day job he said


vienna   secretary of state john kerry and his russian counterpart sergey v lavrov said on tuesday that if president bashar al assad of syria continues to block access of humanitarian aid to besieged cities and towns they were prepared to help the world food program airdrop food and emergency supplies
the very fact that they had to threaten the airdrops   which are expensive and often inaccurate   amounted to an admission of how little progress has been made in achieving either the lasting cease fire or the regular humanitarian relief that european and arab nations along with iran laid out as the first steps toward a broader peace agreement
the threat to conduct airdrops came after a meeting in vienna of the international syria support group made up of the nations that drafted a largely unimplemented plan to end the countrys civil war they gathered at a low point a once promising cessation of hostilities has largely collapsed an effort to start negotiations between the opposition and the government broke down and there has been no progress toward negotiating a political transition that was supposed to begin on aug 1
bolstered by russias intervention to help prop him up mr assad is in a stronger position than he has been in years many experts say and has rejected the idea that any new government would have to exclude him he has the strong support of iran his longtime provider of security though russian officials seem less concerned about whether mr assad himself remains in power or is replaced by another leader from his alawite shiite sect
at a news conference on tuesday afternoon with mr lavrov mr kerry rejected a suggestion that in dealing with mr assad he was operating without the kind of leverage he had in vienna last year during the iran nuclear negotiations   when american sanctions and sabotage of the iranian program created the pressure that led to a deal
but mr kerry   who white house aides say has complained in situation room meetings about the lack of clout to force mr assad to make good on his commitments   argued that the syrian leader would be making a mistake to believe he would pay no price for refusing to cooperate
if president assad has come to a conclusion theres no plan b he said referring to more coercive action to force him to comply then hes come to a conclusion that is totally without any foundation whatsoever and even dangerous
mr kerry added later that mr assad should never make a miscalculation about president obamas determination to do what is right at any given moment of time where he believes that he has to make that decision mr assad he said has flagrantly violated the united nations resolution calling for a nationwide cease fire and allowing humanitarian assistance
yet in making public a case that there would be consequences for mr assads intransigence mr kerry was touching on one of the hardest issues facing mr obama and his national security team in their last eight months in office the president has repeatedly defended his decision not to authorize a military strike against mr assad after he crossed what mr obama had described as a red line against using chemical weapons he also rejected a no fly zone to protect fleeing civilians and opposition forces
those steps would draw the united states deeper into a war in which mr obama initially saw no vital american interest though mr kerry and other officials in private have argued that the size of the humanitarian disaster in syria and the destabilization of europe by the flow of refugees have created such an interest
in the vienna talks mr kerry could not credibly threaten military intervention if mr assad continued to defy the united nations and the resolutions of the support group he did suggest that if there were continued violations of the cease fire any violator   he clearly had mr assads forces in mind   might become a target but he also argued that military solutions would be of limited use saying he and mr lavrov agreed on the futility and stupidity of an escalated process that could destroy syria altogether and create even greater problems throughout the region which would attract more and more jihadis to syria
it is unclear whether an effort to get around the blockades to food and humanitarian deliveries would be effective a spokesman for the oppositions negotiating group salem al meslet said in a statement that if there is no full unimpeded access the world food program must deliver airdrops to those in need without the consent of the regime he said the airdrop has to be continuous intensive and cover all areas in need a description that sounded more like the berlin airlift of 1948 49 than the periodic attempts to get food to starving syrian populations
so far there has been no resemblance to the berlin effort the first airdrop to the government held area of deir al zour besieged by the islamic state ended badly the supplies did not reach people in the besieged area officials have not been willing to say whether they ended up in the hands of the islamic state fighters
in general airdrops are hugely expensive and inefficient compared with trucking aid into a country and united nations officials have long said they should be used only as a last resort it is particularly hard to know how they might target drops in densely populated areas like daraya a rebel stronghold southwest of damascus
the frustration with the assad forces   and the syrian leaders unwillingness to allow in humanitarian aid after insisting for months that he would   led to some surprisingly undiplomatic language staffan de mistura the united nations special envoy for syria told reporters here that the syrian governments cutoff of towns was the closest to a medieval type of siege that were seeing in recent history


add another mystery to the murky case of the disappearing traffic lanes at the george washington bridge who is john doe and why is he putting up such a struggle to shield his identity
a man known only by that alias has hired a lawyer from a prominent manhattan firm to plead with two federal courts in five days to keep his name out of the impending prosecution of the alleged criminal conspiracy known broadly as bridgegate so far he is winning the fight for anonymity
on tuesday an appellate court in philadelphia blocked the scheduled release of a list of people who prosecutors believe were somehow involved in the scheme to tie up traffic at the new jersey end of the bridge in september 2013 the court set a hearing on john does appeal for june 6
so the riddle of john does identity and motivation will keep the politically curious guessing for a few more weeks at the least
who they wondered could have played a notable role in the highly publicized scheme and still hope to avoid being linked to it and why did he wait until the eve of the scheduled release of the list of unindicted co conspirators to try to suppress it
there are no coincidences in new jersey politics said john s wisniewski a democratic state assemblyman who was co chairman of a legislative committee that investigated the lane closing scheme im certain that there is an important reason for whoever john doe is to have retained counsel a reason that only recently came up
whoever he is mr wisniewski said john doe had the resources and connections to hire jenny kramer a former federal prosecutor who is now with the chadbourne  parke law firm ms kramer filed a motion in federal court in newark last week arguing that her client would be publicly branded a felon by his inclusion on the list even though he has not been charged with a crime
prosecutors have not said how many names are on the list but they have obtained indictments against only three former allies of gov chris christie a republican suspected of plotting to tie up traffic in fort lee nj they contend that the three   bill baroni david wildstein and bridget anne kelly   sought to punish the boroughs mayor mark sokolich a democrat for declining to endorse mr christie for re election in 2013
mr baroni was the governors top executive appointee at the port authority of new york and new jersey which operates the bridge mr wildstein who pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy last may was a deputy to mr baroni at the agency mr baroni and ms kelly who was a deputy chief of staff to mr christie are scheduled to stand trial in september on nine counts including conspiracy to commit fraud
mr wildstein has stated that there is evidence that mr christie knew about the scheme while it was being carried out but the governor has said he found out about it afterward and quickly informed the public unless those denials have been refuted by prosecutors mr wisniewski said it probably is unlikely that the governor is on this list
he declined to speculate about john does identity but trying to puzzle it out has been something of a parlor game among those who have continued to follow the case holly schepisi a republican state assemblywoman who was on the committee with mr wisniewski called it a bridgegate fantasy league that had people swapping rosters of possibilities and wishes
there are some people out there who still hold out hope for whatever diabolical reason that john doe is somebody very senior ms schepisi said
brigid harrison a professor of political science at montclair state university said in an interview on tuesday that there was widespread speculation that john doe could be mr christie it is someone who has an enormous amount to lose ms harrison said who has the most to lose
ms harrison noted that donald j trump the republican candidate for president was scheduled to attend a rally in new jersey on thursday that will raise money to pay for mr christies aborted presidential campaign so there is at least some advantage he has gained from the delay of this she said referring to the governor
but assemblywoman schepisi said she was reasonably certain that john doe was not mr christie but another current or former public official or government employee beyond that she said she had heard plenty of guesses but everybodys speculating
susan wigenton the judge in the united states district court in newark who denied john does motion to keep the list confidential said that the publics right to know outweighed the interests of privacy of the people on the list for whom the government has sufficient evidence to designate as having joined the conspiracy
ms schepisi said she thought john doe had a strong argument against being implicated in a conspiracy without being charged and having a chance to defend himself she said she imagined he had good reason to want to keep his presence on that list a secret
when people hear the phrase unindicted co conspirator the implication is no longer unfortunately ok you didnt commit a crime it is you very probably did something criminal and somehow you skated ms schepisi said its like having a big scarlet letter put across your chest for the rest of your life


washington   defying pleas by many of its students and faculty to reconsider george mason university moved on tuesday to finalize the renaming of its law school in honor of antonin scalia the supreme court justice who died recently
it did so after the state council of higher education for virginia declined to block the name change ending for now a debate that has divided george masons suburban washington campus since the university announced in march the decision to rename the school and the large gift from conservative donors prompting it
though it was expected the decision came as a disappointment to the students and faculty as well as a dozen or so democrats in the virginia legislature who opposed the name change out of concern that it would tie the university to a conservative justice whose views they thought ran counter to its educational mission
george mason administrators ultimately found that argument unpersuasive and on tuesday in a bureaucratic twist the councils members unanimously decided that in fact they did not have the authority to override the universitys board of visitors which had already accepted the donations and the terms that came with them
david k rehr the law schools senior associate dean lauded the outcome and said that though the school was better for having had the debate over the name change it was time to move on
the combined 30 million gift   given by the charles koch foundation and an anonymous donor   will fund new scholarships a dozen new faculty positions and two new centers in line with the schools flagship law and economics center which emphasizes the economic effect of the law beginning next fall the renaming is intended to take effect july 1
we think that looking back five 10 15 years from now people will see it as an important turning point for the law school and for the students here mr rehr said
opponents of the renaming agree though they argue that the changes will not be for the better signaling to potential students of diverse backgrounds that george mason is not welcoming to them
it is less clear what effect tuesdays decision will have on the increased scrutiny the gifts have prompted among faculty members over the influence conservative donors   chiefly mr koch the billionaire industrialist who has given tens of millions of dollars to pet projects there   have on virginias largest public university
this issue really brought to the surface a whole set of issues that have been alive on our campus for a long time that we have not really been responding to said craig willse a cultural studies professor who helped lead the opposition to the change specifically the issue of koch money has really been put on the table in a way that it hasnt been before
in a series of letters to the university faculty in recent weeks angel cabrera george masons president pledged to address concerns and reiterated that he would never cede academic independence to a private donor a faculty senate task force studying the influence of private donors is expected to release a report in the fall
as for the name change those who had tried to block it said they were resigned on tuesday if dissatisfied with the states inability to regulate such changes
i think short of getting the board of visitors to change their minds which they have demonstrated they dont want to do i think this is it said marcus simon a democratic state delegate who had led a petition drive against the change the names the name for the foreseeable future


ottawa   rapidly changing winds brought albertas huge wildfire to the perimeter of two of the oldest and largest of canadas oil sands complexes on tuesday posing a new threat to an industry that just a day earlier had been preparing to resume full scale operations
and hopes that residents of the city of fort mcmurray or at least those whose houses were not destroyed might soon be able to return similarly waned while the huge firestorms new path largely bypassed the city on monday night and early tuesday two explosions added an additional 10 houses to the tally of destruction an estimated 2400 buildings have been destroyed officials said
as the raging blaze now more than a week old turned north skirting the western edge of fort mcmurray on monday afternoon and evening a series of small camps holding about 600 oil sands workers were evacuated by tuesday according to rachel notley the premier of alberta about 6000 workers had been moved to the north while an additional 2000 fled south thousands of the northern escapees then made their way back south to edmonton the nearest major city to fort mcmurray by air on tuesday
the workers had mainly come from the big open pit mines and processing facilities owned by the companies suncor and syncrude over the past week workers had been gradually traveling north from edmonton and elsewhere to restart those operations some of them had just returned only to quickly find themselves again boarding an evacuation bus
by midday on tuesday the provincial government said that just eight employees remained at suncor and 78 at syncrude in normal times up to 7400 people work at syncrude producing up to 350000 barrels of oil a day most of the holdouts are members of the two companies fire brigades
chad morrison the head of albertas wildfire service said that the fire was now close to the syncrude and suncor oil sands plants as it made its way there overnight on monday the flames devoured a 665 room work camp that had been evacuated hours earlier
but mr morrison added that we feel theres good resilience with the industrial sites in addition to having well trained and well equipped fire brigades of their own a wide band of gravel surrounds the oil sands operations as a fire break both companies have been extending the size of those barriers since the outbreak of the wildfire
if the fire nevertheless finds a way to enter the open pit mines where gigantic excavators scoop up tar like bitumen and place it in similarly oversize dump trucks mr morrison said that the provinces experience during a 2011 fire suggested that the oil bearing bitumen is unlikely to ignite
the plants where the bitumen is separated from sand and then converted into a synthetic crude oil present a potentially greater fire risk yet they are located well away from the fire and the forests
while firefighting efforts have been concentrated on preserving the undamaged parts of fort mcmurray reopening the oil sands plants which generally lie to the north has also been a priority in an analysis written just before the latest setback the conference board of canada estimated that 14 days of shutdown would mean a loss of production valued at 985 million canadian dollars about 762 million royalties from the oil sands are also an important part of the provincial budget
some oil sands operations like those of shell canada are well north and were not affected on tuesday
there were no estimates late tuesday afternoon about when the re evacuated workers might be able to give restarting the operations a second try
on monday smoke was clearly as big a problem as the fire video made by evacuating workers showed that the atmosphere had turned a dull mars like red
normally albertas poorest air quality ranking is 10 with 1 being the cleanest ms notley said that the rating hit 38 on monday and was still at 13 on tuesday
the cause of the two explosions remained under investigation ms notley said
after a round of setbacks ms notleys one bit of good news was not unalloyed
the more thats burned around the edge of fort mcmurray she told a news conference the safer it becomes


for decades the cost of renting a regulated apartment in new york has been partly determined not just by annual increases approved by a city board but also by the far bigger raises allowed when an apartment becomes vacant
now encouraged by their success in holding down the annual rent increases advocates for tenants are renewing calls to end the vacancy increase arguing that it is a significant and often overlooked factor in the cost of renting an apartment in the city
the citys rent guidelines board has been holding the annual increases to historic lows under mayor bill de blasio   down to zero in the case of one year leases but under current law landlords are allowed to increase rents by up to 20 percent upon a vacancy
even though only about 13 percent of rent stabilized apartments turn over each year a report released on tuesday by the antipoverty group community service society of new york argued that the vacancy allowance which has been in place since 1969 is so high that it contributes more to the overall rise in stabilized rents than the annual increases
the rent stabilization association a major landlord group said the report exaggerated the effect of the vacancy allowance on average the group said the allowance leads to an increase of about 10 percent   about half of the maximum
the association said the vacancy allowance was written into law as a recognition that landlords might need to catch up in rent revenue between tenants to help maintain the building and as a way to have a new tenant bear the increase owners are eligible for an additional bump known as a vacancy bonus if the departing tenant occupied the apartment for at least eight years
with the rent guidelines board considering another rent freeze for one year leases landlords say they need any increase they can get but tenant groups went to albany on tuesday to lobby for the repeal of the vacancy allowance which they call the eviction bonus in the states rent law
we call it the eviction bonus because it gives a major incentive to evict rent regulated tenants said katie goldstein executive director of the advocacy group tenants  neighbors we wanted to target the loophole that would make the biggest difference
a bill to repeal the vacancy allowance has languished in the state assembly for years but some see an opening to inject the issue into negotiations over the renewal of a tax exemption for developers who build affordable housing gov andrew m cuomo has brokered talks on the exemption between representatives of labor and the real estate industry tenant groups regard the exemption called 421a as a giveaway to developers
we should get something for tenants said assemblyman brian kavanagh a sponsor of the repeal bill we should do something to strengthen rent laws
mr kavanagh a democrat who represents the east side of manhattan said the vacancy allowance had risen to the top of tenants demands because it also helped landlords surpass the 2700 threshold that allowed them to take an apartment out of rent stabilization
but albany seems to be at a standstill on the housing front the governor included 2 billion in the state budget this year for a statewide housing program yet there is no agreement on how to spend the money a plan for the 2 billion is to be laid out in a memorandum of understanding among the governor the assembly and the state senate some housing advocates said they were hopeful that the agreement would be made final by the end of the legislative session in june
the citys major developers represented by the real estate board of new york have balked at mr cuomos insistence that 421a projects pay union labor rates so far the governor a democrat has been unable to secure a compromise between the unions and the developers
the fight for affordability in the city focuses in large part on retaining the stock of about one million rent regulated apartments but regulated does not necessarily mean affordable the rent guidelines board says most tenants in rent stabilized apartments spend more than 30 percent of their income on rent and utilities which is the federal standard for affordable housing research by the boards staff shows that inflation adjusted wages rose only by 16 percent in the year ending in the third quarter of 2015
jack freund executive vice president of the rent stabilization association said the vacancy allowance which he said made up for inadequate raises by the rent board was hardly to blame for upward rent trends that are mostly associated with the strong real estate market
theres rent pressure throughout the city regardless of the type of housing because costs have gone up mr freund said


finding that the district of columbias strict gun law is probably unconstitutional a federal judge ruled tuesday that while a challenge to the law is pending district police must stop requiring applicants to have a good reason for seeking a permit to carry a gun on the street
judge richard j leons 46 page ruling in united states district court in washington reopens the districts long fight over how much room the second amendments guarantee of the right to bear arms leaves for local regulation   and whether it applies only to firearms in the home or to guns carried outside as well
the law gave the police the discretion to grant concealed carry licenses only to those with good reason to fear injury or other specific reasons such as having a job in which they carried large amounts of cash or valuables
all citizens have a constitutional right to keep firearms in their homes for self defense the united states supreme court ruled in 2008 in district of columbia v heller
referring to that ruling judge leon wrote the districts understandable but overly zealous desire to restrict the right to carry in public a firearm for self defense to the smallest possible number of law abiding responsible citizens is exactly the type of policy choice the justices had in mind
the judge ruled on a lawsuit filed last year by matthew grace the owner of four legally registered handguns and pink pistols a shooting group he belongs to in his court papers mr grace said that he had no special reason for needing to carry a gun on the street beyond the usual worries about street violence but that the gun law violated the second amendment right to bear arms for self defense
judge leon agreed that the second amendment covered the right to carry a pistol in the street as well as in the home the need for self defense is of course greater outside the home than it is within it he wrote adding that the right of law abiding responsible citizens to carry arms in public for the purpose of self defense does indeed lie at the core of the second amendment
robert marus a spokesman for the district of columbia attorney generals office said it was very likely that judge leons ruling would be appealed so that we can go back to enforcing our law
the district approved its concealed carry permit law in september 2014 not long after a federal judge overturned its longstanding ban on carrying firearms in public
the new law among the strictest in the nation matches those in maryland new jersey and new york which have all been upheld by federal appeals courts elsewhere
a similar case involving a different plaintiff wrenn v district of columbia is pending in the district in that one a different judge said the law was probably constitutional and refused to issue an injunction


washington   the obama administration in a far reaching effort to improve the lot of workers that has ignited criticism from business groups announced on tuesday that it was making millions more employees eligible for overtime pay
under the new regulation to be issued by the labor department on wednesday most salaried workers earning up to 47476 a year must receive time and a half overtime pay when they work more than 40 hours during a week the previous cutoff for overtime pay set in 2004 was 23660
this is a big deal to be able to help that many working people without congress having to pass a new law said ross eisenbrey of the economic policy institute an early voice in urging the administration to take up the issue its really restoring rights that people had for decades and lost
the change is expected to play out in a variety of ways once the rule goes into effect on dec 1 many workers will receive more pay when they work overtime but others may end up working fewer hours if employers move to limit their time at work in other cases employers may decide to increase the salaries of some workers to push them over the cutoff so that the employers will not have to pay overtime or hire additional workers after limiting hours for existing employees
vice president joseph r biden jr who will travel to columbus ohio on wednesday to promote the new rules said they touched on a core issue for mr obama   ensuring that middle class workers are treated fairly
the middle class is getting clobbered mr biden told reporters if you work overtime you should actually get paid for working overtime
for the past 40 years overtime protections have been increasingly weakened mr biden added noting that more than 60 percent of salaried workers qualified for overtime in 1975 based on their salaries but only 7 percent do today
opponents argued that the measure could cost billions of dollars and would undermine the morale of salaried employees by requiring them to account for every hour of their workdays
this is an extreme revision in the white collar threshold said david french of the national retail federation by executive fiat the department of labor is effectively demoting millions of workers
republican lawmakers who are close to many of the industries that oppose the new rule have vowed to block it during a mandated congressional review period
with donald j trump as their presumptive presidential nominee however the issue is fraught with risk for republicans any attempt to repeal the regulation could exacerbate an already palpable split between mr trumps blue collar supporters and the partys establishment donors and politicians
paul porter a truck driver from ava mo who is a member of the teamsters union and a supporter of mr trump said he already received time and a half after eight hours of work but strongly favored the new overtime regulation i have friends who are managers who get taken advantage of terribly he said
the administration for its part expressed confidence it was holding the better political hand i welcome a debate in congress about wages in this country thomas e perez the secretary of labor said it crystallizes the difference between this president and the leadership in congress
federal employment law provides two ways for most salaried workers to become eligible for overtime the first is through a so called duties test that essentially determines whether or not they are bona fide executives administrators or professionals which has historically meant spending most of their time exercising some decision making authority if not they are supposed to be eligible for overtime pay that method is open to interpretation
the second is more of a hard and fast standard setting a salary level to determine eligibility for overtime regardless of duties so even for employees who are legitimately managers if their salary is below the cutoff they must be paid overtime
certain categories of workers like teachers doctors and outside sales representatives continue to be exempt from the regulation though academics primarily engaged in research are not
the overtime rule dates back to the passage of the 1938 law that established a federal minimum wage the cutoff has been raised several times over the years in 2004 the bush administration also made it easier to exempt workers above the cutoff under the duties test
proponents like mr eisenbrey urged the administration to raise the cutoff to about 51000 which in inflation adjusted dollars is roughly where it stood in 1975 when the ford administration undertook the last major expansion of overtime eligibility
in addition to increasing the basic ceiling which will be set to match the pay of full time salaried workers earning at the 40th percentile of salaries in the countrys lowest income region currently the south the new regulation will be updated every three years to keep pace with changes in pay
the labor department calculates that 42 million workers will become newly eligible for overtime other estimates put the number of newly eligible workers substantially higher
in addition according to the department nearly nine million more workers who should already be eligible for overtime under the current duties test will be protected against being denied overtime illegally
the most heated debate concerns the fate of those workers who are relatively far from the new cutoff critics argue that employers will simply lower the base wage for a majority of affected workers who work overtime so that their overall pay including overtime pay will remain the same
a projection by the consulting firm oxford economics prepared for the national retail federation predicted that a disproportionate number of workers who became eligible for overtime and worked more than 40 hours would see their hourly rates decreased by an equal amount leaving their total annual earnings unchanged
by contrast daniel hamermesh a labor economist at the institute for the study of labor predicted that base wages would fall somewhat over time but that the higher overtime payments would more than offset any loss in regular salary levels
the regulation which president obama directed the labor department to work on in 2014 and which the department first proposed last july provoked a deluge of comments from the public   nearly 300000 in all
many opponents argued that the new salary level would unfairly affect lower wage regions of the country the department decreased its proposed cutoff of 50440 in response it also changed its proposed annual indexing to once every three years and decided against revisiting the 2004 changes to the duties test
groups representing colleges and universities local governments and smaller nonprofits also expressed concerns about the cost of the new regulation
elward edd an official at the hopi tribal housing authority in arizona which has a backlog of more than 500 homes to repair said the burden of the new regulation would force him to scale back hiring to one construction crew from two
mr edd said he was not certain the new regulation would apply to his tribe but planned to follow it until obtaining clarity labor department officials said it would not
many critics argued that the need to closely monitor hours would impinge on workers freedom by preventing them from working as long as they like and could damage an employees status and sense of self worth
but at least some of the likely beneficiaries of the new overtime rule took issue with the prediction of looming morale problems that is so out of touch said erin clark a postdoctoral fellow at brandeis university who spends about 60 hours a week doing research on neurons and makes 46344 after having earned a phd from harvard
when the regulation goes into effect dr clark added it will at least feel like youre out there in the job market with everyone else on some sort of playing field as opposed to this weird vestigial training position


wonju south korea   on a farm nestled between hills of chestnut and acorn trees the aging spitz has had an easy life she follows her owner gong in young everywhere and he dotes on the dog whose name is snow white
yet on his farm in a valley southeast of seoul mr gong 55 also raises dogs for their meat
locked up in steel cages their entire lives the animals are fed with discarded food mr gong collects from restaurants in nearby towns until they are ready to be sold to the slaughterhouse 200 to 300 each year
referring to the lives of snow white and the dogs raised for meat he admits its the difference between heaven and hell
mr gong recently struck a deal with humane society international an animal rights group that has begun a campaign against dog farms in south korea it is offering financial incentives to farmers   2000 to 60000 depending on the number of dogs involved   who give up their animals to be adopted as family pets in the united states and elsewhere and switch to other livelihoods like growing pepper or blueberries since last year the group says it has shut down five farms
mr gong agreed to free his 260 dogs only weeks before many of them were scheduled to die
it is difficult to measure the global dog meat trade an industry that is deplorably regulated animal rights groups estimate that 30 million dogs mostly stolen or feral are killed each year for their meat in asia in countries such as china and vietnam
south korea has industrialized its dog meat trade each year more than 17000 dog farms some of them raising more than 1000 animals each supply 2 million dogs to meet the countrys centuries old appetite for dog meat according to government data
in mr gongs warehouselike complex of cages visitors walk into a deafening cacophony huskies rottweilers golden retrievers and other breeds bark and paw at the wires retired tosa fighting dogs lie listlessly some with their snouts badly mangled below the cages feces piles up creating an overpowering odor
dog traders visit these farms to buy animals when the summers dog eating season approaches at current rates an 80 pound dog goes for 250 they transport the dogs in cages so crowded they can barely move or even suffocate before they arrive at slaughterhouses for electrocution
from the slaughterhouse wholesale meat dealers supply the carcasses to back alley dog meat restaurants where customers many of them older men enjoy a hot bowl of vegetables spicy condiments and shredded dog meat
dog is raised and supplied just like cabbage is mr gong said
koreans call the dog dish bosintang or soup good for your body it became popular when the nation was destitute and meat was scarce
koreans are fiercely proud of their culinary history even those who shun dog meat often bristle at foreigners who criticize the practice to them eating snails is unthinkable and force feeding ducks to produce foie gras cruel
but as south korea has become wealthier its tastes and attitudes toward animals has changed keeping pets has become more commonplace television programs on raising companion animals or rescuing abused dogs are popular in parliamentary elections in april one small party championed animal rights
increasingly south koreans especially the younger generation find the idea of eating dog meat appalling
grandpa strokes my poodle on his lap and says this is just the right size for a bowl of bosintang  said kim yoo na 14 who recently visited a pet accessory store in seoul with his mother hes joking but whenever he says that i snatch my dog from him
animal rights groups hope the campaign to free more dogs will boost public awareness about the animals plight ahead of the winter olympics in south korea in 2018 when the country will be more sensitive to its international image
there is widespread public ignorance about the dogs bred for meat   the myth that these dogs are somehow different from normal dogs has fostered a societal indifference to their suffering said wendy higgins a humane society international spokeswoman
our experience at all farms has shown that every breed of dog imaginable is found on a dog meat farm including the pure breeds that are popular as companions she said
mr gong said he had moved into this valley southeast of seoul to breed special purpose animals like guide dogs for the blind after his music cafe in seoul went bankrupt in the 1990s oversupply and plummeting prices for specialty dogs forced him to sell the animals for meat ten years ago he began to raise dogs for meat full time
i am not particularly proud of eating dog meat but i dont think its something we should be ashamed of either he said no nation should be criticized for its food
andrew plumbly a humane society international campaigner said culture is never an excuse for cruelty
when the two sides met recently they found common ground
mr gong saw no long term future for his trade surveys show that most south koreans now eat chicken beef or pork instead of dog meat on boknal days when they traditionally eat food they believe helps beat the summer heat none of the young people mr gong knew including his son would touch dog meat he said the image of dog farms was not good
on a recent day mr gong saw off 17 of his dogs the latest batch to be flown to the united states under the deal with the animal protection group he said he felt better when he saw pictures of the dogs living happily as family pets abroad he said he might try growing mushrooms now
i was not ashamed of my way of making a living but i was not proud of it either he said gazing at the dogs still held in cages while they were vaccinated and awaited flights out of south korea no one would do this if he could avoid it


every year for decades advertising executives from across the country have flocked to new york for the feeding frenzy known as the television upfronts during elaborate presentations at some of the citys most celebrated locations tv networks present their slate of programming for the next fall season to advertisers the goal this year attract what could amount to more than 9 billion in advance ad sales
perhaps those with the most power at this event are ad buyers who work for agencies on behalf of companies like coca cola and royal caribbean their decisions help determine which networks win and which lose for them the week doesnt just mean presentations it also means lunches sometimes two in one day drinks with clients fancy dinners and plenty of schmoozing
carrie drinkwater director of investment activation for the agency mullenlowe mediahub has been attending the upfronts for two decades for her monday was a day spent running all over town some of the time with a new york times reporter in tow
1045 am nbcuniversal upfront at radio city music hall
ms drinkwater arrives at the 50th street entrance to radio city after taking a 520 am train from boston where she works as she enters the music hall she says she loves the upfronts because theres a lot of energy she shows her ticket and begins navigating the way to her seat stopping to greet people along the way
nbcuniversal has combined its broadcast and cable upfronts this year for the first time meaning it will showcase shows on nbc alongside those on cable networks like bravo syfy and e but it has promised that the presentation will last no more than two hours ms drinkwater is skeptical the presentation begins shortly after 11 am its a celebration of tv ms drinkwater says about the upfronts as the lights dim she takes a sip of water here we go
jimmy fallon begins the show dressed like a character from the broadway show hamilton i love him ms drinkwater whispers the presentation also includes a sizzle reel of nbcuniversals new shows grouped into buckets with titles like laugh out loud and rule breakers the presentation does indeed last about two hours apparently much to everyones relief as she makes her way out of radio city ms drinkwater says one new show in particular caught her attention this is us starring mandy moore and milo ventimiglia about people whose link seems to be that they share a birthday she will have to think about whether any other shows work for her clients
1 pm lunch at valbella a white tablecloth italian restaurant in midtown
ms drinkwater decides to walk to her lunch with peter olsen the head of ad sales at ae networks the restaurant is quiet and fairly empty when she arrives she heads to a table in the corner where mr olsen is sitting with one of ms drinkwaters colleagues dustin johnson and paul greenberg general manager of aes fyi network who also oversees aes in house digital agency 45th  dean conversation turns to different ad formats and the explosion of digital advertising opportunities as ads evolve and as spending continues to flow to digital media mr olsen says the upfronts have in some ways lost their sense of urgency
the upfront madness isnt that mad anymore he says
over pear and endive salad and halibut ms drinkwater and mr olsen discuss how her clients which include scotts miracle gro and royal caribbean could use aes programming and ad offerings they try to organize drinks with another advertising executive on wednesday just email her ms drinkwater says
this is a week for networking mr olsen mentions that on one day he has not one but two client lunches
320 pm in the back of a taxi
foxs upfront is on the upper west side so ms drinkwater hops in a taxi with mr johnson nbc is already advertising its new shows on the taxi tv
since ms drinkwater is an upfront veteran she is well positioned to opine on the changes the biggest evolution over time was the disruption of the space she says people now watch shows oftentimes without ads on their computers smartphones and tablets facebook youtube twitter and snapchat have prompted advertisers to come up with new ways to promote their products
she predicts that this year the upfronts will see a 2 percent increase in ad spending commitments compared with last year when the total was considered fairly weak
will the upfronts ever disappear i think they will be around for as long as there is demand for the supply she says about television she adds its still a mass vehicle
335 pm fox upfront at the beacon theater
the taxi lets ms drinkwater out a few blocks away from the theater a crowd has already formed and ms drinkwater searches for clients from national geographic more hugs and handshakes as she waits for the presentation to begin she recalls her first   and perhaps most memorable   upfront she was at lincoln center for nbcs upfront waiting at the open bar when she got her drink she turned around and there was george clooney
fox promotes its hit show empire and a number of new shows including pitch about a woman who is a baseball player and the exorcist which looks terrifying
i really think they have a great slate ms drinkwater says after reflecting on the presentation she is also impressed that so many shows have diverse casts in particular she says she likes pitch and star a new drama from lee daniels a creator of empire
650 pm nbc nfl dinner at maloney  porcelli a midtown expense account stalwart
before heading to dinner ms drinkwater grabs a drink at upstairs a rooftop bar in midtown with representatives of bose a client she orders a glass of red wine but says she probably had three sips the upfronts require pacing she and her companions discuss who is going to be at the nbc dinner
when they arrive at the dinner where nbc gives advertising executives a glimpse of the coming football season cocktail hour is in full swing ms drinkwater talks to linda yaccarino chairwoman for advertising sales and client partnerships at nbcuniversal and seth winter executive vice president for ad sales for nbc sports group
a platter of shellfish awaits everyone as they take their seats ms drinkwater sits next to rodney harrison a former football player and nbc football analyst they discuss their children she passes on the filet and orders salmon
1045 pm fox party at wollman rink in central park
ms drinkwater gets in an uber and makes her way to foxs party which started around 6 pm after the networks upfront ended but is still going strong hours earlier people sipped grapefruit mojitos one agency executive described it as overly leafy and munched on sushi hot dogs macaroni and cheese and warm chocolate chip cookies
ms drinkwater finally leaves around midnight but her upfronts are far from over   there are still three days to go before she heads home to reflect on how her clients should spend their money


the obama administrations directive last week instructing public schools to allow transgender students to use bathrooms and locker rooms of the gender they identify with has set off an intense debate
many politicians and parents have raised alarms about privacy and warned of predatory boys sneaking into girls bathrooms but others say that such accommodations are critical protections for a vulnerable population
for all of the heated debate a central fact remains elusive how many students are we talking about
no one knows for sure researchers have not figured out how to obtain consistent reliable answers from teenagers much less younger children
the best estimates are that the population is small probably under 1 percent of adolescents
there are none pediatricians generally do not ask patients about their gender identity and if they do they do not usually report findings in national health registries the centers for disease control and prevention which analyzes much of our behavioral health data has tested ways for students to identify themselves as transgender but it has not yet settled on a satisfactory method and it does not expect to include such a question in its adolescent health survey before 2019
some local surveys have been done with results falling in a narrow range
a 2015 health behavior survey of 18494 high school students in dane county wis which includes madison found that 15 percent of students identified themselves as transgender
in 2006 the boston youth survey asked 1032 public high school students are you transgender the responses were 16 percent yes 863 percent no and 63 percent dont know an additional 57 percent skipped the question
some believe that these estimates are low because trans identity has become more salient and acceptance has increased said jody l herman a scholar of public policy at the ucla school of laws williams institute but we dont have any way of knowing that
interestingly in surveys a higher proportion of teenagers than adults tend to identify themselves as transgender analyzing adult survey data from massachusetts and california the williams institute estimated in 2011 that 700000 adults or 03 percent of the national population were transgender a number that is frequently cited
lots of reasons
the situation in which a survey is conducted   in school a telephone call an in person interview   will influence the candor of the response
so will the wording of the question in some surveys for example students have been asked do you identify as a male b female or c transgender
that is a terrible question because you can only select one said emily a greytak director of research at glsen the gay lesbian and straight education network so what do i check transgender or theyll check girl because i want to be a girl so you get bad data
and they are after all teenagers you end up with adolescents who dont read the question carefully or who will check d for everything or will choose what they think is a humorous response option said kerith conron a social and psychiatric epidemiologist at the fenway institute in boston which develops health programs for gay lesbian bisexual and transgender people among others
still despite all of the imperfect information researchers have come up with a best estimate for the number of transgender teenagers we all have a sense that the number is probably between 05 percent and 15 percent dr greytak said
the obama administrations directive covers elementary schools too but the number of very young children who identify as transgender is even harder to determine
almost no research has been done on child gender identity one challenge is that much of the information would have to come from parents dr conron who has worked with parents of lesbian gay bisexual and transgender youths said parents often do not know that a childs gender identity is different from their assigned sex at birth until their child or another person often in adolescence tells them so
some developmental psychologists say that children as young as 2 or 3 can express a gender identity that is at odds with the one defined by their genitalia but other children take years even decades to determine that they are transgender younger children whose behavior and preferences may not be solidly masculine or feminine are increasingly called gender creative or gender fluid by educators psychologists and parents
those who work with transgender students say that school accommodations will affect few students but the effect for transgender students they say is powerful
many studies have shown that transgender students are a particularly vulnerable group they are disproportionately affected by bullying and have higher rates of suicide than the population at large
theres a lot of documentation about how hunger impacts a kids ability to learn how they cant concentrate dr conron said in my research with transgender youth many talk about having to hold it all day because they cannot access an appropriate safe bathroom can you imagine how not being able to void would impact ones ability to concentrate and succeed at school


washington   hours after the publication of a news report last week accusing facebook of anti conservative bias the companys top republican executive moved into damage control mode
joel kaplan facebooks vice president of global public policy and a former senior adviser to george w bush sent a message to barry bennett a republican campaign strategist mr kaplan disputed the article by the technology site gizmodo that said facebook was suppressing right wing stories and asked mr bennett a friend from the 2000 presidential election and a campaign coordinator for donald j trump for advice on how to repair the social networks image with the right
mr bennett said he suggested facebook meet with prominent republican politicians and pundits within days mr kaplan organized a meeting at the companys headquarters in silicon valley mr kaplan will preside over that meeting on wednesday with mark zuckerberg facebooks chief executive and nearly a dozen conservatives including glenn beck of theblaze television network and jim demint a former south carolina senator and a leading figure in the tea party movement
mr kaplan is walking a tightrope said mr bennett who will also attend the meeting facebook is becoming such a powerful tool everyone is watching it with a microscope
the scramble by mr kaplan a little known figure outside washington politics shows just how hard it is to meaningfully change the image of facebook as a politically liberal organization strongly attached to the democratic party that image   fostered by how outspoken mr zuckerberg and sheryl sandberg facebooks chief operating officer have been about their liberal beliefs   is increasingly important to change given the companys enormous influence with 165 billion members worldwide and its role as a distributor of news and information
mr kaplan who is based in washington was hired five years ago to counterbalance facebooks left leaning perception since joining he has increased the number of republicans in the companys 100 member washington office which include kevin martin a former chairman of the federal communications commission he also formed facebooks political action committee and designed its donations to be evenly split between republican and democratic candidates
mr kaplan pushed back on aspects of facebooks decision to ban private gun sales a measure that was enacted even after he gave a strong defense of gun ownership and when progressive groups called this year for facebook to boycott the republican convention this summer if mr trump were the partys nominee mr kaplan told executives that support of both conventions was a good business decision even if they received criticism from the left
yet those efforts have been eclipsed by facebooks executives and their political stances mr zuckerberg has waded into the fray on immigration by supporting citizenship for children of illegal immigrants in april he openly rebuked mr trumps calls for stronger border control and the creation of a wall between the united states and mexico ms sandberg who began her career working for the clinton administration has hosted fund raisers for president obama and has contributed to hillary clintons presidential campaign
mr zuckerberg has made a public dedication to equal treatment and fair play mr demint wrote in a facebook post on monday millions of americans myself included depend on that guarantee to discuss important issues and share stories that affect our country
mr kaplan 47 declined requests for an interview in a facebook post over the weekend he wrote i have heard the claims of bias from friends and colleagues but that is not the truth of facebook he added that conservative groups were thriving on the network
mr kaplan a former marine graduated from harvard law school and clerked for two conservative justices antonin scalia of the united states supreme court and j michael luttig of the fourth circuit court of appeals in 2000 he joined the bush presidential campaign working with ted cruz at the white house mr kaplan served as mr bushs deputy chief of staff from 2006 to 2009
josh bolten former chief of staff for george w bush described mr kaplan as a consistent and strong voice for conservative principles
in 2011 mr kaplan joined facebook at the urging of ms sandberg who knew him from harvard he is now facebooks liaison to government leaders around the world a role that requires moving between cultures
mr kaplan has strengthened facebooks ties with important republican leaders he has hosted house speaker paul ryan of wisconsin senators marco rubio of florida and rand paul of kentucky and former house speaker newt gingrich at the companys headquarters in menlo park calif
jodi seth a spokeswoman for facebook said that in hiring mr kaplan top executives thought it was important to have a senior republican in the office who could bring a conservative perspective to the table for important policy discussions
yet the bias allegations are particularly thorny because of facebooks desire to be a trusted platform for users and media partners the gizmodo report which said facebooks news curators prevented conservative articles from showing up in its trending feature highlighted how little is known about how information is presented on the social network
even with his deep ties to the republican party mr kaplan faces a challenge in winning over a fractured right wing his relationship with the george w bush administration has alienated some republicans who say that segment of the party does not speak for the working class and anti trade conservatives who have emerged in this years primary campaign
mr kaplan is part of the conservative global elites who do not represent our constituents said alexander marlow editor in chief of breitbart which the gizmodo article highlighted as one of the media outlets suppressed by facebooks curators breitbart declined an invitation to wednesdays meeting the website has said it wants an interview with mr zuckerberg to publicly explain how trending topics decisions work
conservatives will go into wednesdays meeting with mr zuckerberg having heard his open immigration calls and criticism of mr trump as well as his public support of marriage equality rights and policies to mitigate climate change
mr bennett said he and other conservatives have complained to mr kaplan specifically about mr zuckerbergs speech last month when he referenced mr trumps policies they noted that the republican party was partnering with facebook on many campaign events and said the site should appear more neutral
on wednesday mr kaplan and mr zuckerberg plan to explain how the trending feature works and present guidelines for curators who write headlines and descriptions for it
also invited to the meeting are dana perino of fox news s e cupp of cnn kristen soltis anderson a columnist for the washington examiner and arthur c brooks president of the american enterprise institute
its no secret that traditional print and broadcast media have struggled with a reputation for bias mr brooks said in a facebook post on what message he planned to bring to mr zuckerberg and mr kaplan it is vital that new media avoid making old mistakes


washington   the senate confirmed eric k fanning on tuesday as secretary of the army making him the highest ranking openly gay official ever at the pentagon
the voice vote ended a confirmation process that had been delayed for months by a republican senator who wanted assurances that detainees from guantanamo bay cuba would not be sent to his state
but as the senator pat roberts of kansas explained how his concerns had been resolved one of his statements indicated that the administration does not believe it will be able to close the prison before president obama leaves office
mr roberts said on the senate floor that he had been assured last week by the deputy defense secretary robert o work that mr obama would not move guantanamo detainees to fort leavenworth kan because the clock has run out
in a statement mr work said he had made clear to mr roberts that we have not taken any location off the table for relocating guantanamo detainees still mr work acknowledged that there was limited time left to gain congresss support for the administrations plan to close the prison
there have been signs that time is short the administration said in february that every potential site the government had studied for housing guantanamo detainees would need substantial construction work no contracts have been put out in the three months since then because congress has banned bringing detainees into the united states or spending any money to modify a prison to accommodate them
mr fanning 47 has held high ranking posts across the armed services including as air force under secretary and deputy under secretary of the navy he has also served as chief of staff to defense secretary ashton b carter


a large fire erupted below the metro north railroad tracks in east harlem on tuesday night disrupting train service and leaving tens of thousands of passengers stranded during the evening rush
service was suspended to and from grand central terminal and it was unclear whether it would be restored by wednesday morning gov andrew m cuomo of new york said commuters should expect delays
the fire at 119th street and park avenue was fueled in part by chemicals stored at a garden nursery that operated underneath the tracks he said the new york fire department said it was investigating reports of explosions possibly set off by propane tanks at the site emergency officials received the call at 642 pm and fire officials said at 825 pm that a majority of the fire was under control the cause remained under investigation and no injuries were reported
a beam and support buttresses were bent and crews were expected to work through the night to make repairs the governor said
its an ambitious goal mr cuomo said during a news conference at the scene the best case scenario is we could have a delayed commute
metro north planned to run several trains over the tracks once construction was completed
the heat of the fire was extreme mr cuomo said adding that it was so intense that firefighters could hear bolts popping from the beams
for commuters the trip home was a string of misery as they tried to find alternate means of transportation
at grand central an announcement warned passengers that all northbound trains were subject to indefinite delays at this time
the main hall was packed with people standing nearly shoulder to shoulder railroad officials said the disruption affected 30000 to 40000 commuters
nicole clarke of rye ny said she waited at grand central for 30 minutes before abandoning plans to take metro north
when i got to that place it was a mess ms clarke said they couldnt tell us anything nothing
she said that she was taking the subway to eastchester dyre avenue and 233rd street in the bronx and that her husband would pick her up from there
linda vanderperre who works on wall street and uses the larchmont station said she had been waiting over 90 minutes for what would be customarily a 40 minute commute
its beyond ridiculous ms vanderperre said this is the second day in a row its taken me over two hours to get home from wall street
she looked into using uber but estimated it would cost around 150 because of surge pricing
my husband is coming to pick me up if im still stuck here at 9 she said
three hotels near grand central said on tuesday night that they had received numerous inquiries from stranded travelers but that even before the fire they were already booked
the disruption affected service on the harlem hudson and new haven lines said meredith daniels a spokeswoman for the metropolitan transportation authority
transportation authorities said train service was being provided to points north on the hudson line from the yankees east 153rd street station and the marble hill station service on the harlem line was being provided from wakefield and trains on the new haven line were running from woodlawn to points east and from stamford to new haven
ms daniels said the third rail which powers the trains had been shut off from 110th to 125th street passengers on two trains that were stuck on either side of the fire were evacuated officials said
several passengers complained on twitter about the lack of clear information and updates chris polos who commutes from midtown manhattan to his home in scarsdale said he had been waiting for 90 minutes
i wish i had more information he said the big thing is whats the next step   is it going to be a couple hours or 20 minutes


donald j trump proposed another significant shift in american foreign policy on tuesday suggesting that as president he would be willing to hold direct negotiations with kim jong un the north korean dictator
in an interview with reuters mr trump said that the talks would be part of an effort to halt north koreas nuclear program which the united states considers one of the most serious national security threats
i would speak to him i would have no problem speaking to him mr trump said
north korea is among the most isolated countries in the world and regularly defies the international community by launching test rockets and capturing political prisoners
the notion that mr trump would hold direct talks with mr kim could create backlash among republicans and democrats in 2008 hillary clinton criticized then senator barack obama for being naive about foreign policy for expressing a willingness to speak directly with iran senator john mccain a republican from arizona offered similar criticism of him in the general election
mr trumps willingness to negotiate with a pariah state comes as he has been offering olive branches to countries such as russia which has had tense relations with the united states while criticizing leaders of traditional allies such as mexico and britain
this is not the first time that mr trump has expressed unconventional ideas when it comes to americas interests in northeast asia in a march interview with the new york times he suggested that japan and south korea should have their own nuclear arsenals so that they would be less reliant on protection from the united states in the region
direct talks were not the only solution that mr trump proposed on tuesday when it comes to north korea he also told reuters that he would exert pressure on the chinese one of north koreas closest allies to help curb its nuclear ambitions
i would put a lot of pressure on china because economically we have tremendous power over china he said


the senate majority leader mitch mcconnell said on tuesday that he believed the role of women in the military had expanded so broadly in recent years that they should be required to register for the draft just as men do
mr mcconnell republican of kentucky was quick to stress that he did not envision any return to the use of the selective service and believed that the volunteer professional military had been very successful
house republicans had been contemplating an amendment to the annual military policy bill that would have required women to register for the selective service but the rules committee on monday dropped the amendment from consideration
in recent months a number of senior military officials and influential members of congress have expressed support for the idea
it is unclear if the proposal will resurface either during debate in the house or in the senate version of the military policy bill if it does mr mcconnell as majority leader certainly would hold some sway
asked for his opinion at a news conference on tuesday mr mcconnell said first of all i dont anticipate going back to the draft the professional voluntary army has been very successful were talking here about registration for selective service should we ever go back to a draft and given where we are today with women in the military performing virtually all kinds of functions i personally think it would be appropriate for them to register just like men do


san francisco   google will introduce its much anticipated entry into the voice activated home device market on wednesday according to people who spoke on the condition of anonymity
named google home the device is a virtual agent that answers simple questions and carries out basic tasks it is to be announced at googles annual developers conference in silicon valley
google home will come to market in the fall   a long time away given the speed of technology but google needed to plant a stake in the ground now the device will compete with amazons echo which was introduced less than two years ago amazon has already sold an estimated three million units
a google spokeswoman declined to comment
virtual agents powered by artificial intelligence are one of the major new battlegrounds for consumer technology apples siri released in october 2011 drew widespread attention but it was the echo that after mixed initial reviews has become a genuine consumer application
among the recent features added to alexa as the echos software brain is called are the ability to summon a car from uber order pizza from dominos and get fitness information from fitbit and election news from nbc
amazon facebook apple and others are all heading towards the virtual agent said julie a ask an analyst with forrester research google has seemingly let the competition catch up   level the playing field even its all the more critical that they do well here given earlier misses on instant messaging and social media
some elements of the google product were reported earlier by the technology news sites recode and the information
virtual agents are a work in progress questions are already arising about privacy disclosures and the quality of the information being doled out the more information a company has about your habits interests purchases and opinions the better its agent can serve you
were making everything contextually aware sundar pichai then the head of googles android phone software program said at the 2014 developers conference we want to know when youre at home with your kids
mr pichai is now chief executive of google and will deliver this years keynote address to developers


475 million
885 10th avenue at west 58th street
manhattan
a private local investor has bought this 1945 mixed use six story corner elevator apartment building for 207 times the rent roll in hells kitchen the recently renovated 37000 square foot building has 37 apartments   29 rented at market rates and eight that are rent stabilized   with rents averaging 3300 the greek kitchen and boston market occupy the retail spaces the property offers a cap rate of 385 percent as well as 20000 square feet in air rights
buyer rich international
buyers broker glenn raff alpha realty
seller benchmark 885 lp
sellers broker eric anton hff
54sq ft
162000 approximate annual rent
10 east 33rd street between fifth and madison avenues
manhattan
a financial marketing and media investment management firm has taken a five year lease for 3000 square feet on the entire ninth floor of this 12 story 1908 building in nomad area the firm is to move in around june 1
tenantptarmigan media
tenants brokers bradley cohn and alan bonett adams  company
landlord dalan management
landlords brokers david emden william cohen and jd cohen newmark grubb knight frank
65sq ft
10 east 34th street between fifth and madison avenues
manhattan
five  to 10 year leases are available for the entire third sixth and ninth floors each 5550 square feet in this 10 story 1907 office building in nomad area the third floor has 14 foot high ceilings and new oak flooring the sixth floor can be custom built and the ninth floor is being built out to suit technology and media companies
ownercaerus group
brokers andy udis and ron zimmerman abs partners real estate


the senegalese director ousmane sembene habitually described as the father of african cinema was a lifelong critic of patriarchy an avowedly political artist   he had been a labor organizer and a novelist before turning to filmmaking   mr sembene grounded his attacks on colonial oppression and post independence corruption and compromise in a feminism that could be both subtle and blunt
when women progress society progresses he remarked late in his career   he died in 2007   and the suffering and stoicism of women figure in all phases of his work his penultimate feature faat kine 2001 is the portrait of a defiantly independent entrepreneur in dakar senegal a single mother who refuses the melodramatic options of pity or shame that would have been her conventional cinematic fate mr sembenes final movie the indelible moolaade 2004 followed a group of women in a rural village organizing to stop the traditional practice of genital cutting the empathy and the radicalism that animate those films were present much earlier in black girl his first feature which begins a weeklong run at bam rose cinemas on wednesday before its release on dvd by criterion
black girl which turns 50 this year and has been restored is one of those works of art that is at once powerfully of its moment and permanently contemporary sixty five minutes long filmed in a handful of locations in narrow screen black and white with sound dubbed in afterward the movie can be regarded among other things as a masterpiece of thrift mr sembene working with the french cinematographer christian lacoste and a small nonprofessional cast had the ingenuity   the vision   to turn material limitations to artistic advantage the unsynchronized dialogue which seems to float above the heads of the characters rather than emerging from their mouths gives the action a dreamlike quality and infuses an objectively grim realistic story with poetry and longing
the story might have been suggested by a brief article in a french newspaper a terse and tragic police blotter item shown onscreen near the end of the film black girl is thus in some ways a documentary after the fact an attempt to trace an awful easily forgotten event to its source and to emphasize its political implications the fate of an individual   a domestic worker who has traveled from senegal to work as a nanny and housekeeper for a middle class family in france   is used to illuminate larger issues of identity exploitation and displacement
that sounds like standard neorealism and mr sembenes affinities with postwar italian cinema are apparent even if they are probably less a matter of influence than of shared ideological and aesthetic impulses his first short the 18 minute borom sarret which is being released along with black girl feels like a succinct variation on the theme of vittorio de sicas bicycle thieves it chronicles a day in the life of a horse cart driver in dakar trying to feed his family and preserve his dignity in the face of obstacles large and small
his predicament is not unlike that faced by diouana mbissine therese diop the title character of black girl whose daily routines of drudgery and tedium drive her into depression and worse but while both characters are representative of a social condition   the poverty and injustice that fester in senegal after independence the inequalities that persist between white french citizens and their former colonial subjects   they do not seem like puppets in a political passion play
on the contrary the force of mr sembenes art   the sheer beauty that is the most striking feature of his early films   lies in his humanism the task black girl sets itself is not just to note the facts of diouanas life but also to assert her visibility to ensure that she is seen several years before the phrase black is beautiful entered the lexicon of american racial politics black girl insisted as much from its very opening frames ms diop dressed in a white polka dot dress and turban moves through a world dominated by blinding literal whiteness
the blazing sun of antibes the mediterranean city where diouanas employers live gives their high rise apartment an almost hallucinatory quality its walls are blank and bleached and its inhabitants are cold and self absorbed diouanas psychological unraveling can partly be traced to her physical environment which in turn underlines her cultural and existential isolation the symbol of her alienation is a mask that she gives her employers as a gift and later tries to take back it hangs on the wall of the antibes apartment a memento of home and also a totem of her estrangement from it
mr sembene flashes back to the lively dusty streets of dakar but he was never one to promote an idealized or sentimental picture of senegal or to refrain from criticizing its postcolonial governments nor for all the specificity of its setting does black girl offer an easily digestible picture of african identity the solution to diouanas crisis in other words is far from simple partly because her problems are themselves complicated in dakar she dreams of going to france when that dream comes true she longs to be back in senegal she is hardly a picture of saintly stoicism but a young woman subject to the usual range of emotions to the couple for whom she works she appears lazy sullen and irrational an example of the difficulty of finding good help
mr sembene uses her inner state and ms diops impassive features and upright bearing to draw a map of modern oppression diouana is an african migrant in france a woman in a male dominated society and perhaps above all an exploited worker in a brutal global cash economy not one of these identities is the key to the others they function together ensnaring her efforts to feel herself fully human   to discover who she is   in a web of constraints
for all its abundant historical interest black girl unfolds in the present tense and directs its characters and its audience toward a still unwritten future the last shot back in dakar is of a boy holding diouanas mask halfway over his face looking directly into the camera who was he who is he who will he become


a stark white background unfamiliar faces now familiar phrases reducing women to their body parts
priorities usa the democratic super pac supporting hillary clintons presidential campaign is kicking off its advertising for the general election on wednesday with a new ad titled speak that uses donald j trumps own statements against him to depict him as a misogynist and unworthy of the white house
it is strikingly similar to a commercial broadcast in march by our principles pac a republican group that sought unsuccessfully to derail mr trumps march toward the partys nomination
the two ads cast a spotlight on many of the same remarks with one essential difference the voice that viewers hear
the republican ad quotes was released just before the florida and ohio primaries and sought to spur outrage at mr trump on behalf of our mothers our sisters our daughters on the screen seven different women take turns reading aloud mr trumps remarks their expressions and inflections conveying their disdain or outright disgust for the lines they were asked to deliver
the democratic ad speak grew directly out of quotes after tests by priorities usa found that of all the anti trump commercials that one had resonated particularly well with voters that priorities was hoping to persuade but rather than hire actresses priorities said it employed voters   male and female   who had not previously been familiar with mr trumps more offensive remarks about women a more noticeable tweak rather than have them deliver mr trumps lines for him these people merely lip sync mr trumps is the only voice heard
message our principles pac portrayed mr trumps utterances as offensive to the women in voters lives appealing to viewers sense of chivalry in a way priorities usa puts the question more directly does donald trump really speak for you priorities also brings men on camera one standing beside a young girl lip syncs as mr trump suggests that if ivanka trump were not his daughter perhaps id be dating her
style the priorities usa ad includes a percolating soundtrack but it steals slightly from the impact of the words our principles let each quote sink in
bottom line by using audio clips of mr trumps voice the priorities usa ad heightens the immediate sense of authenticity but the actresses in the republican ad had greater freedom to add their own vocal interpretations   which hammered home the point more effectively than a gesture or arched eyebrow can accomplish on its own


back when gunsmoke was on tv and lyndon johnson was president the united states economy managed to storm ahead by nearly 5 percent a year for nearly a decade what we would give to recover some of that power
during ronald reagans presidency two decades later the rise in the economic cycle coming out of what was then the worst downturn in the post world war ii era averaged a bit over 4 percent a year by the time george w bush lived in the white house the rebound from recession delivered an average growth rate of under 3 percent
you want to know how much bounce it has now in the seven years since the united states emerged from the great recession under president obama annual growth has averaged just about 2 percent
the bad news unless business and government do something to improve the economys underlying capability the united states will be lucky to achieve even that paltry growth rate over any sustained period of time
the growth we have experienced has gained from a massive cyclical tailwind lawrence h summers the former treasury secretary who also served as president obamas chief economic adviser told me
but that cyclical tailwind   bolstered by putting idle resources back to work which brought the unemployment rate down to 5 percent from 10 percent   is spent the jobless rate will not fall from 5 percent   close to what economists consider full employment without excessive inflation   to zero
what remains is an economy at the mercy of two powerful dynamics the first is a gradual shrinking of the work force as a share of the population as it is squeezed by successive waves of retiring baby boomers and no longer gaining from the one time surge of women into the paid work force in the 20th century the second is a persistent decline in productivity growth over the last dozen years
lakshman achuthan of the economic cycle research institute adds it up this way over the next five years labor force growth of half a percentage point plus productivity growth of half a percentage point will push the economy ahead at the anemic pace of just 1 percent a year
even the congressional budget offices modest projection that the economy will grow by 2 percent a year over the next 10 years is excessively optimistic he argues relying on a tripling of the rate of productivity growth from its average of the last five years
the federal reserve was able to help engineer a recovery from the recession but there is little the fed can do to change the economys underlying prospects monetary policy cant deal with structural problems mr achuthan said the litmus test for any policy is what impact does it have to improve productivity or demographic growth
americas stagnant outlook is important debt is a bigger burden in slow growing economies paying for a growing number of retirees becomes more onerous how the pie is divided becomes a tougher political problem in economies that dont grow
this stagnation exacerbated by the fact that most of the income gains the economy has managed to achieve have gone to the upper crust underlies much of the anger coursing through the public this election year
on its own raw growth isnt enough but without decent growth combined with policies to maintain low unemployment there is little prospect of improving the fortunes of the less well off
while donald j trump exploits that anger his grab bag of proposals   deporting a large share of the work force offering multitrillion dollar tax cuts mostly for the rich that would only further widen inequality blocking trade with much of the world maybe raising the minimum wage maybe not   would do nothing to bolster growth but dont worry it will be great
hillary clinton who has put together a coherent platform focused on raising the incomes and enhancing the economic security of middle class families has steered clear from addressing the very real danger of low growth over the coming decades instead she has promised to put her husband who presided over the burst of growth in the late 1990s in charge of economic policy
voters should not let the candidates avoid the tough questions what if anything can and should be done to enhance the economys ability to grow should the prospect of long term stagnation inform policy more directly
at the very least the dismal forecast calls for the government to prepare for another bout of fiscal stimulus the recovery by now is already seven years old with interest rates near rock bottom the fed would have little room to prevent another spike in unemployment if the economy were to falter
if there is a cyclical downturn in a year or in the next several months there would be nothing in that shotgun said alan s blinder a former vice chairman of the fed who is now at princeton mr blinder has put together a careful set of proposals to refurbish the fiscal policy toolbox in case the economy takes a tumble and stimulus is needed quickly
students learn in economics 101 that lower taxes andor higher levels of government spending can mitigate recessions by boosting aggregate demand he writes that simple keynesian idea should be no more controversial today than darwinian natural selection or global warming
but it is many republican politicians reject all three ideas and as long as the gop is in control of congress that party will have its hand on the nations spending levers
the long term is even more challenging
some experts like john g fernald a senior researcher at the federal reserve bank of san francisco share the view of the budget office that productivity will advance by roughly 15 percent a year returning to its average pace since 1970 that would mean little more than 2 percent annual growth
is that the best the united states can do not necessarily
productivity has slowed to a large extent because hiring is growing faster than capital investment that means each new worker is most likely not just less skilled but also has less capital to work with less help from machinery or software to increase output and generate income one way to increase productivity would be to provide an incentive for capital investment perhaps with a business tax overhaul that would lead corporations to repatriate the money they are keeping abroad
relaxing restrictions on educated immigrants would also increase entrepreneurship and investment subsidizing child care might encourage more mothers to return to the work force faster eliminating onerous regulations   things like occupational licenses that restrict eligibility for a variety of jobs and overly tight zoning laws that prevent the building of new homes   would improve economic efficiency and equity
more focused training could substantially enhance the human capital of the work force public investment to revamp the nations crumbling infrastructure would not only produce jobs for underemployed construction workers it would also deliver a big productivity boost
how much bang would this deliver for our bucks mr summers says better policies could add from a half to a full percentage point to growth and he holds out hope that substantial investments in advanced technologies that have not yet shown large productivity benefits will eventually do so
but even with the best of intentions cautions douglas w elmendorf a former congressional budget office chief who is now dean of the kennedy school of government at harvard we are not going to get back to 3 percent with anything we know how to do now


the financial fortunes of big law firms appear to be on the upswing according to a survey released tuesday by citi private banks law firm group
the survey said revenue rose 58 percent in the first three months of the year from the same period a year ago it was the strongest gain since the first quarter of 2008   before the economic meltdown of the financial crisis
the gain came on stronger demand higher rates and a shorter debt collection cycle the upbeat findings echoed a separate overview issued last month by the american lawyer which found that the countrys 100 largest firms had grown for six consecutive years including in major measures like revenue per lawyer total gross revenue the legal publication said rose 27 percent in 2015
despite some turmoil in the legal industry the citi law group report found that the rates lawyers charge for their work climbed 32 percent in the first quarter from a year ago a few lawyers according to some published reports are now charging 2000 an hour law firm coffers swelled early in the year when clients began paying a backlog of bills but there were warning signs about industry growth
theres no question there are headwinds for the rest of the year said john wilmouth a citi law group adviser and author of the report which surveyed 176 firms based in the united states
demand for legal services rose 18 percent in the first quarter compared with a year ago but the reports authors cautioned that the demand for traditional law firm services has remained relatively soft the supply of legal service providers has increased creating a hypercompetitive market and forcing law firms to think about how they deliver legal services
the citi reports authors forecast that overall industry revenue and profitability growth rates for 2016 would be in the low single digits similar to what law firms had in the years 2010 through 2013 this is a far cry from the flush period between 2001 and 2007 when growth was about 10 percent a year the report warned that the growth rate experienced even as recently as 2014 when deal makers were busy may well not come roaring back
about half the firms responding to the citi survey reported more client demand for their services between 2009 and 2014 which means there is work to be had the survey said law firm revenues are not rising however because of increased expenses including higher lawyer compensation
the report forecast that 2016 would see an emphasis on improving efficiency and streamlining the delivery of legal services as well as more investments in technology including systems to combat the growing threat against computer security
single digit growth in industry revenue and profitability is now typical the report said
the better outcomes for the top grossing 50 firms also signal an increasing split in the legal industry with elite firms drawing higher revenue and paying higher salaries than many counterparts
such firms noted mr wilmouth the law group adviser are separating themselves from others by developing one or two strong practice areas they are more conscious of brand identity and are doubling down on their core strengths


washington   consumer prices in april had their biggest increase in more than three years in the united states as gasoline and rents rose pointing to a steady inflation buildup
other data on tuesday showed that housing starts and industrial production rebounded strongly last month suggesting the economy was regaining steam early in the second quarter
the combination of higher prices housing gains and industrial production support the narrative of a second quarter rebound in gdp said jay morelock an economist at ftn financial in new york
the labor department said its consumer price index increased 04 percent last month the largest gain since february 2013 after rising 01 percent in march that took the year on year increase in the cpi to 11 percent from 09 percent in march
americans also paid more for medical care food recreation tobacco motor vehicle insurance airline fares and grooming
the so called core cpi which strips out food and energy costs rose 02 percent after climbing 01 percent in march in the 12 months through april the core cpi increased 21 percent after increasing 22 percent in march
the federal reserve has a 2 percent inflation target and tracks an inflation measure which is currently at 16 percent
in a separate report the commerce department said housing starts increased 66 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual pace of 117 million units last month as builders ramped up the construction of single  and multifamily homes building permits rose 36 percent to a 112 million unit rate
a third report from the fed showed that industrial production increased 07 percent in april after two straight months of declines manufacturing output rose 03 percent reversing marchs 03 percent decrease
utilities production jumped 58 percent in april but mining output fell 23 percent mining production continues to be undermined by the delayed pass through of the oil price plunge between june 2014 and december 2015 which has caused a sharp reduction in capital spending by energy firms
the inflation report showed gasoline prices jumped 81 percent last month the largest gain since august 2012 adding to marchs 22 percent increase food prices rose 02 percent after falling 02 percent in march
the core cpi was lifted by housing and medical costs as well as transportation services owners equivalent rent of primary residence rose 03 percent after increasing 02 percent in march
medical care costs picked up rising 03 percent after gaining 01 percent in march prescription drugs shot up 07 percent and the cost of hospital services increased 03 percent
apparel prices fell for a second straight month as did the cost of used cars and trucks prices for new motor vehicles fell 03 percent


chester vt   the way a j jackson tells it he kept his head ducked down and pretended to fiddle with his cellphone as he walked into the boys bathroom and headed for a stall at green mountain union high school here
but the way some of his classmates see it a j was still autumn jackson a girl in boys clothing who had violated an intimate sanctum while two boys were standing at a urinal their private parts exposed
its like me going into a girls bathroom wearing a wig tanner bischofberger 15 a classmate of a j jacksons who was not one of those in the bathroom said this week its just weird
a complaint about mr jacksons using the boys bathroom set off a protest by students advocating the right of their transgender classmate to use the bathroom of his choice on thursday the schools superintendent announced a new practice at the high school allowing transgender students to use the sex specific bathroom of their choice rather than being encouraged to use a gender neutral bathroom the announcement came a day before the obama administrations national directive was announced
but this week there was a counterprotest by students like mr bischofberger wearing t shirts showing the male and female figures commonly used to label bathrooms over the words straight pride
like much of the country this rural school of 300 students in seventh through 12th grade where everyone insists there were never any cliques is divided over the bathroom issue with the teenagers here carrying out a proxy culture war for their parents and the country still struggling to form opinions about what makes a civil society they openly quote what they have heard their parents say about the merits or demerits of transgender bathrooms
and the dispute has driven apart young people who grew up together and were once friends
some say the new rule opens the door to sexual predators disguised as someone they are not others say it just violates tradition a society has rules for a reason and this is one of those rules thats just the way it is they say
but on a more basic level students at green mountain are complaining that a small vocal minority of gay lesbian and as far as they know one   or maybe two   transgender students among them are trampling on the rights of the majority to decide what the rules of conduct should be
that idea of a minoritys ruling unfairly is what motivated the father of one student to order the straight pride t shirts online last week and send them to school with his daughter who declined to be interviewed
the t shirt wearing students say gay people are being celebrated at the expense of straight people
i just want to be clear i accept everybody being proud said daniel baldwin a 17 year old junior sitting at a table in the school hallway a copy of the catcher in the rye open in front of him he wore a straight pride shirt pulled over a shirt dedicated to slayer a thrash metal band everybody has the right to be who they are
mr baldwin said he thought people should use male or female bathrooms depending on what was written on their birth certificates but he also said he would defend a j if someone tried to bully him for being transgender or even for using the boys bathroom i would step up for a j he said were americans were supposed to be civil
listening to him mr jackson said he was dismayed by how they had been torn apart oh my god we used to talk for hours about music he said
more broadly the issue here has pitted resident against resident often along social and economic lines this is a place where big city transplants wearing birkenstocks and artsy jewelry mingle with working class people in dirt encrusted boots who know how to handle a shotgun and proudly inhabit the homes of their ancestors despite vermonts image as a place of bucolic egalitarianism home of the avowedly socialist candidate for president tensions over privilege and tradition simmer just under the surface and the bathroom wars have brought them to the fore
i go in and do my thing and leave but i have a concern about child molesters and pedophiles joe kopacz 48 who runs a rock crushing operation said as he stopped into lisais chester market
society does not change on a dime especially small town society said deb brown a member of the green mountain union high school board speaking in maclaomainns a pub and popular gathering spot that she owns with her husband for people like her daughter who was on girls sports teams with a j when he was autumn this is intensely personal not just philosophical
as we move forward as a community there has to be compassion on both sides ms brown said he needs to understand that this has been 15 years that students have known him one way its obviously his choice but maybe he should have respect for his classmates right now
mr jackson has gradually been making the transition from a vivacious girl with a big smile and long wavy locks to a husky boy with chopped hair dyed several shades of green snakebite piercings in his lips and gauges embedded in his earlobes his chest is visibly bound and because he has not yet started taking male hormones   he plans to do that and also to have top surgery he says   his face is smooth and still has feminine contours he once thought he was lesbian and is still attracted to girls
his mother tracy a case manager for children with developmental disabilities and his father scott a mechanical engineer came to vermont from connecticut to try it out 20 years ago and stayed they brought up a j and his older brother in a log cabin in the woods where they raise chickens and ducks including a duck named bernie for you know who
a typical american family his mother said smiling
he was in sixth grade when he realized he was meant to be a boy he said and came out to the school last year in ninth grade sending emails to teachers when he entered green mountain in seventh grade i was using the female bathroom because i really dont know i was still kind of back and forth about my identity mr jackson said this year is the year i started using the mens bathroom because i already felt like way more comfortable in who i was
there were practical issues when he had his period he wondered if he should revert to the girls bathroom because there was no place to throw away his used tampons but he had started feeling like an intruder in the girls bathroom and the single bathrooms were so far out of the way it was hard to get to class on time
so he stuck with the boys bathroom
i use a stall and i wait till everybodys gone to get up and leave mr jackson said the guys they look at me like im some kind of freak or theyre concerned or scared
the only classmate who talks to him when he sees him in the bathroom is his childhood friend connor rose a leader of the schools gay straight alliance
mr jackson feels safe in the boys bathroom at school he said whereas in public places like dunkin donuts he is afraid to go to the mens restroom for fear of being attacked by straight men
he said he understood the concerns of some of his classmates
there probably are some transgender people that are bad people just like there are probably a whole bunch of gay people or straight people that are bad he said
he had been using the boys bathrooms for less than a month   trying to go in during lunch or recess when he would not be noticed   when someone complained no one knows for sure who complained but a widespread rumor holds that it was a middle schooler
hank mauti a school board member and retired sawmill worker from andover said he wondered why mr jackson would feel compelled to use a boys bathroom when there were six single use gender neutral bathrooms in the school
what about the little boy that reported it asked mr mautis wife wanda repeating the rumor in an interview in their home under a trophy of a moose that mr mauti shot as far as i can tell his discomfort hasnt been addressed
tom ferenc the principal called mr jacksons mother the night of the complaint and told her that he was going to ask a j to use the gender neutral bathroom she recalled the next monday a j and about 30 supporters walked out of the school in protest three days later the district announced the new policy
mr ferenc was happy to get some clarity about the proper policy as he put it and proud of his school it reminded me of rosa parks honestly he said
besides the straight pride t shirt counterprotest the decision has set off a storm of discussion sometimes nasty on both sides on facebook also someone taped a sign to a trash can this week that said reserved for mariah and tanner referring to mariah lique and mr bischofberger two student leaders of the counterprotest who are dating
ms lique said that she and mr bischofberger were just saying what a lot of other students think but are afraid to say because if they did youd get hated
were considered more conservative she said because were outspoken mr bischofberger interjected finishing her sentence
two of their favorite teachers are openly gay they said and the students misunderstand where they are coming from they see us as ... mr bischofberger began hating their sexuality ms lique finished
but that is not true they said part of what troubles them is that mr jackson is still anatomically female autumn a j whatever you call them hasnt had any hormone or sex change yet mr bischofberger said this opens up opportunities for other kids to do stuff theyre not supposed to
while everyone seems to sympathize with the gay students they seem to have a license to make him feel ostracized and attacked and it hurts mr bischofberger said theyre calling me a cisgendered hypocritical homophobe


raising the prospect of lasting fissures in the party senator bernie sanders rebuffed pressure on tuesday to rein in his supporters after they disrupted a weekend democratic convention in nevada throwing chairs and later threatening the state chairwoman in a fight over delegates the uproar comes as hillary clinton is struggling to turn her and the partys attention to the fall
mr sanderss supporters showed no sign of backing down on tuesday in interviews several threatened to disrupt the partys convention in philadelphia in july with protests and nonviolent disobedience over a nominating system that they say has treated mr sanders unfairly in emails on social media and on websites his supporters have traded advice about protest tactics and legal services in case of mass arrests
alarmed by the unrest in nevada senator harry reid the minority leader said that he spoke with mr sanders on tuesday and that the vermont senator faced a test of leadership over his supporters actions mr reid who represents nevada said he was confident that mr sanders would do the right thing
but mr sanders showed no sign of backing down releasing a statement that while condemning violence accused the democratic leadership in nevada of using its power to prevent a fair and transparent process from taking place
the fight in nevada underscored the determination of mr sanderss supporters to undermine mrs clintons all but certain march to the nomination on tuesday she lost the oregon primary but declared victory in kentucky where she held a 1900 vote edge according to complete but unofficial returns
mrs clinton spent monday campaigning in kentucky showing how the battle against mr sanders continues to distract her campaign even as she turns her fire on donald j trump the presumptive republican nominee and leading democrats have become increasingly vocal about the need to unify the party for the general election   while being careful not to anger mr sanders by urging him to quit the race
senator barbara boxer of california said she had reached out to mr sanders about the need for unity
i have placed a couple of calls to bernie ms boxer said hes my friend hes been my friend for many many many years and i havent heard back from bernie and i would hope that bernie will be a leader and make sure that everybody understands what is at stake and what is at stake is the future of our nation nothing less
ms boxer who was in nevada for the convention on saturday as sanders supporters erupted in anger called what she witnessed terrible
we just cant have a repeat of that in philadelphia because its distressing ms boxer said i have a message to the bernie people who are planning to be disobedient because the system is rigged here is the thing they should support the democratic candidate who got the most votes they should support the democratic candidate who got the most delegates there is nothing to protest
but sanders supporters remained defiant raising the possibility of unrest on the streets outside the convention
you are going to see a variety of tactics said elizabeth arnold 32 a former staff member for the sanders campaign in philadelphia who said she planned to demonstrate i personally dont like being arrested but its essential that we speak our minds and assert our first amendment rights our system is terribly flawed and terribly unjust   so very just actions often end in arrests
ms arnold who helped found edge an environmental justice group based in philadelphia said she did not condone violence and hoped that people would find a way to voice concerns peacefully but she said that mrs clinton and other democratic leaders attending the convention should worry about what is going to happen
nina turner a prominent surrogate for mr sanders said that she had seen several emails from people planning acts of civil disobedience and that talk of dissent in the republican ranks over mr trump masked the searing divisions among democrats
people are talking about the republicans having a brokered convention i think we are sleeping on the democrats ms turner said and if democrats believe that thats not going to happen they are just sadly mistaken they have blinders on
it is going to be progressives who will disrupt she said and when i say disrupt i dont mean in a violent or a terrible way but i just mean upset the apple cart
april mellody a spokeswoman for the democratic national convention said in a statement that the conventions security team would work with the philadelphia police and the secret service to ensure the safety and security of all of our delegates and participants
after the meeting of nevada democrats on saturday ended in mayhem when many potential sanders delegates were deemed ineligible roberta lange the state party chairwoman said she had received death threats against her and her family after sanders supporters spread her cellphone number online
the sanders campaign helped incite everything that happened she said instead of attacking me they should be publicly apologizing to me for the part that they played im really disappointed it makes me feel like it is not being taken seriously
on tuesday the nevada state democratic party issued a formal complaint to the democratic national committee in response to the behavior of mr sanderss supporters
representative debbie wasserman schultz of florida the national party chairwoman also expressed her concern tuesday
we will be reaching out to the leadership of both of our campaigns to ask them to stand with the democratic party in denouncing and taking steps to prevent the type of behavior on display over the weekend in las vegas she said
but the protest effort enjoys some institutional support roseann demoro executive director of national nurses united a union that has endorsed mr sanders and that has been busing its members across the country to campaign for him also said her group planned to take part in demonstrations at the convention
we will be a significant force inside and a significant force outside she said the focus is going to be how disenfranchised the voters felt during this election by the dnc


brussels   the international monetary fund is increasing demands for greek debt relief setting up another potential standoff with creditors over the countrys bailout and threatening to create more political and economic uncertainty at an already tumultuous time for europe
this imfs position opens the next act in the long running greek debt crisis casting the fund against germany and many of the other eurozone creditors
the fund is playing the role of the financial police adamant that greece will never return to growth if its debt burden is not sustainable and germany is the political pragmatist leaning on greece to stick with its austerity commitments lest it set a bad precedent for future bailouts and provoke unrest at home
the tenor of the debate while echoing the recent rhetoric has changed in this latest run the imf is now taking a firmer stand ahead of a meeting of eurozone finance ministers next week by outlining specific demands on the cost and the timing of the debt payments according to three people who spoke on condition of anonymity
whether they represent the funds absolute position or a starting point for negotiations the demands leave germany in a difficult spot
if germany gives too much chancellor angela merkels government will face pressure from the political far right for forcing taxpayers to bear an even bigger burden of greeces past profligacy if it gives too little the government might not receive the support of the imf for the bailout which many german lawmakers have made a condition of further support for greece those lawmakers see the imf as a guarantor of fiscal rigor
unless the two sides find common ground   or agree to further delay the imfs participation in the latest bailout   the situation could soon come to a head greece needs the next disbursement of bailout money to make billions of dollars of debt payments through july and the stakes are even higher now as the region grapples with a renewed wave of terrorism a migrant crisis and the uncertainty created by a vote in britain over whether to leave the european union
the imf publicly sounded the alarms on greeces debt load last summer as creditors developed a plan for the bailout of 86 billion euros 97 billion the countrys third lifeline since the crisis began seven years ago without debt relief the fund said it would not participate in the latest rescue to the fund greeces debt about 300 billion euros 340 billion is simply unsustainable
as the economic and political challenges intensify the imf is staking out more specific turf
in a presentation last week the imf recommended that greeces interest payments to eurozone creditors would be fixed for up to 40 years at the current rate of 15 percent according to the three people the payments would also be deferred for even longer the people said the wall street journal reported the contours of the plan
the restructuring plan will be a tough sell there is a sense among the eurozone creditors that the imf is being overly pessimistic about greeces outlook to help drum up support for debt relief while european officials have been playing up signs that greece is bottoming out the imf has been more skeptical about the countrys potential to raise revenue shore up its budget and overhaul its economy
there is a wide gap on the economic picture europeans estimate that greece will hit a primary surplus   a budget in the black before debt repayments   of 35 percent by 2018 the fund figures it would be closer to 15 percent at that point
there is a very strong belief in europe that the imf is essentially cooking the numbers by being overly pessimistic about political and economic developments in greece in order to strong arm northern europe into providing more generous debt relief said mujtaba rahman the europe director for the eurasia group
germany and the rest of europe cannot afford to let greeces economic crisis implode right now as one of the main entry points for asylum seekers greece is an important piece of europes efforts to manage the influx of migrants so the countrys stability is especially crucial
tens of thousands of migrants have become stranded in greece their plans to travel farther north blocked by border shutdowns throughout the balkans that already has forced athens to ask for emergency financing and supplies including tents blankets sleeping bags and ambulances prime minister alexis tsipras has frequently asserted that greece is struggling with the burden of the migration crisis at the same time that it is putting austerity measures in place
publicly germany has stayed away from linking the bailout to the migrant crisis even as ms merkels leadership has come under threat from a surge in popularity for the alternative for germany a right wing populist party that has opposed her open door refugee policies
wolfgang schauble germanys finance minister has said he sees no argument for acceding to the imfs demands
but privately germany and the european creditors appear to be open to negotiation given the current environment when eurozone finance ministers discussed the bailout terms last week they formally debated for the first time ways to ease greeces giant debt burden
while they have ruled out cutting the value of greeces debt more palatable measures like lower interest rates and longer repayment periods are on the table in that way they dont look that far apart from the imf even if they dont agree on the specifics and differ sharply on greeces outlook
eurozone officials are also trying to provide confidence to the imf that greece wont go fiscally off course last week the finance ministers agreed to a mechanism that is supposed to kick into effect with additional austerity measures if greece doesnt meet its fiscal targets from now until 2018
greek lawmakers are expected to vote on sunday on that mechanism along with another set of austerity measures they are widely expected to pass
but as ever in the seemingly unending crisis in greece much is likely to be left unresolved
what were seeing is another muddling through by the creditors and that means the imfs future role in the program and the related question of debt relief arent going to be settled any time soon   and certainly not by next week said carsten nickel the deputy director of research at teneo intelligence a political risk consulting firm


what does it take to get a morning show gig these days being a member of a political dynasty cant hurt
billy bush the nephew of one president and the cousin of another is joining the today show as an anchor nbc announced on tuesday its a promotion for mr bush who has built his reputation on the west coast as a lively and sought after interviewer as host of access hollywood for the last 15 years
mr bush who is moving to new york will appear in the shows 9 am hour just missing a chance to overlap with a fellow political scion turned television star chris cuomo the son of one new york governor and the brother of another is a popular figure on cnns morning program new day which ends at 9 am
mr bush is not the first member of his family to land a job on today jenna bush hager a daughter of former president george w bush has been a contributor to the show since 2009 chelsea clinton the daughter of former president bill clinton and hillary clinton the presidential candidate and former secretary of state and senator also worked for nbc news although she left in 2014
the addition of mr bush is part of an upheaval in the morning shows the new today anchor who has a facility with pop culture and lifestyle coverage will compete with kelly ripa whose live program on abc recently lost its co host michael strahan to good morning america
natalie morales another today anchor is taking over mr bushs role at access hollywood she is moving to los angeles but is expected to continue to make appearances on the nbc morning show
in a memo on tuesday noah oppenheim the nbc executive in charge of today reminded his staff about mr bushs early television work his first segment as a freelancer on wnbc tv involved a painful chest waxing incident well before steve carell made that gag famous in the 40 year old virgin mr oppenheim noted


lending clubs implosion is a tale of two silicon valleys the first story is about yet another internet unicorn   valued at more than 8 billion at its initial public offering in 2014   grasping for growth and cutting corners but the second is about the good that an online lender can do by disrupting technology and opening new avenues of credit for consumers as the herd lashes the now fallen lending club let us not forget this second story
lending club which connects small borrowers with individual and institutional investors hit a wall last week when it disclosed that it had fired its founder and chief executive renaud laplanche mr laplanches primary fault was to have failed to properly address 22 million in loans that were sold under false credentials to the investment bank jefferies to me theres a word for this kind of conduct fraud
the loans were subsequently bought back by lending club but the company was forced by its auditor to disclose that it had a material weakness in its reporting to make matters worse lending club also disclosed that mr laplanche may have secretly been investing in a fund that lending club also had a position in
mr laplanche is history but the news led to a sky dive in lending club stock the stock fell by almost half losing more than 1 billion in value while wall street tends to overreact its not hard to see why the panic occurred in the age of theranos and zenefits   two high flying companies that have come under scrutiny for alleged transgressions   wall street is quite nervous that its darlings may not have all the panache advertised
for one thing there is lending clubs democratic business model as a peer to peer lending site the company offers an alternative for borrowers who might be turned away by a big bank or find the interest rates at those banks prohibitive the site was successful and last quarter originated over 2 billion in loans it is in the vanguard of an emerging industry
but that business model is also changing and hitting some unexpected snags
lenders have turned out not to be average joes but mainly hedge funds and other sophisticated parties who aim specifically to extend credit to this category of borrowers and so what is called a peer to peer site is really all about business to people this is why lending clubs disclosures have been so devastating not only will there be a criminal inquiry   the company revealed monday that it had been subpoenaed by the justice department   but lending clubs lenders may back away from dealing with the site because of a lack of trust
second   and perhaps more important   lending club and other peer lenders have emerged as a real competitive force against the banks the newcomers give small businesses an option that looks particularly attractive when compared with high interest credit cards sold by the banks
but the growth has been choppy and investors have raised concerns about the algorithm lending club uses to assess its borrowers   concerns that had previously dragged down the companys stock price
a new study provides valuable insight into the lending club business model three professors   colleen honigsberg and robert j jackson jr from columbia university and richard squire from fordham   were able to obtain a huge amount of data from a number of peer to peer lenders on their borrowers and loans their study primarily examines the effect on an arcane opinion issued last year by the second circuit which called into question whether loans originated by lending club violated the usury laws
most states have usury laws which cap the rate of interest that can be charged loans above that interest rate are considered void but some states are not so concerned south dakota and utah among others have no cap on interest rates that is why your credit card is issued from those states and under a statute enacted during the civil war the state where the loan originates is where the applicable usury law holds sway
this was the way it was until the second circuit ruled that when a loan was issued in one state but sold in another state to someone other than a bank the second states usury law holds sway that was a shock since it meant that high interest rate loans might be illegal
under this ruling it was easy to predict that the worst borrowers would no longer get loan offers on the peer to peer sites because lenders would be concerned that they could not resell the loans
and that is what the study found the authors analyzed peer to peer lending data after this decision and found that the bottom fell out of the subprime market at peer to peer lenders lending to this particularly vulnerable class of borrowers simply stopped
the case is on appeal to the supreme court and no doubt this study will be influential in the courts decision the central question is when you cap interest rates do you tend to shut off credit to the people who perhaps need it most
in analyzing the data and the second circuit opinion the authors concluded that peer to peer lenders provide an extremely valuable service instead of getting a credit card loan that charges 20 percent interest low income borrowers are paying lower rates thanks to the availability of this credit   credit which in part was denied by the second circuit decision
the most common use of these platforms has been to consolidate higher cost credit card debt with a lower cost loan from a marketplace said one of the authors professor jackson of columbia law school in an email if the platforms disappear are regulated out of existence or are put in a situation where lending to higher risk lower income individuals is no longer profitable you can expect the kind of result we found in our paper that marketplaces will stop doing that lending the result will be that these consumers will have to turn elsewhere for credit   likely to higher cost credit card companies
these findings are important because it is not just lending club but the entire industry that is coming under more scrutiny last week the treasury department issued a white paper about peer to peer lenders stating that the market needed greater transparency
but the report seemed to be more a stake in the ground for future regulation than a critique while the treasury did express concern about the algorithms used by peer to peer lenders it seemed more concerned about what would happen to these markets when they inevitably hit a down credit cycle and the department found it hard to argue with the expansion of credit to worthy borrowers it went out of its way to note that peer to peer lenders have become a valuable source of credit not just for individuals but small businesses
yes lending club deserves more scrutiny but companies like it are not banks   they do not have the same central importance and are not too big to fail so far peer to peer lending seems to do more good for consumers than bad


london   david 49 is not looking for love he is seeking votes especially from young britons who are considered more likely to vote for britain to remain inside the european union in a coming referendum
this david   cameron the prime minister of britain   is not joining tinder a dating app a downing street spokesman said on tuesday nor has he joined theladbible a popular photo and video site for men 16 to 30 but the prime ministers office did say it is exploring advertising on both services and looking for other hip ways to get more young people to register and to vote
opinion polls and political analysts suggest that up to two thirds of britons younger than 25 prefer to remain in the european union and the government wants to do all it can to get them to the polls on june 23 since that age group is less likely to bother to vote than those older than 45 who tend to favor the british exit or brexit
last friday mr cameron addressed a meeting at downing street of representatives from social media networks including facebook and twitter to encourage seven million people who are younger than 40 and among ethnic minorities to register to vote before the june 7 deadline
members of bite the ballot a youth campaign group along with representatives of google and buzzfeed the news website were also at the meeting last week which was chaired by daniel korski a special adviser to the prime minister on europe
bite the ballot is expected to work with tinder on something like the swipe the vote program it organized in the united states where users were presented political issues on the tinder app to swipe right approve or left reject there too the idea is to try to get younger potential voters to register
the suggestion that mr cameron had joined tinder which he has not done caused the expected surge of amusement and disgust in a comment posted on the times of london website charles lamb said of mr cameron now who gave him that wise advice yeah people go on tinder to listen to political leaders speak and read their opinion tinder is an app for one night stands not a political platform
jeremy corbyn the labour party leader 66 is also urging the young to vote to remain inside the european union but more traditionally speaking earnestly to student groups
as the referendum approaches the political talk has grown heated with boris johnson the former london mayor and a leader of the campaign to leave being widely criticized for suggesting that the european union like napoleon and hitler wanted to unite europe
in an interview with the sunday telegraph mr johnson said that european history had been marked by repeated and ill fated attempts to unify the continent in efforts to recreate the golden age of the romans
napoleon hitler various people tried this out and it ends tragically he said the eu is an attempt to do this by different methods
britons are used to mr johnsons extravagant language but the president of the european council donald tusk a former polish prime minister on tuesday leapt to europes defense
when i hear the eu being compared to the plans and projects of adolf hitler i cannot remain silent he said such absurd arguments should be completely ignored if they had not been formulated by one of the most influential politicians in the ruling party
mr johnson crossed the boundaries of rational discourse demonstrating political amnesia mr tusk said
but britons on tuesday seemed most exercised by the news that the bbc seeking budget cuts will ax a website called bbc food and its 11000 recipes which will be archived but harder to find only recipes associated with television cooking shows will be maintained and only for 30 days after the show is broadcast
more than 140000 people have signed a petition on changeorg demanding that the government and the bbc restore the recipes


the united states justice department has opened an investigation into state sponsored doping by dozens of russias top athletes two people familiar with the case said tuesday the inquiry escalates what has been a roiling sports controversy into a federal criminal case involving foreign officials
the united states attorneys office for the eastern district of new york is scrutinizing russian government officials athletes coaches antidoping authorities and anyone who might have benefited unfairly from a doping regimen according to the people who did not have authorization to speak about the inquiry publicly prosecutors are believed to be pursuing conspiracy and fraud charges
federal courts have allowed prosecutors to bring cases against foreigners living abroad if there is some connection to the united states that connection can be limited such as the use of an american bank
a report published by the world anti doping agency in november accused russia of systematic state sponsored doping the chemist identified as a linchpin in that operation   grigory rodchenkov the longtime head of russias antidoping laboratory   told the new york times this month that he worked for years at the direction of the russian government to help the countrys athletes use banned performance enhancing substances in global competition and go undetected
dr rodchenkov is among the people under scrutiny by the united states government said one of the two people with direct knowledge of the case
russian officials have responded to the accusations with both defiance and contrition while often emphatically dismissing the claims as a western conspiracy intended to discredit russia they have sometimes struck a more conciliatory tone perhaps seeking to win the favor of sports officials in control of their countrys ability to compete in the coming summer olympics in rio de janeiro
the russian sports ministry acknowledged doping problems in a statement last week after dr rodchenkovs claims were published in the times it did not specify what those problems were then writing in the sunday times a british newspaper the russian sports minister vitaly mutko said that russian officials coaches and athletes had made serious mistakes but he stopped short of outlining them or admitting to any state involvement
in their inquiry united states prosecutors are expected to scrutinize anyone who might have facilitated unclean competition in the united states or used the united states banking system to conduct a doping program
elite russian athletes have competed in several major sporting events in the united states like the boston marathon and international bobsled and skeleton championships in lake placid ny
the inquiry which originated with the federal bureau of investigation would have to clear several hurdles before charges could be filed even if prosecutors are able to establish jurisdiction securing the cooperation of russian authorities in pursuing evidence and witnesses   and in ultimately delivering any charged defendants to the united states   would be all but impossible
it is rare for the united states government to take on sports doping cases in february 2012 the united states attorney in los angeles andre birotte jr dropped a two year criminal investigation into lance armstrong and his postal service cycling team that had explored whether mr armstrong and others defrauded sponsors by operating a doping program
the united states anti doping agency not a government entity pursued the case mr armstrong was ultimately stripped of his seven tour de france titles and barred from cycling for life for what usada called the most sophisticated professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen
but prosecutors for the eastern district in brooklyn have taken on high profile sports corruption cases before for several years the office has been investigating corruption within fifa world soccers governing body that case announced last may has so far resulted in charges against 40 soccer officials and business executives as well as two corporations more than a third have pleaded guilty
highly international in scope the fifa case has implicated people of two dozen nationalities and it has required the cooperation of various foreign authorities   especially the swiss   in making arrests ruling on extradition requests and sharing information about bank transactions
while the eastern districts fifa investigation and russian doping investigation are independent inquiries there is an overlap between the two matters prosecutors from the business and securities fraud section and the organized crime division are involved in both and certain public figures have overlapping ties to russian sports and global soccer
mr mutko russias minister of sport is a member of fifas ruling council a position he has held since 2009 he was appointed in 2008 to his current role in russian government by president vladimir v putin
in his account to the times dr rodchenkov who oversaw russias antidoping lab in moscow for a decade said he often took direct orders from mr mutkos deputy yuri nagornykh especially leading up to the sochi olympics in 2014 in sochi dr rodchenkov said he staged an elaborate dark of night operation to destroy russian athletes tainted urine samples on orders from the government
in a news conference last friday mr nagornykh disputed dr rodchenkovs claims theres no doping program in russian sport he said there was none and will be none
in the wake of the report last fall which cast shadows on not just the moscow laboratory but also russias antidoping agency dr rodchenkov said that mr mutko had summoned him to the sports ministrys headquarters and requested his resignation dr rodchenkov fled to the united states fearing for his safety he said
bradley d simon a criminal defense lawyer of simon and partners in new york confirmed that he was representing dr rodchenkov but declined to comment on the justice department investigation
currently living in los angeles dr rodchenkov 57 has said he has no intention of returning to russia i have no choice he said in a recent interview i am between two flames


smugglers made 5 billion to 6 billion in 2015 spiriting roughly one million migrants into the european union two multinational law enforcement agencies said tuesday in a joint report that quantified the profitability of such trafficking
the report also said that more than 90 percent of the migrants reaching the european union were helped at some point in their journeys by criminal smuggling networks and that most of the fees demanded by the smugglers were paid in cash
a large number of criminal networks as well as individual criminal entrepreneurs now generate substantial profits from migrant smuggling or crimes related to the facilitation of migrant smuggling said the report a collaboration between europol a law enforcement agency of the 28 nation european union based in the hague and interpol the 190 member international criminal police organization based in lyon france
the agencies tallied their estimate of smuggler profits last year by multiplying the number of arrivals by the per person cost which they said ranged from 3200 to 6500
the report also identified what it called smuggling hot spots roughly 250 hubs along smuggling routes where migrants and smugglers congregate
it also described the smuggling networks as multinational enterprises with suspects originating from more than 100 countries including some within the european union
data in the report was derived in part by analyzing hundreds of debriefings of migrants collected by frontex a european border management agency and european union members
europe is struggling to deal with shifting patterns in the influx of people fleeing war and instability in the middle east north africa and parts of asia
a deal that took effect in march to deport migrants reaching greece from turkey has sharply reduced the number of people entering europe via perilous voyages across the aegean in which hundreds have drowned but smugglers have responded by resurrecting disused routes into europe via the mediterranean from libya which can be just as dangerous
as of sunday an estimated 189414 migrants and refugees had entered europe this year by sea arriving in italy greece cyprus and spain according to data compiled by the international organization for migration an intergovernmental agency
deaths through mid may totaled 1357 on all mediterranean routes 24 percent lower than last years total of 1792 through the same period the organizations database showed


mexico city   the president of mexico said tuesday that he was submitting a proposal to congress to legalize same sex marriage as mexico presses forward with breaking long held taboos in latin america
argentina uruguay and brazil already allow same sex marriage and colombias high court declared last month that gay couples have a constitutional right to marry with the addition of mexico more than 70 percent of latin americans now live in countries where same sex marriage is permitted
president enrique pena nieto of mexico said his two bills would change the constitution to incorporate the right for same sex couples to wed and reform the federal civil code to assure marriage equality
those changes would turn into law a ruling last year by the nations supreme court that it was unconstitutional for states to ban same sex marriage in practice though the effect of the ruling was to legalize gay marriage without requiring mexicos states to rewrite their marriage laws
in our country there cant be those who have certain rights in some states and others who do not mr pena nieto said at a ceremony for the national day of the fight against homophobia
revising the constitution he said would incorporate marriage equality as a human right with full clarity
since the supreme courts ruling several states have pushed back revising their local constitutions to declare that marriage is between a man and a woman
we are changing the concept that marriage is only to propagate the species said humberto castillejos the presidents legal counsel it cannot only be to procreate children
the presidents proposal is intended to make recognition of marriage equality automatic and for the whole country mr castillejos said
but jordi diez a political scientist at the university of guelph in canada who has written about same sex marriage in latin america said the practical effect of the proposal might not be as immediate as advertised its still up to the states to change the definition of state law mr diez said although he added that he expected a majority of states to pass the constitutional change
he argued that the proposal might have had a political component given mr pena nietos flagging popularity
given how bad his record is on human rights its an effort to give some legitimacy to his presidency mr diez said
mexico city a liberal island in this socially conservative county led the way in legalizing same sex marriage in latin america in 2009 there have been thousands of same sex weddings since then some of them of couples coming from other states
argentina followed in 2010 gay marriage became legal in uruguay and brazil in 2013 and colombia was the last to rule
attitudes in latin america are beginning to shift as the region becomes more urban and secular although support for same sex marriage is far from sweeping
mr diez said that activists had been working for decades to press for gay rights in latin america and that over the years they had woven networks of allies they have been very good at framing the issue in a way that resonates with society   as an issue of human rights he said
according to a study by the pew research center published last year the only latin american countries where majorities approved of same sex marriage in 2014 were argentina and uruguay in mexico about half approved of it and in brazil 45 percent did
mr pena nietos proposal would also make it easier for transgender people to obtain a passport recognizing their gender identity


atlanta   the justice department said tuesday that it would conduct a review of the police department in north charleston sc where a white officer has been charged with fatally shooting an unarmed black man in april 2015
but the federal inquiry in south carolinas third largest city is voluntary and limited in scope it is not a far ranging civil rights investigation that might have prompted monitored reforms to correct unconstitutional patterns or practices instead the justice department office of community oriented policing services will assess the north charleston force and issue recommendations that could include policy changes and added training
its my hope that this type of review will allow the community to have a lot of input william n nettles the united states attorney for south carolina said at a news conference at city hall in north charleston a city of 107000 people there will be a thorough review of the policies and procedures of north charleston
although the justice department has faced demands for a civil rights investigation similar to its inquiries in baltimore cleveland and ferguson mo the federal government has for now taken a tack that is likely to be seen as far less threatening to north charleston recommendations will not be binding on the city and critics there predicted that the investigation would ultimately do little to aid the police force which has faced repeated accusations of prejudiced policing and the use of excessive force
its window dressing said edward bryant the president of the north charleston branch of the naacp its the easy way out they should be embarrassed to even present such misguided delusions
the government announced its review more than 13 months after the videotaped shooting death of walter scott 50 by a patrolman michael t slager mr slager said he fired eight times at mr scott who had fled on foot after a traffic stop after a struggle but federal and state investigators have questioned his account mr slager who was fired after the shooting has pleaded not guilty to murder and civil rights charges
mr slagers lawyer andrew j savage iii had no comment on tuesday
l chris stewart a lawyer for mr scotts family welcomed the justice departments decision and praised officials in north charleston who previously agreed to a 65 million settlement with mr scotts survivors for seeking the review
this should be a national prototype for how these kinds of situations are handled mr stewart said i actually salute north charleston for asking for this type of review i think its needed in a lot more cities
north charleston is the 11th city to participate in what the justice department describes as a collaborative reform process the department is managing similar reviews in milwaukee philadelphia and san francisco among other cities
the inquiry in north charleston will probably last at least two years and north charlestons mayor r keith summey said that the city was more than willing to take recommendations from the justice department
but mr bryant said that he was wary of north charlestons commitment and that he and other critics want something more binding something more outlined
there is no teeth in it whatsoever mr bryant said theyre trying to make it look like something and are being very basic about the issues
mr nettles said tuesday that the new inquiry did not eliminate the possibility that the justice department could eventually open a civil rights investigation and he signaled that federal officials would be sensitive to feedback after the review
the community will get to decide whether the report went far enough he said the community will get to decide whether the government goes far enough in adopting the report


curing meat is why humans could stay put when there was nothing to grow kill or steal it is how conquerors and discoverers lasted while they traveled the world
but the refrigerator and the modern food industry   with its cans plastic bags and chemicals   have made the average home cook afraid of this most simple and useful food preparation
there is no good reason for this all you really need is salt and the result malcolm my 17 year old son may have said it best whatever is on my bagel is really good
he was a test taster for home cured lox i made while madly seasoning and drying out flesh over several months for this article i had worried that i left the fish socked with salt in the refrigerator too long the outside was dry jerkylike not the silky sort from a package of even average lox i had to cut deeper   into fresh wild salmon infused with smoked salt sugar fennel fronds and fennel pollen   to reach the prize
i was surprised by how good it was and this is no humble brag you can buy wonderful lox from a store this was a different taste planet
it was also easy i made it myself with exactly the fish and flavors i wanted and the boy liked it a lot
unlike the decision to become a better cook generally which pays off every day the resolve to do your own curing prompts a few basic questions before you start mostly why bother
it tastes so good is the only answer said brian polcyn the chef and an author of one of the most popular books on curing charcuterie the craft of salting smoking and curing a ford focus is a good car it will get you point a to point b no shame in driving it a mercedes e class you can feel the difference
a second question is one of ambition curing spans a range from bacon or basic corned beef to the elaborate lard chunked salamis of italian or french charcuterie the latter take much practice dredging ebay and amazon for humidifiers grinders slicers casings and ph readers even building a drying room for precise temperatures and moisture
im sure its a satisfying hobby but its also an insane amount of work   and requires elevated caution about safety cured food is by definition not cooked without proper precautions it can foster dangerous bacteria rot can be good for wine beer cheese or yogurt it can also make you sick or die cured meat that involves fermentation raises that risk
paul bertolli a former chef at chez panisse and an early advocate of bringing back home curing suggests leaving the more complicated stuff to the experts a great introduction though it does get complicated is one of my favorite cookbooks mr bertollis cooking by hand he went on to found the website fra mani dedicated to all things cured he learned from his italian grandparents in california
what ive been experimenting with for the last eight or so years is not grinding and fermenting but drying out solid pieces of meat as they are transformed with just salt spices and air turns out our ancestors stumbled onto something magical salt preserves the meat by sucking the water out retarding spoilage and concentrating flavor
the process also allows the added flavors to infuse into the meat making it something different altogether as well as making it more your own
how long it lasts depends on whom you ask its safe to say dried meat will last a few weeks in the refrigerator without problems and much longer if frozen which is perfectly fine
fresh products like bacon or nondried pancetta go rancid much more quickly and should be checked carefully trouble is easy to detect ive noticed dried meats dont so much spoil as grow yellowish and dont smell fresh then its time to toss them
dont think of curing as an heirloom exercise in recreating life how it used to be like mr bertolli many proponents of curing learned it from relatives who did it partly out of love partly out of necessity so despite the last few generations of mass produced and preserved food curing is an art that was never lost maybe out of fashion but ever alive
for me its the pleasure of making things you are going to consume yourself mr bertolli said there is a pride in it
ive developed a basic and useful repertoire that requires no special equipment space or even much time bacon both american and italian pancetta lox and duck prosciutto an impressive and fun little trick that i learned from mr polcyn and that you can brag over at your next dinner party as if you just brought it back from parma it cures for just one day under kosher salt alone
i started curing out of love of a particular dish pasta carbonara my family and i lived in rome for four years and when we moved back to new york in 2008 it was not easy to find guanciale or cured pig cheek carbonaras essential ingredient even though were in brooklyn rightly mocked and loved as the navel of foodie obtuseness
romans say with snobby certainty you can make carbonara only with guanciale not pancetta or bacon im fine with any but there is no question that guanciale makes the dish taste like rome
a local shop bklyn larder in park slope made its own and kept us supplied that is until i came across a recipe from the philadelphia pasta master marc vetri that he called shortcut guanciale
it promised the exotic without much pain or cost salt sugar pepper garlic coriander and rosemary rubbed over the cheek and plopped into a ziploc bag in the refrigerator for just three days to use right away you roast it for about three hours it is sublime
we are fortunate enough to have a fireplace so i thought why not dry it the way they do in italy i did even if it drove the dogs mad hanging temptingly just behind the screen in the unlit fireplace
three weeks later i was rewarded with something i felt i didnt do enough to deserve it looked old world on the outside all tough and dry the inside a strip of meat encased in almost buttery flavorful fat
i realize most cooks arent going to find regular use for guanciale though it adds wonders to other pastas soups and even seafood dishes for me though it lit a fuse i moved from the pigs cheek to its belly salts sugar and maple syrup are all you need for tremendous american bacon
nutmeg juniper garlic thyme and bay leaf make pancetta which can be used dry or fresh and is singularly versatile in the kitchen fish salmon especially cures in a few days and makes a new york bagel brunch a special occasion i just tried a recipe from mr polcyn curing salmon with beets and fresh horseradish i recommend it
the list goes on for every taste and ambition jerky pastrami corned beef full hams i dont own a smoker but it notches the art up with little effort there are websites devoted to prosciutto which requires only salt patience and the optimism of being alive in the year or so an entire pig leg takes to dry results apparently are spectacular
a few basics for new curers its nice to have a fireplace for temperature and air flow but you can hang meat to dry in many places people use closets garages basements old refrigerators a kitchens out of the way nook
you wont smell much of anything as it cures since it generally is wrapped in plastic for many reasons mostly because the meat gets quite wet as the salt pulls out the water but the aroma is terrific sweet and salty with flavors like rosemary and cracked pepper at high decibel
then there are the inevitable controversies of curing which ill cover here only in outline this is what the internet was invented for and readers of age can decide for themselves
last year the curing community was set in an uproar over a world health organization report that linked cured and processed meat with an increase in colorectal cancer as with many risks experts say moderation slims the chances considerably
there is also a theological debate over whether to use the most common curing salt often called pink salt or prague powder it is a nitrite and thus poisonous in quantity some curers prefer alternatives as safer and more natural experts i consulted recommended using it in the prescribed small amounts for several reasons its effective in killing dangerous bacteria and contributes to the taste and color of good cured meat i do without apology
finally ill say that curing is handy this was the whole point before history was even invented and can save a bundle one recent rainy sunday our younger son nelson came home from a day of hard new york skateboarding with a friend starving as 15 year olds tend to be we had not strategized dinner we considered ordering out but indian food or sushi would run 60 at least
i looked in the fridge and dinner assembled itself a hunk of my old standby guanciale sat in a ziploc i sauteed it added some onion olive oil tomato white wine pepper flakes and pecorino and there we had maybe the tastiest of roman pastas amatriciana
took 20 minutes cost less than 20 for four the boys didnt care where that crazy great salty bacon came from but they ate and were happy i was too and the pleasure was not just in my stomach
recipes beet  and horseradish cured salmon  duck prosciutto  shortcut guanciale  home cured bacon


it is not just rockers like bruce springsteen and ringo starr who have canceled their concerts in north carolina to protest the states law limiting transgender bathroom access and pre empting local governments from passing anti discrimination ordinances
the violin virtuoso itzhak perlman one of the biggest names in classical music announced on tuesday that he would cancel his wednesday concert with the north carolina symphony as he said in a statement on his facebook page a stand against house bill 2 as the new law is called
as my fans know i have spent a lifetime advocating against discrimination toward those with physical disabilities and have been a vocal advocate for treating all people equally mr perlman who contracted polio as a child and often performs from a wheelchair said in the statement he cited remarks that attorney general loretta e lynch made recently when she announced that the justice department was challenging the law she said that the issue was about the dignity and respect we accord our fellow citizens
mr perlman said i couldnt agree more and will look forward to returning to north carolina when this discriminatory law is repealed
the symphony said on its web page that it would contact patrons about their tickets the north carolina symphony welcomes all people with our hearts and minds open and we are honored to share our music making with everyone it said in a statement


the investor carl c icahns protege keith meister is striking the right note
mr meister founder of the activist hedge fund corvex management is pushing pandora media the 22 billion online music service to sell itself after his firm became its largest shareholder a costly acquisition an abrupt leadership change and a lack of song rights suggest that pandora is floundering its rivals spotify and sirius xm could make sense as partners
pandora has two big attributes it is easy to operate and it uses algorithms to suggest songs based on listener preferences - grateful dead anyone pandroa which is 16 years old is in stiff competition with spotify which has more global subscribers and deep pocketed apple amazoncom and alphabet
pandora weathered an increase in music royalty fees last december but growth in the number of users has stalled and its stock price has fallen 21 percent since january for the quarter ended in march the company had fewer than 80 million active listeners contrasted with more than 81 million in the previous quarter its now aiming to expand internationally by cutting deals for music rights directly with record labels and artists
relying mainly on advertising for revenue may no longer be enough pandora has tried to diversify buying the ticket purveyor ticketfly for 450 million in november but that business contributed only 7 percent to pandoras first quarter revenue of almost 300 million
the exit in march of brian mcandrews pandoras chief executive has ruffled investors even further replacing him with the founder tim westergren suggested there was serious dissension in the ranks and the new boss quickly stopped efforts to find a possible buyer for the company
at this point a sale might be the best outcome spotify which recently raised 1 billion and faces pressure to go public could be interested in pandoras substantial user base and advertising sales operation sirius xm a 20 billion satellite radio service could benefit from pandoras popularity on mobile devices even apple which is trying to make itunes easier to use could see a solution in pandoras simple design
mr meister argued in a letter to pandora directors that there could be plenty of strategic buyers willing to pay a substantial premium the board should be all ears


the philadelphia 76ers were not jinxed said their coach brett brown but his brow was still sweating tuesday night when he sat onstage in a ballroom at the new york hilton midtown anxiously awaiting the results of the nbas draft lottery
he did not feel the need to bring anything for luck even though two seats down from him boston celtics guard isaiah thomas arrived with a ziploc bag of lucky charms cereal but brown searched for any clues that might foretell where the woeful sixers 10 72 would be picking he started reading the announcers teleprompter thinking it might give away something anything
when we got to the commercial brown said that was a big first hurdle
the commercial break meant there were three teams left to hear their names read moments later there was one browns poker face remained subdued for a few extra seconds he shook hands with mitch kupchak general manager of the los angeles lakers who got the second draft slot then brown looked toward the camera and smiled
i never felt jinxed brown said again i believed in what we were doing weve been rewarded for our patience and perseverance
for the first time since 1996 the sixers will select first in the june draft it is not for lack of trying in each of the last three years philadelphia finished with one of the worst three records in the league a sustained level of futility that has reduced a proud franchise and fan base into a laughingstock
but the ping pong balls never bounced the right way in 2014 the sixers finished with the second worst record but were chosen to pick third selecting joel embiid who because of injuries has yet to suit up last year philadelphia also wound up with the no 3 pick taking jahlil okafor
they had a 25 percent chance to get the top spot this time and despite the high picks in previous years brown said this one feels different
it gives us the injection that we need he said
general manager bryan colangelo the teams new president for basketball operations said the good news is when you look at the top of this draft its almost a position where you cant go wrong
indeed both the 76ers and the lakers seemed to depart equally satisfied with tuesdays result the consensus for weeks now among draft analysts and scouts has been that two players dukes brandon ingram and louisiana states ben simmons have separated themselves from the rest of the draft class
brown actually coached simmonss father dave with the melbourne tigers in the australian national basketball league in the early 1990s brown said tuesday that he had known ben simmons since he was born
there are lots of different connections that would just make me better informed brown said hes obviously an extremely talented young man and comes from great stock with his family
three hours before the lottery slots were announced the former 76ers center dikembe mutombo an nba global ambassador wrote a message on twitter congratulating philadelphia for winning the no 1 pick the message was quickly deleted but not before many fans saw it as a sign that perhaps mutombo knew something about the 76ers fate
reached by telephone tuesday evening though mutombo denied any involvement in the lottery selection process and said he had sent the message in error from his home in atlanta he had been asked by a 76ers staff member to send the tweet in the event that they did win the lottery
i made a mistake mutombo said my idea was just to congratulate them if they got the no 1 pick
the celtics wound up with the third pick via the nets who traded the rights to the pick in 2013 in exchange for paul pierce kevin garnett jason terry and d j white the toronto raptors will select ninth thanks to the knicks who traded that pick away for andrea bargnani
neither the knicks nor the nets will own a first round pick this year


abc will officially announce its 2016 17 fall schedule at its annual upfront presentation in manhattan on tuesday here is a look at some of the highlights
abcs so called tgit block of ms rhimess shows on thursday night which has been the most reliable part of the networks schedule is getting a shake up scandal is moving to midseason and a new drama that was not created by ms rhimes notorious will take its place the bookends   greys anatomy and how to get away with murder   stay the same
ms rhimess shows suffered this season particularly scandal and how to get away with murder which both had declining ratings abcs new president of entertainment channing dungey explained in a telephone call with reporters that the switch was made for a variety of reasons including an adjusted production schedule to accommodate the pregnancy of the scandal star kerry washington when asked whether abc would still brand its thursday night lineup tgit ms dungey said the network had not yet considered marketing plans for the fall
ms rhimess thursday night block will be reassembled for midseason with greys anatomy scandal and her second year show the catch ms dungey noted that by years end ms rhimes will have five shows on the air just like dick wolf at nbc including a new show still star crossed a period drama about the montagues and capulets after romeo and juliet are dead it will be on the midseason schedule as well
while fox and nbc have struggled mightily with comedy abc is raising the ante on its comedy abc is expanding from two nights of comedy wednesday and friday to three welcome tuesday the middle moves to tuesday while modern family will continue to anchor the wednesday night lineup
fox executives lavished praise on its 24 reboot at mondays upfront presentation but mr sutherland will not be back in a starring role he will make a cameo instead he will turn to a new abc drama designated survivor which the network has very high hopes for
no not mr sutherland were talking about ms dungey she is the first black network president and will take the upfront stage for the first time she got her job in february after paul lee was moved out of it and she arrived in the middle of the pilots process but she did say the schedule very much reflects my sensibility of where the network is and where we want to be going


pittsburgh   two star goaltenders were here monday night for game 2 of the nhls eastern conference finals between the tampa bay lightning and the pittsburgh penguins but one sat on the bench while the other watched from the press box
a matchup between these two teams would normally have pitted tampa bays ben bishop 29 a finalist for the vezina trophy for the nhls top regular season goalie against pittsburghs marc andre fleury 31 who in 2009 helped lead the penguins to a stanley cup
instead their 21 year old understudies the lightnings andrei vasilevskiy and the penguins matt murray are on the ice in the make or break postseason
the question is whether the two young goalies will continue to dominate the series or the veterans will make a comeback
vasilevskiy was called into action midway through the first period of game 1 on friday after bishop fell awkwardly and was carted off on a stretcher on tuesday lightning coach jon cooper said he was optimistic that bishop would return to the series at some point though bishop had not skated with the team or taken shots since his injury
if murray falters fleury could be back in the net sidelined after a concussion late in the regular season fleury was cleared to resume playing two weeks ago but penguins coach mike sullivan has stuck with murray for 11 straight playoff games
for now both budding goaltenders are likely to remain in the net neither seems to be a flash in the pan
both of them have been great fleury said in an interview at his teams practice complex tuesday theyve looked very calm and relaxed i think on both sides theyve made some key saves in the games i think they are two guys that will be fun to watch over the years
a player from western siberia whose father was a goalie in the top russian league vasilevskiy has a reputation for disciplined workouts the soft spoken murray of thunder bay ontario is known for his calm demeanor in the crease
in game 2 vasilevskiy stole the show if not the win he made 38 saves on 41 shots losing only after a defensive breakdown by the lightning allowed for a sidney crosby blast 40 seconds into overtime giving the penguins a 3 2 victory
the series is tied 1 1 with game 3 scheduled for wednesday in tampa fla
i feel bad for vasilevskiy cooper said after his team landed back in florida that kid just plays lights out for us every time
of vasilevskiys saves in game 2 12 came in the first period he made 16 in the third period and the lightning were outshot by 41 21 in the game
clearly he was the reason the game was so close cooper said
on the other side murray played a solid game though he was not tested much after allowing what he later acknowledged was a soft goal to jonathan drouin late in the first period murray stonewalled tampa bay for the remaining 41 minutes 30 seconds of the game
i made the saves i needed to win the game and thats what matters murray said tuesday
murray who had played in only 13 nhl games before the playoffs began is 8 3 with a 214 goals against average and a 928 save percentage this postseason he beat the rangers henrik lundqvist and the washington capitals braden holtby two of the leagues premier goaltenders in the first two rounds
murray began this season in the minor leagues with pittsburghs top affiliate in the american hockey league last season he chalked up some impressive records with the club and was named goaltender and rookie of the year at one point he set an ahl mark by going 304 minutes without allowing a goal
sullivan was murrays coach in the minors early this season until he was promoted to lead the penguins in december three days later murray was called up to pittsburgh too
he has a maturity level beyond his years sullivan said of murray on sunday he has a really good work ethic and preparation process that he puts himself in a position to be successful
vasilevskiy was drafted 19th over all in 2012 the same year the penguins took murray in the third round vasilevskiy was impressive in relief of bishop in game 1 making 25 saves in the lightnings 3 1 victory he survived a 16 shot onslaught by pittsburgh in the third period
even murray praised his rival
i dont think it was much of a drop off losing bishop murray said of vasilevskiy after game 1 hes such a good goaltender
it should not be surprising that vasilevskiy has been able to handle the pressure during last years stanley cup finals he came in after bishop was injured in game 2 against the chicago blackhawks and earned a 4 3 victory he also started game 4 of that series losing 2 1
talk about pushing somebody a little bit down the learning curve a little faster than we wanted to cooper said
the current series is the first time since 1987 that two goalies of 21 or younger have faced each other in the playoffs despite the stakes neither team seems uneasy about casting its fate with youth
ive watched just the age of the entire league go down cooper said last week its not uncommon now that young guys are getting more of a chance to perform and excel


ottawa   discrimination against transgender people will be formally banned across canada and crimes against them will be included in the countrys hate crimes law under new legislation introduced on tuesday by the liberal government of prime minister justin trudeau
the legislation comes at a time of intense debate over transgender rights in the united states and it fulfills a pledge mr trudeau made during his election campaign last year the government timed the introduction of the bill to coincide with an international day against homophobia transphobia and biphobia
everyone deserves to live free of stigma persecution and discrimination   no matter who they are or whom they love mr trudeau said in a statement today is about ensuring that all people   regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity   feel safe and secure and empowered to freely express themselves
jody wilson raybould the justice minister said the government had acted on recommendations from advocates for transgender people and had written the legislation to cover both gender identity or how people define themselves and gender expression or how people choose to act dress or otherwise display their identity
diversity and inclusion have long been among the values canadians embrace ms wilson raybould said in the foyer of the house of commons here on tuesday accompanied by transgender activists some of them minors a flag used by transgender activists stood nearby
in the past courts and human rights tribunals in canada have generally decided to hear cases involving transgender people but they did so on the basis of broad provisions in existing law prohibiting discrimination based on sex said brenda cossman a law professor at the university of toronto and the director of its mark s bonham center for sexual diversity studies
this just makes that crystal clear professor cossman said adding that she believed it was nevertheless a significant step
the governments proposals include changes to both the federal criminal code and the canadian human rights act the changes to the criminal code will have a broader impact because criminal law is solely a federal responsibility in canada while each province has its own human rights charter
current law makes it a crime to make hate propaganda against members of specific groups the proposed legislation would add transgender people to the list it would also oblige judges to consider in sentencing decisions whether crimes were caused by or aggravated because of discrimination against transgender people
though the federal human rights act applies only to citizens interactions with the federal government or with federally regulated industries like airlines and phone companies professor cossman said that the proposed revisions would still bring significant changes and that the federal government was leading by example
she said that only eight of canadas 13 provinces and territories specifically included transgender people under their human rights laws and that only five covered both gender identity and gender expression
canadas house of commons has twice passed similar legislation during the previous conservative government but objections from conservatives in the countrys appointed senate stalled the bills until they died when the parliamentary sessions ended
the new legislation is expected to have an easier time the earlier bills were proposed by members of the opposition new democratic party but the senate has traditionally been reluctant to stall bills the government proposes if it does so the government has more resources to overcome roadblocks than opposition members of parliament do
alexandre baril an assistant professor at the university of ottawas institute of feminist and gender studies said the new bills were welcome but insufficient on their own we cannot count on legal reforms to protect transgender people mr baril said it will be a first step but after that there are so many things we need to focus on
among other things he said there was still an acute need to improve health support particularly for mental health needs for transgender people in canada


davao city philippines   the police warned 14 year old bobby alia that there would be consequences after he was accused of stealing a cellphone in november 2003 the boys mother said a few days later he was dead stabbed in the back with a butcher knife
he was the third of clarita alias sons to die in davao the southern philippines largest city in killings that remain unsolved a fourth was killed in 2007 all had been accused of crimes all were stabbed and all ms alia said had received similar warnings from the police
for years rights groups have called for an investigation into whether davaos mayor rodrigo duterte   the tough talking politician who next month will become president of the philippines   was complicit in the killings of hundreds of people in davao since the 1980s by what they describe as government sanctioned death squads
the davao police say they have not found evidence that such organizations exist investigations by human rights watch the united nations and the philippines own commission on human rights however have found evidence that they do exist and that police officers and other government officials had been involved in the killings
the victims the investigations found included people suspected of committing crimes or using drugs street children and in some cases people who had been mistaken for someone else
while mr duterte has denied any direct knowledge of death squads he has long called for addressing the philippines severe crime problem by killing suspected criminals in 2009 he said they were a legitimate target of assassination
during the presidential campaign this year he uncorked a running barrage of murderous boasts he claimed to have personally killed armed criminals while mayor though no evidence has emerged to support those stories asked to respond to a report that he killed 700 people he replied no it is not 700 but 1700
mr duterte promised if elected to deploy the police and the military in an all out assault on criminal gangs
it is going to be bloody he told a business group in april i will use the military and the police to go out and arrest them hunt for them and if they will offer a violent resistance and thereby placing the lives of the law enforcers and the military whom i would task for a job to do i will simply say kill them all and end the problem
mr duterte promised to kill 100000 criminals in his first six months in office and dump so many bodies in manila bay that the fish will grow fat
the claims may strike some as outlandish but the evidence of killings on mr dutertes watch as mayor of davao has led to fears of a nationwide explosion of extrajudicial killings during his presidency
theres a danger that dutertes electoral victory may be seen as a symbolic victory for a notion thats already spreading in the philippines that extrajudicial vigilante style killings of suspected criminals is a legitimate approach to crime control said phelim kine deputy director of human rights watch for asia
mr dutertes hard line stance on crime is wildly popular in davao raul tolentino 82 who has practiced law here since the 1960s said that popularity stemmed from the 1980s when communist insurgents plagued the region and the city was notorious for bloody mayhem mr tolentino recalled armed rebel groups entering the city at will and criminal gangs engaging in shootouts in broad daylight
it was terrible he said if someone had a grudge against you they could just kill you it was a lawless state even policemen were not safe walking alone on the streets they would end up on a stretcher
mr duterte then a hard charging prosecutor was elected mayor in 1988 on a law and order platform around the same time citizens groups formed that some called anti crime organizations and others simply called vigilantes mr tolentino said that a combination of those armed groups and mr dutertes tough policies brought order to the city others say the citizens groups evolved into organized death squads that are still active
usually there is a list of names kept at the village level the rev father amado picardal a priest who has investigated the groups said in an interview the death squads are well organized supported by the local government and they follow a pattern they usually issue a warning though now sometimes there isnt even a warning if you are on the list you are killed
in a 2009 report human rights watch said the killers included former communist rebels as well as street criminals and others who were subjected to threats and coercion their orders often came from current or former police officers who provided training and weapons and in some cases coordinated the timing of the murders according to the rights group which said it had investigated 28 such killings
the philippines commission on human rights a semiautonomous government agency found in 2012 that death squads had killed 206 people including 19 children in davao from 2005 to 2009 the panel said that lists of suspected criminals were kept by village officials and that many of the people on the lists were killed edmundo r albay the director of the agencys office in davao said that another investigation into the death squads was underway but that he could not provide details about it
in its 2012 report the commission recommended that mr duterte be criminally investigated for failing to take action to stop the killings but it did not say that he had had direct knowledge of them he has never been charged with a crime in connection with the killings
philip alston then the united nations special rapporteur on extrajudicial summary or arbitrary executions interviewed mr duterte for a 2008 report on the death squads which mr alston said operated with such impunity that the killers did not bother to wear masks asked whether he was responsible for their activities mr duterte insisted that he controls the army and the police saying the buck stops here  mr alston wrote but he added more than once i accept no criminal liability 
mr alston said he found that position contradictory and untenable he dominates the city so thoroughly as to stamp out whole genres of crime yet he remains powerless in the face of hundreds of murders committed by men without masks in view of witnesses he wrote
mr alston wrote that mr duterte freely acknowledged that he had publicly stated that he would make davao dangerous and not a very safe place for criminals but he insisted that these statements were for public consumption and would have no effect on police conduct police know the law police get their training 
the police in davao have denied that death squads operate in the city the police chief inspector andrea dela cerna said that many of the killings in question were probably gang related and that the issue had been exaggerated by opponents of the mayor
mr tolentino who has been practicing criminal law in davao for 56 years said he had never come across a case involving a member or a victim of a death squad if there is such a group they are only going after the bad people anyway he said
mr duterte and his supporters say his policies have made davao one of the safest places in the philippines but data from the philippine national police show that from 2010 to 2015 the city of about 15 million had 1032 killings more than any other city in the country quezon city a suburb of manila with a population of 27 million was second with 961 killings during the same period
in light of the reports about the death squads mr dutertes violent rhetoric as a candidate has raised concern that extrajudicial killings will become a nationwide phenomenon
for clarita alia whose sons killings remain unsolved that prospect raises a personal concern
if they are killing people all over the country then they will forget about the cases in davao she said in an interview at her home here a wooden shack behind a vegetable stall they will forget about my sons


washington   obama administration officials on tuesday said they would lift a broad array of sanctions on myanmar removing restrictions on state owned banks and businesses as they seek to reward a historic move toward democracy in a country dominated for decades by brutal military rule
the moves to take effect on wednesday will allow american individuals banks and companies to do business with all burmese financial institutions easing the flow of exports in and out of myanmar formerly known as burma it will also enable united states citizens living and working there to pay rent and buy goods without running afoul of the law
the easing of restrictions is the latest effort by president obama to use diplomacy coupled with sanctions relief to prod toward greater openness a country that the united states once isolated that principle was at the heart of mr obamas agreement last year with iran which relaxed sanctions in exchange for restraints on irans nuclear program it has also been the driving force behind the opening with cuba
the treasury departments office of foreign assets control which oversees and enforces sanctions announced the changes related to myanmar on tuesday the democratic process reached a milestone in november with elections in myanmar and has continued to unfold in recent months with the formation of a new government
still mr obama made it clear on tuesday that he did not regard myanmars transformation as complete or irreversible in a notice to congress required annually he renewed an official government declaration related to myanmar calling it an extraordinary threat
senior administration officials said they were still concerned about potential spoilers of the shift toward democracy there particularly the military which profited financially and politically from the old system and might seek a return to it they said sanctions would remain on individuals and entities that are obstructing political reform in myanmar committing human rights abuses or propagating military trade with north korea
the united states wants to continue to further incentivize democratic reforms and continue to pressure targeted individuals and entities including the military so that the work of reforming that government continues said josh earnest the white house press secretary
in a speech on tuesday benjamin j rhodes the presidents deputy national security adviser for strategic communication called efforts to encourage ties with myanmar one of the most important foreign policy overtures of mr obamas tenure and said rewarding myanmar for its steps toward democratization was crucial
we have to demonstrate that there are dividends for people who go down this road mr rhodes said and if were not there for those people when they make the right choices that wont just be a problem for myanmar
mr rhodes said that improving relations with myanmar should not wait until that country liberalizes entirely he said existing sanctions on myanmar are in many ways more draconian than those that apply to neighboring countries with worse human rights records he did not name those countries but myanmar borders china laos and thailand
several state owned businesses and banks in myanmar are to be removed from the list of sanctioned enterprises the administration said including timber and mining companies and gem concerns that are now owned by civilians rather than the military but the treasury department will tighten sanctions on steven law a burmese business tycoon penalized by the department in 2008 for supporting the military junta
mr law and his late father lo hsing han   who was once described by the united states as the godfather of heroin   prospered under the military government which awarded them contracts to build large infrastructure projects their businesses have continued to thrive even with the transition to democratic rule in myanmar
on wednesday the treasury will blacklist six companies owned 50 percent or more by mr law or asia world the asia mega link company the asia mega link services company the pioneer aerodome services company the green asia services company the global world insurance company and the shwe nar wah company


first stop netflix next stop broadcast television
in a reversal of the typical relationship between streaming tv and traditional tv netflix and univision announced on tuesday that the netflix original series narcos would be shown on univision the spanish language broadcaster in addition univisions sister network unimas will televise club de cuervos the spanish language netflix original series
both series made their debut on netflix last year and the univision networks will broadcast the first seasons of the programs in advance of the second seasons which will be available exclusively on netflix later this year narcos is about latin american drug kingpins in the late 1980s and club de cuervos about a soccer team is netflixs first spanish language original series
netflix got its start streaming television programs that it acquired from traditional tv networks long before the company started making its own series
this will be among the few times that a netflix original series will be shown on a traditional television network after a debut on a streaming service netflix tested a similar model earlier this year when the first two episodes of its new french drama marseilles were shown on tf1 in france
terms were not disclosed but one person with knowledge of the deal who spoke on the condition of anonymity said that univision was paying residuals to performers and that netflix was not paying anything for the promotion
that is significant because tv networks typically pay large sums for the rights to distribute programing from other outlets something univision will not have to do in this deal at the same time it will most likely need to pour millions of dollars into marketing campaigns for the shows saving netflix that cost this relationship shows how both sides are seeking to benefit from the deal and innovate their business models
for netflix the new relationship with univision is a promotional tool that could help bolster its presence among hispanics in the united states a large and relatively undertapped audience finding new areas of growth particularly in its home market is especially important for netflix because the company has recently disappointed wall street with its lackluster expectations for growth
narcos is a huge global success on netflix and sampling the series to every single spanish speaking living room in the us will give additional viewers the opportunity to fall in love with its unique storytelling ted sarandos the chief content officer at netflix said in a statement promoting these original shows on univision is a great way to further reach hispanic audiences and help them discover netflix
for univision the deal provides programs that could inject some new life into its tv lineup that is important for univision as its initial public offering of stock has been delayed at a time of broader fears about the future of the tv business
the announcement coincided with univisions upfront presentation in new york highlighting its evolution from its roots as the spanish language broadcaster into a multicultural media company that incorporates traditional broadcast cable television and digital outlets univision spotlighted its fresh programming across four categories comedy sports music and drama
also on tuesday netflix and univision announced that they would co produce a new el chapo drama series based on the life story of the notorious mexican drug lord joaquin guzman in the united states the series will be shown on unimas in 2017 before appearing on netflix outside the united states the show will make its debut exclusively on netflix
el chapo is a great example of how univision continues to innovate and evolve with premium storytelling formats randy falco chief executive of univision communications said in a statement


the fight to preserve freedom of the press is getting a 60 million war room
the john s and james l knight foundation and columbia university announced on tuesday that they would team up to create an institute at the universitys manhattan campus dedicated to expanding in the digital age the freedoms of speech and the press outlined in the first amendment
the knight first amendment institute would take on legal battles that newsrooms have found increasingly too costly to pursue on their own the groups said in a statement
while the digital age has opened up new opportunities for accountability journalism we need to fill the void and continue to champion free expression through litigation research and education said lee c bollinger a first amendment scholar and columbias president
the institute would also seek to influence legal debates over first amendment protections that have faced new scrutiny through the lens of an internet connected society among the issues of concern online privacy rights free expression on college campuses and whistle blower protections an issue that has gained urgency with the prolific filing of criminal charges by the obama administration
the foundation and columbia said they would split the costs evenly representing the largest journalism grant in knights history
the institute has begun a search for an executive director and is expected to open as soon as one is in place


california prosecutors announced criminal charges on tuesday against a company whose oil pipeline ruptured last year and fouled popular beaches near santa barbara for months a company employee was also charged
the california attorney general kamala d harris and the santa barbara county district attorney joyce e dudley said a santa barbara county grand jury had handed up an indictment charging the company plains all american with four felonies and 42 misdemeanors and charging an employee james buchanan an environmental and regulatory compliance specialist at plains with three misdemeanors
the company also faces multiple civil cases in the oil spill but criminal charges in such a case are more unusual ms harris who is running for the united states senate said the indictment reflected what the company knew or should have known of the dangers posed by its actions
the negative impacts of this conduct were immediate and tragic ms harris said anyone who violates the law and endangers our environment is going to be held responsible
the company based in houston said in a statement plains believes that neither the company nor any of its employees engaged in any criminal behavior at any time in connection with this accident and that criminal charges are unwarranted
precisely what those charges are and what evidence supports them remain unknown the prosecutors said they did not have the authority to release the indictment or the grand jury transcript or to describe them in any detail a judge may release them in the coming days but could keep the transcript sealed an arraignment was set for june 6
ms dudley said that 10 of the counts including the most serious involved the rupture itself or the failure to take swift enough action and that the rest addressed harm to wildlife the company called the charges an inappropriate attempt to criminalize an unfortunate accident
if found guilty plains could face fines of up to 28 million a small fraction of what the spill will cost the company mr buchanan faces up to a year in prison on each of the three counts against him
on may 19 last year the corroded two foot diameter underground pipeline broke open near refugio state beach west of santa barbara much of the oil flowed into the ocean in an area that is home to an array of shorebirds and marine mammals and is near the migratory path of gray whales it formed a dark plume in the water that stretched for miles and coated several beaches harming tourism and officials have said that tar balls from the spill washed ashore as far as 100 miles to the southeast
the company initially estimated the spill at 21000 gallons but later revised that to more than 140000 gallons in documents supplied to lawmakers plains acknowledged that it had not alerted federal regulators until more than three hours after discovering the spill
the company said tuesday that it had cooperated fully with local state and federal agencies in responding to the spill and that it had spent more than 150 million on the cleanup the prosecutors said the company had not cooperated with their investigation


the general election effort to take down donald j trump through television ads will begin on wednesday with the main super pac supporting hillary clinton airing its first two attack ads on broadcast television in four swing states the effort kicks off a multimillion dollar campaign that will flood screens in those states in the months to come
the super pac priorities usa action had initially planned to wait until after the june 7 primary contests to introduce tv ads attacking mr trump the presumptive republican nominee but accelerated its effort against him the groups 6 million investment includes two ads that offer scathing critiques of mr trumps comments about women that will run for the next three weeks in ohio florida virginia and nevada
mrs clintons most devoted donors have given roughly 80 million to priorities usa action to stop mr trump more than the group raised in the entire 2012 election to re elect president obama
the ads are the beginning of the broader democratic campaign against mr trump focused on convincing suburban and working class women that he does not respect them
priorities usa action said it also planned to run ads that critiqued mr trumps business record and portrayed him as out of touch with the working class americans he says he represents an approach similar to the one it used to depict the republican nominee in 2012 mitt romney as a cold corporate titan
mrs clintons allies said mr trumps mocking of a new york times reporters disability also effectively turned off swing voters potentially providing fodder for future ads that depict mr trump as insensitive and unprepared for the presidency
mr trumps republican rivals criticized mr trump similarly on his comments about women and on his business record during the partys nominating contest but the effort came too late to stop his momentum
one of the super pacs ads called speak shows voters lip syncing some of mr trumps caustic remarks about women as they wear shirts with mr trumps visage screen printed on them the other respect shows quick interviews with the candidate in which he outlines his positions on abortion and planned parenthood
the super pac had initially invested 130 million to reserve time for broadcast and digital ads that would start running the day after the california and new jersey primaries in june but it decided to add an additional buy to accelerate the time line aiming to sow early doubts about mr trump particularly among female voters who will have a disproportionate effect on the fall election and with whom mr trump has shown a particular weakness in polls
female voters favored mrs clinton over mr trump 55 percent to 35 percent in a new york timescbs news poll released in march twice the gender gap of the 2012 presidential election when president obama defeated mr romney
mrs clintons campaign which cannot directly coordinate with the super pac has tried to raise money by showing mr trumps comments assailing the former secretary of state for playing the womans card
mrs clinton though has tried to avoid directly provoking mr trump relying instead on outside groups like the super pac to carry out direct attacks the campaigns online videos against mr trump have focused mostly on his policy positions and on criticism by his rivals in the republican primaries
on tuesday mr trump said the speak ad had misrepresented one of his statements the pathetic new hit ad against me misrepresents the final line you can tell them to go blank themselves   was about china not women he wrote on twitter
that drew a rebuke from the super pac
sorry donald but the ad isnt only about your overt sexism its about your divisiveness and character being unsuitable for the office of the presidency justin barasky a spokesman for the group said in an email on tuesday morning
in an interview mr barasky said the group thought it had to advertise earlier after seeing the republican stop trump effort fall short the decision was made recently to go up now because we learned from washington republicans that you cant wait to go after trump mr barasky said what they did was too little too late and we werent going to make the same mistake
the new ads adhere to similar lines of attack taken by our principles pac the super pac led by republican operatives it released an ad quotes featuring female actors reciting mr trumps quotations about women the ad tested highly in effectiveness but came out only days before the republican primary in florida which mr trump won
speak is slightly different in that the ad uses mr trumps voice rather than those of actors along with the voices of voters
our research shows most people know very little about donald trump guy cecil the executive director of the priorities pac said on msnbc on monday night adding when we tested a lot of the never trump ads we realized very quickly they really had no idea what donald trump had been saying on the stump and what his record had been in business or toward women and so its our job to make sure they see it
he added that the group would also be focused on mr trumps business record an issue that numerous republican groups and campaigns highlighted during the nominating contest mr cecil specifically mentioned mr trumps record of making ties in china and hiring people in bangladesh


new delhi   over the centuries the taj mahal has endured its share of attacks   plundered by the jats of northern india and looted by british soldiers among other indignities in recent years officials have worried that growing air pollution could permanently darken the tombs brilliant white exterior
but few people anticipated the latest affront   millions of mosquito like insects their numbers supercharged by nutritious algae blooming profusely along the banks of the polluted yamuna river nearby like generations of romance driven human couples before them the bugs have swarmed the taj mahal on a mating flight excreting a green substance on parts of its marble walls
the yamuna has suffered mightily in recent years from the dumping of solid waste in its waters said an environmental activist in agra india the site of the taj mahal
i have been constantly watching how the river pollution has gone from bad to worse said dk joshi who filed a petition over the insects in the national green tribunal an environmental court last week the encroachments on and around the riverbed the sewage going directly into the river are choking it he said
on monday the national green tribunal issued notices to the central and local authorities including the ministry of environment and forests telling them to respond to the petition this month
with indias cities ranking among the most polluted in the world by the world health organization public concern over toxic air and water is mounting the central government has pledged billions of rupees to cleaning the ganges river but the effect of pollution on indias cultural heritage though less obvious than its health effects is also worthy of attention experts say
sohail hashmi a delhi based writer and expert on heritage monuments told press trust of india in an interview that the recently revived white limestone doors of the historic red fort a former residence the mughal emperor that was completed in 1648 have become yellow in about six years like the red fort the taj mahal was built on the orders of shah jahan a mughal emperor as a mausoleum for his beloved wife and it was also finished in 1648
the green secretions on the back wall of the taj mahal a residue of the chlorophyll the insects consume are not themselves harmful to the monument beyond the discoloration said girish maheshwari the head of the department of entomology at st johns college in agra who analyzed the problem for the archaeological survey of india
but the explosive numbers of the insects   called goeldichironomus   were an alarming indication of how polluted the river has become he said since their eggs thrive on phosphorus and sediment in the water and he worried over the highly synchronized swarm of insects that descend on the monument in the evening
they can create problems for the visitors he said
the walls have been cleaned with clay packs said manoj bhatnagar an official in the agra office of the archaeological survey the excretions could also be removed with water but the day to day cleaning is very challenging
the insects do not seem to have deterred tourists as yet samir uberoi who runs a tour company based in mumbai visited the taj mahal with groups twice in the last two weeks and did not notice a change when asked what would happen if there was a significant recurring greening on the most loved monument in the country he said im only hoping to god they find a solution before that
puneet dan a tour guide in agra said he noticed the discoloration on the boundary wall of the taj mahal and on the back of the monument so did his tourists who he said flew into semipanic mode
he said all he could do was assure them that officials were not about to let one of the greatest monuments in the world turn green


gunter seeger ny several new york restaurants are trying to evoke the feeling of dining in someones home thats the idea behind the look of aldo sohm wine bar the service at lappart in le district the new graffiti earth see below and now the chef gunter seegers first restaurant in the city this is supposed to represent an elegant home mr seeger said when you walk in theres a bar cart but no real bar and you get a drink as you walk in the rest of the space once a shop is completely open with an enormous kitchen to serve a mere 42 seats in a subdued setting the chef who built his reputation in atlanta and closed his restaurant there in 2007 will serve a tasting menu that changes daily and emphasizes vegetables he said he would also draw on his german heritage for inspiration opens friday 641 hudson street gansevoort street gunterseegernycom
eastfields this sibling to the east pole on the upper east side from tom and anthony martignetti has joe capozzi as executive chef preparing scotch eggs cauliflower gratin with crispy leeks chicken parm with yellow tomato coulis and a macrobiotic plate wednesday 1479 york avenue 78th street 646 964 4918 eastfieldsnyccom
graffiti earth jehangir mehta builds on his tiny east village establishment graffiti for this makeover of what was mehtaphor in the duane street hotel now the 20 seat restaurant has a separate street entrance a small bar and a compact private dining room mr mehtas approach remains long on vegetables and he is more determined than ever to promote sustainability we have eight inch napkins made from fabric scraps the tumblers are made from wine bottles and my soups are made from vegetable trimmings he said thursday 190 church street duane street 212 542 9440 graffitiearthnycom
hail mary this is about as eclectic as it gets ham el waylly a chef and owner whose father is egyptian and mother is bolivian grew up in doha qatar his wife sohla el waylly who is also a chef and owner was raised in los angeles by bengali parents they have worked at atera rotisserie georgette the empellon restaurants and corton their diner style restaurant gives comfort foods daring twists chicken fried beef tongue duck soup with foie gras matzo balls homemade blood sausage and onions and bolivian style hot dogs wednesday 68 greenpoint avenue franklin street 347 422 0645 hailmarybkcom
halifax the executive chef seadon shouse is from nova scotia hence the name of the restaurant his food will reflect what he calls the northeastern coast in a dining room of weathered blues greens grays and white he will serve seafood certified by the marine stewardship council an international nonprofit organization that promotes sustainability and some foraged ingredients look for smoked pollock rillettes lobster rigatoni and salt cod quenelles monday w hoboken 225 river street hoboken nj 201 253 2500 halifaxhobokencom
josephina a seasonal outdoor taqueria and mexican market will be in business thursdays though sundays behind the pines restaurant saturday 284 third avenue carroll street gowanus brooklyn meetjosephinacom
karasu tucked speakeasy style behind their restaurant walters danny minch and dylan dodd have turned an art deco room into a japanese izakaya with a more elegant approach than usual nibble togarashi potato chips while you consider tagliatelle with uni and smoky butter kampachi crudo with koji and shiso crisp fried duck wings and prime rib eye the chefs are yael peet and josh goldstein wednesday 166 dekalb avenue cumberland street 718 488 7800 karasubkcom
luzzos pizza add this to the list of luzzos pizza outlets there are other italian specialties and a wine list by the consultant laura maniec 310 bowery bar 310 bowery first street 212 477 1166 310bowerynyc
the mark hot dog by jean georges the cart stationed outside the mark hotel this season offers the chef jean georges vongerichtens chicken franks with kimchi relish 25 east 77th street 212 794 4300 themarkhotelcom
the norm the restaurant that was sauls at the brooklyn museum has been redone with less formality and renamed for norman feinberg the museum trustee who bankrolled the renovation the chef saul bolton is still in the kitchen working for the caterer great performances his new menu is international in scope with dishes like chicharrones al pastor curried cauliflower a burger and tonkatsu style ramen thursday brooklyn museum 200 eastern parkway washington avenue 718 230 0897 thenormbkmcom
sushi ginza onodera this is the new york branch of a high end global chain based on the ginza the fifth avenue of tokyo its 32 seats are divided between a sleek cypress sushi counter and tables walls crafted in a material made with sand handmade tiles as a backdrop for the sushi bar and finely wrought serving and dining accouterments provide the setting for omakase menus at 300 and 400 per person there is a 200 option at tables and lower prices at lunch which will start next month the chefs are using mostly wild seafood imported from japan another branch is to open this year in west hollywood calif friday 461 fifth avenue 40th street 212 390 0925 sushi onoderacom
northeast kingdom dinner on may 28 will be the last for paris smeraldo and meg lipke at this 10 year old pioneer in bushwick brooklyn the couple say they want to spend more time with their children at their upstate farm 18 wycoff avenue troutman street bushwick brooklyn 718 386 3864 north eastkingdomcom
tasca chino after struggling to find its focus this fusion restaurant on park avenue south has closed
telepan this upper west side anchor with an accomplished farm to table approach has closed after 10 years the chef and an owner bill telepan said its revenues could no longer cover expenses and raising prices did not resolve the problem
nina clemente this new york chef who was born in italy and worked in los angeles st barts and italy is running the outdoor kitchen this season at the standard plaza at the standard high line her menu includes wood fired pizzas and combines mediterranean and californian influences
brooklyn brewery the pioneering brewery in williamsburg plans a new brewery headquarters and a rooftop beer garden and restaurant covering 75000 square feet in the brooklyn navy yard development to open in 2018 building 77 paulding street and clinton avenue
sushi bouhadana as david bouhadana formerly of sushi dojo in the east village put it im on my own now the liquor license came through and he plans to open a 12 seat omakase bar with a 15 seat bar and lounge with a separate menu and a sushi chef in september 217 eldridge street stanton street


this week the major television networks are unveiling their offerings for the coming season to advertising buyers money and prestige are riding on the results there will be hits and bombs and the viewers along with the critics will decide is there another empire in the making three new york times reporters who cover media and television   emily steel john koblin and michael grynbaum   assess what they have seen so far
emily happy upfront week its that time of the year when television networks parade out celebrities tv sizzle reels and lots and lots of booze to try to lure billions of dollars in advertising spending for the coming year nbcuniversal kicked it all off monday with a two hour presentation at radio city music hall that for the very first time brought together its two broadcast networks 15 cable networks and broad digital footprint it used to hold several events for the various properties
there were celebrities j lo mariah miley cyrus and arnold schwarzenegger there were comedians jimmy fallon and seth meyers and there were feathered samba dancers the rio olympics are only about 80 days away john do you think nbcus all together now pitch worked
john i actually thought it sort of worked these things can test people   even the biggest tv fan youre sitting for a couple of hours youre exposed to teaser clip after teaser clip youve got network tv ad people prattling on about how the metrics theyve got on their hands are better than nielsens or anybody elses its all a little numbing
and i thought nbc did a nice job of breaking up the tedium instead of it showing us clips for six or seven iffy pilots we got to watch iffy sizzle reels spread throughout the entire nbcuniversal family it actually helped to see some shows from bravo and e instead of nbc proper those cable shows   mariah careys reality show stood out   are just different it was also nice that they flew in nine billion stars and seth meyers was terrific
foxs upfront was more traditional fewer stars some clips from new shows a couple of live performances from empire and the new lee daniels show star why did nbcuniversal group all of its properties together was this just a ruse to get andy cohen on stage
emily i wouldnt put it past him in all seriousness tv long was king of the advertising world it offered advertisers a one stop shop for reaching tens if not hundreds of millions of potential customers the networks didnt have to work that hard to sell 30 second commercial slots today its the age of fragmentation
nbcuniversal highlighted its ability to still reach almost all americans especially with big events like the olympics
mike welcome to the upfronts how did this compare to city hall
mike the musical numbers were a slight improvement from say mike bloomberg as spider man although a few of the groanier gag lines les moonves as the supervillain lex moonves felt downright municipal i was struck by the disdain toward digital that radiated from both fox and nbc executives who fell over themselves to assert tvs superiority over youtube then there was the smackdown line from nbcs ad chief linda yaccarino who threw shade at nielsens outdated ratings metrics and declared im happy to do their job for them but along with the copious sushi at the fox afterparty there was a deck chairs on the titanic vibe this cozy upfront world just does not seem sustainable
emily so guys after day 1 whats the buzz on hits and misses for next season
john nbcs first clip a time travel thriller called timeless it seemed fine fox opened with the 24 reboot at the fox party last night network executives were gushing about 24 and their lethal weapon revival i think its fair to say the lethal weapon enthusiasm was not shared by a number of non fox affiliated people at the party
emily both nbc and fox presented new shows featuring time travel interesting that they both included an african american man returning to the less than welcoming past executives at the fox party called the subject a bit cliche foxs show pitch about a female baseball star looked promising but some execs wondered what made the story line a full series rather than a two hour movie the sizzle reel for nbcs this is us a one hour drama starring mandy moore about people who share the same birthday brought tears to my eyes seriously but a couple of people i talked to wondered what the show was about
john i can confirm i saw you well up and it was only day 1
mike this is us was a little too love actually for my tastes but i dont think im in the target demo i loved mike schurs the good place with a winning kristen bell as a surly ghost and im excited for great news a tina fey project that filmed its pilot in the ny1 newsroom
john making history came out of nowhere it was funny nbcs very pricey wizard of oz midseason drama emerald city also was a hit in the room
emily i saw you tweet about the number of women on stage who were not wearing much of anything
emily it was shocking that in 2016   when women make up about half the people working in the advertising industry   that presentations for both nbcu and fox featured so many almost naked women at nbcu there were samba dancers wearing lots of feathers but not much else there also was a bedazzled mariah carey in high heels and at fox there was a group of women in nude glitter body suits dancing and singing look at my body gonna look sexy
seems like its still very much a mad men world for women in advertising just as the times reported recently
john lets see what abc comes up with well be back wednesday morning to give you a rundown


havana   one recent afternoon kanye west and three kardashians instagrammed their way through the streets of old havana in a 1950s era chevy bel air in a working class neighborhood a 20 minute drive away yolanda horruitiner who hasnt left cuba since she was born here 70 years ago shopped for dinner
even with a visitor willing to buy the groceries and the rules of commerce looser than they have been since fidel castro declared this nation a socialist state in 1961 it was going to be no small feat
despite a shift in the political and cultural landscape that has brought a rolling stones concert and private restaurants so jammed with tourists that reservations are a must stocking a cuban home kitchen remains one of the biggest challenges of daily life
although there are pockets of wealth among cubas 11 million people the average government salary is around 22 a month almost everyone finds a way to make extra income on the side still all the money in the world cant help if the markets are out of onions and your cooking oil connection has run dry
so the cuban home cook has to be agile thrifty and lucky making good use of both the state issued monthly ration book and a reliable roster of black market traders crucial too is an intimate understanding of the byzantine system of government run grocery stores bakeries and farmers markets
increasingly fruits and vegetables can be found at cooperatives or from a vendor who may show up in the neighborhood with a small cart
then there are more subterranean options an enterprising cuban can buy fresh white cheese along a country highway and resell it in the city on the steps of what passes for a supermarket a woman may offer a deal on a substantial sausage that shoppers speculate was stolen by a son who works at a state meat factory
spices are a point of pride for cooks who have either snagged them on a trip to another country or secured them through what is called the samsonite trade   the steady stream of food smuggled into the country
every cuban can give you a history about how they got the food they are eating that day said javier ortiz 27 a journalist with a taste for powdered milk because thats what was available when he was growing up
he makes 40 to 50 a month at the government television station and with his brother runs an airbnb in the familys home the state gives them more rationed rice than they can eat so when the price is right mr ortiz sells it on a cuban version of craigslist called revolicocom
ms horruitiner oh roo ee tee nehr who is fluent in russian and spanish spent most of her career as an announcer of news and entertainment for state run radio and television stations her pension is about 8 a month her daughter lisset felipe horruitiner who lives with her has a government job that brings in about 20 a month they use all the rice rations they get
we met one afternoon at a farmers cooperative market nicknamed the boutique because the produce is expensive by island standards limes cost 45 cents a pound for expats and cooks with money its the only reliable place to find cilantro and ginger
we bought a mamey a creamy vanilla scented tropical fruit that tastes and looks something like a sweet potato ms horruitiner would blend it with ice water and sugar for a shake called a batido she balked at the price about 84 cents telling me in no uncertain terms that i had just been taken for a ride
she suggested through an interpreter that we head to a favorite agro or agromercado a market where the government caps the prices for produce which the farmers grow under government contract we pulled up only to find that it had just been closed for fumigation ms horruitiner threw up her hands its a novella she said
back in the sputtering soviet era lada that served as our taxi we headed to another agromercado where the tomatoes   more green than red   were 15 cents a pound green peppers cost even less and there was only one small variety they seemed puny compared with the watery giants sold in american supermarkets but they tasted much better
next up was a supermercado that sells its products in the currency referred to as kooks after the cuc the cuban convertible peso visitors mostly use the cuc which was established in 2004 cubans have to toggle between cucs and the traditional cuban peso
the store resembled a small shabby walmart stocked with random leftovers from other countries but no fresh meat or produce there were dented cups of soy yogurt a few frozen chickens from brazil cans of spanish tomato paste and a barely cool refrigerator case piled with chicken hot dogs from canada an entire aisle was filled with large plastic bottles of cuban made soybean oil
ms horruitiner planned to make a homey cuban supper picadillo the reliable ground beef stew and arroz congri a dish related to moros y cristianos the straightforward marriage of white rice and black beans that sprang from the spanish occupation of cuba and refers to the period from the eighth through the 15th centuries when islamic moors occupied parts of the christian iberian peninsula
finding beans and rice was easy the beef took more work
before the revolution cuba had plenty of cattle but their numbers fell fast during what the cubans refer to as the special period an economic crisis that began in 1989 when the soviet union began to collapse and soon cut off economic support for cuba
with the american embargo firmly in place a drop in the price of sugar and the loss of 5 billion a year in soviet cash and goods the country plunged into extreme poverty in an effort to rebuild the herd slaughtering a cow without a government contract was declared illegal in 2003
a common piece of recent cuban folklore has it that finding food during the special period was so difficult that cats and zoo animals disappeared
over dinner ms horruitiner would recount how people sauteed grapefruit peels in oil and pretended they were cutlets sugar water replaced coffee
even if you had money there was nothing to buy ms horruitiner said
now steaks are imported for tourist hotels and cuts of beef remain a prize for home cooks with good black market connections ropa vieja a classic cuban shredded beef braise from the sephardic cooks of spain is more often made with pork or lamb
ground beef cut with soy protein is easier to come by we left the store with a plastic sleeve of frozen meat which she complained was b grade we also had a jar of pickled onions gherkins and olives from spain it cost nearly 5 the olives would go in the picadillo the pickles would garnish the sliced tomato salad
back home in her neighborhood called la ceiba ms horruitiner stepped into a kitchen no bigger than a closet it was well equipped with a pressure cooker and a rice cooker
welcome to my laboratory she said
she learned to cook from a grandmother and like most cubans of a certain generation from nitza villapol the most famous cook in cuba ms villapol was cooking on television long before julia child her career stretched from before the revolution through the special period she was a true daughter of the revolution cheerfully teaching cubans how to cook well with not very much
in the 1950s she wrote two seminal cookbooks cocina criolla and the follow up cocina al minuto ms horruitiner keeps her copy of cocina al minuto carefully wrapped inside a large envelope its pages stuffed with handwritten family additions
her picadillo is a much less embellished version than ms villapols prerevolutionary recipe it starts with a small green pepper seven or eight little toes of garlic and a small chopped onion mixed into the meat she adds a slug of oil and applies heat then stirs in two spoonfuls of soy sauce   a cuban pantry staple introduced by chinese immigrants
then comes a cup of tomato sauce she wished she had some dry wine instead she used juice from the jar of olives and a shake of dried dill from pots outside the door she grabbed a few leaves of fresh basil and cuban oregano
it is the kind of make do cuban cooking that the chef jose andres found during a trip to cuba in march with president obama when he went to a friends house to make dinner
in the home kitchen you find what happens when people dont have a lot mr andres said in an interview the great thing is these people appreciate any ingredient more than we do
ms horruitiner said it was a style of cooking unique to cuba innovation she said comes from the lap of desperation
recipe cuban style arroz congri


moscow   men in cossack fatigues attacked a group of anti kremlin activists led by the anti corruption crusader aleksei a navalny in southern russia on tuesday in a melee that was captured on video and quickly uploaded to facebook
mr navalny and his associates were returning to moscow from a hiking trip in southern russia when a group of men threw bags of milk at them in the entryway to an airport in the black sea resort of anapa
a brawl ensued with the attackers punching opposition activists and throwing some of them to the ground wearing signature cossack black and red fleece hats the attackers yelled occupiers and get off our land
afterward one of the cossacks argued on the govorit moskva radio station that the shower of milk notwithstanding a member of mr navalnys group had started the fight a review of the video of the confrontation does seem to back up the claim with an activist in a red shirt throwing an elbow at an older man
several police officers arrived on the scene but seemed unable or unwilling to do much about the situation after the initial elbow the activists seemed to get the worst of it with several of them shown lying on the pavement
the cossacks and the police carried out the attacks but of course it was the authorities who organized them mr navalny wrote on twitter
one activist artyom torchinsky was injured after being hit in the temple during the brawl five others including mr navalny suffered minor injuries said mr navalnys spokeswoman kira yarmysh
the police told the interfax news agency that they were investigating the attack the kremlins spokesman dmitri s peskov refused to comment citing a lack of information
pro kremlin groups have repeatedly harassed mr navalny who played a leading role in mass protests in 2011 against irregularities in voting for parliament he has been harassed by the authorities as well receiving a suspended three and a half year sentence in 2014 for what was widely deemed a politically motivated charge of criminal fraud
in april conservative activists threw a stinking blue liquid at him a cake was thrown at him in february in front of his office
russia is scheduled to hold parliamentary elections in september the first since the contested 2011 vote


life may soon get tougher for private buyers of distressed mortgages from the federal government
the department of housing and urban development or hud said on tuesday that it would announce possibly as soon as this week a new set of rules governing the sale of mortgages formerly guaranteed by the government
the new rules would come after months of criticism from housing advocates that the loan sale program which began in 2010 has benefited private equity firms and hedge funds at the expense of strapped borrowers
cameron french an agency spokesman said housing officials had been working on the changes to the loan sale program for months in consultation with a broad group of stakeholders on the potential reforms that would make the most impact for distressed homeowners he said the new rules should be announced this week
one of the expected changes will probably affect the kind of mortgage modifications private buyers can give to distressed borrowers many of whom have not made mortgage payments in two years
the new rules are unlikely to affect the next scheduled sale of loans by hud on wednesday the loans being sold by the agency in that auction are ones deemed extremely delinquent or those whose borrowers have not made payments for 48 months
this month the national consumer law center issued a report analyzing the loan sale program and specifically criticized private buyers for interest only modifications that did not reduce the overall amount of debt a homeowner owed and reverted back to the original loan terms after a five year period
the report said there is no evidence from the sales over the past four years that the speculative investors gave homeowners loan modifications that reduced the principal of the loans at any significant rate or that sustainable modifications were provided in substantial numbers
to date hud has auctioned off just over 105000 mortgages to more than a dozen private buyers who have bought the loans at a sharp discount to their face value two of the largest buyers of distressed mortgages have been lone star funds a private equity firm based in dallas and bayview asset management a firm affiliated with the blackstone group one of the worlds largest private equity firms
up until now hud officials have generally supported the loan sale program as being the last best chance to keep delinquent borrowers in their homes the loans sold by the government are ones that were originally written by large banks with insurance guarantees by the federal government
the loans sale has been successful in reducing the cost to the government of guaranteeing those mortgages against a default because once the loans are sold they are no longer insured by the federal housing administrations mortgage insurance fund
this year housing advocates have stepped up their calls for reforms in the loan sale program and singled out julian castro the hud secretary for what they said was his slow response to heeding the criticisms the advocates made no secret that they were stepping up their campaign as mr castros name has been floated as a potential vice presidential running mate for hillary clinton who is seeking the democratic presidential nomination
mr french the hud spokesman alluded to the pressure from housing advocates by saying in his statement it has always been our goal to get the policy right regardless of arbitrary deadlines
housing advocates are not the only ones who have pushed for major changes to the loan sale program dozens of public officials including member of congress have written to hud officials criticizing the program for leading to increased foreclosures and profit for private equity two of the more outspoken legislative critics have been senator elizabeth warren the massachusetts democrat who is known for her support of liberal causes and representative michael e capuano a massachusetts democrat and former mayor of somerville mass


howard panter a knighted titan of british theater who had been ambitiously leading his company into the american market is suddenly out as leader of the company that he and his wife founded 24 years ago
the company ambassador theater group which is the largest owner of theaters in britain portrayed the move as amicable as did mr panter and his wife rosemary squire
but some in the theater industry in both cities suggested that the move was the predictable outgrowth of the 2013 acquisition of atg as the company is known by an american asset management firm providence equity partners and the drive such firms have to increase profitability
mr panter and ms squire will remain directors of and shareholders in atg and will continue to play creative roles with the company as their executive roles are reduced
they will be succeeded by a corporate executive without experience in the theater business
the move came as a surprise just six months ago mr panter was in new york proudly showing off the hudson theater a former broadway stage he intended to restore and talking dreamily about the theater community nightspot he wanted to create in a long abandoned apartment overhead
and in january mr panter and ms squire were once again named the most influential players in london theater   topping the annual stage 100 list for the seventh year in a row
the company announced the changes in a 14 paragraph release mr panter and ms squire will give up their roles as co chief executives mark cornell the former managing director of sothebys europe will be the new chief executive his executive vice president will be adam kenwright a veteran of the entertainment marketing business
atgs influence comes from its real estate holdings it operates 46 theaters in britain the united states and australia the company also wields artistic sway as a producer and investor   it is among the producers of the tony winning lincoln center theater revival of the king and i
sonia friedman productions a company responsible for some of the most notable shows to come out of london in recent years including last summers hamlet starring benedict cumberbatch and this summers harry potter and the cursed child is a subsidiary of atg jerry mitchell productions led by the tony winning choreographer of kinky boots is an affiliate of atg according to the companys website the company has about 3500 employees
theyre arguably the biggest theater operator in the world and certainly in the uk there is no one near their scale of operation said alistair smith editor of the stage a british theater newspaper mr smith said that the appointment of a new executive from outside the theater world was particularly intriguing
theater is an insular world and having someone in a senior position who doesnt have that background could be a good thing or a bad thing   until hes in the position we dont know how it will go he said it might mean that they produce less of their own work and focus on parts of the company that are more profitmaking
the company has been on a bit of a spending spree in the united states in december it signed a long term lease for the hudson which in recent years has been an event and meeting space attached to the millennium broadway hotel new york and said it would return the space to its prior use as a broadway theater that conversion if completed would make the hudson the 41st theater now operating on broadway
and in september the company acquired the kings theater in brooklyn two theaters in new orleans and two in san antonio
the company operates one of the largest houses on broadway the lyric which seats about 1900 that theater which atg acquired in 2013 has had a tough run lately with a series of shows that have not done well financially but there are high hopes for its new tenant paramour a cirque du soleil show that opens next week and has been selling well in previews
providence equity partners based in rhode island did not respond to requests for comment nor did mr panter though in the companys statement he and his wife said we have thought long and hard before taking this decision but feel it is a time in our lives for an exciting new challenge
atg said it was financially strong remained committed to restoring the hudson as a broadway theater and expected to keep growing
with ongoing support from providence atg plans to continue to expand its global network of high quality theaters and related services the company said
mr panter will continue to produce the rocky horror show a touring musical and will be executive producer of some other projects ms squire will be chairwoman of sonia friedman productions
the couple will also acquire from atg the trafalgar studios theater in london where they will evolve a distinctive artistic direction for the theater according to the companys statement


several former college football players filed class action lawsuits tuesday against their universities conferences and the ncaa claiming negligence over their handling of head injuries the spate of cases   six were filed tuesday   marks a new effort by athletes seeking financial relief for what they say are the lasting effects from concussions sustained in their college careers among the named defendants in the filings are penn state and vanderbilt and three major football playing conferences the big ten the southeastern conference and the pacific 12
earlier this year a federal judge proposed a settlement in a class action concussion lawsuit against the ncaa on behalf of all college athletes the settlement approved by the judge included new safety protocols but no payments to any former players struggling with cognitive brain function in contrast when the nfl was sued by a group of retired players the league reached an agreement that included hundreds of millions of dollars for payments to help those with any of several neurological diseases
the lawsuits filed by former college players tuesday pertain only to football players and are separate from the original class action against the ncaa they were filed in various federal court districts around the country
auburn georgia oregon and utah are the other universities targeted though only their conferences are named defendants along with the ncaa because of liability complications at some public institutions the plaintiffs had careers that spanned the decades before the ncaa began requiring its members to have concussion protocols in 2010 in one case the player competed in the 1970s according to the filings the players sustained concussions in college and now have a variety of health problems including mood swings depression and sleeplessness
the judge didnt approve the original settlement because these players need financial help said jay edelson the lead lawyer in the cases he added that more lawsuits against more colleges and conferences were planned
the suits face hurdles hosea harvey a law professor at temple said he was skeptical of the litigations moving forward because proving negligence against the nfl was easier than it may prove to be against colleges he noted that the terms in the proposed ncaa settlement which also includes 70 million for medical screenings for former college athletes were more appropriate than seeking money from the ncaa universities or conferences
absent extraordinary evidence of negligence at the time of the injury i dont see how the schools are culpable he said the goal should be to mitigate the harm and make things safer for players moving forward thats a public health victory even if its not a financial one
the ncaa was first sued over concussions in 2011 after a number of similar cases were brought they were consolidated in 2014 the ncaa and the plaintiffs lawyers announced that they had reached a settlement judge john z lee of united states district court for the northern district of illinois approved most of the terms but declined to give the ncaa full immunity from future class action lawsuits his proposal specifically allowed athletes from one university to still sue as a class the ncaa has yet to sign off on the new terms but now faces another round of concussion litigation
mr edelson said that each case sought its own jury trial to award damages to players and that the colleges the conferences and the ncaa could all be liable he declined to speculate on a potential financial payout if the former players win


washington   a bill that would let the families of those killed in the sept 11 attacks sue saudi arabia for any role in the terrorist plot passed the senate unanimously on tuesday bringing congress closer to a showdown with the white house which has threatened to veto the legislation
the senates passage of the bill which will now be taken up in the house is another sign of escalating tensions in a relationship between the united states and saudi arabia that once received little scrutiny from lawmakers
administration officials have lobbied against the bill a view that the white house spokesman josh earnest reiterated after the vote and the saudi government has warned that if the legislation passes it might begin selling off up to 750 billion in treasury securities and other assets in the united states before they face a danger of being frozen by american courts adel al jubeir the saudi foreign minister delivered the warning to lawmakers and the administration while in washington in march
many economists are skeptical that the saudis would deliver on such a warning saying that a sell off would be hard to execute and would do more harm to the kingdoms economy than to americas
questions about the role saudi officials might have played in the sept 11 plot have lingered for more than a decade and families of the victims have used various lawsuits to try to hold members of the saudi royal family and charities liable for what they allege is financial support of terrorism
but these moves have been mostly blocked in part because of a 1976 law that gives foreign nations some immunity from lawsuits in american courts
the senate bill carves out an exception to the law if foreign countries are found culpable for terrorist attacks that kill american citizens within the united states if the bill were to pass both houses and be signed by the president it could clear a path for the role of the saudi government to be examined in the sept 11 suits
senator chuck schumer of new york a democrat and a sponsor of the bill said the legislation would help the families of the victims seek justice for the sake of the families i want to make clear beyond the shadow of a doubt that every entity including foreign states will be held accountable if they are found to be sponsors of the heinous act of 911 he said shortly before the bills passage
if the saudis did not participate in this terrorism they have nothing to fear about going to court he said if they did they should be held accountable
mr schumer said he believed that democrats would override a veto from mr obama he also said he believed that saudi arabias threat to pull its assets a concern of the administration was hollow adding it will hurt them a lot more than it hurts us
senator john cornyn republican of texas said the legislation was written in such a way that americans would not be subject to legal action taken by other nations i do believe that theres going to be some saber rattling some threats but i think that they are hollow mr cornyn said
in a move intended to address some white house concerns the bills sponsors included a new provision that would allow the attorney general to put a hold on individual court cases if the administration can show that it is negotiating with the defendant government to resolve the claims
but a release on tuesday from mr schumers office said the administration would need to provide details about the talks and a timetable for their resolution
mr earnest said on tuesday that white house officials would seek to negotiate with republicans and democrats on alternatives to the legislation that might be acceptable to the president but he added i dont know if thats possible at this point
earlier this month mr jubeir said during a news conference that the proposed legislation was stripping the principle of sovereign immunities and turning international law into the law of the jungle
the legislation is moving through congress as the obama administration considers whether to declassify a portion of a 2002 congressional investigation of the sept 11 attacks that cited some evidence that saudi government officials and other saudi citizens living in the united states had a hand in the terrorist plot
those conclusions have yet to be released publicly but recently the national archives posted a separate document on its website that appears to offer a glimpse at what the still classified 28 pages contain
the document dated june 6 2003 is a series of memos written by sept 11 commission staff members compiling numerous possible connections between the hijackers and saudis in the united states
the document was first disclosed publicly by 28pagesorg an advocacy website devoted to pushing for the declassification of the redacted section of the congressional inquiry
the sept 11 commission which began its work after the congressional inquiry found no evidence that the saudi government as an institution or senior saudi officials individually funded al qaeda or the 911 plotters
last month the commissions co chairmen thomas kean and lee hamilton issued a statement saying that the 28 pages were based almost entirely on raw unvetted material that came to the fbi   much of it ultimately deemed inconclusive by the sept 11 panel
accusations of complicity in that mass murder from responsible authorities are a grave matter they wrote such charges should be levied with care


bristol england   living in germany i am used to hearing of europe as an automatically positive concept particularly in berlin government circles europe is constantly invoked as a force for good it has indeed been good to germany an idea that has brought peace and prosperity to a continent once ravaged by war
so i thought it might be jarring to visit bristol my college town in my home country which is contemplating leaving europe in a june 23 vote that may turn on migration and other issues but also on whether continental unity is a good idea
at least i thought i might get answers to a current favorite question in berlin will the brits really leave the european union a possibility often referred to as brexit
surprises lay in store in bristol an ancient port that was englands second largest city from the 13th to the 19th centuries played a big part in the slave trade and according to the lively city history presented in a former cargo warehouse now known as the m shed museum has traded with europe since at least 1180
pundits say the youth vote will be crucial in determining british membership if the 18 to 30 crowd actually votes the theory goes the campaign to remain in europe will win leave supporters tend to be older and more fixed in their ways and are thought to be more likely to actually cast a ballot
based on an unscientific range of conversations over four days young britons seem to favor staying in the bloc after all they have never known a divided europe one without visa free travel cheap flights or jobs and the ability to study almost anywhere
i think well stay said david knapp 25 who works offering advice and support to bristol students stick with what you know
chester hawkins 18 a trainee carpenter had never heard of brexit but his instinctive response was to stay strength in numbers he said with very british common sense so different from german idealism
nicholas monk a 26 year old software engineer was recently in copenhagen and liked it so much that he was contemplating a job there i like being part of something bigger than just britain he said
but he and another engineer anthony kennedy 29 echoed all others   including three female managers in their 40s who chorused that were better off as an island   in saying they did not feel well enough informed to make a considered choice
in fact no campaign posters adorn bristol streets   yet the remain camp called our daughter lucy 23 to ask if she would be interested in canvassing as the vote nears
but for now bristol is more focused on its new mayor while everyone was gazing at london and its first muslim mayor this cultural mishmash of a city elected as its mayor marvin rees a 43 year old native of bristol son of a jamaican father and a white mother
like londons new muslim mayor sadiq khan mr rees is working class and rose through the labour party once elected he swiftly appeared in an interview with the bbc political journalist andrew neil exuding charm mr rees emphasized that he is one of the new people from a wider range of backgrounds taking up positions of influence
simon woolley writing in the guardian noted the symbolism and enormous significance of mr rees the first directly elected city mayor in europe of african or caribbean heritage
whatever the future holds the rise of mr rees and mr khan represents the diversity that britain can bring to europe where antimigrant sentiment is rising in many countries
that sentiment can be found in britain too where the leave campaign has sought to exploit the view held in some quarters that foreigners are living off the welfare system the only people i know doing that are english said mr knapp
but more than one million europeans many of them young depend on britain and to a great extent britain depends on them manuela davanzo 29 found no work in her native brindisi in southern italy now together with five other italians two romanians and a woman each from spain england and australia she runs a gelato shop across from mr reess city hall
life here she said is like our business   going up day by day


ever since the news broke last year that the grand midtown space housing the four seasons restaurant would be taken over by the three young men behind brassy places like carbone and dirty french one question has loomed above all will they preserve the clubby reliable comforts of the original or strike off in a bold new direction
the answer both
as envisioned by the chefs mario carbone and rich torrisi and their business partner jeff zalaznick the space on the ground floor of the seagram building will become a twinned tribute the restaurants grill room will celebrate the virtues of looking back and the pool room will harness the thrill of moving forward
the current tenants the restaurateurs alex von bidder and julian niccolini will move out in july and hope to re establish the four seasons in a new location the carbone torrisi crew expects its restaurant as yet unnamed to open toward the end of the year
for the grill room where the well heeled and connected have long held their power lunches mr carbone is plunging into a library of menus from the earliest phase of the restaurant which opened in 1959 hoping to recreate many of the vintage dishes
im really just doing the first decade he said in an interview at carbone i dont know how much interest i have beyond that i want to be playing in the jfk world hes my muse
mr carbone and his two partners whose restaurant company is called the major food group want the tone of the room to be masculine meat embracing and signified by the brisk confidence of the kennedy years mr zalaznick described it as a true american grill
a few steps away in the pool room however mr torrisi will oversee a different vision a shrine to newness he said the room would have a more feminine feel a menu revolving around vegetables and seafood and service that would not shrink from tableside extravagance
nothing will reference what has happened in the past mr torrisi said i want this to be the no 1 room in new york and in america where you go to celebrate
he and the others said they would make no major design changes to the rooms the seagram building a touchstone of modernist architecture has a thicket of landmark protections that discourage them the landlord aby j rosen lost a battle last year to make changes to the restaurants interior
basically if its attached to the building and you cant pick it up and move it its landmarked mr carbone said adding we dont feel handcuffed because you cant change the greatest restaurant space ever built
what they mostly have in mind they said is a thorough cleaning of a space that has endured decades of wear and tear they say they will tweak minor design elements like chairs and tableware but havent settled on the details
mr carbone and mr torrisi who first made a name for themselves as chefs at the tiny and now closed torrisi italian specialties on mulberry street said the stark bifurcation of the two rooms menus would reflect the differences in their personalities mr torrisi likes to wing it coming up with new dishes by improvising with ingredients mr carbone prefers to stick to a traditional template
i could never work the way he does mr carbone said i personally like to handcuff myself to things i wont do it if its not on the menu
to that end mr carbone has spent hours investigating reams of vintage four seasons menus on file at the new york public library in them he has encountered some unfamiliar dishes that offer few clues about how they were made sometimes in a search for details he consults with mimi sheraton the former new york times restaurant critic who has a deep memory of meals at the four seasons
the research has led far beyond new york for years the four seasons menu featured an appetizer simply called coriander prosciutto unsure what the dish entailed the major food partners asked la quercia a company in iowa that specializes in cured meats to develop prosciutto involving coriander
another menu curio stroganoff with rare beef the rare part of it gets us all going mr zalaznick said
mr carbone aims to honor the dish by creating a stroganoff that is familiar enough for people to recognize yet also elicits the reaction wow thats the best version of that dish ive ever had he said
old menus allude to something called fancy cake a confection conjured up by albert kumin the four seasons original swiss born pastry chef mr kumin is now in his 90s and living in vermont so mr carbone mr torrisi and mr zalaznick plan a pilgrimage there to question him about the cakes provenance
they are also making a research voyage to switzerland because the restaurants first chef albert stockli came from there and they want to commune with the roots of his cooking were going to switzerland just to feel that mr zalaznick said
they have hired a craftsman in mexico city to construct huge elaborate gueridons or trolleys that will be used in the pool room for the tableside presentation of certain seafood dishes
for a third space in the seagram building which previously housed brasserie the team hopes to foster a loose festive atmosphere the partners have brought in peter marino an esteemed architect known for regularly dressing like a leather clad biker to redesign everything in the room including plates chairs and server uniforms
one form of luxury they will not provide is a tasting menu although they drew raves for their new york themed marathon of plates at torrisi italian specialties they have decided that tasting menus often considered a necessity for projecting a chefs ambition are an impediment to pleasure
we did it for a moment in time and it was amazing mr carbone said but it taught us a lot about what we never want to do again


dozens of athletes expecting to compete at the coming summer olympics in rio de janeiro could be barred from the games the international olympic committee announced on tuesday
the ioc retested 454 doping samples from the 2008 summer games in beijing it said discovering suspicious results among 31 athletes from 12 countries and six sports the athletes were not publicly identified on tuesday the countries in question will be notified in coming days according to a spokesman
an additional 250 doping samples from the 2012 summer games in london are due to be retested officials said announcing broad scrutiny of athletes who have competed in recent olympic games
the announcement came in the wake of a detailed account last week by the former longtime director of russias antidoping lab grigory rodchenkov who said he worked for years at the direction of the russian government to help the countrys top athletes use banned performance enhancing substances and go undetected
dr rodchenkov told the new york times that russian athletes had doped leading up to the 2008 beijing games and the 2012 london games and throughout the course of the 2014 sochi games when russia controlled the olympic testing laboratory he described an overnight operation in which he and a small team had substituted russian athletes tainted urine for clean urine stockpiled in the months leading to competition and passed surreptitiously through a hole in the wall of the lab building
reacting to that account the ioc called a special meeting of its executive board which convened by telephone on tuesday in a statement released after that call the ioc addressed dr rodchenkovs claims repeating its calls for the world anti doping agency to initiate a fully fledged investigation into allegations that testing at the sochi laboratory was subverted
after his account was made public dr rodchenkov wrote a letter to wada and the ioc last week offering to guide investigators in their scrutiny of russian athletes samples from the sochi games to verify his account while retesting those samples would show no traces of banned drugs he said the table salt he added to the urine samples in question to mask certain inconsistencies would confirm his story
on tuesday the ioc promised its cooperation with an investigation into the sochi testing operation noting that it would instruct the laboratory in lausanne switzerland where the urine samples of sochi medalists are stored to assist wada with any analysis it might undertake
after the iocs announcement on tuesday wada said that it would assign a team to investigate dr rodchenkovs account that team the organization said will be led by mathieu holz wadas investigations manager who is a former major of the french gendarmerie the group is expected to produce a report once its inquiry is complete
the measures we are taking following the worrying allegations against the laboratory in sochi are another major step to protect the clean athletes irrespective of any sport or nation thomas bach president of the ioc said on tuesday dopers have no place to hide
but even with new scrutiny of athletes past performance and the possible ejection of olympians who have doped from the rio games which start on aug 5 questions hang over the olympic drug testing operation
the glass bottles used since 2000 to store athletes urine at the games have long been hailed as tamper proof according to dr rodchenkov however the russian intelligence service was able to break into them and go undetected
and like the moscow lab that dr rodchenkov ran the rio laboratory that will handle testing at the games has a history of falling out of favor with global antidoping authorities
the labs accreditation was revoked by wada in 2013 and restored just last year in preparation for the olympics even amid economic and political turmoil the brazilian government has committed roughly 200 million brazilian real or about 60 million to outfitting the lab with the latest scientific equipment
still according to dr rodchenkov even with cutting edge equipment and dozens of lab staff members from around the world the integrity of an antidoping lab cannot be guaranteed
people are celebrating olympic champion winners but we are sitting crazy and replacing their urine dr rodchenkov said reflecting on the nights he spent secretly working in a storage closet at the sochi games can you imagine how olympic sport is organized
separate of the iocs announcement the russian weightlifting federation announced on tuesday that four russian weight lifters among them a world record holder had been suspended for doping


the south korean novelist han kang won the man booker international prize for fiction on tuesday for her surreal unsettling novel the vegetarian about a woman who believes she is turning into a tree
widely praised by critics in the united states and britain the vegetarian is ms hans first work to be translated into english it was selected by a panel of five judges who considered 155 novels in translation and chosen over novels by more established writers including elena ferrantes the story of the lost child and the nobel prize winning turkish writer orhan pamuks a strangeness in my mind
the prize which is awarded jointly by booker prize foundation and the independent foreign fiction prize honors a single work that has been translated into english the writer and translator share a cash prize of 50000 british pounds or about 72000
ms han a celebrated writer who has been publishing fiction and poetry for more than two decades was almost entirely unknown to english speakers when the vegetarian was published by portobello books in 2015 it was released in the united states earlier this year by hogarth the novel had an unusual path to publication deborah smith a 28 year old british translator read a korean edition of the vegetarian about four years ago when she was studying for her phd and decided to send a sample translation to a british publisher who was won over by the first 10 pages
the novel which unfolds in three parts centers on a depressed south korean housewife named yeong hye whose violent nightmares lead her to stop eating meat her husband and father view her vegetarianism as a subversive act while her brother in law becomes sexually fixated with her plant shaped birthmark yeong hye begins starving herself believing that she can photosynthesize light and transform herself into a tree
in an interview with the new york times earlier this year ms han said the novel grew partly out of her fascination with the gwangju uprising in 1980 when pro democracy demonstrations turned bloody after government troops attacked protesters though she was just 9 at the time the event profoundly shaped her understanding of the human capacity for violence but also for self sacrifice and compassion she said with the vegetarian she aimed to explore what it would mean for a person to live a completely nonviolent life by eschewing food the novel which grew out of a short story she wrote around 1998 was inspired in part by a line from the korean poet yi sang who wrote i believe that humans should be plants
ms han said i was thinking about the spectrum of human behavior from sublimity to horror and wondered is it really possible for humans to live a perfectly innocent life in this violent world and what would happen if someone tried to achieve that


china has shown time and again the power it can wield over american technology companies facebook is blocked in the country as is twitter microsoft and qualcomm have faced investigations by chinese authorities numerous other companies have tried to crack the vast market and failed
now add another tool that china is using that demonstrates its clout over foreign tech companies technology reviews
chinese officials have quietly begun conducting reviews of tech products sold in china by companies such as apple write paul mozur and jane perlez the reviews which require company executives or employees to appear in person involve consumer software and mainstream devices and looking at the products encryption or data storage
the reviews have been undisclosed and unconfirmed until now write mr mozur and ms perlez the meetings are set to raise questions about the amount of information that foreign tech companies must give up to do business in china and what   if anything   is done with the information obtained during the reviews
more broadly it is another indication of how china is going its own way with its approach to the tech industry the country has essentially carved out its own internet through the great firewall a system of technological controls that has created what some call a parallel online world and it is building up its own muscular tech companies to reduce reliance on foreign companies like semiconductor makers providers of networking equipment and e commerce and messaging giants


genetically engineered crops appear to be safe to eat and do not harm the environment according to a comprehensive new analysis by the advisory group the national academies of sciences engineering and medicine
however it is somewhat unclear whether the technology has actually increased crop yields
the report from the influential group released on tuesday comes as the federal government is reviewing how it regulates biotech crops and as big packaged food companies like campbell soup and general mills are starting to label products as being made with genetically engineered ingredients to comply with a new vermont law
the report also says that new techniques like a way to make small genetic changes in plants using genome editing are blurring the distinction between genetic engineering and conventional plant breeding making the existing regulatory system untenable it calls for a new system that pays more attention to the attributes of the crop as opposed to the way in which it was created
despite its roughly 400 pages however the document is not expected to end the highly polarized dispute over biotech crops which are often called gmos for genetically modified organisms both sides on tuesday pointed approvingly to findings that buttressed their viewpoint and criticized those that did not
the biotechnology innovation organization which represents companies that sell genetically modified seeds said it was pleased that the study found that agricultural biotechnology has many demonstrated benefits to farmers consumers and the environment
but michael hansen senior scientist at consumers union which is critical of the crops pointed to the lack of a significant increase in yield
despite industry claims these crops are clearly not the answer to world hunger he said in a statement
perhaps because of the sensitivity and complexity of the issue many of the documents conclusions are hedged by caveats
we received impassioned requests to give the public a simple general authoritative answer about ge crops fred gould a professor of entomology at north carolina state university and chairman of the committee that compiled the report wrote in the preface given the complexity of ge issues we did not see that as appropriate
this is the latest of several reports on genetically modified crops by the national academies which are private nonprofit organizations set up by congress to give advice on issues related to science technology and medicine
a previous report by the groups released in 2010 found that genetic engineering had provided environmental and economic benefits to american farmers
the new report was written by a committee of 20 almost all of them from academia there was no one from crop biotechnology companies like monsanto or dupont on the committee though some members have developed genetically engineered crops and might have been consultants to the companies
the committee examined more than 1000 studies heard testimony from 80 witnesses in a series of public meetings and webinars and analyzed 700 comments submitted by the public
the committee concentrated its review on the genetically engineered crops that account for the vast bulk of such plants grown in the united states these are corn and cotton containing bacterial genes that make the crops resistant to certain insects and soybeans corn and cotton that are resistant to herbicides particularly glyphosate the main ingredient in roundup
the report says that foods made from such crops do not appear to pose health risks based on chemical analyses of the foods and on animal feeding studies though it says many animal studies are too small to provide firm conclusions several other regulatory scientific and health organizations have previously also concluded that the foods are safe
the committee also looked at the incidence of certain diseases in some cases comparing rates in north america where genetically modified crops have been part of the diet since 1996 and western europe where food from biotech crops is not eaten much it said it found no evidence that the crops had contributed to an increase in the incidence of cancer obesity diabetes kidney disease autism celiac disease or food allergies
the document also says the regulatory system should be tiered with potentially riskier products receiving greater scrutiny before they can be marketed whether those products are made using genetic engineering or not other new products regardless of how they are made might need virtually no scrutiny new techniques like dna sequencing can be used to more closely analyze the molecular composition of food products the authors write
clearly the report makes a bold statement in favor of greater transparency and modernizing the review system to make sure the regulatory tools are keeping pace with the technology said scott faber vice president for government affairs at the environmental working group which advocates labeling
regarding environmental effects the report says there is no conclusive evidence of a cause and effect relationship ship between ge crops and environmental problems it says it has not been proved that the increased planting of such crops is indirectly responsible for the decline of the monarch butterfly
the report says use of the insect resistant crops has clearly led to a decrease in the spraying of chemical insecticides conversely the use of herbicide resistant crops might have led to an increase in the spraying of chemical weed killers in some cases overuse of glyphosate has spurred evolution of weeds resistant to that chemical vexing farmers
however looking only at the pounds of chemicals sprayed per acre is misleading because different chemicals have different toxicities it says
the committee concludes that the use of crops has generally provided economic benefits for the farmers and can increase their output in certain cases for instance by protecting crops from insect damage nonetheless it says that nationwide the introduction of the crops does not appear to have accelerated the rate at which corn soybean and cotton yields were already improving
theres no change in the slope at least no significant change in the slope dr gould said in presenting the results tuesday saying the finding was somewhat puzzling while the influence on yields could conceivably be greater in developing countries the report questions how essential genetic engineering will be to feeding the world as the population grows
the report does not reach firm conclusions on two controversies whether foods made from the crops should be labeled and whether glyphosate can cause cancer it says there is no safety reason to label such foods though it may be justified for other reasons like consumers right to know
wayne parrott a professor of crop and soil sciences at the university of georgia and a proponent of biotechnology said in a statement distributed through the genetic expert news service the inescapable conclusion after reading the report is the ge crops are pretty much just crops they are not the panacea that some proponents claim nor the dreaded monsters that others claim


hong kong   a member of chinas governing politburo standing committee arrived in hong kong to high security and protests on tuesday and he quickly provoked anger by praising the governments victory over the 2003 sars epidemic
the official zhang dejiang is also chairman of the national peoples congress he is the highest ranking member of the chinese government to visit hong kong since pro democracy demonstrations convulsed the semiautonomous city nearly two years ago
at the start of his three day visit mr zhang said he remembered vividly working as party chief of guangdong province with the hong kong authorities to contain sars or severe acute respiratory syndrome the disease first infected humans in the southern province of mainland china in 2002 and went on to claim 774 lives worldwide
mr zhang oversaw efforts to play down the viral outbreak that spread to hong kong the disease eventually took 299 lives here the highest death toll in any single city as a result some in hong kong reacted to his comments with shock
its really ironic for him to say that had he not covered up the outbreak it wouldnt have killed so many people here said nathan law a protester whom police pressed to the ground when he tried to block mr zhangs motorcade as it arrived at his hotel in the wan chai neighborhood on tuesday he has blood on his hands
the roughly 100 demonstrators were angry about more than the sars outbreak mr law who recently formed a political party demosisto with a fellow activist joshua wong is one of a growing number of young people in hong kong who see the high degree of autonomy that beijing had guaranteed to hong kong threatened by communist party pressure on its culture and civil liberties
in a report last week the state department said that the recent disappearance of hong kong publishers of political books about mainland chinese leaders raised serious concerns and represented what appears to be the most significant breach of the one country two systems policy since 1997   a reference to the governing principle that underpinned hong kongs return to chinese sovereignty that year
although mr zhang vowed on tuesday to listen to hong kong residents suggestions and demands mr law said he was not convinced
if he truly wanted to hear us why are the protest zones set so far away that he couldnt even see us he said
mr zhang is expected to meet on wednesday with several hong kong lawmakers and to give a speech at a gathering called the belt and road summit concerning chinas initiative to build closer trade relations with dozens of countries once connected by the ancient silk road
in the days leading up to his visit various arms of the hong kong government made strict preparations including planning counterterrorism security measures
still activists managed to drape a banner over a mountainside rock across the harbor that read i want genuine universal suffrage another at a construction site along the route taken by mr zhangs motorcade said end one party dictatorship
at least seven members of the league of social democrats party were arrested on tuesday in connection with the banners according to a statement posted on the partys facebook page
zhang dejiang owes hong kong 299 lives it added referring to the death toll from sars he should beg for hong kong peoples forgiveness


at halftime it seemed safe to go to bed the golden state warriors led the oklahoma city thunder 60 47 on monday night golden state the record breaking 73 9 team seemed to be cruising at home to a 1 0 series lead in the best of seven western conference finals the half was capped by the nbas most valuable player stephen curry swishing one of his trademark long 3 pointers over andre roberson
russell westbrook in particular struggled for the thunder shooting 1 for 8 for 3 points but a different westbrook and thunder came out for the second half
it started with a third quarter in which the thunder seemed to score at will cutting golden states lead to 3 the thunders 38 points were the most scored in a third quarter against golden state this season in the fourth quarter the mighty warriors seemed to forget how to shoot scoring 14 points and losing a game they seemed to have won 108 102
way too many quick shots coach steve kerr said five minutes left in the game and were down 4 or whatever and we were acting like we had 20 seconds left five minutes is an eternity
curry said we got rushed a little bit and tried to go for the home run plays
golden state had shot its way out of trouble all season but in the final quarter the team was 6 for 23 including 1 of 10 from 3 point range
golden state got 20 points or more from each of its big three   curry klay thompson and draymond green   but none from the starting center andrew bogut and 16 from the bench
despite its second half woes golden state still had a fighting chance trailing by 3 with 22 seconds left as westbrook stopped dribbling to call a timeout he dragged his pivot foot kerr standing right by the play wanted a traveling call but none was forthcoming
i thought he walked but it wasnt called so thats the way it goes kerr said
i just played till i heard the whistle westbrook said
joe borgia the nbas senior vice president for referee operations acknowledged the no call was a mistake the officials no one could get in a good position to see him drag that pivot foot its an unfortunate miss but so much going on in the play the speed of it and officiating is about getting angles and sometimes you just cant get them and they did not get a great angle on that play
oklahoma city has now won three in a row on the road against san antonio and golden state who combined to lose just three times at home in the regular season should the thunder make the nba finals they would also cede home court advantage to the cavaliers or the raptors that series was set to start tuesday night in cleveland
despite the loss the warriors are far from sunk bookmakers still have them as favorites to win the series at 4 7 with the thunder at 7 5 that would translate to about a 60 40 edge to golden state even though the warriors must now win four of six games
losing game 1 at home in a seven game series is not ideal but also not a death sentence indeed it has happened five times in the last two years and each time the losing team came back to win the series the toronto raptors in this years playoffs dropped game 1 in their series against the indiana pacers and the miami heat but rallied to win both
weve never been down 0 1 at home its a little different green said coming out in game 2 we know we need to win thats pretty much what it is
oklahoma city center steven adams apologized tuesday for describing golden states guards as quick little monkeys in a televised on court interview after the game adamss father is from england his mother is from tonga and he grew up in new zealand
its just different mate adams told usa today sports different words different expressions and stuff like that but they obviously can be taken differently depending on which country youre in im assimilating mate still trying to figure out the boundaries but i definitely overstepped them tonight


london   the british government said on tuesday that it remained committed to selling a stake in the lloyds banking group to retail investors and to exiting its holdings in the lender by next year
harriett baldwin the economic secretary to the treasury said the government which has a 92 percent stake in the bank would offer some of its holdings to retail investors this year
the government took a stake in the lender after it provided a bailout of 17 billion pounds or 24 billion at current exchange rates to lloyds during the financial crisis
on tuesday lloyds paid a dividend of PS130 million to the government bringing the total the government has recovered to more than PS168 billion
the government delayed a sale to retail investors in january because of turmoil in the financial markets the second delay since 2014
i am determined to build on this success by making lloyds shares available to the public this year ms baldwin said in a news release so that we can build a share owning democracy and continue to reduce our national debt
the treasury said it expected to have fully sold off its lloyds holdings this year or next
the government owned more than 40 percent of lloyds after the bailout but it has reduced its holdings as the banks prospects have improved
since october when the government announced plans for a retail offering the lloyds share price has fallen 13 percent and the stock is now trading at an average below the 736 pence a share the british government had paid
shares of lloyds rose about 1 percent to 6730 pence in afternoon trading in london on tuesday


what in the world offers you glimpses of what our journalists are observing around the globe let us know what you thinkwhatintheworldnytimescom
with everybody emailing texting and messaging these days instead of buying stamps and sending letters whats a poor postal service to do to make up the lost revenue
heres an out of the envelope idea mow lawns
starting may 17 if you live in finland you can have a mail carrier cut your grass for a fee
the postal workers themselves came up with the idea according to anu punola the director of posti finlands postal service we believe many customers will be happy to outsource lawn mowing when we make it convenient for them to do so ms punola said in a recent statement announcing the program
the mail carriers will do the job each tuesday   a light day for mail in finland posti says with fewer ads and periodicals to deliver   and the customers must provide the lawn mower the fee will range from 65 euros to EUR130 75 to 149 a month depending on the size of the lawn and it is tax deductible
posti was already considered pretty enterprising employees deliver meals to many customers for example and the postal service plans to have a health care company teach its mail carriers to help people with disabilities do their cooking and household chores
why stop there how about shoveling snow in the winter or though it may require a truce between traditional rivals what about walking the dog picking up a quart of milk at the corner store watching the kids for an hour helping with their homework
what would you suggest what unusual services does your local letter carrier already perform officially or unofficially let us know at whatintheworldnytimescom
other countries also have innovative postal services japan post and others provide banking and insurance at some offices in rural areas korea post workers will make rail and airline bookings for customers indias postal service helps farmers sell goods online and then delivers them
and while mail carriers like the rest of us are still waiting for personal jet packs australia is testing the use of drones for mail delivery impressive   but can the drone mow the lawn


the actor wendell pierce took to twitter late monday to dispute reports that he tried to force his way into a womans room after a political discussion turned ugly at an atlanta hotel over the weekend
the actor known for portraying bunk a detective in the television drama the wire was arrested and charged with simple battery on saturday after the woman told the police that he had hit her in the head
mr pierce 52 has acknowledged that he followed the woman maggie elena baca and two of her friends to the room where they were staying at loews atlanta hotel but he told the police that the group had tried to pull him into the room as he resisted
i regret that what started as a civil political discussion escalated to the level that it did he said in one of a series of posts on twitter although what has been reported thus far differs in important respects from what actually occurred i have confidence that the judicial process will work as it should
according to ms bacas account to the police mr pierce was with his girlfriend when he encountered her and two of her friends in a hotel hallway
the two groups began a conversation about politics which got mr pierce upset a police report about the incident said the document did not get into the exact nature of the disagreement
ms baca told the police the actor began to push her and as she and her friends walked back to their room mr pierce followed them
accounts diverged over who was the aggressor during a tussle that unfolded at the door of the room ms baca told the police that the actor stuck his arm in the door and tried to get in as the group attempted to repel him he began to hit her in the head and grab her hoodie according to her report to the police
mr pierce said that he was standing outside the room when they attempted to pull him in
mr pierce has expressed support in the past for hillary clintons presidential campaign unconfirmed reports that ms baca was a bernie sanders supporter led many people on social media to rail against the actor
neither ms baca nor a representative for mr pierce responded to requests for comment
mr pierce was taken into custody early saturday at the hotel the police said he was booked and released on 1000 bail
on monday mr pierce withdrew from plans to deliver the commencement address at the newark campus of rutgers university on wednesday the university said he did not want to distract from the celebration
mr pierce is also known for his portrayal of antoine batiste a trombonist in the hbo series treme set in his hometown of new orleans he recently played clarence thomas in the political drama confirmation which had its premiere last month on hbo


stocks fell across industries on tuesday erasing gains from a rally a day earlier as investors sifted through economic reports for clues as to when the era of low interest rates may end
consumer goods companies and utilities fell the most kraft heinz fell 4 percent and consolidated edison dropped 2 percent
nine of the 10 sectors of the standard and poors 500 stock index ended lower energy stocks rose as the price of crude oil rose to a seven month high
the sp 500 index gave up 1945 points or 09 percent to 204721 the nasdaq composite pulled back 5973 points or 13 percent to 471573
the dow jones industrial average lost 18073 points or 1 percent to 1752998
diane jaffee a senior portfolio manager at tcw group said investors were worried that a pickup in inflation suggests the federal reserve might raise interest rates soon threatening a still sluggish economy the fed next meets on rates in june
the specter of rising rates in june may be making investors queasy said ms jaffe the economy is at a tipping point
the labor department reported tuesday that the cost of living in april had climbed by the most in more than three years a separate report said builders were breaking ground on new homes at a faster past than last year
investors worry that reports like those could prompt the fed to raise rates that could hurt high dividend stocks like utilities
adding to the jitters politico quoted the president of the atlanta fed dennis lockhart as saying that action could be taken at the feds june policy meeting
investors will get a better idea of the feds thinking on wednesday when the central bank releases minutes from its last meeting in april
among stocks making big moves lendingclub plunged 34 cents or nine percent to 360 after the justice department opened an investigation the company forced out its founder last week after an internal review found irregularities with the way loans were sold
the stock traded as high as 25 a share in late 2014 shortly after the company went public
pandora media rose 61 cents or six percent to 1059 after hedge fund corvex management raised its stake and began advocating for a sale of the streaming music company corvex said that putting the company on the block was the best answer to rising competition from spotify and apple
another economic report showed us industrial production posted the biggest increase in april since november 2014 after dropping the previous two months industrial output which includes output at factories mines and utilities rose 07 percent from march
still production is modest the report said that factories are operating at 753 percent of capacity well below their long run average
weve got an economy in slow down mode with an increase in inflation said james abate chief investment officer at centre funds that is the worst possible situation
in europe stocks were mixed frances cac 40 fell 03 percent while germanys dax shed 06 percent britains ftse 100 gained 03 percent
in asian markets japans nikkei 225 rose 11 percent as the yen continued to weaken a plus for japanese exporters hong kongs hang seng gained 12 percent
us crude rose 59 cents to 4831 a barrel in new york brent crude used to price international oils rose 31 cents to 4928 a barrel in london wholesale gasoline rose 3 cents to 163 a gallon heating oil also rose 3 cents to 147 a gallon and natural gas rose 2 cents to 205 per 1000 cubic feet
us government bond prices fell the yield on the 10 year treasury note rose to 177 percent from 175 percent the dollar rose to 10907 yen from 10898 yen and the euro fell to 11317 from 11320
precious and industrial metals futures closed mostly higher gold rose 270 to 127690 an ounce and silver gained 10 cents to 1725 an ounce copper was flat at 209 a pound


bangkok   koh tachai one of thailands most beautiful island destinations will be closed to tourists indefinitely in an attempt to protect it from irreparable harm the government has announced
the island in the andaman sea off the coast of phang nga province is famous for its white sand beaches and its reefs popular with divers and snorkelers
the department of national parks wildlife and plant conservation is closing the beaches the reef and a tourist area on the island to solve the environmental and natural resources impact which is caused by tourism according to an announcement on the departments website the order was issued on may 10
the decision means that koh tachai which stopped receiving visitors on sunday will not reopen as is customary in october
during the tourist season hundreds of visitors congregate daily on a beach that by government standards should accommodate only 70 recent video of the island on thai television showed the beach swarming with tourists with the tour boats that brought them lined up along the shore the island is designated as a primitive zone not a park according to the parks departments announcement
koh tachai is part of mu koh similan national park about 45 miles off thailands southwest coast the park is normally closed to tourists from mid may to mid october because of safety concerns during the monsoon season
thanya netithammakun the departments general director said the park had become increasingly popular with thai and foreign visitors as word of its beauty spread
people are visiting this island and its too overcrowded he told prachachat turakij a thai language newspaper its too much for the island to take it has deteriorated and it is necessary to close it down to allow the conditions around the island both land and marine to recover without interference from tourists activity otherwise it may cause great damage
thon thamrongnawasawat deputy dean of fisheries at kasetsart university in bangkok and a leading advocate of marine conservation said the closing of the island was a turning point in thai conservation efforts
he said that rare blue coral had been damaged by tourists and that restaurants had begun operating on the beach to serve the crowds of visitors
we can conserve and resist improper tourism he wrote on facebook this is a new hope for sustainability in our country
mr thamrongnawasawat said the tourism industry had criticized him for speaking out about the need to protect the environment but that the departments move was a sign the government was prepared to resist tourist activities that harmed the countrys natural resources
the problem is that we have damaged our marine resources for a long time he said if we want it to recover we must use strong medicine i am not proposing to close all islands but we have to start thinking about the plan to tackle the increasing number of tourists


kilinochchi sri lanka   on a small wooden table at the doorway to this bright turquoise house in kilinochchi the town that tamil militants claimed as their capital during sri lankas bloody civil war stands a framed photograph of a 12 year old girl wearing a pink tunic
next to it in a smaller frame is a photograph of her uncle and aunt and their two children
all of the people in the pictures members of the extended ramasamy family were killed in 2009 about 35 miles from here during the wars chaotic end after seeking refuge in a bunker in what was supposed to be a no fire zone
as we talked to residents in and around kilinochchi it became clear to us that the ramasamys loss was by no means an exception the war between two ethnic groups in sri lanka the sinhalese dominated government and the liberation tigers of tamil eelam claimed tens of thousands of lives over 26 years of fighting virtually everyone here had a story to tell us of someone close   a father or brother a sister or child   who had been killed or wounded or who had simply vanished
most of the people who died were cut down when the government forces defeated the militants in a drawn out assault after the retreating tamil fighters forced civilians into a no fire zone and then sought protection by mingling among them the united nations estimates that around 40000 people most of them civilians were killed in the battles that ended the war
we buried five family members in one grave as we fled said saraswathi ramasamy the mother of mohanaruby the 12 year old in the pink tunic who was killed in the battle darkness settled on a sweltering summer evening this month as ms ramasamy sat on the porch of the turquoise house a few feet from the table holding the pictures of the loved ones she lost
survivors have slowly returned to the kilinochchi area after months or even years in government rehabilitation camps to undertake the wearying task of rebuilding their lives
after the war the surviving ramasamys were moved around first into government camps and then a year later back to their land where they discovered that their house had been destroyed
i went back to the plot where we buried the five small trees were growing on top and i just let it be ms ramasamy said lowering her gaze to the floor and falling silent
she said the family member she and her husband tried hardest to protect throughout the war was their elder daughter mohanatharsini the lanky cheerful 23 year old who showed us around the house talking nonstop and dressed in a parrot green shirt and dark skirt her uniform at the clothing manufacturer where she works
her mother recalled that during the war the militants showed up every few months to search the ramasamys house as part of a continuous effort to recruit new people mohanatharsini was a teenager then the ideal age for recruitment
to prevent her from being conscripted the family tried to flee kilinochchi ms ramasamy said but the militants stopped them at the border and sent them back
desperate they dug a hole on their property filled it with water and covered it with a plastic tarp and branches to create a makeshift hiding place for their daughter ms ramasamy said when the family got word the militants were nearby mohanatharsini would descend into the watery hole and hide there for hours until they left
despite the familys losses and deprivations if it is possible to speak of lucky ones here the ramasamys might qualify when they first returned they lived under a roof made of coconut leaves but now they have a new house and a comfortable life in 2012 two years after they returned mohanatharsini secured a job at one of the first companies to move into kilinochchi after the war mas holdings the largest clothing manufacturer in the country
starting in an entry level job on the production floor she earned 80 a month making activewear for nike in this area where virtually the only employment at the time was in the rice paddies her salary was a small fortune
and it grew as she was promoted now she earns 150 per month as a data entry operator for inventory management working on a laptop in an office off the factory floor
because of this job opportunity i earned money and i had the ability to pay for a house she said as she stood with us outside her office looking over the factory floor where more than 1500 people worked all dressed like her in green knit shirts some inspecting shorts and attaching tiny stickers to them down the road about 600 women at a second mas factory were stitching underwear for victorias secret for whom the factory produces one million pieces each month
a government subsidy of 350000 sri lankan rupees or about 2500 helped get construction started on the ramasamy familys turquoise house and mohanatharsini ramasamys salary helped finish the ranch style home with a tin roof the total cost about 700000 rupees or 5000
parked out front between the house and the familys paddy field was a shiny red tractor that she helped her younger brother lease so he could start a business plowing fields for local farmers
she said she was also able to cover the school expenses of her cousin 15 year old tamilchelvi who lives in the turquoise house too she is the only surviving member of mohanatharsinis uncles family the rest died in the bunker their faces look out of the picture frame at the entrance to the house
dressed in a red tank top and skirt her hair pulled back into a ponytail tamilchelvi stood in the doorway smiling shyly shes studying for her o levels and hopes to do well enough to get a good job like me mohanatharsini told us referring to the exam students take in the 10th grade
on a shelf in the prayer room inside the house sits a picture of amman who the family worships as a wife of lord krishna the god of mischief and dancing and whose portrait slipped out of a frame when the old home was bombed the familys long journey since then has led it to expand the altar to include murugan the hindu god of war and ganpati the god who overcomes all obstacles
ash from burning incense formed a thick layer over the gods pictures in a room that doubles as the storehouse for another of the familys most valued possessions rice a dozen bags from the familys fields   food for the coming year   were piled high


a federal court has ordered a town in mississippi to desegregate its high schools and middle schools ending a five decade legal battle over integrating black and white students
the ruling by the united states district court for the northern district of mississippi made friday but announced monday means the middle and high school programs in the cleveland school district in the western part of the state will be combined for the first time in their century long history
in her decision judge debra m brown said although no court order can right these wrongs it is the duty of the district to ensure that not one more student suffers under this burden
judge brown rejected two alternatives proposed by the district as unconstitutional and ordered it to adopt a justice department desegregation plan and to provide a timeline for doing so
the head of the justice departments civil rights division vanita gupta said in a statement monday this victory creates new opportunities for the children of cleveland to learn play and thrive together
school officials could not immediately be reached for comment on tuesday but a statement on the cleveland school districts website tuesday said it was examining the decision and considering its options for appeal
government data released tuesday suggested that segregation was creeping back in some school districts with poor black and hispanic students increasingly isolated from white peers
the report by the government accountability office showed that 16 percent of public schools had high proportions of poor and black or hispanic students in the 2013 14 school year up from 9 percent in 2000 01
it said 75 to 100 percent of those students were eligible for free or reduced price lunches a commonly used indicator of poverty the schools offered fewer math science and college preparatory courses and had higher rates of students held back in ninth grade suspended or expelled
representative robert c scott democrat of virginia who requested the gao report in 2014 with representative john conyers jr democrat of michigan said in a statement that it confirmed that the nations schools were still largely segregated by race and class
whats more troubling is that segregation in public k 12 schools isnt getting better its getting worse and getting worse quickly with more than 20 million students of color now attending racially and socioeconomically isolated public schools mr scott said in a statement
the mississippi case began with an action filed on july 24 1965 on behalf of 131 children the suit accused the bolivar county board of education and some of its members of operating public schools on a racially segregated basis the cleveland school district is part of bolivar county
a justice department motion filed in 2011 illustrated the inequities between the poor and well off in cleveland a mississippi delta town with a population of about 12000 before 1969 schools on the west side of the railroad tracks that run through cleveland were white and segregated by law schools on the east side of the tracks were originally black
more than 40 years later these schools maintain their character and reputation as white schools with a student body and faculty that are disproportionately white the department said
the court ruled that the district must consolidate the virtually all black d m smith middle school with the historically white margaret green junior high school it must also consolidate the mostly black east side high school with the historically white cleveland high school and review educational programs to identify new ones for the consolidation
the decision came six decades after the united states supreme court declared in brown v board of education that separate but equal has no place in public schools but on the 62nd anniversary of that decision which was tuesday it is still struggling to take hold
segregation is not just a characteristic of southern states some of the most severely segregated conditions for latino and african american students occur in new york maryland and illinois the civil rights project at the university of california los angeles said in a report on monday
sixty five percent of new yorks black students attend overwhelmingly nonwhite schools compared with 45 percent in mississippi the report shows
erica frankenberg an author of the report said in a telephone interview that decades after the brown decision some school districts had lagged in ending segregation because doing so requires separate legal challenges to policies that are enforced and enacted at the local and state levels
factors such as school board decisions political opposition and discriminatory housing policies can hinder progress in districts ms frankenberg said
it is asking the perpetrators of segregation to be in charge of fixing the segregation she said she added that she believed there were several hundred legal school desegregation cases nationwide
the justice department is still monitoring and enforcing 178 open federal desegregation court cases many originating 30 or 40 years ago the gao report noted


washington   the senate voted on tuesday to advance 11 billion in emergency financing to combat the mosquito borne zika virus   less than the 19 billion requested by the white house and setting up a confrontation with house republicans who have put forward a plan with just 622 million reallocated from other programs
the action in the senate was a sign that even in a bitterly contentious election year compromise is still possible at least in that chamber a proposal to grant the full white house request failed as did a proposal that would have appropriated the money but with offsetting spending cuts
the vote on the compromise plan was 68 to 29 with 22 republicans joining democrats in favor and no democrats opposed
a number of senate republicans particularly from southern states that face the most immediate threat from zika virus spoke out forcefully for government action putting added pressure on house republicans who have accused the obama administration of using the threat of zika to demand a slush fund from congress
but senator johnny isakson republican of georgia said he had recently spent four hours at the centers for disease control and prevention looking at models of how the virus could spread
if anybody in the audience or in this room doesnt think this is an emergency you should have been with senator collins and i two weeks ago at the cdc in atlanta mr isakson said referring to senator susan collins republican of maine there have already been one million cases in the caribbean and central america and south america 500 cases in the united states of america and its going to grow
this is a lot of money but it is only a pittance compared to what it would cost if the epidemic got out of control and we didnt stop it and we didnt defeat it he continued
on monday however house republicans put forward legislation that would require the obama administration to reallocate 622 million from existing health programs to fight zika which causes severe birth defects
in announcing their proposal house republicans said in a statement that they were supporting critical activities that must begin immediately such as vaccine development and mosquito control
the white house condemned their refusal to consider the zika virus a health emergency that warrants new spending without corresponding cuts
it is woefully insufficient given the significant risk that is posed by zika the white house press secretary josh earnest said he added the house of representatives is three months late and more than a billion short of doing whats necessary to protect the american people
dr thomas r frieden the cdc director was similarly incensed this is no way to fight an epidemic he said in a telephone interview
were scraping together dollars to try to move as quickly as possible he said were borrowing money from other programs were writing short term contracts we cant make long term commitments to families to follow their kids we cant do long term studies on how to stop the mosquito we want to put together a whole package on how to kill inside outside how to kill larvae how to do what works best and its not possible under the house version
while the political arguments have focused on the broad numbers federal health officials have been parsing the fine print of the legislation to get a sense of the real life implications of each proposal
dr anthony s fauci the director of the national institute of allergy and infectious diseases which is in charge of overseeing efforts to develop a vaccine and other zika research said his policy decisions would hinge on the amount of money approved
the measure advanced by the senate on tuesday would allocate 200 million to the national institutes of health an amount that dr fauci described as not catastrophic
even in my worst case scenario i will be able to do most of my vaccine stuff he said
in the house the republican legislation highlighted a core philosophical dispute that has frequently paralyzed washington in recent years a refusal by some hard line conservative republicans to support any new federal spending even as president obama and his fellow democrats insist that the governments involvement must grow to meet expanding needs
democrats on tuesday denounced the refusal to support new government spending even in emergency situations
our friends on the other side of the aisle need to wake up senator chuck schumer democrat of new york shouted at a news conference we have new crises it takes some money to fix them whether its zika the crisis in flint or opioids we have to invest some dollars in the fights if were going to solve the problems theyre   theyre in the past theyre just saying cut   cut everything dont spend even when theres a national emergency
the house initiative   announced by representative harold rogers republican of kentucky and chairman of the appropriations committee   would require the administration to redirect 6221 million from other federal health programs much of it would come from money that was approved to fight the ebola virus and that health officials say is still needed for that purpose
the white house which first requested the 19 billion in february has already redirected more than 500 million that had been set aside to counter ebola and the office of paul d ryan the speaker said that as a result the republican legislation would provide a total of 12 billion to fight zika
the compromise measure that ultimately won enough support to advance was brokered by senator roy blunt republican of missouri in negotiations with senator patty murray democrat of washington
mr blunt said the negotiators had scrutinized the white house request and rejected parts of it
it really does look carefully at what the administration proposed and eliminate the things that arent part of an emergency response to zika he said we have trimmed this package back to what really addresses the emergency at this time
mr blunt noted that the senate measure would finance the battle against zika virus through sept 30 2017 compared with the house measure which was designed to run only until sept 30 of this year
dr johnny rullan a former territorial health secretary for puerto rico and now an adviser to the governor for the zika epidemic said federal money was urgently needed to combat the virus on many fronts including public education campaigns stressing that zika can be transmitted by sex   potentially an even bigger risk than from mosquitoes


london   donald tusk the president of the european council castigated boris johnson on tuesday for absurd arguments and political amnesia after the former london mayor a leader of the campaign against british membership in the european union equated the bloc with hitler
in an interview with the sunday telegraph mr johnson a conservative whose mayoral term came to an end this month said that european history had been marked by repeated and ill fated attempts to unify the continent in efforts to recreate the golden age of the romans
napoleon hitler various people tried this out and it ends tragically he said the eu is an attempt to do this by different methods
the comments just weeks before britain holds a referendum on june 23 on whether to leave the european union highlighted the increasing vociferousness of the debate
conservative and labour supporters of british membership in the bloc criticized the remarks as incendiary and offensive even as some campaigning for britains exit jumped to mr johnsons defense
adding his voice to the criticism mr tusk a former prime minister of poland said he could not remain silent as the european union the worlds biggest trading bloc was compared to the former dictator
emphasizing that he did not wish to lecture and that it was up to voters in britain to decide for themselves mr tusk said at a news conference in copenhagen that he nevertheless felt compelled to speak out
when i hear the eu being compared to the plans and projects of adolf hitler i cannot remain silent he said such absurd arguments should be completely ignored if they had not been formulated by one of the most influential politicians in the ruling party
boris johnson crossed the boundaries of rational discourse demonstrating political amnesia he continued adding that while mr johnsons view may be shared by many europeans there was no excuse for what he called a dangerous blackout
the comments from mr johnson and mr tusk laid bare one of the central fissures in the debate over whether britain should remain in the european union
while critics of the european union like mr johnson say they view the bloc as a reckless superstate that is undermining britains influence and sovereignty supporters of membership view it as an essential anchor that has brought peace and stability to europe after decades of conflict and war
after the interview the labour official who speaks for the party on foreign affairs hilary benn said those who advocate a british exit from the bloc often referred to as brexit had lost the economic argument and were also losing their moral compass
after the horror of the second world war the eu helped to bring an end to centuries of conflict in europe he said for boris johnson to make this comparison is both offensive and desperate
mr johnson who remains a member of parliament has stood by his comments which have also drawn support
jacob rees mogg a conservative lawmaker who supports a british exit was quoted by the bbc as saying that mr johnsons remarks were absolutely true
while mr johnson has said that hitler and napoleon wanted to create a single european power using force he said the eu is trying to do it by stealth


inglewood calif   at posh klipz the barber and owner sonny wells points to a framed photograph of magic johnson sitting for a haircut in his shop two decades ago that was my best client mr wells says
eventually mr johnson a longtime los angeles laker stopped frequenting posh klipz going for the shaved look instead chairs really emptied at the barbershop though in 1999 after the lakers and the national hockey league team the kings left the forum here mr wells said and moved to the staples center in downtown los angeles about a half hours drive northeast
this year there is fresh hope to revive inglewood which is planning to welcome the rams football team back to the los angeles area after 20 years in st louis the rams owner e stanley kroenke is building an 80000 seat stadium at a cost likely to exceed 2 billion to accommodate the team and an entertainment complex is being built nearby as part of a continuing project called hollywood park
the development will include about 900000 square feet of retail space a hotel 2500 residential units and 25 acres of public parks all on the site of the former hollywood park racetrack plans include almost 800000 square feet of office space
this development adds a dimension to the city that it has never had before said inglewoods mayor james t butts jr
inglewood a city of 110000 is just 10 miles from downtown los angeles and a short drive from its upscale western environs like beverly hills inglewood is strategically located in the la basin said bob healey a senior vice president at the commercial real estate firm cbre who specializes in the south bay area of los angeles mr healey added that commercial values in the areas surrounding the stadium site had already risen
the city has a predominantly black lower income community with pockets of middle class residents and a growing hispanic population said jamie brooks a cbre executive
the stadium reinforces the idea that this is going to be a destination mr brooks said it doesnt take a master developer to figure it out this place has a lot of potential
in 2005 stockbridge capital group a real estate investment management firm acquired the 238 acre hollywood park site across the street from the forum and a premier place for horse racing in its day the firm aimed to build the entertainment complex which will include a 6000 seat performing arts theater
the kroenke group a development firm founded by mr kroenke in 2013 bought a 60 acre parcel adjacent to hollywood park and the forum which reopened in 2014 and hosts many concerts the groups formed a joint venture the next year the hollywood park land company to develop hollywood park and the newly acquired site
in january 2015 mr kroenke announced plans to build the stadium without any public money and the joint venture embarked on an effort to gather signatures for a voter initiative within weeks about 22000 signatures more than double the number needed were collected petitioning the city to put the stadium project to a vote it was approved
our deal involved no financial contribution from the city said mr butts who supported the project everything public and private is financed by the developer
only in a year when the city derives more than 25 million in direct tax revenue from the project is it responsible for any financial reimbursement of the cost of public infrastructure mr butts said
the project received a major benefit on jan 12 when the national football league announced the rams return the teams new home will be the inglewood stadium where it is expected to start playing in 2019 the door is open for the san diego chargers to move to the stadium too
now just as values have increased in markets affected by los angeles international airport inglewood expects to see the same
since jan 12 when the announcement was made if a realtor puts a sign on a property in the morning by the time they get back to the office in the afternoon they usually have five to six offers 10000 to 20000 over asking price mr butts said
conventional wisdom holds that stadiums usually partly financed with public money tend to have minimal positive effects on local economies said adie tomer a fellow at the brookings institution a nonprofit research group
nfl stadiums are used little more than 10 times a year mr tomer said and as weve supersized our sports facilities much like other components of american life it has become difficult to integrate them into the fabric of our cities
but in the case of the inglewood stadium he added typical rules may not apply
one reason is that the stadium is not directly supported by taxpayers and inglewood is close to los angeles international airport and will be accessible by light rail after a metro stop is completed in 2019
in a nearby neighborhood on the west side of los angeles the playa vista development has come to be known as silicon beach because it has welcomed outposts of a number of technology companies including yahoo google and youtube increasing the number of residents with good paying jobs who are looking for places to spend
while a professional football stadium might not be the reason people and businesses choose inglewood mr tomer said it encourages them to consider it
this is the kind of pattern we see in highly successful regional economies like la san francisco new york he added thats like your brooklyn inglewood could be on that list but its going to be because of access to other amenities and jobs in the regional district
inglewood businesses hope to claim some of the influx from the project linda credit 61 opened up the rusty pot cafe on south market street two years ago the restaurant one of the few lively storefronts on the street serves the kind of kale salads and specialty aiolis more often found in nearby santa monica
i was thinking about moving ms credit said but the council members who stopped in for lunch urged her to stay before the nfl announcement its changing and thats a good thing she said
mayor butts said i really do believe that within five years you wont be able to recognize the new inglewood
amelia hernandez 32 runs selwyn jewelers a family business a few blocks from the rusty pot cafe on south market street while she expressed concerned about how to keep a mom and pop business competitive as bigger enterprises come in she predicted the development would help the area buy in inglewood she said do not sell
last month keion morgan 37 was in posh klipz barbershop in preparation for a job interview as a college recruiter he grew up in inglewood and hopes it will have more options as his two young sons mature he said
im blessed to   i guess you say   make it out of the hood or the wood he said theres not a lot of opportunity
mr wells the barber said he wanted to secure a long term lease because he expected rents to rise but over all his outlook was positive
clients are excited were excited said mr wells who has been in the city 22 years and were going to get some of those nfl players in that chair


seoul south korea   ri yong ho a career north korean diplomat familiar to american and south korean officials who have negotiated with his country over its nuclear weapons program has been appointed its new foreign minister a south korean government official said on tuesday
among outside analysts mr ri has been widely cited as a possible new foreign minister since his boss the departing foreign minister ri su yong was promoted to become a member of the politburo of the ruling workers party during the partys rare congress this month
in the party leadership reshuffle ri yong ho who had served as a vice foreign minister under the other mr ri was made an alternate member of the politburo
a south korean foreign ministry official said on tuesday that his government had learned that ri yong ho had been appointed foreign minister the official said he could share the information only on the condition of anonymity because the north had not made it public through state media
the associated press reported on tuesday that the north korean embassy in london had informed the british government of mr ris new job on monday
ri yong ho has been best known as his countrys top envoy to the so called six nation talks with the united states south korea japan russia and china aimed at ending its nuclear weapons program the talks have stalled since 2008 and during the recent party meeting north korea further dimmed their prospects by suggesting that it would discuss its denuclearization only as part of global nuclear arms reductions
mr ri led the negotiators from north korea who reached the so called leap day agreement with the united states in february 2012 under that deal washington promised to provide food aid to the north in return for a north korean moratorium on uranium enrichment and missile tests but the deal collapsed the following april when the north launched a long range rocket widely seen as a cover for the development of an intercontinental ballistic missile
north koreas leader kim jong un promoted a handful of confidants including ri su yong into the top ranks of government during the party congress this month ri su yong was north koreas ambassador to switzerland and served as mr kims caretaker when mr kim went to school there as a teenager
during the party meeting ri su yong also became a vice chairman and department director of the partys central committee and a member of its newly created executive policy bureau the title of vice chairman replaced the old post of party secretary
ri su yongs elevation in theory makes him the supervisor of north koreas foreign policy replacing the old party secretary kang sok ju another longtime nuclear negotiator who south korean intelligence officials said was sick


sydney   a pre eminent scientist in the field of rising global sea levels has been given notice of his dismissal as part of deep cuts at australias national science agency that will reduce the countrys role in global climate research
the scientist john church confirmed tuesday that he was one of 275 scientists whom the agency the commonwealth scientific and industrial research organization or csiro said would be laid off
i am impacted by the csiro restructure and business plan dr church said in an email from the australian research vessel investigator where he was taking water measurements in the ross sea off the antarctic ice shelf he said he had been informed that csiro was consolidating the team studying the effects of sea level change and ceasing work on rising sea levels
the layoffs and shift in direction at csiro   away from climate research and toward more commercial projects   created a public outcry when they were announced in february
more than 3000 scientists from 60 countries signed a petition describing the job losses as devastating to world climate science
the reactions to dr churchs dismissal were also harsh
john church is among the top 10 climate scientists in the world joshua willis a nasa climate scientist from pasadena calif said tuesday i can only imagine it will be a huge setback for global programs i am stunned it is sad and embarrassing for the australian government
another scientist dean roemmich a professor at the scripps institution of oceanography in san diego said to me it is absolutely inconceivable that the csiro would imagine ditching such a pre eminent scientist in a field that is so vital to australias interests we have so little idea how rapidly the climate and sea level are going to change in the coming decades it is absolutely crazy to be taking anything away from that focus
csiro would not confirm that it gave notice to dr church
a spokesman huw morgan said the agency could not discuss private employment matters
all of the talks and negotiations at present have the same goal of ensuring the excellent science and the long term future of csiro is maintained mr morgan said in an email
he said the number of researchers to be laid off had been reduced to 275 from an initial estimate of 350 those cuts include more than a third of the agencys climate researchers
the layoffs are part of a change in direction in the agency under its new chief executive larry marshall he has said that climate change has already been proven so the agency should focus instead on how do we find solutions for the climate we will be living with
the cuts threaten climate research at cape grim australia where greenhouse gases have been measured since 1976 setting a baseline for tracking changes in the atmosphere and a program called argo which tracks temperature and other conditions in the worlds oceans csiro has also said that it will reduce research on ice cores from antarctica that can measure the change over time in greenhouse gases
climate scientists say the reductions could impair their ability to predict severe regional weather and help people prepare for extreme floods drought wildfires and cyclones as climate change has made these events worse and more frequent australia has been among the countries hit hardest by them
dr churchs work studying sea levels has provided important keys to understanding climate change sea levels rise as water warms and expands and glaciers and ice sheets melt
at the beginning of johns career we barely knew sea levels were rising said dr willis who is studying greenlands melting ice sheet for nasas jet propulsion laboratory today we know precisely how fast it is rising and what the causes are and john has made a huge contribution to that
hundreds of millions of people who live less than three feet or a meter above present day sea levels will be affected as water rises sea levels dont have to rise by a meter to make that land uninhabitable said steve rintoul from csiros laboratories in hobart australia you just have to make it so that it floods so often that you cant live there
dr church has until mid june to appeal his dismissal if he loses the appeal he could be laid off or assigned to another job within csiro


savannah ga   a few years back the heavy equipment manufacturer jcb held a job fair in the glass foyer of its sprawling headquarters near here but when a throng of prospective employees learned the next step would be drug testing an alarming thing happened about half of them left
that story still circulates within the business community of this historic port city but the problem has gotten worse
all over the country employers say they see a disturbing downside of tighter labor markets as they try to rebuild from the worst recession since the depression they are struggling to find workers who can pass a pre employment drug test
that hurdle partly stems from the growing ubiquity of drug testing at corporations with big human resources departments in industries like trucking where testing is mandated by federal law for safety reasons and increasingly at smaller companies
but data suggest employers difficulties also reflect an increase in the use of drugs especially marijuana   employers main gripe   and also heroin and other opioid drugs much in the news
ray gaster the owner of lumberyards on both sides of the georgia south carolina border recently joined friends at a retreat in alabama to swap business talk the big topic drug tests
they were complaining about trying to find drivers or finding people who are drug free and can do some of the jobs that they have mr gaster said he shared their concern
drug use in the work force is not a new problem back in the 80s it was pretty bad and we brought it down said calvina l fay executive director of the drug free america foundation but she added weve seen it edging back up some and increasingly both employers and industry associations have expressed exasperation
data on the scope of the problem is sketchy because figures on job applicants who test positive for drugs miss the many people who simply skip tests they cannot pass
nonetheless in its most recent report quest diagnostics which has compiled employer testing data since 1988 documented an increase for a second consecutive year in the percentage of american workers who tested positive for illicit drugs   to 47 percent in 2014 from 43 percent in 2013 and 2013 was the first year in a decade to show an increase
john sambdman who employs about 100 people in atlanta at samson trailways which provides transportation for schools events tour groups and the military must test job applicants and randomly employees many job seekers just dont bother to show up at the drug testing place he complained just on thursday mr sambdman said an applicant failed a drug test
in august gov nathan deal of georgia promised to develop a program to help because so many business owners tell him the no 1 reason they cant hire enough workers is they cant find enough people to pass a drug test
that program is still under discussion when job seekers contact georgias department of labor which provides some recruitment services to employers the state would like to begin testing them for drugs individuals who test positive could receive drug counseling and ultimately job placement assistance mark butler the state labor commissioner said in an interview
obviously its not an easy process and it would be costly mr butler said but youve got to think what is the reverse of that people needed to fill jobs are turned away and he added its pretty much a national issue
in indiana mark dobson president of the economic development corporation of elkhart county said that when he went to national conferences the topic was such a common thread of conversation   whether its in an area like ours thats really enjoying very low unemployment levels or even areas with more moderate employment bases
in colorado to find a roofer or a painter that can pass a drug test is unheard of said jesse russow owner of avalanche roofing  exteriors in colorado springs that was true even before colorado like a few other states legalized recreational use of marijuana
in a sector where employers like himself tend to rely on latino workers mr russow tried to diversify three years ago by recruiting white workers vetting about 80 people but he said as soon as i say criminal background check drug test theyre out the door
while the employers predicament is worsened by a smaller hiring pool the drug problem for those that require testing is not as bad as it once was if we go back to 1988 the combined us work force positivity was 136 percent when drug testing was new said dr barry sample quests director of science and technology
but two consecutive years of increases are worrisome he said
a much broader data trove the federal governments annual national survey on drug use and health reported in september that one in 10 americans ages 12 and older reported in 2014 that they had used illicit drugs within the last month   the largest share since 2001
taken together dr sample said his data and the governments indicate higher drug use among those who work for employers without a drug testing program than workers who are tested though use by the latter increased as well in 2013 and 2014
testing dates to the reagan administration the 1988 drug free workplace act required most employers with federal contracts or grants to test workers in 1991 congress responded to a deadly 1987 train crash in which two operators tested positive for marijuana by requiring testing for all safety sensitive jobs regulated by the transportation department those laws became the model for other employers some states give businesses a break on workers compensation insurance if they are certified as drug free
here at the main yard of gaster lumber and hardware faded certificates and signs drugs dont work here attest to its certification as a drug free workplace since 1994
mr gasters human resources director chuck keller said that status reduced workers compensation payments for its nearly 50 employees by 75 percent in georgia and 5 percent in south carolina the savings about 4000 this year offset costs of about 2500 for laboratory and on site testing and related requirements
were always short of drivers mr gaster said and drug testing is part of it
terry donaldson 53 who was tested when he started 20 years ago supports the policy if they want to have a good job the drugs got to go
so it was for some of his new co workers
britt sikes 38 and a single father to three young girls lost his teeth to methamphetamine and used marijuana since he was 8   until three weeks before taking the test for his 13 an hour job as a gaster door installer
im a recovering drug addict myself and to raise my girls i had to learn to leave it alone mr sikes said
kevin canty 55 said that in his experience most people cant pass the drug test because they dont want to pass a drug test
they want the job he added but they still want to be in that lifestyle and they have to choose
one of the newest hires frederick brown 34 said i come from a society where drugs is common   marijuana weed its common and people who cannot pass a drug test seek work at mcdonalds most restaurants do not test i asked for this job mr brown said calling it a blessing i already knew what i had to do   you know what im saying


donald j trump recently coined a dismissive nickname for senator bernie sanders crazy bernie
but that has not stopped mr trump from borrowing lessons from mr sanders   the vermont senator whom he also frequently praises from the stump   on how to run against hillary clinton his likely opponent in the presidential election
on a range of issues mr trump seems to be taking a page from the sanders playbook expressing a willingness to increase the minimum wage suggesting that the wealthy may pay higher taxes than under his original proposal attacking mrs clinton from the left on national security and wall street and making clear that his opposition to free trade will be a centerpiece of his general election campaign
as mr trump lays the groundwork for his likely showdown with mrs clinton he is staking out a series of populist positions that could help him woo working class democrats in november but in doing so he is exacerbating the trepidation some republicans already feel about his candidacy at a moment when the party typically rallies to its nominee
asked how mr trump could reassure his own party senator jeff flake republican of arizona suggested the party standard bearer needed something close to a complete overhaul he could start by saying i was just kidding mr flake said bemoaning what he called mr trumps protectionist approach
yet republicans hoping that their nominee in waiting will suddenly shed his brand of hard edge nationalism to appeal to the partys mainline leaders will probably be disappointed in an interview mr trump said that if he was president the north american free trade agreement will be renegotiated and probably terminated
mr trumps approach has scrambled longstanding assumptions about how the two parties can position themselves in a general election fight and could augur at least a short term shift in how a republican presidential nominee campaigns until mr trumps successful campaign unwavering support for free trade and the business community a robust american presence in the world and a commitment to deep tax cuts have been articles of faith for the modern republican party
but mr trump who has also made attacks on illegal immigrants central to his campaign while vowing to protect social security and medicare is plainly going to run as more of a sanders style populist than as a conservative and this approach suggests that the 2016 campaign will not be decided in the increasingly diverse states that represent the face of a changing nation   colorado florida nevada and virginia   but in the more heavily white rust belt where blaming trade deals for manufacturing job losses provided resonant themes for mr trump and mr sanders during the primaries there
mr trump recently offered a taste of his coming line of attack on the campaign trail in oregon where he praised mr sanders for highlighting mrs clintons ties to the countrys largest financial institutions shes totally controlled by wall street mr trump said echoing a sanders rallying cry
roger j stone jr a longtime adviser to mr trump said he expected the presumptive republican nominee to grow aggressive on the banks whos been tougher on bankers than donald trump asked mr stone suggesting mr trump could appeal to some of mr sanderss supporters hes taken them to the cleaners i think he has a healthy skepticism and deep knowledge of bankers and how they operate hes going to be tough on wall street mr trump has said that the hedge fund guys are getting away with murder
mr stone added that mr trump would also have a built in layer of defense as he appeals to blue collar voters because he will be less vulnerable to traditional democratic attacks over republican efforts to rein in entitlement programs unlike all these establishment republicans hes been adamant about never touching entitlements mr stone said you cant run that play on donald trump
if by abandoning the traditional republican playbook mr trump were to put michigan pennsylvania and wisconsin in the republican column as some of his aides suggested he would swing 46 electoral votes from states that have voted for democratic presidential candidates since the 1980s
we lost two elections trying to do this by the traditional electoral map said senator richard m burr of north carolina one of the republican senators who has embraced mr trump
but for every voter mr trump wins over with his ad hoc populism he risks repelling others   including conservatives who are aghast at how on some issues he is trying to outflank mrs clinton on the left while he may put parts of the midwest back into play at least initially his approach could also endanger his prospects in some states that usually lean republican
i think hes more likely to take michigan than he is to take arizona said mr flake whose state is home to a fast growing latino population
the unease on the right with mr trumps ideological positioning spans the partys factions alarming national security hawks fiscal conservatives focused chiefly on promoting free markets and the christian right
and even when he has hit mrs clinton from the left he has also shown a flexibility that has positioned him on both sides of some issues he has called for a higher minimum wage for instance but has also said the issue should be left to the states rather than have a federal increase on foreign policy too his cautious approach to nation building and intervention has been juxtaposed by bellicose remarks and a promise to be tougher on iran and the islamic state
representative steve king republican of iowa said that questions about mr trumps core beliefs were a significant concern
he needs to articulate deeper convictions on the issues that matter so much to conservatives said mr king a hard liner
for others in the party though that moment has passed
hes ceding republicans who find his big government approach antithetical to everything they believe in said danielle pletka a senior vice president at the american enterprise institute hes ceding republicans who have long believed that america is a force for good in the world and needs to lead the world
in an interview mr trump rejected the notion he was shifting his appeal to democrats the fact that i want strong trade deals doesnt make me to the left of anybody he said i actually dont think im to the left of hillary clinton
and the clinton team too argues that mr trump is out of step with democratic voters
donald trump may try to make over his most dangerous and risky positions but his opposition to the federal minimum wage his tax cuts for businesses and the rich and his reckless ideas on the use of nuclear weapons are all too big a risk to be in the oval office said jesse ferguson a clinton spokesman
two of the three pillars underpinning mr trumps campaign reflect his america first populist ethos a broad opposition to free trade where he says the nation is getting a bad deal and a foreign policy that is muscular in tone but argues against nation building and excessive foreign intervention the third major plank of his candidacy vocal opposition to an immigration overhaul and a promise to build a wall at the nations southern border also puts him at odds with most establishment aligned republicans
similarly by pledging to leave entitlements untouched as baby boomers near retirement   one of several major issues on which he differs with leading republicans like speaker paul d ryan who recently said he was not yet ready to support mr trump   he is repositioning the party away from the market oriented politics it has been identified with for decades
but mr trump not even a registered republican until four years ago has little attachment to the partys rightward slant
dont forget this is called the republican party he said recently on abcs this week its not called the conservative party


while americans are confronting an epidemic of prescription drug abuse particularly for addictive painkillers the reverse problem prevails in much of the world
many ill people with a legitimate need for drugs like oxycodone and other narcotics known as opioid analgesics cannot get them and are suffering and dying in pain according to health officials doctors and patients rights advocates
in russia india and mexico many doctors are reluctant to prescribe these painkillers fearful of possible prosecution or other legal problems even if they believe the prescriptions are justified
in kenya health officials only recently authorized the production of morphine one of the most effective drugs for pain relief after criticism that it was available in only seven of the countrys 250 public hospitals in morocco the advocacy group human rights watch reported in february only a small fraction of physicians are permitted to prescribe opioid analgesics which the countrys law on controlled substances identifies as poisons
and in most poor and middle income countries these drugs are restricted and often unavailable even for patients with terminal cancer aids or grievous war wounds
the reasons include an absence of medical training onerous regulations costs a focus on eliminating illicit drug use and in some cultures a stoic acceptance of pain without complaint the problem has been amplified public health experts say by the stigmatization of the drugs partly from fear of what has happened in the united states where opioid misuse is a growing cause of death
reinforcing this view has been publicity about high profile users like prince the pop star who died last month at his minnesota mansion as friends sought help from an addiction specialist to treat what was apparently a dependence on opioid painkillers
while clearly there are issues with some prescribing practices theres also clearly a risk to vilifying these medicines said diederik lohman associate director of the health and human rights division at human rights watch
in some countries mr lohman said a clerical error in a morphine prescription can lead to criminal inquiries the fear associated with prescribing a medicine under strict scrutiny makes physicians afraid he said
afsan bhadelia a visiting scientist and palliative care expert at the harvard school of public health said the biggest misconception internationally regarding opioids was the need for tighter control
people do not have access to pain control for basic surgery she said people are going into the operating room and not having anyone mitigate their pain it is a great injustice
liliana de lima executive director of the international association for hospice and palliative care a houston based advocacy group said that global publicity about the american opioid epidemic had brought this problem to the people and that has had an effect on the fears
despite international protocols dating back decades that entitle patients to pain relief and palliative care access remains limited or nonexistent for many
a report published in february from the international narcotics control board a united nations agency showed that most growth in the use of opioid analgesics has been in north america central and western europe and oceania it remains low in africa asia central america the caribbean south america and eastern and southern europe
many low income and middle income countries continue to fail to provide adequate opioid analgesic medicine for pain the report said
stefano berterame who leads the boards narcotic control and estimates section said officials in many of these countries attributed the shortages to the expense of the drugs and a lack of suppliers he also said that in some asian countries pain relief through the use of opioids or other drugs was an alien concept
they believe you can sustain the pain work through the pain he said
the pain relief problem was addressed by the world health organization in a report published in advance of a united nations summit meeting on international drug policy in april the first such review in nearly two decades
ensuring the adequate availability of controlled substances for medical and scientific purposes the who said was a commitment made by member states that had yet to be universally achieved
it estimated that 55 billion people live in countries with low or nonexistent access to controlled medicines for the treatment of moderate to severe pain
dr dingle spence an oncology and palliative medicine physician in jamaica said that although opioids are available in her country the supply is disrupted by so called stockouts   demand exceeding supply   because of bureaucracy
theres not enough understanding about timely ordering she said the amount of permits needed to bring them into the country slows down the timely flow
still dr spence said jamaica was fortunate compared with other countries in the region in trinidad for example she said officials refused to allow the simplest type of morphine for pain relief it seems to be they are bound by the opiate phobia problem she said
morphine consumption data from the international narcotics control board she said tells part of the story in 2013 the global average for 139 nations was 627 milligrams per capita the only caribbean nation above the mean was barbados in jamaica consumption was 163 milligrams in the bahamas 024 milligram
that means theres a ton of people in pain dr spence said
felicia m knaul an international health economist and expert in latin american health systems criticized what she described as a widespread overemphasis on the addictive risks associated with opioids although fear of opioids may be fed by american tragedies like princes death she said strict regulations also are responsible for the pain relief crisis elsewhere
its not that we shouldnt be concerned about addiction she said but we basically have zero access in most countries around the world you dont go from zero to the situation in the united states
ms knaul a breast cancer survivor and global advocate of cancer patients is chairwoman of the lancet commission on global access to pain control and palliative care a group of experts created in 2014 in part to help integrate pain relief into health systems around the world a major concern of the commission is the disparity between patients in rich and poor nations who have access to painkillers which it called an ongoing crisis that plays out almost entirely to the detriment of poor people
in mexico a 2009 amendment to its health law that required hospitals to offer palliative care to terminally ill people was basically ignored for years prompting human rights watch to issue a scathing report in october 2014 asserting that tens of thousands of mexican patients entitled to pain relief were not getting it
ms knaul who has worked extensively in mexico said that there had been huge improvements there more recently but that drugs for palliative care remained difficult to obtain in many remote areas she said mexicos war on drug cartels had actually increased illicit use of opioids
the irony for a pediatric oncologist is that its much easier to buy on the street than go to a hospital she said thats what people turn to when they dont have the appropriate means available


beijing   peoples daily the main newspaper of the chinese communist party has broken the general official silence about the 50th anniversary of the start of the cultural revolution a commentary in the newspaper on tuesday urged chinese citizens to accept the partys longstanding verdict on the cultural revolution the traumatic campaign that mao zedong began in 1966 in an effort to purify and rejuvenate the communist revolution
here are some excerpts from the first half of the commentary the second part urges people to rally around president xi jinping and his policies
the cultural revolution was a major setback for the progress of our party and country how should we understand the cultural revolution in august 1980 deng xiaoping twice met the italian journalist oriana fallaci and answered her questions about how the chinese communist party evaluated comrade mao zedong and the cultural revolution which at the time were of great concern at home and abroad the sixth plenum of the partys 11th central committee approved the resolution on certain questions in the history of our party since the founding of the peoples republic of china which gave correct conclusions on a succession of major historical issues since the founding of the new china and thoroughly negated the cultural revolution and the theory of continuing the revolution under the dictatorship of the proletariat it factually evaluated the historical status of comrade mao zedong and fully expounded on the great significance of mao zedong thought as the guiding ideology of the party the political definition and analysis of the causes of the cultural revolution in this resolution have withstood the test of experience the test of the people and the test of history and they possess unshakable scientific truth and authority
the cultural revolution was wrongly launched by the leaders and exploited by a counterrevolutionary clique it brought the grave disaster of internal turmoil to the party country and people of every ethnicity and the harm it created was comprehensive and severe history has amply demonstrated that the cultural revolution was totally wrong in theory and practice in no sense was it or could it have been revolutionary or socially progressive
our party has always taken a solemn approach to errors and mistakes including those by its leaders first by having the courage to acknowledge them second by giving a correct analysis of them and third by resolutely correcting them thereby these errors and mistakes together with the partys successes become a precious historical lesson the resolution on history made a distinction between the cultural revolution as a period and the cultural revolution as a political movement and it separated out the mistaken theory and practice of the cultural revolution from the total history of this decade vigorously counterattacking the mistaken viewpoint that would use negating the cultural revolution to negate the history of the party and negate the leadership of the party and the socialist system precisely because we have this correct stance our party awoke from its setbacks reaffirmed an ideological line based on seeking truth from facts achieved a shift in the focus of work to economic development laid down the partys fundamental line of the preliminary stage of socialism established the road of socialism with special chinese characteristics achieved a great historic transformation and pioneered a new journey of reform and opening up after more than 30 years of reform and opening up our country has become stronger by the day the living standards of the people have massively improved the socialist democracy and legal system have constantly improved the road we are taking is increasingly broad and will not be nor will we ever allow a re enactment of a mistake like the cultural revolution
history always advances and we sum up and absorb the lessons of history to use it as a mirror to better advance the remembrance of the past is the teacher for the future we must firmly fix in our memories the historic lessons of the cultural revolution firmly adhere to the partys political conclusions about the cultural revolution and resolutely prevent and resist meddling from the left and the right that focuses on the problems of the cultural revolution we will not take the old path that is closed and stultified nor will we take the errant path of changing our banner rather without any wavering we will take the path of socialism with special chinese characteristics


branding and bars have long gone hand in hand but the days when cocktail napkins swizzle sticks cardboard coasters and matchbooks were the last word in tactile advertising are over in todays distracted culture cocktail bars need something a little flashier to chisel their names into the drinkers consciousness here are a few of the most creative new marketing forays
preserved in ice gaze down at the huge ice cube floating in your old fashioned at dante the italian style aperitif bar in greenwich village and youll have no doubt about where youre drinking cut into the side of the frozen block is the bars poetic name
the owners had a copper ice stamp custom made in hong kong shortly after one of them naren young worked as a guest bartender at zuma a bar in dubai that uses a similar ice brand i was amazed by how many guests were taking pictures of it mr young said in an age of instagram its hard to ignore free publicity
ice brands can also be found at hemingway bar and cash only bar in prague
a tart blast citrus twists make a handy canvas canon a cocktail bar in seattle recently began burning a tiny brand of a cannon onto its swaths of lemon and orange we are always looking to give our guests a moment of wow said jamie boudreau an owner or a sensory experience that gives them a moment of pause something that for a brief second takes them out of their day
the office a bar below the aviary in chicago stamps its name on twists and the bar at the manhattan restaurant vaucluse etches a v on some of its citrus
the garnish pick when it came time to order specialty barware at whitechapel a gin focused bar in san francisco martin cate who owns it and the tiki bar smugglers cove knew something original was called for normally i do a swizzle stick he said thats a tiki bar tradition and ive done them at every bar ive been involved with from day 1 but at whitechapel something to spear olives with was of more value so i did a garnish pick
coins of the realm bar tokens special coins that can be exchanged for drinks are as old as the hills   so old that most people have forgotten about them bar leather apron in honolulu is bringing them back
we created a complimentary cocktail coin as a way to promote our bar at events or just as a giveaway to people who visit said justin park an owner many customers like them so much they dont trade them for cocktails ive heard people using them as golf ball markers paperweights or just something cool they like to keep on them
coasting on a name branding ice cubes and twists is one thing aviary in chicago is taking burning a bar name into a drinkers brain to a new level
soon when you order a rum drink called brand new to the game the pre drink entertainment will include watching a pine coaster being branded tableside with aviary the fire created by the brand will then be used to smoke the inside of the glass before its filled and yes you can take the coaster home with you of course you can


the dish is called hands only and the folks behind the cecil the restaurant in harlem where it is served are not kidding about that to give you an extra nudge of encouragement they usher it to your table with a hot aromatic towel that has been steamed with lemon thyme kaffir lime and lemon peel
not that youre apt to resist digging in hands only begs to be ripped apart with messy hungry abandon
for wrap making and plate swabbing you have a soft chewy grilled roti from hot bread kitchen to squeeze between those swatches of flatbread you have nubs of rabbit sausage from dartagnan a scoop of coconut sticky rice thats made fragrant with thai basil tender florets of cauliflower that have been stewed with cinnamon and a ladles worth of black eyed peas simmered with chiles
thats a lot of flavors at once and the cecils executive chef joseph johnson who is known as j j explained that all that palate hopping is meant to allude to a lot of places at once india trinidad west africa its a melting pot dish he said you can see the path of where it has gone
deepening the dishs connection to africa the bread that the cecils menu refers to as roti comes from a recipe for a buttery flaky moroccan bread called msmen said allegra ben amotz the marketing and events manager of hot bread kitchen
versions of roti can be found all over the world of course mr johnson encountered it on a research trip to ghana you find countless twists on it in the caribbean   and lately at restaurants like the grey in savannah ga and the progress in san francisco
at the cecil hands only is part of a new menu that mr johnson unveiled this year fueled by his desire to deepen the restaurants exploration of the food of the african diaspora
the dish does have a way of coaxing people together   you may order it for yourself or with a group but you should not expect to keep it to yourself what happens now mr johnson said is it turns into a communal dish


savory doughnuts are among the latest from mark isreal of doughnut plant who has been in the business since 1994 after moving production to the multiuse falchi building in queens he has plenty of space to experiment he calls his filled rectangular creations doughpods avocado stuffs one made with sesame seed dough while potato and fresh fenugreek methi are wrapped inside another both are fried in olive oil and sold at his new cafe at falchi and his other locations on the sweet side his newest is a riff on a black and white cookie not only iced with dark and white chocolate but also made so the cake doughnut underneath is half and half as well doughnut plant falchi building 31 00 47th avenue 31st street long island city queens 212 505 3700 extension 310 doughnutplantcom


the barney brown website invites you to create a virtual sandwich for real delivery offering scores of illustrated components for you to assemble interactively 10 types of bread eight different meats and tuna chicken or egg salad 10 cheeses and assorted toppings including arugula olives pesto cucumbers and alfalfa sprouts as you add each element your sandwich takes shape on the screen and the price changes accordingly matt baer a founder of the mini cupcake chain baked by melissa is behind the service and has the sandwiches prepared in chelsea there are no set combinations though popular sandwiches that others have assembled are featured for now delivery is available from 14th to 42nd streets river to river 10 minimum barneybrowncom


aging does wonders for chandoka a prizewinning cheddar style cheese made with a mixture of cows and goats milk by laclare farms in malone wis its rind takes on a mottled almost silvery patina as the flavor of the pale cheese becomes more buttery exhibiting hints of tangy horseradish in the aftertaste the texture is firm and silkier than is typical for a cheddar style cheese it is aged in the new cheese cave of standard market outside chicago 2599 a pound standardmarketcomshopwestmont


recipes in the culinary institute of americas new cookbook for children are not dumbed down pizza starts with dough not an english muffin and the book opens with good habits for kitchen safety   for the food as well as the chef it is recommended for children ages 10 to 14 but an adult who has never really cooked could learn a few lessons too this bright and engaging book explains equipment knife work cooking methods and how to taste and create flavor sidebars headed think like a chef offer variations and tips and strewn throughout are notes about ingredients and their histories the young chef recipes and techniques for kids who love to cook by mark ainsworth and the culinary institute of america houghton mifflin harcourt 23 paperback


nestle the global food behemoth tailors its chocolates to particular countries in turkey it makes damak bars which come in dark lighter or fine chocolate and milk chocolate riddled with that countrys pistachios now nestle usa has started selling the bars in america they break into tiny squares that beg to be eaten in multiples damak pistachio chocolate bars 282 ounces six for 1567 fine chocolate 1808 dark chocolate and 2125 milk chocolate nestledamakcom


color hints at the flavor of honey wildflower is pale and delicate chestnut dark and robust but theres more to it at a tasting led by carla marina marchese a beekeeper who founded the american honey tasting society participants will learn the particulars of six single origin honeys how the bees make each and the characteristics of terroir cheese pairings are included 40 may 26 630 to 830 pm mofad lab museum of food and drink 62 bayard street lorimer street williamsburg brooklyn mofadorg participants must be 21 or older


picture a golden domed ring of phyllo pastry filled with creamy cheese speckled green with sharp spring herbs and dotted pink with bits of brawny prosciutto imagine cutting into it watching the glistening shards of burnished pastry shatter as they meet your knife
then contemplate making it
if your temples start to sweat at the idea of executing such a gilded masterpiece fear not because unlike others of its ilk this phyllo torte is an absolute cinch to make it does not require the fussy buttering of each individual phyllo layer nor does it matter if any of the gossamer pastry sheets   thin enough to read a recipe through   rip or tear
in fact ripping and tearing are part of the process so is a bundt pan which gives the pastry its glorious vaults without any special effort on your part
defrost your store bought phyllo dough then drape sheets of it over the pan use your fingers to make holes to accommodate the pans center shaft so you can press the dough to the bottom dont worry if the pastry rumples and snags fill the pastry lined pan with cheese and herbs and cured cubes of meat then pour on plenty of melted butter
thats the key to success this melted butter bath as the butter seeps from top to bottom it infiltrates the phyllo layers as thoroughly as if you had carefully brushed each one it takes about one minute rather than 20 then bakes up into burnished perfection
as for the filling you can use pretty much anything that you think would taste good nestled in crunchy brittle pastry in greece that often means feta cheese spinach or braising greens in turkey it can mean meat vegetables herbs cheese or eggs   or some combination of all of the above
i looked to italy for inspiration and came up with a base of milky ricotta and eggs into which i mixed pecorino romano ricotta salata mozzarella and prosciutto adding spring herbs for freshness
you can skip the meat if you like or use greens instead of herbs as long as you keep the ratio of 1 1/2  pounds of ricotta to three eggs you have room to play with the flavorings
if youre planning ahead you can assemble the entire torte the day before baking then pop it into the oven a couple of hours before your guests arrive
then envision them oohing and aahing as you serve it forth because thats exactly what will happen when this flaky cheesy fantasy becomes a reality
recipe phyllo ricotta torte with spring herbs
and to drink 
for picking a wine the filling of this torte is what counts not the phyllo the richness of the cheeses and the herbal accents call for any of the vast category of fresh lively whites start in italy and you have choices ranging from etna bianco from the island of sicily in the south to vermentinos from liguria in the northwest soaves and tocai friulanos in the northwest and many in between including fianos orvietos and verdicchios look toward santorini in greece for an assyrtiko or toward the loire valley for any of the constellation of crisp sauvignon blancs produced around sancerre and pouilly fume other options include gruner veltliner or a savagnin from the jura whether made in the oxidized style or not leaner sparkling wines would be great as would roses with good acidity eric asimov


among celebrated spring foods like ramps nettles green garlic asparagus sorrel and rhubarb the poor dandelion is too often forgotten
its a pity tender dandelion leaves make a sensational salad while larger leaves are marvelous sauteed stir fried wilted or stewed with garlic and olive oil
in theory dandelions should appeal to a wide audience the health conscious eater the forager and even the francophile one person could conceivably fit all these definitions in the past the dandelion was well known as a folk medicine cure all used in soups or tinctures or made into wine dandelion was long thought to be a blood cleanser good for the liver and the kidneys and rejuvenating as a spring tonic
modern science shows that the dandelion is generally good for you as well as high in vitamins a and c im not a nutritionist but even the briefest research on the topic suggests we should all be eating more of this healthful green maybe it could become the new kale
if you love foraging dandelions are easy prey because they grow wild pretty much everywhere pick them before they begin to flower while the leaves are still relatively tender and of course you need to know that they have not been treated with weed killer or other toxic chemicals
should you prefer to forage the urban way fresh picked dandelion greens of both cultivated and wild varieties are showing up at farmers markets now supermarkets usually stock a very long leaved variety those are fine but trim them ruthlessly using just the top eight inches of the leaves for salad like some chicories dandelion has a pleasant slight bitterness more so with the wild than the cultivated type
this recipe is modeled after a classic parisian salad with lardons beets and eggs but the garlicky mustardy vinaigrette has fresh ginger and lime juice too to stand up to dandelions earthy flavor it still tastes very french especially with the goat cheese toasts
and so much tastier than a green superfood smoothie nest ce pas
recipe dandelion salad with beets bacon and goat cheese toasts


hong kong   for the past year nearly 400 objects and more than 1000 posters have been crammed into a 400 square foot office space here   artistic remnants of the umbrella movement the 2014 pro democracy demonstrations that shook hong kong for more than two months
during those weeks thoroughfares turned into colorful and immersive public art exhibitions as protest sites bloomed with sculptures installations banners and other emblems of dissent
the question now is whats to become of it all
after the protests ended quietly in december 2014 groups like the umbrella movement visual archives and research collective took in many of the works the collective manages the storage space in kowloon across the harbor from hong kong island where some of the most violent demonstrations occurred
among the works sheathed in clear plastic wrap or tied up in industrial size black trash bags are a bridge of democracy staircase and a giant yellow banner bearing the characters for i want genuine universal suffrage
in the first few months we were ambitious sampson wong a lecturer at the hong kong academy for performing arts and a co founder of the collective said we thought civil society could keep and maintain the archive but now the atmosphere is changing people are trying to persuade us to send the objects to a museum
the work has raised a tangle of ethical and logistical issues associated with what has been called activist art and design
its a very new area dealing with this kind of material said gavin grindon director of the center for curatorial studies at the university of essex in britain and co curator of a 2014 show disobedient objects at the victoria and albert museum in london protest objects are particularly tricky because they are part of unfinished debates and the objects still live in that sense the challenge is to find a way to present them on their own terms
the collectives efforts differ from other similar attempts to archive ephemera from spontaneous movements in paris after the terrorist attacks in 2015 and in new york city after the sept 11 strikes archivists gathered materials from makeshift public memorials with the intent of making the items available to historians and sociologists
in hong kong the goal is not only to preserve the objects but also to display them in a way that can revive the movements spirit
one of the most difficult issues for the collective has been the question of ownership mr wong estimates that the creators of only half the 400 or so objects have been identified not having specific individuals or authorities on the movement to consult he said has made the archives role as a temporary protector of the objects all the harder
mr grindon and mr wong took part in a workshop about these issues at hong kong polytechnic university in march
theres been so much weight placed on this issue because an entire generation of young people associates these objects with their political awakening said tina pang curator of hong kong visual culture for m the ambitious new museum going up in kowloon that organized the seminar
but there are considerations that are very specific to this body of material she said most of these things were made to be used and not to have a life span beyond their use in the demonstration
the ideal solution mr wong said would be a small peoples history museum in the city where the archive could be stored and displayed but raising money for such a project has proved difficult currently he pays about 1000 a month out of his own pocket to rent the storage space
so he and his associates are weighing other options some have called for the objects to be collected by a local museum like m which is actively building a collection others have rejected the idea arguing that the objects   many of which contain antigovernment messages   were never intended to be part of an institution much less one like m which is funded by the government
a number of prominent museums like the museum of modern art in new york and the victoria and albert in london have collected protest movement art
m has already said that it plans to acquire items from the umbrella movement the next step is to decide how to do that and what to focus on
you can collect a lot of material but if it sits in a storeroom somewhere because you didnt pick the right things to display its almost like you are making it mute ms pang said
would the museum consider collecting umbrella man the 12 foot wooden figure holding a yellow umbrella that for many became the image of the protests
were still debating whether the umbrella man fits into the collection aric chen curator of design and architecture at m said of the sculpture which its creator is said to have taken home theres no doubt that it was a prominent piece in the protests but we are not a history museum
in any case mr wong said that he and his team had become especially attuned to the public mood
if there was a museum that had a lot of public trust this would be much easier he said its the whole environment in hong kong right now no one trusts you if you are somehow related to the government


its as scottish as robert burns tartans and the wail of the pipes i mean whisky of course single malt in particular the proverbial wee dram is a romance in heather and smoke fascinating the world over yet always traced back to the foggy glens of scotland
actually that last bit is not true and it hasnt been for years single malts may always be associated with scotland but now they are of the world made in every continent but antarctica and all over the united states the japanese have been making single malts for decades and the rest of the world is catching up
how can scotch be made outside of scotland it cant by law a whisky can only be called scotch if it is distilled in scotland according to a set of specific rules but single malt whiskey can be distilled anywhere
noting the growing number of malt whiskies from unexpected origins the food section tasting panel recently sampled 20 single malts from anywhere but scotland we found bottles from japan and taiwan from india and canada from the united states and all over europe including ireland which insists on using its traditional spelling whiskey unlike the rest of the single malt producing universe which in deference to its inspiration follows the scottish usage of whisky
for the tasting florence fabricant and i were joined by sean josephs whose restaurants maysville in new york and kentons in new orleans have exceptional selections of whiskies and david wondrich the drinks correspondent for esquire who has written many books on cocktails and spirits
our 20 bottles represented a mere sliver of the non scottish single malts available we could have easily filled our quota solely from japan if price were no object but we operate with an upward limit of 100 per bottle many japanese single malts have achieved cult status around the world and now sell for hundreds of dollars each
even those that qualified for our tasting werent so cheap seven of the 20 bottles cost 80 to 100 and nine more were upward of 50 thats a lot of money especially since many excellent single malts from scotland are available for less than 50 is it novelty alone that would inspire paying 55 for a whisky from india or 85 for a malt from deep in the heart of texas
certainly we thought these whiskies offered something exceptional we all agreed that this was a fascinating tasting with an unusual breadth of flavors and styles whether they are good values is an individual decision but the tasting showed that producing whisky under different circumstances can produce distinctive results in say warmer climates than scotlands or irelands where it will age at a different rate
the traditional approach has been so well traveled sean said if these new approaches can be harnessed it could really broaden the style
first though a definition single malt is simply whisky made from only water and malted barley at a single distillery in scotland single malts are distinguished from blended scotch the province of familiar names like johnnie walker dewars and chivas regal which are a blend of one or more single malts with whiskies distilled from other grains another category blended malt scotch which used to be called vatted malts is a blend of two or more single malts
the formula for single malts can be transported wherever barley will grow and water flows ireland which in the murky mists of time has a claim at least equal to scotlands as the inventor of whiskey makes as many types as scotland in its purest traditional form irish whiskey is distilled from a blend of malted and unmalted barley until recently single malt irish whiskey made from only malted barley was fairly rare but with the worldwide popularity of single malt irish distillers seem now to have invested in the style
so have other countries with whisky making traditions the united states where the major grains for whisky have long been corn and rye has been drawn to barley single malts its not clear whether all the countries making whiskies have rules governing single malt but distillers with integrity will stick to the traditional definition which includes aging the whisky in oak barrels for at least three years
for start up distillers aging is the tough part whisky needs to mature but the longer it rests in barrels the longer the wait to sell making whisky is also a craft as with gin which requires a delicately balanced formula and a careful hand small so called artisanal distillers without much experience do not necessarily make better whiskies than seasoned producers
in the tasting the biggest problem we found was inconsistency some were exceptional while others seemed as if they were unfortunate experiments by hobbyists david in particular was disturbed
only a few here have fully matured and hit their stride he said some are too young and are not ready for drinking it makes me mad that they are charging top dollar for whiskies not ready to drink
david said he believed even these distillers will improve over time scotland will have competition on their hands as they already do with japan where they know what theyre doing he said
our overall favorite was from navazos palazzi in spain a joint venture between equipo navazos the excellent sherry negociant and nicolas palazzi a spirits bottler this is a singular whisky a single barrel selected by the bottlers from a spanish distillery complex and savory with a hint of the sherry cask in which it was aged i dont expect to ever see it again but its a great example of the quality that can be achieved it by the way was one of two whiskies in our top 10 that were about 53 percent alcohol calling for dilution with a little water
no 2 a 10 year old irish single malt from lord lieutenant kinahans was smooth mellow complex and lovely while no 3 a 12 year old japanese single malt from hakushu was exuberant and multilayered these were among only three bottles in our top 10 with age statements indicating that most of these whiskies were indeed being bottled young both to meet demand and to increase cash flow
no 4 the tyrconnell irish single malt was well balanced and complex at 30 it was by far our best value the only american malt in our top 10 was the balcones from waco tex no 5 on our list tasting of toffee cream and an array of herbs and spices it was the other cask strength malt and likewise calls for a little water no 6 was the armorik breton from warenghem in france a spicy floral malt with a rich oily texture
other malts worth noting were the gentle inviting amrut from india the clean and balanced kavalan from taiwan and the reisetbauer from the austrian distiller better known for beautiful eau de vies the reisetbauer was the most polarizing in our tasting both sean and david felt it was too young and primary but i really enjoyed how the flavors developed and lingered
not to belabor the point but the shelves of fine spirits shops hold many more of these unconventional single malts assuming the price is right they are well worth exploring a century for now sipping a single malt may cause a reverie of texas or taiwan
tasting report
 navazos palazzi malt whisky spain single palo cortado cask 525 percent 100
complex and savory with wide ranging flavors of toffee clover butter iron and salt usa wine imports new york
 lord lieutenant kinahans single malt irish whiskey 10 years 46 percent 62
smooth and appealing with mellow flavors of fruit flowers butterscotch and spices winebow new york
 hakushu single malt whisky japan 12 years 43 percent 85
bursting with sweet aromas and flavors of fruit and flowers herbs soy and vanilla suntory usa new york
best value
 tyrconnell single malt irish whiskey 40 percent 30
mellow with lingering flavors of wax cream iodine and licorice kilbeggan deerfield ill
 balcones single malt whisky texas 53 percent 85
complex with dominant flavors of toffee cream and caramel supported by herbs and spices
 warenghem armorik breton single malt whisky france 46 percent 52
spicy and floral with an oily texture and flavors of apple blossoms cream and smoke heavenly spirits lakeville mass
 1/2  bastille 1789 single malt whisky france 43 percent 70
young and powerful with savory spicy medicinal flavors palm bay international boca raton fla
 1/2  amrut indian single malt whisky 46 percent 55
gentle and inviting with flavors of cinnamon licorice vanilla and butter purple valley imports pittsburgh
 1/2  kavalan classic single malt whisky taiwan 43 percent 100
clean and balanced with mellow flavors of vanilla spices and smoke anchor distilling san francisco
 reisetbauer single malt whisky austria 7 years chardonnay and trockenbeerenauslese barrels 43 percent 90
polarizing with aromas of fruit and lingering flavors of lanolin wax heather and salt skurnik wines new york
recipe pairing almond apricot tart
terroir matters what stood out in these single malts made anywhere but scotland was their general lack of smokiness sweeter nuttier touches came through instead with hints of brown butter it was a game changer for food pairing the whiskies would be lovely to sip with dessert instead of with a platter of smoked salmon canapes and not necessarily confections of chocolate or coffee my preferred flavors for accompanying scotch almonds and apricots were my choice bound in a filling that suggested frangipane and depended on mascarpone the tart can be served at room temperature chilled or lightly warmed florence fabricant


with only one episode to go a couple of things are clear
 tom hiddleston looks absolutely beautiful in the golden light of an airplane cabin window
 there is a particular sort of terror to sitting in the middle of an all male mercenary encampment wearing a lacy negligee
 in a physical fight to the death the man whos a foot and a half taller is likely to win
 when a slick clever bad guy starts making not terribly artful apocalypse now references its maybe time for him to retire
this was a brutal episode corkys neck snapping and jeds neck being stroked with all the tenderness of the robber girl using her knife to tickle the neck of her reindeer in the snow queen
could there be anything more sinister than the words you know i love you very much from richard onslow roper his jesus corky corky did however have a certain ring of real feeling
it was nice to see langbourne   interrupted in his champagne pouring by ropers vulgar bark   shaken out of his habitual aristocratic torpor not so nice to see frisky all playful and happy post corky burial hes downright loquacious in this episode making small talk its not like im to mix business and pleasure upon jeds arrival making a joke aye but with no mum to ropers big happy family i had to replay it three times to make out the words   thought id save you the effort
i was surprised to see how readily jonathan told jed the truth about his identity and activities i thought shed sell him out and pronto but i was wrong once she finds out about her friend corky i fear things could get complicated assuming that she stays alive long enough for complications now that were back in cairo and jonathan is having flashbacks outside the hatshepsut suite i fear we may get a bloody repeat of the sophie affair especially now that jonathan has made the fateful vow im going to get you out of here i promise
certainly were in for some trouble when jonathan comes face to face with ropers friend freddie hamid indeed is that ropers plan
didnt watch the cups you see he chided jonathan as his trucks filled with bona fide farm equipment passed through the united states border check while angela and joel looked on in disbelief oh dear as corky might have said did jonathan overplay his hand
i would like others to weigh in here with their feelings about the murderous sound and light show that jonathan emceed for the london school of economics educated mr barghati on first watch i found it painful both in terms of its gratuitous sadistic violence and also in terms of its absurdity how could this pass for normal activity in a refugee camp 200 miles from perhaps the most watched border on the planet but on second viewing i thought the gleeful cigar chomping the golf playing in that garish bathrobe and boots the eye twitching the sudden screaming   theyre all perhaps meant to be signifiers of crazy
i thought on first viewing that hugh laurie was playing things up too much this week hed gone full villain like robert downey jrs full retard in tropic thunder a place where an actor should never go but now i think that this was perhaps intentional hes in his kingdom he and andrew are emperors of rome
is roper not just evil but certifiably insane


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1 kentuckys democratic primary is underway and both parties are voting in oregon bernie sanders is under pressure from democratic leaders after his supporters caused an uproar at the nevada democratic partys convention over the weekend above and unleashed a torrent of threats at the state party chairwoman mr sanders condemned violence but defended his supporters accusing the states democratic leadership of misusing its power

2 the fox anchor megyn kelly launched her first prime time special on fox with a special guest donald trump it was a convivial easygoing interview that was taped more than two weeks ago

3 the national transportation safety board announced its findings in last years amtrak crash in philadelphia which killed eight the engineer distracted by reports of damage to another train sped into a dangerous curve thinking he was on a straightaway with a speed limit of 110 mph the boards chairman called for the installation of a system that automatically slows speeding trains because humans make mistakes

4 the justice department is investigating allegations of state sponsored doping involving many top russian top athletes following a buildup of accusations one former russian official above has described a broad and intricately managed doping scheme that he said culminated at the 2014 winter olympics in sochi which russia dominated

5 the senate unanimously passed a bill that would allow the families of those killed on sept 11 2001 to sue saudi arabia over suspicions that its officials played a supporting role in the attacks if the bill passes the house president obama has promised a veto but some in congress believe they could pull off a rare override

6 it is sad and embarrassing for the australian government thats a nasa scientist adding his voice to the international uproar over the layoff of one the worlds most authoritative experts on sea levels john church is one of 275 experts who are losing their jobs as australia reorients its national science agency toward more commercial enterprises

7 the us military has said that its lethal airstrikes on a hospital in the afghan city of kunduz last year were a mistake but a times special report finds that afghan forces distrust of the hospitals operator doctors without borders might have played a central role some in the afghan military see the groups focus on treating the injured as helping and sometimes hiding the enemy

8 the senate passed a measure calling for 11 billion in emergency funds to combat a feared us outbreak of the zika virus that sets up a confrontation with house republicans who have agreed on just 622 million reallocated from other programs neither measure is anywhere near president obamas request of 19 billion

9 a comprehensive analysis by an influential national scientific group concluded that genetic engineering does not make crops unsafe to grow or eat but the findings had caveats and the report is unlikely to end the debate over what are known widely as gmos for genetically modified organisms

10 finally tv networks are going retro the upfronts   presentations to advertisers on coming offerings   include new versions of old hits like twin peaks macgyver tales from the crypt and gilmore girls as a tv executive put it where you have a title that people recognize value and appreciate thats something we want to take advantage of

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i realized theres nothing more enchanting than seeing the full moon dance off the water here says karen witt the spa manager at the british colonial style hotel the palms so she designed a playful and therapeutic riff on sunbathing at night under the full moon guests receive foot and shoulder massages while lounging on beach chairs to the soothing sounds of the nearby ocean
no one flies to jackson hole wyoming to sit in a yoga studio says courtney riley who created a lunar yoga hiking retreat for the four seasons there unlike typical hatha and vinyasa practices which are devised around sun salutations that energize detoxify and stimulate the body the nighttime inspired practice is about cooling calming and centering a stargazing event rounds out the experience
sedonas boynton canyon has a rich native american cultural history   and according to mii amos spa director doreen young an energy that is very powerful two new massages are offered during the full moon and the new moon which young says play an important role in manifesting and releasing thoughts emotions and energies before the treatments guests write what they want to release on pieces of paper   and then crumple it up and light it on fire there is also a centering scalp massage and foot baths with essential oils like juniper for grounding and sage and frankincense to help foster good intentions


the enigmatic french architect francois dallegrets imaginative futuristic and unconventional ideas have propelled designs for everything from bars of soap to cars nightclubs and light installations over the last 60 years a new exhibition at los angeless wuho gallery francois dallegret the world upside down will be his first solo show in that city and focuses primarily on his work from the 1950s through the 1980s still active in montreal dallegrets diverse output is sometimes critical often funny and always visionary straddling the line between design and art like his utopian contemporaries yves klein and superstudio dallegret prodigiously imagined possibilities for a better more evolved way of life the shows curator the architect francois perrin describes dallegrets vision for the future as advanced for its time and notes that even in a pre internet pre smartphone age the designer sought to determine how technology could improve our daily lives
his approach usually centered around the body and nowhere was that more evident than in the portraits that dallegret produced of himself often taken in collaboration with other photographers including harry shunk and janos kender who photographed yves klein in the famed image leap into the void taken collectively these photos comprise some of the most interesting material on view in the world upside down in one photo dallegret poses at le drug the montreal nightclub he designed in another chaise ressort he lounges on his own mod chair in lintroconversomatic his image becomes the model for a design for a wearable machine that can enhance mental capabilities and the work for which dallegret is perhaps best known is accounted for too his illustration of reyner banhams 1965 art in america essay a home is not a house which imagined a bubble for living in which all necessities were provided by a mobile mechanical unit dallegret foregrounded the nude figures of himself and banham actually banhams head on dallegrets body in his imagery accompanying the piece as a way of demonstrating that with this radical use of technology one wouldnt even need to wear clothes
dallegrets portraits help contextualize even the most abstract of his designs and form a mini chronology of his work tracing the evolution of his career as an artist and designer they reveal an instinct for performance and also divulge a sense of humor that feels closely linked to a sense of irony while utopian in ambition dallegrets more fanciful designs show the limits and impediments of our social and technological capabilities strangely enough he persuades us that even his most unlikely proposals can make us better humans and prevent us turning inward on ourselves   precisely by inserting himself into the picture


this summer a very brooklyn pop up bridges the gap between mexico and new york with fresh tortillas filled with local ingredients we were talking about how in mexico city theres the street tacos that youre worried might make you sick and these gourmet places that are starting to pop up   but nothing in between says the artist and photographer april valencia about the inspiration behind josephina a taco stand and market that opens this friday in the backyard of the pines in the gowanus neighborhood
the idea came about when valencia and the owner of the pines carver farrell traveled from mexico city to oaxaca late last year theyve since tested many of josephinas recipes on friends   and begun sourcing ingredients from others the ceviche for example stars fluke from a fisherman they know on long island who brings in on thursdays what he caught on wednesdays all the produce meat and cheese is from upstate new york farms tortillas are made fresh daily with hand ground corn and the menu will feature rotating chef takeovers with talent from as far as copenhagen
the markets offerings will include new age inspired products from upstate   desert stones indigo dyed knits tonics and elixirs   and freshly made foods from the taco stand from salsas to gun powders a super food supplement made daily to boost smoothies tea or water there are also new textiles from valencias line native kind and everything will be available online beginning this june


welcome to social capital a series devoted to analyzing the social media presences of celebrities
it might sound creepy for a 45 year old mother of two to follow a 22 year old on instagram but as a woman of a certain age i need to keep up with the youth i first read about tallulah willis the youngest daughter of demi moore and bruce willis in an april 2014 people magazine article about her new fashion blog which no longer exists four months later tallulah only 20 entered rehab for substance abuse depression and an eating disorder her struggle with sobriety seemed familial just two years earlier moore had gone through a very public breakup and stint in rehab after her divorce from ashton kutcher moore pulled back from social media all together
when i started following willis i wasnt looking for signs of moore so much as a sign of the pairs relationship mother daughter relations can be fraught with complication and vulnerability   i love you i hate you i love you again   and of course im aware that mothers make some remarkable mistakes mothers like me for instance will sometimes go to bed at night wondering will my daughter judge me will she hate me for my weaknesses for my honesty i was curious if willis was closer to her mother because of their shared struggle with addiction ive felt defeated in parenting like a failure for much lesser reasons than rehab so i empathized with moore about the kind of blame she might have attached to herself but in following willis on instagram i find some relief
for all of the trauma she has faced thus far willis refuses to let you take her seriously on instagram her profile description reads youthful slimelord williss feed is a collection of clownish oddball imagery she likes to post unflattering selfies shell purposefully bloat her face or eat an oscar or snap a close up of a bubble erupting from her nose she takes endless pictures of her dogs tongue sticking out she calls herself buuski a boyish family nickname thats as far as you can get from her given name suited for a southern belle or a hysterical tennessee williams character which she is not
much of williss instagram is reflective of her family loyalty she compares her face to that of her famous father and allows her little sisters from bruces second marriage to draw all over her body when her older sister rumer competed on dancing with the stars last year willis pushed fans to vote for her she often models dresses from scouts general her sister scouts fashion collection scout also has her own instagram feed tallulah has occasionally featured it since the network temporarily banned her sister in 2014 for breaking its no nipple policy
but for all of my displaced worry about willis the most unmistakable theme of her instagram feed is her decidedly healthy relationship with her mother willis wraps her gold panted leg around moores waist in a sort of fetal position and writes thanks for holding me in your body for 9 months she and moore pose for a picture in the trunk of a hatchback willis teases her mother about her relationship with fellow brat packer emilio estevez and because shes a modern day daughter who can summon horror and sentimentality all in one breath she shows off a diy tattoo on her arm that reads mom
williss feed is generally gawky and awkward a striking contrast to her mothers decades long public persona willis swoons over moore like her no 1 fangirl comparing her mom to an earth angel when moore shows up in a zac posen dress at a hollywood event mother and daughter have switched social media roles as williss feed increases in readership moore who had a colorful twitter account while married to kutcher   their marriage was made in twitter heaven and they often tweeted to each other while in the same room   has become something of a social media recluse except for popping up on her daughters instagram feed moores instagram is a private account and she has only tweeted twice in the past year both times to promote williss buuski clothing line
of all the mother daughter posts my favorite one is rife with mushy sentimentality willis drapes her arms over moores shoulders while moore speaks to a friend in the caption willis writes that shes part of the codependent daughters club but their relationship doesnt seem so pathologically one sided as one follower commented if my daughter stands behind me with her arms around me at your age i will be the happiest mom on earth
its heartwarming that as a 22 year old willis publicly describes her mom as a member of her squad society tells young adults to stand apart from their parents   not on top of them or with arms draped around them as they carry on a conversation   in order to establish their individuality but willis rejects this emphasizing her admiration and appreciation for her mother its what makes her and moore a sweet mother daughter duo the two of them against the gossip blogs the critics and the tmzs of the world shielding each other with their glittering couture wardrobes and silly poses willis probably gains strength from her mother the two learning from each other in their addiction struggles propping each other up
though my 7 year old daughter is much too young for instagram i dont need a crystal ball to tell me that soon enough a social media platform will creep up on both of us and eventually control her life so much of teenagers social media existence is spent hiding their life from their parents   but ive shared so much on the internet ive written about my divorce about my remarriage about having two kids with two different dads about using marijuana about my failures my fears its all out there sometimes i fear ill be my daughters scary fun house mirror   that ill be a reflection of her that shes repulsed by she certainly doesnt have to follow in my footsteps or even see herself in them but i hope she can find a middle ground where she echoes her parents and still cultivates her own identity mothers can be imperfect and still have their daughters love even their public admiration and allegiance as when willis wore a pink bikini with a fur coat draped over her shoulders intending to channel her mothers charlies angels full throttle character madison lee williss instagram proves you can be a fan of your mom even if thats not the coolest thing and even if your mom like all moms comes with baggage hopefully my daughter will be my fan too


by her count maryam nassirzadeh has accumulated 35000 photos on her iphone in the past year and a half i am into documenting and keeping memories though i do try to be in the moment says the designer and owner of an eponymous and popular lower east side shop and e commerce site describing her constant chronicling as more of a joy than a chore i find so many sources of inspiration and the pictures are good reference tools   and great to share with others taking them has become a part of my day and of me
her habit translated seamlessly into a travel diary that depicts what has become an annual springtime pilgrimage to mexico starting in 2007 when her parents purchased a home in puerto vallarta along with her husband the photographer and artist uday kak and their daughters anais and lune ages 5 and 3 nassirzadeh admired the grounds at the ethnobotanical garden in oaxaca where she and kak married six years ago and where the girls had never been they also picked out pottery and textiles from local artisans scooped up flea market treasures and filled up on mozzarella salad and squash soup before returning to new york nassirzadeh went   solo   to casa luis barragan the late architect and engineers home and studio a feast for her eyes and iphone here she gives t an exclusive look at her recent sojourn


with its pristine beaches delicious seafood and cheery vibe this town is the next great south of the border destination
as tulum has become overrun with los angelenos and new yorkers trying to recreate the cultures of their own hometowns in a more idyllic setting santa teresa a string of beach backed hamlets on the southern tip of costa ricas westernmost peninsula has an edge of the world vibe that still feels remote and inspires dreams of relocation driving down the dusty dirt road that connects the locales four beach areas   playa carmen notable mainly for having the only atms in this no credit card zone playa hermosa santa teresa proper and mal pais   you look at the tanned yoga toned people carrying their surfboards back from the beach and wonder what your life would be like in a town that experiences almost year round sunshine punctuated by the occasional biblical rainstorm sure and consistent 80 degree temperatures
once a sleepy fishing village santa teresa is now an increasingly luxurious surfers paradise filled with people who have made this particular fantasy their reality   and the occasional detox seeking celebrity who likes living it for a week at a time in addition to native costa ricans or ticos there are american chefs if you rent a villa request james kelly who serves delicate artful compositions of unusual local ingredients australian surf instructors french cafe owners and argentine hoteliers
an outer ripple of costa ricas countrywide eco tourism boom santa teresas international community blossomed in the 2000s as foreign adventure seekers discovered its confluence of natural attractions white sand beaches reliable long breaking waves and innumerable species of wildlife and while new age hippies still populate the towns scores of yoga studios santa teresa is now evolving to cater to the growing number of comfort loving creative industry types whove discovered its charms including its proximity to the pristine 3000 acre cabo blanco nature reserve five miles to the south and an increasing array of excellent small hotels villas and restaurants the only thing missing so far a good boutique or two
but reaching paradise still requires work rightfully it feels visitors take a short flight from costa ricas capital san jose to an airstrip in the town of tambor followed by a scenic 45 minute drive across the hilly farmland of the nicoya peninsula then theres the daily endurance test of your cars suspension as you travel anywhere along santa teresas only road so dusty and pockmarked it gives the town an almost lunar landscape this road is what both mars and maintains santa teresas perfection one day it may be paved but until then it allows you to feel like one of the very few lucky souls able to visit this beautiful unspoiled place
the most high end hotel in santa teresa occupies its own small white sand bay and it recently acquired the next door propertys four villas and coconut grove nestled among sprawling banana plants and towering palms the existing 11 ocher plastered villas a mix of one  and two bedroom bungalows are semi open to the elements each has a large private terrace slung with a crocheted two person hammock cooling cross breezes blow through the canopy beds gauzy drapes the property feels fully integrated with the surrounding jungle in the rooms delicate bird nest like paper pendant lamps made by indigenous women in punta islita 50 miles north hang above sculptural wooden tables carved from local teak and cedar and at the spa you can wash off after the signature coconut scrub treatment an out of body experience in a giant open air shower by nightfall dinner is served at the beachside restaurant beneath fragrant frangipani trees
sitting high on a hillside overlooking the pacific this cantilevered three bedroom villa is really a series of bamboo walled treehouses connected by flying bridges award winning costa rican architect benjamin garcia saxe designed the house to maximize the view   the two upper level bedrooms both have fully retractable walls of cedar shutters so you can wake up to the ocean   and minimize the environmental impact indeed the house is so open to flora and fauna that sometimes capuchin monkeys mosey into the master bathroom which is partially exposed to the rain forest the wraparound terrace makes a breathtaking setting for sundown drinks or sleeping under the stars playa hermosa 011 506 2640 0550
given its miles of pacific coastline its hardly surprising that santa teresa has great seafood but the fact that the tiny town also has a local japanese sushi master koji hyodo seems exceptional hyodo prepares traditional yellowfin tuna and red snapper rolls miso soup garnished with flotillas of local avocado and lightly charred octopus in a simple tin roof kitchen from which dishes are delivered by a team of young waiters who are clearly also surfers onto heavy wooden tables lit by strings of globe lights playa hermosa 011 506 2640 0815
santa teresa specializes in clean food almost all the fare youll find in this smoothie bar heavy town is plant based local and organic and no place does it better than olam the restaurant at the nautilus hotel a tranquil yoga lovers retreat for breakfast theres spicy shakshuka with orange yolked eggs and homemade granola topped with ripe mango at lunch the hearty mexican style vegetarian burger is the standout on a menu of enormous every color salads and after a 9 am vinyasa class nothing is more satisfying than the thick sweet savory date and tahini smoothie
during a recent dinner at this cozy candlelit italian restaurant a gecko fell from the tin roof ceiling into the lap of a luckily delighted diner the fact that this wasnt the most memorable part of the meal is testament to the delectable authentic tuscan food served by husband and wife owners emiliano franceschini and luz marina apuy natives of florence and costa rica respectively the thin crust pizza is wonderfully light the pasta slicked with luscious vivid green homemade pesto perfectly al dente the decor is rustic in a way befitting heartfelt mediterranean food   think roughly hewn wooden benches and gravel underfoot   and eminently more romantic than the view from the road suggests santa teresa 011 506 2640 0433
doused with lime and hidden beneath a heap of crunchy cabbage and cilantro the fish tacos at this family run seafood market arent to be missed neither is the zingy ceviche made with rings of succulent calamari every morning the catch of the day is written on a blackboard near the ice packed glass display case and is either served to go or eaten at casual umbrella topped tables in the adjacent courtyard the menu might include tuna sashimi with umami rich seaweed salad or locally grown oysters depending on the days haul
with its terracotta tiled roof and folding wooden cafe chairs the bakery looks like a santa monica breakfast joint waiting in line gives one the best chance to overhear local gossip surfers come first thing for overstuffed black bean breakfast burritos followed by later risers looking for macchiatos flaky pineapple filled pastries and bagels   all made in a nearby bakery and delivered daily at 7 am playa carmen 011 506 2640 0560


times insider delivers behind the scenes insights into how news features and opinion come together at the new york times in this piece denise grady a times science writer recounts how the first man in the united states to receive a penis transplant urged her to report the unvarnished truth
i didnt expect thomas manning to talk to me about his penis transplant when i was doing the reporting for a previous article about plans to perform this kind of operation at johns hopkins i learned that the doctors there had several potential candidates a hospital spokeswoman checked and not one of those candidates was willing to talk not even if we promised anonymity so when i first discussed the transplant with noah brown a public affairs officer for massachusetts general hospital i asked if the recipient would talk i said we understood that this was a sensitive and embarrassing subject and we would keep his name out of it if he wished
but really i doubted that he would want to be interviewed at all
noah said not only was the patient eager to talk but he wanted his name and picture used and he wanted to meet me in person and look me in the eye i thought wow who is this guy
one of the best things about being a reporter is that you get to meet some remarkable people and its your job to ask them questions
mr manning turned out to be a man of strong opinions he expected firm handshakes from all visitors even though he was recovering from surgery and hooked up to ivs and people were afraid of hurting him he described himself as straightforward maybe too straightforward and a fan of what he called the unvarnished truth several times he launched into a subject by saying im not looking for a fight but 
something that infuriated him he said were the ridiculous taboos around talking about sex and genitals in this country how do people think we all got here he asked go ahead ask me questions ask me whatever you want it was almost a dare
he was willing to go public he said because there were other men in the same boat   who had lost their penises because of cancer or injuries   and he knew that many of them were so ashamed and mortified that they were depressed isolated withdrawn living in the shadows hiding what had happened to them he thought younger men had the greatest difficulty and he knew that many of them would rather lose an arm or a leg or even die than have a genital injury he thought too that some younger men if confronted with cancer as he had been would probably rather risk their lives with lesser ineffective treatments than allow their penises to be amputated but the amputation saved his life he wanted to speak out thinking maybe it would help other men
he didnt try to minimize how devastating it was to have the amputation but he said that while he was recovering and feeling down he looked around the hospital and saw sick children and a girl with brain cancer and decided he had no right to complain he also became determined to have a transplant if it ever became possible
his doctor was startled by the idea at first mr mannings siblings humored him when he brought it up apparently thinking he was talking nonsense his mother with whom he lives was initially frightened at the thought of such an operation but she finally changed her mind and wound up in his corner supporting him all the way a few months ago when it became clear that the transplant was a possibility mr manning decided not to even tell his brother and two sisters about it until after it was over he wanted to surprise them he said i think there was a bit of i told you so involved
could mr mannings decision to talk about his condition in public become one of those moments that opens the doors for others to do the same women like betty ford brought mastectomy out into the open thomas manning isnt rich or famous but maybe its even more compelling that an ordinary man with a high school education who earns his living moving packages around for a bank is willing to stand up and say this is what happened to me im not the only one its no disgrace and now there might be a way to repair the damage
i love what our readers have said about mr manning there were many comments like this i think manning is a great guy for speaking out about this for realizing that he has nothing to be ashamed of and for his frank bold take it or leave it facial expression in the accompanying picture although his anatomy may have been damaged hes got courage and hes all man


phoenix   if the yankees strolled into town finally feeling good about themselves after winning three consecutive series against two division leaders and the defending world series champions they were met with some discomfiting sights on monday
present at home plate for the exchange of lineup cards were joe torre and bob brenly the managers when the yankees and the arizona diamondbacks met when the stakes were higher   the 2001 world series
sitting in the stands were a couple of old antagonists for those yankees randy johnson who dominated them from the mound and luis gonzalez who broke their hearts with his bloop single off mariano rivera that won game 7
those old ghosts were joined by some familiar goblins on monday night as the yankees were trounced by the diamondbacks 12 2
there might not be much shame in a loss like this to the red sox the royals or the white sox   opponents on the yankees recent homestand   but the diamondbacks like the yankees sat in last place and they scored five more runs monday night than they had in a four game sweep at the hands of the giants over the weekend
the yankees breakdown was complete their defense was porous their pitching was abysmal and their hitters had nothing to offer
the largely forgettable night did carry some meaning for two yankees pitchers who made their major league debuts chad green and conor mullee
green showed promise but his night unraveled in the fifth when he surrendered a tiebreaking three run home run to jake lamb that sent the diamondbacks on their way
you leave the ball up here it has a better chance of getting hit said green who had not allowed a home run in 37 innings in the minor leagues this season
it was a largely unmemorable return to arizona for shortstop didi gregorius who booted one grounder and was spared two errors one on a deft scoop by first baseman mark teixeira and another by the official scorer when he missed the bag on a force play gregorius also popped out with runners on second and third in the fourth inning and one out as the yankees trailed 2 1
the key player the diamondbacks acquired for gregorius in a three way deal with detroit the left hander robby ray mostly silenced the yankees he held them to six hits and two runs over seven innings and he was unfortunate not to have fared better when a relay throw by shortstop nick ahmed which would have put jacoby ellsbury out trying for a triple nicked ellsburys helmet and bounced into the stands allowing him to come home
after that ray retired the final nine hitters he faced
yankees manager joe girardi had the chance to hit for green in the fourth when the yankees trailed 2 1 after austin romine was intentionally walked to load the bases with two outs but green who did not have a professional at bat before monday struck out girardi who had only one right handed hitter on the bench   ronald torreyes   was not willing to turn to his bullpen so early
your bullpen is so short its just really hard girardi said if you had a day off coming soon   it was just too early
and he may have stuck with green too long in the fifth after the diamondbacks michael bourn reached when teixeira dropped greens throw on a bunt green then walked goldschmidt with the score tied at 2 green jumped ahead of jake lamb with two quick strikes but lamb worked the count full and belted a home run to right field
yasmany tomas followed with a double before girardi replaced green with nick goody
its not easy your first time in the big leagues whether youre a position player or a pitcher making his first start girardi said you always look to see how guys handle it and i thought he handled it pretty well
girardi added theres never a good time to have a game like this
green was not the only yankee with a less than satisfying debut mullee did not allow a hit in the sixth inning but he hit a batter and walked three   including chris herrmann with the bases loaded
greens night began encouragingly enough for the yankees he struck out the first batter he faced jean segura and retired bourn on a fly ball but paul goldschmidt drove greens next pitch   a 94 mile per hour fastball on the inner half   far over the left field wall seguras two out double a smash off the glove of gregorius put the diamondbacks ahead 2 0 in the second
once green left in the fifth the diamondbacks added to their lead against relievers nick goody mullee and phil coke the diamondbacks had eight extra base hits
they were ready to hit fastballs and they didnt miss too many of them said romine the yankees catcher


international
a headline on saturday with an article about a summit meeting and state dinner in washington referred incorrectly in some editions to four of the five nordic leaders who attended the swedish icelandic norwegian and danish prime ministers are heads of government not heads of state only the finnish president is a head of state

an article on april 19 about indonesias decision to rule out a criminal investigation of mass atrocities committed half a century ago during anti communist purges misquoted joshua oppenheimer an american film director who has produced two documentaries about the period he said a failure to truthfully account for the atrocities of 1965 66 would deny people any sort of closure not any source of closure

an article on march 23 about a greenpeace report warning that chinas consumption of coal is worsening a severe water shortage in the northern part of the country misstated the amount of fresh water consumed annually by the worlds coal fired power plants when coal extraction and washing are taken into account according to the report it is 23 billion cubic meters not 23 million in addition the article using information from greenpeace east asia misstated the total installed capacity of chinas coal fired power plants it is 804 gigawatts not 358 gigawatts the errors were corrected online shortly after the article was published but editors failed to follow through with this print correction

because of an editing error the budapest journal article on march 10 about efforts by the hungarian prime minister viktor orban to change the face of budapest with two huge building projects referred incorrectly to the museum of fine arts on heroes square romanesque hall which is to be restored under the governments plan is part of the museum not the square the error was corrected online shortly after the article was published but editors failed to follow through with this print correction
national
an article last tuesday about president obamas signing a bill to make the bison the national mammal referred incorrectly in some editions to the birth of mammals they can in fact be birthed through eggs
business day
an article on saturday about myths involving the united states economy and the increasing size of its older population misstated the frequency of 65th birthday anniversaries among baby boomers it is 8000 a day not 8000 a month

because of an editing error an article on sunday about changes underway at capitol hill newspapers misstated the surname of the new publisher of the hill she is johanna derlega not derlerga

a correction in this space on saturday about a byline that was omitted for an automobile review misspelled the name of the car being reviewed as the review and its headline had correctly noted it is the 2016 chevrolet camaro not camero
weekend
a music review on friday about the ensemble yarnwire at miller theater at columbia university misstated the surname of one of the groups pianists at one point as the review correctly noted elsewhere the pianist ning yu is ms yu not ms ying

dance entries in the listings pages on friday and on may 6 about american ballet theater at the metropolitan opera house misspelled the surname of the composer of the score for sylvia which the company performed he was leo delibes not delibe
obituaries
an obituary on saturday about martin friedman the longtime director of the walker art center in minneapolis omitted part of the name of the centers founder he was thomas barlow walker not thomas barlow and an accompanying picture caption misidentified the painter of trio a work with which mr friedman was shown he was adolph gottlieb not adrian gottlieb

an obituary on thursday about john young the founder of the organization reviving baseball in inner cities erroneously included one major league team among those he worked for as a scout he did not work for the baltimore orioles
the times welcomes comments and suggestions or complaints about errors that warrant correction messages on news coverage can be e mailed to nytnewsnytimescom or left toll free at 1 844 nyt news 1 844 698 6397 comments on editorials may be e mailed to lettersnytimescom or faxed to 212 556 3622
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oakland calif   outside his locker room the first year thunder coach billy donovan received a round of hugs and celebratory handshakes for pulling off something no other team has done at oracle arena this postseason win
kevin durant russell westbrook and oklahoma city dazzled in the fourth quarter the way the defending champion warriors have done so many times this season on their home floor rallying from 14 points down for a 108 102 victory in game 1 of the western conference finals monday night
you have to have a mind set coming into these kinds of venues donovan said our guys i think they understand what theyre walking into you dont just walk in here say oh everythings going to be ok you have to have a mind set to understand the first thing is to embrace the fact its going to be hard
durant scored 26 points and made a key 17 foot jumper with 307 seconds left while westbrook scored 24 of his 27 points in the second half westbrook also had 12 assists and 7 steals in the opener of the thunders fourth west finals in six years
game 2 is wednesday night at oracle arena if this one was at all a preview of what is coming this should be a dandy of a series between the nbas highest scoring teams from the regular season
weve just got to compete westbrook said its going to be a tough game its a tough building they have a lot of great players on their team but i know were a great team and when we put our minds to it   tonight we didnt play our best game and we came out with a win
steven adams made two free throws for oklahoma city with 1 minute 1 second remaining and klay thompson missed a reverse lay in moments later on the other end adams finished with 16 points 12 rebounds and 2 blocked shots
stephen curry the leagues most valuable player had 26 points and a playoff career high 10 rebounds but the warriors missed too many shots down the stretch the warriors 42 second half points and 14 in the fourth both were lows this postseason
we got rushed and tried to go for the home run plays sometimes it works curry said defensively we were getting enough stops and rebounds we got out of character a little bit its something well learn from going forward
with his team down by 105 102 warriors coach steve kerr begged for a traveling call on westbrook at midcourt with 172 seconds left kerr signaling with his arms before going into a squat oklahoma city got a timeout instead westbrook made one free throw with 145 seconds to go
i do think we lost our poise a little bit kerr said and that had a lot to do with the quick shots
thompson scored 19 of his 25 points in the first half but shot 3 for 10 over the last two quarters currys 3 pointer to beat the halftime buzzer gave golden state a 60 47 lead at the break
durant scored to get his team to within 88 85 going into the final quarter then knocked down a tying 3 just 12 seconds into the fourth dion waiterss layup at 1030 put the thunder ahead for the first time since the opening quarter
westbrook missed nine of his first 10 shots before finding a groove and scoring 19 points in his teams 38 point third quarter his jumper with 503 left pulled oklahoma city to 73 68 before thompson answered two possessions later westbrook stole the ball from draymond green and drove the length of the court for a dunk at the 307 mark of the third and that helped swing momentum
durant serge ibaka and adams each had double digit rebounds   a focal point for golden state after the warriors won by 121 118 in overtime on currys long game winner at oklahoma city on feb 27 despite being outrebounded 62 32
westbrook took a hard hit to the face by andrew bogut for a foul ruled a flagrant 1 after a review at the 537 mark of the first quarter trainers checked westbrooks mouth
curry was 9 for 22 from the field including a 6 for 14 performance from beyond the arc and committed seven turnovers to go with seven assists he hit a 3 pointer in his 45th straight playoff game breaking reggie millers record set from 1995 2000
its not a good feeling losing game 1 especially at home curry said its fun to have this opportunity to come back show what were made of
the game was currys second straight start since he came off the bench in game 4 against the trail blazers following a right knee sprain that still isnt 100 percent he said he can manage just fine its just about pain tolerance in the days to come
this is the first playoff matchup between oklahoma city and the warriors though golden state lost a first round series 3 1 to the franchise when it was the seattle supersonics in 1992
bogut started but didnt score after returning to practice sunday from a strained muscle in his right leg between the groin and hamstring that he injured in last wednesdays game 5 clincher against portland


yan gomes hit a three run homer in the sixth inning and had four rbi and the indians rallied from an early four run deficit to beat the cincinnati reds 15 6 on monday night in cleveland
marlon byrd hit a two run homer in a five run sixth and the indians erased a 4 0 deficit while recording season highs in runs and hits
cincinnati scored four times in the first three innings but cleveland tied it with a four run third and added three in the fourth
francisco lindor who was 3 for 5 jason kipnis and mike napoli each had two rbi for the indians who had 19 hits
kipniss two run single broke a 4 4 tie and helped the indians take a three run lead in the fourth the reds cut the lead to one in the fifth but gomes homering for the third straight game and byrd who had three hits unloaded off layne somsen
we needed that gomes said of the offensive eruption we had a nice little back and forth and to extend the lead calmed us down a little bit
around the majors nick castellanos hit a tiebreaking homer in the seventh inning as the host detroit tigers avoided a humiliating loss beating the minnesota twins 10 8 the tigers led by 8 0 after one inning with jordan zimmermann on the mound only to see the twins come back to tie the game in the seventh detroit manager brad ausmus was ejected in the middle of the rally for arguing a called third strike curt casali hit a three run homer and tim beckham and steve pearce each hit two run blasts as the visiting tampa bay rays beat the toronto blue jays 13 2 blue jays manager john gibbons was ejected for arguing a called third strike in the fourth it was the third ejection of the season for gibbons and his second in two games   his was one of eight ejections in a game sunday against texas that included rougned odors punch to the jaw of jose bautista toronto has lost three straight
tiger woods grimaced as he took three warm up swings after sitting in a chair for 30 minutes while talking about his coming tournament at congressional country club in bethesda md hitting a ceremonial shot from a forward tee on the par 3 10th hole on a cool blustery morning he chunked his first attempt into the pond short of the green
he asked for another ball that one splashed into the water too with officials from his foundation egging him on he tried one more time the last one cleared the pond but not by enough it landed on a steep bank and rolled down into the water
his efforts at congressional   home to the quicken loans national an event he hosts that benefits his foundation   put to rest most of the lingering questions about whether he would be ready to return to competitive golf anytime soon
i have been practicing at home and im progressing nicely woods said im hoping to play thats the overriding question i keep hearing when are you coming back when are you playing i get it all the time if i knew id tell you because itd be fun to know
the tournament at congressional will be played june 23 to 26 the week after the united states open and it certainly appears that woods will attend only in a noncompetitive role
larry bird found the indiana pacers new voice on his own bench now nate mcmillan must show that his old school style still resonates with todays young players
bird promoted mcmillan 51 to head coach hoping he will change the culture inside the locker room the decision ends the search for frank vogels replacement after less than two weeks
we will respect the game mcmillan said during a news conference what i mean by respect the game is that you mentally and physically have to prepare yourself to go out and play hard every single night
the pacers effort or lack of it was a constant source of frustration inside and outside bankers life fieldhouse and although mcmillan sat on the same bench as vogels top assistant the past three seasons bird found enough distinction in mcmillans personality style and background to make the change
i like what he did in portland i like the fact that hes old school i like structure said bird the pacers president for basketball operations im not saying frank didnt have those things but ive always admired nate from afar and thats why it didnt take me long to decide to bring him in here
timberwolves towns named top rookie karl anthony towns became a unanimous winner of the nba rookie of the year award giving the minnesota timberwolves consecutive winners after andrew wiggins last season this is such a landmark in my career towns said but its not the last one the knicks kristaps porzingis finished second and denvers nikola jokic was third
canada rolled to its sixth successive win of the world ice hockey championship in beating france 4 0 in st petersburg russia
canada still perfect leads group b the group finale on tuesday against finland which is also perfect will determine the top seed for the quarterfinals
mark stone a wing finished with a goal and an assist as canada posted its lowest goal total of the tournament canada had scored at least five goals in each previous game goaltender calvin pickard made 13 saves as the team picked up its third shutout
france stayed in the game thanks to a strong performance from goaltender ronan quemener who made 42 saves
russia continued its strong form with a 3 0 win over norway in moscow to move to second in group a russia plays sweden on tuesday with second place at stake the russians could climb above the czech republic for first if the czechs lose to switzerland
denmark finished its group a campaign by defeating kazakhstan 4 1 with all four goals coming on the power play the team sits in the last qualifying spot for the quarterfinals
germany completed group play by holding off hungary 4 2
united states striker jozy altidore is likely to miss the copa america centenario in june after being ruled out of action for six to eight weeks with a hamstring injury his club toronto fc said
altidore 26 sustained the injury while taking a penalty kick during a major league soccer game on saturday
altidore who had been included in the united states preliminary 40 man squad for the june 3 to 26 tournament has a history of hamstring problems in 2014 he sustained a hamstring pull in the first match of the world cup and missed the rest of the tournament
the national teams coach jurgen klinsmann must name his 23 man copa america roster by friday
reuters


san francisco   imagine you are driving on a highway late at night when a big rig truck closes in behind you you relax because it is keeping a safe distance and seems to be obeying the speed limit now imagine that truck is driving itself
despite silicon valleys enthusiasm for self driving cars it could be years before there are many of them on the road but autonomous 18 wheelers one start up is betting that is a different matter
that start up is otto led by 15 former google employees including eight engineers among its staff members are major figures from googles self driving car and maps projects and it is aiming at the long haul freeway driving that is the bread and butter of the commercial trucking industry
the engineers think that automating trucks rather than passenger vehicles could be more palatable financially and to regulators nationally trucks drive 56 percent of all vehicle miles and are responsible for 95 percent of highway fatalities according to department of transportation data
adding self driving technology   at least as it stands now   into regular passenger cars could make them absurdly expensive for anyone without the cash of a silicon valley mogul until recently the laser sensor used on the google car project cost 75000
those costs are coming down but it will be some time before they have a realistic price for consumers but a new big tractor trailer truck can easily cost more than 150000 so the added cost of robotic features could make more sense
in addition it could make trucking more efficient allowing for example a human driver to rest in the sleeper cabin while the truck takes the wheel
still automating commercial driving is controversial and   potentially   a job killer
there are more than three million truck drivers in the united states according to the american trucking associations and about one in every 15 workers in the country is employed in the trucking business
there is concern that if commercial trucking is completely automated it would be economically devastating for small towns in america that thrive from supporting the long haul trucking industry
the removal of truckers from freeways will have an effect on todays towns similar to the effects the freeways themselves had on towns decades ago that had sprung up around bypassed stretches of early highways wrote scott santens an independent researcher in a blog post last year
autonomous vehicles have in recent years become one of the tech industrys favorite projects uber sees them as a way to stop dealing with its pesky drivers tesla along with other car manufacturers sees autonomous technology as an important safety feature to help human drivers
even apple is thought to be working on some sort of self driving car tech
google in particular has aggressively advocated and developed autonomous vehicle tech and its self driving cars are regularly seen on bay area roads the company also announced a deal earlier this month with fiat chrysler to install its technology in a fleet of minivans
since the google car and map veterans anthony levandowski and lior ron founded otto in january the company has expanded to 41 employees and has been test driving three volvo trucks logging in more than 10000 miles
over the weekend otto tested a self driving truck in nevada
mr levandowski achieved some celebrity in 2004 while he was an industrial engineering graduate student at the university of california berkeley he designed a self driving motorcycle stabilized by a gyroscope that was entered in the pentagons first autonomous vehicle contest later his start up 510 systems was acquired by google when it began its self driving car project
he said that he had decided to leave google because he was eager to commercialize a self driving vehicle as quickly as possible
google is very focused on doing what theyre doing and i felt that it was time to see something come to market and i really liked the idea of bringing trucks to market he said
mr ron ottos co founder is also a veteran google software engineer with a background in israeli army intelligence he was originally the lead engineer for google maps
he also worked in the companys motorola mobile phone business for three years and then in its secretive robotics research effort
but start up life isnt like working for google on its bucolic silicon valley campus
otto has set up shop in a rickety auto garage close to a freeway entrance in san franciscos south of market neighborhood but the new office has enough space to house the firms three new volvo trucks which have been equipped with cameras radars and spinning laser sensors known as lidar
it is basically the same sensor array used on prototype vehicles being developed by google nissan baidu and others but mr levandowski said that costly commercial trucks gave his designers more freedom to add high quality sensors
otto will offer its technology as an upgrade that a long haul truck owner could purchase or perhaps as a service a trucking operator could subscribe to
initially there will be certain roads that we know we can drive more safely mr levandowski said on those roads well tell the driver youre welcome to go take your nap or your break right now if thats 500 miles thats 10 hours so he gets his full rest
the co founders declined to reveal how much has been invested in the new company so far they also would say only that they intend to demonstrate commercial viability soon
even as their technology progresses otto still faces a regulatory maze and plenty of competition
a silicon valley start up called peloton is focusing on truck convoys for fuel efficiency last year daimler trucks north america demonstrated a self driving truck in nevada volvo and other truck manufacturers have also held autonomous freeway driving demonstrations in europe
california motor vehicle regulations prohibit ottos vision of a truck traveling on the freeway with only a sleeping driver in the cab for example but many states would permit that technical advance
right now if you want to drive across texas with nobody at the wheel youre 100 percent legal said mr levandowski who as a google engineer helped write draft legislation that permitted self driving vehicles which later became law in nevada
the company is initially aiming for the owner operators market   truck drivers who own their own rigs and would be able to increase their productivity by sleeping during long haul trips and dispensing with the need for a second driver
it will take a very long time to transition three million people mr levandowski said referring to the number of truck drivers in the united states however its also the nature of progress there used to be elevator operators in new york city and there are not anymore


pittsburgh   sidney crosby beat andrei vasilevskiy from the circle 40 seconds into overtime and the penguins beat the tampa bay lightning 3 2 in pittsburgh on monday night to leave the nhl eastern conference finals tied at a game apiece
crosby who had not scored in the postseason since the opening round against the rangers took a feed from bryan rust and buried it for his fourth goal of the stanley cup playoffs matt cullen and phil kessel also scored for the penguins
matt murray overcame a shaky start to finish with 19 saves as pittsburgh improved to 3 1 in overtime in the postseason
they generated a lot and he still made some great saves kept us in it crosby said
anton stralman scored in his return to the lineup from a fractured left leg and jonathan drouin picked up his second goal in two games but the lightning lost for just the third time in 12 postseason games when vasilevskiy could not handle crosbys wrist shot
vasilevskiy played brilliantly at times while filling in for injured starter ben bishop making 38 stops
game 3 is wednesday night in tampa
the penguins pointed to an inability to generate quality chances from in close as a major problem in game 1 in danger of falling behind by two games for the first time in the postseason pittsburgh wasted little time trying to make vasilevskiy uncomfortable scoring two early goals on scrambles from in front
cullen 39 pounded home a rebound 4 minutes 32 seconds in for his fourth goal of the playoffs just over five minutes later kessel darted in from the point and zipped one by vasilevskiy to give the penguins control before the first period was halfway complete
in the span of three minutes pittsburghs momentum vanished stralman collected a pretty cross ice feed from jonathan marchessault and lifted the puck over murrays outstretched glove to cut the lead in half with 323 to go in the first and drouins knuckler from the right circle tied it with 70 seconds remaining
lightning coach jon cooper predicted that the opener which included two illegal hits that ended with penguins defensemen kris letang and brian dumoulin woozily making their way off the ice may end up being the tamest of the series yet the fireworks never really developed although ryan callahans absence might have had something to do with that
callahans elbow to the back of letangs neck that sent letang headfirst into boards set a surprisingly chippy tone for two teams that have little playoff history callahans chop drew a five minute major but no further discipline from the league though callahan found himself out of the lineup anyway after falling ill before the game
save for the usual heightened postseason pushing and shoving both teams kept to themselves
still the return of the smooth skating stralman gave the lightning a boost at the blue line making his first appearance since march 25 he was on the ice during cullens score but picked up his fifth career playoff goal when he roofed it by murray the penguins rookie who has been steady since taking over in game 3 in the opening round


donald j trump has hired the veteran pollster tony fabrizio as a strategist for his campaign two people briefed on the hiring said on monday evening it is the first time that mr trump has had a pollster in that role for a sustained period of time
mr fabrizio who recently worked on the presidential campaign of senator rand paul of kentucky joined the trump campaign in recent weeks according to the people briefed on his hiring who asked to remain anonymous to speak about a move that had not yet been announced
mr fabrizio has decades of presidential campaign experience including working on bob doles campaign in 1996 with paul manafort a senior adviser to mr trump mr fabrizio also worked on the 2012 presidential campaign of former gov rick perry of texas and on rick scotts successful campaign for governor of florida in 2010
having a pollster may make it difficult for mr trump to continue a talking point   that he does it all without polls because the news media does them free such news polls dont conduct the type of deep targeting that campaign surveys do and mr trump is entering a new phase a general election in which his negative ratings are high
mr fabrizio did some polling for the campaign in the lead up to the indiana primary this month and informally advised it about some other states in the final weeks before mr trumps remaining opponents pulled out of the race according to those briefed
mr fabrizio is not likely to conduct polling directly for the campaign at this point according to one of the people briefed on his role he will be working in the coming weeks with the republican national committee to help advise it on its turnout models and he is expected to hold his first meeting with officials at the party committee as soon as this week
hope hicks a spokeswoman for mr trump did not respond to an email seeking comment on monday evening
mr fabrizio has worked for mr trump on and off over the years including informally in 2011 when mr trump considered running for president


phoenix   when conor mullee was approached at his locker on monday he apologized for not being able to speak with a reporter at the moment there was a pitchers meeting in four minutes and he could not afford to be late
im just trying to keep my head down and do my work and figure out how things work here mullee said when he returned about 20 minutes later
he was not the only player in the yankees clubhouse this month to face a steep learning curve for all the familiar names there like c c sabathia alex rodriguez mark teixeira jacoby ellsbury and carlos beltran there has also been a steady stream of little known players like mullee 28 a rookie who overcame three elbow operations before being called up last week from class aaa scrantonwilkes barre
the yankees have used the last few spots on their 25 man roster to shuffle players to and from scrantonwilkes barre not only because of injuries   in addition to rodriguez sabathia and luis severino who are on the disabled list ellsbury and teixeira have missed several games   but also to fill specific needs game to game
when ellsbury was hurt and beltran replaced rodriguez as the designated hitter the yankees were short in the outfield so they recalled ben gamel and sent down pitcher james pazos who had been called up the day before
with the teams bullpen depleted gamel was sent down on thursday and reliever tyler olson was recalled the next day with two left handed pitchers awaiting olson was sent down and gary sanchez a right handed power hitting catcher was summoned
sanchez went 0 for 4 on friday and was sent back down and mullee arrived saturday morning along with pitcher chad green after severino was placed on the disabled list
green   who was acquired in the off season in a deal that sent justin wilson a valuable bullpen cog to detroit   started on monday night against the arizona diamondbacks making his major league debut
another move could be made tuesday with green most likely out of commission for several days and the yankees in need of another position player because the series against the diamondbacks is in a national league ballpark but that player   rob refsnyder or aaron judge perhaps   may not be up for long because rodriguez is due to come off the disabled list on thursday
several hours before mondays game green stepped out of the dugout with mullee to look around the ballpark it was a toto were not in scranton moment for the two of them
you try to control those ah moments said mullee who then noted that his locker in the visitors clubhouse was between andrew millers and aroldis chapmans its a little bit different here
gamel sanchez olson pazos and green all spent most of spring training with the yankees and mullee got into two spring games but few of them have the confidence to chat up the more established major leaguers
it can be intimidating walking into a room where theres so many big names said outfielder brett gardner who was called up for the first time in 2008 into a locker room that included derek jeter mariano rivera rodriguez and jorge posada
the backup catcher austin romine who spent virtually all of the last two seasons at scrantonwilkes barre now serves as something like a concierge for the newcomers dragging gamel to the auxiliary batting cages in baltimore and being a familiar presence for the pitchers most of whom threw to him in the minor leagues
everybody that comes up i know what its like romine said you just talk to them when anybody gets called up its not like you necessarily fit in i think everybody remembers what thats like the emotions what youre thinking about
gardner spent a little more than three weeks with the yankees in his first stint despite the welcoming presence of johnny damon he was hitting just 153 when he was sent back down with the team acquiring xavier nady just before the trading deadline after he was recalled in mid august gardner batted 294 and he has been a fixture since
i think i just knew what to expect gardner said thats one of the things the yankees do a good job of bringing a lot of guys to big league camp to get them used to it and feel more comfortable thats how you get the best out of young guys is making them feel comfortable
this year few of the young players have made an impact in their cameos gamel and sanchez did not hit in their brief opportunities olson did not even get into a game in his most recent stint and mullee had not yet pitched entering monday pazos was sent down without pitching   on his birthday
manager joe girardi said the experience   even if it was fleeting   was helpful for the young players
at some point youre probably going to need them again and each time i think they come up they feel more comfortable and understand what they have to do to be successful up here girardi said im sure theyve had many friends tell them how great it is but until you actually go through it   and then the other part is getting sent down how difficult that is until you go through it you dont understand that as well


merchant customer exchange a developer of mobile payment technology whose strategy has been thrown into question by big retailers developing their own mobile wallets said on monday that it was postponing the nationwide rollout of its service and had cut 30 jobs
the companys chief brian mooney said in a statement that in the short term it would focus on partnerships with financial institutions
mcxs service currentc lets shoppers pay for items with their mobile phones and uses a scannable code to initiate transactions it has been in development for three years and recently started a pilot in stores in columbus ohio
with the backing of many of the largest us retailers currentc had been seen as one of several promising entrants in the crowded mobile payments space and a rival to apple pay in october mcx signed a deal with jpmorgan chase to accept payment through the banks technology
also monday walmart activated its own mobile payment system unveiled late last year in nearly 600 stores in texas and arkansas


jennifer hudsons departure from the cast of the color purple prompted a drop in the shows box office grosses last week
the show a much praised production that is a strong contender for the tony award for best musical revival had seen its revenues increase after ms hudson an oscar winner for dreamgirls announced her planned departure   rising to 967352 in her final week as audiences flocked for a last chance to see her in the supporting role of shug avery a nightclub singer
that number then dove to 604552 during the week that ended may 15 according to figures released on monday by the broadway league
a shows grosses often drop after the departure of a celebrity and the shows producers are hopeful of a rebound as word of mouth builds about the strong performance of ms hudsons replacement heather headley a tony and grammy winning performer known for her roles in the lion king and aida
last week was a bit of a down week for broadway   overall the 36 shows grossed 263 million down from 276 million earned by 37 shows the previous week but the dip could be explained by the reduced schedule of two high grossing shows paramour and the lion king so that their theaters could be used for the television upfronts and by a subsidized matinee of hamilton for students at new york city public high schools
bright star the new musical featuring music by steve martin and edie brickell had its strongest week earning 477058 apparently the result of a tony nomination for best new musical the other non hamilton contenders in that category school of rock shuffle along or the making of the musical sensation of 1921 and all that followed and waitress were all up slightly they have all been doing well at the box office unlike bright star which has been struggling
the broadway season which ends this week appears poised to set another record cumulative grosses are up 06 percent over last season and attendance is up 16 percent


when patients use a telemedicine service offered through their health insurer or employer they can get modest routine care at any time without having to go to a doctors office or urgent care center but they usually know very little about the doctor or nurse on the other end of the phone or on the screen
its a blind date said john jesser an executive with anthem one of the nations largest health insurance companies which offers its customers telehealth services through livehealth online giving them access to medical care 24 hours a day seven days a week
now american well the company behind anthems service is betting that people would rather choose the doctors or nurses they consult with online much as they select an urgent care center or a specialist on tuesday american well which offers telehealth to more than 100 million people is unveiling an online marketplace where health plan customers will be able to choose from a menu of doctors
do you care which physician you see asked dr roy schoenberg a founder of american well who serves as its chief executive the reality is yes
for insurers and employers the appeal of online care has the potential for lowering costs checking a childs nagging cough over a video call for example could avoid an expensive trip to the emergency room patients in rural areas without easy access to specialists can also benefit from online consultations
but some insurers including medicare are reluctant to pay for a virtual visit and regulatory questions are swirling over whether doctors should be able to care for patients across state lines there are also concerns that people may use the services for conditions that they would normally treat themselves like a sore throat meaning that the visit is an extra expense not a savings critics also question the quality of care worrying that it could be easier to misdiagnose a condition if a patient is not physically with the doctor or nurse
mr jesser of anthem however says it is more a question of how telehealth will evolve not if
the toothpaste is out of the tube he said consumers want health care when they want it
dr schoenberg says there are no good estimates about what fraction of todays doctor visits are virtual but that the practice is growing quickly anthem plans to start by offering customers in ohio pennsylvania and west virginia the option of selecting nurse practitioners from the cleveland clinic one of the nations leading health systems
the idea is one of the major game changers said dr peter rasmussen who oversees distance health which includes telemedicine for the cleveland clinic which also recently partnered with american well and cvs health the drugstore chain to offer virtual care to minuteclinic customers the clinic is experimenting with ways to expand its reach at more convenient venues
our providers have been dramatically busier dr rasmussen said
a second health system nemours which offers pediatric care in several states is also joining the online marketplace that is to be unveiled on tuesday nemours will give parents in florida   who use american well directly through its amwell online service   access to its pediatricians the system plans to expand its services to delaware and pennsylvania later in the year
accessibility is a big problem for families said dr shayan vyas who oversees nemourss florida telehealth operations parents want to know the person counseling them on their childs earache is offering the best medical advice and is not simply willing to prescribe antibiotics he said doctors on telemedicine services can typically prescribe medications but not across state lines
the attraction for health systems is the ability to use their well respected name or reputation in certain areas to attract more patients potentially from across the country and someone who might have to wait weeks or months for an appointment could find a specialist much more quickly
analysts say telehealth is not likely to evolve into a substitute for in person care but will instead be a way for providers to better connect with patients its not a competition between physical and virtual said dr kaveh safavi a senior managing director for accenture a consulting firm who sees care eventually being delivered in a blend of ways a patient might see a specialist online who works closely with a local doctor for in person care
other health systems that have worked with american well to offer telehealth to their patients are also contemplating joining the new marketplace
its definitely an intriguing idea that we are going to look at closely said brian wayling an executive at intermountain healthcare a system in salt lake city while intermountain unlike the cleveland clinic has no plans to serve customers outside of its current geographic reach it thinks it might be able to use the marketplace to serve patients who are traveling or who find it difficult to visit in person
it allows us to ensure our standards of care and protocol reach the most people possible mr wayling said
american well provides the technology and operational backbone of its telemedicine services and has a variety of financial arrangements it may charge organizations a fee for operating the service for example and a small fee for every visit but the dozens of health plans and health systems that american well works with will need to make individual arrangements to determine whether one system will be able to offer anothers specialists or if an insurer can offer its customers a choice of doctors
were not changing how the world works dr schoenberg said were opening it up online
for now insurers and systems are taking a cautious approach doctors may more easily treat patients across state lines later this year when an agreement among some states to license doctors from certain other states is expected to take place doctors will still be prohibited from treating patients in states where they are not licensed but the arrangement will make it much easier for a doctor or nurse to get another state license
health plans and employers are increasingly willing to pay for virtual care for a system like st lukes university health network in pennsylvania which is considering the marketplace it could be a way to expand as well as to change how it provides follow up care or services intended to keep people healthy said ray midlam a network executive
its something were still trying to figure out he said


still reeling from revelations that forced the resignation of its founder and chief executive lending club said on monday that it had received a subpoena from the justice department
the company which serves as an online matchmaker between small business borrowers and individual and institutional lenders disclosed the grand jury subpoena in a regulatory filing saying it intended to cooperate with the federal investigation
a week ago lending club which is based in san francisco revealed that its founder and chief renaud laplanche had resigned after an internal investigation discovered fabrications in about 3 million of loan applications
the internal inquiry turned up other problems including the sale of 22 million of loans to the investment bank jefferies that lending club employees knew did not meet certain of jeffriess specifications
the internal review also revealed that mr laplanche had invested in a fund that was buying the companys loans without informing the lending club board which includes prominent members like lawrence h summers the former treasury secretary and former harvard university president
the disclosure of a criminal subpoena which the company received last monday   the day it announced mr laplanches departure   is another big blow to lending club once considered the pioneer in its field lending club is now fighting to defend the soundness of its business model
even before the internal problems became public lending club and other marketplace lenders had been having trouble selling their loans because of growing doubts about the long term viability of their business
marketplace lending   which is fast and efficient   had been considered a potential disruptive force to the banking establishment but now some analysts question whether it can bounce back from the recent turmoil when it went public in december 2014 lending clubs stock closed at 2343 a share on monday it closed just shy of 4 a share


ottawa   shifting winds turned albertas huge wildfire back toward fort mcmurray on monday menacing the city once more and prompting new evacuations as the out of control blaze headed for two major oil sands projects north of the city
after several days of allowing workers back into fort mcmurray to restart operations at the oil sands about 500 to 600 people were evacuated from four small work camps rachel notley the premier of alberta said at a news conference on monday
as a precaution an unknown number of employees of syncrude and suncor two of the largest and oldest oil sands projects were sent to camps farther north on monday about 4000 people had been working in the area at strip mines processing plants and other operations owned by the two companies
with the forests now burned the earlier destruction provided fort mcmurray with a swath of protection but the fires shift in direction to the north potentially jeopardized one residential neighborhood that had escaped destruction chad morrison albertas wildfire service manager said
about 100 to 200 firefighters were in that area on monday night to douse embers or flaming projectiles emitted by the fire about 300 utility workers who had been restoring power lines in the city were gathered together for safety and another 300 people on hand to help in the city had taken shelter in fort mcmurrays hospital
the fire was moving roughly parallel to the city and traveling about 40 yards per minute by early evening it was nine to 12 miles from the syncrude and suncor facilities
to the dismay of the authorities the blaze jumped a large firebreak that had been constructed in its anticipated path
were fairly confident   fingers crossed knock on wood   when it comes to fort mcmurray scott long the executive director of operations for albertas emergency management agency told reporters our concern tends to be towards the oil and gas infrastructure to the north
like all major oil sands operations syncrude and suncor have sophisticated fire services and their operations are surrounded by a large area that has been stripped of trees and other flammable materials
even so the fires new threat reverses earlier efforts to return the oil sands projects to full operation the highway through fort mcmurray was reopened several days ago to allow workers to return to the work sites
the road was closed again on monday


pandora media the largest internet radio service has become the target of an activist shareholder who is urging the company to renew plans to sell itself
corvex management a hedge fund managed by keith meister has taken a 99 percent stake in pandora by acquiring 227 million shares and share equivalents making it the largest shareholder according to a regulatory filing on monday corvexs stake is worth about 230 million at mondays closing stock price
pandora had enlisted the help of morgan stanley to field preliminary takeover conversations people briefed on the matter said in february however those discussions did not get far and in march the company replaced brian p mcandrews as chief executive with tim westergren the companys co founder and former chief strategy officer
comments from mr westergren since he has been appointed chief executive suggest an unwillingness to consider a sale regardless of the price offered to shareholders or the cost and uncertainty inherent in a stand alone business plan said mr meister in a letter to jim feuille chairman of pandora that was disclosed in the filing
as a result mr meister urged pandora to hire a new firm to pursue a sale or what the fund calls a value maximization process
we are confidently investing to fully capture the massive opportunity ahead of us pandora said in a statement our management team is in constant dialogue with shareholders about our business strategy and committed to delivering results and long term value
a representative morgan stanley declined to comment
pandoras large user base might appeal to buyers like traditional media companies internet giants or other companies in the music industry macquarie analysts said in a research report
mr meister said that he delivered a notice of intent to nominate three directors at pandoras annual meeting this year but withdrew after conversations with executives and other board members demonstrated a willingness to enhance shareholder value he said he was surprised by the appointment of mr westergren as chief executive
shares of pandora jumped 35 percent in after hours trading once corvex disclosed its filling the company trades at a market valuation around 23 billion with another 200 million or so in debt
pandoras former chief executive mr mcandrews is a director at the new york times company


in an election year when bill clintons policies and personal indiscretions have faced intense scrutiny hillary clinton is beginning to shape the role her husband would play in her administration zeroing in on economic growth and job creation as crucial missions for the former president
mrs clinton told voters in kentucky on sunday that mr clinton would be in charge of revitalizing the economy because you know he knows how to do it especially in places like coal country and inner cities on a campaign swing this month before the west virginia primary she said her husband has got to come out of retirement and be in charge of creating jobs
she has not provided details about how a former president would fit into a policy making role in his wifes administration a position never before seen in american politics asked on monday whether mr clinton would hold a cabinet position mrs clinton shook her head and said no
aides said mr clintons role would be narrowly defined to focus on hard hit areas of the country such as the rust belt and they rejected any implication that mrs clinton would outsource a central part of her administration to her spouse
but even a passing promise that mr clinton would be put in charge of a significant part of a presidents portfolio raised questions about how such an arrangement would work in a white house that has long relied on an appointed treasury secretary and national economic council
there is a practical puzzle of how a role like this would jibe with the existing cabinet members whose job is to work on the economy said austan d goolsbee an economic adviser to president obama and a professor at the university of chicago
the declaration about mr clintons potential place in a hillary clinton administration comes as her campaign is preparing to battle the likely republican nominee donald j trump and widening its efforts to win the support of white working class voters those voters hold generally favorable opinions of mr clinton but view her with more skepticism
mr clintons more emotive style appears to resonate with blue collar voters in ways mrs clintons has not some 55 percent of voters nationwide said they do not believe mrs clinton cares about people like me according to a quinnipiac poll conducted in february
and mr clintons record   a balanced budget the creation of 227 million jobs and 77 million people lifted out of poverty   is in many ways simpler for mrs clinton to pitch than mr obamas economic record when economic growth has disproportionately benefited the wealthiest americans
hillary clintons statement that if elected president shed put bill clinton in charge of revitalizing the economy ... because you know he knows how to do it suggests shes no longer touting the successes of the obama economy or even linking herself to it said robert b reich a secretary of labor during the clinton administration who endorsed senator bernie sanders of vermont in the democratic primary
but for all the benefits of relying on mr clinton and touting the economic prosperity he oversaw the strategy could open mrs clinton up to further attacks by mr trump who has outspokenly criticized mr clintons personal indiscretions
mr trump who has campaigned as an economic populist has also hit mrs clinton over her husbands trade policies including the north american free trade agreement which mr clinton signed into law in 1993 and which many voters believe hurt american workers
mrs clintons embrace of her husbands economic legacy comes after she has spent much of the past year grappling with a challenge from mr sanders and the liberal wing of the democratic party with economic inequality emerging as a main concern among democratic voters she has sought to distance herself from the wall street deregulation and trade policies associated with the 1990s
to what extent does bill clintons mixed policy agenda map out to the current campaign thats the challenge said jared bernstein a senior fellow at the center on budget and policy priorities and a former economic adviser to vice president joseph r biden jr
mrs clinton often says she is not running for her husbands third term but she has also leaned heavily on his economic record
jobs jobs jobs mrs clinton said on the late show with stephen colbert last month when asked what mr clinton would do in the white house nobody did it better created more jobs helped incomes rise i want every bit of advice he can give me about how we do the same going forward
nick merrill a spokesman for mrs clinton said that the central focus of her campaign has been increasing wages and creating good jobs and that she would not outsource that effort
as she has repeatedly said throughout this campaign secretary clinton is interested in having president clinton focus on places that have experienced substantial job loss and economic dislocation like coal country and some inner cities mr merrill said adding that she has put forward an ambitious agenda for serving economically distressed communities and looks forward to having president clinton be a part of these efforts
while mrs clinton has devoted much of her time in the democratic primary to speaking out against the impact caused by parts of the 1994 crime bill and a 1996 overhaul of the welfare system that cut federal assistance to the poor by nearly 55 billion over six years she can now more safely embrace the bill clinton years democrats said
what weve seen for decades is that the broader electorate thinks the 1990s went pretty damn well said matt bennett a former aide to mr clinton and senior vice president for public affairs at third way a centrist think tank did they love every single thing of course not
mrs clintons advisers said the upside of using mr clinton particularly in the general election would far outweigh any potential personal baggage that he brings   and that mr trump plans to exploit
polls show that voters have a better opinion of mr clinton than either mrs clinton or mr trump with 56 percent of registered voters viewing him positively according to a cnnorc poll in february
if mrs clinton leans on her husband for economic advice the former president may need to update his approach
to address the growing income inequality and middle class wages that have remained virtually stagnant for the past 15 years mrs clinton in her current campaign has put forth an economic agenda that is more populist and reliant on government than mr clintons centrist approach of deficit reduction and welfare reform
bill clinton is well aware that the economy has changed since the 1990s said alan b krueger a professor of economics at princeton university and a former chairman of mr obamas council of economic advisers who has advised mrs clinton he would recommend policies that would strengthen the economy especially for the middle class in the current environment


in july 2011 minh quang pham an operative for al qaeda in yemen who had secretly left britain to train with the group flew back home prepared to carry out a bombing at heathrow airport near london united states prosecutors have said
mr pham never carried out the attack but his commitment to do so has become a sticking point in his sentencing on terrorism related charges which was to have taken place on monday in federal district court in manhattan
after the hearing began the judge alison j nathan said that she would not sentence mr pham immediately after it became clear that his lawyer and prosecutors were in sharp disagreement over mr phams intent in the airport plot
his intent is important because it is likely to influence the sentence that judge nathan imposes on mr pham 33 prosecutors have suggested that he receive a 50 year sentence while his lawyer has requested 30 years the minimum for which he is eligible he could face up to life in prison
mr pham was arrested by the british authorities in december 2011 and he was extradited to the united states last year he pleaded guilty in january
in recently filed court papers prosecutors noted that mr pham after being brought to the united states admitted under fbi questioning that while he was in yemen with the group known as al qaeda in the arabian peninsula or aqap he approached anwar al awlaki a radical american born cleric who had become the groups leading english language propagandist and offered to conduct a suicide attack and sacrifice himself when he returned to britain
in yemen pham showed that his commitment to aqaps deadly agenda was absolute prosecutors wrote in a memorandum to the judge citing mr phams training with the group his decision to swear an oath of allegiance to it and his offer to martyr himself for its cause
but mr pham writing to the judge denied that he intended to carry out the bombing and said that he agreed to it only in order leave yemen he was willing to accept any plot to go home he wrote
in court on monday mr phams lawyer bobbi c sternheim said the fact that her client remained free in britain for months after his return without engaging in violence showed he did not intend to carry out the bombing
but a prosecutor anna m skotko said that mr pham had been searched and questioned when he arrived at heathrow and knew he was under surveillance
judge nathan said she was leaning toward siding with the governments position but she offered to hold a hearing for each side to present evidence and testimony on the issue ms sternheim said that she would let the court know whether mr pham wanted such a hearing before a sentencing is held


when the mets had steven matz skip a start over the weekend the cause sounded ominous elbow soreness in this age of fragile pitching arms it is easy to imagine the worst
but the mets got good news on monday when the left handed matz visited a doctor and was found to have no ligament damage in his throwing elbow according to a person who was briefed on the matter the person requested anonymity because the mets made no formal announcement
matz who turns 25 this month has had a nearly seamless beginning to his major league career going 9 1 with a 256 era in 12 starts   six last season six this season but he had tommy john surgery once in 2010 and a pitchers chances of success decline greatly after a second such operation
matz last pitched last monday in los angeles beating the dodgers for his fifth win in a row he allowed only four runs across 33 innings in those starts
the mets have not said when matzs next start will be but because of mondays day off they could conceivably push it back to saturday   at citi field against milwaukee   while keeping their other starters on regular rest


washington   in march 2012 the national security agencys top secret internal newsletter published a david letterman style list of reasons that officials should read it no 7 was that you might find out what those shadowy people on the other side of the partition are really up to
that tongue in cheek comment became reality the next year after edward j snowden included thousands of newsletter items in the huge archive of nsa documents he disclosed about the agencys programs and operations
on monday the news website the intercept said it would publish the entire archive of the newsletter and began by posting more than 150 articles from 2003 the newsletters inaugural year along with a handful of later items with only a few names of lower level agency personnel redacted
we encourage other journalists researchers and interested parties to comb through these documents along with future published batches to find additional material of interest others may well find stories or clues that lead to stories that we did not wrote glenn greenwald who was one of the original recipients of mr snowdens disclosures and later helped found the intercept
the newsletter is called sidtoday the acronym refers to signals intelligence directorate the nsa component responsible for electronic spying it offers a mixture of mundane accounts of employee life at the agency with operational updates and programmatic information that is written in plain english making it more accessible than other more technical and jargon filled documents in the snowden archive
a nsa spokeswoman had no immediate comment on the publication
several of the newsletter items published on monday add new details to the public understanding of previously known events
for example one article described the american and british ambassadors to the united nations expressing thanks to the agency for providing what the latter called insights into the nuances of internal divisions among the five permanent members of the un security council during the diplomatic negotiations ahead of the iraq war
another article described the nsas contribution to a high profile rescue mission for pfc jessica lynch who had been captured in iraq on march 23 2003 and taken to a hospital in nasiriya it says the nsa had obtained blueprints of the hospital from a japanese firm that had built it and sent them to the commandos literally minutes before the aircraft departed with the strike team
a third article was a first person account by a nsa analyst about the day the united states military took custody of six algerian men in bosnia whom it brought to guantanamo bay cuba the day included a last minute change of the route taken by the convoy carrying the prisoners the nsa was watching for signs of any potential ambush
one of the algerians was later the named plaintiff in a landmark ruling by the supreme court in 2008 establishing that detainees at the american naval base in cuba had a constitutional right to habeas corpus hearings another of the men was at the center of a high level internal argument among obama administration lawyers over whether keeping him in wartime detention violated international law
the algerian men were accused of plotting to attack the american embassy in bosnia and the account in the nsa newsletter shows that people inside the government assumed that this was true
because much of the evidence against them came from us intel the bosnian government didnt have access to it and after a couple of months in custody the six prisoners were scheduled to be released without trial the account said adding that a commander decided to take them into custody rather than let them go back to their families
but after they won the right to habeas corpus an american judge   who did have access to classified intelligence   ruled that the evidence of any embassy plot was too thin to support the accusations he ordered five of the six men freed but permitted the last one to be held on other grounds that man was forcibly repatriated to algeria in 2013


the forefathers of the washington nationals started and ended their existence against the mets maury wills struck out against tom seaver on april 8 1969 and endy chavez grounded out against bartolome fortunato on oct 3 2004 those events both at shea stadium were the bookends of the montreal expos
the nationals only whisper their affiliation with the expos two small montreal logos accompany the names of gary carter and andre dawson in a ring of honor at nationals park but otherwise the team aligns itself with older clubs that played in washington rivalries do not spring easily from such limited and fractured history
yet here we are in mid may of the nationals 12th season and the mets are a natural enemy the teams meet for the first time this season with three games at citi field this week and three more in washington next week the mets wrested the east division from washingtons grip last august and then earned the world series trip that had been widely expected for the nationals like their montreal ancestors the nationals have still never won a pennant
this rivalry is one of circumstance not history there are really only three marquee rivalries in baseball the yankees and the red sox the dodgers and the giants the cubs and the cardinals others pop up intermittently but are no less compelling in the moment
the mets nationals relationship is like that now something approaching a torrid affair all breathless intensity but probably not sustainable the yankees and the red sox these days are the stodgy old couple paired together forever but without much present day pizzazz
every now and then that rivalry regains its fire with rich storylines and outsize personalities david ortiz and alex rodriguez remain but they are 40 years old and from the generation that brought us pedro martinez and roger clemens manny ramirez and johnny damon curt schilling and bernie williams kevin millar and hideki matsui   and the yankees core four
they had style backstories that fit them comfortably as heroes or villains and in some cases arms that every serious fan wanted to see now the best place to find those elements is a mets nationals series
start with the matchups this time around on tuesday the mets noah syndergaard faces max scherzer in his last start syndergaard hit two home runs to beat the dodgers he throws so hard with such a vicious slider that it is natural to wonder how long his elbow can stay intact syndergaard even made a precautionary visit to a doctor recently
scherzer all he did was whiff 20 tigers in his last start tying a major league record for strikeouts in a nine inning game the last time scherzer pitched in new york on oct 3 at citi field he threw a no hitter with 17 strikeouts
in the final two games the mets will start two of three from the group of steven matz bartolo colon and matt harvey each commands attention for a different reason matz for his elbow which gave him discomfort last week colon for his bat after his first career homer on the road trip and harvey for his puzzling performance this season which has swelled his earned run average to 493
the nationals will pitch gio gonzalez a former 21 game winner on wednesday thursdays start belongs to stephen strasburg who signed a seven year 175 million contract extension last week
the series brings the return of the nationals daniel murphy who leads the majors with a 400 average   almost as high as his 421 mark for the mets in the national league playoffs the mets would not make a long term commitment to murphy who accepted three years and 375 million to try to beat them instead
the nationals headliner of course is bryce harper the unanimous nl most valuable player last season who leads the league with a 1066 on base plus slugging percentage when the cubs swept the nationals in four games this month they issued 13 walks to harper including six in the series finale his hitting   when he gets a chance   is inspiring and his unapologetic flair is endearing or annoying to fans with nothing in between
the mets have their own must see attraction yoenis cespedes who plays with a fluorescent flourish like harper he backs up his strut with statistics his 12 homers were one shy of nolan arenados major league lead through sunday
each team also has a franchise pillar from virginia on an infield corner   third baseman david wright for the mets first baseman ryan zimmerman for the nationals   and the clubs have the two oldest managers in baseball the mets terry collins was born 19 days before the nationals dusty baker in 1949
in time of course the players will shift and so will the competitive landscape the mets and the nationals might always be division neighbors but will not always contend at the same time historically the mets best rivalries have never stayed hot for very long
they upended the cubs in 1969 clashed with the cardinals in the 1980s stewed in the braves shadow in the late 1990s and early 2000s and   after a runaway division crown in 2006   crumbled down the stretch in pennant races with the phillies
the nationals and the mets have won three of the last four nl east titles and the braves who won in 2013 are rebuilding the phillies and the marlins have winning records this year though both had been outscored by their opponents through sunday
the mets despite a losing road trip should fight with the nationals all season they meet for one series in june another just before the all star break and two more in september   19 games to stoke a rivalry that should be lots of fun while it lasts


mergers and acquisitions activity is down initial public offerings are practically dead companies are cutting spending the stock market is increasingly volatile gross domestic product is stalling
what explains it all
perhaps hillary clinton and donald trump
a growing body of research shows that during presidential election years   particularly ones like this when there is such uncertainty about the nations future   industry becomes almost paralyzed a look at the last several dozen election cycles shows that during the final year of a presidential term big corporate investments are routinely postponed and big deals are put on the back burner
the research is even more persuasive on the final year of an eight year presidential term when a new candidate inevitably will become president
the trend is already playing out that way this year verizon is slimming its capital spending so are dupont and union pacific mcdonalds and delta air lines are in standstill mode and exxon mobil is cutting back drastically admittedly the energy complex has its own issues with the price of oil remaining at low levels
of course there are many factors in play beyond the election from the possibility of the federal reserve raising interest rates to the potential brexit   britain seceding from the european union   to a slowdown in china and emerging markets
but the circus that is the united states presidential election may be playing an even bigger role consciously or subconsciously than most executives may want to admit
if history is any guide from now till nov 8 the stock market is likely to trend down putting a psychological damper on deal making and initial public offerings according to research by stephen suttmeier a technical analyst at bank of america merrill lynch global research the standard  poors 500 stock index has fallen an average of 28 percent since 1928 during election years like this one in which the incumbent   in this case president obama   is not seeking re election the final year of an incumbents eight year term is the only year that averaged negative returns mr suttmeiers research said
this phenomenon pushes down far more than just the stock market the real economy is affected too despite all sorts of the idiosyncratic factors that have seemingly influenced the global economy over the years there is a clear trend electoral uncertainty induces a decline in gdp portions composed of costly to undo investments according to a widely discussed 2014 study by brandice canes wrone and christian ponce de leon of princeton university titled elections uncertainty and economic outcomes
it is a favorite epithet of ceos uncertainty the word is routinely used as a catchall for why things arent going as well as they should sometimes the uncertainty is economic but these days it is mostly political
election outcomes are relevant to corporate decisions as they have implications for industry regulation monetary and trade policy taxation and in more extreme cases the possible expropriation or nationalization of private firms brandon julio a professor at the london business school wrote in the journal of finance if an election can potentially result in a bad outcome from a firms perspective the option value of waiting to invest increases and the firm may rationally delay investment until some or all of the policy uncertainty is resolved
mr julio together with his co author youngsuk yook of the federal reserve examined not just elections in the united states but in 48 other countries from 1980 to 2005 they found a clear pattern during election years firms reduce investment expenditures by an average of 48 percent relative to nonelection years their study said
strikingly mr suttmeiers finding that the final year of an incumbents eight year term was the only year that averaged negative returns in the united states may have an explanation albeit one that involves a bit of conspiracy theorizing there has been much debate over whether incumbents manipulate fiscal and monetary policy instruments to influence the level of economic activity prior to an election in order to maximize the probability of re election mr julio said in his own study
critics of the democratic party have suggested that janet l yellen chairwoman of the federal reserve and an obama appointee will be hard pressed to raise interest rates significantly in an election year out of fear that such a move might slow the economy and give the republicans a stronger position
whatever the case with the stock market continuing to struggle the prospects of lively corporate activity re emerging this year are slim companies are already showing signs of shying away from big deals while there have been a handful of headline grabbing transactions merger volume in the first quarter of the year is already down 38 percent from last year according to dealogic
particularly pronounced is the flight from deals that could have antitrust implications or potential tax consequences tax inversion deals for example in which companies move their headquarters outside the united states to enjoy lower tax rates have fallen out of favor in part because a change in leadership could lead to changes in the way such deals are treated in the future both mrs clinton and mr trump have talked about their ambitions for corporate tax reform and deals in the defense industry and others that rely on government contracts are also likely to slow analysts said
the big question   bigger than what the rest of the year will look like   is whether the economy will pick up once the issue of the next president is decided all the data says it should   indeed much of the economic activity may just be delayed but in an increasingly polarized country the pain of electoral strife could linger on wall street far longer than anyone would wish


when the 40 racecars lined up for the first indianapolis 500 on may 30 1911 39 of them had something in common there were two men onboard in the 40th car sat ray harroun all by himself
harroun went on to win the race at least in part because of the aerodynamic advantages his one man car gave him but that is not why other drivers protested before the race they were worried about safety
one of the key jobs of the second man in a racecar who was known as a riding mechanic was to look backward and alert the driver to what was going on behind him harrouns rivals were concerned that without this spotter he might cause a pileup
dont worry harroun told officials he had rigged a 3 inch by 8 inch mirror in a makeshift case mounted above his dashboard
it was quite possibly the first rearview mirror on a motorcar
this week 33 drivers are beginning to practice and qualify for the 100th indianapolis 500 to be held on may 29 when solo drivers will cram themselves into the narrow cockpits of aerodynamic wonders that often average more than 160 miles per hour in the race
harrouns car in the first indy 500 the marmon wasp which averaged 746 mph in his victory was ahead of its time in a number of ways
you could save the weight of the second person and the body could be more narrow said donald davidson the official indianapolis motor speedway historian
the wasp was one of the few cars at the time to be streamlined and in the 1960s davidson said several astronauts inspected the wasp which is still on display at the speedway museum
they were fascinated by the shape of the tail and asked how did they know to do this davidson said
the mirror also probably helped harroun aerodynamically producing downforce davidson said
passenger cars began introducing rearview mirrors soon after the race davidson said he had never seen a photograph of one on a car before that date
as far as we know he said ray harroun had the first rearview mirror on an automobile
harroun who died in 1968 told davidson he got the idea for the mirror while serving as a chauffeur in chicago in 1904 for william thorne the president of montgomery ward
along came a horse drawn taxicab davidson said harroun told him the fellow was sitting up on top with a top hat and he noticed there was a pole sticking out with a mirror
the other 39 drivers in the 1911 race stuck with two seaters as harroun circled the track alone for 6 hours 42 minutes 8 seconds tony kanaan won the 2013 race in a record 240034 with an average speed of 1874 mph
riding mechanics who in addition to being lookouts kept an eye on tire wear and would even hop out of the car and run back through the infield to get fuel shared the danger with the drivers s p dickson whom a new york times article referred to as a mechanician died during the race after his car lost a wheel causing both occupants to be thrown out the driver arthur greiner was lucky to escape with a broken arm
dickson was thrown against a fence 20 feet from the car and terribly mangled the times reported
four other riding mechanics sustained injuries in the race
safety standards at races in that era were poor many of the spectators that day estimated at more than 80000 wandered into situations almost as dangerous as those facing the drivers
the spectators swarmed across the infield when dickson was killed and pressed close about his body and that of the unconscious greiner the times reported soldiers had to club their guns to clear a space for the surgeons when the ambulance arrived
the throng went wild with excitement after the first accident and rushed back and forth over the field when the other accidents were reported
the drivers fell short of the fame of those today most of the drivers and the mechanics were employees of the company that manufactured the car and races were often seen as battles between companies rather than men
harroun compared himself to a jockey
i didnt win the 500 in 1911 harroun told davidson marmon won the 500 i just happened to be the driver
the headline of the times article about the first race read marmon car wins
harroun the only man to ride alone in that first indy 500 was also the only one to do so for many years
beginning the next year the rules were changed to require the use of riding mechanics they were mandatory until 1922 and then again from 1930 to 1937
but while he was winning the first indy 500 in his innovative car harroun had a secret which he related to davidson in 1967 his innovative mirror had reassured his rivals that the race would be safe but the brick track at the speedway made for a bumpy ride
to tell you the truth on the brick surface i couldnt see a damn thing in it harroun said and no one knew it but me


a federal judge on monday awarded control of the nations oldest synagogue in newport ri to the congregation housed there ruling against a new york congregation that had claimed ownership in a four year legal fight between two of the oldest examples of americas religious pluralism
the touro synagogue in newport built before the revolutionary war and with a connection to george washington is a landmark of american jewish history but its congregation jeshuat israel suffers from dwindling membership and resources pitted against it in district court in providence was the oldest jewish congregation in the united states shearith israel of new york which predates the synagogue by a century
the ruling clears the way for jeshuat israel to sell a pair of colonial era silver ornaments called rimonim valued at more than 7 million to raise money that it says is needed to keep the synagogue operating the ornaments adorned with small bells were made by a noted 18th century silversmith myer myers to go atop torah scroll spindles
because of the financial situation weve been unable to do necessary maintenance said louise ellen teitz a co president of the congregation which has 130 members
shearith israel with a synagogue on west 70th street in manhattan argued that it was the rightful owner of the newport synagogue and its contents and sought the congregation that has used the building for more than a century leaders of the new york congregation did not reply to messages seeking comment
judge john j mcconnell jr sided firmly with jeshuat israel ensuring that control of the synagogue and its contents will remain with the jewish community in newport
the central issue here is the legacy of some of the earliest jewish settlers in north america who desired to make newport a permanent haven for public jewish worship judge mcconnell wrote in a 106 page decision
those settlers were primarily sephardic descended from jews who fled the inquisition in spain and portugal in the 1650s one group settled in new york becoming shearith israel and another in newport in 1763 the jews of newport consecrated what became known as the touro synagogue for the communitys leader at the time isaac touro in 1790 washington wrote a letter to the newport congregation in praise of religious freedom referring to the government of the united states which gives to bigotry no sanction to persecution no assistance
but jews were leaving newport and touro fell mostly dormant for generations some congregants moved to new york and joined shearith israel taking with them the keys to touro and its valuables including the torahs and rimonim after a new wave of jewish immigration touro reopened in the late 19th century the objects were returned and the congregation jeshuat israel was formed
the historical record showed that the people named on touros original property deed were trustees for the community not owners of the land or the structure judge mcconnell found in turn he wrote shearith israel became the trustee not the owner
the judge chastised the new york congregation for claiming ownership and removed it as touros trustee awarding that power to jeshuat israel


washington   senator lamar alexander has run in elite national political circles for decades sought the presidency twice and served as governor of tennessee cabinet secretary and university president he does not know donald j trump
never met him said mr alexander a tennessee republican now in his third term
that disconnect helps explain the awkward courtship ritual transpiring between republicans in washington and their partys presumed presidential nominee most of them have no real clue about the man other than what they have read seen on cable news or absorbed from watching his reality tv show the apprentice
it is hard to trust someone until you know them mr alexander noted and it is hard to know someone until you meet them
it is not just lawmakers top representatives of the k street lobbying and strategic communications world say they are in the same boat
i hear mostly concern from our members who is this guy what do we know about him how will he behave said thomas j donohue president of the us chamber of commerce they are calling up all of their buddies that are involved in his business or know him from wherever i have been talking to some of those people as well
this nearly total lack of personal familiarity with mr trump among many political veterans is just one more extraordinary aspect of this years presidential campaign nominees of major political parties are usually extremely well acquainted with the political world from years in public life people know what to expect
in this case it is like some aggressive new invasive species has been plopped down in the middle of the political forest
i met him for 30 seconds in 2012 speaker paul d ryan told reporters after last weeks tete a tete with mr trump so we really dont know each other
mr ryan was among the first to publicly note his lack of a relationship with mr trump as a factor in his uncertainty about endorsing him but multiple republican members of congress when asked said they had never met the billionaire developer a few republican senators active in the national republican senatorial committee said they had briefly met mr trump in his office during a past fund raising expedition to new york
the practitioners of politics at such rarefied heights are usually part of a relatively small universe governors senators house members cabinet secretaries top elected state officials operatives advisers and big money donors among others they tend to know or at least know of one another from years of rubbing shoulders at national and state conventions myriad political dinners campaigns national governors association meetings or wheeling and dealing in congress even ross perot who ran an independent campaign for president in 1992 with no elective experience had broad dealings with the federal government over several decades
as mr alexander put it i have been to a lot of things over 40 years
that experience and track record provide those in the political world a working knowledge of whether candidates are true to their word are willing to compromise know the subject matter can keep a confidence   all among the important things to weigh in making political judgments
president obama served only four years in the senate but even that short time gave his colleagues and critics some sense of how he operated and allowed him to build some solid relationships he has relied upon during his years in the white house this years republican primary included senators marco rubio of florida and ted cruz of texas who had both been in washington a relatively short time but had been active in state politics allowing people to form opinions based on firsthand experiences with them
to mr trump and his supporters his lack of connection to establishment republicans and the washington influence community has been a singular strength of his candidacy and he wears his lack of experience in public office as a badge of honor as an outsider he is seen by supporters as not weighted down by the loyalties and connections they view as a source of what is wrong with washington
but it could become a serious disadvantage if mr trump is elected and needs to build a government he has seemed to recognize his need for a running mate with washington credentials and expertise saying he wants someone capable of helping move legislation and he did turn to a longtime washington lobbyist and power broker paul manafort to help run his campaign
mr trump is not totally without acquaintances in washington senator harry reid of nevada the senate democratic leader and representative nancy pelosi of california the house democratic leader have recounted positive experiences with mr trump
in january mr reid noted that he was kind of pulling for mr trump and remembered the good old days when mr trump had hosted fund raisers for the senator and ms pelosi introduced to the businessman by new york democrats said recently that in her one meeting with mr trump he was a gentleman and lovely
but both are now among mr trumps harshest critics   mr reid took back his remarks shortly after making them   and neither democrat can be expected to be of much assistance to mr trump
during their session last week mr ryan said he and mr trump started to get to know each other now the question is whether a closer personal relationship between mr trump and leading washington republicans makes things better or worse


washington   president obama on monday made an impassioned argument for his administrations decision to instruct public schools to allow transgender students to use the bathroom that matches their gender identity saying that society must protect the dignity and safety of vulnerable children
the remarks were the presidents first public comments on a directive released friday that has added fuel to a searing national debate over transgender rights mr obama said the guidance issued by the education and justice departments represented our best judgment on how to help schools wrestling with the issue
were talking about kids and anybody whos been in school been in high school whos been a parent i think should realize that kids who are sometimes in the minority   kids who have a different sexual orientation or are transgender   are subject to a lot of bullying potentially they are vulnerable mr obama said in an interview with buzzfeed news i think that it is part of our obligation as a society to make sure that everybody is treated fairly and our kids are all loved and that theyre protected and that their dignity is affirmed
the white house has said little about mr obamas role in the release of the guidance which had been under development for months other than to say that he had been kept apprised of its progress and that it was broadly consistent with his values it has drawn condemnations from many republican lawmakers who call it an example of presidential overreach
greg abbott the governor of texas said on monday that the guidance violated the principle of separation of powers and state officials there have signaled that they will seek to challenge it in court
the president is turning the constitution on its head mr abbott told fox news hes trying to cram down as many parts of his liberal agenda on the united states of america as he possibly can before leaving office in january
the clash comes as the obama administration is battling north carolina over a law that says transgender people must use restrooms and changing facilities that correspond to their sex at birth the justice department sued the state this month arguing that the law is discriminatory
theres no denying that there has been a significant uptick in public consideration of these kinds of questions because of north carolinas measure josh earnest the white house press secretary said on monday before the presidents comments were published online
the white house was not just aware of these policy deliberations but in the loop as the decisions were being made to ensure that the guidance reflected the presidents values and the presidents preferences he added
mr obama said he would not comment on the north carolina suit to avoid intervening in a pending case but he said that he expected the courts to eventually resolve the issue of how schools should treat transgender students and that in the meantime his administration wanted to respond to inquiries from schools on how to proceed
we said it is our view that you should try to treat these kids with dignity  mr obama said adding that the administration had sought to help educators and administrators by including a set of best practices from school districts that have enacted similar transgender policies there are school districts who have been wrestling with this problem and have we think done a good job in accommodating them in a way that is good for everybody and so you can learn from these best practices this is what we are advising
but the directive represents more than just a suggestion while it does not carry the force of law it signals how the administration interprets federal statutes bringing with it an implied threat that schools that act otherwise could lose federal funding
ultimately depending on how these other lawsuits go courts will affirm or reject how we see the issue mr obama said


the new york of gertrude vanderbilt whitneys day did not respect female artists did not prize contemporary artists and did not appreciate american artists
mrs whitney set out to change all that working out of a crazy warren of studios and salons cobbled together a century ago from abutting townhouses and carriage houses on west eighth street in greenwich village
her eccentric compound was the birthplace of the whitney museum of american art in 1931 the museum had its headquarters there until 1954 since 1967 the interlocked buildings have housed the new york studio school of drawing painting and sculpture
this would be an artistic landmark of the first order if the public were admitted on a regular basis
mark your calendar
beginning june 3 a limited number of visitors will be able to take free 45 minute tours of mrs whitneys studios
the tours have been made possible in part by a 30000 grant from the national trust for historic preservation
we think this place is a treasure stephanie k meeks the president and chief executive of the trust said and one that deserves more recognition for its history and more of an opportunity for the public to engage with it
ms meeks spoke while glancing around the mystically hallucinogenic studio created for mrs whitney in the late 1910s and early 20s by robert winthrop chanler an artist with an astor pedigree whose legacy is only now being rediscovered
in this delirious space formerly a hayloft a 20 foot tall fireplace seems to be consumed by sinuous tongues of bronze and plaster flames they lick a ceiling awash with bas relief figures of dragons snakes and cephalopods presided over by a demonically radiant sun   william blake in three dimensions compounding the madness there were once seven stained glass windows four of which flanked the hayloft doors
perhaps all of these colors and designs proved overwhelming to mrs whitneys own creativity said alicia j d cooper the tour manager and development associate at the new york studio school she and thibault dapoigny a first year student offered a dry run of the studio tour last week to ms meeks who was visiting from washington
whatever the reason mrs whitney moved into a larger ground floor studio with a rear entrance onto the artists enclave of macdougal alley there she worked on sculptures like the washington heights inwood war memorial for mitchel square in uptown manhattan and spirit of flight for the 1939 40 worlds fair
in a 1919 interview with the new york times poor little rich girl and her art  mrs harry payne whitneys struggles to be taken seriously as a sculptor without having starved in a garret mrs whitney spoke frankly of the prejudice she faced
let a woman who does not have to work for her livelihood take a studio to do the work in which she is most intensely interested and she is greeted by a chorus of horror stricken voices a knowing lifting of the eyebrows or a twist of the mouth that is equally expressive and much more condemnatory
unfazed and wealthy mrs whitney not only made art on west eighth street she also collected and exhibited it
the whitney studio opened in 1914 in 1929 mrs whitney empowered her assistant juliana reiser force to offer more than 500 artworks to edward robinson the director of the metropolitan museum of art he declined the donation
so mrs whitney and mrs force opened their own museum in 1931 today the met occupies the former home of the whitney on madison avenue
last year the incised whitney museum name was briefly revealed again on the west eighth street building near fifth avenue the studio school quickly covered it over again with its own sign reflecting the tension that goes along with the buildings dual identity as a contemporary institution and a historic landmark
the grant from the national trust was used to renovate the studio designed by mr chanler floors baseboards stairs handrails and walls were refurbished and a structural wooden floor beam was reinforced this work has made it possible to open the space to more visitors
graham nickson the dean of the school said 30000 would otherwise have been a high hurdle for the school to clear were a nonprofit he said we have to raise a tremendous amount of money just to do what we do on a regular basis
and yet the dean whose office connects to the chanler studio by a secret stairway worthy of medieval italy is happy to embrace the legacy
we refer to the good ghosts that inhabit this building mr nickson said there can be wonderful new buildings but it takes time for them to get good ghosts


the anger the hurt and the disappointment in deontay wilders voice was palpable   even from a few thousand miles away
wilder is the world boxing council heavyweight champion at 36 0 with 35 knockouts he is americas best hope in years to unify the crown that once stood as the biggest title in sports he had spent the past two weeks training in sheffield england a transit camp on his road to a fight in moscow on saturday against the top ranked contender alexander povetkin
the 45 million purse was to be the largest of wilders career beyond the money the fight would have been wilders shining moment one so important that he had agreed to take on the russian challenger in moscow
the plan was simple go into povetkins hometown knock him out and announce to the world that wilder was the heavyweight divisions new truth
but on friday the plan went to pieces
wilder learned that povetkin had tested positive for meldonium a banned performance enhancing drug and the fight was postponed
im very upset wilder said sunday from sheffield they stole the fight not just from me and my family but from all the fight fans who were looking forward to this fight
we can talk in broad strokes about the doping scandal that has engulfed russian sports about the olympic medals and world championships that may have been won   and lost   unfairly in recent years those stories are compelling but not universally so certainly not for fans who make their bets cheer their teams and support their favorite athletes regardless of whispers about ped use
but for wilder a charismatic champion on the verge of a breakthrough moment the scandal suddenly became personal
this brought it home wilder said this was a cowards way out i have no respect for athletes who cheat their way to the top i dont even see how you can live with yourself knowing that you had to cheat to get what you got how can you look yourself in the mirror
we can debate whether it is worse to have lost to someone who had an illegal advantage or to have missed a chance to compete at all because an opponent was busted
but when cheating hits you in the wallet you pay attention
i should be paid in full when you look at what i put my body through wilder said look at all the training all the preparation being away from home and he should be suspended
what now wilder will make a mandatory title defense against whomever the wbc deems the top contender the wbc also will decide whether to suspend povetkin from fighting for its belt various state commissions in the united states can suspend povetkin but such a suspension is effectively toothless because the russian most likely will not fight in the united states
for wilder already on the back side of 30 the waste of even a few months can be devastating for a career that started late theres no guarantee that such a large payday ever will come again
wilder was born in tuscaloosa ala and did not start boxing until he was 19 he said he was inspired to enter the ring after his daughter naieya was born with spina bifida wilder dropped out of shelton state community college to support his daughter and began concentrating all of his energies on boxing
in 2008 he won a bronze medal at the beijing olympics soon afterward he turned pro
media friendly and accessible wilder became known as a big puncher and a knockout artist povetkin would have provided the high profile opponent wilder needed to validate his rapid rise and to put him in position to solidify the fragmented heavyweight division in which two british fighters tyson fury and anthony joshua hold the other belts
wilder was ready to go through with the fight this weekend even if povetkin would have entered the ring from the moral low ground
he was coming to fight me with a knife in his hands wilder said i was going to fight him with my hands
wilders camp led by the veteran promoter lou dibella was furious after the positive drug test was revealed
its taking money out of the young mans pocket after he went through all the work dibella said he spent months training getting into peak condition working out every day sparring putting wear and tear on his body
he literally had finished his training and was preparing to pack his bags and go from england to russia dibella said this was going to be a defining moment for him
instead wilder flew back to tuscaloosa on monday to be with his family and to pick up the pieces of his broken dream he cannot say for sure when he will fight next
ive done all the right things wilder said now it looks like ive come to a dead end
with the fight postponed and the big money off the table a doping scandal that was on the periphery of wilders radar has hit him squarely on his jaw
now its personal


st louis   the san jose sharks got only three power plays during their loss in game 1 of the western conference finals and no call when joe thorntons bushy beard got tugged on by the st louis blues captain david backes in the first period
sharks coach peter deboer did not make a big deal about it monday still he believed his team deserved many more chances with the man advantage and was hopeful referees would have a firmer grip on tuesday night in game 2
st louis is one of the most penalized teams in the league regular season and playoffs deboer said they need to call the game accordingly need to make them pay a price for being the most penalized team in the power play which we didnt last night
the blues were the ninth most penalized team in the regular season and they have the second most minutes in the postseason they have also played more games this postseason than any other team
blues coach ken hitchcock informed of those comments wanted to know whether deboer was whining for calls
well we were told not to whine for calls so were not going to whine for calls hitchcock said well play the game well play it the right way well play it honest but well play it hard let the refs decide
five minor penalties were called three on the blues and there were none in the second period when the sharks were at their best ringing up a 16 to 6 shots advantage but coming up empty and falling behind for good on jori lehteras unassisted goal
thornton shrugged off the beard tugging incident saying it might have actually helped him
its all good for me thornton said i think it gets you more involved in the game
backes joked about the tactic too
yeah just seeing whose was real and making sure they werent glued on backes said
blues players spent little time celebrating their hard earned 2 1 victory showing up to the rink to dissect areas in need of improvement before sitting down with hitchcock
everyone knows this was kind of like a heavyweight fight round one just jabbing a little bit the blues carl gunnarsson said now we know how they play well make some adjustments and off we go
the sharks were not disappointed in their effort just the bottom line
both teams seemed to sense they might be in for a long haul perhaps a seven game marathon
twice this season the blues have needed seven games to advance putting them in the conference finals for the first time since 2001 the sharks dispatched the kings in five games during the first round but needed seven to eliminate the predators and earn a first trip to the conference finals in five years
entering game 2 the sharks trail in a series for the first time this postseason
i think this team has shown short memory thornton said get the last game out of your head and focus on the next game well see if we can do it again tomorrow
the blues won the opener despite getting outshot 32 23 relying heavily on another standout effort from goalie brian elliott he is 4 0 with a 129 goals against average and a 954 save percentage in five career playoff appearances against the sharks
whenever it seems like hes down and out and we may give up what we call a bad scoring chance he has a knack for really just working to get back and getting a piece of it defenseman kevin shattenkirk said its not only in games   we see him do it every day in practice
backes scored his seventh goal matching the sharpshooter vladimir tarasenko for the team lead with his fourth deflection of the postseason he has 13 points matching his career postseason total from 2006 7 and also was credited for 11 hits most ever by a blues player in a postseason game
the sharks were shut out on the power play for the first time since game 2 of the second round
we stepped up to the challenge blues defenseman alex pietrangelo said it was a big topic for us all week
deboer said the team was not going to overreact to power play failures or to anything else
it was a winnable game deboer said we probably had more quality chances than they did


washington   when pitchers were intentionally walking barry bonds more than anyone else in baseball history his father had a simple message for him
its your fault bobby bonds told his son you didnt have to be this good
that is what barry bonds thinks when he sees bryce harper getting so many free passes to first base but he also believes harper an outfielder for the washington nationals and the reigning most valuable player of the national league needs to diversify his game if opposing teams are going to take the bat out of his hands
hes going to need to learn to steal bases and get to second base and make his teammates job easier bonds recently told the associated press
the chicago cubs walked harper 13 times during their four game sweep of the nationals this month including four times intentionally and he scored only three runs bonds baseballs intentional walk king said too much was being made of ryan zimmermans struggles batting behind harper
teammates had bad series hitting behind bonds when he was intentionally walked too but bonds remembers what he said to his children during his playing days
my kids used to tell me daddy im sorry they walk you all the time said bonds who led baseball in intentional walks 12 times and holds the record for most in a career with 688 i said yeah but my jobs now to steal i could run then so i had to steal bases and my jobs to score runs and keep the pressure on the team regardless of what happened but i had a different game than him
bonds stole 514 bases during his 22 year major league career harper now in his fifth season has 43 stealing more bases bonds said would make harper 23 a five tool player
that does not mean that bonds believes harper is doing anything wrong
bryce harper can only do what his job is bonds said if they walk him his job is to go to first base and then run bases his teammates job is to drive him in bryce harper can only do what hes capable of doing and what hes given the opportunity to do
after the final game of the series against the cubs harper said he was walked a lot during high school and that he could not get frustrated if the treatment continued
youre getting on base and thats what your team asks you to do harper said if i can get on base every time i get up there im doing it the right way if its a hit a walk i get drilled or whatever get on base maybe steal second steal third and get it done
dusty baker who managed the san francisco giants during bonds heyday and is now managing harper with the nationals is the common thread between the two superstars baker said the onus was on harpers teammates to make opponents pay for all the walks
when bonds was playing baker did not have to give him any advice because he could lean on the experiences of his father and his godfather willie mays
i knew how to deal with it said bonds who is now the hitting coach for the miami marlins i had my own father in me i had my dad and willie i had enough pressure with those two that i didnt need to add more with dusty
harper has plenty of pressure on him as the face of the franchise and one of the best players in baseball but he can only hit what he is thrown bonds became baseballs home run king with 762 despite walking a major league leading 2558 times
bonds estimated that he lost four or five years of at bats from walks still if he were pitching to harper he said he would not give him much to hit
if i was a pitcher and i need to leave it in the ballpark im going to pick somebody whos going to leave it in the ballpark more than someone who has a chance to hit it out of the ballpark he said not every time but there will be a situation even me as a pitcher hes going to have to walk if its the game on the line


in march alysa turner a publicist from washington booked a hotel room through southwest airlines rewards program she paid 400 for a one night stay at the hilton san francisco union square but her plans changed after the window for canceling the reservation had closed
not wanting to be out the money she found a hotel resale website called roomer travel with little to lose ms turner listed her hotel room for 350 only 36 hours before check in it was a last ditch effort she said
as travel reservations become more fragmented and cancellation restrictions and fees become more widespread travelers like ms turner are pushing back they are turning to technology and listing nonrefundable hotel reservations on resale sites
think of them as stubhubs for the hospitality industry
ebay has long had vacation rental resales now roomer travel with offices in new york and tel aviv and cancelon a boston based company offer similar services with a wider variety of options
the practice of individual travelers reselling what the industry calls distressed inventory is still in its infancy a room may not sell let alone break even and some who buy hotel rooms report erratic customer service
still experts say the sites are catching on and have the potential to transform hotel reservations
its definitely not going away said christopher k anderson a faculty member at the cornell university school of hotel administration
mr anderson said that sites like tingo and tripbam that automatically rebook reservations at a lower price pose a bigger threat to hotels because they artificially inflate the cancellation rate automatically canceling and rebooking is scarier to hotels because it has an adverse effect on pricing and profitability he said
instead roomer travel and cancelon create a secondary market for hotel rooms sellers can ask any price for a room although resale is not guaranteed
the average discount is 45 percent said richie karaburun a managing director for roomer travel although rooms in cities with high demand like new york paris or rome bring higher prices at cancelon a prospective buyer can offer a lower acceptable price
when a room sells roomer travel charges sellers a 15 percent fee cancelon 10 percent both say they coordinate with a hotel to make sure a booking name and credit card guarantee are changed services are free to buyers
when a room is listed on either site it also becomes available at online travel sites like kayak and trivago rooms through roomer travel also appear on skyscanner those on cancelon are on tripadvisor
but there is a downside for consumers a room becomes indistinguishable from any other hotel offering on those sites which could sow confusion among buyers
jon eichelberger regional manager for north america at trivago said his service was devised to find what rates are available and can be booked but he added we cant tell where a room is coming from
shawn haag an instructional designer at the university of minnesota searched on tripadvisor for a hotel room in orlando fla and booked two rooms at the florida hotel for 468 he was surprised when the booking confirmation came from cancelon and not directly from the hotel
i hadnt heard of it and was startled and a little nervous he said the site promised a full refund to his credit card which he received several weeks later after changing his mind at first he received only a screen shot of a refund voucher
alex boian an executive at the outdoor industry association in boulder colo said he had an uneven buying experience with roomer travel
traveling to washington on business he wanted to stay within a budget of 300 a night he was surprised when he was directed on kayak to roomer travel for a marriott reservation
i didnt know it was a resale site he said adding that he thought all rooms on kayak represented excess capacity kayak said that if a user liked a hotel rate and it was provided by roomer or cancelon kayak would send the person to that site to complete the booking
the night before his departure he checked his marriott app saw no record of the reservation and called the hotel his stay was news to them as was the 300 rate their rate was 500 a night
he tried calling a roomer travel customer service number which he said was disconnected after complaining on social media he received a marriott confirmation number though roomer travel
now he has sworn off the site for business trips i really need certainty he said roomer travel said its customer service number was available around the clock
henry harteveldt a travel analyst with atmosphere research said its important for the consumer to know what the product is and what it is not
he emphasized it was important that all changes are made to the system in the correct way otherwise he said theres a risk of someone showing up and claiming they have a reservation when they dont
for its part the hotel industry is cautious
the american hotel and lodging association is aware that sites like these exist and is constantly monitoring new entrants like these to the digital marketplace and their impact on customers rosanna maietta a spokeswoman for the association wrote in an email
six hours before check in ms turner the washington publicist received confirmation that her room sold at its full asking price she doesnt know the going room rate that night or whether she could have gotten more money the sale was credited to her paypal account
it worked great for me she said


the nets have no proven point guard and will not own a first round pick in the nba draft next month at barclays center unless they make an unexpected deal they dropped 61 games last season including their final 10 finishing with the third worst record in the league their owner mikhail d prokhorov has dumped five full time or interim coaches in less than four years
so the new coach of this team kenny atkinson will need all of his globe trotting experience to thrive in a difficult environment in which he will need to be patient and impatient at the same time if anyone can navigate such treacherous boundaries it would seem to be this basketball lifer atkinson was a playmaker for nearly 20 international franchises and was an assistant for the ukrainian and georgian national teams
wed have a tough time getting across some borders atkinson recalled monday after his first news conference at the teams industry city facility wed have a 23 hour bus ride around one country to get to another country on the other side i wondered sometimes what am i doing in this business 
now after apprenticeships all over the world and with several nba teams atkinson 48 believes this was all worth it there are only 30 head coaching jobs in the league and he has one of them   very close to where he grew up in huntington ny
i used to listen to nets games with john sterling announcing on my little black transistor radio atkinson said establishing his new york credentials while announcing he would be moving his family to a nice neighborhood in brooklyn
brooklyn is basketball atkinson said pearl washington chris mullin i used to say im going to go to a park in brooklyn and play basketball 
atkinson was hired by the new general manager sean marks based on his reputation as a hard working high energy motivator he comes recommended by the coaches who teamed with him on the knicks the houston rockets and the atlanta hawks and by several high profile players such as al horford and jeremy lin who say he lifted their games
it is markss hope that free agents will sense atkinsons enthusiasm and come aboard a franchise that has the money to pay them albeit not the glamour or winning tradition of some competitors
hes not an established name out there marks said of atkinson but he has the passion and resume for it
anything might happen next with this unsettled roster although forward thaddeus young said monday that he was told he would be a part of the nets future marks said there were no guarantees the nets sent eight representatives   including marks and atkinson   to the chicago combine recently to scout players even though their first round lottery pick belongs to the boston celtics and their second round pick to the los angeles clippers
well certainly try to get in the draft depending on when and where the players are marks said well be scouring the globe
no matter how this off season goes the nets understand that there will be many losses this season marks said that would be ok and that he and atkinson would try not to be at each others neck when it happens
atkinson will not bring a set system with him to brooklyn no definitive triangle or four corners offense if past is prologue however he will be a force and a needler at practices atkinson often practiced with his players when he was an assistant holding his own against the likes of lin
i dont know if sean wants that to happen now atkinson said about joining the practice fray maybe in the summer league
both atkinson and marks said that prokhorov was committed to the longer term view after a somewhat disastrous attempt by the previous general manager billy king at a mandated quick fix
i hope people start to smell theres a change atkinson said whether we win 28 or 62 games were involved in a process
atkinsons brother steve was at the conference and described kenny as something of a perpetual whirlwind who rises at 5 am and never really stops working steve remembered how much fun the family enjoyed witnessing firsthand kennys far flung determined career steve was in naples in 1998 to watch his brother hit the winning jumper at the buzzer for pasta baronia napoli against a nearby rival
there were fireworks going off and the fans were kissing me steve said me
while kenny learned four or five languages abroad it was not always easy for this close knit family when he set off to yet another foreign land
sometimes we couldnt communicate with each other his mother pauline said there were no cellphones and long distance was costing us five dollars a minute
because he enjoys a considerable basketball and familial support group atkinson made a point monday to thank his mother his seven brothers and his coaches at st anthonys high and the university of richmond
he said he had learned a lot from many professional head coaches including rick adelman in houston mike dantoni with the knicks and mike budenholzer in atlanta
atkinsons voice cracked at times from the emotion that welled inside from a return to new york there was one striking omission he never mentioned his father neil who died two years ago his father an inspiration would call kenny every sunday to debrief him about the latest basketball events no matter where
i couldnt talk about him atkinson said i would have completely lost it


thrown chairs leaked cellphone numbers death threats spewed across the internet
no this is not the work of donald j trump supporters some of whom have harassed critics of the presumptive republican presidential nominee it was angry supporters of senator bernie sanders who were directing their ire at the nevada democratic party   and its chairwoman roberta lange   over a state convention on saturday that they think was emblematic of a rigged political system
its been vile said ms lange who riled sanders supporters by refusing their requests for rule changes at the event in las vegas its been threatening messages threatening my family threatening my life threatening my grandchild
the vicious response has come as millions of new voters many of whom felt excluded by establishment politicians have flocked to the insurgent campaigns of mr sanders and mr trump mr trump has all but locked up the nomination but many backers of mr sanders remain enraged as his hopes of being the democratic candidate dwindle
although hillary clinton won the nevada caucuses in february the sanders campaign worked hard to win delegates at county conventions and was hopeful that it could emerge from the state with an equal number of delegates or more but the state convention held at the paris las vegas hotel deteriorated into chaos after nearly 60 of mr sanderss potential delegates were deemed ineligible amid a dispute over the rules the convention concluded abruptly after security staff no longer felt it could ensure the safety of the participants many of whom were yelling and throwing things
though the raucous republican nominating fight was the one that appeared to be careering toward a contested convention the drawn out fight on the democratic side has emerged as an ugly intraparty feud in its own right threatening hopes for unity ahead of the july convention in philadelphia mr sanders faces a virtually insurmountable delegate deficit but has pledged to carry on his campaign despite the long odds
mr sanders has promised if he is not the nominee to help defeat mr trump and even though he has scaled back his attacks against mrs clinton he still asserts that he would be a better general election candidate the sanders campaign is still fighting vigorously for every delegate that remains on the table and his supporters have shown little sign of warming to his opponent
what nevada shows is the kindling is there joe trippi a democratic strategist said of the energy within mr sanderss base of support the question is what is he going to do with it
the backlash against ms lange in nevada echoes what happened in colorado last month when supporters of mr trump bombarded steve house the chairman of the state republican party with complaints of disenfranchisement he received thousands of calls after his cellphone number was disseminated online
supporters of mr sanders used similar tactics to exert pressure on ms lange who has received more than 1000 calls since saturday night and as many as three text messages per minute the threats which came from men and women from across the country were haunting and personal
loved how you broke the system one person wrote in a text message that said he or she knew where ms langes grandchildren went to school prepare for hell calls wont stop
another person left a voice mail message saying he thought ms lange should be hung in public execution for her actions
im scared for my family ms lange said scared for my kids
michael briggs a spokesman for mr sanders said the vermont senator did not condone violence of any kind however he said the campaign was still determining whether it would challenge the nevada results
the senator believes that the democratic party all over the country would serve its own interests better if it were to figure out a way to welcome people who have been energized and excited by his campaign into the party mr briggs said it would behoove the party to be more welcoming and engage those people
the democratic national committee is hoping that what happened in las vegas stays there and that the prospect of mr trumps winning the presidency brings the party together in time for the july convention
were confident that democrats will be united and energized at our convention and throughout the general election said mark paustenbach a committee spokesman our candidates have each said they will work hard to make sure that donald trump and his dangerous and divisive policies never set foot in the oval office


washington   victory for house republicans in federal court last week could mean significantly higher health insurance premiums for millions of people if the decision is upheld on appeal the obama administration said monday
and much of the cost for those higher premiums could be passed on to the federal government and taxpayers administration officials and health policy experts said
the ruling by judge rosemary m collyer of the united states district court for the district of columbia would block the administration from reimbursing insurers for discounts provided to millions of low income people under the affordable care act without that money insurers would have to increase premiums for many people purchasing insurance through the health laws online marketplaces the administration said
judge collyer said that the administration had paid billions of dollars to insurers since january 2014 even though congress had not appropriated money for those subsidies a violation of article i of the constitution which states no money shall be drawn from the treasury but in consequence of appropriations made by law
the disputed money compensates insurers for the discounts which make health care more affordable to consumers by reducing co payments deductibles and other out of pocket costs if insurers are not reimbursed for the discounts the administration said they will need to charge higher premiums to cover their expenses
a study by the department of health and human services estimated that premiums for midlevel silver plans could rise by nearly 30 percent without those reimbursements
many consumers would be protected since under the law they would be entitled to larger tax credits to help pay the higher premiums the administration said however taxpayers would bear some of the extra costs the urban institute a nonprofit research organization estimated additional spending would total 36 billion in 2016 and 47 billion over the next decade
the administration plans to appeal the decision in the case house of representatives v burwell the judge held off putting her decision into effect to allow for an appeal
clare krusing a spokeswoman for americas health insurance plans a trade group said we have a long judicial process ahead of us so therell be no immediate change to anyones current benefit but if you eliminate the cost sharing subsidies it would certainly increase the overall cost of coverage
federal officials say the affordable care act gave them permanent authority to help pay deductibles co payments and other out of pocket costs for certain low income people who buy insurance through the new public marketplaces the congressional budget office estimated that these payments known as cost sharing reductions would total 130 billion over the next 10 years
but if insurers must rely on congress to provide the money through annual appropriations that would cause uncertainty in insurance markets the administration said noting that congress was often late in passing bills to finance operations of the federal government
in court papers the obama administration made this forecast if cost sharing reduction payments were dependent on annual appropriations insurers would be forced to set their premiums for the upcoming year in the face of uncertainty about the existence and amount of payments they would receive that uncertainty would be inefficient and destabilizing it would also inevitably lead to increased premiums
josh earnest the white house press secretary said he felt sure that the administration would ultimately prevail in court republicans will stop at nothing to try to tear this bill down he said but i continue to be confident that theyre going to continue to fail
administration officials said the ruling should not affect 2017 premiums
the white house contends that the health care law signed by president obama in 2010 provides all the authority he needs to pay insurance companies for the discounts they give consumers but in april 2013 mr obama sought explicit authority asking congress to provide the money in one of the annual appropriations bills for 2014 congress did not act on the request
congress authorized reduced cost sharing but did not appropriate moneys for it in the fiscal year 2014 budget or since judge collyer said congress is the only source for such an appropriation and no public money can be spent without one
nearly five million people or 56 percent of those enrolled in health plans through federal and state marketplaces were benefiting from cost sharing reductions at the end of last year the administration said
researchers at the urban institute also predicted that insurers would increase premiums for silver plans if they were no longer reimbursed for cost sharing reductions premiums for such plans they said would increase about 1040 a year per person or 29 percent
if insurers have enough time to develop new rates they could incorporate the increased costs into the premiums for silver plans said linda j blumberg a health economist at the urban institute but this takes time you cant change the rules in the middle of the year and adjust prices the next week


this week on the music charts drakes new album holds off radiohead and beyonce to stay at no 1 while justin timberlake has the top single
drakes views young moneycash moneyrepublic had a huge opening on last weeks chart consumption of the album in its second week has cooled by 70 percent and views is notching 175000 sales and nearly 141 million streams according to nielsen but that was more than enough to keep it at the top
beyonces lemonade parkwoodcolumbia holds at no 2 on the album chart with 153000 sales and almost 27 million streams and radioheads new a moon shaped pool xl which was released on sunday may 8   two days into the industrys retail accounting week   started at no 3 with 173000 sales and 73 million streams
mr timberlakes new song cant stop the feeling from the soundtrack to the forthcoming animated film trolls opened at no 1 on billboards hot 100 chart becoming mr timberlakes fifth chart topper as a solo artist it bumped drakes one dance which held the top spot for one week
among other new albums this week keith urbans ripcord capitol nashville opened at no 4 and cole swindells you should be here warner bowed at no 6 the very best of prince warner which shot to no 1 in the days after princes death last month remains a strong seller falling one spot this week to no 5


campaign schedules make strange bedfellows small airports make for a small world
so it was in the throes of the presidential primary chaos that the tarmac of mobile regional airport in alabama hosted an unusual encounter in late february former president bill clinton and senator ted cruz of texas exchanging pleasantries and holding forth on the state of an election that often included a stark prediction from mr cruz on the stump
he would take the white house he told voters and for hillary clinton ive got slightly different government housing in mind
a jail cell
as he headed to montgomery ala for a campaign stop on feb 27 mr cruz had fired off an email to supporters warning of mrs clinton as the countrys greatest danger
i am the only candidate whos got a proven track record to contrast and prosecute the case against hillary and her left wing ideology mr cruz wrote
but that afternoon mr cruz came upon mr clinton at the airport where both men happened to have landed for events for the respective campaigns
angel urena a spokesman for mr clinton and catherine frazier a spokesman for mr cruz both confirmed the encounter but declined to discuss any details of what happened or what they discussed
but according to three people briefed on the interaction who were granted anonymity to describe the meeting mr cruz had landed at the airport before mr clinton did for an event tucked into his schedule just a day earlier the secret service traveling with mr clinton established that mr cruz was on the other plane with a small coterie of aides when mr cruz learned that the former president was there he expressed interest in saying hello according to the people briefed on the encounter
the visit in many ways was a vintage performance for mr clinton who as president made a point of attempting to charm political rivals that is not an approach that mr cruz has taken since becoming a senator although his rise in politics was fueled in part by personal relationships with members of a washington establishment that he publicly disparages
still mr clinton without staffers by his side joined mr cruz and three aides according to the people briefed on the encounter
mr cruz made a reference to his pitched fight in the republican race with donald j trump who was on his way to defeating mr cruz across much of the south his voice hoarse mr clinton replied that he found the republican contest interesting according to one person briefed on the exchange
the meeting was brief after a few minutes mr clinton and mr cruz went their separate ways
mrs clinton of course remained a daily target for mr cruz who condemned her policies and joked occasionally about plans to bake her a cake and send it to her prospective jail cell upon taking office
mr clinton was a less frequent foil though years ago mr cruz did play a bit role himself during a low moment for mr clinton
as a young washington lawyer in the late 1990s mr cruz recalled in his book he helped prepare his bosss expert testimony before the house of representatives in mr clintons impeachment proceedings


san francisco   twitter has a new board member who fits the companys mantra of diversification
on monday the social media company said that debra lee chairman and chief executive of bet networks was joining its board bet a subsidiary of viacom is a media and entertainment company aimed at african americans ms lee 61 is african american
as part of the announcement twitter also said that a board member marjorie scardino would become the companys lead independent director
twitter has been under pressure to diversify its company and board until 2013 the san francisco companys board was all male it was all caucasian until last year that has attracted criticism for a lack of representation of the diverse ethnic groups that use twitter ms lee is the first african american and the third woman to serve on the companys board
twitter has shaken up its board since jack dorsey a twitter co founder returned as the chief executive last year omid kordestani a former google executive joined twitter as executive chairman last year last month twitter appointed hugh johnson vice chairman and chief financial officer of pepsico and martha lane fox an internet entrepreneur to the board
mr dorsey has pledged to continue the appointments of ethnically diverse candidates in prominent positions in december the company named jeffrey siminoff previously head of diversity at apple as the companys vice president for diversity and inclusion
ms lees appointment also breaks with the prevailing representation of silicon valley tech companies which are disproportionately white and male facebook google and twitter among many others have all come under fire for not doing enough to hire minority employees into engineering and technical positions as well as executive appointments
ms lee who has been a twitter user since 2012 on monday tweeted that she was thrilled to be joining the companys board saying the service has transformed the media and the world like few other things in history


a new study reports that recently established forests on abandoned farmland in latin america if allowed to grow for another 40 years would probably be able to suck at least 31 billion tons of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere
that is enough to offset nearly two decades of emissions from fossil fuel burning in the region abandoning additional pastures and allowing them to revert to tropical forest could soak up another seven billion tons of the gas the scientists found
their paper published in science advances offers the most detailed estimates to date for a promising approach to combating climate change many latin american governments have promised to encourage forest regrowth as well as to combat the destruction of existing forests in their long term climate plans but how hard they will push on either issue is unclear
this is a potential contribution that is sitting right under our noses said the lead author robin l chazdon a university of connecticut ecologist who is working at the international institute for sustainability in rio de janeiro


thomas piquemal made headlines in march when he quit as chief financial officer of the french utility edf after an argument over an 18 billion pound 25 billion investment in a british nuclear plant mr piquemal thought the project would threaten the utilitys balance sheet telling the french parliament that the company would not listen to him
now he has resurfaced with a new job head of global mergers and acquisitions at deutsche bank
for mr piquemal it is a homecoming to the banking world he worked at lazard for 14 years until 2009 when he left to become the cfo of veolia a year later he assumed his role as finance chief at edf
at deutsche bank mr piquemal will report to jeff urwin the head of corporate and investment banking at the firm according to a statement on monday announcing the new hire
thomas brings to deutsche bank a unique combination of skills gained from over seven years as leading finance director and nearly a decade and a half as corporate finance adviser to clients and their boards said mr urwin in the statement his appointment underscores our commitment to investing in our global ma franchise and to sustaining our position as a leading corporate finance adviser
mr piquemal succeeds henrik aslaksen who left deutsche bank as global head of mergers and acquisitions late last year in april credit suisse announced it had hired mr aslaksen to be the head of strategic client coverage a newly created position
earlier this month jacques brand the chief executive of deutsche banks operations in north america left the bank as well he is headed to pjt partners people briefed on his plans said when his departure from the german banking giant was announced
deutsche bank was ranked 12th in global mergers and acquisitions during 2015 according to data compiled by thomson reuters its 67 percent market share was lower than most of the large american banks as well as credit suisse barclays and ubs in europe
the firm advised large companies on several hallmark deals last year however including anheuser busch inbevs acquisition of sabmiller as well as marriott internationals purchase of starwood hotels  resorts worldwide
mr piquemal will be based in paris and begins his new job on tuesday
i am delighted to join deutsche bank and to dedicate myself to supporting its commitment to client focused service said mr piquemal in the statement i am greatly looking forward to working together with my new colleagues whose excellence and talent i have known for many years


hong kong   chinese authorities are quietly scrutinizing technology products sold in china by apple and other big foreign companies focusing on whether they pose potential security threats to the country and its consumers and opening up a new front in an already tense relationship with washington over digital security
apple and other companies in recent months have been subjected to reviews that target encryption and the data storage of tech products said people briefed on the reviews who spoke on the condition of anonymity in the reviews chinese officials require executives or employees of the foreign tech companies to answer questions about the products in person according to these people
the reviews are run by a committee associated with the cyberspace administration of china the countrys internet control bureau they said the bureau includes experts and engineers with ties to the countrys military and security agencies
while other countries including the united states and britain conduct reviews of some tech products they usually focus on products that will be used by the military or other parts of the government that are concerned with security and not on products sold to the general public
the chinese reviews stand out because they are being applied more broadly including to american consumer software and gadgets popular in china the people briefed on the reviews said and because chinese officials have not disclosed the nature of the checks both the united states government and american tech companies fear that the reviews could be used to extract tech knowledge as well as ensure that the united states was not using the products to spy
ultimately the reviews could be used to block products without explanation or to extract trade secrets in exchange for market access those secrets could be leaked to chinese competitors or expose vulnerabilities which in turn chinese hackers could exploit
further tech companies are concerned that the reviews could set a precedent and that other countries will follow suit each demanding different checks that would not only be costly but also put the companies at risk of having to hand over further secrets in exchange for market access
china and the united states have been embroiled in a quarrel about tech and security that has strained their relationship the reviews could be a fresh sticking point raising questions about the security of american technology and the degree to which american companies will acquiesce to beijings demands for fear of being punished in a huge market still partly controlled by the state
chinese officials have not formally disclosed that they are conducting the reviews and their existence has not been previously confirmed outside of rare brief mentions in local news media
it is not clear specifically what chinese authorities are demanding as part of the process there is no indication that foreign companies have provided access to highly guarded material such as source code   the digital underpinnings of software   or other commercial secrets
one chinese media report implied that the tech security reviews began early last year over the last nine months a number of companies have been called in the people who spoke on the condition of anonymity said
the lack of disclosure by chinas government has made it hard for the united states government to voice its objections and has fed concerns that china is quietly carrying out further policies to target american technology companies
chinas internet regulators suggested the possibility of reviews three years ago after revelations by edward j snowden the former national security agency contractor concerning surveillance escalated tensions between china and the united states over computer security
since then china has quietly begun carrying out the reviews that represents a shift in the way china manages foreign technology its previous efforts came through proposed new rules and other public measures that let foreign companies and governments resist
the cyberspace administration of china said in a faxed response to questions that many countries carried out security reviews and that the inspections did not target any particular country or product
china relies on american technology products even as it has made clear that it is concerned about the security of those products a majority of chinese government offices state owned enterprises and other institutions that handle potentially secret information like universities and research institutes use microsoft windows most smartphones in china run software made by either apple or google and the high end computing that supports chinas banks energy companies and military uses in part american designed chips and servers
in a congressional hearing last month apples general counsel bruce sewell said the chinese government had asked the company to share source code in the last two years but that apple had refused
apple has seen new pressure in china as regulators have shut down its ibooks and itunes movies stores there last week apple disclosed that it was investing 1 billion in the chinese ride hailing app didi chuxing a move that some technology experts said appeared aimed at currying favor with beijing
chinese restrictions against american companies have been a highly charged diplomatic issue last year the obama administration raised concerns about chinese rules that trade groups said were written to wean the countrys banking industry off foreign technology the united states also objected to an antiterrorism law that called for foreign companies to hand over encryption keys in china in both cases china relented temporarily scrapping the banking laws and tempering the language in the antiterrorism law
chinas tougher tone is part of a broader challenge that governments around the world are posing to the technology industry over issues like privacy and encryption in the united states federal law enforcement officials have pressed apple to help them gain access to encrypted iphones even as the obama administration has resisted chinese policies that would require similar access
under president xi jinping china has taken steps to keep tabs on technology from american companies and reduce the nations dependence on it
in a speech last month mr xi outlined what he described as the two prevalent viewpoints on tech policy in china under one the country would continue with an industrial policy intended to absorb technology from foreign companies and ensure products are secure and controllable that phrase companies and industry groups said could include such measures as giving the chinese government access to systems providing encryption keys or handing over source code
for foreign companies the other option could be worse
one viewpoint holds that we must close ourselves off make a fresh start thoroughly shake off our reliance on foreign technology and rely on indigenous innovation to pursue development mr xi said according to a transcript of the speech otherwise we would always follow in the footsteps of others and would never be able to catch up
mr xi ultimately said china must find a middle ground and determine which things can be imported but have to be secure and controllable which things may be imported digested and absorbed for re innovation which things can be developed in collaboration with others and for which things we must rely on our own strength and indigenous innovation
while details on the tech reviews are scant commentary from the state run china daily in 2014 suggested that companies affected could include cisco systems and microsoft other state news media has said the reviews will prevent product suppliers from illegally controlling interfering in or interrupting user systems or illegally collecting storing handling or exploiting information about users
cisco and microsoft declined to comment on the chinese media statements apple also declined to comment
a slide show from the china electronics standardization institute a group that carries out research on behalf of the government makes the motivation for reviews clear it links the reviews to concerns about chinas digital security vulnerabilities and what it characterizes as a technology gap between china and countries like the united states russia israel britain and germany
as the world connects to the internet various forms of attacks and new defensive technologies are ever multiplying bringing challenges to chinas development of a new digital industry the group said


washington   two of the democratic partys most loyal constituencies labor and environmentalists are clashing over an effort to raise tens of millions of dollars for an ambitious voter turnout operation aimed at defeating donald j trump in the november election
the rift developed after some in the labor movement whose cash flow has dwindled and whose political clout has been increasingly imperiled announced a partnership last week with a wealthy environmentalist tom steyer to help bankroll a new fund dedicated to electing democrats
that joint initiative enraged members of the nations biggest construction unions already on edge about the rising influence of climate change activists the building trades unions view mr steyers environmental agenda as a threat to the jobs that can be created through infrastructure projects like new gas pipelines
the dispute laid bare in a pair of blistering letters sent on monday to richard l trumka president of the afl cio underscored the tensions between the two pillars of the democratic coalition
for decades organized labor was among the most powerful forces on the left financing democratic candidates and reliably delivering working class votes and political foot soldiers for the party in crucial states and districts
but with blue collar white voters shifting to the republican party and democrats growing more reliant on higher income voters and liberal donors like mr steyer environmental activists are increasingly muscling out unions
nowhere was this more evident than during the tense debate over the keystone xl oil pipeline in which president obama and hillary clinton the likely democratic presidential nominee ultimately came down on the side of the environmentalists by opposing a project that some of the so called hard hat unions fervently wanted
the friction is not just confined to the democratic party the labor movement itself is changing as manufacturing has declined power has flowed away from the unions representing factory and construction workers and toward public  and service sector workers the unions that formed the alliance with mr steyer included the two largest teachers unions and the american federation of state county and municipal employees
the goal of the new voter turnout super pac announced last week with an initial goal of raising 50 million was to ensure that liberal groups did not duplicate their efforts as had happened in some elections some unions were asked to give as much as 1 million mr steyer founder of the advocacy group nextgen climate announced that he would give 5 million and said it was highly likely other unions would participate
but mr steyer has opposed oil and gas projects like the keystone pipeline and the construction unions assailed the afl cios willingness to make common cause with him as an abandonment of their members and the federations principles
in one of the two letters sent on monday presidents of seven of the nations biggest construction unions threatened to boycott the new get out the vote effort called for our future pac
it saddens us that the very labor movement we have fought for and supported for over a century seems to have lost sight of its core mission and has moved away from us and our membership in the interest of headline grabbing political expediency wrote the leaders of the operating engineers plumbers elevator constructors roofers laborers plasterers and heat and frost insulators
in a separate and even more harshly worded letter to mr trumka the president of the 500000 member laborers union terry osullivan called the partnership a politically bankrupt betrayal of union members we object to the political agenda of the afl cio being sold to a job killing hedge fund manager with a bag of cash he wrote
both letters were provided to the new york times by a labor official who insisted on anonymity
the schism comes as mr trump the presumptive republican presidential nominee is running a populist campaign that could appeal to some union members castigating free trade agreements and illegal immigrants while vowing not to cut entitlement spending
some of the building trade unions have already gotten behind mrs clinton but some labor holdouts remain the teamsters for example have yet to endorse a candidate and among rank and file workers mr trump could well outperform mrs clinton with the unions that signed on to the letter a heavily working class and white male demographic
membership in most private sector unions has steadily declined leaving organized labor under pressure to find new ways to demonstrate its influence mr osullivan in his letter zeroed in on this challenge
years of financial distress have left the afl cio desperate for cash and it appears that the answer is to sell out to a billionaire who not only has little or no stake in our movement our members or their work but who has actively fought against our members interest mr osullivan wrote
told of the criticism of mr steyer an executive at nextgen sky gallegos underscored the new super pacs goals of preventing climate disaster and promoting prosperity
our new unified effort will help elect progressive leaders who are committed to a just transition to a clean energy economy that will benefit working families across the nation she said


the television industry is facing an uncertain uncharted future but next season its placing a big bet on the past
macgyver the crafty secret agent is returning to cbs three decades after his 1985 debut tales from the crypt an hbo series that first aired in 1989 will be resurrected on tnt mtv unplugged whose eric clapton heyday was in the 1990s is back   and so are 24 prison break and gilmore girls
we now live in a world where tv shows never die said david nevins the chief executive of showtime he has his own revival on the way mr nevins helped persuade david lynch to create a new chapter of twin peaks the cult series that went off the air a quarter century ago
call it a familiarity fetish at the network upfront presentations which began on monday executives are expected to unveil new adaptations of favored franchises that extend beyond tv shows including films like the exorcist training day taken and potentially cruel intentions with sarah michelle gellar reprising her role in the 1999 original
network nostalgia for a happier netflix free age is not the only factor at play with about 400 scripted shows airing last year alone built in name recognition can offer a crucial edge with audiences overwhelmed by new choices and streaming services have revealed new interest in older titles thought to be past their profitable prime
we are not saying we are out of the original idea business said david madden president of entertainment at fox having said that there are a lot of shows out there a lot of material competing for peoples attention and where you have a title that people recognize value and appreciate thats something we want to take advantage of
name brand programs can excite existing fan bases reduce marketing costs and appeal to an increasingly important international market the french it turns out are big fans of prison break mr madden said
but there are no guarantees foxs revival of the x files was among this seasons best rated new shows but the network canceled minority report based on the tom cruise sci fi movie after dismal ratings abc is axing its revival of the muppets and on monday cbs said it was canceling the low rated rush hour
it is irresistible in a world that has 60 or 80 makers of original programming to have something that has pre existing awareness said mr nevins of showtime still at the end of the day its going to rise and fall based on its quality
and not all revivals are created equal mr nevins said he pursued a new twin peaks only because mr lynch agreed to participate weve persuaded the original creators to complete their mission he said david duchovny and gillian anderson signed on for the x files but jackie chan and chris tucker were missing from rush hour
other titles will be reimagined even if the name initially helped open doors sarah aubrey who oversees programming at tnt described the excitement when m night shyamalan approached the network about revamping tales from the crypt the kitschy hbo horror series but the plan is for a new twist on the cackling cryptkeeper character and not a shot by shot remake
we like the idea of it signifying tone ms aubrey said of the title it put out the right kind of thematic indicator of what we were going for in the horror space
mtv has a similar strategy for unplugged which returns as the channel pivots back to its music video roots the new unplugged is meant to appeal to generation xers and millennials alike but it will not be carpets and candles said erik flannigan the channels head of music programming referring to the scenery that distinguished unplugged concerts by 90s staples like nirvana and 10000 maniacs
i dont think we need to trade on the nostalgia of what unplugged meant for me and you if you witnessed it the first time mr flannigan said it really is a brand new idea to somebody who is 22 years old
in part the move toward all these reboots is a product of   and hedge against   the rise of netflix hulu and amazon video where cord cutting viewers are rediscovering shows whose syndication days on cable and broadcast networks are long over in another era shows like the x files would persist only in private dvd collections now viewers bored with the latest network offerings are binging on them
and audiences like the classics friends has been a surprise hit on netflix which also brought the world fuller house a sequel to full house hulu paid nearly 1 million an episode to stream seinfeld a recent survey by comcast xfinity found that the sopranos a show that had its premiere in 1999 and the wire which debuted in 2002 were among the most popular shows on its on demand service which reaches millions of households
for networks that own their old shows the financial allure of a remake is even greater it refreshes and regenerates the library said peter rice chairman of fox networks group noting that old episodes become newly valuable domestically and overseas
hawaii five 0 the 1960s procedural that cbs revived in 2010 is considered a case study of that model the shows revival prompted a windfall syndication deal with tnt with cbs securing more than 2 million per episode peter lenkov who oversees the new hawaii five 0 was recently tapped by cbs to run its new version of macgyver which stars lucas till and yes cbs renewed hawaii five 0 for a seventh season
a social anthropologist might wonder if televisions nostalgia craze can be attributed to viewers who are seeking out the familiar in a disruptive uneasy age see trump donald j but when that question was posed to martin kaplan director of the norman lear center for media and society at the university of southern california he laughed
i would not discount the commercial motivations mr kaplan a screenwriter and former studio executive said dryly
macgyver is a name thats in the culture he said if you see that you know what youre getting as opposed to some name that means nothing thats why he added viewers often encounter endless sequels to things that seem to have come out only 20 minutes ago
the nostalgia he noted may be on the studios end rather than viewers theres nothing as helpful to a programmer as a title or a show that has brand equity already built into it he said
so is there anything mr kaplan would like to see rebooted
college bowl he replied its a higher end version of are you smarter than a fifth grader


washington   a study commissioned by defense secretary ashton b carter found that a small portion of service members are transgender and that allowing them to serve openly in the military would cost little and have no significant impact on unit readiness
the study by the rand corporation estimated that 2450 of the 12 million active duty members of the military are transgender and that every year around 65 will seek to transition to the other gender
the rand study said that if the pentagon did not cover the medical procedures for service members   like hormone therapy and surgery   they would likely avoid seeking medical care and would have higher rates of substances abuse and suicide
paying for the procedures would cost the pentagon between 29 million to 42 million a year the report said by comparison the pentagon each year spends 6 billion of its 610 billion budget on medical costs for active duty service members
the pentagon is wrestling with how to end its ban on allowing transgender people to openly serve at a time when a north carolina law requiring people to use bathrooms and locker rooms corresponding to their sex at birth has prompted a heated debate democrats largely believe the law is discriminatory while some republicans strongly support it
in july mr carter signaled that he was open to ending the pentagons policy and created a working group to study how to integrate transgender people into the services as part of that process rand was asked to examine the consequences of allowing transgender people to serve openly the rand study was completed in march and brad carson the senior pentagon official in charge of the working group gave a memo to defense officials in april on how to carry out the policy change
but since then mr carson has resigned the process has stalled and mr carter has declined to release the report mr carters aides said they had a policy of not releasing reports until after a decision directly tied to them was made but transgender advocates have accused mr carter of sitting on the report because it shows that there would be few hurdles to allowing transgender people to serve openly
a person who has worked on the transgender issue in the military provided a copy of the study to the new york times on the condition of anonymity because he did not want to be identified disclosing a document that has not been released to the public
the studys authors acknowledge that it is difficult to know how many transgender people there are in the services because the issue has not been widely examined to estimate those figures the authors relied on research that tried to determine the rate of transgender people in society
the report is written mainly in an academic tone but the authors used some of their most pointed language to describe the negative effects of the military continuing its policy of not paying for transgender transitions
the discussion of health care among military transgender personnel is incomplete without considering the potential unintended effects of constraining or limiting gender transition related treatment the report said adverse consequences of not providing transition related health care to transgender personnel could include avoidance of other necessary health care such as important preventive services increased rates of mental and substance use disorders suicide and reduced productivity
transgender people who are denied health care may turn to other solutions such as injecting construction grade silicon into their bodies to alter their shape the report said studies have shown that there is a dramatic reduction in suicide rates among transgender people after they receive surgery it added
one of the most difficult issues the pentagon would have to confront with transgender service members would be how to deal with them in the period of time before and during their gender transition the report said
dod will need to establish policies of when individuals may use the uniforms physical standards and facilities eg barracks restrooms of their target gender the report said the military would need to give the members mental health screening before deployments to ensure their readiness it added
the report said it had found that the underlying assumption in the military was that the presence of transgender people would hurt bonding and operational readiness it said that similar concerns had been raised before gays and lesbians were allowed to serve openly in the military and that there was little evidence that this was an issue
while there is limited public data foreign militaries that have allowed transgender individuals to serve openly   like australia britain and israel   have had no significant problems with cohesion operational effectiveness or readiness according to the report
todd harrison a senior fellow at the center for strategic and international studies who has read the report said it confirmed that the transgender population is less than one half of a percent of the military and that this is a nonissue in terms of the impact on the budget military readiness unit cohesion and morale
there does not appear to be any justifiable reason to continue the militarys policy of discrimination against transgender service members mr harrison added the annual cost of implementing the policy change is about how much the us spends on operations in afghanistan every hour the cost of one f 35 could pay for about 30 years worth of transgender benefits
mr carter was asked about the issue twice last week including by a cadet at the air force academy he said that there arent any hang ups and that he expected that the plans to begin the new policy would be completed soon
this is a complicated issue he said and i think it   it   it has a lot of ramifications that are very practical ones
aaron belkin the director of the palm center a research institute that has studied the effects of having gays lesbians and transgender people in the military said he was not reassured by mr carters comments
whats worrisome is that carter has said this is a complicated issue and weve learned in the past from dont ask dont tell that that sometimes signals they are not moving towards a good place mr belkin said we know that implementation and repeal of the ban is not complicated
josh earnest the white house press secretary on monday defended mr carters assertion that lifting the ban on transgender people serving openly in the military was complicated and said that ensuring a new policy was effectively put in place has higher stakes when it comes to the department of defense than it does at other agencies
he said that the president had been kept apprised of the reviews progress and that mr carter was conscientiously trying to set the policy effectively and expeditiously as possible


they call it the never ending storm of catatumbo or maracaibos lighthouse its lightning is so familiar people in the state of zulia in venezuela even put it on their flag
less than half an hour after the first cloud forms it starts to flash it does this faster and faster   200 flashes a minute is not uncommon after that the cloud becomes a giant bulb that lights up the night
you can read a newspaper in the middle of the night because its so bright said jonas pointek a photographer who has documented the storms
locals in the area known as lake maracaibo by the catatumbo river in venezuela can expect a display of this sort during more than 80 percent of the year mainly from april to november   an average of 297 days to be exact according to an analysis published in the bulletin of the american meteorological society
this was enough that nasa has declared the area the lightning capital of the world dethroning africas congo basin the reason for the change sixteen years worth of data from the lightning sensors on a satellite allowed the team to analyze the numbers with unprecedented precision
storm chasers have to drive down highways or up mountains said alan highton of catatumbo camp who has specialized in lightning tourism in the area for eight years but the unique thing about the catatumbo is you can just sit there at our camp drink a cold beer and the storms will come to you he says the prettiest storms come in november and according to the data they peak in september
the secret to catatumbo lightning lies in the unique topography of the land the andes mountains surround lake maracaibo like a horseshoe from the south and the caribbean sea meets it on the north cool mountain breezes move into the valley at night and collide with warm wind from the sea and lake in a way that creates optimal conditions for lightning
although most people survive lightning strikes with severe neurological injuries they can occasionally be deadly in recent days 65 people were killed by lightning in bangladesh according to cnn
according to mr highton when lightning is near the residents do little to prepare other than stay indoors where even if lightning strikes a tin roof theyre protected by wooden floors but fishermen have been killed on the lake
on a boat you can run but you cant hide mr highton said
according to the national oceanic and atmospheric administration the odds of being struck by lightning in your lifetime in the united states are 1 in 12000 according to mr highton lightning strikes one to three people every year near lake maracaibo
theres no surefire way to prepare but perhaps that will change this week scientists are sending weather balloons above lake maracaibo as part of a continuing separate project that will help them better predict when and where lightning will strike


the wrecking ball is finally coming for abc no rio an old brick tenement on the lower east side that has been slowly crumbling since a group of artists and activists started a cultural center there in 1980 plans for the last art shows are underway and a move out is expected to be completed by the end of june demolition could come before the fall
the center was founded after members of group called collaborative projects broke into an empty city owned storefront on delancey street in late 1979 and installed the so called real estate show which took an acerbic view of that industry those artists eventually accepted the citys offer to move to an empty storefront on rivington street which they named for the remnants of lettering on a nearby sign that had once read abogado y notario publico in the 36 years since the center has withstood speculation rising rents a protracted eviction battle with the giuliani administration and more becoming a defiant symbol of an ungentrified new york
no rio plans to replace its fragile four story home with an environmentally friendly new structure where artists will continue to present the same type of boundary pushing material that has become the centers hallmark installations and performances there have tended to reflect a rebellious aesthetic rooted in the grittier and more dangerous lower east side of the 80s and 90s before the neighborhood became palatable to developers and deep pocketed renters
over the years the center has sought to fuse art and politics welcoming those who do not feel comfortable in the mainstream of either world and attracting a loyal almost tribal following
it includes punks who embrace the do it yourself ethos express positive outrage and reject corporate commercialism the centers board members and volunteers wrote several years ago of their constituency it includes nomads squatters fringe dwellers and those among societys disenfranchised who find at abc no rio a place to be heard and valued
although the razing and rebuilding have been planned for years delayed by red tape and rising costs the decision to act now came after developers recently paid 30 million for a former matzo factory next to no rio that they plan to replace with million dollar condos given no rios age and condition the structure seemed unlikely to survive the demolition next door
so no rios member collectives have begun preparations to go into exile as some have put it until their new building is completed
a few weeks ago the groups zine library one of the more prominent such collections in the country moved to clemente soto velez a community center on suffolk street where no rios director steven englander will also have an office volunteers have been packing up inside the third floor darkroom and organizers of the centers weekly saturday afternoon punk shows said they would shift performances to other places including silent barn in bushwick brooklyn starting in july
when artists arrived at the rivington street building 36 years ago there were still tenants on the upper floors said becky howland one of the founders the artists repaired gaping holes in the storefront ceiling and augmented an unreliable boiler with a wood burning stove made of oil drums
the lack of commercial interest in the neighborhood the abandonment of properties there and the low rent charged by the city gave no rio the chance to find its footing in an area that was then ignored or avoided by most people she said adding that the founders never imagined that their venture would last decades
no rio will live longer than any of us ms howland said it can give artists hope because it is a toehold amidst the glass towers and disneyland of manhattan
led by the artists jack waters and peter cramer from the mid 1980s until the mid 1990s the center became known for poetry film queer identity art and experimental performances by people like kembra pfahler punk and antifolk shows included michelle shocked and beck the political art shows continued too with one criticizing south african apartheid and another opposing united states actions in central america and featuring work by claes oldenburg and david wojnarowicz
by 1994 the upstairs tenants had left and the city had stopped accepting no rios rent checks saying it would transfer the building to a developer no rio volunteers moved into the empty apartments forming connections with squatting and anarchist movements centered in the east village after three years of noisy protests the city relented announcing that no rio could have the building if people stopped living there and it raised 100000 for repairs
it soon became evident that mere repairs would not suffice but by sticking to the agreement no rio earned good will and as the center has endured many officials have come to believe that it should be preserved in 2006 the city sold the building to no rio for a dollar since then the center which has raised 16 million in private donations has also received 645 million in grants through city council members the former manhattan borough president scott m stringer and the citys department of cultural affairs
tom finkelpearl the cultural affairs commissioner called the center a free flowing collective in touch with the spirit of the lower east side adding that the green design of the replacement building makes it a good candidate for assistance
the architect for the new center paul castrucci said it would be one of the most energy efficient buildings in the city plans call for roof gardens that will insulate the structure and reduce rain runoff into the citys sewer system and natural ventilation and lighting that reduce cooling and lighting loads
in addition to supervising a gradual move mr englander is preparing for the buildings final art shows scheduled to open on june 10 one will exhibit work documenting the building the other called infinite futures will present artists visions of what the no rio site could look like in five 50 and 500 years
on a recent evening mr englander reflected on no rios future including the question of how to maintain its oppositional ethos in an ever gentrifying environment
that animating spirit mr englander said comes from the people inside the building rather than its surroundings if anything he suggested the changes in the neighborhood may make no rios willingness to explore the margins more vital
nobody knows what new york city will be like when this hypergentrification catches its breath he said adding im pretty confident that people in line with the mission and purpose here will always be around


cannes france   last years cannes film festival was abuzz with the heel gate microscandal after a security guard reportedly wouldnt let women wearing flats onto the red carpet this year julia roberts strode up the red carpeted steps for the premiere of jodie fosters money monster and revealed that beneath her gown she was barefoot
the gesture seemed to capture the spirit of this years festival where women of substance were much in evidence after years in which the festival was criticized for favoring male auteurs this year three female directors have strong films in competition including maren ade a german whose poignant comedy toni erdmann is seen as a likely contender for the top prize the palme dor jane campion is the only woman to have won that award in 1993 for the piano
besides ms ade the other women with films in competition are the british director andrea arnold whose american honey a road movie starring shia labeouf and the first time actress sasha lane has been receiving rave reviews along with some pans and the french writer director nicole garcia whose from the land of the moon stars marion cotillard as a troubled love struck frenchwoman in the 1950s and has received mixed reviews
its great there are three women directors here but theres still a lack of women making films ms arnold said after a news conference for american honey
lizzie francke a senior production and development executive at the british film institutes film fund echoed those sentiments its obvious that this year is a pretty good year she said but i also still feel its not good enough she called cannes a venerable old mans festival but with a cutting edge
even if canness selection like the film industry itself hardly achieves gender parity theres been more conversation this year about the challenges of getting more women behind the camera and in front of it an issue that has heated up since the american civil liberties union last year called for an investigation into gender discrimination in hollywood hiring practices
at an event where the luxury consortium kering gave an award to susan sarandon and geena davis 25 years after the release of thelma and louise pierre lescure president of the festival said that maybe in a few years there would be a woman in his place and in the place of thierry fremaux the festivals director the audience applauded
i think more and more women starting production companies would help ms sarandon said adding hollywood isnt political one way or another   thats the good news and the bad news they just go with the money
ms davis who founded the geena davis institute on gender in media recalled how after thelma and louise came out in 1991 the film was hailed as groundbreaking there were suggestions it might lead to more films co starring women that hasnt entirely happened i think we have to stop saying now this will change everything she said if you cant measure the change it hasnt happened
ms davis said that she advised studios and tv networks to make what youre already going to make but before you cast it just go through and change a bunch of names to female
ms foster whose money monster playing out of competition is her fourth feature as a director said that the technological changes of recent years like the advent of streaming services had made studio executives and producers far more risk averse that she said led them to tend to take big bets on projects they hope will draw huge audiences rather than investing in smaller films by unknown directors including women
before investing millions of dollars youre going to go with the guy who looks like you ms foster said at a kering women in motion talk she said that many scripts written by and for women were just not being produced its a financial issue its where art and commerce come together and commerce is winning she said it used to be that the investment was not as large so the risk was not as large
this week at cannes we do it together a nonprofit film company started last year by juliette binoche and others aimed at making work by women for film and television announced its first project together now a film of seven short episodes by different directors including robin wright and catherine hardwicke and starring freida pinto and ms binoche among others
at this years festival even the starlets seem to have more edge kristen stewart called the queen of cannes by mr fremaux because she is starring in two films here changed into a miniskirt and sneakers for the dinner following the opening night film last week woody allens cafe society in which she plays against the girlish confines of her role
at a news conference mr allen said he had chosen ms stewart whose character is caught between those played by steve carell and jesse eisenberg because i needed someone who could play an adorable little secretary from nebraska with little white socks on and little dresses but who could also transform into a sophisticated beauty in cosmopolitan manhattan
ms stewart whose range far exceeds adorable elaborated on mr allens description the way he describes this lightness and this feminine nature it does suggest that its a little thoughtless she said at a lunch with the news media i think he has a tendency in interviews to say it was an idea and i had the idea and i wrote the idea and i hired the girl and she did it ms stewart added imitating mr allens cadences but theres more going on she said
ms stewart also stars in personal shopper by the french director olivier assayas which screens in the competition here on tuesday
vanessa redgrave said that she didnt envy young women starting out today i feel very respectful of them and tender toward them ms redgrave said at an event to promote a newly restored version of howards end the 1992 merchant and ivory film set in the early 20th century in which her character doesnt think women should be allowed to vote its like a voracious sort of market ms redgrave added of the fame machine its grotesque
carrie fisher who grew up in the public eye said she still found it difficult that women in hollywood are judged by their looks far more than men are she was at cannes for the premiere of bright lights a documentary about her and her mother debbie reynolds directed by alexis bloom and fisher stevens
someone wrote a review that both my mother and i look exhausted ms fisher said over tea while her dog sat in the next chair and they can say that they are at liberty to say that she added in la youll find more people saying you look great not you seem great how are you what are you doing
the only women on most sets are still mainly actresses and hairdressers she said adding that that was also the case for the new star wars movie which she is now shooting im a female in it ms fisher said just one notch up from deadpan of her role as general leia an exhausted female


beijing   fifty years to the day since communist party leaders formally set in motion mao zedongs cultural revolution miring china in a decade of bloody political upheaval the partys main newspaper broke the general silence about the anniversary and urged people to accept the past condemnation of the event and focus on the future
history always advances and we sum up and absorb the lessons of history in order to use it as a mirror to better advance said the commentary which appeared late monday on the website of the newspaper peoples daily after a day when official news outlets were mostly mute about the anniversary we must certainly fix in our memories the historic lessons of the cultural revolution
the article was the partys most high level public comment so far on the 50th anniversary of the revolution maos effort to cleanse and reinvigorate communism by attacking his own colleagues and unleashing the red guards fervent student militants recruited to enforce his cause it also appeared in the print edition of peoples daily on tuesday on an inside page
but the commentary broke no new ground it asserted that the communist partys verdict condemning the cultural revolution delivered in a resolution in 1981 was unshakably scientific and authoritative and urged chinese people to rally around president xi jinping and his policies
there will not be a re enactment of a mistake like the cultural revolution it said
the commentary was unlikely to satisfy historians and people who lived through that time and have called for a more candid and thorough examination of its lessons chinese news organizations under the weight of censorship have overwhelmingly ignored the anniversary and have found no room to note the traumatic turning point in modern chinese history during which perhaps a million or more people were killed
the more time passes the more difficult its become to acknowledge these mistakes said dai jianzhong a sociologist in beijing who attended the high school that was the birthplace of the first red guards intellectual closure has left the younger generation almost completely ignorant of the past
another exception to the silence was global times an avidly nationalist newspaper that speaks more bluntly than most of the state run news media late monday it also issued a commentary that dismissed the idea that china could ever undergo a repeat of the cultural revolution and urged people to focus on the partys achievements
weve said bye bye to the cultural revolution long ago said the commentary written under a pen name usually used by hu xijin the chief editor of the newspaper today we can say one more time that the cultural revolution cannot and will not stage a comeback
the party condemned the cultural revolution decades ago but leaders have been hesitant to openly air controversies from recent history and that reluctance has intensified under mr xi
since taking power in 2012 he has sought to shore up maos revered status as the founding father of communist rule the general silence surrounding the cultural revolution anniversary has reflected that political mood according to historians and people who lived through that time
the official summary was very simple   that the cultural revolution was a disaster a calamity said zheng yi a former cultural revolution student radical who became a writer and now lives in virginia but nowadays china discourages even studying the history and lessons of the cultural revolution
he added in some ways the social divisions are even bigger today than they were then and the leaders dont like to expose how they could fall from power
mao started the great proletarian cultural revolution in the belief that the communist party had become corrupt and compromised and that a scorching mass political movement was needed to cleanse and reinvigorate the revolution
at a meeting on may 16 1966 leaders approved a notice laying out his belief that the revolution was menaced from within the full document did not become public until a year later but its repercussions were quickly felt many of the officials who approved it were later pushed from office accused of resisting maos will and they were often grievously abused by red guards and radical officials
years of political tumult followed and when mao died in 1976 his successors quickly arrested radical supporters of the cultural revolution in 1981 the party formally condemned the revolution and there was a burst of memoirs recantations and histories but in later years especially under mr xi that candor has receded
yet the silence has not been total
throughout this year liberal journals and websites have published memoirs and essays urging greater reflection about the lessons of the cultural revolution but there have also been commentaries on far left chinese websites defending maos policies and one even suggested that the country needed a cultural revolution 20 that article was later removed from a neo maoist website
after decades without education in the history of the cultural revolution and the terrible things and great destruction that happened young people are rarely told of these things and so younger officials and students dont really understand it yin hongbiao a historian of the cultural revolution and a professor at peking university said in a telephone interview in 1966 he was a junior secondary student who watched the red guard movement spread and engulf beijing
some people project their discontent with the present onto the past mr yin said so it seems to them that life was better in the mao era


montauk ny   dunes are usually a source of wonder with their waving grasses rippling sands and the slow reveal of waves
when kevin gurl saw the new dune in the downtown of this east end hamlet in april all he wondered was what was going on
my first thought was wow this cant be it mr gurl said on sunday from his home in brooklyn it was disgusting half the beach was gone and theres this pipe spewing who knows what
for the past two decades mr gurl and his family have been traveling from one end of long island to the other escaping to the splendor of new yorks easternmost beaches   even as they have seemed less splendid in recent summers hordes have descended on montauk drawn less by fishing lines and surf breaks than by velvet ropes and magazine spreads
at least the beach was still there if more crowded unlike that favorite watering hole now a sushi or tapas bar
yet just as hurricane sandy helped lure crowds to the end montauk was hit hard but far less so than beaches farther west the storm has reshaped this community again over the winter the army corps of engineers completed a 3100 foot dune stretching from the iga supermarket at the western edge of downtown past a half dozen motels turned boutique beach retreats
storm surges and roaring tides are a fact of life here where almost everyone talks like an amateur hydrologist many residents have been clamoring for storm defenses for years yet just as many believe such efforts to try to outsmart the sea are a waste of both fiscal and natural resources
as montauk prepares for its first summer with the new dune which now divides friendships as well as beaches residents and weekenders are left wondering if the town has destroyed the shore in order to save it
beaches are organic theyre fungible theyre alive and they move said thomas bradley muse a lifelong resident and environmental adviser for the eastern long island chapter of the surfrider foundation if the beach cant move landward then its going to move seaward and its gone and montauk is its beaches
and so much more
were protecting the entire community and all its infrastructure said steve kalimnios also a native and the owner of the royal atlantic beach resort and condominiums in front of which the dune rises obviously im on the front lines but this is a much bigger issue than protecting the beach
nor is the fight confined to this community of 3500 or 35000 depending on the weekend within the next month or so the army corps is set to release its plans for the south shore from the fire island inlet to montauk point
in the works for half a century the proposal will recommend coastal defenses for 83 miles of the highly coveted beaches if surfers fishermen and retirees are upset over this dune project imagine what could happen when the corps work reaches the hedgerows of the financiers and philanthropists farther west
we were asked to do this work said joseph vietri chief of planning and policy for the north atlantic division of the corps we dont just go places and do things a natural solution is always the best one but you have to have alternatives when that wont work
in october 2012 hurricane sandy flooded homes uprooted trees toppled decks destroyed businesses and killed a woman walking her dog on the beach   a reminder of just how familiar the surf can be here
the proposal for the south shore is expected to offer a long term solution that residents and business owners hope will not alter the beaches as drastically as the dune project has but montauk with the lowest lying downtown on the east end could not wait for the corps final plan which could call for bigger beaches or condemning properties
the army corps came in the funds were available and this is what they proposed said larry cantwell the supervisor for the town of east hampton which includes montauk there werent a lot of other alternatives
montauks geography is one of its greatest attractions as well as its greatest dangers two narrow strips of land separate fort pond and montauk lake from the atlantic ocean if either breaches it would flood parts of the hamlet and destroy the infrastructure running beneath after two years of debate the 3100 foot dune and its wall of 14000 17 ton sandbags became the lesser of many evils
compared to some of the proposals they had with a whole boardwalk and everything   like this was the jersey shore   i think they worked really hard to come up with the best solution for us said julia prince a third generation entrepreneur and former town councilwoman
the most common objection to the dune which cost roughly 9 million is that it has robbed the downtown of half its public beach since it had to be built toward the surf there is widespread concern that this disrupts the natural topography of the sands which requires the right ratio of dune berm and tidal slope to remain in stasis now that the dune lies on a good portion of the berm the flat part where people tend to lay out their towels there is scientific evidence suggesting the beach in front of the dunes could erode
but some argue more is at stake than the beaches its not like were protecting private homes said paul monte head of the chamber of commerce these are businesses providing jobs and taxes for the entire community
yet there is the question of whether the dune will be strong enough to protect the town
if they really predicted where and how the next storm will hit these guys deserve the nobel prize gordon kelly who has lived here 30 years said over sunset beers at the montauket hotel
after outcry at community meetings the reaction turned to full scale demonstrations on the beach when the dump trucks and excavators arrived hundreds of surfers lined the beach backed by their boards to try to block the workers the army corps did not always help its cause such as when a contractor left a trash bin on the beach one day and it flooded depositing garbage along the shore
decades of rebuilding beach communities from key west fla to nantucket mass has also reduced the federal governments willingness to foot the bill after disasters the new dune at montauk was built using hurricane sandy recovery funds but east hampton and suffolk county must pay to maintain it
the dune has had unintended consequences the rise at lowenstein court a footpath has made it difficult for older and disabled people to get to the beach
you used to be able to carry your beach gear or your kayaks right onto the beach said judith tanur who retired here with her husband in 1998 after decades of summering now its hard for a lot of us older folks even just to get to the beach
some environmental groups have come around to support the dune jeremy samuelson executive director of the 36 year old concerned citizens of montauk cited a decade long fight in nearby sagaponack as a situation best avoided there wealthy waterfront homeowners sued for the right to build sea walls to protect their properties
though his group was unenthusiastic about the dune it decided that public sand was preferable to private stone
this is emblematic of what is going to become one of the fiscal governmental and political stories of the coming decades up and down the coast mr samuelson said
some hope the project might solve a different sort of inundation
one positive of the dunes mr gurl said is the beaches have gotten so small maybe it will turn people off from coming


mayer ariz   friday night at form arcosanti in the stunning concrete amphitheater skrillex dangled a cigarette from his mouth and played a headrush set of industrial dancehall electronic hardcore and drake remixes bass pounding at the sturdy walls then after 1 am saturday he materialized on a colorful stage in the nearby desert basin tag teaming with four tet for a set that lasted until near sunup
a couple of hours later this festivals second day began with   for those who were willing and able and awake   a guided meditation and yoga when the music finally started at noon it was piano ruminations by bing  ruth near the edge of a cliff overlooking the basin followed by clean contemplative techno tones by christopher willits in the amphitheater   palate cleansers after a raucous meal
how do you take your communing body pummeling devotional or astral purification of the mind both and more were on offer at the third annual form arcosanti which took place here from friday through sunday where performers who verged on the shamanic played to audience members looking for a sound to believe in
they came to praise bill callahan master of the parched country ballad who performed an afternoon set full of casual gloom they howled for perfume genius who bounced between tender art rock gems and cathartic vocal purges they nodded their heads effusively with every tweak of tyondai braxtons electronic improvisations they gazed slack jawed at julianna barwick as she sheared her voice into soaring sometimes grating bolts of sound
what unites these artists isnt style but mode each benefits from contemplative unhurried listening and total immersion was the norm here at this elegantly designed festival with minimal overlap of performances and ample green space for guests to catch a midday nap for three days hardly anything happened in a rush not least because almost all the attendees were camping on site for the duration no single day passes were offered
often a large scale festival operates like an invasion bringing tens of thousands of people to a remote tract of land that they abuse for a few days and then abandon form was the opposite in nearly every way the crowd was small and socially engaged it felt more like a private gathering   an outsize house party   than like a festival
that was partly because of the unique setting arcosanti an experimental community that began construction in 1970 about 70 miles north of phoenix a mile or so down a dirt road from the nearest sign of civilization which was designed to test theories about the intersection of architecture and ecology its concrete buildings jut out of the landscape with authority and grace the modern commenting on the natural i was hoping thered be a wandering c 3po that we could take our photos with mr callahan said presumably because there was at least a passing resemblance between arcosanti and tatooine
form was organized by the florida band hundred waters which headlined saturday night with a set of soft focus dance pop much less meditative than what was on offer the rest of the time braids played deeply passionate complex rock about emotional scars autre ne veut sang with vein bulging sincerity thundercat led an electro jazz jam that was almost romantic bonobo played an aquatically chill set of slow moving dance music followed by four tet who kept his tempo but shifted to pinprick precise bucolic house
especially with the electronic musicians it was hard not to listen in relationship to the architecture alessandro cortinis horror drones made sense in the apse especially when heard while seated atop it almost every inch of arcosanti was available to explore including the tops of buildings skrillexs stentorian rumble felt like a complex handshake with the surroundings bringing out the buildings authoritarian side that said it would have been equally invigorating to offer performances that related directly to the stunning natural surroundings
there were some boundaries form had essentially no hip hop leaning instead on genres where narcotic haze is the norm and there were hiccups from some inexplicably short sets to sound issues that plagued the opening night headliners four tet and skrillex
the festival is free paid for by a combination of patrons who received preferential on site camping and minimally invasive corporate sponsorship you were more likely to bump into an art installation   a wire cube filled with lasers or flowers pressed between plexiglass   than into a brand logo the result was a pervasive communal spirit at one point a staff member enlisted a festivalgoer to help him water the plants with abandoned water bottles shouting radical participation
this generative spirit spilled over into the commingling of performers and audience members there were hardly any real vip sections and musicians who performed were often spotted in the audience watching others you could also see most of the musicians playing the amphitheater casually sound checking earlier in the day   no walls between preparation and performance
the peak of artist viewer overlap and interaction came during the set of the baltimore electronic music agitator dan deacon he was an ideal artist for this festivals values   part electronics experimenter part communal  dance instructor part elementary school teacher he turned the amphitheater into a moving evolving performing space enlisting the crowd as part of the show he urged them to dance to hold hands to think about police injustice against minorities and at the end he asked those in the crowd to help dispose of any loose trash they stumbled upon turning up and cleaning up all in one
established 2014
what it is where nu hippies meet to bliss out to electronic musicians and indie rock progressives and a splendid showcase of how music can be a living response to a space
attendance 800 people selected by application which included questions about creativity and collaboration mingling with a few hundred other musicians and assorted hangers on and the several dozen people who call arcosanti home
number of events about 30 musical acts as well as art installations industry themed panels late night raves and a pool party cum live radio broadcast
landscape a set of daring elegant concrete structures   including an amphitheater and an apse   sprouting out of the arizona desert and for the adventurous cliffs across the basin available for hiking
typical festivalgoer early  to mid 20s earnest loosefitting garments in colorful prints tevas  chacos headlamps at night dancing with christmas lights wrapped around the body los angeles in spirit if not location
rarely are there so many opportunities for relaxation at a festival   some attendees assembled a mini community and served tea another set up a massage table in the middle of the festival yet another dragged an inflatable mattress into the amphitheater and lay on it to watch the show finally the cats arcosanti residents can keep pets but for the weekend they belonged to everyone cats could be found wandering in the basin lounging atop the amphitheater taking in sun and sound or being petted by tender festivalgoers
after midnight the festival shifted focus to a colorful stage that had been built by the florida record label and art collective elestial sound it sat in the middle of a field surrounded by cliffs on each side there were headliners playing here but even when they were great they were little competition for the night sky which made this monstrously big installation feel like just a tiny part of a much bigger constellation


manila   in his first policy pronouncements since becoming the presumptive president of the philippines rodrigo duterte said monday that he plans to reimpose the death penalty offer cabinet posts to communist rebels and move to amend the constitution to give more power to the provinces
mr duterte also said during a nationally televised news conference that he will begin a military offensive to destroy abu sayyaf extremists on southern jolo island
the announcements a sharp departure from current policy reflect his brash campaign pledge to end crime and corruption in the impoverished country in three to six months police officials have said the plan is not realistic and they have noted that crime remains prevalent in davao city where mr duterte has served as mayor for more than 22 years
the military has been fighting a decades long marxist insurgency in the countryside but mr duterte said he would likely offer the cabinet posts of environment and natural resources agrarian reform social welfare and labor to the communist rebels
they are the most vigilant group in the philippines about labor so they would get it he said
the move would likely be strongly opposed by big business and industry
mr duterte said he would ask congress to reimpose the death penalty which has been suspended since 2006 in the face of staunch opposition from the dominant roman catholic church capital punishment by hanging he said should be imposed for heinous crimes and criminals convicted of killing robbery and rape should receive double the hanging
after the first hanging there will be another ceremony for the second time until the head is completely severed from the body he said
chito gascon the chairman of the human rights commission of the philippines said his agency opposes the death penalty and would block any attempt to reimpose it adding that the constitution forbids cruel and degrading punishments like hanging
in a country where the rule of law has so many loopholes and problems what will happen is the possibility of a mistaken conviction mr gascon said by telephone
mr duterte also plans to switch to a federal form of government aiming to give more power and resources to the regions including the countrys south where davao city is such a change would require an amendment to the constitution
mr duterte reiterated on monday his vow to control illegal drugs and crime even if it meant losing the presidency or his life stop messing with me because i have a sacred promise to save the next generation from the evil of drugs he said
he also promised to cut government red tape and remove corrupt officials mr duterte said contaminated police generals facing corruption cases should get out now before he assumes office in june if not they should prepare to be sent to fight against the abu sayyaf militants
and if you are taken hostage there say your our fathers because i will never never pay anything to retrieve you he added


london   when the worlds best players arrive in paris this week for the french open where the qualifying tournament began monday one player will be conspicuous by her absence
for the first time since she began her comeback in 2008 kimiko date krumm will not be in the field for a grand slam event neither main draw nor qualifying at the grand old age of 45   grandmother territory in tennis terms   date krumm has defied conventional sporting wisdom to be competitive on the wta tour but recent knee surgery means a long road back if she is to continue playing
date krumm of japan will turn 46 in september she is three months older than steffi graf the former no 1 player who beat her in the semifinals at wimbledon in 1996 having made it as high as no 4 in 1995 date krumm was still ranked in the top 10 late in 1996 when she made the surprise announcement that she was quitting after 12 years away during which she barely picked up a racket date krumm returned at 37 and has been beating the odds ever since
just ask maria sharapova li na sabine lisicki garbine muguruza maria kirilenko daniela hantuchova laura robson and heather watson all victims of date krumm during her second career all of them were cut down by her old school style of play featuring flat groundstrokes hitting on the rise and skills at the net
i am proud to have kept playing grand slams after a 12 year break at the age of 37 date said in an email adding womens tennis has changed from the 90s and it was really hard for me to adjust to power and speed tennis however i can enjoy my challenge more on the tour young players offered words to me with respect
date krumms age has posed a mental challenge for some of her opponents
when li who went on to win two grand slam singles titles was ground down in a typically grueling three setter in bali in 2010 she was in tears hours later
belinda bencic of switzerland who is 19 and ranked no 8 could barely believe what she was seeing when she defeated date krumm in three sets at the 2014 australian open
i remember everything because it was my first win at a grand slam main draw match bencic said sometimes its on youtube and i still watch it there were so many emotions i was so happy and i think i played good there it was very hot that day but she is so fit and i was like come on you cannot be more tired than her 
one of date krumms most exciting matches was a loss to venus williams at wimbledon in 2011 when date krumm was 40 williams won 6 7 6 4 8 6 in a match just short of three hours when serena williams played date krumm at wimbledon in 2013 she said that she had been nervous because of her sisters match two years before
weight lifting and interval training   along with a japanese diet green tea and plenty of sleep   have helped date krumm stay in shape her fitness and continued motivation allowed her to return to the top 50 in 2010 and have enabled her to continue to push the best players in the world
muguruza the runner up last year at wimbledon lost to date krumm in thailand in 2014
that was a dramatic match oh my god muguruza said it was in pattaya it was at night and i had two match points but i lost i was so mad i practiced with her a few times and every time i see her i think man thats amazing to be so fit to be happy and motivated to work after so many years 
muguruza 22 said it was depressing that date krumm could be my mother and shes fitter than me
she added that date krumm was a very intelligent and athletic player who knew how to make her opponents run and how to use their power against them
she reads where youre going to play   shes already there and waiting for you muguruza said i think she really loves the sport shes not looking for fame or money she just enjoys it
since 2008 date krumm has set a number of records including being the oldest wta tour singles title winner in 2009 and being the oldest player since billie jean king in 1984 to be ranked in the top 50 her highest rankings since her return were 46th in singles and 28th in doubles   a doubles career high she reached in 2015 she also reached the third round of wimbledon and the australian open in 2013 over all she has won eight singles titles and six doubles titles in her career
but age appears to be finally catching up with date krumm she has not played since losing in the first round of qualifying at the australian open in january and her ranking has fallen to no 214 but the word retirement has not crossed her lips just yet if she can recover from her knee operation she said she hopes to return again
i feel happy to keep playing my much loved tennis she wrote i hope that young players keep their passion regardless of age and playing years


cairo   in many ways life is not so bad for egypts deposed ruler hosni mubarak at the cairo hospital he calls home he enjoys regular deliveries of flowers newspapers and takeout restaurant meals visits from his wife two sons and grandchildren and a sweeping view over the nile
to mark his 88th birthday recently a throng of well wishers gathered at the hospital gates and sang danced and waved his portrait mr mubarak pulled open a window and waved back
however the one luxury mr mubarak has not been afforded is the right to simply walk out of the hospital   which is something of a conundrum in may 2015 a judge decreed that mr mubarak had completed his three year prison sentence for corruption in the only successful prosecution of the onetime strongman since his turbulent ouster in 2011
technically he was a free man
yet mr mubarak remains confined to the hospital room that has doubled as a jail cell for the past three years with a guard posted outside his door his legal limbo continues even as many of his former allies men who grew fabulously rich during his three decades of rule are quietly cutting deals with the government to overturn their own convictions
mr mubaraks longtime lawyer farid el deeb declined interview requests but several of mr mubaraks friends including those who visit him in the hospital explain the situation as a delicate deal between him and egypts powerful military
they say the military has been generally lenient toward mubarak era figures since president abdel fattah el sisi took power in 2013 but wants to avoid the likely outcry that would accompany mr mubaraks release so the two sides have reached a compromise mr mubarak agrees to stay in the hospital for now and the government agrees that his two sons alaa a businessman and gamal once seen as his political heir will remain free both were released from jail last year
his weak point is his two sons said yousri abdelraziq a volunteer lawyer for mr mubarak and whenever he speaks in public the authorities get upset
mr abdelraziq said he had received mr mubaraks permission before speaking to a journalist and produced a cellphone picture of himself standing beside the former president looking grumpy inside his hospital room
security and his medical treatment are other factors in mr mubaraks hospital stay friends say a military spokesman declined to comment on the possibility of an arrangement with mr mubarak
mr mubaraks legal limbo is a reflection of the curious place he occupies in egyptian public life five years after the heady protests that ended his long rule many egyptians still despise him as the totemic symbol of the rampant cronyism and repression that plagued egypt for decades his incarceration is one of the last remaining victories for the leaders of the 2011 protests many of whom are now languishing in mr sisis jails
but others have started to look back on mr mubaraks rule with a twinge of bitter nostalgia as a time of relative freedom compared with the harsh authoritarianism of mr sisis rule
of course mubarak was corrupt but he knew how to take good advice said osama diab an anticorruption researcher at the egyptian initiative for personal rights a prominent rights group in cairo now its a disaster mubarak was a competent dictator sisi is not
as hard feelings toward mr mubarak seem to be receding so do his legal woes
the humiliations of 2012 and 2013 when he was forced to sit in a courtroom cage are largely over he avoided prosecution on the most serious charges like the deaths of protesters in 2011 and he now faces a retrial in one final case there is little prospect of it coming to court anytime soon lawyers say
instead mr mubarak is whiling away his days at the maadi military hospital a towering complex overlooking the nile staff members there say he lives under a permissive yet firm regimen security is tight and all visitors are vetted by the ministry of defense a security official said he chats on his cellphone he has an old nokia model without internet access and occasionally receives a barber who dyes his hair nurses sometimes see him shuffling the halls as part of therapy for a fractured pelvis he suffered in a fall in the bathroom in 2013
mr mubarak frequently receives flowers from admirers and visits from his wife suzanne his sons and his grandchildren and a tight circle of ardent admirers they say his mood veers from high spirits to embittered grumbling describing a man who is scornful of the allies who abandoned him dismissive of the young protesters who pushed him out and largely unrepentant for his 29 years in power
he feels betrayed said hassan ghandour a former republican guard who befriended mr mubarak when he sees critics on tv who used to suck up to him it leaves him very irritated
maadi military hospital has been the stage for other late life political dramas in 1980 the shah of iran died there on the floor below mr mubarak having fled to egypt from revolutionary iran the next year egypts own ruler anwar el sadat was rushed to the hospital after being shot by islamist officers at a military parade he died hours later paving the way for mr mubarak to take over
mr mubarak is very conscious of his own legacy said mr abdelraziq the lawyer and was very upset to be convicted of corruption he gently nudged his way back into the spotlight last year giving a rare if unrevealing 15 minute phone interview to a television talk show shortly afterward security at his room was tightened
since mr sisi took power in 2013 the government and courts have shown great leniency toward the powerful figures of mr mubaraks era   business tycoons ministers and cronies now exonerated or released from jail   underscoring the sharp limits of change in egypt since 2011
in the latest case on may 4 an appeals court overturned a five year sentence for corruption against ahmed nazif who served as prime minister under mr mubarak from 2004 to 2011 others are seeking to buy their freedom with cash payments
a lawyer for hussein salem a billionaire businessman and mubarak confidant who fled to spain in 2011 has agreed to transfer 75 percent of his wealth   55 billion egyptian pounds or about 626 million at the official exchange rate   in exchange for the overturning of two convictions carrying sentences of seven and 15 years
the deal is done from our part said the lawyer mahmoud kebaish now we are waiting for the government
adel el saeed of the illicit gains authority which handles such deals said it had received more than 30 settlement requests from businessmen and former officials linked to mr mubarak
another illicit gains authority official said mr mubarak too was hoping to cut a deal offering about 10 million in return for the quashing of his corruption conviction that bid is unlikely to succeed soon and few believe mr mubarak will be heading to his villa in sharm el sheikh anytime soon but short of a full release he may have an eye on shaping his legacy and overturning his conviction so the state will restore his military honors and ensure a state funeral
what matters now about mubarak is how he goes down in history said mr diab the researcher when he dies the fight will be over whether he was a thief or a military hero whether he was responsible for the current chaos in egypt or whether he saved the country from it until he was kicked out


tehran   irans judiciary unleashed one of its periodic crackdowns on social media permissiveness on sunday announcing the arrest of eight people involved in online modeling without a mandatory head scarf and questioning another woman a former model live on state television on sunday
a blogger mehdi abutorabi 53 who managed a publishing tool called persian blog was also detained the semiofficial student news agency isna reported monday
the former model elham arab 26 had been something of an instagram star posting pictures of herself in bridal gowns with eye catching dyed blond hair but on sunday months after her instagram account had been shut down she wore a pious black scarf and matching gloves as she was questioned by two prosecutors during a live television program
in sharp contrast to the happy and glamorous images of herself posted online ms arab spoke of her bitter experiences in irans technically illegal modeling industry and warned young women to think twice before posting pictures of themselves online you can be certain that no man would want to marry a model whose fame has come by losing her honor she said
the head scarf issue often features prominently in the constant tug of war between powerful hard liners and irans increasingly urbanized and worldly society irans laws require that all women even visiting foreigners cover their hair out of a traditional respect for culture and morality many hard liners view the obligatory veil as a last ditch defense against what they say is an onslaught of western cultural decadence
but the main culprit was not ms arab tehrans public prosecutor abbas jafar dolatabadi concluded on the television program no the main offender was the enemy irans household label for the west and its unwanted influences
the enemy is investing in order to create a generation without any willpower the prosecutor said of social media we must refrain from any actions that run counter to the values of the establishment
the television program was part of a broader crackdown on self expression and freedoms both online and in the real world that was rekindled after the victory of reformists and moderates in irans parliamentary elections in february
the crackdown led by the hard line dominated judiciary and security forces runs counter to the policies of president hassan rouhani who was elected on a platform of greater personal freedoms and has called in several recent speeches for a loosening of irans social strictures while iran is undergoing broad changes under the influence of satellite television the internet and cheap foreign travel few laws have been updated since the islamic revolution of 1979
with the onset of higher spring temperatures some women have sought to shed all or parts of the often stifling islamic uniform that has brought the morality police back onto the streets of the capital despite promises by mr rouhani that he would prevent their return in recent weeks the authorities raided several parties in the capital and the caspian sea region where there was drinking and dancing   both forbidden in iran
nevertheless the authorities seem hesitant to come down too severely on those who violate the norms several popular actors actresses and athletes who wield considerable influence through social media platforms were given a relative slap on the wrist last week after being caught in a raid on an illegal party local news outlets reported
those artists who play in movies and television series and athletes have the special attention of the youths mr jafar dolatabadi who seems to be at the center of the crackdown said on the judiciarys website mizan if you take part in vulgar sessions we will publicly announce your names
the strategy of irans hard liners is to single out special cases analysts say extracting televised mea culpas from prominent figures like ms arab to warn the general public that the ideological lines are not to be overstepped too obviously
many here doubt the strategy will have much effect they are doing such things to show us who is in power mojgan faraji a reformist journalist said of the hard liners but in the end they lose as the gap between them and the society is only widening
state television has been steadily losing influence facing hundreds of foreign based persian language satellite channels the semiofficial fars news agency complained recently
nevertheless many pitfalls remain for women last week a female politician minoo khaleghi who had won election to parliament as a moderate was told she would not be allowed to take her seat after images of her emerged on social media showing her without the obligatory head scarf on saturday mr jafar dolatabadi ordered ms khaleghi to explain to judicial officials why such images of her existed the reformist newspaper shargh reported
on the same program irans prosecutor for cybercrimes javad babaei announced the arrest of the eight people apparently in connection with online modeling his unit is focusing on instagram which is not blocked in iran sterilizing popular cyberspaces is on our agenda he said criticizing the introduction of broadband in the country without considering the consequences


detailed accusations of state sponsored doping among russian athletes have spurred serious debate about whether the country should be allowed to compete in the coming summer olympics in rio de janeiro
we have never claimed that we do not have doping problems the russian ministry of sport said last week after the former director of the countrys antidoping laboratory described widespread use of performance enhancing drugs by russias olympians
but what exactly are those doping problems and how will they affect russias eligibility for the rio games
do russian athletes dope more than other athletes
thats impossible to know but we do know that they get caught more russian athletes had more positive doping tests than athletes from any other country in 2014 the most recent year for which data is available from the world anti doping agency
why is there suddenly so much scrutiny on russia
in december 2014 the german public broadcaster ard released a documentary that drew on accounts from russian athletes coaches and antidoping officials who said the russian government had helped procure drugs for athletes and cover up positive test results
the ard documentary prompted the world anti doping agency to form an independent commission to investigate that group ultimately released two reports that described systematic state sponsored doping in russia the findings were largely focused on track and field athletes
the group also proposed that russia be suspended from competition by track and fields governing body and barred from track and field events at this years summer olympics in rio de janeiro the track and field federation known as the iaaf barred russia from international competition until it proves that it has fixed its doping problems
what happened last week
grigory rodchenkov a former director of russias antidoping laboratory detailed in interviews with the new york times how a doping program that involved dozens of athletes unfolded at the sochi games in 2014 dr rodchenkov said state antidoping experts and members of the intelligence service covertly replaced tainted urine samples with clean ones collected from the athletes months earlier
he said doping among russian athletes went far beyond what wada had found
what sports are involved
although the track and field team is the only one currently under sanctions the various reports have connected athletes in many sports to doping dr rodchenkov said biathletes bobsledders the entire womens hockey team and more than a dozen cross country skiers were part of russias state run doping program at the sochi games wadas independent commission also found suggestive evidence across sports
the track and field federation however is the only governing body that has responded with sanctions federations for some other sports have said they are looking into the matter
how have russian officials responded
alternately with defiance and contrition while often emphatically dismissing all allegations as a western conspiracy intended to smear russia officials have sometimes struck a more conciliatory tone hoping to win the favor of track and field officials who might control their ability to compete in the rio games
the russian sports ministry acknowledged doping problems in a statement last week after dr rodchenkovs claims were published in the times but it did not say specifically what those problems were then writing in the sunday times a british newspaper the russian sports minister vitaly mutko said russian officials coaches and athletes made serious mistakes but he stopped short of specifying them or admitting to any state role
whats next
the iaaf is expected to rule on the status of russias track and field program at its next meeting june 17 in vienna austria after a task force charged with monitoring russias progress on antidoping reforms presents its findings
other sports federations might also conduct investigations but it seems unlikely that any of them will move swiftly enough to affect the rio games which begin aug 5
what is the international olympic committees response
olympic officials have publicly said little about holding russia accountable deferring to wada and the individual sport federations to address any problems


washington   a case about false information on the internet ended with a fizzle at the supreme court on monday when the justices returned it to an appeals court for further consideration
the case arose from an internet profile of a california man thomas robins that was distributed by spokeo a company that sells personal data online to among others potential employers and people looking for information about prospective romantic partners
mr robins said the profile was riddled with errors it said he had a graduate degree though he did not that he was employed and in good shape financially though he was out of work and that he was married and had children though neither was true the profile also included a photograph of a different man
mr robins sued under a part of the fair credit reporting act that provides damages of up to 1000 without proof of quantifiable harm and he sought to represent a class of people with similar claims spokeo responded that congress did not have the power to create a legal right to sue for plaintiffs who have suffered no concrete harm
the united states court of appeals for the ninth circuit last year appeared to disagree a plaintiff can suffer a violation of the statutory right without suffering actual damages a unanimous three judge panel ruled
justice samuel a alito jr writing for the majority in mondays 6 to 2 decision said the ninth circuits analysis had been incomplete he said the appeals court had focused on whether mr robins had suffered a particularized injury but had not adequately considered whether his injury was concrete
justice alito told the ninth circuit to take a fresh look at that question under a fairly broad definition of what counts as concrete he said the term means that an injury must actually exist and be real rather than abstract indeed he wrote intangible injuries can nevertheless be concrete even the risk of real harm will sometimes suffice he wrote
he added that congresss judgment about what qualifies as a concrete harm was instructive and important a point that will help mr robins in the ninth circuit
justice alito gave two examples of kinds of harm that are not concrete a bare procedural violation and minor errors
not all inaccuracies cause harm or present any material risk of harm he wrote an example that comes readily to mind is an incorrect zip code it is difficult to imagine how the dissemination of an incorrect zip code without more could work any concrete harm
justice ruth bader ginsburg joined by justice sonia sotomayor dissented saying there was already plenty of reason to think that mr robins had suffered a concrete injury
spokeos report made him appear overqualified for jobs he might have gained expectant of a higher salary than employers would be willing to pay and less mobile because of family responsibilities justice ginsburg wrote describing assertions in mr robinss brief
the case was not about trivial mistakes she added
far from an incorrect zip code robins complains of misinformation about his education family situation and economic status inaccurate representations that could affect his fortune in the job market she wrote i therefore see no utility in returning this case to the ninth circuit
the court did not address a lurking question in the case spokeo v robins no 13 1339 that of whether mr robins was entitled to represent a class of plaintiffs claiming to have been injured by false information in their profiles


at the science of consciousness conference last month in tucson i was faced with a quandary which of eight simultaneous sessions should i attend
in one room scientists and philosophers were discussing the physiology of brain cells and how they might generate the thinking mind in another the subject was free will   real or an illusion
next door was a session on panpsychism the controversial to say the least idea that everything   animal vegetable and mineral   is imbued at its subatomic roots with mindlike qualities running on parallel tracks were sessions titled phenomenal consciousness the neural correlates of consciousness and the extended mind
for much of the 20th century the science of consciousness was widely dismissed as an impenetrable mystery a morass of a problem that could be safely pursued only by older professors as they thought deep thoughts in their endowed chairs beginning in the 1990s the field slowly became more respectable
there is after all a gaping hole in science the human mind has plumbed the universe concluding that it is precisely 138 billion years old with particle accelerators like the large hadron collider at cern scientists have discovered the vanishingly tiny particles like the higgs boson that underpin reality
but there is no scientific explanation for consciousness   without which none of these discoveries could have been made
faced with this vacuum hundreds of people gathered in tucson where wild speculations and carnivalesque pseudoscience were juxtaposed with sober sessions like agency and mental causation and data filled talks about probing conscious brain states with pet scans and eegs
because i couldnt clone my brain i found myself sitting late one afternoon in vibrations scale and topology where a musician from tulsa okla who called himself timbre wolf was strumming a guitar and singing the bing song
bing is a word that stuart hameroff the university of arizona professor who organizes these mindfests uses to describe the moment when the spark of consciousness lights up the brain imagine a mad scientist hooking together neurons one by one until suddenly they reach a threshold of complexity and   bing   consciousness emerges
we all know the feeling one that science has been powerless to explain the audience seemed familiar enough with the words and so they sang along in 44 time
before launching into the tune timbre wolf played a recording of an eerie composition called brain dance derived from vibrations generated by tiny molecular structures called microtubules which are part of the scaffolding of brain cells the music to his ear was reminiscent of philip glass steve reich cuban rumba gustav holsts the planets and the visual rhythms of strange mathematical objects called penrose tiles
all of this he suspected had something to do with quantum mechanics and consciousness an idea that dr hameroff has long been pursuing
there even seemed to be undertones of the devils triad a discordant combo of notes known since medieval times that forms the opening riff of purple haze
that all made for good metaphysical fun more disconcerting was the starring role given to the new age entrepreneur deepak chopra dr chopra believes that human consciousness through epigenetic feedback directs the unfolding of human evolution
no one seemed to object as dr chopra whose chopra foundation was one of the sponsors shared the stage with prominent professors who engaged with his ideas as if he were another esteemed colleague
but thats how it is at tucson there were talks on psychic phenomena and retrocausality the hypothesis that the future can affect the past through quantum emanations presentations that didnt make it into prime time were laid out in colorful posters attached to rows of bulletin boards what might cause a stars consciousness the x structure the basic nature of life and existence
also included in the lineup were presentations hypothesizing that dark energy could explain consciousness and that homeopathic medicine might work through nanoparticles and quantum entanglement   as if homeopathy worked at all
beyond all of that there was still plenty of serious theorizing for a rapid fire summary you can hear baba brinkman a rap artist who provided a daily report on the meeting which he called half science lab and half burning man
late one night at an event called club consciousness mr brinkman joined dorian electra and the electrodes as the band regaled the crowd with songs like mind body problem a reference to the age old question of how something as seemingly ethereal as consciousness emerges from the brain and brain in a vat the idea that for all you know youre just a brain kept alive in a laboratory flask and what seems like reality is an illusion
chinese room was about a thought experiment that the philosopher john searle claims to be a refutation of the possibility of artificial intelligence but the big hit of the night sensual which has been made into a rock video was about a famous intellectual conflict that has raged since the 17th century when john locke went to the mat with rene descartes over the source and nature of human knowledge
for locke and the empiricists the mind begins as a blank slate a tabula rasa and truth comes to us through our senses but descartes and the rationalists insisted that some knowledge was innate prefigured into the mind of every newborn child
ms electra opened the debate
there aint nothin in the mind which aint been in the sensations let me take you on a sensation vacation through sense experience the mind is created as well as rules to process raw sense data
siding with descartes mr brinkman offered the rebuttal
hey rationalism is on top cause lately empiricism has gone pop there aint no tabula rasa john locke better check your senses against logic nonstop
ultimately they concluded as many philosophers have that the truth lies somewhere in between
in the past these conferences were called toward a science of consciousness recently the organizers dropped the first two words of the title as if the fog was finally lifting but as i left the auditorium i wondered if their confidence was premature
in even the wildest presentations one could sense a longing for an answer to the question of consciousness a fuller accounting of what we are and how we fit into the cosmic machinery for all of the effort the goal of providing a compelling explanation   one so clear it would make your head go bing   seemed as remote as ever


cannes france   in loving which was unveiled here on monday to raves the director jeff nichols tells the story of richard and mildred loving the interracial couple whose 1958 marriage broke virginias anti miscegenation law and eventually led to the landmark supreme court ruling that deemed marriage a human right
i truly believe this is one of the most pure love stories in american history mr nichols said at a news conference here on monday about the white southern construction worker played by the australian actor joel edgerton and his african american wife played by the ethiopian irish actress ruth negga
the lovings wed in washington and returned to their native virginia only to be arrested their prison sentences were suspended on the condition that they leave the state for 25 years a ruling they eventually defied as the civil rights movement gained momentum the aclu took on their case and in 1967 the supreme court ruled in their favor in loving v virginia
the court case is fascinating how these lawyers got this case to the supreme court could make a movie in and of itself said mr nichols who also wrote the screenplay i didnt want to make that movie he added i wanted to make a movie about two people in love
the film has received strong reviews with critics noting mr nicholss understated direction and strong performances by mr edgerton and ms negga at the news conference ms negga was asked if she was ready to win an academy award
she said that loving was the most important film ive ever made and one of the most important films in history i think ms negga who appeared in the samaritan 2012 with samuel l jackson was also in 12 years a slave but didnt make the films final cut that was one of the most difficult phone calls i received she said but things balance out
loving takes an intimate oblique approach focusing on the couple more than the larger currents of history there are certain moments that a lesser screenwriter or someone really drawn into the patina of hollywood might have rearranged the truth in order to make it more hollywood mr edgerton said lets have them high fiving their children in the courtroom and having a party to celebrate he added
loving is the second film by the director to make its debut at the cannes film festival after mud unveiled in 2012 his midnight special is now in theaters
in making loving the director and the actors drew heavily on the documentary the loving story which uses real footage of the couple mr nichols came to the project after his agent told him that there was interest in making a feature based on the documentary which hbo broadcast in 2012 there was also a 1996 television drama mr and mrs loving starring timothy hutton and lela rochon
i looked at the trailer the trailers great the trailer made me cry mr nichols said i sent it to my wife she sent me an email back and she said i really love you but if you dont make this movie im going to divorce you


hopkinsville ky   hillary clinton raced on monday to fend off senator bernie sanders on the eve of kentuckys democratic primary hoping to avoid another show of weakness as she heads into an almost certain general election fight with donald j trump
mrs clinton snaked through a smoke filled diner and then she hopscotched around the state holding a series of rallies where she urged kentuckians to turn out to vote
the fast paced day which included a combative exchange with an audience member who objected to her criticism of kentuckys republican governor might have suggested a candidate fighting for survival
instead mrs clinton is all but certain to claim her partys nomination but in the meantime she would prefer to stop losing primaries even if they are of little mathematical consequence
mrs clintons husband former president bill clinton won kentucky in both 1992 and 1996 and mrs clinton trounced barack obama here in the 2008 primary but this years primary here is hard to predict polling has been scarce and both she and mr sanders have lavished attention on the state
after visiting kentucky last week mrs clinton on monday wrapped up a two day tour she started her day in the western part of the state with a visit to the lone oak little castle restaurant in paducah where she was joined by kentuckys secretary of state alison lundergan grimes
im excited about the primary tomorrow but we got to turn a lot of people out mrs clinton said and ill tell you this im not going to give up on kentucky in november
mr sanders campaigned in puerto rico on monday but over the weekend he made several stops in kentucky including visits to frankfort elizabethtown and bowling green
at a rally in paducah on sunday mr sanders argued that he was the stronger candidate to defeat mr trump he also took aim at kentuckys governor matt bevin a foe of the affordable care act saying they had stark differences over health care and education
if anybody in this room or in this state wants to know what kind of president i will be take a look at governor bevin and what he is doing mr sanders said and then think about the exact opposite and thats bernie sanders
mrs clinton too criticized mr bevin while showcasing the backing of his democratic predecessor steve beshear at a rally here in hopkinsville on monday she said mr bevin was just bent on destroying so much of what kentucky has achieved
not long after when a woman in the crowd objected to her criticism mrs clinton held her ground you are entitled to your opinion but youre not entitled to your own facts mrs clinton fired back adding its time people stop listening to republican propaganda about the economy education and health care
kentuckys primary is one of two democratic contests on tuesday oregon which votes by mail requires ballots to be received by tuesday night and the states demographics favor mr sanders kentucky is more competitive and it poses another test of how much mrs clinton can attract white working class voters who have been receptive to mr sanderss populist message
on monday mrs clinton appealed to voters who have fond memories of her husbands administration i want to help bring back the kind of economy that worked for everybody in the 1990s she said at the diner
losses in kentucky and oregon would not imperil her grip on the democratic nomination but mrs clinton is in the awkward position of running two campaigns at once urging voters to turn out in the primary while also laying out arguments geared toward a face off with mr trump in november
campaigning in kentucky mrs clinton attacked mr sanders by saying he voted against the auto industry bailout though mr sanderss record is not as clear cut as mrs clinton suggested
at the same time mrs clinton devoted considerable attention to mr trump criticizing him over issues like taxes and foreign policy in bowling green on monday she told the crowd to imagine she was on a debate stage with mr trump and provided a sample question so what is your plan to create jobs
mrs clinton offered an impression of the businessman
his answer is im going to create them theyre going to be great i know how to do it but im not telling you what it is im going to do  she said
at the lone oak little castle where the menu includes staples like biscuits and gravy mrs clinton saw signs of loyal support for her and her husband as well as of the resistance she is likely to face in november from some voters
residents peered in the windows of the restaurant to observe the commotion inside as mrs clinton slowly made her way through the crowd greeting admirers like debbie patterson 60 who wore a shirt saying anything bill can do hill can do better
that is so cute mrs clinton said
mrs clinton also encountered dianna dooley 66 a supporter of mr trumps who made a miniature trump sign by scrawling his name on a slip of paper before mrs clinton made the rounds ms dooley described her as just a carbon copy obama
later ms dooley told mrs clinton that she would never vote for her mrs clinton was unruffled thats ok she replied you vote for whoever you want


at yellowstone national park officials are used to issuing warnings to the public each time a visitor is injured by a bison the animals hurt more tourists than any other animal at the park
but this time it was a newborn bison calf that suffered
on monday officials said that the calf had been euthanized a week after visitors picked the animal up and put it in the back of an suv the calf was killed because it was later rejected by its herd and appeared to have been habituated to humans morgan warthin of the national park service wrote in a statement
the bison calf was later euthanized because it was abandoned and causing a dangerous situation by continually approaching people and cars along the roadway ms warthin wrote
on sunday karen richardson a resident of victor idaho told nbc montana that two tourists had taken the calf to a ranger station because they thought the animal was cold ms richardson who was nearby took a photo of the animal as it stood in the back of a vehicle the tourists were later cited for transporting the calf officials said
officials at yellowstone have used blunt language and signs to warn visitors to steer clear of the animals often called american buffalo the nickname given to them by early explorers and settlers though they are distinct from the species of africa and asia
visitors to the park are given a bright yellow flier that depicts a person getting gored by a bison but the charms of the bison have proved hard to resist last july a woman was tossed by a bison after trying to take a selfie with one she was one of five people to be injured by bison last summer in the statement on monday park officials cited two viral videos in which visitors had approached bison
last week president obama signed a law that made the bison the largest mammal in north america the first official mammal of the united statespopulation numbers for the animals have dwindled over the years but officials at yellowstone estimate that the bison population there fluctuates from 2300 to 5000 animals depending on breeding patterns
this year in an effort to contain the population and the spread of the animal disease brucellosis that yellowstones bison can transport during their annual migration park officials attempted to cull 900 bison from the herd according to the associated press
park officials took to facebook on monday answer questions from the public about why the calf had been euthanized even if the calf could have been rehabilitated somehow they wrote that the animal would have required months of quarantine to test for brucellosis and yellowstone does not have the facilities needed to monitor the calf
nor is it the mission of the national park service to rescue animals officials added our goal is to maintain the ecological processes of yellowstone


monique tillman was 15 years old when she says a police officer pulled her off her bicycle slammed her to the ground and tased her after she rode through a mall parking lot in tacoma wash the arrest in which she was accused of causing a disturbance was caught on surveillance video now the 17 year old is suing the officer the mall and some of its security guards
the footage of ms tillmans arrest in 2014 by the officer jared williams is the latest video to garner national attention and spur debate over what activists have denounced as the unduly harsh treatment of youths mostly black or hispanic by police officers including recent cases in south carolina and texas
the complaint accuses officer williams of negligence in his treatment of a minor while working off duty as a security guard at the mall and it seeks unspecified damages for physical and mental harm
a child riding a bike should not have to worry that a police officer will stop her without legal cause and brutalize her ms tillmans lawyer vito de la cruz said in a statement our communities are weary of another african american child being hurt by unwarranted and excessive police force
i just feel like they should be held accountable for what they did to me ms tillman told q13 news a local tv station last week
the lawsuit was picked up by local and national news organizations and it drew strong reaction online on facebook readers posted messages on the tacoma police departments site calling for officer williams to be fired and they have posted the youtube video showing ms tillman who is black pinned against a vehicle thrown to the ground and being tased by the white officer
as of last week officer williams was still working for the department according to the seattle times messages left for the tacoma police department seeking comment were not immediately answered on monday
the video just over three minutes long shows ms tillman and her older brother eric branch riding bicycles through the parking lot of the tacoma mall on may 24 2014 they were on their way home the lawsuit says
two white vans pull up including a tacoma police department cruiser with its lights flashing and air horn blaring officer williams wearing a police department uniform gets out from behind the wheel of the department vehicle the youths stop and when ms tillman ask him what they did wrong the lawsuit says officer williams reply that the two are being trespassed for causing a disturbance
ms tillman can be seen gesticulating while speaking with the officer she asked what they did wrong several times the lawsuit says and when she tried to ride off officer williams pulled her off her bicycle by her left arm the suit said he tossed her around like a childs doll slamming her into parked vehicles forcibly shoving his forearm into her chest grabbing her by the hair and body slamming her into the pavement
officer williams then used his department issued taser on her handcuffed her and put her into a patrol car the lawsuit says ms tillman was charged with assaulting the officer and resisting arrest but the charges were later dismissed at trial the lawsuit says
the video and the lawsuit filed in pierce county superior court in washington on may 6 were posted on the website of tamaki law where ms tillmans lawyer works in addition to officer williams it names universal protection services the security company officer williams was working for off duty and the simon property group owners of the tacoma mall as defendants
ten other people some of them tacoma police officers and others security guards were also listed as defendants the complaint did not name them or describe their role in the episode
mr de la cruz said in an email that part of the delay in filing the lawsuit was because they had waited for the criminal case against ms tillman to conclude the suit says she had been stopped without reasonable suspicion and probable cause
jennifer carroll a spokeswoman for the tacoma mall declined on monday to comment on the lawsuit but confirmed that officer williams had been working as a mall security officer at the time when asked about the malls rules governing bicycle riding in its parking lot she had no comment


moscow   the eurovision song contest became the latest and perhaps least likely front in the renewed east west rivalry on monday after a singer from ukraine unexpectedly upset the odds on favorite a russian
the result had barely been announced on saturday night in stockholm when the habitual kremlin propaganda machine found its voice with the main television news shows various members of parliament and even the foreign ministry weighing in to smear the contest
yelena drapeko an actress turned member of parliament summed up the general mood by attributing the loss to what she called the demonization of russia
partly this is a result of the propaganda and information war that is being waged against russia she was quoted as saying by the tass news agency we are talking about the general demonization of russia about how everything with us is bad about how our athletes are all doping our planes are violating airspace all of this
the loss was the top news story on the weekly sunday night news program hosted by dmitry k kiselyov the kremlins main propagandist mr kiselyov sees the dark arts of the united states operating everywhere in the world and the eurovision contest was no exception never mind that it is not an american event
the logo network a cable channel supportive of gay rights broadcast the event for the first time in the united states and that was enough to give birth to a conspiracy theory in russia
i dont exclude the fact that americans having bought broadcasting rights has changed the voting system mr kiselyov said money talks as they say in this case in political interests
politicians were not the only ones crying foul of course among the viewing public sergey lazarev the russian singer enjoys a staunch following among teenage girls they were among the most vocal critics of his loss
in point of fact russias complaints began even before the final event on saturday night with some officials claiming that the eventual winner a ukrainian of crimean tatar origin had violated contest rules against political content in songs the song she sang called 1944 describes the plight of the tatar minority deported from crimea under joseph stalin many deportees did not survive to make it back to crimea after the collapse of the soviet union
but many observers felt russias basic problem was this before the show mr lazarev a pop star in russia was favored to win but the prize went to the ukrainian susana jamaladinova who goes by the stage name jamala
certainly her song was interpreted by many as an oblique comment on the russian annexation of crimea in 2014 not to speak of most ethnic ukrainians and tatars general distaste for anything and everything russian it was allowed because ms jamaladinova framed it as a personal anthem devoted to her grandmother who was among the deportees but there was a distinct undertone of current events given that russia has been accused of discriminating against the tatar minority all over again since 2014 recently shutting down their independent legislature
when strangers are coming they come to your house they kill you all and say we are not guilty not guilty says the opening verse of the song
the moscow establishment has always coveted a winning entry in the eurovision contest and was eagerly anticipating a moment of triumph after bookies established mr lazarev as the favorite
this year however contest organizers changed the way the votes were tabulated separating the votes by viewer polls and by a five member jury in each participating country and making both tallies public instead of presenting just the combined vote mr lazarev won the popular vote but ranked fifth in the jury vote
the complicated system put russia in third place behind ukraine and australia and its contestant dami im australia was a special guest for the second year
in the tumultuous aftermath russia has suddenly emerged as the unexpected champion of a popular vote
every russian news program and various senior officials maintained that mr lazarev as the popular favorite had been robbed in what they denigrated as a clearly political decision
aleksei k pushkov the head of the state dumas committee on international affairs said on twitter that eurovision had turned into a field of political battles and suggested that russia now had the right to send a politically charged entry to the next contest
the winner gets to host the contest the following year which means in 2017 it will be in ukraine that brought endless suggestions from russia to either boycott the contest or send the most nationalistic crooners possible
maria v zakharova a foreign ministry spokeswoman said that next year russia would come up with a song about president bashar al assad of syria that was sure to carry the day assad bloody assad the worst give me prize so that we can host she wrote as a suggested lyric on her facebook account
a deputy prime minister dmitri o rogozin proposed sending sergei v shnurov the frontman for a popular rock band known for its use of foul language and celebration of alcoholism others suggested that russia send its contestants to ukraine next year on the back of tanks
across the border ukrainians saw the win in political terms too but they were often jubilant about it many ukrainians aspire to membership in the european union a goal that has driven their country into a civil war with russian backed separatists in the southeast leaving more than 9000 people dead
about a thousand fans many bearing flowers greeted ms jamaladinova when she flew into the kiev airport crimea is ukraine they shouted and then sang the national anthem politicians starting with president petro o poroshenko posted congratulations on social media
of course there were conspiracy theories in ukraine too given the high number of votes from within ukraine for mr lazarev ukrainian nationalists wondered if perhaps russia had found a way to manipulate the vote across the border others took it as a kumbaya moment indicating that there should be no war between the two countries
mikhail pavliv a kiev based political scientist pointed out in a post on facebook that while viewers in russia and ukraine had voted in favor of each others singers the jury in each country had given the others contestant zero points
this is better than any sociology he wrote


seoul south korea   the united states south korea and japan will for the first time jointly test their ability to detect and track north korean missiles a south korean defense ministry official said on monday
the drill will be conducted on june 28   shortly before japan and south korea are scheduled to join the american led rim of the pacific exercise in waters off hawaii   and will involve destroyers equipped with the aegis radar system said the official who briefed reporters on the condition of anonymity
during the drill the ships will test their ability to collect signs of north korean missile launches as well as data on missile trajectories and they will share the information through a common channel operated by the united states the official said
the nations agreed to conduct the drill after north koreas growing missile threat was emphasized by its launching of a long range rocket on feb 7 the official said north korea said it had used the rocket to place a satellite in orbit but the united nations has banned it from launching such rockets calling them a cover for developing an intercontinental ballistic missile
the united states regularly holds separate military exercises with south korea and japan and shares military intelligence with them under bilateral treaties but south korea has been extremely wary of direct military cooperation with japan other than conducting search and rescue drills japan ruled korea as a colony in the early 20th century
washington has been trying to persuade the two countries to work more closely to better cope with chinas rising military power as well as with the north korean nuclear threat such efforts bore fruit in 2014 when washington seoul and tokyo signed an agreement to share intelligence on the norths nuclear and missile programs even in that pact south korea and japan agreed to share their military secrets only through the united states washington must obtain permission to share intelligence it has received from one country with the other


pfizers 52 billion offer for anacor pharmaceuticals announced on monday dodges the drug giants bigger issue the company may have made a good deal for anacor the maker of eczema and toenail fungus remedies even though its paying a 55 percent premium the more important question for shareholders though is whether pfizers chief executive ian c read will break up pfizer
anacor could eventually be a decent buy pfizer reckons annual sales of the targets crisaborole eczema gel may hit 2 billion or more that would put anacors value at 9 billion using pfizers multiple of 45 times sales pfizer is also expected to make a handsome profit from kerydin which attacks fungus that can grow under toenails
there are some major caveats of course anacor has not yet won approval for crisaborole from the food and drug administration a decision is due by january and pfizers estimates might not account for competing drugs and gels coming to market
even assuming this deal pays off as hoped though it probably will not do as much for shareholders as a breakup would executives first floated the prospect of pfizer splitting in two in 2011 the idea has taken on even more importance since april thats when the acquisitive company abandoned its 160 billion takeover of dublin based allergan because the treasury department cracked down on so called tax inversions which are mergers aimed at moving a companys corporate home to a lower tax jurisdiction
pfizer is already pretty well structured for a split the global innovative pharma unit which accounts for just over half the companys annual sales sells newer drugs with older products in the global established pharma division separating the units could have big upside bristol myers squibb the market leader trades at 28 times this years estimated earnings pfizer as a whole trades at just half that
mr read is at present promising to make a decision about a breakup by the end of the year and it may take another year to get one completed the global innovative pharma unit will of course need new drugs like crisaborole to ensure that it prospers for now though such bolt on deals while useful are just pocket change


the debate over privacy has intensified since the battle between apple and the justice department emerged over unlocking the iphone of one of the san bernardino shooters a conflict that ended in march when the government said it found a way to unlock the device add to that the question of whether it is appropriate for the government to ask a court to prohibit a company from revealing that it is seeking customer information and the intertwined issues of privacy and secrecy will force congress to finally deal with the world of digital information
the challenge will be striking the right balance between the governments need to obtain information for law enforcement   a significant priority these days   with the desire to keep at least some personal information private a growing concern as more sensitive data is stored online
one front in the battle over privacy and secrecy has been the governments power to obtain email and other electronic communications the fourth amendment prohibits unreasonable searches of homes and papers but the courts have been reluctant to extend that protection to off site storage of electronic information something far removed from the 18th century bill of rights
congress first dealt with the issue in the stored communications act adopted in 1986 at the dawn of the digital age the law requires the government obtain a warrant for communications held for 180 days or less by a computer service provider which means establishing probable cause that the evidence is related to a crime for emails older than that however a grand jury or administrative subpoena can be used to compel their production as long as the person whose information is sought is notified
why the different level of protections based on the age of the communications thirty years ago congress considered any messages over 180 days old to be abandoned and therefore subject to reduced protection this distinction does not make much sense now but in the early days of emails when they were seen as a cutting edge innovation no one thought that a message of more than six months would be of much importance
the house of representatives unanimously passed the email privacy act on april 28 to offer greater protection to electronic communications by requiring the government to get a search warrant for any email regardless of how long it has been stored on a server the bill is before the senate judiciary committee and its chairman senator charles e grassley republican of iowa is reported to have put a companion measure on the committees calendar for consideration
the legislation has drawn significant criticism from the three commissioners of the securities and exchange commission who sent a letter to senator grassley explaining the potential impact on its investigations unlike federal prosecutors the sec does not have the authority to obtain a search warrant so it would be unable to compel the production of any electronic records held by an internet service provider if the law passes unchanged
in an op ed article in the new york times mary jo white the chairwoman of the commission called for an amendment to the bill to allow the agency to obtain email evidence by going into court in a manner similar to how the justice department establishes probable cause for a warrant otherwise the agency could not obtain critical electronic evidence of wrongdoing and people committing fraud could make their digital trail vanish with a single keystroke according to ms white
this is not the first time congress has heard this complaint andrew j ceresney the head of the secs enforcement division made a similar argument about the email privacy act in testimony before the house judiciary committee last december but to no avail
the secs willingness to follow a procedure similar to obtaining a warrant as a prerequisite to obtaining emails would make it more difficult to obtain evidence because issuing an administrative subpoena involves no judicial review given the prevailing tide in favor of enhancing the privacy of electronic communications this concession is the best way for the agency to maintain access to emails
if the legislation is not changed then other agencies such as the commodity futures trading commission and the federal trade commission would similarly be unable to obtain emails as part of their investigations this type of evidence is standard fare because the communications can provide crucial insight into the knowledge and intent of participants   the key to establishing most regulatory violations
whether congress wants to hamstring civil enforcement actions which occur much more frequently than criminal prosecutions is something that should be addressed explicitly in deciding how to enhance the privacy afforded electronic communications
the flip side of privacy is secrecy - how much authority should the government have to keep its investigations from becoming known when it seeks personal information that is an issue that has come to the forefront as technology companies object to demands that they not notify customers when their information is sought
under another provision of the stored communications act the government can seek an order prohibiting the service provider from notifying customers for 90 days if it can show a good reason for maintaining secrecy such as a potential threat to personal safety or destruction of evidence the order can be renewed if the government shows a continuing need for confidentiality
microsoft filed a lawsuit against the justice department in april claiming that these secrecy orders violate its first amendment right to communicate with customers along with the fourth amendment and asking the court to declare this part of the law unconstitutional it pointed out that in the last 18 months it had received 2600 orders to refrain from notifying customers about warrants or subpoenas seeking their information
corporations have constitutional rights but it may be difficult for microsoft to show that it has an unfettered right to inform customers about a government inquiry that involves their information when that could present a danger to public safety or jeopardize an investigation the lawsuit appears to be intended more to highlight how the growth of secrecy orders presents a threat to customer privacy especially if they become almost a matter of routine
that issue arose last week when magistrate judge james orenstein of the united states district court in brooklyn issued an opinion denying justice department requests in 15 cases two involving facebook for orders prohibiting disclosure of subpoenas for customer electronic records
the judge found that prosecutors asserted that disclosure would jeopardize the investigation without any evidence showing why especially when at least one subpoena was directed to a potential victim and not a target of the case the boilerplate assertions set forth in the governments applications do not make such a showing he wrote while affording prosecutors a right to renew the requests if there were additional facts supplied to support imposing a secrecy order
this is not the first time judge orenstein has been a thorn in the governments side on the issue of privacy in february he denied a request that apple extract data from an iphone in a drug case ruling in favor of the company on arguments almost identical to those raised in the san bernardino shooting case
an order directing a company not to inform its customer is issued ex parte which means that only the prosecutors and judges are involved in the procedure with no one present to oppose a request there is the danger that secrecy becomes the rule rather than the exception to efforts to obtain digital information
the interesting question is whether judge orensteins opinion will prompt other judges to question these requests for secrecy perhaps imposing a higher threshold than the justice department has been accustomed to when requesting such orders what microsoft seeks in its lawsuit may actually come about more through judicial scrutiny than an expansive reading of the rights of corporations
the email privacy act would amend the law by allowing a secrecy order for up to 180 days in any case that involves obtaining email while also recognizing a right for service providers to notify customers of any effort to obtain their information the momentum is certainly present to expand the privacy protections afforded to electronic information because congress rarely shows the type of unanimity the house did in passing the bill
it is worth taking a moment to consider how administrative agencies should fit into expanded privacy protections and how much secrecy should be afforded when the government seeks that information


seattle   ever since last summer when lynn gemmells dog bela was inducted into the trial of a drug that has been shown to significantly lengthen the lives of laboratory mice she has been the object of intense scrutiny among dog park regulars
to those who insist that bela 8 has turned back into a puppy   look how fast shes getting that ball   ms gemmell has tried to turn a deaf ear bela a border collie australian shepherd mix may have been given a placebo for one thing
the drug rapamycin which improved heart health and appeared to delay the onset of some diseases in older mice may not work the same magic in dogs for another there is also a chance it could do more harm than good this is just to look for side effects in dogs ms gemmell told belas many well wishers
technically that is true but the trial also represents a new frontier in testing a proposition for improving human health rather than only seeking treatments for the individual maladies that come with age we might do better to target the biology that underlies aging itself
while the diseases that now kill most people in developed nations   heart disease stroke alzheimers diabetes cancer   have different immediate causes age is the major risk factor for all of them that means that even treatment breakthroughs in these areas no matter how vital to individuals would yield on average four or five more years of life epidemiologists say and some of them likely shadowed by illness
a drug that slows aging the logic goes might instead serve to delay the onset of several major diseases at once a handful of drugs tested by federally funded laboratories in recent years appear to extend the healthy lives of mice with rapamycin and its derivatives approved by the food and drug administration for organ transplant patients and to treat some types of cancer so far proving the most effective in a 2014 study by the drug company novartis the drug appeared to bolster the immune system in older patients and the early results in aging dogs suggest that rapamycin is helping them too said matt kaeberlein a biology of aging researcher at the university of washington who is running the study with a colleague daniel promislow
but scientists who champion the study of agings basic biology   they call it geroscience   say their field has received short shrift from the biomedical establishment and it was not lost on the university of washington researchers that exposing dog lovers to the idea that aging could be delayed might generate popular support in addition to new data
many of us in the biology of aging field feel like it is underfunded relative to the potential impact on human health this could have said dr kaeberlein who helped pay for the study with funds he received from the university for turning down a competing job offer if the average pet owner sees theres a way to significantly delay aging in their pet maybe it will begin to impact policy decisions
the idea that resources might be better spent trying to delay aging rather than to cure diseases flies in the face of most disease related philanthropy and the obama administrations proposal to spend 1 billion on a cancer moonshot and many scientists say it is still too unproven to merit more investment
the national institutes of health has long been organized around particular diseases including the national cancer institute and the national institute of diabetes and digestive and kidney diseases there is the national institute on aging but about a third of its budget last year was directed exclusively to research on alzheimers disease and its division of aging biology represents a tiny fraction of the nihs 30 billion annual budget that is in part because the field is in its infancy said the nih director dr francis collins
i would resist the idea that we should shift funds away from cancer and diabetes and alzheimers where there are clear drug targets and say were going to work on this hypothesis  dr collins said if you had a lot of money for geroscience right now its not clear what you would do with it that would be scientifically credible
researchers in the field in turn say they might have more to show for themselves if they could better explain to congress and the public why basic research on aging could be useful
people understand my relative died of a heart attack so im going to give money to that  said dr james l kirkland a mayo clinic researcher its harder to grasp my relative was older that predisposes them to have a heart attack so i should give money to research on aging 
some companies have embraced the quest for drugs that delay aging google created calico for california life company in 2013 with the goal of defeating aging a start up called unity has said it will develop drugs based on new research on aging mice suggesting that purging certain cells can extend a healthy life span and a group of academic researchers is trying to persuade the fda to recognize aging as a disease for which a drug can be marketed which they hope will draw more interest from pharmaceutical firms
the agency recently greenlighted its proposed trial of a widely used diabetes drug metformin to see if it can delay the onset of other age related diseases in older adults who have received a diagnosis of at least one as one study suggests it might but the group has yet to secure funding one reason the researchers say is that the notion that aging is immutable is so deeply entrenched
when i go out and try to raise money for this the first thing people will say to me is eh were all getting older  said steven austad a researcher at the university of alabama
most of us harbor the intuition that we age because our bodies like our cars our furniture our patience just wear out but the best argument that life span is not hard wired biologists say has long been evident living things age at significantly different rates
the squirrels in my neighborhood have a 25 year life span but they look like rats that live two years said gary ruvkun a pioneer in aging biology at harvard medical school if you look at what nature has selected for and allowed it suggests that you might be able to get your hands on the various levers that change things
that aspiration gained traction in the 1990s and 2000s when scientists armed with new tools of molecular biology homed in on the complex cellular pathways that regulate life span in many species by removing genes that produced certain proteins or adding genes that produced others researchers found they could significantly extend the lives of simple laboratory organisms like budding yeast roundworms and flies
its not just wearing out its a program dr ruvkun said the genetics told us that if you can modulate it with a few simple perturbations thats the definition of a program
since genes cannot be so easily manipulated in humans it was significant in 2006 when dr kaeberlein and others demonstrated that rapamycin the drug now being tested in dogs suppressed one of the crucial proteins in yeast resulting in a longer life span without removing a gene the protein is known to be involved in cell growth but just how its suppression works to extend life is still unclear raising questions about potential unknown downsides
and it has not helped the fields reputation that what emerged as a higher profile hope for fighting aging amplifying proteins called sirtuins has not yet panned out initially believed to be activated by resveratrol a substance found in red wine sirtuins provided a seemingly excellent excuse to imbibe but the pharmaceutical giant gsk which had purchased a company for 720 million with the intention of developing a resveratrol like drug cut back its efforts in 2013 after the results of the original genetic experiments came under question a year later one of only two major foundations funding longevity research stopped making new grants in the field
besides the standard scientific road bumps biology of aging researchers say their fields reputation suffers from its association with snake oil peddlers selling anti aging creams hormones and fountains of youth not to mention the likes of dorian gray voldemort and assorted sith lords efforts to prolong life are often viewed as selfish or trivial
it seems pretty egocentric while we still have malaria and tb for rich people to fund things so they can live longer bill gates whose philanthropy focuses on global poverty said during a session on reddit last year in response to a question about calico the google spinoff
coleen murphy a molecular biologist at princeton who is studying reproductive age in women said she had received hate mail accusing her of trying to overpopulate the earth critics of research on extending life span also worry that rather than increasing so called health span which researchers say is their goal geroscience will consign humanity to living longer in a compromised state
that is happening with or without longevity research thanks to advances in public health that have allowed life spans to increase two thirds of older americans have multiple chronic conditions according to the centers for disease control and prevention and in just over a decade a fifth of europeans and americans will be 65 or older
if you go to a dinner party and you tell people youre working on longevity they say oh thats terrible  dr murphy said i think if they just understood its a way to slow the whole process instead of fighting it one disease at a time theyd understand why were interested in this
dogs age faster than humans and bigger dogs age faster than smaller dogs the 40 dogs that participated in the rapamycin trial which just concluded its pilot run in seattle had to be at least 6 years old and weigh at least 40 pounds
like lynn gemmells bela whose cholesterol was high many of them were showing signs of aging loose skin graying muzzles a stiffness in the joints so were some of their owners
how are you going to be sure people are going to be giving this to their dog rather than taking it themselves ms gemmell 58 joked with dr kaeberlein on her first visit to the veterinary clinic where bela was given a checkup and an echocardiogram to measure heart function a marker that could conceivably register an improvement over the 10 weeks that she would be given the drug
a research coordinator for human clinical trials at a hospital ms gemmell adopted bela as a 12 week old rescue without realizing how much outdoor time she would need with her now divorced with two grown daughters ms gemmell dons a headlamp when she returns home in the dark and takes bela out with a glow in the dark ball and a collar light i wish she could live forever she said
over 1500 dog owners applied to participate in the trial of rapamycin which has its roots in a series of studies in mice the first of which was published in 2009 made by a type of soil bacterium rapamycin has extended the life spans of yeast flies and worms by about 25 percent
but in what proved a fortuitous accident the researchers who set out to test it in mice had trouble formulating it for easy consumption as a result the mice were 20 months old   the equivalent of about 60 human years   when the trial began that the longest lived mice survived about 12 percent longer than the control groups was the first indication that the drug could be given later in life and still be effective
dr kaeberlein said he had since achieved similar benefits by giving 20 month old mice the drug for only three months the national institute on aging rejected his request for funding to further test that treatment younger mice given higher doses have lived about 25 percent longer than those not given the drug and mice of varying ages and genetic backgrounds have been slower to develop some cancers kidney disease obesity and symptoms of alzheimers disease in one study their hearts functioned better for longer
if you do the extrapolation for people were probably talking a couple of decades with the expectation that those years are going to be spent in relatively good health dr kaeberlein said
still drugs that work in mice often fail in humans it is also hard to ask rodents about their quality of life the side effects depending on the dose and duration include mouth sores cataracts insulin resistance and for males problems with testicular function no one knows if people who already live a lot longer than mice would see a proportional increase in life span and some researchers say there would be serious concerns in testing rapamycin or any drug in healthy people just to slow aging what if a drug lengthened life for some and shortened it for others could anyone ethically put a healthy person into a test that might actually shorten life span
its not as simple as cancer where patients are going to die anyway if they dont get the drug said andrew dillin a biology of aging researcher at the university of california berkeley who recently raised the questions in nature a scientific journal
ethical concerns aside such a trial would take decades but what dog lovers have long considered the sad fact that their pets age about seven times as fast as they do dr kaeberlein knew would be a boon for a study of rapamycin that would have implications for both species an owner of two dogs himself he was determined to scrounge up the money for the pilot phase of what he and dr promislow called the dog aging project
last month he reported at a scientific meeting that no significant side effects had been observed in the dogs even at the highest of three doses and compared with the hearts of dogs in the control group the hearts of those taking the drug pumped blood more efficiently at the end the researchers would like to enroll 450 dogs for a more comprehensive five year study but do not yet have the money
even if the study provided positive results on all fronts a human trial would carry risks
dr kaeberlein for one said they would be worth it
i would argue we should be willing to tolerate some level of risk if the payoff is 20 to 30 percent increase in healthy longevity he said if we dont do anything we know what the outcome is going to be youre going to get sick and youre going to die
for her part ms gemmell is not counting on anything the other night when she got home from work she was ready to read her mail and have a glass of wine but bela greeted her as usual ball in her mouth ready to play
for now she said this is how they both plan to stay young


amc prides itself on the large number of young viewers who regularly watch its television shows now the network is trying to take one of its shows to young viewers who may not already be watching
on monday the cable network will introduce an advertising campaign in which the first five minutes of preacher the networks much hyped new series will be able to be viewed from within snapchat the messaging smartphone app popular with millennials
though many networks buy ads on snapchat to promote their shows this is the first time that an extended clip of a network television show will be available according to both companies financial terms of the deal were not disclosed amc plans to make the clip exclusive to snapchat for a period of 24 hours before broadcasting it more widely on other platforms the clip will be available on snapchat for a week preacher is set to make its network debut on sunday
snapchat users can find the five minute video clip inside of snapchat discover a section of the app where third party publishers like buzzfeed daily mail and national geographic directly post content daily
while amc regularly promotes shows across social channels the campaign is another step in the networks quest to meet millennials in the places and the apps where they spend the most time snapchat says it has 100 million active daily users
obviously its a terrific platform for this younger audience linda schupack executive vice president of marketing for amc and sundancetv said in an interview the audience we think will sync up perfectly with preacher is already on snapchat
it is also the networks effort to turn preacher a darkly comedic drama based on a cult hit comic series into another flagship show like the walking dead and its spinoff series fear the walking dead which regularly have sizable audiences in the 18 to 49 year old demographic most attractive to advertisers
with the walking dead in particular amc has tried to capitalize on the shows young fan base much of which regularly takes to social sites like twitter facebook and reddit to talk about the show in the hours after episodes air on television talking dead the networks hourlong live discussion in which different members of the cast and creative team chat with celebrities about the weeks most recent episode was a direct result of the series enthusiastic following
but snapchat is an interesting choice for amc to focus its marketing muscle on particularly because of the platforms regular pitch to brands and publishers that it is the best suited to handling video for nearly a year snapchat has likened itself more to television than its competitors pitching advertisers that it is focused on hourly time spent watching video and daily use of the app other tech companies like facebook twitter and youtube continue to compete for the same video advertising dollars
amc has spread its advertising clout across nearly all of these new media platforms thus far though the network hopes this particular ad buy will pay off in a swath of cheerleading young fans for the new series
for millennials the thrill of discovery is really important ms schupack said our hope is to turn our fans into evangelists by getting preacher to them ahead of the premiere


the united states and britain have long prized their special relationship but early signs indicate that if donald j trump wins the presidency the bond between the two allies could be weakened
prime minister david cameron and sadiq khan londons new mayor have both spoken out against mr trumps plan to halt immigration of muslims into the united states with mr cameron calling the proposal stupid and wrong and mr khan calling mr trump ignorant about islam in an interview with britains itv television station that was published on monday mr trump hit back against the criticism and warned that it would not be forgotten
it looks like were not going to have a very good relationship mr trump said of mr cameron in the interview with itvs piers morgan
he added i hope to have a good relationship with him but it sounds like hes not willing to address the problem either
as for mr khan who is londons first muslim mayor mr trump said that his remarks were very nasty
tell him i will remember those statements mr trump said to mr morgan who was the winning contestant on the candidates reality tv show celebrity apprentice in 2008
mr trumps policy proposals have been stirring backlash abroad in recent months the mexican government has said that he was harming its relationship with the united states and chinese state media has said that mr trump is evidence of what is wrong with democracy in january the uk parliament debated barring mr trump from traveling there in response to a petition that said his hateful language was grounds for keeping him out of the country
in the itv interview mr trump also weighed in on the debate over whether britain should exit the european union breaking with the obama administration which has warned about the trade implications of such a move mr trump said the eu has been a disaster and suggested that britain would be better off without it
despite the tension between mr trump and britains leaders the presumptive republican nominee said that its eu status would not affect trade deals he would make and that he is committed to a strong alliance
britains been a great ally mr trump said with me theyll always be treated fantastically


los angeles   television executives always say the same thing about remakes we recycle shows only when we have strong fresh ideas for them
its almost never true of course remakes like the recently canceled muppets and the much maligned fuller house usually materialize because dusting off old hits carries less risk than trying to introduce new ones
but a few rare reboots to use the hollywood term do put storytelling concerns ahead of business needs or at least beside them and the reimagined 24 which fox is to unveil to advertisers on monday appears to be one of them built by the same team of producers who turned the original series into a cultural touchstone   in many ways 24 ushered in the era of binge viewing   24 legacy will arrive in early 2017 with a debut after the super bowl
we understand the skepticism but there was no corporate mandate here said howard gordon a returning executive producer if anything it was the opposite when we started discussing ideas a year and a half ago the message was to be slow and careful to only proceed if the creative team felt it had something that fans would love
early 24 legacy video viewed exclusively by the new york times last week revealed a lavish action series that is both the same the ticking clock the split screens the against all odds heroism and new instead of following the secret agent jack bauer played by kiefer sutherland the new show focuses on a young tormented army ranger who is being hunted by terrorists
the new protagonists name is eric carter corey hawkins a juilliard trained actor best known for his portrayal of dr dre in straight outta compton plays the part the fact that he is an african american hero is not irrelevant said the producer brian grazer who has helped shepherd the 24 franchise from its start as a series 24 was prescient about what was going on in the culture we want to do that again
mr gordon added against the backdrop of ferguson and black lives matter here is a character who has fought for a country that has in some ways abandoned him hes squaring a question for himself is this place even worth defending
the 24 legacy team led by manny coto and evan katz drew inspiration from seal team 6 best known for killing osama bin laden in the new series six army rangers having successfully led a bin laden style raid overseas are now living anonymously in witness protection one by one however they are being located tortured and killed by associates of the dead terrorist as it turns out one of the rangers took something home from the raid as a trophy he doesnt know its meaning but the terrorists do   and they need it back as they plan a new attack on the united states
for a remake to work said peter rice chairman of the fox networks group there has to be a narrative engine that is not purely character based 24 was groundbreaking in its character storytelling but its also a propulsive thriller with constant cliffhangers
24 legacy also stars miranda otto recently known for homeland as a former counter terrorism unit chief married to a senator with presidential ambitions jimmy smits she is dragged back into her old job mr sutherland who will serve as an executive producer may well appear as jack bauer as the series continues at least in a cameo fashion was i not supposed to reveal that mr grazer asked a publicist in an interview oh well i just did
the first 24 ran from 2001 to 2010 with a mini series live another day unspooling in 2014 fox knows that bringing back 24 without mr sutherland in the central role is risky its a bit like making a bourne movie without jason bourne as universal pictures did in 2012 with the bourne legacy when the network announced in january that it was working on 24 legacy some fans snarled
24 without kiefer sutherland as jack bauer is like vodka without alcohol in it no thank you the comedian sarah colonna wrote on twitter
complicating matters mr sutherland will return to television in a new thriller on a rival network he will play the lead in abcs designated survivor about a low level cabinet member who becomes president after a catastrophic attack on the capitol
dana walden a fox television group chairman and chief executive thinks that the ideas behind 24 legacy and their execution will win over reluctant fans she is also betting that the series will capitalize on the african american audience that watches empire foxs soapy music industry drama but she conceded in an interview that the bar was high
the original 24 didnt have the burden of facing up to something that was already established and beloved she said that just meant we had to work harder
she added the new one stands on its own it is in no way derivative
in other words she is keenly aware of the cardinal rule of remakes a familiar title acts as a viewer magnet especially in the face of a glut of competing series but people continue to watch only if they see something they think is worth their time
take a lesson muppets


the case of the chocolate cake slur it seems was simply a hoax
an openly gay texas pastor who had accused whole foods of defacing his cake with an anti gay slur dropped his lawsuit against the grocery chain on monday issuing an apology that said he was wrong to perpetuate this story
the company did nothing wrong the pastor jordan brown said in a statement i was wrong to pursue this matter and use the media to perpetuate this story
he also apologized to the lesbian gay bisexual and transgender community for diverting attention from real issues
whole foods had forcefully rejected the accusations by mr brown 31 who claimed that he had bought a frosted cake from a store in austin tex and asked that the words love wins be written in icing on top   only to discover while driving away that a slur had been added
mr browns apology represented a remarkable about face from his remarks last month delivered at a news conference alongside his lawyer during which he choked back tears as he told the story
for me it was humiliating he said then because being a pastor who is also openly gay ive had to deal with this in the past and literally the feeling that i had just resurfaced a bunch of painful memories of things that have happened to me
but a day after mr browns legal salvo whole foods denounced the pastor as a fraud vowing to press a countersuit that sought 100000 at the same time the grocery chain released surveillance footage of mr browns purchase that it said proved that the cake had not been tampered with
whole foods said in a statement on monday that it would drop its lawsuit
were very pleased that the truth has come to light it said given mr browns apology and public admission that his story was a complete fabrication we see no reason to move forward with our countersuit to defend the integrity of our brand and team members
the case of the anti gay cake slur had captivated the texas capital where whole foods is based as thousands of people debated the evidence on social media and in comment threads on the austin american statesman
the credibility of mr browns story took a beating as armchair detectives including at least one icing expert raised doubts about his timeline and the plausibility of his claim that he had failed to notice the offending word through the cakes clear topped box while in the store
messages seeking further comment from mr brown and his lawyer austin kaplan were not immediately answered on monday
in his statement mr brown also apologized to the bakery associate who came under scrutiny his partner his lawyer and the church of open doors where he is the pastor


august wilson wrote 10 plays for his famed american century cycle and nine of them have been staged on broadway
now the manhattan theater club says it plans to make it 10 out of 10 the nonprofit said it would bring jitney to broadway this winter
the play which mr wilson wrote in 1979 is about a group of men who drive unlicensed cabs in pittsburgh it has had multiple productions including off broadway at second stage and the union square theater as well as in london
the manhattan theater club said its broadway production would begin previews on dec 28 and open on jan 19 at the companys samuel j friedman theater the production will be directed by ruben santiago hudson a frequent wilson interpreter who won a tony award for his performance in wilsons seven guitars casting has not yet been announced
mtc also said monday that it would present a play called cost of living written by martyna majok ironbound and directed by jo bonney at city center next spring that play is having its premiere this summer at williamstown theater festival which will co present the off broadway production as well


stockholm   a swedish court convicted a 61 year old man on monday of taking part in the 1994 genocide in rwanda and sentenced him to life in prison the case was noteworthy for being part of a transnational effort to hold people accountable for crimes against humanity no matter where those crimes occurred
the stockholm district court found that the man claver berinkindi a rwandan who obtained swedish citizenship in 2012 had participated in five massacres between april 18 and may 31 1994 in the hills of nyamure in rwandas southern province he rallied people to participate in the killing of thousands of civilians the court found he was also involved in the deaths of hundreds of people who had sought refuge in a municipal building in the central rwandan town of muyira and in an adjacent adult education center trapped in the compound hundreds of people were massacred
there were thousands of victims on the mountain and hundreds of victims in the communal building tora holst the chief prosecutor who leads a unit at the international public prosecution office created in 2008 to focus on war crimes said in a phone interview in the mountain he collected and assembled people to go there and he participated in the attack
the court found that mr berinkindi had directly taken part in killings using machetes spears and clubs ms holst said its about the most serious crime known to mankind she said
more than 800000 rwandans mostly members of the ethnic tutsi group but also moderate hutu died in the genocide the international criminal tribunal for rwanda a court established by the united nations completed its work last year after prosecuting dozens of people accused of involvement in the massacres but cases continue in several countries just last week two former rwandan mayors went on trial in france charged with the killings of about 2000 tutsi who had sought refuge in a church in the eastern town of kabarondo
this was the second case relating to the rwandan genocide to be prosecuted in sweden in 2013 ms holst prosecuted stanislas mbanednande also a naturalized swedish citizen he was convicted and sentenced to life in prison for taking part in a series of killings in kibuye a city in western rwanda
but monday was the first time a swedish court had awarded damages to victims of genocidal crimes the court awarded 15 people damages ranging from 3900 to 13000 to be taken from mr berinkindis property which has been valued at roughly 148000 goran hjalmarsson a lawyer for six of the plaintiffs said that damages were awarded to 15 people who witnessed the loss of a relative and who were themselves under threat of being murdered
in rwanda mr berinkindi had been a successful merchant with a store selling groceries and clothing as well as a butcher shop
a father of five mr berinkindi left rwanda during the genocide and came to sweden from the central african republic in 2002 applying for refugee status he was unemployed and living in the town of eskilstuna west of stockholm when he was arrested in 2014 on suspicion of genocide and other violations of international law
the trial which began in september included testimony from roughly 50 witnesses and 15 victims swedish officials traveled to rwanda to gather evidence
mr berinkindi pleaded not guilty saying that he had not been at the scene of the crimes he has three weeks to appeal
as in the case of mr mbanednande sweden did not have the option of extraditing mr berinkindi because he is a swedish citizen
members of swedens small rwandan community expressed satisfaction with the outcome justice has been served and the swedish court has conducted a meticulous investigation nelson gatsimbazi a spokesman for the rwandan association for human rights told the swedish newspaper expressen


copenhagen   as a boy growing up in denmark eske willerslev could not wait to leave gentofte his suburban hometown as soon as he was old enough he would strike out for the arctic wilderness
his twin brother rane shared his obsession on vacations they retreated to the woods to teach themselves survival skills their first journey would be to siberia the willerslev twins decided they would make contact with a mysterious group of people called the yukaghir who supposedly lived on nothing but elk and moose
when the willerslev twins reached 18 they made good on their promise they were soon paddling a canoe up remote siberian rivers
nobody knew what you would see on the other side of a mountain said eske willerslev who is now 44 there were villages on the maps and you wouldnt even see a trace of them
dr willerslev spent much of the next four years in siberia hunting moose traveling across empty tundra and meeting the yukaghirs and other people of the region the experience left him wondering about the history of ethnic groups about how people spread across the planet
a quarter of a century later dr willerslev is still asking those questions but now hes getting some eye opening answers
as the director of the center for geogenetics at the university of copenhagen dr willerslev uses ancient dna to reconstruct the past 50000 years of human history the findings have enriched our understanding of prehistory shedding light on human development with evidence that cant be found in pottery shards or studies of living cultures
dr willerslev led the first successful sequencing of an ancient human genome that of a 4000 year old greenlander his research on a 24000 year old siberian skeleton revealed an unexpected connection between europeans and native americans
dr willerslev was one of the early pioneers of the study of ancient dna and today he remains at the forefront of an increasingly competitive field his colleagues credit his success to his relentless work and to his skill at building international networks of collaborators
his role is that of catalyst choreographer conductor and cajoler   and sometimes all at once said david j meltzer an archaeologist at southern methodist university
the scientific enterprise that dr willerslev helped invent now sometimes crosses into culturally sensitive terrain last june he and his colleagues published the genome of an 8500 year old skeleton from washington state known as kennewick man or the ancient one
native american tribes and scientists fought over control of the bones since their discovery in 1996 during his research dr willerslev met with representatives from the tribes one tribe agreed to donate dna for his study
kennewick man dr willerslev and his colleagues concluded was related to living native americans that finding led to a momentous announcement last month the army corps of engineers said it would formally consider the request from the tribes to reclaim the skeleton and bury it
rane willerslev now a cultural anthropologist at the university of aarhus sees his brothers work as a continuation of their siberian adventure
he just became the kind of scientist he should have become rane willerslev said anything else would have been wrong
it was on their third journey through siberia in 1993 that the willerslev brothers finally found the yukaghirs an old man covered in scars from hunting bears in his youth led them to a yukaghir village
it was completely different from what i imagined dr willerslev said
the yukaghir were not an exotic tribe living in utter isolation in fact virtually all of them could count russians and people from other ethnic groups among their ancestors the willerslev twins could find only a single old man who still spoke the native language
that encounter was fresh in his mind when back in denmark dr willerslev learned that some scientists were extracting dna from fossil mummies a technique that might help explain the history of people like the yukaghir
but there was no one in denmark doing that research so one of dr willerslevs professors suggested a plan b they could investigate ancient ice that climate researchers at the university of copenhagen had brought back from greenland
dr willerslev and a fellow graduate student anders j hansen set up a room where they could search for dna in the ice cores and in ice as old as 4000 years dr willerslev and dr hansen discovered dna from 57 species of fungi plants algae and other organisms dating back as far as 4000 years
the results were so remarkable for the mid 1990s that nasa called the young doctoral student to ask about his methods
i got completely convinced that i wanted to become a scientist dr willerslev said theres a big difference between reading about what others have discovered and discovering something yourself
after publishing the ice study in 1999 dr willerslev emailed russian scientists who sent him sugar cube size chunks of permafrost from siberia to search for ice age dna
in the very first cube dr willerslev hit genetic pay dirt you just saw woolly mammoth reindeer lemming bison he said it was just incredible
discovering a whole ice age ecosystem in a pinch of frozen dirt helped dr willerslev earn a professorship at the university he went on to found the center for geogenetics which now employs more than 100 scientists
from the start dr willerslev made finding ancient human dna one of the centers top priorities in 2006 he set out for northern greenland with colleagues in hopes of finding some
the scientists searched for animal bones that showed signs of being butchered they hoped that the hunters might have left behind some of their dna
for more than a month the scientists hacked into the ground wearing full bodysuits to avoid contaminating the samples but when they returned to copenhagen and studied the bones they were disappointed to find only animal dna
not long afterward dr willerslev discovered that the trip had been unnecessary
in the 1980s university researchers had found a 4000 year old clump of hair in greenland that had been stored   and forgotten   in a basement it was completely ridiculous dr willerslev said
dr willerslev and his colleagues extracted dna from the hair and used powerful new methods to reconstruct the genome of the greenlander it was the first time scientists had recovered an entire ancient human genome
the hair turned out to belong to a man his blood type was a positive and he had a genetic predisposition for baldness but most interesting of all his genes contained clues about the history of greenland and the inuit who live there today
we could see these guys were not the direct ancestors of inuit people dr willerslev said instead the ancient greenlander belonged to a different group known as paleo eskimos
analyzing the ancient genome dr willerslev and his colleagues concluded that paleo eskimos migrated from siberia about 5500 years ago and endured for centuries in canada and greenland before vanishing the paleo eskimos were not the ancestors of todays inuits they were replaced by them
in the six years since that report willerslev and his colleagues have published a series of studies that have fundamentally changed how we think about human history
our species evolved in africa about 200000 years ago scientists are still working out how humans later populated the other continents a lot of evidence indicates that native americans originated from a population somewhere in asia more than 15000 years ago in search of clues to that founding population dr willerslev and his colleagues examined a 24000 year old bone buried near a village called malta in eastern siberia
in a preliminary study maanasa raghavan a researcher at the genetics center discovered some dna in the remains but the genes seemed to belong to a northern european not an east asian
i put it on hold because i thought it was completely contaminated dr willerslev said of the research
after he and his colleagues developed more powerful methods for analyzing dna dr raghavan and her colleagues returned to the malta dna it was not contaminated instead it was a genome unlike anything they expected
parts of the boys genome closely resembled the dna of ancient europeans but more of it resembled that of native americans
it was really an eye opener dr willerslev said this individual has nothing to do with east asians he has something to do with europeans and native americans
it appears that the malta boy belonged to an ancient population spread out across asia 24000 years ago they came into contact with an east asian population at some point and members of the two groups had children together native americans are the descendants of those children
the malta people are not related to the asians who live in the region today but before they disappeared they also passed down their dna to europeans later research revealed the route those genes took from asia to europe
in a study published last june dr willerslev and his colleagues discovered malta like dna in bronze age nomads called the yamnaya who lived 4300 to 5500 years ago in what is now southwestern russia about 5000 years ago the yamnaya expanded into europe where they added their dna to the gene pool
the new research has prompted dr willerslev to give up his earlier belief that the major groups of people in different parts of the world had largely separate genetic histories these results made it clear this simplified picture is not the truth he said
in 2011 dr willerslev and his colleagues made history once again by publishing the first genome of an aboriginal australian the research gave him new insights about human history
but it also taught dr willerslev a lesson about the ethics involved in studying ancient dna
archaeological evidence shows that humans arrived in australia at least 50000 years ago scientists have long wondered if the aboriginals on the continent today are descendants of those first settlers or of later arrivals
dr willerslev saw a weakness in early genetic studies on aboriginal australians many aboriginals alive today have some european ancestry he decided to look for an aboriginal genome free of european dna
in 2010 he found a piece of hair collected in australia in the 1920s at the university of cambridge he and his colleagues retrieved dna from the hair and reconstructed the owners genome
their analysis revealed that the ancestors of aboriginal australians split off from other non africans about 70000 years ago that finding supports the idea that the first settlers in australia were the ancestors of todays aboriginals
dr willerslev was eager to share the new finding but one of dr willerslevs co authors rasmus nielsen of the university of california berkeley declared that they had made a grave mistake by not getting the consent of living aboriginal australians
it didnt seem right to circumvent the wishes of the aboriginal community by using that sample dr nielsen said i was about to remove myself from the study due to these concerns
at first dr willerslev didnt understand the fuss my view was that human history belongs to all of us because were all connected and no people have a right to stop our understanding of human history he said
but dr willerslev decided to travel to australia to meet with aboriginal representatives he was shaken to learn of the unethical history of scientific research on aboriginal australians
victorian anatomists plundered burial grounds for example and carried off bones to put in museums years of such exploitation had left many aboriginal australians suspicious of scientists
today geneticists who want to study aboriginal dna need to obtain consent not just from donors but from community organizations and in many cases there are limits on how widely scientific results can be shared
paying attention now i could see why they had this skepticism and resistance dr willerslev said in retrospect i should have definitely approached those people before undertaking the study just because its legally right doesnt make it ethically right
in australia dr willerslev met with the goldfields land and sea council which represents aboriginal people in the region where the hair sample had been obtained he described the results of his analysis and asked for the councils consent to publish them
the council gave him permission in fact when the study came out they praised the results aboriginal people feel exonerated in showing the broader community that they are by far the oldest continuous civilization in the world the council said in a statement
his experiences in australia have changed the way dr willerslev and his colleagues investigate dna from indigenous people ive evolved he said
in 2011 he learned of a 12700 year old skeleton of a baby that had been found in 1968 on the montana ranch of melvyn and helen anzick dr willerslev got in touch with the family and received permission to search the bones of the so called anzick child for dna
dr willerslev was aware that many native americans like aboriginal australians have grown suspicious about being exploited by scientists during the course of his research he tried to make connections with the local tribes
he contacted the montana burial preservation board which protects native american remains in the state but the board told him he didnt need their oversight because the bones were found on private land
dr willerslev and his colleagues succeeded in getting dna out of the bones based on his research in greenland he had suspected that the child belonged to a vanished population with no close kinship to living native americans
but the genome proved otherwise the child was closely related to living native americans
as the preliminary results emerged dr willerslev was introduced to shane doyle a member of the crow tribe who was then a graduate student at montana state university dr doyle took dr willerslev to a series of meetings with tribal representatives
many of the people there were interested by the results but many also told them that the anzick child skeleton like other remains found in montana deserved a proper burial
their priority was to get the remains back of the ancestors and to re inter them said francis l auld who was then the program manager of the tribal historic preservation office for the confederate salish and kootenai tribes
with tribal representatives in attendance the anzick family buried the remains in june 2014 four months after the genome paper was published
it was a complicated case and it would have been complicated for anyone said dennis h orourke a geneticist at the university of kansas who was not involved in the research
he said it would have been best if dr willerslev and his colleagues had been able to confer with the tribes before doing the research but i was pleased to see that it was ultimately done he said
dr willerslev was then invited to look for dna in one of the most controversial skeletons ever found kennewick man
in 1996 ripan mahli then a graduate student had tried to find dna in the newly discovered remains the methods at the time were too crude for the job and research on kennewick man soon came to a halt as local tribes went to court to claim the bones
after a decade of lawsuits a team of scientists won the right to study kennewick man and in 2013 dr willerslev was invited to try again to retrieve dna from the bones using his latest methods
as he assembled a team of experts dr willerslev asked dr mahli now at the university of illinois if hed join at first dr mahli was reluctant he had spent years building better relationships between scientists and native americans a study of kennewick man might weaken those links
but dr mahli decided to join the team when dr willerslev began meeting with local tribes my mind changed when i realized eske was engaging with these communities he said
he has been great through all of this jackie m cook the repatriation specialist for the confederated tribes of the colville reservation said of dr willerslev
the kennewick man genome like the anzick childs revealed an ancient continuity between living native americans and the earliest people in the new world after dr willerslev and his colleagues published their results last year john novembre of the university of chicago confirmed them at the request of the army corps of engineers
dr willerslev has mixed feelings about the consequences of his research on kennewick man
im a scientist and it means i regret that important material is getting reburied he said but when you find that these remains are genetically native americans its not our call anymore
since the kennewick man project dr willerslev has hosted visits from a number of native american tribes to his laboratory in copenhagen his guests have helped him see how differently he as a european treats history than they do
dr willerslev once proudly showed off a collection of ancient danish skulls to native american visitors only to find them upset by the sight
how can you treat your ancestors like that so disrespectfully he recalls them asking
in december dr willerslev hosted dr doyle along with ben cloud and frank caplett also members of the crow nation dr willerslev took them around the lab and proposed research he hoped the tribe would consider
dr willerslev would like to investigate the influence of genes on the high rate of diabetes in native americans for example he has started similar work in australia
mr cloud said he was intrigued by the idea i have family members who were younger than i am who are gone because of this disease he said how come my family is dying
dr willerslev also raised the possibility of studying crow dna to understand their history dr doyle said he doubted the tribe would be interested
weve had white people coming in and telling us things for a long time and its never really impressed us much he said
dr willerslev accepts that kind of rejection as part of his work we have to respect that as scientists he said we dont have to agree


i want to talk to you about scary markets for the sake of this particular subject i want to be blunt and a little bit in your face so for the next few minutes please just think of me less as your friend and more as your scary markets drill sergeant ok great
now you may be saying to yourself why is he talking about this now the markets arent even that scary thats true and its also true that i cant predict when the next bad market is coming
but i can predict that another bad market will come again eventually and when it does youll want to have a plan thats precisely why now is such a good time to hash this out because you dont wait until your house is in flames to buy a fire extinguisher right
let me set the stage for you its sometime in the near future the market just got really scary like 2008 or 2009 scary you and i are sitting down together for lunch to talk about what you should do were going to start with a couple of assumptions first you have a portfolio that was built specifically and intentionally to give you the greatest likelihood of reaching your goals second your portfolio is down 20 percent or more and you want to sell all of your investments and go to cash because that feels safest
but before you do that before you make this huge drastic decision i will have a little conversation with you heres how that conversation would go
me why are you invested the way you are
you because this portfolio gives me the greatest chance of meeting my goals
me are your goals still the same
you yes theyre still the same
me ok great step one you own the right portfolio check
lets pause there a moment for dramatic effect and reiterate that you have the right portfolio back to the conversation
you but i just cant take it anymore ive got to sell everything
me got it now just so i understand if you do that is that going to be a permanent decision in other words are you getting out of the stock market forever
you well no
me ok then so when do you think you are likely to get back in
you when things settle down
lets hit pause again
now we know three very important things
# you have the right portfolio
# youre not going to abandon the stock market permanently
# youre going to reinvest when things clear up
lets flesh this out a bit i want you to imagine what it will be like when things clear up so why dont you go ahead and answer just a few more questions from your scary markets drill sergeant
# when the market clears up will it be less scary than it is now
# when the market clears up will the economy be better
# when the market clears up will that guy on the financial pornography network be telling everyone and their mother to buy more stocks
# when the market clears up will all your neighbors and friends be sitting around the barbecue grill again chatting about investing
we all know the answers to those questions yes yes yes and yes
but one last question drum roll please if the market isnt scary the economy is better the guy on the financial pornography network is yelling buy buy buy and everyone you know is planning to invest how do you think the market then will compare to the market now
itll be much higher of course
so to review your plan is to sell your perfectly tailored portfolio right now while your investments are down then youre going to wait until the market improves when it does youre going to buy back plan a at a much higher price
to which i say seriously
i hate to be annoying but i really want to hammer this conversation home it doesnt make a lick of sense to sell a portfolio tailored for you when the market is low and then buy it back when the market is higher it makes infinitely more sense to simply keep your portfolio through the scary times and tough it out right soldier
instead of doing what fear is making you want to do just think back to your scary markets drill sergeant and remember these three things
# you made your portfolio based on your goals
# it still matches your goals
# if you sell that portfolio now and buy it back later when the markets are better all you will do is lose money
its that simple just dont do it
think of this as something of a lifeboat drill this is meant to help you remember that when the ship goes down and you find yourself in the lifeboat scared and cold you dont throw common sense to the wind and jump in the icy water just stay in the rescue boat tough it out through the turbulent times and wait until the next big ship comes to pick you up to carry you safely to your destination


montgomery ala   in the state capital these days anybody who is anybody is either being investigated or being questioned about someone who is
the chief justice of the states supreme court has been hit with ethics charges for defying federal courts on same sex marriage and could be removed from his seat the governor caught on tape engaging in salacious banter apparently with his powerful chief adviser is facing criminal investigations and calls for impeachment
that the governors racy phone calls became public at all is because of what may be the most significant and sweeping crisis of the lot the impending trial of the alabama house speaker michael g hubbard described by friends and foes as the most powerful man in state politics
of the trifecta of calamities plaguing alabamas branches of government it is mr hubbards felony corruption trial starting this week that may rattle the state the most the potential witness list reflecting mr hubbards business friendly approach to politics is a lineup of the states power elite including bank executives construction magnates legislators lobbyists former gov bob riley and promising a must watch day of testimony the current governor robert bentley
mr hubbard and mr bentley have vigorously denied wrongdoing and chief justice roy s moore who was removed from the same position in 2003 for refusing to move a two ton monument of the ten commandments from the state judicial building insists that the ethics charges he is facing are without merit
start with lord acton and the famous axiom that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely said wayne flynt a retired professor of history at auburn university alabama has had a seamless transition from democratic one party rule and synonymous corruption to republican one party rule and synonymous corruption
power in alabama is centralized by design the state constitution requires legislatively approved amendments for matters as trivial as local traffic laws resulting in what has been described as the longest constitution in the world consolidating things further alabama has nearly always been a one party state for more than a century that party was the democrats and major political decisions were hashed out among the partys leaders and its major donors
when i first moved here an older lawyer friend told me there were 4000 people in alabama and four million extras said david mowery a political consultant in montgomery
republicans railed against the democratic leadership as a patronage ridden good old boy network and few did so more vehemently than mr hubbard an executive in the broadcasting and media business
denouncing corruption crime and cronyism at the highest levels of state government mr hubbard created a sophisticated   some have said legally questionable   fund raising machine to win control of the state house in 2010 chairman of both the state republican party and the house caucus he conscripted candidates   bank employees foresters waste haulers   and determined where campaign money should be spent
in november 2010 the republicans not only took over the state house for the first time in 136 years they won a supermajority winning every court race on the ballot and every statewide office mr bentley a dermatologist and low profile legislator was elected governor mr hubbard was unanimously elected speaker of the house where his first priority was to pass an ethics law described as among the strongest in the country
four years later mr hubbard was indicted on a charge of violating that ethics law accused of using his positions as speaker and party chairman to solicit work and investments for his own financial interest by steering campaign work to his business interests and pushing bills that helped his consulting clients
that his moneymaking plans were running into the ethics law he helped pass is something he is shown lamenting in private emails released by prosecutors who proposed those things he wrote apparently jokingly to mr riley the former governor what were we thinking he would eventually argue in court that the ethics law was unconstitutional
still mr hubbard remains the speaker and enjoys steadfast support in the house this is in part because democrats and their backers have been almost completely frozen out of state politics
but mr flynt and others say there is more to it than the lack of competition the speed and scale of the republican takeover brought into power a class of politicians inexperienced with total control some with no political experience at all there was little candidate grooming infrastructure in the party beyond what mr hubbard and his allies put together at one point he suggested the creation of a shadow party something that would be effectively achieved by way of political action committees
hubbards problems permeated the whole legislature said arthur payne a former republican state representative the majority felt like they owed their allegiance to him rather than the people of alabama
mr hubbards partisans say it is not the speaker who has had alabama under his sway but the deputy state attorney general who is prosecuting him matt hart a hulking man with a background in military intelligence and a reputation for a bludgeoning approach even some critics of mr hubbard have denounced mr harts tactics though almost no one wants to do so publicly
he knows bullying said sonny reagan a former deputy attorney general matt hart approaches his cases like the us military approaches isis
mr reagan serves as a good example of the breadth of disarray in montgomery which has spread even to the watchdogs a dispute with mr hart over office space blew up into formal complaints about his methods and motivations in the hubbard case this led ultimately to the resignation of mr reagan a former adviser in the riley administration who was accused of trying to sabotage the prosecution
such disorders have been a regular feature of the year and a half leading to mr hubbards trial the latest was in february when a political operative in montgomery asserted that mr hart had been leaking apparent grand jury details to create a whisper campaign against mr hubbard mr hart who referred to the operative as a now former confidential informant produced an affidavit from spencer collier the former head of the alabama law enforcement agency saying that agents had looked into the accusations of grand jury leaks and found no basis for an investigation
but the governor according to mr collier had not approved of this affidavit when mr collier provided it to prosecutors anyway mr bentley ordered him to take a leave of absence and soon after fired him citing possible misuse of state dollars mr collier then came forward with a public announcement mr bentley had been having an affair with rebekah caldwell mason his principal adviser
and with that the state immediately had not one but two blockbuster scandals
jury selection in mr hubbards trial begins monday
impeachment proceedings against mr bentley have gone slowly though scrutiny is intensifying of nonprofits and businesses connected with ms mason a powerful figure in the administration federal investigators have been conducting interviews around montgomery and mr bentley has acknowledged that the attorney generals office is also at work
the attorney general might also prosecute judge moore at his ethics hearing further winding an already tortuous vortex mr bentley could be called on to replace judge moore who could preside over the impeachment of mr bentley which could be recommended by the house under mr hubbard who if found guilty could eventually have an appeal before judge moores court
allen farley a republican state representative is skeptical that much will change in montgomery saying that special interests have always been the power behind both parties but there is a chance he believes that over the next few weeks all of it will blow up
when the prosecution starts said mr farley there could be a meltdown of enormous proportions in alabama politics


orlando fla   for years sports teams have tried to defray the multimillion dollar costs of their new stadiums by asking fans to pay thousands for personal seat licenses that entitle them to buy season tickets
flavio augusto da silva is taking the concept further in what may be the first deal of its kind mr da silva the majority owner of orlando city of major league soccer is asking investors from brazil china and elsewhere to pay 500000 each for a stake in the stadium he is building near downtown orlando in return the foreign investors receive annual dividends two season tickets and something even more valuable a green card that allows them their spouses and sometimes even their children to live and work in the united states
the visa offer is legal and it uses a 25 year old federal program known as eb 5 that is under renewed scrutiny in congress created in 1990 the program was intended to help pay for infrastructure projects in rural areas and poor urban neighborhoods after bank lending dried up in the last recession developers turned to the program to finance hotels condominiums and other projects from manhattan to miami as a result the number of eb 5 visas awarded grew to almost 9000 last year from fewer than 100 in 2003
mr da silva though is building a 156 million stadium not a high rise building or a shopping mall and he is marketing to foreigners not because lending is tight but because lawmakers in florida would not provide subsidies for the stadium in the parramore neighborhood of orlando
for us it was a business decision said mr da silva who expects to raise about half the construction cost through the cash for visa program there was already demand from people who want to move to the us have a green card and have a good opportunity to participate in the growth of the club
orlando citys use of the visa program which was criticized by a leading republican in march as riddled with corruption and national security vulnerabilities is a new approach for sports teams looking for ways to pay for stadiums without financial support from local communities where officials are under pressure from voters opposed to using public money to help wealthy owners
eb 5 financing helped pay for infrastructure work connected to barclays center in brooklyn but not for the arena itself developers previously tried to use the eb 5 program to finance stadium only projects in california florida and elsewhere but they hit roadblocks including the unpredictable pace of getting eb 5 investors approved for projects that often have to be opened on specific timelines
the orlando project features a 25000 seat stadium scheduled to open for the 2017 seasons of both orlando city sc and the orlando pride the womens team that mr da silva owns with his partner phil rawlins originally the city and county agreed to subsidize the project but when state lawmakers balked at approving a sales tax rebate mr da silva turned to the eb 5 program something orlandos mayor buddy dyer cheered
the teams solution ended up being a win win win for everybody mr dyer said in his office near the 1055 acre building site where the skeleton of the stadium is taking shape what i tell other mayors is that im the happiest mayor in america and i go through the whole litany including soccer
mr da silva knew about the eb 5 program because he obtained his own green card in 2009 by investing in a now troubled project in vermont while the strongest demand for eb 5 visas is from china mr da silva who made a fortune   his net worth was 444 million in 2014 according to forbes brasil   building a chain of english language schools in his native brazil decided to single out his countrymen
brazilians are soccer mad and some even follow orlando city whose games are broadcast in brazil and who are led by kaka a world cup winner for brazil and a former world player of the year
mr da silvas sales pitch has benefited from several years of political and economic turmoil in brazil where some of the countrys elite are rushing to move money offshore
the club said it had already attracted 30 investors bringing in 15 million or 10 percent of the projects cost mr rawlins the teams founder and president said about 5 million in new commitments is secured each month
i dont know why people havent taken more advantage of it because its a perfect thing when youre building a stadium mr rawlins said of the visa program the program is really about economic development
mark abbott deputy commissioner of mls said the league had reviewed the financing proposal and found it innovative
the league doesnt permit this type of financing for clubs mr abbott said but for stadium projects we thought it was appropriate
in addition to their stakes in the company that runs the stadium investors in the project receive two club seats for 10 seasons the investors have no control over the team itself which is part of a separate company but mr da silva and others did not dispute that the visas were the real draw
using the eb 5 program though can be complicated because the construction site must be in an area with high unemployment to qualify boundaries are sometimes gerrymandered to create an economically challenged but essentially manufactured neighborhood
developers also must spend millions of their own money to start the construction because it can take months and even years for the government to approve each eb 5 visa visa applicants must pass a background check and prove that the project is viable and will create at least 10 jobs for each visa issued the visas can be made permanent after a two year probationary period
some financial advisers recommend that foreigners who are considering putting 500000 into a real estate project choose a hotel mall or other more certain venture   anything but a sports stadium whose main tenant could have unpredictable results
when these guys win games and championships great but if theyre not that cash flow could change said michael gibson who helps foreigners invest in eb 5 projects why invest in that when you can invest in something steadier
it is unclear how long other sports franchise owners will have the eb 5 program as a financing option it is facing new questions on capitol hill where lawmakers are trying to close loopholes that allowed money to be steered from projects in needy areas toward wealthier districts some eb 5 funded projects have turned into boondoggles producing little or no economic benefit in other cases foreign investors have accused developers of misspending their money and not paying promised returns
for now opponents of the program have been unable to get the votes to overhaul or eliminate it so other teams may be able to follow the path orlando city has blazed
in mls alone a group led by david beckham the former soccer star from england has been trying to assemble a plan for a stadium in miami and the owners of teams in new york los angeles and washington are in various stages of the same process


a meteorologist who was asked by a co worker to cover up her sleeveless dress during a live broadcast wants enraged observers to know that she wasnt a victim of workplace sexism
the meteorologist liberte chan said in a blog post that she had been playing along with a joke during the broadcast on ktla in los angeles on saturday ms chan said she changed into a sparkly tank dress after her first choice a patterned black and white sheath turned parts of her body transparent against a green screen
ms chan was in the middle of her report when a male co worker reached into the live shot holding a gray cardigan sweater
whats going on ms chan asked you want me to put this on why because its cold
were getting a lot of emails the co worker said
what really ms chan said
after she put on the cardigan she added i look like a librarian now
that works the co worker replied
in a blog post published on sunday ms chan said that her employer hadnt asked her to put on the sweater
i was simply playing along with my co anchors joke she wrote and if youve ever watched the morning show you know we poke fun at each other all the time
as for the people who wrote in and complained ms chan said that the criticism came with the territory
ive worked on air for 10 years and by now ive learned that everyone has an opinion and you have to have a thick skin to work in this business she wrote its a visual medium and sometimes your outfit works and sometimes it doesnt
her explanation didnt satisfy all observers on social media who felt that ms chans employer acquiesced to the demands of people who emailed the station to criticize her outfit choice
last fall wardrobe choices or lack thereof for female meteorologists became a talking point after several shared photos of themselves on social media wearing the same 20 dress found on amazon budget constraints green screen concerns and chilly office temperatures are among the obstacles meteorologists contend with before they ever open their choices up to the publics criticism
jen carfagno a meteorologist with the weather channel told a writer at slate that selecting an appropriate outfit was often her biggest cause of stress on the job
dont look too old or too young she wrote in an email too tight will make you look like ready for the dance club too baggy will make you look frumpy black every day is boring patterns are tough with the lights and camera staying wrinkle free is tough how many styles of red dresses are there anyway
ms chans report has been interrupted for wardrobe related issues before in february a patterned green dress she was wearing turned parts of her body transparent
in that video a male co worker could be seen rushing into the live shot to cover ms chan up with his jacket


ponte vedra beach fla   the best golfer in the mens game said he was obsessed with improving after making the players championship his third victory of 2016 jason day said he had never been more motivated
all the hard work that ive put into my game right now has paid off but ive got to keep working hard to win as much as i can added day who described winning as addictive
nothing beats this feeling day said as he eyed the crystal trophy he collected after his third wire to wire victory in the past nine months
yes day has learned well from tiger woods once his childhood idol and now his mentor and friend toward the end of his news conference sunday at tpc sawgrass day pulled a pacifier out of his back pocket providing a humorous reminder that he has a life outside golf but make no mistake day 28 who is married with two small children is not modeling his career on jack nicklaus the 18 time major winner who preached a balanced work life existence
he is a hybrid of nicklaus and woods growing his family even as he narrows his focus the year that woods turned 28 he won five of his 18 pga tour starts and finished second twice by the time woods turned 29 he was newly married with 40 tour victories day who is from australia has two more children and 30 fewer victories than woods at the same age
with seven victories in his past 17 starts   a stretch during which his wife ellie delivered the couples second child a girl   day would appear to have figured out how to have his killer instinct and a homing instinct too his countryman adam scott described the roll that day is on as tiger esque
hes structured so well from what i can see the little bits of insight that i get into his whole life scott said i think hes got a handle on everything
in sundays final round day hit his 2 iron tee shot more than 300 yards on the 18th hole an impressive display of both power and restraint there was a time not too long ago when day would not have been able to sidestep the temptation to use his driver it takes daring but also discipline to manage as day has done to win the last five tournaments in which he has held the 54 hole lead
colin swatton days longtime coach and caddie likened day to a formula one driver it goes against his nature to brake
he just wants to have the hammer down all the time swatton said adding its hard at times for him not to hit the driver that showed a lot of patience a lot of commitment and trust
swatton added he hung in there stuck to the game plan normally he would get a little frustrated and push things to make something happen hes tending to dial it back take his time make good decisions and stay in the moment
it has helped day enormously to have swatton on his bag and woods in his ear
hes arguably the best player in the world swatton said of woods a 79 time tour winner and that has been my advice in the past to lean on people who can make you better i definitely think tiger can do that
woodss influence on day is obvious to swatton who said ive definitely seen a change not necessarily in how he plays or how he goes about his business but definitely i see a little bit more trust and belief in himself definitely i can see a lot more confidence and thats a very very hard thing to get
the no 1 ranking is difficult to achieve and even harder to hold
its very stressful day said youre in the limelight a lot youve got more things to do when you get to tournaments more things to do off weeks
he was exulting not complaining
i wouldnt change it in any way because this is exactly where i want to be day said and i want to try to stay here as long as i can while i can because nothing beats this feeling
his level of desire he added has never been higher
i want it so bad right now he said i want to win every single tournament that im playing in
days competitors can consider themselves warned match his desire or accept that they are playing for no 2 day will defer to no one not even woods who has been sidelined since august after having had multiple back operations
day said he intended to keep pushing keep pushing because tiger says hes going to kick my butt when he comes back
day laughed and added if he does come back and hes turned into tiger woods again ive got to kind of watch my behind


london   hsbc said on monday that it would move 840 jobs in its information technology division out of britain to lower cost countries such as india as part of an effort to reduce its expenses
the bank announced plans last year to shed as many as 50000 jobs by the end of next year by selling underperforming businesses exiting some markets and reducing the size of its global investment banking business those job reductions included about 8000 positions in britain
as of the end of last year the bank employed 255000 people
on monday it said it would shift 840 information technology roles to lower cost countries by the end of march 2017 as part of those expense reduction efforts
the uk will continue to play an important role in hsbcs global it infrastructure employing several thousand it professionals john hackett the chief operating officer of hsbc uk said in a news release
as part of its reshaping last year hsbc said it would increase its investment in asia where it generates more than half of its earnings
the bank traces its roots to hong kong and was called the hongkong and shanghai banking corporation when it was founded it conducted a formal review last year on whether to move its headquarters from britain but in february opted to stay in london


valeant pharmaceuticals international said on monday that it would expand its discount program for two expensive heart drugs so that every hospital would be eligible for at least a 10 percent discount with some qualifying for discounts of up to 40 percent but some hospitals   and the companies that negotiate prices for them   said they were still waiting for details
a press release stating they will offer discounts is one thing   but valeant did the same thing the last time they said they had discounts and nothing ever materialized said erin r fox the pharmacist who negotiates drug prices on behalf of the university of utah health care system which spends just over 640000 a year on the two drugs she had been contacting valeant since last fall seeking discounts she said she received an email monday from the company explaining the discounts
last month united states senators harshly criticized the company for failing to provide discounts to leading heart hospitals who used large quantities of the drugs despite valeants previous promises to do so valeant acquired the two drugs nitropress and isuprel in february last year and immediately raised their prices leading to widespread criticism because the drugs have been on the market for years
valeants policy of buying old drugs and sharply raising their prices led to an outcry from doctors patients and hospitals as well as inquiries by united states attorneys in new york and massachusetts and hearings in congress
in the winter the company pledged to offer up to 30 percent discounts based on volume for hospitals that used the drugs but at a senate hearing in april valeant acknowledged there were gaps in the program after senators said none of the hospitals they contacted   including leading institutions like the cleveland clinic and johns hopkins   had received any discount
last week the hospitals said they still had not heard from the company and a leading group purchasing organization premier which negotiates prices on behalf of hospitals said only one hospital out of 2500 received a 30 percent discount on nitropress and only one qualified for a similar discount on isuprel most hospitals the company said received a discount of just one penny off the wholesale price
many other major hospitals including the cleveland clinic johns hopkins and the mayo clinic did not qualify for any discount because valeant did not offer discounts through their group purchasing organization
on monday valeant pledged to make those discounts more widespread saying that it would offer them to all hospitals regardless of whether they were a member of a group purchasing organization all hospitals will receive a 10 percent discount and bigger users of the drugs would qualify for 20 30 and 40 percent discounts the company also said it would not raise the price on the drugs nor would it alter the discount program to make it less generous
under this new program the discounts we previously implemented for nitropress and isuprel will be simplified and more accessible said joseph c papa the newly appointed chief executive of valeant i understand the concerns our partners in the health care community have had about the pricing of these drugs and we want to ensure hospitals and patients can get the drugs they need
scott knoer the chief pharmacy officer at the cleveland clinic noted that even with the discounts hospitals would still be spending far more on the two drugs than they did a year ago because valeant raised the prices on the two drugs so significantly   nitropress by 310 percent and isuprel by 720 percent in 2015 if the cleveland clinic qualified for the largest discounts under the program he said the clinic would still be paying 23 million a year more for the drugs because of valeants price increases
even with these discounts the costs are still extraordinarily high for these lifesaving drugs he said
one of the countrys largest group purchasing organizations vizient said on monday that it was in talks with valeant about the discounts but that it was still evaluating the details
the critical thing for us at this point is seeing real and meaningful change from valeant a vizient spokeswoman angie boliver said in a statement vizient negotiates prices on behalf of some of the countrys leading heart hospitals including the cleveland clinic the mayo clinic and newyork presbyterian but until now valeant had not offered discounts through them
lip service wont cut it ms boliver said before we do anything we must see them offer actual value that is realistically available to all of our hospitals
premier the other large group purchasing organization said it received details on the new program about the same time on monday that valeant publicly announced it
our pharmacy team is evaluating the terms and conditions and looking it over together with our member committees that evaluate these contracts said a spokeswoman amanda forster we will need some time to get that feedback before we can say anything procon about the new prices


in the 1960s and 70s in moscow nina brodskaya was a singing star
i used to sing for the biggest band in moscow said ms brodskaya who performed with the illustrious eddie rosner jazz orchestra in the soviet union before she moved to the united states in 1980 she made records here with names like moscow new york and come to usa but never equaled the renown she had in the soviet union
but she still appears regularly in a cramped basement alongside a longstanding group of fellow musicians from russia and other former soviet bloc countries who have settled in and around brighton beach the heavily russian neighborhood in brooklyn
there is no audience but ms brodskaya has the joy of jamming with her fellow immigrants as they gather on tuesday nights below a dentists office in sheepshead bay brooklyn in a modest room adorned with posters of american and russian jazz luminaries
the musicians are mostly over 60 and often learned jazz clandestinely and resourcefully in soviet era russia where the authorities were suspicious of people interested in american culture especially cultural traditions that emphasized improvisation and artistic freedom
they would tell us today youre playing jazz tomorrow youre selling your country recalled ms brodskaya who was a singer in the band led by eddie rosner a trumpeter and bandleader known as the polish louis armstrong who was imprisoned for years in a soviet gulag under stalin
on a recent tuesday ms brodskaya rehearsed two numbers with the band that demonstrated its russian american duality a jazz standard just in time and a russian song whose title translates to save love
the rehearsals are exhaustive three hour affairs run under the strict baton of the bands musical director zinovy pritsker who instructs the musicians in russian but reward comes afterward when a table is set up in the waiting room of the dentists office and a bottle of icy vodka is plunked down along with a meal of herring potatoes and russian delicacies
the group plays mostly big band classics from the repertoires of count basie duke ellington and others arranged for the band by mr pritsker 69
from the back of the room the band is propelled by its drummer dr mark rosen 71 whose dental office is upstairs and who named the ensemble the dr mark rosen big band
asked about the name mr pritsker a formal man with a dark russian mood shrugged and said what can i tell you he has the rehearsal space
the band plays the occasional russian wedding or dance at catering halls in brighton beach sometimes russian musicians visiting new york hear about the band and sit in
but for the most part the only outsiders who hear the band are the nighttime dog walkers in the neighborhood who according to dr rosen say they love the sound of swinging jazz that seeps out of the basement windows
the group is mainly a rehearsal band that allows players to stay connected to one another and the music they fell in love with as young musicians
it was a time when jazz was seen as the decadent music of the west and suppressed dr rosen said recalling his years of living under communism
the bands male singer lev pilshik added jazz was prohibited if you played it in certain clubs you might have kgb agents coming and asking about you
despite mostly playing for one another the band has a rare concert scheduled on tuesday night in manhattan at the cutting room on east 32nd street
it was arranged by mr pritskers son gene pritsker who plays guitar in the big band and is also an accomplished modern classical composer whose works are performed at the cutting room
for the concert gene pritsker thought he should come up with a better marketing strategy for a band that is named after a dentist so for tuesdays performance the band will be rebranded as from russia with swing
even in jazz rich new york city a longstanding big band much less one of this size is rare a 20 piece ensemble with five saxophonists four trombonists four trumpeters a four piece rhythm section and three regular singers
most of the band members were classically trained at russian conservatories but had to learn jazz privately in secret jam sessions or by acquiring recordings through friends or the black market
some members recalled tuning in to the voice of america on shortwave radio   despite government efforts to jam the signal   for the famous jazz broadcasts of willis conover who introduced the music to eastern bloc countries during the cold war
the government didnt want you listening to the jazz broadcasts because they felt it was all part of the american propaganda said dr rosen who came to the united states in 1978 one of his patients turned out to be mr pritsker a saxophonist from leningrad who moved to new york the same year and who fell in love with jazz while playing in the soviet army band
today the basement rehearsal space has become something of a running joke because of the notion that the musicians are playing underground jazz said dr rosen who started a big band while in medical school inspired by performances he saw in leningrad by duke ellington and benny goodman with their bands
those concerts were allowed by the government dr rosen said as were certain jazz clubs that catered to tourists government officials and other important citizens whose patriotism was beyond question other than that jazz performances were suspect
we were afraid but we did it dr rosen recalled sometimes the kgb might call you and ask if youre playing jazz with a certain musician and ask you to watch them
mr pritsker said a friend had given him scratchy reel to reel tapes of bebop recorded from radio broadcasts that stoked his desire to become a jazzman but to make money after he moved to new york he became a piano tuner if a notoriously temperamental one
he and dr rosen placed advertisements in local russian newspapers for musicians and formed the band in 1997
many of the musicians who responded had played for the best russian jazz bands but were busking or working modest day jobs in new york
lev barsevov who plays trumpet was a black car driver another trumpeter aaron gerskovitch was a kosher butcher a saxophone player veniamin popov worked as a circus clown which he proved on a recent tuesday night by contorting his legs above his head while sitting down   even before the vodka was brought out
russian immigrants playing american music can result in many cross cultural moments and one occurred when the band began hotly debating in russian the way the english lyrics to new york new york should be delivered
after a few false starts mr pritsker shook his head and said in his thickly accented english i hope in concert we dont have this problem


washington   the supreme court in an unsigned unanimous opinion announced on monday that it would not rule in a major case on access to contraception and instructed lower courts to consider whether a compromise was possible
the opinion is the latest indication that the supreme court which currently has eight members is exploring every avenue to avoid 4 to 4 deadlocks even if it does not decide the question the justices have agreed to address
the case concerned an accommodation offered to religious groups that did not want to offer insurance coverage for contraception to their female employees as ordinarily required by regulations under the affordable care act the accommodation allowed the groups not to pay for coverage and to avoid fines if they informed their insurers plan administrators or the government that they wanted an exemption insurance companies or the government would then pay for the coverage
some religious groups objected saying that providing the required notice still made them complicit in what they considered to be sinful conduct
the courts unusual opinion tried to bridge the gap between the two sides suggesting that the government could arrange to provide coverage to the religious groups female workers without requiring any notice or other action from the groups such a solution would require the two sides to agree on many details and would probably require new federal regulations
the justices decision to insert themselves into the adversarial process acting more like mediatiors than judges was almost certainly a consequence of the disarray that followed justice antonin scalias death in february since then the court has deadlocked three times including in a major case on public unions in other cases it has found consensus through narrow rulings some of which decided very little
mondays opinion nullified decisions in appeals courts around the nation all but one of which had upheld the accommodation both sides said they were pleased
the supreme court was right to protect the christian colleges and other groups from having to pay fines or fill out forms authorizing the objectionable coverage said david cortman a lawyer with alliance defending freedom which represents some of the groups challenging the accommodation the government has many other ways to ensure women are able to obtain these drugs without forcing people of faith to participate in acts that violate their deepest convictions
the white house also said it welcomed the decision
it will allow millions of women across the country to continue to get the health coverage that they need josh earnest the press secretary told reporters he said the white house was gratified because the decision proved it was possible to prioritize health care access while maintaining religious liberty for everyone
president obama in an interview with buzzfeed news said the opinion was notable for what it said about the state of the supreme court i wont speculate as to why they punted he said but my suspicion is that if we had nine supreme court justices instead of eight there might have been a different outcome
republican senators have said they will not confirm another of mr obamas supreme court nominees
the court signaled its direction less than a week after the case was argued in march when it issued an unsigned order asking the parties to submit supplemental briefs on a possible compromise in mondays ruling the court said that those briefs suggested a compromise was possible but that it should be forged in the lower courts
given the gravity of the dispute and the substantial clarification and refinement in the positions of the parties the parties on remand should be afforded an opportunity to arrive at an approach going forward that accommodates petitioners religious exercise while at the same time ensuring that women covered by petitioners health plans receive full and equal health coverage including contraceptive coverage  the court said quoting from a brief filed by the government
the supreme court urged the lower courts to allow the parties sufficient time to resolve any outstanding issues between them
the justices emphasized that they were deciding nothing
the court expresses no view on the merits of the cases the opinion said in particular the court does not decide whether petitioners religious exercise has been substantially burdened whether the government has a compelling interest or whether the current regulations are the least restrictive means of serving that interest
justice sonia sotomayor filed a concurrence which was joined by justice ruth bader ginsburg underscoring the limited nature of the action and cautioning lower courts not to read anything into it
todays opinion does only what it says it does affords an opportunity for the parties and courts of appeals to reconsider the parties arguments in light of petitioners new articulation of their religious objection and the governments clarification about what the existing regulations accomplish how they might be amended and what such an amendment would sacrifice justice sotomayor wrote as enlightened by the parties new submissions the courts of appeals remain free to reach the same conclusion or a different one on each of the questions presented by these cases
the case zubik v burwell no 14 1418 was the courts second encounter with the contraception requirement and the fourth time it had considered an aspect of the affordable care act it built on a case from 2014 burwell v hobby lobby stores which said a regulation requiring family owned corporations to pay for insurance coverage for contraception violated a federal law protecting religious liberty justice samuel a alito jr writing for the majority in 2014 said there was a better alternative one that the government had offered to nonprofit groups with religious objections
many religious groups around the nation challenged the accommodation saying that objecting and providing the required information would make them complicit in conduct that violated their faith
the groups which include hospitals and schools added that they should be entitled to the outright exemption offered to houses of worship like churches synagogues and mosques houses of worship are not subject to the coverage requirement at all and do not have to file paperwork if they choose not to provide contraception coverage
at the arguments in march several justices indicated that they thought the accommodation violated the federal religious freedom restoration act because it allowed the government to hijack the insurance plans of the religious groups that were the petitioners in the case
days later the court called for more briefs in an order that asked the parties to address whether and how contraceptive coverage may be obtained by petitioners employees through petitioners insurance companies but in a way that does not require any involvement of petitioners beyond their own decision to provide health insurance without contraceptive coverage to their employees
the order sketched out how this might work asking the two sides to address whether it would be acceptable for the groups to do no more than buy insurance plans for their workers that did not include contraception coverage
on monday the court said that the unusual tactic had worked and that both sides now confirm that such an option is feasible
the religious groups the court said quoting their brief have clarified that their religious exercise is not infringed where they need to do nothing more than contract for a plan that does not include coverage for some or all forms of contraception even if their employees receive cost free contraceptive coverage from the same insurance company
the government the court continued has confirmed that the challenged procedures for employers with insured plans could be modified to operate in the manner posited in the courts order while still ensuring that the affected women receive contraceptive coverage seamlessly together with the rest of their health coverage 


in an industry where hostile takeovers are rare gannett is not giving up its pursuit of tribune publishing sweetening its bid on monday just weeks after its first offer was resoundingly rejected
gannett publisher of usa today has been making an aggressive push to buy tribunes portfolio which includes the chicago tribune and the los angeles times as circulation and advertising revenue for traditional newspapers are in a sharp and seemingly irreversible decline
its latest move was perhaps to give tribune a proposal it could not refuse gannett raised its cash bid 22 percent to 15 a share from the 1225 a share tribune rejected on may 4 gannetts stock gained 22 percent after the higher bid was announced on monday while tribunes shares soared 23 percent and closed almost a dollar below the offer price the deal which includes the assumption of tribunes debt is now worth about 864 million up from 815 million last month
it is evident from our discussions with tribune shareholders that there is overwhelming support for the companies to engage immediately regarding our proposed transaction john j louis gannetts chairman said in a statement
tribune said its board was contemplating the latest offer
price is only one factor for tribune pride is another
over the last year tribunes shares have fallen weighed down by management turnover accounting weaknesses and an acquisition that was thwarted by regulators
the investor and entrepreneur michael ferro acquired a 165 percent stake in tribune publishing in february through his chicago based private equity firm merrick ventures he acquired the shares at 850 each well below both of gannetts offers
mr ferro a relative newcomer to the media industry quickly installed justin c dearborn another media outsider as chief executive gannett pounced shortly thereafter
instead tribune has drawn the battle lines in a presentation last week the company said it was opposed to a steal - gannetts proposal is an opportunistic attempt to take advantage of a depressed tribune stock price and a company in the midst of a strategic transformation the presentation was filed with the securities and exchange commission on friday
it also adopted a so called shareholder rights plan also known as a poison pill to make its shares less attractive to a buyer
mr ferro and mr dearborn both of whom have a background in technology have been focused on investing in areas such as artificial intelligence to raise revenue tribunes executives have been promoting a strategy called tronc which involves pooling assets and using technology to extract more value from advertisers
but gannett is taking a different approach it has been consolidating newspaper companies to extract costs and streamline operations it has said it believes the takeover will be better for tribune shareholders than the tronc combining the two companies would expand gannetts portfolio to nearly 120 newspapers
by not engaging constructively with gannett and continuing to pursue an unproven strategy based on its tronc platform we believe tribune is jeopardizing its shareholders investment and disregarding their best interests said robert j dickey gannetts president and chief executive in the statement monday
when tribune rejected the first bid a few weeks ago it said the offer understates the companys true value and is not in the best interests of our shareholders the company has not indicated yet whether it would be more amenable to mondays bid
in a separate statement monday tribune said it would thoroughly review gannetts revised proposal
gannett raised its bid after further review that gave the company greater confidence in its ability to extract operational benefits from the transaction its analysis was based on publicly available financial statements including tribunes latest earnings report which showed more cash and less debt
we like the general strategy that gannett has outlined over the next several years to be a consolidator in the industry said tony scherrer director of research and co portfolio manager at smead capital management his firm oversees 24 billion in assets and owns about 5 percent of gannett shares tribune publishing has some waterfront assets that they can put into their portfolio and use their top notch management capabilities to extract value from these assets
gannett was also maneuvering to take the matter to shareholders because it missed the window to nominate its own directors to tribunes board the company sought another route instead to increase pressure gannett decided to solicit so called withhold votes encouraging tribune shareholders to boycott their votes for the director nominees
methuselah advisors is advising gannett as is the law firm skadden arps slate meagher  flom goldman sachs and lazard are providing financial advice to tribune publishing with kirkland  ellis on the legal side


san francisco   xfund a beleaguered venture capital firm that has put money into start ups like the genetics company 23andme and the real estate outfit zumper is breaking new and belligerent ground in the normally discreet world of technology investors
a complaint filed on friday in santa clara county superior court in california by hugo van vuuren one xfund founder against patrick s chung the other founder and the fund itself includes accusations of secret contract amendments bullying and schoolyard name calling
mr chung called mr van vuuren a spiteful moron and a trivial person pursuing trivial things in emails according to court documents mr chung also wrote that working with mr van vuuren was like working with a retarded person and that mr van vuuren would be worth more dead than alive once we have key man insurance
the dispute between the two founders of the 100 million fund is a rare moment of public bickering among venture capitalists
mr van vuuren claims in his suit that mr chung committed fraud by secretly amending their partnership agreement to take full control of xfunds investments operations and governance
mr van vuuren also claims that mr chung had a fiduciary duty to tell him about any changes to their agreement but that when he was asked to sign the amended documents at the end of 2014 mr chung mentioned only the fact that they had been altered to include a way to share proceeds from successful investments with new employees
in may 2015 a lawyer for xfund at ropes  gray emailed mr van vuuren to say that the agreements were drafted so that xfund remained a marriage of two equals but later that law firm told mr van vuuren to have an independent lawyer review the amendments that he had signed according to the complaint
xfund investors have tried to salvage the fund by approving a plan to support a scaled back version that would be run solely by mr chung possibly with a third party monitoring his work said an investor in the fund speaking on the condition of anonymity
but the intervention has not stopped the fight from heading to the courtroom mr van vuuren has indicated that he has no plans to step aside and he is pushing for a court trial which could further embarrass xfund and its investors   about 20 family investment offices venture firms and corporations including the investor jim breyer the venture capital giant new enterprise associates and companies like the oil company saudi aramco
a representative for mr van vuuren declined to comment beyond the lawsuit an xfund representative called the allegations bewildering and noted that mr van vuuren was a signed counterparty to all the fund formation documents
xfund began in 2011 as a small seed fund created to invest in start ups out of harvard university and the boston area before it blossomed into an operation with an office and investments in silicon valley
the co founders have been fighting for nearly two years as their relationship fell apart mr van vuuren claims mr chung blocked his investment ideas and looked for ways to lessen his influence he says mr chung offered david j malan a professor at harvard a share of xfunds profits for help with xfund matters in an attempt to obtain an east coast based resource to replace van vuuren according to the court documents
the complaint accuses mr chung of defamation for filing a restraining order in march saying that the move was an attempt to keep mr van vuuren away from an xfund sponsored event in california and from the committee that was deciding how best to advise investors on how to act given that the funds partners could no longer work together
in his restraining order application mr chung said that his partner had physically and verbally threatened him and his family the application was later withdrawn
this month xfunds investors approved a proposal that the agreements governing the fund be completely redrawn to move xfunds existing investments solely under mr chungs purview
two investors in the fund who agreed to speak on the condition of anonymity because of the private nature of the firms partnership contracts said that this waspartly because mr chung had made most of xfunds investments
in his lawsuit mr van vuuren does not mention how many investments mr chung made but he does claim that a single company accounts for more than 85 percent of xfunds appreciation that investment kensho is one that mr van vuuren says that he made according to the documents


paris   opposition to a sweeping trade deal between the united states and the european union has gathered strength in europe in recent weeks but with a twist the latest objections have less to do with what is known to be at stake and more about what is unknown
a leak of documents by greenpeace the environmental organization in early may added to suspicions about the deal the transatlantic trade and investment partnership as opponents turned the three year debate away from trade issues to a broader denunciation of the secrecy surrounding the talks
while chancellor angela merkel of germany defended the treaty during a visit to her country by president obama in late april sigmar gabriel the economy minister in her coalition government led the charge for greater transparency
secrecy mr gabriel said only creates a lot of conspiracy this creates mistrust
both american and european negotiators dismissed the greenpeace leaks as misleading at best and flatly wrong contending that they reflected a work in progress not final documents
but opponents say the leaked documents pointed to a need for greater openness   or at least clarification   on a subject that has become politically toxic on both sides of the atlantic supporters accuse european governments of failing to defend a process that they set in motion in 2013
according to a popular european perspective the closed door strategy is an american condition that is putting european citizens their agricultural products and strict environmental standards at the mercy of united states based corporations
the way is being cleared for a race to the bottom in environmental consumer protection and public health standards greenpeace said
both sides agree that confidentiality is essential to any sensitive negotiations   a condition that was applied to earlier trade talks involving the european union and other countries with little objection in european capitals
for their part the americans point to steps taken by the obama administration in its negotiations over the trade pact with europe and the trans pacific partnership a similar agreement covering the united states and 11 other pacific rim nations
to strike a balance between secrecy and transparency for instance members of congress and 600 identified stakeholders   environmentalists unions and companies   have been given security clearance to regularly review the american negotiating positions
in europe parliamentary deputies have also been given access to working documents but under strict conditions that some european politicians find objectionable
the documents can be viewed only at guarded sites and french deputies have complained that the information amounts to little more than tactical summaries that provide few details on the state of negotiations
since 2013 europe has scored points by publicly taking some sensitive subjects off the table starting with a cultural exception for movies and other audiovisual materials a demand first put forward by france
last october the european commission which is handling the negotiations on behalf of the european union issued an official reassurance that the fixed price for books   a practice cherished by european publishers and bookshops as a protection against chain store discounts   was not up for negotiation
but there is still a great deal of uncertainty and anxiety over a broad range of subjects that may or may not lead to lower standards for food safety and the environment a rise in pharmaceutical prices and other issues that have struck fear in the hearts of many in europe
negotiators on both sides have had to bat back rumors of an american takeover of the british health care system or the privatization of the bavarian water supply   neither of which is on the table
however so called geographical indications a european practice that gives regions the exclusive right to label their products   like parma ham or roquefort cheese   remain a heated issue american negotiators argue that these products are protected under existing trademark law which the europeans regard as too loose
in france geographical indications are regarded as sacrosanct a red line that no government would dare to cross
earlier this month president francois hollande of france bowed to popular opinion when he said that the countrys position on the treaty as it now stands would be no
but where do negotiations stand that is an open question


a jump in oil prices and some deal news helped send stocks up broadly monday breaking a three day losing streak
investors bought from the start of trading pushing oil drillers and other energy stocks up sharply
a bullish oil report from goldman sachs helped send benchmark us crude up 33 percent to its highest close in six months all 10 sectors of the standard and poors 500 stock index rose
major indexes were also boosted by news that the billionaire investor warren buffett had invested in apple triggering a 37 percent jump in that stock apple is the most heavily weighted member of the sp 500
the sp 500 rose 2005 points or 1 percent to 206666 the dow jones industrial average rose 17539 points or 1 percent to 1771071 the nasdaq composite index gained 5778 points or 12 percent to 477546
the report from goldman argued that the glut in oil supplies has turned into a deficit and so prices could continue to rise the sunny forecast plus oil production troubles in nigeria pushed us crude up 151 to 4772 a barrel
when oil prices climb investors think the earnings drought is at an end said tim courtney chief investment officer of exencial wealth advisors whatever happens to energy drives all the markets
energy shares in the sp 500 rose 16 percent on monday marathon oil jumped 4 percent and devon energy also rose 4 percent
in deal news tribune publishing soared 261 or 23 percent to 1408 after usa today owner gannett raised its offer to buy the publisher the new offer comes one week after tribune which owns the los angeles times the chicago tribune and other newspapers adopted a poison pill plan to help it remain independent gannett rose 22 percent
memorial resource development rose 41 cents or 3 percent to 1386 per share after rival natural gas producer range resources said it would buy memorial for 33 billion range resources plunged 432 or 10 percent to 3769
anacor pharmaceuticals rocketed 57 percent to 10067 a gain of 3664 after drug giant pfizer announced a deal to buy the maker of a topical eczema treatment for 52 billion pfizer rose 19 cents or 06 percent 3338
warren buffetts berkshire hathaway bought 98 million shares of apple a stake worth almost 1 billion apple rose 336 to 9388
the tech giants shares have been under considerable pressure declining by 15 percent over the past month after apple reported a drop in iphone sales in late april
the move also was of interest given mr buffetts long standing aversion to tech stocks he has said its too hard to determine what tech companies will be worth in the future because their businesses evolve so quickly
in overseas markets britains ftse 100 inched up 02 percent while the cac 40 in france slipped 02 percent trading in germany was closed for a holiday
in other energy markets brent crude used to price international oils slipped rose 114 or 24 percent to 4897 a barrel in london in other energy trading in new york wholesale gasoline rose 2 cents to 161 a gallon heating oil rose four cents to 144 a gallon and natural gas fell seven cents to 203 per 1000 cubic feet
precious and industrial metals prices closed higher gold gained 150 to 127420 an ounce silver rose 2 cents to 1715 an ounce and copper added 2 cents to 209 a pound
us government bond prices fell the yield on the 10 year treasury note rose to 176 percent from 170 percent the dollar rose to 10898 yen from 10863 yen and the euro rose to 11320 from 11307


marissa mayer and lebron james could end up with the same boss that is if she sticks around after her company is sold
dan gilbert the founder of quicken loans and majority owner of the cleveland cavaliers has teamed with the famed investor warren e buffett to bid on yahoo which recently put itself up for sale they are joined in a second round of bidding for the internet company by verizon communications private equity firms such as tpg capital and a group that includes bain capital and vista equity partners according to a report sunday by michael j de la merced
mr james of course is the star forward of the cavaliers making yet another run at the national basketball association title while few would say hes embattled mr james is certainly under pressure to bring a championship to northern ohio
ms mayer on the other hand pretty much defines embattled she is the latest in a series of chief executives to try   without much success   to turn around yahoo and if you cant fix a company well you sell it
thats the position ms mayer finds herself in right now under pressure from investors she and yahoos board of directors finally agreed to a sales process earlier this year it is not clear when that process could end but mr james no doubt hopes to claim an nba title for cleveland well before then


each week nate cohn the upshots politics analyst and toni monkovic an upshot editor will discuss the 2016 race and post a lightly edited transcript of their written exchange readers can submit questions for future chats and well select one or two of the best ones
toni lets have a little fun speculation knowing what we know now   given bernie sanderss strong run from the left   how close could elizabeth warren have come to beating hillary clinton if she had run could she have beaten her
nate oh god thats a good question   ive spent a lot of time wondering about it myself to start i think its worth remembering that warren would have had the two same challenges as sanders winning nonwhite and affluent voters i think she could have done better among affluent voters simply because i think someone like her   who is technocratic and policy focused   would have seemed more reasonable and acceptable than someone talking about political revolution im not sure she would have done much better among black voters especially in the south
the second thing id note is that the clinton campaign especially early on basically handled sanders with kid gloves they didnt think he was a serious threat thats not the way they would have handled warren i dont know how much of a difference it would have made
but its definitely possible at the very least clinton would have spent much more money
toni when were all done in the democratic race with the district of columbia primary on june 14 how close do you think sanders will come to clinton in the white vote understanding that this would purely be an estimate
nate there are a lot of western states that didnt hold primaries and sanders did well in the caucuses there my guess is that he will narrowly edge out clinton among white voters assuming he would have won many of those predominantly white western states by a comfortable margin you kind of have to guess at what would have happened if there were primaries
toni i think that would surprise a lot of people it speaks to the power of the minority vote in the democratic electorate
nate should it obama lost the white vote by a 55 39 margin in the 2008 primaries according to the exit polls and he lost latino voters all of his victory came from a lopsided margin among black voters
this year clinton matched obamas tally among black voters beat it by a big margin among hispanic voters and beat it by a comfortable margin among white voters hence a clear clinton victory
in the end its really tough to win the democratic nomination while getting blanked among black voters they represent almost a quarter of the electorate you would need to do what clinton did in 2008 in almost pulling it off win big among both hispanic and white voters bernie was never poised to do either
toni i remember being surprised when clinton came out against the trans pacific trade partnership it was a rare break from president obama and seemed to go against her past support for trade agreements but looking back and looking ahead to places like michigan it seems she got the politics right agree
nate well i dont know about that i dont think she got much credit for it and it fit into the narrative that clintons a flip flopper with no conviction i do think its true that trade was a problem for her in the midwest and could continue to be in the general im just not sure whether her tpp switch really helps insulate her from it
toni thomas edsall wrote that donald trumps strength seems to be underrated in telephone polls because some of his supporters may be ashamed to reveal their support in that format trump is doing better in online polls of the general election the suggestion is that were in for a closer race than a lot of people think
nate i havent investigated it thoroughly its a big question that the survey industry hasnt totally figured out yet a few quick observations though there are big differences between online and telephone surveys besides the absence of an interviewer id also note that trump seemed to do better in the online polls throughout the primaries than he actually did he was earning 40 percent of the vote in the online morning consult poll long before he really approached it in the actual tabulated vote
toni you made a comment last week that surprised me trump essentially dismissed the importance of data in campaigns obama was said to have a sophisticated data operation that helped him win the last two elections with clinton poised to receive the baton and you said eh i kind of think he has a point
nate i definitely agree with trump that data is overrated that doesnt mean it isnt helpful or that he would be well off to ignore it but the hype around analytics and data driven turnout efforts has definitely outpaced the actual effect it has on election outcomes especially in a presidential election when turnout is bound to be very high
toni can you give a ballpark figure on what percentage of the vote could be affected by an outstanding data operation versus an average or mediocre one
nate in a presidential election maybe half a point
i think theres a chance it represented obamas margin of victory in florida the closest state in 2012 but its hard to be sure
toni looking back at the gop race other than trumps rise what was the most stunning development
nate the failure of mainstream republicans to elevate a single broadly acceptable candidate by the end of the primary season
i think you can blame marco rubios debate performance in new hampshire to some extent
toni how damaging was jeb bushs entrance into the race to mainstream republicans chances of elevating a broadly acceptable candidate in retrospect he was never going to catch on in that campaign environment and he took oxygen away from someone like rubio
nate who knows what would have happened if jeb doesnt get in does mitt romney join does that let donors consolidate around rubio faster which i think would have been very bad for trump i just dont know what i will say is that it was very damaging that bush proved to be as weak as he was it was enough to block the emergence of another strong mainstream candidate but he wasnt able to use those resources to defeat trump instead he spent millions weakening rubio in new hampshire
toni lets wrap this up by getting back to elizabeth warren there may be good reasons that she wont be the vice presidential pick and she may not even want the post but from a pure vote getting perspective and i realize these picks typically dont matter all that much for that purpose would she be the best selection
nate i think itll be clearer after the primaries have wrapped up does clinton have a real problem on her left or does she have a secure left flank so that shes free to target moderate republican leaners in the suburbs i think the case for warren is useful in the former condition more than the latter im also not sure whether warren helps with working class white democratic men theyre basically clintons biggest vulnerability and i think theres a case that choosing warren could make that worse
toni why do you think she could make that worse
nate because shes a woman and i just dont know whether two women are worse than one for that group
last week nate and toni assessed donald trumps potential strengths and weaknesses in each of the battleground states and discussed whether liberals should be worrying about polls showing a tight race you can see that conversation here


wendell pierce the actor known for portraying bunk a world weary detective in the television drama the wire was arrested on saturday in atlanta and charged with battery after a discussion about politics turned heated according to the police and witnesses
according to maggie elena baca who was staying at the loews atlanta hotel with two friends mr pierce struck her in the head during a confrontation that culminated at the door to her room
mr pierce also a guest at the hotel was with his girlfriend when he encountered ms baca who was sitting with friends in a hallway on the 23rd floor she told the police as the two groups began to talk politics mr pierce became upset she said
the actor then began to push her ms baca told the police and as she and her friends walked away to their room mr pierce followed them and tried to force his way in in the tussle ms baca said mr pierce began to hit her in the head and grab her hoodie ripping the hood off
mr pierce disputed that account telling the police that he had followed the group to the room but that they had attempted to pull him in
ms baca did not immediately respond to a phone message seeking comment
both ms baca and mr pierce declined medical assistance the police said
mr pierce 52 was taken into custody early saturday at the hotel the police said he was booked and released on 1000 bail
the atlanta police department said in a statement that the arrest was treated like any other arrest a patrol officer conducts
mr pierce made no indication he was famous nor did the officer inquire it said
rachel peavy a spokeswoman for loews said the hotel would not comment citing the privacy of its guests a representative for mr pierce could not be reached immediately for comment
as news of his arrest rippled across the web on monday mr pierce withdrew from plans to receive an honorary degree and deliver the commencement address at the newark campus of rutgers university on wednesday the university said soledad obrien the broadcast journalist would speak in his place
in addition to his role on the wire mr pierce is also well known as a star of the hbo series treme set in his hometown new orleans and recently portrayed clarence thomas in the political drama confirmation which had its premiere last month on hbo he also plays a recurring character on the revival of the situation comedy the odd couple on cbs


kabul afghanistan   after bombings in kabul these days new concrete blast walls go up taller than the ones before streets leading to vip homes are blocked to traffic to drive in certain neighborhoods is to delve into a frustrating game of maze navigation with surprise barricades popping up overnight
in a grim reflection of life in the afghan capital the small blast wall factories lined up on the citys outskirts are among the few businesses that have managed to stay basically viable despite the reeling economy mixers churn out concrete and laborers cast it in wooden molds trucks ferry the t shaped walls to spots around the city one of the most barricaded in the world
it is our sad reality after a suicide bombing we get more work said noor ul haq who has been managing one such small business for six years
after a huge truck bombing near an elite afghan security agency last month mr haq had 15 potential customers visit in one week the attack was so large that it shattered windows across wide stretches of the city and flung body parts into the kabul river which was raging after days of rain
the week before the bombing we had no customers he said
like most of the complex attacks in kabul   which involve bombing a compound and then sending in fighters   last months bombing was the work of the haqqani network an arm of the insurgency known for its urban assaults the haqqanis growing integration into the mainstream taliban at a time when peace talks have collapsed has heightened fears of more such attacks   and the blast walls are multiplying
the dull structures used to be mainly about 11 feet tall but newer walls are as high as 20 feet both to repel the force of larger explosions and to block the sightlines of any taliban snipers
the blast walls have become such an integral part of kabuls identity that they blend into the cityscape most residents have accepted the narrowing of the roads and roundabouts the blocking of the views of iconic buildings as facts of life
activists and artists have tried to turn them into canvases for their messages one project in particular artlords is leaving its mark the logic is simple you cannot escape the walls so you may as well use them to remind people about some of the scourges of society like corruption so entrenched that it seems inescapable
i am proud of my father   he is not corrupt reads one message in bold black letters next to an artlords mural it is painted on the blast walls of a building belonging to the finance ministry long considered one of the most corrupt institutions in afghanistan
in one of kabuls main squares the blast walls protecting a military base are painted light olive a tiny park with two benches and some grass and rosebushes has seemingly grown in front of the walls providing a respite for visitors to one of the citys busiest hospitals around the corner or the public health ministry across the road
but the view from the benches is largely blocked by a makeshift rest stall for the police officers stationed at the roundabout the stall is boxed by blast walls beyond the stall one can see only the taller blast walls of the united states embassy a 36 acre complex the only spot of color in view is the blue tip of the minaret at the roundabout dedicated to the prominent victim of a suicide bombing
the blast walls are the most visible legacy of the american war and they are not exclusive to afghanistan at the peak of violence in baghdad there was hardly a street without blast barriers or walls hundreds of thousands of walls each costing close to 1000 carved up entire neighborhoods to prevent the flow of insurgents when the violence briefly dwindled and the government decided to lift them and let the city breathe a little officials had no idea what to do with them flatbed trucks transported the walls to a desert
but not for long as violence in and around baghdad has picked up again with bombings a nearly daily occurrence the baghdad operations command has decided to use the blast walls to build a protective belt around the city the first phase of the project which began in february stretches 62 miles
in kabul there has been no serious effort to move the walls out   security has been getting only worse in recent years
despite the walls hold on the citys landscape and consciousness though the businesses dedicated to them are not exactly thriving their best days are over after the drawdown of american forces whose need to protect their bases was the engine for the wall industry
around 2010 the khwajazada construction company had contracts for as many as 1000 blast walls at a time loading trucks day and night said behdar kohistani a former teacher who is the companys office manager now the company is left with piecemeal orders from government officials who do not pay on time the prices have also dropped to less than 200 per wall from around 400 at the peak
its been two years that we provided blast walls to three senior officials and they still havent paid mr kohistani said
unlike the americans who paid as soon as the walls were delivered the government is cheap and resorts to recycling said mahdi shahi who manages a company down the road from khwajazada they dont buy new blast walls   they just bring it from one ministers home to the next he said
to pass time until the next order after the next blast mr kohistani also a prolific poet composes verses on company stationery
my rising up for ages now has shattered doors and walls
but only a small corrupt voice shatters my heart


advisers in ubss american wealth management division will use a robot to cater to well heeled clients
the companys 7000 advisers will begin using technology developed by a san francisco start up sigfig wealth management one of a growing group of so called robo advisers that are shaking up the brokerage business with low cost automated investing
ubs is also taking an undisclosed equity stake in sigfig and will develop investing technology alongside it the two are expected to announce the moves on monday morning
for ubs bringing in sigfigs technology is meant to bolster production as the industry faces competitive pressures in the first quarter ubss average financial adviser had 147 million of invested assets and 106 million in revenue
the technology will allow the advisers to spend more time talking to clients and less time constructing investment portfolios and other activities that lend themselves to automation said tom naratil the president of ubs americas
itll make them more effective in helping clients to make better choices he said
but unlike some other brokerage firms which are developing products for retail customers ubs will not take a robo adviser service directly to its wealthy customers mr naratil said in an interview
well give them some tools but were not going down the self serve route he said
the mainstream wealth management industry has been scrambling to respond to the popularity of robo investing in which digital services sort people into portfolios of exchange traded funds based on their answers to online questionnaires and then automatically maintain those portfolios
such products have put pressure on traditional companies to cut fees and offer more automated services bank of americas merrill lynch is expected to introduce such a service and executives from morgan stanley and wells fargo have talked about developing or acquiring the capability charles schwab rolled out its robo service last year and even the fund giant vanguard developed a sort of robo hybrid advisory business
sigfig led by mike sha was one of the earlier firms in the field but has not gained the sort of household attention that companies like wealthfront and betterment have achieved by focusing on younger tech aware retail customers
instead sigfig is focused on offering its technology through financial institutions the agreement with ubs will not prevent sigfig from forging similar agreements with other companies said mr sha the companys chief executive
new rules for financial advisers may give the automated companies an edge in the battle for investor dollars
these rules are expected to encourage a rush of retirement savings money to low cost investments and may also hasten formal alliances of banks or brokerage firms with the financial technology firms that have built robo investing platforms
last month sigfig announced its first agreement with a bank the 32 billion cambridge savings bank outside boston


later this month just before what would have been marilyn monroes 90th birthday on june 1 a wide ranging collection of her personal possessions will begin a worldwide tour before being auctioned later in the year
in addition to leather sandals the iconic actress wore while modeling and other luxury items there are emotional letters and scribblings that hint at her private struggles
the amazing thing about these items is theyve never been seen before in public since marilyn passed in 1962 said martin nolan the executive director of juliens auctions in los angeles which is handling the collection and their auction scheduled for november
the items come from the estate of lee strasberg the famous acting coach he and his wife paula were close with ms monroe and she left her personal effects and clothing to him in her will the auction house said in a news release
heres a look at some of the items that will be sold
estimated value 15000 20000
inside the gold metal case are two loose dimes eight philip morris cigarettes a tube of lipstick and a plastic comb the original cotton buffer for powder is still there too mr nolan said the case which is his favorite item appears to be from 1947
its just a time warp he said it takes you back to when marilyn is 21 years of age and going out on the town
estimated value 300 500
the food was delivered from a grocery store to the beverly hills hotel on march 2 1960 ms monroe was filming lets make love at that time
estimated value 20000 30000
the carbon copy of a letter the actress sent to her doctor is dated march 2 1961 in it she says that her stay at payne whitney psychiatric clinic in new york felt like being in some kind of prison for a crime i hadnt committed
ms monroe also details how she slammed a chair into glass then used a piece of the broken glass to threaten to hurt herself if she wasnt released but she adds im an actress and would never intentionally mark or mar myself im just that vain
said mr nolan its just harrowing to read it
estimated value 80000 120000
its the highest valued item in the batch of belongings that will be auctioned the blancpain cocktail watch and its bracelet have 71 round diamonds and two marquise diamonds
estimated value 10000 20000
shortly after entering her third marriage to the playwright arthur miller ms monroe wrote on a piece of stationery in 1956 i guess i have always been deeply terrified to really be someones wife since i know from life one cannot love another ever really
the couple divorced in 1961 ms monroe had two previous marriages at 16 still known as norma jeane baker she married her boyfriend jimmy dougherty they divorced in 1946
and she was married to the baseball great joe dimaggio for nine months in 1954
estimated value 10000 20000
the recipe was made famous in the book fragments which featured a variety of letters poems and other scribblings from her life the new york times tried re creating her stuffing after the book published in 2010the most unnerving thing about the recipe is its laboriousness reads the article
estimated value 10000 20000
for life the note reads it is rather a determination not to be overwhelmed and on work she wrote the truth can only be recalled never invented
estimated value 15000 20000
a variety of ms monroes crayon drawings including the one above titled lover watching his love sleep will be auctioned
what people didnt realize was marilyn was an artist and she loved to paint and draw mr nolan said she even had architectural plans for an apartment in new york that included space for an art studio the plans were never realized but they will also be auctioned
estimated value 30000 50000
similar to the letter above ms monroe wrote this in 1961 after her stay at the psychiatric clinic it is addressed to mrs strasberg something has happened i think to make me lose my confidence she wrote saying that she doesnt know what it is she adds oh paula i wish i knew why i am so anguished i think maybe im crazy like all the other members of my family were when i was sick i was sure i was
the actress was found dead at age 36 on aug 5 1962 at her home in los angeles beside the bed was an empty bottle that had contained sleeping pills the times reported a day later


aside from whatever a visit to the doctor costs you in money it also costs you in time a lot of it
end to end the travel and waiting time for a doctors appointment can take several hours   often disrupting work or school only 17 percent of it   20 minutes on average   is spent actually seeing the doctor according to a study by the university of pittsburgh physician kristin ray and colleagues at the harvard medical school and the rand corporation
in a year americans spend 24 billion hours making doctor visits valued at average wage rates thats worth more than 52 billion   equivalent to the total working time and income of 12 million people on average we pay 32 when visiting a doctor our insurers pay nearly 250 but separately the value of our time adds up to more 43 according to dr rays study
for certain kinds of health care there is a better way long after electronic communication and technology have revolutionized other services like preparing taxes booking travel and banking emails phone calls video chats and other telemedicine applications are gradually supplementing or replacing some types of office visits
telemedicine holds the promise of giving some of our time back and it may have other advantages care delivered in this way requires no travel and if one waits at all its at home or work not at a doctors office in an era of facetime and skype patients are starting to expect more convenient access to doctors the vast majority of patients report that they want to be able to communicate with their doctors by email perhaps for this reason the market for telemedicine is growing rapidly
some insurers are embracing it for example kaiser permanente of northern california offers its patients 10 to 15 minute telephone visits as well as a secure website where patients can message back and forth with their doctors
half its visits are virtual and its executive director and ceo reported that 80 percent of its dermatology cases involving rashes are resolved by digital communication the veterans health administrations growing telemedicine program is credited with reducing time patients spend in the hospital the average number of days to schedule an appointment fell 31 percent in a rural alaskan community when ear nose and throat care services were provided by telemedicine
telemedicine may be more convenient but is it worse care the research indicates that on the whole it isnt a systematic review published in 2015 found that heart failure patients receiving telemedicine died at no higher rates than those not receiving it outcomes of care were the same for mental health substance abuse and dermatology patients who used telemedicine relative to those who did not
the review also found that telemedicine helped diabetics maintain better control of their blood sugar and that it led to lower cholesterol and blood pressure other reviews came to similar conclusions
telemedicine can also bring care to rural locations certain kinds of strokes are effectively treated with intravenous clot busting drugs that require expertise to deliver properly that expertise is unavailable at some rural hospitals but can be conveyed by video conference to emergency department physicians its called telestroke and a 2010 systematic review found it reduces mortality
telemedicine cant work for every health issue physicians often need close in person examination of patients but a review of medical records of older patients found that 38 percent of in person visits including 27 percent of emergency department visits could have been replaced with telemedicine
sure some physicians and nurses may be reluctant to offer it out of concern theyll be inundated by emails and phone calls that they wont be compensated for some of which might not be medically relevant however a survey of clinicians who used secure electronic messaging with patients at a veterans health administration medical center reported that message volume was manageable and content was appropriate consistent with other studies
another hitch some insurers resist it perhaps fearing increased costs for no additional health benefits insurance coverage for telemedicine is spotty medicare covers it only when the patient is hosted in a rural clinic or hospital some medicare advantage plans on the other hand cover telemedicine more broadly
only 21 states require private insurers to cover video visits but many do not state medicaid programs vary in paying for telemedicine and states are inconsistent in allowing out of state physicians to offer telemedicine services there are continuing debates in statehouses and in congress on whether to expand coverage for telemedicine and doctors groups are considering its ethics and liability risks
the biggest hurdle may be state medical boards idahos medical licensing board punished a doctor for prescribing an antibiotic over the phone fining her 10000 and forbidding her from providing telemedicine state laws that restrict telemedicine   for instance requiring that patients and doctors have established in person relationships   have drawn lawsuits charging that they illegally restrict competition georgias state medical board requires a face to face encounter before telemedicine can be delivered while ohios does not
a study by julia adler milstein an assistant professor at the school of information and the school of public health university of michigan found that such state laws and medical board requirements influence the extent of telemedicine use by hospitals while 70 percent or more hospitals in maine south dakota arkansas and alaska use telemedicine only 13 percent in utah and none in rhode island do for instance
in a passionate commentary on the establishments hesitancy to embrace telemedicine david asch a university of pennsylvania physician pointed out that the inconvenience of face to face care limits its use but arbitrarily and invisibly the costs of waiting and travel time and those borne by rural populations with poor access to in person care dont appear on the books the innovation that telemedicine promises is not just doing the same thing remotely dr asch wrote but awakening us to the many things that we thought required face to face contact but actually do not


pfizer has signed its first acquisition since terminating its 152 billion merger with allergan about a month ago
pfizer will acquire anacor pharmaceuticals for 52 billion the companies announced monday anacor has developed a product currently under review by the food and drug administration known as crisaborole to treat eczema the company based in palo alto calif also makes a topical treatment called kerydin for a form of toenail fungus
over the last few years pfizer had been trying to make big bets overseas in an effort to become more competitive and lower its tax bill after terminating deals with astrazeneca and most recently allergan pfizer has turned to relatively smaller american biotechnology companies for acquisitions pfizer may decide to split its company in two with brand name products on one side and older generic products on the other
anacors drugs would fit with the innovative business said albert bourla group president of pfizers global innovative pharma and global vaccines oncology and consumer health care businesses
we believe we are well positioned to maximize crisaboroles commercial potential through our strong relationships with pediatricians and primary care physicians mr bourla said in the statement on monday
under the terms of the agreement a subsidiary of pfizer will acquire anacor for 9925 a share in cash that represents a 55 percent premium over anacors closing stock price from friday pfizer plans to finance the transaction through existing cash on its balance sheet
pfizer expects to complete the acquisition in the third quarter of 2016 the company said the transaction would be slightly dilutive to earnings per share in 2017 and accretive the following year
centerview partners and guggenheim securities provided financial advice to pfizer while wachtell lipton rosen  katz provided legal advice anacor was advised by citigroup and the law firm davis polk  wardwell


efforts to diversify americas corporate boards with more minorities and women are still lagging and hispanics in particular are far behind other groups in being selected for directorships according to an annual report on the board composition of large companies
over all 399 new directors were selected for the top company boards last year hispanics claimed only 4 percent of those appointments or 16 seats the gap has widened over the last seven years according to heidrick  struggles board monitor which has tracked board appointments since 2009
the percentage of hispanics appointed to such boards has not improved in recent years even as they comprise 17 percent of the overall us population said bonnie w gwin a co managing partner of the executive recruitment companys global ceo and board practice
that compares with increases in directorships for women and african americans but a decline in the number of asians and asian americans picked to fill board positions
women made up 298 percent of the new directors named last year up slightly from 292 percent in 2014 according to the board monitor which tracks proxy filings news releases and other corporate disclosures about board membership
even as the percentage of new women directors has been rising each year from 18 percent in 2009 the board monitor said it had revised downward a projection that women would reach parity with men in the number of new directors by 2024 it now predicts that women will make up 50 percent of new directors by 2026
african americans made modest strides accounting last year for 93 percent of new directors up from 83 percent in 2014 the percentage of african americans who in 2014 made up 124 percent of the population in the united states rose from 53 percent of new directors in 2009 to 103 percent in 2013 but it has since declined
asians and asian americans also lost some ground accounting for only 48 percent of board seats filled in 2015 according to the report that was down from 53 percent in 2014 generally their appointments have stayed steady in recent years closely paralleling the share of asians in the population which was 53 percent in 2014
for minorities the biggest obstacle to gaining entry to the boardroom is lack of operating or financial experience ms gwin said last year 732 percent of newly appointed directors were current chief executives or chief financial officers the report found in addition board seats do not turn over quickly last year for example only 85 percent of board seats changed hands
and their replacements are not young the average age of the new directors was 58 the same as the year before some attribute this to an innately conservative business culture others point to networks of white men who connect through college work and social activities and who feel more comfortable with people who look like them
the absence of hispanic board members appears to come in large part from the shortage of hispanic chief executives said cid d wilson president and chief executive of the hispanic association on corporate responsibility
only nine hispanics currently serve as chief executives of fortune 500 companies he noted including carlos rodriguez chief executive of adp and oscar munoz chief executive of united airlines
this leads to a shortage of hispanic candidates being considered for board seats mr wilson said
the united states has the second largest spanish speaking population in the world second only to mexico he noted
companies need to do more to recruit latinos into the boardroom if they are to compete successfully for the growing latino consumers and future talent said mr wilson whose association hosts programs to help board prospects gain skills and experience to increase their chances of being considered for openings
over all choosing board candidates who are sitting or retired chief executives slows the advancement of diversity in the boardroom ms gwin said because the pool of current and former ceos is not sufficiently diverse
she added experienced general managers finance executives and functional leaders also can make significant contributions in the boardroom


and lo it came to pass that the one they called barbra would go on a summer tour and then release a new album and the tour would include two nights in brooklyn and her many fans rejoiced
of course they will right
on monday barbra streisands longtime manager marty erlichman announced that ms streisands latest north american tour would begin on aug 2 at the staples center in los angeles and continue through aug 23 at the air canada centre in toronto
the tour will also go to las vegas chicago boston washington philadelphia and san jose calif and on aug 11 and 13 it will come to barclays center in brooklyn where ms streisand 74 was one of the arenas opening attractions in october 2012
tickets will go on sale on may 25 although tickets will be available to american express customers early starting wednesday
according to the announcement online ticket buyers will receive a copy of ms streisands latest album encore movie partners sing broadway a duets record to be released later this year neither the exact release date nor the names of any of the partners was announced
ms streisands last album partners opened at no 1 on the billboard chart in 2014 giving her the distinction of being the only act to reach no 1 on the chart in each of the last six decades starting in 1964 when people her fourth album made it to the top


seoul south korea   south korean environmental officials accused the japanese carmaker nissan motor on monday of cheating on auto emissions tests and authorities called for one of the companys executives to face criminal charges
the case reflects the increasing pressure on global automakers as the crisis that has engulfed volkswagen reverberates across the industry
volkswagen last year admitted to installing a so called defeat device on 11 million vehicles worldwide software that effectively lowered emissions when the exhaust was being tested the deception which has cost the german company billions of dollars and prompted a management shake up has pushed global authorities to take a deeper look at emissions testing by car manufacturers
the accusations against nissan in south korea mirror the emissions discrepancies that regulators in europe have detected in a wide range of cars while those discrepancies have not been considered illegal in europe regulators in south korea say they violate local emissions standards in the case of nissan
after volkswagens deception emerged south korean officials started investigating the emissions systems of 20 diesel models in the country as part of that effort the environment ministry of south korea said on monday that it had discovered that nissan had manipulated the emissions of its qashqai diesel power sport utility vehicle the authorities said it had found problems with emissions levels in some other cars but no cheating mechanisms like the one the environment ministry said it found in the nissan model
nissan disputed the accusations adding that the model in question had passed european pollution tests the cars are made in britain nissan has not and does not employ illegal defeat or cheat devices in any of the cars that we make the automaker said in an email statement
the potential hit to nissan is more reputational than financial
officials ordered nissan to recall 814 cars the total sold in south korea the company was also ordered to pay a fine of 330 million won or about 280000 and to suspend sales of the qashqai the environment ministry also said it would ask prosecutors to indict the head of nissans south korean operations takehiko kikuchi on criminal charges of violating the countrys emissions law
carmakers have been under increasing scrutiny since volkswagens deception emerged
the united states justice department is investigating daimler the maker of mercedes vehicles over emissions testing as part of an inquiry into potential emission anomalies french authorities collected documents from the psa group the parent of peugeot and citroen
german regulators last month recalled 630000 cars over emissions issues a group that includes vehicles by general motors opel unit mercedes benz and volkswagen the countrys officials are also looking into whether opel and fiat used manipulated software similar to the device found in volkswagen vehicles opel officials are set to testify before an investigatory committee in germany this week
south korean authorities have been particularly proactive in the wake of the volkswagen scandal as officials look to address the growing health concerns stemming from pollution
officials who have raided the local offices of the german automaker fined the company 141 billion won or about 12 million and ordered a recall of 125000 vehicles they have also asked prosecutors to indict two volkswagen officials in south korea on related charges prosecutors are still considering that request
during the broader inquiry into diesel vehicles investigators found that the defeat device used in the nissan qashqai was set to turn off its exhaust reduction system automatically under regular driving temperatures the ministrys statement said it added that the system turned off when the engines intake temperature reached 35 degrees celsius or 95 degrees fahrenheit other models turned off at higher temperatures
a british government report published in april said that emissions of nitrogen oxides from tested vehicles including two different qashqai models were surprisingly different when tested on a test track or on road under real driving conditions the report cited significant differences depending on whether the engines of tested vehicles were cold or had been warmed up volkswagen however used software specifically designed to thwart emissions tests
our priority is to protect the interests of uk consumers the british department for transport said in a statement on monday there is no evidence that nissan has cheated emissions tests in the uk but we continue to monitor emissions investigations in other countries with interest
the german transport ministry said in a report in april that vehicles from more than a dozen manufacturers including nissan had engines that were programmed to turn down emissions controls in cold weather as part of its investigation the ministry tested the nissan navara
officials ordered the recall of 630000 cars the navara was not part of that group the automakers will be required to improve the emissions performance of the vehicles
the ministry said that only volkswagen had illegal software designed to produce artificially low emissions under testing conditions scaling back the emissions controls according to german authorities is allowed under certain conditions to protect the motor from damage
the vehicle at the center of the south korean investigation the qashqai was produced in nissans british plant using a renault diesel engine the ministry said nissan and renault are partners with a common management structure carlos ghosn is chairman and chief executive of the alliance
nissan said sales of the qashqai a compact crossover introduced in 2007 that resembles an suv and a hatchback had reached one million vehicles by 2011 the qashqai is sometimes marketed under the name dualis
while it is not sold in the united states and it is being phased out in japan the car has been especially important in europe the qashqai is credited with helping raise nissans market share in europe including russia to 4 percent last year from 27 percent in 2009 that amounts to 715000 units out of nissans roughly five million annual total
beyond the issues over emissions testing automakers have admitted to other irregularities last month in a separate scandal involving fuel efficiency mitsubishi motors acknowledged using a testing method banned in japan that tended to produce a more flattering assessment of fuel economy but that method is approved in the united states


a fur coat that kept a familys three children warm at night seized and still in the home of their tormentors a 5 year olds finger broken while fleeing from the scene of a terrifying beating a stone memorial in a village to a good family that was largely wiped out
these are some of the things readers recalled when asked how their families were affected by the cultural revolution a decade of political upheaval unleashed by mao zedong half a century ago that left a million or more in china dead and many more traumatized in dozens of responses the message was clear people remember families talk the imprint of old fears remains those who suffered teach their grandchildren that it is safer to work hard and keep quiet the cultural revolution is over wrote huang xin a reader from hohhot inner mongolia but the cultural revolution is never far away
here is a selection of the responses some have been condensed and edited for clarity or translated from chinese
chen xuanzhuo tianjin china
when the cultural revolution began my grandfather was in tibet because the government was paralyzed he didnt come back until it was over and didnt see his family for more than 10 years my grandmother had to raise their three children on her own and couldnt manage so one daughter was given away to another family this led to estrangement between mother and daughter that was never resolved
my uncle had a cold when the red guards raided our house the fright worsened his illness and he developed pneumonia and died from that day on my grandmother was never the same
both of my parents families were cadres who took part in the revolution during the war against japan and the chinese civil war and entered the cities with the communist party they were upright and their offspring were red but even so they were treated like that my parents used to say our familys troubles were pretty minor they knew people who were labeled five black categories enemies of the revolution and committed suicide educated youth who were sent to the countryside and never returned and those whose families remained separated
mr wan 47 nanchang china
the gang of four fell in october 1976 but the cultural revolution wasnt over on oct 21 of that year my uncle was imprisoned for something he said a political pun on carpentry and the name mao he was a carpenter and about 20 years old one day on a job he met up with some old student friends and they were shooting the breeze he told the joke and someone repeated it eventually some young person grew a conscience and reported it and one by one the investigation picked people up eventually arriving at my uncle my uncle knew it was serious but couldnt say that he had heard it from his older brother and he was quickly convicted of antirevolutionary crimes and sentenced to seven years afterwards his older brother said he had heard it from a monk but my uncle didnt know that he thought his brother had made it up
in 1978 79 when deng xiaoping was redressing wrongly convicted cases my father went to the local county office and saw a pile of rehabilitation forms he got some guanxi connections going and gave the person in charge of rehabilitations two chickens my uncle was among the first batch to be rehabilitated he had done three years and a month of forced labor in west river tile factory
ji jingyu nanning china
i often talk about the cultural revolution with my family one aunt was a red guard and to this day doesnt think it was wrong my mother was very young at the time too young to be a red guard she said i have two relatives who were struggled against and to this day we dont know where they are
one of them was in the toilet once in those days there were lots of revolutionary slogans stuck on the walls of toilets our relative had forgotten to bring toilet paper and tore part of a slogan off the wall to wipe his bottom it happened to be part of the character mao in chairman mao we dont know who reported it but my relative was arrested and struggled against and never returned
as for what i know about the cultural revolution in our high school history class there was a verdict the 10 years of chaos happened because of mao zedongs mistakes in his old age that were exploited by the antirevolutionary gang of four the 10 years totally violated mao zedong thought which was to liberate your mind seek truth from facts we only had to adhere to marxism mao zedong and deng xiaoping thought and the important three represents and we could prevent such mistakes from happening again as for mao our history course said he was 70 percent good and 30 percent bad
 struggled against refers to struggle sessions when people were accused of political crimes publicly humiliated and subject to verbal and physical abuse by a crowd
wu anna 55 guangzhou china
i was 5 years old when the cultural revolution started even though my parents were locked up and father was often taken out to witness executions and be mock executed fortunately they both survived my sister and i didnt die and werent lost compared to others around us we were lucky in bad times
theres too much to say but i do want to write about my little finger
because grandfather was a general in the kuomintang and mothers family lived overseas during the cultural revolution we were a target of the revolution we were raided and my parents locked up our nanny was sent back to the countryside because having a servant was considered exploitation but before she left nanny took my 2 year old sister with her worried that she wouldnt survive without adults
left without a family i set out to look for my parents i had no idea if they were alive or dead all i could do was go to the struggle sessions and see if i could find them because i was small i always took a small stool i would stand on it to see the people on the stage
once when i heard that fathers college was having a struggle session i took my stool and rushed over before id had a chance to see who was on the stage i saw a colleague of fathers his two arms tied behind him kneeling on the ground a student struggling against him and kicking him in the stomach i heard a horrible cry and he fell to the ground in pain i was terrified and picking up my stool ran away in my panic i slipped and the stool crushed the bone of my right small finger hospitals wouldnt take someone like me so i found a piece of cloth and bound it by the time i found my parents my finger couldnt be straightened
in the 1990s when the cultural revolution had been over for 20 years i met that man again i asked him about that scene and he was surprised he said you were only five how can you remember so clearly i said its etched in my bone i cant forget he said that his liver had been ruptured and he nearly died thanks to a kind herbal doctor he lived
and he said one thing else after the cultural revolution the student who kicked him was up for promotion to a leadership position and the organization the communist party came to him to check if that person had been one of the three kinds of people instigators of rebellion supporters of the gang of four or beaters smashers and looters because if he was he couldnt be promoted
i was very surprised and exclaimed of course he was a three kinds of people i can prove it but this man said i didnt tell the investigators what he did at the time on the contrary i said good things and he was promoted
i was angry and asked how could you you forget that you nearly died and what about my finger he said you cant destroy a young persons future let the past be the past and he added child i have been working hard at learning forgiveness you should too
i didnt know what to say true people should learn to let go of bitter experiences and learn to forgive those who have hurt them but if we do will those who caused damage in the cultural revolution ever be punished if there is no punishment would those who committed violence voluntarily change and become good people
later i learned that many people who experienced the cultural revolution chose forgiveness silence and forgetting because they had deep wounds in their hearts and to bring this up again would reopen those wounds so many people like us quietly celebrated the fact that we survived
when i look at my crooked finger i dont know what to do sometimes i think its too tiny and not worth anything but people are not grass or trees and my finger isnt iron its flesh and blood and connects to my heart fifty years ago it hurt and today it still can it often hurts quietly
yin hang beijing china
my grandparents were from a prominent gentry family who did good works and had a high reputation in the district they were known as good big wang family after the communist party arrived they became so called landlords their property was seized and they were struggled against day and night some people couldnt take the humiliation and jumped in the river to end it
my grandparents were never willing to share details of that time grandmother died last year so maybe its lost forever but in a garden in their old home there is a decorated dragon memorial stone grandmother told me once that an emperor gave it to our family during the cultural revolution the red guards couldnt move it because it was just too heavy so it wasnt four olded destroyed as one of the four olds   old customs old culture old habits old ideas its still there
hw lu
i was born in 1985 in a village in nantong jiangsu province ours was a traditional family where mother took responsibility for the childrens education so the cultural revolution stories i heard were more from her side of the family fathers side were poor farmers and i dont think they had any special memories
by and large mother turned the cultural revolution into an example of bitter days to teach me to study hard her mother was born into a landlords family and her mothers fathers family owned half the land in the village as well as some in the neighboring village a big house with seven courtyards they lived well my grandmothers husband was a village intellectual and counted as a rich farmer when they married in the 1950s her dowry included gold silver silk and furs as a rich farmer and intellectual grandfather was often struggled against but as one of the few literate people in the village they needed him to record things so in addition to being struggled against he helped people write letters and helped the production brigade record work points even during the struggles his own work points were recorded
my mother had a sister and a brother it was hard for them to get by but they did with difficulty after so much struggle grandfather fell ill and things got bad at the beginning of the cultural revolution my grandmothers family buried their valuables but the red guards raided the house and physically threatened them to get them to hand over all the gold and silver all that was left was three hidden pieces of gold grandmother and some friends took a boat to nantong to a black market and sold them for 30 renminbi to buy grandfather medicine
my mother was still very young then and didnt remember much what she did remember was a large fur a sable that was very warm and used to cover the three children in the winter but it too was seized and its still said to be in the production brigade leaders home no one has asked for it back
joan xu 26 beijing china
my father is from an incredibly poor village deep in the mountains of hunan only recently have modern roads been built to access the village and its still a difficult trip without the excellent teachers who were sent from urban areas to his village he would never have gotten the high quality primary education he received enabling him to test into university and leave the village with his success our entire extended family was lifted out of poverty and agricultural life and of course i was also born into a more privileged international life
for many of the less privileged in chinese society the cultural revolution is remembered as a great equalizer and a time that enabled profound social mobility that is rarely achieved on such a large scale in that sense the term revolution is apt revolutions are painful and upsetting to those with power and resources but can sometimes do great good for the less fortunate
zhiyi yang 34 frankfurt
my fathers parents both descendants of gentry were re educated in the countryside and their five sons dropped out of school one by one to take care for themselves my grandfather previously on the staff at the municipal court trained himself in chinese medicine and became a doctor after the cultural revolution
yet no one talks much about the grueling details of the cultural revolution if anything my father often fondly recollects his physical endurance as a youngster that he collected firewood learned carpentry and cooking tilled the fields and stole villagers dogs with other re educated youth
it seems to me that the older generations of chinese have perfected the skill of selective forgetting it is perhaps a survival strategy practiced to preserve the better parts of humanity
my mother on the other hand has very little to say about the cultural revolution her father was wise enough to have gambled away all his assets before 1949 so he was declared a middle level farmer after the revolution my mother went through her middle school education and excelled in math so she became a math teacher after the cultural revolution
the only fortunate result of the cultural revolution is me i would not have been born if my father had not been re educated in the countryside of the city where my mother lived and where they eventually met
li 28 los angeles
my father sides family was from a village and benefited from cultural revolution so they talked about it with pride my grandparents even named their second son great leap li
my mother sides family was persecuted during the chaos like many other families they were wrongfully accused and punished my maternal grandfather died because of it
my parents marriage was arranged as a result and my mom was able to find a job afterwards because her dangan personal file was no longer tied to a family from the five black categories it was a horrible marriage and they are now divorced
here in the us we talk about the legacies of cultural revolution often within the family but when im in china it is only mentioned as a reminder to work hard so we can have a plan b when things go south middle class and wealthy chinese are afraid because of the past they should talk about it within the family to prepare their children for the future and to make sure this historical chaos will not be repeated
pinkie wu new york
i had just graduated from primary school when the cultural revolution began middle school was suspended to make revolution there was nothing to study so we did child labor we often saw with our own eyes corpses strung together floating down the pearl river the result of attack with the pen and defend with the sword a method of disputation at the time that involved great violence
in the 10 years of the cultural revolution more than 90 percent of cultural objects were destroyed seeing them now rebuilding temples and monasteries worshiping the gods worshiping confucius its so ironic our generation was ruined all we can hope for is that the political situation in china remains stable the country strong and people at peace
audrey shi 21 cambridge mass
the cultural revolution has always been an open topic of discussion on my mothers side of the family she was the granddaughter of a landlord who committed suicide in 1951 by swallowing opium knowing he would otherwise be executed by the state
from how ive heard it told life became a hell after 1966 overnight she and her siblings discovered that their friends teachers and neighbors would no longer speak to them her father was publicly humiliated at struggle sessions and paraded around the village wearing a dunce cap
as a kid growing up in the american suburbs i learned very quickly that my complaints about homework spats with friends hating piano etc would not be tolerated my mother always rebuked me for complaining saying for eight years there was never a smile in my family
on my fathers side of the family my grandfather transformed from a village middle school teacher to a prominent local communist official during maos reign in the 1950s he too was denounced and imprisoned during the cultural revolution but rehabilitated with the party in the early 1970s my father has always been open to answering questions about the cultural revolution but his father was much less eager in all of my conversations with my grandfather i was never able to solicit any kind of opinion on chinese political history aside from everything was good
li junfei sophie li 48 pleasanton calif
mother often said that when i was born during the cultural revolution   the third child and fourth person in the family without a grain ration   it brought us good fortune i was a girl born after two boys and the villagers brought my mother red colored eggs as a gift because she had really wanted a girl my brothers and mother had been working hard in the fields but hadnt been given grain ration cards now it was as if suddenly the villagers came to life they gave us all ration cards and saved us from starvation
but the people in the village didnt see us or mother as one of them my grandmother who had bound feet told me that my brothers were often treated coldly one day they came home happy carrying greenfeed for the pigs saying the villagers had given it them granny looked at it carefully and said thats poisonous
father used to say its never easy to feed yourself under the communist party
people have the right to life and to freedom and to pursue a happy life but these things were taken away from my family for too too long
huang xin hohhot china
ive never wanted to think deeply about the cultural revolution and have preferred to quietly avoid it its too dark and cruel but it does stir deep feelings my grandfather was an educated and handsome man but unable to bear the emotional and physical pressures he died at the end of that time in 1976
considered superficially the cultural revolution is over and everything is fine today the country is flourishing and the people are at peace but is that enough nearly everyone has memorized our socialist core values strong country democracy civilization harmony freedom equality justice law patriotism respect honesty friendliness so why do they sound like a joke to me
perhaps we are rich and strong but where are the democracy freedom and equality is the cultural revolution really over it feels as if china is growing more and more like north korea the most frightening thing today is that even when reasonable needs and interests are crushed very few people stand up to protest
the cultural revolution is over but the cultural revolution is never far away

jonathan yang 32 new york
as a first generation chinese american i heard at great length about my mothers struggles to survive her bad upbringing wealthy and how her family was decimated when she was 8 years old growing up in work camps her adolescence was robbed and although she was lucky enough to escape china under political asylum under nixons open door policy the trauma of the revolution lingers in her to this day
her stories captivated me however they did not seem real because we were never taught how horrendous chinas history was in school we were taught relentlessly about atrocities such as slavery and the holocaust but somehow chinas dark past never seemed to be part of our education to say this is a disservice is an understatement americans for the most part have no idea how heinous maos regime really was the sheer numbers as compared to slavery and the holocaust are at least tenfold yet there is no memorial no education it is almost as if this history does not matter


kabul afghanistan   a large demonstration against the fragile afghan government brought kabul to a standstill on monday and put security forces on alert with the authorities stacking shipping containers to block all routes to the city center and the presidential palace
the demonstration which was driven by ethnic hazaras outrage over the proposed route for a new electricity transmission line tapped a deep well of factional tensions and frustration over the government of president ashraf ghani
though most of the protest remained peaceful some demonstrators pelted the container blockades with rocks and acted violently toward at least five reporters the security forces resorted to sporadic use of water cannons to disperse people
thousands of demonstrators marched from the west of kabul to demand that the government abandon its decision to reroute the line which would transmit electricity from turkmenistan the line was initially supposed to go through bamian a hazara dominated central province that is one of the most deprived in the country but the current proposed route avoids the province instead going through the salang pass in parwan province which protesters say is vulnerable to avalanches
afghanistan still relies heavily on imported electricity as decades of persistent conflict have derailed the building of dams and kept internal energy production to a minimum the government continues to import more than 80 percent of its power supply from neighboring countries
the protesters see the governments decision as prejudiced against the occupants of central afghanistan most of whom are hazaras a group emerging from a long history of oppression but mr ghanis government has blamed his predecessor for the change of route saying that two years of costly preparation work has already been done on the new route
in a declaration before their march ended in the afternoon the protesters demanded that the government scrap the decision on the route change and promised further demonstrations until it happened
but much of the declaration focused on larger issues of what the protesters called the systematic and shameful injustices that have gone on for 70 generations
we can tolerate a lack of electricity but the degradation of a nation and systematic discrimination is no longer tolerable the declaration said
mr ghani who appointed a commission to review the projects contracts has said that his government had little to do with it and that he was delaying the execution of the project to ensure that bamian receives electricity from it even if the main transmission line does not go through the province
in the past 2 weeks the govt has spared no efforts in reaching out to the protesters to hear their views  engage in discussions mr ghanis office said on its official twitter account the govt has endeavored to address the issue in a way that the projects funding is maintained  power supply is ensured for bamian
in a highly politically charged environment pinning down the facts has been difficult mr ghani in a speech in london last week said his government had canceled a billion dollars worth of inadequate projects since he took office but while calling his predecessors decision on the transmission line the wrong decision at the time he still reaffirmed it with the caveat of trying to route some electricity to bamian
at the forefront of the protest are leaders who were part of the cabinet in the former government that supposedly made the decision about the electrical line they include karim khalili who was afghanistans vice president at the time and sadeq mudaber who was the chief of the cabinet secretariat
the protests have largely been organized by young activists who have tried to bring technical details to the discussion including the idea that routing the line through bamian could tap into coal mines for internal energy production but many of the traditional hazara leaders have also jumped on board these leaders who are either part of the government or allied with it are trying to make up for siding with mr ghanis government in a previous demonstration and using strong language against protesters
the demonstration on monday was the second major protest against the government in kabul and the largest since mr ghani took office in september 2014
in november thousands of people protested the beheading of seven hazara hostages in southern afghanistan by groups believed to be affiliated with the islamic state during that demonstration some of the protesters reached the gates of the presidential palace and a smaller group scaled the walls
this time stronger security measures were in place with the kabul security garrison announcing strict guidelines on the eve of the protest at a news conference the garrison commander read a list of protest leaders including mr khalili who would be held accountable if chaos erupted
overnight the government used the shipping containers to block all of the main routes leading to the presidential palace from a wide radius in addition to the security forces already deployed in kabul hundreds of others were brought from neighboring provinces as reinforcements


bernie sanderss chances at enacting a political revolution are all but gone but that doesnt mean his policy agenda wont continue to be felt in this election or future democratic platforms
one of his signature proposals is to move the countrys health care system to a government run single payer system last week hillary clinton nodded in that direction suggesting that she would be open to allowing americans older than 50 to buy into the government medicare program that currently covers those 65 and older
but also last week a detailed analysis of the sanders health care plan from researchers at the urban institute showed that it would probably cost the government double what the campaign proposed it is the second credible analysis to suggest that the sanders plan costs more than advertised the other comes from the emory health policy professor kenneth thorpe
the sanders plan is light on some key details but even in sketch form it seems clear that it would require even bigger tax increases than the sizable ones the campaign has called for
if you look around the world lots of countries have single payer systems and all of them pay substantially less for health care than we do in the united states i am reminded of this often in the comments by readers in some of my articles so how could a single payer system here still be so expensive
one reason is that the sanders plan covers far more than typical insurance plans in the united states   or abroad the sanders plan would charge no premiums require no out of pocket spending and would pay for services like dental care and long term nursing home stays those things boost the total price tag
but imagine a universe where we had a single payer health plan that was more like normal insurance perhaps it would be a true medicare for all where everyone has exactly the insurance that the federal government currently provides to older people and the disabled
that medicare for all plan would still cost more than single payer plans in other countries heres why medicare pays doctors and hospitals higher prices than single payer systems do in other countries
the big thing is that providers here make quite a bit more money than they do anywhere else and in order to get in the ballpark of where these other countries are youd have to reduce payment rates to physicians to much much lower levels said john holahan one of the authors of the urban analysis thats just hard to do
the organization for economic cooperation and development which looks at a group of developed countries has found that the united states pays substantially higher prices for doctors hospital stays and prescription drugs than the rest of the group medicare pays less than the united states average but not enough less to make up that difference
making the american health care system significantly cheaper would mean more than just cutting the insurance companies out of the game and reducing the high administrative costs of the american system it would also require paying doctors and nurses substantially lower salaries using fewer new and high tech treatments and probably eliminating some of the perks of american hospital stays like private patient rooms
the average family physician in the united states earns 207000 according to the medscape physician compensation report general practitioners in britain which has a single payer system earn an average pay of around 130000 the gaps in pay for specialists are even bigger
the urban institute report assumes that the sanders plan would cut pay for doctors substantially but not by half thats a reasonable assumption
we also pay more for drugs than the rest of the world but many experts think that a single payer health plan could push down drug prices because drug companies earn such high profit margins the urban analysis assumes that the country could quickly get to prices 25 percent lower than what medicare pays that change assumes a political revolution of course because the pharmaceutical companies are an extremely effective lobby
the sanders campaign and its academic allies dispute some of the urban institutes assumptions a critique of the urban analysis from david himmelstein and steffie woolhandler professors of public health at the city university of new york argues for example that drug prices could be pushed even lower and the sanders team says that the researchers overestimated the costs associated with administering the government program but it doesnt argue that the prices paid to medical providers could be cut more sharply
the same problem exists for other attempts to reduce health spending in the united states efforts by the obama administration to pay doctors and hospitals differently are designed to squeegee some waste out of the system by eliminating extra care that may not help peoples health but it has done little to change the prices paid for medical care that means that its best hope is to bend the cost curve or reduce the rate that health spending grows
republican proposals to make health care into more of a free market also tend to assume that they will slow spending growth not actually reduce it
the sanders plan would require a huge reorganization of the countrys health care system overnight it would put the private insurance industry out of business along with many other businesses that support it it would shift billions of dollars of spending from individuals workers and states into the federal budget doing that might well reduce some of the countrys health care spending that is going toward insurer profits and paper pushing
but more than 80 percent of the dollars we currently spend on health care actually go toward health care and making big cuts all at once to doctors and hospitals could cause substantial disruptions in care some hospitals would go out of business some doctors would default on their mortgages and student loans even if the country decided that medicine should become a more middle class profession   not an obvious outcome given the substantial public support for the medical professions   it would be difficult to get there at once
all of that means that bringing a government run single payer health care system could achieve many of the goals of its advocates more equity lower complexity and some reductions in cost but the united states would probably continue to have the most expensive health care system in the world and wed have to raise taxes high enough to pay for it


for months donald j trumps supporters have praised his instant command of the news media microphone his ability to garner so called free media is unrivaled
but as last week demonstrated not all of it is positive
as it turns out the highlight of mr trumps week were his meetings on thursday with the house speaker paul d ryan and the senate majority leader mitch mcconnell of kentucky the next day mr trump was engulfed in stories about a recording of a man who identified himself to a magazine reporter in the early 1990s as john miller a spokesman for mr trump but john miller sounded very similar to mr trump and he acknowledged years ago that he would sometimes employ other names while pretending to be his spokesman
mr trump forcefully denied that the recording was of him but news outlets secured audio experts who argued otherwise and the story dominated the headlines on friday   alongside questions about mr trumps statement that he did not believe the public had a right to see his tax returns
democrats were slow to seize on the tax returns as an issue but hillary clintons advisers say they will seek to highlight the issue
mr trump still has no communications director no announced pollster and no clear message that he is driving he has gotten some help from the continuing democratic fight   mrs clinton and senator bernie sanders of vermont have another primary on tuesday in kentucky   and from the apparent indecision in the clinton campaign as to how to attack him
but mr trump remains deeply reactive chasing one perceived slight after another real or imagined across twitter as critics get under his skin relying on another candidates misfortunes is not an effective campaign strategy and mr trump is burning the days he has to sell his case to a broader audience


london   in an unusual instance of one celebrity artist showing the work of another damien hirst is putting on a solo exhibition of paintings and sculptures by his american contemporary jeff koons
from wednesday to oct 16 36 works by mr koons   all but two of them from mr hirsts collection   will go on display at the newport street gallery mr hirsts private museum in vauxhall south london the exhibition space which consists of new and renovated brick buildings opened in october at a cost of 25 million pounds or about 36 million
mr hirst who also owns works by francis bacon andy warhol and richard prince among others dedicated the gallerys inaugural exhibition to john hoyland a british abstract painter who died in 2011
the hoyland exhibition ended on april 10 the gallery does not release attendance figures but hugh allan its senior curator said in an emailed response to questions that visitor numbers exceeded our expectations
for its second show the gallery has chosen mr koons whose last solo show in britain was in 2009 at the serpentine gallery in london mr hirst has loved jeffs work since first seeing it at the saatchi gallery when he was a second year art student mr allan said damien described how the energy of the work blew him away the exhibition in question was the 1987 88 group show new york art now
the koons show at the newport street gallery now spans three and a half decades of the artists career the oldest work is an inflatable flower sculpture from 1979 next to it are major pieces from the 1980s such as the hoover vacuum cleaners and shampoo polishers that mr koons displayed as ready made art and the basketballs that he suspended in a half filled tank of distilled water
two monumental sculptures gleam in the skylit galleries the inflatable stainless steel balloon monkey blue 2006 13 and play doh 1994 2014 giant multicolored aluminum clumps of clay
mr hirst also shows pornographic images from the made in heaven series that mr koons produced with his wife at the time ilona staller in the early 1990s two explicit canvases hang in a room with a colossal sculpture of a bowl of eggs placed in the middle
one gallery is filled with steel sculptures replicating inflatable toys including a lobster doing a handstand acrobat 2003 9 that was on display at the serpentine gallery show


london   barclays said on monday that it had agreed to sell its precious metals storage business in britain to icbc standard bank for an undisclosed amount
the british bank which is in the midst of a reshaping under its new chief executive james e staley is seeking to improve its prospects by accelerating the sale of businesses it does not consider core operations the bank has focused its strategy around two divisions the british consumer bank and the corporate and investment bank
barclays announced its intention to exit from precious metals in january and moved the business into its noncore operations
this sale represents further progress with our noncore rundown as we work to simplify barclays operations and achieve our cost and capital reduction commitments john mahon a co leader of the division of the bank known as barclays non core said in a news release
the precious metals vault which has been in operation since 2012 has the capacity to hold 2000 tons of gold


birzeit west bank   when the 24 million palestinian museum celebrates its opening on wednesday it will have almost everything a stunning contemporary new building soaring ambitions as a space to celebrate and redefine palestinian art history and culture an outdoor amphitheater a terraced garden
one thing the museum will not have is exhibitions
the long planned   and much promoted   inaugural show never part highlighting artifacts of palestinian refugees has been suspended after a disagreement between the museums board and its director which led to the directors ouster president mahmoud abbas of the palestinian authority and other dignitaries are expected to attend the opening ceremony but a spokeswoman acknowledged on sunday that there will not be any artwork exhibited in the museum at all
omar al qattan the museums chairman said palestinians were so in need of positive energy that it was worthwhile to open even an empty building symbolically its critical he said conceding that the next phase including the exhibitions is the more exciting one
in the west bank where palestinians have for years struggled to build political and civic institutions while resisting israels occupation of the territory the fate of the exhibition may say as much about the realities of palestinian society as any art collection could since the signing of the oslo peace accords with israel in the mid 1990s palestinian cultural and social initiatives have often failed to gain traction and find consistent leadership
mustafa bargouthi head of the palestinian medical relief society a nonprofit organization said that the list of institutions struggling under occupation and other difficulties is lengthy among the groups that have suffered mr bargouthi said are the palestine national orchestra the popular art center in ramallah dance groups across the west bank and road agricultural and medical projects
many palestinian activists see the aging mr abbas 81 and his administration as increasingly feckless in their attempts to build an effective government but a new generation has not risen to replace them the museum is backed by a private organization taawon   arabic for cooperation   and is not affiliated with any political entity
sam bahour a palestinian business consultant and human rights activist said that considering the ossified state of many organizations in the west bank and gaza strip a managers being forced out could be considered a sign of institutional health or at least lively debate but he called the decision to open the museum without exhibitions shocking
if theres no substance mr bahour said i wouldnt open it
never part developed over several years by the ousted director jack persekian was to feature artistic interpretations of things like keys and photographs that palestinians around the world have kept from the homes they fled or were forced from in what is now israel
mr persekian who runs an art gallery called the al mamal foundation for contemporary art in jerusalem said he had agreed to leave after the museums senior management unceremoniously told him that it no longer favored the project but he said he did not know why
i cant fathom what happened he said offering a succinct description of the result of his work for the museum waste
mr qattan the museum chairman said that his team had decided that mr persekian had not sufficiently built expertise among staff members during his tenure of three and a half years and that outside artists had criticized his conception of the exhibition
we didnt feel that what was delivered was up to scratch mr qattan said
although there are a number of what mr bahour called niche museums in the west bank and gaza the palestinian museum would be the largest institution of its kind
the building designed by heneghan peng an architectural firm in dublin will host the high profile opening ceremony a few days after the 68th anniversary of what palestinians call the nakba or catastrophe   essentially israels founding and the conflict that followed which displaced hundreds of thousands of palestinians
the spokeswoman said the ceremony was only to celebrate the completion of the building she said it would be open to the public free of charge starting june 1 though it is unclear what will be inside to look at
the museum announced in a news release this month that it had named a new director mahmoud hawari whom it called the lead curator at the british museumand a specialist in early islamic art architecture and archaeology among other topics
a spokeswoman for the british museum would not confirm that mr hawari held the position of lead curator there saying only that he was a visiting academic at the british museum a spokeswoman for taawon said on monday morning that the information in the release was based on a curriculum vitae that mr hawari had provided
in the news release by the palestinian museum mr hawari said it would be an institution that links palestinians together at home and in exile wherever they may live
the museum also announced that on may 25 it will open a satellite exhibition in beirut lebanon called at the seams a political history of palestinian embroidery mr qattan said the beirut show would be the first of many such exhibitions outside the west bank which is difficult for many people to visit because it requires travel through israel or border crossings it controls
tafeeda jarbawi the director of taawon   formerly called the welfare association   said erecting the museum was a critical achievement itself she added that the understated lines of the structure rising atop a terraced garden with carefully selected trees and other plants expressed just what the organizers had hoped for
its as if the building is coming out of the womb the palestinian mother nature ms jarbawi said really it fits with the contour of the land
mr qattan said future exhibitions might explore the cultural meaning of martyrdom the debate over which people inhabited the area first   and whether that question makes historical sense   as well as the more recent departures of religious and ethnic minorities
if we as an independent institution cant tread into these tricky areas then who is going to mr qattan said nobody is thats the power of culture
for never part mr persekian said he had collected images of countless artifacts from palestinians around the world conducted skype interviews to document the stories behind those artifacts and planned to include physical objects as well the objects would have been collected locally   across the west bank for exhibitions in the museum here in birzeit a university town next to ramallah and in cities around the world for versions presented there
mr persekian said he had intended to make all this material available to artists whose work involves archival material and research and the artists could have interpreted the objects as they saw fit for those in charge of the museums finances he said that may have caused unease
maybe they didnt want to take a risk with something that is so unpredictable and so uncontrollable he said
as for the parting in november mr persekian sought the high road saying they are the owners and conceding that   as with any art project   no one could have said how it would have turned out particularly because he was not sure what the precise reasons were
you will never be able to take sides on this he said because you never know they might be right and i might be wrong


donald j trump plans to attack the character honesty and authenticity of hillary and bill clinton in the months ahead in hopes of increasing their unpopularity among voters and deflecting attention from his vulnerabilities
here are some of his lines of attack against the clintons which he described in a recent interview with the new york times
why trump would attack mr trump has already used mr clintons history of infidelity against mrs clinton to repel criticism that mr trump is sexist he claims that mrs clinton enabled her husband by staying with him despite the affairs and protected him by trying to blame the women we have to destroy her story mrs clinton said of one woman according to the memoir of mr clintons former adviser george stephanopoulos
why it might fail even some of mrs clintons harshest critics think that she handled her marital problems with grace and the opening of old wounds could engender sympathy for her this line of attack also opens up mr trump who has been married three times to questions about his philandering

why trump would attack the monica lewinsky scandal raises many questions that could benefit mr trump should mr clinton again have a role in the white house after conducting such an affair on the job did mrs clinton mistreat ms lewinsky when she called her a narcissistic loony toon and do voters really want to relive the dramas of the 1990s
why it might fail polls from the late 1990s showed that mrs clintons popularity soared as the scandal unfolded suggesting that mr trump might actually help his opponent by bringing up the subject mrs clinton often responds by calling the controversy old news and she could be correct that voters are tired of hearing about it

why trump would attack old questions about how mrs clinton managed in the late 1970s to turn a 1000 investment in cattle futures into nearly 100000 with little financial experience is a prime target for mr trump because it fits into the theme that she is crooked a narrative that he has been carefully cultivating this line of attack also puts the debate on friendly turf for mr trump a billionaire businessman with plenty of experience investing
why it might fail the cattle controversy never amounted to much and resurfacing it opens up mr trump to rebuttals about his many failed businesses and the lawsuits facing trump university which has been accused of fraudulent practices

why trump would attack the issue of mrs clintons conducting business on a private email server as secretary of state is relatively fresh fodder for mr trump and a continuing federal investigation is grist for him to claim that she should be disqualified from the presidency mrs clinton has been spared much discussion of this in her primary campaign but the nebulous nature of her email practices gives mr trump the chance to argue without having any evidence that she showed poor judgment and had something to hide
why it might fail mrs clinton has already expressed regret for her email practices and the situation is frozen while the fbi conducts its investigation there is little new to say on the matter and there has been no evidence that mrs clintons private server put national security at risk

why trump would attack the attacks at a united states diplomatic compound in benghazi libya are a favorite subject of republicans and mr trump will surely try to use them to paint mrs clinton as incompetent he has already said that she was asleep for her 3 am call accusing her of failing to respond quickly enough to the attacks which led to the deaths of four americans the episode will also make for powerful television ads
why it might fail mrs clinton has already weathered hours of grilling before congress on benghazi and she has her responses well practiced by bringing it up mr trump could highlight a lack of foreign policy knowledge


a man whose penis was removed because of cancer has received the first penis transplant in the united states at massachusetts general hospital in boston
thomas manning 64 a bank courier from halifax mass underwent the 15 hour transplant operation on may 8 and 9 the organ came from a deceased donor
i want to go back to being who i was mr manning said on friday in an interview in his hospital room sitting up in a chair happy to be out of bed for the first time since the operation he said he felt well and had experienced hardly any pain
were cautiously optimistic said dr curtis l cetrulo a plastic and reconstructive surgeon and a leader of the surgical team its uncharted waters for us
the surgery is experimental part of a research program with the ultimate goal of helping combat veterans with severe pelvic injuries as well as cancer patients and accident victims
if all goes as planned normal urination should be possible for mr manning within a few weeks and sexual function in weeks to months dr cetrulo said
mr manning welcomed questions and said he wanted to speak out publicly to help dispel the shame and stigma associated with genital cancers and injuries and to let other men know there was hope of having normal anatomy restored
dont hide behind a rock he said
he said he was not quite ready to take a close look at his transplant
he will have to take several anti rejection drugs for the rest of his life one of them tacrolimus seems to speed nerve regeneration and may help restore function to the transplant dr cetrulo said
another patient his penis destroyed by burns in a car accident will receive a transplant as soon as a matching donor becomes available dr cetrulo said
surgeons at the johns hopkins university school of medicine are also planning to perform penis transplants and have had a combat veteran injured in afghanistan on the waiting list for several months
dr cetrulo estimated the cost at 50000 to 75000 both hospitals are paying for the procedures and the doctors are donating their time
worldwide only two other penis transplants have been reported a failed one in china in 2006 and a successful one in south africa in 2014 in which the recipient later fathered a child
veterans are a major focus of transplant programs in the united states because suicide rates are exceptionally high in soldiers with severe damage to the genitals and urinary tract dr cetrulo said theyre 18  to 20 year old guys and they feel they have no hope of intimacy or a sexual life he said they cant even go to the bathroom standing up
given the psychological toll he said a penis transplant can be lifesaving
dr cetrulo said the team would most likely perfect its techniques on civilian patients and then move on to injured veterans it will also train military surgeons to perform the transplants the department of defense he said in an email does not like to have wounded warriors undergo unproven techniques   ie they do not want them to be guinea pigs as they have already sacrificed so much
his team is working on ways to minimize or even eliminate the need for anti rejection medicines which transplant patients typically have to take that research is especially important for veterans he said because many are young and will risk serious adverse effects like cancer and kidney damage if they have to take the drugs for decades
from 2001 to 2013 1367 men in the military suffered so called genitourinary injuries in iraq or afghanistan according to the department of defense trauma registry nearly all were under 35 and had been hurt by homemade bombs commonly called improvised explosive devices or ieds some lost part or all of their penises
the massachusetts general team spent three years preparing for the penis transplants the team did meticulous dissections in a cadaver lab to map out anatomy and operated on five or six dead donors to practice removing the tissue needed for the transplants mr mannings operation involved about a dozen surgeons and 30 other health care workers
dr dicken ko a team leader and the director of the hospitals regional urology program said the team had not planned a set number of transplants instead he said the hospital will evaluate candidates one at a time and decide whether to allow surgery for now he said the transplants will be limited to cancer and trauma patients and will not be offered to transgender people
an accident at work in 2012 brought mr manning to the hospital and ultimately to the transplant team heavy equipment had fallen on him causing severe injuries the doctors treating him saw an abnormal growth on his penis that he had not noticed
tests revealed an aggressive and potentially fatal cancer penile cancer is rare with about 2030 new cases and 340 deaths expected in the united states this year
if not for the accident mr manning said i wouldve been in the ground two years ago
doctors said that to save his life they would have to remove most of his penis in an operation called a partial penectomy mr mannings urologic oncologist dr adam s feldman estimated that a few hundred men a year needed full or partial penectomies because of cancer
mr manning was left with a stump about an inch long he had to sit to urinate intimacy was out of the picture he was single and was not involved with anyone when the cancer was found after the amputation new relationships were unthinkable i wouldnt go near anybody he said
he continued i couldnt have a relationship with anybody you cant tell a woman i had a penis amputation
some people close to him urged him to keep the operation a secret but he refused saying that was like lying and he had nothing to be ashamed of
i didnt advertise but if people asked i told them the truth he said adding that a few male friends made guy talk jokes at his expense but that it toughened him up
men judge their masculinity with their bodies he said
before he had even left the hospital after the amputation he began asking dr feldman about a transplant no one at the hospital was considering the idea yet and dr feldman admits that he thought it was a bit outlandish
but mr manning never gave up hope i kept my eye on the prize he said
soon dr cetrulo and dr ko began talking about transplants about three years later dr feldman called mr manning to ask if he still wanted the operation
after a battery of medical tests interviews and psychological grilling   typical for transplant candidates to make sure they understand the risks and will take anti rejection medicine   mr manning was on the waiting list two weeks later a donor with the right blood type and skin tone became available
mr manning was stunned that it had happened so fast dr cetrulo credits the new england organ bank which asks families of some dying patients to consider organ donation the organ bank said the donors family wished to remain anonymous but had extended a message to mr manning saying they felt blessed and were delighted his recovery was going well
organ banks do not assume that families who donate internal organs like kidneys and livers will also be willing to give visible or intimate parts like a face hands or a penis those requests are made separately several families have agreed to allow the penis to be removed and none have declined said jill stinebring the organ banks regional director of organ donation services
so far mr manning has had one serious complication the day after his surgery he began to hemorrhage and was rushed back to the operating room
since then his recovery has been smoother he said he has no regrets he looks forward to going back to work and hopes to eventually have a love life again
if im lucky i get 75 percent of what i used to be he said before the surgery i was 10 percent but they made no promises that was part of the deal


donald j trump plans to throw bill clintons infidelities in hillary clintons face on live television during the presidential debates this fall questioning whether she enabled his behavior and sought to discredit the women involved
mr trump will try to hold her accountable for security lapses at the american consulate in benghazi libya and for the death of ambassador j christopher stevens there
and he intends to portray mrs clinton as fundamentally corrupt invoking everything from her cattle futures trades in the late 1970s to the federal investigation into her email practices as secretary of state
drawing on psychological warfare tactics that mr trump used to defeat lyin ted cruz little marco rubio and low energy jeb bush in the republican primaries the trump campaign is mapping out character attacks on the clintons to try to increase their negative poll ratings and bait them into making political mistakes according to interviews with mr trump and his advisers
another goal is to win over skeptical republicans since nothing unites the party quite like castigating the clintons attacking them could also deflect attention from mr trumps vulnerabilities such as his treatment of women some trump allies say
for mrs clinton the coming battle is something of a paradox she has decades of experience and qualifications but it may not be merit that wins her the presidency   it may be how she handles the humiliations inflicted by mr trump
she would make history as the first woman to be a major party nominee yet she would also be viewed in part through the prism of her husbands flaws some political allies and friends while disgusted with mr trump see a certain cosmic symmetry at work after decades of fighting what she once called the politics of personal destruction mrs clinton will reach the white house only if she survives one more crucible of sordid and scandalous accusations
she is so prepared to be president but holding her head high and staying dignified during the campaign is probably what will help her the most said melanne verveer a longtime friend and former chief of staff to mrs clinton trump is yet another way she will be tested personally   one of her greatest tests yet
mrs clinton has often flourished in the wake of boorish behavior her husbands affair with monica lewinsky kenneth w starrs investigation of her husband the congressional impeachment proceedings women rallied to her side during her 2000 senate race after her republican opponent representative rick a lazio invaded her personal space during one debate and they helped her win the 2008 new hampshire primary shortly after barack obama dismissively said she was likable enough
yet mr trump said he was determined not to fall into those traps
in a telephone interview he noted that women did not like seeing mrs clinton insulted or bullied by men he said he wanted to be more strategic by calling into question mrs clintons judgment in her reaction to mr clintons affairs   people close to the couple have said she was involved in efforts to discredit the women   and in her response to crises like benghazi
just getting nasty with hillary wont work mr trump said you really have to get people to look hard at her character and to get women to ask themselves if hillary is truly sincere and authentic because she has been really ugly in trying to destroy bills mistresses and she is pandering to women so obviously when she is only interested in getting power
he acknowledged that republicans tried to discredit her judgment in the marathon benghazi hearing in the fall to little avail but he said that he would be more pointed and memorable in linking her to the failings and deaths in libya and that the debate would have a vastly larger television audience than the hearing still advisers of mrs clinton pointed to her face off with the republican led benghazi committee as a sign of her unflappability
from rick lazio to the house benghazi committee theres a long line of republicans who set out to personally attack hillary clinton but ended up inflicting the damage on themselves a clinton campaign spokesman brian fallon said in a statement we know donald trump is the most unconventional of them all but no matter what he throws at her she will keep running her own campaign and wont hesitate to call him out
several clinton advisers said they were not underestimating mr trumps ability to do some damage acknowledging that mrs clintons unfavorability ratings were high   though not as high as mr trumps   and that many americans had concerns about her honesty and trustworthiness according to polls
but these clinton advisers expressed confidence that mr trump would overreach and engender sympathy for mrs clinton two advisers said that the campaign had done polling to test the possible effectiveness of mr trumps lines of attacks and while not disclosing details about the data that they were convinced that he would not seriously hurt her
mrs clinton in turn has begun attacking mr trump over his refusal to release his tax returns suggesting he has something to hide and over his temperament and leadership abilities by describing him as a loose cannon and political allies say that in time voters will see through mr trumps criticisms
he cant run on his forward looking agenda because he doesnt have one and he cant go after her on substantive policy because she knows so much more than he does said thomas r nides mrs clintons former deputy secretary of state for management and resources
yet mr trump has been steadily underestimated during the presidential campaign his republican rivals were certain that voters would tire of his slashing style and his harsh language and some political strategists were sure his lack of policy details would make him unprepared in the eyes of too many
even one of mrs clintons biggest assets to many democrats   becoming the first female president and returning mr clinton to a white house role   can be exploited as vulnerabilities
weve never had a woman at the top of the ticket and there will be plenty of people wholl have a problem with her gender said christina greer a political scientist at fordham university and mr trump can say that bill clinton was accused of rape and destroyed a girls life she added referring to allegations by juanita broaddrick of a sexual assault in the 1970s and to the lewinsky affair
with polls showing that mr trump has unprecedented high negative ratings with voters and is in particular trouble with women some republican strategists say he has no choice but to try to drive up mrs clintons unfavorability ratings a recent cnnorc poll found that 57 percent of likely trump supporters said that their votes were more to express opposition to mrs clinton than to support mr trump
his best way to rally hostile republican delegates before the convention is to show hes a great clinton attack dog said mike murphy a republican strategist who oversaw a super pac supporting mr bush in this years republican race
mark penn the chief strategist for mrs clintons 2008 presidential campaign and the harvard university center for american political studies have conducted polling that indicates that attacks against mrs clinton over her private email server the deaths in benghazi and other issues would weaken her in a matchup against mr trump
the poll shows he could bring her vote down with sharp attacks but that does not bring his vote up mr penn wrote in an email
at a campaign rally for mrs clinton on wednesday in new jersey some supporters said they were concerned about the damage mr trump could do they described him as a street fighter and worried that mrs clinton would not be gutsy and nimble enough to deliver a knockout punch
trump is a real lowbrow brawler said michael magazzu an entrepreneur in the energy sector from vineland nj thats not her style she has to counteract him and the best way may be to keep her cool


washington   a couple of times each term the supreme court appoints a lawyer to argue a case before it as a friend of the court such appointments are a high honor and they can turbocharge an already promising career
chief justice john g roberts jrs first supreme court argument when he was 33 was as an appointed lawyer that was a big break and it was the result of a sort of patronage system dominated by white male lawyers that has received surprisingly little scrutiny
the court has this chit to give out katherine shaw who teaches at benjamin n cardozo school of law in new york said in an interview it has a lot of prestige it can obviously be lucrative down the road it can have significant impact on a lawyers future career advancement the court is sort of anointing chosen individuals
professor shaw explored the courts appointment practices in a study to be published in the cornell law review the current approach she wrote permits the justices to dole out the valuable asset of a supreme court argument to friends and former employees in a way that is reminiscent of the cronyism and patronage that characterized government employment before the civil service reforms of the 19th century
one of the studys notable findings professor shaw said in the interview was that gender and race diversity numbers for invited advocates lag behind even the already low overall numbers in supreme court advocacy
professor shaw found that about 10 percent of appointments went to women by comparison according to a tally by tony mauro of the national law journal last week women presented 23 percent of the arguments over all this term
about 5 percent of the invited lawyers appeared to be black or hispanic like the gender figure professor shaw wrote this figure lags behind the overall percentage at the court about 10 percent of the lawyers who argued most frequently before the court between 2000 and 2012 were not white according to another study
in all professor shaw identified 59 lawyers who had been invited to argue as a friend of the court typically to press an argument embraced by neither party the phenomenon is recent and seems to be accelerating
professor shaw counted 54 appointments in the last 50 years with 19 in the last decade in the 2012 challenge to the affordable care act there were two appointed lawyers
of the last 26 appointments 25 went to former supreme court clerks underscoring the clubby nature of the practice the other one went to a lawyer who had served as a law clerk to justice samuel a alito jr when he was an appeals court judge
what is not required is experience in arguing before the supreme court most appointed lawyers were making their supreme court debuts
professor shaw applauded the effort to enlarge the small group of lawyers who dominate supreme court arguments
giving a young lawyer early in their career this opportunity is an affirmative good she said but i just think there should be a broader pool from which the justices draw when theyre handing it out
she said the court should invite applications from all qualified lawyers much as anyone can apply for a supreme court clerkship
a more open application process would inevitably result in a more diverse pool of advocates she said it would expand it beyond individuals with whom the justices have some existing personal relationship which does feel something like patronage
appointed lawyers are unpaid and they can spend months writing briefs and preparing for arguments they can offer the justices great help in puzzling through say a difficult jurisdictional problem they lose more often than they win which is to be expected given the general difficulty of their assignments
chief justice roberts was an exception and he alluded to that fact in april after asking one of the lawyers who had argued the last case of the term to return to the lectern
our records reflect that this was your 100th oral argument before the court the chief justice told the lawyer deputy solicitor general michael r dreeben you are the second person to reach that rare milestone this century
i distinctly recall your first argument in january of 1989 the chief justice said in a sly allusion to the fact that he had been the lawyer on the other side also arguing before the supreme court for the first time
the young mr roberts who had served as a law clerk to chief justice william h rehnquist won the case he persuaded the court to rule unanimously that the constitutions double jeopardy clause applied not only to criminal penalties but also to some civil fines he may have done his job too well   the court disavowed that decision less than a decade later
professor shaw said chief justice roberts would have reached the apex of his profession whether or not the supreme court had given him an early boost but she urged the justices to be more open in dispensing invitations to other young lawyers
the court expands the power and influence of these people she said but the process of getting this benefit is a closed one that has biases built into it


it is a situation that would have been unthinkable a decade ago but some house and senate republicans are basing part of their re election strategies on sponsoring and passing bills to help drug addicts this week the house and senate are expected to begin work on a conference committee to reconcile a batch of bills passed in the two chambers aimed at helping people addicted to heroin and opioids
last week the house passed 18 opioid bills giving an array of vulnerable house republicans measures to attach their names to that comes on the heels of a single bill that passed overwhelmingly in the senate in march authorizing money for various treatment and prevention programs for a broad spectrum of addicts including those in prison
the pure scope of the epidemic motivates lawmakers according to the centers for disease control and prevention drug overdose was the leading cause of injury death in 2013 the most recent data available among americans ages 25 to 64 surpassing deaths by motor vehicle crashes 71 percent of the overdoses involved opioid painkillers
the congressional measures include provisions for prescription drug monitoring programs and assistance to states that want to expand the availability of the drug naloxone which helps reverse overdoses
while the house bills include an authorization for 103 million in grants for a range of drug addiction services president obama reflecting the constant tension between democrats and republicans over authorizing money rather than handing it over said the house bills were insufficient unless they also make actual investments in more treatment
at least some senate republicans invested in this conference committee agree while i remain concerned that the house approach is not truly comprehensive said senator rob portman republican of ohio in a tough re election fight i am hopeful we can resolve our differences rather quickly heroin and prescription drugs are devastating our families and communities and i remain committed to ensuring that we deliver a bill to the presidents desk that combats this epidemic in a comprehensive way
stay tuned


seattle   in early april kellen wadach the general manager at amazons warehouse in middletown del told hundreds of workers at the cavernous facility a troubling story about his family being abandoned by his fathers union
flashing a photograph of himself as a boy with his father mr wadach said the union did not help his family financially after his father died suddenly in front of their house not even bothering to send a condolence card according to three current workers at the warehouse who heard him speak and asked for anonymity for fear of losing their jobs
the problem with mr wadachs story was that much of it appears to have been untrue
for years amazon has successfully battled to keep unions out of the company and the incident involving mr wadach was an illustration of how important it was to amazon   or at least to some of its employees   to keep it that way
just days after a reporter approached amazon about inconsistencies in mr wadachs story scott stanzel an amazon spokesman said mr wadach was no longer with the company
mr wadach did not respond to repeated messages sent to his email address and facebook account a voice mail message left at a listed number for his mother was not returned
in the united states amazon employs more than 90000 people in what the company calls fulfillment centers giant warehouses where customer orders are prepared and shipped
some amazon fulfillment center workers see unions as a way to gain more influence on pay how job assignments are doled out and the handling of workplace complaints amazon worries unions will burden its operations with red tape hurting the nimbleness of facilities it is constantly adjusting to be more efficient with robots and other innovations
amazons culture and business model are based on rapid innovation flexibility and open lines of direct communication between managers and associates mr stanzel said this direct connection is the most effective way to understand and respond to the wants and needs of our associates
union officials think amazon fights so hard to keep them at bay to prevent a domino effect among its warehouses
this is amazons biggest fear said andy powell a district organizer for the international association of machinists  aerospace workers who is trying to organize amazon fulfillment center workers in delaware and several nearby states the minute one falls and people see they got a better deal its going to be a cancer for them
unions have not made much progress at amazon after years of campaigns which union officials and warehouse workers blame partly on the high turnover rate in its fulfillment centers
a labor union in germany has organized frequent strikes over pay and workplace conditions by a portion of workers at amazon fulfillment centers in the country though workers do not have a union contract with the company
in 2014 the machinists union helped organize a union vote by a small number of technicians and mechanics who worked on order fulfillment equipment at the fulfillment center in middletown a community of about 19000 about a half hour from wilmington
it was the first vote of its kind at an amazon warehouse but workers voted 21 to 6 to reject the plan which was opposed by amazon the company said there were about 3000 full time workers at the facility
since late fall representatives of the machinists union including mr powell have passed out leaflets at a busy intersection outside the fulfillment center some employees at the facility have encouraged co workers to consider the potential benefits of joining a union
in many cases pay and benefits are not even the top concerns of workers   pay at the middletown warehouse starts around 13 an hour and health care and parental leave benefits are the same for warehouse workers as they are for senior executives at amazon the company said full time workers at the facility made on average over 15 an hour in overall compensation when including base pay bonuses and stock awards
but workers want things like better protection from termination and mechanisms for contesting favoritism by managers mr stanzel said the company had a process for employees to appeal terminations and an open door policy that encourages workers to bring their concerns to managers
like many other companies amazon employs standard union avoidance techniques telling workers in gatherings that they will no longer be able to communicate directly with amazon if a union represents them union officials said around christmas last year managers began making the rounds at the middletown warehouse questioning workers on their thoughts about unions said employees at the warehouse
last june scott gragilla a former amazon fulfillment center employee at the warehouse began asking questions about why workers were not receiving bonuses they had gotten in the past not long after he said he was reprimanded for his job performance for the first time
mr gragilla 38 worked as a picker someone who gathers items from shelves for amazon orders and eventually was promoted to ambassador an employee who leads training sessions for other employees
he began openly promoting the idea of unionizing the warehouse to co workers but in early december mr gragilla said he was told he was being fired by amazon for his work performance including leaving early for his lunch break and failing to return after being ordered back to work by two managers he denies either is true
amazon maintains that no employee has ever been terminated as a result of union activity said mr stanzel the company spokesman
mr gragilla filed a complaint about his termination with the national labor relations board he said he was unable to gather enough former co workers from the amazon fulfillment center to testify on his behalf and the board declined to take the case to a judge
mr wadachs emotional story after those months of union activity aroused suspicions among employees who were skeptical that a union would act so callously
word of the story got to the machinists union which found an obituary in the ithaca journal in new york on april 20 2006 that said mr wadachs father peter dana wadach had died while jogging on a family vacation in south carolina   not in front of the family home as mr wadach had said
the obituary and another news story said peter wadach was a partner at an insurance agency in ithaca and had worked in the insurance business for nearly three decades he was 49 when he died
amazon declined to discuss details of kellen wadachs departure from the company
charlotte garden an associate professor of law at the seattle university school of law said mr wadachs story odd as it may have been would probably not reach a legal threshold for coercive behavior
thats a pretty high bar she said that means a lot of employer persuader activity is lawful


london   the royal bank of scotland said on monday that frank dangeard the former chairman and chief executive of the french media and entertainment technology company formerly known as thomson had been appointed to its board of directors
the bank based in edinburgh said that mr dangeard would join its board as a nonexecutive director immediately
frank will be an excellent addition to the board and i am pleased that he has agreed to join us howard davies the rbs chairman said in a news release he is a former banker and senior company executive who has substantial board level experience across a number of sectors
mr dangeard is a director at rpx corporation and at symantec corporation
he previously served as chairman and chief executive of thomson now known as technicolor and as deputy chief executive officer of france telecom he was also chairman of sg warburg france
rbs is in the middle of a large restructuring as it shifts away from being a lender with global ambitions to focus on retail and corporate banking in britain and ireland it announced plans last year to dismantle its global investment bank and to reduce the number of countries in which it operates


what in the world offers you glimpses of what our journalists are observing around the globe let us know what you think whatintheworldnytimescom
move over everest scientists say that by one measure the worlds highest peak is actually mount chimborazo in ecuador
the summit of chimborazo an inactive volcano in the andes rises about 20500 feet above sea level far short of everests renowned 29029 feet but its a different story when you measure from the center of earth chimborazos apex rises the farthest at about 21 million feet or 3967 miles while everests doesnt even crack the top 20
this is because while earth is not flat it is also not a perfect sphere the planet flattens at its poles and bulges slightly around its waistline   dont we all   making its radius about 13 miles greater at the equator chimborazo is close to the equator but everest is 28 degrees north latitude nearly one third of the way to the pole
mount chimborazo has been anthropomorphized as a man in a stormy relationship with a shorter and more active female companion the tungurahua volcano which is known to belch ash that lands on chimborazos icy slopes josefina vasquez an archaeologist at the universidad san francisco in quito said that chimborazo has been venerated since pre columbian times and is still a sacred mountain where its thought to be close to god
on a recent climb to commemorate the 280th anniversary of a 1736 mission by the adventurer charles marie de la condamine a research team led by the institut de recherche pour le developpement in france found that chimborazo was about 15 feet shorter than previously thought but reaffirmed its status as the highest from the earths center
so why does everest get all the glory its all about the climb
scaling everest typically requires a 10 day trek to base camp six weeks of acclimatizing and a seven  to nine day trip to the top climbing chimborazo can be done in about two weeks with a one  or two day hike after acclimatization according to todd burleson president of alpine ascents international a mountaineering company based in seattle
dont get me wrong i wouldnt belittle the mountain he said its an excellent training ground for big mountains
ouch


not long after word emerged that a former new york city police officer would not serve time in prison for the fatal shooting of akai gurley a protest erupted on the street outside the home of ken thompson the brooklyn district attorney
showing up at 1 am the demonstrators banged on drums and waved a banner   byeken blood on your hands   then began haranguing mr thompsons neighbors we want you to know you live next door to someone complicit in a murder they shouted in the murder of black people here in new york city
by any standard the action was unusual   and unusually personal   not least because mr thompson who is black campaigned on the promise of restoring justice to brooklyns black communities and took several steps toward fulfilling that goal in his first two years in office he has ended prosecutions for most low level marijuana offenses established a program to help offenders clear open warrants from their records strengthened a unit that examines wrongful convictions created a young adult court and pursued the police for line of duty misconduct in at least four cases where the victims were minorities
yet as his tenure has progressed mr thompsons most determined opponents have not been conservative law and order types instead they have come from a constituency one might have assumed would be his ally advocates for criminal justice reform
theres an overwhelming disenchantment with him in this community said keegan stephan a veteran activist who has taken part in the protests against mr thompson it would be wrong to suggest he hasnt done good things but many people who supported him at first are criticizing him now
at the heart of this community is a small and diverse array of grass roots groups whose members have staged protests across the city and have undertaken a scathing social media campaign against mr thompson a democrat and his office that campaign laced with caustic twitter posts and videos on facebook has been inspired in part by mr gurleys family which has bitterly attacked the district attorney and has found support among several officials like state assemblyman charles barron a firebrand democrat from brooklyn
in recent weeks the demonstrators have started to compare mr thompson to anita alvarez the states attorney in cook county ill who lost her job over the case of laquan macdonald in chicago and tim mcginty the cleveland prosecutor who was voted out of office for his handling of the death of tamir rice branding mr thompson a sellout and a traitor they have begun to issue demands that he resign
there would seem to be an irony in liberal protesters openly condemning a liberal district attorney but those who have found fault with mr thompson   including public defenders who have joined the activists in the substance if not style of their complaints   have claimed that he applied standards of justice for the former officer peter liang in mr gurleys death that were different from those used in the cases of ordinary people many of whom were black or hispanic and charged with minor crimes
thompson sought to afford access to meaningful justice for mr liang two officials of the legal aid society wrote in an opinion article shortly after the district attorney recommended probation for mr liang sadly our clients are not given the same consideration
mr thompson is hardly the first public figure in the city to have faced the challenge of enacting liberal policies in a job that often demands a dose of compromise and pragmatism mayor bill de blasio a democrat has also managed to put in place several planks of his liberal agenda while taking criticism from the left on issues like policing and housing some of his ostensible allies have gone so far as to hint that they will run against him in the next mayoral election in 2017
mr thompson whose supporters have said he is interested in running for higher office declined to publicly discuss his critics but after the rally at his home last month his aides released a statement in his name that read these efforts to harass and intimidate my family frighten my young children and disturb my neighbors at 1 in the morning will not deter me from doing what is right
for any district attorney   let alone the first black one in brooklyns history   the gurley case would have been a test
in november 2014 mr liang a probationary officer was on patrol in a dark stairwell of a public housing project when he fired a shot that ricocheted and struck mr gurley in the heart a three month investigation followed as the city reeled from protests over a lack of charges in the case of eric garner who died after a confrontation with police officers on staten island after the gurley inquiry mr thompson secured a manslaughter indictment against mr liang who was convicted this year
then in march a month after the trial mr thompson announced that he wanted justice not revenge and he asked the judge not to send mr liang to prison demonstrations began almost immediately
two weeks after mr liang was sentenced the furor found new fuel with the start of the trial of marcell dockery mr dockery then 16 had set fire to a mattress in a hallway of his coney island high rise in april 2014 the blaze that ensued killed a police officer mr dockery who is black was charged with felony murder a provision of the law that permits even an unintentional death to be treated as a murder if the killing occurred while another major crime was being committed   in this case arson he was convicted this month and now faces 25 years to life prison
though there were clear legal differences between the cases many activists have found it hard to swallow the divergent outcomes
it hits a raw nerve when you see a police officer walk away from killing a young black man especially when a young black man is looking at jail for killing a police officer said josmar trujillo an activist who runs new yorkers against bratton a reference to the police commissioner something about that crystallizes the injustice that people feel and see
in twitter exchanges mr thompsons chief spokesman has asserted that any comparison between the liang and dockery cases is wrongheaded given the felony murder distinction
some of the tension is rooted in the age old battle between those who work for incremental remedies and those who reach for fundamental change
while thompson has embraced reforms that acknowledge the limits of the punitive approach hes still the district attorney and is operating in a punitive framework said alex s vitale an associate professor of sociology at brooklyn college who studies law enforcement issues but the activist movement is feeling its power and wants dramatic action not just someone tinkering with the system
the dispute also reflects a clash of perspectives that has surfaced many times after police killings across the country it has been said   most notably by david kennedy a professor at john jay college of criminal justice in new york city   that activists particularly black ones look at these killings through the long lens of history in which specific facts and individual cases dissolve into an overarching narrative of continuing abuse and a lack of accountability but that of course is not the lens through which a district attorney weighing evidence and making legal judgments looks
the power structure whether black or white tends to focus on the incidents themselves on what happened in the moment mr kennedy said but theres a different way of looking one that considers a very long history of agents of the law doing people harm
this difference of vision mr kennedy said has become especially pronounced at a time when so many of the facts that inform the debate about policing are in flux and the battle lines of that debate are still being drawn in the past two years alone just in new york alone impassioned arguments have occurred about the police departments stop and frisk policy its community policing efforts the usefulness of prosecuting minor crimes and the value of keeping rikers island as the citys main jail on top of that there have been many traumatic public events mr garners death the widespread protests it inspired a police revolt against mr de blasio and the ambush killing of two officers in brooklyn
in that context mr kennedy said it was no surprise that the conversation has remained contentious   and occasionally confusing
the city and the country are in movement on these issues in a sudden dramatic way he said its very hard to sort out exactly whats going on


london   philips the dutch electronics giant said on monday that the initial public offering of its lighting business this month could value the business at up to 492 billion euros or about 56 billion including debt
philips said this month that it planned to list the lighting business in an offering on the euronext stock exchange in amsterdam the company first announced plans in 2014 to spin off the lighting business as part of a reshaping of the company to focus on health care and technology
todays announcement is an important next step in the planned initial public offering of philips lighting frans van houten the philips chief executive said in a news release
the dutch company said that it expected to price the offering of its lighting business in a range of EUR1850 to EUR2250 a share
that would give the company a market capitalization of EUR338 billion at the top end of the range and a value of EUR492 billion including debt and pension obligations
the offering to institutional investors as well as retail investors in the netherlands would consist of 375 million shares or about 25 percent of philips lightings shares if an overallotment of shares is fully exercised phillips could receive up to EUR970 million in proceeds from the sale
shares of the lighting business are expected to begin conditional trading in amsterdam on may 27
philips would retain a majority of the companys shares with a plan to fully sell down its ownership over the next several years
the lighting business includes divisions that produce traditional light bulbs and led lamps and that design complete lighting systems the business had about 34000 employees and posted sales of EUR75 billion in 2015
in april philips said that it was actively engaging with interested parties about the separate sale of its automotive and led components business lumileds
in january philips called off the sale of a controlling stake in the lumileds business to go scale capital an investment fund sponsored by gsr ventures of china and oak investment partners because of regulatory concerns raised in the united states
goldman sachs and jpmorgan chase are acting as global co coordinators on the offering


london   the american crane and heavy equipment maker terex corporation said on monday that it had agreed to terminate its merger with konecranes a finnish rival and would instead sell its material handling and port solutions business to the company for about 13 billion
terex and konecranes announced in august that they would merge in an all share deal but zoomlion of china made a competing bid in january to acquire terex for 30 a share in cash or about 33 billion zoomlion later raised its bid to 31 a share in march
the latest deal with konecranes would allow terex to continue its discussions with zoomlion on a sale of terex in whole or in part the sale to konecranes could be terminated for a fee of 37 million if terex and zoomlion reach an agreement before the end of may
the sale to konecranes is good for our customers team members and shareholders john l garrison the terex president and chief executive said in a news release in addition it will significantly reduce terexs debt levels improves our balance sheet and gives us longer term financial flexibility to invest in our business and buy back shares
under the terms of the deal terex would receive 820 million in cash and 196 million shares of konecranes if the deal is completed terex would own about 25 percent of the outstanding shares of konecranes and have the right to nominate two directors to its board
the transaction is subject to regulatory and shareholder approval and it is expected to close in january


paris   for nearly five decades the french conceptual artist daniel buren has been applying stripes in varying colors sizes and materials to assorted objects and environments including bridges bus stops and museum walls
the latest canvas for mr buren is the louis vuitton foundation building here a frank gehry design that rises above the bois de boulogne like a ship cresting a wave
mr buren has covered the museums 12 glass paneled sails with a checkerboard of translucent colored gels punctuated by panes of white stripes the installation the observatory of light opened on wednesday and runs through the end of the year
mr buren has described his signature stripes as a visual tool he uses to draw attention to a given space or context here they are always pointing toward the ground creating the only system of verticality he said as he sipped champagne at the preview last tuesday night because as you already saw there are not too many vertical things in this building so the stripes are spatial anchors in a way
seen from the outside the bright panels pick up hues and textures present in their surroundings green expanses of forest the red of neighboring buildings
the colors go anywhere the sun hits mr buren said so as it moves throughout the day they might end up on the reflecting pool outside at one moment or on the grass it travels
mr buren took a similar approach in a 2005 installation at the guggenheim in new york which included a web of colored filters plastered to the skylight over the main atrium
but this space is even crazier than the guggenheim he said the guggenheim looks very traditional compared to this one
mr buren has other plans for the louis vuitton foundation on june 2 to 4 he will stage a series of performances in what he calls the burencirque in three tents on the buildings lawn
this circus has nothing to do with the circus you saw when you were young he said describing the events as somewhere between poetry and philosophy
inside each tent which can accommodate up to 150 people mr buren has asked his performers to react to the space   a square topped by a cone   and to the expanses of primary colors the shows will take place simultaneously so that sounds from one will be audible in the next creating a multisensory experience
but what would mr gehry think of all the modifications   albeit temporary   to his design which he described as a work in progress soon after its completion
the building was designed to allow artists to work in between the glass and the solid parts of the building   the icebergs mr gehry said on thursday in an email i had always hoped that the foundation would allow artists to take on the space in different ways
knowing daniels work i knew he would not be timid he added
mr buren said it was the architect who had asked him to do the project although mr gehry had not yet seen the colorful panels
of course i am not working with him directly because i am working with his architecture mr buren said but in a certain way i am working with him


that orchard was real a medley of apple pear plum and cherry trees tended by the dickinson family during their lifetimes over the decades subsequent owners of the dickinson house known as the homestead removed the orchard replaced extensive flower and vegetable gardens with lawn and even installed a tennis court and a devastating hurricane in 1938 damaged the grounds
this spring however the emily dickinson museum has brought the poets beloved orchard back to life planting a small grove of heirloom apples and pears grown by the dickinsons   baldwins westfield seek no furthers winter nelis   on a sunny corner of the property near triangle street in amherst mass
the resurrected orchard is the latest development in a longstanding effort to return the dickinson estate to its 19th century splendor excavations of the grounds surrounding the house have been conducted for several years and will resume this summer
last summer as the purple tipped spears of irises unsheathed themselves and nasturtiums flaunted trumpets of fire a team of archaeologists excavated another one of dickinsons gardens near the southeastern corner of the house they used neon pink string to mark out squares and rectangles the size of coffee tables then shovels and trowels in hand they began to remove layers of grass and dirt within the outlined spaces
over the past two years the team has uncovered and analyzed the foundation of what was once a small conservatory as the researchers dug they encountered a narrow trench that had been filled with large flat fieldstones said the team leader kerry lynch of archaeological services at the university of massachusetts amherst beside the trench were a few patches of rubble and fragments of granite the granite crumbs matched larger slabs stored in a nearby garage the purpose of which had long been a mystery it turns out the stored granite once formed a handsome pedestal that kept the conservatory level with the main house granite was also likely to have been used to make a series of steps leading to the lawn and an adjacent patio for airing plants in warm weather
records show that edward dickinson built the greenhouse in 1855 for his daughters emily and lavinia emily transformed the long windowed room into a year round garden where ferns unfurled their feathers the perfumes of gardenias and jasmine sweetened the air and fuchsia carnations and inland buttercups bloomed alongside heliotropes by the aprons full
later homeowners tore it down in 1916   30 years after the poet died sunday will mark the 130th anniversary of her death now the emily dickinson museum which consists primarily of the homestead and the evergreens the neighboring home of emilys brother and sister in law is preparing to restore the conservatory plants and all if all goes as planned the museum will finish rebuilding the greenhouse using as many of the original materials as possible by the end of the year
these may seem like trivial improvements they are not the restoration of the homesteads greenhouse and backyard revives a less well known yet crucial fact about dickinson in addition to being a poet she was an amateur naturalist and a renowned gardener with a considerable knowledge of botany during her lifetime emily dickinson was known more widely as a gardener perhaps than as a poet the literary scholar judith farr wrote in the gardens of emily dickinson but dickinsons two chief vocations were inextricable her passion for all things botanical is essential for a complete understanding of her personality spirituality and verse
its about trying to understand what her personal physical world was like juxtaposed to her immense universe of thought and imagination said jane wald the executive director of the museum all that creativity and keen observation happened right here her home and gardens   these places were her poetic laboratory
dickinson adored the plant kingdom from a young age she recalled going on rambles through the woods in her teenage years and finding many beautiful children of spring her epithet for wildflowers like trailing arbutus adders tongue and yellow violets in her youth she began composing a book   not of poems but of plants she meticulously dried and flattened a wide range of species   chestnut dogwood poppies lilac nasturtiums even a couple of algae   and artfully fixed them to paper christening many with the appropriate latin names
have you made an herbarium yet she wrote to her friend abiah root i hope you will if you have not it would be such a treasure to you eventually her collection contained more than 400 plants around the same time while at amherst academy dickinson studied botany
from her 30s on dickinson spent most of her time in and around her familys sizable property where she could wander over several acres of meadow admire pines oaks and elms and help tend the orchard martha dickinson bianchi the poets niece recalled grape trellises honeysuckle arbors a summerhouse thatched with roses and long flower beds with a mass of meandering blooms   daffodils hyacinths chrysanthemums marigolds peonies bleeding heart and lilies depending on the season the dickinsons also grew greville roses which open with a shout of purple and fade to a whisper of pink and cinnamon or love for a day roses which flare and fall between sunrise and sunset according to bianchi when autumns final flowers and showers of spicy foliage disappeared beneath a cloak of snow dickinson continued gardening in her glass bubble of perpetual summer
dickinsons expertise in botany and gardening profoundly shaped her poetry as farr wrote her gardens often provided her with the narratives tropes and imagery she required in her 1789 poems dickinson refers to plants nearly 600 times and names more than 80 varieties sometimes by genus or species in her more than 350 references to flowers the rose is most frequent but dickinson was also fond of humble plants like dandelions clover and daisies she used the latter two as symbols for herself in letters and poems the career of flowers differs from ours only in inaudibleness she wrote i feel more reverence as i grow for these mute creatures whose suspense or transport may surpass our own
many of dickinsons poems refer directly to the idiosyncrasies of her gardens she wrote of struggling to raise grapes and maize on the bleakness of my lot these are not just metaphors the dickinsons grew grapes and corn in sometimes unyielding new england soil in other poems and letters she refers to my little damask maid and sweet sultans which were not servants and royalty but the intoxicatingly pungent damask rose and a pomponlike relative of the sunflower scholars who do not share dickinsons intimacy with plants and garden phenomena have occasionally misinterpreted her poems conflating her lyrical depictions of frost and dew or mistaking a butterfly for snow
by age 38 dickinson stopped attending church in part because she had found her personal eden in her gardens the resurgence of her garden each spring seemed to have buoyed her belief in the possibility of eternal life those not live yet  who doubt to live again  she wrote seven years before her death
in the following decades the homesteads flower and vegetable gardens were reduced to about a third of their original size last year however dr lynch and her fellow archaeologists used long spiked metal rods to locate buried sections of a pathway that once connected the east side of the homestead to the rose entwined summerhouse and larger 19th century flower and vegetable beds
if we can follow out the historic path to its end then theoretically we would find the location of past gardens dr lynch said she and her colleagues plan to excavate nearby regions of the lawn searching for indications of old planting beds like soil that is markedly darker and looser than its surroundings
there may even be leftover seeds or other botanical evidence dr lynch said studies have shown that some seeds are highly resilient researchers have been able to coax sprouts from seeds buried for tens of thousands of years
and that raises an exciting possibility that much like the fascicles of poetry dickinson secreted away in her room organic fragments of the poets gardens have survived this whole time just waiting for someone to find them and give them new life


london   the english season finished as never before on sunday a match was abandoned and the 75000 seat stadium was evacuated after a bomb scare at manchester united leicester city ended up 10 points clear of the rest of the premier league after finishing 1 1 at the london stadium of the previous champion chelsea
arsenal leapfrogged tottenham hotspur to end up as it always has since 1995 above its neighbor in the standings after arsenals 4 0 thrashing of aston villa and the spurs implosion in a 5 1 loss at newcastle united a team already relegated after a sad season
and still the ramifications came manchester city scraped a point in a 1 1 tie at swansea which meant that no matter what manchester united achieves once sundays abandoned game against bournemouth is rescheduled united cannot now qualify for the champions league
but city does albeit via the longer route of having to play preseason qualification round games when pep guardiola the new coach arrives to replace manuel pellegrini next month
all of the above has one more important achievement to add southampton the south coast port city that has been turned around by the dutch coach ronald koeman beat crystal palace 4 1 and finished in the top six which assures it of a place in the europa league
whether koeman is still there to manage the southampton ship going forward depends upon negotiations in the coming weeks everton wants him maybe manchester united will want him and there are other admirers of the way the big dutchman manages serenely to guide teams on a limited budget toward the top
almost everything described above is the spoils of sport in the stadiums the exception of course was what happened at manchesters old trafford stadium when a suspicious package was found in the stands and the bomb disposal squad had to be called in to make a controlled explosion of it
this will have repercussions beyond england it follows a similar incident in hanover where a game between germany and the netherlands was abandoned shortly after the terrorist attacks on paris last november it comes less than a month before france hosts the euro 2016 championships between 24 nations at stadiums in 10 cities
and when a date can be set for the postponed match against bournemouth the united players who were due to be called up for their national teams for the euro tournament now have two united games to play before their release   the fa cup final next weekend and the bournemouth game
the priorities are obvious security comes first and the sad fact is that in the times we live in it doesnt just take terrorists to threaten our way of life even a hoax call can do it
the bomb scare came less than a week after united was also involved in crowd disorder that many hoped was a thing of the past not since the 1970s have hoodlums dressed as soccer fans disrupted english soccer in the way that a group of so called west ham united fans did when they threw bottles and other objects smashing the windows of the united team bus as it approached west hams stadium last week their attack delayed the last game to be played at the hammers boleyn ground stadium
on a more sporting level the one point that manchester city needed to secure champions league status for next season came via a goal from kelechi iheanacho a 19 year old nigerian youth
with any luck and if guardiola gives him the chance iheanacho could be citys future
he stands 6 feet 2 inches tall and he has been on the radar of top clubs ever since he shined for nigeria at the 2013 world under 17 tournament with a second given name of promise iheanacho who had trained with columbus crew sc in ohio while city sought a work permit for him to play in britain has shown this season that he certainly knows how to score that said he squandered other chances to turn sundays tie into victory but so did sergio aguero whom pellegrini the departing city manager regards as an outstanding striker
as it turned out swansea fought back to make it 1 1 when a free kick struck by andre ayew deflected into the goal off the head of citys midfield defender fernandinho
by then at opposite ends of england the spurs and arsenal situation developed two weeks ago the tottenham fans dreamed of their first english title win in 55 years when leicesters runaway success thwarted that hope tottenham folk consoled themselves with the belief that their team would at least finish above arsenal for the first time since 1995
even that fragile hope ended on sunday arsenals four goals against hapless doomed aston villa included a hat trick from the often criticized center forward olivier giroud
the spurs game at newcastle 300 miles to the north was in the balance for an hour then after a red card for a horrendous foul tackle by newcastles striker aleksandar mitrovic the referee gave the home side a penalty kick after what looked like a contrived dive
georginio wijnaldum scored from it his second goal of the game mitrovic had also scored before his bad foul and late in the match as the spurs energy sagged more newcastle goals came through rolando aarons and daryl janmaat
tottenham was crushed its spirit had evaporated and in its 53rd game of the long season it was left to rue the impression that it simply ran out of steam after chasing the european dream in the europa league that so many covet   and that others regard as nowhere close to the champions league
to the bitter end   or almost the end given the manchester united bournemouth postponement   the english league is a window on the world mostly it is good sometimes it is overrated and this weekend it was on the edge of insecurity


barcelona spain   max verstappen drove a mature controlled spanish grand prix on sunday to become the first teenager to win a formula one race
in what was also his first race for the red bull team verstappen 18 showed why he had been promoted from his toro rosso team last week grabbing the chance to profit from a first lap collision between the dominant mercedes drivers nico rosberg and lewis hamilton and benefiting from a bad weekend for the second strongest team ferrari
for the final 20 laps of the race verstappen had to hold off the pressing moves of the oldest driver now racing in the series kimi raikkonen of ferrari who at 36 is twice verstappens age
raikkonen finished 06 seconds behind while sebastian vettel the other ferrari driver finished in third 55 seconds back vettel had held the previous record as the youngest race winner at 21
this race felt like an endurance race for me especially the last 10 laps said verstappen who also became the first dutch driver to win a formula one race it feels amazing i cant believe it it was a great race thank you to the team for giving me such a great car to win straight away in the first race
raikkonen said that despite having a faster car than verstappens he was unable to pass the cool headed teenager because the circuit is too difficult for overtaking
i raced against his father added raikkonen after complimenting verstappen
verstappen is the son of jos verstappen who raced in formula one from 1994 to 2003 and who finished on the podium twice but never won maxs mother sophie kumpen a belgian was a top go kart racer
hes only 18 and the way he raced it was unbelievable said jos verstappen who attends all of his sons formula one races i dont know what to say
max verstappen started racing in formula one last season at the red bull owned toro rosso team as the youngest driver in the series at 17 he disproved his critics with natural speed and a maturity beyond his years his response to a journalists question after the race about whether the victory was a response to naysayers proved that again
im not here for that said verstappen im just enjoying it im trying to do my best and today that was first
still the victory was the result of a combination of circumstances that neither verstappen nor his red bull team are likely to see again this season a perfect mixture of poor results by the two teams ahead of red bull in the championship   mercedes and ferrari   as well as the race having taken place on one of the most difficult circuits for drivers to pass each other
the first circumstance was hand delivered by rosberg and hamilton at the third corner at the start of the race after hamilton started from pole rosberg who won the first four races of the season passed him at the first corner hamilton then attacked rosberg on the inside of the entry to the third corner rosberg did not move aside and the two collided and shot off the track and out of the race
completely unnecessary i would say and for me the disaster of both mercedes being out after two corners is completely unacceptable said niki lauda the mercedes teams non executive chairman and a three time world champion lewis was too aggressive to pass him and why should nico give him room it was a miscalculation for lewis but for the team it is completely unacceptable
that accident however at a track at which 20 of the previous 25 races were won from pole position gave formula one fans a chance to see what the series might look like without the domination of mercedes
the red bull drivers had qualified in third and fourth with verstappen starting in fourth behind his teammate daniel ricciardo the two ferraris followed in fifth and sixth on the grid with raikkonen leading vettel
after the mercedes accident ricciardo shot into the lead ahead of verstappen with carlos sainz jr verstappens former teammate at toro rosso having moved up from eighth to third by lap 10 when sainz made his first pit stop the two ferraris with vettel ahead of raikkonen moved to third and fourth
the race became a game of strategy with red bull and ferrari using the pit stops to hedge their bets verstappen and raikkonen made two pit stops for tire changes while vettel and ricciardo each made three
the two pit stop strategy proved to be the winning one vettel and ricciardo were disappointed that their teams choice left them behind especially ricciardo who saw what he thought would be his victory pass to his new younger teammate
i dont understand why i was the guy said ricciardo normally the guy in the lead gets the better strategy and it didnt happen that way
verstappens promotion during the season to the red bull team had been greeted in the paddock with surprise after a slow start daniil kvyat was demoted to the weaker toro rosso team where he started his formula one career two years ago
but red bulls choice now looks inspired not only did verstappen take an immediate victory with ricciardo finishing in fourth   and blowing a tire with one lap to go   but at toro rosso sainz finished in sixth position while kvyat could only manage to finish in 10th taking a single point still kvyat set the fastest lap of the race on lap 53 as if to make a point
but verstappens cool headed mature performance was clear even to skeptical analysts
what an extraordinary level of maturity when he doesnt have anything to draw on said martin brundle a former driver and now a commentator on british television referring to how verstappen has raced in only 24 formula one races   compared with 234 for raikkonen   and had very little experience in the lower categories as well
clearly this is a young kid that has a huge huge future in this sport said damon hill the 1996 world champion
when asked about how it felt to lose his record as the youngest race winner vettel said that records are there to be broken about his age it doesnt matter vettel added if you are quick enough you belong here
but red bull has chosen verstappen not just for his speed but also for his clear headed approach to racing
the last laps i was getting very excited i couldnt believe it i was looking up at the big board and saw my name said verstappen then i said dont look at the board anymore just focus on the tires and bring it home a great feeling i absolutely wasnt expecting this


london   before boarding the plane that took the spanish league trophy back home to barcelona gerard pique spoke in granada spain of the teams biggest opponent this season   itself
we had to win it twice pique told reporters when we were 8 or 10 points ahead we believed we had it won then there was a moment when it seemed we lost it although we always depended only on ourselves
spains la liga was the last of the big leagues to be decided this season bayern munich juventus and paris st germain turned germany italy and france into one horse races the same horses as last year while leicester city surprised everybody by winning easily in the end in england
spain went the full distance with all three front runners   barcelona real madrid and atletico madrid   winning their final games on saturday the race finished in that order with barca real and atletico separated by just three points
all the rumors of top teams offering incentives   not bribes to throw games but incentives to players on other clubs to play hard against the other teams chasing the title   came to nothing
you could offer granada the world but it had neither the skills the stamina nor the belief to do anything other than succumb 3 0 in its own stadium against barcelona
you could likewise offer any amount of encouragement to deportivo la coruna and its fight too would be feeble against real madrid their match was effectively over before halftime after reals cristiano ronaldo scored twice and hit the woodwork twice before he was taken off to rest
the reality is that barcelona and real are superior clubs in their own league while atletico is the exception to the supposed rule that no other force can challenge them
indeed their powers extend to europe where barcelona won the champions league last year and where the two madrid giants will lock horns in the final in milan on may 28
players always say that the champions league is the glory while the domestic leagues offer the greater test of their skills consistency and staying power
yet superstars dominate this league marathon ronaldos two goals on saturday   one poached from a few yards the other deflected into the net off a defenders back   gave him 35 goals in the 38 game league season and an unprecedented sixth consecutive season of notching 50 or more goals over all
barcelona has a man who beat ronaldo this particular season and this time it is not lionel messi
with three goals against granada luis suarez took his tally to 14 goals over the last five games 40 in la liga for the season and 59 in all competitions
barcelona has one more game to play the copa del rey final against sevilla on sunday
messi neymar and suarez combined for 90 of the 112 goals that barcelona scored this season as it retained its league title and while messi has coped with injuries and changed his role toward being a midfield playmaker neymar also emphasized saturday that he is perfectly content to feed the predator that suarez has hungrily become
where it went wrong or almost went wrong for barcelona was back in april when that attacking trio flew halfway across the world to play energy sapping world cup qualifying games messi for argentina neymar for brazil and suarez for uruguay
real madrid caught them while they were still jet lagged losses to real sociedad in la liga and to atletico madrid in the champions league came thick and fast and suddenly barcelona looked weary and vulnerable almost a spent force
barcas coach of few words luis enrique said then that his players had five games to save their season and that they thrived on such pressure he repeated the same thought to the team over the weekend
barcelonas response five games five wins 24 goals scored and none conceded in granada the field was supposed to be the great leveler but the home club did not muster a shot on goal until deep into the second half
the grass had been left long deliberately to prevent smooth running with the ball and the slick interchange of barcelonas passing that and massed clusters of defenders kept barcelona scoreless for 22 minutes
then came a movement involving eight players and 16 passes over the long grass followed by one sharp finish by suarez he possesses the art of timing almost hiding himself until he smells the opportunity to pounce
he did so again before halftime on the end of a much more economical buildup javier mascherano advanced over the halfway line lofting a long high angled pass and dani alves nominally a fullback sped forward and hooked the ball toward the near post where suarez exploited the space between the goalkeeper and the last defender
the long way the short way any way is good for suarez in this mood he completed his third hat trick in five games off a pass from neymar
barcelona is the spanish champion for the sixth time in eight years andres iniesta and messi have been involved in eight la liga titles to date
their club was banned from making transfers over two seasons because it broke fifas youth recruitment rules this left the club short of senior players and the latest triumph has largely been achieved by fielding the same players in all competitions
twenty years ago concluded pique we might not have won this title because barca used to be sunk by its own pessimism this generation has changed that   it faces up you can trust in it
the public celebration was scheduled for sunday in the catalan capital


london   after saracens finally broke through with their first european championship the teams owner and coaches are determined to make sure the title marks a beginning and not an end
i dont want to wish my life away but the team is so young that im excited looking forward to what it will achieve in the next five years the clubs owner nigel wray told bt television after his teams 21 9 victory over racing 92 in the european rugby champions cup in lyon france on saturday night
if we can stay humble enough and hungry enough there is plenty more to come promised mark mccall the coach of the london based club
saracens completed the first 9 0 season in the tournament since it adopted its current format and they are the 11th different winners   and the fifth from england and first since wasps in 2007   in the cups 21 years
twenty years ago saracens were playing in a public park if the ball was kicked onto the roof of the small grandstand spectators were showered with rust the team was like a yo yo switching between strong seasons in englands second division and struggles for survival when it was promoted to the top league
while wray insisted saturday night that he had gained far more from the saracens than he had given the club it was his money that enabled their progressive transformation among rugby owners he has been conspicuous both for his durability   many other early investors soon departed   and his early recognition that it would be a long time before his investment paid off
in foul conditions in lyon saracens adjusted tactically to the driving rain while racing did not saracens were in control from the start taking charge of the conflicts at the breakdown kicking superbly and using their fast and predatory defense to ensure that their french opponents dangerous backs were stifled racings players kept looking for space but never could find any and while saracens dominance did not make for much of a spectacle it ensured that they would emerge victorious
saracens took the lead in the 24th minute when flyhalf owen farrell kicked the second of his seven penalties and they led 12 6 at halftime racing looked briefly capable of breaking the stranglehold around the 60th minute when racings johan goosen kicked his third penalty to close saracens lead to 15 9 but farrell ended any doubts by kicking two more penalties in the final 10 minutes
racing could argue that it suffered from bad luck after losing its two most creative players the scrumhalf maxime machenaud left after 22 minutes with a concussion while it was clear from the start that new zealand flyhalf dan carter was not fully fit with machenaud and goosen sharing the goal kicking carter limped on until the 43rd minute when he departed with what racings owner jacky lorenzetti said was a calf injury
they were just a bit better in every department of the game lorenzetti told reuters
sarries got to show us what a class team they are they really suffocated us and really deserved it racings veteran winger joe rokocoko told bt losing players to injuries does not help but like all good teams saracens can smell blood and suffocated us particularly in the last 15 minutes
the man of the match award went to the phenomenal saracens lock forward maro itoje who continued his rapid rise from promising rookie to one of the best players in the world it followed similar awards for itoje 21 in the quarterfinals and semifinals
there were numerous saracens players who could have won the award though in most games farrells kicking could have made him a shoo in
we were challenged and took it in our stride farrell said we dug in and gave the calm performance we thought we would
the award might have gone to itojes second row partner george kruis or the energetic no 8 billy vunipola   or frankly almost anyone on saracens it was as mccall said a real team effort
im delighted not just for the players but for all the staff and for nigel wray mccall told bt we didnt just muscle up against a very good team but we played a really clever mature game we were tactically good and our halfbacks put real pressure on their backfield


anchorage alaska isnt known as a hotbed of french culture and yet thats where jaimee anderson who recently joined le bristol in paris as a sommelier developed an abiding interest in all things french thanks to the influence of her francophile mother a college semester in paris and tour of frances vineyards later fueled her passion which led anderson to stints at wine bars and restaurants in scottsdale and los angeles and eventually the four seasons beverly hills where she was the beverage director at cut   until last month when she packed up her life and moved to paris
everything is about timing of course and this opportunity was a rare moment when the stars aligned says anderson along with west coast optimism she brings a fresh perspective on californian wines that might shake up the classic palace hotel culture if given the opportunity id love to expand peoples perception beyond napa valley and highlight small producers from places like edna valley mendocino county anderson valley below she shares some of the californian and french wines that she will recommend to guests this spring and summer
scribe estate riesling sonoma county calif 2014
this is a dry riesling so fear not a wine rich in fruit and sweetness instead expect to find fresh lime juice citrus peel and subtle stone fruit with elevated acidity and pronounced minerality
tatomer meeresboden gruner veltliner santa barbara county calif 2014
lemon zest and yuzu complement white pepper radish and a refreshing salinity thats reminiscent of ocean spray the waxy texture on the palate innately intensifies the high toned minerality and prominent acidity of this wine
chateau de breze cremant de loire brut rose nv
bright strawberry and pink citrus with smoke rose petals and subtle brioche this sparkling rose from loire valley offers a soft elegant mousse with a pristine chalky minerality
thierry richoux bourgogne rose 2014
wild red berries iron and blood orange peel make this a versatile rose built for food but perfectly suitable to enjoy by itself
yann bertrand cuvee du chaos fleurie beaujolais 2014
candied red cherry and cranberry give way to persimmon and lilacs fleshy yet precise on the palate a mouthwatering acidity dominates the finish and leaves behind remnants of pepper and crushed rock


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1 the supreme court unanimously decided not to rule in a major case on contraception averting a possible 4 to 4 deadlock the suit challenging rules of the affordable care act was sent back to lower courts for a compromise religious groups will buy insurance plans for their workers that do not cover contraception and employees will be able to obtain that coverage from the same insurer

2 doctors said this massachusetts man was recovering well after undergoing the first penis transplant in the us thomas manning whose penis was amputated several years ago to remove a rare cancer said he hoped his case would help reassure other men with genital injuries especially veterans dont hide behind a rock he said

3 donald trump outlined his strategy against hillary clinton just getting nasty wont work he said and could cost him womens votes instead he told our political reporters he will portray her as enabling bill clintons infidelities hold her responsible for the benghazi attacks and challenge her as fundamentally corrupt hes also urging bernie sanders to consider running as a third party candidate

4 oregons primaries and kentuckys democratic one are on tuesday mrs clinton has been campaigning in kentucky for the last couple of days stressing her plans to revitalize the economy and her support for the coal industry mr sanders took his campaign to puerto rico criticizing wall street banks for the territorys crippling debt a group of big unions pledged to boycott the democrats ambitious get out the vote operation unless they cut ties with thomas steyer a hedge fund manager who has spent millions to fight climate change

5 dogs are at the forefront of a new approach to improve human health researchers are testing rapamycin a drug that appears to delay the onset of aging in mice to see if it has any canine side effects before undertaking human tests the dogs owners are thrilled at the possibility of lengthening their pets lives the overall goal is to target the biology that underlies human aging which is the greatest risk factor for the biggest killers in the developed world heart disease stroke alzheimers diabetes and cancer

6 venezuelas economic crisis set off by collapsing oil prices has metastasized into a health crisis hospitals and clinics have little medicine and even less in the way of sterile equipment some lack even sufficient water to wash blood from surgical tables deaths among new mothers in government hospitals have multiplied and deaths of their newborns have skyrocketed more than a hundredfold

7 the students brought elderly people into the school and beat them they beat their teachers and principals there was nothing in the way of law thats a 64 year old chinese composer who now lives in france remembering the cultural revolution a decade of political upheaval unleashed by mao zedong the communist partys main newspaper broke a general silence about the 50th anniversary of the eras beginning writing we sum up and absorb the lessons of history in order to use it as a mirror to better advance

8 this weeks roundup of tv finales includes jane the virgin 9 pm eastern the cw black ish wednesday 930 pm abc empire wednesday 9 pm fox and shark tank friday 9 pm abc and our entertainment team recommends taking advantage of itunes 99 cent deals to rent sicario with emily blunt or spike lees chi raq above the stars of empire

9 a host of media organizations in the bay area   including television and radio stations the san francisco chronicle the san francisco examiner mother jones and online publications   have set june 29 as their target date to publish comprehensive reports on homelessness its a pervasive problem in a city where the tech boom has sent rents ever upward we want the full force of the fourth estate to bear down on this problem an editor said

10 finally president obama honored 13 police officers with the medal of valor the nations highest award for public safety officers this los angeles officer donald thompson was off duty when he dashed across a highway to pull an unconscious man from a burning car suffering serious burns in the process mr obama promised to listen and learn from the officers and to provide the resources they need to do their jobs our country needs that right now he said

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in a 2015 interview for gq bill simmons asked barack obama which character on game of thrones he most identified with his favorite the president said was tyrion lannister more specifically the dwarf whats his name
the president didnt elaborate as to why though you could guess who doesnt love tyrion hes smart hes witty he likes a good glass of wine or three whats more he and the president share a favorite quote
in sundays episode book of the stranger tyrion negotiated a peace deal between meereen and the enemy states of slavers bay justifying the deal with a line that is almost verbatim one that the president used in real life to defend the nuclear deal with iran as a clever man once told me tyrion remarked we make peace with our enemies not our friends
what president wouldnt want to hear his worldview echoed in the smooth dialogue of peter dinklage but by contrasting tyrions realism with the more incendiary leadership style of daenerys emilia clarke   breaker of chains mother of dragons and tyrions boss   stranger also suggested that tyrions pragmatism is a political tough sell and that it has its limits
weve heard the make peace with our enemies line on this show before in season 1 littlefinger counseled it to ned stark an inflexibly moral man who disregarded the advice and ended up a head on a stick in our own world president obama is not the first to use the phrase some variation of which has been attributed to moshe dayan yitzhak rabin and others
more broadly tyrion is arguing for realpolitik principles that our own election has shown never stop being controversial choosing deals over ideals its the sort of approach that in foreign policy donald j trump has attacked as making a terrible deal with an untrustworthy enemy that in domestic policy bernie sanders has dismissed as asking for half a loaf
tyrions deal is morally complicated by the fact that it involves slavery dany with her unsullied and her dragons overthrew the slavelords who have started a bloody insurgency and taken back the cities outside meereen tyrion offers them time and money seven years to transition from a slave economy and compensation for their losses
pragmatic maybe but abe lincoln he aint
the racial dynamics of american slavery may not map directly onto those in game of thrones   in the source books slaves come from many countries sometimes the same as their slavers but game of thrones is made to be watched in our world where the optics of a rich white man bargaining away the freedom of darker slaves is unsettling theres an orientalist overtone to the whole essos story line in which dany is often cast as a white savior and tyrion is a kind of colonial viceroy mangling the language and trying to tame the exotic east with western efficiencies
book of the stranger plays up this discomfort focusing on the incredulous reaction of freed slaves missandei and grey worm even if they have little choice but to back tyrion in the end as missandei points out however sad a life tyrion has had his brief stint in chains doesnt mean he knows anything about spending a life as property
game of thrones like the source books by george r r martin has a bias toward its horse trading tyrions and littlefingers the morally rigid like ned and stannis break where they cant bend
its not an amoral story   even if the series loves building up sadistic villains   but its general philosophy is being good is useless unless you can also do good and doing good like danys chain breaking only matters to the extent that you can do the hard boring work of maintaining their welfare
but tyrions worldview is also insufficient by itself hes able to cut a deal   which may or may not work in the end   only because dany had upended the slave economy in the first place would tyrion ever have done that on his own
doubtful hes too practical and practicality tells him as he airily tells the slave masters that the rich and poor will always be with us during his stint as king joffreys hand in kings landing his goal   and he was good at it   was to keep his monstrous nephews worst impulses in check while trying to manage the crowns finances and keep house lannister from being ousted
better him than joffrey   or tywin   but in the end his impulse was to work within the system and thus keep the system going to create a kinder gentler lannisterism his talent is greasing the wheels whereas dany in her own words wants to break the wheel
the pyrotechnic last scene of stranger contrasted tyrions style of accommodation with danys permanent revolution her imprisonment in vaes dothrak brought her back to where she started geographically and figuratively
after leading and losing a khalasar after conquering meereen and fleeing it dany is still all about blowing up the system rather than escape quietly she burns down everything freeing the dosh khaleen and   again but on an apparently bigger scale   becoming khaleesi in case you didnt notice history repeating the episode ends with dany fireproof breasts and all stripped naked by the flames just as she was by the pyre in which her dragons were born in season 1
will this story end any better a second time has dany grown or is she destined to fly from revolution to revolution leaving chaos behind the shows head seems to be with tyrion but its heart is with dany   certainly immolating a temple full of rapists feels better than plying slave traders with prostitutes
it may turn out that neither of them has an effective answer maybe sansa or jon or arya will but just as the world of game of thrones is both ice and fire stranger suggested that true leadership ultimately requires the head to work with the heart
in this contentious political season the show suggests a kind of radically moderate unity ticket of revolutionary and functionary you need danys to change the world and tyrions to fix it every wheel breaker needs her deal maker


as part of ts ongoing series the artist christian marclay best known for his film montage the clock responded to a poem by billy collins a former poet laureate of the united states
greece
the ruins were taking their time falling apart the stones that once held up other stones now scattered on top of one another
as if many centuries had to pass before they harkened to the call of gravity
and the few pillars still upright had nervous looks on their faces teetering there in the famous sunlight which descended on the grass and the disheveled stones
which is precisely how the bathers appeared after we had changed at the cliff side hotel and made our way down to the rocky beach  
pillars of flesh in bathing suits two pillars tossing a colorful ball one pillar lying with his arm around another
even a tiny pillar with a pail and shovel all deaf to a voice as old as the surf itself
is not poetry a megaphone held up to the whispering lips of death i wrote before capping my pen and charging into the waves with a shout
  billy collins


welcome to watching the new york timess what to watch guide we comb through releases big and small famous and esoteric to email readers twice a week with our timely recommendations our most recent suggestions also appear below to receive our guide straight to your inbox sign up here
finale time continues spring is all around us people are getting snazzy haircuts everythings coming up milhouse well everything except for foxs new horrendous dating show coupled which made me want to throw humanity into the ocean
luckily theres plenty of good and even some great stuff to watch this week instead plus abc has posted the bios for the contestants on the new season of the bachelorette its a show i dont particularly care about but my god one of the guys says his occupation is erectile dysfunction expert just lie evan say youre a sales rep or something good grief
were trying a new format for the newsletter today with recommendations of what you should watch each day this week wed love to hear how you like it   or what youd like to see instead email us at watchingnytimescom or tweet us at watching or just post instagram photos of goats trust me ill find them
the detour this tbs single camera comedy is on its seventh episode but its worth it to just jump in right here even if youve never seen the show created by samantha bee and her husband jason jones the show follows a family of four on a disastrous road trip jones and natalie zea star as the parents and this episode the road tells the story of their relationship as they explain it to their tween twins in warped flashback   joness hockey jersey says dads team for example the structure is reminiscent of the early house episode three stories in the way our characters fudge the narration of their own histories the detour is smart and warm and naughty and more complex than it seems at first glance 9 pm tbs catch up on season 1 on ondemand or on tbscom with a cable subscription or purchase episodes on itunes or amazon
also mike  molly series finale double episode beginning at 8 pm cbs jane the virgin season finale 9 pm the cw rupauls drag race season finale 9 pm logo castle series finale 10 pm abc
the night manager if this espionage thriller passed you by a few weeks ago fear not you can and should catch up on the previous four episodes on amccom tuesday is the fifth episode of six in this mini series tom hiddleston hugh laurie war spies john le carre egypt switzerland spain gorgeous costuming gorgeous set design gorgeous lighting gorgeous people just gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous 10 pm amc
also ncis season finale 8 pm cbs chicago med season finale 9 pm nbccoupled series premiere 9 pm fox marvels agents of shield season finale 9 pm abc ncis new orleans season finale 9 pm cbs chicago fire season finale 10 pm nbc
jungle animal hospital ahhh adorable baby monkey alert the one off special goes inside a veterinary hospital in guatemala that rescues and rehabilitates animals with the goal of returning them to the wild if you are moved by footage of caretakers nudging reluctant animals out of their carriers so that they may leave captivity forever ... well bring tissues 8 pm pbs
black ish this season 2 finale finds dre and the johnson family in a good times-inspired 1970s dream sequence the show has blossomed this season so even if youre not a regular viewer this episode is worth jumping in on 930 pm abc catch up on the full series on hulu
also the middle season finale 8 pm abc survivor season finale 8 pm cbs the goldbergs season finale 830 pm abc empire season finale 9 pm fox genius by stephen hawking series premiere 9 pm pbs modern family season finale 9 pm abc royal pains season premiere 10 pm usa
archer seven seasons in archer is as raunchy and ridiculous as ever some of the story this season has been a little flabby but lines like samuel johnson tells us puns are the lowest form of comedy but for me its murder still put this show in a class all its own this week a return to the archer lana romance   generally a recipe for sublime insults10 pm fx watch the whole series on hulu
also greys anatomy season finale 8 pm abc the 100 season finale 9 pm the cw blacklist season finale 9 pm nbc the catch season finale 9 pm abc mom season finale 9 pm cbs yes the catch got renewed
lady dynamite maria bamfords new netflix series is so audaciously odd even if you dont enjoy it you should at least respect it dynamite stars bamford as kinda sorta herself but the episodes are fragmented in both time and structure some tell one story some tell several some include surreal parodies some play things closer to ordinary life it takes a little while to get used to the shows rhythms so if you think youd like to like it plan to watch three or four in a row netflix
also grimm season finale 8 pm nbc masters of illusion season premiere 8 pm the cw shark tank season finale 9 pm abc banshee series finale 10 pm cinemax
its become common this season to note that the female characters on game of thrones are stepping to the fore but that was especially evident on sunday jeremy egner writes with major moments for sansa brienne daenerys margaery cersei and osha on this weeks episode women took purposeful steps to reshape their fortunes plus it really was an hour of actual ice and fire
saturdays outlander ended in a surprising fashion also read our recaps of veep silicon valley and fear the walking dead
last week itunes put several movies on sale for 99 cent rentals you still have until tuesday morning to rent the following titles   the best of the bunch after that as with all itunes movie rentals you have 30 days to start watching your movie and 24 hours to finish it after clicking play so spend a buck and then make time when you have it
sicario emily blunt josh brolin and benicio del toro star in this film about the drug enforcement war on the border between mexico and the united states
chi raq spike lees film about gang violence in chicago and the women who withhold sex in an attempt to get their men to stop fighting is an adaptation of the greek play lysistrata much of the dialogue is rendered in verse
dawn of the planet of the apes the sequel to rise of the planet of the apes which you definitely need to watch first
enough said james gandolfini and julia louis dreyfus star as two divorced parents who fall for each other in what manohla dargis called one of the best written american film comedies in recent memory
the grand budapest hotel do you like wes anderson movies have you not seen this one yet what are you waiting for
live die repeat edge of tomorrow this stars tom cruise and again emily blunt some people dont like tom cruise that should not stop you from watching this sci fi action film which is basically groundhog day crossed with an alien invasion war movie
under the skin scarlett johansson stars as an alien on the prowl in this beautiful disturbing and experimental art film
dick wolf is about to have five   five   prime time shows on nbc we make mercedes s class sedans mr wolf said of his shows theyre designed to run basically forever and be comfortable and you dont have to think about much we dont make ferraris i love homeland but after six years its got what 52 episodes or something the new york times
one of tvs best comic characters is anthony mendez the narrator on jane the virgin mendezs performance is unique from other narrator roles because of its comedic timing and punch npr the article is fine to read but its better to listen to it for the full effect
finally this profile of the comedian billy eichner is terrific in his ability to instigate and navigate all this to will himself into stardom and to remain unfazed by it and to confront us with fames magnitude and its inconsequence as we race to catch a bus he is perhaps the ultimate new yorker the new yorker


after 10 years as an upper west side anchor telepan has closed the chef bill telepan an owner announced on sunday that the restaurant would close after dinner service because its revenues could no longer cover expenses
like most restaurants we operate with very small margins he wrote in an email as our costs go up each year and our revenue has not kept pace we have been operating at a loss and cannot sustain the business
the restaurant which pursued a farm to table approach in an elegant setting received two stars from frank bruni of the new york times in a 2006 review that said it shuns trickery and puts its faith in fundamental virtues its freshness the pureness or punch of its flavors the skill with which its been cooked telepan also received a michelin star in each of the last three years
mr telepan said he had developed a loyal clientele and he expressed pride at having become part of the neighborhood but like many new york restaurateurs he found it hard to cope with rising costs for rent food payroll and utilities
we have tried raising prices mr telepan said in a phone interview on monday but you have to be careful because you become more special occasion and not everyday
mr telepan closed a more casual spinoff telepan local in 2014 less than a year after it opened in tribeca
mr telepan plans to continue working for the nonprofit organization wellness in the schools which seeks to improve health for schoolchildren
he is also exploring opportunities for himself i dont know what ill be doing yet but i want to get everyone in the restaurant another job and thats going well he said as for myself im the eternal optimist


sam sifton emails readers of cooking five days a week to talk about food and suggest recipes that email also appears here to receive it in your inbox register here
good morning enter the wayback machine cook the original chicken marbella this week a classic recipe of the baby boom that christine muhlke brought into the pages of the times in 2007 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the silver palate cookbook whence it came you wont be sorry
make a turkey meatloaf as well and a platter of fettuccine with asparagus spend an evening making julia moskins recipe for whole grain blueberry muffins with orange streusel and then take them to work because youre a good and generous colleague the sort who bakes so that others may feast and revel in your kindness do this especially if youre not that sort of co worker so as to keep people on their toes
cook wild salmon it is in season and ridiculously delicious roast salmon in butter roast salmon with brown sugar and mustard roast salmon with blueberries agrodolce style grill salmon with green sauce do you have any smoked salmon in your fridge left over from an attempt at brunch yesterday or still kicking around from mothers day use it to make florence fabricants recipe for wild salmon with smoked salmon butter which is a stellar stellar weeknight meal
just cook that is our exhortation always it doesnt really matter what you cook   you could just microwave up some queso with sambal oelek and eat it with chips while watching horace and pete it only matters that you do cook that you prepare the food that you and others consume as often as you can so that you can reap the benefits of doing so here it is the top of the week and maybe everythings going sideways at work or in life already but you made dinner at least remember master p that aint nothing
click on over to cooking for other recipe ideas for tonight and for coming days and nights save the ones that are of interest to you to your recipe box were thinking melissa clarks cool new recipe for a cheese filled and herb scented phyllo dough torte applies or share them with friends via email or social media rate their success when youve cooked them or leave notes on them to help others achieve success of their own and if you run into problems with the technology please ask us for help were at cookingcarenytimescom for just that purpose
now for those of you interested in the sticky complicated business of where our wild fish comes from and what natural and governmental forces are being brought to bear on both commercial fishermen and the stocks they target do take a moment to read this wall street journal article about how changing migration patterns are upending the business and culture of catching fish in the waters off the eastern seaboard
or you know dont yourself you may prefer watching mary norris the comma queen of the new yorker talk about the use of the reflexive pronoun enjoy


while many young british designers are known to focus on the avant garde the london based alice archer 31 is building a modern womens wear business around a very traditional art embroidery but her intricate threadwork   which she applies to every dress skirt and coat she designs   is more high tech than her customers might imagine
archers studio which is underneath a west london boutique called the place london is strewn with color charts art books and reels of thread there she shows t how she maps out each individual stitch with a computer program she then feeds that design into a digital embroidery machine which sews the image onto fabric whirring away with up to 12 threads while she observes with a watchful eye each design can take a week of painstaking programming and yet old fashioned methods would be even slower without this software she says one person could not deliver a heavily embroidered 20 piece fashion collection each season
for fallwinter 2016 archers designs include a blood red velvet suit a black leather dress and a series of pencil skirts   all embellished with roses daisies and chrysanthemums in her work she says i want to see really beautiful colors i want the embroideries to be quite sculptural and the shapes of the garments to be really flattering in the past she has also combined threadwork with prints for one dress she transferred a detail of a womans cheek taken from the 19th century painting the surprise by claude marie dubufe onto white floral embroidery
archer could have applied her craft to interiors or art yet fashion she says is what i desire i want to wear these clothes she has designed only three collections so far   but she put in a decade of training and practice first she took an art foundation course at central saint martins earned a ba in fine art and textiles at goldsmiths and an ma in textile design at the royal college of art between studies she spent three years running the london embroidery studio and spent one season as a design assistant at dries van noten she has also often worked on the artist tracey emins embroidered artworks she draws on a piece of calico and then we sit on a beanbag all day hand embroidering it archer explains its a really nice job
she designed her first fashion collection in 2014 after the former browns ceo simon burstein spotted a design that she had done for the shoemaker caroline groves and invited her to create an 8 piece capsule line for browns from their first encounter her work struck him as innovative i thought there was something really very modern about it and i felt that i could guide her he recalls when he sold browns in 2015 he opened the place london in connaught village and set her up with a studio both browns and the place london stock her brand and barneys in new york and los angeles will pick it up this fall
archer is still relatively new to the process of designing the garments underneath the embroidery but she finds it more and more enjoyable she uses the pattern cutter linda woolcot who has worked with margaret howell and victoria beckham shes really experienced says archer of woolcot and really gets the romantic side of what i want to do with the shapes the brand is inspired by the likes of keira knightley lily james and daisy ridley   the english rose with a twist   and to this end archers designs are luxurious and feminine but she tempers the ladylike quality by including casual everyday silhouettes an embroidered red checked shirt is one of her best selling items on the day t visits she is wearing a flowery denim dress you can machine wash it and the embroiderys quite robust actually she says you dont have to feel precious in it i quite like that


its pretty clear at this point that whatever michelle obama wears is going to be greeted with shouts of excitement that when she appears in a gown for a formal occasion the effect will be described with words like stuns and glistens and sparkles and so it was indeed last friday at the nordic state dinner where david letterman and snapchats evan spiegel and his girlfriend miranda kerr among others dined with the heads of five nordic states demi lovato sang and mrs obama wore a draped bodice off the shoulder peach toned naeem khan
showstopper e online cried
it was a nice dress but it was also i cant help but feel a missed opportunity
before you start screaming sexism because this is about a womans dress as opposed to the dress of her husband let me say that this is actually about using every possible political tool available and it just so happens that when it comes to dress women have significantly more tools than men its not reductive its realistic
mrs obama has become adept over the two terms of her husbands administration at transforming what has traditionally been a decorative job hostess into a piece of diplomatic art largely through the use of her clothes to promote homegrown designers whose background bridges the united states and the guest country
this has worked both to introduce mrs o obsessives to new and lesser known names hence helping the designers and to reflect the ties between countries hence underscoring the message of the event she hasnt always done it but she has done it enough and it has been effective enough that it has inspired a generation of political spouses from samantha cameron the wife of prime minister david cameron of britain to sophie gregoire trudeau wife of prime minister justin trudeau of canada to do the same
but she didnt do it at the nordic dinner friday night she went with a familiar name   she has worn naeem khan on multiple occasions including the india state dinner in 2009 and her daughters wore naeem khan to their first state dinner with the canadian first family   but not one with any apparent relationship to her guests its too bad because this dinner was rife with the potential for sartorial substance and communication
and not just because she could have introduced oft overlooked scandinavian designers to a new audience yes they exist and not just for pared down daywear there is a copenhagen fashion week and a stockholm fashion week and crown princess mary of denmark who is known for wearing danish names was voted most stylish royal beating out the duchess of cambridge the former kate middleton by hello magazine readers in 2014 and 2015 among her favorite designers is ole yde of yde copenhagen who is known for his poetic approach to clothing and his way with an evening dress
meanwhile petra mede co host of this years eurovision song contest held in sweden wore looks from the local designers lars wallin ida lanto and valerie aflalo
but also because one of the points of discussion of the state visit was climate change an issue on which the nordic countries have long been in the lead indeed at the same time as the visit copenhagen was playing host to a series of fashion related events around the subject of sustainability and style including the sustainable apparel coalitions annual members meeting the youth fashion summit planet textiles the sustainable textile summit and the copenhagen fashion summit which focused on responsible innovation full disclosure i was part of the copenhagen fashion summit as fashion wakes up to the issue the state dinner could have been a very effective platform for reflecting the idea of responsible fashion
imagine for example if the first lady had chosen a gown from the green carpet challenge like the ones worn by emma watson and lupita nyongo to the met gala that were designed by calvin klein and made from fabric formed from recycled plastic bottles and that were among the more lauded dresses on that not particularly lauded red carpet
or even more provocatively and perhaps appropriately a gown from hms new conscious exclusive collection a line that focuses on merging glamour and good by using eco sensitive materials as modeled by crown princess mary during a dinner in the palace for the fashion summit which would tick both the climate change box and the scandinavian designer box not to mention the economically accessible box
it would have been a powerful message to send but it didnt happen
indeed along with mrs obamas appearance at the white house correspondents association dinner in givenchy couture the choice of naeem khan seems to indicate that she may be less interested in forwarding a particular agenda at this point in her husbands fourth quarter than perhaps getting ready for her future in private life
thats fair enough but there is over half a year left to go before the obamas exit the white house mrs obama raised the bar and expectations when it comes to first ladies image or first spouses and how it could be used lets hope she doesnt lower it now


i arrived on gotland an island 200 kilometers south of stockholm in the baltic sea late in the afternoon at the end of march from the airplane window i saw tall pine trees mist toy cars chugged through brown farmlands along black ribbons of road i picked up my car a red volvo from a local retailer specializing in used cars   not used in the sense that all rental cars are but in the more pedestrian sense of old   and drove up route 149 a shady gently curving road that took me to the manor where i would be staying that night there were ponies at the manor these were not the wild ponies that roam the south of gotland but they were ponies nonetheless i petted them in the company of ulrika who runs the property with her partner berra
gotland is about the size of long island forty percent of its nearly 60000 inhabitants live around visby the old port city that has preserved its medieval walls berra was going into town to pick up dinner and i went with him we wound through corkscrew cobblestone streets and he pointed out visbys smallest and most expensive piece of real estate a cottage the size of a billionaires dog house early the next morning i left and for the remainder of my stay sequestered myself in the islands most rural regions valleviken where a maritime themed hotel rose up out of sheer nothingness on a lapping inlet the furillen peninsula the site of an old limestone quarry ekstakusten a jagged curl of nature preserve the idea was to find solitude
outside of visby there is nothing to do in march on gotland nothing is open no bakeries no cafes no restaurants those in the hospitality business close up and travel to thailand others stay behind and work their everyday jobs the quiet is even more pronounced on tiny faro gotlands sister island a seven minute ferry ride to the north which has an official population of 540 both gotland and faro are very flat ringed by rocky shorelines and more rarely sand beaches the coastal landscape is pretty in a wild incommodious way rather like maine
tourists descend in the high season masses of them joining the summer people   politicians media types writers this rhythm exaggerates a typical swedish dilemma how to live in a place of extreme seasons and limited light in the relentlessly sunny summer months the fields explode in wood anemones and the water has i was told a tropical hue nightclubs and festivals draw crowds and people stay out late its one of those classic summer idylls like marthas vineyard or a cooler corsica perfect for hiking or lazing around cafes frying fish sitting on docks one person described the blooming fields of gotland in summertime as bloody with red flowers in the summer there is nothing much to do but look around and store up enough sunlight to last you for the rest of the year
but that is summer and that is gotland at its easiest and most popular in the long months of deep winter the mood freezes and like the sky turns forbidding people hurry home to cocoon themselves indoors to live year round in a place like this you must be very good at being with others and then very good at being alone
if you are a city person as i am it can feel dangerous to be alone in the country for long being alone is a sign that something is about to go wrong perhaps catastrophically so during my stay on gotland and faro i did not make it a habit to stray far from the volvo i did not want to get lost and be unable to find my way back or be brutally murdered   i know about wallander   let alone break an ankle clambering over boulders etc i took brief hunched rambles to stretch my legs and kept driving i spent hours reading inside where it was warm
but being alone can also be a sign that something has already gone wrong   that a disaster has occurred or a mistake in the city if you are alone it is often because you are somewhere you are not supposed to be somewhere no one is supposed to be that feeling of being in error was one i had repeatedly on gotland it was enhanced by the fact that many roads on the islands have no names   a charming rural feature although less so when residents call emergency services and are unable to state their address giving instead some variant of across the way from anderssons barn attempting to follow directions to a disused cement factory one day i found the road disintegrating beneath my wheels demoting itself to field status i pressed on stupidly for a while until i could no longer deny that i was in the mud a drove of hairy cows looked on impassively while i pulled a k turn all the while waiting for a landowner to emerge and scold me for trespassing
no one came
americans expect pretty vistas to be private property this is not the case in sweden where land is open to public access unless marked otherwise and you are often permitted to walk on private grounds sweden is protected by the cultural heritage of allemansratten which guarantees that anyone can swim walk hike or camp as well as pick anything edible pretty much anywhere they choose except where prohibited by law there are a few exceptions for nature preserves and private gardens and so forth but in general the swedes are welcome to roam widely and enjoy the land freely the swedish constitution began protecting this tradition in 1994 but it dates back centuries more than half the country is forested and there is a bounty available to be gathered for those who know where to look   chanterelles nettles lingonberries and wild strawberries in recent years however companies have been criticized for flying in workers from abroad to forage for profit on a mass scale and some farmers have complained about city dwellers who come in for saturday hikes and leave behind trash ideally a forager is resourceful and independent but considerate he picks with the common good in mind taking only what he needs acting like a neighbor rather than a hog
foraging is a leisure activity that is also useful well in line with the key principle of scandinavian design functionalism functionalist design seeks to create products that meet needs that are practical rather than merely decorative in the early 20th century functionalist design was incorporated into swedish social movements so that instead of creating products that were steroidically rational or machinelike scandinavian designers focused on creating interiors that were sunny warm human the environment had a great deal to do with the rise of this outlook geographically isolated and drawing on limited resources scandinavian designers have a minimalist approach that emphasizes meeting needs elegantly and simply
but a local knows where to find what they need   for a tourist it can be more difficult unlike in the city where anonymity is found in the crowd and desires can be gratified with a minimum of friction in the country one winds up depending on others during my trip i was repeatedly thrown into intimacies with proprietors who opened their hotels or restaurants just for me the people i met were exceptionally generous and accommodating the owner of one hotel gave birth to her second child a few hours after leaving me by the fireside
traveling alone grants a kind of freedom a feeling of independence there is no one to consult before pulling off the road at a thatched roof village or a graveyard on gotland you might drive for 5 or 10 kilometers without seeing any motorist and i had every nature preserve i visited all to myself still youll pass someone eventually   even if only an elderly pole walker and when traveling alone you find yourself in interesting experiences that are not of your own design such as being served a three course candelit dinner in the stuffed company of life size dolls and a lunging toy tiger as i was at the slow train bed  breakfast this is a good thing the thrill of doing as one likes wears off so quickly curdling into boredom even despair
both gotland and faro are home to geological formations known as rauks or sea stacks hulking vertical columns that eroded from reef cliffs during the last glacial period on my final morning i visited the rauks at langhammars a preserve on the northern finger of faro tucked under a ridge of windswept scrub the rauk faces are chewed with small holes and spotted with white and green lichen some extend 15 meters high and have the appearance of sculpted profiles others are squat and lumpen one rauk would be frightening like a hanging boulder by michael heizer in scattered installations however they are imposing and austere yet lovely in an impersonal abstract way they cast long shadows on the white rocked shore above me sea birds were honking
ingmar bergman moved to faro in 1967 a photo of him was taken at langhammars in 1976 behind him the sea stacks appear funereal and grim far gloomier than they do in person you may have seen the rauks in his films they are the backdrop to liv ullmann and bibi anderssons mutually infecting madness in persona bergman is said to have enjoyed the solitude of living on faro but his films   for all their existential torment   are not really about solitude or even loneliness they are about the intense pressures and power struggles that are borne in extreme intimacies his characters may desperately desire to get away from each other but are not able to do so any more than any of us can get away from ourselves
the rauks are very nice and i enjoyed them for a spell but they have nothing to do with us   literally dumb rocks they were formed by the persistent thoughtless beating of waves the most absolute rebuke to humanity that nature provides   and for that reason are ultimately less interesting than another rock formation found on gotland the stone ships some think these were laid out by late bronze age people to mark burial grounds there is a spiral of stones tucked in a grove behind the faro lighthouse and though it may not have counted as a stone ship i liked to think that it did
solitude is ultimately an illusion a fantasy that can be enjoyed for a while but must always end in acknowledging others   how they make us who we are in the world we share with our dolls and tigers and all the ghosts of past present and yet to come i passed no cars on the nine kilometer road to langhammars and none on the way back but there were three picnic tables at the site   evidence of the others who had been there and would be back again at another constellation of rauks in lergrav overlooking a string of shuttered fishing stacks stretched along the bay i had the company of four men in neon vests they were cutting and clearing dead branches readying the hillside for the summer people who would soon be on their way


international
because of an editing error an article on feb 22 about suicide attacks by the islamic state that killed more than 100 people in homs syria and a suburb of the syrian capital damascus misidentified the site of two car bombings in homs they struck a major thoroughfare in the city not a neighborhood home the error was corrected online shortly after the article was published but editors failed to follow through with this print correction

the united nations memo article on april 19 about a debate in the general assembly over the wisdom of punitive international drug laws referred incorrectly to the health minister of canada which is considering legalizing marijuana the minister jane philpott is a woman

an article in some editions on april 15 about what the pentagon called the failed launch of a ballistic missile by north korea misstated the name of a south korean news agency that reported the launch it is yonhap not yonghap
business day
an article on thursday about the widening of a fuel economy cheating scandal involving mitsubishi vehicles misstated the surname of the companys chairman in some editions he is osamu masuko not mashiko the error was repeated in some editions in an article on friday about nissan motors decision to buy a substantial stake in mitsubishi

an article on thursday about 365 a new small format whole foods store using information from the company misstated the term used for items that will be available only for short periods of time they are flash finds not green and gold products
the times welcomes comments and suggestions or complaints about errors that warrant correction messages on news coverage can be e mailed to nytnewsnytimescom or left toll free at 1 844 nyt news 1 844 698 6397 comments on editorials may be e mailed to lettersnytimescom or faxed to 212 556 3622
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st louis   brian elliott had another standout game in net david backes and jori lehtera scored goals and the st louis blues opened their first western conference finals in 15 years with a 2 1 victory over the san jose sharks on sunday night
tomas hertl scored on a first period deflection for the sharks who outshot st louis 32 23 but could not quite solve elliott
the sharks were the best road team in the nhl in the regular season at 28 10 3 but have dropped four in a row on the road in these playoffs including all three in the second round against nashville they had seven goals in three road losses to the predators and were 0 for 5 on the power play which had been a major plus san jose had been converting on 33 percent of its power plays in the postseason
the blues made good on their first chance with home ice advantage in the playoffs although they are just 4 4 at scottrade center heading into game 2 on tuesday night
elliott was at his best   and got some luck   in the second period when the blues were outshot by 16 5 but got the lone goal when lehtera scored unassisted elliott benefited from a quick whistle with 1 minute 14 seconds left when he unsuccessfully tried to smother the puck on a long dump in by melker karlsson and it slowly slid between his pads and off his stick into the net just after play had been ruled dead
backes opened the scoring with a deflection tying him with the sharpshooter vladimir tarasenko for the team lead with seven playoff goals backes the blues captain had 21 goals in the regular season
lehteras second goal of the playoffs came off an errant clearing effort by brent burns and closed the scoring lehtera powered through on his shot after chris tierney got a piece of the stick
just 34 seconds elapsed between the opening goal by backes and hertls answering goal which redirected a shot by joe pavelski and sent the puck bouncing past elliott
the blues had just enough despite a third disallowed goal in the playoffs patrik berglunds deflection was waved off because of incidental contact with goalie martin jones a call confirmed after video review


portland ore   thomas mcnamara scored in the 65th minute to give new york city fc a 2 1 victory over the portland timbers on sunday
mcnamaras 20 yard shot curled around goalkeeper jake gleeson and into the upper corner of the net for his third goal of the season
nycfc took the lead in the 12th minute under disputed circumstances defender r j allen appeared to use his hands to knock the ball away from darlington nagbe but no foul was called instead allen sent an inch perfect 30 yard rolling pass into the path of david villa who calmly shot the ball past gleeson for his eighth goal of the season
portland tied it in the 55th minute when fanendo adi fended off a defender and muscled his way into the nycfc penalty area his shot deflected off a defender and beat goalkeeper josh saunders it was adis eighth goal of the season tying him for the league lead with villa and sebastian giovinco of toronto
nycfc 4 3 4 has won three straight tied for the longest in the teams short history and moved into a tie for first place in the eastern conference with montreal at 16 points
portland the defending mls cup champion continues to struggle early in the season the timbers 3 6 3 have lost three in a row and sit second from the bottom in the western conference with 12 points


manchester citys priority on sunday was securing fourth place in englands premier league to qualify for the champions league
in manuel pellegrinis last league match in charge city tied host swansea 1 1 but a 19 goal difference means it cannot realistically be caught by its rival manchester united which is 3 points back in the standings with a game to play
at uniteds stadium old trafford the police dismantled a fake bomb on what was supposed to be the final day of the leagues season the threat forced the cancellation of uniteds game against bournemouth before it began
the game was rescheduled for tuesday night in manchester
leicester already crowned the top tier champion for the first time in the clubs 132 year history completed its season with a 1 1 draw at chelsea
a feud simmering since jose bautistas bat flip in an american league division series last year boiled over into a wild brawl in the final game of the season between toronto and texas a 7 6 victory for the host rangers
bautista of toronto and texas second baseman rougned odor got into a fistfight behind the bag after a hard slide by bautista in the eighth inning players from both teams rushed the field as odor landed the first punch to bautistas face
i was pretty surprised bautista said i mean obviously thats the only reason that he got me and he got me pretty good so i have to give him that it takes a little bit bigger man to knock me down
odor was not available for comment after the game
umpires needed about 10 minutes to restore order and blue jays reliever jesse chavez hit prince fielder with the next pitch when the game resumed he was ejected with both teams having been warned when bautista was hit by a pitch from matt bush
toronto manager john gibbons accounted for one of eight ejections from the game after an argument in the third inning but he was back on the field during the brawl the first base coach tim leiper was tossed in a separate argument in the third and the bench coach demarlo hale filling in for gibbons was ejected when chavez 0 1 hit fielder
ian desmond hit a three run homer in the seventh to give bush a 30 year old rookie his first major league win two days after he made his major league debut
athletic hits three homers danny valencia hit three home runs including a two run shot in the ninth inning as visiting oakland edged the tampa bay rays 7 6
matt kenseth held off kyle larson in a thrilling run down the stretch to win the crash filled aaa 400 at dover international speedway in delaware
kenseth raced to his first sprint cup victory of the season and denied larson his first career win
kenseth and larson battled for parts of the final five laps and kenseth the 2003 nascar champion picked all the right lines and pulled away at the end chase elliott finished third the top finish of his rookie season larson matched his career best finish
teenager wins in spain max verstappen of red bull became formula ones youngest race winner at age 18 with a victory at the spanish grand prix in barcelona the mercedes teammates lewis hamilton and nico rosberg the favorites had crashed into each other on the first lap
kimi raikkonen of ferrari was second and his teammate sebastian vettel third
the title defense of the heavyweight deontay wilder against the russian challenger alexander povetkin was postponed by the world boxing council after povetkin failed a drug test wilders promoter said the fight could be canceled altogether
the wbc said the fight which had been set for may 21 in moscow was off pending an investigation with no backup date
povetkins promoter said the substance found in the test in april was meldonium
wilder a 36 0 american was to make his fourth defense of the belt he won against bermane stiverne in january 2015 for povetkin 30 1 it was to be his first world title challenge since losing a unanimous decision to wladimir klitschko in 2013
germany beat the united states 3 2 on a last minute goal by korbinian holzer at the ice hockey world championship in st petersburg russia putting the americans qualification for the quarterfinals in doubt
the defeat the united states third in six games left the team in fourth in group b one place behind germany with one game remaining against fifth place slovakia the top four advance to the quarterfinals
germany took the lead on a power play goal by patrick hager in the first period before jake mccabe tied the game for the americans germany responded quickly with a goal by christian ehrhoff
a power play goal by auston matthews early in the second period tied the score 2 2 but holzer scored with 30 seconds remaining in the third
in moscow denmark beat the czech republic 2 1 in a shootout
the italian gianluca brambilla retained the overall lead in the giro ditalia through the ninth stage as the slovenian primoz roglic won a rainy individual time trial for his first grand tour stage victory
roglic who was beaten by 001 of a second in the opening time trial had the advantage of drier roads before the rain began to fall on the hilly 25 mile route from radda to greve in italy the heart of the tuscan red wine making region
roglic finished in 51 minutes 45 seconds to claim a stage win in his first grand tour since switching from ski jumping to cycling
sagan wins stage in california the world champion peter sagan of slovakia unleashed his powerful sprint at the last possible moment overcoming wouter wippert and dylan groenewegen to win the opening stage of the tour of california in san diego
phil jackson the president of the knicks met with frank vogel recently to discuss the teams coaching vacancy according to a person briefed on their discussion
vogel was fired as the coach of the indiana pacers this month after the team lost its first round playoff series against the toronto raptors in six seasons with the pacers vogel had a 250 181 record and led the team to the playoffs five times including two appearances in the eastern conference finals
but vogels contract was not renewed by larry bird the team president bird told reporters that he was troubled by the pacers lack of scoring under vogel
kurt rambis who took over as the knicks interim coach after jackson fired derek fisher in february is still believed to be the front runner for the job jackson has also met with david blatt the former coach of the cleveland cavaliers
jacksons meeting with vogel was first reported by the daily news
scott cacciola
russia facing deepening scrutiny over accusations that it orchestrated a doping campaign during the sochi olympics in 2014 made a public plea for its track and field athletes to be allowed to compete in this summers games
writing in the sunday times a british newspaper the russian sports minister said russian officials coaches and athletes made serious mistakes but he stopped short of specifying them or admitting to any state role
we are very sorry that athletes who tried to deceive us and the world were not caught sooner wrote the sports minister vitaly mutko we are very sorry because russia is committed to upholding the highest standards in sport and is opposed to anything that threatens the olympic values
but he added it cannot be right that clean athletes should suffer for the behavior of others in no other walk of life would this happen
the accusations of an elaborate drug operation at the 2014 winter olympics published last week in the new york times have led to growing calls to bar russia and its powerhouse track and field team from the rio games which are set to open in august
mike mcphate


fort mitchell ky   hillary clinton already has an assignment for her husband bill clinton if they return to the white house next year the former president mrs clinton told voters on sunday will be in charge of revitalizing the economy
because you know he knows how to do it she said especially in places like coal country and inner cities and other parts of our country that have really been left out
mrs clinton mentioned her idea for her husband while speaking at a rally outside a home in northern kentucky earlier this month she said she had told mr clinton that he would need to come out of retirement to help put people back to work
mrs clinton spent sunday campaigning in kentucky ahead of its democratic primary on tuesday at the rally here she cited the economic success of her husbands presidency while outlining her own plans she also emphasized her commitment to supporting workers in the coal industry which has a major presence in kentucky just as it does in west virginia where mrs clinton lost the primary last week to senator bernie sanders of vermont
she alienated some voters when she said in march were going to put a lot of coal miners and coal companies out of business she made the comment while talking about renewable energy adding that coal miners should not be overlooked but the sound bite has haunted her and when she visited coal country in west virginia this month protesters chanted go home
on sunday mrs clinton emphasized her desire to help coal miners
we cant and we must not walk away from them she said i feel such a sense of obligation


so now the mets are coming home to play the washington nationals on tuesday in the first meeting this season between the two best teams in the national league east
except for the inconvenient fact that the mets are in third place trailing the first place nationals and the surprising philadelphia phillies and feeling a little down after going 4 7 on a long trip out west
the mets still have a 21 16 record this season a game and a half behind the nationals and things might have been better had they managed to beat the rockies in denver on sunday to avoid a weekend sweep instead they lost 4 3
with jacob degrom on the mound the mets took a 3 2 lead into the bottom of the seventh but with one out and a runner on second manager terry collins pulled degrom and brought in jim henderson who promptly surrendered a two run pinch hit homer to ryan raburn that gave the rockies the lead and the game
a half inning later the mets had a rally of sorts going   juan lagares on second and yoenis cespedes on first with one out   when lucas duda hit a roller to colorado third baseman nolan arenado
arenado reached to tag lagares as he ran toward third but clearly missed him then threw to first to get duda the third base umpire carlos torres did not signal that lagares had run out of the baseline to dodge arenados tag attempt so it seemed he was safe at third cespedes was on second and there were two outs
however the second base umpire rob drake ruled that lagares had indeed run out of the baseline and called him out double play inning over and shortly after the game as well
replays showed that lagares appeared to have stayed in the baseline but the call was not reviewable
it was that kind of weekend for the mets drake was apparently wrong on sunday and on saturday night it was torres umpiring behind the plate who hurt the mets with a bad call he ruled that the rockies tony wolters had foul tipped a two strike pitch from the mets logan verrett
replays showed that wolters had clearly swung and missed at a pitch in the dirt and should have been out but a foul tip ruling is not reviewable either wolters given another chance hit a two run bases loaded double that gave the rockies a 5 1 lead
after that game which the mets lost 7 4 collins was steamed about the foul tip call on sunday after the ruling that went against lagares he was more subdued maybe he and his team were tapped out by the long trip
it was a trip that included a major highlight   the first home run of bartolo colons career at the age of 42   and a powerful performance by pitcher noah syndergaard who beat the los angeles dodgers in a game in which he also hit two home runs
but the trip also included disconcerting news the left hander steven matzs arm was sore so was david wrights shoulder and syndergaard had had his right elbow checked matz said on saturday that he felt fine but a medical exam awaits him in new york wrights soreness could explain the low intensity submarine style throws he now often makes to first base
wright is not hitting much either but he does have a strong on base percentage 373 because he is drawing walks 25 matz has been pitching well and so has syndergaard degrom is 3 1 this season with a 250 earned run average after sundays game but he has not looked anywhere near as overpowering as he did in 2015 perhaps because he like matt harvey is dealing with the effects of a heavy workload last season
on sunday degrom gave up four hits and struck out three batters there were also a bunch of hard hit balls that were caught
in other words degrom was decent but nothing special as are the third place mets


caracas venezuela   the colombian government and the countrys largest rebel group announced on sunday that they had reached an agreement to release child soldiers from rebel custody an important step in peace negotiations which are in their final stages
the deal with the revolutionary armed forces of colombia known as farc could involve hundreds of children who were recruited to fight in colombias long civil war though no census of child soldiers has ever been taken
one of the biggest horrors of a conflict is when we drag our children and young people into combat said humberto de la calle a chief government negotiator its for this reason that this agreement is a crucial advance in the process of bringing this war to a close
according to the terms of the agreement farc and the government would soon determine an immediate exit for those under 15 and develop a road map for an exit for the remaining minors those between 15 and 18
the government and farc would be assisted by unicef
farc has said in the past that it no longer recruits child soldiers but during a visit this year by a new york times reporter to a rebel camp minors said guerrilla fighters had taken them into custody in recent months
analysts say that reintegrating the former child soldiers into mainstream society will be a crucial test of the success of colombias peace deal many fear that ex guerrilla fighters could be recruited by criminal groups former child soldiers say they have struggled in their new lives outside the camps and often think of returning
in a statement farc said it did not enlist those younger than 15
however when the war intensified many arrived whose fathers had been killed by paramilitary violence or simply had fled mistreatment and had no futures the statement said in these cases we gave them refuge and protection that orphanhood and poverty denied them
negotiators say they are in the final phase of talks and hope to announce a cease fire before the start of the summer the two sides missed a deadline in march however and say many disagreements remain


metuchen nj   walk the halls of the senior residence at st peter the apostle and you can see remnants of the convent that once was
the modestly sized rooms hold only single beds the round topped design of some windows hints at the stained glass that once filled their frames the former chapel transformed quite handily into a library and sitting room an old confessional now serves as a medicine closet
the nonprofit organization build with purpose opened this boarding home style residence for older adults in river edge in 2013 the first of what it hopes will be many other converted buildings like it in new jersey
the mission is to find shuttered buildings that can convert easily into housing for the states aging population the nonprofit based in metuchen is renovating another convent in edison into a similar congregate home and it has plans to open 100 new units of senior housing in 1000 days hoping to change not only former convents but also decommissioned school buildings and some of the abandoned motels that line the jersey shore
were looking for the kind of real estate that best lends itself to use as senior housing brian keenan president of build with purpose told the record of woodland park
repurposing is the name this charity uses but the strategy   also called adaptive reuse   is a trend that has recently taken hold in new jersey although it can sometimes face as many financing and bureaucratic hurdles as developing a vacant lot affordable housing experts say
in montvale the united way of bergen county is transforming a long shuttered school into a 10 apartment building for older adults a renovation expected to cost 16 million to 2 million because the classrooms are about the size needed for the one bedroom apartments they are scheduled to become building from scratch could have cost more like 3 million and this is certainly greener thomas m toronto president of the organization said
similarly three burlington county schools were converted into apartment buildings for the elderly in the past few years by an ecumenical housing organization
affordable housing for older adults and others with special needs remains in high demand in north jersey with spaces often filling up before the buildings open and waiting lists stretching several years long affordable housing developers often bemoan the high cost of land and the lack of centrally located open spaces that are better suited to those in need of supportive services
transforming schools convents and motels makes the most sense because the original buildings are often the right size and layout to convert into housing mr keenan said
our mission is to find a new purpose for abandoned properties he said the question we try to answer with every project is how do we use real estate for social change
the organization spent 11 million to renovate and convert st peters convent into a building with 24 private bedrooms shared bathrooms a community dining room and a number of other shared living spaces such as the library a television room a sunroom a front porch and a basement with a pool table building such a dwelling from scratch could have cost 5 million or more mr keenan estimates
the decision to convert the convent into a shared living space rather than carve it into separate apartments was made not only because it made architectural sense but also because build with purpose sees a need for a more diverse range of housing options for older adults mr keenan said
while the elderly in bergen and passaic counties might desire separate units because they are accustomed to living on their own mr keenan believes their health and well being might improve from being in a more communal setting where residents can rely not only on each other but also on the buildings 24 hour staff
its worked out very well said one resident fran mckee who moved in two years ago
ms mckee acknowledged that eating every meal in a common dining room and spending so much time around others definitely took some getting used to but she has come to really appreciate the ties to fellow residents and to st peters elementary school whose students visit often and invite the residents to their school plays and other events
the homes porch looks out on the school playground and plans are in the works for a therapeutic garden which the residents and the children could plant and maintain together
many places where seniors live are isolated said another resident ray c levie who moved to st peters in august but were surrounded by kids
with the catholic church being the second largest landowner in new jersey mr keenan is hopeful that his organization can team up with more church leaders to find new purposes for the many schools convents and rectories built in the 1950s and 60s   for the baby boom generation that was school aged then
now 50 60 years later that same population is becoming older and these same buildings could be used to serve their current needs mr keenan


beirut lebanon   the syrian government allowed hundreds of students to leave two besieged areas near damascus to take their year end exams over the weekend even as other suburbs of the capital came under fierce attack
the government is eager to show that it is still providing services salaries and pensions amid a devastating war including to areas it does not control
on saturday and sunday government forces allowed about 360 students from the rebel held damascus suburb of moadamiyeh and 68 students from the rebel held town of madaya to travel to government areas to take their high school exams according to activists and state media
both moadamiyeh and madaya are besieged by government forces who have allowed relief groups only limited access despite reports that civilians have died from starvation and lack of medical care
the ninth graders from madaya who went to the nearby government held town of rawda on saturday were searched by soldiers at the first checkpoint outside the town said wafiqa hashem a teacher at the mohammad nassif secondary school in madaya
eighty percent of students in madaya have missed stretches of class in the last school year because of hunger or cold weather ms hashem said she said that during the worst periods of the siege only five or six students would attend class at a time doctors without borders reported 16 siege related deaths in madaya in january alone
they were fighting for their lives but they will make all efforts to pass their exams ms hashem said
schools also struggled with power cuts and other shortages
since the government began allowing aid into the town this year the health of students has improved they are playing sports again ms hashem said but teachers have not had time to catch up on their curriculums
the united nations and international relief organizations are calling on the government the islamic state group and rebels to allow sustained and unfettered access to the nearly half a million people   mostly civilians   trapped in besieged areas around the country
syrias education minister hazwan al wuz hailed the first week of exams as a rejection of the ignorance that the nations enemies are striving for according to state media the state media reported that rebels in eastern aleppo prohibited students from crossing into government held western aleppo to take their finals


fort salonga ny   cody stillwagon dreamed of cooking but he was stuck washing dishes
last month however mr stillwagon 19 of east northport ny was slicing vegetables and fruits in a professional kitchen mr stillwagon has autism which in past jobs kept him at the sink now he works at cause cafe a business on the north shore of long island created to provide jobs and training for adults with cognitive disabilities
stacey wohl whose daughter and son have autism started employing people with disabilities through her wholesale coffee line our coffee with a cause but when sales slowed she and her mother susan schultz decided to open the brick and mortar cause cafe here
i didnt know what was going to be for their future ms wohl said of her children brittney 18 and logan 16 theres nothing for kids like them to do theyd wind up in a sheltered workshop putting bottle tops on things
when children with autism age out of public school at 21 their options are limited its called falling off the cliff ms wohl of northport ny said at 22 theres no services
anna trent is the director of vocational services at lifes worc a nonprofit organization that helps people with developmental disabilities in queens nassau and suffolk counties find employment
people have certain images about people with disabilities and unless theyre exposed to it theyre not able to open their minds to the abilities versus the disabilities she said
at cause cafe which recently opened about half of the 15 staff members have disabilities some choose to work only in the kitchen   to start at least   while others take orders and serve customers the cafe is open from 8 am to 3 pm tuesdays through sundays the menu includes french inspired pastries and wraps   like the marseilles with lemon herb hummus avocado cucumber and tomato   and offers gluten free and dairy free options
toby eagle a retired chiropractor from nearby smithtown ny heard about the cafe from friends and bought two bags of pastries and miscellaneous goods before sitting down to breakfast we think this is so wonderful because theres so many special needs young people and it provides viable options for them ms eagle said and an extra bonus we love that a lot of the foods organic and healthy
on mondays the staff works with cheryl mendelsohn a psychologist from northport and the director of training for the cafe on skills such as managing time setting goals and interacting with others dr mendelsohn and janet london a speech pathologist from northport create step by step breakdowns of the tasks that need to be done dr mendelsohn also has a to do list for employees to use during lulls
the main thing is to get these people job training and get them out of the house and make them feel useful dr mendelsohn said these are some of the hardest working people ive ever seen
many people with autism do well with hands on repetitive tasks ms london said
they need very specific structured situations that cater to their very very specific needs she said sitting at a corner table in the cafe eating the omelet of the day but no matter how severe the child is they understand doing a good job they understand being appreciated
young adults with disabilities can thrive in an appropriate environment she said adding we all need meaningful work
but make no mistake cause cafe is a business jobs are earned standards are set
we are hoping to show the world that these young adults can work and get paid and be productive ms wohl said
in fact a year ago in schenectady ny sara mae hickey opened puzzles bakery  cafe which also provides job opportunities for adults with disabilities puzzles employs about 20 people and 10 interns about half of them have special needs the waiting list for employment is 600 applicants long
i have people contact me every day saying can you open a puzzles in ohio can you open a puzzles in alabama ms hickey said theres a great need for this all around the country all around the world
in fort salonga when mr stillwaters parents asked about a job ms wohl had no openings his parents said he would volunteer as some of the workers do to gain experience and build a resume but ms wohl was so impressed once she saw him working that she offered him a paid position
claudia mullers son william 23 of northport has autism and went on many unsuccessful interviews before landing a job at cause cafe
when they age out at 21 youre scrambling ms muller said im just very excited for him to have a purpose in life
matt hendrickson 36 of northport who has worked at a print shop and as a custodian at a church said he felt pressured in past work environments
a lot of other jobs you kind of have to be more like everyone else to really fit in mr hendrickson who has aspergers syndrome said here were able to be ourselves and not feel uncomfortable just letting what we have come out


london   silvia luis from portugal is thinking of attending university in scotland sandra martinsone a latvian said she might apply for citizenship or buy property julie miquerol from france has sped up her plans to open a start up company in spain
they like some 13 million citizens from other european union countries between the ages of 18 and 35 who live in britain are hedging their bets and pondering strategies just in case britain votes to leave the european union on june 23
for years britains relatively vibrant economy has attracted a steady flow of young people fleeing a lack of opportunity in their home countries on the continent london in particular is full of young europeans who have helped give the city its dynamic global feel from entrepreneurs bankers and fashion designers to artists waiters and students all are free to resettle in britain and make their futures here without so much as a visa
no one knows for sure what would happen to them if britain voted to leave the european union   their immigration status would have to be worked out in the negotiations that would follow   but the debate itself has left some of the young people feeling fearful frustrated and even angry
maybe im too much of a drama queen but i feel that its such a bold statement against immigrants and europeans said alejandro macias 31 a spaniard who lived in germany before moving to britain to work in an audience research company
if britain votes out three quarters of citizens from other european union countries who are working in the country would not meet current visa requirements for overseas workers according to a report by the migration observatory at oxford university the impact would be greatest for workers in agriculture and the hospitality industry it said
there are concerns that london in particular would suffer if the flow of skilled immigrants fell about a million european union citizens from other countries work in london a city of more than 85 million people
young europeans interviewed for this article said they were worried that they may no longer be able to live and work in britain entrepreneurs many of whom flocked to london because of the relative ease of creating start ups said they were concerned that they may have to put their business plans on hold
some said they might leave if britain rejected the european union while others were scrambling to apply for british citizenship or get full time employment before the june deadline
rose carey the head of immigration at charles russell speechlys a global law firm based in london said she had seen an unprecedented amount of applications for british citizenship in the last few months
historically eu nationals didnt really bother applying for a british passport she said it used to be a couple a year to now five queries a week
there is so much uncertainty about the consequences of withdrawing from the european union that they just want to get the passport so it doesnt matter what will happen to britain ms carey said
she said she did not expect the government to just kick out all the european nationals living here but to put in place transitional arrangements to protect the people who are already here
many fear that working out new arrangements country by country could be cumbersome and devilishly complicated russell king an academic who researches young european immigrants in britain said there was a high level of concern among young people over the vote often referred to as brexit
they are very active in taking measures to make sure they will be able to stay to actively prove their worth to the uk and to the economy he said theyre not passive and waiting to see what will happen they are engaging in pre emptive strategies to maximize their opportunities to stay
indeed the contortions many young people have gone through to get here may now be matched only by the schemes they are hatching to remain even though no one really knows exactly what steps yet to take
ms luiss path to london is emblematic of the migratory patterns of young people seeking greener pastures while much of the continent is struggling
she grew up in cascais portugal and was the first in her family to learn english and attend a university her father a manual laborer moved to france for a more stable job and to help pay for his daughters studies
eight months ago she packed her bags for london because her university in lisbon could not muster the funds to run a masters course in the field she wants to enter criminal psychology
she started working at pod a london sandwich shop   in the kitchen first because her english was not good   but eventually graduated to working at the cash register and dealing with customers after her language skills improved
desperate to stay in britain ms luis 23 said she hoped to be accepted by a top ranked criminal psychology program at a scottish university she said scotland was especially appealing to her because scots seemed determined to stay in the european union and have threatened to hold a second independence referendum on breaking away from the united kingdom should britain vote to leave
but none of that is guaranteed
of course im worried ms luis said referring to brexit i want to stay here to work and have my career she added that friends who had stayed back home were in dead end jobs and that i dont want to be like that
if britain votes out someone like her would not be here and may not be eligible to remain
current immigration rules require non european union nationals to have graduate level skill sets and a minimum salary of 20800 british pounds per year to be eligible for what is known as a tier 2 visa to work in britain the government plans to raise the salary threshold to PS30000 or about 43000 by next spring
the requirement of working in a graduate level occupation combined with the earnings thresholds mean that most jobs in the uk labor market do not currently qualify for tier 2 visas the report by the migration observatory said
even those with high level skills are making plans in case of brexit   and even plan bs and cs
proficient in five languages ms martinsone 34 who is from a rural town in latvia started her career at latvias foreign ministry but took a sabbatical to pursue a masters degree in political economy in britain in 2008
when the financial crisis struck she was asked not to return she said because the ministry could no longer afford her she worked for several months in restaurants but felt embarrassed by having to polish knives and forks she used her experiences to blog about britains service industry for a latvian audience
it became quite depressing she said especially as i had just gotten my masters degree
yet in the midst of tough job market ms martinsone felt strangely comforted by the knowledge that other workers had good degrees too i felt im not the only one though it did not make me less eager to prove that i could be valued in london
she now works at a charity and said she was considering applying for british citizenship and buying property to forestall the potential consequences of brexit which would be quite dramatic
if you own something you might be treated differently she said
short of citizenship the potential complications have some young entrepreneurs considering leaving altogether
julie miquerol 30 moved to london seven years ago from champagne france she recalled how she had started out living in a room too tiny to fit even a desk little by little she worked her way up first to a bigger room and now to a full apartment
today she runs her own events company which caters to french tourists in britain london is a very tough city because life is very very expensive she said but really if you make it in london you make it everywhere
still even after so much sacrifice talk of britains exit caused her to accelerate plans for a sister start up in barcelona spain where the european unions rules would protect her
that the referendum is taking place at all has deeply offended many londoners from other european countries who are not allowed to vote and feel they have contributed a great deal to the life of a deeply international city
i cant avoid taking it personally mr macias the spaniard said he spends his evenings tearing up leaflets that call for britain to leave europe he said
the british speak as if theyre their own continent floating in the middle of the sea he added youre european deal with it


the annual television upfront presentations for advertisers begin monday in which the broadcast networks will introduce new shows along with two newish entertainment presidents glenn geller at cbs who got his job last year and abcs channing dungey who took over in february heres a rundown of each networks previous season and what will be promoted this week
whats working business as usual here cbs was the most watched network for the 13th time in the last 14 years   by as wide a margin as nearly three million viewers   and finished on top for the 18 to 49 year old demographic as well which is important to advertisers the big bang theory in its ninth season was once again the no 1 comedy on tv and ncis was the most viewed drama for the seventh consecutive year other perennials like blue bloods criminal minds and survivor still perform well
whats not though the network continues to ride its thoroughbreds it has been a few years since it has introduced a meaningful hit csi cyber the last spinoff from that franchise was canceled after two sluggish seasons the comedy angel from hell was canceled and other comedic efforts fizzled beyond a solid first season from life in pieces and though supergirl started off strong its viewership has declined and now the show will be shuffled over to cbss cousin network the cw
what to look for this week cbs will introduce new comedies with two stars kevin james in kevin can wait and matt leblanc in man with a plan and a few reboots macgyver based on the 1980s show and training day based on the 2001 movie the network will also promote its star trek revival which is being devised for its stand alone app cbs all access
whats working empire continues to deliver though it slowed a bit in its second season it will finish as the no 1 show among adults under 50 the six episode run of the x files turned out to be surprisingly muscular it brought in meaningful ratings and fox executives are hopeful that there will be plenty more episodes going forward fox also managed to climb out of the basement among the big four networks and will finish in third place in the 18 to 49 demographic
whats not two big comedy debuts   the grinder and grandfathered   received nice reviews but were canceled after poor ratings minority report was likewise let go after one year and even if scream queens is popular among a younger audience and will get a second season it did not make any lasting impression on the ratings particularly considering the lengthy and expensive marketing blitz it received
what to look for this week with american idol shutting down fox is going to have a lot of hours to fill and it plans on doing it with reboot mania projects include reboots for 24 prison break lethal weapon and the exorcist fox will also have another show star from lee daniels the creator of empire and there will be one surefire ratings boon that will be talked up at its presentation fox will broadcast the super bowl in february
whats working abcs lineup of comedies with diverse casts like black ish and fresh off the boat continues to give the network an identity thursday night remains strong thanks to shonda rhimes even if how to get away with murder and scandal showed signs of wear and tear this year quantico had a solid debut and qualifies as the networks standout first year show
whats not abc said goodbye to paul lee its entertainment president in february the network experienced the biggest losses in viewers and in the 18 to 49 demographic among the networks percentage drops of 14 percent and 18 percent it canceled several new shows like wicked city the first network show to be axed this season the muppets one of the seasons biggest flops and the veteran series castle and nashville
what to look for this week abc will introduce ms dungey the first black network president ms dungeys new lineup will include the kiefer sutherland drama designated survivor about a low level united states cabinet member who takes over the presidency after a large scale attack abc will also pick up a period drama from ms rhimes still star crossed about the montagues and the capulets after the deaths of romeo and juliet
whats working for the first time in a few years quite a bit in what was an otherwise anemic year for rookie network shows blindspot was the clear winner among the first year class dick wolfs chicago based franchise continues to prosper and little big shots was the breakout reality hit of the year the voice remains a very strong performer and the wiz live was a win for the networks annual live musical series over all if cbs had not had the super bowl nbc would have finished the year in first place in the 18 to 49 demographic
whats not the neil patrick harris variety show best time ever was an expensive flop though the network has shown progress with the critically praised superstore and the carmichael show the comedy cupboard is otherwise empty the eva longoria show telenovela did not work nor did a reboot heroes reborn
what to look for this week this years upfront presentation will include all of nbcuniversals properties not just the broadcast networks but nbc is trying to bring its comedy rolls back to life with the good place a show from the parks and recreation co creator michael schur starring ted danson and great news produced by tina fey the network has high hopes for timeless a time travel thriller and the costly drama emerald city the celebrity apprentice will return without donald j trump arnold schwarzenegger is the new host mr wolfs chicago justice will represent his fifth show in nbcs lineup


for decades the annual television industry ritual known as the upfronts has gone the same way
thousands of advertising and television executives trudge between new yorks great cultural centers   carnegie hall radio city music hall lincoln center   where network executives screen premieres of their hottest new shows 24 legacy on fox designated survivor on abc trot out their biggest stars jennifer lopez kerry washington and disclose which programs will go where on the prime time schedules being set for the fall
after successive nights of upscale hedonism   steaks at peter luger mango chili martinis at tao and nicki minaj at terminal 5   the ad people and the tv people get down to the real business of cutting deals for the 30 second spots that run during prime times commercial breaks
but when the whole shebang kicks off in earnest on monday morning there will be an underlying sense of seasickness because of the inexorable existential question that now faces television this time of year how long can it go on like this
this queasiness was your doing
maybe it was when you flipped your television input over to your apple tv last night to watch the commercial free house of cards on netflix or when you perused the recorded version of saturday night live after work on monday and fast forwarded through every real ad maybe you forgot tv altogether and watched youtube instead
when you started using all the new technology to watch shows on your own terms and to stop viewing commercials you threw into question the modus operandi of a roughly 70 billion industry that has been remarkably stable for decades the billions give television the room to maintain business as usual in the middle of this change tsunami in a way that say newspapers cant but some sort of reckoning seems inevitable
in the not too long run network television could come to look nothing like it does today maybe you will be surfing apps instead of channels as the apple chief executive tim cook predicts skipping between shows that dont have commercial breaks or hard and fast 30  and 60 minute time limits
that would have big consequences for those who have stuff to sell and who still view television ads as the best way to do it   and equally big consequences for traditional televisions gatekeepers
in the short term as in this coming week of television brinkmanship bets on where it will all end up and how much of a reckoning is already upon us will drive the negotiations for what could be more than 9 billion in advance advertising purchases for the coming fall season
the opening move came from magna global one of the biggest ad buying firms in the world which told the wall street journal two weeks ago that it was shifting 250 million of its clients ad dollars to youtube from traditional television
thats a fraction of the many billions magna spends on television every year for clients that include coca cola and fiat chrysler automobiles but it was a large enough diversion of television dollars to digital media to be of real symbolic importance magna pointed to declines in old fashioned television viewing among those between the ages of 18 and 49 who are important to advertisers
what we are trying to do is signal to the market that it is not business as usual david cohen the united states president of magna global told me last week consumers have over the past several years been migrating away from linear television and we need to acknowledge that
network television executives saw the announcement as something else a savvy negotiating ploy just as the upfronts were to begin they could point to motive
for all the talk like mine in this column about the future of television advertising in the here and now industry executives and analysts expect ad rates to spike in the coming upfront deals for the first time in several years
david f poltrack cbss chief research officer says this is partly because advertisers went too far last year enthralled with digital advertising they committed to less commercial time in the upfronts disappointing retail sales in 2015 followed
economists pointed to factors like rising health care costs and stagnant wages but mr poltrack said the advertising pullback had a role too
advertisers seemed to agree at least in part especially amid debate about the true reach of digital media as american express told advertising age last month it found that the effect of one day of broadcast advertising was equal to that of two weeks of digital and over the ensuing months advertisers jumped back into television to find higher prices than they would have paid had they spent more to begin with
mr poltrack said it augurs a strong upfront driven by a fundamental lesson if less people see your advertising you will sell less things
still theres the question of who will actually see your advertising given that its now easier than ever to tune that advertising out television executives like mr poltrack are spending a whole lot of time studying that
some findings are counterintuitive for instance mr poltrack said two thirds of viewers watch with a second screen either in their hands or on their lap yet those screens can be so distracting that their users forget to fast forward past the ads in recorded shows it turns out viewers are overwhelmingly absorbing the messages coming from the tv even as they stare at the other devices mr poltrack said
nielsen data does show that those between the ages of 18 and 49 skip fewer than half the ads in recorded shows 42 percent but two different sets of nielsen data i saw also showed their overall commercial viewing down by 8 or 11 percent this television season depending on how you slice it compared with last year
those numbers cause people like joe marchese the executive leading the fox networks groups effort to develop new approaches to advertising such as offering audiences an option to view one interactive ad at the start of a show in exchange for no more advertising interruptions thereafter to declare as he did to me last week the social contract is broken with the consumer   they dont want to watch the ads
and it explains the sense of urgency i found on the 51st floor of 30 rockefeller plaza on thursday morning where nbcuniversals chairwoman of advertising sales linda yaccarino was overseeing the final touches on nbcuniversals upfront presentation
ms yaccarino was planning the biggest change in decades to the way nbc does its presentation instead of walking advertisers through nbcs nightly schedule in isolation it will focus instead on which combinations of shows on nbc nbcs sister cable networks and cable on demand systems like that of its parent comcast will reach particular audiences it will throw in options from its investment partners buzzfeed and vox media too
you will not hear monday night at 8 tuesday at 9 she said youre going to see our content presented the way audiences seek it out and consume it
she is operating under the assumption that todays robust commercial breaks will not be around in their current form much longer i tell my whole team were hanging on to them by our fingernails she said
thats why nbc announced last month that it would remove about 30 percent of the commercial time from saturday night live next season it will seek to make the money back by giving advertisers occasional opportunities to sponsor bits based on whatever it is theyre selling if its done right and one assumes the snl producer lorne michaels will accept no less the audience wont even notice the sponsorship which could come as a spoof based on the advertisers product
and thats where it comes back to us   and i say us because i too prefer my television ad free with the exception of shows on public television or subscription services like netflix and hbo commercials pay for the shows we like if we cut that off we push television executives into new levels of subliminal trickery maybe well decide thats a fair trade


the television industry is focusing a great deal of attention on millennials these days billions of dollars are in play along with the reputations of industry executives who view this vast diverse generation   generally defined as those born between 1977 and 1995   as the hot consumers of choice in a bewilderingly changing business
it is as if the companies are throwing a bunch of money at the millennial wall hoping some of it sticks verizon communications and hearst have teamed up to produce two new multiplatform online video channels one aimed at millennials from the heartland whoever those are conde nast entertainment has come up with a demographic called the cultured millennial whose members apparently prefer artisanal beer to kegs unveiling its new streaming service hbonow hbo said it would be a heat seeking millennial missile
but what as freud might have asked if he lived in america in 2016 do millennials want does anyone really know is it fair to lump together a group of people ages 21 to 39 i was curious i decided to conduct my own nonscientific study of millennials and their attitudes toward television
it is not hard to find a millennial there are 798 million in the united states at the brooklyn roasting companys branch in clinton hill brooklyn for instance i found one right there at the counter arguing with the barista about what refill means he was not free to talk but rob szypko 25 who was looking up stuff on his laptop had a moment he took off his headphones
i struggle with the term millennial he said maybe this is a very millennial thing to say but i dont feel im of the same mind as everyone else just because i happened to be born in the same 15 year life span
he had a point older people tend to lump millennials together as basically a huge mysterious group of entitled young people on their phones all the time theyre fun to mock just as the baby boomers and generation x were mocked back in the day
i think theres something wrong with this generation says jack donaghy the 30 rock character played by alec baldwin when a millennial job applicant announces that he has to leave for his ironic kickball league and that he is not interested in this position unless im going to be constantly praised
unlike that person or say the constantly plugged in constantly high constantly hapless millennial protagonists of broad city mr szypko pronounced zip co already has a respectable job   he works in city government but he does not own a television set he mostly watches shows on netflix and hulu he wont commit to a series unless he is sure its going to be good he does not like to be told what he likes
one of the things people chafe at is the sense that other people are curating things for them he said speaking of his age group if netflix says hey rob we think you might like this title and its too on the nose it removes part of the fun of discovering an experience for yourself if i dont have to scroll past the second line of my netflix page to find what i want something is wrong
leaving mr szypko to his devices i set out for williamsburg another millennial heavy section of brooklyn i found two   austin mcallister and ryley pogensky both 26   on a street corner trying to attract the attention of their friend danielle who was crossing the street 20 feet away with her headphones on she did not respond even when all three of us shouted so they sent her a text message to alert her to our location
people have a far reaching idea of who millennials are but i dont know what that word means ms mcallister a singer said
mr pogensky who identified himself as an editor at a millennial media company was dismissive of tv programs attempting to portray his generation girls for instance they try far too hard   that notion of the over millenniated hipster he said they use like slang that no one uses that your dad would use he said
lol ms mcallister said
shes using that sarcastically rather than in reality mr pogensky said
they have televisions but they do not have cable no one has cable said danielle 34 who had finally arrived on the corner and who did not give her last name they have had a variety of jobs danielle nurse maid sex worker their tastes are almost aggressively idiosyncratic
ms mcallister for instance said she had watched virtually every episode of law and order special victims unit because of her love for mariska hargitay mr pogensky said he watched the film mean girls like once a week
ill binge watch house of cards and then ill watch daria he said referring to the classic turn of the millennium animated series about an acerbic high school student
the three of them left for brunch   it was 3 pm   but it got me thinking about the great challenge for media companies how do you appeal to people with such splintered diffuse tastes who crave novelty and individual experiences and who do not want to be part of a herd
theyre the most diverse generation of adults in us history so thats a big issue for the entertainment industry said jason dorsey whose job as chief strategy officer and millennials researcher at the center of generational kinetics in austin tex sounds as if it could have its own ironic television show how do we program for such a diverse generation that doesnt carry checkbooks a lot of whom dont carry cash most of whom are delaying marriage and kids and have a high expectation of diversity and more college debt
indeed nothing gets all of them but there are themes that do seem to matter said tom ascheim president of freeform as the recently renamed abc family is now called while freeforms target audience is mostly millennials the channel is specifically geared to an age group   people from 18 to 34   rather than a generation on the grounds that what a generation wants changes as that generation becomes older
what unites our shows is that they center around young people in an adult world that revolves around them and that they have the power to shape mr ascheim said
that sounds right millennials do want to shape their world how long is this going to take said stephane rochefort 33 who works in sales and was walking along the street when i asked him about his viewing habits he had to go i dont watch any tv but i sometimes watch sports on the internet he said over his shoulder
three millennials in the finance industry whom i met in lower manhattan were just as difficult to pin down morgan kiss 23 said her favorite show was chopped because she is learning how to cook her roommate likes a program about real estate developers flipping houses natalie urban 22 likes game of thrones
if there is one thing that unites them its their creative way of paying for content or not in a world bursting with choice
we get our subscriptions through friends ms urban said kate the third millennial in the group who did not want her last name used mentioned a heady period when she was in possession of a friends ex boyfriends friends dads hbo go password they didnt notice but then he changed the password so now i use natalies she said
is there a representative millennial no just as there is no representative goat
i dont think one person in my generation can be representative of the whole thing ms kiss said there are so many different shows that are available to us people can shape their own watching preferences we can watch what we like


ponte vedra beach fla   the back nine drama that turned rickie fowler into a bona fide leading man at last years players championship was gone replaced in this years event by jason days solidification as golfs leading closer the top ranked day posted a one under par 71 on sunday at the stadium course at tpc sawgrass for a 72 hole score of 15 under 273 four strokes ahead of kevin chappell who carded a final round 69
with the victory day recorded his   and the pga tours   second wire to wire win of the 2015 16 season matching his emphatic performance at the arnold palmer invitational in march at the postround ceremony fowler who had erased a five stroke deficit last year with a final round 67 and then prevailed in a playoff handed day the crystal trophy and congratulated him on some spectacular golf
day 28 has won three times in 2016 and seven times in his past 17 starts he is making it look easy but if winning from ahead were a piece of cake the tour would have more pear shaped players like ken duke 72 and colt knost 69 who tied for third with matt kuchar 68 and justin thomas 65 at 10 under
in the seasons first 26 tour events day was one of nine players to win after sleeping on at least a share of the third round lead over all 54 hole leaders have a 346 percent success rate in closing out tournaments day is two for two this season and five for five dating to last summers pga championship which days fellow australian adam scott described as tiger esque
as it happens day is in regular contact with tiger woods the former world no 1 who has become days mentor and friend their relationship was built on woodss offering golf related advice to day who has proved a quick study
this week he texted me and said just stay in your world and its a marathon  day said adding just little things like that that obviously stick with me and keep me going
day led the field in driving with a 3116 yard average and in scrambling saving par 17 of the 20 times he missed the green when woods who has been sidelined since august after having back surgery returns to competition he might want to turn the questions on day
one of days best responses to adversity came on the par 4 no 7 after his approach found a greenside bunker day hit his next shot from an awkward stance with one foot in the sand and the other on the grassy lip the ball stopped 15 feet from the pin and he made the putt day had two bogeys on the front on nos 6 and 9 but bounced back with a bogey free three under 33 on the final nine after the round he described his six foot bogey putt on 9 as his most critical shot of the day because if he had missed he would have given his challengers renewed hope
its very impressive thomas said referring to days five consecutive victories while holding the 54 hole lead thomas would know he slept on the third round lead at the cimb classic in malaysia last fall and then held off the hard charging scott a former world no 1 for his first tour win thomas and scott were paired together sunday and as they walked up the 18th fairway thomas said they shared war stories about the difficulties of closing out a tournament
thomas 23 began the day 11 strokes behind day and said he never considered for a nanosecond that he could post a score low enough to pull out the come from behind win
with jason day leading the tournament you wouldnt think thats a chance thomas said adding its no coincidence hes no 1 in the world i mean he drives it extremely far extremely straight he hits it to the moon so he can access pins that most people cant his short game is ridiculous
scott who was no 1 for 11 weeks in 2014 played a practice round on the eve of the tournament with day and another australian marc leishman
you can see theres that calmness inside him calm confidence and the way hes walking around hes got that kind of unbeatable look about him scott said
when scott 35 turned pro he had a swing and a swagger that invited comparisons to woods he has had his moments becoming the first australian to win the masters in 2013 and producing a torrid stretch this season in which he posted back to back wins and two seconds in seven starts
but what day is doing is something altogether different scott said
hes managed so far to keep that momentum going and thats one of the hardest things to do when you are hot like that   to keep pushing scott said but he has a very strong desire to achieve so much and i think probably his goals are changing throughout this period and hes expecting more and more of himself
in 2014 day acknowledged that his primary aim had once been to make loads of money his goals have evolved since becoming no 1 and staring down the two time major winner jordan spieth to win his first major at the pga championship day is focused on his legacy on saturday day said he dearly wanted to win this event because it would enhance his credentials for inclusion in the world golf hall of fame
the little bits of insight that i get into his whole life i think hes got a handle on everything scott said adding hes matured as a person so much in the last four or five years and i think thats showing in his golf game


five years ago dick wolfs law and order empire was coming apart
though law and order special victims unit was still going strong the parent show and all other accompanying spinoffs had been yanked off the air does anyone recall law and order la at a time when television was in the midst of a creative renaissance with critically praised character based shows mr wolfs meat and potato procedurals looked a little stale
and whats happened to mr wolf since
hes back and then some mr wolf currently has four shows on the air including three based in chicago that are all delivering ratings nbc announced on thursday that it would add a fifth wolf show to its lineup next season with chicago justice
the procedural it turns out is doing just fine
when mr wolf 69 reflects on his improbable latest act he can only sit back and laugh
one of the reasons that im still at the table is i have infinite patience he said in an interview it is just amazing that if you stick around long enough people will catch on
the success of mr wolfs shows has propelled nbc to a strong season it will finish in second place behind cbs in total viewers and in the 18 to 49 year old demographic important to advertisers if cbs had not had the super bowl nbc would have finished no 1 in the demographic not counting years that the network got a boost from the super bowl or the olympics thats nbcs best finish to a season since 2004
and when nbc has its upfront presentation for advertisers on monday executives will speak with pride about tacking on yet another show from a prolific veteran
people roll their eyes and go another dick wolf show another dick wolf show but who else has done anything close to this said nbc entertainments chairman robert greenblatt its really remarkable
mr wolfs sudden resurgence is even bringing new life to his old franchise nbc is developing a law and order true crime series the first season is based on the menendez brothers and next season will broadcast a reality show law and order you the jury
its been a long way back
in 2009 the network was in serious trouble on the drama front it had all but given up its 10 pm time slot handing it over to the failed jay leno experiment mr greenblatt said mr wolfs slate of shows was vital to stabilizing nbcs dramas and revving the 10 pm machine back to life
the fact that we could multiply the dick wolf shows and they would all work is enormously helpful in just trying to keep our head above water which is basically the goal of any broadcast network these days as we see the audience fragmented in so many directions he said
while the three chicago shows have not drawn critical praise they have more than made up for it with ratings chicago fire in its fourth season and chicago pd in its third both won their time slots and had their most viewed seasons about 10 million viewers per episode for fire and nine million for pd the first year chicago med was the fifth highest rated new show among adults under 50 even law and order svu in its whopping 17th season increased its ratings in the demographic by 5 percent
we make mercedes s class sedans mr wolf said of his shows theyre designed to run basically forever and be comfortable and you dont have to think about much we dont make ferraris i love homeland but after six years its got what 52 episodes or something
that would be 60 episodes over five seasons but point taken by comparison chicago fire has produced 92 episodes over its four seasons in this era of prestige television mr wolfs shows prove that closed ended procedurals perhaps with the exception of chicago fire which is a more character driven show still work and it confounds mr wolf that shows producing 70 episodes over seven years   or 10 episodes for a limited series   are called hits mr wolf prefers his brand of assembly line programming
i think its a failure if its only 100 hours mr wolf said referring to 100 episodes at a talk earlier this year at the paley center for media in los angeles the idea is to go eight 10 12 years or longer
his shows skew a little older   the median age of viewers for the chicago shows is around 57   and they are not lavished with praise by reviewers
critics dont like them he said i cant help that but they were not critical raves
nor do his shows get much emmy love another thing that seems to gnaw at him despite the remarkable endurance of law and order it rarely received meaningful emmy attention for its writers directors or stars
and yet it was just magic he said sarcastically one of the five best shows every year just happened
mr wolf instead is proud of making a good business in a phone interview recently he rattled off a series of statistics   the number of eyeballs he gets per week more than 40 million when delayed viewing is factored in the incredible longstanding success of svu mariska hargitays long run on that show   to illustrate what success means to him
is it old fashioned he said or it is comfort food i much prefer to see it as comfort television it doesnt disappoint you and you can keep coming back and coming back
mr wolfs return to the forefront of network television happened somewhat by accident
peter jankowski the president of wolf entertainment and a longtime colleague of mr wolf said that they were taken aback when nbc canceled law and order after its 20th season in 2010 mr greenblatt nbc entertainments chairman asked them to think about a new franchise and suggested a firefighting show mr jankowski said fx had just aired a successful firehouse show based in new york rescue me so they settled on chicago so the two would not be compared
it was far from a sure thing that chicago fire would work but mr jankowski said that mr wolf was already plotting his future
i remember standing on the set on the first day of shooting of chicago fire and dick was telling me that the next one were going to do is a chicago cop show a chicago hospital show and a chicago lawyer show mr jankowski said thats sort of an insight into how dick thinks he is very expansive and he looks down the road he thinks in terms of brands not necessarily individual series
perhaps its worth noting here before mr wolf was a tv showman he worked in advertising
for years i went hoarse saying law and order is a brand mr wolf said its like crest there are 15 types of crest now but theyre all really good if you want good toothpaste you take that and youre going to get good toothpaste
though he is seven months shy of becoming a septuagenarian he has no interest in walking into the sunset even though he would be assured of going out a winner he suggested he has another franchise hes putting together
ive got a 6  and an 8 year old he said i dont plan on having their father retire in the near future
thats welcome news to nbcs mr greenblatt who said hed seen this act before
these guys dont ever want to stop doing this he said i was working with aaron spelling at fox in what i call the third act of his career with 90210 and melrose place he was in his 80s when he died and he had hit shows on the air he didnt want any more money or anything he just loved to eat sleep and breathe storytelling and television
and thats who dick is mr greenblatt continued sixty nine is nothing


the app developer rovio wants you to take out your smartphone at the movie theater
to promote the release of the angry birds movie which opens on friday in the united states rovio is offering bonus content for its newest mobile game angry birds action to those who open the app while in the theater the incentive comes as the credits roll at the end of the movie the cross platform marketing strategy is part of rovios efforts to reinvigorate its angry birds brand and transform the company into a global media powerhouse
the original angry birds game which was released in 2009 and became a time consuming yet irresistible distraction is the top paid mobile app of all time but sales have flagged and the company has struggled despite efforts to diversify into consumer products and reduce its reliance on mobile games
rovio a privately held company based in finland reported an annual loss in 2015 of 13 million euros or about 15 million
the movie was developed as part of the companys desire to evolve beyond apps said tuomo korpinen president of the companys rovio animation unit and formerly of dreamworks animation the idea was that this was needed to compete with the best out there the disneys the pixars the dreamworks
rovio had already moved into producing animated shorts which were released in its games and later on toonstv the companys mobile platform for distributing original series and third party content but executives wanted to further expand the angry birds franchise
we started diving into what makes a brand said mikael hed executive chairman of rovio animation we noticed that big brands in entertainment are connected to storytelling
so rovio took a risk deciding to develop and finance a feature length film which reportedly cost 80 million to make the movie is a natural evolution of wanting to tell the story of our characters said mr korpinen who goes by tommy
the feathered friends will be given limbs and voices for the first time a strategic decision that rovio waited until the movie to introduce we wanted to keep it a clean slate no limitations in terms of their dialogue and tone of their voice mr hed said we had total freedom for creating our characters within the movie
to market the film rovio played to its core strength as a digital developer in addition to the extra content offered to moviegoers rovio is offering content through its licensing partners like hm hasbro lego and mcdonalds packaged products include birdcodes that can be scanned with a smartphone to unlock bonus material such as power ups for angry birds action mini games and augmented reality experiences
because our core or dna is that we are a digital company we were able to execute these types of programs mr korpinen said


gregory albanis has two clear memories of his graduation from new york university in 1978 screaming at his father when traffic backed up on the way to the lincoln tunnel from new jersey where they lived   ill never forgive you if i miss my graduation   and marveling at the address by the commencement speaker eleanor holmes norton then the chairwoman of the equal employment opportunity commission
i never thought id be like the wizard of oz from the other side of the curtain mr albanis said last week
but that is what he became 19 years later   in effect the executive producer of the commencement which became a bigger show as nyu grew and the ceremony moved from washington square park to yankee stadium he is the master of the pomp and circumstance the university official who coordinates arrangements and checks timings in the script and there is a script   about 90 pages long with 125 cues for music and announcements   and unlike some diplomas it is not in latin
this years ceremony on wednesday will be mr albaniss last as the universitys director of special events he is stepping down at 59 he is careful not to use a word like retiring
you know the displays for cats on broadway that said cats now and forever he asked i didnt want it to be albanis now and forever he said he would continue as a consultant to the university for a year
mr albaniss connections to nyu run deep his parents and seven of his aunts and uncles attended the school and he figures that there are at least 14 nyu degrees in the family and there was another piece of paper that nyu had something to do with his parents marriage certificate they met at a college social club now known as the hellenic heritage association
mr albanis himself has two degrees from nyu a bachelors degree in art history 1978 and a masters degree in public administration 1980 but all that studying did not lead to what he wanted which was a job with the national endowment for the arts or the national endowment for the humanities he returned to nyu to work as an admissions officer he said because i knew the dean
she said you were happy here why dont you come back he recalled
he worked in the admissions office for 15 years and began organizing events as nyu expanded its national presence under john brademas the universitys president from 1981 to 1992 we were no longer the commuter school mr albanis said soon he was organizing receptions and open houses for prospective undergraduates
and eventually commencement
most of us the events we plan for in our lives are maybe things like our engagement parties or our weddings said john h beckman the universitys vice president for public affairs you figure everyone will arrive and make sure theres some food there is a whole other level of sweating the details and understanding the difference between success and failure that greg worries over
mr albanis has also organized the ceremonies for every major head of state who has visited nyu in the last 20 years weve had a president a vice president a first lady a secretary of state two kings two queens three british prime ministers and every new york city mayor and governor he said
along the way he learned things not taught in class including how to make small talk with royals like queen sofia and king juan carlos i of spain who were on their way to the dedication of the universitys king juan carlos i of spain center in 1997
you have to pinch yourself youre in the elevator with these people he said i had just come back from spain so i said i just visited escorial where the spanish royal family is buried she said i dont want to go there all the stone its very dreary and dark
dreary and dark are words he does not want to hear in the same breath as wednesday the yankees are sending him two forecasts a day from the teams private weather service and he has been checking other long range predictions his preoccupation with the weather dates back to the year before he took over when rain soaked washington square park the night before the ceremony
the rain wasnt coming down vertically it was coming down horizontally he said the canopy over the stage couldnt hold all the water when the canopy gave way steven spielberg and robert de niro were drenched
so mr albanis has an organizing premise every time i do a commencement he said i think its going to rain
in 2011 when former president bill clinton was to receive an honorary degree mr albanis was so sure it would rain on commencement day that he went to a sporting goods store the night before you know those pants fly fishermen wear he said he bought a pair
sure enough it rained until the moment mr clinton arrived at yankee stadium it was like a cecil b demille movie mr albanis said the sun came out
and then mr clinton went to leave
he was supposed to walk off the third base line and exit through the visitors dugout mr albanis said but mr clinton headed in the other direction toward the yankees dugout
normally that wouldnt have been a problem mr albanis said but i knew the yankees dugout was locked i broke out in a cold sweat far be it from me to tell the secret service and a former president of the united states they were going the wrong way mr albanis said he never heard who let them into the dugout
he said he was ready for one last commencement down to details like gluing an nyu tassel onto a yankees baseball cap something he did one morning last week the cap is for the actor billy crystal who is to receive a doctor of fine arts degree the other honorees including the commencement speaker darren walker the president of the ford foundation will have mortarboards
and what is the latest on the weather
mr albanis is checking the forecast but i have 32000 ponchos he said if we have to give them out


the liberty finished with the wnbas best record last season but there was little pomp before their home opener sunday at madison square garden
no rings were handed out not even a conference championship banner was raised to the rafters to join the three already there
the liberty enter their 20th season as the only original franchise without a league title last september they held a 15 point halftime lead against the indiana fever in game 2 of the eastern conference finals 20 minutes from clinching their fifth wnba finals appearance
but the liberty collapsed in the second half eventually falling 70 64 then in the decisive game 3 at the garden the fever pulled away to a 66 51 victory
before last season coach bill laimbeer thought the liberty might be headed for the draft lottery this year the teams collective mind set has matured
with loftier goals and nba commissioner adam silver and the wnba president lisa m borders in attendance the liberty defeated the dallas wings 79 71 on sunday led by a career high 24 points from sugar rodgers a positive early showing in their quest to accomplish one of professional basketballs rarest feats bringing a title to new york
there is a goal by this team led by tina charles and thats compete for the championship laimbeer said after the win
amanda zahui b who was acquired in a trade with the wings on wednesday said that last season she viewed the liberty as a very physical team with an edge during her first practice zahui b the second overall pick in the 2015 draft said she noticed the attitude of a championship contender
zahui b adds frontcourt depth with carolyn swords and kiah stokes who was an all rookie team selection last season in addition the liberty traded for the two time all star shoni schimmel earlier this month and signed the veteran free agents lindsey harding and shavonte zellous
the thing since bill got there is he keeps it interesting said the espn analyst and former liberty center rebecca lobo who added that size would help in playoff matches against western conference contenders hes just always been known for making really good moves and trades
the liberty also drafted florida state center adut bulgak in the first round of the 2016 draft
more than the other new arrivals laimbeer said bulgak and schimmel needed time to acclimate to the teams system before schimmel was traded to the liberty her coach with the atlanta dream michael cooper criticized her for showing up to training camp out of shape for a second straight year
laimbeer said this month that in the teams first meeting with schimmel he laid out his expectations and characterized her as a value pick
just the environment was totally different than being down there in atlanta schimmel said its a good type of different
after not playing in saturdays 87 76 season opening win over the washington mystics schimmel who starred at louisville entered sundays game in the first quarter she quickly electrified the crowd with a 3 pointer that gave the liberty a 25 10 lead
harding the no 1 over all selection from the 2007 draft last played in the league in 2014 with the los angeles sparks and has averaged 104 points through her wnba career for a majority of her time on the floor sunday she filled in well at point guard the one position where the liberty seem unsettled that may change this summer when epiphanny prince   who can play both guard positions   returns from a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee
zellous though was perhaps the most notable acquisition she played parts of the last six seasons with the fever winning a championship in 2012 and helping eliminate the liberty last season
entering free agency last winter zellous said the libertys hunger to win a championship swayed her decision
shes a tough guard lobo said of zellous who scored 8 points one of the reasons indiana won that series i felt they played a tougher game usually bills teams theyre the toughest team she brings real toughness on the perimeter creates her own shot can be a really good defender
minnesota lynx forward maya moore the leagues most valuable player in 2014 said zellouss versatility would help the team jell she also praised schimmels 3 point shooting and court vision thats something im sure theyre going to find a way to capitalize on and other teams are going to have to be ready for she said
even with the talented newcomers charles remains the libertys engine she scored the games first 8 points starting an 11 0 run and finished with 24 points and 11 rebounds
laimbeer said charles the 2012 mvp had yet to reach her full potential
i think her drive to get to a championship is intense laimbeer said she realized last year especially in the playoffs that her impact on the game can be so much greater than it has in the past its just that she has to exert her will to get that done


this is what to expect in the week ahead
financial
argentina will issue its first major corporate bonds in international markets since it resolved a lengthy debt feud with hedge funds and came out of default banco hipotecario a commercial bank and mortgage lender will issue up to 200 million worth manuel herrera the assistant chief executive said in an interview the order book for the bonds maturing in 2020 will open on monday or tuesday
under its new president mauricio macri argentina returned to global credit markets last month after a 15 year hiatus its sale of 165 billion in bonds   the biggest ever in so called emerging markets   was priced at an average of 714 percent demonstrating investors appetite for high yields despite risk
banco hipotecario did sell bonds last year while argentina was still in default they were issued at 975 percent but this time pricing could tighten to less than 8 percent market analysts said the demand is very high for argentina mr herrera said everyone is trying to tap this opportunity jonathan gilbert
economy
on tuesday economists will get a host of new data on how the economy performed last month the commerce department will report on housing starts in april with experts looking for a slight pickup in activity that would lift the annual rate of new construction to 11 million units housing starts fell 88 percent in march to the lowest level since october 2015 the data for april should help indicate whether that was a blip or a sign of softness ahead in residential construction
the labor department will release data on inflation in april the consumer price index is thought to have increased by 02 percentage point in april while the core cpi which does not include more volatile food and energy prices is estimated to have risen 01 percent the increase in the broader index was driven by higher gasoline costs in particular but inflation remains tame according to economists
also on tuesday the federal reserve will release data on industrial production and capacity utilization in april the fed expects a modest improvement in both measures with industrial production rising by 01 percentage point and capacity utilization increasing slightly to 749 percent both have been anemic lately hurt by the slide in energy related activity and weak demand from overseas because of the stronger dollar but factory activity may have rebounded slightly in april nelson d schwartz
japans economy probably grew by the thinnest of margins in the first quarter of the year the country will report gross domestic product numbers on wednesday and economists latest estimates point to annualized growth of 02 percent anemic consumer spending a tumbling stock market and the fallout from chinas slowdown all stood in the way of faster expansion experts say the economy contracted by 11 percent in the final quarter of 2015 and might have shrunk by a similar amount in the first quarter of 2016 if not for the extra day provided by the leap year jonathan soble
the federal reserves april meeting passed quietly with no increase in the feds benchmark rate and no clear signal that another rate increase was imminent the minutes of that meeting which the fed will publish on wednesday may help to explain the feds caution job growth remains fairly strong while reported economic growth has been weaker than expected some fed officials have said since the meeting that they have not ruled out raising rates at the federal reserves next meeting in june investors however are increasingly convinced that the fed will wait for more data to clarify the divergence and that the central bank is not likely to raise rates before september binyamin appelbaum
finance ministers and central bank governors from the group of 7 leading industrialized nations are scheduled to meet in sendai japan on friday and saturday they are expected to discuss a broad range of global risks from swings in oil prices and currencies to the slowdown in china a core issue will be whether countries can continue to rely on their central banks to stimulate growth or whether governments need to play a bigger role by increasing spending or cutting taxes the talks are a precursor to the group of 7 leaders summit meeting in japan on may 26 and 27 jonathan soble
retailing
walmart the countrys largest retailer will report first quarter earnings on thursday analysts will pay particular attention to the shopping giants e commerce business in which it has invested heavily to better compete with amazon amazon has also posed a challenge for another low cost rival target which will release its first quarter results on wednesday rachel abrams


despite its reputation as the hamptons blue collar sibling life in montauk ny is more and more about the money specifically real estate this has been true for several years as housing prices in the hamlet on the east end of long island have gradually approached those in its more fashionable sister towns and high class spots like navy beach and ruschmeyers have started to move in
but now in time for the start of the summer season comes the tale of tom ferreira a montauk mechanic who is battling the town of east hampton in which the village sits over the mess he deposited for years in the yard of his home on navy road
for nearly a decade mr ferreira 56 piled the plot with a changing disarray of parked cars beached boats dilapidated trailers old spare tires rusty propane tanks broken plastic crates inoperable motors and a 40 foot antenna running what officials of the town once called an unauthorized recycling and scrap yard in 2009 tired of the unsightly heaps of junk the officials hired a carting company and hauled it all away
this week after years of fighting the removal of his property in both state and local courts mr ferreira took the town to trial in higher venue federal district court in central islip in a classic hamptons legal story he has accused the town officials of improperly employing emergency health and safety laws in a conspiracy to forcibly clean his yard the purpose of the plan to enhance the value of a neighboring piece of real estate his court papers say
the trial as it turns out could not be timelier on monday even as the jury was being picked the long island newspaper newsday reported that gosmans dock an old timey seafood place on montauk harbor had just been put up for sale at the astronomical asking price of 525 million and with memorial day approaching top of the market rentals in mr ferreiras neighborhood near fort pond bay were being listed for 2000 a night
in the trials opening arguments larry kelly mr ferreiras lawyer admitted that his client was a messy guy with a messy yard but argued that this conspicuous untidiness did not mean he was a danger to the public as town officials have repeatedly asserted what was really going on when the east hampton town board hired flatbed trailers to clear the clutter from mr ferreiras land was not about good governance but about gentrifying property mr kelly said
in east hampton town he told the jury a key component of every residents thought process is what is the value of my home he went on to say an auto mechanic in an old torpedo warehouse became an eyesore there was intense pressure from the neighbors and that intense pressure was brought to other people other people who helped take down this situation
those other people mr kelly has contended include a politically connected real estate broker who stood to earn a sizable commission if she sold the house next door to mr ferreiras which was owned by his estranged and aging aunt court papers say the broker persuaded nearly 40 montauk residents to complain about mr ferreiras yard even though when a fire marshal inspected it in may 2009 he discovered only a single violation a fire extinguisher that was not up to code
the conspiracy was set in motion mr kelly said when a second inspection was conducted one that determined that mr ferreira was in fact in violation of local maintenance laws this inspection might have been doctored mr kelly argued adding that the first one had been suppressed
dismissing all of this as a distraction mark radi a lawyer for the town of east hampton began his own address with a blunt assertion this is a case about a junkyard and not just any junkyard mr radi said but one that for years had festered like a wound filled with old cars whose toxic fluids might leach into the topsoil or even worse he said suddenly combust and spread like wildfire into other peoples homes
where mr kelly said he saw a real estate conspiracy mr radi spoke of the necessity of municipal code enforcement while he acknowledged that mr ferreira had once owned a legitimate repair shop up the block he said that he had lost it years ago   in a quintessential montauk moment   when his landlord the former teen heartthrob ralph macchio raised the rent by the time mr ferreira had moved the shop to his yard on navy road he was no longer fixing vehicles instead he was cocooning them mr radi said moreover the yard as he put it had become a mole something small and ugly that grew into a cancer and had to be removed
judge joseph f bianco has the task of refereeing the dispute which in a strictly legal sense concerns the question of whether town officials provided mr ferreira with ample opportunity to contest the removal of his property or if the raid as mr kelly called it amounted to an illegal search and seizure
running with that theme mr kelly began his presentation to the jury with a reading of the fourth amendment somewhat later he compared the flatbed trucks that arrived at navy road to the quartering of british troops in american colonists homes
whatever the eventual result the trial has provided mr ferreira whose family has lived on navy road since 1946 with the means by which to vent his spleen against officials in east hampton he not only lost his entire set of tools in the removal   his air compressor his wet dry vacuum his 20 ton hydraulic press   but he also later got a bill for 20000 to cover the cost of carting them away
mr ferreira moved full time to the house on navy road in 1995 and was especially upset over what this case suggested about the future of this sleepy little beach town ive been going out to montauk since i was a little kid he said and trust me ive seen a lot thats changed


dallas   now that it is clear that texas complicated school finance system is here to stay districts around the state must find a way to move forward   whether that is by pressuring lawmakers for more money or by raising property taxes
the texas supreme court rejected arguments on friday by a coalition of 600 plus districts that the robin hood school funding system in which wealthy districts share local property tax revenue with those in poorer areas was unconstitutional
the unanimous decision which stemmed from a lawsuit over the republican led legislatures 2011 move to cut 54 billion in education funding does not require the legislature to do anything and lt gov dan patrick told republicans at the state party convention that the issue for now has been resolved
that did not keep the justices from urging that lawmakers should do something as justice don r willett wrote they have vast discretion in fulfilling their constitutional duty to fashion a school system fit for our dynamic and fast growing states unique characteristics we hope lawmakers will seize this urgent challenge and upend an ossified regime ill suited for 21st century texas
whether lawmakers will accept that challenge remains to be seen when the 2017 legislative session convenes in january there will be a number of other financial obligations including covering the continued costs of 38 billion in property and business tax cuts fixing the states embattled foster care system and finding more money for a road and highway network overtaxed by a booming population
plus mr patrick has promised to make up 4 billion in federal funding for free and reduced price school lunches that will disappear if texas defies the obama administrations order to let transgender students use bathrooms and locker rooms that match their gender identity
the lieutenant governor and many republicans in the state legislature seized on the ruling to push for increasing school choice in the form of expanded charter schools and voucher programs outnumbered democratic lawmakers meanwhile said 2017 should bring a major effort to strengthen traditional public schools   though that will be a tough sell
the issue requires the texas legislatures undivided attention this next session said buddy guerra a democrat from mcallen on texas border with mexico the future of our state is at stake
the high court made clear that kids deserve transformational top to bottom reform said karen rue president of the texas association of school administrators what is needed the most she said is a better understanding of what it costs to educate 52 million students the second most in the country after california
what does it take in todays economic environment to actually turn on the lights pay teachers provide training and does that amount ensure that students are ready for college ms rue asked
the texas state teachers association notes that the state spends an average of 9561 per student annually below the national average of 12251 but ms rue who is a superintendent in a district north of fort worth noted there is an array of rankings to see how one state compares to another whether or not they fit us is really the point she said
texas overall funding mechanism is similar to ones found in many other states with base funding that is augmented by extra weights for those who need specialized or extra instruction according to allan odden a national school finance expert based in chicago
the one wrinkle for texas is that special component to get resources from high wealth districts to low wealth districts mr odden said thats a unique texas thing
what is important for districts to determine he said is whether money is being used efficiently mr odden said studies do not indicate whether student performance improves if a school focuses on small classrooms and there is no discernible benefit to offering more electives to keep students engaged
public schools rely heavily on property taxes because texas has no state income tax so unless the legislature changes the funding formula the only way districts will be able to keep up with rising costs is increasing taxes said lonnie hollingsworth the general counsel for the texas classroom teachers association
but if that happens then lawmakers need to ensure that money stays with the local school district instead of diverting it to other purposes statewide
had this mechanism been in place years ago the schools would be in a much better situation mr hollingsworth said
the issue is not going away said rick gray a lawyer who represented more than 400 districts in mostly poorer areas in the case that the state supreme court decided friday
what school districts have to do is turn to the legislature and ask and try and force texas lawmakers to do their jobs mr gray said theres enough good texans in the legislature that will realize that changes need to be made


publishing imprints at comic book companies typically have a unifying trait series at dc comics aimed at mature readers are funneled through its vertigo and young animal lines while marvels icon presents projects from top tier creators
what links many of the comics published by boom box the imprint from boom studios is that they tell personal stories with a sprinkle of glee it is touchy feely but it also seems to be working
the imprints newest series the backstagers written by james tynion iv and drawn by rian sygh begins in august it focuses on the theater crew at a private school for boys like many of the other boom box comics it has a cast that is diverse in race and sexual orientation
for mr tynion who is best known for his work on batman and the woods his boom series about high school students transported to an alien planet this was a chance to work on something closer to home
its very important to me to explore things that are more personal he said i was a stage crew kid growing up myself its a very strange place that always held a special part of my heart
the tween to teen male focus of the backstagers makes it almost a mirror image of one of the imprints biggest successes the lumberjanes about a diverse group of girls at summer camp including a transgender character last year the lumberjanes won two eisner awards the industry equivalent of an oscar for best new series and best publication for teens the comic has also been optioned for a film by 20th century fox
other series published by boom box include goldie vance which began last month about a 16 year old black girl who solves mysteries at the florida resort that her father manages jonesy about a latina teenager who can make people fall in love though her power does not work on her own hearts desire and giant days about three female university students navigating adulthood
giant days which is written by john allison and is drawn by lissa treiman and max sarin was nominated for two eisners last month best continuing series and best writer
the main reason boom box stands out is because of its target audience oliver sava a comics writer for the av club said in an email its one of the few places to find comics that arent just appropriate for younger readers but written with them in mind theres a generally light tone across all of the boom box series which means every book has a strong sense of humor and a more cartoonish art style
he added women are often at the core of these books both on and off the page and its refreshing to see a publisher provide a platform for worthwhile creators struggling to break in at other publishers
overseeing the imprint is shannon watters an editor at large at boom who is also one of the creators of the lumberjanes she is proud that the comics have received critical acclaim and that readers have embraced them and their noncynical vibe they are the kind of comics you want to read over a bowl of cereal on saturday morning she said
the sense of joy is presented in the magnification of small moments earning a badge in lumberjanes waxing poetic about doughnuts in jonesy or the word tenants presented in an explosion of stars when the friends in giant days land their first off campus apartment
the success of the lumberjanes started with grass roots efforts ms watters and her fellow creators   brooke allen grace ellis and noelle stevenson   made copies of the first eight pages included an order form and gave them out free it was supposed to be eight issues and then it became something much more kind of growing ever since beyond our wildest dreams ms watters said
not everyone has embraced the message of acceptance extolled by the series
weve continued to normalize queer kids in lumberjanes which has provoked some parents to not let kids read it ms watters said otherwise there hasnt been a huge amount of backlash
the fear of negative reactions has not been a deterrent for other writers mr tynion who is bisexual said backstagers is for all ages but he nonetheless hopes to reach a certain audience
i wanted to create the book for the young queer boy who feels an outcast and doesnt see that much of him reflected he said i want that reader to call this book his own


activists and leaders in the social conservative movement after spending most of the past year opposing and condemning donald j trump are now moving to embrace his candidacy and are joining the growing number of mainstream republicans who appear ready to coalesce around the partys presumptive nominee
though their support for mr trump is often qualified this change of heart is one of the more remarkable turns in an erratic and precedent defying republican campaign it reflects the sense among many republicans that flawed as they may see him the thrice married billionaire is preferable to the alternative
oh my its difficult said penny nance the president of concerned women for america a group that has openly campaigned against mr trump hes not my first choice hes not my second choice she added but any concerns i have about him pale in contrast to hillary clinton
and mr trump   whose litany of offenses against cultural conservatives include support of planned parenthood past positions on abortion rights and his more accepting views on gays and lesbians   is winning over this once deeply skeptical constituency
he has made overt moves such as suggesting last week that he would name supreme court justices who would overturn roe v wade and sent subtle signals like employing people for his campaign who are well known in the movement
mr trump has to a large extent placated a vocal and powerful element of the republican partys base whose backing he will need if he wants to wage a general election campaign leading a united conservative movement
in him they see a convert to their cause not a transgressor
the support of social conservatives is not just symbolic it means getting assistance from groups that plan to spend millions of dollars mobilizing voters people who lead influential faith based organizations and republican activists who will help craft the partys platform at the national convention this summer
and it has required a good deal of pride swallowing on their part
didnt know wed be here said marjorie dannenfelser president of the susan b anthony list an anti abortion group ms dannenfelser began the year in iowa with a group of other politically active conservative women like ms nance who tried to stop mr trump because as they said at the time he disgusted them
now as ms dannenfelser contemplates the possibility of the next president appointing one or more justices to the supreme court she said my feelings about him whether im happy or not happy about how he speaks doesnt matter an iota
the susan b anthony list is planning to spend 6 million to 8 million this year on a nationwide campaign including hundreds of canvassers to knock on doors for mr trump its more about rationality overcoming feelings than anything else ms dannenfelser said
for others in the movement acceptance is rooted less in practicality than in forgiveness many religious and evangelical voters are taking what amounts to a leap of faith willingly looking past mr trumps three marriages his irreverence in referring to the holy communion as having my little cracker and even his apparent inability to ask god for forgiveness which he said he had never done
many of them want to believe he is someone who has evolved to become more conservative and religious
they love a convert because its what their faith is all about said ralph reed founder of the faith  freedom coalition and a friend of mr trump
contrary to the stereotype that is often assigned to them by the larger culture mr reed added evangelicals are far more forgiving and extend far more mercy to political figures and others than is understood
by mollifying many social conservatives mr trump could prevent some uncomfortable defections in july at the republican national convention where anti abortion activists and others from the religious right have significant sway
my counsel   and i have spoken to others   is lets not be premature in jumping to conclusions said tony perkins the president of the family research council a conservative policy group rather added mr perkins who is also a member of the committee that will write the partys platform at the convention lets give donald trump the opportunity to make the first move
mr trump has already roused some suspicion after saying last month that he would absolutely favor reworking the party platform to include certain exceptions to a ban on abortion the platform does not currently address the issue of exceptions
many republicans say revising the abortion language is a nonstarter its my hope that the trump campaign and the presumptive nominee will understand that weve addressed this said james bopp a lawyer from indiana and a longtime member of the platform writing committee but mr bopp said he was nonetheless comfortable with mr trump
with every nominee mr bopp said there are differences in policy that are difficult to reconcile with the platform but he added in the case of mr trump and the platform they pale with the differences in policy between trump and clinton they pale
mr trump generated a lot of attention last week for suggesting that the supreme court justices he would appoint would overturn roe v wade and in interviews last week social conservative leaders frequently mentioned lesser known examples of his attempts to reassure them
he named two judges who are respected in conservative legal circles   william h pryor a former alabama attorney general and diane sykes a former justice on the wisconsin supreme court   as potential picks
the trump campaign it said also recently announced that it had hired a veteran of the culture war fights john mashburn who once worked for senator jesse helms a north carolina republican who remains a hero of the religious right
hes a smart guy said mr reed noting how mr trump often condemns the persecution of christians in the middle east a major cause that many christians feel is being overlooked in washington i think this is deliberate its purposeful but i also think he believes it
the skepticism has hardly vanished however prominent religious conservatives like erick erickson the radio host and commentator who has likened mr trumps support to that of a cult are trying to organize enough delegates at the convention to block his nomination that effort would seem futile at this point given mr trumps delegate lead
but conservatives like mr erickson appear to be part of a shrinking minority
with anybody whos a new convert youre going to have people saying do they really mean it  said frank cannon the president of the american principles project a conservative policy group mr cannon said he could recall friends who were initially wary of ronald reagan then a candidate asking him in 1980 can you really support someone whos been divorced
i can agree that in the primary you could find people more ideal mr cannon said of mr trump but hes now the presumptive nominee and i think its time we actually examine where he says hell take the country versus where hillary says shell take the country and make our judgments based on that


oklahoma city   it was the morning of game 2 of the western conference semifinal series and billy donovan the coach of the oklahoma city thunder was taking questions from the news media as his team finished its workout
two nights earlier in game 1 the thunder had been embarrassed by the san antonio spurs losing by 32 points midway through the interview one reporter asked donovan if there was anything he could learn from watching the way gregg popovich his spurs counterpart worked and managed his team hes one of the greatest coaches ever the reporter added
donovan hesitated for a moment and then politely deflected the question saying he was too wrapped up in his own team to pay attention to popovichs work although he made sure to add how much he respected popovich
the interaction was brief but it illuminated the way many were viewing the series at the time popovich the guru going against donovan the rookie nba coach   never mind that donovan had spent almost two decades becoming one of the top college coaches in the nation
on thursday a week and a half later donovan and the thunder vanquished popovich and the spurs with a game 6 victory making the game 1 loss a distant memory and earning donovan another dose of respect in his first nba season
we know that pop is an unbelievable coach   the ways he draws up plays the ways he subs the way he does things   but billy was pretty much ready for everything the spurs threw at us the veteran guard randy foye said he did an unbelievable job of adjusting and growing game in and game out
donovan 50 was hired one year ago to coach the thunder a supremely talented team that nevertheless has repeatedly fallen short of the trophy he had spent 19 seasons as coach at florida posting a 467 186 record and leading the gators to two national titles
donovan used the regular season to adjust to his new environs the basketball is different the players are in different points of their lives he learned how to calibrate his message and pare it to its essence amid a grueling schedule
whatever growing pains he might have encountered the team won 55 games and produced 1099 points per 100 possessions during the regular season according to nbacom a figure second only to the 73 win golden state warriors 1125
first year everything happens so fast guard dion waiters said last week we know that but coach has adapted hes got great coaches around him who are helping youve go to learn on the fly in the nba
game 1 against the spurs left donovan and the thunder chastened he changed things little things to address the teams deficiencies he took care at the same time to stay steady with his players to reiterate their identity and strengths
donovans rotation management proved crucial for example he used centers steven adams and enes kanter together for long stretches in every game after game 1 to great effect the spurs had no answer to that
oklahoma city which struggled at times to execute in the fourth quarter during the regular season looked mostly poised in one close finish after another until it had secured the series win
its all them man adams said of donovan and his staff we just show up and play all the strategy is down to them theyve done an amazing job scouting wise adjustments all that theyre on top of everything which was amazing thats all credit to him this series
donovan has spent recent days preparing for the warriors who represent an even loftier challenge than the spurs he will match up this time against steve kerr who won 67 games in 2014 15 as a rookie coach kerrs team won the championship last year he was named the coach of the year this season donovan received a single third place vote
over the weekend donovan said that his teams flexibility allowed him to tinker during the series against the spurs and that it would help him again in the coming series
sometimes you put lineups out there and you think its going to be really effective and sometimes its not donovan said and i think the one thing with our roster which i feel good about is we have a lot of versatility in our roster with a lot of different people and these guys are not robots
after years of playing do or die ncaa tournament games donovan has embraced the longer more contemplative process of managing an nba playoff series the ability to adjust has been great as has been the ability to recover mentally from a loss
its a little bit different from the standpoint that once you get out of the regular season every time youre playing a game its an elimination game so to speak donovan said before game 6 referring to the college postseason here in the nba if you have a performance like we did in game 1 there is the opportunity to regroup and have a chance to play again whereas in college youre living with that probably for the rest of the year i think thats the one great thing about it
against the spurs the thunder took advantage of that opportunity when the final game was over and colored streamers fell from the ceiling to mark oklahoma citys series win donovan and popovich met at center court they shook hands and popovich did not let go of his grip
good job man popovich said leaning into donovans left ear to be heard over the din good job
it was another moment of validation for the supposed neophyte


golden state warriors vs oklahoma city thunder
season head to head warriors 3 0
series starts monday at 9 pm eastern
draymond green has become an heir apparent of sorts to charles barkley people have long been intrigued by the idea that barkley listed at 6 feet 6 inches was actually far shorter which made his rebounding ability even more impressive the same has proved true of green who despite being listed at 6 feet 7 inches typically plays power forward and moves to center in golden states vaunted death lineup his lack of height has turned into an atypical compliment
the difference between barkley and green is that with green we know the rumors are true at the 2012 draft combine green was measured at 6 feet 575 inches barefoot and thickly soled shoes boosted him to 6 feet 75 inches
the same combine measurements help explain how green is able to play so much bigger than his height his wingspan was measured at 7 feet 125 inches and his standing reach was 8 feet 10 inches numbers associated with players several inches taller
like barkley green also talks big and has remarkably diverse skills for a power forward but his ability to play far bigger than would seem possible will be tested by the thunders big and talented frontcourt
greens competition will be steven adams height 7 feet standing reach 9 feet 15 inches enes kanter 6 11 9 15 serge ibaka 6 10 no listed standing reach and kevin durant 6 10 9 2
the warriors were 3 0 against the thunder this season and 6 1 against them over the last two years but on feb 27 they had to survive being outrebounded 62 32 by oklahoma city in an overtime win which is why many are citing size as such a big factor in this series
they beat us to long rebounds they beat us up inside with adams and kanter coach steve kerr told reporters after saturdays practice in reference to the hard fought 121 118 victory in february the other two games we were solid
kerr added we probably wont outrebound them but if we can keep it relatively close thatll be important for us
andrew bogut golden states starting center is working his way back from an injured adductor but that is unlikely to play much of a factor since kerr can attack oklahoma citys size with the speed of his death lineup that unit played a combined 17 minutes against the thunder this season and thoroughly dominated hitting nearly 60 percent of its field goal attempts while outscoring the thunder by 17 points and grabbing 531 percent of rebounds
in many ways this series is a more difficult matchup for golden state than the san antonio spurs would have been and the warriors ability to make their small lineups hold up will be tested with a great deal more exposure than they got during the season
thus far kerr has known how to manage his rotation and the killer instinct of stephen curry and klay thompson in crunchtime combined with greens dirty work should be enough to get the warriors to the finals for a second consecutive season
pick warriors in 6
cleveland cavaliers vs toronto raptors
season head to head raptors 2 1
series starts tuesday at 830 pm eastern
the raptors flew below the radar for much of the season despite taking the no 2 seed in the eastern conference with ease they have a pair of all star guards two effective young centers and the rapper drake cheering from the sideline which has somehow added up to many people overlooking them in favor of teams like the miami heat and charlotte hornets who were perhaps a bit more exciting even if they were not quite as effective
despite a few hiccups in the playoffs the raptors have shown that last seasons epic collapse is a thing of the past it took them 14 games but they eliminated the indiana pacers and the heat and for their trouble they now get to face lebron james and the cavaliers
the biggest question mark heading into the series is the health of jonas valanciunas torontos 24 year old starting center before an ankle injury sustained in game 3 of the raptors matchup with the heat he was having a breakout performance in the playoffs averaging 15 points and 121 rebounds a game more important he was doing his best work with the game on the line which is a far cry from some of his teammates who have a reputation for wilting under pressure
if valanciunas cannot return he will continue to be replaced in the starting lineup by bismack biyombo a defensive specialist who has thrived in a rotation with valanciunas but would be in a bit over his head in a full time role against the cavaliers
while toronto and the heat were engaging in a seven game war of attrition which ended sunday with the raptors 116 89 victory the cavaliers have been sitting at home resting and hoping that their hot shooting can continue after nine days of inactivity
if cleveland can continue to play as it did in the first two rounds the raptors are in trouble the cavaliers are 8 0 while averaging a whopping 117 points per 100 possessions which tops even golden state their defense has limited opponents to 984 points per 100 possessions which is the third best mark of the playoffs
they have done it by riding their outside shooting hitting a league leading 462 percent from 3 point range despite having averaged a remarkable 363 attempts a game which is nearly five more attempts a game than golden state took during the regular season
expecting j r smith to continue making more than 50 percent of his 3 point attempts is a bit absurd but part of the strength of clevelands offense is that on any given night it can be dominated by kyrie irving kevin love james or even smith so even if one or more players hit a cold streak the team has the depth to keep going
with kyle lowrys shooting seeming to come around and toronto getting plenty of contributions from demar derozan and demarre carroll toronto could be competitive against cleveland   if valanciunas can play without him the raptors may get crushed
pick cavaliers in 4
benjamin hoffman


arusha tanzania   less than two years after it blocked a sale of american made attack helicopters to nigeria from israel because of human rights concerns the obama administration says it is poised to sell up to 12 light attack aircraft to nigeria as part of an effort to support the countrys fight against the boko haram militant group
but the pending sale of the super tucano attack warplanes   which would require congressional approval   is already coming under criticism from human rights organizations that say president muhammadu buhari of nigeria has not yet done enough to stop the abuses and corruption that flourished in the military under his predecessor goodluck jonathan
officials at the white house the state department and the pentagon have been bracing for a fight with congressional democrats in particular senator patrick j leahy of vermont over the sale of the planes
the proposed sale reflects the warming of the relationship between the nigerian and american militaries which had frayed under mr jonathan the pentagon often bypassed nigeria in the fight against boko haram choosing to work directly with neighboring cameroon chad and niger
in addition to citing corruption and sweeping human rights abuses by nigerian soldiers american officials were hesitant to share intelligence with the nigerian military saying boko haram had infiltrated it that accusation prompted indignation from nigeria
but that was before mr buhari a former nigerian army major general defeated mr jonathan in an election last year
since coming into power mr buhari has devoted himself to rooting out graft in africas largest economy
he has fired a number of nigerian military officers accused of corruption and american military officials say they are now working closely with some of their counterparts in nigeria the obama administration is also considering sending dozens of special operations advisers to the front lines of nigerias fight against boko haram an insurgency that has killed thousands of civilians in the countrys northeast as well as in cameroon chad and niger
mr buhari has also pledged to investigate allegations of human rights abuses and has said he will not tolerate them
a move to sell the super tucano attack aircraft to nigeria first reported by reuters would continue the detente between the two militaries administration officials said the super tucano a turboprop aircraft is designed for light attack counterinsurgency close air support and reconnaissance missions it could prove useful as the nigerian military tries to clear boko haram out of the sambisa forest which is believed to hold large numbers of the militants as well as kidnapped girls and women
the administration has not made a formal decision to send a notification to congress but a senior administration official said he expected one soon president obama is considering a trip to nigeria in july
but already aides to mr leahy a sponsor of a human rights law that prohibits the state department and pentagon from providing military assistance to foreign militaries with poor human rights records have expressed concern
we dont have confidence in the nigerians ability to use them in a manner that complies with the laws of war and doesnt end up disproportionately harming civilians nor in the capability of the us government to monitor their use said tim rieser a top leahy aide
the united states is committed to working with nigeria and its neighbors against boko haram said david mckeeby a spokesman for the state departments bureau of political military affairs the nigerian security forces and regional forces from cameroon chad and niger have made important progress in pushing boko haram out of many towns and villages of northeast nigeria and the broader lake chad basin region
gen mark a milley the army chief of staff is attending a meeting of top african military officials including from nigeria here in arusha this week aboard his flight on saturday general milley declined to comment on whether nigerias human rights record had improved enough to warrant the sale but said one of the reasons he was attending the meeting was to learn more about the african militaries with which the pentagon is working
consideration of selling the attack aircraft to nigeria is a sharp turnabout from two years ago when the united states blocked the sale of american made cobra attack helicopters to nigeria from israel amid concerns about nigerias protection of civilians when conducting military operations that infuriated the nigerian government and nigerias ambassador to the united states responded sharply accusing washington of hampering the effort against boko haram
lets say we give certain kinds of equipment to the nigerian military that is then used in a way that affects the human situation james f entwistle the american ambassador to nigeria told reporters in october in explaining the decision to block the helicopter sale if i approve that im responsible for that we take that responsibility very seriously
under mr jonathan the former president the nigerian military was accused by human rights groups of detaining and killing thousands of innocent civilians in sweeps of the militant group a practice that amnesty international said was continuing this year the military rounded up several hundred men and boys in arrests that amnesty in a report it released last week called arbitrary the hazardous profiling based on sex and age of the individual rather than on evidence of crime
the report said 149 people had died this year in detention in the nigerian militarys giwa barracks in maiduguri a city that has been a staging ground for the fight against boko haram among the victims were 11 children under age 6 including four infants amnesty said the prisoners most likely died of disease starvation dehydration or gunshot wounds the report said
in a news release the nigerian military called the report completely baseless unfounded and source less with the intent of denting the image of the nigerian armed forces
sarah margon the washington director at human rights watch disagreed
indications that the us is going to sell attack aircrafts to nigeria is concerning given the absence of meaningful reform within nigerias security sector ms margon said the us must make clear that if the sale is to occur critical steps not just rhetorical commitments on core human rights concerns must be an integral component for approving the sale


kabul afghanistan   since he first picked up a gun as a 15 year old abdul basir has killed a lot of people yet the operation on friday night was different he was out to kill his son
around midnight on friday mr basir now in his 40s and the commander of a government militia in the northern afghan province of faryab arrived at a compound in an area called zyaratgah part of the restive qaisar district he had intelligence that his 22 year old son said muhammad a hardened member of the taliban was there with several of his fighters
in afghanistans long war mr basirs determination to kill one of his children was not unique but rather just another sign of how long the violence has dragged on and of how it has permeated the deepest levels of society and poisoned the closest of relationships
framed by grand ideologies and elaborate strategies at the top the perpetual conflict has divided families for a generation guerrillas who took up arms against the soviet occupation became sworn enemies of their communist relatives now a government commander was hunting down a son who had denounced him as an infidel and forced him from their familys ancestral village
i went with full confidence   i wanted to kill him first mr basir said in a telephone interview on sunday it is up to god but i think his blood is legitimate for me
mr basirs men barged into the compound entering on the second floor which they found empty on the first floor they spotted mr muhammad trying to escape mr basir aimed his kalashnikov rifle and opened fire
he dropped from the window and i thought i killed him mr basir said
three taliban fighters were killed in the operation but not mr muhammad he was wounded in the head mr basir said but somehow made his way back to the family village which is now under his control
it doesnt surprise me at all to see members of the same family fighting in two fronts said faizullah jalal a professor of political science at kabul university
the case in faryab mr jalal said is a continuation of a phenomenon that reached its peak during the 1980s with clashes between the communist government in kabul and guerrillas who received support from the cia
there were many cases where a son was on one side and the father on the other side and the differences were so deep that they were willing to kill each other if they could he said it wasnt just one or two or even 100 cases but thousands
even as the leadership on both sides of the conflict has eroded with the fundamentalist taliban increasingly acting like a drug cartel and the government drowning in corruption the ideological pull at the lower levels remains strong as the leaders prosper the foot soldiers on both sides continue to die in large numbers sometimes at the hands of their relatives
mr basir is a product of a war with many chapters but no apparent ending he was the age of a high school freshman when he joined the ranks of a warlord the soviets their empire on the verge of disintegration were withdrawing from afghanistan and the conflict they were leaving behind would soon turn into a bitter civil war
mr basir has not put down his guns since not even when militiamen like him were supposedly disarmed during a costly campaign financed by international donors after the american invasion
i have killed at least 150 taliban with my own hands with my own bullets mr basir boasted
but the struggle turned personal when his son became an enemy
about five years ago mr basir said he realized that said had come under the influence of a local cleric who had ties to the taliban one day when mr basirs militia was operating in a different part of faryab his son formally joined the militants even worse he took his fathers cache of about 50000 kalashnikov bullets 42 magazines and one kalashnikov
mr basir was angry but forgiving after all it was his own blood local elders mediated and after much effort mr muhammad returned to his family to prove that he had given up on the insurgency he joined the afghan army serving for two and half years in eastern paktia province
but mr basir who has seven other children questioned whether mr muhammads beliefs had changed and feared that he might betray his comrades perhaps by surrendering army posts to the militants
last year mr muhammad bore out mr basirs suspicions by returning to the taliban and he eventually made his father an outcast
i told him come my son i want to arrange a wife for you get you married mr basir said a second son abdul rahman 20 has also joined the taliban but mr basir said abdul rahman was not as brutal as said like many afghans the family does not use a common surname
mr basir said mr muhammad had threatened to kill me   he will skin me
the decision to try to kill his son was the last resort mr basir said after he realized there was no hope of a return
on friday the police chief of qaisar district lt nizamuddin received a call from mr basir asking for reinforcements
he told me he had called his son many times to leave the taliban but he had refused the lieutenant said he wanted to go get him
and mr basir had no plans for an arrest   he went to zyaratgah to kill now that mr muhammad has survived the plan will not change
i will kill him mr basir said he is a talib i cannot have mercy


eugene monroe has had his share of bumps and bruises during his seven year nfl career as an offensive tackle with the jacksonville jaguars and the baltimore ravens he has had shoulder injuries ankle sprains concussions and all the usual wear and tear that comes from hitting defenders dozens of times a game
to deal with these injuries monroe has stepped forward and called upon the nfl to stop testing players for marijuana so he and other players can take the medical version of the drug to treat their chronic pain and avoid the addictive opioids that teams regularly dispense
we now know that these drugs are not as safe as doctors thought causing higher rates of addiction causing death all around our country monroe said in an interview on friday and we have cannabis which is far healthier far less addictive and quite frankly can be better in managing pain
retired football players like kyle turley and ricky williams have promoted the benefits of marijuana and called for the league to acknowledge those benefits monroe though may be one of the first to openly urge the league to stop testing for the drug possibly risking the wrath of owners league officials and other players
in a series of posts on twitter in march monroe castigated commissioner roger goodell for refusing to modify the leagues stance on the drug monroe also donated 10000 to help pay for research on the benefits of medical marijuana and he challenged other players to match his gift
its a shame that roger goodell would tell our fans theres no medical vs recreational distinction monroe wrote
last week monroe said he had given 80000 to realm of caring a colorado based advocacy group that is working with the johns hopkins university school of medicine to study the impact of medical marijuana on traumatic brain injury and chronic traumatic encephalopathy a degenerative brain disease linked to repeated hits to the head
monroe also started a website about the use of marijuana for pain management
though two dozen states now allow the use of some forms of marijuana the nfl has not softened its stance on the drug before the super bowl in february goodell said the leagues medical advisers continued to look at the research but did not have enough evidence to warrant a change in the leagues position
yes i agree there have been changes but not significant enough changes that our medical personnel have changed their view goodell said until they do then i dont expect that we will change our view
even if the nfl changed its position any changes to the leagues policy on banned substances would have to be negotiated with the nfl players association monroe said that he had met with the associations executive director demaurice smith and that talks were continuing
the players association reached by telephone declined to comment on its conversations with monroe
according to the leagues policy players are tested for marijuana between april 20 and aug 9 when teams are in training camp if a player does not test positive he is not tested again that year
players who test positive the first time are referred to the leagues substance abuse program subsequent violations result in escalating punishments a two game fine a four game fine a four game suspension a 10 game suspension and a one year banishment in 2014 the league also raised the threshold for a positive test from 15 ngml to 35 ngml
despite the more lenient rules players are still getting caught including cleveland browns wide receiver josh gordon who sat out the entire 2015 season
monroe said that players had told him that they supported his call to soften the leagues stance on marijuana testing but no current player has publicly backed him the ravens owner steve bisciotti tacitly supported monroe
were not the ones taking that physical abuse bisciotti told baltimoreravenscom were not talking about a kid thats been suspended three times coming out and saying that i respect eugene a lot and i think all he asked for is more studying on the subject
coach john harbaugh however disagreed
i promise you he does not speak for the organization harbaugh told the baltimore sun
monroe said he was not afraid of any retribution for his stance in part because he said he did not use marijuana but from the research he has done monroe said the benefits were strong enough to justify pushing the league and the union to relax its position even if it hurt his standing in the nfl
my health is far more important than any possible career implications monroe said i want to be there for my family


arusha tanzania   when gen mark a milley the army chief of staff stepped off his jet into the sunshine here on sunday it was the first time the obama administration had sent its top army officer to africa for a high level meeting to get the continents fledgling militaries in shape to deal with growing terrorist threats
as general milley plunged into three days of talks with senior military officials from 38 african countries the biggest question facing him was not how the united states would work with those militaries to contain the threats among them are four militant groups that american officials say are capable of carrying out attacks in europe as well as across africa the islamic state affiliate in libya boko haram in nigeria al qaeda in northwestern africa and the shabab in somalia
instead the question was whether the new focus on the ever widening terrorist threat in africa   not to mention the focus on the islamic state in syria and iraq and the continuing war in afghanistan   is taking away from the armys ability to fight a land war against a more traditional military adversary
after 15 years of conflict the army knows how to fight terrorist groups and how to train its partners to do so as well but that is both a blessing and a curse
today a major in the army knows nothing but fighting terrorists and guerrillas because he came into the army after 911 general milley said in an interview during his flight to arusha but as we get into the higher end threats our skills have atrophied over 15 years
a result general milley said has been a loss of what he calls muscle memory how to fight a large land war including one where an established adversary is able to bring sophisticated air defenses tanks infantry naval power and even cyberweapons into battle
with the declared end of major combat operations in both afghanistan and iraq the army was supposed to return to barracks after more than a decade of war resume training and rebuild its readiness to fight more entrenched powers like russia china or iran
at the same time because the wars in afghanistan and iraq were supposed to be ending the armys budget has shrunk as the obama administration has sought to move away from a war footing
the size of the active duty army now 470000 troops is expected to drop to 450000 next year if automatic budget cuts are reinstated because congress fails to reach a budget deal this year the army will have to cut down to 420000
is that sufficient capacity and capability to do the various national strategies general milley said of current troop levels to a group of foreign policy experts at the council on foreign relations in new york on may 3 we think it is but the real hard question is what happens if one of these other contingencies were to go off that he was referring to potential conflict on the korean peninsula or with a large power like china or russia
president obama has begun to respond to the re emergence of russia as a strategic threat the white house has quadrupled the budget for military spending in europe in 2017 to 34 billion as part of an effort to deter russia the united states will provide additional weapons and equipment to american and nato forces in europe to ensure that the alliance can maintain a full armored combat brigade in the region at all times
but other threats are not going away forcing army officials and pentagon planners to figure out how to adapt americas military strategy to the new global reality army officials are trying to balance the militarys responsibilities in africa the middle east and south asia while relearning how to fight higher end great power conflicts as well
one possible solution general milley said could be to increase training days for the national guard its members now train 39 days a year which allows them to be ready to deploy within four months if called up
i do not think we will have the luxury of four to five months lead time if a significant contingency comes up general milley said
this week his focus is on africa which has increasingly become a battleground in the wests war against militant islam
in central africa american service members are working with militaries from nigeria chad cameroon and niger to counter boko haram american military officials say that boko haram has begun to collaborate with the islamic state which is also known as isis or isil and that the terrorist groups   two of the worlds most feared   could be working together to plan attacks on american allies in north and central africa
pentagon officials have presented the white house with military options including airstrikes against the islamic state affiliate in libya at the same time mr obama and his advisers along with allies like britain france and italy are trying to nurture a fragile political process for a new unity government there
in west africa army and special operations forces are working with militaries from burkina faso mali senegal and other countries to try to stem a recent wave of attacks by al qaeda in the islamic maghreb which has taken to hitting hotels and other tourist sites
and in east africa american military advisers and trainers are working with regional counterparts to fight the qaeda affiliated shabab the group was responsible for one of the deadliest terrorist attacks on african soil at a popular mall in nairobi kenya in 2013 and it is resurgent after losing much of its territory and many of its fighters in the last several years
with the onset of isil in the north al shabab in the east and boko haram and aqim in the center and the west what were doing in africa is centered on trying to get to the left of that said maj gen darryl a williams the head of army forces assigned to africa command were building these relationships so that if called in we can respond
the united states is also working in africa with former russian satellite states like angola general milley will meet one on one on tuesday with his angolan counterpart
this is a region of the world that is of growing importance to the army said carter f ham a retired four star army general who was previously head of africa command a lot of good stuff is happening in africa but from a security standpoint theres also a lot of bad stuff happening as well that could undermine us interests in the region


washington   the pictures will be unavoidable and the flood of painful memories unstoppable
when president obama lands next sunday in hanoi his visit will be chronicled by photographers cameramen and journalists who will track every public move of only the third presidential visit to vietnam since the end of the american war there
mr obamas former defense secretary chuck hagel said he is already bracing for the onslaught of recollections those pictures and articles are likely to inspire
i know those images will hit me said mr hagel whose 12 months as a soldier in vietnam remain the defining period of his life despite the subsequent years as both a senator and a cabinet secretary theyre going to make it all come back
for mr obama the trip to vietnam offers an opportunity to help solidify not only his promised pivot of american policy toward asia but also to deepen economic and security ties with an increasingly important regional player
but for the united states vietnam war veterans a presidential trip to the country where many of them lost their youth innocence and some of their closest friends is weighted with powerful emotions and never ending debates about that wars consequences
there are still a lot of ghosts around mr hagel 69 said in an interview there is still a great deal of debate about vietnam and what it meant for this country
it still haunts us he added that terrible waste of lives and the lessons we learned there the terrible lessons that still hang over us
mr hagel said that every decision he made as defense secretary and every piece of advice he gave mr obama was informed by his experience in vietnam he now finds himself thinking more and more about the year he spent there in the 1960s and he said he is certain to closely study the pictures from mr obamas trip the lush green background the people and their iconic conical hats
one of the stumbling blocks between the two nations is the continuing belief by some in the united states that there may still be captive american soldiers held there the kind of mythology that was fueled by 1980s movies like missing in action starring chuck norris and the rambo series starring sylvester stallone
a black powmia flag still flies above the capitol and state capitols around the country and the military and many lawmakers choose to focus on the retrieval of the remains of dead service members as fulfilling those concerns but some leaders of veterans organizations insisted in a meeting on friday at the white house that mr obama ask vietnamese leaders whether there are living prisoners according to frank francois iii the chief executive of service disabled veteran enterprises who attended the meeting
one of the questions that has to be asked is whether there is anybody in jail or captivity or someone living in the area we need to know about mr francois said
for other veterans mr obamas trip will serve as a welcome reminder to two generations of americans who have come of age since the wars end illustrating that conflicts importance to the united states for these men the ghosts of the war should not have been so easily laid to rest
vietnam is a totally forgotten issue nowadays said bobby muller a disabled veteran and antiwar activist whose life helped inspire the 1978 movie coming home starring jane fonda to have gone through those times and have something as huge and powerful and affecting and tragic in our lifetimes wind up nonexistent in the consciousness of the country today is stunning
mr muller lives in washington in an apartment that is filled with books on the war and his anger at two wartime leaders   president richard m nixon and his closest adviser henry kissinger   remains undiminished
mr obama is unlikely to focus as much on combat deaths during his trip as president bill clinton did when he visited in 2000
mr clinton took the two sons of a missing airman lt col lawrence g evert to a rice paddy in a tiny town 17 miles northeast of hanoi and searched along with scores of villagers for the remnants of an f 105d fighter bomber that had crashed in 1967 remarkably they found colonel everts bones
mr obama is more likely to hail cooperation between the two countries to clean up the remnants of agent orange one of the wartime issues still important to vietnam but as a president who came of age after the war ended he is unlikely to be a symbol of healing of the psychological wounds that some veterans suffered upon returning home when many of their countrymen disdained them for fighting there
that lack of a welcome home is still a national shame said senator john mccain a vietnam veteran who because he was a prisoner of war did receive a heros welcome you had 18  or 19 year old draftees who did their duties and were literally spat upon by their fellow citizenry when they returned
mr mccain said the country has learned that lesson and service members and veterans are routinely celebrated at sporting events and public occasions nowadays but for some veterans mr obamas visit is likely to stir bitter memories of their rejection he said
mr mccain a republican of arizona said his efforts to help normalize relations between vietnam and the united states were among the proudest accomplishments of his life and he said he had been to vietnam so often since the wars end that im recognized more in the streets of hanoi than i am in phoenix
those efforts long ago helped mr mccain put the worst of the war and his captivity behind him so he is unlikely to be moved by the photos of mr obamas visits he said mr mccain said he had other ways of stirring his wartime memories
to this day ill get up real early sometimes and go down to the vietnam memorial just as the sun is coming up mr mccain said in an interview
its always a great experience for me to think and remember


washington   al qaedas top leadership in pakistan badly weakened after a decade of cia drone strikes has decided that the terror groups future lies in syria and has secretly dispatched more than a dozen of its most seasoned veterans there according to senior american and european intelligence and counterterrorism officials
the movement of the senior qaeda jihadists reflects syrias growing importance to the terrorist organization and most likely foreshadows an escalation of the groups bloody rivalry with the islamic state western officials say
the operatives have been told to start the process of creating an alternate headquarters in syria and lay the groundwork for possibly establishing an emirate through al qaedas syrian affiliate the nusra front to compete with the islamic state from which nusra broke in 2013 this would be a significant shift for al qaeda and its affiliate which have resisted creating an emirate or formal sovereign state until they deem conditions on the ground are ready such an entity could also pose a heightened terrorist threat to the united states and europe
qaeda operatives have moved in and out of syria for years ayman al zawahri the groups supreme leader in pakistan dispatched senior jihadists to bolster the nusra front in 2013 a year later mr zawahri sent to syria a shadowy qaeda cell called khorasan that american officials say has been plotting attacks against the west
but establishing a more enduring presence in syria would present the group with an invaluable opportunity western analysts said a syria based qaeda state would not only be within closer striking distance of europe but also benefit from the recruiting and logistical support of fighters from iraq turkey jordan and lebanon
mr zawahri released his first audio statement in several months in early may and it seemed to clear the way for the qaeda figures to use the nusra front to form an emirate in syria with his blessing some nusra leaders however oppose the timing of such a move so the affiliate has not yet taken that step
the combination of an al qaeda emirate and a revitalized al qaeda central leadership in northern syria would represent a confidence boost for the jihadi organizations global brand charles lister a senior fellow at the middle east institute wrote this month in foreign policy
al qaeda would present itself as the smart methodical and persistent jihadi movement that in contrast to the islamic state had adopted a strategy more aligned with everyday sunni muslims mr lister wrote
al qaeda and the islamic state have the same ultimate objective to create an islamic state but they have used different tactics mr lister and other scholars said the islamic state moved quickly to impose harsh unilateral control over territory in iraq and syria and declare its independence the nusra front has painstakingly sought to build influence over areas it wants to control and with other syrian rebel groups opposed to the government of president bashar al assad
american officials say the islamic state has largely eclipsed al qaeda in the global jihadist hierarchy with al qaeda hemorrhaging members to its more brutal and media savvy rival many of the khorasan operatives including their leader muhsin al fadhli have been killed in eight american airstrikes in northwest syria since september 2014
the islamic state has between 19000 and 25000 fighters roughly divided between iraq and syria american intelligence analysts estimate the nusra front has about 5000 to 10000 fighters all in syria an emirate would differ from the islamic state caliphate in the scale of its ambition in that a nusra emirate would not claim to be a government for all the worlds muslims
some senior american and european intelligence and law enforcement officials say the small but steady movement of important qaeda operatives and planners to syria is a desperate dash to a haven situated perilously in the middle of the countrys chaos these officials say qaeda operatives in syria are determined but largely contained
theres always been a steady trickle and it remains said col steve warren a military spokesman in baghdad for the american led campaign in iraq and syria
nonetheless the presence of a senior cadre of experienced qaeda leaders in syria   some with multimillion dollar american bounties on their heads   has raised alarms in washington as well as in the allied capitals of europe the middle east and north africa
we have destroyed a large part of al qaeda john o brennan the director of the cia said this month on nbcs meet the press it is not completely eliminated so we have to stay focused on what it can do
the evolving assessment about al qaeda and the nusra front in syria comes from interviews with nearly a dozen american and european intelligence and counterterrorism officials and independent analysts most of whom have been briefed on confidential information gleaned from spies and electronic eavesdropping they also analyzed the public statements and social media commentary among qaeda and nusra front members
one of the operatives western intelligence officials are focused most intently on is saif al adl a senior member of al qaedas ruling body known as the shura council who oversaw the organization immediately after osama bin laden was killed by navy seals in pakistan in 2011 it is unclear whether mr adl is in syria north africa or somewhere else american intelligence officials said
the government of iran released mr adl and four other senior members of al qaeda early last year as part of a secret prisoner swap with al qaedas branch in yemen the group holding an iranian diplomat nour ahmad nikbakht
mr adl a former colonel in the egyptian military who is believed to be in his 50s is listed on the fbis most wanted terrorist list and was indicted in the 1998 united states embassy bombings in east africa he is the subject of a 5 million american bounty
as a senior adviser to al qaedas networks in syria and proximate environs al adl could be especially useful in helping to define strategies that will help the group achieve confidence inspiring successes said michael s smith ii of kronos advisory a terrorism research and analysis firm
the other four men released by iran are also suspected of being in syria they are abdul khayr al misri an egyptian who formerly led al qaedas foreign relations council abul qassam a jordanian who was a deputy to abu musab al zarqawi the founder of the organization that later became the islamic state sari shibab a jordanian operative and abu mohamed al misri an egyptian who helped orchestrate al qaedas major attacks before sept 11 2001 according to american officials briefed on details of the transfer they agreed to discuss the matter on condition of anonymity because of the issues confidential nature
it is unclear how and when al qaeda might form an emirate in syria that would hold territory and most likely harden its position toward more moderate syrian opposition groups the nusra front was created in 2012 as an offshoot of al qaedas affiliate in iraq   which under the leadership of abu bakr al baghdadi later declared itself the islamic state   to fight mr assads government that same year the united states designated the nusra front as a terrorist organization
but in 2013 the nusra front balked at joining mr baghdadi when he announced the creation of the islamic state also known as isis or isil and instead pledged allegiance to mr zawahri in pakistan this ignited an often bloody rivalry between nusra and islamic state fighters in syria
now al qaedas top leadership is looking to stanch its losses in pakistan and score a propaganda coup in syria by establishing a formal emirate a portion of nusras leadership however supports continuing the groups more pragmatic strategy of cultivating local support
the fundamental disagreement is over how far al qaedas long game strategy should be sustained before revealing more and more of nusras real face and solidifying territorial control through the formation of an emirate mr lister said in an interview
many of the syrian rebel groups that are fighting alongside nusra against mr assads government reject the idea of forming an emirate fearing it would further splinter the opposition to mr assad
from al qaedas religious perspective the declaration of a state or of an emirate should only happen in a context where it is possible to govern effectively said firas abi ali a senior principal analyst with ihs country risk in london it would be ironic for al qaeda to declare an emirate while theres a caliphate that it rejects


toronto   as the toronto raptors assembled their lead in the third quarter air canada centre began to fill with an unmistakable sense that this team was not merely overpowering the miami heat no the raptors were also escaping their past all the first round exits all the blown chances all the disappointments
on sunday afternoon the raptors turned the most significant basketball game in franchise history into a citywide celebration defeating the heat 116 89 in game 7 of the teams eastern conference semifinals kyle lowry scored 35 points with a sore elbow and demar derozan added 28 with a sprained thumb
i know one thing coach dwane casey said our guys compete
nothing about this game was easy for the raptors   not against the likes of dwyane wade not after seven games not with so many banged up bodies but for the first time in the teams 21 season existence the raptors are bound for the conference finals their series with the cleveland cavaliers will start tuesday night at quicken loans arena
we aint satisfied lowry said thats just our mentality
the raptors erupted in the third quarter building their lead possession by possession to 11 when demarre carroll sank a 3 pointer to 14 when bismack biyombo got inside for a dunk to 16 when lowry drove to the rim for layup the heat trailed by as many as 28 in the fourth
they wore us down heat coach erik spoelstra said toronto beat us fair and square
wade and goran dragic scored 16 points each for the heat who were greeted by light snowfall when they left their hotel for the game about a half hour before tipoff flurries gave way to hail it was springtime in canada and the conditions   at least symbolically   favored the raptors for the record it did not snow in miami for game 6
thousands of fans filed into jurassic park an outdoor viewing party on a block next to the arena if people here were excited about the game about this national event then they were also opening themselves up to the possibility of more frustration more misery more sadness
the ghosts of postseasons past have haunted this franchise seven previous trips to the playoffs six first round flameouts it has been particularly impossible for toronto to forget 2001 when it came within seconds of advancing to the conference finals but vince carter after attending his college graduation ceremony that morning missed a shot at the buzzer and the philadelphia 76ers escaped with a game 7 win in the conference semifinals that was 15 years ago the raptors finally seized another opportunity
this organization deserves it derozan said
this was a physical series that featured nearly as many injuries as missed shots both teams had long ago lost their starting centers   the raptors jonas valanciunas to a sprained right ankle the heats hassan whiteside to a sprained right knee
others played on through jammed thumbs and bruised wrists through the toll of a seven game series that manifested itself in bandages and braces
in game 6 with his team hoping to extend the series spoelstra went small by starting justise winslow a first year forward at center spoelstra sought to generate more offense and he instructed winslow to set screen after screen along the perimeter drawing biyombo his primary defender away from the basket the heat ran away with the win
ahead of game 7 casey expressed cautious optimism that his players would make the necessary adjustments he wanted his defenders to focus on the ball to contain wade and dragic and at least slow their dribble penetration casey advised his players to stop worrying so much about the coming screen
too many times were looking to see where the screens are coming from casey said adding we have to do a good job of locking into the basketball
the arena practically shook when derozan scored the first points of the game on a midrange jumper the crowd roared when wade picked up his second foul and took an early seat
neither team was particularly efficient however and this surprised no one after two weeks of turnovers and empty possessions on sunday the raptors and the heat combined to miss nine of their first 10 3 point attempts derozan though was assertive he scored 11 points on 12 field goal attempts in the first quarter toronto took a 53 47 lead into the second half
as the game wore on others emerged for the raptors biyombo finished with 17 points and patrick patterson had 11 points and 11 rebounds
i thought tonight we played big casey said if youre going to do that youve got to make sure you plant your feet in the lane and do what you do
late in the fourth quarter with the final seconds melting away on the heats season a happy mob formed in front of the raptors bench coaches embraced players exchanged high fives
but back in the locker room a dose of reality awaited scouting reports on the cavaliers one for every player
its another step for us casey said but were not there yet


vienna   in austria at the very heart of europe the center is not holding
after decades in which austrian politics was dominated by center right and center left parties voters emphatically rejected both in the first round of the election for a new president the country   focused like many others in europe on the effects of large scale immigration   now faces a runoff next sunday between a far right anti immigration populist who was the leading vote getter in the first round and a former green party leader
the power of the presidency in austria is a subject of debate but the first round of the race stirred upheaval within the governing coalition of the center left social democrats and the center right peoples party including the resignation of chancellor werner faymann which further undercut the influence and stature of the political middle here
should the far right candidate norbert hofer of the freedom party win the presidency he would be the first right wing populist to become a head of state in 21st century europe
the forces that vaulted mr hofer into the spotlight are evident across much of the continent where many traditional parties in the center are embattled and voters are signaling increased discontent with politics as usual austria could be a test case for how far voters will go to demand change as immigration joins with diminished economic security and resentment of entrenched elites to create a combustible political mix
in france marine le pens far right national front is polling far ahead of the governing socialists and president francois hollandes approval ratings have slumped as low as 13 percent a year before he faces another election
to austrias east prime minister viktor orban rules hungary with an authoritarian touch and a conservative government in poland is molding the news media and the judiciary to its taste germany is confronting growing support for the right wing alternative for germany party and the british referendum in june on whether to leave the european union is cleaving prime minister david camerons conservatives that vote could turn on many of the same issues rattling politics elsewhere including immigration nationalism and disenchantment with the european bureaucracy in brussels
but the disruption has been especially pronounced in austria the crossroads of a troubled continent despite having dominated politics since 1945 or perhaps because of that dominance the two major centrist parties could not muster even a quarter of the popular vote between them in the first round of the presidential contest
mr hofer won 35 percent behind him was the former green party leader alexander van der bellen with 21 percent there has not been any polling for the runoff but all indications are that the race will be tight
the tone of the political debate has added to the fears of many austrians about the migrants who entered the country last year as hundreds of thousands of people fled syria iraq afghanistan and other nations for the security and prosperity of europe the new arrivals many of them muslim are regularly portrayed in tabloids and by mr hofer and his party as freeloaders bringing crime rape and even murder to this country of 84 million people
we are in a situation where people dont understand the world anymore because it is changing so fast said georg hoffmann ostenhof a columnist for the liberal weekly magazine profil and then came the migrants and people were told that the politicians had lost control of the borders that just heightened the overall sense that control was gone
hans rauscher a centrist columnist for the daily newspaper der standard noted that even though most refugees who arrived last year went on to germany and scandinavia what people saw in images was people just coming coming coming   and the influx didnt stop
mr faymann initially backed chancellor angela merkel of germany on her policy of keeping borders open to refugees he reversed himself over the winter siding with his coalition partner the center right peoples party in shutting austrias borders and persuading states along the balkan refugee trail from greece to do the same
the shift was intended in part to head off the political threat from the freedom party instead it fed a revolt within mr faymanns social democrats and he resigned suddenly last monday weakening the social democrats before the most contentious presidential race since 1986 back then austria elected kurt waldheim a former united nations secretary general despite revelations that he had served in the wehrmacht close to the sites of nazi crimes in the balkans
so far neither party in the centrist governing coalition has formally urged followers to back mr van der bellen an economist against mr hofer
just how much influence a far right president might exert in austria is hotly debated the office has been seen as largely ceremonial but powers laid out in the 1929 constitution still in effect enable the president to dismiss a government or refuse to swear in a controversial leader
mr hofer and the freedom party have campaigned on what their posters call a new understanding of the office mr hofer has said he would give the government six months to a year to fix what he sees as austrias woes   migrants crime rising unemployment   and then dismiss it if necessary
we all missed this point in the constitution because since 1945 it had not been used said mr rauscher the columnist for der standard he voiced a widespread apprehension that any attempt by mr hofer to sway the government could drive austria in the illiberal direction seen in neighboring hungary poland and slovakia   all once linked with austria in the hapsburg empire
mr hofer is appealing to voters with a brand of 19th century teutonic nationalism saying germans and austrians should draw on it to fight the islamic state he also rails against the division of tyrol one of austrias states from the northern italian region known as south tyrol he told a tyrolean rally last year that the border was unjust is unjust and will remain so as long as it stands
mr hofer 45 and little noticed until now leaves the most strident public statements to his party leader heinz christian strache cultivating an everyman image and emphasizing at rallies that he and his second wife a professional caregiver are one of you
mr van der bellen wants to be president of austria while i want to be president for austria mr hofer proclaimed during a 90 minute tv duel on may 8
mr van der bellen 72 was markedly tougher in that debate than in earlier ones mr hofer accused him of being frisky after drinking too much viennese coffee but mr van der bellens supporters say he needs to show even more desire to win
mr van der bellen has said he would never swear in a government led by mr strache even though polls consistently show the freedom party finishing first with about one third of the votes if parliamentary elections were held now
the possibility that mr hofer and the freedom party might expand their already substantial sway in austria lent an air of urgency last week to a meeting of hundreds of leading business and political figures at a chic dinner club by viennas famed opera house
these people were rallying around mr van der bellen who is running as an independent but is partly financed by the green party even if it meant crossing ideological divides
a leading conservative josef proll a former finance minister and the scion of a powerful family was among those declaring he would back mr van der bellen
mr van der bellen has repeatedly emphasized that one in two jobs in austria depends on trade tourism or other contacts outside the country and that austria cannot afford to turn its back on europe or the world
with unemployment hovering around 10 percent   almost double the rate in 2013 when the last parliamentary elections were held   business executives especially fear isolationism
others note a deeper crisis particularly for europes center left and the welfare state that it built after 1945 which redistributed wealth in a way that fostered security
social democracy was always driven by ideas said wolfgang petritsch a veteran diplomat and onetime chief aide to austrias best known chancellor the social democrat bruno kreisky but the ideas have gone missing


san francisco   as the editor in chief of the san francisco chronicle audrey cooper has overseen countless stories on homelessness but the issue became personal three years ago when she was pushing her 6 month old child in a stroller through the citys business district a homeless couple in a tent on the sidewalk were having sex tent flaps open as their pit bull stood guard
ms cooper expressed her outrage loudly and in colorful language
i probably shouldnt have started yelling at them she said in an interview in her fishbowl office in the heart of the chronicles newsroom they let their dog loose
san francisco residents have over decades become inured to encounters with the citys homeless population the clumps of humanity sleeping on sidewalks under coats and makeshift blankets or drug addicts shooting up in full view of pedestrians there are also the tension filled but common scenes of mentally ill men and women stumbling down streets arguing with imaginary enemies or harassing passers by
one particularly vocal group of residents san franciscos journalists say they feel a sense of urgency in addressing the problem they are banding together in an exasperated but as yet vaguely defined attempt to spur the city into action
next month media organizations in the bay area are planning to put aside their rivalries and competitive instincts for a day of coordinated coverage on the homeless crisis in the city the chronicle which is leading the effort is dispensing with traditional news article formats and will put forward possible solutions to the seemingly intractable plight of around 6000 people without shelter
representatives from bay area television and radio stations the chronicle the san francisco examiner mother jones and online publications among others met last month to figure out a plan to share resources and content they agreed to publish their reports on homelessness on june 29
we are all frustrated said jon steinberg the editor in chief of san francisco magazine which is also taking part we are all fed up we feel there is not enough movement and accountability on the issue
we want the full force of the fourth estate to bear down on this problem he added
thirty news organizations have confirmed their participation kqed a public television and radio station is also taking a lead role in the campaign
the premise of the effort is to create a wave of coverage that will force politicians to come up with solutions ms cooper said
you will not be able to log onto facebook turn on the radio watch tv read a newspaper log onto twitter without seeing a story about the causes and solutions to homelessness she said
at a time of tight budgets collaboration has become increasingly common in the news business this years pulitzer prize for investigative journalism was won by a combined team from the tampa bay times and the sarasota herald tribune in florida still the san francisco collaboration stands out for the number of organizations involved and in the case of the chronicle the emphasis on proposing solutions
ms cooper said the chronicle will run a week of coverage including four articles that she described as something akin to a science project putting forth a hypothesized solution and investigating it the first proposal is that the city build a mental health center large enough to treat the mentally ill on the streets the article will explore the cost and the feasibility of institutionalizing people
we need to be a hell of a lot more creative about how we solve this problem ms cooper said and we are probably going to have to break some dishes to do it the papers articles and photographs will be offered free to all participants the paper will also run a front page editorial with its conclusions on what solutions should be pursued
advocacy is a longstanding taboo in american journalism making reporters and editors wary of discussing solutions to the problems they highlight in their coverage one rationale for this is that journalists who advocate causes might be selective in their reporting or biased in their coverage
in a city known for its liberal traditions the question of whether san franciscos journalists are crossing into activism has not come up at least not in the initial meeting of news organizations last month
it was sort of shocking that there was no dissension said holly kernan the executive editor for news at kqed the public broadcaster that hosted the meeting on the contrary the conversation was lets do way more
ms kernan said her station plans blanket coverage on june 29 but will not propose solutions i see what we are doing as pure journalism ms kernan said
aaron pero news director of kron tv a bay area television news station said he planned to have a report on homelessness each day for a week possibly profiles of homeless people
i wasnt going to try to figure out how to solve the homeless problem mr pero said my vision was to send a number of reporters out and to find a profile that we could do every single day
mr pero said it was really awesome that all these media outlets are coming together
i dont think its been done anywhere else he added
only one local outlet kcbs a news radio station declined to participate
its not because of any lack of interest in the homeless or any perception that the story is unimportant to our listeners jack swanson the director of news and programming at kcbs said in an email like many media outlets in the bay area we cover the homeless situation in our communities and will continue to cover it on a regular basis
a new york times reporter also attended the meeting while the times is not participating in the coordinated coverage it has and will continue to cover homelessness as a major issue in the city
proponents of solutions oriented journalism are applauding the initiative
andrew donohue a senior editor at the center for investigative reporting a nonprofit organization that partners with other media on reporting projects said the single minded muckraking focus of some journalism has made the public more cynical theres outrage fatigue mr donohue said you can very easily leave people feeling helpless which can then lead to being disengaged
courtney martin a founder of the solutions journalism network a nonprofit organization that advocates journalism that covers solutions to social problems said she was thrilled to hear of the san francisco project
this is the kind of thing that is music to our ears ms martin said we have this bias in the media to think that our only job is the watchdog role
a journalists job she said is not to pick a winner
your job is to investigate solutions she said people want to read about how to fix broken systems


sixty seven at bats over the course of 10 seasons hardly make yankees third baseman chase headley a prolific pinch hitter but in that time he has learned a thing or two about the art of being a successful substitute
you dont want to wait around headley said the one thing that any great pinch hitter ive ever talked to has told me is that you better be ready to hit the moment you step into that box
so after languishing on the bench for five innings and stretching and hitting in the cage for two more headley jumped on the first pitch he got from white sox reliever matt albers in the seventh inning on sunday afternoon at yankee stadium pummeling a thigh high sinker into the gap in right center field to score the go ahead run in a 7 5 win over chicago
it was significant for headley   who had recently gone 23 straight games without driving in a run   and the team which polished off a third consecutive series win to finish a 7 3 homestand headleys heroics helped reliever dellin betances shake off his first blown save and allowed carlos beltran to smile in the clubhouse over a milestone homer
in the sixth beltran hit the 400th home run of his career joining mickey mantle eddie murray and chipper jones as switch hitters who have reached that mark
just to be mentioned next to them motivates me to continue my career strong and see what im capable of doing beltran said
beltrans swing gave the yankees a 5 4 lead and allowed manager joe girardi to turn the ball over to the heavyweight triumvirate forming the backbone of his bullpen he had good reason to feel confident yankee relievers had not allowed a run in 15  2/3  innings but betances uncharacteristically struggled surrendering three straight hits to open the seventh and allowing chicago to tie the score
i felt like they got three well placed hits betances said after that i was just trying to keep the game tied
with runners on second and third betances managed to retire the next three batters including the final two with swinging strikeouts
i thought that gave us energy betances said
indeed with two outs in the seventh didi gregorius walked to bring up headley who has suddenly rebounded to become the teams hottest hitter finally feeling comfortable at the plate after a fitful opening month headley said he had not been pleased to hear from girardi on saturday that he would have sunday off but he tried to keep his routine as normal as possible and began warming up for a pinch hitting opportunity in the fifth
the hit   headleys seventh in his last 20 at bats   helped reinforce how things have begun to turn around for him his work on his mechanics particularly getting his bat head out in front of the plate has boosted his confidence
about a week and a half ago i felt like there was the feel im looking for headley said it didnt really show up immediately but i knew the results would soon follow
yankees starter masahiro tanaka labored through five innings since throwing eight shutout innings at baltimore on may 5 tanaka has surrendered 10 earned runs in two starts equaling the number he had allowed in his first six outings
he had been one of four pitchers in baseball to have allowed two runs or fewer in each of his first six starts
the split wasnt there tanaka said through an interpreter i couldnt rely on that pitch as much as i wanted to today
the white sox tagged tanaka for eight hits including a solo home run by adam eaton in the third and three hits by avisail garcia tanaka walked three and struck out seven
the yankees welcomed back center fielder jacoby ellsbury who had missed seven games with a hip strain he immediately got the offense rolling with an infield single to lead off the first
the yankees were aggressive at the plate against white sox starter miguel gonzalez
the first three batters saw just four pitches before the yankees had a 1 0 lead with ellsbury scoring on a sacrifice fly by beltran
the yankees had opportunities to add runs and missed some big chances they loaded the bases against gonzalez with one out in the third but catcher brian mccann popped out in foul territory a single by the next hitter starlin castro and a walk by dustin ackley brought two runs around but gregorius grounded out to end the inning
so despite lasting four and two thirds innings and walking five batters gonzalez left the game with his team leading 4 3
that was until beltrans homer
were capable of winning against good teams beltran said its good to see that were playing better baseball
inside pitch
c c sabathia threw 45 pitches in a simulated game sunday and reported no soreness in his injured groin manager joe girardi said that barring a setback sabathia would be scheduled to start friday at oakland ... the yankees announced that chad green would start mondays game in arizona followed by michael pineda and nathan eovaldi


russia facing deepening scrutiny over accusations that it orchestrated a doping campaign during the sochi olympics in 2014 on sunday made a public plea for its track and field athletes to be allowed to compete in this summers games in rio de janeiro
writing in the sunday times a british newspaper the russian sports minister said russian officials coaches and athletes made serious mistakes but he stopped short of specifying them or admitting to any state role
we are very sorry that athletes who tried to deceive us and the world were not caught sooner wrote the sports minister vitaly mutko we are very sorry because russia is committed to upholding the highest standards in sport and is opposed to anything that threatens the olympic values
but he added it cannot be right that clean athletes should suffer for the behavior of others in no other walk of life would this happen
the accusations of an elaborate drug operation at the 2014 winter olympics published last week in the new york times have led to growing calls to bar russia and its powerhouse track and field team from the rio games which are set to open in august
craig reedie the president of the world anti doping agency told the bbc on saturday that it was highly unlikely that russias antidoping agency would be declared compliant with world sports rules in time for the games
russia was provisionally suspended from international track and field competition by the international association of athletics federations in november after wada issued a 323 page report that outlined a pervasive culture of doping among the countrys sports programs the iaaf is expected to decide next month whether the country has done enough to fix the problems and have its eligibility reinstated
in the new york times report grigory rodchenkov a former director of russias antidoping laboratory detailed how a doping program that involved dozens of athletes unfolded at the sochi games dr rodchenkov said state antidoping experts and members of the intelligence service covertly replaced tainted urine samples with clean ones collected from the athletes months earlier before they started doping
russia has reacted to the accusations with statements both deploring the use of performing enhancing drugs by its athletes and vigorously rejecting contentions that it was involved
on thursday the russian sports ministry acknowledged in a statement that doping problems existed among its athletes while expressing shock over dr rodchenkovs disclosures speaking to reporters the next day a spokesman for president vladimir v putin said all this simply looks like slander by a turncoat
the deputy sports minister yuri nagornykh said russia and the athletes named in the times article were considering whether to file a defamation lawsuit
on sunday mr mutko struck a much more conciliatory tone he said russian officials were doing all they could to stamp out doping by the countrys athletes he also said that aspiring olympians would be subjected to additional tests and that two international experts were now based in moscow to supervise the countrys antidoping agency
we have done everything that has been asked of us by the iaaf in order to be reinstated mr mutko wrote in the sunday times
however he added the scourge of doping extends worldwide to single out russia would be unfair he said
the olympic games should be a cause of unity he said barring russias athletes from competing in rio would risk tearing this unity apart
peter donnelly the director of the centre for sport policy studies at the university of toronto said on sunday that mr mutko had touched on a legitimate problem with how doping violations are handled by sports governing bodies
the international olympic committee and world sport federations need to find ways to target punishments at those who are complicit in an athletes doping dr donnelly said adding its difficult for me to see how punishing all pending russian olympic track and field athletes can be considered as justice


twenty four hours after adam lindemann sold a jean michel basquiat at christies for 573 million   an auction record for the artist   he found himself in the role of bidder as selling began for a 1942 calder standing mobile at sothebys last wednesday night he thought the 3 million to 4 million estimate was too low that the piece was worth 10 million given that it had once been owned by alfred h barr jr founding director of the museum of modern art
mr lindemann 54 an established collector and dealer jumped into the bidding himself but dropped out before the piece ultimately sold for 83 million with fees
had i pushed it it would have gone to 10 he said later it wasnt destined to come to me sometimes when you bid youre not going to get it   you just know it was an amazing purchase for someone to own and to keep for a decade it was not necessarily the right purchase for someone like me
mr lindemann a regular in the new york auction rooms agreed to share his impressions of the spring sales in real time with a reporter as both a buyer and a seller he was active last week offering an up close view of the negotiations that go into each sale
why didnt he buy the calder he wouldnt divulge his final bid but indicated that it wasnt a work he would want to sit on until it appreciated enough to resell given his legal and business expertise he has a degree from yale law school and used to run his own investment firm he has established himself as a knowledgeable insider and buys for both love and value tending to spend in the 20 million and under range before selling the basquiat he bought an uli figure from papua new guinea the cover lot at sothebys african oceanic and pre columbian art sale for 47 million
hes part of the trade said brett gorvy christies worldwide chairman of postwar and contemporary art hes been a collector and a dealmaker for most of his career he knows all the ins and outs of what actually happens in an auction room hes used to selling and trading up that gives him a different kind of mentality you have to have a certain ability to detach yourself from objects
mr lindemanns decision to sell the basquiat was therefore carefully considered given the uncertainty in the market it could have seemed like a risky time to sell one of the most valuable pieces in his collection but christies had a buyer who had committed to paying at least 40 million for the piece and mr lindemann said the moment was actually opportune given the lack of competition from other major consignments
if it were a regular bullish sale in 2014 we would have been fighting a rothko or a picasso and a 50 million balloon dog he said referring to a jeff koons sculpture the question is do you want to be the lead in a smaller movie or do you want to be in a film with brad pitt and leonardo dicaprio
if you know that you can deliver he said you do the smaller movie where youre the lead and the movie is about you
mr lindemann had sold major works before for example mr koonss bright red hanging heart magentagold at sothebys in 2007 for 235 million but the basquiat   sold to the japanese billionaire yusaku maezawa   was a prize that auction houses had been trying to wrest away from him since he bought the painting for 45 million in 2004
almost every six months or every year i would put forward an offer mr gorvy said each time it was someone who was looking for a masterpiece he was willing to listen but he always had a firm number in his head and that number was 50
mr lindemann who comes from wealth   forbes puts his familys net worth at 29 billion   has collected for about 20 years and showcases art through two galleries venus over manhattan which opened in 2012 and venus over los angeles which opened in 2015 mr lindemanns exhibitions tend to be deliberately untraditional like his current show of warhols little electric chairs
he is married to an art dealer amalia dayan and the two live in a brutalist upper east side townhouse designed by the architect david adjaye last year mr lindemann bought andy warhols former oceanfront compound in montauk
he started his galleries as a way to showcase artists who he believes have not received the attention they deserve like william copley bernard buffet jack goldstein and h c westermann theres plenty of good galleries in new york and plenty that are better than mine he said adding that he aims to revisit artists who are out of favor to look at historic work in a new way
mr gorvy said the fact that he likes westermann kind of tells it all   a highly quirky highly respected artist among a niche group of collectors   someone who is really anti commercial in a certain way thats the kind of thing adam pursues
during sothebys contemporary auction last week mr lindemann   who has a round face and bright blue eyes   was a font of caustic commentary elaine sturtevants warhol marilyn he said which went for 490000 on an estimate of 300000 to 400000 was a cheap way to buy something you cant afford sturtevant made close but inexact versions of other artists works and the bidding on an untitled rudolf stingel canvas from 2007   estimated at 15 million to 2 million   was insane in his opinion
but behind his desk in his madison avenue gallery the following day mr lindemann commended the sale it was a solid 10 he said everyone in the room felt good
sothebys had selected items that it knew it could sell he said   artists who continue to make the same kind of things like christopher wool robert ryman rudolf stingel and agnes martin
this market wants whats identifiable mr lindemann said this market wants security because this market is nervous
he also made a point of noting who the auction houses are not selling suggesting that certain artists are currently out of favor why are there no damien hirsts in the evening sale anymore where are they he said where are the wade guytons
in his view estimates placed on works by auction houses are too often mistaken for actual value when they are simply the result of deals between auction houses and sellers the prices represent how much the auction house is willing to commit to a seller and what that seller is willing to accept
you have to appreciate the views of the consignor and the agenda of the auction house mr lindemann said people think the estimate represents the value and often it doesnt
he believes that putting more than 20 calders up for sale this season among the three main auction houses was a mistake glutting the market even though calders generally do well and brought solid prices this time around and he said that while an auction can seem inappropriately decadent given all these numbers being thrown around if it were real estate no one would have a problem with it
in a way he added many pictures today are worth as much or more than anybodys home


president obama took several sharp swipes at donald j trump on sunday during a commencement address that could be the beginning of a forceful effort to help elect a democratic successor as president
addressing rutgers universitys class of 2016 at the schools 250th anniversary commencement mr obama never mentioned mr trump by name but his target was clear and his assessments earned raucous cheers from the graduates
the world is more interconnected than ever before and its becoming more connected every day mr obama told the graduates building walls wont change that
mr trump the presumptive republican presidential nominee has proposed building a wall between the united states and mexico and forcing mexico to pay for its potential multibillion dollar construction costs mr trump has also denounced much of the modern international trading and economic system and he has proposed banning muslim visitors and immigrants from the country at least temporarily   all ideas mr obama condemned on sunday
mr obama and mr trump have exchanged zingers before mr trump was a leading voice questioning mr obamas birth location and citizenship and mr obama has responded by taking particular delight in skewering mr trump
but mr obama is altering his stump speech in important ways to go after mr trump as his remaining time in office draws to less than a school year mr obama has alternated between mild and mock horror pointed humor and a touch of disbelief in his attacks on the republican front runner
we live in an age of global supply chains and a lot of folks have legitimate concerns with the way globalization has progressed mr obama said but the answer isnt to stop trading with other countries in this global economy thats not even possible
mr obama said that isolating and disparaging muslims was not only a betrayal of american values but would alienate the very communities at home and abroad who are our most important partners in combating violent extremism
wearing a crimson robe with black sashes and a purple doctoral hood that a fierce wind kept blowing off his shoulders mr obama told the graduates that the knowledge they had earned through years of studying was something they should insist political leaders value and possess themselves
facts evidence reason logic an understanding of science   these are good things these are qualities you want in people making policy mr obama said adding later in politics and in life ignorance is not a virtue
mr obama seemed to especially take pleasure in advocating the use of facts in politics while speaking to an academic audience his point with such arguments is usually to press for action against climate change one of the signature policies of his administration and one that nearly all climate scientists support
but while mr obama mentioned climate change he also used his points about facts and experience to take yet another swipe at an unnamed mr trump
he noted that when people get sick they want an experienced doctor to treat them when they fly they want experienced pilots
and yet in our public lives we suddenly say i dont want somebody whos done it before he asked in derision
mr trump has no experience as a politician a quality that has been viewed as one of the most important reasons for his success as a presidential candidate
mr obama came to rutgers after students faculty members and even relatives of students spent the past three years lobbying the white house for him to speak on this anniversary for the school
the truth is rutgers i came here because you asked you are the first to launch a three year campaign he said emails letters tweets youtube videos i even got three notes from the grandmother of your student body president mr obama said drawing laughter and i have to say that really sealed the deal that was smart because i have a soft spot for grandmas
but mr obama made clear that rutgers was precisely the kind of institution that he wanted to celebrate last week mr obama spoke at the commencement of howard university a historically black university and told the next generation of black leaders that passion must be tempered by strategic thinking and a willingness to compromise
rutgers one of the first nine government chartered institutions in the american colonies could be the most diverse student body in america he said and he likened rutgers long history of success with that of the country as a whole
and while he celebrated that history he made clear to the graduates that no period in history was as prosperous as this one
the good old days werent all that good mr obama said in fact by almost every measure america is better and the world is better than it was 50 years ago or 30 years ago or even eight years ago
one of mr obamas frustrations during his presidency has been the countrys persistently sour mood despite what he sees as a remarkable turnaround in the nations economy the passage of wide ranging health care legislation and the nations pre eminent strength militarily
he cited those accomplishments and many others including declining rates of crime teenage pregnancy and poverty as well as improvements in life expectancy the status of blacks and latinos and clean energy
marriage equality is the law of the land he added to robust cheers
as he often does in such speeches mr obama told the graduates that they needed to participate in the political process and be satisfied with incremental change democrats generally fare better than republicans in high turnout elections and while young people overwhelmingly support democrats they rarely vote so mr obama and michelle obama the first lady always urge student audiences to show up at the polls on election day
because apathy has consequences the president said
he said changes even small ones were worth fighting for
i always tell my daughters better is good mr obama said near the end of his speech adding dont waste your time waiting


on the penultimate episode of this seasons rupauls drag race the last four contestants gathered backstage waiting to find out who would be eliminated from the competition to be named americas next drag superstar as they sat in the untuck lounge they made lighthearted small talk trading compliments and good natured shade
the conversation turned suddenly to activism chi chi devayne a sweet louisiana queen with a thick country fried accent praised bob the drag queen a gifted tenderhearted new york comedian on her work in support of marriage equality
i wish that i had the guts to stand up for gay rights she said wistfully the contestants often use male and female pronouns interchangeably
bob smiled and replied go do it you can start anytime
ms devayne dazzling in full makeup and a fuchsia ball gown shook her head firmly you cant do it in shreveport she replied theyll blow your head off
that exchange reflected the cultural significance of drag race for this particular moment in time
queer and gay culture has been so widely co opted and incorporated into mainstream popular culture that it can feel commonplace embraced by default on the surface that feels like a positive thing   queer narratives like those featured in carol the danish girl modern family and transparent go a long way toward humanizing difference we may live in troubled times but this visibility suggests people are finding their way
yet pop culture has barely started grappling with more complex and ugly contemporary narratives ones that make clear that universal acceptance is still a fantasy   like north carolinas law limiting bathroom access to transgender people this is what makes drag race which airs its season 8 finale on monday night so valuable
bob and ms devayne are both 30 but they may as well be from parallel universes they like the show remind viewers that these discrepancies these gaping chasms exist we live in a time of extreme dualities
in a recent interview with e alex jung of new york magazine rupaul laid out the subversive function of his show
they talk so much about acceptance now today and its like yes but trust me   im old he said its superficial
things havent changed that much you see it in politics right now he added and you know people will have you think oh were fashion were gay thats my gay over there its like no were still a very very very primitive culture
now more than ever we need axes of realness to anchor and make sense of this strange world we live in drag race has always been a show that knows how to balances scripted moments and genuine interactions   by turning the shadiness and catty drama underlining the plot of almost every major reality show into a good natured theatrical performance in which contestants earn points for the ability to mock one another
drag lives to be weird to mock conformity and pokes hole in the artifice of normativity exposing the notion of fixed identity and gender as an inherently flawed premise drag race which in every episode asks competitors to construct new identities and costumes lives to point out that our meat suits can be altered that anyone can paint and sew a new persona that all appearances are illusions anyway
last season the show almost deflated that premise season 7 was dominated by two contestants violet chachki and pearl who both shimmered on the surface but didnt seem to have much depth below at least none that they were willing to reveal phenomenally talented and already instagram famous before their first appearance on the show they were willowy and fair skinned exceptionally gifted at pulling off classically fishy looks which in drag slang means feminine to the point of passing they won competition after competition and praise from the judges
drag race no longer seemed to exist to expose the performance of hyperfemininity it seemed to cultivate it the preference for heteronormative standards of beauty was tremendously disappointing
but this season rebounded from that one of the earliest and most severe eliminations was a pageant queen and two of the seasons stronger contestants had male drag names weirdness reigned through strong performances by acid betty with her psychedelic palette and the transformations of thorgy thor a hippie with dreads and round glasses who invented a new character during every challenge
kim chi one of the shows first breakout asian american contestants constructed some of the most sophisticated looks to grace rupauls stage a combination of flora and fauna and dessert pastry charming and chubby with a lisp his most revealing moment came when he tearfully revealed that he has hidden his exquisite talents at makeup and costume design from his own mother for fear she will be repulsed by his love of drag in another he confessed that he was a virgin
moments like that both shocking and sad affirmed the importance of drag race the rare space on television that relishes honesty and exploration that doesnt subscribe to the notion that all is well now that we live in a post marriage equality world at its best drag exposes the charade of modern life the idea that there are set rules to follow and even if there are that you can win by following them personality growth the ability to evolve and really to survive were the traits that the judges prioritized this season
but you wonder how can the show itself grow and evolve from here at this point in its life cycle rupauls universe has expanded so much that a generation has been weaned on the show and its spinoffs like rupaul drag u drag race is its own feedback loop its own perpetual motion machine its as mainstream as a show about drag can get
at the same time drag race flourishes in cultlike purgatory even the shows network logo tv aimed at the lesbian gay bisexual and transgender audience is squirreled away available only to cable subscribers without streaming services like itunes and amazon prime drag race might not have the fandom and staying power that it currently does
that wont matter much on monday night when the finale is aired its not yet clear who will win in the second to last episode after the group trooped back out to hear the verdict rupaul informed ms devayne that she would not advance to the final round and win the 100000 or the title she seemed unsurprised and smiled you have taught me how to be a better person she said about loving who she is and where she is from and 100000 cant buy that
at that ms devayne snapped her fingers so clear and loud it almost sounded like a bell before sashaying away


at respected research centers in the united states and other countries scientists have spent much of their professional lives in drug rehabilitation it is not because they themselves struggle with addiction what they are trying to rehabilitate are the drugs
their focus is on mind altering compounds that fell far from grace nearly half a century ago lsd prominent among them along with other psychedelics it was outlawed by the federal government damned as bearing a high potential for abuse and offering no accepted medical benefit but in recent years researchers have sought to rescue hallucinogens from exile by examining their efficacy in treating certain disorders of the mind and perhaps even in understanding the nature of consciousness and spirituality
the work of these scientists now draws the attention of retro report a series of video documentaries that examine major news stories of the past and their enduring significance
psychoactive substances often derived from mushrooms have been part of human cultures from central and south america to the sahara for thousands of years but there is no need to look that far back 1938 will do that was when albert hofmann a swiss chemist searching for a drug to combat circulatory ailments happened to synthesize lysergic acid diethylamide lsd or more familiarly acid
five years later dr hofmann who died in 2008 at age 102 accidentally ingested a small dose of his creation and discovered its mind blowing potential as he embarked on the first known acid trip many more such journeys would follow for him and for countless others
in the 1950s and 60s researchers assiduously explored lsd as a tool for treating mental illness and various addictions segments of the united states government had ideas of their own the central intelligence agency tested the drugs possibilities as a truth serum or perhaps a vehicle for mind control the army wanted to learn if lsd might be a way to disorient enemy soldiers
then came the dawning of what many think of when the 60s come to mind the age of aquarius with hippies and love ins tie dye clothes and granny glasses feed your head and a girl with kaleidoscope eyes lsd was in ample supply many young people convinced themselves that an entire society on psychedelics could reach a higher consciousness   mystic crystal revelation and the minds true liberation to borrow from the rock musical hair
more than a few were influenced by timothy leary a former clinical psychologist at harvard university who made himself the thomas cook of acid trips preaching the hallucinogen gospel turn on tune in drop out mr leary who died in 1996 used to say the admonition was endlessly quoted his fervent disciples followed it to the letter and often to excess
among those whose field was the study of the human mind a widely held view was that mr leary had gone off the deep end giving their science a bad name in the process political concerns ran even deeper elected officials from the president on down feared that the youths of america were skidding anarchically toward a druggie cliff
stories abounded about suicides murders and other horrors committed by young people soaring googly eyed on lsd or having acid flashbacks not all of the tales proved to be true nonetheless the federal authorities concluded that there was enough dangerous behavior for them to crack down
prohibitions against lsd and brethren hallucinogens like psilocybin and mescaline were codified in the controlled substances act of 1970 in the 1980s ecstasy   mdma short for 34 methylenedioxymethamphetamine   joined the list of schedule 1 controlled substances those deemed the most perilous
soon enough serious scientific exploration of psychedelics dried up any dabbling in lsd which dr hofmann came to call his problem child was called a career killer by many experimenters
in recent years though mind bending drugs have begun tiptoeing back into the research mainstream
essentially modern scientists are picking up where their forerunners of the 50s and 60s left off they are studying hallucinogens potential to help smokers kick the habit to undo addictions to drugs and alcohol to cope with cluster headaches and depression and to deal with obsessive compulsive and post traumatic stress disorders institutions where such work is underway include new york university johns hopkins university the university of california los angeles psychiatric university hospital in zurich and imperial college in london
american research interest in psilocybin is especially keen this is a psychoactive ingredient in the fungus family known as magic mushrooms it helps that psilocybin carries little of the baggage that still burdens lsd said matthew w johnson a professor of psychiatry and behavioral science at johns hopkins
it may also help that scientists toil in a new environment for certain drugs marijuana for instance is a schedule 1 substance yet it now has the legal blessing of some states
psilocybin and other hallucinogens while not addictive remain officially taboo everywhere researchers need a dispensation from the food and drug administration a licensing from the drug enforcement administration and the approval of professional boards if anything todays scientists want to be seen as the anti learys their experiments bear no resemblance to the freestyle acid dropping of the 60s patients are screened and prepped on what they may expect and then closely monitored
given that death awaits us all one intriguing pursuit is the use of psychedelics to alleviate deep anxiety   existential distress some call it   in those for whom the end seems near they are people like sherry marcy a woman from ann arbor mich who learned she had advanced endometrial cancer
she succumbed to depression four years ago ms marcy now 73 went to johns hopkins for two rounds of psilocybin treatment the lift she received continues to sustain her
it wasnt like it was psychedelic for me she said in an interview with retro report it just was me   back i dont know how it did that exactly except to broaden out you know its like you lift up your head and you take a good long look and you start seeing things again
scientists too are trying to figure out exactly how the drug helps ease despair nonetheless they have observed lasting positive results even spiritual awakenings in some cases if carefully administered they say hallucinogens can reorient patients perceptions of their place in the universe and pull them out of ruts of negative thinking in a 2015 article in the new yorker a british researcher robin carhart harris likened the phenomenon to shaking the snow globe
studies have generally been on a small scale and the results while encouraging are preliminary caution is required dr johnson of johns hopkins told retro report for scientific rigor and because there are potential dangers
even so ms marcy who is now free of cancer says timothy leary got it one third right the turn on doesnt have to be emphasized at all she said the drop out is an absolute mistake but the tune in is crucial
i tuned in she said tuned in to the world to me to things i used to love to my relationships to my family tune in is what its all about


waiting in line to enter a theater has something in common with waiting in line at a border in the first case if you have a ticket you can be reasonably certain youre going to get through but in both cases the waiting is infused with anticipation excitement and nervousness about what may happen on the other side
at the la mama moves dance festival this weekend the line in front of the ellen stewart theater on friday led into the premiere of after the feast by the tiffany mills company and the line in front of the downstairs theater on saturday led into supper people on the move by cardell dance theater despite their titles the two works didnt have food in common so much as walls
it was supper that prompted thoughts of borders the piece is about emigration and requires audience members to pass through a convincingly nervous making simulation of border control inside are long folding tables which soon become the site of a last supper arranged like leonardo da vincis the kind of farewell dinner that precedes leaving ones homeland
the tables are key on four legs or tilted they serve as platforms for the dancers who scramble up their sides or run along their edges the tables represent walls as at borders and the dancers slip through the gaps between them gaps that sometimes slam shut
directed and choreographed by silvana cardell who herself emigrated to philadelphia from buenos aires more than a decade ago supper is a collection of imagistic sketches its most effective when its moving fast conveying the terror and difficulty of many emigrant experiences when the work slows down it goes slack revealing a single layered and static quality to the choreography as in a procession of people balancing motley possessions there is a lot of slow motion acrobatics impressive but not very expressive the ideas dont go anywhere
much more compelling are the emigrant stories shared in an accompanying exhibit of photographs and text organized by jennifer baker the closest that supper gets to the simple eloquence of these stories is at its end when spectators join performers in a meal and share their own tales
in after the feast there is one important wall at the rear of the stage and the dancers like the work itself keep running into it over a long hour they huddle up against it in various tableaus they touch it as if wanting to get past it but they never do
the atmosphere is post apocalyptic or medieval the costumes   jerkins leather straps cowls   suggest games of thrones on a low budget there are hints of some kind of drama warmongering mass death the emergence of a cult or community its a world of scarcity all right yet whats truly meager and often maudlin is the movement vocabulary which buckles without building eventually it all ends and everyone is free to leave


yahoo appears to be making progress in efforts to sell itself despite some initial skepticism
the latest piece of evidence among those vying for the company is the unusual combination of the investor warren e buffett and dan gilbert the founder of quicken loans and owner of the cleveland cavaliers
that consortium is one of several suitors that have moved into the second round of bidding for yahoo according to people briefed on the matter
mr gilbert is leading the bid said the people who were not authorized to speak publicly mr buffetts conglomerate berkshire hathaway is offering to provide financing as he has done with the investment firm 3g capital in its takeovers of h j heinz and kraft and is leaving the negotiations to mr gilbert according to the people
the unusual presence of mr gilbert and mr buffett in the bidding suggest just how far yahoo and its advisers have cast their net to find potential buyers for the embattled internet company
the two are joined in the second round by a range of other bidders including verizon communications and private equity firms such as tpg capital and a group that comprises bain capital and vista equity partners people briefed on the process have previously said several other strategic bidders are also in the second round
yahoo declined to comment representatives for quicken loans and berkshire did not return requests for comment
the companies in the second round of bidding are seeking to buy one of the best known names in silicon valley   though one that ceded a longtime hold on the internet to younger rivals like google and facebook repeated efforts to reinvent itself led by a string of chief executives including the companys current leader marissa mayer have failed to take hold
as yahoo and its bankers canvassed for preliminary bids the company received criticism including from some prospective bidders and from the activist hedge fund starboard value over the state of the sales process
yet yahoo can point to progress it settled a looming board fight with starboard offering the investment firm four director seats one of those is held by starboards chief executive jeffrey smith who now sits on the special board committee overseeing the potential sale
yahoo executives including ms mayer and advisers have been sitting down with bidders in the second round furnishing those suitors with additional details
among them is mr gilbert who built his multibillion dollar fortune with the financial empire but he is also an active investor in his own right having taken stakes in a number of online start ups
yahoo would be orders of magnitude larger than those other technology investments and significantly more troubled but mr gilberts consortium like other bidders has been interested in the still significant digital footprint that the company possesses including its popular finance and sports sites
backing him is his friend mr buffett   who has long spoken of his aversion to technology companies outside of an investment in ibm but the role of berkshire in the gilbert bid would be financial and mr buffetts conglomerate would collect interest from its financing with the opportunity to convert those holdings into an equity stake in the company
both men are familiar with yahoo in other ways mr buffett turned to yahoo finance for the first ever live stream of the question and answer session at berkshires annual shareholder meeting on april 30
and one of berkshires directors is susan l decker a former president of yahoo
providing advice to the gilbert consortium are the former senior yahoo executives dan rosensweig who is now chief executive of the education company chegg and tim cadogan now the head of the online advertising platform openx neither has expressed interest in rejoining yahoo one of the people briefed on the matter said
mr buffett and mr gilbert have another   albeit more troubled   tie to the internet company in 2014 berkshire quicken loans and yahoo briefly united to offer a billion dollar bracket challenge tied to the ncaa basketball tournament that year though the contest was called off and devolved into a morass of lawsuits
reuters previously reported the existence of mr gilbert and mr buffetts bid while recode reported the presence of mr rosensweig and mr cadogan as advisers to the group


rome   nine months removed from her last title serena williams won the italian open on sunday and then played down the significance of ending the drought one of the longest of her career
williams who had played in only four tournaments over that stretch said her 7 6 5 6 3 victory over madison keys in sundays final was satisfying but not necessarily a relief
its only four tournaments so its not like i was playing every week said williams 34 whose last wta tour title had come at the cincinnati masters in august so thats kind of how i look at it but it feels great to win a title especially on clay
williams who won the tournament for the fourth time and earned her 70th career singles title had lost her two previous finals this year at the australian open and in indian wells calif she had not lost consecutive finals since 2004
williams had another slow start in sundays final the first clay court final between american women since williams beat her sister venus at the 2002 french open and the first between two american women in rome since 1970
keys 21 broke williams at love in the opening game and extended her lead to 3 1 but keys cooled as the temperature dropped and the wind kicked up with the weather forcing spectators to reach for their jackets and hats keys double faulted twice and williams broke back in the sixth game
little separated the two from there with keys sometimes able to overpower williams especially on her forehand wing but after keys hit one of her best forehands to pull even in the tiebreaker at 5 5 williams eked out the next two points and she quickly pulled ahead in the second set
as the two met at the net after the match williams told keys that she would one day be no 1
yeah too bad what she says doesnt just happen keys said smiling but yeah i mean its always great to hear that from her shes obviously an amazing champion and shes won so many matches and tournaments hearing that is definitely something that makes me just want to work harder
williamss own hard work was crucial in her victory said her coach patrick mouratoglou
for me she wasnt there mentally   zero mouratoglou said referring to williamss play in march at the indian wells and miami tournaments it happens a career is long especially hers and you go through different stages and you have to find solutions to different problems in certain stages so that was one of those moments
but the reaction here was really good this win happened because of her focus her motivation everything
mouratoglou said he expected williamss strong form to carry into the french open where she will have another chance to tie steffi grafs open era record of 22 major titles williams was defeated in her two previous chances to match the mark at the united states open last year and the australian open in january
the last steps are always the most difficult mouratoglou said but its not so difficult that shes not going to make it
he added shell get through it whether at this one or the next one or the next one
in the mens final on sunday andy murray defeated a clearly tired novak djokovic 6 3 6 3
djokovic had battled late into the night on saturday to beat kei nishikori in a third set tiebreaker he had also needed more than two hours to oust fifth seeded rafael nadal in the quarterfinals
on sunday with his energy flagging djokovic grew increasingly frustrated with the chair umpire damian steiner over court conditions he considered dangerously damp
murray who won his first italian open title and his 12th masters title over all had lost 12 of his previous 13 matches against djokovic including the final last week in madrid
i knew that physically i was fresh but i also hadnt been pushed that hard whereas he had been murray said thats why i was really happy with the second set in particular because he did have chances and i was behind in some of my service games and i responded well


in recent years budweiser has taken to redesigning its labels for the summer season evoking independence day with images of the statue of liberty or the american flag
this year it went a little further replacing the word budweiser with america swapping out other parts of the text on can and bottle labels with lyrics from the star spangled banner and america the beautiful and putting the phrase e pluribus unum in the space that usually reads king of beers
budweiser announced the campaign officially named america is in your hands last week and will use it from may 23 until after novembers presidential election if the brand was hoping to start a conversation with its plan it accomplished that and then some
a gesture that felt patriotic to some felt in the midst of a polarizing election cycle like pandering to others not a few people noted that budweisers corporate parent is the belgian brazilian beverage conglomerate anheuser busch inbev the only common reaction the various parties had seemed to be the desire to express their opinions   colorfully forcefully and with frequent assistance from the caps lock key   on social media
i really dont know if they knew what they were getting themselves into david r just a professor at cornell university who studies the intersection of food and marketing said of budweiser it caught me off guard that something like this could be politicized so easily
and that happened even before donald j trump weighed in
wednesday morning on fox news mr trump was asked do you think you had something to do with budweiser changing the name of their beer this summer
i think so answered mr trump the presumptive republican presidential nominee whose campaign slogan is make america great again theyre so impressed with what our country will become that they decided to do this before the fact
anheuser busch for its part said the creative elements of the america campaign which includes a new tv ad digital content billboards and retail marketing collateral along with the redesigned labeling had been in development for about the last year
i dont think they recognized the possibility for donald trump to abscond with their advertising campaign mr just said
the brand emphasized the patriotic intent of the campaign saying the messaging aligned with budweisers advertising and sponsorship activities over the summer including at the summer olympics in brazil and the copa america centenario soccer tournament
the campaign is resonating with consumers because the timing is right   from the olympics and copa america to the us presidential race celebrations of patriotism will be at an all time high this summer ricardo marques a vice president at budweiser said in a statement
still said marcia horowitz a senior executive vice president at the publicity and marketing firm rubenstein putting america on your can is not construed by many people as benign patriotism not in this political season
most brands try very hard to keep their ads politics free when brands try to jump into the middle of social issues they can easily get into some trouble said timothy calkins a clinical professor of marketing at northwestern university
with the america campaign mr calkins suggested budweiser did intend to provoke a conversation albeit not necessarily about mr trump
this is certainly an effort to get people to talk about budweiser and give people a reason to reach for a budweiser he said pointing out that the brands ads have taken on a sharper edge in the recent past in super bowl commercials for the last two years for instance budweiser has taken jabs at hipsters and craft beer drinkers   a kind of us versus them narrative
budweiser said were mad at everybody   were mad at craft beers at imported beer and thats a little bit in the spirit of donald trump mr calkins said
as the debate unfolded on facebook and twitter budweiser stayed mostly silent at first but as supporters began chiming in its social media moderators have been working overtime posting in response to both supportive and derisive comments pertaining to the beers provenance that budweiser is brewed at a dozen facilities in the united states in spite of its multinational corporate parent asserting that budweiser is a quintessentially american beer
ted marzilli the chief executive of yougov brandindex which tracks brand perception said he did not expect the details of budweisers corporate parentage to detract from sales i think consumers who are upset about that have probably already stopped drinking budweiser if that was the reason he said
in the first 48 hours after the announcement of the campaign with mr trumps interview on fox occurring in the middle of that time frame budweiser amassed more than 1 billion impressions on news and social media on par with a super bowl campaign the brand said most of those were neutral to positive yougov brandindex data showed that three measurements of consumer sentiment   word of mouth ad awareness and purchase consideration   all rose for budweiser between tuesday and friday
online the brand has seemed to grow more confident americas greatness has always been achieved by people who give a damn and were proud to release this patriotic cans and bottles that embody that same spirit a budweiser representative said on facebook in response to a positive comment
marketing experts say this strange confluence of leadership and lager may wind up benefiting ab inbev which this month reported to investors slipping sales of its flagship beer in the united states
when everything is said and done this might work out just fine for budweiser mr calkins said perhaps this is what the brand needs to be relevant in the world today
purchase consideration   whether shoppers 21 and older would consider budweiser the next time they bought beer   rose to 17 percent from 11 percent after the campaign was announced according to yougov brandindex data
even if it was not budweisers intention tapping into the polarization rife in american culture today could strengthen the brands bond with core customers
it alienates a certain group they didnt think was their audience anyway mr just said and they wanted to do that in a way so people who do identify with their brand are really going to see that as a positive


reince priebus the chairman of the republican national committee urged unity behind donald j trump in a series of interviews on sunday television shows and said that people just dont care about recent negative reports about his tax returns and his treatment of women
during an appearance on fox news sunday mr priebus defended mr trump after an article in the new york times on saturday in which dozens of women who encountered mr trump over his career told of unsettling conduct
asked by chris wallace the host if he was bothered by the accusations in the article mr priebus at first said that well you know a lot of things bother me chris and obviously im the wrong person to be asking that particular question but when asked again mr priebus said that voters were focused on other things
i dont think donald trump in his personal life is something that people are looking at and saying well im surprised that he has had girlfriends in the past thats not what people look at donald trump for he said
when pressed by mr wallace mr priebus said yes everything bothers me chris but i dont know the truth of these things i dont know other than reading an article whether or not these things are true i think its something that donald trump is going to have to answer questions in regard to
but the trump campaign mr priebus added represents something much different than the traditional analysis of individual candidates and that while such concerns were legitimate he did not think they were going to affect peoples view of who and what donald trump represents to them given this election and the electorate
on cbss face the nation mr priebus said that whatever concerns republicans might have the party should rally behind mr trump and he called efforts to draft a conservative for a third party campaign a suicide mission
you are not only changing and throwing out eight years of the white house but you are also throwing out potentially generations on the supreme court mr priebus said he was responding to an article in the washington post that outlined efforts among some republican leaders dissatisfied with mr trump as the partys standard bearer to recruit a third candidate to wage an independent bid
look we could have up to three justices change over in the next eight years and this is a suicide mission mr priebus said it is not right
he repeated the argument on his fox news appearance its a suicide mission for our country because what it means is that youre throwing down not just eight years of the white house but potentially 100 years on the supreme court and wrecking this country for many generations he said
mr priebus who also appeared on abcs this week defended mr trumps resistance to releasing his tax returns asked on this week if mr trump should release his tax returns   an issue that dogged mitt romney in 2012 even after he eventually released them   mr priebus repeated his argument that mr trump operated under different political norms i dont think the traditional playbook applies he said weve been down this road for a year and it doesnt apply hes rewritten the playbook


the rhinebeck writers retreat announced its summer residency recipients on sunday nine musicals were selected out of 95 projects and their writing teams will have weeklong residencies in rhinebeck ny
among the recipients are brian crawley one of the writers of violet a 2014 new york times critics pick who will develop teddy and max about a 60s musical duo with zoe sarnak daniel goldstein a 2016 kleban prize recipient who will work on row about the first woman and american to row solo across the atlantic ocean with dawn landes and adam gwon who wrote ordinary days 2009 will develop the proxy marriage along with michele lowe
past participants include duncan sheik spring awakening and itamar moses the fortress of solitude a full list of recipients can be found at rhinebeckwritersorg


since north carolina passed a bill in march limiting bathroom access for transgender people many musicians have canceled shows in the state in protest however moogfest an electronic music and technology festival set to take place in durham next weekend is taking the opposite approach and refocusing the event as a demonstration against the law which is commonly referred to as house bill 2
moogfest will feature a keynote address from martine rothblatt a transgender woman who is the chief executive of united therapeutics a biotechnology company and a founder of sirius satellite radio now siriusxm united therapeutics has an office and manufacturing facility outside of durham
i would rather be part of a protest festival than basically just be a silent voice walking away from it dr rothblatt said in an interview
festival organizers plan to provide gender neutral bathrooms raise money through clothing sales and help register voters for the november election
late last month dr rothblatt and several moogfest artists including laurie anderson reggie watts and blood orange explained their rationale in an open letter we oppose hb2 and support justice and equality for everyone we will use the podium the stage and the dance floor to manifest a world of inclusivity and compassion referring to the law
in her speech dr rothblatt who commissioned the creation of the social robot bina48 will talk about the law as well as focus on the future including how robots will play a larger role in society and why she believes the united states should provide free college education
dr rothblatt said the effects of the law on united therapeutics were immediate candidates are beginning to ask is the cultural environment in north carolina going backwards or forwards its hurting recruitment she said
however dr rothblatt said the company had no plans to move out of the state we are totally convinced that this is a short term detour and that hb2 is going to be overruled in the very near future


by the end of last week mark zuckerberg said that facebook would conduct a full investigation into accusations that editors at the company prevented news stories from conservative outlets from appearing in a section of the social networks service
but the statement issued after a weeklong crush of attention about the accusation leapfrogged a perhaps more obvious question   one that facebooks 165 billion monthly users around the world may not have considered
facebook has editors
it does and it isnt alone most major social media platforms have in recent years amassed editorial teams of their own groups that select tame and fill gaps in the material produced by users and media companies
the teams are often tiny compared with the rest of their sprawling organizations but most of these employees   whether they are called curators reporters editors or something else   make editorial choices that reach huge audiences how and why these decisions are made are generating new questions for the companies and their users to grapple with
mainstream news organizations have endured a skeptical public for decades said kjerstin thorson a professor at the annenberg school for communication and journalism at the university of southern california
now she says social media companies may face similar and perhaps jarring scrutiny
facebook declined to say how many people have editorial roles as did instagram which facebook owns but several other companies provided some details about their operations that suggest the scope and variety of their editorial ambitions
snapchat said it has around 75 people who produce content collecting and annotating videos and photos of live events and sometimes adding on the scene reporting themselves twitter employs just under a dozen people in the united states and around two dozen worldwide to collect and describe postings about notable topics
vine the video service owned by twitter employs five to 10 people to highlight videos and producers that might have been overlooked by the audience or that the company simply wants more people to see
where curation picks up said ankur thakkar the editorial lead of vine is that you need human eyes and ears to pick up on a cultural trend that a machine might not see
in some cases these teams coexist with media professionals working elsewhere on the platform peter hamby a former cnn political reporter oversees a team of six journalists within snapchat while media companies   including cnn   produce content for the companys discover feature
the novelty of these arrangements can obscure their straightforward influence such companies with hundreds of millions of users attract enormous amounts of human attention people whose snapchat videos are featured in a curated live event say they have had millions of views a performer featured by vine can expect a surge of new followers a trend or meme given the same treatment can garner thousands of new responses from users
facebooks trending topics the feature that drew all the attention last week is relegated to a small box in desktop browsers and users search page on mobile devices but the positioning provides confirmation in the language of facebooks own guidelines that the topic is tied to a current news event in the real world
broad guidelines for twitter curators are published on the site and state that their posts called moments will not take a view on a controversial subject and that curators will select tweets that represent all sides of the argument in moments that reflect a public debate snapchat did not share editorial guidelines but pointed to a team of experienced reporters as evidence of its standards a job listing for an editorial lead at snapchat who will be charged to define the editorial voice of snapchats live stories asks for five years journalism or storytelling experience
the report accusing suppression of news stories within facebooks trending topics was published by the website gizmodo last monday prompting a denial by facebook followed by the release of its 28 page set of internal editorial guidelines facebook said on thursday that its editorial guidelines do not permit the suppression of political perspectives
for the companies adding additional curated or original editorial content has an obvious appeal helping them extract more value from people already using the platform as well as potentially attracting new ones each of these companies has to give people that arent coming there a reason to come there   new users or infrequent users said michael pachter an analyst for wedbush securities
but mr pachter said the presence of editorial operations risks emphasizing just how significant the companies have become as gatekeepers for news and entertainment
to edit it and write it and create it and curate it its a big responsibility he said i dont think they realize what theyre getting into
last weeks debate surrounding trending topics gave users and critics a chance to analyze the facebook platform which has established significant reach in new ways social networks like facebook have been widely seen as impartial systems that reflect users ideas preferences and relationship back at them but suddenly the companies were viewed not just as tech companies which the public is broadly endeared to or as media companies which are regarded with deep skepticism by much of the public but also as something in between
details about the facebook teams editorial practices for example immediately led to questions about the tools they used   the software that identified popular stories in the first place and analysis of those tools led to questions about the central mechanics of facebook   the software that uses more than a billion users personal connections and preferences to decide what to show them next
many of these interrogations ended up in the same thorny thicket who designed the system this way and why that may help explain why other companies refrained from wading into public discussions around facebook last week hoping to avoid a similar storm
there are a lot of similarities between this situation and how little we knew about how traditional news organizations worked in the middle of the 20th century ms thorson said the last era before media trust plummeted
she added the question really is how much sustained media attention to these processes will it require before these platforms must react in some way to preserve the trust they have
i suspect quite a bit


this is the modern domestic box office in microcosm captain america civil war collected about 726 million in its second weekend while the jungle book in its fifth weekend took in 178 million   leaving the only new arrival of note money monster the kind of star driven movie that used to be hollywoods bread and butter with 15 million in ticket sales
and the studio behind money monster was doing cartwheels over that third place result
this isnt just a win for money monster   anyone who loves this genre should be cheering sony pictures which released the 27 million film through its tristar division said in a statement on sunday this is one of the few films aimed squarely at adults this summer and audiences cast their votes with their ticket stubs they want to see more of this kind of movie and they want to see it in theaters
money monster directed by jodie foster and starring george clooney and julia roberts must still prove itself in the weeks ahead as studios unleash a barrage of big budget sequels aimed at families and fans of computer generated visual effects if ms fosters film holds up   it has the adult audience to itself sony contended   then tristar will have proven that non franchise summer entries are viable
also arriving in wide release over the weekend was the darkness a micro budgeted horror movie from bh tilt it took in 52 million a sturdy result for a film of its scale art houses also had a good weekend the lobster a24 a critical darling that has had a lengthy run on the festival circuit took in 132750 from four theaters the best specialty arrival so far this year


odds are that donald j trump and speaker paul ryan will eventually patch together a rapprochement
their well established substantive differences on trade immigration and entitlements should not be a barrier there is plenty of room to fudge a unified republican agenda especially with mr trump whose positions and even principles often seem to evolve as he deems politically necessary
but it is harder to see how their basic approaches to politics can coexist comfortably mr ryan is the leading practitioner of an optimistic conservatism that reaches out and is inclusive mr trump has emerged as the presumptive republican nominee by skillfully appealing to an angry and alienated conservative base that is driven in part by racial and ethnic fears
the trump ryan schism can be best understood by looking at two proxies former representative jack kemp the 1996 republican vice presidential nominee who was mr ryans mentor and political role model and former speaker newt gingrich who is being considered as mr trumps running mate
mr gingrich recently claimed that mr trump is a little bit like jack kemp but so much bigger a figure there may be an argument about the latter part but almost no one who was close to mr kemp believes that the real estate tycoon is anything like him
this schism has little to do with ideology mr kemp who died in 2009 was no liberal he never met a tax he didnt want to cut or eliminate and until his later years was a foreign policy hawk but he had a much more inclusive view of conservatism than many of his colleagues
the contrasts between the views of mr kemp and mr gingrich on touchstone issues over the years illustrate why mr trump and mr ryan will never be soul mates
in 1994 mr kemp campaigned against proposition 187 a republican led california initiative that barred undocumented immigrants from using public services including education mr gingrich said he probably would have voted for it the measure passed but it alienated the states fast growing latino population and democrats have dominated california politics ever since
mr kemp a former professional football player was close with some black teammates marched in civil rights protests and forged friendly alliances with a number of members of the congressional black caucus mr gingrich had stormy relations with most members of that caucus including his fellow georgia lawmaker john lewis
the contrast is equally striking when it comes to attitudes toward muslims after sept 11 2001 mr kemp said he supported a war against terrorism but stressed that it was not a war against muslims
mr gingrich like mr trump sees danger in islam he fiercely opposed a proposal to build a multicultural center and mosque in downtown manhattan near the world trade center there should be no mosque near ground zero in new york so long as there are no churches or synagogues in saudi arabia he said
the former speaker once tried to persuade gov chris christie of new jersey not to appoint a muslim judge warning against the dangers of shariah mr christie appointed the judge in 2011 anyway saying the concern over islamic law was bogus
there even is a pronounced kemp gingrich split that mirrors the differences between mr ryan and mr trump over ronald reagan the patron saint of most republicans these days mr kemp worked for mr reagan when he was governor of california helped convert him to supply side economics and was close to him during his presidency
when mr gingrich ran for president in 2012 he frequently claimed an association with mr reagan even though they had little contact with each other and the lawmaker often criticized the president
mr ryan is not a carbon copy of his mentor mr kemp who never worried much about budget deficits might have recoiled at some of the spending cuts to social services that the wisconsin lawmaker has proposed and as speaker mr ryan was slow to follow mr kemps model in reaching out to the poor
but mr ryan does practice the politics of opportunity and inclusion by contrast mr trump and often mr gingrich rely on anger fear and racial and ethnic tensions it has served them well
this split is one that cannot easily be negotiated


on the screen a young woman just awake smiled and rose from bed chatting to her audience about starting her day pausing occasionally to take long drags from an electronic pipe pronouncing herself to be high
she was using facebook live the new feature that invites friends to watch a user go live her name was shaniah lord 19 from the lower east side of manhattan and she was a frequent and enthusiastic chronicler of the mundane sunday fun day nothing better to do im bored who sometimes tried to scare up some excitement lets go get drinks im by mad bars
on this day march 26 her live feed took some strange turns looking back her sister shaquana lord 28 called it a cry for help
in the video ms lord reached for something off camera it was a womans new jersey drivers license and she held it up to the screen
anybody know a white girl that looks like this she asked we could get money
several minutes later she approached the camera again this time with a black purse and pulled out a handful of gift cards
holler at me she sang if you need a giftie
then she seemed to catch herself saying i dont need to be on facebook like this im not that type of person she added people dont like me because i get money
there is no mention of theft in the video or of how the cards and the license came to her ms lord who grew up in queens and sometimes lived with her grandmother on stanton street in manhattan had been arrested before in january and was charged with stealing a purse from a boutique a few blocks away that case was pending but her family hoped she had turned things around
her sister said the pictures ms lord frequently posted suggesting a glamorous life   a new ring new nails selfies in boutiques   hid a need for attention she was running around with the wrong crowd her sister said and her actions in the video may have been for show
just because she had them doesnt mean it was hers shaquana lord said
when a few days after the video ms lord was arrested again it turned out to be a case of mistaken identity a woman had stolen a wallet from the once upon a tart cafe in soho but after ms lord was arrested it became obvious from security video that the thief was a different much taller woman ms lord returned home and to facebook as if nothing had happened
on the day she was released from jail she seemed to have celebrated an older cousins birthday posting a picture and adding it aint over yet thoooo a few days later she wrote life is really beginning to pick back up for me i love it
but away from facebook things were very different the police said in fact life seemed more to resemble the march 26 video with the gift cards and license than the posts expressing hope looking back that video seemed to all but announce like an overture to a concert the direction in which she was headed
on april 21 around 2 am a woman in the greenwich treehouse bar in the west village realized her purse was gone her iphone with it the police said the woman used the find my iphone app and tracked it to an address on west 14th street   another bar mckennas pub she went there and recognized a woman from the first bar she told the police she told a doorman who alerted the police
the suspect was arrested it was ms lord the police recovered the womans purse and more
there was a backpack that had been reported missing two hours earlier from bills bar and burger on ninth avenue with a laptop and wallet its owner had been eating the bag on the floor and looked down to find it missing officers also found property from a purse that had been taken from a couch at gaslight lounge in the meatpacking district the night before the police said
ms lord was charged with grand larceny she remained at rikers island last week her facebook page dormant and her sister hoping her life stabilizes
in the family shes the one thats full of life shaquana lord said she got a whiff of the outside world and she was going to do what she was going to do
ms lord would seem to agree in that video she raised one more item to the camera a passport she flipped through the pages and sang come see the world with me


three words harvard educated lawyer have followed ramon j jimenez ever since he skipped his 1974 law school graduation hopped on a bus and returned to new york city the words were intended not as a boast but as a warning to anyone who might underestimate him a legal paladin in a cluttered south bronx office that was both a salon for progressive political action and a destination of last resort for the wronged the injured and the falsely accused
mr jimenez 67 died on tuesday from prostate cancer an illness he confronted with his typical zeal soon after learning he had the disease he ran for new york state attorney general on the green party ticket over the decades he led the fight to save hostos community college in the south bronx he railed against police brutality years before the emergence of the black lives matter movement and he took on the political skulduggery of ramon s velez the power broker denounced by former mayor edward i koch as a poverty pimp he took on mr koch too over the closing of city hospitals
more recently he spearheaded a campaign to remove the leadership that had mismanaged the national puerto rican day parade mentored by jack newfield the legendary muckraker and inspired by pedro albizu campos the puerto rican nationalist mr jimenez wrote investigative pieces and political analyses throughout he found time to represent injured workers single mothers facing eviction and others who needed a break
some called him a voice for the voiceless a phrase he might have rejected as self aggrandizing the poor and powerless he knew have perfectly fine voices the question is whos listening
he did not believe in god he believed in people his daughter laila roman jimenez said its harder to believe in people instead of god because people let you down but he saw the good in everybody he believed in the power of the people
that belief was not an intellectual exercise but a conviction forged growing up in east elmhurst queens as a black puerto rican who lived down the street from malcolm x his father ramon served in the military and came home with a debilitating mental illness his mother alicia worked tirelessly in garment factories but everyone knew that if you were hungry she would feed you when she was mugged in a park and local drug addicts mercilessly pummeled her assailant she begged the mob not to kill him said andrew vachss a lawyer and novelist who once practiced with mr jimenez he said those experiences shaped his lifelong friend
it didnt come as some magical biogenetic misfire mr vachss said his roots go deeper than anybody could ever imagine to produce the perfect flower that was ramon he built more for the people of new york than robert moses ever did
mr jimenez was running a grass roots drug rehabilitation program in queens when he met mr vachss arriving at harvard law school he moved in with mr vachss who ran a program in cambridge mass to help former convicts re enter society at the school mr jimenez developed a moot court program that mr vachss said eschewed theoretical nonsense for actual cases preparing briefs for use not only in school but also by prisoners representing themselves in appeals
some of the people freed by his efforts visited him as his illness progressed so did friends and allies from many of the campaigns of his past including ones against the deal brokered by politicians to build yankee stadium as well as the tax incentives offered to fresh direct in exchange for relocating its trucks from queens to the south bronx
you could call him anytime and he would be there esperanza martell a longtime activist said he was dedicated and full of love yes i am one of many who also challenged him and he challenged me we had our differences but we remained friends he had integrity
on his last two birthdays friends and admirers gathered at hostos not just to celebrate him but also to make sure nothing was left unsaid they praised his leadership during the 1976 protests that saved the school where he had taught for years new york city facing a fiscal crisis had considered closing the community college a bilingual institution whose student body was overwhelmingly latino and poor now his friends want hostos to put mr jimenezs name on the bridge over the grand concourse that connects its two main buildings
that would be fitting because he lived to help others overcome obstacles in recent years william rivera has enjoyed rent free space in mr jimenezs office where he seeks construction jobs for minority workers a mutual friend introduced them in 2007 after mr rivera served 12 years in prison for manslaughter mr jimenez urged mr rivera to think positively stay focused and surround himself with good people instead he started dealing drugs on willis avenue
ramon saw me there and for three straight days he showed up mr rivera recalled i was out there scrambling watching my back he was right there with me telling my customers to run away he told them i was selling fake stuff not to buy it my boys were like yo whats up with that things got to the point that i decided to stop selling drugs
decades earlier mr jimenez had stood by another young man in turmoil that man ramon morales arrived at harvard in 1972 by way of el barrio the puerto rican activist group the young lords and a mother who toiled in sweatshops surrounded by wealth he felt out of place facing the re election of president richard m nixon he felt outrage he had a violent breakdown that november that landed him at the harvard infirmary sedated for three days
i opened my eyes and was in a kind of stupor mr morales said and there was a man sitting next to me ramon looked at me and said hello my brother ive heard so much about you when i heard what happened i came to be by your side
mr morales had been ready to drop out but mr jimenez persuaded him that the most revolutionary act he could commit would be to stay and get his degree he did and went on to become a co founder of a successful technology company in the south bronx he has since sold it and moved on to other ventures that combine technology and social responsibility he exudes confidence born not of ego but of gratitude knowing someone had his back ramon was there for us mr morales said through tears he was a loving person with compassion and a great commitment to people
as ramon j jimenez lay dying the final three words he heard in that instant that lasts forever were not harvard educated lawyer but simply i love you


london   the final match of the premier league season for manchester united and bournemouth was abandoned sunday afternoon after a security blunder forced the dramatic evacuation of tens of thousands of fans from the stadium
the authorities were initially praised for ushering 50000 spectators out of manchesters old trafford stadium after a suspicious object was found in the stands sniffer dogs were dispatched and bomb disposal experts carried out a controlled detonation of what was then described as an incredibly lifelike explosive device
but to officials embarrassment the suspicious item   a cellphone connected to a gas pipe   turned out to be a training device that the police later announced had accidentally been left by a private company following a training exercise involving search dogs
whilst this item did not turn out to be a viable explosive on appearance this device was as real as could be and the decision to evacuate the stadium was the right thing to do until we could be sure that people were not at risk said john ohare an assistant chief constable with the greater manchester police
the bomb scare caused particular fear because britain had just days before raised the terrorist threat level linked to northern ireland to substantial from moderate warning that an attack was a strong possibility
theresa may britains home secretary said that decision reflected the continuing threat from dissident republican activity
in march a group calling itself the new irish republican army claimed responsibility for a bomb attack on a van driven by a prison officer the group which opposes the northern ireland peace process said it was ready and determined to take the war to the age old enemy of our nation
there has been a heightened awareness of security surrounding sporting events in europe with the european soccer championships set to begin in france next month
french officials have said repeatedly that the championships the continents marquee soccer tournament will be secure but scrutiny of the plans has intensified since terrorists targeted the stade de france outside paris as part of a wave of attacks in paris in november
the championship which will run from june 10 to july 10 will be held in 10 cities across france
organizers have revamped plans for security and estimated that 10000 people would be hired to staff the operation which will cover the stadiums as well as city centers and organized fan zones areas for people to congregate and watch matches on video screens
each host city has gone through simulations of a variety of situations including terrorist attacks after the attacks in paris and this year in brussels the security budget for the fan zones was doubled to about 27 million
while postponements of high profile matches for security reasons are rare sundays decision was hardly unprecedented
after the terrorist attacks in paris an exhibition game between germany and the netherlands was called off and fans were evacuated after a suspicious object was found inside the stadium in hanover germany officials described an intention to ignite explosives
in 2004 the basque newspaper gara reportedly received a phone call saying a bomb was set to explode at real madrids bernabeu stadium more than 70000 people were evacuated shortly before the end of a match between real madrid and real sociedad but no explosive device was found
the number of significant sporting events taking place in cities across europe on a daily basis can make tighter security measures everywhere impractical for regular league matches local police officers work with the clubs to handle security
when a possible large scale emergency occurs as it did sunday protocol typically involves calling in national or military officers for assistance which was what the manchester police did
the premier league rescheduled the match between manchester united and bournemouth for tuesday


barcelona venezuela   by morning three newborns were already dead
the day had begun with the usual hazards chronic shortages of antibiotics intravenous solutions even food then a blackout swept over the city shutting down the respirators in the maternity ward
doctors kept ailing infants alive by pumping air into their lungs by hand for hours by nightfall four more newborns had died
the death of a baby is our daily bread said dr osleidy camejo a surgeon in the nations capital caracas referring to the toll from venezuelas collapsing hospitals
the economic crisis in this country has exploded into a public health emergency claiming the lives of untold numbers of venezuelans it is just part of a larger unraveling here that has become so severe it has prompted president nicolas maduro to impose a state of emergency and has raised fears of a government collapse
hospital wards have become crucibles where the forces tearing venezuela apart have converged gloves and soap have vanished from some hospitals often cancer medicines are found only on the black market there is so little electricity that the government works only two days a week to save what energy is left
at the university of the andes hospital in the mountain city of merida there was not enough water to wash blood from the operating table doctors preparing for surgery cleaned their hands with bottles of seltzer water
it is like something from the 19th century said dr christian pino a surgeon at the hospital
the figures are devastating the rate of death among babies under a month old increased more than a hundredfold in public hospitals run by the health ministry to just over 2 percent in 2015 from 002 percent in 2012 according to a government report provided by lawmakers
the rate of death among new mothers in those hospitals increased by almost five times in the same period according to the report
here in the caribbean port town of barcelona two premature infants died recently on the way to the main public clinic because the ambulance had no oxygen tanks the hospital has no fully functioning x ray or kidney dialysis machines because they broke long ago and because there are no open beds some patients lie on the floor in pools of their blood
it is a battlefield clinic in a country where there is no war
some come here healthy and they leave dead dr leandro perez said standing in the emergency room of luis razetti hospital which serves the town
this nation has the largest oil reserves in the world yet the government saved little money for hard times when oil prices were high now that prices have collapsed   they are around a third what they were in 2014   the consequences are casting a destructive shadow across the country lines for food long a feature of life in venezuela now erupt into looting the bolivar the countrys currency is nearly worthless
the crisis is aggravated by a political feud between venezuelas leftists who control the presidency and their rivals in congress the presidents opponents declared a humanitarian crisis in january and this month passed a law that would allow venezuela to accept international aid to prop up the health care system
this is criminal that we can sit in a country with this much oil and people are dying for lack of antibiotics says oneida guaipe a lawmaker and former hospital union leader
but mr maduro who succeeded hugo chavez went on television and rejected the effort describing the move as a bid to undermine him and privatize the hospital system
i doubt that anywhere in the world except in cuba there exists a better health system than this one mr maduro said
late last fall the aging pumps that supplied water to the university of the andes hospital exploded they were not repaired for months
so without water gloves soap or antibiotics a group of surgeons prepared to remove an appendix that was about to burst even though the operating room was still covered in another patients blood
even in the capital only two of nine operating rooms are functioning at the j m de los rios childrens hospital
there are people dying for lack of medicine children dying of malnutrition and others dying because there are no medical personnel said dr yamila battaglini a surgeon at the hospital
yet even among venezuelas failing hospitals luis razetti hospital in barcelona has become one of the most notorious
in april the authorities arrested its director aquiles martinez and removed him from his post local news reports said he was accused of stealing equipment meant for the hospital including machines to treat people with respiratory illnesses as well as intravenous solutions and 127 boxes of medicine
around 10 one recent night dr freddy diaz walked down a hall there that had become an impromptu ward for patients who had no beds some clutched blood soaked bandages and called from the floor for help one brought in by the police was handcuffed to a gurney in a supply room cockroaches fled as the door swung open
dr diaz logged a patients medical data on the back of a bank statement someone had thrown in the trash
we have run out of paper here he said
on the fourth floor one of his patients rosa parucho 68 was one of the few who had managed to get a bed though the rotting mattress had left her back covered in sores
but those were the least of her problems ms parucho a diabetic was unable to receive kidney dialysis because the machines were broken an infection had spread to her feet which were black that night she was going into septic shock
ms parucho needed oxygen but none was available her hands twitched and her eyes rolled into the back of her head
the bacteria arent dying theyre growing dr diaz said noting that three of the antibiotics ms parucho needed had been unavailable for months
he paused we will have to remove her feet
three relatives sat reading the old testament before an unconscious woman she had arrived six days before but because a scanning machine had broken it was days before anyone discovered the tumor occupying a quarter of her frontal lobe
samuel castillo 21 arrived in the emergency room needing blood but supplies had run out a holiday had been declared by the government to save electricity and the blood bank took donations only on workdays mr castillo died that night
for the past two and a half months the hospital has not had a way to print x rays so patients must use a smartphone to take a picture of their scans and take them to the proper doctor
it looks like tuberculosis said an emergency room doctor looking at the scan of a lung on a cellphone but i cant tell the quality is bad
finding medicine is perhaps the hardest challenge
the pharmacy here has bare shelves because of a shortage of imports which the government can no longer afford when patients need treatment the doctors hand relatives a list of medicines solutions and other items needed to stabilize the patients or to perform surgery loved ones are then sent back the way they came to find black market sellers who have the goods
the same applies to just about everything else one might need here
you must bring her diapers now a nurse told alejandro ruiz whose mother had been taken to the emergency room
what else he asked clutching large trash bags he had brought filled with blankets sheets pillows and toilet paper
nicolas espinosa sat next to his tiny daughter who has spent two of her five years with cancer he was running out of money to pay for her intravenous solutions inflation had increased the price by 16 times what he paid a year ago
he flipped through a list of medicines he was trying to find here in barcelona and in a neighboring city some of the drugs are meant to protect the body during chemotherapy yet the girls treatments ended when the oncology department ran out of the necessary drugs a month and a half ago
near him a handwritten sign read we sell antibiotics   negotiable a black market sellers number was listed
bicena perez 36 scanned the halls looking for anyone who would listen to her
can someone help my father she asked
her father jose calvo 61 had contracted chagas disease a sickness caused by a parasite but the medication mr calvo had been prescribed ran out in his part of venezuela that year and he began to suffer heart failure
six hours after ms perezs plea a scream was heard in the emergency room it was mr calvos sister my darling my darling she moaned mr calvo was dead
his daughter paced the hall alone not knowing what to do her hands covered her face and then clenched into fists
why did the director of this hospital steal that equipment was all she could say tell me whose fault is this
the ninth floor of the hospital is the maternity ward where the seven babies had died the day before a room at the end of the hall was filled with broken incubators
the glass on one was smashed red yellow and blue wires dangled from another
dont use   nonfunctional said a sign dated last november
dr amalia rodriguez stood in the hallway
i had a patient just now who needed artificial respiration and i had none available dr rodriguez said a baby what can we do
the day of the power blackout dr rodriguez said the hospital staff tried turning on the generator but it did not work
doctors tried everything they could to keep the babies breathing pumping air by hand until the employees were so exhausted they could barely see straight she said how many babies died because of the blackout was impossible to say given all of the other deficiencies at the hospital
what can we do here dr rodriguez said every day i pass an incubator that doesnt heat up that is cold that is broken


miami   the day rodrigo heng lehtinen told his prominent parents about his new gender identity he did so in a letter that he left on their bed then he grabbed a packed bag and unsure of whether he would be welcomed back went to a friends house to see if his family would love him or leave him
his shocked parents representative ileana ros lehtinen a miami republican and dexter lehtinen who served as the top federal prosecutor here did not hesitate they grabbed the phone and told him that they loved him and that family trumped all and asked him to come home but as with many parents of transgender children they were also overwhelmed by fear the future they saw for their then 21 year old whom they had named amanda would be pockmarked with discrimination and bullying if not outright violence
it was this visceral reaction to want to protect her child that drove ms ros lehtinen to break from her partys skepticism or hostility on gay and transgender issues   a stance evident now in north carolinas battle over transgender bathroom visits   and become a conspicuous advocate in congress and more recently in public service announcements on monday ms ros lehtinen her husband and her son now 30 will appear in the latest one for save a longtime south florida gay rights group that hopes to engage the latino community here
i worried about his safety and about his well being ms ros lehtinen said noting that inflammatory debates like the one about school bathrooms serve to further alienate transgender youths and subject them to more bullying and animosity i didnt want him to be depressed you think of all the parade of horribles that could happen
there is ample evidence that many transgender people continue to be rejected by their families employers and society a situation that is beginning to change as the transgender movement becomes more visible and better organized and while ms ros lehtinen profoundly disagrees with president obama on a number of issues especially on his approach to cuba she agreed with his administrations directive friday telling school districts to allow students to use the school facilities that match the sex they identify with even if that conflicts with their anatomical sex
allowing students to use the bathroom of their authentic selves is a step forward in stopping the stigma around transgender individuals said ms ros lehtinen 63 the first hispanic woman elected to congress unnecessary laws only make transgender youth feel unaccepted and can lead to depression or even worse suicide
her husband a lawyer who as a united states attorney here supervised the prosecution of the panamanian strongman manuel noriega and now teaches constitutional law at the university of miami said the administration had sent a strong message but he questioned the method worrying that the presidents unilateral approach might undercut the protections he is offering
its important that in this slow but necessary recognition of equality that we do it on a sound legal basis because law and process carry great weight with the american people mr lehtinen said it legitimizes what we are trying to do
as for the republican party ms ros lehtinen who has served in the house for more than 25 years said it would come along as more americans shared stories of how discrimination can harm the lives of gay and transgender people
the republican partys stance on the issue is lagging behind she added but folks are figuring out that there is no political harm in embracing these issues and in fact they see a lot of good can come out of it
for her family the journey that began with rodrigos letter in 2007 unfolded over five years rejecting their child who had just graduated from brown university was unthinkable even so getting entirely comfortable with the idea of a daughter who had become a son a sister who had become a brother was not altogether easy for the family and required adjustments particularly outside the home
it was an evolving conversation for the next five years said mr heng lehtinen who will soon move back to miami from los angeles where he works as a fund raiser for a gay lesbian and transgender rights group nobody expects their child to be transgender its a big shift and we often want to go back to our normal lives
although he had come out as bisexual as amanda in high school he said he knew so little about transgender people that he did not see it in himself until he got to brown he trod slowly first by wearing mens clothing and asking friends to call him rodrigo
i didnt know how comfortable a person could feel until i had tried on mens clothes said mr heng lehtinen who goes by rigo adding that he had long grown accustomed to feeling depressed or anxious a fog lifted
when the moment came to tell his family he had no reason to think they would lash out but he still imagined the worst i am about to lose everyone i love he told himself
he also feared that he would hurt his mothers political career a possibility that did not worry ms ros lehtinen
a turning point came when he told his 86 year old abuelo in 2010 we were terrified to tell him mr heng lehtinen said instead of becoming angry his grandfather shrugged at his age he said nothing was more important than the happiness of his grandchild
it was an incredibly simple and loving response mr heng lehtinen added
as time went on he began taking testosterone and now sports a beard last year he married a man adding heng to his name
his father who was badly wounded in the face in vietnam as an army ranger and still bears the scar says one way to generate empathy is to help people understand that sexual and gender orientation do not define a persons character   but that their work ethic their honesty their grit do
i dont mean its not important to the individual its that it should not be important to us which choice they make mr lehtinen said they are the same person its sometimes difficult for me to understand why anybody would think that their fundamental character would change because of their sexual orientation
their son mr lehtinen added has never been happier as for the family the new normal is exactly that   normal
this is exactly the message the lehtinens hope to convey to latinos as they sit around their kitchen table drinking coffee in the save public service announcement which will air on spanish language networks many latinos are perceived as more traditional and more reluctant to embrace sexual diversity gay lesbian and transgender issues were mostly taboo until recently which meant that there was scarce media attention on the issue
polling by the local management consultant bendixen  amandi which has surveyed people on these issues for years and was commissioned by save showed that the way to connect with latinos was to present a parent talking about the importance of family this was an easy fit for the lehtinens who embraced that message from the start and whose prominence here gave it extra weight
every transgender person is a part of someones family and should be treated with compassion and protected from discrimination ms ros lehtinen said in the video


jamala a ukrainian singer who performed the politically charged ballad 1944 has won the 61st annual eurovision song contest
after a deliberation process that lasted several months and included contests and appointments in each of the 42 participating countries and two semifinals last week jamala whose full name is susana jamaladinova was chosen by a combination of popular and jury voting in the final event at a stockholm arena on saturday night
actually i really want peace and love to everyone jamala said as she took the stage after winning the award with tears in her eyes she then performed the song again
the singer is an ethnic tatar and the song seems to make reference to soviet abuses of the group in crimea during world war ii they kill you all and say were not guilty she sings in the song there had been questions about the songs disqualification because of a ban on explicitly political songs but it remained in competition because it does not directly name specific historical events
this years contest included some of the campy mainstays of eurovisions past as well as some shake ups australia a special guest in 2015 was invited back to compete in 2016 it led in the first half of the voting which was decided by professional juries from each competing country but it did not receive enough popular votes to win the contest
russias entry sergey lazarev who sang you are the only one had been expected by many observers to win mr lazarev received the highest score from viewers but he did not receive enough total votes to surpass jamala
as in past years the contest was marred   or enhanced   by controversies some of which echoed broader geopolitical debates romania was kicked out for failing to pay debts to the european broadcasting union the conglomerate that organizes eurovision spains entry drew strong criticism for performing a song sung entirely in english a move that bothered many traditionalists in that country germany expelled its original entrant xavier naidoo after an outcry over his apparent sympathies for a fringe right wing political movement
victory in eurovision has rarely translated to mainstream success with the notable exceptions of abba the 1974 winner and celine dion in 1988 conchita wurst an austrian drag queen earned cult status worldwide after winning in 2014 the 2015 winner was mans zelmerlow of sweden for the song heroes
the voting system was overhauled this year in an effort to add suspense to the finale in years past entrants slowly racked up points in an announcement process that could take the better part of an hour this year the winner was not known until the contests final moments
other front runners in the 2016 contest included amir of france with his song jai cherche and ira losco of malta with walk on water
the event was broadcast live in the united states for the first time this year on the logo network last years final event attracted around 200 million television viewers worldwide


mexico city   the worlds smallest porpoise the vaquita is slipping closer to extinction despite the mexican navys efforts to protect it and its habitat from illegal fishing experts have warned
only about 60 of the snub nosed vaquitas are left in the northern reaches of the gulf of california said a panel of scientists that tracks threats to the marine mammals survival and recommends measures to save it
we are watching this precious native species disappear before our eyes lorenzo rojas bracho the chairman of the panel said in a statement issued by the group on friday
demand for an organ from a large endangered fish called the totoaba which swims in the same area is driving the vaquitas disappearance the totoabas swim bladder is dried smuggled across the border to california and then shipped to china where it is considered a delicacy and sells for as much as 10000 per kilogram or close to 5000 a pound
the vaquita which are generally less than five feet long when fully grown become entangled in nets set for the totoaba and drown
before the illegal totoaba trade emerged a few years ago the vaquita was already threatened by long gill nets set by local fishermen to catch shrimp and finfish years of efforts to introduce vaquita safe trawl nets and encourage the fishermen to switch to work in other fields like tourism have had little effect
but once international traffickers worked with local organized crime groups to pay fishermen thousands of dollars for each totoaba bladder the vaquita entered what dr rojas bracho described as a catastrophic decline
after the expert panel known as the international committee for the recovery of the vaquita estimated in 2014 that the number of vaquitas had fallen to 97 from about 570 in 1997 the mexican government agreed that it needed to take additional action
a year ago the government announced a two year ban on all gill nets across the vaquitas habitat in the northern gulf of california and it introduced a 70 million plan to compensate the fishermen the mexican navy was put in charge of enforcement and the government deployed new fast boats planes helicopters and even drones to patrol the area
the government efforts are huge said oona layolle who leads a campaign by the sea shepherd conservation society to work with the navy to patrol the vaquitas habitat but in the five months since she has captained one of the conservation groups two boats it has become clear to her that many totoaba fishermen are evading enforcement
they are managing to go and fish at night so obviously there is a problem with corruption ms layolle said
poachers set up fishing camps on deserted beaches and employ lookouts on hilltops to scan for navy boats she said they hide the illegal nets used to catch the totoaba under legal gear used for catching other fish
even when poachers are detained the fines are too low ms layolle said they pay the fines and go back to fishing
conservation groups also argue that the united states and china need to do more to stop the illegal totoaba trade an investigation by greenpeace last year found wholesale and retail stores in hong kong selling totoaba bladder for tens of thousands of dollars and offering to import it directly from mexico
in its report released friday the scientists panel recommended that the mexican government extend the gill net ban and strengthen enforcement efforts
if gill netting is allowed to resume in the northern gulf the vaquita may be extinct by 2022 said barbara taylor a marine mammal expert with the panel
mexicos environment minister rafael pacchiano alaman told the scientists meeting in the pacific port of ensenada that the government would step up its enforcement operations and track down the organized crime groups involved in poaching but he did not respond to the call for a permanent ban on gill nets
dr taylor and dr rojas bracho led a survey expedition in the fall to count the vaquitas in the gulf of california they determined that there were about 60 but that was before the totoaba fishing season began in december
in march three dead vaquitas were found others have probably been ensnared by totoaba poachers but have not been spotted
every vaquita counts said omar vidal the director of the world wildlife fund in mexico who has worked on vaquita conservation since the 1980s not one more can die
if the president wants to save the vaquita at this point the only thing to do is to ban all gill net fishing and enforce it mr vidal said there is no more time left to do anything else


bekoji ethiopia   dressed in a soccer jersey and gray pants chala tulu 14 began walking in his bare feet and then gradually increased his pace around a grass track at bekoji elementary school
tulu wore a mask and a harness fitted with a small battery pack and a device known as a gas analyzer he had volunteered for a vo2 max test which measures the maximum amount of oxygen a runner can use
a plow had furrowed the track with lane markers eucalyptus trees provided a wind break hills of barley and wheat rose in the distance brown and tan in the weeks after the harvest as tulu picked up his speed with an elegant stride children clapped and chanted his name
pacing him on a bicycle was the physiologist yannis pitsiladis he had begun testing young athletes trying to identify promising talent for an audacious plan to use science to facilitate a sub two hour marathon by 2019 a decade or two sooner than many experts think possible
the current record of 2 hours 2 minutes 57 seconds was set in 2014 by dennis kimetto of kenya pitsiladis believed that the first runner to break two hours   and transform the limits of human endurance   would not be a current star but would fit a certain profile someone who had grown up in a rural east african village at altitude enhancing his oxygen carrying capacity and who was accustomed to hours of daily activity like walking or running to school hauling water and herding cattle
the issue which is unknown for a sub two marathon is age said pitsiladis an antidoping expert with the international olympic committee and a professor of sport and exercise science at the university of brighton in england
is age a limiting factor pitsiladis said nineteen 20 21 is that a negative maybe 21 will be even better than 29 twenty nine might be a wealthy guy hes not as a hungry a 17 year old could be fearless and hungry ready to run on coals if it makes him better
so pitsiladis closely observed chala tulu
a westerner pitsiladis had become sensitive to the challenges of imposing his ideas on east african runners ethiopias own traditions and techniques had produced olympic gold medals for more than half a century and ethiopians had a particular and evident pride derived in part from their never having been colonized by europeans
for the vo2 max testing pitsiladis received ethical clearance from addis ababa university in the ethiopian capital where he is a visiting professor and he sought permission from bekoji elementarys principal vice principal and renowned coach sentayehu eshetu
the men gathered in a small office as pitsiladis explained his enterprise the sub2 project he introduced his altitude expert zeru bekele an ethiopian clarifying that this was not an endeavor wholly by outsiders
on this late morning in february pitsiladis explained that he wanted to produce the next kenenisa a reference to kenenisa bekele a native of bekoji who is an 11 time world cross country champion a three time olympic gold medalist on the track and the world record holder at 5000 and 10000 meters
bekele and a fellow ethiopian haile gebrselassie are widely considered the greatest distance runners in history and pitsiladis had enlisted bekele for his project not for him to break the two hour barrier himself but through training and tests to better understand what it might take
pitsiladis spoke respectfully of eshetu the coach who had discovered bekele and other olympic champions choosing potential stars by their body type short torsos and long legs
his eyes are good but he cannot see inside pitsiladis told the principal my machine can look inside
the soft spoken eshetu consented saying he welcomed the input of science to help mitigate against trial and error in identifying top athletes
its necessary he said so we can guess who can be fruitful
the vast success of its distance runners has given ethiopia one of the worlds poorest countries a chance to boast on the world stage its top stars can make hundreds of thousands of dollars in prize money and appearance fees a fortune in a nation where the per capita income is 550 according to the world bank
yet ethiopias pre eminence has faced stiff competition from kenya and recently from mo farah a native of neighboring somalia and a british citizen who won the 5000 meters and the 10000 meters at the 2012 london olympics   distances once dominated by gebrselassie and bekele
in ethiopia we have the talent but what we are doing is by chance said gebrselassie who is now retired we dont have the right coach we dont have the right nutritionist we dont have psychologist no doctor since mo farah they start to think about the science
bekoji seemed an ideal place for pitsiladis to start his talent search a highlands farming village of about 17000 nearly 9200 feet above sea level it is one of the world capitals of distance running having produced 10 olympic gold medals
before tulu was chosen for the vo2 max test pitsiladis asked him a few questions what did he want to become how far did he travel to school
about three miles tulu said he walked and ran along the main road and a rural path that sliced through barley fields and cut across a riverbed
very good very good pitsiladis called out as tulu began to circle the track tulu ran in a relaxed manner his stride long and fluid his heels nearly kicked his backside in a manner similar to that of bekele whose likeness along with the olympic rings was painted on the side of a school building
i want to be a famous runner like kenenisa tulu said
particularly intriguing to pitsiladis was that tulu preferred to run without his shoes and had removed them for the test
for more than 30 years researchers had quantified how the weight of running shoes affected performance less weight on the extremities translated into greater running economy meaning less oxygen was needed to run at a given speed
the aerobic cost of running increases 1 percent per three and a half ounces of shoe weight which could amount to a minute in a marathon research showed pitsiladis wanted his sub2 project to experiment with a minimalist shoe which might consist only of a film that covered the bottom of the foot
pitsiladis thought that the runner who first broke two hours might be a young barefoot athlete who would continue to run without shoes as abebe bikila of ethiopia did through the cobblestone streets of rome in winning the 1960 olympic marathon he won again in 1964 this time in shoes
pitsiladis had collaborated on a harvard study published in nature in 2010 that found that barefoot runners tended to land on the forefoot or midfoot whereas runners in cushioned shoes tended to land on their heels
forefoot landings tended to be more gentle avoiding the large shock waves that travel up the legs of heel strikers the study found thus barefoot runners using the foots natural architecture could run comfortably even on the hardest surfaces
barefoot is a quick solution that could go wrong but it could go bloody right pitsiladis said if you said im only allowing you to choose one thing which would it be because im a risky person id say lets do it barefoot
relatively little scientific research has been conducted on the worlds fastest marathon runners for one thing east africa is not the easiest place to work
the biomedical lab at addis ababa university contains hundreds of thousands of dollars of equipment acquired over the years   ultra low temperature freezers and sophisticated machines resembling high tech bread makers that analyze genes and blood but because of insufficient funding and a lack of available experts to operate the equipment much of it was unplugged and covered by tablecloths when pitsiladis toured the lab with graduate students
its like having a cake shop he said youve got the best sweets in the world and you can only look at them
for his testing in bekoji pitsiladis had haggled for a bicycle a day earlier in a bazaar in addis ababa eventually he ventured down an alley where wet clothes hung on a line and made a deal then he had to make six withdrawals from a cash machine to circumvent its limits
that was a minor inconvenience compared with retrieving a cylinder of oxygen carbon dioxide and nitrogen from the ethiopian revenues and customs authority the canister needed to calibrate the vo2 max tests had been shipped from italy in november because none were available in ethiopia nearly three months later it had not cleared customs
before heading to bekoji pitsiladis and zeru bekele his altitude expert spent a maddening five hours extricating the cylinder from the authorities at bole international airport in addis ababa they paid a 100 percent tax on the container and one fee after another at the last minute customs officials refused to release the canister to anyone but the purchasing agent from addis ababa university bekele spent an hour picking up the agent and driving her to the airport
come on pitsiladis said in exasperation before leaving for his hotel this is ridiculous
ridiculous became surreal when a charlie chaplin movie the gold rush began playing in a waiting area at customs finally bekele secured the canister and took it to pitsiladis at his hotel pitsiladis cradled it like a baby
no one in their right mind would do this job he said with a laugh
a software glitch left the results of tulus vo2 max test unclear still he did not appear to pitsiladis to be a candidate to eventually break the two hour barrier perhaps no one at the school was
earlier as pitsiladis had arrived and children had gathered around his van he had said with disbelief and mild disappointment theyre all wearing something on their feet but kenenisa bekele had arranged for the trip with a phone call to eshetu his former coach so pitsiladis proceeded with the testing
zeru bekele the altitude expert who is not related to kenenisa said he worried that as more schools were built in the countryside ethiopian children might lose something athletically by not having to run so far to class
it could be in bekoji that were 20 years too late pitsiladis said these are city kids
perhaps he would have to go to a more remote area to find the next marathon star   higher to 11500 feet or 13000 feet where a promising barefoot teenager might live
maybe the next abebe bikila is someone who doesnt know about athletics and has never heard of the olympic games pitsiladis said
he had more immediate concerns pitsiladis needed a current star to give legitimacy to his provocative theories and to pique sponsor interest in the sub2 project which he estimated would cost 30 million one of pitsiladiss former doctoral students barry fudge had found his own willing science subject on the track in farah the british olympic champion
yannis would bite his right arm off to find somebody like that said fudge the head of endurance for the british track and field federation
pitsiladis had hoped kenenisa bekele would be that athlete but months of dealing with him suggested serious obstacles might still lie ahead as pitsiladis applied his science to elite runners in ethiopia
they had worked together before as bekele won the 10000 meters at the 2007 world track and field championships in osaka japan and took double gold in the 5000 and the 10000 at the 2008 beijing olympics
even then pitsiladis showed a knack for experimenting in training
to mimic the sticky summer conditions in asia pitsiladis devised a thermal chamber in a home in addis ababa employing heaters and kettles of boiling water while bekele trained on a treadmill bekele then won his races with a punishing kick and regal eyes that seemed to intimidate others with their commanding intent
i really like the guy pitsiladis said hes the greatest athlete weve seen
bekele made his marathon debut in paris in 2014 finishing first and setting a course record in 20504   the sixth fastest debut ever but injury sideswiped him at last years dubai marathon in the united arab emirates he dropped out after 18  1/2  miles and he withdrew from the london marathon three months later
in july bekele arrived at pitsiladiss lab in england about 25 pounds above his competitive weight of 123 he limped when he walked his right calf was nearly an inch smaller around than his left calf
i thought it was over pitsiladis said he looked like a broken man
injuries had piled up a stress fracture in his ankle a torn calf muscle strained achilles tendons it was as if a string had been pulled yanking bekeles back and legs and feet leaving his muscles out of balance
bekele was 33 he surely would not be the marathoner to break two hours im very close to old he said still he hoped to make a comeback to win a gold medal in the marathon or the 10000 meters at this years olympics in rio de janeiro and later to beat the world record in the marathon
i have that vision bekele said
if pitsiladis could restore bekele pitsiladis believed sponsors would find the sub2 project a worthwhile investment
the whole world will believe in what im doing pitsiladis said
his words were hopeful if not a sure bet
the two men needed each other but had a complicated relationship they seem opposites in perhaps every way but their willful determination pitsiladis is an extroverted scientist bekele a reserved and proud athlete wary of science or at least reluctant to change the training that brought him so much success
so although pitsiladis and bekele agreed to renew their partnership it was full of operatic uncertainty again and again pitsiladis would say were five minutes from disaster they could not even agree on what foods were good for runners to eat
after a workout in september pitsiladis had bekele stop his sport utility vehicle at a roadside stand in addis ababa and climbed out to buy bananas
bekele took a bite and said bananas are not good sometimes
pitsiladis told him theyre good all the time they refuel the muscles
bekele did not mean he disliked the taste
he thinks bananas make you fat pitsiladis said
when he visited addis ababa in september pitsiladis found that bekele had bought into some of the prescribed rehab program but not all of it for the first time he was working regularly with weights and using exercise balls to strengthen his core muscles he agreed to quit eating cakes and to adhere to a traditional carbohydrate rich ethiopian diet of stews and a spongy flatbread called injera
by late september bekele had dropped 11 pounds pitsiladis planned each meal restricting bekeles calorie intake to about 1785 per day
just enough to keep you alive pitsiladis told bekele
yet bekele resisted the professional techniques employed by physiotherapists for the sub2 project he preferred a simple massage from a friend
he was not the only ethiopian runner sensitive about who worked on his legs
if i treat five or six athletes in a day they believe i cant help them anymore because ive taken all the bad energy from the other athletes and it will affect them in a negative way said jonathan schaible a physiotherapist who worked with bekele
part of this distrust stems from beliefs in the ethiopian orthodox tewahedo church athletic officials said religious figures known as debteras are considered fortune tellers and magical healers but are also said to summon spirits that bring misfortune and sickness some athletes carry protective amulets and sprinkle holy water into their workout bags fearing that competitors could put a hex on them zeru bekele said
in late september on his way to train at entoto a eucalyptus forest above addis ababa kenenisa bekele stopped to pray at a shrine outside the octagonal brightly painted st marys church he referred to debteras as priests and said he considered them very clever
if they want to make someone crazy they can bekele said if they want to kill you they kill you indirectly you cant see but they send some powers some evil to you
this subject had been one of intense discussion between bekele and pitsiladis last summer when bekele went to england for treatment the two sat in a car and talked for hours according to pitsiladis bekele told him i dont need this treatment all i need is for the priests to ok me
if that was what he believed pitsiladis said he replied perhaps bekele should return to ethiopia he stayed pitsiladis who is greek orthodox gave him a painting of st raphael who was martyred on the greek island lesbos
i wanted to demonstrate that while religion may be important dont let people use religion to take over your mind pitsiladis said you are in control of your destiny not these people around you
when he left addis ababa in september pitsiladis seemed more encouraged bekele had agreed to regular physiotherapy he was sticking to his diet
in early november the tentative assurance evaporated
bekele wore an unfamiliar pair of shoes on a long run and strained his left achilles tendon his training became irregular he put on weight and sometimes resisted physiotherapy
plans for any exotic training methods affiliated with the sub2 project faltered there would be only a desperate attempt to get bekele to the starting line of the london marathon on april 24 a race in which he would have to give an encouraging performance to qualify for ethiopias olympic marathon team
in january bekele traveled to munich to visit a popular and controversial doctor hans wilhelm muller wohlfahrt his supporters including the jamaican sprint star usain bolt swear by him and call him healing hans
but some scientists have questioned his unconventional treatments such as injections of actovegin a filtered extract of calfs blood along with lubricants and antioxidants travis tygart the chief executive of the united states anti doping agency once described muller wohlfahrts injections to espn as a frankenstein type treatment
pitsiladis accompanied bekele to munich wary of the treatments at least muller wohlfahrt admonished bekele to follow the rehab program the sub2 project had prescribed pitsiladis said muller wohlfahrt declined a request for an interview
when pitsiladis returned to addis ababa in february he placed bekele on an even stricter diet 1000 to 1500 calories a day as his weight declined so would the pain in his heel that was the hope anyway the london marathon was only 10 weeks away
in march bekele turned inward secretive as he sometimes had at the height of his career he declined to tell pitsiladis about his training regimen he would not allow his physiotherapist to weigh him
he likes to make history when no one is watching said mersha asrat bekeles coach
pitsiladis grew exasperated but he had gotten bekele in sufficient shape to run the london marathon bekele was no longer the broken runner he had been in an instant message he told pitsiladis thank you for believing in me
pitsiladis replied i believe in you 100 percent and you need to trust me 100 percent then we can do it together
eliud kipchoge of kenya eventually won in 20305 the second fastest marathon ever while bekele was left to run alone in the final miles he gamely finished third in 20636 the running world buzzed about his comeback if chosen for ethiopias marathon team for the rio olympics he was expected to be a medal contender
it was nice because i come back from injury bekele said not bad
pitsiladis hugged bekele perhaps now bekele would more readily buy into a scientific approach to training lets see pitsiladis said
in any case the sub2 project would continue pitsiladis planned to open a training center in kenya and hoped to enlist kipchoge the international olympic committee had pledged funding to his lab for antidoping research pitsiladis said the money could also be used for altitude research in the sub2 project an american biotech firm had also shown interest pitsiladis said
i want to impact a life he said of his desire to break the two hour barrier youre here once you want to do something that matters i wanted to be an athlete in the olympics i didnt do it so how else can you make a mark that you were here i think its important


a combination of david beckham and the japanese womens national team inspired one of the most unlikely title wins in the history of modern soccer
that wouldnt be the 5000 to 1 triumph in englands premier league that leicester city celebrated this month but chan yuen tings becoming the first female coach to lead a mens soccer team to a professional top flight league championship
chan 27 fell in love with soccer as a schoolgirl in hong kong partly because of beckham but japans win at the 2011 womens world cup has proved to be a bigger influence
that was amazing for us in asia chan said in a telephone interview that inspired me we all watched and i knew the way i wanted my team to play
her eastern sports club team closed out its season on saturday but had already clinched the hong kong premier league championship with a 2 1 win over south china on april 22 when the referee blew the final whistle i felt i was dreaming chan said it was unbelievable reporters came to me took pictures and asked questions i was still nervous and couldnt smile
there are nine professional teams in the mens league but no such competition for women that prompted chan whose parents wanted her to pursue a more traditional career to start coaching early she started in 2010 as a video analyst for pegasus another hong kong club in 2015 she led the clubs under 18 team to the youth league championship
easterns previous head coach yeung ching kwong departed in december to be an assistant at a second tier club in meizhou china and chan then an assistant coach at the club was promoted as she was the only member of the coaching staff with a coaching license from the asian football confederation
chan may have been the most qualified but there were doubts i asked the club is this a good decision i worried about my lack of experience she said i didnt want to bring trouble to the team but they have really supported me and trusted me
her first game was a 6 1 victory and seven more victories came in the following nine matches she has become a minor celebrity in the region according to mark sutcliffe the chief executive of the hong kong football association
eyebrows were raised when ms chan was appointed but i wasnt surprised she had been successful at youth level sutcliffe wrote in an email football remains male dominated and it takes a special person and a forward thinking club to break the mold we will know when true equality has been achieved when stories like this are no longer newsworthy
that may take some time given the lack of women coaching men in sports in 2015 nancy lieberman was appointed as an assistant coach with the sacramento kings the second woman to join the coaching staff of an nba team after becky hammon at the san antonio spurs in japan natalie nakase was head coach of saitama broncos in the countrys professional league before returning to the united states in 2012 to work as a video coordinator for the los angeles clippers
it is similar in soccer shelley kerr is in charge of stirling university fc in the fifth tier of the scottish league system in 2014 clermont foot in frances second tier appointed helena costa a portuguese woman as head coach but she quit after a month saying there had been a lack of respect from the club she was replaced by another female coach corinne diacre
i think it is possible for more women to work in mens football and if this success helps then i will be very happy chan said its an important step for women in football once i took over as the head coach lots of reporters said you are a female coach and you are only 27 it doesnt matter if i am female or male young or old the important thing is that i have to do my job well if the team cant get results then you have a problem
the results were there the 6 1 win in her opening game helped make the transition smooth at the beginning perhaps the players were a little confused she said i was nervous and stressed and i paid a lot of attention to the first week of training but the players never challenged me or asked why i was head coach they knew the situation showed a professional attitude they encouraged me all the way
with the title won the immediate plan is to stay at the club for next season and try to qualify for the afc champions league asias top club competition failing that the afc cup beckons a second tier tournament
ultimately chan would like to work in the professional womens leagues in china or england though england may be a more fitting home for another unlikely title winner
eastern have been the best team consistently over the course of the season sutcliffe said its not quite leicester esque but its a great achievement nonetheless


a planned technology museum in maine grew out of the curiosity of a 10 year old
in 2010 alex jason traded a minibike and an electric snowblower for an imac g5 computer in what turned out to be the start of a giant collection of vintage computer equipment including 200 apple machines it is one of only a few dozen collections of its size and kind in the country
alex now 15 along with his father bill jason are planning to display the collection known as alexs apple orchard in a converted library in fairfield me soon to be the maine technology museum
among alexs pieces is a rare apple i from 1976 that still works and has the original chips fewer than 70 of these models are believed to remain with one selling for more than 900000 at an auction in 2014
other prized artifacts include an apple lisa 25 named for the daughter of apple co founder steve p jobs the cursor iii believed to be an early prototype of a mouse or a joystick for apple products and a powerbook 100 which is considered to be the first modern laptop alex said he has not put an assessed value on his entire collection to me its priceless he said
the modest beginnings of alexs project recall the humble start of apple itself which was founded by mr jobs and his high school friend stephen wozniak in a suburban california garage in 1976
alex said his first breakthrough was buying a collection of 50 apple computers   enough to fill a 26 foot long u haul   with 2000 he had saved from mowing lawns
he has since acquired computers from other collectors and from ebay and carefully displayed some of them in the basement of the familys home in a town about 20 miles north of augusta me apple memorabilia such as a giant rainbow colored logo and schematics of a motherboard decorate the walls
bill jason is spearheading the effort to convert the carnegie library on the campus of good will hinckley a charitable organization into a museum that would open in january 2017 aside from housing alexs collection the maine technology museum would be dedicated to interactive exhibits about renewable energy engineering computers space exploration and virtual reality mr jason said
alex described himself as a longtime tinkerer who studied how tractors worked at the john deere dealership explored the innards of computers and once rigged a plastic pipe to a garbage bin to get rid of crumpled papers and crumbs from his desk
he was inspired to pursue apple computers after he upgraded the hard drive and ram on his first computer the imac g5 on his own
adam rosen who maintains the vintage mac museum from his home in boston estimated that there are several dozen large private collections of apple computers in the country the planned museum in maine would be one of the few public exhibits of apple computers along with others in georgia california and washington he said
mr rosen said apple has not opened a museum of its own and he knew of only two museums   in prague and savona italy   that are solely dedicated to its computers stanford university library located in the heart in silicon valley has a large collection of the companys records which apple donated in 1998
apple did not respond to an email seeking comment for this article
alex said he has been drawn to the design durability and efficiency of apple products on saturday he was looking for so called easter eggs or surprises hidden by software programmers on macintosh se models that reveal a slide show of the companys development team
perhaps surprisingly alex said he does not use an apple relying instead on a custom built computer to play games and edit videos still he said in my heart mac will always be better


bold colorful works of art covering walls stairwells and the sides of buildings take center stage on the new rotterdam street art tour which can be followed using an app or by taking a guided tour the 43 mile route starts at rotterdam central station and directs visitors to more than 30 wall paintings created by local artists
the app has a map and background information in text and audio and also shows the locations of notable graffiti that has disappeared the route can be downloaded in advance making it possible to follow the tour without internet access rewriters010 which designed the route leads guided tours every weekend or by request during the week tours must be reserved at rewriters010nl the cost is 15 euros 17 a person the app is available at itunes and google play
diane daniel
there was a time when the town of caudebec en caux along the seine river in the heart of normandy was famous for le mascaret a massive equinox wave that rolled with fury along the river and could splash water up to 30 feet high into the quay the mascaret was tamed when a sea wall was built in the 1960s but the seine still determines everyday life
after eight years of planning museoseine a small charming museum devoted to the seine opened on april 30 among the highlights vestiges from ancient gallo roman viking and medieval eras a collection of boats videos that evoke the rivers traditions as a working water highway to the ocean and footage of the mascaret in 1947 visitors can watch the boats go up and down the river from a balcony built on a gribane   a flat bottomed wooden barge
the center of caudebec en caux was largely destroyed in a fire following bombing by the nazis in 1940 but merits a visit because of the flamboyant gothic notre dame church built in the 15th and 16th centuries 333 sculpted human figures adorn its western portal then visitors can go on to the nearby ga manoir de retival restaurant which was awarded its first michelin star earlier this year
elaine sciolino


game of thrones lived up to its billing as a song of ice and fire on sunday as there was plenty of action in both of the signature halves of the story
in the north we witnessed perhaps the rarest event in the known world an actual stark reunion the show has gone to gymnastic lengths to scuttle all previous brushes with the same   arya and sansa at the eyrie bran and jon at crasters keep and most tragically arya and robb and catelyn at chez frey for scarred thrones fans last weeks revelation that jon snow was moving on as sansa was making her way to castle black promised to be the latest example of this
but there sansa was on sunday showing up just in time to share a hug with her theoretical half brother and have a look at ramsays charming dear jon letter i may have yelped with joy when the gates opened to reveal sansa and brienne this story has sprawled so prodigiously there is a visceral thrill that comes from seeing disparate pieces connect especially pieces of the tortured family that represents whatever good is left in the world
as for the fire portion of the program well you saw it the dothraki hut went up like a haystack soaked in kerosene taking the potty mouthed khals with it and allowing the unburnt dragon mother to emerge from the flames as dothraki cowing parlor tricks go its a good one which we already know because we saw her do roughly the same thing with khal drogos funeral pyre in season 1
indeed for many of us danys effortless bar b coup probably inspired the suspicion that the net result of the slavers bay excursions and meereen misadventures were to get daenerys targaryen back to where she was over four seasons ago leading a dothraki force with designs on taking them on wooden horses across the black salt sea
it was more complicated than that of course and well come back to vaes dothrak but first lets return northwestward where the show packed quite a bit into a few poignant scenes
it is a different sansa whom jon snow met on sunday   one full of righteous rage and a plan to retake their ancestral home by force as for jon well hes still the same sullen dude who sulked in the corners of said home give or take a zombie fight and a resurrection or two i did enjoy the self referential joke about jon as a moody youth in winterfell
but sophie turner and kit harington infused the scenes with warmth and a sense of familial comfort   the siblings delight at being together again was palpable though tinged with melancholy for obvious reasons we never should have left winterfell snow said we were reminded that most of what has happened over the past six seasons not just the stark strife but the various wars betrayals and other machinations that have convulsed the world of this story were triggered when robert baratheon called ned to kings landing
im sick of fighting jon told sansa its all ive been doing and did i mention i got killed a few days ago if you dont come along im doing it without you she said then ramsay the terribles mocking letter arrived to put everyone on the same page
the missive signaled ramsays overflowing arrogance come and see and why wouldnt it since we met him in season 3 weve seen him break down and enslave a young nobleman win his legitimacy at moat cailin trick the formidable petyr littlefinger baelish into letting him marry sansa defeat stannis and murder his own father to take control of house bolton his only misstep was allowing sansa to escape but he quickly replaced her with her little brother
a few commenters thought the crafty and capable osha might spell doom for him and she apparently had the same idea but nope soon she had a hole in her neck and the kennel masters hounds had a new special on the menu fun fact natalia tena and iwan rheon played a couple in a dystopian sci fi mini series last year called residue i havent seen it but its on netflix
the guy has good reasons to be arrogant is the point but the letters grandiosity felt like the moment ramsay finally invited his own demise few things undo dramatic characters as effectively as preening hubris   just ask joffrey oberyn and any number of killed off slavers and henchmen   and ramsay doesnt realize how many forces are aligning against him over in the vale littlefinger welcome back has manipulated the suckling robin into sending troops to help sansa plus ramsays never met wun wun who might not appreciate lord boltons vile threats against wildlings i realize im sort of obsessed with the improbable notion of wun wun the giant being the one to kill ramsay but come on what would be better
sansas steadfastness in the face of jons reluctance offered the latest evidence that sansa has assumed a leadership role within both her own family and her own story in general it was also one of several sibling dynamics that found the sisters taking command cersei lannister bossing around jaime is old news of course but on sunday we also saw margaery bucking up the disintegrating loras and theon volunteering for the committee to elect yara leader of the iron born
its become common this season to note that the female characters on game of thrones are stepping to the fore but that was especially evident on sunday women took purposeful steps to reshape their fortunes while on the other side of the fence our beloved tyrion lannsplained slavery to former slaves and the high sparrow did his usual poverty porn self mythologizing for margaery who sees his empty brand burnishing pieties for what they really are
and then we have the woman who literally burned the patriarchy to the ground
i admit that despite the visual flair of the sequence i mostly sighed as dany flambeed the khal council for one thing there was the easy efficiency of the takeover seriously was that thing made of kindling or what or are we supposed to think jorah and daario somehow sprayed it down with lighter fluid in advance then there was the fact that as i said earlier it essentially returned her to where she was a few seasons ago leading a bunch of dothrakis with an eye on conquering westeros
but the more i thought about it the more the parallelism of her emergence highlighted how far she has come even as much of her arc has been mired in the mostly cheerless stasis in meereen she has conquered cities she has made mistakes she has been underestimated and has learned the value of allowing herself to be underestimated she has acquired the support of the unsullied and of the oppressed of slavers bay even if tyrion threatens to undo much of that support and not for nothing but the baby dragons who emerged from that pyre are now you know actual giant fire breathing dragons
then there was the symbolism of the thing the khals collectively represent a distilled pure grade dose of the savage aggression that has torn this world apart   they promised an almost cartoonish level of rape and cruelty and ended up as ash showing in the process the ultimate fecklessness of bluster dumb strength and braggadocio in the face of true transcendent power the kind dany represented in the early days of this story but is only now beginning to embody
something tells me things are going to go better for her this time
 the plot thickens in kings landing where it now seems cersei and jaime plan to bring in a tyrell army to overthrow the high sparrow perhaps as margaery is queuing up for her own walk of shame i have to admit im a little confused by all of this   last week it seemed like we were headed toward a trial by combat maybe we still are or maybe cerseis playing the tyrells as part of a broader plot to regain power in the capital the only thing im sure of is 1 cersei is destined to underestimate how her actions might come back to bite her and 2 somewhere mountainstein is sharpening his sword andor splattering a loose lipped drunk against a wall
 many people wondered if the rickons arrival at winterfell was actually a house umber plot to undo ramsay but oshas thwarted gambit seemed to contradict that theory her actions seemed too impulsive and desperate or did you read that differently
 after several seasons of flailing briennes really putting it all together first she saved sansa and now shes reunited her with a family member she also cleared up any remaining mystery about whether stannis somehow survived the season 5 finale he didnt and served notice to the red woman over her role in renlys smoky assassination just because its in past doesnt mean i forget or forgive she told her now it seems romance might be in the frigid air of castle black tormund reacted to her arrival with the wildling equivalent of a looney tunes wolf whistle
 that shireen shoe is going to drop at some point and its not going to be pretty davos and melisandre have been uneasy allies this season but that revelation will bring an end to all that to the point that im not sure both will survive whatever comes afterward
 last week we put out an apb for littlefinger   on sunday we were rewarded by the master plotters first appearance this season the thrill was undercut somewhat by the contemporaneous return of the squirrely suckling robin who has made exactly zero positive strides since we last saw him he still cant hit a target and he still lives to throw people out of the dreaded moon door i enjoy him as a goof on the colorful history of actual half wit nobles and monarchs   and thus as a walking critique of the very concept of royalty by birth but he still gives me the creeps
 bronn however is still missing in action perhaps cersei and jaimes coup will have a place for him
 what did you think are we finally done with ramsay but who becomes the big baddie if he goes down where does dany go from here what sound did you make when brienne and sansa arrived at castle black please share your thoughts in the comments


artsy and ubs on may 18 will show the first in a series of four short films that explore the contemporary art market   auctions galleries patrons and art fairs
combining historical footage with commentary from leading figures like the collector eli broad the art basel director noah horowitz and the dealer dominique levy it will be shown on artsy and ubs art studio the contemporary art film portal


johannesburg   oscar pistorius the double amputee olympic runner who shot his girlfriend to death on valentines day 2013 can leave prison and move to house arrest next week south africas department of corrections said thursday
a parole board at the prison where pistorius has served nearly a year of his five year sentence for manslaughter made the decision it came after an initial ruling to release the athlete in august was canceled at the last minute after intervention by the justice minister
this time the board approved the placement of offender oscar pistorius under correctional supervision as from 20 october 2015 the corrections department said in a statement following the meeting of the parole board earlier thursday
pistorius was acquitted of murder last year for the shooting death of reeva steenkamp but prosecutors have appealed that trial verdict and will seek a murder conviction again at south africas supreme court on nov 3
the appeal will come just two weeks after pistorius is freed next tuesday if pistorius is convicted of murder by a panel of five judges at the appeal he faces going back to prison for 15 years the minimum sentence for murder in south africa which no longer has the death penalty
the spokeswoman for pistorius family anneliese burgess said in a text message that they had been informed of the decision to release pistorius but would not be commenting further
steenkamps parents are trying to move on with their lives their lawyer told the ap
whether oscar pistorius remains incarcerated or is released its not going to change anything in their lives lawyer tania koen said it makes no difference to them
but they still believe that 10 months or 12 months in jail is not enough for taking a life koen said
pistorius was sentenced to five years after being convicted of culpable homicide a charge comparable to manslaughter for shooting steenkamp a model and reality tv star under south african law an offender sentenced to five years or less in jail can be released after serving one sixth   in pistorius case 10 months
he has maintained he thought steenkamp was an intruder in his pretoria home and killed her by mistake prosecutors said he shot her intentionally during an argument after she had fled to a bathroom stall
pistorius will now be moved to correctional supervision a form of house arrest where he will have to live under certain conditions for the next four years his sentence ends on oct 20 2019
pistorius has been informed of those conditions the corrections department said although it did not detail them all it did say that pistorius would have to continue receiving psychotherapy while under house arrest and would not be allowed to handle any firearms
correctional services department spokesman manelisi wolela did not rule out ultimately allowing pistorius to return to training he also said pistorius would not be required to wear an electronic tagging device
pistorius known as blade runner for his carbon fiber running blades gained worldwide fame when he ran against able bodied athletes at the 2012 london olympics the first amputee runner to compete at the games
in june the same parole board had cleared pistorius to be released from kgosi mampuru ii prison in pretoria on aug 21 only for that decision to be suspended by the minister of justice who ordered a review
the 28 year old pistorius is expected to serve his house arrest at his uncles mansion in an upmarket suburb of pretoria


hedera
the new york city composer lesley flanigan works with electronics and voice to create flickering repetitions with layered vocals a kind of choral hypnosis her new ep hedera physical editions has two songs one long and one short the long one   the 20 minute title track   is the keeper a stuttering machinelike sound acts as the underpinning you wouldnt necessarily guess it but its the sound of a malfunctioning tape deck on top ms flanigan sings extended tones making them digitally repeat as she builds up her own choir and creates her own gradual harmonic movement its a slow process at times beautiful
blackball
blackball is a hardcore punk band from raleigh nc and richmond va as of early last year it has a new self titled six song vinyl ep released by sorry state records and listening to it feels like inhaling some kind of straight to the point vapor hardcore does not operate on a mandate of permanent evolution this band evokes mid 80s cbgb matinees the thrill is in how its done track 1 bone to pick two guitars whistle through a second and a half of bright feedback bass and drums join them for a single chord pounded fast 32 times both guitars start a four bar riff the drums tumble in and the recording crunches into the red this is distortion as style the singer ericka kingston goes off against an anonymous bully operative her voice so enraged it sounds like another guitar you toe the line she sings self serving justicea righteous initiativeheartless and cruel again heartless   and cruel those are all the lyrics she repeats them theres a bridge and then a final section one minute and 16 seconds just about perfect
climata
robert curgenven a minimal electronic composer originally from australia and now living in ireland uses sound to transmit something about the space in which sound occurs he has a natural affinity with the artist james turrell who uses light to transmit something about the space in which light occurs recently mr curgenven did something sensible and created some sound pieces in conjunction with mr turrells skyspaces series which involves dozens of rooms around the world with holes cut into their ceilings allowing the changing light to interact with the viewers perceptions in each piece on mr curgenvens new double disc album climata recorded in skyspaces across different countries you hear a pair of mellow subtly shifting oscillator hums to hear them is to know that they were very definitely recorded in a large room sure enough your brain starts to conjure the space as you listen they are not the exact equivalent of natural light   they are man made   but he does allow for outside sounds birds weather a distant car honk to interact with them both cds are 58 minutes long and the composer suggests you can play them simultaneously if you like
entre colegas
you might know the bassist andy gonzalez from his position deep within the fort apache band probably the essential new york latin jazz group since the beginning of the 1980s or grupo folklorico y experimental nuevayorquino the band that made syncretic afro latin roots albums in the mid 1970s go right now and get to know the record concepts in unity or from his work with eddie palmieri ray barretto manny oquendo kip hanrahan and others entre colegas truth revolution records is his first solo album at age 65 a jam session with the lid on including the trumpeter carlos abadie the tres player nelson gonzalez and the guitarist ben lapidus it includes versions of jazz standards like erroll garners misty and billy strayhorns a flower is a lovesome thing as well as cachao lopezs mambo inspiracion de cachao and mr gonzalezs original vieques its casual modern traditional deliberately understated stealthily gorgeous


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good morning why dont you start it with r m schneidermans retelling of the tale of marcus luttrell a member of the seals of lone survivor fame in newsweek it wont get you running into the kitchen to cook thats what my latest column in the times magazine about anna joness superlative recipe for a warm kale tomato and coconut salad is for but it will sure get you thinking about heroism and its sometimes terrible costs
then you can go to the store like everyone else and shop for a week of terrific cooking get kale and cherry tomatoes and dried coconut shavings and make the jones recipe tonight its simple but maybe not the very first time you do it and so a slow sunday preparation today will pay dividends later when it becomes a go to midweek meal
on monday night maybe you could try your hand at this great old melissa clark recipe for pasta with fried lemons and chile flakes im obsessed with this recipe a cooking user named remy posted in one of the notes attached to it us too
we are not sick of tacos on tuesdays yet and perhaps wont ever be have you tried david taniss recipe for sizzling pork tacos yet give that a shot
on wednesday you can cook some chicken were feeling a powerful urge to eat a big platter of butter chicken and to accompany it with steamed basmati rice and a bowl of mango chutney heres a recipe for that chutney if you want to go big with it but were not mad at the pataks that they sell at the market
for thursday then were thinking you could just bake some potatoes   and smother them with crab meat jalapeno and mint
and then on friday night to celebrate the opening of the season for wild salmon in alaska this week why dont you try david taniss recipe for gently sauteed wild king salmon with a savory whipped cream sauce oh man
take a look at cooking for other ideas for what to cook in coming days and shop accordingly were here if you run into problems cookingcarenytimescom
now have you been watching aasif mandvis halal in the family get started today


few people would want their body to lie unclaimed in a morgue after death or to be buried anonymously in a potters field for generations the fear of such a fate has mainly haunted poor communities
but while uncovering the paths that led people to the same anonymous end   a mass grave on hart island which is new york citys potters field   i discovered that they came from all walks of life
a home a career caring friends and family a court appointed guardian even a prepaid grave in a private cemetery   none of these prevented a hart island burial in some of the cases that i reconstructed from court files city records and interviews
an obvious question emerged how can you guarantee that you   or your grandmother   will not end up like that
sometimes i joke that the families really need to monitor next of kin michael mastellone chairman of the mortuary science department at nassau community college told me recalling his exchanges with students disturbed to find themselves practicing on unclaimed bodies destined for hart island
some students have said i dont even understand that this situation even exists mr mastellone said i tell them if you have an elderly grandma dont just send them a card go visit so they dont wind up in a situation like this
frequent family visits aside here are some measures that can be taken especially by people living alone
# name someone you trust whether a relative or a friend to make decisions about body disposition in new york state use this form appointment of agent to control disposition of remains
# write up your wishes for a funeral burial cremation or body donation in a document separate from your will and store it in a safe place that is known to your designated agent
# keep the name and contact information of your designated agent up to date and display it in an area where it would be hard to miss perhaps stuck on the refrigerator or taped to a bedside table
that leaves the question of money even when it seems that enough has been set aside for a private grave resources can be drained away quickly just before and after death or as mr mastellone put it getting old and dead is big business
some financial help is available in most places though it can be hard to obtain two useful resources in new york are a guide to burial assistance and funeral planning for new yorkers in need last updated in 2011 and a guide to funeral and burial options in new york from the city bar justice center and the cancer advocacy project


here are the weeks top stories and a look ahead
1 the obama administration made its stance on transgender rights clear to public schools across the country sending a letter telling districts to allow transgender students to use the bathrooms that match their gender identity the directive isnt a law but the threat of lawsuits or loss of federal aid is implicit the move came at the end of a week that also saw the justice department and north carolina sue one another over access to public restrooms

2 donald trump dominated campaign news both in political maneuvering on capitol hill and seamier stories   like a former butler threatening to lynch president obama and his contradictory relationships with women the sheer volume of such reports may be dulling their impact he moves so quick and creates outrages so fast you almost forget what happened a republican strategist said

3 on the democratic side of the presidential contest some supporters of bernie sanders are working on a proposal that he suspend his campaign after the june 7 california primary concede to hillary clinton and use his popularity to focus his efforts on helping defeat mr trump a spokesman for mr sanders rejected the idea

4 the leadership struggle in brazil turned decisive as the senate suspended president dilma rousseff to try her for fiscal skullduggery the move could push the country a bastion of the south american left farther to the right

5 did russia cheat to be the top medal winner at the 2014 olympics at sochi a former russian official said he had overseen a vast doping program years in the making and that at sochi his team was able to access urine samples through a hole in a wall open supposedly tamper proof swiss made bottles and replace dozens of athletes tainted samples with clean urine russia denounced the account

6 years of debate within the white house ended in an announcement that yes president obama would visit hiroshima in less than two weeks he will become the first sitting us president to visit the memorial to the victims of the atomic bombs the us dropped on japan in world war ii the two countries now allies still tend to see the other as failing to fully accept its responsibility

7 forget the fountain of youth scientists are working on a second skin to erase the effects of aging the invisible film has been successful in small studies at making undereye bags vanish and wrinkles disappear as on the left above it might also be used to treat eczema psoriasis and other skin conditions researchers say

8 prime minister justin trudeau promised federal money to help rebuild the canadian city of fort mcmurray which was nearly destroyed by a wildfire damage estimates rise into the billions of dollars fires have been ravaging vast swaths of boreal forests in northern latitudes around the world with climate change often a major factor

9 time for a bit of greener news researchers are restoring emily dickinsons beloved gardens at her home in amherst mass she died 130 years ago today and her extensive flower and vegetable fields along with an orchard and greenhouse were removed by later owners she once wrote some keep the sabbath going to church -  i keep it staying at home -  with a bobolink for a chorister -  and an orchard for a dome

10 an extraordinary bank heist for a second time thieves penetrated the swift global financial messaging system apparently targeting a commercial bank in vietnam a few months ago digital robbers got away with 81 million from bangladeshs central bank above in both cases the thieves used real network credentials   suggesting the possibility of insider accomplices   and hid their actions behind malware

11 finally a sweet note japan just loves kit kat there are nearly 300 varieties including adzuki bean and wasabi and you can find them in high end department stores and kit kat only specialty shops and at least for a few weeks last year a single stick coated with gold leaf was being sold
have a great week

karen workman contributed reporting
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new york
an article last sunday about the painter duncan hannah misstated in some editions the role of the writer glenn obrien one of his friends at interview magazine he was one of the early editors but not the first gerard malanga and a team of others with andy warhol were the first
metropolitan
because of an editing error a picture caption in some editions last sunday with a theater review of animals out of paper misstated the year in which the playwright rajiv joseph was a pulitzer finalist it was 2010 not this year
sports
an article in some editions last sunday about lamarcus aldridges performance for the san antonio spurs in their nba playoff series against the oklahoma city thunder misstated his number of shot attempts in game 3 he had 21 not 24

the on soccer column in some editions last sunday about aston villas last place season in the premier league misspelled the surname of an aston villa coach who had to step down because of medical issues he is gerard houllier not houlier

because of an editing error the keeping score column last sunday about center jonas valanciunass breakout performance for the toronto raptors in the nba playoffs misstated in some editions the time frame of his teammates kyle lowry and demar derozans 12 for 75 3 point shooting it covered all raptors playoff games heading into game 3 against the miami heat not the first two games against miami
sunday review
a download column about the nasa investigator kim binsted on may 1 misstated the name of ms binsteds dog he is named cosmo not cosmos

a news analysis last sunday about people with intellectual disability misidentified the 1924 law under which a 17 year old girl carrie buck was sterilized it was the virginia eugenical sterilization act not the racial integrity act of the same year
magazine
an introduction to the money issue on may 1 referred incorrectly to websters dictionary it was noah webster who created it not daniel webster

an article on may 1 about the representation of the middle class on tv misspelled the surname of an actress featured in an episode of horace and pete she is laurie metcalf not metcalfe

because of an editing error a tweet featured in the mail column on may 1 carried an incorrect handle for a reader who commented on a recent article on minecraft it is chaykak not chayak
sunday business
an article last sunday about the labor departments new rules for retirement accounts described the negative interest clause incorrectly it requires a brokerage firm to act in an investors best interest it does not eliminate that requirement
arts  leisure
an article on april 24 about the film dheepan included a quotation from the actor antonythasan jesuthasan that omitted part of the given name of a philosopher he studied he was jean francois lyotard not merely francois lyotard

an article last sunday about a new viceland tv show hosted and produced by gloria steinem misstated the number of weekly episodes that will air it is eight not 10

a picture caption last sunday with an article about the comedian chelsea handler reversed the identities of the two women shown working on her makeup and hair katey denno was pictured at the left and christine symonds at the right
vows
a report last sunday about the wedding of stephanie ramirez and keith nobbe misidentified the university from which the bride graduated and referred incompletely to the organization that employs the grooms mother the bride graduated from georgetown university in washington not georgetown college in kentucky and sco family of services a nonprofit for which mr nobbes mother works serves children and families in new york city and long island not just in queens

because of an editing error a report last sunday about the marriage of hilary corman and mark kirsch incompletely described the grooms role at the law firm gibson dunn  crutcher he is a full partner in the firm and a co partner in charge of the new york office he is not a co partner of the overall firm

a report on may 1 about the marriage of laura thompson and sean love incorrectly stated the grooms age he is 30 not 29
sunday styles
an article on may 1 about the actress emily kinney misstated the number of seasons that she appeared in the tv show the walking dead it was four seasons not three
book review
a picture caption on april 24 with a review of the universe in your hand by christophe galfard and seven brief lessons on physics by carlo rovelli carried an erroneous credit supplied by a photo agency the still image from a computer simulation of two black holes colliding was from simulating extreme spacetimes via reuters not from caltechmitligo laboratory
travel
a map on may 1 with the 36 hours column about louisville ky misidentified the state on the other side of the ohio river bridge from kentucky it is indiana not ohio a corrected map can be found at nytimescomtravel

because of an editing error the check in column on may 8 about a maine hotel misstated the name of the hotel group that owns the whitehall it is the lark hotels not larkspur
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denver   last week in the middle of the mets longest trip of the season manager terry collins was discussing how instant replay had all but eliminated arguments from baseball a spectacle he seemed to miss
but there are still instances when managers can argue and even be ejected from a ballgame and collins found one on saturday night during the mets 7 4 loss to the colorado rockies at coors field
it was a matter of a foul tip   or not a foul tip as collins and the mets saw it   in the third inning and it proved to be the decisive play in the game
a player who might have been out was instead given a reprieve and hit a two run double and the rockies scored four runs after the disputed play going on to win by three
it cost us the game collins said end of story
the rockies had the bases loaded with one out in the third it was a dicey situation but mets starter logan verrett still had a reasonable hope of getting out of the jam the next batter was tony wolters a catcher and the no 8 hitter who was batting 172 entering saturday rockies starter eddie butler was due up after wolters
if verrett could get wolters he could easily strand all three runners
wolters worked the count to 2 2 and then verrett threw a breaking ball in the dirt wolters swung and missed and the ball skipped into the glove of catcher kevin plawecki apparently for strike three
but carlos torres the home plate umpire instantly threw up his hands to call a foul tip prolonging wolterss at bat plawecki argued and collins quickly trotted out of the dugout to join the protest
the play was not reviewable so an argument ensued collinss temper flared and torres ejected him
torres told collins that he had heard the bat tip the ball collins said i said you couldnt have heard it because he didnt foul it off collins exclaimed after the game
collins seemed to have reason to object television replays appeared to show that wolterss bat never touched the ball
wolters even acknowledged to plawecki during the at bat that his bat did not touch the ball plawecki said
but he didnt have to tell me plawecki added i knew everyone in the ballpark knew except the guy standing behind me
asked if torres said anything else about the play during the course of the game plawecki responded our line of communication kind of stopped after that
the mets anger soon turned to dismay with new life wolters a rookie worked the count full and then swatted a two run double to right center field it was his second hit of the game and the 12th hit of his young career
and the rockies were not done after butler was out on a bunt attempt charlie blackmon lined a single into right field to score two more runs and the rockies led 7 1
the call was critical but verrett did not do a good job of limiting the damage
poor execution on my part said verrett who starting in place of the injured steven matz lasted two and two thirds innings giving up seven runs and 10 hits and walking three
the mets began to chip away at the lead in the fourth neil walker hit his 10th home run a solo shot and the mets scored two more runs in the sixth after yoenis cespedes led off with a double
david wright led off the seventh with a double for his second hit but was stranded wright went 2 for 5 and struck out twice including in the ninth inning against closer jake mcgee
wright now has 44 strikeouts in 108 at bats and he had two hits in his past 24 at bats before saturday still his on base percentage was reasonably healthy over that span at 353 because he walked 10 times
collins said wrights on base percentage was keeping him from moving wright out of the second spot in the batting order but collins indicated that could be pending
at some point if he continues to struggle well address that collins said before the game he leads the team in on base when youre talking about the two hole youre talking about guys getting on base
the hits by wright were encouraging but after the game which left the mets 4 6 on their trip the team was more focused on the call that went against them
its unfair collins said theres no reason for it


caitlin gregg buckley the daughter of lucy gregg buckley of washington and christopher buckley of stamford was married may 14 to michael john leavey a son of claire a leavey and james w leavey of portsmouth nh the rev nathan j a humphrey an episcopal priest officiated at the lighthouse at chelsea piers an event space in new york with the rev leroy buck close a step uncle of the bride and an episcopal deacon participating
the bride 28 who goes by cat is keeping her surname she is an assistant editor at vanity fair magazine she graduated from the college of charleston in charleston sc
her father is the author and political satirist whose most recent novel was the relic master he is also the author of losing mum and pup a memoir about his parents the bride is the stepdaughter of dr katherine a close
the brides paternal grandfather the late william f buckley jr was the founder of national review her maternal grandfather donald p gregg of armonk ny was the ambassador to south korea from 1989 to 1993 and was the national security adviser from 1982 to 1989 to vice president george h w bush
the groom 30 is a trading assistant at morgan stanley in new york where his work includes processing bond trades he graduated from loyola university maryland
his mother is an interior designer in portsmouth the grooms father who is retired was the chief executive of snap software a company in manchester nh that created automation software for sales forces and of scribe software which was then in bedford nh
the couple were introduced through okcupid in january 2012


brittany beth bettman a daughter of shelli bettman and gary bettman of saddle river nj was married may 14 to weston saul baker a son of kolea s kent of colbert wash and don d baker of seattle rabbi jonathan kaplan officiated at the mar a lago club in palm beach fla
mrs baker 27 is the associate counsel for the hain celestial group an organic food and personal care products company in lake success ny she graduated from cornell and received her law degree from nyu
her father is the commissioner of the national hockey league her mother is a retired psychotherapist who had practices in teaneck nj and pearl river ny
mr baker also 27 is the founder of the weston baker creative group an agency in new york that offers architectural design branding website and other services he also graduated from cornell
his mother who works in spokane wash is a marketing manager at planned parenthood of greater washington and north idaho his father is an illustrator creating icons and various forms of graphics for microsoft in seattle
although both attended cornell for four years at the same time the couple did not meet until they were introduced through mutual friends in new york in november 2013


alice lising lin a daughter of wen chien of calabasas calif was married may 14 to helene elizabeth vincent a daughter of anne l vincent and martin j vincent of wakefield ri the rev janet m cooper nelson the brown university chaplain and a minister of the united church of christ performed the ceremony at the south ferry church in narragansett ri
ms lin left 30 is a manager for work force planning at liberty mutual insurance company in boston she graduated cum laude from the university of pennsylvania and received an mba from dartmouth
her mother is the computer database administrator at hrl laboratories a science and engineering research company in malibu calif
ms vincent 27 is a sales director in boston for ef education first a swedish educational travel company she graduated from brown
her father is the founder and president of the providence bay fish company an importer and exporter of seafood in wakefield her mother is a self employed french translator also working from wakefield
the couple were introduced in 2013 through okcupid and began dating a few months later


caroline marie esteve the daughter of pauline daste schneider of lausanne switzerland and toulouse france and the late walter a schneider was married may 14 to steven barry tanger the son of doris schwartz tanger of greensboro nc and the late stanley k tanger rabbi fred guttman officiated at greensboro country club in greensboro
mrs tanger 54 graduated from institut catholique mont olivet de jeunes filles in lausanne her previous marriage ended in divorce
her father was the director of international operations of givaudan fragrances corporation a maker of flavors and fragrances in vernier switzerland
mr tanger 67 is the president and chief executive of tanger outlet centers in greensboro which his father founded in 1981 he graduated from the university of north carolina at chapel hill and is the name donor for the steven tanger center for the performing arts in greensboro his previous marriage also ended in divorce
the couple were introduced through mutual friends in 2014 in miami beach


dr katherine clare michelis a daughter of dr mary ann e michelis and dr michael f michelis of tenafly nj was married may 12 to chad eugene priest the son of janice d lombardi of garland tex and donald e priest of dallas the rev peter zougras a greek orthodox priest performed the ceremony at the cathedral of st john the theologian in tenafly
the bride 29 will continue to use her name professionally she is in her second year of a combined research and clinical fellowship in cardiology at mount sinai hospital in new york she graduated from dartmouth and received a medical degree from george washington
her father is the director of the division of nephrology at lenox hill hospital in new york her mother is the chief of allergy and immunology at hackensack university medical center in hackensack nj
the groom 31 is a lawyer and vice president at blackrock an asset management firm in new york where he provides legal counsel to clients he graduated cum laude from princeton and received a law degree from georgetown
his mother is the principal of trinidad garza early college high school at mountain view college in dallas his father has an electrical contracting business also in dallas
the couple met in march 2009 at a party at the georgetown university law center


john frank corvino and mark darrell lock were married friday at their home in detroit judge helene n white of the united states court of appeals for the sixth circuit who has her chambers in detroit officiated
mr corvino left 46 is a professor and the chairman of the philosophy department at wayne state university in detroit he is a co author of debating same sex marriage and the author of whats wrong with homosexuality he graduated from st johns university and received a doctoral degree in philosophy from the university of texas
he is the son of annette r corvino and john r corvino of round rock tex the grooms mother retired as an aesthetician in austin tex his father also retired was a vice president for customer service and sales at barton press a printing company that was in west orange nj
mr lock 41 is a staff lawyer in the legal department of ally financial a financial services company in detroit he graduated from wayne state university and received a law degree from michigan state
he is the son of juliet a lock and percival o lock of macomb township mich his mother is a registered nurse at hutzel womens hospital in detroit his father retired as a plant maintenance mechanic for the detroit water and sewerage department
the couple were introduced at a party hosted by a mutual friend in royal oak mich in october 2000
the following day mr lock called mr corvino and the two had a pleasant conversation but nothing more
both understood that it was mr corvinos turn to call mr lock and he didnt to this day he is still not quite clear about why he balked though he had recently broken up with a partner he said maybe i didnt feel ready for a relationship he said
in summer 2001 the two began bumping into each other regularly in detroit again through their mutual friends but it was awkward both agreed
i was the jerk who didnt call him back mr corvino said
i was hesitant and i was kind of over it mr lock said
eventually after getting to know each other and realizing that they had much in common including both being raised roman catholic and attending catholic schools they set a first date for mid september and even after the events of 911 they decided to keep it
we went out for sushi had a nice time and have been together since mr corvino said


marissa ashley evans a daughter of dr carla h ginsburg of weston mass and william d evans of aventura fla was married may 14 to benjamin todd alden a son of anne ehrich alden and david n alden of bloomfield hills mich judge colleen mcmahon of the federal district court in manhattan officiated at crystal springs estate in st helena calif
the bride 32 works in brooklyn as the chief executive of sawyer an app she co founded that allows parents to locate the best activities for their children she graduated from cornell and received an mba from harvard
her father owns mrxx corporation a rail car leasing company in boston he is also a former guard for the new york nets of the american basketball association having played for the team in the 1969 70 season the brides mother is a gastroenterologist at newton wellesley hospital in newton mass
the groom also 32 is the general counsel for betterment a financial services firm in manhattan he graduated from cornell and received his law degree from stanford
his mother is a private parenting coach in bloomfield hills his father who works in st clair shores mich is a chairmancoach who leads advisory groups for chief executives and business owners at vistage a leadership development company in san diego until march 2010 he was the president of the southeast asia division of the ford motor company in bangkok
though the couple were in the same 2006 graduating class at cornell and studied abroad at the london school of economics in their junior years they did not meet until november 2011 at a celebration the night before a mutual friends wedding in washington
mr alden was looking toward the bar when he caught a glimpse of ms evans   a member of the wedding party   and had what he described as a flash of recognition
i knew i had seen her he said she was so pretty and i admired the way she carried herself with confidence when she laughed she lit up everyone around her i really wanted to speak to her
as he slowly began leapfrogging from mutual friend to mutual friend in her direction as he put it he did not know that ms evans had already gotten the jump on him
i noticed him first she said i was talking with a few friends and was like oh my gosh whos that handsome guy and when is he going to come over here
he eventually leapt in front of her and they struck up a conversation that he described as effortless and that she described as delightful banter
they learned that they lived about a mile from each other in manhattan   she in soho and he in the flatiron district   and that ms evans was the chief executive and founder of a company called go try it on which created a photo sharing app that allowed members to upload photos of their outfits so that other members could provide feedback and fashion advice but they also learned that they were dating other people though neither had brought a date to the wedding so they parted ways without exchanging contact information
the next month ms evans was sitting on her couch monitoring her app when she viewed a posting that she said put a huge smile on my face it was an uploaded photo sent by mr alden who sought fashion advice for an outfit he wore that included a blue v neck sweater bluejeans and a pair of green toms shoes
i was sitting with my sister and i got so excited i just started shouting thats the guy from the wedding ms evans said
she responded with what became a series of texts during which they discovered that they were now unattached
they agreed to meet for dinner a few weeks later but not before agreeing to what ms evans described as a pre dinner meeting the night before at a dunkin donuts in lower manhattan
we hadnt seen each other in a while and all we had been doing was texting ms evans explained i thought we could kind of reintroduce ourselves before going out on a first date
she walked into the dunkin donuts and found him standing there in a suit looking as handsome as the last time i had seen him she said i just looked at him and said it is you youre real
they spoke for 15 minutes and confirmed their date at a manhattan restaurant for the next night
we had a great time and realized that were both professionally driven very family oriented people who love to laugh mr alden said we see the world the same
the world yes but maybe not mr aldens wardrobe
wondering what to wear before their first date he had uploaded another photo to ms evanss app a practice he had started in large part to support her business
she responded the same way she did before most of our dates mr alden said laughing she told me to wear something else


linda wen jeng and conor nicholas healy were married may 14 at their new home in washington to which they had invited guests to what was billed as a housewarming party tiffany m newman a minister affiliated with the sacred life church in richmond va solemnized their marriage license
on may 29 they are to have a nonbinding cultural ceremony at luttrellstown castle an event space in dublin where simone walsh a civil family celebrant is to lead the couple in a celtic handfasting ceremony in which they bind their hands together with a ribbon
ms jeng  41 who will keep her name works in the division of financial stability at the board of governors of the federal reserve in washington where she helps develop policies in financial regulation
she graduated cum laude from duke and received law degrees from columbia and the university of toulouse in france the brides previous marriage ended in divorce she is the daughter of melissa jeng and raymond jeng of norcross ga
mr healy 42 is an economist in the multilateral investment guarantee agency a division of the world bank in washington he is also an adjunct professor at the school of foreign service at georgetown
he graduated with first class honors from trinity college in dublin and received a master of science in economics in comparative politics from the london school of economics as well as a phd in politics and public policy from princeton he is a son of mary e healy and nicholas j healy of dublin
the couple met on a bitterly cold evening in washington in february 2013 when she bumped into a mutual friend who was with mr healy it was so cold that you couldnt register a persons face ms jeng said
three months later she was out for drinks with another mutual friend michael strauss when she told him about how hard it was meeting anyone interesting minutes later unprompted mr healey sent mr strauss a text inviting him to join him and his old princeton roommate for dinner a couple of blocks away mr strauss invited ms jeng along
at first she was put off by mr healys sense of humor he was telling a horrific story and chuckling she said it was a painful story but soon i learned thats how the irish show their pain through their laughter
the conversation soon got on more entertaining footing and when mr strauss called it a night mr healy and his former college roommate persuaded ms jeng to continue the evening with them at a bar across the street where she regaled them with descriptions of her highly unorganized bookshelf
we then convinced her that we should clean up her bookshelf said mr healy and in the wee hours after the bar closed they walked her home along the way a large rat darted out of the bushes and nearly across ms jengs feet
she jumped into my arms said mr healy who recalled thinking oh shes interested in me as promised he and his friend organized her bookshelf before she kicked them out around 330 am
they began dating regularly but a few months later she took on a half year job assignment in switzerland which turned into a long distance relationship of almost two years i was penelope back in greek myth making my tapestries waiting for her to come back he said though they did manage to see each other every two or three months
during a vacation to india in august 2015 he proposed during a 10 course dinner on their balcony in agra with the taj mahal before them in the distance
it was a feast for mughal emperors she said and after she accepted a member of the staff lit a red paper lantern outside which floated to the sky


margaret ballantine pitney and rory vincent melvin were married may 14 at st christophers church in gladwyne pa the rev dr kevin moroney an episcopal priest performed the ceremony
until this month mrs melvin 30 worked as a real estate agent at triplemint an agency in new york she graduated from rollins college in winter park fla
she is the daughter of elizabeth d pitney and john d pitney of wayne pa the brides father who is retired was an account executive in the bryn mawr pa office of morgan stanley her mother is a sales consultant for ellie kai a made to order womens clothing company in osterville mass
mr melvin 31 is a senior vice president in the asset management division of the new york city economic development corporation where he oversees the operations of city owned manufacturing and food retail facilities he graduated from hobart and william smith colleges in geneva ny
he is a son of laura m melvin and thomas o melvin of bryn mawr the grooms father is a partner in joseph p melvin company an accounting and advisory firm in philadelphia founded by the grooms grandfather
the couple met on a blind date set up by mutual friends in december 2012


karin rebecca reiss and lawrence david peters were married may 14 at alderbrook resort  spa in union wash rabbi daniel weiner officiated
the bride 31 and the groom 32 met in 2007 at columbia university from which they received law degrees
ms reiss who is keeping her name is a compliance lawyer at microsoft in redmond wash who helps the company adhere to ethical practices and regulations she graduated from mcgill university she is the daughter of dorothy david of lawrenceville nj and milton h reiss of becket mass
mr peters is a director of corporate strategy at t mobile in bellevue wash he graduated from yale from which he also received an mba he is a son of nancy freedman peters and steven m peters of greenwich conn


meredith katherine miller and campbell ross wharton were married may 14 the rev brenda husson an episcopal priest officiated at st james church in new york where she is the rector
mrs wharton 32 is a senior manager in the accounting department at j crew in new york dealing with stores e commerce and wholesale she graduated from the university of missouri from which she also received a masters degree in accountancy
she is a daughter of denise grimm miller and j andrew miller of des peres mo the brides father is a partner in ernst  young the accounting firm and is the global tax leader for the mining and metals sector he works in clayton mo
mr wharton 37 is an associate publisher at the crown publishing group a division in new york of penguin random house he graduated from the university of new south wales in sydney australia
he is a son of amanda j wharton of randwick australia and ross g wharton of sanctuary cove australia the grooms mother oversees pastoral care for children and families at st judes anglican church in randwick the grooms father retired as a senior executive overseeing imports in the food service equipment division of jl lennard an importer and wholesaler in silverwater australia
the couple met in 2012 at a trivia night fund raiser at st james mr wharton was the quiz master and host and ms miller was a guest


katherine rebecca kolins a daughter of lauren a kolins and stephen b kolins of new york was married may 14 to paul sukhwan yun the son of minsup a yun and kenneth y yun of san diego rabbi charles g agin officiated at the mandarin oriental hotel in new york
mrs yun 29 is a project manager for the website of ralph lauren the fashion company in new york she graduated from carnegie mellon
her parents own and operate sbk associates an event design firm in new york
mr yun 28 works in new york as an assistant vice president in the investment group of gic which manages the foreign currency reserves of singapore he graduated from stanford and received an mba from harvard
his parents are owners and managers of yuniapps a start up technology firm in new york providing online restaurant menus the grooms father is also a visiting professor at the institut superieur delectronique de paris and retired as a professor of electrical and computer engineering at the university of california san diego
the couple met in 2007 at a midtown bar


dr ashley marie crane a daughter of rosario silva crane of tampa fla and the late w ralph crane was married saturday to dr scott forrester lindsey a son of eileen c forrester and warren w lindsey of winter park fla judge gregory p holder of the 13th judicial circuit in hillsborough county in florida officiated at the tampa museum of art
the couple both 29 received medical degrees from the university of miami they met in the library there in 2009 when he asked to borrow her pen
dr crane who will keep her name is a third year resident in ophthalmology at bascom palmer eye institute in miami she graduated summa cum laude from duke her mother is a clinical psychologist in tampa her father retired as a regional sales manager in tampa for the harland clarke corporation a check printing company
dr lindsey is a second year resident in dermatology at jackson memorial hospital in miami he graduated cum laude from the university of florida his mother is the chief assistant in the office of the public defender for orange and osceola counties in orlando fla his father is the managing partner of the law firm lindsey  perry in winter park


julia nardi riddle the daughter of clarine nardi riddle of alexandria va and dr mark a riddle of columbia md was married may 14 to michael james clark the son of charlotte e clark and james t clark of parkville md the grooms father who became a minister through american marriage ministries officiated at brittland manor in chestertown md
the bride 32 graduated from georgetown she is a fourth year medical student at the johns hopkins university school of medicine in baltimore where her father is a professor of psychiatry and pediatrics her mother is a counsel and the head of the washington office of the law firm kasowitz benson torres  friedman she served as connecticut attorney general from 1989 to 1991
the groom also 32 is an emergency room nurse at the university of maryland medical center in baltimore he graduated from the university of maryland his father retired as a social studies teacher at dumbarton middle school in towson md
the couple was introduced through okcupid in june 2013


john collins sykes iii and john kincaid carpenter were married may 14 at st james episcopal church in baton rouge la the very rev j mark holland rector of st james performed the ceremony and mr carpenters mother the rev elizabeth k carpenter of sewanee tenn who is an episcopal deacon there assisted
mr sykes left 50 is the director of magnolia mound a house museum in baton rouge he graduated from the university of north carolina and has a masters in american history from the university of alabama he is the son of priscilla w sykes of rocky mount nc and the late john c sykes jr
mr carpenter 45 is the director of donor services for the baton rouge area foundation in baton rouge which aids charity organizations he graduated from louisiana state his father robert h carpenter jr lives in baton rouge
the couple were introduced by mutual friends in february 2014


gillian elizabeth kline the daughter of barbara goldstein kline and richard d kline of chevy chase md was married may 14 to scott hanlon reiman a son of sheila hanlon reiman and james m reiman of goshen conn judge ellen lipton hollander of the federal district court in baltimore officiated at the dumbarton house a historic home in washington
mrs reiman 29 is a senior manager of strategic planning and insights at m booth a public relations firm in new york she graduated from tufts
mr reiman 33 is a sales director at diligent corporation a software company in new york he graduated from the university of richmond
the couple met in august 2013 at a restaurant in montauk ny


the rev jocelyn corris cadwallader and heather jensen renwick were married saturday in washington the rev dr jeffrey k krehbiel officiated at the presbyterian church of the pilgrims
ms cadwallader left 35 is known as j c she is the interim associate pastor at western presbyterian church in washington she graduated from appalachian state university in boone nc and received a masters in divinity from mccormick theological seminary in chicago
she is a daughter of corris k cadwallader and thomas e cadwallader of wake forest nc
ms renwick 32 is a legal director for the campaign for the fair sentencing of youth an advocacy and litigation support group in washington that is working to change laws that allow some children to be sentenced to life in prison she graduated from wake forest and received her law degree from northwestern
she is a daughter of jacqueline jensen renwick and scott renwick of chicago
the couple met in 2009 in chicago when ms renwick began attending services at the church where ms cadwallader was a pastoral resident but they did not begin dating in accordance with the church frowning on clergy members developing romantic attachments to parishioners until after ms cadwallader began a new job in 2010


leah reiner and benjamin thomas mayhew are to be married may 15 at roundhouse beacon falls an event space in beacon ny rabbi renee edelman is to officiate
the bride 30 is a freelance consultant for womens wear design working with apparel start ups and fashion labels in new york she graduated from the university of delaware she is a daughter of erica a reiner and michael reiner of weston conn
the groom also 30 is a finance associate for jennison associates a new york asset management firm he analyzes clients investments he graduated from ithaca college and is studying for an mba at fordham he is a son of mary beth mayhew and randall f mayhew of woodstock vt
the couple met in september 2010 at a bar where the bride was bartending and the groom was celebrating his 25th birthday


susan marie cheng and joseph francis doctor were married may 14 at the santa barbara womans club in santa barbara calif kaya henderson the chancellor of the district of columbia public schools who is a universal life minister officiated
the bride and groom received doctoral degrees in education leadership from harvard where they met
dr cheng 37 is keeping her name she is the senior associate dean for diversity and inclusion at the georgetown university school of medicine in washington she graduated summa cum laude from ucla and received a masters in public policy from harvard
she is the daughter of linda c cheng and michael k cheng of santa barbara the brides father retired as a senior payroll auditor at the state compensation insurance fund he worked in oxnard calif her mother now also retired was a public health nurse in the childrens services division of santa barbara county where she worked with children with special medical needs physical limitations or chronic health issues
dr doctor 36 is the senior vice president for strategy and policy at the national board for professional teaching standards an organization in arlington va that oversees board certification of classroom teachers he graduated magna cum laude from yale
he is the son of katherine c f doctor and ken doctor of aptos calif the grooms mother retired as a home health care nurse with pathways home health hospice and private duty in sunnyvale calif his father an independent media industry analyst in aptos is the author of newsonomics and writes columns for politico media and the nieman journalism lab


bridget natalie jameson the daughter of deirdre f jameson and andrew k jameson of oak park heights minn was married may 14 to christopher winslow johnson the son of lora vitale johnson and alan s johnson of bluffton sc the rev john okane a roman catholic priest performed the ceremony at blessed sacrament catholic church in bolton landing ny
mrs johnson 28 is a communications associate at pew research center in washington she graduated magna cum laude from union college in schenectady ny and received a masters degree in public relations from georgetown
her father is an analyst working with the information technology department to improve customer support at north memorial hospital in robbinsdale minn her mother is a librarian at our lady of peace catholic school in minneapolis
mr johnson 29 is a senior investment associate in the arlington va office of cambridge associates a boston based investment advisory firm where he consults with institutional clients on how to manage their endowment portfolios he graduated from the university of richmond
his mother has an interior design business in hilton head sc his father who is retired was a finance manager for att in bedminster nj specializing in foreign real estate holdings
the groom is a descendant of james chilton a passenger on the mayflower and a signer of the mayflower compact
the couple were introduced through okcupid in 2010


dr marie cheney audett and adam douglas knapp are to be married sunday at ocean cliff hotel in newport ri shane rego a friend of the couple who became an american marriage minister for the occasion is to officiate
the couple both work at wright patterson air force base in dayton ohio the bride 32 is a general surgeon at the medical center and the groom 36 is a radiation dosimetrist who monitors radiation exposure they met through a mutual friend in july 2014 in dayton
the bride graduated from brown from which she also received a medical degree she is the daughter of ellen t audett and dr john r audett of livingston nj the brides father is the chief medical officer of overlook medical center in summit nj her mother who is retired was a pharmacist at the cvs in hope valley ri
the groom left the air force as a staff sergeant in 2010 having been deployed to iraq in 2008 he is the son of shelley knapp and bud knapp of sequim wash the grooms mother who is retired was a teller in the sequim branch of bank of america his father also retired worked in port angeles wash as a paper mill machine operator for nippon paper industries a tokyo based company


ashley watson flanagan and sean david kennedy were married may 13 at their home in washington greg m selfridge a friend of the couple who became a universal life minister for this event officiated
mrs kennedy 37 is a partner in flanagan fulkerson  company a political fund raising and event planning firm in washington she graduated from the university of richmond
she is a daughter of geraldine a watson and james r watson of richmond
mr kennedy 45 is a senior vice president for global government affairs at airlines for america a trade association in washington from 2009 to 2011 he was a special assistant for legislative affairs to president obama he graduated from emory university and received a law degree from the catholic university of america
he is the son of mary l kennedy and alan d kennedy of wilmington del
the brides previous marriage ended in divorce as did the grooms
the couple met in washington in 2012 while working at a fund raiser for senator claire mccaskill democrat of missouri who was seeking re election


virginia beyer schippers a daughter of vicky a schippers and jay m schippers of brooklyn is to be married may 15 to james peter coltheart the son of geoffrey j coltheart and margaret r coltheart of sawyers gully australia the rev richard huleatt of the united church of christ is to officiate at the brooklyn winery
the bride 28 will take her husbands name she works in canberra australia as the economic growth manager for the asia pacific region of the palladium group an international development consulting firm she graduated from bates college and received a masters in foreign service from georgetown
the groom 35 is a major in the australian army he has served in iraq east timor afghanistan israel and syria he graduated from the university of newcastle in australia
the couple met in march 2014 at bar charley a restaurant in washington


courtney anne de thomas a daughter of anne de thomas of the bronx and robert de thomas jr of brooklyn was married may 13 to paul matthew shapiro the son of linda j shapiro of the bronx and the late mark s shapiro the rev anthony sorgie performed the ceremony at st benedict roman catholic church in the bronx
mrs de thomas shapiro 36 is a psychologist at the bronx campus of new york city childrens centers an agency of the new york state office of mental health she is also an adjunct assistant professor of psychology at lehman college in the bronx she graduated from lafayette college in easton pa and received a phd in clinical psychology from fairleigh dickinson
mr shapiro 34 works in east elmhurst queens for a civil engineering and construction unit of skanska the swedish development and construction company he is a project manager for the la guardia airport rehabilitation project he graduated from manhattan college
the couple met in 2002 through mutual friends but did not begin dating despite much encouragement from those friends until 11 years later


cator woolford sparks and paul davis saylors were married may 14 the rev canon john zahl an episcopal priest officiated at mrs whaleys garden in charleston sc
mr sparks left 40 is the editor in chief of the manual a website that describes itself as the essential guide for men he graduated from american intercontinental university in london and is the son of angela b sparks and andy sparks of buford ga
mr saylors 33 is the head gardener at mrs whaleys garden named for the late emily whaley its former resident he graduated from the college of charleston and is a son of martha s saylors and michael c saylors of goldsboro nc
the couple met at a cocktail party in charleston in september 2013


cara elizabeth parks and whitney powell snyder were married may 14 at the william paca house a historic property and event space in annapolis md samuel d stabler a friend of the couple who became a minister for the event through american marriage ministries officiated
ms parks 31 is keeping her name she is a freelance editor and writer in new york she graduated from bard college and received a masters in journalism from columbia
she is the daughter of patricia dixon parks and jeffrey n parks of annapolis the brides father who worked in alexandria va retired as an environmental geologist for shaw environmental an environmental engineering consulting and facilities management firm her mother a decorative artist retired as the owner of pat parks design a company in annapolis that specialized in painting furniture
mr snyder also 31 works in new york as the editorial director of news and product at the huffington post he graduated from brown
he is a son of robin s powell and sidney r snyder jr of gearhart ore the grooms father owns sids market a grocery store in seaview wash
the couple met in 2009 when both were working at the huffington post


jan winslow benzel and bruce weber were married may 14 in west chester pa richard b woodward a universal life minister and a friend of the couple officiated at the home of deri gawthrop and jim gawthrop the brides sister and brother in law
the bride and groom work at the new york times where ms benzel is the editor of the metropolitan section and mr weber is an obituary reporter
ms benzel 60 is keeping her name she graduated from georgetown where she also received a masters degree in english
she is a daughter of ann s benzel of kennett square pa and the late charles f benzel jr the brides father was a stockbroker in greenville del with a unit of wells fargo he was also a steeplechase jockey in greenville
mr weber 62 is also the author of as they see em a fans travels in the land of umpires and life is a wheel love death etc and a bike ride across america he graduated from the university of michigan and received a masters degree in english from columbia
he is a son of the late eileen g weber and the late samuel weber who lived in teaneck nj the grooms father was the editor of electronics magazine in new york
the brides first two marriages ended in divorce


christine leigh olver and jason marshall nealon are to be married sunday at the lighthouse at chelsea piers an event space in manhattan heath schwartz a friend of the couple who became a universal life minister for the occasion is to officiate
the bride 32 is a national media relations manager in manhattan at macys handling public relations for events including the companys thanksgiving day parade and its fourth of july fireworks she graduated from marist college in poughkeepsie ny
she is a daughter of sandra j rapp of ithaca ny and neil r olver of clearwater beach fla and a stepdaughter of scott rapp and of lisa m olver until february 2015 the brides father was a senior vice president working on commercial insurance at tompkins insurance agencies in ithaca her mother is an elementary school remedial reading teacher at lansing central schools in lansing ny
the groom also 32 is a prekindergarten teacher at the new york kids club in brooklyn he graduated from northeastern university and is pursuing a graduate degree in early childhood education at lehman college in the bronx
he is the son of donna polizio and the stepson of dr aaron g feliz of hastings on hudson ny the grooms mother works there as the senior director of managed care and reimbursement for genomic health a redwood city calif genomic testing company
the couple were introduced through okcupidcom in august 2013


dr emily lu and leon tham were married may 14 at the four seasons hotel in new york kristopher marx a universal life minister officiated
the bride 30 will continue to use her name professionally she is a first year fellow in nephrology at newyork presbyterianweill cornell hospital she graduated from harvard and received a medical degree from emory
she is a daughter of grace lu and marshall lu of atlanta her parents who are retired worked at duro tire and wheel a distribution center in covington ga her father was president and her mother the chief financial officer
the groom 32 is a bond trader at mariner investment group a new york hedge fund he graduated magna cum laude from georgetown
he is the son of chin keng tham and kiah kwang tham of singapore his mother retired as the head of operations and processing in the singapore corporate and investment banking unit of credit agricole the french bank his father also retired was a dock supervisor for the singapore port authority
the couple were introduced through matchcom in 2013


washington   tina charles scored 24 points including a 3 point play that spurred a late run to help the liberty beat the washington mystics 87 76 on saturday night in the wnba season opener for both teams
with 2 minutes 39 seconds left and the game tied at 73 73 charles made a basket and a free throw kiah stokes added a basket and the liberty made three free throws to take an 81 73 lead
stefanie dolson finally ended the drought for the mystics hitting a free throw with 27 seconds remaining but the liberty hit their free throws down the stretch to seal the win
sugar rodgers added 19 points for the liberty
tayler hill scored 20 points for the mystics and bria hartley added 17 washington made eight of its first 12 shots and led by 9 at one point in the first quarter but the mystics missed 39 of their final 55 shots


las vegas   on a drive through this desert city the blight from the housing collapse of eight years ago can be seen on almost every block overgrown yards and boarded up windows identify the foreclosed and abandoned homes that still pockmark southern nevada
but not all of the dwellings are empty
squatters have descended on every corner of the las vegas valley taking over empty houses in struggling working class neighborhoods in upscale planned communities like summerlin and everywhere in between and they often bring a trail of crime with them
while some unauthorized tenants are families seeking shelter police officers here say they are more frequently finding chop shops drug dealers and counterfeiters operating out of foreclosed homes one man who the police say was squatting has been charged with murdering a neighbor during a burglary
even as construction cranes have returned to the las vegas strip and unemployment here has fallen to single digits the situation is getting worse the las vegas metropolitan police department has received more calls about squatters each year since it began tracking the problem there were more than 4000 complaints last year up 43 percent from 2014 and more than twice as many as in 2012
residents say the explosion of squatters has shattered their sense of security leaving them wary of any new neighbors at a time when the city is still trying to climb back from the depths of the recession
things get out of hand pretty quickly when these people move in said jacquelyn romero 59 who has lived in the neighborhood for about 15 years were trying to do almost like a neighborhood watch just to keep ourselves safe
like many homeowners here ms romero does not know how many squatters have taken up residence on her block over the last few years there was the one who broke into cars on the street and the one who threatened neighbors with a metal pipe she is sure there have been others in the neighborhoods foreclosed and boarded up homes but it is sometimes hard to identify them
the problem has grown so acute that the nevada legislature passed a law last fall to make it easier to arrest squatters who often brandish phony leases in hopes of staying longer in the homes they have taken over
people drive through neighborhoods and look for houses that appear to be vacant said lt nick farese who is leading the police departments antisquatter efforts he said that squatters occupied homes across this entire city of 600000 people adding that we have seen a direct correlation between squatter houses and crime   burglaries theft robberies narcotics
several other areas that were hit hard by the housing crisis like detroit and parts of florida have also dealt with persistent squatters
in las vegas the crackdown against squatters coincides with a resurgence albeit modest in the local housing market foreclosures are falling and home prices are creeping upward though they remain far short of the prerecession peak
but with a transient population of down and out gamblers and a glut of homes that have already been foreclosed opportunists can still take their pick of thousands of empty houses inside one squatters had scrawled a warning to stay away on a wall violent tweekers on guard
in north las vegas deborah lewis has seen just about every kind of squatter at the house next door since the owners walked away four years ago
first two women said they had just bought the middle class home but they stole water from the neighbors outdoor spigots at night because like most abandoned homes this one had no running water then came a group of counterfeiters who left their printing materials visible from the window ms lewis said later groups tore out the stove refrigerator and copper wire broke windows and burned the kitchen floor since water at the house had been shut off they left feces all over one room a common problem that creates health hazards for electricity those who can afford it can set up accounts with the power company those who cannot often run wires to nearby utility boxes
its been a total circus   you name it weve had it next door ms lewis 58 said its scary because you dont know if these people are packing one guy came over here and he was looking in our window scary
real estate agents who spend much of their time opening up homes they expect will be empty are particularly at risk
victoria seaman a realtor and state assemblywoman who represents las vegas said she realized how serious the problem was after she found herself face to face with squatters while she was checking on a property she was selling two children answered the door and showed her a lease that ms seaman said she knew was bogus the parents said they had found the place on craigslist and met someone at a casino once a month to pay rent in cash
but there was little that the police could do under nevada law at that time if the squatters produced a lease even if it was clearly a fake and there was no evidence of breaking and entering it was considered a civil dispute
when do kids have a lease in their back pocket ms seaman said thats when i realized how bad it was i was a legislator and a realtor and i felt so helpless
ms seaman found that across her district in northwestern las vegas squatters had infiltrated even wealthier neighborhoods so she sponsored a law that established new criminal offenses like unlawful occupancy which outlaws moving into a vacant home knowing you do not have permission to be there violators can face misdemeanor or felony charges
the new law has hardly been a cure all though investigating fake leases cases takes time police officers say and usually involves finding the legal owner   and owners who walked away from underwater mortgages are not always in the mood to help
and years of budget cuts during the recession have left local police departments short on resources
one of the biggest challenges is carving out time to combat squatters in the middle of the violent crime epidemic were facing lieutenant farese said theres a lack of budget a lack of manpower
local agencies have started to get creative in their efforts to combat squatters banks have slowed a cash for keys program that offered residents money to leave foreclosed homes local elected officials said squatters were making a living moving into one foreclosed house after another then asking the bank to pay them to move out once a home is listed as foreclosed in north las vegas new residents cannot get their water turned on unless they prove legal occupancy
but squatters are getting creative as well some repair broken windows and other damage from past squatters pretending they own the place neighbors say at least one group of alleged squatters filed a federal lawsuit in an attempt to keep possession of the 800000 home in the hills they were occupying with its pool and views overlooking the strip repeated calls and knocks on the door at that house went unanswered even though four people were visible in the living room the police raided the house and arrested four people on wednesday
in north las vegas officer scott vaughn has investigated 80 squatting cases so far this year and said he had seen everything prostitution rings teenagers using vacant homes for parties and even a squatter who tried to pull a jedi mind trick
he was staring at me and telling me you dont want to arrest me you want to let me go officer vaughn said i said the force is not on your side today youre going to jail


charlotte nc   for 14 years they seemed made for each other affable glad handing mayor pat and this city north carolinas largest and a place long defined more by entrepreneurial hustle and economic success than ideology and hard edge politics
these days it is not entirely clear whether pat mccrory the republican who was mayor from 1995 to 2009 or charlotte which mr mccrory is now feuding with as north carolinas governor has changed more but it is apparent that the antidiscrimination ordinance that charlotte sought to change this year and the successful effort by mr mccrory and state lawmakers to block the modification have left both the city and its former mayor reeling and distant
with social issues you never satisfy the litmus test of either the right or the left mr mccrory said over a styrofoam cup of lemonade on thursday and the social issues are much more complex than the media and the political pundits will give credit for including the one were dealing with today
the state has faced a backlash since the republican controlled general assembly during a one day special session in march passed a measure to limit public restroom access for transgender people and prohibit local governments from passing antidiscrimination ordinances and charlotte a city of about 810000 people that promoted itself in the 1970s as a good place to make money has taken a particularly hard hit since the law known as house bill 2 took effect
the charlotte regional visitors authority said the legislation which mr mccrory called crucial to public safety and signed hours after its passage in the general assembly had jeopardized more than 86 million in event related spending paypal dropped a plan to bring more than 400 jobs to the city and mayor jennifer roberts said she was spending substantial time reassuring companies about charlotte
weve never been characterized as so out of step with the mainstream of america ms roberts said
mr mccrory still has plenty of supporters here as he seeks a second term and faces roy cooper the states attorney general in a campaign that is already shaping up to be among the nations most bruising in large part because of the law but there are others who fondly remember his mayoralty and find themselves dismayed by his gradual emergence as a symbol of the legislatures conservative agenda
he had an appeal said lelia johnson 59 a democrat when he was here as mayor he wanted to do good
she is far less impressed by the mccrory in the headlines now it actually goes beyond being disappointed she said im totally disillusioned
mr mccrorys allies say that the governors priorities have not shifted but that he faces a more rigid and partisan political culture in raleigh the state capital
he has not changed as a person said edwin peacock iii a republican who ran for mayor last year he has not changed as who you saw as mayor his environment has changed he is in an environment where collaboration is not rewarded
in 1990 not long after mr mccrory was first elected to the city council charlottes population stood at about 395000 people as municipal leaders imagined charlotte as a regional powerhouse they focused intensely on matters like transportation crime and economic development
the citys corporate leaders held outsize influence as charlotte grew into what it is now a place where uptown glimmers and boosterism can border on pageantry residents across the city are still crowing about the carolina pantherss super bowl appearance and grousing about a rare public corruption scandal that surfaced in 2014 and as the city has grown   it hosted the democratic national convention in 2012   and drawn more outsiders it has moved somewhat to the left no republican has been elected to a two year term as mayor since mr mccrory
when mr mccrory was mayor he generally faced a democratic controlled city council and he assembled a record that alternately delighted and frustrated officials across the political spectrum
and although mr mccrory is now enmeshed in what could become landmark litigation about transgender rights   he and the justice department sued each other last week over whether hb 2 violated the civil rights act of 1964   social issues rarely animated him still he repeatedly demonstrated his commitment to the conservatives who prized them in 1992 for instance mr mccrory opposed a proposal that would have broadened charlottes anti bias ordinance to include sexual orientation
we have laws in our constitution which forbid discrimination based on race gender and religion the charlotte observer quoted mr mccrory as saying in 1995 beyond that no other group should be given special status and this community is often wanting special status he said then referring to gay people
he ran for governor in 2012 as a centrist and bolstered by his record in charlotte won
now after repeatedly chiding charlotte for approving an ordinance that he warned would provoke the legislature to act he says that the citys politics have evolved more than his own
the city has gone more left than ive gone right he said in fact i havent gone right the city has actually moved very left
his critics believe that he has either shifted sharply to the right or been forced to agree to the demands of republican lawmakers from more conservative parts of north carolina
i believe he went in with the intentions of being a moderate governor but hes never had the ability to be that governor said lawana mayfield a democrat who joined the city council after mr mccrory left municipal politics he is not a puppet master unfortunately hes a puppet and i hate that i hate that for him i hate that for his legacy
within months voters here will return a verdict that will clarify mr mccrorys standing and whether charlottes residents support governor mccrory the way they did mayor mccrory for now it seems that the current clamor has left everyone a bit staggered and as ever worried about how charlotte will be perceived elsewhere
when i travel people say they hear charlotte is a friendly and beautiful place said tim hamilton 55 a 31 year resident who runs a gift shop i think were going to be getting oh youre from charlotte   what is going on there for a long time you can try to explain this is raleigh this is not charlotte but on the news it just says north carolina and people dont always look deeper
and so mr mccrorys town can sometimes appear to be frustrated to the point that the mention of his name drew snickers at a community meeting last week
on the other hand it is also clear that he has enhanced his standing among those voters who had long wondered whether he was sufficiently conservative voters who could be crucial to his re election hopes
about that h2b b2 a middle age woman told mr mccrory as he left a restaurant here and she struggled to remember the shorthand for house bill 2 thank you fight fight fight
mr mccrory smiled a few moments before a man had greeted him as governor pat


auja west bank   samer atiyat a palestinian farmworker had climbed halfway up a 20 foot date palm and was trimming stalks that held rich clusters of the fruit still green and unripe working near the dead sea on land that still evokes its biblical past mr atiyat 28 grew animated when asked about a 125 foot bank of solar panels whose power draws water from deep underground to irrigate the grove
the water thats brought here comes from the panels mr atiyat said using an arabic slang term for the units muri that can also be translated as mirrors
solar panels dot some of the poorest arab villages in the west bank and israel often donated by european governments but experts in the field say the 100000 project here in auja is the first substantial one to be financed by a group involving both jews and muslims in the united states and to have both israeli jews and palestinian muslims on its technical team in addition to its environmental benefits the solar project gives an economic push to farmers who struggle with unreliable and expensive electricity
in a place of nationalist religious and political animosity palestinian farmers embraced the project on one condition the community said ben jablonski who is jewish and from new york and who led the initiative insisted only that the collection of donors and engineers be free of any connection to the israeli settlements scattered across the west bank on land palestinians consider their own
mr jablonski 33 resigned from the board of the jewish national fund where he had been a rising star over its modest but politically fraught involvement in west bank settlements
ahmad injoum whose family owns the property on which the solar array was built and who negotiated the deal for 45 farm families in the area is quick to point out that auja a town of about 5000 palestinians has settlements to its north south and west
what you heard is 100 percent right mr injoum 54 said of the condition known as abu bilal father of bilal in palestinian tradition he added of donors involved with the settlers we dont want anything to do with them
peter beinart a professor at the city university of new york and a leading american jewish critic of israels occupation sees mr jablonskis initiative called build israel palestine as a sign that younger american jews are less comfortable with israeli control of the west bank than traditional philanthropic groups and their members have been
its one thing for american jewish organizations to talk vaguely about economic development for palestinians mr beinart said to be willing to take a stand in opposing settlements as part of it as ben has done   that makes it unusual
russell f robinson the chief executive of the jewish national fund called mr jablonski an unbelievable leader and said we wish him and the project only the greatest mr robinson acknowledged that his fund had two projects in the gush etzion settlements south of jerusalem but he sought to distinguish it from its israeli sister organization keren kayemet leyisrael which supports parks bike paths an amphitheater and even a solar farm in west bank settlements there are separate boards of directors he noted
mr robinson also pointed out that the arava institute an israeli based partner on the solar initiative is a major beneficiary of the jewish national fund in 2013 the fund was the institutes largest donor giving 18 million
clive lipchin the director of a water management center at arava said the jewish national fund financing had led to tensions in the 20 year old institute whose programs include israelis palestinians and jordanians he said the auja project worked in part because it had been done on private land the details worked out directly with abu bilal rather than with the palestinian local or national government
we didnt have to seek permission from any political entity and thats partly why weve succeeded mr lipchin said
the political complexities in a place where any cooperation with israelis is generally denounced by palestinian leaders as normalization of the occupation were apparent when aujas mayor fakhri injoum approached the solar array during a visit this month by the initiatives israeli and palestinian partners
we are eager to develop auja but projects with the israelis are not welcomed said the mayor who described himself as independent politically but leaning toward fatah the party that dominates the palestine liberation organization and the palestinian authority
in its first phase which started last month the new solar array supplies about a third of the electricity needed to run a subterranean pump the rest comes from the local electricity company the project also included agricultural training for the farmers growing the prized medjool dates and surveys to assess the farmers needs
water is undeniably scarce in the jordan valley and a longstanding complaint among palestinians and their supporters is that it is unfairly distributed across the west bank a 2009 report by amnesty international for example concluded that the areas 450000 israeli settlers consumed as much as or more water than the palestinian population of 23 million
in the valley the underlying aquifer is relatively shallow said deeb abdelghafour a senior official at the palestinian water authority and has been under pressure from drought for as much as a decade electricity is also expensive and service can be unreliable
one asset the valley has is sunlight and plenty of it said monther hind a senior engineer at the palestinian wastewater engineers group a private organization that is a partner on the initiative so engineers came up with the idea of powering the pump with photovoltaic panels
they have daylight   use it mr hind said of the engineers reasoning
in a small building next to the solar array a meter was counting its output and water was audibly rushing through a pipe connected to the pump about 250 feet below ground ashraf yahiaa an engineer with the contracting company that built the array said it was 3000 square feet and could produce 25000 watts when the sun was at its brightest a typical light bulb uses 100 watts
mr jablonski who joined the jewish national funds board at 27 and founded a branch to encourage a younger generation of donors formed build israel palestine in 2014 with tarek elgawhary the chief executive of the nonprofit organization coexist
soon after their initiative won 100000 from michael r bloomberg the former mayor of new york it has since raised 50000 more from both jews and muslims the founders say
mr jablonski said he had left the jewish national fund after hearing the objections from auja farmers despite what he called his enduring respect for much of the groups work
its either youre all in or youre not in he said of his project with the palestinians adding that he was disappointed that the fund would not publicly distance itself from keren kayemet leyisraels work in settlements
alon tal a professor of environmental policy at ben gurion university who founded the arava institute and was until recently on the keren kayemet leyisrael board called that work extremely minimal but said he still considered it inappropriate
in auja abu bilal brushed off the criticisms by his towns mayor noting dryly that hell be gone in october when his four year term ends
the heads of three of the farm families during a meeting with abu bilal said they too had no objections to israelis or american jews being part of the initiative
but one of the farmers ibrahim injoum 58 had a request
we still need more muri he said using the slang term for the solar panels


buenos aires   in argentina former president cristina fernandez de kirchner has been indicted accused of endangering the nations finances in brazil president dilma rousseff is facing an impeachment trial and her interim successor has appointed only male ministers in chile president michelle bachelet once hugely popular has seen her approval ratings plunge
what has happened to the powerful women of south america
mrs kirchner was indicted on friday and ms rousseff was suspended by congress a day earlier potentially sidelining two of the regions most influential women with ms bachelets government also deeply unpopular some might be tempted to question how advances by women could seemingly be reversed
if we women throw our weight about in a realm that has been exclusive to men its logical that these things will happen said norma amorin 73 a retired beautician here
the fates of all three leaders today contrast sharply with their standing five years ago in 2011 ms rousseff began her presidency mrs kirchner won a second consecutive term and ms bachelet after completing her first presidential term with approval ratings of more than 80 percent led a united nations agency
gender analysts say is not the cause of the leaders current problems but they add the collective decline of the three women points to a persistence of macho attitudes in the region especially within the political establishment
there are powerful forces at play that resist these changes said sergio berensztein a prominent argentine political commentator referring to how women had gained and were now losing ground in latin americas corridors of power
mr berensztein said the plight of the three leaders should also be considered in the broader context of the crises being endured by incumbent presidents   both men and women   across the region corruption scandals and a failure to take full advantage of the revenues from commodities like oil copper and soybeans have led to increased dissatisfaction with those in power
as gender scholars grapple with parsing the factors behind the downfalls of mrs kirchner and ms rousseff they also point to the rise of other female politicians in the region
maria eugenia vidal was elected last year as the governor of buenos aires argentinas largest and most populated province for a while marina silva upended the 2014 presidential race in brazil and in peru keiko fujimori could become president in elections next month
ms vidals victory in particular was viewed positively here because she did not merely succeed a popular male colleague or spouse
still the focus on her personal life by the local news media including reports about how she lost weight points to stuttering progress said mariel fornoni the director of management and fit a political consultancy in buenos aires
mrs kirchner took over in 2007 from her husband nestor kirchner who died in 2010 long before her eva peron probably argentinas most famous woman rose to prominence in the 1940s alongside her husband former president juan d peron ms rousseff too was the handpicked successor of a man luiz inacio lula da silva
several officials from mrs kirchners administration including her former vice president amado boudou have been tarnished by corruption cases but she received the brunt of the publics anger on friday after a judge indicted her on allegations related to a financial scandal that she denies and a prosecutor sought to extend a money laundering investigation
in brazil public outrage over a sprawling graft scandal at the national oil company has coalesced around ms rousseff and helped drive impeachment proceedings even though she is not directly named in the investigation
in chile recent accusations of corruption have embarrassed many business executives and politicians but a case involving ms bachelets daughter in law has in large part caused ms bachelets approval ratings to plummet
its as if women leaders are getting all of the backlash for the corruption of men said farida jalalzai a professor of gender politics at oklahoma state university it would be surprising if there were no gender dynamics behind this
even though quota systems have boosted the careers of female politicians in the region there is a sense that traditional attitudes have never really subsided the latest crop of presidential wives observers say are models of femininity
in brazil the new president michel temer who appointed a cabinet devoid of women is married to a former beauty pageant contestant juliana awada the wife of president mauricio macri of argentina is a fashion designer and isabel macedo the new fiancee of juan manuel urtubey a prominent argentine governor with presidential ambitions has been an actress in soap operas as has angelica rivera the first lady in mexico
its a manifestation of residual macho attitudes mr berensztein said


rome   now that the expectations surrounding her have subsided madison keys has exceeded them on the surface where they were lowest slow european clay
the 24th ranked keys beat third seeded garbine muguruza 7 6 5 6 4 on a drizzly saturday afternoon to reach the final of the italian open she will face top seeded serena williams who beat 35th ranked irina camelia begu 6 4 6 1 in the other semifinal their meeting sunday will be the first all american womens final on a clay court since williams beat her sister venus to win the 2002 french open
keys 21 who had lost in the second round in her previous two trips to rome had not made a semifinal on any surface in more than a year she said this unexpected surge on what she considered her weakest surface should give her confidence a boost
i mean i can play on clay yes keys said its something im really proud of myself for and hopefully i can take the experience and use it in the next couple of weeks its definitely going to be something that i remind myself of going into every clay court season yeah i made the final of a red clay tournament i can do this thing
muguruza said she sensed from across the net that the free swinging keys felt unburdened
i felt she was very loose today muguruza said i think maybe because she doesnt like clay i dont know but i felt she was playing great
keys has shown remarkable focus throughout the event which she attributed in part to her new coach thomas hogstedt
sometimes i have lapses of attention and i can lose some points very quickly   thats been a big thing for him keys said so if i feel myself slipping a little bit im catching myself very quickly
keyss agent max eisenbud recommended hogstedt an exacting swedish coach who had worked with the eisenbud clients li na and maria sharapova hogstedt began working with keys in the last week of april at img academy in bradenton fla
there was a lot of work to be done hogstedt said
hogstedt said keys had weapons that could transfer to clay effectively   a particularly important point with the french open set to begin on may 22
i think clay actually suits her quite well hogstedt said she has a great kick serve she can build up and she has one of the biggest forehands on the womens tour so i think it suits her well and i think shes shown here some very good patience shes been very impressive
hogstedt has experience helping players who are feeling uncomfortable having transformed sharapova from a self described cow on ice to an eventual two time french open champion she won the first under his guidance
when i worked with maria it was getting her to learn how to play on clay   and then she dominated clay hogstedt said its a lot of belief and the right training and getting the player to use their game the best way this madison has done very well this week
keys acknowledged that it had been easier to develop her game under a dimmer spotlight this year compared with the hype around her after she reached the semifinals at last years australian open where she lost to serena williams that was a lot for me to handle keys said
keys said strong results from other americans   like sloane stephenss three wta titles this year and louisa chiricos run to the madrid semifinals last week   had helped reduce the external pressure on her
being an american were very lucky that all of the attention is very rarely just on one person keys said unless youre serena   then its on you all the time
williams last won a title in august at the cincinnati masters and this is only her fifth tournament since despite that lack of match play reaching the final in rome   her first clay court tournament this year   seemed to come as no shock to williams
even though i havent been playing tournaments i spend a lot of time on the court trying to develop my game even at this age and this stage in my career williams said so am i surprised i dont know if i should say im surprised i feel like if you put in the work you should get the results


caracas venezuela   president nicolas maduro of venezuela threatened saturday to seize idle factories in his country using a new emergency decree moves that followed warnings by united states officials that economic chaos in the country had turned even his allies against him
an idle plant is a plant the people will take local news outlets quoted mr maduro as saying at a rally we will take all the actions necessary to activate production which is being paralyzed by the bourgeoisie
the threats came a day after mr maduro said he would extend a state of emergency for another 60 days a measure he said was aimed at reviving the countrys collapsing economy the government said the move would extend presidential powers though it was vague on specifics
for months venezuela has been convulsed by an economic crisis caused by low oil prices a lack of savings and a drought lines for food have become ubiquitous as have water shortages and blackouts the government is working just two days a week in an effort to save electricity
the united states fears that venezuela could face a major eruption of street violence in the coming months according to senior american intelligence officials who spoke on condition of anonymity in discussing the governments latest intelligence assessment
while mr maduro has so far held off a recall vote against him the american officials said that they believed his grip on power was weakening by the day and that he could be removed from power either in a palace coup by members of his party or by the venezuelan military
while the militarys high command appears unlikely to act against the government right now these officials said its midlevel officers are more restive one american official said intelligence officials were worried about some kind of change but were not aware of any active plots
venezuela is facing a default on its debt in the fourth quarter of this year the government is trying to keep financing its loans to avoid having creditors seize its foreign assets but that as well as the steeply falling price of oil   the countrys largest export   has caused imports to plummet leading to shortages of food and medicine
the officials acknowledged that the united states had limited influence in venezuela where the government has blamed american meddling for the instability


ponte vedra beach fla   the venue did not change between rounds at the players championship on saturday so why did the golfers feel as if they were suddenly playing a different sport the stadium courses greens at tpc sawgrass became so fast and slippery in the third round that the putters in the players hands might as well have been hockey sticks
jason day who equaled the course record thursday with an opening nine under par 63 posted a 73 but remained comfortably ahead of the pack after 54 holes day who did not make his first bogey until his 39th hole recorded two double bogeys in the next five the first on a four putt in his misery day had plenty of company there were 149 three putts or worse on an afternoon when 60 of the 76 players who survived the cut had at least one double bogey or worse on their scorecards
day the world no 1 who is gunning for his third victory of 2016 has a four stroke lead on ken duke 65 hideki matsuyama 67 and alex cejka 72 duke matsuyama and graeme mcdowell 69 were the only players to break 70 in the hot cloudless conditions
what course was ken duke playing today day said adding to be able to shoot that score is better   i think that should be the course record it was just an absolute joke sitting there looking at his score is just amazing
days fellow competitors could say the same for days 54 hole total after two rounds his lead was also four as he made all others feel as if they were spinning their wheels in the mud in this erstwhile swamp one spot removed from each other in the standings day and the second ranked jordan spieth were separated by 14 strokes after two rounds spieth playing in his first tournament since surrendering the lead on the final nine holes of the masters posted rounds of 72 and 71 missing the cut by one
day and spieth have played 25 competitive rounds together since 2013 ten times they have been grouped together for the first and second rounds of an event in those 36 hole competitions within the competition day has prevailed by more than 10 strokes on three occasions all in the past nine months the other times were 2015s deutsche bank championship 12 strokes and the barclays 11
days dominance here seemed to steal the swagger from spieths step spieths body language deteriorated as the second round wound down on the par 4 15th spieths drive found the right rough as he stood in the shade of the trees surveying his options a few photographers angled for the best shot prompting spieth to ask them not to take pictures because he needed to compose himself
spieth could barely contain his annoyance when his shot clipped a branch and advanced less than 50 yards spieths next shot came to rest 20 feet from the pin and he two putted for a rally killing bogey day made a birdie his third in a row spieth birdied 18 but as he said it just came a little late
the 15th was the first hole that spieths threesome finished after saturday mornings restart and spieth said he had made a mental error in deciding to try for the green with his second shot asked what his problem with the photographers was he said they were just a little too much in the line and i knew that as i looked up over the ball i was going to pretty much look right into the cameras and that bothered me
when spieth is dialed in a stampede of wild horses could not distract him but this weekend a charging day proved discomfiting
its tough when youre getting shellacked by 15 shots in the same group you know said spieth who was slightly off in his math when somebodys birdieing almost every single hole every other hole you start to wonder why in the world you arent making all of them
he added for me it was tough this week without my putting being on it just led to a lack of patience for me seeing every hole being birdied and not being able to do much about it
it was spieths 14th missed cut on the pga tour since he turned pro at the end of 2012 only once has he failed to reach the weekend in back to back events which bodes well for spieth in his start next weekend in his hometown tour event outside dallas he has six top 10 finishes in his next event after missing a cut
im beating myself up a little bit too much on the golf course and its affecting me and i realize that now spieth said his ball striking he added feels great and the statistics backed him up he hit three more fairways than day in the first two rounds
just need to be a little bit more positive with myself on the course and maybe kind of lower expectations a little bit and just kind of free myself up spieth said it just seems im so tense and i just need to get back to the way i enjoy playing golf and im not far off
maybe it was a blessing that spieth missed the cut had he stuck around the baked balding greens might have beaten him up the way they did most of the 76 players who soldiered on matsuyama one of 16 who did not have worse than a bogey on their scorecards was asked how he did it
i wish i knew he said


eight people were killed and 44 injured after their charter bus rolled over on a south texas highway on saturday morning officials said
the crash happened around 1125 am in webb county the texas department of public safety said in a statement
the bus owned by oga charters was traveling north on route 83 and went off the road about 42 miles north of laredo after the driver lost control the department said the bus rolled over on a flat stretch of road in the rain a department spokesman sgt juan hernandez said in an email
seven people were declared dead at the scene and an eighth was pronounced dead at a hospital the department said their identities were not available saturday night
the bus had 52 people aboard including the driver who survived fifteen people brought to laredo medical center were in stable condition said a hospital spokeswoman priscilla salinas
others from the bus were taken to doctors hospital of laredo dimmit regional hospital in carrizo springs and university hospital in san antonio their conditions were not immediately available
the bus was traveling to eagle pass from the rio grande valley the authorities said phone messages and emails to the bus company were not returned on saturday
the federal motor carrier safety administrations website listed oga of san juan tex as having a satisfactory rating with six inspections over the past two years
the charter company reported having two buses that traveled 40000 miles in 2014 no crashes were reported in the past two years according to federal records
in 2011 the company was fined a total of 1990 for two separate violations related to pre employment testing of drivers for controlled substances and the inspection maintenance and repair of vehicles according to the website additional details on those violations were unavailable on saturday


new delhi   two journalists in india were shot to death in separate attacks over the previous two days the police said saturday raising questions about the safety of members of the news media in the country
one of the journalists rajdeo ranjan was riding his motorcycle friday evening in the siwan district of the state of bihar when assailants also on motorcycles shot him multiple times said saurav shah the superintendent of police in siwan mr ranjan 45 was the bureau chief in the district for the hindi newspaper hindustan
on thursday evening akhilesh pratap singh a journalist for a television channel in the chatra district of jharkhand state was shot to death by at least one assailant while riding his motorcycle a police officer in the district said the officer declined to give his name because he was not authorized to speak to the news media
the police detained two people in siwan on saturday in their investigation of the shooting of mr ranjan mr shah said he said the police were looking into the possibility that mr ranjans reporting was the motive
he has been a journalist for the past 18 years mr shah said of late he had rubbed some politicians the wrong way by some stories he did
mr ranjan covered crime and politics in siwan an area that is home to a former lawmaker convicted of murder and kidnapping local journalists said mr ranjan covered court proceedings against the former politician mohammed shahabuddin from 2005 to 2007 mr shahabuddin was sentenced to life in prison for kidnapping a political worker from the communist party of india last year mr shahabuddin and three others were convicted of kidnapping and killing two brothers in siwan
mr ranjans office was attacked in 2005 by some criminals his nephew rahul yadav said
mr singh the reporter in jharkhand covered local corruption scandals the police said there were no witnesses to the shooting and the police were investigating possible motives
the committee to protect journalists put out a statement on friday condemning the killings while police investigations into the murders of journalists are welcome investigations without arrests or tough prison sentences for the killers send the wrong message said sumit galhotra the senior research associate for the committees asia program indias abysmal record of prosecuting those who kill journalists is fostering an increasingly dangerous climate for the media
the committee has linked 11 killings to news gathering in india in the past decade all according to a 2015 report were carried out with impunity india ranks 133rd of 180 countries on the reporters without borders 2016 world press freedom index because of the number of journalists killed and the impunity for crimes of violence against the media it said
finance minister arun jaitley strongly condemned the killings in a twitter post on saturday adding that an independent investigation may be instituted


bostons david ortiz moved into 20th place on the career home run list then hit a game ending double in the 11th inning as the red sox beat houston 6 5 on saturday
ortizs shot in the third inning gave him 513 homers for his career passing ernie banks and eddie mathews three players are tied at 19th with 521 home runs willie mccovey frank thomas and another red sox legend ted williams
houston led 5 4 with two outs in the ninth when ortiz hit a run scoring triple to center after sliding into third the 40 year old ortiz got up and pumped both fists toward bostons dugout it was his first triple since june 15 2013
in the 11th xander bogaerts singled with two outs against michael feliz 1 1 and advanced on a wild pitch before ortiz hit a drive off the base of the center field wall for his 600th career double
ortiz hank aaron and barry bonds are the major leaguers who hit at least 500 home runs and 600 doubles
arrieta stays unbeaten jake arrieta struck out 11 in eight innings anthony rizzo drove in four runs and the chicago cubs beat visiting pittsburgh 8 2 arrieta 7 0 improved to 18 0 in 20 outings since aug 1 the cubs have won his last 21 starts extending a franchise record
arrieta the reigning nl cy young award winner gave up two runs on three hits and now has a 129 era
rizzo belted a towering three run homer in the fourth and singled in jason heyward in the eighth heyward finished with three hits and addison russell hit a two run homer as major league leading chicago improved to 5 0 against pittsburgh this year
harper drops appealthe nationals bryce harper dropped his appeal of a one game suspension for his behavior after being ejected from a game against detroit earlier this week
harper opted to sit out washingtons 7 1 loss in the second game of a doubleheader with miami the host nationals won the first game 6 4
harper was suspended for returning to the dugout after his ejection on monday he ran on to the field with his teammates after pinch hitter clint robinsons game winning homer then pointed toward the plate umpire brian knight and cursed at him
around baseball jonathan schoop hit two home runs including a grand slam and host baltimore defeated detroit 9 3 to win its seventh in a row miguel cabrera homered for the tigers who have lost 11 of their last 12  drew stubbs homered with two outs in the 10th inning and texas beat visiting toronto 6 5 after the blue jays had rallied with consecutive homers in the ninth  cameron rupp held on to tyler goeddels throw to the plate during a violent collision with cincinnatis eugenio suarez for the final out of philadelphias 4 3 win over the reds  matt andriese pitched a two hitter for his first career shutout to give the tampa bay rays a 6 0 victory over visiting oakland
top ranked novak djokovic and andy murray will meet in a final for the second straight week after advancing at the italian open in rome
djokovic came back to beat sixth seeded kei nishikori 2 6 6 4 7 6 5 murray defeated lucas pouille 6 2 6 1
djokovic beat murray in three sets in last weeks madrid open final
cristiane justino the brazilian fighter known as cyborg needed 1 minute 20 seconds to knock out leslie smith of the united states in her first ultimate fighting championship bout in curitiba brazil
after the win at ufc 198 justino has a 16 fight winning streak since her 2005 debut she has stopped 10 consecutive opponents and won titles in the strikeforce and invicta promotions
domenico scala the audit and compliance chairman for fifa resigned in protest over a perceived power grab by fifas president gianni infantino for control of independent panels that monitor soccers global governing body scala who had monitored fifas billion dollar annual spending since 2012 resigned amid claims of tension between the men over infantinos salary
tensions between scala and infantino were exposed friday at fifas annual congress in mexico city where member federations voted to give new powers to infantinos ruling council to fire scala and ethics committee leaders who investigate corruption claims
barcelona wins spanish title barcelona won its second straight spanish league title after defeating visiting granada 3 0 with a hat trick by luis suarez in the final round barcelona finished 1 point ahead of real madrid which defeated host deportivo 2 0 on two goals by cristiano ronaldo
around soccer juventus celebrated its fifth straight serie a title in style with a 5 0 thrashing of 10 man sampdoria in milan  gonzalo higuains hat trick for napoli broke a 66 year old scoring record in a 4 0 serie a win over frosinone higuains third goal an acrobatic bicycle kick took him to 36 league goals one more than milans gunnar nordahl had in 1949 50  the departing bayern munich coach pep guardiola was showered with beer by his players following their final home game bayern had already secured its fourth straight bundesliga title before beating relegated hannover 3 1 guardiola is leaving for manchester city in the premier league
canada secured a place in the quarterfinals of the world ice hockey championship by beating slovakia 5 0 while finland and host nation russia also qualified with two games remaining
the rangers derick brassard was one of five players to score for canada as his team got its second shutout of the championship being held in st petersburg russia
finland guaranteed itself a place in the quarterfinals after beating france 3 1 forward patrik laine a contender for the no 1 spot in next months nhl draft had a goal and an assist
russia beat switzerland 5 1 for its fourth straight win as washington capitals forward alex ovechkin got an assist in his first world championship game since he arrived from the nhl playoffs
katie ledecky turned in another strong performance to win the 400 meter freestyle at the atlanta classic by nearly nine seconds
ledecky who had already won the 200 freestyle was out front as soon as she dove into the water and she stretched the lead on every lap to finish in 4 minutes 031 seconds   less than 2 seconds off her world record time
lochte plays coy about trials ryan lochte placed second in the 100 backstroke at the arena pro swim series charlotte then clammed up when asked which events he planned to enter at the olympic trials in june
i have certain events that i want to do at trials but im going to keep that myself and just wait until the day comes said lochte who is preparing for his fourth olympics
simon pagenaud pulled away to win the grand prix of indianapolis for his third straight victory and his second in three years on the road course at indianapolis motor speedway
pagenaud inherited the lead when helio castroneves his team penske teammate pitted with 20 laps to go and beat him by 44748 seconds pagenaud is the first indycar driver to win three in a row since scott dixon in 2013
hamilton claims pole in spainlewis hamilton edged his mercedes teammate nico rosberg in barcelona to earn pole position in qualifying for the spanish grand prix hamilton qualified nearly three tenths of a second faster than rosberg at the barcelona track
the american sprinter justin gatlins preparations for the rio de janeiro olympics got off to a solid start with a commanding win in the 100 meters at the shanghai diamond league meet gatlin won in 994 seconds several strides ahead of qatars femi ogunode in second and michael rodgers of the united states in third
bolt cruises at cayman invitational the reigning 100 meter olympic champion usain bolt turned in a modest 1005 for an easy victory in his season opening race at the cayman invitational in george town cayman islands
reuters
a british sailer racing across the atlantic abandoned his yacht and was rescued by a cargo ship after injuring his head
richard tolkien was sailing from plymouth england to brooklyn in the transat bakerly race when he was hurt while trying to clear a sail after part of his yachts rigging was damaged after speaking with his shore crew and race officials he abandoned ship and boarded the anton topic cargo ship late friday


denver   the last time matt harvey could recall struggling as a baseball pitcher   the only time really   was in 2009 when he was a sophomore at the university of north carolina
opposing hitters were punishing him to the rate of a 540 era but harvey said the poor spell left as quickly as it came and from there forward he has excelled
until this year
for the first time in harveys professional career he is enduring bad results for an extended time and he does not have an answer after his latest disappointing outing friday night   a 5 2 loss to the colorado rockies at coors field   harvey said he just feels uncomfortable on the mound
more than anything he seemed bewildered
certain pitches its fine he said throughout the game its progressively getting worse
that is troubling for harvey who gave up 11 hits and five earned runs in five and two thirds innings against the rockies in his eighth start of the season he is 3 5 with a 493 era in his major league career he has never ended a season with an era above 273
after a successful start in san diego last sunday the velocity on harveys pitches dipped on friday he began well against the rockies but then he began to leave pitches up in the strike zone and over the plate   a familiar pattern so far this season
they were hittable pitches as the rockies demonstrated the only other time he has surrendered more hits was against the tigers in 2013 when he gave up 13 in his last start before having tommy john surgery
harvey threw a career high 216 innings last season so there are concerns that he feels fatigued but harvey denies having physical problems there is no pain in his elbow he said and he does not feel tired or weak
manager terry collins was asked if he was concerned about harveys dip in velocity on friday as well as in some of his other starts collins paused five seconds before answering that harvey had shown a wide range of speeds on his fastball even during some of his most successful seasons
whatever the problem is it has left harvey disconcerted
its something ive obviously done my whole life harvey said stand on the mound and throw a baseball and right now its not an easy task ive got to keep my head down and keep focused and keep pushing to figure it out
in his first three seasons in the majors harvey did not have to spend a lot of time tinkering with his pitching motion staring at videotape brainstorming with the pitching coach dan warthen about what to try next or walking off the mound dejected and frustrated after handing the ball to collins
it is hard collins said a great statement i heard the other day theres two kinds of players in this league   ones who have been humbled and those who will be when its your turn it gets tough to take sometimes because youve got to learn how to adjust to it and learn how to bounce back from it
collins said that warthen had spotted a few things on video particularly the release point on harveys pitches   where his hand is when he lets go of the ball collins said harvey and warthen had been working on it in the bullpen between starts but harvey dismissed that as the cause of his problems
theres a lot of unknowns he said
his first foray into the world of problem solving for pitchers could also be taking a mental toll at times harvey acknowledged he is thinking too much about what he is doing when he delivers the baseball for a dominant pitcher like harvey it tends to work better when he just rears back and fires away
you start overthinking pretty much everything he said thats the way it kind of feels every pitch so hopefully we can get past that


oakland calif   draymond green equal parts power forward and carnival barker was annoyed with an officials call which is something that happens with regularity whenever green plays basketball for the golden state warriors so he broke out one of his hallmark after the whistle moves swinging his arms like an orchestra conductor
greens theatrics are usually free of consequences but this time he made accidental contact with the official ken mauer whose right hand paid the price for getting in the way both men had to seek emergency courtside treatment a late subplot to wednesdays game at oracle arena as the warriors eliminated the portland trail blazers from the nba playoffs
they were both bleeding warriors coach steve kerr said
kerr could not have sounded less surprised about the episode he might as well have been describing his breakfast but he knows green by now   all the drama all the intrigue all the extracurricular activities that fuel teammates irritate opponents and occasionally injure referees
its just what draymond does kerr said his mind works in an interesting way
the warriors of course would not be nearly as dynamic without him on a team full of basketball chemists are those lab coats in their lockers green wears an artists smock sure enough he packed another postseason series full of layups passes and postgame pledges a diverse set of skills that ought to be known as the draymond special
he provides the edge that this team needs said kerr whose team will host the oklahoma city thunder on monday in game 1 of the western conference finals without draymond we would be in trouble we would be too quiet and too nice
the warriors needed just five games to get past the trail blazers in the conference semifinals but it was a slog the warriors trailed at halftime in each of the final four games of the series after injuries and ejections stephen curry returned with his usual brand of sorcery to help nudge the warriors one step closer to a second consecutive title
through it all though there was green who guaranteed a victory after the warriors lost game 3 and then predicted that the trail blazers were done after game 4 it was more than talk over the course of the series green averaged 222 points 112 rebounds and 74 assists the warriors outscored the trail blazers by 49 points when he was on the court
just happy to be done with this series said green who spoke highly of the trail blazers i gained a lot of respect for those guys because of the way they fought
in addition to the trail blazers emergence and currys brilliance the series included an undercurrent of pseudo psychology green was the primary practitioner
after the warriors won game 2 green advised his teammates to keep quiet sensing that the trail blazers were already on the ropes green did not want to motivate them
so i told our team dont give them any bulletin board material  green recalled everyone looked at me crazy like what who is saying this because im usually the guy to do that
green realized that he had erred he said when the trail blazers won game 3 the warriors had come out soft green said and he felt that it was his fault   his fault he said because he had told his teammates to clam up and their play had suffered as he made his way to his postgame news conference green turned to curry green was about to guarantee a win in game 4
im going to go into this news conference and give them all the bulletin board material they need green recalled telling curry it wasnt no disrespect to them it was more so at our guys to make our guys respond to what im saying not to say oh we dont have any respect for the blazers or they cant beat us they proved they can beat us
stuff like this comes as a mild source of amusement to his teammates and coaches kerr said he would not mind if green chose to keep some things to himself but it is not how he operates and kerr has come to accept the entire package kerr compared green to the former baseball star manny ramirez who was known for his   how to put this   authenticity
teammates turn to green a first time all star selection this season to rely on his playmaking and to borrow from his bottomless well of emotion as for his mental warfare with the trail blazers
he had a really interesting explanation for why he was doing it kerr said it was like reverse psychology or something it doesnt mean anything everyone has to prepare and motivate themselves for the game and hes our guy whos going to do a lot of talking i dont think theres any damage done and i dont think theres any offense taken either
the season is long so green does what he can to ward off complacency and boredom   kryptonite for teams with championship aspirations
last month when kerr accepted the nbas award for coach of the year he went so far as to encourage green to keep yelling at him and last week when shaun livingston an otherwise mild mannered point guard was ejected from game 4 against the trail blazers for screaming at an official green sounded like a doting parent
it was needed green said it was fun to see
green who had been dealing with soreness in his left ankle aggravated the injury in game 5 against portland afterward he said he was grateful to have a semi extended break before the start of the conference finals but he also expressed confidence in his ability to push through any pain
if it happens again just deal with it he said
curry said much the same about his tender right knee curry shared the postgame dais with green whose ensemble   black leather jacket purple fedora   made it look as if he had arrived straight from the set of the wild one green is aware that he and curry might come off as an odd pairing
we carry ourselves a little different green said but at the same time its one of the reasons why hes one of my best friends because we understand each other we understand that competitiveness and doing whatever it takes to get to a certain level it would surprise a lot of people but it wouldnt surprise us


madrid   a town hall employee ana garrido held one of the most secure jobs in spain for two decades but after she tried to expose corruption behind how her town awarded public contracts her life descended into what she described as my seven year calvary
that path took her from being assailed by her office bosses and colleagues in boadilla del monte on the outskirts of madrid to depression and sick leave unemployment and even death threats
she now sells handmade bracelets to make a living and relies on crowdfunding to help cover her legal expenses which have reached 20000 euros or about 22600 she has sold most of her clothes and furniture and rents out her home to pay the mortgage instead she lives as a squatter in an abandoned apartment with paint peeling from the walls
it is only now as spain prepares for a rerun of national elections in june and the issue of corruption moves up the political agenda that ms garrido is getting some belated recognition for undertaking one of spains riskier endeavors being a whistle blower
in april ms garrido was invited to parliament by ciudadanos or citizens one of the emerging parties hoping to unseat the caretaker government led by mariano rajoy the acting prime minister
luis garicano the main economic adviser of ciudadanos told reporters on the day ms garrido went to parliament that if spain cannot protect whistle blowers like her we dont have a country that is worth it
he added i dont want to live in such a country
ms garrido has become a symbol for anti corruption activists who are pushing for a new law in spain that would for the first time defend the rights of those who try to expose corruption
countries like the united states and britain have longstanding laws to protect whistle blowers and since 2010 hungary slovenia france luxembourg ireland and belgium have all enacted varying levels of protection
spain on the other hand is among a handful of european nations without legislation for whistle blowers according to a 2013 study by transparency international a nongovernmental organization
spain has not followed up on recommendations from the organization for economic cooperation and development and the new rights it granted to public servants exclude protection from retaliation when reporting suspected crimes according to transparency international
that lack of legislation many here believe has contributed to a culture of impunity and made spains system of government one of the most corrupt in europe more than 200 corruption cases involving nearly all major political parties have arisen since the financial collapse in 2008
there are a lot of corruption cases that dont come to light because the whole system is designed to hurt rather than protect those who denounce corruption said pedro arancon the president of a spanish association called platform for honesty
in fact anti corruption activists suspect that few employees are willing to disclose fraud and risk their jobs like ms garrido particularly with spains unemployment rate of 21 percent
some whistle blowers like roberto macias are even facing prison mr macias is one of two people facing trial in seville accused of stealing computer files that helped uncover fraud within the andalusian chapter of the general union of workers one of spains two main labor unions
if found guilty mr macias faces a three year prison sentence as well as 60000 euros about 67800 in moral damages claimed by his former union
the regional government meanwhile has accused the union of misspending at least 18 million euros in public money allocated for unemployed workers to pay for parties and gifts for union officials
mr macias 36 denies any wrongdoing saying he has cooperated with investigators but he also described a descent toward economic ruin and continued harassment after he lost his union job in 2012
ive faced a witch hunt from an organization far more interested in punishing those who leaked documents than in trying to recover millions of wasted public funds and pursuing the officials who misspent that money mr macias said
the union would not comment on its latest court cases but in an interview last year carmen castilla the secretary general of its andalusia chapter argued that both the alleged theft of documents and public money fraud should be prosecuted
if any presumed crime has happened it should be dealt with by the judiciary   and presumed theft is a crime ms castilla said
victor lapuente an associate professor at the quality of government institute of the university of gothenburg in sweden said the response of the spanish authorities to whistle blowers was the world upside down
the resources have gone to protect the ones who want to hide information not the ones filtering it mr lapuente said
while on sick leave ms garrido compiled a 300 page dossier on how the town of boadilla awarded fraudulent contracts she gave her findings to an organization called manos limpias or clean hands which then presented them to spains national court as part of a broader corruption investigation
the case turned into a major scandal for mr rajoys popular party involving several conservative mayors and officials who were indicted on charges of taking bribes from a network of businessmen led by francisco correa
ms garrido said manos limpias had disclosed her identity without her consent underlining endemic corruption in spain manos limpias was recently put under investigation after it was accused of blackmailing potentially fraudulent officials in return for dropping charges against them
in mid 2011 ms garrido returned to work at the town hall but the job lasted only a few months boadillas new mayor and administration she said are simply determined to make me pay
the harassment went as far as death threats and trying to drive me off the road she claimed she left and sued the town hall for harassment winning her case before a court in madrid
boadillas new administration has rejected ms garridos claims and is appealing the harassment ruling before the supreme court
susana sanchez campos guerrero a town hall official said ms garrido should not be singled out as a special whistle blower   another 15 officials ended up providing court evidence over the fraudulent public contracts   but instead as the only one who was involved in a labor dispute with boadillas town hall ms sanchez campos guerrero also disputed ms garridos claims about her property assets and the reasons that her finances deteriorated
ana garrido said she became financially ruined because she denounced corruption but the fact is that she herself asked to end her contract ms sanchez campos guerrero said
ms garrido sees the accusations against her as further evidence of why whistle blowing is a lost cause in spain
i once had a normal job and life but once you denounce you should get ready for a nightmare she said its a situation that i could never have endured if i also had children to look after


the yankees season thus far has mimicked a game of jenga for every piece inserted to stabilize a rickety roster another is pulled out just as quickly creating more imbalance
the clubs best hope for creating a core to build around emanates from the bullpen which was buttressed on monday when aroldis chapman returned from a 29 game suspension imposed under baseballs new policy on domestic violence
on saturday for the first time this season manager joe girardi was able to insert chapman the former closer andrew miller and the elite reliever dellin betances into the final innings of a game the moves worked seamlessly helping the yankees secure a 2 1 win over the chicago white sox at yankee stadium
the three pitchers combined for three and one third scoreless innings allowing only one hit while accumulating eight of their 10 combined outs by strikeout betances struck out all four batters he faced
starter ivan nova was also sturdy allowing four hits before betances replaced him with two outs in the sixth novas only noticeable blemish was a home run by todd frazier in the fourth inning
i feel comfortable with all the guys that we have but those three guys especially theyre strikeout machines nova said once you throw six good innings you can kind of relax and know theyre going to get the job done
the bottom of the yankees order strung together a two out rally in the second to score two runs with aaron hicks and didi gregorius each driving in a run gregorius went 3 for 3 against jose quintana 5 2 whose earned run average went to 154 after he entered the day leading the american league at 138
the bullpens dazzling performance was a refreshing bracer on a day when the yankees roster was again shuffled largely as a result of the mild right triceps strain that sent starting pitcher luis severino to the 15 day disabled list after his loss on friday night
chad green and conor mullee arrived together in the yankees clubhouse at 10 am both having signed major league contracts after being promoted from class aaa scrantonwilkes barre
to make room gary sanchez who was recalled friday was optioned back to scrantonwilkes barre the yankees also transferred bryan mitchell and greg bird to the 60 day disabled list
two hours later the yankees announced that they had acquired the right handed pitcher j r graham from the minnesota twins for a player to be named later or cash considerations graham was optioned to class aa trenton and mason williams was transferred to the 60 day dl
green could temporarily replace severino in the rotation general manager brian cashman also mentioned luis cessa as a candidate to start
severino speaking with members of the news media on saturday for the first time since the injury said he felt a little sore but did not think the injury was serious he added that he felt a pinch in his arm during the second inning friday but did not think it was serious enough to reveal girardi however noticed severinos discomfort the next inning during an at bat by jose abreu and removed him from the game
cashman and girardi said they did not think severino was struggling because of any physical problems noting that his command and inability to properly locate strikes had been the leading causes of his 0 6 start and 746 era cashman said severino would probably make a rehab start before coming off the disabled list but cashman did not guarantee that severino would remain in the yankees rotation
well have to wait and see cashman said adding hes not pitching anywhere close to his capabilities so the most important thing is to try and get him going thats a decision well have to make for another day
the yankees are still without alex rodriguez and his absence was notable on saturday   alex rodriguez bat day at yankee stadium instead of taking his own swings rodriguez handed out replicas of his black bat from behind a barrier to young fans rodriguez made no predictions on when he would return to the lineup
while rodriguez remains on the 15 day disabled list with a strained right hamstring another team pillar jacoby ellsbury got into a game for the first time since may 6 coming on as a defensive replacement in center field in the eighth inning
but ellsbury barely tested his strained right hip because miller recorded two strikeouts in a scoreless inning and chapman also struck out two in a flawless ninth
catcher brian mccann said there was no doubt that the back end of the yankees bullpen could seep into opponents heads and change their batting approaches
speaking through an interpreter chapman said we were ready to take on this kind of work this is the outcome that we expect to have its a really nice combination between dellin miller and me and the other guys in the bullpen
chapman added its a good formula that we have going on


runners and bicyclists zoomed across the landscaped corridor on saturday taking advantage of the breezy sunny conditions to enjoy what many had long sought   a link connecting the south bronx to randalls island
they were trailed by power walkers and others who slowed to take in the scene and snap photographs of the flowering vines shrubs and ornamental grasses that along with the chirping birds created an idyllic scene and masked the bustle of the busy streets nearby
its like central park in the bronx karen olivares 23 said while she strolled with her boyfriend this is like a secret getaway
after years of delays the randalls island connector which crosses over a narrow waterway known as the bronx kill is finally a reality for bronx residents who have long felt cut off from randalls island one of the citys main recreation hubs though the connector opened to pedestrians and cyclists last year local residents decided with spring underway to treat saturday as an unofficial grand opening
this has been years in the making and seeing people walking and biking over the bronx kill to randalls island makes it all worth it said maria torres springer president of the new york city economic development corporation which oversaw the project this gives bronx residents access to all the amenities that randalls island has to offer improving quality of life in the neighborhood and exemplifying our commitment to building strong and equitable communities across all five boroughs
before the connector was finished the only direct route to randalls island by foot was a difficult crossing on the robert f kennedy bridge formerly the triborough bridge that required navigating steep steps or winding ramps alongside heavy traffic
the new link by contrast is a wide ground level pathway that starts just down the street from the bridge and runs a quarter mile under the arches of an amtrak trestle and over a red pedestrian bridge it is accessible to those with disabilities has dedicated bike and pedestrian lanes and is flanked with lights and shrubs
the eagerly awaited connector was originally scheduled to open last summer but remained blocked off by a black metal gate and construction barriers it was not completed until mid november long past the peak season for outdoor activities ian fried a spokesman for the economic development corporation said that extensive testing of the connector to ensure its safety had caused the delay
the city proposed the 6 million project which was paid for with local state and federal money in 2006 as part of a larger plan to create a south bronx greenway in an industrial swath of the borough work began in late 2013 following protracted negotiations over the easements needed to build the pathway which runs through property that is owned by the state but privately controlled
while separated from the bronx by just a few feet of water randalls island had for decades seemed distant to the people of the south bronx ms torres springer said
the lack of easy access to randalls island   a 330 acre expanse of public parkland that includes wildflower meadows a track and field stadium baseball and soccer fields and tennis courts   has long been a contentious issue in the bronx residents of some parts of the borough where rates of asthma diabetes and obesity related illnesses are high lack sizable parks the problem is particularly acute in the south bronx
many residents have begun to make the connector part of their routines in recent months taking advantage of an unusually mild winter bicycle commuters pass use it to pass through the island daily on their way to jobs in manhattan or queens
randalls island now draws more than 3 million visitors a year up from 17 million in 2012 according to the randalls island park alliance a nonprofit group that maintains the parkland in partnership with the citys parks department the island which was joined with wards island by landfill was once known primarily as a setting for asylums and hospitals before being developed for recreation beginning in the 1930s
aimee boden the alliances president said that her group had noted steady use of the connector and recently installed a clicker with a motion activated sensor to count the number of people passing through
the alliance had increased the number of free events held on the island to 100 this year up from 15 in 2014 partly in anticipation of increased foot traffic from the new connector ms boden said
among those events a cherry blossom festival held on the island on saturday the alliance will also be offering programs that teach fishing and orienteering bird watching excursions and historical walking tours are planned as well
on the bronx side of the connector on saturday a celebration was organized by jeanine alfieri an artist who lives nearby and considers the link a linchpin to efforts to transform a stretch of industrial waterfront in port morris a south bronx neighborhood that has attracted artists and new businesses in recent years
ms alfieri and other artists opened their studios for the day as part of the celebration which also included a jazz concert and the staging of an original piece by autumn kioti a performance artist this is really the communitys celebration ms alfieri said we didnt get a chance in november when it officially opened
ms alfieri said she had not gone to randalls island in the past because she disliked the crossing but recently she said she had been crossing the connector several times a week with her dog
its beyond easy she said its just like walking out your front door and having randalls island in front of you
ms olivares who lives in the bronx went to the connector with her boyfriend francisco torres jr on saturday morning after learning about the festivities from a flier posted at a nearby subway station the couple said they had recently started running outdoors and were planning to take advantage of the new pathway on weekends
mr torres a 37 year old city bus driver said he remembered when the ground he was walking on was piled high with trash used tires and abandoned cars now he said its like heaven


miami   dwyane wade had a night off recently so he watched basketball on television the oklahoma city thunder were looking to close out the san antonio spurs on thursday night in the western conference semifinals and wade was struck by the way the game developed
kevin durant and russell westbrook were explosive in oklahoma citys victory which came as no surprise to wade who has dabbled in the art of clutch performances but durant and westbrook also received some vital help from andre roberson a third year swingman who scored 14 points in the previous five games of the series he had scored 4   total
roberson was the one who put his imprint on that game wade said and really had one of those special games that took them over the hump
it was friday morning hours ahead of the miami heats game here against the toronto raptors that night in the eastern conference semifinal and wade a perennial nba all star like durant and westbrook openly wondered which unsung teammate would emerge for miami someone in the parlance of pro sports would need to step up someone somehow
sure enough with their season teetering on the edge with their roster shredded by injuries the heat evened the series at three games apiece thanks to a couple of surprising performances goran dragic an experienced guard scored 30 points which might not have come as a complete shock but what about justise winslow a first year forward who started at center and proceeded to change the tenor of the game their efforts were a welcome diversion from a series that had until then been an inartistic defense minded slog
we feel like when we play more aggressive and when everybodys attacking thats our game dragic said
in a move born of equal parts circumstance and desperation coach erik spoelstra went small against the raptors who could neither defend the perimeter nor slow the heats penetration the result was a lost opportunity for the raptors to finish off the series on the road   and another chance for wade to concoct some of his familiar playoff magic
game 7 is scheduled for sunday afternoon in toronto wade is fluent in the language of elimination games in his career he has played in seven games 7s and come away with five wins perhaps the city of toronto has reason to feel nervous
youre either going to continue playing or your season is over wade said thats the reality of it so you got to give a little more and you got to do a little more
then again what do either of these teams have left both were pushed to seven games in the first round now they might as well be clubbing each other with cartoon size mallets as they vie for the opportunity to face the cleveland cavaliers   the extraordinarily well rested cleveland cavaliers who have yet to lose a playoff game   in the conference finals
for wade of course a meeting with the cavaliers would be a reunion of sorts with his close friend and former teammate lebron james but while wade continues to push himself to exhaustion james has not appeared in uniform since may 8 a rare luxury in the middle of a playoff grind
the heat who are doing all they can to finally escape jamess shadow showed plenty of resolve in fridays 103 91 victory at the teams morning shootaround spoelstra informed his players that he planned to start winslow at center hassan whiteside who usually occupies that role was out with a sprained right knee and spoelstra wanted to generate offense
you never know how its going to work spoelstra said
the move reminded wade of the 2012 nba finals in that series spoelstra sought to space the floor against the thunder by playing shane battier at power forward and center on offense battier tended to roam to the 3 point line which put serge ibaka his primary defender in difficult spots
ibaka was a big guy who would come to the rim and shane would have all day to shoot 3s wade said before pivoting to spoelstras most recent handiwork its just unconventional sometimes unconventional works its not your traditional big man big man lineup
on friday the raptors bismack biyombo a 6 foot 9 center played the role of ibaka as winslow operated along the perimeter scoring 12 points more important winslow lured biyombo away from the rim that created room for dragic who found seams to the basket and for wade who finished with 22 points it was all connected
we were all spaced out and they kind of got to go where they wanted to go raptors coach dwane casey said adding we didnt adjust to it
if spoelstra gambled by going small there were a couple of mitigating factors first the raptors were without their own starting center jonas valanciunas who sprained his right ankle in game 3 so even though the heat were still at a size disadvantage they remained competitive on the glass
also spoelstra trusted winslow to deliver his playing time in the series has been sporadic in fact after winslow failed to leave the bench in game 3 spoelstra called him that night to assure him that he would have a role going forward
he approaches his profession and competition like hes a 30 year old veteran spoelstra said
the raptors are still searching for their first trip to the conference finals in franchise history but they will need to find more balance on friday demar derozan and kyle lowry combined for 59 points no one else scored more than 8
the heat on the other hand figured out how to let some of their lesser lights shine
this is the path spoelstra said you have to embrace competition attack it and then find different ways to try to win


ponte vedra beach fla   as the world no 1 jason day extended his lead during the weather delayed second round of the players championship his closest pursuers included alex cejka who has withdrawn from two pga tour events since january because of injuries and colt knost who has not recorded a top 10 finish in 15 starts this season
within striking range of day at the tpc sawgrass stadium course where a premium is placed on hitting the fairways was jonas blixt of sweden who came into the week ranked 154th on the tour in driving accuracy
i know how youve really go to hit your tee shots well here blixt said so i was a little worried
he need not have fretted the 2015 16 season has proved that all that glitters on the pga tour is grit the roster of winners includes kevin kisner who won for the first time in his 109th pga tour start and jim herman who secured his first tour title in his 106th if trojan nation had been a golfer trying to win his first tour event instead of a horse at the kentucky derby trying to win for the first time he would not have been considered a long shot
what were the odds that the defending champion rickie fowler would miss the cut while cameron tringale who has not cracked the top 40 in his past 10 tour starts would vault into contention or that the world no 2 jordan spieth would birdie the final hole in his second round and still miss the cut while knost with a final hole bogey would equal the course record with a second round 63
on the pga tour anything is possible who would have bet that rory mcilroy a four time major winner and a former world no 1 would remain stuck on 11 tour victories while brian stuard who started the season with conditional status secured his first tour title in his 120th start
or that vaughn taylor who had not won in over 10 years would deny the world golf hall of fame member phil mickelson his fifth title at the pebble beach pro am
then there is james hahn who prepped for his victory at the wells fargo championship this month by missing the cut in his eight previous starts never mind yardage books the tour caddies ought to carry copies of the best seller by the university of pennsylvania psychology professor angela duckworth on the power of passion and perseverance
as it happens hahns caddie mark urbanek is a voracious reader his motivational toolbox is filled with devices he picked up from books and magazines
it doesnt have to be about golf said urbanek who also is a pretty good reader of people looking for commonalities he studies people from all walks of life who are extraordinary one thing urbanek has observed is that people who are successful tend not to dwell on their failures it is a trap that can easily ensnare golfers who have to return to the same course after a bad first round and try to orchestrate a different outcome
if something bad happens to you its easy to remember that but from the other side of the bag its our job to try to get them to remember the good things urbanek said you have a choice how you want to remember things at the end of a hole at the end of a shot at the end of a round
hahn said urbanek was constantly reminding him that he had the power to change his future and his destiny by changing his thought process and hahn says he does not employ a sports psychologist
he laughed and sheepishly acknowledged the obvious urbanek is the next best thing to a mental coach
i need to start paying him a little extra now hahn said
hahn considered not playing at quail hollow   the site of the wells fargo event in charlotte nc   because in three previous starts there he had failed to break par in nine of 10 rounds urbanek talked hahn into entering the event by framing the week as a fresh start he described it to hahn as the kickoff to the second half of the season
when he starts talking about last year im like whoa youre a different player now  urbanek said instead of talking about what happened last year id rather talk about how were going to attack the course this year
on the pga tour the only thing that can change faster than the weather is a players fortunes a well struck shot can hit a sprinkler head and bounce over the green setting off a chain reaction of high numbers and missed cuts summing up his eight weeks in the weeds hahn said it was just a combination of one bad putt one bad drive one bad hole one mud ball one bad break that snowballed
late in the second round on friday hahn drained a 30 foot birdie putt on his 13th hole the par 4 no 4 and it was as if he had been given a massive dose of serotonin he felt happy over every putt after that confident that he would not miss hahn saved par by making a 12 footer on the fifth on his last hole of the round the ninth he missed an 8 footer for birdie
we had a perfect read i hit a perfect putt and it didnt go in and im like oh my goodness im the worst putter on tour  hahn said after signing for a 73 which left him at four under par im obsessing over that right now whereas 30 minutes ago i was thinking i could make anything in the world
if nobodys mind is a steel trap everybody is capable of contending on the pga tour how perfect that the tours signature event is providing the writing on the dimpled ball as a cast of character actors fall in behind the sports leading man


the most spectacular save of the stanley cup playoffs so far was probably made by washington capitals forward jay beagle who lunged into a vacated crease to swat away a shot by pittsburgh defenseman trevor daley with the shaft of his stick
beagle was credited merely with a blocked shot at 2 minutes 48 seconds of overtime tuesday in game 6 of the teams second round series and the penguins eliminated the capitals less than four minutes later anyway when nick bonino scored on a rebound
but beagles dive kept washingtons season alive just a little longer and it was yet another example of how slim the margins are between victory and defeat for nhl teams chasing the stanley cup
to get to that overtime the capitals had rallied from a two goal deficit in the third period scoring the tying goal on a 5 on 3 power play after pittsburgh was called for three delay of game penalties in 122 seconds for hurriedly sending the puck over the glass
teams make it to the playoffs by being able to take leads and protect them the 16 teams that led the league in most victories when scoring first in the regular season were the same 16 teams that made the playoffs
of the best 16 teams at holding the lead after the second period in the regular season 14 qualified for the playoffs boston and calgary were the exceptions but it is harder to hang onto leads in the playoffs because opponents are better and there is much more on the line
the salary cap has promoted parity so has advanced scouting said mike milbury the former boston bruins defenseman and islanders general manager who is now a hockey analyst for nbc the battle level rises significantly in the playoffs as does pre scouting individual and team tendencies are noted and strategies to thwart them are implemented
for teams that take leads into the third period of a regular season game victory is all but assured this season teams that led going into the third period compiled a record of 804 61 78 a winning percentage of 853 according to nhl figures teams that trailed after two periods were just 139 716 88
but during the first two rounds of the playoffs teams that took a lead into the third period were 47 25 a much lower winning percentage of 653 about 29 percent of games 21 of 72 were tied after two periods compared with 233 percent of regular season games 287 of 1230
the first goal of a game still has value in the playoffs teams that scored first were 47 25 653 in the first two rounds but that is a lower success rate than in the regular season when teams that scored first were 853 251 126 a winning percentage of 694
over all playoff games this year are headed to overtime at the same rate as regular season games through two playoff rounds 16 of 72 games 222 percent were decided in overtime compared with 275 of 1230 regular season games 223 percent
but according to the nhl the nine overtime games in the second round were the most in that round since the 16 team format was introduced in 1980
in addition there was not a sweep in 12 series in the first two rounds   the first time that has happened since 2010 there were three sweeps in the first two rounds in 2011 two sweeps last year and one each in 2011 2012 and 2013
perhaps no team this postseason was more aware of the precariousness of a third period lead than the islanders they eliminated the panthers in the first round by overcoming a third period deficit in the final minute of regulation and winning in the second overtime they led only two of their five playoff victories after two periods
but the islanders never seemed to recover from blowing two one goal leads in the third period of game 3 of the second round against the lightning which the islanders lost in overtime they entered the third period of game 4 with a one goal lead and again lost in overtime
then there was the first round playoff game on april 24 between the dallas stars and the host minnesota wild the stars scored the first goal less than six minutes in then pumped in three more before the end of the second period to pad their lead to 4 0
with the wild facing elimination though the game went haywire minnesota scored three third period goals then another after dallas made it 5 3 the wild pulled their goalie for an extra attacker in the final two minutes and the stars held on for a 5 4 victory
it was hardly the desired result in minnesota of course and dallas had followed form by winning after scoring first and leading after two periods but the third period was unforgettable and it probably will not be the last hair raising finish of the spring


jefferson city mo   missouri lawmakers have passed a sweeping expansion of gun rights in the state one that would allow people to carry concealed guns without requiring permits and widen their right to stand and fight against perceived threats
the legislation which now goes to gov jay nixon for his signature was among the most prominent measures passed by the republican controlled legislature on the final day of its annual session on friday mr nixon a democrat did not have an immediate comment on the bill
under the measure most people would be able to carry concealed guns even if they have not completed the training currently required to obtain a permit
the legislation would also expand the states castle doctrine by allowing invited guests such as babysitters to use deadly force against intruders it would also create a stand your ground right meaning people would not have to retreat from danger in any place they are legally entitled to be present
while many democrats denounced it republican supporters of the bill described the measures as reasonable approaches to personal safety
there wont be blood in the streets said state representative joe don mcgaugh a republican but what there will be is more people protected by the right to bear an arm legally
ten other states already have what supporters describe as constitutional carry laws allowing concealed guns without permits including ones enacted this year in idaho mississippi and west virginia according to the national rifle association
the nra says 30 states have laws or court precedents stating people have no duty to retreat from a threat anywhere they are lawfully present but missouris measure would make it the first new stand your ground state since 2011 according to both the nra and everytown for gun safety a gun control advocacy group
floridas stand your ground law came under national scrutiny after george zimmerman a neighborhood watch volunteer in sanford fatally shot an unarmed black teenager trayvon martin in 2012
mr zimmerman was acquitted of all charges and while floridas stand your ground law was not directly mentioned in his trial it was included in the judges instructions to the jury
several democratic lawmakers in missouri cited the zimmerman case while raising concerns that the legislation could lead to a shoot first mentality and dubious self defense claims
it doesnt make the state safer it opens it up to murder said state representative brandon ellington a democrat from kansas city and the chairman of the missouri legislative black caucus
other black lawmakers said that if the bill becomes law they feared more black residents would be shot by people prejudiced against them
to me this is modern day lynching said another democrat state representative kimberly gardner of st louis this bill would allow open season for vigilante style behavior and put all of us at risk
the legislation passed the republican led senate on a 24 8 vote along party lines the house then gave its approval 114 36 with a little more than an hour remaining before the sessions mandatory close
the final day of missouris session is typically a fast paced affair but senators who worked late the night before did not bring up the gun legislation on friday until after finishing a lunch sponsored by a number of the states largest utilities and lobbying firms
senators adjourned on friday without acting on a house bill that would have banned most gifts from lobbyists excluding meals to which all lawmakers and state elected officials are invited to attend
that bill was seen as a priority for mr nixon and the new republican house speaker todd richardson who took over last year after his predecessor resigned amid a texting scandal involving an intern
other bills that fell by the wayside on friday included several that would have imposed additional restrictions on abortion another would have asked voters to raise the states fuel tax by nearly 6 cents per gallon to generate more than 235 million annually for roads and bridges


rio de janeiro   the dining room for the athletes village at the rio de janeiro olympics will be bigger than two football fields and the kitchen being built in the same enormous tent will be as large as one
the setting hints at quite a spread when the games open in just under three months
we want to make sure when there is a medal or a record part of that record also goes to our food team said marcello cordeiro rios director of food and beverages
at its peak the athletes village kitchen will prepare 60000 meals a day produced from daily shipments of 460000 pounds of raw ingredients   all served up on four million biodegradable plates for 18000 athletes coaches and staff members
diners will choose from five buffets brazilian asian international pasta and pizza and halal and kosher
food for muslim and jewish athletes will adhere to their specific religious dietary laws koreans will even get spicy kimchi   the nations famous dish of fermented cabbage scallions and assorted vegetables   shipped directly from home
and everyone can try 40 varieties of brazils exotic fruits like caju acai carambola caqui goiaba and maracuja often squeezed into brazils delicious juices sucos in portuguese
the subsequent paralympics will offer the same variety though the numbers will be smaller
we are confident our brazilian food is going to be a success cordeiro said well make a bit more to be safe we are doing our best to bring the world to brazil
he listed key ingredients of the basic brazilian diet rice black beans farofa flour from toasted cassava often sprinkled on top of food and meat but the regional specialties are as diverse as the continent size country itself
buffet style eateries are popular in brazil where they charge by the weight   so called kilo restaurants there will be no charge for the athletes they can eat all they want cordeiro said
to prepare the final menus cordeiro and colleagues are holding about 20 food testings before the olympics open aug 5 theyve been through seven or eight already including one a few days ago
imagine you start eating at 10 am and you finish 8 pm cordeiro said everyone thinks that food tasting is super duper but this is how you eat
he demonstrated lifting a tiny sandwich slice up to his nose one made of ham mozzarella cream cheese and lettuce he checked for texture and presentation and finally took a small bite next he graded the offering on a checklist
ill tell you the truth i cant stand the testing he said this means eating the whole day actually not eating tasting you bite and you leave it
rio will also offer different breakfast styles for japanese athletes there might be rice and miso soup or fish and natto the gooey pungent paste made from fermented soybeans
were also very careful with the spice cordeiro said
the athletes village consists of 31 apartment towers containing 10160 bedrooms it is just one part of the olympic food operation deborah cordiner is handling most of the rest including athletes food at venues and support centers for volunteers and accredited guests
we always face the same challenges the transport the volume of food said cordiner a scot who has worked at all but two olympics this century
she said athletes at venues would munch on tens of thousands of sandwiches
a spokesman for the organizing committee declined to give the names of catering companies under contract saying they are not sponsors so they dont have a right to be associated with the games
organizers receive billions of dollars from sponsors like mcdonalds the international olympic committee said
cordeiro said he worried less about the menu   he has about 20 chefs several from outside brazil   than about food safety he must guarantee the food is free from steroids or other ingredients that might cause an athlete to test positive on a doping test
a major offender is the steroid clenbuterol which is fed to livestock in some countries to produce leaner meat
to assure that our ingredients are free of steroids and other kinds of chemicals we are making sure our suppliers have all the certificates that are demanded by our national food and drug agency cordeiro said
he said almost all the food was coming from brazil save for items like kimchi and some spices
athletes will be forbidden to take their own food into the dining area though many will eat away from the village   often in training areas set up by their national teams
if an athlete brings something in from outside and eats it the dining hall and gets sick then it can be blamed on the village food cordeiro said but in the end we know that athletes can go anywhere and buy a hot dog and possibly get it inside


collin klimitchek when he was a child shot arrows with uncanny accuracy at trees his sisters rope swing and even grasshoppers resting on a leaf around his familys property in texas
at his first real practice though with his first real sighted bow he sent one sailing well over the intended target he turned to his father and remarked theres something wrong with this bow
his aim has been true ever since klimitchek 19 who once nursed a bobcat named roscoe back to health   along with a deer an owl and a buzzard   is rapidly making a name for himself in archery he is one of the top contenders heading into the final olympic qualifying stage later this month in newberry fla the top three qualify for the rio de janeiro games
its going to take me shooting lights out klimitchek said in a phone interview from chula vista calif where he is training im just trying to focus on the next arrow
he said he did not want to let making the olympic team affect my judgment or my focus
others with a good chance of qualifying for the olympic team include brady ellison and jake kaminski who helped the americans to a silver medal in the team event at the 2012 london games and zach garrett who is ranked sixth in the world
theres definitely some pressure said klimitchek who turns 20 on may 27 when the final qualifying stage kicks off
ive had a lot of success just staying focused on myself and not worrying about the competition trying not to worry about what the standings are just worrying about me making the best shot i can
klimitchek took an interest in archery at an early age thanks to his father darrell who entered local competitions to stay sharp for hunting at 5 collin sauntered around the familys 40 acre home in victoria tex taking shots at anything that would not dent his arrows
he routinely hit grasshoppers on a leaf from 15 feet away
soon after he took shooting more seriously and participated in the junior olympic archery development program
he has been on an upward trajectory ever since capturing a silver medal at the 2015 world archery youth championships he is coached by laval dee falks his cousin and trains in chula vista under the supervision of kisik lee who has been in charge of the united states archery program since 2006
they recently adopted a more scientific approach for klimitchek forcing him to relearn the way he releases an arrow it has made him more accurate
i wouldnt be where im at today without their help he said
the mental coaching helps too
he struggled at the first stage of the olympic trials last september slipping into ninth place frustrated with his shooting he went through a mental management program by lanny bassham a gold medalist in rifle shooting at the 1976 montreal olympics
when youre in a high pressure situation thoughts creep in like did i choose wind right or should i shoot this shot thats just poison klimitchek said this helped me stay focused and stay positive
so much so that he worked his way back into the competition with a superb second stage that vaulted him into fourth place   and within striking distance of making the olympic team
its going to come down to me making sure im not giving up any points klimitchek said of his strategy that im not making any shots i shouldnt
when he was a youngster his family home became a shelter for ailing animals they took in a bobcat roscoe who was found in a brush pile a raccoon ruby an owl unnamed a buzzard wallace a squirrel squirreler and a deer colleen that they discovered behind an oil rig they nursed the creatures back to health before releasing them into the wild
to this day the deer still returns to the familys property with her young
klimitcheks passion away from archery includes anything with adventure more specifically hunting free diving and his newest endeavor spear fishing on his days off he will swim about a half mile off san diego to search for fish
little surprise hes quite accurate
spear fishing is a lot like archery you have to stay calm and stay focused klimitchek said if your adrenaline pumps too hard youre losing oxygen and its one less second under water it really helps translate over to archery where one arrow may mean making the team or not


madrid   after 10 years one of the worst doping scandals in spain continues to haunt the countrys athletes
operation puerto a 2006 investigation that exposed a doping network involving some of the worlds top cyclists refuses to go away as a local court slowly continues the process of deciding whether hundreds of confiscated blood bags should be destroyed
the announcement about the fate of the blood bags which could stir up another scandal if identities of previously unscathed athletes are revealed was expected last year but it has been delayed upsetting some spanish athletes and local sports officials who say the absence of closure on the case has further damaged the countrys image in the fight against doping
whenever there has been people talking samples being destroyed i think for spanish sport thats terrible news the tennis player rafael nadal said everything should be transparent and the people that do wrong things should pay for it and people that do the things right should be better off they should have a clean image
nadals comments came not long after he had to deal with unproven doping accusations made against him by a former french minister to defend his integrity nadal filed a defamation lawsuit against his accuser and asked the international tennis federation to make all of his antidoping test results publicly available
there has to be complete transparency in sport said nadal who will be spains flag bearer at the olympics in rio de janeiro when things are not done the right way they should be public if not were going to be speculating about unnecessary things which is going to damage the image of the sport and sportsmen
the president of the spanish olympic committee alejandro blanco said that the longer it took for a decision on the blood bags to be announced the worse it would be for spanish sports and local athletes
operation puerto caused horror to our sport and to the image of the country blanco said weve been dealing with this for 10 years and it feels like it could be another 20 that cant happen its upsetting
it does not help that the world anti doping agency two months ago declared spain to be noncompliant with its codes because it did not make required legal changes in connection with doping spain was unable to form a government after elections last year so its parliament has been unable to update the countrys antidoping legislation to match the revised wada regulations
spains top sports official said the government had done its part by asking for the blood bags to be released but noted that the courts decision must be respected miguel cardenal president of the countrys higher sports council said spain had made significant progress in the fight against doping despite the setbacks with operation puerto and the noncompliance ruling by wada
i think that for the last few years the public perception is that spain does not tolerate doping cardenal said operation puerto happened several years ago the same result would have probably happened in other places because at the time countries did not specify doping as a crime as they do now
operation puerto came to light when police seized coded blood bags from the madrid clinic of a doctor eufemiano fuentes who worked with several top cyclists in a trial in 2013 he was convicted of endangering public health and received a suspended one year prison sentence for improperly performing blood transfusions on athletes in addition fuentess sports medicine license was withdrawn for four years another defendant a former cycling team director was sentenced to four months in jail but also did not serve time both appealed
more than 50 cyclists were originally linked to the case and among the few eventually suspended were the former tour de france winner jan ullrich the spanish vuelta champion alejandro valverde and ivan basso who later confirmed that his blood was among the frozen samples found in operation puerto
fuentes said during the trial that he had also worked with athletes from other sports but judge julia patricia santamaria said fuentes did not have to mention anybody who was not implicated in the cycling case
the judge also ordered the destruction of the blood bags and other evidence citing privacy laws a decision that outraged the sports community at the time spains antidoping agency the international cycling union and wada were among the entities that appealed to have the blood bags released to be re examined
the madrid court handling the case had said a verdict was reached late last year and a decision would be made public by the end of march but since then there has been no announcement and no new timetable on when the decision will be announced the court said it took time because the case had a complex appeals process with several parties involved
the delay has caused further speculation and increased criticism about spains handling even now of doping


kabul afghanistan   taliban insurgents have cut the main highway that links the capital with northern afghanistan and neighboring countries for the past three days according to afghan officials in the area
after the taliban ambushed police forces guarding a stretch of the national ring road in baghlan province on thursday fighting continued through saturday and appeared likely to last longer according to officials in the area the northern city of mazar i sharif was cut off as were road connections to eight northern provinces
it was only the latest setback for the countrys battered ring road a highway network over 2000 miles long built by international donors at a cost of 3 billion and still not complete after more than a decade of work parts of it remain unfinished other sections have repeatedly fallen under insurgent control and on much of its length only heavily armed military convoys can travel safely because of the risk of insurgent roadblocks and bombings
president ashraf ghani hailed the ring road network as vital to his vision of making landlocked afghanistan the hub of central asia it would provide the only reliable road connections between india and pakistan as well as nations like tajikistan uzbekistan and turkmenistan which in turn would link the region with russia and turkey
now traffic is mostly stalled on one of the countrys busiest stretches of highway the section of the ring road between kabul and mazar i sharif an important economic center and gateway for travel to uzbekistan
mubarez hazara an afghan local police commander in the surkh kotal area of baghlan province said by telephone that he and his 40 fighters were surrounded by taliban insurgents the insurgents had overrun a check post on the highway and remained entrenched and blocking traffic
this is the third day of fighting mr hazara said they attacked us from four directions and stopped after they lost some of their men so they surrounded us for two or three days and we didnt get any support not even water and food
mr hazara said the road was currently under taliban control and while the insurgents were letting some traffic through they were systematically searching for government officials or sympathizers they search cars and drag out people who work for the government he said
the ring road connects most of the countrys major population centers according to the special inspector general for afghan reconstruction the road network is the second biggest recipient of foreign development aid in afghanistan
soon after mr ghani took office in 2014 he ordered that work be rushed to complete the last section of road a 135 mile stretch in western badghis province but disputes between the government and contractors have stalled that work
the special inspector general has raised questions about the financial capacity of the afghan government to maintain the road many parts of the highway have already degraded   even returning to little more than dirt roads in places   because of poor maintenance use by overweight trucks and military vehicles and damage from roadside bombs
the road was originally built at an average cost of 35 million per mile more than 12 times the normal cost of road building in afghanistan mostly because of the heavy security costs of protecting foreign contractors security on one 64 mile stretch from gardez to khost cost more than 45 million that road was completed about five months ago but the ceremony inaugurating it was held in kabul because of security concerns
many of the newly built roads already need repairs said ahmad shah wahid the countrys former minister of public works who oversaw the project during his time in office
the government has not provided adequate maintenance and protection he said if it goes on like this and the roads dont get maintenance we wont have any roads 10 years from now
the condition of the ring road has taken a back seat to concerns about security on them with the attack in baghlan one of the boldest of efforts by the taliban to sever traffic but hardly the only one
earlier this month insurgents launched heavy attacks on security check posts along the ring road between greshk and lashkar gah in helmand province overrunning three police positions and killing 15 police officers and taking six officers prisoner that again cut the strategic stretch linking kandahar the biggest southern city with lashkar gah the capital of helmand province
for months the stretch of ring road linking kandahar and kabul has been subject to regular taliban ambushes and so called flying check posts making travel dangerous except under heavy guard for most of the distance only the short stretch between kabul and wardak province is passable regularly
the highway has also been shut down by insurgent ambushes in northern jowzjan and faryab provinces in western farah province and along stretches in kunduz and oruzgan provinces according to local officials and the police in those areas
recently even the main highway from kabul to the torkhum border crossing with pakistan has been occasionally shut down by taliban ambushes
when the united states and its allies invaded afghanistan and ousted the taliban there were little more than 30 miles of paved highways largely the result of protracted warfare despite decades of road building projects by both the americans and the soviets dating back to the 1950s
paving the ring road section between kabul and kandahar a stretch also known as highway 1 reduced the travel time between those cities to 10 to 12 hours from two or three days warfare and ambushes as well as degradation of the road have more than reversed that
haji mahbob agha a truck driver says a round trip on that stretch now takes 10 days its not just one or two problems but many problems he said im either robbed or stopped by armed people or blocked by fighting theres no benefit to this work any more
lately he said he has been leaving his truck in a parking lot instead and looking for safer work


the jobs have kept coming for dan johnson eight organizations have employed him in the last five seasons every year for at least a few days he has been a major leaguer
you know what youre going to get johnson said im going to give you a quality at bat im going to work my way on base somehow some way   and also if you need some thump late im going to give you that chance to tie it
that is what johnson did in his most memorable moment for the tampa bay rays in the final game of the 2011 season he came to bat in the bottom of the ninth inning down by a run against the yankees cory wade with two outs and the bases empty a playoff berth hung in the balance johnson hit a home run
the higher powers took care of it because 99 times out of 100 if i hit that changeup away down the line im going to hook it foul johnson said somehow that time that ball stayed fair all the stars aligned i have no idea how it happened
it was the second monumental homer of johnsons career the other had come in a 2008 pennant race and a 12th inning blast by evan longoria coupled with a boston loss sent the rays to the playoffs johnson rejoined them this march with a different job in mind
he still hoped to be a power threat off the bench but lots of players can offer that johnson could list a bonus skill on his job application the ability to throw a knuckleball
the rays were intrigued they have other knuckleballers in their system and a former knuckleballer charlie haeger is their minor league pitching coordinator in the enclosed humid space of their dome the rays believe a knuckleballer has a better chance to succeed
in spring training though johnson found two problems his arm and the calendar he cut loose a fastball and strained an elbow ligament the rays recommended two months of rest but johnson 36 was eager to begin his new career sooner
that is how he ended up with the bridgeport bluefish of the independent atlantic league johnson is the teams first baseman but he also throws regularly in the bullpen and plans to soon take his knuckler into games he is scheduled to throw a simulated game during the teams next homestand
hes like a little leaguer   raw trying to learn how to pitch which is great said the bridgeport pitching coach jesse litsch a former toronto blue jays starter hes not starting from zero because hes seen enough he knows how to throw being able to get that mind set of going toward the catcher staying on your backside and getting the hands out of the glove has been a process for him but hes been around the game enough and hes climbing quick
johnson has fiddled with the knuckleball since childhood his father ron would throw him a pitch he called the dancing dazzler entrancing johnson and his friends who could rarely hit it the more johnson toyed with his own version the better he became at removing the knuckleballs enemy spin
in 2013 when johnson played for the yankees class aaa team a coach gil patterson said he had heard of johnsons trick and asked him to test it in the bullpen encouraged johnson hoped to show off the pitch to his next team the toronto blue jays the next spring then he pulled on a stray cord wrapped around a stack of weights just before reporting
of course i smash my knuckleball finger and my nail falls off johnson said referring to his index finger i show up to spring training and they want me to do it and i cant because i dont have a fingernail yet
johnson a right hander did collect pointers on the knuckleball from the blue jays r a dickey and now he is putting some to use he is learning to keep his pitching arm from pulling past his lead leg when he releases the pitch a knuckleballer should try to come straight down in his follow through johnson said to kill spin
for all of dickeys success in 2012 when he won the national league cy young award for the mets only one other major leaguer   bostons steven wright   is a regular knuckleballer many hopefuls struggle to perfect the knuckleball in part because most coaches have no idea how to teach it
litsch never threw it but has studied video of tim wakefield and others searching for cues to help johnsons mechanics there is no question he can make the pitch dance as he played catch recently johnson said it veered so late into teammates shins that two of them gave up
i had to remember why was it working so well right then johnson said so then im thinking again and then it takes time to figure it out again i need to get to where its repeated every time thats what im trying to do
dickey visualizes himself throwing through a doorway and into a shoebox and that makes sense to litsch at first it seemed johnson was banging into the doorframe   or litsch said switching the analogy running into the wall
colliding with metaphorical walls is a job hazard for anyone learning the knuckleball it is baseballs most confounding pitch but it also offers the most hope
what hes trying to conquer it could give him six more years in the big leagues litsch said itd be a great story you never know unless you try
stephen strasburgs new contract with the washington nationals made too much sense for him to resist
the nationals committed seven years to strasburg 27 and gave him the chance to opt out after the third or fourth season though much of the money is deferred the contract guarantees strasburg 175 million every pitcher with a richer contract has won at least one cy young award and while strasburg has an all star appearance and a strikeout title he has never received a first place vote
jake arrieta the chicago cubs ace won the national league award last season and is the early favorite to repeat arrieta is eligible for free agency after the 2017 season and while he said he loved chicago and hoped to stay there he said flatly last week that he would not take a discount to do so
you want to be paid in respect to how your peers are paid arrieta said i dont think that changes with any guy you ask guys want to be compensated fairly
arrieta like strasburg is a client of the powerful agent scott boras he said he would be open to discussing a long term deal with the cubs but would not want negotiations to drag out arrieta took time to develop into a top starter but now that he is one he understands why teams pay so much for the role
i feel like every year it goes up slightly he said this years free agent class for pitchers is pretty thin and even thinner now that strasburg signed early its different every year but thats why starting pitching is so valuable theres not many guys that can pitch at the top of a rotation just kind of floating around the league
at 25 million per season   plus an extra 1 million for each season he reaches 180 innings   strasburg will be very highly paid but arrieta would not make any comparisons
ill let you judge that he said just look at the numbers
since arrieta made his cubs debut on july 30 2013 he is 42 13 with a 215 earned run average through friday in that same time frame strasburg is 33 19 with a 321 era
felix hernandez beat the tampa bay rays last monday for his 146th career victory breaking a tie with jamie moyer for first place on the seattle mariners career list hernandez turned 30 in april moyer was 33 when he joined the mariners in 1996 and he stayed for a decade his seattle career overlapped briefly with hernandezs
we were teammates a little bit when he was a puppy said moyer who has also seen hernandez in subsequent spring trainings he works hard at his craft and hes very loyal to the organization heres a guy who could have walked like most players have the ability to do in free agency and hes chosen not to i dont demerit the guys that do walk but he wanted to stay and bring a winner to seattle and i give him a lot of credit for that
hernandez signed a seven year 175 million contract extension with seattle before the 2013 season the mariners have tried to build around him but their postseason drought which stretches to 2001 is the longest in the majors they have started well this season though entering the weekend in first place in the american league west
it is rare for a player of hernandezs stature to go so long without appearing in the playoffs only five active pitchers have more career victories than hernandez the mets bartolo colon the yankees c c sabathia the chicago cubs john lackey detroits justin verlander and san franciscos jake peavy all have made the playoffs in at least four different seasons and all have pitched in the world series


cairo   two egyptian courts on saturday sentenced to prison 152 people who took part in a street protest last month in a sharp escalation of a campaign by president abdel fattah el sisi to suppress political dissent in the country
the protesters who had been demonstrating against the transfer of two red sea islands to saudi arabia received sentences of between two and five years according to public prosecutors and defense lawyers also fines of 100000 egyptian pounds apiece   about 11260 at the official exchange rate or 9000 at the parallel rate   were levied against 101 of those convicted
the tough sentences come at a time when mr sisi has appeared unnerved by a sudden wave of criticism over egypts faltering economy and has become intolerant toward even playful opponents
on monday the police arrested five members of a satirical performance group who posted videos online that mocked mr sisi they joined a wave of writers poets and activists jailed since january the government has also barred prominent human rights campaigners from leaving the country or has frozen their assets
the arrested satirists ages 19 to 25 face a number of charges including incitement of terrorism in response to the crackdown some egyptians have struck back at mr sisi on the internet with mocking slogans that suggest he fears mobile phones
at least 400 other demonstrators still face prosecution over the two protests in april about the red sea islands tiran and sanafir sameh samir a lawyer representing some of the 51 people convicted on saturday said many had been randomly picked off the street and would appeal their sentences
thousands of egyptians have been jailed since 2013 including many who are languishing in pretrial detention others have fled the country fearing arrest on saturday sanaa abdel fattah a prominent activist started a six month sentence for insulting the judiciary
even so mr sisis government has sought to project itself as a key ally in the wests fight against islamist extremism across the middle east on friday egypts foreign minister sameh shoukry met with secretary of state john f kerry in washington to discuss their common visions that would increase stability in the region an egyptian statement said
the united states provides egypt with 13 billion in annual military aid and is a key weapons supplier the state department notified congress on friday that it intended to sell harpoon ii submarine missiles to egypt in a deal reportedly worth 143 million
the safeguards that underpin such military sales to egypt have been questioned by the united states government accountability office on thursday the office issued a report that detailed how egypt had hindered american efforts to verify the use and security of sensitive military items such as night vision goggles and riot control gear
representative ileana ros lehtinen republican of florida said the report showed an alarming and unacceptable amount of deficiencies in americas human rights vetting programs for egypt
in response to international criticism mr sisi has made speeches alluding to foreign conspiracies and urging egyptians to follow him without question still he continues to face criticism from sometimes surprising quarters
on friday seif eldin mustafa the egyptian who hijacked a passenger jet that was forced to land in cyprus in march appeared in court in cyprus wearing a t shirt that read release the 63 egyptian girls you liars the associated press reported the t shirt was referring to women held in egyptian jails whose release was a demand made by mr mustafa lawyers for mr mustafa whom the cypriot authorities describe as psychologically unstable are resisting an egyptian extradition application arguing that he would face torture and an unfair trial in his home country


fifty years ago mao zedong unleashed the cultural revolution a decade long upheaval that had dramatic often violent effects across china here is an overview of those tumultuous years
the movement was fundamentally about elite politics as mao tried to reassert control by setting radical youths against the communist party hierarchy but it had widespread consequences at all levels of society young people battled maos perceived enemies and one another as red guards before being sent to the countryside in the later stages of the cultural revolution intellectuals people deemed class enemies and those with ties to the west or the former nationalist government were persecuted many officials were purged some like the future leader deng xiaoping were eventually rehabilitated others were killed committed suicide or were left permanently scarred some scholars contend that the trauma of the era contributed to economic transition in the decades that followed as chinese were willing to embrace market oriented reforms to spur growth and ease deprivation
on may 16 1966 the chinese communist partys central committee issued a circular that outlined maos ideas on the cultural revolution but there were precursors in the months and years before that the end is considered to be maos death on sept 9 1976 and the subsequent arrest of the gang of four a radical faction of four political leaders including maos wife jiang qing in october although the cultural revolution lasted a decade much of the most extreme violence occurred in the first few years
the cultural revolution had roots in the 1958 61 great leap forward the collectivization of agricultural and industrial output that precipitated a famine that left as many as 45 million dead mao was blamed and partly sidelined by communist party leaders who pulled back some of the most extreme collectivization efforts
one of the key causes of the cultural revolution was a play the dismissal of hai rui from office about a ming dynasty official who criticized the emperor mao saw the play as attacking him and supporting peng dehuai the defense minister who was dismissed for pointing out the failures of the great leap forward
chinas relations with the soviet union had grown increasingly tense and mao was worried about what the soviet leader nikita khrushchevs denunciation of stalin in 1956 and khrushchevs removal from office in 1964 meant for himself as chinas leader
students who answered maos call for continuing revolution red guards formed large groups that targeted political enemies for abuse and public humiliation sometimes the groups even battled one another under a campaign to wipe out the four olds   ideas customs culture habits   they carried out widespread destruction of historical sites and cultural relics as the red guards grew more extreme the peoples liberation army was sent in to control them
in the early years of the peoples republic educated young people from the cities were sent to the countryside to work on farms the movement accelerated during the cultural revolution partly as a way to disperse the red guards more than 16 million young people were sent to the countryside including xi jinping chinas current president
during the cultural revolution red guards targeted the authorities on campuses then party officials and class enemies in society at large they carried out mass killings in beijing and other cities as the violence swept across the country they also battled one another sometimes with heavy weapons such as in the city of chongqing the military joined the conflict adding to the factional violence and killing of civilians the pogroms even included cannibalization of victims in the southern region of guangxi
the exact number of dead is not known but a figure of one million or more is most commonly cited estimates range from 500000 to eight million dead according to a 2011 paper by song yongyi a scholar of the cultural revolution the number of people persecuted is usually estimated in the tens of millions
the chaos of the period mass relocations and the closing of schools are believed to have sharply curbed economic output
mao zedong the founder of the peoples republic of china and chairman of the communist party is the key figure the cultural revolution began at his behest and factions battled in his name he called on red guards to bombard the headquarters which was seen to mean other top leaders like liu shaoqi and deng xiaoping
liu shaoqi chinas president relaxed collectivization to undo some of the damage of the great leap forward and became the leading target of cultural revolution attacks he died in custody in 1969 after two years of abuse and denial of medical treatment
zhou enlai the second most senior leader managed to survive by showing loyalty to mao many in china credit him for curbing the excesses of the cultural revolution but he could act on important matters only with maos approval his death from cancer in 1976 touched off protests and widespread mourning
jiang qing a former actress was able as maos wife to claim authority during the cultural revolution particularly over the arts she was the leading figure of the gang of four radicals who reached the peak of political power during the cultural revolution she was arrested after maos death and committed suicide in 1991
lin biao was the leader of the peoples liberation army and played a crucial role in promoting the cult of mao including ordering the compilation of the little red book of the chairmans sayings lin was designated maos successor but died in 1971 when his plane crashed in mongolia he was apparently trying to flee after learning that mao was turning against him but the circumstances of his death remain unclear
deng xiaoping was a peoples liberation army veteran and leader who was twice purged during the cultural revolution he returned to power after maos death pushing drastic economic reforms in the next decade


washington   president obama came into office seven years ago pledging to end the wars of his predecessor george w bush on may 6 with eight months left before he vacates the white house mr obama passed a somber little noticed milestone he has now been at war longer than mr bush or any other american president
if the united states remains in combat in afghanistan iraq and syria until the end of mr obamas term   a near certainty given the presidents recent announcement that he will send 250 additional special operations forces to syria   he will leave behind an improbable legacy as the only president in american history to serve two complete terms with the nation at war
mr obama who won the nobel peace prize in 2009 and spent his years in the white house trying to fulfill the promises he made as an antiwar candidate would have a longer tour of duty as a wartime president than franklin d roosevelt lyndon b johnson richard m nixon or his hero abraham lincoln
granted mr obama is leaving far fewer soldiers in harms way   at least 4087 in iraq and 9800 in afghanistan   than the 200000 troops he inherited from mr bush in the two countries but mr obama has also approved strikes against terrorist groups in libya pakistan somalia and yemen for a total of seven countries where his administration has taken military action
no president wants to be a war president said eliot a cohen a military historian at johns hopkins university who backed the war in iraq and whose son served there twice obama thinks of war as an instrument he has to use very reluctantly but were waging these long rather strange wars were killing lots of people were taking casualties
mr obama has wrestled with this immutable reality from his first year in the white house when he went for a walk among the tombstones at arlington national cemetery before giving the order to send 30000 additional troops into afghanistan
his closest advisers say he has relied so heavily on limited covert operations and drone strikes because he is mindful of the dangers of escalation and has long been skeptical that american military interventions work
publicly mr obama acknowledged early on the contradiction between his campaign message and the realities of governing when he accepted the nobel in december 2009 he declared that humanity needed to reconcile two seemingly irreconcilable truths   that war is sometimes necessary and war at some level is an expression of human folly
the president has tried to reconcile these truths by approaching his wars in narrow terms as a chronic but manageable security challenge rather than as an all consuming national campaign in the tradition of world war ii or to a lesser degree vietnam the longevity of his war record military historians say also reflects the changing definition of war
its the difference between being a war president and a president at war said derek chollet who served in the state department and the white house during mr obamas first term and as the assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs from 2012 to 2015
being a war president means that all elements of american power and foreign policy are subservient to fighting the war mr chollet said what obama has tried to do which is why hes careful about ratcheting up the number of forces is not to have it overwhelm other priorities
but mr obama has found those conflicts maddeningly hard to end on oct 21 2011 he announced that the last combat soldier would leave iraq by the end of that year drawing that eight year war to a close our troops will definitely be home for the holidays mr obama said at the white house
less than three years later he told a national television audience that he would send 475 military advisers back to iraq to help in the battle against the islamic state the brutal terrorist group that swept into the security vacuum left by the absent americans by last month more than 5000 american troops were in iraq
a furious firefight this month between islamic state fighters and navy seals in northern iraq in which special warfare operator first class charles keating iv became the third american to die since the campaign against the islamic state began harked back to the bloodiest days of the iraq war it also made the administrations argument that the americans were only advising and assisting iraqi forces seem ever less plausible
afghanistan followed a similar cycle of hope and disappointment in may 2014 mr obama announced that the united states would withdraw the last combat soldier from the country by the end of 2016
americans have learned that its harder to end wars than it is to begin them the president said in the rose garden yet this is how wars end in the 21st century
seventeen months later mr obama halted the withdrawal telling americans that he planned to leave more than 5000 troops in afghanistan until early 2017 the end of his presidency by then the taliban controlled more territory in the country than at any time since 2001
taliban fighters even briefly conquered the northern city of kunduz in the bitter battle for control an american warplane mistakenly fired its missiles into a doctors without borders hospital killing 42 people and prompting accusations that the united states had committed a war crime
critics of mr obama have long said his clinical approach to wars weakened the ability of the nation to fight them he hasnt tried to mobilize the country dr cohen said he hasnt even tried to explain to the country what the stakes are why these wars have gone the way they have
mr bush was also criticized for failing to ask the american people to make any sacrifices during the iraq war but dr cohen said for all his faults with bush there was this visceral desire to win
vincent degeorge a researcher at carnegie mellon university who collected the data on presidents at war said mr obamas tone mattered less than the decisions he made does the rhetoric a president uses at home matter to the soldiers who come back wounded or get caught in the crossfire he asked in an interview
mr degeorge acknowledged the complications in measuring mr obamas wars the american led phase of the afghanistan war for example ended formally in december 2014 though thousands of troops remain there for his analysis he considered a state of war to exist when less than a month passed between either american casualties or an american airstrike
more so than mr bush or president bill clinton mr obama has fought a multifront war against militants officials at the pentagon referred to the situation as the new normal but for those who worked in the obama administration it made for an unrelenting experience
as the middle east coordinator i certainly felt like it was a wartime pace said philip h gordon who worked in the white house from 2013 to 2015
still mr gordon and other former officials drew a distinction between the wars of the 21st century and those of the 20th century for one congress has not specifically authorized any of mr obamas military campaigns let alone issued a declaration of war   something that it has not done since world war ii
war doesnt exist anymore in our official vocabulary mr gordon said
it is not clear that mr obamas successor will take the same approach the front runner for the democratic presidential nomination hillary clinton has been more receptive to conventional military engagements than mr obama the presumptive republican nominee donald j trump has pledged to bomb the islamic state into oblivion though he has sent contradictory messages about his willingness to dispatch american ground troops into foreign conflicts
military historians said presidents would probably continue to shrink or stretch the definition of war to suit their political purposes
neither clinton nor obama identified themselves as war presidents but bush did said richard h kohn professor emeritus of history and peace war and defense at the university of north carolina at chapel hill
war goes back in human experience thousands of years he said we know that it has an enormous variation of definitions


president obama inherited two wars from his predecessor george w bush and has struggled to wind them down american troops are still in both iraq and afghanistan but their missions have changed and there are far fewer troops in combat than at the heights of those wars a decade ago
didnt mr obama declare an end to the wars in iraq and afghanistan
yes mr obama declared an end to the combat mission in iraq in 2010 and the one in afghanistan in 2014 but we still have thousands of troops in both countries
why are the troops still there
mr obama sent american forces back to iraq in 2014 after the islamic state seized wide stretches of territory there and was threatening to take baghdad in 2015 mr obama saying he continued to oppose the idea of an endless war said he would keep thousands of troops in afghanistan to continue to target remnants of al qaeda and to help afghan forces defeat the taliban
how many troops do we have in each country
the pentagon will not say exactly military officials say there are roughly 5000 troops in iraq and 11000 in afghanistan at the heights of those conflicts a decade ago the united states had more than 150000 troops in iraq and 100000 in afghanistan
wait why dont we know exactly how many troops are in each country
the pentagon says that for force protection reasons it cannot say how many service members there are in the theater mr obama has set a cap of 4087 troops for iraq and 9800 in afghanistan the pentagon can exceed the caps because it uses an accounting system that exempts many groups from being counted including troops that commanders plan on having in the country for less than four months
what is the mission of those troops
most of them are dedicated to what is called train advise and assist in pentagon jargon in laymans terms that means helping the iraqis and afghans beat back their enemies without actually sending americans out to do a lot of the fighting as the united states did a decade ago the other mission is a counterterrorism one in which american troops and airmen take direct action against islamic state and qaeda militants
so what does that mean our troops are doing on a day to day basis
in both countries air force jets conduct strikes on militants safe houses ammunition depots and training camps on the ground commandos launch raids to kill and capture militants military advisers train local commanders and soldiers at times fight alongside the local forces
does that mean the troops are in combat
the white house does semantic cartwheels to say neither mission is combat in 2014 when mr obama first sent troops back into iraq he was unequivocal in his description of their mission i want the american people to understand how this effort will be different from the wars in iraq and afghanistan he said it will not involve american combat troops fighting on foreign soil the white house has stuck to the notion that the troops are not in combat pentagon officials roll their eyes at such denial and senior officials   including the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff   have publicly called it combat
how has mr obama changed the united states role in iraq
at the end of 2011 mr obama   who had campaigned on ending the war in iraq   decided to pull out the 50000 troops we still had in the country and declared an end to our mission there after the islamic state took substantial territory in iraq in 2014 mr obama sent several hundred advisers back to iraq to determine the strength of the iraqi military and how the united states could help it combat the islamic state by the end of that year he had increased the united states involvement and roughly 1550 troops were in the country in 2015 the number climbed to 3000 and this year mr obama increased it to over 4000
when are the troops going to return home
military commanders say more troops are likely to be sent into iraq in support of iraqi forces preparing to try to retake mosul the troops in afghanistan were initially supposed to return home by 2017 but the taliban have had a significant resurgence and the troops are likely to remain there through next spring if not longer according to the website icasualtiesorg six american service members have died in iraq this year and three in afghanistan in the past decade and a half 4501 americans have died in iraq and 2381 in afghanistan


tara zoumer thought she had found her dream job when she was hired at wework a 16 billion start up that rents office space to young entrepreneurs the walls were adorned with pop art neon light fixtures encouraged employees to hustle harder and there was beer on tap
it was like walking onto a set of a movie ms zoumer said
but shortly after she became an associate community manager in weworks office in berkeley calif reality set in ms zoumer said she was feeling pinched because her annual salary was only 42000 a sum that on some weeks left her without money to ride the subway
she said she thought many of her duties   leading tours for prospective tenants tidying up answering phones and changing the kegs   were more suited to an hourly wage with a possibility for overtime
ms zoumer tried to enlist colleagues to file what she hoped would be a class action lawsuit to fight for overtime pay but the company had instituted a policy that could force employees to ultimately resolve disputes through arbitration instead of the courts which essentially shut down ms zoumers lawsuit since arbitration bars individuals from joining in a class action
when ms zoumer refused to sign the new policy she was fired
as once plucky start ups like wework grow   the companys work force has swelled to 1500 from 300 a year ago   they are taking a page from the playbook of big corporations which are increasingly using arbitration to thwart employees from bringing any meaningful legal challenge in court an investigation by the new york times found last fall
uber and lyft the ride hailing services make their drivers sign an arbitration clause square the mobile payment processor also requires that employees agree to bring disputes to arbitration in advice to start ups brotman law a tax firm in san diego promotes the benefits of arbitration for companies doing business over the internet emphasizing that it can save significant costs
amazon and google also use arbitration to resolve disputes with customers
far from burying its arbitration clause in its employment contracts wework is proud of its policy the companys top executives said they thought that by adopting an arbitration clause as part of a broader dispute resolution program they were staying true to their principles which prize all levels of employees as members of a single community wework says its employees are eligible for bonuses and equity in the company in addition to their salaries
we want to show the world that this works jennifer berrent weworks general counsel and chief culture officer a recently created position said of the dispute resolution program
for start ups   many of which began in silicon valley   the clauses can seem to conflict with professed goals of upending business as usual and being open with employees arbitration by its very nature is a secretive process that is often lopsided in favor of the employer that secrecy federal labor officials said can allow widespread problems to persist because the process bars employees from sharing their experiences with others who might be in similar positions
they give their young workers ping pong tables and take away their constitutional rights said cliff palefsky an employment and civil rights lawyer in san francisco
this month the consumer financial protection bureau proposed a rule that would limit financial companies from using arbitration to prevent their customers from filing class action lawsuits but the rule does not apply to arbitration used in employment disputes
as silicon valley companies grow from small start ups into major employers their labor practices are coming into focus despite the popular image that the industry is predominantly made up of nerdy millionaires many of these growing companies depend increasingly on lower paid employees
and with some technology companies now working harder to raise money there are growing pressures on these companies from investors to cut costs   pressures that can fall disproportionately on the workers at the lower rungs
at wework ms berrent said arbitration is part of a multistep process to resolve disputes the company adopted the policy after months of discussion about how to deal most fairly with complaints
at the outset of the process wework requires employees to raise any complaints with their managers if that does not work the employee and wework must try mediation only if that fails does the issue go before an arbitrator whose decision is binding
ms berrent said this process was in keeping with the companys values settling problems through open collaboration rather than the courts she confirmed that ms zoumer was fired for not signing the arbitration clause
she said the employees who hold the job that ms zoumer used to have were the soul of the company and its brand ambassadors she said they performed tasks that were far from menial and were not suited to an hourly wage
ms berrent also notes that while lawsuits are both costly for the employee and confrontational the company pays for arbitration no matter who wins
unprotected by an arbitration clause companies can face litigation that could result in huge settlements the drug company novartis paid 175 million to settle a class action suit brought by female employees over promotions and pay and more than money can be at stake nike had to overhaul its business practices after african american employees sued over discrimination
at large corporations many employees have come to expect the clauses as standard but those working at smaller firms that claimed to treat their employees like family tend to be surprised when they collide with one
when kevin ziober a navy reservist in costa mesa calif first joined blb resources which manages foreclosed properties the company was just beginning mr ziober was the 18th person hired
mr ziober had already been at the company for several months when he was asked to sign the arbitration policy in january 2011 he did so without a second thought
it was a decision he would regret in the fall of 2012 he informed blb resources that he was being deployed to afghanistan on his last day the company threw him a farewell party complete with a cake shaped like an american flag
i was on cloud 9 mr ziober said recalling how he phoned his family to tell them about the party
that afternoon as mr ziober said he was packing up his cubicle he was called into the human resources office and was summarily fired according to his legal appeal
the reason for his termination the company said was that he was not being included in a federal contract that the company was applying for
in a statement blb said the decision not to include mr ziober in the contract occurred months before he informed the company that he was being deployed the statement added that blb had offered to allow mr ziober to work on the remainder of his existing contract if he returned in time from his deployment
in 2014 after returning from afghanistan he sued blb resources for violating a federal law known informally as userra that protects the jobs of service members while they are deployed a california judge ruled that he would have to take his claim to arbitration
mr ziobers lawyer peter romer friedman has appealed the case arguing that userra preserves the rights of service members to go to court
blb said in a statement that the company is extremely disappointed about mr ziobers allegations and denies them wholeheartedly
with their appeal mr ziober has waded into an intense battle playing out across the country in washington a group of bipartisan lawmakers introduced a bill in 2014 that would exempt service members from having to take claims of wrongful auto repossession or improper debt collection to arbitration an almost identical bill was quashed after intense lobbying by big banks and credit card companies never making it out of committee a bill in california that would have prevented companies from requiring employees to sign arbitration clauses suffered a similar fate when gov jerry brown vetoed it last year
the legislative skirmishes point to just how valuable arbitration has become to companies and just how far they will go to defend it
despite weworks arbitration requirement ms zoumer decided to sue the company on her own hoping she would prevail in overturning the clause ms zoumers lawyer ramsey hanafi filed her case in december over wrongful termination and unfair labor practices and boies schiller  flexner a top corporate defense firm is representing wework
ms zoumer 31 said she knew she was taking a risk when she challenged wework over arbitration she told the company she needed at least a week to review the policy before deciding whether to sign it in an email to colleagues she encouraged them to do the same citing the timess investigation into arbitration
ms berrent said ms zoumer was the only employee who refused to sign other than two employees who had planned to leave the company anyway ultimately no other employees joined ms zoumers lawsuit
younger people dont want to pick fights but we are losing our rights ms zoumer said


ingolstadt germany   a pair of bavarian dukes came to this pretty town on the danube river 500 years ago and laid down what germans claim as their source of beer brewing prowess the purity law
only hops water and barley should go into beer decreed the dukes wheat above all should be spared for real bread for the hungry people
half a millennium later of course there have been adjustments   yeast for instance has been permitted since the 17th century but germans nothing if not careful conservers still revere their purity law or reinheitsgebot and insist it is the way to make beer even though it is flexible when germans want it to be
it is the oldest law still in force anywhere in the world regulating a consumed product said gerd treffer a local tourism chief and historian and of course a great marketing argument for german traditions
but even as germans celebrate the anniversary of the purity law with dozens of events planned throughout the year among them an art show themed around the beer gut not everyone is so enthusiastic about it
alexander grau a columnist for the political and cultural monthly cicero argued for scrapping it far from protecting consumers it is a marketing ploy a fetish which germans cling to like the pope to his creed mr grau wrote more than that others argue it has stifled invention and imagination
one man who certainly hopes that germans are ready for a change   as real ales craft beers and other variants have boomed elsewhere around the world   is greg koch 52 who opened stone brewing in san diego county calif in 1996 and now plans to distribute his craft beers brewed in berlin around europe
what does the reinheitsgebot mean to mr koch apart from a long and difficult to spell word   and i actually do know how to spell it   it was a taxation law he argued forget all those centuries of tradition
i bet almost no average beer drinker would be able to tell you that it only showed up on a german beer label for the first time in the 1950s and it was only used as a marketing term in the 20th century he said
it also means that even though he will be brewing his craft beers in germany he will not be calling them german beers
still mr koch says he has invested 25 million in the belief that germans will appreciate a break from what he calls industrial food and drink and seek the kind of variety that has developed in california any day now his brewery beer garden and slow food restaurant will open in full in a renovated 1901 red brick building at an old gasworks in southern berlin
there is something beyond the so called corporate tv beers he said before showing off his location recently he wants berliners to see that cheap is not perhaps an actual ideal and have them embrace the idea of beer as artistry an artisan product not an industrial product
disregarding advice that his location is too far from other parts of berlin to become popular mr koch has espoused experimentation over german caution if you build it they will come he said
but when it comes to beer in germany others have already built   that is a formidable reputation which they proudly defend
it is a valuable brand for germany which we must keep said josef pfaller 50 the production chief at herrnbrau part of which dates back to 1471 and is one of 30 breweries in this town of 140000 there are few things that enjoy more consumer confidence than beer
indeed the 81 million germans knock back more of the brew per person than people in any other nation except the neighboring czechs
germany has about 1250 breweries   about half of them in bavaria where president obama swilled a morning glass nonalcoholic we were told with chancellor angela merkel at the g 7 summit meeting last summer and has lamented not yet visiting oktoberfest
but even in bavaria as mr pfaller said during a three hour tour of his brewery and just a few sips of his fruity jubilee beer the world does not stand still
of course things have changed since the 16th century said mr pfaller who was born about 30 miles from here learned brewing on the job for three years and then got a university degree in essentially making managing and marketing beer
he now helps oversee a staff of about 80 and machines both ancient and modern   the old brewing vats that came to this 1974 plant when herrnbrau moved from the center of the old town state of the art american equipment and noisy german conveyors that marshal clean and fill 27000 bottles each eight hour working day
this mix of tradition and modernity is typical of germanys mittelstand the medium size companies that are the backbone of the countrys economic success
just as german engineers strive for the better widget blending their craftsmanship with 21st century technology so mr pfallers business is always monitoring shifting tastes and demands
when herrnbrau noticed for instance that younger beer drinkers around 18 on its tours preferred milder beers than drinkers of 40 they came up with a new brew panther weissbier using the formerly banned wheat
we adjust within the purity law mr pfaller said with a smile many details can make the difference to a beer   especially the water which in his case comes from a spring 250 meters below ground and is he said believed to be 8000 years old
even with the purity law purity is a relative thing a research group the environmental institute of munich caused a stir in february when it tested 14 of germanys best selling beers and found traces of glyphosate a pesticide suspected of causing cancer in all of them
so much for consumer protection concluded sophia guttenberger the biologist who oversaw the testing which she said had been timed more for a coming european decision on whether to ban glyphosate than the 500th anniversary of the purity law
but it is just that kind of concern that spawned the law centuries ago
mr treffer the tourism chief proudly lauds a historical exhibit that shows the fortunes and population of ingolstadt rising and falling with the vicissitudes of history
ingolstadt   better known today for audi cars   was for centuries home to a university opened in 1472 and the oldest seminary outside rome he noted
back then both students and peasants needed protection from the substances then being thrown into beer so in 1516 the dukes also acted to keep highly intoxicating substances from the people mr treffer said
oh and just maybe to preserve power   for those who drank too much could not work mr treffer said and those who did not work could not be controlled


the seats had mostly emptied late tuesday but some fans could not bring themselves to leave yankee stadium their mad dash to the subway had come to a halt and they congregated four and five deep along the field level concourse
what kept them anchored was the man standing on the pitchers mound aroldis chapman
chapman the newest yankee who became eligible monday after serving a 30 game domestic violence suspension has brought a buzz to the late innings at the often somnolent stadium with a fastball that rides steadily at 100 miles an hour
when chapman enters through the bullpen gate he is accompanied by a beat thumping music medley and a montage of flaming scoreboard graphics which awaken the crowd as would one of his fastballs under the chin
even though yankee stadium is empty its like theres life back in it elan wilkenfeld said tuesday as he stood in the right field corner with his friend ross rubin watching chapman work the final inning of a 10 7 yankees victory
for a team that has been competitive but not dynamic   and devoid of much personality   in recent seasons chapman may be the yankees most captivating presence as they try to crawl out of last place in the american league east
but because he is a closer   used almost exclusively when the yankees have a lead but not too large a lead   it is uncertain each night if chapman will appear
on thursday night gregg fein who was seated in the right field bleachers peered down into the bullpen with his two young sons to watch chapman warm up while the yankees extended their lead with two late runs on the way to a 7 3 victory
im kind of torn fein said if we score a bunch of runs here chapman wont come into the game
indeed with a comfortable margin the yankees saved him for another day
the yankees have a rich tradition of closers from sparky lyle and goose gossage to mariano rivera and since riveras retirement david robertson and andrew miller who was the american league reliever of the year last season but was moved out of the closers role to make way for chapman
but chapman is unlike them in one respect nobody in baseball throws harder
chapman whose fastball was once clocked at 105 mph while he was pitching for cincinnati threw the 77 fastest pitches in baseball last season according to statcast pitch tracking data so when chapman comes in to pitch there is a curiosity in observing him do something no one else can do akin to watching stephen curry shoot basketballs
when chapman entered on saturday to close out the yankees 2 1 win over the chicago white sox the crowd greeted him with its loudest cheers of the day the fans roared when he struck out todd frazier with a 101 mph fastball to end a tense eight pitch at bat and roared again when he whiffed pinch hitter jerry sands the entire crowd rose to its feet when he got two strikes on brett lawrie who flied out to end the game
chapman combined with miller and dellin betances to strike out eight of the last 11 white sox batters
what did max scherzer say the other day strikeouts are sexy miller said referring to the washington pitcher who tied a major league record on wednesday by striking out 20 batters in a nine inning game strikeouts are fun the fans like them
it is not just fans who rubberneck toward the scoreboard after each pitch checking for a velocity reading betances chapmans fellow reliever whose fastball is regularly around 98 mph was giddy about watching chapman warm up for his debut on monday he said there was wagering over how fast chapman would throw
even manager joe girardi typically impervious to such frivolousness acknowledged that he was acting like a fan checking the scoreboard for chapmans velocity
his stuff is electric and its exciting and i think people like that girardi said i think players are curious on our side too its not something you see every day three digits on the board
chapman said there were no radar gun readings on scoreboards in cuba but they have been staples at major league ballparks since he arrived in 2010
some stadiums its easier than others to see the velocity he said through an interpreter once in a while you might take a peek but my job is to focus on the pitch and hit the target
chapman has not been infallible in his three appearances on monday royals pinch hitter paulo orlando ripped a double off him and later scored although his hit came on a 90 mph slider which may have prompted chapman to throw nothing but fastballs in the 21 pitches he delivered the next night he has struck out three of the nine batters he has faced
but at bats against him are hardly considered comfortable
chapman shattered cheslor cuthberts bat with a 102 mph fastball on tuesday
you just dont want to make it ugly orlando said his fastball is straight and you can recognize it but dont have much time
when chapman prepares to pitch he settles into a familiar routine he loosens up using surgical tubing to do arm circles and then plays catch with a weighted ball before stepping onto the rubber to begin his warm up pitches
charged with corralling them is roman rodriguez a former minor league infielder who is the yankees longtime bullpen catcher unlike miller and betances who can throw fastballs in the upper 90s chapman does not slowly build up he is throwing hard with his first pitch
its uncomfortable said rodriguez who wears a mask and shin guards if i dont catch it its going to hurt my body you have to concentrate it doesnt look good if the bullpen catcher goes on the disabled list
rodriguez as he does with all the other pitchers draws a small circle in the dirt where any bounced pitch lands he did so with several of chapmans on tuesday one did not bounce but sailed past rodriguez hitting a padded wall behind him with a thump that reverberated it was enough for one man with his young son to back away from the protective fencing behind rodriguez
when chapman begins to throw in the bullpen fans seated nearby rise to watch many taking out their phones to record an intimate view of his fastball they can also hear it pop in rodriguezs mitt
everybody is so anxious to see him said kirby yates a yankees reliever its really cool you can feel the excitement
when the yankees make the final out in the eighth inning the bullpen gate swings open chapman exchanges a fist bump with the bullpen coach mike harkey draws a long swig from a water bottle and walks onto the field once he clears the warning track chapman spits a stream of water onto the grass and jogs to the mound
a closers entrance has turned into a theatrical production in many stadiums for years rivera entered games to the metallica song enter sandman when miller asserted himself as the teams closer last year johnny cashs gods gonna cut you down accompanied him the songs seemed to fit both rivera for his inevitability and miller for his ruthlessness with baseballs second highest strikeout rate last season behind chapmans
chapman enters to the screaming guitars of rage against the machines wake up that segues into the dance happy la gozadera by gente de zona a song featuring marc anthony whose entertainment agency represents chapman the music is accompanied by a video montage of a menacing chapman with smoke and flames surrounding him flames flash on the ribbon board along the facing to the upper deck
asked what he thought of the production chapman smiled
its very nice he said its a lot of fire but i like it
while chapman said he was well versed in tuning out the distractions of the crowd   and the radar reading and the theatrical production   he is aware that he is keeping people in the stadium and bringing them out of their seats
a lot of fans like to see the big number on the board chapman said if i can whenever its possible i like to put on a show for the fans


beijing   fifty years after his father was killed chen shuxiang still wonders what happened to his bloodied corpse he keeps a frayed note from back then that let him make his way through the mayhem of the cultural revolution and pay the student zealots who beat his father to death to have him cremated
he never found his fathers body ever since he has hoped for answers and waited for the students who killed his father to turn up older and contrite and say they were sorry no one has
mr chen is still waiting for a frank reckoning with the legacy of maos cultural revolution and so is china
just before he died my father wasnt even allowed a mouthful of water said mr chen 72 a retired teacher who lives in northwest beijing a few minutes walk from where his father lived its something i dont like to think about even now but also i want to hear from those who did this
why did they pick him out where did his ashes end up
half a century after mao zedong started the cultural revolution his tumultuous drive to enlist ordinary chinese to purge the country of ideological foes many who lived through that time believe its legacy still haunts their country
from its official beginning on may 16 1966 until it fizzled out with maos death in 1976 perhaps a million or more people were killed tens of millions were persecuted the economy stagnated and thousands of historical and cultural monuments were destroyed
the communist party officially condemned the movement in 1981 declaring it responsible for the most severe setback and the heaviest losses suffered by the peoples republic since its founding in 1949
but china has yet to squarely face up to the era the party has lately become even more hostile to scrutiny of mao unwilling to confront touchy questions about his and the partys unbridled power or to dredge up contested memories of a time when perpetrators often became victims themselves
the suppression of memory has blocked the kind of airing out of the episode   much less the assigning of legal culpability   that many who endured it believe could help the country move forward
historians in china often cannot publish research about the cultural revolution textbooks scurry past that time many young people have no idea that their schools were once battlegrounds for the student militants known as red guards this year the government has not held any memorials for the anniversary and has discouraged public mourning
the communist party holds power and this is a dark mark against it said chen bing a student at the time at the school where mr chens father was killed if it publicizes this too much thats like staining its own reputation
many survivors former red guards and historians said the official reticence had permitted a dangerous nostalgia for maos time
they see no risk of a full scale repeat of the cultural revolution president xi jinping has none of maos appetite for upheaval and chinese society is far less rigid and isolated now but many said they worried about a return of the harsh political tactics ideological zealotry and absolutist pronouncements that fed the fury of the red guards maos teenage political shock troops
their fears have grown under mr xi the presidents family suffered grievously during the cultural revolution his father was purged by mao and persecuted by red guards his sister is believed to have been driven to suicide by red guards and mr xi himself drifted around beijing as strife consumed the city
but in a turn that historians still puzzle over as an adult politician mr xi has publicly revered mao and since he took power in 2012 critics have detected traces of mao as he has clamped down on dissent and amassed formidable power
if the ghosts of the cultural revolution are not dispersed and are allowed to grow well slide in the direction of another cultural revolution said bu weihua a former red guard who attended the high school where mr chen was a student and then teacher mr bu became one of chinas most respected historians of the era more dregs of cultural revolution rhetoric methods and doctrines will float up
to many the recent communist party backed denunciations of a retired real estate developer who chided mr xi were reminiscent of cultural revolution style purges others have criticized a recent performance eulogizing mao in the great hall of the people as a disturbing sign
people who didnt experience the cultural revolution know only that many officials were persecuted but they dont know that the numbers of ordinary people who suffered were 10 times a hundred times more yang jisheng a chinese historian who has come under official pressure over his critical studies of the maoist era said in a recent speech in beijing unfortunately nowadays there are some people doing everything in their power to cover up the mistakes of history
the cultural revolution was maos campaign to root out internal enemies who he said had been seduced by capitalism and the revisionist compromises of the soviet union students formed red guard groups to enforce maos will he gave them his blessing and the tumult escalated especially in schools where students condemned teachers and officials
before retiring mr chen was an instructor at the prestigious tsinghua university high school the birthplace of the first red guard group but even as students there moved from tirades against teachers to physical humiliation with witch hats and parades to beatings mr chen thought that his family was safe
his father was solidly working class a barely educated boiler operator whose own father had done the same humble job his mother washed clothes for extra cash mr chen the eldest of seven children had given up hopes of entering a university so that he could help support his siblings he found a job as an instructor at the same high school where he had studied
but on the evening of aug 27 1966 as he turned the corner to his familys home he saw more than a dozen youths in green uniforms with red armbands the favored uniform of red guards mr chen said a neighbor spotted mr chen and waved him away
when he crept back that night the home was a shambles his brothers and sisters were bawling the dumplings his mother had been preparing for dinner were squashed on the walls and floor his parents were missing
the next morning his mother liu wancai stumbled home barely able to talk her clothes torn her face covered in blood
what about dad mr chen asked according to his privately published memoir
he was killed his mother said its true he died beside me
ms liu and her husband had been taken by red guards and he was accused of being a class enemy she told mr chen the family of mr chens father had once owned about three acres of land enough to label the father a landlord anathema to the revolution
the teenage mob threw the couple into the back of a truck and took them to a school where they were beaten with military style leather belts the favorite punishment tool of red guards a jump rope twisted into a whip and shoes with nails jutting out ms liu later said the mob then drove the couple to another school where the beating continued including with iron rods
the father chen yanrong 37 insisted that the landlord label was wrong his family had long given up the property but back then the younger mr chen said the more you denied something the more you were beaten
as he lay in his own blood chen yanrong begged for water the students said no and he stopped breathing soon after
there was some randomness to who was seized upon said guobin yang a professor at the university of pennsylvania and author of a new study the red guard generation and political activism in china the most important thing was really to show that we   the organization   were the real revolutionaries
by later official accounts 1772 people were killed in the tumult across beijing in august and september 1966 there were probably more including suicides and people killed after being expelled from the city
the red guards who took mr chens parents came from one of the citys top schools peking university high school according to his mother as well as later official documents
they were among the first wave of red guards who were usually the offspring of party officials later mao turned on his own political elite and the first wave fell from grace giving way to new rebel red guard factions that then waged bloody battles against other red guard factions
the day after his father was seized mr chen asked red guards from his school to write a note allowing him to go to peking university high school to pay the red guards there for the cremation but at the school gate he heard people say that there had been ruthless beatings there overnight and that two corpses had been taken away
afraid mr chen left without entering or seeing his fathers body he still has the note tucked away in the back of a picture frame
his mother died in 2011 and was never able to identify her attackers the family left space at her grave for her husbands remains should they ever be found
after mao died in 1976 the family received 2500 renminbi equal to about 380 at current exchange rates but a more generous sum back then in compensation for the fathers death peking university high school also gave the family a statement acknowledging that the schools red guards who called themselves the red flag struggle group had killed him
but no one has ever come forward to take responsibility for the death mr chen said
peng xiaomeng a former leader of the red flag group who is now in her late 60s has worked under a different name as an editor for an economic policy journal in beijing reached by telephone she seemed startled to be asked about events 50 years ago but said she did not recall the episode
i really dont know whether it was the red flag group she said i have nothing else to say
mr chen stood by his mothers recollections which were corroborated by official documents
even now these people are all like this all evading responsibility he said his voice choking they say i wasnt at the school i wasnt at the meeting i didnt know 
after 50 years he said they still havent gained any understanding


jennifer rossmann 41 has been a waitress at the delta diner in northwestern wisconsin for 10 years
q did you have a waitressing background when you joined the diner
a no but i did work at a doughnut shop for a year in eugene ore i was also a barista at a coffee shop in duluth minn i worked for a season at a salmon packing factory in larsen bay alaska and i was an assistant manager at a nature of things a chain retail store for nature lovers also in duluth
what has kept you working at the delta diner for 10 years
the owners nina and todd bucher and the whole staff are like family to me our food is authentic diner food but with a creative flair we dont hand out menus each waitress recites whats being served that day to each table we have a no tipping policy instead we increased all menu items by 20 percent allowing for a base adult wage of 15 an hour many making more finally its in the middle of nowhere in the heart of the chequamegon nicolet national forest so you know people who come really want to be here that happy mood is contagious
whats challenging about the job
there are seven or eight of us working the busiest shifts at once in a 720 square foot space a restored 1940s diner which includes seven booths 16 counter stools and the hot grill area so we have to move carefully and in sync with each other todd likes to compare it to a well choreographed well rehearsed dance routine
what would you be doing if you werent a waitress
actually i work three quarter time i have been sculpting for 20 years i work with all sorts of media making figurines and caricatures anything from little birds to wedding cake toppers i call that business js clay i also draw cartoons i am also a volunteer coach in discus and shot put at northwestern high school in maple wis
how do you measure your success
success is how you define it though i would love to make 300000 a year if it messed with my quality of life and happiness i would easily walk away at work its being part of something bigger than me i feed off that energy at home its raising three great kids with my husband tom and owning a home we built on 85 acres near the brule river state forest plus we get to take advantage of all the outdoor recreation in this part of the country these things are priceless to me


on a recent wednesday at lunchtime secretary of labor thomas e perez strolled through the clattering kitchen of the modern the haute eatery at the museum of modern art in new york
as sous chefs finished plates of poached salmon and foie gras for the dining room mr perez quizzed employees on their working conditions and benefits were they adequately compensated did they make enough to save for retirement were they proud to work there
the modern is run by danny meyer whose company union square hospitality group is eliminating tipping and raising wages for employees at its restaurants by and large the employees said they were satisfied its nice having health insurance and a 401k said sean kelly who oversees the moderns cocktail program as a bartender thats unusual
mr perez nodded appreciatively but he wasnt necessarily surprised the visit was part of an unusual effort by the labor secretary to find common ground between his office and the business community
its not an obvious pairing the labor department is charged with improving working conditions and benefits for employees job seekers and retirees that means pressuring companies to raise wages and spend more on perks efforts that can drag on profits when it does single out companies it is usually in the form of the occupational safety and health administration bringing an enforcement action against what it deems an irresponsible employer
but in the waning days of the obama administration mr perez is turning the spotlight on companies he believes exemplify social and environmental responsibility
he is talking about conscious capitalism and inclusive capitalism he is singling out high road employers he is promoting b corps companies that adhere to lofty social and environmental standards in doing so he hopes he can persuade less enlightened corporations to change
the employers who do best are employers who reject these false choices mr perez said its not a zero sum world where you either take care of your workers or you take care of your shareholders you can do good and do well too
darrell m west vice president for governance studies at the brookings institution said mr perez was breaking the mold of the office it is unusual for a labor secretary to be building bridges with the business community he said but it is an atypical era
mr perez is also an atypical cabinet secretary the son of first generation immigrants from the dominican republic he paid his way through brown university by collecting trash and working in the cafeteria he went on to study at harvard law school then worked as a federal prosecutor in the justice departments civil rights division while there he led an interagency task force designed to improve conditions for low wage workers
mr perez has won elected office only once   in 2002 when he took a seat on the montgomery county council in maryland in that role he continued to campaign for vulnerable employees opposing mergers likely to result in job cuts and fighting for better benefits for county workers
in 2007 he was appointed to run the maryland department of labor licensing and regulation where his efforts to help workers continued and in 2009 president obama appointed mr perez assistant attorney general for civil rights where he took on discrimination by police discrimination in schools and onerous voter id laws
since becoming labor secretary in 2013 mr perez has continued to be an advocate for underdogs most recently issuing new rules to protect investors at the same time he has found a surprisingly receptive audience among companies that are taking preliminary steps to improve workers compensation reduce pollution and promote well being after a career trying to move big business with a stick mr perez is now trying carrots
hes the first labor secretary im aware of that has gone beyond this us versus them mentality mr meyer of union square hospitality said hes trying to set an example and hes looking for businesses that are already embracing the very policies he wants to see others embrace
mr perezs courting of chief executives also stems from a recognition that his department alone cant fix the problems bedeviling american workers thorny issues like wage stagnation stingy vacation time shoddy manufacturing and environmental degradation are so complex so entrenched that no one government agency can tackle them not to mention the diminished influence of organized labor
secretary perez recognizes that to address these issues he cant do it with the labor department alone mr west of brookings said he has to encourage business people to step up to the plate
indeed the scope of what mr perez is advocating goes well beyond the limited purview of the labor department and will take much longer than the 250 or so days he has left in office understanding as much mr perez is trying to convince businesses that it is in their self interest to increase wages offer better health care and take better care of the environment
government alone cant fix this he said this is about a generational shift and it is not going to happen in six months
mr perez offers few specifics when describing his vision of an economy that works for all beyond calling for a higher minimum wage he has not identified specific benchmarks companies should meet in order to win his approval instead he speaks generally of reforming corporate culture and allowing managers the freedom to put workers first
theres a myth out there that you have to genuflect at the altar of quarterly earnings he said but its a false choice that you can either be a good fiduciary or promote values such as environmental sustainability
it all sounds good but in truth theres only so much mr perez can do as labor secretary and while he has showered praise on the modern and on start ups like managed by q a cleaning company and uncommongoods which makes jewelry and other items only a few big companies   costco nestle and whole foods market among them   have won his limited endorsement
mr perez has been suggested as a possible vice presidential running mate for hillary clinton he is progressive enough to excite supporters of senator bernie sanders he has latino heritage at the modern he broke into spanish when he met a dominican server and he has a strong record pushing for core democratic values like civil rights
he demurred when asked about joining the ticket i havent had any conversations about it he said im just doing my day job
its a day job intended to help other people with day jobs he wants companies to take better care of their employees even if it costs them in the short term its not a message many ceos want to hear but mr perez believes it is his duty to spread the word
were building a movement he said its undeniably a work in progress but theres a fundamental desire to see capitalism to do something different


beirut lebanon   the lebanese militant group hezbollah declared saturday that mustafa amine badreddine the senior commander who died in syria this past week had been killed in an artillery attack by insurgents whom the group has been fighting for the past four years
hezbollah said in a statement that the killing would increase our determination to continue the fight against these criminal gangs and defeat them blaming takfiri groups a term for islamist extremists that hezbollah broadly applies to insurgents opposed to its ally in syria president bashar al assad
but the declaration raised more questions than it answered as fierce speculation continued about how when where and by whom mr badreddine was killed and what the death reveals about the state of hezbollah and its war effort in syria
a day earlier when hezbollah announced his death lebanese media outlets sympathetic to the group initially blamed israel the groups main enemy for the attack israel is widely believed to have assassinated several senior hezbollah commanders over the past few decades and has carried out a number of airstrikes in syria officially unacknowledged but confirmed by western officials against the group
if israel was not responsible   as numerous israeli analysts have suggested   that would ease the pressure from hezbollahs supporters to retaliate retaliation could risk igniting a war on lebanons southern frontier at a time when the group stretched thin because of its operations in syria cannot easily afford to open a new front
on the other hand if insurgents managed to pull off the assassination of a senior hezbollah figure rather than merely getting off a lucky shot with the usually imprecise attack of an artillery bombardment that could be embarrassing for hezbollah
the group has presented itself as outmatching the insurgents in syria and preventing them from expanding into lebanon such an attack would make hezbollah appear newly and surprisingly vulnerable to insurgent foes who had not demonstrated that degree of operational or intelligence gathering sophistication
if one of their lead figures can be killed in a secure area by one of those groups it would send a signal that they are far weaker than presented said phillip smyth an american analyst who studies hezbollah and other shiite militias fighting in syria
adding to the mystery is that syrian opposition monitoring groups and residents of damascus the capital say there had been no major shelling over the past week near the damascus airport where hezbollah said the attack took place
and no insurgent group has taken responsibility for the attack   surprising given that the array of insurgents from the islamic state to syrian army defectors would presumably be eager to do so despite rivalries and disagreements among them they all view hezbollah as a mortal enemy aiding mr assad in crushing a popular uprising against him
some of mr assads opponents have speculated that mr badreddine may have been killed in khan touman in northern syria according to iranian news outlets a number of iranian fighters and allied militia members including hezbollah members have been killed there in insurgent attacks over the past week
the killing also raises questions about operational security as it expands in syria hezbollah has begun working with many syrian militia members some of whom could be double agents
the attack could also mean that a rebel or jihadist group worked with a foreign intelligence agency to pinpoint and attack mr badreddine said ali rizk a lebanese analyst close to hezbollah
hezbollahs statement said the attack underscored its view of the syrian war as being of a piece with its fight against israel the group sees the insurgents opposed to mr assad and his closest ally hezbollahs patron iran as being allied with the united states israel and saudi arabia


washington   when neetzan zimmerman arrived at the hill as its first director of audience development in january 2015 he found a publication largely unchanged since its heyday as a scrappy weekly for washingtons deal makers
i dont know if struggling is the right word because that would imply they had been trying and they really had not he said recently referring to the papers efforts to compete in a digital ecosystem they did not have any reasons to think they needed to exist in any meaningful way in this world
it has been the job of mr zimmerman a former editor at gawker and whisper the anonymous messaging app to help change that and the challenge is daunting
capitol hill publications like the hill roll call and national journal were for decades a beltway staple strewn across desks on k street and in congress with a captive audience and a strong advertising base they were protected from broader economic forces and less concerned about competition from more nationally focused newspapers
now these publications are scrambling to find their footing in a political landscape that is more competitive and almost unrecognizable from the one they chronicled for decades advertisers have fled in part these publications say because of congressional inaction which has sapped the special interest advertising that once padded their balance sheets
a generation ago ad sales people would sit back and wait for phone calls and probably have opportunities to tell people the book was full david ellis the chief content officer for cq roll call said recently those days are long gone
in addition politico founded in 2007 has been changing the media game in the beltway offering readers fast savvy political reporting in a more digitally native form the old lions of capitol hill were left straining to catch up
the realignment has already led to a profound adjustment by national journal a weekly magazine known for its substance heavy writing on politics and policy in january it suspended its print magazine leaving the free news business and laying off or transferring a large portion of its staff as it reorganized it now relies on about 1000 corporate members paying four to five figures a year for services like hotline a well known election news aggregator live events and access to databases of powerpoint presentation slides and data sets
the move constituted a return to the publications roots said david g bradley whose atlantic media company owns national journal and to a business model that serves as a counterweight to advertising driven publications
the hill and roll call have tacked in the opposite direction in pursuit of a national readership they can sell to potential advertisers
at the hill mr zimmerman the senior director for audience and strategy said his goal is to emulate the attitude and approach of sites like gawker and buzzfeed without distorting what he calls the hills distinct voice he has filled a handful of new positions including a director of emerging platforms who is exploring ways to use snapchat and facebook live to share its content
mr zimmermans digital efforts come as the hills owner the new york media investor jimmy finkelstein is proceeding with ambitious expansion plans
we want to be one of the big sites of america within a year mr finkelstein said in an interview
the hills website had almost 14 million unique visitors in march up 126 percent compared with the previous year according to comscore the traffic measurement firm those kinds of raw numbers have put the site in competition with sites like politico which it managed to surpass for the month of december according to comscore the hills print circulation of about 26000 has remained roughly steady
much of the sites growth can be attributed to social media aggressive aggregation and a premium on breaking news the hills aggregation strategy has prompted critics to brand it as less serious than other competitors
mr zimmerman countered that criticism saying it changes the notion of aggregation if you are furthering a conversation about an issue and giving proper credit to the work of others
to mr finkelstein and bob cusack the editor in chief the strategies are being used to finance a transformation of the once parochial publication into a national player
we dont want just the people who watch c span all the time to read us said mr cusack who assumed the top editorial post in july 2014 our name suggests really only capitol hill what we have become now is more about original content and interviews you should know whats going on in the entire world of politics
that has meant cosmetic tweaks like getting the names of obscure lawmakers out of headlines and framing stories for a larger audience
mr finkelstein declined to discuss the publications finances in detail he said he expects profit to grow this year as the hill undergoes a rapid election year expansion that includes increasing the editorial staff about 25 percent and expanding opinion content just this week the hill announced a rash of new hires including a new publisher johanna derlega formerly of the national journal three new associate editors and reporters to cover political fund raising in hollywood latino issues and transportation
those moves are being watched closely at roll call once known as the campus newspaper of capitol hill mr ellis and the papers new editor melinda henneberger are trying to use techniques like narrative storytelling and human interest to attract a wider audience
i dont want to win the two minute cycle i want to go deeper said ms henneberger a former reporter at several publications including the new york times
so far that work has included documentary video features and on the ground reporting like a news package from flint mich on the water crisis there
the paper has also added significantly to its stable of opinion writers and has invested in a native advertising unit
the evolution has been slower to make an impact on web traffic though which dipped sharply in january february and march compared to the previous year bottoming out well below 500000 unique visitors according to comscore the papers print circulation of about 21000 has been largely unchanged
mr ellis and ms henneberger said they expected a new multimedia heavy website and a print design that made its debut in mid march to help
roll calls strategy has partly been shaped by the financial security it receives through its relationship to cq the subscription supported congressional tracking publication the two publications owned by the economist group merged in 2009
some in the beltway worry that the drive for wider readership has necessitated a kind of betrayal of capitol hill dna put me down as questioning whether they can pull it off said jim manley a democratic strategist and former congressional staff member who described himself as an avid reader of washingtons political press it seems to me that they are moving away from their bread and butter and tying to find new ways to bring in clicks
still as the rules of doing business evolve the capitol hill publications insist that their only choice is whether to learn them
im not nostalgic at all said mr finkelstein whose father helped found the hill in 1994 every media organization is different and you have to figure out how youre going to grow each one i loved the hill when it was just in paper i love it much more now


brasilia   one of brazils longest running spectacles features a dizzying array of characters whose theatrics appear on millions of television sets most nights
the ever changing cast of 594 includes suspects accused of murder and drug trafficking aging former soccer players a judo champion a country music star and a collection of bearded men who have adopted roles as leaders of a womens movement
the cast even includes a clown who goes by the name grumpy
but these are not actors they are the men and women who serve in the national legislature
democracy can be a mystifying rough and tumble affair anywhere but brazils congress has few equals
as the nation endures its worst political upheaval in a generation the lawmakers orchestrating the ouster of president dilma rousseff   who was suspended on thursday and faces an impeachment trial on charges of manipulating the budget   are coming under renewed scrutiny
more than half of the members of congress face legal challenges from cases in auditing court involving public contracts to serious counts like kidnapping or murder according to transparency brazil a corruption monitoring group
the figures under investigation include the president of the senate and the new speaker of the lower house just this month the previous speaker an evangelical christian radio commentator fond of posting biblical verse on twitter was ejected to face trial on charges that he secreted as much as 40 million in bribes into swiss bank accounts
many of the legislatures problems stem from the generous rewards to be found in brazils hydra headed party system an unwieldy collection of dozens of political organizations whose names and agendas often leave brazilians scratching their heads
there is the party of the brazilian woman for instance   a group whose elected members in congress are all men
the electoral process allows many distortions said sued haidar the partys founder and president she sighed acknowledging that many of the men who join have little interest in promoting womens rights
one of those who joined the party senator helio jose da silva lima was accused of sexually abusing a young niece last year though charges were later dropped what would become of us men if there were no women by our side to bring us joy and pleasure he was quoted as saying in the brazilian news media when asked about his decision to join the womens party
the same public fury over endemic corruption and governmental mismanagement that helped drive ms rousseff from power has long been directed at the cabal of politicians most of them white men whose penchant for back room deals and self enrichment has become part of brazilian lore
the reputation of the political class in brazil really cant go any lower said timothy j power a professor of brazilian studies at oxford university
people compare the legislature to the house of cards he said referring to the netflix political drama but i disagree house of cards is actually more believable
with 28 parties holding seats the brazilian congress is the worlds most fractured according to mr power the runner up indonesias legislature has a third fewer parties
brazil is not an outlier its a freak said gregory michener the director of the public transparency program at fundacao getulio vargas a university in rio de janeiro
the parties tend to use words like democratic christian and republican in their names though labor has them all beat among them are the labor party of brazil the christian labor party the brazilian labor renewal party and the national labor party for the sake of variety there are also the workers cause party and ms rousseffs once dominant workers party
the entire system is a monster said juremir machado da silva a columnist at correio do povo a newspaper in the southern city of porto alegre
polling has shown that more than 70 percent of brazilians cannot recall what parties the candidates they elect belong to and that two thirds of the electorate has no preference for any party
more important experts say is that most of the parties embrace no ideology or agenda and are simply vehicles for patronage and graft in a typical four year term one in three federal legislators will switch parties some more than once according to a tally by marcus andre melo a political scientist at the federal university of pernambuco
brazilian lawmakers are among the worlds highest paid scholars say with generous stipends that go well beyond their monthly salaries they also receive free housing health care and large staffs and enjoy special immunity from prosecution only the overworked supreme court can try them on criminal charges a process that can take years
the only thing thats better than being a political party in brazil is to be a church said heni ozi cukier a political scientist at the university espm in sao paulo theyre opportunists who are looking for something that gives them power influence protection
forming a party requires collecting 500000 signatures mr cukier said 62 parties were seeking official recognition including one named after a soccer team
although brazils president leads one of the worlds largest countries he or she must forge coalitions with up to a dozen parties to get legislation passed in congress the price of loyalty is often a ministerial post or three depending on how many votes the party can deliver
in some instances cooperation involves the illicit exchange of cash in 2005 a scandal known as mensalao or big monthly payment revealed the pervasiveness of such arrangements to win votes in congress the party of president luiz inacio lula da silva ms rousseffs mentor and the standard bearer of the workers party had been paying compliant lawmakers a monthly stipend of 12000
the most recent graft scandal   known as operacao lava jato or operation car wash   has proved even bigger with billions of dollars in bribes directed to political parties from the national oil company petrobras more than 200 people from business tycoons to party leaders have been implicated in the scandal and their numbers are expected to grow
public fury over the scheme played a pivotal role in the ouster of ms rousseff who was chairwoman of petrobras when the kickback arrangement was hatched though she has not been accused of any wrongdoing in her impeachment trial she is accused of a budgetary sleight of hand in an effort to conceal brazils economic troubles and win re election in 2014   not of stealing to enrich herself
the need to form alliances of convenience in congress can lead to legislative chaos especially when disgruntled partners bolt from the presidents coalition ms rousseff who once enjoyed a wide majority in the lower house was ultimately knocked aside by the houses now deposed speaker eduardo cunha a onetime ally who faces a graft trial
mr cunhas party the brazilian democratic movement party called the pmdb has become a particular source of outrage in brazil critics say the party founded five decades ago as an opposition party but tolerated by the nations military dictatorship has become a vast patronage trough for its members who embrace a wide spectrum of ideologies
the partys ace is its size which means that presidents have to enter into a partnership that involves doling out coveted cabinet posts ms rousseff chose michel temer of the pmdb to be her vice president this year he turned against her and withdrew his party from her coalition paving the way for ms rousseffs impeachment trial mr temer who has been convicted of violating campaign finance limits is now the nations president
political reform can be challenging given that legislators must approve undoing the system that protects them there have been some changes including a recent law that bars candidates with criminal records from running for office for eight years and a campaign finance law scheduled to take effect this year that limits the influence of corporate money
the crush of brazilian parties tends to favor celebrity candidates whose name recognition helps vault them to the top of the ballot heap during elections the most curious example is tiririca the clown whose stage name translates as grumpy
in 2010 he ran for the lower house on a lark with the slogan it cant get any worse and his campaign literature included this tagline what does a congressman do the truth is i dont know but vote for me and ill tell you
he prevailed with more than 13 million votes   nearly twice as many as the next candidate
in an interview tiririca   whose real name is francisco everardo oliveira silva though deputy tiririca is the name on the house website   said he was often disappointed by the disarray in congress
at first it was a joke he said of his candidacy so i decided that if so many people believe in me i would have to give it my best and thats what im doing


coxs bazar bangladesh   a buddhist monk was found hacked to death in his temple on saturday in a remote region of southeastern bangladesh the killing appeared to bear some similarities to recent attacks claimed by islamist extremists but the police said it was too soon to determine whether it was another such murder
the monk mong shwe u chak 75 was found dead on the floor of the temple at 7 am by his daughter in law said mizanur rahman the police superintendent in the bandarban district where the temple is
the monks neck had apparently been slashed with a machete given the depth of one of the cuts mr rahman said three sets of footprints suggested that there had been at least three attackers he said
mr rahman said the police were investigating the possibility that islamist militants had killed the monk over the past two years similar killings have taken place targeting intellectuals activists secularist bloggers and members of religious minorities in bangladesh many of the attacks were carried out by groups of men using machetes
some of the killings have been claimed by the islamic state or a branch of al qaeda though the government has denied that foreign militants have a presence in the country
no group was known to have claimed responsibility for the monks killing on saturday
mr rahman said the police were also investigating whether mr mong shwe u chak had any personal rivalries with anyone in the community or within his family


dangerous dust
my building is being repointed and seven of the 11 windows in my apartment are on walls undergoing work for the last six weeks or so i have been experiencing tightness in my chest some wheezing and a deep cough otherwise i am not ill have respiratory problems among apartment dwellers ever been linked to this type of masonry work
gramercy manhattan
some days it seems like the dust is inescapable   another indignity new yorkers endure during this era of rampant construction the dust is everywhere its in the hallways its in the windows said samuel j himmelstein a manhattan lawyer who represents tenants there could be different kinds of irritants in that dust
pointing involves grinding mortar joints to remove the damaged mortar then new mortar is installed the grinding can generate mineral dust fine enough for you to inhale which could inflame your airways said edward olmsted the president of olmsted environmental services an industrial hygienist if waterproofing materials were inserted behind the brick chemical vapors could seep into your apartment irritating your respiratory system and causing headaches and sinus problems
if you and your neighbors inhale silica particles found in the dust you could experience short term and even long term respiratory problems said e neil schachter the maurice hexter professor of pulmonary medicine at the icahn school of medicine at mount sinai
an otherwise healthy person may experience coughing shortness of breath and mucus the dust could also exacerbate underlying health conditions like allergies asthma or cardiovascular disease requiring treatment that could outlast the pointing work and if water seeps into cracks in the brick and infiltrates the building bacteria and mold could grow leading to chronic allergic conditions dr schachter said
pointing work can be done safely but you need to compel your landlord to act a lone complaint from one disgruntled tenant will probably be ignored so enlist your neighbors particularly those whose windows face the work if they are reluctant to join the fight educate them about the health risks they face as a group hire an expert to inspect the work
its one thing to say that youre having these symptoms its another thing to send it to a lab to have it tested mr himmelstein said referring to the air sample such an expert would take
once youre armed with that information insist that the landlord make safety improvements the pointing work might be necessary but that is no excuse for jeopardizing your health

the supers access
my buildings superintendent enters my apartment without notice sometimes with a crew claiming there is an emergency although the emergencies are unclear to me he takes pictures in my apartment and makes outlandish claims about his political ties our co op has a policy about signing keys in and out with the doorman but the super does not follow protocol i worry about what happens when i am not home i am spooked and feel as if my privacy is being violated what can i do
tudor city manhattan
no one not even the super can waltz into your apartment without permission management should enter only if there is a genuine emergency like a fire said ron kaplan a manhattan real estate lawyer
a real emergency should go something like this they know for sure that they or the police or the fire department should be going in mr kaplan said no questions asked   no time to ask   no time to call attorneys accountants or priests
in the absence of such a dramatic episode the super is trespassing which violates the proprietary lease and the law and the doorman is aiding and abetting him by handing out your keys mr kaplan said
as for the photography no one should take pictures inside your apartment without your permission is he posting them somewhere asked maureen curtis the vice president of criminal justice and court programs at safe horizon a victims advocacy agency if he is posting them online without your permission and continues to do so after you have told him to stop that could amount to stalking an often unpredictable crime but one that you can report to the police it can be one of the most dangerous crimes ms curtis said its also one of the most underreported threatening statements might also be criminal
at the very least report these actions in writing to the co op board and the managing agent and demand that the board take steps to reprimand the super and the doorman and ensure your safety
you may also want to file a criminal complaint against the super a crime victims advocate could help you to understand your rights and options develop a plan to protect yourself and navigate the criminal justice system if it comes to that

mysterious landlord
a limited liability company owns my market rate apartment my lease recently came up for renewal and i would like to renegotiate the terms with the landlord the people who work in the management office refer to him simply as he when i ask for a name they say that information is not available and hang up how can i find out his name and contact information
morningside heights manhattan
with a little digging you could probably figure out who owns your building the department of housing preservation and development has a building information portal where multifamily buildings are registered type in your address and you will find information about the property owner this will provide you with the name of an individual and the address for your buildings registered managing agent said kevin r mcconnell a manhattan real estate lawyer
you could also find deed tax and mortgage documents for your building on the automated city register information system or acris website some of these documents may contain an owners name mr mcconnell said
but while finding a name might satisfy your curiosity it will not help you achieve your goal of negotiating the terms of your new lease
for that continue to work with the management company which the landlord hired to speak on his behalf a tenant must assume that the lease renewal terms accurately reflect the landlords position said andrew jon wagner a manhattan real estate lawyer you would be taking a big risk if you cold called your landlord as he has obviously made a great effort to remain anonymous
one angry phone call from him to your property manager and you may not get offered a new lease at all when the current one expires


each saturday farhad manjoo and mike isaac technology reporters at the new york times review the weeks news offering analysis and maybe a joke or two about the most important developments in the tech industry
farhad howdy mike whats going on im in the middle of an arduous and expensive project to make all the lighting in my house smart for instance i can now say alexa turn off the living room lights and eight times out of 10 the lights go off isnt that amazing as you can imagine my family loves me
mike this sounds like when i kept trying to make the clapper work on our lamps when i was a little kid eight times out of 10 it ended up with me giving myself a round of applause in a dark living room
farhad ok so tech news there was a storm this week over whether facebook has a political bias some of the journalists who used to edit facebooks trending news box told gizmodo that it was common to suppress conservative points of view on the site facebook denied the allegation and said it had strong policies to prevent bias but lots of people   including yours truly   worried about the larger danger of facebooks influence over the news
mike part of me thinks that facebook should impose its will in that trending box even more than it already does have you ever looked at that thing eight times out of 10 the most discussed thing on facebook concerns celebrity genitals i fear for the future
farhad whoa i really should check it out also instagram changed its icon and its overall design and lots of people   including yours truly   completely freaked out
mike it reminds me of the saved by the bell color palette im sure most of the designers who work there were children of the 90s
farhad a lot of bad things happened to tech companies this week poor them lendingclubs chief executive resigned over financial shenanigans theranoss chief operating officer resigned over regulatory shortcomings former staffers at ubeam a start up thats trying to beam electricity wirelessly claimed that the companys tech didnt work and that its founders were instead engaged in marketing shenanigans
mike what does shenanigans mean anyway it sounds like an irish version of tgifridays
farhad also buzzfeed reported that palantir the secretive data mining company beloved by government snoops has had some trouble keeping some of its customers and staff members but joe lonsdale a co founder of palantir argued that the press was just doing what the press always does   trying to bring good people down
mike to be fair to mr lonsdale if i were hyperrich id wonder why journalists didnt only focus on the wonderful things the tech community does too look at all the cheerleading the press did for theranos er you know before they imploded
farhad but anyway speaking of shenanigans lets talk about car sharing companies uber and lyft left austin in a huff this week after the city insisted that the companies start performing background checks that included fingerprints meanwhile in new york uber signed a deal with the international association of machinists and aerospace workers union to create a unionlike association for its drivers this follows an agreement to create a unionlike structure in california too
i dont get this on the one hand the companies are playing nice and on the other theyre playing hardball why are they so dead set against fingerprinting and why are they bending on unionization
mike my read on the fingerprint thing at least in austin is to fight against setting precedent not to toot my own horn here too much but i brought up ubers fingerprint background checks in a front page piece back in 2014 and it has been a giant publicity thorn in their side ever since
farhad im pretty sure that what you just did is the definition of tooting your own horn
mike the thing with fingerprint background checks is they take time much more time than the three day third party services that uber and lyft and other ride hailing companies currently use to bring drivers on board and when you have a high churn rate of new drivers starting and leaving the service all the time   and i mean all the time   the last thing uber wants is to make it more arduous than they believe is necessary to get new people to sign up
my guess is they pulled out of austin to play hardball and pressure the city as well as to avoid setting a precedent that other city or state governments could end up pointing to when the issue comes up again in the future
oh and they ended up settling a lawsuit over the issue to the tune of 25 million ok done tooting
farhad on the other hand this could end up badly for them if a bunch of other cities start following suit fingerprinting your drivers to check their past sounds like a pretty straightforward and reasonable idea to most people id guess it doesnt really sound like a good hill to die on   we cant wait more than three days to let this stranger drive people around my bet within a year theyll cave
mike thats a fun bet and i had a really lively twitter debate last week discussing some of the dynamics of austin and the citys culture and some of the brash tactics uber and lyft used to barge in and plaster the city with fliers and such to try and win the referendum there i guess fighting in austin isnt the same as fighting in new york
the union thing my read again uber just settled the giant class action lawsuit that threatened to derail the companys entire business model it is trying to put as many labor issue headaches as it can behind itself any way it can
as part of that settlement the company agreed to a number of concessions including a more direct line into listening to drivers and giving them certain things as part of recognizing these quasi unions discounts on legal aid insurance what have you
what drivers dont have is the real reason people want to join unions collective bargaining abilities uber and the guild have said that theres nothing being left off the table for discussion but i find it incredibly hard to believe uber would ever ever let drivers negotiate their pay if the company is not forced to do so
so what does uber do start listening to drivers which really is something that any company with a sense of decency or compassion for its workers would have done from the outset lyft according to many drivers i speak to has a much better reputation in this arena that will probably take some heat off ubers back and the unionization issue will be much less pressing for now at least
farhad right it seems like a savvy plan   give our critics a little morsel to satisfy them hope they dont come back for the whole meal i suspect this plan will work too unlike fingerprinting collective bargaining would actually threaten ubers core business model so theyre likely to fight it to death speaking of which i need to go work on my smart home see you next week
mike dont forget   clap on clap off the clapper


harry brignull a user experience consultant in britain who helps websites and apps develop consumer friendly features has a professional bone to pick with sites that seem to maneuver people into signing up for services they might not actually want
he even has a name for the exploitative techniques dark patterns to him these are debased versions of the typical sign up sharing shopping checkout and download processes that are standard practice online
its a term for patterns that are manipulative that you are doing on purpose to get one over on users mr brignull said when i recently called him
a few years ago mr brignull started a site called darkpatternsorg to call attention to the practices
theres the sneak into basket technique where a retailer automatically adds products   like a magazine subscription or travel insurance   to consumers shopping carts and makes it hard for them to remove the unwanted items theres the roach motel or walled garden technique in which sites offer fast and easy sign up processes but make it much more cumbersome for consumers to close accounts
theres also misdirection in which prominent marketing come ons may distract users from seeing check boxes that by default say sign them up for a newsletter or membership spam their contacts or alter their home pages
and then theres scarcity inflation only two hotel rooms left at this price
if its real scarcity thats fine mr brignull says if its fake scarcity thats taking advantage of peoples natural biases its a blurry line
persuasive design is a longstanding practice not just in marketing but in health care and philanthropy countries that nudge their citizens to become organ donors   by requiring them to opt out if they dont want to donate their body parts   have a higher rate of participation than the united states where people can choose to sign up for organ donation when they obtain drivers licenses or id cards
but the same techniques that encourage citizens to do good may also be used to exploit consumers cognitive biases user experience designers and marketers are well aware that many people are so eager to start using a new service or complete a task or are so loath to lose a perceived deal that they will often click one next button after another as if on autopilot   without necessarily understanding the terms they have agreed to along the way
thats when things start to drift into manipulation said katie swindler director of user experience at fcb chicago an ad agency she and mr brignull are part of an informal effort among industry experts trying to make a business case for increased transparency
ms swindler and dennis ellis a user experience strategist at her agency gave a recent talk titled checkbox that ruined my life manipulative design at the south by southwest conference in austin tex they described the reputational and financial risks to online services that employ confusing strategies
among other companies they mentioned linkedin last year the professional network agreed to pay 13 million to settle a class action suit in which plaintiffs accused the company of sending unwanted emails to their contacts
steve johnson linkedins vice president for user experience said the company had worked over the last two years to make it clearer to members how the feature that imports their contacts works and to give them more control over it
we need a way for them to build a network on linkedin quickly and efficiently without tricking them into doing things they dont want to do mr johnson told me
the presentation in austin also cited ryanair a low cost airline with headquarters in ireland which changed its checkout process after customers publicly complained about its practice of automatically adding travel insurance policies with their airfares whereas ryanair once placed the insurance opt out option in a drop down menu of passengers home countries   between denmark and finland   it now simply gives passengers the option of adding insurance
everyone is pushing the envelope all the time ms swindler said that just erodes the relationship between the consumer and the brand
to help companies gauge where their techniques fall along the persuasive to manipulative spectrum chris nodder a user experience consultant in seattle has developed guidelines for ethical conduct systems that nudge people to act in the public interest are charitable he told me while products like fitbit which may help people develop better habits are motivational
if the company benefits more than the consumer i would call it evil design said mr nodder who wrote a book on the topic called evil by design if an approach benefits the company and the customer equally he added you are probably in the realm of commercial design
for instance when ride hailing apps run promotions offering customers free rides to sign up their friends   and the friends get free rides as well   both the company and consumers benefit
and then theres justfab an e commerce start up that runs subscription apparel sites including fableticscom which sells fitness clothing buzzfeed has pilloried the sites practices
last week fabletics was offering a new vip membership exclusive in which it discounts various outfits to 25 when first time shoppers choose clothing and check out the site gives them a pricing choice that highlights the discounted vip membership offer in black and red   while displaying the regular non vip price in gray
but this initial choice page does not inform consumers that the membership involves a 4995 monthly subscription fee for clothing that disclosure comes at the bottom of a subsequent membership page where the site explains that it emails members a personalized selection of clothing on the first of every month
to avoid the 4995 clothing fee members must opt out online by the 5th of each month to cancel their membership they must call customer service
these kinds of subscription continuity plans are legal in the united states if the marketing is truthful and the terms and conditions are prominently displayed
in an email shawn gold a spokesman for justfab said fabletics provided 14 different notices on the site about the subscription model including two points where consumers must actively opt in he added that the company was currently pilot testing an online cancellation option
customers who accidentally sign up for membership are costly to the business mr gold wrote so we do everything we can to avoid that from happening
other online patterns seem more puzzling to me
when im on the desktop computer at the office and finish ordering books on amazoncom for an article im working on for instance i can never find a simple log out button instead i scroll down a column marked hello natasha   your account and then click on an option that reads not natasha sign out but the notion that in order to sign off i have to deny that i am me always gives me pause
its really clever   they want you to do something that is counterintuitive and maybe a little freaky to you mr nodder said theres an element of maybe i just wont sign out this time
i subsequently ordered mr nodders book on evil design from amazon and then i logged out my unease notwithstanding


dr julia ann roberts a daughter of cindy l roberts and graeme d roberts of pittsford ny was married may 14 to prateesh maheshwari the son of poonam r maheshwari and sharad k maheshwari of yorktown va pandit omkar sharma a hindu priest officiated at kingsmill resort in williamsburg va
the couple met at the university of pennsylvania from which they graduated summa cum laude
dr maheshwari 28 is a medical intern in internal medicine at massachusetts general hospital in boston she received a medical degree from nyu
her father is a freelance writer and editor of marketing materials in pittsford her mother is a technician at rochester precision optics which makes lenses for night vision goggles
mr maheshwari also 28 is the director of finance and strategy at oscar the health insurer based in new york
his mother works in norfolk va as a senior vice president in the investment division of wells fargo his father is a professor of business administration at hampton university in hampton va
the couples wedding was streamed through facebook live on the new york times styles page to view excerpts from the wedding click here and here


my career was never based on pretty one of the worlds most beautiful women was saying recently straining a listeners credulity the woman was gisele bundchen and if what should have seemed disingenuous or else a bad case of false modesty somehow rang true that is because the listener had already heard the tale of the nose
people in the business often repeat as an example of the ways in which fashion is deeply disordered the story of how two decades ago when ms bundchen was starting out in a field she has dominated ever since   becoming not just the most highly paid model in the world but the richest according to forbes   some misguided types routinely advised her to correct what they saw as a glaring feature flaw
its true angela missoni creative director of her family company said last week from milan gisele did our first campaign with mario testino and we used a beautiful shot but with giseles hair all across her face
for that 1998 missoni campaign the brazilian with the pore less complexion the wide toothy smile the symmetrical although slightly square jawed face appears almost entirely concealed behind a veil of hair imagine if you can ms bundchen with a comb over mario wasnt 100 percent sure about her ms missoni said he was worried about her nose
what can you do about moments like that ms bundchen asked you keep the nose nature gave you and move on even before i got into the business i was used to being bullied because i was always tall and skinny and stuck out she said i got really red all the time from playing volleyball red like a pepper so i thought bullying was just the way life is
shrugging she scoops up fluffy a rescue mutt she found online and snuggles her into the folds of a designer sweatshirt so deliberately tattered it looks as if the puppy had a role in its fabrication
ms bundchen and i are seated on a deep white sofa in her 14 million 48th floor madison square aerie beyond a window wall at her back lies a landscape that might have been drawn by saul steinberg with views encompassing much of manhattan and across the hudson new jersey and possibly the border between missouri and kansas it says something about ms bundchens command of any space she inhabits that after roughly two minutes in her company the panorama has all but disappeared
along with her husband tom brady the new england patriots quarterback and their three children   a boy and a girl from their marriage and a son from mr bradys previous relationship   ms bundchen divides her time among this place a house in boston and a vacation compound in coastal costa rica neither mr brady nor the children are anywhere to be seen today and thus all is quiet in a room where a scented candle emits the fragrance of sandalwood
ms bundchen whose diet once skewed improbably toward coke and hamburgers now observes the more stringent dietary practices favored by her athlete husband roughly 80 percent of what she consumes is vegetable in origin her familys meals are prepared by a private chef she is a practiced yogini and ms bundchen said a deeply spiritual person so much so that after reading the legend printed on her chamomile tea bag she urges a reporter to record what it says put that in the article she said and so let the record show that love compassion and kindness are the anchors of life
then the 35 year old woman who has appeared 11 times on the cover of american vogue who has a personal net worth estimated in excess of 300 million who enjoys a daily income flow forbes calculated at 128000 who during a year she refers to as her sabbatical maintains contracts with pantene procter  gamble under armour chanel no 5 carolina herrera emilio pucci and balenciaga and whose name appears on products from jelly sandals to underwear explained how it was for her when she first appeared on the scene as a gangly 14 year old tomboy from the south of brazil
in the beginning you know everyone told me your eyes are too small the nose is too big you can never be on a magazine cover ms bundchen said but you know what the big nose is coming with a big personality
no one anymore would dispute that the enduring success ms bundchen has had in a cruelly objectifying business one in which the average shelf life of the talent is optimistically five years owes much to her beauty and yet there are many many beautiful girls in the world whose names no one remembers as ms missoni rightly observed with gisele there is something different her energy the designer added of course she is super beautiful but she also has this charisma this presence this very sexy normality
sexy normality is a curious way of describing someone whose amazonian strut on a thousand runways a walk she recently taught on television to jimmy fallon had the effect of making other models look like automatons and it seems a far cry from the images on display in gisele bundchen taschen 6999 a new 536 page monograph that assembles in one gravestone size volume images of the model from throughout her career
here for instance is ms bundchen as a bronzed and long limbed sexpot in a shot by mert alas and marcus piggott clad in vertiginous platform sandals and a studded versace bustier as she descends a ladder into an empty swimming pool here she is a sexy goofball girl next door photographed against cheap motel curtains by terry richardson unaccountably lending innocence to the scene though clad in just underpants and bra
here she is a tawny adventuress with a butterscotch mane leading a brace of donkeys along a sicilian dirt path in steven meisels images for some long forgotten dolce  gabbana campaign here she is kabuki princess hugging tight the polish model malgosia bela in a richard avedon hyper stylized studio portrait storm battered orphans dressed in dior haute couture
here she is again and again captured by the lenses of helmut newton juergen teller peter lindbergh bruce weber david lachapelle inez van lamsweerde and vinoodh matadin michel comte mario sorrenti nino munoz and david sims and what is striking about these images created by a lustrous roster of prominent photographers and artists is that the most compelling element of any photograph she appears in is not the clothes the setting or the backdrop but the preternatural vitality of ms bundchen herself
i always knew that even if i was not the most beautiful girl id be the most energetic and hard working the model said if you want to know the truth thats the reason for my success
when industry insiders talk about ms bundchen the praise most commonly proffered has less to do with her beauty than with her indomitable good spirits a canny though untutored intelligence and an almost animal energy
gisele always struck me as being super professional and likable but with an understanding of her role that went beyond merely turning up and delivering the goods said joe mckenna a stylist behind some of the more influential fashion campaigns of recent decades she always understood that gisele bundchen could be a business too and though i loathe the word branding thats exactly what shes always been aware of
when the woman gisele bundchen speaks of the global brand gisele bundchen she tends to attribute its success to a kind of horatio alger ethos a drive that has been with her since she was young im a twin im a cancer im always taking care of other people she said offering to pour bottled water or make tea or fetch anything else a guest might desire ive always been the fixer in the family the responsible one she said ive always been a hard worker never late for a job in my life really ask anyone
and while   unlike say the multimillionaire russian model natalia vodianova whose rags to riches story began with her peddling apples by the road in nizhny novgorod   ms bundchen comes from a modest though solidly middle class background she is acutely conscious of the psychic and economic distance between the provincial world she was born to and the imposing one she inhabits today raised by a real estate agent and a bank cashier in a midsize municipality in brazils southernmost state ms bundchen is a fraternal twin born to a family of six girls who grew up wearing their sisters hand me downs when i was a kid i never even thought about fashion ms bundchen said i had one pair of jeans
the story of ms bundchen who was discovered in a mall food court is one that hews to all the modeling industry cliches it happened that she was there that day on an outing with classmates from a modeling school her mother had urged her to attend in the hope that her posture would improve this guy came up to me and said do you want to be a model come with me to the agency right now ms bundchen said adding that she resisted the idea for predictable teenage reasons we were supposed to go to playcenter that day she said referring to a popular brazilian amusement park the guy said oh i promise you when you come to the agency in sao paulo ill take you to the playcenter there ms bundchen added and you know what he never took me there
with a 50 grubstake from her father ms bundchen set off alone on a 28 hour bus ride to sao paulo and an improbable lifelong journey modeling was the farthest thing from what i ever thought i would do with my life she said from the beginning looks did not define me in any way i have a different idea of what i am i wanted to be jane goodall in my mind im still jane goodall in bare feet
it should surprise no one to learn that a profession the writer michael gross once characterized as the ugly business of beautiful women is often less glamorous than tedious and boring that even the most successful models life is frequently grueling and lonely and that among the job requirements are a high threshold for emotional abuse and an ability to cope with being shuttled about the planet like a parcel to settings where enforced passivity is the norm this opportunity was given to me when i left home at 14 and i was not going to come back empty handed ms bundchen said what else can a 14 year old do to make money i was determined to make it work
thus if she found herself modeling winter clothes on a shoot in death valley in 100 degree heat she would remain she said totally 100 percent committed and if stylists dressed her in impossible clothes things i cant breathe in or photographers transported her to extreme settings or if she found those around her saying the most horrendous things right in front of your face she said she was determined to seek what is positive here how to make something good out of this
ms bundchen is surely conscious that grit and inner beauty are far from the first qualities that come to mind when people see pictures of her parading down a catwalk wearing victorias secret angel wings or doing a step and repeat in the arms of her husband at the annual spring met gala or in the paparazzi photographs of her with celebrities she dated before marriage like leonardo dicaprio
to me the idea of being famous is irritating ms bundchen said the attention is strange everyone has an opinion those opinions can be noxious as when the social media mob piled on after a video capturing her emotional reaction when the patriots fell to the new york giants in super bowl xlvi was posted to a gossipy website it can overwhelm you when people attack you or make comments she said but when people are saying those things the haters i try not to let it in given what is i tell myself what am i to do
she jumps up from the sofa then and scoops up fluffy a dog she adopted as a reminder of vida the yorkshire terrier she carried along on her ceaseless global travels early in her career and when she rises from the sofa with an athletes easy grace a reporter is reminded of a remark the designer anna sui once made about ms bundchen gisele has that effervescence only certain girls have an energy you look for that is really rare
two decades ago when ms bundchen was barely 16 and relatively unknown she found herself cast for a harpers bazaar editorial to be shot on the french island of st barts the photographer was a man famous himself for having photographed the biggest celebrities and most compelling faces in the world   including madonna and diana princess of wales
some people on the sitting were saying oh shes not too pretty she has a big nose that photographer patrick demarchelier said last week about the youthful ms bundchen but i said no no i like her she was smart and outgoing always happy and clearly already knew what she was doing
throughout the shoot the naysayers continued to disparage the young brazilian then the contact sheets came in immediately right away you could see that the girl was special mr demarchelier said she got 20 pages right away


this is a town built on stories the more salacious the better so it comes as not much of a surprise that the twilight of sumner m redstones epic career has become the stuff of dinner table conversation especially among those who knew the man when he was perhaps the most powerful figure in hollywood
peter bart a former producer and film executive who served as the editor of variety from 1989 to 2009 was dining recently with friends at off vine a quiet hollywood restaurant housed in a turn of the century bungalow when the inevitable came up others at the table included an a list actress who knew mr redstone well and they wondered how could sumner get himself into this situation mr bart said it is very sad
details about the 92 year old tycoons private life surfaced during a headline generating lawsuit which fizzled in court last week the story that emerged fell somewhere between film noir at its sleazy best and king lear
mr bart said the billionaires plight was coming up a lot lately among movie business people in some cases there were expressions of empathy he said but there is impatience with sumner too that he couldnt keep his private life private
the legal proceedings revealed an aging lion who craved sex and steak although he was too ill to leave his beverly park mansion and took his meals through a feeding tube court papers described him as a living ghost and told of female escorts making visits to his bedside while a nurse sometimes looked on
as mr redstones former lover and onetime live in caretaker manuela herzer 51 battled his daughter shari redstone 62 for control of his daily care   not to mention what she saw as her rightful place in his will   this real life melodrama had it all wild shopping sprees private jet excursions whispers of a sex tape and in a bit part an angry ex con who seemed like a character out of a coen brothers movie
hollywood dynasties have long run into complications in the final reel in the 1950s a philandering jack l warner undercut his brother harry for control of the familys warner bros studio and the two never spoke again in the early 1970s darryl f zanuck was ousted from 20th century fox in a coup which his wife orchestrated to avenge her husbands treatment of their son
while those spectacles drew their share of press attention and loose talk todays corporate almost bloodless entertainment industry seems less tolerant of executives who depart from the script sure the stereotype of the hardhearted expletive spraying executive persists but mr redstones eccentricities   he once boasted that he shaved poolside in the nude   and the recent disclosure of his sexual exploits seem out of step with the airbrushed culture of 21st century los angeles
sumner is caught in a time warp mr bart said
the legal fracas has changed mr redstones public image from a firebrand whose business acumen and ruthlessness won him control of viacom paramount pictures and cbs a 40 billion empire into something quite different in the local parlance he lost the plot
the hubris that precedes a fall was evident in 2009 when he told larry king i have no intention of ever retiring or of dying and once again in 2014 when mr redstone told the hollywood reporter im not going to die recent press attention has deflated such boasts and secrets mr redstone might have taken to the grave he reserved for himself in massachusetts where he was born in 1923 became the stuff of internet chatter when ms herzer   whom he banished from his beverly park home last year   filed suit
this is all very shakespearean with the family all the people taking over the kingdom said michael medavoy a producer who knows mr redstone its a tragedy but my question is is it a tragic comedy or is it a tragic drama
after judge david j cowan of los angeles county superior court tossed the case last monday ms herzer filed a new lawsuit against ms redstone there is talk that mr redstones lawyers may pursue a suit too meaning the situation could drag on
mr redstone has long been known for his volatility across the decades he has collected enemies the way residents in nearby malibu pick up sea glass along carbon beach the executives he has crossed include tom freston david geffen mel karmazin and barry diller in 2006 he split with tom cruise over the actors erratic behavior and stumping for scientology ending mr cruises production deal at paramount the star got some measure of revenge with his caustic over the top portrayal of a character said to be based on mr redstone in the hollywood satire tropic thunder
he was a self made man mr medavoy said but those guys can be difficult you have to look at it all in context the great scions of industry the guys who made a zillion dollars are tough guys those folks dont make a lot of friends
on a recent evening christine peters was nursing a moscow mule in the tower bar at the sunset tower hotel in west hollywood calif ms peters a movie producer dated mr redstone in the late 1990s and remained friends after he moved to the beverly park mansion in 2003 she said she had not seen the twice divorced tycoon in two years
despite his position mr redstone was not a creature of the scene she said he avoided galas and opening nights preferring intimate dinners at dan tanas the dimly lit old school italian place on santa monica boulevard with red leather booths waiters in black bow ties and bartenders in red three button jackets if she arrived late for a meal ms peters said she would find him alone and impatient drumming his fingers on the table
mr redstone who was badly burned in a 1979 hotel fire in boston did not like to show weakness ms peters said and his closest personal relationships seemed transactional rooted in business but his devotion to his empire seems to not have given him much protection against hits taken in the recent imbroglio
he would rather be broke than humiliated and publicly embarrassed his dignity lost ms peters said calling him a living ghost is the most hurtful saying he could not make lucid decisions thats where the knife hits hardest for him
she added that he regarded as his only worthy rival rupert murdoch the 85 year old media king who recently married the former supermodel jerry hall
a small crowd gathered at the vibrato grill jazz club here in the bel air neighborhood at 6 pm for mr redstones 92nd birthday celebration a year ago it was one of his last public appearances the guests included top executives in his employ including leslie moonves of cbs philippe dauman of viacom as well as brad grey of paramount tony bennett serenaded him with his 1962 hit i left my heart in san francisco
a figurine on the birthday cake was particularly telling it depicted mr redstone as a corporate titan in a suit and red tie phone in one hand television remote in the other next to the miniature mr redstone on top of the cake was a tiny stock ticker that showed the prices of six major media companies including viacom and cbs
mr redstone sat flanked by his caretaker at the time ms herzer and his lover sydney holland who lived at his estate and has figured into his recent convoluted legal troubles mr redstone reportedly gave ms holland some 70 million in cash and gifts before kicking her out of his house in the days before he turned on ms herzer at the party both women wore evening dresses
the details of the tycoons private life probably would not have come to light if mr redstones two paramours had not participated in a vanity fair profile of him in the june 2015 issue ms herzer was photographed for the article in a shimmering low cut gown ms hollands glamour shot showed her on a chaise lounge in pasadena calif both gushed about the riches their benefactor had bestowed upon them which did not sit well with shari redstone and a former convict named george pilgrim who was dating ms holland at the time
mr redstones hostile manner of conducting business and his tendency to go it alone may have also contributed to his late life predicament in a town where business relationships and genuine friendships are often one and the same his story has become a cautionary tale more than one person has said to me i dont want to end up alone at home and angry said janice min who oversees content for billboard and the hollywood reporter its almost a take no prisoners approach now executives drive their kids to school
on may 6 an 18 minute videotaped deposition of mr redstones testimony shot a day earlier was played in the courtroom so that the judge could make a determination on whether the media tycoon was mentally fit despite his speech difficulties the nonagenarian used foul language to express his contempt for ms herzer i hate her he said adding i want manuela out of my life
for many who read the transcript it was classic sumner
he was no more likable a person in old age ms min said he hasnt softened into a grandfatherly figure further she added he doesnt want a quiet goodbye he is a ruthless negotiator to the end
at the urth caffe on melrose avenue in west hollywood on yet another cloudless morning the patio was crowded with 20 somethings huddled over bowls of coffee and plates of coconut cake they were buzzing about their new start ups or the latest hulu series for this generation a sharp elbowed macher like mr redstone seems as alien as the original hollywood bosses who built the worlds most glamorous business on this once dusty outpost
hes obviously very wealthy and influential said eric dahan a 26 year old chief executive of instabrand a start up that connects brands with influencers on instagram but im not too familiar with the case and i dont think a lot of my generation are
he called mr redstone an icon but confessed that he and others his age were focused on another businessman lately in the news
people in my social circle care more about donald trump and whether he will become president he said


steve tisch and his girlfriend katia francesconi recently held a sit down dinner for 30 at their hillside estate here it was not in their neo georgian mansion amid the basquiats and hockneys nor was it on the brick terrace which has one of those postcard views of sparkling urban sprawl
rather supper was served in the shed
the dictionary defines that word as a small simple building used especially for storage and for a billionaire   mr tisch is the chairman of the new york giants of the nfl a prolific movie producer and a stakeholder in his familys loews corporation   the term is appropriate even if it may strike a more ordinary crowd as a bit much
the building which rose over the last 18 months on what was previously mr tischs tennis complex is a two story 4500 square foot mini museum this was the dramatic reveal
it has just been finished the paint is literally just dry mr tisch told his guests including michael govan director of the los angeles county museum of art who had pored through mr tischs collection to select and organize the artworks on display for the jews here tonight is the bris
everyone laughed thats the tush j ben bourgeois a longtime friend said with admiring gusto using his cheeky nickname for mr tisch
this is what keeping up with the joneses looks like these days for megawatt art collectors people with tremendous wealth have long converted residential areas into showcases for their trophies whether ming dynasty furniture or impressionist landscapes or medieval manuscripts but space has become an increasingly common problem as buyers like mr tisch have amassed contemporary art which can be monumental in scale stuff no longer fits even on mansion size walls
faced with putting paintings in storage or donating artworks to museums which rarely exhibit them a solution   especially for collectors in cities like los angeles land of rolling lawns   has become the backyard museum complete with high tech lighting humidity controls and 25 foot ceilings
there are more of these than you think said leslie wright who runs the los angeles division of bonhams the art auctioneer among a certain set there is not a tennis court thats safe
most collectors ms wright noted want to keep their private galleries off the public radar perhaps because of security concerns others have landed in hot water after building private museums next to their homes and claiming tax exempt status by allowing in a trickle of visitors
mr tisch has no such plans but keeping people out has its own drawbacks when the blog curbed los angeles got wind of his intentions it held him up as a self involved 1 percenter calling his admittance policy no plebes allowed
mr tisch 67 the only person in history with both a super bowl ring and an academy award which he won in 1995 as a producer of forrest gump does not see any particular need to justify his indulgence i feel very comfortable with my philanthropy he said in his even way very simply i wanted a home for my art and im looking forward to using the space for entertaining and hanging out with my friends
the building is dramatic he continued but its not pretentious and its not overwhelming he declined to say how much it cost but he added with a smile borrowing citizen kane imagery to make a point about not needing to prove himself im not charles foster kane and this isnt xanadu nobody took away my sled
in some ways his inaugural dinner   attendees included the superagent bryan lourd the financier matthew orr and robert h blumenfield a real estate titan   had a public function it was part of an elaborate fund raiser for the los angeles county museum of art where mr tisch sits on the board
every spring people pay up to 60000 for the opportunity to vote on artworks to add to its permanent collection the event which this year raised 64 million begins on a friday with seven simultaneous dinners at the homes of museum donors and concludes with a gala and voting the next night
as is often the case with high end philanthropy especially in los angeles over the top dinners   each prepared by a celebrity chef and flooded with famed wines   are needed to coax open the checkbooks
one year mr tisch brought in live longhorn cattle they were big boys recalled mr bourgeois whose events company handles all of mr tischs dinners the organizers were going for a rural theme the chefs behind the restaurant animal were cooking and guests ate inside a barn that was constructed for one night and strewn with straw
another year mr tisch recreated raos the exclusive new york restaurant right down to its christmas lights over his swimming pool
this time guests were treated like apostles as everyone sat down at a mirror covered table lined with 20 wax dripping candles two attendants rolled out an 8 by 16 foot blank canvas mr tisch had hired a muralist to paint us as we ate the first supper how lucky are we to have steve tisch on this planet mr govan said giving a toast steve we just think youre awesome
mr tisch leaned into ms francesconi i just feel so blessed he said
the evening had started with cocktails inside mr tischs main house which is tucked high in benedict canyon chitchat centered on his generosity to the museum mr tisch has become one of its most important patrons giving millions in recent years to acquire video art with christian marclays the clock a 24 hour film that splices together thousands of movie clips involving time as a particular showstopper
steve is like a laser when he sees something he wants said deborah mcleod who runs larry gagosians beverly hills gallery to approving nods from other guests mr tisch recounted an anecdote about once trying to haggle with ms mcleod for a discount she kept going back to larry who finally said tell him to pay the asking price   its so much easier he said
mr tisch then whistled by putting two fingers in his mouth classy somebody said hey im from new jersey he answered it was time to use a curving staircase to descend the hillside and enter the gallery which sits at the base of the property
oh my god ms mcleod said as the doors opened to reveal ed ruschas moody large scale a blvd called sunset jaws continued to drop as the rest of the gallerys first level came into view   a pair of sublime paintings by vija celmins gerhard richters gray and white two women at table mr tisch gestured to another of mr ruschas word paintings a piece like that is totally wasted in a hallway he said
the story of the shed dates back about five years
mr tisch had recently started living on the estate again i got kicked out for a while he said with a wink referring to a 2009 divorce from his second wife jamie tisch who continued to inhabit the main house for a time
as he redecorated the 10000 square foot mansion designed in 1929 by paul revere williams he began to realize how much of his art collection was displayed in less than ideal spots it couldnt breathe mr tisch said you couldnt properly view a lot of pieces
so he hired johnston marklee an architecture firm known for art related projects including the menil drawing institute in houston to design a more institutional space we considered some kooky options like building a gallery underneath the house said sharon johnston an owner of the firm then we looked at the middle of the hillside but that wasnt quite big enough
ultimately mr tisch suggested the space occupied by a tennis court and a tennis house my kids were upset at first and so i asked each of them the last time they played on it he said none could remember the same went for me
the finished building has floors made from douglas fir   not just any but trees grown in denmark and then treated with a lye finish to make the wood lighter   and a metal exterior cladding which continues across the gabled roof
its not a humble building by any means but it has an elemental quality ms johnston said we think of it less as a museum and more as a barn or a shed


barbara walters is retired oprah winfrey is running a network and megyn kelly sees an opening
its there for the taking right now she said in a recent interview
and what is there for the taking what those famous hosts had accomplished conducting the sort of interviews that could transfix a nation
those were the biggest spots to go for an interview if you had something you wanted to get off your chest if you were in the middle of a scandal or a major news story and you wanted to do a long form sit down to get past it or to go on the record she said
she quickly added and im here
making the oprah or barbara walters leap is a remarkably tricky business many have tried before with daytime shows or prime time specials only to run into a wall and return to a more comfortable corner of television and the interview special is a relic from a time on television when what was broadcast on the big four networks was what mattered most
but on tuesday ms kelly the fox news anchor and host of the kelly file will take her first crack at a prime time special on fox   the broadcast network not the cable news station   with megyn kelly presents
there is certainly one big hook to draw viewers she will confront the likely republican presidential nominee donald j trump a man who over the last nine months has kept ms kelly in the middle of a running news story by relentlessly attacking her
and though mr trump represents the so called get she will also interview two actors michael douglas and laverne cox and a lawyer robert shapiro who is back in the news after the successful o j simpson anthology american crime story on fx
mr trump aside it is with those interviews that ms kelly hopes to accomplish something new prove that she can do much more than simply host a nightly news show if all goes well she will display range and versatility at a convenient time her contract with fox news is set to expire in a little more than a year
i would like to prove to myself that i have these other muscles she said as she sat in her cramped office on sixth avenue it doesnt all have to be a plus level of difficulty it can be other kinds of questioning where you get more to somebodys humanity and tell their story
she said that one of her benchmarks for success was if viewers said i saw megyn in a new light
her fox news show the kelly file has been a hit for more than two years but ms kelly who is 45 is in the middle of a big moment in her career since mr trump began attacking her after the first republican debate in august ms kelly has approached something close to genuine celebrity status
she was on the cover of vanity fair in february she has made the rounds of the late night circuit over the last three months she also made her first appearance at the met gala in early may the lavish manhattan event that effectively serves as the years social register for the rich and famous
there is also a book in the works   she is handing in the manuscript to her editor at harpercollins later this month and spent the last week writing the trump section it comes out the week after election day in november and tuesday will bring her the first prime time special
there are real questions whether the magazine type special can attract a meaningful audience and lift a career long gone are the days when ms walters could attract an audience of about 50 million people as her exclusive interview with monica lewinsky did in 1999
but even in a fragmented tv landscape they can occasionally break through last year caitlyn jenners revelation that she was transgender in an interview with diane sawyer drew nearly 17 million viewers which qualifies as a huge hit these days
ms kelly was reluctant to discuss a ratings goal the producer for megyn kelly presents the veteran tv newsman bill geddie pointed out that fox did not ordinarily run these type of news specials and that expectations should be managed accordingly megyn said it right were looking for a single here he said
the special can accomplish other goals for her instead the news cycle has been relentlessly focused on politics and ms kelly said she was more than happy to take a break from that she is not a political junkie
thats not all i am she said i love covering the news but im not a political person so i dont know that i get the jones out of immersing myself in politics all day every day the way some others do
she added you look out at the news landscape and there isnt the one perfect job that would service the soul
if that turn of phrase makes her sound a little like oprah it is probably not by accident she pointed to ms winfrey and charlie rose to illustrate her broader goals
oprahs a bit more spiritual and helps improve peoples lives which i also would like to do she said charlie has a thing that i dont have he will sit down with brian dennehy whos got an amazing show on broadway and talk to him about it hell sit down with business executives like tim cook and talk to him about whats happening in his life
and if ms kelly wants to be part oprah part charlie rose and also fill the barbara walters vacuum who in their right mind would reject that she said of ms walters she got the right producer mr geddie produced more than 100 of ms walterss prime time specials
megyn kelly presents will be quite a departure from her regular prime time show say goodbye to the talking heads and rapid fire cuts and cue a gauzier look with two comfortable chairs and a contemplative head nod
its nice to step outside of it every once in a while and try out the louis vuitton luggage she said
this is of course leads to the multimillion dollar question what will happen when her contract expires next year whether or not the special is a success she will have plenty of suitors lined up and fox news is keen to keep her
the special was the brainchild of the fox news chairman roger ailes ms kelly said and she expressed loyalty to mr ailes when asked about her future
the number of times hes had my back given me opportunities stuck his own neck out there to protect me i feel very grateful to him
she continued having said that this is a fickle business and you never say never every time ive been up for a contract negotiation ive been open minded to what possibilities exist
though the special may show how adept she is at interviewing a celebrity much of the attention on tuesday night will ultimately be on mr trump who made her his no 1 media nemesis with his famous description of blood coming out of her ... wherever
ms kelly said she planned to contact him for months but the attacks on her kept coming mr trump tweeted regularly about her calling her crazy megyn and he skipped the second fox news debate in late january because of ms kellys involvement she wanted him for this special but it was not an easy assignment even mr geddie who has known mr trump for 20 years reached out and was given a flat no
it was not until april that ms kelly reached out to mr trump for the first time since the debate in august she later met him alone at the trump tower to discuss the interview less than two weeks later he was in
though she concedes that mr trump has made her name better known she also refers to the last year as a dark one there have been security concerns and the stream of tweets from mr trump and his supporters has been unpleasant
this is one of the things that i get into with trump in the interview she said not about me but about whether he realizes the power his words have on the lives of his targets not just megyn kelly
in a campaign cycle in which the news media has been roundly criticized for kowtowing to mr trump ms kelly has mostly been above it all she even said on a march show im the second highest rated show in all of cable news and i havent had trump on in seven months it can be done without him too
with the apparent rapprochement is ms kelly worried about the perception that she too is doing whatever needs to be done to get him for an interview
listen if i werent a journalist would i have called up trump and said lets meet no i would not she said but its because im a journalist he was attacking me to begin with so no you cannot compare me trying to put an end to his nine month barrage so that i can cover him like a normal journalist with the wall to wall obsessive coverage we have seen of his candidacy
ms kelly expressed some frustration that she had been in the news for so long
asked whether she thought mr trumps attacks would end after the special was broadcast she took a long pause and said without a great deal of confidence i hope so one never knows


thousand oaks calif   there is no way to spoil the end of hbos all the way the final scene is the same as it was in the 2014 broadway play on which its based and the same as what actually happened in november 1964 lyndon b johnson wins and its a landslide
a bungalow in the foothills an hour northwest of hollywood stands in for the patio of johnsons texas ranch here at dusk on a cool september evening vans began dropping off the 120 extras from a base camp several miles away the nights scene was an intricate steadicam shot that would travel 360 degrees around bryan cranston and melissa leo who play president and lady bird johnson
this is the night of the election said the director jay roach standing on set a few hours before the overnight shoot was to begin lbj gets the news here with this vocal party of democratic operatives and hubert humphrey and lady bird
all the way is about the turbulent year from the assassination of president john f kennedy in november 1963 to president johnsons victory over barry goldwater it has the same frontman and writer as the play mr cranston who won a tony award for his broadway performance and robert schenkkan who faced the challenge of adapting his play to the screen and staying true to history
mr schenkkans film is bigger and smaller in different ways than the broadway production the play condenses an event filled year   the assassination president johnsons address to a joint session congress months of cajoling southern legislators over the civil rights act of 1964 the fbi director j edgar hoovers surveillance of the rev dr martin luther king jr and the 1964 election   into two and a half hours in writing the film mr schenkkan was able unspool those events to locations he couldnt present onstage while keeping the focus on johnsons deep seeded insecurities outsize personality and political philosophy that an ugly win is still a win
the great advantage of film is the ability to get close and to depict the internal life of a character mr schenkkan said you can do that onstage but film offers you so many more tools to get at that
one of the most obvious changes was the elimination of johnsons direct addresses to the audience mr cranston memorably delivered those monologues to powerful effect in the 1450 seat neil simon theater but mr schenkkan changed all but one of those to voice over in his screenplay
johnsons one direct address in the film   a speech about dragging the democratic party into the light kickin and screamin every inch of the way   comes just before he walks into the victory party at his ranch in take after take over the course of a long night of shooting mr cranstons turn to the camera and his growly chilling delivery puts a charged punctuation mark on the end of the film
or rather it would have
the producers who included mr roach mr cranston and mr schenkkan changed the scene in postproduction to a voice over we shot it both ways and ultimately decided in the editing room and when we tested it that the direct address was too jarring mr schenkkan said we wound up using that sequence with the monologue as a voice over and i think its very effective
mr schenkkan did a significant amount of research before writing the play and mr roach did a lot of his own preparation as he did for recount and game change for hbo films
there were a few things that we got to do from new research that werent available when robert wrote the play mr roach said we got more from the johnson aide walter jenkinss story through people that we talked to at the lbj library we talked to as many people as we could we talked to congressman john lewis about dr martin luther king we talked to people who had been in the white house
everyone interviewed for this article was acutely aware of the criticism that the film selma received in 2014 for its depiction of president johnson as an antagonist to the civil rights movement and stressed their efforts to depict the events of all the way with historical accuracy
the bottom line is that were really just trying to get it right said len amato the president of hbo films often the people who participated in these events are still around we talk to them we do our research we vet our research
mr schenkkans comments were more pointed ava duvernay is a talented filmmaker and there was a lot to like about selma she did a wonderful job with the relationship between dr king and coretta and with the nuances and delicacy of handling that but i did feel that the film was unfair in its portrayal of lbj to suggest that he was not concerned with or didnt care deeply about civil rights is simply not true and i dont think any historian would subscribe to that
ms duvernay is in production and said via email that she was not available to be interviewed for this article but that she stood by her work in the past she has said i think everyone sees history through their own lens
president johnsons reputation is enjoying somewhat of a renaissance the 50th anniversaries of the passage of the civil rights act of 1964 and the voting rights act of 1965 the establishment of medicare and medicaid and recent books including julian e zelizers the fierce urgency of now and randall b woodss prisoners of hope have put a focus on his legislative accomplishments
the events of the vietnam war and president johnsons bowing out of the 1968 election will have their own 50th anniversaries over the next few years and mr schenkkans play the great society which covers those years and had its premiere last year at the oregon shakespeare festival is in the early stages of heading to broadway he said that production could come in 2017 or 2018
mr cranston reflected on the figure he has played onstage and onscreen history has a tendency to develop a more clear picture over time he said adding that the pain of vietnam was so unbearable that it was for a time what you first associated with president johnson now that that pain has subsided   not forgotten subsided   people are able to look at the entirety of his accomplishments


the concept of radical chic has been evolving for a couple of years and is now heading into formal evening wear guests at black tie affairs have appeared wearing their deconstructed jeans   most glaringly at the met gala planned by anna wintour who suggests that men wear white tie one guest wore a bejeweled jacket and his knees exposed in torn jeans is this where evening wear is headed long skirts are also being slashed the label hood by air is showing skirts and pants cut at the knee the bottom half suspended by ribbons is this a reflection of the tearing apart of established political parties
related column


the st louis blues and the san jose sharks took similar routes to the western conference finals which are set to begin sunday in st louis each team was pushed to seven games in the second round of the postseason but emerged with a game 7 rout
the blues are seeking their first berth in the stanley cup finals since 1970 they are the last of the five remaining franchises that entered the league in 1967 to have never won the cup
the sharks hope to make their first appearance in the cup finals and shake off a shorter but no less futile history of postseason disappointment
both teams feature outstanding defensemen sound goaltending formidable size and no shortage of offensive depth the sharks are perhaps the strongest skating team in the playoffs while the blues have made tight checking their calling card
the blues entered the season amid high tension coach ken hitchcock was retained on a one year contract the popular forward t j oshie was traded and the not so subtle undertone of the season seemed to be win or else
despite a spate of injuries the blues fell just 2 points shy of the central division crown and the best record in the west they leapt out to a 3 1 series lead against the defending champion chicago blackhawks in the first round only to have to weather a nerve racking game 7 in st louis to advance their series against the stars came down to a deciding game in dallas which the blues won handily 6 1
st louis has six players with 10 or more points in the postseason forwards vladimir tarasenko robby fabbri david backes jaden schwartz and troy brouwer and defenseman kevin shattenkirk
center paul stastny has also contributed a complete performance he was tasked with shadowing chicago center jonathan toews and dallass explosive forward jamie benn he led a group of defensively responsible forwards that managed to frustrate and nullify a potent group of stars defensemen offensively stastny has 9 points in his last nine games including 3 in the clincher in dallas he has also won 50 more face offs than any other player in these playoffs at an efficient rate of 59 percent
the blues formidable defense includes the multitalented alex pietrangelo the offense minded shattenkirk the towering rookie colton parayko and the dependable and durable jay bouwmeester four regular defenders stand at least 6 feet 3 inches and weigh more than 200 pounds which will come in handy against big san jose forwards like joe thornton tomas hertl patrick marleau and joel ward
after some jockeying during the season the blues seem to have settled on brian elliott as their goaltender elliott has had some challenging games but he has battled hard made crucial saves and provided stability though the blues penalty kill has dropped to the middle of the pack after being excellent during the regular season their power play remains among the best in the nhl scoring on 275 percent of opportunities
the sharks got off to a slow start and maintained a low profile finishing third in the pacific division they eliminated the second place los angeles kings in five games in the first round while the division champion anaheim ducks lost their opening series to nashville
the sharks have had four double digit scorers in the playoffs including the top two forward logan couture 17 points and defenseman brent burns 15 who is tied with the stars benn for the second spot their 342 goals per game tops the nhl this postseason it is hard to identify a weakness in their lineup which features a blend of core scorers emerging young players and gap filling veterans
up front the sharks skill may be surpassed only by their versatility couture thornton marleau hertl and joe pavelski who had five goals in five games against the kings play multiple positions they have combined to produce 55 points in 12 playoff games the rookie joonas donskoi and the veteran ward a free agent acquisition have added speed and power the experienced two way defenseman paul martin has also helped solidify san joses supporting cast under the former devils coach peter deboer during his first year with the team
on defense the sharks feature one of the most dynamic players in burns who has the offensive ability of a top line forward   which he once was   with the imposing size of a defensive defenseman his daring is complemented by the steady comprehensive game of marc eduoard vlasic known as a shutdown defender vlasic had a career high 39 points this season despite missing 15 games and finished with a positive rating for the ninth time in his 10 seasons
goaltender martin jones is in his first full season as a starter but he is the only goalie of the remaining four who has played every minute this postseason he also has the lowest save percentage 913 of any remaining goalie that has not been an issue as the sharks have been strong at even strength and dominant on the power play their 309 percent conversion rate leads the league


in early march a small group of private investigators including two former fbi agents gathered for a meal at old tbilisi garden a restaurant in greenwich village that specializes in georgian food
it was a somber occasion two months earlier the united states and iran had exchanged prisoners including several americans held in tehrans notorious evin prison another american robert a levinson long missing in iran and a friend of those present was not part of the deal mr levinson a former fbi agent who became a private investigator also had another life as a consultant for the cia
in march 2007 mr levinson then 59 disappeared on kish island in the persian gulf off the coast of iran while trying to recruit a fugitive american born assassin as a cia source inside iran he was last seen alive in 2010 in a hostage video pleading for help and in photographs wearing a guantanamo style jumpsuit the images did not disclose who was holding him it is not known whether mr levinson who was eager to expand his role at the cia and who apparently decided on his own to go to iran is still alive
the event at old tbilisi was held to observe the ninth anniversary of his disappearance former colleagues toasted him and traded stories mr levinson like those present had spent his career in a shadow land one where spies agents and private eyes persuade informants to spill secrets in exchange for money or a deal it is a risky game that can pay off big or that can go very wrong as mr levinsons trip to iran did
the two former fbi agents at the dinner joseph f obrien and andris kurins were familiar with that terrain mr obrien had spearheaded the fbis investigation in the mid 1980s of paul castellano the reputed head of the gambino crime family who was gunned down outside sparks steak house on east 46th street
after mr levinsons disappearance the former agents had tried to help the fbi find their missing friend mr obrien recruited a former iranian army general to go to tehran to seek out information but as with other investigators who knew mr levinson their offers were rebuffed by the fbi
i was told why dont you mind your business recalled mr kurins who worked with mr obrien on the castellano case
mr levinson and his wife christine lived for years in coral springs fla and raised their seven children there but he was a new yorker in every other way he grew up on long island attended city college met his future wife at a quintessential manhattan singles bar tgi fridays and worked in new york on celebrated cases both as an fbi agent and as a private investigator
before his disappearance mr levinson also frequently came to new york to meet with clients or to try to hustle up new assignments james mintz who heads a private investigation firm said mr levinson came by his manhattan office not long before he vanished to see if he had any cases involving criminals trafficking in counterfeit cigarettes an area in which he specialized mr levinson also worked for a major corporate investigation firm safirrosetti whose clients included the new york times
mr levinson known to his friends as bob liked to swap information with journalists interested in espionage and intrigue some of his tips paid off others were wild goose chases brian ross the chief investigative correspondent for abc news who knew mr levinson for decades said he turned up at abc headquarters before his disappearance with what sounded like a major scoop
mr levinson told him his sources had located a major qaeda operative in venezuela and were observing the man going into a local mosque twice a day abc news dispatched an employee to venezuela where he rented a room at a hotel across the street from the mosque and waited for the terrorist to appear
we spent a week there staking it out mr ross said not long ago nothing happened
mr levinson told his children that he knew from the age of 8 that he wanted to be an fbi agent his epiphany came he said while watching a movie called the house on 92nd street a low budget thriller about a college student who goes undercover for the fbi during world war ii to break up a nazi spy ring
as a teenager mr levinson liked to hang out with friends in the attic of his familys home in new hyde park acting out courtroom dramas for dialogue they used transcripts from real trials typed up by his mother who was a part time court stenographer
from the start of his career mr levinson saw himself as a collector of informants someone skilled in extracting information from people eager to catch a break from the law or in need of a favor like a united states visa by the late 1970s he had his dream job working in the fbis new york office helping to coordinate intelligence about the mafia gathered by agents in the metropolitan area
mr obrien who also wanted to investigate the mob knew he had found his mentor when he first met with mr levinson his office mr obrien recalled was lined with photos of gangsters and charts showing the hierarchies of new yorks major crime families he was a master and he taught me a lot mr obrien said
in 1983 the two men shared an fbi achievement award and not long afterward mr obrien arrested mr castellano but mr levinsons fbi career nearly ended over his handling of an informant in another big mafia case   one that would eventually involve president reagans secretary of labor raymond j donovan
his source was a onetime schoolteacher named michael orlando who had turned to robbery when faced with the prospect of more jail time he agreed to cooperate with the fbi as a paid informant on another local crime family the genoveses
mr levinson believed that mr orlando was critical to building a sweeping case that would result in indictments against politicians labor leaders and police officers but some bureau officials suspected that the fbi agent had fallen into the classic informants trap with mr orlando feeding him tidbits of information while using his protected status to carry out crimes one member of the genovese family was even heard on an fbi wiretap discussing how mr orlando had become a contract killer
mr levinson and other agents fought to keep using mr orlando but when fbi supervisors decided to arrest him and end the investigation a bitter dispute broke out inside the fbi that cost mr levinson his position in new york and led to his decision to move to florida
there he became an expert in the fbis miami office on colombian drug cartels and russian organized crime after his retirement in 1998 he took a familiar path followed by many former agents into the private sector working for corporate investigation firms and setting up his own one man shop
the private investigator who arranged the march dinner in new york said she had attended a luncheon many years ago with mr levinson and a cia analyst who specialized in russian organized crime that cia analyst would help get mr levinson his work with the spy agency
when mr levinson vanished theories spread among his friends about what had happened to him some of them thought that russian gangsters had grabbed him others believed that cigarette smugglers had killed him still others sensed that the man he went to iran to meet dawud salahuddin or teddy belfield as he was once known had lured him into a trap
investigators like mr kurins said they did not believe the story that the american government had put out to explain why mr levinson was in iran   that he had gone there to track counterfeit cigarettes it was impossible that he would go to kish island on a cigarette case mr kurins said
several months after mr levinsons disappearance another of his acquaintances in new york john moscow a lawyer checked his email and found what appeared to be a clue mr moscow a former top prosecutor in the manhattan district attorneys office was one of several people copied on an email in which mr levinson or someone pretending to be him pleaded for help from american officials
mr moscow said he had turned the email over to the fbi adding that he had never heard back from bureau officials they told me they would handle it he said
fbi officials told mr levinsons family that they thought the email was a fake but three years later when an email arrived containing a video showing him as a hostage it seemed that the bureau may have made a critical mistake the 2007 email received by mr moscow and the 2010 message with the video were sent from gmail accounts bearing nearly identical names according to a new book about mr levinson and the search for him
a spokeswoman for the fbi lindsay ram declined to comment
over time the fbi employed an unusual cast of characters to search for mr levinson including a billionaire russian oligarch oleg deripaska frustrated by the lack of progress mr obrien decided to take action
he first tried to hire a researcher in tehran to search through newspapers and public records for any mention of mr levinson that approach never got off the ground in 2009 two fbi agents based in washington called and said they wanted to see him
mr obrien said he met the agents at the gracie mews diner on the upper east side the men initially stood by the governments explanation for mr levinsons presence in iran but when mr obrien pressed his visitors they began to open up to him
the fbi agents told him there was infighting at the cia about how to react publicly and privately to mr levinsons disappearance this was going to embarrass the cia he said and these agents didnt feel like the agency was telling them the truth
the agents also told him he added that the national security council was considering issuing an official protest accusing iran of holding mr levinson as a hostage a step the obama administration never took ms ram the fbi spokeswoman declined to comment as did a spokeswoman for the security council dew tiantawach
in 2012 however mr obrien saw an opening earlier he had urged one of his neighbors at his weekend place in the poconos a former iranian army general to ask about mr levinson during a trip home the man had reported back that his best friend there a well connected iranian general had been afraid to talk but mr obrien was soon able to use a tactic familiar to mr levinson turning a sources misfortune to his favor
when mr obrien visited his iranian american friend to wish him a happy fathers day he found the man distraught because the fbi had just arrested his son on fraud charges sensing a deal mr obrien offered to seek a reduced sentence for his son from the justice department if he went back to iran and told his former colleague there that he needed information about mr levinson to save his child
the man agreed and went back to iran where he awaited a green light telling him a deal had been struck but he never got that signal because mr obrien said that everyone he contacted at the justice department and the fbi threw up a roadblock
we have tried to make deals and they have not produced anything credible one fbi official told him he said
when mr levinsons friends left old tbilisi garden it was with a sense of sadness and regret many of his former colleagues and acquaintances remain angry with the way federal officials have handled his case
for nearly a year the cia misled the fbi and congress about its relationship to him and let mr levinsons family twist in the wind today the white house still refuses to directly confront tehran about the missing investigator even though many experts say they believe that elements within irans sprawling intelligence apparatus were involved in his capture and detention
the obama administration has said it is committed to finding mr levinson mr obrien said that he and mr kurins planned to dedicate the follow up to their 1991 best seller about the paul castellano case boss of bosses to mr levinsons wife and their children both mr obrien and mr kurins resigned from the fbi amid controversy over that book but mr obrien will never accept the fact he said that the american government did not insist upon mr levinsons return   or at least information about his fate   as part of the prisoner exchange early this year
i dont know what these other people were doing over there he remarked but they werent patriots working for their government


in neighbors 2014 seth rogen plays mac a befuddled new dad locked in a battle of wills against a rowdy dope smoking fraternity that moves in next door in neighbors 2 sorority rising opening friday may 20 his foe is a sorority fighting for the right to drink booze in their own houses just like frats do the movies are funny in part because mr rogen   marijuana advocate and star of stoner comedies like pineapple express   is so intently playing against type he should be the one people are calling the cops on not the other way around
the truth is while his real high school buddies were in college mr rogen was already gainfully employed at 18 this canadian born actor was writing for undeclared the judd apatow tv series about yes college i remember being like yeah expletive them theyre still in school   ive got a job i live in la he said and then i visited them and stayed in the dorms and it blew my mind it was so much fun i was like they live in these little rooms they dont have to do anything
in an interview in universal city calif mr rogen 34 talked about neighbors 2 his coming animated feature sausage party he plays a lovesick wiener and the interview a 2014 comedy about kim jong un that led north korea to threaten retaliation against the united states here are edited excerpts from the conversation
frat boys are easy to hate did you have concerns about vilifying sorority members
whats different about this movie is that the sorority members are doing something that is just and correct in a lot of ways that being said i think young people are just scary to old people and that actually made it easy to villainize them as an older person youre just horrified of an 18 year old the moral part of their brain isnt fully developed when i was 18 i was psychotic
does it relate to mac having a daughter
we realized the film would be about the fear of our daughter not liking us that we wouldnt be able to relate to her when she became a teenager so a group of teenage girls suddenly living next to us was a good way to reflect that story
both films had revenge as a central theme are you a vengeful person
no im really not im not a competitive or a vengeful person at all im too lazy
when the interview controversy unfolded what was it like for you and your co star james franco
there were moments where we were watching the president talk about us and we were in our offices laughing our expletive off but then there were moments where it was like no theater is going to show our movie now because there have been terrorist threats made against it it bounced back and forth between being kind of amazing and being really horrible
whats up with the title sausage party in america we call those things hot dogs
we do and i really am playing a hot dog it should be called hot dog party but it just doesnt sound as good youre the first person of many who will point that out
how did you come up with the voice
my hot dog sounds exactly like me people in the movie like bill hader nick kroll theyre amazing at doing so many different voices ive just got the one voice my voice has locked me into a box
if you could smoke weed with three people living or dead who would they be
oh thats a good question barbra streisand once told me a story where she smoked weed with peter sellers which is one of the few stories that ive been outrageously jealous of peter sellers would be a wonderful person to smoke weed with who else gandhi why not laughs and bob marley because of course


washington   nothing in this room is off the record juleanna glover a corporate consultant warned the stragglers assembled in the kitchen of her kalorama home as steve hilton a former chief adviser to prime minister david cameron of britain hunted for a beer
it was the evening after donald trump had effectively sewn up the republican nomination the nights conversations had been dominated by talk of polls and power
mr hilton is credited as the architect of a modernized british conservative image   one that supports gay marriage and countering climate change   that helped get mr cameron elected an outsiders insider in other words
mr hilton and his ideas had spent the week debuting here in washington appearances were made at white house correspondents association dinner parties on msnbcs morning joe and at the american enterprise institute meetings were held with a whos who of american conservatives including grover norquist and reince priebus the republican national committee chairman
this final evening was a party for mr hiltons book more human designing a world where people come first a call for smaller scaled living and governance a british edition of the book received mixed reviews it was largely revised for its american publication
the night had started five hours earlier
mr hilton who has a closely shaved head faintly bounced into the dining room he was clad as always in a t shirt this one was black festooned with white flecks that appeared at a distance to be stars blue corduroys and red striped white sneakers that bore the label crowdpac   the nonpartisan political crowd funding site that mr hilton founded with two partners
on his wrist he wore a tattered aqua bracelet embroidered with the word coachella four years ago mr hilton decamped london for california where his wife rachel whetstone was the chief of public policy and communications for google she is now in the same position at uber in contrast mr hilton is decidedly low tech he does not carry a cellphone
the room quickly filled with journalists pollsters and think tank pundits a c span cameraman jostled for position
such an illustrious crew   it reminds me of something mr hilton said as guests pressed up against a table laden with sushi he began to read when the corporate bosses the members of congress the journalists   and the authors of books like this   all go to the same dinner parties and galas and live in the same neighborhoods of washington new york and san francisco an insular ruling elite precipitates ... regardless of whos in office the same people are in power
its great to see you all here he deadpanned looking up the crowd laughed
mr hilton said that his book calls for radical change from top down government more power to ultralocal neighborhood government to schools no factory schools a reconsideration of testing a single social worker for example for a family in need
it opens with an anecdote about a jetblue flight trapped on the tarmac and regulations that required a mother to deny her young daughter the bathroom mr hilton the son of hungarians who fled communism invoked hannah arendt and inhuman systems before turning to questions
who are the enemies of your ideas steve clemons of the atlantic asked
mr hilton spoke about decentralizing concentrations of power including perhaps breaking up banks health insurance giant agriculture and telecom companies
a british compatriot richard reeves who was the director of strategy for the former british deputy prime minister and liberal democrat nick clegg spoke up the people you want to give power to arent in the structure at the moment and dont have a locus to bring about change he said
mr hilton vigorously agreed the book he said calls for new blood in office he segued into a pitch for crowdpac which allows for fund raising without depending on big party machinery which traps people in the existing power structures
mr reeves now at the brookings institution said mr hilton was one of the most vibrant thinkers on the center right in british politics the book he added authentically captures not just his political philosophy but his moral philosophy which is that the bigness and centralized expertise of the modern state and the modern company is something he instinctively rebels against he is hard to pin down politically
standing near a stack of books for sale steve schmidt the republican strategist and msnbc commentator recalled meeting mr hilton in california when mr hilton was looking at arnold schwarzenegger a fiscally conservative socially tolerant and environmentally conscious governor as a model for how to rethink the right of center party in the uk
asked about mr trump mr schmidt said that voters have turned to someone to be nominee for president with no government experience no military experience as an act of condemnation against the establishment its a line that echoes more human mr hilton he said had a message of hope
tammy haddad a media strategist and one of the partys co hosts arrived late with a whoop of joy she shook back her mane of black hair with its singular white stripe and swept mr hilton into a hug
ms haddad who consults for the hbo show veep barreled into a story about the thick of it the british precursor to veep so you have to watch it   what happens is the whole season is an election in the uk she said the weekend before the voting ms haddad continued the campaign manager of the winning candidate a character reportedly inspired by mr hilton has everyone go to a yoga retreat and then i meet steve and im like oh my god its the guy hes exactly the guy
scott and jason bade twins and mr hiltons co authors he taught them as undergraduates at stanford protested hes much more serious scott said ms haddad looked over at them youre not in politics she said it wasnt goofy it was the opposite it was confidence
it was then that the final stragglers assembled in ms glovers kitchen around the marble center island were heather podesta the lobbyist and art collector ms haddad and betsy fischer martin a former producer of meet the press
to steve who is bringing the heart back into politics ms haddad said and to being authentic
lovely mr hilton said
oh ms haddad added and please subscribe betsy and i have a podcast the whole room laughed
we are mr hilton noted in america


until two years ago when she and her husband signed a lease for the top three floors of a townhouse on the upper west side diane paulus the director of the tony nominated musical waitress knew nothing of life without doormen and quite honestly she didnt want to know anything of life without doormen
a new york native ms paulus 49 had always lived in buildings where there was someone to take packages and groceries where the hallways were long and lined with apartments
i had never considered a townhouse it was never on my radar said ms paulus whose broadway credits include finding neverland and the tony winning revivals of hair porgy and bess and pippin but we wanted space and quiet and weve always looked for that dream top floor apartment so we thought what about a townhouse where you dont have neighbors above you
she was taken with the notion of a front door that was for her family and her family alone her husband randy weiner 51 a playwright and producer and the couples daughters katharine 9 and natalie 11
one visit and i knew this was the place ms paulus said she loved the roof deck and not only because it provided a view of a neighboring rooftop that was the site of her 1995 wedding and she was delighted by the bike storage possibilities provided by a foyer
but come on who was she kidding what really captured ms pauluss fancy was the idea of so many floors so much space on those floors and so many stairs between them her children could be in the kitchen she could be two flights up in her bedroom and vice versa
no longer would she have to deal with the inconvenience of work sessions with collaborators in public places like cafe luxembourg nice matin or the lambs club no more sotto voce business calls conducted while sitting on the edge of the tub in the bathroom because it was the one quiet spot she could find in her apartment
and while were on the subject of bathrooms let the record show that ms pauluss townhouse has five she has commandeered the one next to her office as her exclusive province my husband doesnt even get to use it she said it has a double sink and a shower and a walk in closet i feel like ive died and gone to heaven
now under one roof ms paulus can have a home life and thanks to an office on the second floor a somewhat less stressful life in the theater i can say why dont you come over to my house  she said ive finally grown up i can host people we can bang on the piano in the living room or put a track on the sound system its been great to have that studio environment
ms paulus exudes decisive competence the exact quality youd want in a director correction ms paulus exudes decisive competence when dealing with the many moving parts of a musical or opera swatches are put in front of me constantly she said i make thousands of choices about set design and props and the colors of costumes
but when she was tasked with selecting furniture and accessories for her townhouse all that enviable certainty went right out the window ive never been able to make home decorating decisions with ease ive just never been able to get it together she said someone told me its because you use all of that particular energy for your work you have nothing left for your home life 
fortunately she has friends they told her to paint all the walls white and the director took their direction those same friends told her about the abc carpet  home warehouse outlet in the bronx where she and her husband bought almost everything for the house in one fell swoop the haul included a glass and chrome etagere a glass and chrome coffee table a dining table and a pair of gray velvet tufted benches that ms paulus has since conceded should have stayed on the showroom floor
i sat on them and they were comfortable she said defensively and then i spent the next six months going into the living room and rearranging them my husband finally said i think youve made a mistake and we should just start over 
so it was back to abc for a sleek gray couch and an easy chair one of the tufted benches now resides in ms pauluss office its mate was relegated to the foyer a handy perch for visitors who are asked to remove their shoes before heading upstairs this is a nod to ms pauluss heritage her mother was japanese further honoring the familys background ms pauluss sister janet made 1000 origami cranes as a housewarming present for the familys previous residence a symbol of good luck and good health they hang in multicolored strands in a corner of the denplayroom
scattered among the many new pieces of furniture is a cache of treasures that ms paulus has taken from place to place the tiny white rocking chair that was made by her father a collage of photos from her parents childhoods a picture she painted in high school that her mother and mr weiner had framed that picture hangs in the kitchen one of ms pauluss preferred hangouts not because she cooks   she doesnt   but because so much of our life happens there she said and theres an adjoining sweet little balcony ms paulus said you walk out there and youre in this enclave of brownstones our neighbor has a fountain that runs all spring and summer its a little oasis
her daughters have taken to their new surroundings with gusto they installed a pulley to haul objects between floors and have discovered that a gym mat has great pickup when ridden down a flight of stairs
ms paulus has been similarly inspired she has worked on so many from the ground up projects since moving in   finding neverland waitress and off broadways invisible thread   that she now refers to her rental as the house of new musicals
there have been strides on the domestic front as well im shocked at myself that i got it together to buy roof furniture she said we went to fortunoffs and while my husband and i were looking at tables and chairs my kids were sitting on a canopied porch swing and as we were leaving randy and i looked at each other and said why arent we getting that swing 
she added so we got the swing and its probably my favorite thing in the house


like a chameleon encountering a new environment the top 13 floors of mima a 63 story tower on west 42nd street in manhattan have demonstrated a remarkable ability to adapt to market trends
they were originally envisioned designed and built as 151 condominium units atop floors of rental apartments but the related companies which developed the building had a change of heart just as construction was completed in late 2011 rather than starting sales the company introduced them as luxury rentals under the name one mima tower
related and its partner decided to capitalize on the strength of the rental market a related spokeswoman wrote by email
now those top 13 floors are being converted back to condominiums after being sold last year for 2608 million to kuafu properties a new york based developer with chinese and other asian investors and scg america the united states arm of the shanghai construction group
condominium sales are currently strong and the market is dictating that there are just not enough one bedrooms and studios available said david e perry the director of sales at the silk realty group kuafus in house sales division the conversion will meet that need he said because about half the units are studios and one bedrooms and the remainder are two  and three bedroom apartments
but the new developers have no intention of selling off the units as is we would like to present a nice premium product with even more luxurious finishes said winfred zhang the president and chief executive of scg america
to do so they hired drakeanderson an interior design firm founded by the veteran designer jamie drake whose clients have included madonna and michael bloomberg and his former protege caleb anderson the firm is renovating the apartments while also overhauling the hallways and the condominiums dedicated entrance at 460 west 42nd street the developers also gave the project a new name   manhattan view at mima
it is mr drakes first multiunit residential project and although he is frequently lauded in shelter magazines for his masterful use of bold colors the apartments have a more restrained palette
the design employs a language of sheen and shimmer said mr drake because what is manhattan but oz for so many people   its the emerald city that glitters in the distance
the renovations include minor layout tweaks in some apartments like reorienting a closet or repurposing a bedroom as a family room all units will get new wide plank oak floors stained a dark hue that mr drake called toasted pecan as well as new kitchens with white lacquer cabinetry carrara marble gaggenau appliances and peninsulas faced in taupe lacquer and wood
bathrooms will be a mix of full and partial renovations mr drake said as the designers decided to keep some existing calacatta marble details new features include gray lacquer vanities with stainless steel legs and marble tops lacquer and mirror medicine cabinets and custom faucets and hardware designed specifically for the project
the lobby design features an opulent mix of materials including a reception desk clad in strips of artist made mirrored glass glossy mahogany panels and a floating gilded ceiling in the corridor to the elevators
sales began earlier this month with the opening of three model units created by three different design firms drakeanderson gabellini sheppard associates and champalimaud design
the development team is also in the process of building a sales gallery in shanghai which mr zhang said should open this summer i believe a lot of international buyers are going to be interested he said
studios start at 137 million one bedrooms at 17 million two bedrooms at 29 million and three bedrooms at 48 million
about 50 apartments are being renovated now according to mr perry with units available in five to six months the remainder will be renovated as rental leases expire
all buyers will receive a membership to the m club a 44000 square foot spread of amenity spaces on the third floor and cellar level managed by related the club is shared with mima renters who buy memberships for 150 per month
amenities include a private equinox gym a 58 foot lap pool a basketball court a business center outdoor terraces with grilling stations an outdoor movie theater a golf simulator and karaoke room a childrens playroom and a dog city spa and care facility
but mr perry said he expects one of the condos strongest selling points will be the sights every single apartment in our building has spectacular views he said because we only start on the 51st floor


the hotel consultant and historian stanley turkel 90 lives in a single family home in flushing queens with walls that are covered with photos of his family including his wife rima sokoloff a modern dancer and professor who died in 2014 his four children and his five grandchildren mr turkel who grew up in the bronx and graduated from new york university served in the army air force during world war ii before becoming the general manager of the drake hotel now demolished on park avenue he then traveled the world for the international telephone and telegraph company overseeing development and operations on behalf of the sheraton corporation during its global expansion an avid collector and writer mr turkel recently donated 670 items to the smithsonians new national museum of african american history and culture and has published five books on the hotel industry
morning ritual i wake up every day at 630 am including sunday the first thing i do after washing up is to eat my breakfast i go to the dining room where i have photos of my children and grandchildren and i turn on wqxr the classical radio station and say good morning to my family then i pour cereal usually heritage flakes from trader joes with sliced banana and nonfat milk i also have a cup of coffee that i make from my keurig and i sweeten with honey   not sugar or saccharine   and a little bit of skim milk i have been eating carefully for the last 50 years with very little red meat very few desserts and limiting my sugar intake
slip and fall research after breakfast i go upstairs to my office work consists of researching my current book which means being on the internet most of the time i will also do consulting work which mostly means being an expert witness in hotel related cases many times they are slip and fall cases that occur when someone is getting out of the shower or bath so i read volumes of material   reports depositions and descriptions of hotel installations
vegging out while learning after working i go for sunday brunch there is a vegetarian restaurant that is a five minute drive from my house called the oneness fountain heart i usually have a three egg mushroom omelet with a small grain salad no french fries or potatoes and multigrain toast dry and with apricot or strawberry jam and a cup of coffee with nonfat milk i usually bring with me the new york review of books that is my favorite magazine of all time there are always so many things i dont know and i learn about subjects that i didnt even know existed it gives me exposure to new worlds
literature with leo then i walk about a mile to visit my friend leo gottlieb leo is 103 years old i met him two years ago when i was taking my usual walk to the queens college campus on the way i kept seeing a man sitting under a tree reading a kindle the third time i saw him i stopped and introduced myself it turns out he was reading books from the best seller list unbelievable he is self taught he didnt graduate from high school he was raised on a farm in the catskills by immigrant russian parents and worked in the garment district his whole life when i visit him i bring articles that i think would interest him usually about evolution anthropology astronomy and politics
dinner from scratch then i walk home and i make my dinner leo was very instrumental in my cooking when my wife passed away that was about the time i met leo he is big on preparing your own food my wife used to do all that but leo encouraged me to buy good food organic food and cook so i make either chicken or fish or maybe frozen turkey meatballs from trader joes then i make a green salad and maybe some rice or spaghetti you wouldnt hire me to be your chef but ive learned enough and have confidence in myself to make a decent meal
progressive politics and ball while i eat dinner i watch television on a nice flat screen that my kids got for me usually i watch msnbc because im a progressive guy i care a lot about politics im also interested in professional basketball would you believe i used to play basketball so i watch the nba especially the golden state warriors i think they are wonderful the new york knicks arent very good i also like professional baseball of course i root for the new york yankees then around 1030 pm i go to bed


dan feig 59 had just begun his early morning rounds in the fish market when a man with a longshoremans hook sidled up and discreetly described a sweet shipment of sea bass
i got a beautiful box over there the best you ever seen but you better hurry up he told mr feig who was soon sizing up the catch
they dont come any better than that pal the man said trying to hook mr feig one of the biggest fish buyers here at the new fulton fish market cooperative at hunts point in the bronx
mr feig picked up a bass and saw from the translucent sheen and bulging eyes that it was fresh he wiped his fish slimy hands on his vest and said hed take the box
mr feig whose business card identifies him as a fourth generation fulton fish market fishmonger has been making his living by buying and selling fish ever since going to work at age 17 at the fulton fish market in lower manhattan the market was moved in 2005 up to this cavernous terminal in the bronx where the buying begins after midnight each weekday and is largely over before dawn
mr feig arrives at the market by 1 am daily and begins buying for f rozzo  sons a wholesale distributor in the meatpacking district that sells to many of the finest restaurants and hotels in manhattan
he fills a box truck sometimes two with maybe 10000 pounds of fish a day to be trucked down to rozzo  sons which is run by louis rozzo whose great grandfather felix rozzo started the company in 1900
you cant find too many people who know the fish business and the market like danny mr rozzo said hes buying for places like le bernardin and daniel and the four seasons and the carlyle and he knows we need high quality product
a heavyset man mr feig plods cheerfully through the market as forklifts whiz closely by with crates of iced down seafood
theres a world of fish in here he said stopping at one stand thats dogfish which is used in england for fish and chips you got monkfish right out the water off long island you got pompano in from florida
mr feig estimates that he buys 1 million worth of fish a month at the market but that is not the only reason he is continuously courted by sellers at their stalls he has worked with many of them for decades he greets the sellers with gibes he tastes their raw tuna sniffs their scallops has them open oyster after oyster so he can eye them
this is my home   were part of a family here said mr feig who does not mind the chilly temperature in the market nor the fish smell nor the ungodly hours
after all he said compared with the old outdoor fulton market this is paradise
this is beautiful he said theres no rain no snow the ground is level
but it lacks the central location of the old fulton market said mr feig who is married with two grown children and lives in west nyack ny nor does it have the lore yes there are characters here but not like bo the fish loader at fulton street with a glass eye hed tell buyers hed keep an eye on their boxes of fish and then take out his eye and put it on the box said mr feig who sat on a packing crate and whipped out his notebook which is protected by a metal binder to prevent the fish guts from soaking through
mr feig said he grew up in public housing in the gun hill section of the bronx and began working summers at the fish market where his grandfather sold shrimp in the summer and shad in the winter on south street
he said he became adept at slicing shad to remove the roe his speed   about 500 fish or 2000 pounds an hour   was so impressive that he would challenge any two cutters at the market to keep up with him mr feig said his uncle once won 1000 backing him in a race against a pair of cutters
mr feig eventually became a seller himself and a fish importer and would travel abroad seeking new types of fish to market in new york
in the market his phone rings nonstop even at 2 am mr feig calls around constantly checking prices with wholesalers and fishermen there are no formally set market prices and rates can vary and change even during the course of a morning at the market so mr feig is constantly asking sellers their prices and about their current and incoming supply
during his recent rounds a seller offered him black sea bass for 10 a pound but soon lowered his price to 750 mr feig bought some but saved his money i got a guy whos selling it right now for 685 down the other end he said


any self respecting yellow billed cuckoo would like its prospects this year the sticky webby bivouacs of eastern tent caterpillars festoon virtually every black cherry tree in sight and the caterpillars have chewed the poor plants virtually leafless caterpillars are a mainstay of the yellow billeds diet
opinions vary about what constitutes a good year for caterpillars many would say that a good year is a one without them but if there is a silver lining to their onslaught it is the greatly improved potential for seeing caterpillar eating specialist birds like cuckoos
secretive and often difficult to observe the yellow billed in appearance and behavior contrasts sharply with the colorful frenetic migrants swarming through the northeast this time of year warblers vireos tanagers and gnatcatchers are tiny bundles of nerves flitting through treetops in near perpetual motion their gorgeous colors a blessing both for the eyes and for identification though you may have only a second or two to identify a warbler if the bird is blue orange or yellow and is streaked masked spotted barred or striped you can eventually identify it using any number of field guides
by contrast the yellow billed cuckoo coccyzus americanus is long and lean and elegantly plumed in earth tones it hunts through springs budding tree limbs methodically and is often hidden behind leaves branches flowers and other obstacles
when a cuckoo finds a caterpillar nest it is undaunted by what we might consider the high ick factor it sticks its head into the swarming mass to tweeze out wriggling caterpillars one at a time and after scraping them against a branch to remove some of the irritating hairs swallows them whole feeding time provides the best opportunity to watch these birds when they can be oblivious to disturbance in the face of such abundance
you are far more likely to hear a yellow billed cuckoo than to see one though its call is instantly recognizable it may take you a while to place it if you grew up watching tarzan or period adventure films featuring impenetrable tropical forests the rapid fire rapping call of this bird and that of australias kookaburra served as shorthand for exotic peril filling pregnant silences in such films with danger and adrenaline when the yellow billed cuckoo calls even familiar woodlands transform magically into deepest darkest africa
the yellow billed cuckoo and its close cousin the black billed cuckoo arrive at the height of bird migration   right about now in new york city   and remain in numbers through the end of june in my experience they are most active in the early morning hours and they frequent woodland edges and clearings to see one or at least to hear one plan a trip to any buggy woodland soon after sunrise in the next few weeks van cortlandt park in the bronx and cunningham park in queens are especially good places for these secretive birds but the ramble in central park and even the north garden at jamaica bay wildlife refuge can also host cuckoos in season


on feb 14 1892 the rev dr charles h parkhurst delivered what daniel czitrom a mount holyoke college historian calls the most politically explosive sermon in new york history
billy mcglorys brothel on east 14th street operated openly protected by the police and prosecutors and by the lying perjured rum soaked and libidinous lot who ran new york parkhurst said furiously from the pulpit
within weeks a manhattan grand jury convened to call parkhursts bluff rejected his claim instead of retreating however the dogged presbyterian minister teamed up with a suburban republican state senator clarence lexow marshaled evidence of officially sanctioned vice and started a decontamination crusade that resonates today in echoes of police brutality and corruption income inequality restricted immigration vote suppression links between evangelicals and politics and as professor czitrom writes the nations profound fear and distrust of new york city
in new york exposed the gilded age police scandal that launched the progressive era oxford university press 2795 the author describes the lexow committee as the first in a cycle of police investigations perhaps the one that exposed the most pervasive corruption nearly half the forces captains were implicated and brought about the least immediate reform virtually all the criminal cases against the police collapsed
still professor czitroms evocative account reveals that the nexus between politics policing and biblical trespasses in the late 19th century introduced the term organized crime spawned the patrolmens benevolent association demonstrated the power of mass media and even presaged reality television shows when george appo a notorious swindler and tom gould owner of a disreputable saloon played themselves when in the tenderloin opened at a theater on the bowery
the lexow committee found little evidence that the democratic bosses of tammany hall committed vote fraud the influx of immigrants was enough to supply them with loyal constituents or profited primarily from vice their most lucrative investments were from honest graft
new yorkers eventually soured on parkhursts crusade his patrician righteousness against vice came to be seen as bigoted hypocritical and puritanical at the trial of hattie adams a brothel owner her lawyer the bombastic abe hummel eviscerated the ministers motives in feverishly exploring the citys dens of iniquity and reporting back on nude gambols it is for you to decide hummel told the jury whether this man went to this house and witnessed that dance for the object which he has stated or to gratify his lustful tendencies by looking on adams was convicted the jury recommended mercy
samuel langhorne clemenss first public lecture at new yorks cooper union in 1867 was so poorly subscribed that his manager filled the auditorium by donating free tickets to teachers three decades later the writer now known as mark twain lost his entire fortune and he discharged all his debts from the proceeds of a grueling global speaking getaway during which reports of his death were prematurely anticipated and greatly exaggerated in the new york press
in chasing the last laugh mark twains raucous and redemptive round the world comedy tour doubleday 30 richard zacks the author of island of vice on police commissioner theodore roosevelts campaign to decontaminate new york takes readers on a rollicking excursion that includes elmira ny and hartford where twain was most prolific and manhattan where he returned home to a heros welcome
twain expressed concern about the affordability of housing but settled into a pricey townhouse near washington square the same one in which 6 year old lisa steinberg would be fatally beaten by her father in 1987 introduced winston churchill at the waldorf astoria and when suffering from a cold sportively extorted the finest scotch as a curative from andrew carnegie


florida it seems has always been a popular destination even the first known americans gravitated to the state
of course they probably went for the mastodons
underwater archaeologists and other researchers have taken a second look at a sinkhole 30 feet deep in the aucilla river in northern florida that is rich with remnants of stone tools as well as fossilized mastodon bones and dung
although scientists had studied the location known as the page ladson site for more than a decade and knew how old some of the material was they could not come up with definitive evidence that humans and mastodons were there at the same time
now the researchers say the discovery of an unmistakable human artifact a stone knife fragment embedded in sand and dung that allowed for exact dating proves that paleoindians as archaeologists call the first people to come to north america colonized northern florida by 14550 years ago
david g anderson an anthropologist at the university of tennessee knoxville who specializes in the early history of humans on the continent and who was not involved in the research called the new work reported in the journal science advances superb archaeological scholarship
the page ladson site   named for buddy page a diver who first found it and the ladson family which owns the land around it   is about 30 feet underwater in a sinkhole in the aucilla river southeast of tallahassee about seven miles inland from the gulf of mexico it was painstakingly uncovered from the early 1980s until the late 1990s by james s dunbar who joined in the new research and s david webb then a paleontologist at the university of florida together they wrote first floridians and last mastodons the page ladson site in the aucilla river
it is the oldest site with evidence of human activity in the southeastern united states and one of only a handful of sites that show that humans were living in north and south america by about 14500 years ago
until recently scientists thought that the first humans to come to america were big game hunters who made stone tools in an identifiable style they were called the clovis people after the location of the first discovery of such tools near clovis nm researchers put the arrival of the clovis people in the americas at around 13500 years ago
but discoveries in monte verde chile texas wisconsin oregon and a few other spots suggested that humans were in the americas earlier well over 14000 years ago without the distinctive clovis tools
and studies of modern and ancient dna have suggested that the first humans to set foot in north america could have come much earlier perhaps 16000 or even 18000 years ago michael r waters director of the center for the study of the first americans at texas am university who led the research with jessi j halligan who was doing postdoctoral research with him at the time and is now at florida state said the dna studies suggested that the first humans in america came down the pacific coast so far no one knows how they got to florida
when they arrived however they found a climate not much different from today but the area was drier and more open and the seas were much lower the coast would have been about 125 miles from the site which was then a spring fed pond in open upland terrain not part of any river
the pond was probably frequented by mastodons and other extinct mammals like ancient bison and rhinoceroses people and animals would have gone there to drink dr halligan said and if you were a mastodon apparently wallow around and defecate a lot
today the pond and its shore are deep in the aucilla known as a black water river because of its tea colored tannin stained water which posed an added challenge to the archaeologists they used scuba gear and helmet mounted cavers lights to cope it is as my dad would say as dark as the inside of a cow dr halligan said
the radiocarbon dating of plant material found in the mastodon dung plus a discovery that the layer containing the tools was sealed off by another layer on top that was also older than 14000 years confirmed the age of the site
the age had been in doubt before in part because of less conclusive tool fragments and questions about whether the river may have churned up the sediments
there was also a mastodon tusk with cuts that looked like they might have been made by humans but that evidence was doubted too so daniel c fisher a paleontologist at the university of michigan joined the recent investigation to reanalyze the tusk he said the marks were made exactly where people would have had to cut through a tough ligament to remove the tusk from a carcass and could not have been made another way
why would the first floridians have worked so hard probably for a stone age delicacy up to 15 pounds of fat rich pulp at the deep growing root of the tusk its a bit like bone marrow available at fine restaurants in miami


on a recent evening catherine treboux the elegant proprietor of le veau dor an upper east side restaurant that has remained virtually unchanged since the days of grace kellys patronage was sharing her observations about shifts in the citys dining habits it was not long after 10 oclock and the restaurant had emptied which is fairly common there and in many other places ms treboux believed because of a collective will to get home for two hours of emailing and recorded television before bed at midnight lingering at the table had long been discarded as a ritual among the urbane we lamented the turn to a dull zestless efficiency
every time and place gets the sex scandal it deserves and in the early years of the second decade of the 21st century new york got anthony d weiner and his comic porn pseudonyms a scandal that didnt involve actual sex the initial revelations of his penchant for junior high school style texting practices led to his resignation from congress in 2011 two years later during his second bid to become the citys mayor the world discovered that he was still at it despite his proclamations of self reform this time with a 23 year old named sydney leathers who said she heard from mr weiner five times a day he finished the democratic primary with just under 5 percent of the vote to put that in perspective he did worse than norman mailer who ran for mayor in 1969 several years after he had stabbed his second wife during the final hours of a party at which she told him that he wasnt as good as dostoyevsky
mr weiners doomed effort to lead the city is chronicled in a new documentary weiner which was shown at the sundance film festival this year and will be released in the next week the filmmakers josh kriegman and elyse steinberg were given broad access to the candidate   permission that mr weiner opens the film suggesting he wishes he hadnt granted but ultimately it is the universe around mr weiner that seems perversely unhinged a citizenry of judges and high priests who seem to have processed his transgressions personally women approach mr weiner as though he were every guy who didnt call after the third date you did disgusting things and now you have the nerve to walk around in public one man yells at him during a campaign stop at a bakery in a television interview lawrence odonnell assumes the role of st peter asking mr weiner if you take in the totality of your life do you think youve spent your time well
had he chosen to dignify the question with an honest answer mr weiner might have said that he spent a lot of the time during his political career between phone calls about medicare part b feeling bored and alienated in a particularly telling moment in the film mr weiner likens his lewd texting addiction to almost like playing a video game there was no feeling to it he convincingly implies do my personal relationships suffer because of the superficial and transactional nature of my political relationships or is it the other way round mr weiner asks himself rhetorically in the film do you go into politics because youre not connecting on that other level and did the technology that undid me allow me to be in touch with people and have kind of more superficial relationships i dont know
the questions he raises arent trivial the central relationship in mr weiners life is with his wife huma abedin whose presence in the film   shaken stoic resigned imperious irritated   has been at the center of the anticipation surrounding it given her close relationship to hillary clinton and all the analogies to which the two womens marriages lend themselves the differences obviously outweigh any similarities the weiners are immersed in the monotonies of domesticity   at one point in the film their baby son is present at a crisis management meeting in the couples apartment husband and wife compare the ingredients on rival jars of red sauce the clintons are davos the weiners are whole foods mrs clinton has had to manage a man who likes women ms abedin seems forced instead to handle a man who likes screens mr weiners public life in the past few years has been distinguished mostly by his presence on twitter professionally things havent really taken off again unless of course you count his appearance in sharknado 3 oh hell no
the documentary occasions a chance to engage in alternative history as a parlor game what would it be like if mr weiner had been elected mayor with his fiery speechmaking and combative style he was convinced it was his time the other day alec baldwin posed the question on his radio program heres the thing ive had this theory about mayors in new york city mr weiner responded that we go from personality like mayors   the koches the giulianis and then we like to take a deep breath afterward and have more of a calmer   technical maybe   guy i had the theory that we were due after bloomberg for more personality   someone who really enjoyed it someone who liked engaging in it mixing it up a little more bill de blasio mr weiner said hasnt quite been that anthony weiner wants everyone to know he would have been more fun


the woman who walks the most famous turtle in new york city reported for duty at his home in harlem on monday afternoon
he had left her a large present in the apartment hall and was leaving another in the kitchen
thank you buddy amalia mccallister said to henry the african spurred tortoise also known as the notortoise big on his facebook and instagram accounts i really love that
ms mccallister who recently beat out hundreds of people to make 10 an hour cleaning up after a reptile the size of a roasting pan was unfazed she swabbed henry with baby wipes rubbed turtle conditioner into his bumpy shell and pointed him toward the door
henry surprisingly agile for a 17 pound tortoise raced for the exit ms mccallister locked the door behind him and carried him down two flights mindful of his legs armored with spiky scales and the possibility that he would soil her long blue dress
under the stairs were two strollers ms mccallister pulled out the one with the label for pets only
this one is his she said
dogs it turns out are not the only pets that crave outdoor exercise henrys owner amanda green a copywriter for the lifestyle site refinery29 used to take him to central park only on weekends but he was tearing up her place he scratched all over the hallway walls ms green said i knew he was pacing the hallway all day long while i was out and i started feeling really bad
so in march she placed a craigslist ad seeking a responsible animal lover to take henry to the park on weekdays henry can roam freely under your watchful eye it said no tortoise experience necessary an avalanche of media attention ensued
applications poured in from around the world ms mccallister 24 a former art student who works at petland discounts a few blocks away got the job
monday was her second solo walk with henry she tucked him facing backward into the stroller i try to keep him turned round so he doesnt get too excited she said but he turns himself around
they got only one block down st nicholas avenue before being stopped by the police
hi said an officer who jumped out of her van to greet henry she looked through the mesh window of the stroller henry stuck a leg through a hole he had made
ms mccallister pushed the stroller along two more blocks to the park henry stuck his head out of the hole like a dog in a car with the window rolled down
darrell johnson sipping a soda in the plaza by the park called out is he a boy or a girl boy ms mccallister said wheres the woman at asked mr johnson 50 how are we gonna make more little turtles he offered to hold a sign seeking a girlfriend for henry
inside the park sunbathers gathered on the bank of the harlem meer and mallards splashed in the water ms mccallister chose a quieter spot a lush lawn by the wall at 110th street
the way you can tell wheres a good spot for henry is if there are weeds or dandelions she said because theres no pesticides there so he can eat the grass he also really loves to eat dandelions its like a field full of french fries for him
she set him on the lawn where he spent the next two hours avidly devouring grass broadleaf plantain sweet clover ms mccallister presented him with a small bouquet of dandelions a feast offering
everyone who walked by did at least a double take visitors grew more frequent after schools let out
its a turtle stacy burroughs said to her 3 year old nieces sophia and grace burroughs
if you want ms mccallister said you can touch the shell
the girls balked but their aunt stepped up gamely ill touch the shell ms burroughs said its nice and cool
henrys curiosity gets him in trouble sometimes ms mccallister texted ms green there were some mushrooms hiding under some grass that henry got to i stopped him but i think he got like one bite of one should i be worried
well keep an eye on him ms green wrote back
more young children and their caretakers dropped by are turtles slower than tortoises asked louis sclafani age 5 3/4  ms mccallister confessed she wasnt sure
soon it was time to wheel henry home ms mccallister said that so far she found the job very much to her liking i think its really important if you live in new york to get out in nature she said id love to do more things like this taking peoples weird pets out
at the apartment henry ambled off to the bedroom where ms green keeps a little blanket set atop a heating pad on the floor i think hes passed out for sure ms mccallister said
indeed henry sat on the heating pad head toward the wall motionless you could imagine him dreaming of dandelions


a spacious penthouse at 150 charles street the witkoff groups new brick and glass condominium in the west village which sold out weeks after sales began has officially closed for 2937979641 according to city records and was the most expensive sale of the week
the sponsor apartment pha with monthly charges of 6948 has five bedrooms and five and a half baths over 4553 square feet there is also 2521 square feet of outdoor space which provides stunning cityscape and hudson river views including the statue of liberty
the new owner has access to amenities in the 91 unit building including private green space a 75 foot lap pool a fitness center a lounge and a childrens playroom
the buyers identity was shielded by the limited liability company 150 charles street ph a raphael de niro darren sukenik madeline hult elghanayan and peter zaitzeff of douglas elliman real estate were the listing brokers they represented both sides of the transaction
also this past week two more apartments have closed at the newly completed 432 park avenue the tallest residential tower in the western hemisphere topping out at 1396 feet
the pricier of these sponsor units was no 70b which is about three quarters of the way up the 96 story glass and concrete condominium between 56th and 57th streets it sold for 2814683666 according to city records and has monthly carrying costs of 15986
the 4019 square foot apartment which offers panoramic views of central park the hudson river and the downtown skyline contains three bedrooms three and a half baths and a library the buyer was identified as ensof park llc
all sales in the building are being handled by macklowe properties sales and douglas elliman development marketing
the other sponsor unit 43a which was slightly larger and also has park and skyline views sold for 210674045 property records show
the apartment has 4430 square feet that includes four bedrooms four and a half baths and a library the buyers identity was shielded by the limited liability company andover acquisitions
both apartments at 432 park have private elevator landings 126 foot ceilings and 10 by 10 foot square windows
big ticket includes closed sales from the previous week ending wednesday


the last time robert caro set foot in robert moses office moses abruptly ended their interview and never spoke to him again on a bright morning last week mr caro 80 climbed into the back seat of a rented toyota camry to visit that office for the first time in 48 years
in the interim mr caros biography of the public works titan the power broker robert moses and the fall of new york which he wrote for an advance of 5000 has had 49 printings and was recently bought for publication in china where it has been available in unauthorized editions
in the front seat of the car sat the prime minister of the netherlands
hi im mark said the prime minister mark rutte
mr rutte and his friend koen petersen a historian and coffee company executive had invited mr caro to lunch last year and asked if he would someday show them some sights from the book they said they visited the city every year with a copy of the power broker
were like groupies mr rutte said
now the day had arrived mr petersen drove the camry prime minister rutte wore jeans and a blue blazer the top two buttons of his shirt open
mr caro who had overslept that morning because he was unsatisfied with something he was writing for the fifth volume of his biography of lyndon b johnson pointed out moses handiwork which was basically everything in sight the robert f kennedy bridge the northern extension of the fdr drive the massive public housing projects in queens and upper manhattan
every building you see here was built by robert moses mr caro said gesturing toward the projects and theres not a single architectural element to make them look better moses wanted the people living in them to feel poor
we were bound for randalls island where moses based the triborough bridge authority and built an office for himself even though he already had four others   each with a lavish dining room and staff on duty in case he chose to eat there mr caro said eventually moses had 12 offices but he preferred this one because people had to work hard to reach him and because they had to pay a toll to his agency mr caro said the price of admission today was a short talk by mr caro
as soon as we left manhattan we were lost which was fitting mr caro said im laughing because moses didnt want anyone coming here he said its still hard to find
mr rutte for his part noted the generosity of people who gave directions even when they were wrong its amazing how kind everyone is here in the us he said
when we finally found the building practically underneath the bridge it brought back memories for mr caro to visit moses in that office was not pleasant he said at the same time the scale of the robert f kennedy bridge   which mr caro still calls the triborough   was a testimony to moses genius mr caro said likening it to picassos
the impression you had was a guy shaking the city from this place in the center of the city but no one could see him there he said
the triborough bridge authority is now part of the metropolitan transportation authority which gov nelson a rockefeller created to force moses from power mr caro said it was the only way to get him out moses didnt think it could be done
upstairs mr rutte squeezed into a cluttered room that had once been part of moses office
and this is where you had your meeting with him mr rutte asked mr caro and the whole atmosphere was power
it was mr caro said he had one telephone and everyone who came to see him even if you were the governor or the mayor had to wait until he got off the phone
the prime minister said he was not tempted to emulate moses you could never do that in the netherlands he said its too egalitarian of a country i hasten to add that thats a good thing
mary hedge the archivist for the authority wore a button that read i finished the power broker near the end of the visit she gave it to mr rutte
soon it was time to see another of moses works the cross bronx expressway whose construction devastated a mile long swath of the bronx uprooting a stable low income neighborhood and leaving urban misery in its place
when mr caro was working on that part of the book he said it made him depressed and angry hed track down people who had been displaced and the word they used to describe their lives afterward was lonely
lonely is a word that you never use unless youre really lonely mr caro said
in that period he said he was also struggling to pay his own bills he had long since spent his advance and when he delivered a half million words to his editor in hopes of shaking loose some more money the response was not good the editor took him to a cheap chinese restaurant he said everybody loved it but no ones going to read a book about robert moses so you have to brace yourself for a small printing mr caro said i just couldnt see a way forward
finally he found one with another publisher and four long excerpts in the new yorker when his agent lynn nesbit told him how much the magazine would pay he said i asked how long does a check like that take to clear she said why i said because weve always wanted to go to france the next day mr caro and his wife ina were on an airplane they asked the stewardess on board to recommend an inexpensive hotel
at lunch on arthur avenue in the bronx mr caro apologized for repeating several anecdotes during the morning im going to shut up now he said then he told some more now you see why my books take so long he said
the restaurant was called marios and it was nearly a century old mr caro and his wife had been going there for decades a 94 year old woman sat in the corner with a serious martini which she recommended for others who hoped to see 94 she had white hair and a lively smile
amsterdam is a very liberal city she chided the dutch visitors wagging a playful finger
the west side highway was next with two perspectives on moses the visionary beauty of riverside park and the ugliness of a harlem playground that moses had built under duress on the trellises of the playgrounds comfort station moses had ordered wrought iron monkeys a commentary on the people who might be using it
he was the most racist person i ever met mr caro said the trellises have since been removed
the playground now looked modest but lively a survivor of moses ill will much has changed since the power broker came out in 1974 when it earned its subtitle about the fall of new york
mr caro said the subtitle reflected the city as moses left it crime rising schools decaying the citys finances crumbling now the verdict feels premature
for mr rutte a lesson of the intervening years was that leadership does matter he said adding i used to walk in the bowery in the early 1980s and it was not safe it went from this to disneyland under giuliani and bloomberg this is now one of the best run big cities in the world
mr caro wondered i dont know if people would say that now he said
new york has been coming back from moses for 40 years he said is it starting to tip in the other direction he let the question hang and we were off to another destination this one as ambivalent in its import as the last


the 1925 upper east side building where the celebrity stylist jill swid rosen and her husband eric s rosen a money manager have lived for the last five years exudes prewar charm with its limestone and brick facade and white glove lobby but inside their full floor penthouse there is more of a contemporary downtown vibe
the co op apartment phab at 791 park avenue between east 73rd and 74th streets and a quick stroll from central park was completely overhauled in a nearly three year renovation it now has more of an open loftlike aesthetic along with numerous high tech flourishes like surround sound a humidification system soundproofing and intercom monitoring
the walls in the main entertaining space were also fortified to support the couples hefty and bold modern artwork
this is not your dads upper east side co op said mr rosen the chief investment officer of reef road capital adding it was a gut renovation down to the studs we had to take everything out and start from scratch
but now the couple plan to start over somewhere else they are putting the residence on the market in hopes of moving downtown to be closer to their childrens schools the asking price for the nearly 4300 square foot 16th floor apartment with a 3000 square foot terrace is 269 million said john burger of brown harris stevens who is listing the property the monthly maintenance is 9485
its a young couples interpretation of a prewar penthouse mr burger said its very livable and very user friendly this apartment also has light in every inch of it
one of the best features he and the couple pointed out is the connection to the outside space from nearly every room along with the vast cityscape vistas which include the empire state building seen from the units three dozen large windows
what ill miss the most is all the light   we dont leave the lights on a lot said ms rosen a freelance stylist whose celebrity clientele has included the actress uma thurman and the television anchor anderson cooper
the penthouse was a combination of two top floor units when the rosens who previously lived in greenwich village bought it in 2007 for around 98 million from glenn r august the chief executive of the investment firm oak hill advisors because of that there are two entrances and two private elevator landings
the main entry opens to a grand 12 by 13 foot gallery embellished with bronze moldings and floors of italian limestone and white inlaid marble on one wall sits a 1965 john chamberlain sculpture of discarded car parts one of the many pieces of midcentury artwork showcased throughout mr rosen said he added the humidifying system and  5/8  inch thick plywood in the walls to benefit the couples vast collection
off the gallery is a 28 by 15 foot living room with a wood burning fireplace and a separate area carved out as a library the space flows into the formal dining room and beyond that the eat in kitchen with a six foot granite island and a built in bench for dining nearby is a wet bar and wine storage for up to 500 bottles the floors in the kitchen are wide plank white oak and in the other entertaining rooms radiant heated limestone
midcentury furniture by designers like edward wormley gio ponti and rene gabriel abounds mingling with paintings by adolph gottlieb norman bluhm william anastasi and richard pousette dart the furnishings are not included in the sale but may be purchased separately the five built in flat screen tvs however will remain
the home has four bedrooms and four and a half baths connected with an in wall intercom monitoring system the master suite features a sitting alcove two sizable dressing rooms and a custom limestone tub there is also a soundproof playroom where mr rosen and his son and daughter often play music together
in the winter he said the kids had snowball fights on the terrace
landscaped by michael walter of lexington gardens with an assortment of plants and flowers including boxwood hydrangeas japanese roses and ivy the terrace has been the setting for both childrens birthday parties and fancy fund raising soirees outdoor speakers pumped music to the guests
the rosens said they are looking to move to a place that needs little work i assure you now mr rosen said that we wont be gut renovating another apartment


it wasnt until a friend invited him to design a collection of rugs that the textile designer zak profera found his true calling before that mr profera was working in music marketing
i thought this is what i need to do to be happy  said mr profera 32 who started his new york textiles company soon after creating those rugs for decorative carpets in los angeles i knew i couldnt afford to do rugs he explained and thought fabric would be similar
his company zakfox makes graphic textiles for designers like robert stilin and workstead but mr profera still cant resist a good rug so he also collects and sells vintage turkish and persian carpets and overland the fabric collection he introduced this month was inspired by those designs
its easy to be seduced by pattern he admitted but when youre choosing a new rug there are other equally important things to consider
 will the rug be in a high traffic area like an entrance hall if so think durability ask yourself mr profera said will this rug get trashed in a year or will it stand the test of time
 consider the scale of the room you dont want the rug to look like a postage stamp he said the best size is one that fills most of a room or at least the entire sitting area
 what if you decide to rearrange the furniture circular rugs and free form shapes offer flexibility if your furniture layout changes and layered on top of traditional shapes they create a sophisticated collected look
slate bordered round jute rug  169 at west elm 888 922 4119 or westelmcom
the contrasting color at the center of this braided jute rug gives it surprising appeal it comes in different colors mr profera said but im big on the black and because the rug is round you can throw it in the middle of a room he said without worrying too much about the orientation of furniture around it

platonism rug  6375 at christopher farr 310 967 0064 or christopherfarrcom
i wish i had designed it mr profera said of this wool carpet by gamfratesi its really modern but the organic line work goes a little traditional as well that means it can be used just about anywhere

touro rug  85 a square foot at merida 800 345 2200 or meridastudiocom
designed by ashe  leandro this rug was inspired by african tuareg rugs it comes in four colors including a pearl colored sisal with black suede its durable and rugged and has a bit of a tribal beat said mr profera who also admired the optional tassels its really smart and very now

twisted abaca rug  from 795 at serena  lily 866 597 2742 or serenaandlilycom
an all purpose performer and an attractive alternative to traditional sisal this rug has a unique weave and doesnt look too beachy mr profera said it could be used alone or you can layer your little vintage rugs on top he added its casual but you can dress it up

painted plains bold hide  from 3250 at studio four nyc 212 475 4414 or studiofournyccom
this hand painted cowhide by avo delivers an unexpected visual punch cowhides are a dime a dozen but these are really unique mr profera said the geometric lines clash with the natural silhouette in a good way


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in the new york times book review james gleick reviews siddhartha mukherjees the gene an intimate history gleick writes
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were in the golden age of innovation an era in which digital technology is transforming the underpinnings of human existence or so a techno optimist might argue
were in a depressing era in which innovation has slowed and living standards are barely rising thats what some skeptical economists believe
the truth is this isnt a debate that can be settled objectively which was a more important innovation indoor plumbing jet air travel or mobile phones you could argue for any of them and data can tell plenty of different stories depending on how you look at it productivity statistics or information on inflation adjusted incomes is helpful but cant really tell you whether the advent of air conditioning or the internet did more to improve humanitys quality of life
we thought a better way to understand the significance of technological change would be to walk through how americans lived ate traveled and clothed and entertained themselves in 1870 1920 1970 and the present this tour is both inspired by and reliant on robert j gordons authoritative examination of innovation through the ages the rise and fall of american growth published this year these are portraits of each point in time culled from mr gordons research you can decide for yourself which era is truly most transformative readers later added their favorites here
the civil war was over and a transcontinental railway newly completed allowing easy or at least easier passage from the great cities of the east coast to california and many points between
but even as the glimmers of the technological future were emerging much would seem primitive today people lit their houses with candles and whale oil and heated them with wood or coal burning stoves that kept homes unevenly heated and smelling of smoke
only a quarter of the population lived in cities most of them in the northeast families were large and the population skewed young there were 53 people per household twice as many as in 2010 and 59 percent of the population was under age 25 while today it is more like 34 percent by modern standards the population was extremely poor with the average citizen spending 2808 a year in 2010 prices   less than the equivalent of the modern day per capita economic output of the republic of congo
they ate pork lots and lots of pork   131 pounds of it per person per year in 1870 that number was half as much by 1929 and is around 55 pounds today unlike other meat producing animals pigs could live almost anywhere and could survive largely on food scraps their meat easily salted or smoked could be preserved in an era without refrigeration
fresh vegetables were scarce farmers emphasized crops that could be stored or preserved like turnips pumpkins beans and potatoes instead of leafy greens that would deteriorate quickly apples were the only fruit widely consumed and much of the apple crop was turned into cider or brandy for preservation
the diet of mainly meat and starch frequently resulted in ailments like rickets and scurvy
most rural adults had two sets of work clothes both made at home and better off families had a nicer set of clothing for church or social outings there was not much in the way of consumer goods and department stores were in their infancy just starting to appear in large cities
instead of a toilet you used a chamber pot or an open window in the city an outhouse with an open pit underneath in the country modern toilets were an invention that was in its earliest phases during the decade of the 1870s big cities had sewers for both rainwater and human waste but they flowed into rivers unfiltered
the new york city subway wouldnt open for another 34 years boston had 700 horses per square mile the average horse produced 40 to 50 pounds of manure and a gallon of urine daily which made the streets of major cities no pleasant place to be
by todays standards entertainment options were limited total circulation of newspapers was 26 million in a country of 40 million people there was no telephone record player movie or radio men could go to the local saloon to drink women generally couldnt vacations and weekends were not really a thing
childbirth usually took place at home and deaths were common both at birth and during early years from diseases like yellow fever cholera and many others there was no licensing of doctors so quacks were common
the great war was over the great depression had not yet started and life in the united states in 1920 was profoundly different from 50 years earlier
the most fundamental shift over those decades was that the american home became in mr gordons word networked houses that were once dark and isolated were becoming intertwined they were starting to be connected to electric grids providing clean bright light without emitting smoke urban water networks supplied clean water and sewer systems removed waste without the pungent odors of chamber pots and outhouses telephones allowed people to converse with distant friends
these advances were enabled not just by technological innovation in plumbing and electricity but also by urbanization in 1870 23 percent of the united states population lived in cities which rose to 51 percent by 1920 large ornate victorian mansions were giving way to small bungalows affordable to the working class which took off in chicago starting in 1905 sears offered prefabricated materials for a bungalow that it boasted could be built with 352 hours of carpenter labor a less obvious factor in making mass housing available the inflation adjusted price of nails dropped by a factor of 10 from 1830 to 1930 with the advent of factory production
its hard to overstate how revolutionary the advent of electric light was in the 1870s a kerosene lamp could produce 5050 candle hours worth of light a year at a cost of 20 that same 20 in 1920 bought 44 million candle hours a year from bulbs
in muncie ind in 1890 there were not more than a dozen bathrooms with running water and sewers across town by 1925 75 percent of muncies homes had running water and two thirds had sewer connections including almost all newly constructed houses
this is thought to be a major reason public health and life expectancy improved in the years leading to 1920 many of the major advances in medical treatment like antibiotics were yet to arrive but clean water and waste removal   chlorination and filtration were introduced   cut back the death rate from typhoid fever by a factor of five from 1900 to 1920 the number of modern hospitals grew to 6000 in 1920 from 120 in 1870 and medicine became more of a science with doctors getting away from selling dubious cure alls
transportation was undergoing its own transformation and people were becoming far more connected to one another physically in 1900 just 8000 motorcars were registered in the united states but there were 9 million in 1920 and 23 million in 1929 streetcars and subways unheard of in 1870 were in all the major cities by 1920 intercity trains were becoming steadily faster and more reliable   a train trip from new york to chicago that took 38 hours in 1870 was 24 hours in 1900 and 16 hours in 1940
add it all up and americans who in 1870 would rarely travel farther than they could go on foot or horseback could suddenly range much more widely
the social effect was particularly great in rural areas between 1900 and 1910 one local paper in illinois reported on the arrival of each new automobile in its town the automobile seemed designed to loosen ties and dangle the horizon before the unsettled wrote the geographer john a jakle suddenly a farmer had options beyond the general store and the local bank
the age of processed food had begun national food brands including heinz sauces campbells soup quaker oats jell o and coca cola had been invented and began to fill cupboards instead of a 1870s breakfast of pork and grain mush a 1920s american ate kelloggs cornflakes invented in 1894 and orange juice
refrigerated railroad cars and in home iceboxes meant that vegetables were now available in winter and not just turnips growers in california developed iceberg lettuce in 1903 advertising that it could stay fresh as it crossed the country by rail
still much about a 1920 household would still seem foreign to a modern visitor there were no standardized electrical plugs so even households with electricity didnt have appliances we would recognize today electric refrigerators and washing machines were virtually unknown
restaurants were starting to arise with fancy hotels in the biggest cities employing french chefs and less expensive restaurants owned by chinese german and italian immigrants starting to appear while traveling by car options were few but the white castle hamburger stand would open in 1921 and howard johnsons restaurant in 1925 a wave of german immigration meant sausages and sauerkraut were becoming widespread the hot dog on a bun had made its first appearance at coney island in 1900 and was becoming ever more popular
consumers were starting to have more options as chain stores arose to offer more variety and lower prices than the small town general store which in many places had a monopoly on all manner of goods the grocery chain ap had 67 stores in 1876 and 15000 by 1930 local merchants fought the rise of the chains much as they have fought the rise of walmart more recently
and increasingly anything not available in a local store could be obtained by a mail order catalog   the montgomery ward catalog was first issued in 1872 the sears catalog in 1894 by 1900 sears was fulfilling 100000 orders a day and its catalog featured fur coats furnaces furniture and much more the catalog business was helped along by a technological innovation   parcel post which arrived in 1913 by contrast in 1890 only about a quarter of american households received mail at their door
it wasnt just consumer goods arriving at americans doors better printing presses and transportation made publishing newspapers more economical and the average american household read more than three newspapers in the time frame from 1910 to 1930 up from 09 in the 1870s
telephones were not yet ubiquitous but were spreading quickly in 1880 the telephone was used for 10 conversations per household per year a number that reached 800 by 1929 a popular form of entertainment in rural areas became using a party line to talk with far flung neighbors
the phonograph invented in 1877 and in wide use by the 1920s opened up another entertainment option listening to professional quality music at home unheard of in earlier generations outside the home motion pictures   still silent until 1927   were the latest thing offering an affordable way to consume a new form of entertainment they were wildly popular by modern standards a 1919 study in toledo ohio found 316000 movie visits in a week   in a city with a population of only 243000
the age of electronic information had not yet begun as of 1920 however the first commercial radio station opened that year and by 1923 there were 556 of them
the changes in transportation and communication starting to be seen in 1920 had become fundamental parts of daily life half a century later
air travel was a perilous uncomfortable endeavor in 1920 charles lindbergh did not cross the atlantic until 1927 and many died trying that and similar feats by 1970 jumbo jets connected major cities around the world and were quite safe indeed in many ways flight in 1970 was more pleasant than today with no security lines and larger more comfortable seats in coach class   albeit at a much higher price than today
traveling from the west coast to the east coast went from being a multiday affair by train to a trip made in less than a single day at least for those who could afford it
cars in 1920 were uncomfortable and prone to breakdowns and were driven on dirt or irregularly paved roads a 1920 ford model t had to be hand cranked to start by 1970 cars were comfortable with options like radios and air conditioning they were driven on comparatively smooth safe surfaces on the interstate highway system most of which had been built by 1972
homes were changing as the innovations that were being increasingly adopted in 1920 became truly universal electric light was in 79 percent of households in 1940 and 100 percent in 1970 running water was in 98 percent of homes up from 74 percent
refrigerators rose to 100 percent adoption in 1970 from 44 percent in 1940 and their quality improved a great deal as well consumer reports described constant repair needs in 1949 that had been mostly solved by 1971 the same was true of almost all household appliances
air conditioning first introduced in the united states in 1923 transformed cities with hot weather propelling the population growth of places like las vegas miami and houston there were 48000 room air conditioning units sold in 1946 which rose to two million by 1957 still by 1970 only a minority of households had air conditioning   11 percent with central air and 26 percent with room units
americans started eating a lot less pork and a lot more chicken and turkey consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables fell as the proportion of people living on or near farms fell while diets shifted toward much more canned fruits and vegetables canned vegetable consumption rose from 34 pounds per person per year in 1940 to 93 pounds in 1970 margarine replaced lard and butter as the cooking fat of choice
the size of grocery stores exploded with a wide variety of processed foods a small chain store in the 1920s offered 300 to 600 items while a 1950 supermarket stocked 2200 and its 1985 equivalent 17500
the age of mass communication radically shifted the way americans entertained themselves a person living in 1920 could listen to a phonograph at home or go to a silent movie at the nearest theater by 1970 color television and radio were both widely available movie attendance in any given week fell to 20 percent of the population in 1970 from 60 percent in 1940 but those who did go could view lush epics with color and sound
a person had fewer tv channels and fewer movies to choose from than today the videocassette recorder was years away so you were captive to what broadcast networks happened to be showing this resulted in huge audiences in 1953 69 percent of televisions were tuned in to the broadcast of the episode of i love lucy in which lucy has a baby
in 1970 anyone who needed to reheat leftovers faced a messy time consuming task at the stove   not the quick minute in a microwave of today the microwave was introduced in 1965 and was not widely purchased until the 1980s partly owing to falling price it cost 495 in 1968 and a compact model with more bells and whistles fell to 191 by 1986
but the microwave is the exception most of the advances in home appliances since 1970 have been trivial in the scheme of things a little more energy efficiency here a more ergonomic handle there greater reliability meaning fewer repair calls indeed while fashions have changed in homes since then in terms of decor and layout the american household works largely as it did then
airplanes continued getting safer with the number of deaths per 100 billion miles traveled falling to less than 1 from more than 100 in 1970 travel became considerably less expensive   though the rate of price decrease for air travel was slower from 1960 to 1980 than it had been from 1940 to 1960 still air travel had been an upper middle class activity in 1970 and now is affordable to the masses
by some measures air travel has become more onerous since 1970 there were no security screening lines those were introduced after a series of hijackings in the late 1960s and early 70s seats were larger and came with free meals and drinks arguably though the bundle offered by circa 1970 airlines for coach class seats is still available you can still get a bigger seat and free drinks at a higher price but now its called first class
once you factor in the time it takes to arrive early and get through security flying from new york to chicago takes about the same time and costs about the same in inflation adjusted dollars as it did in 1936 modern planes are faster but then one could show up at the airport 10 minutes before the scheduled flight time and hop on the plane
automobiles became more reliable and car travel far safer with widespread use of seatbelts adoption of airbags and anti lock brakes better technology to understand how to build a car so that it protects occupants in a crash and legal and public awareness efforts against drunken driving deaths per 100 million miles driven have fallen from about 11 in 1940 to about five in 1970 to around one today
compared with 1970 americans today eat a good bit less beef pork and eggs and about twice as much chicken they eat more fruits and vegetables but thats only part of the story americans are eating more of their meals away from home and in restaurants more varied than people in 1970 could have imagined thai japanese middle eastern and indian food is now for sale even in small cities
some of the biggest changes to everyday life since 1970 have been around information and entertainment the cliche about tv going from three channels a generation ago to hundreds actually understates it the television itself has gone from a 19 inch screen to 50 or more inches with much more vivid color and definition besides many more channels thousands of movies and television shows are available at any moment of the day or night through on demand streaming services
and that doesnt even account for the internet more broadly in effect a person can get access to nearly any notable work mankind has ever produced   novels movies visual art   instantly and at home or thanks to internet enabled mobile devices that have become widespread in the last decade nearly anywhere the person is
keeping up with distant friends and relatives once required expensive calls on land based phone lines now there are free or nearly free conversations through text messages mobile phone calls or video communication services like facetime and skype sending a more detailed message once meant writing it by hand or on a typewriter putting it in an envelope driving it to the post office and waiting a few days for the recipient to get it now it is an instant free email
in short the sheer number of ways a person can be in touch with others and consume information or entertainment has exploded and the price has collapsed
this is the area in which human life has changed the most in the last 46 years we live and travel much as we did in 1970 we eat more variety of foods products of all types keep getting a little safer a little more efficient a little better designed
but the real revolution of recent decades is in the supercomputer most people keep in their pocket and how that stacks up against the advances of yesteryear is the great question of whether an era of innovation remains underway or has slowed way down


click on the slide show to see this weeks featured properties in the new york region
 in wyckoff nj a four bedroom updated 1849 farmhouse with three full and three half baths two working and two decorative fireplaces multitiered brick patios an in ground pool with a cabana a koi pond and a five bay garage with a studio space above on one acre
 in purchase ny a two bedroom three and a half bath 1984 ranch on 032 acre in a gated community with a large deck and a lawn that slopes down toward a small stream


nine new books recommended by the editors of the new york times book review this week
zero k by don delillo scribner 27 in the post postcolonial future of delillos moving mysterious 16th novel a man joins his billionaire father at a desert compound where people can be preserved forever
everybodys fool by richard russo knopf 2795 this sequel to nobodys fool set 10 years later in the same upstate new york town presents engaging characters and benign humor
pumpkinflowers a soldiers story by matti friedman algonquin 2595 friedman has written a striking memoir about his stint in the israeli army in southern lebanon in the 1990s
alter egos hillary clinton barack obama and the twilight struggle over american power by mark landler random house 28 a lively and informative study of the relationship between obama and clinton by a times correspondent
ladivine by marie ndiaye translated by jordan stump knopf 2695 narratives of violence and loss are passed on by four generations of women now living in france in ndiayes poignant novel
thunder boy jr by sherman alexie illustrated by yuyi morales little brown 1799 ages 3 to 6 in a vibrant picture book an indian boy who hates his name is given a new one by his father
the great american whatever by tim federle simon  schuster 1799 ages 14 and up in this funny novel about grief an aspiring screenwriter age 16 loses a sister and gains a boyfriend
raymie nightingale by kate dicamillo candlewick 1699 ages 8 to 12 three friends develop self reliance in a captivating novel
imagine me gone by adam haslett little brown 26 hasletts ambitious novel revolves around a man struggling with depression and anxiety


click on the slide show to see this weeks featured properties in new york city
 in clinton a one bedroom two bath duplex with a washerdryer and a private roof deck in an elevator building
 in midtown east a three bedroom two bath with a washerdryer in a full service prewar building
 in prospect heights brooklyn a four bedroom one and a half bath first floor unit in a 1924 doorman building


the recent tribulations of lending club a former highflying peer to peer lender provide an object lesson for both companies and their investors when it comes to financial disclosures less is definitely not more
celebrated as a silicon valley disrupter set to transform the financial industry lending club first issued public shares at 15 in december 2014 like other wildly popular disrupters theranos the blood testing company that is now under siege comes to mind lending club had a star studded board and a concept that made investors swoon
by directly connecting borrowers with willing financiers lending club said it was turning the banking system into a frictionless transparent and highly efficient online marketplace helping people achieve their financial goals every day borrowers would get faster and cheaper access to consumer installment type loans and lenders would receive higher returns than they would if they had parked their money in a bank
its shares peaked at almost 28 in late 2014 giving lending club a 10 billion market value not bad for a company that generated a 33 million loss on 211 million in net revenue that year
lending club was the quintessential story stock disrupting finance though turned out to be harder than promised
six months after its public offering the companys shares had fallen below the deal price and in recent months as doubts about the peer to peer lending industry emerged lending clubs shares continued to decline
on monday came an abrupt announcement renaud laplanche lending clubs founding chief executive and very public face was resigning the companys shares plummeted 35 percent in subsequent days the stock fell even further
the company cited two reasons for mr laplanches exit first lending club had improperly sold 22 million of loans to an institutional investor that did not meet the investors standards in addition mr laplanche had not disclosed to company directors his stake in a fund in which lending club was weighing an investment
compared with some of the corporate shenanigans weve seen lately these disclosure failings look relatively minor so why have lending clubs shares taken such a beating
heres a hypothesis investors dont have enough information about the companys operations to keep them confident about its prospects when shareholders have to rely more on a companys promise than on the reality of its operations they often flee at the first sign of trouble
in contrast with traditional financial companies lending clubs disclosures are thin and the companys practices in the area were the subject of a whistle blower submission to the securities and exchange commission last july the submission which i reviewed contended that the company does not disclose crucial operational measures that investors need to evaluate its business
lacking for example is detailed data on lending clubs credit decisions and scoring models its investors returns and loan performance nor does the company provide specifics showing investor satisfaction with its platform
i asked lending club about these areas of its financial disclosures taylor hamilton a spokesman pointed me to additional information on the companys website but this data was only modestly enlightening
how does lending club assess risks among its borrowers in its most recent annual filing the company said that in addition to common tools like borrowers credit scores it uses proprietary algorithms that leverage behavioral data transactional data and employment information the company contends that its strong record of loan performance is evident in its loan origination growth
nevertheless lending club provides scant details on borrower performance by type product or vintage the year in which a loan was made other financial institutions provide this kind of data routinely
in its filings the company does show two tables of charge off rates on its loans reflecting borrower defaults one table spans three years the other five good luck figuring them out
the lending club spokesman suggested i also consult a chart on the companys website showing the adjusted net annualized return that its investor lenders receive but this chart which the company noted was for informational purposes only was limited to larger investors those buying at least 100 of the companys notes or bundled loans
since the company is a peer to peer lender the performance on smaller loan purchases would be a more helpful measure
lending club filings also state that high reinvestment rates prove that its investor lenders have confidence in its marketplace but the company has not disclosed actual reinvestment rates in its regulatory filings
scott sanborn the companys president recently told investors in a conference call that its reinvestment rate hit 85 percent over the past two quarters
if the company published these figures regularly shareholders could watch for investor churn a risk to its business that lending club has acknowledged it must maintain relationships with existing borrowers and investors it says in filings
another question raised by lending clubs regulatory disclosures is how different from traditional lenders it truly is the company says it has a wide range of investors including retail and high net worth individuals banks and finance companies hedge funds foundations pension plans and university endowments in its first quarter presentation the company said that 56 percent of its loan originations were financed by institutions with the remainder funded by individuals
but in its most recent annual report issued in february lending club noted that a relatively small number of investors account for a large dollar amount of investment in loans funded through our marketplace
if most of lending clubs loans come from a handful of investors such as brokerage firms hedge funds or pension plans thats not so revolutionary a business model that looks a lot like a bank more troubling if one or two of these investors pulled back from lending club the companys funding capacity could drop significantly
on tuesday the company told regulators that its quarterly financial filing due that day would be delayed until monday that filing lending club said will reflect significant changes in the companys results of operations for the first quarter of 2016 as compared to those of the first quarter of 2015
full and detailed data about a public companys operations is crucial if investors are to remain confident about its prospects while its not unusual for companies to want to limit their disclosures lending club no longer has that luxury if it wants to regain its shareholders trust being more forthcoming is a good way to start
the investor lesson here is also clear dont let enthusiasm for a purportedly innovative business model replace hard nosed analysis of a companys operations and if the data to do that analysis isnt there move on


huntsville ala   the youtube video that transformed briana babineauxs life was filmed when she was at her lowest clawing desperately to get back to herself
in january of last year she had just shaken free of a relationship that left her warped and broken i fell in love with my worst nightmare she said in an interview last month my hair was falling out i was skinny i was having medical issues i didnt want to be here   i wanted to commit suicide
i would go in my room turn off all the lights and say god why is this happening why me
in that youtube video ms babineaux   wearing a sweatshirt her hair gathered loosely atop her head   raises her right hand to the sky and sings with verve and power i need a brand new startlord i dont wanna be the same way improvising over a rendition of make me over a plea by the gospel singer tonex
fifteen months and 15 million views later she was here at all nations christian center preparing to headline a concert of rising gospel talent and also at the top of the billboard gospel chart with her debut album keys to my heart god was already preparing something else for me something that would blow my mind she said and its been blowing my mind ever since
the need for virality has become a fact of life in pop music but in gospel an industry that moves extremely deliberately with glacial turnover social media has been slow to take hold but the success of ms babineaux 21 who records as bri may be an early sign of coming change in almost every genre the internet and social media have minted stars who were eventually embraced by the mainstream now its finally gospels turn to catch up
ms babineauxs video was seen by marquis boone an atlanta pastor and budding music executive who became her manager and signed her to his label its the scooter braun movement mr boone said referring to the young manager who found justin bieber on youtube and built him into the dominant male pop star of the day taking that same model into an industry that hadnt seen it has shaken everything up
mr boone duplicated the approach with kelontae gavin a live wire prodigy who in 2014 when he was 14 was filmed singing the rev paul joness i wont complain by a lunch lady in his school cafeteria im a church boy mr gavin said in an interview secular music wouldnt have been for me id have been out of key uncomfortable
mr boone now finds himself presiding over a small empire of young gospel talent including ms babineaux mr gavin c west and also casey j the most established star of the group who in february won the stellar award   gospel musics grammy   for new artist of the year with her debut album the truth
mr boones approach is a disruption of familiar gospel music practices in several ways beyond his embrace of the internet as a tool of discovery and retransmission in the gospel industry everybodys connected usually people are introduced by someone whos already famous said hasan james editor in chief of root a magazine aimed at younger forward looking gospel fans bris not connected though thats just old school artist development at work
not connected to the gospel establishment that is elsewhere shes fine ms babineaux has 428000 followers on instagram including rihanna drake ms babineaux said dmd me letting me know how my music has been blessing him for ms babineaux   and mr boone hopes his other artists   social media helps collapse the walls that typically surround the cloistered world of church music activating a new audience in the process a lot of her followers are not church people not saved he said
sacred and secular music have long overlapped plenty of musicians have moved in both worlds some like the duo mary mary have found success in both at the same time but to some the commingling of those worlds is a provocation   take the recent controversy around kirk franklins collaboration with kanye west
and mr boone understands that on the cover of keys to my heart ms babineaux is dressed in an outfit inspired by janelle monae i intentionally did it to cause conversation he said
the album spent two weeks atop the billboard gospel album chart and to date has sold about 10000 copies a modest number but one in keeping with other hit gospel albums her sales outdistanced what her airplay position was said jim asker who oversees the gospel charts for billboard it seems like thats attributable to social media and the attention she was getting elsewhere
ms babineaux had been posting videos of cover songs to instagram for a few months when mr boone contacted her but she had no intention of becoming a professional singer the same was true of casey j an elementary schoolteacher who mr boone met in 2014 and immediately pursued after she worked as a worship leader in his church
we do the same things for 50 years casey j said about the gospel industry longevity is going to go to those who can change
in the secular world they test a single first but even the gospel majors dont do that mr boone said so we took 2500 did a single on casey no album in sight didnt know what was gonna be next six months later she was no 1
to distribute casey js debut mr boone eschewed the gospel major labels in favor of tyscot a black owned independent in indianapolis with a four decade history and a conservative roster i thought which one could i shine at the most he also partnered with tyscot for ms babineauxs album but has yet to sign a long term distribution arrangement for his label as a whole
mr boones unconventional background keeps him nimble hes still a pastor and also operates a publishing house through which he published his own books and others he became involved with music a few years ago when he began providing spiritual advice   one on one ministry   for secular music celebrities
im called to both worlds he said if christ was here hed be ministering to everybody several years ago mr bieber and his mother briefly attended mr boones atlanta church before mr bieber released his first album mr boone also bemoans that gospel stars are often held to higher standards in terms of their behavior christ was not into perfection he was into people that were flawed he said i tell my artists its your story that sells the music
a few hours before the all nations concert ms babineaux was interviewed on weup 1700 am the local gospel station where the host steve murry praised her for bringing young people to the lord cause thats really really important cause this world is in a heck of a mess in an indication of how broad her fan base is she was then brought to the other side of the small building to be interviewed along with mr gavin on sister station 1031 fm which plays secular hip hop  rb the face of the church is changing said ml6 the host
indeed the scene at all nations that night was decidedly modern the pastor adrian davis wore olive air jordan 9s and a snapback cap the crowd was overwhelmingly young mostly under 30 when mr boone opened up the nights proceedings he asked the audience to hashtag pictures they posted online with the name of the tour
the revue began with acoustic gospel soul from c west an artist mr boone hopes to introduce to secular radio before gospel radio he was followed by mr gavin who at 17 already has the air of a lifelong preacher i dont look like what i been through he said he glided easily across the stage alternating between powerful vocal runs and instructional exhortations to the audience midway through his performance he went full revival testifying to the things than can happen by channeling the power of faith family relationships can be restored cancer can disappear from time to time he spoke in tongues pouring out a stream of shivering syllables in the aisles ushers stood at the ready with boxes of kleenex
ms babineaux took the stage last a slash of fuchsia lipstick matching her vertiginous heels despite some technical glitches she sang marvelously with classic soul belting power and just the right dose of spiritual theatrics dropping down to her knees in a fit of near weeping
off to the side of the stage mr boone too was in tears before her set hed introduced her to the audience by noting her success on instagram by the end of her performance though no one had a camera fixed on her
her social media game is tight he said but her anointing is even greater


new orleans   when chene marshall got into a fight in high school she assumed she might be suspended instead the police arrested her
then a 17 year old junior with no criminal record she did not realize that louisiana was in the dwindling minority of states where all 17 year olds are treated as adults by the criminal justice system
she was charged with battery with bail set at 5000 she was booked and clothed in a jumpsuit at the orleans parish prison a notoriously violent facility where she bunked along with women of all ages and histories
i had a fight that first night she recalled of her jailing in 2011 its called testing your weight to see if youre scared or they can own you
she spent three nights in the jail before her great aunt who had raised her from infancy could come up with a bondsmans 650 fee and secure her release
seventeen year olds cannot vote buy cigarettes or even adopt a dog from an animal shelter but as of today in nine states including louisiana they are automatically handled as adults rather than as juveniles in two states new york and north carolina 16 year olds are as well
now louisiana and several other states among those nine appear to be on the verge of raising the cutoff to the more standard age of 18   part of a national raise the age movement that has won bipartisan support a result of concern about high incarceration rates and growing neurological evidence that young peoples brains are different from adult brains
a bill to phase in the higher age passed the republican dominated louisiana senate on may 2 has the strong support of gov john bel edwards a democrat and now appears to be moving forward in the house
a similar measure appears to be on the verge of adoption by the south carolina legislature
here in louisiana the change could alter the lives of close to 5000 17 year olds who are arrested each year mainly for nonviolent misdemeanors under the new law even if they were given prolonged stays in juvenile facilities they could receive therapy and a chance for high school degrees rather than criminal records and exposure to hardened criminals
to allay concerns that the states juvenile system already caught in a severe budget crisis is not prepared for an influx the bill would phase in the change with nonviolent offenders making the switch in 2018 and the rest in 2020 said josh perry executive director of the louisiana center for childrens rights which provides public defenders for children and has lobbied for the bill
as in other states prosecutors would retain the option to transfer juveniles who commit particularly serious crimes into adult courts
in the peak tough on crime years of the 1990s many states acted to send more young offenders to adult courts but in the last seven years illinois and connecticut increased the age for automatic treatment as adults to 18 from 16 and massachusetts new hampshire and mississippi raised it to 18 from 17
the experience in those states has bolstered the case for change said vincent schiraldi a senior research fellow in criminal justice at harvards john f kennedy school of government and a former justice official in new york city and washington dc
while the declining crime rate makes comparisons difficult evidence suggests that treating 17 year old offenders as juveniles may reduce public costs over time he said because they are less likely to commit future crimes than youths who are punished as adults fears that crime would rise or detention facilities would be overwhelmed have proved incorrect
officials in connecticut illinois and vermont are even discussing raising the cutoff to 21 though this is more widely disputed in new york gov andrew m cuomo has proposed raising the age for adult culpability to 18 but members of the republican controlled senate have expressed concerns about transitional costs as well as public safety
in lafayette la rob reardon the director of corrections for the parish explained why he thought that both the state and the young offenders would be helped by treating 17 year olds as juveniles
this is an adult jail he said and the outcomes for the young people just have to be terrible
on a recent day the parish jail held one female and eight male 17 year olds awaiting adjudication for crimes that ranged from trespassing to murder
when they spend a few weeks in his jail mr reardon said   and for those who cannot make bail it is often 90 days or more   youths are expelled from school and never graduate
the presence of 17 year olds is also a major resource strain he said inmates generally live in pods of 13 cells with double bunks or 26 to a pod according to a federal law one that has frequently been violated in new orleans youths must be kept separate so one entire pod was occupied by just the eight 17 year old boys who were tended 24 hours a day by a guard the 17 year old girl was housed alone in a unit with four cells
the separation also means that the youngest inmates cannot take part in activities like kitchen work in the youth pod in lafayette guards had brought in coloring books and jigsaw puzzles to give the boys something to do
in new orleans ms marshall now 22 was lucky in some ways after her arrest
a judge allowed her to enter a diversion program if she attended an anger management class stayed drug free and continued in school the criminal charge would be dropped
she finished high school the next year but now five years later she still lives with her great aunt yolanda wills in east new orleans where a mantel in their home is filled with ms marshalls high school athletic trophies
ms wills a retired school bus driver living on disability said she was taken aback when the police arrested ms marshall and then was frustrated by what followed
they said that if she goes through the program theyd clear her record ms wills said
but it didnt go anywhere she said
what ms wills and ms marshall did not realize was that while the criminal charge disappeared the arrest record remained
ms marshall said that because of that record she has repeatedly been turned down for jobs   as a superstore clerk as a security guard and as a postal worker among others
she learned only recently from a public defender that her arrest record could be expunged   for 500 in fees
ms wills does not have the extra cash and ms marshall has no way to earn it
i cant pay to expunge the record and i cant get a job to get the money she said


film history is filled with movies that have been mangled by their producers maladroitly distributed and generally born under a bad sign   they are often misunderstood by critics and consequently difficult to see but these films also hold a special place in cinephile hearts
such films maudit cursed films as the french call them can be cultist holy grails samuel fullers german telefilm dead pigeon on beethoven street 1972 is one ivan passers thriller cutters way 1981 is another
out on disc from olive films in a directors cut some 25 minutes longer than its united states release version dead pigeon on beethoven street was the first movie that mr fuller   a prolific writer director of offbeat wildly energetic action films   made in full awareness of his paradoxical status while washed up in hollywood he had become a revered figure first for french and later german and american new wave filmmakers
given the opportunity to direct an episode for the west german tv series tatort crime scene mr fuller appears to have enjoyed creative carte blanche writing what he called a cartoon caper movie concerning an international blackmail ring in cologne the outfit led by an icy professional fencer specializes in photographing politicians in compromising positions intrigue follows when the ring is infiltrated by an american private eye glenn corbett representing one of the victims
dead pigeon is self consciously trendy in its percussive zoom shots and hyperkinetic montages as well as casually outlandish in its locations a shootout in a maternity ward a cloak and dagger rendezvous at the beethoven haus museum in bonn colognes annual carnival in which a killer clown lurks among the costumed participants a wink away from self parody mr fuller evokes his own oeuvre throughout quoting lines and recreating bits of business from previous movies not all are his at one point mr corbett ducks into a movie house showing rio bravo and cracks up at the spectacle of john wayne speaking perfect german
the self referential casting also has new wave flavor the director claude chabrols muse stephane audran is given a cameo as a glamorous lesbian named dr bogdanovich a nod to the director peter bogdanovich the german filmmaker peter lilienthal is also present and in his memoir a third face mr fuller writes that r w fassbinder tried to talk his way into a part mr fuller himself appears briefly as a blackmailed american senator but mainly dead pigeon is a valentine addressed to mr fullers wife the german actress christa lang playing an actress turned femme fatale named christa
as personal as it is dead pigeon often feels like a home movie or even a low budget avant garde production barely distributed in the united states it even appeared in that context i first saw dead pigeon in late 1976 the packed one off screening at the collective for living cinema a quasi underground venue in lower manhattan may actually have been the movies new york theatrical premiere back then i found dead pigeon disappointing seen again as the filmmaker intended it and without expectation its less a failure than a small unexpected gift for mr fullers fans
a far better movie cutters way released on blu ray by twilight time is a classic hard luck story although comparable to classic early 70s downers like chinatown and the long goodbye this story of three post hippie losers drawn by chance and paranoia into a sordid murder mystery was born too late and has never gotten the recognition it deserves
mr passer an emigre from czechoslovakia who came to america in the aftermath of the 1968 soviet invasion treats jeffrey alan fiskins script with a mixture of humanist warmth caustic humor and detached fatalism the director is fond of his doomed characters and as in his lone czech production the rueful comedy intimate lighting 1965 he does not judge so much as observe them
as mr fuller incorporates colognes carnival revelry mr passer seizes on the surreal facade of the old spanish days celebration in santa barbara calif rather than a salute to local history the fiesta feels like a cover up of fat cat malfeasance jordan cronenweths magic hour cinematography distills the golden california sunlight into an atmosphere of malign ripeness the movies gimlet eyed mise en scene is exceeded only by the flamboyance of john heards career performance as a raspy voiced madman who lost an arm a leg an eye and possibly his mind in vietnam
mr heards furious pinwheel of resentment is supported if not stabilized by lisa eichhorns self effacing portrayal of his alcoholic wife and jeff bridgess turn as their self loathing best friend an unenthusiastic boat salesman who moonlights as a penny ante gigolo the three might as well be occupying santa barbara as if it were zuccotti park
once intended as a vehicle for dustin hoffman cutters way was a casualty of heavens gate a costly michael cimino western blamed for fatally damaging its studio united artists mr passers budget was cut and once his supporters at united artists left his film   originally titled cutter and bone   was dumped into release with only two hastily scheduled previews and minimal publicity panned by three new york city dailies as well as by local tv the movie was yanked from theaters before the favorable notices from the weeklies arrived
the village voice where i was third string film critic was a particular champion an initial enthusiastic review employing the newly minted term neo noir to characterize the movies attitude was followed by a second positive review as well as a profile of mr passer when cutters way reopened a few months later under its new title nothing helped
appearing at the dawn of ronald reagans new morning mr passers movie was a hopeless outlier and so despite intermittent shout outs it remains maudit even as its anti corporate populism is now in vogue
newly released
arabian nights three films or one miguel gomess tripartite portrait of contemporary portugal can be seen as documented fantasy or fantastic documentary the films stories are based on scheherazades arabian nights a method ao scott described as a conceit a plaything and a structural principle in his december 2015 review for the new york times available on blu ray and dvd kino lorber
carol todd hayness adaptation of patricia highsmiths novel the price of salt is a love story barely large enough to contain its star cate blanchett rooney mara is more reserved as the object of her affectionsat once ardent and analytical cerebral and swooning carol is a study in human magnetism mr scott wrote in the times in november 2015 on blu ray dvd and amazon video anchor bayweinstein company
phoenix many of the german director christian petzolds films could be considered historical ghost stories none more so than this tale of a german jew who returns to berlin as if from the ashes writing for the times in july 2015 mr scott compared the film to vertigo but instead of hitchcockian psychological puzzles it explores unsolvable and perhaps unspeakable moral conundrums on blu ray dvd and amazon video criterion
the revenant leonardo dicaprio plays the ultimate survivor in alejandro g inarritus spectacular vision of the unspoiled westfilmmaking as swagger manohla dargis wrote in her review for the times in december 2015 on blu ray dvd and amazon video 20th century fox
son of saul focusing on the situation of a jewish sonderkommando at auschwitz the hungarian filmmaker laszlo nemes created a film that in its moral ambiguity and bravura technique divided critics in hisdecember 2015 review for the times mr scott described a claustrophobia of a degree that few fictional films have had the nerve to attempt on blu ray dvd and amazon video sony pictures classics


london   the british director terence davies paused mid remark closed his eyes and quoted from siegfried sassoons concert interpretation no tremor bodes eruptions and alarmsthey are listening to this not quite new audacityas though it were by someone dead   like brahms he opened his eyes and burst out laughing i did that at my drama school audition he said
mr davies 70 has an excellent memory he remembers the poems he has read and reread over the years and long stretches of dialogue and images from movies he saw as a child he remembers how cobblestones look after rain how sun slants through clouds and how miserable he felt as a young man stuck in a clerical job and he remembers vividly and with some bitterness the long and difficult path to making sunset song his new film opening may 13 in the united states and based on the 1932 novel of the same name by the scottish writer lewis grassic gibbon
a movie with a catch or sob in its singing voice a beautifully made and deeply felt adaptation peter bradshaw wrote in the guardian when the film was released in britain in december
getting there took awhile
eighteen years ago i first took the idea to the uk film council and we were so shabbily treated mr davies said it went on and on and we had to jump through every kind of hoop and eventually they said it hasnt got legs because all they wanted to do was make money and compete with america it was appalling
mr davies white haired and pink complexioned dressed in that great signifier of british rectitude   a cardigan   was sitting in the lobby of the british film institute here animated and gesticulating although he possesses an old world courtesy and charm he is also boyishly passionate and frequently indiscreetly unfiltered
i told them youre idiots we cant do that here he said there have got to be stories which tell of a countrys soul
when money was finally denied mr davies gave an interview to the guardian in which he was openly rude about the head of the council a body that no longer exists and a few other industry players for good measure i have never been able to play the career game he stated
sol papadopoulos who with roy boulter produced mr daviess 2008 documentary of time and the city agreed when we asked him what next and he straightaway said sunset song we werent keen at all he said it had a history that almost ended his career the first time
but mr davies had not given up on the film i dont really know why he said there was something inside me that felt it was worthwhile perhaps films come about when you are mature enough to do them
the film set before and during world war i is a lyrical evocation of the scottish landscape and the hard lives of the farmers who work it it centers on chris guthrie played by agyness deyn the clever daughter of a farming family on a sunday evening in the 1970s there was always a book dramatization on the radio and in 1971 it was sunset song mr davies said i loved it it is about the scottish peasantry about the land about the family which is the greatest source of joy and terror all tragedies are about families really
mr daviess own family and upbringing in liverpool   he was the youngest of 10 children in a working class catholic family   has been the central subject of much of his work having been brought up a catholic i think death is preferable he declared at one point then theres his take on being gay the presumption that gays are all happy and jolly about it is wrong he said being gay and religion has ruined my life
mr davies left school at 16 working 10 years as a clerk and trainee accountant before getting a place at a drama school in coventry once there he wrote the first part of three short films that would become known as the terence davies trilogy a semi autobiographical account from childhood to old age of a tormented gay man
he sent the script to the british film institute which offered him money to direct the film although mr davies described the experience and the film as awful it led to his applying to film school in london he scraped together the money to make the other films in the trilogy and then his first feature films distant voices still lives 1988 and the long day closes 1992 both of which gained acclaim but he said everything was a struggle his work is the subject of a retrospective running through may 22 at the museum of the moving image
the critical success of the house of mirth 2000 based on the edith wharton novel should have helped but didnt mr davies didnt make his next movie until 2008 and had remortgaged his house to keep going when mr papadopoulos and mr boulter asked him to film a documentary to commemorate liverpool as that years european capital of culture
of time and the city proved a strong comeback working with the most basic and most ethereal of cinematic materials   time and memory   mr davies has devised a mosaiclike film language dennis lim wrote in the new york times
mr davies said he had always been interested in the way memory instinctively goes from one important moment to another a central device in his the deep blue sea 2012 starring rachel weisz and tom hiddleston ms weiszs performance won high admiration as has ms deyns in sunset song perhaps because of mr daviess strong feelings about the social constraints on women   stemming he said from his mothers difficult life
ms deyn a model turned actress said mr davies was particular about the way women are seen and how a story should be told by phone from new york she added he allows you space and validates you in a way you dont realize at the time he knows beat by beat shot by shot what he wants sometimes there would be five or six takes but he rarely does more than two because his judgment is so specific
in an email mr hiddleston said he conducts scenes like music forte piano pianissimo and added i have a hunch that he can only work on material which somehow expresses a part of himself
after long periods of being fallow mr davies seems to be on a roll he has another film out later this year a biopic about the poet emily dickinson a quiet passion starring cynthia nixon and two other projects in the works i cant do anything that i dont passionately believe in he said i cant see the frames


send your workplace conundrums to workologistnytimescom including your name and contact information even if you want it withheld for publication the workologist is a guy with well intentioned opinions not a professional career adviser letters may be edited
while in a coffee shop i was hit on by a man who was about 20 years older than me he gave me a compliment and handed me a note with his name and email address i wasnt excited about it but i didnt feel creeped out or threatened
as one does i searched for him on google it turns out hes an accomplished figure in the industry in which i work and in which i am trying to cement myself more firmly hes been doing his job for a long time and i would guess he has a lot of wisdom to impart not to mention connections
im definitely not interested in him romantically or sexually im in love with someone else i am however interested in a professional connection
but is that a bad idea because its not why he approached me or because hes expressed a presumably romantic or sexual interest and it will therefore be forever uncomfortable to have any other kind of relationship or even because the kind of guy who would do that in the first place is someone you want to stay away from our field is small so i dont want to burn any bridges
anonymous
my suspicion is that converting this into a useful career contact is a long shot i suppose neither one of us really knows what this man is like so its possible that im being unfair but i think you should proceed with caution
youve already covered most of the arguments for not following up the only one id add is that he might conclude that an anecdote about him hitting on a significantly younger woman in a coffee shop is now circulating through his tightknit work community
but the best argument for any sort of follow up may be that youll end up running into him professionally at some point anyway and that could be awkward for you both even with that as a rationale id make any communication clear and concise be direct about being in a relationship   or however you want to put it   in a manner that removes all ambiguity about the romantic angle then matter of factly note that you later realized youre in the same line of work take care in explaining that googling him might be interpreted as evidence that youre more interested than you claim is it plausible that his name rang a bell and thats why you searched it
finally rather than pivoting to a networking or mentoring request maybe say something more neutral small world   maybe your paths will cross professionally at some point
he should get the message that youre not looking for a date but that you respect his role in your mutual line of work and youre not out there gossiping about him leave it up to him to decide whether to offer some sort of shoptalk opportunity
this may not lead anywhere but it should at least clear the air and keep expectations modest   on both sides maybe hell turn out to be a thoughtful and generous guy who has no problem separating the personal and the professional when hes not busy handing out his email to attractive strangers but youre probably better off if youre not counting on that outcome
a while ago i had a job interview scheduled via skype ten minutes before it was supposed to happen the interviewer canceled we arranged another appointment this time my interviewer simply never showed up i emailed him afterward but he did not respond
i contacted his immediate superior with whom id had brief email contact previously politely suggesting an alternative interview situation this person told me to try to set up a new time with the same interviewer i threw up my hands its difficult to envision things going well after youve brought an interviewers shortcomings up to his boss
how would one handle this with delicate but determined self advocacy
anne austin tex
one the most surprising things about the workologist inbox is the number of anecdotes involving disappearing employers recruiters who vanish interviewers who fail to materialize at the scheduled time etc
the most practical response is to get over it and move on thats probably not very satisfying but consider the most likely explanations for such behavior one is that the position will be filled internally but theres some kind of pro forma process that involves talking to theoretical outside candidates the other is that this company simply does not have its organizational act together
youve already tried the best and most difficult response finding a workaround that indicates your continued interest and that some deeper problem is gumming up the works maybe pushing back with that superior could yield something productive if you accept that you have nothing to lose here you could state diplomatically yet firmly that youre open to an interviewer contacting you if there is serious interest   but your time is too valuable to keep chasing someone who doesnt show up for appointments you may never hear back but at least you sent the right message
employers stories like this show that if your basic hiring procedures are sloppy it affects your reputation   maybe more than you realize keep appointments and follow up even with rejected candidates its not that hard


castle hotels in england scotland and ireland hold an undeniable game of thrones allure for families the notion of resting ones head where nobles once slumbered is part of the attraction but participating in old world leisure pursuits   including archery and falconry   often seals the deal
ashford castle in western ireland has been inhabited for centuries by aristocrats including the guinness family of brewing renown and visited by luminaries like king george v prince rainier iii and princess grace of monaco this 13th century anglo norman castle delivers turrets a moat and opulent rooms but for children the action is outside in addition to offering kayaking and boating on the lough corrib the 350 acre sporting estate is home to the oldest established falconry school in ireland for thrill seekers interaction with a bird of prey during a hawk walk the hawk will swoop down and gobble raw chicken from a childs glove will be a highlight a deluxe queen room can accommodate a family of two adults and two children under 12 775 euros about 890 per room per night
gaelic glamour is also served at dromoland castle in county clare ireland the grounds are the backdrop for golf falconry archery tennis trout fishing and horse riding from the castle it is easy to take a day trip along the rugged coastline to the cliffs of moher limerick and the burren a landscape of fossils limestone and rock formations rates start at EUR410 per room per night inclusive of a full irish breakfast for up to two adults and two children under 12 sharing
perched on a pride and prejudice worthy bluff in devon england is bovey castle the former estate of wh smith later to become viscount hambleden in the middle of dartmoor national park recreation includes quad biking archery falconry air rifle shooting and fishing junior state rooms will fit a family of four   PS369 to PS469 or 535 to 680 per night
in the scottish highlands tulloch castle has ancient ambience secret doorways crenelated battlements a wood paneled great hall minus the frills although it doesnt offer organized recreation the 20 bedroom property   the ancestral home of the 12th century warrior clan davidson   is a short drive from lochs and woodlands with abundant sporting activities a family room sleeps four PS165 per night including breakfast
parents are looking for experiences that will open their childrens eyes to the world said jim strong president of strong travel services a castle stay provides a downton abbey setting coupled with historic recreation   falconry nature hikes blacksmith for a day   that fires a kids imagination


i always knew i wanted to try alcohol it represented independence and sophistication it was about breaking the rules and having fun and as a teenager i wanted nothing else but i had never even seen alcohol in real life i had only seen a photo of an alcoholic drink in a frayed photo album it was of my father with a big smile on his face in a cabaret in tehran before the revolution
by the time i was born long after the establishment of the islamic republic in iran and the prohibition of alcohol my father had joined the iranian military and it was impossible to have alcohol in our home so it wasnt until i was 19 and in school at the university of tehran that i had my first drink
at the university it seemed to me that most of the students there had already started drinking and in that typical way of a teenager i felt left out i knew i wanted to drink i just didnt know how it would happen i wasnt friends with the students who could freely drink at home with their parents and i hadnt yet been invited to the house parties where alcohol was served
then one spring day my boyfriend a asked me if i wanted to drink with him i was very much in love with him and didnt want him to think i was naive so i tried to act casual when i said yes
great he said promising to bring something to school the next week
at the university i asked him in disbelief
but it made sense a didnt have his own place and our parents wouldnt have allowed us to have each other over throughout our five year relationship my parents never knew he existed like many couples of our generation in iran we struggled to find time alone the university was the only place we could be together for long periods a said we would find a place to drink together in the park next to our main building where my girlfriends and i often hid to smoke cigarettes
even though i tried to act cool i worried about handling the effects of alcohol i was scared that the university guards would catch us and that wed be expelled maybe much worse   a lashing is the punishment under islamic law and yet there was something about being at the university with all those rules that made such brashly illegal acts so very desirable
one day the next week a whispered to me with a big smile that he had it he told me to meet him at 3 in the afternoon i had butterflies all morning and couldnt concentrate in any of my classes we met up and walked to the park next to the university after we found a secluded bench far from the guards a pulled out a sprite bottle from his book bag he had filled it with moonshine in the dormitory the night before the mens dorm was always less strict than ours they werent checked by the guards at the doors so they smuggled in alcohol cigarettes weed hash opium anything you can imagine it was safer to drink and do drugs there because no one would tell the guards but women were checked when they entered their dorms and my hall mates constantly ratted out my friends and me just for smoking cigarettes
a pulled out a disposable cup and poured he took a few sips before offering it to me i kept looking around to make sure no guards were walking by i nervously took a very small sip and then waited i thought something would happen to me right away but nothing did and so i drank a bit more i took an even bigger gulp until a told me to slow down by that point i knew he had figured out that this was my first time
we drank the bottle together that afternoon and we had a blast we joked and told each other stories until the guards told us with sour faces to leave so they could close the university gates we were so tipsy and in such a good mood that we didnt even mind their bad attitude a often snapped back at the guards   he hated how stern they were with all of us   but he laughed that day throwing his arms up triumphantly and saying take it easy man its not that serious were leaving i leaned into him resting my head on his shoulder and we went off arm in arm as if nothing were amiss
after giggling all the way to our usual spot to get something to eat a walked me back to my dorm before our curfew at 9 a block away he squeezed my hand and gave me a wink looking back on it now i know that we didnt even have that much to drink but i felt so lightheaded and giddy and free
after that a brought alcohol to campus a few more times and i befriended a classmate who had her own apartment and great parties with lots of alcohol but that first time is etched in my memory   doing it in such a public way on the university grounds i would never do that today i was much less fearful then


steve writes my wife and i were watching mad max and she became very upset after maxs dog was killed we discovered a website doesthedogdiecom and learned that a dog also dies in the sequel i want to watch the full series but my wife insists that would be supporting dog murder
obviously you are not supporting actual dog murder any more than you are supporting postapocalyptic gasoline hoarding biker gangs wait   youre not are you or for that matter human murder i trust that your wife understands this and that even fictional dog murder makes her upset i feel you are obliged to respect her wishes and skip ahead to mad max fury road which according to your incredible website features only the eating of a live two headed cgi lizard   something we can all get behind


re the obama recovery
andrew ross sorkin interviewed president barack obama about his economic legacy
it takes far too much effort to follow the dots for the vast majority of americans those who feel a general uneasiness even as they know it is not as bad as it was believe it is not as good as it used to be and blame the president for what they sense is a far too tepid recovery
it matters not that the republicans orchestrated much of the slowness that they forced austerity measures upon a nation crying out for an infusion of capital it is seemingly almost forgotten that president obama inherited an absolute economic disaster and was called upon in the face of unrelenting republican obstructionism to right a sinking ship
history will be the ultimate arbiter for this president it is a harsh and often unfair image being portrayed but it is almost impossible for the president to ask the public to grasp that what he avoided is to a large degree a measure of what he accomplished robert s nussbaum fort lee nj
president obamas implication that the offshoring of american jobs is irreversible demonstrates a surprising absence of appreciation for american economic ingenuity his lack of business experience and extensive experience in government sent him down a path of trying to change other nations labor and environmental standards instead of transforming our own domestic approach to business development
is it any wonder that americans are flocking to a presidential candidate who has no such intention of surrendering to foreign economic competitors andrea economos scarsdale ny
i was excited by the cover question why do so many voters feel left behind
i opened the magazine to begin to learn the answer the first eight pages of the issue were a glossy spread describing the hudson yards residences in manhattan inviting your readers to be a part of it why do so many voters feel left out an ad asking hey want to buy a 16000000 four bedroom apartment on page 1 might be part of the answer brad robertson portland ore
re worcester mass
adam davidson investigated what happened to worcester a city that was once a haven for people to experience the good life of the middle class
adam davidsons parallel tales of worcesters legacy as an industrial powerhouse and his own familys lineage in the city left me wanting more detail about the place that lies at the heart of the commonwealth davidson says that during its boom years as a manufacturing center just about anybody willing to put in a hard days work could get a job on the shop floor my understanding though is that worcester factories paid enough to foster a middle class because they required a skilled work force to this end worcester was a leader in establishing trade schools to train mechanics and machinists and worcester polytechnic institute the citys prestigious science and engineering school was founded by local manufacturers they also paid enough to keep labor unions at bay during the century that saw the rise of collective bargaining worcester was in the forefront of cities that suppressed it tom reney holyoke mass
as leaders investing in the future of our city and its residents we read with great interest the history of the author adam davidsons ancestors we know worcester today as a college town and a hub for innovation education and jobs in health and biotech robotics advanced manufacturing and data science among others as well as a vibrant arts and cultural scene
with a steady approach to private and public redevelopment our city has become a bright spot in new england and it is poised for future economic growth hard work and opportunity will never go out of style in worcester dreamers are welcome here too laurie a leshin president of worcester polytechnic institute and timothy p murray chairman of the worcester regional chamber of commerce and former lieutenant governor of massachusetts


barcelona spain   daniil kvyat a driver for the red bull formula one team was sitting at home in moscow watching game of thrones a little over a week ago when a phone call came from one of his bosses he was stunned to learn that he had been demoted to red bulls training team where he had started two years ago
it was one of the most humiliating moves made by a team in years this was the same kvyat however who had crashed into the star ferrari driver sebastian vettel three times in the last two formula one races sending vettel out of the russian grand prix in sochi two weeks ago
kvyat faced a barrage of questions from the news media in barcelona on thursday before sundays spanish grand prix
the decision in a way was a bit of a shock also for myself kvyat said there was no real explanation to be honest
in front of the news media at the track outside barcelona he was seated next to the rising 18 year old max verstappen who is replacing him verstappen in his second season in the formula one series was promoted from the toro rosso training team to which kvyat 22 is returning
im very happy with the chance they have given me verstappen said
for the last decade both toro rosso and red bull have belonged to the red bull energy drink company which used the weaker toro rosso team as a training ground for its young drivers who aimed to rise to the red bull team red bull won the championship four seasons in a row from 2010 to 2013 with vettel as its lead driver vettel had graduated from toro rosso to red bull in 2009
never before had a driver been ejected from the red bull team during the season to be replaced by a driver from toro rosso
we are in the unique position to have all four drivers across red bull racing and toro rosso under long term contracts with red bull so we have the flexibility to move them between the two teams christian horner the red bull team director said in a statement dany will be able to continue his development at toro rosso
yet kvyat finished seventh in the drivers standings last season with 95 points while his teammate daniel ricciardo was eighth with 92 points kvyat also finished third at the chinese grand prix last month and has 21 points in the championship this year good for eighth in the standings verstappen has 13 points
verstappen joined the series last year as the youngest driver ever in formula one he has proved to be an excellent racer scoring 49 points last season compared with 18 for his teammate carlos sainz jr
but verstappen the son of the former formula one driver jos verstappen has shown signs of immaturity at the australian grand prix in march he publicly berated his team over the car radio swearing at it for not ordering sainz to let him pass he took his mechanics by surprise by taking an early pit stop and finally in a rage to pass he collided with sainz although neither driver lost position because of it
lewis hamilton of mercedes the reigning champion who is second this year in the standings with 57 points said that teams should give drivers more time to develop
red bull has done well in bringing young talent forward but i think they need to be aware that young drivers need time to progress hamilton said mistakes do happen theres so much pressure on drivers particularly at a young age
there may have been a bigger motive for the red bull move verstappen had been attracting the interest of other teams and the immediate offer to race at the better team allowed red bull to lock him into a longer contract
he has demonstrated that he has got a great amount of natural talent a great amount of natural ability horner said
still verstappen will have to prove himself against his new teammate ricciardo who has several years more experience and won three races for red bull in 2014 if he cracks on that task it could have a lasting effect on the rest of his career
with the risk verstappen said of that danger i think it was a bigger risk to be so young in formula one   but ive handled it pretty well


christopher ahnberg cannot quite put his finger on the moment he started identifying as a feminist but his appreciation for women who arent the shrinking violet type goes way back and for the sake of his future happiness it should probably go way forward too
growing up my favorite shows always had strong female leads like kate  allie mr ahnberg said in my fifth grade yearbook i wrote down murphy brown as my favorite show plus i grew up with two strong older sisters so i never saw women as anything but very strong people
the effect mr ahnbergs sisters and candice bergen had on his views of gender roles may help to explain at least partly why he fell in love with cristen conger who is part of a duo of girls next door gender experts who host a popular podcast
im always trying to impress cristen because she knows so much about everything mr ahnberg said im not talking feminism or current events im talking history everything i cant keep up with her she makes me step up my game
mr ahnberg 33 met ms conger 31 when both were students at the university of georgia in 2004 but it wasnt until august 2012 when ms conger was in need of someone to go with her to the wedding of a friend that they began dating
by then both had moved to atlanta and settled into careers he as an executive at a company that installs home theaters and smart home technology and she as a journalist with a decidedly feminist point of view
ms conger who also grew up in georgia is a host with caroline ervin of stuff mom never told you a weekly podcast that has attracted a loyal audience mostly of young women the show known as smnty to its viewers trains a cleareyed focus on subjects like fashion differences between the sexes and women in the workplace and beyond titles of recent episodes include free the nipple period pride and are women bigger whiners
ms conger describes herself as a liberal feminist   one who believes that women should be free to pursue the lives they want the recent dust up over the somewhat tongue in cheek suggestion by former secretary of state madeleine albright that damnation awaits women who fail to vote for hillary clinton caused ms conger more frustration than anything
i thought it was completely understandable within the context of history if politically foolish she said what upset me the most was that it only spurred more narrow media coverage of feminists being pitted against feminists
and despite her status as an emerging feminist voice ms conger had to concede that mustering up the courage to ask mr ahnberg to be her date was a little unsettling
i was nervous because i liked him she said i tried to play it off as a friend date like i have to go to this wedding can you come with me but i didnt tell him i had been counting down the days that it was really such an event for me
the evening turned out to be less feminist than fairy tale
we had a magical night said ms conger who is tall and slim and has a tendency to wave her hands to make a point i bought a new dress and had my hair done and he showed up all dressed up in a suit and sunglasses and he looked very studly and the setting was this beautiful home in marietta with a beautiful garden
ms conger knew early on that mr ahnberg had a sharp quick sense of humor but it was only after a few dates when she and mr ahnberg were drinking bloody marys during brunch on an atlanta restaurants rooftop patio that she began to realize he had more to offer her than punch lines and someone to be her plus one at events like her friends wedding
we started talking about feminism and it was the first conversation i had ever had with a guy my age about feminism that was in depth and engaging she recalled and he was not at all nervous about the term i just remember sitting there thinking this is incredible i had never experienced that with a guy
ms conger grew up in a fairly traditional home but she credits her mother with instilling in her a can do feminist mind set
she was usually working but she also home schooled my siblings and me ms conger said her philosophy was if you can read you can do anything
mr ahnberg says that feminism is a factor for him when voting and when hes choosing which businesses to support his feminist umbrage may be most on display when someone suggests that women cannot be funny
im always shocked when anybody says that he said and understandably so when you consider that his partner does what despite her protestations to the contrary looks and sounds vaguely like a very good russell brand imitation
his older sister jenn fisher said he and ms conger can break out into an improv comedy routine at a moments notice
they make a comedy routine out of everything they do she said they could be slicing peppers to make fajitas and all of a sudden theyre breaking into a fajita song trading verses
ms fisher who lives in atlanta and is a devoted smnty listener has her own ideas about how her little brother learned to be a feminist
in our house there was never im a woman so i cant mow the lawn or im a man so i cant cook a meal she said also i started working when chris was in high school so hes seen me go through things as a working woman that wouldnt happen to men its made him sympathetic
during that rooftop brunch with ms conger that sort of attitude was on full display but she was not the only one who felt the stirrings of love that day
by then something had occurred to mr ahnberg who usually carries a warm wide smile atop an athletic frame i realized i had been an idiot the entire time i had known her he said because we had been on and off friends since college but she was everything i ever looked for in a woman i wasnt going to let her slip away
he eventually decided to do what one of ms congers feminist icons has famously suggested in song put a ring on it
ms congers love of beyonce is no secret she has praised the singer on the podcast and last year she performed a comedy routine she wrote the gospel according to yonce at song missing an atlanta literary variety show in it she apologizes in advance to mr ahnberg who may not be fully aware that she is beysexual her disciples read not bibles but beybles
ms conger has chosen to keep her own name but both she and ms ervin agree that it is also possible to find power in a woman who takes her husbands last name an issue that has been a hot topic among smnty listeners since an episode titled a practical wedding aired in january
the wedding expert meg keene who was a guest on the show insisted that brides should keep their names she was passionate about it and a lot of listeners felt betrayed that we didnt step up and say its ok for people to make their own choices ms ervin said
for ms conger deciding which elements of a traditional wedding to keep and which to toss in the name of feminism involved careful consideration
ultimately weve moved away from the wedding industrial complex to do what honors us she said
but some rituals proved trickier to excise than others
accepting an engagement ring for example required some soul searching in its historic sense the ring signified possession rather than partnership she explained but i also knew it meant a lot to chris to make the gesture and i know that does harken back to old school gender norms but i wasnt going to trivialize something that was important to him
mr ahnbergs proposal made during a december 2014 trip to china was certainly memorable if not particularly radical
ms conger said the first big excursion we went on was to the great wall of china and we climbed to the highest point we could go which is this lovely outlook chris snuck around the corner and handed off our camera to someone in our tour group then he got down on one knee and pulled the ring out a number of tourists there with us were very happy
it just summed up all this incredible love i know he has for me that i honestly never imagined having in my life his support for me personally and professionally is a rare thing to find if youre an ambitious woman
they were married on may 7 at the goat farm arts center a former cotton gin factory turned creative hub in the westside neighborhood of atlanta ms conger and mr ahnberg live together in a studio not too far from the altar
one hundred and fifty friends and family from as far as new zealand and paris found seats in a long courtyard nestled between two historic brick buildings a classical guitarist strummed selections by fernando sor and mauro giuliani but transitioned to the beatles in my life as groomsmen in blue suits and bridesmaids in light blush dresses and finally ms conger walked down the aisle the brides father dan conger escorted her
ms congers oldest brother william t conger of baton rouge la a recently retired army captain officiated he addressed mr ahnberg directly mr conger reminded the groom about the educated and witty woman he was about to marry but said he knew mr ahnbergs love was true when the two look at each other the captain said later it is with complete attention and affection


when carolyn burke landed a teaching job nearly three years ago at a charter school in crown heights brooklyn she saw it as an opportunity to move back to her childhood neighborhood
this was where ms burkes parents immigrants from barbados introduced her to art at the brooklyn museum blocks from the familys basement apartment on eastern parkway near franklin avenue her father now had cancer so moving back home took on a new urgency
the neighborhood once burdened by drugs crime and racial strife has changed in the decade since ms burke left home nail salons bodegas and 99 cent stores along franklin avenue have been joined by shops selling brick oven pizza and craft beers new rentals and condominiums have risen in place of dilapidated buildings attracting young professionals and white couples pushing strollers but it was not until she started apartment hunting that ms burke who describes herself as afro caribbean realized that all the changes left little room for her
ms burke had been living in harlem paying 1400 a month for a two bedroom walk up in crown heights a broker showed her a two bedroom for 3500 a month so small that it did not have a full size oven she applied unsuccessfully for other apartments
my initial reaction was just to laugh said ms burke 30 a high school theater teacher and then desperation
ms burke is among a generation of young new yorkers who grew up in neighborhoods that have rapidly gentrified when they were children their corners of the city were dismissed by wealthier   and usually white   new yorkers but now that their neighborhoods are hot prospects these young people are struggling to stay and wondering what comes next
in interviews with about a dozen young native new yorkers all from areas where real estate prices have soared and new residents have poured in mixed emotions surfaced about the consequences of gentrification some of those interviewed were members of minority groups some were white all were between the ages of 23 and 34 for some new restaurants shops and services were welcome especially if amenities had once been sparse but to others they seemed like a hostile takeover some said the old sense of community had disappeared in construction dust none had been able to afford an apartment of their own in their childhood neighborhoods
a few said that moving had offered them a chance to discover a new swath of the city but others simply felt unmoored
there is definitely a sense of bewilderment said jamie fedorko a salesman for warburg realty who specializes in brooklyn when rents prove out of reach the conversation among new york transplants is well i can go home but for new yorkers where is that
and when residents displaced by gentrification move into neighborhoods they can afford they are often considered gentrifiers too
young people face a daunting path in the city although 18  to 29 year olds are the most educated group of young workers in the citys history they earned about 20 percent less in real wages in 2014 than they would have in 2000 according to a report by the office of scott m stringer the city comptroller the environment is particularly tough for young blacks who faced an 114 percent unemployment rate in 2014 more than double the 52 percent experienced by young whites according to the report
at the same time rents in predominantly black neighborhoods are rising at a faster clip than in wealthier areas putting added pressure on young people whose parents may not be able to help their offspring pay the rent or guarantee a lease while wealthier peers might be able to lean on their parents financially young members of minority groups like ms burke are more likely to need to help out their parents
in crown heights the average rent for a one bedroom apartment jumped 47 percent between 2010 and 2015 to 1877 a month while the increase for brooklyn overall was 29 percent at 2607 a month and in harlem rents for one bedrooms in non doorman buildings rose 36 percent during the same period to 2149 a month twice the 18 percent increase to 3138 for manhattan overall according to an analysis of data provided by mns a real estate firm
you think that as you move up in your career youll make more money and it will all even out ms burke said but i am the daughter of immigrants and my dad has stage 4 cancer and i am paying for everything
she eventually found a two bedroom apartment in bedford stuyvesant for less than 3000 a month her place is 30 minutes away by bus and subway from her parents home in crown heights
with rising rents come shops and services aimed at new arrivals with deep pockets developers and real estate agents tend to favor the newcomers and the newcomers tend to be white and affluent said derek hyra the director of the metropolitan policy center at american university the amenities that are being placed in these communities are signaling to young whites youre welcome here
lifelong residents meanwhile receive very different signals havanna fisher was in elementary school in 1999 when starbucks arrived on west 125th street in harlem as other national chains moved in ms fisher attended community meetings with her mother a carpenter
at the beginning people thought it was for us said ms fisher now a 25 year old artist who still lives in the rent regulated apartment on west 138th street where she was raised but some neighbors including her mother worried that the changes were ominous although i wanted to believe that it was something that was good ms fisher said i didnt have too much faith
over the next decade ms fisher who describes herself as black watched as upscale restaurants and cafes joined mom and pop shops whole foods market a potent symbol of gentrification will soon open on west 125th street abandoned brownstones have been restored but in many cases the new owners and tenants are white
between 2000 and 2014 the black population in central harlem fell to 55 percent from 77 percent while the white population rose to 15 percent from 2 percent a trend echoed in other gentrifying neighborhoods including bedford stuyvesant and crown heights according to a report released on may 9 by the nyu furman center the report found that the number of college graduates young adults and families without children grew much faster in gentrifying neighborhoods than in other parts of the city
many of ms fishers friends have moved away   to new jersey and the bronx   in search of cheaper rent theyre just angry upset and hurt she said it hurts not to be able to live in a community that you grew up in
no neighborhood of course is impervious to change young people who grew up in wealthier parts of the city have had to contend with prices that eclipse their junior salaries they too find themselves living in cramped quarters in distant neighborhoods or sleeping in their childhood bedrooms well into their 20s
but the transformations wrought by gentrification can reshape a community within a very few years potentially erasing a neighborhoods history and identity both those who leave and those who stay behind grapple with unrecognizable landscapes
they lose their church they lose their youth organization they lose their neighbors said dr mindy thompson fullilove a research psychiatrist at the new york state psychiatric institute replacing these things can take decades she said its a very devastating stressful unhappy experience and it makes people very angry
two years ago mohamed ghareb moved out of the building where he was raised on east broadway on the lower east side he found a room in a rundown house in sunset park brooklyn adding an hour to his commute to soho where he works in international digital marketing
he never warmed to the neighborhood it definitely felt like it was its own community already and i wasnt from there said mr ghareb 27 who describes himself as tunisian and egyptian after four months he moved back to east broadway where he shares a rent regulated apartment with his grandmother his parents also live in the building
but the old neighborhood does not seem much like home either many of the new stores and businesses that have moved in mr ghareb said dont appear to have the locals in mind last year ice  vice an ice cream shop opened near mr gharebs home the shop dedicated to handcrafted ice cream made from ingredients like beer blue corn and lobster croutons sells 12 pints
if you live somewhere and you cant visit the local ice cream shop regularly without it hurting your bank account mr ghareb said then you dont belong there anymore
being priced out of the nest is not always a loss sometimes it means the start of a new chapter two years ago chyann sapp who describes herself as african american decided it was time to move out of her mothers apartment on west 120th street in harlem
ms sapp a playwright and a saleswoman for citi habitats real estate didnt necessarily mean to leave harlem but she found the rents to be just insane she said so she widened her search to include the bronx a borough she barely knew
im just a harlem girl said ms sapp 27 an author of renaissance in the belly of a killer whale a play about gentrification the bronx was totally new for me
she was soon sold on a spacious renovated one bedroom with an eat in kitchen in university heights in the west bronx for which she now pays 1215 a month her mother however took some persuading the area had a reputation of being a bit rundown in places i brought her over the week after i moved in and i took her to the supermarket ms sapp said we went from store to store and by the end of the day she didnt want to leave
barbara johnson 58 ms sapps mother said i was excited for her but i was scared and nervous but its different now a lot more streetlights a lot more police officers i feel at ease when she leaves me and goes home
since ms sapp arrived blink fitness opened on macombs road in mount eden about a half mile from her apartment more people are moving to the area many priced out of harlem and starting another wave of migration   and displacement
the gentrification experience can be different for parents who have remained in the old neighborhood because they live in a rent regulated apartment or own a home that has perhaps greatly appreciated in value the neighborhood being up and coming is a status symbol for them said ms burke the teacher from crown heights its like look at us weve always lived here but now its a place where people are clawing down doors to get in 
her mother appreciates the new amenities in crown heights particularly the arrival of a bank branch on her corner and shops selling organic produce before you couldnt even get a bagel in this neighborhood said myrna burke 64 nor does she miss the days when she worried if her children would be safe walking home from the subway station on franklin avenue now on a weekend it is so busy she said on saturday you come out of your door and its like whoa its nice its more lively
two years ago andre springer an artist was renting an apartment for around 900 a month on the top floor of his mothers townhouse in bedford stuyvesant then she decided to sell the building that she bought in 1996 for around 150000
mr springer 33 handled the sale for his mother jacqueline spencer 56 an immigrant from barbados who works for the department of education he listed the building on decatur street for 12 million hoping to deliver her a comfortable retirement the house ultimately sold early last year for 825000 falling short of expectations but ms spencer was able to buy a house in rosedale queens with the proceeds mr springer now pays 700 a month for a bedroom in a two bedroom apartment in williamsburg brooklyn receiving a discount for walking a dog
mr springer has mixed feelings about relinquishing his childhood home she saw the opportunity to sell her home and be in a quieter neighborhood but for me it kind of hurt he said until she moved away i always felt like i had a place to go back to a place that i could call my own


i almost gave up on dating when a sandwich rejected me i got a message on okcupid that said whats shaking bacon and the only profile pictures were of actual sandwiches delicious looking sandwiches but sandwiches nonetheless
since i was feeling hungry and lonely i decided to reply a lot of bready puns ensued   the bacon egg and cheese sandwich told me he kneaded me and i told him i hoped i could rise to the occasion he told me i was on a roll and assured me that my jokes werent stale
he then said i was bacon him crazy and asked me to be his bay gal
i wrote id loaf to be your bagel
then i never heard from him again maybe i was too eager and shouldnt have used two exclamation points the sad thing yes sadder than corresponding with a sandwich is that i was actually disappointed was i too witty or not witty enough perhaps i shouldnt have used the word love even though it was disguised as loaf but then i reminded myself that i was rejected by a sandwich
i ended an eight year relationship in 2012 the last time i spoke with my former boyfriend a year after we broke up i inadvertently quoted taylor swift when he asked how long our break was going to last i said we are never ever getting back together
feeling empowered from channeling ms swift i created an online dating profile that was three years ago since then ive been out with countless guys had more than one date with some but no more than five dates with any
granted im not a great flirt my idea of flirty banter is sending someone the clue to a crossword i cant solve i have tried to play it cool but that may come across as cold ive tried being honest the last guy i went out with asked me on a fourth date and then disappeared
reason dictated that he did not die in a horrific crash but rather changed his mind about me even so i texted him a couple of weeks later to clarify the essence of my message was i liked you and you hurt my feelings what gives which makes me question if i am 40 years old or 14
his response was vague   something about being in canada getting distracted and dropping the ball i should have known better than to ask the reality is that if someone unexpectedly goes out of town has to work late gets sick you probably will never hear from him again despite the fact that he says hell get in touch when hes back in the country out of jail emerged from his coma
everyone says you have to be happy with yourself before you can find happiness with someone else i find that notion extremely frustrating i am happy enough i have a good job great friends and live in new york city but i am not going to say the loneliness isnt palpable that i dont wake up in the middle of the night in a state of panic wondering if i am going to be alone for the rest of my life
this does not inspire the happiness that i am supposed to embody before i find a partner between panic attacks i have continued to put myself out there taking the advice that i often dole out to my single friends all it takes is one
this is not to be confused with the one because i dont believe in soul mates which is pretty remarkable considering the number of romantic comedies ive seen approximately all of them by all it takes is one i mean you only need to find one person
i met jim at bar reis in park slope it was early fall and warm enough to sit outside i found him at a picnic table in the backyard where it was fairly dark we chatted about work then we talked about where we grew up i mentioned that im from los angeles and he asked about my ethnicity i told him that everyone in los angeles thought i was persian but in new york everyone assumes im jewish my dad is but my mom is not
jim cocked his head and stared at my nose well its a little bit of a hook
excuse me
your nose its a little bit of a hook but not too beaky
uh it was broken when i was little but i declined the nose job that a lot of girls in la were probably offered when im uncomfortable the valley girl in me comes out and i end every sentence in a question its like totally awesome
jim didnt seem to notice he said that it was cool im comfortable with my nose and that it suited me i think this was supposed to be a compliment he then went on to say my teeth arent great i go to the dentist but theyre rotting from the outside in and theres nothing they can do about it
the words rotting from the outside in hung in the air i was struck that he was so matter of fact about it he said that his teeth are really thin that everyone in his family has thin teeth
i sat there nodding and smiling and trying to get a decent look at his teeth but it was too dark when we went inside to pay the bill he smiled in the mirror behind the bar and in the light i could see that his teeth did look well grayish
he turned to me and said im a pretty good looking guy right
i told him i admired his confidence when i tell people this story they are typically offended on my behalf one friend said she would have walked out after the nose comment i was more surprised than offended and i dont think he meant to be hurtful
first dates can be awkward theyre basically job interviews with alcohol in fact one date seemed exactly like a job interview i was out with a guy who works in advertising as i do and all he wanted to talk about was the cost of full page ads in magazines
people say and do weird stuff on first dates another guy didnt take off his clip in bike shoes between his gait and the clicking of his shoes it sounded as if a horse were approaching every time he walked across the hardwood floor from the bar
we were at the bell house in brooklyn and after his second beer he lay down across the couch where he was sitting and stayed like that for a while with his bike shoes propped up on the arm of the couch then he put drops in his eyes when he sat back up the drops made it look as if there were tears rolling down his face
i asked if everything was ok and he looked at me as if i were the crazy one
a short time later i was out with a lawyer and after a couple of drinks i had my hand on his knee and the words i always get what i want came out of my mouth its as if i were acting in a play or trying on a new version of myself since my usual version didnt seem to be having much luck im fortunate the lawyer didnt sue me for ridiculousness
some say the definition of insanity is repeating the same behavior over and over and expecting a different outcome while dating does make me feel crazy at times when messaging with a sandwich for instance i keep at it in hopes that one day the outcome will be different
at the same time i also try hard to accept that it may never happen for me i tell myself that i dont need a partner to lead a happy and fulfilling life then one morning im on the q train across from a cute couple who look hipsterish in a nonannoying unironic way
i imagine that he is in a band and that she does something cool and creative he says something funny to her and she laughs then puts her head on his shoulder when they get up to leave he holds her hand and they just look so stinking happy
i want to cry feeling creepy for staring at these strangers and also envious that they seem to have what i want i get off the train at union square and give myself a little pep talk on the walk to my office i wont give up on dating at least not now and ill just have to hope that mr bacon egg and cheese wasnt the sandwich that got away


house greyjoy is a clan of oceangoing raiders in game of thrones a storm soaked humorless bunch even by the grim standards of the hit hbo fantasy series
alfie allen 29 plays theon greyjoy a fan favorite character who has suffered more than most in the course of the show currently in its sixth season he has been kidnapped and castrated has switched sides and is currently on the way back to his ancestral castle where judging by the teaser for sundays episode a showdown with his sister awaits
but greyjoy seafaring skills werent much in evidence last friday when mr allen a lifelong londoner with a winking laddish charm was in new york to participate in practice races for next years americas cup
im not an experienced sailor he said after briefly joining the british team officially known as land rover ben ainslie racing mr allen was the sixth man a nonfunctional position that may just as well be called celebrity ballast
they need the weight of a person sitting on that spot the back center he said later in the restaurant of the conrad hotel in battery park city near the teams mooring at the north cove marina
mr allen is a slightly built man with fair hair and piercing blue eyes who weighs he said 10 1/2  stone that is 147 pounds or two thirds of the 100 kilograms about 220 pounds the sixth man is expected to provide the rest was made up by weights
i wasnt really doing much he said you sort of lie down in the back and watch them do their thing ben ainslie the english competitive sailor was lovely mr allen said youre not supposed to talk to the team when youre on the boat but they were talking to me and you cant swear
he added i swore
friday was cold and wet conditions that are familiar to mr allen from filming in northern ireland
id say just shooting game of thrones prepared me for that sort of thing because hbo likes to keep it real he said when you see me sleeping with the dogs im really in there with the dogs in the dirt it definitely can get pretty freezing
mr allen is sometimes portrayed by british newspapers as a party boy but on friday evening he was a model of rectitude nursing a hot tea even as his retinue of three handlers some of whom had been on duty in the elements for 12 hours moved on to adult drinks
i got you the malbec he told his manager solicitously as she motioned to order another glass of whatever it was she was drinking
i would love a malbec if shes having a malbec a weary publicist added
mr allen who was smartly dressed in a john varvatos collarless jacket immaculate white nike air force 1 low tops and a t shirt from the artist mike kelleys posthumous exhibition at the los angeles museum of contemporary art merely cupped his tea a slightly forced study in boyish innocence
mr allen grew up among artists musicians and filmmakers his father is an actor his mother a film producer and his sister the pop singer lily allen
for years my dads friend joe   strummer   was just my dads friend he said and it was only when i was 12 or 13 i learned that he was the lead singer of a band called the clash
mr allens popular cultural debut came 10 years ago as the subject of a single from his sisters debut album the song alfie portrayed him as a hopeless teenage stoner in need of an intervention i just cant sit back and watch you waste your life awayyou need to get a job because the bills need to get paid ms allen sang in her cheerful upbeat style
the song is born out of love for me he said adding that he was in canada getting qualifications to teach kids how to snowboard when it was released my sister i guess she was missing me i didnt really expect it to be what it was
that all seems very long ago six seasons into the worlds most successful tv show now mr allen has his pick of projects this week he began rehearsing the spoils a play written by and co starring jesse eisenberg which debuted in new york last year and is having a london run this summer
as for theon his father the lord reaper of pyke was recently hurled to his death creating a power vacuum in the iron islands it seems very likely that the young lord will have to battle his ambitious sister to become the new head of house greyjoy
right mr allen
maybe something close to he offered stroking his blond whiskers but its not so youll just have to wait and see


historically hollywood has denied screenwriters their proper due which the academy of motion picture arts and sciences tries to rectify with spotlight on screenwriting a series at film forum and the sva theater it runs sunday may 15 and monday with hollywoods happiest couple a program honoring the team of billy wilder 1906 2002 and charles brackett 1892 1969
wit was their signature as in ernst lubitschs ninotchka 1939 and wilders sunset boulevard 1950 both featured but they could be topically two fisted as in wilders unsparing portrait of alcoholism the lost weekend 1945 an oscar winning ray milland abetted by gritty manhattan locations portrays a failed writer in desperate pursuit of one little jigger of dreams its all here the hidden bottles the self loathing the dts   and the self deception im one of the great ones he drunkenly proclaims im john barrymore before the movies got him by the throat bottoms up filmforumorg


sixty nine small wooden spoons hang along a gallery wall near the entrance to the samuel dorsky museum of art all hand carved from different types of wood and mounted on a narrow horizontal board they include long handled mixing spoons two sided ladles and a spoon so tiny its scoop is barely a quarter inch across
the installation was made by joshua vogel who founded blackcreek mercantile  trading co a woodworking studio and small manufacturer of furniture and housewares in kingston with his wife it is among dozens of works in made for you new directions in contemporary design an exhibition of one of a kind creations that highlights the growing appeal of handcrafted customized goods in an era of mass production
the show is one of three concurrent exhibitions at the dorsky each with its own genre premise and viewing experience in made for you which was curated by jennifer scanlan a director at the oklahoma contemporary museum in oklahoma city museumgoers can wander from furnishings to housewares to fashion there is the white ash bench handmade by jessica wickham its contours shaped by the log it was built from and christopher kurtzs three legged redwood writing desk that evokes flowing liquid there is the whimsically asymmetrical glassware by jill reynolds and daniel spitzer of malfatti glass and the mysterious lagomorph a fantastical chandelier by kathy ruttenberg in which lit up white resin rabbits frolic around the trunk of a ceramic tree three scarlet 3d printed bracelets by doug bucci who is diabetic derive their patterns from data transmitted by the glucose monitor he wears three not quite identical porcelain vessels are versions of sharan elrans unlimited edition   1 of 6227020800 representing the artists intention to design a unique vase for every person on earth
in organizing the show ms scanlan confronted the permeable boundary between functionality and personal expression between design and art in my opinion the definition of design is expansive and fluid especially when youre talking about one of a kind pieces she said a unique object is also an art object whether it is a functional piece that you can use or an artwork that you experience visually it is part of an artistic continuum in a show called made for you with lots of unique objects theres obviously going to be crossover
an example of crossover   this one between science and art   underlies the works in the floating world holograms by rudie berkhout organized by daniel belasco the dorskys curator this exhibition includes 11 holograms produced between 1978 and 1989 by mr berkhout one of the mediums pioneers
some of the holographic plates in the gallery are positioned on tripods some are suspended from the ceiling but visitors will see nothing until they approach each one and then images will pop into sight vibrantly colored squiggles dotted lines geometric shapes speckled fields and radiating planes ethereal and dramatic they hover in space transforming as the viewer moves from side to side in and out up and down it upends your way of seeing mr belasco said the work doesnt exist until youre in the right place
holographic technology was developed for scientific purposes in the 1960s but for mr berkhout who began experimenting with the medium in 1975 it was a means of artistic expression these were designed to be museum pieces mr belasco said of the holograms in the show he was one of the few holography artists who strove for that
in the 1980s mr berkhouts holograms were exhibited alongside pieces by artists such as barbara kruger judy pfaff and william wegman since then mr belasco said they have rarely been shown
mr belasco likened mr berkhout to the made for you artists who work with 3d printing they are using new technologies he said but they are using their own invented techniques to make works of art and to express their own philosophies
a different kind of light based imagery fills an adjacent gallery here powerful tableaus shot by master photographers capture urban street life around the world
also curated by mr belasco on the street and in the studio photographs donated by howard greenberg is a two part exhibition of selections from the 1148 photographs given to the dorsky by mr greenberg an influential photography dealer gallerist and collector on the street is open now in the studio will explore portraiture starting in august
in choosing prints mr belasco aimed to reflect mr greenbergs aesthetic all of these photographs spring from his taste his sensibility his passion he said i wanted to honor that
on the street presents 39 primarily 20th century black and white prints by photographers including eugene atget allen ginsberg and bruce davidson some are devoid of people in an untitled image taken by berenice abbott around 1935 a large building looms ominously over manhattans rooftops in aaron siskinds chicago 8 splashes of paint on a brick wall suggest an abstract expressionist painting
other photographs portray city dwellers engaged in sundry activities they walk on a street lined with markets and motorbikes in henri cartier bressons ahmedabad india they are absorbed in solitary contemplation in paul wolffs florence on the arno they eye the camera boldly in jacob riiss the short tail gang corlears hook under pier at foot of jackson street they scramble and shove in a frantic untitled nighttime composition by weegee
one wall showcases new york city scenes photographed during the 1940s and 1950s by morris huberland mr huberland was a member of the photo league a group of mid 20th century social documentarians whose work mr greenberg championed and acquired he donated a total of 108 of mr huberlands photographs to the dorsky in harlem new york city on view in the gallery a boy perches on a ledge his arms and legs aligning with a brick building a fire escape and a metal fence to form a mesmerizing confluence of angles
during an interview mr greenberg commented on the photographs he collected they were pictures that spoke to me on a deeper level he said they were photographs that made me feel what any collector would feel strong
despite their disparate content the three shows share a common element the hudson valley mr greenberg established his first gallery in woodstock and has since maintained his connection to the area donating works to other local institutions along with the dorsky mr berkhout lived in the catskills from the early 1990s until his death in 2008 and most of the participants in made for you live and work in the region
there is a wonderful spirit of cooperation and community among the artists and designers of the hudson valley ms scanlan said


the pianist taka kigawa has demonstrated insightful musicianship and impressive stamina during myriad marathon performances at le poisson rouge including pierre boulezs complete works for solo piano and bachs the art of fugue on monday may 16 he tackles another major work the 18 pieces of ligetis complete piano etudes ligeti was inspired by chopin liszt debussy jazz and the complex polyphony of sub saharan african music while writing his series of rhythmically complicated and virtuosic character pieces 7 pm lepoissonrougecom
also on monday for one of the miller theaters informal pop up concerts the cellist michael nicolas will explore works that pair cello with electronics and computer the program includes music by annie gosfield mario davidovsky john zorn david fulmer and jaime e oliver who will accompany mr nicolas on an electronic instrument called the mano controller 6 pm millertheatrecom


own your differences the empowerment mantra says no one is doing that more hilariously than brad williams who gets his second showtime comedy special on friday may 20 mr williams uses his dwarfism both for self deprecation and to expose the daily prejudices and misconceptions he encounters heres how i write jokes he said in his first showtime special fun size last year step 1 be a dwarf step 2 wait in the new special daddy issues he serves up a rollicking story about running a race in the special olympics and chastises the men in the audience over which urinal not to use in a public bathroom and he finishes the set with anecdotes about his father that are both funny and penetrating im so thankful that he put a little adversity in my life he says that way i knew how to conquer adversity later you have to ask yourself one question who do you want your kid to be do you want your kid to be ready for the world that is or for the world that should be


the hole at the center of new york hip hop   the 1997 death of the notorious big   will be the implicit foundation for the bad boy family reunion which is coming to the barclays center for a pair of sold out shows bad boy records defined mainstream new york hip hop in the 1990s and also helped create the template for the genres pop future   even if the label is far from its peak now its lessons have been so assimilated as to be ubiquitous
these shows will include performances by first wave stars like mase total faith evans and the lox current artists like french montana 1990s stars with close ties including mary j blige and lil kim and jay z who in the mid 1990s was quietly vying for dominance with the notorious big and who absorbed his lessons on the way to multiplatinum genre dominance in the 2000s friday may 20 and saturday 8 pm barclayscentercom


its easy to spot first time visitors to the onassis cultural center in manhattan theyre the people shaking their heads in disbelief at the art treasures theyve come across   free   in basement galleries in a fifth avenue high rise next to st patricks cathedral and the centers current show gods and mortals at olympus ancient dion city of zeus truly is a wonder a trove of ancient artifacts excavated over some four decades from a city that flourished on the lower slopes of mount olympus in northern greece under the macedonian king archelaus i great grandfather of alexander the great
organized by dimitrios pandermalis president of the new acropolis museum in athens the exhibition includes extraordinary marble sculpture mosaics and jewelry from the citys religious sanctuaries thermal baths and cemeteries displayed in an installation filled with the sounds of birds and wildlife that inhabit the site today no matter how you plan to approach the show   just go for it onassisusaorg


on a busy saturday night at a restaurant i was waiting to use the ladies room the place has two single occupancy bathrooms one for men and one for women a minute later a young man in his 20s came out of the ladies room annoyed at his entitlement i said excuse me to which he in regular mens clothing responded im transitioning and kept walking i found this rude i dont believe for a second that he was transgender my husband suggested i let this go i disagree you
betty westport conn
even i am forced to agree with husbands occasionally betty and if a third is indeed the charm we could probably get senator ted cruz to confirm that its a bad bet to place all your chips on birth gender bathrooms sensitivity is the better play
your instincts may be right the young man may have been glib and used the ladies room because he didnt feel like waiting for the mens room delaying your use of the facilities by 90 seconds or this young person may in fact be transitioning lets assume she is note she is not required to wear a chanel suit or conform to any of your ideas of femininity to be doing so her gender identification is none of our business
worse would you risk being wrong if you were confronting the young woman at her table or even reporting her to the manager may end up hurting her feelings and embarrassing you not to mention your poor husband when there is room for doubt apply the test of lesser evils it points to keeping quiet in this case
my husbands brother and wife converted from roman catholic to episcopalian a few years ago theyve asked my husband to be the godfather of their new baby their third we asked if it was ok since we are catholics and they told us it was no problem but we checked canon law which says it is not ok since the whole point of being godparents is to ensure that the baby is brought up properly in the faith is there a way to respond that wont betray our religion or threaten family relationships
ml
i have enough godchildren to field a pretty lousy production of a chorus line but im fairly certain that none of their parents imagine that i will board their children or take them to church shout out to hozier in the event of tragedy to me it seems as if dear friends invited me to join more closely in the celebration of their family its been my privilege to accept and i love these kids   or most of them
this is not to belittle your religious concern but in the 21st century your husbands brother and his wife probably have a separate plan for custody of their children in the event of their death they wont be dealt out by dint of who gave which child the requisite tiffany rattle but even if the worst case plan is for you to take custody and oversee the religious education of the baby is it so hard to envision sunday school at the episcopal church
they are expressing love for your husband id encourage him to accept it now isnt the time for playing what if games with tragic outcomes life has a way of meting out enough of those
my family is friends with another family my husband works with the wife and we go on vacation with them one weekend a year recently said wife threw my husband under the bus at work to achieve a professional goal she doesnt know that my husband knows it wasnt a major disaster but unpleasant enough that we no longer want to be friends unfortunately i had already reserved the condo for our long weekend and invited them to join us are we entitled to disinvite them
anonymous
treachery trumps travel plans just be direct about it it will save you bristling at future overtures and whines about we never see you anymore say we were disappointed by sallys behavior at johns expense wed prefer that you not join us in august now sally may apologize or try to talk her way out of it and depending on her sincerity and your affection for the family the ball will be in your court but a clean and honest break minimizes the going forward drama
a year ago i was friendly with a woman i met through a mutual friend we were new in town and had a few dinners together but over time she began canceling our plans saying tomorrow doesnt work but lets reschedule she has canceled every rescheduled plan for eight months recently i ran into her at yoga she said lets do drinks but never followed up how should i respond to these empty requests
katherine
smile and say call me which will never happen theres no upside for you in scolding a semi stranger over her social insincerity and even less so in wasting time chasing after her with your datebook


in her dressing room at the helen hayes theater jayne houdyshell keeps two pages from her diary enclosed in a silver frame the entry from april 1969 describes a high school production of blithe spirit in which the 15 year old ms houdyshell played the elderly medium madame arcati after a brief appraisal of the show i was completely satisfied with my performance the entry ends in jubilant capitals oh i love to act oh i love the theater
the theater loves ms houdyshell too she has just received her third tony nomination for the role of deirdre blake in stephen karams the humans her earlier nods were for well in 2006 and follies in 2012
an office manager from scranton pa deirdre has driven into lower manhattan with her husband elder daughter and mother in law to enjoy and endure thanksgiving dinner with her two daughters and one of their boyfriends though troubled by her childrens unsettled lives her mother in laws dementia and her own financial worries deirdre perseveres with the help of her catholic faith and the occasional blueberry doughnut ms houdyshells deirdre is staunch and frustrated acerbic and tender a fully realized and immediately recognizable woman rather than some mere stage creation
as an autograph seeker outside the stage door told her the whole time you were up there i was thinking my mom would say that my mom would do that
she is kind of the universal mom ms houdyshell said as she signed his program
but if ms houdyshell 62 is best known on broadway for her mothers   deirdre in the humans ann in well gloria in fish in the dark   her actorly range is far wider in the past decade she has starred as a spirited 11 year old in coraline as an imperiled secretary in the receptionist as a scheming headmistress in wicked as a brassy former chorine in follies if anything connects these roles it is the unswerving honesty that ms houdyshell brings to each portrayal
shes profoundly authentic said reed birney her co star in the humans she is unfailingly real and persuasive
she is pleasantly forthright in person with a natural sweetness a natural firmness and a deserved confidence in her abilities she politely declined the casts invitation to celebrate cinco de mayo at sardis citing the noise level and initially refused a drink or a meal elsewhere ive just eaten she said thanksgiving dinner eight times a week still she admitted that after so many months off broadway where the humans originated at the roundabouts laura pels theater and now on broadway the cast doesnt really eat much of the turkey and stuffing as the run goes on the bites get tinier and tinier she said so she consented to a bowl of soup at a nearby restaurant
in a playful polka dot top and a statement necklace ms houdyshell seemed very much at ease at a table in the back of a french bistro but it has taken her several decades to settle into a life in new york
the youngest of four daughters born to a haberdasher who had once tried to break into vaudeville and a homemaker mother who later worked as a secretary she grew up in a big old drafty kind of awful farmhouse in a rural area outside of topeka kan as a child she took refuge in books and her own imaginative games i just would totally immerse myself in other people she said i didnt have a name for it i didnt know it was acting necessarily
in high school she devised her own curriculum which included directing dialects and theatrical makeup she went on to study at the academy of dramatic art a short lived conservatory program just outside of detroit on her cellphone ms houdyshell keeps a couple of pictures from those years they show her with wide eyes and a pert mouth devilish and innocent at once
after graduation she made the rounds of midwestern dinner theaters childrens theaters and the like while playing summer stock in the early 80s she met the director joe mantello who would go on to direct her in wicked and the humans
mr mantello remembered those performances vividly she was in everything   drama musicals mysteries comedies he said by telephone and she was extraordinary in each
in her mid 20s after the breakup of an early marriage ms houdyshell spent a couple of miserable years in new york i was very intimidated by the city she said unable to break into the business she switched her focus to regional theater living out of a suitcase for more than two decades and enjoying herself tremendously until quite suddenly she said the itinerant life felt very sad to me
in her late 40s she returned to new york eager for more stability and the chance to originate new work she got it when lisa kron saw her in an off broadway show ms houdyshell was dressed in a leather jacket giving a speech about sadomasochistic sex and encouraged the director leigh silverman to cast her in an early workshop of well
both ms kron and ms silverman expressed how fully and immediately ms houdyshell became ann kron a community activist who experiences debilitating exhaustion despite programs that included ms houdyshells name and biography many in the audience couldnt separate the actress from the role people would come up to her afterward and ask jayne how it felt to be in a play ms silverman wrote in an email that is how deeply they believed she was really lisas mother
ms houdyshell has prodigious actorly skills   colleagues praised her timing her flair for comedy her sophisticated understanding of a script but as mr mantello said when you watch her its nearly impossible to catch her acting despite her distinct looks   lively eyes flyaway gray hair sturdy build   she can disappear into any role as ms silverman wrote she seemingly ... changes her metabolism her vocal cadence her gait posture and her center of gravity with every role
larry david who wrote fish in the dark recalled hearing ms houdyshell play his mother during a first read through and thinking who is this woman shes not even jewish
she was perfect mr david added i couldnt believe it
but ms houdyshell is trying to bring something more than technical perfection to deirdre a part she described as a once in a lifetime role and deeply personal in creating deirdre she drew deeply on the experiences of her own mother who really had a hard life on some level yet never revealed that to her daughters ms houdyshell said she brings her mothers stoicism and cheer to deirdre also contributing one of her mothers recipes to the plays thanksgiving table a salad concoction called orange easy and delicious which relies on cool whip cottage cheese mandarin oranges and jell o powder yummy ms houdyshell said
her goal has been to represent the character in all her sorrow exasperation and affection during early previews when she felt that deirdres lines were drawing too many chuckles she made subtle alterations to discourage them you could tell the audience wanted to put deirdre in a corner the crazy mom corner said mr karam the playwright speaking by telephone jayne wouldnt allow it shes the only actor i know worried about getting too many laughs
if ms houdyshell so often plays mothers   crazy or otherwise   she is not a mother herself never having married again she shares her harlem apartment with two cats she recalled that during her years in regional theater she had pitied older actresses who werent married who didnt have children who inevitably they had a cat or two in their little apartments she said it seemed so lonely to me
but ms houdyshell has many close friendships loving relationships with her two surviving sisters and a palpable and warranted joy in her work now im that woman and im anything but lonely she continued just as she had predicted at 15 a life in the theater sustains her i feel so insanely happy she said i love my life


leslie odom jr was leaving nothing to chance
it was the fall of 2013 and lin manuel miranda had emailed inviting him to an early workshop of the show that would become hamilton just an informal gathering   a bunch of actors around a table at a rehearsal studio reading aloud for the first time from the musicals second act mr odom could play aaron burr
it had been only a few years since he shot a tv pilot for a show that did not get picked up leaving him so disheartened about acting that he started applying for jobs as a hotel clerk but he had been moved to tears as an audience member at a reading of the first act earlier that summer at vassars powerhouse theater
so he leapt into action he learned burrs big songs he read up on hamilton he dressed to kill
you have to walk toward the things that make you alive he said
the shows director thomas kail took note he was coming to play he said he was inspired but just in case mr odom aggressively pursued mr kail as hamilton progressed i didnt hide any of my cards he said i would text tommy after every single reading i love this part i want to stay with this part
three years later hamilton is a huge hit and mr odom 34 is its ambitious antihero night after night re enacting the most famous duel in american history he slays the shows title character and now he is a tony nominee competing in life as in the show against the shows creator and star mr miranda
his performance as a strategic striver a jealous rival and a doting father is magnetic he owns the one razzle dazzle showstopper the room where it happens and he is not only the shows antagonist im the damn fool that shot him he sings in the opening but is also a rueful commentator i survived but i paid for it he sings now im the villain in your history
oh how mr odom hungered to be that villain
this is the show i was waiting for my whole life he said early one sunday at a recording studio in long island city where he was spending a day off from hamilton working on a coming solo album of jazz standards he was wearing a gray sweatshirt and a black fur lined hat with giant earflaps as he and his band worked through the jule styne classic the partys over trying to find the right bossa nova rhythm
some days later pacing around his well appointed dressing room at the richard rodgers theater he took that thought even further there is a chance that this is the greatest role i might ever have in my life he said and thats ok if this is the greatest role i ever have in my life thank god i got to do it
mr odom not only had to persuade mr miranda and mr kail he was right for the role but then as hamilton moved toward an off broadway production he also had to get out of a television show that was taping at the same time
his part on nbcs state of affairs produced by and starring katherine heigl would have been far more lucrative than playing aaron burr but he had no doubt what he wanted he emailed robert greenblatt the chairman of nbc entertainment and begged to be let out of his contract happily mr greenblatt a theater fan and producer who later invested in hamilton himself gave his ok
mr odom hungered to join the hamilton cast because he recognized the ambition of the lyrics the appeal of the music the drama of the story but there was something else too
he remembered the envy he had felt in a production of jersey boys realizing that theres going to be four really lucky white guys all over the world that are going to get to play these parts
as a black actor i can just tell you that i saw the potential to turn what is expected of us so often on its head he said were oftentimes asked to stop the show or to make em laugh but were very rarely asked for vulnerability very rarely asked for complication and here was a role where he got to do room where it happens and he gets to do dear theodosia you just dont find parts like that you dont
after more than two years with aaron burr mr odom has developed a bit of sympathy for his character none of us wants to be judged by our worst act on our worst day and we consistently judge burr for that he said he was not a perfect man but hes not a villain hes a dude just a guy
like the character he plays mr odom is deft stylish and charismatic he was always sure of himself sure of his abilities passionate and driven knowing what he wanted to accomplish and setting out to do just that said the tony winning actress patina miller who mr odom mentored when he was a senior and she was a freshman at carnegie mellon university he specifically asked to be assigned to advise a student of color saying i know what its like to be ignored when i got to la i longed for somebody who looked like me to show me the ropes
he believes deeply in focus   clearing away whatever he doesnt need to worry about so he can concentrate on his art   and now has a retinue of helpers he gets three meals delivered each day so he doesnt have to think about food he has a stylist and a nutritionist and a trainer and hes become a practitioner of cryotherapy   standing in a chamber cooled by liquid nitrogen   to ease the aches and pains from dancing up and down the staircases on the hamilton set
he is also determined to use the voice he has gained with his newfound celebrity he was one of the hamilton casts most vocal champions of profit sharing   successfully insisting that the actors who helped develop the show should benefit financially from its enormous success it almost broke our company and almost broke our show because we couldnt reconcile the beauty and love with the business mr odom said but we found our way through it
he grew up in the east oak lane neighborhood of philadelphia the son of a salesman and a nursing home recreation director at 5 he got a tape recorder and he would listen to himself sing for hours a few years later he graduated to a karaoke machine his first performances were in a baptist church
school was a bit rough   academics came easy though young leslie had a problem with authority and was often in trouble but one year as a prize in an african american history oratory competition he was awarded a summer scholarship to freedom theater which focused on the african american tradition he was 13 taking acting and movement classes and hooked he began doing school plays with a first role as a slave in the miracle worker
people just kept pointing me to the stage thank god he said
and then one night he saw a tv report on rent he had never been to broadway but he was stunned   he found it sexy and rebellious and joyful and he wanted in
that was the bat signal for me   rent changed my life he said it took me years before i got beyond that show
of course lots of teenagers loved rent but mr odom all of 17 and still in high school actually auditioned and got himself cast in the show   he was a replacement member of the ensemble but he was on broadway
even as he enrolled at carnegie mellon he was offered a role in another broadway musical disneys aida as mereb his parents were determined for him to get a college education but said they would defer to his choice and he chose broadway then his mother called him crying over his decision
he turned down the role and stayed in school it would be nearly 15 years before he found his way back to broadway but he says she was absolutely right
by the time he arrived at that fateful new york stage and film reading at vassar he had spent nearly a decade in los angeles working mostly in television but also singing in clubs it was there that he met the woman who would become his wife the actress nicolette robinson while working on a production of once on this island
he moved to new york for smash a television series about the making of a musical with a recurring role as the love interest of christian borle the most important thing about that for me was that i did not want it to be titillating he said i wanted everyone to understand why those two men were falling in love and that it was just like any other relationship youd ever seen thats all i cared about there was a short lived musical leap of faith on broadway and roles on law  order special victims unit and person of interest
when he saw the early version of hamilton at vassar he assumed there was no room for him in the show   he knew mr miranda had a bit of a posse and tended to collaborate with his friends one of whom played burr there but the role had become more vocally demanding with the development of the shows second act and mr odom seemed like a good fit
mr odom instinctively understood both the language of mr miranda and the psyche of burr he has a soulfulness underneath that matches lins writing style   even when leslies not dancing you can see the beat happening in his body said andy blankenbuehler the shows choreographer
mr blankenbuehler recalled how while developing the room where it happens he wanted burr to own the scene by placing his palms on a desktop and leaning over it like a king mr odom chose instead to sit behind the desk leaning back with his feet up on the surface like a boss
his position was so much more powerful than mine mr blankenbuehler said my position was pushing power   his was i dont even have to do anything to own you
mr odom whose contract with hamilton expires in july said he does not know whether he will stay with the show or what will happen next i dont have any control over the offers that are going to come to me or not come to me he said but i cant go backward and so thats whats tricky after aaron burr its got to be a good part its got to be an interesting part
in the meantime he is still trying to improve his performance in the show he fought so hard to join until i levitate i have work to do he said thats the day ill retire when i actually fly


jaspal ricky singh and channi parihar met as undergraduates at george washington university in washington dc
ms parihar moved to new york working as a special education teacher and lived with her sister in a one bedroom condominium converted to a two bedroom in a postwar high rise in murray hill on the east side
dr singh moved among several cities for his medical training he and ms parihar married four years ago and they lived with her sister as he started work at weill cornell medicine on the upper east side where he is a physician specializing in spine medicine
after a cramped month dr and mrs singh moved nearby to a renovated one bedroom at view 34 formerly the rivergate the huge 1985 rental building near the east river
within weeks hurricane sandy struck their lobby was flooded for most of the ensuing three weeks they again stayed with mrs singhs sister
over time their rent climbed to 3400 a month from around 2900 with plans to have a baby the singhs who are now in their 30s decided to buy a larger place so they contacted bobby rehani a salesman at city connections realty whom they knew through friends
they wanted to remain in murray hill near family and friends they had plenty of amenity filled condominium towers to choose among many dating from the 1980s
with a top price of around 12 million the singhs aimed for two bedrooms and two bathrooms they thought about finding a place with enough space to create a third bedroom for their many guests
they would have been happy with one and a half bathrooms but those proved rare the price would jump up a lot when it was two full baths mrs singh said
they saw several units that they crossed off their list because they seemed outdated
at the horizon on east 37th street opened in 1989 a 1100 square foot two bedroom listed at 115 million with monthly charges of around 2000 had a triangular living room the shape didnt work for their plan to create a guest bedroom
and the building was adjacent to a development site near the former con ed pier so they could face years of construction mr rehani said the place sold for 111 million
at that point a year and a half ago mr rehani told the singhs about the corinthian collection in the corinthian opened in 1989 on east 38th street within the 817 unit building the sponsor had retained 144 units that were to be renovated but were not yet on the market
mr rehani mentioned the buildings golf simulator
dr singh lit up he missed being able to use his golf clubs and rarely made it to one of manhattans few driving ranges
no model apartment was ready but they had three pictures dr singh said they looked great
the singhs liked a two bedroom with two bathrooms covering nearly 1200 square feet renovated   as in the three pictures   it would be more than 15 million mr rehani said
i wish he hadnt shown us the drawings because it was out of our price range mrs singh said
it looked as if they would be able to split the living room into two rooms the singhs offered 1558 million for a renovated unit by email almost on a whim and then we forgot about it dr singh said
at the charleston on east 34th street built about 2007 dr singh liked the symmetrical layout of a two bedroom but the price was 185 million with monthly charges of 2260 so the couple kept looking that was more about showing them whats available at different price points mr rehani said
soon mr rehani contacted the singhs to say the corinthian collection was officially open for sales the sponsor agreed to accept the couples email offer of 1558 million monthly charges would be slightly more than 2000
after doing the math and talking with friends and family the singhs decided to go ahead the fact that they honored that simple email is amazing dr singh said
two bedrooms at the corinthian collection are now listed for approximately 16 million to 23 million
the occupancy date was repeatedly pushed back at first the delay was welcome the couple had a few months remaining on their lease but when the new place still wasnt ready they ended up renting by the month for which the rent rose to 4500
they arrived in the winter deciding to keep the living room intact and instead add a trundle bed to the second bedroom which they will use as a nursery the bathroom space is everything they wanted particularly the master bathroom which has a double vanity with two sinks
they have found home ownership frustrating at times last month mrs singh now pregnant with a daughter due in august arose in the night and found water gushing from beneath the kitchen sink the couple called 911 and ran downstairs
the flood as it turned out was coming from the floor above apparently a water filtration system beneath a sink had broken
the cleanup required fans and dehumidifiers some outlets were temporarily knocked out of commission
such water issues are nothing unusual and just the typical day to day maintenance of a larger building said cari nogas a spokeswoman for the building
dr singh uses the golf simulator as often as possible recently descending in the elevator with his golf clubs he was informed by neighbors that it was raining outside i said i am going to the golf simulator in our building  dr singh said they said we have a golf simulator they didnt even know


as the founder of bordeaux excellence a travel company that organizes trips to southwestern france madeleine marchand has to stay on top of whats new in the waterfront city and the longtime resident says that these days that means pretty much everything bordeaux has undergone a face lift over the last 15 years and those changes are being seen now she said
the local government has refurbished the buildings in the 18th century historical center built gardens along the waterfront and introduced a high tech tram system as the major means of transportation at the same time new restaurants and attractions have helped amp up the buzz and are giving bordeaux a reputation as a place with much more to offer than its famous red wine produced in the surrounding countryside
ms marchand spoke recently about bordeauxs transformation and shared tips on what travelers should do when they visit following are edited excerpts from a conversation with her
q much of bordeauxs refurbishment is complete what else is still to come
a the most notable is la cite du vin an institution dedicated to the history of viticulture around the world and scheduled to open june 1 the building is on the banks of the garonne river and is shaped to resemble the movement of wine in a glass
wine is undoubtedly a big reason to visit bordeaux but what attractions are there for those who dont imbibe
bordeaux has much more than wine the 18th century architecture in the historical center is something to marvel at and the opera is very high caliber performances run from september through june
in the countryside around the city there is notable new architecture to see a lot of it is at wineries but going is worthwhile even if youre a teetotaler the french architect jean nouvel for example built a contemporary red winery at chateau la dominique near the village of st emilion it has a restaurant upstairs with floor to ceiling windows overlooking petrus and chateau cheval blanc two of bordeauxs iconic wineries and the french architect and designer jean michel wilmotte built a cellar at chateau cos destournel an estate that looks like an indian temple
also visiting the seaside is a must the dune of pilat is an hour from the city and is europes tallest sand dune around it is a stretch of beautiful beach thats long and unspoiled nearby theres a philippe starck designed hotel la coorniche where you can stay the night or at least have a seafood lunch the oysters and mussels from the area are extraordinary and not to be missed if you like shellfish
the culinary scene in bordeaux is booming any recommendations
a few years ago locals would go to the same restaurants and i would recommend these names as well to my clients but today there are so many spots to pick from
three prolific chefs have opened restaurants in the city recently joel robuchon at the new boutique hotel la grande maison gordon ramsay at the intercontinental with le pressoir dargent and philippe etchebest a french chef who has two michelin stars with le quatrieme mur next to the opera house then there are several new restaurants serving excellent food but without famous chefs attached to them miles eclectic cuisine with international flavors and dan french food heavily influenced by chinese cuisine are two
if you are an oenophile whats the best way to get a perspective of bordeauxs wine culture and organize winery visits
the bordeaux countryside has more than 4000 wine estates and advance planning is important in navigating through the bunch if you want to visit a famous winery such as mouton rothschild you have to make an appointment by email or phone several months in advance with most other wineries you still need an appointment but can make one a few days in advance also i advise sticking to three winery visits in a day because they all start to blend together after that and see a mix   a big label a lesser known one and maybe one with a modern new tasting room
is there an ideal time to visit bordeaux
may and june are my favorite months the weather is mild the landscape is coming into full bloom and its not too crowded the liveliest period however is the harvest from mid september to the end of october youll see workers in the fields picking the grapes and can get into cellars to see the different stages of the winemaking process the city itself is also bustling   the opera season is just starting and the mood is energized


gabriel byrne was 8 years old the first time he saw a play he was awe struck by what happened at the end   when the people i believed had been real showed themselves to not be real he recalled
what they were doing was shrugging off unreality and becoming real by way of their bows he continued and the difference between their faces during the performance and their faces during the bows fascinated me since then ive always watched the way people bow
for loyal theater audiences   as well as tony award nominees like mr byrne starring in long days journey into night   theres a lot to watch from the solo bow taken by leading performers to the group bow emphasizing the ensemble nature of the enterprise among this years tony nominated shows see hamilton shuffle along the crucible
solo variations include the head bow   the kind favored by mr byrne who frankly would prefer to skip the whole thing and the bend from the waist so that the body forms a right angle think human tabletop for both hands are laced pressed together prayerfully pressed to the heart or perhaps extended to the audience and then there is the deep curtsy as if greeting royalty rather than a subscription audience
theres the aerobic bow wherein an actor dashes out from the wings and bends head almost touching the stage the weary bow message you folks are lucky im still standing and the artfully startled carefully unstudied bow the one that seems to say oh my god is this applause for me ive been so transfixed by my performance i didnt realize there was anyone else here
the bow to beat according to many broadway veterans yul brynners at the end of the king and i his majesty would thrust his arms to the heavens like an excited referee signaling the winning touchdown pause look around and take in the applause then and only then would he begin to bend the downward swoop stopped only by the floor
the far more simple bend at the waist bow feet together legs straight took its cue from the 19th century gentleman said marianne kubik an associate professor of movement at the university of virginia
because the head is bent its a way of reaching out to the audience with humility and thanks she explained its the only bow i encourage
a curtsy meanwhile demonstrates the flexibility and balance required of a performer but it takes longer to execute indirectly asking the audience to applaud longer ms kubik said
laura benanti a tony nominee this season for she loves me was 19 when she played maria in the 1998 broadway revival of the sound of music bowing was not one of her favorite things i became very anxious and would do this sort of apologetic little dip she said
appearing with chita rivera in the revival of nine five years later id scurry out onto the stage tip my head for one second then walk backward to my place in line and turn my face from the audience she recalled
chita was like you look crazy and she explained that bowing wasnt about saying to the audience youre welcome it was saying thank you ms benanti continued she told me i needed to be in the tabletop position for three whole seconds shed stand in the wings during my bow and yell one one thousand two one thousand three one thousand release 
ms rivera cant direct everyone here along with ms benanti six other current tony nominees share their philosophies of the right way to handle a curtain call
dee hoty my mother in bright star said can i just give you some suggestions on your bow my curtsy was kind of apologetic and subdued it may have come from spending 14 years in great britain where theres a vibe of bowing we shouldnt have to do this its about art and no one should have to clap at us dee said you dont need to be embarrassed by your bow go out there as the leading lady that you are take in the audience look at them and smile in a way that says didnt we all have a good time so now i stand there for a moment and smile and do a proper waist bow with my hands interlaced
i get on out there smile look at the audience bow once from the waist and blow a kiss to them for being there and then move on ive seen a lot of crazy bows and im like calm down all you did was a musical
the bowing hierarchy is something you are always aware of as an actor   not in a good or bad way   but you are aware of it my favorite bows are group bows when the entire cast bows at the same time thats when you know youre in a real ensemble theres a moment when youre bowing and you see the patrons who want to get out before the bows end and you have to negotiate those emotions internally there are literally people walking out or more accurately running out it doesnt mean they hated the show but it does serve to crystallize exactly where you are on the food chain between sharing the final moment of the show and getting on the west side highway first
a bow is all about the energy i jump down off the step and greet the audience with a great big smile i look up put my hands together and bow at the waist and mouth the words thank you sometimes ill touch my hand to my chest ive worked hard for this moment
if ever there were a show ive done that could do without a bow its blackbird we stand there weve got nothing left we dont have any energy for bows standard or otherwise so to bounce out there with a bow and a smile and do something that says oh my god thank you no thank you   it just doesnt fit im happy not to do anything but a friend whos been in the theater longer than i has said youve got to let the audience thank you you need to give them that thats why michelle williams and i go out there its not us saying do you love me as much as i love me its out of respect for the audience but simplicity reigns you bend but not much because at this age its about getting back up again i bow michelle bows we bow one last time and go offstage
i dont know that i have a bowing style i certainly dont practice i just try to go out and do what feels right i just know that my bow is not flashy for me its more important for the work to get the recognition than the actor
in the back of my mind it seems like im asking for gratitude or approval and i dont like asking for either i just bow my head and hope im not shortchanging the audience


in late january 1948 tennessee williams arrived for the first time in rome a city that the playwright then 37 would quickly call the capitol of my heart after more than a decade toiling in poverty and obscurity williams had been catapulted to national fame three years earlier when his loosely autobiographical memory play the glass menagerie became an instant critical and commercial hit its follow up a streetcar named desire opened in 1947 to packed broadway houses and rave reviews cementing williamss position as a major figure in the american theater establishment four months later he set out for europe
after a brief disappointing stopover in france i found nothing very good about paris but the quality of the whores williams wrote his friend and longtime collaborator elia kazan rome won him over instantly
as soon as i crossed the italian border my health and life seemed to be magically restored he wrote in his memoirs williams spent much of the next decade in rome which became the backdrop and inspiration for one of his most personally and creatively fruitful periods   as well as the setting for his 1950 novella the roman spring of mrs stone despite recurring bouts of writers block when the sensitive melancholic playwright found himself battering my head against a wall of creative impotence he wrote many of his greatest works here in whole or in part including cat on a hot tin roof the rose tattoo and baby doll during numerous extended visits to the city
to search for williams in todays rome is to explore the vestiges of that heady messy period after the fall of mussolini but before the so called italian economic miracle of the 1950s and 1960s when he arrived in 1948 the newly open city was the epicenter of a just dawning golden age of italian neorealist cinema the dollar was strong prices were low and as williams put it an americano could get away with a whole lot
williamss first place of residence was a top floor room at the ambasciatori palace a grand neo renaissance hotel along the tree lined via veneto today like many of williamss former haunts both the boulevard and the hotel feel somewhat past their prime via veneto is still upscale but its touristy trattorias and chain hotels would be sadly ill fitted to its former incarnation as the glorious main drag of la dolce vita the 1960 federico fellini classic still despite its depressing subterranean breakfast buffet the ambasciatori retains a faded elegance that makes it easy to imagine the looks of disdain williams recalls receiving when on his second night in the city he brought home a raggedly dressed roman teenager whom he calls raffaelo in his memoirs
for williams rome offered freedom   an escape from the puritanism that plagued his life back home in a 1949 letter to his publisher jay laughlin williams recounted a dinner with ingrid bergman and roberto rossellini shortly after the hollywood star and the italian director had begun their highly publicized collaboration and extramarital affair their indifference to the scandal he wrote is very beautiful and should have a salutary affect on discrediting those infantile moralists that make it so hard for anyone to do honest work and live honestly in the states
williams wasnt alone in this assessment his social circle at the time included the poet frederic prokosch truman capote that unhappy young egoist gore vidal and a number of other american writers and artists who like williams were gay or bisexual and had found in rome a degree of creative and personal freedom unheard of back home they also tended to share another of williamss well known traits a love of drink
the american colony is desperately gregarious and you can only work by bolting doors and shutters he wrote to his agent and close confidant audrey wood yes some of them even climb in the window if they suspect you have a little cognac on the place in addition to giving house parties williams and his friends frequented via veneto spots like the cafe de paris rosati and the downstairs bar of the hotel flora now the rome marriott grand hotel flora
by now an international celebrity williams made regular appearances in the roman society papers yet his fame was still not such as to prevent him from engaging in another activity of which rome offered manifold new possibilities cruising
in the evenings very late after midnight i like to drive out the old appian way and park the car at the side of the road and listen to the crickets among the old tombs he wrote to the actress jane lawrence smith sometimes a figure appears among them which is not a ghost but a roman boy in the flesh
the nightingales busted their larynx he wrote to the poet oliver evans of a dalliance with a neapolitan professional lightweight boxer he picked up on one of his first nights in rome i wish i could tell you more ... details positions amiabilities   but this pale blue paper would blush
after the ambasciatori williams moved into a two room apartment in a tawny old high ceilinged building just outside the villa borghese gardens at via aurora 45 there he would reside for much of his time in rome mostly with his longtime partner frank merlo who accompanied williams on many extended trips in the capacity of his secretary the building on via aurora has since been leveled and today the lot is occupied by a generic taupe and glass office tower housing an italian subsidiary of the bnp paribas banking group
so much of the rome williams knew and loved   the swinging free spirited rome of the 1950s and 1960s   is long gone paved over by anesthetized chain stores tourist traps and bank branches some spots remain in name only   like doney a sidewalk cafe on via veneto that is now a bland extension of the westin excelsior hotel of which the main clientele appears to be traveling businessmen and their bored looking female companions
but in williamss day doney was a place of singular intrigue and energy a recurring setting in his recollections and correspondences in a 1948 letter heralding the arrival in rome of the new yorker correspondent janet flanner and her all female entourage williams tells gore vidal that the social life is considerably better than when there was just us girls sunning ourselves like a bunch of lizards on the walk in front of doneys in another letter to the new york times theater critic brooks atkinson he recalls passing the cafe and seeing orson welles presumably in town for the filming of the 1949 film black magic sitting alone and reading a book called decadence
it was also at doney that williams had his first meeting in 1950 with the legendary roman actress anna magnani whom he had in mind to play the widow serafina in the rose tattoo
the long awaited meeting with magnani has finally occurred he wrote to the theater producer cheryl crawford after keeping him waiting for 45 minutes magnani sent a messenger to bring him to doney she dominated the whole street he wrote her figure is the very meaning of sex her eyes and her voice and style are indescribably compelling
this meeting would prove the beginning of a decades long collaboration and friendship that would profoundly influence both of their lives williams and magnani both temperamental artists who were fearless in their determination to live unconventional lives had a deep understanding of each other and beyond the roles he explicitly wrote for her from 1950 on williamss female characters began to resemble magnani passionate sexually vital complicated and self confident
throughout the 1950s williams merlo and magnani spent countless nights on her terrace above the piazza minerva overlooking the pantheon and at fashionable venues like rosati which is still a pleasant place to people watch over negronis
they also made frequent appearances at alfredo the restaurant credited with inventing fettuccine alfredo that today has two self styled inheritors alfredo alla scrofa at the original location and il vero alfredo run by the original proprietors descendants both of todays alfredos sadly are touristy and overpriced though il vero is almost worth a visit for the hundreds of framed photos of the owners mock feeding giant handfuls of fettuccine to celebrity visitors whose expressions range from hammy complicity james stewart sylvester stallone to perturbation bordering on panic peter sellers sophia loren
but if williamss recollections of a glamorous 50s bohemia seem sadly obsolete his lyrical descriptions of the city feel abidingly apt as in the roman spring of mrs stone when he describes the moment before the lamps go on when the atmosphere has that exciting blue clarity of the nocturnal scenes in old silent films a color of water that holds a few drops of ink or as in the novellas opening passage
at five oclock in the afternoon which was late in march the stainless blue of the sky over rome had begun to pale and the blue transparency of the narrow streets had gathered a faint opacity of vapor domes of ancient churches swelling above the angular roofs like the breasts of recumbent giant women still bathed in golden light and so did the very height of that immense cascade of stone stairs that descended from the trinita di monte to the piazza di spagna
for williams rome possessed a singular mix of ephemeral grace and gaudy eroticism softness and sex that made it the ideal setting for the story of karen stone a wealthy recently retired american actress in the midst of an existential crisis whose story incidentally could easily be seen as a superior darker progenitor of the current retiree travel romance genre in the vein of under the tuscan sun
mrs stones feelings of drift of lostness her impression that she was now leading an almost posthumous existence echo sentiments expressed by williams himself like him she found in rome a place to disappear
at one point in the novella mrs stone sits in the back of a car as it twisted at random among the devious ways of the villa borghese and had a sense of arrival this was the center this was what the frantic circle surrounded here was the void ...
the years after his golden time in rome were not particularly kind to williams much of his later work was ignored by the public and panned by critics many close friends died prematurely including merlo and magnani who succumbed to cancer he in 1963 and she in 1973 returning with decreasing frequency to the italian capital williams sank into depression and drug use which contributed to his own death in 1983
today the dreamy villa borghese gardens with winding pathways secretive corners and canopy of parasol pines still feels just as williams described it   like a soft abyss and here more than anywhere else in rome its not hard to imagine him as he once was a man of youth and creative vigor laughing into the void
once an ambassadors residence the neo renaissance ambasciatori palace via vittorio veneto 62 royalgroupitambasciatoripalace features marble columns damask textiles and other grand flourishes classically renovated rooms start at 250 euros about 290 in june
rosati piazza del popolo 5 barrosaticom was one of williamss favorite drinking spots and is still a great place to people watch over negronis which cost EUR15 at the table but just EUR5 at the bar
today an espresso will set you back EUR5 at the now corporatized inheritor of the storiedcafe doney via vittorio veneto125 westinromecomencafe doney or restaurantdoneycom which serves drinks desserts and traditional lunch fare including pizza and pasta EUR12 to EUR18
williams was a regular at alfredo whose eponymous fettuccini attained global renown its two self styled descendants are alfredo alla scrofa via della scrofa 104 alfredoallascrofacom and il vero alfredo piazza augusto imperatore 30 alfredo romait at both restaurants dinner and drinks for two feel overpriced at around EUR100
originally the 17th century estate of cardinal scipione borghese the bewitching 150 acre villa borghese gardens are open to the public from dawn till dusk at the edge of the park stands the galleria borghese once the cardinals party villa and now one of romes most beloved art galleries holding works by caravaggio bernini and titian among others


hotels as different as a period townhouse and a modernist rural retreat conjure a sense of home in a few common ways including the warmth of the proprietors the intimacy of the property even on sprawling grounds and the coziness of the rooms for those seeking a sense of the familiar abroad these eight new renovated or expanding properties extend a homey welcome
if your idea of home is an 18th century townhouse with period furnishings in londons spitalifields neighborhood consider batty langleys a 29 room newcomer from the owners of the citys similarly historic hazlitts and the rookery named for the architect and landscape designer batty langley who wrote books on house and garden planning the boutique hotel evokes a stay with the gentry via cozy firelit public rooms filled with overstuffed couches book lined shelves and an honor bar individually decorated rooms feature antique carved beds brocade drapes mirrors and paintings with gilded frames and updated bathrooms many with cast iron tubs and for decoration only chamber pot chairs rooms from 195 pounds about 280 battylangleyscom
the owner frangiskos karelas aims to make guests feel like family at eumelia a 50 acre organic farm his ancestors have operated since the 1890s located about 45 minutes drive southeast of sparta in the peloponnese region guests are invited to harvest fruit pick olives collect almonds and press grapes depending on the season five modern stained concrete houses provide apartment like accommodations including kitchens fireplaces and terraces for outdoor dining bikes are available for getting around and the proprietors encourage guests to forage the property for ingredients teach cooking classes and stock a mini market of organic wine and olive oil in the main farmhouse rooms from EUR100 including breakfast eumeliacom
originally a moat ringed 14th century castle much of which burned during the french revolution la borde maison dhotes  spa in rural burgundy retains its fortress sense of home from the stone walls that surround it to the rustic wood rafters in its five suites opened as a hotel in 2012 the property is much more than its interiors though some 17 acres of gardens ranging from formal french to an orchard and rose garden border the buildings and guests have access to an outdoor pool tennis court and petanque area the hosts will cook for guests on demand from their vegetable gardens and throughout the summer will hold a contemporary sculpture exhibit rooms from EUR325 uklbmhfr
named for the french word for home and just six miles from france the new la maison a design hotel straddles old and new definitions of home its 38 rooms are spread between a 19th century former court building that looks like a private villa and a modern aluminum shuttered addition overlooking parklike grounds rooms mix vintage and contemporary furniture and range from minimalist models in the new wing to more traditional suites with fixtures like free standing bathtubs in the old among the better than home amenities theres a bistro where the glass walls open onto a terrace and in the cozy library a bar rooms from EUR105 lamaison hotelde
for those seeking peace and privacy in their home away from home masseria trapana provides them in a 16th century farmhouse recently converted into a nine room resort in the southern puglia region nearly 150 acres of olive groves buffer the property where grandly proportioned rooms feature exposed stone walls and floors and some include original fireplaces private gardens and outdoor soaking tubs each of the six walled gardens home to 19 types of fruit and nut trees has a distinct personality from the tranquil yoga garden to the more social games garden plum trees shade the lounge chairs around the pool and hammocks are strung up throughout the grounds for getaway naps rooms from EUR500 for two nights minimum including breakfast trapanacom
tours in amsterdam commonly highlight the citys trim and tidy canal houses and those with real estate envy can try one out for a night or two at the pulitzer amsterdam a series of 25 interconnected canal houses dating from the 17th and 18th centuries comprise the hotel hosting 225 individually designed rooms all of which are undergoing renovation to be completed this fall eighty of these are already redone many with original features like exposed brick walls and timber beams that contrast with contemporary furnishings four high end suites each with its own street entrance were decorated to reflect the interests of former residents including an art aficionado book lover music composer and antiques collector for on demand service the new restaurant jansz is open all day rooms start at EUR269 pulitzeramsterdamcom
three generations of the brito family now run their 1940s vintage home on the edge of the ria formosa natural park a coastal lagoon in the southern algarve region as casa modesta last year a design forward renovation of the rural home created nine guest rooms overlooking the wetlands inspired by the simplicity of regional architecture the minimalist single story complex offers exterior stairs to flat roof terraces and whitewashed rooms with platform beds and deep brick tubs activities revolve around nature including bird watching and stargazing and regional traditions such as gathering clams making pottery or baking bread with the grandmother in the homes original wood fired oven rooms from EUR90 casamodestapt
the 19th century home of the alomar femenia family on majorca built to express the owners wealth in one of the citys oldest quarters was large enough to house 42 guest rooms when it was converted into the sant francesc hotel singular last year the hotel takes its name from the neighboring franciscan monastery on its square but theres nothing frugal about the place where many rooms have original frescoes moldings and wood beam ceilings a collection of contemporary art and photography a rooftop pool and a dining terrace in a garden update the restored palace rooms from 300 euros about 340 hotelsantfrancesccom


it looked like the makings of dinner at a yoga retreat there was a sheet pan filled with cherry tomatoes glistening with olive oil dusted in lime zest showered in salt and pepper beside it another pan a soy drizzled mound of ripped kale and dried shaved coconut there were the ingredients for a dressing as well miso paste from japan tahini from the levant local honey a knob of ginger a bright red pepper all of this was very beautiful but i didnt see how it was going to come together
it did those tomatoes were roasted along with the kale and they converged under the dressing to create an excellent powerfully flavorful dish   exactly the sort of salad to raise a dinner party or family meal high you could serve it as a starter course in advance of some grains or soup or a roast on a weekend it could be a terrific lunch you may want to make it all the time i do
the recipe comes from anna jones a british food stylist who worked for jamie oliver before striking out on her own it appears in her first cookbook a modern way to eat a collection of recipes that if you spend as much time as i do snooping around peoples kitchens seems to be shaping up as a kind of new era silver palate cookbook this salad could be joness chicken marbella
when i write a recipe or cobble something together for dinner jones writes in the books introduction i always have three things in the back of my mind that shape my cooking how will this taste how can i make it more interesting to eat by layering up the textures and how can i make it look the most beautiful on the plate
these are good questions in their way of course the first is what the entrepreneurial class calls table stakes your cooking had better taste good and the third is perhaps more a symptom of a world obsessed with photographic documentation than one concerned with deliciousness but joness second question is vitally important particularly in salads where the layering of textures is what differentiates the great from the merely good you want crisp and yielding slick and crunchy and soft all at once
so i roasted the tomatoes until they were almost but not quite melting the heat concentrated their flavor and the lime accented it beautifully the kale joined them in the oven for the last 10 minutes or so cooked without oil the greens went soft in parts and crunchy in others and the soy and coconut bracketed their pure mineral intensity for the dressing i whipped together the ginger miso tahini honey olive oil lime juice and chopped hot pepper to create a mixture far thicker than vinaigrette   one that lent itself better to drizzling over the bowl than using as something to slick every green it is dressing as paint perhaps both creamy and bold you can thin it out a little with extra lime juice
the combination   the layering up in joness phrase - is sublime you could certainly toss everything together but i think the dish works better as a kind of tableau the greens assembled across the bottom of a bowl or platter with the tomatoes dotted across them along with the strips of shaved coconut and the whole thing dressed simply without tossing the miso tahini mixture added as you might apply pieces of mozzarella to a pizza people will mix everything together on their own on their own plates as they eat
regardless and pleasantly there is no need to rush the preparation you can assemble the recipe serially slowly the greens and the tomatoes come out of the oven hot they can be served merely warm and indeed should be i know that food cooked with calmness and a little grace jones told the guardian a few weeks ago tastes to me a little better than when im running around doing 10 million different things which is true as north though generally hard to achieve here is a chance now take it
recipe warm kale coconut and tomato salad


if some men look a little facially frozen in their wedding photos its now perhaps because of the botox if their chins appear more chiseled their pores smaller their necks tighter it may be thanks to in office procedures which many grooms groomsmen and even a father in law or two are getting before the big event
last year i got hair transplants said joshua baggett a 35 year old sound engineer after seeing the results i wished i had done it sooner i noticed i was getting crows feet and im getting married in august i want to look young and good for my wedding photos which will hopefully last a lifetime
years ago the only ones getting perfectly prettified were brides but now grooms are going for a brotox boost they are making appointments with dermatologists and plastic surgeons to reduce fat restore volume to their face lose inches in their waist remove wrinkles and hair and erase those 11s   no one wants to look angry in their photos
recently dr dendy engelman an aesthetic dermatologist at manhattan dermatology and cosmetic surgery entered one of her treatment rooms to find three patients mr baggett rosie noesi 35 his fiancee and corey baggett 32 his brother and best man the three were there for pre wedding fixings
we look at coreys wedding photos often and that was a bad point in my life in terms of how i looked mr baggett said my head was shaven and i was a bit heavier theyre tough for me to see i dont want that to be the case for my wedding pictures
and so chins and necks were inspected for kybella an injectable treatment that reduces fat in that specific area eyes were scrutinized for crows feet foreheads examined for lines reflections were stared at in the mirror while dr engelman gave her suggestions because of timing issues botox was decided that day as the treatment of choice for the two nervous men who both sat with round pink ice packs by their eyes to numb their skin
in march alfonso diaz 44 a director and host with the international television channel nuestra tele went to dr jennifer levines office in new york to have his first of four sessions of sculpsure a light based body contouring treatment that through intense heat and cold targets and destroys fat cells in the flanks and stomach mr diaz and his partner of three years richard saenz 34 will wed june 4 on the beach in cancun mexico
i gained 32 pounds over the past three years so i couldnt fit into the linen jacket i want to wear at our wedding mr diaz said ive already lost 20 pounds but fat has memory and if i wanted to wear the jacket i needed this treatment this is the biggest day of my life all of my friends family and co workers will be there i really want to look good
sculpsure which is one of a handful of contouring treatments takes 25 minutes per session and one can lose a belt notch after a treatment results can take six weeks to see which is why mr diaz scheduled sessions for his stomach and flanks in march and had two additional treatments five weeks before his wedding each session cost 1500
its not like liposuction and this wasnt painful mr diaz said theres no downtime its not invasive you can do it during your lunch break men who have the money find all these things very attractive
mr diaz attributes some of this gender free acceptance to the gay community
weve been very honest and open about wanting to look better he said the tv show queer eye for the straight guy made looking good and caring about yourself acceptable to everyone which has helped heterosexual men be ok with getting these procedures and women want their husbands to look as good as they do so looking good has become a competition
some say its just a movement for treating men the same as women and whether that is for better or for worse is in the eye of the beholder
for a very long time emphasis was placed on what a man did not how he looked while women were judged on the opposite said miles groth a professor of psychology and chairman of the psychology department at wagner college in new york who specializes in mens gender studies
weve gone away from that dr groth said today theres as much pressure on men to look good and take care of themselves as there is on women thats a new phenomenon men are now being judged on their job on the quality of the bride and on how they look which is why these kinds of enhancements have become more acceptable and almost expected
in 2015 the american society for aesthetic plastic surgery reported recently procedures for men were up 63 percent over a five year period men had more than 12 million procedures performed representing 95 percent of the total procedures
as for the marrying men 
millennials are marrying older theyre what i call the removal category unattractive tattoos in the wrong places long regretted piercings and acne scars said dr jeffrey spiegel chief of facial plastic and reconstructive surgery at boston medical center who has seen a 15 percent increase of men coming in for pre wedding reasons thats four or five times a week which is a large number considering years ago they werent coming in at all
another category of men he sees in his office are second timers trying to recapture their youth
those marrying again have hit a turning point in life he said they want to look younger or theyre finally getting around to changing the things they wanted to thanks to support or pressure from their fiancee
if word of mouth is helping spread the news then words themselves ones created specifically for men are blending into the mainstream besides brotox there is xeoman a spin on xeomin a botulinum toxin injection like botox and a manlycure the male version of a manicure then theres guybrows which the brow specialist ramy gafni trademarked two years ago when he saw how popular the word had become
there is a psychology when addressing men and skin care mr gafni said using words that appeal to them makes them feel comfortable
over the last few years he has seen a huge jump in his male clientele each month he reshapes 250 to 300 mens brows he said that 20 percent of that number is for weddings
men are 50 percent of my business now mr gafni said brows are a great baby step once they get this home improvement they get the confidence to move to the next level
even plastic surgery and medical facilities are creating groom specialized offerings shafer plastic surgery in new york has the groomsmen package which includes 600 units of botox   enough for four faces targeting lines around the eyes eyebrows and forehead and for axillary sweating under the arms   and four kybella treatments to remove double chins the cost a mere 13000
the tiffani kim institute in chicago has the groom to be treatment a 50 minute swedish massage a sports buff manicure and pedicure a gentlemans facial botox and restylane it costs 980
im not a spa guy im a construction worker said mike vazquez 48 a project manager for a real estate company in chicago who bought the package but my wife waited 11 years for this day and i wanted to look good for her
mr vazquez said a friend had undergone the treatment before his wedding and another friend mentioned that he too had been to tiffani kim to have work done both suggested mr vazquez have a consultation and he later emerged a younger looking man
the couple married in november 2015 when mr vazquez said i do his face was wrinkle free his marionette lines and the deep indentations around his nose gone
it was a lot of money he said i did it to surprise my wife who was really surprised im 12 years older than jessica and i didnt want to look like her dad in our photos
by the time the baggett brothers emerged from the treatment room it was clear both were hooked on reclaiming their youth they promptly made joint appointments for kybella treatments
this was joshs best mans gift to me said corey a clothing manufacturer who was married in 2011 i feel like every time i smile i see my double chin it would be nice to have that gone especially so people dont see it at his wedding
the older mr baggett paid the bill a grin on his face disbelief in his voice it didnt hurt at all he told his fiancee who had received filler in her smile lines
this was really special for us to do together corey said its one more thing well remember about his wedding


buying a fixer upper was not part of the plan when s jefferson thomas and patricia balaci decided to move to westchester county from brooklyn last year
after all their combined renovation experience consisted mostly of watching reality tv but in a search for more space and proximity to nature the couple found themselves captivated by a dated one bedroom apartment in hastings on hudson ny
never mind the wall to wall carpeting linoleum lined balcony and pink bathroom toilet facing the hudson river and the cliffs of the palisades beyond the place had a view   and at 900 square feet including the balcony was much larger than their maisonette in carroll gardens brooklyn
so with the proceeds from the sale of the brooklyn place they paid about 227000 for the apartment last july and embarked on an ambitious plan to bring urban design to their slice of suburbia
i wanted to bring manhattan to westchester and i wanted to bring it up to the 21st century said mr thomas 49 a real estate agent with douglas elliman he spends enough time in expensive new york city apartments that the latest design trends are seared into his brain we wanted to emulate these multimillion dollar apartments but we wanted to do it cheaply
but with no previous renovation experience the couple didnt know where to start a tour of local home improvement stores in search of ideas proved that the streamlined contemporary look they wanted was not to be found on the shelves of home depot or lowes local design stores in westchester came closer but asked 30000 to 40000 to outfit the kitchen alone not including labor
it wasnt until they got into a car accident in tribeca that inspiration hit wandering the cobblestone streets while waiting for the police to arrive they paused to look at real estate listings in the window of an agency there in an ad for 210 pacific street a new development in brooklyn where apartments were priced from 2475 million they spotted their dream kitchen with waterfall style marble kitchen counter slabs fumed rift white oak and corian cabinets according to the developments website
the couple were referred to a contractor luciano jacomini of silver brook enterprises in bridgeport conn by a structural engineer who was recommended by the co op board then over the next few months mr thomas made it his mission to track down vendors that could replicate the custom look they wanted at a price they could afford a lot of it was trying to put the right words into google he said noting there were hours of typing various combinations of ikea replacement doors into the search engine
eventually he came across semihandmade a company that specializes in making doors that fit ikea cabinets at a reasonable price using textured melamine cabinet fronts instead of complete custom built ins saved the couple as much as 20000 he estimated freeing up money to spend on more prominent details like a 5200 krion waterfall kitchen countertop from porcelanosa the manufacturer and designer of tile kitchen and bath products
we spent money on the things that are the most obvious he said no one sees your kitchen cabinets behind the doors
the bathroom they decided neednt be fancy but the floor tiles there had to be laid in a herringbone pattern
but as soon as demolition began hurdles arose the walls that had closed off the kitchen didnt line up properly with the apartment below they were off by two inches resting on nothing mr thomas said its scary to think what was actually holding up our kitchen
the walls were so misaligned he said we had to get permission to go downstairs to the apartment below to put in a support column wood and metal columns were added in the garage below the neighbors apartment to ensure stability and a ceiling beam was installed in the kitchen to help bolster the floor above with the couple picking up the cost for all the work
permission was granted by the president of the co op board who happened to own the downstairs apartment and was renting it out it didnt hurt that the tenant happened to be a contractor he knew what these things entail and he was reasonably ok with it said mr thomas noting that the new columns not only improved the stability of both apartments but also allow the downstairs neighbor to open up his kitchen should he ever want to
the additional work meant that new permits had to be obtained and floor and ceiling joists realigned increasing the budget and delaying the project by several weeks in all the renovation lasted 103 days and cost about 60000   not including the 8000 the couple spent for four months in a rental in the building next door while the renovation dragged on
it was a learning curve for both of us said ms balaci an italian teacher i have to hand it to jeff she added i picked a smart one and he could see the big picture
while mr thomas took the lead on managing the renovation ms balaci kept the budget in check reining in her husband on expenses she deemed unnecessary like buying a new hallway light fixture when the existing one looked perfectly fine he wanted everything new she said im the thrifty daughter of immigrants type where you dont throw anything out and try to salvage it until its on its last leg
to save money in the kitchen the couple kept the existing stainless steel stove and dishwasher and they lucked into a high end refrigerator at a cut rate an elderly client of mr thomas who found the door of the 2000 fisher  paykel in her new apartment hard to open offered to trade it to him for an 800 model from lowes
taking advantage of a sale at porcelanosa cut their bill for the bathroom vanity faucet rainfall shower head and floor tiles by 40 to 55 percent they splurged on the wall tiles there but found a less expensive maax bathtub at a plumbing supply store the pink toilet was replaced by an american standard model on the balcony adding patio decking from ikea at 344 a square foot and a 180 patch of fake grass from synlawn gave it a fresh look
at the couples meticulously renovated apartment it was clear ms balaci appreciated her husbands attention to detail but she didnt miss an opportunity to tease him about his thoroughness he has a phd in these lights she said gesturing to the recessed lighting in the kitchen and prompting an impassioned speech by her husband about the differences between remodel and new construction housings he is now well versed in the nomenclature for the various lights casings he said after he ordered a case of the wrong ones online before consulting his contractor
the experience was like a master class in renovations said mr thomas adding that he had enjoyed the renovation challenge but was not in a rush to do it again my contractor said now you can be a general contractor 
ms balaci agreed that the time and effort was ultimately worth it i love it   its the best place i ever lived she said sipping a latte in the couples gleaming new kitchen this place i smile when i come into it


last year after nearly a decade of long sojourns in berlin i signed the lease on an apartment in a pre world war i or altbau building on a tree shaded block just off guntzelstrasse a quiet neighborhood southwest of the city center
although i was vaguely aware that the citys jewish community had once been centered here i found it unsettling to discover that nazi terror had unfolded just outside my front door beginning in 1942 the gestapo arrested dozens of jews on my street jenaer strasse and shipped them to theresienstadt and auschwitz where almost all were killed
today whenever im back in town from my reporting around the world i walk past a handsome apartment building just down the street from mine where 23 stolpersteine   small brass memorial plaques embedded in the sidewalk   lie in three neat rows and try to imagine what had happened here police wagons stopping in front hitlers uniformed enforcers marching up the stairs in the 1910s and 1920s about 20000 jews lived in this neighborhood known as wilmersdorf by the time world war ii ended there were virtually no jews left
spending large amounts of time in berlin requires a constant reckoning with the past and yet the german capital as i long ago discovered doesnt allow you to linger too long over the dark side of its history it is an astonishingly varied city an urbanscape in a constant state of change blending kaiser era glories vestiges of nazism slapdash postwar architecture multiple cultures and new creations   bars restaurants museums and open public spaces that are continuously altering the face of the city in recent months the pace of change has accelerated with the arrival in germany of more than one million refugees from afghanistan somalia eritrea iraq and most of all syria drawn here by chancellor angela merkels promise of sanctuary a pledge that she has since drastically dialed back in the face of rising opposition from germanys right wing
about 50000 of those immigrants have settled in berlin many of them taking up residence in makeshift camps and hostels and infusing the city with a new multicultural dimension a burst of energy and an element of tension
though unflinching about its past berlin is also looking toward the future in just the past year for instance ive watched the neighborhood of sex shops and shoddy 1970s architecture around zoo station   once the main train station of west berlin   undergo an ambitious redevelopment scheme a new waldorf astoria and the renovated bikini haus complex which includes the 25hours hotel bikini the israeli owned rooftop neni restaurant the monkey bar and the gestalten book shop   are transforming this once dowdy corner of the west into an uncharacteristically trendy neighborhood berlin carries you along on a wave of reinvention and revival
i first arrived in berlin in january 2000 to become newsweeks central european bureau chief it was not a fortuitous beginning the winter was snowy gray and bitingly cold the supermarkets were dismal i didnt speak the language the seam where the berlin wall once stood was still largely a landscape of rubble and vacant lots but in the spring i met the former east berliner who would become my wife and i began to establish roots in the city then barely a year after getting there i was gone   on my way to jerusalem
seven years later after stints in the middle east at harvard university and in south africa we returned with two young sons in tow i had left newsweek and was trying to jump start a new career as a freelance magazine and book writer and berlin   cheap child friendly and ideally situated in the heart of europe   seemed like a good place to spend a few years then the marriage broke up i met another german woman and in 2012 my third son was born without intending to i had established a long term connection to berlin
nowadays whenever im in berlin my daily routine revolves around wilmersdorf a quiet neighborhood of playgrounds and leafy plazas that some berliners deride as burgerlich   a word connoting haut bourgeois complacency theres little cafe life little of the immigrant culture that has transformed the face of the city in the past decade to find that take a shortish bike or u bahn ride east to kreuzberg neukolln or mitte where youll find vibrant markets heterogeneous street life and a vibrancy that wilmersdorf lacks
but within walking distance of my apartment stand two landmarks that are among my favorite places viktoria luise platz a turn of the 20th century square with a gushing fountain and one of the citys best gelato shops and the volkspark schoneberg wilmersdorf a sliver of lawns copses playgrounds duck ponds and bike paths that terminates at the rathaus schoneberg the imposing district hall where president john f kennedy gave his ich bin ein berliner speech in june 1963
moreover just down the road lies friedenau a near perfectly preserved island of old world berlin a one time settlement for convalescing veterans of the franco prussian war it developed over the next decades into a prosperous enclave of high level civil servants artists writers and some jewish families i often cycle with my son to his preschool down handjerystrasse a long street of half timbered mansions with rounded galleries and gabled red tile roofs palatial villas with marble lintels gray shingled cupolas and columned porticos and english style country manors marked by handsome brickwork and tidy front gardens
the place is rich in history both tragic and inspirational on stubenrauchstrasse the extension of handjerystrasse stands the home belonging to the founder of the comedian harmonists   an all male mostly jewish vocal group that achieved worldwide fame during the 1920s but fled germany soon after the nazis came to power at fregestrasse 76 unmarked by a plaque is the house that belonged to friedenaus most infamous resident the nazi propaganda minister joseph goebbels marlene dietrich is buried in the neighborhood cemetery and on niedstrasse just off handjerystrasse one of germanys greatest novelists gunter grass lived for 30 years
the neighborhoods central location also makes it easy to reach the near unbroken swath of lakes forests and meadows that lie at the western edges of the city on many saturday mornings when im in town we set out on bikes with our 4 year old down the sudwestkorso a boulevard that cuts a diagonal swath through western berlin we often stop along the way at the backermann one of berlins most popular bakeries for zimtschnecken cinnamon rolls or my sons favorite ampelmannchen   red and green cookies baked in the shape of the little figures that signal stop and go at berlin traffic lights the boulevard spills directly into the domane dahlem a working organic farm in the rustic dahlem neighborhood built around a restored manor house originally constructed in 1560
a saturday morning organic farmers market selling cheeses local honey and fresh produce draws hundreds to the farms main courtyard spinning weaving and pottery demonstrations take place in the manor house during seasonal festivals unlike in the turkish markets to the east the vendors here are almost exclusively ethnic germans
for us the highlight is the ramble through the domane farm which begins just past the outdoor market area   a 296 acre expanse of chicken coops pigsties cattle pastures and vegetable plots that was taken over by an environmental society the friends of domane dahlem in 1976 and opened to the public shortly afterward this is a place where my son has dug for red potatoes harvested apples petted goats and fed chickens from the grain dispensers conveniently set up outside the henhouses
farther afield lie two of our other weekend getaway spots schlachtensee and krumme lanke twin swimmable lakes inside the grunewald the wilderness on the outskirts of the capital that began as a private hunting ground of the electors of brandenburg in prussia in the 16th century wildschwein still dwell deep in the forests and i sometimes catch sight of these furtive tusked and bristly beasts in the thick woods in the early morning on fine weekends fischerhutte a pleasant biergarten and restaurant between the two lakes is packed with affluent berliners munching bratwurst and potato salad at picnic tables
occasionally i take a break from writing to ride my bike through the grunewald past the jagdschloss grunewald   a hunting lodge built by the prince elector joachim ii in 1542 and remodeled as a baroque palace in the early 18th century i head down a path through a forest to run or swim across the schlachtensee blissfully deserted during the workweek and best avoided on hot summer weekends in the winter we huddle under blankets at fischerhutte and sip mulled wine and hot chocolate and on the increasingly rare occasions when the lakes freeze over haul our blades onto the ice for a day of skating
these forays into haut bourgeois berlin can obscure the darker side of the city but this aspect is an inextricable part of berlins historical arc and cannot be ignored any time i pass through the grunewald s bahn station in the leafy placid grunewald neighborhood for example i reflect upon the fact that this gloomy depot served as the major transit point for jews from berlin to the concentration camps my usual bicycle route to mitte the city center brings me past the bendlerblock the former nazi defense headquarters beside the tiergarten where claus von stauffenberg the decorated wehrmacht officer turned anti hitler conspirator and his fellow officers involved in an assassination plot were executed in the courtyard in 1944 von stauffenberg lived in an opulent house at tristanstrasse 8 built at the turn of the 20th century just a few steps down from my first berlin home in nikolassee hollywood filmmakers closed off the street for a couple of days back in 2007 to film the tom cruise movie valkyrie
at pfaueninsel a one time private island retreat for the prussian king frederick william ii paths meander through idyllic woodlands and meadows frequented by peacocks and bordered on one end by a minicastle constructed by the monarch for his mistress weve attended childrens birthday parties here thrown frisbees and picnicked on the wide lawns a couple of years ago i learned that the nazi leadership too appreciated the islands pristine charms and celebrated the closing of the 1936 olympics by hosting a lavish italian night party here with 1000 invited guests including members of the ss the experience for me has never been quite the same
kreuzberg a sprawling quarter just south of the former berlin wall and bisected by the landwehr canal epitomizes for me the flip side of berlin   edgy disheveled and multicultural known in the 1970s and 1980s for its squatter houses and borderland hipsterism today it consists of a gentrified and touristy stretch along bergmannstrasse and the grittier area clustered around the elevated u bahn tracks of the kottbusser tor   turkish markets cobblestone streets excellent cafes and still cheap rents
one of my favorite corners of this neighborhood is the broad green plaza at the end of grimmstrasse where the admiralbrucke or admiral bridge crosses the landwehr canal on one corner il casolare perhaps the best neapolitan pizzeria in berlin draws hundreds of people on hot summer nights the gelato shop across the road packs them in as well the planufer a cobblestone street that follows the canal winds past outdoor cafes and handsome prewar apartments before spilling into the kottbusser damm
here kreuzberg segues into neukolln and the planufer changes its name to the maybacherufer where on tuesdays and fridays one of the citys biggest turkish markets transforms the area into a patch of istanbul in the dozens of crowded stalls that line both sides of the street you can buy turkish fabrics glittery shoes flatbreads hummus baba ghanouj goat and sheep cheese and a bounty of produce ranging from fresh mint to pomegranates
it was on a wintry night in this neighborhood five years ago that i made a serendipitous discovery walking down grimmstrasse i noticed a light glowing from a basement walked down four steps and stumbled into fatimas hand   surely the hippest art gallery coffee bar and coiffeur in berlin presided over by an outgoing turkish german impresario hair stylist named fatime kahveci the place consisted of a cozy bar and salon decorated with che guevara posters and abstract art by local painters and a back room hair salon over the next five years i became a regular honing my german over cappuccinos and hair cuts attending art exhibitions and film screenings and enjoying one of the neighborhoods most rollicking new years eve parties sadly escalating rents forced her to surrender her lease last summer and she now cuts hair in her kreuzberg apartment a victim of creeping gentrification
after the 2008 closure of tempelhof airport   constructed during the weimar republic expanded by nazi germany and immortalized by the 1948 9 berlin airlift   municipal leaders resisted pressure to sell the land to commercial real estate developers instead to the approval of most berliners they turned it into a vast recreation ground a semi wilderness in the heart of the city
my two older sons and i like to show up here early on a saturday morning i park the car on columbia damm adjacent to the park and we maneuver on our in line skates up the cracked weedy asphalt paths leading to skater heaven two mile long adjacent runways that parallel the old main terminal building theres a sense of skating through berlins history with the terminal   its imperial eagles still visible on its dun colored facade   looming in the background and an old united states air force plane a remnant of the luftbrucke the airlift parked before a gate our long effortless sweeps along one runway often segue into a battle against gale force headwinds on the way back but theres ample opportunity to stop and catch our breath at the runway side kiosks selling cappuccinos hot chocolate and muffins
tempelhof has become a center of berlins life its hangars and terminal hosting big functions such as the annual press ball for the german and international media its sprawling grounds the site of concerts and other cultural events in early fall we cycled across kreuzberg to attend the drachenfest or kite festival which fills the skies over the airport with giant lobsters stingrays sharks and teddy bears tempelhof is now also in the throes of becoming germanys largest refugee center hangars now provide shelter for 800 people up to 7000 will be housed there when work is completed
half a mile south of potsdamer platz stands the gleisdreieck park another experiment in urban redesign from the end of world war ii until 2011 this was one of berlins most blighted areas   in the shadow of the berlin wall sprawling beneath three sets of elevated tracks the city redeveloped the eyesore into an oasis of play areas lawns running tracks a halfpipe and even a dance floor while incorporating vestiges of the old rail yards we often take our son here with his scooter and watch him glide with delight across the park still divided by a scruffy old railway line
tempelhofer park and the park am gleisdreieck represent complementary approaches to urban renewal the former preserving an abandoned space the latter dramatically reinventing one
shortly after i first moved to berlin 15 years ago i began making forays to the eastern half of the city my wife to be lived in a walk up apartment just off danzigerstrasse in still gritty prenzlauer berg and we spent much of our time in the cafes and restaurants of kollwitzplatz before an influx of young professionals turned the area around it into one of the highest priced real estate markets in the city fellow foreign correspondents were slowly shutting down their offices in the west and moving to the pressehaus across the spree from the reichstag there was a pioneering and raw quality to the place a sense of flux and possibility
today i still get to the east on a regular basis   a healthy jolt out of my sedate wilmersdorf existence   though even once frontier neighborhoods like neukolln and friederichshain have been tamed and gentrified during the past decade but the vibrancy of the street life the variety of the restaurants   from the fashionista hangout on the roof of soho house near alexanderplatz in mitte to the wildly popular korean hole in the wall yam yam on alte schonhauser strasse also in mitte   cant be matched by anything in the west
and a walk along the spree on a darkening july evening   the reichstags glass dome glowing pink in the setting sun the lights of the postmodernist federal chancellery building the official residence of angela merkel reflecting off the river   captures for me the essence of a confident fully realized city that has swept away both its east west divisions and the horrors of world war ii its the perfect counterpoint to the stolpersteine and other vestiges of the darkest period of german history another reason that i find the city such an optimistic and astonishingly varied place
fischerhutte am schlachtensee fischerhuttenstrasse 136 fischerhuette berlinde overlooking one of berlins most picturesque lakes has an expansive biergarten serving such fare as roast chicken bratwurst and potato salad and a pricier indoor restaurant that specializes in seafood and bavarian cuisine a meal for two inside with wine starts at about 50 euros about 57 lunch in the biergarten for two costs about half that much
il casolare grimmstrasse 3049 30 69506610 in the popular graefekiez section of kreuzberg serves thin crust neapolitan pizza along with other italian fare pizzas for one cost EUR9 to EUR14
yam yam alte schonhauser strasse 6 yamyam berlinde on a busy restaurant lined street in the heart of mitte serves a range of excellent korean dishes from rice bowls to hearty soups to my personal favorite a cold vegetarian sampler with seaweed and fiery kimchi a meal for two with soft drinks starts at about EUR25


for years grace silva had experienced odd episodes with her throat   bouts of swelling and radiating pain that seemed to resolve with antibiotics   but her doctors couldnt explain what was wrong finally after a flare up in the summer of 2010 grace was referred to a specialist an ear doctor who felt something amiss on the left side of her throat a lump the silva family agreed that it was time to get grace then 54 to a thyroid specialist graces daughter melanie tracked down the name of one at brigham and womens hospital a 90 minute drive from graces brown clapboard split level near new bedford mass in september 2010 the specialist delivered the diagnosis anaplastic thyroid cancer it was bad he warned her and she would need surgery graces other daughter karrie was marrying in a few weeks cant it wait grace asked it could not and whatever you do the specialist said please dont look it up on the internet
medical texts describe the prognosis for anaplastic thyroid cancer as poor but that hardly captures it if every cancer has a personality this one is notoriously aggressive its tendrils of tissue are so invasive that by the time of diagnosis it is often too late to operate safely radiation or chemotherapy rarely buy much time and even when all traces of the tumor are eliminated it usually reappears anaplastic thyroid tumors are also known for their aberrant firmness more akin to wood than flesh as they bloom the tumors can tighten like a noose constricting the windpipe and giving their victims a sensation of perpetual drowning this panicky air hunger can be mitigated with escalating doses of morphine but its a miserable desperate end that once witnessed is not easily forgotten the oncologist grace was sent to dr jochen lorch of the nearby dana farber cancer institute had watched a patient die this way during medical school and it filled him with such horror such helplessness that for years he felt sure he would never pursue a career in cancer treatment
of course nobody dreamed of saying these things to grace at the time a surgeon removed her tumor and she was able to attend her daughters wedding she then withstood a long stretch of radiation every weekday for more than a month   vomiting into a bag as her husband joe did his best behind the wheel of their brown chrysler her doctors knew they had to hit the cancer with everything they had by the end of her treatment in december 2010 grace a once vivacious portuguese woman with dark eyes and raven hair had lost more than 30 pounds and could barely eat or talk
in march 2011 joe drove grace back to dana farber she had started to recover some of her strength and the day had come to learn the results of her first follow up scan the news wasnt good less than three months since her last radiation treatment the cancer had already spread to her lungs the largest mass on her right lung was more than an inch in diameter this is the way with anaplastic thyroid cancer
lorch sat with grace and joe in a cream colored exam room a red biohazard box nestled under one counter and explained that all the standard treatments had been exhausted he told them about an experimental trial for aggressive thyroid cancers that hadnt responded to standard treatments and grace agreed to enroll the drug everolimus was used in transplant surgery to prevent rejection and it had been approved for some use in cancer lorch had seen indications that the drug could work in the thyroid but he didnt have high hopes for the anaplastic cases   its long track record had been too dismal partly we were motivated lorch told me by the fact that we didnt have anything else
in the days after starting the trial grace found herself standing in front of the mirror in her bedroom taking in her diminished reflection beseeching god to give her some kind of sign if her time had come she wanted to know for the sake of her husband and three children if im going to die i need time to prepare she recalled thinking at the time either way she felt sure that god would hold her by her right hand as in one of her most cherished lines from the book of isaiah
two months later in may joe drove grace to dana farber for her follow up scan lying motionless as the ct scanner began its inquiries she thought of isaiah and prayed if the everolimus had failed to slow the cancers advance it would be time to begin the work of getting her affairs in order but the scan results plain to even an untrained eye were shocking the largest mass had shrunk to half its previous size everywhere there were signs of retreat lorch said he had never seen such a rout all six of the other anaplastic thyroid patients on the trial eventually died but graces tumors shrank until they barely registered
graces case became the subject of intense scientific scrutiny how could such a notoriously recalcitrant cancer simply collapse why had she alone responded so extremely nobody was claiming that she was cured but by the end of 2011 grace felt this much was sure having asked for a sign she had become a walking miracle
what happened to grace is sometimes called by another biblical name the lazarus effect after the story in which jesus stands outside the tomb of lazarus of bethany and summons him back to life many veteran oncologists have seen cases like graces and the stories of these unlikely recoveries shared online or by word of mouth have become a source of hope for patients yet for the field itself the lazarus effect has been a source of persistent frustration in 2011 for example the food and drug administration withdrew its support for the treatment of breast cancer with avastin a drug with proven efficacy on tumors in other organs some breast cancer patients had experienced powerful responses   and owed their lives to the drug   but most patients werent helped and were instead exposed to unnecessary side effects with no way to predict the results the drug was as good as useless
today patients like grace have come to be known as exceptional responders and cancer researchers have finally begun to unravel the puzzles they pose in a cancer some of the bodys cells develop genetic aberrations growing and spreading uncontrollably and there are myriad variations on this theme while physicians recognize hundreds of types of the disease genetic analyses suggest that the true number is far higher the closer that scientists look at tumors the more mutations they find to the point where it may be impossible to count the types of cancer really every patient suffers her own personal cancer and when a drug is perfectly aligned to it   to the exact set of mutations driving the tumor   the result is an exceptional response in such a case if scientists could catalog the tumors mutations they would have a shot at reconstructing a play by play   how the conflagration began how the drug smothered it   and from this gain insights that could help others
the power of this approach was first demonstrated a few years ago at memorial sloan kettering cancer center in manhattan in april 2009 sharon k who was 68 at the time had been told by her local doctor that her bladder cancer had morphed into a muscle invasive form it had become aggressive and difficult to contain at sloan kettering she was given chemotherapy followed by a cystectomy which involved removing the bladder and fashioning a new one out of a portion of small intestine i felt like my insides were going to fall out said sharon who asked that her last name not be used to protect her privacy still a few months later the cancer returned
in february 2010 running out of alternatives sharon joined a clinical trial at the center with instructions to take two pills every morning and return for regular checkups thousands of trials are open in the united states on any given day and for people like sharon who traveled from florida to take part they are an opportunity to take advantage of the latest scientific ideas but the odds are generally long historically less than 7 percent of cancer drugs tested in humans eventually win fda approval
at sharons first follow up scan the tumors were in recession within months they were gone her doctors were thrilled and yet the trial sharon had joined was a failure of the 44 other patients just one saw his tumor shrink in a meaningful way dr david solit a researcher at sloan kettering joined a meeting with his colleagues there to discuss the trials results and he remembers the feeling in the room familiar to anyone in the field ok weve had no new effective bladder cancer treatments for 30 years and we did yet another clinical trial that was based on a reasonable idea he recalled this is a disappointment now lets give up and move on to the next thing
but before they did they wanted to look into sharons exceptional response in the previous few years a new technique called next generation sequencing had made reading an entire genetic code exponentially faster and cheaper curious to see what the technology was capable of solit and his colleagues sent sharons tissue to illumina a sequencing company with headquarters in california three months later illumina sent back what amounted to two human genome projects a complete readout of her dna totaling some three billion base pairs of code and then another equally large for her tumor after months of investigation considering the potential significance of the tumors various mutations the researchers settled on a prime suspect a gene called tsc1 when they re examined the failed clinical trial they discovered that the bladder cancer patients genetically similar to sharon had done noticeably better staying in the trial substantially longer the problem hadnt been the drug but knowing exactly who should receive it
when sharons doctors published a paper on their findings in the journal science researchers at the national cancer institute in bethesda md immediately understood the broader implications they sifted through a decade of failed clinical trials thousands of cases and found that more than 100 patients had experienced impressive positive effects more sharons were out there each potentially harboring a secret about how to defeat cancer
in 2014 the institute started the exceptional responders initiative and since then the case reports have come in each a tantalizing mystery what explains the patient with a stage 4 esophageal cancer that spread to the liver but then disappeared three years ago or the stage 4 adenocarcinoma patient who experienced a complete remission what can we learn from each lazarus about how to save the lives of others
the first surviving record of treating cancer dates to around 1600 bc in an ancient egyptian papyrus tumors of the breast excised and cauterized with what is described as a fire drill in the centuries since oncology has retained something of this elemental character it is a bodily assault brutal but necessary guided largely by trial and error the boston hospital where grace was treated takes its name from the cancer researcher sidney farber who pioneered a treatment for childhood leukemia in the 1940s using aminopterin a poison that racked his young charges but held the disease at bay at least for a time what works and what does not with one generation of patients is used to guide treatment for the next
today a better understanding of cancers workings is transforming treatment as oncologists learn to attack tumors not according to their place of origin but by the mutations that drive them the dream is to go much deeper to give an oncologist a listing of all a tumors key mutations and their biological significance making it possible to put aside the rough typology that currently reigns and understand each patients personal cancer every patient in this future situation could then be matched to the ideal treatment and with luck all responses would be exceptional
this idea more broadly has been called precision medicine the hope that doctors will be able to come to a far more exact understanding of each patients disease informed by genetics and treat it accordingly it is in cancer where this has advanced the furthest and the exceptional responders provide a glimpse of what precision medicine might mean when graces tumor was sequenced scientists found a mutation in tsc2 a sister gene to tsc1 the one mutated in sharons cancer sharon like grace had responded to everolimus and so the genetic similarity suggested that their cases were not flukes that their seemingly different cancers shared a deep connection in this sense graces anaplastic thyroid cancer more closely resembled sharons bladder cancer than other thyroid cancers a more precise oncology would have assigned both to everolimus on purpose not by chance
still the two womens tumors were not identical while sharons cancer vanished graces still lingered even if it was harder to discern graces disease barely showed on the scans and she looked healthy friends and family found themselves forgetting from time to time how seriously ill she was dr nikhil wagle a dana farber physician and scientist who worked on the genetic analysis of her tumor was once involved in the case of a 38 year old man with metastatic melanoma a photo taken when he joined a trial for the drug vemurafenib shows the mans chest pale with a greenish cast covered in large oblong tumorous bumps cancer derives from the greek for crab and in this case it was easy to see how the ancients imagined crab claws in cancers eruptions after 15 weeks though another photo shows the mans chest almost completely smooth its healthy color restored lazarus touched by vemurafenib then two months later the mans chest is wan and bandaged with protrusions so substantial that they are visible in profile at his neck he died in hospice
in june 2012 a year after graces miraculous recovery maddox the first of her three grandchildren was born the happy beginning of the next generation was all the more meaningful for grace because she had not expected to witness it but cancer doesnt rest and graces doctors knew she faced the same threat as the man with metastatic melanoma if a tumor cannot be eliminated drug resistance is the rule as the biological machinery goes awry inside a cancerous mass reproducing cells make more errors copying their dna releasing a stream of mutants the everolimus had made conditions harsh but if a mutant should arise that could thrive despite the drug it would divide and divide again eventually taking over and spreading darwins survival of the fittest governs inside a tumor selecting for a crueler version of the disease the cancer was looking for a new way out
grace is a pioneer which means that others might learn from her but it also means that her doctor jochen lorch has no precedents to guide him because her case is without precedent within months of maddoxs birth he had to tell grace that a substantial mass had appeared near her right lung and that several smaller nodules had taken root nearby the tumor was progressing   surely one of medicines most perverse coinages
when grace became resistant to the everolimus lorch decided to try a pharmaceutical cousin temsirolimus resistant tumors sometimes stick to the same basic escape plan lorch also asked if she would be willing to undergo a biopsy so that the resistant tumor could be sequenced and compared with the original this he explained might help future patients who faced everolimus resistance
to understand that cancer is genetic is also to realize that the disease lurks within a biological system that has about 20000 genes each vulnerable in many ways some day researchers hope to be able to develop a comprehensive resistance map for cancer a full accounting of the ways that the disease in all its varieties defeats different therapies the sequence of graces resistant tumor could fill in one tiny part of such a map eventually some scientists believe treatments for most cancers could come in the form of multiple advanced therapeutics applied in parallel one would be aimed at containing the tumors current mutations while the others would target its favorite backups hemmed in and blocked from shifting to plans b or c or d the insurrection would collapse
when lorch suggested the biopsy grace was preparing for her grandson maddoxs dedication ceremony and she knew that any surgical complications might put her attendance at risk but her faith assured her that there was a reason she had happened into lorchs care   that any adversities she faced would eventually lead to a greater good she is deeply convinced that what we are doing here and what is happening with her is all part of a plan lorch says
at maddoxs ceremony in november 2012 graces ribs flared with every breath the biopsy had gone smoothly but the area was still tender grace used to be a standout in the choir and one of her favorite hymns had always been it is well with my soul but since the radiation damaged her vocal cords she had been unable to sing a few months passed and the temsirolimus wasnt working lorch tried another drug it didnt work either
one of the more grotesque insights yielded by cancer genetics is that many of the genes implicated in the disease are the same genes that guide early human development all of us begin as a relatively formless embryo and from there the cells follow an elaborate program they grow rapidly they migrate and specialize taking on roles like nerve or skin or the production of hormones in the thyroid cells that are no longer needed die willingly all of this activity is ordained in our dna and orchestrated by an elaborate system of cellular communication in which genes activate and deactivate one another as needed it is hard to imagine but this cooperative dance is what allows an unshaped mass of cells to become something as perfect and graceful as a babys tiny hand with each fingernail sculpted just so
in graces body cancer hijacked this system and turned it to its own ends for example the gene that mutated in graces original cancer tsc2 is part of whats called the mtor pathway which helps direct cellular growth normally the tsc2 gene acts as a brake sending cease and desist orders to the mtor gene when its time for the cellular engines to ease the mutation trashed the brakes locking the cells in overdrive everolimus however acts on the mtor gene directly limiting its ability to emit growth signals   an emergency brake when grace took it her cancer faltered
early in 2013 graces team received the sequence of her resistant tumor and its trick was revealed a single letter of dna had changed in the mtor gene this solitary substitution meant that a lone amino acid part of a long chain that makes up the mtor protein was different because of this the mtor protein assumed a slightly deformed shape and this meant that the everolimus could no longer grab hold and do its work the cancer roared to life it sounds like truly extraordinary bad luck   a one in three billion shot   but the power of evolution means that its entirely predictable inside the tumor cancer rolls a pair of dice over and over until they come up snake eyes
often cancer appears to reverse the natural course of things by taking mature cells disciplined in form and function and returning them to a more fevered inchoate state anaplastic cancers like graces are those in which the cells have lost their characteristic form seen on a pathology slide normal thyroid follicular cells have a smooth rounded look like uncracked eggs and they are arranged in neat circles with anaplastic thyroid cancer the cells swell up into a mess of irregular shapes as if theyd all been melted together they are reproducing so often that its not unusual for a pathology slide to show a cell in the middle of doubling caught in the act
cancer is a monster but in its fierce evolutionary tendencies it is grasping as with anything else in nature for a way to be in the world life on earth has invaded the air the deep sea the bedrock over eons it has suffered meteor storms volcanic dystopias shifting continents and deprivations beyond counting and yet it always comes back stronger with cancer biologys fierce insistence   its resilience its ceaseless creativity its sheer generative capacity   is the enemy with cancer the opponent is life
as lorch considered other ways to help grace he knew that one option might come from the pharmaceutical company millennium in cambridge mass which was working on a next generation mtor inhibitor a drug that like everolimus targets the mtor gene by the summer of 2013 wagles colleagues at the broad institute of mit and harvard where he has a position had made some progress after creating a proxy cancer a collection of cells with the specific mutation found in graces resistant tumor they applied a compound that mimicked the activity of the drug by millennium which is now called takeda oncology the drug should work they concluded the company told lorch that it would support a clinical trial as soon as the drug was ready grace had agreed to the biopsy to help future patients and now she had a chance to become one of them
for lorch the challenge was to keep grace alive long enough to join the trial he knew her tumor was always in motion under the long press of everolimus it had mutated allowing it to resurge the tumor then shook off two other drugs including temsirolimus lorch decided to go with a traditional chemotherapy combination carboplatin plus paclitaxel in july 2013 he started grace on the new therapy as fall arrived hair was slipping from her scalp but the cancer had gone quiet pharmaceutically stunned
for all the excitement surrounding precision medicine it is humbling to see how distant a goal it remains even in cancer there was nothing especially precise about the chemotherapy lorch prescribed for grace and this for most patients is the reality today despite all of oncologys recent successes our understanding of the human cells vast genetic machinery   cancers playground   remains modest the original illumina sequence of sharons tumor revealed a total of 17136 mutations pick any one and inquire about its significance and the answer will most likely be who knows
to make the shift to precision oncology cancer researchers have invented a novel means to evaluate new treatments called a basket trial it is a trial for which patients are recruited by the tumors genetic signature not its point of origin in the body a drug is thus tested against a basket of many cancer types last august an international team led by researchers at sloan kettering published some of the first results of such a trial for cancers with a mutation in a gene called braf the doctors saw a good response in lung cancer and two rare cancers showing the power of selecting drugs based on tumor genetics for other cancer types in the trial though the drug was less effective or there were too few patients to draw conclusions showing how much more remains to be learned sometimes targeting a mutation fails because it is only one of many driving the tumor or because the mutation occurred at random in the genetic chaos a passenger while other mutations do the driving future basket trials could help doctors tease out the distinctions
many such trials are now underway including a large federally supported effort called nci match sharon and graces cases even helped inspire an everolimus basket trial carole arenson an 80 year old illinois woman has metastatic sarcoma with a mutation in tsc2 the same troublesome gene implicated in graces disease carole joined the everolimus basket trial and in november she learned that the tumors were shrinking in this the scientific investigations can be seen coming full circle from a pair of lazarus miracles to practical medicine that to carole has felt like salvation
when i met lorch in his office last year he was optimistic grace had just started on the takeda oncology drug and the initial signs pointed to considerable shrinkage back in the fall of 2010 when she first received her diagnosis her life expectancy could be measured in months we are trying to turn cancer into a chronic disease lorch said right now to have someone still alive five years after they were diagnosed and enjoying her grandkids is the best that we can do as we spoke though on his computer screen was a scan with spots masses of graces tumor cells within which concealed from him the cancer was surely plotting its next escape lorch sat a bit sideways on his chair leaning back with his hand a loose fist on his forehead as if he were bracing for impact when her time comes it is going to be hard to speak with her husband and all the people whove come in with her over the years he paused am i dreading this yes does it motivate me to try harder to keep her around yes absolutely
president obamas 202 million precision medicine initiative announced during his 2015 state of the union address seeks to study one million american volunteers to learn how genetic and other data might be used to tailor treatments the initiative aims for progress in many ailments including heart disease diabetes obesity and depression but initially the focus is cancer in january in his final state of the union address obama announced that he was putting vice president joseph r biden jr in charge of a moonshot to cure cancer beau biden the vice presidents son died in may 2015 at age 46 of brain cancer the presidents mother died of uterine and ovarian cancer for the loved ones weve all lost obama said before the joint session of congress for the families that we can still save lets make america the country that cures cancer once and for all
two days after the presidents moonshot speech i was on the eighth floor of the charles a dana building in boston to visit wagle at dana farber last october wagle unveiled the metastatic breast cancer project inspired partly by his involvement in graces case and partly by frustration over the way cancer research works today its quite difficult to track down patients with intriguing case histories scattered as they are across the country and protected by blankets of privacy so instead of going through doctors or hospitals the project makes its appeal to patients directly through the projects website they can enter their medical histories and grant wagles team access to their records their dna and tumor samples participants have started recruiting others to the project solving a central challenge facing the scientific study of any rare phenomenon in six months more than 1800 patients with metastatic breast cancer have joined including hundreds of exceptional responders in return the project involves them in its decision making and promises to share its data with any scientist who asks a lot of patients feel like the research industrial complex is about making discoveries and competing for grants and in many ways they are right wagle said i get it
the project cuts against the grain of a medical system that was not designed to learn from patients every day in this country doctors treat people for all kinds of disorders and some do surprisingly well or surprisingly poorly   and virtually all of this information is lost to science eric lander the founding director of the broad institute and co chairman of the presidents council of advisors on science and technology has begun laying the groundwork for a national project he calls count me in which would allow anyone to make their medical records and dna available to researchers in my opinion lander said its a crime to let valuable information go to waste when a patient wants to share it
wagles project is count me ins first undertaking next count me in is beginning a similar effort on angiosarcoma an understudied cancer and two more efforts are planned this year precision oncology has been driven by advances in two areas automation responsible for the plummeting cost of genetic sequencing and information technology which allows the data to be recorded and interpreted projects like count me in are built on the premise that a third disruptive technology can also be brought to bear social media
the campaign by american political leaders to cure cancer goes back decades including nixons war on cancer but these latest federal calls for action   which bring to mind images of the best and brightest backed by brute force   risk mistaking the nature of the opponent and misunderstanding the potential of the weapons now available ask almost any specialist about a cure for cancer and she will cringe because there is no one cancer to be cured we face an enemy that is resourceful changeable and merciless but we have a population that wants to help instead of a war or a moonshot what is required probably looks more like a counterinsurgency operation the people are tired of being victimized unable to have a say in their own fates almost any one of them would tell you if you are going to die its better to die with a purpose
the patients enlisted so far however have joined almost by accident sharon who continues to live in florida without any sign of cancer explained how thoroughly her good fortune has depended on her circumstances her son in law an oncologist pointed her to sloan kettering and she could afford to fly up every four weeks to participate in the trial i think about the people who would have trouble with funds and it breaks my heart she said if grace had not happened to live near boston the odds that she could have laid eyes on any of her grandchildren   or contributed to science   are long indeed carole arenson who has continued to do well on everolimus found a place in the basket trial only because she had foundation medicine a company in cambridge mass sequence her tumor revealing the crucial mutation im as happy to see you carole recalled telling a doctor involved with the trial as you are to see me
this haphazard approach has led to a chicken and egg problem that is among the most obvious obstacles to progress in precision oncology in order to run basket trials researchers must find patients with the right mutations but this has proved difficult because most patients arent having sequences done insurance generally doesnt cover it the reason because insurance companies point out there is not yet enough evidence that it will be clinically useful the way to gather this evidence basket trials
jose baselga the physician in chief and chief medical officer at sloan kettering told me that his hospital has a number of quite promising basket trials running but is struggling to find enough patients one analysis published last year found that patients in genetically targeted trials are seeing better outcomes than those in traditional trials yet if patients who would qualify arent fortunate enough to be at cancer centers like sloan kettering or dana farber that run sequencing programs supported by philanthropic money they either need to pay for it themselves or they are out of luck   and so is cancer research baselga in conversations with biden has argued for a change in policy if medicare covered sequencing private insurance would follow opening up precision medicine to many more people
its a problem of scale sloan kettering dana farber and several other top cancer hospitals are pooling their findings so that oncologists can search through cases about 20000 so far to see what mutations were found what drugs were tried and how patients responded the national cancer institutes exceptional responders initiative has accumulated about 50 confirmed cases from around the country fifty exceptional responders is a large number but it is also small the same could be said of 20000 cancer cases annotated with genetic and clinical information large unprecedented and also not nearly enough
for thousands of years deep thinkers about military strategy have understood that wars are not won in the way the public imagines gen robert h barrow who served four years as commandant of the united states marine corps is credited with saying that amateurs talk about tactics but professionals study logistics science has revealed the nature of cancer and also created new means to gather intelligence on the foe solitary engagements can reveal new weaknesses to exploit does anyone truly imagine prevailing without bringing the fight everywhere   without matching cancer in its inventiveness its nimbleness its sheer relentlessness
on a bitter morning in january i visited grace at home when i stepped into the entryway she stood at the top of some steps wearing a purple top black leggings and a pair of comfy black slippers from a television i made out a voice that could be only elmo grace smiled
she took a seat on a sofa with jaelynn her 2 year old granddaughter who sat in an off white cable knit sweater watching the tv and occasionally pushing her fine black hair from her face on the wall hung a photograph of faial the portuguese island where graces father who went by mestre simao had been a ferry captain simao was beloved for braving severe storms to fetch people in distress from a nearby island and deliver them to the faial hospital he would tie himself to the wheel sometimes he returned with a cockpit window blown out
grace showed me a video on her phone from 2013 when a new ferry arrived at the island the mestre simao named for her father with its lime green and dark blue bow the boat made its way in from the ocean trailed by a tug jaelynn stood next to grace enraptured as the scene unfolded a hand resting on her grandmothers leg
sitting there i found myself wondering if something happened during one of simaos storm runs i imagined a gravely ill man tied down for safety the sea enraged the man would have been praying and he would have known that his only earthly hope was simao up in the cockpit refusing to panic as the marine glass shattered in his face was there a moment when this was somehow noted   when some beneficence was granted to simaos youngest little grace who always took his lunch to the docks
the trailing tug began pumping ocean water two celebratory arches in the air water jaelynn shouted i know i know grace said look its so pretty the boats circled you want to go someday on a ship grace asked jaelynns eyes kept to the screen it was morning in the azores and the light hit low yeah she said
a few months later grace began coughing up blood joe rushed her to the emergency room a tumor in her lung was growing again the takeda oncology drug had been good for six months grace went through a round of radiation on the lung and then started nivolumab a therapy that helps the immune system attack tumors earlier this month though she went to the hospital with dizziness and a severe headache scans showed metastasis to the brain
lying flat in a bed on the 12th floor of brigham and womens hospital grace assured lorch that her minister was praying for him too as he pondered his options for her but also for what science might still learn from her remarkable case the nivolumab was out but lorch did notice that the drug seemed to have been working around her lung   several tumors shrank   which is significant because doctors dont know who will respond to the drug he and his colleagues plan to take what theyve learned about the genetics of graces cancer and compare it with evidence from her blood of the drugs activity this might help the next patient grace may have yet more to give


when esther and dan levys son andrew was 14 months old he received a diagnosis of a kind of leukemia so rare that their medical team said getting it was like being bitten by a shark and struck by lightning at the same time
leukemia a cancer of those cells in the bone marrow that produce new blood cells has many varieties but the most common type in children acute lymphocytic leukemia is largely curable andrews cancer however a subtype of acute megakaryoblastic leukemia amkl affects only about 45 children a year nationwide and is much more difficult to treat the odds of surviving this type of amkl are roughly even   unless the child is one of a handful who happen to have a particular genotype in which case these odds plummet to a mere one in 10 genetic analysis revealed that andrew was in this tiny group
there was more bad news two weeks after the diagnosis andrews doctor norman lacayo an oncologist at lucile packard childrens hospital at stanford university received an urgent call from michael loken the president of hematologics inc a seattle lab that was analyzing andrews cells loken had recently discovered that a small percentage of children with amkl had a specific phenotype   a pattern of proteins on the surface of the leukemia cell he called ram a former patients initials   that independently predicted a terrible outcome with a survival rate of about one in six andrew had this phenotype too
has anyone ever survived this kind of cancer dan asked lacayo all i wanted to know is that it was not impossible dan recalls lacayo said yes but dan felt his answer was foggy the truth was that the team couldnt find a single equivalent case in the literature
beginning on that december morning in 2014 when esther took andrew to the er she recalls she felt as if they had stepped into a horror movie the unfolding events both surreal and evil up to that point esther and dan had led in her words charmed lives   picture perfect only a small subset of people would sincerely say that nothing truly bad has ever happened to them before the diagnosis esther and dan say they were among them when andrew got sick they were in their mid 30s and energetic optimistic and extroverted they had both attended stanford   dan majored in industrial engineering esther in human biology with a minor in dance   before going on to successful careers dan founded a sports related start up then became vice president of small business at facebook while esther worked at kurbo a start up focused on weight management for kids and taught spin classes at a jewish community center for fun their own families were stable and close knit to recall any true adversity in either family they had to think back to a grandmother of dans whose family perished in the holocaust
once andrews illness was diagnosed he needed a bone marrow transplant as swiftly as possible first the doctors had to kill the leukemic cells in andrews bone marrow with chemotherapy then replace them with a donors cells andrews 3 year old sister lea and his 5 year old brother wills were tested and in the familys first bit of luck since the diagnosis wills turned out to be a perfect donor match andrew underwent two rounds of chemotherapy but there were still traces of cancer when the transplant was performed in february 2015 putting the outcome at high risk of failure
the levys had created a lotsa helping hands website where friends signed up to host play dates or deliver meals as did our family because our children were in the same school as wills and a facebook group for updates on andrews illness which 1700 people joined but despite all the support esther felt deeply alone with the experience she says her former life had vanished she was living in andrews hospital room sleeping on a sofa that opened into a hard bed she had left her job and the rest of her family while dan continued to work and live at home with wills and lea her nights were punctured by andrews cries her days were spent frantically trying to distract him from his pain and nausea cleaning up his vomit holding him down during blood draws and making stressful medical decisions he screamed if she left him for a few minutes even to use the bathroom or shower
after esther and andrew spent three months in the hospital the entire family moved into a nearby apartment in order to live in a smaller space they could keep immaculately clean while waiting for andrews new immune system to develop esther remained andrews full time nurse responsible for a dizzyingly complex regimen of medications and sterile changes of the iv a bone marrow test that april showed no traces of cancer and andrew was considered to be in remission they posted videos of him banging on his drums and singing with his toy elmo and pretending to play golf
they decided that when andrew was well enough they would not return to their old home but begin a new life they found a house in the nearby town of atherton in the style of an english country manor encircled by hedges and white rose bushes that suggested privacy and safety andrew was too vulnerable to leave the apartment so esther could not go to see the house in person but they bought it anyway and she made plans with a decorator friend to create an airplane themed room for andrew
but on june 19 the medical team told esther and dan that there was bad news again andrews cancer had returned the number of cells was small but would inevitably grow the doctors explained the team presented a new plan they would begin chemotherapy again in preparation for a second bone marrow transplant perhaps using cord blood this time
oh god esther said putting her head in her hands she felt she could not go through it all again and there was no reason to think it would work the odds of success during the first transplant had been long in a second attempt they would be much more so but the odds that it would cause all of us more suffering were 100 percent she told me
from the initial diagnosis dan had determined that their goal was not simply to help andrew survive but to keep the family intact to choose to move back into the hospital where they believed andrew would die was a fundamental violation of every promise we made to ourselves and our kids that we would be together again he told me he felt the family had just started to heal from the months of separation the emotional scars of the experience he said would be irreparable if we ripped them open and split our family apart again they decided to stop treatment they would move to their new house where andrew would spend whatever time he had splashing in their swimming pool and playing in the grass with wills and lea
the doctors were stunned we love you and we love andrew and were not ready to give up jennifer willert the pediatric oncologist in charge of the transplant blurted out lacayo and willert argued for at least trying some palliative chemotherapy to prolong andrews life esther and dan hesitated but ultimately declined they called their decorator friend and told her to return the furniture for andrews new room she was one of the first people to whom they told the news andrew was going to die
the levys posted the news of their decision on june 22 they explained their thinking and asked their friends not to question their choices recommend new treatment options tell them about gods plan or insist that there was hope i truly believe that i have a new way of looking at parenting   it is not about the length of life that matters but the quality of life esther wrote we are going to focus on quality
but quality time with a doomed child turned out to be impossible the cancer cells were few enough that they were not yet making andrew sick but esther posted i cant think of anything more painful than spending time with your precious baby knowing that he is going to die soon parenting is teleological parents rear a child to become an adult what were their goals for andrew now i am no longer raising him to grow up to be a wonderful human being esther wrote should she let him eat junk food or watch videos on the ipad all day did it matter
their older kids asked tormenting questions lea wanted to know whether they could buy andrew a certain toy when he was 4 years old like her wills wanted to know why they had andrew if they knew he was going to be sick all the time
dan read them mo willemss book waiting is not easy about an impatient elephant as he read he thought about the waiting that had engulfed them over the previous nine months they had waited to get the right diagnosis they had waited 100 days for the transplanted cells to grow they had waited for the results from the bone marrow tests to see if the cancer was gone now there are no more diagnoses dan wrote on facebook no more tests and no more milestones but there is waiting maybe hours or days or weeks this was the most agonizing of all the wait for andrews death
on july 1 they moved into their new house and andrew became sick by the holiday weekend he was moaning or screaming in pain whenever he was awake dan took a leave of absence from work esther held andrew at all times his body draped over hers on the couch or the bed dan took food to her because she couldnt hold him and sit up at the dinner table her hair began to fall out because of the stress it was unbearable for him and for us she says
the hospice team began to come every day to try to control the pain with high doses of opioids harvey cohen an oncologist and the medical director of the hospitals palliative care program explained to them that as the disease progressed andrew would not have enough platelets for his blood to clot a hospice nurse told them to buy dark towels for andrews crib so that if he started to bleed uncontrollably the sight would be less frightening for his siblings and for them
during the second week of july the hospice team told them to prepare for andrews imminent death they called a rabbi and thinking about how andrew loved airplanes they picked a jewish cemetery near the airport not wanting him to be buried alone they purchased grave sites for themselves as well they established an andrew levy memorial fund to raise money for music therapy at the lucile packard childrens hospital
the members of their medical team visited their home to say goodbye andrew had stopped eating he was barely moving his breathing raspy and his complexion sallow with the particular look the team knew from other dying children sometimes he stopped breathing momentarily and his body would become rigid and his face turn blue its ok for you to go esther told him all she wanted now was for this to end quickly
they called wills and lea into the living room   a room the kids rarely entered esther pulled them close to her on the couch and dan sat on a cushion on the floor they had rehearsed what they were going to say with barbara sourkes a hospital psychiatrist with whom they had grown close and they made an audio recording of this moment in case they needed to discuss it with her later
dan told the children that the transplant had been a success and that willss cells had done a great job but that andrews cells needed to work on their own at some point and they werent his body is just not working he said as straightforwardly as he could manage
is andrew going to get better wills asked
the doctors dont think so wills no
sourkes had advised them to tell the children only what they needed to know so as not to overwhelm them because the children needed emotional space to process things their own way so andrew   andrew is going to die at some point dan said we dont know when
i dont like that andrew is going to die lea exclaimed and started crying
wills pulled the hood of his sweatshirt over his face and said he didnt want to talk about it
andrew is going to die so that means we are only going to have four people in our family lea said unhappily she asked if they could get a new baby to replace andrew and she and wills began to fantasize about a new baby who would make everything all better
esther returned to andrew i promise i promise you we are not going to forget him she said you are always going to have a brother named andrew because he is always your brother now and forever
andrews pieces of love will always be in our heart lea said and then they all agreed to watch mickey mouse together
the vigil stretched on through the summer and what they called mirages began to appear in late july esther was sitting outside with barbara sourkes holding andrew and watching wills shoot baskets suddenly andrew sat up and reached for a ball and managed to throw it through his own little basketball hoop esther and barbara were speechless
at first the mirages were brief   andrew would laugh when lea showed him her bellybutton or would stack blocks for 10 minutes   and then he would lapse back into pained lethargy for the rest of the day but soon these episodes began to lengthen for esther the mirages did not feel like miracles but evil tricks she went through intense surges of anger i felt like how many trials are we going to have to endure she says are we being spared nothing
esther started sending the medical team videos andrew is eating pizza andrew is sitting up andrew is laughing lacayo their oncologist recounts and we are like what
in august as the team struggled to account for what was happening they theorized that in july when everyone assumed andrew was dying of cancer he must have had a terrible infection instead which passed it didnt change the prognosis the doctors stressed that while andrew might continue to recover from that infection as his new immune system took hold the cancer cells were also growing and would eventually overwhelm him
after a blood test showed that his platelets were low cohen the palliative care doctor urged them to accept transfusions to increase andrews platelets so that even though he was going to die it would not be from bleeding to death but at the hospital it turned out mysteriously that andrew had more platelets than at his last blood test so there was no need for a transfusion that day when dan suggested giving him vitamins esther snapped at him he seemed to be taking the anomalous blood test to mean andrew was getting better when she says i had no hope and i needed not to have hope in order to function and then they both apologized
in september andrew began to walk again and his appetite and energy and dark curls grew dan decided to return to work andrew turned 2   a birthday his parents had never thought he would reach and knew would be his last esther recalls how friends urged them to enjoy every moment and how she would tell them no this is hell and it sucks he is still going to die so there is nothing joyous about this time
when they first got andrews diagnosis she told a night nurse that she just wanted to get her happy go lucky little boy back for a single hour she had not understood then that any reprieve would only mean that they would have to go through losing him all over again   and each return will be harder than the last as andrew grows and bonds with us she wrote in a post
by october andrew was healthier than he had been in a year running and playing ball with his siblings none of the doctors had ever seen this kind of recovery before they decided to bring him back to the hospital for a bone marrow test
michael loken who had analyzed andrews blood work had not been surprised that andrews cancer returned he had been working on a paper about ram the genetic marker that andrew had he had tracked 19 other cases of children with the phenotype three years after the diagnosis only two were still alive and healthy when he examined andrews marrow this time using a sample of 200000 cells he got goose bumps he repeated the test with 500000 cells then he called lacayo with the news the cancer had disappeared
how could cancer spontaneously disappear it does feel a bit like a miracle says jennifer willert the transplant doctor echoing the sentiments of others noting the rare evocation of a concept that stands outside science loken says it certainly defied our expectations with no discernible basis of happening i guess this may be the definition of a miracle
the medical team grasped for a scientific explanation because andrew had received no treatment over the summer the answer had to lie in the bone marrow transplant of willss cells their main theory was that the infection that nearly killed andrew in july had triggered a huge increase in his new white blood cells   and that heightened immune response had attacked not only the infection but the cancer cells as well
the doctors theorized that the response was partly a product of timing the cancer had returned just as andrews new immune system grew strong enough to destroy the cancer cells a critical part of why transplants work is that some of the white blood cells the t cells that grow from the transplanted bone marrow will attack any lingering cancer cells an effect known as graft versus leukemia chemotherapy rarely kills every last cancer cell so it is believed that without graft versus leukemia the cancer will eventually grow back this is often spoken of as a model of so called immunotherapy   stimulating the patients own immune system to attack cancer cells   which is widely regarded as one of the most promising avenues for cancer treatment
willert had made a key decision to depart from stanfords protocol to increase andrews chances of getting a robust graft versus leukemia effect typically a leukemia patient receives immune suppressing drugs for at least 100 days and often much longer in order to avoid a serious side effect called graft versus host disease in which new t cells attack not only the cancer cells but also the patients skin liver and gastrointestinal tract the art of a transplant is said to be maximizing graft versus leukemia while minimizing graft versus host
willert who is now at the university of california san francisco benioff childrens hospital had advocated a rapid early taper of andrews immune suppressing drugs on day 60 as is the practice at ucsf and other places because she felt that the benefits outweighed the risk of graft versus host i fought for it because i have seen the power of getting rid of immune suppressants and letting the cells do their job she says after all thats the whole point of a transplant
the final critical decision was made against medical advice esther and dans resolution to stop treatment and let andrew die had they permitted more chemotherapy the treatment would have killed willss cells which were what ultimately enabled andrew to live
when you have a child with a life threatening illness you have an irrevocably altered existence barbara sourkes had told the levys and esther feels that is true she had always felt in control of her fate but now she believes this to be a fiction she finds it difficult to reconcile bitterness over the blight of andrews illness with gratitude for the reprieve we are the luckiest of the unluckiest people in the world she says i truly believe that the story presents itself to her as a riddle that cannot be resolved she recalls her anger when others told them to hope is the lesson that their friends were right and there is always hope yet it was only by letting go of hope and accepting andrews death that he lived
she has not returned to work my full time job is to help the kids feel safe again she says but it is hard for her to feel safe the two years after a transplant are the riskiest time for a relapse after two years that likelihood plummets and after five years a patient is considered cured the two year mark is still nine months away
there are only two states after such a diagnosis disease and uncertainty cohen had told them either he will die soon and thats certain   or he will continue on and you will live with that constant balance of hope and fear but the balance will change as time goes on
only in the past few weeks esther says has she been able to feel that she isnt testing fate by scheduling a dentist appointment for andrew six months out or by feeling moments of joy watching him without being shadowed by fear of the future day by day she says we are allowing ourselves to celebrate a little more


the story of modern cancer research begins somewhat improbably with the sea urchin in the first decade of the 20th century the german biologist theodor boveri discovered that if he fertilized sea urchin eggs with two sperm rather than one some of the cells would end up with the wrong number of chromosomes and fail to develop properly it was the era before modern genetics but boveri was aware that cancer cells like the deformed sea urchin cells had abnormal chromosomes whatever caused cancer he surmised had something to do with chromosomes
today boveri is celebrated for discovering the origins of cancer but another german scientist otto warburg was studying sea urchin eggs around the same time as boveri his research too was hailed as a major breakthrough in our understanding of cancer but in the following decades warburgs discovery would largely disappear from the cancer narrative his contributions considered so negligible that they were left out of textbooks altogether
unlike boveri warburg wasnt interested in the chromosomes of sea urchin eggs rather warburg was focused on energy specifically on how the eggs fueled their growth by the time warburg turned his attention from sea urchin cells to the cells of a rat tumor in 1923 he knew that sea urchin eggs increased their oxygen consumption significantly as they grew so he expected to see a similar need for extra oxygen in the rat tumor instead the cancer cells fueled their growth by swallowing up enormous amounts of glucose blood sugar and breaking it down without oxygen the result made no sense oxygen fueled reactions are a much more efficient way of turning food into energy and there was plenty of oxygen available for the cancer cells to use but when warburg tested additional tumors including ones from humans he saw the same effect every time the cancer cells were ravenous for glucose
warburgs discovery later named the warburg effect is estimated to occur in up to 80 percent of cancers it is so fundamental to most cancers that a positron emission tomography pet scan which has emerged as an important tool in the staging and diagnosis of cancer works simply by revealing the places in the body where cells are consuming extra glucose in many cases the more glucose a tumor consumes the worse a patients prognosis
in the years following his breakthrough warburg became convinced that the warburg effect occurs because cells are unable to use oxygen properly and that this damaged respiration is in effect the starting point of cancer well into the 1950s this theory   which warburg believed in until his death in 1970 but never proved   remained an important subject of debate within the field and then more quickly than anyone could have anticipated the debate ended in 1953 james watson and francis crick pieced together the structure of the dna molecule and set the stage for the triumph of molecular biologys gene centered approach to cancer in the following decades scientists came to regard cancer as a disease governed by mutated genes which drive cells into a state of relentless division and proliferation the metabolic catalysts that warburg spent his career analyzing began to be referred to as housekeeping enzymes   necessary to keep a cell going but largely irrelevant to the deeper story of cancer
it was a stampede says thomas seyfried a biologist at boston college of the move to molecular biology warburg was dropped like a hot potato there was every reason to think that warburg would remain at best a footnote in the history of cancer research as dominic dagostino an associate professor at the university of south florida morsani college of medicine told me the book that my students have to use for their cancer biology course has no mention of cancer metabolism but over the past decade and the past five years in particular something unexpected happened those housekeeping enzymes have again become one of the most promising areas of cancer research scientists now wonder if metabolism could prove to be the long sought achilles heel of cancer a common weak point in a disease that manifests itself in so many different forms
there are typically many mutations in a single cancer but there are a limited number of ways that the body can produce energy and support rapid growth cancer cells rely on these fuels in a way that healthy cells dont the hope of scientists at the forefront of the warburg revival is that they will be able to slow   or even stop   tumors by disrupting one or more of the many chemical reactions a cell uses to proliferate and in the process starve cancer cells of the nutrients they desperately need to grow
even james watson one of the fathers of molecular biology is convinced that targeting metabolism is a more promising avenue in current cancer research than gene centered approaches at his office at the cold spring harbor laboratory in long island watson 88 sat beneath one of the original sketches of the dna molecule and told me that locating the genes that cause cancer has been remarkably unhelpful   the belief that sequencing your dna is going to extend your life a cruel illusion if he were going into cancer research today watson said he would study biochemistry rather than molecular biology
i never thought until about two months ago id ever have to learn the krebs cycle he said referring to the reactions familiar to most high school biology students by which a cell powers itself now i realize i have to
born in 1883 into the illustrious warburg family otto warburg was raised to be a science prodigy his father emil was one of germanys leading physicists and many of the worlds greatest physicists and chemists including albert einstein and max planck were friends of the family when warburg enlisted in the military during world war i einstein sent him a letter urging him to come home for the sake of science those men had explained the mysteries of the universe with a handful of fundamental laws and the young warburg came to believe he could bring that same elegant simplicity and clarity to the workings of life long before his death warburg was considered perhaps the greatest biochemist of the 20th century a man whose research was vital to our understanding not only of cancer but also of respiration and photosynthesis in 1931 he won the nobel prize for his work on respiration and he was considered for the award on two other occasions   each time for a different discovery records indicate that he would have won in 1944 had the nazis not forbidden the acceptance of the nobel by german citizens
that warburg was able to live in germany and continue his research throughout world war ii despite having jewish ancestry and most likely being gay speaks to the german obsession with cancer in the first half of the 20th century at the time cancer was more prevalent in germany than in almost any other nation according to the stanford historian robert proctor by the 1920s germanys escalating cancer rates had become a major scandal a number of top nazis including hitler are believed to have harbored a particular dread of the disease hitler and joseph goebbels took the time to discuss new advances in cancer research in the hours leading up to the nazi invasion of the soviet union whether hitler was personally aware of warburgs research is unknown but one of warburgs former colleagues wrote that several sources told him that hitlers entourage became convinced that warburg was the only scientist who offered a serious hope of producing a cure for cancer one day
although many jewish scientists fled germany during the 1930s warburg chose to remain according to his biographer the nobel prize winning biochemist hans krebs who worked in warburgs lab science was the dominant emotion of warburgs adult life virtually subjugating all other emotions in krebss telling warburg spent years building a small team of specially trained technicians who knew how to run his experiments and he feared that his mission to defeat cancer would be set back significantly if he had to start over but after the war warburg fired all the technicians suspecting that they had reported his criticisms of the third reich to the gestapo warburgs reckless decision to stay in nazi germany most likely came down to his astonishing ego upon learning he had won the nobel prize warburgs response was its high time
modesty was not a virtue of otto warburg says george klein a 90 year old cancer researcher at the karolinska institute in sweden as a young man klein was asked to send cancer cells to warburgs lab a number of years later kleins boss approached warburg for a recommendation on kleins behalf george klein has made a very important contribution to cancer research warburg wrote he has sent me the cells with which i have solved the cancer problem klein also recalls the lecture warburg gave in stockholm in 1950 at the 50th anniversary of the nobel prize warburg drew four diagrams on a blackboard explaining the warburg effect and then told the members of the audience that they represented all that they needed to know about the biochemistry of cancer
warburg was so monumentally stubborn that he refused to use the word mitochondria even after it had been widely accepted as the name for the tiny structures that power cells instead warburg persisted in calling them grana the term he came up with when he identified those structures as the site of cellular respiration few things would have been more upsetting to him than the thought of nazi thugs chasing him out of the beautiful berlin institute modeled after a country manor and built specifically for him after the war the russians approached warburg and offered to erect a new institute in moscow klein recalls that warburg told them with great pride that both hitler and stalin had failed to move him as warburg explained to his sister ich war vor hitler da   i was here before hitler
imagine two engines the one being driven by complete and the other by incomplete combustion of coal warburg wrote in 1956 responding to a criticism of his hypothesis that cancer is a problem of energy a man who knows nothing at all about engines their structure and their purpose may discover the difference he may for example smell it
the complete combustion in warburgs analogy is respiration the incomplete combustion turning nutrients into energy without oxygen is known as fermentation fermentation provides a useful backup when oxygen cant reach cells quickly enough to keep up with demand our muscle cells turn to fermentation during intense exercise warburg thought that defects prevent cancer cells from being able to use respiration but scientists now widely agree that this is wrong a growing tumor can be thought of as a construction site and as todays researchers explain it the warburg effect opens the gates for more and more trucks to deliver building materials in the form of glucose molecules to make daughter cells
if this theory can explain the why of the warburg effect it still leaves the more pressing question of what exactly sets a cell on the path to the warburg effect and cancer scientists at several of the nations top cancer hospitals have spearheaded the warburg revival in hopes of finding the answer these researchers typically molecular biologists by training have turned to metabolism and the warburg effect because their own research led each of them to the same conclusion a number of the cancer causing genes that have long been known for their role in cell division also regulate cells consumption of nutrients
craig thompson the president and chief executive of the memorial sloan kettering cancer center has been among the most outspoken proponents of this renewed focus on metabolism in thompsons analogy the warburg effect can be thought of as a social failure a breakdown of the nutrient sharing agreement that single celled organisms signed when they joined forces to become multicellular organisms his research showed that cells need to receive instructions from other cells to eat just as they require instructions from other cells to divide thompson hypothesized that if he could identify the mutations that lead a cell to eat more glucose than it should it would go a long way toward explaining how the warburg effect and cancer begin but thompsons search for those mutations didnt lead to an entirely new discovery instead it led him to akt a gene already well known to molecular biologists for its role in promoting cell division thompson now believes akt plays an even more fundamental role in metabolism
the protein created by akt is part of a chain of signaling proteins that is mutated in up to 80 percent of all cancers thompson says that once these proteins go into overdrive a cell no longer worries about signals from other cells to eat it instead stuffs itself with glucose thompson discovered he could induce the full warburg effect simply by placing an activated akt protein into a normal cell when that happens thompson says the cells begin to do what every single celled organism will do in the presence of food eat as much as it can and make as many copies of itself as possible when thompson presents his research to high school students he shows them a slide of mold spreading across a piece of bread the slides heading   everyones first cancer experiment   recalls warburgs observation that cancer cells will carry out fermentation at almost the same rate of wildly growing yeasts
just as thompson has redefined the role of akt chi van dang director of the abramson cancer center at the university of pennsylvania has helped lead the cancer world to an appreciation of how one widely studied gene can profoundly influence a tumors metabolism in 1997 dang became one of the first scientists to connect molecular biology to the science of cellular metabolism when he demonstrated that myc   a so called regulator gene well known for its role in cell proliferation   directly targets an enzyme that can turn on the warburg effect dang recalls that other researchers were skeptical of his interest in a housekeeping enzyme but he stuck with it because he came to appreciate something critical cancer cells cant stop eating
unlike healthy cells growing cancer cells are missing the internal feedback loops that are designed to conserve resources when food isnt available theyre addicted to nutrients dang says when they cant consume enough they begin to die the addiction to nutrients explains why changes to metabolic pathways are so common and tend to arise first as a cell progresses toward cancer its not that other types of alterations cant arise first but rather that when they do the incipient tumors lack the access to the nutrients they need to grow dang uses the analogy of a work crew trying to put up a building if you dont have enough cement and you try to put a lot of bricks together youre going to collapse he says
metabolism centered therapies have produced some tantalizing successes agios pharmaceuticals a company co founded by thompson is now testing a drug that treats cases of acute myelogenous leukemia that have been resistant to other therapies by inhibiting the mutated versions of the metabolic enzyme idh 2 in clinical trials of the agios drug nearly 40 percent of patients who carry these mutations are experiencing at least partial remissions
researchers working in a lab run by peter pedersen a professor of biochemistry at johns hopkins discovered that a compound known as 3 bromopyruvate can block energy production in cancer cells and at least in rats and rabbits wipe out advanced liver cancer trials of the drug have yet to begin at penn dang and his colleagues are now trying to block multiple metabolic pathways at the same time in mice this two pronged approach has been able to shrink some tumors without debilitating side effects dang says the hope is not necessarily to find a cure but rather to keep cancer at bay in a smoldering quiet state much as patients treat their hypertension
warburg too appreciated that a tumors dependence upon a steady flow of nutrients might eventually prove to be its fatal weakness long after his initial discovery of the warburg effect he continued to research the enzymes involved in fermentation and to explore the possibility of blocking the process in cancer cells the challenge warburg faced then is the same one that metabolism researchers face today cancer is an incredibly persistent foe blocking one metabolic pathway has been shown to slow down and even stop tumor growth in some cases but tumors tend to find another way you block glucose they use glutamine dang says in reference to another primary fuel used by cancers you block glucose and glutamine they might be able to use fatty acids we dont know yet
given warburgs own story of historical neglect its fitting that what may turn out to be one of the most promising cancer metabolism drugs has been sitting in plain sight for decades that drug metformin is already widely prescribed to decrease the glucose in the blood of diabetics 769 million metformin prescriptions were filled in the united states in 2014 in the years ahead its likely to be used to treat   or at least to prevent   some cancers because metformin can influence a number of metabolic pathways the precise mechanism by which it achieves its anticancer effects remains a source of debate but the results of numerous epidemiological studies have been striking diabetics taking metformin seem to be significantly less likely to develop cancer than diabetics who dont   and significantly less likely to die from the disease when they do
near the end of his life warburg grew obsessed with his diet he believed that most cancer was preventable and thought that chemicals added to food and used in agriculture could cause tumors by interfering with respiration he stopped eating bread unless it was baked in his own home he would drink milk only if it came from a special herd of cows and used a centrifuge at his lab to make his cream and butter
warburgs personal diet is unlikely to become a path to prevention but the warburg revival has allowed researchers to develop a hypothesis for how the diets that are linked to our obesity and diabetes epidemics   specifically sugar heavy diets that can result in permanently elevated levels of the hormone insulin   may also be driving cells to the warburg effect and cancer
the insulin hypothesis can be traced to the research of lewis cantley the director of the meyer cancer center at weill cornell medical college in the 1980s cantley discovered how insulin which is released by the pancreas and tells cells to take up glucose influences what happens inside a cell cantley now refers to insulin and a closely related hormone igf 1 insulinlike growth factor 1 as the champion activators of metabolic proteins linked to cancer hes beginning to see evidence he says that in some cases it really is insulin itself thats getting the tumor started one way to think about the warburg effect says cantley is as the insulin or igf 1 signaling pathway gone awry   its cells behaving as though insulin were telling it to take up glucose all the time and to grow cantley who avoids eating sugar as much as he can is currently studying the effects of diet on mice that have the mutations that are commonly found in colorectal and other cancers he says that the effects of a sugary diet on colorectal breast and other cancer models looks very impressive and rather scary
elevated insulin is also strongly associated with obesity which is expected soon to overtake smoking as the leading cause of preventable cancer cancers linked to obesity and diabetes have more receptors for insulin and igf 1 and people with defective igf 1 receptors appear to be nearly immune to cancer retrospective studies which look back at patient histories suggest that many people who develop colorectal pancreatic or breast cancer have elevated insulin levels before diagnosis its perhaps not entirely surprising then that when researchers want to grow breast cancer cells in the lab they add insulin to the tissue culture when they remove the insulin the cancer cells die
i think theres no doubt that insulin is pro cancer watson says with respect to the link between obesity diabetes and cancer its as good a hypothesis as we have now watson takes metformin for cancer prevention among its many effects metformin works to lower insulin levels not every cancer researcher however is convinced of the role of insulin and igf 1 in cancer robert weinberg a researcher at mits whitehead institute who pioneered the discovery of cancer causing genes in the 80s has remained somewhat cool to certain aspects of the cancer metabolism revival weinberg says that there isnt yet enough evidence to know whether the levels of insulin and igf 1 present in obese people are sufficient to trigger the warburg effect its a hypothesis weinberg says i dont know if its right or wrong
during warburgs lifetime insulins effects on metabolic pathways were even less well understood but given his ego its highly unlikely that he would have considered the possibility that anything other than damaged respiration could cause cancer he died sure that he was right about the disease warburg framed a quote from max planck and hung it above his desk a new scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents and making them see the light but rather because its opponents eventually die


the bone marrow biopsy took about 20 minutes it was 10 oclock on an unusually chilly morning in new york in april and donna m a self possessed 78 year old woman had flown in from chicago to see me in my office at columbia university medical center she had treated herself to orchestra seats for the humans the night before and was now waiting in the room as no one should be asked to wait pants down spine curled knees lifted to her chest   a grown woman curled like a fetus i snapped on sterile gloves while the nurse pulled out a bar cart containing a steel needle the length of an index finger the rim of donnas pelvic bone was numbed with a pulse of anesthetic and i drove the needle as gently as i could into the outer furl of bone a corkscrew of pain spiraled through her body as the marrow was pulled and then a few milliliters of red bone flecked sludge filled the syringe it was slightly viscous halfway between liquid and gel like the crushed pulp of an overripe strawberry
i had been treating donna in collaboration with my colleague azra raza for six years donna has a preleukemic syndrome called myelodysplastic syndrome or mds which affects the bone marrow and blood it is a mysterious disease with few known treatments human bone marrow is normally a site for the genesis of most of our blood cells   a white walled nursery for young blood in mds the bone marrow cells acquire genetic mutations which force them to grow uncontrollably   but the cells also fail to mature into blood instead dying in droves it is a dual curse in most cancers the main problem is cells that refuse to stop growing in donnas marrow this problem is compounded by cells that refuse to grow up
though there are commonalities among cancers of course every tumor behaves and moves   thinks even   differently trying to find a drug that fits donnas cancer raza and i have administered a gamut of medicines throughout all this donna has been a formidable patient perennially resourceful optimistic and willing to try anything every time i encounter her in the clinic awaiting her biopsy with her characteristic fortitude it is the doctor not the patient who feels curled and small she has moved nomadically from one trial to another shuttling from city to city and from one drug to the next through a landscape more desolate and exhilarating than most of us can imagine donna calls it her serial monogamy with different medicines some of these drugs have worked for weeks some for months   but the transient responses have given way to inevitable relapses donna is getting exhausted
her biopsy that morning was thus part routine and part experiment minutes after the marrow was drawn into the syringe a technician rushed the specimen to the lab there he extracted the cells from the mixture and pipetted them into tiny grain size wells 500 cells to a well to each well   about 1000 in total   he will add a tiny dab of an individual drug prednisone say to one well procarbazine to the next and so forth the experiment will test about 300 medicines many not even meant for cancer at three different doses to assess the effects of the drugs on donnas cells
bathed in a nutrient rich broth suffused with growth factors the cells will double and redouble in an incubator over the course of the following two weeks forming a lush outgrowth of malignant cells   cancer abstracted in a dish a computer taught to count and evaluate cells will then determine whether any of the drugs killed the cancerous cells or forced them to mature into nearly normal blood far from relying on data from other trials or patients the experiment will test donnas own cancer for its reactivity against a panel of medicines cells not bodies entered this preclinical trial and the results will guide her future treatment
i explained all this to donna still she had a question what would happen if the drug that appeared to be the most promising proved unsuccessful
then well try the next one i told her the experiment hopefully will yield more than one candidate and well go down the list
will the medicine be like chemotherapy
it might or it might not the drug that we end up using might be borrowed from some other disease it might be an anti inflammatory pill or an asthma drug it might be aspirin for all we know
my conversation with donna reflected how much cancer treatment has changed in the last decade i grew up as an oncologist in an era of standardized protocols cancers were lumped into categories based on their anatomical site of origin breast cancer lung cancer lymphoma leukemia and chemotherapy treatment often a combination of toxic drugs was dictated by those anatomical classifications the combinations   adriamycin bleomycin vinblastine and dacarbazine for instance to treat hodgkins disease   were rarely changed for individual patients the prospect of personalizing therapy was frowned upon the more you departed from the standard the theory ran the more likely the patient would end up being undertreated or improperly managed risking recurrence in hospitals and clinics computerized systems were set up to monitor an oncologists compliance with standard therapy if you chose to make an exception for a particular patient you had to justify the choice with an adequate excuse big chemo was watching you
i memorized the abbreviated names of combination chemo   the first letter of each drug   for my board exams and i spouted them back to my patients during my clinic hours there was something magical and shamanic about the multiletter contractions they were mantras imbued with promise and peril abvd for hodgkins cmf for breast cancer bep for testicular cancer the lingo of chemotherapists was like a secret code or handshake even the capacity to call such baleful poisons by name made me feel powerful when my patients asked me for statistical data i had numbers at my fingertips i could summon the precise chance of survival the probability of relapse the chance that the chemo would make them infertile or cause them to lose their hair i felt omniscient
yet as i spoke to donna that morning i realized how much that omniscience has begun to wane   unleashing a more experimental or even artisanal approach in oncology most cancer patients are still treated with those hoary standardized protocols still governed by the anatomical lumping of cancer but for patients like donna for whom the usual treatments fail to work oncologists must use their knowledge wit and imagination to devise individualized therapies increasingly we are approaching each patient as a unique problem to solve toxic indiscriminate cell killing drugs have given way to nimbler finer fingered molecules that can activate or deactivate complex pathways in cells cut off growth factors accelerate or decelerate the immune response or choke the supply of nutrients and oxygen more and more we must come up with ways to use drugs as precision tools to jam cogs and turn off selective switches in particular cancer cells trained to follow rules oncologists are now being asked to reinvent them
the thought that every individual cancer might require a specific individualized treatment can be profoundly unsettling michael lerner a writer who worked with cancer patients once likened the experience of being diagnosed with cancer to being parachuted out of a plane without a map or compass now it is the oncologist who feels parachuted onto a strange landscape with no idea which way to go there are often no previous probabilities and even fewer certainties the stakes feel higher the successes more surprising and the failures more personal earlier i could draw curtain upon curtain of blame around a patient when she did not respond to chemotherapy it was her fault she failed now if i cannot find a tool in the growing kit of drugs to target a cancers vulnerabilities the vector feels reversed it is the doctor who has failed
yet the mapless moment that we are now in may also hold more promise for patients than any that has come before   even if we find the known world shifting under our feet we no longer have to treat cancer only with the blunt response of standard protocols in which the disease is imagined as a uniform if faceless opponent instead we are trying to assess the particular personality and temperament of an individual illness so that we can tailor a response with extreme precision its the idiosyncratic mind of each cancer that we are so desperately trying to capture
cancer   and its treatment   once seemed simpler in december 1969 a group of cancer advocates led by the philanthropist mary lasker splashed their demand for a national war on cancer in a full page ad in the new york times mr nixon you can cure cancer this epitomized the fantasy of a single solution to a single monumental illness for a while the centerpiece of that solution was thought to be surgery radiation and chemotherapy a strategy colloquially known as slash and burn using combination chemotherapy men and women were dragged to the very brink of physiological tolerability but then pulled back just in time to send the cancer but not its host careering off the edge
throughout the 1980s and 1990s tens of thousands of people took part in clinical trials which compared subjects on standard chemo combinations with others administered slightly different combinations of those drugs some responded well but for many others relapses and recurrences were routine   and gains were small and incremental for most cancers few efforts were made to distinguish the patients instead when the promised cures for most advanced malignancies failed to appear the doses were intensified and doubled in the margaret edson play wit an english professor who had ovarian cancer recalled the bewildering language of those trials by making up nonsensical names for chemotherapy drugs that had been pumped into her body i have survived eight treatments of hexamethophosphacil and vinplatin at the full dose ladies and gentlemen i have broken the record
to be fair important lessons were garnered from the trials using combinations of chemotherapy we learned to treat particular cancers aggressive lymphomas and some variants of breast testicular and colon cancers but for most men and women with cancer the clinical achievements were abysmal disappointments records were not broken   but patients were
a breakthrough came in the 2000s soon after the human genome project when scientists learned to sequence the genomes of cancer cells cancer is of course a genetic disease at its core in cancer cells mutated genes corrupt the normal physiology of growth and ultimately set loose malignant proliferation this characteristic sits at the heart of all forms of cancer unlike normal cells cancer cells have forgotten how to stop dividing or occasionally have forgotten how to die but once we could sequence tens of thousands of genes in individual cancer specimens it became clear that uniqueness dominates say two identical looking breast cancers arise at the same moment in identical twins are the mutations themselves in the two cancers identical its unlikely by sequencing the mutations in one twins breast cancer we might find say 74 mutated genes of the roughly 22000 total genes in humans in her sisters we might find 42 mutations and if we looked at a third unrelated woman with breast cancer we might find 18 among the three cases there might be a mere five genes that overlap the rest are mutations particular to each womans cancer
no other human disease is known to possess this degree of genetic heterogeneity adult onset diabetes for example is a complex genetic disease but it appears to be dominated by variations in only about a dozen genes cancer by contrast has potentially unlimited variations like faces like fingerprints   like selves   every cancer is characterized by its distinctive marks a set of individual scars stamped on an individual genome the iconic illness of the 20th century seems to reflect our cultures obsession with individuality
if each individual cancer has an individual combination of gene mutations perhaps this variability explains the extraordinary divergences in responses to treatment gene sequencing allows us to identify the genetic changes that are particular to a given cancer we can use that information to guide cancer treatment   in effect matching the treatment to an individual patients cancer
many of the remarkable successes of cancer treatments of the last decades are instances of drugs that were matched to the singular vulnerabilities of individual cancers the drug gleevec for instance can kill leukemia cells   but only if the patients cancer cells happen to carry a gene mutation called bcr abl tarceva a targeted therapy for lung cancer works powerfully if the patients cancer cells happen to possess a particular mutant form of a gene for lung cancer patients lacking that mutation it may be no different from taking a placebo because the medicines target mutations or behaviors that are specific to cancer cells but not normal cells many of these drugs have surprisingly minimal toxicities   a far cry from combination chemotherapies of the past
a few days after donnas visit to the clinic i went to my weekly meeting with raza on the ninth floor of the hospital the patient that morning was kc a 79 year old woman with blood cancer raza has been following her disease   and keeping her alive   for a decade
her tumor is evolving into acute leukemia raza said this too is a distinctive behavior of some cancers that we can now witness using biopsies ct scans and powerful new techniques like gene sequencing we can see the cancers morphing from smoldering variants into more aggressive types before our eyes
was the tumor sequenced i asked
yes theres a sequence raza said as we leaned toward a screen to examine it p53 dnmt3a and tet2 she read from the list of mutant genes and a deletion in chromosome 5 in kcs cancer an entire segment of the genome had been lopped off and gone missing   one of the crudest mutations that a tumor can acquire
how about atra i asked we had treated a few patients carrying some of kcs mutations with this drug and noted a few striking responses
no id rather try revlimid but at a higher dose shes responded to it in the past and the mutations remain the same i have a hunch that it might work
as raza and i returned to kcs room to inform her of the plan i couldnt help thinking that this is what it had come down to inklings observations instincts medicine based on premonitions chemo by hunch the discussion might have sounded ad hoc to an outsider but there was nothing cavalier about it we parsed these possibilities with utmost seriousness we studied sequences considered past responses a patients recent history   and then charged forward with our best guess our decisions were spurred by science yes but also a sense for the art of medicine
oncologists are also practicing this art in areas that rely less on genes and mutations a week after donnas biopsy i went to see owen oconnor an oncologist who directs columbias lymphoma center oconnor in his 50s reminds me of an amphibious all terrain vehicle   capable of navigating across any ground we sat in his office with large sunlit windows overlooking rockefeller plaza for decades he explained oncologists had treated relapsed hodgkins lymphoma in a standard manner there were limited options oconnor said we gave some patients more chemotherapy with higher doses and more toxic drugs hoping for a response for some we tried to cure the disease using bone marrow transplantation but the failure rate was high about 30 percent of patients didnt respond and half of them died
then a year or two ago he tried something new he began to use immunological therapy to treat relapsed refractory hodgkins lymphoma immunological therapies come in various forms there are antibodies missile like proteins made by our own immune systems that are designed to attack and destroy foreign microbes antibodies can also be made artificially through genetic engineering armed with toxins and used as drugs to kill cancer cells and there are drugs that incite a patients own immune system to recognize and kill tumor cells a mode of treatment that lay fallow for decades before being revived oconnor used both therapies and found that they worked in patients with hodgkins disease we began to see spectacular responses he said
yet even though many men and women with relapsed hodgkins lymphoma responded to immunological treatments there were some who remained deeply resistant these patients were the hardest to treat oconnor continued their tumors seemed to be unique   a category of their own
lorenzo falchi a fellow training with oconnor and me was intrigued by these resistant patients falchi came to our hospital from italy where he specialized in treating leukemias and lymphomas his particular skill gleaned from his experience with thousands of patients is to look for patterns behind seemingly random bits of data rooting about in columbias medical databases falchi made an astonishing discovery the men and women who responded most powerfully to the immune boosting therapies had invariably been pretreated with another drug called azacitidine rarely used in lymphoma patients a 35 year old woman from new york with relapsed lymphoma saw her bulky nodes melt away she had received azacitidine as part of another trial before moving on to the immunotherapy a man with a similar stage of cancer had not been pretreated he had only a partial response and his disease grew back shortly thereafter
falchi and oconnor will use this small training set to begin a miniature trial of patients with relapsed hodgkins disease we will try it on just two or three patients falchi told me well first use azacitidine   intentionally this time   and then chase it with the immune activators i suspect that well reproduce the responses that weve seen in our retrospective studies in lung cancer too doctors have noted that pretreating patients with azacitidine can make them more responsive to immunological therapy falchi and oconnor are trying to figure out why patients respond if they are pretreated with a drug that seems at face value to have nothing to do with the immune system perhaps azacitidine makes the cancer cells more recognizably foreign or perhaps it forces immune cells to become more aggressive hunters
falchi and oconnor are mixing and matching unexpected combinations of medicines based on previous responses   departing from the known world of chemotherapy even with the new combination falchi suspects there will be resistant patients and so he will divide these into subsets and root through their previous responses to determine what might make these patients resistant   grinding the data into finer and finer grains until hes down to individualized therapy for every variant of lymphoma
suppose every cancer is indeed unique with its own permutation of genes and vulnerabilities   a sole idiosyncratic mind its obviously absurd to imagine that well find an individual medicine to treat each one there are 14 million new cases of cancer in the world every year and several million of those patients will present with advanced disease requiring more than local or surgical treatment trying to individualize treatment for those cases would shatter every ceiling of cost
but while the medical costs of personalized therapy are being debated in national forums in washington the patients in my modest waiting room in new york are focused on its personal costs insurance will not pay for off label uses of medicines it isnt easy to convince an insurance company that you intend to use lipitor to treat a woman with pre leukemia   not because she has high cholesterol but because the cancer cells depend on cholesterol metabolism for their growth in one study of a leukemia subtype the increasing cells were highly dependent on cholesterol suggesting that high doses of lipitor like drugs might be an effective treatment
in exceptional cases doctors can requisition pharmaceutical companies to provide the medicines free   for compassionate use to use the language of the pharma world   but this process is unpredictable and time consuming i used to fill out such requests once every few months now it seems i ask for such exceptions on a weekly basis some are approved a majority unfortunately are denied
so doctors like falchi and oconnor do what they can   using their wiles not just against cancer but against a system that can resist innovation they create minuscule original clinical trials involving just 10 or 20 patients a far cry from the hundred thousand patient trials of the 80s and 90s they study these patients with monastic concentration drawing out a cosmos of precious data from just that small group occasionally a patient may choose to pay for the drugs out of his or her own pockets   but its a rare patient who can afford the tens of thousands of dollars that the drugs cost
but could there be some minimal number of treatments that could be deployed to treat a majority of these cancers effectively and less expensively more than any other scientist perhaps bert vogelstein a cancer geneticist at johns hopkins university has tackled that conundrum the combination of genetic mutations in any individual cancer is singular vogelstein acknowledges but these genetic mutations can still act through common pathways targeting pathways rather than individual genes might reorganize the way we perceive and treat cancer
imagine again the cell as a complex machine with thousands of wheels levers and pulleys organized into systems the machine malfunctions in the cancer some set of levers and pulleys gets jammed or broken resulting in a cell that continues to divide without control if we focus on the individual parts that are jammed and snapped the permutations are seemingly infinite every instance of a broken machine seems to have a distinct fingerprint of broken cogs but if we focus instead on systems that malfunction then the seeming diversity begins to collapse into patterns of unity ten components function say in an interconnected loop to keep the machine from tipping over on its side snap any part of this loop and the end result is the same a tipped over machine another 20 components control the machines internal thermostat break any of these 20 components and the system overheats the number of components   10 and 20   are deceptive in their complexity and can have endless permutations but viewed from afar only two systems in this machine are affected stability and temperature
cancer vogelstein argues is analogous most of the genes that are mutated in cancer also function in loops and circuits   pathways superficially the permutations of genetic flaws might be boundless but lumped into pathways the complexity can be organized along the archetypal core flaws perhaps these cancer pathways are like hollywood movies at first glance there seems to be an infinite array of plot lines in an infinite array of settings   gold rush california the upper west side a galaxy far far away but closer examination yields only a handful of archetypal narratives boy meets girl stranger comes to town son searches for father
how many such pathways or systems operate across a subtype of cancer looking at one cancer pancreatic and mapping the variations in mutated genes across hundreds of specimens vogelsteins team proposed a staggeringly simple answer 12 one such core pathway for instance involves genes that enable cells to invade other tissues these genes normally allow cells to migrate through parts of the body   but in cancer migration becomes distorted into invasion if we could find medicines that could target these 12 core pathways we might be able to attack most pancreatic cancers despite their genetic diversity but that means inventing 12 potential ways to block these core paths   an immense creative challenge for scientists considering that they havent yet figured out how to target more than at best one or two
immunological therapies provide a second solution to the impasse of unlimited diversity one advantage of deploying a patients own immune system against cancer is that immunological cells are generally agnostic to the mutations that cause a particular cancers growth the immune system was designed to spot differences in the superficial features of a diseased or foreign cell thereby identifying and killing it it cares as little about genes as an intercontinental ballistic missile cares about the email addresses or dietary preferences of the population that it has been sent to destroy
a few years ago in writing a history of cancer i interviewed emil freireich freireich working with emil frei at the national cancer institute in the 1960s and 70s stumbled on the idea of deploying multiple toxic drugs simultaneously to treat cancer   combination chemotherapy they devised one of the first standard protocols   vincristine adriamycin methotrexate and prednisone known as vamp   to treat pediatric leukemias virtually nothing about the vamp protocol was individualized although doses could be reduced if needed in fact doctors were discouraged from trying alternatives to the formula
yet as freireich recalled long before they came up with the idea for a protocol there were small brave experiments before trials there was trial and error vamp was brought into existence through grit instinct and inspired lunges into the unknown vincent t devita jr who worked with freireich in the 1960s wrote a book the death of cancer with his daughter elizabeth devita raeburn in it he recalled a time when the leukemic children in freireichs trial were dying of bacterial meningitis during treatment the deaths threatened the entire trial if freireich couldnt keep the children alive during the therapy there would be no possibility of remission they had an antibiotic that could kill the microbe but the medicine wouldnt penetrate the blood brain barrier so freireich decided to try something that pushed the bounds of standard practice he ordered devita his junior to inject it directly into the spinal cords of his patients it was an extreme example of off label use of the drug the medicine was not meant for use in the cord devita writes
the first time freireich told me to do it i held up the vial and showed him the label thinking that hed possibly missed something it says right on there do not use intrathecally  i said freireich glowered at me and pointed a long bony finger in my face do it he barked i did it though i was terrified but it worked every time
when i asked freireich about that episode and about what he would change in the current landscape of cancer therapy he pointed to its extreme cautiousness we would never have achieved anything in this atmosphere he said the pioneer of protocols pined for a time before there were any protocols
medicine needs standards of course otherwise it can ramble into dangerous realms compromising safety and reliability but cancer medicine also needs a healthy dose of freireich the desire to read between the guidelines to reimagine the outer boundaries to perform the experiments that become the standards of the future in january president obama introduced an enormous campaign for precision medicine cancer is its molten centerpiece using huge troves of data including gene sequences of hundreds of thousands of specimens and experiments performed in laboratories nationwide the projects goal is to find individualized medicines for every patients cancer but as we wait for that decades long project to be completed oncologists still have to treat patients now to understand the minds of individual cancers we are learning to mix and match these two kinds of learning   the standard and the idiosyncratic   in unusual and creative ways its the kind of medicine that so many of us went to medical school to learn the kind that wed almost forgotten how to practice


at the beginning of the 20th century sick americans typically died at home by the middle of it they mostly died in hospitals and yet this great transformation in the geography of death was at first of little interest to medical providers in the 1960s some doctors routinely chose not to inform terminal patients of their fate studies found hospitals stashing dying people at the ends of halls and largely ignoring them medicine it was said was about healing people it had nothing to offer the already dying
that began to change with the broad acceptance of hospice which spread in the united states during the 1970s and 1980s and turned the innovations of modern medicine toward helping those whose cures were beyond its reach the physician dame cicely saunders founded the first modern clinic in london the term hospice had first been used by old sanctuaries for weary travelers
sanctuary says the photographer gillian laub is what she and her family found at rosary hill home in hawthorne ny a hamlet in westchester county laubs mother in law was suffering from terminal cancer and her insurance would not cover the 24 hour care she required so they took her to rosary which is run by catholic nuns and accepts no payment from the families of those they treat   all of them with incurable cancer
rosary which sits on a hill above the town was founded in 1901 long before the mainstream medical community embraced hospice care and during a time when some doctors still thought cancer was contagious although it still treats only the terminally ill rosary is not technically considered a hospice in new york because among other things it accepts patients too early the nuns who are members of the dominican order care for those of all religions and backgrounds   laubs mother in law was jewish   and live by the prescient words of its founder rose hawthorne lathrop a daughter of nathaniel hawthorne we cannot cure our patients but we can assure the dignity and value of their final days and keep them comfortable and free of pain the hawthorne dominicans also operate similar homes in atlanta and philadelphia
as the nuns cared for their guests laub followed them with her camera   its her way then even after her mother in law died in late september she found herself returning to rosary again and again still wanting to capture something of the kindness that her family had found there she asked the nuns to sit for portraits in which she stripped away the background to show their eyes and faces in clear focus i wanted them to be quiet she said so their power could come through
the nuns in particular had moved her she was struck by their tenderness with the dying how they painted womens fingernails and combed their hair changed them into fresh nightgowns and arranged flowers in their rooms this is how dying should be laub says it doesnt feel like a place of death it feels like a place of living brooke jarvis


from penelope skinner the author of the well received the village bike seen in new york two years ago comes the new play the ruins of civilization set in that ever popular era   the future   the play concerns a couple played by tim daly and rachael holmes who are living their married lives within the constraints and norms of a new world order as the news release cryptically puts it enter a mysterious guest invited into their home by ms holmess character in an impulsive act of charity that perhaps not surprisingly has unsettling results described as a thriller exploring our need for free will and connection the play is directed by the obie award winner leah c gardiner for manhattan theater club now in previews and opening wednesday may 18 at city center stage ii 212 581 1212 nycitycenterorg


certain dances   especially those packed with details   warrant intimacy the mark morris dance group grants that wish with a spring season at its brooklyn quarters with new and vintage works by the stellar mr morris and as always live music along with the return of foursome 2002 a suite of dances for four men featuring music by erik satie and johann nepomuk hummel and cargo 2005 set to darius milhauds la creation du monde op 58 the company presents the premiere of a forest the new dance for nine is set to haydn and includes costumes by the former company member maile okamura mr morris wraps things up with the first shown last summer at tanglewood music center in that work to bach same sex couples run with clasped hands there are raised fists does the have to do with marriage equality one thing is sure the close quarters will make mr morriss details shine tuesday may 17 through sunday in fort greene brooklyn 929 399 6634 mmdgorgdancecentershows


new york comes with a beat that certain people like the choreographer alexei ratmansky can instantly follow it welcomes you he said in a recent interview at american ballet theaters studios on lower broadway you dont feel like an outsider
since 2006 when he choreographed the russian seasons for new york city ballet mr ratmansky now 47 has been beguiling audiences in the city with dances that hint loosely and not at russia   or rather his russia with its wealth of pageantry theatricality and history but there is an american sensibility in the mix as well why do his dances even those with a russian tone feel so free so american
george balanchine another st petersburg transplant introduced a jazz sensibility to the classical form in dances like the four temperaments and agon what mr ratmansky brings to ballet is a singular voice unpredictable yet recognizable he uses classical technique but allows it to breathe in the joints   its loose rangy forthright
this season at ballet theater where he has been the artist in residence since 2009 that mingling of the russian and american spirit will be on display in heavy rotation with programming that includes his masterly shostakovich trilogy firebird the stravinsky vehicle that put misty copeland on the map and seven sonatas a subtle luminous ballet set to scarlatti
in june he will present his take on pushkins the golden cockerel inspired by michel fokines 1914 ballets russes production and the season closes with his staging of the sleeping beauty which brings the spirit of marius petipas 1890 choreography to life
but first comes a new ballet to be unveiled at ballet theaters gala on monday may 16 an exploration of love set to and named after leonard bernsteins serenade after platos symposium for mr ratmansky creating a ballet to bernstein   its not his first he has choreographed two versions of the dybbuk   is a chance to pair his choreography not only with an american composer but also one who is synonymous with new york city
i was looking for american music he said when i discovered it i fell in love
the 1954 score according to bernsteins notes is not a literal rendering of platos text but rather a series of related statements in praise of love as mr ratmansky said i dont believe that philosophy can be translated into dance but its about love which is very much part of our field for ballet
in symposium seven men or speakers ruminate on aspects of love a woman diotima about whom socrates speaks appears near the end of the ballet each of the men the dancer calvin royal iii said has an individual voice his he explained is more pensive and lyrical   very introspective its not in any way showy but its expressive and definitely has something deeper and important to say he added i think its unlocked many things in me
and as usual it is physically taxing its a little too ambitious to only have eight dancers for a half an hour of big symphonic music mr ratmansky said so i think theyre all going to die at once
he laughed and added which they always do in my ballets im afraid
at the time of this conversation mr ratmansky was half  finished with the dance its not his favorite place to be as a choreographer i call it mid process crisis he said i cant say more about it because it hasnt taken shape yet
developing his choreographic vision was a process itself born in st petersburg and raised in ukraine he trained at the school of the bolshoi ballet in moscow he performed with the national ballet of ukraine before moving to canada to dance with the royal winnipeg ballet it was there under its artistic director john meehan that he transformed as a dancer performing works by george balanchine frederick ashton jerome robbins and twyla tharp he acquired speed and he said more turnout in the hips he also learned how to push more from the floor for jumps
i did change quite fast i think he said it took a year and then i was completely opposed to the russian school which was not right of course but it was my reaction and then i learned how to see balance good things and less good things on both sides
mr royal who has worked extensively with mr ratmansky over the years described his style as composed of many elements expressive dramatic demanding he said quick feet a very lush port de bras hes always asking us to make his movements look more organic to look more natural but not necessarily at ease its organic in making it seamlessly fit with the music and the people youre dancing with onstage
dancers in a ratmansky piece form a society there is an insistence that they must work together   performing with and for each other to immerse themselves into the perfume of each particular world and its not only the dancers of ballet theater who get to live inside such realms this spring new york city ballet continues performances of his concerto dsch this month and miami city ballet brought his symphonic dances set to rachmaninoff to lincoln center in april
as he considers the season and the prospect of all of his ballets coming at once mr ratmansky is uneasy im scared he said but ill survive
that fear comes in part because of the hours required to prepare his ballets for the stage its a lot of work and it needs to be done precisely with a lot of details he said the commitment is there but details the polish and also he said i worry about the sales   maybe the audience will say its too much of this guy
but the lineup demonstrates the versatility of what mr ratmansky who received his citizenship this year has created while living in the united states he said that he doesnt see himself as any more american now i dont feel ive changed much of course my understanding of ballet is completely different from when i was at school the loosening of the iron curtain as he put it changed much for mr ratmansky we started to get information and that really made a big impact on me he said even now he added i love google books
mr ratmansky may make his home in america but he has something that cant be taken away a kind of russian poetry and a reverence for ballet history his reconstructions of the sleeping beauty and more recently swan lake performed in february by the zurich ballet are just as important in advancing the classical form as his new productions of all his reconstructions he said he has a soft spot for swan lake
mastering the stepanov notation   a system of recording dance that dates to the turn of the 20th century   took time but he said it opened the treasury room for me
he has inserted vintage steps into recent ballets there will be some in his bernstein premiere when i run out of steps that gives me steps he said laughing but i know that petipa did a lot of that and i know balanchine did a lot of that i believe that all choreographers do that petipa presented the works of his predecessors like balanchine did with petipas ballets i dont feel like im stealing something there is a good side to it you have the hand of someone behind you that supports you its a good feeling


last november after the philadelphia orchestra played one land one river one people a quirkily mystical new oratorio by the american jazz classical musician who goes by hannibal the composer bounded onstage for a bow a hulking man with a spray of braids he headed straight for the orchestras music director yannick nezet seguin who at 41 is boyish diminutive and widely considered to be one of the most talented conductors of his generation
hannibal embraced mr nezet seguin and grinning broadly lifted him a few feet in the air the audience went wild mr nezet seguin seemed unembarrassed   even delighted as i watched i asked myself is there another conductor in the world of his skill and stature who could have pulled off the moment
its that sense of charisma and charm he exudes coupled with broad and swiftly developing technical gifts that have brought him to the forefront of his field with james levine now officially retired as the music director of the metropolitan opera much of the speculation about his successor has revolved around mr nezet seguin
there are many reasons to celebrate the possibility of his coming to new york he made his met debut with a galvanizing carmen in 2009   has that opera ever opened so explosively   and in 2013 led a sumptuous la traviata its dramatic twists underlined with grand and sudden shifts of speed
his conducting can be fierce and assertive but as in a 2014 rusalka nuanced too he found subtle echoes of dvoraks haunting door knock motif all over the score most impressive has been the speed of his maturation compare his takes on don carlo in 2010 and 2015 the more recent version was ineffably yet unmistakably deeper as mr nezet seguin did something unusual with the duet for carlo and elisabetta he lightened the orchestral textures making the music seem to emerge from another time and place a profound vehicle for the agony of the characters lost love this was opera conducting on the highest level ill never forget it
but what kind of music director would mr nezet seguin be elsewhere he has led operas from monteverdi to janacek but his work at the met has been squarely in the standard repertory
in philadelphia too where i traveled for a number of performances this season mr nezet seguin has been confident yet his broader intentions his artistic identity has felt vague the philadelphia orchestra is among the most conservative of the major american ensembles while it presents a handful of premieres including one land one river one people those dont seem to define it over the orchestras four concerts at carnegie hall this year just 12 minutes   the length of hk grubers charivari   was devoted to music by living composers
maybe there was not a cultivation enough of whats new he said in a recent telephone conversation of the philadelphia audience before his arrival and when i say new i dont mean just recently composed music but anything off the beaten path its up to me to broaden the spectrum of what they love
when i asked him though which underappreciated composers works or corners of the repertory he might seek to champion   the nezet seguin equivalents of mr levines advocacy for berg marginalized mozart or moses und aron   he seemed slightly at a loss
its still a bit at the beginning he said of his career im still at the stage when i enjoy so much broadening my repertory and the orchestras if someone was someday to say yannick has helped bring back this composer im not sure who it would be
those arent reassuring words from its next music director the met should want a personal passionate vision for the repertory as much as an exciting persona and technical chops well before he was mr nezet seguins age mr levine was already using his power at the met to give for example the company premiere of bergs lulu it was admittedly a very different world back then and a very different more malleable opera house
mr nezet seguin mentioned wanting to be a voice in the concert hall for kurt weill and szymanowski   neither of whom is really lacking for performances these days though weills brooding second symphony had never been done in philadelphia before he led it there he also mentioned that when he ran a baroque ensemble in his early days in montreal he programmed unfamiliar helpings of zelenka the overlooked czech master but for better or i think worse he would not arrive at the met with an agenda particularly in modern and contemporary music
part of the problem   but its not entirely a problem   is that he has seemed more keen to fit his repertory to the needs of his ensembles than to mold orchestras in his likeness the rotterdam philharmonic of which hes been principal conductor since 2008 was previously led by valery gergiev who emphasized his native russian music
i felt the orchestra needed from me a certain level of refinement to the sound mr nezet seguin said so the french repertory was just suited to what they needed the discipline the lower dynamics and in the past few years we are again doing russian repertory but with this added palette
in philadelphia where he has been music director since 2012 there was the opposite issue the orchestra had been fed a steady diet of french music and mr nezet seguin wanting to get back to the ensembles signature rich sustained sound thought that strauss mahler and bruckner were the thing to begin with only next season will he really bring the players back to major french works
its not to revolutionize the orchestra he said speaking generally of how he envisions a directors proper role its to take the institution see what it means evaluate it from inside
the results i witnessed in philadelphia this season have been well executed   and even on occasion idiosyncratic mr nezet seguin led a lovely poignantly restrained messiah this winter that was creamier and gentler than the crisp sharp norm these days
but the met doesnt suffer from the kind of stylistic imbalance that he observed when he started in rotterdam or philadelphia it is mr levines great achievement that his ensemble is at this point largely faultless whether its playing handel or nico muhly
were mr nezet seguin to join the company it would be an event worth applauding his performances are exciting and thoughtful and he would be an energetic peerlessly personable advocate for the company   and for opera but while his geniality and ability both seem nearly endless the met and mr nezet seguin would do well   now not once hes begun   to think carefully about his vision about what he would bring to the job that no one else could
the guidance now required in new york is broader a question less of reviving a tradition or recalibrating a sound than of managing the direction of an entire art form mr nezet seguin would doubtless give us memorable takes on otello is that enough


new york a city dominated by high rents and short attention spans can be dangerous for small pizzerias that specialize in the humble slice vinnies about 200 steps from the bedford avenue stop on the l train in williamsburg brooklyn thrives by selling colorful pizzas designed for customers who post pictures of their food on social media before they take a bite
for such a small pizzeria vinnies has an outsize online footprint it is home to the photogenic mini vinnie a slice covered in tiny pizza slices that caught the internets attention last year on the day that the supreme court ruled that same sex marriage was a right vinnies created a rainbow slice when prince died a purple rain slice with violet hued cheese was on the menu
on a recent afternoon a woman walked into the tiny dining room smartphone at the ready her eyes landed on something intriguing a pizza box fashioned out of pizza crust the creation features a small pepperoni pie nestled between a base of sicilian crust pizza and a lid of garlicky naan like bread
i saw this on social media she said
another curious diner joined her snapping photos nearby one of the pizzerias owners sean berthiaume 35 beamed like a proud father the pizza with an edible pizza box costs 40 and vinnies has sold over 100 since posting the first photo of it on social media in late april
it sounds like the kind of creation dreamed up in a stoner haze but mr berthiaume said his goal was to reduce the number of pizza boxes piled up around the neighborhood as for the inspiration he added that he may be the only person in williamsburg who doesnt smoke marijuana
my dad says im getting residuals he said
in 2007 mr berthiaume and two friends jacob petrera and henrik toncic borrowed from relatives and pooled money to buy the pizzeria for 150000 from a police officer who preferred to sit at the counter and smoke cigars as for the original vinnie whoever he was hes been out of the picture for decades mr berthiaume said the pizzeria hasnt changed much from those days the no frills red booths the black and white photographs and even the trash can are holdovers
the new owners quickly extended the pizzerias hours into the early morning and overhauled the menu they focused on maintaining the existing clientele by selling new york classics like meatball ricotta as well as attracting a new type of regular customer by introducing gluten free options and dozens of nondairy meat free recipes vegan fare accounts for about a quarter of all sales mr berthiaume said by their third year in business the friends had paid their relatives back in 2010 they opened another vinnies nearby in greenpoint
it doesnt look like a quote unquote vegan spot which i like said juliane casey 27 who works in events marketing she completed her meal   a vegan version of a macaroni and cheese slice and a vegan barbecue chicken slice   by posting a photo on instagram
the things i miss the most are pizza and mac and cheese she said of eating a vegan diet when i see it on the menu it feels like they care about you
the internets affection is welcome but it doesnt pay the rent so vinnies owners focus on building relationships with their regulars a mix of tourists and locals often in the neighborhood uniform of black leather and ray bans who flood the tiny dining room during the evening rush
brian pramberger 27 works in advertising and has been coming to williamsburg since he was a teenager back when many of the bars were lax about asking for id
i would go out of my way to stop here mr pramberger said it holds up


beside the dead sea israel   at sunrise the sky and the water seemed metallic silver blue the color of speed a sign along highway 90 said lowest place on earth
yannis pitsiladis scientist and provocateur had come here for the same reason that pilgrims wheezing with bronchitis and emphysema have headed to this low altitude divide between israel and jordan he had come for the oxygen
a quarter mile below sea level at the dead sea where the barometric pressure is high there is about 5 percent more oxygen to breathe the naturally enriched air had been shown to increase exercise capacity in those with chronic lung disease would it do the same pitsiladis wondered for the worlds fastest distance runners
carrying a hand held barometer and mapping elevation shifts in the terrain with his smartphone he had arrived on a scouting mission for a quixotic project he wanted to redefine the limits of human endurance by training a man to run a marathon in less than two hours without the use of performance enhancing drugs
the sub2 project as it is called is an attempt at the extraordinary   to reduce by nearly three minutes the world record of 2 hours 2 minutes 57 seconds set at the 2014 berlin marathon by dennis kimetto of kenya a marathoner breaking the two hour barrier would finish more than six tenths of a mile ahead of kimetto a veritable eternity in distance running
some consider the goal impossible many are suspicious because of widespread doping in track and field and almost no one considers the feat achievable anytime soon
in some ways a goal of two hours is as arbitrary as the distance of the marathon itself 26 miles 385 yards established at the 1908 london olympics in part to accommodate viewing by the british royal family but round numbers lend clarity to accomplishment to run under two hours without the use of banned drugs would be to set a record that would stand with the four minute mile as an ultimate test of human stamina
a 15959 marathon would require a searing pace of 4 minutes 34 seconds per mile seven seconds faster than the pace of the current world record it would require 85 to 90 percent of a runners maximum aerobic capacity   twice the capacity of an average man   and a sustained heart rate of about 160 to 170 beats per minute the typical resting rate is 60 to 100 beats per minute
what excites me is understanding the limits of human performance said pitsiladis 48 a leading antidoping expert with the international olympic committee and a professor of sport and exercise science at the university of brighton in england what can man do
pitsiladis had flown overnight to israel from ethiopia taking his usual window seat and feeling somewhat less panicked with a place near the wing and a view of the jets engine he was terrified of flying even though he had often traveled more than 200 days a year his sleep mask remained perched on his forehead after takeoff his breathing growing heavy and nervous
the only way i can get on a plane is a bottle of wine pitsiladis said half jokingly after another flight i think im going to die throughout
on this early morning in february he was safely on the ground again riding in a rental car fueled with coffee and certainty in the face of skepticism and indifference
corporate sponsors had so far been reluctant to commit anything near the 30 million that pitsiladis figured the sub2 project would cost
sponsors are telling me its too good to be true he said like man going to mars
the disbelief did not make him waver unlike many sports scientists pitsiladis sees value not risk in throwing out provocative ideas even if they turn out to be incorrect
science is a process of doubting and experimentation said peter weyand of southern methodist university in dallas who is the biomechanics expert for the sub2 project
its a process of disproving weyand said yannis is a good example of someone willing to take a leap of faith and put out hypotheses that challenge conventional wisdom and doing it in a way that im not going to be shy about the potential backlash im not going to feel like a failure as a scientist thats important its partly how science moves forward
with times becoming faster and faster most sports scientists believe a two hour marathon is a matter of when not if since 1998 the world record in the marathon has dropped by a precipitous 3 minutes 8 seconds
michael joyner a researcher at the mayo clinic predicted in 1991 that it was possible to finish in 15758 but numerous experts predicted that two hours would not be breached until 2028 or 2035 or even 2041
pitsiladis considered these forecasts to be overly conservative he started his sub2 project in late 2014 with a website fund raising and the recruitment of scientists he believed his goal could be achieved by the end of 2019   years earlier than commonly thought possible
his consortium of scientists would use the latest knowledge   and develop cutting edge approaches   in nutrition biomechanics genetics running efficiency training race strategy and sports medicine to deliver a sub two hour marathon incremental gains here and there the scientists believed could add up to a startling accomplishment and perhaps new technology and knowledge would emerge for broader benefits as when man raced toward the moon
the sub2 experts would use data to confront habit tradition consensus they would tailor training programs to individuals employing science to help runners from ethiopia and kenya and elsewhere who had had fantastic performances using little science they would challenge everything people thought they knew about distance running   how to train and even whether to wear shoes
we know nothing about the science of training pitsiladis said i really mean nothing when i say that people get really upset
lots of energy was the way fellow scientists invariably described pitsiladis he is youthful handsome outspoken viewed as charming by supporters and arrogant by some detractors he dresses casually in jeans and running tights and is sometimes scattered as he juggles academic projects
he has about him a sense of the dramatic the frenetic his words sprint forth with a fast twitch urgency ideas foam as if from a chemistry class volcano
at a tedx talk in cyprus in november about the future pitsiladis cornered a london designer ryan genz who specializes in wearable technology genz had made a dress that accepted sim cards and allowed users to make and receive calls as well as a dress that could display twitter messages
pitsiladis said he wanted to develop intelligent clothing for running that would provide information in real time sweat composition heart rate breathing rate body temperature this data could be flashed on television screens as if the runners were formula one racecars perhaps nanotechnology embedded in the clothing could also cool or warm the body as necessary
we want to bring the race into the living room and have the garments contribute to the outcomes we get pitsiladis said
over all pitsiladiss research is meant to explore and possibly buck the received wisdom of the running world
many elite marathoners for instance run about 120 miles a week in training but there was little science to support that regimen pitsiladis said perhaps 75 miles a week would work just as well for many runners   or maybe any reasonable training program would
a popular training method is known as live high train low by living at a higher altitude athletes stimulate the production of red blood cells to compensate for the lower level of oxygen in the air by training at or near sea level they are able to maintain the intensity of their workouts because more oxygen is available
live high train low is supported by some evidence but pitsiladis is not fully convinced of its efficacy saying i would bet you its wrong and that whats better is live high and train higher as perhaps the two greatest distance runners in history   haile gebrselassie and kenenisa bekele of ethiopia   often did
it may not work but lets try it and see what happens pitsiladis added
pitsiladis wanted to explore training at various altitudes from the oxygen enriched dead sea to 5500 feet to 11500 feet or even 13000 feet he could provide supplemental oxygen during training if needed perhaps the body would be stimulated to produce even more red blood cells at the higher altitudes and the brain might adapt to those enervating and hypoxic workouts producing faster race results at sea level
its almost the equivalent of running with weights on your feet and then you take the weights off and you can fly pitsiladis said
as a doctoral student pitsiladis experimented with giving runners a pint of heavy cream as a prerace meal the idea was to use fat and help delay the depletion of carbohydrates the bodys main fuel source during high intensity exercise
but pitsiladis had come to believe that a two hour marathon might be best achieved by bombarding the system with glucose
for instance owen anderson a consultant to the sub2 project who coached elite kenyan road runners in michigan gave his athletes eight to 10 ounces of a sports drink about 10 minutes before a race to get accustomed to a bloated feeling they drank more during competition to further get accustomed to an uncomfortable feeling in the stomach the runners sometimes practiced by eating ugali a kenyan porridge or cabbage before training
my runners can eat a sichuan chinese dinner before they run anderson said jokingly
against convention pitsiladis theorized that the second half of a two hour marathon would be run faster not slower than the first half as runners burn fuel and become lighter during a race he said they should become more economical needing less oxygen to maintain a certain speed
when runners drank pitsiladis believed they could shave precious seconds by squeezing fluid from a bag instead of opening a bottle as elite runners do on the course and perhaps he said they needed to drink little or nothing in the second half of a two hour marathon
instead they might rinse their mouths with a carbohydrate solution and spit it out research showed the brain could be tricked into believing that more carbs were on the way thus inducing the muscles to work harder
pitsiladis and his sub2 colleagues also wanted to explore basic questions what is the optimal running form much was known about the biomechanics of sprinting but little about distance running
marathoners run with more variable strides than sprinters said weyand the biomechanist but there is probably an ideal pattern for minimizing energy costs and reducing or delaying fatigue
i dont think the prospect of coming down a minute for an elite male is unreasonable with a form intervention based on what we know now weyand said and it might be more
even some of the greatest runners however doubted that a two hour marathon was possible could the body have enough carbohydrate fuel to run that far that fast would the brain slow the legs for self preservation
i cant say its possible said bekele the ethiopian star a three time olympic champion on the track whom pitsiladis enlisted for the sub2 project with the hope in the face of fits and starts from the runner that he could one day test some of his theories on him
for me its impossible maybe bekele said you never know maybe in 10 years time there is a different thing maybe somebody creates a new technology
doping scandals have also left the running world a far more cynical place than it was in 1954 when roger bannister of england broke the four minute barrier in the mile
forty kenyans have tested positive for banned substances in recent years ethiopia has also been rattled by doping and russia has been barred from international track and field competition which might extend to the 2016 olympics in rio de janeiro
lamine diack of senegal a former president of tracks world governing body is accused of having taken more than 1 million in bribes to cover up positive drug tests by russian athletes he remains under investigation by the french authorities
i no longer believe we should be pushing the pace to reach a two hour marathon said mary wittenberg a former race director of the new york city marathon and an influential voice in international distance running
i think at a period in this sports history where doping has become a real concern that we should do everything we can to go back to racing and competition and not superhuman feats wittenberg said you put a lot of incentive on time with money and glory i think it can heighten the risk that somebody might cheat
ross tucker an exercise physiologist from south africa who has studied elite runners wrote perhaps the most stinging rebuttal to the aims of the sub2 project tucker said pitsiladis and his team had overpromised what science could achieve in trying to produce a 24 percent drop in the fastest marathon time by 2019
east africans already receive top coaching and scientific advice and have decades of experience and huge economic incentives to inspire their performances tucker wrote on sportsscientistscom when the sub2 project began these runners he wrote laugh at westerners for their heart rate monitors and gadgets because they understand their bodies so well already
unless an entirely new population of runners is discovered tucker wrote only unrestricted technology like doping or springs in shoes is likely to produce a two hour marathon in pitsiladiss time frame
this is a pr marketing issue dealing with the translation of science and its sale to the sports world tucker wrote i just dont think its helpful
others have wondered whether great scientific advances are even necessary for a groundbreaking marathon andy jones a member of the sub2 consortium said two hours might be within reach today by gathering a group of the worlds top marathoners paying them hefty appearance fees and time bonuses and improving drafting to reduce aerodynamic drag
i think probably the talent is there said jones a physiologist at the university of exeter in england i dont think we necessarily change anybodys training i think the best shot is to get them all together in the best possible conditions working together and have the right investment package to make it happen
pitsiladis called tucker an armchair professor and felt he could help allay suspicions about drug use
the number of athletes using banned substances at the higher levels of marathon running is probably very high pitsiladis conceded but if anyone can help curb doping he said he can
pitsiladis is a member of the international olympic committees medical and scientific commission and he is at the forefront of creating the next generation of drug tests for the blood booster known as epo by detecting its lingering fingerprint on genes all runners who participate in the sub2 project must submit to an expanded regimen of blood and urine testing conducted independently
i want to beat those on drugs pitsiladis said adding i want to say in a sense yes drugs have been taken but not by my athletes and ive just smashed the two hour barrier without them it breaks the argument im going to use drugs because it works more than science
the sub2 project is not pitsiladiss first voyage into doubt and the unknown he is an adventurer in a family of adventurers
after world war ii his father tony left greece as an 11 year old sailing with strangers to a new life in australia the elder pitsiladis later regaled his son with exotic stories serving as an extra in the apocalyptic 1959 movie on the beach starring gregory peck talking his way into the vip stand at the 1956 melbourne olympics
yannis pitsiladiss own life has been peripatetic evident in his greek ancestry his south african accent his advanced degrees obtained in scotland and england he broke his chin as a teenager while diving for a ball in an attempt to become an olympic caliber volleyball player for greece if he did not have the genes for volleyball he joked he did have the dna for perseverance
i tell him all the time slow down one day you are going to fall over said jos hermens a dutch olympian in 1976 and a manager for a number of the worlds top marathon runners who is helping to fund the sub2 project
over the past 16 years pitsiladis has traveled from jamaica to east africa to collect dna samples from about 1000 olympic and world champions and other stars in various sports he believes in the primacy of genes in influencing athletic ability choose your parents well he likes to say in speeches
but he also considers the dominance of kenyan and ethiopian distance running to be largely due to cultural and socioeconomic factors in other words he said genes need the proper environment to thrive
at his tedx talk in cyprus pitsiladis described a study of his that found kenyan children engaged in 170 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity a day compared with 20 to 40 minutes for europeans
life was a kind of sport for ethiopians and kenyans pitsiladis said as they walked and ran long distances in a pastoral lifestyle
with a grant of 500000 from the japanese government the sub2 consortium plans to begin sequencing the genomes of all the champions whose dna pitsiladis has collected
the ideal scenario is that most of them or all of them would have a number of gene variants that are very rare in the population pitsiladis said adding we know genes are important we just dont know which ones they are
he wants to begin developing individualized training regimens based not simply on how a runner felt on a particular day but on the response of his biomarkers
what genes switched on and off when he reached the level of exercise intensity known as lactate threshold what genes signaled the production of red blood cells or flashed like a red light at a railroad crossing signaling dehydration or muscle damage
we could say when training is going well the biomarkers are in this zone so lets let him loose pitsiladis said or when they deviate from that damage could occur so lets hold him back or not take him to a race no one is doing that
there is relatively meager funding for sports science especially compared with biomedical research pitsiladis has sometimes spent his own money on his projects at one point his genetics research was sponsored by an indian restaurant in glasgow
the personal cost was high too he was consumed by his work his marriage crumbled he divorced he blamed himself
imagine your wife if youre remortgaging the house to pay for your work pitsiladis said i think shell throw you out
but his former wife mariny kapsali and his two teenage children recently moved back in with him and are supportive of his sub2 project
i worry that yannis set the bar too high said kapsali 48 a pharmacological researcher but no doesnt mean no to him if there is a problem he wont stop until he solves it
the dead sea held intriguing potential as a place to train and race highway 90 on the israeli side is mostly flat so are earthen dikes that cross the sea the coolest times of day in january and february are near what pitsiladis figured would be an ideal racing temperature   about 46 to 48 degrees   so runners would not be wasting energy to cool their bodies
its a bit warmer than we want pitsiladis said but the added oxygen benefit from being below sea level might give us an advantage
average healthy men along with well trained runners and cyclists had improved their performances when given oxygen enriched air in a laboratory but no one had done field studies on the worlds fastest marathon runners pitsiladis said
he speculated that the top kenyans and ethiopians who dominate marathon running might benefit doubly at the dead sea they have greater oxygen carrying capacity from living and training at altitude and they would have more oxygen to breathe below sea level they could stress muscles in a way that would not be possible at higher altitudes and would presumably be able to run faster while perceiving less exertion
the runners also might be able to correct a condition observed in some highly trained athletes known as exercise induced arterial hypoxemia top marathoners have such vast cardiac output   they are able to circulate their blood seven or eight times a minute through the lungs pitsiladis said   that while running at top speeds at or near sea level some have experienced a decrease in oxygen saturation in their red blood cells
not all elite athletes get that pitsiladis said but some do typically its the better ones
he compared the hypoxemia to a bus traveling so fast that passengers did not have time to climb aboard and fill all the seats
this place may really help correct that he said because there is more oxygen coming in
above the sea in this biblical landscape cliffs at the edge of the judean desert flared red and then became as tawny as lions pitsiladis spoke excitedly he would have to bring top athletes here and conduct the proper experiments of course but he was encouraged by possibility
we can come and do training and racing in an environment like this and this is probably the best place on the planet to do it pitsiladis said
the temperature in winter could be accommodating and theres more oxygen than anywhere else and its flat he added what else do you want
at dusk at the dead sea the sky turned the blue and orange of a gas flame marathoners are accustomed to racing in the morning but some research suggested that athletes might perform slightly better in the late afternoon when body temperature and hormone levels peak muscles become more flexible and lung function is enhanced
pitsiladis had one final mission on his scouting trip a run of five or six miles along dikes that jutted into the sea bordering vast ponds where minerals were extracted
the wind could be strong in this area crossing highway 90 from the desert an attempt to set a course record with elite runners at the 2007 dead sea half marathon was blown off course perhaps it would be calmer on the water perhaps that would be the place to run a race
the wind persisted on this february day and tiny ridges of salt on the berms made finding ones footing a bit tricky but the ridges could be covered up pitsiladis said perhaps screens could shield the wind if the best runners gathered here to try to break two hours they would not be bound by a strict starting time as they were at marathons in big cities the race could be postponed for a day or two until the conditions approached ideal
the dead sea might also be a place to experiment further with satellite technology which pitsiladis had tested at the dubai marathon in the united arab emirates measuring the ground temperature of each section of the course in real time he recently obtained 30 small thermometers that runners could swallow to record their temperatures throughout a race
i want to be able to link the land temperature to the body temperature pitsiladis said what effect does it have
information could be relayed to a runner he said perhaps by someone following on a motorcycle who could advise around the corner its cool so push it more or its hotter slow down
all of these ideas are speculative but they speak to pitsiladiss pursuit of innovation and his refusal to surrender to orthodoxy
yannis is very good at questioning the common wisdom said barry fudge a former doctoral student of his who is the head of endurance for the british track and field federation at this juncture most people would be like no no no youve got to be crazy well yannis is crazy enough to do it
part 2 a partnership full of operatic uncertainty produces valuable insights


it did not look good for anthony d weiner
campaigning in a brooklyn bakery during his ill fated 2013 comeback bid for new york city mayor mr weiner   he of sexting scandal fame   was caught on tape hurling insults at an unhappy voter reporters pounced mr weiner after weeks of brutal coverage had finally become unhinged
but the candidate was holding an ace josh kriegman a former aide and aspiring filmmaker who had persuaded mr weiner to let him tag along camera in hand for the entirety of the campaign his microphone picked up what television crews had not the voter sneeringly referring to mr weiners muslim wife as an arab
the campaign distributed the footage to news outlets prompting corrections and even an on air mea culpa from jon stewart we were happy to correct the record mr kriegman recalled
now mr kriegmans careful chronicling of mr weiners campaign is poised to prompt a much broader reassessment of a tabloid tarred politician weiner a feature length documentary by mr kriegman and elyse steinberg will be released on may 20 amid one of the most contentious presidential elections in memory and it may be the most intimate and provocative portrait of a political race since the war room
mr weiner   whose moth to the flame instinct toward exposure led in part to his resignation from congress in 2011 after admitting he had lied about online liaisons with women   granted extraordinary access to mr kriegman in exchange for the occasional use of his footage during the campaign the filmmaker agreed to step out of the room whenever mr weiner asked
and yet there is mr kriegman in the back of a sport utility vehicle filming as mr weiner tries to persuade his wife huma abedin to appear at a primary night party where sydney leathers mr weiners erstwhile sexting partner is lurking outside mr kriegman is inside the couples apartment at breakfast time as ms abedin a frozen smile on her face confides to the camera that she is living a nightmare
there are startling moments of mr weiner analyzing his own transgressions he calls them the things and facing teary eyed staff members hours after mr weiners campaign is stricken by revelations of new online infidelities the film finds husband and wife alone in a conference room staring at each other for what may be the longest and most painful onscreen marital silence this side of an ingmar bergman film
the door closes and im filming and im riveted by whats happening mr kriegman recalled in an interview last month but im definitely thinking to myself i cant believe im standing here right now
he almost never got the chance mr kriegman had known mr weiner for years serving as chief of staff in his district office after a decade in politics he began pursuing a film career earning credits on mtv and pbs he and ms steinberg who are both 36 and previously collaborated on a documentary about prison reform came to view mr weiner as an ideal subject
he was reduced to a character and a punch line and we felt that there was a more complex story to be told said ms steinberg whose last documentary examined the trial of saddam hussein mr weiner she added brought the appeal of an almost shakespearean figure intense self awareness real insight and then complete blindness
for two years mr kriegman pestered and mr weiner resisted unwilling to commit so the filmmaker was surprised to receive a text message in 2013 im running he recalled mr weiner writing do you want to come with a camera
by several accounts mr weiner unilaterally made the decision to be filmed the fact that mr kriegman occasionally shared his footage with the candidate seemed like an acceptable trade according to patricia aufderheide a professor at american university in washington who has written extensively on the ethics of documentary filmmaking
there will be some kind of quid pro quo ms aufderheide said whether you want to or not as a documentary filmmaker you are going to have a relationship with your subject
mr kriegman spent five months shadowing the candidate generating 400 hours of footage the witty editing by eli despres took 10 months with the movies crew communicating with him over skype
at times the proceedings resemble a particularly painful episode of curb your enthusiasm with the wisecracking cant help himself protagonist sinking deeper and deeper into a quicksand of his own making
the comparison was not lost on the filmmakers who said they frequently discussed the parallels between larry david and mr weiner it feels good to see somebody unapologetic for who they are mr kriegman said in curb your enthusiasm it goes off the rails and causes all kinds of problems but we still admire his willingness to do that mr weiner and mr davids character share another trait ms steinberg added he doesnt seem to be destroyed by what might destroy other people
what mr weiner makes of the finished product is a mystery i havent seen it and therefore i have nothing to say about it mr weiner said when contacted for this article the filmmakers say he rebuffed their offer to view a copy
the film won the grand jury documentary prize at sundance where it had its premiere weeks before the iowa caucuses the presence of ms abedin a high ranking aide to hillary clinton known for her discretion added to the buzz and the film is likely to make another splash in the political world when it is shown on television in october by showtime
in reality mr weiner will probably find a lot to like his skills as a retail politician are on full display energizing parade goers and exchanging lopsided grins with subway riders who flash him a thumbs up mr kriegman captures mr weiner winning over a hostile crowd in the bronx a scene so stirring that at the time the campaign requested mr kriegmans footage and distributed it to supporters
mr weiner is portrayed as eager to focus on substance but the film omits less savory details about his career like his lack of accomplishments in congress where he had a reputation for rage
a lot of people have seen this film and come to us and said i dont necessarily love him or think hes a hero exactly but hes so much more complex and nuanced and human than i would have thought mr kriegman said usually theres a fierce debate   i like him i hate him   and thats what we were hoping for
suffused with cable news clips and the screaming covers of tabloids the film offers an implicit critique of a political culture dominated by spectacle yet it also presents mr weiner as a creature of that world even as he is undone by it
he was hopeful that there might be another version of the story that could be told mr kriegman said of mr weiners cooperation when the scandal resurfaced that motivation and that need   the importance of having a camera in the room to tell a bigger more nuanced complex version of the story   somehow became even more important
or as mr weiner tells the filmmaker in a closing scene i hope that its more than just a punch line kind of thing i want it just to be viewed as the full person that i was


a villa on the dominican republics north coast
1275300
this three bedroom three and a half bath house called casa de cana after the type of palm used in its roof is on the countrys north coast in the town of cabrera which has a population of about 25000 its in a lush secluded area said jennifer cabot one of the owners whose primary home is on the island of nantucket in massachusetts
a winding road leads to the property which sits on two and a third acres the 3700 square foot house built in 2010 is made up of three pavilions that are connected by open air walkways
an antique mahogany door gives way to the central pavilion which has the living room dining room and kitchen the decor of the living room includes surfboards affixed to the walls indonesian style daybeds and african textiles the kitchen has a 48 inch viking range and double oven the wall closest to the ocean is made of multiple bifold glass doors that lead to a terrace as soon as you walk in the front door its just ocean everywhere you almost feel like youre on the bow of a big boat ms cabot said
to the left of the central pavilion as you face the ocean a raised outdoor walkway leads to the master bedroom pavilion which has an oceanfront terrace and an en suite bath with two showers one combined with the bathtub is inside and the other is outdoors to the right of the central pavilion a walkway leads to the third pavilion with two bedrooms each having a terrace and an en suite bath the house is being sold furnished
walls floors and the kitchen counters of the house are made of concrete the palm roof has weatherproofing beneath the leaves for electricity the property relies on solar power and a backup generator
the property has a swimming pool and a rocky area of the shoreline reached by stairs where swimming is sometimes possible ms cabot said adding that the water there is often rough there is also a detached garage the current staff of six includes a cook and two security guards their salaries paid by rental income from the house ms cabot said
the area is less developed than the countrys south ms cabot said cabrera has banks supermarkets restaurants and medical facilities playa grande a five minute drive has two high end resorts amanera and the playa grande beach club samana el catey international airport is approximately an hours drive and the international airport in puerto plata is about an hour and 40 minutes away
market overview
the dominican republics real estate market has not yet fully recovered from the 2008 global financial crisis agents said but cesar herrera gutierrez the president and chief executive of provaltur international the exclusive affiliate for christies international real estate in the dominican republic which has this listing said prices for top luxury homes are stable and in some cases have begun to rise he defined these homes as being in the top 1 percent of their local markets and typically having an asking price of at least 5 million
the bottom has been hit and now up it goes mr herrera gutierrez said of the market for those most exclusive properties for properties priced between about 1 million and 5 million its a buyers market with stable prices that are often negotiable he said
mr herrera gutierrez said that the prices per square foot of luxury homes in the dominican republic are among the lowest in the caribbean supply is ample he added
the dominican republic is a second home market for north americans so its performance is tied to the united states and canadian economies said sandy parekh an owner of remax coral bay realty the volume of luxury transactions has picked up by about 10 percent in the last year but it is certainly nowhere near 2008 that trend also holds true for the general market he said
luxury home buyers want properties in gated beachfront developments and with amenities like security restaurants and utilities included in a membership fee agents said punta cana casa de campo cap cana and sosua are desirable
the lower end of the luxury market begins at around 100 per square foot and reaches around 420 per square foot for a prime oceanfront home mr parekh said the highest priced home he knows of is listed at 25 million but typically listings do not top 5 million in the north and 9 million in the south mr parekh added
who buys in the dominican republic
mr parekh said most of his clients come from north america because they are familiar with the remax brand there has been a slight drop in the number of canadian buyers recently and an increase in the number of united states expatriates moving from the bahamas turks and caicos and bermuda which have a higher cost of living he said
mr parekh said that as a rough estimate 30 to 50 percent of homeowners in luxury developments are dominican foreigners are split evenly between buying for retirement and for vacation he added
mr herrera gutierrez said that in the last six to eight months he has seen rising interest from europeans he has been working recently with prospective buyers from germany switzerland the netherlands poland spain and italy he said
buying basics
home sales in the dominican republic are handled by a lawyer who customarily charges 1 percent of the purchase price said alfredo guzman saladin a partner with guzman ariza a law firm with offices throughout the country each party hires its own lawyer services of a notary for authenticating signatures before the title transfer are usually included in the attorney fee he said a new law mandates progressive notary fees but its application is being disputed in court he added
aside from those fees the buyer also pays a title transfer tax which is 3 percent of the propertys government appraised value
the dominican republic does not have a stamp duty unlike many other caribbean countries the seller pays the real estate agents commission
mr guzman saladin urges buyers to ensure their lawyer performs due diligence this includes in particular checking that the propertys title is clean meaning that there are no title liens mortgages or third party rights and that it is definite meaning that its boundaries have been accurately surveyed he also recommends checking for tax liens
parties can choose their preferred currency transactions for high end properties whether buyers are local or foreign are typically done in united states dollars mr guzman saladin said
websites
cabrera tourism gocabreracom
english language newspaper dominicantodaycom
dominican republic tourism godominicanrepubliccom
language and currency
spanish dominican peso 1  46 pesos
taxes and fees
property taxes on this house are 1500 per year ms cabot said
contact
cesar herrera gutierrez provaltur international 829 473 0000 provalturcom


new orleans
what a greek revival with five bedrooms and five and a half bathrooms
how much 3050000
size 5150 square feet
price per square foot 592
setting this 1850 greek revival is on a corner lot in the touro bouligny section of uptown new orleans a block from the citys historic garden district st charles avenue a picturesque thoroughfare of live oaks and early 20th century mansions traversed by streetcar is four blocks north restaurants bars cafes and boutiques are one block south along magazine street the mardi gras parade route runs nearby too the citys central business district and adjoining french quarter are a few miles away
indoors the center hall house has been updated over the last eight years inside and out the renovations were a collaboration between davis lee jahncke jr an architect and grace w kaynor an interior designer and an owner of sotre a furnishings store
the interior retains its original wide plank pine floors and marble fireplaces as well as floor to ceiling guillotine or double hung windows in most of the common areas room proportions are grand with ceilings measuring up to 13 feet complemented by chandelier lighting and plaster ceiling medallions switch plates are by forbes  lomax while doorknobs are vintage amethyst glass all part of what mrs kaynor calls jewelry for the house molding is a mix of plaster and wood most of the interior doors are salvage
in addition to formal living and dining rooms common areas include a library a family room and a latticework sitting room with a checkered marble floor a glass door under an arched transom opens to the garden all of the common rooms are wired for sound with built in ceiling speakers
the kitchen is a bright open space with a colorful patterned concrete tile floor custom designed the stainless steel appliances are by viking and ge profile
the master suite is on the main level its barrier free bathroom has a walk in shower the other bedrooms are upstairs each with an en suite bathroom one with two walk in closets one of the bedrooms is in a guest suite with a separate kitchen a living area and a private entrance the guest suite may be legally rented
outdoor space the lot is about a quarter acre with a saltwater pool a gazebo and a trellised sitting area surrounded by herb and vegetable beds
taxes approximately 14000 a year
contact janet favrot coldwell banker tec realtors 504 615 0813 coldwellbankerpreviewscom

big sky mont
what a contemporary with five bedrooms and five and a half baths on 37 acres
how much 2950000
size 6572 square feet
price per square foot 449
setting big sky is an unincorporated rural area in southwestern montana surrounded by the gallatin national forest and not far from yellowstone national park known for its wilderness the area is crisscrossed with trails for hiking biking and horseback riding there are blue ribbon trout fishing in the gallatin river and skiing at big sky resort which is about eight miles from this house the area has a few small markets and a new hospital bozeman is about 44 miles away
indoors the two story house was built in 1984 a wood stone and glass structure with rough cut rock walls and walls of windows facing lone peak the design is a contemporary riff on a western lodge
the great room has a wood burning rock fireplace a pitched ceiling and a wall of glass rising nearly 20 feet facing lone peak it opens to a deck the sleek kitchen features a built in toaster in the countertop the view here faces east for morning sun the refrigerator is a sub zero floors throughout are either a light colored wood or slate while the walls are covered in woven grass making it easier to hang and change artwork
three bedrooms are on the main level and two are downstairs on the walkout lower level all have en suite bathrooms and four open to private porches or patios the master has two bathrooms joined by a steam shower the suite also has a cedar paneled room with a hot tub
the lower level also has a family room with a wet bar a large rock wall fireplace and a wall of windows a tower rising from the entry level contains a darkroom as well as an upstairs office overlooking the countryside
outdoor space the 37 acre property is mostly meadow and sagebrush it has a riding ring and about 1500 feet of frontage on the west fork of the gallatin river regular visitors include elk bighorn sheep and moose
taxes 14920 a year
contact tallie lancey big sky sothebys international realty 406 600 8081 reallybigskycom

lenox mass
what a compound with a converted 19th century carriage house and a guesthouse for a total of nine bedrooms five full bathrooms and two half baths
how much 2500000
size 7258 square feet total with 5670 square feet in the main house
price per square foot 344
setting lenox is a town in the hilly wooded berkshires region of western massachusetts about two and a half hours west of boston the area is known both as an arts colony and a place for high end relaxation home to the berkshire theater group shakespeare  company and the tanglewood music festival as well as the kripalu center for yoga  health a canyon ranch spa and the cranwell spa  golf resort this compound is on nearly 22 acres about a mile from the center of town
indoors the main house was once the carriage house for a much larger estate a stone and brick structure with a shingled roof it dates to 1894 and was converted to a residence in the 1970s with the last updates done within the past 10 years
the structure is built into a slope with a great room on the entry level and a guest suite on the lower level with a separate entrance the great room has a soaring wood ceiling a wide brick fireplace and walls of glass reaching about 20 feet stairs lead to a small loft with skylights most interior wood is original including floors and structural posts throughout
running the length of the great room is a greenhouse like room with a pitched glass ceiling and a hexagonal tiled floor reached via glass doors the kitchens stainless steel appliances were updated during renovations
three of the bedrooms are on the entry level the master is part of a suite with a dressing room and a full bathroom one of the other bedrooms is a suite too three more bedrooms are on the lower level which has a living area a kitchen and in a former horse stall a dining room
the guesthouse has three bedrooms and is of the same vintage as the carriage house it has front and back porches theres also a free standing studio with a loft once used as a storage barn
outdoor space the property is 2186 level acres it has a tennis court and a half basketball court as well as a pond
taxes approximately 20450 a year
contact patrice melluzzo and dawn farley william pitt sothebys international realty 413 446 1146  413 429 7133 williampittcom


jean nev   the vast desert around this tiny road stop town has tantalized artists for at least a couple thousand years ancient petroglyphs of lizards and unidentifiable creatures dot canyon walls to the northeast in 1962 jean tinguely staged study for an end of the world no 2 in which he detonated junk sculptures with explosives that he and niki de saint phalle had carefully assembled in their room at the flamingo hotel in las vegas up the road and six years later michael heizer created one of his first earth works here a zigzag trench incised like an abstract painting into the surface of a dry lake bed
the other day looking from a great distance on interstate 15 toward the same lake bed a few pinpoints of brightness were visible neon anomalies against the dun colored scrubland upon approach the points quickly grew bigger brighter weirder like a roadside attraction made by an atomically enlarged infant   seven totem pole stacks of limestone boulders the rocks painted in kool aid shades so intense they were sometimes hard to look at in the full sunlight
stacking stones is such a universal impulse an activity that has gone on around the world as long as humans have been here said the swiss artist ugo rondinone climbing from a sport utility vehicle to see for the first time the project he had been working on for more than five years seven magic mountains his largest public art installation and one of the most ambitious pieces of his career
the work which officially went on view may 11 is one of the largest land art pieces created in the united states in the last 40 years in a part of the west that defined the land art movement beginning in the 1960s with artists like mr heizer robert smithson spiral jetty in utah nancy holt sun tunnels west of the bonneville salt flats and walter de maria the lightning field in western new mexico
mr rondinones desert intervention also serves as a case study for how some young contemporary art museums in smaller cities   in this instance the nevada museum of art in reno which oversaw the works creation along with the art production fund the new york public art organization   are trying to think outside the cookie cutter approach to developing a program and a reputation at a time when art prices have made building a large diverse collection almost a fools game over the last eight years the nevada museum   which was founded in 1931 but became a fully functioning institution only in the 1970s   has increasingly staked its future on becoming known for its expertise and holdings in materials related to art and the land not just in the united states but around the world
building on a renowned collection of photographs by artists like robert adams and edward burtynsky who have charted humanitys impact on the land beginning in the late 20th century the museum founded the center for art and environment in 2008 devoted to what it calls creative interactions between people and their environments the center is home to a rapidly growing archive now one of the largest in the world committed to land art very broadly defined and with the rondinone project the museum is now moving past exhibiting photographs documentation and artifacts from historical land art pieces and decisively entering the business of ushering new pieces into the world
i saw no reason when i came here in 2007 to strive to make this into an encyclopedic museum or one that would have a general collecting focus said david b walker the museums executive director and chief executive who came to the job after past lives as an academic dean an art magazine publisher and the singer and guitarist in two california rock bands or you could also go down the easy convention center path   taking these big flashy traveling shows and drawing big crowds to those and making a lot of people happy without much to show for it
quoting a mckinsey consultant he once heard who was probably paraphrasing a piece of life advice often attributed to jerry garcia mr walker said it became apparent to him that in the 21st century places like his would lose in the game of trying to make themselves smaller versions of large wealthy urban museums and that the way to succeed was not to try being the best at what you did but to be the only one who does what you do
of course institutions like the dia art foundation in new york and the los angeles county museum of art have long established histories with land art but mr walker and his curators including william l fox a poet and historian of land art who runs the center for art and environment believe that the museum in its city perched on the western edge of the great basin is a logical home for such a focus and can distinguish itself by delving deeper than larger establishments are likely to do
the mission has already begun to pay off in support not only from the growing wealth in and around reno the tahoe reno industrial center outside the city has become the largest industrial park in the country landing gargantuan operations of companies like tesla and switch with favorable tax laws but also increasingly from outside nevada
it feels very good when you can come back from la with a half million dollar check for a project in nevada thats really pretty out there said mr walker in his office at the museum an angular black zinc clad building completed in 2003 on the site of the institutions modest former home a repurposed title company building
the rondinone project which the artist describes in a poetic written statement of purpose as partly about the contrary air between the desert and the city lights and the solidarities between the natural and the artificial is in many ways a fitting first flag for the museum to plant the sculptures which will remain in place for two years and were financed mostly by private and corporate donors connect themselves to the history of postwar american land art but also push it raucously impishly into the 21st century recalling a phrase that mr fox likes to quote from the art critic jeff kelley to describe las vegas the american dream in drag
all of the documents and ephemera chronicling the creation of the pieces and they are legion   i dont think i have any files as fat with legal documents mr fox said   will go into the museums archives and the outsize presence of the sculptures within easy driving distance of las vegas rising from a scatter of mesquite bushes yucca and stumps of dead joshua trees is like a high art billboard for the institutions particular ambitions
i came out here the other day to watch trains   thats what i like to do   and i spotted these things and told my wife youve got to come out here and see this said bobby deren a retired pilot who had parked alongside the road the other day and hiked with his wife wendy hunter to inspect the pieces close up well before they were supposed to be open to the public the two were vacationing in las vegas from vancouver to celebrate her birthday and mr deren said that they were far from the first to feel the need for proximity to the oddly beckoning towers there was a gal out here before posing in front of them naked except for a scarf
mr rondinone who had seen the sculptures as the boulders were being shaped connected and painted at a nearby quarry but never in their intended setting looking like sentinels stationed before the sweep of the mccullough mountain range walked around them quietly almost reverently as the sun went down he said he welcomed whatever the desert would do to the pieces over the next two years the erosion fading and dirt would become part of the works human intervention in the form of spray paint or target practice bullets is not invited the pieces have been coated with an antigraffiti shield and will be repaired if damaged
his original intention he said had been something a bit more humble in the landscape cone shaped piles of stones instead of the irregular almost teetering columns he eventually conceived inspired by natural hoodoo rock formations in utah
but then i realized that size doesnt mean anything out here said mr rondinone 51 who was raised in the swiss resort town of brunnen and lives and works in harlem the scale makes everything look small thats what you quickly figure out in the desert
the poet and artist john giorno mr rondinones longtime boyfriend who had accompanied him to see the pieces observed that despite the deserts leveling effect on all within it these really hold their own here   theyre like pop land art
its kind of like they even have their own personalities he added not exactly human i guess but maybe kindly disposed toward us


tickets sell for a thousand dollars apiece michelle obama calls it the best piece of art in any form that i have ever seen in my life the shows director let alone its charismatic cast is a late night tv talk show guest
its been awhile since a broadway show earned the across the board adulation that has greeted hamilton which among other accolades was nominated for more tony awards than any show in history the ceremony airs june 12 at 8 pm on cbs
but lin manuel mirandas hip hop retelling of the nations founding turned out to be one of several shows making for a strikingly diverse unusually urgent season the theater critics for the new york times ben brantley and charles isherwood along with the theater editor scott heller recently compared notes on the year that was and what it might mean for broadways future
scott heller it seems appropriate that the season was in effect bookended by hamilton and shuffle along which were both the biggest vote getters and had much to say about race and american history
charles isherwood i agree that they make perfect bookends shuffle along reclaims a musical more or less lost to history and affirms the importance of black artists to broadway going back almost a century its nicely fitting that it should appear in the same season as hamilton which re envisions american history through a new lens emphasizing through both its nontraditional casting and its story the ideals of inclusiveness that are at the heart of american history we are and always have been a nation of immigrants after all which makes the new stirrings of xenophobia in the country so dispiriting hamilton may just be a musical but its a nice cultural rebuke
ben brantley both musicals are works of reclamation and yet theyre so different each is a reminder that theres more than one way to control the narrative to use the most overused phrase du jour and to translate history into the present tense hamilton is the more truly organic of the two works in that sense its audacity is in turning contemporary musical style into an expression of a spirit of revolt of cockiness of daring that infused a great revolution of the past
shuffle along is of course more annotative with illustrative detours and asides that give us context for a great show of decades ago one quick aside on another very different musical which i just saw on your feet which is in itself a sort of rebuke to the xenophobia you mention charles most pointedly theres the moment when emilio estefan says to the record producer who doesnt want to sell latino music to american audiences remember my face this is the face of america
heller i didnt expect the word xenophobia to come up so quickly but its that kind of political season   and broadway season i guess is it a fluke that the shows this year seemed in dialogue with the presidential campaign do you as critics inevitably watch through that lens do audiences
isherwood well it was certainly hard not to watch the humans stephen karams play about a middle class family under intense pressures and not think of all the talk of income inequality and the increasingly beleaguered middle classes it quite specifically invoked all sorts of things on peoples and politicians minds the expense for care of the elderly the staggering amounts of student debt that young people are stuck with the fragility of jobs even for people who have held them for years wage stagnation i am making it sound like a bunch of talking points but the marvel of the play is how naturally these things are integrated into the play
brantley this was definitely a season offstage in which it was impossible to turn off the sounds of the news being made so it was gratifying to find plays that were indeed in dialogue with real life including a play from many decades ago like the crucible a parable of political persecution that acquires newly haunting resonance in a 21st century context one thing i found fascinating that it had in common with the excellent the humans obliquely was a sense of the supernatural somehow hovering at the edges of and distorting the topical   appropriate to a moment in which life seems increasingly surreal
isherwood on another note i was fascinated that we saw two ivo van hove productions   the crucible and a view from the bridge   on broadway in a single season if you had told me 10 years ago this would be the case id have laughed in your face not yours ben but this brings up an interesting point while the season was rich in diversity in terms of the actors onstage and the many nonwhite actors who received tony nominations 14 i believe   take that oscars it was also diverse in terms of style mr van hoves productions and john doyles spare and revelatory revival of the color purple stripped away the usual naturalistic veneer and remarkably managed to expose the emotional and moral problems the characters are facing with a potency that really pinned you to the back of your seat
brantley agreed charles
heller lets not move on before talking about the diversity of performers onstage raw numbers are worth celebrating especially in relation to the movie industrys failures but are there particular aspects to the casting we saw this season that feel especially significant or heartening
brantley when i feel most excited about inclusiveness is when a play uses a mixed race cast and you accept it as a given hamilton is obviously a very strategic reversal of the usual dead white men lineup but look again at the crucible in which actors are cast so defiantly against the expected type yet as you watch that production which mr van hove has set in a sort of timeless yet oh so familiar world you dont think oh this is salem would john proctor be married to a black woman in the best of all possible worlds the old archetypes are irrelevant we see this constantly now in productions of shakespeare and at the opera obviously im not saying we should do a raisin in the sun with a white cast but a cross cast chekhov or ibsen fine by me
heller mr van hove and john doyle   two non americans reworking very american scripts does it take an outside eye to make us look at ourselves and our classic texts in new ways
brantley no not necessarily think of what the drama dept a very american group of younguns in the 1990s did with forgotten tennessee williams classics or even uncle toms cabin and when you see a very conventional production like the current long days journey into night you dont think oh well leave it to a brit in this case jonathan kent to tell us about ourselves mr van hove and mr doyle have stylistic visions that i think go beyond their respective nationalities whats exciting as charles was saying earlier is the sophistication and daring they bring to whatever they address with mixed results admittedly but this season theyre both aces come to think of it this may be the most sophisticated season in terms of grown up plays and inventive approaches that ive known on broadway during my tenure at the times
heller thats a big statement charles
isherwood well i havent been at the times as long as ben but have been seeing new york theater for   er a long time now   and i would agree that i cant remember a season so rich in works that 20 years ago would have been considered far too radical for broadway in terms of subject matter or style but im still brooding a bit on scotts question about whether directors british are more at ease with what is called nontraditional casting for me it was audra mcdonalds casting as carrie pipperidge in carousel more than 20 years ago that made a significant statement   and launched a mighty career and that was also directed by a brit nicholas hytner
brantley audra may well be remembered as one of the great examples of how talent made race irrelevant and also made us think less literally about who should be cast one of the real joys and advantages of theater over film is that plays create a universe in which the idea of playing someone else is essential we are far more willing to see beyond the physical i think or to let an actor or actress convince us that he or she is something other than who you first see
heller should we take this moment to agree   she was robbed of a tony nomination for shuffle along   and move on
isherwood it was a tough year and a good one for actresses in musicals but in an odd way i find it refreshing i daresay she doesnt that the nominating committee didnt feel that she had to be included i would have included her but i wont say whom i would kick out
brantley audra was so damn good in shuffle along and every time i think im tired of her being so unvaryingly wonderful   at least the idea of such perfection   then i see her do something entirely new as she does here even sending up the sort of great lady of the theater persona that has been thrust upon her not that i take tonys all that seriously as reflections of merit but the risks she takes here and delivers on do deserve some sort of acknowledgment
isherwood ok i raise a white flag i agree she was brilliant but lets not forget that there were some unusually strong performances throughout that show i liked billy porter a lot and brandon victor dixon but anyway enough about audra she has six tonys
heller speaking of royalty   king charles iii another effort to tackle history here imagining what might happen ifwhen the throne is finally passed from queen elizabeth to her ever waiting son
brantley talk about audacity daring to apply the language rhythms and sense of moment of a shakespearean history to a topical situation most commonly hashed over in gossip magazines and for me mike bartlett the playwright pulls it off in a sense king charles iii is the reverse of hamilton in its technique it uses an antique style to consider the present and illuminate both the past and the present while hamilton uses contemporary vernacular of language music movement to resurrect events of hundreds of years ago
isherwood i agree that kc3 as i will call it is a welcome stylistic addition to the season but frankly i found it more style than substance clever to be sure but whats that famous lyric ya gotta get a gimmick
brantley i curiously did find it moving as i did the father another play that might be said to be gimmick driven mr bartletts style i thought became a means of evoking a claustrophobic tradition bound world into which these people were born and there was something about the tension between the style and substance the aspiration and the reality in tim pigott smiths performance in the title role that moved me to tears
isherwood no tears here though i will confess to some others at shows this season
heller you still havent forgiven the royals for diana charles
brantley so what shows made you cry
isherwood oy do i really have to answer ill say i was quite moved by the color purple the humans eclipsed and actually a show we havent mentioned fiddler on the roof because in a disarming way it seemed like many shows this season to be speaking to whats going on in the world right now the sight of the population of anatevka trudging off to an unknown future as so many hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to do in recent years i found almost unbearably sad
brantley true for sure i also misted up during the do you love me duet which seemed less maudlin and unforced in this naturalistic interpretation and   forgive me snobs   but i even let all the buttons be pressed as i watched the showbiz soap opera of on your feet which i admired as one of the more well tooled jukebox musicals of recent years
isherwood oh and i forgot to mention i wept through all of disaster
heller you and the producers ba dum bum
brantley i was disappointed that so few shows made use of the artistry of beyonce
isherwood funny you should mention beyonce one issue the roaring success of hamilton has raised is whether broadway made a breakthrough this year in terms of squeezing itself into the pop culture conversation the soundtrack   or should i say original cast album   crossed over to the rap charts the book is a best seller is this really going to make people start worshiping at the altar of audra doubtful but whats important i think is that of the shows with racially diverse casts three hamilton shuffle along and the color purple have been popular hits thats not insignificant on broadway which is a fiercely commercial marketplace let us hope it portends more openness
brantley amen to that sorry for the earlier sarcasm about the divine beyonce in another sense as you suggested charles hamilton is a bit like her lemonade in that the discussion around it has become so thick and intense that its sometimes difficult to see the real thing i have to say how relieved i was when i returned to hamilton   feeling pretty cynical about the blind worship it was inspiring   that i enjoyed it even more the second and third times sometimes pet rocks deserve the attention they receive
isherwood first comparison of hamilton to pet rocks probably the only thing it hasnt been compared to i frankly have some qualms about the dramaturgy   yes the sound you hear is lightning striking me dead i think the production has a slight show us dont tell us problem that is niftily disguised by andy blankenbuehlers movement for the ensemble but lets not quibble about a show that is so conceptually and musically audacious that its single handedly made people wake up and say broadway whats that maybe ill try it people who can afford tickets of course
heller one of the last broadway sensations to match hamilton was the producers back in 2001 which has won more tonys than any show to date yet the producers didnt end up having staying power could we be saying something similar about hamilton after lin manuel miranda and his tremendous original castmates leave the show
brantley well seeing javier munoz in the title role during a sunday matinee was a great relief the balance of the show shifted a bit but not in any deleterious way i think the problem with the producers is that nathan lane and matthew broderick the original stars had those roles couture fitted on them and no one else could ever wear them with quite the same ease or style hamilton is more a cast of archetypes i think that would allow room for original idiosyncratic definition within the outlines of each part
isherwood also it has become a cultural phenomenon not just a broadway phenomenon it will be interesting to see how it evolves as the years and years go by
heller why do you think it has become such a cultural phenomenon is there a bigger audience than we knew out there hungry to engage with broadway
brantley its a musical that sounds more like what audiences are hearing on the radio than weve had in a long time   and not in any gratuitous way even rent and spring awakening and hair long before it didnt seem to gather the music thats in the air from the air and ground it as it were on a broadway stage as hamilton does and i think in this case the anachronistic use of that music is what makes the show so incredibly enticing to people its like of course it would have been that exciting to be all these determined narcissists which the founding fathers had to be on some level as well as those noble patriots from our schoolbooks
isherwood ben what radio stations have you been listening to lately are there any left but seriously the curious case of hamilton i think has many causes its a brilliant concept written by a man well versed in various styles of music   it aint all rap   as those who saw his first show in the heights will know
and i think there is a great or at least significant hunger out there for art that reflects the world   old or new   with fresh eyes see the renaissance of television which for decades was mired in formula now its a new golden age let us hope   though im not predicting it by any means   that the success of hamilton and the really strong and diverse in many ways broadway season means that five years from now we will be talking about a new golden age in the theater
heller two quick questions how many times a week do you get asked for advice on getting hamilton tickets
brantley not that often because ive said no to so many people before about helping with tickets that my policy is known there are people from my past   whom i havent heard from in years   who email me with hopes of an avenue to hamilton
isherwood lets just say that both my nieces have had the grand privilege of seeing hamilton and leave it at that
heller and when people cant see hamilton but want to see a great show what do you tell them
brantley the crucible even though i know its not to all tastes on your feet for those who want the equivalent of an escapist summer movie and the color purple for absolutely anyone
isherwood the humans the humans the humans


i got my wonderful loving dog from a reputable breeder about eight years ago but sometimes i feel guilty that i didnt adopt a shelter dog instead when i consider that her life span is already more than half over i suspect that i will eventually get another dog when i do im sure i will go to a breeder again i wont get into the reasons for this although there are many is this ethical is it relevant that i have taken in strays in the past and given them a loving home for the rest of their lives is it relevant that i have never abandoned or failed to neuter or spay a pet is it relevant that given a choice between a shelter dog and no dog i would choose no dog at all what if i give money to shelters for neutering stray dogs what if i give money for education to prevent people from adopting puppies without properly training or socializing them thus preventing those dogs from ending up in shelters how much money must i give to justify getting a dog from a breeder or should breeders donate a certain amount for each puppy sold either to shelters or to education programs is such a trade off ethical name withheld
many dog lovers worry about bringing puppies into a world that seems to have too many each year in this country something like four million dogs enter shelters and 12 million of them are euthanized breeders kill shelter dogs chances is a message you see on signs and t shirts
there is much to be said for adopting a shelter dog if every canine companion that died or ran away were replaced with one the shelters would be pretty much empty but given that you are morally free not to have a dog you are morally free not to have a shelter dog though we should all support laws and policies that reduce animal suffering taking on a pet you dont want isnt the way to do it nor are you specifically responsible for the practices that lead to so many animals being abandoned
are you killing a shelter dog when you buy a pet from a breeder not in your case the alternative for you would be to not get a dog at all among the 50 or 60 million dog owning american households there are other people who share your preferences and so a role remains for a responsible breeder but as a dog lover who worries about abandoned animals you probably should contribute to organizations that may reduce their numbers dont think of this as the canine equivalent of a carbon offset program the reason to contribute is not that doing business with a breeder automatically makes you culpable but that its a way to support a cause about which you care deeply
still its worth pointing out that many of the dogs in shelters are purebreds   some no doubt originally from responsible breeders even though one sign of such a breeder is a willingness to take back a dog from a buyer who wants to return it so your opposition to shelter dogs may be a prejudice that would yield to a more careful exploration of the facts settling that question requires more than ethical expertise but there is one ethical point here worth noting having a preference for one kind of dog or person is not morally equivalent to being hostile to all others
having lived in cameroon for two years and in ghana for one year i know that you bargain for most purchases in those countries i learned that most items have no real price and that bargaining is at its heart at least as much a social interaction as an economic interaction soon i became quite good at getting a low price although not as good as the locals when american friends visited they were appalled at my driving a hard bargain thinking i was unethical because of my being relatively quite wealthy and not willing to share my wealth with someone who was obviously quite poor was i being unethical edwin kay
unlike you ive never lived in cameroon but i spent much of my childhood and early adulthood in ghana and everyone i know there would have been puzzled by the attitude of your american friends bargaining is how prices are set and no sane seller starts with the price she wants to get indeed trade is enlivened in part by the fact that each sale is a negotiation life would be as dull as a supermarket checkout line otherwise its also a little condescending to think that people will take a price that they think exploitative as adam smith pointed out long ago when two people come together in the market and agree on a price without coercion deception or the pressure of necessity both end up better off the seller gets the money she wanted and hands over the goods she was trying to unload the buyer acquires the goods she desired for a price she was willing to pay against the right background market exchanges improve things for everybody bargain away
i have a 9 year old son his biological father was my boyfriend who toward the end of my pregnancy cut off contact with me and expressed little or no interest in the child he signed away his rights at my request when my son was 6 months old we had sporadic contact over the next year he saw my son once at his first birthday when my son was 2 i met my future husband our family fit together from the start and he and my son bonded without any coaxing i married this man in march 2010 and my son attended the wedding we finalized a stepparent adoption in 2011 which included a name change and a new birth certificate listing my husband as my sons father my husband and i then had two children together my son holds no memory of my husband not being in his life he is his father and thats that the fear i have is that his biological father may try to contact him in the future he randomly sends facebook messages to me or family members asking about my son and expressing frustration that he isnt allowed to see him i dont want my son to hear the facts from anyone but me but i also have no desire to tell him about his biological father legally theres no reason he would have to be told the records are sealed and as i stated he has a new birth certificate what should i do name withheld
secrets like these often undermine relationships which is why most experts now think that its a good idea to bring children up knowing the truth about their parentage certainly by the time your son leaves high school hes entitled to know that his stepfather is not his biological father and something of the story of why but why wait as you note theres a risk that your sons biological father will contact your son online and the boy would be upset that you werent forthright with him trust is morally central to family relationships when its lost it can often be recovered but its better not to have to why didnt you tell me is always a harder question to answer than why are you telling me
the difficult task here of course is to explain why his biological father isnt in his life it involves admitting that he let you and your son down still you know your son youll have a sense of what information he can handle now and if you want advice there are child psychologists and therapists who can help you figure out exactly how to tell him my ethical advice though is that hes entitled to know these things just as soon as he can absorb them which might be today


at the close of the second world war the united states government embarked on an enormous artistic enterprise it is estimated to have cost nearly 3 billion and at its height employed more than 2000 people i am talking about the topographic mapping program of the united states geological survey it was an opus of whitmanesque proportion a heroic rendering of the american landscape every last whorl and hachure and dotted line of actual topography   not to mention the name of every last desert wash old mine or glorified goat track   was exhaustively cataloged this 54000 tile mosaic was not of course done in the cause of aesthetics but it nevertheless represents as gorgeous and complete a depiction of the country as any ever made
for the past number of years i have been collecting the usgss maps treating them as eminently affordable pieces of american art a favorite is the 1977 map of eureka calif which contrasts in stunning dualism the rugged bathymetry of the pacific ocean against the rolling hills of humboldt countys redwood forests some are more abstract take for example item 41017 in the usgs online store for 12 you will be treated to an oversize plastic coated shaded relief map of the grand canyon national park and vicinity a sprawling muscular and gorgeous sweep of brown and russet that looks less like the birds eye view of the canyon itself and more like the fractal spidery spread of frost across a window pane in a way it calls to mind the work of jackson pollock in particular his painting enchanted forest perhaps pollock was a kind of topographer himself charting some inner territory   until he gave up on the project of representation altogether
most of my maps lie rolled up in tubes tucked away like books to be perused at some future date on some gray afternoons sequestered in my brooklyn apartment i will pull out say a map of arches national park spread it over my kitchen table and trace imaginary pathways across airbrushed depictions of reddish sandstone with my finger i take in the tiny names of features a matter of fact procession of gravel pits and drill holes then my eye hooks upon more floridly named features each unlocking the imagination cactus rat mine bootlegger canyon or the poison strip so named because of naturally occurring arsenic in the area that killed off sheep
sometimes i will pick up a map because of some other interest in an area i bought a circa 1968 orthophoto map an aerial photograph with topographic overlays of rozel point on the shores of utahs great salt lake simply because it would be two years later the site of robert smithsons spiral jetty the countrys most celebrated piece of land art i like to imagine that smithson   who was obsessed with geology   visited rozel with the very same map in hand i checked he probably didnt smithson said that he picked sites like rozel because he wanted them to be free of scenic meaning indeed having been there i can say that it is the sort of place that arguably looks better on an orthophoto map in person it just seems like rocky wastes and a dead lake but the map from above captivates   a tempestuous burst of almost extraplanetary rust colored desert strikingly offset by the pale blue lake not all nearby maps are so exciting one quadrant south is an entirely blue panel labeled simply great salt lake
the connection between the beauty of the territory and the beauty of the map is typically more direct my home quadrant in brooklyn for example is hardly sublime this is because topo maps measure change which i suspect is the key to their visual appeal in his 1965 book cartographic relief presentation the great swiss authority eduard imhof suggests that the transition from light to dark was the pinnacle of both cartographic and artistic achievement it is simple to place in deepest shadow those steep slopes that are turned away from the light he writes it is simple also to leave completely unshaded the steep slopes that face the light the critical part however is what lies between the two it is hardly surprising that leonardo da vinci that master of the liminal techniques of sfumato and chiaroscuro produced some early topographical maps
the beauty intrinsic to these maps is the byproduct of an entirely different mode of production the last gasp of an antiquated way of representing the world larry moore a longtime cartographer with the usgs told me in a phone call that the printed maps i so treasure are no longer made and exist mainly in the ever shrinking warehouses of the usgs back in the old days the map was the product and every map was drawn by hand he said there was an assumption that every map would only be made once or twice in a century so we went to extraordinary expense to make them not only correct but beautiful the geological survey has a new mapping program called us topo which with its numerous layers of sophisticated data is probably more precise   but less aesthetically pleasing
the older is a flat map or a globe map the geographer arthur robinson once observed the more likely it is to be called an art object there might be an echo of kant here precisely because the historical topo maps are no longer necessary objects they can be purely viewed as aesthetic objects any old iphone will these days reliably tell you where you are to within 10 feet or so but only a well made map can take you somewhere


youre a prolific hip hop multihyphenate producer radio host and record label executive but you also make your own albums and it seems as if one of your many gifts is persuading other rappers to appear on your albums how does that work i put the right people in the room together to make magic basically im one of the greatest producers ever and im also one of the greatest djs ever and im also one of the best executives ever
what people really know you for is your snapchat where you disseminate keys to success exactly how many keys to success are there the keys can never run out you know what im saying sometimes when you get a key it gets you another key and gets you another key one of my major keys is actually the master keys god in my life theyve hid the keys from me so ive overcome and weathered a lot of storms
you just mentioned they a recurring villain in a lot of your videos who are they they is the people that dont believe in you dont support you
what do you do when you encounter a they sometimes you might meet somebody that you love thats turning into a they my key is invite them to miami and take them to the ocean and let them jump off the boat in the ocean on the sand bar and cleanse off and pray and then go take a shower and hopefully the they is out of you
youve said that both having a lot of pillows and cocoa butter are keys which is more important cocoa butter i put cocoa butter all over my face and my iconic belly and my arms and legs why live rough live smooth
you also show off your incredible garden on snapchat do you keep it yourself i have a landscaper but ive always loved gardening its cheaper and also better to execute your vision and just go get it yourself and then have somebody put it in for you if im stressed out i go sit there and just embrace it and play some nice reggae music in the background you should try it one day im addicted to my flowers sometimes i overdo it my girl is like what are you doing
the one person who seems to get annoyed by your constant snapchats is your fiancee no actually she loves me
do you have a favorite kind of flower i do i dont know how to pronounce the name theyre amazing when the sun is out they wake up just smiling and then when the sun is down they just go down thats why i water them and take care of them because im planting my seeds of success i show them love when you show the flowers love you see the love
what else is on the horizon for you well my life goal is to do everything forever my life goal is called live life i want to do movies i want to work with denzel washington
earlier this year you gave jeb bush some advice on jimmy kimmel live but it obviously didnt work out do you think he didnt follow your advice he replied so at least hes starting to embrace the keys you know what i mean you cant put a timer on your success patience is a talent thats another key
what are the top keys of success no 1 key is god thats the master key another key is never give up
all right another key is never quit
uh huh another key is never surrender
ok another key is give thanks to life at all times
now you realize that three of those are almost exactly the same right its not giving up is when youre thinking about giving up quitting is quitting never surrendering means you got to fight everything to make sure you dont fall for none of them jive artists
right now youre on tour with beyonce do you ever talk to her im very quiet every time ive ever seen her is when im with my brother jay z and i just say hi and i look the other way so fast and i kind of run i just dont want to say nothing too much im not messing that up


ben brantley and charles isherwood the theater critics for the new york times make their tony award choices for the should have been nominated category the critics were allowed to expand the potential nominees to off broadway productions which are ineligible for the tonys
will win hamilton
should win hamilton
should have been nominated on your feet
will win the humans
should win a tie the humans and king charles iii
should have been nominated hold on to me darling
will win the color purple
should win the color purple
should have been nominated the robber bridegroom
will win long days journey into night
should win a view from the bridge
should have been nominated fool for love
will win leslie odom jr hamilton
should win either of the hamilton guys works for me
should have been nominated benjamin walker american psycho
will win cynthia erivo the color purple
should win cynthia erivo
should have been nominated audra mcdonald duh shuffle along
will win frank langella the father
should win mark strong a view from the bridge
should haven been nominated ben whishaw the crucible sam rockwell fool for love
will win jessica lange long days journey into night
should win jessica lange
should have been nominated nina arianda fool for love linda lavin our mothers brief affair
will win daveed diggs hamilton
should win daveed diggs
should have been nominated brian stokes mitchell shuffle along
will win renee elise goldsberry hamilton
should win renee elise goldsberry
should have been nominated andrea burns on your feet
will win reed birney the humans
should win reed birney
should have been nominated jason butler harner the crucible
will win jayne houdyshell the humans
should win jayne houdyshell
should have been nominated saoirse ronan the crucible
will win thomas kail hamilton
should win thomas kail
should have been nominated jerry mitchell on your feet
will win joe mantello the humans
should win ivo van hove a view from the bridge
should have been nominated ivo van hove the crucible daniel aukin fool for love
will win lin manuel miranda hamilton
should win lin manuel miranda
should have been nominated alexander dinelaris on your feet
will win lin manuel miranda hamilton
should win lin manuel miranda
should have been nominated duncan sheik american psycho
will win hamilton
should win hamilton
should have been nominated on your feet
will win the humans
should win the humans
should have been nominated familiar
will win the color purple
should win the color purple
should have been nominated none
will win long days journey into night
should win the crucible
should have been nominated the gin game
will win lin manuel miranda hamilton
should win danny burstein fiddler on the roof
should have been nominated benjamin walker american psycho
will win cynthia erivo the color purple
should win cynthia erivo
should have been nominated ana villafane on your feet audra mcdonald shuffle along
will win frank langella the father
should win gabriel byrne long days journey into night
should have been nominated ben whishaw the crucible
will win jessica lange long days journey into night
should win jessica lange
should have been nominated cicely tyson the gin game
will win daveed diggs hamilton
should win brandon victor dixon shuffle along
should have been nominated billy porter shuffle along
will win renee elise goldsberry hamilton
should win jennifer simard disaster
should have been nominated marlee matlin or camryn manheim spring awakening
will win reed birney the humans
should win reed birney
should have been nominated ciaran hinds the crucible
will win jayne houdyshell the humans
should win jayne houdyshell
should have been nominated tavi gevinson the crucible cassie beck the humans
will win thomas kail hamilton
should win thomas kail
should have been nominated bartlett sher fiddler on the roof
will win joe mantello the humans
should win joe mantello
should have been nominated ivo van hove the crucible
will win lin manuel miranda hamilton
should win george c wolfe shuffle along
should have been nominated claudia shear and tim federle tuck everlasting
will win lin manuel miranda hamilton
should win lin manuel miranda
should have been nominated chris miller and nathan tysen tuck everlasting


twice a year jaime bremnes 35 a fifth generation resident of garden city and the president of its welcoming club arranges a cocktail party for new residents in this affluent village of around 22600 part of the town of hempstead in nassau county the organization has running and walking clubs toddler play groups and gourmet and book clubs in addition to the parties for newcomers which are held at members homes
we aim to introduce neighbors to one another so they may become friends and part of the community said dr bremnes a dentist who moved back from manhattan four years ago with her husband lars 34 an accountant to start a family their two children are now 19 months and 4 months residents here are invested in one another and the community
christy and ryan eller discovered garden citys welcoming atmosphere when they relocated from alabama two and a half years ago for mr ellers job as the president of resorts world casino new york city in queens we moved nine times across the country in 15 years said ms eller 41 a homemaker this is the first time there is a sense of community the schools are fantastic we absolutely love it here
on friday afternoons their daughter 14 and son 13 walk to town to gather with friends at starbucks or dunkin donuts they drink their coffee and feel big ms eller said the girls go and shop with their gift cards at coquette a boutique the children have independence she said and she feels comfortable that they are completely safe
when eileen and ian perry both 36 moved from manhattan to garden city in may 2013 paying 735000 for a three bedroom three bath ranch on an 80 by 100 foot lot ms perry was looking for something fresh close to rockville centre her hometown the couple had a young son now 4 and have since had a daughter who is 1 1/2 
for mr perry deciding where to live boiled down to the hourlong door to door commute from garden city to midtown manhattan for his job in risk management that includes a half mile walk that lets me stretch my legs a bit from his home to the stewart manor train station five long island rail road stations are in the village
the friends mr perry found were a bonus the one thing you cant know going in is how cool your neighbors can be he said you end up chasing your sons up the street hanging out and playing music together
jennifer staub a stay at home mother and her husband craig staub an investor in a private equity firm who have lived in garden city for 16 years are following a pattern familiar to longtime residents trading up this summer they are moving to their fourth home in the village they bought an old tudor on a 150 by 100 foot lot in the estates section for more than 15 million and knocked it down to build a five bedroom seven bath colonial
ms staub described garden city as a bubble in a good way with six neighborhood parks the staubs both 44 belong to a private country club but their socializing mostly revolves around family outings after a game   the couples three children ages 9 to 14 are entrenched in youth sports she said   dinners at friends homes or throwing a christmas party for 125 guests
the majority of people are like us ms staub said they want the best for their children and they expect a lot from their children they are successful people
what youll find
garden city at 53 square miles is characterized by tree shaded avenues manicured gardens and handsome tudors and colonials its neighbors include the villages of hempstead and west hempstead to the south mineola to the north and stewart manor to the west and the hamlet of east garden city to the east the median household income is 152401 according to 2014 census data
franklin avenue the main north south corridor is lined with office buildings financial institutions a lord  taylor a sears jewelers a furrier and an array of restaurants running east west seventh street has gift and clothing boutiques
about 10 of the villages original 19th century mansard roofed houses remain one which was moved houses the garden city historical society said william bellmer the village historian
garbage is picked up behind houses we dont put it on the curb said stephanie cullum an associate broker and manager at coach realtors christies international real estate and a 19 year resident it really helps make the village look much neater
what youll pay
according to data from the multiple listing service of long islandprovided by claudia galvin an associate broker at the garden city office of daniel gale sothebys international realty 108 single family homes were for sale on may 6 listings ranged from 529000 for a four bedroom two bath two story on a 55 by 124 foot lot to nearly 5 million for a 16 room colonial on 117 acres twenty one condominium and co op units ranged from 229000 to nearly 2 million
the median sales price through may 1 with 58 closed sales was 827500 ms galvin said an increase of 154 percent over the same period of 2015
the first time buyers market is extremely active and aggressive ms cullum said there are often bidding wars for starter homes which typically have three bedrooms and one and a half baths and priced from the 600000s to 900000s
in contrast the high end above 2 million is sluggish ms cullum said with prices still below 2005 levels taxes which on a 2 million home sometimes top 40000 a year have something to do with it
doubleday court the villages newest condominium was completed in march 2015 its 54 two bedroom two bath units priced from 685000 to 797000 were substantially sold prior to putting a shovel in the ground said steven krieger a partner of the engel burman group the developer
two rental buildings in the village are prewar with large rooms and high ceilings ms galvin said typical monthly rents start at around 2200 for a one bedroom rising to around 4250 for a two bedroom according to data from the listings service
what to do
the community park on cherry valley avenue has baseball softball and soccer fields a hockey rink indoor and platform tennis courts miniature golf and a playground the village pool complex for residents only has seasonal passes a family pass is 550
youth leagues play on 30 acres of sports fields behind the village owned former st pauls school an imposing 500 room building on stewart avenue that is on the national register of historic places
theater music film and dance are presented at the adelphi university performing arts center there is a multiplex cinema at roosevelt field mall east of the village and another nearby on corporate drive
the schools
the highly regarded garden city union free school district serves 3862 students there are three primary schools for kindergarten and first grade two elementary schools for grades 2 to 5 feed into garden city middle school then garden city high school
mean sat scores for 2015 were 549 in critical reading 565 in math and 539 in writing compared with new york state scores of 489 502 and 478
the commute
the hempstead branch of the long island rail road has stations at stewart manor nassau boulevard garden city and country life press the port jefferson branch stops at merillon avenue the 704 am train from the garden city station is scheduled to reach penn station 48 minutes later a monthly pass is 252
the history
in 1869 alexander turney stewart a department store mogul bought 10000 acres on the hempstead plains stewart created his legacy   garden city   on the western portion while his master plan for a model suburb lacked a church after his death in 1876 his wife cornelia clinch stewart built the gothic style cathedral of the incarnation with a mausoleum for her beloveds final resting place


los angeles   on a recent evening after finding a few folding chairs russell crowe 52 and ryan gosling 35 settled into a grimy breezeway next to the egyptian theater showing inside this fabled movie palace here was the nice guys a buddy comedy set in the 1970s by the writer director shane black best known for his work on lethal weapon and kiss kiss bang bang and produced by joel silver the film due friday may 20 stars mr crowe as a goon for hire and mr gosling as a hard drinking private eye who reluctantly team up to locate a missing woman
a semicircle of bodyguards stood at a distance successfully blocking the view from fans behind a fence but the dark suited human barricade could do nothing to muffle a marching band that clattered unseen somewhere along the street playing a stadium anthem youre amazing mr crowe joked to mr gosling shaking his head you come with your own parade
while the discussion touched on serious subjects the actors consistently made each other laugh mr gosling showed a flair for quick one liners while mr crowes running gag involved his co stars reputation as a dreamboat if im not complimenting you enough mr crowe said to mr gosling as they sat down please jump in these are edited excerpts from the conversation
neither of you specialize in funny movies how did you know that youd work as a comic duo
russell crowe i knew that wed just pop because a couple of years before i called him about a project and said hey man its russell crowe and his response was mr crowe ive been expecting this call im deeply sorry for stealing from you for the last 10 years from the first seconds of conversation together it was totally my sense of humor i thought we cannot miss
ryan gosling ive been a big fan of shanes for a long time also joel silvers these guys are part of my upbringing i grew up on their movies shane wrote monster squad with fred dekker my first exposure to what behind the scenes in hollywood was like was joel silver as a director screaming at an actor in who framed roger rabbit his voice is in my subconscious for me it was a great opportunity that didnt take much consideration
were there a lot of discussions with shane black about how your characters should relate to each other
crowe most of the time in this genre the buddy thing you feel like at some point in time theres an audible click like in la confidential exley and white come together at one point and begin operating as one and shane was like exactly right that doesnt happen in this film laughs so we did the opposite of that
ryan at one point you react to something with what film buffs might consider to be a lou costello impersonation was that conscious
gosling i grew up on abbott and costello movies partly because my parents didnt get a movie membership at blockbuster we just got movies from the library because they were free thats how i fell in love with all those films and the broadness of the old fashioned kind of physical comedy of all the films i watched those guys seemed to be having the most fun   because they had each other the whole idea of having a pal with you seemed like the ultimate to me but ive never had the chance to do that i came up through independent films and dramas so when this came along i thought this is what ive been wanting to do
you both have many scenes with angourie rice an australian actress who was 14 at the time was it uncomfortable exchanging coarse dialogue with a minor
crowe there were a few were going to hell moments laughs
gosling but her parents were always on set and shes such a pro shes just as mature as i was   last year
crowe no no shes way more mature than that laughs this was the most ridiculous set for me as professional and focused as i like to consider myself he just makes me laugh there are probably just as many ruined takes on this movie as there were ones for the director to choose from
lets talk about the scene which can be seen in the trailer where russells character confronts ryans in a toilet stall how carefully was that bit of physical comedy choreographed
gosling i went to set early to work out how i was going to do this im sitting there on my own with my pants around my ankles trying to figure out how to make this door open and close then i pushed the door open and theres russell smoking and watching me then he and i talked about how the door could bounce better it was a serious conversation about such a ridiculous thing
crowe im not sure the door gag was even written i think it just said sitting on the toilet with a gun in his hand ryan was going whats funnier my left arm or my right arm and i said dude whats funny i reckon is if you use a different limb every time the secret to that scene is that its done with a dancers grace theres no effort to make it funny
russell have you been offered comedies before
crowe every few years im offered one ive always said that theres a lot of comedic stuff in everything i do that decapitation in gladiator thats a real thigh slapper cmon ive been punching out the laughs for years laughs
did you enjoy doing stunts in a movie like nice guys
crowe i knew i had to be a little bit careful i was 60 pounds heavier then than i am at the moment i wanted that size because of the abbott and costello dynamic that seemed to be inherent but when youre that big you have to watch yourself when you fall you fall harder
gosling immediately after the read through i saw russ drawing the most accurate sketch of a hot tub ive ever seen in my life i mean you could build a hot tub from the sketch and he started talking to shane about how it wasnt possible to do the stunt the way it was written russell was already thinking about the stunts and how they were going to play out because he had so much experience and i dont it felt very new for me
tonight was the first time you saw any part of the nice guys with an audience what was that like
gosling just watching it for 10 minutes before we came to do this was really fun with drama its hard to tell you never know if its resonating or not with this if they laugh then its working
crowe my memory of this movie will be the ease of the collaboration its so funny because points to gosling he has a reputation i have a reputation joel has one shane has one these guys have reputations of being quote unquote difficult and are actually just simply passionate but us together we were just getting the job done and that was really really fun for me it makes you wonder who is the person who points that out as being difficult


every time i send an email i see myself staring back at me i always have a slight knowing smile on my face even if the content of my email is confused distressed or brimming with unrestrained glee i chose the image maybe unconsciously because it seemed professional and direct and also because my hair looked good smug email me is not my only online incarnation there are dozens more of my avatars scattered across the web
the word avatar originates in hinduism where it refers to a god descending to the earth in mortal form in hindu theology vishnu assumes various earthbound avatars   among them a fish a tortoise a half man half lion   in an effort to restore order at times when humanity has descended into chaos now were the gods reinventing ourselves online in the hope of bringing order to a realm we cant quite keep under our control
our avatars represent a self image thats fractured across dozens of sites and text bubbles and email chains we present ourselves differently on twitter and tumblr and slack depending on the norms built into each space on facebook im posed by a professional photographer waist contorted into a slimmed line eyes peering up out the window of a skyscraper on snapchat im burrowed into my office chair blankly blinking my eyes open and closed on candy crush im a cartoon man otter i dont particularly know why ive selected these avatars as my representatives its some combination of my read on the platforms sensibility my emotional state at the time of upload and the suite of photos i had on my phone at that moment
but as i traverse the web i naturally scan for subtle clues in the avatars chosen by friends and strangers reading their usa themed scrapbooks and cat gifs like leaves at the bottom of a teacup on twitter an avatar flipped to beyonce in lemonade or prince reads like a pledge to a newly materialized online club a bizarre cartoon points to a person who tweets frequently and with open self loathing an unhatched egg that appears automatically upon profile creation has become its own anti avatar avatar the latest avatar trend turns you into a cartoon character in your own life with the bitmoji app you can conjure a comic strip image of yourself to emote over email twitter and text and miitomo a new mobile game from nintendo makes the gamification of our social lives explicit   in it when your impish avatar socializes you win piles and piles of digital coins for your trouble
before avatars became a technological almost bureaucratic form of self presentation avatar was used to single out a rarer embodiment of culture and art as britain colonized the indian subcontinent in the 19th century the hindu word became a fashionable metaphorical flourish among the british literati in the life of john milton a seven volume work published from 1859 to 1894 the literary critic david masson conjured avatar to anoint poets who embodied the spirit of the time elevating them into something like gods among men a century later the word jumped from writers who captured the spirit of the age to geeks who did the same
the technological use of avatar emerged via a spontaneous burst of coinages in the late 1980s and early 90s at the dawn of personal computing it appeared in the video game ultima iv quest of the avatar in 1985 the dial up computer community habitat in 1986 the tabletop role playing game shadowrun in 1989 and neal stephensons breakout novel snow crash in 1992 about a futuristic anarcho capitalist los angeles in which people projected themselves into a virtual public square called the metaverse
the coincidence of a bunch of american video game fantasy and science fiction authors cribbing from hinduism 101 speaks to the need to describe a truly novel phenomenon but it also hints at a similar worldview among the men   and they were all men   who came to define it as stephenson told me that was a time when people had more idealistic notions of what digital technology was going to do for us sometimes bordering on the mystical for socially marginalized science fiction fans and computer geeks the virtual world could help people enjoy a level of social status and acceptance they lacked at home using a computer granted them a level of godlike power because they had skills most people lacked in advertisements for habitat the early online community was billed as a place full of drama and adventure where each user could seize the rare opportunity to reflect his real self image from toe to head a player could literally snap off his avatars head and pop a new one on
the technological co opting of the word replicated the power dynamic in the original avatar myth   the avatar helps a higher being interact with a lesser realm one he or she controls but it also retained the idea of the avatars task of delivering righteousness to a lawless world richard garriott creator of the ultima games said he came across the hindu concept while looking for a way to encourage moral behavior in gaming he was disturbed by players who took the easiest possible route to win the game they werent acting like heroes garriott told me they would kill all the local villagers if it meant gaining enough power to kill the bad guy so garriott started framing his hero as an avatar instead of a character he served players with a personality test to imbue the avatar with the players own attributes and build elements of personal accountability into the gameplay in james camerons 2009 film avatar another avatar injects human empathy into a virtual interaction in the film an ex marine sent to colonize the planet pandora grows to identify with its native people through his occupation of a body that looks and feels like theirs
but if an avatar was once a projection of the human body and human values as the internet grew in popularity it was flattened into a mask it became the standard term for a simple image that accompanied a screen name in a chat room or discussion group in discrete gaming worlds value systems were strangely authentic everyone was building his or her mini me in the same system and playing by the same rules but in the mixed use spaces of the internet   where some people were playing themselves and others were hoping to play tricks   avatars became ambiguous bad actors could sulk under the cover of the web while they pasted reputation killing content on a message board or terrifying threats on twitter avatars became tools for stoking chaos instead of enforcing order
when social networking arose mammoth platforms like facebook and linkedin chose to strip the mask away the idea of the avatar doesnt factor into their self conception and the word doesnt appear in their promotional copy these are platforms with profiles and accounts on facebook youre supposed to just be you   no particular technological prowess required and no avatar necessary to translate yourself to the new medium
thats the new tech fantasy anyway but of course on facebook our profile pictures are avatars too emblems of our success our good grooming our unflappable happiness in fact proliferating online platforms have prompted us to create more and more conceptions of ourselves to send off into the world showing up looking good being clever and seeming like you really care in all these different spaces can feel like a video game set to the hardest level except you only get one life in sanskrit avatar is related not only to descending it also means to make an appearance when that becomes too much your avatar   a being who is endlessly malleable   takes over


when silicon valley venture capitalists get themselves into image trouble its usually because theyve been too candid with their low estimate of other peoples intelligence for example after india recently prevented facebook from offering free internet service there marc andreessen suggested in a tweet that the subcontinent might be better off had it remained under colonial administration its much less common for vcs to soil their own nests in public so it came as something of a surprise when chamath palihapitiya   sri lankan war refugee early facebook employee investor in slack and box part owner of the golden state warriors   told vanity fair in march that if we are in fact in the early stages of a second tech collapse venture capitalists have only their own mediocre clubby selves to blame they should he said focus on using capital as a way to take really big bets on things that just seem totally audacious right now we havent done enough of that and the result is that most of the things weve funded are mostly crap and largely worthless
it was a striking admission this largely worthless start up scene according to the research firm cb insights has raised an estimated 238 billion over the last five years   a remarkable bull run in private technology stocks forbes reports that there are now close to 200 unicorns to use the valley term of art for private companies worth more than a billion dollars on paper since the financial crisis these companies along with their more established public predecessors have been seen by many americans as the last redoubt of confidence and productivity in an otherwise uneven recovery vcs have spent years dismissing speculation about a private equity bubble as merely an expression by know nothing spectators of resentment and alarmism media onlookers they argue should talk instead about the triumphal progress of the genuinely great start ups as they try to solve our most difficult problems over the past year however as allegations of mismanagement and unsustainability have grown   square went public for approximately half its last private valuation fidelity and other large mutual funds wrote down their positions in dropbox mongodb and snapchat and both zenefits and theranos were accused of deceptive practices   that confidence has come to look more like hubris
this past january after a long autumn of minor misfortune left the market in a stall i spent a week loitering in the command concourse of american vc sand hill road in menlo park calif where the soft spruce filtered sunlight falls through plate glass into quiet offices of beige on beige there was some selection bias at work as all my introductions were brokered by a smart and thoughtful friend but not a single investor i talked to fit the description of the supercilious techno optimist   and most in private didnt hesitate to concede palihapitiyas point of course they believed private valuations had become preposterous of course the run in private tech stocks couldnt possibly last and of course many start ups especially those of the uber for garden gnome rearrangement variety are in fact largely worthless
where they differed from the naysayers however was in their rating of the causes and consequences the fault they said didnt belong to the technological elite but to everybody else what has driven inflated valuations in a time of extremely low interest rates and meager returns elsewhere is dumb money all the alien capital that has flowed into the valley in recent years dumb money is a hedge funder whos jealous of a vc dumb money is sovereign wealth dumb money is an emirati home office dumb money is a facebook millionaire in a maserati who wants to look like a player dumb money wants to get in on tech because its a box to check off dumb money isnt in it for the long run dumb money doesnt actually care about the technology dumb money doesnt create value dumb money thinks what you lose on the margin youll make up for in volume dumb money wants to get in on uber at any price and will accept a limited edition private offer to join the scarce ranks in a special purpose vehicle that bears all the risks of one company with none of the hedging benefits of a portfolio dumb money is those pinkish guys with bull necks in zegna suits the weird thing about dumb money unfortunately is that it can act with fiendish intelligence insisting on stipulations that guarantee returns at the expense of founders employees and other investors
luckily for the american economy the dumb money this time around is no longer a mob of deluded pensioners waist deep in webvan its also the vcs noted a lot less money in total and at least in theory its coming from people who can afford the losses the last dot com crash erased an estimated 62 trillion in household wealth so the coming correction will allow the smart money to roll up its brushed microfiber sleeves and get back to basics a lot of 10 billion companies will become 1 billion companies and 1 billion companies will be acquired for 100 million and the dumb money will slink away operating expenses and burn rates will come way down and companies that didnt worry about profitability or unit economics will there will be layoffs sure but the only serious effects will be that the traffic on i 280 will no longer back up three exits itll be easier to get a table at the village pub and engineers three minutes out of stanford will no longer expect 150000 a year and backlit fountains of complimentary fruit water
the main thing that has changed since january is that very little seems to have changed vc investment over the first quarter of the year has remained flat at about 12 billion from the final quarter of 2015 though a flight to perceived quality has caused both a drop in the total number of deals and a concentration at the top the total number of tech ipos however was zero yet the flood of money to the valley has not abated according to the wall street journal this has been the single biggest fund raising quarter for venture capital since the in retrospect ominous year 2000
bill gurley a partner in the firm benchmark capital recently published a blog post in which he reminded his colleagues in a tone of exaggerated mildness that table stakes in the industry have perhaps become too high loose capital allows the less qualified to participate in each market this less qualified player brings more reckless execution which drags even the best entrepreneur onto an especially sloppy playing field despite warnings like these companies and vc firms have continued to court as much of that loose capital as they still can almost a decade of aggressive growth strategy by even the most prudent demands it with an utterly dead ipo market and no appetite among the big public tech companies to acquire companies with bad balance sheets venture capital is less liquid than ever and thus increasingly represents a closed system   a system where it is no longer so easy to distinguish good money from bad
defenders of that system argue that all they really need are the expected half dozen mega ipos slack palantir snapchat uber airbnb to make enough cash returns to offset the losses but that fantasy math holds for only a tiny cohort of vc firms it also overlooks the well being of tens of thousands of employees especially support staff who have worked for years for a share in the wealth theyve created perhaps worst of all it betrays a callow belief that the genuinely transformative long term endeavors that vcs have come to support   erstwhile academic research into artificial intelligence bioengineering and sustainable energy   will be somehow insulated from an industry downturn an exploded bubble could very well mean that those totally audacious bets will go unfunded entirely that might seem like a satisfying comeuppance for the imperious valley but its not something to be smug about smart money convinces itself of its highly differentiated intelligence at what might prove to be all of our expense


the terrorist attacks in europe over the last year havent lessened travelers enthusiasm for vacationing there this summer
virtuoso a global luxury network of travel advisers and more than 1700 hotels cruise lines and tour operators recently analyzed more than 35 billion of transactions from its clients and found that europe dominated the top 10 list of future bookings with italy britain france spain and the netherlands being the most popular destinations
matthew d upchurch the chairman and chief executive of virtuoso said that though sales to europe were flat compared with last summer they continued to remain strong its hard to beat the reservations to europe last year because the strength of the dollar made it the best season there in a while but even with fears about terrorism it continues to be a favorite when it comes to leisure travel he said
leslie cafferty the head of global communications at bookingcom which says it is the worlds largest hotel booking site with a database of more than 900000 properties agreed despite certain markets in europe at times being negatively impacted because of terrorism its still a strong market for us particularly in the summer she said
europe was the top destination for united states citizens in january according to the department of commerce and the number of united states citizens traveling to europe increased 5 percent that month compared with january 2015
heres what you need to know about planning a european getaway this summer from prices to safety factors
paris is coming back virtuosos average daily rate in europe among its 367 partner hotels on the continent was 793 in early may comparatively the average daily rate for a partner hotel in paris was 1089 or 37 percent higher than the average in europe and also higher than the 800 average daily rate in the city last summer paris has bounced back fast because its paris   an iconic city with so much sentiment for so many people mr upchurch said
and on bookingcom the average daily rate for a hotel in paris has increased to 261 a night this year from 245 a night last year
travel specialists also report that bookings to the city are increasing jack ezon the president of the new york city based consultancy ovation vacations said that in the last month alone he has had 45 bookings for coming trips to paris compared with 10 total in the three months before that
italy isnt for bargain hunters the only other destination with high prices that match those in paris according to virtuosos data is italy where the average daily rate at a luxury hotel is 1016 andrea grisdale the owner of ic bellagio a lake como based travel company selling trips to italy said that the country might not be a place to get deals in the summer season but that changes come fall coming here in the summer is pricey but costs drop significantly starting in october and thats actually a beautiful less crowded time to visit she said a stay in a junior suite at the upscale palazzo del vice re in lake como for example is 450 euros 510 a night in july the same room in october is EUR390 and guests get a fourth night free
belgium is hurting the terrorist attacks in brussels in march have negatively affected tourism to belgium this summer according to mickey creyf the chief executive of bts travel group an antwerp based agency specializing in travel within belgium we are suffering badly he said the restaurants and hotels are empty because there is a fear factor to coming here
this downturn has an upside when it comes to prices   mr creyf said there are deals to be had we want your business so everything is cheaper than it ever was hotel rates are 40 percent lower and eating out is much less expensive too he said
also the countrys many cultural attractions like the well preserved medieval city of bruges and rubenshuis the museum in antwerp dedicated to the flemish baroque painter peter paul rubens arent overwhelmed with visitors as they have been for travelers this means fewer long lines or crowds to contend with
spain and portugal are value destinations the average daily rate at a virtuoso partner hotel in spain is 657 in portugal that number is 338 or 57 percent lower than the average in europe in fact the only country with lower rates is poland where the average is 300 a night
both spain and portugal are good values in the peak summer season said virginia irurita the founder of made for spain and portugal a madrid based company selling trips to the two countries your money stretches a lot more now than it did as recently as two years ago
for example the average nightly rate for a hotel in madrid this year is an affordable 150 on bookingcom and at finca cortesin a luxury resort in spains costa del sol region with a golf course spa four swimming pools and a michelin starred japanese restaurant kabuki raw its possible to snag a room starting at EUR500 a night this summer a stay includes an array of amenities such as a multicourse breakfast bottled water valet parking golf shoe cleaning and access to the spa and beach club
the bigger steal however is portugal ms irurita said a weeklong trip to the country with her company for two people including luxury hotel stays guided tours in lisbon and porto a train ticket from lisbon to porto and a daylong excursion to the douro valley with wine tastings at two wineries is around EUR3000
airfares are the lowest theyve been since the recession rick seaney the co founder of the airline ticket comparison website farecomparecom said a round trip ticket in late june from the east coast to several cities in europe including lisbon dublin oslo copenhagen frankfurt moscow and milan was around 800 these fares are unusually low but low fuel costs and competition among airlines has brought prices down he said
on the other hand the most expensive destinations to fly to in late june from the east coast are london paris and rome with round trip prices starting upward of 1000 a ticket
and its possible to plan your trip at the last minute mr seaney said you can buy tickets as late as two weeks before departure and still get good rates he said
no single destination is unsafe but ...tim horner the head of the security risk management practice at the security firm kroll said that no destination in europe is off limits when it comes to safety but there is a caveat there isnt a particular country that travelers should avoid but overall there is an elevated threat related to terrorism he said the intelligence from several sources indicates warnings more than in previous years about the possibility of terrorist attacks throughout europe
dont be afraid be aware a potentially higher chance of an attack doesnt mean that travelers should be fearful of going to europe mr horner said but they should be aware he advises avoiding crowded areas such as concert halls and stadiums and having an exit strategy in place if you do go knowing how to get around the city youre in emailing your itinerary and copies of your travel documents including your passport to family members and limiting the amount of personal information you carry no need to tote along all your credit cards are other safety tips for more ideas on safety precautions see a march 30 2016 article is europe safe for travelers in the new york times
hotels in particular are trying to keep their guests safe according to scott d berman a principal in hospitality and leisure at pricewaterhousecoopers properties in europe are taking extra security measures now such as employing unmarked security personnel in their lobbies and training their employees to be on the lookout for suspicious activity he said


heures heureuses   happy hours   trumpeted the chalkboard menu on the terrace of 92 rue de charonne and as i sipped my cocktail at an outdoor table absorbing the euphoria of a perfect spring evening the words felt more like an apt description than a promotion
in a haze of cigarette smoke and laughter a full spectrum of my parisian neighbors filled the crowded tables a vivacious fashionista in huge red eyeglasses chatting with a franco african woman in a motorcycle jacket a male couple in ray bans cuddling at the next table behind me two older women clinked wineglasses and leaned forward to hear each other amid the funk music groove
twilight was falling a parisian night was about to flare into fullness
the last time i visited la belle equipe cafe a five minute walk from my apartment the outdoor space was an ocean of flowers candles and hand scrawled condolence notes hundreds of mourners gathered whispering prayers for the 19 people gunned down there just two nights earlier during the terror attacks of nov 13 some longtime friends from the nearby cafe des anges my corner cafe had been among the casualties
once again my neighborhood the 11th arrondissement of paris felt like the most shattered place in europe the first time was in january 2015 when french born islamic extremists stormed the offices of the satirical newsweekly charlie hebdo an attack that resulted in 12 deaths on nov 13 the islamic state unleashed teams with kalashnikovs and explosives to multiple hangouts in this area as well as in the adjacent 10th arrondissement and the stade de france sports arena that freewheeling friday evening became an apocalyptic night of fear and blood some 130 people were killed
horror and mourning destruction and rebuilding shattered lives and a return to the quotidian paris and other parts of europe rocked by terrorism tilt dizzily back and forth these days thanks to support from friends and family   and parisian solidarity in general   i have managed to keep my balance and move ahead with life in this city that i have chosen as my home
for years people have asked me why did you move to france french people ask with pride americans ask with a dreamy look in their eyes
i know that look well i was raised by francophiles my father lit out for paris in the 1950s and spent months in a cheap hotel in the st germain des pres neighborhood he drank beers at brasserie lipp and picked up his mail from the old american express office near the opera house my mother arrived in the mid 1960s for her junior college year abroad she returned with paperbacks by sartre beckett and simone de beauvoir and albums by charles aznavour and georges brassens
i grew up with my mothers soundtrack and my fathers stories going to france someday seemed as natural as going to college or getting a job the paris they evoked reaffirmed by films like the last metro last tango in paris and diva was a moody twilight city of long nights and endless intrigue
i set out in 2004 with an aspiring writers predictable visions the cozy bookshops of st germain des pres the avant garde architecture and contemporary art of the centre pompidou the twisting hillside streets of montmartre the raspberry sorbet at berthillon the hot chocolate of the cafe de flore revival cinema houses in the latin quarter nocturnal picnics overlooking the seine the red neon sleaze of pigalle wine bars jazz clubs sunrise over the mansard rooftops
paris delivered those rewards and more though french life has proved far more complicated and   lately   volatile only with time would i learn some of the less savory aspects of paris society and french politics notably the fallout from french colonialism in north and west africa the algerian war of the 1960s and an inchoate attempt to integrate immigrants from those countries into french life
but nothing could prepare anyone for nov 13 the aftermath for some of my neighbors was crushing an easygoing acquaintance named khaled a french tunisian cool cat who had bartended at the cafe des anges was with two of his sisters during the attack on la belle equipe they were killed he survived i saw him a few days later dazed and red eyed then he vanished from the neighborhood
a longstanding french friend witnessed some of the shootings while out walking he hid in a theater and sneaked home in the wee hours afterward he feared being outside i urged him out once   once   for a drink after an hour he asked me to see him into a taxi then he vanished too
even those of us who avoided the bullets and bombs were scarred i was hiding in a bar about a mile from the area when the slaughter was unfolding some expatriates talked of leaving paris people i know avoided the metro for a time others steered clear of monuments my friends 12 year old son was instructed on survival techniques in case of a terrorist attack on his school
i went back to new york city my hometown in late december as i do every year to visit friends and family this time i found myself wondering why return to the tragedy of paris and the turmoil of europe
but i felt a connection   both geographically and morally   to the challenges in europe and beyond i was finally feeling at home amid the citys grand boulevards and splintering medieval passages and i didnt want to be pariss fair weather fan so i returned   eager but unsure of what might unfold next
beyond my neighborhood beyond france the view sometimes appears equally cloudy sometimes i unroll an imaginary map and trace a trail of favorite cities in europe that have also suffered terrorist nightmares in recent years brussels our neighbor to the north in march copenhagen a frequent stop during three decades of visiting my danish stepmother and stepbrothers where a gunman opened fire on a cafe and a synagogue in february of 2015 istanbul a storybook city that i visit almost every year
sometimes my travels turn up ghosts in parma italy this spring i spent days dreaming only of my next meal hocks of air cured parma ham and blocks of parmigiano cheese awaited around every corner then passing the citys venerable university the face of guillaume an old friend materialized in my mind a former bartender at my corner hangout cafe des anges he was part of the group gunned down on nov 13 at the nearby belle equipe cafe he had studied and lived in parma a fact that i had forgotten until that moment funny sly and fluent in italian he had been training recently to become a schoolteacher i leaned against a wall face to face with his terrible end once again
in spite of these attacks i dont travel around europe any differently than i did before i dont pack survival gear i dont buy travel insurance im not constantly looking over my shoulder   or at state department travel warnings which almost urge you to compose a will before crossing a border why because the expanse of territory with no terrorist history no jarring personal memories is vast for every spot in europe touched by terrorism there are many many more that continue their routines as they always have
putting my finger again to my imaginary map i can connect numerous cities that i have recently visited in total tranquillity in zurich the only time i was scared was when i asked for hotel prices in milan the main stress was how to fill two days with as many art museums design galleries and osterias as possible
even sarajevo which two decades ago was the site of some of modern europes worst atrocities proved welcoming last fall i passed from the domes minarets and carpeted tearooms of the old ottoman quarter into the churches squares and pastry shops of the 19th century core with its palpable austro hungarian influences never once did i feel unsafe
and even amid the rising xenophobic climate in europe and the racist noise of the far right parties there are voices of tolerance pope francis in particular has been an example of compassion among his easter rituals he washed the feet of refugees of multiple faiths more recently he visited the greek island of lesbos the landing point for so many syrians fleeing the devastation in their country and brought back a dozen to resettle in rome
sometimes the bright spots are much closer to home in november i visited denmark to celebrate thanksgiving in my familys town knebel that thursday i accompanied my sister in law to the language school where she teaches danish to foreigners the teachers had organized an international dinner to showcase food from the students various countries
entering i heard a friendly commotion in arabic a group of young syrians was hustling to prepare dishes for their fellow immigrants   eritreans palestinians iranians that evening surrounded by the forests and farmlands of scandinavia we dined on kibbe ground meat in a casing of cracked wheat and kenafeh a warm sweet white cheese dessert as the syrians told of abandoned studies and families in their war ravaged country syrian kurds sang songs one fellow a former student of british literature quoted verses by william blake
that simple dinner fostered a sense of community and exchange that every global policy maker should feel just once
it is spring now in paris the city of light is not plunged into darkness the seine is not a stream of tears the neighborhood is in bloom at one end of the adjacent street rue de la roquette oak and cherry trees blossom in pere lachaise cemetery the final resting place of jim morrison oscar wilde chopin and other expatriates who rhapsodized about this city as well as moliere edith piaf and a multitude of french legends
at the other end a new generation of strivers applies to become parisian droit dasile   asylum seekers   reads the sign outside the office francais de limmigration et de lintegration where refugees from the middle east africa and asia line the pavement
in between on my rue des taillandiers life lurches ahead journalism assignments and deadlines walks to the gym not often enough metro rides to the overpriced chiropractor whose old world office suggests a barons apartment mornings at the outdoor market nights at the cinema also not enough email backlogs electric bills leaks loud neighbors lunches with friends
and as the leaves at last reappear so do vanished neighbors my first parisian friend who had feared leaving his apartment is out again hitting the paris bar circuit and jetting off to brazil mauritius and beyond even khaled the former cafe des anges bartender who lost two sisters appeared the other night he was standing at his old counter a customer this time having drinks and joking with friends
out for a spin on my battered italian scooter i can see the citys surge in full view six new restaurants and wine bars have opened within a one minute walk of my building so have the restaurants and cafes attacked on nov 13
on the terrace of la belle equipe sitting among the twilight throngs i scan a menu as diverse as this city french tartare de boeuf american style barbecued ribs middle eastern shakshouka i am already eager to return many times to the heures heureuses here and to the many hours of happiness that i have known all over this neighborhood this adopted city and this continent my home


in bookends two writers take on questions about the world of books this week thomas mallon and leslie jamison discuss the best writing about brothers and sisters
by thomas mallon
it is the brotherly bond more than any paternal one that dominates legends of the fall
the late jim harrisons legends of the fall is itself a sort of sibling the title novella in a volume containing two others best ever hardly but sometimes interesting can be better than best and this moody unstable story   full of shifts in pacing and focus   stays with a reader well after it has concluded with the burial of tristan the middle and most magnetic of the three ludlow brothers created by its author
we see them together in the books opening pages as they leave their fathers montana ranch for the western front of world war i distinct as brothers in a fairy tale the boys are partly characterized by their fathers look around their now empty rooms alfred the striver and future politician has left behind sentimental bric a brac dumbbells self help books samuel the gentle and aspiring naturalist will be separated from stuffed animals and microscopes the storage trunk of the untamable tristan contains cartridges for a sharps buffalo rifle a rusty handgun of unknown origin a jar of flint arrowheads and a bear claw necklace that he probably got from the cheyenne named one stab whom ludlow often felt was more the boys father than he himself
we learn that the elder ludlow has mismanaged the secondary life lived through his sons but it is the brotherly bond more than any paternal one that dominates the book uniting and strangling the three young men after samuel is cut down in france by gunfire and mustard gas tristan cuts out his little brothers heart for burial under the big sky of home and then deranged with grief scalps several german soldiers taking care to observe a bit of technique that harrison passes on to the reader you couldnt scalp a beheaded man because you needed an anchor to gain a good fulcrum tristans later wanderings and outlawry are awash in violence and the novella sometimes feels ready to crumble beneath all its gunplay and carnage and staginess
and yet harrison never lets go of several different literary schemas   celtic biblical and classical   that seem to frame and discipline the story the tristan of legend steals his uncles intended bride for himself harrisons tristan similarly provokes his brothers jealousy by making off with susannah the girl alfred was supposed to marry although tristan really desires her only in order to create a replacement child for the dead samuel as in the old testament susannah is spied upon when shes at her bath and just as allusively when one stab picks up the ill fated samuels saddle it is as if he were picking up doom herself doom always owning the furthest darkest reaches of the feminine gender pandora medusa the bacchantes the furies   
the storys narrative voice is arbitrary and godlike always very distant but by turns lyrical and essayistic superbly telling instead of showing susannahs character owed more to the early 19th than the early 20th century when the narrator has the future on his mind he doesnt foreshadow what he can simply foretell we learn that tristan will die on a snowy hillside in alberta late in december in 1977 at the age of 84 nearly 50 pages and more than 50 years before it happens
not so much world weary as cosmically tired harrisons storytelling is sometimes hushed and sometime sonorous rolling out on waves of complicated syntax that are averse to commas this tale of brothers has so much on its mind that the authors choice of the compact novella form seems almost perverse a kind of stunt a tolstoyan view of the world there is little to tell of happiness   happiness is only itself placid emotionally dormant must also make room for the cheyenne sense of fatality that what had happened had already happened by the time legends of the fall is finished it has the reader believing that life is little more than deaths back story
thomas mallons eight novels include henry and clara bandbox fellow travelers and watergate a finalist for the penfaulkner award he has also published nonfiction about plagiarism stolen words diaries a book of ones own letters yours ever and the kennedy assassination mrs paines garage as well as two books of essays his work appears in the new yorker the atlantic monthly and other publications a recipient of the vursell prize of the american academy of arts and letters for distinguished prose style he is currently professor of english at george washington university
* * *
by leslie jamison
people often find incest in the sound and the fury but i saw something else
when i first read william faulkners the sound and the fury i loved that he wrote about siblings in terms of longing people often find incest in that book but i saw something else a different kind of desire the desire to stay inside a certain dream of closeness and the desire to articulate a bond others couldnt easily understand i read quentin compsons famous declaration i have committed incest father as a fabrication perhaps even an imagined one it wanted a label for an intimacy the world couldnt recognize or protect the love of a brother who doesnt want to give his sister up to the world beyond the one they shared
in college when i wrote my senior thesis about siblings in faulkners work it seemed to me as if all the critics wanted to read faulkners siblings in terms of history or political identity   to make their bonds about chivalric obsession with female purity or else an obsessive allegiance to the south or the past an unwillingness to move forward into the future   but i wanted to read them as siblings brothers who didnt want to let their sister go
why doesnt caddy get a voice people asked it was just her brothers talking about her instead idiot benjy smitten quentin bitter jason did you ever have a sister did you quentin asks and faulkner didnt himself he only had three brothers which is perhaps why he felt more comfortable writing the sister as imagined by her brothers and perhaps i loved the novel because it was all about brothers obsessed with their absent sister and id spent much of my childhood as a sister obsessed with her absent brothers
people had often told me it must have been like being an only child after finding out my two brothers were nine and 10 years older and i tried a thousand ways to tell them no it hadnt been like that at all it was more like having gods for brothers who defined me with their presence and then defined me with their absence when i fought the critics in my thesis i fought them with an anger i was probably directing at all the people who hadnt understood what my brothers meant to me
but i felt the sound and the fury understood something about how our siblings sear into us as children the vision of a sisters muddy drawers in a tree or the sound of her name it got how losing your siblings can get bound up in the loss of certain fantasies fantasies of innocence or dependence the fantasy of being totally known by others or totally enmeshed with them when quentin looks at a leaf in water and mourns how after a while the tissue will be gone and the delicate fibers    dont touch one another no matter how knotted up they once were no matter how close they lay once to the bones he is also mourning something else   the possibility of losing a sister who once felt closer than anyone else
i dedicated my thesis to my brothers and concluded   at its close   that absence could yield a shattered kind of empathy could become somehow honest about incompletion in its splinters looking back now i see my desperate desire to believe that distance could drive closeness rather than making it impossible i needed to believe that the gaps between me and my brothers were part of our closeness rather than proof we didnt have it i wanted to believe more broadly in a vision of intimacy that acknowledged all sorts of holes and gaps and ruptures that wasnt refuted by the distance between people but contoured by it
thats what i felt faulkner intuited about siblings that there were all sorts of gaps and harms and distances that might befall them that they might inflict on each other but that they loved each other anyway even when they were cruel to each other or opaque to each other or imagined each other rather than really hearing each other they still felt bound to each other   connected beyond all arguments to the contrary
leslie jamison is the author of an essay collection the empathy exams winner of the graywolf press nonfiction prize her first novel the gin closet was a finalist for the los angeles times art seidenbaum award for first fiction and her essays and stories have been published in numerous publications including harpers the oxford american a public space and the believer


human animal the dutch primatologist frans de waal hits the hardcover nonfiction list with his survey of animal cognition are we smart enough to know how smart animals are new at no 15 its his first best seller after a shelfs worth of books devoted mainly to primates including humans why expand to other species as de waal told the website of the quarterly magazine earth island journal he wanted to show just how far science has come in the past 25 years there was a time when we were not allowed to talk about higher intelligence in animals he said until the 1980s i would say we werent even allowed to use the term animal cognition human cognition yes human cognition was good but animals didnt have cognition animals either had instinct or learning and thats all they had    we have this long tradition of downplaying what animals do and considering animals dumb and below our level and we consider ourselves as absolutely unique but now he said everything has changed
naturally any time a scientist suggests humans arent uniquely special some humans take offense life scientists    seem zealously bent on disproving human exceptionalism wesley j smith wrote last month in a blog post criticizing de waal on national reviews website smith is a senior fellow at the discovery institute an organization that promotes intelligent design as an alternative to natural selection moral agency is one of the unique attributes that make us exceptional    we have consciences based on moral beliefs animals dont have moral beliefs
in fact de waal argues some animals have at least the potential we do a lot of studies on empathy in animals he told the christian science monitor and we found that they are affected by the mood states and emotions of others this is getting close to human morality the basis of which is that we empathize and care about others chimps are not into reasoning or justification like we are but they have the core   what the philosopher david hume called the moral sentiments
just do it nikes founder phil knight debuts at no 3 on the hardcover nonfiction list with a memoir called shoe dog the book has made news partly for skipping past the conditions in nikes overseas factories   change never comes as fast as we want it knight writes   and partly for fretting about a decline in americas entrepreneurial spirit but neither of those details made the cut when the trade journal footwear news picked the books five most powerful quotations instead as you might expect from a trade journal the chosen quotes favor the nuts and bolts of knights business decisions and partnerships they conclude with the day nike went public in 1980 the world was the same as it had been the day before as it had always been knight writes nothing had changed least of all me and yet i was worth 178 million


don delillos zero k published earlier this month is his 16th novel which means he may have more books under his belt than public appearances the rarely seen author recently showed up at the 92nd street y in new york to read from the new book and to talk about his life and work with fellow novelist dana spiotta
after reading a few pages at a lectern delillo sat down next to spiotta ive lost my voice he said can i go home now
no such luck he had to stay and chat and what he said could make one wonder if a memoir is in the offing i think of myself more and more as a kid from the bronx he said the memories become more and more clear he recalled working as a park attendant when he was a teenager he never wore his uniform so visitors wouldnt know he was there to help i would sit on a bench and read he said the guy who ran the place didnt seem to mind
his personal motto taken from james joyce was silence exile cunning    even though i never went into exile and im not that cunning its the silence part
generously and evasively delillo attempted to steer the conversation toward spiottas work but his interlocutor wasnt having it when she told him that naming things and knowing the names of things was incredibly important in your work delillo wryly shot back it is
spiotta asked about the humor in his work and his method of deploying it it comes or it doesnt delillo said i dont know what else to say the audience laughed
quotable
writing a novel strikes me as a lot like raising a child in the sense that you have a certain amount of control or you hope you do and your job is to guide it to a place where it will leave you   justin cronin in an interview with houstonia magazine
a slow cure
the acclaimed novelist james salter died last year at 90 and now a small new book the art of fiction collects three lectures he gave at the university of virginia near the end of his life he spoke about his favorite writers the importance of style in prose and the darker moments in a creative career he mentioned a devastating review in the new york times of his novel light years followed by a second indifferent review in the paper when his editor broke the news salter looked for a silver lining was there something in it though some phrase or a couple of words that could be used in an ad there was not
its a rare writer who doesnt experience rejection at one point or another salter said and the book was after all not anything sacred though it had been sacred to me but this is philosophically speaking and was of no use at the time philosophy is a slow acting cure


ruhrfestspiele various venues through june 19
the confederation of german trade unions is a co sponsor of this theater festival an international interdisciplinary affair that is one of the oldest summer events in europe the festival focuses on heady experimental theater pieces and works that push genre boundaries highlights this year include an adaptation of oresteia by the italian director romeo castellucci and a stage adaptation of the french writer michel houellebecqs novel submission about an islamic political party coming to power in france some dance works like this one will appear in the festival alongside traditional theater ruhrfestspielede
jesters villains and players at the medici court galleria darte moderna di palazzo pitti through sept 11
this exhibition explores the art of the medici court in the 17th and 18th centuries focusing on depictions of social outcasts like gamblers jesters and dwarves around 30 artworks are on view including pieces by gabbiani bocchi and bosch the show examines how the appetite for renderings of unusual subjects in that period opened up new artistic possibilities for painters polomusealefirenzeit
russia and the arts from elizabeth to victoria national portrait gallery state tretyakov gallery through june 26 july 24
these two major museums are making an exchange this spring with each displaying prominent works from the others collection the two exhibitions focus on portraiture the national portrait gallery show features russian portraits painted from the 1860s to the brink of world war i   like valentin serovs portrait of ivan morozov the show at the tretyakov focuses on artwork produced from the time of elizabeth i to the time of queen victoria npgorguk tretyakovgalleryru
modafe arko arts theater may 18 29
dance companies and performers from around the world including lev from israel cie philippe saire from switzerland the dancer choreographer nobuyoshi asai from japan and the scottish dance theater will appear in this contemporary festival some companies will show new and recent works several companies from south korea will also perform modafeorg
mawazine festival rhythms of the world various venues may 20 28
this diverse event   a world music festival with a popular music flair   will include performances by american pop stars spanish flamenco artists moroccan folk musicians and a pakistani fusion concert the major pop acts include chris brown iggy azalea pitbull and christina aguilera ms aguilera will play the festivals final main stage concert at the giant outdoor venue the olm souissi festivalmawazinema
festival internacional de teatro palco  rua de belo horizonte various venues may 20 29
street spectacles performance art and traditional theater will all play a part in this festival which takes place at an eclectic range of venues across this medium sized city in eastern brazil around half of the shows are street pieces that take place outdoors pieces in the lineup include the gospel according to jesus queen of heaven about a transgender jesus returning to earth and dakh daughters a freak cabaret band from ukraine fitbhcombr
luminous australian watercolors 1900-2000 ngv australia through aug 21
gouache and watercolor paintings by around 50 australian artists are on view in this exhibition of works from the museums collection the show looks at how artists rendered the australian landscape in paint and how beginning around the 1950s they began to experiment with new styles artists on view include tony tuckson frank hinder joy hester and john brack ngvvicgovau
albert marquet painter of time pending musee dart moderne de la ville de paris through aug 21
around 100 artworks by the french painter albert marquet are on view in this solo show which aims to shed light on an often overlooked artist marquet 1875 1947 was associated with the bright abstract fauvist movement early in his art career but his tastes changed over the decades some of his works looked much more like traditional impressionist pieces the show explores his relationship to those art movements and to other artists like matisse with whom he had a close friendship throughout his life the show travels to the pushkin museum in moscow in october mamparisfr


here are the top 10 comments of the week on our digital platforms as selected by our readers and the journalists who moderate nearly every comment
1 as an african american female i understand the plight for equality
however i am severely offended by the continual comparison of a sexual preference a gender preference to the plight of an enslaved raped lynched brutalized oppressed people
dare anyone compare choice of bathroom to the plight of blacks for the past 400 years isnt that a bit ridiculous
first of all its insulting to every black person in america as blacks we were born as we are no choice involved
transgenders have to make a conscious choice to become a transgender there is no comparison
people say that christians force their beliefs on others well people who take these actions and measures are forcing their beliefs on those who dont agree
there is nothing wrong with a person who prefers to use the bathroom with people of the same gender by birth
stop making it seem like it is thats judgmental and degrading
  loves redemption in washington reacting to an article about the obama administration telling public schools to allow transgender students to use the restroom that corresponds to their gender identities
2 its past time to admit that when it comes to upholding federal law and even civil rights many states have pretty much just flipped off the us government many federal rulings and even the us constitution
its now necessary for the us government to bring the hammer down and start insisting that civil rights rulings are not optional nor are they open to debate overruling or corruption by any state
either we are a nation with universal civil rights that are enforceable or we are not
its time to make them stick
  gwbear in florida
this comment received over 200 reader recommendations
3 as i listen to mr sanders speak tonight   completely caught up in his own hubris   i am fascinated and repulsed by his angry entitlement to the democratic nomination
as he was shouting about momentum and that he is the best candidate   despite the fact that three million more voters preferred mrs clinton   i feel increasingly concerned that he is a huge liability to the party he adopted for his own convenience
  dana in santa monica calif reacting to an article about senator bernie sanderss victory in the west virginia primary
this comment received over 1090 reader recommendations and 127 reader responses
4 i am absolutely astounded at the way these analyses ignore the obvious the trump phenomenon is the backlash against our first black president come on
you go back decades dissecting american conservatism and you somehow manage not to mention that donald trump headed the birther movement which gave racists the okay to assert that barack obama was not a real american   explicitly because he was alleged falsely to have been born in africa hello
are we ever going to be allowed to discuss this elephant in the living room are we supposed to pretend forever that the origins of this outburst of hatred are totally mysterious
  dw in philadelphia reacting to an article about the republican partys failure to unite behind its presumptive nominee donald j trump
this comment received over 1680 reader recommendations and 33 reader responses
5 keep writing away it doesnt matter what you say i am still going to vote for him
the more i read against him the more i want to vote for him
  chris in louisville ky reacting to a post about mr trump refusing to release his tax returns
6 how many of us believe that the olympics and every other competition actually award medals for achievement rather than for who cheats most successfully
of course athletes also train for strength and skill and endurance but who does it without drugs
its not just the cheating that bothers me but the effect on young people who do it the effect of that lifelong secrecy the effect of knowing that their medal was gained by cheating
its very discouraging
  therap in the midwest reacting to an article about the former chief of russias antidoping lab detailing a state run doping effort in the 2014 olympics in sochi
7 great another special interest group to pander to
  mkm in new york reacting to an article about hillary clinton vowing that as president she would unseal the government records about area 51 reputed to contain classified information about aliens and ufos
8 colonialism was pretty rude too your majesty
  viraj vaidya on the timess facebook page responding to an article about queen elizabeth iis criticism of a visiting chinese delegation which was caught on a video
this comment received over 1700 likes
9 i find it so ironic that people do these things to their body in the name of individuality the inked and pierced masses are the real sheep
  lena in ontario canada reacting to an article about body modifications like tattoos piercings and ear gauging becoming de rigueur on fashion runways
10 brazil will not change
the problem with our country and economy is not the president herself but our senators and everyone else whos been stealing and ruining our country for their personal gain
im sad to say that even though i dont support dilma and never voted for her whats coming is much much worse than her
i fear for the future of my country
  vitoria fernandes on the timess facebook page responding to an article about impeachment proceedings against brazils president dilma rousseff


international
the byline and the first six paragraphs of an article about a study on whether women should be deacons in the roman catholic church were omitted from some editions on friday the full article by elisabetta povoledo and laurie goodstein can be found at nytimescomworld

an article in some editions on april 15 about what the pentagon called the failed launch of a ballistic missile by north korea misstated the name of a south korean news agency that reported the launch it is yonhap not yonghap
new york
an article on friday about fund raising efforts in 2014 for new york senate races overstated what basil a smikle jr a leader of the new york state democratic party knew about allegations that a group led by mayor bill de blasio used earmarked funds through local county committees while he cited published reports of such allegations mr smikle did not know of such an effort the article also misstated the circumstances of joseph percocos departure from the cuomo administration to run the governors re election campaign he resigned from the administration he did not take a leave of absence the error also appeared in an article on wednesday
business day
the common sense column on friday about insurance company losses on their hedge fund investments misspelled the given name of a hedge fund manager who commented on the difficulty in making profits he is steven a cohen not stephen the article also omitted part of the name of a drug company that was a favorite of hedge funds it is valeant pharmaceuticals international not valeant international and the article rendered incorrectly part of the name of a pension fund it is the illinois state board of investment not the illinois state board of investments

an article on the automobiles page on friday about the 2016 chevrolet camaro omitted the writers byline the article was by tom voelk
obituaries
an obituary on friday about mark lane who concluded in the mid 1960s that lee harvey oswald could not have acted alone in killing president john f kennedy referred incorrectly to the origin of the term grassy knoll to describe a green expanse of dealey plaza in dallas that mr lane argued was the source of several shots fired at the president while it is unclear who used the term first it was not coined by mr lane he himself said it was coined by jean hill a witness to the kennedy assassination other sources credit the united press international reporter merriman smith the obituary also referred incorrectly to mr lanes college and postgraduate education he received an undergraduate degree from long island university and a law degree from brooklyn law school he did not earn an undergraduate degree and a law degree at brooklyn college
opinion
an editorial on wednesday about president obamas planned visit to hiroshima failed to say caroline kennedy the ambassador to japan was among the american officials who have visited hiroshima in recent years it also incorrectly described presidential visits to cuba the first sitting american president to visit was calvin coolidge not mr obama
the times welcomes comments and suggestions or complaints about errors that warrant correction messages on news coverage can be e mailed to nytnewsnytimescom or left toll free at 1 844 nyt news 1 844 698 6397 comments on editorials may be e mailed to lettersnytimescom or faxed to 212 556 3622
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denver   coors field is hardly the kind of controlled laboratory in which to make conclusions about a baseball players performance hitters thrive in the high altitude and pitchers suffer correspondingly
matt harvey has always had great success against the colorado rockies but none of those games were at coors field he made his debut here friday and it did not go well
harvey allowed five runs and a staggering 11 hits in five and two thirds innings as the rockies beat the mets 5 2 in another disappointing start by harvey
jon gray the rockies rookie starter and a former first round draft pick earned his first career win and also collected his first hit a single off harvey in the fifth as the rockies ended an 11 game losing streak at the hands of the mets
its frustrating harvey said from one start to the next it doesnt feel the same at all it wasnt the ballpark or anything like that it was me
the 11 hits were the most harvey has surrendered since he allowed 13 on aug 24 2013 against the detroit tigers that was his last outing before having tommy john surgery
harvey who threw 216 innings last year including the postseason said he had no physical problems
my body feels fine he said its just frustrating being out there right now
his record is now 3 5 with a 493 era a surprising number for a pitcher who has never even finished a season with an era over 300
he did not allow any home runs but the rockies produced four extra base hits against harvey who threw many of his fastballs at 92 and 93 miles per hour a touch slower than his previous outing in san diego where it seemed as if he were solving some of the puzzling problems that have led to his confounding season
but manager terry collins said the reduced zip on harveys fastball pitches was not a concern
not really collins said i saw him in 13 when he was lights out there was some nights when he was 97 and other nights he pitched at 94 95
what is a concern he said is just the consistency of making quality pitches
before fridays game harvey was 2 0 in three starts against the rockies allowing only one earned run over 23 innings for a microscopic 039 era
but he gave up twice that number in the fourth inning alone thanks in large part to a misplay by left fielder michael conforto during a sequence in which the rockies smacked three straight hits
with the mets ahead 2 0 nolan arenado rapped a single to left then gerardo parra banged a sinking line drive to left
conforto ran in hard and to his left but the ball bounced in front of him and under his glove and rolled all the way to the wall where center fielder yoenis cespedes had to retrieve it
arenado scored easily and parra huffed into third base on what was ruled a triple two pitches later harvey left a slider right over the plate that mark reynolds lashed into center field scoring parra to draw the rockies even
the rockies added another run in the fifth but harvey did well to limit the damage the rally began with gray who collected his first major league hit on a bouncer up the middle
he went to second base on an infield hit by charlie blackmon and scored on a double by the rookie trevor story giving the rockies a 3 2 lead at that point with runners at second and third no outs and the meat of the rockies order due up the mets instructed hansel robles to warm up in the bullpen
but harvey got the next three batters out to strand the runners carlos gonzalez popped up arenado hit a soft liner to neil walker at second and parra hit a weak grounder to the shortstop
still as the hits mounted so did harveys pitch count he gave up another run in the sixth   the inning that has bedeviled him this season   on a double by d j lemahieu and a single by tony wolters
it was the ninth run harvey has given up in the equivalent of five and two thirds innings of pitching during the sixth inning this year he wound up being charged with another after he struck out gray collins took the ball from harvey and handed it to jerry blevins
blackmon a left handed hitter was blevinss first assignment and he rocketed a ball high off the wall in right field to score wolters and drive harveys era even higher
im just not feeling comfortable throwing the baseball right now he said


the tampa bay lightning beat the pittsburgh penguins in game 1 of the eastern conference finals on friday night but their victory may have come with a steep price goaltender ben bishop
bishop was outside the crease during a pittsburgh power play in the first period when he turned around to scramble back into position his left leg appeared to wrench awkwardly underneath him and he tumbled to the ice writhing in pain before being taken off on a stretcher
andrei vasilevskiy took his place and made 25 stops and the lighting took advantage of some sloppy miscues by the penguins defense to win 3 1 and take away pittsburghs home ice advantage in the best of seven series game 2 will be monday night in pittsburgh
alex killorn ondrej palat and jonathan drouin scored for tampa bay and the lightning kept pittsburghs dynamic offense under wraps for long stretches
patric hornqvist picked up his sixth goal of the playoffs for the penguins matt murray pittsburghs rookie goaltender finished with 17 saves but was put in tough spots several times because of defensive miscues in front of him
addison russell david ross and kris bryant homered and the chicago cubs beat the pittsburgh pirates 9 4 to end their first losing streak of the season   a two game skid from a doubleheader sweep
russell and ross connected for three run shots and bryant hit a two run drive as the cubs improved their record to 26 8 the best in the majors
its nice to have a little fun today after the panic set in ross joked we lost two in a row now everyone can relax we finally won one
chicagos jason hammel 5 0 struck out a season high eight over six and two thirds innings
phillies squeeze out a win jeremy hellickson struck out nine and drove in the go ahead run on a suicide squeeze and the phillies beat the visiting reds 3 2
hellickson 3 2 allowed two unearned runs over seven innings david hernandez worked the eighth and jeanmar gomez finished for his 14th save in 15 chances
the phillies ended a seven game losing streak against the reds with their fifth win in the past six games
dartmouth coach buddy teevens makes a promise to recruits before they take the field in four years you will never tackle another dartmouth football player
teevens a former dartmouth player who has coached at the school for 15 years has eliminated live tackling from practices he told a congressional committee on friday that the result had been far fewer concussions less time missed because of injury   and victories
since cutting back on tackling in 2010 dartmouth has not had a losing record just as important to teevens no defensive player sustained a concussion in 2015
teevenss players practice on stand in targets including a robotic dummy
i love football teevens said but i love my players more
the university of kansas put james naismiths original rules of basketball on display in a new multimillion dollar building constructed to house the two page document
the new building the 217 million debruce center is the permanent home of the original 13 rules of basket ball which naismith wrote in 1891 a kansas alumnus bought it at auction in 2010 for 43 million
kansas coach bill self said the display reminded him of leonardo da vincis mona lisa
what makes it so cool is how simplistic it is self said for those two pieces of paper to have such an impact in our sport is what makes it so special
maker prepares for leap thon maker is preparing to become the first player in 11 years to go directly from high school to the nba
maker a 7 footer from south sudan is attending the nba draft combine in chicago after being ruled eligible for the draft last month
the league instituted a rule in 2005 requiring american players be at least 19 and one year removed from high school to be eligible for the draft maker turned 19 in february and argued that he had earned his high school diploma in 2015 despite having spent a year at a canadian prep school
the ncaa has asked the united states supreme court to hear a case that successfully challenged its use of names images and likenesses of college athletes without compensation
the plaintiffs in the case which was originally filed by the former ucla basketball star ed obannon petitioned the supreme court in march to hear the case
in 2014 a federal judge decided the ncaas amateurism rules violated antitrust law and said universities could   but were not required to   pay football and male basketball players up to 5000 per year for use of their names images and likenesses an appeals court overturned the ruling on the payments last year but left the ncaas amateurism rules vulnerable to other challenges
the los angeles kings and darryl sutter their two time stanley cup winning coach agreed to a multiyear contract extension that will begin in the fall
the agreement is reportedly for two more seasons with an option for a third sutters deal was to expire july 1


miami   the general arc of this series landed a surprising figure smack dab at the center of it all before game 6 on friday night
alex mckechnie is the director of sports science for the toronto raptors who have required his services in their eastern conference semifinal series with the miami heat at torontos morning shootaround here mckechnie stood before a group of reporters and explained how he was attempting to reduce the swelling in demar derozans sprained right thumb
the process involved wrapping a red shoelace around derozans thumb during timeouts   and a lot of pain mckechnie stressed that it was not as uncommon as it sounded
its actually a very standardized method of treatment he said adding these guys are playing through all sorts of things
through heaps of injuries through poor shooting through some of the most inartistic basketball this side of the philadelphia 76ers
on friday though the heat poked their heads through the muck just long enough to escape with a 103 91 victory that evened the best of seven series at three games apiece game 7 is scheduled for sunday afternoon in toronto the cleveland cavaliers who are enjoying an extended sabbatical await the winner in the conference finals
the heat avoided elimination behind goran dragic a guard who scored a team high 30 points he was everything that the first five games of the series were largely not   crisp efficient fun to watch   and he seemed to have a response for every run that toronto could muster
i was just aggressive dragic said i dont want to go home to europe i still want to be here
dwyane wade added 22 points in the win
when the raptors cut into the heats lead midway through the fourth quarter dragic connected on a midrange jumper wade soon followed with a basket of his own
it was a missed opportunity for the raptors who are still seeking the franchises first appearance in the conference finals before the game coach dwane casey went straight for the buffet of elimination game platitudes saying he wanted his team to play with resolve the heat have won championships but this is all still fairly new to the raptors
we should be the hungry team casey said we should be the desperate team
instead the raptors missed open layups and fumbled loose balls out of bounds kyle lowry scored a game high 36 points and derozan added 23 but they had little help
depleted rosters led to some unusual situations justise winslow nominally a 6 foot 7 forward for the heat spent time defending at the center position   but then helped bring the ball upcourt late in the first quarter coach erik spoelstra played three point guards at once he had anticipated an unusual tenor to the evenings festivities
this is a whatever it takes game he said at his teams morning shootaround
the raptors entered game 6 shooting 432 percent from the field with derozan and lowry combining to shoot 37 percent the heat had not been much better shooting 445 percent from the field and 304 percent from 3 point range before game 6 wade was asked whether he expected his teams shooting touch to return
we would love it to he said just like they would love it to but it probably aint going to happen in this series
he added the biggest thing has been timely shots timely makes if the ball goes in for you hey great but the rhythm of this series just is not as fluid
along with missed shots injuries had been mounting too both teams were without their starting centers   torontos jonas valanciunas because of a sprained right ankle and miamis hassan whiteside because of a sprained right knee torontos demarre carroll and miamis luol deng injured their left wrists in game 5 they played with limitations in game 6
sure enough the two teams plodded along at the start combining to miss 16 of their first 23 shots before the first timeout
offense wasnt our issue casey said we needed to get stops
after the heat went ahead by 9 in the second quarter when josh richardson drilled a 3 pointer derozan scored 5 straight points for the raptors but others soon emerged for the heat including dragic he scored 19 points to lead the heat to a 53 44 halftime lead
we felt like weve been playing in mud spoelstra said we looked a little more like ourselves tonight
facing elimination was nothing new to miami against the charlotte hornets in the first round the heat were down three games to two but they won game 6   on the road no less   and then took game 7 at home it reinforced the notion that they had some mettle
on friday with their season once more at stake the heat delivered again


the casino magnate sheldon g adelson told donald j trump in a private meeting last week that he was willing to contribute more to help elect him than he has to any previous campaign a sum that could exceed 100 million according to two republicans with direct knowledge of mr adelsons commitment
as significant mr adelson a billionaire based in las vegas has decided that he will significantly scale back his giving to congressional republicans and direct most of his contributions to groups dedicated to mr trumps campaign the two republicans familiar with mr adelsons plans spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly
mr adelsons pledge to mr trump the presumptive republican presidential nominee comes at an opportune time mr trump has relied on a mix of his own wealth and small dollar contributions to finance his primary effort and lacks the sort of major donor network needed to sustain him in the general election mr trump has said that he may need 1 billion for the campaign but has only recently begun scheduling fund raisers and hiring finance staff members many of the republican partys wealthiest contributors including the billionaire brothers charles g and david h koch have indicated they are unlikely to give to his candidacy
what remains unclear is how mr adelson plans to contribute his money to mr trump he will give the maximum allowed to mr trumps campaign and the republican national committee but to spend the amount he contemplates would require donating through a super pac able to accept unlimited donations
according to the republicans familiar with mr adelsons planning he and his advisers are still uncertain about which super pac to use as their vehicle for the bulk of the contributions they are wary of some of the current groups that purportedly exist to help mr trump who has been clear that he is uneasy with outside entities promoting his candidacy at rallies he has consistently criticized opponents who relied on super pacs saying they were being bought by wealthy donors
mr adelson 82 the chief executive of las vegas sands is among the worlds wealthiest individuals and has given hundreds of millions of dollars to republican candidates and causes over the years in 2012 he contributed at least 98 million to republican efforts according to a study by propublica but that money went to 34 separate campaigns and groups
mr adelson is frustrated by congressional gridlock and believes the only way to affect the countrys political system is to ensure a republican president is elected say the republicans familiar with his thinking
while he may help some local or gubernatorial candidates he is not planning to give much to congressional candidates or super pacs dedicated to keeping republican control of the house and senate a substantial blow given the largess he has showered on them in recent elections
mr adelson and his wife miriam met with mr trump and his campaign manager corey lewandowski at the st regis hotel in midtown manhattan while mr adelson was in town for a gala dinner to benefit the world values network an organization dedicated to disseminating jewish values in politics culture and media the two moguls who do not know each other well had met earlier in the campaign
but their conversation last week marked the first time they had talked in person since mr trump effectively won the nomination this month
mr trump assured the adelsons that he was dedicated to protecting israels security an issue about which the couple are passionate
the adelsons contributed to senator ted cruz of texas during the republican primaries but kept a far lower profile than they had in 2012 when mr adelson was a major benefactor of newt gingrich mr trump targeted mr adelson on twitter in october writing that mr adelson wanted to make senator marco rubio of florida his perfect little puppet
but mr adelson was plainly not bothered   or he at least forgave mr trump he told reporters last week he would get behind mr trump and wrote an op ed article in fridays washington post extolling his fellow casino owner
he is a candidate with actual ceo experience shaped and molded by the commitment and risk of his own money rather than the publics mr adelson wrote adding that mr trump has created a movement in this country that cannot be denied


the dark gray clouds that canvassed the sky at yankee stadium on friday night residual effects from an afternoon storm provided a fitting setting for luis severinos start against the chicago white sox
severino departed in the third inning after being bombarded in his shortest outing of the season but that may not have been the gloomiest news for severino the 22 year old starter who fell to 0 6 with a 746 era in the yankees 7 1 loss
after allowing a two run homer to jimmy rollins severino threw one pitch to jose abreu before manager joe girardi and the trainer steve donohue came out of the dugout donohue walked off the mound with severino as disgruntled fans jeered his effort   two and two thirds innings seven runs with seven hits four walks and one hit batter
the yankees later announced that severino experienced soreness on the back of his right elbow severino had a magnetic resonance imaging scan after the game and he was found to have a mild right triceps strain he will not pick up a baseball for five to seven days and be placed on the 15 day disabled list
ivan nova will most likely remain in the rotation c c sabathia who has been on the dl since may 5 with a left groin strain was scheduled to throw a side session friday and is expected to rejoin the team next week
you worry about it girardi said of severinos elbow adding obviously its a big concern
severinos latest rough outing began ominously his second pitch caught the leadoff hitter adam eaton in the right arm
after walking todd frazier with two outs severino escaped the inning unscathed thanks to a diving stop up the middle by shortstop ronald torreyes that prevented a run scoring single by melky cabrera
in the second severinos inability to close out at bats led to three runs alex avila hit an rbi double with two strikes for the games first run and eaton later picked up a key infield single on an 0 2 pitch that loaded the bases and set up jose abreu for a two rbi single
severino picked up two quick outs in the third before his start derailed a single and a walk set up eaton for a two run double on a misjudged fly ball by center fielder aaron hicks
throughout the opening innings catcher austin romine frequently called for time to meet with severino including the pitch before rollinss home run
spotted a 7 1 lead by the time of severinos exit the white sox coasted behind chris sale
the yankees had reestablished their offense in taking five of their first seven games this homestand but were no match for sale who improved to 8 0 and has been possibly the best pitcher in the american league
at 6 foot 6 toeing the third base side of the rubber and swinging his left arm across almost the entirety of the rest of the mound sale with his wingspan reminiscent of randy johnson pitched a complete game
after his call up in august the yankees hoped that severino carried similar potential but this season he has rarely exhibited the talent that had him pegged as a future anchor of the staff
severinos injury shadowed the first major league start for another prized graduate of the yankees farm system catcher gary sanchez who was recalled from class aaa scrantonwilkes barre
sanchez who went hitless in two at bats last season and 0 for 4 friday entered spring training as a candidate to become the backup to brian mccann but faltered
sanchez speaking through an interpreter friday afternoon said he refocused by shortening his swing over the first month in the minors
sanchez has played in the yankees organization since 2010 when he was 17 at times he caught severino and last season the duo were named the yankees minor league player and pitcher of the year


a new jersey mother who used what one of her seven children called divine intervention to choose the numbers for a powerball ticket last week was introduced to the public on friday with her family as the sole winner of a 4296 million jackpot
the mother pearlie mae smith of trenton is a church pastor who rarely gambles according to powerball officials the numbers popped into her head she said and she felt compelled to act on them so she bought a ticket at a 7 eleven store in trenton
the family learned on may 7 that it had won
at a news conference on friday one of ms smiths daughters valerie marie arthur recalled getting a call from one of her sisters marsha ann rebecca smith
told by her sister that the family had won the powerball jackpot ms arthur said she responded stop april fooling me and get off of my phone
it was not until she spoke to her mother ms arthur said that she was convinced that the family had indeed won together they chose a lump sum payout valued at 284 million that will be split eight ways
it was a big shock when we first learned we were powerball winners ms arthur said it was a bigger shock when we learned we were the only ticket holder
ms arthur said the family did not play the lottery regularly buying tickets only when the jackpot reached a sizable payout she said the family members had pooled their money and left the buying of the ticket to ms smith who described being inspired by divine intervention to pick the winning numbers 5 25 26 44 and 66 the red powerball number was 9 and the multiplier number was 2
it was like affirmation from god because we each have dreams that we want to fulfill in this life and do for our community and do for each other and for our families and we have been funded to do that said ms arthur who retired last year as a prison administrator
she said that another of her sisters katherine nicole nunnally of newark has for 15 years been leading a program to mentor young women and will now have the money to fully underwrite it
the family   six sisters and one brother   consulted with a life coach and met with previous jackpot winners to learn from their experiences they plan on tithing 10 percent of their winnings to god according to a news release friday the 13th is now a blessed day ms arthur said


three people were killed when their pickup truck was struck by an amtrak train at a rail crossing north of fresno calif on friday an amtrak spokeswoman said
the crash occurred around 1230 pm as the train was traveling to bakersfield from oakland the spokeswoman vernae graham said
none of the 217 passengers or the three crew members aboard the train the san joaquin train 713 were injured she said
the three people who were killed were all inside the truck she said names of the victims were not immediately available and it was not clear if there were others inside the vehicle
the crash occurred at a private railroad crossing alongside a vineyard in gregg calif the crossing had signs but no gates ms graham said
officer josh mcconnell of the california highway patrol said the trucks driver pulled around a stopped freight train at a crossing on a private dirt road and was struck by the amtrak train traveling on another set of tracks the associated press reported
the crash appeared to have happened officer mcconnell said because the freight train was blocking the main road and the trucks driver followed a dirt road parallel to the tracks to find a way around it
the locomotive involved in the crash sustained minor damage ms graham said


chicago   mayor rahm emanuel plans to get rid of the organization that is assigned to investigate claims of misconduct by chicago police officers but has been widely criticized as slow ineffective and rarely willing to demand serious disciplinary action
in an essay posted on the website of the chicago sun times late friday afternoon mr emanuel said he intended to replace the organization the independent police review authority with a new civilian investigative agency the mayor also said he wanted to create an inspector general to oversee public safety operations and an oversight board made up of chicago residents
mr emanuels announcements matched recommendations made last month by a task force he appointed which issued a blistering report on the failings of the citys police force on race transparency and accountability
the mayors plans come as the federal justice department conducts an investigation into department practices and six months after public outrage followed the release of a dashboard camera video showing a white police officer shooting laquan mcdonald a black teenager 16 times they also come at a time of low approval ratings for mr emanuel who is in his second term 62 percent of chicagoans said they disapproved of his job performance in a recent poll
mr emanuel wrote that it is clear that a totally new agency is required to rebuild trust in investigations of officer involved shootings and the most serious allegations of police misconduct
created in 2007 the independent police review authority was billed as a tough independent agency that would reform a police department that had seldom seemed to punish its own but discipline remained rare and the agency found claims of wrongdoing valid in only a few of more than 400 police shootings in addition while the authority issues recommendations for discipline a police board and the police superintendent have the final word in the most serious cases the public has lost faith in the oversight system the task force appointed by mr emanuel wrote in its report last month
mr emanuel provided few details about how he intended to replace the authority but said that in late june he intended to present the city council with a comprehensive plan to fundamentally reshape our system of police accountability he said the plan would be based on his task forces recommendations
the task force chairwoman lori e lightfoot said she found mr emanuels announcement very encouraging but what mattered would be the specifics
it will be important for the members of the public particularly those most impacted by policing in chicago to have an opportunity to review the intended ordinance and make comments before any city council vote ms lightfoot said perhaps the city council might even hold public hearings to affirmatively solicit comments from members of the public and subject matter experts in advance of any such vote


financial regulators in new york are scrutinizing a revival in seller financed deals for marketing inexpensive homes to lower income people who cannot get a mortgage
the new york state department of financial services on friday subpoenaed four investment firms that either are involved with seller financed deals or provide financing for such deals said a person with direct knowledge of the matter but spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation is preliminary
the firms receiving subpoenas from new york regulators are battery point financial new york mortgage trust apollo residential mortgage and an affiliated entity of apollo global management the person said all four are in manhattan
the nations top consumer regulator the consumer financial protection bureau recently began an informal inquiry into seller financing arrangements which are commonly referred to as contracts for deeds the bureau has assigned two enforcement lawyers to research the seller financing market and determine whether the terms of some deals violate federal truth in lending laws
contracts for deeds and other forms of seller financing have been in resurgence after the financial crisis which created a large supply of cheap foreclosed homes for investors to buy and left many potential homeowners unable to qualify for a mortgage the high interest long term contracts have proliferated because banks have retreated from lending to low income families private investment firms have stepped in to fill the void
proponents contend that a contract for deed can provide an alternative route for lower income borrowers to buy a home but the market has a long history of abuse and contracts often favor the seller
under a contract for deed the title to a home does not pass officially to the buyer until the final payment is made homes are often sold as is and in need of repairs
the person with direct knowledge of the matter said the subpoenas from new york regulators were sent only to firms with close ties to new york to avoid any jurisdictional issues
battery point financial confirmed that it had received a subpoena the firm which is backed by the private equity firm kohlberg kravis roberts  company is buying rundown homes in several states and renovating them before selling them to borrowers through 20 year contracts with monthly installment payments
apollo residential a publicly traded company is providing financing to a firm in louisiana that offers a variant of a contract for deed called a bond for title
new york mortgage trust recently purchased some homes with contracts for deeds in place from a dallas investment firm harbour portfolio advisors which has been selling off some of its large portfolio of homes and contracts
the spokesman for apollo residential confirmed the subpoenas to both firms and said they intend to cooperate fully representatives for new york mortgage trust did not return a request for comment
the subpoenas which were reported earlier by reuters are seeking information from the firms about any deals they have to sell homes through contracts for deeds bonds for titles rent to own arrangements or other seller financing the subpoenas seek copies of contracts among other items
battery point and harbour portfolio were featured in a front page article in the new york times in february
battery points founder jeremy healey has sought to differentiate his firm from other big players in the market saying that unlike them battery point has structured its 20 year contracts to comply with new federal guidelines for high interest mortgages
battery point recently entered the contract for deed market and has bought more than 300 homes in 16 states with the intention to resell the properties for around 72000 apiece according to an interview with mr healey earlier this year it does not own any properties in the state of new york the company said on friday
we look forward to addressing our residential installment contract with the department as it is designed to solve a number of longstanding regulatory and consumer issues with the traditional contract for deed mr healey said in a statement on friday we support improving awareness of how nonmortgage financing products can create opportunities for consumers who are shut out of the mortgage market


ponte vedra beach fla   for a brief moment in the second round of the players championship dumpy and frumpy replaced lean and mean on the pga tour
but do not let the plummeting scores and the potential for a wild weekend distract from the story of colt knost
he is short he is chubby he is unshaven he is not exactly a marketing firms dream
but if not for a blown 4 foot putt on the final hole friday knost the very definition of the sunday municipal golfer would have set the 18 hole record at tpc sawgrasss stadium course with a round of 10 under par 62
knost 30 finished the round only two strokes behind the clubhouse leader shane lowry 11 under and five behind the leader jason day 14 under who was on the 15th hole when play was suspended because of weather the round had earlier been suspended two hours because of a storm
that knost was among the leaders underscores the distinct difference between the young athletic 20 somethings of the sport and the golfer whose major sponsor is fittingly callaways great big bertha golf club
hello 21st century physical specimens meet mr love handles
im a guy that enjoys the good things in life knost said smiling to savor the statement i dont see that changing anytime soon
if knost were built like rory mcilroy or jordan spieth or day or even tiger woods in his prime the golf world would have been abuzz with what was unfolding in the morning round but when knost   who has never won on tour and whose only previous starts here ended with him missing the cut in 2012 and withdrawing in 2013   was on the green needing only a two putt to par no 18 and set the course record the live television feed was focused on dustin johnson putting during a nondescript round
knost as if on cue three putted from 43 feet and bogeyed to tie the course record just like that the story of the day moved from him the golfer with a smile as wide as the famed island green who had nearly set the course record to mcilroy who was chasing a sub 60 round
mcilroy eventually cooled off but still had a chance to set the 18 hole record on his final hole of the day no 9 his approach shot fell short of the bunker and it took him three shots to get up and down and finish with a bogey and a 64 he is eight under for the tournament
golfers led by gym rats like mcilroy are in better physical condition than they have ever been clubs and balls are built for maximum performance
players are so good and the potential for low scores is so great every weekend that many of the top courses have found ways during the past decade either to lengthen holes or to make them more difficult with hazards or narrowing fairways
the constantly changing records have been a sore point for many who follow the game and for some former players in the early 2000s when augusta national began tiger proofing its course to try to curtail low rounds mark mccumber said every olympics most of the records in swimming are broken do they go back in the next olympics and put currents in the pool
if you are knost you enjoy the party and create your own in his three previous rounds here before this tournament he shot 78 78 and 79 after shooting an even par 72 on thursday to begin the week he gave no indication that a record breaking round was possible on friday
the wind was barely blowing during the morning round and the greens were soft and slow that left knost who hit all 18 greens in regulation with short iron shots to set up birdie putts his 10 birdies included a run of nine in 13 holes
in conditions like that and im having so many wedges into the greens youre going to be able to get aggressive knost said
it could have been much better knost missed a 5 foot putt for birdie on no 4 missed an 8 foot birdie putt on no 10 and finally lipped out that 4 foot putt on no 18 that would have set the course record
knost said trying to two putt to set the record was the worst thing i couldve done
i should have just been aggressive and play it like i always do he added
knost does not have a multimillion dollar endorsement deal and he is not the face for product placement on television he is just a golfer grinding away looking for his first tour win and enjoying the moment
i like to party and have a good time knost said this game is supposed to be fun right
no matter how long it lasts
hey i work out knost said with a laugh not like jordan or rory or those guys
he stopped in midsentence smiled and added i mean i do a push up here and there
if he keeps playing this weekend like he did friday he might have to figure out how to lift the waterford crystal trophy over his head


washington   arrayed along a strip of pavement with the white house as the backdrop the five nordic leaders held forth friday afternoon before clusters of reporters from their home countries   a rare tableau of prime ministers and one president linking themselves with the planets most powerful residence
the leaders had come to washington to spend much of the day at the white house and attend a state dinner being the delighted guests they were none complained about failing to get a dinner devoted exclusively to their own countries
its always best to be invited to come alone but then there wouldnt have been a 90 minute meeting and a state dinner prime minister erna solberg of norway said recently
mr obama has for years showered praise on nordic countries telling an interviewer not long ago that if only everyone could be like the scandinavians this would all be easy
in a morning welcoming ceremony that was moved inside because of the rainy weather that has cursed washington for weeks mr obama gave a long list of values shared by the united states and the nordic countries   sweden norway finland denmark and iceland
so i really do believe that the world would be more secure and more prosperous if we just had more partners like our nordic countries mr obama said there have been times where ive said why dont we just put all these small countries in charge for a while and they could clean things up
nordic nations of course have their own challenges prime minister sigurdur ingi johannsson of iceland for instance was a late addition having been appointed only last month after his predecessor stepped down over revelations related to an offshore company owned by his family mr johannssons nation is still recovering from the near collapse of its financial system in 2008 norway and denmark have been hurt by low oil prices sweden is contending with renewed racial tensions and finland is struggling with lost trade with russia and the decline of nokia
but mr obama praised the countries for punching above their weight on the international stage and said that fridays summit meeting and state dinner were an important acknowledgment
sometimes we have a tendency to take our best friends for granted and its important that we not do so he said
meeting in the oval office the leaders discussed issues like growing russian aggression refugees climate change and the fight against the islamic state at the same time michelle obama the first lady walked across pennsylvania avenue with their spouses to the renwick gallery to watch a student musical performance
heather a conley the director of the europe program at the center for strategic and international studies in washington said the summit meeting and dinner were a smart investment in international diplomacy
you have to tend the garden ms conley said when that doesnt happen it can cause some problems
mr obama said there was probably too much agreement to make for as exciting a multilateral meeting as i sometimes participate in a joint statement indeed had a laundry list of agreements including a pledge to cooperate more on security in the region
russias illegal occupation and attempted annexation of crimea which we do not accept its aggression in donbas and its attempts to destabilize ukraine are inconsistent with international law and violate the established european security order the statement said donbas is a region in eastern ukraine
as members of the coalition against the islamic state norway sweden finland and denmark reaffirmed their commitment to defeat the militant group denmark and norway have each contributed nearly as many troops in iraq as germany
the countries agreed to apply strict environmental standards and climate change goals to any development of arctic regions joining canada in pledges that could significantly curtail future energy exploration and fishing in one of the most ecologically sensitive regions of the world among the major arctic powers only russia has yet to agree to a similar framework
at the state dinner attendees were to be serenaded by the pop singer demi lovato in a tent with a transparent ceiling that would allow guests to see the night sky
the guests included the comedian aziz ansari the actress tracee ellis ross the actor will ferrell the former television host david letterman and the chef marcus samuelsson who was raised in sweden
the tables had ice vases filled with white flowers and the menu featured cured salmon salt cured ahi tuna and a venison tartar with truffle vinaigrette for dessert each table was to receive an edible fishing boat made of chocolate and gum paste in one of the many challenges of the evening each boat had to fly six flags


arlington tex   the texas rangers promoted the hard throwing reliever matt bush from class aa frisco on friday making him available for his major league debut seven months after he was released from prison and 12 years after he was the no 1 overall pick
bush signed a minor league deal with the rangers in december after completing a 39 month prison term in october for a drunken driving accident in florida that left a man seriously injured bush a 30 year old right hander made two appearances in spring training and impressed his coaches with his array of pitches including a fastball of nearly 100 miles per hour he was 0 2 with a 265 era in 17 innings for frisco and converted all five of his save chances in his first regular action since 2011 striking out 18 walking four and holding opponents to a 158 batting average 9 of 57
i think baseballs a little easier for me because its just what im gifted at what im blessed to be able to do   throw a fastball and be able to locate said bush those things that are natural the off the field its a battle in its own but its also   ive been through a lot put myself through a lot ive realized a lot about myself and i just continue to take it one day at a time
to make room on the 25 man roster the rangers sent center fielder delino deshields to class aaa round rock they had a 40 man roster spot after trading anthony ranaudo to the chicago white sox on thursday
last december bush said he had been sober since the march 2012 accident after years of alcohol problems at the time rangers general manager jon daniels said that bush would be accompanied throughout spring training and beyond by his father bush was expected to continue in an alcoholics anonymous program among other requirements including community service
we feel hes done very well daniels said friday hes been an outstanding teammate he has followed all the conditions that weve laid out with him
bush was drafted no 1 as a shortstop by his hometown team the san diego padres in 2004 just ahead of justin verlander he had several alcohol related incidents and was traded five years later to toronto after being released by the blue jays he signed a minor league deal as a pitcher with tampa bay
bush went to prison after a no contest plea in charlotte county in florida for driving under the influence with serious bodily injury the authorities said that bushs blood alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit when he hit a 72 year old man on a motorcycle and left the scene there was no probation for bush whose sentence ended with a nine month work release program
bush said the victim had since expressed his forgiveness and wished him the best in turning things around and overcoming his alcoholism
i realized im not the same person when i drink bush said i tend to make horrible choices i dont ever want to be that person again i like myself today and being sober i feel like im living a dream and i dont ever want this to stop
the rangers took a look at bush on a recommendation from roy silver a player development assistant for the team who has helped others come back from troubled pasts silver had a big effect on the slugger josh hamilton a former no 1 overall pick who was out of baseball for more than three years because of cocaine and alcohol addictions
hamilton is back with the rangers and is on the 60 day disabled list as he continues rehabilitation work after off season surgery on his left knee


rome   the distance between novak djokovic and his competitors remains gaping but rafael nadal his primary rival especially on clay gave it a good try on friday in the quarterfinals of the italian open
the top ranked djokovic had to stave off five set points in the second set to defeat the fifth ranked nadal 7 5 7 6 5 djokovic who trailed by 2 4 in the first and 4 5 in the second extended his streak of consecutive sets won over nadal to 15
i wanted to be more aggressive whenever the ball was shorter to take advantage of it djokovic said its easier said than done considering the conditions in which we played it was tornado on the court it was really hard to control the ball and find the right balance
in 49 meetings djokovic leads nadal 26 23
though djokovic had routed a slumping nadal in the french open quarterfinals last year he said wins on clay over the nine time french open champion remained gratifying
certainly winning against nadal on clay doesnt happen often doesnt happen every day so it is one of the ultimate challenges if not the ultimate challenge we have in sports djokovic said i think hes been playing much better than he did in clay court season last year
second ranked andy murray defeated 12th seeded david goffin 6 1 7 5 in another quarterfinal match the womens top seed serena williams was most convincing in dismantling the ninth seeded svetlana kuznetsova 6 2 6 0 in only 51 minutes kuznetsova a french open champion in 2009 had handed williams her most recent loss in the fourth round of the miami open williams who had not played since then dominated striking 20 winners to just three for kuznetsova
i really feel like shes probably one of the best clay court players and having to face her was a task and a challenge williams said we always have really tough matches so im just really happy to get through that one
williams will face irina camelia begus third seeded garbine muguruza will meet madison keys a hard hitter who prefers to play on faster surfaces keys who beat barbora strycova 6 4 4 6 6 3 said that she was surprised to advance so deep into the tournament
i think over the years i have just eventually accepted that were not going to not have a clay court season keys said so going into it being positive about it is the only way to deal with it


pepsico has finally parted ways with an activist investor who once tried to break up the company
trian fund management run by the billionaire investor nelson peltz had completely sold out of its nearly 2 billion stake   or slightly more than 1 percent   in the beverages and snacks giant it disclosed in a filing on friday
both sides come out as winners pepsi led by the chairman and chief executive indra nooyi fended off the investor while embarking on a strategic plan that kept the beverages and snacks giant as one company trian walked away with a 50 percent return on peltzs investment which he first took on in 2012
trian believes pepsico has addressed many operational issues identified by trian   management has increased productivity efforts reduced overhead increased advertising investment and delivered consistent earnings growth on a constant currency basis trian said in a statement on friday the market has viewed these developments positively and pepsico currently trades at a substantially higher multiple than at the time of trians initial investment in late 2012
pepsi declined to comment on actions by individual shareholders
in 2013 mr peltz called on pepsi to merge with mondelez   another one of mr peltzs holdings   and spin off its beverage unit even without a merger mr peltz called for separating pepsis beverage business from its snacks operations
neither of those deals happened and in january 2015 mr peltz settled with the company by adding william r johnson the former chief executive of heinz to pepsis board mr johnson will remain a board member at pepsi despite trian exiting its stake
the news of mr peltzs exit contributed to a slight decline in pepsis stock price which slipped 18 percent on friday to 10418


william mckinley was president when susannah mushatt jones was born in alabama just a few months before the turn of the 20th century she lived through two world wars and the great depression all before she retired in 1965 after decades of working in the homes of wealthy families
yet as recently as a few weeks ago ms jones was still sticking to her breakfast routine four strips of bacon eggs grits she had lost her eyesight and she could not hear as well as she used to ms jones was 116 years old the worlds oldest living person
over the past two weeks ms joness health faded quickly her relatives said she stopped eating solid food swapping the bacon her favorite for strained soups and did not move from her bed and on thursday night she died at the vandalia senior center a home operated by the new york city housing authority in east new york brooklyn according to relatives and the gerontology research group which tracks supercentenarians or people who have lived to 110 years old
ms jones was the last living american who was verified to have been born before 1900 said robert d young of the gerontology research group mr young said that she held the title of worlds oldest living person since last summer
theyre all gone but me lois judge ms joness niece recalled her aunt telling her why me
as her age climbed the superlatives stacked up   oldest in new york then oldest in the united states and then oldest in the world but ms judge said ms jones found it all hard to believe
no thats not true she would tell her relatives of the titles according to ms judge with all the people in the world how could i be the oldest
ms jones was born on july 6 1899 in lowndes county alabama she was the third of 11 children and she graduated in 1922 from the calhoun school a boarding school her parents paid for by bartering vegetables raised on the familys farm
she headed north soon after arriving in new york in 1920s and made a living mostly as a nanny the families for whom she worked would often take her on vacations including to hollywood and to a cabin in vermont her niece said
in 1928 she married a man named henry jones but their marriage did not last long and she never had children
but with so many siblings and their children and then grandchildren ms jones became a revered figure among the sprawling family handing out pill bottles filled with change as gifts she helped send nieces to college and let relatives live with her i am who i am because of her her oldest niece lavilla mushatt watson said of ms jones in 2013
in recent years ms jones had lived at the vandalia senior center her apartment was filled with portraits of members of her extended family birthday cards and the framed proclamation from when she became the oldest resident of new york when she was 112
and every year around july 6 it became routine for family members local officials and journalists to gather around her at the senior center to celebrate her birthday
at the festivities last year ms jones had just become the oldest living person after jeralean talley died at 116 the month before in michigan organizers served bacon of course and cake and she was given a brooklyn nets jersey personalized with her nickname miss susie the number 116
in previous years she had been a more active participant but last year ms jones who wore a dark blue dress with a floral print and a white hat quietly told the gathered guests thank you after they sang happy birthday
mr young said ms joness presumed successor is a 116 year old woman from italy named emma morano ms morano who was born in november 1899 is the last person alive who is verified to have been born in the 1800s the next oldest american mr young said is only 113
ms judge said her aunts remains would be returned to alabama
when are you coming to get me ms judge remembered her aunt saying she couldnt have been talking to us were already here
she was waiting to join the others ms judge said referring to her aunts siblings all of whom had already died shes the last one im sure she was ready


just how securely are banks moving money around the world
new details emerged on friday about a pair of related attacks on banks that use the swift message service which allows financial firms and companies to transfer payments around the world
computer security researchers briefed on the investigation into one of the attacks on the bangladesh bank raised several theories about the crime including the possibility that groups from pakistan and north korea may have been spying on the bank other analysts investigating the attacks said there were striking similarities between the multiple bespoke tools used by the hackers in both the banking cases and the attack on sony pictures in 2014
the latest breach detailed by swift in a letter to its users on friday occurred at a commercial bank that appeared according to a leading online security firm bae systems on friday to be located in vietnam
that attack and the 81 million heist from the bangladesh central bank account at the federal reserve bank of new york in february are thought to be part of a broad assault on the global banking system by thieves whose operating methods and digital fingerprints are being studied carefully by analysts worldwide
in both attacks on banks the intruders obtained legitimate credentials to sign in to the swift network they initiated fraudulent money transfers then covered their tracks using tailor made malware
swift an acronym for the society for worldwide interbank financial telecommunication is a global banking consortium that operates a secure and trusted network that sends payment instructions between banks across international borders in the predictable finger pointing that has followed the news of the attacks swift has pointed out that its core network was not hacked   just the end points at which the banks tap into it   and the new york fed has reiterated that it followed all proper procedures
on friday representative carolyn b maloney democrat of new york released a statement calling on the federal reserve bank of new york to bolster its security even further
i remain concerned that there are critical security gaps in the international payment system ms maloney said in a statement
she also released correspondence between her office and the federal reserve bank of new york in which the banks general counsel thomas c baxter jr assured her that there is no evidence that any federal reserve systems were compromised
investigators briefed on the investigation at the bangladesh central bank say that they had uncovered the presence of three groups of intruders inside the banks systems two nations   pakistan and north korea   and a third unidentified group of digital criminals thought to have siphoned the funds from the bank to accounts in the philippines
also on friday two forensics investigators at bae systems outlined evidence that suggested similarities between the bangladesh heist and a 2014 attack against sony pictures that law enforcement and intelligence agencies in the united states have traced to north korea that year sony released the farcical movie the interview which poked fun at north korea
the investigators pointed to specialized identical tools   including identical encryption keys file names and a highly unusual data deletion technique   that were used in the attack on sony pictures the bangladesh central bank and the vietnamese bank
however people briefed on the actual investigation at the bangladesh bank who would speak only on the condition that they not be named said that while the same tools were present inside bangladeshs systems suggesting any link between that heist and the north korean hackers would be premature
banks are frequent targets not just for profit seeking digital criminals but also nation states hoping to track spending by their perceived enemies or to gain insights into deal making activity
in 2012 investigators at the russian security firm kaspersky lab revealed a campaign by nations presumably the united states or israel aimed at banks in lebanon including the bank of beirut blom bank byblos bank and credit libanais along with citibank and paypal
in that case the organizations involved in the lebanese bank intrusions never stole any funds rather they used stolen credentials to track customers assets and spending
by their nature hackers are difficult to trace and theories advanced immediately after a breach can turn out to be wrong
in summer 2014 when hackers stole account information from tens of millions of customers at jpmorgan chase experts initially pointed to russia raising concerns about national security
in the end federal prosecutors said that attack might have been partly the work of israeli nationals and individuals who knew each other from florida state university and that their attack on the bank may have been aimed at advancing a pump and dump stock scheme no money was stolen from jpmorgan in that breach
large banks in the united states and europe which are part owners of swift have been monitoring the developments and are studying whether they need to adjust any of their defenses to guard against similar intrusions
we are pretty fast learners said doug johnson senior vice president for payments and security at the american bankers association a trade group we proactively share information about how to mitigate these threats
in the heist at bangladesh bank the thieves used the stolen credentials to authorize the transfer of 951 million from the central banks account at the new york fed
the fed approved five of the payments to accounts in sri lanka and the philippines as far as the bank employees in the united states could tell the payment requests had been authenticated by swift
one of those five requests was ultimately blocked by a bank in sri lanka which noticed that the name of the supposed nonprofit group that was to receive the funds was misspelled instead of foundation it was spelled fundation according to a person briefed on the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of a continuing criminal investigation
the new york officials relied entirely on swift to authenticate the transfers according to a letter from the new york fed that ms maloneys office released on friday it does not independently vet other users on the swift network
the new york fed withheld an additional 30 requested transfers from bangladesh because one address that was supposed to receive a payment contained the same name as a ship known for smuggling activity the person briefed on the matter said
it turned out the address and the smuggling ship were unrelated but that was enough to raise the new york feds concerns when they couldnt reconfirm with officials in bangladesh that transfers were legitimate the new york bank denied them


the undefeated espns long gestating website on race and sports is expected to finally come to life on tuesday morning nearly three years after the media giant conceived it
the stand alone site is a significant gamble by espn to appeal to african americans with daily and long form journalism commentary podcasts music comedy blogs video and live coverage of events the site will have four sections sports culture historically black colleges and universities and a stream of joyful items called the uplift each day the site plans to have 10 to 15 new pieces of content
the debut will be on the 62nd anniversary of the supreme court decision in brown v board of education which declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional
weve all been getting ready for this huge thing to happen said danielle cadet a senior editor who joined the undefeated in september 2014 i dont know if ive realized it yet its all very surreal
kevin merida a former managing editor of the washington post who was named the sites editor in chief in october after the original one was dismissed said we hope it will feel robust
one of the sites goals merida said is to be expansive about its view of the world it is covering at a meeting tuesday in manhattan with members of the news media he said there is no one way to be black no one way to be white no one way to be a millennial and no one way to be a sports fan
for a time it was reasonable to think that espn would shutter the undefeated and chalk up a loss in its boutique website business
first there was the reign of its founding editor in chief jason whitlock a longtime columnist whose lack of management experience caused internal strife and prompted his dismissal from the site last june and his subsequent departure from espn for fs1 then came the closing last october of grantland espns acclaimed four year old sports and culture site months after the sports media giants split with its editor in chief bill simmons
if grantland could not survive long without simmons or pull its weight financially would espn proceed with the undefeated
it has which suggests that espn might be very indulgent if the undefeated is not an advertising or audience magnet to do what whitlock could not espn hired merida a calm experienced leader who was the first african american managing editor at the washington post but espn retained the undefeated name which comes from a quotation by maya angelou and its original mission to be a prominent voice on race
race is the subject of our time merida said when asked why he wanted to tackle the subject we cant escape it i wouldnt be here if i didnt have that confidence
describing his desire for the site to be unapologetic and brave he added i will be fearless but not reckless we want to be smart and cool we want to be a thought leader
at one point during the gathering marie donoghue the espn executive vice president who oversees the undefeated looked at merida and said this is my most successful deal ever   to bring kevin over here
donoghues trust in merida underscores how much espn believes in his ability to produce a compelling and more important enduring site that will be original independent and complementary to espns television programming and digital properties like espncom
meridas success will rest on people embracing a site that is far more ruminative than espncom which is packed with scores game stories analysis and highlights   as well as narrative journalism he wants people talking about it in his barbershop   and many other places virtual or otherwise and if theyre on snapchat or twitter he said id want the undefeateds work to find them
donoghue added we want to engage an audience that finds something were not currently offering at espn
in a subsequent interview she said that expectations for the undefeated were based partly on its ability to sell sponsorships by being active on other espn platforms the benefit and value of the undefeated to the company will be beyond the site she said
the nearly three years it has taken to start the undefeated has caused the site to miss opportunities to cover subjects of interest to its potential audience including the rise of the black lives matter movement the 10th anniversary of hurricane katrina princes death and stephen currys back to back mvp seasons but covering the political conventions and examining president obamas cultural legacy await as does meridas plan to ask obama to contribute to the site after jan 20
the sites delay has been a slog for cadet and the six writers who were hired during whitlocks regime and have stayed   putting stories in a bank but seeing the site remain stubbornly dormant they have been joined recently by several new hires made by merida
for a lot of us its been sort of mentally keeping our heads above water professionally personally and mentally cadet said by telephone
when she left the huffington post where she edited its black voices section cadet recalled thinking this could go really well or it could go really badly but even as the internal drama played out she thought that the site would eventually launch
i thought it might happen but i wouldnt be here for it she said i felt i might be cheering it on from a different stage of my life
now that the site is days away from reality she said the craziest thing about the undefeated is that it could be a movie and we havent started yet


phoenix   sheriff joe arpaio who made a name for himself as an unapologetic pursuer of unauthorized immigrants was found in contempt of court here on friday for willfully violating an order requiring his deputies to stop detaining latinos based solely on the suspicion that they were in the country illegally
in a 162 page ruling judge g murray snow of united states district court found that the sheriff had ignored advice from top commanders and his own lawyer and persistently publicized the pursuit and arrests of unauthorized immigrants because he believed those actions benefited his re election campaign in 2012 mr arpaio 83 who has said he will run for a seventh term in november has about 8 million in his campaign war chest most of it donations from out of state residents who champion his tactics of immigration enforcement
judge snow said mr arpaio and three current and former aides at the maricopa county sheriffs office had engaged in multiple acts of misconduct dishonesty and bad faith as they continued to racially profile latinos in traffic stops and workplace raids
often latinos were turned over to federal immigration agencies even though they had not committed any state or federal crimes   and even though the agencies had not formally asked the sheriffs office to do so in his order judge snow wrote that mr arpaio and his aides   chief deputy jerry sheridan retired chief brian sands and lt joe sousa   have demonstrated a persistent disregard for the orders of the court as well as an intention to violate and manipulate the laws and policies regulating their conduct
the judge scheduled a hearing for may 31 when both sides are to debate other ways to compel sheriff arpaio and his deputies to follow the law one of the most extreme alternatives is to appoint an outside agency to take over the sheriffs office judge snow could also refer the case for federal criminal prosecution that could result in fines and jail time options not available in civil cases
his recalcitrance ends here said cecillia wang director of the american civil liberties union immigrants rights project one of the organizations representing the plaintiffs strong remedies are needed to protect the communitys rights starting with internal investigations that root out misconduct willing or not the sheriff will be made to comply with the law
in an email on friday mr arpaios lawyer john t masterson said we are in the process of digesting and analyzing the judges order and would file a response by may 27 as the order requires
the ruling confirms an admission by mr arpaio last year that he had ignored the courts order and corrective actions prescribed it also painstakingly details the methods the sheriff and his office used to violate and manipulate the laws and policies regulating their conduct judge snow wrote failing their obligations to be fair equitable and impartial
the case against sheriff arpaio began in 2007 when a group of latinos filed a class action federal lawsuit against him accusing him and his deputies of racial profiling judge snow ruled on behalf of the plaintiffs after a three week trial and ordered changes at the sheriffs office such as training officers and requiring them to wear body cameras
the purpose was to ensure that the officers understood the constitutional rights of drivers they stopped   and that there was a record of such stops in case anyone accused the officers of mistreatment but the sheriffs office had no system or formalized instructions on how to track collect review or store the videos taken by the cameras judge snow said it also did not have a rule prohibiting the officers from taking the recordings and other evidence they collected to their homes as at least one of them did
the judge said he had reason to believe that many video segments that could have proved officers continuing disregard for his order issued in december 2011 were destroyed both intentionally and otherwise
there was another problem mr arpaio and his office did not make a good faith effort to fairly and impartially investigate and discipline officers misconduct judge snow wrote according to his ruling investigations were purposely delayed to justify lesser or no reprimands disciplinary policies were improperly applied and decisions were put in the hands of biased arbiters in the end few officers were investigated and fewer were disciplined
maricopa county arizonas most populous has paid 41 million in legal costs for the case over eight years and is expected to pay an additional 13 million next year


united nations   the seats for the daily noon press briefings here are not assigned but everyone knows who has a claim to the front row chair on the far left
it is matthew lee 50 a gadfly who has long covered the united nations mr lee has fans and detractors   some call him a tough in your face questioner others call him a loose cannon who makes it almost impossible for other journalists to ask questions
either way he elicits passions
ten years ago mr lee gained a coveted slot as an early blogger at the united nations earning him free office space and a press pass granting wide access to the agencys complex
over the years he has asked plenty of provocative questions of the organizations officials and has used a wild tabloid style in blogging about perceived corruption such as an internal united nations audit related to a bribery scheme
even though his blog innercitypresscom wields little influence outside the walls of the united nations and is not respected by many of his fellow journalists mr lee has become a controversial figure among agency officials for his inflammatory posts his obsessive claims of malfeasance and a combative style that has prompted stephane dujarric the spokesman for the united nations secretary general to occasionally cut short briefings after barrages of questions from mr lee which sometimes has left other journalists grumbling
now after years of frustration the united nations seems to have had enough mr lee was disciplined after refusing to leave a january meeting held by his colleagues in the united nations press briefing room he showed up uninvited and started posting on twitter and live streaming the gathering setting off an argument between mr lee and united nations press staff members and security officials
workers recently cleaned out his office at the direction of cristina gallach the head of the united nations public relations department and a target of mr lees wrath the united nations also revoked his resident correspondent status which is granted to about 200 journalists who cover the organization regularly
since then mr lee has been working using a four month non resident correspondent pass
he called the downgrading an attempt to censor him and accused united nations officials of siding with journalists who disliked him he also said the move was retaliation for his critical coverage of the secretary general ban ki moon
this is a totalitarian countrys answer he said you ask the wrong question and they turn against you and turn the media against you
some fellow journalists called mr lees reaction typical of his overstatements and said he had a persecution complex but mr lee claimed he was being kept from doing his work he has difficulty getting into some events and must be escorted by a press office official in areas beyond those allowed by his new credentials he said the presence of a minder he said deters sources from speaking with him
mr dujarric said the new status was not meant to and did not prevent mr lee from entering any areas for reporting
its not exactly the same access mr dujarric said but if he has an issue there is a staff of media liaisons to help him resolve the problem and get where he needs to go
the disciplinary action had nothing to do with mr lees reporting mr dujarric said instead it was his refusal to leave the room during the january meeting which violated press guidelines said mr dujarric who often must field mr lees questions about press office issues as dozens of international journalists stand by seeking updates on global issues
at some point i might decide ive had enough if its just about him said mr dujarric who did just that during a recent briefing which began calmly enough with correspondents asking for updates on stories about congo gaza and syria
then mr lee raised his hand and began grilling mr dujarric on corruption topics and how he was being treated by the agency exasperated mr dujarric walked out of the room
much of mr lees ire is directed at the united nations correspondents association the group to which most resident correspondents belong mr lee a former board member left the group in 2012 after running unsuccessfully for president against giampaolo pioli an italian journalist and the current president
mr lee said he grew up in europe and washington and after dropping out of harvard college eventually earned a law degree from fordham university
he said he had survived on donations to his website advertising revenue and the income from freelance articles he wrote
mr pioli and several other colleagues described mr lee as a talented journalist derailed by increasingly unpredictable behavior some of them characterized him as vengeful and accused him of printing gossip rumors and lies confrontations with mr lee have led journalists to call the police and united nations security
the guy is brilliant and can ask smart questions but accuses people of things that dont exist mr pioli said
despite the headaches of having to work alongside mr lee some journalists called his punishment excessive to limit a journalists access just because hes critical thats not in line with the principles of the un said maurizio guerrero a correspondent for notimex the mexican government news agency
mr lee said he had broken many stories over the years which had been picked up by larger media outlets last year the independent a newspaper in england credited him with reporting a finding that diplomats from africa had sold positions on peacekeeping missions and an article published by vicecom credited him with reporting the resignation of a united nations peacekeeping official in the central african republic after allegations that a child was raped by a soldier under his control
on a recent saturday security guards emptied mr lees office after a disagreement over their offer to ship his boxes of files they left them outside the united nations on first avenue and mr lee set his laptop atop the boxes and began writing a post on his blog about losing his office and about what he described as un hotel fraud in western sahara
mr lee vowed to continue working saying i dont care if i have to do it from the park outside


boston   a former admissions officer at phillips exeter academy a prestigious boarding school in new hampshire turned himself in to the exeter police on friday in connection with sexual assault charges stemming from the 1970s
arthur peekel 74 who now lives in palatine ill was an admissions officer at exeter from 1967 to 1974 the police said that between november and december 1973 he assaulted a prospective student at the school
it was the latest charge to emerge as a raft of private independent schools across new england confront past allegations of sexual misconduct in most of those cases the statute of limitations ran out long ago and few people have been charged
but mr peekel left new hampshire shortly after the reported encounters which essentially stopped the clock on the statute of limitations chief william shupe of the exeter police said
as a result the charges against mr peekel constitute the first set of criminal charges to be brought against a teacher or administrator at exeter
mr peekel did not return calls on friday seeking comment
had mr peekel stayed in new hampshire the statute of limitations would have expired in the late 1990s 22 years after the 18th birthday of the accuser lawrence jenkens mr jenkens 56 is the head of the art department at the university of north carolina in greensboro he told his story publicly in late march on facebook after exeter announced that rick schubart a longtime exeter teacher had admitted to earlier instances of sexual misconduct
this prompted several alumni to report numerous other episodes involving other staff members and students
i wanted to add my voice to the stories of victims who were coming forward mr jenkens said in an interview on friday
he was 14 when he visited the exeter campus in 1973 as a prospective student mr jenkens said and mr peekel insisted he sleep in his room during the night mr jenkens said mr peekel reached under the covers and fondled him he said mr peekel also used the boys hand to stimulate himself
the next day mr jenkens said he told his mother what had occurred and his uncle then met with several teachers and administrators the police were not informed at the time the boston globe has reported that school officials confronted mr peekel in 1973 with the accusations which he denied
he took a leave of absence and resigned in 1974 from exeter saying he had to care for his mother in illinois he continued to teach and in 1991 92 was named illinois teacher of the year
he was arrested and charged friday with two counts of sexual assault and released on 25000 bail arraignment is set for july 5
each charge carries a prison term of up to one year and a fine of up to 2000 or both
in a statement the school said it would refrain from commenting on mr peekels case because it did not want to jeopardize it
but it added we are in open and active discussion with our community about how to come to terms with this disturbing part of our past and address the needs of those who have been harmed


ottawa   after taking a helicopter tour of fire ravaged fort mcmurray alberta on friday prime minister justin trudeau credited firefighters for saving much of the city
an official count found that 2432 buildings were destroyed and 500 were damaged about 25000 buildings are still standing but may have smoke damage
i dont think canadians yet understand what happened here mr trudeau told firefighters and rescue workers after touring the city they know there was a fire theyre beginning to hear the wonderful news that so much of the town was safe they dont yet understand that this wasnt a fluke of wind or rain or luck that this was the extraordinary response by people such as yourselves   the work you did to save so much of this community
it was mr trudeaus first visit to fort mcmurray since 88000 people were forced to evacuate the area on may 3 when a wildfire which continues to burn swept into the city which is the hub of canadas oil sands region
accompanied by rachel notley albertas premier darby allen the regional fire chief and others mr trudeau viewed from a military helicopter the wide blackened trail left around and through the city by the wildfire later while walking through one of the residential neighborhoods leveled by the fire he paused and picked up a mason jar from rubble near the ruins of one house the heat of the fire had melted it into a surrealistic shape
at a news conference later in edmonton mr trudeau talked about seeing a childs abandoned scooter looking sad and forlorn on a sidewalk in an otherwise burned out neighborhood
that little plastic scooter whatever little boy or girl was using that before the evacuation theyre safe theyre alive he said no one is known to have died directly because of the fire
because firefighting is primarily a provincial and municipal responsibility in canada the federal governments role in dealing with the disaster has been comparatively limited so far the royal canadian mounted police is fort mcmurrays law enforcement service under a contract with alberta the military has provided logistical support including helicopters and a heavy lift airplane
a special emergency response team from the canadian forces is helping the provinces health ministry open a temporary medical center while firefighters were able to divert the blaze away from the citys hospital it has extensive smoke damage and problems with its heating and air conditioning
but while the province has not needed to call on many federal resources mr trudeaus government is likely to take on an increasingly important role as the fire threat recedes and officials move toward allowing residents to re enter the city   something that is probably still weeks away   and planning fort mcmurrays reconstruction
figures vary wildly about the cost of the fire but it will certainly be in the billions of dollars and far beyond the means of alberta which has been struggling financially because of the collapse of oil prices
the federal government will reimburse alberta for 90 percent of its costs but after other recent alberta disasters including floods three years ago the province and the federal government became mired in protracted negotiations over what costs were eligible
mr trudeau said that his government would move more quickly than the previous conservative government to provide significant federal moneys to alberta
the federal government has already accelerated the process for making unemployment insurance claims for fort mcmurray residents left jobless by the fire
the bulk of the oil sands projects which provide the basis of fort mcmurrays economy lay north of the city while operations were shut down or severely curtailed at the height of the blaze most are now slowly resuming the police have reopened the only highway through fort mcmurray to allow workers to travel to company work camps the government is also inviting store and business owners to return to the city to assess their ability to reopen
about 1000 workers are also in the fort mcmurray area repairing damage to electrical wires and components and aboveground equipment for pipelines
the fire has prompted an exceptionally large flow of donations from canadians the canadian red cross which governments have designated as the primary relief agency had raised 86 million canadian dollars or about 67 million from a population of 36 million as of friday afternoon


womens shoe clearance weve got your size save 20 percent
macys has discount fever and signs like these pepper its sprawling flagship store in manhattan but while shoppers love a sale those discounts are coming at a steep price to macys and the countrys other large department stores
its poison said mark cohen the director of retail studies at columbia business school theyve created no motivation for consumers to respond to their promotions since if you missed this weeks sale you just need to wait around until next week
or not at all shoppers may be addicted to discounts but not necessarily those at the leading department stores this week macys nordstrom kohls and j c penney all reported unexpectedly weak sales driving their stocks sharply lower
the headwinds facing department stores are coming from several directions including from online shopping the companies earnings look especially bleak in comparison with the broad retail picture in the united states on friday the government reported that overall retail spending had ticked higher in april
but the results this week reinforced the degree to which companies have failed to adjust to discount retail chains like ross and the tjx companies t j maxx and marshalls which have spent years developing their niche and are attracting more people
consumers like that idea of getting a bargain said neil saunders a retail analyst for conlumino that certainly has been unhelpful to the department stores
bargain hunting of course is nothing new but the hunt itself has changed the economic collapse of 2008 forced many americans to cling tighter to their purse strings and forced many shoppers to more aggressively hunt for low cost options
that spurred many consumers toward so called off price retailers like t j maxx marshalls and ross where many have remained according to jharonne martis the director of consumer research for thomson reuters
during the recession they were a favorite among customers ms martis said
a decade ago mr saunders said there were sharper distinctions between the customers who shopped at nordstrom and those who picked through the racks at off price stores in 2005 51 percent of shoppers who regularly used off price retailers also shopped at department stores for clothing he said last year that figure rose to 129 percent
people that used off price and discount channels tended to be a bit more isolated mr saunders said now theres a lot more customer sharing and a lot more people who use department stores also use off price retailers much more freely
the difference between the products offered at the different retailers is also getting blurry department stores and discount chains have sold increasingly similar products macys and nordstrom may have once been associated with brands like calvin klein and ralph lauren but those labels now frequently appear in the off price aisles as well ms martis said that has made department stores less of a destination she said
still department stores are trying to match the demand for discount shopping slashing prices and combining points in a frenzied attempt to keep up with an increasing variety of low cost rivals but they have not done enough to stem the tide of losses
when you have a significant amount of clearance you dilute your own brand ms martis said the department stores were built for a different decade
macys and j c penney declined to comment for this article nordstrom and kohls could not be reached for comment
ms martis and other retail analysts said that department stores had done a poor job of keeping up with younger consumers those shoppers are often cost conscious and generally less inclined to shop at the same stores that their parents once did the promotions might do a good job of targeting people looking for low prices but the brands sometimes do not
at macys in herald square on thursday shoppers combed through entire rooms dedicated to discount shoes but the assortment however plentiful may not have been for everyone they probably missed out on that whole sneaker thing said jacqui booker 38 who had come to macys to look at appliances
the fact that they dont sell a jordan in here is probably keeping every kid away ms booker said referring to air jordan nikes popular athletic shoe
on friday j c penney reported a loss of 32 cents a share and said that sales at stores open more than a year had fallen 04 percent same store sales at macys fell 56 percent in the first quarter
some department stores like nordstrom have been aggressive about opening their own discount chains but while business improved at nordstroms discount division nordstrom rack full price net sales fell 22 percent
also on friday the commerce department reported that retail sales rose 13 percent in april driven in large part by sales of automobiles and gas along with online shopping
the retail sales numbers underscore the shift underscore the challenges department stores are having said richard jaffe a managing director and retail analyst with stifel nicolaus
amazon represents one of those main challenges the online shopping giant has increasingly pulled consumers away from traditional brick and mortar stores and has shown every indication that it intends to grow
but while amazon accounts for half of all e commerce by some estimates most shopping in the united states still happens in person the problems at the larger department stores mr saunders argued run deeper
amazon plays a big part of this but its not the only part mr saunders said i think retailers have to take some share of the blame themselves
including some might say for their discounts
i think at this point ms booker said everyone that knows macys knows that you go on sale wednesday


for weeks the accusation has lingered muddying public discussions and giving a long running political spat new bite mayor bill de blasio whose fund raising on behalf of democratic candidates for the state senate in 2014 is under investigation by state and federal authorities has pointedly hinted that he believes that details of the inquiry were leaked to the press in the latest of many attempts by gov andrew m cuomo to undercut him
the governors side has decided to swat back in the first statements from the new york state democratic party since mr de blasio began describing the episode as politically motivated the state partys head basil a smikle jr suggested that mr de blasios allegations were nothing more than a political smoke screen created by the mayor arguing that there was good reason for various agencies to investigate the mayors fund raising without an extra prod from state officials
to the extent that the mayor is asserting that the current investigation is politically motivated that would imply that actions of the manhattan da and the us attorney are politically motivated said mr smikle the executive director of the state party which was involved in the 2014 election effort and which mr cuomo controls it would also imply that the newspapers editorial boards and good government groups that raised these very issues prior to any investigations are all politically motivated
both the manhattan district attorney cyrus r vance jr and the united states attorney for the southern district of new york preet bharara are examining whether mr de blasios aides tried to evade campaign finance limits by routing money through county committees during mr de blasios campaign to elect democrats to the senate
mr vance opened his investigation after receiving a report from the state board of elections that questioned mr de blasios activities the board had made its own inquiries and voted to refer the matter to mr vance the official who wrote the report risa s sugarman the boards chief enforcement counsel was appointed by mr cuomo
the manhattan da had no obligation to investigate the matter mr smikle said law enforcement receives many reports from regulatory agencies and could find them to be frivolous or politically motivated or flawed on its facts or on the law
in addition to questioning the leak of the boards inquiry mr de blasio has also suggested that the inquiry itself as well as another investigation by the state joint commission on public ethics are politically motivated
asked for comment a spokesman for mr de blasio referred a reporter to the mayors interview on wnyc on friday morning in which he was asked why a political nonprofit tied to his administration had refused to comply with a subpoena from the state ethics panel which mr de blasio has argued is under mr cuomos thumb
its one thing to participate with an investigation thats appropriate and within appropriate boundaries but when an investigation may be motivated by politics when an investigation may be going beyond its legal mandate   and obviously be in a sense a partisan act   thats a whole different matter the mayor said
mr cuomo has dismissed mr de blasios insinuations about the leak of ms sugarmans report speaking to reporters on may 2 the governor suggested that it was far more likely that a republican connected to the board of elections rankled by mr de blasios support of the senate democrats had publicized the report


a pregnant woman in puerto rico has become the first american whose fetus developed microcephaly because of a zika infection acquired in the united states the territorys health department said on friday
dr ana rius the islands health secretary said the fetus which was not carried to term had developed a shrunken skull and calcified spots in the brain suggesting inflammation and cell death
the centers for disease control and prevention which confirmed the presence of the virus in brain tissue from the fetus released a statement saying the case saddens and concerns us as it highlights the potential for additional cases and associated adverse pregnancy
the agency has estimated that 20 percent or more of the islands 35 million residents will become infected with zika this year
the senate is poised to vote next week on funds to combat the spread of the virus which is expected to arrive in southern states as summer approaches and the mosquitoes that carry the infection begin to spread north
administration officials had requested 19 billion in emergency funding and have been sharply critical of republicans in congress for failing to provide it the white house has transferred 510 million intended to counter the ebola virus to the fight against zika
the fetus in puerto rico was miscarried in the second trimester and a local doctor suspecting zika related brain damage sent it to the cdc said dr johnny rullan a former territorial health secretary who is an adviser to the governor for the epidemic he did not know at what week of pregnancy the miscarriage occurred but congenital brain damage related to zika has been detected as early as the 19th week
the territory has had only 925 confirmed cases of zika infection to date but health officials assume there have been tens of thousands of unreported cases of the confirmed ones 128 have involved pregnant women
sixteen of the infected women have given birth so far and the babies are progressing normally dr rius told el nuevo dia a local paper the children will be monitored for three years
dr rullan suspects that there have been 80000 infections since january assuming about 10000 cases for each case of guillain barre syndrome a creeping paralysis caused by an autoimmune attack on the peripheral nerves triggered by a zika infection
as of this week there have been eight confirmed guillain barre cases since the year began
puerto rico has also seen one zika related death in an adult it occurred in february in a man in his 70s who recovered from zika but succumbed to immune thrombocytopenic purpura another type of autoimmune reaction
there have been two other cases of microcephaly in the united states thought to be related to zika one involved a child born to a woman in hawaii who had spent the early part of her pregnancy in brazil the other involved a pregnancy aborted by a washington dc woman who became infected on a trip through mexico belize and guatemala
only about a third of the roughly 15000 pregnant women in puerto rico have been tested dr rullan said
the doctors are not being aggressive enough and the insurance companies are not he said we had a conference and i told them we need to do all 15000 immediately whether they have symptoms or not
he added i think a case of microcephaly will get people going


moscow   three senior editors at the media organization controlled by mikhail prokhorov the russian billionaire and brooklyn nets owner left their jobs on friday apparently victims of the kremlins ire for reporting too many details about the family and friends of president vladimir v putin
the departure of the three editors from the rbc newspaper and news service was widely viewed as the death knell for one of russias last independent papers   and the latest ambush in the extended campaign by the putin administration to exert control over all news reporting
journalists in moscow described the papers editorial line as virtually suicidal as it published stories related to mr putin and problems at state run sacred cows like rosneft the oil company that no other media outlet dared touch but those stories also made its website among the most popular newssites in russia
the latest controversy erupted on wednesday when the paper published an article reporting that a man linked to the management of a giant rococo palace believed to have been built for mr putin along the black sea had been granted a concession to grow oysters and mussels nearby
weeks before that the rbc paper published an article about sergei roldugin a cellist and close friend of mr putin who had been linked by the panama papers leak to an offshore bank account worth about 2 billion
previously the newspaper waded into particularly treacherous waters by publishing details about mr putins family including an article saying that his daughter katerina was married to kirill shamalov the son of a putin banker friend and a young billionaire who benefited from state business deals
the report included details about where katerina whom mr putin has not publicly identified as his daughter lived that was a mistake   that was personal information said aleksei a venediktov the editor in chief of the echo of moscow radio station i know that this provoked a burst of wrath
still he said such mistakes were no reason to force the paper to change its editorial policy
dmitri s peskov mr putins spokesman denied on friday that the rbc editors departure had anything to do with pressure from the kremlin a statement he has repeated in recent weeks regarding various moves against the company
the first overt signs of trouble emerged last month when government investigators some in ski masks searched the offices of onexim group which manages mr prokhorovs many assets over tax issues
at about the same time dmitri kiselyev the kremlins main propagandist appeared on state television holding up a copy of the rbc newspaper with the panama papers report on its front page
the paper had published a photograph of mr putin with the article although he was not named in the leaked documents about offshore accounts in russia the leak joined an endless list of what government supporters regard as american plots to embarrass or weaken moscow
all over the world and of course in russia americans have assistants who are ready to directly link putin to the offshores   in whatever way they can mr kiselyev said brandishing the paper
according to two veteran rbc reporters and other accounts published online matters reached a climax this week over the putin palace story with the kremlin insisting that the editor maxim solyus must go elizaveta osetinskaya the editor in chief of the overall media group and roman badanin the editor of the rbc news agency said they would quit in solidarity
after the pressure started to build last month ms osetinskaya had already taken an early leave ahead of a journalism fellowship at stanford university this fall
rbc issued a statement on friday saying the resignations were effective immediately the statement quoted nikolai molibog the director general of rbc as saying that management and the three editors have failed to agree on a number of crucial issues
all three had very similar values said max trudolyubov a former editorial page editor for vedomosti an independent business daily whose foreign partners the financial times and the wall street journal were recently forced to sell their stakes they believed in honest unbiased journalism and distinguishing between fact and opinion
andrei belyak the spokesman for onexim said neither the holding company nor mr prokhorov would comment journalists said mr prokhorov has avoided interfering in editorial decisions at the paper
dmitri muratov the editor of novaya gazeta another struggling newspaper often critical of the government despaired of the fact that more voices were not being raised to defend rbc the journalists prokhorov and the society should protect rbc mr muratov said
most analysts expect that mr prokhorov will be pushed to sell the company to some friend of the kremlin who will turn it into another government mouthpiece reporters at the newspaper said that they were asked to stay on until june 30 which they assumed would mark the arrival of new ownership
one reporter who asked not to be identified amid the turmoil at the newspaper said many in the newsroom were veterans of similar recent government attacks on lentaru and gazetaru once robust independent news websites where the kremlin forced out the top editor and then gutted the content numerous reporters followed the three editors to rbc specifically because they were viewed as fearless
the reporter described the mood in the newsroom as bleak everyone is just filing their stories and drinking


a new york city police official was found dead on friday in a car on long island where he is believed to have shot himself the authorities said
the official inspector michael ameri the commanding officer of the police departments highway district was found in suffolk county with what appeared to be a self inflicted gunshot wound stephen p davis the departments top spokesman said in a statement
the authorities in suffolk county said detectives were investigating a death that was reported shortly before 1 pm in babylon
inspector ameri 44 was a friend of deputy inspector james grant the commander of the 19th precinct on the upper east side of manhattan who had been reassigned as part of a wave of discipline amid a sprawling federal inquiry into municipal corruption in new york inspector grant was placed on modified duty last month
there has been no indication that inspector ameri was under investigation it was unclear whether investigators were seeking inspector ameris cooperation with their inquiry focused on inspector grant
mr davis declined to comment on the investigation weve consistently said this is an ongoing investigation and we would not comment whatsoever he said
a law enforcement official said that as of friday inspector ameris duty status had not changed
on friday evening police cars were parked in front of inspector ameris home in west babylon
inspector ameri was the commanding officer of the 78th precinct in prospect heights brooklyn from 2011 to july 2014 when he left to lead the highway district
we are saddened to learn of the passing of inspector michael ameri mayor bill de blasio said in a statement our thoughts and prayers are with his family during this difficult time
city hall officials said that mr de blasio knew inspector ameri in passing from the time when the inspector was commander of the 78th precinct
roy t richter the president of the union that represents police captains inspectors and deputy chiefs said the group was heartbroken by inspector ameris death and asked that you keep his family in your prayers during this traumatic time
inspector ameri is known as a dedicated police officer who excelled in all of his command assignments he said


washington   with anger boiling over as passengers wait an hour or more at airport checkpoints jeh johnson the homeland security secretary said on friday that he had authorized steps to ease the lines including more overtime for screeners faster hiring and increased use of bomb sniffing dogs
mr johnson standing next to peter v neffenger the head of the transportation security administration said at a news briefing at reagan national airport that although the moves would reduce waiting times they would not eliminate them
our task is to keep passengers moving but also and most importantly keep passengers safe mr johnson said
the long lines in recent months have led airlines to delay hundreds of flights and passengers to miss many more airlines and airports are fearing gridlock during the summer travel season
the tsa has attributed the lines in part to tightened security procedures and budget cuts that have produced a shortage of screeners some members of congress however have pointed to what they call management problems at the agency
many airports have threatened to replace tsa screeners with workers from private companies if the agency cannot reduce waiting times
senators edward j markey of massachusetts and richard blumenthal of connecticut both democrats have called on airlines to lend a hand in reducing waiting times by waiving the fees for checked baggage
without charges for checking their bags passengers will be far less likely to carry them on which snarls screening checkpoints and slows the inspection process they said in a letter to a dozen major airlines
mr johnson urged travelers to sign up for tsa pre an expedited screening procedure that allows passengers to leave their shoes on and keep computers in their bags enrollment in the program has fallen short of expectations exacerbating the long security lines
the tsa and its congressional supporters note that budget cuts have left the agency with 10 percent fewer screeners than it had in 2013 at the same time the number of people flying is expected to increase by 12 percent this year reaching a record
the long wait times were seeing now are a direct result of congresss failure to give tsa the money it needs to do its job said j david cox sr the president of the american federation of government employees which represents airline screeners congress has given the agency the authority to hire 768 additional screeners
but representative john l mica republican of florida a longtime critic of the agency said during an impromptu news conference of his own at the airport that the problem was not a lack of money or people
the problem is a huge government bureaucracy he said
the port authority of new york and new jersey which operates kennedy international airport la guardia airport and newark liberty international airport recently sent a letter to the tsa saying that security waiting times had risen dramatically in recent months leading to delayed and missed flights the port authority threatened to hire private security workers if the tsa did not increase the number of screeners at the airports
officials at hartsfield jackson international airport in atlanta sent a similar letter in february other airports such as douglas international airport in charlotte nc are also considering using private security contractors
under the tsas screening partnership program 22 of the approximately 450 commercial airports in the country including san francisco international airport use private screeners
but some transportation experts point out that airports with private screeners are also experiencing longer waiting times as passenger volume increases private screeners still have to follow tsa security procedures
and even if larger airports like the ones in new york and atlanta moved to switch to private screeners they could not do so in time for the increased summer travel the tsa review process takes about a year on average
the complaints about longer waiting times add to continuing problems at the tsa which consistently ranks in employee surveys as one of the worst places in the government to work
the agency has been racked by accusations of mismanagement and misconduct including the awarding of bonuses to supervisors who ignored warnings about security lapses and accusations that employees who reported problems were reassigned to other airports


the finnish conductor john storgards 52 thrived at the helsinki philharmonic for seven seasons and has long appeared to acclaim with major orchestras in europe in america hes conducted in st louis detroit atlanta and elsewhere
his work is not well known in new york however which may explain the large number of empty seats for his debut with the new york philharmonic on thursday at david geffen hall he had a major success ending with a gripping and profound account of sibeliuss second symphony
in recent years the philharmonic has been too slow in introducing some exceptional conductors to its roster the impressive susanna malkki who succeeds mr storgards at the helsinki philharmonic this year made her overdue debut here only last spring
but from the way they played for mr storgards the philharmonic musicians seem to have a natural rapport with this technically adept and dynamic maestro the program opened with a richly textured vibrant account of schumanns impetuous overture to genoveva his only opera
the soloist for six songs from mahlers des knaben wunderhorn was to have been the bass baritone eric owens the philharmonics artist in residence this season but he withdrew on tuesday citing illness the mezzo soprano michelle deyoung who excelled as venus in wagners tannhauser this season at the metropolitan opera stepped in it took a little time during the first song revelge for her voice to warm up and gain its innate depth and power but by the next one trost im ungluck ms deyoung sang with dusky sound and vivid character mr storgards brought exceptional transparency and crisp articulation to mahlers colorful orchestral music
in a way its a risk for a finnish conductor to make an important debut with sibeliuss second the best known finnish symphony completed in 1902 the final four of the composers seven symphonies are such visionary unconventional works that the familiar second can seem bucolic and accessible by contrast this revelatory performance was a reminder of how strange elusive and full of stark contradictions this score actually is
all of the rustic beauties in the piece came through vividly from the warm way the strings played the series of opening chords in the first movement to the brassy fanfare flourishes of the finale but in passage after passage mr storgards emphasized the discontinuities and jarring turns of the music as well as the piercing shards of dissonance that sibelius folds into his deceptively sonorous harmonic language
yet there was no sense of manipulation about the interpretation nothing was oversold or pumped up the philharmonic sounded sensational during the standing ovation the players clapped along with the audience every time mr storgards took a bow


buenos aires   a judge in argentina on friday indicted former president cristina fernandez de kirchner and other officials on charges of manipulating the nations central bank during the final months of her administration
mrs kirchner and the officials are accused of entering into contracts to sell the central banks dollars at below market rates during her presidency in order to shore up the argentine peso
the judge claudio bonadio said that it was unthinkable that a financial operation of this magnitude could have been carried out without the explicit approval of the highest political and economic decision makers of government
judge bonadio will now deepen his investigation legal experts said to decide whether the case goes to trial or is dismissed mrs kirchner can appeal her indictment
axel kicillof mrs kirchners former economy minister and alejandro vanoli the former head of the central bank are also being charged
last month mr kicillof derided the case as an absurdity and entirely political the criminal complaint that led to proceedings was filed by lawmakers in the governing coalition of the new president mauricio macri
in theory the central bank is independent although scholars say it has long been used as a political tool of the government
supporters of mrs kirchner contend judge bonadio is part of a wing of the judiciary that conspired to destabilize mrs kirchners government and they argue that she is being persecuted now that she is out of office mrs kirchner has branded her rivals in the judiciary as the judicial party in a swipe at its impartiality
in this argentina of revanchism and persecution the judicial party is behaving like a mob eduardo de pedro a lawmaker and mrs kirchners former chief of staff wrote on twitter following news of the indictment the objective is the persecution of cristina he added referring to mrs kirchner by her first name
mrs kirchner has clashed with judge bonadio in the past alluding to him as a gangster and she had also unsuccessfully requested his recusal on this case
she was summoned to a hearing in the case last month which analysts said revived her political ambitions after a quiet period at her home in patagonia she has since been attending political meetings and called for argentines to protest the market oriented changesof mr macri
she performs better in adversity said juan cruz diaz a director at the cefeidas group a political risk analysis firm in buenos aires referring to how this case and other corruption scandals were cornering mrs kirchner
in a statement to the judge last month mrs kirchner claimed that mr macris government had co opted parts of the judiciary to damage her reputation and divert attention from the governments new economic policies like cuts in energy and transport subsidies
implementing the misery and structural adjustment program once again requires the use of defamation and slander mrs kirchner wrote in the statement


last summer yve laris cohen a visual artist and choreographer who knows how to build things was broke when he heard that part time production work was available at the martha graham dance company   retaping the studios floor and organizing office space   he signed up he was as he put it recently desperate for anything even a job paying 15 an hour
the graham company had no idea that mr laris cohen 30 was a 2014 whitney biennial artist whose work explores in part ideas about labor and value in relation to dance hes fond of pointing out the financial discrepancies between uptown and downtown dance or of showing how a sculpture can be perceived as a set piece in a performance and as a work of art in a museum
what the company eventually learned was that mr laris cohen was already well established in the dance world he had rigorous ballet training while growing up in san diego on point at 9 mr laris cohen who is transgender was a female student and able to whip off 32 fouette turns at 11 he studied the graham technique at the university of california berkeley in the dance department founded by two former company members marnie thomas wood and david wood
graham is in my body and it was actually the graham technique that moved me into postmodern forms from ballet mr laris cohen said it was a major transitional moment for me to be introduced to graham and it was really inspiring
both wage working and modern dance figure into mr laris cohens current exhibition embattled garden at company gallery on the lower east side as an exhibition its unconventional mr laris cohen has spent the last five weeks there reconstructing the set of grahams 1958 dance of the same title a colorful bisected raked platform and a 12 foot tree by isamu noguchi the gallery is his workshop the fabrication his performance the actual noguchi set is in the space as well
mr laris cohens intention is to create a replica of the noguchi set damaged by flooding during hurricane sandy which the graham company will be able to use in performance this project is very much an outgrowth of my relationship to them as a part time wage worker mr laris cohen said i didnt approach them as an artist i approached them as a worker
larue allen the graham companys executive director said the organization supported mr laris cohen in his project because they knew and trusted him we dont do this willy nilly for anybody who comes with an inquiry she said
mr laris cohen had planned to display his replica alongside noguchis set on saturday the final day of his show but completing the set is a race against time this week he was behind on the trees base because he was waiting for a delivery of metal pieces its possible i wont paint the tree base until saturday he said hours before the closing reception
on thursday the graham company told him he could continue work on the set off site after the show ended there will still be a closing reception at which both sets can be viewed
working during gallery hours has meant continual interruptions for mr laris cohen during a recent visit a deliveryman arrived for a pickup mr laris cohen directed him to the back office and said with a sigh see thats the kind of stuff i do
ms allen would not confirm plans to use the set once its finished the organization plans to build its own copy with hudson scenic studio it can become the property of the company yes she said but we have put no restriction on yve in that it has to serve our purposes
the gallery which is paying for the set to be rebuilt will give the replica to the graham organization its not going to be sold mr laris cohen said he is excited to be making as he explained objects that are not sculpture and not sets not architecture not art objects not props   yet are all those things at once
andrew durbin the gallerys assistant director regards the show as an ongoing performance that takes the form at times of a kind of exhibition he said but since things move so much its kind of hard to pin it down
for mr laris cohen too embattled garden is a different kind of work its the first time hes not including a traditional performance element the main art object is really the transaction with the graham company mr laris cohen said thats where the dance is


gaza city   on the big screen a palestinian was trying to audition for a singing contest over the internet because he was unable to leave the gaza strip but the shoddy connection kept freezing and the plucky hero eventually disappeared into a hazy cloud of belching smoke as the generator he was using broke down
life imitates art in gaza as anywhere else the volume on the film veered madly between screeching and whispers the hall was stifling for lack of air conditioning in a place were power is restricted and never reliable
the movie the idol   based on the real life arab idol winner mohammed assaf   showed a hamas gunman refusing to let the singer travel because his music is un islamic and the organizers of the film festival where it was being screened had not even invited mr assaf to attend for fear hamas the militant islamist party that rules gaza would not allow it
hamas officials had insisted on censoring the festivals offerings editing out profanity kissing and women in short skirts and on opening night they ordered that the lights in the hall be left on to prevent any hanky panky in the seats
you work in the margins and this is what is possible for you sighed khalil mozayen the director of the event gazas red carpet human rights film festival whose motto is we want to breathe
the five day festival which started thursday night coincides with cannes but there was little resemblance beyond the red carpet laid over the steps of gazas rashad shawa cultural center
this is gazas second film festival and like many second acts it was tough to pull off
last year mr mozayen staged an emotional debut festival in the shejaiya neighborhood of gaza city that was smashed during the devastating 2014 summer war between israel and gaza militants he unfurled the red carpet between the ruins and ordinary palestinians walked upon it attracting a frenzy of international news media attention
that event was championed by hamas despite the groups general suspicion of western style cultural events because it drew attention to the plight of postwar gaza
this year mr mozayen ventured into more delicate territory a cry for neighboring israel and egypt to allow palestinians to move more freely across the strips tightly controlled borders and for hamas to loosen its restrictions on personal freedoms including watching movies
he immediately encountered obstacles on the path or red carpet if you will
the 30 films being shown include features shorts and documentaries made by palestinians as well as people from the middle east europe and the united states
mr mozayen constantly avoided movies with racy themes including degrade by gazas best known filmmakers brothers known as arab and tarzan who live abroad the film about a womans hair salon in gaza was widely panned when it premiered at cannes last year
he even pre emptively cut kissing scenes out of his own movie sara   a rare feature film made in gaza about a film crew trying to make a movie about the killing of a woman
other offerings included theeb a 2014 academy award nominated movie from jordan and 3000 nights a 2015 feature by mai masri a palestinian american director
atef askoul the culture ministry official who approved the films after some adjustments said that gazans love watching american films but we are an islamic society
my wife and my daughter and my sister will watch these films he explained and we cannot allow to show shots that are bad
location was another sticking point mr mozayens team wanted to stage the festival in gazas port mr askoul said no   there would be too many opportunities for men and women to mix illicitly in the dark outside and it would be too difficult to control the crowd
so mr mozayen suggested one of gazas old cinema houses which are now all closed most of them were burned down or shut down in the 1980s by islamists who saw movies as western and frivolous especially given the raging intifada or palestinian uprising
mr askoul approved of the cinema idea but the owners of the shuttered open air amer cinema were not speaking to each other and refused to allow any events there mr mozayen said
at the amer cinema piles of decades old film reels sit in a dusty heap an old beer bottle on the floor is a reminder of days long gone even before the hamas takeover of gaza in 2007 when residents could drink alcohol openly a spray painted advertisement for the 1982 hindi movie disco dancer was still visible on a faded blue painted wall
mr mozayen glumly settled on the cultural center a meeting place for gazas elites   though he hardly saw it as a suitable setting for a peoples film festival
instead with the red carpet cascading down the stairs at the center the event took on some trappings of a faraway society event
neatly dressed men and women in full makeup and head scarves took selfies two little girls handed carnations to guests two camera drones hovered above
journalists stalked the carpet photographing and interviewing palestinians and a handful of foreign aid workers who live in gaza
a private security guard stopped a 12 year old girl who was selling balloons at the door she peered inside partially blocking entry with her cluster of colorful globes
sabah hamad 30 left with her friends at 930 pm when the film had barely begun because of an hourlong delay we cannot stay out late because we are girls she said with a shrug referring to gazas conservatism
the last time i went to the cinema in gaza was in 1976 said one of the guests ahmad gherbawi 60 a professor at a university in saudi arabia he said he has been stuck in gaza for two years because of border closings by egypt
we were in love with bruce lee mr gherbawi said decades ago he said gaza was beautiful and free
now it is dark he added filled with new restrictions
not so insisted walid abu jayyab an actor in a series about palestinian fighters on hamass al aqsa television he came to watch the idol but was unmoved instead he said i wish we could have a resistance cinema that enhances the culture of resistance against the enemy
at the end of the idol the character based on mr assaf manages to sneak into egypt helped at the last minute by the hamas gunman   who hugs him and wishes him well
that prompted cheers in the stifling hall mr mozayen the festival director managed to get some of the house lights turned off earning even more applause


rushcard which last fall pledged to reimburse thousands of customers who could not use the money in their prepaid card accounts because of a technical problem this week agreed to pay 19 million to settle a lawsuit with cardholders over the incident
the settlement plus 15 million in lawyers fees is subject to court approval but it adds up to many times the amount of money the prepaid card provider had promised to set aside to repay customers whose checks bounced or who otherwise had to pay fees because their accounts were unusable rushcard customers were unable to use their money some for more than a week after a botched computer conversion over the columbus day weekend in 2015
we are pleased to have reached this preliminary settlement which will resolve the claims of our cardholders rick savard the chief executive of unirush the parent company of rushcard said in a statement we believe this settlement fairly compensates our customers who were inconvenienced
rushcard was founded in 2003 by the hip hop impresario russell simmons who has said he wanted to offer a better alternative than the high fee prepaid products that were on the market at the time
the settlement gives 300000 people the chance to recoup 100 to 500 for any costs they incurred because of being locked out of their accounts minus any payments rushcard might already have made to them the lawyer for the cardholders said were very pleased with the result and the speed by which rushcard and the other defendants were able to settle this matter john yanchunis the lawyer for the cardholders said metabank which issues the cards on behalf of rushcard and mr simmonss rush communications were also named in the lawsuit
prepaid cards are popular with lower income people many of whom do not have traditional bank accounts or have been shut out of the banking system because of habitual overdrafts or poor or limited credit five percent of adults about 12 million people use prepaid cards at least once a month according to an analysis in 2014 by the pew charitable trust those who use them typically earn 25000 a year or less the study said
the technical troubles last fall occurred when rushcard which is based in cincinnati converted its systems to a different processor the problems brought a barrage of criticism to the company customers vented their frustrations on social media because they were unable to get answers from the company the episode prompted inquiries by lawmakers and the consumer financial protection bureau
rushcard said last fall that it would set up a 2 million to 3 million fund to reimburse customers for their losses and inconvenience the company also waived fees through february at the time the company said the cost of the reimbursement fund and lost fee revenue would amount to what the company which is privately held made in profit for 2015


hawaii took the japanese auto parts maker takata to court on friday accusing it of covering up a deadly airbag defect and demanding a 10000 penalty for every affected car owner in hawaii
the lawsuit filed in hawaiis first circuit court makes hawaii the first state to sue takata over its faulty airbags the lawsuit also names honda motor the automaker most affected by the continuing mass recalls of takata airbags as a defendant and demands that each company do more to raise awareness of the dangers the defect poses to car owners
were not going to sit back and wait for more accidents to happen steve levins the states director of consumer protection said in an interview were also seeking that consumers be compensated for any losses associated with this incident whether thats alternative transportation costs or a diminished value of their vehicle
at least 10 deaths in the united states and three overseas have been linked to the defect which can cause pressure to build up in and rupture the steel interiors of the airbags sending metal debris flying into the cars cabin more than 100 people have been injured
hawaiis lawsuit says that its residents are at particular risk because of the states high temperatures and humidity levels auto safety regulators have determined that long term exposure to moisture and temperature fluctuations over time can degrade the explosives or propellant used to deploy the airbag making it more unstable and prone to cause the airbags interior to rupture
based on those findings the national highway traffic safety administration this month ordered takata to work with automakers to recall an additional 35 million to 40 million airbags nationwide bringing the number recalled in the united states to 64 million automakers had initially limited some of their recalls to humid regions including hawaii florida puerto rico and the virgin islands
now the recalls span the globe a senior executive at honda takatas biggest customer said on friday before the suit was filed that it planned to recall 21 million more vehicles worldwide to fix takatas defective airbags bringing its global tally to to 51 million vehicles
the honda executive vice president tetsuo iwamura did not specify how many of the vehicles that honda plans to recall are in the united states or other countries but many of the vehicles are likely to be part of the american recall expansion
hawaii is not seeking compensation for crash victims instead it demands that takata reimburse or otherwise provide relief to car owners affected or otherwise inconvenienced by the recalls no airbag ruptures have been confirmed in the state though mr levins expressed concern that there were rupture incidents local authorities were not aware of
the suit also seeks civil penalties of as much as 10000 against takata and honda for every car owner affected for violation of hawaiis consumer protection laws about 70000 cars have been recalled in hawaii over takata airbags mr levins said meaning the suit could end up costing takata and honda 700 million each on top of possible restitution or injunctive relief costs
takata and honda did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the suit takata has said in the past that it is cooperating with all investigations into its conduct and is ramping up its production of replacement parts other airbag makers are also helping to supply parts
the states office of consumer protection was set to brief reporters on the lawsuit on friday in hawaii
hawaiis suit creates another headache for takata which already faces a justice department investigation a barrage of personal injury claims and a class action suit brought by affected car owners
it remains unclear whether other states will file similar suits but it is common in situations that extend across state borders for multiple states to file similar suits
though takata and honda were alerted to an airbag rupture in a honda accord as early as 2004 the manufacturers did not alert authorities nor did honda start recalling the cars until 2008 it initially recalled only 4000 vehicles attributing the ruptures to a limited manufacturing problem
in november the national highway traffic safety administration imposed a 70 million penalty on takata for failing to promptly disclose defects in its airbags that penalty could increase by 130 million if takata does not meet the terms of the agencys consent order which would be a record civil punishment for the auto industry
the mounting recall legal and regulatory costs have put takatas financial viability in doubt on wednesday the company which is based in tokyo confirmed a net loss of about 120 million for the financial year that ended in march and said it was looking for ways to restructure its business analysts say takata needs a major infusion of capital from banks investors or even a buyer to stave off the prospect of a bankruptcy
at the same time automakers face an enormous logistical challenge in replacing the faulty airbag parts not only are there insufficient parts for the millions of recalled cars but some car owners who have already replaced their airbags must eventually have them serviced again because their replacement parts may also be faulty
others drivers report being told to wait for months for replacement parts in some cases automakers have made loaner cars available car owners can check if their vehicles are affected by the takata recalls on the nhtsa website


san jose calif   the too familiar sentiment surfaced early in the week when the san jose sharks surrendered a two goal lead and failed to eliminate the nashville predators in the sixth game of their second round stanley cup playoff series
same old sharks
among bay area hockey fans the phrase has become shorthand to express their springtime frustration with a team that historically has fallen short of postseason expectations
much hockey remains to be played but the sharks made a convincing case thursday night that things may indeed be different with an overpowering 5 0 victory over the predators that sends san jose into the western conference finals against a st louis blues team also trying to overcome playoff demons
for the past nine months peter deboer who is completing his first season as the san jose coach has tried to distance his locker room from the franchises past the game 7 performance enabled him to reinforce his point that this team would write its own story
thats genuine thats from our group deboer said weve got a whole bunch of new bodies and a whole different cast of characters and a whole different identity in my mind and a whole different coaching staff the core guys are still the same but the core guys here are great they have great habits theyve been well coached for a decade by the previous staff that was here theyre not the problem
the problem deboer continued was filling in behind them and weve got those types of people here now and i think the guys at the top feel that and are feeding on it
those core players are the ones who buried the predators goals came from joe pavelski joe thornton patrick marleau and logan couture as well as one of the depth forwards acquired last summer joel ward another first year shark the goaltender martin jones made 20 saves to earn his first playoff shutout
but beyond that was a teamwide effort san jose outshot nashville 17 3 in the first period the sharks pressured the predators all star defenseman shea weber into a series of mistakes that resulted in his being on the ice for all five san jose goals
that level of domination was not what san jose fans have come to expect after two particularly painful springs
in 2014 the sharks became only the fourth team in nhl history to lose a playoff series after winning the first three games when they dropped four straight to the los angeles kings a year ago san jose failed to qualify for the postseason for the first time since 2003
after a mutual parting of the ways with coach todd mclellan general manager doug wilson began the retooling he hired deboer then acquired jones   a backup with los angeles who had been traded to boston   as the replacement for antti niemi
wilson stabilized the blue line by signing the free agent defenseman paul martin as a stay at home partner for the freewheeling brent burns who developed into a norris trophy finalist wilson added even more depth at the trade deadline by picking up defenseman roman polak and forward nick spaling from the toronto maple leafs
the makeover worked san jose returned to the playoffs exacting its revenge on los angeles in the first round by eliminating the kings in five games to set up the series with nashville
fittingly it was pavelski who opened the scoring against the predators in game 7 with his ninth goal of the postseason tying him with tampa bay lightning forward nikita kucherov for the lead in the playoffs
the 205th player taken in the 2003 draft pavelski has become one of the nhls premier marksmen since his debut with the sharks in 2006 his 116 goals over the past three regular seasons are second only to the 154 by washington capitals forward alex ovechkin
pavelski is quick to acknowledge that playing alongside thornton who joined the sharks in a 2005 trade has helped but that overlooks pavelskis ability to find seams on the ice or his knack for deflecting shots past startled goalies
the sharks are well aware that as rewarding as the two playoff series victories have been much work lies ahead if the team is to reach the stanley cup finals for the first time
their next series which opens sunday in st louis will be san joses fourth appearance in the conference finals the sharks were eliminated in six games by the calgary flames in 2004 in four games by the chicago blackhawks in 2010 and in five games by the vancouver canucks in 2011
that futility too contributes to the same old sharks stigma couture whose 17 playoff points lead the nhl knows that it will not likely be erased by one exceptional performance against nashville
there will be doubters unless we go all the way he said were used to it youre a hockey player and you cant let it bother you you worry about whats in the room and go forward


denver   major league baseball on friday handed down its long anticipated punishment of jose reyes suspending the veteran shortstop through the end of may for violating the sports policy on domestic violence
reyes who had been on paid suspension since the beginning of spring training in february accepted the penalty it is retroactive to feb 23 so he will end up forfeiting two months pay or roughly 725 million of his 22 million salary for 2016
reyes 32 who a decade ago was a dynamic player for the mets piling up triples and stolen bases in league leading fashion is the second player suspended under baseballs new policy the first player was yankees reliever aroldis chapman who returned this week after a 30 game suspension
the announcement was made as the mets were about to begin a weekend series in denver against the rockies leaving both his former team and his current team to react to the news
anytime there is some sort of mutually agreed upon domestic violence policy you have to honor that policy rockies general manager jeff bridich told reporters its an important issue socially and an important issue for the game
reyes was arrested at the end of october while he and his wife katherine ramirez were on vacation at a resort in maui and apparently became involved in a domestic dispute
according to a recording of a 911 call that was released by the police a hotel security guard reported that ramirez had injuries to her leg and scratches on her neck
reyes was arrested and released on 1000 bail and was scheduled to go on trial in early april but prosecutors ended up dismissing the charges because ramirez declined to cooperate
however under its policy mlb still had the right to take action and decided to do so with commissioner rob manfred meeting with reyes before the suspension was announced
reyes had the right to appeal the suspension but chose not to and he issued a statement of contrition though the players union
i want to apologize for everything that has happened reyes said in the statement i am sorry to the rockies organization my teammates all the fans and most of all my family
i am happy to put this all in the past and get back to doing what i love the most playing baseball the statement added my wife katherine has remained by my side throughout everything and for that i will be forever grateful
all of this played out on friday with the mets in the visitors dugout reyes had signed with them in 1999 when he was a teenager in the dominican republic and by the middle of the past decade he had become a beloved star in queens with jose jose jose being happily sung by mets fans to the tune of ole ole ole
but after the 2011 season with the mets struggling financially and no longer a winning team on the field reyes departed signing a six year 106 million free agent deal with the miami marlins
a year later however he was traded to the toronto blue jays who subsequently traded him to colorado last summer in a deal that got them troy tulowitzki now reyes is a rockie and no longer the dynamic player that he once was
indeed in his absence this season the rookie trevor story has emerged as an impact hitter at shortstop with 11 home runs and 27 rbi what reyess role will be with the rockies once he returns from his suspension is not clear and he might prefer to be traded again to a team that can guarantee him regular playing time
his domestic violence case and the suspension might make that more difficult as will the money still owed him reyes is set to make another 22 million in 2017 with a 4 million team buyout for the 2018 season
in his comments before fridays rockies mets game bridich was straightforward in praising story reyess replacement perhaps raising more doubts about reyess future in denver
trevor has done a great job he said he has earned the role that he plays on this club as it relates to this situation specifically with reyes he has earned all the playing time that he has gotten
while under suspension reyes is allowed to go to extended spring training at the rockies facility in arizona it is likely that he will begin working out early next week
bridich said the rockies had not been part of baseballs investigation of reyes and had only just started the process of deciding when and where reyes would resume playing
beginning june 1 reyes is eligible to begin a 20 day minor league rehabilitation before he must be recalled to the major leagues if the rockies have not traded reyes by that point it will be up to walt weiss the rockies manager to reintegrate him into the team
but weiss said he had not developed a plan for that yet
its part of my job to manage the club and not just on the field but in the clubhouse and in a variety of ways he said ill deal with that when the time comes


brushing aside protests from immigrant advocates and both democratic presidential candidates the obama administration is moving ahead with a surge of deportations in the coming weeks aimed mainly at mothers and children from central america immigration officials said friday
the department of homeland security is stepping up the pace of deportations to send a tough enforcement message to central america and to try to head off a seasonal swell of illegal crossings of the southwest border the officials said those crossings generally rise during the summer and administration officials are especially concerned because there was an unexpected increase in the numbers of migrants last fall
the new plans do not include intensive raids like those over one weekend in january when about 120 women and children were detained for deportation in georgia north carolina and texas the officials said instead immigration agents will speed up the arrests of individual families which they have been making nationwide since the january raids
marsha catron a spokeswoman for the department said those operations focus on migrants who were caught at the border after jan 1 2014 denied asylum by immigration courts and ordered deported by judges agents also will arrest migrants who came when they were minors but turned 18 while fighting deportation in the courts making them ineligible for protections as children
we must enforce the law consistent with our priorities ms catron said
the deportation plan first reported on thursday by reuters drew immediate outrage from advocates and from democrats in congress and in the presidential campaign
im against large scale raids that tear families apart and sow fear in communities hillary clinton said in a statement she said families from central america should be given a full opportunity to seek relief
her rival senator bernie sanders of vermont said i oppose the painful and inhumane business of locking up and deporting families who have fled horrendous violence in central america and other countries
representative lucille roybal allard of california in a statement joined by other house democrats said to conduct these enforcement actions against women and children who have fled violence and who will face violence if they are returned is not just hypocritical it is plain cruel
despite the wrath of their allies administration officials are worried they could face another uncontrolled summer influx like the one in 2014 that could further tarnish president obamas mixed legacy on immigration and inflame the volatile presidential campaign where the presumptive republican nominee donald j trump has called for construction of a wall along the border with mexico and the deportation of 11 million immigrants here illegally
illegal border crossings dropped during the first two months of the year but have risen recently according to border patrol statistics the apprehension of families at the southwest border from october 2015 to march increased 131 percent over the same six month period a year earlier   to 32117 migrants   while the detention of unaccompanied children increased 78 percent to 27754
many women and children said they were running from murderous violence by gangs especially in el salvador and honduras where criminal organizations control city barrios and have expanded their reach into rural villages the families applied for asylum but the vast majority   86 percent according to a report by the transactional records access clearinghouse a group that studies federal data   went to court without lawyers court records show that asylum seekers have a very low chance of success without lawyers
in some cases advocates succeeded in stopping deportations at the last minute by providing legal counsel to the families
but the homeland security secretary jeh johnson has made it clear he wants people in central america to know there is no open border
our highest priority is public safety and border security ms catron the spokeswoman said


they are about two inches wide squarish and five inches tall they hail from the toggenburg valley of northeast switzerland and they are held in the highest regard by experts around the world
they are glass bottles used to hold athletes urine samples and they are central to the account of a former russian antidoping official who says that the host country executed an elaborate doping operation at the 2014 sochi olympics   imperceptibly switching out drug tainted urine from the squat containers long thought to be tamper proof
i tried to break into these bottles years ago and couldnt do it don catlin the former head of the ucla olympic analytical laboratory said its shocking
the bottles used for testing at the olympics since the sydney games in 2000 are made by berlinger a swiss company founded in 1865 as a mechanical cotton weaving mill until this week they were largely ignored vessels in the global fight against doping
now they are prominent characters in an extraordinary ploy that affected the results of the winter olympics according to grigory rodchenkov who ran russias antidoping laboratory for a decade his accounts of the doping operation were first reported by the new york times this week
berlingers bottles were first presented to the international olympic committees medical commission in the late 1990s in a meeting in lausanne switzerland said andrea berlinger the sixth generation of her family to run the company
dr catlin then a member of that commission recalled that the berlingers showcased various bottle designs to a roomful of doctors all of us were particularly pleased and excited by this bottle he said because it looked pretty bulletproof
according to dr rodchenkov it is not
russian officials somehow figured out a way to remove the cap without breaking it he said enabling him to replace the steroid tainted urine of top athletes with clean urine stockpiled in soda bottles and other containers in the months leading up to the games
were all a bit speechless to be honest ms berlinger said friday were seeing a lot of support no one can believe it
the mechanics of how the feat was pulled off are a mystery to dr rodchenkov i truly believed this was tamper proof he said in a recent interview in los angeles holding a clear berlinger bottle with a blue stripe in his hand this is like a safe i cannot think how to get under this
russian officials have emphatically disputed dr rodchenkovs accounts of a state run doping program these allegations look absolutely groundless dmitry s peskov the spokesman for president vladimir v putin told russian news agencies in a conference call they are not substantiated by any trustworthy data they are not backed by any sort of documents all this simply looks like slander by a turncoat
berlinger bottles come in sets of two one for the athletes a sample which is tested at the games and the other for the b sample which is used to corroborate a positive test of the a sample metal teeth in the b bottles cap lock in place so it cannot be twisted off
the bottles are either destroyed or retain visible traces of tampering if any unauthorized attempt is made to open them berlingers website says about the security of the bottles
the only way to open the bottle according to berlinger is to use a special machine sold by the company for about 2000 it cracks the bottles cap in half making it apparent that the sample has been touched
dr rodchenkov said that for at least 15 russian athletes who won medals at sochi both the a and b samples were substituted before they were tested none of the bottles caps   which are branded with unique seven digit codes   showed any signs of having been opened
each night at sochi dr rodchenkov said sealed bottles were passed through a hole in the wall of the storage closet that served as his shadow laboratory the bottles were handed to a man who he believed worked for the russian intelligence service the fsb within two hours he said those same bottles were returned to him their caps unlocked
magicians were on duty dr rodchenkov said suspecting that fsb officers had studied the toothed metal rings that lock the bottle when the cap is twisted shut according to him they collected hundreds of them leading up to the olympics
dr catlin theorized that heat had been applied to remove the bottles caps
he said he had expressed some concern about the bottles years ago asking if they could be outfitted with internal thermometers to show if the sample had been frozen or heated but thats just a wild guess he said
after his account was published dr rodchenkov sent a letter to the world anti doping agency and the ioc calling on them to examine the b samples of russian athletes from the 2014 sochi games whom he offered to help identify bryan fogel an american filmmaker who helped dr rodchenkov flee to los angeles where he now lives also signed the letter
while those samples would not contain traces of steroids dr rodchenkov told the times they would bear evidence of tampering he said there would be scratch marks around the necks of the bottles where the metal rings are
he also said that common table salt could be found in some of the samples when he replaced tainted urine with clean urine he added salt or water to the new urine to match the chemical specifications of the original sample
ms berlinger said the bottles were the international standard at major sporting competitions including the world cup each bottle costs about 15 she said more than 2000 athletes competed in the sochi games
olympics officials have long believed the cost of the bottles to be a critical expense to ensure the integrity of the games dr catlin said
ioc officials have called dr rodchenkovs account very detailed and very worrying calling on antidoping authorities to investigate his claims
asked on friday for its reaction to dr rodchenkovs proposal to re examine the b samples of russian athletes a spokeswoman for wada confirmed receipt of dr rodchenkovs letter we are currently determining our path forward which we will be in a better position to communicate next week she wrote by email
in the letter dr rodchenkov and mr fogel asked to be present during any examination of the b samples in lausanne requesting that the investigation be carried out by a committee of scientists and an independent observer
this could cause all kinds of problems dr catlin said wada has got to get on this


the arrest on a new york city sidewalk was so startling to a bystander that he took a video of it and when he posted the video online with the label police brutality some viewers denounced the officers tactic as disturbing and inhumane
the video showed a man lying on the ground his ankles and legs bound in bright orange tape both hands secured behind his back four to five officers searched the pockets of his pants and jacket they then lifted him up dropped him onto a white bag strapped him in and covered his head he was carried wrapped up like a mummy with only his feet poking out and deposited   alive   against a wall
ive never in my entire life seen anything like this said the unidentified man videotaping the arrest near a subway stop at 14th street and seventh avenue earlier this year
but the scene was not that unusual and coming amid national scrutiny of the authorities use of force and protests after episodes like the death of eric garner who was put in a chokehold by an officer and died in police custody on staten island there is no evidence that the officers involved in the arrest in manhattan violated police policy
for onlookers who had never witnessed a live man being strapped into what looked like a body bag the sight was unsettling but the bag in the video stenciled with nypd and esu is known as a mesh restraining device the bags are used to restrain people judged to be emotionally disturbed
carla rabinowitz an advocacy coordinator for community access which helps people with mental illness has called on the new york police department to stop using the ventilated bags in a letter last month to deputy commissioner susan a herman and deputy chief theresa tobin she called the use of the bags dehumanizing and dangerous
a police department spokeswoman declined to comment on ms rabinowitzs letter ms rabinowitz later said in an email that she had since spoken to the police and that they had defended using the restraint
according to a criminal complaint the man who was strapped into the ventilated bag johnell muhammad had been suspected of failing to pay the subway fare and when officers tried to arrest him he flailed his arms kicked and spit at them mr muhammad struck one officer in the head with his elbow another was injured trying to subdue him the complaint said
mr muhammad had two pipes with crack cocaine residue the complaint said and he faces felony assault and other charges
andrew r miller a lawyer for mr muhammad denounced the officers actions calling them excessive and totally unreasonable
he was the victim of the assault instead of the other way around mr miller said
the video which was shot in march highlighted a daily problem faced by officers responding to people who are out of control because of mental illness or drugs how to defuse situations with the least amount of force while also protecting themselves the public and the person being helped
in response to questions about the bags the police department said it had used the restraints for 25 years the department said only highly trained members of the emergency service unit were authorized to use them the person being restrained is assessed while being held and afterward and is taken by an ambulance to a hospital for medical and psychological evaluation
from jan 1 through april 20 of this year the bag was used 122 times the police said or about once a day during that same period the department said it received more than 44000 emergency calls about emotionally disturbed people
robert j louden a retired chief hostage negotiator with the police department and a professor emeritus of criminal justice and homeland security at georgian court university in new jersey called the restraints an imperfect solution to very difficult situations
there are no great options he said
over the years the department has experimented with plastic shields netting and tasers to deal with emotionally disturbed people mr louden said it re evaluated its approaches starting in 1984 after an officer shot and killed eleanor bumpurs an emotionally disturbed woman in the bronx who was attacking another officer with a kitchen knife
eugene odonnell a professor at john jay college of criminal justice said in an email that irrational people could kick punch grab spit on bite or head butt officers for whom the choices were try to go slow talk to the person who is acting out and appear humane and measured or act with deliberation and speed
chuck wexler the executive director of the police executive research forum said you look for what is the most humane thing to do in these kinds of situations when someone does not want to be brought to a hospital they are not going to be easy to handle
gene desantis chief executive of desantis gunhide a manufacturer of the bags said his company had sold fewer than 500 to police departments across the country
ms rabinowitz of community access said she learned about them only recently use of such restraint traumatizes a person in emotional distress and exacerbates the condition and experience of the crisis for the individual she said in an email it is a dehumanizing tactic and promotes stigma against people with mental health issues
in an interview she credited the police department with doing a good job in crisis intervention team training which seeks to de escalate confrontations between officers and people with mental illness
but she said she worried about using the restraints on veterans who are mentally ill and might associate them with bags used in wars to transport the dead
if people in the mental health community find out that their fate is to be put in a body bag they will fight even harder to not get into a body bag she said


the pharmaceutical giant pfizer announced on friday that it had imposed sweeping controls on the distribution of its products to ensure that none are used in lethal injections a step that closes off the last remaining open market source of drugs used in executions
more than 20 american and european drug companies have already adopted such restrictions citing either moral or business reasons nonetheless the decision from one of the worlds leading pharmaceutical manufacturers is seen as a milestone
with pfizers announcement all fda approved manufacturers of any potential execution drug have now blocked their sale for this purpose said maya foa who tracks drug companies for reprieve a london based human rights advocacy group executing states must now go underground if they want to get hold of medicines for use in lethal injection
the obstacles to lethal injection have grown in the last five years as manufacturers seeking to avoid association with executions have barred the sale of their products to corrections agencies experiments with new drugs a series of botched executions and covert efforts to obtain lethal chemicals have mired many states in court challenges
the mounting difficulty in obtaining lethal drugs has already caused states to furtively scramble for supplies
some states have used straw buyers or tried to import drugs from abroad that are not approved by the food and drug administration only to see them seized by federal agents some have covertly bought supplies from loosely regulated compounding pharmacies while others including arizona oklahoma and ohio have delayed executions for months or longer because of drug shortages or legal issues tied to injection procedures
a few states have adopted the electric chair firing squad or gas chamber as an alternative if lethal drugs are not available since utah chooses to have a death penalty we have to have a means of carrying it out said state representative paul ray as he argued last year for authorization of the firing squad
lawyers for condemned inmates have challenged the efforts of corrections officials to conceal how the drugs are obtained saying this makes it impossible to know if they meet quality standards or might cause undue suffering
states are shrouding in secrecy aspects of what should be the most transparent government activity said ty alper associate director of the death penalty clinic at the university of california berkeley school of law
before missouri put a prisoner to death on wednesday for example it refused to say in court whether the lethal barbiturate it used pentobarbital was produced by a compounding pharmacy or a licensed manufacturer akorn the only approved company making that drug has tried to prevent its use in executions
pfizers decision follows its acquisition last year of hospira a company that has made seven drugs used in executions including barbiturates sedatives and agents that can cause paralysis or heart failure hospira had long tried to prevent diversion of its products to state prisons but had not succeeded its products were used in a prolonged apparently agonizing execution in ohio in 2014 and are stockpiled by arkansas according to documents obtained by reporters
because these drugs are also distributed for normal medical use there is no way to determine what share of the agents used in recent executions were produced by hospira or more recently pfizer
campaigns against the death penalty and europes strong prohibitions on the export of execution drugs have raised the stakes for pharmaceutical companies but many including pfizer say medical principles and business concerns have guided their policies
pfizer makes its products to enhance and save the lives of the patients we serve the company said in fridays statement and strongly objects to the use of its products as lethal injections for capital punishment
pfizer said it would restrict the sale to selected wholesalers of seven products that could be used in executions the distributors must certify that they will not resell the drugs to corrections departments and will be closely monitored
david b muhlhausen an expert on criminal justice at the heritage foundation accused pfizer and other drug companies of caving in to special interest groups he said that while the companies have a right to choose how their products are used their efforts to curb sales for executions are not actually in the public interest because research shows he believes that the death penalty has a deterrent effect on crime
pressure on the drug companies has not only come from human rights groups trustees of the new york state pension fund which is a major shareholder in pfizer and many other producers have used the threat of shareholder resolutions to push two other companies to impose controls and praised pfizer for its new policy
a company in the business of healing people is putting its reputation at risk when it supplies drugs for executions thomas p dinapoli the state comptroller said in an email the company is also risking association with botched executions which opens it to legal and financial damage
less than a decade ago lethal injection was generally portrayed as a simple humane way to put condemned prisoners to death virtually all executions used the same three drug combination sodium thiopental a barbiturate to render the inmate unconscious followed by a paralytic and a heart stopping drug
in 2009 technical production problems not the efforts of death penalty opponents forced the only federally approved factory that made sodium thiopental to close that plus more stringent export controls in europe set off a cascade of events that have bedeviled state corrections agencies ever since
many states have experimented with new drug combinations sometimes with disastrous results such as the prolonged execution of joseph r wood iii in arizona in 2014 using the sedative midazolam the states executions are delayed as court challenges continue
under a new glaring spotlight deficiencies in execution procedures and medical management have also been exposed after winning a supreme court case last year for the right to execute richard e glossip and others using midazolam oklahoma had to impose a stay only hours before mr glossips scheduled execution in september officials discovered they had obtained the wrong drug and imposed a moratorium as a grand jury conducts an investigation
a majority of the 32 states with the death penalty have imposed secrecy around their drug sources saying that suppliers would face severe reprisals or even violence from death penalty opponents in a court hearing this week a texas official argued that disclosing the identity of its pentobarbital source creates a substantial threat of physical harm
but others noting the evidence that states are making covert drug purchases see a different motive the secrecy is not designed to protect the manufacturers it is designed to keep the manufacturers in the dark about misuse of their products said robert dunham executive director of the death penalty information center a research group in washington
georgia missouri and texas have obtained pentobarbital from compounding pharmacies which operate without normal fda oversight and are intended to help patients meet needs for otherwise unavailable medications
but other states say they have been unable to find such suppliers
texas too is apparently hedging its bets last fall shipments of sodium thiopental ordered by texas and arizona from an unapproved source in india were seized in airports by federal officials
for a host of legal and political reasons as well as the scarcity of injection drugs the number of executions has declined to just 28 in 2015 compared with a recent peak of 98 in 1999 according to the death penalty information center


banks that have been pooling resources on blockchain technology should apply their camaraderie in a different field computer security
the hacking of an unnamed commercial lender revealed by the financial messaging system swift on thursday came after an 81 million digital heist from bangladeshs central bank in february an industry utility   or at least better coordinated defenses   is needed
increased regulatory requirements and low interest rates both legacies of the financial crisis of the last decade have made it hard for banks to make an economic return the distributed ledger technology that underpins bitcoin may help cut industry costs thats why more than 40 banks have joined the blockchain development group r3
cybersecurity should be next on the list its likely to be banks biggest cost in terms of financial crime prevention this year and next according to lexisnexis risk solutions weak digital defenses might prompt a credit rating downgrade says standard  poors
lenders may feel worried about sharing confidential data with rivals but the aviation industry long teetering on the edge of profitability improved efficiency by sharing accident information via black box technology and greater teamwork would help keep tabs on would be criminals companies own employees represent a huge threat the business investigations company kroll said in its latest annual global fraud report that insiders were 81 percent of the wrongdoers a shared database of suspects might be a safeguard
regulators and governments could play a bigger role too the european central banks plan for a database of serious incidents as reported by the financial times on thursday appears to be no more than a first step the united states financial services information sharing and analysis center has had limited success only 5 percent of the digital threats that american express finds are the subject of warnings from other institutions the companys chief executive kenneth chenault said last year
but lenders right now seem to be doing too little europes private sector led cyber defense alliance consists of just four banks financial institutions have demonstrated an unusual level of esprit de corps when it comes to new technology given that digital security could hit their finances more painfully cooperation makes even more sense


keaau hawaii   the trucks roll in and out of the plant at a business park nestled near papaya farms and a forest preserve on the big island here an operation that transforms waste cooking oils animal fats fruit and seeds into biodiesel fuel nearly 13000 gallons a day
owned by pacific biodiesel an industry pioneer the plant was designed with an eye toward conserving water and energy and avoiding environmental harm
but after about 20 million and four years of operation a central question about the plant and the industry as a whole has persisted do biofuels ultimately reduce carbon emissions
were worried that the efforts to ramp up our use of biofuels are actually doing a lot of damage and digging the climate hole deeper said jonathan lewis a lawyer focused on climate change at the clean air task force
now the biodiesel industrys backers say they have an answer at least for this modest plant the sustainable biodiesel alliance a nonprofit industry group commissioned an audit of the plants sustainability by an independent company and the result was yes it was the first united states based certification of sustainability granted for a biodiesel plant according to the alliance
the certification is intended to help clean fuel producers distinguish themselves to customers seeking green products   a kind of good housekeeping seal of approval for the environmentally conscious
for biofuels the environmental benefits of which have fallen under increasing scrutiny in recent years that differentiation is ever more important executives and advocates say
there are lots of different ways of making biodiesel   lots of different feedstocks   and some have been more sustainable than others said jeff plowman chairman of the alliances certification committee much like the organic labeling or non gmo labeling it gives consumers some information to make a choice a reference to nongenetically modified organisms
a decade or so ago biofuels seemed to have great potential to help wean the country off fossil fuels to reduce greenhouse gas emissions plants absorb carbon dioxide as they grow making them essentially carbon neutral if used for fuel the thinking went
starting in 2005 the federal government approved requiring biofuels to be blended into the gasoline supply at increasing volumes a move that with generous grants and subsidies helped spur their production
but much of that was ethanol from food crops like corn and sugar cane which led to criticisms using those crops for fuel can drive up the price of food and animal feed and release more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere as farmers clear land including rain forests to grow more of those crops to meet the increasing demand and although biodiesel differs from ethanol   it derives from oils rather than sugars and works in conventional diesel engines   it too can fall into a similar cycle
its a bunch of small economic steps but if the end result is deforestation of a tropical forest theres a massive carbon pulse when you do that mr lewis the clean air task force lawyer said
as a result producers have been migrating toward so called advanced biofuels which are generally made from plant or animal feedstocks that do not compete with food uses but they have proved difficult and expensive to produce and because petroleum prices are so low they have become less attractive
in addition climate change specialists say there may simply not be enough agricultural waste to produce significant quantities of biofuel without causing other environmental problems and it is important to account for what would have happened to the waste material had it not been funneled into fuel
you cant just automatically make assumptions that say waste based fuel is ok said john m decicco a research professor at the university of michigan energy institute if you have a waste that was otherwise not going to decay then that carbon is already being kept out of the air with respect to the atmosphere and at that point youre as ahead of the game as youre ever going to be
at the same time debate over the usefulness of biofuels especially corn ethanol in reducing greenhouse gas emissions has intensified with studies drawing conflicting conclusions
but here in hawaii where leaders have pushed aggressively to embrace renewable energy sources the pacific biodiesel plant avoids many of these problems climate specialists say
the company makes its fuel from local waste products including restaurant cooking oils and grease and agricultural products like macadamia nuts   turned into oil   considered unsuitable for market
here at the refinery the oils move through a series of stainless steel tanks and columns as they are processed and distilled into fuel methanol a chemical used in the refining is recycled and the company is trying to develop local markets for byproducts like glycerin and potassium salts which can be used as fertilizer
as for the biodiesel itself it does not travel very far the company sells almost all of it to customers in hawaii rather than shipping it long distances
the company is working to develop new feedstocks and it is experimenting with safflower sunflower and jatropha plants but it also focuses on materials that can have nonenergy uses such as its project that grows algae from waste papayas for use as fertilizer or feed for fish farms or the cattle operations that sprawl across the big islands center
as were growing energy crops were bringing the cattle industry with us because we need them to take all of this protein meal said robert king who founded the company which has headquarters in maui in 1995 with his wife kelly she along with willie nelson and his wife annie and daryl hannah are co founders of the sustainable biodiesel alliance
its a complicated puzzle and you have to have all the pieces but it does all fit together mr king added in order to reinvent agriculture in hawaii which we have to this is how were going to get it done


washington   after meeting with donald j trump this week speaker paul d ryan uttered the words many in his party longed to hear i do believe that we are now planting the seeds to get ourselves unified
it is hard to win without party unity as both democrats and republicans have learned but neither party has confronted the prospect of a candidate denounced by some of its leading lights as a pathological liar unfit to be commander in chief and in need of therapy
here are four reasons congressional republicans are desperate for unity this year and for mr ryan to endorse mr trump
congressional districts are far more gerrymandered than they were even 20 years ago republican members of congress by and large come from very republican districts in the relatively few swing districts republicans cannot afford to alienate their base voters many of whom may have voted for mr trump in the primary or other republican presidential candidates but could stay home in november if they are put off by party infighting
and in senate elections no show voters are a threat to incumbency parties want to win and if they have sharp divisions it makes it that much more difficult down the ballot said robert dallek a presidential historian
republican senators in swing states   like patrick j toomey of pennsylvania and kelly ayotte of new hampshire   can hope that the voters who reject mr trump will still pull the lever for them
but the practice of splitting a ticket hit a low in 2012 when only 10 percent of voters divided their ballots between parties
then there is the nature of mr trump himself whose policy positions are most politely understood as flexible congressional republicans hope that if he becomes president it will be they not he setting the agenda in washington
this stands in contrast to a candidate whose views were out of sync with the party faithful barry goldwater in 1964
people felt barry goldwater was a menace who could get the country in nuclear war mr dallek said of the race between mr goldwater and president lyndon b johnson republicans in the business community had to support johnson because they thought goldwater was reckless
in contrast mr dallek said i think republicans may feel they can control trump because he is such a novice goldwater was just too principled if you want to put it that way and he would not bend trump is more an opportunist if people see you in politics as an opportunist it is destructive to your appeal but if they see you as shifting in the service of some sort of broader pragmatic design thats an important distinction
the policy areas in which mr trump has shown the most commitment   trade and immigration   are ones congressional republicans who oppose him realize they may not be able to win they seem poised to cede them in the name of broad unity with mr trump on other matters
the party elites are in a far different place than the party faithful said john feehery a republican strategist he added the neo cons hate trump because the rap on him is that we wont go to war well a lot of americans like that the big problem jeb bush had was that he couldnt figure out what to say about iraq trump said it was wrong and thats where the country is
the strongest   and increasingly isolated   foils of mr trump are those who have no electoral risk his biggest critics on capitol hill among republicans are those not up for re election   senators jeff flake of arizona ben sasse of nebraska and lindsey graham of south carolina
others who were not elected serve as reminders that many in the party once found and continue to believe that mr trumps behavior and statements demonstrate he is unfit for office
i consider him to be a malicious and malignant figure on the american political landscape   cruel crude vindictive obsessive narcissistic a nativist and xenophobe a man who seems to relish demeaning and dehumanizing others wrote peter wehner a former director of the white house office of strategic initiatives under president george w bush and friend of mr ryans in an opinion article
mr ryan has to weigh his conscience along with the party unity so many seek it is a call that poses risks to him either way


in an effort to limit profiteering the hit musical hamilton took two steps this week intended to make reselling tickets more difficult
the producers have long sought to limit reselling by capping the number of tickets that could be purchased per person this week ticketmaster canceled purchases that exceeded those limits on wednesday night the shows producers abruptly released those tickets for sale this was announced via twitter and the tickets neither hamilton nor ticketmaster would reveal the number were quickly snapped up by new buyers the twitter post from hamilton promoting the sale has since been deleted
the limits on purchases   intended to prevent brokers from buying batches of tickets and then reselling them at huge markups   vary over time right now according to the ticketmaster website there is a 14 ticket limit per person for performances within a seven day period
when people exceeded the limits we refunded them and we pooled all the refunds and put them on sale said the shows lead producer jeffrey seller
the producers also announced via twitter new rules for people waiting in line often round the clock outside the richard rodgers theater hoping to buy the few tickets released by the box office just before each show tents and chairs are now prohibited and last minute buyers must go directly from the box office into the theater the hope is to reduce the role of line sitters paid to camp overnight
there are brokers who hire people to stand in line for them   they set up tents they sit in chairs with sleeping bags   and we dont want a tent city that encourages brokers to resell mr seller said he noted that only a handful of tickets become available last minute for any performance and said we want to ensure that if anyone has perseverance they are a beneficiary of the line but this camping out has to stop because it had crossed over into public nuisance
a visit to the theater friday morning found about 10 people lined up hoping to buy tickets to the 8 pm performance some had been there for 19 hours with another 10 hours to go until showtime there were no sleeping bags or tents in sight   several people said they had slept on bathroom towels or blankets   but a few people sat in folding chairs despite the new rules the tickets released at the last minute often loosely described as cancellations and sold at full price are separate from the 10 tickets that are released for each performance via digital or in person lottery
on two theater chat boards unnamed ticket holders who were planning to travel to new york to see hamilton complained that they were unfairly caught up in the crackdown and had lost their tickets to the show
ticketmaster declined to comment for this report


it was a great week for musicians who trolled us all into giving them some intense social media attention wed rather not write about these stunts but its worth noting how easily entertainers can manipulate an audience by getting them angry enough to start talking
lets assess the non damage
the harlem born rappers musical talents are often overshadowed by her tendency to confront adversaries on twitter with graphic homophobic or racially charged language
but its pretty hard to get kicked off twitter people have to go well beyond garden variety hate speech to be suspended a problem that twitter executives have acknowledged but not yet solved
so what got ms banks ejected twitter doesnt comment on individual cases but it appears that ms bankss account was suspended shortly after she called the singer zayn malik who is of pakistani descent a curry scented expletive among other insults she also began attacking skai jackson a 14 year old actress so maybe thats where the line is
the people of twitter came together briefly to celebrate her suspension azealiagotsuspendedparty quickly trended on twitter
career damage ms banks has lost at least one gig when she was dropped from the lineup of a music festival in london post outburst pitchfork reported but she has never been more notorious than she is right now
gene simmons who once was best known as the long tongued guitarist from kiss and not as a helmet haired reality star who says inappropriate things to journalists earned swift backlash after criticizing princes reported issues with addiction
bowie was the most tragic of all because it was real sickness mr simmons said to newsweek mr simmons who has said he never drinks or smokes called princes addiction pathetic his drugs killed him what do you think he died from a cold
the internet does not take kindly to people who harbor critical thoughts about music legends mr simmons later apologized but it wasnt enough to stop the harsh backlash from observers on twitter including a rebuke from a bandmate paul stanley who called his comments clueless
career damage eh this is the same guy who told the fresh air host terry gross during an interview that shed have to stand in line to have sex with him because kiss apparently refuses to retire this will probably help him sell concert tickets
jona bechtolt and claire l evans better known as the pop duo yacht said on monday that their private sex tape had been leaked they then claimed that they were selling the tape for 5 to reclaim control over the footage
this is our private life mr bechtolt wrote and no one should have governance over what people do consensually in their private lives
many victims of so called sextortion could relate to the privacy violation and the duo garnered some sympathy   until jezebel reported that it had all been a publicity stunt
yacht said in apology we know weve broken a bond of trust with many of our fans and friends
career damage well now more people know what yacht is but they associate the name with those jerks who faked a sex tape and not with the dance pop band from portland but who cares this is america careers have been launched over less
the winner this round goes to ms banks for trolling that gets results


a 34 year old man from the bronx was sentenced on friday to 18 years in prison for fatally hitting his infant nephew in the head while he was watching the baby
the man luis cartagena pleaded guilty last month in state supreme court in the bronx to second degree attempted murder for hitting the 2 month old joemill greer on oct 27 2014 mr cartagena said he struck the child to stop him from crying
he did not alert the authorities or the childs mother that the boy had been gravely injured prosecutors said the child died four days later
the defendant didnt even call 911 darcel d clark the bronx district attorney said in a statement now he will spend 18 years in prison for ending a life that had barely begun
mr cartagenas sentence also includes five years of supervision after he is released from prison his lawyer declined to comment on friday
the authorities said that joemill had sustained several blows to the head and that mr cartagena had claimed that the baby had been dropped or hit his head on a bedpost investigators found that joemill had several fractures to his skull and was bleeding internally


a torrent of online reaction followed the release on friday of federal guidance to public school districts in the united states that for the first time addresses how they should enforce the rights of transgender students
the joint directive from the department of justice and the department of education says that schools must allow students to use bathrooms based on their gender identity and touches on issues including housing locker rooms pronouns and gender references on identity documents
the measure which is the obama administrations latest to address the civil rights of gays lesbians bisexual and transgender people has attracted both criticism and support much of it reflecting bipartisan lines
representative steve king a republican from iowa said the directive was executive overreach he told cspan and its a topic were likely to bring up in a future hearing before the task force that i chair
in texas lt gov dan patrick told superintendents not to enact the directives we will not be blackmailed
rodney cavness a school superintendent in port neches tex told 12 news he aint my president and he cant tell me what to do that letter is going straight to the paper shredder i have five daughters myself and i have 2500 girls in my protection their moms and dads expect me to protect them
nancy pelosi the democratic leader said on twitter thank you usedgov for standing up for transgender students by ensuring all students feel welcome and safe
donald j trump the presumptive republican nominee said on the today show that he did not believe it was an issue for the federal government
let the states decide i think its much better as a local issue i dont think its a federal issue where the federal government gets involved and i see whats happening its become such a big situation everybody has to be protected and i feel strongly about that but youre talking about a tiny tiny group of population
gov pat mccrory of north carolina who has sued the justice department in a dispute over public restroom access said the executive branch does not have the authority to be the final arbiter on bathrooms colin campbell a reporter in north carolina wrote on twitter quoting a copy of the governors statement
the key word transgender was trending on twitter it had been tweeted more than 44000 times from early friday morning until about noon according to dataminr data
mark ruffalo the oscar winning actor praised the move
the transgender law centers executive director kris hayashi expressed gratitude transgender students like all students just want to be able to go to school be with their friends and get an education without having to worry about being singled out and made to feel different
thousands of people wrote in response to the new directives in comments on the new york timess facebook page and on nytimescom
regardless of the transgender issue i have a problem with the president being able to authorize the loss of federal aid to government bodies that behave contrary to his wishes wrote christian miller of saratoga calif
thank you to the obama administration for taking a stand against bigots and bullies children need support love and understanding for trans kids this is a vulnerable age we dont need any more tragic deaths wrote michelle franca on facebook
it is not legal for the president to order there to be discrimination in public schools if transgender people can choose their preferred bathroom regardless of their gender then the same should apply to everyone who is not transgendered obama gets another one wrong chris palsz wrote
i hope they sue the administration when not if a case of sexual assaultvoyeurism occurs childrens rights and safety trump political correctness the common sense thing to do is create another bathroom for whatever the heck a transwhatever identifies as not let them go in the girlsboys bathrooms driena sixto wrote


the inaugural france rocks summerfest billed as the largest french music festival in the united states will bring more than 30 performers to roughly 25 locations in new york from june 3 through july 23
among the musicians are a mixture of emerging and established artists like the young jazz vocalist cyrille aimee and lisa simone the daughter of nina simone ms aimee will perform at joes pub on july 5 ms simone at herbert von king park in bedford stuyvesant brooklyn on june 28 in a program that includes a screening of the oscar nominated documentary what happened miss simone
other venues include le poisson rouge and national sawdust as well as the standard hotel in the east village where the emerging male duo her performs on june 14 the festival will also include existing annual events like the daylong fete de la musique based on the french holiday in central park on june 21
as with many other francophile festivals   like the french institute alliance francaises tilt and crossing the line   france rocks summerfest is presented in part by the cultural services of the french embassy among other french sponsors more information including the full schedule is at francerockscomsummerfest2016


the bloodletting has begun
next week is the beginning of television networks annual upfront presentations where they wine dine and charm advertisers in hopes of enticing them to buy time for their fall offerings for the rest of us the events give a first look at which new and returning series the networks and cable channels will show this fall
which also means learning which shows wont be back
so it went on thursday when networks took the ax to a dozen series from newcomers both acclaimed the grinder and unloved bordertown by critics to fan favorites like castle agent carter and nashville another popular new show supergirl will move from cbs to cw and after more than 15 years the csi era was officially closed after the demise of csi cyber the shows remaining spinoff
on friday nbc added five more shows to the reject pile including the drama game of silence which only debuted last month and telenovela a soap spoof starring eva longoria
heres a look at the canceled shows by network
abc led with six shows shuttered most notably the comic crime drama castle which had originally secured a ninth season its surprise cancellation came after the contract of one of its stars stana katic wasnt renewed tamala jones also left your devotion to our show carried us for these unforgettable eight seasons ms katic posted in a note to fans on twitter on friday morning
also done is nashville the country music drama starring connie britton the series which debuted in 2012 was low rated but had its advocates though it had become more soapy recently
the muppets one of abcs most promoted new shows last fall will not return neither will the series agent carter based on a marvel comics character and set during world war ii abc also ended the musical comedy galavant and the missing child drama the family which join the midseason cancellations of blood and oil wicked city and of kings and prophets
one bright spot john ridleys low rated but widely acclaimed american crime will return for a third season
cbss only cancellation was symbolic csi cyber a low rated spinoff that was the last active series in a franchise that debuted in october 2000 cbs also moved supergirl to cw that network home of other hero series like the flash arrow and legends of tomorrow is jointly owned by cbs and warner bros which produces supergirl
cw will not bring back the thriller containment about an epidemic
fox canceled the grinder with rob lowe and grandfathered with john stamos two new sitcoms starring tv heavyweights the grinder was popular among critics but its ratings remained low throughout its first season im thrilled to have 22 episodes that were as acclaimed as they were mr lowe said on twitter on thursday night
fox also killed cooper barretts guide to surviving life and bordertown an animated series whose executive producer was seth macfarlane
on friday nbc canceled two new dramas heartbeat which debuted in march and game of silence which had its premiere in april also ending are the new comedies telenovela and crowded a sitcom about empty nesters played by patrick warburton and carrie preston nbc also canceled undateable a sitcom created by bill lawrence scrubs that debuted in 2014 mr lawrence wrote on twitter that he planned to try to keep the show going on another outlet   cougar town his previous sitcom began on abc but finished its run on tbs
earlier this season nbc canceled best time ever with neil patrick harris heroes reborn the player and truth be told


a legal battle over insurance claims may be the last thing to attract the attention of football fans still chewing over draft picks and just what tom brady did or didnt do
but with an estimated 1 billion at stake it is front and center for the nfl and its insurers and it may say a lot about the leagues paramount health issue what it knew about the debilitating effects of repeated head hits and when it knew it
the dispute is tied to the settlement between the league and the thousands of retired players who said the league hid from them the dangers of repeated head hits players stand to receive up to 5 million each
but where exactly would that money come from
its insurers the nfl says but the insurers a group of about 30 companies have gone to court to get out of paying
the insurers say they do not have to cover the claims which may reach 1 billion because of the questions raised by the players over whether the league frequently covered up the danger of concussions but fraud was never proved because the players settled before they went through the discovery process
two weeks ago a new york state supreme court judge who set aside the tug of war until after the league completed its settlement with the players said the insurers could proceed with their case here is a primer on whats next
whats at stake
the insurers want to determine whether the nfl committed fraud as the retired players claim it did if they can prove it did the insurers believe they will not be on the hook to cover the tens of millions of dollars in claims the nfl is likely to have to pay players not to mention the legal bills the league accumulated
how will the insurers do this
the players settled before their case went to trial so it was never determined whether the league committed fraud judge jeffrey k oing told the insurers they could proceed with discovery and depose witnesses
what are the insurers looking for
the insurers will seek evidence that the league committed fraud in documents and depositions the insurers would presumably interview former league executives as well as doctors and lawyers who advised the nfl on the dangers of head trauma including those named in a new york times article that exposed the leagues flawed research
how long will this take
potentially years the insurers are coming up with a list of documents they want to see and people they want to depose the nfl has asked the judge to delay discovery because about 150 players opted out of the settlement and can continue to sue the league the league has also argued that because the appeals are not exhausted the current settlement could still change
judge oing was not sympathetic
you know ive been extremely patient with this case and ive given you all the stays that youve asked for but i think there comes a time when you need to go forward he told the leagues lawyers last month
does that mean the insurers can get whatever they want
not necessarily the league will argue that certain people or documents do not exist are not relevant or should be kept confidential the two sides are supposed to have agreed on a list of people to depose if they cannot agree they are to appear in front of judge oing on may 20
what are the chances we learn what the league knew about head trauma in the 1990s and beyond
information may leak out or be included in certain public filings if the case proceeds to trial information damaging to the league might be made public
but the nfl may decide to settle with the insurers before that happens accepting less than full coverage some insurers may also want to settle to reduce their legal bills or because they hope to continue to sell insurance to the league and maintain a good working relationship
my base scenario is that they are going to settle said william wilt the president of assured research which follows trends in the insurance industry some of the insurers have conflicting business interests


manila   for more than a decade a mysterious explosion at the evergreen hotel in davao city has been a footnote in the long checkered history between the philippines and its former colonial master the united states but among those who never let it go was the citys mayor rodrigo duterte   who is now poised to become the philippines new president
in an interview last year before he announced his candidacy mr duterte went so far as to acknowledge hatred for the united states stemming from the obscure episode when an american named michael terrence meiring was charged with possession of explosives but managed to flee the philippines
mr meiring called himself a treasure hunter and joked about being with the cia meaning christ in action he told the hotel staff not to touch a metal box in his room apparently with good reason on may 16 2002 the box exploded mangling his legs and damaging the hotel
but three days later despite severe injuries and the charges against him mr meiring vanished from his hospital room philippine officials later said that men waving fbi badges had taken him in the dark of night and flown him out of the country without their permission
mr duterte expressed outrage that the united states would help a criminal suspect leave the country without regard to philippine law he also fanned speculation that mr meiring was involved in covert operations conducted by the united states in the philippines
fourteen years later and scheduled to be sworn in as president on june 30 mr duterte is still angry
last month he threatened to cut ties with washington in response to critical comments from the united states ambassador to the philippines philip s goldberg go ahead and sever it mr duterte snapped referring to diplomatic relations his spokesman peter lavina explained that mr dutertes hostility originated with the meiring case
mayor duterte has his own personal experience in davao mr lavina said in a television interview we were able to capture a bomber a suspect in the bombing in davao he was an american he was spirited away by the us embassy i think thats when the bad relations started
the philippines has long been the united states closest ally in southeast asia the two nations have a mutual defense pact and the philippines recently agreed to allow the pentagon to station troops and weapons at bases in the country for more than a decade american forces have also trained and advised philippine soldiers hunting the abu sayyaf a gang of rebel kidnappers operating in the southern islands that recently swore allegiance to the islamic state
davao city is the most populous city in the south and a pair of bombings there killed 38 people in 2003 but mr duterte its mayor for the past 20 years has long expressed skepticism about the american military presence in 2013 he said he had blocked an american proposal to base drones at davao citys old airport citing his concerns about the meiring case
i do not want it he was quoted saying in local news media i do not want trouble and killings they will only add to the problem
aides to mr duterte did not respond to requests for comment but in the interview in which he discussed the case last year mr duterte said that his hatred for the united states was a personal sentiment that he could set aside in the national interest he also said though that his anger over the meiring case had not diminished
a spokesman for the united states embassy kurt hoyer said it would have no comment on the drone proposal the meiring affair or how the episode might affect relations with the incoming president he said an embassy press statement in 2002 was the final word on the case but was unable to provide it
in the statement according to published reports the embassy acknowledged that fbi agents went to the evergreen hotel to investigate the explosion but categorically denied that the agency had any role in mr meirings departure
the meiring affair has long been the subject of conspiracy theories in the philippines much remains unexplained including why there were explosives in mr meirings room and who mounted the operation that helped him escape
why should the us take him out of the country thats the puzzle said a former high ranking philippine intelligence official who declined to be identified because he was not directly involved in the case
according to news reports mr meiring had been going to davao city on the island of mindanao for many years usually staying in the same suite at the evergreen he had documents allowing him to hunt for treasure   which was believed to have been left by occupying japanese forces during world war ii   and an identity card allowing him to travel in territory held by separatist islamic rebels
at the time the southern philippines was plagued by armed conflict with the rebels and occasional bombings including a blast a month earlier that killed 15 people in the city of general santos about 90 miles south of davao city
when the police first questioned mr meiring about the explosion at the evergreen he said someone had thrown a grenade into his room but investigators quickly found conclusive evidence that the blast was caused by explosives in his room according to the police file including the remains of two 6 volt batteries an electric blasting cap and a circuit board
doctors amputated one of mr meirings legs but he was taken from the hospital and flown from davao by charter plane the police said at the time he received medical treatment in manila and left the country soon after
witnesses said that the men who took him from the hospital displayed fbi badges the hospitals owner told reporters that he agreed to release mr meiring despite his injuries after american officials promised to issue a work visa for his daughter a nurse
mr meiring returned to the united states where he also went by the family name vande meer he died in 2012 at 76 public records show without ever telling his story publicly his former wife angela contacted by phone declined to discuss his time in the philippines
a davao city court official who had not been informed of mr meirings death said there was still an outstanding warrant for his arrest on charges of illegal possession of explosives and reckless imprudence resulting in damage to property
there has long been unsubstantiated speculation in the philippines that mr meiring was responsible for bombings in the turbulent region as part of a covert american operation aimed at gathering intelligence on the rebels or prompting the philippine government to approve greater united states military assistance
but a former cia official who served in the philippines discounted the possibility that mr meiring was a cia operative while the former official was not familiar with details of the meiring case he said keeping explosives in his hotel room and joking about christ in action would be obvious violations of agency protocol
ramon casiple the executive director of the institute for political and electoral reform a nonprofit organization promoting democracy in the philippines said the burden would be on washington to win mr dutertes trust perhaps starting with an explanation of what happened at the evergreen hotel
he will try to improve relations with the us but it is really more of the us building relations with him mr casiple said as far as he is concerned the us record in mindanao is not that good


denver   the obama administrations directive friday on the use of school bathrooms and locker rooms by transgender students intensified the latest fierce battle in the nations culture wars with conservatives calling it an illegal overreach that will put children in danger and advocates for transgender rights hailing it as a breakthrough for civil rights
the policy drew a swift backlash from conservative politicians groups and parents
in texas lt gov dan patrick appealed to local school boards and superintendents not to abide by the directive noting that there were just a few weeks left in the school year and time over the summer to fight the policy with legislation or legal action we will not be blackmailed he said
i believe it is the biggest issue facing families and schools in america since prayer was taken out of public schools mr patrick a republican said at a news conference parents are not going to send their 14 year old daughters into the shower or bathroom with 14 year old boys its not going to happen
with a jab at another job mr patrick has held josh earnest the white house press secretary said i think this does underscore the risk of electing a right wing radio host to a statewide office
earlier in the day the justice and education departments sent a letter to school districts saying that students must be allowed to use the facilities that match the sex they identify as even if that conflicts with their anatomical sex for districts that refuse to comply the directive carries the potential threat of legal action or the withholding of federal funds
the administration had already taken that position in scattered cases around the country   from a school district in the chicago suburb to a district in rural virginia to most prominently this weeks lawsuit challenging a north carolina state law   but fridays directive was the most sweeping attempt yet to impose that view turning it into a national issue
a recent poll found that a majority of americans opposed laws like north carolinas that require transgender people to use facilities that match the sex listed on their birth certificates though the survey did not specifically ask about schools and children republicans were evenly split while democrats and independents were strongly opposed to such requirements
the events this week demonstrate how starkly views vary by region the massachusetts state senate passed a bill that would allow transgender people to use the bathrooms conforming to their gender identities
the new guidance from the obama administration on transgender youth in schools reaffirms a basic human right said chirlane mccray the wife of mayor bill deblasio of new york city which already has such a policy no child should face humiliation and embarrassment because of their gender identity especially during such a private moment
in fort worth a deep divide became evident after the school district adopted a similar policy prompting impassioned speeches and demonstrations from both sides at a school board meeting
at the same time eight states filed a brief siding with north carolina in its legal fight with the administration and in fannin county ga a sparsely populated area bordering north carolina and tennessee hundreds of people marched to a school board meeting to insist that the district stick to traditional anatomical standards in defining sex
steve fallin a pastor who participated in the march spoke of a rising anger among many christians who feel they are not being treated with respect a fury that intensified friday with news of the presidents directive
what president obama did with this letter he just cranked up the heat on the pot just a few degrees too high mr fallin said i can tell you from what i saw last night most of rural america particularly the south is right ready to just boil over
advocates on both sides said they suspect that most school districts did not have explicit policies defining gender there are districts that allow transgender students to use the facilities that match their identities and districts that prohibit it but no definitive count of either group
jeremy tedesco senior counsel at the alliance defending freedom a conservative christian legal group argued that the administration was distorting a 1972 law requiring equal rights for women and girls in education known as title ix
the obama administration has absolutely no legal authority to change what a statute means and thats what theyre doing he said and they have complete and utter disregard for students privacy and safety in these intimate settings
tim moore the republican speaker of the north carolina house said we all have to wonder what other threats to common sense norms may come before the sun sets on the obama administration
despite the federal directive and a civil rights complaint by the american civil liberties union the school district in marion county fla said it would not change its bathroom policy its just an overreaching federal government that didnt follow the rules said nancy stacy a board member theyre just bullying everybody
but transgender people and groups that advocate for them praised the administrations action on friday as a civil rights milestone
capri culpepper a transgender high school senior in anderson sc said the guidelines offered support to students like her who can feel isolated and ostracized she said school officials told her last year that she had to stop using the girls restroom because it was making people uncomfortable and allowed her to use a staff bathroom or one in the nurses office
they were segregating me into this restroom that i didnt feel like i belonged in she said
defenders of traditional gender norms say that changing them threatens the safety of women allowing men claiming to be transgender women into womens bathrooms transgender advocates say that fear is misplaced and the far greater danger is to transgender people
when you make a transgender student use a bathroom that is separate from all the other boys and girls you send a clear signal to the student body and to teachers that that student is so different that they can be treated worse said michael silverman executive director of the transgender legal defense and education fund
jabari lyles president of a gay community center in baltimore and the education manager for baltimores chapter of the gay lesbian and straight education network applauded the directive but said it would be an uphill battle to put in place
hopefully what this doesnt do is put transgender students more in danger because the law has taken a bold step on their side he said
chad griffin president of the human rights campaign said this is a truly significant moment not only for transgender young people but for all young people sending a message that every student deserves to be treated fairly and supported by their teachers and schools


paris   the belgian government a member of the american led coalition that has been bombing islamic state targets for nearly two years said friday that it was expanding belgiums airstrikes beyond iraq into neighboring syria
a spokesman for prime minister charles michel of belgium said the decision to broaden the targets of the six f 16 fighter jets it contributed partly reflected pressure from the coalition
mr michels spokesman barend leyts said belgiums decision also was part of a joint effort with the netherlands belgiums close ally to battle the islamic state also known as isis and isil belgium and the netherlands take turns in participating in the coalitions airstrikes
the united states military first began hitting the islamic states iraq positions in august 2014 after the extremist group seized parts of northern iraq and the iraqi government requested american help the next month the united states widened the airstrikes into syria home to the islamic states de facto capital in the city of raqqa
belgium decided to do this because its impossible to fight isis only in iraq mr leyts said its impossible to eliminate isis by only bombing there we have go to syria to deal with them
the decision came against the backdrop of the march 22 attacks in brussels for which the islamic state claimed responsibility those attacks killed 32 people and wounded 300 but also made even clearer the extent of the islamic states activities in belgium
belgiums defense minister steven vandeput dismissed concerns that the strikes on syria the islamic states heartland might provoke the militant group to undertake more attacks on belgian soil
the islamic state in any case is planning to continue committing attacks in the western world mr vandeput said
we are part of the international coalition since the coalition started and its commonly known that were also host to nato and the eu and if we want to solve this problem well have to fight the islamic state where they are right now he said
the netherlands broadened its anti isis bombing raids from iraq into syria three months ago so when belgium takes the place of the netherlands in the next rotation starting in july its f 16s will likewise target sites in both countries
some european countries initially were wary of military entanglement in the region and particularly of bombing in syria which the government of president bashar al assad engrossed in a five year old civil war has insisted is a sovereign country and cannot be attacked under international law mr assad has however enlisted military help from his ally russia which began bombing mr assads adversaries last september
there has been relatively little controversy recently in europe about the air campaign against the islamic state
foreign minister didier reynders of belgium first mentioned the possibility of bombing syria at the beginning of march   before the brussels attacks
twenty two countries are involved in the military campaign while 66 countries participate in the overall anti islamic state coalition which includes such activities as training iraqi soldiers and officers as well as supplying aid


for years jermaine himmelstein 24 has held a sign offering free hugs in public places like times square and washington square park a seemingly kind offer that could brighten the days of tourists and lunch breakers
for years it hasnt worked like that the sign is a lie mr himmelstein has frequently accosted people who dont tip him in some cases assaulting them far from spreading joy he was described in a 2013 profile in the new york times as a creepy legend
on thursday he was arrested and charged with robbery after punching a 22 year old canadian tourist a woman in the face at 46th street and broadway in times square sending her to a hospital with severe swelling to her face the police said she had taken a photo with mr himmelstein and refused his demands to pay him the police said
while being escorted out of a police station on thursday he told reporters i was aggressively asking for tips according to nbc new york
a man who answered the phone at a number listed for mr himmelsteins parents said he had no comment and hung up
in the 2013 profile he described the kind of situation that would lead to violence like the time he approached a female new york university student with his sign in washington square park
she says i have a boyfriend and this and that mr himmelstein recalled her apparently thinking im desperate having no friends upset him he said
i went and got a can out of the trash and filled it with water and i marched right back to her and threw it right in her face until her face was swollen he said then i got a cup of ice coffee and i threw it at her he was arrested and charged with assault
there have been several other episodes the police said he had been arrested 16 times including in a similar encounter on april 17
nbc new york reported that his past incidents include one on april 29 when he was accused of assaulting a 25 year old woman waiting for a subway train screaming you will respect me when i knock you out in 2013 he told a woman before assaulting her i assault people when im mad
the city council has worked to rein in the tip reliant performers of times square aiming to corral costumed characters and topless painted women known as desnudas into designated zones
in 2013 mr himmelsteins parents said they had been unaware of their sons behavior his mother denise himmelstein said her son was autistic and comes from a home where we give him hugs she said
please tell every woman in america i apologize she said at the time any woman walking through that park i apologize


while ronda rousey was dominating the ultimate fighting championship and being heralded as one of the worlds best athletes a handful of naysayers maintained that someone else was actually the best fighter in womens mixed martial arts
on saturday that woman cristiane justino known as cyborg will finally make her ufc debut
justino a 30 year old brazilian has dominated opponent after opponent winning titles in the strikeforce and invicta promotions like rousey she has won many of her fights in a matter of seconds unlike rousey whose specialty is the armbar justino tends to send opponents to the canvas with a devastating knockout punch
but she has never fought in the ufc largely because of weight class issues justino fights at 145 pounds while the ufcs heaviest weight class for women in which rousey fights is 135 pounds justino who is 5 feet 8 inches has been reluctant to cut weight to get to that level
fighting in different promotions did not stop rousey and justino from engaging in a long running war of words justino called rousey and ufc officials bullies while rousey ripped justino for testing positive for steroids after a fight in 2011
cyborgs arrival in the ufc comes as the womens division is in some disarray first the unbeatable rousey lost to holly holm in november then holm turned around and lost in march to miesha tate who has lost to rousey twice
none of the big names are set to fight each other soon in july tate will defend her title against amanda nunes and holm will fight valentina shevchenko
regardless of who the champion is rousey remains the biggest name in womens mixed martial arts her return has been delayed by the filming of a movie road house but there is talk she will return in november at the first ufc card in new york where the sport has been legalized
justinos debut on saturday in curitiba brazil will be contested at a special weight 140 pounds she will be a huge favorite over leslie smith who is only 2 2 in the ufc and 8 6 1 over all
i know that cyborg has overwhelmed most of her opponents smith said in a ufc video i know that she has a lot of power and i know that she gets wild
i think that i have the intelligence and the skills to work outside of her plan
assuming justino routs smith what is next for her will the ufc start a new heavier division for her to fight in or will she have no choice but to cut weight to fight rousey or the other big names at 135 the long term plans for cyborg have not been determined yet lenee breckenridge a ufc spokeswoman said
for her part justino seems ready to take the ufc by storm im really happy its a great opportunity she said i can fight any girl holly holm miesha ronda anyone
should she eventually get into the octagon against rousey it would very likely be the most anticipated womens fight in history
the huge interest in cyborgs debut is bringing almost as much attention as the main event on saturday a mens heavyweight title fight the champion fabricio werdum a submission specialist will face the hard hitting stipe miocic who comes off an impressive first minute knockout of andrei arlovski


they called him a madman a con man a cancer and worse during an ugly nominating fight but in the week since donald j trump became the presumptive republican presidential nominee many of his former rivals and members of the partys establishment are already softening on him
hard feelings are often short lived in presidential politics but the personal nature of this years race raised fears that unity would be hard to achieve while a battered former gov jeb bush of florida and a bruised senator ted cruz of texas are still keeping their distance from mr trump the recent outreach among others who assailed him for months has been swift and striking
perhaps the starkest example of this was senator lindsey graham whose personal cellphone number was read aloud publicly by mr trump last year in a prank that set the schoolyard tone of the campaign the republican from south carolina has regularly called mr trump the most unprepared person ive ever met to be commander in chief and he once likened backing mr trump to being shot
it appeared to be just a flesh wound however as the two men put their differences aside this week and spoke by telephone to discuss national security policy calling their 15 minute conversation cordial mr graham offered rare praise for mr trump
hes got a great sense of humor mr graham who is still withholding his endorsement told reporters on thursday he obviously can take a punch
the quickest ex rival to embrace mr trump was rick perry who less than a year ago took to the microphone at a forum in washington and declared that mr trump must be stopped let no one be mistaken   donald trumps candidacy is a cancer on conservatism and it must be clearly diagnosed excised and discarded he said
now the former texas governor has endorsed mr trump and went as far as saying he was ready to serve as a running mate if called upon he is not a perfect man mr perry told cnn after mr trumps remaining rivals dropped out but what i do believe is that he loves this country and he will surround himself with capable experienced people and he will listen to them
former gov bobby jindal of louisiana was among the fiercest in his attacks on mr trump before his presidential campaign fizzled out last september ridiculing the manhattan businessmans distinctive hair and describing him as an egomaniac with no principles and a madman who must be stopped
but in a wall street journal op ed article this week mr jindal was singing a different tune about mr trump explaining why he would vote for the partys new standard bearer he said that hillary clinton would be a far scarier alternative i do not pretend donald trump is the reaganesque leader we so desperately need but he is certainly the better of two bad choices
other establishment figures are also coming around faster than some expected senator orrin g hatch republican of utah publicly endorsed mr trump without hesitation after their meeting on thursday in washington sheldon adelson the casino mogul and passionate pro israel advocate endorsed mr trump in a washington post op ed article on friday
you may not like trumps style or what he says on twitter but this country needs strong executive leadership more today than at almost any point in its history mr adelson wrote calling on all republicans to coalesce behind him
while critics such as mitt romney have continued to speak out against mr trump much of the never trump contingent seems to have gone quiet for them there is 2020 to think about and those who disapprove of the candidate might not want to be seen as having helped mrs clinton win the presidency if she defeats mr trump in november
the biggest uniting force in the republican party is the prospect of a hillary clinton presidency said ryan williams a political consultant and former spokesman for mr romney that is a motivating factor in mollifying even some of mr trumps harshest critics
still for those who fought the hardest against mr trump making peace will not come easy
senator marco rubio stood by his pledge to support the republican nominee in an interview with cnn this week but he struggled to reference mr trump by name and said that his concerns about his former rival continue to apply
the wounds appeared to be most fresh for mr cruz who until last week was hoping to capture the nomination at a contested convention he said in a radio interview on the michael berry show on thursday that he still plans to go to cleveland july 18 21 to cheer on the delegates but it was clear that the ill will toward mr trump has not subsided
well listen theres time for recriminations and you know everyone who was responsible for the rise of donald trump they will bear that responsibility going forward mr cruz said when asked about the news medias role in mr trumps success
douglas g brinkley a presidential historian at rice university noted that while most parties tend to unify before a general election some politicians never do he recalled that gerald r ford never really forgave ronald reagan for challenging him for the republican nomination in 1976 and that ted kennedy famously snubbed jimmy carter on the democrats convention floor four years later
for mr cruz and mr trump he surmised the relationship could be beyond repair after months of sniping that went beyond the usual political fare
when you dub someone for life as lyin ted and now suddenly youre smiling with your arms around each other its a hard pressed photo op mr brinkley said


scientists are now contemplating the fabrication of a human genome meaning they would use chemicals to manufacture all the dna contained in human chromosomes
the prospect is spurring both intrigue and concern in the life sciences community because it might be possible such as through cloning to use a synthetic genome to create human beings without biological parents
while the project is still in the idea phase and also involves efforts to improve dna synthesis in general it was discussed at a closed door meeting on tuesday at harvard medical school in boston the nearly 150 attendees were told not to contact the news media or to post on twitter during the meeting
organizers said the project could have a big scientific payoff and would be a follow up to the original human genome project which was aimed at reading the sequence of the three billion chemical letters in the dna blueprint of human life the new project by contrast would involve not reading but rather writing the human genome   synthesizing all three billion units from chemicals
but such an attempt would raise numerous ethical issues could scientists create humans with certain kinds of traits perhaps people born and bred to be soldiers or might it be possible to make copies of specific people
would it be ok for example to sequence and then synthesize einsteins genome drew endy a bioengineer at stanford and laurie zoloth a bioethicist at northwestern university wrote in an essay criticizing the proposed project if so how many einstein genomes should be made and installed in cells and who would get to make them
dr endy though invited said he deliberately did not attend the meeting at harvard because it was not being opened to enough people and was not giving enough thought to the ethical implications of the work
george church a professor of genetics at harvard medical school and an organizer of the proposed project said there had been a misunderstanding the project was not aimed at creating people just cells and would not be restricted to human genomes he said rather it would aim to improve the ability to synthesize dna in general which could be applied to various animals plants and microbes
theyre painting a picture which i dont think represents the project dr church said in an interview
he said the meeting was closed to the news media and people were asked not to tweet because the project organizers in an attempt to be transparent had submitted a paper to a scientific journal they were therefore not supposed to discuss the idea publicly before publication he and other organizers said ethical aspects have been amply discussed since the beginning
the project was initially called hgp2 the human genome synthesis project with hgp referring to the human genome project an invitation to the meeting at harvard said that the primary goal would be to synthesize a complete human genome in a cell line within a period of 10 years
but by the time the meeting was held the name had been changed to hgp write testing large synthetic genomes in cells
the project does not yet have funding dr church said though various companies and foundations would be invited to contribute and some have indicated interest the federal government will also be asked a spokeswoman for the national institutes of health declined to comment saying the project was in too early a stage
besides dr church the organizers include jef boeke director of the institute for systems genetics at nyu langone medical center and andrew hessel a self described futurist who works at the bay area software company autodesk and who first proposed such a project in 2012
scientists and companies can now change the dna in cells for example by adding foreign genes or changing the letters in the existing genes this technique is routinely used to make drugs such as insulin for diabetes inside genetically modified cells as well as to make genetically modified crops and scientists are now debating the ethics of new technology that might allow genetic changes to be made in embryos
but synthesizing a gene or an entire genome would provide the opportunity to make even more extensive changes in dna
for instance companies are now using organisms like yeast to make complex chemicals like flavorings and fragrances that requires adding not just one gene to the yeast like to make insulin but numerous genes in order to create an entire chemical production process within the cell with that much tinkering needed it can be easier to synthesize the dna from scratch
right now synthesizing dna is difficult and error prone existing techniques can reliably make strands that are only about 200 base pairs long with the base pairs being the chemical units in dna a single gene can be hundreds or thousands of base pairs long to synthesize one of those multiple 200 unit segments have to be spliced together
but the cost and capabilities are rapidly improving dr endy of stanford who is a co founder of a dna synthesis company called gen9 said the cost of synthesizing genes has plummeted from 4 per base pair in 2003 to 3 cents now but even at that rate the cost for three billion letters would be 90 million he said if costs continued to decline at the same pace that figure could reach 100000 in 20 years
j craig venter the genetic scientist synthesized a bacterial genome consisting of about a million base pairs the synthetic genome was inserted into a cell and took control of that cell while his first synthetic genome was mainly a copy of an existing genome dr venter and colleagues this year synthesized a more original bacterial genome about 500000 base pairs long
dr boeke is leading an international consortium that is synthesizing the genome of yeast which consists of about 12 million base pairs the scientists are making changes such as deleting stretches of dna that do not have any function in an attempt to make a more streamlined and stable genome
but the human genome is more than 200 times as large as that of yeast and it is not clear if such a synthesis would be feasible
jeremy minshull chief executive of dna20 a dna synthesis company questioned if the effort would be worth it
our ability to understand what to build is so far behind what we can build said dr minshull who was invited to the meeting at harvard but did not attend i just dont think that being able to make more and more and more and cheaper and cheaper and cheaper is going to get us the understanding we need


the television industry in 1990 was facing problems much like those it confronts today viewers especially younger ones were turning away from network tv and toward new entertainment options video games vcrs outliers like mtv an anything goes mind set was in the air as networks looked for something new and exciting and so it was that for 11 infamous episodes that fall abc offered up a police drama in which criminals rapped officers sang and jurors announced their verdict by bursting into a rousing gospel tune
the show was called cop rock a high profile failure that has become the stuff of television legend it was an effort to tell a cop shop story with the tools of a broadway musical an idea that generated a smattering of admiration but a whole lot of ridicule that remains to this day some consider it one of the worst shows ever made
but hold on sometimes worst is a misnomer for ahead of its time on tuesday shout factory releases cop rock the complete series a three disc package that provides a chance to revisit this tv curiosity watching the 11 episodes   the original 16 episode order was truncated when the show didnt generate ratings   is fascinating and not always in a train wreck way when cop rock worked though that was only intermittently it worked quite well
the idea of putting original music into scripted tv shows has been resurgent recently in nbcs smash in 2012 and in abcs galavant and cws crazy ex girlfriend now maybe its always destined to be a doomed concept   smash lasted only two seasons and neither current show is a ratings hit   but crazy ex girlfriend is delightful as was the recently canceled galavant and smash certainly had its devotees all of them owe a debt to cop rock which arrived in september 1990 with high expectations one of its creators with william m finkelstein was steven bochco who had raised the bar for police dramas considerably in the 1980s with hill street blues
when i was making hill street blues a broadway producer talked to me about the possibility of doing hill street as a broadway musical mr bochco said in an email interview for all sorts of practical reasons that wasnt possible but the idea of a musical cop show stuck with me
he called cop rock the most challenging show ive ever done and the most fun despite its failure but added in all candor i havent watched it since the days when we produced it so i have no idea if it holds up or not were he to take in a few episodes he might be impressed with his own prescience because what immediately strikes a 2016 viewer is how current the story seems
a white officer named larusso peter onorati shoots and kills a defenseless black suspect an event that sets the whole series in motion racial tension both between the police and the community and within the police department is a recurrent theme scandal like crisis management shady campaign financing celebrity stalking all turn up its not really that mr bochco foresaw those present day phenomena of course the series actually reminds us that many of the things we think of as specific to today have been around a long time
as for the music yes its sometimes jarring and inserted clumsily but many of the songs make for enjoyable listening randy newman wrote the numbers for the pilot episode he also sings the shows theme song and as it went along the series drew on a stable of songwriters for the rest many guest stars were drawn from the musical theater world and the production numbers were staged with verve when anne bobby playing a police officer with marital troubles leads a group of women in a locker room anthem whose refrain is why cant a man be more like a woman you can feel how great the number would be in a broadway house
i always thought of it as a sort of glorious experiment ms bobby said in an interview cop rock was really breaking down these walls of perception with not one mallet but two the first wall said that stage musicals were one thing television shows another the second held that the best way to inject music into a scripted tv show was to use known songs as was done in the well regarded british show the singing detective rather than original ones
that proved to be too much innovation for 1990 viewers and cop rock still registers as an imperfect experiment at best but if nothing else its a noteworthy effort to try something different in an industry that then and now is often content to repeat the same successful formulas over and over
when people come up to me and talk to me about cop rock ms bobby said theyre really coming up to me to talk because they got it


of all that can transpire in a bedroom nothing can be as titillating to the religious or those of us who write about them as a dying mans conversion
oscar wildes deathbed baptism remains a coup for the roman catholic church 116 years later and an embarrassment for those who cherish his legacy of hedonism in his new biography of the poet wallace stevens paul mariani repeats the claim that mr stevens was baptized by a priest as he lay dying in a hartford hospital
there are others karen edmisten in her 2013 book deathbed conversions finding faith at the finish line recounts with varying degrees of historical support the putative deathbed conversions of buffalo bill cody john wayne the gangster dutch schultz and the mathematician john von neumann
the latest controversy about a late in life religious turn involves christopher hitchens one of worlds most prominent atheists in his new book the faith of christopher hitchens the restless soul of the worlds most notorious atheist the evangelical writer larry alex taunton writes about his friendship with mr hitchens the witty and impious author of god is not great how religion poisons everything who died of esophageal cancer in 2011 mr taunton describes intimate talks that occurred during drives the two took together which left him wondering if a dying mr hitchens was edging toward belief in god unsurprisingly evangelicals have celebrated the book while some of mr hitchenss secular friends have winced
mr taunton runs the fixed point foundation which organizes debates between christians and atheists in september 2010 five months after mr hitchenss diagnosis of cancer he and hitch drove the 13 hours from mr hitchenss home in washington dc to a fixed point debate in birmingham ala the next month after an event in billings mont they took a seven hour trip to and around yellowstone national park
as mr taunton drove mr hitchens read aloud from the gospel of john and mulled over the precise reason jesus wept at the death of lazarus where is grace in the old testament hitchens asked at one point in mr tauntons telling i see it in the new testament but god is different in the old testament mr hitchens observed leading to a discussion of gods covenant with abraham
based principally on these conversations mr taunton concluded that mr hitchens was seeking   and that he was at least open to   the possibility that christianity was true perhaps mr taunton writes mr hitchens used his position as a journalist as a kind of professional cover for a very personal inquiry into the faith
several christian magazines have trumpeted mr tauntons work in the christian journal books  culture douglas wilson wrote that fewer things are sadder than the death of a defiant atheist yet mr tauntons simply outstanding book offers just enough hope for hitchenss salvation to make it useful for the church ministers will be strengthened and evangelists encouraged he wrote
secular publications have been kind too with publishers weekly noting mr tauntons smooth and accessible prose
but in an article by the religion news service last month friends of mr hitchens took exception with the books conclusions
steve wasserman a literary agent and editor and an executor of mr hitchenss estate described the book as a shabby business in which unverifiable conversations are made to contradict everything christopher hitchens ever said or stood for
having evangelical friends is a testament to mr hitchenss intellectual tolerance and largeness of heart not to any covert religiosity benjamin schwarz his former editor at the atlantic was quoted as saying
in an interview mr taunton said that his rather modest claims were being misunderstood
i wasnt at his deathbed mr taunton 48 said i think on that first road trip christopher was contemplating conversion do i think he had a conversion no by the second road trip he said the moment seemed to have passed
while the christian post declared that according to the book mr hitchens was contemplating conversion to evangelical christianity mr taunton said that was wrong even if mr hitchens had come to some sort of belief it is not clear what he would have believed in jesus christ an indescribable higher power the jews god late in life mr hitchens learned his mother and thus he was jewish
contemplating conversion and being close to christ are two very different things mr taunton said
still mr taunton laces his book with plenty of winks toward hopeful christians who would be understandably glad to see the conversion of an atheist as prominent as mr hitchens he quotes john le carres george smiley who says in tinker tailor soldier spy the movie not the book the fanatic is always concealing a secret doubt he writes that mr hitchens had to keep up the front of an unquestioning atheist because it was a matter of professional pride for him to play the part for which he had been hired
mr wilson who wrote the rave review in books  culture is an evangelical pastor and a college professor he has also written about private conversations with mr hitchens about christianity and he said that mr tauntons experience of the man matches his own
i have been pastoring for decades mr wilson said and in my judgment there was more of a personal interest   in christianity   on christophers part than the public stage persona would seem to indicate
michael shermer who writes about atheism and science initially gave the book a fulsome jacket blurb this book should be read by every atheist and theist passionate about the truth since then he has written on his blog that he would like the blurb removed
mr shermer said he had grown uncomfortable with how mr taunton had in interviews used the metaphor of keeping two books to refer to mr hitchenss bifurcated selves one public and atheist the other private and curious about religion in the book mr taunton attributes the metaphor to hitchens himself
in reality mr shermer said there is no two books in a deceitful way but without that assertion about mr hitchens he doesnt have an interesting media story mr shermer said it was just not believable that hitchens was having doubts about his atheism doubts shared with mr taunton but almost nobody else
but you mean his wife his family his books every interview he ever gave was all deceitful but you you got the real story he said referring to mr taunton i dont think so
mr taunton said he was planning to remove mr shermers book blurb but he questioned his motives
could the man look any more silly to have written a glowing endorsement only to withdraw it when he took a bit of heat from his fans mr taunton asked in an email
mr wilson agreed that whatever the truth about mr hitchenss dying beliefs the intrigue makes for a good story
christians like the idea of saved in the nick of time he said they like the idea of a cliffhanger ending


london   more than seven decades after world war ii ended unexploded munitions remain a hazard in britain and elsewhere in europe
in the latest such scare in britain hundreds of people in the historic and picturesque town of bath were evacuated from their homes on thursday afternoon after contractors discovered under a former school playground a 500 pound bomb believed to date from world war ii some spent the night at a local racetrack
on friday the authorities set up a 1000 foot perimeter around the site of the bomb the former royal high junior school in bath and closed a vast network of roads around it they planned to place about 275 tons of sand around it and then take it to a remote location where they will carry out a controlled explosion
not everyone inside the evacuation zone was ordered to leave some chose to remain but were advised to move to a safe distance from the playground
those who have remained inside the exclusion zone will be prevented from moving within 100 meters of the device for their own safety the local police agency the avon and somerset constabulary said in a statement we recognize the disruption this incident has already caused to residents inside the exclusion zone and wed like to thank them for their patience
decisions to evacuate houses are never taken lightly but during these incidents public safety will always be our primary concern chief inspector kevin thatcher said in a statement we also appreciate the anxiety many in the local community may feel following the discovery device and the time required to remove it but we would urge people not to be alarmed
bath in southwest england is a popular tourist destination known since roman times for its natural hot springs and since the 18th century for its gracious georgian architecture
in 1942 the luftwaffe bombed the city a report from that time describes wrecked churches and buildings old women limping and with freshly bandaged heads the smell of compounded brick dust and the rank odor of wet charred wood
even today bombs from the war are found often by workers digging at construction sites
in august 2015 150 people were evacuated after a 500 pound unexploded world war ii bomb was found in the basement of a building site in bethnal green in east london in november of that year another bomb from that era caused a scare at spitalfields a popular market also in east london
the danger posed by the bombs is taken very seriously because they still contain explosives which can prove lethal that has been a particular concern in germany which was heavily bombed by allied forces during the war
in 2013 as many as 20000 people in dortmund were evacuated so that specialists could neutralize a powerful blockbuster bomb which according to a report in smithsonian magazine was powerful enough to destroy parts of a city block
in 2014 a buried world war ii bomb exploded at a construction site in euskirchen in north rhine westphalia germanys most populous state killing an excavator driver and injuring eight other people


the president of fifa on friday appointed fatma samoura of senegal a veteran united nations diplomat as the organizations secretary general
samoura will be the first woman to hold a senior executive position in fifa soccers global governing body she will serve as the organizations chief executive in the revamped governance structure that fifa approved this year fifa said samoura was expected to start in june after eligibility and integrity checks now required of top executives
it is essential for fifa to incorporate fresh perspectives   from outside the traditional pool of football executives   as we continue to restore and rebuild our organization said the fifa president gianni infantino during the announcement at the fifa congress in mexico city no one exemplifies what we need more than fatma does and we are thrilled that she has joined our team
samoura has decades of experience in united nations programs in africa most recently as the resident representative for the united nations development program in nigeria while a bold choice by infantino she does not appear to have any experience in sports governance or in negotiating television rights and sponsorship agreements which will be two of her major responsibilities
still infantino said he was impressed with samouras experience saying she will bring a fresh wind to fifa   someone from outside
reforms approved by fifa this year broke the organizations leadership long centralized in the presidency into two parts an expanded fifa council to set broad strategy and policy and a general secretariat charged with overseeing commercial and operational responsibilities
samoura will be in charge of the latter role a modified and strengthened one from the post that existed under the previous secretary general jerome valcke who was fired last year amid an ethics investigation samoura will be the first woman and the rare non european in one of fifas top two positions
i believe this role is a perfect fit for my skills and experience   strategic high impact team building in international settings   which i will use to help grow the game of football all over the world samoura said in a statement released by fifa i also look forward to bringing my experience in governance and compliance to bear on the important reform work that is already underway at fifa
fifa which did not appoint a woman to its ruling executive committee until 2013 had long been criticized as a mens club with little regard for including womens voices but during his campaign for the presidency and in appearances since his election in february infantino has called the development of womens soccer a priority fifas reforms mandate the inclusion of women in leadership at many levels of the game and infantino has floated the idea of creating a separate womens division inside fifa
one thing is for certain he is now president of a larger fifa in their final act of the day fifas members approved membership for kosovo over the strenuous and long winded objections of serbia and gibraltar the latter had effectively forced fifas hand by winning an appeal for membership at the court of arbitration for sport this month
the vote to make kosovo fifas 210th member was 141 to 23 meaning more than 40 members abstained or had their votes invalidated the vote to admit gibraltar as the 211th member was 172 to 12
membership comes with an immediate payoff each is now eligible to enter europes qualification process for the 2018 world cup in russia when it begins in the fall


moscow   russia on friday denied that it had operated a state sponsored doping program at the winter olympics in sochi in 2014 calling the allegations raised by a former lab chief groundless
the accusations were made by grigory rodchenkov the former director of the countrys antidoping laboratory and were the subject of an article in the new york times on thursday
dr rodchenkov who said he had fled russia out of fear for his life controlled the laboratory that tested thousands of olympians he said he had created a special cocktail for russian athletes and described an elaborate scheme by russias intelligence agency the fsb to tamper with urine samples in the dead of night in sochi to avoid detection
dmitry s peskov the spokesman for president vladimir v putin told reporters that the account was not supported by any evidence these allegations look absolutely groundless mr peskov told russian news agencies in a conference call they are not substantiated by any trustworthy data they are not backed by any sort of documents all this simply looks like slander by a turncoat
dr rodchenkov said the doping involved some of russias most famous winter olympians and medal winners including 14 members of its cross country ski team and two veteran bobsledders who won gold medals
two of the athletes named alexander zubkov a bobsledder who at age 39 was one of the oldest olympians ever to win gold and alexander legkov a cross country skier who won gold and silver held a hastily convened news conference on friday to deny the allegations
i have always been absolutely clean mr zubkov said at the hourlong session broadcast live on state television i consider these allegations absolutely groundless
mr legkov suggested that the charges were politically motivated
based on previous allegations of doping in track and field there have already been calls to bar russian athletes from the olympics in rio de janeiro this summer dr rodchenkovs claims also promise to further complicate russias efforts to refute other accusations of state sponsored doping made by a commission of the independent world anti doping agency
mr legkov one of the most famous athletes in russia said dr rodchenkovs allegation that the drugs were served up in alcohol to mask their presence was especially incredible since olympic athletes swore off drinking during their training
that just sounds ridiculous he said adding that perhaps dr rodchenkov had been drinking too many of his own cocktails
yuri nagornykh the deputy sports minister who also appeared at the news conference denied that russia had ever had a state sponsored doping program all state resources were concentrated on getting the olympic athletes the best trainers and equipment possible he said
theres no doping program in russian sport in the russian federation there was none and will be none he said
mr nagornykh said that if there was any evidence to base an investigation on russia would certainly conduct one but he said that russia and the athletes named were weighing filing a defamation lawsuit against mr rodchenkov and the times
since the report by the world anti doping agency two colleagues of dr rodchenkovs both former high ranking officials of the state antidoping agency have died under mysterious circumstances


a new law has opened the door for loan servicers and debt collectors to increase automated calls and texts to cellphones including those of the millions of student loan borrowers struggling to repay their debt
the federal communications commission however is proposing rules to restrict the number of text messages and automated or prerecorded calls known as robocalls that may be made to cellphones without the borrowers permission
the agency aims to limit the number of robocalls and texts made without a consumers consent to three a month also the rule would require that debt collectors inform borrowers of their right to request that the calls stop consumer groups that support strong protections on automated calls to cellphones applauded the agencys proposal
the fcc recognizes that allowing calls to be made without consent is a huge danger said margot saunders a lawyer with the national consumer law center one of a dozen consumer groups following the issue closely
ms saunders said advocates were pleased that the agency would count each call initiated   even if it isnt answered   as one call in addition the fcc proposes to limit the calls to debts that are delinquent which would prevent unwanted robocalls to accounts in good standing borrowers who authorize calls from their servicers will continue to receive them ms saunders said students who want calls can consent
under the telephone consumer protection act automated calls or texts to a cellphone generally require the consumers consent ms saunders said but last fall as part of the federal budget bill congress created an exception for collectors of federal debt including student loans allowing such calls to be made without the consumers permission the exemption however is subject to rules to be set by the fcc which said in its proposal that it sought to balance the importance of collecting debt owed to the united states and the consumer protections in the law
consumer groups are following the development of the regulations to help promote robust protections this loophole could open up a flood of these robocalls to cellphones said maureen mahoney a policy analyst at consumers union
unwanted robocalls are an increasingly vexing problem in general because of new technology that makes it easier to initiate automated calls and harder for the authorities to track them
unwanted calls are the subject of more than 17 million complaints a year to the federal trade commission
recently the calls have become a particular problem for cellphone customers including some who report receiving repeated calls that are actually intended for people who previously had the same cellphone number
consumers can register landlines as well as cellphones on a federal do not call list which restricts calls from telemarketers but many robocalls are now initiated overseas by companies that are difficult to trace ms mahoney said consumers are just fed up with robocalls she said
student loan debt is also an increasing problem the average debt for graduating seniors is now nearly 30000 the federal government makes most student loans and about a quarter of current federal loan borrowers are delinquent or in default according to a report last year from the consumer financial protection bureau
reid setzer policy and legislative affairs analyst for young invincibles an advocacy group focusing on young adults called the fccs initial proposal a positive step for millions of student borrowers affected by excessive unwanted calls from loan servicers
here are some questions and answers about cellphone robocalls
# how can i comment on the fccs proposed robocalling rules
you can submit comments online for the proposal proceeding no 02 278 until june 6
# where can i complain about unwanted robocalls
you can file a complaint online with the fcc the agency also offers consumer tips on its website
# can i block automated calls to my cellphone
some smartphones offer the ability to block certain calls either through embedded options or via specialized apps consumers union cites several apps in a report on the problem of robocalling but has not formally tested their effectiveness
consumers union is urging telephone companies to deploy better screening technology to help prevent unwanted calls from getting through to customers the nonprofit is sponsoring an online end robocalls campaign that has attracted more than 600000 signatures


as tim duncans erstwhile mentor and a devoted friend and fan dave odom had no idea if the stunning conclusion of the san antonio spurs season thursday night also meant the termination of duncans quietly magnificent 19 year career
i never hear him comment on that said odom who first saw duncan play on an outdoor court overlooking the caribbean in st croix then recruited him and coached him for four years at wake forest hes saying dont ask me that its none of your business ill let you know
in a telephone interview from his home in north carolina odom paused and drew the most obvious nba contrast kobe bryants farewell was fine but that would never be tims way
the 60 points on 50 shots self glorification way he meant duncan went down with the spurs a 67 win regular season team that under adrenaline heightened playoff circumstances in oklahoma city wasnt athletic enough particularly in the legs
that the spurs were comparatively plodding was obvious in game 6 of the western conference semifinals as gregg popovich the only pro coach duncan has known operated frantically to slow the thunders second quarter surge with only one superior athlete kawhi leonard popovich had too many players who couldnt keep up with who could barely breathe on much less contain russell westbrook and kevin durant
duncan was made out to be a shell of his all timer self for the first five games but he was on the floor in game 6 scoring 19 points setting those familiar sturdy high screens clogging the lane on defense for the spurs only competitive periods in the first and final quarters
he graciously congratulated the thunder for moving on to face the golden state warriors in the conference finals and walked off with an index finger raised   for duncan as demonstrative as it gets
about what comes next at age 40 he said ill get to that after i get out of here and figure life out
he could return taking up a mere 56 million in salary cap space and not necessarily hamstringing the spurs in trying to retool and literally catch up with the greyhounds out west
duncan could also concede that his extraordinary partnership with popovich and the others has run its course manu ginobili would appear headed for the exit tony parker still effective but slowing turns 34 next week
in the dying moments of game 5 in san antonio lamarcus aldridge this seasons free agent catch was unable to meet the moment of pivotal truth in his first appearance on the spurs pressurized playoff stage
perhaps he will next time next season though we are reminded again that earning the maximum salary doesnt bestow those mysterious intangibles separating the very good from the historically great
without them without duncan the san antonio spurs as we have known them do not exist
here in my opinion is the essence of tim odom said thursday afternoon a few minutes after texting duncan his best wishes for game 6 he was never afraid to win nor was he ever afraid to lose
not the sexiest pitch in the history of nba marketing but if duncan does retire he will surely be appreciated and feted for the purity of his game the commitment to his team   adult qualities more important to the sport than most people may think though not easily quantified by television ratings and jersey sales
on the espn broadcast thursday night duncan was called the greatest power forward in nba history he was always the spurs hub the center of high  and low post activity the core of their interior defense
his skills and approach were reminiscent of a young bill walton bank shot included only far less flamboyant in a telephone interview walton said i dont get into positions tim duncan has been like oscar robertson like every other great player hes done everything for his team
for the sake of injecting some much needed fervor into a possible farewell the verbally unrestrained walton was our man
he personifies whats good about the nba and has been the epitome of everything i believe in basketball and life   and i dont separate the two he said
through the years the standard line on duncan is that he was a product of a low key culture antithetical to the sneaker company sponsored deifying of teenagers
that could be too much of a stereotype maybe duncan was just duncan a rare hidden gem until one of odoms wake forest players chris king accompanied a group of nba draftees on a caribbean island hopping tour to promote the game
asked by odom if he had seen anyone who might be of value king mentioned one tall kid who was pretty good
what was his name king didnt know on which island he didnt recall it took some sleuthing by a member of odoms staff to produce a name and a telephone number
and that was how odom found himself sitting on a grassy knoll overlooking the sea one sun splashed sunday afternoon watching the 17 year old duncan play pickup ball with a mixed age group that had just finished a days work at a nearby hess oil plant
almost five years later odom was on a conference call with the spurs entire staff raving about duncans character to the point where he sensed a growing restlessness on the other end of the line
you could feel they were thinking that this is just tim duncans coach trying to push them into drafting him with the no 1 pick and overdoing it odom said
the next year odom attended a spurs playoff game in san antonio duncan told him that popovich wanted to see him
remember that phone call popovich said i have to say there was some doubt in the room about whether you were being honest
yes odom said he knew that by the tone of their voices
in retrospect you werent being honest popovich said
what do you mean odom said
hes even better than what you said popovich said
odom laughed at the punch line of a story he has no doubt told a few times if duncan has reached the end of his five championship road just weeks after bryant went out with an overstatement of seismic grandiosity let that be the demure big mans career epitaph even better than what people said


why is the american economy stuck in low gear
among economists two major culprits get most of the attention first is anemic productivity growth productivity output per worker hour has increased at a disappointing average annual rate of 13 percent since 2005 compared to the 28 percent annual pace recorded in the previous 10 years the reasons behind the productivity slowdown   especially the economic impact of technological innovations and lower levels of business and public investment   are heavily debated
but little controversy shadows the second major factor the demographics of an aging population the oldest members of the baby boomer generation are filing for medicare about 8000 boomers will celebrate their 65th birthday each day until 2030 labor force growth is slow in a society with fewer young people and growing numbers of retirees
to a large extent of course demographic forces are inevitable there isnt much dispute about the census bureau prediction that all baby boomers will be 65 and over in 2029 accounting for more than 20 percent of the total population the 65 and above age group is projected to become larger than the population 18 and under by 2056
compared to forecasting the future pace of productivity growth demographics are reassuringly predictable or are they
we observe the world how it is today and make these very simple projections and turn them into a terrible scenario said johannes koettl senior economist at the world banks social protection and labor global practice this approach fails to take into account that the world is changing
it is long past time to shed three pernicious myths about the united states economy and aging
you have most likely seen variations on the old age dependency ratio the ratio compares the number of people ages 15 to 64 workers with people 65 and older retired not working it paints the familiar picture of an increasing number of nonworking older adults the ratio is alarming since it assumes everyone 65 and over isnt working
but millions of older americans are staying employed or looking for work well into the traditional retirement years there are a variety of reasons boomers are well educated and healthier than previous generations work is less physically taxing in a service dominated economy more older people need an income to supplement slim savings
whatever the mix of motivations the labor force participation rate of men 60 and over is up nearly one third to 35 percent today from a low of 26 percent in 1996 according to barry p bosworth and gary burtless economists at the brookings institution and kan zhang a senior research assistant at george washington university the participation rate of women shows a parallel increase climbing to 25 percent from 15 percent
according to projections by the bureau of labor statistics by 2024 men ages 65 to 74 could show a participation rate of 34 percent and women 26 percent
the world bank has developed an alternative ratio the adult dependency ratio that incorporates working longer this ratio compares the number of inactive people not working and not looking for work with active people working or looking for work in the adult population age 15 and older
the projections take into account past trends of increased participation of women and older people in the work force until 2030 and assume an additional rise in effective retirement age by 10 years from 2030 to 2060 this ratio is more or less constant until it eventually declines painting a reassuring forecast compared to the old age dependency ratio
you have probably heard variations of this common belief while at work the research tells a different story there is no evidence older workers arent as good at their jobs said laura carstensen director of the stanford center on longevity
for example axel borsch supan and matthias weiss of the munich center for the economics of aging analyzed data from a german truck assembly plant owned by mercedes benz looking at standard error rates at the plant they found statistically significant evidence of higher error rates for workers under 30 but no evidence of more mistakes as workers age into their 60s
productivity improved all the way up to retirement at 65
even in a work environment requiring substantial physical strength they concluded regarding productivity at the factory its decline with age is compensated by characteristics that appear to increase with age and are hard to measure directly such as experience and the ability to operate well in a team when tense situations occur typically when things go wrong and there is little time to fix them
for many knowledge based companies the rewards to experience and collaboration are even more critical the bottom line is that older people do things differently but they dont do it worse said mr koettl the world bank economist they have different advantages vis a vis young people
iris shiraishi would most likely agree for 14 years she was the artistic director of the taiko ensemble at mu performing arts in minneapolis one of the largest asian american performing arts organizations in the country two years ago in her early 60s she decided it was time start her own taiko or japanese drumming group she is tapping into two decades of her taiko experience to take creative risks with her compositions experimenting with different instrumentations and performance techniques
the notion that the job market is a zero sum game   more jobs for one group translates into fewer jobs for another group   is deeply ingrained economists call the belief that there are only so many jobs in an economy the lump of labor fallacy
but the truth is that growth in the number of jobs for older people tends to run in parallel with gains for younger workers there isnt a fixed number of jobs ms carstensen said you grow the pie
older workers wont clog up the promotion pipeline for their younger peers either for instance 58 percent of those age 50 and over who expect to remain in the work force plan to switch careers or employers in the future according to the latest working longer survey by the associated press norc center for public affairs research to stay competitive more than a quarter of those surveyed recently completed job training or obtained additional education
older workers still have a lot to contribute c eugene steuerle an economist at the urban institute in washington captures the underlying dynamic if labor supply increases the nation gets additional work and larger output more output means more income for workers more income means more revenue at any given tax rate with more revenue government can pay for more spending at the same tax rates or lower tax rates
the bottom line one way to help get the economy out of its rut would be to embrace policies that encourage older americans to stay employed and for employers to appreciate their aging work force


marvin l dawkins was a 53 year old att manager when a blocked blood vessel left him paralyzed it took 11 years one lawsuit repeated tangles over medicaid rules   and a chance meeting on a church van   before he could extract himself from a nursing home outside baltimore
now he lives in an apartment with the assistance of an aide gets out for a job that he says gives him purpose socializes with new friends and old ones and revels in his freedom i determine what happens to me he said i was there at the nursing home basically just laying in bed and watching tv i didnt think it was much of an existence
across the nation many other americans who could live elsewhere with help are unwillingly confined to nursing homes or long term care facilities nearly 20 years after the supreme court ruled that disabled people requiring public support were entitled to live in their community rather than in institutions unless medically necessary the federal government and states are still far from achieving that goal because of budget cuts inflexible rules a patchwork of programs and a widespread failure to bolster alternative care others like mr dawkins describe feeling stuck in deeply unsatisfying sometimes miserable settings
those people are not in view said eve hill the deputy assistant attorney general in the civil rights division at the department of justice we forget about them because they are not in our everyday lives and that just cant be the answer we cant ignore this
since 2009 the department has conducted investigations brought lawsuits and settled with eight states over compliance with the court decision which ms hill said changed the assumptions of what people can do that requires us to unbuild something she added and to build it differently
some states including minnesota oregon and washington have made real progress taking steps like shifting more medicaid dollars to home support training caregivers to administer medications and paying family members who provide assistance but in many others government inaction and structural obstacles like a shortage of home health care aides have often made nursing homes the only option south dakota was singled out last week by federal officials who threatened to sue if the state did not fix its problems
more than 14 million americans live in nursing homes but it is hard to know how many of them could move back home federal data suggests that about 155000 nursing home residents have a low need for round the clock assistance and about 217000 people are of working age another group that experts say could function well at home but long term care experts said that some residents who are sicker might also be good candidates to leave
sharon overall of fenton mo 65 who entered a nursing home for what was to be a month of rehabilitation after injuring her spine ended up spending 18 months there losing her house car and life insurance policies with nearly all her income going to the nursing home
when latrell head a 32 year old single father in atlanta entered a nursing home after a leg amputation in october workers there for a while would not allow him to leave to see his 8 year old son or search for an apartment such facilities typically require relatives to sign residents out a prisoner has more rights than i have he said he felt
mariussi ogando rodriguez 29 said she feels lonely among the hundreds of mostly older residents at the manhattan nursing center where she has lived for three years a former accounting student and cashier at chipotle she needs dialysis three times a week but could care for herself gesturing toward a group of people watching television last week in a recreation room that smelled like urine she said sometimes i feel desperate
a range of factors conspire to prevent residents from leaving in many states medicaid programs restrict home health services limiting the hours of care for example waiting lists are common mentally ill people for whom nursing homes are shelters of last resort are particularly difficult to place and everywhere it seems affordable accessible housing for disabled people is in short supply
living at home is not the right choice for everyone of course even with assistance some people are too ill managing aides can be daunting and family members might not be able   or willing   to care for relatives or share their homes particularly when cognitive skills are impaired for those without family living alone can be isolating
still about half of medicaid spending on long term care now goes toward services in the home or community compared with less than 20 percent two decades ago though that varies widely by state health care officials predict demand for in home services will only grow as the population ages emily johnson piper commissioner of the minnesota department of human services said the baby boomers in minnesota and across the country have the expectation that they will be offered and afforded availability of services for them to live out their retirement years in their communities
many states have concluded that caring for people at home is more cost effective washington state for example has found that its costs for one nursing home resident would pay for home care for seven people alabama calculated that it cost the state about 25000 a year less per person to offer care at home
the few studies that have compared the outcomes of people in nursing homes with those cared for at home have reached mixed conclusions in one recent study researchers surveyed thousands of former nursing home residents they reported significant improvements in satisfaction and fewer unmet needs for help with personal care however more than three quarters of them said they had visited an emergency room or been admitted to a hospital or nursing home during the first year of living in the community some advocates have also raised concerns about abuse in unregulated home care
representatives of the nursing home industry acknowledged that many residents do not need to remain in their facilities but they said better alternatives were requiredif there is no one with the state to help coordinate that transition process then there is nowhere for that person to go said mike cheek a senior vice president at the american health care association which represents for profit nursing homes
south dakota has one of the worst records in the country nearly 17 percent of its nursing home population is classified as having a low need for the services provided in an institution among the highest percentages of any state according to an aarp report
shane bear heels 48 has spent more than a quarter of his life in a small nursing home in white river sd overlooking a horse pasture and open field most residents there are members of the rosebud sioux tribe whose reservation is nearby
a quadriplegic since crashing his car in 2001 mr bear heels said he receives good medical care and takes pride in helping his fellow residents but he also yearns for more independence he said he would like to spend more time outside but the unpaved roads and dearth of sidewalks in the area made that difficult
i definitely would like to be in a different setting said mr bear heels who worked as an electrician before his injury who wants to be like elders
he needs help repositioning his body while sleeping and getting into his motorized wheelchair but once situated there he is mostly self sufficient until bedtime he uses his mouth to maneuver the chair flip through television channels and send emails but for now he appears stuck
like some other nursing home residents mr bear heels said he has no one who could serve as his advocate and does not know where to turn for help to live elsewhere federal rules now require nursing homes to ask residents at least quarterly whether they want to talk with someone about living in the community and if so connect them with a local agency he does not own a house and even if he did finding reliable home health care workers would be difficult many aides who are relatively low paid cannot afford cars to reach clients in rural areas like his
in its report the justice department acknowledged that south dakotas geography and limited work force posed challenges but it also said that the state had not made better use of existing programs including one that places disabled people in small family style group homes the state has moved only 10 people home from nursing facilities since 2013 as part of a federal grant to do so according to the federal report kim malsam rysdon south dakotas secretary of health said state officials agreed that community based care was preferable in many cases but that its just a balancing act of the ideal and reality
minnesota faces some of the same challenges but it has managed to move more than 3000 people from nursing homes to the community since 2010 through one program others provide alternatives so people do not have to enter nursing homes
accomplishing that has not been easy state officials said each person needing support requires a network of people and organizations to address housing needs provide assistive technologies and find grants and programs to cover these costs
minnesota and other states such as california allow public funds to be used to pay family members for the care they provide in san francisco alice wongs parents turn her at night to prevent bedsores and work with aides hired by ms wong to provide much of the near total care she needs because of a progressive nerve disorder spinal muscular atrophy its the best of both worlds said ms wong 42 the founder of the disability visibility project all disabled people should have that choice across the country
mr dawkins the former nursing home resident from baltimore county who was paralyzed said the vulnerability he sometimes feels at night when he has no aides to help him is outweighed by the control he has over his daily activities at the nursing home he often had to wait up to an hour for a response after pushing his call button he recalled in an interview and aides would wake him at 3 am when it suited their schedule to dress him for church services hours later
it was on a ride to church that he met an advocate who helps nursing home patients apply for support services to live independently he sued the state of maryland which had denied him medicaid funding for at home care but he won the assistance two years ago now he has a job going door to door at nursing homes including the one he left identifying residents interested in following the same path
ive had people when i told them about the program cry break down and cry he said


philanthropists may proclaim their desire for social change but few it turns out follow through
instead according to research by the bridgespan group a philanthropic consultant they tend to fall back on proven recipients like universities hospitals and museums for their biggest bets those may be worthy recipients but in the eyes of some in the philanthropic community they are not at the forefront of social change
that is why someone like paul salem a private equity investor in rhode island is rare he has made two big bets with his philanthropic dollars one in a company that makes plumpynut a peanut paste to feed malnourished children and another in year up a nonprofit group started in boston that teaches young urban adults the skills needed for a professional career
mr salem senior managing director at providence equity partners said he decided to make the big bets   defined as donations greater than 10 million   only after growing tired of being asked for donations and not knowing what impact his money was having
you get bombarded by amazing opportunities to invest in charities that come in over the transom he said you can give 5000 here or 2000 there i still do that but i consider it being nice my wife and i decided we wanted to focus our giving on something that matters its a way i like to invest money
william foster the head of bridgespans consulting practice and the author of the study big bets for social change said the desire to give to social change is genuine but that the study found that only 20 percent of big donors followed through the wealthiest people want their money to make an impact on the biggest problems he said but there are two reasons reality doesnt match the aspiration
the first is its hard and takes a lot of time big institutions have plenty of projects that a donor can finance and have confidence that they will be completed and their name will be put on the door
more complex problems not surprisingly are more challenging to finance its not clear that if you wake up one morning and want to write a check to save the fish stocks of the ocean where to write that check mr foster said
the second reason is more nuanced after decades of the type of success that gives someone the means to make a gift of more than 10 million many philanthropists do not want to look foolish with their donations
being an expert in a particular industry or field does not make you an expert in anything else said steve prostano head of family wealth advisers at bank of the west wealth management the very successful person would like to be successful in everything they do
that takes time and requires advice he said
the rewards of giving to a larger established institution are readily apparent   the admiration and respect of your peer group and the certainty that its a professional and well run institution that will use the money well mr foster said when someone makes a gift to their 25th anniversary fund at princeton theyre saying its princeton its great they dont think its going to change the trajectory of education at princeton in the next 25 years
but such giving isnt rewarding enough for some philanthropists emily nielsen jones and her husband ross jones a private equity executive began giving in ways that would seem big by most standards they helped finance the creation of a preschool in boston that has grown into the park street school
still as their wealth increased she wanted to do more on a big issue stopping the trafficking of women and girls and more broadly changing gender norms around the world
it came from a deep feeling that we needed to ramp up ethically ms jones said but then it was how do you do that
ms jones who started the imago dei fund wanted to look broadly for groups to finance from the innovative projects at larger nonprofit groups to working directly with religious leaders
that changed the direction of our philanthropy overall to make sure we were not guilty of a blind spot of just funding the rock star social innovators who went to the kennedy school but also change agents working around the world she said
one of these is tostan an organization in senegal that aims to end female genital cutting and forced marriage her big bet on that group was particularly rewarding she said ive worked with these imams who led the anti genital cutting practice she said they described that they had been resistant because this was how it was for centuries but they said when you get new information you need to move on
mr foster said he advised philanthropists to give to several organizations in the area where they want to bring about change but also not to micromanage the institutions
if you say i care deeply about the ocean and im going to try the three best organizations and give them some money and trust them and not hold their feet to the fire for every t that is crossed and i that is dotted that would probably work out pretty well he said
of course not everyone agrees with the idea that philanthropists talk about social change in theory but shy away from it in practice   or that big donations are even a good thing
paul connolly director of philanthropic advisory services at bessemer trust said many philanthropists can finance social change through institutions ms jones for example said she still gave to dartmouth college which she and her husband attended but she focuses on scholarships and entrepreneurial programs
the riskier issue though is when philanthropists donate too heartily to a social change organization without thinking through how that donation could affect that group
theres a limited number of nonprofits that can absorb a very large gift mr connolly said there are 14 million nonprofits but two thirds have less than a 500000 annual budget and only 5 percent have a budget of 10 million or more if youre going to make a 10 million gift you can do harm
and even if a single big donation doesnt overwhelm a small organization it could wipe out its base of smaller donors who feel the group no longer needs their money mr connolly said he was working with a client who wants to give 350 million to 20 organizations he said his teams goal is to make sure those donations are not split equally among the groups but scaled to each organizations size
with year up mr salem said his involvement has grown over many years and he has worked closely with its founder and chief executive gerald chertavian to expand the program beyond boston to 16 other locations
for his part mr chertavian who started and sold a technology consulting company before founding year up in 2000 said he had begun raising funds similar to those in the private equity world to bring in donations that will be spent over five years the first raised 18 million the second in 2011 brought in 55 million you cant grow quickly if you dont have patient capital he said
those funds have the added benefit of keeping donors involved for at least five years
mr salem who has given more than 10 million to year up over 13 years said that while he believed in making big bets he tried to look at his contributions like his private equity investments
when i die ill say i did my part to close the opportunity divide but ill also say the money i put in i got a return on my investment he said not all bets work out he added but if i looked at year up like an investment in some of my portfolio companies this was a home run


every friday the new york times pop critics will weigh in on the weeks most notable new songs and videos   and anything else that strikes them as intriguing   in a new version of the playlist column you can listen to this playlist on spotify here like the new format let us know at theplaylistnytimescom
when bob dylan released an album last year of standards associated with frank sinatra shadows in the night it was an intriguing sidebar to his own enormous catalog of songs disrupting tin pan alleys principles a ragged voice and a rootsy band in the ruins of long gone youth and pops elegant past a second standards album the new fallen angels just repeats the gesture with diminishing returns but melancholy mood which was the b side of sinatras debut single with harry james and his orchestra in 1939 executes the gesture convincingly over the gently swinging band   which like james starts with a full instrumental verse   mr dylans voice certainly has the mileage and tatters to put across sentiments like all i can see is grief and gloomtill the crack of doom jon pareles
merle haggards final recording made in his home studio on feb 9   he died on april 6 from complications of pneumonia   is a jimmie rodgers style blues this was one of mr haggards favorite forms a tight box that nevertheless encouraged freedom a 12 bar structure that can accommodate changeable phrase lengths and unconventional patterns of lyric repetition his website says the song is about memories of leaving bakersfield in the late 70s   bakersfield calif where he grew up like many haggard songs its about disappointment with the way things are going the night life is gone and the kern river has dried up somebody stole the water he sings in a clear but shaky version of his voice another politician lied it contains what he did best condensed images and expressions of getting in motion and leaving breakfast in the sky donut on a paper kiss an old boxcar goodbye available from merlehaggardcom ben ratliff
the least compelling but most revealing videos captured by fans from the may 7 acdc show in lisbon   the first with axl rose serving as frontman   are the ones shot from up close with the camera fixed mercilessly on mr rose still hobbled by a broken left foot in them mr rose replacing brian johnson who is suffering from severe hearing loss is seated and while angus young moves around him doing his signature bent over kick shuffle mr rose howls to the best of his abilities which it turns out are in strong shape he yelps he shrieks he holds notes for ostentatious stretches the vocal flamboyance mr rose needs in guns n roses is different from the more direct hollering he does here but its prepared him well the amateur clips   of songs like hell aint a bad place to be highway to hell shot down in flames   tend to underscore the directness of his voice and underdeliver the power of the rest of the band which is a shame because theyre rather effective as a unit by whole lotta rosie mr rose is up and about and the unit looks and sounds like its in fifth gear but its less fun when you cant see the lightning bolt on the bottom of his cast jon caramanica
the video clip for grimess california isnt just her latest self directed costume extravaganza its also an entirely different production of the song   farewell to new wave guitars and synthesizers hello to keyboard arpeggios and a new more introspective transparency at least at first the song from her 2015 album art angels is both a plaint and a taunt to recording companies courting her to fans hating any change to her own ambivalent pop ambitions i get carried awaycommodifying all the pain she sings in the video she dances around as among other things a cowgirl singer in red white and blue a glittery mermaid and a figure in gauzy red whos very overdressed on a multicolored basketball court but most of the time shes a woman in an art girl beret tending and dancing through an artists studio full of statuary unfinished or unsold when you get bored of me ill be back on the shelf she sings jp
guitar distortion wells up immediately in all for one the first new music in 21 years from the stone roses as the band gears up for its latest reunion tour which comes to madison square garden on june 30 the song barely updates the bands 1980s madchester sound which drew on merseybeat psychedelia the post punk noisiness of the jesus and mary chain and the dance music beats of the wild 1980s club scene in manchester england all for one leans psychedelic not funky with a seesawing guitar riff that soon spins off multiple overdubbed guitars along with a foot stomping shuffle beat and lots of 1960s style effects on ian browns voice as well as the guitars and drums the last chorus becomes an overdubbed very late 60s chorale before a final buzzy guitar note its a band emulating its younger self emulating music from decades earlier meanwhile in the current political climate the jolly lyrics strike a jarring isolationist note all for one one for allif we all join hands well make a wall jp
pink hasnt just been at home practicing her trapeze act for the last two years since the end of her most recent arena tour or has she you just gonna hang around all day her husband carey hart says in the opening moments of her new video for just like fire the joke is that she is literally hanging by a harness as she executes a series of acrobatic twirls she made just like fire for the soundtrack to alice through the looking glass a fact that the rest of the video makes clear theres a mirror portal and a giant chessboard and a mad hatter tea party pinks daughter willow sage stands in for alice its all a nice distraction from the fact that the song   produced by max martin shellback and oscar holter   brings nothing new to pinks musical formula the beat says hip hop the strummy guitar says folk pop and the chorus says hot adult contemporary its a sturdy on brand effort and given how long it has been since pink released a proper new single thats wonder enough for now nate chinen
two items in this weeks news involved the maintenance of two major repositories of folk music and culture in the widest sense of the word folk last tuesday ben sisario reported on smithsonian folkways acquisition of arhoolie records chris strachwitzs great label for traditional blues gospel and mexican music more information at arhooliecom also this week maximum rocknroll based in san francisco the volunteer only punk zine published monthly since 1977 began a successful crowdfunding campaign to raise money for the digitization of its archive and preservation of its physical holdings that would include most of the records its reviewed or featured on its weekly radio show which would be pretty much every punk single you can imagine with your support reads maximum rocknrolls indiegogo project page we can make our record collection   the largest of its kind in the entire world   accessible to anyone with an internet connection more information at maximumrocknrollcom ben ratliff
some genres go through constant cycles of rebirth but new york hip hop seems to be in a perpetual state of death or at least a kind of cryogenic purgatory when the terror squad was at its peak circa 2004 it was part of the last wave of hardcore mainstream traditionalists after a decade in the weeds that sound has been having a comeback   a last gasp   thanks to rappers like dave east of harlem here he bridges the generation gap by adding a verse to all the way up the unexpected hit collaboration by the old terror squad crewmates fat joe and remy ma over the woozy horn loop by producer edsclusive he remembers a time when terror squad was on top and he was preoccupied elsewhere when remy was terror squadding with pun and themwe was in the back room rumbling no one coming inhomie kinda arrogant bet this 40ll humble him jc
be kind to your bad self urges sadie dupuis on death note a growly propulsive affirmation by speedy ortiz the ambitious but low to the ground indie rock band the track was named after a japanese manga and anime series whose conceit involves a notebook with lethal magical powers ms dupuis twists this into a metaphor for the therapeutic act of writing in the face of depression these are all love letters to me she sings and while the sound is thicker and heavier here than on much of foil deer speedy ortizs standout 2015 album its clearly of a piece it will appear on foiled again a four song digital ep on june 3 nc
joe temperley the gallant scottish baritone saxophonist died this week at the age of 86 a veteran of some of the great big bands of the postwar era he will be remembered for his stint in the late period duke ellington orchestra   and a subsequent role with the jazz at lincoln center orchestra in which he was a founding member last spring that band performed a concert in honor of mr temperley featuring glowing testimonials select ellingtonia and a five part suite by wynton marsalis joes concerto the full concert was broadcast by the npr program jazz night in america and it now stands as a noble tribute and a good distillation of everything that made mr temperley special be sure not to miss his tender delivery of the single petal of a rose which ends the concert in all due finery nc
avian polyphony a true conference of the birds at first light some vamp some improvise dont miss the rooster at 406 listen here jp


london   the bodies have been dumped on doorsteps with chilling regularity there was oscar an 8 year old tabby his head and tail cut off oreo a siamese kitten left at the bottom of a garden decapitated and with her collar lying across her body and paddy who had been hacked in half the missing heads have not been found they might have been kept as trophies
the gruesome killings and mutilations of scores of cats in london over the past six months starting in the south london neighborhood of croydon are stoking fears of a dangerous sadist in this city of animal lovers several newspapers and broadcasters have taken to calling the killer the croydon cat ripper
because animals cannot report incidents of abuse against them and can do little to fight back they are the perfect practice victims for violent people said elisa allen associate director of the british chapter of people for the ethical treatment of animals or peta the pain and fear that any of these cats experienced is unimaginable
peta is offering a reward of just over 7000 for information leading to an arrest
the pattern of attacks first came to light last fall when south norwood animal rescue and liberty a local organization began to document the cat deaths tony jenkins who runs the group with his girlfriend boudicca rising said they had documented 46 cats that they believed had been killed possibly by the same person or people
after each killing the couple who have been working with the police have gone to the scene to photograph and retrieve the body
the cat killer is clever operates in darkness in mostly residential neighborhoods away from surveillance video cameras said mr jenkins adding the aim is obviously to inflict maximum distress
when reports of the killings first emerged the royal society for the prevention of cruelty to animals britains best known animal welfare charity treated them as car accidents followed by mutilations by foxes which are ubiquitous in london
but as the bodies piled up mike butcher an investigator at the charity asked a specialist at the royal veterinary college to perform autopsies on 20 of the cats in 44 years of investigating animal cruelty he said he had never seen such systematic brutality
scotland yard has confirmed that at least 20 cats have been killed and that at least 19 of the killings appeared to be linked alex stoll the veterinary forensic pathologist who conducted the post mortems said the cats had died from blunt force trauma before being mutilated by a sharp implement probably wielded by a human being he emphasized that he did not rule out the possibility that the cats had first been run over by a car
swabbing a cat for dna traces dr stoll added would be unlikely to help catch the culprit because cats are petted by so many people
no arrests have been made at this stage the exact nature of any offense committed is not clear and the ongoing investigation is committed to seeking any evidence or information that will assist this scotland yard said in a statement
while there is no evidence to suggest that humans are at direct risk some notorious serial killers   for example the so called boston strangler albert h desalvo who confessed to killing 13 women in the early 1960s and jeffrey l dahmer whose acts of murder and necrophilia came to light in 1991   began with animal cruelty
the string of cat killings in london has left many of the pets owners traumatized
naomi chauhan 27 an events manager from brackley a town in south northamptonshire was so enamored of her 1 year old white and ginger cat ivy that she splurged on a pet sofa a drinking fountain and a special electronic cat flap that recognizes a pets id chip in an effort to keep unwanted visitors away my cats are my babies she said
when ms chauhan discovered that ivy was missing on a thursday evening last month she searched everywhere the next morning she combed the neighborhood in her car and spotted a cat lying near a road 500 yards from her home when she got closer she was overcome by horror ivy had no head
it was very clean and clinical she said this was no accident there was no blood a fox wouldnt have done it that way
ms chauhan says she has fallen into depression and has not been able to go to work since the discovery how could anyone do this she asked
in britain animal cruelty can carry a fine of up to about 29000 and a sentence of up to six months in prison after the cat killings animal rights groups have been calling for tougher penalties and for the creation of an offense of animal murder
in the united states the fbi recently began counting animal cruelty in its annual statistics on felonies and other crimes
in croydon mr jenkins from the south norwood animal welfare group has appealed for information from the public the killings have spawned no shortage of conspiracy theories tips have poured in with some of the more outlandish ones blaming satanic worshipers or the islamic state while the killings remain unsolved cat flaps are being nailed closed pets shut indoors and difficult news kept from children
my daughter kept asking when barney was coming home said danielle bowden a 42 year old from southeast london whose cat was beheaded she told her three young children that barney had been struck by a car


officials in georgia have decided not to file charges in the death of a 3 year old boy who pulled a gun from his fathers backpack and fatally shot himself in the chest in april
the boy holston cole was one of four young children who died from accidental self inflicted gunshot wounds during a one week span in april according to a statement released by the paulding county sheriffs office on thursday sheriffs detectives and the county district attorneys office decided not to move forward with charges saying the evidence suggested that the shooting was not intentional
detectives confirmed that this was an accidental shooting and that charges will not be pursued the statement said
the deaths of the four children in one week encapsulated how cases like these can be handled differently from state to state and depending on the details of each case
 after shaquille kornegay a 2 year old in kansas city mo shot and killed herself with a gun her father often kept under his pillow the authorities charged her father courtenay block with second degree murder and child endangerment
 in natchitoches la after 3 year old zaveon amari williams shot himself in the head alverious demars 22 a companion of the boys mother was charged with negligent homicide and obstruction of justice the weapon has not been recovered
 in indianapolis kanisha shelton the mother of 2 year old kiyan shelton was charged tuesday with a felony count of neglect after her son shot himself in the chest with a gun he found in her purse the indianapolis star reported
in holstons case officials had previously suggested that mr cole would not face serious charges for the death
anything that we do criminally speaking is not going to hold a candle to the pain that this family feels sgt ashley henson a spokesman for the sheriffs office said in april
according to a redacted recording holstons father david could be heard on the 911 call yelling no no as he fought to keep his son alive


washington   experts cannot agree on what to call a recent rise in homicides much less its cause but new data on friday that showed a sharp spike in homicide rates in more than 20 cities rekindled debate over whether it was time for alarm
the data showed particularly significant increases in homicides in six cities in the first three months of the year compared with the same period last year   chicago dallas jacksonville fla las vegas los angeles and memphis but almost as many cities reported a notable decline in recent months
new york saw a 25 percent drop while las vegass homicide total nearly doubled
law enforcement officials struggled to explain the numbers and differed over their significance
the heroin epidemic a resurgence in gang violence and economic factors in some cities were all offered as explanations but the most contentious theory came from an agency that usually does not worry much about local crime the federal bureau of investigation
the agencys director james comey has linked rising crime to less aggressive policing   the viral video effect he called it this week rejecting the more racially charged ferguson effect his theory however found little support from the white house law enforcement groups criminologists or even the group that gave him the new data on friday
mr comey said that a string of videos that went viral on the internet had led some officers to become reluctant to confront suspects he conceded that he was operating off anecdotal evidence but such reluctance he said could be contributing to the increase in homicides in some cities   an increase that he said left him deeply worried
something is happening he said on wednesday
but the white house pushed back again on friday the white house spokesman josh earnest said that the increase in homicides in some cities was a concern and that the administration had already taken steps to address it including a roundup by the marshals service last year of some 8000 fugitives
but he said that this is not a widespread phenomenon at least based on what we know now
regarding mr comeys theory mr earnest said this administration makes policy decisions that are rooted in evidence that are rooted in science we cant make broad sweeping policy decisions or draw conclusions based on anecdotal evidence thats irresponsible and ultimately counterproductive
murders and most other types of crime have dropped since an alarming peak in the early 1990s and are now near historic lows criminologists said that while a rise in homicides in some cities in 2015 and early this year was potentially worrisome it was far too early to draw any conclusions
a lot of observers are winning olympic medals for jumping to conclusions said franklin e zimring a criminologist at the university of california berkeley
james alan fox a criminologist at northeastern university said the uptick represented essentially a blip in so short a time and he said it was a reflection of how low the crime rates had dropped
whats basically happening is these cities are becoming victims of their own success said professor fox the crime rate cant go to zero and when you hit really low numbers it can only go up
mr fox said mr comeys idea of a viral video effect was contradicted by the many cities that had decreases in homicides even as police videos continued to emerge
a statement like that from the director doesnt help he said it takes a very hot issue and pours even more fuel on it and it takes a politically charged issue and ramps up the debate i think calmer heads should prevail
the idea of a ferguson effect   named for the missouri city where the police shooting of an unarmed black man michael brown in 2014 prompted widespread protests   was first cited by the police chief in st louis d samuel dotson iii it took hold in the popular lexicon after a wall street journal column a year ago blamed the phenomenon for the spike in crime
some proponents of the theory said the string of police confrontations and widely seen videos that followed the ferguson shooting had made some officers reluctant to aggressively police their districts
but the name itself generated a backlash from critics who saw it as blaming the protesters in ferguson for the rising crime and justifying police misconduct in officers confrontations with the public
new labels for the theory   descriptions less tied to the ferguson controversy   began to replace it new yorks police commissioner william j bratton took to calling it the youtube effect
asked what he would call it mr fox of northeastern did not hide his skepticism the chicken little response to ferguson he said
richard rosenfeld a criminologist at the university of missouri st louis who had studied claims of a police stand down found that an increase in homicides in st louis had actually begun before mr browns death suggesting that other factors were driving the rise
but he said homicide rates last year indicated that the public focus on police use of force incidents might have had some role in the increase in homicides whether it is because of de policing   a slowdown by officers   or soured police relations with residents more information he said is needed to know for sure
darrel w stephens executive director of the major cities chiefs police association which released the data on friday said that the rising homicide rate in some cities was cause for concern but that its not something people should be overly alarmed about
as for mr comeys suggestion of a viral video effect he said im not there yet i dont believe so you may have some who do that but police officers dont get into the business to not do the work theyve been hired to do they do it well
in chicago the rise in shootings and homicides   homicides were up 56 percent from last year as of early may   has become an urgent matter
the homicide rate has slowed since earlier in the year and police officials over the last month say they have seen hopeful signs with upticks in gun recoveries investigative stops and murder arrests still more than 50 people were shot in chicago last weekend making it among the most violent weekends in months
at the other end of the spectrum was new york city where homicides fell in the first three months of the year to 68 from 85 in the same period last year
dermot shea the citys deputy police commissioner of operations said the force had blended several strategies including the use of data technology and collaborating with the community
we believe that we are not at the end we are closer to the beginning he said this month it is exciting to see really how low we can push this crime down
perhaps the brightest trend however came in milwaukee where homicides were down about 35 percent as of this week after surging 70 percent last year
its far too soon to claim grand success the citys police chief edward a flynn said noting that nonfatal shootings were about where they were a year ago were guarded we believe were having an impact
chief flynn said the bad publicity for the police nationwide had certainly put his officers on the defensive in dealing with the public but he said that dynamic had changed theyre back in the game right now he said


united states markets closed lower on friday as more retailers reported plunging first quarter sales the price of oil slipped after a string of recent gains
keeping score the dow jones industrial average ended the day down 11 percent and the standard  poors 500 stock index fell was down 09 percent the nasdaq composite index edged down 04 percent
retail rout shares of the department store chain nordstrom dropped 129 percent after the company released disappointing quarterly results late thursday j c penney shares dropped 25 percent after the company reported disappointing earnings on friday shares of dillards lost 03 percent after the company also posted disappointing profit and sales late thursday
retailers stocks have plunged this week after a series of weak reports nordstrom is down about 17 percent while macys has fallen 15 percent and kohls is down about 11 percent
silver lining the commerce department said total retail sales grew 13 percent in april suggesting spending might have rebounded after a weak first quarter retail sales slipped in march as car sales decreased
retail sales have risen 3 percent over the last year but the report contained still more bad news for department stores online and catalog shopping increased 10 percent from a year ago and sales at department stores fell almost 2 percent over the same period
burger bounty the hamburger chain shake shacks profit and sales beat estimates in part because consumers snapped up its new fried chicken sandwich the chain raised its estimates for sales and said it would open more stores than it previously planned the stock gained 61 percent
consumer companies phone companies and consumer stocks fell the most in morning trading those stocks traded higher on thursday att stock was declined 08 percent and verizon shares lost 08 percent among consumer companies walmart shares gave up 24 percent and procter  gamble stock shed 1 percent
tech stocks made small gains after they took losses a day ago
nvidia progress the graphics chip and processor maker nvidia surpassed wall street forecasts in the first quarter and its stock jumped 133 percent
european markets in germany the dax rose 09 percent and in france the cac 40 gained 06 percent the ftse 100 was up 06 percent in britain
asias day the nikkei 225 declined 14 percent in japan while in hong kong the hang seng closed down 1 percent the shanghai composite index slid 03 percent in china the kospi shed 05 percent in south korea in australia the spasx 200 lost 06 percent
energy benchmark united states crude oil fell after hitting its highest price since early november oil futures fell 42 cents to 4628 a barrel on the new york mercantile exchange while brent crude the benchmark for international oil prices lost 20 cents to 4788 a barrel in london
currencies and bonds bond prices rose the yield on the 10 year treasury note dipped to 172 percent from 176 percent the euro fell to 11299 from 11373 and the dollar slid to 10905 yen from 10914 yen


some of the people suspected of having been involved in the scheme to close lanes of traffic to the george washington bridge in 2013 received a reprieve from a federal judge on friday
the judge susan wigenton of the united states district court in newark had set a deadline of noon on friday for federal prosecutors to release a list of people who they had not charged with any crimes but who they contend were involved in a plot to tie up traffic in new jersey leading to the bridge
but late on thursday a lawyer for a person on that list of so called unindicted co conspirators asked the judge to block the release to protect the reputation of a client identified only as john doe the lawyer jenny r kramer of chadbourne  parke in manhattan said in her motion that maintaining her clients anonymity was crucial to preserving his constitutional right against being branded with a badge of infamy
the judge gave the news organizations that had sought the list until 1230 pm on friday to respond to ms kramers motion and pushed back the deadline for the release of the list until tuesday the original deadline was set in an order the judge made on wednesday in which she stated that the list should be made public because there is very little that is private about the lane closures or the lives of the people allegedly connected to them
bruce rosen a lawyer representing the news organizations that sought the list responded on friday to the 11th hour motion by john doe with a letter that called the motion frivolous and desperate and urged the court to penalize the unidentified man for filing it mr rosen argued that the motion came too late and failed to show that the man whose identity would inevitably be disclosed at trial would suffer irreparable harm from being named as an unindicted co conspirator now the new york times is among the news organizations seeking access to the list
later on friday the judge denied the unidentified mans request for a stay a decision his lawyer plans on appealing
the people on the list are the only ones to be officially connected to the lane closing scheme besides three former allies of gov chris christie who have already been implicated
two of them bill baroni and bridget anne kelly are scheduled to stand trial in september on nine counts including conspiracy to commit fraud by knowingly converting and intentionally misapplying property of an organization receiving federal benefits ms kelly was mr christies deputy chief of staff mr baroni was the governors top executive appointee at the port authority of new york and new jersey the agency that operates the bridge
mr baronis deputy at the port authority david wildstein pleaded guilty in may 2015 and has said that mr christie knew about the lane closings as they were happening if that is true the governors name may appear on another list prosecutors drew up of people prosecutors believe knew about the alleged conspiracy but did not join in it
mr christie a republican has steadfastly denied knowing about the scheme until afterward he repeated that assertion on wednesday saying at a news conference that it was highly doubtful his name would appear on the list of co conspirators because he had been unaware at the time
it has been just over a year since mr wildstein pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors working for paul j fishman the united states attorney for new jersey that plea coincided with the indictments of mr baroni and ms kelly
at the time mr fishman said based on the evidence that is currently available to us were not going to charge anyone else in this scheme
ms kelly wrote the infamous email that led to the charges which read time for some traffic problems in fort lee that message was widely interpreted to indicate that the lane closings at the bridge were intended as punishment for mark sokolich the democratic mayor of fort lee who had declined to endorse mr christie for re election
ms kelly said last year that it was ludicrous to suggest she was the only one in mr christies office who knew of the scheme
a spokesman for mr fishman said the other list had already been shared with defense lawyers but had not been made public on wednesday ms kellys lawyer michael critchley sent a letter to judge wigenton withdrawing a request for that list because he said the government had provided information that satisfied it


would you enjoy reading this more if it were written by a machine spoiler alert its not but whether created by human or computer what do we want from news
as mike isaac reports facebook has published detailed information about how it chooses the news topics it puts before the 16 billion people on the social network the company released the information under some duress prodded by accusations that it was suppressing reports from conservative news outlets
basically facebook said it used a base of computers putting possible stories from various places in front of human editors who direct how these will be presented and displayed facebook said that it had a system of checks and balances that made sure a number of viewpoints were examined and that it did not allow editors to discriminate against sources of any political origin period
its unclear whether the people who think facebook did wrong will be appeased all too often where modern media is concerned the general public assumes there is bias of one form or another and facebook did not seem to have sufficient details about how it made sure a human didnt carry out a grudge by omitting one story or another
there is a deeper issue at play as well which has to do with the reasons facebook is putting up the stories in the first place
like google facebook makes money by putting up ads concerning things its computers think you are interested in and like google the content search results or friends updates depending on the company that goes with the ads is chosen based on previous behavior
there are several reasons for this including giving you pleasure and not stressing or boring you with dissonance
that is problematic where news is concerned at least if the reader is seeking an objective viewpoint since new information can force us to change our minds we have to want on some level to be stressed if were looking to be fully informed in a slower moving world this was known as changing your mind
is that what people want from news in a click paced online world though the rise and success of specialty news outlets which largely confirm their readers points of view indicate that many people want to hear about the world but through filters that affirm how they already feel about things
arguably it was ever thus and the right or the left had their own journals that people read but the use of computer algorithms that know what you like stand to make it much more so
facebook may struggle to take news from a lot more points of view but that doesnt mean its going to put them in front of you


beijing   chinese prosecutors have charged one of the communist partys top former officials ling jihua with taking bribes illegally obtaining state secrets and abuse of power according to a report on friday by xinhua the state news agency
mr ling is one of the highest ranking officials to be taken down under the sweeping anticorruption campaign run by president xi jinping and his ally wang qishan who manages the party agency in charge of discipline and inspection
the announcement said the indictment was filed in a court in tianjin a city southeast of beijing but it did not say when a trial might be held if recent history is a guide mr ling will almost certainly be convicted of the crimes and have to serve a long prison sentence
under the previous president and communist party chief hu jintao mr ling rose to be the head of the general office which handles administrative matters for the party chief and other senior officials he was the equivalent of the white house chief of staff
mr lings downfall began after party leaders discovered in 2012 that he had tried to hide that his son ling gu 23 had died in a car crash in beijing salacious details of the crash became commonplace in beijing political circles two young women in the ferrari were injured and one later died
mr ling was moved to a lesser post as head of the united front work department ahead of schedule and internal party conflicts over his actions weakened mr hu who was working out details of the transfer of power to mr xi that year
talk began circulating that mr ling had also engaged in shadowy dealings with zhou yongkang and bo xilai two other senior party officials who were facing corruption investigations political insiders in china said senior officials were mentioning all three men as enemies of mr xi both mr zhou and mr bo have been convicted of corruption and are in prison
in july 2015 the party announced that it had expelled mr ling and removed him from public office because it said he had taken bribes committed adultery and improperly hoarded a large amount of state and party core secrets
the chinese government has been asking the united states to return to china the youngest brother of mr ling ling wancheng who has a 25 million house in california that was purchased from a professional basketball player in 2013 ling wancheng also known as wang cheng or jason wang could decide to seek asylum in the united states if he does so he could become one of the most high profile defectors in the history of the chinese communist party
in january a chinese official liu jianchao who was then in the partys anticorruption and discipline agency said that china was dealing with the case of the youngest brother and had undertaken communication with the united states


its relatively easy to determine when someone is too drunk to drive if a drivers blood alcohol level is 008 percent or higher that person is considered legally impaired but a study says that measuring the effects of marijuana on drivers is far trickier and that blood tests are an unreliable indication of impairment by cannabis
as more states consider legalizing the substance that presents a challenge to legislators seeking to create laws on driving while impaired by marijuana
the study commissioned by the aaa foundation for traffic safety found that laws in six states that legally assess impairment by measuring how much thc the active ingredient in marijuana is in a persons blood are not supported by science
there is no concentration of the drug that allows us to reliably predict that someone is impaired behind the wheel in the way that we can with alcohol said jake nelson aaas director of traffic safety advocacy and research
lawmakers in those states looked to policies on drunken driving for cues on how to legislate against driving while high but the body absorbs alcohol and cannabis in different ways the study said while drunkenness directly correlates to alcohol in the bloodstream cannabis impairment takes place only when thc makes its way into the fatty tissue of the brain
regular marijuana users including those who take the drug medicinally often show no signs of impairment after using according to jolene forman a staff lawyer for the drug policy alliance a drug reform advocacy group she also said that marijuana can stay in the blood for hours days and even weeks after its effects wear off
as a result the presence of thc in blood is not a useful indicator of whether the drug is impairing that persons ability to drive furthermore the study said the practical reality of identifying evaluating arresting and sampling suspected impaired drivers means that the thc concentration measured in the blood specimen reflects neither the concentration in the subjects blood at the time of arrest nor the concentration of active drug in the brain
in montana washington pennsylvania ohio and nevada drivers are presumed guilty if they have a certain amount of thc in their blood colorado also uses a threshold to assess impairment though it allows suspects to provide evidence at trial that they were not impaired
the aaa study recommended that laws relying on thresholds be tossed out and that other factors be used mr nelson said that ideally those would include the failure of a standard field sobriety test and the results of a drug assessment conducted by a trained specialist that assessment would include a blood test to confirm whether cannabis or any other drug was present in the bloodstream
but ms forman said that using blood tests to establish impairment even on a partial basis as mr nelson suggested could result in arbitrary punishments
it would be equivalent to a test that shows that you had a glass of wine three nights prior she said it tells you nothing about whether the driver is safe now if we have better tests in the future then by all means we should use them but right now those tests are not helpful
she said that two groups would be especially vulnerable to such tests patients using medical marijuana to treat illnesses who would have high levels of thc in their blood regardless of their sobriety and blacks and latinos who commit traffic violations at similar rates to whites but are more likely to be cited for them data show
sam kamin a professor of marijuana law and policy at the university of denver also objected to the blood tests inclusion he said that though it was meaningful to confirm that someone suspected of driving while high had thc in his or her blood a jury might weigh that information too heavily in deciding whether that person was impaired
i think that the amount of thc in the bloodstream is a relevant factor i just worry that its misleading he said
over a dozen states are considering legalizing marijuana in some form in 2016 but it is not clear how they would institute laws to prevent people from driving while high
californias adult use of marijuana act which proposes to legalize recreational marijuana includes a provision for 15 million to be given to the california highway patrol over five years to develop protocols and best practices for determining when a person is driving while impaired including from marijuana use
a similar act proposed in massachusetts where recreational marijuana is decriminalized but not legal does not specify how impairment would be assessed
the aaa study echoes the recommendations of many experts who call for the improvement of technology to evaluate drivers saliva for cannabis use
sean oconnor the faculty director of the cannabis law and policy project at the university of washington said that there was promising research into detecting cannabis through saliva and other techniques but that it was being stymied by the drugs legal classification as a schedule 1 substance
we are hamstrung by the fact that you cant do legitimate scientific research unless you have a schedule 1 license he said
his argument underlines the difficulty for states trying to write coherent policy when the drug is still illegal under federal law douglas berman a law professor at ohio state university who edits a blog on marijuana law policy and reform said that even our knowledge about the way people drive when high is confounded by the reality that marijuana was illegal when some of that data was collected
people had an extra reason to be cautious drivers when they were aware that they smelled like marijuana he said now that its legal in some jurisdictions absolutely that may affect not just the willingness of people to get behind the wheel after theyve smoked but also how much theyll worry about getting pulled over


tokyo   honda plans to recall 21 million more vehicles worldwide to fix defective airbags supplied by the equipment manufacturer takata a senior executive at the carmaker said on friday
the japanese automaker made the estimate public after american regulators more than doubled the scope of an airbag recall in the united states identifying another 35 million to 40 million vehicles they said needed fixing honda which is takatas biggest customer is now recalling 51 million vehicles in total
the honda executive vice president tetsuo iwamura did not specify how many of the vehicles that honda plans to recall are in the united states or other countries but many of the vehicles are likely to be part of the american recall expansion which was ordered last week by the national highway traffic safety administration
takata made airbag inflaters can explode with too much force when the airbag deploys in a crash sending shrapnel shooting into a vehicles cabin the fault has been blamed for at least 11 deaths worldwide and more than 100 injuries
replacing tens of millions of takata made inflaters is a costly undertaking for carmakers about a dozen of which have been caught up in the crisis honda reported a rare quarterly loss on friday because of expenses stemming from the recall
honda said it had set aside an additional 267 billion yen or 245 billion to cover recall related costs that brought its total recall expenses for the financial year that ended in march to Y=436 billion
the burden more than halved its net profit for the year to Y=3445 billion
automakers hope to recoup a portion of their costs from takata but how much they will be able to recover remains unclear the amount is subject to negotiation and takatas ability to pay is in doubt on wednesday takata announced plans for a major restructuring and analysts say it risks bankruptcy unless it can secure fresh capital from banks a new investor or a buyer


hong kong   china is undertaking a diplomatic and public relations blitz to rally support for its sweeping maritime claims in the south china sea ahead of a decision by an international court that may rule against beijing
beijing says it owns the islands rocks and shoals   and the waters around them   in a giant expanse of the south china sea overlapping with claims made by countries such as indonesia the philippines and vietnam in the past month china has said that countries like cambodia and russia have taken positions supportive of its stance
in a bid to make its control of the area a fait accompli china in the past two years has built seven artificial islands in the south china sea equipped with airstrips radars and ports and staffed by thousands of workers and soldiers
now concern is mounting that china may start building an eighth island on scarborough shoal a reef much closer to manila and to bases in the philippines used by the united states potentially setting off a diplomatic crisis and a military standoff between china and the united states the worlds two biggest economies china wrested control of the shoal used by filipino fishermen in 2012 in early 2013 the philippines filed suit at the permanent court of arbitration in the hague challenging chinas territorial claims to the sea they are demarcated on chinese maps by a so called nine dash line which the philippines says is excessive and conflicts with its own claims
a ruling by the court which may favor the philippines is expected in the coming weeks china has refused to take part in the proceedings saying the international agreement on which the philippines is basing its claim the united nations convention on the law of the sea does not apply in this case
china has been taking its case to the international news media with a senior diplomat holding a news conference on thursday in beijing on friday chinese diplomats spoke to reporters in hong kong officials at both venues sharply criticized the action by the philippines and the decision by the international court to take the case
by unilaterally initiating the arbitration the philippine side is imposing its own will on others song ruan deputy commissioner for the chinese foreign ministry in hong kong told reporters on friday it is only natural for china not to participate in such arbitration that has become tainted and gone astray and china will not accept or recognize the award of the arbitration whatever it might be
in its campaign to win international support for its position china has focused mostly on small nations that depend on chinese trade or aid with limited success on april 13 chinas state run xinhua news agency reported that fiji had declared its support for chinas position which holds that any disputes countries have over the sea should be handled bilaterally fijis information ministry quickly replied saying the pacific island nation did not back chinas stance and took no sides in the matter the fiji broadcasting corporation reported
china also claims the support of brunei cambodia and landlocked laos in april russias foreign minister sergey v lavrov meeting his counterpart in beijing said that outside nations should not interfere in the south china sea a reference to the united states the united states has been challenging what it considers chinas excessive maritime claims by sailing warships close to chinas artificial islands most recently on tuesday when a guided missile destroyer passed within 12 nautical miles of fiery cross reef
euan graham director of the international security program at the lowy institute for international policy in sydney australia said the court might issue a ruling that did not address the legality of chinas nine dash line which was first put forth in the years before the chinese communist partys victory in 1949 the court may rule that the shoals and outcroppings claimed by china are not islands meaning that china cannot make the case that it should have exclusive economic zones around them limiting its jurisdiction in the waters of the south china sea he said
it is likely to go predominantly the philippines way mr graham said by telephone that explains why china is rolling out in a very communist way this propaganda barrage


justine ezarik known to millions of her fans as ijustine was one of youtubes earliest stars before jenna marbles epic meal time and pewdiepie began posting videos ms ezarik was busy building a brand as the attractive girl next door who could also beat all the boys in call of duty
as a tech enthusiast amateur cook and a gamer ms ezarik 32 has entered her 10th year of recording her life and editing it into bite size chunks for fans after a decade of building a family friendly main channel on youtube she has amassed over 3 million fans across a handful of other channels her videos are generally bright goofy   and laden with strategically positioned brand name products like amazon fresh and heinz ketchup
with the field of youtube celebrities growing more crowded its worth asking what can we learn from a person who has spent the past decade streaming her life acting as her own boss and weathering the changing landscape of social media
start early
the daughter of a coal miner and a gym teacher ms ezarik grew up in rural pennsylvania building her own websites she was 12 when she built her first i hate steve about a nuisance classmate theyre friends now
if youre an early adopter of insert hot new social platform here interview the next justin bieber
ms ezariks segue into early live streaming paid off in 2010 she interviewed justin bieber an up and coming teenage musician who owed part of his celebrity to the social media platform at the end of their chat mr bieber looked appraisingly at his interviewer youre adorable
ms ezarik said shes not worried about what superstardom has done to him
i think hes back on track she said of mr biebers subsequent growing pains and praised his new album go biebs
create an ironclad character
when ms ezarik became one of the first users of the now defunct livestreaming site justintv in 2007 a new york times reporters response after watching her videos she left me wondering whether her show was a parody of lifecasting and whether she like stephen colbert never breaks character
when you meet ms ezarik in person it is not easy to spot the lines between her and ijustine she is unfailingly enthusiastic and open her mood shifted to downbeat only briefly when i asked about her problems with internet stalking and the nasty nature of some online comments
you will be harassed
yes even if you are nice to everyone as ijustine generally is there can be trouble ms ezarik said that she and her fellow youtube personalities dont like to talk about the problems theyve had with online harassment but said most people in the community have dealt with this problem at some point ms ezarik said that the authorities didnt take her complaints seriously
i have so much documentation of someone who was harassing me for years and i took it to the cops and they actually laughed at me she said they were like he didnt say that he was going to kill you he just wanted to kill you 
so while her greatest joy is mingling with fans at conventions and meetups she does not consider attending without hiring security
being a youtube star can get lonely
a loner mentality is a trait shared by many successful youtube stars ms ezarik said she cannot even estimate how many hours a day she is by herself in her home sitting and recording herself in front of a screen nor does she have a go to trick to disconnect i was going to say video games but then im still in front of a screen
she said that the lack of face to face interaction can get tough
the biggest obstacle is staying inspired and motivated to keep doing it she said
numbers arent everything
ms ezariks subscriber count isnt as high as other big youtube stars jenna mourey the comic personality better known as jenna marbles has some 15 million with an income estimated at 346000 in 2012 by tubemogul an ad buying site
but ijustine doesnt specialize in viral videos parodies shock humor or makeup tutorials she dedicates most of her programming to highly engaged followers through tech coverage cooking and experimenting with new video technologies like virtual reality and 360 degree video
the front facing numbers that people see dont correlate to what youre doing in the grand scheme of things ms ezarik said
seriously numbers mean nothing
ms ezarik wont say how much money shes made over the years if the income has allowed her to buy a house if shes a millionaire or how long she could survive if she walked away from it all tomorrow
i dont actually ever look she said of her bank accounts thats what the accountants are for thats what the investing is for
 numbers obviously mean something but its hard to estimate without her help or data from youtube
follow your dreams or maybe not or do
what advice would she give to aspiring ijustines i would probably say maybe dont quit your job right away
she added but heck you know what maybe quit your job because maybe that would be the motivation that you need


london   when alan rusbridger retired last year after two decades as the editor of the guardian he was lauded as one of the finest journalists of his generation having transformed a midsize british newspaper into an international digital media giant he racked up a string of investigative scoops and made the organization a darling of left leaning readers around the english speaking world
but mr rusbridger on friday departed the organization to which he had devoted his career with mounting financial losses that threatened the guardian he was forced to give up the plum role he was set to assume in september as chairman of the scott trust the nonprofit organization that owns the guardian
mr rusbridgers decision to cut ties with the guardian follows a series of events that made his presence seem increasingly untenable lingering resentments from a battle over his replacement as editor a string of articles detailing the papers deteriorating finances and finally a clash with his successor katharine viner who helped spearhead his strategy for international growth but now faces a period of retrenchment
the tensions playing out on a public stage deviate from the familiar news media angst in the digital world where prints changing fortunes can create upheaval at the top
in his resignation statement mr rusbridger 62 seemed to imply at times that he had been undone by the new regime   which he helped put in place   as well as a rapidly shifting environment in which even forward thinking news organizations hemorrhage money while titans like facebook and google devour advertising revenue
the guardian lost an estimated 45 million pounds or 65 million last year it is seeking to cut its annual budget of 380 million by 20 percent over the next three years it is cutting its british work force by 310 positions   250 job cuts and 60 vacant positions that will not be filled   or 18 percent of the total
much has changed in the year since i stepped down mr rusbridger wrote in a memo to the guardians staff members on friday stating that the leadership of the guardian   david pemsel the chief executive of the guardian media group and ms viner the editor   no longer wanted him to take over the scott trust
we all currently do our journalism in the teeth of a force 12 digital hurricane mr rusbridger said in the memo the leaders of the guardian clearly believe they would like to plot a route into the future with a new chair he said adding i understand their reasoning
a central point of disagreement within the guardian has been its refusal   for mr rusbridger virtually an ideology   to charge online subscribers as news organizations like the financial times the times of london the wall street journal and the new york times have come around to doing the guardian has recently experimented with a membership model that amounts to seeking donations but mr rusbridger insisted that a digital pay wall would be at odds with the newspapers editorial mission
under mr rusbridger the guardian invested hundreds of millions of dollars in expansion fueled in part by proceeds from the sale of a trade publication auto trader the guardian media groups investment fund had been shrinking recently at an alarming rate   to PS740 million in january from PS8383 million in july
the guardian which started in manchester england in 1821 built a presence in australia and the united states beginning in 2011 it seemed to move easily into the digital realm staffing 10 bureaus in the two countries and hiring more than 50 reporters
along the way mr rusbridger racked up an investigative hat trick with electrifying scoops on illegal phone hacking by british tabloids the wikileaks trove of diplomatic cables and leaks from edward j snowden describing the vast electronic surveillance conducted by the national security agency the guardian won its first pulitzer prize in 2014 shared with the washington post for the surveillance articles
the guardian succeeded in significantly expanding its international readership   the company says traffic from outside britain now represents two thirds of its digital audience but its resistance to charging readers for content came at a significant cost
he made the guardians mark and made it an international brand said dominic ponsford the editor of press gazette which covers the british news industry but it was an expensive proposition and mr ponsford said that cost is one of the reasons that its losses are so high now
in a statement on friday ms viner lauded mr rusbridger as a truly towering figure at the guardian over the last three decades but she added in his email to staff alan recognized how much has changed in the year since he stepped down as editor and that it is right that we all plot a new route to the future we face a formidable challenge over the coming months in a digital environment that is shifting all the time
current and former colleagues of mr rusbridgers who acknowledged criticism of his business decisions characterized him as a brilliant journalist   not to mention a talented pianist an affinity he explored in a 2013 book   and nearly universally declined to discuss his departure for attribution describing it as a sad way to end his affiliation with the institution
mr rusbridger who was born in zambia and graduated from the university of cambridge in 1976 with a degree in english started as a journalist at the cambridge evening news he joined the guardian in 1979 and in 1988 became an editor there in 1994 he was promoted to deputy editor before taking over the next year as editor in chief a position he held until his departure last spring
cerebral and academic with often unruly hair mr rusbridger had an inner steel that won him admiration and devotion early in his career at the guardian mr rusbridger led the newspapers tenacious investigation of what became known as the cash for questions scandal in parliament which contributed to the fall of the conservative government of prime minister john major in 1997 mr rusbridger stared down a libel suit against the newspaper by a powerful former minister involved in the scandal jonathan aitken who was ultimately jailed for perjury in the hypercompetitive and partisan world of british journalism mr rusbridger was sometimes a lonely figure often more admired in the united states than among his rivals at home
as mr rusbridgers vision for the newsroom played out the strategy appeared to have the full support of the top brass shortly after mr rusbridger retired in 2015 mr pemsel the chief executive said he was hugely excited at the prospect of managing the next phase of growth at the guardian building on our international audience capitalizing on the many commercial and digital opportunities around that time another top executive said the companys finances had been good that year
then the bottom fell out print advertising cratered and expected digital money never materialized
support for mr rusbridger suddenly shifted as he was cast as a negligent manager who had saddled the paper with a slew of problems janine gibson a favorite of mr rusbridgers who lost out in the race to succeed him left with other senior guardian journalists further shifting the way his legacy was viewed in the newsroom in january mr rusbridgers choice as the guardians opinion editor jonathan freedland stepped down in what was seen as a leftward shift in the organizations editorial stance and ms viners plans for the newsroom seemed increasingly at odds with mr rusbridgers making the idea that he would soon return as essentially her boss increasingly unsavory
the negative sentiment started to rise in recent months as several news media reports detailed a rising tide of internal discord quoting high ranking insiders who placed the blame for the companys woes on mr rusbridgers policies and what they saw as his intractability a critical article in prospect magazine took aim at mr rusbridgers decisions to lavish money on new presses and delightful new offices it prompted mr rusbridger to strike back defending the move to make a significant investment in digital today in the hope of having a sustainable business tomorrow
it all reached a head on thursday when the board of the trust met to discuss mr rusbridgers future the meeting ended without a decision
mr rusbridger was by all accounts apparently dismayed by the public back and forth and the sour tone at the institution he dominated for so many years while his supporters framed the decision to go as his others said he had lost the battle with the trust and had no choice but to leave
in his memo mr rusbridger who is currently the principal or head of lady margaret hall a college at the university of oxford wished his colleagues well in september he will also become the chairman of the reuters institute for the study of journalism also at oxford


beirut lebanon   in his more than three decade career as a militant operative mustafa amine badreddine embraced an array of real and assumed identities   bomber playboy commander   evolving along with hezbollah the lebanese shiite organization he helped to create
he was accused of having helped plan the truck bombing that killed 241 united states marines in beirut in 1983 introducing the world to the militant guerrilla network that would later become hezbollah
hijackers acting on mr badreddines behalf repeatedly demanded his release from a kuwaiti prison but he escaped with the help of saddam husseins 1990 invasion he built a reputation for partying in the lebanese coastal casino town of jounieh and was accused of having plotted far ranging attacks they included one of the most brazen assassinations that of lebanons former prime minister rafik hariri on a seaside beirut boulevard
when mr badreddine 55 was killed this week in a huge explosion near damascus the syrian capital as hezbollah confirmed on friday he had moved on yet again mr badreddine was hezbollahs top military commander and had been leading its expanding operation in syria
that made him central to hezbollahs most recent transformation from a movement built to battle israeli troops on lebanese soil to an expeditionary force attempting to intervene decisively in a neighboring country
his death considered its biggest leadership loss in years raises many questions central to the syria war the region and the future of hezbollah lebanons most powerful military and political organization
among them are whether the operation in syria has strained hezbollah making it more vulnerable to attack and subversion whether hezbollah will retaliate against israel if it concludes the israelis were responsible for the death and whether the loss of mr badreddine will blunt hezbollahs effectiveness inside syria
the most immediate question is who was behind his death hezbollahs syrian intervention has created new enemies by helping keep president bashar al assad in power through five years of war with rebel and militant islamist groups seeking to topple him
before with an operation like this you would jump straight to israel now you cant said ali rizk a lebanese political analyst close to hezbollah
he enumerated possible killers including saudi arabia and a range of insurgent groups it supports inside syria any of which mr rizk said could have collaborated with israel
mr assad is a close ally of iran a partnership that has long provided a conduit to supply hezbollah with weapons to battle israel now hezbollah is the most powerful of several iran backed shiite paramilitary groups that along with iranian forces are playing an ever more prominent role on the battlefield in syria
the syria war has changed hezbollahs position in the region it was once lauded in lebanon and the arab world by sunnis and shiites as the heroic resistance to israeli aggression
now hezbollahs role in syria has divided lebanon and the arab world   roughly though not entirely along sectarian lines those who view mr assad as a brutal dictator see hezbollah as an enabler of his effort to crush an insurgency led by the countrys sunni majority
hezbollahs al manar television network which reported mr badreddines death said he had been targeted in a huge blast near the damascus airport and that several hezbollah fighters had been wounded
hezbollah did not immediately point a finger at israel saying that it was investigating whether the blast was from an airstrike rocket attack or other cause
at a funeral on friday in southern beirut where crowds lined the streets and tossed flowers toward mr badreddines flag draped coffin hezbollah leaders said that they would soon announce conclusions about the perpetrators
the israeli prime ministers office declined to comment as did the israel defense forces and the israeli foreign ministry
an american led military coalition has been conducting airstrikes in syria for nearly two years aimed at hitting the islamic state extremist group while russia mr assads ally has been bombing his rebel adversaries since september
the white house spokesman josh earnest told reporters in washington on friday that no aircraft from the us led coalition had been in the area where mr badreddine was reported killed
some analysts have floated the possibility of a hezbollah internal rift over policy in syria or the idea that mr badreddine had been killed in fierce battles with insurgents in northern syria which also may have killed some iranian fighters
regardless these analysts said it remained crucial for members of hezbollahs hierarchy to portray the battle in syria as an extension of their anti israel objectives
for them its the same fighting in syria or fighting israel said haytham mouzahem a lebanese political analyst who studies hezbollah
a hezbollah official hussein haj hassan reiterated that idea telling al manar that mr badreddine had been in the vanguard against what he described as an alliance of israel the united states and takfiris a derogatory term for extremist sunni militants who often regard other muslims as apostates
as he led the war against takfiris the battles against takfiris will continue until victory is achieved mr hassan said
some extremist sunni groups operating in syria like the islamic state and the nusra front apply the apostate label to shiites who make up hezbollahs base and form a majority of the population of iran a shiite theocracy
mr badreddine was one of four people being tried in absentia for the 2005 assassination of mr hariri in a suicide bombing which killed him and 22 others the trial is being held by a special united nations backed tribunal near the hague a wealthy businessman mr hariri was lebanons most prominent politician after a 15 year civil war ended in 1990 with a power sharing agreement
hezbollah has denied involvement in mr hariris assassination and said that the charges were politically motivated the indictments of mr badreddine and other hezbollah members were handed down in 2011 by the tribunal which acknowledged that it was relying largely on circumstantial evidence
the killing of mr badreddine was the greatest leadership blow to hezbollah since the 2008 assassination of imad mugniyah his brother in law mr mugniyah killed in a damascus bombing was regarded as a key organizer of the 1983 bombing of the american marines barracks in beirut and other spectacular acts of violence
after that mr badreddine known among the organizations ranks as zulfiqar became its top military commander and an adviser to the leader hassan nasrallah
a shadowy expert in explosives mr badreddine used numerous aliases including elias saab and sami issa until his death the only widely circulated image of him was decades old a black and white photograph showing a much younger man wearing a suit hezbollah in confirming the death released a new image in military attire
mr badreddine was suspected of involvement in the deadly 1983 bombings of the american and french embassies in kuwait he was detained and sentenced to death in kuwait and he was imprisoned for years until he fled prison in 1990 when iraq under president saddam hussein invaded kuwait
ron ben yishai an israeli military analyst wrote on the news site ynet that mr badreddine had many enemies israel for example suspected that he had played a role in the 1992 attack on the israeli embassy in buenos aires and a 2012 attack on a tourist bus in bulgaria in which five israelis were killed
but mr ben yishai expressed doubt that israel was responsible for the killing israel as a state does not settle accounts but rather thwarts future threats mr ben yishai wrote adding that mr badreddine was more of a threat to the rebels in syria and lebanon than he was to israel
mr ben yishai wrote that is why it can be assumed with much certainty that the background to his assassination was internal lebanese conflicts
over the past 30 years israel has killed some of hezbollahs top leaders in 1992 israeli helicopter gunships ambushed the motorcade of mr nasrallahs predecessor sheik abbas musawi killing him his wife and son and four bodyguards eight years earlier another hezbollah leader sheik ragheb harb was gunned down in southern lebanon
the arab league designated hezbollah a terrorist organization in march and shortly after saudi arabia cut 4 billion in aid to lebanese security forces after the lebanese government declined to join resolutions critical of iran and hezbollah saudi arabia and other predominantly sunni persian gulf states have also cut lebanese satellite broadcasts expelled lebanese expatriates they say have ties to hezbollah and warned their citizens against traveling to lebanon


hong kong   a 1 billion investment by apple in a chinese ride hailing app is a rounding error for the silicon valley giant which generates about 4 billion in profit every month and has 233 billion in cash and securities in the bank
but apples surprising interest in the company called didi chuxing and its out of character willingness to publicize the news thursday evening could go a long way toward showing the chinese government it is interested in supporting local business
more than any other major american technology company apple has had huge success in china in the last fiscal year chinese consumers spent 59 billion on apple products
with that success has come huge risk in recent years beijing has grown more aggressive in pushing an agenda aimed at expanding local tech companies forcing multinationals to play by its rules if they want access to chinas markets
apple has faced increased scrutiny recently in china where regulators shut its ibooks and itunes movie stores other companies that have hit such roadblocks like cisco microsoft and qualcomm responded by investing in local partnerships and trying to portray themselves not simply as foreign companies but as stakeholders in china
apple must be increasingly sensitive to the need to improve its government relations and to stake out a more entrenched position in the china market said mark natkin managing director of the china technology research firm marbridge consulting so making a sizable investment in a leading chinese it company will buy it a lot of good will
he added that apple would probably have to follow up the investment with other partnerships and spending in china if it wanted to stay in beijings good graces
in apples case the new investment also helps it show beijing how its operating system and iphones are closely linked with the rise of app development within china didis app for example is the most downloaded ride hailing software in china
didi exemplifies the innovation taking place in the ios developer community in china timothy d cook apples chief executive said in a news release
for nearly a decade apples phenomenal growth was powered by the popularity of the iphone but sales of the device have slowed and last month the company reported its first quarterly drop ever in iphone sales along with its first drop in overall revenue in 13 years
many investors hoped that strong growth in china would offset some of the iphones deceleration revenue growth in the greater china region which includes china hong kong and taiwan hovered around 70 percent or more all last year but last month the company said that quarterly sales in greater china had fallen 26 percent compared with the previous year
for didi the deal is a way to beef up its systems the chinese company serves close to 300 million users across more than 400 chinese cities   more users than uber   but lags technologically analysts say
for more than a year apple and didi   which share several partners including japans softbank and coatue   had been in contact apple was one of a handful of technology companies that over the last year didi had talked with to better familiarize itself with the west according to a person briefed on the deal
in april mr cook sat down for the first time with the leaders of didi to discuss working together
just three weeks later apple was ready to take things to the next level with the announcement on thursday of the 1 billion bet on didi one of its largest investments ever
in the midst of didis last major round of raising funds the relationship quickly deepened the person said the two companies managed to close the deal with lightning speed didis president jean liu said in a conference call discussing the deal late thursday
the two will work together on technology marketing and products ms liu added
mr cook has repeatedly said that apple is looking for investment opportunities for its huge cash hoard apple has invested small sums in app developers before and the company views chinas app developer community as a prime source of future growth
what this means to me is that apple is firmly committed to the chinese market said brian blau an analyst with the gartner research firm they are going to look at lots of opportunities
apples move also draws it further into a chinese market crisscrossed with competitive alliances with the investment apple is now aligned with chinas two largest internet companies tencent and alibaba as a major shareholder in didi and didi gained apple as a big name ally in its battle with uber in china
googles chief legal officer and head of corporate development david drummond is on the board of uber and in 2013 googles venture capital arm gv invested 258 million in uber
but the partnership between uber and google has grown more distant over the past few years as both sides have independently pursued self driving car projects uber has also made moves to wean itself from googles map technology including an acquisition of the mapping start up decarta
investing in ride hailing services gives apple a doorway into the worlds largest auto market and smartphone market by cars and phones sold and an opportunity to better integrate its devices with cars in china chinas internet companies are already hard at work developing driverless car technology and entertainment systems for cars many of which are based on googles android software
apple has been working on its own secret car project which one independent analyst neil cybart said accounted for a huge share of the billions of dollars in research and development spending by the company
maybe they could be a technology supplier to didi mr blau said maybe they could learn from didi
the auto market might be one new way that apple can keep itself relevant to chinese leaders who often view foreign tech firms in terms of how much utility they have in china as teachers of local companies mr natkin of marbridge consulting said
as that utility wanes the room to maneuver dwindles and the welcome mat starts to get drawn under the door he said


the final 10 places in the eurovision contest were decided thursday night in the events second semifinal including songs from australia and ukraine that have stirred controversy over questions of political and commercial content
the other countries advancing to saturdays final in stockholm were belgium bulgaria georgia israel latvia lithuania poland and serbia
australia which received dispensation to participate in the competition in 2015 and again this year is widely considered one of the front runners for dami ims sound of silence
some had called for the songs disqualification over the lyric trying to feel your love through face time which they said was a reference to apples facetime technology and violated the contests ban on promotional lyrics eurovision ruled that the song did not refer to the companys product and thus could compete
ukraines entry 1944 performed by jamala seems to make reference to the soviet unions aggressive policies toward the tatars in crimea during world war ii critics in russia have said that it infringes on the contests ban on political songs but the song has remained in the competition in part because its lyrics make no explicit reference to the events they seem to allude to
thursday nights winners will join the representatives from armenia austria azerbaijan croatia cyprus the czech republic hungary malta the netherlands and russia who won the first semifinal on tuesday the entrants from britain france germany italy and spain automatically qualified for the final because their countries contribute the most money to the competition sweden qualified because it won last year
sergey lazarev of russia ira losco of malta and amir of france are among the other front runners this year
this week it was announced that justin timberlake would perform at the final which is set for 9 pm central european time it will be broadcast and live streamed in the united states on the logo network


what in the world offers you glimpses of what our journalists are observing around the globe let us know what you think whatintheworldnytimescom
this is pretty much all anyone needs to know about the popularity of kit kat in japan there are nearly 300 varieties
in addition to the dare we call them classics like wasabi and purple sweet potato new flavors are regularly introduced in february nestle which distributes the candy in japan released a sake flavor in time for valentines day
for a few weeks in december shops sold a single stick not the classic duo covered in dark chocolate and coated with gold leaf for 2016 yen or about 16
even for a country where shoppers can find fish ball flavored pringles and adzuki bean flavored pepsi actual gold candy seems extreme but the kit kat holds a special place in japans culinary universe
kit kats name echoes the japanese phrase kitto katsu or surely win and is often sent as a gift to students before college entrance exams it is the countrys most popular candy according to nestle which does not release sales figures
kit kat is so popular that it is sold at high end department stores kit kat only specialty shops and even post offices and it is so ingrained in the nations snack culture that nearly every region has a signature flavor sold only in that part of the country
as a result a hungry traveler could eat scores of different flavors of kit kat here is but a sample of recently available flavors
adzuki bean * apple * blueberry * butter * cheesecake * chili * coconut * edamame * green tea * green tea sakura * green tea uji * hazelnut * kobe pudding * matcha * miso * passion fruit * pear * perfect balance citrus orange lemon lime * plum * purple sweet potato * roasted tea * rum raisin * strawberry * strawberry maple * wasabi


we grown ups often assume that children are oblivious to our money talk ignorant of our budget woes and uninterested in how adults make financial decisions better to protect them from all that for as long as possible right
but the best entries of this years crop of college application essays about money prove that they are watching and listening   always   and picking up every little thing by osmosis
a young woman from an affluent suburb offers a jarring inventory of items for sale at her high school including adderall marijuana and test answers even as some peers cant afford the fees for the advanced placement tests another observes her frugal immigrant family and how that trait has slowly permeated her own values
a high school senior with only one grandparent who even went to high school comes to terms with the pressure he feels to be the one who breaks the degree free cycle and another traces the fine details of her fathers   and her familys   struggle to forge a middle class life through her memories of his art and the artifacts they find buried in an arroyo in new mexico
each year i put out an open call for college applicants to send in essays about money work social class and related issues that theyve submitted to undergraduate admissions offices this year we received 231 of them and enlisted ralph johnson senior director for college success for the democracy prep public schools network and a former admissions officer at brown university to help pick the four that we are publishing we pay the four writers as we would freelancers
in narrowing them down from among the best dozen or so that we received mr johnson said he put himself back in the mind set of the gatekeeper role he once held at brown when there were so many essays to read that he felt guilty being in a house of worship without a pile of paper in front of him
what he looked for then is the same thing he encourages his students to strive for now some kind of spark he said it needs to be something that isnt in their transcript or test scores and give admissions officers something to talk about when theyre in the meeting room deciding on that candidate
for more students than you might think writing about money is how they seek to stand out of the 4809 complete personal statements in the database at admitsee a service that allows people to make money by renting access to their own essays and applications 5 percent are about overcoming financial obstacles a further 20 percent used words like tuition loan and income in essays about career aspirations diversity and family background
the single best piece of pure writing we received this year came from sarah benson of lorton va the author of the essay set in new mexico when i am 6 years old the sunday school teacher asks me what my father does for a living she wrote i tell her he is an artist like georgia okeeffe i do not know that i am lying i do not know that he hasnt sold a piece in months
when she was small her father showed her native american pottery shards in the arroyo near their former home when they return years later he tells her that they have all washed away suddenly comes to me the vague image of my father in ripped jeans pressing a pottery shard into my palm she wrote i wonder if he too has washed far away
her father whom i interviewed on facebook live this past week was surprised that his daughter had thought so hard about his feelings about his career and livelihood but perhaps he should not have been given the depth that his daughter who will attend virginia tech in the fall displayed in the essay
every time i read it i pulled something different from it mr johnson said it is a very unconventional story about economic struggle
when shawn l abbott assistant vice president and dean of admissions in the office of undergraduate admissions at new york university read the essay that isabella desimone submitted to the university about frugality he said he worried that it might be too conventional she took a topic that is by all traditional accounting measures pretty banal or pedestrian and really brought her life circumstances to life talking about something that a lot of us can relate to mr abbott said ms desimone will go to nyu in the fall
why buy 99 cent storage containers when the products we buy already provide them for free ms desimone wrote these lessons came in spanish with the speed of a bull in a bullring in her family it was like a game the act of conserving money the audacity to solve problems no one has thought of before is what set my family apart she wrote
nowhere in the essay does ms desimone say where her family falls on the social class spectrum and after hearing mr johnsons take on her essay i chose not to ask she is frugal not necessarily because shes poor but because thats part of her value system he said that was such a unique take on this type of essay this is part of a tradition that she holds dear
mr johnsons favorite essay came from joseph liggio who lives in suffern ny when mr liggio starts school at manhattan college in the fall he will be the first person in his family to attend college mr johnson said he always roots for those applicants and counsels many like them in his current job though mr liggio who is white stood out to him in part because he seemed different from many of the first generation inner city students of color he usually encounters
mr liggios essay is also notable for his courage in admitting his confusion about what sort of goals he ought to set he feels pressure to achieve things that no one in his family ever has but to what end the thing is i dont know where i want to go from here he wrote his grandparents worked where they worked because they had to make money wherever they found opportunity had anyone asked them what they actually wanted to do they would have found the question baffling they couldnt answer because they had no other options he wrote i cant answer because i have too many
according to william bisset vice president for enrollment management at manhattan college admissions officials can be skeptical of essays that seem too polished or overwritten a lot of these essays sound like a phd student wrote them he said joes was very genuine it was well written but you can tell that a kid wrote it
he also had a message for other applicants who are afraid to show weakness or write about their own confusion other than the incoming engineers at manhattan the most popular expression of academic interest among incoming students is undecided
erica meister took several risks in her essay every year we receive at least one essay that picks apart an affluent suburb but weve never seen one quite as blunt as her take on northville mich which was recently named the snobbiest place in the state
i prefer to describe northville as reckless she wrote the more enterprising students of northville high school specialize in the selling of three goods marijuana adderall and test answers all goods many of my peers dont think twice about using if trouble ensues she added our fathers can cover us with cash and connections
her essay could have easily read as snobby itself in its anti snobbery but she does not spare herself she blithely inquires after a classmates advanced placement testing plans without realizing that some people in her school come from families that cant pay even the reduced fees to take the tests
i found myself victim to the disease that infiltrates northville the same carelessness i despise ms meister wrote in the essay which she submitted to the university of california berkeley
like many former admissions officers mr johnson has strong memories of seeing piles of essays about what he described as designer service projects where teenagers do volunteer work outside the united states at their parents expense and then return home and appreciate their privilege all the more she stayed close to home and came to a similar realization about herself and the world that she comes from he said i thought it was striking that she would talk about that
her bold approach to the college application process generally seems to have worked out pretty well ms meister will attend stanford in the fall i aspire she concluded in her essay for berkeley to prepare myself by being more thoughtful informed and most of all careful


on the inaugural game day penny toler drove into an arena parking lot transformed into a carnival of child friendly slides and noisy roller coasters to behold what for her was the most distinctive sight for a historic occasion
it was the decorative surprise that johnny buss of the family that owns the los angeles lakers had furtively told her was coming giant posters of toler and four teammates were draped along the exterior of the great western forum welcoming toler to the los angeles sparks to the wnba and to a game in her home country after eight transient years in which she had played professionally in italy and israel
i had tears in my eyes toler said
it was june 21 1997 the sparks led by toler and lisa leslie hosted the new york liberty launching the nbas summer annex   commissioner david sterns gift to the growing womens sports movement and a calculated attempt to market the game as a year round production   in front of 14284 fans and a national television audience on nbc
as the wnba begins its 20th season on saturday and notwithstanding the continuing challenges in sustaining the league toler and several others involved in the much hyped start up could look back and acknowledge to their relief that its survival did not depend on the quality of its debut
an ugly game said rebecca lobo the former connecticut star who was placed with the liberty as part of the leagues strategy of allocating two regionally designated core players per team
for the record the sparks and the liberty combined to make 47 of 128 shots or slightly less than 37 percent they committed an unsightly 54 turnovers
on top of that leslie the 6 foot 5 marquee player and wilhelmina model found herself with an unobstructed opportunity to throw one down and athletically validate the nba entertainment inspired league marketing slogan we got next
while contemplating the value of a league launching dunk   and by her own admission not in ideal game shape to begin with   leslie failed to achieve maximum liftoff she slammed the ball into the rim
we all knew lisa could dunk toler said but in that first game there was so much excitement so much tension im not sure any of us were ourselves
two decades ago the womens game   while chock full of talented deserving but mostly little known players who made their living in europe and asia   was not qualitatively what it has become in the wide ranging era of diana taurasi maya moore elena delle donne and this years answer to whos got next the ncaa decorated connecticut star breanna stewart
toler a point guard who scored the leagues first basket 59 seconds into what became a 67 57 liberty victory is a bridge to the past now the sparks general manager she is 50 a proud pioneer and none too shy about sharing with her players what they ought to be doing for the good of their game
these kids nowadays they really cant remember a time when there wasnt a league she said in a recent telephone interview they have to be reminded of the sacrifices that were made the things we had to do to keep our careers going
toler added but as much as its been 20 years now and the young players may take it for granted i still feel that we were the lucky ones that had the wild ride
the emotional roller coaster she meant   all the way home
after the 1996 summer olympics in atlanta   a gold medal showcase for a united states womens team that for the first time trained and toured as the men did with its players paid 50000 plus expenses   the wnba began in earnest the preparations for its debut
val ackerman the leagues first president signed three showcase players   leslie lobo and the gifted sheryl swoopes   to serve as the promotional faces via the nbas marketing machine
then there was the challenge of filling eight rosters at a time when a rival league the abl was planning an earlier start across the conventional 1996 97 basketball season
the top wnba salary was 50000 with bonus incentives for certain players
the abl was paying more but for a longer season and you couldnt play for anyone else ackerman said our players could continue to play abroad and obviously they still do
to move beyond leslie lobo and swoopes ackerman hired renee brown a longtime college assistant coach and director of player personnel for coach tara vanderveers atlanta olympics team
brown worked with kim bohuny who as part of the nbas international team had contacts in basketball federations worldwide having been in atlanta for the olympics brown knew of each countrys best player   like elena baranova of russia michelle timms of australia and janeth arcain of brazil
we wanted to make it a global company from the beginning said brown who is still with the wnba as chief of basketball operations and player relations we went after players everywhere
three years before yao ming introduced himself to the world at the 2000 sydney games and five years before yao became the nbas no 1 draft pick and joined the houston rockets brown persuaded chinese officials to send over another giant zheng haixia
at a bulky 6 8 zheng 30 wound up in los angeles playing alongside the slender leslie speaking little english charming teammates with a universal basketball body language and resting her elbow on their heads during timeouts
the sparks also featured the raw but explosive guard mwadi mabika from zaire which in 1997 was renamed the democratic republic of the congo after a civil war
mabika had been impressive at the 1996 olympics despite zaires losing all seven of its games there was one problem in her recruitment
the country was in chaos the airport was closed brown said
dikembe mutombo then of the atlanta hawks helped reach contacts in zaire his native country mabika found her way to atlanta mutombo brought her to los angeles for a tryout mabika became an all star and a member of two championship teams
the sparks assigned players were leslie and toler the charismatic point guard teresa weatherspoon joined lobo in new york
brown hit the european trail for a second phase of roster building finding pros for an elite draft before the selection of college players
she flew to milan and made a stop in nearby pavia where kym hampton a 6 2 frontcourt veteran was toiling after tours in spain france and japan
i was 35 turning 36 hampton said i always figured there would be pro ball for women eventually i just didnt think id still be playing when it happened
she had been approached by the abl which offered six figures but her agent told her not to sign predicting that the league would not last it folded after two seasons brown watched hampton have a 25 point night against one of italys better clubs and then followed her to a nightclub where hampton a talented singer of mostly rhythm and blues had a gig
brown was selling the nba imprimatur and hampton was eventually drafted fourth by the liberty
with nbc espn and lifetime lined up as television partners with many sponsors leaned on by stern aboard with logos created and a two tone ball selected the league was taking shape then ackerman received a call from brown one night in early 1997
sitting down brown said
what is it ackerman said
sheryl swoopes is pregnant
ackerman sighed then said thats wonderful
welcome to womens professional sports swoopes assigned to the houston comets would miss several weeks of a 10 week season though she remained in the promotional campaign her pregnancy camouflaged and returned to help the comets win the leagues first title
for a logical league opener that left leslie against lobo sparks versus liberty except that lobo well known from connecticuts first unbeaten national championship team in 1995 had been at 22 the youngest olympian in atlanta averaging fewer than 4 points a game
leslie had barely touched a ball after the olympics until she reported to the sparks for a three week training camp
when they first came to me i was thinking i might already be retired doing the modeling thing and this would be a nice opportunity to play a few summer league games maybe wear reversible jerseys she said i didnt get the magnitude of what they were planning
as the game approached we got next commercials aired frequently during televised nba playoff games billboards appeared in manhattan and los angeles featuring leslie and lobo when the liberty bus rolled out of the airport a few days before the game lobo was excited and a bit sheepish when she spotted the images of her and leslie looming over the traffic
in new york we had trained at the reebok club and you had people like jerry seinfeld walking in and out lobo said nba players were used to that for us it was a whole new world
weatherspoon recalled a lot of giddiness as the liberty practiced in los angeles and made the news media rounds until we got on the bus to the arena for the game she said now nobodys talking headphones on it finally hit us that as the first everyone would be watching judging
hampton walked into the visitors locker room at the forum and took the opportunity to go move my butt around every one of the dressing stalls
the greatest players had all sat in those places cousy to jordan she said i was so overcome with emotion felt so blessed
a little ornery too when liberty coach nancy darsch told the 6 4 lobo that she would be matched with leslie on both ends of the floor the maternal enforcer in hampton emerged
she asked darsch if she could guard leslie to allow lobo to focus on offense hampton knew leslie well her tricks of the trade
shed elbow you here elbow you there she said
youre giving away too much size darsch said
what two three inches hampton said
hampton a physical player recalled lisa didnt score her first point until i took a rest
leslie did notch 16 for the game   same as lobo   on 6 for 17 shooting the dunk attempt her most memorable miss
i was proud to see her go for it weatherspoon said i was happy to see her miss it
leslie would not become the leagues first in game dunker until july 2002 she wound up playing for 11 seasons with one regret
if i could do anything over i would have trained for that first game that first season she said i guess i figured 50 percent of me was good enough
she recalled endless interviews leading up to and even on the morning of the game by tipoff she said her legs felt like jell o having her friend magic johnson at courtside added to the tension
before leslie and hampton participated with ackerman in a ceremonial jump ball the national anthem was performed   by a recording jeffrey osborne was supposed to have sung it but according to ackerman he was caught in traffic
nobody thought to ask hampton who did not volunteer
i had never performed in a place that big she said i probably would have passed out
instead hampton leaned on leslie who became more fatigued because a fairly immobile zheng was unable to deal with the pace of the new pro game and transition back on defense that left leslie alone to defend against lobo and hampton who scored 13 points among other penetrators
id be yelling get her out she cant keep up  leslie said of zheng whom she otherwise adored
zheng she added fortunately could not understand her
for those who played or participated in that first game the result 20 years later has become irrelevant game details are a blur it was all about being there even for the lead official violet palmer who already knew she was being considered along with dee kantner to cross the gender barrier into the nba for the following season
the timing was so perfect for me palmer said i was so proud to be on the court with all those women who had to play in other countries for so long
ackerman said it was a bonding experience that never seems to have ended as commissioner of the big east conference she was in raleigh nc during the ncaa mens basketball tournament in march when someone called out val val
she spun around to find jordan jackson sheryl swoopess son breaking from his warm up for texas tech they embraced and she told him its been 20 years   i still remember getting that call
where will the wnba be in another 20 years that is a more difficult call or prognostication
toler said i know it will be here at 40
echoing her hampton said she agreed that while todays players feel entitled to a united states based league and make more money   though not that much more which is why many still play and fare much better abroad   that first year we were like rock stars
the novelty subsided predictably and the wnbas future and fate lie hampton said in an ever expanding grass roots world
i have an 11 year old daughter who plays aau ball she said many of the parents dont bring their kids to wnba games and i just dont understand why theyre not into the business of it all
i go to camps and i could ask a girl name three players on the liberty and much of the time they could not
she sighed and added i just want people to get it thats what that first game   and these last 20 years   have been all about


during the same week in november that an obscure new york city agency lifted a protective covenant on a nursing home on the lower east side   an alteration that is now the subject of at least three inquiries   a similar move was playing out in harlem
few people knew that the agency the department of citywide administrative services had accepted 875000 in exchange for lifting a deed restriction in place since 1976 that required a corner lot at st nicholas avenue and 152nd street to be used only by nonprofit cultural organizations in the area
neighbors who learned about the change after the fact feared that the lot owned by the dance theater of harlem would end up in the hands of developers what they did not know at that point was that a developer who made a financial contribution to one of mayor bill de blasios political causes was already in contract to buy the property the developer brp companies closed on the sale last month for 31 million
the process by which the deed restriction on the unremarkable but nonetheless valuable harlem parcel was lifted in many ways mirrors the one involving the lower east side nursing home known as rivington house
the decision to amend the nursing home deed for 16 million is being investigated by eric t schneiderman the new york state attorney general the citys comptroller scott m stringer and the citys investigation department
the transactions in harlem are facing new scrutiny mr de blasio a democrat has said he was unaware of the rivington house deal and ordered a review of the process for removing such deed restrictions imposed by the city the city council is expected to hold a hearing on deed restrictions next month
and mr schneidermans office said on friday that it was reviewing the circumstances surrounding the transactions in harlem including the lifting of the deed restriction but had not opened a formal investigation
as little public notice as there was for the contentious deal on the lower east side which resulted in a developer of luxury condominiums buying the nursing home property in february for 116 million the decision to remove all restrictions on the harlem property got even less
the local community board was not informed neither was the local councilman mark levine nor the manhattan borough president gale a brewer a notice of a public hearing appeared on a back page of the city record for a single day in april 2015 no one showed up at the hearing to testify
we found out after it was lifted by just looking up the deed said april tyler chairwoman of the community boards land use committee i think this is worth highlighting and investigating
according to a person familiar with the matter the city has been in talks with brp companies which builds both market rate and below market rate housing about putting around two dozen affordable units on the harlem parcel it was not clear when those conversations took place or if they played a role in the decision to lift the deed restriction said the person who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the active inquiries into deed changes
a developer would need city approval and would have to include affordable units in its plans if it wanted to pursue a rezoning of the property to allow for the construction of a larger building than is currently allowed there
brp companies went into contract to buy the lot in may 2015 several months earlier in october 2014 it contributed 10000 through a company it controls to the putnam county democratic committee a donation that coincided with a push that year by mr de blasio and his allies to use local county committees as vehicles for supporting democrats in tight state senate races the manhattan district attorneys office and the united states attorney for the southern district of new york are now investigating whether the tactic resulted in violations of election law
asked last month about the donation meredith marshall a founder of the firm said that he could not recall who had asked him to contribute though he said it was not someone from the de blasio administration mr marshall has occasionally appeared in mayoral news releases providing quotations supportive of housing initiatives
no construction permits have yet been filed with the city for the lot mr marshall suggested last month that the absence of a state subsidy might prevent the company from building affordable housing in some cases he did not respond to a request for comment for this article emails and phone messages to brp companies were not returned
in response to questions about the harlem lot the administration on thursday provided a one line statement from lisette camillo commissioner of the administrative services agency the city is in the process of reviewing its policy on the lifting of deed restrictions
at a council budget hearing on friday ms camillo said that the city had delayed acting on about 13 or 14 pending requests to lift or modify deed restrictions while the agency conducts its review she did not address specific questions about rivington house or the harlem lot
city officials are also exploring whether the administrative services department had the authority to lift the restriction on the harlem deed which was imposed nearly 40 years ago by the board of estimate which had many of the powers of todays council
in most cases if a land use decision made by the board of estimate is to be changed the revision must be approved by the citys planning commission or in some cases by the council itself
barry weinberg another member of the local community board questioned how the decision on the deed had been arrived at
theres huge concern and theres massive frustration why was this deed restriction lifted mr weinberg said
when people change the rules of the game outside of public view it creates problems he said adding that the process should be transparent and should involve community board members and other local leaders it shouldnt be nonprofits removing it for a fee and flipping it for a big payout
deed restrictions on parcels of land formerly owned by the city are rarely removed there have been at least nine instances of such restrictions being modified or removed since mr de blasio took office in several cases the city accepted no money for the change choosing instead to impose new restrictions the price fetched by the harlem lot appears to be the second highest after rivington house
the lot also benefited from special zoning when the council changed the zoning rules in 2012 for the neighborhood a fast gentrifying section of harlem the local councilman at the time obtained an exemption for the dance theater of harlem that allowed for construction of greater height and density on the empty lot than in the surrounding area
the councilman robert jackson said he requested the exemption because the nonprofit said it wanted to build student housing no one mentioned an eventual sale of the property i would have never agreed to do that he said because it doesnt make sense
but even with the special zoning the restriction on the deed   for nonprofit use by a community service type organization offering cultural services to the community   limited the value of the property
it was not clear how long the dance theater of harlem which has struggled financially had been in negotiations with the city to lift the restriction the groups executive director anna glass referred questions to the board chairman michael d armstrong who did not respond to a request for comment
on friday the dance theater of harlem issued a statement saying that it had sold the property to support its financial needs and had followed the citys established requirements and processes to remove a covenant
ms tyler of the local community board said market rate apartments were most likely in store for the lot they can build whatever they want she said adding that the neighborhood has become a lucrative housing market i do not think that the developer would willingly put affordable housing up in that area


there will be no contested convention this year but that doesnt mean it wont get contentious
and while there is little doubt that donald j trump will emerge from the republican national convention in cleveland as the partys presidential nominee there is still some uncertainty about what could unfold there starting july 18
over the course of four days mr trump will have to navigate potential hazards like hostile delegates suspicious of his conservatism and determined to thwart his candidacy complicating matters further many of those delegates possess an intricate knowledge of the parliamentary process that establishes the conventions rules and program any of them looking to make trouble certainly could try
recent political conventions have grown so scripted and choreographed that moments of true spontaneity are rare this year when history seems to be providing little guiding precedent could be the one that shatters the calm here are some of the wild cards that could roil the event in cleveland
convention delegates are under no obligation to vote for the vice presidential candidate mr trump chooses that vote is held separately and if enough delegates object to mr trumps choice for any reason   too liberal too moderate too inexperienced too much of an insider   they can vote the nomination down
some conservatives have demanded that mr trump name his vice presidential contender well before the convention a position that appears to be more than just the usual griping many delegates suspect mr trump is not a sincere conservative and they want to be reassured by having him choose a running mate they trust
tensions among party factions could surface through the process of assembling the partys platform the document that spells out its policy positions in a contentious convention it is easy to envision a scenario in which conservatives look to insert new language to take a hard line on issues that mr trump has not made central to his campaign
this could come in the form of a plank on transgender rights and the use of bathrooms currently a touchy issue with social conservatives mr trump has said he thinks it is unnecessary to pass laws that restrict bathroom use by people who identify with a gender different from their gender at birth social conservatives who oppose him could push for language saying such laws are needed to protect children
and mr trump could try to make things uncomfortable given how many of his views run contrary to republican orthodoxy he could for example insist that the platform include language that disavows the trade deals he loathes something that is sure to rankle free trade republicans but stir passions among mr trumps supporters
senator ted cruz of texas has a large and loyal following that will be eager to hear from him on the partys biggest stage he gets to deliver a speech no matter what but it is up to mr trump to decide whether that happens in prime time or in the lonely viewing hours of afternoon
typically the runner up will bargain with the presumptive nominee when it comes to such issues in exchange for releasing his delegates to vote for mr trump   something mr cruz has pointedly not done   mr trump could agree to give mr cruz a marquee billing at the convention
mr cruz could always stubbornly hold onto his nearly 600 delegates and most of them would probably have to vote for him at the convention under the partys binding rules that would amount to an embarrassing affront to mr trump and make him the first republican nominee in recent times to suffer such significant defections in the nominating vote
mr trumps challenge in running a convention with hostile delegates is like nothing we have seen in recent election cycles when about as rowdy as it got was in 2012 when a relatively small number of ron paul delegates revolted
mr cruz probably wants more than just a speech as he hinted this week by urging his delegates to push the party platform in a more conservative direction his cooperation and the trump campaigns willingness to negotiate will set the conventions tone
so far the trump campaign seems to understand the value in having a convention as unified as possible paul manafort a senior trump adviser who was brought on to run delegate and convention outreach was at the republican convention in 1976 when president gerald r ford faced a challenge from ronald reagan then a staff member for mr ford mr manafort said he had drawn some lessons on how not to treat the runner up
the ford campaign didnt handle reagan right in 76 because it didnt make him feel important mr manafort said as a consequence the campaign lost the value of reagan for a month and a half
and there could be value for mr trump in having mr cruz on board to rally conservative voters when he faces the general election
the convention is essentially a living body with rules and procedures that can be modified or discarded to suit the desires of the delegates this is where much of the speculation about an unruly convention began
anything dramatic seems unlikely   a move by delegates hostile to mr trump for example to change the rules to deny him the nomination   but it is possible consider this potential nuclear option which one rules expert described anonymously because it is only hypothetical it is tantalizing because it is so simple
mr trump could be stopped with just a single word change requiring the nominee to receive a supermajority of votes at the convention rather than the majority currently required mr trump after all had floated changing majority to plurality when it was not clear he would win the 1237 delegates he needed
other changes could also create mayhem one delegate who is a rules expert curly haugland of north dakota said in an interview that he will propose a new rule that would allow any candidate with one delegate to be entered into nomination this would open the door for senator marco rubio of florida gov john kasich of ohio jeb bush ben carson and others to be nominated right now only mr trump and mr cruz will be formally entered because the rules essentially require candidates to win at least eight states before they can be nominated
more names in nomination mean fewer votes for mr trump and the remote possibility that he could be denied the majority he needs to prevent a second ballot and after that as unlikely as it seems now all bets would be off


berlin   germany more than doubled its economic growth rate in the first quarter as higher state and household spending more than offset a fall in exports the countrys federal statistics office said on friday
the economy grew by 07 percent the highest quarterly rate since an identical reading in the first quarter of 2014 that figure beat the rate of 06 percent registered across the eurozone cementing germanys position as the blocs economic engine
milder winter weather in germany prompted a rise in investment on construction and capital goods the statistics office said private consumption has also overtaken trade as the most important driver of growth for the german economy with record low unemployment low interest rates and higher wages encouraging consumers to spend more
also on friday germanys biggest trade union ig metall said it had agreed with employers on a two stage wage increase of 48 percent over 21 months
economists link the rise in consumption as well as a booming real estate sector mainly in urban centers to the european central banks extremely loose monetary policy which has been criticized in germany
the quarterly growth rate easily beat the 03 percent posted in the final three months of 2015
the economy ministry said it expected german growth to slow however that view was shared by economists who said the impact of weaker exports would eventually be felt as demand from emerging markets slows
trade remains the problem child because of weakness in emerging markets said ulrike kastens an economist at sal oppenheim
the german economy minister sigmar gabriel said the government should increase investment on education infrastructure and innovation echoing calls by the international monetary fund
the german economy started 2016 on a good footing industry posted an increase in production employment is noticeably rising and higher income of private households is leading to higher private spending mr gabriel said our task is to use this momentum to invest in education modern infrastructure and innovation
the imf and the organization for economic cooperation and development have urged germany to increase investment and to overhaul its labor market and pension system


a lack of homes for sale in many parts of the country is making house hunting a challenge this spring especially for first time buyers
tight housing inventories have pushed up home prices in many metropolitan markets creating bidding wars for some properties real estate experts say
real estate is highly local of course and trends range by city and by neighborhood but nationally home prices in march were up nearly 7 percent from a year ago and up 2 percent from february according to the latest data from corelogic
the dearth of inventory is particularly acute for entry level homes said svenja gudell the chief economist at the real estate website zillow first time homebuyers are having a tough time she said because so few homes are available
nationally 6 percent fewer homes are on the market compared with a year ago and there are 10 percent fewer entry level homes according to march data from zillow some markets are particularly tight portland ore has 40 percent fewer entry level homes and charlotte nc has 35 percent fewer
the reasons for the tight inventory vary ms gudell said in some areas homeowners are still underwater   meaning they owe more than their home is worth   so they are unable or unwilling to sell until prices rise more and they gain equity
in other markets the lack of new home construction is contributing to the problem homeowners who want to sell their homes and trade up cant find a suitable new home so they stay put   keeping their property off the market
the lack of homes on the market has also helped raise rents so investors who bought single family homes during the downturn are making good money renting them out and arent in a hurry to sell said greg jaeger president of usaa residential real estate services a brokerage affiliated with usaa bank
lee ritchie a real estate agent with remax metro plus in columbus ohio said inventory in the city was generally low especially in downtown neighborhoods where people can walk to parks and shops its multiple offers on every property she said she said she spent a lot of time explaining to buyers that they should make their best offer right away and move quickly if they see a home they like sometimes she said in an email a buyer has to lose a home or two before they really comprehend how aggressive they need to be in order to win
many markets are favorable for sellers kim stone said she was thrilled to have several inquiries about her familys two bedroom two bath home in a desirable neighborhood near san antonio within hours after it was listed in march the house was made available on a thursday shown on friday and went under contract that weekend to an all cash buyer   for 10 percent above the asking price she her husband and their two children are now living in an apartment while their new home is under construction
buyers though may have to be patient kat doucette a real estate lawyer in san antonio said she and her husband searched for months before buying in an up and coming part of the city known as southtown many properties were overpriced she said given the renovations needed i did a lot of research she said the couple finally bought a home last august and are in the midst of adding a bathroom her advice know what you are looking for and be ready to pounce when you find it but dont pay too much
here are some questions and answers about buying a home this spring
# what can i do to prepare to buy a house in a tight market
get preapproved for a mortgage so the seller knows you are serious and make sure you have a preapproval letter rather than one saying you are merely prequalified said tom salomone president of the national association of realtors theres a big difference prequalification may be based on verbal information given by the borrower he said while preapproval means the lender has run a credit check verified your income and has authorized a loan for a specific amount of money
# are there other ways besides price to make my offer attractive
putting down as large a deposit as possible shows youre serious mr salomone said and agreeing to requests that reduce hassles for the seller can help too for instance if the seller asks to leave behind a backyard swing set you may want to agree   even if your children are too old to play on it let them leave it and you can take care of it he said it may be advantageous
in areas with extremely low inventories buyers may have to go further traditionally a home inspection is done after an offer is made and accepted contracts typically contain language allowing the buyer to negotiate repairs if the inspection turns up problems in some tight markets like seattle buyers are having homes preinspected at their own cost seeking to appeal to the seller by making an offer without a contingency clause ms gudell said that can get expensive if shoppers end up making multiple offers inspections can range from 150 for a basic walk through to 800 or more for a detailed inspection
# whats happening with home mortgage rates
one bright spot for house hunters is that mortgage rates are remaining low the average rate on a 30 year fixed mortgage was 361 percent for the week that ended may 5 according to freddie mac shoppers seeking home loans however should be prepared to provide detailed financial information because of tougher requirements since the financial crisis much more documentation is needed mr salomone said to minimize delays he said have tax returns pay stubs and w 2 forms on hand when you meet with your lender


london   the winner hoisting the european rugby champions cup will be doing it for the first time saturday but that doesnt mean it will be a surprise
neither can be considered an upstart like this seasons english premier league soccer champion leicester city
the paris club racing 92 will be playing in its first final and london based saracens in its second both are among a select group of clubs dominated by toulon and clermont auvergne that have overpowered the competition since the irish provincial franchises ceased to be financially competitive
but this season clermont was surprisingly eliminated at the pool stage while toulons run of three consecutive titles ended when it lost to racing in the quarterfinals now that both finalists have seized their chance they dont intend to go away anytime soon
of course you want to win it but if we do im hoping that its the start of something rather than the end said saracens coach mark mccall during a news conference tuesday weve got a really brilliant age profile in our squad weve got people signed up for the long term people who are unbelievably ambitious and hungry to get better who are in their early and mid 20s so i believe were going to be playing in a lot more of these matches
with racing 92 president jacky lorenzetti outlining limitless ambitions with the teams move from the 109 year old stade colombes to a new state of the art multipurpose venue next season these teams could be seeing a lot of each other over the next few years
they already know a fair amount about each other the final in lyon france will be their sixth meeting in the champions cup since 2010 saracens are 4 1 in those meetings winning the last four including their quarterfinal matchup in 2014 most games have been squeakers though with the margin of victory reaching double digits only once
forget trash talking the tone this week has been respectful
theyre a great side strong throughout and their players have played a big part for england this year mike phillips the veteran welsh scrumhalf for racing 92 said in a conference call tuesday theyll be full of confidence they have a superb defense with great line speed and tackling we have to dominate the breakdown get to the advantage line and kick well be really accurate and make the most of what is likely to be a small number of opportunities
while french teams traditionally are known for having strong attacks saracens have been the best this season averaging 341 points a game while racing has the toughest defense conceding only 128 points a game
saracens flyhalf owen farrell is the leading scorer with 106 points while the american wing chris wyles has scored the most tries 5
two racing players lead in tackles with the welsh lock forward luke charteris having 107 while the new zealand back row forward chris masoe has 87
saracens are looking to become the first team to finish the tournament with a perfect 9 0 record
while saracens have been built around a youth movement developing players like the 21 year old lock maro itoje racing has bolstered itself by signing veterans from new zealand the 32 year old wing joe rokocoko who scored 47 tries for the new zealand all blacks recalled his decision last summer to sign with racing
i could either sit back and enjoy the sunset or have another go at competitive rugby and i made the right choice rokocoko said this is an incredible opportunity for any player the biggest trophy there is apart from the world cup
masoe 36 brought expertise he gained at toulon his previous club
he knows how to prepare and what to do in the week   when you train and hes often last in doing something extra and when to switch off and joke about rokocoko said the young players listen because he delivers on the weekends
the kiwi who attracts most of the attention is of course daniel carter the current and three time world rugby player of the year the career leading scorer in international matches and a world cup champion
hes brought touch experience and know how and hes fit in well its all been good said phillips
carter raises a distinct set of problems for opponents said mccall the saracens coach who will try to limit his influence on saturday
if we can do that it means our pack have got on top in the scrum in the lineout mccall said it means weve put a little more pressure on him than hes experienced before but if you run down his channel and think youre going to shake him up youre not going to
carter will undoubtedly have a serious influence on saturdays final but when in his long career has he not


pentney england   when dita lee and howard barber first visited pentney in the county of norfolk to view a rural barn they had no idea they would leave having decided to buy the ruins of a medieval stone gatehouse as well
mr barber a former british airways pilot and ms lee head of a british airways cabin crew team had been considering starting a small internet sales business in the east of england after he took early retirement in 2009 and she began to work part time
we decided it would be nice to have a family home with some outbuildings to use for the business and thought a barn would be ideal ms lee said we saw this one advertised and came to look on a hot day back in july 2010
as we pulled up we saw this amazing castlelike ruin we later discovered that it was a medieval gatehouse and it was for sale too she continued in addition to the barn and the outbuildings there was an 18th century farmhouse and 35 acres of land going right down to the river nar we fell in love with it instantly
the couple were on their way to france at the time and before they had even arrived at the port of dover to catch the ferry across the channel they had made up their minds to buy everything at pentney abbey
it was such an extraordinary and magical place ms lee said the gatehouse itself was beautiful   a truly unique building with an incredible ambience   and we could see the farmhouse would be a wonderful place to live but in many ways it was the location that really appealed to us we have 360 degree views of the incredible landscape around us   beautiful countryside where we can walk or just wander down to the river with a picnic on a warm summers evening
the history of pentney abbey reaches back through the centuries at least as far as the 1100s a priory was founded at the site by robert de vaux the sheriff of cumberland and governor of carlisle for an augustinian order of monks the foundations of the entire medieval complex are still present under the fields at the property
after the dissolution of the monasteries by henry viii the main abbey building was demolished ms lee said but the gatehouse which itself dates back to the 1300s was not considered to be a religious building and was taken over by the earl of rutland he used the ruins of the priory as a quarry taking stone from it for his outbuildings and selling it to other people in the area for many years it was used as accommodation but in the 18th century it started to fall into disrepair
upon moving to pentney abbey from norwich also in norfolk mr barber and ms lee decided to renovate the 3170 square foot farmhouse for themselves and convert nearby outbuildings into guest accommodations
today the main house which has conservation protection from historic england   a public body that looks after the countrys historic environment   has been renovated with a 185 square foot kitchen as well as a 280 square foot drawing room and a 300 square foot dining room on the first floor also on this level is a cloakroom and a utility space together with a 185 square foot office and an extra 345 square foot reception room
the house originally had four bedrooms but we decided to turn one into a spectacular bathroom with a luxurious jacuzzi bath a huge walk in shower and a fabulous dressing area ms lee said
among other notable features is a great stone archway that can be seen on the landing it once formed part of an ecclesiastical building but in the 1700s it was incorporated into the farmhouse
the couple then turned their attentions to the gatehouse working with the support of english heritage they made the decision to save the 2535 square foot building before really knowing how they would end up using it
after arriving here our whole focus changed  we realized we wanted to do something with the gatehouse it was such a significant building and we felt it deserved to be restored ms lee said it was daunting as we knew nothing about the mammoth task ahead of us but we were determined to overcome the obstacles and as we got deeper into it we just became more and more obsessed
the gatehouse which is deemed by historic england to be of exceptional interest was so derelict that it was deemed to be at risk of collapse to assess its stability and the extent of the work required to rebuild it magnetic resonance imaging was carried out
next about 300 tons of masonry debris and vegetation had to be cleared from the inside of the old building the main restoration project then took place in 2012 and 2013 costing hundreds of thousands of pounds funding and support for the work came from a variety of sources including ms lee and mr barber themselves and a grant of 200000 pounds or about 288000 from historic england
in december 2013 the gatehouse was completed it remains three stories high with dramatic chambers on either side of its arched gateway and three rooms bridging the top including the central 427 square foot ceremony hall today it is largely a wedding venue but the building has been future proofed with drainage plumbing and additional electrical wiring to allow other possible uses in the future
some of the conditions of the grant were that we had to give the building a future ms lee explained we discussed transforming it into a boutique hotel or a private residence but while we were in the middle of work a local 21 year old came and asked if she could get married there
soon the historic site was being booked for ceremonies every weekend between may and october and sometimes at christmas too the large 1507 square foot barn was transformed into a banquet hall chapel and leisure room complete with kitchen and bar facilities and a grand vaulted reception space areas close to the house were landscaped to create a courtyard with a central fire pit and area with decking as well as rose gardens
today there is also a generous lawn which is suitable for a marquee and an area that can be used for camping in total the formal gardens extend to approximately seven acres while the remainder of the land has meadows and areas set aside for grazing
throughout the building work and the hosting of weddings mr barber and ms lee have taken a hands on approach where they have been able to carry out work themselves they have and during wedding weekends they remain on site to oversee and coordinate events
the weddings began to take on a life of their own very quickly mr barber said it reached the stage where we realized we would either have to take the business up to the next level and employ staff or step away from pentney abbey so someone else could take it further
as a result the property went on the market in january with the real estate agents sowerbys and chewton rose for PS195 million the couple have received an offer and expect to be moving soon
however the next owners choose to enjoy the place we just feel very privileged to have lived here ourselves ms lee said we feel very proud to have saved pentney abbey for future generations and to have accomplished something like this


for a number of times readers receiving a cancer diagnosis was just the beginning of a long sojourn through the world of new cancer treatments some readers found great success with advanced therapies while others struggled to see whether the treatments offered better results than conventional ones
what follows is a selection of responses we received from readers sharing their stories of navigating the new frontier of oncology they have been edited and condensed
what is your experience with a new cancer treatment keep the conversation going by sharing your thoughts here
an exceptional response to a new therapy
i was diagnosed with non small cell lung cancer in april 2005 i was 45 and had never smoked and the youngest of my three children was only 7 the lower lobe of my left lung was removed followed by four rounds of adjuvant chemotherapy however my cancer returned almost immediately by the summer of 2008 i had more than two dozen tumors throughout both lungs and was told there was nothing more to do and that i had three to five months left to live my youngest child and i both began counseling to help us prepare for my death however the biopsy used to confirm metastatic spread revealed a newly identified driver for lung cancer a gene called alk in october 2008 i became the fourth person in the world with non small cell lung cancer to take an experimental therapy called crizotinib i hoped it would extend my life for several months but instead i had an almost complete response   not a cure but a respite since then i have returned to chemotherapy briefly and enrolled in two more phase 1 clinical trials for alk inhibitors my cancer is currently stable and in several weeks i shall watch my youngest child graduate from high school and in the fall he will enroll at mit where he will study human biology with an emphasis on cancer research we are truly living the dream im alive made possible only by advances in cancer research linnea olson 56 lowell mass
individualized medicine can be lonely
i didnt expect there to be a point in my treatment for hodgkins lymphoma when my doctor would say its really up to you if there was a correct way id decide but we just dont know and its not ethical for me to make that decision for you i was offered a choice to skip radiation based on a pet scan that showed my cancer had responded quickly to chemotherapy using a pet scan to gauge response to treatment and from there predict individual outcomes is a new idea while i was pleased to be offered the best science available i didnt expect that being at the forefront of personalized medicine would feel so scary and uncertain i trusted my oncologist completely but here he was telling me that we faced a choice without a clear answer skipping radiation would increase chances that my cancer recurred but radiation would increase my risk for secondary cancers considerably my short term survival rate might be better with radiation but my long term prognosis was possibly better without it i have two toddlers if my cancer recurred i might die before they were old enough to remember me but if i had radiation i might mortgage everyones future quality of life individualized medicine is lonely if everybody is a case study of one then the precedent set by others becomes much less reassuring and while i admired my doctor for admitting the ethical dilemmas inherent in the decision and allowing me the choice it was a decision i did not feel at all qualified to make it sounds so good objectively   treatment just for you   but my experience of it was terrifying even with excellent doctors who spent hours of extra time talking through all the variables with me hannah kaplan 34 minneapolis
from a tragic car accident to a full life
on the morning of june 26 2015 i was on the way to pick up supplies for a wedding i was catering i was feeling a bit off but ignored it thinking i had low blood sugar a voice popped into my head however saying if you dont pull over right now you are going to die as i started to slow down i experienced a brain seizure blacked out and ended up in a ditch with a broken back and a totaled car the police said i should have been killed a hospital scan revealed i had stage 4 metastasized melanoma that had traveled from a lymph node in my arm to my brain causing the seizure i had no idea i was sick after much testing i was put on a trial of two new untested immunotherapy drugs in three months scans showed that all of my brain tumors were gone and my lymph nodes were back to normal on oct 1 the fda approved one of the two immunotherapy drugs they tested on me today my ct and brain mris continue to show no evidence of cancer my back is healed and ive returned to living a full life linda mcculloch 58 sonoma calif
immunotherapy can be hit or miss
i have a relatively rare form of esophageal cancer that i have been fighting for three years im presently undergoing intense immunotherapy after having numerous rounds of chemotherapy radiation and a major surgery to fight my disease like many others i have great hope that immunotherapy will be more effective than more conventional cancer treatments used over the years but theres no doubt that for certain cancers even immunotherapy is still hit and miss while new and novel cancer fighting therapies are beginning to show real effectiveness in treating patients many doctors who have fought the war on cancer over the years have a lot to learn about the efficacy of new cancer therapies my own surgeon one of the leading doctors in his field as well as the top oncologist he works with sent me home to die following the surgery he performed on me almost two years ago they gave me five months to live they both felt that further chemotherapy or immunotherapy treatments would buy me no more than a few more weeks of life im glad i didnt listen too carefully to their wisdom otherwise i wouldnt be here still in the fight willing to do whatever it takes to stay alive and support my family as long and as best i can john heubusch 57 calabasas calif
active and thriving
i have stage 4 renal cell carcinoma the cancer metastasized to my other kidney and pancreas and was discovered in november 2014 in a follow up mri after i had a mass removed in 2011 my options were not good surgery the go to approach for renal cell carcinoma which does not respond to either chemotherapy or radiation was not advised i am relatively young and the devastation of removing my pancreas along with multiple other digestive organs would result in a terrible quality of life my urology surgeon and oncologist hooked me up with a clinical trial for the genentech drug atezolizumab the drug is a monoclonal antibody that shuts down the cancer defense system i was initially told the average survival on the trial was 11 months that was 14 months ago my side effects are minimal the cancer is reduced in size and is now stable and i am active and thriving the team of renal oncology at ucsf and kaiser worked together and everyone is amazed by how well the immunotherapy has worked i thought i was to die in 2014 instead in the last 18 months i have completely changed my life with mindfulness practice yoga acupuncture and qi gong i fell in love made new friends and spent wonderful moments with old friends and family i am planning to travel to barcelona in october and may live to see my daughter graduate from stanford next june i am still here still alive and in awe of the life im living sally barros 54 oakland calif
a researcher becomes the patient
my laboratory at a major cancer center has spent many of the last 24 years studying dna replication and dna damage response pathways that require brca proteins which suppress tumors as well as parp polyadp ribose polymerase proteins ten years ago i wrote a book chapter in which i predicted based on preclinical studies that parp inhibiting drugs would one day provide effective treatment of brca positive breast and ovarian cancer a few short months ago a drug called olaparib became the first parp inhibitor approved for treatment of ovarian or breast cancer three years ago i was diagnosed with an aggressive prostate adenocarcinoma caused by a rare brca2 mutation which was most likely inherited from my mother who died of breast cancer when she was in her 40s radiation treatment and treatment with a number of anti cancer drugs at the cancer center where i work has failed to stop the growth or metastasis of this tumor for more than a few months my oncologists know very little about brca positive prostate cancer which is also rare and had not heard of olaparib this has occasionally resulted in an unusual and somewhat disorienting experience unlike most patients who sit in exam rooms and furiously scribble information relayed by their oncologists my oncologists are sometimes scribbling information i relay to them such as how to spell olaparib after arranging mostly on my own for treatment with olaparib as an experimental drug almost one year ago tumor progression has been halted and recent bone scans indicate that my bone metastases are melting away the success of my treatment reflects in part the extraordinary promise of personalized medicine that targets specific cancer causing mutations although the role ive played in my treatment perhaps takes personalized medicine to the extreme william c burhans 64 buffalo


other guests at the dinner included the singer janelle monae the actress allison williams and the rapper common


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good evening heres the latest
1 some rights activists hailed the obama administrations directive to give transgender students freedom to choose their school bathrooms and locker rooms while conservatives condemned it a texas official dan patrick called it the biggest issue since prayer in schools parents are not going to send their 14 year old daughters into the shower or bathroom with 14 year old boys he said its not going to happen

2 none of your business that was donald trump after an interviewer asked him what he paid in taxes speculation about mr trumps motives for withholding his tax returns is deepening since the irs discounts his rationale of waiting for an audit to end meanwhile some of his fiercest republican critics have softened suggesting a return to party first priorities

3 science fiction appeared to draw a step closer to fact a secret meeting at harvard medical school this week focused on the idea of creating a synthetic human genome using chemicals to manufacture the dna for chromosomes such a genome could be implanted into embryos creating humans without parents

4 for fun our music critics weekly playlist includes bob dylans new sinatra cover melancholy mood and merle haggards final song kern river blues our watching experts suggest bingeing on being erica a canadian tv series that sends its regret filled heroine back in time for do overs hulu or head out to the cinema for the lobster above to see colin farrell and rachel weisz try to beat a 45 day deadline to find love or be turned into an animal

5 for a second time the vaunted security at the swift global financial messaging system failed officials said there were similarities to an 81 million heist at the central bank of bangladesh above in february the attackers had a deep and sophisticated knowledge of the banks systems officials warned that may have been gained from malicious insiders or cyberattacks or a combination of both

6 russian officials and athletes scrambled to deny allegations of a widespread doping program that peaked at the 2014 olympics all this simply looks like slander by a turncoat a spokesman for president vladimir putin said the former russian official who detailed the program said he had left russia in fear for his life two of his colleagues died recently and unexpectedly

7 fifa has been making a host of organizational changes as it rebuilds after a shattering scandal the latest a veteran united nations diplomat fatma samoura of senegal was named fifas secretary general she is the first woman to hold a senior executive position in world soccers governing body

8 the pharmaceutical giant pfizer closed off the last official source of drugs for executions executing states must now go underground if they want to get hold of medicines for use in lethal injection a human rights monitor said

9 a hezbollah commander who directed operations in syria crucial to keeping the government in power was killed in a blast near the damascus airport mustafa amine badreddine is suspected of playing a role in a long string of deadly attacks in the region including the assassination of the former lebanese prime minister rafik hariri in 2005

10 finally an artist in brooklyn has trained 2000 pigeons for his aerial light show fly by night tiny bulbs attached to their legs reveal the graceful patterns of their swooping flights given good weather their mass performance will run friday saturday and sunday nights through mid june watch a preview above

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ask the times a times insider feature draws on new york times staff members expertise to answer questions about current events science sports culture and whatever else is making headlines
a reader asks a recent reuters story published in the new york times stated that more than 250000 people have died since the syrian civil war began and there has been an exodus of 5 million refugees but other news outlets have reported vastly different numbers given the fog of war what is the source for these figures and how were they arrived at
anne barnard   the timess beirut bureau chief covering syria lebanon and other parts of the middle east   responds
its difficult to arrive at exact numbers of dead and wounded given the chaos in syria the deliberate secrecy from many warring parties including the government and the dangers that prevent monitoring groups from physically reaching many parts of the country this is not uncommon in wars death toll estimates from world war ii still vary personally i find the upper range of estimates for the syrian conflict nearing half a million dead quite plausible
the united nations stopped officially counting deaths at just over 100000 in july 2013 saying that it could no longer independently verify them and thus could not present its figures as reliable but the violence has only escalated since then with more government airstrikes and use of heavy weaponry continuing battles between the government and myriad insurgent groups and the emergence of the islamic state
a report from the united nations office of the high commissioner for human rights in august 2014 put the number of documentable deaths at more than 191000 with caveats that many other reported deaths were excluded because they could not be verified to the same degree a year later united nations agencies were using an estimate of 250000
but other groups put the numbers much higher the syrian center for policy research   which until recently worked in damascus the syrian capital meaning it was tolerated by the government   put the number of dead at 470000 as of december 2015 that figure is close to what the united nations envoy staffan de mistura said he estimated 400000 based on his own personal analysis
the syrian observatory for human rights which uses a network of sources inside the country says it has documented more than 270000 deaths as of february   meaning it has names dates and other details for each one   but estimates the total to be 370000 the violations documentation center one of the more rigorous of the nongovernmental bodies working inside syria has documented more than 131000 deaths on the anti government side alone not counting those fighting on the side of the government or for the islamic state
people also die in places inaccessible to researchers or in ways that make them unlikely to be counted under the rubble of a destroyed building executed with no witnesses drowning while trying to flee to europe
also unknown is how many people may have died in secret government detention facilities where prisoners advocates estimate that tens or even hundreds of thousands of people are held the caesar photographs smuggled out of the country by a man who said he was tasked with photographing corpses of people who died in detention show more than 28000 bodies more than 6000 of which were said to be detainees who died in custody and the rest civilians or fighters who died in attacks
the united nations high commission on refugees puts the official number at 48 million but that is an undercount thats because it only includes those who have officially registered as refugees and no new refugees have been registered in the main host countries for months it only includes those in the countries hosting the most refugees turkey lebanon jordan iraq and egypt and the rest of north africa it does not include the one million applications for asylum in europe since 2011 overburdened host countries like lebanon and turkey insist that there may be as many as another couple of million undocumented refugees
perhaps most importantly the figure does not include the seven million driven from their homes inside syria who have not crossed international borders and thus are not legally counted as refugees they are referred to by the anodyne term displaced they include tens of thousands stuck near the effectively closed borders of turkey and jordan near the turkish borders camps for the displaced have been repeatedly bombed in jordan aid workers say 50000 people are stuck in a neutral zone in the desert with no infrastructure or services
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fans of the london based post punk band savages have come to expect an act of intimate connection from its kinetic frontwoman jehnny beth stand up crowd surfing during every live performance the singer steps from the stage into a sea of outstretched hands and is held aloft like some kind of darkly glamorous androgynous george washington crossing the potomac   in savages case a boisterous mosh pit but on an unseasonably cool tuesday morning in venice beach calif beth projected a more cerebral image
bundled up in a knee length black coat by the stockholm womens wear label minimarket skin tight black jeans vagabond chelsea boots and a vintage motorcycle jacket she had come to peruse the stacks at the venerable bookseller small world books savages had just delivered a pair of triumphant sets on back to back weekends at coachella promoting the groups second album adore life and beth 31 who was born camille berthomier in poitiers france was on the hunt for something good to read
she ran an index finger along milan kunderas the unbearable lightness of being   kundu she cooed in recognition   and franz kafkas metamorphosis before pausing before a rack in the eastern mythology section and removing a copy of the ancient chinese divination text the i ching or book of changes so i was reading a book of interviews with philip k dick and he was talking about the i ching said beth he used it all the time for his characters to decide what they would say or do wow its a big book the singer swiped the book of interviews with dick the druggy science fiction visionary from her bandmate gemma thompson especially in the two years since beth gave up drinking alcohol reading   and in particular poetry   has played a key function in her creative process me and gemma exchange books and buy each other books we dont buy each other records she said its something weve always done
in performance thompsons pummeling efforts on lead guitar find natural counterpoint both with beths spidery stage presence and in her lyrical meditations on love the contrast is interesting she said moving efficiently through small worlds poetry section the idea of saying love is the answer which is a very vulnerable thing to say it seems very absurd a bit ... cliche if you do it on a very loud track then it has a different meaning
when it comes to love beth self identifies as a person who is attracted to both sexes and is interested in upending conventional narratives challenge is good we should challenge gender a bit more she said when i was younger i was attracted to musicians for the world they were bringing to my bedroom part of it was the femininity in masculinity and vice versa i think thats part of my story her personal style   a head to toe johnny cash black wardrobe and slicked back hairstyle   reflects that dichotomy too but when asked about it the singer just shrugged for stage the initial idea was to wear something that wasnt going to get in the way a kind of second skin beth said i like the idea of having nothing that distracts you from the music onstage or makes you uncomfortable in life i can dress up in two minutes i dont take much time
in rapid succession the singer examined poetry collections by wallace stevens edna st vincent millay patti smith and sylvia plath theres always something interesting in every book even if its just one line beth said the problem is if i start reading i want to write it means im a slow reader


amazons prime
analysts from the firm cowen and company claim amazon will be the top us apparel retailer by 2017 as macys inc and its compatriots flail financially bloomberg reported
pret a uber
for the cannes going gentleman who forgot to bring a bow tie uber and the french mens accessories brand cinabre partnered on uberpapillon a service that promises a bow tie in five minutes or less brought to users by bike messenger for 85 euros speaking of cannes heres a round up of celebrities spotted on the red carpet
transgression by calvin klein
a calvin klein spring ad that depicts the danish actress klara kristin from an upskirt angle has been met with internet fury   and a petition from the national center on sexual exploitation
good for businesses
loreal and the london based digital startup incubator founders factory unveiled a plan to put money toward five beauty tech companies   and to fully create two new companies   each year meanwhile tory burch named the 10 female entrepreneurs who will participate in her yearlong fellowship program
young yeezys
kanye west is releasing his sneakers in baby sizes supposedly in august
debasing amy
do you have this in a larger size asks amy schumer and the salesgirl responds have ... what in ... what in this highly accurate sketch about shopping for clothes ps according to page six an anna wintour cameo on inside amy schumer could be imminent
empty inside
from ellecoms leah chernikoff dear tv ladies why are your purses all empty
donald with the good hair
at a west virginia rally donald j trump lamented hairsprays not like it used to be it used to be real good and blah blah something about the ozone layer
tweet of the week


welcome to watching the new york timess what to watch guide we comb through releases big and small famous and esoteric to email readers twice a week with our timely recommendations our most recent suggestions also appear below to receive our guide straight to your inbox sign up here
ive watched so much being erica in the last three days i think ive become canadian while i dont cry at every single episode i do cry at least a little during most of them   so ive been getting a bit misty every two hours for the past week its been cathartic
ive also been obsessively listening to merrily we roll along and not just because i love narratives that are unstuck in time   being erica sends its main character back to her past and merrily is told backward ive also been craving stories   tv shows musicals novels instagram accounts   that are about big emotions save your action sequences and your blood baths give me wrenching monologues moments of profound personal triumph a way to reflect on my own experiences a character i care about so completely it should be embarrassing that or be a glamorous japanese dog who wears flower crowns and barrettes
this weekend ill be watching more being erica trying to parse the finale of the off the rails in a bad way quantico and hoping game of thrones picks up the pace less farting more feelings my hope for the world i guess see you monday
watch the season finale of the last man on earth
this will forte led comedy about a tiny group of people who survived a global plague sometimes plays up its silliness and sometimes plays up its nastiness every once in a while though it cuts through its impressively strange loopiness to admit that its characters have endured unbelievable tragedy having watched everyone they knew die last seasons finale introduced the twist of phils forte astronaut brother jason sudeikis being alive in space without spoiling anything ill say this seasons finale lives up to its predecessor sunday 930 pm fox catch up on the whole series on hulu
watch ali wongs stand up special baby cobra
filmed when wong was seven and a half months pregnant it covers yes pregnancy but also sex gender roles race domesticity and the trappings of modern partnership i dont want to lean in wong says i want to lay down the material gets extraordinarily blue and scatological but wongs control and quick rhythm keep things from feeling crass watch on netflix
watch believeland
the latest 30 for 30 documentary is about professional sports in cleveland and the championship drought the city has experienced for 50 plus years it will leave you with a sense of despair and sadness not just about sports but also about the economic and psychological health of the rust belt thanks espn saturday 930 pm espn
watch being erica
our heroine erica strange erin karpluk just fantastic is an unhappy wreck shes underemployed vaguely depressed single and has a strained relationship with her family also she has a lot of regrets after a terrible day she winds up in the care of dr tom a therapist who tells her to write down these regrets   and then with magical realism that the show does not labor to explain erica gets to go back to each of these moments to try to do what she wishes shed done each regret always somehow resonates with her current situation but the show manages to be wistful and gentle not corny or contrived the pilot looks like it was filmed on a tamagotchi but production values pick up
most coming of age stories are set between childhood and adulthood being erica is set within adulthood   between adulthood and adulthood erica isnt immature in that shes irresponsible but rather in that she doesnt feel shes hatched yet like shes become anyone the problems on this show are grown up problems like grief and divorce not sitcom shenanigans and ericas attempts to fix her past mistakes more often lead to illumination rather than pat resolution
if you like shows like veronica mars dead like me wonderfalls or more recent series like younger or parenthood try being erica bonus points drake has a small role in the second episode a dozen other degrassi alums appear throughout the series and tatiana maslany of orphan black has a recurring role starting in season 2 shoutout to slates june thomas for alerting me that this long lost treasure was finally streaming watch on hulu
the lobster
colin farrell and rachel weisz star in yorgos lanthimoss surreal romantic drama which is set in a world where people have 45 days to find a partner or they will be turned into an animal kooky right as ao scott writes cruelty and humor are nestled like spoons in a drawer mr lanthimoss method is to elicit an appreciative chuckle followed by a gasp of shock and to deliver violence and whimsy in the same even tone this film is in limited release
 read the full review
 watch the trailer
 rent lanthimoss dogtooth on amazon
a bigger splash
tilda swinton stars as a david bowie esque rock star who is recovering on a sunny italian island after having throat surgery that prevents her from speaking much ralph fiennes and dakota johnson also star in this luca guadagnino film where everyone is attractive and the vistas are beautiful as manohla dargis writes the world that mr guadagnino creates is at once seductive and aspirational and another reminder that movies have always excelled at stoking consumer desires this film is in limited release
 read the full review
 watch the trailer
 watch i am love guadagnino and swintons previous film on netflix
 hell on wheels 29 days june 11
 suits 61 days july 13
 youre the worst 110 days aug 31


sam sifton emails readers of cooking five days a week to talk about food and suggest recipes that email also appears here to receive it in your inbox register here
good morning were stuck on a plane with the spottiest internet connection weve had since dial up days sitting behind some fit kid howdy boys talking loudly about protein shakes   and it doesnt matter the least little bit because were heading home for a weekend of cast iron peanut oil buttermilk and orange soda fried chicken season has begun
wont you join us thanks to kim severson weve got the late great edna lewiss recipe for pan fried chicken to share it is an excellent place to begin your voyage into the fried chicken months of spring and summer for first time fryers and veterans alike
but it is not the only place those who thrill to nashville style hot chicken can turn to melissa clarks great recipe for the version of that dish served at peaches hothouse in brooklyn spicy food not for you try my adaptation of a john currence recipe for cola brined fried chicken instead or you might take a run at this very simple deeply crunchy recipe for brooklyn bowl fried chicken which pete wells reported on back in 2011
taking a wider view you could make julia moskins awesomely good recipe for persian fried chicken or her recipe for korean fried chicken or her recipe for filipino fried chicken julia serves on the imaginary seventh committee of the united nations general assembly devoted to the humanitarian pursuit of the worlds best fried chicken recipes
you could even cook chicken outdoors as the wise john willoughby advises   his recipe for fried chicken for a crowd is an invaluable member of our collection of favorites
so thats happening and so is some coleslaw and macaroni and cheese maybe well get really serious and make our recipe for lobster mac and cheese which pairs with fried chicken like big rims on a classic 88 well heat some honey on the stove scatter red pepper flakes into it then serve it on the side with most every chicken on our list save julias
and maybe well make some collards too some biscuits and a grilled potato salad with chipotle bacon vinaigrette banana pudding for dessert yes please
what about you perhaps david taniss recipe for mashed fava bean crostini is more your style come the weekend lull or maybe youd prefer martha rose shulmans roasted vegetable bibimbap look we love a springtime greek salad as much as the next big eater   its just this weekend were in the tank for the chicken that is fried
browse cooking for other ideas please save the recipes you want to cook into your recipe boxes and rate the recipes you do cook when youre done eating the food leave notes on recipes post pictures of them on social media above the hashtag nytcooking and if you find yourself in a jam or a pickle its friday the 13th after all please reach out for help cookingcarenytimescom operators are standing by
now did you read jim lynchs truth like the sun the way i told you to a few months ago he has a new novel out before the wind that were going to crack open as soon as we get our chicken into the marinade tonight see what you think


times insider delivers behind the scenes insights into how news features and opinion come together at the new york times in this piece jere longman a sports reporter describes the evolution of his story on the quest for a two hour marathon
last september i flew to ethiopia on what was intended to be a weeklong assignment about an attempt by a provocative scientist yannis pitsiladis to train a runner to complete a marathon in less than two hours that is nearly three minutes faster than the current world record and a mark that would join the four minute mile as a test of human endurance
instead the assignment became a seven month odyssey as i followed mr pitsiladis around ethiopia across europe and even to the dead sea ive always been fascinated by people who have challenged common wisdom and were determined to do what others thought was impossible
mr pitsiladis wants to apply science to assist east african runners who have achieved greatness using little science he tells the story of tsegaye kebede an ethiopian who won a bronze medal in the marathon at the 2008 beijing olympics and has won the london and chicago marathons all without eating breakfast beforehand
i would argue that joe blow who is running four hours is using more science than these guys mr pitsiladis said
the test subject for mr pitsiladiss sub2 project is kenenisa bekele of ethiopia a three time olympic champion who is widely considered one of the two greatest distance runners of all time nearly 34 and almost broken by repeat injury mr bekele recovered with mr pitsiladiss guidance to finish third at the london marathon in april
it was fascinating over the months to see mr bekele recover his confidence at lunch at his home last september he removed one of his olympic medals from a trophy case in his living room and held it up
you have room for one more asked jos hermens his dutch manager
ill get a new house mr bekele said
in february at a traditional restaurant in addis ababa ethiopias capital it became clear how important mr bekeles success was to his country one of the worlds poorest but one with a rich running tradition
as dancers onstage whipped their necks at impossible angles the usually reserved mr bekele stood at his table briefly buoyantly he moved his shoulders and his body shivered
kenenisa is the hero of the country one of the dancers shouted his mother can be proud she doesnt need to have five or six children this one is strong enough


for his bookshop and website one grand books the editor aaron hicklin asked people to name the 10 books theyd take with them if they were marooned on a desert island the next in the series is the author marlon james who shares his list exclusively with t through may 22 one grand is hosting a pop up shop at industry city in sunset park brooklyn
summer lightning and other stories olive senior
because she taught me everything about matching devastation with economy the entire future of caribbean prose is mapped out in this collection of stories and i dont know a single caribbean writer who doesnt reread it often
the master and margarita mikhail bulgakov
nude vampires gun toting talking black cat and devil as ultimate party starter aside the miracle of this novel is that every time you read it its a different book
shame salman rushdie
what kafka gave marquez   permission to write   shame did for me and like all electrifying experiences at first it was just the shock that such things could be done with novels that got to me
song of solomon toni morrison
three quarters of the way in and sos is merely one of the three best books ive ever read but the last 60 pages are one of the most astonishing feats of writing ive ever read i remember reading it standing up almost in this fever and so thoroughly believing the ending that i almost jumped off my balcony
pride and prejudice jane austen
because nobody has ever been slyer with characters than austen it still blows my mind that her unsavory and unfortunate characters   mrs bennett lady catherine charlotte   are the only ones who truly know what time it is
tom jones henry fielding
first book i ever read for school that i was sad to see end best plot of all time maybe not but too close to the top to merit serious argument
dogeaters jessica hagedorn
possible the most brutally hilariously accurate portrait of post colonial jamaica ive ever read and its a novel about the philippines
the autumn of the patriarch gabriel garcia marquez
picking a marquez novel is a near impossible task its too easy to just go with the obvious choices but this is his most daring novel and the labyrinthine twists and turns of each sentence demands undivided attention   so perfect for a desert island then
palomar the heartbreak soup stories gilbert hernandez
i sometimes wonder if im the only person to realize that the collected palomar stories from one half of los bros hernandez adds up to the finest american novel of the past 30 years
epic traditions of africa stephen belcher
grimms fairytales are great the icelandic sagas are essential and im always here for grendel but sometimes you want to read about the cannibal witch unborn children who leave the womb at night to hunt for food and son jara the original lion king


times insider delivers behind the scenes insights from the new york times below are highlights from television and radio interviews featuring times reporters editors and columnists
jake silverstein the editor in chief of the new york times magazine joined pbss charlie rose for a panel discussion on the future of virtual reality
emily bazelon a staff writer at the magazine joined wnyc radios the brian lehrer show to discuss her recent magazine cover story on the growing movement to decriminalize prostitution
ian austen the timess correspondent in canada joined wcco radios the chad hartman show to discuss the raging wildfires in alberta
maria russo the childrens books editor at the times book review joined kcrw radios press play with madeleine brand to discuss how childrens books have been tackling more serious issues than before


front page
an article on april 13 about wildfires that are burning earlier and longer referred incorrectly to the scope of fires that burned in the united states in 2015 the 101 million acres that burned that year were the most in a year since before 1960 not the most on record statistics dating to 1916 show that in some decades the amount of acreage burned routinely exceeded 20 million annually and even 50 million at some points

an article on thursday about the large number of corporate mergers that have been withdrawn in 2016 described a merger between the irish drug maker shire and baxalta incorrectly it is shire that is acquiring baxalta not the other way around
international
because of an editing error an article on wednesday about president obamas planned visit to hiroshima japan erroneously attributed a distinction to secretary of state john kerry he is the highest ranking american administration official to visit hiroshima not the highest ranking american official the highest ranking american official to visit the city is nancy pelosi a former house speaker the error also appeared in this space on thursday in a correction for an april 12 article about a visit by mr kerry to hiroshima

an article on april 16 about criticism of the german chancellor angela merkel for allowing the prosecution of a german comic who had satirized the president of turkey in crude terms misspelled in some editions the given name of a legal expert who said ms merkel had faced a difficult decision he is constantin van lijnden not konstantin

an article on march 26 about arrests in the brussels terrorist bombings and reports of newly discovered links between the paris and brussels massacres misspelled at two points and in some editions the surname of belgiums justice minister who spoke at a parliamentary hearing he is koen geens not keens the errors were corrected online shortly after the article was published but editors failed to follow through with this print correction
national
an article on wednesday about opioid addicts who turn to imodium and other anti diarrhea medications to get high misstated some details about the death of a 19 year old in texas that involved loperamide the active ingredient in the medications the case was investigated by the harris county institute of forensic sciences not the university of texas health science center at houston and it was jeffrey walterscheid not amitava dasgupta who used liquid chromatography mass spectrometry to pinpoint loperamide as the culprit

an article on saturday about harvards plans to impose restrictions on exclusive student clubs misstated the timing of a letter to the harvard crimson by charles m storey the president of the alumni group for one such club his letter was sent the day before   not the same day of   a meeting between harvard administrators and representatives of the clubs
new york
an article in some editions on wednesday about a mistrial that was declared in the manhattan trial of nicholas santora and three co defendants on charges of enterprise corruption misspelled the surname of one of the co defendants he is anthony santoro not santora
business day
an article on thursday about job market challenges for young people without college degrees misspelled the surname of a massachusetts teenager who is graduating from a vocational school next month he is issac cardoso not cordoso the error was repeated in an accompanying picture caption
the arts
because of an editing error a picture caption on wednesday with an article about the composer carla bley erroneously attributed a distinction to her she works primarily as a composer she is not a pioneer of free improvisation as the article correctly noted it was her first husband paul bley who pioneered free improvisation
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los angeles   bartolo colon stood in the on deck circle staring out at clayton kershaw one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball as eric campbell stood at the plate in one of many mismatches that took place on this cool evening at chavez ravine
in his previous game colon had homered for the first time in his 19 year career and on wednesday noah syndergaard had reinforced the notion of mets pitchers as dangerous hitters by whacking two home runs
but any chance that colon would follow that up with another stunning display of batsmanship was highly unlikely against kershaw who was on his way to a brilliant three hit 13 strikeout shutout
some of the best hitters in the world fail against kershaw let alone an endearing rotund part time bat swinger like colon
after campbell grounded out colon briefly dipped his head and walked to the plate for his turn against the three time national league cy young award winner predictably it did not go as well as things had last saturday in san diego
colon struck out looking on four pitches and walked back to the dugout to refocus on his real job pitching but that side of his work did not go very well either
i wasnt expecting to take any swings colon said through an interpreter the inning prior was a little long so i was trying to get some rest
the dodgers touched him for five runs in five innings including a three run homer by yasmani grandal and a solo shot by chase utley villain of villains to mets fans colon was removed for a pinch hitter in the sixth so he had only the one at bat
kershaw was at his best dominating the mets over nine nearly flawless innings as the dodgers won 5 0 it was kershaws second shutout in his last three games he also shut out the padres on may 1 in a game the dodgers won 1 0
kershaw 5 1 struck out 13 batters   including all three in the ninth   giving him five straight games with at least 10 strikeouts a new dodgers record that is an impressive mark for a team that has featured some of the games top hurlers like sandy koufax don drysdale orel hershiser don sutton fernando valenzuela and hideo nomo
in his 250th career start kershaw improved to 7 0 in 10 starts against the mets with a 117 era and he is 81 0 over all when he gets four or more runs in support
dodgers manager dave roberts noted kershaws fastball command and his slider depth and his curveball was another potent weapon
we had the best pitcher on the planet going roberts said adding you give him the lead he smells the finish line   he smells blood
kershaw now has 14 shutouts the most among active pitchers colon is second with 13
over his previous three starts before thursdays game kershaw had struck out 34 batters without issuing a single walk it was the second time he had constructed such a streak including one last year
the only other pitcher in the last 100 years to put together three straight games with at least 10 strikeouts and no walks was chris archer of the tampa bay rays also last year
but in the first inning kershaw walked david wright on a full count fastball out of the zone it was the first base on balls kershaw had allowed since april 21
the first hit was somewhat cheap a roller through the right side of the infield by asdrubal cabrera who had two of the hits leading off the fourth kershaw struck out wright swinging and then got yoenis cespedes to ground into a double play to end the inning
kershaw continued to handcuff the mets setting down the next five batters until curtis granderson doubled into the right field corner with two outs in the sixth
it was only the second extra base hit by a lefty that kershaw had surrendered all season 49 at bats but kershaw struck out cabrera looking to end that threat
in the ninth kershaw struck out lucas duda granderson and wright


joe pavelski tied a franchise record with his ninth goal of the playoffs as the san jose sharks advanced to the western conference final with a 5 0 victory in game 7 against the nashville predators on thursday night
joel ward logan couture joe thornton and patrick marleau also scored as san jose bounced back from a lackluster loss to thoroughly dominate the predators
defensive miscues by nashvilles two top defensemen the captain shea weber and roman josi led to early san jose goals as goalie pekka rinne got little help from his teammates martin jones made 20 saves for san joses first playoff shutout in six years
san jose opens the conference finals on the road sunday against the st louis blues the sharks previously got there in 2004 2010 and 2011   only to lose each time as a long run of regular season success behind stars such as thornton and marleau has not yet led to the ultimate postseason goal
united states shuts out france the united states moved a step closer to qualifying for the quarterfinals of the hockey world championship beating france 4 0 in st petersburg russia chris wideman connor murphy and j t compher scored in quick succession late in the second period and brady skjei scored in the third
the united states is 2 2 and in third place in group b behind canada and finland the top four teams advance
also thursday canada downed germany 5 2 in its tightest win yet the czech republic routed norway 7 0 to take a 3 point lead atop group a and host russia demolished denmark 10 1
injury report devils forward patrik elias and goalie cory schneider each had surgery this week elias the teams all time leading scorer had surgery on his right knee the 40 year old becomes an unrestricted free agent on july 1 schneider had surgery for a core muscle injury
scott skiles resigned as coach of the orlando magic after just one season with the team a development that executives insisted they had not seen coming skiles left after a sometimes turbulent season in which orlando improved by 10 wins finishing 35 47 but again missed the playoffs
skiles a former magic player previously coached in phoenix chicago and milwaukee his departure leaves orlando as the fourth nba team with a coaching opening along with indiana memphis and houston
wnba loses experience the atlanta dream released the wnbas oldest player delisha milton jones 41 a three time all star and two time olympic gold medalist she has played in a league record 499 games
the kansas city royals revamped their rotation after putting the starters chris young and kris medlen on the 15 day disabled list young has a strained right forearm and medlen has inflammation in his right rotator cuff dillon gee and danny duffy will fill in while young 1 5 668 era and medlen 1 3 777 era are out
trade time the chicago white sox acquired pitcher anthony ranaudo from the texas rangers two days after the right hander walked five white sox hitters in one inning the rangers received the minor league pitcher matt ball
the pro football hall of fame announced that it would create a permanent home for the black college football hall of fame as part of a 500 million development in canton ohio that is scheduled to be completed in 2019
the black college football hall of fame which honors those who played and coached at historically black colleges and universities was founded in 2009 by the former nfl quarterbacks doug williams and james harris
around the nfl seattle seahawks wide receiver ricardo lockette retired six months after sustaining a serious neck injury  new england patriots tight end rob gronkowski was named the cover athlete of the madden nfl 17 video game succeeding giants receiver odell beckham jr
victor montagliani was elected as concacafs third president in a year charged with leading the recovery of the confederation after years of corruption scandals
montagliani who heads the canadian soccer association takes the job after three of his recent predecessors have been indicted by federal prosecutors in a sprawling fifa bribery case he claimed a 25 16 victory over larry mussenden of bermuda the fifa appeals panel chairman after a split in votes in the caribbean bloc
montagliani served last year on the reform panel that helped rewrite fifas rules after sprawling investigations into corruption among soccer officials
jeffrey webb a cayman islands banker was removed as concacaf president after being arrested last may his interim successor the honduran lawyer alfredo hawit was indicted in december jack warner of trinidad and tobago the president from 1990 to 2011 has also been indicted
everton fires manager roberto martinez was fired by everton after failing to get the best out of what is widely regarded as the clubs strongest squad in years the team won only one of its last 10 games in all competitions and is in 12th place in the premier league
the former netherlands defender frank de boer who announced that he would leave the dutch team ajax has been linked with the everton managers job
penalty dispute leads to trade striker kei kamara was traded from the columbus crew to the new england revolution in an mls swap days after a heated argument with his teammate federico higuain
kamara who led mls with 22 goals last year was involved in a spat with higuain last saturday over who would take a penalty in a 4 4 draw with montreal higuain eventually converted the kick to give columbus a 4 1 lead but kamara ripped him and the team after the match
the revolution sent a record 300000 in allocation money and two draft picks to the crew
agence france presse


washington   detainees at guantanamo bay cuba could plead guilty to criminal charges in civilian court via video teleconference under a provision being considered by the senate that could open a new avenue to whittling down the prisons remaining population
the senate armed services committee announced late thursday that it had included the provision in the annual national defense authorization act the bill which now goes to the full senate would also authorize detainees who pleaded guilty through video teleconference to be transferred to other countries to serve their sentences
the legislation would largely extend an existing ban on bringing detainees to the united states mr obama had asked congress to lift that ban his plan for closing the prison is to bring a small number of detainees who cannot be transferred to a replacement wartime prison on domestic soil
however the bill would allow the temporary transfer of detainees to the united states for emergency medical treatment the committee said the base in cuba has only limited medical equipment and capabilities
the committee has not yet released the text of the bill but it issued a summary after finishing a closed door session on thursday to make revisions
senator lindsey graham republican of south carolina and a member of the committee said he supported an all of the above approach that would give the government a criminal disposition path for rank and file detainees   especially if it did not involve bringing them to a courthouse on domestic soil something he said could make the courthouse a target still mr graham emphasized that he thought it made more sense to use military commissions for contested trials of high value terrorists
late last year several lawyers who represent detainees sent a letter to the justice department expressing interest in exploring plea deals by video teleconference   but only in civilian court not military commissions
allowing a detainee to plead guilty and cooperate with the us government is a no brainer said wells dixon a lawyer for the center for constitutional rights which represents many detainees this provision should draw broad bipartisan support it is an important step toward cleaning up the mess that exists at guantanamo and reducing the so called irreducible minimum who remain in limbo
civilian court offers several advantages for detainees seeking a defined sentence and an exit from the wartime prison
detainees who participated in a terrorist group but were not linked to any specific attack could plead guilty to several offenses under domestic criminal law including conspiracy and providing material support to terrorism a federal appeals court has ruled that those offenses are not available in a military commission because they are not war crimes
in addition civilian courts unlike commissions can count previous time in custody toward any sentence most of the detainees have been locked up for about 14 years without trial
the detainees lawyers had argued that federal rules could be interpreted as permitting guilty pleas by remote video link but justice department officials concluded that the rules did not permit people to plead guilty to a felony while not physically present in court according to officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations
several weeks ago the obama administration sent to congress several proposals about detainee issues to consider including in the national defense authorization act including steps to make military commissions which have been plagued with problems more efficient the committees announcement did not say whether it had approved that request
officials said that the administration had also considered asking congress to permit remote guilty pleas but decided not to after the justice department raised an additional concern whether a judge would accept a guilty plea as voluntary when the alternative was continued indefinite detention rather than a trial
eighty detainees remain at guantanamo of them 10 have been charged or convicted in the military commissions system 44 have been neither charged nor recommended for transfer and 26 have been recommended for transfer
the administrations interagency process approved transfer deals for 14 of the 26 on that list several weeks ago officials said although defense secretary ashton b carter has not yet notified congress that he approved them the statutory transfer restrictions require that he do so at least 30 days before any detainee leaves
lee wolosky the state department envoy who negotiates transfers said while we are unable to comment on specific transfers we remain pleased that our allies and partners continue to provide assistance as we work to reduce the detainee population through foreign transfers one of the main pillars of the plan to close the detention facility at guantanamo


washington   the navy on thursday reassigned the officer who commanded the 10 sailors who were detained by iran in january after their boats strayed into its territorial waters the service said in a statement
the officer cmdr eric rasch was relieved of his duties because the navy had lost confidence in his ability to command the statement said
the navy said the decision was made after a preliminary investigation but it provided no other details it is expected to release the findings of the inquiry in the coming weeks some of the sailors are expected to be reprimanded
on jan 12 two patrol boats that were being moved to bahrain from kuwait came within a few miles of farsi island in the persian gulf the home of an iranian military base after making a navigational error defense secretary ashton b carter said that month
iranian revolutionary guards corps boats stopped the american vessels made the sailors put their hands behind their heads and detained them the iranians later released video of the episode including a clip of an american sailor giving an apology
republicans seized on the issue saying president obama had tolerated the humiliation of the sailors
news of the episode broke hours before mr obama was to give his final state of the union address he did not mention the sailors in the speech
in the hours after the sailors detention secretary of state john f kerry called his iranian counterpart mohammad javad zarif to urge him to have the sailors released the two men had grown close while negotiating the agreement that led iran to curtail its nuclear program
the following morning the sailors were released administration officials asserted that the action demonstrated a benefit of the nations improved relationship with iran


oklahoma city   standing alone 26 feet from the basket kevin durant flicked his wrist and held his hand aloft as the ball curved from his fingertips and splashed through the net an earsplitting celebratory roar swelled up from the stands at chesapeake energy arena
this was an unexpected scene
it was only the second quarter in game 6 of the western conference semifinal matchup on thursday between the oklahoma city thunder and the san antonio spurs the thunder had built a three games to two lead through the first five contests the spurs facing elimination had vowed to come out angry they promised more energy better execution
that explained the feeling of delight and delirium in the crowd after durants basket which came with two seconds left in the first half and capped a stunning 45 15 run it gave oklahoma city a 24 point halftime lead the spurs despite a frantic effort in the fourth quarter never recovered and they lost 113 99
it was odd to see and almost hard to believe the leagues second winningest team this season failing to escape the second round the spurs won 67 games during the regular season second only to the golden state warriors 73 they had the leagues best defense a crisp and multipronged offense
thus the thunder the winners of 55 games and the no 3 seed in the conference were seen as the underdogs they seemed talented but flawed   exciting but ultimately inferior to the classy spurs
we were confident coming here durant said were happy to be moving forward and having an opportunity to play again
he added we wasnt in this position for nothing
now the thunder will meet the warriors in game 1 of the western conference finals on monday night in oakland calif
golden states a great team thunder coach billy donovan said it will be a great challenge weve got a little bit of time to get prepared before we play
on thursday night durant was spectacular scoring 37 points russell westbrook added 28 points and 12 assists
for the spurs the defeat may mark the end of an era never before had tim duncan tony parker and manu ginobili   the core of four nba championship teams   looked so collectively ineffectual
everybodys disappointed   the only team thats not disappointed is the last team standing spurs coach gregg popovich said when asked about the season coming to an end everybody loses but one
the evergreen san antonio offense seemed pared to two options midrange jumpers and isolated post ups for lamarcus aldridge they struggled to find open shots
kawhi leonard scored a team high 22 duncan in what might have been his last game scored 19 points and grabbed 5 rebounds aldridge had 18 points and 14 rebounds
popovich meanwhile flailed in hope of finding something anything to invigorate his group
he played kevin martin who had appeared for 44 seconds in the previous four games combined in the first quarter in the second he put in the 7 foot 3 rookie center boban marjonovic who had played 44 seconds in the last three games he used the 40 year old point guard andre miller who had not played since game 1 extensively in the second half
nothing worked the thunder were too forceful too dynamic they kept firing throughout the third and they led by 91 65 heading into the final period the spurs chipped away in the fourth getting as close as 11 points with about three minutes left but serge ibaka blocked duncan at the rim and the thunder broke away to secure a transition dunk for durant
that block was game sealing durant said that was like a clutch basket
popovich had a serene look on his face as he watched the proceedings facing elimination before the game he was his normal sardonic self he smirked when asked during the teams morning shootaround how the team could create more scoring opportunities for leonard
were working on inventing a new play that nobodys ever seen before and were going to unleash it tonight he said the thunder wont know what the hell is going on am i done yet
hours later at a pregame news conference popovich shot down a question about whether he was feeling reflective   about his aging players about the run they had through the years   during these playoffs
i dont think about that at all he said theres a game tonight
as he walked toward the conference room door he muttered under his breath im going to go reflect
there will be plenty of time to reflect now
for a short time before they crumbled the spurs looked purposeful aldridge pumped his left fist after making a hook shot for the first points of the game duncan contributed early too he sank his first three shot attempts   a hook shot a tip in and a bank shot from 4 feet   before going to the bench
but the thunder crept back after a slow start fans at oklahoma city games remain standing until the team scores a point and the fans were on their feet until 2 minutes 30 seconds had ticked off the clock   seeing four misses   before westbrook swooped to the rim for a layup the thunder ended the quarter on a 12 0 run and with consecutive rim shaking dunks from steven adams and durant to build a 25 19 lead after one quarter
from there the baskets kept coming it was uncanny but the fans seemed not to mind they exploded when durant sank his shot just before halftime and they kept yelling and dancing until the final buzzer when blue and orange ribbons floated down from the ceiling


one could be forgiven for experiencing some whiplash from the spate of intense auctions this week one moment the art world was bemoaning sothebys poor impressionist and modern sale on monday evening as confirmation of a softening of demand the next moment the art world was celebrating sothebys successful contemporary sale on wednesday evening as evidence of the markets resilience
all in all these disparate results suggest more about the categories than they do about the overall art climate contemporary todd levin an art adviser said on thursday is now the market barometer
christies impressionist and modern sale on thursday evening confirmed this perspective with a noticeably subdued sale of works by monet modigliani and other late 19th and early 20th century masters that raised 1415 million including fees from 51 lots 86 percent of which sold this was just above the low estimate for the sale 134 million
the result was in striking contrast to sothebys contemporary sale the night before when a selling rate of 95 percent and a total of 2422 million confounded doomsayers
dealers say the auction boom of the 1980s has left the inventory of so called imps and mods in short supply its getting harder to find great material from pre 1945 abigail asher an art adviser said theres a constant supply of fresh works in the contemporary market and that creates energy in impressionist and modern there are so few great fresh things
with collectors reluctant to test the market with trophies and auction houses increasingly cautious with guarantees there were no obvious mega lots at christies on thursday proceeds from the sale   which included only one guarantee   were down 30 percent from the 2026 million achieved at the equivalent sale last year
but the sale did have its moments here are a few of them
fading impressions with an estimate of 25 million to 35 million claude monets signed and dated 1919 canvas le bassin aux nympheas was the most highly valued lot in the sale though the original canvas had been divided down the middle sometime before 1944 perhaps by a dealer to create two separate paintings the right side of the painting was for sale on thursday the left portion is in the tel aviv museum of art
never offered at auction before this work   40 inches square   had not been included in any of monets major museum shows there could be nothing hopefully easier to sell laura paulson christies deputy chairwoman said before the auction it sold for 27 million to glenn a fuller of the london gallery gladwell  patterson after two christies staff members struggled to connect with telephone bidders i robbed that lot mr fuller said afterward it was an absolute steal
monets smaller once vaunted impressionist paintings from the 1870s have become far less fashionable the atmospheric 1874 canvas au petit gennevilliers featuring sailboats on the seine sold for 114 million below the 12 million low estimate the auction high for an 1870s monet is 415 million in 2008
a modest modigliani modiglianis jeune femme a la rose margherita from 1916 was considerably more modest than the full frontal study by the artist with which christies set an auction high of 1704 million last fall shes a clothed albeit still seductive modigliani ms paulson said not everyone wants to live with a nude she called the 12 million to 18 million range a real come and get me estimate but the piece barely made the low valuation selling for 128 million with fees
pick of the picassos picasso the only artist who has sold for more than 100 million three times at auction remains the godfather of imps and mods but in the absence of any serious guarantees the auctions were short of prime works by the artist perhaps the most famous of the 20th century the best that christies had to offer was homme assis a five foot 1969 canvas from picassos musketeers series estimated at 8 million to 12 million from the estate of the philadelphia property magnate kenneth kaiserman and his wife susan the painting sold for 8 million with fees to the nahmad family of dealers
kahlo disappoints frida kahlos typically enigmatic 1939 oil on metal painting dos desnudos en el bosque la tierra misma showing two naked women in a surrealist landscape was one of the few museum quality works in the sale it was included in tate moderns 2005 show devoted to the artist kahlo whose work rarely comes to market is usually offered at latin american sales but christies hoped to expose the painting to a wider audience demand was muted and the painting sold on one bid at the low estimate 8 million with fees an auction high for the artist
final word jay vincze christies international director and head of the impressionist and modern department said there are a lot of buyers out there and theyre after good stuff but its a very selective market going forward and you need to be even more careful about curating your sales you cant pull the wool over peoples eyes


carlos beltran kept drifting back back back until his feet traversed from the outfield grass into the dirt of the warning track and he raised his glove high then he jumped
the air was warm at yankee stadium on thursday night giving the baseballs extra life a little foreshadowing of the impending summer this one off the bat of kansas city catcher salvador perez in the fifth inning did not surprise royals manager ned yost he said he had seen perez hit nine home runs to right field in batting practice
when he hit it yost said i thought it had a chance
instead beltran robbed what might have been a go ahead three run homer   or at least an extra base hit off the top of the wall   from obliterating starter nathan eovaldis night when the ball nestled in beltrans glove so too died the royals best chance of a come from behind victory
the yankees calculus for winning games relies on bullpen arms and fans are beginning to see the full force of their effect in thursdays 7 3 win the new closer aroldis chapman did not appear but he warmed up in case the score got tight and his presence allowed manager joe girardi to use dellin betances in the seventh inning and andrew miller in the eighth shutting down the royals after eovaldis early exit
eovaldi lasted only five innings after surrendering three runs on eight hits but it was enough to earn him a second consecutive win kirby yates pitched a scoreless sixth to form the bridge to betances
i thought he struggled with his split tonight girardi said but he did what he had to to win that game
the damage started when alex gordon blasted a 99 mile per hour fastball over the yankees bullpen in right center field in the fourth a run scoring single by christian colon cut the yankees lead to 3 2 before didi gregorius hit a two run homer in the bottom of the inning to give eovaldi a bit more cushion
gregorius was one of three yankees to homer in the first four innings off starter ian kennedy the second batter of the first inning starlin castro poked a home run out to right to put the yankees on the board early
in the second chase headley 2 for 3 sliced a ball the opposite way down the left field line and it found the stands to put the yankees ahead by 3 0 it had been 228 days since headleys last extra base hit that is with consistent playing time he had been the only regular starter left in baseball without anything other than singles among his hits this season
so when his ball sliced five rows deep into the left field stands the yankees dugout exploded in jubilation
i think theyve been as supportive and helpful of getting through a tough time as they possibly can be headley said its not an easy place to play when youre not playing well these guys in here have been tremendous and im very appreciative of that
headley is 7 for 20 on the homestand with four rbi and five runs scored
i dont care how long youve been in the game when youre struggling like that its tough girardi said but hes remained patient
the lineup girardi noted is beginning to behave the way the club had envisioned it would before the season the yankees have scored at least five runs in seven of the last 11 games
but before the game general manager brian cashman said his optimism for the future was based mostly on the bullpen vision he helped concoct
most clubs are trying to figure out the back of their bullpen cashman said our focus is going to be dealing with the underbelly of getting to the seventh eighth or ninth inning with our starters it should be an easier focus than locking down the late part of the game
inside pitch
alex rodriguez jogged in the outfield for the first time thursday and reported no soreness in his right hamstring giving the yankees confidence that he might be activated once his 15 days on the disabled list are completed by may 19 ill have a much better answer in the next 48 hours rodriguez said


san francisco   apple invested 1 billion in didi chuxing chinas biggest ride hailing service moving for the first time into on demand transportation in one of the largest ever strategic investments by the iphone maker
the move is highly unusual for apple which has generally been quiet when it comes to deal making
while the company based in cupertino calif has bought technology start ups here and there its last big investment was the acquisition of beats a headphone maker and music service for 3 billion in 2014
at the time the beats deal was also regarded as a departure for apple
apples move into a chinese company is also notable apple is attempting to reinvigorate flagging iphone sales in china the companys second largest market and just last month apple shuttered its ibooks and itunes movie stores in the country
didi exemplifies the innovation taking place in the ios developer community in china tim cook chief executive of apple said in a statement we are extremely impressed by the business theyve built and their excellent leadership team and we look forward to supporting them as they grow
apples sales have encountered a sharp slowdown in china the company reported sales of 125 billion in greater china which includes china hong kong and taiwan in its most recent fiscal quarter that was down 26 percent from the previous year
it had an operating profit of 48 billion from the region in the quarter down 28 percent from the previous year
apple has been working on its own secret car project which one independent analyst neil cybart said on wednesday had accounted for much of the billions of dollars in research and development spending by the company
apple certainly has the money to spare as of march 26 the company said it had nearly 233 billion in cash and marketable securities
an apple spokeswoman referred back to mr cooks statement and did not add anything further uber declined to comment
the first time we met with mr cook we shared with him a joke said jean liu didis president in a conference call with reporters on thursday evening our companys legal name is called little orange we figured a company named after a fruit could always achieve something big
four years old didi chuxing is chinas pre eminent ride hailing service and a major competitor to uber an american company that is spending millions to make inroads into the chinese market
didi serves close to 300 million users across more than 400 chinese cities according to the company
the endorsement from apple is an enormous encouragement and inspiration for our four year old company cheng wei founder and chief executive of didi said in a statement
didi will work hard with our drivers riders and global partners to make available to every citizen flexible and reliable mobility choices and help cities solve transportation environmental and employment challenges


washington   the obama administration on friday will announce the latest in its scientific moonshots this one in the red hot field of microbiomes   the trillions of micro organisms in places like soil and the human gut
the new national microbiome initiative is intended to create scientific tools discoveries and training techniques that could advance efforts to cure asthma and depression clean up oil spills and even increase crop yields the initiative will involve more than a dozen federal agencies top universities major philanthropies and corporate giants
this initiative is about connecting a lot of the threads and looking for common insights across different domains john p holdren the director of the white house office of science and technology policy said in an interview theres just an incredible amount of excitement about this
microbiomes have become the focus of intense study and public interest the microbes that live inside the human body for example play important roles in health like fighting diseases helping children develop and maintaining a balanced immune system microbiomes in the oceans produce half of the oxygen we breathe
the research has generated interest in part because it suggests that even simple remedies like eating certain foods could result in substantial changes in human health
more than 100 institutions will participate in an event at the white house on friday to announce the initiative and many will come with promises of money or new efforts to study microbiomes
the bill and melinda gates foundation will announce 100 million in new grants over the next four years the university of pittsburgh will announce the creation of a center for medicine and the microbiome
the obama administration is committing 121 million in a two year effort a small figure in government scientific efforts because much of the money is proposed for next year the initiative will need congressional approval and to have any hope of yielding results it will need to be embraced by president obamas successor
some experts expressed skepticism about the government effort
i want to use government funding for science smartly and i dont think these top down approaches work even though they have benefited me said jonathan eisen a microbiome expert at the university of california davis most of them waste an enormous amount of money
the federal government has been sponsoring research into the microbiome for decades in 2007 the national institutes of health began the human microbiome project in an effort to create a comprehensive dictionary of these micro organisms
since then the field has exploded and researchers across different disciplines   crop science immunotherapy and biofuels   have begun to realize that they are working on similar problems
the microbiome represents the only organ that can be replaced without surgery said jo handelsman a microbiologist at the white house just by eating differently taking drugs exercising and other things you can have fairly immediate effects on your microbiome and your health if we only knew how
few areas of research are generating as much excitement as the microbiome is new research for instance suggests that much of the worlds childhood malnutrition arises not from a lack of food but from problems with childrens intestinal microbiomes caused by poor sanitation the field has also begun to show that antibiotics by killing off beneficial bacteria could lead to long term problems
dr holdren said he hoped the initiative would help create scientific tools that could be used in places as diverse as the bottom of a volcano and the skin of a newborn to help uncover the secrets of the microbiomes in each environment
were trying to tease out what is new in all of these different domains dr holdren said and all of this will reinforce each other


sydney   a private security contractor has been killed at the australian embassy in baghdad australias foreign minister said on friday
australian news media reported that the man had been shot but a spokeswoman for the foreign minister julie bishop would not confirm that the circumstances surrounding his death will be thoroughly investigated she said in a statement
the 34 year old contractor who was not identified worked for unity resources group an australian firm that provides security services at the embassy


it began with great fanfare in the spring of 2014 gov andrew m cuomo and mayor bill de blasio joined forces to help elect a democratic majority in the new york state senate a goal to which mr cuomo had paid lip service but had done little to achieve
it did not however end well
the republicans prevailed on election day weeks after the unusual alliance between the governor and the mayor ruptured amid accusations that mr cuomo was sabotaging the effort the democratic senate candidates were not the only losers eighteen months later mr de blasio and several aides along with a number of consultants and labor union operatives find themselves caught up in a criminal investigation focused on how they directed money into some of the contested races
the inquiry focuses squarely on the de blasio teams effort to use county committees to deliver more money than would be allowed through contribution caps that apply to individual candidates
but the cuomo campaign was nonetheless involved in the overall effort to help the democrats retake the senate at least behind the scenes according to documents and correspondence reviewed by the new york times and to people briefed on the effort
meetings were held plans drawn up and lawyers consulted and perhaps most important money was raised   in the end well over 1 million
a senior aide to the governor joseph percoco took part in some of the earliest organizational and planning sessions with a top de blasio administration official and campaign lawyers for the mayor and the governor the materials reviewed by the times show
mr percoco also received central legal and operational documents on how the fund raising effort would be carried out three weeks before the election he corresponded with emma wolfe one of the mayors closest advisers about the procedures for paying for hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign advertisements and mailings for democratic candidates in targeted races according to the materials
the disclosures seem to suggest that mr percoco who was one of the governors most trusted senior staff members until he left the administration in january may have been aware of some of the conduct that is now under scrutiny and that is at the heart of the fund raising inquiry his lawyer barry a bohrer declined to comment
basil a smikle jr the executive director of the new york state democratic party which took part in the effort and is controlled by mr cuomo a democrat said that neither the state party nor the governors campaign took part in the fund raising activities that are now under scrutiny
mr smikle said that mr percoco ms wolfe and others were clearly advised by legal counsel that fund raising earmarking was a circumvention of the states campaign finance limits eventually the coordinated effort became divided after internal strategic and operational disagreements he said citing published reports mr smikle added that the mayors group is now under investigation suspected of using earmarked funds through the democratic county committees of ulster and putnam counties
an election lawyer for the mayor laurence d laufer who advised on the senate effort dismissed mr smikles version of events
there was clear legal guidance provided to all parties that was rigorously adhered to he said in a statement provided by mr de blasios campaign the notion that the state party had concerns about any legal issue or backed away from the effort because of that is patently ridiculous
the state party according to correspondence reviewed by the times continued to pay roughly 1 million for television commercials mailings and consultants as part of the effort up until the final weeks before the election with most of that money raised by mr de blasio
the mayor a democrat has repeatedly defended the fund raising campaign saying in a recent radio interview we specifically followed   every step along the way   legal guidance he and others have said political campaigns have used similar practices for decades
the criminal investigation by the office of the manhattan district attorney and the federal bureau of investigation is focused on allegations that the mayor his aides and a team of consultants and labor union representatives whom he assembled sought to use county committees and the new york state democratic senate campaign committee to evade the 10300 limit on donations to individual candidates county committees can receive contributions of 102300
it is a felony for donors to earmark contributions to the committees to be passed on to certain candidates prosecutors involved in the investigation interpret the statute which has never been tested in court to mean that it is also a felony under state election law to solicit donations in order to avoid contribution limits people briefed on the matter have said an interpretation that mr de blasios campaign lawyers dispute
no evidence has been uncovered that mr percoco did anything illegal or improper as part of the fund raising efforts people briefed on the matter said he is the target of an unrelated federal corruption investigation focused on the governors largest economic development project known as the buffalo billion
at the time of the fund raising effort mr percoco resigned as the governors deputy executive secretary so he could serve as the manager of mr cuomos 2014 re election campaign
among the materials the times reviewed was a july 16 2014 document prepared as part of that years senate campaign effort that summarized the fund raising and spending rules that would apply to the coordinated effort it listed the contribution limits and restrictions on funds for five recipient committees that could be used in the undertaking they included the county committees the democratic senate campaign committee and the new york state democratic committee which is controlled by mr cuomo
the inclusion of another committee the womens party multicandidate political committee also underscored the governors influence that committee created and controlled by mr cuomo would later be named the womens equality party for reasons that are unclear the womens equality party was apparently not used in the effort
mr percoco and a legal adviser for the state democratic party attended one of the fund raising efforts early planning meetings on july 16 at the lower manhattan office of the law firm genova burns giantomasi webster according to the documents correspondence and people briefed on the effort
among others in attendance were ms wolfe and mr laufer who represents mr de blasios successful 2013 mayoral campaign his current re election campaign and the campaign for one new york a nonprofit that has pushed his agenda mr laufer who was then with the genova firm also represents some of the other entities involved in the 2014 fund raising effort
the materials reviewed by the times also included a brief legal analysis prepared by mr laufer and dated oct 8 2014 which concluded that the fund raising effort was not engaging in earmarking the other dated oct 17 was a longer more detailed examination of election law relating to the fund raising operation which said it was written to provide guidance to ensure the campaign was carried out in compliance with the law
the investigation is one of at least five separate corruption inquiries focused on the mayor and his inner circle people with knowledge of those inquiries have said
the 2014 senate materials reviewed by the times also show that mr percoco was involved until at least mid october when correspondence with ms wolfe shows that the two were negotiating over how to track and pay some of the roughly 1 million in television advertising and mailings
mr percocos role in helping the senate democrats elements of which were reported by politico new york ran counter to mr cuomos actions in the past despite his promises of support he did little that year to publicly assist the democratic candidates
other questions about the investigation including whether it may expand beyond violations of election law or remain narrowly focused on those allegations remain prosecutors have subpoenaed several of the mayors senior aides and the finance chairman of his campaign as well as a number of consultants who worked on the effort who are very close to the mayor according to city hall officials and others briefed on the inquiry democratic candidates from the 2014 race have also received subpoenas as have some of the county committees
while the ultimate outcome of this particular investigation is uncertain a number of political consultants and lawyers involved in the inquiry say one thing is clear the investigation along with the others swirling around the mayor will not make fund raising for him any easier in this election season


mayor bill de blasio addressed a closed door crowd of roughly 600 in a brooklyn bowling alley on thursday night for a birthday party that doubled as a fund raiser and an early rally for his 2017 re election campaign
to a room packed with supporters   lobbyists and actors taxi drivers and public relations experts   mr de blasio a democrat pitched his run for a second term as essentially defensive urging those in the crowd to help stand with him against the powerful forces arrayed against the progressive change brought by his administration these changes will not last if we are not strong and we are not vigilant he said his voice stretching into a campaign cadence the billionaire class does not give in easily to a progressive agenda
as he had done in his 2013 campaign mr de blasio incorporated his family from the start his wife chirlane mccray introduced the celebrity draw for the 100 minimum donation event the comedian louis ck during his 14 minute speech the mayor brought out his son dante now in college whose presence in campaign advertisements helped secure victory and tousled his hair
the event was the first hosted by mr de blasio who turned 55 on may 8 since a raft of investigations into aspects of his fund raising by state agencies the manhattan district attorney and the united states attorney for the southern district of new york came to light starting last month
neither mr de blasio nor louis ck who introduced the mayor directly addressed the inquiries though they appeared to shadow the event which was closed to the news media tickets were on sale to anyone and a video was later made public the specter of those inquiries as well as the reality of negative headlines appeared to animate both mr de blasio and ms mccray
despite the negativity the feeding frenzy among the elite theres something i want you to know about bill she said in her five minute speech bill never backs down from a fight
mr de blasio said he expected to face challengers during his re election campaign and those other candidates will be well connected he said theyll be well funded theyll have deep ties to wall street and albany and washington
though the event held at brooklyn bowl in the williamsburg neighborhood was never sold out a spokesman for the mayors campaign dan levitan said more people had bought tickets than could be accommodated in the portion of the cavernous space reserved for it the bowling area remained blocked off from those at the fund raiser
some came for louis ck whose expletive filled ode to new york as an equalizing city and mr de blasio as the nerd and goofball mayor digressed into other curiosities of city life train troubles and the ineffectiveness of 311 what parts of duck anatomy can be bought for consumption in chinatown and how polish sandwich makers in greenpoint brooklyn make sandwiches only one way
others like more than a dozen city hall staff members attended out of professional obligation beer and wine were free a line for the food stretched and moved slowly bowling pins clattered in the alleys to the right of the stage before the speeches began conversation continued at a dull murmur throughout
mr de blasio articulated a kind of campaign theme before closing his speech weve come too far to turn back he said of his administrations accomplishments now it is our mission to make it stick


washington   the obama administration is planning to issue a sweeping directive telling every public school district in the country to allow transgender students to use the bathrooms that match their gender identity
a letter to school districts will go out friday adding to a highly charged debate over transgender rights in the middle of the administrations legal fight with north carolina over the issue the declaration   signed by justice and education department officials   will describe what schools should do to ensure that none of their students are discriminated against
it does not have the force of law but it contains an implicit threat schools that do not abide by the obama administrations interpretation of the law could face lawsuits or a loss of federal aid
the move is certain to draw fresh criticism particularly from republicans that the federal government is wading into local matters and imposing its own values on communities across the country that may not agree it represents the latest example of the obama administration using a combination of policies lawsuits and public statements to change the civil rights landscape for gays lesbians bisexual and transgender people
after supporting the rights of gay people to marry allowing them to serve openly in the military and prohibiting federal contractors from discriminating against them the administration is wading into the battle over bathrooms and siding with transgender people
no student should ever have to go through the experience of feeling unwelcome at school or on a college campus john b king jr the secretary of the department of education said in a statement we must ensure that our young people know that whoever they are or wherever they come from they have the opportunity to get a great education in an environment free from discrimination harassment and violence
courts have not settled the question of whether the nations sex discrimination laws apply in matters of gender identity but administration officials emboldened by a federal appeals court ruling in virginia last month think they have the upper hand this week the justice department and north carolina sued each other over a state law that restricts access to bathrooms locker rooms and changing rooms the letter to school districts had been in the works for months justice department officials said
a school may not require transgender students to use facilities inconsistent with their gender identity or to use individual user facilities when other students are not required to do so according to the letter a copy of which was provided to the new york times
a schools obligation under federal law to ensure nondiscrimination on the basis of sex requires schools to provide transgender students equal access to educational programs and activities even in circumstances in which other students parents or community members raise objections or concerns the letter states as is consistently recognized in civil rights cases the desire to accommodate others discomfort cannot justify a policy that singles out and disadvantages a particular class of students
as soon as a childs parent or legal guardian asserts a gender identity for the student that differs from previous representations or records the letter says the child is to be treated accordingly   without any requirement for a medical diagnosis or birth certificate to be produced it says that schools may   but are not required to   provide other restroom and locker room options to students who seek additional privacy for whatever reason
attached to the letter the obama administration will include a 25 page document describing emerging practices that are in place in many schools around the country those included installing privacy curtains or allowing students to change in bathroom stalls
in a blog post accompanying the letter senior officials at the justice and education departments said they issued it in response to a growing chorus of inquiries from educators parents and students across the country including from the national association of secondary school principals to clarify their obligations and best practices for the treatment of transgender students
schools want to do right by all of their students and have looked to us to provide clarity on steps they can take to ensure that every student is comfortable at their school is in an environment free of discrimination and has an opportunity to thrive wrote catherine e lhamon the assistant secretary of education for civil rights and vanita gupta the head of the justice departments civil rights division
thomas aberli a high school principal in louisville ky said the new guidance would help administrators across the country who are trying to determine the best way to establish safe and inclusive schools he said his school had little to work with when it drafted a policy that was put in place last year
what you dont do is go and tell a kid you know there is something so freakishly different about you that you make other people uncomfortable so were going to make you do something different said mr aberli who estimated that his school of 1350 students had about six transgender children theres been no incident since its implementation its really just a nonissue in our school
the white house has called north carolinas law meanspirited and said this week that federal agencies were continuing a review of their policies on the treatment of transgender people while the administration waged its legal battle with the state
president obama condemned the law last month saying it was partly the result of politics and emotions that people had on the issue
when it comes to respecting the equal rights of all people regardless of sexual orientation whether theyre transgender or gay or lesbian although i respect their different viewpoints i think its very important for us not to send signals that anybody is treated differently mr obama said at a news conference in london
the struggle over the rights of transgender people has reverberated on the presidential campaign trail and become a defining issue in the final year of mr obamas tenure prompting boycotts of north carolina by some celebrities and businesses that had planned to create jobs there the fresh guidance to be issued friday seemed certain to intensify that debate and showed that mr obama and his administration intend to press the issue of transgender rights aggressively as the legal challenge unfolds
the justice department has for years made gay and transgender issues centerpieces of its civil rights agenda former attorney general eric h holder jr described that campaign as a continuation of the civil rights era that brought equal rights to african americans and this week attorney general loretta e lynch spoke passionately to transgender people as she cast the lawsuit against north carolina in historic terms
we stand with you she said and we will do everything we can to protect you going forward please know that history is on your side
some republicans have defended north carolinas law by arguing that it would be inappropriate to allow transgender women to use the same bathroom as young girls before ending his presidential bid last week senator ted cruz of texas charged that donald j trump the presumptive republican nominee and hillary clinton the likely democratic nominee both agree that grown men should be allowed to use the little girls restroom


when officials from the new york city marathon decided against inviting elite russian runners to compete in the race last fall they didnt explicitly say that the cloud of doping over russia and its athletes was the reason
they didnt have to it was obvious
accusations of russian doping and reported claims of systematic distribution of performance enhancing drugs and of bribes paid to cover up positive tests would be enough to scare off officials of any event worried about safeguarding its credibility
so you have to wonder what officials from the world anti doping agency and the international olympic committee are thinking now in light of the article published thursday by the times that detailed a stunningly complex russian doping scheme at the 2014 sochi olympics
a phantom lab created to process the urine of athletes who had doped antidoping scientists who passed samples through a hole in the laboratorys wall so they could be replaced with drug free urine years of planning for a surreptitious operation that made at least 100 dirty samples disappear according to the former lab director and allowed at least 15 olympic medalists to get away with cheating
if that isnt enough reason to deem russian athletes a risk to the credibility of the olympics and reason enough to bar them from competing in this summers rio games i dont know what is in fact there are enough red flags that olympic officials should consider barring the russians from the 2018 winter games too
a harsh punishment yes embarrassing surely but that punishment is proper and overdue considering that russia and some of its athletes have benefited from a state sponsored doping system that rivals   perhaps even surpasses   those run by eastern bloc nations in the 1970s
it will take time to clean up russian sports and that cant happen in weeks or months or maybe even years in the meantime clean athletes   and yes i still believe they exist   shouldnt have to line up against russians and wonder is this a fair fight
steven holcomb an american bobsledder won two bronze medals in sochi including the first olympic medal for the united states in the two man event in 62 years but when he heard the news about the russians who had beaten him he told me it made him feel terrible and angry and upset all at the same time
after all if the report is true it would mean that he was cheated out of two silver medals in sochi and perhaps countless others in previous competitions
i dont feel comfortable going to my next olympic games knowing that the russians will be there because theyve cheated like this he said i say ban them from the sport and the olympics completely until they can prove that theyve cleaned up their act and prove that they can be on a level playing field
to be clear thursdays revelations didnt emerge from nowhere holcomb who has dedicated 18 of his 36 years to his bobsledding career said some russian athletes had told him that doping should be permissible except on competition days
indeed russias doping problem has been an open secret for years
last fall an independent investigation run by the former wada president richard w pound revealed that russias track and field program was rife with corruption and doping cover ups it was enough for that program to be suspended from international competition until it proves that it can follow the rules a new scandal early this year involving the widespread use of a banned drug meldonium by russian athletes made it seem as if russia had no interest in fixing things
unfortunately wada and the ioc have a record of going soft when dealing with russia
while the secret lab was expunging dirty samples in sochi wadas president craig reedie was praising russias antidoping effort in the wake of yet another round of russian athletes testing positive reedie said it looked as if russia had improved its antidoping controls that perhaps it had learned its lesson
i always tried to be a glass half full man reedie said
half full even when athletes wrote to him in recent months demanding   begging for   a deeper investigation of russian sports beyond track and field beckie scott an olympic gold medalist in cross country skiing and the chairwoman of wadas athletes advisory council said thursday that she and other athletes were frustrated by the continuing inaction of the bodies empowered to do something to stop russian doping
nothing happened as a result of that report in november   well anything significant in the opinion of the athletes scott said if there was a collective effort of engagement by the ioc and wada and really serious intention by both organizations things would be different now
like holcomb scott favors barring russia from the olympics because she said without actual action like that how can you be taken seriously
you can talk about zero tolerance all you want she added but the punishment has to fit the crime
shes right russia has gone rogue no more proof is needed its gone to incredible lengths to support and to hide its doping program and theres no telling what it will do   or given the unexpected deaths of two high ranking russian antidoping officials within two weeks of each other what it wont do   to make this all go away
but the time for wada and the ioc to play nice with russia is over too
there has to be a price to pay for a country that doesnt follow the rules kenya is in danger of being barred from the rio olympics because of the sorry state of its antidoping program and its seeming unwillingness to improve it but what russia has done in falsifying test results is surely more devious than not testing at all
olympic organizers cant look the other way anymore the rio games already have enough problems   the zika virus political instability construction delays   that may not be fixed
the very least the iocs members can do is address the one right in front of its face taunting them


a federal judge in brooklyn ruled on thursday that prosecutors could not force facebook to remain silent about 15 grand jury subpoenas involving the companys customers
the judge james orenstein said that the prosecutors had legitimate concerns that their investigations might be compromised but he added that the governments boilerplate requests made in identical language in each of the 15 applications for a gag order were insufficiently detailed
government prosecutors and agents have a difficult job investigating crime and one that is made more difficult by the fact that some of the investigative techniques they must rely on can backfire by alerting criminals to the fact of the investigation judge orenstein wrote but he went on to say that law enforcement officers cannot obtain an order that constrains the freedom of service providers to disclose information to their customers without making a particularized showing of need
a handful of cases have emerged in recent months laying bare the tensions between the governments desire to conduct criminal inquiries sometimes secretly and the rights of companies like facebook to have autonomy over their businesses
last month microsoft sued the justice department in an attempt to stop federal officials from using the electronic communications privacy act to keep under wraps their requests for information about microsoft customers and the fbi recently engaged in a highly public tussle with apple after it tried to force the tech company to unlock iphones linked to criminal investigations
in the case of facebook federal prosecutors in brooklyn sought to cloak the existence of the subpoenas under the stored communications act which grants courts the power to prohibit tech companies from revealing the receipt of various government orders like warrants or subpoenas in order to protect the covert nature of criminal probes
judge orenstein wrote that the prosecutors had submitted 15 separate sealed requests to him each bearing the title application for order commanding service provider not to notify any person of the existence of subpoena
the requests all filed in brooklyn asked for permission to bar facebook from mentioning the subpoenas to anyone except its lawyers out of a fear that the targets of the secret investigations might get wind of them and either flee or tamper with evidence
judge orensteins ruling did not reveal the information the government wanted from facebook it also left open the possibility that he would agree to impose gag orders on facebook if the prosecutors could convince him with more details
facebook did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the ruling
but according to the companys policy on dealing with inquiries from law enforcement officials about a user its policy is to inform the user of the request unless the company is specifically prohibited from doing so
the policy states that as facebook receives requests from the police or other agencies it vets them to establish whether they are within the bounds of the law and how compelling they are it frequently shares only basic subscriber information


new orleans   the coast guard said about 88200 gallons of oil have leaked from a shell flow line into the gulf of mexico about 90 miles off the coast of louisiana
chief petty officer bobby nash said the leak which was reported on thursday had been secured and cleanup crews would be dispatched officials are investigating the cause
officials said the oil came from a line connecting four wells in the green canyon area of the gulf to shells brutus platform and has left a mileslong sheen
the bureau of safety and environmental enforcement said there were no reports of injuries
officials said that shell offshore reported the spill and that it had shut the wells flowing into the line


frustrated by a lack of progress over a new contract faculty members and employees at the city university of new york voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike if a mediator was unable to broker a deal with the administration their union said on thursday
any strike would not take place until the fall according to barbara bowen president of the professional staff congress which represents 25000 cuny employees state law makes it all but illegal for public employees to go on strike so union leaders could face arrest and union members could face fines if they walk out
still out of more than 10000 ballots cast over a two week period 92 percent of union members said yes to a possible walkout
it sends an extraordinarily clear message to the cuny chancellor and also to albany said ms bowen who is also a professor of english at queens college and at cunys graduate center we feel that we have pursued vigorously every other avenue
union members have been without a contract since 2010 and have had no salary increases in that time last year the university made an offer for a six year contract beginning in 2010 which would include salary increases totaling 6 percent but it fell short of the increase the union had been seeking
cuny asked the state to intervene and the new york state public employment relations board selected kim moore ward the chief regional mediator and director to handle the talks
complicating the negotiations was gov andrew m cuomos original budget proposal earlier this year which called for new york city to pick up more of the cost   485 million to be exact   of funding cuny while that proposal was not included in the final budget state officials did not allocate any funding for a new contract as a result any deal would require the approval of the legislature and would have to be signed by the governor
with the legislative session scheduled to end in mid june ms bowen said the need to hammer out a deal was urgent union workers have also looked on with dismay as new york city public employee unions have negotiated new contracts with the administration of mayor bill de blasio she said
when asked about the vote on thursday michael arena a cuny spokesman said in a statement there have been three mediation sessions as well as additional meetings including earlier this week settling the contracts with our faculty and staff is of the highest priority cuny continues to work with state and city officials to secure a fair and equitable contract settlement
ms bowen said she hoped the ballot results would accelerate the process the last time the union weighed a strike proposal in 1973 it was approved by a far smaller margin of 4 to 1 a settlement was reached within two weeks


on a recent bright afternoon two teenage boys in boat shoes and shorts strolled up fifth avenue in manhattan in a crowd of passers by at 56th street they paused as one pulled an electronic pipe out of his pocket and held it to his friends lips inside was a potent and little studied drug made from distilled marijuana they were emboldened they said by the fact that the gooey wax hardly has a smell and is so novel in new york that even if discovered parents teachers or even the authorities hardly seem to know what it is
as throngs walked by the boys stood in front of the diamond filled windows of harry winston getting high
the practice of consuming marijuana extract   a yellow waxy substance that can contain high levels of tetrahydrocannabinol or thc the chemical in unprocessed marijuana that produces a high   appears to have risen rapidly in new york city over the past few years according to federal law enforcement officials as well as people who use and sell the drug its rise crosses social lines from experimenting teenagers to workers on wall street and it is driven by many factors including the eastward trickling effects of a much more permissive marijuana culture in the west where it is now dispensed legally in some states
medical experts have begun to raise alarms saying the substance is too new to be fully understood and could pose unknown health risks critics cite its largely unregulated production in a process that often involves home cooks who douse marijuana with volatile butane which can lead to explosions
the new york fire department did not have information on whether there had been fires linked to local production but in 2013 a teenage boy was killed and a girl badly injured while allegedly making the substance inside a home in marine park brooklyn
a spokeswoman for the police department said there were no records of any officers even encountering the extract last year 15000 summonses were issued for possessing small amounts of marijuana
federal law enforcement officials however say the drug also known as shatter butter and honey is now on their radar we monitor any type of new twist on drug use in order to warn the public of its danger james j hunt special agent in charge of the federal drug enforcement administrations new york division said in an email referring to the marijuana extract he said not only is the method of production explosive but the use has serious physical and psychological side effects
underscoring the drugs rise is a profound cultural shift as social mores regarding marijuana have loosened there is a sense among some that dabbing as the practice of using the extract is popularly known titillates because plain old pot has lost its edge
a lot of it is were doing it in disguise said one of the teenagers on fifth avenue both students at the masters school a private boarding school in dobbs ferry new york the two asked that their names not be used because they did not want get in trouble with the police or school administrators the advent of vaporizers and the smaller vape pen a device similar to an e cigarette users say is also increasing the popularity of dabbing just squeeze the extract into a chamber inside the pen one teenager said and inhale and we can do it so freely he said
his classmate says the appeal is the ferocity of the high users can sometimes pass out after inhaling and the stupefying effects can last for hours and border on the hallucinatory marijuana in its traditional plant form has a thc concentration of about 20 percent according to information distributed by the drug enforcement administration the wax used for dabbing can have a concentration of up to 80 percent
marijuana the teenager said is the beer of thc as dabbing is to vodka
the extract is typically made by pouring a solvent over marijuana plants to extract the thc then letting the solvent evaporate the waxy substance that remains and its variants now make up a booming sector of the marijuana economy according to the arcview group a company that studies and invests in the cannabis industry
the product is so new that even in states where marijuana is permitted to some degree there is frequently no regulation concerning its labeling or how it is made the laws havent caught up with this part of the marketplace said paul armentano the deputy director of norml a national organization that advocates the legalization of marijuana
there has been little research on marijuana concentrates and whether they affect the body differently than other forms of marijuana but what is known is cause for concern according to emily feinstein the director of health law and policy for the national center on addiction and substance abuse there is some evidence to suggest that the outcomes like the effects may be supercharged ms feinstein said in an email side effects can include a rapid heartbeat blackouts psychosis paranoia and hallucinations that cause people to end up in psychiatric facilities
even among marijuana proponents dabbing is a polarizing topic on message boards and online forums some say it is just another way to consume the drug while others fear that it could be misused when a product is more potent and when the route of administration is conducive to people experiencing a very strong high very quickly mr armentano said then one can argue that the risk of abuse goes up
a man who sells marijuana on craigslist who identified himself as tony holl said in an interview that his business had risen dramatically i was surprised once one person asked then a whole bunch of people asked he said its definitely a trend
in new york users say there is a heightened appeal the ease of evasion videos are traded among teenagers that show off brazen dabbing in public in the bleachers at high school sports games or even in school
one user a 27 year old man who lives in midwood drew a parallel with the technological advances that have shrunk computers into palm size smartphones and as driving the fad for a smaller more powerful punch back in the day people had to find a way to smoke weed to roll it into something he said adding that to do so now in this era of concentrates seems archaic
on a recent afternoon in soho mr holl who is 40 produced manila envelopes he said he was on his way to deliver a police officer walked nearby but mr holl said he was not concerned as he displayed his wares white paper smeared with brownish wax he said most people would not recognize it as a drug
one thing mr holl says he will not do however is use his product the high he said is too intense thats the only dangerous thing about it he said opportunities can pass you by


rome   the strange became normal at the third round of the italian open on thursday beginning with novak djokovic being blanked in his opening set against 37th ranked thomaz bellucci before recovering for a 0 6 6 3 6 2 victory
djokovic called the opening set a complete bellucci storm when he finally got on the board by holding his serve in the opening game of the second set he celebrated by raising his arms high into the air
sometimes if you dont start well and your opponent is seeing the ball like a watermelon thats what happens djokovic said youve got to give him credit thats all i can say but it was one set fortunately for me not two
roger federer played two sets on thursday and lost them both falling by 7 6 2 6 4 to 13th seeded dominic thiem still nursing a back injury he sustained in madrid federer had declared that winning his first title in rome was out of the question after he eked out a victory in his first match on wednesday
im too far off federer said im so far off that it wont happen
despite his loss on thursday federer said he was encouraged by playing in rome this was an information tournament for me never a result tournament he said i knew i wasnt good enough for any result here so thats why i hope you dont read into it so much   and i dont
the information that federer gathered however was insufficient to let him wholeheartedly commit to playing in the french open despite his obvious desire to do so the tournament begins on may 22 and federer has played in the main draw of a record 65 consecutive grand slam tournaments
after missing much of the spring hardcourt season with injury and illness federer had hoped for success on clay this year by gaining more rest and having more time to focus on clay court preparations i actually thought i could really do a good result in paris he said now the last couple of weeks its been more difficult i see my chances as not great to have the most unbelievable run but if maybe in three four days i can practice 100 percent for the next week then i believe that something is possible again
but as of now clearly the way im playing right now is never going to be enough for any good run in paris and then i also wouldnt play this way but im still confident i will be fine somehow
djokovic is continuing his preparations for his pursuit of the only grand slam tournament title he has never won his efforts seemed to take a hit in the first set on thursday the first time he has lost a set without winning a game since federer blanked him in the opening set of the cincinnati final in 2012 in the next round djokovic will almost certainly need a better start against fifth ranked rafael nadal who survived the flashy nick kyrgios 6 7 3 6 2 6 4
at this level logically you should not expect to have too many bagels especially if you play as a top player playing against somebody who is top 20 top 15 djokovic said usually these matches are decided in few instances few points so it is weird to see bagels and yeah fortunately for me i didnt end up as tomas
djokovic was referring to eighth ranked tomas berdych who lost 6 0 6 0 to 12th ranked david goffin it was only the second shutout on the atp tour this year the first at a masters event since 2007 and the first with a top 10 player on the receiving end since 2005
goffin had not won so much as a set in his two previous matches against berdych and he entered the contest with a 2 26 record against top 10 opponents its just an amazing feeling goffin said its the perfect day the perfect match for me ive never played like this the ball was like a soccer ball everything was going my way
the quirkiest moment in the womens draw concerned the lingering effects of serena williamss dietary choices on wednesday when she sampled cuisine designed for canines after shaking off the ensuing ill effects on thursday williams fended off a set point in a 7 6 7 6 1 win over christina mchale
williams said she ordered room service from her hotels doggy menu for her yorkshire terrier chip she thought the salmon and rice dish looked so appetizing that she tried a spoonful herself   a decision she quickly regretted
i dont know how my dog eats that williams said i guess hes ok with it


pop warner the countrys largest youth football organization will ban kickoffs in games starting this fall the latest attempt to reduce the risk of head blows that can lead to concussions
stung by declining enrollment high profile lawsuits and unflattering conduct by some of its teams pop warner will be the first major youth league to take a step that has even been considered by the nfl
the elimination of kickoffs will apply to the three youngest pop warner divisions which include players between 5 and 10 years old the ball will be placed at the 35 yard line at the beginning of each half and after each score
pop warner will review the results and could apply the rule change to older age groups next year
we are constantly working to make the game safer and better for our young athletes and we think this move is an important step in that direction said jon butler pop warners executive director eliminating kickoffs at this level adds another layer of safety without changing the nature of this great game
on thursday pop warner also said that it would further reduce the amount of contact time in practice in all age groups to 25 percent from 33 percent
kickoffs are considered among the most dangerous plays in tackle football because defenders run full speed down the field and charge into ball carriers and blockers some of whom do not have time to brace before they are hit
the nfl and other leagues have tried to reduce the number of kick returns by for instance moving kickoffs up to produce more touchbacks in 2011 when kickoffs were moved up 5 yards to the 35 yard line the percentage of returns fell to 535 percent from 801 percent the year before the rate has since fallen to 411 percent
this off season the league tinkered further teams that opt for a touchback will take over at their own 25 yard line not their 20 another inducement not to return the ball the rule change will be reviewed after this season to determine whether it should be made permanent
eliminating kick returns and reducing contact in practices are the latest steps by pop warner to decrease hitting in its games
in 2010 the organization began requiring that any player removed from a practice or game because of a suspected head injury be cleared by a doctor before returning two years later pop warner banned full speed head on blocking or tackling drills in which players line up more than 3 yards apart
as the most established youth league in the country pop warner has become a bellwether for football leagues some of which have made similar rule changes but some critics say that the rule changes sidestep the larger issue which is that young boys should not play tackle football at all
this is their way of saying that boys younger than ninth grade should not play contact football and theyre correct about that said terry oneil who runs practice like the pros which advocates safer training techniques but banning kickoffs is bastardizing the game leave the game as it is grade school boys should play flag football begin contact in high school
pop warners announcement came a day before lawmakers on capitol hill were to hold a hearing on concussions in youth sports in march the house commerce and energy subcommittee on oversight and investigations held a meeting in which an nfl executive acknowledged a link between head hits and chronic brain disease


angry over what it described as saudi sabotage iran said thursday that iranian citizens would not participate this year in the hajj the annual pilgrimage to saudi arabia the host country of islams holiest places
saudi arabia said iran was to blame for the problem accusing the iranians of making unacceptable demands
it was unclear from the statements by both sides whether the dispute was intractable or could still be solved ahead of the hajj which takes place in september
regardless the statements reflected the worsening relationship between iran and saudi arabia longtime regional rivals that are on opposite sides of conflicts in syria and yemen
millions of muslim pilgrims worldwide visit the sacred saudi cities of mecca and medina during the hajj and the saudi kingdom takes great pride in hosting the event as well as a lesser pilgrimage that can be done anytime known as the umrah
the hajj was marred last september by a catastrophic stampede that according to outside estimates killed more than 2400 people iran said more than 460 were iranians among the biggest losses of any country
saudi arabia has said 769 people were killed but has not explained the discrepancy in the death tolls nor has saudi arabia disclosed any results from what it promised would be a thorough investigation of the stampede regarded as one of the worst in the history of the hajj
the stampede added to the longstanding tensions between iran which is predominantly shiite and saudi arabia predominantly sunni in january saudi arabia severed diplomatic relations with iran after iranian protesters burned the saudi embassy in tehran angered over saudi arabias execution of an outspoken shiite cleric
the absence of diplomatic relations further complicated any plans by iranians who wished to make the hajj this year because they cannot obtain saudi visas in iran and direct transportation has been halted
an iranian delegation held four days of talks with saudi arabia last month to discuss hajj arrangements a rare face to face negotiation between the countries in the months since diplomatic relations were severed
but irans minister of culture and islamic guidance ali jannati said thursday that the talks had gone poorly asserting that there would be no hajj participation by iran this year he blamed the saudis
their attitude was cold and inappropriate mr jannati said in remarks quoted by the iranian state sponsored website press tv they did not accept our proposals concerning the issuing of visas the transport and security of the pilgrims
he said conditions are not prepared for conducting hajj we have lost the time we made our utmost effort but the sabotage is coming from the saudis
another senior iranian figure ayatollah nasser makarem shirazi did not go as far as mr jannati in saying there would be no hajj participation by iran this year but he strongly suggested it
the saudi behavior is evidently insulting he said in remarks quoted by the official islamic republic news agency we want a hajj pilgrimage performed with dignity and respect
the saudi ministry responsible for the hajj arrangements rebutted the iranian statements saying irans negotiators had insisted among other things on the granting of visas inside iran the saudis have said visas can be obtained through an online system used by all visiting pilgrims according to a news report on the dispute by al jazeera
iran is the only country that refused to sign the agreement on the hajj mohammad bintin the saudi minister of hajj and umrah was quoted as saying in the report
this is not the first time that iran and saudi arabia have clashed over pilgrimages relations frayed in 1987 when nearly 300 iranian pilgrims died in clashes in mecca and protesters in tehran seized the saudi embassy the saudis suspended ties with iran in 1988 and they were not restored until 1991 but during that time iranians did not perform the hajj
all muslims who can afford to are supposed to perform the hajj once in their lives and it is regarded as one of the most sacred obligations in islam the saudi monarch bears the title of the custodian of the two holy mosques referring to his personal responsibility for mecca and medina


chevy chase md   two weeks after democratic voters in baltimore selected a state senator as the citys presumptive next mayor the maryland state board of elections on thursday took the rare step of ordering city officials to decertify their primary election results citing discrepancies in the number of votes cast
linda h lamone the state boards administrator said she did not have any indication that the results of the mayoral election would be invalidated after the board conducted a precinct by precinct review of the balloting but she said it was possible that some baltimore city council races which were decided by very slim margins would be
she said she took the action to preserve candidates ability to request a recount or file suit challenging an outcome   the deadline for filing would have been monday   and attributed some of the discrepancies to marylands new system of paper ballots she said she expected the review and a final certification next week
i didnt think it was fair to the candidates to have these deadlines continue to apply when there was some doubt cast ms lamone said in a telephone interview by rescinding the certification it stops the clock
the move came amid questions in baltimore about campaign tactics used by state senator catherine e pugh the democratic leader who emerged from a crowded field last month to win her partys nomination for mayor she beat her closest competitor former mayor sheila dixon also a democrat by more than 2400 votes in baltimore the democratic nominee is all but certain to become mayor
in the waning days of the race the pugh and dixon campaigns traded insults and accusations the dixon camp accused ms pugh of vote buying by giving campaign workers lunch and driving them to the polls while the pugh camp accused ms dixons workers of intimidating pugh voters
the city board of elections certified the results on monday on tuesday ms dixon said she would not ask for a recount
but that same day ms lamone said city officials discovered 80 provisional ballots   those given to voters who showed up at the polls and appeared to be unregistered   that were uncounted the state investigated further she said and found additional discrepancies that were out of the ordinary between the number of people who cast ballots and the number of ballots actually recorded
we are now in uncharted territory martha mckenna a spokeswoman for ms dixon said wednesday afternoon she said the dixon campaign would withhold judgment about asking for a recount until the review is finished in a written statement ms dixon said she hoped the inquiry would provide answers to my questions about whether proper procedures were followed
ms pugh in a brief telephone interview said she was unworried and focused on the general election though she confessed she does not know who her republican opponent is he is alan walden a well known former radio personality
i think every vote should be counted ms pugh said i think transparency in voting and transparency in government is really essential for people to feel comfortable with the process


brasilia   the new brazilian presidents first pick for science minister was a creationist he chose a soybean tycoon who has deforested large tracts of the amazon rain forest to be his agriculture minister and he is the first leader in decades to have no women in his cabinet at all
the government of president michel temer   the 75 year old lawyer who took the helm of brazil on thursday after dilma rousseff was suspended by the senate to face an impeachment trial   could cause a significant shift to the political right in latin americas largest country
temers government is starting out well silas malafaia a television evangelist and author of best selling books like how to defeat satans strategies wrote on twitter
hell be able to sweep away the ideology of pathological leftists mr malafaia added of a conservative lawmaker whom mr temer chose as education minister
for more than a decade brazil has been an anchor of leftist politics in the region less strident than the governments in countries like venezuela and cuba but openly supportive of them and committed to its own platform of reducing inequality
but parts of latin america are now drifting away from the left after elections in neighboring countries like argentina and paraguay mr temer seems to be embracing a more conservative disposition for his government as well with the countrys business establishment pressuring him to privatize state controlled companies and cut public spending
to many of mr temers critics the shift is perhaps most evident in the role of women in his and ms rousseffs administrations
the contrasts could not be more glaring ms rousseff 68 was a former operative in an urban guerrilla group she was tortured during the military dictatorship and eventually rose to lead the board of the national oil company before becoming brazils first female president
until recently relatively few brazilians had even heard of mr temer when they did it often involved references to his wife marcela temer 32 a former beauty pageant contestant who is 43 years younger than he is they met when she was just 18
a profile of ms temer in veja a newsmagazine caused a stir by glowingly referring to her as pretty demure and of the home it said mr temer was a lucky man to have such a devoted unassuming housewife as a spouse especially one who wears knee level skirts
the magazine did not mention the tattoo on the nape of ms temers neck featuring her husbands name but the message was clear mr temer a law professor and career politician embodies a more conservative approach than ms rousseff in the corridors of power and in his own home
then there is the issue of race after a long stretch in which brazil pressed ahead with affirmative action policies mr temers critics point out the lack of afro brazilians in his cabinet especially when nearly 51 percent of brazilians define themselves as black or mixed race according to the 2010 census
its embarrassing that most of temers cabinet choices are old white men said sergio praca a political scientist at fundacao getulio vargas an elite brazilian university he drew a contrast with justin trudeau the canadian prime minister who formed a cabinet in which half of the 30 ministers are women
in a speech to the nation on thursday mr temer said he would seek to soothe tensions in brazil a nation polarized by the impeachment trial of ms rousseff she is accused of manipulating the federal budget to hide yawning deficits a budgetary sleight of hand that her critics say helped her get re elected in 2014
its urgent to seek the unity of brazil mr temer said during a ceremony introducing his ministers we urgently need a government of national salvation
the new presidents supporters point out that he considered a couple of women for cabinet level posts including renata abreu 34 a lawmaker to oversee human rights policies
but that effort along with other test balloons did not prosper first it became widely known that ms abreu had voted in favor of legislation to make it difficult for women who are raped to get abortions then mr temer opted to fold the human rights post into the ministry of justice making it a second tier appointment
mr temers offer of the science ministry to marcos pereira an evangelical pastor who does not believe in evolution also fizzled he named mr pereira trade minister instead then to the dismay of leaders in brazils scientific community mr temer merged the ministries of science and communications
like many of brazils political leaders mr temer has legal problems of his own he was recently found guilty of violating campaign finance limits a conviction that could make him ineligible to run for office for eight years leaving a cloud of scandal that has raised concerns about his capacity to govern with a strong mandate
temer faces the fundamental problem of legitimacy said michael shifter the president of inter american dialogue a policy group in washington he did not become president as a result of a popular vote but rather because of a controversial impeachment process
but some argue in mr temers favor that his cabinet includes officials who held important posts when ms rousseffs leftist workers party was in control henrique meirelles a banker who is the new finance minister served as central bank president for eight years during the government of ms rousseffs predecessor and mentor luiz inacio lula da silva from 2003 through 2010
during that time brazils government gained the respect of investors as incomes soared during a commodities boom prominent figures in brazils financial markets hope that mr meirelles can rebuild that credibility
some environmental activists are blasting mr temers choice for agriculture minister blairo maggi a soybean farmer and politician who has pushed for opening huge areas of the amazon to agricultural development yet some point out that mr maggi was also open to dialogue winning plaudits for reducing deforestation rates while he was governor of mato grosso state
still mr maggi along with an array of other members of mr temers cabinet has been battling corruption inquiries for three years investigators examined claims tying mr maggi to a money laundering scheme just this week the supreme court shelved the case
other ministers appointed by mr temer remain under investigation in separate cases including geddel vieira lima a former executive at one of brazils largest government controlled banks who is now the presidents secretary and henrique alves a tourism minister in ms rousseffs government who will occupy the same post under mr temer
the rancor around the ouster of ms rousseff who will go on trial in the senate was evident thursday on the streets of brasilia the capital dozens of women chained themselves to barriers surrounding the presidential palace shouting slogans in support of ms rousseff and expressing alarm about mr temers top advisers
maria herminia tavares de almeida a political scientist at the university of sao paulo said that the last time a brazilian cabinet did not have any women was in the early 1980s during the military dictatorship that ruled from 1964 to 1985
until mr temers rise to power on thursday she said all the democratic governments have had women


washington   after days of confusion over donald j trumps hints that he would change his tax plan to reduce its budget busting cost and make it less generous to the rich his spokeswoman on thursday sought to clear things up he plans no changes hope hicks said and advisers who say otherwise do not speak for him
one of those advisers stephen moore of the heritage foundation had his own response im a little bummed out if his spokeswoman says theyre not going to make any changes to the plan
mr trump set off the speculation a week ago shortly after becoming the presumptive republican nominee for president when he told the business cable network cnbc that his months old tax plan was just a starting point for a final deal as for his plans tilt toward the rich and corporations mr trump said i am not necessarily a huge fan of that adding i am so much more into the middle class who have just been absolutely forgotten in our country
since then he has vacillated on his intentions   repeatedly saying wealthy individuals and businesses would pay more taxes if he were president and then clarifying that he means the richest taxpayers would pay more than under his original tax cuts plan but less than under current law
compounding the confusion politico reported on wednesday that two informal advisers   larry kudlow a cnbc host and mr moore an economic commentator   said they were helping mr trump at his request and had proposed changes to slash the plans cost from 10 trillion in its first decade to 38 trillion they attributed the estimate to the conservative leaning tax foundation
kyle e pomerleau the tax foundations director of federal projects confirmed the estimate but he said mr kudlow and mr moore in their public comments left out a lot of details about how trumps plan could get from the 10 trillion to the 38 trillion   details that conflict with mr trumps professed favoritism toward the middle class
describing the tentative revisions of the plan provided to tax foundation analysts mr pomerleau said mr trumps original three tax brackets for individuals   with marginal tax rates of 10 20 and 25 percent   would be raised to 15 25 and 28 percent the current tax code has seven brackets ranging from 10 to 396 percent
another change would shrink the standard deduction that benefits most taxpayers   to a proposed 10000 for an individual filer from mr trumps original 25000 deduction which would have been nearly four times as generous as current law
once you raise those marginal rates and drastically shrink the standard deduction the benefits to the middle class basically go away mr pomerleau said youre only giving them to the top so its unlikely that he would want to do that it wouldnt match up with the rhetoric hes been using
ms hicks succinctly dismissed any suggested discrepancy in an email there are no changes being made to the plan
that plan would give two thirds of its tax cuts to the richest 20 percent of taxpayers according to the nonpartisan tax policy center
as for mr kudlow and mr moore ms hicks wrote they do not speak for mr trump or the campaign
in an interview mr moore said he and mr kudlow met with mr trump a few weeks ago at his trump tower office to talk about mr trumps tax plan which he had outlined last winter
we just were asked to look at the plan and to try to make a few revisions to it so that it would be a little less costly mr moore said
at mr trumps direction he said he and mr kudlow later passed along their proposed tweaks to sam clovis the campaign policy director who said he likes a lot of the ideas
one concern that ive had as a trump supporter is that if the number is 10 trillion for the lost revenue thats going to be a hard thing to make up with spending cuts mr moore said referring to the likely democratic nominee hillary clinton he added hillary has already starting attacking him on it


beirut lebanon   the residents of a rebel held syrian town besieged and bombarded by government forces for more than three years learned thursday morning that an international aid delivery was headed their way for the first time ever so they began to gather as close as they could get to a government checkpoint that seals them off from the outside world
but they got nothing instead at days end government officials turned away the convoy revoking permission negotiated in advance and moments later two civilians a father and son were dead hit by a shelling attack on the area where they had been waiting
the un and international committee of the red cross icrc aborted the mission to daraya because the convoy was refused entry due to the medical and nutritional supplies on board the united nations spokesman stephane dujarric said in a written statement referring to the town these conditions imposed by government security personnel were unacceptable and contrary to earlier guarantees and approvals obtained by the syrian government
residents of the town blamed government forces for the attack the syrian government is likely to blame insurgents but to people living in daraya   a working class suburb of the capital damascus that was one of the first areas to rise up in street protests against the government   the days events summed up their abandonment
the air forces of at least 12 countries are flying missions over syria and the global powers are pushing for peace talks between the government and the opposition and calling for delivery of aid yet the government still blocked access to more than half of the 905000 people who were supposed to receive united nations aid this month to syrian activists that failure makes the global powers appear incompetent and possibly complicit in their suffering
the first shock for daraya came when residents learned that there was no food in the convoy other than baby formula even though some people in the town face impending starvation
next the convoy was stopped at the last government checkpoint where it stood all day as the aid agencies   the united nations the syrian arab red crescent and the international committee of the red cross   tangled with officials over access
at one point according to residents and antigovernment activists the aid workers were told that they would have to remove medical supplies from the convoy a demand often made by pro government forces
finally word came that the convoy would not be allowed to enter daraya at all it was refused entry at the last government checkpoint despite having obtained prior clearance by all parties that it could proceed the red cross and the united nations said in a joint statement the vehicles headed back to damascus that was when the shelling started
jan egeland a former united nations emergency relief chief and now an adviser to the united nations mediator staffan de mistura said in a twitter post that the convoy had been blocked by the fourth division an elite unit of the syrian army because it carried baby milk and asked how low can men with arms sink
daraya has been surrounded since november 2012 with no regular access to food and medicine it is frequently hit by government airstrikes barrel bombs dropped by helicopters and artillery shells it is controlled by insurgents most of them local militants its isolation has made it less susceptible to a takeover by foreign fighters
a recent united nations assessment found that nearly all darayas buildings had been damaged and since the closing of a smuggling route several months ago some of the towns most vulnerable residents have begun to show signs of malnutrition and starvation
in new york on thursday the united nations security council issued statements of outrage at all recent attacks in syria directed against civilians as well as at indiscriminate attacks saying they may amount to war crimes
it also called on the leaders of the international syria support group which is pushing for peace talks to press the warring parties to stop attacking civilians a somewhat absurdly circular request because the group is led by russia and the united states the councils own most powerful members
the syria campaign an advocacy group calling for a no fly zone airdrops of emergency aid and other measures to protect civilians declared with the denial of access today and the shelling of those gathered at the collection point it is clear that the un and its donors failures have put malnourished people in the firing line this is a dark day for the un


las vegas   less than a week after being recruited by donald j trump to be his campaign fund raiser steven mnuchin did not waste any time looking for big money donors
on wednesday mr mnuchin met with hedge fund managers at the bellagio hotel in las vegas where the nations largest hedge fund conference the skybridge alternatives conference or salt is being held
on the sidelines of the conference mr mnuchin sat with scott brown the former republican senator from massachusetts as he shook hands with prospective trump donors
later mr mnuchin attended a dinner that included the billionaire hedge fund manager kenneth c griffin david h petraeus the former cia director and general and john a boehner the former house speaker the host of the dinner was anthony scaramucci who runs the investment firm skybridge capital and who last week publicly endorsed mr trump
it is hard to avoid presidential politics this year at salt where prominent hedge fund managers weigh in on subjects like the economy and geopolitics and tax policies in the united states it is the main topic in the speeches delivered on the brightly lit stage and in the closed door meetings and champagne filled after hours events
mr trump picked mr mnuchin a former goldman sachs executive who is a hedge fund veteran to be his finance chairman to help him raise as much as 15 billion for his campaign
for many on wall street however publicly supporting mr trump is awkward the presumptive republican presidential nominee has been vocal in speaking out against hedge fund managers talking tough about their pay and saying they get away with murder he has also said he plans to put an end to a tax advantage called carried interest that enables private equity and hedge fund executives to treat their income at the lower capital gains rate rather than having it taxed as ordinary income
many of the biggest political backers in the financial world have put sizable amounts of money into the failed campaigns for other republican presidential hopefuls like marco rubio and jeb bush while many have said they would never support a democratic candidate they have also publicly objected to mr trump
before becoming one of the first on wall street to back him mr scaramucci had been one of mr trumps loudest critics less than a year ago he called mr trump a hack politician warning that his politics were divisive
mr scaramucci had served as scott walkers top fund raiser and his national finance co chairman after mr walker dropped out of the political race in september urging some of his rivals to follow his lead so that the party could unite against mr trump mr scaramucci became a fund raiser for mr bush
but at salt mr scaramucci took a very different approach
mr trump he said was saying cuckoo la la things to insult the intelligentsia because what hes discovered is that the average american the red meat eating middle american loves the swipes at the know it alls and i think donald trump is enjoying doing that
mr scaramucci met twice with mr trump to talk about his election campaign the two even discussed the possibility of mr trump coming to speak as a surprise guest at the salt conference this week
the oil tycoon t boone pickens said at the conference that he expected most republicans to eventually fall in line and back mr trump
you sit there and you say well donald trump wasnt who i wanted   but you have no other choice mr pickens said in an interview next month mr pickens will hold a fund raiser at his ranch in texas to raise money for mr trump but he declined to comment on how much he might be willing to donate
speaking to an audience of money managers on wednesday mr pickens said that he agreed with mr trumps proposal to ban muslims unless they were vetted
im tired of having politicians as president of the united states he added yet a year ago mr pickens announced he would back mr bush the former governor of florida
in private and public hedge fund managers here in las vegas have expressed concern that the possibility of mr trump as president could pose a risk to the economy and markets
others have lamented a decision by michael r bloomberg the former new york mayor not to run for president
mr bloomberg who addressed an audience in the ballroom of the bellagio on wednesday considered entering the political arena as an independent candidate but decided not to run out of concern that he would help mr trump to secure the nomination he declined to endorse any candidate when pressed onstage
mr boehner the former house speaker made the rounds of the conference speaking onstage and in private sessions about his views on the apparent unraveling of the republican party as mr trump won primary after primary
when you look at donald trump and you look at bernie sanders what it tells you is that there is a lot of frustration in america mr boehner told a small group of money managers in a session held by morgan stanley


garth snow has experienced plenty during his decade as the islanders general manager a particularly long era for an executive who had not won a playoff series until last month
now the page turns for him and for the team which will see an ownership shift on july 1 when jonathan ledecky and scott malkin take over majority control from charles wang but the constant aim is to improve the roster around center john tavares the islanders captain and best player
i have the same mentality i have had the 10 years that ive been here snow said on a conference call four days after the islanders were eliminated by the tampa bay lightning in the second round of the playoffs we look to take the next step and get to the next level
snow 46 who played the last four seasons of his career as a backup goalie for the islanders took the reins in the summer of 2006 when neil smith was fired after six weeks on the job
snow rarely speaks to the news media during the season preferring to leave public comments about the team to coach jack capuano who like snow played hockey at the university of maine capuano became coach of the islanders in november 2010 and now has the second most victories in franchise history behind the hall of famer al arbour who led the islanders to four straight stanley cups from 1980 to 1983
snow said he had been working closely with ledecky and malkin in advance of their assuming control of the islanders a week after the entry draft next month in buffalo
snow said the challenge of trying to keep kyle okposo frans nielsen and matt martin longtime islanders who are all unrestricted free agents would not be affected by the pending change in the owners suite
the new ownership starting on july 1 wont have any impact on what were doing snow said im really looking forward to the transition i know they want to continue the culture that has been established by charles wang during his ownership
snow did not divulge specifics on how he would improve a squad that defeated the florida panthers in the opening round for the islanders first playoff series win in 23 years or how he would finally find bona fide linemates for tavares who perennially leads the team in scoring with a revolving cast on his wings
obviously john is the face of the franchise an elite player and one of the top players in this game said snow who has a first round pick in next months draft but none in the second or third rounds because of trades whether it is a winger for john the addition of a goalie or upgrading our defense we will leave no stone unturned to improve our hockey club opportunities will unfold leading up to the draft
the islanders have drafted well in the past decade okposo a right wing was their top selection in 2006 weeks before snow took over as general manager okposo was followed by forward josh bailey in 2008 and tavares who was first over all in 2009 other recent first round picks include forwards brock nelson 2010 and ryan strome 2011 and defenseman ryan pulock 2013
although strome and nelson struggled in the playoffs snow remained resolute on the importance of giving young players time
the islanders have high hopes for left wing michael dal colle taken fifth over all in 2014 and center mathew barzal who was selected with the 16th pick last june
we have the depth to let players develop snow said were looking to get better like every other team in the league
snow added that he was relieved that defenseman travis hamonics family situation had improved and that he had rescinded a trade request made last fall
travis is very close to me on a personal level said snow who drafted hamonic in the second round in 2008 you draft a player when hes 17 or 18 and you try to develop him to where we want him to be to where he wants to be to see players have success   the joy it brings to them   thats very rewarding for me
as for forwards okposo nielsen and martin snow well knows the difficulty of keeping the core of a team together as salary costs rise
we would like to bring them all back he said we will have to see how it all unfolds with an eye toward the salary cap
snow was blunt as he considered the loss to the speedy lightning who won four straight games after the islanders took the series opener in tampa bay
we just werent good enough he said we lost to the better team thats why it is important for us to learn from it and get better
the same theory may hold for his position which is perhaps complicated by the presence of george mcphee
mcphee was hired as a special adviser to snow last season after being the longtime general manager of the washington capitals for whom ledecky was once was a minority owner
i have been doing this 10 years now and i have learned a lot snow said you never stop learning and trying to make yourself better


washington   the senate next week will vote on three proposals for financing to combat the mosquito borne zika virus which causes birth defects and which public health officials say will soon pose a major threat in the southern united states
democrats and republicans have been deadlocked over a request by the white house for 19 billion in emergency financing to combat the virus with the obama administration sharply criticizing republican congressional leaders for stalling and the lawmakers demanding that the white house better explain how it would use the money
senator mitch mcconnell republican of kentucky on thursday initiated procedural steps to take votes on a proposal that would grant the obama administrations full 19 billion request as well as two other measures that would provide 11 billion
the administration first requested the emergency money in february but was rebuffed by congressional republican leaders who urged it to redirect 510 million previously allocated to fight ebola   a move that was made last month
public health officials however had warned that the reallocated ebola money was insufficient   and that some of it was still needed for its original purpose
the full 19 billion proposal favored by democrats is expected to fail but republicans seem willing to support a 11 billion version that would provide the money without corresponding cuts to other government spending   a compromise negotiated by senators roy blunt republican of missouri and patty murray democrat of washington
the third version which would include corresponding cuts to offset the cost of fighting zika virus is expected to be opposed fiercely by democrats even if the senate approves one of the measures a continuing battle looms in the house where there is even stronger resistance to government spending by some republicans
ms murray issued a statement on thursday applauding the progress toward approving at least some money while still urging that congress approve the full 19 billion i continue to urge my colleagues to support the presidents full request but i am very encouraged that democrats and republicans will be able to come together with a strong step forward to help ensure families across the country are prepared to respond to this emergency ms murray said
the senate democratic leader harry reid of nevada however issued a statement blasting republicans for their inaction and insisting that 11 billion would not be sufficient calling it a paltry band aid
mr reid warned that any delay could result in children in the united states being born with severe brain defects
mr mcconnells move came after senate democrats cooperated in adopting the first regular appropriations bill of the year a 375 billion measure for energy and water programs the proposals that mr mcconnell has scheduled for votes next week are amendments to the second appropriations bill for transportation and housing programs which is now the pending business on the senate floor
if the zika financing remains part of that legislation it would not be available for expenditure until the next fiscal year which begins oct 1 democrats and the white house say the money is needed sooner


many children under 10 know nothing about punk rock many of their parents probably prefer to keep it that way
but punk doesnt have to be ornery and obscene it can express wholesome values like independence resilience and creativity which are what the queens museum and the nonprofit organization cool culture would like to project on sunday when they present catch the cool punk rock edition a free g rated indoor outdoor family festival
the way weve interpreted it is the idea that anyone can be a musician and be a creator of arts said barbara palley director of education for cool culture which works with museums to make their offerings free to low income families when you look at punk she added there is a diy aesthetic at the heart of it
that will be reflected at catch the cool an annual event that this year draws inspiration from hey ho lets go ramones and the birth of punk the museums new show on those native queens rockers
children attending can make their own percussion instruments   shakers filled with dried beans   and play them during a concert by the drummer joe dysons truth n light project a group offering west african rhythms as well as numbers by punk progenitors like jimi hendrix they can also design fabric patches to decorate their clothing   inspired by the graphics in the ramones exhibition   and strike rock star poses at a photo booth
and just as the museums show traces the ramones roots in forest hills young visitors can chart their own paths in a day in the life in queens in this workshop theyll make a giant collaborative floor map patterned after mariam ghanis museum mural the garden of forked tongues theyll talk about their familys journey and their experience of that day ms palley said
other attractions on sunday wont touch on punk adults and children together can go on a hunt for sites in the museums renowned panorama of the city of new york or try a watercolor workshop inspired by its tiffany glass collection and if frazzled parents find themselves thinking of the ramones i wanna be sedated they can opt for quieter activities like bilingual storytelling and childrens yoga
were trying to signal to all different communities that the museum is there for them said jason yoon its director of education hes hoping for a ramones kind of response hey ho lets go
11 am to 4 pm flushing meadows corona park 718 592 9700 queensmuseumorg a free shuttle bus will run all day between the mets willets point subway station and the museum


thieves have again found their way into what was thought to be the most secure financial messaging system in the world and stolen money from a bank the crime appears to be part of a broad online attack on global banking
new details about a second attack involving swift   the messaging system used by thousands of banks and companies to move money around the world   are emerging as investigators are still trying to solve the 81 million heist from the central bank of bangladesh in february in that theft the attackers were able to compel the federal reserve bank of new york to move money to accounts in the philippines
the second attack involves a commercial bank which swift declined to identify but in a letter swift plans to share with its users on friday the messaging network warned that the two attacks bore numerous similarities and were very likely part of a wider and highly adaptive campaign targeting banks
the unusual warning from swift a copy of which was reviewed by the new york times shows how serious the financial industry regards these attacks to be some banking experts say they may be impossible to solve or trace swift said the thieves somehow got their hands on legitimate network credentials initiated the fraudulent transfers and installed malware on bank computers to disguise their movements
the attackers clearly exhibit a deep and sophisticated knowledge of specific operation controls within the targeted banks   knowledge that may have been gained from malicious insiders or cyberattacks or a combination of both swift said in its warning which is expected to be posted on a secure part of its website on friday
security experts who have studied the attacks said the thieves may have been lurking inside the bank systems for months before they were detected
in its warning swift pointed to another worrying situation that the thieves may have been able to recruit bank employees to hand over credentials and other key details
in both cases the core messaging system of swift was not breached rather the criminals attacked the banks connections to the swift network each bank is responsible for maintaining the security of its connection to swift criminals have found ways to exploit loopholes in bank security to obtain login credentials and dispatch fraudulent swift messages
as a matter of urgency we remind all customers again to urgently review controls in their payments environments swift tells its customers in the letter to be posted on friday
banks   like many major corporations   are constantly under attack by criminals seeking to find the weak point in their defenses an attack in the summer of 2014 on jpmorgan chase compromised the accounts of 76 million households and seven million small businesses but no money was stolen thieves frequently steal bank customers atm and credit card credentials
but these attacks involving swift stand out because millions of dollars were stolen   not from a large number of customers but from the banks themselves it is as if the thieves used their hacking skills to reach inside a bank vault
emboldened and enriched the thieves are likely to strike again security experts predict
an event like this changes the risk profile for the banking system since the attackers will inevitably reinvest some of their profits in new large scale attacks said paul kocher a security and encryption expert who is the president of cryptography research a division of rambus
initially many banks and security experts dismissed the bangladesh attacks as brazen but probably isolated events in a developing country a stream of news reports from the capital of dhaka cited rudimentary technology at bangladesh bank like a 10 router and an absence of firewalls bangladesh officials had blamed the new york fed saying it failed to block the fraudulent transfers
on tuesday representatives from swift the new york fed and bangladesh bank met in basel switzerland to discuss the breach and the vulnerabilities it exposed in the system
in a joint statement the three sides said they had agreed to cooperate in trying to bring the perpetrators to justice and protect the global financial system from these types of attacks
but the details of the second attack   which swift said occurred in the last few months   suggested a highly sophisticated threat that did not necessarily hinge on weak digital defenses swift declined to say how much money was stolen from the bank which was not located in bangladesh
somehow the thieves obtained a valid swift credential that allowed them to create approve and submit messages on the network those messages   sent from pcs in the banks back offices or from laptops   were then used to move money from one of the banks accounts
many banks have a system of checks and balances by which they can validate and review transactions to root out fraud
but in this latest case the thieves used a form of malware that targeted a pdf reader that the bank used to confirm that payments had been made the malware according to swift then manipulated the pdf to remove traces of the fraudulent instructions
that the thieves knew that the bank used a pdf program to confirm its payments shows the level of detail gleaned about how the particular system worked at bangladesh bank swift transactions were tracked using physical printouts so the thieves tailored their malware in that attack to interfere with the printer and cover their tracks
the attacks have been a major headache for the ubiquitous and publicity shy swift an acronym for the society for worldwide interbank financial telecommunication based in belgium swift is partly owned and overseen by the worlds biggest banks which have used the technology to facilitate money transfers since the 1970s it prides itself on not disclosing any information about its users
after the attacks swift has had to walk a fine line of emphasizing the fundamental soundness of its network while urging its 11000 users to take the utmost security measures to defend against future attack
your first priority should be to ensure that you have all the preventative and detective measures in place to secure your own environment swift said in its message this latest evidence adds further urgency to your work


a judge on thursday dismissed the charges against a mail carrier who was handcuffed and arrested in march during an altercation with plainclothes police officers in brooklyn
the district attorneys office had been reviewing the circumstances of the arrest   which was recorded on video   and prosecutors decided to recommend that the charges be dismissed
the mail carrier glen grays said he was making his rounds in the crown heights neighborhood when he shouted at the driver of a car that almost sideswiped him on president street the unmarked car held four plainclothes officers mr grays said the officers quickly put the car into reverse got out and handcuffed him telling him at one point to stop resisting when it appears he would not put his arms behind his back so officers could handcuff him
mr grays whose fiancee is a new york city police officer was eventually taken to the 71st precinct station house where he was issued a summons for disorderly conduct and released
in a statement released on thursday ken thompson the brooklyn district attorney said that he had asked judge rosemarie montalbano to dismiss the charges against mr grays in the interest of justice several postal workers appeared at the dismissal hearing in brooklyn criminal court in show of support for mr grays
kenneth e ramseur the lawyer representing mr grays praised the dismissal of the charges and said he was encouraged that mr thompson had taken the bull by the horns mr ramseur added that mr grays did not want the officers involved in the arrest to lose their jobs
the case against mr grays who is black had drawn the attention of eric l adams the brooklyn borough president and a former police officer mr adams released the video at a news conference expressing outrage over the apparent violation of the civil rights of yet another black man by the police in a statement on thursday mr adams thanked the court and mr thompson for righting a key piece of the wrong that this young man experienced
a few days after the episode police commissioner william j bratton opened an investigation citing strong concerns about the arrest of mr grays in early april the supervisor who oversaw the arrest lt luis d machado was placed on administrative duty and stripped of his gun and badge the other officers involved were removed from their assignment with a specialized neighborhood troubleshooting unit and put back on regular patrol
stephen davis a spokesman for the police department said on thursday that lieutenant machado would be served with departmental charges and the other officers would face discipline from their commanders


a woman claiming to have a bomb strapped to her chest forced the lockdown of the main gate at andrews air force base on thursday the air force said
the woman was taken into custody and a bomb disposal team determined that she did not have an explosive device the air force said
the woman showed up at what is known as the bases visitor control center   the main gate   around 515 pm the air force said she informed a guard that she was carrying a bomb and the control center was quickly locked down while police and other emergency response units rushed to the scene
andrews air force base on its twitter feed warned that base personnel and residents should avoid the area until further notice
personnel were not allowed to enter or leave the base which is in prince georges county md and is the home of air force one and had been ordered to remain where they were a spokesman master sgt lee osberry said


subaru is recalling about 48500 2015 17 outback and 2016 17 legacy models because the steering may fail the automaker told federal regulators on thursday
outback is subarus second best selling vehicle about 140000 were sold last year
the carmaker said that because the steering column in affected vehicles may have been improperly built turning the steering wheel may have no effect on the direction of the wheels it warned owners not to drive the vehicles until they were inspected or repaired
the automaker said it began an investigation on may 3 after an outback owner reported an issue with the steering according to a report on the website of the national highway traffic safety administration
subaru said a week later it had determined a recall was necessary it said an incorrect setting of a tool making a steering part could allow the steering wheel to rotate freely leading a driver to lose the ability to steer the vehicle
the automaker is not aware of any accidents or injuries michael mchale a subaru spokesman wrote in an email
mr mchale said that only 22000 of the vehicles had been sold the others are at dealerships or in transit
the federal traffic agency received two reports from owners who complained they had trouble with the steering in their outback models
steering wandering from side to side cant hold in center of lane on highway or street an owner from erie pa stated last month


charter communications said on thursday that its proposals to buy time warner cable and bright house networks had been approved by the california public utilities commission overcoming the last hurdle to complete the deals
the federal communications commission confirmed last week that it approved the deals that would turn charter based in stamford conn into the second largest american broadband provider and third largest video provider
the justice department gave antitrust approval with conditions to the acquisitions on april 25 and charter and time warner cable shareholders have already agreed to the deals
in may 2015 charter said it would buy time warner cable in a cash and stock deal a move it said would allow it to better compete with comcast charter has valued the deals at 567 billion for time warner cable excluding debt and 104 billion for bright house
charter shares closed down about 15 percent and time warner cable shares were down about half a percent
we look forward to closing these transactions next week and to begin delivering the many benefits of these transactions to consumers charters chief executive thomas m rutledge said in a statement
were thrilled that the transaction has cleared the final regulatory hurdle and we look forward to closing the deal quickly time warner cables chief executive robert d marcus said in a statement


cannes france   woody woody woody please please please
one of the familiar sounds of the annual cannes film festival blended with the roar of the crowd is that of the pleading paparazzi each year several hundred photographers and many more television teams descend on this festival to immortalize the newest red carpet immortals who are sometimes in this auteur driven event the old immortals such is the case with woody allen a festival veteran who was back on wednesday night this time with cafe society a middling entertainment that features enough famous names to make it a perfect opening night diversion
mr allen traded in his customary sneakers for dress shoes and a tuxedo for his latest tour on the carpet where he was joined by his wife soon yi and his stars kristen stewart and jesse eisenberg after putting in the requisite smiles wave turn repeat the team joined the black tie throng for the premiere followed by the official dinner and more photo ops even among rising chatter about a critical article written by mr allens son ronan farrow this years dinner was more subdued than those in the past and took place inside the palais des festivals et des congres the official headquarters where a fleet of police and guards mingled with politicians stars like catherine deneuve the writer jean claude carriere belle de jour and waiters rushing plates of veal to tables
cinema gives cannes its reason for being but it is celebrity that keeps it going now in its 69th year the festival has survived assorted jolts including television the transition to digital and world war ii which led to the cancellation of the inaugural edition in 1939 when it got underway in 1946 its slate included jean cocteaus beauty and the beast a quotation from cocteau on the festival website asserts that cannes is an apolitical no mans land a microcosm of what the world would be like if people could make direct contact with one another and speak the same language the apolitical part has always been nonsense as the events history of protests and policing show
certainly it is still nonsense given that france remains under a state of emergency following the deadly november attacks in and around paris festivalgoers arrived amid competing dramatic headlines   bomb sweeps and bag checks as terror threat looms over cannes the guardian announced on tuesday   that suggested that attendees could expect to endure the paramilitary like rigors of an academy awards ceremony or even a big hollywood premiere i passed through several metal detectors for the premiere of star wars the force awakens yet entrance to the palais remains much the same as before and largely involves personnel peering in bags confiscating water bottles and apples and sandwiches and scanning attendees with electronic security wands
and so its on with the show with all its glamour gowns parties high ticket hookers trolling lamborghinis incessant euro disco and the push and pull between the dream world onscreen and the one outside the palais cannes is nothing if not in touch with its history including its commitment to protocol and it is apparently not going to let the threat of terror get in the way of some 30000 souls who are here to screen to see and be seen the players including the juries have convened the head of the competition jury is george miller here last year with mad max fury road the first reviews have already been written read and forgotten
the selections run the usual gamut from noncompetition titles like money monster which are clearly here to help fill out the red carpet in this case with its director jodie foster and star george clooney these boldfaced names are especially important given that the first few competition movies to play are star free zones later in the festival the paparazzi will be crying out steven steven steven when steven spielberg appears with his latest movie the bfg set to open in the united states in july followed a few days later by shouts of ryan and russell for ryan gosling and russell crowe the stars of the nice guys opening next friday in the states
it will probably take longer for sieranevada from the romanian director cristi puiu to make its way to american screens a movie about cinematic time historical memory and camera movement among other things sieranevada takes place largely in a cramped apartment where an extended family has gathered to commemorate a dead relative there as doors open and close and the camera pans right and left mr puiu creates a complex multigenerational portrait of a post ceausescu romania in which discussions about the attacks on the french magazine charlie hebdo take place in one room while in another the talk turns to romanian communism god and belief
mr puiu likes to take his time and at three hours the movie feels about 30 minutes too long still even when he dawdles he keeps you hooked with his filmmaking and his characters their engagement in the world offers a vivid contrast with both the jewish caricatures in cafe society and the tedious eccentrics populating alain guiraudies staying vertical about a filmmaker who raises his baby alone after the childs mother understandably splits mr guiraudies characters are art film creatures and as artificial as the wisecracking stereotypes in cafe society where none of the men and women appear remotely aware of the world much less post 1933 germany
mr allens sense of the past is certainly selective once again he has returned to the good old days including a 1930s hollywood that looks like the movies or at least wants to mr eisenberg plays bobby dorfman a new yorker who moves to la la land to find himself or some such there he instead finds work with his uncle phil steve carell a big time hollywood agent and love with vonnie ms stewart one of phils employees complications ensue along with jokes uneven performances some unfunny business with a prostitute and lots of name dropping references to stars like greta garbo are tossed around while barbara stanwyck pops up in a clip from the woman in red and jean harlow briefly swings by in libeled lady another 1930s release
these old studio flicks give cafe society a bit of oomph even as its story also brings to mind frank capras pre code title forbidden a plush stanwyck vehicle the earlier films also underscore the thin sharp edged digital look of cafe society which is neither period appropriate nor realistic especially in the honeyed los angeles scenes the cinematographer is the legendary vittorio storaro but this is far from his finest work much if not all of the color work was probably done in postproduction when mr allen who provides the on and off voice over refers to a beautiful sky what you see onscreen are colors that are more urine hued than sun kissed
cafe society got a polite reception at its first press screening on wednesday morning its scheduled to open in the united states in july by thursday talk about the movie and its merits had given way to an increasingly loud hum about mr farrows guest column in the hollywood reporter which tackled the media response to accusations from his sister dylan farrow that her father had sexually abused her its a strong tough article and should be read it raises vital questions about how the media treats allegations of sexual assault about the reluctance to risk access to celebrities how we view artists who are accused of heinous abuse and whether its ever possible   or right   to separate artists from their work and the worlds that they help create


the department store operator nordstrom reported a drop in first quarter sales at established stores and cut profit expectations for the year adding to the gloom in the department store sector
shares of the company which sells apparel and cosmetics from premium brands like armani stella mccartney and valentino tumbled 16 percent in after hours trading on thursday
our first quarter results were impacted by lower than expected sales said blake nordstrom the co president in response we have made further adjustments to our inventory and expense plans
macys and kohls among nordstroms chief rivals have also posted dismal first quarters with sales falling short of forecasts shares of kohls fell more than 9 percent shares of macys which reported results on wednesday declined by half a percent
department store operators have been hit in the last year as consumers choose to spend on smartphones and electronics dining out and travel and invest in assets like vehicles and homes
nordstrom said it resorted to heavy discounts to clear out unsold inventory in the first quarter
the company cut its adjusted profit forecast for the year ending january 2017 to 250 to 270 a share from 310 to 335
for the first quarter which ended april 30 nordstrom said net income fell by nearly two thirds to 46 million or 26 cents a share total revenue rose 11 percent to 325 billion
sales at nordstrom stores open at least a year fell 17 percent
macys and kohls said weather was a factor behind weak sales however kohls considered the most weather sensitive among department store operators said macroeconomic issues seemed to have dented sales more than cool weather
at kohls same store sales fell 39 percent over all sales fell for the first time in six quarters declining 37 percent to 397 billion net income fell about 87 percent to 17 million or 9 cents a share in the quarter that ended april 30
jc penney will report its earnings on friday


washington   donald j trump came to washington on thursday to unify the republican party behind him
that did not quite happen
but here is what did the political denizens showed once again that mr trump the reality tv star turned presumptive republican presidential nominee can animate the staid capital as much as any other city in america
it helped that mr trumps visit happened to coincide with the national cannabis industry associations annual lobbying trip to the capitol and onlookers would have been forgiven for thinking that washington had accidentally eaten the entire pan of brownies
the least exciting part of the whole trumpapalooza was the meetings themselves   those closed door huddles between mr trump and republican leaders which produced bland statements of party unity on both sides but little actual news
yet the politely subdued signals from both factions belied the frenzy just outside the republican national committees cream colored building where the first two of mr trumps meetings occurred there more than three dozen protesters and more than five dozen members of the news media arrived early as a morning rush hour crowd looked on quizzically
its like our super bowl one reporter said to a group of tourists who had stopped to gawk
this is what we train for people a cameraman said to no one in particular
as the crowd waited for mr trump the diverse group of demonstrators   a gaggle of undocumented immigrants a small cabal of women from the protest group codepink and a lone man holding a rabbis against trump sign   all vied for attention
at one point a man wearing a giant papier mache trump head and clutching oversize scrooge mcduck bags of money bobbled about behind a trump supporter who alternated between blasting christian music from a megaphone and puffing into a large shofar
when representative darrell issa republican of california showed up   having skirted a kilted man wailing on his bagpipes and having jumped over a gate to avoid the crowded sidewalk   a guard greeted him asking how he was
well id be better if you had a back door mr issa said
yet there were at least small signs that mr trumps visit was different from the standard model trump on display all through the primary season the man himself was nowhere to be seen at least to the public
with the exception of a small wave he offered from the back of his dark sport utility vehicle between stops hardly anyone not invited to the meetings glimpsed him anywhere   at least no one among the masses of journalists protesters and onlookers who descended thursday morning on the various venues entrances exits and back doors of capitol hill
instead mr trump inadvertently ceded his image to his oversize papier mache doppelganger who delivered assorted trumpisms with varying degrees of accuracy you know what torture is the fake trump crowed torture is getting a really bad chili dog down at coney island
the p t barnum scene seemed oddly fitting for a campaign that at times has felt like a passing parade the surreal blending viscerally with the passions mr trump elicits and even while unseen mr trump demonstrated that he is still fully capable of setting off a category 5 fuss just by being in the vicinity
at one point in what passed for excitement thursday morning a gray ford fusion rear ended a blue chevrolet cobalt on the narrow slice of street where members of the news media and of the secret service had lined up on opposite sides
though the cars were quickly moved around the corner to clear a path for mr trumps arrival a capitol police officer saw an opportunity and approached the tightly packed news media to ask for footage of the fender bender
who wants to send me a video he asked no one saw it no cameras or nothing
in one of the odder moments and in the absence of actual politicians the demonstrators began protesting the papier mache trump   who was in fact protesting the real trump
we are the 99 percent they shouted
i own the 99 percent the fake trump countered
meanwhile young republican national committee staff members pressed themselves against the windows peering out and taking photographs of the scene
and on the top floor of the building one employee shoved open his window and leaned out white shirt sleeves rolled up craning to see the spectacle
we are all that man one trump reporter said with a resigned sigh


the secret service said it would investigate donald j trumps longtime butler over facebook posts laced with vulgarities and epithets calling for president obama to be killed
the racially tinged posts by the butler anthony senecal were unearthed by mother jones on thursday and referred to mr obama as a kenyan fraud who should be hanged for treason
with the last breath i draw i will help rid this america of the scum infested in its government mr senecal wrote last may saying that the president should be dragged from the white mosque and hanged from the portico   count me in 
in a statement thursday the secret service said it was aware of this matter and will conduct the appropriate investigation
hope hicks a trump campaign spokeswoman said in an email about the posts by mr senecal we totally and completely disavow the horrible statements made by him
mr senecal did not immediately respond to a telephone call and facebook message seeking comment
the posts were revealed as mr trump the presumptive republican nominee for president has come under scrutiny for his associations with and support from figures such as the former ku klux klan leader david duke on tuesday mr trumps campaign aides said a technical glitch had included william johnson a self proclaimed white nationalist on a list of california delegates they submitted to the secretary of states office
mr senecal had worked almost 30 years for mr trump and was the subject of a profile in the new york times in march he spoke of knowing mr trumps sleeping patterns his culinary preferences and just the right ways to cheer him up when he was in a sour mood once hiring a bugler to play hail to the chief
when he tried to retire in 2009 mr trump deemed him irreplaceable and kept him on as an unofficial historian at the mar a lago estate in florida the article said but in her statement ms hicks said tony senecal has not worked at mar a lago for years
some of mr senecals other facebook posts aimed at ferguson protesters and various public figures including hillary clinton the democratic front runner for president whom he called killery clinton beyonce and the republican national committee which has quarreled with mr trump through the nomination process the committee members should be hanged for treason he wrote in march
although some of the posts which dated to 2015 were written publicly while others were visible only to friends mother jones said that mr senecal had confirmed that they were his words i wrote that i believe that


as music streaming numbers continue to rise the major services are engaged in an arms race that increasingly includes exclusivity windows for albums by superstar artists
for beyonce whose sixth solo lp lemonade was released on april 23 the choice was personal tidal the music service her husband jay z bought in 2015 and in which she is a partner remains the only place to stream the album three weeks after its debut
so far that partnership   which benefited from speculation that lemonade pulled back the curtain on jay z and beyonces rocky marriage   has resulted in 306 million global streams for songs from the album according to data tidal provided to the new york times about 75 percent of those streams 229 million came from the united states tidal is available in 46 countries
during that same period from release through wednesday night the hourlong conceptual film that accompanied lemonade and had its premiere on hbo has been streamed 11 million times via tidal the most popular lemonade tracks on the service include sorry which is no 11 on the billboard hot 100 followed by hold up no 16 6 inch no 28 and dont hurt yourself no 37
tidal said that it gained 12 million user sign ups including free trials in the first week that lemonade was available the service had said in march that it had 3 million users as for its competitors spotify said that it had 30 million paying subscribers globally apple music said it had 13 million
tidals beyonce exclusive comes at an especially competitive time for streaming in its first week lemonade which made its debut at no 1 on the billboard album chart set a record for weekly streams in the united states with 115 million according to nielsen music
but the very next week views by drake which was available to stream in full exclusively through apple music with some singles available on spotify more than doubled that total with 245 million streams in the united states   more than lemonade has earned in its first three weeks and although lemonade was streamed another 97 million times in the united states in its second week according to nielsen the album is on track to drop to less than a third of that in its third week out
according to billboard the five largest streaming weeks for an album in the united states have all come in the past six months


american impressionists dabbed and flicked paint on their canvases to suggest spires of purplish blue hollyhocks and cascades of poppies for its spring show the new york botanical garden has lined a gallery with about 20 artworks produced around 1900 and filled a conservatory corridor with the kinds of living plants that appeared in the paintings the effect of the two part exhibition impressionism american gardens on canvas which opens on saturday is as jolting as the moment in any show   sunday in the park with george for instance   when portrait subjects come to life
our tableau vivant is quite vivant todd forrest a vice president at the garden told me as i caught my breath at the entrance to the tunnel of flowers
the petals have so many crinkly and glossy textures and high resolution stripes and speckles that i could scarcely imagine how any trained painter had managed to squint and resist the temptation to render them with botanical accuracy i sat on a rocking chair in the greenhouses simulation of a weathered new england porch a catbird scooted past i admired the kind of bowers and birch groves that had captivated a generation of artists and i would have stayed there all morning except that i could not find a way to rock and take legible notes at the same time
the greenhouse arrangements were designed by a horticulture team led by francisca coelho the poetic plant list ranges from asters to zinnias from wallflowers and cosmos to gillyflowers tree mallows trailing lobelias globe amaranths toadflax and perennial sage
the flower beds are meant to resemble plantings around artists haunts in the northeast these include the home turned intellectual salon of the writer and painter celia thaxter on remote appledore island off the maine coast florence griswolds boardinghouse for artists in old lyme conn now a museum exhibiting american impressionist garden paintings this summer and various artists homes on long island and in connecticut pennsylvania and new hampshire
the guest curator linda s ferber gathered canvases that show the artists colonies as well as some industrialists estates and new york city parks in childe hassams painting of a central park pond two swans warily observe the shoreline strolls of women and children in long skirts hassam also painted mrs thaxters flower beds john singer sargent depicted classical statuary on rockefeller lands and william merritt chase posed his family on the hamptons dunes ms ferber pointed out that the children sprouted like colorful flowers in the monochrome undulations of the scrubland
among the lesser known artists represented in the exhibition are william de leftwich dodge who painted his long island homes lavish fountains trelliswork and balustrades and maria oakey dewing who meticulously portrayed her own pale roses a scene of thomas and mary morans vine engulfed house in east hampton ny the building is now being restored was by theodore wores a san francisco native who also worked in japan hawaii and around the american southwest the show includes two old lyme landscapes by matilda browne the griswold museum will devote a retrospective to her next year one of them depicting her suffragist friend katharine ludington in the midst of toppling peonies
the artists here often painted from the viewpoint of a hard working gardener crouched down they tended to crop tightly rather than aim for sweeping views and there is deep nostalgia in their glimpses of gabled colonial buildings in the backgrounds partly in reaction to densely industrialized cities ms ferber said the garden was really seen as an emotional retreat
a visitor would be best off starting in the conservatory heading over to the exhibition in the library dont forget to admire a new row of peonies along the path and then returning to the greenhouse the flowers have been propagated to represent the highlights of april to july all at once the impressionists would most likely have been overwhelmed by the shapes colors and scents
we compress all the seasons into one mr forrest said
there is no sense of the passage of time there will be little evidence of the inevitable fading and withering of the petals the summer bug infestations and droughts to battle as in a painting everything is always at its peak


the international film festival at cannes meant to make its debut in september 1939 the french were sick of the mussolini tainted venice festival and decided to invite the world to their own cinephile party a short article in the new york times that july said there would be a prize for best director named for the french film pioneer louis lumiere
it was not to be hitler invaded poland on opening night the festival was called off
fast forward to september 1946 the festival opened at last but if world war ii was over the cold war had just begun in an article headlined russians balk film showings the times reported the assertion that the russians were operating a campaign against american movies a representative of the american film industry harold smith said that when the production gaslight was scheduled the russians invited everyone to a last minute party to keep away representatives of twenty three nations at the festival and the showing had to be rescheduled furthermore mr smith complained that the soviet delegates usually walk out of the hall when american films are shown
its probably just as well that no palme dor or its equivalent was awarded that first year for diplomatic reasons the times reported it was decided that no prize should be given for the single best film but by common accord a grand international prize was awarded to the french production the battle of the rails an account of the part played by french railroad workers in the resistance to german occupation
another winner the soon to be classic dipso tale the lost weekend it was named the best american motion picture of the last year and its star ray milland received an individual honor the times reported
one of the russians who attended the festival serge a gerasimov a leading soviet film producer said in an interview with the times in his moscow apartment the next month that the lost weekend alone among the various american films at cannes shone like a diamond as for the rest he said they represented a hollywood with its priorities askew mr gerasimov cites the dictum of marx   karl not groucho   that work is more interesting than entertainment the times said
but another critic of the united states showing at cannes   and indeed throughout europe where american films were packing theaters   was homegrown we are giving europe an eyeful to be sure but an eyeful of what the american documentary filmmaker richard de rochemont wrote in the times europeans know that the world has undergone some terrific changes since 1939 their own values have been shaken or destroyed and maybe new cataclysms are just around the corner yet the american films which they are seeing in 1946 seem blissfully oblivious of everything and anything which was not in the film vocabulary of 1938
i wish to report mr de rochemont added that the provincial french for instance think that we americans are somewhat off our rocker
why he wondered give them films in which the principal characters act like black market millionaires on a spree why emphasize ad nauseam our wastefulness our greed our psychological instability sounds familiar
at first the gaudy inconsequentialities of hollywood films simply received a good natured bird a popular expression for a sound of derision mr de rochemont wrote but as time went on it all began to rankle and the feeling developed that while europe had grown more mature by suffering americans remained the genial and acquisitive half wits our detractors are anxious to prove we are
for the record in addition to the lost weekend and gaslight the american films entered at cannes that first year were rhapsody in blue anna and the king of siam gilda notorious make mine music and wonder man


the dark satire the lobster imagines a world where single people are devalued from the greek director yorgos lanthimos dogtooth the movie follows a recently divorced man who is sent to a resort where he must either find a mate or be turned into an animal in this scene the lead character david played by colin farrell arrives at breakfast and must face the seating area of the happily coupled
during an interview in new york mr lanthimos discussed the scene and ideas behind his film here are edited excerpts from that conversation
q voice over narration is prevalent in this scene and in the movie but this is the first film where youve used it would you talk about that decision
a we were trying to introduce tonally a different feel as a layer throughout the film its also the first time ive used music this way and the voice over the goal adding these layers the voice over the music and the scene was to create a different tone from what they individually would represent the music could be dramatic and romantic the voice over could be cold and observational and the scene could be very funny if you put these three together they produce a very different tone from each of those elements
the characters here talk to each other in a kind of deadpan emotionless way though the movie is very emotional how did you come to that style of speaking
its hard for me to consider something in cinema or theater as something realistic so for me its about choosing the tone that you want to convey your ideas i wanted to use a text that was funny and brutal at the same time if actors are trying to convey in a smart way the context of the scene that becomes too self conscious so i think when you approach it the simplest way possible with seriousness much more of the absurdity is revealed
when we first see colin farrells character in this scene one of his hands is behind his back what is the significance of that
single people who arrive at the hotel for their first night theyre made to have their hand tied behind their back in order to show them how much better it is to have two things than one
were there visual influences for you in this scene
the wide shot at the beginning where david walks along the tables was a nod to the orson welles film the trial where a character walks along desks in a huge office space


the family of the comedian joan rivers reached a settlement with the doctors and the clinic it had sued for malpractice over her death lawyers for the family said on thursday the doctors accepted responsibility for ms riverss death although the dollar amount of the settlement was not disclosed
in 2015 ms riverss daughter melissa filed a lawsuit in state supreme court in manhattan against yorkville endoscopy a for profit outpatient surgery center where ms rivers 81 was undergoing a relatively routine procedure when she died in 2014 the suit also named dr gwen korovin an ear nose and throat specialist dr renuka bankulla the main anesthesiologist and two other anesthesiologists and dr lawrence cohen who stepped down as the clinics medical director
melissa rivers said in a statement that she was happy to be able to put the legal aspects of my mothers death behind me and ensure that those culpable for her death have accepted responsibility for their actions quickly and without equivocation
she said she hoped no one had to go through what her family had endured and vowed to work towards ensuring higher safety standards in outpatient surgical clinics
the lawyers for the rivers family jeffrey bloom and ben rubinowitz said they did not reveal the amount of the settlement because they wanted to focus on improving patient care but they said it was substantial
the doctors agreed not to contest the suits findings a spokesman for yorkville endoscopy said the parties agreed to settle this case to avoid protracted litigation we remain committed to providing quality compassionate health care services
the suit outlined a series of egregious errors that it said led to ms riverss death with doctors by turns star struck nervous and fumbling as the crisis unfolded
ms rivers who was known for her brassy wit and slashing style went to yorkville endoscopy on east 93rd street on aug 28 2014 complaining of a hoarse voice and sore throat the clinic is one of a growing number of outpatient surgery centers that have been licensed by the state to replace hospital operating rooms for minor procedures
ms rivers was to undergo a laryngoscopy an examination of her voice box and vocal cords and an endoscopy which involves looking at the upper digestive system and is performed under anesthesia according to a report by the new york city medical examiners office which investigated the death
according to the malpractice suit the doctors were so eager to please that they violated protocols and at one point dr cohen pulled out his cellphone and took a photograph of ms rivers on the operating table
the main anesthesiologist dr bankulla concerned that she would be blamed in the death wrote out five pages of notes on the day of the procedure detailing what she saw and heard lawyers for the rivers family said they were greatly aided in their case by dr bankullas notes
according to the notes dr bankulla sensing something was amiss during the procedure warned that ms riverss vocal cords were extremely swollen and that they could seize up
youre such a curious cat dr cohen said according to the suit he dismissed the anesthesiologists concern as paranoid and let dr korovin proceed the suit said
soon ms riverss vocal cords closed and she stopped breathing
dr bankulla realized that ms rivers was suffering from an airway obstruction andor laryngospasm a closing of the vocal cords but did not demand a crash cart which might have had a drug like succinylcholine to relax ms riverss muscles and allow insertion of a breathing tube
dr bankulla looked around for dr korovin to punch a hole in ms riverss throat   an emergency cricothyrotomy which dr korovin should have been trained to do   but dr korovin had already left the clinic according to dr bankullas notes
several chaotic minutes passed before 911 was called according to the lawsuit
by that time ms rivers had gone into cardiac arrest
she died seven days later after being taken off life support
melissa rivers and her lawyers however said they did not want the focus to be solely on what happened to the famous entertainer
they said that the case highlighted the lax oversight at outpatient surgical centers and that they would be working to advance legislation in albany to ensure that these clinics operate under the same minimum safety standards as hospitals do
profit cannot be placed above patient safety mr rubinowitz said


the world health organization on thursday urged athletes and travelers planning to attend the olympics in brazil the epicenter of the zika epidemic to take a series of steps to guard against infection but the agency made it clear that it was not calling for the summer games in august to be canceled or postponed
the health organizations guidance follows most of the current advice from public health authorities about zika although its recommendations for protecting against sexual transmission of the virus differ slightly from those of the american centers for disease control and prevention the who statement said that travelers should use condoms or abstain from sex during their stay and for at least four weeks after returning from a region within the epidemic zone the cdc suggests abstaining for eight weeks after returning
the zika virus is transmitted by mosquitoes for many people it causes only a mild illness but zika has been linked to brain damage in babies born to mothers who contracted it during pregnancy it has also been linked to a rare form of temporary paralysis
last week concern over zika led major league baseball and the players union to announce that two games between the pittsburgh pirates and the miami marlins would be moved to florida instead of taking place in puerto rico which has also been hit by the epidemic
but the content and tone of the world health organizations guidance for athletes and travelers indicated that the health authority was not advocating the cancellation postponement or relocation of the olympics as a few prominent medical ethicists have urged
arthur caplan a bioethicist at new york university wrote in february that holding the olympics as scheduled was senseless and irresponsible and recommended postponing it for six months to a year recently amir attaran a public health and law professor at the university of ottawa wrote that the games should be postponed or moved to another country
in his article in the harvard public health review dr attaran criticized the world health organization for not having issued an official statement on the olympics and zika he said his arguments about the threat of the virus were not meant to deny that the games are a much loved event but where is the love for the possible victims of a foreseeable global catastrophe the damaged or dead adults and the babies for whom   and mark these coldly clinical words carefully   fetal brain disruption sequence is as terrible as it sounds and extinguishes the hope of a normal life even before it has begun with stakes like that bluntly put these olympics are no game at all
in an interview on thursday dr marcos espinal who directs the zika response of the pan american health organization an arm of the who strongly rejected the idea of postponing or relocating the events
i still think the olympic games should take place said dr espinal who added that he had just visited brazils most at risk areas he noted that august would be full winter in brazil and said he expected very little circulation of mosquitoes and virus in brazil in august
dr espinal said other viruses carried by the same aedes aegypti mosquito including dengue and chikungunya had been shown to drop off significantly after the warm months the first three months of the year in brazil as a result he said who and paho dont think we should postpone the olympics
few olympic athletes have publicly expressed concerns about zika and olympic officials around the world have generally rejected the possibility that the conditions in rio de janeiro will be unsafe for competitors and spectators there is no contingency plan if the health crisis escalates they have said
several test events have been held in rio in recent months with no reports of athletes contracting the virus the organizing committee for the games has said that local authorities are trying to combat mosquito breeding by monitoring standing water
the difference between the who and the cdc guidance on sexual transmission of zika may reflect how little is known about the probability and conditions under which such transmission is possible there have been a few cases of documented or suspected sexual transmission and among the unanswered questions are how long the virus persists in semen whether women can transmit the virus to sexual partners and whether an infected person who never shows symptoms can transmit the virus sexually
i think four weeks could be sufficient dr espinal said at the end of the day the person should be cautious the most important thing is safe sex
two other recommendations in the world health organization guidelines could have economic consequences for some businesses and communities in brazil the guidelines suggest that olympic visitors stay in air conditioned accommodations and avoid visiting impoverished and overcrowded areas in cities and towns with no piped water and poor sanitation ideal breeding grounds of mosquitoes where the risk of being bitten is higher
asked about the possibility that the zika epidemic may funnel olympic spending away from poorer communities dr espinal said i dont think its a matter of poor neighborhoods versus rich neighborhoods i think its a matter of people taking precautions


san francisco   facebook the largest social media network published internal editorial guidelines on thursday the companys latest attempt to rebut accusations that it is politically biased in the news content it shows on the pages of its 16 billion users
the 28 page document details how both editors and computer algorithms play roles in the process of picking what should appear in the trending topics section of users facebook pages
facebook describes a list of processes it uses to display some of the most popular content across the network including relying on algorithms to detect up and coming news trends as well as a team of editors who much like a newsroom direct how those topics are presented and decide what should be displayed to people who regularly use the service
as the guidelines make clear at practically every point in the process a human editor is given the leeway to exercise his or her editorial influence
the document was released just days after a report on the tech news site gizmodo said facebook editors had intentionally suppressed news topics from conservative publications trending across the network the report also said editors were able to artificially inflate the importance of other topics by injecting them into the trending section of users facebook pages
since those claims surfaced facebook has been questioned by news sites across the political spectrum and by legislators in washington on thursday critics urged the company to consider the biases of its editors
as long as facebook is hiring editors who lean left politically those stories are going to get preferential treatment erick erickson former editor in chief of the conservative website redstate and founder of another conservative site called the resurgent said in an email id hope that facebook would take care to consider all views and all news
the company has continued to deny accusations of political bias and pointed to editorial rules that discourage trending topics staff members from taking one viewpoint or another
the guidelines demonstrate that we have a series of checks and balances in place to help surface the most important popular stories regardless of where they fall on the ideological spectrum justin osofsky vice president for global operations at facebook said in a company blog post on thursday facebook does not allow or advise our reviewers to discriminate against sources of any political origin period
the guardian first reported on facebooks editorial guidelines
as facebook has noted several times this week algorithms drive much of the decision making for its trending topics according to the documents and the company said it has not found evidence that any editor intentionally manipulated the section to suppress conservative content
but the guidelines which have never before been made public give insight into how editors guide and discover news items being shared widely across the social network and how those editors decide what to promote inside the trending topics section
while algorithms determine the exact mix of topics displayed to each person based on that users past actions on facebook a team of people is largely responsible for the overall mix of which topics should   and more important should not   be shown in trending topics
for instance after algorithms detect early signs of popular stories on the network editors are asked to cross reference potential trending topics with a list of 10 major news publications including cnn fox news the guardian and the new york times
editors are also entrusted to spot potentially large news stories bubbling up outside facebook by using an algorithm that trawls more than a thousand automated feeds up to and including competitors like youtube and reddit along with traditional news sites
these editors can then introduce those trends into the topics box in order to connect people to conversations on facebook about newsworthy events as quickly as possible according to facebook
one former facebook trending topics editor who spoke under condition of anonymity because this person had signed a nondisclosure agreement with the company said it was up to the editors discretion to promote newsy topics that were not quite percolating on facebook
the guidelines were first created in 2014 according to a facebook spokeswoman and have continuously been updated over the last year and a half
on tuesday senator john thune republican of south dakota sent a letter of inquiry to mark zuckerberg chief executive of facebook asking the company to further explain its editorial guidelines and to disclose whether there was any level of subjectivity associated with the trending topics section
facebook said it planned to address senator thunes questions and that it was continuing to investigate whether any violations took place
however experts warn that fearing bias in human editors and trusting the neutrality of algorithms is a faulty premise algorithms are after all created by humans and therefore susceptible to the same unconscious biases
imagine going back in time to the 1950s and building a machine learning algorithm based on historical data at the time to decide who would be successful in their jobs said cathy oneil a data scientist and author of the forthcoming book weapons of math destruction a study of how algorithms exacerbate inequality it would be only white men because the data it had was picking up the sexism and racism of the time and the data was informing the definition of success
facebooks stance as it made clear on thursday is that the best way to handle these issues is with a mix of both human and machine input
every tool we build is designed to give more people a voice and bring our global community together mark zuckerberg chief executive of facebook said in a post to his facebook page on thursday evening for as long as im leading this company this will always be our mission


dakar senegal   a suicide bomber who was stopped from entering a government compound killed at least six people including two police officers on thursday in the northeastern nigerian city of maiduguri
there was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack but the islamist extremist group boko haram was suspected maiduguri was the birthplace of boko haram and has been the scene of numerous attacks by the groups fighters in the past seven years
in recent weeks the nigerian militarys operations against the group had kept fighters out of the city center for the most part and residents had been starting to look ahead to a possible end of the long war with the militants
but the attack thursday which also wounded more than a dozen people shattered the citys fragile sense of calm
the bomber who was riding a tricycle taxi was stopped around noon outside a heavily guarded complex of government offices in the city center officials said he then set off his explosives killing two police officers and at least four other people
tricycle taxis   yellow motorized and covered   have replaced motorbikes which the government banned in the city several years ago because boko haram was using them for drive by shootings and suicide attacks
the attack came a day after two separate bombings in the area witnesses said the first was at a mosque and killed only the bomber but the second killed four people
the nigerian army said in a statement that the situation in maiduguri had reinforced the need for more security consciousness and awareness on the part of all of us
the remnants of the boko haram terrorists and their sympathizers still mingle with the society the statement said


the andy warhol museum in pittsburgh has a wish list of pieces that it has always wanted for the collection warhols rare paint by number series from 1962 is one of them
that was in my top three list along with a 40 by 40 marilyn and an early comic book painting eric shiner the museums director said adding that these are the works weve been after for a very long time
the series consists of just five works on canvas including the do it yourself sailboats painting which has been acquired by the museum with the help of the dealer larry gagosian the museum traded deaccessioned works from its collection for the painting
gagosian contacted me and said he was now the owner of this painting mr shiner said he wanted to come to us first knowing it was one of the key series we were after
with the painting which elevates pop culture kitsch to high art warhol is literally poking fun at the very concept of abstract expressionism which is about free will mr shiner said he is giving the artist rules that you have to paint in a certain place with a certain color it is rigid defined and instructive
another paint by numbers warhol work do it yourself violin is on view at the met breuer
the art collector james r hedges iv has a clear memory of when his father decided to start carving wood again
he went out to southern appalachia and started meeting other people who were self taught wood carvers mr hedges said his life opened up he fell in love with folk artists   outsider artists   and started collecting their work
for the next 30 years james r hedges iii known as jimmy who was born into a prominent chattanooga family and died in 2014 traveled the american south   bringing home art befriending artists like joe light and mose tolliver and building a gallery on his farm in lookout mountain ga
now his treasure trove of more than 2400 pieces is going to the smithsonians archives of american art along with the records from mr hedgess gallery which document more than 400 outsider artists
this just felt like a gold mine to us said kate haw the archives director
when annette leddy the archives new york collector went to the hedgeses storage facility she said it was literally packed outsider art has become more important and integrated with contemporary art she said
driving his truck through back roads jimmy hedges would hand deliver pieces to collectors homes stopping along the way to visit with artists and buy more work he was an active presence at the outsider art fair folk art exhibitions and prison auctions seeking to improve the economic condition of fellow artists and raise their profiles
he would drive purvis young to a craft fair in birmingham or to see the high museum in atlanta and introduce him to curators and artists the younger mr hedges said of his fathers relationship with the miami outsider artist i found scores of letters   dear jimmy thank you for giving me 50 dear jimmy thank you for buying out all the work in the studio so that i could pay for my dialysis
art is an expression that every human has   whether mentally ill indigent imprisoned hobbyist or folklorist he added this creative spirit is core human stuff my dad documented this universe
robert morris was a gaping hole in the collection of the dia art foundation jessica morgan its director said the same had been true of carl andre and joan jonas whose work dia recently added
now the foundation is acquiring eight works by mr morris the 85 year old sculptor and conceptual artist including an installation of the minimalist ensemble he created for the green gallery in new york in 1964 and an untitled earthwork a morris exhibition at dia beacon will begin on oct 8
the 1964 piece   comprising six painted plywood works along with a seventh object intended for the original exhibition   will be fabricated for dia under mr morriss supervision one of the elements can be sat on others involve you edging around them ms morgan said so theres a very direct relationship with the human body
seven years ago the japanese artist mariko mori dreamed about people seated at the foot of a waterfall they were praying in anticipation of something she said in a statement then suddenly a golden ring appeared over the waterfall people cried out at it like the mayans who witnessed an eclipse of the sun
now ms mori is realizing this vision as part of the celebra celebrate cultural program of the 2016 olympic and paralympic games in rio de janeiro
the permanent installation ring one with nature   to have its premiere aug 2 before the opening ceremony   is part of an effort by the artists nonprofit faou foundation to place site specific works on six continents her 2011 installation sun pillar is on miyako island in japan
the sculpture   which will change color as the sun hits it and is meant to represent a sixth olympic ring   is to be situated atop the veu da noiva waterfall i wanted to create a symbol of oneness ms mori said and completeness and eternity


brazils senate voted on thursday to suspend president dilma rousseff and begin an impeachment trial against her during the trial which could last more than six months ms rousseff will be replaced by her former vice president michel temer
the vote stirred an impassioned response from brazilians on nytimescom and on the new york times facebook page where thousands of readers shared their thoughts on the news
here is a sampling of those comments edited for length and clarity
vitoria fernandes 23 brazil will not change the problem with our country and economy is not the president herself but our senators and everyone else whos been stealing and ruining our country to their personal gain im sad to say that even though i dont support dilma and never voted for her whats coming is much much worse than her i was hopeful wed have emergency elections and elect a new president that should be our next step after all no one votes for temer to be president he and those behind him are more corrupt than dilma herself and i fear for the future of my country
patricia esse 40 the removal of a democratically elected president represents a major setback in the development of the country and a disrespect for its citizens the illegality of the lawsuit and the whole procedure is truly astonishing and it makes me fear for the future i expect a right wing government with all that it entails... these are dark times for brazil
lucas barbosa direito uel 20 the removal of our president represents the enforcement of law against her and the corrupt political party that ruled brazil for the last 13 years
raul g dagir 16 with dilma out and michel temer as our new president we now take the first step towards leaving the economic crisis were facing in the present moment... the whole impeachment process may have put brazil in an even worse situation than before but it is the only solution to put brazil back on track
mauro bento 31 her removal means hope for the people the country will be free of the most corrupt and incompetent party on earth michel temer is prepared and certainly going to be the leader brazil needs
thiago mourao 29 it means brazil may now dream of a new future it doesnt mean our problems are solved but may be the beginning of punishments for crimes of fiscal responsibility as we are a rich country controlled by irresponsible politicians
joao paulo roland 36 her temporary and most certainly permanent removal from office means that our economy now has a chance to recover from her wrongdoings
eduardo araujo a pack of wolves conspired to oust an honest legitimate president yet another coup in brazil yet again supported by white middle class brazilians like many times before a sad day for those who support democracy in my country
pedro rasera 27 the biggest issue i see is the cultural impact and the message being sent there is now a dangerous precedent being set against democracy and due process is out of the window also there is a worrisome trend of politics mixing with religious agendas
aline hond 22 dilma was democratically elected by the people and she will remain our president until 2018 we dont recognize a president put in power by an institutional coup
thomas abers lourenco 16 a completely hypocritical sense of morality has once again fallen upon the brazilian middle class which supposedly condemns every form of corruption even the nonexistent but does not care for the law or for elections... what most upsets me in this scenario is the growing sense that brazil only decades after the end of a long military dictatorship has a problem with democracy which still seems like an optional procedure only used when convenient to the powerful


ponte vedra beach fla   jordan spieth stepped to the tee on a steamy northeast florida morning playing a competitive round for the first time since the world had watched him implode on the biggest stage of all
his first shot thursday might have been his best a bomb of a drive down the middle of the fairway with the dew skipping off his ball as it rolled to a stop
then came the rest of his first round at the players championship and spieth seemed closer to his unforgettable meltdown at the masters last month than to figuring out what went wrong
the popular explanation on the tour is that spieths swing needs tweaking but for the second straight day spieth hinted at something that cannot be fixed by pounding balls on the driving range
it got off whenever and i havent really been able to trust it at that level since then spieth said of his swing on the driving range its there now its just a matter of being able to trust it on the golf course with trouble around
that lack of trust was evident thursday in a wildly uneven round four birdies two bogeys one double bogey that ended at even par nine back from jason days lead
spieth might as well be a world away right now
his swing coach cameron mccormick has suddenly become the most popular interview on the tour but spieth has not gotten his swing back because more than anything he is trying to become comfortable trusting it
instead of playing like the best player in the world spieth looked like a golfer trying to get his head straight this is not a one day fix or a one tournament fix spieth 22 is still learning to respond when the game is not as easy as it once felt and looked
that is why the overriding question for the last month on the tour was how mccormick would make meticulous minute changes to spieths swing and mechanics and make it all better
what would make everything better is a birdie or two   or the three straight spieth ran together on his second nine holes to pull himself out of an early funk
but those three birdies were followed by two bogeys a birdie a par and a maddening double bogey to end the round
i have put it behind me spieth said of his misery at the masters where he blew a five stroke sunday lead with nine holes to play
after four hours on thursday on the stadium course at tpc sawgrass though spieth seemed no closer to flushing whatever it is out of his system
any pro on the tour will say that the physical differences among players   distance off the tee striking the ball consistently hitting greens in regulation   are not nearly as critical as steely steady mental makeup
theres nothing more important phil mickelson said
a swing coach is not going to fix what happened to ernie els last month at the masters where he six putted from 3 feet on the first hole els finished with a 66 on thursday three strokes off days lead
a year ago in this tournament day shot an 81 to finish a disappointing final round he improved 18 strokes on his first trip back tying the course record with a 63 on thursday
ive got a really bad memory day said its kind of good in golf when you cant remember the bad things
there can be a whole lot of bad on a course as unforgiving as sawgrass where narrow fairways littered with water and bunker hazards lead to tough undulating greens all of spieths physical skills will not save him here it is a mental grind hole by hole
spieth began with seven straight pars before birdieing five of the next 10 holes the problem three bogeys all of which resulted from poor decisions
he recovered from two straight bogeys on nos 5 and 6   he played the back nine first   with a 20 foot birdie on no 7
he saved a poor tee shot on no 8 with a testy par putt before his final hole of the day   a hole that showed the stark difference between the elite golfer playing with mental fortitude and the elite golfer still searching
day playing in spieths group finished his terrific round by stepping to the par 5 ninth hole and hitting a safe 2 iron into a narrow fairway full of hazards to set up a makable approach shot
spieth meanwhile pulled out his driver and mis hit the ball knocking it within 10 yards of water to set up a tough approach day birdied the hole spieth skied across the green on his approach and finished his round with a three putt double bogey
asked to explain what had happened on the ninth spieth said i hit it seven times
it was a simple response to a complex issue that is not going away


graduates around the country are receiving diplomas and sending out resumes an article this week described how job prospects differ greatly depending on whether you graduated from college or high school   or not at all we asked some recent graduates to share their job hunting experiences with us
these are some of their stories
natalie augustine 21
graduated from penn state
cammi clement 18 piqua ohio
graduating from upper valley career centers hvacr program
julian gilyard 22 new york
graduating from wake forest university
junaid abdul kader 23 staten island ny
graduated with ged
muqaddas ibrahim 22 portland ore
graduating from wake forest university
eduardo evangelista 24 brooklyn ny
graduated with ged


ascap the music licensing agency has agreed to pay 175 million to settle an investigation by the justice department that found that some of the groups licensing deals had violated its longstanding regulatory rules
ascap whose full name is the american society of composers authors and publishers represents songwriters and music publishers and collects royalties from radio television and other outlets
under the terms of its 75 year old consent decree which settled an antitrust investigation by the federal government ascap may represent those performing rights only nonexclusively meaning that its publisher members can still negotiate with outside parties
but the justice department announced on thursday that ascap had violated that rule by entering into exclusive deals in approximately 150 contracts with composers and publishers starting in 2008 in its settlement ascap did not admit wrongdoing but said it would not make any more exclusive deals the settlement is subject to approval from the federal judge who oversees ascap denise l cote of united states district court in manhattan
by blocking members ability to license their songs themselves ascap undermined a critical protection of competition contained in the consent decree renata b hesse the principal deputy assistant attorney general for the justice departments antitrust division said in a statement
ascap and its rival bmi are both asking the justice department to make changes to their consent decrees which the organizations both say need to be updated for the digital age
to resolve what the justice department called a conflict of interest in ascaps management structure the organization also agreed that the publisher members on its board   which is split evenly between publishers and composers   would not be involved in licensing talks
two years ago judge cote found that there had been troubling coordination between the organization and its most powerful publishers during negotiations with pandora over licensing rates


minneapolis   on a recent rainy spring day students and professors at the university of minnesota law school looked ahead to year end exams and may 14 graduation as they bustled between classes but behind the academic routine minnesotas administration as at other law schools across the country was striving to respond to the publics growing disinterest in law careers
the number of law school applicants nationwide has plummeted to 51000 as of april from 88700 in 2006 according to the law school admissions council the great lakes region has been hit particularly hard catching respected institutions like minnesota by surprise when applicant numbers went into a tailspin
it is the reverse of a trend that began during the enrollment boom of the early 2000s when law schools were doing so well that some began moving to become self financing entities supported by tuition and private donations now as student enthusiasm for the law wanes financially pinched schools need to decide whether sagging applications are a temporary blip or a fundamental course correction
david wippman took over as dean of minnesotas law school in july 2008 when packed classrooms were the norm but it was not long before newly minted lawyers in minnesota and elsewhere some of whom had fled to law school during the economic downturn found that their hard earned professional pedigree did not necessarily land them jobs that would cover the six figure cost we really experienced a steep decline in 2010 mr wippman said in an interview in his book lined office
statistics released by the american bar association in april showed that only 60 percent of 2015 law graduates were employed in the legal industry 10 months after graduation some law graduates angered over their inability to find suitable jobs have sued law schools for overstating how well their students fared in the job market booming technology start ups have also been a draw for job seekers over more traditional industries
resisting the temptation to admit more students to bolster tuition receipts the university of minnesota which has one of the nations highly ranked law schools has gone in the opposite direction it decided to shrink enrollment and take in less tuition income to preserve its national standing as a top law school it did this even as some argued for broader inclusion of students who would fall outside the schools admissions parameters
during mr wippmans tenure minnesota has gradually admitted fewer students shrinking its first year class to only 174 in the 2015 academic year from more than 250 a few years ago it offset the sharp loss in tuition income with more public subsidies which in minnesota are decided by a board of regents
minnesotas law school has closed its deficits with university money   expected to total 161 million through 2018   according to university officials
the law school is a crucial part of the university said karen hanson the universitys provost we did not want to hurt the law schools standing
as it revamped its enrollment minnesotas national ranking slid two places this year to no 22 a slot it shares with the law schools at emory university and notre dame applications for the fall are flat more worrisome is that minnesota in recent years has had one of the largest declines in applicants among the top 20 law schools but no one knows exactly why
were trying to figure that out said mr wippman who is leaving for another job at the end of the academic year he said the school was trying to identify potential students more precisely and to publicize its offerings more broadly
in the great lakes and midwest region the dire outlook for legal education has been magnified by the sheer number of accredited law schools minnesota has three indiana has four and ohio has nine the regions rapidly aging population and the loss of its traditional manufacturing activity have eroded an economic base that could support a strongly upwardly mobile middle class of the kind that sustains high level educational activity david barnhizer a professor emeritus at cleveland marshall college of law wrote in a march research paper
virtually all law schools across the us pumped too many lawyers into a system that was already filled to the brim and now is overflowing mr barnhizer said in an interview
he warned that the regions lesser ranked law schools - he did not include minnesota in that group - will simply wither away as fewer students seek admission
as the number of applications shrank mr wippman had to decide whether to admit those whose law school admission test scores and grade point averages were lower than minnesotas traditional standards the success of such students can be riskier a surplus of graduates who do not find jobs can eviscerate a law schools reputation
raising tuition was not much of an option in an era when students are wary of taking on high debt mr wippman said dismissing faculty especially those who are tenured is difficult and minnesotas law school has hometown competition including the william mitchell college of law and the hamline university school of law which recently merged there is also st thomas law school in minneapolis st paul
its been a question of fewer students or a larger number with slightly lesser qualifications said fred l morrison a law professor who joined the minnesota faculty 47 years ago and has had two stints as the law schools dean many that we would no longer admit have turned out to be successful lawyers he added
as part of a major university system minnesota had some options not available to every law school it has been able to tap into taxpayer funding at least temporarily to maintain its stature without altering its core admissions standards a high ranking is an important factor for attracting students from around the country almost three quarters of minnesotas first year students are from out of state and pay higher tuition and fees 50373 annually 8000 more than residents pay
even with taxpayer money coming in the door minnesota has been offsetting its expenses by shedding staff and leaving faculty openings unfilled it has also explored new ways to strengthen graduate employment rates which are another factor in maintaining its national reputation the law school is adding a minnesota law public interest residency program in which third year students work full time in public interest and government jobs and earn a full time paid position with the same organization for a year after graduation
more than 50 percent of the schools graduates stay in minnesota typically working at a locally headquartered corporation like target or general mills another slice of graduates joins small firms with two to 10 lawyers or large law firms or enters the public interest sector as law firms have merged however there are fewer jobs said david b potter a minnesota law graduate who is active in raising money for the school
weve had consolidation in the job market here said mr potter a partner at the law firm fox rothschild in minneapolis perhaps we dont have the same variety of jobs that we once did
other strong supporters in the local legal community include the former vice president walter mondale an alumnus and a senior counsel at dorsey  whitney a major minneapolis law firm mr mondale actively backs the school - the deans office is in mondale hall   but even efforts like a recent 73 million fund raising campaign cannot sustain a law school with a 548 million annual budget
some 13 million of that campaign was slated for needy students because minnesota like most schools has expanded its financial aid giving varying amounts to 90 percent of its students so they do not pay full price
people are turned off on legal education because of a lack of suitable paying jobs mr mondale said i dont think you can underestimate the havoc that these law school debts can cause
the execution of mr wippmans strategies will fall to his successor who was named on thursday it will be garry w jenkins a law professor from ohio state university moritz college of law mr jenkins whose appointment is subject to university approval brings business experience as a former chief operating officer and general counsel of the goldman sachs foundation this summer mr wippman will leave minnesota to become president of new yorks hamilton college a private liberal arts school   another area of higher education that has been buffeted by declining student interest and lower enrollment
things seem to be going well there mr wippman said but ive learned that its hard to predict the new normal


a group of bernie sanders supporters who have worked or volunteered for his campaign have come up with a draft proposal calling for the vermont senator to suspend his presidential bid after the june 7 california primary eventually concede to hillary clinton and build an independent organization aimed at defeating donald j trump
the three page document addresses a question now facing mr sanderss most ardent supporters how to harness the energy of a movement now that his presidential bid appears to be bowing to the reality that mrs clinton will capture the democratic nomination the document suggests building an organization completely independent of the clinton campaign to defeat mr trump before focusing on other goals after the november election
about a dozen current and former sanders staff members and volunteers have been collaborating on the draft proposal which was obtained by the new york times and first reported by politico
while the authors believe mr sanders will win the california primary they write that barring a miracle he will not become the partys nominee two of the authors who are former campaign staff members confirmed the authenticity of the document the authors all spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were working without the campaigns authorization
the draft lays out a scenario for mr sanderss leaving the race senator sanders may graciously concede and enthusiastically endorse hillary clintons bid to defeat the threatened right wing takeover of our country by donald trump at this time or may withhold that final step in anticipation of discussions with the clinton camp before the convention the draft says
michael briggs a spokesman for the sanders campaign called the draft plan totally irrelevant
we are focused on winning the democratic nomination mr briggs said in an email this document is something that neither the senator nor anyone he works with has seen we have no idea who wrote it we could care less about the document
he added that mr sanders expects to win more delegates in the weeks ahead and that he is campaigning to win the nomination
however the authors argue that mr sanders should pivot away from trying to win the nomination after california votes he should build an organization to facilitate the growing voice of a new generation of activists to focus initially on defeating mr trump in november
such an organization would be devoted to mobilizing voters to defend our democracy in november 2016 and beyond the authors of the plan write
the draft says mr sanders can help bring together young newly political sanders supporters who see rejection of hillary and the democratic party establishment as core to their identity they suggest that his supporters should work to influence the partys platform at the democratic national convention this july in philadelphia and that mr sanders should host his own convention on transforming american politics separate from the partys gathering
coming out of their own convention the goal will be to launch the best organized independent expenditure organization in history and give the vast and deeply anti establishment base a vehicle into which they will wholeheartedly pour their energy the draft said
the proposal included a section about the challenges of building an independent organization chief among them fund raising they write that mr sanders will have to decide whether such a group would take money from wealthier progressives and even suggests the possibility of creating a panel of volunteers who would decide whether to take large donations
the group says mr sanders is in a similar position as senator barack obama after he energized millions of supporters during his 2008 presidential campaign however the authors say mr obama failed to capitalize on the opportunity to change the power structure in america
does bernie sanders and his campaign facilitate the growing voice of a new generation of activists who can rack up the defeat of donald trump as their first major achievement the draft asks or does he raise hell at a party convention and leave the remains of his organization to be picked over by the existing groups on the left that to date have been mostly marginal to the broad majority of americans and sanders supporters alike
the authors say bernie sanders will have to decide these priorities


berlin   a lawmaker from chancellor angela merkels party stunned his colleagues on thursday when he took to the floor of the german parliament to repeat a vulgar accusation that the president of turkey has a venereal disease perhaps contracted while having sex with goats
unbelievable murmured one surprised lawmaker in the chamber when detlef seif a member of the christian democratic union read a satirical poem about president recep tayyip erdogan
the poem created a diplomatic firestorm when its author the german comedian jan bohmermann recited it on his national television show in march
it so enraged mr erdogan who has sought to silence his critics at home and challenge them abroad that he demanded mr bohmermann be prosecuted under an obscure german law that makes it a crime to insult a foreign leader
raising the turkish presidents ire was mr bohmermanns intent but mr seif 53 meant no offense when he recited the poem thursday on the floor of the bundestag inadvertently entering the profane text into germanys permanent public record
mr seif said he was so disgusted by the content of the poem   which among other insults accuses mr erdogan of pedophilia and bestiality   that he wanted to remind his colleagues just how offensive it was
i really didnt want to do this but i read this out to you so that one knows what actually was said here mr seif said
a persons honor is clearly under attack here he added and justice must decide if this kind of language is still covered by freedom of expression and press but put yourselves in the shoes of erdogan and think about it how would you feel about it yourself
unlike mr bohmermann mr seif is legally protected from prosecution should mr erdogan again feel aggrieved by another recitation of the satirical poem
but mr bohmermann insisted sarcastically that mr seif be held to the same standards
i ask that the parliamentary immunity of cdu mp detlef seif be lifted for prosecution under paragraph 103 of the penal code mr bohmermann wrote on twitter
he also shared his caustic surprise at mr seifs earnest repetition of his comedic provocation
renate kunast a lawmaker from the green party told mr seif that she felt very embarrassed for this house that you read out the text
another lawmaker christian flisek of the social democrats said that mr seifs recitation was provocative and unnecessary
last month mrs merkel announced she would allow the prosecution against mr bohmermann to go ahead but added that her government would seek to repeal the 1871 law that she said was inconsistent with modern germanys commitment to free speech


los angeles   terry collins the mets manager was coming to the close of his postgame interview in a hallway at dodger stadium on wednesday night when he dropped a potentially alarming bit of news
noah syndergaard who had just pitched an excellent game with six strikeouts over eight innings recently had his right elbow examined collins said
obviously a worrisome sign for the mets
syndergaard is among the most productive sluggers on the mets on wednesday night he hit two home runs giving him three homers in only 28 games in national league parks
while syndergaards real value is as a pitcher collins said he considered syndegaard jacob degrom and steven matz candidates to pinch hit but any issue with their elbows is something worth fretting over
john ricco the mets vice president and assistant general manager said syndergaard had a magnetic resonance imaging test and saw dr david altchek about 10 days ago no troubles were revealed and syndegaard has pitched twice since with no problems
noah is one of these guys who is really in tune with kind of how he feels from start to start ricco said coming out of his start against the giants he said something just didnt feel right and he wanted to have it checked out altchek took a look and there was nothing to be concerned about
syndergaard speaking after his two homer performance said the reason for the test was all precautionary
he threw 95 pitches wednesday and pitched well but it was his batting that stood out he became only the second mets pitcher to hit two homers in a game and the first in over three decades
walt terrell hit two against ferguson jenkins of the cubs at wrigley field in 1983
syndergaard did it four days after bartolo colon hit the first home run of his 19 year career syndergaards second homer was a three run shot giving him four rbi that tied a mets record for pitchers last achieved by steven matz a season ago
syndergaard said on his twitter account that the home runs were a direct result of bartolo inspiring me to be a better man
nicknamed thor for his norse heritage and his mighty fastball syndergaard produced all of the mets offense in the 4 3 victory and improved his record to 3 2 asked how he felt rounding the bases after he saw the second ball go over the wall syndergaard was far more expansive about that experience than he was about his visit to the doctor
it felt like it was a dream he said its not real i dont think i ever hit two home runs when i played little league
syndergaard also became the first major league pitcher to hit two home runs in a game since aug 18 2007 when micah owings hit two for the arizona diamondbacks
syndergaard had a chance to add to the total when he went to the plate in the sixth inning against relief pitcher chris hatcher the bases were loaded there was nowhere to put this imposing basher
with dodger stadium buzzing syndergaard took a hack at a 97 mph fastball and ripped it foul into the seats in right field far enough and hard enough to excite the fans
i was going for it syndergaard said
after a couple more big swings syndergaard struck out on a 96 mph heater and the dodgers fans rose and applauded as if hatcher had just struck out albert pujols with the bases loaded joe blanton struck out syndergaard in his final at bat
wednesday night was syndergaards 31st career start but three of those were in american league parks in which he did not bat meaning he is averaging a home run every 93 games impressing everyone with his feats both on the mound and at the plate
hes a big strong kid his teammate neil walker said hes thor


the authorities in massachusetts and new hampshire are investigating the use of force by police officers shown in a video punching a man with outstanding warrants who had surrendered and dropped to the ground after a car chase
the video about one minute long was recorded by at least one news helicopter that had been following the car chase that started in holden mass and ended on a dead end street in nashua nh about 60 miles away on wednesday
the footage shows the man identified as richard simone 50 opening the door of his truck and kneeling in front of about half a dozen officers some of whom aim weapons at him then once he is face down the officers punch him in the head and body at least eight times
on thursday the new hampshire authorities announced that a state trooper had been relieved of his duties without pay as a result of the investigation no further details about his identity or what role he played in connection with the events depicted in the video were immediately available
new hampshires assistant attorney general jeffery strelzin said in an email thursday that his office would conduct a criminal investigation to determine what force was used and by whom and whether it was appropriate under the law
i think anyone who looks at the video is disturbed by it but again we dont jump to conclusions he told reporters on wednesday according to wfxt television we need to find out exactly what happened
the debate over the polices use of force has widened and officers conduct has come under greater scrutiny in recent years especially as more and more high profile episodes are captured on cellphones images of questionable police behavior spread through social media have led to nationwide protests federal investigations and changes in policy and attitudes on race
the director of the fbi james comey said wednesday that he believed a viral video effect   in which officers are wary of confronting suspects for fear of ending up on a video   could well be at the heart of a rise in violent crime in some cities
a spokesman for the massachusetts state police david procopio said thursday that the authorities would look into whether the policy on pursuits was followed and into the use of force
mr procopio said the chase started on wednesday in holden about 50 miles west of boston when the police there tried to pull over mr simones truck over arrest warrants on charges including assault and battery with a dangerous weapon but he drove off and the officers eventually joined by the state police gave chase
during the hourlong pursuit mr simone crossed into new hampshire where local police and state police there joined in he said
mr procopio said thursday that mr simone had been arraigned as a fugitive in new hampshire and would be extradited to massachusetts to face his original charges
gov maggie hassan of new hampshire said thursday that the footage raised serious concerns and that the investigation was important and appropriate
new hampshire has a rich history of community policing where law enforcement members have strong collaborative relationships with the communities in which they serve she said in statement
ms hassan added that the episode must be treated with the utmost seriousness without disparaging all of the hard working police officers who put their lives on the line every day to keep us safe


bayer could swallow monsanto but the taste could easily prove bitter the german chemical giant worth 94 billion at wednesdays market close may be mulling a bid for the 39 billion american seed maker according to media reports
monsantos chief executive hugh grant last month swore off big deals after failing to buy a rival syngenta which is now being sold to chemchina mr grant argued that his company based in st louis could thrive without a partner during the latest wave of industry consolidation
that suggests only a serious premium would get his attention an offer pitched at a 30 percent markup to monsantos closing share price on wednesday would value the enterprise at nearly 60 billion including 7 billion of net debt thats around 15 times estimated 2016 earnings before interest taxes depreciation and amortization or ebitda according to thomson reuters close to the frothy 153 times chemchina is paying for syngenta
bayer would need leverage by borrowing up to 35 times the combined forecast ebitda for 2016 the enlarged bayer could take on just over 30 billion of new debt   enough to cover less than two thirds of the cost of monsantos equity for the remaining 20 billion or so monsanto shareholders might take bayer stock at more than one fifth of the german groups market capitalization though if the company instead had to raise cash through new stock issuance and asset sales it could be a stretch
even if the new bayer chief executive werner baumann were up for all that he would need to scrutinize value creation to cover a 12 billion premium would take cost savings worth at least 16 billion a year assuming a tax rate of 25 percent and a multiple of 10 times thats a chunky 6 percent of the annual revenue of monsanto and bayers crop science unit combined researchers at sanford c bernstein reckon 15 billion might be achievable
while the numbers may just stack up a merger would also set up a culture clash beyond the usual differences bayer would be buying a company at the center of the fight against genetically modified crops in europe investors bid monsantos shares up nearly 10 percent on thursday morning in new york while bayers fell about 5 percent thats just the beginning of what could happen if mr baumann gets serious about monsanto


moscow   as american and allied officials celebrated the opening of a long awaited missile defense system in europe with a ribbon cutting and a band the reaction in russia on thursday suggested the system had raised the risks of a nuclear war
russian officials reiterated their position that the american built system imperiled russias security but the public discussion in russia was darker including online commentary of how a nuclear confrontation might play out in europe and the prospect that romania the systems host might be reduced to smoking ruins
we have been saying right from when this story started that our experts are convinced that the deployment of the abm system poses a certain threat to the russian federation the kremlin spokesman dmitri s peskov told reporters in a conference call
measures are being taken to ensure the necessary level of security for russia he said the president himself let me remind you has repeatedly asked who the system will work against
the united states has asserted that the anti ballistic missile system would protect only against rogue states particularly iran and provide no protection for either europe or the united states from russias far larger arsenal of nuclear missiles the north atlantic treaty organization site will be controlled by an american officer
the system called aegis ashore was essentially transferred from a seaborne launchpad onto land in romania at the deveselu air base the united states on friday planned to break ground on a second site in poland that should be completed in 2018 but a deputy united states defense secretary robert work reiterated thursday there are no plans at all to strengthen this missile umbrella to protect against russia
in moscow the foreign ministry spokeswoman maria zakharova said russian defense experts consider the site a threat
we still view the destructive actions of the united states and its allies in the area of missile defense as a direct threat to global and regional security ms zakharova said
she said that the aegis ashore launchpad was practically identical to a system used aboard aegis warships that is capable of launching tomahawk cruise missiles
while the united states says it has no tomahawk missiles at the site in romania russian officials say the launchpad violates a 1987 treaty intended to take the superpowers off their hair trigger nuclear alert the intermediate range nuclear forces treaty by banning land based cruise and medium range missiles with a range from 300 to 3400 miles
the short flight time of these missiles diminished to mere minutes the window soviet leaders would have had after a warning to decide whether to launch a second strike raising the risks of mishaps any redeployment of nuclear capable missiles in central europe would roll the clock back to this nerve racking 1980s status quo
we have to announce this openly without any additional diplomatic formulations ms zakharova said of the russian assertion the site violates the intermediate range missile ban we are talking about violation of this treaty
president vladimir v putin of russia has warned that an american antimissile deployment in eastern europe could prompt russia to withdraw from the treaty the united states last year accused russia of violating the treaty by failing to declare the true range of two missile types
last fall russian security officials appeared to drop hints of another military response to the missile defense system   a nuclear armed drone submarine russia this leak appeared to say has options
during a high level security meeting a television camera zoomed in on an open binder showing the weapons design ostensibly by accident
the drone according to easily decipherable text accompanying the design drawing would be capable of carrying a large nuclear device into coastal waters and detonating it touching off a radioactive tsunami to flood and contaminate seaside cities
the submarine would defeat important economic objects of an enemy in coastal zones bringing guaranteed and unacceptable losses on the countrys territory by forming a wide area of radioactive contamination incompatible with conducting military economic or any other activities there for a long period of time it said
a russian commentator konstantin bogdanov wrote on lentaru a news portal that the antimissile sites in eastern europe might even accelerate the slippery slope to nuclear war in a crisis
they would inevitably become priority targets in the event of nuclear war possibly even targets for preventive strikes countries like romania that host american antimissile systems might be the only casualties he wrote whereas the united states would then reconcile with russia over the smoking ruins of the east european elements of the missile defense system


baghdad   islamic state fighters extended their barrage of suicide bombings in iraq on thursday killing at least 20 iraqi soldiers and tribal fighters outside the western regional capital of ramadi and five policemen in a coordinated attack outside the abu ghraib district of baghdad officials said
the new attacks came a day after the sunni terrorist group staged a deadly wave of bombings in baghdad including one in which dozens were killed at a crowded market in the shiite neighborhood of sadr city even as the iraqi security forces have made progress in taking back territory from the group in recent months the islamic state has seemed to step up its calculated bomb plots
isis militants unleashed a wave of car bombs while fighting against soldiers policemen and sunni tribal allies of the government north of ramadi in a counteroffensive against iraqi forces that had taken back that city and other areas of anbar province in recent months
the iraqi military commander of anbar operations gen ismail al mhallawi said in a phone interview that islamic state fighters had struck at several places while the pro government forces were beginning a new push to take towns and roads north of ramadi he said that at least 20 pro government forces had been killed and more than 30 wounded in a widespread assault that included at least 10 suicide car bombs
in baghdad the police said an assault by eight militants on a police station in al zaydan just southeast of abu ghraib district left at least five policemen dead and wounded at least 15 others early thursday two of the attackers were suicide bombers who detonated their explosives at the stations entrance about 230 am said talib al zoobai one of the injured policemen
a member of the local council in abu ghraib kamil aldulaimy said the other attackers were armed with assault rifles and rocket launchers and were eventually killed by police officers mr aldulaimy said that a curfew had been imposed on abu ghraib district while the security forces looked for other potential attackers
the recent pattern of bomb attacks is bringing increased pressure on the government of prime minister haider al abadi who on wednesday night visited a northern baghdad hospital that was treating some of the wounded from the bombings
mr abadi is being pressed by a growing protest movement to follow through on promises to reform government and cut down on corruption and as attacks by sunni terrorists have increased in recent days he has been criticized for not doing enough to protect civilians against such attacks


during the 19th century travelers on whaling ships used art to record dramatic and sometimes gory events in official logbooks and personal journals sailors and passengers listed sea routes weather conditions whale oil harvests ship repairs and stops for provisions in pen pencil and watercolor they added drawings of heaving whales in their death throes dragging boats bleeding whale carcasses being torn apart and seamens coffins lowered into the ocean
michael p dyer the senior maritime historian at the new bedford whaling museum in massachusetts is tracking down these illustrations for a book the art of the yankee whale hunt manuscript illustration in the age of sail some journals contain just one meticulously detailed image because mr dyer said in the middle of the voyage something extraordinary happened
the last major study of the subject appeared in the 1980s illustrated whaling journals are now on display in the new bedford whaling museums exhibition mapping ahabs storied waves   whaling and the geography of moby dick about cartographic resources that herman melvilles vengeful main character would have used to find the white behemoth that bit off his lower leg
the new bedford whaling museum owns 2300 logbooks about 100 are digitized and online and more digitizing is in progress the museum has been acquiring them as gifts and purchases for more than a century heavily illustrated volumes can sell for tens of thousands of dollars each one third of the collections logbooks contain some kind of drawing including simple outlines of whales in the margins or tableaus detailed with ship rigging portraits of particular american indian and african american crewmen marine creatures fin and fluke silhouettes and the animals wounds from gunshots lances and harpoons
the drawings at times reveal mishaps broken tools and ropes escaped whales and the untethered bodies of whales that sank each logbook could cover several trips around the world and contain writings and images from numerous shipmates sailors would share drawings onboard they critiqued one anothers art and they sometimes worked on commission for officers a number of the identifiable artists including joseph bogart hersey and joseph washington tuck were based in provincetown mass where a culture of maritime sketching seems to have arisen to this day provincetown is an artists colony mr dyer observed
he can sometimes pinpoint not only the dates of the incidents but also the ships geographic coordinates at the relevant moment you can in many many cases identify the event he said
in 1864 a young massachusetts man amos c baker jr sketched his own accident off the patagonian coast a whale smashed his boat and his leg was broken in two places getting cracked was mr bakers caption for the logbook picture after healing for a few months in his cabin he returned to work as a third mate hobbling on crutches and leaning on oars
he was in misery for the rest of the voyage and he was lame for the rest of his life mr dyer said mr baker who later worked as a lighthouse keeper probably took some comfort in knowing that in an act of vengeance that captain ahab would have admired his shipmates slaughtered the whale that had slammed into him
a handful of women traveling with husbands who were ship officers contributed drawings to sea journals the new bedford whaling museum owns lydia tucks watercolors of hunts off the west african coast which she produced in the 1850s while accompanying her husband francis tuck the ships master and a brother of the artist joseph tuck she was pleased at their large oil harvest from a noble whale she wrote although it seems cruel to kill them
other institutions including the marthas vineyard museum have begun digitizing illustrated logbooks yale university has posted pages from a journal that the yale educated writer francis allyn olmsted produced around 1840 during a sailing voyage from the northeastern united states to the pacific islands and back mr olmsted recorded whale carcasses amid choppy waves weapons used in hunting expeditions costumes worn by islanders and encounters with icebergs snow hail and gales he apologized for the quality of his workmanship on the page my friends must remember the great disadvantages i labor under in drawing as for instance the constant motion of the ship
unsigned sketches untraceable so far to any identifiable voyage have turned up tucked inside logbooks and some illustrations have apparently been removed from logbooks and turned into framed art disconnected from their original narratives mr dyer has also found journals that illustrate seamens hunting triumphs on specific whaleboats although other archival records of the voyages show the slaughters never actually happened
its wishful thinking a whaleman imagining that hed captured whales on that particular day mr dyer said
logbook artists worked in other media as well the new bedford museum owns whalebone and whale ivory carvings by mr hersey and mr baker mr hersey in his 1843 journal described himself as slightly skilled in the art of flowering that is drawing and painting upon bone steam boats flower pots monuments balloons landscapes c he considered himself something of a naturalist too documenting much diversity in the form and habits of the inhabitants of the ocean
one combination however remains elusive mr dyer said that he had not yet been able to connect a whaling scene drawn in a journal with a whaling scene engraved on a whales tooth


the nhls eastern conference finals which begin friday in pittsburgh feature two swift skilled teams that have developed depth out of necessity and forged momentum from solidarity
the tampa bay lightning returned most of the roster that lost in the stanley cup finals last season but they have been without their star center steven stamkos that has not stopped them from compiling the best winning percentage and goal differential in the postseason their opponents the pittsburgh penguins transformed their identity over the course of the season bringing key figures into the fold along the way
pittsburgh 336 is the second highest scoring team in the playoffs and tampa bay 190 has allowed the fewest goals per game among the remaining playoff teams
of the final four teams pittsburgh won the cup most recently in 2009 and is in the conference finals for the fourth time since sidney crosby entered the league in 2005 the lightning the 2004 champions are in the conference finals for the fourth time in their 23rd season in the league
pittsburgh finished the regular season in second place in the metropolitan division with the second best record in the eastern conference after winning 14 of its last 16 games
after ousting the rangers in five games in the first round the penguins slid into the conference finals off center nick boninos overtime winner in game 6 against the washington capitals who had the best record in the nhl in the regular season bonino and his linemates carl hagelin and phil kessel were all acquired in trades over the past year they combined for 18 points in six games against the capitals producing four goals and three assists in the series clincher
the off season additions of forwards eric fehr and matt cullen paid dividends as they also generated chances quickened tempo and figured into key goals against washington that was all while the superstar centers crosby and evgeni malkin accounted for one goal and three assists between them in the series
on defense kris letang continues to anchor the penguins when he was suspended for game 4 against the capitals another shrewd economical in season trade pickup trevor daley picked up the slack he was on the ice for all three pittsburgh goals including one of his own in a 3 2 overtime victory
the rookie goaltender matt murray also continued to shine he did not cede his net to marc andre fleury the penguins career leader in wins who was cleared to return from a late season concussion during the second round murray outlasted the former vezina trophy winner henrik lundqvist in the first round and braden holtby the vezina favorite this season in the second round next up another vezina finalist ben bishop
what was once a work in progress roster now seems concrete under coach mike sullivan who was hired in december after only six games as an nhl head coach since 2006
tampa bay seeded second in the atlantic division reached the conference finals for the second year in a row by defeating the detroit red wings and the islanders in five game series
in the absence of stamkos who may return after an operation in april to address a blood clot the lightning have received superb support from their other top producers center tyler johnson has usually been flanked by wings alex killorn and nikita kucherov and the line has carried tampa bay offensively with 34 points in 10 games kucherov shares the nhl lead in postseason goals with nine the former no 3 overall pick jonathan drouin who spent much of the season in the minor leagues also has emerged as a force with 9 points
tampa bays top defenseman victor hedman has been an all around threat in the postseason producing 9 points 33 shots on goal and a plus four rating another key cog on defense anton stralman who sustained a broken leg late in the regular season may be back soon
bishop the lightnings 6 foot 7 goalie continues to give them an opportunity to win every game he leads all remaining goalies in the playoffs in save percentage goals against average shutouts and victories bishop has also buoyed the lightning penalty kill which has been the best among the teams left in the postseason
his 4 0 shutout of the islanders in the elimination game capped a two game stretch in which he allowed only one goal in more than 121 minutes bishop has four shutouts in five series clinching wins during the past two postseasons and he has allowed only one goal in those five games


pop stardom is confusing messy thankless work equal parts exultation and excoriation just ask justin bieber playing to sold out arenas of shrieking young women one day feeding squirrels and walking barefoot through a city thats not his home the next then posting notes online about how fans who want pictures with him will no longer be allowed them lest he lose whatever is left of his soul
not every pop star suffers such meltdowns but the scrutiny is persistent and yet there is no shortage of applicants for the role even those who know better or at least know different
that craving underpins the new albums by meghan trainor and mike posner   pop stars who arent quite   albeit in opposite ways ms trainor found unlikely fame with all about that bass which reached no 1 on the billboard hot 100 in 2014 and her second major label album thank you out friday is an attempt to solidify her presence in pops most rarefied ranks
mr posner just released his second major label album at night alone almost six years after his first and it largely shrugs at the sort of fame ms trainor is openly chasing with a set of self eviscerating songs about tattered pride
ms trainor hasnt arrived at her internal reassessment yet   shes just now securing her footing four tracks from her 2015 major label debut album title hit the top 15 but her songs were sometimes accused of retrograde gender politics as a pop star she was about five decades behind sociologically
not surprisingly thank you is a warp speed trip to the feminist present a world in which beyonce and rihanna teach class and take names ms trainor for her part attends class and takes notes which is better than playing hooky no the first single from this album went to no 3 on the hot 100 and is the sort of song you might write for a broadway musical about a beyonce like figure or perhaps for an episode of empire
in it ms trainor brushes off a suitor   my name is nomy sign is nomy number is no   with the same fervor she sought one on her debut she sings her own background harmony vocals a destinys child of one
the production   by ricky reed who handles almost all of this album   is convincing mid 2000s pop leaning rb nuanced in a way ms trainor is not she has a round and slightly stodgy voice thats most effective when it aims lowest as on the winning novelty song dance like yo daddy full of quizzical dance instructions can you overbite can you old man overbite and doo wop harmonies over a skronking sax and sock hop swing
elsewhere on this spotty album ms trainor grinds her way through tough stand songs like watch me do a homage to destinys childs independent women part 1 and me too where she awkwardly proclaims self love whos that sexy thang i see over therethats me standin in the mirror
that songs video recently caused a mini controversy when it was revealed that ms trainors body had been digitally altered to appear smaller in it either reliable proof that pop star norms are ubiquitous and relentless or a slickly contrived method of making ms trainor   who insisted the video be pulled fixed and rereleased   seem like a champion of body positivity
whatever the case pushing back against the suffocation of pop stardom is at least part of ms trainors goal but its unlikely shell go as far as mr posner does at night alone is an elegantly rendered album by a singularly grating singer
mr posner like ms trainor is a songwriter too or more accurately a songwriter who happens to sing most of the best songs on this album are about how little tastes of stardom   mr posner had a handful of hits in the early 2010s   ended up feeling like assaults and how mr posners easy gift for melody is like an albatross
i took a pill in ibiza is a hilarious downer of a lead single im just a singer who already blew his shot mr posner sings you dont wanna be high like me on one hell of a song he boasts of how his songwriting ability is a tool of seduction but an empty one and only god knows is an affectingly scraped up shout blues that mr bieber might relate to or want to record im sitting on a park bench in a city i dont knowtrying to convince myself that im not all alone
whats most telling is how skeletal these songs are on the surface alone recalls a 1970s singer songwriter album raw and intimate
but this is a sort of strategy as well these naked pained songs are in fact just raw data for others to remix modest seed investments toward future pop stardom payouts this album closes with remixes of six of its 12 songs
cooler than me mr posners first breakthrough hit was bolstered by a dance remix that extended its chart life and so its been with ibiza which isnt a hit in its unvarnished guitar ballad form its the remix by seeb thats currently no 4 on the hot 100
so its funny to hear mr posner mope at the beginning of the song i took a pill in ibiza to show avicii i was cooland when i finally got sober felt 10 years older former dance floor hit singer burns out writes minimalist ballad about pops lies is remixed becomes pop manna once more the cycle continues
except when it doesnt even if mr posner is having another go at it avicii has had enough in march he announced he was retiring from touring because of the toll its taken on his health hes 26


animal migrations combine staggering endurance and exquisite timing
consider the odyssey of a bird known as the red knot each spring flocks of the intrepid shorebirds fly up to 9300 miles from the tropics to the arctic as the snow melts they mate and produce a new generation of chicks the chicks gorge themselves on insects and then all the red knots head back south
they are there less than two months said jan a van gils an ecologist at the royal netherlands institute for sea research its a very tight schedule
it is also a vulnerable one the precipitous decline of the red knots that winter in west africa may provide a small but telling parable of the perils of climate change
in a study published thursday in the journal science dr van gils and his colleagues present evidence that indicates climate change is putting pressure on the birds along their entire journey possibly helping to drive down the birds population and making them yet another of many species around the world being affected by climate change
the new study shows how climate change can create ecological ripples that can threaten a species in unexpected ways
i think its a fascinating study said david s wilcove an expert on animal migrations at princeton university it illustrates the odd and almost unpredictable ways in which climate change is affecting biodiversity
and if dr van gils and his colleagues are right further warming will make the plight of the red knot even more dire
i foresee some sort of crash dr van gils said
the researchers got their first clue that something was amiss when they studied a subspecies of red knots that winters on the coast of mauritania in west africa typically red knots dig into the sand to harvest clams with their long bills the scientists were intrigued to discover that some of the birds were digging up sea grass roots and eating them instead
that puzzled me dr van gils said so i wondered why is this
it turns out that the clams are buried deeper in the sand than the sea grass roots are small red knots with short bills could not reach the clams so they had to make do with the less nutritious sea grass roots these smaller birds go for something they dont like so much dr van gils said
to understand why the birds grew to different sizes the team began a study of the red knots full migratory path in june the birds leave mauritania and fly to the arctic coast of russia at the end of july they make a return trip the adults stop off to refuel in the netherlands while the juvenile red knots travel through poland
the scientists found a disturbing trend over the past 30 years the juveniles arriving in poland have been shrinking in size on average they are about 15 percent smaller today than in 1985
looking at satellite images of their arctic summer habitat the scientists found a clue to this trend the arctic has been warming up earlier because of climate change today the snow is melting two weeks earlier than in 1985
the insects in the arctic are responding to the shift by hatching earlier but the red knots are not adjusting their schedule by the time their chicks hatch the insects are far past their peak and the birds cant find as much food as they could 30 years ago
when the birds arrive in mauritania in july the smaller juveniles with shorter beaks cannot dig deep enough to eat their regular diet of clams instead they are eating more sea grass this new diet appears to be taking a toll dr van gils and his colleagues have found that juvenile red knots with short bills are more likely to die than birds with long bills
how the shorebirds which turn a rusty color in spring got their name is a bit of a mystery one theory suggests that the pattern of the birds feeding along the tide line evoked the image of canute a norse king whose failed efforts to hold back the tide became legend another possible notion could be that the birds grunting call sounds like the word knot
martin wikelski a zoologist at the max planck institute for ornithology who was not involved in the research cautioned that some questions about the birds were still unanswered for example the team kept track of the birds in mauritania by banding them with colored rings when the birds disappeared the scientists couldnt know for sure if they were dead or had just gone elsewhere
its the first of its kind dr wikelski said of the new study but it might not be true
scientists will be able to get better data about migratory birds dr wikelski said as miniature tracking devices become more powerful and affordable experiments will also allow scientists to test hypotheses about the animals this summer for example dr van gils is going to study a population of red knots that summer in alaska he will move eggs to places where insects emerge at different times in the summer he predicts the timing will affect the chicks growth
dr van gils said that climate change might be a factor behind the decline of the red knots that winter in mauritania they have decreased from about half a million birds to a quarter of a million
if that continues theyre going to go extinct he said
dr wikelski still wants to see more evidence to judge the future of migratory birds in a warmer world but he has seen enough to be worried
maybe theyre sentinels he said about the red knots we should take these early warning signs seriously


washington   the head of the transportation security administration faced pointed criticism from members of a house committee on thursday during a hearing that examined many continuing problems at the agency including long security lines at airports and suspected retaliation against employees who report security lapses
the house oversight committee hearing was the second inquiry by the panel focused on management shortcomings and misconduct at the agency which also included the awarding of bonuses to supervisors who ignored warnings about security lapses and allegations that employees who reported problems were reassigned to other airports
a hearing last month featured three tsa whistle blowers all of them senior managers who said the agency remained plagued by poor leadership and inadequate oversight
there are some very serious concerns about the performance of tsa said representative john l mica republican of florida a longtime critic of the agency
peter v neffenger the tsa administrator said the agency had taken steps to address some of the issues raised by members of congress including starting a program to retrain all security screeners and refocusing the agencys mission on security rather than merely speeding passengers through lines
mr neffenger said he had also changed several policies including one called directed reassignments that employees at the agency said had been abused to relocate to different airports employees who reported security lapses and misconduct by managers
i share your concerns he said i hold those who violate standards accountable
the agency has come under fire recently for increasingly long security lines at airports many airlines say the increase in wait times has caused passengers to miss flights and some airports frustrated by the performance of the tsa say they are considering switching to private screeners
mr neffenger said the long lines were a result of staffing shortages and higher than forecast passenger numbers
my opinion is that we are not at the right size he said congress has given the agency the authority to hire 768 additional screeners
but some members of the committee said the problems went beyond staffing and training
this is a management and performance problem said representative mark desaulnier democrat of california
the agency has also been criticized by its employees who say they have been reassigned demoted investigated or fired for reporting lapses or misconduct by senior managers charges that were later upheld by whistle blower protection agencies
republicans and democrats questioned mr neffenger extensively about the practice of sending employees considered by managers to be troublemakers to undesirable locations as punishment lawmakers said the practice was not only abusive but also costly
representative elijah e cummings democrat of maryland and the ranking member on the committee said reassignments were intentionally tearing up families for seemingly no reason
the allegations of abuse in reassignments were brought to light by andrew rhoades an assistant federal security director at minneapolis st paul international airport who said that he was relocated to an airport in tampa fla after exposing security lapses in minnesota the office of special counsel an agency that investigates whistle blower complaints later worked with the tsa to rescind the reassignment
mr rhoades also sent the committee documents showing that top tsa supervisors who ignored warnings about security lapses were awarded bonuses an internal audit found that one top official received more than 90000 in bonuses despite an internal audit that showed that screeners failed to detect investigators with fake weapons and bombs going through security lines the audit showed that screeners failed to detect the weapons 95 percent of the time
representative mark meadows republican of north carolina also criticized the tsa for its handling of robert j maclean a federal air marshal who was fired by the agency for leaking information to the news media mr maclean was later reinstated after a supreme court ruling but he said he continued to be mistreated by the agency
despite the grilling by members on the agencys performance mr neffenger did draw praise from some lawmakers including mr cummings and steve russell republican of oklahoma who said he had taken positive steps to improve the tsa
i do believe that we are well on our way to making the tsa a better organization mr cummings said
mr mica however said he was not convinced
you cannot recruit you cannot train you cannot retain and you cannot administrate he said this is a huge failing program


london   the british government presented its plans for the future of the british broadcasting corporation on thursday urging the publicly funded broadcaster to be more distinctive in its programming while transforming and consolidating how the bbc is governed
the government preoccupied by a coming referendum on britains membership in the european union and wary of further fights with parliament pulled back from radical changes like influencing bbc programming though the changes in how the bbc is overseen are a delicate topic given its strong tradition of editorial independence
in a move that seemed intended to assuage concerns about political interference the new charter for the bbc would take effect in january and last 11 years instead of the current 10 so that the cycle for renewing it will not coincide with the five year national election cycle
the proposed charter as presented to parliament by the culture secretary john whittingdale secures the bbcs funding through the next charter and allows the license fee paid by most british households frozen at 14550 pounds a year about 210 to rise with inflation the bbc now gets about PS372 billion a year from the fee and receives PS13 billion in commercial and other income
the new charter also aims to close a loophole requiring those who watch television programs after broadcast only on their computers smartphones or tablets to also pay the license fee
mr whittingdale concerned about the impact of the huge bbc on the commercial market has put a requirement to provide distinctive content into the broadcasters core mission to inform educate and entertain it will also highlight the requirement for the bbc to be impartial while promising to maintain its independence
the new mission statement will read to act in the public interest serving all audiences with impartial high quality and distinctive media content and services that inform educate and entertain
the power of the bbc is immense and the government is emphatically not saying that the bbc should not be popular mr whittingdale said
with a 33 percent share in television a 53 percent share in radio and the third most popular uk website   and with only 27 percent of people believing that the bbc makes lots of programs that are more daring and innovative than other broadcasters he said editors should ask themselves whether new programs are sufficiently innovative and high quality and not just how will it do in the ratings
the government will also require the bbc to disclose the salaries of its highest paid talent if they receive more than PS450000 a year which is the current salary of the director general tony hall and to do more to ensure diversity of programs and hiring
the most important change will be in how the bbc is governed
the current structure with internal management overseen by the bbc trust with members appointed by the government is flawed having to act as both cheerleader and regulator but without editorial control and will be scrapped
instead the government proposes a unitary bbc board of 14 members including nonexecutive members responsible for budget content and editorial decisions after squabbles about independence the bbc would name at least half the 14 members and the government no more than six
the government is insisting that the current head of the bbc trust rona fairhead lead the new board at least through her current contract which runs through october 2018
but for the first time the bbc will be regulated by ofcom the body that regulates the telecommunications industry from phones and radio licenses to the internet and the post office
and the bbc will be audited by the national audit office which audits most public institutions
the bbc though largely supportive of the proposed charter said in a statement that it still had concerns those include how the bbc should be audited and the new unitary board appointed
mr hall the director general said we have an honest disagreement with the government on this i do not believe that the appointments proposals for the new unitary board are yet right
it is vital for the future of the bbc that its independence is fully preserved he added
the opposition labour party accused mr whittingdale of ideologically driven meddling and said his proposals were totally out of step with the license fee payers who value and support the bbc
the publication of the white paper will be followed by further debate in parliament and outside and could be amended but the charter does not require a vote of parliament and is meant to be ready to replace the old charter that runs out at the end of the year


london   the calendar is filling with moments marking britains role in molding events that changed the world
on july 1 the centenary of the start of the battle of the somme will inspire memories of one of the bloodiest contests of world war i which pitted french and british forces against german adversaries a few days later on july 6 after many delays an official inquiry into britains role in the american led invasion of iraq in 2003 is set to finally produce its voluminous report
what binds the two is the ambiguous legacy of power projected onto foreign fields world war i fueled an urge to build new orders as old empires collapsed borders were redrawn countries carved up the seeds that were sowed as western powers like britain faded after the world wars have contributed to some of the most persistent problems and dangerous phenomena of the present the iraq inquiry is likely to shine a light on a weakened britains uncomfortable role in trying to fix some of the mistakes that were born less than a century after the somme
frail nations shaped by the victors of world war i have faced challenges of their own   the arab spring convulsed north africa and the middle east and iraq and syria descended into turmoil helping give rise to the islamic state
frontiers redrawn after world war i could not contain the populations within them the claimed right of imperial minded westerners to expand their presence and influence has been reversed
we have entered the age of migration mark leonard the director of the european council on foreign relations a think tank wrote recently if all the people who live outside the country of their birth united to form their own   a republic of the rootless   it would be the fifth largest country in the world with a population of more than 240 million mr leonard pointed out
that in turn has redefined the balance of geopolitical advantage a million chinese settlers in sub saharan africa have recast economies and alliances there remittances by indias 20 million strong diaspora account for a significant 4 percent of the countrys gross domestic product mr leonard said turkeys geographic position as a land bridge once a bulwark against the soviet union in the cold war now enables its leaders to use the syrian refugee crisis as a high stakes diplomatic lever to pursue its ambitions in western europe
for many in the west migration is a narrow not in my backyard issue often depicted as a zero sum competition for access to national largess that many europeans fear will be jeopardized by an influx of outsiders   from other european countries and beyond
almost reflexively the contest assumes an ominous ethnic profile consider for instance donald j trumps pledge to bar muslims from the united states
in some part the anniversary of the somme commemorates britains role in the power plays of the past the countrys role in the power plays of the present and future are at issue in another significant date that is just around the corner on june 23 voters in britain will decide in a referendum whether to leave the european union
increasingly that closely fought debate is linked to britains ability to control migration across its borders   and to the interlinked question of whether the country would be more secure if it pulled out of the 28 nation bloc
the imponderables reach far beyond britains frontiers according to the united nations there are about 244 million migrants who live and work in countries where they were not born moreover wars and upheaval the organization says have created roughly 20 million refugees and left 40 million displaced in their own countries
xenophobic and racist responses to refugees and migrants seem to be reaching new levels of stridency frequency and public acceptance secretary general ban ki moon of the united nations said this week the wave of refugees and the rise of mass migration are usually seen as modern phenomena but as the battle of the somme anniversary will soon recall they have deep roots


brasilia   from its earliest days as a scrappy band of marxists defying brazils military rulers the workers party grew to become one of worlds most enduring leftist movements   an electoral powerhouse that dominated the nations politics for more than a decade
but brazils senate dealt it a crippling blow on thursday voting to suspend president dilma rousseff and tossing out the political organization that has governed latin americas largest nation for 13 years the longest reign of a democratically elected party in brazilian history
the workers party was a party of hope but its leaders got intoxicated by power and now that hope has been dashed said helio bicudo 93 an early member of the party and a former legislator who defected in 2005
after a decade of soaring popularity the fortunes of the workers party were pummeled by a raging economic crisis and a colossal corruption scandal that felled some of its top leaders
while millions of brazilians were slipping back into poverty the party that had come to power vowing to represent the masses and drive out impunity was taking part in the same kind of corruption that had long characterized the countrys ruling classes
although ms rousseff has not been accused of graft   her impeachment trial is based on a budgetary sleight of hand intended to enhance her re election prospects   corruption scandals have tarnished the reputation of her mentor former president luiz inacio lula da silva the workers party standard bearer who picked her to be his successor and had planned to run again in 2018
mr da silva has yet to be charged with a crime but federal prosecutors are investigating his role in a scheme that involved funneling money from the national oil company into the workers party campaign coffers
an array of top allies of mr da silva including senior members of the party have been imprisoned or are under investigation for their involvement in the scheme which distributed billions of dollars in bribes to figures across the political spectrum
even in a nation inured to systemic corruption the fall of a party once devoted to transparency and clean government has deepened mistrust of politics
it also threatens to upend some of the accomplishments of the party a political juggernaut that even critics concede helped ease the crushing poverty and economic disparity that has long plagued this nation of 200 million
that the workers party sullied itself by getting involved in all this corruption this is a tragedy maybe the major tragedy of what is happening today said jose murilo de carvalho a historian
in recent weeks more than 130 mayors who won office on the workers party ticket have switched parties and nearly 30 deputies in the lower house of congress roughly half of its caucus have suggested they might do the same according to tallies in the brazilian news media
other parties took part in the graft scheme but emboldened by ms rousseffs political demise her opponents in the legislature are working to reverse some of her partys hallmarks including stringent environmental rules protections for indigenous brazilians in the amazon and laws criminalizing abusive work conditions on cattle ranches
jan rocha an author of the book brazil under the workers party said such efforts if successful could stoke class divisions and provoke a violent backlash from disenfranchised brazilians who stand to lose the most from a rollback of the partys policies
the workers party represented an attempt to change the political landscape in brazil and give a voice to all the millions of brazilians who never had a voice she said they lifted millions of people out of poverty but brazil still has an awfully long way to go before becoming an equitable society
marked by greed betrayal and the quest for ever greater power the partys fall from grace has all the elements of a shakespearean tragedy
its main protagonist is mr da silva 70 who worked as a shoeshine boy before landing a job at a screw factory from there he rose to the presidency and oversaw an economic boom
starting in the 1970s he helped transform a ragtag collection of labor activists liberal roman catholic clergy members and idealistic students into a formidable political movement that stood up to the countrys military leaders
formed in 1980 the workers party eschewed strict marxist dogma and embraced a democratic process for electing its leaders
mr da silva ran for office with the slogan land labor and freedom
by the late 1980s the partys candidates were winning elections in 1986 mr da silva was elected to congress and two years later a workers party candidate won the mayoralty of sao paulo the countrys largest city mr da silva then set his sights on the presidency
universally referred to by the nickname lula he was an unlikely political figure whose unpolished syntax and leftist rhetoric rattled the brazilian elite but in 1998 after three unsuccessful bids for president mr da silva changed his strategy he traded his t shirts for tailored suits and jettisoned talk of revolutionary change saying he would honor the 250 billion in foreign debt that was then hobbling the brazilian economy
his new slogan lula peace and love
in 2002 he harnessed popular anger over economic inequality and rampant graft to win the presidency by a landslide the austerity measures he introduced and a growing demand for brazilian commodities helped right the economy but he quickly found it necessary to make deals with brazils fractious congress to pass his ambitious legislative agenda
for former party stalwarts like idelber avelar the breaking point came when mr da silva began to dole out patronage posts and form alliances with opposition party bosses who did not share the workers partys ideals
it represented everything that the party had been fighting against said mr avelar an academic who now lives in the united states there were a number of options but the early choice was made for the politics of making deals behind closed doors
the accommodation with rent seeking allies nearly brought down mr da silvas government in 2005 when a vote buying scheme that paid opposition lawmakers for their loyalty was exposed by the brazilian news media mr da silva weathered the scandal and was re elected in 2006 but he was substantially weakened by the crisis and was forced to enter into even more alliances to maintain his support in congress
apparently unchastened by their brush with scandal workers party officials were secretly engaged in a huge kickback scheme with executives at petrobras the state owned energy giant the arrangement involved skimming off billions of dollars from an oil boom and diverting the money to the workers party and its coalition partners in congress
the scandal has shaken the countrys political establishment with dozens of business executives and party leaders imprisoned or under investigation
some of mr da silvas closest aides are among the fallen but he has insisted he was unaware of the arrangement
our greatest achievements were to raise 36 million people out of poverty and elevate 40 million others into the middle class mr da silva said in an email this week we remain a party that cares about the poor and about social justice
unless he is charged with a crime many political analysts still expect mr da silva to run for president in two years
in brazilian politics you can never throw someone under the bus and think they wont recover said alfred p montero the author of the book brazil reversal of fortune and a professor at carleton college ive been watching these guys since the 80s and they always seem to come back
experts say that despite its current tribulations the workers party with its 500000 active members will remain a potent force in brazilian politics for years to come the impeachment crisis some say may spur a period of introspection that could help reinvigorate the party
the workers party is heading back to the opposition which perhaps is just what the doctor ordered mr montero said
for now the workers party faithful are engaged in soul searching did the party abandon its ideals in the heady rush of power or were its leaders adapting to a flawed entrenched system
lincoln secco a professor of contemporary history at the university of sao paulo and an early party member said mr da silva made a fateful error during his first months in power by not seeking to push through difficult political changes including an overhaul of a campaign finance system that is heavily reliant on corporate donors
if the party doesnt confront the political system there is no other way to govern in brazil than to enter into rotten alliances he said they chose the easier way
despite the disillusionment millions of brazilians still hold great affection for the party especially those who have benefited from the many social welfare programs put into place during the tenures of mr da silva and ms rousseff they include a monthly stipend to the nations poorest residents and programs that allowed millions of people to attend college for the first time
milton nunes sobrinho 53 a doorman in sao paulo credits the party with helping him obtain steady work buy a used car and move his family out of a rat infested shack thanks to a federally subsidized loan program that produced 26 million new homeowners over the past decade
everything they promised they did mr sobrinho said all the progress weve experienced in our lives is because of them
asked about partys troubles he shook his head its all a political game he said and next time ill definitely be voting for the candidate from the workers party


paris   it was a bad day of the kind that has become distressingly common for president francois hollande
anti government demonstrators tear gas and police sirens filled streets again in paris and other french cities on thursday with protesters voicing their opposition to the centerpiece of mr hollandes domestic agenda legislation intended to make it easier for employers to hire   and fire   workers
members of his own socialist party were planning openly to get rid of his government as were members of the opposition less than a year out from the presidential election analysts vied with each other to pronounce his political death sentence if the polls conducted and cited by the french news media are to be believed voters have long since given up on him and his soothing smile which four years ago seemed to promise a new start for france
mr hollandes smile like that of the cheshire cat may soon be all that is left of him his government survived a vote of no confidence in the national assembly thursday evening two days after it resorted to a little used power to force through the sharply contested labor law over opposition from some socialists and others on the left but with mr hollandes support in the presidential race at 13 percent and unemployment still above 10 percent his chances of re election or even of making it to the final round of voting seem to most analysts to be vanishingly slim
the battle at this point in many ways has shifted from saving mr hollandes job to resolving the deep ideological contradictions splitting the socialists
mr hollande by all accounts an affable man with a penchant for sly humor came into office in 2012 as a high level party functionary with no particular ideological convictions he ran on traditional socialist policies including a 75 percent top income tax rate on the rich yet upon taking office he tacked toward the center and more market friendly policies urged on by reformers within his party who counseled him that he had to begin retrofitting france to the realities of global competition and the long term unsustainability of a generous social welfare system
one of those reformers his present economy minister emmanuel macron once described the 75 percent proposal as cuba without the sunshine a remark that highlighted the depth of the split between the centrists and the traditional left which continued to hew to the language and sometimes the policies of anticapitalist redistribution
mr hollande has pledged not to run in next years election if he is unable to bring the unemployment rate down so far it has hardly budged but the president has given indications that he intends to run anyway if he does and he loses badly his defeat would most likely provide a spot in the second round of voting to marine le pen the leader of the far right national front
mr hollandes weakened condition has attracted predators not just on the left of his own party but on the right as well mr macron a former banker who is market oriented by conviction has started his own political movement on the way much to the irritation of his colleagues in the government yet the youthful mr macron   he is only 38   is way ahead of mr hollande in recent presidential polls cited in the french news media and only just behind a career mainstream right politician alain juppe a former prime minister who is currently considered the favorite in the 2017 presidential vote
mr macron has been mocked in the left leaning press this week for implicitly comparing himself to joan of arc riding in providentially to save france at a well attended speech in orleans on sunday
the labor law that has provoked months of protests here was mr hollandes 11th hour bid to bring down unemployment much weakened from its original form after months of protests it gives employers more flexibility negotiating hours and wages with workers the law takes some of that power away from unions   which except for some of the more moderate ones are generally enraged by the reform law   and it defines more precisely when and how companies can lay off workers a process that is currently time consuming and expensive
the fury against mr hollande in his own party for those efforts   over 50 socialist members of parliament tried and failed to file their own motion of no confidence on wednesday   has left all but destroyed the socialists a party already badly weakened and divided
the left has ceased to exist because it doesnt represent anything said gerard grunberg a professor at the sciences po political science institute there is not one left now there are a number of lefts said mr grunberg the party of mitterrand he said referring to francois mitterrand the nimble politician who led the socialists back into power in 1981 after years in the wilderness no longer exists
the immediate result was the madness of yesterday as mr grunberg put it   socialists on the partys far left attempting to eject a socialist prime minister that was something unbelievable mr grunberg said weve never seen that before they were voting to overthrow their own government
that effort failed for lack of lawmakers who were willing to back it as did thursdays motion of censure by the opposition republicans of the center right yet one of the socialist rebel leaders   they are called frondeurs a reference to 17th century revolutionaries   pledged on thursday to keep on fighting mr hollande from within his own party
it was a very firm warning sent to the government and that is coming from the whole left christian paul one of the socialist rebels who represents the old region of mr mitterrand who died in 1996 told french television thursday the left chose hollande and it has been disappointed mr paul said
this is a law of deregulation mr paul said the french will be less protected without making it easier for companies to hire
many mainstream economists disagree with mr paul they say that with all its worker protections france has effectively enshrined permanent high unemployment france has made the choice of having unemployment jean tirole a noble prize winning economist said in an interview with le monde this week adding that the country has chosen institutions that create unemployment
to the deafening sound of police sirens in the streets outside the parliament building thursday mr valls the prime minister and a pugnacious boxer defended the labor law he mocked a communist deputy who has been loud in opposition saying youve been wrong for 100 years and he pleaded with the legislators and the protesters outside to abandon the assumption of a permanent war between capital and labor
how much longer are we going to oppose employers and workers mr valls asked the government merely wants to allow into the job market those who are currently excluded weve got to allow our companies to create more jobs
the protests which gathered about 55000 people on thursday according to the interior ministry are scheduled to continue next week


baltimore   the second trial of a police officer charged in connection with the death of freddie gray began on thursday and quickly pivoted to a basic question about police conduct when does a lawful stop by a police officer turn into an unlawful arrest
as the case against officer edward m nero opened in a windowless courtroom it focused not on the death of mr gray the 25 year old black man who sustained a fatal spinal injury in police custody last year but on his arrest with prosecutors contending that his rights were violated by police officers even before he was injured
the defendants conduct was not that of a reasonable police officer said a prosecutor michael schatzow who accused officer nero of failing to follow procedures designed to ensure fourth amendment protections against unlawful search and seizure
he deprived mr gray of his liberty mr schatzow added
the death of mr gray touched off this citys worst riots since the death of the rev dr martin luther king jr and prompted the governor to call in the national guard to patrol the streets and it became an indelible part of the nations wrenching discussion over how the police use force against minorities
six police officers were charged in the events that preceded the death of mr gray and the proceedings against them resumed thursday after a mistrial last year in the trial of officer william g porter and months of delays
officer nero 30 who sat upright in court for much of thursdays proceedings dressed in a three piece suit is not charged directly with the death of mr gray and was not present for the van ride in which prosecutors and defense lawyers have said mr gray was injured instead he faces charges of second degree assault misconduct while in office and reckless endangerment for his suspected role in mr grays initial arrest
he was described by his defense lawyer marc zayon as a dedicated public servant who loved to be on bike patrol as he was on april 12 2015 when he and other officers encountered mr gray he liked being outside he liked the exercise he liked interacting with people mr zayon said
for the assault charge prosecutors are deploying an unusual legal theory that the officers who arrested mr gray exceeded the scope of their authority during their encounter with him and that as a result the physical contact they made with him amounted to assault
marc zayon a lawyer for officer nero said the officers had reasonable suspicion to pursue and apprehend mr gray after he fled from them for no apparent reason in west baltimores downtrodden sandtown winchester neighborhood which the police had been instructed to heavily patrol
theres no question that this is a high crime area mr zayon said adding theres no question that you can handcuff a fleeing suspect for either officer safety or to prevent flight
but prosecutors said that although the officers would have been justified in stopping mr gray and patting him down in what is known as a terry stop they went well beyond that mr gray they said was handcuffed placed on the ground and searched but never frisked first to establish probable cause as the rule requires
the evidence will show your honor that this was an arrest not a terry stop mr schatzow said he added they do nothing that terry required and they do a search that terry does not allow
mr zayon the defense lawyer denied that his client made physical contact with mr gray during the first moments of his arrest which mr zayon said was primarily carried out by another police officer garrett e miller
the only time he touches freddie gray is when he asks for his inhaler mr zayon said adding that throughout the encounter with mr gray officer nero acted as any other officer similarly situated would have done
david jaros a law professor at the university of baltimore said the distinction between a lawful detention and an unlawful arrest can be murky and not easily resolved in a courtroom
when we look at what is necessary to prove someone engaged in criminal activity this is a particularly difficult case to make mr jaros said however i think its important to recognize that there is a problem with policing in poor communities and individuals being detained and arrested without probable cause in ways that violate their constitutional rights
officer nero faces a count of reckless endangerment for not fastening mr grays seatbelt when he placed him in a police wagon that had arrived to take him to a nearby police station mr zayon said that mr gray was actively and passively resisting arrest and that it would have been too dangerous to do so
mr schatzow the prosecutor said officer nero ignored department procedure requiring seatbelt use and created a grave risk to mr grays safety
he leaves him face down on that filthy floor with mr grays hands behind his back and his legs shackled mr schatzow said the issue he added was not one of danger
this issue is of not caring


los angeles   dozens of russian athletes at the 2014 winter olympics in sochi including at least 15 medal winners were part of a state run doping program meticulously planned for years to ensure dominance at the games according to the director of the countrys antidoping laboratory at the time
the director grigory rodchenkov who ran the laboratory that handled testing for thousands of olympians said he developed a three drug cocktail of banned substances that he mixed with liquor and provided to dozens of russian athletes helping to facilitate one of the most elaborate   and successful   doping ploys in sports history
it involved some of russias biggest stars of the games including 14 members of its cross country ski team and two veteran bobsledders who won two golds
in a dark of night operation russian antidoping experts and members of the intelligence service surreptitiously replaced urine samples tainted by performance enhancing drugs with clean urine collected months earlier somehow breaking into the supposedly tamper proof bottles that are the standard at international competitions dr rodchenkov said for hours each night they worked in a shadow laboratory lit by a single lamp passing bottles of urine through a hand size hole in the wall to be ready for testing the next day he said
by the end of the games dr rodchenkov estimated as many as 100 dirty urine samples were expunged
none of the athletes were caught doping more important russia won the most medals of the games easily surpassing its main rival the united states and undermining the integrity of one of the worlds most prestigious sporting events
people are celebrating olympic champion winners but we are sitting crazy and replacing their urine dr rodchenkov said can you imagine how olympic sport is organized
after the new york times asked russian officials to respond to the claims russias sports minister vitaly mutko released a statement to the news media calling the revelations a continuation of the information attack on russian sport
dr rodchenkov laid out the details of the operation over three days of interviews that were arranged by an american filmmaker bryan fogel who is working on a documentary that involves dr rodchenkov
dr rodchenkovs account could not be independently verified but it was consistent with the broad findings of a report published last year by the world anti doping agency he provided the times with emails detailing doping efforts and a spreadsheet that he said was sent to him by the sports ministry before the sochi games it named the athletes involved in the doping program
dr rodchenkov described his own work at sochi as a strong accomplishment the apex of a decade long effort to perfect russias doping strategy at international competitions
we were fully equipped knowledgeable experienced and perfectly prepared for sochi like never before he said it was working like a swiss watch
after sochi dr rodchenkov was awarded the prestigious order of friendship by president vladimir v putin
six months ago however he had a dramatic change in fortune
in november the world anti doping agency identified dr rodchenkov as the linchpin in what it described as an extensive state sponsored doping program in russia accusing him of extorting money from athletes   the only accusation he denies   as well as covering up positive drug tests and destroying hundreds of urine samples
after the report came out dr rodchenkov said russian officials forced him to resign fearing for his safety he moved to los angeles with the help of mr fogel
back in russia two of dr rodchenkovs close colleagues died unexpectedly in february within weeks of each other both were former antidoping officials one who resigned soon after dr rodchenkov fled the country
the november report was primarily focused on track and field but dr rodchenkov described the whole spectrum of russian sport as tainted by banned substances admitting to more than what wada investigators accused him of he said it was not hundreds of urine samples that he destroyed but rather several thousand in last ditch efforts to mask the extent of the countrys doping
dr rodchenkov said he received the spreadsheet naming athletes on the doping program on jan 21 2014 two weeks before the games and shortly after he arrived in sochi to begin work at the olympic laboratory it was to be used for reference during competition dr rodchenkov said and outlined the competition schedule for each athlete if any of them won a medal their urine samples had to be substituted
until now a precise accounting of how russian officials could have executed such a complex doping operation was not publicly known
dr rodchenkovs revelations his first public comments since fleeing come at a crucial moment for russia in november in the wake of the wada report the country was provisionally suspended from international track and field competition in the coming weeks leaders of the sports global governing body will decide whether to lift a ban ahead of this summers olympics in rio de janeiro
russia is also preparing to host the next world cup in 2018
responding to the cascade of accusations mr putin called for an inquiry but russian officials have been largely dismissive of claims about widespread doping by the countrys athletes
the times submitted questions about the revelations to the sports ministry and six of its sports federations whose athletes were identified as part of the doping program instead of responding directly mr mutko the minister organized a news conference with journalists from the state run news agency tass calling the timess inquiry baseless and suggesting it was part of an attempt to discredit russian sports ahead of the rio games
the system of organization of the olympic games was completely transparent mr mutko told tass everything was under the control of international experts   from the collection of samples to their analysis
dr rodchenkov said the sports ministry actively guided the doping effort in the six months before the games he said he met with mr mutkos deputy yuri nagornykh in a second floor office at the ministrys palatial moscow headquarters at least once a week
in an email mr nagornykh denied the existence of a doping program i have nothing to hide he wrote
russian officials were under enormous pressure ahead of the games sochi was to be a showcase of russias resurgence as a global power and the entire country was enlisted in the project billions of dollars were spent transforming the shabby subtropical resort town into a winter sports paradise mr putin himself had negotiated russias olympic bid and was personally involved in much of the planning
hanging over everything was russias disastrous sixth place finish in the medal count at the previous winter olympics in vancouver british columbia it would not matter if the world was wowed by the opening ceremony or if the ski lifts ran smoothly
dr rodchenkov said it was up to him to ensure that russian athletes won the most medals preferably gold ones
he had been the director of russias antidoping laboratory in moscow since 2005 and was widely considered among the worlds top experts in performance enhancing drugs he often experimented with such drugs on himself he said
he published papers in peer reviewed journals traveled often to scientific conferences abroad and was a frequent guest at the annual antidoping symposium organized by the united states anti doping agency most recently in october in lansdowne va just a month before he was forced to step down
by his own admission dr rodchenkov who has a phd in analytical chemistry used his expertise to help athletes properly use banned substances and go undetected which he says was done at the behest of the russian government after years of trial and error he said he developed a cocktail of three anabolic steroids   metenolone trenbolone and oxandrolone   that he claims many top level russian athletes used leading up to the london olympics in 2012 and throughout the sochi games
he said he did not administer the drugs himself but rather provided them to the sports ministry
the drugs dr rodchenkov said helped athletes recover quickly after grueling training regimens allowing them to compete in top form over successive days
to speed up absorption of the steroids and shorten the detection window he dissolved the drugs in alcohol   chivas whiskey for men martini vermouth for women
dr rodchenkovs formula was precise one milligram of the steroid mixture for every milliliter of alcohol the athletes were instructed to swish the liquid around in their mouths under the tongue to absorb the drugs
in the interviews dr rodchenkov boasted about his ability to shield doped athletes from detection even so russia had the highest number of athletes caught doping in 2014 according to wada statistics
dr rodchenkov said that some of his athletes would at times take drugs he had not approved making them vulnerable to discovery all athletes are like small children he said theyll put anything you give them into their mouths
a case in point he said was elena lashmanova a gold medalist in racewalking at the 2012 london games she had tested positive for banned substances while international observers were scrutinizing his lab and to cover up her results would have endangered the entire operation he said
in an email to mr nagornykh the deputy sports minister dated april 18 2014 he wrote that there was nothing he could do to protect ms lashmanova without risking the labs accreditation
honestly this lawlessness has reached its logical conclusion he wrote there can be no second opinion about this
three months later ms lashmanova was suspended from international competition for two years
for dr rodchenkov preparations for sochi began in earnest in the fall of 2013 it was around that time he said that a man he came to believe was working for the russian internal intelligence service the fsb began showing up at the lab in moscow inquiring about the bottles used for storing the urine samples tested for banned substances
the man took a particular interest in the toothed metal rings that lock the bottles when the cap is twisted shut he collected hundreds of them dr rodchenkov said
an employee at the lab who spoke only on condition of anonymity fearing reprisals from the authorities said that at some point it was communicated to employees that the man was there to protect the lab he would pepper people with questions about the bottles the employee said but always in a friendly way while his motivations were not explicit they eventually became obvious to those working in the lab
it was clear that he was going to try to get into the bottles the employee said
at all major international athletic competitions athletes are required to submit a urine sample for testing the sample is divided into two bottles one the a bottle is tested immediately the other the b bottle is sealed and stored for up to 10 years in case the athletes past performance is ever called into question a swiss company berlinger produces the self locking glass bottles used for international competitions including the olympics
because of the strict testing protocols at competitions dr rodchenkov said athletes typically have to halt the use of banned substances before an event to avoid testing positive but in hosting the sochi games national sports officials saw an opportunity they could control the antidoping lab results he said and allow athletes to use performance enhancing drugs throughout competition
getting into the bottles was the key
how exactly this was accomplished is still a mystery dr rodchenkov claims that at some point several weeks before the start of the games the man he believed to be an fsb agent presented him with a previously sealed bottle that had been opened its uniquely numbered cap intact
when i first time saw that bottle is open i did not believe my eyes he said adding i truly believed this was tamper proof
in the months before sochi according to the november wada report international doping officials had threatened to revoke the accreditation of dr rodchenkovs lab because of suspicious discrepancies in sample results and complaints of external interferences in the labs operations in november 2013 a disciplinary committee convened in johannesburg to review the case
despite the substandard performance of the laboratory there was a distinct desire not to revoke the accreditation of the laboratory prior to the sochi olympics last years wada report said
the testing laboratory for the sochi games had a staff of nearly 100 people including employees of dr rodchenkovs lab in moscow as well as dozens of international antidoping experts flown in from cities like beijing doha qatar and lausanne switzerland
security was tight there were numerous surveillance cameras and anyone wishing to enter the lab required security clearance
an independent observer watched over the lab at random times of day wada said but rarely worked overnight during the roughly two weeks of competition
dr rodchenkov said that each night a sports ministry official would send him a list of athletes whose samples needed to be swapped to match the individual athletes to their anonymous samples   which are coded with a seven digit number   dr rodchenkov said that athletes snapped pictures of their sample forms including the code and texted them to the ministry offering forbidden insight into whose urine was whose
after receiving a signal that the urines were ready he changed from his lab coat into a russian national team sweatshirt and left his fourth floor office typically after midnight he checked that the coast was clear and made his way to room 124 officially a storage space that he and his team had converted into a shadow laboratory
there he said with the rooms single window blacked out with tape the switch would be made
a colleague stationed next door in the sample collection room would retrieve the correct bottles and pass them into the storage room through a circular hole cut through the wall near the floor dr rodchenkov said during the day he said the hole was concealed by a small imitation wood cabinet
the sealed b bottles were handed over to the man dr rodchenkov believed was a russian intelligence officer who would take them to an adjacent building within hours dr rodchenkov said the bottles were returned to the storage room their caps unlocked
that man also supplied clean urine collected from each of the athletes months prior to the olympics before they started doping dr rodchenkov said it was delivered in soda bottles baby formula bottles and other miscellaneous containers he said
making sure to keep the overhead light off dr rodchenkov and a colleague dumped the tainted urine into a nearby toilet washed out the bottles dried them with filter paper and filled them with the clean urine
he would then add table salt or water to balance out any inconsistencies in the recorded specifications of the two samples depending on what an athlete had consumed two urine samples taken at different times could vary
typically the small team worked till dawn breaking only occasionally for instant coffee and cigarettes
in the sochi games russian athletes won 33 medals   including 13 golds 10 more than at the previous winter olympics
a third of all medals were awarded to athletes whose names appeared on the spreadsheet outlining the governments doping plan that dr rodchenkov said was provided by the sports ministry before the games
they included alexander zubkov a veteran bobsledder who won two golds alexander legkov a cross country skier who won gold and silver and alexander tretyakov who won gold in the skeleton competition
still not all athletes on the list won a medal the entire womens hockey team was doping throughout the games dr rodchenkov said it finished in sixth place
efforts to reach these athletes and others through their sports federations in russia were unsuccessful several of the federations replied and denied any wrongdoing by their athletes a spokesperson for the russian bobsled federation said that all of its athletes underwent doping control procedures in accordance to the rules
all of them were clean and not one positive result was found
the international olympic committee called dr rodchenkovs account very detailed and very worrying on thursday we ask the world anti doping agency to investigate immediately a spokesman said
wada officials were in board meetings on thursday and unavailable for interviews the agency had previously said it was looking into allegations of russian doping and the sochi lab and did not add anything further by email
after the olympics the praise directed at dr rodchenkov was effusive he received commendations from not only mr putin but also the international olympic committee and the world anti doping agency
a subsequent report published by wada called sochi a milestone in the evolution of the olympic games antidoping program
the next year however wada published a very different report which said investigators had found systematic doping among russian track and field athletes that inquiry prompted by accusations from two whistle blowers in russian athletics   first published by the german public broadcaster ard   put dr rodchenkov squarely at the center of a national conspiracy
within days he was forced to resign he said and fearing for his safety fled to los angeles his travel was arranged by mr fogel whom he had first met just after sochi in 2014 mr fogel was working on a documentary seeking to expose shortcomings in drug testing for international sport   charting his own competition results with and without banned drugs   and dr rodchenkov served as his adviser
in his six months in los angeles dr rodchenkov has taken on a more active role in that documentary icarus to be released in september he has otherwise spent his time gardening making borscht and writing in his diary
reflecting on his career he said he was unapologetic about his role in russias doping program considering it a condition of his employment to receive funding and support for his lab he said he had to do the kremlins bidding
he had occasionally however run afoul of the russian authorities in his work in 2011 he was investigated for trafficking in performance enhancing drugs and he said he fully expected to go to prison his sister was convicted and imprisoned on similar charges
the investigation into dr rodchenkov however disappeared
he said he could not be sure why but he suspected that he had been spared punishment so that he could play a crucial role at the sochi games
its my redemption success in sochi he said instead of being in prison win at any cost


washington   the obama administration on thursday unveiled the first federal regulations to control emissions of potent planet warming methane gas that could leach from new oil and gas wells the next step in president obamas effort to combat climate change
the methane rules the final version of draft regulations put forth last year by the environmental protection agency require oil and gas companies to plug and capture leaks of methane from new and modified drilling wells and storage tanks not older existing wells
the epa estimates that the rules will cost companies around 530 million in 2025 but it also estimates that they will yield companies savings of as much as 690 million from reduced waste a potential net benefit of 160 million the agency said the regulations would lower methane emissions by 510000 tons in 2025 the equivalent of 11 million metric tons of carbon dioxide
these new actions will protect public health and reduce pollution linked to cancer and other serious health effects while allowing industry to continue to grow and provide a vital source of energy for americans across the country said the agencys administrator gina mccarthy
oil and gas companies already reeling from sustained low prices see an economic burden and have vowed to fight
it doesnt make sense that the administration would add unreasonable and overly burdensome regulations when the industry is already leading the way in reducing emissions said kyle isakower vice president for regulatory policy at the american petroleum institute imposing a one size fits all scheme on the industry could actually stifle innovation and discourage investments
the new methane rules are the latest part of a broader push by mr obama to cut greenhouse gas emissions from industries across the economy epa regulations would cut carbon dioxide emissions from cars trucks and power plants and new rules are in the works to reduce emissions from airplanes many of those regulations could face years of litigation before they can go into force
the rules governing carbon dioxide emissions from cars and power plants the two largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions form the centerpiece of mr obamas climate change agenda they are at the heart of his pledge under last years paris agreement on climate change that the united states would reduce its greenhouse gas emissions 26 percent to 28 percent from 2005 levels by 2025
reducing methane is an important part of the administrations climate change strategy because the gas is 25 times more effective than carbon dioxide in trapping heat it does however dissipate in the atmosphere far more quickly than carbon the administration has set a goal of reducing methane emissions by as much as 45 percent from 2012 levels by 2025
within the united states seepage from oil and gas wells is the largest source of methane gas in the atmosphere in april the epa released a report that concluded that the amount of the gas leaking from oil and gas wells is much higher than previously reported the study concluded that methane from oil and gas leaks makes up about a third of total methane emitted in the united states earlier reports had suggested that the nations largest source of methane emissions may have been cattle and other livestock
the rule on methane emissions from new oil and gas wells will not be enough to meet mr obamas methane reduction targets but the epa is also expected to move forward with additional rules governing methane leaks from existing wells
we will remain steadfast in our efforts urging epa to move expeditiously on its commitment to address existing sources of this highly potent greenhouse gas   which will continue to be responsible for the vast majority of this pollutant   and is essential in meeting the paris climate agreement michael brune the executive director of the sierra club said in a statement thursday
oil and gas companies call the rules unnecessary and costly maintaining that they already have an incentive to stop and prevent methane leaks methane can be sold the companies say the rules impose new costs on a struggling industry
the new methane rules are being watched closely in canada where prime minister justin trudeau has pledged to work with mr obama on a joint methane reduction strategy mr trudeaus government is expected to produce a similar set of regulations for canada where oil and gas extraction is a larger part of the economy than in the united states


the head of the national association for music education an advocacy group left his post on wednesday after participants at a recent meeting on diversity said that he had told them that his organization was not diverse partly because blacks and latinos lack the keyboard skills needed for this field
the remark which was attributed to michael a butera the executive director and chief executive of the association created a firestorm after it circulated online the association placed him on administrative leave on tuesday while it investigated the allegations and announced on wednesday that its board and mr butera had agreed that he will not be returning
his departure comes as many sectors of the music industry   from leading orchestras to conservatories   have lagged in achieving diversity particularly when it comes to hiring black and hispanic musicians
the events that led to mr buteras departure began at an april 26 meeting in washington of arts service organization leaders arranged by the national endowment for the arts participants broke up into small groups to discuss diversity
keryl mccord the operations director of alternate roots an atlanta based arts group wrote online that she had sat at a table with mr butera who said his board was all white and that he could not diversify it because its members were elected not appointed she said that he added the comment about blacks and latinos lacking necessary keyboard skills
mr butera later responded on facebook that the reporting of these comments was a deeply inaccurate portrayal of the dialogue which took place that day he added that since the associations board was elected by its members he could not unilaterally diversify it
i also mentioned that the field of music educators much like the general population of educators is skewed toward white individuals he wrote we have had ongoing and rich discussions in our association community about how best to address this issue but have not yet been able to actualize a solution this is not for lack of trying but simply because of the enormous complexity of the issue
another participant who sat at the table jesse rosen president and chief executive of the league of american orchestras confirmed ms mccords account in a post he wrote on the leagues website mr butera indeed said that he could not take action to diversify his board and that african americans and latinos lacked keyboard skills needed to advance in the music education profession   two statements which many of us around the table challenged mr rosen wrote the group was unable to further pursue the meaning of his comments as mr butera abruptly and angrily walked out of the room well in advance of the meetings scheduled end time
mr butera reached through a message on his facebook page said that he had left the meeting early because he had a prior engagement and declined further comment a former public school music teacher who worked for the national education association before becoming executive director of the association for music education in 2010 mr butera earned more than 250000 in base compensation and benefits according to the associations most recent tax filing
in announcing his departure the association thanked him for his service to our purpose and mission and announced that he would be succeeded by michael blakeslee who has worked with the group for nearly 30 years
mr blakeslee said in an interview that the organization more than a century old would renew its focus on inclusion and diversity from looking again at the makeup of its board to working to ensure equal access to music education for all students our mission statement is music for all and we take that very seriously he said


like many sophisticated investors the nations largest insurers drank the hedge fund kool aid pouring billions into the high fee investment funds and helping drive hedge fund assets to over 3 trillion
now comes the hangover
steep losses in hedge fund investments during the last quarter damaged many insurance company earnings reinforcing decisions to rethink the premises that led them to follow the pied pipers of finance in the first place
the american international group said it would cut its hedge fund exposure in half to 55 billion by the end of 2017 from 11 billion at the end of last year metlife said it would slash its hedge fund portfolio by two thirds to 600 million from 18 billion
the pain from the last quarter has shown up most visibly in recent insurers results but it is also spreading to pension funds endowments and other giant investment funds last month new york citys largest pension fund said it was abandoning hedge funds entirely and the illinois state board of investment voted to reduce its hedge fund portfolio by 1 billion
theyre finally getting the mediocre results they deserve said simon lack an early skeptic about hedge funds and author of the hedge fund mirage the illusion of big money and why its too good to be true
i imagine youll see more and more institutional investors re examining their commitment to hedge funds mr lack added as they see what theyre getting for those outrageously high fees they pay
listen to the chorus of recent hedge fund criticism warren e buffett blasted their high fees and mediocre performance at his recent investors conference in omaha the activist investor and hedge fund manager daniel loeb called their recent performance catastrophic in his latest letter to investors
even the legendary hedge fund manager steven a cohen whose fund averaged 30 percent annual returns before mr cohens close brush with insider trading charges complained this month its very hard to maximize returns and maximize assets
apart from industry experts most people probably didnt realize that insurance companies which belong to one of the most heavily regulated industries in the country were big investors in hedge funds one of the most lightly regulated of all investment vehicles then again before the financial crisis hardly anyone realized aig was exposed to trillions of dollars in derivatives tied to mortgage backed securities until catastrophe struck and the company had to be bailed out by taxpayers for more than 180 billion
luckily theres little danger of that now with hedge funds because they make up only a small fraction of insurers vast investment portfolios even at aig the 11 billion hedge fund portfolio represented just 3 percent of its approximately 340 billion in total investments at metlife hedge funds account for less than one half of a percent
still losses from even these small percentages can have a big impact on earnings aig reported pretax hedge fund losses of 537 million for the first quarter which wiped out operating profit and led to an overall loss of 183 million metlife reported a 19 percent drop in operating earnings for the quarter in part because of what steven j goulart its chief investment officer said were negative results from hedge funds
insurers strive to match their liabilities to their assets which generally means low volatility united states treasuries along with other bonds and fixed income positions but they are allowed to invest their excess capital any way they see fit
to be sure those investments are subject to stiffer capital requirements generally 30 percent in the case of stocks and equity like investments which include hedge funds and other so called alternative investments
hedge funds promised to provide high equitylike returns with less volatility that were uncorrelated with the ups and downs of the stock market   in other words a variation on the age old siren song of higher returns with lower risk
hardly any of that turned out to be true at least for insurance companies
what went wrong pretty much every everything based on conversations i had this week with chief investment officers at several insurance companies their marketing skill proved to be much better than their investing ability mr lack said of hedge fund managers
for starters hedge funds didnt deliver equitylike returns hedge funds have trailed the benchmark standard  poors 500 stock index every year since 2009 often by significant amounts even ordinary investors can earn very close to that simply by buying a low fee index fund
to some extent that was to be expected in a strong bull market but the volatile market of the last year was exactly the environment in which so called long short hedge funds were supposed to thrive they didnt
a major culprit everyone i spoke to agreed was the sheer size of assets managed by hedge funds
we thought a lot about whats wrong with the hedge fund space said mr goulart who also serves as an executive vice president at metlife one problem is that there are just too many funds roughly 10000 with almost 3 trillion invested theres too much money chasing a limited number of attractive trades
many hedge funds found themselves crowded into positions in the same handful of stocks   such as the controversial drug maker valeant pharmaceuticals international   and found they couldnt exit positions without causing further big losses even while being hit with investor redemptions
the last quarter showed there were a lot of guys in the same trades said douglas dachille aigs chief investment officer they all looked good until the trade turned against them then the exit door turned out to be very small the result was a lot of bad performance
mr cohen speaking at the milken institute in santa monica calif made a similar point one of my biggest worries is that there are so many players out there trying to do similar strategies noting that his fund lost 8 percent in february he added my worst fears were realized
hedge funds lack of transparency was another problem investment officers had trouble matching investment assets to their existing balance sheets when they didnt know what was in a hedge funds portfolio
this was especially true for so called activist hedge funds which take large equity positions hoping to shake up management or otherwise influence corporate strategy aig for example discovered it was invested in hedge funds that were making opposite bets on the same company
and with so many managers   at its peak aig had more than 100 hedge funds   due diligence was time consuming and distracting mr dachille said it took months to review aigs positions after he arrived last year
its no wonder aig experienced weak performance mr lack said with that many funds you get the average and the average is mediocre if you arent highly skilled in picking hedge funds theres no point in being there
given their weak performance hedge funds high fees   the so called two and 20 formula that characterizes the industry 2 percent of assets under management and 20 percent of any gain   were increasingly hard to swallow i have no trouble paying great people mr dachille said but i get upset when i pay mediocre people great compensation
hedge funds arent about to disappear a few hedge fund managers continue to post sterling returns and both aig and metlife said they planned to retain some hedge funds that fit their investment strategies and met performance targets
but the hedge fund fever that gripped the investment world for the last decade   minting scores of billionaires   may have broken
over all hedge fund assets dropped by 144 billion during the first quarter of this year after a 268 billion decline in the last quarter of 2015
there is no doubt mr loeb wrote in his letter to investors that we are in the first innings of a washout in hedge funds


cannes france   a day after his latest film cafe society opened the cannes film festival to respectful reviews woody allen said he had no comment on a column in the hollywood reporter posted on wednesday by his estranged son ronan farrow accusing him of abuse and criticizing the news media for not taking the claims more seriously
my comment is that ive said everything that i have to say about that silly situation in the new york times mr allen said at a press lunch on thursday seeming unflappable and unsurprised by the questions he was referring to a 2014 op ed article in which he denied accusations by his adoptive daughter dylan farrow that he had abused her when she was a child mr farrow is dylans brother and mr allens son from his relationship with mia farrow
ive said all i can say about it mr allen added i have so moved on that i never think about it i work i do my movies and hope that people like them
at the festivals opening ceremony on wednesday mr allen 80 was also the target of a joke by the evenings mc the french comedian laurent lafitte that shocked some in the audience
youve shot so many of your films here in europe and yet in the united states you havent even been convicted of rape mr lafitte said addressing mr allen and apparently referring to the director roman polanski who left the united states in 1978 after pleading guilty to having sex with a minor he served some jail time but fled before final sentencing
mr lafitte appears in elle paul verhoevens latest feature which is in competition here this year and stars isabelle huppert as a woman who takes matters into her own hands after being raped
at a dinner after the ceremony on wednesday some american film industry professionals said they had been taken aback by the joke
asked about it at the press lunch on thursday mr allen told a group of journalists it would take a lot to offend me the guardian reported
cafe society set in the 1930s between hollywood and new york and starring kristen stewart jesse eisenberg steve carell corey stoll and blake lively has received mixed but generally positive reviews some critics have called it one of mr allens better recent films with strong performances by the leads but others have found its love triangle plot a bit tired


dean g skelos the once powerful republican majority leader of the new york state senate who was convicted with his son in december on federal corruption charges was sentenced on thursday to five years in prison
the sentencing of mr skelos was the second instance in 10 days in which a former senior new york lawmaker was sent to prison for abusing his office it concluded an extraordinary chapter during which two trials held a block apart at almost the same time last year exposed a culture of kickbacks secret deals and nepotism in the state capitol in albany
but while the crimes and the 12 year prison term of sheldon silver the former democratic speaker of the state assembly exceeded those of mr skelos and his son adam b skelos the skeloses trial stood out for the gritty unvarnished look it offered of the personal and political dealings of a family immersed in albanys back channels
the evidence against the skeloses who were convicted of bribery extortion and conspiracy laid bare schemes that were remarkable for both their brazenness and their familial motivation the father seemed willing to do anything for his son
before he was sentenced dean skelos asked the judge in the case kimba m wood of federal district court in manhattan to show mercy to his son somehow i let things go off the rails and for that i apologize to adam mr skelos said i love adam and pray that we have better days together adam skelos was sentenced to six and a half years in prison
the former senator also expressed remorse for his actions somewhere along the way he said my judgment became clouded
the sentencings of mr skelos and mr silver made them the latest in an almost unending parade of disgraced new york lawmakers   elected officials tempted by greed and brought down by prosecutors most notably preet bharara the united states attorney in manhattan
mr bharara whose office is one of several agencies investigating possible wrongdoing connected to the administrations of mayor bill de blasio and gov andrew m cuomo released a statement on thursday that took a barely veiled swipe at mr cuomos decision in 2014 to disband an anticorruption panel the moreland commission less than a year after he impaneled it
the cases involving mr skelos and mr silver mr bharara said show   and history teaches   that the most effective corruption investigations are those that are truly independent and not in danger of either interference or premature shutdown he added that while the men deserved their sentences the people of new york deserve better
before sentencing the skeloses judge wood scolded the former senator for violating his unique position of power and trust
the judge seemed to acknowledge the spate of graft scandals saying she wanted other politicians to learn from this sentence that public corruption will be punished the prison term however was less than half of what prosecutors had asked for
judge wood also imposed a 500000 fine   the amount sought by the government   on the former senator as well as a 334120 forfeiture to be paid jointly by him and his son prosecutors had noted that dean skelos had built a net worth of more than 2 million during his nearly three decades in the senate and had also applied for a state pension of almost 96000 a year
while the judge cited some of dean skeloss accomplishments and service to his constituents it was clear that she found few redemptive qualities in his son she seemed appalled by wiretapped conversations that she said exposed his bullying cynicism and extreme physical threats   tactics she said more usually associated with professional criminals
you appeared to have no moral compass judge wood told adam skelos 33 i think you did everything you could to monetize your fathers position for your personal benefit
at trial prosecutors presented evidence that the elder mr skelos 68 used his position as majority leader to pressure a real estate developer an environmental technology company and a medical malpractice insurer   firms that depended on his support as senator for legislation that benefited their interests   to provide adam skelos with consulting work a direct payment of 20000 and a job that required him to do virtually no work
lawyers for the skeloses had asked judge wood to spare them from prison and sentence them to probation and community service but on thursday g robert gage jr one of the former senators lawyers suggested instead that his client receive a short prison sentence
mr gage suggested that the underlying theme of the case was this father son emotional relationship
to his great credit as a person as well as a parent dean always stuck by adam mr gage said perhaps to a fault
indeed during the trial witnesses told the jury that adam skelos essentially held a no show job on the rare occasions when he did go to work his behavior was troublesome when a supervisor confronted him mr skelos threatened to smash his head and said that men like him couldnt shine mr skeloss shoes
secretly recorded conversations played for the jury exposed other unsavory aspects of adam skeloss behavior he could be heard on one recording speaking about how he concealed an extramarital affair from his wife he said he planned to get a puppy for his wife because shell find it easier to say ok on the occasions when he stayed in a hotel after work rather than returning home
the things i do to stay out adam skelos could be heard saying he also said that he used the facetime app to talk with his mistress because facetime doesnt show up on a phone bill
in court on thursday christopher p conniff a lawyer for adam skelos cited his clients alcohol and drug dependency and noted that his wife with whom he has two young sons with autism had left him
the devastation that has been caused in part by his immaturity and at times arrogance mr conniff said is probably going to be a greater harm to him than frankly any sentence
adam skelos was impassive until he rose to address the court then his voice breaking at times he did what his father had done minutes before ask for leniency but not for himself
it was hard for me to sit through this case and come face to face with the person i was a few years ago adam skelos said adding ive had my struggles in life but now realize that i cant use them as an excuse for my conduct
he closed in part by asking judge wood to show leniency to my dad and not to me
when adam skelos returned to his seat his father threw an arm around him and squeezed him he kissed his father on the cheek
both men left the courthouse without comment
mr bhararas office had sought much stiffer sentences suggesting that an appropriate prison term for dean skelos would be about 12 to 15 years and for adam skelos about 10 to 12 years
you cant argue that you rob a bank repeatedly over the course of years and you did it for your family a prosecutor jason a masimore said on thursday adding that the evidence demonstrated that dean skelos was strong arming these victims and forcing them to pay
dean skelos who stepped down from his leadership position after his arrest last may automatically lost his seat in the legislature upon being convicted
mr cuomo in a brief statement said the sentences show there is zero tolerance for those who use public service for private gain
judge wood did not set a date for the two men to surrender to prison authorities saying she would rule first on their lawyers request that they be allowed to remain free pending their appeals


rome   pope francis said thursday that he would set up a commission to study whether women could serve as deacons in the roman catholic church a move hailed by women who have campaigned for years for a more prominent role in the church
his remarks reveal an openness to re examining the churchs long held insistence on an all male clergy yet the idea will face stiff resistance from those who believe that it is the first step toward ordaining female priests something that recent popes have ruled out citing church doctrine
the popes comments were made during an assembly of leaders of womens religious orders and were consistent with his style a seemingly off the cuff remark that opened a broad horizon of possibilities
it came during a question and answer session in which he assured the nearly 900 sisters in the room that he wanted to increase the number of women in decision making positions in the church
one woman asked about the possibility of an official commission to study the issue his response was in essence why not
constituting an official commission that might study the question francis mused according to the national catholic reporter i believe yes it would do good for the church to clarify this point i am in agreement
i accept the pope said later it seems useful to me to have a commission that would clarify this well
the comments may prove to be more of a change in tone than a change in church practice similar to his remark who am i to judge made in response to a question about gays during a midflight news conference in 2013
deacons are ordained ministers in the catholic church and in many parishes they handle many of the same tasks that priests do they are permitted to preach at mass perform baptisms witness marriages and conduct funeral services deacons currently must be men over the age of 35 and they may be married though if a deacons wife dies he is expected to remain celibate
facing a shortage of priests the church in the united states has for decades been actively encouraging men to become deacons to fill the gaps the united states conference of catholic bishops says there are now more than 13000 men serving in what is called the permanent diaconate
creating a vatican commission is no guarantee of change such commissions can take years to reach conclusions and are only advisory pope paul vi rejected the majority report of a vatican commission in 1966 that after three years of study essentially recommended that the church lift its ban on artificial birth control
it is far from clear that francis favors female deacons or that a commission he appointed would even recommend this change
some catholic women cite research showing that women served as deacons in the churchs early history but the pope asked some skeptical questions at the assembly about whether the responsibilities of deaconesses in the early church were more circumscribed than those of male deacons
francis said his first step would be to consult with the churchs doctrinal office to tell me if there are studies on this the doctrinal office is led by cardinal gerhard ludwig muller a german theologian who has long maintained that ordaining women in any capacity is impermissible
lucetta scaraffia the co editor of a monthly magazine on women and the church distributed with the vatican newspaper losservatore romano said that although the popes words were encouraging they did not necessarily reflect the views of most bishops
i doubt much will come of it ms scaraffia said i think the pope would like to open discussion but there is strong resistance to any ordination of women
still news of francis remark delivered a jolt of excitement to catholics who have questioned church doctrine that women cannot be ordained because the disciples of jesus were all male
im ecstatic said sister christine schenck who served for years as executive director of futurechurch an organization based in cleveland that advocates greater roles for laypeople and women in the church i was just in prayer thanking god
she said about 30000 women already served in american parishes as lay ecclesial ministers taking on many pastoral and administrative functions many of them have advanced degrees in theology and ministry they are not however allowed to deliver the homily at mass and some are unsung and invisible in their parishes
the vast majority of all these lay ministers in the united states could be ordained deacons tomorrow theyve met all the qualifications sister schenck said being ordained as deacons would allow them to preach at sunday mass it also would validate their ministry
the womens ordination conference an american organization that supports the idea of female deacons priests and bishops said in a statement opening a commission to study the diaconate for women would be a great step for the vatican in recognizing its own history
that history though is a matter of some debate some scholars say there is biblical evidence that women served as deacons alongside men but others say the womens functions were more limited
in 1995 an american group of canon law experts said that ordaining women as deacons in the church would be in keeping with catholic theology and past practice though the vatican never acted on that recommendation the international theological commission an advisory body to the vaticans doctrinal office considered female deacons in 2002 but it reached rather muddy conclusions
phyllis zagano an advocate of womens ordination and editor of the book women deacons essays with answers said that until about the 12th century women were ordained as deacons and considered clergy but their roles varied among countries and dioceses
the real problem is that they cant figure out why a woman can be ordained a deacon but not a priest ms zagano said
francis has been urged to give women a greater role in the church where few women hold top positions in the curia the vaticans administrative arm he has repeatedly acknowledged this shortcoming but so far he has not really addressed it
at the session with the female superiors general on thursday francis admitted that the integration of women into the life of the church had been very weak and said we must go forward


google is an adventurous company but few would ever think of it as a financial regulator
and yet that is effectively what google became wednesday when it said that it would no longer run ads for payday loans the short term loans that typically have annual interest rates of over 300 percent googles move will almost certainly hurt the lenders given that roughly a third of the payday loan market is online according to the pew charitable trusts a trade group for payday lenders called googles actions discriminatory and a form of censorship
its not censorship because google is a private company not the government but with so much digital advertising running through googles extensive network google does have huge power to quickly effect change but is that power akin to the governments
expect the protests to increase if powerful technology companies keep using their clout to advance their causes in society facebook was this week accused of suppressing conservative articles in its trending list last month paypal a major online payments company announced that it would cancel an expansion in north carolina in protest of the states new law that limits bathroom access for transgender people
the companies arent always siding with progressive causes uber has treated its drivers as independent contractors which excludes them from coverage of many labor laws
an interesting pattern is forming but its not a rampant power grab by corporate america its more nuanced than that
google could argue that its move is merely tipping the balance back toward the borrower paypal could argue that its move was about civil rights corporate power is checked to some degree by many kinds of laws and regulations including those against unfair competition discrimination and unsafe working conditions paypal for instance would be in big legal trouble if it fired employees for supporting the north carolina bathroom law
corporate lobbying can seem corrupt and it favors industries with deep pockets but laws govern lobbying what is more lobbying often doesnt work the large banks have gotten relatively little as they have tried to undo the post recession overhaul of the financial sector and companies may see it in their interest to soften their stances as uber seems to have done in certain cases
more important though when there is no clear cut wrong being done a crackdown on a corporation could do more harm than good
the current facebook debate is a good example of how hard it might be to even diagnose problems let alone fix them it is still not clear exactly how widespread the bias in facebooks trending list was the new york timess article on the subject cited former employees who said that articles were excluded or included on the basis of their perceived credibility not their political tilt
but even if facebook suppressed every single right wing article - something that would reduce its credibility destroy its reputation and undermine its business   this would not be illegal it is guaranteed the freedom of speech like any news organization indeed trying to make a companys bias illegal would have negative consequences for society that would far exceed any harm done by facebooks trending list
still because the first amendment protects facebook it gets to operate under few external constraints as it helps determine what shows up in users streams or as glenn greenwald a founding editor of the intercept put it on twitter aside from fueling right wing persecution this is a key reminder of dangers of silicon valley controlling content
facebook could tweak its own system to guard against bias but this is tricky too how can bias ever be conclusively defined on a social media site with 222 million users in the united states with widely divergent opinions scouring all those streams for bias would be close to impossible still facebook could take smaller more sensible steps like encouraging external monitors to review serious accusations of bias and bring them to the companys attention
googles ban on payday loan ads gave rise to the same sort of ominous comments that were directed at facebook i dislike payday loans too but do we want private media companies deciding what services are available to people james kwak who has been critical of wall streets power tweeted on wednesday
but in reality googles move was not radical media companies often decide not to run certain types of ads   like those for escort services and google is hardly out of step with the wider financial industry mainstream lenders have long stayed away from payday loans leaving the business to a few firms
instead of being an example of untethered corporate power googles ban seems to be aligned with the thinking of democratic institutions many states have passed laws that aim to stamp out payday lending but some lenders evade the restrictions by offering their loans online within those states pew researchers found googles ad ban may now make it harder for payday lenders to dodge the law
the consumer financial protection bureau a federal agency that regulates consumer lending has been looking at payday lending for a long time it plans to issue a proposed rule in a few weeks that aims to make payday loans less onerous for borrowers the payday lending industry and its allies in congress will fight back hard in the coming months
the ad ban by google in contrast came fast a reminder of how effective corporate power can be you can understand why the payday industry found it unsettling but the lenders are just one side of this debate
google allowed comments under the blog post that announced the ban and one commenter put it this way great job i support this 100 google for president joke but serious ... im happy that google is being more progressive and protective of the public in a faster way than some government policies are doing


yoweri museveni was sworn in for a fifth term as ugandas president on thursday in power since 1986 he was re elected in february after a campaign season marred by the detention of his principal opponent voting irregularities and legal challenges his rule has been likened to a dictatorship light he insists this term will be his last
president obama told leaders of the african union in july that nobody should be president for life
your country is better off if you have new blood and new ideas mr obama said im still a pretty young man but i know that somebody with new energy and new insights will be good for my country it will be good for yours too in some cases
his advice has not been universally heeded if anything the situation in some countries has gotten worse these are some of the leaders who have been accused of either jettisoning or disregarding term limits making politics in their countries particularly precarious
mr mugabe has led his country formerly rhodesia since its emergence from white rule in 1980 and is perhaps the leader for life par excellence after a disputed 2008 election intimidation and harassment against mr mugabes opponents was so severe that thousands of people fled to neighboring south africa he struck a conciliatory tone after winning the last election in 2013 over his chief rival morgan tsvangirai but the countrys politics and economy remain troubled
at 92 mr mugabe is the worlds oldest serving head of state discussions over succession plans have intensified recently no one expects mr mugabe to retire the main questions are whether his party zanu pf can remain in charge after his death or will splinter and what the security forces will do 
the cold war was still raging when mr biya became prime minister of cameroon in 1975 and then president in 1982 mr biya won a sixth term in 2011   after having term limits removed from the constitution
cameroon faces a major threat from the islamist militant group boko haram which is affiliated to the islamic state mr obama dispatched 300 troops to cameroon in october to join the fight there if mr biya seems lackadaisical about governance he has proved adept at the day to day mechanics of holding on to power the new york times wrote in 1997 
mr obiang took power in a 1979 coup and has held on to his oil rich west african country the continents only spanish speaking nation ever since american oil companies do big business there a united states diplomat using language that made human rights advocates fume described his rule as a mellowing benign leadership in a cable obtained by wikileaks
several years ago mr obiang hired lanny j davis a former adviser to president bill clinton for something of an image remake but it did not help that the presidents eldest son was leading the lavish life of a playboy in paris 
a war in western darfur genocide charges by the international criminal court and a bloody conflict that ended with the creation of south sudan in 2011 have not been sufficient to dislodge mr bashir in power since 1989 he has shown himself as one of the continents most durable rulers partly a result of the strategically pivotal place of his nation in the muslim world
last year sudan joined the saudi led coalition in support of yemens embattled government distancing itself from its longtime friend iran also last year mr bashir was re elected with a remarkable 94 percent of the vote in an election his opponents boycotted as a sham 
in march mr dos santos president for nearly four decades said he would step down in 2018 observers are waiting to see if he means it this time in 2001 as the mineral rich former portuguese colony was winding down a decades long civil war mr dos santos said he would not run for re election and then reneged on that pledge
mr dos santos has built a nation where porsches and lamborghinis ply the city streets and luxury apartments loom over the skyline and where the well heeled dance at nightclubs with a 100 cover charge the new york times wrote in 2012 last year the new yorker published a profile of the capital luanda one of the most unequal cities on earth 
the tough bespectacled mr deby has faced down the former libyan dictator muammar el qaddafi unruly members of his own family and a 2008 rebellion he shows no signs of slowing down loathed by human rights groups he has nonetheless been an effective friend of the united states and france its former colonial ruler in a region of the world where the west is deeply alarmed about the role of islamist militancy
the chadian elite connected to him enjoy gargantuan villas looming above the battered one story dwellings of ordinary people the times reported last year noting that he had shamed nigeria over not doing more to battle boko haram the article also noted that chadian police officers had beaten student demonstrators and that chadian soldiers were accused of serious human rights violations during their intervention in the central african republic in 2014 
eritrea has been compared to north korea and mr isaias its president since independence from ethiopia in 1993 has presided over systematic and extreme abuses that may amount to crimes against humanity according to a panel of united nations investigators
mr isaias trained as an engineer has been fairly ruthless at keeping power he canceled presidential elections in 1997 all but shut down the press in 2001 and has used a longstanding border dispute with ethiopia to avoid implementing eritreas constitution which was ratified in 1997 
mr jammeh was a 29 year old military officer trained in the united states when he took power in a 1994 bloodless coup promising to root out corruption and raise living standards in a west african country named for the river that bisects it his reign has become more eccentric and bizarre in recent years in 2009 scores of people were seized from their homes and taken to a variety of secret locations in a campaign against witchcraft
there they were forced to drink a foul smelling concoction that made them hallucinate gave them severe stomach pains induced some to try digging a hole in a tiled floor made others try climbing up a wall and in some cases killed them according to the villagers themselves and amnesty international the times reported some fled into the bush or into neighboring senegal 
the republic of congo   not to be confused with its larger neighbor the democratic republic of congo   was once the seat of french equatorial africa it became a marxist one party state in 1970 but in 1977 as the oil industry rapidly expanded and amid a climate of cold war politics the countrys leftist president was assassinated under mysterious circumstances eventually leading to a takeover by a military officer mr sassou nguesso
known for his taste in french fashions mr sassou nguesso handed over the oil industry lock stock and barrel to a french conglomerate enriching himself and his colleagues then mr sassou nguesso stunned his countrymen   and much of the world   by acknowledging his ill gotten gains and voluntarily relinquishing power leading to multiparty elections in 1992
it was not to last mr sassou nguesso regained power in a 1997 coup he was most recently re elected in march in a vote that critics derided as rigged


embracing the concept of keep the change the transportation security administration said it collected more than 760000 in unclaimed cash   mostly loose coins   from travelers who had forgotten the money after passing through airport security in the 2015 fiscal year
the agency said it makes every effort to reunite passengers with items left at the checkpoint but at times property or loose change go unclaimed the coins for instance were left behind when passengers emptied their pockets before going through metal detectors
money from other countries collected over the fiscal year which ended sept 30 made up more than 9200 which was converted to american currency according to a tsa report in march
what will the agency do with the money in 2005 congress gave the tsa the authority to use unclaimed money on security operations
the money came from 114 so called hub airports central airports through which flights are routed money collected at smaller airports which are connected to hubs via routes known as spokes turn over the money they collect to their respective hub
in the new york metropolitan area kennedy international airport reported the highest total of unclaimed funds 4371581 la guardia airport reported 2341361 and newark liberty international airport raked in 1284678
the lowest amount collected at a hub airport was 199 at pago pago international airport in american samoa according to the tsa figures
usa today which reported on the unclaimed money said that some airports had installed kiosks for passengers to deposit spare change for charitable causes denver international airport collects money for a program to help homeless people and phoenix sky harbor international airport accepts donations to support a united service organizations program for members of the military and their families
john dedell a video conferencing designer from safety harbor fla said he flew about once a month for business and puts his loose change in a backpack for safekeeping
it really does not surprise me that people leave loose change behind he said in an email people seem to leave all kinds of things and i dont think there has ever been a trip that i didnt hear will the person who left  come back to tsa to retrieve it
a combination of fewer tsa screeners tighter budgets new checkpoint procedures and more passengers has already created long lines at airports around the country
money left unclaimed has nearly doubled to 76575915 in the 2015 fiscal year from 38341379 in the 2008 fiscal year the tsa report showed the sum has increased every year except for one since 2008
look for more loose change to be left behind this summer as air travel reaches its peak officials warn of extraordinarily long waits to get through security which might mean more anxious passengers dashing for their gates and forgetting to pick up their money


chicago   the chicago cubs dress eat train and party in a subterranean fortress of attitude the old home clubhouse at wrigley field never hosted a championship celebration within the new complex   20 feet below ground and more than twice the size of its predecessor   is a room devoted to joy apart from the locker room where players congregate to bask in their victories
it exists oh yeah manager joe maddon said though he would not disclose many details well really thats sensitive and classified information what we do in there but its a fun thing it includes laser lights and disco balls ill give that much
welcome to the bold new era of baseballs best team which does not care that it is also the most historically tortured the cubs as their t shirts say embrace the target
they won 97 games last season and vanquished the rival st louis cardinals in the national league playoffs losing the league championship series to the mets was almost immaterial the cubs made tangible progress toward their first world series title since 1908
this season will be defined by their performance in the fall in the meantime the cubs are turning the regular season into its own compelling theater while they wait for their next chance at glory they might just be the games next superteam
at 25 8 the cubs are off to their best start since 1907 a year that ended with a championship the last team before the cubs to go so deep into a season without consecutive defeats was the 1929 philadelphia athletics another world series winner
its strange because we hadnt done it this year   and thats a great thing second baseman ben zobrist said after the cubs dropped a doubleheader to san diego on wednesday here we are in may and its the first time weve lost two in a row it speaks volumes to how weve played so far
the cubs hitters are on pace to set a major league record for walks their starters have gone at least five innings in every game this season the team has scored more than twice as many runs as its opponents the cubs are making history and it surrounds them
its hard not to see it because its on all these tvs third baseman kris bryant said pointing to one of the nine huge flat screens visible from every part of the circular dressing room
its been blown out a little more than wed want it to   the whole run differential thing seems to be big   but we dont pay attention to it we know we have a good record so far but our mind set is just to continue our hot start and hopefully separate ourselves early on thats kind of what joe preached at the end of spring training get off to a good start because its a lot harder to climb back uphill
the cubs are building a mountain of victories the major league record for wins in a season is 116 shared by the 1906 cubs who did it in 155 games there were three ties and the 2001 seattle mariners who did it in 162 to break it these cubs would have to go 92 37 a 713 winning percentage that would be just slightly below their current mark
it seems far fetched and the cubs already lost some of their depth last month with the season ending knee injury to left fielder kyle schwarber but the golden state warriors just set the wins record for the nba regular season sports fans can dream
i am not going to answer any question that mentions the chicago cubs and the golden state warriors said theo epstein the cubs president of baseball operations seriously its absurd weve had a good month they just set the all time wins record and theyre working on back to back championships we havent won in 108 years
epstein built two world series winners with the boston red sox but is too smart to forecast a title this fall for the cubs considering the nature of the sports a fan of the best basketball team should be more optimistic than the fan of the best baseball team
if you do have the most talented basketball team   a dominant collection of talent   you can just about pencil them in for a no 1 or no 2 seed and barring something silly theyre going to show up in the finals with a chance to win epstein said in baseball   in this era and with this playoff format   it just doesnt work that way in basketball you can maybe push your chances to like 65 percent of winning a championship in baseball maybe you can push yours to 20 percent its a totally different exercise
yet optimism reigns at wrigley making this a rare moment for a team best known for heartbreak this version of the cubs   epstein and maddon bryant and anthony rizzo jake arrieta and jon lester   has not let anyone down it is still full of promise a blend of productive imports and rising young stars the stands seem full of hope not dread
probably because thats how we feel maddon said we dont have a fatalistic method about us whatsoever i dont think our jobs are impacted or affected by the history of the cubs in any way shape or form   other than the fact that its a great tradition
the cubs honor that tradition in the hallway leading to their dressing room a giant photo near the door is a close up of ernie banks and ron santo youthful and vibrant during hall of fame careers that never included a trip to the world series next to that is a replica of the white w flag that flies from the scoreboard after wins
zobrist wears w socks after every victory no matter how many times he does though the cubs can assure themselves of only so much the 2001 mariners did not even reach the world series falling to the yankees in the second round of the american league playoffs
jamie moyer a former cub who won 20 games for those mariners said the team was never motivated by gaudy win totals
we were enamored by ourselves by the way we were playing moyer said by phone wednesday we worked hard and played hard but respected that hey theres a chance this isnt going to last so lets enjoy it and appreciate it while its here
the 1998 yankees who won 114 games on their way to a championship did chase a memorable record said david cone who earned 20 of the wins but it took a late season meeting to refocus the team
once we hit the 100 win mark early enough we started to think we could probably add on here cone said but its easy to drift when you have that big of a lead
the cubs lead the pittsburgh pirates who visit wrigley this weekend by seven games in the nl central division and the fallback of wild card spots makes their postseason lead much bigger but even a team that starts hot like the vaunted 1984 detroit tigers can go cold after a 35 5 beginning to their season the tigers let their division lead dwindle to three and a half games by early june
they recovered storming through the summer going 104 58 and winning the world series with a self assurance that still resonates
with the 84 tigers when you walked out you knew what the outcome was going to be and you were going to win said the kansas city first base coach rusty kuntz a reserve who drove in the go ahead run of the tigers world series clincher it wasnt a cockiness it wasnt a swag it was just a confidence that the bottom line was were going to win and the secondary question was whos going to do it 
depth is also a hallmark of the cubs who used theirs after schwarber went down they had re signed another outfielder dexter fowler during spring training and now fowler has a 458 on base percentage infielders tommy la stella and javier baez have been productive in semiregular roles with bryant often starting in the outfield
the cubs rotation is less equipped to handle an injury but for now the starters have a 229 era arrieta has allowed three earned runs or fewer in his last 27 regular season starts the longest streak since 1893   the year the pitching rubber was moved to 60 feet 6 inches from home plate
arrieta said he spends no time reflecting on the majesty of those feats or his numbers in those 27 starts a 22 1 record a 092 era two no hitters like his team he is essentially breaking the game but it is all just an entertaining sideshow
its nice all that stuffs great arrieta said it would be even nicer if weve got a ring on our finger at the end of the season
the cubs are sheepish about their start but not about their goal any team with a dedicated party room is comfortable broadcasting its mission to eliminate all doubt the cubs sponsor a billboard on the elevated train tracks above addison street a few blocks from wrigley field its message is this story needs a title
it is a clever slogan and surely it is true but getting there and seeing how high the cubs can go as they try should be savored just dont expect the players to know the major league record for wins
no idea   and we dont care right fielder jason heyward said we know we need to be in the playoffs and youve got to be in it to win it we know were trying to win every game
they know they cannot do that but they might come pretty close


hong kong   for a few brief hours this week china had its own answer to wikileaks a mysterious twitter account that posted the personal information of dozens of the countrys most prominent people including billionaires and even the architect of the countrys internet controls
the account shenfenzheng   which means personal identification in chinese   was suspended by twitter on thursday afternoon making its posts no longer available before it was suspended the account was used to post photographs and screenshots containing personal information including addresses national identification numbers educational attainment and marital status of well known chinese
among them were the two richest people in mainland china jack ma the chairman of the internet giant alibaba group and wang jianlin the chairman of dalian wanda group a real estate company
it was not clear who controlled the account or whether that person was inside or outside china if inside the person had the technical means to overcome the countrys so called great firewall which blocks twitter the person or people appear to view chinas internet controls with some disdain one of the identification cards posted by shenfenzheng was purported to be that of fang binxing known as the architect of the great firewall
in mainland china buying and disseminating personal information is against the law and violators can face three to seven years in jail and fines according to a statute passed last year by the national peoples congress but thousands if not millions of people have access to the national police database that contains such information and if they do not they may know someone who does
surprised by these tidbits of information shenfenzheng posted before the account was suspended i hope this can get fellow countrymen thinking personal privacy is worth nothing in china
the goal of shenfenzheng appears to be to draw attention to the illegal selling of personal information in china a widespread practice private investigators can buy troves of personal data to obtain information on companies or individuals others abuse the online national police files for more prosaic reasons like planning class reunions
in the united states nine digit social security numbers say little about a person other than perhaps the region where they lived when they applied for a card
in mainland china national identity numbers contain far more information in its 18 digits including sex birth date and the province city and even neighborhood of a persons legal residence those numbers despite the tough new law can sometimes be found on websites of government agencies like the state administration of industry and commerce
there are other ways to legally obtain such numbers chinese citizens who are directors in companies registered in hong kong often provide their home addresses and national identification card numbers on publicly available documents found on the citys online company registry
reporters who investigate the business interests of chinas politically powerful families   and the billionaires who court them   use identification numbers to bulletproof their articles giving them a vital level of certainty difficult to obtain in a country where more than 90 million people share the same last name wang
the new york times was able to verify the accuracy of the identification numbers of several of the people exposed by the shenfenzheng account including mr wang his wife lin ning his son wang sicong and mr ma of alibaba
the chinese public security bureau did not respond to a fax asking whether the agency was concerned about the security of its online database and if it is what measures it might take to control leaks news about the online leak was reported earlier by bloomberg news
twitter did not respond to a request for comment
twitter prohibits the posting of personal information such as national identification numbers accounts that violate that policy can be temporarily blocked or permanently suspended according to rules on the companys website


the actress sheridan smith has taken a leave of absence from the west end production of funny girl the productions publicists said thursday citing stress and exhaustion as the reasons for her departure
funny girl started its run at the menier chocolate factory and after strong sales transferred to the west end in april ms smith earned wide praise for her performance in the role of fanny brice a character that is strongly identified with barbra streisand who played the part on broadway and on the screen
in recent months ms smith had drawn media attention for missing several performances of the show and for a widely reported series of twitter posts in which she seemed to voice frustration over personal issues u know when u suddenly realise ure just a puppet read one post in february according to the telegraph ms smiths twitter account has been made private
she pulled out of several performances this week when the daily mail suggested that she had missed mondays performance because she had lost out on a television bafta award on sunday ms smith voiced her frustration in tweets directed at the media
the productions publicist issued a statement on thursday that read sheridan smith will be taking leave of absence from funny girl due to stress and exhaustion the entire team at funny girl is thinking of sheridan and know she is getting the rest and support she needs during this very difficult and stressful time
ms smith will be on leave for two to four weeks the statement said the actress natasha j barnes will temporarily replace her in the role


rome   paintings stolen from a museum in verona six months ago have been found in ukraine and will soon be returned to italy officials from both countries have said
the 17 paintings including works by rubens tintoretto and mantegna were recovered by ukrainian border guards in what president petro o poroshenko of ukraine described on wednesday as a brilliant operation the associated press reported
the guards found the paintings wrapped in dark plastic bags and buried under leaves near the border with moldova the ap said news footage dated may 6 from the ukrainian border service showed border guards removing the paintings from the bags
the paintings had been whisked off the walls of the castelvecchio museum in november by masked and armed robbers who tied up a security guard and an employee just as the museum was closing in march italian officials announced that 12 people in italy and moldova   including the security guard   had been arrested in connection with the theft
on thursday margerita bolla the director of the verona museum lauded the recovery as magnificent news
we now await their return to verona in our museum so they can be admired again she told the news agency ansa


us stocks ended pretty much where they started thursday after spending the day cycling up and down
investors bought safe picks like phone companies and food makers after a surprisingly weak report on the job market
stocks started the day higher materials companies climbed after monsanto an agricultural giant soared on reports it might be acquired the market turned lower in late morning trading as investors worried about the labor departments report which showed an unexpected jump in the number of people seeking unemployment benefits
oil wavered between gains and losses but finished higher for the sixth time in seven days
the market is following oil said john cannally chief economic strategist for lpl financial
mr cannally said he thought investors did not have a lot of confidence in the global economy right now and will be watching subsequent reports out of china to see if there are more signs that the worlds second largest economy is continuing to slow down
the standard  poors 500 stock index dipped 035 points to 206411 the nasdaq composite index fell 2335 points or 05 percent to 473733
the dow jones industrial average rose 938 points less than 01 percent to 1772050
the labor department said applications for unemployment benefits rose to the highest level since february 2015 that comes after a disappointing jobs report for april applications rose by 20000 to 294000 despite the increase they have remained below 300000 for more than a year
the biggest gains went to phone companies chemicals makers and consumer stocks att increased 37 cents to 3955 among consumer companies kraft heinz rose 114 or 13 percent to 8634 and coca cola added 37 cents to 4583
monsanto led materials companies higher after bloomberg news reported that german chemical and pharmaceutical company bayer might make an offer for it that follows a wave of consolidation in the chemicals industry dupont and dow chemical agreed to combine last year and chemchina agreed to buy syngenta of switzerland in march
monsanto jumped 758 or 84 percent to 9792
benchmark us oil which is at its highest price since early november gained 47 cents or 1 percent to 4670 a barrel in new york brent crude the benchmark for international oil prices rose 48 cents or 1 percent to 4808 a barrel in london
the international energy agency said it expected the global oil surplus would shrink by the years end bringing supply and demand much closer to balance the price of oil dropped from around 100 a barrel in mid 2014 to as low as 26 a barrel in february and has rallied since then
department store kohls said its sales dropped and its income was weighed down by high costs the companys results suffered as it discounted some items to clear out inventory the stock fell 355 or 92 percent to 3515
retailers have been struggling for months macys slashed its profit forecast wednesday following its quarterly report and gap posted worse than expected april sales on monday
apple fell to its lowest price in almost two years its stock slid 217 or 23 percent to 9034
biotech drug companies slumped on continued scrutiny of their pricing policies valeant pharmaceuticals international fell on reports the company has not reduced the price of some of its medications something it said it would do earlier this year the stock gave up 142 or 54 percent to 2493
botox maker allergan fell 669 or 3 percent to 21602 and multiple sclerosis treatment maker biogen declined 454 or 17 percent to 26271
unitedhealth the largest us health insurer gave up 95 cents to 12974 and aetna lost 366 or 33 percent to 10860
data security company infoblox surged 373 or 244 percent to 1904 after bloomberg reported that a private equity firm had offered to buy it
burger chain jack in the box reported strong results including better sales at its qdoba mexican restaurants its stock jumped 988 or 152 percent to 7502
payment card company cpi card group reported disappointing results as shipments of chip enabled cards were lower than expected the company said the market is struggling in the us and cut its guidance because credit card companies arent buying and issuing as many of the cards as expected
its stock skidded 366 or 477 percent to 401 the companys initial offering priced at 10 per share in october
in other energy trading wholesale gasoline was little changed at 158 a gallon heating oil was little changed at 139 a gallon natural gas lost 2 cents to 216 per 1000 cubic feet
the price of gold dipped 430 to 127120 an ounce silver lost 22 cents or 12 percent to 1710 an ounce copper fell 3 cents or 14 percent to 207 a pound
germanys dax fell 11 percent and the ftse 100 in britain was down 04 percent frances cac 40 lost 02 percent japans nikkei 225 stock index rose 04 percent and the hang seng index of hong kong dropped 07 percent south koreas kospi lost 01 percent
bond prices fell and the yield on the 10 year us treasury note rose to 175 percent from 173 percent the dollar edged up to 10914 yen from 10849 yen the euro slipped to 11373 from 11425


the day may come when you wont have to figure out what 15 percent to 20 percent of your check is at the end of a meal but the earliest experiments in eliminating tipping at american restaurants have proved to be less than conclusive
in one closely watched case joes crab shack has decided to revert to accepting tips at most of its trial locations six months after announcing that it would become the nations first major restaurant chain to test a no tipping policy at 18 locations
the casual seafood chain which is based in houston and has more than 130 restaurants nationwide raised its menu prices at the test sites and said it gave higher fixed wages to its staff at the time ray blanchette then the chief executive of its parent company ignite restaurant group called tipping an antiquated model
but bob merritt the new chief executive announced in a conference call with investors and analysts last week that the company was cutting back the experiment and that it would continue at just four restaurants according to nations restaurant news
company research had found that 60 percent of the restaurants customers disliked the change in tipping mr merritt said they wanted to inspire good service with their tips and they didnt trust management to pass on the money to its employees he said
the system has to change at some point but our customers and staff spoke very loudly mr merritt said and a lot of them voted with their feet
the number of customers at the no tip locations dropped 8 percent to 10 percent on average he said
joes crab shack is not the only restaurant returning to tips fedora a greenwich village restaurant owned by gabriel stulman announced monday that it would also discard its no tipping policy which it had begun four months ago
while we made the determination that a gratuity free system does not work for our business at this time we continue to believe that it has the potential to change hospitality for the better mr stulman wrote in a letter to diners we hope its the future for more restaurants including our own
servers who can be paid salaries below minimum wage rely on tips to make up the difference their take home pay can be unpredictable subject to how busy the restaurant is and what customers order opponents of tipping say ending the practice would ensure living wages for servers while eliminating a pesky math problem and an often uncomfortable experience for customers
while tipping remains far and away the status quo in american restaurants a trickle of restaurateurs in recent years has begun doing away with the practice notably the union square hospitality group owned by danny meyer announced plans last year to eliminate tips at its 13 restaurants which employ 1800 workers
the company rolled out the policy at three new york locations the modern at the museum of modern art in november maialino in february and north end grill in april the company plans to reopen union square cafe this year with no tipping
mr meyer has indicated that the change has been an initial success he told the freakonomics podcast that the past december was the most profitable month the modern has had he said some of that result might be because of media coverage of the no tipping policy but he was confident it would extend to the other locations
all of our leaders in all of our restaurants are actually clamoring to be next mr meyer said they all want to do this because theyve seen some pretty compelling statistics
many other restaurants in new york have had similar experiments including huertas craft eleven madison park and andrew tarlows restaurants
smaller establishments have also tried lois a wine bar in alphabet city in manhattan went tip free in november advertising on its menu that there is no need to tip hospitality is included and removing the gratuity line from receipts
nora omalley the bars co owner said the wait staff had had the same or higher wages since the change which also included a revenue share it has become a favorite topic for customers and she has recommended the change to her friends in the industry she said
it has eliminated an element of confusion andor slight apprehension from customers she said


london   prosecutors in scotland said on thursday that there was insufficient evidence to bring criminal charges against the royal bank of scotlands former directors and senior management over a rights issue by the lender before its near collapse in 2008
the crown office which prosecutes criminal cases in scotland had focused its investigation on whether there had been criminal conduct related to the banks raising of 12 billion pounds or about 17 billion at current exchange rates weeks before it had to be rescued by the british government
rbs which is based in edinburgh received a PS45 billion bailout the government still owns about 73 percent of the bank
following careful examination of all the evidence seen to date crown counsel have decided that there is insufficient evidence in law of criminal conduct either in relation to rbs as an institution or any directors or other senior management involved in the rights issue the crown office said in a news release on thursday
the crown office described the inquiry as extremely complex saying it had included the examination of more than 160000 documents by a team of specialist forensic accountants and banking experts
if there were such evidence those responsible would face prosecution the crown office said if not the public in scotland could be reassured that the matter had been properly investigated
the prosecutor said that it had worked with a variety of organizations in its investigation including the united states federal reserve and two british regulators the financial conduct authority and the prudential regulation authority
rbs continues to face legal actions by shareholders in britain over the rights issue
the lender has not reported a full year profit since 2007 and its losses widened in the first quarter of 2016 after it made a payment of PS119 billion to the british government to fulfill a condition of its bailout package
rbs is in the middle of a large restructuring as it shifts away from being a lender with global ambitions to focus on retail and corporate banking in britain and ireland it announced plans last year to dismantle its global investment bank and to significantly reduce the number of countries in which it operates


the titans of tech dont talk about it but entrepreneurial silicon valley was built on government spending in particular defense department funding for things like radar semiconductors and what became the internet everybody was happy about that
now maybe the valley is returning the favor building out the future of defense the happiness of this has yet to be determined
as john markoff writes secretary of defense ashton b carter just paid his fourth visit to the valley fittingly he spoke near googles headquarters and talked about the importance of putting artificial intelligence or ai in our nations weapons
he was speaking at something called the defense innovation unit experimental facility which was started a year ago in mountain view calif technology leaders used to come to washington but now washington comes to them too
it was as one of the valleys more cynical turns of phrase has it a buzzword compliant talk besides ai mr carter talked about how the new facility was iterating rapidly which means trying a lot of different stuff fast visiting innovation hubs and even thinking outside our five sided box presumably a reference to the pentagon though with floor and ceiling that box has seven sides
talking the local talk will likely do little to soothe the many critics inside and outside tech who worry about outsourcing wars to machines autopilots on airplanes are one thing but if computers start optimizing for lethality it may be difficult to limit conflicts
equally there are concerns about what other large powers are doing in robotics and ai the united states leads the world in ai and drawing from valley companies may be a way to keep an edge yet even there a face off between two ai powered adversaries could mean an unforeseen escalation or other type of complication that could overwhelm the humans charged with monitoring
the moral dimensions and unintended consequences of pilot stress seen with americas drone program may be but a foretaste of what well face with ai violence
expect to see a lot more of the pentagon in the valley and in other parts of tech as well on tuesday air force maj gen sarah zabel the vice director of the defense information systems agency gave a one hour talk to a computer networking group on the security and communications needs of her 45 million user communications system
she was worried about hackers another whole new kind of adversary in a world turned upside down by tech


rome   on a perfect may afternoon with the roman sunlight glinting off the ancient arches of the colosseum officer pang bo adjusted his sunglasses and began his patrol more or less he walked around he looked at tourists and a few tourists looked at him he posed for a few photographs
in his dark blue uniform and cap officer pang is a top supervisor in one of chinas biggest police departments in the southern metropolis of guangzhou but for two weeks he and three other chinese police officers are in italy with strict orders to protect chinese tourists
that is even if it isnt completely clear how four chinese cops divided between rome and milan can make a difference or what the tourists need to be protected from
the first day when we patrolled the chinese tourists saw us and they were amazed said officer pang 44
tourist season is in full bloom in italy and few countries are more important suppliers of tourists than china nearly three million chinese visit italy every year a figure that is steadily rising as italy has become one of the top european destinations for chinese tourists along with france
in 2014 chinese tourists spent 468 million euros or about 569 million in italy according to the bank of italy and italian leaders are trying to nurture closer economic ties to china that was the year the two countries signed a bilateral police cooperation agreement the first of its kind between china and a european nation
but for some chinese tourists italy and other european countries can mean anxiety and confusion the recent terrorist attacks in paris and brussels have raised security concerns for tourists coming to europe including chinese visitors and reports of petty crime are fairly common in rome and in cities like barcelona and paris especially of pickpockets preying on chinese tourists known for carrying cash
such thefts are amplified on chinese social media as some travelers spin dark tales of stolen wallets lost passports and italian swindlers these are problems that can arise for travelers from any country except chinese also face a cultural and linguistic divide in knowing how to seek help
its our duty to make chinese fall in love with rome and italy said alessandro zucconi the president of the young hoteliers federation in rome who agreed that misunderstandings sometimes occur between the two cultures they are not like the germans who mostly come knowing our culture and literature better than we do
enter officer pang and his cohort
beginning last week they split into two man teams in rome and milan so far it is not exactly tough police work
officer pang and his partner li xiang have bumped into several chinese tour groups but none have reported any problems the chinese officers do not have arrest powers in italy but they are paired with italian officers who could arrest someone except no arrests have been needed
so far no said officer pang who once worked as a peacekeeper in bosnia and who speaks english french mandarin and cantonese we just help the people most of them say oh im very glad to see you im glad you are here 
in china the police are not always beloved in an authoritarian country where the ruling communist party exists above the law and can use the domestic legal system as a tool for maintaining political and social control
but chinese leaders are keenly sensitive to chinese public opinion and eager to demonstrate their efforts to safeguard citizens overseas in recent days the state media outlets xinhua china daily and global times have carried reports on the police program and quoted italian officials lavishing praise on china
we are telling italian citizens that their state is joining hands with a great country italys interior minister angelino alfano told xinhua adding with a flourish that china has a fundamental role in the worlds destiny
which is true italy once played a fundamental role in the worlds destiny but is now a medium size nation with a rich cultural heritage trying to stimulate economic growth after a two decade slump
tourism is a critical sector in a report this year italys foreign ministry cited the need to improve services for chinese visitors such as to provide more signs in mandarin and also to be sensitive to the perception of petty crime risks
italian police officers are supposed to visit china next year   it is unclear if italians need special protection in china   and officials have spoken of broader cooperation in the future
italian leaders are certainly eager to deepen economic ties prime minister matteo renzi recently announced an agreement with jack ma the executive chairman of the e commerce giant alibaba to promote italian wines in the chinese market
italian officials note that police teams from spain poland and other countries including the united states have visited rome the new york police department sent over officers in december
out on the streets of rome officer pang and officer li strode down one of the capitals busiest shopping streets via del corso parting a sea of tourists when they came upon two young women from china they stopped chatted and posed for selfies
one of the women who would identify herself only by her surname fang was an exchange student at a local university though she had not experienced any problems in rome she seemed pleased to see chinese officers on the streets
they make me feel very safe in another country said ms fang 20
officer pang acknowledged that four officers were not likely to make a big impact but he said more officers could possibly come in the future and clearly the publicity was raising awareness officer pang said he had granted interviews to news media outlets from around the world
he praised rome and reminisced about his first visit 14 years ago when he came as a tourist had he encountered any problems thick chested and beefy officer pang looked out from behind his reflector shades and then laughed
no no problems he said


when it comes to emojis women can be brides or princesses paint their fingernails get a haircut and go dancing in a red dress if those sound like roles determined by the patriarchy well its not a new complaint
but it may be changing google wants to add 13 emojis to represent women and their male counterparts in professional roles
isnt it time that emoji also reflect the reality that women play a key role in every walk of life and in every profession said a proposal from a team of google employees that was submitted to the unicode consortium which serves as the midwife to new emojis
the proposed emojis include women in business and health care roles at factories and on farms among other things google wants the organization to approve them by years end but the process of getting new emojis onto keyboards is a long one during which things can change or be scrapped
even after the final version of a new emoji has been approved there is more to be done vendors have to work on them and manufacturers have to add them to phones
these dont magically appear once we approve them mark davis a founder and the president of the unicode consortium said in an interview about 67 other new emojis last fall
mr davis is also part of the four person google team that proposed the new emojis he could not be reached for comment but the consortium is meeting this week
the previously submitted 67 images   which include a mother christmas figure as a counterpart to santa claus   were scheduled to be voted on this month a shark an avocado and two strips of bacon were in that group too
but the google proposal answers a demand for better representation that has even gotten the attention of michelle obama
in march the feminine products company always published a video of girls talking about how emojis dont represent them
ive got rock climbing biking playing basketball one said in the video looking at her phone but none of the girls are doing this
ms obama responded on twitter saying she would like to see an emoji of a girl studying
her request doesnt appear to have been answered by the proposal but it noted both the always campaign and the first ladys response to it as well as a times op ed article published in march
how was there space for both a bento box and a single fried coconut shrimp and yet women were restricted to a smattering of tired beauty centric roles asked amy butcher an assistant professor of english at ohio wesleyan university in the column
the proposal noted the importance of having gender neutral emojis as well
however as this is not the focus of this effort we suggest decoupling the gender neutral representation of emoji from this proposal it says


london   a former investment banker who had worked at morgan stanley lehman brothers and deutsche bank was sentenced to four and a half years in prison after he was convicted this week on an insider trading charge in what the british authorities have described as the largest crackdown on improper trading in britain
on monday martyn dodgson a former banker and andrew hind a businessman and trained accountant were convicted of conspiracy to insider deal as insider trading is described in britain
mr hind was sentenced to three and a half years in prison on thursday
the case sprung out of an investigation called operation tabernula the investigation began with a series of raids by the british authorities in march 2010
the financial conduct authority of britain accused mr dodgson of improperly sharing information from the investment banks where he worked with his close friend mr hind as part of a conspiracy that began in november 2006 and ended in march 2010
mr hind acted as a middle man and helped facilitate trades for the benefit of mr dodgson and himself the financial conduct authority said
the tips included inside information about the paragon group legal  general and bskyb the regulator said
three other men on trial with mr hind and mr dodgson were acquitted of criminal charges this week
the members of the conspiracy used unregistered mobile telephones encrypted records and safe deposit boxes to hide their improper trading from authorities the financial conduct authority said
five people in all have pleaded guilty or been convicted of criminal charges in the investigation


key west fla   the firearm that george zimmerman used to shoot trayvon martin in 2012 went on sale for 5000 on thursday generating a torrent of denunciations and extending the notoriety of a case that galvanized the nation
by thursday night however efforts to sell the gun had fizzled
for mr zimmerman the former neighborhood watch volunteer who was acquitted of murder charges in the killing of mr martin a black 17 year old the announcement of the sale was the latest in a string of episodes that attracted national scrutiny mr zimmerman set off outrage in september by retweeting an image of mr martins corpse
mr zimmerman 32 announced that he intended to auction the handgun used in the killing in sanford fla he said that the firearm had recently been returned to him by the justice department and that he hoped to use some of the proceeds to fight violence against law enforcement officers by members of black lives matter to ensure the demise of the career of angela corey the prosecutor who put him on trial and to counter hillary clintons anti firearm rhetoric
mr martins mother sybrina fulton has been on the campaign trail with mrs clinton the likely democratic nominee for president
this is a piece of american history mr zimmerman wrote on the listing
a listing for the weapon a kel tec pf 9 appeared on the auction website gunbrokercom but was removed the page displayed a note that said sorry but the item you have requested is no longer in the system
multiple email and phone messages left with gunbrokercom based in georgia were not answered on thursday
mr zimmerman told the orlando sentinel that the auction site could not handle the web traffic or the publicity
the ad reappeared later on unitedgungroupcom but the site posted a message on twitter on thursday night saying that it had decided to terminate the auction the message was then deleted and united gun groups site was down in earlier tweets united gun group noting that it was a free service tried to distance itself from the sale
mr zimmermans auction plan incited a wave of criticism from politicians sports figures hollywood entertainers and others representative hakeem jeffries a democrat from brooklyn released a statement calling mr zimmerman a coldblooded killer who should be in prison on twitter the move was described as sick disgusting and beyond tasteless
it was not the first time mr zimmerman had tried to monetize mr martins death a fund raising site he set up shortly after his arrest brought in about 200000 in less than a month mr zimmerman and his wife at the time shellie spent 36000 of that in less than three weeks
mr zimmerman who was an insurance underwriter and a college student in 2012 has since sold paintings online he signed autographs at a gun show but was not paid for the appearance the organizer said
benjamin l crump a lawyer for mr martins parents said the family was appalled by the proposed gun sale
its insulting mr crump said to everybody else   the public the media   its a hashtag its a cause its a news story to them thats their child
mr zimmerman defended the auction plan on wednesday during an interview with wofl a broadcaster in orlando fla
im a free american i can do what id like with my possessions he said adding i thought its time to move past the firearm and if i sell it and it sells i move past it otherwise its going in a safe for my grandkids and never to be used or seen again
mr zimmerman could not be reached for additional comment
four months after his 2013 acquittal he was arrested and charged with domestic aggravated assault after he and his girlfriend had an argument at their home the case was later dropped
last year he was injured during a violent confrontation with another motorist in central florida the man fired a gun into mr zimmermans truck causing him to be injured by flying glass mr zimmerman suggested that thursdays auction was timed to coincide with the anniversary of that confrontation which happened on may 11 2015
last august news media reported that a florida gun store that had been sued for declaring a muslim free zone had started selling prints of a confederate flag painted by mr zimmerman
asked on wednesday about the critics he could expect to hear from for the gun auction mr zimmerman told wofl theyre not going to be bidding on it so i couldnt care less about them
he told the station that he had faced repeated threats against his life what ive decided to do is not cower he said
mr zimmerman ended his auction listing with the roman saying si vis pacem para bellum it translates to if you want peace prepare for war


pens matter ink does not
in the age of amazon evaluating antitrust concerns is sometimes twisting government officials into knots that was made clear this week when the federal trade commission blocked the merger of office depot and staples in part by drawing elaborate distinctions between who buys pens and printer ink cartridges and how
the products are widely available online of course including from amazon which by some estimates accounts for half of all online shopping and has reshaped the retail industry but big companies the ftc argued like to shop in bulk and often dont buy their ink from the same places as people shopping for themselves for bulk purchases of post it notes and pens office depot and staples are the primary options
the trade commissions argument underscores just how complicated it has become to judge amazons place in the retail industry to put it simply the agency does not think that the company benefits all customers equally
the decision also shows how difficult it is for regulators to keep up with industries being reshaped almost daily by technology
the impact of online is not uniform said paul t denis a lawyer at dechert in washington who represented office max during its approved merger with office depot in 2013 just because its an effective competitive alternative for individual consumers doesnt mean its necessarily an effective competitive alternative for other types of customers
companies that stock up on pens post it notes and other items by the thousands have different needs than a college freshman buying a new printer in the office max case the ftc agreed with mr denis and another partner james a fishkin that individual customers would still have plenty of low cost options
but for the decision this week the agency was not convinced that amazon was about to offer services that would suit large office supply buyers staples and office depot are the countrys two largest office supply companies with fleets of trucks thousands of stores and large geographic footprints cutting the two down to one the agency decided would hurt those large buyers
an online retailer isnt necessarily in that kind of market said diana l moss president of the american antitrust institute
as amazons history has shown though its capabilities can undergo swift and sweeping expansion a company that started as a bookseller just over 20 years ago now has a business with a stock market valuation of almost 350 billion dozens of times larger than the combined valuation of office depot and staples
for the two office supply giants which declined to comment for this article the future was clear amazon has eaten into the profits of traditional retailers for years and has given every indication that it only intends to grow including deeper into their business
the question becomes how quickly will they offer that said daniel s bitton a partner at axinn veltrop  harkrider
last week amazon said its business to business website amazon business generated 1 billion in sales in its first year amazon offers same day delivery in a growing number of stores and has deep pockets to expand the ventures that it deems successful
staples and office depot argued that amazons flurry of new initiatives would make it remain a strong rival including in the business market but to win antitrust cases companies must prove that competitive threats are imminent if not present
the federal trade commission is willing to look into the future but not too far
we look at a very short time horizon because consumers can be injured in the meantime deborah l feinstein director of the ftcs bureau of competition said in an interview
office depot and staples once fierce rivals saw teaming up as the best way to survive a highly competitive and challenging atmosphere consumer spending has lagged in the years since the 2008 financial collapse and online merchants have increasingly lured away customers from traditional brick and mortar stores
staples closed a combined 242 stores in 2014 and 2015 and expects to shutter another 50 this year according to the companys most recent annual report for the year ending jan 30 sales fell more than 6 percent to 21 billion
office depot said it had closed 349 stores in 2014 and 2015 and had marked at least 400 retail stores for closing through 2016 sales fell 10 percent last year to 145 billion
but evaluating the competitive landscape is about more than store counts and market share said ben gomes casseres a professor at brandeis international business school who studies corporate alliances
it is basically evaluating the potential maybe for that player to expand more rapidly he said
the ftc argued in court documents that amazon did not have a demonstrated track record of serving business customers a segment of the population that many people may not associate with typical antitrust cases but the commission has blocked mergers that threaten business contracts before notably with the proposed sysco and us foods deal last year
we will challenge transactions that have an adverse effect on business customers not just ordinary consumers ms feinstein said
including it might be added when those shoppers are buying post it notes


beijing   the death of a well educated environmentalist after plainclothes officers detained him outside a beijing foot massage parlor last saturday is rattling nerves in china and causing its growing middle class to wonder how safe are we from our own police
a deluge of articles online comments and petitions for justice suggests that many suspect that unjustified police violence was at fault in the death of the environmentalist lei yang 29 who according to chinese news media held a masters degree in environmental science from the prestigious renmin university and worked for the china association of circular economy an environmental organization affiliated with the government
mix in speculation about what mr lei whose wife gave birth to the couples first child in april was doing at the time   foot massage parlor is a common euphemism for a brothel   and his death has attracted huge attention
this comment on weibo summed up many peoples views that the police had acted improperly and that any recording devices that might have offered evidence contradicting their version of events had conveniently gone missing
lei yang is dead i dont care what his job was or what his political views were a user identified as shazi laoqi wrote the commenter added i just care that hes dead and that he died while being detained and all the things that are supposed to aid police during the process of detention were missing   they didnt bring their recording equipment mobile phones that recorded it were damaged close circuit cameras in the area were all broken
on wednesday peoples daily the mouthpiece of the communist party appeared to push back against suspicions of police brutality by publishing a rare detailed interview with the police officer in charge of what the police said was an antiprostitution raid in changping a northern district of beijing where mr lei was reportedly picked up shortly after 9 pm on saturday
the police had not used excessive force during the arrest xing yongrui the police officer in charge of the case told peoples daily mr xing told the newspaper that mr lei had paid 200 renminbi about 30 for sex and that after he was detained had bitten officers and tried to escape twice he said it took five officers 20 minutes to subdue mr lei with their bare hands
the police said that mr lei had a heart attack while in custody and was brought to a hospital where he was declared dead according to multiple reports in the news media family members said they saw bruises on mr leis arms and head xinhua the state news agency reported it quoted the police as saying this was a result of mr lei hitting his head on the ground after trying to escape from a police car
a headline in global times which is owned by peoples daily suggested that winning public trust over the case would be an uphill battle police struggle to convince public of proper conduct of investigation over mans death it read
the case has overtones of a scandal in 2003 when sun zhigang a recent college graduate who had arrived in guangzhou for a job as a designer in a garment factory was beaten to death in police custody in guangdong province after being detained for not having a valid residence card his death set off nationwide outrage and led to the revision of regulations controlling the movement of migrant workers
demands for answers as to how mr lei died continued to mount on thursday with four strongly worded petitions said to be from different groups of alumni from renmin university circulating on social media some links were being deleted by censors
the authenticity of the petitions could not be independently confirmed but beijing news said it had confirmed one reportedly written by graduates from the class of 1988
the petition was titled we must speak out   statement by some 1988 alumni of renmin university of china on fellow student lei yangs death
it demanded greater rights for chinese citizens and justice for mr lei whose family has requested an independent autopsy the results will take about a month news reports said
here are translated excerpts from the petition which appeared on a baidu website on thursday but was deleted later in the day


brazilians and many others are transfixed over the impeachment proceedings against dilma rousseff brazils first female president but while impeachment is not uncommon not all nations agree on what it means
lawmakers in at least a half dozen countries from iran to the united states have subjected their leaders to impeachment in recent decades and not every case turned out badly for the politician who was targeted
in the united states two presidents have been impeached   andrew johnson in 1868 and bill clinton in 1998   but neither had to step aside during his trial both were acquitted
but in brazil ms rousseff has not yet been impeached legal scholars say
in brazil the term impeachment is used only after a conviction is made in the trial said daniel vargas a law professor at fundacao getulio vargas in rio de janeiro
after brazils senate voted against her on thursday ms rousseff must step aside during her impeachment trial which could last six months if she is absolved she will not have been impeached mr vargas said
others agreed formally speaking she has not yet been impeached said ronaldo porto macedo jr a law professor at the university of sao paulo and other institutions she is only considered impeached when theres a final judgment
ms rousseff is not the first brazilian president to face impeachment in 1992 fernando collor de mello resigned just as his senate trial began he was found guilty and barred from elected office for eight years
some impeachments move surprisingly fast raising questions about fairness due process and the line between legitimate removal from power and a coup
four years ago in paraguay president fernando lugo who was celebrated by the poor for advocating land redistribution was impeached on charges of poor performance within two weeks after a deadly confrontation between peasants and the police his trial lasted six hours with no opportunity for him to defend himself
other leaders have survived multiple impeachments in political struggles that have lasted for years a notable example was traian basescu president of romania from 2004 to 2014 parliament voted twice to impeach him in 2007 and 2012 but referendums were required to remove him from office both failed   the second because turnout did not reach a 50 percent minimum
the impeachment of joseph estrada a former actor accused of bribery and corruption roiled the philippines in 2000
the impeachment was aborted after some senators blocked the admission of evidence but mass protests ensued and mr estrada was forced to resign he faced a criminal trial and was convicted of most charges in 2007
impeachment has sometimes been used to give a veneer of legitimacy to an ouster that has already happened
two years ago in ukraine president viktor f yanukovych fled the capital amid a violent political uprising lawmakers then rushed through an impeachment vote that he called a coup
abolhassan bani sadr who in 1980 became irans first elected president fled for his life a year later after a falling out with a former ally ayatollah ruhollah khomeini the leader of the 1979 revolution that overthrew the shah as the ayatollahs supporters called for mr bani sadrs execution and bombed his house irans parliament voted to impeach him for incompetence and he took refuge in france
legal experts say that despite the variations from country to country a common denominator in impeachment is that it is largely a political act in which a defendants accusers and judges are rivals for power
normally youd expect a completely impartial party to make a statement on facts then decide on whether a specific person is guilty of something said pierre de vos a constitutional law scholar in south africa where president jacob zuma was the target of an unsuccessful impeachment attempt this year by the opposition
its politicians deciding the fate of other politicians mr de vos said its not an untainted process


brasilia   after an all night debate brazils senate voted thursday morning to suspend president dilma rousseff and begin an impeachment trial against her ousting a deeply unpopular leader whose sagging political fortunes have come to embody widespread public anger over systemic corruption and a battered economy
in a vote of 55 to 22 lawmakers accepted the charges against ms rousseff accusing her of borrowing from state banks to conceal a looming deficit a budgetary sleight of hand that critics say was aimed at securing her re election two years ago
we could no longer ignore these crimes and thus voted for impeachment alvaro dias a senator from the green party said shortly before casting his vote having been assaulted by incompetence and wrongdoing brazilians expect punishment
during her impeachment trial which could last six months ms rousseff will be replaced by a onetime ally vice president michel temer who has been convicted of violating campaign finance limits and will now be under tremendous pressure to stem brazils worst economic crisis in decades
describing the effort to remove her as a coup ms rousseff the first woman to be president of brazil has repeatedly rejected calls to resign vowing to continue her fight to stay at the helm of latin americas largest country the worlds fifth most populous
the struggle for democracy doesnt have an end date she said in a speech thursday shortly before vacating the presidential office its a permanent fight that requires our constant dedication its a fight that can be won and it is one we will win
but given the margin of opposition against her on thursday political analysts said she stood little chance of winning the trial and finishing the remaining two and a half years of her final term in office
given the polarization in brazil if she sticks to her guns and fights this all the way to the end its going to prolong the agony for the country said mauro f guillen a professor of international management at the university of pennsylvania the best thing she could do for her country is to bite the bullet and step aside
months of ugly invective secret maneuvering and legal appeals have divided a nation already buffeted by inflation government paralysis and a colossal corruption scandal that revealed the depths of brazils profoundly troubled political system
though widely expected the spectacle of ms rousseffs being put on trial is a watershed in the power struggle consuming brazil which experienced a rare stretch of stability over the last two decades as it strengthened its economy and achieved greater prominence on the world stage
now those gains are coming undone with millions of working class brazilians sinking into poverty as the country endures its second year of recession
the nations economic woes are not simply a result of falling global prices for brazilian commodities like oil and soybeans they are also self inflicted economists say a consequence of flawed policies and enormous graft scandals many voters blame ms rousseff and her leftist workers party
everything is so expensive now we can barely afford to eat said juliana santos 29 a ticket taker who works for a public bus company in brasilia the capital the workers party promised they would change things but they changed things for the worse
the bitter political feud among brazils scandal plagued leaders is taking place as the country struggles to contain the spread of the zika virus and just months before the world heads to rio de janeiro for the summer olympics
plainly said this is the worst crisis in our history with its combination of economic calamity discredited politics and the violation of the lowest ethical standards boris fausto a brazilian historian told reporters this month while summing up the countrys grim mood
ms rousseff 68 is the second brazilian president to face impeachment since democracy was re established in the mid 1980s after a long dictatorship
in 1992 fernando collor de mello resigned before the senate could try him on charges of corruption but he has resurrected his political career and is now a senator in the debate he criticized his ouster decades ago before voting against ms rousseff
compared with the raucous debate over ms rousseffs fate in the lower house of congress last month   during which lawmakers spit on one another jeered and threw confetti   the proceedings in the senate were subdued
after 20 hours of often somnolent speechmaking the brazilian solicitor general jose eduardo cardozo took to the dais just after dawn on thursday and told lawmakers that history would judge them harshly if they voted to try ms rousseff for a crime he said she had not committed if this impeachment goes forward brazil will become the worlds largest banana republic he said emotion filling his voice
throughout the day the corrugated metal enclosures that had been erected outside congress to contain protesters remained mostly empty a marked contrast to the thousands of people who flocked to the capital last month to express their support or opposition during the impeachment vote in the lower house
by evening on wednesday several hundred people had gathered in the pens and at one point police officers fired tear gas into a crowd of anti impeachment protesters after firecrackers were lobbed in the officers direction
ms rousseff is a former marxist guerrilla and a trained economist who spent years working in the nations energy bureaucracies she had not held elected office until former president luiz inacio lula da silva who was constitutionally barred from running for a third consecutive term picked her to be his successor
in 2010 she won handily and during her time in office she largely continued the generous social welfare programs that had earned mr da silva unswerving loyalty from the countrys poorest citizens
our greatest achievements were to raise 36 million people out of poverty and elevate 40 million others into the middle class mr da silva said in an email on wednesday we remain a party that cares about the poor and about social justice
but as the economy soured and scandal rocked the political establishment ms rousseffs popularity sank into the single digits giving her adversaries in congress an opening to seek her removal
it was the recent defection of mr temer that helped seal her fate providing opponents in the lower house the crucial bloc of votes they needed to push forward with impeachment
but mr temer may be even less popular than ms rousseff with one recent poll finding that only 2 percent of brazilians would vote for him he also faces his own legal problems an electoral court ordered him this month to pay a fine for violating campaign finance limits the ruling could make him ineligible to run for elected office for eight years creating an unusual situation in which a politician barred from campaigning ends up running the country
fixing the economy which may require adopting unpopular austerity measures is just one of the challenges facing mr temer 75 critics have expressed concern over some of his top advisers several of whom are under investigation including romero juca a senator from roraima state in the amazon and geddel vieira lima a former executive at one of brazils largest public banks mr temer has insisted that those inquiries would not prevent him from naming the advisers to his cabinet
many business leaders and economists have expressed hope that mr temer will win congressional support for changes like reducing federal pensions privatizing state owned companies and amending labor laws that critics say hamper economic growth
temer has 100 days to get the ball rolling and address this disaster said marcos troyjo a co director of the briclab at columbia university which focuses on brazil russia india and china
despite the charges against her ms rousseff is rare among top politicians in brazil in that she has not faced accusations of illegally enriching herself
eduardo cunha the powerful speaker of the lower house who led the impeachment effort was ordered by the supreme court to step down last week to face trial on charges that he pocketed as much as 40 million in bribes
his replacement waldir maranhao is accused of taking bribes in the enormous graft scheme surrounding the national oil company petrobras and renan calheiros the senate leader is under investigation over claims that he received bribes in the scandal too he has also been accused of tax evasion and of allowing a lobbyist to pay child support for a daughter from an extramarital affair
though badly weakened leaders from ms rousseffs party are determined to remain a thorn in the side of the incoming government which many believe is illegitimate speaking to reporters outside the senate chamber on wednesday senator humberto costa leader of the workers party caucus said he was left with no choice but to embrace obstructionism
we will treat them to the kind of stiff opposition they imposed on our government he said there is no other path for us


washington   donald j trump and speaker paul d ryan appeared to take half a step back from their political standoff on thursday as mr trump toured washington for a swirl of meetings with republican lawmakers concerned about the direction of his presidential campaign
in public mr ryan praised mr trump the presumptive republican presidential nominee as warm and genuine and declared that a process of reconciliation was underway behind closed doors mr trump pulled back his threat to remove mr ryan as chairman of the republican national convention and offered to help elect the partys candidates running for the house and the senate
significant fissures remain between mr trump and republican congressional leaders mr ryan reminded the candidate privately that many voters opposed him in the primaries and in a separate meeting with senators several lawmakers urged mr trump to modulate his tone on immigration
but the abrupt shift in posture toward mr trump especially from mr ryan represented a remarkable turnaround only a week ago mr ryan took the unusual step of announcing on television that he was just not ready to support mr trump mr trump responded that he was not ready to support speaker ryans agenda
on thursday mr ryan appeared to be cautiously leaning in the direction of a growing group of republicans who have decided that embracing mr trump is their best defense against democrats maintaining the white house for another four years going forward were going to go a little deeper in the policy weeds to make sure we have a better understanding of one another mr ryan said
it was important that we discussed our differences that we have mr ryan said in a news conference but it was also important that we discuss the core principles that tie us together
mr trump also met with the broader house leadership team and with senator mitch mcconnell of kentucky the majority leader and his staff a meeting the trump campaign had requested in wide ranging discussions that touched on trade abortion supreme court justices and tax policy several lawmakers said they stressed to mr trump the need to have a unified policy agenda and made gentle suggestions on how to change his tone to recapture the white house and to prevent damage to republican candidates down the ballot
on immigration in particular mr trump was told that there is a way to talk about issues that people dont find offensive senator john cornyn of texas said
mr ryan and mr trump met at the republican national committee for 45 minutes on thursday morning with reince priebus the committees chairman as their chaperone
mr ryan gave no public signal that he was poised to back mr trump and two people briefed on their private meeting said they did not discuss a possible endorsement mr ryan told mr trump that while he wanted to support him their staff members must keep talking people briefed on the conversation said
but in effusive remarks after the sit down mr ryan insisted that the party leadership was not on the brink of an irreparable split
donald trump and i have had our differences   we talked about those differences today mr ryan said adding i do believe that we are now planting the seeds to get ourselves unified
with his conciliatory language toward mr trump mr ryan embarked on a perilous gamble with the volatile force of the businessmans personality   which the speaker characterized as very good   and with mr trumps shape shifting on policy
while mr ryan noted that mr trump had expressed openness to his policy positions about 12 hours earlier mr trump had called for an increase in the federal minimum wage as part of a series of insulting twitter messages aimed at senator elizabeth warren democrat of massachusetts
mr ryan along with other republicans who sounded even more won over by mr trump on thursday risks getting on board with one trump only to possibly find a new version making statements he finds untenable even repugnant weeks or months later
i totally endorse him said senator orrin g hatch of utah where mr trump is viewed largely unfavorably judge him by his children mr hatch said noting that mr trumps son in law jared kushner attended the meeting with senators the focus of the agenda mr hatch said was trade tax policy and immigration adding that mr trump mostly listened
mr ryans remarks are likely to help ease the friction between the two camps at least for the moment and perhaps to buy the speaker and his conference some time as they decide how to handle their new standard bearer
mr trump too ratcheted down his criticism of mr ryan in an interview later thursday on fox news mr trump said that he viewed their meeting as a success and that he was willing to be patient in order to bring the partys factions together i dont mind going through a little bit of a slow process mr trump said noting that he and mr ryan had discussed judicial nominations in their sit down
seeming to hint at some areas of disagreement with mr ryan mr trump added that trade and border security were two issues he felt very strongly about
conflicting forces have tugged at mr ryan since mr trump emerged as the presumptive nominee within the republican conference there is a growing group of lawmakers who have endorsed mr trump but also a number of republicans in difficult re election races who want the freedom to break openly with their partys candidate for president and opposition to mr trump runs high among political donors and conservative intellectuals supportive of mr ryan and his agenda
the next step mr ryan said would be to go deeper into the policy areas where there may be disagreements between congressional republicans and mr trump should mr trump defy mr ryan on policy the speaker has so far reserved the right to back away from their uneasy relationship
mr trumps pilgrimage to washington posed a critical test for his candidacy at the onset of the general election campaign without the blessing of republican leaders in congress mr trump could be frozen out by major party donors and viewed with even deeper suspicion by the middle of the road voters he would need to compete against his likely democratic opponent hillary clinton
in a gesture uncharacteristic of mr trumps campaign he also spoke by phone on wednesday with senator lindsey graham of south carolina an implacable trump critic whom mr trump has savaged in the past mr graham released a statement thursday saying they had a good 15 minute discussion mainly on matters of national security though his own vow not to vote for mr trump remained unchanged
as the meetings began thursday democrats commenced with a bit of political parallel play mocking mr trump and trying hard to tie republican members of congress to his more contentious statements since senator mcconnell has so enthusiastically embraced trump senator harry reid of nevada the minority leader said on the senate floor thursday we can only assume he agrees with trumps view that women are dogs and pigs
in some respects mr trumps meetings with mr ryan and the senate leaders resemble a kind of custody negotiation between estranged parents with the republican party caught in the middle intense distrust plagues the relationship rooted in a fundamental divergence of worldview and exacerbated by petty slights during the 2016 primary race
yet for mr trump and the congressional leaders the political incentives are heavily in favor of conciliation   or at least the appearance of good will despite considerable differences on matters of policy and campaign strategy it is in no ones interest for them to air those disagreements continually
mr trump said he did not aim to change the party platform a commitment one trump adviser had described beforehand as a potential give point in the talks indeed mr mcconnell will choose the person who actually writes the party platform and will probably have more control than mr trump on that front unless mr trump chooses to push back
at the same time it seemed increasingly clear that some republicans noting the popularity of mr trumps anti free trade message across the country may be open to accommodating his point of view
it certainly is causing people to look at the broader implications of trade agreements said senator susan collins of maine senator lamar alexander of tennessee also said that the resonance of mr trumps policy messages could no longer be ignored
we need to listen to the people he said


colombo sri lanka   leaders of sri lanka an island nation at the foot of india have repeatedly promised a political solution to the ethnic strife that has caused heartache and bloodshed for much of its nearly 70 year history since independence
committee after blue ribbon committee has recommended that the majority sinhalese primarily buddhists who emigrated from india centuries ago relinquish some political power to the minority tamils and muslims allowing them a measure of local self governance
and yet one president after another has failed to do so
now a president elected by an unlikely coalition of moderates from the two main majority sinhalese parties along with the tamil and muslim minorities is trying yet again at what is widely considered the most opportune moment in sri lankas history
long plagued by ethnic strife sri lanka became embroiled in a civil war with the tamils that lasted 26 years the government finally crushed the secessionist group leading the fight in a brutal battle in 2009 in which tens of thousands were killed most of them civilians that government accused of human rights abuses then and in the ensuing years was toppled by the coalition that brought maithripala sirisena to power in january 2015
chosen by the coalition because he was so agreeable and self effacing as to have offended practically nobody mr sirisena has pledged to persuade his sinhalese people to support a new constitution that devolves the powers of the central government that they dominate a referendum is expected later this year
but questions abound about whether this 64 year old son of a paddy farmer has who spent his political life shunning the limelight despite holding top ministerial posts could be the one to finally lead this country into an era of peace
we will devolve power to the people as a whole mr sirisena said in an interview last week nobody is trying to take something away from the sinhalese to give it to the tamils what we are trying to do is to give something more to everyone
nobody doubts mr sirisenas sincerity but some fear the opportunity may be slipping away
the ruling coalition has proven unable to generate internal consensus on key issues of public policy verite research a colombo think tank said in a report last week warning that the moderate consensus remains deeply vulnerable
mr sirisena in the interview in his seaside office where he keeps the air conditioner off in the stifling summer heat insisted he would not only get a constitution adopted but also lead his country through the process of truth and reconciliation that his government committed to in a united nations resolution last year
the united nations estimates that as many as 40000 people were killed in the last phase of the civil war in 2009 families have reported more than 5000 people missing making sri lanka the country with the second highest number of disappearances in the world the world body said
i know it is a difficult task and i decided to accept the challenge anyway mr sirisena said leaning back in a white upholstered chair he was dressed as always in white from his cotton lungi skirt to his white tunic
and when you take up the challenge you mustnt face it crying you must smile through it he said his normally serious demeanor lifted into a grin
but mr sirisena speaking quietly and slowly gesturing for emphasis urged patience i am not a man who rushes into things he said that is my policy
mr sirisena came to power in a revolution at the polls early last year when a coalition with him at the helm defeated the previous president mahinda rajapaksa revered by some for ending the countrys civil war mr rajapaksa was reviled by others because of allegations of corruption and human rights abuses
when coalition members were deciding whom to put forward as their candidate against mr rajapaksa they chose mr sirisena because of the very simplicity of the man mangala samaraweera sri lankas foreign minister said in an interview
there were more efficient more iconic persons who may have been also able to do that job but none of them would have been able to win the trust and confidence of so many different layers of sri lankas constituencies the tamils the muslims said mr samaraweera who joined parliament in 1989 the same year as mr sirisena i really personally believe sirisena never ever had any ambitions for the top job
mr sirisena who was health minister under mr rajapaksa before defecting to join the coalition against him had also been his partys general secretary for 13 years he began his political life as a communist and still reveres karl marx with a picture of him prominently displayed in his home
m a sumanthiran a leading constitutional lawyer and member of parliament from the tamil national alliance said that when he was asked to support mr sirisenas candidacy he knew him only as a man of few words who smiles and shies away
but as a member of a committee appointed to advise parliament on a new constitution mr sumanthiran said he was impressed at how mr sirisena finessed a divisive question of ethnicity in the preamble to the new constitution
convinced that a new constitution must begin its life with unanimous support in parliament mr sirisena persuaded all sides to drop the preamble and instead support a simple resolution for a constitution to be drafted that garnered unanimous support
these are little steps compared to what we expect him to do mr sumanthiran said but its giving us confidence in his methods
mr sirisena in the interview said lobbying fellow legislators was his forte and laughed as he described his efforts in humorous detail in april last year he got two thirds of the 225 member parliament to support a constitutional amendment reducing presidential powers as he had pledged to do if elected
i went to the parliament dining hall sat with them and asked them to take away my powers i put my arm around their shoulders held them by their arms and rubbed their bellies to convince them to take away my powers he said speaking softly his shoulders rising and falling in jerks as he chuckled to himself
mr sirisena steered clear of committing to a timeline saying i dont think the drafting of a countrys constitution should be rushed if we rush the process the extremists could exploit that situation
but moving slowly has risks too to maintain support within their ethnic communities the moderates needed to demonstrate progress said verite the think tank but the results they must show are divergent
the change in government has renewed tamil expectations that their immediate grievances as well as historical grievances   particularly over power sharing   will be meaningfully addressed verite said in its report
but verite said proposals for greater power sharing and accountability for rights abuses and war crimes are likely to be strongly resisted because the government had made no concerted effort to shift sinhala opinion in favor of a more equitable power sharing arrangement
making it harder mr rajapaksa retains sway over a big portion of mr sirisenas party and at every opportunity loudly denounces him as selling out his own people
that appears to have persuaded the government to back away from a resolution it co sponsored at the united nations in september to involve foreign judges in a special court to prosecute human rights abuses
the president is reflecting a kind of general view amongst the public about not having foreign judges said mr samaraweera the foreign minister
the tamil population skeptical of a process led by the central government had insisted on the involvement of foreign judges and this apparent backtracking has worried some
sirisenas attitude is to try to be deft instead of bold said paikiasothy saravanamuttu executive director of the center for policy alternatives a colombo research and advocacy group were waiting for him to play the fullest possible role
mr samaraweera said government leaders plan a major effort to build support in coming months the first step would be to raise awareness among the sinhalese about what really happened in the civil war something they have been largely shielded from
the sinhalese once they know the truth are a pretty compassionate bunch of people he said predicting they will come to support the process
mr sirisena said that he too remained convinced that his sinhalese majority would support a new constitution
for the sinhalese people to live happily in this country he said repeating a line he has used often in speeches the minority communities also must be happy


madrid   dozens of countries representing a wide range of languages vie for the eurovision song contest every year but english has been by far the most dominant tongue with 26 victories so this year spain which has not won since 1969 decided if you cant beat them join them
for the first time spains eurovision entry will be sung entirely in english after television viewers in february selected say yay performed by barbara reyzabal gonzalez aller who uses the stage name barei to represent the country the contest concludes on saturday in stockholm
but the decision not to enter a song in spanish has stung some guardians of the language dario villanueva the director of the royal spanish academy said that having spains candidate sing in english was proof of an inferiority complex
another academy member jose maria merino told the spanish newspaper el pais that given that spanish is a language spoken by 500 million people presenting a song in english is surprisingly stupid
i understand that a country with a language that has a limited number of speakers would try to use a language known by many but this is unacceptable mr merino said
for her part barei says that english is the language that comes naturally to her when she writes music and that while she was proud of speaking spanish english is much more international
songs written entirely or mostly in english have won eurovision 26 times since it began in 1956 songs in french have won 14 times while dutch and hebrew songs won three times each this week only three of the songs selected by 43 countries will not include any lyrics in english a record low
the issue has also divided spanish singers including those who have   unsuccessfully   represented spain in recent decades in eurovision edurne who finished 21st last year told a spanish online television channel el televisero that she supported the decision to sing in english and innovate to turn around spains poor eurovision track record
today english is a world language and it doesnt seem to be bad to sing in english karina a contestant in 1971 told a publication aptly called la nueva espana or the new spain
but remedios amaya who placed last in the 1983 contest said that the spanish candidate should be representing spain   and not england the idea of not singing in spanish doesnt even get into my head she told a regional newspaper la voz de galicia
jose maria lassalle the spanish state secretary for culture said this week that the choice of english for spains eurovision entry was the kind of polemic that isnt worth having
over all mr lassalle said that spanish is in extraordinary health and that the debate over whether english was affecting spanish speaking culture should be considered on a global scale
the spread of spanish in the united states clearly offsets whatever progress english is making in a country of 45 million people like spain he said
in fact three of the six spanish finalists to represent spain in eurovision chose to sing in english barei later said that she and others had been urged by spains national television network which broadcast the domestic competition in february to include at least some spanish in their songs
mr merino of the royal spanish academy said the broadcaster should have done more because it had a moral and cultural obligation to spread spanish and the countrys cultural patrimony


london   four artists whose work employs multiple media have been nominated for the turner prize britains most prestigious award for rising artists tate britain said on thursday
the four artists shortlisted for the prize given to someone under 50 who is either british or living in britain are michael dean anthea hamilton helen marten and josephine pryde   all of whom are british the last shortlist in which all the nominees were british born was in 2012 the winner will receive a cash award of 25000 pounds or about 36000 the other nominees each receive PS5000
the prize established in 1984 is seen as a major lift to an artists career the british news media which eagerly covers the award has frequently turned the prize into a litmus test of public attitudes to contemporary art assemble an architectural collective that defied easy categorization won the prize last year
ms pryde a photographer who often uses sculptural elements in her work which frequently explores social issues is probably the best known of the nominees and was featured in the new photography 2013 exhibition at the museum of modern art in new york
in traditional photography your experience of the image is the main thing ken johnson wrote in a review for the new york times but these artists he added are not primarily interested in images and want to free the viewers mind from the seductive too often mind numbing tyranny of images in an image saturated world
mr dean was nominated for his exhibitions sic glyphs and qualities of violence which combine sculpture found materials and an interest in what press materials describe as the physical manifestation of language
ms hamilton was chosen for her memorably named solo exhibition anthea hamilton lichen libido chastity at sculpturecenter in new york which combined sculpture clothing performance and video
like youve stumbled onto a theater set without a script skye sherwin wrote in the guardian about an earlier show by ms hamilton
ms marten who was nominated for a project at the 56th venice biennale and a solo exhibition eucalyptus let us in in new york uses both fabricated and found objects in sculptures and tableaus
an exhibition of work by the four artists will open at tate britain on sept 27 and run through jan 9 the winner chosen by a four person jury led by alex farquharson the director of the museum will receive the award in early december at a ceremony broadcast live by the bbc


london   dong energy the danish utility and the worlds largest offshore wind energy operator said on thursday that it planned to list its shares in an initial public offering in copenhagen
the company first announced plans to pursue an ipo in september after a review
the listing on nasdaq in copenhagen would most likely occur in the summer the company said on thursday
todays announcement marks an important step in dong energys strategic journey thomas thune andersen the companys chairman said in a news release we look forward to inviting new shareholders to take part in the future ownership of the company and to join us in our journey to build a sustainable energy system for the future
dong energy generates more than half of its electricity and heat from renewable resources it reported revenue of 708 billion danish kroner or about 108 billion in 2015 and employs 6700 people
the offering would consist of a sale of at least 15 percent of the company with existing shareholders selling shares in the ipo
the danish government which owns 588 percent of the company plans to sell part of its stake in the offering but it would maintain a 501 percent holding after the listing
we are proud of dong energys development in renewable energy and its contribution to a sustainable future claus hjort frederiksen the danish finance minister said the ipo has the support of a broad majority in parliament and we look forward to follow the companys continued journey as a listed company
an investment by goldman sachs in dong energy nearly led to a collapse of the danish government in 2014 a goldman controlled entity owns 178 percent of the company
jpmorgan chase morgan stanley and nordea bank danmark are acting as joint global coordinators on the offering


london   six weeks after the panama papers revealed vast stores of hidden offshore wealth around the world leaders from britain the united states and other nations vowed on thursday to cooperate on sweeping measures against financial corruption
at a conference in london britains prime minister david cameron who two days earlier had been overheard describing afghanistan and nigeria as fantastically corrupt announced strategies to clamp down on money laundering in his country
he put forth proposals to make offshore companies that buy property in britain reveal their true ownership forcing those that hide behind complex financial structures to accept transparency the same provisions would apply to firms that already own property in the country and to those bidding for british government contracts
in practical terms that would mean that companies buying or owning british property or vying for state contracts would first have to supply information on their actual ownership to a new public register
foreign companies own about 100000 properties in england and wales including more than 44000 in london according to the british government
secretary of state john kerry representing the united states condemned financial corruption as a threat to democracy
ive been shocked by the degree to which i find corruption pandemic in the world today he said at the conference which was at lancaster house a mansion used by britains foreign office
the hiding of assets from tax authorities harms people around the world by depriving governments of the resources they need to provide health care build schools and invest in infrastructure mr kerry said
he also said that corruption threatened governments by encouraging foreign extremism and fomenting domestic discontent
criminal activity literally is a destroyer of nation states because it contributes to drug trafficking arms smuggling it contributes to human trafficking it becomes the facilitator of activities that create substates   in some cases deep states   within states he said referring to criminal networks that in some countries are more powerful than the government it is a contributor to terrorism my friends in many different ways
mr kerry added the extremism that we see in the world today comes in no small degree from the utter exasperation that people have with the sense that the system is rigged and we see this anger manifesting itself in different forms in elections around the world including ours people are angry and the anger is going to grow unless we shut the doors and try to prove to people theres a fairness that can be established in the system
governments must demonstrate to citizens that the rules of capitalism are not rigged against ordinary people mr kerry said
mr cameron said he hoped that collaboration among nations would overcome resistance to greater transparency some advocates however have asserted that nations like britain and the united states need to go even further in cracking down on tax havens within their borders
the leaders at the gathering included president muhammadu buhari of nigeria and president ashraf ghani of afghanistan
on tuesday mr cameron was overheard telling queen elizabeth ii at buckingham palace that afghanistan and nigeria were fantastically corrupt countries and possibly the two most corrupt countries in the world
mr buhari said through a spokesman that he had been deeply shocked and embarrassed by mr camerons remarks although mr buhari did not seek to rebut them
mr cameron said on thursday that the evil of corruption reaches into every corner of the world adding that it lies at the heart of the most urgent problems we face   from economic uncertainty to endemic poverty to the ever present threat of radicalization and extremism
he added a global problem needs a truly global solution it needs an unprecedented courageous commitment from world leaders to stand united to speak into the silence and to demand change
afghanistan nigeria france and the netherlands pledged on thursday to set up their own public registers of true company ownership other nations including australia new zealand georgia and ireland agreed to take initial steps toward that goal
plans are also underway for an international anticorruption coordination center in london in partnership with australia canada new zealand switzerland and the united states as well as with interpol
in a communique participants at the meeting outlined pledges to root out bribery and tackle the problem of corruption in many fields including sports in a statement britain said it planned to start an anticorruption innovation hub that would bring together technology experts and law enforcement authorities
governments also vowed to cooperate on the recovery of stolen assets a meeting on that subject will be held in the united states next year focusing on returning assets taken from nigeria ukraine sri lanka and tunisia
the issue was highlighted by mr kerry who referred to tens of billions of dollars stolen from nigeria by generals he said he was working to restore 350 million to nigeria adding that such money represents the opportunity to provide a desk and a chair and school and shelter and health care and meet the needs of nations
britains relationship with its overseas territories has been criticized by people fighting tax evasion after the recent leak of the documents known the panama papers which revealed how wealthy people used offshore banks and shell companies to conceal their wealth the papers confidential documents from a law firm in panama exposed the british virgin islands as a major center of offshore activity
representatives of panama and the british virgin islands were not invited to thursdays meeting though the organization for economic cooperation and development announced on wednesday that panama had agreed to join about 100 other countries in sharing information automatically to try to prevent tax evasion
mr cameron has also been embarrassed personally after an admission that he earned money through an offshore trust established by his father who was named as a client of mossack fonseca the law firm at the center of the panama papers
in a statement nick bryer of oxfam the international confederation of 18 organizations working together with partners and local communities in more than 90 countries to fight poverty and inequality cast doubt on the scope of the plans that were outlined
registers of company ownership that are not public are simply not good enough he said the prime minister should push for full transparency of the uks overseas territories and crown dependencies at the anticorruption summit


tokyo   nissan motor announced on thursday that it had an agreement to extend a 22 billion lifeline to its fellow japanese carmaker mitsubishi motors which has been battered by a scandal over falsified fuel economy ratings
the deal which buys nissan about one third of the company draws mitsubishi into a global automotive group centered on nissan and renault of france the alliances combined production volume about nine million vehicles a year including mitsubishi is similar to that of the industrys giants volkswagen general motors and toyota
the rescue has parallels with how renault saved nissan from collapse a decade and a half ago by buying a large minority stake in the then ailing japanese producer today carlos ghosn the executive renault sent to japan to turn nissan around is chairman of both companies
we have been there not a very long time ago mr ghosn said at a news conference on thursday we have the track record to make it work
nissan will become mitsubishis largest shareholder buying a 34 percent stake for 237 billion yen or 218 billion mr ghosn said adding mitsubishi to the renault nissan alliance would save billions through joint development purchasing and sales he noted that renault nissan and mitsubishi were both big investors in all electric vehicles and that mitsubishi has a strong presence in southeast asia a market that nissan has been targeting
mr ghosn has often touted the loose alliance structure pioneered by renault and nissan as better than outright takeovers alliances allow carmakers to reduce costs by combining development efforts while minimizing the political and cultural clashes that often accompany full fledged mergers he has said
renault owns 43 percent of nissan and nissan holds a 15 percent nonvoting stake in renault the pairing has survived where several other international tie ups have failed daimler and chrysler for instance merged about the same time renault rescued nissan but the combination unraveled within a decade
the deal on thursday does however expose nissan to potential costs and complications from fixing mitsubishis problems mr ghosn said that the arrangement would be completed only after a full due diligence examination but that he was confident that mitsubishis problems were already well understood
though the scandal poses risks it has also allowed nissan to buy into mitsubishi relatively cheaply mitsubishis share price has roughly halved since its first disclosure about fuel efficiency cheating last month trading in mitsubishi shares was suspended on thursday in response to a glut of buy orders but shareholder sentiment appeared brighter with an indicative price jumping 16 percent which is the daily limit nissans share price slipped 14 percent
nissan and mitsubishi already cooperate in several areas most notably the development and sale of small engine microcars it was engineers at nissan who discovered that mitsubishi was using unapproved mileage tests that exaggerated fuel performance mitsubishi has since admitted that it has been cheating on its mileage ratings in japan for a quarter of a century and that all models in its domestic lineup were affected
this is an important step toward rebuilding trust and stabilizing our business mitsubishis chairman osamu masuko said of nissans investment
he said that he and mr ghosn had been discussing ways to extend their partnership for some time and that the cheating scandal had accelerated the process as a relatively small producer mitsubishi lacked the resources to compete effectively on its own he said
this would have happened one day he said


a vocalist must be a certain age to sing im still here a proclamation of resilience by an indomitable show business trouper who hasnt bitten the dust right now no veteran cabaret performer has a stronger claim to ownership of this sondheim classic from follies than marilyn maye who turned 88 last month the song was the thrilling finale of the most detailed autobiographical show ive seen her give highlights which opened on tuesday evening at feinsteins54 below
im still here invites a wide range of interpretations from bitter to blase ms mayes upbeat rendition embraced the believe it or not attitude that can make a line like lord knows at least ive been there and im here ring with an amused befuddlement
highlights arrives at just the moment when ms mayes voice has begun to lose its unblemished velvet sheen the slight erosion has been accompanied by a sharper attention to lyrics which ms maye delivered with a wry good humored warmth tinged with a sense of the absurd
her story is a chronicle of life on the road going back to her childhood when she sang on radio stations in des moines and louisville ky i wasnt meant for cooking and washing and subservience she said along the way she had three marriages to men who in her words drank a lot
an early high point on tuesday was a comically lubricious honeysuckle rose part of a fats waller medley the most introspective number was a tender rendition of if he walked into my life from mame
ms maye might be described as a down to earth midwestern version of that patrick dennis title character if anyone could be called ms mayes guru it is probably jerry herman whose more buoyant numbers she infuses with a joy and maternal solidity to quote another herman lyric sung by a strong woman there is always the promise that dollyll never go away again
ms maye named its today from mame as her mantra for show business babies this militant call to celebrate the moment no matter what is more than a song its a philosophy that has served her well


bridgeport wva   the doctors wanted to talk about illness but the patients   often miners waitresses tree cutters and others whose jobs were punishingly physical   wanted to talk only about how much they hurt they kept pleading for opioids like vicodin and percocet the potent drugs that can help chronic pain but that have fueled an epidemic of addiction and deadly overdoses
we needed to talk about congestive heart failure or diabetes or out of control hypertension said dr sarah chouinard the chief medical officer at community care of west virginia which runs primary care clinics across a big rural chunk of this state but we struggled over the course of a visit to get patients to focus on any of those
worse she said some of the organizations doctors were prescribing too many opioids often to people they had grown up with in the small towns where they practiced and whom they were reluctant to deny so four years ago community care tried a new approach it hired an anesthesiologist to treat chronic pain relieving its primary care doctors and nurse practitioners of their thorniest burden and letting them concentrate on conditions they feel more comfortable treating
since then more than 3000 of community cares 35000 patients have seen the anesthesiologist dr denzil hawkinberry for pain management while continuing to see their primary care providers for other health problems dr chouinard said community care was doing a better job of keeping them well over all while letting dr hawkinberry make all the decisions about who should be on opioid painkillers
im part fbi investigator part cia interrogator part drill sergeant part cheerleader dr hawkinberry said he is also a recovering opioid addict who has experienced the difficulties of the drugs himself
even for people with access to the best doctors it is hard to safely control chronic pain community care is trying to do so for a disproportionately poor population in a state that has been the epicenter for opioid abuse from the beginning of what has become a national epidemic
now the difficult work of addressing the nations overreliance on opioids while also treating debilitating pain is playing out on a patient by patient basis including in a patchwork of experiments like this one about 70 percent of the 1200 patients currently in community cares pain management program receive opioids as part of their treatment which may also include nonnarcotic drugs physical therapy injections and appointments with a psychologist
many had already been on opioids for many years before they met me dr hawkinberry said adding that his goal was to get them on lower doses and to try other ways of managing their pain with his own experience as a cautionary lesson
he became addicted to the opioid fentanyl when he was an anesthesiology resident he said and had to wage a legal fight to stay in the program he relapsed four years later while working at a west virginia hospital and underwent treatment and monitoring by a state program for doctors with addiction problems he says he has been in recovery and has not used drugs for almost nine years
dr chouinard said that dr hawkinberrys experience made him all the better positioned to know what this is like and to screen for drug abuse
patients who are prescribed opioids have to submit urine samples at each monthly appointment and at other random times and to bring their pills to every visit to be counted about 500 have been kicked out of the program for violations since it started in 2012
in addition community cares pain management clinic is closely monitored by the state as one of six licensed to operate under a 2012 law meant to cut down on pill mills
the organizations primary care providers talk frequently with dr hawkinberry about the patients they share with him because they use the same electronic medical record system they can keep close tabs on how their patients pain is being treated   and he on how their other health problems like high blood pressure are being addressed
we can even instant message each other and we do that a lot said dr kimberly becher a primary care doctor at community cares clinic in clay a town of 500
in the past community cares doctors would sometimes send patients to outside pain specialists which dr becher said yielded poor results because of a lack of communication
the close contact has especially helped complicated patients like frances key who was struggling to control her diabetes and high blood pressure when she started seeing dr hawkinberry three years ago addressing her back pain with physical therapy and hydrocodone typically taking one low dose pill a day has helped her lose 50 pounds and manage her other chronic conditions
i was a mess when i first came   i hurt all the time said ms key who injured her back lifting a deep fryer at her job in a deli i can go for a walk now i can play with my grandkids
one day last month dr hawkinberry saw four new patients and prescribed opioids to one a carpenter with a congenital hand deformity that had become more painful keeping him out of work
he thought hard on the carpenters case which was complicated by stomach ulcers that made him a bad candidate for nonsteroidal anti inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen which new guidelines from the centers for disease control recommend trying before opioids
what happened here he asked the man studying marks on the inside of his forearm
the patient told him they were from donating plasma which brought him extra income
no history of iv drugs dr hawkinberry continued standing close and looking the man in the eye
no never
never
never
the patient who allowed a reporter to sit in on the exchange would give only his first name frank because he said he wanted to protect his privacy
dr hawkinberry prescribed the patient a low dose of hydrocodone five milligrams three times a day until he returned in a month   a therapeutic trial he said to help control the patients pain while he started physical therapy
these are not decisions that i make lightly dr hawkinberry said afterward i fret over them i pore over the risks and the benefits and try to really analyze both objectively and subjectively whether or not its a good idea
he said he did not want to put anyone on a path to addiction referring to his own experience he said i appreciate the cunning nature of this disease
dr chouinard said that in addition to improving patient safety the program had helped her recruit new doctors and nurse practitioners
i have family practice docs coming out of residency programs call me and say ive heard your health centers dont require us to manage chronic pain   can i talk to you she said
if the program has a downside she said it is the challenge of replicating it at other community health centers around the country community care which initially paid for the program with a grant and then lost money on it for a few years has tried unsuccessfully to hire a second pain specialist as it has grown
nor is it clear how much programs like this can help stamp out opioid addiction west virginia still has one of the highest rates of drug overdose deaths in the nation and while deaths caused by prescription opioids are decreasing those caused by heroin and fentanyl are climbing
dr carl sullivan iii director of addiction medicine at west virginia university said that dr hawkinberry was one of very few people i could trust to do chronic pain right but he said the field of pain management in west virginia remained seriously undermanned the universitys health system wvu medicine is planning to provide more alternative pain treatments throughout the state but dr richard vaglienti its director of outpatient pain services said it would take several years to put in place
given the high demand for community cares program patients often have to wait up to six months for their first pain appointment the hourlong evaluation starts with a urine drug test a physical examination a battery of questions to assess the patients psychological history and risk of addiction and a check of the states prescription monitoring database to see whether the patient has been prescribed opioids in the past   a check dr hawkinberry repeats at every follow up appointment
in another new case last month the patient was a computer network technician with worsening knee and foot pain that his primary care doctor had not been able to help in the initial screening of the 42 year old man a red flag emerged he said that he had been taking some of his fathers hydrocodone pills in an attempt to quell his pain
was he contrite dr hawkinberry asked tracey sherman the physician assistant who had done the screening was he obstinate
not obstinate mr sherman said not argumentative at all i think he just wants some relief
still the patient had received a moderate risk score on the opioid risk assessment test that mr sherman had given him because he had taken his fathers medicine and because of his relatively young age opioids were out of the question at least for now
after diagnosing plantar fasciitis in the patients foot and ordering a knee x ray dr hawkinberry gave him a nonnarcotic prescribed physical therapy and told him to come back in a month if hydrocodone still showed up in his urine at that point dr hawkinberry warned he would not see him again
the patient gave his word
my other doctor couldnt find answers he said so im just glad i could get in here


theres no mistaking the new 2016 chevrolet camaro because well it has a strong resemblance to the departing car much like the olsen twins though the two are similar but quite different if you can discern mary kate from ashley at first glance congratulations you might peg the new camaro quickly or maybe youve just watched too much tv
but really the big news about generation 6 is that under the slightly smaller and sinewy silhouette the camaro now shares a platform with the cadillac ats with 70 percent of the architectural components unique to camaro
drawn like jessica rabbit the chevys intense american muscle car lines might cause import worshipers to dismiss it pity its bad in a good way   a rear wheel drive performance bargain
general motors is doing great things with chassis tuning and the camaro inherited the compelling goodness of the ats that makes the car tons of fun to toss into a corner even without the available brembo brakes the car scrubs off speed securely
it cant hurt that the v6 models are nearly 300 pounds lighter now dont be disappointed to learn thats the model im focusing on not terribly long ago v8s struggled to produce 335 horsepower and 284 pound feet of torque camaros 36 liter v6 does it on standard grade gasoline with a rumble from the exhaust itll snap from a standstill to 60 miles an hour in 51 seconds
need more velocity by all means move up to the 62 liter 8 cylinder with 455 horses chevy claims that the base 2 liter turbocharged 4 cylinder with 275 horsepower does the 0 to 60 dash in just under 6 seconds yes a 4 cylinder
all engines can be paired to an optional 8 speed automatic or the standard 6 speed manual which on the v8 features active rev matching that blips the throttle when downshifting drive modes adjust steering weight and transmission mapping ss v8 models are available with adaptive magnetic dampers good stuff
more big news the interior a reason to avoid the previous generation is now a wards top 10 interiors recipient clever flourishes include air vent trim rings that double as climate control dials one tip dont skip the 2800 convenience and lighting package that adds configurable gauges head up display heated steering wheel wireless phone charging and accent lighting that transforms the space at night the large glowing sills will attract eyes from 20 paces
the package also includes cross path detection and blind spot warning which is sorely needed camaro is a gazelle in motion but with gun slit glass its outward visibility is akin to an m1 abrams tanks the rear blind spot is the size of texas
the camaro is about two inches shorter now and ill wager it was taken from the back seat generally id trot out the line for two children only but even small ones will bemoan the lack of legroom and cup holders the trunks narrow opening could keep large suitcases from getting in pack light because four carry on bags is all youll shimmy in
but boy the camaro is a joy to drive its as compelling as anything from overseas no for a chevy excuses needed
base price is 26695 at 41440 the rs model tested is easily 10000 less than a comparably equipped bmw 428i with 95 less horsepower few will cross shop them but its not a bad idea


as creative director of her familys legendary retreat she has made a career out of the dolce vita now with a new consulting agency shes bringing a lifetimes worth of hotel experience to hotels everywhere
marie louise scio spent much of her childhood at il pellicano her fathers fabled hotel on the coast of porto ercole in tuscany while most kids were at summer camp learning to pinch pots scio spent the season observing the operation of one of the most worshiped retreats in the business her earliest memories are a series of sun soaked vignettes mirroring the saturated snaps that society photographer slim aarons took of the hotel in the 1970s and 80s lacquered riva speedboats idled in perpetuity unloading a steady stream of illustrious guests   a colorful mishmash of european royalty hollywood stars and members of the original jet set they descended year after year to enjoy the nuanced service the negronis the saltwater pool and the starry dance parties beside the tyrrhenian sea
all of it was perfect training for the job scio has held for the past decade creative director of the il pellicano group which includes la posta vecchia a 17th century villa outside rome that was her familys private residence before they converted it into a 19 room hotel in the 90s i wasnt planning on working in hospitality but i got completely sucked in says the 38 year old who studied architecture at risd ive lived and breathed hotels all my life in her post scio has overhauled everything from il pellicanos menu fonts to the maids uniforms chalk gray sheaths with satin red and blue bows inspired by a 60s yves saint laurent collection she enlisted juergen teller to photograph an il pellicano cookbook and opened a hotel boutique with custom apc t shirts and anya hindmarch totes we needed a modern day repositioning and there wasnt anyone better suited for the job than i was she explains
this month scio brings this abundance of experience as well as her innate sense of style to her own creative consulting agency in which shell lend the il pellicano touch to independent boutique upstarts sleepy grande dames and even corporate hotel chains shell provide everything from interior design advice and branding strategies to access to the influential pack of artists and fashion folk she runs with   a happy byproduct of playing hostess at one of the worlds last truly glamorous hotels
i want to help other businesses do what we did   i see potential in so many places the question is do you want to be a one hit wonder or do you want to last scio says so many new hotels focus more on the facade than the experience itself theyll spend a fortune on marble bathrooms and fabrics but overlook the breakfast presentation or mini bar indeed the secret to the scio family magic lies in their hotels well considered but understated charms a hard to replicate recipe of old world decor and manners time tested service and trained discretion that can only come from decades of welcoming famous faces arguably rivaled only by the chateau marmont in hollywood never one to succumb to an edison light bulb a reclaimed barn door or over the top vegas style amenities scio believes instead in quiet details like an unforgettable barman a well stocked library and house scented creams and soaks for me luxury can be sitting in a beautiful place with a paper plate and plastic fork says scio an inveterate traveler who recently took her son to see the northern lights in lapland and to a friends remote home in patagonia she names jeff kleins sunset tower hotel in west hollywood as a place possessing the enduring consistency and continuity she holds paramount its brilliant the same cream pink and beige motif everywhere from the spa up to the penthouse as well as the rose hotel in venice calif a low key beach house by photographer glen luchford with a real point of view and deetjens big sur inn which has both shared and private bathrooms i dont care if its a one star or six star hotel just as long as its not lacking soul scio says
not that shes abandoning her first love two new il pellicanos are in the works one in london and one in the us i think its time for an urban pellicano she says id love to create little islands of italianess in cities like los angeles or san francisco who knows maybe ill even do one in hawaii


west hollywood calif   what does a kitchen stove have to do with selling a 100000 necklace everything if you are the jewelry designer irene neuwirth
nestled between the marni and isabel marant stores on the tony melrose place ms neuwirths first boutique is more than a retail space its an invitation into her enviable lifestyle complete with an in store kitchen featuring the rolls royce of stoves a lacanche selected because the brass knobs on the french appliance reminded ms neuwirth of her jewelry
i just personally love entertaining so much i thought if i cant do that in my dream store whats the point ms neuwirth said
the designers casual take on fine jewelry   mixing bold rough cut precious and semiprecious stones such as pink opal turquoise green chrysoprase and diamonds   have made her 13 year old brand a top seller at barneys new york and a red carpet favorite with julianne moore julia louis dreyfus claire danes elizabeth banks and others
ms neuwirth 40 is one of a new generation of independent female jewelry designers giving harry winston and cartier a run for their money by appealing to like minded women who prize individuality and independence she has been nominated for the accessory designer of the year award which the council of fashion designers of america will announce on june 6 and in 2014 she won the cfda swarovski award for accessories her collection now is stocked by 20 retailers worldwide including barneys the london based retail chain matchesfashioncom le bon marche in paris and holt renfrew the canadian retail group
with her disarming grin and colorful fashion sense ms neuwirth also is a regular in the pages of glossy magazines such as vogue and elle often featured in her home on the venice calif canals
shes a venice bohemian to the nth degree said simon doonan creative ambassador at large for barneys new york who recalled ms neuwirth once arriving for a photo shoot at the store with her beloved labradoodle teddy decked out in her necklaces
ruth chapman co founder of matchesfashioncom wrote in an email she makes beautiful wearable modern jewelry in fabulous colors which appeal to collectors and more aspirational customers alike the femininity and delicacy of her work give her global appeal
ms neuwirth opened her store at the end of 2014 it was something ive always dreamt of taking control of my branding and how people perceive my jewelry she said i felt really confident after being in business for 10 years that it wouldnt be a fail and that it would be a growing tool
the 2000 square foot space   which ms neuwirth designed in collaboration with pam shamshiri who was with the los angeles design collective commune at the time   has a feminine feel in pale greens and pinks with brass accents and ethnic textiles adding contrast
i remember walking past a jewelry store on rodeo drive a few years ago and seeing guys outside on the sidewalk wearing tuxedos and holding silver trays full of champagne it was so intimidating ms neuwirth said thats part of the traditional culture of fine jewelry i wanted to avoid
at first ms shamshiri said she was reticent about ms neuwirths idea to put a kitchen in the store what about the smells she remembered thinking then i went away a couple days and came back thinking shes a genius we went with a residential style for the whole place and it makes the store feel like you are visiting irenes paris apartment in la she loves to entertain is casual and intimate with people and in the way she wears jewelry so it fits
like ms neuwirths naturalistic creations of hand carved opal flowers labradorite leaves and rose cut moonstones the store is a whimsical wonderland
the front walls are lined with animal portraits by the artist claire oswalt including one of teddy the brands unofficial mascot he is in the store most days sitting at his owners feet as she lunches with friends or co workers and ms neuwirth makes a modern twist on the cameo using a pets photo to create a hand painted charm starting at 6500 small gemstone pendants which can be clustered on a chain are the brands entry pieces at about 400
i didnt want jewelry to be the focus but more of a discovery the designersaid of her vision for the space along another wall ms neuwirths sparklers are displayed in a magical diorama of flora and fauna crafted of cashmere snakeskin and other organic materials by the artists clare crespo and marine panossian cabochon bracelets are draped across birds wings and earrings dangle from vines other vitrines are filled with statement necklaces such as a squash blossom inspired piece that features an unusual mix of turquoise and ultrafine fire opals that would work as well with a t shirt and jeans as with an evening gown
all the rules in fine jewelry i didnt really know so i dont apply them ms neuwirth said its that high low precious nonprecious mix but im also very meticulous about how things are balanced and laid out there is rhyme and reason
the living room area is warm and inviting with a plush pink velvet sofa and fireplace a custom made brushed silver hippo cocktail bar in the style of lalanne and bookshelves filled with stylish titles about the artist james turrell and the photographer richard avedon its not unusual to have people come in have a coffee read or work on the pink couch ms neuwirth said
and while the furniture and accessories are not for sale people try to buy them all the time
in the kitchen scalloped edges on custom cabinetry echo the shapes of ms neuwirths rose gold teardrop earrings her modern take on the classic chandelier style was the bread and butter of her business early on but now she says her biggest sellers are one of a kind 100000 plus necklaces
a table with gio ponti chairs can seat 10 although ms neuwirth pulls furniture out of the store so she can accommodate more guests for bigger parties the lacanche stove has been used by a number of las top chefs including ludo lefebvre trois mec jon shook and vinny dotolo animal and jessica koslow sqirl who cooked for a series of opening dinners last year as the tequila flowed   casa dragones the house favorite   no one jumped up and bought an opal necklace but they did take off their shoes and dance ms neuwirth remembers
i like the idea of creating brand awareness around everyday life and not necessarily having to capitalize on it but creating an image that in return helps sales of my jewelry she said
the actress busy philipps a friend of ms neuwirths wrote in an email anyone who has been to her store or followed her on instagram or even just been in a room with irene for five minutes wants to know how to emulate her style and her life
noting that she has built entire red carpet looks around ms neuwirths one of a kind pieces ms philipps added she does travel to fabulous places and she throws incredible parties but theres no pretense about it she always surrounds herself with great friends  and she incorporates great food and lots of color flowers everywhere perfectly mismatched dishware beautifully embroidered napkins she picked up in mexico or wherever
in october ms neuwirth invited 140 of her friends to her 40th birthday celebration in the colorful mexican town of san miguel de allende she rented the lavish casa hyder the colonial style estate with over the top lush decor and planned every detail of the weekends festivities from organizing a day of the dead parade through the town square complete with strolling servers with shots of casa dragones to hand tying hundreds of paper flowers so they would fall just so from the top of the garden tent where dinner was served
although she opted out of having media coverage of the event which was attended by ms philipps ms banks and a several other hollywood types she garnered publicity anyway as she and her guests documented their experience in the small town on social media not so much in sales but i saw it translate into awareness in an unintentional way ms neuwirth said
ms neuwirth spent her childhood between bel air in los angeles where her businessman father peter neuwirth lived and the bohemian venice canals where her artist mother geraldine neuwirth made her home   and where the designer now lives with her boyfriend the film director phil lord
after college she retreated to malibu to ride horses and figure out what she wanted to do with her life she started experimenting with jewelry stringing glass beads and sent a few pieces unsolicited to barneys new york the store picked them up and she had a business
this summer ms neuwirth will take her entertaining skills to london where mr lord will be filming han solo a star wars franchise spinoff and she has rented a townhouse in notting hill
expanding her international business will be a priority i dont have a big plan like i have to be a 200 million brand next year she said i just want to continue on the path of becoming a forever brand


los angeles   throughout her whirlwind romances with some of the most famous men of her time the standard oil heiress socialite and fashion heroine millicent rogers was a mistress of reinvention
she spent time in austria wearing traditional dirndls with her mainbocher and schiaparelli couture in hollywood where she was dressed by the costume designer adrian her good friend and in taos n m where she retreated in 1947 after a messy breakup with clark gable only to fall in love with the southwest aesthetic
in taos she immersed herself in local culture renovating an adobe home called turtle walk and collecting chunky silver and turquoise native american jewelry which she wore with broomstick skirts and peasant blouses she had made by charles james in new york images of her taos lifestyle that were featured in vogue and harpers bazaar caused a sensation in the fashion world that has reverberated in the work of karl lagerfeld john galliano and other current designers
a less known fact is that rogers also designed her own jewelry sketching neoprimitive pieces on yellow legal pads and now seven decades later her great granddaughter sascha mary millicent peralta ramos 20 is continuing the tradition with a collection of fine jewelry called mary millicent rogerss full name
ms peralta ramos whose great grandfather arturo peralta ramos was the second of rogerss three husbands grew up in jackson hole wyo she moved to los angeles in 2011 to pursue acting taking with her several pieces passed down from rogers including a silver and moonstone belt that closes to 22 inches and fits ms peralta ramoss tiny waist perfectly
after reading searching for beauty cherie burnss 2011 biography of rogers ms peralta ramos began researching her relative she tracked down a copy of the aug 29 1938 issue of life magazine with rogers on the cover in a white bathing suit and sun visor
i fought the name millicent my entire life having to spell it for people since i was in kindergarten said ms peralta ramos who now divides her time between jackson hole and los angeles where the collection is produced eventually i loved that i had it little by little i started building the concept of a brand and initially jewelry made the most sense
of course we could have just thrown out a bunch of turquoise pieces she continued but were trying to reference her in a way thats not so literal
the collection which had its debut in june features rose yellow and white gold with pearls rubies diamonds sapphires and paraiba tourmalines some pieces such as a double cross pendant draw inspiration from native american symbols puzzle rings are designed to be stacked paying homage to rogerss habit of layering weighty necklaces and cuff bracelets which according to family lore helped to control a tremor that was the result of childhood rheumatic fever
caroline jean fernald executive director of the millicent rogers museum in taos said saschas jewelry is more delicate and feminine and in miniaturizing millicents designs she brings it toward her own aesthetic the collection is sold in the shop at the museum which the rogers family established in 1956 three years after her death it holds nearly 1000 pieces of her jewelry as well as her extensive collection of native american art and artifacts the family also donated 600 gowns to the brooklyn museum following rogerss own donations of gowns
in addition to nurturing the rogers legacy the new jewelry brand is trying to promote the very contemporary taste of ms peralta ramos something of a modern millicent herself she has nearly 300000 instagram followers who look at her hanging out with the singer ariana grande a close friend striking yoga poses and artfully arranging her vegan meals just as rogers was instrumental in advocating for native americans   campaigning for the return of blue lake to the pueblo people for example   ms peralta ramoss passion is gender equality a cause she came to espouse after meeting the transgender media personality tyler ford on the musical theater circuit
many of the pieces in the mary millicent collection are designed to be gender neutral including brushed silver bangles with diamonds set in profile and wedding bands adorned with graphic recessed squares ms peralta ramos designs the jewelry on a computer her team in los angeles 3 d prints waxes for casting and the pieces are then made by hand millicent created pieces with beautiful lines that enhanced different parts of the body i had a similar idea to make pieces for humans she explained we want to emphasize that its about adornment however you see it
the brand is slowly gathering attention from celebrities ms grande wears mary millicent pearl studs surrounded by brilliant cut diamonds in the current mac viva glam campaign the transgender performance artist zackary drucker wore the brands pink pearl earrings and stacked rings to the 2015 emmy awards and commented by email i can wear mary millicent without ever feeling over or under accessorized
prices range from 100 to 27200 in addition to the museum shop the collection is sold on the brands website at goodie 2 shoes in jackson hole and at vintage malibu in california charlotte glasser creative director of vintage malibu said she had been attracted to the collection because of ms peralta ramoss social network the legacy and history behind her designs and the unisex and all inclusive pieces
ms peralta ramos said she was focusing on building a bigger retail presence and expanding the business which may include introducing other product categories if millicent were around today she would definitely have her own brand she said the way she designed her own clothes and adapted them   she was so creative


after almost 30 years in the jewelry business ippolita rostagno founder and creative director of her own brand is returning to her aesthetic roots with a new collection senso
the focus of the jewelry which includes the glamazon unadorned 18 karat gold cuff 25000 and the glamazon stardust collar decorated with a single strip of tiny diamonds 14500 is its gently undulating curves
during an interview at her manhattan rooftop office which displays tribal jewelry and religious sculpture collected on her travels the italian american designer said sensos tactile relaxed chic look is created through body imprinting the technique involves pressing pieces of wax against parts of the body whether it be the belly button or a curve of the wrist and using them to cast the final pieces in precious metals
the idea is not to be literal but to lend the surfaces of the metal a softness that it wouldnt otherwise have said ms rostagno 52 dressed entirely in black with her signature black feathers in her hair she developed the body imprinting technique during her early days of creating jewelry
born and raised in florence by an italian father and an american mother she first studied sculpture at the citys istituto darte before moving to the united states in 1982 and establishing a dance company in 1986 she moved to new york where after retiring from dance and looking for a new artistic outlet jewelry seemed an appropriately sized form of sculpture for manhattan micro living
she recalled wondering wheres the jewelry for real people
there were diamond tiaras and high jewelry at one end and there was a lot of costume jewelry she said but not much in between
she decided to design what she wanted to wear gold jewelry that was easy to wear after what she described as a lucky break bergdorf goodman became her first outlet in 1999 now her ippolita brand is a staple of fine jewelry departments in stores across north america she credits her success at least in part to more women buying jewelry for themselves they still make up 99 percent of my business today she said
her design tenets she explained are cool enough to covet and classic enough to keep and in the moment when a purchasing decision is made all these things have to be self evident
ms rostagno said she now wants to stress that gold deserves to be valued beyond the season in which a piece is made the senso collection she continued is about revolting against this tide of newness without content im going to put a stake in the ground about whats real and true to my line


london   britains legendary weather has been captured in a quirky 37 piece jewelry collection that includes a shining sun flashing bolts of lightning and thunderous clouds
i thought it would be more fun to wear the weather than talk about it said tessa packard the designer the collection every cloud has a silver lining debuted on her website in april with prices ranging from 30 pounds or 43 for a gold bolt charm to PS6900 for a diamond cloud with diamond and sapphire raindrops
in addition to necklaces earrings and even cufflinks rings evoke familiar weather conditions too there are frosty white or black ice diamonds and rainbow bands with emeralds glittering alongside pink orange red yellow and blue sapphires i picked gems that would stack together which would not look boring nor too vivid she said so there was a lot of trial and error playing around
ms packards hand sketched designs may look simple but they challenged the veteran goldsmiths in london and birmingham who executed the pieces stephen brady of the birmingham firm deakin  francis who worked on the mother of pearl clouds said we usually work with circles or squares but these cloud shapes are all angles and curves so it was much more difficult to fit into the gold edging and make sure there was no gaps


nikos koulis is an optimist
the athens based fine jewelry designer established his namesake brand in 2006 shortly before the global economy nosedived but over nearly a decade of financial crises that have hit hard in his native greece mr koulis has watched his luxury business thrive
in a crisis people who can will spring for value and design as an investment mr koulis said and those people are coming to us he is the best known and most upmarket in a wave of fine jewelry designers to emerge from greece in recent years
at the baselworld trade show in march mr koulis   classically dapper with a thick mustache side swept hair a neat dress shirt and blazer   presented new pieces with a graphic quality that is rare in fine jewelry the eden collection with apatite and rubellite checkered with white diamonds and black onyx and new bridal jewelry with emerald cut diamonds framed in black or grey enamel
the effect is strikingly contemporary but mr koulis pointed to art deco and geometric patterns from ancient greece as source material
while meticulously wiping down his cases at the basel show i love making things perfect he said the designer considered why his jewelry   high priced and nontraditional   has struck a chord even in a difficult economy my designs revisit classic ideas and that gives people a sense of familiarity he said even if they look very modern
his aesthetic and his fabrication both rely on links to the past mr koulis who produces the majority of his jewelry at his atelier in athens gratefully cites the extraordinary talents of his artisans and the long survival of the greek jewelry craft for his success the countrys jewelry roots reach back millennia to the cycladic minoan and mycenaean civilizations and some of the worlds first great goldsmiths and to the extraordinary jewelry craft of alexander the greats era greece is an ancient country mr koulis said its traditions will outlast hard times
the designer was born into a family of diamond traders i spent my childhood in the shop playing with gold and stones he said he studied german literature but was soon drawn back to jewelry and studied at the gemological institute of america now as a connoisseur of gems he travels the world to find the right stones for his jewelry
mr koulis introduced his first bridal line in 2014 seeking to inject freshness into a field he saw as repetitive and unadventurous he paired geometric diamonds and large jungle green emeralds   i have a mediterranean mentality i like color   with his black enamel frames to produce pieces unlike any labeled bridal at the following edition of the las vegas couture show he won the top prize in the bridal category for his daring approach to the form
in the summer of 2014 he opened his first store on the island of mykonos and his second a few months later in athens it seemed like an auspicious period mr koulis said as greece was pulling out of its economic crisis   but then in january 2015 with a new government the country again teetered on the edge of economic dissolution it could have gone badly mr koulis said airily but it was our best year yet
on mykonos luxury travelers visited the new store and in athens the shop was overwhelmed with greeks looking to put their assets into high quality jewelry with certified gemstones greeks love buying jewelry   its how they show happiness for special occasions and its how they like to invest their money he said
this summer mr koulis will open his third boutique on the greek island of santorini another favorite among international tourists
the general environment is negative here and the bureaucracy makes things difficult but our business is growing and were taking advantage of the best things about living in greece the craftsmanship the culture the passion for jewelry mr koulis said plus we have the sun the sea and good weather so how can we not be optimistic everything will be great
a market view
how does a country in financial turmoil become a hotbed of cutting edge fine jewelry
there were always exciting talents in greece but no one ever bothered to export before because there was a lot of money in the country said yannis sergakis who spent 10 years designing for other brands before introducing his own line in athens in 2014 with the crisis everyone in greece has had to look abroad for markets but at least its giving firepower to designers to go international
he now belongs to hellenic wave a collective that represents greek designers like ileana makri venyx and michael pelamidis internationally its first effort presented the jewelers work together at the 2015 baselworld trade fair
greece has the european unions highest unemployment rate 24 percent in december according to the most recent figures from the unions statistical agency eurostat and the government has introduced some extreme measures in an effort to make up for tax shortfalls capital controls are limiting transfers and withdrawals of money as well as diamonds and gold that are vital resources for jewelry businesses ms makri complained
mr sergakis said business taxes have risen but the government has not repaid the 23 percent value added tax on european sales owed to business owners like him sometimes i wonder if this is what life in venezuela is like he said when he opened his first shop in 2014 he added he believed the country was coming out of its crisis
ms makri opened her athens flagship store in the same period and with similar hopes for greece she said she had managed to find success thanks to tourists and wealthy private clients plus a well timed introduction of a lower price line in sterling silver
if the situation stays the same for another year maybe ill move to france said mr sergakis who has a strong market there but i love greece i dont want to leave i want the government to leave
it is a stalemate that jewelry designers even those finding success against the odds hope will end soon were trying to look forward because this cycle must turn upwards at some point ms makri said but for now tough is the new normal


singapore   a jewel laden brooch of a flying phoenix holding a briolette cut yellow diamond of 9662 carats welcomes visitors to van cleef  arpels the art and science of gems at the artscience museum in the marina bay sands hotel
no one could miss the mythical bird the exhibitions emblem on billboards and banners displayed around this island nation its the perfect icon said catherine cariou van cleefs heritage director and one of the three curators the jewels of flora and fauna are part of our dna   the bird of paradise is an asian design and in its beak is an incredible gem
the yellow diamond worn as a pendant in the 1930s by the polish opera singer ganna walska became a baby bundle when van cleef was commissioned to create the brooch in 1972 for a childs birth in keeping with the jewelry houses tradition of transformability the piece separates into earrings a diamond pendant and a clip
it is one of 430 pieces of jewelry and 250 minerals displayed in a twin narrative about jewelry making and mineralogy we wanted to link the creation of the earth itself with story of gemstones said honor harger executive director of the artscience museum also a curator
the exhibition has seven sections couture abstractions influences precious objects nature ballerinas and fairies and icons each was paired with an element of gem formation pressure temperature transport water oxygen life and metamorphism
influences for example showcases van cleefs fascination with asian and egyptian motifs including a gem studded platinum bracelet that it created after the 1922 discovery of tutankhamens tomb and in icons there is jewelry owned by elizabeth taylor maria callas princess grace of monaco and princess faiza of egypt
visitors also see a 1765 pound quartz the largest crystal ever found in the alps and a four billion year old rock said to be the worlds oldest our big challenge was to avoid a one to one relationship said bruno david of the french national museum of natural history the third curator we wanted to escape making the presentation too simple
to that end the exhibition which runs through aug 14 also offers its own app childrens activities videos of artisans at work and a hologram of a 1938 bouquet clip hovering in midair we want to take peoples breath away ms harger said


milan   a new exhibition at the triennale design museum here is staking a claim for jewelry as a sign of the times as well as a branch of modern design
the museum housed in a 1933 rationalist style building was established as a venue for the extensive expositions of the decorative and industrial arts held every few years until 1996 this year the museum revived the event with 21st century design after design to run through sept 12
one of its exhibitions brilliant the futures of italian jewelry is the first to place jewelry in the midst of the design expo since the 1970s previous exhibitions included a 1954 edition of salvador dalis surrealist precious jewels and a highly experimental selection of jewelry curated by the artists arnaldo and gio pomodoro in 1957 it was time for us to reconsider jewelry in the context of design said silvana annicchiarico the triennales director
alba cappellieri the exhibitions curator said that in recent decades jewelry lost its artistic dignity but this exhibition restores its value in the design world fifty contemporary necklaces by italian makers are displayed in what she calls diverse future scenarios for the countrys jewelry
the craftsmanship traditional in italy is reflected in pieces such as giampiero bodinos intricate pink sapphire and rubellite collar and pomellatos oversize chain links in rose gold and black jet while a new age of jewelry is introduced in materials such as titanium and carbon steel computer generated polyamide and interactive accessories
even the display reflects the meeting of tradition and technology figures from italian renaissance portraits were traced and then 3 d printed to make the white busts used to show the necklaces 
the greatest strength of italian jewelry is in cultivating old fashioned materials and skills while evolving new techniques and technologies ms cappellieri said italians embrace the past with the future


london   if the jeweler ara vartanian had asked the gods for a muse he could not have gotten a better one than kate moss that is what the model has been since she visited his sao paulo brazil atelier four years ago   and she is the reason at least in part that mr vartanian will open a new showroom in early june in mayfair
it was a totally chance meeting he said recently in a phone interview from sao paulo i was having lunch near my showroom and they called me to say kate moss was in the store and said she wanted a tanzanite ring designed for her
mr vartanian who is a connoisseur of rare stones including tourmalines and pigeon blood rubies said it was a simple process for ms moss i always say a stone chooses you he noted she looked at one and said boom that is the one 
in an email ms moss wrote i came across aras treasure by accident in a small shop in sao paulo i was invited to his studio where i fell in love i wanted everything and i havent stopped wanting she was in sao paulo for the annual amfar gala she is a longtime co chairwoman of the annual event which this year honored her for her contributions
the next year she wore a necklace and earrings designed by mr vartanian to the gala causing quite a stir she told me that i had to go to london with this stuff he recalled
mr vartanian who also has stores in rio de janeiro and los angeles plans to display about 500 pieces of jewelry in the london space and to recreate there the relaxed aesthetic of his sao paulo atelier by using cushy vintage couches and earth tones there is a niche for jewelry like mine because im the person who buys the stones and individually designs each piece he said sometimes it hurts when i sell them you design it you create it by the time its ready youre so connected to it that you dont want to let it go
as for london i could not have chosen a different place to open a store he added with a laugh the wind blew and the sails pointed in that direction


the biennale des antiquaires known as the grand dame of antique fairs and the worlds major showcase for haute joaillerie will have a very different feel when the 28th edition opens in september at the grand palais in paris
eleven of the 14 jewelry houses that exhibited in 2014 including the luxury giants cartier van cleef  arpels and bulgari will not be participating   decisions that some observers say stem from organizational changes that were made to reduce the jewelers presence in the wake of antique dealers complaints
at press time the syndicat national des antiquaires which runs the fair said through a spokeswoman that the organization was preparing to confirm additional exhibitors once negotiations were completed both david morris which exhibited in 2014 and david webb which would be exhibiting for the first time confirmed that they were still negotiating with the organizers
on april 13 the syndicat released an initial list of 112 exhibitors it included antique dealers that sell jewelry but no contemporary jewelers
cartier which had the fairs largest stand in 2014 and has been associated with the biennale since 1964 was the first jeweler to announce its withdrawal doing so in early february
cartier has made the decision not to participate in the next biennale des antiquaires due to new technical measures adopted by its organizers the companys statement said referring specifically to the request to drastically reduce the maximum surface area of the stand
cartier was followed by two other richemont owned brands van cleef and giampiero bodino while brands based in the place vendome in paris such as boucheron and alexandre reza also pulled out graff diamonds is the most recent house to announce its departure
increasing competition from international art fairs claimed at least one former participant a spokeswoman for the hong kong jeweler wallace chan who exhibited at the biennale in 2012 and 2014 confirmed that this year the designer had decided to show at the european fine art fair known as tefaf in the netherlands in march and the masterpiece fair in london in late june and early july
but the biennale will have some high jewelry representation fawaz gruosi founder and chief executive of the swiss company de grisogono confirmed that the company would return to the biennale this year its only previous outing was in 2008
as for the other jewelers departures he said its even better for us it is an opportunity to make new contacts and start long term relationships
and making her debut on the international fair scene will be the taiwan born jeweler cindy chao who described the biennale as the highest podium for fine jewelry in the world she added that she planned an ambitious presentation i want my stand to leave a strong impact in peoples mind
ms chao and other exhibitors noted that they had not received much information about the event from the syndicat
last month the organization announced it was taking back responsibility for relations with biennale exhibitors and other professional bodies from reed exhibitions a global events company less than a year after reeds appointment to manage the event reed will continue however to work with the grand palais and private collectors
one question that has been widely discussed by jewelry customers and fans is where the departing houses will show the collections they have long been working on for the biennale
the answer for many appears to be the twice yearly couture week in paris which has had a haute joaillerie component pitched to the press and private clients in recent years but it generally has not been a focus during biennale years bulgari for example said it would present an invitation only show on july 5 during couture at the italian embassy in paris
yet lee siegelson the new york based antique jewelry dealer who will make his third biennale appearance noted that the fair remained a special opportunity to exhibit jewelry at the grand palais where the term art deco was coined to describe the extraordinary creations by the likes of cartier at the 1925 paris exhibition theres no other space like it in the world he said


bulgari
after 35 years at bulgari lucia silvestri still feels joy when she is picking out gems for a new high jewelry collection i feel like cinderella going to the ball she said during a phone interview from her studio overlooking st peters basilica in rome
this years collection her third since becoming creative director in 2013 again will be previewed at the cannes film festival ms silvestri said women often make more daring choices for the festival than for the academy awards cannes is more european more italian in style she said
daring like sienna miller who got the cameras flashing last year when she wore a dramatic choker from the 2015 giardini italiani collection with a sonia rykiel black cape and braided updo
this year naomi watts is among those confirmed to wear bulgari on the cannes red carpet may 11 and 12 one of the pieces she may wear is the new divas dream necklace as always ms silvestri began the necklaces design by laying out the pear shaped rubies on her specially made gem table they were so brilliant and so amazing in color she said i felt they were just the right layout for the diva collection
de grisogono
on may 17 more than 20 television crews from around the world will gather among the pine trees at the exclusive hotel du cap eden roc in antibes to catch a glimpse of the guests arriving at de grisogonos star studded annual cannes party
more than 600 people including actors top models and the luxury jewelers most important clients will sit down to a dinner overlooking the mediterranean at the folies in cannes event its guests of honor are scheduled to include milla jovovich and the model bella hadid
fawaz gruosi the companys founder and chief executive said the event has grown substantially since it began in 2000 with only 50 guests and ms jovovich as guest of honor then too it is now by far the biggest event we do he said in a phone interview cannes is an amazing tool to expose the brand worldwide
he plans to spend nine days at the festival entertaining clients and presenting the new collection which will feature the largest number of pieces de grisogono has ever brought to cannes it will include a cocktail ring valued at more than 500000 with an exceptional pear shaped yellow diamond of almost 10 carats surrounded by black diamonds we are working like crazy mr gruosi said the demand for high jewelry among our clients is huge at the moment
he also plans to present a rough diamond of more than 400 carats testing shows that the stone once cut will be among the biggest diamonds ever created he said
chopard
the cannes film festival this year will mark another milestone in chopards commitment to sustainable luxury caroline scheufele the swiss jewelers co president wrote in an email interview
julianne moore is scheduled to wear pieces from the houses green carpet collection which uses fairmined gold and diamonds from a supplier certified by the responsible jewellery council and for the first time will incorporate emeralds from gemfields the london based mining company specializing in colored precious gems that are ethically sourced the set whose design was selected by ms moore will be the most ethical emerald jewelry ever produced ms scheufele said
2016 is chopards 18th year as an official partner of cannes   and to mark the festivals 69th year ms scheufele said its red carpet collection 2016 to be unveiled during the event will feature 69 pieces
with stars and their stylists still making their clothing and jewelry selections ms scheufele said she was unable to confirm who else would be wearing chopard although she did say that marion cotillard and juliette binoche godmother of the 2016 trophee chopard a special award given each year to emerging actors were among those previewing pieces
cannes has proven a good showcase for chopard ms scheufele said a client bought a diamond necklace after seeing ms cotillard wearing it on the steps of the palais des festivals in 2014 and another client bought the emerald earrings that uma thurman wore while she was a jury member in 2011
some of our clients do fall in love with a piece and buy it straight away ms scheufele said others need more time to think about it


sumptuous jewels became famously associated with the cannes film festival thanks to elizabeth taylor
one day in may 1957 the screen goddess was doing morning laps in the pool at la fiorentina the cap ferrat villa she was renting during the festival the story goes that ms taylor clad in a swimsuit and an antique diamond tiara paused in the pool to accept a surprise gift from mike todd her third husband an impressive burmese ruby parure by cartier ms taylor is said to have put on the dazzling set and continued with her exercise and news of her bejeweled aquatic session spread beyond the cote dazur
cannes also was where the current method of fine jewelry promotion   brands loan and gift pieces and even pay celebrities   was set in motion in the early 90s sharon stone then a festival fixture revived ms taylors brand of old hollywood opulence by adorning her valentino and vera wang gowns with sumptuous van cleef  arpels and harry winston jewels
today cannes vies with the oscars when it comes to fine jewelry primarily as a result of chopards role as a festival partner the swiss luxury brand which designed the festivals palme dor award has used the event to elevate its reputation beyond the watches and jewelry field annually bestowing the trophee chopard on two emerging stars
by lending jewels to a bevy of a list actors chopard also motivated its rivals to compete for recognition at the festival so every beach party yacht soiree and palais des festivals premiere is awash with borrowed bling
many observers feel there is an overabundance of jewels at cannes as well as other red carpet affairs and an increasing number of high profile women who could easily get their hands on quality diamonds   not to mention rubies on a par with those ms taylor flaunted   refrain from doing so instead they wear their own jewelry
their individualist attitude evokes one of coco chanels famous maxims elegance is refusal
carine roitfeld is among this group because of her positions as editor of her own cr fashion book magazine and global fashion director of harpers bazaar   as well as for 10 years curator of the fashion show for the amfar cinema against aids charity gala on may 19 in cannes   her friends azzedine alaia karl lagerfeld and riccardo tisci are ready to create custom red carpet finery and haute joaillerie brands including harry winston a cinema against aids sponsor would be happy to deliver to her hotel du cap eden roc suite enough dazzling embellishment to see her through the festival
but ms roitfeld talking recently at the greenwich hotel in tribeca said i am very lucky because i have a lot of friends in fashion and they make special couture dresses just for me but i hate to borrow anything and i hate that when you are at cannes you see these actresses and you know they are paid to wear jewelry i dont like that i am paid by no one i pay myself
ms roitfelds adornment was as provocative as her comment as usual she wore pieces from her own jewelry wardrobe that see her through day and evening including christian dior white gold diamond hoops she wears two in each earlobe hole a sexy elsa peretti scorpion pendant the astrological sign of her partner christian restoin and a weighty ring displaying a couple making love she explained the latter two pieces are both yellow gold
she acknowledged that about 12 years ago when she began her work with amfar she borrowed the odd piece since then she has worn her own jewels
i dont own so much she said describing her collection as a mix of inherited items like a six carat diamond her russian grandmother smuggled out of moscow in the hem of a winter coat tokens from friends like victoire de castellane diors head of fine jewelry and wearable sculpture by artists including cesar baldaccini salvador dali and ms peretti that she acquired at auctions i bought art jewels when they were not too expensive she said that sort of thing is fun when you find it and it is not too expensive
anna wintour editor of american vogue and conde nasts artistic director has integrated fine jewelry into the look prada dresses chanel suits flesh toned manolo blahnik footwear she habitually wears her signature is a choker style collet necklace composed of graduated semiprecious stones the london jeweler sj phillips has sold ms wintour at least three versions of this antique neckwear style   in aquamarine amethyst and one mingling brown and pink topaz   and she sometimes wears them in combinations
similarly sofia coppola   director of the 2013 jewel heist movie the bling ring   has made a striking pair of verdura cuffs her adornment hallmark charlotte rampling and rooney mara made an impact during the 2016 awards season by wearing little or no jewelry aside from their own rings similarly patricia arquette braved the 2015 oscar campaign trail by mixing her own bold jewels with the occasional borrowed accessory
and then there is a roster of contemporary nobles who buy modern designs for themselves rather than simply relying on the family trove this camp includes the duchess of cambridge who has been acquiring accessibly priced jewels by london designers including annoushka ducas since her marriage to prince william in 2011 and sheikha mozah bint nasser a wife of the former emir of qatar often flaunts her own jaw dropping gems by cartier chatila and david webb among other legendary names   one of the reasons she was added to vanity fairs international best dressed hall of fame in 2015
for the stylist elizabeth saltzman it would be a breeze to borrow jewels for vanity fairs annual cannes party scheduled this week at hotel du cap ms saltzman who also is one of british vanity fairs contributing editors is beloved by jewelers for her skill with celebrity clients
but when it comes to her own look ms saltzman relies on seven vintage ornaments she inherited from her mother ellin saltzman saks fifth avenues fashion director in the 80s with a signature look that included david webb and verdura jewels today ms saltzman wears the family heirlooms with pride and she echoes ms roitfelds belief that jewelry   the most personal of all accessories   conveys its wearers identity i have never borrowed jewelry just like i have never borrowed clothing ms saltzman said
of course i like the fantasy of wearing something extraordinary but not the drama involved she added when i go out i want to be able to dance up a storm and not worry about my earrings swinging off
this week hundreds of armed french police officers and plainclothes security guards are patrolling cannes in an effort to deter missing jewelry of another kind the thefts that have plagued festival week since the 2013 carlton robbery a thief took leviev jewels worth 136 million one of europes most costly robberies
according to the jewelry consultant emily goad most brands make loans to celebrities socialites and influencers without bothering to insure the jewelry at big events like cannes there is always a lot of uninsured jewelry floating around she said noting that the additional police presence in recent years has reinforced brands cavalier attitudes
paola jacobbi vanity fair italys senior entertainment editor also wears vintage gems inherited from her grandmother rather than borrowing pieces from her chopard and de grisogono contacts forget it  she said i would lose it
but she also believes that loaning jewelry can be a positive way for brands to increase their visibility as well as raise awareness of ethical issues for example penelope cruz promoted sustainably sourced gold by wearing chopards palme verte collection at the festival last year the pieces are made of gold produced from south american mines supported by the alliance for responsible mining a colombian charity and developer of the fairmined standard palme verte also uses diamonds from mines certified by the responsible jewellery council a not for profit certification organization based in london
sometimes though a piece of jewelry is just too fine to turn down
while she doesnt borrow very often carol woolton british vogues jewelry editor said special pieces sometimes catch her eye   like the PS600000 chopard sapphire earrings she wore to a british academy of film and television arts party in 2015
occasionally i borrow because it can give your look a kick she said but the piece has to evoke your own style and it has to fit borrowing a jewel is a big responsibility
and if the pieces exceed 100000 you have to not mind having a security guard with you the whole night


despite a climate of financial insecurity and fluctuating global markets one tier of the jewelry industry is thriving haute joaillerie the most expensive pieces available many of which are one of a kind and can cost millions
to meet demand luxury jewelers are increasing the number of high priced pieces often including extremely rare and valuable gemstones as distinctive features
at boodles for example sales of jewelry that retails for more than 50000 pounds or 72000 have tripled in the last five years chanel fine jewelry has been steadily increasing its creation of pieces costing more than 500000 euros or 560000 and this year the average price of its high jewelry is rising to about EUR400000 from EUR250000
similarly piaget is raising the median value of the items in its high jewelry collection by 30 percent in july it will unveil new pieces including a EUR2 million emerald and diamond necklace at tiffany  co the average price of the items in the blue book an annual catalog that spotlights the jewelers most expensive creations has increased 78 percent from the previous year to 805000
these are tangible ways of holding wealth which in an uncertain world post financial crisis has been an attractive thing explained liam bailey global head of research at the property consulting firm knight frank whose annual wealth report tracks the spending behavior of individuals with more than 30 million worth of investable assets there seems to be a growing demand from the very wealthy for collectibles in the wider sense and that includes jewelry art and certain types of antiques there is a desire from wealthy people to have more of their wealth sitting in those particular asset classes
not all expensive jewelry however is created equal
while the very top end of the market is growing   even in challenged regions like china brazil and the middle east   sales of jewelry priced in the thousands has declined womens luxury jewelry sales including silver necklaces and gold bracelets were down 4 percent between 2014 and 2015 according to the market research firm euromonitor international in the same period mens luxury jewelry sales were down 66 percent
the market for luxury watches traditionally considered a solid investment also decreased with sales down 45 percent last year according to euromonitor some of that downturn can be traced to china where there has been a government crackdown on bribery which often involved the gift of a luxury brand watch watches have taken a bad connotation in that theres been a significant amount of social media activity depicting this or that officer sporting a EUR10000 or EUR20000 or EUR50000 watch explained luca solca a luxury goods analyst at exane bnp paribas they have become a symbol of corruption
at the highest end of the jewelry market colored diamonds and rare deeply hued gemstones like the 1693 carat colombian emerald at the center of a ring offered by graff are especially gaining in popularity
at boodles colored diamonds accounted for PS434 million in sales during its most recent fiscal year which ended in february in the previous 12 months its sales in the category totaled PS700000 what you get with blue diamonds pink diamonds green diamonds is a huge rare factor and therefore an investment factor when it comes to buying the stones said jody wainwright boodless director of precious gemstones for the top end customer you need something really special   just another diamond isnt really going to do it
the gems scarcity is a key factor in their prices and their desirability the demand in these stones by collectors vastly exceeds the supply said henri barguirdjian president and chief executive of graff usa which is selling a ring that showcases a 2241 carat fancy intense yellow diamond as well as a 509 carat fancy vivid blue diamond ring that retails for 20 million theyre very difficult to find   its one stone in a million of stones for the blue diamond its one stone in tens of millions of stones i wont see another one like this for maybe five or 10 years
fflur roberts euromonitors head of luxury goods said consumers that are buying this jewelry want something thats completely exclusive thats a statement in itself that i have this beautiful piece of jewelry that only i have
among some affluent customers such pieces have allure that goes beyond liquidity and intrinsic worth
the other advantage jewelry has is that its very portable so as a store of value its a very convenient way to transfer very significant amounts of wealth across borders with no questions asked mr solca said in a world of higher transparency in banking practices jewelry could also appeal potentially as a way to carry wealth around as you please


my interest in ben rhodes began with a photograph i saw from senator barack obamas insurgent campaign for president in 2008 the photograph showed a group of obamas young speechwriters celebrating a victory in the shallow background was a young writer sitting at a table with a dark wool ski cap pulled down low nearly over his eyes
the young writers name i learned was ben rhodes following the practice i have pursued for the past 25 years i created a new file on my laptop and labeled it rhodes every decent journalist i know keeps dozens of files like that on subjects that interest them we move them around on our screens and tuck them away into other files sometimes we deposit them in the trash every few months or so i would scroll through the clips in the file to see if they added up to something larger that i wanted to write about for several years the answer was no so it sat there
my interest heightened during the debates over the iran nuclear deal which seemed to highlight the increasingly sophisticated use of digital tools by powerful interests   including the white house   to achieve their policy aims a practice that both amazed and troubled me the campaign to sell the deal it seemed to me had been constructed by someone very smart someone with a real mastery of an art that i recognized immediately because i had built my entire career on it and had also taught it for 10 years to graduate students at nyu and columbia university narrative through a cascade of tweets quotes and other social media posts a story was being told with the purpose of motivating people to feel a certain way in order to achieve a specific foreign policy aim the other side was doing the exact same thing of course but they werent very good at it   and they werent in the white house when i started asking some of my colleagues for the name of the master storyteller whose narratives i was watching unfold only one name came back at me ben rhodes
so in my spare time i began thinking harder about rhodes and what he actually did with the aim of writing a long magazine story about him
after the dust up over the iran deal was safely over   i thought   i pitched my editors at the new york times magazine on a profile of ben rhodes they agreed to it i then asked rhodes in december of last year if he would be willing to cooperate for the story he almost immediately said yes and that is where the story gets complicated   at least for the people who have written blogged and tweeted about it over the past week
rhodes knew who i was how do i know that because the white house is equipped with google and because rhodes told me so himself he earned a master of fine arts degree at nyu where i taught and he appreciates longform narrative journalism which is what i do he is a regular reader of the magazines   like harpers the new yorker and the atlantic   in which i have published dozens of deeply reported stories over the past 20 years we met a few times and when i told him what i wanted to write and why he understood immediately why it was important and why i wanted to do it he decided to help me during the course of my reporting he opened every door i asked him to open except for one question i wanted to ask the president he was always incredibly direct and candid with me in more than a dozen hours of taped conversation he went off the record for very brief periods only twice
rhodes wasnt afraid of the fact that i strongly disagreed with him on specific matters of policy   like the war in syria he welcomed disagreement and encouraged it he vociferously supported the presidents policies on every single issue we spoke about   and made some excellent points some of which changed my mind about things that i thought i felt clearly about it turned out that rhodes had been instrumental in reopening diplomatic relations with cuba and myanmar none of the diplomats he worked with seemed to have a single bad word to say about him
when a white house adviser   not rhodes   mentioned a war room for selling the iran deal a phrase that disturbed me i went back to rhodes and asked what it was and who ran it he arranged for me to interview anyone i wanted they were all candid and factual they explained to me how they had used state of the art tools and a sophisticated understanding of the way information moves in the social media age to sell a deal that they clearly believed to be in the united states national interest
but why were any of them talking to me i soon surmised that rhodess motivation in allowing me to peek behind the curtain came from a disquiet he felt at the possibility or the likelihood that the machinery he managed so brilliantly would soon be in the hands of his successors who might use it to do things that he thought could be quite dangerous   like goading the united states into another pointless bloody foreign war rhodes readily admitted to me that the work he does is a potentially dangerous distortion of democracy but he also felt that it had become a necessary evil caused by the fracturing of the 20th century mass audience and the decline of the american press he expressed a deep personal hopelessness about the possibility of open rational public debate in a brutally partisan climate but didnt the country deserve better i kept asking him over time our conversations around this point evolved without either of us directly mentioning it into a kind of gentlemans bet my article would go as hard as i could at the truth as i saw it the times would publish it and one of us would be proved right while the other would be proved wrong
my article the aspiring novelist who became obamas foreign policy guru was published online on may 5 it was 9500 words long with many more thousands of words about cuba myanmar and other subjects left on the cutting room floor in the days since publication seemingly several hundred articles   the number keeps going up   have been posted about the story very few of which address any portion of the text itself many of them make exactly the same points with tiny variations in nearly identical language these postings are intensely critical   of ben rhodes of me and of the new york times magazine meanwhile the reception in other parts of the world and in the timess comments section dealing with the text itself has been quite interesting and has started a useful discussion on issues that i care about very deeply
before i address some of the criticisms of the article i would like to state two very basic things for the record
1 i stand behind every single word i wrote this newspaper does too the new york times has looked closely at every complaint leveled against the piece and has found absolutely nothing to correct if anything is found to merit a correction it will certainly be corrected
2 i think ben rhodes is the bravest person ive ever met in washington if it sounds weird to say that rhodes is both a manipulative spin doctor and a deeply honest creative person who believes strongly in the policies he spins for well that is still the truth
now to some of the specific accusations
the first is that i am an ardent opponent of the iran deal and neocon who by writing this article was plotting to sow seeds of mistrust about a policy that i have long assailed this hot take which has been tweeted and retweeted by thousands of people is a fever dream caricature one that willfully ignores and obliterates the many hundreds of thousands of words i have written during my 20 years as a reporter the most important article i ever wrote according to this take was one for slate in 2009 titled why israel will bomb iran which   along with a youtube clip of a panel that i was on last year at hudson institute   apparently demonstrates that i was a kind of wolf in sheeps clothing whose true aim in writing a profile of rhodes was to discredit the nuclear agreement with iran
lets consider the slate article first it was like a lot of slate articles intentionally provocative it unfolds as an exercise in rational choice superpower client state theory it was designed to be provocative on the way to making a serious point
near the top of the article i state from a us point of view at least there is little reason to doubt the analysis that a nuclear iran with a few dozen bombs can be contained at relatively limited cost using the same strategies that successfully constrained an aggressive soviet empire armed with nearly 45000 nuclear warheads at the height of the cold war
the rest of the article proceeds to explain exactly why from the standpoint of international relations theory the scariest thing about recent israeli rhetoric is that an attack on iran lines up quite well with israels rational interests as a superpower client
my analysis of how israel might see its own rational self interest was apparently shared by no less distinguished a neocon than president obama as leon panetta noted in my magazine article perhaps his main job as secretary of defense was to restrain israel from bombing iran   by convincing them that america would do it for them if iran actually threatened to build a bomb
the panel at the hudson institute was organized by lee smith an ardent opponent of the iran deal smith is definitely a right winger rabid even he is also my friend and he knows a ton about things beyond politics that i also care about like the novels of naguib mahfouz and how to make the pivot at second base and believe it or not smith was also my friend back when we were neighbors in brooklyn he was the editor of the village voice literary supplement and an ardent admirer of edward said sorry lee i agreed to sit on his panel after he called me up to interview me about an article that i wrote in the new yorker about a truck driver named john coster mullen who reverse engineered the atomic bombs dropped on hiroshima and nagasaki
i explained to smith what i considered to be an important difference between nuclear know how and infrastructure one that i thought was being blurred by the rhetoric of both sides in the iran deal debate thanks to coster mullen i told him i had the plans for a nuclear bomb in my desk drawer at home   but i lacked the tens of billions of dollars necessary to proliferate i thought that smiths article was fair to what i wrote so i agreed to be on his panel
heres what i said at the opening of the panel   which hasnt been tweeted or written about by anyone yet so far as i can tell even though its the very first thing i say in the video
unlike many of you im a writer im a journalist im not involved in partisan politics ive generally considered myself to be a liberal democrat these principles of bipartisanship and consensus historically are noncontroversial ones theyve been embraced by every american administration since world war ii to find them being undone in this very rapid way given the potential consequences of unchecked nuclear proliferation   not just in the region but also in asia   is and should be a terrifying thing for americans to contemplate whatever their feelings about this president or republicans or democrats as someone who has reported in and around questions related to nuclear programs and gray market economies i am startled by the lack of attention and clarity that is obvious in the way these stories are being reported
about an hour into the discussion i suggested in response to a question that a nuclear deal with iran   if it destroyed existing nonenrichment standards   might lead to widespread nuclear proliferation in the middle east another person who thought the same thing it turned out was hillary clinton speaking to fareed zakaria the previous year i believe strongly that its really important for there to be so little enrichment or no enrichment at least for a long period of time because i do think any enrichment will trigger an arms race in the middle east clinton said maybe the things clinton said on cnn in 2014 werent supposed to be true in washington in 2015 but they were and still are for anyone who has thought much about nuclear weapons   which i have having written long pieces on the subject for both harpers and the new yorker   the prospect of dismantling nonproliferation safeguards and standards that have kept tens or hundreds of millions of people safe since hiroshima and nagasaki is terrifying
so do i support the iran deal on balance i suppose i do its a complicated agreement and im not an expert im a journalist but after talking to people who are experts   including leon panetta who told me that he supports the deal with reservations   i imagine its probably a good enough idea that i should have some reservations about too i will wait and watch and see what happens just like everyone else
finally i would like to turn to the protestations of two journalists jeffrey goldberg and laura rozen who felt wounded by a very brief passage in my article in which they were named as people who helped retail the administrations talking points
the reason i chose to cite rozen and goldberg as important conduits for the administrations foreign policy message is based on two kinds of evidence one this very idea was suggested to me in taped interviews with white house staff members who dealt with these journalists in interviews with other journalists and in interviews with other people who read their work two my own reading of both rozen and goldberg for years had suggested to me that this was a fair thing to say about their work it seemed at least worth mentioning the names of some journalists in a 9500 word article about a writer who tells stories to the public using journalists as one of his instruments if i didnt name any of those journalists readers might fairly conclude that rhodes was in fact terrible at his job   or that journalists especially those who live in washington belong to a special category of person who must never be criticized even gently
and this is why i think my story ignited such a firestorm it was a portrait of an honest dedicated person with a great deal of power in washington who happens to be deeply critical of the press   not out of cynicism or anger but out of regret over the seemingly vanishing possibilities of free and open discourse i did not pry this critique out of rhodes nor did i introduce him to it he has far more familiarity with the 21st century news cycle than i do it has been fascinating for me to watch my story which was largely read on its own terms outside of washington and even by the white house itself go through the looking glass of social media the story itself has vanished replaced by a digital mash up of slurs and invective supported by stray phrases that have been mechanically tweezered from different texts the issues that rhodes raises in my profile   about the reshaping of the media the way american foreign policy has shifted the way the world works now   none of these things are being discussed either somehow for a small group of people with very loud megaphones the point right now seems to be me   or rather a digital pinata they have slapped my name on it seems fair to say that rhodes won our bet


this block may look like plastic but its actually wood
using a two step process researchers at the university of maryland college park stripped away the planks tan and brown color and made it clear the see through wood which the scientists say is stronger and a better insulator than glass and more biodegradable than plastic could one day be used in windows tables and other building supplies
we were very surprised by how transparent it could go said liangbing hu a materials scientist at the university and an author of a paper that appeared last week in the journal advanced materials this can really open applications that can potentially replace glass and some optical material
to turn the wood transparent dr hu and his team first boiled it in a bath of water sodium hydroxide and other chemicals for about two hours this removed a molecule called lignin which gives the wood its color but left behind its colorless cell structures the next step was to pour epoxy over the block which made it four to six times stronger
one appealing quality of transparent wood according to dr hu is the series of natural channels that run throughout it remnants from when it was a living tree the structures which once pumped water and ions now direct light along their canals glass and plastic typically do not have passageways like these
in traditional material the light gets scattered he said if you have this waveguide effect with wood more light comes into your house
the process is not without its limitations size is the big issue dr hu said so far the largest blocks theyve turned clear measured five inches by five inches   about the size of your hand   with thicknesses ranging from paper thin to a centimeter wide
they are currently working on scaling the process to make larger blocks so any plans for a transparent treehouse may have to wait


the curtis institute of music the prestigious conservatory in philadelphia announced on thursday that it has been given a 55 million gift from the outgoing chairwoman of its board nina baroness von maltzahn it is one of the largest gifts ever made to an american music school and a statement from the conservatory described the gift as the largest single donation it had received since mary louise curtis bok established its tuition free policy in 1928
the statement said that the gift would be added to its endowment to help support a number of strategic initiatives   one of which is to remain tuition free   as the conservatory prepares to celebrate its centennial in 2024
the baroness who joined the curtis board of overseers in 2008 became a trustee in 2010 and began a two year term as chairwoman in 2014 said in a statement that the schools students had grown close to her heart to hear them perform to support their learning and to see them flourish is immensely gratifying she said
mark rubenstein who will succeed her as chairman of the board thanked her for her generosity curtiss signature full tuition scholarship policy has kept the school at the forefront of the worlds conservatories he said in a statement however with no tuition revenue it also means that the generosity of individual donors is of extreme importance
curtis will rename its string quartet program and its touring initiative in her honor


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1 a russian who fled his country described overseeing a decade long doping program that culminated at the 2014 winter olympics in sochi and involved at least 15 medalists it was working like a swiss watch he said detailing a dark of night operation to swap out tainted urine samples through a hole in a wall a russian official dismissed the account as a continuation of the information attack on russian sport

2 donald trump appeared to have a warmer than expected reception in washington a possible signal the party is trying to unite behind him after his round of closed door meetings with republican lawmakers and political leaders the house speaker paul ryan praised him as warm and genuine protesters waiting for him saw little more than his suv between stops

3 turmoil in brazil intensified as the countrys senate suspended the deeply unpopular president dilma rousseff she called the move a coup and swore to win the struggle for democracy her trial over budgetary irregularities is expected to take months leadership now falls to her equally unpopular vice president michel temer 75 who is much further to the right and has a history of appointing questionable advisers

4 george zimmerman the floridian who set off national outrage by fatally shooting trayvon martin an unarmed black teenager made his latest bid to profit from his notoriety his ad announcing the auction of the gun he used said this is a piece of american history social media deriders called the move sick disgusting and beyond tasteless

5 the latest disgraced new york politician to be sentenced for corruption dean skelos the former republican majority leader of the senate in albany he was given five years in prison and fined more than 500000 for pressuring firms to provide his son with work cash and other benefits the son adam received a prison sentence of six and a half years and a fine

6 the trial of a second police officer in the death of freddie gray began in baltimore months after the first ended in a mistrial officer edward nero was one of three officers who arrested mr gray his death after a spinal injury suffered while in custody set off violent protests and fueled the national debate over policing and race

7 facebook countered claims of bias in the news feeds it sends to its 16 billion users publishing internal guidelines that call for both editors and algorithms to play roles they show checks and balances that help surface the most important popular stories regardless of where they fall on the ideological spectrum according to a facebook executive

8 joan riverss doctors accepted responsibility for her death in a malpractice settlement reached with her family the amount was not disclosed the 81 year old comedian died after going into cardiac arrest during what was supposed to be a routine throat procedure in 2014

9 the parents of a toddler dying of leukemia opted to spare him a second bone marrow transplant because they gave up even rejecting chemo the cells from the first transplant had enough time to boost his immune system enough to kill the cancer above he played with his older brother the miraculous case covered in our best read story today comes from a special issue of the times magazine on the new science of cancer

10 pope francis said he was open to studying whether women could serve as deacons roman catholic deacons can perform many priestly services like preaching at mass and witnessing marriages i cant underscore enough how groundbreaking this is for the church a jesuit theologian said

11 finally the obama administration took another step to fight global warming unveiling regulations on methane emissions from new oil and gas wells and a new study warned that climate change might be killing off a shorebird known as the red knot the supply of bugs used for food is shrinking at one end of its 9300 mile migration and at the other underdeveloped birds cant dig out sufficient food

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here are some of the best looks from the cannes film festival red carpet


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in pop music it was the week of gray english miasma sudden releases of new records by james blake on thursday may 5 and radiohead on sunday may 8 mr blakes minimal the colour in anything makes the strongest case yet for him as a defenseless lost love songwriter though at extravagant length an hour and a quarter and radioheads maximal a moon shaped pool its first album in five years reconciles the aloneness of thom yorkes sound and persona with the collaborative minded and sometimes orchestral visions of the groups guitarist jonny greenwood
sudden drop records are becoming more common but they still punch through the news cycle here were two examples of records whose punches were weary patient dystopian abstracted complicated with much stillness and falsetto singing i reviewed mr blakes record and jon pareles reviewed radioheads on this popcast we compare notes
related articles
review the colour in anything mourns lost connections
review in radioheads a moon shaped pool patient perfectionism


when monica khemsurov and jill singer the editors of the online magazine sight unseen introduced the offsite design fair in 2014 they focused on fostering american talent but at this weekends edition there will be a healthy norwegian presence following a few trips to the scandinavian country khemsurov who is a t contributor noticed that young talent there lacked access to manufacturing   not unlike the circumstances stateside 10 years ago so she and singer paired five emerging norwegian studios with five enterprising american ateliers who became skype pals and ultimately created norway x new york a series of collaborative objects lighting and furniture specifically for this years offsite here a preview of the exhibition within our exhibition as khemsurov calls it
pete oyler and nora mattingly the duo behind assembly brought an arts and crafts sensibility to morten skjaerpe knarrum and jonas norheims humorous home goods resulting in a set of brooklyn made mix and match vessels the four different shapes rendered in a palette of greens and grays can be combined 19 different ways or each used on their own should you host a larger soiree
khemsurov and singer set up this pairing without realizing the two designers both had backgrounds in the fashion industry although their aesthetic commonalities certainly sealed the deal working with lines and levels   and the daily ritual of getting dressed   they created a bench mirrored clothing rack and hangers from blackened ash and steel
takagi technically based in dc but an honorary new yorker and homstvedt have collaborated before so they used this as an opportunity to explore a new process they turned to ceramic extrusion very simply put pushing clay through a molded tube for their beaded vessels and also devied a wooden cabinet with a single door that flips from side to side
the foursome thats dylan davis and jean lee of ladies  gentlemen and vera k kleppe and ashild kyte of their eponymous studio began with a glass piece which became a lightbulb cover then the rest of the adjustable fixture that uses a floor weight and pulley took shape called krane its a nod to the late italian designer achille castiglionis arco and parentesi lamps
when designing housewares both bower made by danny giannella and tammer hijazi and van den berg rely on simple geometry unanticipated details   and functionality together they dreamed up more or less circular objects made from squarish materials a light and dark wood striped tray and a bowl and vase they also shunned any adornments shining a light on the items raw beauty


the withered person with the scrambled mind marooned in a nursing home that wrote the times metro reporter nr kleinfield is the familiar face of alzheimers
but mr kleinfield wondered what the disease looked like in its early stages   just after diagnosis and set out to find out this involved following one woman   geri taylor for almost two years   and was the subject of mr kleinfields epic 21000 word article fraying at the edges
in an insider piece on the origins of his reporting on ms taylor mr kleinfield wrote that after ms taylor agreed to work with him she told mr kleinfield he better be prepared to have fun
did we ever he wrote how could that be and how could alzheimers provide one woman with a sense of purpose and the capacity to find pleasure in every moment
in this podcast mr kleinfield explains and describes his reporting on a woman who talked about losing her ego as casually as she might mention having lost her keys but who found herself feeling purposeful and alive to the beauty in all things
susan lehman is host


in a former two story mansion that dates back to 1910 cartagenas newest cocktail bar alquimico is a step above the average local watering hole and resembles a manhattan speakeasy   complete with elevated offerings built mostly around its house infused rums in colombia tropical fruits are usually used to make juices but nothing else the owner jean trinh says i opened alquimico because i wanted to use colombian products like fruits and rum and spices to make good cocktails on fridays and saturdays the rooftop terrace provides outdoor dancing and in the coming weeks trinh   who also opened the citys popular but now shuttered el laboratorio   plans to introduce a full menu on the second floor
below trinh shares how to recreate alquimicos ginger rum infusion   and shake it into a refreshing cocktail
1 liter white rum 2 vanilla beans 1 pound ginger root peeled 1 cinnamon stick 2 tablespoons sugar or simple syrup
place all the ingredients in a clean air tight jar such as a mason jar store the infusion in a cool dark place for two months shaking it three to five times a day after two months strain before using
2 tablespoons small lime wedges plus more for the rim 2 tablespoons sugar 2 ounces ginger infused rum rose salt for the rim
1 in a shaker crush the two tablespoons of lime wedges and sugar together
2 add the ginger infused rum and cubes of ice and shake for about 15 seconds
3 rub a glass rim with a lime wedge and dip it in the rose salt pour in the cocktail unstrained and serve


times insider shares historic insights from the new york times in this piece david w dunlap a metro reporter looks back at how the times learned of and prepared for the dawn of the atomic age
no managing editor has ever received a letter from a reporter like the one that dropped on the desk of edwin l james in july 1945 from william l laurence who had been out of the office for months having been seconded to the united states army by the new york timess publisher
mr laurences assignment and whereabouts were a secret even from his wife
the letter did not betray the secret but it hinted at its dimensions
this story is much bigger than i could imagine fantastic bizarre fascinating and terrifying mr laurence told mr james when it breaks it will be an eighth day wonder a sort of second coming of christ yarn it will be one of the big stories of our generation and it will run for some time
remember that this was a generation that had survived the great depression and most of world war ii and now mr laurence was suggesting he had a really big story
i am going to do my best to arrange to give you sufficient notice in advance through the proper channels so that you may have the time to prepare for it he wrote
the world will not be the same after the day of the big event mr laurence continued a new era in our civilization will have started with enormous implications for the post war period both from a military and industrial standpoint
these were not the ravings of a byline hungry neophyte but of a pulitzer prize winning science reporter who had discerned the implications of research into atomic energy years earlier he was to be taken seriously
four days after writing the letter mr laurence witnessed the first detonation of an atomic bomb in the trinity test at what is now the white sands missile range nm he filed nothing about it to the times and said nothing to his colleagues
technically he was not working for mr james but temporarily for maj gen leslie r groves director of the manhattan project who had chosen mr laurence to be the publics eyewitness on the condition that he report nothing until the bomb was used
after the trinity test mr laurence was flown to the northern mariana islands in the pacific ocean to await the departure of the first b 29 superfortress bomber to carry the unimaginably destructive payload
in new york an army captain who was acquainted with the assistant managing editor turner catledge showed up at the newspapers headquarters off times square it was wednesday aug 1 he wore civilian clothes mr catledge recalled what happened next in his memoir my life and the times
he sat down beside my desk and asked if i knew what bill laurence had been doing i said i did not and he replied that i would soon find out he instructed or rather ordered me to report to a certain building in washington the next day
doing as he was told mr catledge was ushered the next day into a large conference room in the capital where general groves and a half dozen other men waited
mr shalett covered the war department so it was a logical fit though it sounded as if the general was the one doing the designating
in any case mr catledge headed straight for the timess bureau in washington and ordered mr shalett to be ready any time of the day or night for a big story then he returned to new york and ordered the night side editors to call him personally if president trumans name popped up on the news wires for any reason though he could not tell them why they were to do so one editor briefly balked at accommodating a day side executive without knowing more mr catledge pulled rank
on friday aug 3 mr catledge headed to hillandale the country home of iphigene ochs sulzberger and her husband arthur hays sulzberger the publisher of the times in westchester county
mrs sulzberger was giving a luncheon for several women and the publisher was out on the lawn with them mr catledge wrote
i called him aside and we walked down by the swimming pool where i told him the story he was visibly shaken and i found he knew quite a bit about the bomb when we rejoined the women they could see the concern in his face and they quietly dispersed as it turned out the announcement of the bombing of hiroshima came at 11 am the next monday aug 6
and mr laurence was right


it has gotten a bad rap as a statement of quirky individuality   or a sign of laziness but the looks fresh appeal lies in its confidence
theres a scene in girls in which shoshanna a recent college grad is at a job interview and the subject of chelsea clinton comes up shes always been one of my heroes shoshanna says because she is such a strong woman struggling so nobly with her very curly hair i was at a job interview myself the first time i realized that my own curls most often described as pre raphaelite could be a liability youre so brave to wear your hair curly my would be boss said running a hand through her own lanky waterfall i have to straighten mine every morning
i didnt get the job it had never occurred to me that my hairstyle was a bold choice but in that particular corporate setting it seemed it betrayed something unsavory the problem with curly hair is one of the outside gaze people with straight hair either by birth or blow dryer mistake it as a kind of statement   a mark of blustery confidence and bold individuality   or worse as careless and sloppy a sign that youre lazy or stubborn
curly hair is messy curly hair is chutzpah curly hair is loud and has a lot to say in hollywood its often shorthand for quirk think of ilana glazer on broad city or natasha lyonne on orange is the new black meanwhile you have to go back to the clinton administration to see when sarah jessica parker or julia louis dreyfus regularly wore their hair curly those women   like many with naturally curly hair   go the chelsea route taming it with blowouts flat irons or keratin treatments curly hair made sense back when starlets wore little makeup and their own vintage slip dresses to the oscars now in the era of the glam squad it takes a village to primp and prep and the results are smooth sleek polished and predictable
but natural curls are slowly making their way back into fashion the very things curly hair has been maligned for   effortlessness devil may care irreverence   are right now the height of cool its a feminist statement one that says my hair and by extension me cannot be contained and the power of curly hair can be much more nuanced than it gets credit for its height can give the face a subtle halo effect like diffracted light or a good instagram filter think of bernadette peters whose ringlets grant her an air of eternal youth if you have curly bangs like juno temple in vinyl you are at once tough and tender solange knowles has proven that the bigger the hair the better it looks with culottes and chunky platforms natural curls bring up pleasant associations of being on vacation sans products or tools at once unfussy and feminine
designers have embraced the carefree curl on the runway too i keep a screen shot on my phone of the photographer and actress petra collins walking in guccis fall show cherubic blond curls just shy of frizzy trailing behind her for spring diane von furstenberg who has an enviable head of curls herself put models in a bouncy beachy version of the look at hood by air the defined spirals were a bit disheveled adding a hint of romance to the edginess of the clothes
to call these curls natural is not to say that they dont require careful maintenance put two curly haired women together and within minutes theyll be comparing tools of the trade styling creams deep conditioners wide tooth combs curls come with their own special agita some days one half of your head will look perfect the other too wild youll put it up for a cocktail party and realize that the undone look you were going for actually reads as regency bride but youre only a deep breath and a shower away from a fresh start and when you get it right you neednt worry too much about your clothes or makeup these arent mermaid waves with curls youre a siren


brussels   in 2007 caroline van hoek decided to forgo a career in the insurance business to open a jewelry gallery in a trendy neighborhood here
today her gallery showcases such work as solid gold bracelets by the dutch industrial designer gijs bakker silverware by the belgian silversmith siegfried de buck and knitted brooches by daniel kruger who was born in south africa but now works in germany i am all for mixing different types of jewelry said ms van hoek a regular at the design miami fair wearing a vintage brooch with a contemporary ring to me its like wearing jeans with a dior jacket i completely understand that approach
acquiring jewelry from any of the 21 artisans who she primarily represents is not a speedy process after a thorough discussion with the artist a customer has to wait at least six weeks for a piece our artists do not work with a concern for costs time or even profit for that matter ms van hoek said its more about the beauty of the piece and the pleasure of making it
last fall she moved the gallery to a space on rue aux laines a quiet street tucked between the art dealers neighborhood and avenue de la toison dor a high end shopping street the gallery has evolved towards a clientele and a style of jewelry that could no longer appropriately be shown in an old grocery store she said
from may 19 to july 9 the gallery is scheduled to show a limited edition collection by florie dupont a french artist who specializes in stone setting and whose previous works have included lizard heads with black diamond eyes and bronze bird skulls paved with crystals and opals setting a stone requires an almost mathematical approach and florie thrives on difficulty ms van hoek said
for this exhibition ms dupont has created softly shaped pieces in a range of precious materials including red gold diamonds and tahitian pearls to me this collection is the culmination of my work on stone setting techniques the artist said
her skin ring for example includes 795 white one millimeter diamonds set in a red gold ring the idea is to cover the metal surface in precious elements to pave the skin of the jewel she said prices will range from 5000 to 15000 euros or 5700 to 17100 and pieces can be viewed by appointment


five million years ago a massive sea monster may have eviscerated sharks and whales using gigantic teeth like this
murray orr an amateur fossil hunter stumbled on this not so pearly white in february while exploring beaumaris bay a popular site for digging up ancient remains near melbourne at first he had no idea what he was yanking out from the rocks
for a moment it looked like an artillery shell and i thought i might blow my arm off he said in an email but then i saw the curving pointed end and knew it was a sperm whale tooth
unbeknown to mr orr the fossil was unlike anything ever found in australia it measured about a foot long nearly twice the size of any living sperm whales tooth and was larger than the daggers that lined a tyrannosaurus rexs jaws
when he returned home mr orr who works as a real estate appraiser during the day emailed a picture of the fossil to erich fitzgerald a paleontologist at the nearby museum victoria dr fitzgeralds response came quickly
dr fitzgerald instructed him to wrap up the mud covered fossil to prevent it from drying out the next day mr orr brought it to the museum to be examined
ironically enough we did use toothbrushes to clean this fossil tooth said dr fitzgerald
after brushing away the dirt and analyzing the tooths enamel dr fitzgerald determined that it belonged to a relative of an extinct group of marine behemoths called livyatan melvillei he said the newly found beaumaris beast could have been similar in size to these 60 feet long 88000 pound predators
the modern sperm whale is a deep diving squid specialist said dr fitzgerald these extinct sperm whales are probably feeding on larger prey with skeletons were talking large fish sharks and i suspect other whales
previously the remains of this group had been found only in peru chile and california and dated back 12 to 13 million years mr orrs find was the first discovered outside of the americas and at five million years it lived much more recently
rather than keep the ancient moby dick memento mr orr donated the tooth to the museum last month
i could sit it next to the tv but what then he said science isnt science on a coffee table


w hotels worldwide already hires djs to spin in its lobbies and stages live performances now it aims to expand its appeal to musicians and their fans by installing music recording studios known as sound suites in select locations
the first made its debut today at the w bali - seminyak in indonesia the roughly 600 square foot sound insulated studio includes a vocal booth and is available to touring musicians local artists and guests looking to lay down a few tracks with friends for about 150 for four hours the company plans to offer studio space for free to some local artists
it gives us that extra step of being part of the music community and building relationships with future performers said anthony ingham ws global brand leader
the hotel group plans to install sound suites at w hotels in hollywood barcelona and seattle later this year it also plans to launch a three day music festival in the fall at its w scottsdale hotel in arizona turning its indoor and outdoor spaces into intimate stages for a range of artists from acoustic to electronic


oakland calif   the playoffs feel different for the golden state warriors this time around a year ago the warriors were talented upstarts a team of long distance cyborgs who were neither saddled with great expectations nor distracted by the spotlight of a history making chase it was fun and games
now the warriors are the defending champions a list of the records they have broken this season would require a spreadsheet nobody is mistaking them for anything other than what they are one of the most dominant teams in the history of professional sports all they need to do now is win another trophy
if the pressure is mounting on golden state the team is doing a good job of masking the emotional toll on wednesday the warriors took another step toward their ultimate goal by banishing the portland trail blazers from the postseason with a 125 121 victory in game 5 of the western conference semifinals
stephen curry the nbas freshly re minted most valuable player sank a step back 3 pointer with 249 seconds left before sealing the win with a pair of free throws
we had to fight and scrap and claw and do everything possible coach steve kerr said thats a tough team to guard and a tough team to play against
curry finished with 29 points and 11 assists and klay thompson scored a game high 33 points as the warriors won the best of seven series four games to one they will play the oklahoma city thunder or the san antonio spurs in the conference finals the thunder have a three games to two series lead on the spurs with a chance to advance thursday night when they play game 6
for the fourth straight game of the series the warriors trailed at halftime and for much of the third quarter they sought separation but shaun livingston threw a pass out of bounds kerr slammed his hand on a courtside table draymond green came up favoring his left ankle after he was fouled on a drive
but thompson scored 16 points in the third quarter and curry drained a 3 pointer to give the warriors a 2 point lead entering the fourth
later andre iguodala and curry sank back to back 3 pointers to push the lead to 7 the degree of difficulty on currys shot was advanced level physics   a fadeaway 28 footer over the outstretched left arm of ed davis a 6 foot 10 power forward the trail blazers hung around behind damian lillard 28 points and c j mccollum 27 before curry emerged as usual
it felt like we were running on fumes a little at the end kerr said
the warriors overcame their share of obstacles through the first two rounds of the playoffs curry missed six games   two because of a sprained right ankle four with a sprained right knee after a two week absence curry returned monday for game 4 and scored 40 points off the bench to lead the warriors to an overtime victory
before wednesdays game commissioner adam silver presented curry with the leagues most valuable player award for the second straight season the trail blazers took in the festivities which included a montage of curry highlights on the arenas video boards curry who wore gold sneakers concluded his remarks by saying lets keep it going the crowd cheered
it was not an easy series for the warriors they had to engineer a dramatic comeback to win game 2 they lost game 3 they needed overtime to take game 4 they lost andrew bogut their starting center to a right adductor strain in game 5 along the way the trail blazers bemoaned missed opportunities   opportunities that seldom materialize against the warriors
that might be the closest five game series of all time thompson said
trail blazers coach terry stotts said i give credit to golden state theyve got some remarkable players who can make big time plays when they need it well learn from that
the warriors stumbled again at the start of game 5 falling behind by 10 points in the first quarter then as soon as they took the lead they gave it up once more missing eight of their first nine 3 point attempts with curry struggling to unearth his rhythm it was left to thompson to keep the warriors afloat
on one possession early in the second quarter the trail blazers allen crabbe defended curry as he crossed halfcourt forcing him to give up the ball but after thompson slipped his defender on a screen green found him for a 29 foot jumper swish on defense thompson tried to make life difficult for lillard his primary defensive assignment throughout the series
klay should be tired kerr said before the game hes probably one of the few players in the league capable of taking on the responsibility at both ends in a series like this   chasing around a dominant all star player at one end and taking on a big part of the scoring load at the other
sure enough thompson was huge for the warriors in the first half scoring 17 points while shooting 7 of 8 from the field including 3 of 4 from 3 point range
it wasnt perfect kerr said but we got it done


los angeles   as noah syndergaard squared around to bunt a sardonic murmur seemed to circulate among the fans it was almost perceptible as if the same conversation was being repeated from one section of the stands to the next moving like the wave around dodger stadium
syndergaard the strapping mets starter known for his long blond hair and his 100 mile per hour fastball had homered in his previous at bat against kenta maeda
sure there were two runners on base but fans seemed to wonder aloud why bunt the guy had just homered why not let him swing away
the point soon became moot when maeda got two strikes against syndergaard the bunt sign was called off so the pitcher turned slugger brought his bat back up over his head and stared out at maeda like a real batting threat
maeda threw a 2 2 slider right over the plate and syndergaard hit a towering driver to deep center that cleared the fence over an airline advertisement appropriately enough for his second home run in two at bats this one a three run blast
just four days after another mets starter bartolo colon hit the first home run of his 19 year career syndergaard became the first mets pitcher in almost 33 years to hit two home runs in a game
youd like to see him get the bunt down manager terry collins said but if you dont get the bunt down you might as well hit a homer
nicknamed thor for his norse heritage and his mighty fastball syndergaard is often said to bring the hammer down on opposing batters but on wednesday his hammer was the bat in his hands
it felt like it was like a dream syndergaard said its not real i dont think i ever hit two home runs when i played little league to hit two home runs in a major league ball game especially against a pitcher like maeda its an awesome experience
the only other mets pitcher to hit two homers in a game was walt terrell who clouted both off ferguson jenkins of the chicago cubs at wrigley field on aug 6 1983
as terrell was in that game syndergaard was the winning pitcher on wednesday throwing eighth strong innings and accounting for all of his teams offense as the mets beat the dodgers 4 3
syndergaard 3 2 also allowed two home runs solo shots by corey seager in the third inning and yasmani grandal in the fourth he scattered four other hits struck out six and recorded 14 groundouts
syndergaard said after the game that he had his elbow examined recently for precautionary reasons
he became the first major league pitcher to hit two home runs in a game since aug 18 2007 when micah owings hit two for the arizona diamondbacks against the braves in atlanta
in syndergaards first at bat in the third inning he put a picturesque swing on the first pitch he saw from maeda into the bleachers in right field it was his first home run of the season and the second of his career
the four rbi tied a mets record for a pitcher in a single game that figure has been achieved eight times most recently by steven matz last season
syndergaard had a chance for more when he went to the plate in the sixth inning against relief pitcher chris hatcher
but the reaction from the fans as he strode to the plate on that occasion was less curious murmur and more anticipatory buzz
the bases were loaded there was nowhere to put syndergaard
hatcher is a hard throwing right hander and his first offering was a 97 mile per hour fastball syndergaard was waiting for it and he ripped a foul ball into the seats in right field far enough and hard enough to excite the fans
he ripped another fastball hard to the right again and the fans let out an ooooh but finally hatcher struck syndergaard out swinging with a 96 mph heater and the dodgers fans rose and applauded as if hatcher had just struck out albert pujols with the bases loaded in extra innings
joe blanton struck out syndergaard in his final at bat so he ended up 2 for 4
the homers were syndergaards first hits of the season last year he had nine hits in 43 at bats including a double and his only other home run that was on may 27 against sean osullivan then of the phillies at citi field it occurred in only his fourth career major league start
wednesday night was his 31st start but three of those were in american league parks where he did not bat meaning he is averaging a home run once every 93 games
no wonder his nickname is thor
inside pitch
wilmer flores injured his left hamstring on monday and was sent back to new york to be examined


international
an article on april 12 about a visit by secretary of state john kerry to a memorial ceremony in hiroshima japan for the victims of the american atomic bombing 71 years ago   making him the highest ranking united states administration official to visit the site   misstated the amount of time that elapsed between jimmy carters tour of the atomic bomb museum there and his departure from the presidency it was three years and four months not four years
national
an article on wednesday about the likelihood that character attacks would dominate a presidential contest between hillary clinton and donald j trump misstated the source of comments taunting mr trump as dangerous donald the attack came from allies of mrs clintons campaign not from the campaign itself

an article on tuesday about an invisible film that can be painted on skin to give it the elasticity of youth misstated the affiliation of a member of the research team dr barbara a gilchrest is at massachusetts general hospital not at harvard medical school
business day
an article on wednesday about the debt problems of puerto rico misstated the commonwealths unemployment rate it was 122 percent in april not 45 percent forty five percent refers to the proportion of puerto ricos population that lives under the poverty line in addition credits for two accompanying pictures were reversed a picture of a marketplace in puerto rico was by erika p rodriguez for the new york times a picture of a washington metro train was by andrew caballero reynoldsagence france presse   getty images
opinion
an op ed on friday about brazils polluted water misstated a detail of olympics history the equestrian events in the 1956 olympics were held in stockholm instead of the host city melbourne australia it is not the case that events in a single games have never been held in two countries
the times welcomes comments and suggestions or complaints about errors that warrant correction messages on news coverage can be e mailed to nytnewsnytimescom or left toll free at 1 844 nyt news 1 844 698 6397 comments on editorials may be e mailed to lettersnytimescom or faxed to 212 556 3622
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robby fabbri paul stastny and troy brouwer each scored a goal and had two assists and the st louis blues dominated the dallas stars to advance to their first western conference finals since 2001 with a 6 1 victory in game 7 of their series wednesday night
the blues in the playoffs for the 40th time and still in search of their first stanley cup will have home ice advantage in the western conference finals against nashville or san jose   and for the stanley cup as well if they advance the predators and the sharks will play the deciding game 7 on thursday night
david backes their captain and patrik berglund also had goals for the blues who won their third road game in this series vladimir tarasenko added an empty netter with 4 minutes 40 seconds left
patrick eaves had the lone goal for dallas
marc crawford just wanted to be back in the nhl
crawford a former nhl coach of the year who spent the last four seasons coaching in switzerland was one of a number of candidates interviewed for the opening with the ottawa senators that eventually went to guy boucher
within hours of being hired boucher approached crawford and offered him the opportunity to join his staff as an associate coach and crawford accepted
crawford brings a wealth of experience to bouchers staff he has been a head coach for 1151 nhl games a total that ranks 16th in league history over 15 seasons with quebeccolorado vancouver los angeles and dallas
he was coach of the year with quebec in 1995 and won the stanley cup in 1996 after the nordiques moved to denver and became the avalanche
bryce harper of the washington nationals was suspended for one game and fined by major league baseball for his behavior after an ejection this week
the commissioners office said harper had decided to appeal the penalty so he remained eligible to play until the process was finished harper last years national league most valuable player was in the nationals lineup wednesday night against the detroit tigers
on monday night during the bottom of the ninth inning of washingtons 5 4 victory over detroit harper was in the dugout when he was ejected by the plate umpire brian knight after the nationals danny espinosa was called out on strikes
when someone is tossed from a game in the majors he is required to leave the dugout
moments after the ejection pinch hitter clint robinson connected for a game winning home run and harper ran onto the field with his teammates to celebrate harper pointed toward knight and cursed at him
eight game streak ends for cubs brett wallace hit a three run homer in san diegos four run seventh inning and the visiting padres stopped the chicago cubs eight game winning streak with a 7 4 victory in the opener of a day night doubleheader
wil myers had two hits and scored two runs for san diego which had lost three in a row carlos villanueva 1 0 pitched a scoreless inning for the win and fernando rodney got three outs for his ninth save
sunderland completed its latest escape from relegation in the english premier league on wednesday   and consigned newcastle its bitter nearby rival to the second tier in the process
a 3 0 win over visiting everton guaranteed sunderland safety with a game to spare and justified its decision to hire the survival specialist sam allardyce as manager in october
under allardyce who has yet to be relegated from the top english league in 25 years as a manager sunderland lost just one of its final 10 matches
its pretty miraculous allardyce said
newcastle and norwich joined aston villa in going down just as the premier league was to begin new domestic and international television deals worth a record 12 billion over the next three years
norwichs 4 2 victory over watford proved to be in vain as sunderland stayed 4 points ahead
roger federer put his full array of shots on display in a 6 3 7 5 win over alexander zverev in the second round of the italian open in rome an encouraging performance given that he had decided to play only moments before stepping onto the court
i was expecting to lose in straight sets today said federer who has been having back problems that was the mind set going in so to win in straights is actually a really big surprise to me i played cautious and i only decided after the warm up that i was actually going to play
top ranked novak djokovic andy murray and rafael nadal a seven time champion in rome also advanced in straight sets on the red clay courts at the foro italico
in womens action angelique kerber the reigning australian open champion fourth seeded victoria azarenka and simona halep last weeks madrid open winner each lost
djokovic seeking his third straight title in rome beat stephane robert 7 5 7 5 nadal defeated philipp kohlschreiber 6 3 6 3 and murray beat mikhail kukushkin 6 3 6 3
eugenie bouchard the 2014 wimbledon runner up beat the second seeded kerber 6 1 5 7 7 5 and irina camelia begu ranked 35th defeated azarenka 6 3 6 2 daria gavrilova eliminated halep 6 3 4 6 6 3


a troubling recurring theme has emerged in the first innings of michael pinedas starts this season at yankee stadium
the scene often includes the pitching coach larry rothschild making trips to the mound and pineda looking toward the outfield and wearing a sullen expression with his hands on his hips
on wednesday pineda gave up a first inning home run with two outs for the fifth time in five home games this season the three run shot by kansas city royals catcher salvador perez was part of a four run inning as the yankees fell 7 3
pineda was as hittable as a pinata with alcides escobar leading off with a single escobar was caught stealing second base but pineda put himself in another hole by hitting lorenzo cain who had blasted three home runs on tuesday a single and a walk to load the bases brought rothschild out for another chat pineda responded by allowing a sacrifice fly by alex gordon before perez bashed his home run
the barrage left pineda with an era of 2160 in first innings at home he departed in the sixth having thrown a season high 114 pitches and allowed six runs
i tried to do the best in the first inning but im hanging my slider said pineda who took several deep breaths before answering questions
manager joe girardi said pinedas slider had no movement in the first
it was up in the zone and it turned into a big home run for them and then he settled in so weve got to get him going he said weve got to get him going early
when asked whether there was any thought of taking him out of the rotation girardi said thats nothing that weve talked about we look at michael as starter and we think michael can be a really good starter
the yankees offense cut the deficit to 4 3 led by carlos beltrans 399th career homer but pineda unraveled once more in the sixth unable again to secure a crucial third out
after walking christian colon and giving up a single to jarrod dyson pineda was replaced by nick goody who hit escobar to load the bases and then served up a 2 2 pitch that cain lined up the middle to bring in two more royals runs
after scoring 16 runs in the first two games of their series against kansas city the yankees offense was able to consistently put runners on against yordano ventura but finished 1 for 9 with runners in scoring position against him
dustin ackley batted fifth and played first base for the second straight night before the game girardi said he planned to give mark teixeira two days rest beginning tuesday to address neck spasms
the yankees overall health appears to be improving jacoby ellsbury ran the bases before the game the next step in his rehabilitation from a strained right hip but he has yet to attempt to sprint at full speed
he is making progress said girardi who added that he hoped to have ellsbury back in the lineup this weekend he is not ready to play
c c sabathia also confirmed that he planned to throw 30 to 40 pitches in a bullpen session this week and that he anticipated coming off the 15 day disabled list when he is eligible on may 20
girardi said he did not foresee sabathia or alex rodriguez spending more than the minimum 15 days on the disabled list rodriguez has been inactive since may 4 with a strained right hamstring
the yankees have played better recently without some of their biggest expected contributors   and biggest contracts   taking two games from the red sox and royals but they have yet to win three consecutive games this season falling to 0 5 in such situations after wednesdays loss


toronto   the raptors demar derozan matched a playoff high with 34 points kyle lowry had 25 and toronto beat the miami heat 99 91 on wednesday night to take a three games to two lead in their eastern conference semifinal series
bismack biyombo had 10 points for the raptors who can clinch their first conference finals berth with a win in game 6 in miami on friday
it was the 13th time derozan had scored 20 or more points in a playoff game a franchise record and his sixth this postseason
dwyane wade scored 20 for miami goran dragic and josh richardson each had 13 and joe johnson had 11
toronto led by 20 in the first half and by 13 to start the fourth quarter before its lead shrank to 88 87 when wade made two free throws with 1 minute 54 seconds left derozan made two free throws of his own and after a miami turnover lowry made a long 3 pointer to put toronto up by 93 87 with 52 seconds left
derozan sealed the win by going 4 for 4 on his free throws in the final 21 seconds
derozan jammed his sore right thumb while fouling miamis tyler johnson with 819 remaining in the fourth he headed to the locker room for treatment but returned four minutes later
lowry and derozan who combined for 19 total points in torontos overtime loss in game 4 scored 19 together in the first quarter alone as the raptors raced out to a 28 18 lead wade was the only miami starter to make a field goal in the first as the heat had more fouls eight than baskets six
biyombo had 8 points in the second electrifying the crowd by sandwiching two dunks around a huge block on wade toronto led by 55 35 with 339 left but dragic scored 8 points during a 10 0 run by the heat cutting the deficit to 55 45 at halftime
miamis luol deng left midway through the third period with a sore left wrist and did not return the heat said x rays were inconclusive deng scored 4 points and missed all eight of his field goal attempts
shortly after torontos demarre carroll injured his left wrist ending his night after being called for a charge carroll went down in pain after the play and then got up and walked to the locker room cradling his wrist the raptors said x rays were negative
wade scored 7 points in the third but derozan had 11 and the raptors took a 75 62 lead into the fourth


it is a rarer feat than a perfect game a performance even the greatest strikeout pitcher in major league history nolan ryan could never achieve on wednesday night max scherzer of the washington nationals struck out 20 batters in a nine inning start
scherzer overwhelmed the detroit tigers in a 3 2 victory at nationals park he tied the record set by roger clemens in 1986 and later matched by clemens in 1996 kerry wood in 1998 and randy johnson   in the first nine innings of an extra inning game   in 2001
just as in those games scherzer issued no walks in his masterpiece he threw 119 pitches and allowed six hits and two runs one coming on a homer by j d martinez to start the ninth inning scherzer struck out miguel cabrera allowed a single and then fanned justin upton to tie the mark
one out remained giving scherzer a chance to hold the record on his own but james mccann bounced to third base for a game ending forceout at second
i think it was about the eighth inning when i punched out somebody and they said that was 18   that was the first time i heard the number so i knew i had a shot at going out for the ninth and 20 scherzer told reporters after the game
a different washington pitcher tom cheney of the old senators holds the single game record for strikeouts with 21 set on sept 12 1962 in baltimore but cheney who went 19 29 in an otherwise uneventful career needed 16 innings to do it
ryan the career strikeout leader with 5714 had four games with 19 strikeouts   three in 1974 and one in 1977 but he pitched more than nine innings in three of those games
scherzer joined washington before last season signing a seven year 210 million contract after seven strong seasons mostly with the tigers he won a cy young award for detroit but had completed only one of his 198 career starts
now at 31 scherzer is more durable than ever and his highlights are more remarkable including two no hitters last season in his first on june 20 he nearly authored the 24th perfect game in major league history before losing his bid by hitting pittsburghs jose tabata with a pitch with two outs in the ninth in his second against the mets at citi field on oct 3 scherzer tied ryans 1973 record for strikeouts in a no hitter with 17
it has not always been easy for scherzer in his last start against the chicago cubs at wrigley field he allowed seven runs in five innings the last time he had pitched in washington on april 26 against philadelphia scherzer needed 116 pitches to plod through five innings
my fastballs in a little bit of a funk he said that night explaining that he was not getting the proper arm extension to attack the strike zone at his usual rate
scherzer changed all that on wednesday attacking the zone ferociously leading to a game for the ages he threw 96 strikes and just 23 balls and got a salute on twitter from wood
congratulations to maxscherzer on an impressive and dominant performance tonight wood wrote welcome to the club he followed with a hashtag and a word to describe scherzers stuff filthy


european countries which rely heavily on diesel fueled vehicles remain far behind the united states in their efforts to reduce harmful air pollution according to a report to be issued thursday by the world health organization
the report which compiled air quality readings from 3000 cities in 103 countries found that more than 80 percent of people in those cities were exposed to pollution exceeding the limits set by who guidelines above which air quality is considered to be unhealthy and in poorer countries 98 percent of cities with more than 100000 inhabitants were out of compliance with the health organizations guidelines
lower levels of pollution were far more prevalent in north america and higher income european countries than in most other places especially countries like india pakistan and china
but in europe a higher percentage of cities exceeded the limits set by the who than in north america
that disparity was greatest in wealthier countries more than 60 percent of european cities failed to meet the guidelines compared with less than 20 percent in north america
cities in wealthier asian countries like japan korea and singapore the report found also outpaced europe with more cities in compliance
the united states primarily has done an excellent job moving from being a very dirty place in the 1950s to quite a clean place today said dr carlos dora the health organizations coordinator for its department of public health environmental and social determinants of health
europe he added has also moved from being extremely polluted but it has lagged   a delay that experts have speculated may result from factors that include wider use of fertilizer in urban areas weaker environmental regulations and the popularity of diesel powered engines
air pollution accounts for more than three million deaths annually from heart disease stroke lung cancer and respiratory illnesses according to the who the most dangerous pollutants are particles in the air that are composed of sulfate nitrates ammonia soot dust and other chemical compounds   a majority of them from human activities like the burning of fossil fuels   and that penetrate deep into the lungs pollution also poses a long term health threat because many of the same emissions contribute to climate change
the who guidelines set limits for two types of particles fine particles smaller than 25 microns in diameter   less than a fraction of the width of a human hair   known as pm 25 and slightly larger particles that are smaller than 10 microns in diameter known as pm10 both types are considered dangerous to human health at levels above the limits in the guidelines which are slightly more conservative than those used by government agencies in the united states and other countries
the new report an update of the health organizations database contains more than double the number of air quality readings than a version released in 2014 and it reflects many of the same trends
michael greenstone a professor of economics at the university of chicago who has studied air pollution said the report released thursday and others like it were incredibly important
in many parts of the world there is no greater current environmental risk to human well being than airborne particulate matter he said so shining a bright light on that is especially important
cities in india pakistan china and southeast asia had mean annual air quality readings that were five to 10 times higher than the limits set by the guidelines the who report found and in some outlying cases 22 times higher or more
dr dora said that health experts suspected that many african countries would have similarly high readings but very few cities in africa monitor air quality
scientists know little about the effects of long term exposure to such extreme concentrations of polluting particles in the air but dr greenstone said that his own research suggested that the impact was profound
in one recent study dr greenstone compared the life expectancy of people who lived north or south of the huai river in china
government policies he said provide free coal to cities north of the river for heating leading to high levels of pollution while cities south of the rivers are not allowed to operate any heating system resulting in better air quality the findings indicated that very high levels of pollution may reduce life expectancy by about two thirds of a year for every 10 micrograms per cubic meter above the levels considered safe he said
the who sets the limit for pm10 at an annual mean of 20 micrograms per cubic meter and for pm25 at 10 micrograms per cubic meter some cities in china register mean annual pm10 readings of 150 micrograms per cubic meter or more and pm25 readings in the 50s and 60s dr greenstone said his study had not yet been submitted for publication or peer review
in its new report the health organization also analyzed trends for a subset of 795 cities in 67 countries from 2008 to 2013 during that time the report found global air pollution increased by 8 percent with the highest levels found in the poorest countries
but dr dora said that the news was not all bad more cities were monitoring pollution levels he said and air quality had improved over that period in more than half the cities in wealthy countries and more than a third of the cities in poorer countries
thats a very positive thing he said
he added that cities in china whose premier li keqiang said in 2014 that the government would declare war on environmental air pollution were among those improving
they have increased massively their amount of monitoring dr dora said but he added its difficult to grow and grow and still rely on the manufacturing industry and also clean the air
air quality has also continued to improve in the united states where the airborne concentrations of one pollutant in particular sulfate particles has decreased by 3 percent a year according to dan jacob a professor of atmospheric chemistry at harvard
sulphur emissions in the us are mainly from coal combustion dr jacob said and we have been decreasing those emissions both deliberately and because weve been moving away from coal and towards natural gas


over the last five years paddle8 has sought to shake up the world of online art auctions in europe and for almost the same amount of time auctionata has tried to do the same in its own way
now the two online auction houses are planning to join forces
auctionata and paddle8 are expected to announce on thursday that they will merge seeking to create a bigger specialist in selling art online with a broader international reach
even combined the two do not dream of displacing the giants of the art world the auction houses sothebys and christies both paddle8 and auctionata focus on what they call the middle market for art sales objects more valuable than can be sold on ebay but generally topping out at 500000
of course sometimes the companies run auctions for more expensive items paddle8 gained notoriety when it auctioned the sole copy of the final album by the wu tang clan last year raising 2 million the buyer was eventually revealed to be martin shkreli the former pharmaceutical executive who is facing federal securities fraud charges
and auctionata whose unusual features include livestreamed auctions sold an 18th century chinese clock for 383 million last summer
the start ups aim is to disrupt scores of smaller auction houses largely brick and mortar and without an online presence by contrast the two start ups were born with the express intent of reaching broad audiences by tapping the internet for both objects to be sold and potential buyers
we will be able to pick up an object and sell it quicker than anyone else in the world alexander zacke the chief executive of auctionata said in a telephone interview
buying art online has become a small but quickly growing part of the global business in fine art beyond sothebys and christies   both of which have focused on digital sales in recent years   other players include artsy artnet and 1stdibs
since their founding both auctionata and paddle8 have gained prominence as online art marketplaces a ranking of online art platforms compiled by the research firm hiscox based on a survey of 672 art buyers ranked paddle8 fifth and auctionata at ninth by comparison christies live placed first while sothebys bidnow ranked fourth
together auctionata and paddle8 reported sales in 2015 of around 140 million and have a combined user base of nearly 800000
both companies have drawn backing from big names in the world of art and luxury auctionatas investors include bernard arnault the chairman of lvmh while paddle8s include the artist damien hirst and the gallery owner david zwirner all existing investors are expected to remain on board with the newly combined auction house
the two companies have known each other for years mr zacke regularly meets with paddle8s founders according to aditya julka a paddle8 founder but nearly two years ago mr zacke conceded that his company would have a difficult time breaking into the united states and mr julka said his start up would struggle to move into europe
combining would allow each company to more easily move into new geographies and markets as well as share new technologies
founders of both companies declined to disclose specific terms of the deal though mr zacke said that because auctionata was bigger in terms of sales its shareholders would receive more equity in the combined company
mr zacke will also lead the combined company though all the founders will remain in top roles
both mr zacke and mr julka repeatedly called the deal a merger meant to fuse both companies cultures together the combined entity   whose new name has yet to be determined   will retain both the paddle8 and the auctionata names and their own headquarters in new york and berlin respectively
were quite focused on doing this together mr julka said for every practical purpose its a merger


things were looking up at the beleaguered sothebys auction house on wednesday night
after spirited bidding sothebys sale of contemporary works raised 2422 million with fees   easily surpassing the low estimate of 20135 million   and sold 95 percent of its offerings sothebys highest rate since 2009
only two nights earlier sothebys sold just two thirds of its inventory in its impressionist and modern sale after a morning announcement of a 259 million first quarter loss
given the turmoil at sothebys   they had to cobble together a sale   it just had a more positive vibe at the outset the dealer lawrence luhring said it seemed more lively than last night
after christies successful contemporary art sale on tuesday which sold 87 percent of its offerings the sothebys auction helped calm a skittish art market by finding takers for the big ticket lots and re establishing a buoyant tone for the contemporary art market
now that was an auction the art adviser nancy whyte said there were plenty of buyers out there tonight
never mind that sothebys total sale was 36 percent lower than the 3797 million it achieved at the equivalent sale last may at least in these uncertain times people were still buying high end contemporary art   just as they did the previous night at christies where the japanese internet billionaire yusaku maezawa splashed out 813 million on five trophy works including a 573 million basquiat on wednesday night he bought two pieces for an additional total of 166 million
at one point after selling a white lucio fontana piece for 26 million there was an audible whoop in the room im happy for you as well the auctioneer oliver barker said
at times there was repeated back and forth between two bidders as the price inched up in relatively small increments as it did for a gunther forg abstract youre really making me work for it mr barker said it finally went for 670000
the sothebys result was doubly reassuring given the auction houses bumpy year even as it acquired art agency partners a new york art advisory company in january more than a dozen senior specialists have left
at 44 lots last nights sale was noticeably smaller than the 63 lot auction sothebys held last may in a more bullish market as at christies no work was valued at more than 40 million reflecting reluctance among collectors to test demand with their most valuable pieces
theres still money out there the london based dealer offer waterman said the election is a big factor people are waiting but passionate collectors are still buying
here are some of the nights main talking points
sure starter sothebys mindful of jitters in the market played it safe with established names the romanian born market darling adrian ghenie whose 2014 painting the sunflowers in 1937 was sold in february for 45 million at sothebys in london was the only artist under 40 in the auction
mr ghenies 2012 painting self portrait as vincent van gogh gave a flying start to the sale with six bidders and a price of 26 million with fees against a low estimate of 200000 it went to the free spending mr maezawa who also bought christopher wools chameleon painting for 14 million
gem of the night two studies for a self portrait by francis bacon appealed to similar tastes if backed by even bigger wallets the most exceptional small scale diptych of bacon self portraits to come to auction recently the pair had been in the same british collection since 1970 the year they were painted and were viewed as the sales indisputable triple a quality works by a trophy artist at the height of his powers
its about perfection gregoire billault sothebys head of contemporary art said of the piece one of those dreams were all chasing each season
with a low estimate of 22 million the diptych sold for 35 million to a telephone bidder the underbidder was the london based dealer gladwell  patterson
tricky twombly cy twomblys blackboard paintings have become a gold standard of contemporary sales bringing 30 million or more three times in the last two years
the blackboards are among his most desirable works the new york dealer christophe van de weghe said the references to school and education appeal to collectors
on wednesday night sothebys put an estimate of 40 million on the 1968 abstract untitled new york city notable for its looping calligraphy in pale blue rather than the usual white the canvas was bought for 367 million by a single bidder on the phone with patti wong chairwoman of sothebys asia
above 20 million the air is thin mr billault said adding that it was hard to have the fourth major blackboard painting to come up for auction recently but nearly 37 million i dont think is a real disappointment
however twomblys crimson 2004 abstract untitled bacchus 1st version v was among five works on the night that carried sothebys financed guarantees with an estimate of 20 million this confirmed a night of lowered expectations selling for 154 million to the london art advisers de pury
calder of the week other lots contributed handsomely to sothebys bottom line despite a glut of calders on offer at christies the previous night at least eight bidders   including the new york collector adam lindemann   battled over the 1942 calder standing mobile notable for its suspended colored glass elements formerly owned by alfred j barr jr the museum of modern arts first director the price soared to 83 million against a low estimate of 3 million giving sothebys and its seller at least 4 million above the guarantee
final word calders grandson alexander s c rower chairman of the calder foundation said the nights sale suggested that all the soul searching about the market had been exaggerated the recession he said is now recessed


morley safer the longest serving correspondent on 60 minutes who was known as much for his hard hitting reporting as the quirky stories he covered will formally retire this week after a career in broadcast news that lasted more than 50 years cbs said on wednesday
mr safer 84 served on 60 minutes for all but two of its 48 seasons he started scaling back his appearances on the show after he turned 80 his last segment a profile of the danish architect bjarke ingels aired in march
his first season as a regular correspondent on 60 minutes began in 1970 with a report on the training of federal sky marshals in total he did 919 reports for 60 minutes
if you look at any one of them you will find they are all beautifully written jeffrey fager executive producer of the show said in an interview on wednesday
i think hes a model and always has been about what a reporter should be said mr fager who described mr safer as a gifted storyteller its about curiosity and the sense of adventure that really came across in his work
mr safers report in 1965 about american soldiers torching the homes of villagers in cam ne vietnam was among the top 100 works in journalism of the 20th century in the united states chosen by new york universitys journalism department
an hourlong program on sunday morley safer a reporters life will among other highlights recall an investigation by mr safer that resulted in the freedom of lenell geter a black man who was wrongly convicted and sentenced to life in prison in texas in an appearance on the special mr geter credited mr safer with saving his life
while he tackled serious topics mr safer was also known as a quirkologist for his offbeat stories such as tango finlandia about the affection finns had for the sensuous dance and about marfa tex a community that enjoyed a renaissance by blending artists and cowboys
he also interviewed entertainment luminaries such as jackie gleason katharine hepburn and dolly parton
the program on sunday will feature a retired united states brigadier general joe stringham who commanded a green beret unit that mr safer accompanied into battle in vietnam the general recalled mr safer as being all business we looked at eternity right in the face a couple of times and he was as cool as a hog on ice
mr safer was not doing interviews with the news media on wednesday and in the coming special on sunday he reveals that he did not really like being on television according to cbs
it makes me uneasy he says it is not natural to be talking to a piece of machinery but the money is very good


gov doug ducey on wednesday signed into law a bill asserting arizonas ownership over a herd of horses that roams the banks of the salt river in the tonto national forest northeast of phoenix the bill also criminalized the unauthorized killing of the horses which mr ducey described in a statement as beautiful majestic and a treasure to our state the horses came under threat last year when federal officials announced their imminent capture in part because of the risk of accident they could pose to drivers and passengers who go tubing in the river a popular summer attraction the new law also creates a private public partnership to manage the herd estimated at about 100 horses fernanda santos
a judge upheld an order on wednesday that the teenager who used an affluenza defense in a fatal drunken driving wreck spend nearly two years in jail judge wayne salvant who issued the order last month had ordered the defendant ethan couch to spend 180 days in jail for each of the four people he killed in 2013 when he rammed a pickup truck into a crowd of people helping a motorist the sentences were to be served consecutively mr couch had argued that the judges order exceeded the courts authority his case was transferred from juvenile court shortly after he turned 19 ap
four journalists arrested during protests that followed the 2014 fatal shooting of michael brown in ferguson have settled their lawsuit against the st louis county police lawyers for both sides said wednesday details of the settlement were confidential but a joint statement said that the county would adopt policy changes to address issues raised in the lawsuit filed in march 2015 it accused the county police and 20 officers of violating the reporters civil rights and unjustifiably detaining them during the protests that occurred in the days after mr brown who was black was shot by a white ferguson police officer on aug 9 2014 ap


washington   as his party splinters and his policy agenda faces peril speaker paul d ryan will enter his meeting with donald j trump on thursday increasingly at odds with a growing if grudging republican congressional majority willing to embrace mr trump as their candidate
the decision of mr ryan the partys most prominent skeptic of its polarizing new standard bearer will echo well beyond this campaign season when he anticipates rebuilding his partys post trump brand possibly with the speaker himself at the top of the 2020 presidential ticket
to pretend were unified as a party would lead republicans to go into the fall at half sprint mr ryan said wednesday after meeting with gop house members he suggested that he hoped mr trump would show an openness to change on substance and tone when they meet on thursday
but mr trump has said he has no intention of reinventing himself for the general election   a declaration that could force mr ryan to acquiesce in the name of republican unity or establish himself as the leading voice of opposition within the party
while mr ryan has repeatedly cited his desire to unify his party and to reject the nasty tone of the republican primary campaign he appears to have complex motivations
he and his staff play down talk of a 2020 run for the white house but how mr ryan manages mr trump over the next six months will play a major role in shaping mr ryans future many of his colleagues are uneasy about mr trump and grateful that the speaker is at least buying them time to determine how to handle the political equivalent of a live grenade
many congressional republicans also view mr ryan as a tantalizing prospect for the white house
i think hed make a great president said senator roy blunt republican of missouri echoing a view shared by others like mr ryans predecessor former speaker john a boehner and senator orrin g hatch of utah
still there are republicans who have little use for mr ryans reluctance to support mr trump and say the time for hand wringing has passed
hes going to be the nominee said senator richard m burr republican of north carolina so the choice is him or a democrat and that makes it a little tough to figure out why people are saying ive got to wait to hear more
mr ryans immediate goals his advisers say are to advance his agenda and protect the republican majority in the house many of those goals involve policy that is sharply different from mr trumps brand of hard edged nationalism
mr ryans desire to overhaul the immigration system rein in the nations entitlement programs promote vigorous free trade and push other aspects of traditional conservatism have been as welcome to republican voters this year as carpenter ants at a home inspection
this has alarmed the speaker because it bodes poorly for his chances for advancing what he calls reform conservatism
those close to mr ryan say he tends to put his policy agenda ahead of party loyalty
people in politics tend to be in two categories said peter wehner a director of the white house office of strategic initiatives under president george w bush who has known mr ryan for two decades
some are drawn to politics because they like the games and mechanics and their first priority is the party mr wehner said bob dole fell into that category mitch mcconnell is also that party guy and ryan is just more in that camp of ideas and he thinks about the party mostly as a vehicle to advance conservatism
mr ryans associates say he has also been repulsed by mr trumps bombastic tone and proposals like his call to ban muslim immigrants and visitors
but he is just as motivated by his concern for protecting his house majority something that was not even in question until mr trump became the presumptive nominee although many analysts say the majority is safe for now some of the most endangered house republicans come from districts where mr trump could be particularly damaging to their prospects
there is for example little upside to mr trump for republicans like representative robert dold who represents the moderate leaning north shore chicago suburbs or representative carlos curbelo who has a heavily hispanic district in south florida
no former house speaker since james k polk has gone on to win the presidency but if mr ryan started a campaign in four or eight years he would begin with a formidable network of donors built up during his time in the house and while he was mitt romneys running mate in 2012
mr romney may be the biggest booster of a future ryan white house campaign
i would love to see him run for president mr romney said of mr ryan at a private fund raiser in washington last week for an israeli university a recording of mr romneys remarks was shared with the new york times by an attendee
mr ryan has deepened his connection to the republican donor universe since taking over the speakership last year raising 235 million for his house colleagues
dan senor a friend of mr ryans who advised him during the 2012 white house race said he was skeptical that the speaker would try to use the house as a presidential launching pad
the building of the machine would be easy its just a question of if he actually ever wants to do it mr senor said i dont think he will
while mr ryan is seen as an institutional republican relative to mr trump he draws from a brain trust that exists in large part off capitol hill
a protege of jack kemp a former republican congressman from new york mr ryan is a free markets and free people conservative of the sort venerated by the wall street journal editorial page
his outside informal consulting group includes mr wehner george weigel a founding president of the conservative james madison foundation yuval levin a founding editor of national affairs and many from kemp world paul is very interested in catholic social doctrine which is something i have written about extensively so we talk a lot about that mr weigel said
but this year at least republican primary voters demonstrated no appetite for mr ryans style of aspirational conservatism having rejected both senator marco rubio and former gov jeb bush both of florida
still what ultimately may push mr ryan toward a presidential run of his own is rooted in the agonizing situation he is enduring right now a recognition that his ambitions for remaking his party into something that reflects his vision will not be realized outside of the white house because his push for an overhaul of the nations tax entitlement and poverty programs toward a more free market orientation may be stymied unless he becomes president
he has now seen the power of the bully pulpit said bob wood a lobbyist and like mr ryan a native wisconsinite
while mr ryan keeps his eyes on getting through 2016 many of his republican colleagues are clearly looking to 2020 senator ben sasse of nebraska a never trump leader is widely viewed as angling for a run as is senator tom cotton of arkansas mr cottons state is considering a bill that would make it easier for him to run for re election and the white house at the same time
but most eyes are currently on mr ryan his demurrals notwithstanding
he says hes not mr burr said  i take everybody at their word then he paused some mornings i feel like im the only one looking in the mirror that doesnt see the next president up here


washington   the director of the fbi said wednesday that he would not be rushed into finishing his agencys investigation of hillary clintons emails on an election timetable and he would not say whether the inquiry would be wrapped up by the november presidential election
we want to do it well and we want to do it promptly so i feel pressure to do both of those things james comey the fbi director said
i dont tether to any particular external deadline he said during a round table discussion with reporters so i do feel the pressure to do it well and promptly but as between the two i always choose well
while mrs clinton has characterized the investigation as a security inquiry mr comey said he was not familiar with the term
a spokesman for mrs clinton declined to comment on whether the campaigns view of the matter was different from mr comeys the republican national committee said that mr comeys comments confirmed that mrs clinton had been deliberately misleading the public
the fbis case began as a security referral from the inspectors general of the state department and the nations intelligence agencies who were concerned that classified information might have been stored outside a secure government network but multiple law enforcement officials said the matter quickly became an investigation into whether anyone had committed a crime in handling classified information
as mrs clinton seeks to secure the democratic nomination for president and turn her attention to donald j trump the presumptive republican nominee questions over her emails have remained a political headache   one that mr trump seems inclined to compound if he can
hoping to brand mrs clinton with the kind of two word moniker crooked hillary that helped topple several republican opponents mr trump has made clear his intention to focus his campaign energies on mrs clintons emails
typical hillary clinton mr trump said wednesday in a statement emailed by an aide can never tell the truth and in this case its a very big deal
by contrast her democratic opponent senator bernie sanders of vermont has largely avoided the issue saying months ago during a debate that americans were sick and tired of hearing about the emails
but for mr trump the strategy carries risk potentially opening the door to questions about his own record of disclosures he has faced criticism over his refusal to release his tax returns
mr comey said he had been receiving regular briefings on the status of the investigation into mrs clintons emails which has included interviews with some of mrs clintons closest aides at the state department on her decision to use a private server for all of her government business as secretary of state some emails that went through her server appear to have been classified at various security levels because of sensitive information
officials say that mrs clinton would probably be interviewed soon by the fbi on sunday she said on cbss face the nation that the fbi had not asked to interview her but reiterated that she would be available to law enforcement officials as necessary
i made it clear that im more than ready to talk to anybody anytime and ive encouraged all of my assistants to be very forthcoming mrs clinton told cbs


a 21 year old man was sentenced this week to 18 years to life in prison for a 2011 attack in queens in which he and five other teenage boys killed a man by stomping on him and beating him prosecutors said on wednesday
the man alex velez pleaded guilty last month in state supreme court in queens to first degree manslaughter and is the fourth person to be sentenced in connection with the march 12 2011 attack prosecutors said the three others who all pleaded guilty to assault related charges and were sentenced in 2013 faced penalties ranging from four to 16 years in prison two others have not yet been tried
mr velezs lawyer did not immediately return a message seeking comment
anthony collao an 18 year old from long island was leaving a party at a house early in the morning in the woodhaven neighborhood when the group of teenagers chased him while making homophobic remarks and carrying what investigators believed were a stick a pipe and a cane the authorities said
the group caught up with mr collao on 90th street between 88th and 89th avenues where they punched kicked and struck him prosecutors said the group also took his atlanta braves cap and his sneakers
mr collao died from his injuries two days later


federal prosecutors announced on wednesday that they had charged a sixth man in connection with an alleged terrorist network based in brooklyn which has been accused of providing material support to the islamic state
the new defendant azizjon rakhmatov 28 was secretly added on monday to a pre existing indictment of four other men   akhror saidakhmetov abror habibov dilkhayot kasimov and akmal zakirov   who were accused of similar crimes in february 2015 another defendant abdurasul hasanovich juraboev pleaded guilty in the case in august
in announcing the new charges the prosecutors said that mr rakhmatov whose nationality is uzbek worked with mr habibov and mr zakirov to help fund mr saidakhmetovs efforts to travel to syria and fight with the islamic state also known as isis or isil mr saidakhmetov 19 at the time of his arrest was taken into custody on a jetway at kennedy international airport last year as he boarded a flight to istanbul
in the eight days before mr saidakhmetov left mr rakhmatov and others transferred about 2400 into mr zakirovs personal bank account   money that was intended to pay for the trip and to help mr saidakhmetov buy a weapon court papers say prosecutors say that mr saidakhmetov and mr juraboev had spoken about planting a bomb in coney island and attacking president obama on behalf of isis though the authorities have not presented evidence that the men took steps beyond mere talk of these events
mr rakhmatov was charged after the federal agents captured him discussing the plot with mr habibov in numerous electronic intercepts he remained in custody on wednesday and would face a maximum sentence of 50 years in prison if convicted


ponte vedra beach fla   jordan spieth was standing over his ball on the 10th tee at tpc sawgrass when rickie fowler fished a bottle of water from a cooler and tossed it over spieths head to justin thomas on the opposite side of the tee box spieth did not flinch
after a four week break from competitive golf spieth appeared to be in midtournament form tuesday during a practice round ahead of this weeks players championship
for his first 18 hole round in front of a paying public since his meltdown on the sunday of the masters last month spieth assembled the same group that had helped him shake off that closing 73
two weeks after he surrendered a five stroke lead on the back nine at augusta national golf club to finish the masters tied for second spieth took a vacation in the bahamas he was accompanied by fowler thomas and smylie kaufman who reunited with him tuesday for a low key practice round
the bahamas trip organized a month in advance of the masters was just what the sports psychologist would have ordered each player arrived with unwanted baggage from augusta national kaufman had carded a final round 81 while paired with spieth fowler had missed the cut after an opening 80 and thomas had not broken par until the final round
spieths collapse included bogeys on nos 10 and 11 and two balls in the water on the par 3 12th leading to a quadruple bogey 7 buried in the carnage from that stretch was the fact that spieth rebounded with birdies on two of his next three holes he gave himself a shot at an improbable comeback victory in defense of his title but he ran out of holes to catch danny willett who won by three
on a teleconference call last week the nbc analyst johnny miller said the 2016 masters was going to haunt spieth for a long time on wednesday spieth sounded as if he begged to differ
speaking at a pretournament news conference spieth said he had already put the masters behind him
after a month off it felt like a bit of an off season he said so its almost like a new year starting this week
he said he was not bothered by the water hazards on several holes of the stadium course including the 17th with its island green which affords ample cause for sweat inducing flashbacks to augusta national
ill just tell you that im not affected by it spieth said referring to this week he added i mean if i hit a good shot and it catches a gust and goes in the water its not because of the masters
like wheat from the chaff spieth separated the last six holes of his final back nine at the masters from the first three when dissecting his round from the 13th hole on he said there was a lot of pressure there with a lot of tough shots and we pulled them off
he added not sure how itll feel if i work into contention again i imagine thoughts wont come up because it was just one bad hole
there were no bad holes at the bakers bay golf and ocean club in the bahamas where spieth 22 and the rest of the gang that could not shoot straight at the masters hit the reset button their daily itineraries included a lot of fishing and some golf when it was too choppy offshore to while away the day on a boat on the course they divided into teams and played alternate shot which halved the pressure and doubled their enjoyment
it wasnt hitting that many balls or being that serious thomas 23 said for myself i hadnt really had too much fun playing golf lately so it was good for that
when fowler 27 was not hitting shots he was taking them with his smartphone for posting on his social media accounts in some of the shots the players are shirtless in all of them they are playfully mugging for the camera or grinning
i dont think any of us have really been on an actual spring break so a little guys trip fowler said we had a good time and the four of us are all refreshed and ready to go play some golf
kaufman 24 said its great to be able to hang with some good friends who do the same thing as me and get away from your everyday life which can be very stressful at times
he added it was good timing to be able to take a vacation and unwind for a couple of days before getting back to work
of the four spieth is the last to return to the office he said he spent some of his time away from the tour at the driving range in dallas smoothing out the kinks in his swing   to return it as he said to the consistent level it was at during really the second half of the year when i struck the ball the best
spieth did not back off any shots during his tuesday round as he did many times at the masters where he was battling augusta national and his swing but the setting was far from pressure packed
kaufman on occasion talked to the collar of thomas who was wearing a microphone and a tiny camera attached to the bill of his cap for gopro one of his sponsors on one green fowlers caddie joe skovron tossed him a ball fowler doing his best willie mays impression made a basket catch using his cap
how will spieths swing hold up when the wind picks up and the pressure bears down the fans who flock to tpc sawgrass this week are not the only ones who are curious
its going to be interesting to watch him play davis love iii said last week but i think and just listening to him and talking to him hes got a good attitude about it
love would have been derelict in his duties as the 2016 united states ryder cup captain if he had not checked in with spieth he was heartened by what he heard
if he was 32 or 39 yeah maybe it would be different love said adding but my talk with him he was talking about being more disciplined and sticking with his game plan better the same things he said in his interviews right after it happened so i think the reason hes so successful will be the reason that this doesnt bother him


indianapolis   tamika catchings relishes every moment she has left on the court
at her final wnba preseason game her hands got inexplicably clammy at her final media day she playfully jumped into photos with teammates and answered every question catchings the indiana fevers longtime franchise player still is not sure how she will feel during her final season opener saturday against dallas or what her emotions might be when she plays her final home game later this year
each moment however will carve out a special place in her 15th and final wnba chapter
i take photos of everything so at the end there will probably be a photo album said catchings who is retiring after this season you know i always try to be in the moment but its hard to be in the moment sometimes
for those who have followed her story over the past two decades there have been plenty of moments to share
they watched the daughter of the former nba player harvey catchings overcome a hearing impairment that affected both ears
they cheered as the highly regarded freshman forward helped tennessee complete a perfect season in 1997 98 they applauded when she became a three time all american and the 2000 national player of the year
they groaned when her senior season was cut short by a knee injury and roared with approval when she returned to the court and began her professional career
and they will be there to watch catchings close out a career that included a rookie of the year award 10 all star appearances five wnba defensive player of the year awards one most valuable player trophy one wnba title and mvp honors in the 2012 finals
but catchings became much more than just a big time player
her charity the catch the stars foundation awards scholarships to indianapolis area high school student athletes who have been active in community work she has supported reading programs provided school supplies for children and helped write two inspirational books detailing the twists and turns of her life
as she evolved from shy rookie to gregarious veteran catchings became an ambassador for womens basketball a role model for her teammates and a friend to almost anyone she met
there have been a lot of great players in the wnba but im not sure theres been a more well rounded player than tamika fever coach stephanie white said the way she lives her life the way shes embraced young people is hard to put into words ill put it this way there are very few players you play against that you want to hug right after the game
now catchings has figured out how to put her own imprint on the traditional script of a farewell tour
instead of giving speeches or accepting gifts from teams catchings is presenting 2000 grants to a local charity that promote fitness literacy and mentoring in 12 cities after those games catchings will sign autographs and auction off personal mementos including the game shoes she wore each night tickets will cost 24 matching catchingss jersey number with proceeds going to catch the stars
the goal is to raise 100000 so the charity can expand into each of the wnbas cities
she gives so much of herself to everyone else that we want to give something back to her   to mimic that passion and give her a championship in her final season fever center natalie achonwa said
to do that catchings 36 must embrace the new reality of her basketball world
after passing the captains torch to erlana larkins and briann january she is likely to log fewer minutes in part because she decided to spend the wnbas midseason olympic break chasing a fourth gold medal
but as the leagues active leader in scoring 6947 rebounds 3153 and steals 1012 she also understands that she will be the feature attraction everywhere she goes this season
she could become the first fever player whose jersey is retired and a hall of fame induction may not be far off either


mountain view calif   in its quest to maintain a united states military advantage the pentagon is aggressively turning to silicon valleys hottest technology   artificial intelligence
on wednesday secretary of defense ashton b carter made his fourth trip to the tech industrys heartland since being named to his post last year before that it had been 20 years since a defense secretary had visited the area he noted in a speech at a defense department research facility near googles headquarters
the pentagons intense interest in ai   and by connection the silicon valley companies specializing in that technology   has grown out of the third offset strategy articulated by mr carter last fall concerned about the re emergence of china and russia as military competitors he stated that computer based high tech weapons would give the american military an edge in the future
third offset is a reference to two earlier eras when pentagon planners turned to technology to compensate for a smaller military in the 1950s president eisenhower emphasized nuclear weapons as a deterrence to larger warsaw pact armies a second offset occurred in the 1970s and 80s when military planners turned to improved technology in conventional weapons to again compensate for smaller numbers
this time mr carter acknowledged the united states faces significant challenges in translating civilian innovation into a military advantage since the country will neither control nor determine the path of artificial intelligence
thats different than 30 or 40 or 50 years ago when we expected to control the pace of technology he said on wednesday in a speech at the pentagons nearly year old defense innovation unit experimental facility otherwise known by the techie acronym diux thats not true anymore but we still can stay the best military with respect to applications of ai
in recent weeks deputy defense secretary robert o work has repeatedly emphasized the importance of ai related technologies that he believes will help create a new class of iron man style fighters armed with increasingly smart weapons
he has invoked the concept of centaur warfighting   systems that combine ai with the capabilities of humans resulting in faster responses than humans alone could achieve
the defense department will need silicon valleys help with that technology and mr carter indicated that bridge building with local companies was a key reason the new pentagon office he visited on wednesday will now report directly to him
the defense department has always had a close relationship with some of techs biggest companies the hewlett packard co founder david packard for example served as deputy secretary of defense in the nixon administration
many companies still count the pentagon and intelligence agencies among their biggest customers a venture fund backed by the central intelligence agency has been investing in tech companies since the dot com boom of the late 1990s
but younger silicon valley executives particularly those in ai research have shown little interest in seeing their new technology used by the military
the depiction of defense weapons that fire without a human operator raised alarms among arms control advocates and some military strategists who worry that the line between offensive and defensive uses of smart weapons will be difficult to maintain
we need to figure out where to draw the line and we need to stay on the right side of it said stuart j russell an ai specialist at the university of california berkeley who is a leader in a movement to ban autonomous weapons
in fact turning over killing decisions to machines is seen by some technologists and military strategists as inviting a new and possibly destabilizing arms race
im not as confident that we can clearly delineate between offensive and defensive weapons in general said paul scharre a weapons analyst at the center for a new american security a washington based policy group if there was an easy way to do that nations would have agreed long ago to only build defensive weapons
despite skepticism among some in the tech community the pentagon has played a key role in one of the best known examples of ai the self driving vehicle concepts now championed by companies like google and uber
beginning in 2004 darpa the pentagons advanced research agency tried to speed progress in autonomous vehicles by hosting a series of three autonomous vehicle grand challenges the effort set off a wave of commercial research and development but it fell short of a goal to remove united states soldiers from hazardous roles on the battlefield
military contractors say that self driving technology has now advanced to the point where a human soldier could sit in the drivers seat in the last vehicle in a truck convoy safely controlling a series of vehicles despite technology demonstrations however the american military has not yet committed to converting existing trucks to such a system
mr carters background could provide him with cachet among silicon valleys tech elite he received a doctorate in theoretical physics from oxford university and has been a lecturer at the stanford freeman spogli institute for international studies and a visiting fellow at the universitys hoover institution just a few miles from where he gave his speech on wednesday
in addition to changing the reporting structure of the diux group which occupies a sprawling facility opposite a nasa wind tunnel and adjacent to silicon valleys busy highway 101 mr carter pointed to a range of initiatives that he was undertaking in an effort to make the defense departments culture more like that of silicon valley
were taking a page straight from the silicon valley playbook were iterating rapidly to make diux even better he said borrowing a bit of tech industry lingo he said the pentagon planned to create additional organizations in other regions of the country that the defense department considered to be innovation hubs he said the next office would be opened in the boston area another hotbed of ai research centered on harvard and mit
ive been pushing the pentagon to think outside our five sided box and invest aggressively in change and innovation he said adding that the defense departments proposed research and development budget for the 2017 fiscal year was more than double the combined rd spending of apple google and intel in the last year


residents of about 700 apartments on the upper east side of manhattan have been reduced to cooking on hot plates after consolidated edison cut off a gas line to their building upon discovering illegal conditions last week
both the utility and the new york fire department responded to complaints of a gas odor in the building yorkshire towers on 86th street at second avenue and found renovation work being done without the proper permits a spokesman for the citys buildings department said the department ordered a halt to some of that work until the landlord ues management gets permits and brings the illegal pipes into compliance he said
yorkshire towers has been roiled by discontent over the piecemeal overhaul of the building which was bought in 2014 by two real estate firms the chetrit group and stellar management for 395 million
on tuesday the buildings department logged two more complaints including one contending that the landlord was violating the stop work order it received just a few days before in all the department has received 32 complaints about conditions in the building in less than two months
we are at war theres no question about it said gilbert sabater who has lived at yorkshire towers for 45 years of the tenants and their landlord
mr sabater 80 said that con ed initially shut off all gas to the building on thursday evening but on friday he said the company turned the gas fired furnace back on so tenants could have hot water
the service line that supplies gas to the stoves in the apartments had remained shut off and a spokesman for the landlord said he could not estimate when the gas might be restored in the interim ues management has supplied tenants with electric hot plates for cooking the spokesman john marino said
mr marino released a statement saying that the landlord was working diligently with all appropriate parties including the buildings department and con edison to quickly and safely alleviate any gas related issues at 305 east 86th street mr marino later said ues management had been granted a permit on wednesday afternoon to do the repair work
an image captured by a tenant showed dozens of new hot plates stacked up inside the building over the weekend but mr sabater said a hot plate was not sufficient so he bought a toaster oven on tuesday an expense he said he would deduct from his rent
without it he said how am i going to have my toast
alexander schnell a spokesman for the buildings department said yorkshire towers currently had eight outstanding violations but only the most recent involved the plumbing for the natural gas lines the others he said were related to construction work
shutting off gas to buildings on the upper east side has been a more common occurrence since a gas leak led to an explosion that leveled two apartment buildings in east harlem two years ago said councilman ben kallos a democrat whose district includes yorkshire towers
ever since there was an explosion related to gas weve seen con edison being very aggressive with gas shut offs all over the district mr kallos said if con ed says theres an issue we have to trust them
his office he said has become more adept at persuading con ed and the buildings department to speed up the process of restoring service as soon as possible after repairs are made
in the case of yorkshire towers however the first move will have to be made by the landlord
we cannot go back and restore service until a licensed plumber comes out and makes repairs elizabeth matthews a spokeswoman for con edison said


washington   the government has secretly destroyed evidence that is relevant to the death penalty trial of the five guantanamo bay detainees accused of aiding the terrorist attacks of sept 11 2001 two defense lawyers for khalid shaikh mohammed the self described architect of those attacks said on wednesday
the dispute appears likely to add a new chapter to the problems that have plagued the effort to bring the case before a military commission which has been bogged down for years in pretrial proceedings the defense lawyers are asking for the judge overseeing the case col james pohl of the army and the prosecution team led by brig gen mark s martins to be recused from further involvement and for the case to be shut down
the defense lawyers david nevin and maj derek poteet said they were not permitted to say what the evidence was or what exactly had happened to it because the underlying issue was classified but mr nevin characterized it as favorable to the defendants and major poteet said it was important or even critical to an eventual trial including in terms of weighing what sort of punishment should be imposed if the defendants were convicted
major poteet also said the defense was informed in february that colonel pohl had approved a plan by the government to give the defendants a government prepared summary of a substitute for the original classified evidence that is no longer available he provided no further details about what the alternative evidence consisted of
still the defense lawyers offered several clues from the unclassified portion of their filing which they submitted on tuesday but is not yet publicly available they said the issue traced back to several years ago when the question of the evidences fate first arose colonel pohl eventually issued an public order at the defenses request requiring it to be preserved and they thought that had settled the matter
but they learned in february they said that about 20 months earlier and without their knowledge prosecutors had obtained from colonel pohl a secret order that reversed his previous decision by the time they found out the government had already destroyed the evidence giving them no opportunity to challenge the move
major poteet said their motion portrayed this event as having created at least the appearance of colonel pohl colluding with the government damaging the defendants right to a fair trial he also said the government had said it would not allow the defense access to any other evidence of a similar kind and would instead use similar substitutions
the dispute may center on one of the overseas facilities where the central intelligence agency formerly ran a black site prison where mr mohammed was tortured before his transfer to the military run prison at guantanamo bay cuba in 2006
the defense strategy has been to argue that their clients lives should be spared as mitigation for the governments abuses of them in the black site prisons which were reportedly in thailand poland romania lithuania and afghanistan and at a secret site at the guantanamo base
in september 2012 defense lawyers submitted a joint motion to require the government to preserve any existing evidence of any overseas detention facility used to imprison any of the defendants or potential witnesses in this case including maintaining any structure or fixture in its current state
given the realities of this case it is certain that what occurred during that detention will be at issue at the pretrial trial and if necessary sentencing phases of these proceedings the motion said the conditions under which the accused were detained will be highly significant to the defense sentencing case
on dec 19 2013 over the governments objections colonel pohl issued a public order granting the request
asked whether what they had learned was that the government had later secretly obtained colonel pohls permission to alter one or more of the cia facilities that had hosted a black site prison the defense lawyers said they could not comment
asked the same question dean boyd a cia spokesman said the agency has complied with all applicable preservation orders in this matter
cmdr gary ross a spokesman for the office of military commissions said it would be inappropriate to comment on a document not yet released to the public


sunderland completed its latest escape from relegation in the english premier league on wednesday   and consigned newcastle its bitter nearby rival to the second tier in the process
a 3 0 win over visiting everton guaranteed sunderland safety with a game to spare and justified its decision to hire the survival specialist sam allardyce as manager in october
under allardyce who has yet to be relegated from the english top flight in 25 years as a manager sunderland lost just one of its final 10 matches
its pretty miraculous allardyce said
newcastle and norwich join aston villa in going down just as the premier league is to begin new domestic and international television deals worth a record 12 billion over the next three years
allardyce said securing the clubs financial future was the most important thing this season
norwichs 4 2 victory over watford proved to be in vain as sunderland stayed four points ahead norwich lasted just one season back in the top flight
the story for us is that as a club we have dropped short for a variety of reasons said alex neil norwichs manager we have made vital errors in games at crucial times and the recruitment has not been as good to strengthen the squad
newcastle which plays tottenham on sunday needed help from everton but a free kick from patrick van aanholt and two goals from his fellow defender lamine kone eased sunderland to victory
it remains to be seen if newcastle manager rafa benitez who was hired in march will trigger the clause in his contract allowing him to terminate his three year contract benitez was coaching real madrid at the start of the season and is one of the sports best regarded managers   an unlikely candidate for a season in englands second tier
we are devastated at our relegation from the premier league as i know every single person connected to this football club will be said lee charnley the newcastle managing director he called relegation a massive disappointment and underachievement
by forcing newcastles relegation allardyce got a measure of revenge more than eight years after he was fired at st james park   just eight months into a three year deal   after being criticized for his brand of soccer and he got one over benitez with whom he has openly clashed through the years
the only things at stake in sundays final round of premier league games are the last champions league qualification spot between manchester city manchester united and   at least mathematically   west ham and the europa league berth
elsewhere christian benteke scored in the second minute of injury time to earn liverpool a 1 1 draw against chelsea eden hazard had put chelsea in front with his fourth goal in fourth games after what has been a disappointing campaign for last seasons player of the year in england


an arts charity whose executive director was attacked with lye after she began investigating missing money shut down suddenly on wednesday
the charity healing arts initiative based in queens provided arts performances and workshops for more than 350000 disabled poor and older new yorkers annually its board said on wednesday that healing arts was months behind on rent and other payments and that it expected to declare bankruptcy
founded in 1969 the organization had been in turmoil for months
shortly after being hired last summer the director d alexandra dyer was disfigured in an attack that led to three arrests and the exposure of what prosecutors said was a 750000 embezzlement scheme
in april ms dyer sued the board on behalf of the charity itself claiming that the boards negligence had enabled the thefts last week the board fired ms dyer and her chief financial officer frank williams
the board said on wednesday through a spokesman timothy gilles that expenses for program payroll and administration had exceeded revenue for many months but that the board did not know the extent of the problem until this week because ms dyer and mr williams had withheld crucial financial information
ms dyer and mr williams said that they supplied all possible information and that the board ignored complaints about malfeasance for years
if the board thinks that by firing alexandra dyer who uncovered the thefts and by putting hai into bankruptcy they will thwart the investigation into their incompetence they are sadly mistaken ronald g russo a lawyer for ms dyer said
mr williams said that as recently as last month the chairman of the board d leslie winter insisted that 100000 from city contracts that should have gone to pay performers be used instead to pay off a loan from a small business development organization of which mr winter is president mr winter said through mr gilles that he did not and would not issue any such instruction
the state attorney generals office said it was monitoring healing arts
mr gilles said we are working with the attorney general to understand what happened
a social worker for a man who participated in the charitys art studio for the mentally ill said her client was saddened by the news
hes devastated to lose his peer group and all the opportunities he had for making his art and sharing it with the world in gallery settings the social worker alexis carter said


the cleveland clinic is widely seen as the top heart hospital in the country so when valeant pharmaceuticals international pledged to congress that it would offer hospitals breaks of as much as 30 percent on two of its expensive heart drugs officials at the hospital figured they would hear from the company soon
i think we definitely would be among the top users said scott knoer the chief pharmacy officer at the cleveland clinic the two drugs nitropress and isuprel are commonly used to treat heart patients and their prices shot up last year after valeant acquired them the clinic spent more than 53 million on the two drugs in 2015 i would assume we would be on that list
instead there has been silence
the same scene has played out in at least several other large hospitals around the country including johns hopkins the mayo clinic and newyork presbyterian administrators at the hospitals say nothing has changed since the senate hearing two weeks ago when valeants chief executive vowed to look into senators assertions that they had not found a single hospital that had received any discounts on the drugs
nope said erin r fox the pharmacist who negotiates drug prices on behalf of the university of utah health care system which spends just over 640000 a year on the two drugs ms fox has been contacting valeant since october of last year seeking discounts she said crickets
is this just lip service she asked or are we going to have another hearing in six weeks
senator susan collins republican of maine described the companys pledge to offer discounts as disingenuous and called on one of its biggest investors william a ackman to follow through on his promise to address the issue
bill ackman pledged at our hearing to address these issues at the board level said ms collins who is chairwoman of the senate special committee on aging which has been investigating valeants pricing practices mr ackman recently joined valeants board i take him at his word and i hope to see significant changes soon
valeant has reached out to ascension the largest nonprofit health system in the country and valeant said it was offering discounts through two companies that negotiate prices on behalf of hospitals
but one of those companies premier described the discounts as minimal to nonexistent and said that only two of its 2500 member hospitals had received the 30 percent discounts the company had offered most of the rest qualified for discounts of just one penny off the wholesale price which is essentially no discount the company said
valeant unlike many other companies has never really been interested in participating in a competitive market a spokeswoman for the company premier said in a statement
the skyrocketing prices of these two drugs are at the heart of the controversy over valeants now condemned business model of buying old drugs and raising their prices precipitously which led to an outcry from hospitals doctors and their patients the practice has drawn inquiries from the united states attorneys in new york and massachusetts congressional hearings and   with a litany of other problems   it has led the companys stock to lose almost 90 percent of its value since last summer
now the company is in image repair mode in april it dismissed its chief executive j michael pearson and shook up its board before he departed mr pearson described the companys pricing policies as a mistake and valeant has since formed a committee that it said would review the pricing of new and older products including nitropress and isuprel
in an interview wednesday valeants new chief executive joseph c papa said the pricing committee had met and discussed changes to the discount program for the two drugs what were now doing is to resolve some of those difficulties that some of the players have experienced he said i now believe weve got a solution to this question and i look forward to being able to announce this he said
for his part mr ackman declined to comment for this article
outrage over the cost of the two drugs began in february of last year when valeant bought nitropress and isuprel and immediately raised their prices in 2015 the price of nitropress an emergency blood pressure drug went from 215 a vial to 881 an increase of more than 300 percent according to the cleveland clinic isuprel which treats abnormal heart rhythms went from 180 to 1472 a vial a 718 percent increase
in february of this year after being called before congress to explain its practices valeant said it would set up discounts on the two drugs through arrangements with the companies that negotiate prices on behalf of hospitals known as group purchasing organizations
valeant said last week that it had offered the discounts of up to 30 percent through two of the organizations medassets and premier it said the recent senate hearing revealed gaps in that process
were working to identify those gaps now as well as develop solutions so any hospital that is eligible for discounts on nitropress and isuprel receives them the company said
but premier said valeant set such strict requirements for those discounts that only a handful of hospitals have received any it said only one hospital out of its 2500 members was receiving a 30 percent discount on nitropress and 27 are receiving 15 percent to 20 percent discounts for isuprel only one hospital is receiving a 30 percent discount and nine have qualified for a 20 percent discount premier said
the percentage of hospitals getting the discount was so low because it only applies to very high volume purchases amanda forster the premier spokeswoman said in the statement
angie boliver a spokeswoman for medassets which vizient bought recently said valeant had offered a discount on nitropress and isuprel since january but declined to provide details however we want to make it clear that we condemn valeants past pricing and business methods ms boliver said such tactics harm providers patients and payers
some hospital administrators said they were puzzled by valeants seeming unwillingness to negotiate even after several attempts
we thought they would reach out to us but we never heard back said roy guharoy the chief pharmacy officer at ascension typically you know all pharmaceutical companies are interested to sell
mr guharoy said he was contacted by valeant within the last week and is negotiating with the company ascension negotiates prices through its own group purchasing organization
the cleveland clinic the mayo clinic and newyork presbyterian   all top ranked heart hospitals   do not qualify for the discounts because they do not use medassets or premier
mr knoer said he would welcome a discount on the two drugs given how commonly they are used at the clinic but he said a 30 percent discount would not be enough
they raised the price 800 percent and they are going to give 30 percent he said it is still not enough compared to the egregious price increases they have done


in the latest attempt to restore confidence in its business the embattled silicon valley blood testing company theranos is replacing its chief operating officer and expanding its board including the addition of a former senior amgen executive
theranos attracted the media spotlight with its claim of revolutionizing the laboratory business offering simplified blood tests at a fraction of the cost of conventional methods but the company once valued at 9 billion now faces growing skepticism over its technology and is under criminal investigation and intense regulatory scrutiny
the companys chief operating officer sunny balwani is departing as its flagship laboratory operations in california are threatened with potentially crippling sanctions federal inspections revealed serious deficiencies including one that posed immediate jeopardy to patient health and safety according to government officials
the proposed sanctions include revoking the california labs certification and barring mr balwani and elizabeth holmes theranoss chief executive from the industry for two years theranos insists it has fixed the problems at the lab federal officials have not yet announced any final action
mr balwanis precise role in the companys current problems was unclear a computer scientist and successful entrepreneur he has been theranoss president and chief operating officer since 2009 in a statement he said he would continue to be the companys biggest advocate
through a theranos spokeswoman mr balwani declined to comment further officials from the centers of medicare and medicaid services which conducted the inspections also declined to comment
ms holmes a stanford university dropout who founded and controls theranos will remain as chief executive but mr balwanis departure is the biggest shake up yet at the company theranos said that it would hire several new executives as soon as possible and that it was dividing its operations into separate divisions focusing on its core technology and its clinical laboratory business
theranos has been sharply criticized for a lack of experienced laboratory professionals among its management and on its board and ms holmes emphasized that it was now looking to bring in top experts in the field the company has already made some hires including a new lab director for its california operations
the company insisted that the most recent changes were not a result of the regulatory pressure but were because of the need to expand its operations this is about building our company ms holmes said in an interview this is about realizing the next stage of our growth
ms holmes said that her own role in determining the companys overall strategy would not change but that the addition of new executives would allow the company to better develop its business as it evolved from a start up
fabrizio j bonanni a retired amgen executive vice president who is joining the board said he would help theranos develop the infrastructure necessary to satisfy regulators and to become a major business they need to have systems and standard processes so they can excel in this growth he said
dr bonanni has extensive operations experience at amgen and baxter international both large health care organizations he said he believed the company would be responsive to any suggestions he made about how to structure the business and hire the right executives
i saw a group of people who are eager to listen and eager to learn he said
theranos also announced that two of its advisers dr william h foege a former director of the centers for disease control and prevention and richard m kovacevich a former chief executive of wells fargo were joining its formal board
the company which has been the subject of numerous critical articles in the wall street journal questioning its proprietary technology is struggling to resolve the troubles it faces including investigations by the justice department and the securities and exchange commission
ms holmes said theranos which has been secretive about its technology because of what it said were fears that its intellectual property would be stolen planned on becoming much more open about how it conducts its tests
she said the company would be publishing articles in peer reviewed journals and making presentations before lab experts in the coming months
what matters ms holmes said is the fundamentals the science and the technology and the data


it is not exactly accurate to say no one uses the 11 million public dock that was installed off the shoreline of bay ridge brooklyn two and a half years ago it was praised by city officials for the access it would give local residents to the shore and for the resiliency of its construction but it closed after one season when the gangway snapped off and was never repaired then the pilings holding it to the bay floor started bending today it sits more than seven miles away in sheepshead bay where it was towed for storage lashed to a bulkhead and kept behind a gate
there it is in almost constant use   a flock of swans and sea gulls have colonized it coating it with feathers feces and bits of fish
its always a pit in my stomach when i bike past it to see the eco dock missing said roland lewis the president and chief executive of the waterfront alliance an advocacy group for water access that facilitated the docks installation in october 2013 at the american veterans memorial pier for one summer it was a home for historic ships and hosted school groups taking kayaking lessons the real shame of the situation is how loved and used the dock was for the time it was up he added
intended as a way to connect people who live in bay ridge to their underused bay the 40 by 60 foot dock was the culmination of years of planning and over 800000 in financing provided by councilman vincent j gentile a democrat who represents the neighborhood the remaining amount was provided by the offices of michael r bloomberg then the mayor and marty markowitz the brooklyn borough president at the time and for a season as school children and residents took to the water off the dock mr gentile said we realized that dream
but attached to the end of the 69th street pier which juts out about 600 feet into upper new york bay the dock was buffeted by waves from passing commuter ferries and the currents sweeping underneath the verrazano narrows bridge that is probably why the metal gangway attaching it to the pier split from the dock in november 2014 according to a timeline provided by the waterfront alliance
but other nearby docks that appear to be of similar size including one operated by the new york fire department just across the bay on staten island seem to be holding up mr lewis said he theorizes that the bay ridge dock was poorly designed by ocean and coastal consultants a nautical engineering company in connecticut which was contracted by the city to build it it is now part of an engineering firm cowi north america which is based in british columbia canada
philip chan a spokesman for cowi declined to discuss the docks condition including the quality of the work
new york citys parks department the agency responsible for the dock could not provide a date for when it would be repaired the timeline for replacing the dock is contingent upon a design maeri ferguson a spokeswoman for the agency said in an email the gangway will be included in the re engineering of the support pilings the gangway was never fixed because of the long review process city projects must undergo the department said
what was all that wasted money for said james aponte 26 who lives in east new york brooklyn and goes to bay ridge regularly to fish for bass and flounder from the 69th street pier the dock could have kept children out of trouble just as fishing did for him he said by introducing them to the serenity of the water though it is a waterfront community bay ridge has few of the aquatic amenities of other coastal brooklyn neighborhoods like brooklyn heights where a new marina recently opened in brooklyn bridge park
but the gangway became the least of the docks problems when it was dealt another blow the past winter this one fatal around january the pilings that anchored it to the bed of the bay called spuds bent the pilings were no longer deemed stable and the dock was towed by the parks department to its current swan filled location in sheepshead bay where it lingers just across the street from the giant lobster shaped sign of randazzos clam bar
what bent the pilings which are made of solid steel and 26 inches in diameter is a mystery even after the company that designed the dock sent a team of divers to inspect it according to a report filed with the parks department by stephen a famularo the chief project manager for the company something may have smashed into it the findings indicated while there were no indications of impact on the dock or the piles mr famularo wrote the force required to displace piles of this size is significant the report said it was prepared by ocean and coastal consulants on behalf of cowi
mr lewis of the waterfront alliance says he does not believe the dock was ever hit it was not designed well enough for that piece of water and the beating a structure takes in that location he said his organization has drafted a letter but has not yet sent it to cowi demanding that the company make the needed repairs
they said it would withstand the storm of the century and it didnt mr gentile said
on the 69th street pier on a recent warm afternoon jonathan nolan 51 a construction project manager sat fishing a few feet from where a green and white parks department sign read eco dock attached to a metal gate beyond which lay nothing but water
it would have been nice mr nolan said to have something for the people in bay ridge


los angeles   theres a lot riding on a robot   the teabot to be exact   but not for the canadian start up behind the machine
rather it is 365 the much anticipated new grocery concept from whole foods markets that is banking on the robotic kiosk and a host of other bells and whistles to reverse the companys waning fortunes the first store here in silver lake a neighborhood in the east side of los angeles opens in two weeks
on wednesday jeff turnas the president of 365 gave a tour of the store which feels like a sort of foodie playroom shelves racks and refrigerated cases are splashed with bright primary colors and surrounded by exposed insulation and polished concrete floors all the fixtures are low profile   the highest shelving rises just 72 inches electronic terminals are lined up ready to accept orders
instead of a human sommelier theres banquet a wine app developed especially for 365 stores by delectable want a bottle of special frankies olive oil for 999 the green gold olive oil is sold exclusively at 365 the store will also feature flash finds the name for goods procured and available only temporarily
look were all foodies here we love food mr turnas said i think thats kind of gotten lost in all the buzz about this store which has mostly been about the business aspects
over the last couple of years mainstream grocers like costco and kroger which have studied the whole foods playbook have started to offer big selections of organic and other natural products   often at lower prices   attracting some millennials and devotees of organic and natural merchandise
the competition has hurt whole foods bottom line in the quarter that ended on april 10 the companys revenue was flat and sales in stores open at least a year fell 3 percent profit dropped roughly 10 percent to 142 million in part because the company had lowered prices and offered discounts in an effort to retain and attract customers
its shares are down more than half from their peak in october 2013
right now the legacy whole foods stores have difficulty attracting new customers customers who dont already shop there said william kirk an investment analyst at rbc capital conventional grocery stores have increased the amount of products they sell that overlap with whole foods and are offering them at cheaper prices
the company has plans to open at least two other 365 locations this year the others will be in lake oswego ore outside portland and bellevue wash outside seattle whole foods plans to open up to 25 traditional stores this year as well
were testing three different demographics to see how different customers react said david lannon executive vice president for operations in a phone call from bellingham wash where a new whole foods just opened he added that the company was also opening larger whole foods stores that would allow it to expand higher margin businesses like the restaurants and bars inside its stores
anticipation of the new 365 store has generated a fierce round of rumors mr turnas said he was almost as tired of hearing that it would be a cheaper version of whole foods as he was of the rumor that it would have a tattoo parlor in it
neither rumor he says is true
it does not have a tattoo parlor nor is it merely a stripped down whole foods instead its more like what old navy is to the gap or madewell to jcrew
how is it different the 365 stores will stock roughly 7000 items compared with 35000 to 52000 for a traditional whole foods meat is sold only in packages lowering the cost of offering specialty cuts of meat served up by a butcher
the store will still sell a wide variety of organic produce though its selection of conventional produce is wider as an example of how it might keep prices lower than whole foods mr turnas pointed to apples
at whole foods we love big round apples he said at 365 we love apples too and get them from the same suppliers but they may be smaller less beautiful
fruit is sold atop bright red fixtures straight out of the boxes and crates in which it is delivered rather than in the handmade heaps found in a whole foods store
for dry goods 365 will stock the companys private label brand from which it gets its name and a few branded products leaving the shoppers at whole foods to scope out the latest interesting natural and organic brands
despite the interest in the new line of stores mr kirk of rbc capital points out that residents of silver lake protested the arrival of the 365 because they wanted the traditional whole foods that was originally planned for the site
people like me think almost universally this is some kind of panicked or desperate or rushed maneuver that will cannibalize whole foods mr kirk said but i dont think theyre giving the company enough credit for thinking about this and planning it for a very long time
the 365 branded locations will have about 100 employees compared with 250 to 500 in a traditional whole foods
mr turnas 44 who typically has a small ponytail and wears a hooded sweatshirt and canvas camper shoes looks like the textbook 365 customer he is even living in a place here that he rented through airbnb for the month before the store opens
he got the job after leading the whole foods business in britain where the company entered the market with the acquisition of a chain called fresh  wild in 2007 mr turnas is credited with helping turn around the companys fortunes there
we did everything to make that store about convenience for the customer and a lot of that is what were doing here mr turnas said
in addition to teabot which contacted him via linkedin 365 in silver lake will have the first west coast outpost of by chloe a hot vegan restaurant in new york city and an outpost of allegro coffee roasters
such partnerships reduce the need for extensive kitchen operations like the ones that churn out hot meals and prepared foods in whole foods stores while 365 does have a kitchen its main job is to make grab and go items like pizza and prepared foods
so no we dont have a tattoo parlor mr turnas said but we do have a lot of other cool stuff


washington   the islamic state calls them inghimasi   zealous foot soldiers who intend to fight to their deaths and as the american backed coalition has reclaimed territory from the group in iraq and syria that fervor has kept prisoners from being much of a problem the shooting only stops when almost every islamic state fighter has been killed
but that could change as the coalition moves toward the islamic states largest urban strongholds   mosul iraq and raqqa syria   raising a potential problem for the united states if the coalition is successful and thousands of ordinary members of a collapsing islamic state have nowhere left to retreat will they start to surrender in greater numbers and if so who will be responsible for imprisoning them
after the experiences of the past decade in the wars in afghanistan and iraq the obama administration is determined not to revive large scale detention operations but it is far from clear whether allies on the ground   especially rebels in syria   are prepared to hold large numbers of prisoners raising the prospect of an ugly aftermath to any victory
if theyre not killed but detained we are concerned about the standards of care who would do it and how it would be done peter maurer the president of the international committee of the red cross said in an interview
william k lietzau who oversaw detention policy at the pentagon from 2010 until 2013 said there was widespread opposition in the upper levels of the obama administration to conducting wartime detention but the alternative he said could lead to war crimes if american backed local fighters encounter more potential prisoners than they can handle
if the numbers start climbing theyre going to shoot them and youll never hear about it mr lietzau said
no one wants a repetition of the chaos that occurred in afghanistan during the fall of taliban rule in december 2001 at least hundreds perhaps thousands of taliban prisoners of war who had surrendered to forces loyal to an american backed warlord were killed
yet while international human rights groups say they too are concerned about the humane treatment of detainees there appears to be little desire among them for the united states to run a new wartime prison such groups have spent the past decade criticizing abuses at the former prison operations at bagram air base in afghanistan and at abu ghraib in iraq as well as at the prison at guantanamo bay cuba which is still open
american officials for similar reasons have said they do not want the responsibility for handling large numbers of islamic state captives
the united states does not intend to engage in the long term detention of isil detainees nor will we send any such detainees to the detention facility at guantanamo bay said myles caggins a national security council spokesman using the governments preferred acronym for the islamic state also known as isis
in a recent interview falih al essawi the head of the security committee in anbar iraq said that when iraqi security forces recently reclaimed ramadi they detained 1870 people of those he said about 300 have confessed to being members of the islamic state while the rest maintained they were civilians but so far capturing an islamic state fighter after a battle has been rare
most of the foreign militants are either suicide bombers with suicide vests or car bombs mr essawi said many of them were killed in the coalition airstrikes or iraqi air force strikes or killed in the battles and some of them have withdrawn to other areas
it is also possible that islamic state fighters and other members would try to hide throw away their weapons and melt into the local population said mr maurer of the red cross
christoph wilcke a human rights watch researcher who specializes in iraq said that scenario could permit islamic state fighters who are responsible for specific atrocities   like the slaughter of thousands of yazidis in 2014   to escape prosecution
i am interested in detention issues for the sake of justice mr wilcke said
the alternative would be sweeping up large numbers of people taking them to a holding facility and attempting through interrogations to identify them and determine what they had done
but who has the legal authority to prosecute people in the anarchic regions of syria is not clear and whoever takes custody of prisoners would become responsible for coming up with a long term plan for any detainees deemed to be dangerous but who for some reason cannot be prosecuted because of a lack of admissible evidence or repatriated because they might be tortured
such problems have bedeviled the obama administrations attempt to close the prison at guantanamo bay and there would also be a diplomatic complication the islamic state has attracted thousands of followers from many countries including from europe raising the prospect of negotiations with foreign powers that have different standards and levels of interest in how their own nationals are handled
the potential for a large number of prisoners presenting these kinds of challenges   for somebody   has been raised at planning meetings for months both inside the obama administration and with coalition partners according to officials familiar with internal deliberations
but with no good options the obama administrations default policy is to take custody of the highest value detainees for interrogation something the united states has done only twice with islamic state prisoners both were later moved to kurdish prisons
the assumption is that the shiite dominated iraqi government or the iraqi kurdish forces will hold and if appropriate prosecute any suspected foot soldiers and sympathizers they capture
were not equipped for long term detention said col steve warren the spokesman for the american military forces in baghdad were not set up here for that so were not in that business
mr wilcke the human rights watch researcher said that his group has received some accounts of abuses in kurdish prisons and more frequent and severe accounts of abuses in government run prisons in iraq
he also pointed to an iraqi trial of 40 people who were accused of being islamic state members and were sentenced to death in a brief proceeding in february human rights groups criticized the trial as a sham process that relied on torture induced confessions
if you ask me if they have a plan or the capacity to hold these people my answer would be look at how they have dealt with sympathizers in kurdistan there has been no due process and in baghdad stark violations like torture and sentencing 40 people to death in two hours he said i dont think there is much planning going on at any level
and whatever the shortcomings of the iraqi authorities there are more problems in syria where the united states is working with rebel militias known as the syrian democratic forces or sdf but not with the government of president bashar al assad
we take the treatment of detainees very seriously and have every reason to believe the sdf will do so as well colonel warren said
but pressed to say what the american plan is for any suspected rank and file islamic state members who may be captured by the syrian democratic forces he said there was none noting that the united states led coalition does not provide direct supervision over their detention practices
its clearly a dilemma said raha wala the director of national security advocacy at human rights first on the one hand detention operations post 911 have been incredibly problematic from a treatment and legal position but on the other hand the answer cant be simply to wash our hands of it and turn over operations to local partners who may not follow the same principles that western governments would follow in terms of adherence to human rights norms so youre sort of in between a rock and a hard place


late last year in what seemed a david and goliath case for the concert industry a ticketing start up filed a federal antitrust lawsuit against ticketmaster saying it was abusing its market power over the lucrative niche of ticket sales for musicians fan clubs
the case filed in december by songkick provided a glimpse into the highly competitive world of artist presale tickets which has become a point of contention as touring musicians seek to maximize their earning potential
but on wednesday a judge denied the injunction and largely sided with ticketmaster which argued that its contracts with concert halls allow it to determine how tickets are allotted
ticketmaster allows artists to sell a portion   typically 8 to 10 percent   of the tickets to their concerts through fan clubs and competes with songkick and other companies to handle those sales but ticketmaster also argues that its contracts allow it to determine what is a legitimate fan club a number of such cases are in dispute in the songkick suit
in march songkick asked the judge for a temporary injunction against ticketmaster saying that the company had been retaliating against songkicks clients when songkick handled a presale it said ticketmaster demanded that it pay the fees that ticketmaster would otherwise have made from selling those tickets those actions songkick argued would drive songkick out of the artist presale ticketing business in the us
judge dale s fischer of united states district court in los angeles rejected songkicks request saying that the companys argument failed to show virtually any likelihood of success on its merits
the case may still go to trial but the judges decision suggests that songkick has so far failed to make a persuasive antitrust argument
while the exclusive contracts are at issue in the lawsuit the judge wrote the current motion makes no serious attempt to demonstrate that these contracts in and of themselves violate antitrust law
ticketmaster a division of live nation entertainment is by far the giant of the ticketing world selling 25 billion worth of tickets last year according to company filings
last week ticketmaster filed a countersuit saying songkick was interfering in its business ticketmaster argues that it wins exclusive rights to sell tickets for concert venues by bidding against competitors and that those contracts give it control over how tickets are sold including through presales handled by other vendors
in a statement jared smith the president of ticketmaster north america said that the ruling confirms that ticketmasters exclusive rights agreements mean what they say and that ticketmaster is entitled to protect itself from third party ticketing companies exploiting our voluntary program for artist fan club presales
songkick said it was disappointed by the ruling but was still pursuing its remaining claims in the suit which include conspiracy and unfair competition
songkick will continue with its legal case and remains committed to providing artists with an alternative that puts tickets in the hands of fans at a lower cost and helps keep them out of the hands of scalpers the company said in a statement
in a separate order the judge dismissed a claim in songkicks lawsuit that had challenged ticketmasters merger with live nation completed in 2010 on antitrust grounds


abortion rates in developed countries have been falling steadily since 1990 but rates in developing countries have stayed roughly the same a new study said
the study published wednesday in the lancet found that the worldwide abortion rate dropped slightly from 1990 to 2014 to 35 from 40 abortions per 1000 women of childbearing age the decline is largely due to developed countries where abortion rates dropped from 46 to 27 per 1000 the united states has among the lowest rate about 17 per 1000
in developing countries the rate has changed little to 37 per 1000 from 39 the difference between developed and developing countries is directly correlated with contraception use said the lead author gilda sedgh the principal research scientist at the guttmacher institute a reproductive health organization that supports abortion rights it conducted the study with the world health organization
dr sedgh said the gap in contraception use was much less about access than it used to be we have made contraception available to a lot more women she said in the 1980s when women who wanted to avoid getting pregnant werent using a method their most common reason was lack of access now thats their least common reason less than 5 percent
rather she said in many developing countries women do not receive enough education about contraceptive methods and many think they can avoid pregnancy without contraception or worry about potential side effects
laws restricting abortion did not appear to diminish abortion rates partly because in many countries with stringent laws like some in latin america contraception use was low dr sedgh said that of the estimated 56 million annual abortions now about 16 million occur in a country where it is prohibited altogether or allowed only to save a womans life
still lack of legal restriction does not necessarily lead to fewer abortions the highest and lowest abortion rates exist in countries with liberal abortion laws said dr sedgh noting that the highest rates are in eastern europe and that the lowest are in western and northern europe and in the united states and canada
restrictive laws in developing countries do seem associated with increased numbers of unsafe abortions with more than 30 percent of women who have abortions in developing countries experiencing a complication compared with 005 percent of american women who have abortions she said
largely because of population growth the annual number of abortions increased globally from 50 million in 1990 to 56 million in 2014 and about a quarter of all pregnancies end in abortion the study found that percentage dropped significantly in developed countries to 28 percent from 39 percent but rose slightly in the developing world to 24 percent from 21 percent
in addition most abortions 41 million a year in 2014 were obtained by married women although in north america the majority are obtained by unmarried women dr sedgh said that in many developing countries married women are expected to conceive right away and may face societal pressure not to use contraception


philadelphia   the members of modern baseball a budding four piece rock band based here laugh constantly at everything how they managed to graduate from college while touring the country internet memes one anothers romantic histories even a near suicide that almost derailed the groups biggest most important release to date
i like how were at this point about it said brendan lukens 23 after the giggles subsided as he detailed the lowest moments of his young life that feels good
scruffy and laid back in the distinct manner of 20 somethings without office jobs modern baseball has led something of a charmed existence despite its personal hurdles by playing an outmoded style of music   somewhere in the much derided space between pop punk and emo   with zero pretense and almost too much heart the band has created an intimate largely diy world and gained an obsessive following that feels fresh and vital even within a genre that crested more than a decade ago and has largely resisted sonic evolution
on friday modern baseball will release holy ghost its third lp and first with any expectations attached to it after the unexpected success of its 2014 album youre gonna miss it all a wry half hour tour de force for the instagram generation
the new album divided into a and b sides with mr lukens and the bands other songwriter jake ewald each taking a half still clocks in under 30 minutes but builds on emos standard themes   fresh emotional wounds imagined revenge and self loathing   to confront more grown up concerns namely loss and mental illness
we had to really think for the first time to try to be more analytical in the songs said mr ewald 23 whose tracks detail the thrilling jitters of a new relationship the charmingly specific mass as well as the death of his grandfather and the havoc it wreaked on his religious family holy ghost wedding singer
mr lukens added we were reworking our lives thats why it feels so new like a rebirth of the band
in august 2015 after an intervention by his friends and parents mr lukens entered a five week outpatient treatment program for his alcohol addiction and bipolar disorder the week after he returned modern baseball entered the studio to record holy ghost
i hadnt written any of my half mr lukens said with another big laugh i was in a very fragile state but it was easy to write after treatment because everything i was processing was still super fresh
unsurprisingly the five songs he wrote over those three weeks   about picking yourself up and it being ok for others to pick you up   are the bands most raw and ferocious yet even if you cant see it nowwere proud of whats to comeand you mr lukens sings seemingly to himself on the album closer just another face
modern baseball began when the two singers met as high schoolers in suburban maryland   mr lukens briefly dated mr ewalds twin sister   and started writing songs while simultaneously discovering music that spoke directly to disaffected teenagers
jake showed me all my favorite bands mr lukens said
mr ewald chimed in i hadnt found anybody who actually liked those bands yet
mid 2000s emo groups from the myspace era including motion city soundtrack say anything and brand new were early inflection points for the pair to whom previous commercial pop punk bands like blink 182 and green day count as oldies never mind the 80s hardcore groups that helped create that lineage
i got into that kind of music from the bands that got into it from blink 182 mr ewald said
by 2011 when the two moved to philadelphia for college such styles were largely out of vogue as youth culture gravitated more toward rap and electronic music
zack zarrillo 23 who befriended modern baseball while running property of zack a music blog now defunct dedicated to pop punk pointed to a fallow period for the genre after the top 40 success of groups like fall out boy and panic at the disco
so much money got pumped into everything   bands would get signed to major labels before going on a tour mr zarrillo said they werent playing house shows and developing from within
modern baseball went the old do it yourself route while altogether avoiding the genres more embarrassing affectations like the swooping pete wentz haircuts and tight jeans of the early aughts concrete was paved all over the entire scene mr zarrillo said and it took a while for modern baseball to be the flower to push through it
at drexel university mr ewald met the bassist ian farmer 23 and the drummer sean huber 25 who rounded out modern baseball in time for its self recorded debut album sports in 2012 using the music platform bandcamp and support from websites like property of zack and absolutepunknet the music spread via word of mouth dovetailing with a so called emo revival led by bands including the wonder years the hotelier and hop along
when we got to california on our first full tour mr ewald said people knew the songs
run for cover records a boston label took notice and signed the band for its follow up as soon as we heard it we just knew the music was super relatable said tom chiari the labels manager youre gonna miss it all went on to become run for covers biggest release selling nearly 30000 copies in the united states
its completely disarming to see a band at all these days or from any era thats just not trying to be cool mr chiara said theres really no cultivation of the image they can only be that way
with success and aging however came more stress especially for mr lukens who had struggled for a long time with depression anxiety and self harm when i would go on tour i would be great and then i would come home  he said trailing off
after returning from the bands biggest tour to date   opening for its heroes say anything   mr lukens said he went up to the roof of the house that modern baseballs members had shared for years with thoughts of taking his life a coincidental text from mr ewald snapped him out of it mr lukens said and within days he entered treatment
opening up about my mental illness to the public has definitely been the most challenging thing ive ever done in my life he said
but modern baseball and its fans have kept him going it can get intense the amount of people that trust us and want us to be a part of their personal lives mr lukens said but i think were starting to understand how we can connect to everyone
during a music video shoot last month at a local cemetery the band was giddy surrounded by friends and collaborators who had watched its rise from philadelphia basements to national headlining tours memories and inside jokes were tossed around adding to the casual intimate vibe
and before mr lukens could finish explaining that he was starting to feel anxious he was already getting a hug


when the attacca quartets six year survey of all 68 of haydns string quartets ends on thursday the ensemble will have played by its reckoning roughly 32000 measures of haydn lasting close to 24 hours
for this lively young quartet formed in 2003 at the juilliard school it has been a very deep dive into the wellspring of its chosen genre haydn is often called the father of the string quartet and even if some musicologists have cast doubt on his paternity by pointing to antecedents his importance in creating the form cannot be overstated
he might not be the biological father but he was the one who was there for us at all our birthdays andrew yee the groups cellist said with a laugh before a rehearsal for the concert at holy trinity lutheran church in manhattan nathan schram the groups violist agreed his dna is on just about every string quartet
it was mr yee who came up with the idea of the marathon he had taken to multitasking while walking his dog chopper using the down time to familiarize himself with all the haydn quartets he did not know that was how he happened upon the slow movement of op 20 no 3
just in the middle of the walk i broke down and started crying there on the sidewalk he recalled i was like why dont i know all of these so i called the quartet and asked if they wanted to play all of them
they did and while other quartets have done their own cycles   there are recorded sets by ensembles including the angeles string quartet the kodaly quartet and the aeolian string quartet among others   it was a still a bold move for a young group
in a sense said amy schroeder the attaccas first violinist the ensemble was overcoming its fears as a young quartet playing super classical repertoire can sometimes be really daunting just based on the amount of tradition the amount of expectation she said recalling how early on the group was alternately criticized for being too harsh or too romantic in its approach to certain pieces
attacca which has been making a name for itself with recordings and high profile engagements including as the quartet in residence last season at the metropolitan museum of art called the project simply the 68 it has performed the haydn works over the course of more than 20 concerts at holy trinity on the upper west side with free tickets for students and a 20 suggested donation for others the group played them in canada too at the k w chamber music society in waterloo ontario where it wrapped up that cycle in march
one of the quartets on the program for the final concert on thursday op 76 no 5 is among the few that was in the attaccas repertoire before it began the journey mr yee said now he added it feels almost like a different piece
it was so amazing to play that opening bar   it couldnt have been more different than it was when we were much younger he said it was just like 100 pounds were lifted off my shoulders
as they rehearsed their final concert at the apartment of two supporters michael and ann loeb   playing chamber music in an actual chamber   the members seemed to have reached the place where words were almost extraneous when they would occasionally pause to shape a phrase confer on bowings or toss out thoughts they seemed receptive to one anothers ideas and fast to incorporate them into their playing
after sixty eight quartets mr yee reported haydn fatigue has yet to set in
you immediately just like him as a person when youre playing it he said and that element of the quartets never goes away all the way through the late quartets you still feel like afterward youd go out and have a beer with him
ms schroeder was moved by another aspect who is more funny than haydn she asked
mr schram who joined the quartet later in the project said that haydn had been an ideal entree into the group you cant   im trying so hard not to use hide as a verb   but you have to be yourself when you play the music he said for me it was a great way to get to know the players
keiko tokunaga the second violinist said that the lessons of haydn would remain weve learned pretty much every single color that exists on haydns palette she said its really made us think about what we want to do with other composers as well
for its next project attacca will leap ahead several centuries to the present as it embarks on a series called recently added at national sawdust in williamsburg brooklyn where it will play the complete works for string quartet by living composers beginning with john adams caroline shaw and michael ippolito
mr yee said that the group its haydn bona fides aside was drawn to the new the sort of lazy obvious next step would have been mozart or beethoven   which people would have loved and we would have loved of course he said but theres just so much good music happening right now


hallak cleaners the dry cleaning service thats the industry go to will celebrate 50 years in business thursday with an open house from 4 to 9 pm come for champagne pro tips on stain removal and door prizes which include a 500 gift card at 1232 second avenue
the same day woolrich john rich  brothers will mark its spring collaboration with the fabric mill okajima in kyoto japan with a sushi and sake party from 6 to 9 pm youll find the fruits of the partnership a kimono print parka 795 as well as ceramics like an unglazed sake cup 21 from the japanese pottery brand hill side at 125 wooster street
on friday the online retailer everlane will open shoe park a 10 day interactive concept store where you can try out styles like leather babouche slippers 145 and slides 98 in the adult version of a playground with sculptural installations by the set designer robert storey at 83 wooster street
makers  brothers will host a furniture workshop at the standard east village through sunday with the woodworker james carroll on site crafting stools from locally sourced timber 285 at 25 cooper square
just in time for sunnier days hamptons pop ups start opening this weekend julie heller curator of the soho vintage gallery eraluxe will open her cabana shop for a second season expect summer bits like crop amo jeans 257 and sterling silver knot bracelets from nikolai rose 240 as well as gorgeous archive pieces like an alaia butterfly dress 1350 at 53 jobs lane southampton ny
on monday the los angeles designer jenni kayne will bring her cali cool vibe out east with a pop up with classics like a cashmere jersey t shirt dress 395 alongside an accessories mix that includes birkenstocks 135 and barton perreira eyewear 395 at 2 main street southampton
the first collection from the lanvin alumna alithia spuri zampetti for paule ka which includes feminine pieces like a lurex jacquard drop waist sleeveless print dress 995 and a long sleeve petal print blouse 520 incorporating the contemporary french labels signature bow is now available at 723 madison avenue
the alice and olivia designer stacey bendet is playing prom fairy godmother with a buy a dress give a dream promotion for every dress   like say a high neck open back embroidered short gown 1198   sold before tuesday she will donate a dress to big brothers big sisters of america prep for prep and city year three charities that work with underprivileged high school students at 431 west 14th street


collective sigh
don giovanni
for this you dont need perfect pitch or a lyric sheet pinkwash makes music in the key of catharsis collective sigh is the philadelphia duos first full length record it has 10 tracks but feels like one long double action of anguish and stomp it suggests post post hardcore or maybe punk prog with the punk first
the bands sound carries its own information and to explain its biography and its name risks eclipsing the work but it has been supplied to the news media so here you go joey doubek the singer guitarist and ashley arnwine the drummer played in the band ingrid when they both lived in washington during that time mr doubeks mother became ill with breast cancer and he became her primary caretaker she died in 2009 both musicians eventually moved to philadelphia and started pinkwash the name alludes to the practice of corporations that promote their products with the iconography of pink ribbons in sympathy with breast cancer patients it also refers to the co opting of lgbt interests for public relations purposes by politicians or corporations
in pinkwash mr doubek writes repeating guitar riffs splintered into shifting or alternating meters he has hundreds of them all strong placid gary numan like synthesizer tones float over the songs here and there offsetting the churn ms arnwine plays rugged drum patterns against those riffs adding little accents to the groove smashing her cymbals nearly all the way through
a lot of what she does   the details the elegant ferocity   traces back to john bonham of led zeppelin the unrelenting fever of a pinkwash song and the yelping tone of mr doubeks vocals recalls the 1990s band at the drive in the record is wearying as so many guitar drum duo bands are wearying but the band has grown surer and more stately since its previous work the 2014 ep you cure your soil and the enraged 2015 single cancer money
these songs are carefully composed culminating in the records magnum opus walk forward with your eyes closed the lyrics suggest pain illness exhaustion the struggles of the body and the question of who takes care of the caretaker youre metastaticyoure spreading in plain sight or empty appetiteto make it through one song sigh has almost two and a half minutes of a single repeated low note with the only vocals that dont come from mr doubek it could be the voice of a nurse repeating inhale exhale


instagram changed its logo on wednesday and predictably the internet was not entirely pleased to put it bluntly it freaked out
the popular app ditched its old timey camera icon   the one that actually looked like a camera   and replaced it with a square symbol that evoked a camera rendered in the vivid colors and simple lines of the flat design aesthetic it was sleek minimalist and according to many users kind of basic
the company said simplicity was the goal in a blog post it said the new logo reflected the apps explosive growth in popularity over the past five years from a photo sharing service to a global community of interests whose users share more than 80 million photos and videos each day
the simpler design puts more focus on your photos and videos without changing how you navigate the app the company said our updated look reflects how vibrant and diverse your storytelling has become
but the people of the internet were not buying it memes were deployed
we sought help from three of the timess veteran instagram watchers the technology reporters farhad manjoo and mike isaac and the fashion critic vanessa friedman that may seem self involved but this is a story about an app that traffics in selfies roll with it
omg i do not like that mr manjoo wrote in an email its not that i hate the new one   its passable if a little generic   but more that i was head over heels in love with the old instagram icon
mr isaac agreed ill miss how it stuck out among a sea of other apps that look similar to one another he said but he added he probably would not care in a few months
the new logos color scheme in particular   a neon rainbow whose colors fan out across the square shaped camera icon   was criticized by users as resembling something that could have been designed in a microsoft program from the 1990s others found it garish
the new instagram logo looks like a rejected starburst flavor one twitter user opined
another the buzzfeed reporter katherine miller wrote to be fair new instagram icon looks like something you press on a dreary day in an ad then pitbulls there and everyones drinking dr pepper
ms friedman said the change felt a bit desperate it reminded her of rumors from the 2000 presidential campaign that the feminist writer and campaign consultant naomi wolf had dressed al gore in earth tones to make him seem more attractive and metrosexual
the old camera icon told you what instagram was and what it did it took pictures and had filters you could use to make the pictures look old fashioned but the new symbol throws skeuomorphism to the wind in favor of flat design a trend in tech whose origins can be traced to apples embrace of the concept in recent years mr manjoo said
instagram had been the last holdout against flat design he said
now all thats gone mr manjoo said all is lost instagram will never be the same again
mr isaac was more sanguine people become upset whenever there is a design change to a wildly popular service like facebook twitter or instagram he said but they get over their shock and keep using the service
this will all blow over just like it always does with facebook and twitter he said instagram has hit critical mass you may think neon is ugly but i guarantee youll still be back using the app again tomorrow


on a recent weekend in times square a crowd at carolines on broadway nibbled on chicken salad and hamburgers there were many empty seats and the response to the opening acts was lukewarm the air was thin with anticipation then a tornado hit
rory scovel a comic in his mid 30s with an insincere smile and a scraggly beard bounded onstage fist in the air chin jutting out jauntily nodding his head and making faces as if he were doing a guitar solo for the rolling stones at madison square garden this triumphant pose seemed incongruous with the preceding mood but what followed was the funniest set i have seen all year a whirligig of characters and jokes leaving the sleepy audience exhausted from laughter the electric performance actually lived up to his entrance
mr scovel   whose stand up set the charleston special was released this year on video   has long been known as an improvisational experimentalist the kind of comic who might do a bit in complete darkness or spend minutes in a thick german accent two years ago i saw him do a quirky hour downtown where he walked to the front of the stage a stern look on his face 911 he said appearing solemn then suspicious when was it lets ask the real questions
his latest material highlights that same absurdist delight in transforming the deadly serious into utter nonsense including another joke about paranoia about sept 11 where my truth seekers at he shouted before shifting into a whisper 911 an inside job its deeper than that its not even a real date mr scovels more ambitious new hour is tighter dense with jokes and delivered with the broad showmanship of a broadway musical its the work of a cult star ready to move to the big rooms
but what makes him such a magnetic performer is not the content of his jokes
mr scovel isnt particularly provocative or incisive about politics or social issues when he brings up the election he dismisses the whole thing with a flamboyant display of sarcasm preeeeetty good options he says about the candidates in the glibly knowing way someone might describe michael jordan as not that bad of a basketball player
if a comic says funny things and a comedian says things funny as the cliche goes mr scovel is firmly in the second camp he also looks funny a deceptively ingenious physical performer who reveals his collection of goofy poses with the precision of a silent comedian his deliriously silly comedy is less interested in engaging with the world than in creating its own and yet   because mr scovel often adopts the persona of a preposterously confident thin skinned egotist with a conspiratorial streak   his comedy does seem suited to the age of trump
its not his only character in his kinetic act mr scovel shifts into a variety of southern figures including a would be cool preacher and a rube what all his buffoons share is a misplaced smugness and blinding lack of self awareness they bring to mind the puffed up idiots played by will ferrell and the winking phonies chris elliott played in the late 1980s on late night with david letterman
his quintessential impression is of a guy who lied on his resume about being able to play the piano but still was hired to work in a hotel lobby he barrels through a song selling it with gusto smiling even though the tune is a cacophonous mess when he returns to a version of the same guy on the job for a while he has learned nothing except more salesmanship the fact that nothing is going right doesnt stop him from acting as if everything were awesome
a more traditional stand up set would be organized around these characters mr scovel is such an exciting live performer   and he really is one of those comics you need to see in person   because his improvisational instinct appears to be at odds with his own material he is always looking to transform even sabotage his own set veering off on tangents interrupting latching on to a phrase that tickles him repeating it over and over until it becomes a kind of incantation whose repetition becomes its own bizarre joke
comedy relies on surprise but refining your jokes requires repetition it follows that most of the best comedians are experts at faking freshness mr scovel does that nicely but what really distinguishes him is that his commitment to going off script is greater than most he searches out distractions the way an intrepid reporter digs up scoops
when a siren blared in the distance he did not ignore it he turned it into a bit and kept it on his special at carolines he started playing with his zipped waist length jacket bundling it up by his chest and keeping it there through much of the set it began as ridiculous then started to seem normal when mr scovel said that kanye west was going to make this cool in a year the biggest laughs in his set are in the transitions not the prepared jokes
theres an almost jazzy rhythm to his comedy with his tangents integrated so seamlessly that its hard to tell whats planned and what isnt the distinction becomes meaningless because even with his most reliable jokes he is constantly disrupting his own premises in his new special he does a long bit that begins you guys ever use the bathroom at the grocery store he told the same joke on conan but with a startlingly different pivot from this opening instead of treating his question as rhetorical he darkened his mood in an instant to eyes blazing rage answer me he yelled at the audience before apologizing for losing his temper
that this change of pace makes no sense matters less than that it is such a jarring surprise that you cant help laughing unpredictability is one of the most underrated virtues in comedy like a well made suspense film mr scovels jokes have twists you dont see coming and the thrilling tension of a crackerjack plot where you have no idea what will happen next


new york city ballet has been renewing itself at all levels in its current six week season which is now in its fourth week dancers in the corps have shown exceptional talent in lead roles notably that zephyr joseph gordon in symphony in three movements seen on may 5 the tall powerhouse emily kikta as the soloist in rubies the impishly ebullient indiana woodward in the pas de trois of emeralds both may 1 on tuesday its senior ballerina maria kowroski returned to the stage after childbirth almost a year after her last performance shes the same tall and slender vision as ever but with a newly free expansiveness
and city ballet has been renewing the ballets of its founder choreographer george balanchine he made the three ballets ive mentioned he also made all three ballets in the triple bill that entered repertory last week the three   ballo della regina kammermusik no 2 and vienna waltzes utterly unalike   comprise the richest fare of the whole season the programs diversity and mastery astounds
ballo ballet for the queen set to ballet music from giuseppe verdis opera don carlos is virtuoso classicism in which outgoing allegro technique is taken to an exceptional peak of exuberance verdis ballet depicts the discovery of the celebrated pear shaped white pearl la peregrina which richard burton later gave to elizabeth taylor the twist in don carlos is that although the dance is intended to honor queen elizabeth of spain she has absented herself from the celebrations instead the woman who presides over the operas dance spectacle is her lady in waiting princess eboli wearing the queens mask who sings with excitement of her chance to be queen for a single night
though balanchines plotless blue and white ballet shows you no pearl and no princess you can feel multiple layers of that drama evoked by the poetry of his steps pearl fishing through plashing waters grand royal processions exultance in the fleeting moment feet sparkle arms stretch wide we hardly know which element were in a cavalier immediately after promenading his ballerina beats his legs in the air a cabriole
kammermusik set to paul hindemiths kammermusik no 2 1925 for piano and orchestra is uncompromising modernism intensely rhythmical and abounding in deliberate oddities unusually for balanchine the corps de ballet is all male and much of what balanchine gives these eight men often corresponding to the orchestra is more unusual yet consisting of crouches tableaus and chains that become knots
dancers often step on alternating heels or turn in their knees sometimes they bring their wrists in beside their shoulders with hands pointing out sideways like spiky epaulets
two leading male female couples often teamed with the solo piano sometimes stationary while the corps moves dance with intense musical intricacy rapid echo and canon effects abound these four too plant their legs apart prance on their heels fold knees across each other but at speed the women wear their hair in ponytails and the way those swish around their necks and faces is part of the texture of the piece
vienna waltzes is a panoply   a vast composite world of five different scenes to music by johann strauss ii franz lehar and richard strauss in only one of the five do women dance on point the changes in rouben ter arutunians scenery alone make the ballet a spectacle like no other
we begin in the vienna woods with tenderly romantic chivalry between male female couples gschichten aus dem wienerwald or tales from the vienna woods we then pass through ballet entertainment fruhlingstimmen or voices of spring and joyful non waltz vulgarity johann strauss iis explosions polka and the formal flirtations of gold und silber waltzer gold and silver waltzes and the rosenkavalier finale one of balanchines most poetically psychological dramas is a dream ballroom fantasy in which a woman in a long dance soliloquy is repeatedly partnered by a man who may be her fantasy or an increasingly real suitor in whom she can scarcely believe
city ballet has fielded two casts in all three ballets no dancing has been poor some has been outstanding in ballo sunday tiler peck that virtuoso finds one of her very finest roles while its bravura challenges her its musicality releases her in the tuesday performance anthony huxley was as so often this season dynamite in the male role the four women soloists   notably ashley laracey in the first solo   beautifully caught the choreographys shining marriage of rhythmic flow and brilliant allure
sara mearns and teresa reichlen led kammermusik on tuesday with an uncompromising thundering force and yet the same two women were paragons of touchingly romantic old world femininity in vienna waltzes on sunday   ms reichlen in the vienna woods scene with tyler angle ms mearns in the rosenkavalier ballroom with jared angle tylers brother ms kowroski graced the same scene with amar ramasar on tuesday tiny nuances in these artists interpretations such as the meeting of eyes the touch of a hand the turn of a head became powerful
but you come out thinking of balanchine astonishingly these three ballets had their premieres between june 1977 and january 1978 in his final period city ballet was almost 30 years old he was in his 70s top quality choreography of immense diversity was still pouring forth from him the bewildering range of styles in these three works demonstrates why he merits the word genius


for 34 years oprah winfrey has been revisiting the color purple as a reader as a performer and as a producer and yet there she was on tuesday night in row f at the bernard b jacobs theater mouthing the words to the songs waving her hands in the air leading a mid act standing ovation and weeping once again
i dont know what to say   i was doing the ugly cry she told the shows tony nominated actresses cynthia erivo and danielle brooks as she embraced them backstage after seeing for the second time the revival of the musical version of the story i thought i had seen it and now i am crying like i had never seen it before
ms winfrey who appeared in the film adaptation of the novel and is a producer of the musical returned to the show on tuesday for the first performance featuring heather headley a tony winning alumna of disneys the lion king and aida who has succeeded jennifer hudson as the nightclub singer shug avery but ms winfrey is also on a bit of a theater tear   while in new york this week she is seeing the humans and this season she has already seen hamilton eclipsed and shuffle along or the making of the musical sensation of 1921 and all that followed
and as she sees each of them she considers what it would take for her to get onto the stage as an actress
ive been thinking about for the past maybe three years coming to broadway myself but when i see how much work is involved and the kind of energy it takes to do that every night i dont know she said in a telephone interview on wednesday im looking for the perfect material something will come along if the right material comes along then ill do it
ms winfrey said she had been particularly interested in working with audra mcdonald a six time tony winner and had told the actress i would read the yellow pages with you they have done two readings together of night mother by marsha norman who also wrote the book for the musicalization of the color purple and of the blood quilt by katori hall ms winfrey opted not to pursue either project the producer who works with her scott sanders said i have another idea for her but im waiting
ms winfrey who became famous as a talk show host has acted repeatedly in film and on television and she currently has two projects in the works she is planning to star in the immortal life of henrietta lacks for hbo and to play a recurring role on greenleaf for her cable television channel own
but broadway is especially demanding for someone with a complicated schedule   it would require a commitment of about 16 weeks and obviously a temporary move to new york ms winfreys primary residence is in california her favorite play is fences by august wilson but she said her television workload prevented her from joining the last broadway revival
the appeal would be that there would be a story so compelling and so moving that i would want to experience share and offer that story on a nightly basis   thats what it would take for me she said a couple of times ive been in readings and ive said do i really want to say these words are these words so moving and so necessary that i feel i will come across the country and give up my dogs and relocate to go onstage every night to say these words i havent found those words yet
the only thing she is sure about is that her broadway debut should it ever happen would be in a play not a musical that i know for sure she said i cant sing of course that didnt stop her on tuesday night from joining along with the songs to the musical but quietly
for ms winfrey the story of the color purple about a young woman named celie who is raped in her childhood home and bears children who are taken away has long had deep personal resonance
most people know i was raped at 9 and i was consistently molested up until the age of 14 and had a child who then died as result of those molestations ms winfrey said so when i read that story its the first time it even occurred to me that that was happening to someone else
ms winfrey had been working as a tv anchor in baltimore when she heard about the novel which was written by alice walker and won a pulitzer in 1983 via a review in the new york times she loved the book and was eager to be a part of the film but she had given up any hope of being cast then quincy jones spotted her on television by that time she had moved to chicago and suggested steven spielberg consider her she wound up getting an oscar nomination in 1986 for her supporting role as sofia a woman who resists abuse by her husband
i never wanted anything in my life more than i wanted that role and i have not wanted anything as much since she said
two decades later she was a producer of the original musical i said thats the last story you can turn into a musical but then i read it and felt well maybe that can happen it opened on broadway in 2005 she put up 1 million of the 11 million capitalization allowed her name to be on the marquee and heavily promoted the show this time she is again one of the producers albeit with a lower key role
it always feels like a full circle moment for me every time i see it she said it has deep deep deep deep deep meaning


lubumbashi democratic republic of congo   as hundreds of police officers ringed the courthouse the mob came barreling up the street from blocks away you could hear its hungry roar
i am moise the people yelled we are ready to die today
at that moment moise katumbi a popular opposition politician who is the gravest threat to president joseph kabilas rule stepped out of a mercedes van wearing a white shirt white pants and white shoes the flag of the democratic republic of congo knotted jauntily around his neck
the crowd exploded in a celebratory frenzy the police officers surged swinging clubs slamming protesters to the ground and firing tear gas clouds of acrid purple smoke cut through the tropical air
congos government which is continuously lurching from one crisis to the next is now playing a very dangerous game mr kabila who faces term limits is resisting international calls and rising pressure in congo to relinquish power by the end of this year as congos constitution requires
instead mr kabila seems to be withdrawing deeper inside the corner he has painted himself into he has unleashed his security forces on protesters strained relations with powerful friends like the united states and lashed out at perceived enemies
his security services especially the dreaded intelligence agency are now going after the biggest fish of them all mr katumbi who seems to have the whole city of lubumbashi and a good part of the country rallying around him
i love moise more than i love my wife said jackie roko a vendor of belts here in lubumbashi congos second largest city
mr katumbi an affable loquacious and very rich former governor declared last week that he was running for president he has the money the network and the cult of personality to be a real contender he even has his own soccer team tp mazembe   the bulldozers   one of africas most successful and he has begun to unify congos opposition which no other politician has ever come close to doing
the case against mr katumbi taps into much of congos sordid past a whiff of rebellion the talk of foreign mercenaries and the way power in congo tends to be exercised absolutely and with ruthlessness
until last year mr katumbi 51 was king of this part of congo
he was a close confidant of mr kabilas and was the governor of katanga province which produces a good chunk of the worlds copper supply during his nine years in office he was widely credited with improving the business climate helping the poor and cracking down on corruption but corruption and influence peddling remain rife
mr katumbi has a flair for the flamboyant that evokes mobutu sese seko congos former dictator renowned for his staggering opulence mr katumbis mansion in lubumbashi is lined with ivory tusks giant vases enormous paintings and acres of marble and white leather out back is a tennis court with murals of him swatting a ball and he enjoys hosting visitors for an afternoon match no matter what is happening outside then there are his chapel kingly gardens and an enormous aquarium full of gulping fish
each night outside his towering gates scores if not hundreds of people gather they are his citizen sentries they stand in clumps in the dark craning their necks up and down the street ready to battle anyone who tries to take their hero   and benefactor   away
moise moise an older woman pleaded rapping her gray knuckles on the gate transport transport
she wanted money for a taxi home   or maybe just money dozens of other women dressed in rags pushed and shoved behind her pleading for the same
mr katumbi spends a lot of time behind those gates he is now essentially an enemy of the state
last week congos justice minister announced that the government had documented proof that mr katumbi had hired hundreds of mercenaries including americans possibly in a plot to overthrow the government
the word mercenary carries a certain electricity in congo in the 1960s belgian mercenaries fought a short lived war to split this province off from the rest of congo in the mid 1990s mobutu used mercenaries in a last ditch effort to stay in power then in the late 1990s when congo plunged into chaos soldiers from nearly a dozen african countries carted off untold millions in stolen minerals
the justice minister showed as evidence pictures of an american darryl lewis who was arrested last month in lubumbashi carrying a machine gun mr lewis served in the united states military several years ago and the picture was apparently an old one taken from a social media account
the united states government shot back with an unusually forceful statement saying that the allegations were false and that mr lewis was never armed in congo and worked for a private american security company
mr katumbi said he had hired mr lewis as a security adviser because government intelligence agents were stalking him and his family some western diplomats said it was possible mr katumbi could be assassinated
he was summoned to court this week first on monday and then again on wednesday
the same lubumbashi police who used to trot after his car now scream at his supporters telling them they were not allowed to even watch him arrive at the palais de justice which with its grand art deco edifice is the most striking building in town
when the crowds did not move fast enough the police turned vicious they charged anyone standing in front of the courthouse including us journalists
all of a sudden we were surrounded the police closing in from all sides they rushed toward us thumping their clubs on their shields people burst down the street the lucky ones reaching nearby shops whose doorways seemed to suck them in i was too far away so i kept running
congos government is clearly stressed global commodity prices have crashed pummeling a country whose struggling economy turns on the price of minerals like copper china which had been congos new savior has its own economic woes and is in no position to extend the billions of dollars of easy credit it had in the past
on top of that western governments are considering sanctions against congolese officials for human rights abuses in connection with the political crackdowns
lambert mende the information minister and a close ally of mr kabilas said in a recent interview that the government did not have enough money to hold elections he also said that if the president agreed to step down at the end of the year but the election was then delayed wed start confusion wed start rebellions wed start wars
he added why should you bring the president to prepare such a game


fort mcmurray alberta   oversize transport trailers typically barrel dangerously along highway 63 as they deliver heavy loads of equipment and even prefabricated metal buildings to the multibillion dollar oil sands projects that dominate this area but more than a dozen such trailers still full now sit at pull ins and rest stops abandoned by drivers who unhitched their tractors and fled south on warnings of a devastating forest fire
as the fire ripped through fort mcmurray oil companies severely pulled back or stopped pumping altogether production dropped by a million barrels a day roughly 40 percent of albertas output
while the oil markets have remained relatively stable and production is slowly picking up the economic blow is significant to a region and a country already battered by weak oil prices and uncertainty over global growth
oil companies could take weeks or months to get fully up and running depriving the province of alberta of royalty payments and rebuilding costs will add to the strain on a national government that had only recently and perhaps not fully recovered from a mild recession ultimately the financial fallout from the fire could sap what little growth canada was expected to eke out in the latest quarter
everything is kind of in a state of flux said derek burleton the deputy chief economist at the toronto dominion bank but ultimately it is a pretty big deal growth is going to fizzle out
fort mcmurray the heart of the provinces oil sands production plays an outsize role in the countrys prospects
when oil prices were surging the city and its vast reserves of oil sands fed an economic boom energy companies poured billions of dollars into projects and thousands of workers flowed into fort mcmurray
but the oil slump of the last year brought an end to the prosperity even before the fire the government projected an 8 billion deficit in contrast to an 800 million surplus in 2014
the damage to the oil sands industry which makes huge payments to the provincial government will deepen the morass and the fire related costs will probably be in the billions although the federal government will eventually cover 90 percent of that amount as a result several economists predict that the province will slip into negative growth this quarter
the deficit and the governments economic outlook still relies on a very bullish outlook for oil said andrew leach an economist at the university of alberta
the national economy will feel the pain oil sands workers come from around the country so the job losses often show up in other provinces newfoundland for example has an unemployment rate of 131 percent sharply higher than those of alberta and canada
before the fire canadas economy was expected to grow around 1 percent for the quarter zero or even negative growth is now a possibility said mr burleton of toronto dominion bank
the full toll will depend largely on the health of the oil sands
the largest projects north of fort mcmurray have been largely unscathed protected in part by their wide deforested perimeters and albertas premier rachel notley along with 12 senior oil executives announced that production was slowly starting up again at several plants since fort mcmurray no longer appears to be under imminent threat
but oil companies are still assessing the damage to the electrical network the aboveground buildings and the pipelines that ship fort mcmurrays production then there is the complex nature of the projects which means that oil will not necessarily start flowing again quickly
there are a lot of challenges ahead of us tim mcmillan the president and chief executive of the canadian association of petroleum producers told reporters on tuesday each facility has its own timeline ranging from days to weeks and potentially beyond that
adding to the uncertainty many employees who were evacuated when the fire hit fort mcmurray have nowhere to live the fire has consumed about 2400 buildings mostly houses officials will need two more weeks just to figure out when it may be possible to reopen fort mcmurray to the 88000 residents who fled on may 3
suncor energy one of the largest and earliest oil sands operators is trying to arrange work camp accommodations for employees who have lost their houses it evacuated about 10000 employees
people shouldnt be a barrier to opening up steve williams suncors president and chief executive said on tuesday early this morning i looked at my phone and we have more rooms than we needed he added that the company would continue to pay employees whether or not they can come to work
suncors initial assessment mr williams said found that the pipeline system is in good shape since it is largely underground but there is far more work to be done to the electrical networks
the status of smaller plants which are largely south of the city is less clear that area remains under a mandatory evacuation order because of the lingering potential for renewed fire
the southern plants for the most part bring the tarlike bitumen of the oil sands to the surface by injecting vast quantities of steam underground plants of that variety like japan canada oil sands have been operating for several years and have built up so much heat underground they can sit idle for up to 12 months and be restarted with comparative ease
but the outlook for newer operations like hangingstone a 12000 barrel a day project owned by athabasca oil look shakier rob broen the companys president and chief executive said that there remained a danger that its underground steam chambers might collapse if too much time passed without fresh infusions if the bitumen in its wells has solidified restarting the operation will be a long and costly process
the global oil markets are sensitive to that timeline
goldman sachs estimates that the lost production assuming companies can ramp up production over 10 days will total 14 million barrels if so that would have a relatively minor impact on north american stockpiles which are nearly full
but not everything in those stockpiles suits the needs of american refineries that rely on heavy oil produced in the sands if those inventories become depleted refiners may have to look to import from elsewhere
already the rebuilding process is underway on highway 63 convoys of trucks from utilities as well as telus the regional telecom have joined the columns of wildfire fighters in pickup trucks heading north
it indicates the potential for new spending to help offset some of the economic losses at least after a while theres that awkward notion that disasters are ultimately a benefit in the long run said mr burleton of toronto dominion bank the recovery money is going to be coming in from other places


one of the beauties of baseball baseball people will tell you is that there is always a chance youll see something at the ballpark that day that youve never seen before this always struck me as a rationalization for the countless hours days months years that are given away to the game   ok wasted   as if there arent more satisfying pursuits
when the san antonio spurs were in new york last year as the kansas city royals beat the mets at citi field to win the world series a reporter asked spurs coach gregg popovich if he had seen the game
popovich was incredulous sports were boring he said so why would he waste a night in the city watching a baseball game when he could be enjoying a bottle of wine and a fine meal with friends
i remember being down with that
but then there i was late tuesday night at yankee stadium in the right field seats trying to get a different perspective on the entrance of the flame throwing reliever aroldis chapman into the game
as chapman began to warm up in the yankees bullpen which is also in right field reliever andrew miller entered the game in the eighth inning to try to protect the yankees lead miller had been the teams closer until chapmans return on monday from a suspension and he had not allowed a run all season
my eyes were on chapman when i heard a loud crack of the bat i looked to the field and saw two outfielders running toward me then i saw the ball yep i thought thats going to clear the fence it was lorenzo cains third home run of the night something he had never done at any level
several fans raced down the aisle to try to catch it but the ball bounced off their hands went up several rows caromed off a wall and rolled to a stop right at my feet
i reached down and picked it up
i had caught a baseball at a game before one hit by a molina   i cant remember whether it was jose or bengie   while my wife and children were getting hot dogs they had to ask every fan around us before they believed me
but i had never gotten my hands on a home run
i looked at the ball for a moment and thought cool my son will dig this
the thought was fleeting within a few seconds the chant started throw it back
i realized i had a problem having grown up a cubs fan i was well aware of the tradition at some parks of throwing home runs hit by opposing hitters back onto the field i believe it started at wrigley field
but i was sitting there with a media credential around my neck how would it look if i threw it back and as the chants grew louder   the bronx was in full throat   waiting out the crowd did not seem wise either it was devolving into something a reporter would rather avoid i was becoming a part of the story
i had to think quickly unfortunately this is not a strong suit im forever walking away from interviews thinking about the brilliant follow up question that just popped into mind when kobe bryant made fun of a fedora i was wearing   his ankle was fine but my hat was killing him   i just laughed along with everyone else on the way out of the locker room i realized this was the guy who once did a ridiculous fashion spread wearing all white darn
two seats to my right was a boy sitting with his father i couldnt throw the ball back and i couldnt keep it so i reached over and put it in his glove
a few knuckleheads then got on the kid to throw the ball back but they were quickly drowned out
as it turned out caleb 14 had flown in from miami in the morning with his father felix tejeda who was taking him to his first yankees game they had toured the stadium in the morning and were flying home wednesday in time for felix to work his night shift as a manager at an industrial laundry business
felix told me what the tickets and airfare had cost him and said it was just like the credit card commercial the smile on his face is priceless he said nodding to caleb twenty or 30 years from now thats all hell remember
later in the clubhouse when miller finished his interviews i told him i had caught the ball   a loose summary of events to be sure you can give it to him miller said referring to cain
i told miller id given the ball to a fan but that did not cheer him up
its unfortunate he said i wish i didnt give up a souvenir
miller at least could take comfort in the yankees eventual victory something cain said took the luster off his night but for all involved   the guy who threw the ball the one who hit it the one who caught it and the boy who took it home   there was a similar appreciation what happened tuesday night doesnt happen every day


colorado springs   robert l dear jr the self described warrior for the babies who defiantly admitted to carrying out a shooting rampage at a planned parenthood center here last november was declared on wednesday unfit to stand trial by the judge overseeing the case
the ruling by judge gilbert a martinez found mr dear to be mentally incompetent and said mr dear suffered from wide ranging delusions that the federal government had been following and spying on him for years the judges ruling largely relied on the reports of two state psychologists who examined mr dear this winter and said they believed he was not competent
thats called prejudiced prejudiced mr dear shouted at the judge as he was led out of the courtroom here on wednesday shackled and wearing jail scrubs filthy animal
the ruling brought the criminal case against mr dear to what the district attorney called a standstill mr dear will be sent to a state run mental hospital for treatment aimed at restoring him to competency a legal standard that requires him to understand the court proceedings and help in his own defense
questions about whether a defendant is mentally fit to stand trial have emerged in several high profile criminal cases including the federal prosecution of jared l loughner who opened fire at an event for representative gabrielle giffords in arizona in january 2011 he was later found competent and pleaded guilty
though it is rare some defendants may never be found competent and can be held indefinitely at a psychiatric center legal experts said mr dears case will next be reviewed on aug 11 the judge said
now we wait 90 days dan may the district attorney of colorados fourth judicial district said at a news conference outside the courthouse it is what it is
a handful of family members and victims who sat in the courtroom showed no reaction as the judge handed down his ruling and mr dear began to yell afterward they left through a rear staircase avoiding the reporters and cameras gathered in front of the courthouse
mr dear has been charged with 179 counts including first degree murder and attempted murder stemming from the nov 27 shooting spree at the planned parenthood center here three people were killed including a campus officer from the university of colorado at colorado springs who had joined dozens of medics and officers rushing to the scene nine people were wounded
mr may did not address questions about what might happen if mr dear refuses treatment or medication in court outbursts and conversations with mental health experts mr dear has made it abundantly clear that he believes he is competent he has tried to fire his defense lawyers and accused the judge of trying to silence him
on wednesday as lawyers reporters and a handful of family members waited in the hushed courtroom for the judge to take the bench mr dear continued his outbursts he called out anybody want to know why i did it what gives me the right
a sheriffs officer standing nearby motioned to mr dear with his hand and said politely mr dear stop
mr dear has described the planned parenthood clinic that he struck as the most evil place in the world
he engaged in an hourslong standoff with the police before surrendering he later told a detective that he had decided to surrender because he had flipped a card while he was in a back room of the planned parenthood building pinned down by the police he said he had taken it as a message from god
the competency evaluation was ordered by judge martinez after mr dear tried to fire his public defenders and serve as his own lawyer
two state psychologists who examined mr dear concluded that he was not fit to stand trial one jackie grimmett said mr dear had multiple delusions that distorted his reality for instance for 20 years he thought that the feds were after him and had planted a listening device in his pickup truck
mr dear has insisted that he is competent and ready to stand trial a colorado springs police detective said at a hearing last month that mr dear had told him during more than seven hours of questioning after the shooting that he feared an insanity ruling would diminish his anti abortion message


blackwood nj   hillary clinton on wednesday mocked donald j trump as evasive and secretive after he suggested that he would not release his tax returns before the november election which would be a break with 40 years of political precedent
but mr trump quickly hit back saying that he still intended to release his tax returns as soon as a federal audit was completed   and that mrs clinton was hitting him out of desperation
mrs clinton at a rally here to open her campaign for the new jersey primary on june 7 had just begun attacking mr trumps proposed tax cuts for wealthy americans when a man in the audience called out what about his tax returns
mrs clinton who often ignores catcalls smiled and said well get to that
moments later she urged the man and other voters to keep asking to see mr trumps tax filings and indicated that her campaign would make them an issue in the general election saying well get around to that too
because when youre running for president and you become the nominee thats kind of expected said mrs clinton who with her husband former president bill clinton has released annual tax returns since 1977 and posted eight years of returns on her campaign website
so youve got to ask yourself why doesnt he want to release them mrs clinton said with a slightly dark edge to her voice yeah well were going to find out
the tax filings are a ripe target for the clinton campaign given that mr trump has been portraying her as the candidate with something to hide attacking her for using a private email server as secretary of state and earning millions of dollars for paid speeches that have not been made public
clinton advisers have also been seeking fresh lines of attack on mr trumps character given that he has begun criticizing mrs clinton as an enabler of mr clintons extramarital behavior by seizing on the tax issue rather than responding directly to mr trumps broadsides the clinton campaign could undermine mr trumps attempt to sit in judgment of the character and transparency of the clintons
mr trump who had said for months that he would release his returns for voters to scrutinize opened himself up for criticism after he told the associated press in an interview published on wednesday that he did not plan to release his returns before the general election
theres nothing to learn from them mr trump told the ap explaining that he did not think voters were particularly interested in the contents of his returns
mr trump in a telephone interview later on wednesday said he was following legal advice by not releasing his tax returns until the very unfair government audit was complete
i will release them as soon as the audit is done i hope thats soon he said id like to do it before the election
mr trump added that he thought mrs clinton was attacking him because she was struggling to win over voters and beat senator bernie sanders for the democratic nomination
making tax returns public is not required of presidential candidates but there is a long tradition of major party nominees doing so joseph j thorndike who tracks presidential tax returns as the director of the tax history project at the nonpartisan tax analysts said mr trump would be the first major candidate since 1976 to not make any of his full returns public president gerald r ford released a summary of his tax returns that year
dr thorndike noted that president richard m nixon released his tax returns while he was under audit starting the tradition of presidential candidates making their returns public
i think 40 years of tradition carries real moral and ethical weight dr thorndike said it is quite striking that a major candidate would decide not to release their tax information   especially someone with an admittedly complex tax situation
among the most prominent people to call on mr trump to release his returns this year has been mitt romney the 2012 republican presidential nominee who did not want to release his tax returns but finally relented under pressure one of the people who encouraged him to do so was mr trump who said that mr romney should be proud of his wealth and not hold back his financial information
at her new jersey rally mrs clinton highlighted mr trumps tax returns to reinforce a broader point about his approach to taxation portraying him as a billionaire businessman who was concerned only with his own interests and those of fellow wealthy americans
she said that his tax plan   which envisions a top tax rate of 25 percent compared with the current maximum rate of 396 percent   would provide 3 trillion in tax relief to millionaires and billionaires over the next decade a figure that her campaign attributed to an analyst at a left leaning think tank she also cited studies showing that the plan would add 34 trillion to the national debt over 20 years
donald trumps tax plan was written by a billionaire for billionaires mrs clinton said adding that 3 trillion would be enough money to make social security and medicare solvent for the next 75 years
mrs clinton was blunt about her own tax plans noting that she would target the wealthy and rule out any tax increases on middle class americans
i do want to raise rich peoples taxes because they have benefited the most from the economy in the last 15 years she said to cheers from several hundred union workers college students professors and others gathered in a gym at camden county college its time they paid their fair share for americas prosperity and our success


los angeles   terry collins had just hung up the telephone after a jovial conversation with his old friend vin scully the longtime dodgers broadcaster and all seemed well in the visiting managers cramped office at dodger stadium
but within moments the mood shifted decidedly when collins issued a double barreled injury report that could be worrisome for the mets
first collins revealed that third baseman david wright was dealing with shoulder soreness which may explain his recent soft submarine style throws to first base
as that news was being digested by a room full of reporters collins revealed that steven matz a left handed pitcher who had tommy john surgery in 2010 experienced elbow soreness after his start on monday and would not pitch on saturday as expected
collins said matz would remain with the team through its current road trip and would see dr david altchek in new york on monday when the team returned
matz was prescribed anti inflammatory medication and said wednesday that the soreness had subsided considerably
it felt pretty sore yesterday matz said before wednesdays game against the dodgers but today theres a lot of progress
matz said the soreness was in his forearm which could be alarming because pain in that part of the body sometimes indicates ligament damage that can necessitate tommy john surgery
matz who has a 5 1 record with a 286 era said he was not worried that he would have to have a second tommy john operation but he did note that he had tried to pitch through pain in a latissimus muscle on the left side of his back last year and ended up missing about two months
that experience collins said is the reason for the mets cautious approach this time
during mondays game matz allowed two runs and six hits and threw 98 pitches through six innings he said it was difficult to pinpoint when the pain had first arisen but he had extra treatment on his forearm during the game because of what he felt
i was still able to throw he said but there was enough concern that i said something to the trainers to tell them whats going on
wright on the other hand brushed off collinss report about the soreness in his right shoulder
im fine said wright who seemed annoyed to have to answer the question
collins was asked about wright because of two throws he made in tuesdays game that appeared considerably more sluggish than any he had made this season
i think hes probably got a little bit of a sore arm collins said before specifying that the problem was in wrights shoulder
collins said that wrights chronic back problem   he has spinal stenosis which caused him to miss much of the 2015 season   could be a contributing factor wright has made adjustments with his throwing and hitting mechanics which may have put a strain on his shoulder
on the two throws in question in tuedays 3 2 loss to the dodgers wright made good defensive plays to get to both balls but on his throws to first base both of them rushed he tossed looping submarine style throws that were unsuccessful
wright has lost some velocity on his delivery over his career but those two throws tuesday looked decidedly slower and his arm angle seemed lower than normal
after tuesdays game wright said that on the first ball when he had to dive to his left and scramble to his feet there was no way to make the throw from shoulder height
when you dive in the hole and come up you cant get on top of that throw wright said its got to be from down there
for much of wrights career his throws in similar situations were sidearm from shoulder height he has made hundreds of such throws among his 2927 career assists two of those coming from shortstop on plays where he was deep in the corner he often made authoritative overhand throws
but in the eighth inning on tuesday the slow footed adrian gonzalez chopped a ball toward third wright grabbed the ball and ran several steps to his right to make the force play at third base on the lead runner
even with gonzalezs plodding pace it would have been tricky at that point to throw to first for a double play especially with momentum carrying wright in the opposite direction a 25 year old third baseman with a cannon arm might have pulled it off wright is neither he threw from a low sidearm position and gonzalez was safe
its just what ive always done and what ill continue to do wright said after the game
if something like inflammation is affecting wrights throws that may actually be good news for the mets if the condition improves his throws may too
collins was also hopeful that wright who had a lighter than normal load in spring training because of his back might have entered the regular season with his arm still building strength
were hoping collins said were certainly hoping thats the case as we get into the summer and hes throwing more and more


among the more polarizing sights in manhattan this spring were the madison avenue windows of barneys new york an unlikely showcase for a series of mannequins they were ringers for the real life models who stalked the hood by air mens runway in january right down to their elaborate tattoos and the uncanny grillwork distorting their grins
during a recent week passers by stood welded to the spot challenged to make what they could of the scene a curious hybrid of street theater and fashion porn obviously this was done by an artist paul roberts a visitor from edinburgh said appreciatively it goes beyond window dressing doesnt it
but claudia brien a young upper east side matron pronounced those vitrines beyond disgusting
i pass them most days but i go out of my way to keep my children away ms brien said
love them or loathe them the windows their mannequins lurching toward spectators lips ringed in jeweled pacifiers skin elaborately inked were a come on they were as surely a testament to a widening fascination with body modification in its most eye popping extremes allover tattoos subdermal implants piercing stretching scarring branding and the like
shayne oliver the chief creative force behind hood by air has been quick to exploit that fascination of a piece with his musical collaborations on and off the runway the display was a calculated provocation in tune as mr oliver likes to say with the language of flamboyancy the language of exaggeration
at the same time the windows opened a door to a very interesting dialogue said dennis freedman the barneys creative director you start to become familiar with something that at first might be frightening but i suspect that over time people do acclimate
as they say the eye adjusts facial and body piercings ear gauging dental grills and tribal ink were once the province of so called deviant or subversive subcultures explorations of extreme body modification a practice so widespread in some circles that it was deemed a movement have been lavishly documented in books like the 1989 body mod bible modern primitives
inspired by fakir musafar a performance artist and leading proponent of the modern primitive movement the book is filled with photographs of mr musafar recontouring his waist and extremities with tight metal bands or hanging by flesh hooks from a tree
there are images as well of leo zulueta a tattoo artist stamped with a brash chevron like pattern that enhances the contours of his back
tattooing and high visibility piercing resurgent in the early 1990s as the seditious insignia of proud outliers are now being revisited in unlikely quarters
were seeing a lot of people who probably would have never set foot into a piercing studio said miro hernandez a spokesman for the association of professional piercers and a partner in dandyland a piercing studio in san antonio were seeing business professionals doctors nurses and teachers more discerning about what to look for and what to choose
indeed the continuing appropriation   commodification some might say   of this former taboo by fashion designers celebrities and civilians alike suggests that it has made deep incursions not just into the mainstream but also into the consciousness and the pocketbooks of a moneyed elite
in an era of excessive individualism our markings and modifications are viewed not as a sign of freakishness or outlier tendencies but as an expression of personal taste christine rosen a cultural historian wrote last year in the hedgehog review a journal of cultural criticism ms rosen went on to suggest that tweaking the skin one is in has become a leisure pursuit no more alien or off putting than say a botox party
today it was spring break is just as likely to be the answer to the question of why someone got tattooed as i was in prison was for previous generations she writes
no one of course would argue that uptown matrons will be besieging their dentists for grillwork any time soon but there is plenty to suggest a widening acceptance of body mods more subtle arts fake and real septum rings quarter size ear gauging tattooed sleeves on the upper arms
fashion has certainly played a part at givenchys spring 2016 show models ears were encrusted in crystals and studs their faces covered in glued on jewels beads and swaths of lace at rodarte models eyebrows were embellished with rows of tiny hoops while those at dries van noten wore long fitted gloves stenciled with tattoo like markings
then there are the show people rihanna and fka twigs gracing the covers of the fashion glossies kendall jenner who wore a silver dollar size ceremonial nose ring at coachella in 2014 and justin bieber showing off a small freshly inked cross beneath his left eye on his instagram feed
those kinds of subtle markings work for every walk of life whether youre a model or a barista at starbucks jonboy mr biebers tattoo artist told pret a reporter this week its like you can wear an accessory and look elegant and sophisticated and sexy at the same time
the other day catherine hay a 45 year old marketing and communications specialist with a corporate clientele lay stretched on a surgery table at the end is near an upmarket piercing salon in park slope brooklyn after months of deliberation she had decided to have her navel pierced
this may sound shallow ms hay said but i do a lot of pilates and i just think my ring will look pretty at the gym
craig rodriguez the owner of the end is near and hand of glory both in brooklyn spoke in a radio interview in the early 90s of just how common piercing had become
it was popular then mr rodriguez recalled last week but knowing what i do now i think i underestimated its impact
these days the question is not is it mainstream he added but how far are people willing to take it
far enough it seems that mr rodriguez who sells jewelry from about 60 to 1500 for a custom piece will soon venture to midtown manhattan with its expanse of luxury shops in a june collaboration with sydney evan a fine jewelry firm based in los angeles he will offer his expertise to the free spending customers of bergdorf goodman
ear piercing is such a big trend right now especially with so many new earring designs said elizabeth von der goltz a bergdorf senior vice president whether people want to mix and match their jewelry or have multiple earrings all the way up their ears more is more the store hopes to draw a mix of stylish younger customers and those like her who she said have kept their main ear hole and want at least one more additional piercing
multiple piercings in and around the ears formerly the mark of mall rats and club crawlers appeal to a wider audience now said maria tash the owner of venus by maria tash an upscale piercing salon in noho were noting more women in their 40s 50s and 60s getting piercings in unusual places she said   the nipples and septum among them
they are lured as much by the jewelry   gold and diamond cuffs studs and conches   as by the groovy maverick associations
from most of our clients we dont hear im worried about what people at my job will say ms tash said those clients are either so established that they have the liberty to do such things or theyre attracted to the nature of the jewelry   so subtle and small they dont worry that they wont be taken seriously
on saturday jenny camillieri a middle school assistant principal in her 40s was having her forearms inked at the end is near the fresh designs an extension of a fretwork of tattoos snaking toward her shoulder the kids when they see them all assume im like really cool ms camillieri said nonchalantly and the parents they assume im a little harsh she said but its all good
jamie hall 48 a doctor with a family practice in downtown detroit is about 50 percent covered in tattoos some have marked certain periods of my life and some are strictly adornment dr hall said his other embellishments include outsize plugs in his lobes hooks that penetrate his ear cartilage and he said a couple of spikes on the top of my ear
certain piercings i take out for work mostly for convenience he said but some have been accepted over time
reactions he said vary widely from are you a doctor to youre the coolest doctor ive ever seen
still he is on occasion overcome by nostalgia lately tattooing has slipped to the norm dr hall said i miss the days when bikers were tattooed and athletes werent
now he added attorneys on red harleys are tattooed


donald j trump boasted of his business success he railed against political correctness he insisted his opponents could not handle the tough guys the bad guys the way he could
oh and one other thing
they dont look like indians to me mr trump said of the mashantucket pequot tribe stunning a packed congressional hearing room by assailing the operators of the foxwoods resort casino in connecticut they dont look like indians
the year was 1993 and mr trump was maneuvering furiously to protect his casino business in atlantic city from neighboring competition
but in that episode and several others since the 1980s mr trumps navigation of washingtons corridors of power appears all too familiar in hindsight   fusing showmanship a reductive approach to ethnicity shape shifting policy rationales and gleeful name dropping into the political currency required to get what he wanted or at least make headlines trying
as he sets off on a round of meetings this week to announce himself as the towns new republican standard bearer   most notably a sit down scheduled for thursday with the house speaker paul d ryan   mr trump can draw on decades of intermittent but memorable experiences
he is no jimmy stewart wide eyed and reform minded but not infrequently mr trump goes to washington making the short flight by jet to advance his business enterprises hold forth on economics and charm lawmakers   including some future supporters like senator jeff sessions of alabama who seemed tickled by his visit in 2005
i want to thank you for your courage mr sessions told him after mr trumps swaggering testimony about proposed renovations to the united nations headquarters in new york in critiquing the united nations before mr sessions and other republicans he was preaching to the choir
in large measure despite his self styled reputation as a political outsider mr trump seems to have had little trouble fitting in   less a bull in a china shop than a new yorker briefly on the wrong end of the acela corridor
john a boehner the former house speaker became a golfing buddy lobbyists counted mr trump as a client and lawmakers came to recognize his tactics and recurring themes
though a handful of mr trumps excursions to washington are well documented   his roasting at the white house correspondents dinner in 2011 his push to redevelop the old post office into a luxury hotel   his forays into the arcana of congressional panels have received little attention during his presidential bid
during his stops on capitol hill he foretold several campaign motifs a frustration with the pace of government scattershot policy prescriptions predictions of impending doom
before a house panel on the credit shortage in november 1991 mr trump seemed irritated at times calling changes in the tax code a catastrophe for real estate entrepreneurs and offering a bleak assessment of the economy and its stewards in washington
i truly feel that this country right now is in a depression he said it is not a recession people are kidding themselves if they think it is a recession the recession had actually ended the previous march
mr trump presented suggestions including a tax increase on the wealthy to encourage investment
for high income people it should be raised substantially with the understanding that if you invest you can get it down and down substantially he said the incentive was taken away when the tax rates came down for high income people
and in a flourish that has earned mr trump some scorn from conservatives recently he was critical of reagan era tax reforms at one point suggesting the united states was no different than the soviet union
they have no incentive and we have no incentive he said and if something isnt done to quickly put the incentive back this country is going to be in very deep problems it already is but its going to get far worse
mr trump and his ambitions were discussed from time to time by presidential aides as far back as the reagan administration and records show that he attended some white house events though not frequently or recently he attended a state dinner for king fahd of saudi arabia in 1985 with his wife at the time ivana
the next year records from the reagan presidential library show mr trump invited nancy reagan to be his guest at his mar a lago resort in florida she politely declined
mr trump was not shy about traveling to washington to advance his own business interests
in 1985 mr trump as an owner of the united states football leagues new jersey generals testified on the regulation of the national football league which he referred to as a great monopoly the usfl which would soon disappear had filed an antitrust lawsuit against the nfl
as his testimony wore on mr trump seemed to recognize the frivolousness of turning to washington over a sports matter with all of the problems of the country it does seem strange that we are sitting here this morning talking about football he said but the fact is it is something somewhat close to my heart
mr trumps 1993 appearance before the house subcommittee on native american affairs was perhaps his most memorable
an overflow crowd packed room 1324 of the longworth house office building eager to take in a celebritys testimony by the end mr trump had accused the committee chairman of having a totally closed mind predicted one of the biggest scandals since al capone and ridiculed those who he said had played down the threat of organized crime in tribal gambling
that an indian chief is going to tell joey killer to please get off his reservation is almost unbelievable to me mr trump said
yet at other times mr trump preferred to keep his distance dispatching others to operate on his behalf during beltway casino disputes
one lobbyist ronald platt who worked for mr trump about 15 years ago on a tribal gambling matter said he had been owed thousands of dollars in outstanding bills mr trump would not pay mr platt recalled in an interview so he traveled to new york to collect
mr trump he said was not pleased to see him it is so prestigious down in washington to represent me that you ought to be willing to do it for free mr trump said according to mr platt
mr platt replied with a profanity he said and mr trump stormed out of the room
eventually mr platt said he got his check
mr trump described the proceedings differently
i have no idea who he is mr trump said in a statement emailed by an aide but if i held back payment it was probably because he did a lousy job


manila   rodrigo duterte poised to be the philippines next president has signaled that he will try a new approach toward china by emphasizing economic ties
during the campaign he talked tough about chinas activities in the south china sea saying he would ride a jet ski to the contested spratly islands and plant the philippine flag there yet he also said he would seek beijings help in building a rail line that would link manila to the southern island of mindanao where he served as mayor of davao city for nearly two decades
he even proclaimed he would shut up about the south china sea if china built the railway
development rather than deterrence   that is going to be doctrine on the south china sea said richard javad heydarian a political science professor at de la salle university in manila the jet ski planting the flag that is duterte the entertainer but you will see the contemplative president developing foreign policy
though the bombastic mr duterte has yet to assume the role some analysts say his unpredictability will help him negotiate with foreign powers at the same time they expect him to maintain a close relationship with the united states which has strong military ties with the philippines
with 96 percent of the votes from mondays election counted on wednesday mr duterte led with 385 percent far ahead of his rivals in the philippine system only a plurality is required to win
though there are no official results yet president benigno s aquino iii congratulated mr duterte on his victory and pledged to cooperate in the transfer of power he said his administration had formed a transition team to work with mr dutertes staff
we are committed to effecting the smoothest transition possible mr aquino said
mr duterte who would be the first mayor and the first official from impoverished mindanao to win the presidency faces formidable challenges in governing the island nation of 100 million people despite recent economic growth a quarter of the nation lives in poverty
he promised during the campaign to lead a ruthless battle against crime his first priority will be keeping that pledge analysts say i will become a dictator against all bad guys he told reporters on monday
another pressing issue is chinas expansion in the south china sea where it has built islands and military bases in the areas claimed by the philippines and other southeast asian nations
under mr aquino the philippines challenged chinas claims in a united nations arbitration court a decision is expected before mr duterte takes office on june 30 and experts say the philippines is likely to prevail however china has refused to participate in the case and the court has no enforcement mechanism
mr duterte is likely to use a decision in the philippines favor as leverage to win concessions from china particularly investment in infrastructure like the rail line to mindanao analysts say
he will talk to china not like president aquino said ramon casiple executive director of the institute for political and electoral reform a nonprofit organization promoting democracy he is willing to explore other realms of relations economic cooperation and joint development
beijing views relations with the philippines to be at a low and sees room for improvement an editorial in the state run global times said this week
china will not be too naive to believe that a new president will bring a promising solution to the south china sea disputes between beijing and manila the editorial said only time will tell how far the new leader be it duterte or not will go toward restoring the bilateral relationship
filipinos overwhelmingly favor close ties to the united states which once governed the islands as a territory and many are suspicious of china and its intentions in the south china sea
the united states and the philippines have a mutual defense pact in addition in mindanao the united states is helping to combat abu sayyaf a gang of kidnappers that has pledged allegiance to the islamic state
clarita carlos a retired political science professor at the university of the philippines said that with those realities she expects mr duterte to find a middle course between the united states and china which both have significant trade with the philippines
people say its the us versus china she said but they are both our friends china is also dependent on us let them learn the lesson that cooperation is the name of the game
she also expects mr duterte to become less spontaneous in his comments when he is the nations leader
im sure he will become more temperate as he sees the enormity of the task she said


the kenyan government has announced that it plans to expel hundreds of thousands of refugees a move that aid agencies say would violate international law and endanger many people
for years kenya has threatened to shut down the dadaab refugee camp where hundreds of thousands of somalis have been marooned for decades a sea of tents and plastic shelters spread out across miles of desert near the border with somalia the camp has become essentially one of kenyas largest cities
on wednesday the kenyan government said that terrorists were using dadaab as a hide out
as a country we have been glad to help our neighbors and all those in need sometimes at the expense of our security the government said in a statement but there comes a time when we must think primarily about the security of our people ladies and gentlemen that time is now
kenya is home to about half a million refugees who have fled years of war and turmoil in neighboring somalia but somalia is hardly at peace now the shabab militant group continues to rule large parts of the country brutalizing and killing civilians
human rights organizations said international and kenyan law prohibited the forced return of refugees to any place where they might face persecution or other serious harm
the threat posed by the shabab in somalia and kenya is real but that doesnt negate kenyas obligation to abide by international refugee law bill frelick the refugee rights program director at human rights watch said last week in a statement in a single breath the kenyan government recognizes that the somalis it has been hosting for nearly 25 years are still refugees but then states its finished with them
the government has not set a deadline for expelling refugees saying only that it will do so in the shortest time possible
some analysts suspect that the refugees are becoming victims of kenyan politics kenya is scheduled to hold a presidential election next year and the incumbent uhuru kenyatta has been positioning himself as the best candidate to protect national security


the man with the parrot on his shoulder was preening as he examined necklaces before a vanitys mirror the woman in a feathered dress was clutching a crystal on the floor
all around them under a canopy of suspended couches chairs and wicker baskets expensively suited executives of hermes the french luxury goods company were beaming for this the first major new york event dedicated to hermes maison universe   that is its collection of furniture tableware and decorative objets   delegations from the mother ship had arrived in force for the opening in chelsea on tuesday night
hermes has made furniture since the early 20th century when it commissioned pieces by legendary designers like jean michel frank but in recent years it has expanded its furniture and design offerings making a fuller collection to complement its leather goods fashion and accessory collections
when we came to hermes we asked ourselves what is a design for hermes is it the kelly or the scarf asked charlotte macaux perelman who with alexis fabry took over as deputy artistic directors of the maison universe in 2014 we think there are many different values at hermes the home department should generate the same values
to stage those values as well as amp up the fantasy they called in robert wilson   bob to cognoscenti   the avant garde theater director who is a master of the surreal and the inexplicable he has long been lionized in europe though despite classics like einstein on the beach with philip glass american audiences have largely been slower to embrace his oeuvre when he staged an early production deafman glance a seven hour silent play in new york as he recounted in an interview published by hermes the reception was pretty mediocre in france it was hailed as a triumph
for here elsewhere his collaboration with hermes which will be shown privately this week to the interiors trade as well as to artists and curators mr wilson called upon familiar collaborators the woman on the floor with the crystal was meg harper who danced for merce cunningham and has appeared in mr wilsons works since 1998 the kohl eyed ingenue doing static deliberate movements inside a frantically spinning carousel of digital images on hermes themes change faster mr wilson bellowed in a rehearsal the day before the opening was brittany bailey who completed a residency at mr wilsons watermill center in 2014
it is an unusual way to exhibit these objects from the first collection ms macaux perelman and mr fabry oversaw for hermes and which had a more traditional outing at the salone del mobile milans furniture fair last month but for a traditional company hermes has proved very willing to embrace the unexpected in its collaborators and even its hires like ms macaux perelman and mr fabry she is an architect by training he a publisher and specialist in latin american photography
i think hermes likes not to use people for the obvious he said were typically people who would never be where we are if a headhunter had come to find us
how best to appreciate the spectacle was also not necessarily obvious at least for those who assembled for one of its opening night sessions
i wasnt sure if we were supposed to follow the little pig man one visitor was overheard saying doubtfully
we were past the suspended couch and through the frenetic carousel where ms bailey and kayije kagame another dancer took turns undulating in slow motion carlos soto a short gentleman with a pigs nose and a spangled matador style outfit giggled and led guests to a final room pink walled and filled with soap bubbles
it was the exit
thats all folks he bleated into a microphone channeling that other great porcine performance artist porky thats all there is dont yall have dinners to get to


rome   after decades of struggle by gay rights groups and months of contested political negotiations the italian parliament on wednesday evening gave final approval to a law recognizing civil unions of same sex couples
the vote   372 to 51 with 99 abstentions   was followed by long applause in the chamber of deputies the lower house of parliament at the trevi fountain in rome people with rainbow flags gathered to celebrate
it was a historic occasion for a nation that is still dominated by the roman catholic church which opposed the measure and where traditional family norms are still strong it was also a victory for prime minister matteo renzi who supported the bill
nearly every western country has legalized same sex marriage or some form of civil union for gays and lesbians italy was perhaps the most prominent exception and the issue has generated considerable controversy
proponents of same sex unions have complained that the law falls short of granting full equality to same sex couples in particular it does not recognize same sex marriages it will not allow someone in a same sex civil union to legally adopt his or her partners biological child a so called stepchild adoption provision was opposed by center right parties and by the church and was ultimately dropped from the legislation
the senate approved the bill in february but a final vote in the lower house was required for the legislation to take effect earlier on wednesday the government won a vote of confidence 369 to 193 that it had called on tuesday tying its fate to the legislation
advocates called the lower house decision historic
the wall erected mostly by the vatican against civil rights in this country has fallen so it is a historically and politically important moment said franco grillini the honorary president of arcigay an advocacy group and a gay rights advocate at the same time same sex couples in italy wanted marriage equality a right held by their counterparts in the united states and many western european countries and he said that struggle would continue
it has been nearly 30 years since lawmakers first proposed giving legal recognition to civil unions in italy the vatican under pope francis while expressing more liberal positions on some social issues has kept up steadfast opposition to legal recognition of same sex couples influencing some italian lawmakers
mr renzi pledged early on that his government would right what was widely seen as an injustice there was pressure too from the european court of human rights which ruled last july that italys failure to recognize same sex unions violated the european convention on human rights
a first draft of the law   it also grants certain new civil rights like access to public housing to all unmarried couples including heterosexual ones   was watered down when the senate adopted it in february after it lost the support of a crucial party faction and the government had to scramble for votes among more conservative lawmakers the scrapping of the stepchild adoption clause was part of the resulting compromise
some scholars said the controversy revealed italian lawmakers to be more conservative than their constituents
the italian population metabolized the recognition of same sex couples some time ago said chiara saraceno a noted sociologist who retired as a professor of sociology at the university of turin citing a 2009 study that confirmed that a wide majority of italians favored legal recognition of same sex partnerships though not gay marriage
italian lawmakers have always lagged behind when it comes to family issues professor saraceno said whether because of traditionalist viewpoints or fear of irritating the church the italian population is ready for this she said of the legislation
while many supporters said on wednesday that the new law was better than nothing many remained bitter
this law is born as an old law that should have been voted 20 years ago when civil unions began to be legally recognized in other countries said michela marzano of the democratic party who noted the laws shortcomings
italy remains a culturally backward country where the only possible family is still the traditional one she said it prefers to penalize children rather than recognize the multifaceted families that already exist
president sergio mattarella has a month to sign the legislation a step that is usually a formality


washington   the director of the fbi reignited the factious debate over a so called ferguson effect on wednesday saying that he believed less aggressive policing was driving an alarming spike in murders in many cities
james comey the director said that while he could offer no statistical proof he believed after speaking with a number of police officials that a viral video effect   with officers wary of confronting suspects for fear of ending up on a video   could well be at the heart of a spike in violent crime in some cities
theres a perception that police are less likely to do the marginal additional policing that suppresses crime   the getting out of your car at 2 in the morning and saying to a group of guys hey what are you doing here he told reporters
mr comey was wading back into a dispute from last fall that pitted him against some of his bosses at the white house and the justice department and one that roiled racial tensions over confrontations between police officers and minorities
he first raised the idea in october that a chill wind had deterred aggressive policing but obama administration officials distanced themselves from mr comey at the time they said they had seen no evidence to support the idea of a ferguson effect named after the 2014 shooting by a police officer of an unarmed black man in ferguson mo which sparked widespread protests
obama administration officials declined to comment on wednesday about mr comeys latest remarks which were sharper in tone than his previous statements but some dissenters said he was needlessly stirring up an unproven and divisive notion
he ought to stick to what he knows james o pasco jr executive director of the national fraternal order of police said in a telephone interview the organization has more than 330000 members
hes basically saying that police officers are afraid to do their jobs with absolutely no proof mr pasco said
mr comeys remarks were prompted by a private briefing he received on wednesday about rising crime rates in more than 40 cities during the first quarter of 2016
he said the new statistics which have not been made public showed a significant jump in murder rates in many cities the numbers rose even more quickly than last year mr comey said in 2015 rising murder tallies in washington baltimore milwaukee st louis and other cities made national news
the two cities mr comey singled out in the latest tallies were las vegas and chicago he said most of the murder victims were either black or hispanic men although fbi officials declined to provide specific figures and said the data would likely be released later this week in chicago where violence and police shootings have angered the city officials say that as of april murders were up 54 percent from last year and shootings were up by 70 percent
mr comey said that he could not fully explain the trend or the major differences from one city to the next
i dont know what the answer is but holy cow do we have a problem he said
its a complicated hard issue but the stakes couldnt be higher a whole lot of people are dying he said
he said that the spike in violent crime deserves more national attention from scholars the media and the public
something is happening he said a whole lot more people are dying this year than last year and last year than the year before and i dont know why for sure
asked about his past views on the ferguson effect as a possible explanation mr comey said he rejected that particular term but added that he continued to hear from police officials in private conversations that lots and lots of police officers are pulling back from aggressive confrontations with the public because of viral videos
he said that the phenomenon could well be an important factor in this
more than many of his predecessors at the fbi mr comey has not hesitated to use the prestige of his office to draw attention to difficult and sometimes unpopular issues involving race and crime
last year he gave an unusually candid speech at georgetown university about the tense relationship between police and blacks saying that minorities are scrutinized more closely than whites because of bias in the talk he cited a song from a broadway musical called everyones a little bit racist
that won him praise from some advocates of minorities but in the debate over the ferguson effect he has angered some minority leaders who say the real problem remains policing in their communities that if anything is too aggressive and far short of passive
one reason for the sharp disagreement is that there is little reliable national data on the topic even at the fbi
the fbi has promised to build a database compiling police shootings and confrontations with members of the public but mr comey said that project was at least two years from completion
that does frustrate me he said


the country superstar garth brooks will play his first new york city concert in nearly two decades when he brings his world tour to yankee stadium on july 9
the singer has not performed here since a free central park concert in the summer of 1997 when the new york times noted that his style is about as foreign to new york city as lou reeds is to oklahoma mr brookss home state that show featured a 360 foot long stage and boasted a reported attendance of 750000
tickets for the yankee stadium event which also features mr brookss wife trisha yearwood go on sale on may 20 at 10 am eastern time via ticketmaster
the last time he was in new york hundreds of thousands of people came from all over the world to see him says a dramatic teaser trailer posted to mr brookss social media accounts now 19 years later he returns
in 2014 mr brooks re entered the spotlight with the album man against machine his first collection of original music since 2001 jon caramanica writing in the times called the album grand scale and hammy in places eye rollingly schlocky and in others outrageously moving
mr brooks one of the best selling acts in music has since teased new material telling billboard last year im gonna stay an album guy in fact concept albums are really blowing my mind right now because if you want to promote an album think about it   a concept album might be the way to go


from 1949 to 1969 under a law inherited from the nazi regime about 50000 men in west germany were convicted of homosexuality many served time in prison
although the law   known as paragraph 175 for the section it was part of in the countrys criminal code   was eased in 1969 it stayed on the books as a result another 3500 men were convicted before the law was finally rescinded in 1994 four years after the reunification of germany even then the convictions stayed on the mens criminal records communist east germany decriminalized homosexuality in 1968
the german government on wednesday announced that it would finally correct what it called a longstanding injustice
the justice minister heiko maas said the government would put forward legislation that would overturn the convictions and allow for financial compensation to the men who suffered under the legislation mr maas said the decision was reached after a study by the federal governments anti discrimination agency concluded there was no reason the men should not be legally rehabilitated
mr maass announcement amounted to an apology for the law which scholars and civil rights activists have long considered a mar on the countrys fraught history
although the ban on homosexuality dated to 1871 it was significantly strengthened in 1935 when the nazis issued an order making all male homosexuality a crime
during the nazi regime from 1933 to 1945 100000 men were arrested and charged with homosexuality according to the united states holocaust memorial museum some were sentenced to castration fifty thousand men were sentenced to serve in regular prisons while 5000 to 15000 were interned in concentration camps where they wore uniforms marked with pink triangles many died from hunger disease abuse or targeted killings but the precise number of deaths is not known female homosexuality was not prosecuted except in austria which had been annexed by germany though lesbians were also subjected to repression
germany has allowed civil partnerships since 2001 and gay couples have the same tax status and adoption rights as married couples in 2003 the government decided to erect a memorial to homosexuals persecuted by the nazis the memorial was publicly unveiled in 2008 in berlins tiergarten across from the memorial to the murdered jews of europe
mr maas said the cancellations of the convictions were long overdue acknowledging that the state has burdened itself with guilt and that paragraph 175 made life difficult for so many people he said the law was unconstitutional from the start and that the old verdicts were an injustice that hurt each sentenced person deeply in his human dignity
in a statement mr maas also said we will never be able to eliminate completely these outrages by the state but we want to rehabilitate the victims the homosexual men who were convicted should no longer have to live with the taint of conviction
the lesbian and gay federation in germany a leading civil rights organization applauded the announcement saying that it showed the government not only can but must clear the names of the men who were convicted under paragraph 175
the federation said the report commissioned by the anti discrimination agency which examined the issues surrounding the annulment of decades old convictions makes clear that the government can no longer hide behind spurious arguments that annulling the convictions would not be legally possible
mr maas said that the study would be taken into account in drawing up legislation which requires approval by parliament he urged the countrys political parties to push through the legislation once it was introduced without delay how many men will be eligible for compensation and details of the compensation process are unclear
axel hochrein a spokesman for the lesbian and gay federation in germany noted that time is short for the men persecuted under the law and urged the government to expedite the legislation so that they could restore their dignity


one of the constants of modern elections is that presidential candidates have released their recent tax returns there is no law requiring this this transparency is based on a norm its a norm that has persisted through all modern elections even among candidates who have suffered a degree of political embarrassment
but donald trump has told the associated press that he does not expect to release his tax returns before the election citing a continuing audit despite earlier assurances that he would release them his stated argument is that theres nothing to learn from them
there may indeed be nothing interesting to learn from mr trumps returns but economic theory about the incentives for disclosure suggests that voters may reach the opposite conclusion after all choosing not to disclose something is an action that reveals something
a thought experiment will help illustrate why lets say that you are running for president and your tax returns are the absolute classiest tax returns imaginable your income is honestly earned you pay an appropriate amount of tax you dont use questionable tax maneuvers and your returns show that you give generously to charities that do good work in this situation you want to release your tax returns so that the voters will think more highly of you
what if your tax returns are very classy but not quite this classy if you dont release your returns voters will infer that theyre not the very best tax returns and if thats all they know theyll infer that youre in the middle of the pack of those who dont disclose   that theyre merely pretty good this means that if your returns are better than pretty good and you make your tax returns public youll rise in the electorates estimation and so you voluntarily reveal your returns so that the voters learn that youre better than they would otherwise think
ok now were in a world in which everyone with at least pretty good tax returns makes them public what if yours are only mildly embarrassing if you dont release them the public will infer that your returns are definitely no better than pretty good and perhaps much worse than that but mildly embarrassing isnt so bad compared with the universe of tax returns that are worse than pretty good so youre better off disclosing
this explains why candidates like mitt romney and hillary clinton were willing to release their returns despite revealing useful ammunition for their opponents in each case it was a savvy choice because not revealing would have led voters to infer they were hiding something worse
this incentive to disclose keeps cascading
those with the cleanest tax returns disclose leading those with the next cleanest returns to disclose so as to differentiate themselves from the dirtier non disclosers as more people disclose the remaining pool of non disclosers is even worse and the least rotten among them will want to disclose to escape the inference that they have something to hide
its disclosure all the way down
if youve got the second worst tax return imaginable and everyone who is cleaner than you discloses the public will infer that youve either got the worst or the second worst possible return far better to clear up the confusion that you dont have the most dishonorable tax return thats possible and so you also choose to release your tax returns
follow this logic and youre left to infer that the only person who wont voluntarily release their tax returns must have the most to hide it doesnt just say that mr trump has more to hide than mrs clinton it says that he has more to hide than any other candidate you could imagine
think about it the problem for mr trump is that the voters dont know if hes honest donald or some other donald but mr trump knows if hes honest donald hell release his tax returns to make sure that voters know that hes neither dodgy nor deplorable and if hes dodgy he will release his returns so that we know hes not deplorable only deplorable donald   the worst possible trump   has no incentive to disclose
by this logic a candidate would hide tax returns only if they paint a terrible picture about finances and integrity if there were the risk that mr trumps returns would reveal commercially valuable information that would be a reason that he could be not seedy yet still want to keep his returns private he has yet to make this argument though
you actually use this logic every day to make sure you dont get ripped off if i were offering to sell you a used car and refused to let you take it for a test drive what would you infer it must be a dud unable to even start after all even if it ran poorly you would let me drive it at least to reassure me that it actually does run
likewise you wouldnt buy stock in a company that refused to show you their books
this same idea is why you demand the right to inspect a good before you buy it or if its in a box you demand the right to return it if it turns out to be a dud you cant return presidents which is why voters have traditionally demanded the right to inspect them first
theres something distinct about information refusing to share it doesnt keep voters in the dark if they think about why the choice not to reveal it is very revealing


houston   the fire that set off one of the worst industrial disasters in texas history   the deadly explosion of a fertilizer plant in west tex that killed 15 people in 2013   was intentionally set federal officials said on wednesday
the announcement by investigators with the federal bureau of alcohol tobacco firearms and explosives came three years after the explosion at the west fertilizer company plant on april 17 2013 in the years since law enforcement officials had never revealed a cause they had previously said three possibilities were under consideration faulty electrical wiring a short circuit in an electric golf cart or arson
on wednesday federal officials said the fire that preceded the blast that day had been incendiary or intentionally set all accidental and natural fire possibilities were tested and eliminated officials said
we are pursuing this as a criminal act said robert w elder the special agent in charge of the houston field division of the atf
mr elder acknowledged the length of time since the explosion but described the investigation as highly complex it required extensive scientific testing to determine the cause of this he said we took our time because we knew we had to get this right for a fire of this size i wouldnt say this is unreasonable
the investigation he said included more than 400 interviews a review of photos and videos and scientific testing at the agencys fire research lab in maryland he said he could not discuss the specifics of the evidence citing the continuing investigation asked if there were suspects or people of interest he said i would say that were heading in the right direction
officials announced a reward of up to 50000 for information leading to the arrest of those responsible
weeks after the explosion a paramedic who responded to the blast was arrested on a charge of possessing the components of a pipe bomb the medic bryce a reed was never identified as a suspect in the blast and his lawyer at the time denied mr reed had any involvement in december 2013 mr reed was sentenced to 21 months in prison after pleading guilty in the pipe bomb case
the explosion left a crater 93 feet wide and 10 feet deep ten of the 15 people killed were volunteer firefighters and other emergency workers more than 260 others were injured of the towns 700 homes about 350 were affected including 193 that were destroyed or severely damaged three schools a nursing home and a 50 unit apartment complex were destroyed or heavily damaged
marty crawford who at the time was the superintendent of the west independent school district said he was not surprised by the announcement
even back in 2013 they always left the door open said mr crawford who is now the superintendent in tyler tex it does make for a reliving of all of that its a sad deal if it is true
the type of agricultural chemical that set off the explosion   ammonium nitrate   was sold at the plant to farmers for use as a fertilizer in normal storage conditions ammonium nitrate is difficult to ignite but intense heat and other unusual conditions can cause it to detonate it was used by timothy j mcveigh in the oklahoma city bombing in 1995
the chemical safety board the federal agency that investigates chemical disasters called the explosion and its aftermath one of the most destructive episodes it had ever investigated agency officials described it as a preventable disaster noting a lack of oversight and regulations and shortcomings in how the company handled the fertilizer in addition they found that the proximity of homes and schools to the plant contributed to the scale of the disaster the nearest cluster of houses was about 370 feet from the plants property line and most of those injured were within 1500 feet of the blast
two lawyers representing the city of west and others in a lawsuit against the owner of the plant and the companies that made or sold fertilizer to the plant suggested that the new focus of the investigation did not alter their case
the storage of the ammonium nitrate that exploded was not part of the atf investigation the lawyers steve harrison and zona jones said in a statement the atf did not investigate what exploded why it exploded or who knew that it could explode all of that is the subject of civil litigation to be heard by a jury in mclennan county where west is located


spring is here and its time to get outdoors and beef up your exercise routine here are some devices to help you meet your fitness goals
with ua healthbox under armour wants to provide a one stop shop for fitness tracking the kit comes with three smart devices   a wristband a scale and a heart rate monitor   all of which record data that is collected in an app ua record
the wristband has a monochrome touch screen that allows you to start an activity such as walking running or cycling then tap to find stats like calories and distance or to control music the sleek scale measures weight and body fat and the heart rate monitor snaps to an elastic strap that is worn around the chest
combined with the app the healthbox provides an accurate look at your fitness goals and progress but all that connectivity comes at a cost for those wanting to start smaller the wristband called ua band is sold separately for 180
for those with unfulfilled hoop dreams the wilson x connected basketball was created to help develop shooting skills by tracking shots in real time the basketball regulation size and weight has a durable grip and solid bounce you dont notice the small sensor embedded inside that records made and missed shots gauging your efficiency from different spots on the court
the ball works with any regulation 10 foot hoop with a net but its not for layups shots have to be at least seven feet from the hoop the ball does not need to be charged and wilson says that it will last for up to 100000 shots or just under 300 a day for a year as a bonus the app has four training games intended to help improve your game under pressure
its important for fitness headphones to have good sound and good fit and the x2 wireless headphones from jaybird aptly balance both using a technology it calls shift premium bluetooth audio jaybird delivers clear sound with the x2 and new ear tips improve sound isolation blocking outside noise
the x2 also has patented ear fins in various sizes that are designed to hug the surface of the ear and keep the headphones secure even during rigorous activity jaybird says the battery lasts up to eight hours on a single charge outlasting the longest workout and the x2 comes with a lifetime warranty against sweat
as the number of wrist worn fitness trackers increases it gets harder to choose the right one the latest option from fitbit blaze is designed for an active lifestyle and tracks the usual data like heart rate exercises steps and sleep which can be viewed on a color touch screen
fitbit also added three workouts from fitstar an app maker it bought last year that offer coaching and real time stats during a workout and a summary afterward
blaze has a few smart functions too like notifications for caller id text alerts and calendar reminders the wristband is comfortable and can be worn all day more stylish bands in leather and stainless steel are available for an evening out the tracker pops out for charging fitbit says the battery lasts up to five days on a full charge
they look odd but the smart socks from sensoria fitness offer a lot of benefit with textile sensors woven into the plantar area the socks transmit data to a mobile app via anklets connected to the socks
as cumbersome as that sounds the socks are comfortable and the anklets are unnoticeable and stay securely attached when used with the sensoria fitness app the socks produce a wealth of real time feedback on cadence foot landing pace and speed for instance i found out that i landed on my heel too often when i ran a pair of socks comes with one anklet a second anklet is 159
all those fitness devices need power and with ampy move you can create power for them while you exercise the ampy move is a wearable battery that captures kinetic energy as you move the device is lightweight and sweatproof ampy suggests slipping it into a bag or pocket to generate power throughout the day but its probably more efficient to wear it while exercising a belt clip and an adjustable sports band are available for an extra 30
ampy says that an hour of exercise can produce an hour of smartphone battery life thats hard to verify because the device has only four led lights that show the level of power but after a 20 minute run on the treadmill the reading on my device jumped from two lights to three


need a translation app for your vacation but dont want to get slammed with a big data bill
new updates to google translate including the addition of another major language and a pop up translation feature can help
google said today that its translation app   which can translate in a number of ways including hearing someone speak or by reading what they write   can now be used in offline mode with no data or wi fi connection on both ios and android it previously wasnt available on ios potentially eliminating the high price of data for travelers with iphones
some 52 languages including french german russian and most recently filipino can be translated offline a complete list is here
additionally the app now offers both simplified and traditional chinese through its word lens feature users can hold their smartphone camera over a word sign menu or photo in 29 languages and instantly see a translation this is the latest addition to a list that includes arabic italian thai and spanish
the new features will be available to all smartphone users by thursday may 12
google said the updates stem from its research in india and indonesia where people are just beginning to come online through smartphones
in particular another new feature called tap to translate was created after google learned that people in those regions spend a great deal of time in chat apps copying and pasting text into google translate tap to translate allows users to be in say a chat app and with the tap of a button see a translation pop up right within that app   without having to switch out of the app and into google translate
sorry ios users that ones just for android


london   the new mayor of london sadiq khan said on wednesday that his election in the face of a divisive campaign highlighting his religion is a lesson to donald j trump that islam is perfectly compatible with western values
mr trump is playing into the hands of extremists and is ignorant about islam mr khan said daesh isis all those guys hate the fact that i am mayor of london why because it contradicts what they say which is that western liberal values are incompatible with islam
in a briefing at city hall and then an interview with the new york times mr khan a member of the labour party said that his conservative opponent zac goldsmith chose a donald trump approach and their campaign sought to sow divisions but london he said chose unity over division and a rejection of the politics of fear something that he suggested should encourage hillary clinton the probable democratic candidate for president
what we have shown and i hope its a lesson that hillary and others in america take on board is hope trumps fear he said adding forgive the pun
mr khan a practicing muslim whose parents came to britain from pakistan said that he understood that he would be seen as a role model but did not want or seek to be a spokesman for muslims or islam
he said he intended to represent all groups in london symbolized by his swearing in ceremony saturday in the citys southwark cathedral and his visit the next day to a holocaust memorial ceremony and his criticism of the labour party leader jeremy corbyn for doing too little to speak out against anti semitism in the far left of the party
ive been the victim of hate crime because of my ethnicity and my faith he said if somebody is saying views that are appalling disgusting and clearly anti semitic ive got to call it out the fact that that person happens to be from my party the fact that the leader of my party is failing to call it out thats irrelevant i have to call it out
mr khans rise   his father was a bus driver and his mother a seamstress   to become a lawyer transport minister and now at 45 mayor of one of the worlds great cities is a british version of the american dream he said thats the london promise
while he experienced prejudice and racial abuse while growing up he said his daughters 16 and 14 have not yet it would be much more difficult now in todays far wealthier london for his parents generation to replicate their success he said
if you go in a time capsule and bring that family forward to 2016 he said i worry about whether we could achieve what we achieved
his parents were able to live in public housing and put money aside to purchase a home while the children went to state schools and universities
but with londons real estate and rental prices among the highest in europe working people are increasingly being priced out of the city he said so creating cheaper housing and supporting affordable mass transit are among his highest priorities
it is also vital for london that britons vote on june 23 to remain in the european union he said given the many thousands of jobs dependent on financial services his position on the vote stands in sharp contrast to that of his predecessor boris johnson a conservative who is a leader of the campaign to leave the union
mr khan made no secret of his support for mrs clinton and expressed confidence that she would trounce mr trump as the father of two daughters he said i couldnt imagine a better role model for them than a woman president of the united states
mr khan and mr trump have exchanged messages through the media with mr khan criticizing mr trumps declaration that he would stop foreign muslims from entering the united states mr trump responded by saying that there were always exceptions and that he hoped mr khan would succeed mr khan responded that he had no desire to be an exception
mr khan said on wednesday that many muslims in britain wanted to visit disneyland invest in america see family and friends ive been impressed he said by the ignorance of the man who could be the republican presidential nominee
he said he loved america and had traveled there many times and pressed by his children have been to all the disneylands there are he wants to consult other mayors for lessons including new york citys bill de blasio but given mr trumps stance toward muslim visitors he said it may be advisable to go to america before january
mr khan said he recognized there was a problem with islamic radicalism at home and the ability of young people to become radicalized in your bedroom via the internet
something is going wrong he said we have got a problem with people who are born and raised in western cities western countries but who are radicalized and turned into violent extremists more attention should be paid to giving people a sense of belonging promoting role models and constructing programs for example to de radicalize people in prison
mr khan has distanced himself from mr corbyn who did not attend mr khans swearing in ceremony asked if mr corbyn had been invited mr khan smiled and said he was probably very busy
the labour party must reach out to attract non labour voters if it wants to win power again he said i do not believe in glorious failure heroic defeat he said you can only improve peoples lives by winning elections


it has been a long strange year for phil kessel a wing who helped propel the pittsburgh penguins to the nhls eastern conference finals tuesday night
bit of a difference right kessel asked reporters after the penguins 4 3 overtime victory which eliminated the washington capitals i am happy to be here
a year ago kessel was playing for the toronto maple leafs and enduring complaints from much of their fan base in four of kessels six seasons with the team he scored 30 or more goals but the leafs made the playoffs only once losing in the first round with questions about his competitiveness and dedication on top of his average salary of 8 million there was a cloud hanging over his head
traded to the penguins in july kessel who is signed through the 2021 22 season found himself alongside stars like sidney crosby and evgeni malkin
skeptics wondered if he would fit in but he had the confidence of mike sullivan who took over as the penguins coach in december and turned pittsburgh into one of the hottest teams in the league
phil is a guy that can score sullivan said weve asked him to be more responsible defensively be stronger on the wall to help us defend when we dont have the puck hes embraced that message all year
on tuesday kessel scored the penguins first two goals as pittsburgh took a 3 0 lead midway through the second period after the penguins committed three consecutive delay of game penalties helping the capitals tie the score 3 3 late in the third period kessel assisted on nick boninos series winning goal 6 minutes 32 seconds into overtime
the capitals were the nhls top regular season team with 11 more points than the next best team they featured alex ovechkin the leagues top goal scorer and goalie braden holtby who tied the nhl record for wins in a season
but the team that has won the presidents trophy by securing the best regular season record has won the stanley cup only twice since the 2004 5 lockout and the capitals added to a disappointing franchise history in the playoffs they have not advanced past the second round since 1998 and have never won the stanley cup they have lost to the penguins in eight of nine playoff series against them
the capitals had home ice advantage for the hard fought series which lasted six games three of the contests went into overtime and the capitals never lost by more than one goal pittsburgh outscored washington in the series 16 15
facing elimination in game 5 on saturday washington appeared to have its power play back in gear and won decisively 3 1 but the penguins were fast and played with confidence from the start of game 6
it starts with our teams speed sullivan said we were getting through the neutral zone with speed and when we do that i think we are a hard team to play against
kessel was just part of the penguins juggernaut sullivan preaches balanced scoring throughout his lineup and in the teams series against the capitals 11 pittsburgh players netted goals
with two other offensive weapons crosby and malkin occupying the top two lines kessel played on pittsburghs third line with bonino and carl hagelin all three were acquired in trades over the past 10 months
hagelin had just 12 points in 43 games with the anaheim ducks before going to pittsburgh but he tallied three goals and four assists against washington hagelin a former ranger will be playing in the conference finals for the fourth time in five years
i thought their forward depth really came through in this for them capitals coach barry trotz said referring to pittsburghs third line
the line may be the most feared in the playoffs registering 18 points against the capitals it scored all four of pittsburghs goals in game 6 and had three assists
in the first period kessel got the scoring started with a signature move using capitals defenseman karl alzner as a screen before firing a wrist shot past holtby he added another goal on a power play when he picked up the puck at the near circle skated in front of washingtons net and beat holtby after tuesdays game kessel was tied for the lead in power play points this postseason
the capitals contributed their share of mistakes defenseman brooks orpik a former penguins player received a double minor for high sticking in the second period that penalty led to two penguins power play goals including kessels in 33 seconds
alzner a part of washingtons top defense pairing was nursing a groin strain he left in the second period and did not return
in the third period the desperate capitals came storming back to tie the score helped by a flurry of delay of game penalties for hitting the puck over the glass
the penguins   and kessel   seemed unfazed during a frenzied overtime kessel passed to hagelin who fired a shot at holtby bonino pushed in the rebound the next 10 minutes turned into a frenetic and jubilant haze at consol energy center
kessel insisted that he had never been jittery about his chance at redemption in pittsburgh he leads the penguins with 12 points in the postseason
i dont remember the last time ive been nervous before a hockey game he said after the win you just go out there and play and hopefully it works out
now kessel said he is simply looking forward to the next series the eastern conference finals against the tampa bay lightning


london   it was a bracingly honest assessment but the timing could not have been more embarrassing britains prime minister david cameron was overheard telling queen elizabeth ii that afghanistan and nigeria were fantastically corrupt countries and possibly the two most corrupt countries in the world
he made the comments at a buckingham palace party on tuesday in advance of a summit meeting in britain on the topic of corruption and they created considerable awkwardness it was coincidentally the same party at which the queen was overheard complaining about rude behavior by chinese officials during a state visit in october
president muhammadu buhari of nigeria said through a spokesman that he was deeply shocked and embarrassed by mr camerons remarks   but he did not rebut them
asked if nigeria was fantastically corrupt mr buhari responded yes
mr buhari who has devoted himself to rooting out graft in africas largest economy added i am not going to demand any apology from anybody
he then turned the tables in a sense on the british asking for their help in securing the return of assets that were taken out of nigeria by corrupt officials and businesspeople and are now held in british banks
nigeria was ranked 136th and afghanistan 166th out of 167 countries in transparency internationals most recent corruption perceptions index
mr buharis anticorruption campaign in nigeria escalated last fall with the arrests of diezani alison madueke a former oil minister and olajide omokore the chairman of a nigerian oil company a former defense minister bello haliru mohammed was charged in january with corruption
plummeting oil prices have set off an economic unraveling in nigeria one of the worlds top oil producers and the collective anger of a fed up nation has poured out
afghanistan a poor and war racked country has its own problems it generates 90 percent of the worlds heroin and the government and insurgents have battled each other for the profits from the drug trade amid recent taliban advances and out of control corruption
mr cameron   whose main political worry is a vote scheduled for june 23 on whether britain will remain in the european union   tried to smooth over the gaffe on wednesday without backtracking he said afghanistan and nigeria had taken remarkable steps forward to counter corruption and praised their leaders for battling hard to address the problem


it took six days for rajiv surendra a calligraphy artist to create chalk trompe loeil panels on the walls of garrow kedigians napoleons lounge but it would take only a moment to undo
that notion of impermanence delighted mr kedigian who hoped that visitors to the kips bay decorator show house which opens thursday would feel free to reach out and touch the elaborate walls whatever the consequences its about something that is fleeting he said kips bay is only here for a minute were only here for a moment
as temporary as it is the show house with the work of 21 design firms spread out over five floors of a new limestone clad townhouse on east 61st street is a ripe and riotous corrective to the muscular blandness   hello restoration hardware   that has overwhelmed so many contemporary interiors
in the silver and gold dining room by alex papachristidis claude lalanne chairs have an alligator skin crust and a gold luster glazed hand thrown gourd by christopher spitzmiller is as big as a puppy victoria hagan sewed led lights into billowing white curtains in their salon brian sawyer and john berson plucked a pair of martyred saints by andrea vaccaro from their gilded frames and set them on a brass panel perhaps the houses best decorating tip
jamie drake was thinking of a mute button for the senses he said when he wrapped the walls of the bedroom he designed with caleb anderson in a shimmering silver fabric i agree with arianna huffington mr drake said referring to the media moguls new book on sleep deprivation were all so inundated all the time we need a place to turn everything off 
the ultimate luxury he suggested is not a 495 million townhouse like this one its a good nights sleep
the kips bay decorator show house is open through june 9 at 19 east 61st street 35 212 755 5733 kipsbaydecoratorshowhouseorg


graphics heavy three dimensional video games can be overwhelming as you jump hit and shoot through various adventures but a calmer experience can be had in beautiful stylish games that could be called one dimensional   some just need a single finger for control
dragon hills is a fabulous new game in this category its an auto runner which means your character   a purple haired sword swinging warrior atop a dragon   automatically runs forward through the levels leaving you in charge only when you jump
the control is simple your dragon slithers along the ground and buries itself in the soil when you hold the screen with one finger then it leaps out into the air when you let go its teeth munch when you tap the screen helping you take bites out of enemies and obstacles and gather awards and tokens as you zip along
dragon hills graphics are cartoonlike and colorful and the way the dragon terrain and other characters are animated is eye pleasing and fun the play itself feels fluid and easy but as you advance you have to learn to burrow under lava puddles and leap chasms to avoid arrows being fired at you by knights
dragon hills is equal parts funny enjoyable and easy it is also challenging as you increase the strength of your dragon by adding armor and facing trickier obstacles dragon hills is 2 on ios and free on android
chameleon run also new has a similar setup with the character running in a straight line through a series of levels you must also jump over gaps leap over obstacles and collect items but the graphics in chameleon run   colorful geometric blocks and shapes that soar through the air   are even more minimal than those in dragon hills
this game features two controls to manage as well as using one finger to jump the longer you hold the higher and farther you jump you need another finger to change the color of your character to match the color of the block youre going to land on if the colors do not match or if you fall into the void because you miss a landing you explode and the game is over
its fast gorgeously animated and looks deceptively easy but dont let this apparent simplicity fool you since its challenging to get through higher levels the game is 2 to download on ios and android
whereas dragon hills is amusing and chameleon run is frenetic fotonica is psychedelic part tron and part 2001 a space odyssey the game takes a first person point of view you see the platforms and obstacles racing toward you and your hands flailing to the sides as you run ever faster
its graphics are like first generation computer games linelike vectors that sketch out the details as you race along winding around the screen and dazzling you in a surprisingly enjoyable whirl of colors
the game has a single control but the levels are difficult and getting the timing of your jumps right is hard you can play it as an arcade game with levels to complete or as an endless runner with platforms that just race at you until you finally fall playing fotonica is exciting so you probably want to be sitting down its 3 on ios and android
duet is another game with a similar style but instead of placing you in control of a running jumping character you have to steer a pair of blue and red dots through an ever advancing maze of white blocks
a tap on the left of the screen spins the dots around a common center one way and a tap on the right spins them the other way you have to think very quickly about how to spin the dots so you dont smash one of them against a block you have already passed duet i found activates different parts of your brain as you navigate the mazes its 3 on ios and free on android
finally check out stride and prejudice a weird but adorable 1 d game in which you have to jump a character over platforms made of the entire text of jane austens most famous novel its even possible   just about   to read the story as you jump along though as you get faster you may have to practice a bit of speed reading if you do find you like the story the game lets you start from where you fell off last if you want to read on free on ios and 2 on android via amazon
there are plenty of digital pinball apps out there but inks is a new option that stands out because of its beauty with its flat minimal graphics all the classic pinball action remains in the game but instead of racking up millions of points you open paint panels on the walls with your ball the paint splats are pretty and the ball rolls tracks of wet paint on the screen its weirdly calming its 2 on ios


most fridays this semester sydney greenberg 19 would rush to her sorority house on the tallahassee campus of florida state university to arrive in time for lunch the menu theme was fried friday and ms greenberg wanted to get at the massive bin of mozzarella sticks before any of her delta gamma sisters did
the goal to get a perfect photograph of the fried cheese mozzarella sticks and mac and cheese are big winners for us she said
photographs of melted cheese on pizza noodles chili fries tend to be very popular on freshmen15 the instagram feed that ms greenberg started about a year and a half ago with her five best friends from high school a slice of pizza may rack up 12000 likes cheese smothered garlic bread gets 10000
a photograph of a vat of the cheese sticks at ms greenbergs sorority house posted with the caption i mozz a really start my spring break diet freshmen15  eeeeeats garnered more than 6700 likes freshmen15 has more than 130000 followers packing on more at a rate of about 1000 a week
our followers love cheese anything with cheese and the more melted and gooier the better said skylar ganz 20 who goes to john jay college in manhattan
sure instagram is a destination for foodie fetishists populated by posts of vegan hot dogs kale smoothies and perfectly sliced avocado fanned out upon seven grain toast
but increasingly in weeding through well lit images of quinoa in ceramic bowls instagram surfers are enjoying a mounting backlash with sites like freshmen15 giving people an opportunity to celebrate an appreciation of lucky charms infused rice krispies treats and other kinds of fattening food that create anxiety and shame among people women especially
see also bread facing a social mediaperformance art meme in which people post videos and pictures of themselves as they rub their faces in carbohydrates
instagram accounts like freshmen15 tagline we gain weight for a reason focus on the joys of un self conscious indulgence my friends and i try to embrace womens bodies for what they are said nikki seligsohn 20 who attends the university of pennsylvania we love going out to eat we go for late night pizza we all love food
the six women decided to start the instagram account on a lark while they were still home in boca raton fla before moving to different towns and cities the idea was to stay in regular contact while sharing with one another the delicacies of college life
what they didnt expect was the way that strangers would gravitate toward their snaps of cookie dough covered birthday cake and baked macaroni and cheese the women have become fattening food aggregators of sorts choosing photos to post often about five a day from food they come across themselves other pictures they see on instagram and images that are submitted to them
all six friends have access to the account and can post photographs they decide are worthy on occasion there is a dispute over an image for instance joelie fetterman a 19 year old at the university of arizona posted a photograph of a partly eaten ice cream cone submitted to her by a friend but ms greenberg deleted the picture from the instagram feed
joelie said you deleted a picture that came from my big ms greenberg said translation a big is a sorority members mentor or big sister
i said if your big wants the ice cream to be featured on our page she should have taken a picture before she started eating ms greenberg said
the feed has made the young women particularly popular among their college pals with many of them submitting photos in the hope of being included but photo quality trumps friendship
i try to be nice about it but it can be awkward when you have to say to them sorry but the cheese isnt melted enough said christina aquilina a 20 year old who attends the university of central florida in orlando only myar taha who attends boston university refrains from frequent posting im pre med so i dont have a lot of free time she said
there are perks ms ganz sometimes gets invited by restaurants to sample their menu free and this winter she and a friend maggie carlson sat over prodigious plates of prosciutto and heaping bowls of mozzarella at la panineria italiana in greenwich village as they snapped photos tasted sandwiches and talked feminism and body image
ms ganz has struggled with eating disorders and she believes the instagram feed has been essential to her recovery the very idea of broadcasting the fact that she is eating fattening food via instagram seemed almost revolutionary
it used to be that i wasnt present when i was eating i wasnt enjoying food i was using my energy and focus on trying to stay skinny she said but i feel like things are shifting in our culture kale is over
between bites of a cannoli ms carlson agreed everyone is fat in college she said i tell my sister dont even try to lose weight until grad school


city center the longtime host of beloved series like fall for dance and encores will add a new festival to the mix next season a new york edition of the annual vail international dance festival
in announcing its upcoming season city center said vail dance festival remix nyc would run from nov 3 through nov 6 and include fixtures of the festivals summer season in colorado like isabella boylston and herman cornejo of american ballet theater and robert fairchild tiler peck and sara mearns of new york city ballet other performers include the macarthur recipient and tap dancer michelle dorrance and the tango star gabriel misse
city centers dance season begins in september as usual with its annual fall for dance festival known for making every seat in the theater available for 15 alvin ailey american dance theater ballet theater and other companies will perform from sept 26 through oct 8
also returning to city center is the ballerina natalia osipova who performed her solo for two program there last year in november she will present a mixed bill of new york premieres that she commissioned from three choreographers   sidi larbi cherkaoui russell maliphant and arthur pita   after a world premiere run at sadlers wells in london this summer other dance highlights include seasons by nederlands dans theater nov 16 19 ailey nov 30 dec 31 and dance theater of harlem april 19 22
encores city centers concert staging of largely forgotten cult favorites of broadway will include roger millers big river the adventures of huckleberry finn from 1985 cole porters the new yorkers from 1930 and john la touche and jerome morosss the golden apple from 1954 the lineup for encores off center a similar series that showcases off broadway musicals will be announced at a later date


tokyo   a fuel economy cheating scandal that began with a single line of microcars now encompasses the entire domestic lineup of mitsubishi motors after the carmaker admitted on wednesday that it had published exaggerated mileage ratings for every model it sells in japan
mitsubishi disclosed last month that it had been using improper methods to test fuel economy for 25 years it disclosed the mistake after engineers at another carmaker nissan discovered discrepancies in the ratings of a family of ultralight cars developed by mitsubishi and sold by both companies mitsubishi did not initially say how extensively it had used the unapproved methods whether it was on all models or just a few
on wednesday mitsubishi added nine more models   the remainder of its current lineup   to the list of affected vehicles the company said it was still retesting older vehicles but it said it had confirmed discrepancies in the ratings of an unspecified number of discontinued models too
the company said it had even misstated the energy efficiency of a vehicle that does not use gasoline the all electric i miev it acknowledged that there could be problems with the ratings of every car and truck it had produced since 1991
the widening scandal at mitsubishi adds to the scrutiny over carmakers reports of fuel economy and pollution ratings the industrys reputation took a serious blow when volkswagen admitted last year to cheating on emissions tests
mitsubishi is already a diminished brand especially at home its market share in japan has shriveled since a scandal in the 2000s in which officials admitted hiding reports of dangerous vehicle defects for decades
today mitsubishis favored markets are in areas like southeast asia and russia it sells only about 10 percent of its cars in japan
analysts have speculated that mitsubishi a small manufacturer with far fewer resources than nissan promised its partner a car with impressive mileage specifications but was unable to deliver cheap small engine microcars are a fiercely competitive segment of the auto market in japan where they account for 40 percent of new cars sold
i think the fact that work was being done in an insular company was one big factor chairman osamu masuko said at a news conference he said successive mitsubishi development teams had used the same flawed testing methods without questioning them
there was perhaps a sense that if someone authorized something in the past it couldnt be wrong he said
mr masuko said he and other top executives had been unaware of the cheating he said mitsubishi was still investigating how a fuel economy testing method not approved for use in japan came to be used on domestic models
the issue centers on the way engineers calculate so called running resistance the effect of the friction between tires and the road under various driving conditions the method used by mitsubishi tends to result in a more flattering assessment of fuel economy and is approved in the united states but not in japan
mitsubishi said discrepancies in the ratings of the nine additional models named on wednesday were relatively small amounting only to several percent the company said it had exaggerated the mileage of the ultralight car line   sold by mitsubishi as the ek and nissan as the dayz   by a much greater extent from 5 to 15 percent


nelson fernandez and his daughter jennifer were still asleep when agents from united states immigration and customs enforcement knocked at their door early one morning two years ago the next minutes were a terrifying blur to ms fernandez a united states citizen who recalls armed agents swarming through their small manhattan apartment and taking away her father who is disabled by a rare autoimmune disorder and dependent on blood thinners to prevent fatal clots
mr fernandez a legal permanent resident for 26 years suddenly was facing deportation to the dominican republic based on a 1992 drug conviction for which he had already served probation he was not facing new criminal charges but like thousands of new yorkers held annually in immigration detention he was taken to a county jail under contract to federal immigration authorities the hudson county correctional facility in kearny nj there unable to contact his family he was soon bleeding internally and pleading for medical care
mr fernandezs case is one of 61 described as part of a pattern of substandard medical care at hudson in a civil rights complaint filed on tuesday with the department of homeland security the administrative complaint brought by two citizens coalitions that monitor conditions in immigration detention sites across the country urges federal authorities to immediately intervene to ensure the health and safety of current and future immigrants detained at hudson either by ending its contract with the jail which is paid 110 a day for each detainee or appointing an independent investigator to swiftly inspect and improve the jails health care policies and practices
the eight page complaint a last attempt to seek an administrative remedy before a lawsuit can be filed describes hudson as one of the three worst detention sites among 53 monitored by the coalitions community initiatives for visiting immigrants in confinement known as civic and first friends of nj ny the groups noted that the private health care provider at the hudson jail cfg health systems is seeking a five year contract renewal at a cost of 294 million to be voted on in two weeks by the hudson county board of chosen freeholders they urged the board to meet with advocates to discuss the complaint before that vote
other cases cited in the complaint include a queens man with a brain tumor taken into custody before his scheduled surgery who suffered worsening headaches dizziness and seizures for nearly four months before advocates succeeded in winning his release the man claudel dor 36 now fighting deportation to haiti said in an interview that jail health care employees denied him the medication he had been taking to shrink the tumor saying it was too expensive
a jail spokesman declined to comment on the complaints saying detainees were a federal responsibility cfg health systems did not respond to several messages seeking comment
to advocates the very nature of these complaints underscores how little has changed since 2009 when the obama administration announced an ambitious overhaul of the immigration detention system garnering front page headlines the system a hodgepodge of local jails and for profit prisons had come under fire for mistreatment of detainees and substandard medical care that sometimes ended in detainees deaths the administration promised to establish a truly civil detention system under more direct federal oversight
the egregious conditions still continue said sally pillay program director for first friends i think ice really has to be accountable here
in an email gillian christensen a spokeswoman for homeland security said that when the complaint was received by the departments office of civil rights and civil liberties it would be evaluated and further steps considered
over all the safety well being and housing conditions of those in us immigration and customs enforcement ice are of utmost importance to the agency she said ice remains committed to ensuring that all individuals in our custody have access to high quality medical and mental health care
since january 2014 121 people detained at hudson have submitted medical grievances with corrective action taken in fewer than 3 percent of the cases the complaint said blaming immigration and customs enforcement for inadequate oversight
one detainee filed multiple requests for specialty care to no avail when he was taken to his court hearing the complaint said he was so weak and short of breath that the judge called 911 so he could be taken to the hospital there doctors discovered that he had a pacemaker with a battery that needed immediate replacement
other cases include a diabetic woman who is rapidly losing weight because she receives insufficient insulin according to the complaint and a 71 year old woman who says that she has lost most of her sight during her confinement without being able to get an eye exam both remain in detention
in mr fernandezs case by the time he was taken to a hospital from the hudson jail doctors told him he had a blood clot near his heart but the agencys response to an emergency complaint by civic was to speed up his deportation the complaint said
a new york judge agreed within weeks of his detention to reopen his 1992 conviction which had involved a hasty guilty plea to possessing less than a gram of heroin during a period when he struggled with addiction mr fernandez said that he thought he had pleaded to possession a misdemeanor but that the record shows his offense as possession with intent to sell a deportable felony
the reopening of his case came too late   he had already been deported from the united states leaving behind his parents his brothers and sisters and his six children all citizens the youngest age 7
my life is there mr fernandez 45 said in a telephone interview from the dominican republic the sound of chickens in the background his sole remaining relative an aunt has taken him in his twin daughters one a paralegal the other the executive assistant to a manhattan chef send him 50 to 100 a month
theres no treatment for me here he added


brasilia   even before the speeches were finished the votes were cast and her fate had been sealed a common conclusion had already settled in the halls of president dilma rousseffs palace on wednesday the partys over
with a mixture of grim resignation and a dash of gallows humor aides said that some of them had already stopped working they were now too busy looking for new jobs others even seemed a little relieved at least the long battle was almost over
as for ms rousseff who has publicly vowed to keep fighting the coup mongers engineering her ouster her office issued only a cryptic description of her schedule internal meetings
just a short stroll from her palace the senate was debating whether to suspend ms rousseff and place her on trial the culmination of months of tirades secret maneuvering and legal appeals in the campaign to impeach her
im convinced that there is more than enough proof of her crimes said marta suplicy a senator from sao paulo who was ms rousseffs ally before defecting from her leftist workers party
even some of ms rousseffs supporters in the senate expected her to lose the vote which would oust the workers party from the presidency it has held for 13 years
there is no other path for us than opposition humberto costa the workers party leader in the senate told reporters during the session on wednesday still he said it would be a very firm opposition
the senate vote is a watershed in the power struggle consuming brazil a country that experienced a rare stretch of stability over the last two decades as it strengthened its economy and achieved greater prominence on the world stage
now those gains are unraveling brazil is facing its worst economic crisis in decades huge corruption cases across the political spectrum and a bitter feud among its scandal plagued leaders   just months before the world heads to rio de janeiro for the summer olympics
justifying the somber mood in ms rousseffs palace one senator after another announced their plans on wednesday to vote against her signaling the end of the political dominance of her leftist workers party
if she is suspended and put on trial she will become the second of brazils four elected presidents to be removed from office since democracy was re established in the mid 1980s after a long dictatorship
she lost a vote last month in the lower house of congress which advanced the impeachment proceedings to the senate powerful lawmakers fending off their own graft charges led the effort against her
plainly said this is the worst crisis in our history with its combination of economic calamity discredited politics and the violation of the lowest ethical standards boris fausto a brazilian historian told reporters this month
unlike some of her adversaries in congress ms rousseff is not suspected of stealing for personal enrichment instead she faces accusations that she borrowed money from state banks to plug budget holes her opponents say she used this strategy to hide brazils economic problems in an attempt to improve her re election prospects
but even many who want ms rousseff to be ousted are bracing for what comes next vice president michel temer the former ally who is poised to take over the government if ms rousseff is suspended is an unpopular figure as well with one recent poll finding that only 2 percent of brazilians would vote for him
he also faces his own legal problems an electoral court ordered him this month to pay a fine for violating campaign financing limits the ruling could make him ineligible to run for elected office for eight years creating an unusual situation in which a politician barred from campaigning ends up running the country
temer is what weve got mr fausto said i hope hell be up to the difficult and often highly unpopular tasks ahead of him
fixing the economy which may require adopting unpopular austerity measures is just one of the challenges facing mr temer 75 a lawyer and career politician who until recently was perhaps best known to many brazilians for his 32 year old wife marcela a former beauty pageant contestant with his name tattooed on the nape of her neck
brazil is grappling with the zika epidemic one of its worst health crises in decades its oil industry is crashing as petrobras the national oil company faces low energy prices and an enormous graft scandal and there are doubts about the nations preparations for the summer olympics in august
but the impasse between ms rousseff and her rivals has kept the government in brasilia distracted from these problems exposing the political establishment to withering scrutiny around the country
while ms rousseff brazils first female president has largely stuck to her routine in recent days consulting with cabinet ministers and meeting with supporters aides said they expected her to watch the senate vote on television
images have already circulated of ms rousseffs offices cleared of personal photographs giving rooms a spartan feel in another departure from her daily regimen she traded her usual morning bike ride for a walk on wednesday in the gardens around her residence among the rheas   the tall flightless birds that endure on the countrys tropical savannas
if she is ousted by the senate the formal notification of her removal should arrive on thursday or friday local news reports said that she would exit the palace alongside her mentor former president luiz inacio lula da silva in a show of defiance she would then be driven in a chauffeured car to her residence the futuristic palacio da alvorada where she is allowed to stay during her 180 day trial
ms rousseff 68 contends that her predecessors enacted the same budgetary manipulation policies that she is accused of her rivals say that does not make her innocent
beyond that an array of figures in her workers party are either in jail or under investigation on charges of graft dealing a blow to the legitimacy of a party that came to power vowing to end such practices
during a suspension her salary would be cut in half to about 4400 a month though she would still have access to a large staff numbering in the dozens the man seeking to replace her mr temer would take the helm of government while living in his official residence the palacio do jaburu
concerns are growing about the legitimacy of a government assembled by mr temer if ms rousseff and the workers party shift into the opposition they will most likely claim her ouster was illegal and mr temers top allies remain mired in corruption scandals of their own
several of his top advisers are under investigation including romero juca a senator from roraima state in the amazon and geddel vieira lima a former executive at one of brazils largest public banks mr temer has insisted that those inquiries would not prevent him from naming the advisers to his cabinet
the president has maintained a sense of resolve speaking in brasilia to activists promoting womens rights this week ms rousseff who was an operative in an urban guerrilla group in her youth addressed the crestfallen mood around her
calling her adversaries traitors she said im not tired of fighting


cambridge mass   on the walls of harvards weld boathouse here on the banks of the charles river among the dozens of photos of womens crews gone by is evidence of how long gevvie stone has been around the sport of rowing
look at the black and white team picture of the 1984 85 radcliffe varsity heavyweights there in the back row is the coach lisa stone thats gevvies mom shes wearing maternity overalls
there i am gevvie stone said last week pointing at her moms round middle in her belly
that was about 31 years ago of course stone gravitated to the water born to parents who were top american olympic scullers she had a feeling shed end up racing a boat someday i had an inkling id be good at it she told me
you might say it was meant to be you cannot say however that it has been simple
to make it to the height of a sport is never easy even for those athletes wired for greatness thats something to think about as teams bound for the summer games in rio de janeiro come together in the next weeks and months
what actually did it take to make it to the top what did they give up what are they willing to risk for success in rio
for stone the olympic dream has had its stops and starts
six feet tall and lean she was part of an undefeated national championship womens eight crew at princeton and won two world championships in under 23 competition after graduating in 2007 she put her acceptance to the tufts university school of medicine on hold to train for the 2008 olympics for graduation her parents even bought her a single scull an ice blue one with a red racing stripe so she could fine tune her skills in a small boat
those seemed to be the blueprints of a daughter whose family is legendary in the sport at least in these parts but there was a glitch
stone didnt make the cut for the olympic team
i felt like a failure said gevvie which is short for genevra
stone nearly gave up rowing after that to get away she worked as a camp counselor that summer while her former teammates raced in beijing
but there was no getting away one of her campers hinted that stone perhaps should give the olympics another try she made a gift for stone a tiny paper boat with a tiny paper rower who held tiny paper oars on the boats bow were written the words 2012 olympian
stones heart skipped a beat she took that boat home to her parents house in newton mass where it still sits in her old bedroom not far from her rowing medals and the tom brady poster on the wall
was the tiny boat a tiny harbinger maybe but it took her father gregg to actually coax stone back onto the water
i just said lets just go out for some rows together  gregg stone recalled she said she wanted to quit but i knew that she just needed to find her rhythm
they headed onto the charles in their single sculls he tweaked her technique devised ways for her to be more graceful started crafting her workouts it sparked something special
with her father coaching her gevvie felt the boat move through the water in ways it never had before she felt weightless as if she were flying it took her breath away this she said to herself is why she loved the sport
other coaches along the charles noticed and marveled
she didnt fit the mold the national team was looking for said liz oleary radcliffes longtime coach who won a bronze in double sculls with stones mother at the 1977 and 1978 world championships but outside the system training on her own with her dad coaching her   theres not many who can do what she has done
what has stone done she climbed back to the top of rowing when others would have given up in rebuilding herself she landed in the loneliest seat in the sport while the rest of the united states womens national team trains in new jersey stone is based here in cambridge in a bubble of her own making
in a tippy feather light single scull there are no teammates to help her or motivate her no one to blame if she falters its just gevvie flying or foundering sometimes on the water in the early morning she doesnt see another soul sometimes the only sounds come from her oars turning in the oarlocks or the blades cutting the water   or her own breath
for several years stone trained while in medical school her rationale classes ended at 4 so what was she supposed to do with the rest of the day
totally doable she said
her multitasking worked she made the united states team for the 2012 london games where she finished seventh and kept right on going
now after having graduated from medical school in 2014 she is considered a medal contender in rio by virtue of her fourth place finish at the worlds last year
her hands are yellowed and callused from years of gripping oar handles theyre not the delicate hands of a surgeon   but she hopes they will be stone who will turn 31 in july will apply to residencies in orthopedic surgery in september   after the games
before that its one last shot at an olympic medal but getting to the starting line in rio is not without its complications either every one of this years olympians must consider the threat of one more very serious obstacle the zika virus
even though she is a doctor stone told me she had only had limited training in infectious diseases especially tropical ones   and that was long before zika became an issue even though she reads american medical association newsletters and keeps up with the zika news stone   like so many other olympians   said she was relying on the experts at the world health organization and the centers for disease control and prevention to keep her safe
its a hard call to make because were all invested in this and were not going to make totally rational decisions she said
ive heard the same from others headed to the games this summer theyve sacrificed too much to turn back now after all some have spent a lifetime in and around their chosen sport   or in stones case even a few months longer than that
its hard to imagine a single one least of all one who rows a single will let anything get in the way now


charleston sc   in a hushed courtroom michael t slager a former north charleston sc police officer was indicted here wednesday on federal charges in the shooting death last year of walter l scott an unarmed black man
wearing a dark suit that only partly covered his cuffed wrists and ankles mr slager already facing state murder charges appeared before magistrate judge bristow marchant to hear federal charges that accused him of violating mr scotts civil rights obstructing justice and using a weapon during the commission of a crime
the case drew national attention last april with the release of a video of the encounter that was taken by a bystander the video showed officer slager 34 who is white shooting mr scott 50 after a traffic stop officer slager had pulled mr scott over for a broken brake light and said he had fired because he feared for his life after mr scott grabbed his taser
but the video showed mr scott running away after a brief scuffle and officer slager firing eight times hitting mr scott five times according to the coroners report
while certainly the state charges address the killing of mr scott they do not directly address the alleged violation of mr scotts civil rights by a government employee acting under color of law scarlett a wilson the charleston prosecutor handling the state case said in a statement it is essential that law enforcement and our community see the federal government address such an important aspect of this case
at the hearing on wednesday judge marchant agreed to continue mr slagers bail but added the conditions of electronic monitoring and the surrender of his passport
the federal indictment accused mr slager of abusing his authority as a police officer by using excessive force   a constitutional violation   in shooting mr scott the count could carry a sentence of life in prison or the death penalty but eric klumb an assistant united states attorney indicated that prosecutors did not intend to make this a capital case
the obstruction of justice charge stems from mr slagers telling state investigators that mr scott was moving toward him when he fired
mr slager knowingly misled investigators by falsely stating that he fired his weapon at scott while scott was coming forward at him with a taser the indictment said when in fact as the officer then well knew he repeatedly fired his weapon at scott when scott was running away from him
in recent years amid mounting public outrage over the treatment of african americans by the police the federal government has investigated several deaths   including those of michael brown in ferguson mo laquan mcdonald in chicago and eric garner in new york in 2014 as well as that of freddie gray last year in baltimore
but the scott case is the first to elicit federal charges which mr slagers lawyer andrew savage said was unprecedented it really feels as if officer slager is carrying the burden of many past cases that were handled differently mr savage said
seth w stoughton a professor at the university of south carolina said such an indictment was fairly rare there are only about half a dozen cases in which police officers have faced federal civil rights charges for a shooting he said the reason its so rare is the burden of proof   requiring prosecutors to show that it was a willful act with specific intent its not easy to show what was in someones mind
mr stoughton said he did not see the indictment as an indication that the justice department planned to get involved in more such cases
but l chris stewart a lawyer for the scott family disagreed saying that he thought the justice department had gotten tired of sitting on the sidelines and wanted to send a message to police departments around the country
they finally heard the cries of so many families that have had to go through this   of not getting justice mr stewart said of the justice department walter scott did not die in vain he said citing changes that had occurred including an order by the governor requiring police officers to wear body cameras
standing at eye level to a bank of microphones after the court hearing walter scotts mother judy fought back tears i thank god that my son was used to pull the cover off all the violence and the cover ups that have been going on she said im happy for that but im sad because my son is gone


munich   they came early as they always do they pressed up against the fences they waited
open practice sessions at bayern munichs training center here are part of the fabric of the club and the fans ringed the field again on wednesday morning some idling for more than an hour and enduring a soaking by a particularly aggressive sprinkler in expectation of seeing their teams stars
when the players emerged right around 11 am the reception was quiet some clapping some cheers some hard stares that may have been closer to glares
it is a strange time at bayern munich even those inside the club do not seem to know quite how to feel as one of the seasons goals has been gloriously won the bundesliga title another has been excruciatingly lost the champions league and the coach pep guardiola is set to depart with a legacy that is more complicated than most had hoped
to most clubs and their fans such internal conflict might seem specious but midfielder thomas muller said he understood the emotional clash many may be feeling because he knew that this club was different
bayern munich is a juggernaut the german champion a record 26 times the club has won four bundesliga trophies in a row three years ago it won the german league the german cup and the champions league in the same season an accomplishment that was to be sure incredible
with it though came a rise in expectations that may have finally crested over into unreasonable muller said
since we won the triple only the triple is the real goal he said in an interview wednesday in the cafeteria beside the practice fields its not normal on our autograph cards ok there are just the titles written but when you are a player and you have to play the whole season you know it has to be more than just the triple
he hesitated in sports its normal to lose sometimes he said but sometimes i think people forget about those principles of sports
sometimes may be generous one need only consider the divergent feelings about guardiola   who won three bundesliga titles and went to the semifinals of the champions league in each of his three seasons here   to understand just how high the bar is
its a special pressure muller said but i cannot imagine right now to live without this pressure in some moments it is a bad attitude because in moments like this it can be too much but it is part of what makes bayern munich what it is
that drive does not only involve winning on the field there is a german saying wer rastet der rostet   he who rests rusts   and the clubs front office has long embraced the notion
motion is constant eight days ago bayern munich was knocked out of the champions league by atletico madrid on saturday the club clinched the league title with a victory over ingolstadt on tuesday bayern munichs chairman karl heinz rummenigge announced the signings of mats hummels captain of bayerns bitter rival borussia dortmund and renato sanches a portuguese teenager coveted by clubs across europe
it did not matter that bayern munich already had players like muller and robert lewandowski and manuel neuer and david alaba and jerome boateng signed for many years it did not matter that the prices for hummels and sanches were high there was a need to do something so something was done
rummenigge was matter of fact in his comments on the signings calling sanches a highly interesting player and saying of hummels generally speaking we are very happy mats chose to join bayern munich
if that sounds cautious it is because it is there are two matches left in bayern munichs season one in the league and then the german cup final against dortmund on may 21 that will be guardiolas final game before he leaves for manchester city and those inside the club have been watching anxiously because the final days of guardiolas relationship with rummenigge have been tense
part of that is simply guardiolas nature he sees his role as that of an overseer a manager molding a club to his vision for a certain period of time before moving on that detachment is different from bayerns long held belief that the club is a family that requires investment from everyone and it has created a divergence since guardiola arrived
winning generally salves all wounds but in this case   and with this club   losing one round short of the continental final three years in a row has taken the shine off everything else guardiola accomplished that is why his farewell is a bit awkward that is why rummenigge may have been a bit muted on the new signings   he does not want guardiola to feel that he and the club are looking past him to the new manager carlo ancelotti even if the reality is that they are and that is why some fans were smiling and others were grumbling in the sunshine on wednesday morning
strange perhaps but such is life at bayern munich where the ball of expectations is forever rolling downhill making it nearly impossible to ever really control


tehran   minoo khaleghi easily won a seat in the iranian parliament in february part of a wave of independents and reformists who now have the numbers to wrest authority from the hard liners on wednesday however a powerful state committee demonstrated that the conservative forces would not relinquish power without a fight
citing evidence that had emerged against her the dispute settlement committee of branches a part of irans generally conservative judiciary ruled that ms khaleghi could not be sworn in as a new member of parliament the semiofficial fars news agency reported the evidence it turned out consisted of photographs of ms khaleghi leaked on social media last week showing her in public in europe and in china without the obligatory islamic head scarf hard liners immediately accused her of betraying the nation
but opposition aligned analysts and ms khaleghi shot back that the case against her was politically motivated more about curtailing and marginalizing prominent reformists   and a woman   than about her traveling abroad without a head scarf
while acknowledging that all iranian women are obliged to cover themselves in public even when traveling abroad they said there was a problem with the evidence the photographs were ms khaleghi said in a statement to the official government newspaper iran malicious fakes
i am a muslim woman adhering to the principles of islam she wrote adding that she was suing the distributors of her images those who published them she wrote were driven by political greed
adding to the confusion the committee acted a day after the interior ministry headed by an ally of irans moderate president hassan rouhani arrested a hard line activist for having published the photographs he was the administrator of the channel on the messaging app telegram where the images appeared
mr rouhani himself had just sent out a post on twitter indirectly supporting ms khaleghi as one of 18 women to win election to the parliament or majlis this spring
for the first time 18 women mps have made their way to the majlis which is a record and we are happy that the dear ladies of our country are present in all scenes and especially in politics he said in the post
the case illustrates how state religion continues to trump politics in iran even after the electoral gains of moderate forces analysts said despite sweeping all the seats in the countrys most important constituency tehran the reformists could only watch in dismay as the much despised morality police returned to the streets and as actors and artists began receiving judicial warnings urging them to behave in islamic fashion or face prosecution
ms khaleghis troubles began some weeks after her election victory when she was disqualified without explanation by the powerful guardian council a 12 member group that includes six clerics appointed by the countrys supreme leader ayatollah ali khamenei that was at the very least surprising because the council had screened her extensively before the vote just as it does all candidates and had proclaimed her fit
what has alarmed ms khaleghi and other reformists is that under the iranian constitution only the parliament is empowered to review and approve the credentials of new lawmakers in this instance however for what seemed to be the first time the guardian council asserted at least equal rights
this means that any winner in the elections can be disqualified by the guardian council said ali shakourirad a reformist lawmaker it sets a bad precedent for future elections
the disqualification set off a dispute between parliament and the government on one side and the guardian council on the other after waiting in limbo for weeks the interior ministry asked the dispute settlement committee of branches to take up the case
ms khaleghi and her allies say they remain hopeful that ayatollah khamenei who has the last word on every major decision in iran might step in and reinstate her there is a small chance she might be qualified said farshad ghorbanpour a political analyst close to the government
mr ghorbanpour said this battle might herald many political fights to come now that parliament is evenly divided between reformists hard liners and independents this is the first muscle flexing by the hard liners he said we will see more


google announced on wednesday that it would ban all advertisements for payday loans and related products on its website because they often lead to unaffordable repayment terms and financial harm to consumers
david graff the director of global product policy at google announced in a blog post that the global ban would take effect july 13 and would apply to loans for which repayment was due in 60 days and for loans that carry an annual percentage rate of 36 percent or higher
this change is designed to protect our users from deceptive or harmful financial products mr graff wrote ads for financial services are a particular area of vigilance given how core they are to peoples livelihood and well being
it is the first time that the company has banned such a broad range of financial advertisements on its site but the move was welcome by advocates seeking stricter controls on an industry long accused of targeting low income and minority communities with loans that carry egregiously high interest rates
lisa donner the executive director of americans for financial reform said in a statement that googles decision would stop abusive lenders from marketing what she described as debt trap products that do serious and lasting harm to consumers
wade henderson president and chief executive of the leadership conference on civil and human rights a coalition representing more than 200 national organizations said in a statement these companies have long used slick advertising and aggressive marketing to trap consumers into outrageously high interest loans   often those least able to afford it
but the community financial services association of america which says it works to preserve access to short term credit for millions of americans criticized the move calling it discriminatory and a form of censorship
google is making a blanket assessment about the payday lending industry rather than discerning the good actors from the bad actors this is unfair towards those that are legal licensed lenders and uphold best business practices
the online lenders alliance an association representing online financial services companies and their customers also said that googles new policy goes too far
the federal reserve board noted last year that 47 percent of americans are not prepared to handle a 400 unexpected expense said lisa mcgreevy the alliances president and chief executive this is yet another tactic that further limits the ability of families to have access to credit to fulfill their financial obligations
payday loans are typically marketed as a way for people to cover a cash shortage between paychecks ads crop up online when users type in need money to pay rent or other search terms that signal financial distress
approximately one third of the payday loan market is online and two thirds of the industry operates out of about 16000 payday loan stores in 36 states across the country according to a pew charitable trusts report in 2014 the report said interest rates for online payday loans were typically higher than those for storefront loans and they usually exceed 300 percent annual percentage rates
consumers will still be able to find payday loan companies through an organic search on google but their ads will not be highlighted mr graff said the company would continue to review the policy and added that it would not affect companies offering services such as mortgages car loans student loans commercial loans and credit cards
google has taken similar action against advertisements for other products or services that it deems harmful or dangerous such as guns fireworks and tobacco last year google disabled more than 780 million advertisements for reasons ranging from counterfeiting to phishing
the company declined to say how much it expected to lose in revenue from the ad ban the pew report said online lenders spent substantial advertising dollars on keyword search linked ads keywords related to payday loans typically cost 491 to 1277 per click which is high it said
advocates are pushing to expand the ban on payday loan ads to other search engines alvaro bedoya the executive director of the center on privacy and technology at georgetown law center said in a conference call on wednesday organized by members of the leadership conference on civil and human rights that they had also urged microsoft and yahoo to ban the ads
microsoft through its search engine bing and google account for most of the online search activity worldwide
because the industry is currently regulated on an ad hoc basis by states organizations like the leadership coalition are also calling for greater federal oversight of the payday industry whose practices have been described as discriminatory
the consumer financial protection bureau is expected to announce proposed federal rules for the industry this year in a report in april it noted that attempts by online lenders to deduct payments from consumers accounts can add a steep hidden cost to online payday loans half of online borrowers can rack up an average of 185 in bank penalties because at least one debit attempt results in an overdraft or fails the report found


cannes france   woody allen lifestyle guru the 69th annual cannes film festival opens wednesday night with the directors latest film cafe society a bicoastal romp set in hollywood and new york in the 1930s at a news conference earlier wednesday mr allen was asked his views on romance fame casting and how he keeps fit on the set at age 80 he was not however asked anything about accusations of sexual abuse by his adoptive daughter dylan farrow
those accusations were raised anew wednesday by ronan farrow dylans brother and mr allens son from his relationship with mia farrow in a column posted by the hollywood reporter a little less than an hour before the news conference and headlined my father woody allen and the danger of questions unasked mr farrow blamed the news media for not asking tough questions and mr allens public relations machine for fending off the media he compared the situation to the one involving bill cosby before his public fall from grace mr allen has denied the accusations in the past including in the new york times this reporter didnt see the article until after the news conference
wednesdays news conference with journalists from around the world covered lighter ground and captured the generally adoring reception the director has gotten in europe
he was asked whether it was physically harder for him to make films im so youthful agile nimble spry mentally alert that its astonishing he said adding i eat well i exercise his father lived past 100 he said and his mother to nearly 100 what it is is luck he said the director wears hearing aids and sometimes couldnt hear the questions
mr allen said he was a romantic raised on hollywood movies after so many films with love affairs between an older man and a younger woman mr allen was asked if he would ever consider making a film with a romance between say a 50 something woman and a 20 something man
that he said would be a perfectly valid comic idea but it wasnt really his field i just dont have any material he said i dont have anything really to draw on but i wouldnt hesitate if i had a good story
cafe society which stars jesse eisenberg kristen stewart steve carell and blake lively is mr allens fourth film to open the cannes festival where it will be shown out of competition mr allen said he didnt like the idea of being in competition you cant determine is a rembrandt better than an el greco is a matisse better than a picasso he said its all very subjective
the festival runs through may 22


kabul afghanistan   since his days as a cia backed afghan guerrilla leader against the soviets in the 1980s the former prime minister and perpetual insurgent gulbuddin hekmatyar has always seemed to be negotiating his next shift of alliances
now with his hezb i islami militant group nearly eclipsed by the taliban mr hekmatyar 68 is once again working a deal   this time to formally reconcile with the afghan government for the first time since the end of the countrys civil war
after years of failed overtures representatives of mr hekmatyar whose location is unknown are now said to be finalizing a peace agreement with the struggling government of president ashraf ghani according to representatives from both sides if signed the agreement would allow mr hekmatyar to return to kabul for the first time since 1996 that was when the taliban pushed him out of power after he had negotiated a deal to become prime minister in return for ending his insurgency against the government
for mr hekmatyar history seems to repeat like that
but the timing of the efforts to make peace with mr hekmatyars small faction of the insurgency this time has raised questions in kabul mr ghanis government failing to persuade the taliban to come to the table this winter is hoping that a quick deal with mr hekmatyar which evaded the previous administration would bring it much needed good news the governments peace body the high peace council also needs to show some results for the hundreds of millions of dollars in donor money it has spent on the reconciliation process
many fear mr hekmatyar known for his habit of breaking alliances could be a larger political headache in kabul than he is a military one in the battlefield at a time when mr ghanis coalition administration is already bogged down with infighting although forces loyal to mr hekmatyar have attacked sporadically   including a 2013 car bombing that killed 16 people including six american advisers   they have never been considered as serious a threat as the taliban or the haqqani network
still mr hekmatyar is exceptionally divisive he is accused of causing the deaths of thousands during the civil war including the indiscriminate shelling of kabul   much like rival warlords who are now allied with the government or have positions within it after receiving copious cash and weaponry from the americans during the war against the soviets he threw in his lot with remnants of the communist government then briefly with taliban and then al qaeda in july last year he was even rumored to have pledged allegiance to the islamic state though his aides later denied it
through it all he has remained a prolific writer he frequently sends letters to his commanders and has published dozens of books on political and religious matters with titles including afghanistan - another vietnam for america dreams and interpretations and bush the king of liars more recently he has also taken to recorded video messages modulating his voice like a state tv anchor as he recites long lectures and answers recorded questions
abdul qayoum sajjadi a member of the afghan parliament said the government had resorted to dealing with mr hekmatyar for political purposes and public opinion after failing to bring the taliban to the table
it may not drastically change anything to restore peace since currently he doesnt command any fronts against the government mr sajjadi said but still having him inside is better than having him outside
perhaps sensing an opportunity in the ghani governments weakness or feeling urgency of his own he has eased his longstanding demands which have included an unconditional and total withdrawal of all foreign forces
according to officials on both sides of the negotiation some of the last points of disagreement were the timing of removing mr hekmatyar and the hezb i islami militant wing from american and united nations terrorism lists and whether mr hekmatyar is willing to renounce relations with extremist groups outside afghanistan
mr hekmatyars group is demanding to be taken off the terrorism lists before signing the agreement while american officials have said the process takes time and can happen only after a formal request from the afghan government when the agreement is signed according to two afghan officials close to the talks who spoke on condition of anonymity because the negotiations were continuing
in the meantime the americans have demanded mr hekmatyar renounce relations to all global extremist groups but mr hekmatyars representatives say they can go only as far as groups threatening afghanistan because there is no universal definition of terrorism
karim amin a negotiator for mr hekmatyar in recent talks said how is it possible for hezb i islami to accept if israel calls a group or party terrorist it is not acceptable to us in any way similarly if burma calls a group terrorist should we also consider that group terrorists no way we are not going to do that never
the afghan government is agreeing to provide mr hekmatyar and his groups leadership with facilities to resettle in kabul
maulavi atta ul rahman salim the deputy head of the high peace council who has been negotiating with mr hekmatyars team said they had agreed to provide hezb i islami leadership with residences and an office in fact we have seen a couple of places which are yet to be finalized
in addition the leadership would be provided with vehicles and guards all that together would amount to at least 4 million a year according to one senior afghan official involved in the talks speaking on condition of anonymity to characterize private negotiations
mr hekmatyar is also asking for townships in afghanistan to accommodate thousands of residents from a large refugee camp in pakistan that his group has used as a base since the 1980s
if mr hekmatyar does eventually make it to kabul he will find himself in an awkward place lagging behind foes he fought for many years during his 14 years on the sidelines he missed the lucrative wave of american spending and favor   and the image rehabilitation   that his civil war rivals have enjoyed
at the same time some of his former affiliates have also prospered without him the political wing of hezb i islami has distanced itself from mr hekmatyar over the past decade and several members went on to become cabinet ministers in the kabul government after the talibans ouster in 2001
mr amin mr hekmatyars chief negotiator who insists his leader is inside afghanistan and not in pakistan where intelligence reports have placed him would not comment on the preparations for his eventual return
during his comeback in 1996 those involved motorcades of white uniformed guards and mr hekmatyars portraits mounted on tanks it is unclear whether any faction in kabul friend or foe would go that far for him again


a recent times article asked readers to name everyday words that repelled them and slacks was one of the front runners but the word for pants couldnt compete with a term for female underpants
dozens of readers commented on their dislike of the word panties it was the most commonly cited word in a comments section that drew more than 1600 responses
amanda danielle of fairfield calif wrote when i hear anyone use this word in any way i feel so disgusted and violated that i actually become nauseous
i have no explanation as to why this happens to me she added i know it is a perfectly normal word but i personally prefer the word underwear
makes my skin crawl another commenter from memphis wrote grown women wear underpants underpants though was mentioned by several people as an unpleasant word itself
researchers have been exploring what is known as word aversion a phenomenon that causes people to be repelled by common words late last week we asked times readers to share those that inspired disgust in them avoiding moist which was already the focus of one of the studies
a commenter from new york said i have a slacks aversion and always have since i was a child
a great deal of the words mentioned in the comments section were related to body parts and bodily functions terms for male and female genitalia appeared multiple times as did groin crotch belly flesh flabby tummy turd pimple pustule piehole fart and flatulence
other words seemed only to summon images related to the body including chunks discharge and plop
words describing various sorts of vocalizations were mentioned so frequently that they could be cataloged in alphabetical order the gs alone would include the words gulp gargle grunt groan and gasp
some readers strung together multiple words to form aversive sentences
i read this just after stroking my moist slacks to remove phlegm that must have come from a crevice on the luggage in my ford probe wrote clyde from north carolina adding it left me in a lather
others rattled off their least favorite words in a kind of poem of aversion dee davis a new yorker composed this piece of blank verse
sara from maine was also troubled by fiduciary which she grouped with other bothersome oosh words such as crucial douche and whoosh she was one of several readers who could identify specific sounds that bothered them
she was also not a fan of garbage
but many of the words mentioned bothered people for no discernible reason ointment was cited more than a dozen times and its less common relatives salve and unguent also made appearances readers objected to orchards to drawers even to velvet at least five could not stomach meal
some used the exercise to trot out some fancier offenders pulchritude and pulchritudinous made the list several times lugubrious cornucopia charcuterie and logorrhea fittingly were also included
others may have had trouble expressing their disgust because the words they said they were repelled by were ick yucky and ew
as for moist the linchpin of the recent study exploring why people find some terms repellent many readers agreed that it was distasteful but others embraced the word
there is something wrong with the person who doesnt like the unctuous sounding moist  dale a wisconsin resident wrote i think of my mothers chocolate cake just frosted before the birthday party and so delicious nothing wrong with moist at all
perhaps predictably many people were bothered by the very idea that words could bother others
this outpouring of often kooky sensitivity makes me want to curl up in a ball eric f frazier a writer from kernersville nc wrote word aversion seems like the language equivalent of food allergies somewhere webster and roget are weeping
adam from new york put it this way i think i have more of a word aversion to word aversion 


a few years ago annette and herbert kopp the creative couple behind the bold architectural bijoux of the german atelier cada decided to infuse their affinity for contemporary art into a new project
mr kopp inspired by the couples own art collection determined that the initial pieces for cada goes art would be created by the american conceptual sculptor aaron curry and two german artists jonathan meese who loves gold mr kopp said and andy hope who previously had made plastic jewelry
mr currys pieces five years in the making and the last to be released recently were displayed at the almine rech gallery in paris and now are available exclusively on cadas website
the artists characteristic whimsy came to life in 18 pieces   bull cactus and moon styles   created in pink yellow and white gold black rhodium diamonds citrines corals amethysts rubies and sapphires prices range from 19800 euros to 129000 euros or 22400 to 145800
the geometric creations resemble mr currys colorful abstract sculptures but the artist said the designs emerged from shapes he kept repeating he didnt just shrink his larger creations
i doodled a lot i first thought big pendants and earrings he said herbert looked at the sketches and said wow that would rip a womans ear off i hadnt gotten my head around material and scale
so why did mr curry agree to participate in the project
aaron did it mr kopp said with a smile because he gets the jewelry for his wife


a downturn in retail stocks pulled the indexes down on wednesday
macys the largest department store chain slashed its annual profit forecast after it reported a steep drop in earnings its shares had their biggest one day loss since 2008 and that dragged down department store clothing jewelry and accessories companies
office depot and staples took big losses after a judge blocked their plans to merge
coming off their biggest gain in two months stocks were lower all day and most parts of the market slumped health care stocks took some of the biggest losses
but utilities companies traded higher as bond prices rose and yields fell and energy companies rose with oil prices the price of oil climbed after the energy department surprised investors by reporting that oil stockpiles shrank last week
retailers have a lot to worry about said kate warne investment strategist for edward jones higher oil prices are pushing up the cost of gasoline crimping consumer spending
consumers arent spending the way they used to spend especially on apparel and theyre not spending as much at the mall ms warne said
the standard  poors 500 stock index fell 1993 points or 1 percent to 206446 the nasdaq composite index lost 4919 points or 1 percent to 476069
the dow jones industrial average sank 21723 points or 12 percent to 1771112
macys fell to its lowest price since december 2011 after it posted disappointing sales and said people had spent less on clothes and international tourists spent less the shares dropped 561 or 152 percent to 3138
retailers including michael kors nordstrom kohls and tiffany also took big losses the watch and accessories maker fossil also disclosed disappointing sales and said conditions had gotten worse it cut its projections for the year its shares dropped 1166 or 291 percent to 2844
office depot and staples plunged after calling off their proposed merger a federal judge ruled that competition for office supplies would be reduced if the largest office supply chain combined with the second largest supporting the governments effort to stop the 63 billion deal
stock in office depot declined 246 or 404 percent to 363 and reached its lowest price in three years staples shares skidded 190 or 183 percent to 846
amazon which is trading at nominal highs rose 1016 or 15 percent to 71323
already trading at its highest price in six months american crude oil rose again after the government reported a surprise decline of 34 million barrels in supplies for last week oil production also fell and is down 6 percent compared with a year ago
american crude rose 157 or 35 percent to 4623 a barrel in new york brent crude the international benchmark rose 208 or 46 percent to 4760 a barrel in london
energy companies also traded higher conocophillips rose 81 cents or 19 percent to 4368 and halliburton gained 70 cents or 18 percent to 3954
bond prices rose the yield on the 10 year treasury note fell to 174 percent from 175 percent on tuesday
in other energy trading wholesale gasoline rose 10 cents or 64 percent to 158 a gallon heating oil increased 6 cents or 44 percent to 140 a gallon natural gas rose 2 cents to 217 per 1000 cubic feet
the price of gold rose 1070 to 127550 an ounce silver gained 23 cents or 13 percent to 1732 an ounce copper picked up 1 cent to 210 a pound
germanys dax slid 07 percent and frances cac 40 was 05 percent lower britains ftse 100 rose 01 percent japans nikkei 225 edged up 01 percent while south koreas kospi fell 01 percent
the dollar fell to 10849 yen from 10930 yen the euro rose to 11425 from 11370


the love of high school football in texas is hard to quantify but to get an idea have a look at the price tag on one of its newest temples
voters in mckinney tex have given the go ahead to spend nearly 63 million on building a high school football stadium after months of contentious debate in the suburb north of dallas
down south football is a really big deal and playoff football is a really big deal said jennifer gray the chairwoman of vote for mckinneys future a pro stadium group
the 12000 seat facility and an attached events center would be just the latest in a growing list of supersized high school stadiums in texas
the mckinney project has frequently been compared to the 60 million high school stadium in nearby allen with seats for 18000 people the allen stadium has nearly the same capacity as madison square garden another school stadium under construction in katy outside houston will have 12000 seats at a projected cost of more than 62 million
opponents of the mckinney stadium which would be used by the citys three high schools have accused district leaders of engaging in a sort of arms race
were kind of like the poor boys on the block said mike giles a leader of grassroots mckinney which has opposed the plan they look down and they see allen allen has a really nice stadium
the mckinney school superintendent rick mcdaniel and his spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment
ms gray who said she did not care a thing in the world about football said she had been persuaded that the stadium would prove an economic boon by attracting regional tournaments and other events thousands and thousands of people coming into our city and spending their money here in our city she said
the plan polarized mckinney residents and led to the creation of rival political action committees in debates and online comment threads opponents argued that it represented a misplaced priority on sports over academics
supporters have acknowledged that the existing 7000 seat ron poe stadium built in 1962 has provided more than enough room even if the parking lot is too small
but many residents felt that mckinney with a population of about 160000 and growing needed a stadium to match its ambitions as destination city in pushing the project district officials projected that the number of high schools there could triple in the coming decades
in a vote on may 7 nearly two thirds of mckinney residents endorsed a 220 million school bond measure that included plans for the stadium along with a number of renovations and other projects
its something our community will look at with great pride when they come down highway 121 mr mcdaniel the superintendent said in march according to the dallas morning news
the district plans to have the stadium ready to host the first kickoff in 2017


fontenay sous bois france   there may be no part of french schooling apt to induce nausea and sweaty palms faster than the dreaded dictation the teacher reads a passage from a famous work of french literature and the student writes it down verbatim and is graded on every mistake
for a language in which the written word often bears little resemblance to the spoken one the exercise has at once become the legendary bane of generations of schoolchildren as well as a rite of passage even indoctrination to actually being french
so more than a few french would consider the idea of taking a nice saturday afternoon to do a dictation for fun nothing less than fou   or crazy
but that is what 60 or so people from all ages and social backgrounds   grandparents and children wives and husbands teenagers and immigrants   did on a recent saturday and not just this once
the collective dictations known as la dictee des cites started three years ago today they travel from one heavily immigrant paris suburb to another every saturday taking all comers
they are the inspiration of abdellah boudour 30 a french algerian civil servant from argenteuil a suburb of northwestern paris who came up with the idea through his work fighting inequalities for young people at his association force des mixites
when he met rachid santaki 42 a writer of thrillers from the suburb of saint denis they decided to turn the once terrifying school exercise into a playful competition for people in the neighborhood offering a way for all including immigrants to claim the french language as their own
we started with 40 chairs on the cobblestones in my neighborhood and we ended up with a record breaking   of more than a thousand people last year in front of saint denis basilica mr boudour said
the event usually gathers 60 to 200 people and also travels through several cities in france no one expected it would work so well but it was a way to gather people around a common thing the love for french language mr boudour said
mr boudour and mr santaki travel all over the outskirts of paris from gymnasiums to school cafeterias to hold dictations on passages from french literature choosing the texts according to the history of the neighborhood or the names of the streets
they often pick classics   extracts from the iconic works of victor hugo like les miserables or from gustave flauberts madame bovary or sentimental education
some come because of the nostalgia mr santaki said others want to improve their french and others are just attracted by the lure of the profit since we offer gifts for the winners
the french obsession with mastering every aspect of their language has an almost chauvinistic quality   strangers unprompted will sometimes correct a foreigners pronunciation or spell a word aloud for them
the dictation is not so far from the american concept of the spelling bee but it is more deeply embedded in the national identity
it was also a way to select people said daniel luzzati a linguist and the author of a book on french spelling at the beginning of the 19th century he said napoleon bonaparte made the dictation mandatory to hire civil servants for instance
it was a way to show you belonged to the french nation he added
not least the rigidity of the dictation has also been the subject of long arguments over its heuristic value as a learning method
i remember it was the only school exercise where your grade could be under zero said yoni diibril 28 who attended one recent session it was the worst since every mistake on a word could cost you the dictation must have traumatized more than one kid
despite its stern reputation dictation became a popular exercise in 1985 when the french cultural journalist bernard pivot started his own television show in which he gave dictations
there were no more grades mr pivot recalled in an interview it was like a game and you still got to test your grammar and all the difficulties and traps of french language
when mr boudour and mr santaki neither of whom has a high school diploma decided to take the exercise into the streets they too thought of it as a way to both democratize the french language and entertain people
in a way we desacralized french literature by making it more accessible to everyone mr santaki said it is a game but people are still writing and getting interested by the text itself and therefore practicing their french
for others there is still the social stigma of not speaking correct french and they hope this exercise will improve it
speaking good french is so important when you do a job interview or even for your daily life said ismael medjahed 20 a volunteer at the sessions i remember i used to be ashamed of myself when i was looking for a job because i was afraid of making mistakes in the spelling
like a number of those attending the dictations mr medjahed is of french and algerian parentage and grew up speaking with an accent easily recognizable as that of the children of immigrants and with a vocabulary dappled with argot
in teaching people good french the dictation sessions are a first step toward integration into french society
on a recent day in fontenay sous bois east of paris volunteers distributed pens and paper and mr santaki dictated the rules before he started to read
some participants wrote the date and even the title la dictee des cites on their page while others underlined it   as they used to do in class
i feel the same stress as when i was passing my exams said aurore tangre 32 a nurse it is so silly i chose to come today
not far from her francoise garcia 74 a retired special education teacher with a deep accent from the south of france laughed nervously
i am from the old days and from a small village ms garcia said it was a time when we used to do a dictation every morning and if you made too many mistakes you got a kick up the backside from the schoolteacher
as mr santaki started to dictate a text from the novelist hector malot who lived and died in fontenay sous bois he paced around the tables as a teacher would
every head was bent hands carefully scribbling sentences pausing to listen carefully as he repeated the text after half an hour the copies were collected and corrected
those with the fewest mistakes got a t shirt or sneakers others got a novel or a book on grammar but for mr santaki the reward was the success of the event
in a way we took back the french republic which people felt had abandoned them mr santaki said
that is the force of french language and that is a first step i know the dictation may look like a bubble from the outside and that it will not resolve every problem in the suburbs but it is a start


in silicon valley it is often said that new tech companies are built on the bones of the old ones
sun microsystems one of the most influential tech companies of the 1990s has been back in the news this week and its old bones could end up costing google more than 9 billion in 1995 sun released the first version of its java programming language   or development platform as many preferred to call it at the time
java was a programming breakthrough just as browsing the world wide web was becoming mainstream the java motto at the time   write once run anywhere   while always a bit of an exaggeration pointed to the importance that software created by anyone working on anything could have without that notion the web would not work
sun founded years earlier and best known for its powerful workstation computers became one of the most influential companies of the first dot com boom it moved on to making servers which ran many of the most popular websites of the time it is not a stretch to say that big thinkers at the company were mulling things like cloud computing   giant computer networks that connect over the internet   years before they became a reality
but sun did not last as long as its ideas its costly servers which usually ran on sun made computer chips and software were undercut by cheaper servers that ran on common processors designed by intel and linux a low cost open source software alternative
by the time the company tried to respond it was too late oracle acquired sun   and java   for 74 billion in 2009 and as oracles lawyers did an inventory of the intellectual property of their new purchase they came to the conclusion that google had violated java copyrights in its android operating system for smartphones
in 2010 the first lawsuit was filed and the case has been winding its way through the courts ever since it returned to san francisco this week and eric e schmidt the executive chairman of googles parent company alphabet was the first to testify in the trial on tuesday
interestingly years ago mr schmidt was in charge of java at sun he says that helped him know what was and was not a copyright violation oracles lawyers are sure to argue that history means he should have known better
sun is long gone but its intellectual legacy lives on so do its old headquarters these days they are part of facebooks campus


texas has quietly reached a milestone more than a million residents now have handgun licenses one of the biggest citizenries in the country authorized to carry concealed and unconcealed firearms gov greg abbott a republican is one of them as is the states only living former democratic governor mark w white jr these license holders just 37 percent of the states 27 million residents are a symbol of the nations culture wars and a subject of scrutiny state pride controversy and curiosity
as of april 30 there were 1017618 active handgun license holders in texas according to the state agency that oversees the process the department of public safety that means there are more people in texas with permission to carry a gun than there are residents of the city of fort worth texas numbers far exceed those in several other states oklahoma has more than 251000 south carolina has 276084 washington state 534978 tennessee 555865 but at least one state has more license holders florida with 1743954
however texas with 5672 permits issued per 100000 adults 21 and over is not the state with the most gun permits per capita florida 11965 permits per 100000 adults tennessee 11851 per 100000 adults and washington state 10635 per 100000 adults are some of the leaders by that measure
the county with the most license holders   139563   is harris which includes houston and is the most populous county in texas with 45 million residents more people are licensed to be armed in harris county than in the entire state of louisiana 94638 license holders
the county with the fewest license holders is also the states smallest loving county in rural west texas of the 112 residents four have licenses according to the department of public safety and census data one is the county judge skeet lee jones 65 the countys top elected official
asked if he was armed as he spoke on the phone recently judge jones said that technically he was not but he added i have one in my desk drawer
generally applicants to carry a handgun in texas must be at least 21 an exception is made for members of the military active duty military personnel who are at least 18 are eligible for a license those with gun permits are generally much older however of the one million statewide 22871 are 55 years old the largest age group of license holders
in january a law took effect giving those with concealed weapon permits the option of openly carrying their firearm in a shoulder or hip holster but in the months since few have embraced so called open carry thats showing off mr white the former governor said i just think thats unbecoming
texans licensed to carry a handgun   the state does not require a permit to carry a rifle or shotgun   invest both time and money applicants submit their fingerprints complete four to six hours of classroom training and take a written exam they must also pass a shooting test overseen by a state certified instructor as well as a criminal background check those with felony convictions restraining orders against them and other legal or mental health issues are ineligible
first time applicants must pay the state 140 the application fee for a license renewal is 70 there are additional costs including for fingerprinting services some pay more than others those in the military pay no application fees older residents get a discount and with one of the highest poverty rates in the country texas makes an unusual offer to its poor a so called indigent discount for handgun applicants those below the federal poverty threshold pay a reduced rate of 70 for a first time application and 35 for a license renewal
the one million are made up of 268200 women and 749418 men according to the department of public safety most of those men and women   873166   are white but the agencys data is limited it includes race but not ethnicity such as hispanic of the rest 67952 are black 22115 are asian or pacific islander and 4126 are american indian or alaskan native an additional 12936 identify as multiracial and 37323 are listed as other or unknown
the texas legislature passed the concealed handgun law in 1995 and it took effect the next year gun rights advocates like to point out that the legislature at the time was not majority republican as it is now but majority democrat in december 1996 there were 113640 people with active licenses over the span of nearly 20 years roughly 904000 would be added to the gun license rolls
id say those who predicted shootouts at four way stops need to apologize to the rest of us said jerry patterson the former state senator and marine fighter jet pilot who wrote the 1995 law


a 55 year old man stabbed and killed his longtime girlfriend and injured a 9 year old girl early wednesday morning in the bronx before setting the apartment on fire and injuring himself law enforcement officials said
the police were able to subdue and arrest the man henry maldonado as firefighters extinguished the blaze
the episode started as a predawn domestic dispute at 700 east 156th street a building in the st marys park houses the police said it quickly escalated and mr maldonado stabbed his girlfriend carmen irizarry 60 repeatedly in the chest they said
the 9 year old girl is the granddaughter of ms irizarry but is not related to mr maldonado the police said the girl was stabbed in the chest thigh armpit and upper abdomen but still managed to escape to a neighbors apartment
the neighbor loretta fleming was awakened just after 5 am by pounding on her door
it was the girl she was covered in blood
she said my grandfather went crazy he went crazy in the apartment please help me help me ms fleming said
ms fleming said she could hear a man yelling knocking things over and breaking glass the girl was hysterical she said blood pouring down her leg ms fleming called 911 and calmed the child who was terrified the man would come after her
hes not going to touch you she told the girl
then ms fleming said she smelled smoke
when firefighters and the police arrived a fire they believe was set by mr maldonado was burning the emergency service unit breached the door and the firefighters entered the police said
as the flames were brought under control police officers moved in ms irizarry was on a couch in the living room unconscious with multiple stab wounds mr maldonado was standing in the smoke a knife in his hand
he had apparently cut himself several times the police said
when he would not drop the knife officers used a taser to subdue him
ms irizarry was pronounced dead at the scene mr maldonado and the 9 year old girl were taken to lincoln medical and mental health center and transferred to other hospitals


last summer the great mass of the american political punditocracy scoffed at the possibility that donald trump would win a single state in the republican race now hes all but certain to win the partys presidential nomination
also last summer british bookmakers took bets at 5000 to 1 odds that leicester city a historically weak english soccer team would win the premier league the team has won and it has reportedly cost the bookmakers 25 million pounds or 36 million the biggest loss on a single sports event in british gambling history
anyone can simply be unlucky but there are systematic biases and errors our puny human brains tend to make repeatedly when we try to predict the future some of which are evident in the biggest political and sports upsets of 2016
its fine and well to make fun of people including myself who were sure that mr trump had no shot at the presidency or who offered overly generous odds to try to bring bettors into a betting parlor its even possible that those projections were correct   that these outcomes really were highly unlikely but that randomness prevailed even a million to one lottery ticket might hit
but it seems more likely that the odds were misjudged all along and if thats the case understanding the mental errors behind those mistakes can be valuable for anyone who cares about forecasting and prediction which one way or another is pretty much all of us
the biggest is recency bias a concept most often evoked in financial markets by people who study the intersection of psychology and finance we tend to overweight recent history in thinking about the likelihood that something might happen people who have experienced a recent stock market crash are more likely to think another one is imminent for example
that helps explain why even when mr trump entered the presidential race and rocketed to the top of the republican polls so many smart people remained so skeptical of the idea that he would win
remember the 2012 republican race when a string of improbable candidates like michele bachmann and herman cain briefly rose to the top of the polls while mitt romney who had the support of establishment donors made a slow and steady path to the nomination you could say the same of the 2004 democratic race when anti establishment howard dean led in the polls for months but john kerry won the nomination
but it hasnt always been that way wendell willkie is the closest counterexample amid a divided republican party in 1940 willkie a businessman who had never held public office and had been a democrat just a year prior emerged from nowhere to claim the republican nomination barry goldwater in 1964 was opposed by many republican party leaders
and in english soccer in the last 21 years only four teams with big budgets and reputations   chelsea manchester city manchester united and arsenal   had won but before that there are examples of teams emerging to challenge the elite like the 1995 champion blackburn rovers
knowing history in other words   and not just recent history   can help a person avoid assuming that the way it has been recently is the way it always is
a related lesson is to be aware of just how small the sample is when looking to the past for guidance american presidential elections take place every four years and english soccer championships once a year a basic lesson of sampling is that one should have less confidence in the results the smaller the sample is which in turn implies great modesty about what might happen in the future
but its not just that the sample is small its also that in these games   running a presidential campaign or managing a soccer team   the rules are always changing this is a version of what nassim nicholas taleb author of the black swan called the ludic fallacy its derived from latin for game the idea is that it is a mistake to apply the kind of simplified statistical model of a game to the circumstances of real life
in a game the rules are fixed if you spin a roulette wheel or even send a baseball team out on the field to face an opponent there are a set range of things that can happen and its relatively straightforward to figure out the probability of each
but in politics external events media coverage public opinion and the strategies of opponents   even the number of opponents   are constantly in flux in unpredictable ways that means something that happened in a past year may or may not be good evidence for what will happen this year
and in sports while an individual matchup might follow the usual rules of probability a teams long term strategy doesnt a smart owner or manager can come up with new insights on how best to select and deploy talent that gives an edge over rest of the league that simple odds wont predict heres one analysis of the techniques leicester citys owners and managers used to prevail
another example is the national basketball associations golden state warriors who in the 2011 2012 season won only about third of their games they had been to the playoffs once in 18 years relying more on 3 point shots than the rest of the league   with the help of stephen curry of course   they rose to be last years champion and set the record for regular season wins this season
prediction is hard complex systems with constantly changing rules a limited historical sample to analyze and our own psychological biases and short historical memories make it harder and that has rarely been more evident than in the worlds of politics and sports in 2016


some of the best business ideas are inspired by others or so the wisdom of the crowd goes that is leading more entrepreneurs to tap into other peoples brains   rather than just their pocketbooks   to test new products set pricing and bring ideas to market faster
lee mayer discovered the benefits of crowdsourcing after she had moved to a new home in denver from new york city and struggled for three months to find an interior decorator who would work within her budget then she met a decorator who wasnt booking enough business and with that an online interior design site called havenly   offering services that were affordable for everyone   was born
but before ms mayer took any steps to set up the company she turned to the crowd for advice sending out thousands of survey forms to answer one crucial question would people pay for this decorating service before quitting her job as a business strategist and spending thousands on a new venture ms mayer wanted some sign that the venture would succeed
you want to make sure other people believe what you believe said ms mayer who has an mba from harvard and has worked as a consultant that takes some risk out of it
ms mayer now chief executive of havenly has been turning to the masses for answers ever since including testing her pricing products and website design the interior decorator who didnt have enough clients is now her design director development is costly reasoned ms mayer who even learned coding to start the site so its important to make choices that are as right as possible
crowdsourcing is fast cheap and scruffy she said especially when you need to move quickly
while well established crowdfunding sites like kickstarter and indiegogo dip into peoples pockets crowdsourcing taps into their brains experts say that turning to the masses can even yield sharper answers than other methods
crowdsourcing has replaced focus groups said chris hicken president of usertesting a company based in mountain view calif that specializes in sifting through the ideas of crowds on behalf of online businesses its faster and a lot cheaper innovation is going so fast that we need faster answers
usertesting for instance helped speek a conference calling service adjust its web design to make it more understandable as a result registrations jumped 60 percent according to speek
ms mayer herself turned to usertesting which offers access to more than a million users for ideas on havenlys site design based on the feedback one of the things she added was a budget calculator
such entrepreneurs may be onto something research shows that the best ideas come from outside a company said elizabeth gerber an associate professor of design at northwestern university
employees dont question as much she said every decision feels more momentous in an innovate or die world
harnessing the brain power of outside consultants and focus groups can be costly and time consuming but crowdsourcing gives companies a bigger toolbox companies can both test new products and develop customer loyalty ms gerber said
speed is a crucial ingredient for success these days researchers have found getting early input from consumers helps companies switch gears faster and more cheaply on products destined to fail according to a boston consulting group survey last year
its harder to stay ahead these days said rob hoehn chief executive of ideascale small businesses with no r  d departments have the crowd his company which is based in berkeley calif offers software that helps companies run crowdsourcing campaigns the firm which started in the co founders garage is seven years old and has 25 employees
ideascale whose client roster includes big companies like xerox and ikea has even run crowdsourcing campaigns for the white house yielding money saving ideas like a high tech tool lending library at nasa
ms mayer a self proclaimed data geek has turned to crowdsourcing repeatedly over the last two years one of havenlys web features is a style survey using crowdsourced data that walks customers through a fun quick questionnaire that helps define their tastes havenly also crowdsourced the prices for its services a 79 price seemed to be ideal for a mini design of one room based on surveying of users and nonusers alike
when harnessing the crowd questions cant be broad though focusing choices between different options is crucial hone questions from a set of hunches advised ms mayer and ask as many people as possible
mr hicken suggested querying about 500 people thats the right sample size he said if 75 percent say yes to a product you can be sure that they want it
other companies have used data analysis to draw conclusions from a fire hose of information orit hashay founder of brayola a bra seller said she analyzed feedback from millions of women
that user data helped her create an algorithm to allow customers to choose better fitting bras that are also stylish an online form helps match users to bras bought by similar women with similar preferences minimizing the need for returns ms hashay said
so buying bras online can become more like buying shoes said ms hashay whose company logged 6 million in revenue last year and plans to triple that this year and now customers talk about their bras on instagram and pinterest she said helping her market expand via social media on the companys facebook page which has more than 360000 likes women voice their views on colors or brands
other online retailers are turning to crowds for the final say on which products to develop
josh gustin co founder of the online mens wear store gustin in san francisco put his own twist on crowdsourcing he was searching for a better way to sell his handmade wares which include jeans from denim woven on vintage shuttle looms three years ago he hit on a new idea partly inspired by kickstarter asking customers to financially back the apparel they like
we suffered through the old retail model he said and the capital requirements you can never guess right and even using the crowdsourced model some jacket or shirt designs that were shown online as prototypes didnt end up attracting enough buyers he said
the companys new approach is simple yet deeply cost effective a garment is designed and then posted on the site if 100 people order it for example it goes into production the result zero inventory and zero waste the system also allows the company mr gustin said to offer jeans once priced at more than 205 for 81 and a 200 japanese cotton button down shirt for 69
testing a garments crowd appeal has yielded some surprises mr gustin said like the demand for red denim over all mr gustin said he no longer had to risk capital to innovate or fill up warehouses and has experimented with 300 different types of denim in three years
retail is old fashioned said mr gustin who used to work at technology software companies but we wanted to break every rule we took nothing for granted
crowdsourcing does have its risks however for example trade secrets may be inadvertently revealed said ms gerber of northwestern
to guard against that entrepreneurs can survey small bites of information rather than reveal their entire strategies
another benefit for companies is that crowds typically are not offered payment for their input saving companies on market research costs
but the people in the crowd do get bragging rights she said so there are reputation benefits


the journalist and author ta nehisi coates said on monday that he and his family would not move into a 21 million brooklyn brownstone they recently bought because media coverage of the purchase had made them worried for their safety
mr coates and his wife used a limited liability corporation to shield their identities during the transaction   a legal maneuver frequently used by celebrities seeking privacy   but word of the sale leaked to the new york post which published an article about the purchase with pictures of the house last week real estate and other news organizations soon followed suit
within a day of seeing these articles my wife and i knew that we could never live in prospect lefferts garden that we could never go back home mr coates wrote on monday in the atlantic where he is a national correspondent referring to the brooklyn neighborhood if anything happened to either of us if anything happened to our son wed never forgive ourselves
mr coates could not be reached for comment on tuesday
mr coates rose to fame in 2015 after the publication of his memoir between the world and me which was written in the form of a letter to his son about the history of racial injustice in the united states it was one of the most discussed books of the year and won the national book award for nonfiction
last year he began working on a reboot of the marvel comic book series the black panther
mr coates wrote on monday that the success of the memoir shocked him as did the sizable royalty checks he received which he said helped him buy the stately home at 207 lincoln road
but fame had downsides he said more scrutiny less privacy and a number of disconcerting   if harmless   encounters with fans including one who showed up at his front door one day he feared an encounter could be less benign
you cant really be a black writer in this country take certain positions and not think about your personal safety he wrote thats just the history
mr coates had hoped the discreetly purchased house could give his family an oasis from the demands of his public persona he said he and his wife had lived in the same neighborhood in their 20s and it felt familiar and warm we thought wed found a port in that storm he wrote
instead news of the sale brought them even more attention some news media outlets printed his wifes name he said while others rummaged through my kids instagram account it all became too much
mr coates did not indicate whether he had made plans to sell the brooklyn home or where he and his family would live instead he just knew it would not be prospect lefferts gardens
our old neighborhood was not as quiet as we thought he wrote nothing is quiet anymore   least of all us


san antonio   things were not quite supposed to play out this way the san antonio spurs were not supposed to be one loss away from elimination in the western conference semifinals
san antonio won a remarkable 67 games during the regular season and its excellence this season was overshadowed only because the golden state warriors effervescently compiled an nba record 73 wins in any case these were the two best teams destined to fight for the conference crown
yet that foreordained matchup is in peril because san antonio finds itself fighting for its playoff life trailing its best of seven series three games to two against the oklahoma city thunder
the meeting between the spurs and the thunder 55 wins was presented as this a well drilled veteran team with a resplendent offense and the leagues best defense meeting a superstar pair kevin durant and russell westbrook who lacked much support
yet the thunder duo has gained the upper hand carrying the team to a win away from the conference finals for neutral fans the series has been a blessing it has been a showcase of high intensity high skill basketball the spurs and their fans however have been unnerved
kawhi leonard was asked late tuesday night whether he found it surprising to be one game from elimination definitely leonard said your goal is to play till june but its not over yet so im not thinking about that im thinking about winning
the spurs lost one game at home in the regular season they have lost two at home in this series after falling in game 5 on tuesday night whatever happens next they have been made to look mortal embodying the spurs unsteady state has been tim duncan the longtime franchise cornerstone who has suddenly been recast as a feeble figure
duncan played more than 28 minutes tuesday but he made just one of six shots he dunked in the first half drawing raucous cheers from the crowd which seemed intent on sending him positive vibes he blocked westbrook at the rim with just under five minutes to go and received more booming applause from the crowd moments later as he took a seat on the bench
duncan who could decide to retire this summer did not speak to the news media after the loss it may end up being his last game at att center
its not over by any means the spurs danny green said stay positive bring the energy weve won there before we have to do it again or were going home simple as that
oklahoma city has made life tough for san antonio but every game except san antonios game 1 victory has been close and after each game it has been the same routine dissecting some small play here another minor call there looking at various little things that might have influenced the result
the referees for instance have been under the microscope spurs coach gregg popovich does not often talk about officiating after the fact but he said tuesday that it was obvious that leonard had fouled westbrook in a late noncall situation when the spurs needed to foul and he said he was concerned about a late foul call durant had drawn when it appeared that green had been tripped into him
but every call doesnt get called popovich said thats the way the game is
the spurs have not quite looked like themselves they had 39 assists in game 1 they had 19 each in games 2 and 3 after notching just 12 in their loss in game 4 they had 19 again tuesday popovich this week pointed out that game play as a whole tends to slow down during the playoffs but he acknowledged the team needed to be sharper moving the ball
after game 5 the spurs were ruing their inability to rebound the thunder beat them in that category 54 36
thats hurt us through the entire series popovich said
the spurs have struggled of late to find good shots lamarcus aldridge has symbolized the downturn he made 33 of 44 field goal attempts through the first two games scoring 79 points while confounding the thunder with his one on one moves in games 3 4 and 5 though he faded making only 22 of 60 shots and totaling 64 points
we all have to put pressure on ourselves aldridge said we have to go out there and play like its our lives on the line we have to compete at a high level and do anything we have to do to get the win
on top of all that oklahoma city has looked poised durant has played majestically particularly in game 4 when he put on a scoring exhibition westbrook has been impossible to corral even when he has not shot the ball well his constant motion to the basket has punctured the spurs defensive shape his rebounding was cited by several spurs players after the game
yet amid all this popovich was defiant when asked how much credit thunder coach billy donovan deserved after pushing the spurs to the brink of elimination
i didnt know the series was over yet popovich said


baghdad   in a burst of attacks recalling iraqs sectarian civil war three bombings in three different neighborhoods of baghdad killed more than 90 people on wednesday and wounded scores more the iraqi authorities said
the islamic state claimed responsibility for the biggest attack in a crowded food market in the shiite neighborhood of sadr city in northern baghdad explosives hidden in a parked pickup truck loaded with fruit and vegetables detonated around 10 am killing at least 66 people and wounding 87 others
the other two bombings were reported at a police checkpoint in the kadhmiya neighborhood in northwest baghdad where 17 were killed and at another police checkpoint in the jamiya neighborhood in central baghdad where nine died
blood covered the ground at the market in sadr city with clothing and slippers apparently from the victims scattered throughout the market at least 30 shops were damaged and as many as 20 cars were burned or destroyed
the death toll from the attack rose steadily through the day in the late afternoon hakim al zamili the head of the security and defense committee of the iraqi parliament said the number of dead in the sadr city attack could be as high as 95
the market is especially busy in the morning witnesses said the man driving the truck that exploded had waited in a line of vehicles to enter the market after parking he left and the vehicle exploded about five minutes later according to murtadha ali 55 who was in the area at the time
another witness ahmed ali 26 criticized the response by emergency workers the reaction of the ambulances was slow and weak he said
among the scores of victims were at least 14 women and 10 children according to iraqi officials
the islamic state quickly claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement circulated on social media accounts the sunni terrorist group also known as isis  isil or daesh has often aimed at shiite communities   sadr city is one of iraqs largest
the office of prime minister haider al abadi denounced the attack saying in a statement that the latest explosions will not stop us from fighting daesh
iraqi forces backed by airstrikes from the american led coalition fighting the islamic state and by shiite dominated paramilitary forces have regained some territory seized by the islamic state in 2014 those forces have been unable to stop the terrorist group from mounting attacks in the heart of baghdad however
in february iraqi security forces announced plans to build a wall around baghdad in an effort to prevent further attacks
iraq has been in a political crisis in recent months on april 30 demonstrators stormed the heavily fortified green zone and occupied parliament demanding an end to sectarian quotas in politics a fight against corruption and improved governance
the protesters were mostly supporters of the powerful shiite cleric moktada al sadr sadr city is named after his father ayatollah muhammad sadiq al sadr
after the explosion in sadr city on wednesday protesters gathered there chanting that they would not back down from their demands for change
mr zamili the member of parliament lamented the governments failure to protect citizens from terrorist attacks saying it showed far more concern for protecting the green zone than for protecting innocent civilians in neighborhoods like sadr city the green zone is the government stronghold that is off limits to ordinary iraqis
an officer at the kadhmiya police checkpoint ali ahmed said his shift had just ended and he and his fellow officers were heading to their barracks when he heard a loud explosion and saw a big fire at the checkpoint
he said some of his colleagues had been killed and he saw the dead bodies of several civilians who were trapped in their cars at the checkpoint when the explosion occurred
me and my colleagues began to carry the killed and injured and the ambulances arrived to carry the killed and injured mr ahmed said it was a terrible shocking view and im shocked and psychologically broken because of what happened
there have been two huge and deadly explosions in sadr city since last summer on aug 13 a truck bomb devastated a food market in the district on feb 28 a pair of bombers attacked another market there in both cases dozens of people died and the islamic state claimed responsibility


the 1 percent can breathe a small collective sigh of relief
hillary clintons platform contains many new taxes for the wealthy and in recent days it seemed that donald j trump might be moving in the same direction when asked sunday on meet the press about taxing the rich mr trump said for the wealthy i think frankly its going to go up and you know what it really should go up
he now says he wasnt talking about the current income tax rate for people in the highest bracket which is 396 percent if he had been it would have been a big move for mr trump the presumptive republican nominee to push that rate higher his official tax plan envisions a top rate of 25 percent
in a phone interview on monday i sought clarification from mr trump on his remarks about raising taxes on the rich i asked him whether the highest earners would be paying more than 396 percent if he were president
no in fact youd be lower than that mr trump said
but how given that he had said that taxes would be going up for the wealthy mr trump explained that he meant he might have to accept a top tax rate that is higher than the 25 percent his plan calls for to get his tax plans through congress he would probably have to compromise but even after such concessions the top rate would be lower than it is now he said
congress has not passed some of president obamas more ambitious tax proposals and it may be only slightly more receptive to the next president mr trump for instance would find it particularly hard to slash tax rates if the democrats controlled the senate after november and mrs clinton is highly unlikely to get all she wants if the republicans keep majorities in both houses
that doesnt mean that tax issues wont be prominent in the election mr trump and mrs clinton can use their tax plans to define themselves   and their opponent   as they woo undecided voters
mr trumps tax cuts may help win over voters who are concerned about his other ideas or the tone of his campaign
still some of his support comes from people whose economic prospects have dimmed as the wealthy have gotten richer and according to tax analysts the rich would have a bigger tax windfall than the middle class under mr trump
the tax policy center a joint project of the center left urban institute and brookings institution calculates that mr trumps policies would on average give the top 1 percent of taxpayers a federal tax cut of 275000 or 175 percent of their after tax income while middle income households would get a 2700 tax cut equivalent to 5 percent of their after tax income
so i asked mr trump why not tax the rich at higher rates than they are subject to today
i really want to keep taxes for everybody as low as possible he said when you start making them too high you are going to lose people from the country and oftentimes these are the people who create the jobs
mr trumps tax plans could leave him vulnerable on another front budget analysts say that slashing taxes by the amounts he envisions would lead to a sharp drop in revenue the tax policy center estimates a drop in revenue of 95 trillion over 10 years to put that sum in perspective the federal government took in revenue of 32 trillion last year if spending were not cut in response and a much faster growing economy did not provide a lot more revenue the federal government would have to borrow to cover the shortfall pushing up the national debt
these predictions of a big shortfall allow mrs clinton to promote herself as a sound fiscal manager which could help in her efforts to attract moderate republicans put off by mr trump mrs clintons tax increases would in theory mostly offset her spending according to a study by the committee for a responsible federal budget a bipartisan policy organization
mr trump for his part disputes the notion that steep declines in revenue would result from his tax cuts those numbers are crazy he said noting that the economy grew strongly after the big reagan tax cuts its worth noting that the economy also grew strongly after tax increases by bill clinton
and what if mrs clinton says she is the fiscal conservative and he is not but shes not going to get the economy going mr trump said
by focusing her tax increases almost entirely on the wealthy mrs clinton says she does not have to squeeze more from the middle class that stance helps her strike a chord with voters who are concerned about income inequality and if she locks up the nomination could help her pull in bernie sanders supporters in november
in mrs clintons tax plan a large chunk of the extra revenue would come from limiting how much high earners can deduct from their taxable income people would pay an extra 4 percent of tax on income over 5 million and those with income over 1 million would face a minimum tax of 30 percent called the buffett rule mrs clintons proposed changes to estate taxes would also lead to the rich paying more
mr trump in addition to cutting income taxes for the rich intends to get rid of the estate tax altogether
still there are elements of his plan that he might highlight if he is accused of favoring the wealthy like mrs clinton he wants to reduce or eliminate deductions for the rich when i asked mr trump what type of deductions he intended to limit he said we are preparing a list of the various deductions and we are going to release that next week
maybe then the 1 percent will be able to see if there is anything to fear from mr trump


european antitrust officials on wednesday rebuffed renewed efforts to consolidate the regions telecommunications sector blocking a proposed 145 billion deal between two major british carriers
under the proposed deal hutchison whampoa one of the hong kong billionaire li ka shings flagship companies which owns the british operator three had sought to acquire o2 a rival in britain owned by the spanish telecom giant telefonica
but europes competition chief margrethe vestager said the deal would limit consumer choice and could raise prices in britain we want the mobile telecoms sector to be competitive so that consumers can enjoy innovative mobile services at fair prices and high network quality ms vestager said in a statement on wednesday
ms vestagers tough stance comes as the danish politician has taken a muscular approach to defending europes competition rules including charging google for abusing its market position with some of its online search products and with its use of android its smartphone operating system
the european commission has also accused gazprom the russian energy giant of antitrust practices in the natural gas markets google and gazprom deny any wrongdoing
threes failed takeover of o2 an antitrust decision widely expected by many in europes flagging telecom industry comes amid growing uncertainty in the sector after a series of other deals among the regions more than 100 local carriers fell through
those include an attempt by orange frances former monopoly to buy bouygues telecom a local rival for more than 11 billion that bid failed after the two sides said last month that they could not agree to terms last year the carriers telenor and teliasonera also called off talks to combine their danish operations after failing to win european antitrust approval
many of the regions policy makers remain skeptical over such deals concerned that multibillion dollar takeovers could lead to increased cellphone plan prices just as people become increasingly reliant on their mobile devices on average europeans pay roughly half as much for their monthly cellphone contracts as americans do according to the gsma an industry group
but many in the telecom industry have urged greater consolidation claiming that fewer players in each of the european unions 28 member states could help drive increased spending on high speed mobile networks and other infrastructure needed to keep pace with the united states and asia
the collapse of the deal leaves both three and o2 in a precarious position with uncertain futures in the uk said kester mann a london based analyst with the research company ccs insight it also casts serious doubt over the future structure of a european telecoms sector that had banked on the tie up paving the way to further consolidation
europes mounting hesitation to approve telecom deals also contrasts with the united states where companies like comcast and verizon communications among others are extending their reach beyond their traditional business into new markets last month comcast bought dreamworks animation a movie studio for 38 billion
such deals however remain mostly out of bounds in europe where lawmakers have prioritized consumer choice including access to at least four telecom operators in many countries over consolidation
as part of its decision on wednesday the european commission the executive arm of the european union said the takeover would have removed an important competitor it added that reduced competition would probably have led to higher prices and lower quality on mobile services
telefonica and hutchison whampoa had offered concessions including allowing access to their networks to competitors in an effort to win approval for the deal
hutchison whampoa said in a statement that it was deeply disappointed by the commissions decision and that it would consider a legal challenge
the decision to block the merger has already prompted other telecom and cable operators to circle o2 companies that appear interested in picking up the british carrier include liberty global the cable operator controlled by the american billionaire john c malone and iliad a french carrier
in a conference call with analysts last week jose maria alvarez pallete lopez telefonicas executive chairman said that regardless of the commissions decision his company had a very comfortable cash position that meant it would not need to rush into deciding what to do with o2


paris   in a series of videos on the live streaming app periscope she said that her name was oceane that she was 19 and that she worked in a retirement home seated on a couch she smoked cigarettes played with her cat and showed off her tattoos a rose on her left forearm a small heart on her right thumb she engaged with periscope followers who asked about her life and her hobbies
at 429 pm on tuesday while recording herself on periscope the woman threw herself under a train at the egly station about 25 miles south of paris on the c line of the regional train system known as the rer
on wednesday french officials said they had opened an investigation into her death
eric lallement the local prosecutor said the young woman whom he did not identify had sent a text message to a friend of her former boyfriend saying the ex boyfriend had abused and raped her in the text message she declares she is ending her life because of the evil that he did to her mr lallement said in a statement
he added that investigators were examining the womans mobile phone and were working to obtain the original videos from periscope the investigators he said had talked to the womans relatives and they had described her as being psychologically fragile and as having had a troubled relationship with the ex boyfriend
the videos are no longer available on periscope which is owned by twitter but excerpts from the videos were widely circulated on youtube with the suicide blacked out
in the video excerpts the woman said the video i am doing right now is not made to create buzz but rather to make people react to open minds and thats it
when one periscope user asked her if she was going to commit suicide she answered no i am not going to kill myself but added i have reached the point where nothing pleases me and nothing can make me want to get up in the morning
people watching the video chimed in with remarks   including were waiting always a pleasure to see you give us a hint and i think its fun   that suggested that they did not appreciate the gravity of her distress
at one point in the excerpts the screen goes dark and there is no noise about five minutes later the voice of someone evidently an emergency worker can be heard saying i am under the train with the victim i need to move the victim the train is visible in the seconds before the video cuts out
the death appeared to be the latest of several recent episodes in which disturbing and violent acts have been transmitted via live streaming technologies last month two teenagers assaulted a drunken 24 year old man in a nightclub district of bordeaux france one of the two assailants recorded the attack on periscope and filmed himself bragging and laughing about it both teenagers were arrested
also last month the authorities in ohio said an 18 year old woman had witnessed a 17 year old high school friend being raped and had not only failed to help but had pointed her mobile phone at the friend and streamed a video of the assault on periscope the teenager marina lonina was charged with kidnapping rape sexual battery and pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor   the same charges leveled at raymond gates 29 the man accused in the attack
i have never seen a case such as this where you would actually live stream a sexual assault ron obrien the prosecutor in franklin county ohio told journalists
thomas husson a paris based analyst at the technology research company forrester research said it was inevitable that live streaming tools would be used to record tragic and even brutal events
its both the good and bad part of these technologies they allow people to enter other peoples private lives he said in a phone interview
it would be very difficult to prevent such events from happening he said of the suicide we now live in a dictatorship of real time
mr husson added these technologies enable real time streaming which can have a lot of unintended consequences internet giants are starting to monitor how people use their technologies in real time but its tricky its almost impossible to control how people use social media
regulators have been trying to get a hold on new social media tools like periscope and snapchat mostly out of concern about their use by extremist organizations like the islamic state
these companies will inevitably have to comply with new rules mr husson said but thats a political question at the end of the day its about potential new regulation over how people can use these technologies
twitter encourages people to submit a form if they believe that a user is at risk of self harm periscopes community guidelines state to maintain a healthy platform explicit graphic content is not allowed explicit graphic content includes but is not limited to depictions of child abuse animal abuse or bodily harm periscope is not for content that is intended to incite violence or includes a direct and specific threat of violence to others


tokyo   takata the embattled japanese auto parts manufacturer said on wednesday that it was looking for ways to restructure its business including by overhauling the division responsible for millions of potentially dangerous airbag inflaters as it battles to survive the largest auto safety recall in history
the company offered few details about its plans but appeared to accept the view hardening among analysts that getting through the crisis would require a major transformation
yoichiro nomura takatas chief financial officer said the company hoped to have a concrete turnaround plan in place by the fall it has appointed a committee of five lawyers and other corporate restructuring experts to advise it he said
many analysts say they believe takata needs a major infusion of capital   from banks a new investor or even a buyer   to avoid falling into bankruptcy the committee is expected to devote much of its energies to securing new funds
takata avoided any talk of an external rescue on wednesday instead it listed cost cutting and the sale of unspecified noncore businesses as potential ways to raise cash it singled out the inflater business as a target for change but it did not elaborate
takata made inflaters can explode with too much force when airbags deploy in a crash sending shrapnel shooting into a vehicles cabin the fault has been blamed for at least 11 deaths worldwide and more than 100 injuries
last week american regulators more than doubled the scope of the airbag recall in the united states identifying another 35 million to 40 million vehicles they said needed fixing the expansion will add to the already onerous financial burden on takata
on wednesday the company confirmed that it sustained a net loss of 1307 billion yen or roughly 120 million in the financial year that ended in march it had warned of the loss in a preliminary filing with the tokyo stock exchange on monday revising what had until then been a forecast for a profit
takata said its cash reserves fell by 12 percent last quarter to Y=537 billion the financial cushion though dwindling was enough to keep it in business it said
takatas annual loss was its second in two years officially it expects to return to the black this year it issued a full year forecast for a net profit of Y=13 billion on wednesday but that estimate appeared to be little more than a placeholder as the company said it had not factored in what are likely to be major additional costs
mr nomura said the forecast included Y=14 billion of expenses for legal fees and engineering investigations into the cause of the inflater defect but it did not include costs for repairing vehicles or compensating victims the scope of which mr nomura said remained impossible to assess
many of takatas bills for the crisis are a long way from being finalized automakers are paying much of the cost of the recalls for instance and how much they will be able to recoup from takata is negotiable lawsuits from accident victims could take years to resolve
takaki nakanishi an automotive analyst at jefferies group estimates that nearly 120 million vehicles worldwide may ultimately have to be recalled to replace takata made airbag components that could cost Y=665 billion on top what has already been spent by carmakers mr nakanishi said in a report after the latest recall expansion in the united states
the amount would wipe out takatas cash reserves more than 10 times over if the supplier were saddled with the entire expense
takata acknowledged a year ago that it bore responsibility for the inflater defects after denying for years that its products were dangerous several investigations have traced the problem to the propellent used in the inflaters ammonium nitrate which experts say can destabilize because of prolonged exposure to airborne moisture or temperature fluctuations
mr nomura said the company was nonetheless waiting for the results of another investigation commissioned by takata and conducted by the fraunhofer institute in germany before moving forward with discussions with around a dozen automakers over how much of their recall expenses it should cover he said the institute might release its findings sometime this summer


donald trump the presumptive republican presidential nominee is a political outlier not only when it comes to immigration policy twitter and marital history but also when it comes to image
this isnt of course a coincidence but it is notable i am not speaking here of his much discussed hair or even his somewhat florid skin color i am speaking of his ties
and not because according to cnn his own brand ties are made in china and thus seemingly contradict his vow to bring jobs back to america or because the ties he actually wears on the stump   the shiny brightly colored ones with the big knots   are brioni made in italy
but rather because of the sheer fact that he actually wears a tie almost all the time if in the early days of his campaign   while attending say the iowa state fair   mr trump occasionally lost the neckwear those days seem increasingly rare
the pretty much constant presence of the tie has served to highlight another less discussed but no less pointed gulf between the candidate and those he would call peers for many politicians the tie is no longer considered a necessary part of the uniform
the president has been wearing a tie less and less said tammy haddad a washington media consultant and former political director of msnbc it is an overt expression of the way this white house has been trying to make politics more human
indeed all the way back in 2013 the business insider website ran a post entitled is president obama killing the necktie business
the president did not wear a tie to dinner with princes william and harry during his recent visit to britain they did not wear ties either he did not wear a tie during his news conference about justice antonin scalias death in february the internet was not happy he did not wear a tie for his opening dinner with president xi jinping of china when mr xi arrived in washington for a state visit last september it may have been informal but it had photo ops
as it happens neither did mr xi vice president joseph r biden jr secretary of state john kerry secretary of the treasury jacob j lew or max baucus the ambassador to china nor did jeb bush when he announced his candidacy for president
and this is not simply an american development on saturday sadiq khan took his oath of office as the new mayor of london in southwark cathedral   in a navy suit white shirt and no tie the previous week he and his opponent zac goldsmith were each pictured on the cover of the london evening standard going to vote   in blue suits white shirts and no ties in an often contentious campaign it seemed one of the few tactics both men agreed on indeed the campaign itself was labeled by various britons as the most informal in memory
but mr khans apparent lack of allegiance to the tie does not come close to that of prime minister alexis tsipras of greece who practically made his refusal to wear a tie part of his electoral platform a year ago
that mr khan and mr tsipras represent left wing parties may seem significant mr tsipras being more extreme than mr khan except that in 2013 britains prime minister david cameron who is a conservative decreed as host of the group of 8 summit that the dress code would be informal which translated as tieless there is a reason one of his nicknames is dress down dave
the tie is an issue that dwells in the minds of candidates their spouses and their handlers for endless hours said bennet ratcliff an international political consultant and founder of thaw strategies i once had a president spend 15 minutes talking to me about his tie when we could have been discussing the language of a peace accord
if the decision on what tie to wear is so complicated imagine the conversation about not wearing one at all such choices are not made by accident or without an agenda
call it phase 3 of political dress evolution
phase 1 was john f kennedy going hatless for his inaugural address in 1961 signaling to all watchers that a new breezier generation was in charge phase 2 was the lose the jacket roll up your sleeves look adopted by politicians at the end of the 20th century in multiple in the office photo ops the better to demonstrate their work ethic and now we are here
ties have not disappeared from the political arena of course the rules of the house of representatives demand that men wear a coat and tie on the floor when congress is in session former speaker john boehner was known for rebuking his colleagues if he thought they were showing disrespect to the institution by dressing too casually ditto the senate president obama often wears a tie so does mr cameron
world leaders in other hemispheres of course have traditionally had a different kind of uniform one that can involve cultural often indigenous garment tropes
but in the west there is no question that the tie has become a variable in the political calculation instead of a constant though it is easy to chalk it up to generational change a more accurate interpretation probably has to do with ideology opportunism and spin doctoring after all this is a time when social media has meant that the optics of a message   or how it is delivered   are increasingly important and ubiquitous
you cant overestimate it but you shouldnt underestimate it either said steve hilton the chief executive of crowdpac a site that matches politicians and would be donors by their priorities and mr camerons former director of strategy there is a huge interest now in personal character and how you dress is an immediate access point for that its a part of an overall message and a pretty important one
this was overtly satirized in a bbc two show called the thick of it it inspired the hbo series veep which ran sporadically in britain from 2007 to 2012 and featured a communications director called stewart pearson the character was on a mission to update his party in part by urging elected officials including his fictional party leader not to wear ties
as it happens stewart pearson was inspired by mr hilton who was widely credited with persuading mr cameron to ditch his tie the better to sway voters to take another look at the conservative party as mr hilton said in a phone call from california where he lives now it wasnt the same old same old   at least when it came to wardrobe you have to start somewhere
the decision to play hide and seek with the tie is a reflection of the current cultural environment and an effort to seem like a part of that mr ratcliff the consultant said adding the leaders are just following the voters thank god they havent all started wearing black turtlenecks like one unnamed entrepreneur though it will come to that eventually
the steve jobs allusion is a reflection of the new economic power structure one that celebrates the technical entrepreneurial class and the shadow banking sector both of whose casual style has had a creeping influence on professional dress code redefining what future success looks like in the popular imagination
in part this is how we find ourselves in this weird inverted sartorial reality where mr trump has become the exception to the rule because he follows traditional rules his tie wearing harks back to the wall street uniform of the 1980s the boom years of the american economy when it was morning in america and gordon gekko preached the greed is good gospel the candidates mouth says he wants to make america great again and his clothes refer back to the last time many republicans believed that was actually the case he is emphatically and consciously not the new look candidate he is the old look candidate
thus the tie divide like many others in this particular election gets ever wider


it isnt warm it isnt fuzzy from its extraterrestrial presence on the bronx skyline to its security state name psac ii is not in the least bit neighborly
yet it may save your life someday
psac ii is new york citys second public safety answering center where more than 11 million emergency 911 calls are taken by the police and fire departments each year beginning next month it is to supplement psac i at 11 metrotech center in downtown brooklyn
when necessary psac ii can handle the work of both centers it is intended to be virtually impregnable and if needed self sufficient for three days at a time no food deliveries nothing the fuel supply for its generators can last even longer
time will tell whether it fulfills these promises the citys 911 response system has not been without problems in the past
but officials of the de blasio administration are confident and proud enough to have opened the 800 million psac ii recently to a circumscribed visit
my colleague angel franco and i accepted several conditions he agreed not to photograph the vast call room where about 230 operators and dispatchers will soon be working on round the clock shifts i agreed not to publish critical specifications that could be used to plan an attack on the building
there is no disguising its imposing existence however
there has been criticism that its too tall but that height is needed for the mechanical floors said feniosky pena mora the commissioner of the citys department of design and construction which built psac ii for the department of information technology and telecommunications the police and fire departments will operate it
drivers on the hutchinson river and pelham parkways have watched it rise since 2010 a 240 by 240 by 240 foot concrete fortress as tall as a 24 story apartment building and all but windowless north of mercy college and the hutchinson metro center complex
in recent years motorists saw the structure clad with silver  and charcoal colored aluminum panels these were set in a saw tooth pattern that makes the enormous cube blend gauzily with the sky or stand out like an impenetrably dark mesa
then they saw it encircled by a gently sloping earthen berm that offers extra protection
it has the effect of making this big box appear to float said gary haney a partner in skidmore owings  merrill the architects of psac ii the berm also makes it appear when seen from within as if the center were surrounded by nature not barriers
there are many barriers beyond the berm is a picket of bollards around the perimeter of the nine acre site are anti ram walls the truck bays and the entrance pavilion are independent of the main structure which can be isolated by thick blast doors
operators and dispatchers are largely confined to the building for the duration of what can be enormously draining shifts mr haney said so we were thinking how could we make the interior relieve some of that stress
one answer involves an experiment in phytoremediation the use of plants to help purify the interior environment undertaken with rensselaer polytechnic institute
exhaust air from a training room is pumped out through ductwork to a ceiling diffuser in a nearby corridor as the air falls from the diffuser it is gently pulled into a grid of permeable planters lining the corridor and carried through the plants root systems these act as a filter
the cleaned air is then pumped back to the training room in a relatively closed circuit that will permit architects and engineers to measure the systems efficacy whatever else it offers a breath of greenery within the mechanical cube
another way the architects sought to soften life in the high anxiety center was with natural light though there are not many windows in the building some are found around the 50000 square foot l shaped call room which has 30 foot ceilings
above the call room are mechanical floors where there are two of almost everything auxiliary generators and backup generators battery arrays and backup arrays
the battery power will constantly be online said dale peterson the project executive from the construction agency this will act as a buffer between the telecommunications systems and the power supplied by consolidated edison preventing even the slightest dips or surges
if con edison power fails completely the batteries will carry the systems for the 21 seconds needed before the generators kick in on the call room floor operators and dispatchers will at first be oblivious to any citywide crisis
when they get the calls is when theyll notice mr peterson said


donald j trumps behavior in recent days   the political threats to the house speaker paul d ryan the name calling on twitter the attacks on hillary clintons marriage   has deeply puzzled republicans who expected him to move to unite the party start acting presidential and begin courting the female voters he will need in the general election
but mr trumps choices reflect an unusual conviction he said he had a mandate from his supporters to run as a fiery populist outsider and to rely on his raucous rallies to build support through word of mouth rather than to embrace a traditional mellower and more inclusive approach that congressional republicans will advocate in meetings with him on thursday
mr trumps strategy is replete with risks roughly 60 percent of americans view him negatively according to pollsters who say more of the same trump is not likely to improve those numbers while a majority of republican primary voters said they were looking for a political outsider mr trump will face a majority of voters in november who prefer a candidate with political experience according to primary exit polls and several national polls many republicans think they will lose the presidency and seats in the house and senate if he continues using language that offends women and some racial and religious groups
still mr trumps message tone and policy ideas have drawn followers who are more passionate than republican nominees typically enjoy and he has monopolized the political conversation and news coverage of the race some republicans argue that he cannot afford to change his stripes too much while strategists in both parties say he is shrewdly sticking with a style that drowns out attacks that could deepen his negative rating
his rally rants and twitter brawls are meant to dominate the media coverage and public conversation so that democratic challenges have less space to break through all of the noise said guy cecil the chief strategist and co chairman of priorities usa the super pac supporting mrs clinton he doesnt want people talking about his record or positions
mr trump in a telephone interview compared his candidacy to hit broadway shows and championship baseball teams saying that success begot success and that he would be foolish to change his behavior now
you win the pennant and now youre in the world series   you gonna change mr trump said people like the way im doing
he argued that he stood a better chance of inspiring voters in states like ohio and pennsylvania if he was his authentic self rather than shifting from populist outsider to political insider to please a relative handful of republican elites who are part of the establishment he has railed against for months he said his huge rallies where outbursts of violence and racist taunts have vexed many republican leaders and his attacks against adversaries on twitter and in television interviews would continue because he believes americans admire his aggressive take charge style
i think i have a mandate from the people mr trump continued referring to his victories in 29 states including nebraska and west virginia on tuesday night the people are tired of incompetent leadership at the highest level theyre tired of trade deals that are ripping our jobs apart and taking their wages
mandates are usually claimed after a presidential candidate wins a general election not a party nomination but part of mr trumps style and strategy is to project a supreme confidence in himself and his popularity with voters several republicans said they put little stock in his claim arguing that he had won support from only a fraction of the electorate and had yet to prove he was worthy of leading the entire republican party not just his fractious and highly visible wing
donald trump did earn a mandate from republican primary voters said senator patrick j toomey a republican facing a tough re election fight in pennsylvania whose primary mr trump won with 57 percent of the vote my advice to him is that he should now consider how he will appeal to the many republican and non republican voters who have serious concerns about his candidacy
former senator judd gregg of new hampshire said that electoral mandates were a fallacy in american politics and that leaders only did well when they focused on ideas in the center that unite people
i dont even think the 1980 reagan landslide gave reagan a mandate said mr gregg whose state gave mr trump his first win in the primaries and who has not decided if he will follow through on his pledge to support the republican nominee he was effective because the country was in terrible shape and he was able to bring large numbers of people behind his ideas trump hasnt done that
but patrick j buchanan the conservative commentator and past presidential candidate said mr trump was rallying historic numbers of voters with a mix of conservative ideas and anti establishment populism that evoked among other politicians ross perot and his magnetic appeal in the 1992 campaign mr perot lost of course but mr buchanan said that mr trump might stand a better chance
with the largest republican turnout ever trump eliminated 16 rivals and is on track to winning more votes than any republican nominee in history he said that gives him a mandate to lead the republican party and move ahead with his plans to secure the border pull back from foreign interventions and wars and end these terrible trade deals
with many republican leaders and elected officials torn between supporting their presumptive nominee and withholding their endorsement as leverage mr trump sounded torn himself he said he wanted party unity but was unwilling to abandon the brand of politics and communication that has energized many americans and divided others he described his eight million followers on twitter as a singular advantage and indicated that their support mattered more to him than the backing of mr ryan whose statement last week that he was not ready to endorse mr trump led to the meetings mr ryan is organizing on thursday
david winston a republican pollster who worked on newt gingrichs presidential campaign in 2012 said mr trump was putting himself at a severe disadvantage in the general election
at this point at a minimum hes at least 50 million voters short of what hes going to need mr winston said he has created an interesting dynamic in that during the course of the campaign he was basically calling those individuals names which didnt endear him to their supporters
uniting people behind mr trump is eminently doable but it will take significant focus he said
in mr trumps view the rallies and the twitter wars   even when he is punching down against a little known evangelical leader russell moore of the southern baptist convention and a cable talk show host joe scarborough of msnbc as he did recently   are crowd pleasers creating buzz that is critical to dominating the political landscape and overshadowing mrs clintons message and attacks last week he kept his commitments for rallies in nebraska oregon and washington state even though he already had a lock on the nomination
in a broadway theater the best the best absolute best sale is called word of mouth  said mr trump who once dabbled in theater producing if people love a broadway show its better than if you write a good review word of mouth is the no 1 thing and the word of mouth at my rallies is like youve got to go see it and you know one person goes and they talk about it to 20 people
over the coming weeks mr trump will offer policy speeches including one on law and order and another on judges   the latter being in part a response to conservatives who have said he cannot be trusted to pick supreme court justices
but mr trump is reluctant to trade in pitchfork populism for something more demure he was gleeful in fact that so much attention was being paid to his capitol hill meetings on thursday
somebody said the paparazzi is going crazy over that meeting he said


facebook is the worlds most influential source of news
thats true according to every available measure of size   the billion plus people who devour its news feed every day the cargo ships of profit it keeps raking in and the tsunami of online traffic it sends to other news sites
but facebook has also acquired a more subtle power to shape the wider news business across the industry reporters editors and media executives now look to facebook the same way nesting baby chicks look to their engorged mother   as the source of all knowledge and nourishment the model for how to behave in this scary new media world case in point the new york times among others recently began an initiative to broadcast live video why do you suppose that might be yup the f word the deal includes payments from facebook to news outlets including the times
yet few americans think of facebook as a powerful media organization one that can alter events in the real world when blowhards rant about the mainstream media they do not usually mean facebook the mainstreamiest of all social networks thats because facebook operates under a veneer of empiricism many people believe that what you see on facebook represents some kind of data mined objective truth unmolested by the subjective attitudes of fair and balanced human beings
none of that is true this week facebook rushed to deny a report in gizmodo that said the team in charge of its trending news list routinely suppressed conservative points of view last month gizmodo also reported that facebook employees asked mark zuckerberg the social networks chief executive if the company had a responsibility to help prevent president trump in 2017 facebook denied it would ever try to manipulate elections
even if you believe that facebook isnt monkeying with the trending list or actively trying to swing the vote the reports serve as timely reminders of the ever increasing potential dangers of facebooks hold on the news that drew the attention of senator john thune the republican of south dakota who heads the senates commerce committee who sent a letter on tuesday asking mr zuckerberg to explain how facebook polices bias
the question isnt whether facebook has outsize power to shape the world   of course it does and of course you should worry about that power if it wanted to facebook could try to sway elections favor certain policies or just make you feel a certain way about the world as it once proved it could do in an experiment devised to measure how emotions spread online
there is no evidence facebook is doing anything so alarming now the danger is nevertheless real the biggest worry is that facebook doesnt seem to recognize its own power and doesnt think of itself as a news organization with a well developed sense of institutional ethics and responsibility or even a potential for bias neither does its audience which might believe that facebook is immune to bias because it is run by computers
that myth should die its true that beyond the trending box most of the stories facebook presents to you are selected by its algorithms but those algorithms are as infused with bias as any other human editorial decision
algorithms equal editors said robyn caplan a research analyst at data  society a research group that studies digital communications systems with facebook humans are never not involved humans are in every step of the process   in terms of what were clicking on whos shifting the algorithms behind the scenes what kind of user testing is being done and the initial training data provided by humans
everything you see on facebook is therefore the product of these peoples expertise and considered judgment as well as their conscious and unconscious biases apart from possible malfeasance or potential corruption its often hard to know which because facebooks editorial sensibilities are secret so are its personalities most of the engineers designers and others who decide what people see on facebook will remain forever unknown to its audience
facebook also has an unmistakable corporate ethos and point of view the company is staffed mostly by wealthy coastal americans who tend to support democrats and it is wholly controlled by a young billionaire who has expressed policy preferences that many people find objectionable mr zuckerberg is for free trade more open immigration and for a certain controversial brand of education reform instead of building walls he supports a connected world and a global community
you could argue that none of this is unusual many large media outlets are powerful somewhat opaque operated for profit and controlled by wealthy people who arent shy about their policy agendas   bloomberg news the washington post fox news and the new york times to name a few
but there are some reasons to be even more wary of facebooks bias one is institutional many mainstream outlets have a rigorous set of rules and norms about whats acceptable and whats not in the news business
the new york times contains within it a long history of ethics and the role that media is supposed to be playing in democracies and the public ms caplan said these technology companies have not been engaged in that conversation
according to a statement from tom stocky who is in charge of the trending topics list facebook has policies for the review team to ensure consistency and neutrality of the items that appear in the trending list
but facebook declined to discuss whether any editorial guidelines governed its algorithms including the system that determines what people see in news feed those algorithms could have profound implications for society for instance one persistent worry about algorithmic selected news is that it might reinforce peoples previously held points of view if news feed shows news that were each likely to like it could trap us into echo chambers and contribute to rising political polarization in a study last year facebooks scientists asserted the echo chamber effect was muted
but when facebook changes its algorithm   which it does routinely   does it have guidelines to make sure the changes arent furthering an echo chamber or that the changes arent inadvertently favoring one candidate or ideology over another in other words are facebooks engineering decisions subject to ethical review nobody knows
the other reason to be wary of facebooks bias has to do with sheer size ms caplan notes that when studying bias in traditional media scholars try to make comparisons across different news outlets to determine if the times is ignoring a certain story unfairly look at competitors like the washington post and the wall street journal if those outlets are covering a story and the times isnt there could be something amiss about the timess news judgment
such comparative studies are nearly impossible for facebook facebook is personalized in that what you see on your news feed is different from what i see on mine so the only entity in a position to look for systemic bias across all of facebook is facebook itself even if you could determine the spread of stories across all of facebooks readers what would you compare it to
facebook has achieved saturation ms caplan said no other social network is as large popular or used in the same way so theres really no good rival for comparing facebooks algorithmic output in order to look for bias
what were left with is a very powerful black box in a 2010 study facebooks data scientists proved that simply by showing some users that their friends had voted facebook could encourage people to go to the polls that study was randomized   facebook wasnt selectively showing messages to supporters of a particular candidate
but could it sure and if it happens you might never know


brasilia   after months of tirades secret maneuvering and legal appeals brazils senate began debating on wednesday whether to impeach president dilma rousseff suspend her from office and put her on trial
the debate followed by a vote as late as thursday morning is a watershed in the power struggle consuming brazil a country that experienced a rare stretch of stability over the last two decades as it strengthened its economy and achieved greater prominence on the world stage
now those gains are unraveling brazil is facing its worst economic crisis in decades huge corruption cases across the political spectrum and a bitter feud among its scandal plagued leaders   just months before the world heads to rio de janeiro for the summer olympics
ms rousseff who is accused of manipulating the budget to hide the depths of brazils economic woes and bolster her own re election prospects is widely expected to be ousted by the senate ending 13 years of political dominance by her leftist workers party
if she is suspended and put on trial she would become the second of brazils four elected presidents to be removed from office since democracy was re established in the mid 1980s after a long dictatorship
she already lost a vote last month in the lower house of congress which advanced the impeachment proceedings to the senate powerful lawmakers fending off their own graft charges led the effort against her
plainly said this is the worst crisis in our history with its combination of economic calamity discredited politics and the violation of the lowest ethical standards boris fausto a brazilian historian told reporters this month while summing up the countrys grim mood
even many who want ms rousseff ousted are bracing for what comes next vice president michel temer the former ally who is poised to take over the government if ms rousseff is suspended is an unpopular figure as well with one recent poll finding that only 2 percent of brazilians would vote for him
he also faces his own legal problems an electoral court ordered him this month to pay a fine for violating campaign financing limits the ruling could make him ineligible to run for elected office for eight years creating an unusual situation in which a politician barred from campaigning ends up running the country
temer is what weve got mr fausto said i hope hell be up to the difficult and often highly unpopular tasks ahead of him
fixing the economy which may require adopting unpopular austerity measures is just one of the challenges facing mr temer 75 a lawyer and career politician who kept a low profile as vice president
brazil is grappling simultaneously with the zika epidemic one of its worst health crises in decades the crash of its oil industry as petrobras the national oil company faces low energy prices and an enormous graft scandal and doubts over the nations preparations for the olympics in august
but the impasse between ms rousseff and her rivals has kept the government in brasilia distracted from these problems exposing the political establishment to withering scrutiny around the country
ms rousseff an operative in a guerrilla group in her youth is accused of using money from public banks to cover deficits masking budget shortfalls in brazils giant federal bureaucracy she contends that her predecessors enacted similar policies and that the effort to oust her amounts to a coup
still ms rousseff is rare among top politicians in brazil in that she has not faced accusations of illegally enriching herself an array of figures in her workers party are either in jail or under investigation on charges of graft dealing a blow to the legitimacy of a party that had vowed to end such practices
but fears are growing at the prospect of a government assembled by mr temer if ms rousseff and the workers party shift into the opposition they will most likely claim her ouster was illegal and mr temers top allies remain mired in corruption scandals as well
several of his top advisers are under investigation including romero juca a senator from roraima state in the amazon and geddel vieira lima a former executive at one of brazils largest public banks mr temer has insisted that those inquiries would not prevent him from naming the advisers to his cabinet


ten countries advanced from the first eurovision semifinal tuesday night ensuring their spot in the song contests final this weekend in stockholm
the countries moving ahead were armenia austria azerbaijan croatia cyprus the czech republic hungary malta the netherlands and russia eight other competitors including iceland estonia and moldova did not move ahead
russias entrant you are the only one performed by sergey lazarev and maltas walk on water performed by ira losco are considered two of the competitions front runners
dozens of countries across europe compete in the annual eurovision competition a campy labyrinthine and politically charged contest to crown the best pop song in europe
the second semifinal will be held on thursday the winners from both semifinals will compete in the final against the entrants from britain france germany italy and spain which automatically qualify for the final round because their countries contribute the most money to the contest sweden which won last years contest also automatically qualifies for the final which will be held saturday night in stockholm
in all 42 countries are taking part in eurovision this year the 2016 contest has as usual been rife with controversies including the ejection of romania from the contest for failing to pay an outstanding debt this year for the first time the final will air in the united states on the viacom network logo


beijing   british garden parties are not known as occasions for blunt talk especially if they take place at buckingham palace
but on tuesday queen elizabeth ii clad in bright pink had a frank exchange about china on her palace lawn with a metropolitan police commander lucy dorsi they spoke of conflicts that unfolded in london in october when president xi jinping of china and his entourage made a state visit to britain and at one point the queen referred to the visiting officials as very rude
a transcript of that exchange is below
first before hundreds of onlookers the queen 90 was introduced to ms dorsi by the lord chamberlain earl peel who serves as head of the royal household
ms dorsi spoke of an episode in which chinese officials stormed out of a meeting with her and barbara woodward a longtime diplomat and the british ambassador to china she called it a testing time the queen commented they were very rude to the ambassador
the remarks were included in a video of the party that a longtime palace approved pool cameraman recorded for the palace the video was officially distributed to journalists and has been posted online
the bbc reported that there had been no official reaction from the chinese authorities but that coverage had been censored with bbc world tv blocked in china during its report of the conversation
the british and chinese governments have spoken of a new golden era of relations between the two countries mr xis state visit was supposed to symbolize the strengthening of ties especially commercial ones mr xi posed for press photos with prime minister david cameron at a pub in buckinghamshire england the two men held pints of beer up to their lips
on wednesday western journalists attending a regularly scheduled ministry of foreign affairs news conference in beijing asked a spokesman about the queens comments
the spokesman lu kang said that mr xis visit to britain had been extremely successful and that it had launched a golden era in relations he also said he did not know of any threats by chinese officials to cancel the trip
in june 2014 premier li keqiang met with the queen at windsor castle the times of london had reported earlier from beijing that mr li and fellow chinese officials had threatened to cancel his three day visit to britain if he did not get an audience with the queen the chinese are hard negotiators an unnamed british government source told the newspaper
in 2005 prince charles sued the mail on sunday for publishing a private journal he had written eight years earlier that included candid remarks about chinese leaders he was writing about the british handover of hong kong to china and he described senior chinese officials accompanying president jiang zemin to the ceremony in 1997 as appalling old waxworks
here is the transcript of the conversation on tuesday
lord chamberlain can i present commander lucy dorsi who was gold commander during the chinese state visit...
queen elizabeth oh bad luck
lord chamberlain ... and who was seriously seriously undermined by the chinese but she managed to hold her own and remain in command and her mother judith whos involved in child protection and social work
commander dorsis mother yes im very proud of my daughter
lord chamberlain you must tell your story
commander dorsi yes i was the gold commander so im not sure whether you knew but it was quite a testing time for me
queen yes i did
commander dorsi it was er i think at the point that they walked out of lancaster house and told me that the trip was off i felt that...
the queen they were very rude to the ambassador
commander dorsi they were well she was yes barbara she was with me and they walked out on both of us
the queen extraordinary
commander dorsis mother i know its unbelievable
commander dorsi it was very rude and very undiplomatic i thought


hong kong   innvest real estate investment trust which has a portfolio of 109 hotels in canada said wednesday it would be sold to a canadian company backed by hong kong money for 21 billion canadian dollars or about 16 billion including debt
innvests hotels include properties managed by marriott international fairmont hotels  resorts hilton canada and hyatt hotels corporation
bluesky will pay 725 canadian dollars for each unit of innvest that is a 37 percent premium over the average trading price over the 30 days ending may 10
we are pleased to have arrived at an agreement with bluesky that offers innvest unit holders an opportunity to receive a significant premium over the trading price of their units edward pitoniak the chairman of innvest said in a joint news release this transaction was the result of an intense period of deliberation by the board and lengthy constructive negotiations with bluesky
drew coles the president and chief executive of innvest said the transaction was a winning outcome for all stakeholders noting that blueskys plans for the portfolio were aligned with innvests mr coles will continue in his position and the headquarters for the reit will remain in toronto
this hotel deal follows some high profile acquisitions of hotels by the chinese insurance group anbang which bought strategic hotels and resorts in a deal worth 65 billion but walked away from a 14 billion bid for the starwood hotel chain
bluesky a private company is described in the news release as being interested in developing a diverse portfolio of hotels hospitality services and real estate the release quoted li chen the bluesky president and chief executive as saying we are impressed with innvests hotel assets and its management team this transaction is an investment that will establish a global platform from which bluesky will continue to pursue growth opportunities in north america


government wildlife authorities and some conservation groups have for years argued that allowing some legal hunting can help reduce the illegal killing of threatened carnivores like wolves and grizzly bears
their theory   though there has been little scientific research to support it   has been that legalizing hunting helps reduce resentment among landowners increase support for conservation and decrease poaching
but the authors of a new study of wolves published wednesday say their findings offer the first quantitative evidence that government authorization of any legal killing of wolves appears to increase illegal killing
the study looked at wolves in wisconsin and michigan states where the animals have at different times been placed under federal protection removed from the endangered species list or relisted after court challenges
the federal flip flopping the researchers said provided a natural experiment allowing them to study the effects of policies that at points gave states the authority to kill or cull wolves suspected to have damaged property or threatened pets or humans
during those periods the researchers said they found that poaching increased suggesting that liberalizing wolf culling may have sent a negative message about the value of wolves or that poaching prohibitions would not be enforced
the study by adrian treves of the university of wisconsin and guillaume chapron of the swedish university of agricultural science appears in the british journal proceedings of the royal society b
the findings wildlife experts said are bound to generate controversy and are likely to be cited by conservationists in pushing for continuing protection of wolves in the midwest and elsewhere
landowners have argued that wolves are now numerous enough in some states to pose a threat to livestock and are increasingly encroaching on populated areas
a federal proposal to remove the yellowstone grizzly bear from protection under the endangered species act has also stirred debate in anticipation of the governments action wildlife officials in montana have released draft regulations to allow the hunting of grizzlies prompting protests from some conservationists
although the study looked at the culling of troublesome animals rather than sport hunting the findings suggest hunting could have the same effect
i think weve undermined several pillars of the argument that hunting helps conservation dr treves said
the study looked at an indirect measure   the rate of growth in the wolf population   to determine the extent of poaching and used a mathematical model to estimate the probability that the growth rate had changed as a function of the states culling policies the researchers found that the growth rate declined to 12 percent from 16 percent in years when culling was allowed
other explanations for the slowing of the growth rate were ruled out the authors said including the idea that the rate had naturally declined or that adult wolves had migrated to other states after culling was authorized
jason t fisher a government wildlife research ecologist in alberta who was a reviewer of the study said he found it very convincing
the fact is that humans are in many cases one of the primary causes of animals getting knocked off he said but trying to find out how many are illegal killings is difficult he added its always that bugaboo that were chasing
but other scientists questioned whether dr treves and dr chapron had made their case
over all i think this paper draws a bold conclusion from questionable evidence said daniel macnulty a wolf expert and assistant professor of wildlife ecology at utah state university
he said the authors estimates of the wolf population growth rate had so much uncertainty that one can reasonably conclude that there is actually no meaningful difference between years with and without legal culling
tim van deelen a wildlife ecologist at the university of wisconsin said that even if human caused wolf deaths had increased linking them to changes in policy was too much of a stretch
he offered other possible reasons for the slowdown in population growth that he said the authors did not adequately address including reduced survival of wolf pups decreased litter size disease and increased territorial battles among wolves resulting in more deaths of juveniles or adults
and he and dr macnulty said the authors had ignored some research that suggested that the growth in the wolf population in wisconsin had slowed because of factors that accompanied the increase in their numbers
in a court case challenging the federal decision to take wolves off the endangered species list officials of the fish and wildlife service argued that in the absence of adequate measures to control known depredating wolves people would resort to illegal killing
similarly in the services 2007 proposal to remove yellowstone grizzlies from federal protection it noted that a future hunting season also may increase tolerance and local acceptance of grizzly bears and reduce poaching
wayne pacelle the president and chief executive of the humane society of the united states said that in light of the study his organization thinks its more sensible for wildlife agencies to rely far more heavily on nonlethal methods like electric fencing or devices that scare off animals to prevent attacks on livestock
trophy hunting and predator control trigger a cascade of bad consequences for predators he said adding that such activities disrupted animals family groupings and caused social chaos
dr fisher of the alberta government said he was not sure whether the findings would apply to other species but the study showed he said that there are always going to be unintended consequences of management decisions and we do not know most of the time what those unintended consequences are


as the leather goods and apparel company coach celebrates its 75th anniversary this year with an ad campaign focused on its heritage a battle has been going on in the united states patent and trademark office for the rights to the name of perhaps its best known designer bonnie cashin
call it a tempest in a bucket bag
for anyone under 40 cashins name doesnt exactly resonate though some fashion scholars go so far as to credit her with inventing american sportswear
the designer who died in 2000 cashin maintained that she was born in 1915 though the census for 1910 puts her birth year at abt 1908 left a legacy of hard working ponchos and wizardly carriables aka handbags
stephanie lake a protege of cashins who owns her vast personal design archive and is the author of a recent monograph bonnie cashin chic is where you find it filed an application in the united states patent and trademark office in 2012 to obtain the cashin trademark which had never been registered it was approved by the trademark office the next year pending opposition
this opposition has come partly from coach whose original parent company gail leather products hired cashin in 1962 as coachs first designer coach has since grown into a behemoth with net sales of 954 million in the last reported quarter but it was not cashins only client she also designed for hermes ballantyne and aquascutum among dozens of other firms as well as under her own label
ms lake 43 a jewelry designer based in minnetonka minn says she notices cashins impact unattributed everywhere everyone from miu miu to rachel zoe has something in their collections that is specifically bonnie she said in a recent interview
isaac mizrahi who has explicit affinities with cashin acknowledged that oh my god yes she influenced me profoundly
cashin also won the praise of her contemporaries including those with alien aesthetic sympathies you are the most original and creative talent we have norman norell who dressed ladies who lunch said in a telegram to her in 1965 she is often cited not just for creating the concept of layering but for coining the term as well as for her pioneering use of leather mohair and hardware the brass turnlocks that kept the top of her 1940s convertible down became the innocent detail that has sold a zillion handbags for coach the clasp at the end of a dog leash found its way not only onto baguettes and feedbags but also to the waistband of a fuzzy ankle grazing blanket skirt cashins answer to the hostesss need for mobility d rings below the clasps could be attached hitching the skirt so madame could pass the canapes
the matter of rights to her name has been complicated by the trustees of the bonnie cashin foundation which has joined coach as the opposition in the trademark office filings ms lake was creative director of the foundation until 2012 she said the end of her term was triggered by a change in trustees to lucia kellar and david blum
l donald prutzman the lawyer for ms kellar and mr blum and victor luis chief executive of coach declined to comment
fashion generates disciples but rarely ones as devoted as ms lake she can tell you the value of cashins first contract with coach 2500 for two collections and the color of the nelson marshmallow sofa in her studio yellow
were ms lake to prevail she said isabel toledo would be among the first designers she would call to reinvigorate the cashin brand observing that she shares the founders fascination with transforming geometric even architectural forms into kinetic art ms lake is also weighing re editions in the manner of cashins fellow modernists ray and charles eames
but it is worth noting that a little reverence goes a long way when exhuming a fashion idol successful revivals usually have an element of blasphemy as with chanel universally held up as a house that did it right
mr mizrahi had no trouble envisioning himself as cashins successor saying that the name has bearing only if pushed to an edge that matters unaware of ms lakes dispute he said it would be supersmart for coach to launch a cashin module but not just things she did it could be coachs black label he said employing the term for a high end collection within a brand
ms lake tends to romanticize cashins years with coach as a love fest with the companys owners lillian and miles cahn cashin designed some very expensive bags mr cahn told the new yorker and they didnt really sell
reed krakoff who stepped down as coachs designer in 2013 after 17 years said that from day 1 we looked at cashins work many times we reissued her bags knitwear outerwear and recreated product from her history in 2011 coach appears to have sought to formalize its claim to the cashin name by licensing it from the foundation and bonnie inflected merchandise filled the shelves
but according to ms lakes lawyer kyle peterson the license was never the foundations to issue as it did not hold the trademark this may explain why stuart vevers who replaced mr krakoff has thus far left cashin out of the marketing hoopla and product introductions attached to coachs current anniversary
in any case one has to dig pretty deep on the coach website to find a mention of her the turnlock on the dinky bag is attributed to cashin but not the duffle which is described in a coach filing in support of its challenge as a brand anchor introduced under cashins name and on the website simply as quite possibly the most iconic coach silhouette of all time
were all the legal latches and leashes unlocked could bonnie cashin re emerge as a stand alone brand its the million dollar question mr krakoff said my sense is that there is not a whole lot of recognition outside the industry it doesnt mean there couldnt be over time it all depends on who is doing the rediscovering


keep your swoosh and your polo players logos are a drag if only one sometimes feels we could return to the days of well made generics clothes advertising nothing but their anonymous good quality
sure there is uniqlo and topshop and hm yet inevitably shopping at those international chains for anything resembling my beanpole body type leaves me feeling as if i ought to be trolling the aisles at rochester big  tall thus when spring rolls around i face an annual quandary where to find a proper summer sport shirt
frustratingly enamored of licentious t shirts and polo shirts produced by carne bollente an indie label founded by the french model and artist felix gesnouin and a band of his pals i went hunting for one of its shirts featuring subtly embroidered logos of couples of every sexual stripe getting busy actually obtaining a carne bollente shirt or two from one of the few european retailers that purport to stock them proved frustrating however sold out or unavailable are no less discouraging when rendered in french
then a friend tipped me to arkwear another indie label making its debut this spring the dull but worthy promise made by arkwear is to produce polo shirts with a purpose and the purpose is a noble one in line with a pledge by andreas von der goltz the guatemala born and conservation minded 38 year old german baron who started the label to donate 5 percent of the proceeds from every shirt sold to the wildlife conservation society
happily the shirts themselves are well cut and well made woven of peruvian pima cotton and each bearing a sprightly logo designed by kayako kobayashi of threatened and endangered animals including the orangutan white rhino great white shark and   no conservation campaign these days is complete without one   the african elephant
i thought it would be really great if you could do something with animals for animals that are threatened with extinction and at the same time have something with a logo that is not the same old boring crocodile mr von der goltz said
arkwear polos 95 at arkwearcom


for seniors graduating from the university of michigan this month employers have been lining up since the fall to offer interviews and boast of their companies benefits recruiters would ask when their competitors were coming said geni harclerode the universitys assistant director of employer development and then theyd say well we want to come the week before
this has been one of our largest seasons of hiring she said the job market has been very good
the outlook for many high school graduates is more challenging as vynny brown can attest now 20 he graduated two years ago from waller high school in texas and has been working for nearly a year at pappasitos cantina in houston part of a chain of tex mex restaurants he earns 725 an hour filling takeout orders or 213 an hour plus tips as a server which rarely adds up to more than the minimum he said he would like to apply to be a manager but those jobs require some college experience
that is something i dont have said mr brown who says he cannot afford to go to college now its the biggest struggle ive had
most young workers have the same problem as mr brown only 10 percent of 17  to 24 year olds have a college or advanced degree according to a new study by the economic policy institute although many more of them will eventually graduate
and for young high school graduates the unemployment rate is disturbingly high 178 percent add in those who are underemployed either because they would like a full time job but can only find part time work or they are so discouraged that theyve given up actively searching and the share jumps to more than 33 percent
younger workers have always had a tougher time finding a job than their older more experienced counterparts even so the economic recovery has progressed more slowly for young high school graduates than for those coming out of college
its improved since the recession but its still pretty poor said elise gould a senior economist at the economic policy institute who noted the average hourly wage for high school graduates had declined since 2000 despite increases in the minimum wage in some places
ms gould is part of a growing chorus of economists employers and educators who argue more effort needs to be put into improving job prospects for people without college degrees
without question we have failed to pay attention to and invest in opportunities for young people who are not on a path to go to four years of college said chauncy lennon the head of work force initiatives at jpmorgan chase which has started a 75 million program to design and deliver career focused education in high schools and community colleges
for high school students a four year college education is frequently held out as the only viable option precisely because job opportunities and wages are so much better upon graduation but many who sign up never finish the most common reason they fail to complete is that they need to start earning a living to support their families mr lennon said
vocational career and technical high schools have often been stigmatized as a last resort for underachievers at the same time educators and administrators in some places have been criticized for steering minority students toward them in lieu of academic programs
the initiative sponsored by chase is aimed at repairing that reputation although some traditional middle skills opportunities for construction and clerical workers are shrinking mr lennon said others are growing in health care for instance radiology and phlebotomy technicians are needed in advanced manufacturing and aviation mechanical maintenance workers are in demand
he added that vocational schools should no longer be thought of as dead ends since they can serve as steppingstones to associate degrees at community colleges or to enrollment at four year institutions
issac cardoso who is graduating from medford vocational technical high school in massachusetts in june already has a job lined up as an electrical apprentice earning 12 an hour
i went into vocational school with my heart set on the automotive program but i fell in love with electrical and saw a bigger future for myself mr cardoso 17 said
he is also applying for a coveted spot as an apprentice with the local electrical union where the starting pay is 1825 an hour as an apprentice he could work while training to become a journeyman a position with an hourly wage of 28 most of mr cardosos classmates also have jobs waiting for them he said
stefanie a deluca a sociologist at johns hopkins university is the co author of a study of low income african american millennials in baltimore titled coming of age in the other america she agrees there is a pressing need for more targeted streamlined vocational programs in high schools and at community colleges
theyre looking for jobs dr deluca said of the youths she interviewed they want a quick launch
still low wages combined with rising housing costs make it tough to get ahead theyre juggling a job at potbelly and a security job and working 60 hours a week and its still not enough she said
despite the improving job market what particularly troubled martha ross a researcher at the brookings institution in washington were the 32 million disadvantaged youths between 16 and 24 who were not in school and did not have a job
the size of that population was bigger than i expected said ms ross who is the co author of a paper on youth employment across the country although metropolitan areas can vary widely the report found in some communities young blacks and latinos are three to five times more likely than whites to fall into this group
if things are tough for high school graduates for those without a high school diploma the job hunt can be grim adam mckinley 18 said he dropped out of his high school in baltimore last year because he needed to work full time he worked briefly at dunkin donuts and has searched for jobs at coffee bars and restaurants hotels and warehouses because many of the applications were online mr mckinley said he did not know why he never heard back
its extremely frustrating he said you have no idea whats going on


by design what youre supposed to notice about all the employees of the giuseppe zanotti store is their shoes a woman with a hard bob and a black suit looked as if shed dipped her feet in honey then went for a walk on a broken mirror a young man in quiet black wore the companys quietest black sneakers still 50 degrees hotter than the rest of his outfit
one recent afternoon though i was drawn to the employee whose hair was louder than his shoes both because he stood out and because of what he was doing with his time
he was polishing
i cant say if it was love or a commitment to process   which is lets face it a kind of love   or a fear of failure or a strategy of moving just deliberately enough that every second of the day will be filled with a task that requires presence but not attention
whichever it was it was mesmerizing   both for him and to observe and ill be damned if everything in the store didnt just gleam he used the same chamois cloth for the gold shoe stands and for the shoes themselves which sparkled intensely as is the zanotti way glass and gold trimmed shelving and mirrors alike were buffed to a sense of moral purpose
others may have been catering to customers fetching boxes from down below and handing out compliments to the real housewives of the east 60s but it was this gentleman who epitomized what zanotti is selling razzle dazzle glitz the hope that we may one day wear clothes that shout and wink on our behalf
or return to the ethos of the 80s which could happen zanotti specializes in a brazen sexy vulgarity that was most at home back then and that the company continues to add kerosene to year after year its logo is a spiky signature jammed onto handbags and belts often rendered in gold the stilettos are perilously high neon cages for the calf and foot the sneakers are encrusted or inflated or riddled with zippers
its the sneakers that have turned zanotti into something of a global pest in recent years at this point the luxury sneaker has become almost trite and thats partly because of zanottis success liberated from the need to make sneakers performance objects zanotti has long used them as sites of play gold buckle clasps tiered outsoles so many zippers
not surprisingly the visual tweaks are beginning to trickle up to actual athletic companies   or in at least one case the exchange is reversed with zanottis fake yeezy 750 895
but there is no sport here all of the sneakers i tried on had the first wear inflexibility of shoes and the leather began to visibly crack with the first steps i very much liked a pair of lemon yellow mid tops one zipper on either side of the tongue 695 and i very much admired the gall it takes to make a pair of high top sneakers secured only with one oversize puffy velcro strap 995 both were like wearing huge pieces of candy on your feet i would say theyd enliven even the dullest outfit but theyre appropriate only when worn with the very opposite
which is why on the mens side there were a few items of shiny but underwhelming clothing a silver moto jacket in i was informed python print 3295 which made me breathe a sigh of relief for all the pythons allowed to slither on with their lives but also explained the jackets cardboardy texture on the next hanger was a pair of leather pants with horizontal slashes every few inches and a gz logo next to one slash like a doctor who tattoos you after cutting you open 1995
the store is split down the middle mens on the right along with womens sneakers womens high heels and sandals on the left bags and other ephemera between the sections though this newly expanded space is twice as big as the old one at the same location it still feels modest given the pomp of the shoes you expect 30 foot ceilings a water feature with laser lights a statue built from shards of miami vice vhs tapes spray painted glittery gold
but what the space lacks the shoes deliver time and again there are high tops with gold flames on either side 1250 flip flops with chain accouterments espadrilles with enough armor to render them beach irrelevant the flames on the mens sneakers were echoed on a particularly impressive set of heels with four pairs of flames shooting up to the sky or at least to the knee 1595
and even the most modest womans option here was a playhouse   a humble teva like sandal slapped onto a thick saw toothed sole with gold clasps astride it it shined so brightly even though no one asked it to


interior design projects that dont go well or dont happen at all tend to have one thing in common a failure of vision you may fail to envision what you want and do nothing or your vision when completed fails to match your fantasy you live surrounded by your regret or spend even more to fix it
but increasingly technology offers ways to better visualize say how a costly couch would look in your living room or how a proposed kitchen renovation would come together virtual reality augmented reality and 3d renderings are the latest tools designers and retailers are using to give clients a clearer vision of projects and purchases before they commit
a lot of design is trying to explain yourself said kevin hecker of sea cliff ny a software engineer who needed help furnishing the living room of the victorian style house he shares with his wife and three children you have a feeling of what you want but its hard to articulate you just know it when you see it
thats why last fall he chose decorilla an online interior design service that offers virtual reality depictions of room redesigns after sending photographs and dimensions of his living room and discussing his style preferences with a decorilla designer mr hecker inserted his smartphone into virtual reality goggles he received in the mail to view the designers proposal
it really looked like our living room mr hecker said its wild with virtual reality you can see how multiple pieces go together and from different views as if youre walking around
he liked what he saw so much he ended up buying everything aside from the fur covered ottoman because he and his wife were morally opposed and arranging it just as the designer had suggested most of the items came from familiar retailers like west elm and crate  barrel mr hecker said the discounts he received by buying through decorilla more than paid for the 445 design fee
decorillas prices range from 400 to 1300 depending on the size of the room and the designers experience alternatively the online interior design service havenly charges a flat 199 per room which includes emailed 3d visualizations of proposed designs
three dimensional plans are not as immersive or as cool as virtual reality but they do give you a pretty good sense of what your space would look like havenlys renderings are created from photographs of your room overlaid with suggested furnishings paint color window treatments accessories and other additions everything is to scale giving you a sense of depth and proportion
we do a lot of testing around here and tried providing the service without the visualization piece said lee mayer a co founder and the chief executive of havenly but when you get a rendering of your space it creates a 15 to 20 percent lift in your likelihood to purchase through us the furnishings our designer suggested
its not surprising then that some retailers have started developing visualization apps to help customers be more comfortable buying furnishings online
because of the expense and level of difficulty only a few are experimenting with virtual reality examples include the swedish furniture maker ikea and doing it right this time or dirtt a canadian company that builds prefab office and residential interiors including cabinetry bookshelves and partitions
others like fabindia an indian home and lifestyle brand are testing augmented reality often described as virtual reality lite because rather than wearing special goggles you hold your phone or tablet as if you were about to take a picture of your room and then dynamically bring into view objects such as sofas tables and chairs from retail catalogs
our products are a significant investment so we want people to know what to expect before its shipped and delivered said calvin haggard the chief executive of united states stove company explaining why the nearly 150 year old manufacturing business began offering an augmented reality app the items shown on the app are to scale so youre not guessing if things will fit and you can try out enameled or cast iron and various colors so you can see what matches your decor
there are also free diy interior design apps that use augmented reality including adornably homestyler virtual interior home decoration tool and istaging but they are more difficult to use and offer only a limited and not that appealing selection of items
although virtual reality augmented reality and 3d renderings have varying degrees of verisimilitude many design experts and homeowners agree that they are better than leaving things to the imagination and they are much easier to decipher than a blueprint
its definitely the wave of the future because it allows the general population to make design decisions without feeling hesitant or insecure said khoi vo a professor and the chair of the department of interior design at savannah college of art and design these programs allow us to not only show heres what a design will look like but heres what it will look like at night during a full moon and heres what it will look like during the day
but he said the expense and expertise required to create virtual reality renderings that are lifelike rather than cartoonish remain high hurdles
for some a 3d rendering may be just as good
kathryn schmahl a health care marketing consultant in river forest ill found 3d renderings from havenly more than adequate for redesigning the circa 1879 wood plank farmhouse she shares with her husband and two young sons and they were much more helpful she said than the collages of proposed items provided by an interior designer with whom she had worked and had paid nearly 10000
it was amazing to me that i could send pictures and describe what i wanted and get emailed to me my room redesigned exactly how it would look   even down to whats behind the windows like id see a tree if there was a tree said ms schmahl who over the last year has used havenly to redo almost every room in her house
there is also demand to use this kind of visualization technology recreationally some people it seems are requesting depictions of their space redesigned with no intention of making any changes
we notice a small subsegment who keep coming back and going through the design process for fun but dont want to go through the money or actual hassle of doing anything said ms mayer of havenly weve had one customer come back to us seven times for the same room
no doubt sharing the results on social media


elle macpherson 52 has been modeling for 35 years these days though youre more likely to find her in a product development meeting than in front of a camera she has founded two companies a namesake lingerie line and welleco a wellness and supplements company that is introducing a sleep inducing tea and calming essential oil mist this month ms macpherson a native of sydney australia now lives in miami here are her best beauty picks and fitness advice
the first thing i believe in beauty from the inside out what you put in your body is more important than what you put on your body although they do work in tandem
second thing i believe in exfoliation the skin is the no 1 detox organ so if i can exfoliate and get my circulation going thats really important as well i use a sea salt scrub for my body twice a day for my face i use a glycolic wash cleanser by neostrata every day then a couple of days a week i also use a scrub or deeper exfoliator i like the dr sebagh one which is acid based and its gentle or i use a dr brandt one that is like a face polish
at the moment im loving the creme de la mer its really rich and my skin has a tendency to get dehydrated from plane travel being based in miami sunblock is my best friend i like invisible zinc i also like one by dr brandt
i get recommendations from dermatologists or makeup artists i like hearing about things word of mouth because there is so much product out there now and they all come in such beautiful packaging and they all promise the world i get it confused so thats why word of mouth is key like the eye cream i use is by arianna skincare i heard about it from norman fosters wife her skin looks amazing and i asked what she used she suggested this eye cream and it really works i also like the natura bisse diamond eye serum then for my lips and cuticles i use lucas papaw   its very aussie
i like a very natural face i dont really wear any foundation at all for everyday i use rms beauty products theyre coconut oil based and they sit on the skin beautifully i have one pot for the eyes and one pot for cheeks and lips i do wear mascara i like diorshow blackout and i like a very very pale brow i fill them in with the bobbi brown pencil in ash but i dont like it when the brow is dark everybody is doing these exaggerated brows but its not my thing i like a strong frame as in the shape but i like the color to be soft for a night out ill do a dark smoky eye i use bobbi brown pencils then smudge
im not someone who will spend an hour on makeup im lucky if i spend 10 minutes even when im going out concentrating for hours on your face   i dont think its healthy
living in miami its obviously humid theres a tendency to glow but i like that if im doing tv i use mac studio fix on my t its really great for photography tv and film but its too much for everyday chanel also has a great loose powder that i pop on my t   its more natural looking
for me my hair is as important as my face ive worked with oribe for 20 to 30 years hes still one of the best in the business and when he came out with his own products they were just superior to anything out there i use his shampoos and conditioners hes also based in miami and we do see each other but hes always so busy shooting
i go to josh wood in london for my color he keeps my hair looking modern and relevant he doesnt just do a single process he has encouraged me to use my natural roots sometimes he does a sun kissed look on the ends but he keeps the color looking strong and natural
ive worn vetiver by guerlain   its a mens cologne   for maybe 30 years i smelled it on somebody once and then i wanted it for myself but id like to create my own perfume its definitely in the cards
i really believe in the fusion of eastern and western medicines i do acupuncture and kinesiology   its a form of body diagnosis through response of the body i also do osteopathy massage is important to me not just for relaxation but also for circulation nichola joss does amazing facial and body massages
about three years ago i started doing an alkaline diet i was feeling listless and lacked muscle tone what i was doing wasnt working a nutritionist did some testing and said i was too acidic i made some minor changes to my diet like less red meat and she also gave me this green powder to drink thats where the idea for my super elixir came from i worked with that nutritionist and i put everything that i needed or wanted from vitamins and supplements into one product
i like to be outdoors and the way i choose to engage with the outdoors is through sport in new york city i run around the reservoir in miami i paddle board or jet ski or run along the beach if im in the mountains i ski or hike i like to play tennis even though im not very good at it
for me its more about the sport its not about needing to get a workout in or losing weight i dont spend time at a gym i dont have a trainer but i do have friends who i love to do these activities with


global warming is already disrupting the planets weather now it is having an impact on the courts as well as adults and children around the world try to enlist the judiciary in their efforts to blunt climate change
in the united states an environmental law nonprofit is suing the federal government on behalf of 21 young plaintiffs individuals in pakistan and new zealand have sued to force their governments to take stronger action to fight climate change a farmer in peru has sued a giant german energy utility over its part in causing global warming
and while the arguments can be unconventional and surprising some of the suits are making progress
last month a federal magistrate judge in oregon startled many legal experts by allowing the lawsuit filed on behalf of 21 teenagers and children to go forward despite motions from the obama administration and fossil fuel companies to dismiss it the suit would force the government to take more aggressive action against climate change the ruling by the magistrate judge thomas m coffin now goes to federal district court to be accepted or rejected
michael b gerrard the director of the sabin center for climate change law at columbia law school called the ruling a potential landmark
it is the first time a federal court has suggested that government may have a constitutional duty to combat climate change and that individuals can sue to enforce that right he said
other legal scholars were skeptical that the case would progress much further
the constitutional claims are novel to say the least said david m uhlmann a former federal prosecutor of environmental crimes who teaches law at the university of michigan i have a hard time seeing the case succeeding in the supreme court if it gets that far and it may not even survive review in the ninth circuit
the young plaintiffs led by the environmental law nonprofit our childrens trust argued that the obama administration and the administrations before it had ample evidence of the risks of climate change and willfully ignored this impending harm
victoria barrett one of the plaintiffs from westchester county ny said that older generations had ignored the threat to the planet even as the scientific evidence of warming became undeniable
the current plans and efforts to battle climate change are not enough ms barrett 17 said adding that her generation with its passion and social media tools would make a difference
we want our children to look back in the textbooks and say oh our parents generation   they really fought for us  she said
the lawsuit calls for the courts to order the government to stop the permitting authorizing and subsidizing of fossil fuels   by for example canceling plans for projects like a liquefied natural gas export terminal in oregon   and to develop a national plan to restore earths energy balance and implement that national plan so as to stabilize the climate system
julia olson the executive director and chief legal counsel for our childrens trust helped form the organization in 2010 in collaboration with the imatter youth movement then known as kids vs global warming
in an interview ms olson said the goal was to pursue action against climate change in the courts as a human rights issue and in the name of young people most of them cant vote she said and they dont have the money to lobby
youth oriented climate groups put out calls for volunteers and ms olson found herself with more than enough enthusiastic young activists willing to be plaintiffs the organization is financed in part by individual contributions and institutional funding from groups like the rockefeller brothers fund which contributes heavily to environmental causes
an earlier federal suit from our childrens trust failed in 2012 the organization is also pursuing several lawsuits at the state level and collaborating on a number of international suits
it scored a victory in washington state recently when judge hollis r hill of king county superior court ordered the state department of ecology to develop an emissions reduction rule in response to a legal challenge from our childrens trust
as for the federal case ms olson said we are optimistic that the decision will affirm the findings and the recommendations and put us on a track to a trial
the our childrens trust suit is part of a wave of citizen actions to take on climate change
in pakistan ashgar leghari a law student sued the government last year over delays in carrying out a national climate change policy that could help reduce the heavy floods and droughts that threaten the countrys food and energy security as well as the leghari familys farm
a court ordered the pakistani government in september to form a climate change commission to address what justice syed mansoor ali shah said appears to be the most serious threat facing pakistan
in november the farmer in peru saul luciano lliuya sued the german utility rwe for its proportional contribution to global climate change the effects of increasingly extreme weather such as drought can make farming a more precarious proposition but mr lucianos fears are focused on palcacocha lake which sits above his town and farm and is being filled to overflowing he said by meltwater from nearby glaciers
we could see the glaciers melting he said they were disappearing year by year somebody has to be made responsible
an engineer he knew put him in touch with the environmental group germanwatch which found him a german lawyer while it might seem bizarre for a farmer in peru to sue a utility in germany noah walker crawford an adviser to the group said germanys laws seemed auspicious for such a suit
it would be quite difficult to sue in the us or saudi arabia he said
the german courts have accepted the case but a representative of the company klaus peter kress said rwe does not see a legal basis for this type of claim
in new zealand a law student sarah lorraine thomson said she had been inspired to take legal action by the our childrens trust suit and a 2015 decision by a court in the netherlands that ordered the dutch government to take more forceful action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
hearing about those cases was a kick in the butt   they were just ordinary people too   i felt that i really had no excuse ms thomson wrote in an email
her lawsuit against the new zealand government has been filed but no hearing date has been set
ms olson of our childrens trust said that the cases in the united states and abroad build on one another
xiuhtezcatl martinez a 16 year old high school student and hip hop artist from boulder colo who became a plaintiff in the oregon case after getting involved in one of the state lawsuits sponsored by our childrens trust said that because climate change is really the defining issue of our time there is no lawsuit of greater importance happening anywhere in the country
if this suit fails he said he expects new ones will be filed the evidence will only get stronger he added
some of the arguments in the oregon lawsuit surprised legal experts and cases that extend rights in innovative ways tend to be long shots a lawsuit brought against fossil fuel companies and utilities by the citizens of kivalina alaska a coastal town battered by climate forces was dismissed by the united states court of appeals for the ninth circuit in 2009
but courts do blaze new paths establishing rights to for example same sex marriage
most novel arguments crash and burn but some soar professor gerrard said its often hard to predict in advance which is which


charlottesville va   for decades tour guides led visitors through a modest two room cottage on the outskirts of this city recounting the accomplishments of james monroe the countrys fifth president and highlighting details of life at highland the homestead where he lived with his wife elizabeth kortright monroe from 1799 to 1823
but that chapter of the homes history came to an abrupt and slightly embarrassing end not long ago when the estates director revealed what some recent explorations turned up at the site a fieldstone foundation for a much larger house with a footprint of about 74 by 30 feet tours have been revised to reflect the discovery that the humble cottage was in fact merely a guesthouse   and monroes actual home a mansion had probably burned down after he sold the property
these exceptionally well preserved remains are just beneath the ground said sara bon harper the executive director of highland this finding represents a breakthrough in how the nation understands monroe and how he lived
the exploration of the property was spurred in part by research into primary documents and in part by a hunch shared by several experts in the rich 18th century history of this region whenever i was there i had an uncomfortable feeling said brian broadus a local preservation architect he lived in paris   hes not the guy whos going to have a plain house
confusion over the estates buildings may have originated in the 1900s when a later owner opened the estate as a tourist attraction how historians became convinced that a two room cottage could have been a presidents home is more complicated
monroe had a less lavish upbringing than some of his peers ms bon harper said last month and he called highland his cabin castle
what we saw before us as well as his modest prose about his cabin castle   we bought it ms bon harper said we bought it for over a century
but after examining some insurance sketches and old newspaper clippings which hinted at a larger house she built a case to have scientists delve into the propertys history
in 2014 she hired rivanna archaeological services to explore the site and one of the groups principals benjamin p ford began probing the ground for traces of monroes mansion before long mr ford said the crew found what it was looking for
our shovel testing identified significant architectural debris   broken pieces of window pane glass nails mortar brick   artifacts that suggested that a structure might be in this location he said
architectural experts pointed out that some features of the surviving cottage appeared to have been built after the monroes moved in last winter studies of the cottages framing showed that the wood dated from around 1818 which squares with a letter monroe wrote during his first term as president about building a guesthouse
one of the great messages here is the application of science to history said dan jordan a consultant on historic sites and the former director of monticello thomas jeffersons home
highland has long been a runner up to monticello which is two miles away and gets about one tenth of its neighbors traffic according to ms bon harper
monticello has been the big dog that gets all the attention said leni sorensen a local expert in historical crafts
it also gets more money monticello has a full time archaeology department as part of its 27 million budget until this year highland which is owned by the college of william  mary monroes alma mater was expected to be self sustaining on a budget of just over 1 million ms bon harper said until ms bon harper arrived in 2012 with a mandate to conduct research there were just two full time employees
it is no accident that the presidential estates are neighbors monroe was lured to the area by jefferson his mentor to create a society to our taste in a 1786 letter
monroe bought the land in 1793 whether he named it highland for its foothills location his scottish ancestry or some other reason is not known ms bon harper said he held on to it until 1826 by which time he had moved to oak hill a mansion in loudoun county va near washington highland changed hands several times before it was donated to the college of william  mary in 1974
over the last decade or so some of the estates more colorful features have been altered peacocks that once strolled the grounds have been relegated to a pen and a summertime opera company that invited the public to picnic and listen amid boxwoods has moved downtown to an air conditioned theater
a frequent visitor carly nicholson said one of the greatest impressions from her visits was monroes humble nature this is why we came today because we wanted to see the transition of the story she said
the days since the discovery have been very interesting said hugh ames a tour guide its so exciting but you have to forget everything you learned he said
ms bon harper said future projects could include rebuilding the mansion
william hosley a connecticut based house museum consultant called last months revelation an occupational hazard of preserving historic sites theyre all works in progress he said youve got to play the cards youve got
he said he relished his recent tour of highland because of his guides verve and knowledge this business of history is about storytelling and authenticity mr hosley said the assignment is to give people a great experience
for ms bon harper this episode offers a chance to learn more about monroe
the tour here is not about the wallpaper and the floor coverings nor is it about monroes biography it is about the arc of human history she said
monroe held more elected offices than any other president she said and went to france to negotiate the louisiana purchase he declared the western hemisphere off limits to european incursions and he entered the presidency as a revolutionary war hero carrying a bullet in his shoulder from the battle of trenton
but go into a library ms bon harper said there are more biographies of marilyn monroe than james monroe


london   the huge banner bearing the face of manuel pellegrini and the words this charming man sagged in the stadium as manchester city said goodbye to its departing coach
fewer than a quarter of the 54000 fans at citys last game at home this season stayed to hear him say these have been three unforgettable wonderful years thanks for all i will never forget you
most quickly forgot him
city supporters who through thick and mostly thin used to regard themselves as the real fans in manchester had turned their backs they vacated the stadium after sundays 2 2 tie against arsenal left their club in fourth place in the premier league
maybe city followers have morphed into manchester united fans gorged on the expectation that money buys everything
and perhaps many of the clubs supporters have started to believe the critics who have won nothing in their lives yet write pellegrini off as a loser and a charmless man
what has charm to do with winning real madrid once fired vicente del bosque because his face looked tired according to the club president del bosque went on to coach spain to world cup and european titles
liverpool won everything it could for almost two decades as bob paisley and joe fagan quietly and determinedly carried the mantle that bill shankly left as manager
shankly for sure was an inspirational man as the coach in the 60s through the first half of the 70s but paisley and fagan not only succeeded him they surpassed his achievements in terms of trophies and medals
leicester let it be said one more time outfoxed the high and mighty in the english league this season but city united arsenal chelsea and liverpool let it happen the collective failings of the wealthy clubs allowed leicester to romp to the league title and claudio ranieri the italian coach once mocked as an eternal loser is now being hailed as the new caesar at leicester city
what the critics of pellegrini fail to emphasize is that he was a lame duck manager from the start of this season it was an open secret that city wanted pep guardiola in charge and had been talking to the bayern munich coach for at least a year
indeed what city really wants and is prepared to pay for is to turn itself into the fc barcelona of manchester
shortly after citys chairman sheikh mansour bin zayed al nahyan began spending his abu dhabi millions on the club he hired ferran soriano as chief executive who then hired txiki begiristain as director of football the two held top roles at barcelona when guardiola became the head coach there
the orders may have been give me barca give me total football give me tiki taka and why not it is heavenly soccer played on earth
of course you need lionel messi xavi hernandez and andres iniesta at the top of their form to play like that and theres the rub messi is still extraordinary but xavi has gone into semiretirement in the desert while iniesta is sated with fame fortune and the wear and tear of being a spanish saint for the past seven years
city could buy some of the best of the rest sheikh mansours money is no object approach bought a fine spine for city with vincent kompany commanding the defense yaya toures huge size so powerful in midfield david silva a little magician and sergio aguero scoring the goals
when a former city coach roberto mancini ruffled the feathers of the stars by trying to impose his own ego upon them the club simply paid off mancini and brought in pellegrini
he had enough charm then he soothed the stars and embedded in them the buccaneering soccer he had instilled at villarreal in spain and yes he charmed both the board and the media
city won the premier league in pellegrinis first season scoring an unprecedented 156 goals in all competitions that year but even then louder than a whisper was the undercurrent that city would ditch him to take guardiola if it could
guardiola was committed to trying to win the champions league for bayern munich he has easily won the bundesliga title in his three seasons there but has lost in the semifinals of the champions league every year failing to measure up to what his predecessor jupp heynckes did   win the european title
guardiola rose up through barcelona both as a player and as a coach as manager he took a barca team that already was a power to an even greater height
at bayern he inherited a team whose setup has been dominant in germany for many years
in manchester it will be different he has to rebuild a team that in some parts is agonizing to watch and in other parts is not up to standard the core players like kompany silva and aguero undoubtedly have talent but they also are prone to injuries
the fourth major influence on citys team toure turns 33 this week and was sold to manchester when guardiola was coach at barcelona critics have thought toure is too laid back to use his skills to the fullest and of all the players that pellegrini has trusted he would have to be the most disheartened to hear that guardiola was coming
pellegrini ever the gentleman said a month ago that he always felt that city would go for guardiola he held no grudges made no excuses that his authority was being usurped
guardiola told reporters in february that he could multitask and manage dealing with both his current and future clubs the reality is that city for some time has planned to rebuild its team for guardiola   and that both city and bayern missed their prime target this season losing in the champions league semifinals
blaming the personality of pellegrini for citys failure is misguided at best mischievous at worst


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1 you win the pennant and now youre in the world series   you gonna change that was donald trump on the eve of meetings with paul ryan and other congressional republicans he seemed to be defying expectations that with the presidential nomination all but won he would soften his message and focus on unifying his party

2 bernie sanders bolstered by his decisive primary victory in west virginia reminded voters that he outpolls hillary clinton in hypothetical face offs with donald trump mrs clinton focused on mr trumps tax returns sidestepping his attacks on her as an enabler of her husbands extramarital behavior youve got to ask yourself why doesnt he want to release them she said yeah well were going to find out

3 a series of bombings struck three areas of baghdad killing more than 90 people and recalling iraqs years of sectarian and civil war the islamic state claimed the deadliest attack in which a produce truck parked at a crowded food market exploded

4 the power struggle in brazil moved into an all day possibly all night session in the senate as lawmakers debated whether to suspend and try president dilma rousseff she is accused of manipulating the budget to hide the depths of brazils economic troubles above guards at the presidential offices

5 a scientist says the two hour mark for the marathon could be broken by the end of 2019 yannis pitsiladis testing a runners lung capacity above is raising funds and recruiting help to find new approaches in nutrition biomechanics and related fields we know nothing about the science of training he said i really mean nothing when i say that people get really upset

6 three years ago texas suffered one of its worst industrial disasters when a fertilizer plant north of waco exploded killing 15 people injuring more than 260 and wrecking hundreds of homes federal investigators finally announced a cause   arson   and offered a reward of up to 50000 for information leading to an arrest

7 frank talk captured in an official video of queen elizabeth iis garden party caused diplomatic stirs in one part the queen observes that members of the chinese presidents entourage had been very rude to a british diplomat during his visit last fall in another section prime minister david cameron calls afghanistan and nigeria fantastically corrupt

8 michael slager the former south carolina police officer charged with murder in the death of a black motorist now also faces federal civil rights charges mr slager had said he needed to defend himself but a video showed the victim walter scott running after a brief scuffle and being shot repeatedly separately the fbi director james comey cited a viral video effect on police officers that he said might help explain rising urban homicide rates

9 a colorado judge ruled robert dear incompetent to stand trial on charges of killing three people and injuring nine in a shooting spree at a planned parenthood clinic in colorado springs last year the decision means he will be sent to a state mental hospital

10 more than a million residents of texas now have active handgun licenses that is more than many other states but at least one has more florida with more than 17 million and the per capita count puts florida tennessee and washington state far ahead of texas

11 finally one of our best read stories today is an essay by two experts in non western philosophy they urge us universities to either use the name department of european and american philosophy or better to include asian african native american and other thinkers they quote the stoics the fates lead those who come willingly and drag those who do not

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the actor colin farrell reads would my heart outrun its pursuer by gary presley about a quadriplegic man who finds love with a female attendant
you can also hear the episode on itunes and stitcher
the female attendants preferred to come in pairs all the better to help a man into his bed and there undress him mr presley writes of his earlier life i am somewhat deferential in the company of women and i had made a conscientious effort to avoid any touch any word that might be construed as improper with that the arrangement sailed along with no problems soon settling into a job done and forgotten   at least until belinda
afterward well talk with mr presley and his wife
follow gary presley on twitter at presleygary colin farrell stars in the lobster out this friday


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the theater and visual artist robert wilson fondly regarded as a master of light and shadow strikes again this week in new york   in an unexpected location hermes tapped him to create a surreal universe for its 2016 maison furniture and housewares collection which over the next two days will be installed at cedar lakes space in the chelsea arts district of new york titled here elsewhere the immersive installation eschews any of the expected notions of a dream house evoking instead the emotional dizzying heady visions of a dream itself it is an abstract timespace construction what we hear see and smell can counterpoint and complement one another wilson says without light there is no space einstein said light is the measure of all things
in here elsewhere five themed rooms become sites of live performance and video interspersing tangible objects and imagined fantasy ive never experienced anything like this wilson says of being commissioned by hermes which represents a distinct departure for an artist who typically operates in a noncommercial high art realm i felt an affinity with hermes seeing the work still today being manufactured by hand i felt an identification with their attention to detail wilsons own watermill center touts a collection of some 8000 art objects many of which are in the decorative arts to me the most beautiful things in our lives are drawings textiles glass and pottery wilson says a pot is made by hand a glass is blown a drawing by hand a textile is woven they are handcrafted which comes from the soul
but he also is an avid collector of chairs and readily cites an ethos borrowed from marcel breuer that describes his intimate fondness for them in the detail of this chair that i designed are all my aesthetics the same aesthetics that go into designing a building the same that go into designing a city wilson shares a touching tale in the intro text to here elsewhere this fascination goes back to my childhood when i was eight years old i went to new mexico to the white sands desert to visit one of my uncles who lived there as a recluse his adobe house was very minimal with very little furniture in one room there was just a chair and nothing else so i said to my uncle thats a very beautiful chair at christmas he sent me the chair as a present it became very important to me in the above video t gets the exclusive inside look at the world wilson created with hermes complete with a chair or two


during strolls along its quiet tree lined boulevards there is a decidedly intimate rustic feel that pervades kobe japan despite its population of nearly 15 million but there is also a distinctly cosmopolitan air   one that comes partly from its history as one of the first cities to be forced to open trade following japans centuries long policy of sakoku or isolation from the rest of the world until the mid 19th century
the result is a city that is a fascinating mix of both tradition and adopted customs a mostly seamless amalgam of different cultures i visited sake breweries dating back to the 1700s that same night i watched a jazz trio burn through standards at a swank kobe club i relaxed with locals at a japanese onsen or hot spring on a hilltop on a nearby island awaji i also went on a walking tour of kitano cho a neighborhood that contains foreign residences like the weathercock house a red brick structure with an art nouveau interior that feels as though it wouldnt look out of place in the hills of bavaria and naturally i went in search of a thrifty way to enjoy kobe beef the expensive and much sought after product of tajima cattle raised in hyogo prefecture where kobe lies
kobe is a long city positioned on the coast between mountains to the north and osaka bay to the south kobe is just 40 minutes from osaka by train you can read more about osakas great food here i exited the train at the hyogo station on the jr tokaido sanyo line using my same suica card i purchased when i was in tokyo see more details about train logistics in japan in my tokyo article and made the short walk to the kobe luminous hotel where id found a room for 79 per night on hotelscom it wasnt grand or inspired by any means but my single was clean and sufficient for the solo traveler
best of all i was only a few stops   less than 10 minutes   from kobe sannomiya station in the heart of downtown i was in the mood for some of the above mentioned kobe beef one afternoon and so i strategically targeted the lunch hour as any good bargain hunter knows lunch is when many expensive restaurants offer deals serving similar or exactly the same meals as during dinnertime but for a fraction of the price i ducked into a small street and looked at the lunch menu for a restaurant called ishida the kobe beef lunch options there ranged from 3300 to 8800 yen about 3140 to 8385   a bit more than i was looking to pay i went around the corner and found one of a small restaurant chain called nishimuraya which had a menu more in my price range 1980 yen for a serving of kobe beef rice soup salad and pickles
the restaurant had no english signage outside and i discovered it purely by accident i slid open the outside door and headed up a quiet narrow staircase everything was done in wood and there was some music playing i had originally noticed i could pick out a few notes here and there from the melody of a jazz song i entered and was greeted by the host and the chef who was in the back and was shown to a table booth with a large charcoal burner in the middle i ordered my lunch and a man with a pan of glowing hot charcoal fed the burner on my table then placed a metal grate on the top
the beef came out quickly as did the accompaniments the mushroom and tofu soup was outstanding i took the small slices reddish pink and streaked with white fat and placed them on the grill the fat sizzled droplets hitting the coal and each piece quickly turned a beautiful shade of brown per my servers suggestion i dressed each piece with only a small amount of a salt and pepper mixture that was on the table the taste of the beef was sensational each piece was a flavor bomb of protein and fat the simple salt dressing was a perfect complement highlighting the sweetness of the fat but not obscuring the taste of the beef
working off the beef would prove easy enough kobe is a delightful and interesting place to walk around i followed a suggestion that came from a follower of the frugal traveler twitter account and went in search of the kobe mosque opened in 1935 the first mosque in japan when i saw two minarets peeking out from some pink cherry blossoms i knew i had arrived i removed my shoes and went inside an elderly man greeted me and offered me a date which i took there werent any worshipers when i was there but i went inside the musalla prayer hall for a few minutes before looking at some old pictures that illustrated the history of the mosque including how it survived allied bombings during world war ii
from the mosque it was an easy and meandering walk toward the mountains and up through kitano cho or foreign residence neighborhood you can wind up passing through some quiet streets and alleys and glimpse old houses built in a european style which used to house merchants and foreign residents of japan there are roughly 20 houses that can be toured   you may not want to see all of them but its an interesting bit of history two particularly notable houses are the weathercock house built in 1909 and the moegi house built in 1903 you can purchase tickets to tour each house individually for 350 yen i bought a dual ticket for 650 yen that allowed me to walk through both weathercock and moegi
at the nearby tourist information center i had a nice if slightly labored conversation due to my lack of japanese with some lovely old women who worked there they patiently recommended that i visit one of kobes onsen i set out late one afternoon in search of one id randomly decided on based on poring over the area google maps
i began the journey at the foot of the akashi kaikyo bridge a massive piece of construction that has the longest central span of any suspension bridge in the world from maiko station about 20 minutes west of downtown kobe its a separate 410 yen bus ride across the bridge to awaji island the bus is not the easiest thing to find   it requires walking up four or five flights of stairs and meeting the bus directly on the bridge itself i asked a local woman for help a good habit if you dont read japanese and was led to the correct bus
from where i exited the bus to my destination seemed a reasonable 18 minute walk there was just one problem i couldnt find it i looked and looked i asked around hunted for signs but there was nothing finally as it was getting dark i imposed upon a group of university students who were studying in a nearby building they informed me that my destination was in fact another 3 kilometers away so i started walking i did it so you dont have to but my recommendation is dont make that walk its dangerous call a taxi if possible there are too many areas with no sidewalk and at night its a bad idea
i did make it to my onsen though and once there managed to let my ire toward the bad maps experience melt away as i looked out over akashi strait from an outdoor bubbling pool of soothing hot water admission to the springs is 700 yen a very thin towel costs 200 yen and youll need additional 100 yen coins to use as deposits for the lockers there are separate male and female sides   once youre in your section check any puritanism you may have at the door and be prepared to hang out with a large number of naked people relaxing in the outdoor pool while looking out over the mammoth bridge id crossed a couple of hours before was one of the best moments of the trip
but it wasnt the only good moment i spent one afternoon walking around the nada district one of the top sake producing areas of the country its said by many in japan that kobe is a perfect place to brew sake with the availability of quality rice a good water supply conducive weather and proximity to the harbor for exporting i took the train to mikage station and walked to the hakutsuru brewery museum over two levels the sake making process from centuries past is illustrated from rice preparation to fermentation to storage in giant wooden casks i then made the brief walk   about 15 minutes   to another brewerymuseum called shu shin kan they have a full on sake bar at shu shin kan and i got a very nice and free sake tasting from one of the employees one sake i tried daiginjo tasted smooth clean and floral another called junmai shu was subtle and mellow
drinking always goes better with music however and i remedied that with a visit to the legendary sone jazz club established in 1969 and considered by some to be the birthplace of the japanese jazz scene sone is all wood polished brass whiskey and sharply dressed waiters the place emanates cool the way a jazz club should when i went in the jazz trio was midway through their set i paid the 1140 yen cover took a seat alone at a table and ordered a beer for 790 yen after a few songs a singer junko koyanagi joined the trio and made some introductions in japanese then as if someone flipped a switch she began singing jazz standards in perfect english just squeeze me but please dont tease me she crooned over the trio belting the 1941 duke ellington classic she went through a few other standards including a flawless route 66   no mean feat as kingman barstow san bernardino doesnt exactly roll off the tongue
the set ended   far too soon   and the group took their bows its often said that music has no language or rather that it is its own language that proved to be true that evening in kobe as i was reminded that even halfway across the world its possible to feel entirely at home


he was a real cockney bert and he loved his jellied eels sue davies the founding director of londons the photographers gallery says of the british photographer bert hardy   with whom she used to have regular lunches until his death in 1995 this friday her gallery will open a new exhibition and sale of some of hardys favorite original prints which were saved as keepsakes in his private collection and have never before been displayed
born into a poor london family in 1913 hardy became by the 1940s the chief photographer for picture post a renowned british photojournalism magazine he was a prolific photographer of conflict he documented the crossing of the rhine in the second world war air raid shelters and bomb fires in london and the battle of inchon during the korean war another set of pictures from that trip depicting prisoners treated brutally by south korean guards was so politically controversial that picture editor tom hopkinson was fired for publishing them
despite hardys often grim subject matter he brought a hopeful even romantic point of view to many of his photographs in gibraltar in 1954 he caught the enraptured expressions of sailors watching a spanish dancer whirl above them in london in 1953 he photographed lovers smiling at each other at the door of a routemaster bus in another from 1949 a couple recline on a couch the womans foot resting on a sunny windowsill he was a very warmhearted person says davies he enjoyed doing it you know he wasnt sitting there analyzing anything it was just i am here to get the best picture and he was very instinctive


the corsinis kept a record detailing their every decision   and every ledger bill and correspondence they ever produced
in the name of god and of the virgin mary and all the saints of paradise the story begins this book belongs to matteo di nicholo chorsini and in it i the said matteo will write down every thing of mine and other facts about me and my land and houses and other goods of mine
the year was 1362 a trader in woolen cloth matteo corsini had just returned from years abroad with enough money to buy property around san casciano 11 miles south of florence from then on and for 600 years his descendants followed his example writing down everything about themselves and preserving everything they wrote again and again huge old books of accounts begin with an invocation to god the father son and holy spirit then proceed to list endless incomings and outgoings profits and losses but mainly profits by the 17th century the corsinis would be among the richest families in florence
at what point i ask duccio corsini present head of the family did they start to think of their papers as an archive we are standing at the window in the grand villa that was eventually built on the land his ancestor bought and where all these papers have recently been gathered
from the very beginning he replies proudly it was a florentine thing
in fact all the florentine merchant bankers of the renaissance could be recognized it was said by their ink stained fingers partly it was a matter of careful accounting but also of passing on family identity and attitudes from one generation to the next up to the 17th century the papers in the corsini archive were written by men who all bore the same half dozen corsini names   filippo tommaso duccio neri bartolomeo andrea   as if they were hardly individuals but temporary representatives of an ongoing family project
built in the 14th century but massively enlarged in the 16th villa le corti is a half hour from florence by winding road the sweep of vineyards and olive groves is breathtaking as is the view of the villa a white stuccoed pile topped with two towers set in geometric lawns do not however expect comfort inside when duccio and his wife clotilde moved here in 1992 the house had not been lived in for almost a century because duccio observes knowingly when you have so much it gets hard to use it all the couple renovated a small part of the building for themselves transformed the cellars under the lawn into a restaurant and a shop for their wine and olive oil production and started arranging visitor attractions such as cooking lessons and wine tasting sessions
but the rest of the house stood empty the decision last year to have the archive moved here from its previous home in the familys grand palazzo in florence was thus part of a business plan to bring the villa back to life   the papers attract a steady stream of scholars   and place it at the heart of the family enterprise in the end remarks duccio it was mostly about money
moving the corsini papers was itself extremely expensive the largest operation of its kind since florences huge state archive was relocated in 1989 four thousand feet of steel shelving had to be set up and more than 12000 files resettled since the villa wasnt in any way designed for this purpose there is no specific entry point nor any easily apparent order to the rooms all the same wherever you come in to the archive you are immediately overwhelmed by an intense awareness of paper this is not the experience of an ordinary library where parallel lines of standardized print in neatly bound volumes seem to detach the words from the material they depend on here bundle after bundle of raw papers are tied together with string and squeezed into shelves from floor to ceiling there is the thick sepia toned slightly porous paper of the 1400s and the ultrathin glossy correspondence paper of the 19th century there are papers with elaborate watermarks and with tiny cuts made in the 16th century to show that the surface had been disinfected against the plague some papers have been eaten away by silverfish others have gotten wet and smudged scratchy nibs have poked holes a name is missing a date at every point you are made conscious of the moment in which event was turned into document
i arrive at villa le corti at 9 am clotilde orders coffee and i am soon settled down in a tepidly heated room and introduced to the archivist nada bacic originally from croatia as she pours espresso from a silver pot we speak italian each with our foreign accents and then set off into the past the archive is spread through a half dozen rooms some little more than cubbies others as grand as they are cold one with a taxidermied eagle hanging from the ceiling stone stairs and oaken doors abound
in the bottom left corner of the smallest room are matteo corsinis recollections but this is a copy made in 1475 the difference between a merchants handwriting and a scriveners is clear enough the one scrawled and bold the other neat and careful in any event italian calligraphy has changed so much since then that both are largely illegible to anyone who isnt an expert to digitize here would cost a fortune and take an age
opening an early tome i stumble on the last will and testament of cardinal pietro corsini who died in 1403 written in both latin and italian it fills a thick book 18 inches tall the fine clothes he is dressed in for burial the cardinal warns must not be removed from his body two hundred gold florins are left to a monastery on condition that the monks recognize a solemn obligation to say prayers for the cardinals soul in perpetuity
after various commercial ups and downs the corsinis consolidated their fortune in the 16th century when three brothers filippo bartolomeo and lorenzo simultaneously ran three merchant banks in london lyons and florence bacic asks my help to shift a 15 foot long bench behind which the brothers correspondence is stacked in a dozen mammoth white and gold folders some of the messages are coded substituting numbers for letters to protect business secrets in 1579 i read a consignment of wool has disappeared from a ship in lisbon in 1583 bartolomeo in lyons reports being feverish and sweating through three shirts every night but our business in naples is going well he assures filippo in london
along with the letters is a slim account book listing bartolomeos donations to religious institutions on an almost daily basis at the end of each page the entries are added up and carried over in the months before his death the sums are notably larger
all these corsini brothers meant to return to florence in their old age the family identity was tied to the city but filippo didnt make it his body his armor his vast wealth and his voluminous papers came back from london twenty thousand of the 900000 ducats accumulated were spent on transforming the property in san casciano into the huge villa it is today
and the pope i ask bacic who is struggling to push a massive folder of letters back onto a high shelf
in 1730 the familys habit of pushing the second son into the priesthood so as not to split the estate paid off when a corsini was elected pope and chose the name clement xii aside from opening the capitoline museums and commissioning the fontana di trevi clement bestowed the title of prince of sismano on his nephew bartolomeo and made another nephew neri a cardinal clement also built a chapel in san giovanni laterano dedicated to st andrea corsini whether it was business or religion the goal was always to enhance family prestige in reality as princes of the tiny umbrian village of sismano the corsinis were sovereigns of their own backyard
by noon my feet are freezing fortunately duccio and clotilde have invited us for lunch in the villas handsome restaurant at the table the sense of continuity between archive and contemporary life is uncanny duccio talks about his son filippo who is traveling abroad before hopefully returning to become involved in the family business the wines on offer are produced by the company principe corsini and have such names as don tommaso and santandrea corsini the waitress has a principe corsini t shirt
however when i ask duccio if the family continues to add papers to the archive he answers in the negative they ran out of space around 1960 and stopped it seems strange to me that a family that owns so much property could not find space for more archives if it wished something must have changed perhaps the perception that everybody keeps business archives these days took the shine off the practice or perhaps the strict control the state exercises over the archive constantly checking its contents and the conditions in which it is kept has taken away that sense of liberty in secretiveness typical of florentine families in the past in any event as if in enigmatic confirmation that the world is no longer what it was in this very italian restaurant both duccio and his wife order hamburgers and fries
the afternoon is dedicated to the women of the 18th and 19th centuries who were sufficiently emancipated to be regular correspondents eleonora rinuccini 1813 1886 wrote touchingly affectionate missives to her husband and children opening a small notebook i read so long as i was in my fathers house my existence was like a preparation for life  but a life i knew nothing about even in my mothers drawing room there was never any talk that wasnt proper  when i married my poor husband had to open my eyes bit by bit
the near impossibility of keeping these papers in any kind of order i reflect or of establishing their exact relation to each other makes you realize how precarious our interpretations of history must always be how dense and elusive real life is
ive worked in this archive 36 years bacic tells me and i think i have at least leafed through all the hundreds of thousands of papers here but what does that mean how much can anyone remember indeed back in my hotel after a hair raising bus ride back to florence i find myself hurrying to write down my own record of the day before it slips away


sam sifton emails readers of cooking five days a week to talk about food and suggest recipes that email also appears here to receive it in your inbox register here
good morning how about a little reading before we figure out what to cook tonight alan richman has a terrific profile of the restaurateur joe allen in todays food section and big pete wells is back from vacation with a review of cafe altro paradiso a new italian restaurant from ignacio mattos and thomas carter the duo behind estela read those and maybe youll be singing like the schuyler sisters
then for dinner consider pierre franeys recipe for linguine with lemon sauce simple rich amazing alternatively try his recipe for baltimore crab cakes a riff on the ones served at obryckis which franey served as you should with remoulade too much work try nigella lawsons recipe for seared fish with toasted almonds instead 20 minutes very well spent
were excited this week to cook david taniss recipe for stir fried spicy asparagus - if not tonight as a pairing for nigellas fish then some night soon maybe to accompany a platter of miso chicken we scored a jar of home canned yellowfin tuna recently from a sharpie who fishes and cooks out of east hampton ny and have been plotting for days about dinner sandwiches made with the meat off david taniss recipe for italianate tuna subs
its springtime at last were feeling the urge to grill lamb on rosemary skewers wed like to make some rhubarb focaccia as a breakfast changeup wed enjoy devouring our first pasta primavera of the 2016 season
and if all else fails well hit the farmers market at lunchtime and spend the early evening putting together a groaning table of prosciutto mozzarella and spring vegetables what our kids call a party board sure its a recipe but you dont need to follow it just get the best vegetables you can find on the stands serve some raw some roasted others steamed as you like alongside some deli meats and good cheese for added flavor eat it while listening to this crazy tullio de piscopo 70s disco madness
whatever you cook tell us about it you can engage with our cooks reporters critics and editors on facebook twitter instagram and pinterest just use the hashtag nytcooking you can rate the recipes you cook on our site and apps and leave notes on them for yourself or for others if your kitchen experimentation has led to interesting or helpful emendations to our recipes and of course if you really get jammed up you can reach out to us for help were at cookingcarenytimescom
we started with reading well end with it too and apologize in advance because the news is horrible and grim and has nothing to do with food but everyone should read the boston globes spotlight report on sex abuse at new england prep schools see you on friday


in just six short years roll  hill has developed a cult following for its hand crafted lighting fixtures produced in collaboration with some of the most respected independent designers working today   totaling about 15 and including the likes of lindsey adelman   all without a proper showroom but beginning saturday the public will be able to view the collection in one place for the first time without having to attend a trade show or trek out to the companys sunset park brooklyn headquarters
roll  hills first showroom is located in soho on a block that feels like youve found a little secret says the companys founder jason miller in a one time warehouse for canal hi fi on mercer where howard street ends or begins depending on your point of view the showroom has never before been open to the public its 4000 square feet spread over three floors so theres a lot of places to show lights miller says were going to be putting in some furniture to give context to our pieces with the idea that everything is for sale in addition to lighting the roll  hill showroom will offer a tight edit of upholstery and cabinetry by miller a shelving collection by philippe malouin some pieces by finn juhl and golran carpets
miller is quick to stress that although it is open to the public roll  hills showroom is not a retail store   most items are available to order only but the companys new line of smaller accessories including some table lamps floor lamps and candleholders will be available for on site purchase by the end of summer


los angeles   a long awaited dodger victory over the mets finally came late tuesday when trayce thompson came off the bench and delivered the decisive blow with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning
neither team had scored a run for almost seven full innings but thompson hit a pinch hit home run off reliever hansel robles to give the dodgers a 3 2 victory
it was the first game ending pinch homer by the dodgers since september 2013 and it delighted the fans who waited around until thompsons teammate justin turner doused him with a cold drink bucket to celebrate
the game had elements similar to the decisive game 5 of the teams division series last october including the same score only reversed
that was the last time jacob degrom had pitched at dodger stadium until tuesday though the playoff game was not degroms most dominating performance it was one of his most courageous and resourceful he pitched out of precarious difficulties throughout the game to help the mets reach the national league championship series
on that day he allowed two runs in the first inning and then threw five scoreless innings to outduel zack greinke on tuesday he gave up two runs in the first inning again then pitched around trouble for six scoreless innings
degrom was coming off his first loss of the season in san diego where he allowed three runs in five innings the first batter tuesday was chase utley who hit the second pitch he saw into left field for a double
next up was corey seager who also doubled to left scoring utley seager took third on turners groundout then scored on a sacrifice fly by adrian gonzalez giving the dodgers a quick 2 0 lead
it did not last long the mets scored twice in the top of the second thanks in part to an error by utley
yoenis cespedes opened the inning with a single to left and wilmer flores reached on an infield single michael conforto dropped to sixth in the batting order against the dodgers left hander alex wood hit a bouncer to the right side
utley fielded it and threw toward second base for a possible force but his throw sailed wide of the base and into left field allowing cespedes to score and flores to take third flores came home on a single to left by kevin plawecki who has a five game hitting streak
wood escaped the rest of the inning without further damage and the starters settled into a duel after that
as in game 5 last october degrom squirmed out of trouble with critical pitches at key junctures for example the dodgers had runners at first and second and nobody out in the second inning but degrom got carl crawford and wood for the first two outs and then struck out utley swinging at a breaking ball to end the inning
in the third degrom got the first two batters out but gonzalez singled and yasmani grandal doubled to right only gonzalezs sluggish pace prevented a run on the play and then degrom struck out joc pederson looking at a 3 2 changeup erasing the threat
that was not the only time that gonzalezs slow gait would help degrom with two outs in the fifth gonzalez hit a drive to deep center gonzalez jogged as he watched the flight of the ball which struck the top of the wall about a foot from being a home run
gonzalez who turned 34 on sunday began to sprint   as best he could   but cespedes fielded the ball cleanly and made a strong throw to shortstop asdrubal cabrera who applied the tag at second for the final out of the inning
yasiel puig hit three balls hard in his first three at bats against degrom the first went for an infield single in the second inning when david wright made a diving stop but wrights rushed underhanded throw dragged first baseman eric campbell off the bag
in the fourth puig hit a deep ball but to center but cespedes caught it at the wall in the sixth puig hit another sharp liner to center but cespedes was there to make that catch too
after degrom left it was antonio bastardos turn to pitch in and out of trouble the dodgers put runners at first and second with nobody out but bastardo got out of it with a fielders choice a long fly ball to the warning track by grandal and a routine groundout by pederson
robles took over for bastardo to start the bottom of the ninth on the games final pitch plawecki the catcher called for a slider but robles shook him off preferring to throw a fastball
yeah i put the slider down plawecki said but ultimately i want my pitcher to have conviction in what hes throwing if he doesnt feel comfortable growing the slider in that situation then ive got to trust him on that
robles left the ball up in the power zone though and thompson deposited it into the left field bleachers for his first game ending home run
robles through an interpreter said he shook off plaweckis initial signal to get inside thompsons head and confuse him
but he confused me robles said


front page
because of an editing error the byline with an article in some editions on march 20 about the islamic states preparations for the terrorist attacks in paris in november misspelled in some copies the surname of one of the reporters she is laure fourquet not fouquet the error was repeated in a reporting credit in some copies the errors were corrected online shortly after the article was published but editors failed to follow through with this print correction
international
an article in some editions last wednesday about an accidental leak of confidential memos meant to temper news media criticism of the egyptian government misidentified one of the persian gulf countries that is giving egypt a large cash infusion to help counter its economic crisis the country is the united arab emirates not qatar

a map on april 12 with an article about a rash of suicide attempts in the attawapiskat aboriginal community on james bay in canada gave an incorrect scale the scale line represented 300 miles not 50

an article on april 11 about presidential elections in peru in which keiko fujimori the daughter of an imprisoned former president was in the lead misstated in some editions her finish in the first round of presidential voting in 2011 ms fujimori finished second not first a runoff is set for june 5 in this years election
new york
an article on monday about the rutgers 250 a variety of tomato being resurrected by rutgers university reversed the locations of two mens farms in new jersey john hausers farm is in old bridge and john giamareses farm is in east brunswick
business day
because of an editing error the dealbook column on tuesday about the background of steven mnuchin donald j trumps national finance chairman misstated the ownership of the bankrupt movie company relativity media mr mnuchins movie company dune entertainment and ratpac entertainment the company of james packer and brett ratner were investors in warner bros movies and mr mnuchin was briefly co chairman of relativity neither mr ratner mr packer nor ratpac had any relationship with relativity
sports
an article on saturday about four gray colts that competed in the kentucky derby referred incorrectly to the odds of a gray foal being produced when one parent is gray and when both parents are if both parents are gray there is at least a 75 percent chance   not a 75 percent chance   the foal will be gray if one parent is gray there is at least a 50 percent chance   not a 50 percent chance   the foal will be gray

an article on tuesday about reece whitley a 6 foot 8 olympic hopeful in swimming referred incorrectly to two classes the 16 year old is taking at william penn charter school they are advanced courses in chemistry and algebra not advanced placement courses the error was repeated in a picture caption
obituaries
an obituary last wednesday about the literary critic and historian daniel aaron misidentified the subject he taught at smith college and harvard it was english not history the obituary also erroneously attributed a distinction to professor aaron he was one of the first people to be granted a doctoral degree in american civilization by harvard not the first henry nash smith was the first

an obituary on tuesday about the actress sylvia kauders misstated her birth name she was born sylvia wolinsky not wolinksy
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pittsburgh   nick bonino put a rebound past braden holtby 6 minutes 32 seconds into overtime giving the pittsburgh penguins a 4 3 win over the washington capitals on tuesday night and wrapping up the teams hotly contested eastern conference semifinal series in six games
the capitals had rallied from a three goal deficit during the final 22 minutes of regulation but boninos second goal of the playoffs sent the penguins to the eastern conference finals against tampa bay
holtby made the initial stop on carl hagelin but bonino camped right outside the crease tapped in the winner
washington forward jay beagle made a remarkable save from his belly against patric hornqvist early in overtime but there was no stopping boninos tap in
phil kessel scored twice and hagelin added a goal for pittsburgh
the rookie matt murray made 36 saves as the penguins continued their playoff mastery over the capitals
t j oshie justin williams and john carlson scored during washingtons rally but it was not enough
nine times the longtime rivals have met in the playoffs eight times the post series handshake line has ended with pittsburgh celebrating while washington trudges toward the off season
the capitals who won the presidents trophy for having the nhls best regular season record avoided elimination with a solid 3 1 win in game 5 but the penguins   who squandered 3 1 series leads in the 2011 and 2014 playoffs   preached patience and pointed to their remarkable resilience under coach mike sullivan who took over in mid december
pittsburgh ended the regular season as the hottest team in the league and has now won two playoff rounds by relying on the depth that general manager jim rutherford has cultivated behind the stars sidney crosby and evgeni malkin
all but two of pittsburghs 16 goals during the series were scored by players who were not on the roster when rutherford replaced ray shero two summers ago including kessel acquired from toronto last july along with hagelin and bonino pittsburghs best line in the series


san antonio   late tuesday afternoon before the san antonio spurs and the oklahoma city thunder faced off in game 5 of their western conference semifinal series spurs coach gregg popovich was asked to describe how difficult it was to win a postseason game
popovich can be uncompromising in these situations questions he deems inane or uninteresting are dismissed with a monosyllabic retort perplexed stare or pithy insult   sometimes all three but this query sufficiently moved him
i think the best way to describe it is if you do win a game or a series its an unbelievable relief popovich said one would think there would be joy but its just an unbelievable relief when you lose its a devastating feeling
he went on the key is to get over it quickly either way to not think its such a big deal if you win and the end of the world if you lose but as it happens those feelings arise because it is so difficult to end up being a winner
all night popovichs words rang true as the thunder rallied for a 95 91 victory giving them a three games to two lead
save for a blowout win by the spurs in game 1 this has been a tense hard fought affair the sellout crowd screamed in delight and anger players chirped incessantly at the referees signaling their annoyance in operatic facial contortions and hand motions
popovich slicked his hair back with a minute left as the thunder walked the ball up the court with the game tied and barked in anger as kevin durant 23 points drew a foul   it appeared danny green fouled durant only after tripping over steven adamss leg durant made his two free throws putting oklahoma city up 92 90
tony parker was fouled on the next spurs possession and made only one of two free throws the crowd roared when green 20 points stripped the ball from durant with 299 seconds left but parker missed a midrange jumper leaving 93 seconds on the clock
on the final inbounds play russell westbrook game high 35 points drove along the baseline where the spurs tried to grab and foul him but the referee blew the whistle only as westbrook slipped to the basket for a layup he made his free throw giving the thunder a 95 91 lead with 63 seconds left sealing the game
the spurs manu ginobili said the referees decisions were beside the point we should have arrived to that point in a better situation he said
all night popovichs body language on the sideline provided nonverbal commentary on the game he waved his players up the court like a third base coach he slapped the air when frustrated he sipped seriously from a paper cup he yelled and did a 360 degree twirl when the spurs took a 24 second violation in the fourth at the final buzzer as fans booed the referees he walked off the court staring at the ground
he will have a day to get over it game 6 will take place thursday in oklahoma city
i didnt think anything got away from us popovich said after the game we made mistakes but if one team didnt make any mistakes the score would be 150 10
the spurs were in control for much of the game despite a slow start they fell behind 9 2 while missing five of their first six shots and needed to call timeout to regroup they shot 7 for 22 in the first quarter with none of their stars finding a rhythm the thunder looked slack too committing seven turnovers and after a scrappy first quarter with no easy baskets oklahoma city was ahead 22 16
kawhi leonard 26 points 6 rebounds 5 steals and 4 assists was the first san antonio player to assert himself stirring the crowd with a sequence of athleticism and hustle in the second quarter he scored 6 straight points   a running bank shot a dunk and a layup   forcing the thunder to call timeout early in the second quarter
it was a vociferous crowd and a dunk from tim duncan   which broke a personal scoreless stretch of more than 34 minutes   prompted fans to rise from their seats with about three minutes left in the half the building grew louder still when green sank a 3 pointer from the left corner in the final seconds of the second quarter giving the spurs a 48 43 lead
for a time everything seemed to be going san antonios way in one turn of events leonard dribbled the ball off his foot as he ranged across the 3 point arc but it rolled straight to green who nailed a 3 pointer putting the spurs ahead 59 47 with 8 minutes 18 seconds left in the third quarter green scoreless in game 4 made six 3 pointers
but the spurs fortunes turned drastically in the final quarter setting up a must win game for them on thursday


going into its postwar and contemporary sale on tuesday night christies had reason to be anxious about a perceived softening in the market   fears that appeared to have been confirmed by sothebys impressionist and modern auction on monday night when a whopping one third of the 62 lots failed to sell
but christies management was soon breathing a sigh of relief its centerpiece canvas by jean michel basquiat sold for 573 million a high for the artist at auction and its final tally was 3184 million with fees against a low estimate of 281 million
the auction house was ultimately pleased by what brett gorvy christies worldwide chairman of postwar and contemporary art described as strong but deliberate buying
the evening confirmed contemporary arts continued status as the hottest category in the market which showed unexpected resilience given that many potential sellers had decided to sit out the auctions this season in wait and see mode keeping their best pieces on their walls or in a free port the basquiat was the most highly valued of the 61 lots on tuesday night and 87 percent of them sold
its not 2014   we got used to super high results kyoko tamura the japanese collector said the really fashionable artists are down 20 to 30 percent but the market is ok
the auction houses have been scrambling this season to wrest top works out of the hands of people no longer inclined to sell even as the houses are trying to give away fewer guarantees to preserve their shrinking profit margins christies had 10 guaranteed lots on tuesday night compared with 49 guarantees on 82 lots last may christies final tally 3184 million represented a 52 percent decline from its postwar and contemporary art sale a year earlier which took in 6585 million
while several valued lots just barely made their low estimates the overall results on tuesday night left several art experts pleasantly surprised it was much stronger than any of us thought it was going to be mary zlot a san francisco art adviser said if the price is right people will buy
here are some of the highlights
beast of a basquiat not all basquiats are created equal and 1982 was considered a very good year for the artist which made untitled   in which basquiat depicts himself as a horned devil rising amid furious brush strokes of orange red white and black   the evenings main prize it was sold by the new york collector adam lindemann who bought it for 45 million in 2004 one of the few artists with a celebrity following   leonardo dicaprio and jay z have collected his work   basquiat seems impervious to the vagaries of the global economy the painting sold to an asian buyer on the telephone for 573 million top paintings make top prices said larry warsh a collector come rain or shine dealers said the price was remarkable given the atypical composition and large size on wednesday christies said that yusaku maezawa 40 the founder of contemporary art foundation had purchased untitled plus four other works at the evening sale for a total of more than 81 million this basquiat was first exhibited in tokyo in 1985 mr maezawa said in a statement for japan this was an art historical moment
late newcomer in these uncertain times christies was not taking many risks with young emerging artists one of the few newcomers on tuesday night was kerry james marshall 60 whose retrospective will open at the met breuer this fall christies   and a third party guarantor   offered plunge the artists vibrant 1992 painting which depicts a bikini clad woman about to dive into a swimming pool estimated at 1 million to 15 million the canvas sold to a telephone bidder for 22 million a new high for the artist at auction
best of the b team it is hard to believe that 30 million has come to seem like small potatoes but given an art market that has grown accustomed to 100 million prices the top lots at christies on tuesday night were not the stuff of headlines a 1957 blue and green mark rothko abstract sold for 326 million to one bidder just above the low estimate
wool proof christopher wools 1992 word painting and if you offered a clear comparison to where the market was two years ago the 9 foot high enamel on aluminum painting that sold on tuesday night for 136 million with fees is nearly identical   it has the extra word and   to another that sold in may 2014 in a booming market for 237 million both feature this artists same profanity laced exhortation for people without a sense of humor to get out of my house and both had been estimated at 12 million to 18 million it was a great phrase but it didnt have visual power said andrew fabricant the new york dealer who added that the inclusion of the extra and made the composition cramped a number of collectors were disappointed with it he said what a difference a word makes
too few women though surprisingly short on female artists in a year of major museum shows featuring women the christies sale attracted among the most excitement and highest prices of the evening with the joan mitchell painting noon the canvas went to abigail asher an art adviser for 98 million against estimates of 5 million to 7 million
the last word tuesdays sale did indeed bring out at least one new buyer edward zeng the founding partner of the beijing based investment bank china bridge capital who bought yves kleins azure monochrome painting for 33 million just over the low estimate of 3 million the blue color mr zeng said after the sale touched my heart


did you catch the cameo by john le carre this week yes that was he   the peevish older gentleman at the next table at lunch listed by his real name david cornwell in the credits the diner to whom jonathan apologized after corkys lobster salad meltdown
memorable line of the night my naughty little greaseball
im normally a big fan of corkys but his dissolving into babble was probably the lowest point for me of a generally highly enervating episode
full confession i did not like tonights show it made me cross in fact it irritated me so much that i am now using words like cross that are mannered and fake   just like the grimaces the searching looks and the stock images of bureaucrats blowing gaskets that assaulted our eyes and ears this week the drum beats creating tension where we felt none dickie ropers tightly clenched cigar the burning sunset the cool white house filled with hot spanish blood
enough griping
lets just do a straight up recap of the action
jonathan pine is now fully launched as andrew birch a merchant adventurer with a high limit credit card and a new set of bespoke suits who should i would have thought have been growing tougher and tougher as he sank into the cruel world of the weapons trade but is for some reason instead turning into more and more of a softy   dressing up for his patron like pretty woman with a 32 inch waist grinning at his new weapons like harry potter setting eyes on his first broomstick
its very strange that goofball act   and with it all hes serving tea
im sorry if my recklessness upsets you jed says perceptively as jonathantomandrew reaches to put the kettle on
shes so much more appealing when shes being honest and fully human why doesnt she bring her son to spain jonathan asks
because thats not what roper bought on the upper east side im young and beautiful remember ouch
notice how jed in this episode keeps referring to us does she mean her and roper her roper and corky perhaps i am of two minds about the whole sex with jonathan incident it was on the one hand inevitable but at the same time it made me anxious so much torture has been foreshadowed what with the talk of hanging by lovely ankles and chopping off of hands and damage to jeds beautiful sweet face
could this all be a setup jed playing jonathan with ropers approval and jonathan fully cognizant playing along his i havent seen much of her to be honest to roper right after jeds nighttime visit was like an admission of guilt corkys talk of the lovers the perfect pair and the blind man ropers increasing pique   it was all a bit too much id like to think the stiltedness of the entire episode was somehow meant to echo the artificiality of multiple layers of players being played
but somehow i doubt it
our friend angela burr is always a welcome presence on screen crisp funny and understated keeping us off balance with sentences that seem to lack standard punctuation shes closing in now she knows what dickies selling whos buying it and who in the british and united states governments is getting paid off but shes also frustrated and angry and worried or pretending to be frustrated angry and worried because jonathan has gone off the reservation we know this because she slammed her hand down on a table bad show old girl
we also know now why angela hates roper so   he got into the chemical arms game after seeing the horrors wreaked by an attack on iraqi schoolchildren with mustard and sarin gas friends of homeland lets thank the television gods once again for the antidote that saved peter quinn from their fate lung tissue around their mouths and on their faces what can it feel like to bring a child into such a world
i think theres more to angelas pregnancy than meets the eye which brings me to my closing question do you think there really is a mr burr


the yankees were exhibiting the classic signs of another collapse from the inaccurate starting pitching blown leads and an uncharacteristically shaky performance by the back end of the bullpen all signs pointed to another loss
but in recent days the yankees bats have come alive so even after lorenzo cain hit his third home run of the night the yankees offense answered first brett gardner smacked a tiebreaking double in the eighth inning two batters later brian mccann hit a two run double off the center field wall propelling the yankees as they outlasted the kansas city royals 10 7 on tuesday night at yankee stadium
aroldis chapman picked up his first save for the yankees pitching a scoreless ninth the yankees fourth win in five games on their current homestand came on a night when masahiro tanaka battled through his worst start of the season
after the game manager joe girardi could not pinpoint why his lineup had suddenly turned potent again
maybe its the weather heating up its not raining girardi said all of a sudden were swinging the bats like were capable of and youre getting contributions up and down the lineup
those contributions have been missing when tanaka took the mound
through the yankees largely unremarkable first 30 games tanaka had become the one constant on the roster as dependable as a seven iron he kept them out of rough patches every five or six days
but tanakas dazzling performances were often wasted by the yankees exasperating inability to provide him run support in the first six games tanaka started the yankees backed him up with a total of 15 runs
on tuesday the yankees anted up scoring five times over the first three innings but the royals displayed the relentlessness they showed against the mets in last years world series kansas city often attacked tanaka immediately
alcides escobar singled off tanakas first pitch alex gordon took tanakas first offering of the second inning and drove it to left center field for a double three batters later cheslor cuthbert hit a two run homer over the left field wall
tanaka gave up two more home runs both to cain after watching cain clock a three run homer into the royals bullpen in left field during the fifth inning tanaka took a long pause and stared at where the ball landed before slamming his hand into his glove
i think if you look back at some of the previous games i think i got away with some mistakes but that wasnt the case today tanaka said through an interpreter adding that his slider was often left up high in the zone every mistake that i made was capitalized
tanaka lasted seven innings and allowed six runs on seven hits he had not given up more than two earned runs in any of his first six starts
the yankees offensive outburst was slightly surprising given the absence of another bat from the middle of their lineup
mark teixeira was out of the starting lineup for the first time this season sitting due to neck spasms girardi guessed that teixeira might miss a day or two
with teixeira out jacoby ellsbury missing his fourth straight game with a strained right hip and alex rodriguez on the disabled list because of a strained right hamstring girardi described his team as the walking wounded to compensate dustin ackley batted fifth in the yankees order and started at first base
girardi said that teixeiras neck problem could have been a cause of his slump at the plate teixeira has one hit in his last 16 at bats and has not hit a home run since april 13 for the season he is batting 202 with three home runs 11 rbi and one double
teixeira said after the game that he probably aggravated his neck problem last week in baltimore asked if it contributed to his poor at bats teixeira said probably but im not going to use the excuse
the accumulation of injuries has allowed ackley more playing time after picking up two rbi and scoring two runs ackley said that he had felt one swing away from getting on track and that the regular swings he has been able to take during this homestand have fixed his approach
i feel really good at the plate right now ackley said
possibly the only other batter looking more comfortable in the box was cain who became the seventh royal to hit three homers in a game
cain had a huge night girardi said adding hes a really good player we left some breaking balls up to him and he hit them hard
andrew miller pitching for the first time this season in a setup role for chapman allowed cains third homer of the night in the eighth
while the yankees offense has awaked lately baseballs karmic balance swung against miller who had not allowed a run all season before tuesday
i dont feel exactly as sharp as i should right now miller said but thats how the season goes


secretary of state john kerry on tuesday rebutted complaints that the united states is impeding others from investing and trading with iran despite the easing of sanctions against that country under the nuclear agreement that took effect in january
mr kerry said that some businesses were misusing the united states as an excuse
many big banks and companies in europe and asia have hesitated to engage with iran partly for fear of inadvertently violating non nuclear american sanctions that remain in effect against the iranians including severe restrictions on their use of the dollar
the hesitancy has angered iran which agreed to wide restraints on its nuclear activities under the deal and had expected a huge lift to its economy in return an outcome that has yet to happen ayatollah ali khamenei irans supreme leader has accused the united states of stealthily subverting the agreement an assertion that american officials have denied
in a meeting with a small group of reporters in london where he was preparing to meet with european bankers mr kerry acknowledged some confusion about the rules under the agreement but he said that the united states was happy to explain them
iran has a right to the benefits of the agreement they signed up to and if people by confusion or misinterpretation or in some cases disinformation are being misled its appropriate for us to try to clarify that mr kerry said in the meeting a transcript was posted on the state department website
mr kerry also suggested that some companies were using the american sanctions that remain in force as a guise for not venturing into iran they shouldnt say oh we cant do it because of the united states  mr kerry said thats just not fair thats not accurate and we sometimes get used as an excuse in this process
the system of american sanctions on iran he said is just not as complicated as some people make it
mr kerry also rejected suggestions that the next american president would scrap the nuclear agreement many republican politicians have denounced the agreement including donald j trump the presumptive republican nominee the two democrats competing for their partys nomination hillary clinton and bernie sanders have expressed support for it
i just dont believe that a new president regardless   is going to suddenly say lets go have a war in the middle east and give up the restraint on a nuclear weapon mr kerry said i just dont think the advisers to that president or anybody are going to suggest that that makes sense
still the agreement has done little to ease the atmosphere of hostility and suspicion that has prevailed between iran and the united states
the iranians have since seized on other american actions they view as arrogant affronts including a supreme court ruling last month that cleared the way for the use of impounded iranian assets to compensate american victims of attacks attributed to iran
iran is also likely to be irritated by a federal lawsuit filed against it on monday by amir hekmati the marine veteran who was among the imprisoned americans released by the iranians when the nuclear deal went into effect four months ago
the lawsuit filed by mr hekmatis lawyers in washington is seeking unspecified damages for mr hekmatis four and a half year incarceration and torture in tehrans evin prison mr hekmati has said that the charges under which iran detained him were fabricated
our intention with the filing of this lawsuit is to attempt to provide at least some measure of justice for amir and his family mr hekmatis lawyer scott d gilbert said in a statement
there was no immediate comment on the lawsuit from iranian officials but irans foreign minister mohammad javad zarif has described any american court proceedings against iran as a violation of international law


four people were stabbed two fatally on tuesday night at a home and a shopping mall in taunton mass the police said
the assailant was shot and killed by an off duty deputy sheriff at the mall the silver city galleria the massachusetts state police said
the episode began shortly after 7 pm when a man the authorities identified as arthur darosa 28 of taunton was involved in a crash on myricks street in taunton left his vehicle and gained access to a home on that street once inside he stabbed two women thomas m quinn iii the bristol county district attorney said in a statement late on tuesday night
both women were taken to morton hospital in taunton which is about 40 miles south of boston one of the women who was 80 died the second woman was being treated for life threatening injuries mr quinn said
after those stabbings mr darosa drove to the mall where he crashed a car into the entrance of macys he then assaulted multiple people inside the store before heading to bertuccis italian restaurant in the mall mr quinn said at bertuccis he armed himself with a knife and stabbed two people one of whom died
an off duty deputy sheriff shot mr darosa once and he was taken to charlton memorial hospital where he was pronounced dead mr quinn said the identities of the victims and the deputy were not immediately available
it appears that but for the actions of the deputy sheriff there may very well have been other victims mr quinn said
the attackers motive was under investigation but there appeared to be no tie to terrorism the police said
alex mace 19 of lakeville mass had gone with his girlfriend to the mall to get her nails done he said he was smoking in a car when he said he saw people fleeing the shopping center
i saw whole families running crying and shouting is the car locked lets go lets go  he said
mr mace said he had remained outside the mall with his girlfriend as they tried to determine what was happening police officers arrived in minutes he said and he heard one of them shout at the attacker to get on the ground then heard gunshots a few minutes later
i was just thankful i was lazy that day and taking my time smoking he said


the united states military academy at west point announced on tuesday that it would not punish 16 cadets who posed for a photograph last week with raised fists saying the gesture was intended to show unity and pride and did not violate army regulations that prohibit engaging in partisan political activities while in uniform
the photograph shows all but one of the black female seniors in the largest such group to ever graduate from west point wearing traditional gray uniforms with sabers and arranged on the steps of the public military academys oldest barracks   a tradition of generations of seniors
their version with raised fists fueled a storm of criticism as it circulated on social media a number of current and former members of the military said the raised fists were an inappropriate and divisive sign of allegiance with the black lives matter movement some called for the cadets punishment or dismissal
but an army inquiry concluded tuesday that the women intended to demonstrate unity solidarity and pride and that while what they did was inappropriate it did not violate regulations
i find that based upon available evidence none of the participants through their actions intended to show support for a political movement said the investigator whose name was redacted in a public copy of the inquiry finding released by west point
in a letter to cadets lt gen robert l caslen jr the academys superintendent agreed that the women should not be punished but stopped short of absolving them of responsibility
as members of the profession of arms we are held to a high standard where our actions are constantly observed and scrutinized in the public domain the letter said we all must understand that a symbol or gesture that one group of people may find harmless may offend others as army officers we are not afforded the luxury of a lack of awareness of how we are perceived
in deciding its response west point which is 80 percent male and 70 percent white had to balance its desire to increase diversity with its need for uniformity among leaders said mary tobin a 2003 graduate active in minority recruiting
its hard these young cadets have a lot of demands put on them ms tobin said you have to manage perception and be very careful in ways other students their age dont
its not fair but when you are a leader you have to make challenges that others dont she said i am more than confident there will be a lot of cultural training on this issue because of the photo
the photograph was one of three poses the women took in dress uniforms the inquiry said adding that the women said their intent was to showcase the awesome black women in our class after taking a serious photograph and one making silly faces two cadets proposed raising fists
other women were hesitant the investigator found they said are we really doing this but one cadet assured them we wont get in trouble according to the inquirys findings
the photograph which circulated via facebook and twitter angered some at west point who found the raised fist   long associated with black power movements   offensive and divisive several members of the military alerted military newspapers and bloggers saying the women had violated army regulations
many west point graduates responded that they had raised fists as part of chants at football games and other celebrations without scrutiny and questioned whether the women were being held to a different standard
in his letter general caslen echoed this sentiment saying last december on the night before the army navy game i joined hundreds of staff and graduates in raising our fist in support of the army football team during the army navy pep rally video the time place and manner of a symbol can also hold significant meaning and influence perception


a crossword puzzle editor who was investigated over accusations of plagiarism will no longer have his work appear in usa today the newspapers parent company gannett and a crossword puzzle vendor universal uclick said on tuesday
the website fivethirtyeight reported in march that more than 60 crossword puzzles by the editor timothy parker copied elements from puzzles in the new york times
other similarities were found between puzzles from usa today or universal crossword which is syndicated by universal uclick and those in the los angeles times and the chicago tribune
susan johnson a spokeswoman for universal uclick would not comment on tuesday night beyond a statement dated april 18 on the companys website
the company said then that mr parker would not return as editor of the usa today crossword puzzle and his work would not appear in gannett or usa today network publications
in the statement universal uclick said it began an internal investigation after the reports of plagiarism appeared and its findings confirmed some of the allegations the company said mr parker would take a three month leave of absence as editor of the universal crossword puzzle
efforts to reach mr parker on tuesday night were unsuccessful
in a statement on tuesday gannett said that mr parker was never an employee of usa today and that no future puzzles in gannett publications would be edited by him
usa today continues to take this matter very seriously the statement said we conducted our own investigation and we are satisfied with how universal uclick has responded to the situation
in its report in march fivethirtyeight said the duplicate puzzles were revealed through a database created by saul pwanson a software engineer from seattle
the puzzles in question repeated themes answers grids and clues from new york times puzzles published years earlier the fivethirtyeight report said
the report also suggested that mr parker helped reuse material he had already edited hundreds more of the puzzles edited by parker are nearly verbatim copies of previous puzzles that parker also edited most of those have been republished under fake author names
fivethirtyeight reported on tuesday that usa today had severed its ties with mr parker


there is little doubt among law enforcement officials that nicholas santora has been a member of the bonanno crime family for decades he was first convicted of racketeering in the 1980s after an undercover investigation into the familys activities later portrayed in the hollywood movie donnie brasco
four years ago mr santora pleaded guilty in federal court to extortion charges after being indicted again for racketeering among the many blows the federal authorities have dealt the bonanno family in the past 15 years
but on tuesday a two month trial in state supreme court in manhattan in which mr santora and three other men faced charges of enterprise corruption ended with justice mark dwyer declaring a mistrial after one juror had to be replaced and another told the judge he could no longer deliberate the jury with eight days of deliberation did not reach a verdict on whether mr santora remained a powerful mafia captain between march 2010 and february 2012 overseeing gambling and loan sharking operations
joan vollero a spokeswoman for the manhattan district attorneys office said prosecutors intended to retry the case the inability of one juror to continue deliberating is not a reflection on the overall strength of the case ms vollero said in a statement
still the mistrial is a setback for prosecutors after a prolonged trial during which jurors heard 450 intercepted telephone calls and listened in on several conversations between mr santora and his driver recorded secretly inside his car the jury also heard testimony from james tartaglione a onetime bonanno family captain who said he was present when mr santora 73 was sworn into the organization and took the oath of omerta
as organized crime trials go mr santoras was short on allegations of violence no murders or assaults were attributed to the crew he and his co defendants were accused of running a loan sharking business through a teamsters local 917 operating an internet gambling site with a base in costa rica and selling prescription drugs like oxycodone cialis and viagra on the black market
the mistrial also applies to three other men described by prosecutors as members of the bonanno organization   ernest aiello 36 vito badamo 53 and anthony santoro 52 five other men charged in the same indictment pleaded guilty before going to trial including nicholas bernhard 54 the former president of teamsters local 917 which represents beer truck drivers
i dont fault the jury at all for not reaching a verdict mr santoras lawyer michael alber said in an interview
mr alber called the trial unduly long and said the deadlock reflected his contention that theres every reason to doubt the case
defense lawyers argued their clients were the victims of overzealous detectives and prosecutors who tried to link mr santora to several crimes committed by the three younger men who acted as struggling freelancers not members of a tightly run organization
they argued that the evidence suggested mr santora often went for weeks without talking to the other defendants in addition defense lawyers said prosecutors had little proof that the three men were sending profits from their illicit activities to mr santora
but the lead prosecutor gary j galperin said there was overwhelming evidence on the telephone calls and surreptitiously recorded conversations that mr santora was leading the group
at one point for instance mr santora told mr badamo who was his driver and right hand man i got to know every expletive thing you are doing mr santora also told mr badamo that no illegal card games could be started without his permission this life   who do you think runs this he said
mr galperin said the defense would have you believe that this whole case is about targeting italian americans how unfounded and insulting that is this case is all about enterprise corruption


senator bernie sanders of vermont captured the west virginia primary on tuesday forcing hillary clinton to continue a costly and distracting two front battle to lock down the democratic nomination and to take on donald j trump in the general election
mrs clinton has a nearly insurmountable lead in delegates which mr sanderss victory one week after he won indiana did little to narrow but by staying in the race as he has vowed to do until the democratic convention in philadelphia in july mr sanders continues to tug mrs clinton to the left
this week after long resisting mr sanderss call for a single payer health care system mrs clinton embraced allowing people as young as 50 to buy into medicare
in oregon which votes next week mr sanders appealed to unpledged superdelegates who can cast votes as they please at the convention to rally behind him as the stronger opponent to mr trump
if you look over the last month or six weeks at every national poll bernie sanders defeats donald trump by big numbers he said
with mr trump aggressively attacking mrs clinton as he focuses on the general election mrs clintons potential vulnerability was exposed in her defeats in west virginia and indiana states with many white working class voters
once a core democratic constituency whites in appalachia without a college education have deserted the party over cultural issues like guns and president obamas environmental policies which have hurt the coal mining industry
mrs clinton tried to repair relations in the last week less because of her contest with mr sanders than to mend fences for the november election
she campaigned hard along the ohio river knowing that she must stanch the defection of working class voters especially white men to mr trump in two crucial states ohio and pennsylvania
her campaign which has not bought television ads since her sweep of four eastern states on april 26 and hoped to conserve money for the general election is going back on the air in kentucky before its primary next week
mrs clintons vulnerability in ohio and pennsylvania was highlighted by polls released tuesday by quinnipiac university which showed her running close with mr trump in the two states but losing ground because of a wide gender gap in ohio which has voted with the winning candidate in the last 10 presidential elections she was ahead of mr trump by seven percentage points among women but behind by 15 points among men
in pennsylvania which mr trump aims to win as part of a rust belt strategy mrs clinton was ahead among women by 19 points but losing to mr trump among men by an equal 19 points
mr trump who became the presumptive republican nominee last week with a landslide victory in indiana added icing to the cake on tuesday by taking west virginia and nebraska democrats voted in nebraska on march 5
even before the withdrawal of his last republican rivals senator ted cruz of texas and gov john kasich of ohio mr trump was far and away the leader in west virginia polls at a rally in the state last week he promised to bring back coal mining jobs without giving any details
the decline of coal in appalachia is a result of increased mechanization of mining the conversion of power plants to cheaper natural gas and environmental regulations the industry and its political allies play down the first two and blame the white house for a war on coal
mr trump who has repeatedly called climate change a hoax opposes mr obamas plan to reduce carbon emissions from power plants mrs clinton and mr sanders both propose more rapid transitions to cleaner energy partly to create new jobs
mrs clinton was haunted throughout her visits to west virginia and kentucky last week by a comment she made in march that her climate change policies would put a lot of coal miners and coal companies out of business she made the remark in the context of pledging money to coal communities but the sound bite trailed her and she found herself repeatedly on the defensive
mr sanderss victory was less about policy differences with mrs clinton his environmental plans would phase out coal more rapidly than about the states demographics he beat mrs clinton in a largely white rural state as he has throughout the primaries
eight years ago when mrs clinton defeated mr obama in west virginias primary one in five voters said in exit polls that race had been a factor


washington   down the hallway from the secretary of the armys offices on the third floor of the pentagon eric fanning spends his days sitting in a nondescript room with several empty desks unlike the secretarys offices which have floor to ceiling windows and views of the monuments on the national mall mr fannings office looks out on limestone walls that form one of the inner rings of the pentagon
mr fanning is stuck in that office and has little to do all day because his nomination to be the secretary of the army   the highest ranking civilian position in the largest branch of the military   is stalled in congress senate republicans have successfully blocked many of president obamas appointees since they took over control from the democrats in 2015 mr fanning has stood out because there are few questions about his qualifications but he is being held up by just one senator if confirmed mr fanning will be the highest ranking openly gay pentagon official
standing in the way of that happening is senator pat roberts republican of kansas who has placed a hold on his nomination insisting that the obama administration tell him that it will not move any detainees from guantanamo bay cuba to fort leavenworth kan although few administration officials believe the base is a viable option the obama administration which is determined to close the facility by the time the president leaves office in january has balked at giving mr roberts any assurances
nevertheless some senate republicans have said mr roberts is being unreasonable and should allow mr fannings nomination to move forward in an unusual alliance senator john mccain of arizona the chairman of the armed services committee and a longtime republican adversary of mr obama has fought to get mr fanning 47 confirmed after he tried for weeks to persuade mr roberts in private to allow mr fannings nomination to move forward the tension between mr mccain and mr roberts   whom mr mccain calls a very good friend   spilled out on the senate floor at the end of last month
mr mccain said it was unfair to hold up mr fannings nomination because he would have no role in what happened to the detainees but mr roberts refused to back down
mr fannings nomination is being closely watched by many in the gay community under mr obama the military ended the dont ask dont tell policy that barred openly gay men lesbians and bisexuals from military service and senior pentagon officials are studying how to incorporate transgender people into the services
many in the gay community believe mr fannings confirmation will be another step forward for gays in the military but they are concerned about why the process has taken so long
whats baffling about this is that eric has bipartisan support from all corners and nobody disputes his qualifications record of service or leadership which is rare in such a high profile job said chad griffin the chairman of human rights campaign a gay advocacy group
although he never served in the military mr fanning has served in high level jobs in all three services
he started out of college as a low level staff member on the house armed services committee when the committees chairman representative les aspin was appointed defense secretary by president bill clinton in 1993 mr fanning went with him
but after mr aspin later resigned mr fanning has said he did not think there was a future for him in national security in washington and he left government and moved to new york
over the next decade mr fanning worked at cbs as a foreign news editor for a private strategic communications firm and as an executive at a national security think tank in 2008 he took a job as the deputy director of a commission studying the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction
since then he has served in a series of senior pentagon positions   deputy under secretary of the navy acting secretary of the air force under secretary of the air force and then the first chief of staff to defense secretary ashton b carter
after mr obama nominated him to be the secretary of the army he served as acting secretary until stepping aside in january in the face of complaints from mr mccain that serving on an acting basis was a way around the nomination process
later that month mr mccain invited mr fanning to testify before the armed services committee which approved his nomination and sent it to the senate floor in march at that point pentagon officials believed mr fanning would receive a vote within days but mr roberts then reaffirmed a commitment to place a hold on his nomination until he received an assurance from the administration about the detainees
he has completed all the requirements and come through the committee mr mccain said in an interview and he would have no authority whatsoever over the issue of where to relocate the prisoners who are being held at guantanamo
in response to questions about mr fannings nomination a spokeswoman for mr roberts referred a reporter to statements he had made on the floor mr roberts said in the statements that he had no issue with mr fanning but was concerned about the security of the men and women working at fort leavenworth and living in the region if the detainees were moved there
this happens quite often where you have a hold but it usually resolves itself when the senator has made their point said todd harrison a senior fellow at the center for strategic and international studies he said mr fanning was probably the most qualified nominee the obama administration had put forward for a pentagon position in recent years
the point has been made and were now getting pretty late in the administration mr harrison said if hes not confirmed soon it wont make much sense for him or the army to go forward
mr fanning declined to comment on tuesday about his confirmation prospects the white house and senator mccain are working on this very hard and they prefer that nominees stay in a radio silent mode he said


washington   for decades visitors to the ghostly dome in hiroshima that stands like a sole survivor from the dropping of the atomic bomb there more than 70 years ago entered a world that mixed unspeakable tragedy with historical amnesia
the site which president obama will visit this month reflected an almost universal japanese view that the city was a victim of unnecessary brutality   parents and children incinerated thousands killed and a generation poisoned by radiation
yet museum exhibits nearby were largely silent on what led to that horror a japanese war machine that tore through asia for a decade before the morning that changed the history of the 20th century
for americans of the world war ii generation and many of their children hiroshima is at the center of a very different narrative they believe that president harry s trumans decision to drop the bomb saved tens of thousands of american lives that would have been lost in an invasion of honshu japans main island ask the few surviving veterans of that generation   those who fought their way from iwo jima to okinawa and knew what was coming next   and there is no looking back at trumans decision no moral equivalence between a japanese campaign that killed more than 20 million in asia and the horror of the bomb that ended it all
with his decision to speak beneath that famous dome mr obama is taking a step 11 of his predecessors avoided merely by showing up in hiroshima he will have no choice but to navigate a minefield of conflicting memory in japan and in the united states
the two drastically different interpretations of what happened have always pulled sometimes in unspoken ways at the strong alliance between the united states and japan that emerged from the ashes yet today with some notable dissents in both countries those interpretations remain as frozen in history as the shadow etched on the stone steps of a bank building near ground zero   created by the body of a poor soul who was sitting there at detonation
mr obama will make no apology in hiroshima the white house insisted on tuesday he will not second guess truman for the decision to drop the bomb in hiroshima or for the far more questionable call to drop a second three days later on nagasaki because the emperor had not yet surrendered
this visit will offer an opportunity to honor the memory of all innocents who were lost during the war mr obamas deputy national security adviser benjamin j rhodes wrote on tuesday for a president who came to office talking of a world without nuclear weapons   a vision he has had more trouble realizing than he could have imagined   it is also a chance to say in the last months of his presidency that the risk of new hiroshimas is hardly gone
it may also be the right moment to leap into that historical breach hiroshima has unleashed great literature   starting with john herseys unparalleled account in the new yorker published in 1946 while the city still lay in ruins   and some of the most profound moral debates of the 20th century today survivors of that morning when the enola gay swept high over the city and delivered its payload are even harder to find than american veterans now in their 90s who believe their lives were spared by the same act
newer exhibits in hiroshima have reminded visitors that the city was no random target but a buzzing manufacturing hub of the japanese war machine some of us believe that when we think about the bomb we should think about the war too hiroshimas mayor told me in 1994 as we walked through the new exhibit which japanese rightists had opposed opening
yet even today 22 years later the sanitized accounts of the war taught to a new generation of japanese schoolchildren largely avoid delving into the decision making that led to the pacific war the rape of nanjing or questions of whether the comfort women were organized by the japanese military the vividness of hiroshima has been melded with anodyne accounts of what preceded it reinforcing the sense among americans that unlike germany japan has never fully grappled with its past
many japanese say the same of the united states they remember that when the smithsonian organized the first exhibition of the enola gay in 1995 for the 50th anniversary veterans objected so loudly to the effort to conduct a dispassionate examination of the decision to drop the bomb   and its aftermath   that congress held hearings and the museums director was forced to resign the exhibition was watered down and even today   when the famed b 29 can be seen at the steven f udvar hazy center outside dulles international airport   any discussion of the short  and long term horrors of dropping the bomb are cursory and the history behind it controversial
the top american military leaders who fought world war ii much to the surprise of many who are not aware of the record were quite clear that the atomic bomb was unnecessary that japan was on the verge of surrender and   for many   that the destruction of large numbers of civilians was immoral gar alperovitz a leader of the movement to revise the united states own historical accounting wrote last year in the nation
between now and may 27   when mr obama is to visit the site   the big question will be how views have evolved in both countries since 1995
in japan i dont think there has been much real evolution at least among the right wing and the amnesiacs who deny japans destructive war in asia and insist they were the victims said richard samuels a professor at the massachusetts institute of technology who has written some of the most insightful works on japans military and the pre  and postwar cultures that surrounded it for them obamas visit will be a chance to reiterate that they were right
mr samuels said it would be harder to predict the reaction in the united states in the midst of a presidential campaign he said this will be a rich target for those who say this is the next stop on the obama apology tour
but if anything the questions surrounding those last months of the pacific war in 1945 have only grown stronger the firebombing of tokyo in march of that year resulted in nearly 100000 deaths by some accounts and many who questioned the decision to drop the atomic bomb have asked why it was not first exploded in an uninhabited place to demonstrate the dimensions of this new weapons power
but the biggest change mr samuels said may come from the absence of witnesses twenty years ago the greatest generation people with a living memory of world war ii were still around
today they are down to a precious few and soon the only ones who will be debating the legacy of hiroshima will not have felt the urgency to drop the bomb or lived the horror of the result


espn and verizon announced tuesday the settlement of a lawsuit that accused verizon of breaching its contract with the sports network when it created a new cable package for its fios television service last year
no details of the settlement were announced
in a statement terry denson verizons vice president of content strategy and acquisition said espn is an important partner of ours we look forward to working with them to provide great content to consumers for years to come
in the same statement sean breen senior vice president for affiliate sales for the disney and espn media networks said we look forward to further collaborating with them to deliver customers content across all of our platforms
espn filed suit in new york supreme court in april 2015 after verizon moved some channels off fioss basic cable offering   including espn lifetime tbs usa network and comedy central   and separated them into category specific 10 a month programming tiers like sports pop culture entertainment and children that customers could choose from
at the time espn said in a statement that it was at the forefront of embracing innovative ways to deliver high quality content and value to consumers on multiple platforms but that must be done in compliance with our agreements
the lawsuit struck at the longstanding practice of bundling channels into broad increasingly expensive cable packages that consumers have begun to rebel against by abandoning their pay tv providers and choosing lower priced internet services like netflix hulu and sling tv
espn is the most expensive cable network so fioss custom tv lineup was an attempt to create a skinny bundle that would keep customers from fleeing
in defending itself against espn verizon said consumers have spoken loud and clear that they want choice and the industry should be focused on giving consumers what they want
in february with the lawsuit barely advancing in court there appeared to be a thaw in the relations between espn and verizon that suggested that a settlement was imminent verizon overhauled custom tv turning it into two plans that are essentially parallel basic cable packages the first essentials has no sports channels the second sports  more includes espn espn2 and espnu
espn said then that it was encouraged by the changes but a verizon spokesman said the changes were not made to accelerate a settlement but to adapt to consumers buying habits


bucharest romania   the romanian government on tuesday approved legislation that would give priority to restitution claims by holocaust survivors for property lost during world war ii and under communist rule the move was seen as a small acknowledgment of the treatment of romanian jews during the war
most of those affected by the legislation are in their 80s and 90s and have been trying to recover their property for many years
this is important because the legislation addresses not only the practical problems but also acknowledges the history which is essential said gideon taylor the chairman of the world jewish restitution organization which has held meetings with romanian politicians over the past year
romania an ally of nazi germany until 1944 when it switched sides had a prewar jewish population of about 800000 today that number is about 11000 a report in 2004 by an international commission led by the romanian born nobel laureate elie wiesel estimated that during the war years 280000 to 380000 jews died in romania and areas under its control
many jews had their land and property seized and were sent to ghettos or labor camps those who survived then found their property nationalized by romanias communist leadership which ruled from 1947 until 1989
since the 1989 revolution that led to the fall of the communist dictator nicolae ceausescu tens of thousands of restitution cases have been brought forward seeking the return of property these cases can drag on for decades and more than 40000 claims remain today all of which were filed before a deadline in 2003
sari yalon who lived in the northern region of bucovina said all the jews there were deported in october 1941 we left our house with only what we could carry with us she said by telephone from her home in tel aviv
my parents and i survived but my grandparents and other family didnt come back she added
ms yalon 90 is trying to reclaim the three story house that her father in law built in the 1930s
i dont know if this will help she said romania will find every excuse possible not to pay
she added we want justice and compensation it was my husbands familys property romania has had it for so many years profiting i dont need the money but i dont want them to just have it
her husband died four months ago


scientists have been warning for decades that climate change is a threat to the immense tracts of forest that ring the northern hemisphere with rising temperatures drying trees and earlier melting of snow contributing to a growing number of wildfires
the near destruction of a canadian city last week by a fire that sent almost 90000 people fleeing for their lives is grim proof that the threat to these vast stands of spruce and other resinous trees collectively known as the boreal forest is real and scientists say a large scale loss of the forest could have profound consequences for efforts to limit the damage from climate change
in retrospect it is clear that fort mcmurray in northern alberta was particularly vulnerable as one of the largest human outposts in the boreal forest but the destruction of patches of this forest by fire as well as invasions by insects surviving warmer winters has occurred throughout the hemisphere
in russia about 70 million acres burned in 2012 new statistics suggest much of that in isolated areas of siberia alaska home to most of the boreal forest in the united states had its second largest fire season on record in 2015 with 768 fires burning more than five million acres
global warming is suspected as a prime culprit in the rise of these fires the warming is hitting northern regions especially hard temperatures are climbing faster there than for the earth as a whole snow cover is melting prematurely and forests are drying out earlier than in the past the excess heat may even be causing an increase in lightning which often sets off the most devastating wildfires
its clear that the warming temperatures and extraordinary drought are major players here said thomas w swetnam an emeritus scientist at the university of arizona who studies the ecology and history of wildfires we probably wouldnt be seeing the scale of some of these fires if it werent for those factors
the weather pattern known as el nino has been pumping a huge amount of heat from the ocean and into the atmosphere for more than a year and scientists say that could also have played a role in setting the conditions for this years fires temperatures in parts of alberta were as much as 30 degrees fahrenheit above normal in the weeks before the fires began desiccating the landscape
yet the same scientists say the overall increase in fire in northern regions would not be happening without global warming the rising danger was predicted decades ago as one of the likely consequences of human emissions
one of the scientists who published such a forecast in the 1990s brian j stocks who retired from the canadian forest service and is now a consultant said this week that the worst was yet to come
were kind of at a crossroads he said in an interview we anticipate more fires and more intense fires in the future
the situation he and other experts said demands new thinking by governments about how to manage forests and protect nearby human settlements fort mcmurray for instance has just a single road for people to leave the city but the dangers go far beyond the risk to the communities on the front lines and they are global in scope
the forests of the world are helping to offset rising human emissions of greenhouse gases absorbing a significant portion of the carbon dioxide that the burning of fossil fuels throws into the air so far even as fires and other disturbances increase the forests are growing more than enough to compensate
but scientists see a risk that if the destruction from fires and insects keeps rising the situation will reverse and some of the carbon that has been locked away in the forests will return to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide accelerating the pace of global warming and further magnifying the stress on the forests   a dangerous feedback loop
in addition winds are sometimes carrying soot from the northern fires onto the immense sheet of ice covering greenland darkening the surface and causing it to absorb more of the suns heat in 2012 such soot contributed to melting the surface of virtually the entire greenland ice sheet the first time that had happened since 1889
experts fear that more fires and more soot could further accelerate the melting of the ice sheet which has the potential   should it disintegrate entirely   to raise the global sea level by more than 20 feet
scientists have been trying for years to call attention to the boreal forest boreal essentially means northern the forest gets less public attention than tropical forests but it represents close to a third of the forest land on the planet it is ecologically unique and vital to human welfare for its ability to limit the risks of global warming by soaking up some of humanitys greenhouse emissions
the boreal forest consists mainly of cone bearing trees like pines spruces and larches adapted to survive the long cold winters of the northern region the forest encircles the northern hemisphere in a band near and just below the arctic circle through alaska canada scandinavia and russia
across the hemisphere the danger to the forest from global warming is being compounded by increased industrial activities like logging fort mcmurray sprang up in recent decades as the commercial center for a huge industry that is extracting some of the worlds dirtiest oil from a region known as the athabasca tar sands
in russia extensive mining and drilling for fossil fuels are damaging the forest more people means more activity that can spark forest fires according to sergei a bartalav the director of a laboratory that helps monitor fires in russia but he added that the government had been slow to put in the necessary personnel and equipment to control the fires
now we have an imbalance he said the influence comes we have the new wells drilled but the firefighting doesnt follow
forest fires are a natural part of the history of the boreal forest but records from recent decades suggest they may be reaching an unnatural level of frequency and intensity
data from canada and alaska show a sharp increase in the area burned in recent decades scientists are still trying to reconstruct a longer fire history for the boreal region using information like tree rings and lake deposits of soot but limited evidence from alaska suggests that fires in at least part of that state are at their worst in 10000 years
official russian figures do not show an increase of forest fires in recent decades but american scientists working with colleagues in russia have concluded that the official figures grossly underestimate the burned areas said susan g conard a retired united states forest service scientist who remains active in the field and has worked extensively in russia
she and her colleagues have lately constructed what they consider to be a more accurate record using satellite data the results have not yet been published but they were presented at a scientific meeting in vienna last year
they roughly track the canadian and alaskan figures in showing a sharp increase in the area burned in russia since about 2000 culminating in the immense fires that accompanied a devastating heat wave in 2012
one of the explanations for the increase in fires seems to be an earlier melting of the spring snowpack across the northern hemisphere another trend identified by satellites the melt leads to a drying of the landscape early in the fire season the resinous trees of the boreal zone become more susceptible to fire and lightning sets off intense fires that are nearly impossible to control
david a robinson a climatologist at rutgers university who tracks snow cover said that the april snow pack in the northern hemisphere was the lowest since records began half a century ago


washington   ever since law enforcement started seeing cases in the early 2000s the crime known as sextortion has proliferated on the internet altering the lives of thousands and ensnaring victims from college campuses to military bases
on wednesday the brookings institution will release two studies billed as the first in depth reviews of sextortion   in which someone uses nude photographs of someone to demand ever more sexually explicit content or other goods   and its precarious place in a legal system that acknowledges its existence but has yet to write it into law
its about the security environment in a world in which anyone can attack anyone from anywhere said benjamin wittes a senior fellow in governance studies at brookings an author of the studies when were thinking about that were usually thinking about drone strikes or cyberattacks which has all these same elements were not usually thinking of sexual violence
prosecutors say sextortion is increasingly common with as many as 6500 victims it can involve hacking into victims computers to steal sexual images or even commandeer a webcam then using the files to extort the targets
more often perpetrators use social media to coax one photograph from a victim then use that to demand a continual supply a state department employee at the american embassy in london was sentenced to more than four years in prison after threatening to put sexually explicit images of women online
law enforcement agencies acknowledge the proliferation of sextortion but it does not exist as a separate offense in federal or state law nor does any government agency maintain data on it no academic literature is available to educate the public or provide resources for victims it is remote and anonymous it involves high level computer intelligence and it gives sexual predators access to thousands of new potential victims researchers say and mr wittes said it has not been addressed appropriately
he said one of the most alarming things about such cases was the ability of perpetrators to scale up their assaults
it used to be that you couldnt walk into a place and sexually assault a large number of people he said with a computer he said you can
brookings for example found at least 1397 victims in only 78 cases in one case prosecutors identified at least eight possible minor victims of a california man who had posed as a teenage girl on social media to trick real teenage girls into sending him explicit photographs in another the government refers to more than 100 possible victims of one perpetrator
yet because sextortion is not a crime its perpetrators are often prosecuted under a piecemeal slate of state and federal charges such as stalking extortion and computer fraud according to brookings 71 percent of the cases involved only underage victims and virtually all adult victims were female
mr wittes said adult cases presented another problem cases with child victims do not have prosecutorial impediments because child pornography laws are so strict but once the victim turns 18 much of that protection vanishes
advocacy groups generally dont focus on the adult women mr wittes said to me thats the big blank spot in the whole discussion
according to mary anne franks of the cyber civil rights initiative victims are especially unprotected when a crime does not involve physical interaction
once you become a woman she said everything is fair game
the cyber civil rights initiative has been instrumental in getting non consensual pornography also known as revenge porn laws passed in 31 states but she said she was hesitant to join mr wittes in a call for legislation to specifically address sextortion an offense she said was too narrow and could diminish the plight of other victims
instead she advocates legislation that would make the wholesale distribution of nonconsensual explicit images illegal regardless of how they are obtained
we dont need to reinvent the wheel here she said
mr wittes put the biggest onus on the manufacturers of webcams which could make covers for lenses that a hacker could not get around he also said people needed to better protect themselves with stronger passwords and two step authentication systems that send access codes to smartphones or other devices
you dont think of teenagers as attractive cybersecurity targets or for that matter young women he said we have this mental assumption that things are different online like the same incentives wouldnt apply but trust me they do


washington   on the morning of march 13 2011 the assistant secretary of state for near eastern affairs jeffrey d feltman wrote an urgent email to more than two dozen colleagues informing them that saudi arabia and the united arab emirates were sending troops into bahrain to put down antigovernment protests there
mr feltmans email prompted a string of 10 replies and forwards over the next 24 hours including to secretary of state hillary clinton as the obama administration debated what was happening and how to respond
the chain contained information now declared classified including portions of messages written by mr feltman the former ambassador in kuwait deborah k jones and the current director of the central intelligence agency john o brennan
the top administration officials discussed the bahrain situation on unclassified government computer networks except for mrs clinton who used a private email server while serving as secretary of state
her server is now the subject of an fbi investigation which is likely to conclude in the next month about whether classified information was mishandled
whatever the disposition of the investigation the discussion of troops to bahrain reveals how routinely sensitive information is emailed on unclassified government servers reflecting what many officials describe as diplomacy in the age of the internet especially in urgent fast developing situations
a review of the 30322 emails from mrs clintons private server that the state department has made public under the freedom of information act provides an extensive record of how such sensitive information often looped throughout president obamas foreign policy apparatus on unclassified systems from embassies to the united nations to the white house
the senders included denis r mcdonough currently the white house chief of staff and previously the deputy national security adviser and susan e rice the former american representative at the united nations who is now mr obamas national security adviser
many of the emails were sent over the state departments unclassified system stategov which is considered secure but not at the level of the state departments system for emailing classified information
at the state department the pentagon and the white house among other agencies officials have two systems for email one for classified messages and one for more routine business they are nicknamed the high side and the low side
mrs clintons private server   set up in her home in westchester county ny   was assumed to be even less secure than the state departments low side although the unclassified servers at some government agencies have been hacked in recent years
one result of mrs clintons decision to maintain a private server is that it has put state department officials on the defensive about their use of stategov for some business that might be considered classified
of the 30322 emails made public 2028 have had portions redacted and are now classified at the lowest level of classification confidential
nearly three quarters of those emails were classified because they contained what is called foreign government information   a vast category of information gathered through conversations and meetings with foreign counterparts that are the fundamentals of diplomacy but which had to be protected when the emails were released
last week in an apparent attempt to dispel criticism that many of the emails were improperly sent a top state department official argued in a letter to three senate democrats that the nations diplomats and officials were in fact allowed to send foreign government information through the governments unclassified computer systems
department officials of necessity routinely receive such information through unclassified channels said the letter dated may 2 and written by the assistant secretary of state for legislative affairs julia frifield
for example diplomats engage in meetings with counterparts in open settings have phone calls with foreign contacts over unsecure lines and email with and about foreign counterparts via unclassified systems
the letter went on to say that using foreign government information in unclassified emails does not amount to mishandling the information
the state department unlike some other federal agencies does not have the authority to redact that category of information even if it is required to release documents under the freedom of information act
thus the only way the state department could withhold foreign government information in the emails being released under court order was to classify it according to the letter
the letter was a reply to one sent in march to senators patrick j leahy of vermont thomas r carper of delaware and dianne feinstein of california a copy was given to the new york times by a government official who believed the classification of the emails was unfairly implicating diplomats and other officials conducting diplomacy in the modern era
of the 30322 emails the fbis investigation has focused on a smaller number including 22 that the cia insisted contained information classified top secret
those emails have not been released even with redactions because they include material classified at the highest levels known as top secretsap according to a letter from the inspector general of the nations intelligence agencies i charles mccullough iii
that designation refers to special access programs which are among the nations most guarded secrets the emails are said to include references to among other things the cias program to hunt and kill suspected terrorists with armed drones in pakistan
an additional 65 emails which have been released have had portions redacted because they included information classified at the level of secret
one exchange of emails typical of those now classified because they contain foreign government information involved mr mcdonough ms rice and her deputy at the time rosemary a dicarlo and the palestinian effort in september 2011 to be recognized as a state by the united nations
the exchange included eight separate emails all sent on unclassified networks of those six were redacted almost completely when the state department released them in january
according to the subject line and what information does appear the three discussed deliberations between the united nations secretary general ban ki moon and the palestinian president mahmoud abbas as well as ms rices discussion with the palestinian representative at the united nations riyad h mansour on the bid for statehood   all instances of foreign government information
the chain of emails eventually encompassed 16 officials including political appointees and career diplomats and was ultimately forwarded to mrs clintons inbox by jake sullivan her deputy then and now the senior policy adviser for her election campaign
philip h gordon an assistant secretary of state under mrs clinton said if all these respected senior foreign service officers and experienced ambassadors are sending these emails then this issue is not about how hillary clinton managed her email but how the state department communicates in the 21st century
mr gordon later a special assistant to the president for the middle east wrote more than 40 emails that were redacted on the grounds that they contained classified information
mrs clinton herself wrote responded to or forwarded 96 emails that have been classified in part including one that is classified secret 46 of those contained the foreign government information that the departments letter addressed
there are to be sure other emails that do not fall into the category of foreign government information and some raise questions about the sort of information senior officials sent in unclassified emails
in 18 emails for example information has been classified on the grounds that it identifies cia officials including two instances that are now considered secret
one of those was a seemingly benign photo opportunity listed on mrs clintons daily schedule with the person who gave her a daily intelligence briefing making it obvious that the person was an agency employee
that email was originally released as confidential but upgraded to secret probably reflecting that the person holds an undercover position now
another exchange involving the cia came the day after david h petraeus resigned as the agencys director in november 2012 mr brennan then still at the white house sent an email   detailing the provisions for mr petraeuss personal security following his surprise resignation   to thomas e donilon mr obamas national security adviser mr donilon then forwarded it to mrs clinton
madam secretary   attached is an update on the security for dave p he wrote the entirety of mr brennans note has now been redacted and classified as confidential on the grounds that it involves vulnerabilities or capabilities of systems installations infrastructures projects plans or protection services relating to the national security
mr petraeus ultimately pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor for keeping highly classified information in eight black notebooks he kept in his home including such details as the names of covert officers and programs and sharing them with his biographer and lover
a spokesman at the cia ryan trapani said in a statement that mr brennan had believed that the information he sent in the email was unclassified
when operating in a position like he was at the white house officials often have to make spot judgments about whether information is classified or not he wrote
in most cases the determinations are correct but in some situations another agency may consider certain information classified that the author does not


syosset ny   there is no doubt the islanders made strides this season winning a playoff round for the first time since 1993 but they head for summer vacation with more questions than answers
a key mystery was solved tuesday when the islanders met the news media for the final time after falling to the tampa bay lightning in five games in the second round of the nhl playoffs defenseman travis hamonic who last fall asked to be traded to be closer to his family near winnipeg manitoba said he had rescinded the request and would be staying with the islanders
i never wanted to leave said an emotional hamonic 25 an islander for his entire six year career i love it here to know things back home have stabilized thats the main thing i couldnt be more happy
but still looming for the islanders who reached the 100 point mark for the second straight season and qualified for the playoffs for the third time in four years are decisions about the unrestricted free agents kyle okposo frans nielsen and matt martin there also could be changes when the new majority owners jonathan ledecky and scott malkin take control from charles wang on july 1
if okposo leaves john tavares the teams star and captain will again be searching for a right wing to match his talent and skill the islanders would also lose a core player who has been vital to their improvement in recent seasons
okposo 28 could garner a significant raise on the open market from his just completed five year 14 million contract
im proud of what has happened the last 10 years since ive been a member of this organization said okposo a first round draft choice by the islanders in 2006
nielsen 32 is the longest tenured islander first skating for them in 2006 7 for him the idea of donning a different jersey seemed too peculiar to consider
well see how it all unfolds said nielsen who scored 20 goals in the regular season and added three in the playoffs i dont know what can happen
uncertainty also exists for general manager garth snow who was not available for comment george mcphee a longtime member of the washington capitals front office was brought on as an adviser to snow this season the teams new owners could decide change is necessary for a franchise that has captured just one playoff series under snow who was hired by wang in 2006 shortly after retiring as the teams backup goaltender
jack capuano the teams coach since november 2010 would not speculate on what may be ahead for his squad
garth is very engaged with our coaching staff and our players capuano said we have some unrestricted guys and i dont know if they are going to be back or not thats a decision that financially will come from our general manager
capuano expressed relief that hamonic perhaps his teams best defenseman this season and during the playoffs would be returning
you need those type of guys to win capuano said you always want what is best for player and family knowing travis will be part of our hockey team going forward is a big plus
most players tried to focus on the future
we will be better prepared next year said tavares who scored in double overtime to eliminate the florida panthers in the first round but was held to one goal against the lightning im proud of our fan base it was great to reward them hopefully next year we can build on that we have to find a way to get over the hump
nielsen also spoke of unfinished business three trips to the postseason and experiencing games beyond the first round seemed uppermost in his thoughts with summer looming
i was here when we started to a rebuild said nielsen a danish born forward drafted by the islanders in 2002 it will be fun to see it through and how far we can go
the pending free agents said there had been virtually no discussions on new contracts between snow and their agents during the season that was probably related to the coming transfer of majority ownership which has been in the works for nearly two years
for martin and nielsen islanders their entire careers a summer of uncertainty will be a new experience
martin 27 has embraced life on long island including starting a foundation based there he did not seem in any rush to leave the only franchise he has known
my heart is here said martin part of an effective fourth line with casey cizikas and cal clutterbuck i want to be an islander this is where i grew up as a player and in a lot of ways as a person
clutterbuck spoke of the bond among his linemates often the best trio on the ice
we definitely have a good thing going you want to bottle that up for a long time said clutterbuck 28 who scored 15 goals this season five of them game winners its a pleasure playing with those guys it has injected energy into my career
ryan strome briefly sent to the minors this season and a healthy scratch for three playoff games could think only about getting back on the ice strome 22 had only eight goals after scoring 17 the previous season
i wish the off season was a lot shorter he said


houston   it was a simple question what makes texas texas
that was the headline for an article i wrote about the texas identity the question is impossible to answer but the readers who responded in more than 1000 comments emails and twitter posts seemed to enjoy giving it a try
two distinct groups emerged those who identified as texans and everyone else there were subsets such as those no longer living in the state texpats or those who took the states obsession with secession one step further by calling for it to be expelled from the united states
we heard from a member of the daughters of the republic of texas a sixth generation liberal democrat texan an advanced degree holding modern dance loving skinny lefty lesbian and there was talk about texas dirt being used in other states during childbirth as a stand in for the state itself one reader rick stauts of homestead fla had something to say about texas dirt he sent me an email i have been reading and rereading for days now mr stauts wrote
in 1968 i was in the army and was issued orders for vietnam at love field in dallas before getting on the plane i bought a small jar of cherries and flushed them i went outside the terminal and scooped up some texas dirt and filled the jar when i got to chu lai south vietnam i put a label on the jar that simply said texas i have no idea how many soldiers tried to buy that jar of dirt from me but i would not sell it was my little bit of texas in south vietnam i still have the jar full of dirt today
my portlandia daughter has a discreet tattoo stating texas forever this state embeds its past present and future into the native consciousness post motherhood hill country tex
my boyfriend from nyc says hes never been in a state that prints pictures of itself on everything allison austin
texas is a state of mind more than anything else ted nelson houston
i am italian and ive been living in tx for 2 years san antonio never find any people more welcoming than texans never felt any issue with my initial pain with language people always said dont worry about your english its much better than my italian vittori italy
a boy asked a stranger where he was from his father gently corrected him for his bad manners saying son if someone is from texas theyll tell you if they arent dont embarrass them by asking gr texas
the texas i grew up in guaranteed university access at 50 per semester that is semester not semester hour to all its high school graduates and its constitution provided for public support of a university of world class david mcneely spokane wash
one thing is sure you cant understand texas without spending time in the country and talking to the farmers ranchers hunters teachers veterinarians etc who live there in an age when everything seems prepackaged prerecorded prefabricated this older slower texas disconnected from urban and digital ephemera can provide a welcome dose of the real sharon texas
my neighbor and friend is 72 years old but looks 50 he drives a semi truck hauling rig and industrial equipment across texas and america when asked why hes still working if he doesnt need to he says god gave me the ability to and if i stop i dont have a purpose samuel austin
need to unwind nothing like sipping a shiner bock with friends and taking turns shooting a metal target from 300 yards or a drive to west texas  just set the cruise on 85 or risk getting run over housesoop dallas
im a fifth generation texan on one side seventh on the other were all as liberal as the day is long many of us grew up sliding fluidly between two cultures two languages where barbacoa and big red were points of pride jenn texas
i now am living temporarily in louisiana 20 miles from the texas state line i drive the extra miles to spend my money in texas for food and anything else we need my money is better spent in my home state margaret peletier san antonio
a sixth generation texan i moved to new york city in 1976 into rosedale queens one of the first questions i was asked by any new yorker i met was what are you meaning was i jewish or italian irish etc i had never been asked that in my life and responded the only way that mattered to me im a texan duane d ruidoso nm
despite the differences in politics texans and new yorkers are very similar in grit self confidence and the unshakable belief that no place is better than their place denise new york city
my dad always said we were tejanos and helped settle the areas from monterrey to san antonio older tejano families who faced so many injustices know what makes texas and thats to continue to fight for equality and fairness and to have some good fajitas and beer adelante jack san antonio
i was born there grew up there and graduated from the university of texas i still follow longhorn football but i left in 1965 and i have no intention of moving back im perfectly happy where i am in california john los angeles
it is a great place to be if you really do not have an opinion and are just focused on money barbecues pickup trucks and football ramakrishnan raja bangalore india
we have a state just like this in brazil rio grande do sul great river of the south it is in the frontier of argentina and uruguay they love horses country life and think their state is more important than the whole country luiz carlos brasil
if youve ever tried to discuss politics with a teenager then you know what its like to discuss politics with a texan i saw lots of very simplistic jingoistic firmly held beliefs that didnt necessarily have a basis in fact or a practical application in the actual worldthe people are self reliant much as they are in my state vermont yankee vermont
ill never forget standing in san antonio and seeing more texas flags flying atop buildings than american ones meghan norfolk va
i was an easterner who lived in alaska for 4 years surrounded by texans some of whom worked in the oil fields off cook inlet and prudhoe bay ... texans were fun to be around even if they were too much in love with their guns and bragging on their state but what may have seemed to be either narcissism or self love it seemed to me really was an insecurity about being able to live anywhere other than texas which of course was not true john mcdonald vancouver wash
there is a genuine mutual feeling of happiness that you receive from everyone when you are here only people who have lived or been to texas knows this truitt maryland
the best thing i ever saw in texas was the state line in my rear view mirror rick cedar rapids iowa
my state also has its radical right but you dont ever hear talk of secession maybe because we stayed loyal during the civil war or maybe because as much as some people hate the federal government they also dont want to go without the benefits that come with being part of the united states aussie american malvern pa
my family over the last few generations has been nomadic and so am i i admit im a little jealous of texans navah washington


portland ore   on monday morning when it was still unclear whether stephen curry would even play for the golden state warriors that night news began to circulate at the teams shootaround that curry would be named the nbas most valuable player for a second straight season an official announcement from the league was coming
draymond green one of currys more outspoken teammates realized that he had forgotten to congratulate curry but green had an excuse
because i felt like i knew since december he said it didnt feel like this monumentous occasion
give credit to green at least for concocting a neologism   monumentous   to describe another of currys achievements which seemed appropriate enough a new word for a new type of player who is doing new things every time he takes the court magic acts that captivate teammates and dishearten opponents
curry has assembled a season long mix tape of basketball pyrotechnics on monday night in game 4 of the warriors western conference semifinal series against the portland trail blazers he somehow managed to cram a bit of everything   all the dribbling all the shooting all the winning   into a single overtime
by the end of the game after he had played for the first time in more than two weeks after he had scored 40 points after he had led the warriors to a 132 125 victory after he had pushed the trail blazers to the brink of elimination ahead of game 5 on wednesday night curry tried to reflect on whether he was actually amazed by what he had done
i wouldnt say amazed said curry who may have been the only one its just one of those moments when youre standing out there and realized what just happened its a pretty good feeling because this is the playoffs everything is heightened   the intensity the ramifications of a win or a loss
the newness never stops with curry and that might be what makes him so different he raises the bar and then he goes out and raises it again
it had been 15 days since curry sprained his right knee in a first round playoff game and coach steve kerr hoped to limit him to 25 minutes on monday in truth curry had not played a full game since april 13   nearly a month ago before injuries threatened to unravel his postseason so he came off the bench for game 4 against portland
but all of kerrs careful planning evaporated when shaun livingston got ejected and then the game went to overtime and then  
i dont think anyone could have predicted the explosion kerr said i mean that was crazy
kerr was referring to overtime as curry scored 17 points   an nba record for a single overtime period   and shot 6 of 7 from the field including 3 of 3 from 3 point range he wound up playing 37 minutes afterward green described the game as a gut punch for the trail blazers who are now trailing by three games to one in the best of seven series
do i think theyre done green said repeating the question for dramatic effect of course i think theyre done
kerr is not fond of historical comparisons the game has changed too much he said recently for fans pundits and even former participants to make claims about one great team the 1995 96 chicago bulls for example for whom kerr played being more dominant than another say the 2015 16 golden state warriors why cant they both be great and leave it at that
curry through his sublime play has invited many of the comparisons involving him in large part because people crave context but context is a challenge when someone does things that no one has ever seen before like make 402 3 pointers during the regular season a 41 percent increase from the previous record   set by him or lead his team to 73 regular season wins or become the first player to be unanimously voted the leagues mvp after a while it all starts to sound absurd
as miami heat coach erik spoelstra told the associated press on tuesday hes redefining how this game is being played right now
but in the wake of currys latest performance kerr had no problem reaching through the haze of history to draw a parallel between curry and another icon michael jordan it had nothing to do with their unique styles of play or with their similar abilities to overwhelm defenders it had to do simply with sound   the sound made by opposing crowds that unmistakable but rare blend of dread and anticipation and excitement and slack jawed wonder
i remember those noises on the road whenever michael would have a game like that kerr said
but while curry is a basketball virtuoso nothing he does happens in total isolation it was a game full of conversation and teamwork starting with kerr advising curry to avoid pressing in the first half to allow himself time to find his rhythm later when curry finally made his first 3 pointer deep in the second half he looked into the crowd to find his brother seth who offered encouragement and when harrison barnes helped send the game to overtime with a 3 pointer curry was not surprised
confidence he said is contagious
in overtime though the ball belonged to curry kerr recalled how alvin gentry a former assistant who now coaches the new orleans pelicans described the warriors late game offensive sets last season there were just two get the ball steph and steph get the ball on monday the warriors borrowed from the gentry playbook
theres very few games kerr said where you sort of take a moment during the game and say wow this is something 
curry was back and full of surprises   same as always


a new york state court on tuesday threw out a teachers evaluation for the 2013 14 school year based on a controversial state rating system saying that it had been arbitrary and capricious but the court stopped short of ruling on the evaluation system more broadly because the state has already begun replacing it
for the 2012 13 school year sheri g lederman a longtime teacher in the high performing great neck public school district on long island received what was known as a growth score of 14 points out of a possible 20 the score was meant to calculate student progress over time her students scored substantially higher than the state average on annual standardized tests in english and math and her score put her in the effective range
the next year her students scored a bit better on the math test than they had the year before and slightly lower on the english exam but her growth score plummeted to one out of 20 or ineffective
ms lederman sued john b king jr then the commissioner of the state education department alleging that the growth score portion of the states teacher evaluation system was biased against teachers whose students were consistently high scorers ms lederman was represented in the case by her husband bruce h lederman
mr king is now the secretary of education for the united states department of education
justice roger d mcdonough of state supreme court in albany vacated ms ledermans 2013 14 growth score in part because of the difficulty in measuring growth for students who already perform above grade level on state tests
the courts decision does not extend beyond ms lederman in a sense because she had so much company in her opposition to the evaluation system
the system was intended to hold teachers accountable for lagging student performance using quantifiable data but it spawned outrage around the state culminating last year when 20 percent of students in new york opted out of annual state tests for third through eighth graders
in december state education officials voted to exclude test scores from teacher evaluations until at least 2019 when a new growth model will be introduced
a spokeswoman for the state education department said it was department policy not to comment on litigation


the legal battle over which bathrooms transgender people can use in north carolina turns on a deceptively simple question can a law written in the heat of the civil rights movement generations ago apply to people the drafters never intended to cover
the federal civil rights act of 1964 was passed after years of marches beatings sit ins and lynchings part of the convulsive change across the country that gave african americans the same rights that white citizens had to drink at water fountains get jobs buy homes stay at hotels and vote a creature of its time the law prohibits discrimination because of race color religion sex or national origin
the word sex made it into the bill at the last minute almost accidentally it was inserted only after the drafting and congressional hearings when the bill went to the house floor representative howard w smith a virginia democrat who opposed the bill introduced an amendment adding sex discrimination prompting laughter from his colleagues who mockingly offered other suggested additions
despite speculation that mr smith meant to weaken support for the bill   he said his concern for women was sincere   his amendment passed and so did the act the rights of transgender people never came up
this is the history that gov pat mccrory of north carolina turned to when he sued the justice department on monday arguing that sex means biological sex and nothing more the obama administration is bypassing congress by attempting to rewrite the law he said
but the justice department said the word also covers gender identity not just anatomy and filed its own lawsuit charging that a north carolina law allowing people to use only those public bathrooms and locker rooms that correspond to their biological sex violates both the 1964 law and a 1972 federal law barring sex discrimination in education in explaining her case attorney general loretta e lynch also harked back to the civil rights struggle
it was not so very long ago that states including north carolina had other signs above restrooms water fountains and on public accommodations keeping people out based on a distinction without a difference she said we have moved beyond those dark days but not without a tremendous amount of pain and suffering and an ongoing fight to keep moving forward
courts have often expanded the interpretation of laws in ways that the authors never imagined to answer questions that earlier generations never thought to ask for example the supreme courts ruling last year legalizing same sex marriage was based on the 14th amendment to the constitution adopted to protect black people after the civil war
that kind of thing infuriates conservative strict constructionists but as a practical matter courts are often less interested in asking whether the meaning of a law can be stretched than in asking how far
advocates for transgender rights say the justice departments case is less of a stretch than some others they have supported
the criticism on the right is often that there is no grounding in the text of the law but in this case i would argue there is said chase strangio a lawyer with the american civil liberties unions lesbian gay bisexual transgender and hiv project the north carolina dispute is about who is really a man or a woman he said so theres no question its about sex
conservatives say the obama administration and federal agencies have overreached their legitimate power   unilaterally changing the clear meaning of the word sex and the scope of the law if the law needs changing they say it is up congress to do so
if people want gender identity to be included theres a democratic process to go through said jeremy tedesco senior counsel at the alliance defending freedom a conservative religious advocacy group which represents parents who sued the department of education over a transgender girl being allowed to use the girls locker room at a high school but they just said the law covers gender identity so be it
but in fact many court rulings and federal government actions have led to this point
the 1964 laws ban on sex discrimination was applied narrowly at first but the supreme court broadened it in a series of rulings saying that sex discrimination includes sexual harassment that the law protects men as well as women and that discrimination against a person for not adhering to sex stereotypes in appearance is sex discrimination
in a 1986 ruling justice william h rehnquist noted the unusual way that sex discrimination made its way into the civil rights act and wrote we are left with little legislative history to guide us in interpreting the acts prohibition against discrimination based on sex
the supreme court has not addressed whether the same language protects transgender rights but several lower courts have in 2004 the united states court of appeals for the sixth circuit found that it does and some other courts have since agreed but in 2007 the united states court of appeals for the 10th circuit made the opposite finding
in 2011 the united states court of appeals for the 11th circuit ruled that discriminating against a transgender person was sex discrimination   not based on the civil rights statute but based on the 14th amendment and last month relying on a 1972 law title ix the united states court of appeals for the fourth circuit ruled that a high school must allow a transgender student who was born anatomically female to use the boys bathroom
a hate crimes statute passed in 2009 became the first federal law to explicitly protect transgender people a 2013 renewal of the violence against women act was the second in 2012 the equal employment opportunity commission ruled as the sixth circuit did that discrimination against transgender people violated the civil rights acts ban on sex discrimination a decision hailed by advocates as the executive branchs first unequivocal statement to that effect
this is not new news said brad sears executive director of the williams institute at the university of california los angeles school of law in federal actions theres been specific inclusion of gender identity for a while
in extending civil rights protections in a new way the government does not speak softly and it does carry a big stick   the threat of taking away federal funding if an institution does not comply with that possibility hanging over them most entities quickly give in to government demands as colleges and universities have in recent years when the department of education accused them of mishandling sexual assault complaints
you usually dont see the showdown mr sears said but in an election year such showdowns can become a strategy a way of trying to mobilize voters


north hudson ny   gov andrew m cuomo sought on tuesday to distance himself from a longtime associate who is now at the heart of investigations into fraud and improper lobbying
mr cuomo said the associate todd r howe who worked for him and his father was only a casual acquaintance whom he knew mainly though political events
the governor also said he had no knowledge of the various legal and financial woes that mr howe faced over the past decade or so even as he parlayed his experiences alongside the cuomo family and other political figures into a lucrative lobbying career in albany new york and washington
mr howe worked for mr cuomo when he was secretary of the department of housing and urban development in the late 1990s earlier mr howe spent a decade as an aide for mario m cuomo when he was governor mr howe was also close with joseph percoco andrew cuomos former executive deputy secretary and campaign manager who is also under federal investigation
despite that resume governor cuomo said he knew little about mr howe including that he pleaded guilty to a felony theft in washington in 2010
i wouldnt call us close friends the governor said to reporters he worked for the state for a number of years but i had no knowledge of his personal situation
the allegations against mr percoco and mr howe   neither has been charged with a crime   are not clear but mr cuomo repeatedly drew a circle around the two men saying that the investigation was limited to basically two individuals and that his administration was cooperating fully with the inquiry spearheaded by preet bharara the united states attorney for the southern district of new york the governor has also started his own inquiry
ive said to the us attorney any way we can find out and be helpful and be cooperative we will be mr cuomo said nobody wants the facts more than us
while the governors office has received subpoenas mr cuomo a democrat in his second term said he had not been questioned about the investigation but acknowledged it could happen
people who worked with joe percoco people who worked with todd howe might have information that would be helpful he said so i might have information that would be helpful
shortly after the revelations in late april about the federal inquiry mr howe was fired from his job as president of woh government solutions a lobbying firm where his list of clients included some with ties to state projects four of those clients   cor development company suny polytechnic institute the developer lpciminelli and cpv valley llc a power company   have been linked to central figures in the investigation
last week the governor through his counsel ordered all executive branch agencies to cease contact with mr howe or anyone connected with his business
politico new york reported on monday that mr howe also worked as a nonpaid consultant on mr cuomos 2014 re election campaign which was managed by mr percoco on tuesday mr cuomo said that he did not know if mr howe had assisted mr percoco
asked for comment about the report basil a smikle jr the executive director of the new york state democratic party said mr howe was never paid to work on the campaign and held no position in it
richard morvillo a lawyer for mr howe did not return requests for comment nor did barry a bohrer a lawyer for mr percoco
mr percoco worked for mr cuomo during his first five years in office leaving in january for a job as senior vice president at madison square garden in 2014 he resigned from the administration and ran mr cuomos re election campaign a nearly eight month stretch during which he earned as much as 125000 as a consultant for cor development and cha consulting an engineering company based in albany both companies have had considerable business with new york including several upstate nanotechnology and development projects receiving state funds
on tuesday the governor said that he did not ask mr percoco about these consulting deals the state has tens of thousands of employees he said theyre not supposed to be cross examined to make sure theyre following the rules
standing in front of a pristine lake in the adirondacks   where he announced the states purchase of a swath of private lands   the governor cautioned that the public should not pass judgment until the facts are known but he also seemed aware that the inquiry did not reflect well on his administration saying people need to trust the governmentdoes that mean everything the government will do is perfect no he said does that mean that every person in the government will do everything right no but it means there is an ethic and a standard when there is a whiff that there may have been wrongdoing you do everything you can do to identify it


rome   not long into andy murrays first news conference since he parted ways with his coach amelie mauresmo he was asked if the end of their pairing was a blow to the idea of women coaching men in tennis
in nearly two years with mauresmo the highest profile female coach in tennis murray maintained a career best ranking of no 2 reached two australian open finals and nearly single handedly led britain to a davis cup title so he did not agree with the premise of the question
i think it did work he said tuesday at the italian open i mean for two years i think the results that we had were good
he added when she first came into the team i was really struggling you know i was not doing well my confidence was low and i was going the wrong direction
then obviously when she came on board my results actually really picked up i mean for me the time we spent together was positive its just a shame i wasnt able to win one of the major events because thats what both of us wanted
murray and mauresmo both two time grand slam singles champions announced monday that they had mutually ended their partnership because of scheduling problems mauresmo with a young son and duties as the french fed cup captain had been able to spend only 10 days with murray since january
murray made a comparison to roger federers recent split with a male grand slam champion coach which had drawn little scrutiny despite similar results and a similar conclusion
roger stopped working with stefan edberg at the end of last year because stefan edberg wanted to spend more time with his family didnt want to spend as much time traveling said murray who also has a baby daughter no one sort of batted an eyelid about that you know
so in my opinion its nothing to do with amelie being a woman i think its the case of a lot of the ex players it takes a lot of time to do the job well and properly its not easy to do that for four five years in a row
murray is working in the interim with the male coach jamie delgado a former british player who is able to be with murray most weeks of the year
it isnt easy to find that especially if youre going for the ex players that have spent you know 15 20 years of their life on the road for 30 35 weeks a year murray said they dont always want to do it
novak djokovic who added the seven time major champion boris becker to his team at the beginning of the 2014 season said he understood the limitations of working around beckers schedule
certainly it is a challenge to organize properly the time spent on the tour for the former players that also have their own families and private lives and different things he said
djokovic added that mauresmo would have faced additional obstacles in her calendar after becoming a mother last year which he called the biggest and toughest job you can have in the world
the sustainability of the trend of former stars serving as coaches for top players remains in question but murrays decision to work with mauresmo will be remembered as bold given the near invisibility of female coaches in professional mens tennis even on the wta tour none of the top 25 women have female coaches
pam shriver a commentator and former player said murray and mauresmo had been pioneers in a groundbreaking situation which should expand the minds of men and women alike
i think all these things help both genders open up their mind sets to possibilities that people might not have thought of before shriver said in the case of mens tennis players she continued the possibilities included the notion that a female with great tennis knowledge and elite tennis experience like mauresmo can help communicate and help make a male player a better player to help them in a stage of their career by being the best lead coach at any given time
shriver added not that its going to open up the floodgates but people now will think outside the box and think not just who is the best male coach available but who is the best coach available and that would include females
shriver said that women who wanted top coaching positions should not be complacent about their wishes
there are certainly some good female coaches out there but getting the opportunity to coach at the highest level meaning a top 10 top 5 player those opportunities have been rare for women coaches she said but i think also the women coaches have to market themselves they have to let their talents be known they cant sit on the sidelines and expect it to happen they have to work the networks and work with the agents and get their resumes and ideas out and market their ideas and their talent
shriver credited mauresmo with helping murray emerge as a leader on various issues including feminism and performance enhancing drugs
mauresmos two years are not just about on court results but also andy developing as a person as a leader shriver said hes developing a really great reputation as the one in the big four who is ok with pushing the envelope on issues
although murray did not win a third grand slam title under mauresmo and won only one of 13 matches against djokovic shriver said that she saw the partnership as entirely positive
i think the feeling is all good for these two years she said its not just all about how many majors you win


they call it the poor mans methadone
the epidemic of opioid addiction sweeping the country has led to another form of drug abuse that few experts saw coming addicts who cannot lay hands on painkillers are instead turning to imodium and other anti diarrhea medications
the active ingredient loperamide offers a cheap high if it is consumed in extraordinary amounts but in addition to being uncomfortably constipating it can be toxic even deadly to the heart
a report published online in annals of emergency medicine recently described two deaths in new york after loperamide abuse and overdoses have been linked to deaths or life threatening irregular heartbeats in at least a dozen other cases in five states in the last 18 months
most physicians just recently realized loperamide could be abused and few look for it there is little if any national data on the problem but many toxicologists and emergency department doctors suspect that it is more widespread than scattered reports suggest
as efforts to limit prescription opioids intensify a handful of experts are concerned that more addicts might turn to loperamide   much as an alcoholic might resort to mouthwash when the jim beam runs dry
weve seen patients who have been on loperamide for months at a time said william eggleston the lead author of the recent report and a clinical toxicologist at suny upstate medical center
he added a subset of patients take it to get high and other patients use it as a bridge   meaning that if they cannot obtain heroin or morphine they take loperamide to ease withdrawal symptoms like muscle pains vomiting diarrhea and nausea
sarah peddicord a spokeswoman for the food and drug administration said the fda is aware of recent reports of adverse events related to the intentional misuse andor abuse of the anti diarrhea product loperamide to treat symptoms of opioid withdrawal or produce euphoric effects
after a review she said the agency will take appropriate steps as soon as possible
the recommended dose of loperamide is safe the standard daily dose of imodium a d is no more than four caplets or eight milligrams but lobe abusers   as they sometimes call themselves   have reported ingesting 100 two milligram tablets daily for weeks
in a case reported by dr eggleston and his colleagues a 24 year old man experiencing opiate withdrawal took so much loperamide that he died toxicology analysis found more than 25 times the regular dose in his blood
in another case a 39 year old man collapsed at home and was pronounced dead at a hospital his family said he had once managed his opioid addiction with prescription buprenorphine but had taken to medicating with anti diarrhea drugs
anti diarrhea medications are cheap legal and can be bought easily in large quantities without raising suspicion costco sells 400 loperamide caplets for just 759
yet loperamide used to be a prescription drug and a controlled substance in the same class as cocaine or methadone the fda approved it in 1976 and it became an over the counter drug in 1988
typically loperamide acts on opioid receptors in the gastrointestinal tract and does not enter the central nervous system at recommended doses there is no high and low potential for abuse but large doses can produce a high doctors say
some toxicologists argue that the sales of loperamide should be limited much as the nonprescription drug pseudoephedrine was restricted a decade ago to help prevent the manufacturing of crystal meth
its time for someone to step in and regulate the purchasing of massive quantities said dr chuck oconnell an emergency medicine physician and toxicologist at the university of california san diego who said he had seen two loperamide overdoses
the average person doesnt need 400 tablets of loperamide weekly he said ive used a handful in my whole life
in the journal heartrhythm case reports he described a 28 year old woman who said she had taken 400 to 600 milligrams of loperamide daily for months an electrocardiogram showed dangerously irregular heartbeats and abnormal electrical conduction through her heart
after repeated blackouts she sought medical attention at a hospital while there unknown to doctors she was still taking 100 tablets of loperamide a day from a private stockpile
after she transferred to ucsd and confessed her habit dr oconnell asked her to stop in a few days an electrocardiogram showed her heart normalizing and the fainting subsided
if you take enough it rushes the gate and some penetrates the blood brain barrier dr oconnell said once it crosses the barrier it can act on the central nervous system and you get euphoric effects
some users complain the high does not compare to that produced by opioids you can definitely get high from it and even kill yourself with it a commenter wrote in 2013 on bluelight a website where people discuss drug use
the high was not worth the health risks whatever they are the commenter wrote
another commenter cataloged loperamides downsides   the need to continually take stool softeners for one   but wrote that the medication took away the misery of opioid withdrawal dont wish to be dead ... so thats a plus
loperamide abuse may go undetected in emergency departments experts warn because routine drug screens cannot detect it
the urine toxicology we do in our hospital doesnt look for loperamide so its possible we missed cases said amitava dasgupta a toxicologist at the university of texas health science center at houston
some loperamide abusers arrive at hospitals lethargic or not breathing as if they had overdosed on heroin naloxone an anti opioid drug may be given
when a drug screen comes back negative emergency room staff may assume the test was faulty or by that time if the patient is responsive they may write it off as nothing said dr jennifer dierksen a pathologist at the university of texas health science center at houston
in one case at the harris county institute of forensic sciences opioid abuse was suspected after a 19 year old texan was found dead at home with a distended bladder full of urine but a drug screen was clean so jeffrey walterscheid then a toxicologist at the institute used a test known as liquid chromatography mass spectrometry to pinpoint loperamide as the culprit
all cases of cardiac problems associated with the misuse or abuse of loperamide should be reported to the fdas medwatch online registry but not all physicians do so
the more people sounding the alarm the more likely the fda will take the problem seriously and take action dr eggleston said a first step would be legislation or regulation that places the items behind the counter
johnson  johnson imodiums manufacturer did not respond to requests for comment


minneapolis   a local doctor who had treated prince twice in recent weeks showed up at the musicians estate near here on the morning he died only to discover that he had just been pronounced dead after being found collapsed in an elevator of his home according to a police affidavit
the doctor michael t schulenberg had seen prince the previous day april 20 according to the affidavit which was filed in connection with a search warrant for princes medical records
the affidavit was filed by an investigator for the sheriffs office in carver county where prince lived dr schulenberg who practices family medicine also saw prince on april 7 the day he canceled a show in atlanta the warrant said
during his two visits dr schulenberg performed tests and prescribed medication for an undisclosed ailment the affidavit said dr schulenberg said he had arrived at princes compound to turn over the test results
the warrant sought medical records from the north memorial medical center which is part of the health system where dr schulenberg used to work
authorities have not released a cause of death and have said that a determination might be weeks away but dr schulenbergs visit makes clear that prince was actively receiving medical treatment before his death on april 21 he also was preparing to be treated for an opioid dependency from a california doctor howard kornfeld
the doctors son andrew kornfeld and two friends of prince initially found him collapsed andrew kornfeld who works for his fathers treatment center had rushed on an overnight flight from san francisco to get prince enrolled in treatment according to william mauzy a lawyer for the kornfelds who said the stars representatives had sought the help
dr schulenberg 46 has been licensed to practice in minnesota since 1997 he has no disciplinary history according to state records and there are no allegations of wrongdoing on his part
lesa bader a spokeswoman for dr schulenbergs most recent employer north memorial health care said she could not comment on princes treatment because of medical privacy laws dr schulenberg worked for north memorial when prince was found dead but is no longer employed by the medical system ms bader said the hospital does not comment on personnel matters
telephone messages left for dr schulenberg were not returned
the affidavit lays out princes earlier medical concerns kirk johnson a close friend told investigators the star had visited another local hospital in 2014 or 2015 for an undisclosed illness mr johnson said prince had received fluids during his visit
it is unclear what medications prince was taking but people close to him have said he suffered debilitating pain in his hips and elsewhere from decades of intense performances authorities have said they are investigating what role painkillers might have played in his death
the federal drug enforcement administration and the united states attorneys office in minneapolis have joined the inquiry
after postponing the april 7 show in atlanta because he said he had the flu he did a makeup performance the following week that observers described as electrifying but prince complained of stomach pains after the concert and on his flight home his private jet had to make an emergency landing in moline ill because he fell ill
his publicist said the emergency landing was a result of the flu but emergency records showed that the pilot radioed that an unresponsive passenger was on board prince was carried off the plane by his bodyguard the records said emergency medical personnel treated him with narcan which is typically administered to treat opioid overdoses according to a law enforcement official briefed on the case the official also said that prince had powerful painkillers on him when he was found dead
despite the medical scare prince was seen out and about afterward near his paisley park estate in chanhassen minn a suburb here he hosted a party at the estate on the saturday before his death and two days before he was found he was at a jazz club in minneapolis taking in a show


the american counseling association announced tuesday that it was canceling plans to hold a conference in nashville next march to protest a new tennessee law that allows therapists to decline to see patients based on religious values and personal principles the group has condemned the law as a hate bill that discriminates against gay lesbian bisexual and transgender people and as an unprecedented attack on its profession no other state has passed such a law the group said vowing to work to get it repealed and to keep similar measures from passing around the country the conference would have brought 3500 to 4000 to nashville said the counseling associations chief executive richard yep and generated what nashvilles convention and visitors corporation estimated as 25 million in direct spending and 444609 in tax revenue for the city and state nashvilles mayor and tourist officials feared the city could face a backlash because of a law that it did not create or support this is the second group to cancel a convention in nashville because of the law bonna johnson a spokeswoman for the convention and visitors group said in an email she would not identify the other group state senator jack johnson a republican who sponsored the bill has said counselors must refer patients they decline to treat to another therapist and must treat those seen as an immediate danger to themselves or others ap
an arkansas district court judge has resigned after a state commission accused him of ordering male defendants to be spanked engage in sex acts and bend over for thousands of photographs to fulfill their community service the commissions executive director said tuesday the judicial discipline and disability commission began an inquiry into judge o joseph boeckmann jr of cross county in 2014 over a possible conflict of interest in an unrelated case on elder care its executive director david j sachar said but that case took a surprising turn when men who had appeared before judge boeckmann in court said they had been asked to bring him bags of canned goods ostensibly for charity then they said the judge told them to bend over and pick up the cans as he photographed them from behind for what he called evidence of community service according to a filing on the commissions website no criminal charges have been filed but mr sachar said they were possible the judges lawyer jeff rosenzweig had no comment on the photographs but said judge boeckmann had done nothing wrong he said the judge was near the end of his second elected four year term when he resigned christine hauser
urine tests for the zika virus are more accurate than blood tests and should be the preferred diagnostic method in the two weeks after a suspected infection the centers for disease control and prevention said tuesday tests done by the florida department of health on urine blood and saliva samples from 913 florida residents with zika symptoms detected the virus almost twice as often in urine as in blood early in the infection virus also stayed in urine for up to 20 days after the onset of symptoms while it usually disappeared from blood after five days saliva testing was almost as accurate as urine testing the report said but no cases were detected using saliva alone french scientists investigating simultaneous outbreaks of zika virus in french polynesia and new caledonia in 2013 had discovered that testing urine was superior to testing blood donald g mcneil jr
the national institutes of health is replacing the leaders of its research hospital in bethesda md as part of an effort to improve patient safety there the actions follow the recommendations of an expert group that the nih director dr francis s collins appointed last year after the hospital known as the nih clinical center had to suspend operations at a unit that produced drugs for clinical studies two vials of a substance used in studies were contaminated with fungus the expert group raised concern last month about a culture at the clinical center in which patient safety gradually and unintentionally became subservient to research demands the centers patients come from around the world to receive free experimental treatments for illnesses studied there in a statement on tuesday the nih said it was changing the leadership structure of the center to model those of world class hospitals and seeking a chief executive with proven experience in management of a complex inpatient and outpatient facility it is also recruiting a new chief operating officer and chief medical officer dr john gallin the centers director since 1994 is a clinician and researcher abby goodnough


rio de janeiro   rio de janeiro has missed a once in a lifetime chance to clean polluted guanabara bay the site for olympic sailing brazils most decorated olympic athlete said in a recent interview
we always hoped that having a big event like the games would help the athlete torben grael told canadas cbc television we ourselves put a lot of pressure to make it happen but unfortunately it didnt happen when they had money and now they dont have money and so its even worse
grael has won five olympic medals in sailing two gold a silver and two bronze he has sailed for years in guanabara bay and hoped the olympics would prompt a wholesale cleanup
i dont think were going to see that change now grael said according to a transcript of the interview given to the associated press this week its part of the way politics administration goes here everything grows very quick and very disorganized
brazil is in the middle of its worst recession in decades and the state of rio de janeiro has been described as broke by its acting governor francisco dornelles
the state is responsible for maintaining the bay which has been described as an open sewer by many local and foreign sailors
rio treats only about half its sewage dumping the rest untreated into the water around the city
a yearlong analysis of water quality by the ap has found dangerously high levels of viruses and bacteria in olympic and paralympic sites for sailing rowing canoeing triathlon and long distance swimming
the international olympic committee backed by the world health organization has repeatedly said athletes are not at risk
i dont think youre going to get sick grael said it just looks terrible
many athletes are expected to arrive in rio in advance to build up immunity to possible diseases others will come in just days before hoping to minimize the impact many will take antibiotics bring bleach to cleanse equipment and try to limit their contact with the water
you know the garbage can slow your boat and thats not good grael said i think theyre going to be careful collecting the garbage in the racing areas but thats going to be just for the games and after the games its going to be what we know
we thought we could have some change some legacy there but its not going to happen unfortunately


washington   the chairman of the senate commerce committee demanded on tuesday that facebook explain how it handles news articles in its trending list responding to a report that staff members had intentionally suppressed articles from conservative sources
in a letter the chairman senator john thune republican of south dakota asked facebook to describe the steps it was taking to investigate the claims and to provide any records about articles that its news curators had excluded or added mr thune also asked directly whether the curators had in fact manipulated the content something facebook denied in a statement on monday
if theres any level of subjectivity associated with it or if as reports have suggested that there might have been an attempt to suppress conservative stories or keep them from trending and get other stories out there i think its important for people to know that mr thune told reporters on tuesday thats just a matter of transparency and honesty and there shouldnt be any attempt to mislead the american public
mr thunes actions raised further questions about the content seen by the 16 billion people who regularly use facebook the platforms growing role as an arena for news distribution has raised some concerns that it could have undue influence over the flow of information but any effort by the federal government to regulate or investigate editorial decisions could run into first amendment protections
among facebook users 63 percent consider the platform to be a news service according to a pew study the company could ignore or refuse to comply with mr thunes requests on first amendment grounds said floyd abrams a leading first amendment lawyer
the notion of congress looking into or investigating how a medium of communication decides what to say threatens on its face first amendment rights said mr abrams a partner at the law firm cahill gordon  reindel
facebook in a response to mr thunes letter said that it was continuing to investigate whether any violations took place and that it looked forward to addressing his questions the company is also planning to brief the house energy and commerce committee about the allegations according to a congressional aide who spoke on the condition of anonymity
trending topics is designed to surface popular conversations   no matter where they fall on the political spectrum   and our guidelines require the review team members to allow all points of view debbie frost facebooks vice president for international and policy communications said in a statement
other social media companies have faced questions about their editorial guidelines and the ability to give some content a more prominent place on their platforms last fall twitter started moments a section of the app and website in which it displays the latest noteworthy tweets and news stories collected by a team of journalists snapchat a messaging app employs a former cnn reporter for its political coverage
but none of those companies have faced the same level of scrutiny as facebook the social media giant was accused of liberal bias after the leaking of a memo from mark zuckerberg its chief executive in which he called for employees to stop crossing out black lives matter slogans on the walls of the companys headquarters in menlo park calif
asked about the claims that conservative articles were suppressed which were first reported by the website gizmodo the white house press secretary josh earnest demurred encouraging the news media to take up the investigation
obviously we were pleased to see the statement from facebook you know making pretty clear that this was not something that they engaged in he said on tuesday you know obviously we can   you can ask them directly for a better explanation of what people may be seeing
adam jentleson a spokesman for senator harry reid of nevada the democratic leader fired back at republicans not over the substance of their inquiry but over focusing on facebook instead of on other issues facing the country
the republican senate refuses to hold hearings on judge garland refuses to fund the presidents request for zika aid and takes the most days off of any senate since 1956 but thinks facebook hearings are a matter of urgent national interest he wrote in an email to reporters the taxpayers who pay republican senators salaries probably want their money back


a federal judge on tuesday blocked a 63 billion proposed merger of staples and office depot dashing another huge deal and handing the obama administration one more antitrust victory
the decision is a setback for the beleaguered retailers which have each endured years of slumping sales and increased competition from amazon and other rivals
the federal trade commission had sued the two companies late last year arguing that combining them would effectively create just one dominant retailer focused on pens paper clips and post it notes
in a three page order judge emmet g sullivan of the federal district court for the district of columbia agreed writing that the pairing of the two would substantially impair competition in the business of selling office supplies
both companies said after the ruling that they planned to end their merger plans
once fierce competitors the office supply giants have struggled to compete as more people shop online the growth of e commerce has eroded the sales and customer base for many traditional brick and mortar retailers
staples closed a combined 242 stores in 2014 and 2015 and expects to close another 50 stores this year according to the companys most recent annual report for the year ending jan 30 sales fell more than 6 percent to 21 billion with the deals end staples also plans to cut 300 million in expenses and weigh a potential sale of its european operations
office depot said it had closed 349 stores in 2014 and 2015 and had identified at least 400 retail stores for closing through 2016 sales fell 10 percent last year to 145 billion
shares in staples fell 10 percent in after hours trading to 931 while office depot tumbled 26 percent to 449
it was the latest victory for government regulators who have taken aim at big deals they say create juggernauts that would unfairly dominate their industries
in a record setting boom in mergers last year nearly 5 trillion in deals were struck but many of them represented consolidation in industries that government regulators have said were already thin on competition
the united states attorney general loretta e lynch said in a speech last month that the obama administration was worried about continued consolidation
victories across a wide range of industries make clear that if our analysis leads us to conclude that a merger will restrict competition we will not hesitate to intervene she said
earlier this month the justice department successfully forced the oil service companies halliburton and baker hughes to call off their 35 billion merger
the ftc also blocked an effort by sysco and us foods to merge a deal that would have united two of the countrys biggest food service providers
other proposed transactions that fell apart under government opposition include atts 39 billion bid for t mobile usa and comcasts 45 billion offer for time warner cable
that crackdown has sent chills down the spines of many potential deal makers and heightened caution in corporate boardrooms in rebuffing a 90 billion takeover approach by honeywell united technologies cited potential regulatory opposition as one reason to remain independent
some pending mergers including the unions of four of the countrys biggest health insurers face close review by the justice department and other regulators
in the case of staples and office depot the two would have had about 37 billion in revenue and roughly 3500 stores in 1997 the ftc blocked a previous attempt by the two companies to combine
the companies had fought back in court arguing that joining forces was necessary with much larger competitors like walmart and amazon other antitrust regulators including in europe signed off on the deal after the two companies agreed to sell off certain parts of their businesses
but by the end of the trial last month judge sullivan   who had questioned some of the governments analysis of the mergers effects on competition as well as some of its legal tactics   had urged the two sides to settle
in statements on tuesday both staples and office depot said that they planned to move on from the failed merger under the terms of the deal staples will pay office depot a 250 million breakup fee
we are extremely disappointed that the ftcs request for preliminary injunction was granted despite the fact that it failed to define the relevant market correctly and fell woefully short of proving its case ronald l sargent staples chairman and chief executive said in his companys statement
while we are respectful of the courts decision to grant the ftcs request for a preliminary injunction to prevent our merger with staples we are disappointed by this outcome and strongly believe that a merger would have benefited all of our customers in the long term roland smith office depots chairman and chief executive said in a separate news release


onstage george carlin was a rebellious performer who delighted in reminding audiences that as much as we try to keep our lives organized the universe is ultimately a chaotic place
behind the scenes however mr carlin was a surprisingly methodical person over a career that spanned almost a half century this pioneering stand up saved countless artifacts including notes set lists scrapbooks tickets and clothing   even the signs he liked to steal from the theaters where he played
in time mr carlins trove will be shared with a wider audience his daughter kelly carlin is donating these materials to the national comedy center an as yet unopened attraction in jamestown ny that aspires to be a premier destination for fans artists and historians
since her fathers death in 2008 ms carlin has regarded these items as mementos of mr carlin and the fruitfully contradictory nature of an artist with an anarchic spirit and a diligent approach to his work
he was a very humble man in the sense that he would never presume that he was important to the world ms carlin said in a telephone interview
and yet she said this collection showed that it was obviously important to him to tell his story to himself
the donation of mr carlins archives to the national comedy center was announced officially on tuesday night during an event at the paley center for media in manhattan
for ms carlin this gift relieves her of what she said was the honor and the burden of holding onto these possessions which she estimated filled about eight to 10 steamer trunks
for the national comedy center the acquisition of mr carlins archives is a crucial shot of authority for this still developing institution which is scheduled to open late next year
it gives the whole thing a lot of credibility that it otherwise might not have said kliph nesteroff the author and stand up who will be the curator of the centers museum
without that kind of sanctioning it would just be another dead end project mr nesteroff added
just as the baseball hall of fame has helped make cooperstown ny a tourist haven the founders of the national comedy center are hoping their project will draw visitors to jamestown a onetime hub for furniture manufacturing about 400 miles northwest of new york city
the national comedy center a nonprofit organization that has received more than 35 million from new york state has sought to capitalize on jamestowns status as the birthplace of lucille ball the centers parent company already owns and operates the lucille ball desi arnaz museum in that city as well as its annual lucille ball comedy festival
ms carlin participated in last years festival including a performance of her one woman show based on her memoir a carlin home companion growing up with george and in a groundbreaking ceremony for the national comedy center
over the years she said she had been thinking about the ideal place for her fathers possessions
giving them to say the smithsonian institution would fill my ego up a little bit but then most probably all his stuff would end up in a crate she said
if you remember the end of raiders of the lost ark it would disappear into a warehouse she added
ms carlin said that she had been approached by others hoping to create organizations that would celebrate comedy and its history but these endeavors did not seem plausible to her
ive had a lot of lunches with a lot of people that have ideas for the comedy hall of fame and the comedy museum and the comedy this or the comedy that she said it has never gone past a lunch
mr nesteroff author of the comedians drunks thieves scoundrels and the history of american comedy said he was similarly skeptical when the national comedy center asked him to be a curator
i said it sounds stupid it just sounds corny and every person thats attempted to do it has failed he recalled in a telephone interview
but after a recent visit to jamestown to see the renovations to the former train station that will be home to the national comedy center and to hear the plans of its founders mr nesteroff said he was won over
its not a stodgy museum where things are on the wall and you read the description and you keep walking mr nesteroff said its much more interactive and involved everything they said about comedy rang true
along with other planned facilities including a club that will present virtual performances by dead stand ups of past eras ms carlin said the national comedy center will have a permanent exhibition of materials from her fathers archives
some of these things i love living with them but im really ready to move on and let my dad have his place outside of my house she said
with a laugh she added they need a home   besides my home


san francisco   eric e schmidt the executive chairman of googles parent company alphabet may have unique insight into the multibillion dollar lawsuit filed against his company by another silicon valley heavyweight oracle corporation
mr schmidt in an earlier job was in charge of the programming language that oracle claims google misused years later when it created software called android which is now the most popular operating system in the world
on tuesday mr schmidt was the first witness in the latest round of a lawsuit oracle first filed against google nearly six years ago
the outcome of the trial expected in early june after testimony by some of the most famous people in technology could have industrywide implications for software development
oracle initially sought 88 billion but is expected to raise that to 94 billion based on recent estimates of how much profit google has made from android which a lawyer for oracle put at 21 billion since a working version of android made its debut in 2008
about three billion android smartphones have been activated in that time
at issue in the federal district court for northern california is how freely someone might use java a popular software language that oracle acquired when it bought sun microsystems for 74 billion in 2009 much of java is open source meaning anyone may use it but some aspects require obtaining a license
some 11000 lines of java code inside android were taken without paying a copyright fee oracle argues
this involves fundamental principles of fairness and business conduct peter bicks a lawyer with orrick herrington  sutcliffe said in his opening statement for oracle they knew they needed a license
google counters that the software just 008 percent of all the software in android but critical for its operation was legitimately obtained and used in ways that free it from paying fees
our view was that android was a completely different approach to building a smartphone mr schmidt said
google originally tried to work with sun on android he said but those talks broke down because google would not be able to control the final product mr schmidt who formerly was in charge of java at sun said his expertise informed how google could use java
the trial including a possible penalty phase is expected to end by june 10 the payoff could be oracles biggest victory from buying sun some parts of sun like its computer hardware have lost oracle money
mr bicks noted that a version of android is used in amazons kindle reader raising the prospect that oracle will pursue payments from more companies that use android deborah hellinger a spokeswoman for oracle declined to comment on what oracle might do
even if it wins oracle is unlikely to see any money for a long time the expected appeals from whichever side loses would also slow any changes in corporate policies on open source copyrights and licensing
oracle first sued google in 2010 that case over patents and copyrights featured contentious testimony by lawrence j ellison oracles founder and then chief executive and larry page the founder and chief executive of google
it was decided largely in favor of google in 2012 but then in 2014 an appeals court found that certain parts of java were protected by copyright last year the supreme court declined to hear an appeal of that decision which sent the case back for this new trial
while the clock in judge william alsups court is stuck at 608 the latest phase of the long trial process showed signs of how much the world has changed since the first trial began this one is expected to end by june 10
mr ellison now oracles executive chairman may appear in this trial on video safra catz oracles co chief executive is expected to appear mr page may also testify along with andy rubin who developed android for google and now works in robotics and artificial intelligence
the parts of java that oracle wants to be paid for are the application programmer interfaces or apis which are the instruction sets that enable one computer to share the data and behavior of another they have become critically important as computing moves to smartphones apps and the cloud because these uses frequently involve using elements from several computers
google argued that apis are tools used by programmers and that its use of them constitutes fair use a legal standard that permits use of copyrighted material it also said its use of java transformed it from something used in computers to something used in smartphones which could also justify fair use


because tuesday was going to be a big day jahangir alam quit work an hour early and was home in queens by 4 am he slept fitfully estimating later that hed gotten an hour before his daughter mehrin stirred for school she is in sixth grade mehrin and the rest of the family   her brother tanveer and mr alam and his wife monira alam   live in a one bedroom apartment in woodside 1700 a month
tanveer 19 had a full day ahead at hunter college where he is studying computer science and completing his first year
the parents were going to flushing mr alam who finished fifth grade in bangladesh and has driven a yellow cab in new york for the past 20 years was graduating from an adult learning program with a high school equivalency certificate
mr alam 50 said that for decades he had felt the weight of its absence
somehow i couldnt get it done in my country he said my son is the one who got me here he went to bronx science for high school he encouraged me every day my wife too
so on tuesday to the benedictional strains of pomp and circumstance in an auditorium at a branch of the queens library mr alam marched in a line with about 50 other adults who had also earned the certificates in every conversation they praised their teachers
rowdy jubilation is common enough at the graduations of young people from high school and college it is a shadow of the full bodied joy that lights up people who have come to their education later in life even if it did not include beer pong tournaments
one woman from guyana had stopped attending school to raise her children another dropped out to help her parents immigrants from mexico afrania gonzalez 72 of rego park queens said she had grown up on a farm in rural colombia where she went to work in a candle factory when she was 11 in new york she worked as a cleaning lady and raised three children after four years of study she said she planned to help friends and relatives as a translator
for all of them finishing high school meant taking classes at learning centers in library branches or community colleges in between running their lives
mr alam said he was one of 12 children their mother died when he was very young at school in the district of narail he moved in lock step with a brother my father said we dont need two sets of books mr alam said around age 12 he found work in a department store i spoke english with the customers in the store he said
in 1995 he and ms alam moved to the united states he took classes at commercial schools in jackson heights but did not stick with them their son was on the way all this time i asked why did i quit he said my wife was encouraging me to go back
he has worked a 12 hour shift 5 pm to 5 am five or six days a week for 20 years he said honing his english as a devoted public radio listener my education was wnyc radio leonard lopate and bbc at night ms alam said brian lehrer during the day i get a lot of information from them i give a little donation
as his son was getting ready for college the endless nights the drunk and disorderly passengers were making mr alam weary he took civil service tests he also found adult learning classes at laguardia community college and at the long island city branch of the library the schedule was brutal all night driving the cab then school during the day his wife who had two years of college in bangladesh and his son were his cheerleaders
she still feeds my son every day by hand mr alam said he had a chance to go to university on long island stony brook we didnt send him there because we want to live together were not like you guys age 17 you separate she will feed him
in turn the son tanveer helped him i fell a little short on the math test mr alam said now im learning the basics of computer science
the moment would be celebrated by the four people in the little apartment in woodside and beyond
all my friends went to university mr alam said nobody understands how theyre educated and im not they will be proud too


it was a hedge fund portfolio pitched by hillary clintons son in law marc mezvinsky as an opportunity to bet on a greek economic revival
now two years later the greece focused fund is shutting down after losing nearly 90 percent of its value according to two investors with direct knowledge of the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity
investors were told last month that the fund would close the fund eaglevale hellenic opportunity had raised 25 million from investors to buy greek bank stocks and government debt
eaglevale partners a manhattan hedge fund firm founded by mr mezvinsky and two former goldman sachs colleagues raised money for the hellenic fund at a time when some on wall street had hopes for a revival in the greek economy for a time mr mezvinsky appeared at hedge fund conferences promoting the greece investment thesis
mr mezvinsky is married to chelsea clinton the daughter of former president bill clinton and mrs clinton the former secretary of state who is seeking the democratic nomination for president
betting on greece has proved to be tricky   some investors have made huge gains while others have had their fingers burned depending on the timing of their bets
and the last 17 months have been especially difficult for a number of hedge funds even ones run by some of the best known managers
this year the eaglevale flagship fund which manages about 330 million and specializes in making macroeconomic bets is down 1 percent so called macro hedge funds make trades based on global economic and political events last year fortress investment group and bain capital had to shutter hedge funds that had made bets on shifting macroeconomic trends
the average hedge fund was down 063 percent in the first quarter of this year according to the hfri fund weighted composite index
mr mezvinsky and his partners began raising money in 2011 from investors for the firms flagship fund since then that portfolio has posted uneven performance
a stanford university graduate mr mezvinsky worked at goldman for eight years before leaving to join a private equity firm he left that job to form eaglevale with two longtime goldman partners bennett grau and mark mallon the hedge fund firm is named after a bridge in central park
some of the firms earliest investors were goldman partners including lloyd c blankfein goldmans chief executive officer who let eaglevale use his name in marketing the flagship fund
it is not clear why eaglevale waited until this year to close the hellenic fund which already had lost about 40 percent of its value by early last year
last year was particularly tumultuous for greece the country neared the brink of economic collapse as the countrys leaders and its international creditors engaged in tense negotiations ultimately the greek government agreed to a number of economic reforms demanded by creditors in return for a new bailout
the economic situation in greece is still tenuous as the country continues to squabble with other eurozone nations and its creditors about how to reduce its debt burden investors on wall street continue to promote investment in greece nonetheless
during a recent sohn investment conference charity event at lincoln center in new york richard deitz of the hedge fund vr capital group told an audience of investors that he was betting on greek banks and government bonds
in letters to investors in 2014 mr mezvinsky and his partners expressed confidence that greece would soon be on the path to a sustainable recovery but by the end of that year eaglevales leaders began to acknowledge that their perspective on the situation in greece may have been wrong the fund had earlier stopped taking in new money
the one silver lining for the funds investors from all of this is that they will have a somewhat larger tax loss on investments to claim next year


to tourists puerto rico means pina coladas and sunbathing to puerto ricans it looks very different the unemployment rate is over 12 percent schools and hospitals are closing and the government debt is so huge it makes detroits look modest
puerto rico is now supposed to pay an unfathomable 2 billion to bondholders on july 1   which it cannot do   even as it accrues pension obligations to its workers and lets public works lapse a relief bill is expected to be introduced in congress on wednesday but even if it passes and works the island will not be able to pull out of its financial tailspin for years
but mainland residents should not look smugly at puerto rico across america dozens of cities counties and states may be heading down the same financial rabbit hole illinois new jersey philadelphia st louis and jacksonville fla to name just a few are all facing their own slowly unspooling financial disasters
the blame lies with what economists call deferred costs generous pension promises made decades ago without enough funding are now coming due as baby boomers retire bonds issued in the distant past to build bridges highways and other projects also must be paid   even as the projects themselves could by now use expensive makeovers
you cannot necessarily see deferred costs lurking in a shadowy realm known as off the balance sheet but deferring them doesnt make them go away they actually compound
new york city has 85 billion of retiree health obligations all by itself said richard ravitch the former lieutenant governor of new york state and an informal adviser to detroits financial control board he helped new york city resolve its financial crisis in 1975 today he worries about possible replays across america
weve promised more than we can pay without confiscatory levels of taxation mr ravitch said puerto rico is just arithmetically the most egregious example of borrowing to cover up deficits
in washington for example the peril of deferred costs hit home for riders of the metro last month when transit officials announced that the entire subway system was in need of urgent repairs and would be closed in pieces on a rolling basis possibly for months at a time in march the system was closed entirely for a day after a fire broke out similar to one that had caused the death of a passenger in 2015 federal safety regulators found that the authority   run by the district of columbia virginia maryland and the federal government   had put off fixing leaks and corroded equipment for years
similarly in michigan flints nightmare of contaminated water has its roots in a decrepit local water system that was built decades ago during boom times and is now too costly for the shrunken city to fix or replace
the streets and lighting system of east cleveland ohio are so far gone and repairs so out of reach that the dwindling city recently sought permission from the state to file for chapter 9 municipal bankruptcy   just in time as luck may have it for the republican national convention in cleveland next door
in puerto rico signs of desperation include a highest in the nation sales tax   raised to 115 percent last year up from 8 percent   and the mortgaging of the luis munoz marin international airport named for the father of modern puerto rico the tourism hub was recently hocked to a mexican investment firm to make sure planes could keep landing
we have over 30 dams in puerto rico and i think only one works said eduardo bhatia the islands senate president in an interview earlier this year were here in the rain forest and we have plenty of water its insane
yesteryears spending decisions are coming to haunt officials around the country illinois for instance has come to grief over a centurys worth of deferred pension obligations last year the state supreme court said it had found warnings from as long ago as 1917 that the pension system was veering toward insolvency
the warnings did little good and by 2003 the state was so hopelessly far behind on paying its pension costs that it opted for the same magic bullet puerto rico uses borrowing to pay bills from 2003 to 2011 illinois borrowed more than 17 billion to try to replenish its pension system it did not work today illinois has a bigger pension gap than ever officially 111 billion but probably much bigger in real world terms   plus the additional 17 billion of bond debt
another cautionary tale comes from jefferson county ala which in 2011 filed what was then the biggest municipal bankruptcy in american history the immediate cause deferring the cost of fixing an aging sewer system for more than 100 years to the tune of 31 billion in sewer bonds
kicking the can that far down the road was a community effort 20 cities and towns in jefferson county large and small had shoved responsibility for their decrepit sewer systems onto the county avoiding having to take heat from their residents for raising rates to pay for maintenance
finally a federal judge ordered the county to fix the system which had become a health hazard and the cost of borrowing enough to cover a centurys worth of deferred maintenance was what ultimately sank the county
in puerto rico where the islands 72 billion bond debt is out in the open even now there is a tendency to overlook its unfunded pension obligations stated at 46 billion
for years when its government was faced with bills it could not pay puerto rico issued new bonds to get the money   a little like a homeowner taking out a second mortgage to buy groceries the practice is widely known to be unsustainable
at this point conservative republicans see taxpayers being liable for a big bailout democrats say the proposed reforms will punish ordinary puerto ricans who did nothing wrong elected officials on the island see federal oversight as neocolonial rule creditors hear themselves called vultures and fear being hit with all the losses
and yet some of them have still offered to lend more money if only to tide puerto rico over through the july 1 payment due date
their proposed fixes are aimed at misinforming the public and dissuading congress from doing what is right for our 35 million american citizens gov alejandro garcia padilla said in a statement last month the commonwealth is insolvent and the situation requires responsible efforts to find a solution
fewer tourists fewer sales fewer workers fewer paychecks   all these mean less tax revenue for the islands government bigger deficits and a search for more things to tax that could discourage still more workers or tourists the spiral is feeding itself and while congress gropes for solutions the day to day problems keep getting worse


on monday people had a rare chance to watch mercury surf across the sun if you happened to catch the display through a telescope or via a live stream you saw a black dot inch across a large bright yellow or white orb but solar physicists at nasa witnessed a much more colorful display they watched the mercury transit in a rainbow of wavelengths as you can see above
using two imaging instruments aboard the solar dynamics observatory which orbits 22000 miles above earth nasa watched mercury voyage past plasma colored green gold and crimson in addition to orange yellow and white
the first two filters were taken with a tool that provides information about the suns movement and magnetic properties on its surface the other filters come from an instrument that provides insight into the different components of the suns atmosphere each color roughly corresponds to a different temperature at which solar material is burning ranging from thousands to millions of degrees fahrenheit


the pharmaceuticals merger mind set may be changing allergan the 87 billion maker of botox will devote capital to stock buybacks and paying down debt
separately bill ackmans hedge fund is selling a big part of his stake in zoetis the animal health company that he considered a takeover target with luck the two moves together signal a more subdued approach to deals
allergan spent the last few years on an acquisition spree powered by borrowing the decision to sell its generics business to teva pharmaceutical for 405 billion when drug stocks were peaking in july 2015 and a subsequent attempt to sell the rest of the business to pfizer in november indicated that brent saunders the chief of allergan had a keen sense of how the merger and acquisition winds were blowing
with the pfizer deal thwarted by treasury officials last month allergan is reimagining itself without acquisitions as a primary strategy there will be small deals and mr saunders isnt categorically ruling out larger ones even so he says there is no greater investment than allergan stock suggesting a less merger and acquisitions focused approach allergan plans to buy back up to 10 billion in shares shrink its debt load and fund research and development
mr ackmans reported 800 million sale of zoetis shares also suggests a cooler deal market after a bad run led by his soured bet on another once acquisitive pharmaceuticals company valeant his pershing square could be in need of extra liquidity or there may simply be better opportunities the investment in 2014 however was largely based on the idea that zoetis would be bought
after zoetis was spun off from pfizer mr ackmans fund installed a board director and called the company a scarce asset essentially hanging out a for sale sign shrinking his funds position implies that a sale may be less likely as buyers like valeant head for the sidelines
health care mergers and acquisitions have accelerated out of control a record volume of deals were announced last year even after stripping out the 160 billion union of pfizer and allergan tax benefits overshadowed strategic sense valuations and premiums soared regulators then got worried if the pace is indeed slowing as tuesdays news implies it could be an encouraging sign of a renewed commitment to developing drugs instead of just overpaying for them


washington   the qaeda bomb making instructor carefully demonstrated for his student how to mix the chemicals to make a volatile powder then supervised a test explosion and added a sinister final tip tape bolts around the homemade bomb to produce lethal shrapnel
the explosive experts identity revealed by a qaeda operative facing sentencing next week came as a surprise he was anwar al awlaki the american imam who had joined al qaeda in yemen and become the terrorist networks leading english language propagandist
mr awlaki had long been known for public oratory on behalf of al qaeda before he was killed in a drone strike in 2011 on president obamas orders making him the first american citizen killed without criminal charges or trial in the campaign against terrorism
but new court filings in new york offer the most detailed account yet of a hidden side of mr awlakis work inside al qaedas branch in yemen   as a hands on trainer who taught recruits how to make bombs gave them money for missions and offered suggestions about how to carry out suicide attacks
the papers part of a sentencing memorandum submitted by the government were filed tuesday in federal district court in manhattan in the case of mr awlakis former bomb making student minh quang pham a vietnamese british convert to islam he has pleaded guilty to three terrorism related counts and is to be sentenced monday
in their papers federal prosecutors suggested that 50 years would be an appropriate sentence for mr pham who is in his early 30s and traveled secretly to yemen in 2010 where he swore allegiance to al qaedas affiliate there and worked on the groups online propaganda publication inspire
the court papers make it clear that mr pham admired mr awlaki he visibly teared up when discussing mr awlaki and he repeatedly referred to mr awlaki with the honorific title sheikh prosecutors wrote
the papers include detailed summaries of interviews of mr pham by the fbi after the british authorities sent him to the united states to face prosecution in one interview mr pham recalled the day that mr awlaki visited a safe house in yemen where mr pham was staying mr pham said meeting mr awlaki gave him an amazing feeling an fbi memo says
a separate court filing by mr phams lawyer bobbi c sternheim includes a 15 page handwritten letter from mr pham to the judge alison j nathan in the letter mr pham said mr awlaki was the highest ranking member of al qaeda in yemen that he met there during his stay
he also wrote that he had made the right choice by leaving the group in july 2011 noting that mr awlaki and a younger american qaeda member samir khan were both killed in the drone strike that september
had i stayed mr pham added i would have most likely been killed alongside mr awlaki and mr khan in the letter mr pham claimed that he wanted to renounce all acts of terrorism
since mr awlakis death some critics have suggested that the cleric should not have been killed because he was more ideologue than operative in a 2013 speech mr obama countered that mr awlaki had gone operational pointing to his role in directing the so called underwear bomber
but before the governments disclosure of mr phams statements which were first cited briefly in court before he pleaded guilty in january there was little evidence that mr awlaki had developed the expertise to take a direct role in building bombs or teaching others to do so
a prolific lecturer and preacher who mixed fluent arabic and english first as a popular american imam and later as an online recruiter for al qaeda mr awlaki was viewed by some counterterrorism officials as even more dangerous than osama bin laden before both men were killed in 2011
his huge online presence outlived him and his influence has turned up in dozens of terrorism cases after his death including the boston marathon bombing the charlie hebdo shootings in paris and the killing of 14 people in san bernardino calif in december
mr pham told fbi agents in interviews last year that mr awlaki himself conducted the bomb training in yemens marib province
during the training aulaqi showed pham how to mix chemicals to make an explosive powder an fbi agent wrote using an alternative spelling for the clerics name they set off a small test using a tin can and the explosion generated enough force to launch the tin can away from pham and into the air
mr pham described mr awlaki as the only qaeda member he had met who was qualified and capable of planning jihadist operations against the west because aulaqi had lived in america one fbi summary says
mr awlaki directed mr pham to use great caution while in yemen in his communications with outsiders mr pham drafted emails and saved them on a usb thumb drive which he then gave to other qaeda members who were tasked with sending the messages on phams behalf prosecutors said in their memo
later when mr pham prepared to leave yemen mr awlaki gave him 6000 british pounds about 10000 at the time which he directed him to use to attack heathrow airport near london mr pham told investigators that mr awlaki had told him to target crowds in the arrivals area for flights from the united states or israel mr pham told agents he had changed his views and never tried to carry out the attack
mr awlaki also gave mr pham a new clean laptop to take with him to britain so that pham would not have any issues if authorities searched his computer the government wrote
mr pham also gives the fullest description to date of mr awlakis oversight of inspire a collection of jihadist ideology and practical instructions for carrying out terrorist attacks mr khan the younger american member would compile the articles and photographs for each issue and mr awlaki would review and approve them then the contents would be loaded onto a usb drive and given to a courier to be taken to a safe place for uploading to the internet


it was the buzz at the door brian andrew whiteley had been dreading for months
on monday afternoon a pair of police officers in plain clothes and a secret service agent appeared at his brooklyn apartment mr whiteley an artist was nervous but not exactly surprised
on march 27 easter sunday he had secretly dropped off his latest project in central park a gravestone bearing the name of donald j trump the epitaph read made america hate again the stone was quickly removed by the parks department and confiscated by the police
since then mystery remained about the identity of the person responsible although mr whiteley 33 had previously spoken to reporters anonymously for fear of arrest but after that monday visit his name surfaced in the new york times his cover blown he came forward
it was superintimidating he said in a telephone interview on monday evening after his nearly hourlong interrogation but the project was 100 percent worth it
mr whiteley is no stranger to discomfiting and absurd work he has masqueraded as bigfoot staged a piece involving a naked man on a crucifix surrounded by balloons and marched through green wood cemetery dressed as a clown but this experience may have changed him
ive been literally terrified for about a month he said its been like nightmare land it really has to pull this off the arrival of the authorities was in some way a relief i dont plan on stopping my guerrilla style projects he said but i do know my limits
asked about the incident a secret service spokesman said late tuesday the secret service is aware of this matter and is conducting the appropriate follow up investigation mr whiteley was not charged with a crime the trump campaign has also not commented
in a telephone conversation shortly after the gravestones discovery mr whiteley said he was not calling for the death of donald he continued im making an artistic statement suggesting that mr trump should rethink his legacy
this especially polarizing election cycle has needled activists and artists alike hillary clinton bernie sanders and ted cruz have all been turned into street art but mr trump the presumptive republican nominee has provoked an exceptionally vigorous creative response with sometimes profane imagery popping up around the world
i would call them somewhat stunts rather than artwork said tom eccles a curator with a background in public art its an opportunistic moment
still mr eccles executive director of the center for curatorial studies at bard college described the reaction by authorities to mr whiteleys project which he called a little silly as overblown
if the artist was investigated in a way to send a message to others that would be chilling he said
he added that at a time when much public art in new york is essentially corporate in some form it was refreshing to see an unfiltered take even if im not particularly engaged by the artwork i applaud the effort of the artists he said
some artists are following mr trump on the road last fall david gleeson and mary mihelic who work as the trutt collective bought mr trumps old campaign bus and have been driving it around the country stopping at rallies they replaced his slogan make america great again with make fruit punch great again on their vehicle and have encouraged people to pelt it with juice in the hopes that it would help process the emotion that was clearly getting ready to be stirred up in this campaign mr gleeson said
both trump fans and opponents have been angered   they dont understand why this bus is art ms mihelic said   but the artists have also had positive conversations were very hopeful that art in this kind of absurd environment is useful mr gleeson said
creating the gravestone was not the first time mr whiteley had taken on mr trump in his work in february he even dressed up as mr trump and in the whitebox gallery staged a routine with another artist rebecca goyette dressed as sarah palin   a performance that his interrogators this week were aware of he said
they also asked him about what books he was reading whether he owned a gun and whether he attended presidential rallies luckily i think i passed all the marks that they needed to see mr whiteley said i did not fit the profile of an assassin
christopher stout who shows mr whiteleys pieces in his gallery in bushwick brooklyn said he was absolutely unsurprised when mr whiteley described the gravestone idea to him last year the project was financed by an independent collector
it thoroughly fits the canon of his work mr stout said nonetheless mr stout advised mr whiteley a founder of the satellite art fair an alternative to art basel in miami beach to consult a lawyer the artist has since engaged the civil rights lawyer ronald l kuby
mr whiteley said that in using a gravestone he wanted to send an unmissable message to mr trump i thought the only thing that could affect someone who builds buildings and talks real loud and is the bully on the playground is to remind him of his own mortality he said
after the police seized the gravestone mr whiteley said he contacted the fabricators a family owned memorial company in brooklyn to see if it would make a second edition the company declined now he hopes to get the original back and exhibit it in new york or washington
at the moment he said it is not for sale


the new museum   one of the smallest and in many ways still the scrappiest sibling in the bursting family of contemporary art museums in new york city   will expand into the building it owns next door to its bowery home doubling its space as it prepares for its 40th birthday next year
the museum announced on tuesday that it had raised 43 million toward an 80 million capital campaign designed to pay not only for the expansion but also for tripling the size of its endowment the money would also fund more experimental programs like the business incubator and the urban policy think tank that the museum runs
at a time when the whitney museum of american art has opened a sleek new building and the museum of modern art is also expanding having just announced a 100 million gift from a single donor david geffen the new museums initiative might seem almost modest but for an institution that began in 1977 in a single room and now has an annual operating budget of only 13 million momas budget is 147 million a year the campaign is a turning point the largest fund raising effort in its history
the collector and philanthropist toby devan lewis one of the museums longtime supporters provided a gift to begin the effort the biggest single donation in the institutions history though the museum is not disclosing the amount at ms lewiss request lisa phillips its director said that while a physical expansion was sorely needed   given the increase in annual attendance from 60000 to more than 400000 since its move from soho in 2007   the money was important primarily to give the museum the ability to try new programs and ideas
weve known for a long time that we wanted an expansion but weve been thinking about what an expansion means for a museum like this said ms phillips who has overseen the institution for 17 years we own the building next door and it just makes sense to use it but it was also about thinking about ways to create a parallel structure there to make something thats different and a counterpoint to this building
in the short term the museum plans to renovate its neighbor at 231 bowery   which once housed a restaurant supply company but before that was raw studio space for seminal new york artists like james rosenquist and tom wesselmann   and to break through to connect to its current building at 235 bowery designed by the japanese firm sanaa joining those buildings would increase the museums footprint for exhibition space storage and offices to a little more than 100000 square feet from 58000 square feet now
our building is just too small for what were doing james keith brown president of the museums board said asked if eventual plans to demolish the next door building and erect something more ambitious in its place were on the table mr brown said i wouldnt say that yet its not not on the table but its not something that were pursuing right now
the museum is unusual among new york contemporary institutions in that it does not have a permanent collection beyond a small number of works that it has kept a decision that its founder marcia tucker believed would keep it creatively and philosophically nimble especially since its move to the bowery the museum has focused on artists and works not widely seen in new york such as contemporary art from the middle east from former soviet republics and from self taught artists it has also emphasized art by women the six exhibitions now on view are all by female artists
the building at 231 bowery currently houses a business incubator new inc founded by the museum in 2014 the first such entrepreneur meets artist venture by a visual art institution that project was created partly as a way to explore the growing connections between technology and contemporary art the museum also needs more room to house support staff for ideas city a program begun in 2011 that brings together urban planners artists political leaders and others to think creatively about the future of cities this year the program is focusing on detroit and athens
ms phillips said that the museum needed to improve the circulation in its building which can feel at times like navigating a stack of cubes with traffic jams at elevators and stairs there is also a need for more space so exhibitions can be kept in place during turnaround periods allowing the museum to remain open as one big show leaves and another is installed its hard for an audience   and we have a loyal local and international audience   that expects to come to us and cant because were down for a while ms phillips said
massimiliano gioni the museums artistic director said i think on one hand were in an interesting position because clearly weve demonstrated that size doesnt really matter the specificity of our limits has really almost defined who we are were not going out there and saying that we want to be like all the others
ms phillips said that it would take at least a year for the museum to plot specifically how it would use the expansion i dont have it completely laid out she said but its about trying to do things that museums havent done yet or maybe even imagined


baltimore   a police officer involved in the arrest of freddie gray a 25 year old black man who died of a spinal injury sustained while in police custody last year will have his case decided by a judge taking the emotionally charged trial out of jurors hands
during a pretrial hearing here on tuesday the judge barry g williams agreed to officer edward m neros request making it very likely that the city will have its first verdict in a case related to mr grays death the trial last year of william g porter another officer charged in the case ended in a hung jury
im certainly not going to be swayed by emotions judge williams said
officer nero is one of six officers charged in connection with the arrest and death of mr gray whose spinal cord was functionally severed while he was in police custody a little more than a year ago which set off violent protests and became a central part of the national debate over the polices use of force against minorities the trial which is set to begin thursday is expected to last about a week
last may marilyn j mosby the states attorney for baltimore announced charges against the officers on the steps of baltimores war memorial prompting cheers from demonstrators who wanted the police to be held accountable but the prosecution of the officers has turned out to be deeply complex and has been stalled by delays arising from complications related to officer porters mistrial
officer nero 30 was one of the police officers who initially detained and arrested mr gray in sandtown winchester in west baltimore officer nero faces one count of second degree assault two counts of misconduct while in office and one count of reckless endangerment he is not charged with the death of mr gray
prosecutors are expected to deploy an unusual legal theory that the officers did not have probable cause to arrest mr gray and that the physical contact they made while doing so amounted to an assault
the defense to these charges will likely be based on the legality of office neros actions specifically whether or not he violated freddie grays fourth amendment rights said warren s alperstein a baltimore defense lawyer who has represented police officers a judge is more able to apply these very highly and technical and complex fourth amendment principles than a jury of laypeople would be able to
but letting the judge decide the verdict could lead residents who have been watching the sputtering legal proceedings against the officers with some cynicism to think that their voice has been excluded
all this is doing right now is to separate the community from this said the rev westley west 28 a frequent demonstrator after mr grays death the reason why freddie gray is dead again is because there is no community involvement in any system that we have
david jaros a law professor at the university of baltimore said defendants in maryland had the right to request that a judge not a jury decide their guilt or innocence even in cases of extraordinary public interest
that right trumps the public interest in being the fact finder professor jaros said
judge williams also ruled tuesday that lawyers will not be able to discuss whether a knife that officers found on mr gray during his arrest was legal while they will be able to refer to mr grays general injuries prosecutors will not be allowed to present them in extensive detail
the judge also ruled that video footage showing mr gray being dragged and screaming during his arrest can be admitted as evidence but the audio which includes mr grays wails will not


the english pianist imogen cooper is a valued performer of wide experience but on sunday afternoon she seemed to have difficulty adjusting to the small concert space of the frick collection and the steinway piano that occupied it
she began with robert schumanns lovely geistervariationen or ghost variations whose opening theme is marked to be played softly and intimately leise innig it was not so much that ms cooper played loudly here as that she played bluntly everything it seemed   melody harmony   was foreground and the texture grew muddled
some of this clatter continued into the early variations as well though by the time she had completed all five ms cooper appeared to have settled into a nice groove the theme on its return to round out the work was everything it should have been at the start quiet inward shapely atmospheric
ms cooper continued in like fashion with the two books of schumanns davidsbundlertanze dances for the league of david named for the composers imagined society of artists at war against philistinism the work contains 18 brief items with tempo and character shifting rapidly from one number to the next and even within a single piece
now squarely in her comfort zone ms cooper traced the many moods vividly as with the ghost variations she was most touching near the end in the wie aus die ferne as if from a distance which indeed seemed to emanate from some remote universe
after intermission came schuberts sonata in b flat d 960 a broadly paced tightly structured work still it has within it many fleeting gestures similar to schumanns notably those seemingly heaven sent incursions of lyricism in the andante sostenuto
after the wonderful first two movements the third and fourth can in the wrong hands sound empty and rattling by comparison ms cooper sustained attention admirably adding rhythmic interest with subtle touches of rubato well not so subtle in the scherzo many performances of this sonata prove memorable for the beauty of individual moments this one stood out in making the work a satisfying whole
for her encore to this narrowly focused program ms cooper returned to schumann the romance in f sharp op 28 no 2 in a melting performance


the recent rash of drug violations in baseball continued tuesday but with a twist
raul a mondesi an infielder who is on the kansas city royals 40 man roster at class aa northwest arkansas received a 50 game suspension after testing positive for clenbuterol a performance enhancing drug
the suspension however was reduced from the 80 games that are mandated for first time offenses by an arbitration panel mondesi supplied evidence that it came from an over the counter cold medicine in the dominican republic the panel also ruled that mondesi can be eligible for postseason play
last year mondesi the son of the former outfielder raul mondesi became the first player to make his major league debut in the world series he struck out as a pinch hitter in game 3 against the mets it was his only appearance
mondesi is the fifth player suspended for performance enhancing drugs this season he joins miamis dee gordon torontos chris colabello los angeles dodgers pitcher josh ravin and philadelphia pitcher daniel stumpf gordon tested positive for exogenous testosterone and clostebol colabello and stump for dehydrochlormethyltestosterone and ravin for growth hormone releasing peptide 2
mondesi said in a statement that he took the medication subrox c to treat cold and flu symptoms failing to read the label or consult with the team trainer he did not know it contained a banned substance mondesi said in the statement i tested positive for that banned substances with a minuscule amount of clenbuterol in my system which could not have possibly enhanced my performance on the field
royals manager ned yost said the case underlined the importance of players checking with team trainers before they take any sort of medicine or supplement even energy drinks
its not that they ignore it yost said i think subconsciously you go into a store and buy something for a cold how much damage can that do well you find out it can do a lot of damage it can cost you 50 games
clenbuteral which can be used as a decongestant and aids asthma victims also increases aerobic capacity it gained notoriety as one of the substances distributed to dozens of players by the former mets clubhouse assistant kirk radomski
according to the mlb joint drug prevention and treatment program the arbitration panel can reduce a suspension for first time offenders to 40 games if the player proves by clear and convincing evidence that he bears no significant fault or negligence for the positive test if the panel reduces a suspension the player remains eligible for postseason play


willow ny   the narrow study where carla bley does her composing upstairs in her rustic modern house here was the picture of tidy efficiency one recent afternoon handwritten sheet music covered a writing stand and the rack of an upright piano a blank legal pad sat on a desk bookshelves held scores in labeled folders healing power liver of life ups and downs
this orderly state was aberrant according to ms bley i cleaned up my music room yesterday for the first time in 30 years she said i mean it took me a week there were piles here piles there great messes remnants of organization that never got finished and thats the way it has been because im not interested in organizing i want to write the next piece
a composer arranger known for the temerity formal ingenuity and impish humor of her music   the basis for her recognition as a national endowment for the arts jazz master last year   ms bley has settled warily into her current state of eminence she has written standards like ida lupino and had an influence thats incalculable partly for being so pervasive and diffuse like fluoride in the water supply
she turns 80 on wednesday having survived many of her former collaborators with no sign of creative fatigue
the office cleanup may have seemed a sign of renewal but it was motivated by tedium ms bley said reclining on a couch while her partner of more than 25 years the bassist steve swallow brewed coffee they were back from their yearly retreat in the british virgin islands where ms bley broke her left wrist toppling off a ladder while reaching for fruit in a guavaberry tree the injury which has required resetting and a titanium plate prevented her from playing the piano for weeks
ms bley is a born contrarian quick with an absurdist or self deflating remark since the early 1960s she has been one of the few women of her stature in jazz but shes not the type to rally for the cause i wanted to be the only woman she said i was glad i stood out in some way
her coolly ravishing new album andando el tiempo in the course of time just out from ecm features a handful of inventions for her longtime trio with mr swallow and the saxophonist andy sheppard chamberlike and willowy suffused with melancholy it reflects her sly noncompliance with jazz and classical conventions which has been a prevalent theme of her half century career
the wayward product of a strict religious upbringing in oakland calif   her father emil borg a church organist taught her to play piano   ms bley discovered jazz in adolescence and never recovered moving to new york as a teenager she became a cigarette girl at birdland i just wanted everything to be bad and wrong and different and just as forbidden as possible she said one night in the club she met paul bley who would become her first husband
mr bley a pioneer of free improvisation on the piano encouraged her to compose tunes for him her first attempt o plus one appeared on one of his albums in the late 50s she found challenge and purpose in the work though not much validation i was going to a psychiatrist at that point who suggested electroshock therapy to get rid of this feeling that i was a composer
she didnt follow that advice but considered working as a seamstress until the composer and theorist george russell asked to record one of her tunes on an album she soon had other pieces recorded by the vibraphonist gary burton and by the jimmy giuffre 3 a highly esteemed if resolutely noncommercial trio led by mr giuffre a clarinetist with mr swallow and mr bley
the aura of avant garde jazz has clung to ms bley over the years somewhat to her bemusement by her reckoning she traveled in that orbit briefly in the late 60s when she was running the jazz composers orchestra with the trumpeter michael mantler her second husband
the standout album by that cohort was her early epic escalator over the hill a jazz rock opera with text by the poet paul haines its long list of contributors included the trumpeter don cherry the saxophonist gato barbieri and the bassist jack bruce of cream ms bley later joined mr bruces band which had mick taylor formerly of the rolling stones on guitar
with the bassist charlie haden ms bley also helped lead the liberation music orchestra a large ensemble that pursued experimentalism in the spirit of protest her own albums which began appearing in the early 70s on watt the label she founded with mr mantler have ranged in scale big band sextet tentet trio she made several duo albums with mr swallow who characterizes her compositions as especially useful to improvisers as a matter of express design
its difficult to play the standard bebop repertoire without playing standard bebop he said but when you play carlas music youre more likely to search within yourself for a method to realize these pieces and i think that has to do with whats left out of them
andando el tiempo is a case in point the title track a three part suite meant to evoke the cycle of addiction and recovery begins with a tragic tangolike section called sin fin endless the piece is based on a seven bar harmonic sequence that ms bley plays as if expecting resolution at the eighth bar befitting the sections title its a song that seems capable of spiraling onward forever instead it leads into the second movement potacion de guaya drink of grief which somehow sounds even statelier and sadder
though the trio is now her primary outlet ms bley hasnt forsaken large formats this month shell travel to hamburg germany to present la lecon francaise the french lesson her sweeping oratorio for big band and boys choir that she describes as the sequel to escalator over the hill
she has a forthcoming album with the liberation music orchestra which has soldiered on since mr hadens death in 2014 due out on impulse on oct 14 this album time life contains two of his last performances with the band it also features several compositions by ms bley notably the dignified yet unsettled title track an elegy for mr haden
the piece joins a substantial catalog of crooked anthems in ms bleys repertory but it also suggests some new approaches im trying to stretch my harmonic palette to a few notes that dont belong she said in the piece i wrote for charlie haden theres one note thats really wrong thats the wrongest note i ever wrote and i made it right


a significant movie restoration not only can return a films patina of newness but its place in film history as well that may be the case when the musical revue king of jazz 1930 brought back to something of its original splendor emerges from the vaults in the soft shimmering red and green tones of early technicolor
the refurbished king of jazz which was elevated to the library of congresss national film registry in 2013 will have its world premiere on friday at the museum of modern art the opening attraction in the series universal pictures restorations and rediscoveries 1928 1937
an old fashioned prestige picture king of jazz required a newfangled prestige restoration that was thought by some close to the project to be among the most expensive ever
material from a partly complete original negative was digitally matched with material culled from three other prints we dont comment on specific costs peter schade who leads universals preservation team said while allowing that compared with other restorations the one for king of jazz was definitely on the higher side
looking like a million as might have been said in 1930 king of jazz celebrates the truism that hollywood and tin pan alley were americas gifts to 20th century world culture even as the film revels in the unexamined prejudices and show business segregation of the day
the movie   which takes its title from the sobriquet attached to its star the portly bandleader paul whiteman   is an entertainment spectacular that among other things features the first technicolor animation a novelty act in which the stars and stripes forever is played on a bicycle pump and the whiteman orchestra performs perhaps the most famous of symphonic jazz compositions gershwins rhapsody in blue because blue was not an option in two color technicolor the performance is shot in shades of silvery teal
the first reviews were generally positive the new york times critic mordaunt hall praised the director john murray anderson a broadway producer and first time filmmaker calling king of jazz a marvel of camera wizardry joyous color schemes charming costumes and seductive lighting effects but released six months after the stock market crash with a glut of musical revues king of jazz which cost around 2 million and was likely universals most expensive production to date did poorly at the box office it was recut for rerelease and fell into obscurity
financial fiasco or not king of jazz is a remarkable artifact whiteman was one of the nations most popular entertainers responsible for furthering the careers of many white jazz musicians including bing crosby who appears in the movie as part of the rhythm boys trio he was also a celebrity according to the jazz critic gary giddins comparable to babe ruth or mickey mouse
mr giddins calls the film a rosetta stone of early american pop emphasizing that the musicians were all top professionals and pointing out that mr andersons elaborate stagings anticipate the production numbers associated with busby berkeley nevertheless berkeley had greater film savvy and was more inclined to move the camera than rotate the set
king of jazz also preserves the attitudes of 1930 many of the movies comedy skits are anxious projections of female sexual independence no less pathological is the guilty coyness with which king of jazz simultaneously acknowledges and effaces jazzs african american origins
barely has the movie begun before a cartoon whiteman travels to africa charms a lion into shouting mammy and is consequently crowned king later the films only individuated black performer a girl around 5 appears perched on whitemans capacious lap the joke is a creepy one
whiteman introduces rhapsody in blue by proclaiming that jazz was born from the african jungle to the beating of voodoo drums but the movies grand finale the melting pot of music is a lengthy series of acts that attribute the art form to an amalgam of british italian scotch irish austrian spanish russian and french sources
this eurocentric origin story is sung and danced on a set that with its doric columns and smoking caldron suggests a cross between albert speers design for the nazi party nuremberg rally and maria montezs altar in the later universal movie cobra woman it also contradicts an earlier number in which the rhythm boys sing so the bluebirds and the blackbirds got together which can be interpreted as a confused plea for integration
king of jazz is not the only restored musical in the moma series broadway 1929 by paul fejos is included   complete with technicolor final reel both films along with universals 1930 adaptation of all quiet on the western front were part of the ambitious slate of universal movies initiated by carl laemmle jr
the son of the studios co founder carl laemmle junior laemmle as he was called is a largely forgotten figure who facilitated some of hollywoods most audacious films taking charge of universal production on his 21st birthday in 1928 he was often compared to another so called boy genius irving thalberg who had worked at universal before joining mgm
the moma curator dave kehr who organized the series considers junior laemmle the anti thalberg mr kehr points out that where thalberg made his reputation reining in the imperious and profligate erich von stroheim laemmle began his career by hiring fejos another art minded free spending european
while the middlebrow thalberg looked to the broadway stage for inspiration laemmle was drawn to more sensational fare producing dracula and frankenstein as well as the adultery melodramas directed by john m stahl laemmle also sought out literary europeans like stefan zweig for material and allowed an offbeat director like james whale to flourish
many of these pictures made money but laemmle also overspent and it was another lavish ambitious musical universals 1936 version of show boat directed by mr whale that proved his waterloo show boat included in the series ran over budget burdening universal with additional debt the elder laemmle lost control of the studio and junior was fired
not yet 30 his career was essentially over although he lived out his remaining 43 years in hollywood he never made another movie momas series it would seem is not only about the king of jazz restoration but junior laemmles rehabilitation


paris   amid boos and catcalls frances socialist government forced an overhaul of the countrys rigid labor laws through the national assembly on tuesday hoping to bring down chronically high unemployment before elections next year
the decision to bypass a vote and ram the measure through with a rarely used executive power followed weeks of street protests against the legislation and unyielding opposition from some socialist lawmakers president francois hollandes government says making frances labor laws more flexible will encourage employers to hire more people but critics of the measure including labor and student unions are fiercely opposed to what they say is a weakening of worker safeguards
the governments support of the bill has sparked demonstrations some of them violent a grass roots political movement that has camped for weeks in a major paris square and angry cries of betrayal from inside the socialist party the decision to push the bill through the national assembly without a vote left mr hollande and his government facing the risk of intensified backlash a year before the presidential election
late on tuesday hundreds of supporters of the grass roots movement called nuit debout   night standing up   gathered in front of the parliament building to protest on thursday the government will face a motion of censure in the national assembly introduced by the opposition parties of the right and aimed at toppling the government if the motion fails the government stands and the bill goes on to the senate if it succeeds the bill is rejected and the government falls that outcome however is unlikely because many socialist lawmakers who oppose the bill will stop short of toppling their own government
the unemployment rate has been hovering above 10 percent for years and the drastic parliamentary maneuver employed by the government on tuesday was evidence of the difficulties in changing economic policies that continue to have broad backing on the left despite making it costly and difficult for employers to lay off workers and risky to take on new ones
it was the second time in just over a year the socialist government was obliged to ram an economic overhaul measure through parliament without a vote
it came after months of concessions and compromises by mr hollande who for years has been trying to maneuver between centrists in his party who advocate more business friendly policies and the traditional constituencies of the left who oppose them a key early provision limiting payouts by labor tribunals to fired workers has been dropped after days of student demonstrations in frances streets the government promised to spend hundreds of millions of euros on young people employers groups say the bill has been so watered down that they no longer support it
although much of the opposition to the legislation is coming from students it was intended to help open up the labor market to young people among whom unemployment is as high as 25 percent years after germany britain and now even italy have instituted labor market overhauls france has difficulty even addressing the question economists here say
mr hollandes inability to gain consensus on the labor measure after months of trying has helped to weaken him politically and most polls and commentators question whether he can even make it through a first round of voting in next years presidential elections and mr hollandes weakness in turn could open the way for frances far right national front party to advance to the final round of voting a year from now commentators suggest in that case marine le pen the national front leader could face off in the final round against a candidate from frances mainstream right
despite the government backtracking even the watered down version of the labor measure continues to provoke outrage
on tuesday prime minister manuel valls was shouted at as he tried to justify the governments use of force on the floor of parliaments lower house whats important is to find a way to reform mr valls said amid boos this country needs to move forward
later in the session mr valls told the members of parliament i am doing this we are doing this because we are convinced that this reform paves the way for lasting employment and brings into the labor market those who are excluded and so that most notably our smaller firms are able to hire
but a representative from the communist party andre chassaigne denounced mr valls and the governments use of force this is a sign of the governments impotence its turning in on itself mr chassaigne shouted in the ornate marbled parliament chamber who could have imagined that a leftist government would seek to crush our social model
outside the chamber throngs of reporters pounced on the members of parliament as they emerged from the heated session the government is taking us on a strange trip said laurent baumel a socialist who is part of a group that opposes mr hollande called the frondeurs or rebels this calls into question the values to which i am attached
the aspect of the law that now most infuriates the labor unions allows individual companies to negotiate agreements over such issues as hours worked paid holidays and bonuses that are less favorable to workers than those negotiated at the occupational sector level the unions fear this could lead to a degradation of worker rights
the law also specifies conditions for economic layoffs according to the size of the company concerned   a company of 50 to 300 employees could justify layoffs if it had poor results over three consecutive trimesters unions see this as opening the door to arbitrary layoffs
mr valls justifying the government actions sees it differently the law gives flexibility to our companies he said it allows for the decentralization of union management discussion by placing confidence in the players close to the ground and it is a real revolution that we are undertaking


a revival in seller financed home sales aimed at people who cannot qualify for a mortgage has started to attract scrutiny from the nations top consumer watchdog
the consumer financial protection bureau recently assigned two enforcement lawyers to investigate the prevalence of seller financed home transactions and determine whether the terms of some deals may violate federal truth in lending laws said two people with direct knowledge of the matter but who were not authorized to speak publicly at the request of federal officials
the regulators interest in seller financing was prompted by discussions between members of the commission staff and one of its advisory boards the people said the advisory board began raising questions about seller financed home transactions in the wake of reports on the subject including a front page article in the new york times on abuses in a marketplace that targets lower income buyers
such contracts proliferated in recent years as banks retrenched from lending to low income families and private investment firms like hedge funds stepped in to fill the void
sam gilford a consumer bureau spokesman confirmed that staff members had conversations with members of the consumer advisory board about seller financing specifically a type of arrangement called a contract for deed or a land contract
we want all consumers to be treated fairly and we monitor the marketplace to stay apprised of emerging developments in consumer finance mr gilford said in an emailed statement as part of that work staff from our research markets and regulations division have had conversations with members of our consumer advisory board about land contracts he declined to comment on whether the agency had assigned two enforcement lawyers
a contract for deed is a long term high interest installment financing deal
actual ownership or title to a home passes to the buyer from the seller only after the last payment is made the contracts which can run for as long as 40 years have become widespread in the midwest and the south where there are a large number of homes that sell for less than 100000
in the wake of the financial crisis contracts for deed and other seller financing arrangements have had a resurgence the foreclosure crisis created a bountiful supply of cheap often dilapidated homes for investors to buy and left millions of people with damaged credit histories thousands of the homes that are now being sold to borrowers under contracts for deeds were ones that had been foreclosed on by fannie mae one of two mortgage finance firms bailed out by the federal government
the consumer financial protection bureau may or may not look to bring any enforcement actions over contracts for deeds and it is only in the early stages of researching the financing model
the regulator now nearly five years old has been seeking to flex its muscles of late last week the consumer financial protection bureau announced a new rule that would prohibit many financial companies from requiring customers to resolve disputes through mandatory arbitration the agency is also said to be preparing a new set of regulations for payday loans   high interest short term loans aimed at the same people as those who often enter contracts for deeds
contracts for deeds and other seller financing transactions have been around for decades often used by family members or friends to sell properties to one another but the arrangements have had a history of being predatory and the terms have often benefited the seller at the expense of the buyer
legal aid lawyers in 13 states say that the contracts are being aimed at black and hispanic homebuyers according to a national survey undertaken by the national consumer law center the center has begun to survey housing lawyers in states where these contracts are most commonly used in part to help determine the effect of new institutional players in the market
statistics on the number of homes sold through contracts for deeds are hard to come by because not every state requires contracts to be recorded with the county it is also not uncommon for borrowers to walk away from homes without contesting a sellers eviction proceeding in court
often issues with homes that are sold through contracts for deeds emerge only once local municipalities bring cases against the sellers even then the sellers sometimes do not show up to court and the code violations on their homes pile up
heather k way a professor of law at the university of texas said this segment of the homeownership market cries out for greater federal oversight its a toxic mix out there of sellers looking to make a quick and easy buck on the shoulders of vulnerable unsophisticated buyers she added unlike bank financed sales with seller financing there is typically no outside third party involved in the sale
homes sold through a contract for deed often are put on the market as is meaning buyers must spend a significant portion of their disposable incomes on repairs and renovations when they do not   or cannot   problems result
municipal officials across the united states have complained that out of state investors selling properties with a contract for deed often tend to do little maintenance on properties and fall behind on paying property taxes or water bills
they do not take care of the code violations with these properties which is why they are trying to pass them off to other people said jill steele city attorney for battle creek mich
ms steele said battle creek has had a number of code violation issues with harbour portfolio advisors a firm out of dallas that is one of the larger national players in the contract for deed business
harbour portfolio bought more than 6700 single family homes following the financial crisis of 2008 most of them from fannie mae through bulk sales in recent months harbour has sold more than 600 homes with existing contracts for deeds in place to other investment firms and individual investors
the consumer financial protection bureau is trying to determine how many other firms are selling homes nationally with a contract for deed already in place or are renting out homes with an option to buy said the people with direct knowledge of the matter
still there are some in the housing market who think that contracts for deeds and seller financing plans can help people with no credit get back on the housing ladder
odell barnes a longtime buyer and seller of foreclosed homes who operates out of gilbert sc chafed at the idea of government regulation in the industry and emphasized that seller financing contracts were a way to make homeownership accessible to anyone
our government thinks all poor people are stupid mr barnes said


los angeles   the walt disney company reported sharply mixed quarterly results on tuesday as surging movie and theme park units were undercut by weakness at some television businesses and a surprise retrenchment in video games
as a result overall profit and revenue while each increasing missed wall streets expectations a rarity for disney shares of disney fell about 6 percent in after hours trading to about 10085
even so the first question posed to robert a iger disneys chief executive in a postearnings conference call with analysts involved succession thomas o staggs who had been the favored internal candidate to succeed mr iger stepped down as chief operating officer in april after disneys board opted to expand its search to outside candidates
were sorry about what came to pass but we dont really have anything more to say mr iger said when asked about mr staggs mr iger added that he had no current plans to extend his reign beyond a previously stated retirement date of june 2018
for its fiscal second quarter disney reported net income of 214 billion or 130 a share an increase from 211 billion or 123 a share in the same period a year earlier excluding items affecting comparability per share profit for the most recent quarter was 136 analysts had expected 140 a share
revenue totaled 1297 billion a 4 percent increase analysts had expected 132 billion
disney simultaneously said that it would pull the plug on infinity a costly video game and toy line that was introduced in 2013 infinity has performed well but sales have plateaued amid intensifying competition ending production of the game which effectively removes disney from the self published console game business resulted in a 147 million charge in the quarter more than 300 employees will lose their jobs
the division that housed infinity disney consumer products and interactive media posted operating income of 357 million an 8 percent decline from the year earlier period because of softer game sales and unfavorable foreign exchange rates the disney store chain lifted a year ago by frozen merchandise also declined
by contrast operating income at walt disney studios soared 27 percent to 542 million because of the success of zootopia which is closing in on 1 billion in worldwide ticket sales and star wars the force awakens which collected 21 billion at the global box office
unlike many of its peers disney does not provide earnings guidance leaving analysts to make rough guesses still it is extremely rare for disney to fall short and the companys detractors will most likely use the disappointing results to further a negative premise disneys traditional engine   television   is no longer reliable
in the quarter that ended april 2 disneys biggest division media networks which includes espn abc and a suite of other channels reported a 9 percent increase in operating income to 23 billion but cable revenue fell 2 percent to 396 billion as ae networks which is co owned by disney and hearst experienced lower ad revenue and higher costs operating income at disneys broadcast television business declined 8 percent to 278 million
espn benefited from lower programming costs and a 5 percent increase in affiliate revenue offset by a decrease in advertising sales partly because there were fewer college football bowl games
despite upheaval in the television business   viewership via satellite and cable services is declining as streaming options proliferate   mr iger has aggressively defended espn in particular as indispensable to consumers both now and in the future he continued his support of espn on the analyst call saying that he was very very encouraged by negotiations with fledgling streaming providers to offer espn
earlier on tuesday disney and verizon settled a dispute over a fios television option that allowed consumers to exclude espn
mr iger also emphasized efforts to make disney less reliant on television which last year accounted for about 50 percent of disneys profit he noted for instance that shanghai disney resort would open on june 16
for the most recent quarter operating income at walt disney parks and resorts rose 10 percent to 624 million reflecting improved results in florida and california offset by shanghai start up costs and attendance declines at hong kong disneyland higher prices increased profit at disney cruise line


835 million
517 west 161st street between broadway and amsterdam avenue
manhattan
a local real estate investor has bought this six story 1926 elevator apartment building in washington heights the 21426 square foot building features 41 apartments   21 studios 18 one bedrooms and two two bedrooms it sold for 144 times the rent roll and offers a cap rate of 46 percent
buyer 517 w 161 realty llc
seller kligerman group
broker aaron jungreis rosewood realty group
107sq ft
96000 approximate annual rent
177 madison avenue between east 33rd and 34th streets
manhattan
a beauty spa and eyebrow threading salon has signed a five year lease for a 900 square foot second floor retail space in this five story mixed use walk up the tenant who bid above the asking rent of 100 a square foot received two months rent free for its build out the ground floor space is occupied by a hale and hearty soups store
tenant ritas threading and beauty
tenants broker marc h mas metropolitan property group
landlord first 177 third madison llc
landlords brokers joseph isa and louis franco isa realty group
14310sq ft
115 million approximate annual rent
1628 broadway at west 50th street
manhattan
a 15 year triple net lease in which the tenant will be responsible for electricity taxes and insurance is available for this vacant 8036 square foot three story corner building with a basement in the theater district the 50 by 57 foot building was built in 1911 outfront media now leases the third floor billboard space and a famous famiglia pizzeria formerly occupied the ground floor
owner 1628 30 broadway llc
landlords representatives stratford wallace and william wallace wallace properties


davao city philippines   jess saplala was sitting in a bar late one night in davao city listening to a man singing a frank sinatra ballad when he noticed that the crooner was none other than the towns mayor rodrigo duterte
after the performance the mayor put on a baseball cap pushed a 38 pistol into his belt and got into the drivers seat of a taxi i have to make my rounds mr saplala recalled him saying
it was just another day at the office for an unconventional mayor who is now poised to become president of the philippines
with more than 92 percent of the votes counted on tuesday mr duterte 71 appeared to have an insurmountable lead in the presidential race unofficial returns showed him with nearly 39 percent of the vote far ahead of his closest competitor in a system that requires only a plurality to win official results may not be known for days if not weeks
early on tuesday mr duterte pronounced doo tare tay visited his mothers grave and cried according to video posted on youtube
with an outrageous style that has been likened to donald j trumps mr duterte has tapped into widespread discontent over unemployment crime and corruption his strong personality   and resume as a prosecutor and mayor who stamped out crime in a violent area of the country   have endeared him to those who are tired of the more measured tones of president benigno s aquino iii
but his success comes with a dark side there were more than 1000 extrajudicial killings in davao city during his 20 years as mayor on the campaign trail mr duterte boasted of personally killing criminals who he said were resisting arrest
if elected he said recently he would aggressively pursue those who break the law vowing to kill criminals himself and grant himself a presidential pardon
he also wants to take a more conciliatory approach toward china over the contested south china sea and has questioned the reliability of the philippines alliance with the united states
that approach would be a huge shift from the policies of mr aquino and could set back efforts by washington to marshal its allies to counter chinese activity in the strategically important area the philippines recently agreed to host a more robust american military presence after several decades of tense relations
mr duterte has gained international notoriety for his crude jokes about rape and insults of pope francis   virtually unheard of for an official in this predominantly roman catholic country and some critics worry that his brand of populism is reminiscent of the marcos dictatorship
yet people who know him say the caricature of a crass womanizing vigilante is an oversimplification they describe mr duterte as a shrewd politician and technocratic mayor who supports services that help people in need
at the public safety and security command center that mr duterte built in davao city tyrone gutierrez dismissed the suggestion that people are being killed by vigilantes he supervises an operations center filled with screens showing live feeds from closed circuit cameras that blanket the city
next door cynthia perez an emergency medical technician showed off a fleet of new ambulances and fire trucks dispatched via a 911 call center the emergency vehicles include a specially equipped childrens ambulance and a large vehicle that serves as a rolling hospital the ambulances and medical services are provided free to patients
the fleet might be unremarkable in many cities but in the philippines where government services are often minimal it is a point of pride
the mayor comes in at 11 or 12 at night in the wee hours to inspect our operations ms perez said hes very nice and approachable hes always joking around with us
hermogenes pobre a former justice department assistant secretary who supervised mr duterte when he served as a prosecutor in davao city also rejects the portrait of him as a wild eyed vigilante he recalls mr duterte as hard nosed and fair minded
he was a good prosecutor mr pobre said any case that he handled he always decided strictly on the merits strictly on the evidence
as mayor though mr duterte started taking matters into his own hands critics say
according to the advocacy group human rights watch mr dutertes achievements in public service are overshadowed by more than 1000 vigilante killings including the deaths of street children in davao city
dutertes boastful brand of violent impunity should be a path to prosecution not a platform for political office the group said in a report
until the government adopts a zero tolerance attitude toward public officials who publicly endorse extrajudicial killings as an acceptable approach to governance duterte and others like him will pose a grave danger to the safety of the citizens they are elected to protect it said
for many who have worked with mr duterte there is an acceptance of the deep contradictions between his political speech and many of his actions
luzviminda ilagan a congressional representative for gabriela one of the most active womens rights groups in the country would seem a natural enemy of a man who boasts of being a womanizer and has joked about wanting to rape a missionary but ms ilagan who was once a city counselor in davao city has a more nuanced view of mr duterte
his colorful language can be disconcerting she said but his actions can be contradictory to his statements he might appear to be insensitive to women but during his time as mayor he supported policies on behalf of women and programs for children
under mr duterte davao city developed a gender and development code that tried to equalize opportunities for women in government the program has won multiple awards and has been cited by the national government as an example for other cities mr duterte also helped set up a crisis center for female victims of violence
mr dutertes crude jokes and outlandish statements have a purpose according to benny gopez a businessman who has known mr duterte for more than a decade the jokes have helped define him as different from the other candidates and closer to the poor who make up the majority of voters in the philippines
his jokes are his connection to the common man mr gopez said he knows what he is doing he is a lawyer he graduated from one of the top law schools he passed the bar he is a very intelligent fellow
mr saplala who became friends with mr duterte after hearing him sing those sinatra songs years ago said many of the mayors most contentious statements came from an opinion of criminals he developed while working as a prosecutor in davao one of the most violent cities in the country at the time
he will never humiliate people mr saplala said he is softhearted
he added but he changes when he starts talking about criminals he gets very hard he has a deep personal hatred for criminals
despite strong economic growth and resurgent foreign investment the philippines still has high levels of poverty crumbling infrastructure and a raging war in the southern part of the country against insurgents and kidnap for ransom gangs
ms ilagan said mr dutertes willingness to be frank and spontaneous made him the kind of leader who could bring an end to conflicts with rebel groups that have long battled the central government
he expresses what others are not able to say in polite society she said
he is friendly and open to all sides which is exciting for his presidency


in the last 18 months comedy central has seen the departure of its most familiar on air faces jon stewart and stephen colbert
now comes a high level change behind the scenes
michele ganeless comedy centrals longtime president is leaving the network at the end of the month and will be replaced by kent alterman president of original programming
ms ganeless has been in charge of comedy central since 2004 and has been at viacom for more than two decades she said in an interview that the decision was hers
its been the better part of 25 years she said and im ready for a new challenge
it is an anxious time in the cable industry and comedy central is confronting a problem shared by a number of its peers ratings are declining as network executives point toward less lucrative digital successes
doug herzog the president of viacoms music and entertainment group acknowledged the drop in ratings even as he defended the networks continued cultural relevance
weve certainly got some challenges with how our audience is interacting with our content in a less traditional way than ever before he said what gives us a great deal of confidence and quite frankly gets me to sleep at night is its all about content and youre nothing without it and we have an unbelievable brand
the network continues to broadcast shows that carve out a place in the culture and are popular with younger viewers like inside amy schumer and broad city
and though the business is still largely defined by the traditional nielsen ratings mr herzog noted inroads that comedy central has made on digital channels like hulu and snapchat
mr alterman has been the head of original programming at comedy central since 2010 and he also worked at the network from 1996 to 2000 as part of the succession plan david bernath who is a 12 year veteran of comedy central has been promoted to general manager
after losing two longtime hosts comedy centrals late night lineup is struggling to gain its footing ratings for both trevor noah mr stewarts successor and larry wilmore who replaced mr colbert have declined compared with their predecessors
mr alterman strongly defended mr noahs performance saying that hes only going to get better
a lot of people like to compare trevor to jon but theyre two different people and its a little silly to compare ones first day to the others last day after 16 years he said were amazed how trevor started he has already has such command of his own voice and hes so self possessed
mr alterman who will be based in santa monica calif ms ganeless was in new york also emphasized continuity saying its not like were going to make some radical shift but both he and mr herzog acknowledged an uncertain future for all of cable television
the world continues to change and change rapidly and kent and dave are going to face challenges going forward that michele never did mr herzog said thats how fast the world is moving so comedy central needs to evolve and needs to change and it needs to adapt
there are some headwinds there that were all facing in the traditional cable related business but i go back to our brand and our tremendous content he added if we do that right i think well have a head start and figure the rest out


budweiser a beer brand owned by a belgian company will soon appear on shelves with a new name america
pointing to a spate of summer events set to bring out feelings of nationalism budweiser said tuesday that it would replace the word budweiser with america on its cans bottles and packaging from may 23 through the general election in november
it will be probably the most american summer of our generation said ricardo marques a vice president at budweiser
along with the traditional spring and summer holidays   memorial day independence day and labor day this summer will bring the olympics and the copa america soccer tournament to be held in june at sites throughout the united states
budweiser is one of the top selling beers in the united states and has been brewed in st louis since the 1800s its owner anheuser busch is based in st louis and was sold to inbev in 2008 for about 52 billion
the company is far from the first to try to cash in on feelings of nationalism but renaming the brand temporarily is a new tactic for a company known for spending big on advertising
the redesigned can will replace each element of budweiser specific branding with americana the beers slogan king of beers will be replaced with e pluribus unum out of many one the words featured on american currency instead of a description of the brewing process at the top of the can there will be lyrics to the star spangled banner the new look was designed by jones knowles ritchie which has offices in london new york shanghai and singapore
the design raises the question when a thirsty american goes to the store looking for budweiser would he or she be confused upon encountering america instead
we have no doubt that consumers will recognize it in a heartbeat mr marques said
the company may be hoping that the effort is more successful than one ill fated slogan attempt that was criticized as being tone deaf toward alcohols role in date rape last year as part of its up for whatever campaign the beer company printed on some of its labels the perfect beer for removing no from your vocabulary for the night after an online firestorm the company apologized and dropped the slogan


a federal judge ruled on tuesday that prosecutors must release a list of people who were believed to have been connected to plans to close new jersey approach lanes to the george washington bridge in 2013 but who were not charged with a crime
a group of news organizations including the publishers of some of new jerseys largest newspapers as well as the new york times asked judge susan d wigenton of united states district court in january to unseal a letter listing the names of so called unindicted co conspirators who were believed to have had knowledge of and joined in the plans to cause major traffic congestion in fort lee nj over several days in september 2013
judge wigenton agreed that the public had the right to know noting that the people who have been connected to the case were public employees politicians or appointed officials
the underlying events that gave rise to the indictment have been extensively covered by the media such that even persons tangentially involved have already been identified and exposed in the press judge wigenton wrote there is very little that is private about the lane closures or the lives of the people allegedly connected to them
it is unclear when the names will be released though the lawyer representing the news organizations sent a letter to the judge on tuesday urging that the letter with the names be provided immediately
a spokesman for paul j fishman the united states attorney for new jersey who had opposed the release declined to comment on tuesday
bridget anne kelly the former deputy chief of staff to gov chris christie of new jersey and bill baroni who had been the governors top staff appointee at the port authority of new york and new jersey have been charged with nine counts related to the scandal and are awaiting trial another former official at the port authority and an acquaintance of mr christies david wildstein pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy for his role in the lane closings
the long running scandal has hung over mr christie clouding his presidential aspirations and could dash any hopes of his becoming the running mate of the presumptive republican nominee donald j trump the trial for ms kelly and mr baroni is set to begin in september and it has the potential to loom over the final stretch of the campaign


new delhi   the authorities in bangladesh were braced for violence on wednesday after the execution of a senior opposition leader convicted of atrocities dating from bangladeshs 1971 war for independence from pakistan
the opposition figure motiur rahman nizami who was hanged early wednesday morning led jamaat e islami bangladeshs largest islamic party a prison official said mr nizami would be buried in his home village in northwestern bangladesh
in october 2014 mr nizami was convicted of leading a paramilitary group that sided with the army of west pakistan against pro independence forces
bangladeshs supreme court upheld the verdict last week and mr nizami did not submit a plea for mercy to the president said the countrys home minister asaduzzaman khan
past executions have set off street protests and thousands of police officers were deployed around the central jail in dhaka the capital and elsewhere
in 2009 the bangladeshi authorities began conducting war crimes trials intended to hold people accountable for acts committed during the 1971 struggle for independence from pakistan
the trials have widened a split in bangladesh between those intent on defending the secular identity asserted by the 1971 independence movement and those who want to introduce a government based on islamic principles
that rift has become a dangerous one in recent years as islamist extremist groups have carried out a campaign of killings singling out intellectuals who have defended atheism and argued for a secular state recently militant groups have expanded their attacks to include foreigners gay rights activists and members of religious minorities like hindus shiite muslims and christians
international organizations have criticized the war crimes trials saying the accused leaders had little opportunity to defend themselves a statement last week by a bipartisan human rights commission of the united states house of representatives noted that defendants were allowed only a handful of witnesses and were not allowed to cross examine prosecution witnesses
while many in bangladesh believe nizami to be guilty and want him punished justice is only served through fair trials brad adams the asia director at human rights watch said last week
prosecutors identified mr nizami as the leader of al badr a force that used torture and committed extrajudicial killings of civilians to crush pro independence strongholds in the 1971 war
he was sentenced to death on charges of committing genocide in the deaths of pro nationalist intellectuals murdering 22 unarmed civilians during a raid and conspiracy murder rape and deportations of civilians he also received two life sentences


an arkansas judge has resigned after a state commission accused him of ordering male defendants to be spanked engage in sex acts and bend over for thousands of photographs to fulfill their community service a senior state official said on tuesday
the resignation of the district court judge o joseph boeckmann jr was effective immediately after it was sent to the state judicial discipline and disability commission on monday said david j sachar the commissions executive director
the commission which investigates judges over possible misconduct or for disabilities that prevent them from doing their jobs began an inquiry into judge boeckmann in 2014 over a possible conflict of interest in an unrelated case on elder care mr sachar said but that case took a surprising turn when court employees began asking investigators did you hear about the boys
then the dam broke mr sachar said
as of tuesday no criminal charges had been filed but mr sachar said they were possible
the commission began uncovering evidence and witness testimony related to the judges treatment of male defendants in traffic cases over the past few years mr sachar said men who had appeared before judge boeckmann in court said they were asked to go to his house or to some other location with bags of canned goods ostensibly for charity then according to their accounts the judge told them to bend over and pick up the cans as he photographed them from behind for what he said would be evidence of community service according to a filing on the commissions website
in one case from 2014 he gave a defendant his phone number and ordered him to come to his house where he photographed the man bending over and offered him 300 to pose as michelangelos statue of david the commission said
the commission said it had obtained up to 4600 photos of men   some identified as defendants   who are shown naked after an apparent paddling or other sex acts the commission sent about 1050 of the photos to judge boeckmanns lawyer last week with a letter saying it expected to add them to the allegations about his conduct mr sachar said
we are not through processing them mr sachar said in an interview tuesday referring to the photographs and potential witnesses they were defendants in traffic court cases but possibly some other misdemeanors
the judges lawyer jeff rosenzweig declined to comment on the photographs but denied that judge boeckmann had done anything wrong mr rosenzweig said the judge had been near the end of his second elected four year term in cross county when he resigned
he does not want to get into a big fight about the veracity or inaccuracy of the allegations over an office that he was going to vacate anyway and that is why he decided to resign mr rosenzweig said he did not admit any wrongdoing and he is not going to admit any wrongdoing
mr sachar said the commission was assisting prosecutors on possible criminal charges
if a criminal charge is brought he will be fighting that vehemently mr rosenzweig said of the former judge
the commission was continuing its investigation and it had interviewed hundreds of witnesses since august 2015 looking at the judges docket sheets mr sachar said
we have identified three dozen people by name that we have contacted or know it happened he said referring to people who said they had experienced inappropriate sex acts paddling or photography or payments by the judge we suspect there are more
the state supreme court ordered the judge to stop hearing cases in late 2015 as the investigation unfolded but he was still drawing a salary and benefits his resignation on monday which was sent to mr sachar and to gov asa hutchinson means he is permanently disqualified from being a judge and public servant


fifa on tuesday began laying the groundwork for the 2026 world cup announcing a bidding process in which it would decide on a possible expansion of the field by this fall and select the host country for the event in may 2020
the process that was unveiled tuesday at fifas congress in mexico city will unfold in four phases the first will be a so called strategy and consultation period in which fifa will consider a possible expansion of the world cup field a review of the organizations stance on joint bids by multiple countries and the introduction of human rights and environmental and sustainability requirements for bidders
fifa said it would resolve those questions by may 2017 but said in a statement that the decision on the number of teams formats and intriguingly the eligibility of confederations to bid was expected by october
the united states which hosted the world cup in 1994 is expected to eagerly bid for the 2026 tournament under fifas current continental rotation system the 2026 host most likely would come from concacaf the region encompassing north and central america and the caribbean in addition to the united states mexico and canada have also said they plan to bid
england has also expressed interest in hosting another world cup and australia and new zealand have discussed a joint bid but with russia europe and qatar asia hosting the next two tournaments fifa would need to abandon its rotation system for either to be eligible under that system confederations are barred from hosting if they have hosted either of the previous two world cups
after the strategy questions are put to rest this year the more formal bidding process will take place in the second phase from june 2017 to december 2018 fifa will use the year after that to evaluate the bids through february 2020 the vote for the host will take place in may 2020
fifa last picked a world cup host in 2010 when it chose russia 2018 and qatar 2022 on the same day that vote has come to be seen as rife with corruption and vote trading and it has since taken a toll on fifas reputation and leadership
fifa elected a new president gianni infantino in february to replace its longtime chief sepp blatter infantino has suggested several possible changes to the world cup including expanding it to 40 teams from 32 to allow more countries to take part infantino has also expressed support for joint bids which have become common for the european championships but some in fifa have frowned on the idea because of the inherent security logistics and visa issues involved in a tournament spanning international borders


united nations   the obama administrations effort to step up asylum for syrian refugees is going so slowly it may not meet the presidents deadline for accepting at least 10000 by the end of the fiscal year
more than seven months since the president pledged to resettle the most vulnerable syrians the united states has let in less than a fifth of that number   1736 through the end of april according to government figures
that slow pace could undermine the administrations diplomatic push to advance the cause of refugees at a time when other countries are putting up taller barriers to their entry president obama and the united nations secretary general ban ki moon have said they will raise the issue of refugee resettlement at this years general assembly session and mr ban issued a report on monday calling on world leaders to rally around a new compact on responsibility sharing for refugees
advocates for asylum seekers have urged the united states to do more and have warned that delays in the refugee vetting process could make it difficult to meet the administrations goal by the end of september when the current fiscal year ends
the united states cannot lead by example unless the administration meets this years very modest goal and sets a more meaningful and ambitious goal for next year said eleanor acer the senior director for refugee protection at human rights first an advocacy group
the delays advocates argue are a result of inefficiencies in the asylum adjudication system insufficient staffing to vet would be refugees and the often lengthy security checks that syrians are required to undergo as part of their application
anne c richard the assistant secretary of state for population refugees and migration said in a statement that the administration remained committed to its promise to take in 10000 syrians by the end of september without cutting back on robust security screening
international law defines a refugee as someone who has fled war or persecution in his or her home country the united nations says there are an estimated 196 million refugees worldwide and their plight has drawn urgent attention from the worlds most powerful governments as hundreds of thousands of syrians iraqis afghans and others have made the perilous trip across the mediterranean in search of sanctuary in europe
during the general assembly conclave in the fall mr ban will try to drum up greater enthusiasm for refugee resettlement his office said he would call on countries to resettle at least a tenth of the worlds refugee population
mr ban has said he wants countries to renew their commitment to a 1951 refugee convention that requires countries to offer protection to civilians fleeing war and persecution that convention is widely flouted including by european countries whose leaders were once the driving force behind such a push at the end of world war ii when europeans were the ones seeking refuge
mr ban has repeatedly called on world leaders to accept refugees but his pleas have been met with reluctance and political and diplomatic maneuvers devised to ease the burden on european governments
in march at a refugee resettlement conference united nations officials said close to half a million syrians needed new permanent homes away from the region but few countries pledged to take them in prompting a strongly worded rebuke from international aid groups instead the european union began in april to deport asylum seekers to turkey part of a political deal that human rights groups said was fraught with legal problems
the report that mr ban issued this week also pressed countries to start negotiating a deal to embrace migrants who are crossing borders for reasons other than war including hazards related to climate change those discussions which he said he hoped would start this year are likely to be even thornier
in 2015 more than 19 million people were displaced by natural disasters according to a report published wednesday by the internal displacement monitoring centre more than double the 86 million displaced by conflict
most of the worlds four million syrian refugees live in countries in the region turkey lebanon and jordan
canada has offered visas to more than 48000 syrians according to the united nations and is also allowing private groups to sponsor syrian families more than 400000 syrians sought asylum in germany last year and brazil has issued nearly 8500 humanitarian visas to syrians
at the general assembly debate that is scheduled to begin on sept 20 mr obama plans to lead a special session at which world leaders are expected to publicly pledge to take in more refugees
russia a major supporter of the government of president bashar al assad of syria has not resettled a single syrian refugee according to the united nations
mr obamas announcement last september that the united states would take in at least 10000 syrians in the current fiscal year was part of his effort to resettle more refugees generally from an average of about 70000 a year to 85000 a year over the next three years
the united nations high commissioner for refugees has identified nearly 39000 syrians to be resettled to the united states agency officials said the refugees included widows with children and torture victims along with syrians who have relatives living in the united states already many have faced delays
in a scathing report ms acers group cited the example of a syrian baby in need of heart surgery who died in jordan before his familys resettlement papers were approved
some members of congress have sought to halt refugee admissions from syria and two republican governors   chris christie of new jersey and sam brownback of kansas   have said they will not let the federal government send syrians to be resettled in their states
a state department spokeswoman said in an email on monday that the administration had expanded staffing in jordan to vet refugee applications and also resumed interviews in lebanon which had been discontinued over security concerns
we expect arrivals of syrian refugees to increase steadily throughout the year and have increased the number of staff involved in processing syrian cases to help us meet the 10000 target said ms richard the assistant secretary of state


last week as reported by the associated press a passenger apparently alarmed by math equations being solved by her seatmate caused the delayed departure of an american airlines flight from philadelphia to syracuse when she suggested he might be a terrorist the accused turned out to be guido menzio a university of pennsylvania economics professor working on a differential equation
the crew of the flight run by air wisconsin apparently followed the protocol for sick passengers when the woman passed a note to the flight attendant with the alert and said she was too sick to fly the flight returned to the gate where mr menzio was questioned briefly the plane then departed late with the mathematician and the woman was rebooked on later flight
fliers are frequently reminded to report suspicious activity in prerecorded announcements at airports but what qualifies as suspicious isnt always clear the department of homeland security has a program called if you see something say something that lists the following as potentially indicative of terrorism packages or luggage left unattended or an unusual circumstance like an open door that is usually closed a person seeking in depth information on a buildings purpose security procedures or shift changes and anyone loitering around a building taking notes sketches photographs or measurements
on its website the department notes factors such as race ethnicity andor religious affiliation are not suspicious yet ethnic profiling has resulted in several incidents such as this one including as reported on cnn when a southwest airlines flier was kicked off a flight in april for speaking arabic
this seems to be a case of see something say something getting out of control george hobica the founder of airfarewatchdogcom wrote in an email if too many passengers cry terrorist every time someone looks middle eastern or has curly hair or is merely having a phone conversation in arabic and wears a beard it may lessen the effectiveness of citizen vigilance efforts
how this got out of hand is beyond me he added a few quick questions should have settled the matter in a couple of minutes


paris   two former mayors from rwanda went on trial in paris on tuesday for their suspected role in massacres of ethnic tutsi in the early stages of the 1994 rwandan genocide
tito barahira 64 the mayor of kabarondo a town nearly 50 miles east of the capital kigali from 1977 to 1986 was a local hutu party leader at the time of the genocide octavien ngenzi 58 was the towns mayor when about 800000 people most of them tutsi were killed around the country in just 100 days from april to july 1994 both men have been charged with genocide and crimes against humanity
they are accused of orchestrating and taking part in the mass killing of tutsi refugees and moderate hutu who had sought shelter in a church in kabarondo on april 13 1994 mr barahira is accused of organizing and leading a meeting that planned the massacres
in an interview with the france 24 news channel that was broadcast on tuesday marie therese mukamwezi a survivor of the massacre in kabarondo said mr ngenzi had rounded up tutsi with his car and gathered them at the church where militias and rwandan government forces began an attack
after the attack the killers came with machetes ms mukamwezi said from kabarondo they killed almost all of the survivors tito barahira was there with a spear he was supervising the killings
the two men who deny involvement in the massacre face life in prison if convicted they are being tried in france because the united nations has granted countries around the world jurisdiction over crimes related to the 1994 genocide when the perpetrators are arrested on their national territory
mr barahira was arrested in 2013 near the southwestern french city of toulouse mr ngenzi was arrested in 2010 in mayotte a french territory in the indian ocean where he had requested asylum using a fake identity both men have been in french custody since their arrests they were sentenced in absentia to life in prison by rwandan peoples courts known as gacaca courts in 2009
the court proceedings scheduled to last nearly eight weeks will be filmed for archival purposes an unusual occurrence in france the court session on tuesday was largely procedural with time devoted to jury selection and the presentation of witnesses more than 100 are expected to testify but their faces will not be filmed
the trial is the second to be brought in france against former rwandan officials suspected of having roles in the genocide france had long been criticized for not doing enough to prevent the genocide and for providing weapons and military training to the hutu led government which carried out the killings
in 2014 a french judge sentenced pascal simbikangwa a former rwandan intelligence officer to 25 years in prison for complicity in the genocide and for crimes against humanity mr simbikangwa has appealed his sentence and a new trial is expected to be held in october


los angeles   shortly after the mets beat the dodgers 4 2 here on monday night kevin plawecki returned to his locker to discover a text from travis darnaud a teammate and fellow catcher
out of the lineup since april 26 because of a sore right shoulder darnaud was back in new york on monday to see dr david altchek the team physician and to receive a platelet rich plasma injection plawecki who has taken over darnauds catching duties in the interim did not specify what the text said but it was clear from his smile that darnaud had sent a well deserved congratulatory note
in mondays game plawecki hit his first home run of the season a solo shot off the left hander scott kazmir part of a small but continuing surge at the plate that is reassuring the mets that plawecki will do what they believe he can
in san diego over the weekend he had four hits including three doubles in 10 at bats that means that over the last four games heading into tuesdays contest with the dodgers plawecki had a muscular on base plus slugging percentage of 1186 obviously four games make up a tiny sample in a long baseball season but his little streak has come at the right time
im just going up there trying to get good pitches to hit and put my a swing on them plawecki said echoing terminology favored by students of the hitting instructor kevin long i definitely feel comfortable in the box im just going to keep swinging it keep putting good at bats together and just keep trying to hit the ball hard
in the immediate future plawecki will have more chances as the mets regular catcher because darnauds return date is still unclear
according to the mets assistant general manager john ricco altchek advised that darnaud travel to new york for an examination after darnaud felt discomfort throwing in port st lucie fla over the weekend the visit was just to make certain the situation had not deteriorated
altchek gave darnaud the injection but did not change the diagnosis of a strained rotator cuff he instructed darnaud to take at least a week off before doing any baseball related activities   throwing or hitting he will be re evaluated based on his symptoms
even if he feels no further discomfort in a week darnaud will still need time after that to get his arm back into shape ricco said altchek gave no indication that surgery was an option for now and there was no timetable for his return
the interim at least is plaweckis time he was drafted out of purdue university with a late first round pick by the mets in 2012 and seemed at that moment to be the teams catcher of the future but six months later the mets acquired darnaud a first round pick himself in 2007 from toronto in a deal in which they also obtained noah syndergaard in return the mets sent ra dickey who was coming off a 20 victory season to the blue jays
the highly regarded darnaud immediately became the catcher to watch in the mets organization and he reached the majors in 2013 he struggled to hit at first but in 2014 242 average 13 home runs and 2015 268 average 12 home runs he became pretty formidable at times with a bat in his hand and seemed to be emerging as a fixture in the lineup
but he also revealed himself to be injury prone   in fact plawecki made his major league debut last season when darnaud broke his hand   continuing a worrying trend that began in the minors that in turn has made plawecki who at 25 is two years younger than darnaud an intriguing option provided he can hit
last week after darnaud was injured again manager terry collins expressed some urgency regarding plawecki by saying hes got to start getting some hits at the time plawecki was batting under 200 with five hits in 26 at bats all singles
in the eight games since he had a slugging percentage of 520 and an on base percentage of 400 collins has long said that plawecki has the ability to hit at this level once he has a consistent chance
ill tell you what they need and thats once in a while the opportunity to play collins said thirty four at bats is not a great sample and hes starting to play and hes starting to get more comfortable
plawecki is now 11 for 48 229 this season last year his batting average was 219 in 233 at bats in four seasons in the minor leagues he batted 290 with a 432 slugging percentage and a 364 on base percentage those are solid numbers but they do not always translate to the same success in the major leagues
the mets can only hope they will if darnauds shoulder injury becomes chronic it will make catching all the more difficult and may prompt the mets to move him to another position and leave plawecki as the clear no 1 behind the plate but that decision is not likely to come any time soon
based on their conversation over the weekend plawecki said darnaud remained positive despite his shoulder trouble
i dont think hes the type of person to really get down plawecki said but obviously anybody in this situation wants to get healthy and get back so hopefully that will happen


beirut lebanon   a group of lebanese professors architects and filmmakers has fashioned an unlikely alternative to the bickering feudal political bosses who for decades have kept their country mired in stalemate its bid for power seemed quixotic at first
but it touched a nerve in beiruts municipal elections this week gaining unexpected traction with voters and fueling the upstarts conviction that it is possible to buck the arab worlds trend toward authoritarianism
you cant just demonstrate and get tear gassed said jad chaaban an economics professor at the american university of beirut who helped hatch the technocratic political movement called beirut my city we need people like us in power
the partys members took on lebanons political bosses in an election with high symbolic value but with little actual power at stake the city government has a modest budget and limited influence over planning in the city the countrys capital but most authority rests with the national government still securely under the control of the feudal establishment
beirut residents voted on sunday but officials did not release results until tuesday beirut my city won about 40 percent of the vote just a few points behind the establishment slate because there is no proportional representation the winner takes all 24 seats on the council
beirut my city framed its shoestring campaign as part of a broader struggle to rid lebanon of its corrupt leaders and show the arab world how to change an established order without toppling into violence and chaos
lebanons warlords ended a 15 year civil war in 1990 with a sectarian power sharing agreement any faction can veto government decisions and no single group can dominate the state
despite their differences groups as diverse as the shiite group hezbollah the sunni future movement and christian warlords once allied with israel support a system that allows them to divide the spoils of patronage without any oversight gerrymandering and rigid election laws make it almost impossible for independent political parties to challenge the sectarian factions at the national level but municipal elections are at least in theory supposed to be nonsectarian giving an opening to beirut my city
establishment leaders followed an old formula to fend off the challenge saying that without them and their power sharing deals everything could fall apart plunging lebanon back into civil war
this years municipal campaign starkly challenged that orthodoxy beirut my city published a detailed platform focused on quality of life issues like traffic garbage pickup and access to parks the group refused help from any veteran politicians and ran a slate of candidates evenly divided between men and women muslims and christians
saad hariri a former prime minister and a dominant sunni politician led an establishment campaign that warned ominously that unknown forces wanted to harm beirut and break the parity among the citys sects in a sign that the dominant leaders took the threat seriously traditional rivals set aside their differences to run in a coalition against the upstarts called the beirutis
many lebanese even those angry about endemic corruption fear that change could be destabilizing and feel compelled to vote for their sects traditional leaders
we dont trust anyone but well vote for hariri in order to show that we exist said ahmed sharai a store owner in the sunni stronghold of tarik jadida who said he moonlighted as a local militia chief
his poor and marginalized neighborhood has suffered from decades of institutional neglect mr sharai said with the leaders we know were still losing he said imagine how much more we lose if theyre gone
his rationale neatly sums up how a system survives even though few profess to like it
since 2011 lebanon has emerged relatively unscathed from the types of crises that have led to war or dictatorship in nearby countries the countrys bosses managed to keep their followers quiet during a series of bombings and assassinations sectarian clashes and the arrival of more than 15 million syrian refugees in a country with a population of about four million
but it is also clear that lebanons recipe is not working the country has been without a president for two years and parliament has unconstitutionally extended its term the local elections this year are the only polls of any sort since 2010
public anger reached a boiling point last summer when the government failed to renew the nations waste collection contract amid allegations that mr hariri was benefiting from a secret deal
as the garbage piled up a movement called you stink organized the biggest protests in lebanon in a decade technocrats including mr chaaban the economics professor grew frustrated when their proposals to address the garbage crisis were ignored and they decided to go one step further and form a political party
nine months later rotting piles of uncollected waste spew clouds of gas that smell like vomit over the citys fanciest neighborhoods while the politicians responsible for the debacle remain in office but supporters of beirut my city believe they have begun something new and lasting
theyre afraid of us elie haddad an engineer who helped the campaign said with a laugh outside a polling place in west beirut he and other volunteers in white t shirts distributed lists of the candidates for beirut my city they were outnumbered almost 10 to one by volunteers for the well funded beirutis coalition in red shirts and baseball caps who displayed noticeably less zeal
theres no such thing as a volunteer   were all paid to be here said one of them abdelrahman harb 34 who was sitting in the shade of a rubber tree with his wife and some friends rather than canvassing voters for the establishment list
they can pay for us but they cant make us vote for them mr harb said slyly pulling a copy of the beirut my city list from his pocket were ready for a change
the civil campaigns goals are notably modest and are very much a product of lebanons unusual political environment the establishment that has run beirut for the last 10 years faces newly energized scrutiny weve opened a pandoras box said ibrahim mneimneh an engineer and the head candidate for beirut my city we gave people a space to talk people want to give a slap in the face to their sectarian leaders without taking a huge risk for the country
the campaign featured a rare shift from protest to hardball politics the new party fleshed out detailed policies and then tried albeit with limited success to build an electoral machine that reached the street and neighborhood level
candidates directly attacked corrupt deals many linked to mr hariri that have in recent years cut off public access to waterfront land and degraded the quality of water power and other services in the capital the civil campaign held forums in beiruts few public spaces to call attention to their neglect and to a lack of green space
parliamentary elections are expected within the next year and many supporters of beirut my city want to expand the party nationwide
they are well organized and they have content said ziad baroud an influential critic of government policy who served as lebanons interior minister from 2008 to 2011 the group delivered a clear message to the establishment he said you failed you didnt do much we have policies we have a program
they are into politics he said of beirut my city thats why they made it


planets keep falling out of the sky for the kepler spacecraft and as their number grows so grows the age old dream of ending human cosmic loneliness
astronomers operating nasas planet finding spacecraft announced tuesday that they had validated the planethood of 1284 new candidates from keplers voluminous catalog of potential exoplanets the largest collection of new planets announced at one time it brings the total of actual planets kepler has discovered to more than 2000
all of them orbit stars in a patch of sky on the cygnus lyra border where kepler launched in 2009 spent four years staring at 150000 stars looking for the characteristic dimming when planets crossed their faces until its pointing system broke down and the team had to develop a new observing strategy since then kepler has identified some 4700 possible planets and more keep being found
in the past it took lengthy and arduous ground based telescopic observations to winnow impostors like double stars and other pretenders from the planet list but the numbers have grown too large the cosmos too verdant for this case by case analysis
the new results rely on a statistical technique developed by timothy morton an astronomer at princeton university to vet the potential candidates in bulk by analyzing the shape of the dips they make in starlight and taking into account how common the various types of impostors are and assigning a reliability score to each one
planet candidates can be thought of like bread crumbs said dr morton in a nasa teleconference on tuesday if you drop a few large crumbs on the floor you can pick them up one by one but if you spill a whole bag of tiny crumbs youre going to need a broom this statistical analysis is our broom
so far two dozen of the planets found and confirmed by kepler occupy the so called goldilocks zones of their stars where liquid water and perhaps life as we think we know it could exist
extrapolating these results to the entire galaxy natalie batalha kepler mission scientist from the ames research center said there could be 10 billion roughly earth size planets in the galaxy within their stars habitable zones the nearest habitable planet she estimated could be as close as 11 light years in the cosmic scheme of things that is next door and reachable in our lifetimes with current or near future technology last month scientists announced a plan to try to send smartphone like spacecraft to alpha centauri which is 44 light years away
kepler was conceived as a mission to determine how common earth size planets possible habitable rocks are in the universe the kepler team dr batalha said is now approaching in the next year or two the closeout of that mission one that has helped change humanitys view of how friendly the cosmos might be to life and has made exoplanets one of the most explosive fields in astronomy
that quest will go on kepler will be passing the baton to future missions like nasas tess which will search for planets around nearby bright stars starting in 2017


new delhi   a 23 year old student died of his injuries in west bengal early tuesday after he was beaten by a crowd of villagers who suspected him of stealing a water buffalo the police said
the student kaushik purokite who was studying mechanics was in a public square in the village of bahadurpur paschim pada when a group of villagers attacked him said gautam mitra officer in charge at the diamond harbour police station
the villagers suspected him of stealing a buffalo that was to be sacrificed next week in a ceremony honoring the goddess kali mr mitra said
mr purokite pleaded with the villagers to let him go but they accused him of trying to sabotage their sacred sacrificial ritual to the goddess beating him with flashlights and their bare hands mr mitra said
mr purokite was declared dead upon arrival at a nearby hospital
ten villagers including two women have been named in the complaint filed by mr purokites relatives and have been charged with murder one has been arrested and four more detained for investigation the police said


a syrian girl whose familys journey across europe to sweden on the refugee trail was documented by the new york times was told on tuesday that she is not a full match to donate bone marrow to a younger brother who is sick with leukemia in turkey
the girl widad majid 10 was the last hope for a full match in the family for her brother nabih 9 swedish officials had expedited the process of granting her residency to allow her to travel to turkey to help her brother and return to sweden legally if she had been found to be a full match
nabihs doctors said they now intended to use an alternative procedure using marrow from an aunt who is in turkey with him and who like widad is a partial match
he loves me too the aunt amina nouri said tuesday from turkey where she has been at the boys bedside he told me i am your son more than my blood is close to him
the timess journalists traveled with the family from idomeni greece as they crossed europe with thousands of other refugees last summer they are now temporarily settled in a farmhouse in backhammar sweden of the 14 family members only two have received residency permits leaving the others to depend on welfare as they wait for the generous but restrictive swedish bureaucracy to move forward the family plans to start an arab grocery after receiving residency permits
the bone marrow transplant which has become urgent because nabih has relapsed will take place in about 10 days said his doctor akif yesilipek of medical park hospital in antalya it is not clear whether the turkish insurance system will reimburse the hospital for the operation
partial match transplants have a higher risk of the patients rejecting the transplant or the transplants rejecting the patient dr kenneth miller a professor of medicine at tufts medical center in boston who has carried out thousands of transplants but does not do partial matches said the potential side effects of the procedure could be painful and debilitating
one has to balance the long term side effects of the transplant with the potential to be cured of leukemia and sometimes its a very difficult decision he said


gov andrew m cuomo said on tuesday that he supported collective bargaining rights for the 60000 new york farmworkers and that the state was renouncing a loophole in federal labor laws that had left farmworkers unprotected and marginalized for more than seven decades
mr cuomos statement came just hours after the new york civil liberties union filed a complaint in state supreme court in albany saying that preventing farmworkers from organizing was a violation of the state constitution the state and the governor were named as the defendants
in a statement mr cuomo a democrat said his administration would not fight the lawsuit
because of a flaw in the state labor relations act farmworkers are not afforded the right to organize without fear of retaliation   which is unacceptable he said we will not tolerate the abuse or exploitation of workers in any industry this clear and undeniable injustice must be corrected
donna lieberman the executive director of the civil liberties organization said it was now looking forward to achieving a court ordered settlement to establish protections allowing farmworkers to organize
the right of workers to organize is enshrined in a federal law passed in 1935 known as the national labor relations act
as part of a compromise to get the legislation and other key parts of the new deal approved by congress president franklin d roosevelt made a number of concessions specifically he needed the support of a bloc of politicians from the south where the economy was largely driven by agriculture   and where the work force was disproportionately black an exemption carved into the labor act put its protections beyond the reach of farmworkers to this day farmworkers are not accorded the same federal protections as other workers
in 1938 new york amended its own constitution to expand the rights of workers to bargain collectively
its a shame for new york that in 2016 a holdover racist policy from the jim crow era prevents farmworkers from organizing to improve their brutal work conditions ms lieberman said enough is enough
the new york farm bureau an industry advocacy group said it was reviewing the lawsuit and could not comment on it specifically but said there were reasons farmworkers should not be allowed to bargain collectively
the right to organize is a labor union tactic that may work in a factory setting the group said but not on a farm where the planting and harvesting of crops and the milking of cows are extremely time sensitive and weather dependent
after mr cuomo said he wanted to raise the minimum hourly wage to 15 gradually dean norton the president of the group said that the decision to not defend the states labor law is an affront to agriculture and good farmers across the state
the fight to expand worker protections to farmworkers in new york stretches back decades former gov mario m cuomo the current governors father even formed a task force to study the issue and found that farmworkers were largely left to fend for themselves
relatively defenseless and powerless they benefit from few protective programs the task force reported in 1991 they typically work only part of the year and earn low annual incomes for arduous physical labor all too many live in deplorable housing and have little recourse against those employers who are unscrupulous
the civil liberties group argues that many of those conditions still apply
with 636 billion in sales in 2014 new york is one of nations leaders in a variety of dairy and farm products yet the farming industrys workers are among the lowest paid in the state the average yearly wages for farmworkers in 2015 was 28430 according to data from the state labor department about one third less than the overall state average of 41650
farmworkers tend to be less likely to challenge unfair conditions according to their advocates because many do not speak english and fear deportation a study by the community and regional development institute at cornell university estimates that roughly 75 percent of farmworkers in new york are undocumented
the lawsuit was filed on behalf of crispin hernandez who until last year worked 12 hour days six days a week as a milker on marks farms near lowville in the adirondacks marks is one of the largest dairy producers in the state with nearly 5000 cows and 55 workers
in a statement the owners of marks farms said that the complaint was inaccurate and that they would be working to set the record straight
what mr hernandez wanted according to the complaint was a forum to discuss issues as basic as having to pay out of pocket for full sleeve gloves to protect against chemicals
last summer he and other workers met with advocates for farmworkers in a trailer on the farm during nonworking hours the police were summoned by the managers of the farm in a clear attempt to intimidate the workers the complaint says
on aug 24 mr hernandez was again spotted speaking with a labor rights activist during nonworking hours
eight days later he was fired and given four days to move out of his home


berlin   president recep tayyip erdogan of turkey tried again to silence one of his german critics but failed this time when a court denied his request on tuesday to block an open letter by the head of one of germanys most powerful media companies expressing support for a comedian who lampooned the turkish leader
the courts decision to refuse mr erdogan an injunction against the letter by mathias dopfner the chief executive of the media firm axel springer is the latest round in a fight over free expression in germany that began when the comedian jan bohmermann read on television a crude satirical poem he has said was intended to insult mr erdogan
the turkish president who has jailed critics and cracked down on free speech in his own country took the comedians bait he seized upon a little known german law dating from 1871 to press charges against mr bohmermann
although chancellor angela merkel allowed the proceedings to go ahead german citizens responded with outrage at what they saw as an attempt by a foreign leader to stifle freedom of expression in their country
mr dopfner wrote an open letter to mr bohmermann on april 10 that said he was willing to defend the comedians every word in the name of germanys tradition of freedom of expression art and satire
that public show of support for one of mr erdogans critics further angered the turkish leader who this week won a preliminary injunction against the filmmaker uwe boll for criticizing mr erdogan in a video posted online
ralf hocker a lawyer representing mr erdogan in germany said he had a mandate to seek an injunction against anyone who publicly insults the turkish president to try to stop what he described as an avalanche of scornful abuse
everyone thinks they are allowed to insult mr erdogan in any way that they want because they do not find him very sympathetic mr hocker said but this is not about sympathy it is about human dignity namely to protect it
in its ruling on tuesday the cologne state court upheld mr dopfners right to freedom of expression saying his comments were a contribution to building public opinion in a controversial debate
his staunch letter in support of mr bohmermanns satire drew widespread attention in part because axel springer the media company led by mr dopfner has a conservative reputation
prosecutors in mainz are still investigating whether to formally open proceedings against mr bohmermann on grounds that he offended a foreign leader with his satirical poem
mr bohmermanns show which was taken off the air after the sketch that ignited the diplomatic spat is to return to german public television later this week but the comedian has said he will avoid addressing turkey in his repertoire for the time being
ms merkel has defended her decision to allow the judiciary to decide where the boundary between freedom of expression and insult lies in the case of mr bohmermanns comedy
the chancellor has been the chief proponent of a european union deal with turkey that has helped stem the number of migrants reaching europe in exchange for billions of dollars in aid and other concessions to turkey including looser visa restrictions for the countrys citizens
but mr erdogan has used his new leverage to pursue his critics in europe extending a crackdown at home that has targeted more than 1800 opponents including journalists for insulting him
edda fels a spokeswoman for axel springer said the company considered mr erdogans motion baseless
mr erdogan has the right to challenge the ruling and mr hocker his lawyer said he would recommend that his client appeal to a higher court
our intention is to stop this unbridled online lynch mob mr hocker said everyone has lost all restraint and believes they can do as they please we intend to stop this


the tony award winning actress audra mcdonald announced on tuesday that she is pregnant and will leave the cast of shuffle along or the making of the musical sensation of 1921 and all that followed for maternity leave starting on july 24 the shows producers announced that the grammy award winning singer rhiannon giddens will make her broadway debut as ms mcdonalds replacement
savion glover the shows tony nominated choreographer will also join the cast in a capacity still to be determined by the director george c wolfe according to a spokesman for the show
ms mcdonalds pregnancy means that she will postpone her west end debut in a reprisal of her tony winning role in lady day at emersons bar and grill which was set to begin performances in june her three month hiatus from shuffle along to perform in london was announced before shuffle along opened
her return date to the show a jazz and tap heavy show about a 1921 all black broadway musical was not announced although a news release said she would be back this winter
this will be ms mcdonalds first child with her husband the actor will swenson although they have three children from previous marriages in a statement ms mcdonald said she was disappointed to postpone lady day and temporarily leave shuffle along but was looking forward to setting up a 1920s themed nursery in my dressing room when i return to the show
ms giddens a singer and musician will make her broadway debut she is best known as the leader of the carolina chocolate drops a band that aims to preserve the tradition of african american string bands of the early 20th century roughly the era depicted in shuffle along her solo album tomorrow is my turn was released in february in a review in the new york times earlier this year stephen holden said that ms giddens possessed a beautiful voice and air of supernal calm
shuffle along was nominated for 10 tony awards last week including best musical ms mcdonald who has a record six tony awards did not receive a nomination


for months during the democratic presidential nominating contest hillary clinton has resisted calls from senator bernie sanders to back a single payer health system arguing that the fight for government run health care was a wrenching legislative battle that had already been lost
but as she tries to clinch the nomination mrs clinton is moving to the left on health care and this week took a significant step in her opponents direction suggesting she would like to give people the option to buy into medicare
im also in favor of whats called the public option so that people can buy into medicare at a certain age mrs clinton said on monday at a campaign event in virginia
mr sanders calls his single payer health care plan medicare for all what mrs clinton proposed was a sort of medicare for more
the medicare program covers americans once they reach 65 beneficiaries pay premiums to help cover the cost of their coverage but the government pays the bulk of the bill mrs clintons suggestion was that perhaps younger americans people 55 or 50 and up could voluntarily pay to join the program
she made the remarks as she continues to face a determined challenge on the left from mr sanders forcing her to essentially fight a two front war as she seeks to turn her attention to donald j trump and the general election while mr sanders trails by a substantial number of delegates his effect continues to be felt in the race as he pressures mrs clinton to adopt more progressive positions
bernie sanderss campaign is having an effect on hillary clintons policies said steve mcmahon a democratic political consultant from purple strategies from a progressive point of view thats exactly what was hoped for and that is exactly what is happening
the idea of allowing people to buy in to medicare has been discussed in policy circles and in congress for decades mrs clintons husband former president bill clinton floated a similar proposal in 1998 including it in his state of the union address that year the strategy has been embraced by many advocates of single payer health care as a way to move more americans into the existing government system an incremental expansion of medicare was the hoped for strategy of medicares original authors
but it is a new idea in mrs clintons presidential campaign she has called for a range of health policy overhauls to preserve and expand the affordable care act she has proposed expanding financial protections for people with high health care costs and expanding subsidies to help middle income people buy their own insurance she also has proposed a package of policies to lower the price of prescription drugs
but more recently she has moved further in february she began discussing the possibility of a public option a government run insurance plan available to people shopping on the existing marketplaces that idea was considered when the affordable care act was being debated in congress but it was ultimately removed from the law
mrs clintons latest suggestion regarding medicare first reported by bloomberg news takes another step by proposing that americans still in their prime working years be given the opportunity to obtain the same government insurance that is provided on a universal basis to their older peers
the politics in the short term are good said jonathan oberlander a professor of health policy at the university of north carolina at chapel hill medicare is a popular program   people dont know too much about health reform but people know about medicare
before the affordable care act people older than 55 tended to have difficulty buying their own insurance because insurance companies saw them as bigger risks since the health law passed insurance plans have been banned from discriminating against people based on health history but they can charge premiums that are three times as much as younger adults are charged
moving more older adults into the medicare program could have the effect of lowering insurance costs for younger people as mrs clinton suggested but the exact dynamics would depend on how the program was structured
mrs clinton did not say for example whether lower income americans choosing medicare would receive help paying their premiums as they do when they buy private plans on the new marketplaces in the affordable care act without such subsidies medicare might be an affordable option only for wealthy or very sick customers in 2008 the congressional budget office estimated that a medicare buy in program for 62  to 64 year olds would cost about 7600 a person
medicare tends to cover a wider range of doctors and services than commercial plans but it also has more holes   it has no limit on how much patients can be asked to spend out of their own pockets for example that means conventional medicare would have different benefits and financial protections than private plans that are available to the 50 to 65 population
its not a bad concept to be playing with and thinking about said linda j blumberg a senior fellow at the urban institute a left leaning policy research group but there are some complexities that need to be ironed out
taking a more progressive stance on health care could serve mrs clinton in a general election matchup against donald j trump the presumptive republican nominee he has offered a range of views on the subject while he says that he wants to repeal the affordable care act he also has called for a system that would ensure that all americans have health coverage
mr sanders is pressing on in his campaign and hopes to influence the partys platform at the july convention even if as expected he does not become the nominee he has already pulled mrs clinton to take more progressive stances on several issues including supporting a higher minimum wage and opposing the trans pacific partnership trade deal and the keystone xl pipeline
although mr sanders viewed mrs clintons latest health care proposal as progress he said on tuesday that it was not sufficient
secretary clintons proposal to let the american people buy into medicare is a step in the right direction but just like her support for a 12 minimum wage it is not good enough mr sanders said in a statement that described her idea as medicare for some


sharon jones and the dap kings who played celebrate brooklyn in 2010 and released a holiday soul album last year will kick off the bric celebrate brooklyn festival in prospect park on june 8 gregory porter bombino and dr dog will also perform free concerts at the 38th annual event which runs through aug 13 in the parks bandshell
jon batiste and stay human will take a break from backing stephen colbert at the late show to perform on july 23 this years lineup includes a strong international showing the rock band alvvays canada plays on june 23 angelique kidjo benin pays tribute to celia cruz with the percussionist pedrito martinez cuba on july 29 and bombino niger and femi kuti nigeria perform a double bill on july 22
on aug 6 paola prestinis the hubble cantata will receive its world premiere featuring the norwegian orchestra 1b1 the brooklyn youth chorus and rarely seen footage from the hubble telescope a section of the piece is designed to be viewed in virtual reality and virtual reality headsets will be distributed to up to 6000 audience members
the seasons benefit concerts which require purchased tickets include tame impala june 14 15 the lumineers aug 3 and herbie hancock aug 11
the full lineup which includes movie screenings and dance performances can be found at bricartsmediaorgcb


mcc theater is best known for its work on contemporary plays but next year for only the third time in its history it will present a musical and its an unusual one ride the cyclone about a group of teenagers making the case for their lives from the great beyond after a tragic roller coaster accident
the musical which has been much praised in previous stagings is a highlight of the next season for mcc
the theater is also presenting the american premier of a new dark comedy written by and starring matthew perry the actor best known from the television show friends the play the end of longing ran in london where it was a commercial success but a critical dud mr perry is reworking the script for the new york run
mcc has had a long relationship with the playwright neil labute and its season will begin in september with a new play by him all the ways to say i love you the play is a one woman show starring judith light and directed by leigh silverman
ride the cyclone written by jacob richmond and brooke maxwell will be directed by rachel rockwell and is to run in november and december it was previously staged at chicago shakespeare theater and is being supported by a commercial producer kevin mccollum
mcc will present yen a play about two teenage brothers that was written by anna jordan with trip cullman directing the play which was previous presented at the royal court theater in london will be staged in new york next february
the end of longing in which mr perry plays an alcoholic with a motley collection of friends features lindsay posner as its director and is to open next may


bill gatess foundation trust and his personal investment fund are locked in a brutal shareholder dispute in switzerland over the sale of a controlling interest in the swiss specialty chemicals maker sika this is more than just another activist battle however showing how things in europe these days look more and more american
the fight began in 2014 when the fifth generation of sikas founding family the burkards decided to sell its controlling stake though the family members owned only 16 percent of the 100 year old company their shares had special voting rights giving them a controlling voting interest in the company
burkard family members explained they were selling their stake because the younger generations of the family had not been involved in its day to day operations for some time they thought they had found a stable long term owner in a sika competitor frances cie de saint gobain and it is not hard to see their rationale for selling the price they received   28 billion   carried an 80 percent premium
other shareholders were left in the cold however saint gobain announced it would not bid for the shares of sika that were not being sold by the burkard family instead it would seek to enter into arms length arrangements that would allow saint gobain to control the company and consolidate its earnings and revenue on its books without having to pay for all the shares
in europe there is a rule that an acquisition for control of more than 30 percent of a company requires a mandatory offer for the rest of the shares in switzerland however there is an opt out provision and the burkards used it that meant they could unload their shares and controlling interest in the company without offering the same sweet deal to other shareholders
so began a tale of intrigue lawsuits shareholder expectations and infighting its a tale that easily could be told in the united states
here shareholders are legally allowed to sell controlling stakes at a premium without permission of the company to limit this right and prevent other shareholders from losing out companies often have restrictions in their organizational documents the 2009 merck schering plough merger was structured to get around change of control restrictions in the drug remicade that would have forced merck to sell it to johnson  johnson that saga too ended in litigation
not surprisingly the burkards move did not sit well shareholders and independent directors immediately struck back relying on a provision in sikas organization documents dating to the 1970s that permitted the board to refuse an acquirer of more than 5 percent of registered shares the permission to register them in the companys books the board refused to approve the sale and restricted the voting rights of the burkards to only 5 percent of the company
the burkards sued in zug a city in switzerland claiming that the restrictions on shareholder transfers did not apply to their sale of shares to saint gobain they claimed that because they were selling their shares through a company not as individuals the provision on which the board had relied did not apply
this is where bill gates came in the bill and melinda gates foundation trust and cascade investment which manages mr gatess personal wealth owned 5 percent of sika and had been invested for seven years without selling a single share
the gates funds run by michael larson are known for their secretiveness but they have been willing to make public activist positions from time to time cascade investment pushed waste management to drop its takeover of republic services in 2008 calling it a wasteful expenditure of shareholder funds for example
the gates funds have been on the warpath over the sika sale joined by two european investor allies columbia threadneedle and fidelity international
at a the recent shareholder meeting the gates funds made a statement that if this were only about money we could have sold our shares and moved on saying that their fight was instead about the rule of law trumping individual greed and ensuring respect for the shareholder protections put in place by previous generations of the burkard family
the gates funds challenged the deal in a claim to the swiss takeover board in zurich saying that saint gobain was required under the swiss takeover law to make an offer for the remaining shares at the same price it offered the burkards
the funds have also sued urs burkard the patriarch of the burkard family and a director of sika claiming that he breached his fiduciary duty this case is pending there is another gates foundation suit against two other sika directors claiming that they assisted in this illegal takeover and the gates funds joined the main lawsuit against the burkards seeking to invalidate the voting restrictions imposed by sikas board
that is four lawsuits that involve the gates funds in the fight over the sale of these shares
the main action is in the suit over whether the zug court will allow the board to restrict the familys ability to vote more than a 5 percent interest and things are moving slowly with a decision expected in 2017 at the earliest
the zug court has issued a favorable order requiring that the status quo be maintained while this transaction is pending in limiting the burkard familys voting rights to 5 percent the board acted to defend itself and prevent the burkards from unseating the directors to push through the deal
but the board has not limited the burkards from acting in all situations and for the last two years the burkards have been able to block board members from being paid for their services the sika board has still refused to back down taking the same position as the gates funds
and thats where this big rugby scrum stands today as everyone awaits for a decision by the court of zug or for saint gobain to walk away saint gobain has said it is willing to wait out the fight after last years meeting it said that it had a determination to complete the transaction and has full confidence that the swiss courts shall allow them to regain their rights according to the law
the sika saga may be an important one for switzerland - it is one of the first truly modern shareholder disputes in that country the outcome is tabloid fodder involving one of the biggest swiss companies and will set the tone for shareholder rights and management relations in the future
but the real lesson here may be broader global investors are going to be looking for standards to guide their investments and those standards are for the most part set by practices in the united states and britain when things go awry these global investors are willing to push forward their agendas that the gates funds were willing to participate in four suits in switzerland shows not only that these investors are going to enforce standards globally but that convergence is likely to increase


james bond an astronaut a secret service agent
hollywoods most famous actors have played these characters in big budget movies recently and a new social media project wants to know why havent hollywoods traditional leading roles been offered to more asians
the project called starringjohncho is the latest high profile attempt by activists to call for greater diversity in entertainment but it may be the first to use one actor as a meme to break down the archetype of a hollywood leading man
william yu the 25 year old mind behind the project modified posters of well known movies to show what the korean american actor john cho would look like if he had starred in say the martian spectre and london has fallen all have white male leads
mr yu a digital strategist who works in new york city created the website on thursday since then the hashtag starringjohncho has been shared thousands of times spurred by coverage from mic and the angry asian man blog
mr yu said that he had been motivated after asian americans were left out of oscarssowhite another campaign against whitewashing in hollywood
it was very much a two sided argument he said in an interview you had a white issue and you had an african american issue
recent high profile casting decisions including the scarlett johansson role in the remake of the japanese anime film ghost in the shell and tilda swintons casting as a sorcerer of tibetan descent in marvels dr strange also served as inspiration but mr yu said the final push came when he read a recent study by researchers at the ralph j bunche center for african american studies at the university of california los angeles that suggested movies with more diverse casts made more money
that was kind of the linchpin of me thinking if thats true then why arent we seeing leads reflecting this fact  he said if theyre not casting these leads lets show what hollywood would look like if they did
mr yu said he didnt grow up with many asian role models in movies or on tv and he didnt have many mainstream actors to choose from when creating the project as he photoshopped mr cho into the role of captain america he caught himself chuckling at the possibility that an asian man could fill the role
it shouldnt be crazy for someone to take that role he said
mr cho 43 hasnt addressed the project   save for sending a heart emoji to the starringjohncho twitter account but he spoke publicly about how racism had affected his professional life in a session with reddit users last year
i experienced racism and in my professional life i try to take roles and have always tried to take roles that dont fall within the parameters of any asian stereotype he wrote


tapestry after the indian chef suvir saran left the elegant union square restaurant devi in 2012 he moved to san francisco to open american masala inspired by the cross cultural recipes in his book of the same name but the sprawling 400 seat restaurant never opened it was a lucky thing mr saran said it was difficult to fill all those seats san francisco is dead after 9 pm so he is back in new york in partnership with roni mazumdar an entrepreneur in art and entertainment who owns masalawala restaurants with his father joel corona a former private chef in california and aarti mehta are chefs de cuisine the white brick restaurant with a swath of white quartz bar and polished woodwork is hung with pieces by indian artists mr sarans food is a mix of mexican north african french and italian all liberally exploiting the indian spice cabinet when you think about it mexico and india both have a lot of cumin in common mr saran said some ingredients including pork and eggs come from his upstate farm opens friday 60 greenwich avenue perry street 212 373 8900 tapestryrestaurantcom
cherry point julian calcott formerly the executive sous chef at the spotted pig and his partners have chosen the name that greenpoint once had thanks to the profusion of cherry trees that grew in the area dishes like steak tartare koji rubbed steak au poivre and melted leeks are served in a vintage dining room formerly a polish butcher shop wednesday 664 manhattan avenue norman avenue greenpoint brooklyn 718 389 3828 cherrypointnyccom
passage irish bar and kitchen elevated irish pub fare with 27 beers and 74 whiskeys sets this tavern apart there are apple and black pudding fritters jameson spring rolls irish breakfast flatbread curried shepherds pie and several burgers including one made with black pudding 40 11 30th avenue steinway street astoria queens 917 832 6680 passageastoriacom
pn wood fired pizza its a different kind of choice the toppings are all set combinations but you can specify the flour you want in the dough including einkorn heritage spelt organic whole wheat and a multigrain blend that includes rye and barley giacomo baldi the managing partner is also the head of molino grassi usa which specializes in organic and unusual flours the flours are also sold in a small retail area near the entrance the dough is matured for at least 96 hours to develop flavor the restaurant also serves an italian menu of crostini gnocchi salads and lamb chops 2 west 28th street 646 964 4834 pnpizzanyccom
2nd city the chef jordan andinos heritage is filipino and he has interpreted his grandmothers recipes for the eat in or takeout menu of what he calls filipino taqueria fare options include butter poached barracuda tacos soy braised chicken burritos with kimchi fried rice and pork belly bao buns wednesday 525 hudson street charles street 917 639 3262 2ndcityusacom
springbone many trendy buttons   broth paleo and fast casual   have been pushed at this new greenwich village spot jordan feldman a founder discovered that bone rich broths alleviated his sports injuries so he opened the restaurant there are 10 broths that go into various bowls with meat and vegetable add ins sandwiches are also served wednesday 90 west third street sullivan street 646 368 9192 springbonecom
union fare a spacious food hall and restaurant complex is opening in stages in the building that housed the original barnes  noble from the days when there was only one a cafe that serves coffee on tap and pastries made in house and that morphs into a wine bar in the evening will open friday next week a full service bakery will be added by june 1 the 185 seat union fare restaurant will open serving contemporary american fare with a raw bar and a charcuterie bar it is run by the chef yvan lemoine who was at dream hotels with the pastry chef thiago silva from catch later in june a market will follow with an array of prepared foods including some international street fare to eat in or take out william kim the developer and owner has hired an experienced team to run the project 7 east 17th street and 6 east 18th street 212 633 6003 unionfarecom
isa taavo somers quirky cabin in the woods in williamsburg brooklyn where ignacio mattos was once the chef has closed after five years
avra estiatorio the greek seafood specialist established for many years on east 48th street will open a spacious branch this summer designed by the rockwell group in the former home of rouge tomate 10 east 60th street
chimichurri grill the argentine steakhouse on ninth avenue will open a larger branch this summer in what was the david burke townhouse 133 east 61st street
city vineyard early this summer city winery in soho plans to open this restaurant with a glass enclosed dining room another 3200 square feet of outdoor seating and a 4400 square foot rooftop terrace pier 26 north moore street hudson river park
le dock jean georges vongerichten will take over the kitchen in this venerable restaurant in the fire island community where his partner phil suarez has a house mr suarez owns the restaurant fair harbor fire island ny
harvey at this restaurant to open this summer in the williamsburg hotel the chef adam leonti will specialize in vegetables and in the grain dishes he has been developing at brooklyn bread lab in bushwick 96 wythe avenue north 10th street williamsburg brooklyn thewilliamsburghotelcom
shuna lydon who was the pastry chef at calliope and peels in manhattan has become the first chef in residence for the robert rauschenberg foundation in captiva fla through the end of the year she will cook for the artists in residence at the foundation and work to develop a greener kitchen
marco moreira and jo ann makovitzky will no longer be involved with the fourth restaurant and singl bar in the hyatt union square as of june 1 new operators will take over these places the couple has closed the botequim brazilian restaurant on the lower level which was awarded two stars by the new york times and they plan to relocate it
juliette pope the beverage director at gramercy tavern is leaving in late june she said she had no plans but realized that she needed a break she started as a cook at union square cafe in 1996 then moved on to gramercy tavern where paul grieco lured her into wine service
christian ramos a per se alumnus who has been the chef at virginias in the east village has left that post
sandro romano who worked in high end restaurants like union square cafe and the modern has become the culinary director of the union market chain in brooklyn and manhattan


polls from quinnipiac university this morning showed very close races between hillary clinton and donald trump in pennsylvania florida and ohio he leads her by four percentage points in ohio
nate cohn the upshots politics analyst and toni monkovic an upshot editor discussed the polls and other battleground states in a slack chat that has been lightly edited
toni what do you make of the quinnipiac polling today its sure to scare liberals
nate i think there are two basic ways to look at them
on the one hand the preponderance of evidence suggests that clinton has a comfortable edge in the battleground states quinnipiac for good measure has been pretty tough on the democrats over the last few cycles you can see some sign of that in the racial composition of the surveys in florida for instance quinnipiacs registered voters are 69 percent white 11 percent black and 15 percent hispanic the official data from the florida secretary of state since voters are asked their race when they register to vote is 657 percent white 133 percent black and 148 percent hispanic similarly the census current population survey in 2014 found that 643 percent of registered voters were white 152 percent were black and 179 percent hispanic
on the other hand this can be a pretty volatile period in the race the polls typically get a lot more accurate between the end of the primaries and the few weeks after the conventions the parties unify the electorate gets a bit more polarized you could imagine something similar benefiting donald trump who has just wrapped up the nomination and has an opportunity to consolidate republican voters so i think we should keep an eye out over the next few months to see whether he benefits from the end of the primary process
these quinnipiac polls are among the first since he wrapped up the nomination we cant rule out the possibility that theres some real movement here
one thing i would note though is that trump is basically winning the same share of republicans as clinton is winning of democrats so i dont think its obvious that either candidate has much more to gain from party unity   at least compared to the other gallup came out today with numbers on that
toni in general though people should not fixate on individual polls of states this early
nate yeah i think thats right its always better to look at the preponderance of data theres a lot of it right now and its consistent with a pretty considerable edge for clinton nationwide and in the battleground states a few state polls wont change that calculus
if all of the polls start turning toward trump that would be far more important
id probably just watch the national polls right now
as long as trump is down by these sort of margins in the national popular vote theres not much reason to think too hard about the electoral college
toni with the understanding that its very early lets start our tour of battleground states with pennsylvania its practically sacred home ground for democrats in sports playoff series if you can defend your home field you put yourself in position to win and if you cant youre in trouble but early signs suggest hillary clinton is not in trouble in pennsylvania right
nate well i guess i think of it like this clinton isnt in trouble nationally and therefore she isnt in trouble in pennsylvania clinton at least so far appears to be winning over many more college educated white voters than shes losing white working class voters thats giving her a lead nationally and in pennsylvania if that stops being true though   if clinton starts losing ground among white working class voters   that will hurt her more in pennsylvania than in virginia or florida
toni when you say college educated white voters are we talking especially about suburban mothers who may have voted for mitt romney in 2012 in places like the philadelphia suburbs
nate the early polls do suggest that trump is especially weak among college educated women and suburban voters so i think thats probably a pretty good way to look at it
toni colorado is a state you felt marco rubio was well suited to win if voters had been allowed to participate in a primary there that doesnt seem to bode well for trump along with the fact that it has a fairly sizable hispanic population
nate yeah colorado seems like a really tough state for trump there are more college educated and hispanic republicans for trump to lose than there are white working class obama voters for him to win over
toni the trump campaign doesnt seem to talk as much about making gains in colorado and nevada theyre obviously important states but when trump talks strategy he seems to be focusing more on the midwestrust belt
nate i cant blame them some simple factors at play for colorado and nevada above average hispanic populations and a below average number of white working class democrats
toni but when you turn to the midwest you run into a state like wisconsin its a state the trump campaign would love to flip but it doesnt seem to set up well for him   stylistically demographically ideologically agree
nate yeah i agree for most of this conversation weve been talking about the white working class as a single demographic category but the white working class is fairly diverse white working class voters in appalachia for instance have behaved very differently from those across the northern tier in recent cycles obama lost a lot of ground in appalachia but did better than john kerry or al gore in a place like wisconsin there was a fairly similar split with trump in the primary he did really well with white working class voters in appalachia and the industrial midwest but really struggled in places like iowa and wisconsin or vermont and minnesota so i wouldnt be very surprised if it turned out that trump made gains among white working class voters nationally but didnt pick up much or anything in a state like wisconsin
toni iowa seemed to be a promising pickup state for republicans heading into this year with a big victory by joni ernst in the 2014 midterms for example but it has similarities with wisconsin trump didnt win in iowa ted cruz did and conservative talk radio   and a large group of true conservative voters   may be a problem the way they could be in wisconsin in causing gop defections referring here to radio hosts like steve deace in iowa and charlie sykes in wisconsin
nate yeah iowa often seems to be a promising opportunity for the republicans and then doesnt quite come through in the end i remember that nbc news characterized the state as lean romney at the outset of the 2012 cycle perhaps in part on the assumption that obamas struggle among white working class voters nationally augured poorly for him in an overwhelmingly white working class state
but white working class voters in the upper midwest seem a bit more reluctant to embrace the modern conservative gop im not sure if its because of lower levels of racial resentment lower levels of evangelical christianity the stronger economy some combination of all of it or something else but it wouldnt be a surprise if this proved to be a problem for trump again
toni most gop voters in ohio did not invest in trump with a primary vote john kasich a more mainstream republican held on to his home state any possible residual effect from trumps loss it would help a little if kasich were his vice president i suppose
nate i dont know how much to read into trumps struggle in ohio in the primary against a very popular incumbent i guess all i would say is that if trump cant be competitive in ohio hes not going to even come close nationally or in states like virginia and colorado
toni what about new hampshire trump connected well there with republican voters and clinton lost badly to bernie sanders   it was one of her worst defeats in a battleground state but the state seems to be trending blue
nate i think new hampshires an interesting test for trump its extremely white there are a lot of white democrats without a degree its another state that i think would quickly become competitive if trump could make gains nationally but right now hes bleeding too much support among well educated whites to be close in the current polls
toni virginia is another state that slowly seems to be trending blue rubio finished a solid second in the state with strength in northern virginia
nate its a really tough state for trump virginia is in a tight race with florida for the distinction of being the battleground state where obama was least dependent on the support of white working class voters its also near the top of the list for states where romney was most dependent on nonwhite or college educated white voters   again sitting up near florida and colorado so theres a lot of room for trump to lose support as well
of all the close battleground states i might be more surprised by a trump win here than anywhere else id also note that the affluence and establishment friendly politics of northern virginia probably blunt trumps appeal more here than anywhere else
toni ok you mentioned florida trump won convincingly there as did clinton ending rubios campaign but a large hispanic population seems to present a challenge for him and even the cuban population normally reliably republican isnt as big a conservative force as it used to be
nate i think floridas a really dangerous state for trump forget for a moment how much the republicans would like to make gains among hispanic voters and think instead about how much room they have to fall in florida romney won something near 40 percent of the hispanic vote in florida in 2012 and they represented a well above average share of the electorate can trump really win 40 percent of the hispanic vote there again especially after he went after home state favorites like jeb bush and marco rubio then factor in the rapid pace of demographic change and the extent that obama already lost a ton of ground among older white working class voters in the state suddenly its really hard to figure out how trump is going to win the closest battleground state from the last election even if he fixes his problem with well educated white voters nationally
i think theres a real case that florida could save democrats in a close election   the sort of election where theyre in danger of losing whiter states where democrats have more room to lose ground like pennsylvania or iowa
toni north carolina went for romney in 2012 after going for obama in 2008 but do you think trump could be hurt by some of the policies by the republicans who control the state even though the gop has made it tougher to vote my sense is that democrats will be motivated and turnout will be intense
nate i dont know how much the north carolina government will help or hurt trump the turnout in a presidential election is always high and theres not too much room for state politics to make a dent to me trumps problem is pretty similar to the one he has in virginia there arent many opportunities for him to take advantage of his strengths and there are plenty of opportunities for him to lose republican leaning college educated voters
if black turnout is high   and i expect it will be   north carolina is going to be very close regardless of what happens nationwide
toni mitch stewart who served as battleground states director for president obamas 2012 re election campaign said that michigan was the state democrats should worry most about being flipped essentially his argument was that obama had an easy time against mitt romney in 2012 because of the auto bailout issue some of the statements that mitt romney made even though his father was governor there almost disqualified him immediately in michigan he said on msnbc its a state that should be much closer than it has been in presidentials
trump said well win places that a lot of people say youre not going to win that as a republican you cant win michigan is a great example nobody else will go to michigan were going to be encamped in michigan because i think i can win it
nate i think its hard to argue that obama was helped so much by the auto bailout that the state would have otherwise been especially competitive obama won this state by 95 points in 2012 or a little less than six points better than he did nationally thats about what happened for kerry in 2004 who won by 35 when bush won by 25 points
also michigan is not just a state of autoworkers black voters represent an above average share of the electorate there are a lot of well educated white voters around detroit or lansing and ann arbor trump did very poorly in the primary in heavily dutch western michigan which is the real conservative base in the state
to me trump does have opportunities to make inroads among democratic leaning white voters in michigan much as he does in pennsylvania and ohio the difference is that obama won michigan by more than nine points in 2012 the democrats have a big cushion they can lose a lot of ground and still squeak it out like kerry and al gore did
toni georgia arizona   maybe even missouri indiana utah theres talk they could all be put in play but that seems to be mostly a distraction if arizona and georgia are competitive in late october that probably means the clinton campaign is in a commanding position where it really matters right
nate yeah i agree if were talking about georgia and arizona in october we probably dont need to be talking very much about the presidential race at all
that said id note that missouri indiana and arizona all have second tier senate races that might come in play along with the presidential race if democrats are so fortunate
toni presuming that clinton locks up the democratic primary where should the clinton team send bill clinton to campaign and sanders if he rallies to support clinton would he go to new hampshire and michigan
nate i think a quick hillary clinton sanders unity tour through new hampshire boulder ann arbor and madison wouldnt be too surprising i think bill clinton is probably at his best in ohio and pennsylvania which is also where the obama campaign tended to use him
toni a wrap up question in an ideal world for the trump campaign you would take some of his extra strength from gop voters in the east where hell most likely do poorly because there are so many entrenched blue states and in the south where hell most likely win a lot of red states regardless and redistribute it to the midwest where he could hope to win more white voters and turn some blue states red in other words it would do him a lot more good if his specific appeal were tailored more to the midwest but the midwest or rust belt just doesnt seem as inviting as the trump campaign has been suggesting
nate ha ha well if he could im sure hed love to move every last republican voter from new york and california to ohio pennsylvania and florida im not sure whether theres an actionable strategy here i do think theres a fair point about republicans and the south theyve been running up the score among white southerners for decades without getting much in the north that trend has to come to an end at some point and the democratic advantage in the electoral college would start to look pretty flimsy if the republicans started to make further gains in the upper midwest instead of appalachia


jerusalem   an israeli court on tuesday convicted a palestinian teenager of two counts of attempted murder for his role in a stabbing attack that critically injured an israeli teenager and wounded an israeli man in a jewish area of east jerusalem in october
the stabbings which were part of a wave of violence that began that month but has subsided somewhat shocked israelis because of the ages of those involved the teenager ahmad manasra and the victim naor ben ezra who lived in adjacent districts of east jerusalem were both 13 at the time
ahmad had come with his cousin hassan manasra then 15 to pisgat zeev from the nearby palestinian neighborhood of beit hanina the police released security footage showing them running through the streets of pisgat zeev chasing residents and armed with knives both areas are in a part of the city that israel conquered from jordan in the 1967 war and annexed in a move that was never internationally recognized
hassan who was also seen on video running at the police with a knife was fatally shot by officers ahmad was run over by a vehicle while fleeing and was treated in an israeli hospital
leah tsemel an israeli lawyer who represented ahmad manasra and who is known for her advocacy for palestinians described the conviction as surprising unbalanced and problematic she said it was the cousin hassan who carried out the stabbings and that the court was holding ahmad responsible for his dead cousins crimes
the court saw them as partners ms tsemel said in a phone interview saying an appeal was certain the conviction came on the eve of israels remembrance day for its fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism sentencing was scheduled for july
yuval kedar a state prosecutor said after the hearing the fact that the accused is a minor does not alter the danger involved in these acts he added the prosecution will continue to take strong legal action against perpetrators of terrorist acts of all ages and will demand to impose a severe punishment on the accused in accordance with the law
the case gained notoriety after mahmoud abbas the president of the palestinian authority said mistakenly that ahmad manasra   who had been seen in a video bleeding from the head and being struck by passers by after he was run over   had been executed in cold blood
prime minister benjamin netanyahu and other israeli officials seized on that misstatement saying it reflected what they called a pattern of cynical dishonesty and incitement to violence among the palestinian leadership and its official news media the israeli hospital released images of the boy recovering and being spoon fed in his bed
about a month after the pisgat zeev stabbings video clips were leaked from the interrogation of ahmad manasra showing him crying and pounding his head in frustration as an israeli interrogator shouted questions at him in arabic the clips were broadcast on palestinian television and distributed widely on social media further fueling palestinian outrage
another pair of palestinian cousins 12 and 14 are accused of carrying out a copycat attack in november stabbing and wounding an israeli guard on a train in east jerusalem their relatives said they had seen the video clips of ahmads interrogation the night before
there has been a sharp rise in palestinian minors incarcerated by israel during the wave of violence in recent months about 30 israelis two americans and a palestinian bystander have been killed in a series of stabbings shootings and vehicular attacks that began on oct 1
on tuesday a group of five women in their 70s and 80s were attacked by two palestinian youths as they walked on a path near a wooded area known as the peace forest between east and west jerusalem according to the police two of the women were stabbed and were taken to a hospital where they were in moderate condition
the israeli authorities say that 37 percent of the palestinians who perpetrated or attempted attacks from oct 1 to feb 10 were 16 to 20 years old and that 10 percent were 15 or younger
israeli forces have killed more than 200 palestinians since october according to the palestinian authorities most of the palestinians were killed while committing or trying to commit an attack


for more than 50 years chris strachwitz has been one of the music worlds great pack rats and champions of american folk styles as a record collector and the founder of arhoolie records since 1960 arhoolie has released hundreds of albums of blues gospel cajun and mexican folk music that have caught the ear of musicians like bob dylan and ry cooder
now 84 mr strachwitz has found a new home for the label smithsonian folkways recordings which has acquired the arhoolie catalog and will be adding more than 350 arhoolie albums to its collection the labels announced on tuesday in keeping with the longstanding policy at smithsonian folkways the nonprofit label associated with the smithsonian institution the catalog is to be kept accessible in a variety of formats
arhoolie changed american culture said daniel sheehy the curator and director of smithsonian folkways the fact that we can play some role in keeping that legacy alive in the future is a dream scenario
the acquisition was made as a result of a donation from laura and ed littlefield of the sage foundation terms of the deal were not announced but mr strachwitz said that the littlefields essentially bought the label and donated it to smithsonian folkways a 40 percent share of the label was held by tom diamant mr strachwitzs longtime business partner
mr strachwitz born in germany to an aristocratic family came to the united states after world war ii in the 1950s he joined the loose network of collectors and sleuths who tracked down and recorded folk and blues musicians who had made their first recordings decades before arhoolies first release was by mance lipscomb a blues singer and guitarist whom mr strachwitz and his fellow researcher mack mccormick located in texas
partly inspired by folkways the label run by moses asch that released records by lead belly woody guthrie and the landmark 1952 anthology of american folk music mr strachwitz took a scholarly approach to releasing records the smithsonian acquired folkways in 1987 a year after aschs death and in an interview this week mr strachwitz said that it was mr asch who once gave him advice about setting up his legacy
it was the late moe asch of folkways records who told me chris when you kick the bucket youve got to think about what youre going to with all your stuff mr strachwitz recalled
over the years mr strachwitz has also built a voluminous collection of old records and other memorabilia like ethnic record label catalogs pieces of which can be viewed on the website for the arhoolie foundation a separate organization whose advisory board includes figures like mr dylan bonnie raitt and t bone burnett that material is not included in the acquisition nor mr strachwitz said are the music publishing rights that he controls


lebron james never did it neither did magic johnson or larry bird or wilt chamberlain and bill russell even michael jordan never did it
but on tuesday stephen curry did after a record breaking season he became the first player in nba history to be elected most valuable player by a unanimous vote
curry revolutionized the game this season pouring in a record shattering 402 3 point shots while leading the golden state warriors to an all time best 73 9 record he heralded his selection by coming back from injury on monday night with 40 points including 17 in overtime in a win against the trailblazers
all 131 voters chose him as the mvp kawhi leonard of the spurs placed second and james of the cavaliers placed third based on second  and third place votes
before curry two players james and shaquille oneal came within a single vote of the elusive unanimous mvp
in 2013 in his third season in miami james led the heat to a 66 16 record he got 120 votes but one voter opted for carmelo anthony of the knicks who had led the league in scoring
in 2000 oneals only mvp title came within a whisker of being unanimous his lakers were 67 15 and he led the league in scoring he also took the support of 120 voters with one opting instead for allen iverson
the only one of jordans five mvps that was especially close to unanimity came in 1996 when four votes went elsewhere one each to hakeem olajuwon and karl malone and two to anfernee hardaway
last season when curry had only 286 3 pointers he got 100 of 130 votes with 25 seeing james harden as more valuable and five choosing james
other sports have varied mvp voting systems some of which have changed over time so direct comparisons are a little unfair still 17 baseball players have won unanimous selection including bryce harper last season tom brady was a unanimous pick for the associated presss nfl mvp in 2010
in 1982 wayne gretzky became the nhls only unanimous mvp getting all 63 votes its a tougher task now as more than 150 voters currently cast ballots
no one has ever unanimously won a heisman trophy which has a large number of voters in 2014 the highly lauded marcus mariota received 788 first place votes but wide receiver amari cooper of alabama received 49 and running back melvin gordon of wisconsin 37
it is possible that some nba mvp voters have been until now reluctant to anoint any athlete as a unanimous choice for fear of singling out that player as the greatest it is commonly assumed that when superstars fall short of unanimity for the baseball hall of fame as ken griffey jr did this year by three votes it is because some voters while considering them worthy of the honor do not want them to be the first ever unanimous choice
the shortage of unanimous votes can perhaps also be chalked up to simple contrarianism the same instinct that props up fringe third party candidates and assures that even the most uncontroversial assertions get no more than 99 percent in public opinion polls
that instinct goes back at least as far as the early days of the american republic in 1820 james monroe ran more or less unopposed for re election to the presidency carried every state and was expected to be a unanimous choice in the electoral college but one elector william plumer of new hampshire decided to vote for his friend john quincy adams instead
his vote excited much wonder and some censure at the time according to a 1857 biography by his son william jr it however created no surprise in those who knew him as it was the natural result of his general rule of independent action perhaps mr plumer would have been an anfernee hardaway fan
george washington remains the only unanimously elected president


these days he generally sits very quietly joe allen owner of the 46th street restaurant he uncharacteristically named for himself is unfailingly polite reluctantly conversational
d d allen the interior designer and his not exactly estranged wife said that whenever his friend al pacino walked into the restaurant which was often with the actors studio just blocks away hed nod at joe and joe would nod at him no talk just that
a lot of people considered joe to be dismissive but he just didnt want to bother anyone she said
the singer and dancer chita rivera whom mr allen was involved with in the 1970s said of him i would look up from wherever i was playing and see him sitting alone at a table watching me thats so romantic made me feel so good
and when we were dating he wrote me the most beautiful love letters a girl could ever hope to have he wrote me every single day when i was away doing chicago in philadelphia hes a fabulous guy to have a crush on only it was probably more than a crush
told that he is said to have a way with women mr allen said i dont think so
his signature restaurants are joe allen and orso and once he had seven of them in new york los angeles toronto london and paris when joe allen opened in paris in 1972 the international herald tribune proclaimed american hamburger has come to paris and ran a photo of him and his labrador retriever alice on the avenue des champs elysees
about the same time french vogue ran a three page spread on the restaurant orso in los angeles remained fabulous through the 1990s an essential luncheon spot for celebrities like mel brooks and johnny depp
nonetheless food does not appear to be a passion he doesnt know how to boil water said taylor lumia mr allens son from his first marriage theo faber lumia who died in 2009 had remarried and the couple adopted mr lumia and his sister julie lumia
mr allen disputes the non cooking allegation although not passionately an exaggeration i can cook eggs but i certainly dont find it enjoyable
he was lured into a restaurant career by neither cuisine nor a love of the business it was the glamour i guess thats what you could call it he said
born in jackson heights queens he was 12 when his father a middle manager for mobil oil died married at 19 mr allen was already divorced and out of the army by the late 1950s when he became such a habitue at p j clarkes that one of the owners said to him this is not going to end well you owe me money come work for me
he liked the idea especially since it meant working nights you could do nothing during the day except lie in bed and youre not doing anything wrong mr allen said
he was won over the day he showed up to begin his 5 pm shift after the lunch crowd had gone and before the dinner crowd arrived i walked into the back and three people were in the room marilyn monroe frank costello and hubert h humphrey each waiting for someone
diplomatically he added they werent together
for a few years he ran a bar on the upper east side then opened joe allen in 1965 his menu stressed familiarity and his gastronomic ambition was to make sure that certain dishes were prepared well
thats still the same the hamburger is thick juicy and not overwhelmed by an oversize bun as you take the last bite of your hamburger he said the bun should disintegrate in your mouth
the restaurant has wide ranging virtues including a certain classiness that comes with white tablecloths and cloth napkins elizabeth taylor and richard burton were regulars in the 60s and theater people still hang around often using the tables as impromptu offices and holding informal meetings during slow hours
then theres his gallery of broadway fiascos mr allen has brought infamy to flops lining the walls with framed posters of theatrical failures
the first was kelly a 1965 musical inspired by a man who claimed to have jumped off the brooklyn bridge and survived the show closed after opening night a major disaster
breakfast at tiffanys starring mary tyler moore and richard chamberlain was a debacle so profound that david merrick called it his bay of pigs the poster is among mr allens favorites strolling around the dining room youll find bette davis in miss moffat yul brynner in home sweet homer donald sutherland in lolita
i told him id kill him if i ever saw one of my posters on the wall ms rivera said
the restaurant remains new yorks premier theater district spot busiest at lunch before curtains rise and after the show and dependent on a good theater season for good profits whether we like it or not were joined at the hip to theater mr allen said the years the shows crash and burn we dont do well
the place turned 50 a year ago although new yorkers somehow missed the celebration so did i he said we had a lot of plans but decided the hell with it who cares
he has sold off or closed his out of town branches and is now the proprietor of three places all on 46th street the original joe allen orso serving italian food and bar centrale an eccentric dapper hideaway with a soundtrack that includes jimmy durante crooning ill be seeing you the three are clustered in what he refers to as his compound three adjoining brownstones that he owns in the oldest of restaurant traditions he lives above the store
restaurant row 46th street between eighth and ninth avenues on the fringe of broadway is conspicuously garish with low priced pre theater restaurants and hawkers stalking passers by
his little realm remains classic permanent serious the joe allen exterior is devoid of ornamentation bar centrales front door is nearly invisible and orsos facade is subdued though oddly japanese in appearance
he is 83 now hobbled by back problems and surgically repaired but never quite the same torn quadriceps tendons its another reason he sits im feeling old is what im feeling he said
he may drink a beer or a glass of wine though not much anymore he once gave up drinking for 14 years which ms allen said were his most productive although he wasnt fond of them i prefer a world with alcohol than without he said i dont understand how people get through this world without drinking
once he ran up to 40 miles a week mostly through central park ms allen said he was a great dancer and in his day a natty dresser who shopped at savile row
almost all lifestyle details come courtesy of her and other family members the restaurant business has no lack of loquacious owners eager to promote their food or themselves he is not among them
asked his role at his restaurants these days he said im pretty much retired they humor me and act like i have a job here but i dont do anything
asked to explain what chita rivera saw in him he said i really dont know i bore myself imagine what i do to other people
his success with women is not easily explained on one of his first dates with ms allen he took her to his local gym operated by nicholas kounovsky who introduced european style gymnastics to america
i was horrified having to watch joe and roy scheider hanging from parallel bars she said recalling the date i barely knew how to put on my sneakers he loved it and thought i would love it i think i went home and cried
and yet she said not outwardly but still he is one of the most romantic people i know i have a stack of valentine poems he sent me every year since i first met him he still sends them every year
d d is the love of his life said ms lumia his daughter ive never seen two people who dont live together have such a great relationship
it keeps coming up despite his persistent denials that women adore him ms rivera and ms allen see suggestions of humphrey bogart hes a quiet sexy man ms rivera said and you can put man in capital letters
ms allen added when i look at casablanca i see the same attitude i feel he was influenced by bogarts style he has a definite cynicism but hes not mean   more like a wiseguy
men have seen it too particularly the actor ken howard a close friend who died in march at the time mr howard was president of sag aftra the screen actors union which suggests that any comparison he made to a fabled movie star was done thoughtfully he really is casablanca mr howard said in an interview a few weeks before his death
mr lumia his son agreed im not the first to say this he said but its a little about resemblance a little about the screen persona
mr allens distinctive manner of pursuing relationships is best illustrated by his son rather than by his romantic entanglements from age 4 until 21 mr lumia had no contact with his father i never saw him never heard from him not one peep he said matter of factly he had no desire to get in touch with me
his sister concurs and said she thinks his total absence resulted mainly from her fathers belief that his former wife and her new husband wanted a life without him
then one day mr allen was contacted by his brother in law who asked if he would like to be reacquainted with his son he said yes
i think this was in 1974 or 1975 about when he was opening a joe allen in los angeles mr lumia said im in new mexico a starving student i got a letter from him there was a phone box on the corner near where i lived i wrote him said he should call the box at a specified time and id be waiting
they arranged to meet in los angeles we had no idea what the other looked like but there was immediate recognition mr lumia said thats how i got to meet him the first thing he did was take me to a sporting goods store and buy me a pair of basketball shoes then we played one on one i won i was thankful for that and i think he was too it was a way of feeling each other out
they became friends and eventually mr lumia started working for his father as did his sister she became head chef at orso in new york and mr lumia was the longtime manager of orso in los angeles but before that the father and son relationship had to survive yet another misadventure
mr allen took a house in amagansett ny one summer and he found his son a job at a bar where ms allen happened to be working as a waitress she and the son started dating they both moved in with mr allen mr lumia left for school his father started dating ms allen
it took a lot of explaining ill tell you that mr allen said
mr lumia remembers being somewhat confused somewhat dismayed he said why in gods name why this but the truth was that i had left was in wyoming and it was behind me but it was sort of unseemly
still the friendship endured we get along tremendously mr lumia said hes been a terrific father in terms of mentoring me and a terrific grandfather to my children hes just very guarded to those of us who love him its frustrating
his sister feels the same joes an enigma ms lumia said everyone knows hes loving and kind but he cannot expose an emotional side even he knows it its not a mystery
mr howard who said simply that he loved mr allen added the same caveat joe always was and describes himself as impossible not exactly reachable i once told him something heartfelt and personal very emotional he looked at me and said thats a sad tale
mr allens response to the nonstop analysis not being forthcoming isnt something i aspire to he said at some time youre just who you are
he had his loves   perhaps some of them women although much of his passion appeared to be reserved for the champion new york knicks of the early 1970s he is decidedly sentimental when recalling walt frazier and dave debusschere
one last thing about those bogie comparisons mr allen said they began when he was 14 and decades later he was able to consult lauren bacall who was married to bogart from 1945 until his death in 1957 i asked her do you think there is any validity to this resemblance to your ex husband
bacall never hesitated saying why would people have this idea youre nothing like him at all


newport vt   jo ann brooks grimaced as she looked out the window of her jewelry store in this tiny town in northern vermont near the canadian border across main street an entire block of shops and apartments was razed more than a year ago in the expectation of a new renaissance development that has yet to materialize in its place is a gaping hole with old concrete cellars
we call it little beirut ms brooks said it looks like it was bombed
the hole is a visual monument to the failed plans of two ambitious businessmen who vowed to revitalize this struggling region known as the northeast kingdom with an 850 million dream they promised the biggest economic development in vermont history they planned to finance it through a federal program that allows wealthy foreign citizens to invest 500000 in projects in distressed areas in return for green cards leading to permanent residency in the united states
instead the two have been accused of perpetrating the biggest fraud in vermont history   as well as in the history of that federal visa program known as eb 5
the businessmen ariel quiros and william stenger raised 350 million through the eb 5 program from hundreds of foreign investors from at least 74 countries the money was intended for an array of projects including a ski resort hotels and a biotech research firm instead according to a 52 count civil complaint filed last month by the federal securities and exchange commission and a 15 count civil complaint filed by the state of vermont they engineered a massive eight year fraudulent scheme in which they systematically looted millions of dollars out of the foreign investors
the complaints said the two used a ponzi like scheme to divert 200 million intended for future projects into a dizzying swirl of fraudulent accounts set up to try to keep earlier projects afloat some were completed others were not in addition mr quiros was accused of siphoning off 50 million for his personal use which included buying a luxury condominium in trump place new york
the sec said the two left a trail of debt their actions have jeopardized the immigration status of their investors who are already in the united states and have thrown into doubt the future of the visa program and they have left the promise of a revitalized newport unfulfilled having failed to rebuild the renaissance block on main street the biotech firm and a hotel marina and conference center
beyond that the states top officials including senators patrick j leahy and bernie sanders and gov peter shumlin supported and promoted the program mr leahy and mr shumlin have said they felt betrayed mr sanders has not commented
in court papers mr quiros 58 of key biscayne fla and mr stenger 66 of newport denied the allegations and in an interview mr stenger defended the work that has been finished like parts of a high end ski resort at nearby jay peak and expressed regret about what remains unfinished notably the biotech firm a federal court has appointed a receiver to take possession of all property and assets which he may sell off
the allegations against mr stenger particularly stung people here because they had known him for decades as a friend and civic minded neighbor he was not accused of siphoning money for his personal use but the sec said he extremely recklessly ceded control of investor funds to quiros and did almost nothing to manage investor money even when confronted with red flags of quiros misuse
in an email interview mr stenger said he could not discuss the specific allegations against him but in his most extensive comments yet on the situation he said he knew he had let people down
betrayal is a strong term and i understand the disappointment because im terribly disappointed not to be able to finish the work i started he said still he said the projects have generated 6500 direct and indirect jobs of the 10000 he promised for rural orleans county the poorest in the state he estimated that 650 of nearly 800 investors already have or would get their green cards
im terribly upset that some of these folks could be at risk he said adding that he was seeking to make them financially whole
he said his biggest heartbreak was the failure to build the biotech firm called anc bio which the sec said was nearly a complete fraud
the community of newport was fully supportive and i feel ive let them down mr stenger said
mr leahy a longtime stenger backer has been one of the biggest supporters of the eb 5 program seeing it as an important tool for economic development indeed it is working successfully in other projects in vermont but because of fraud in the program elsewhere he was already pushing for an overhaul now he says unless fundamental changes are made eb 5 will die and it should die
mr shumlin deflected questions about whether state officials by participating in the marketing campaign and not being skeptical sooner bore some responsibility for the fraud until 2014 one state agency was responsible for both promoting the eb 5 program and regulating it in addition according to vtdigger an online news organization mr shumlin accompanied the developers abroad to recruit investors and appeared in a promotional video for mr stenger in which he said the projects were audited though they were not mr shumlin has said that he misspoke regarding the audit and the video was taken down
there isnt a human being on this earth when you go through a disappointment like this that doesnt ask couldnt something have been done to find this sooner  mr shumlin said in an interview we all wish the answer were yes we all wish we got subpoena power to look at accounts earlier but there was no reason to believe that what the developers were representing wasnt true
but others say the state was lax in pursuing hints of trouble in part because officials trusted mr stenger and had high hopes that the development could stimulate the economy
michael gibson an eb 5 financial adviser based in florida with usadvisorsorg which specializes in risk analysis and due diligence on eb 5 investments shared emails with the new york times showing that he for one had raised questions with state officials as early as 2009
i didnt know there was a ponzi scheme or fraud mr gibson said but i had suspicions that they couldnt repay their initial investors and that they were taking investor money to pay for ongoing operations and everyone told me to bug off
many of the immigrant investors   about 400 of whom do not yet have permanent residency feel stranded financially and because they could face deportation one has already filed a class action suit
mohammed adil 49 an indian who runs a fashion retail company and who wanted his four daughters to be educated in the united states said he invested 550000 in jay peak in 2012
i thought if the government is giving out visas there must be checks and balances on this program he said now we have ended up in the soup our money is probably gone and our green card is in trouble
similarly felipe vieira 50 a financial analyst who moved his family to vermont from brazil in 2013 invested in townhouses at jay peak that are half finished his chief concern is staying in the united states
going back would feel like an enormous personal failure he said
even as they contemplate financial losses some investors said they might put more money into the unfinished projects creating at least 10 jobs is a condition of obtaining a green card
the investors dont want to liquidate they want these jobs to continue so they can get their green cards mr shumlin said noting that jay peak plans to stay open and pay its employees he added in two years this will look like a bump in the road to good jobs and great resorts


if youre playing a game of word association and someone mutters the phrase fried chicken it is probably unlikely that the next word you will blurt out is germany
but frank castronovo and frank falcinelli the two chefs behind prime meats a seven year old spot in carroll gardens brooklyn that specializes in carefully executed beer hall fare such as schnitzel sausage and spaetzle are determined to change your mental reflexes
for a few months now the germanish restaurant has been serving a 36 menu item identified only as crispy guinea hen unless you grew up in a region of the country settled by german immigrants you may be inclined to skip over that menu item doing so would be a mistake the dish a half bird that comes to the table crackly from hot oil and slathered with what the two men describe as a chicken skin caramel takes its place as a curveball rival to fried chicken contenders even those hailing from tennessee and south korea
the idea for the dish emerged last summer when mr castronovo took a family trip to berlin while there he asked people for restaurant recommendations he was urged to go to a place referred to simply as henne meaning hen and instructed to get the signature dish he did so the hen was out of this world he recalled i couldnt believe it i was like this has got to go on our menu
yet trying to replicate that berlin specialty turned out to be a challenge back in brooklyn the two franks spent weeks testing out different techniques and birds the simplest thing in the world sometimes takes the most work mr castronovo said
eventually they settled on a juicy guinea hen from dartagnan that is crisped up in a bath of oil without any batter or coating before being strafed as it comes out of the fryer with a rust colored spice mix that includes paprika cumin aleppo pepper and sugar the mix sticks to the bird going all melty and gooey on contact
some customers expressed a tang of puzzled resistance at first now they do not hesitate to order the hen and tear into it with their fingers regardless of its origins fried chicken always plays well with others as mr castronovo said it goes great with a beer and a bratwurst


miami   it was always miami beach a barrier island on the sun dappled atlantic that attracted the attention the glamorous notices the billions of dollars in real estate speculation
just four miles away on the mainland the sprawling metropolis of miami suffered for years in the comparison its scruffy downtown largely devoid of life after offices closed for the day and commuters fled to the suburbs inner city neighborhoods mired in poverty were far from investors radars
it was a ghost town with vacant parcels no residential areas no museums said alan r kleber managing director of the local office of jll an investment management company that specializes in commercial real estate it was a wasteland with an amazing view
miami long struggled to achieve the patina of prosperity even though glimmers appeared in the brickell neighborhood where condominium towers and office buildings proliferated and more recently in the design district with its elegant boutiques
now a wave of commercial and residential development in downtown miami and its periphery is altering the citys skyline and in providing options for those less affluent than the condo dwellers by the water it is challenging the long held perception that miami is not a place where a middle class person can live well and raise a family
its become dynamic and vibrant even for the naysayers mr kleber said of the last few years what youre seeing is the densification of a city right before your eyes were watching another manhattan being built
while such comparisons may be hyperbolic data show a significant increase in downtown residential properties   many of them rental apartments   in tandem with construction of multipurpose developments retail stores restaurants supermarkets a mass transit hub and cultural institutions
in a report published in february the citys downtown development authority said rental construction was very active with around 13000 units proposed or under construction rents downtown have risen 5 percent annually on average for the last three years
the building rush seeks to capitalize on a growing number of jobs in the citys business and financial sector which serves hundreds of banks private equity firms and hedge funds with its economy now on decidedly firm footing the miami area   with a balmy climate exotic surroundings and international flair   is an appealing place for companies from elsewhere especially latin america
over the next five years businesses in the city are expected to add almost 20000 office jobs the agency said estimating that some 385000 square feet of new office space are under development
much of that work force will shun living outside miami in large part because of the horrendous rush hour traffic the decidedly untrendy suburbs are often not even considered by new arrivals who want to be close to the barrier islands south beach neighborhood even if they cannot afford to live there
people want to be able to walk to work to restaurants or to the park said nitin motwani a developer of miami worldcenter a 2 billion 27 acre development that broke ground in march
the project being built on land assembled from some 50 parcels that mr motwani and his associates began buying at auction 12 years ago will include pedestrian only streets with stores and restaurants a hotel a 500 unit condominium tower and in other structures more than 1200 rental apartments aimed at moderate income professionals and families
the resident population of downtown has doubled since 2000 according to census figures compiled in 2010 and assessments since then by the development authority and an additional 40 percent or so of growth is predicted through 2019 the changes make miami fertile ground for the retail and services market the citys retail sector which generated almost 45 billion in revenue in 2014 will usher in 14 million square feet of new leasable space over the next three years the development agency said
that increase in downtown retail space will largely be driven by several mixed use projects under construction the report said besides worldcenter there is brickell city centre which will contain a half million square foot shopping mall condominium towers hotel rooms and office space and miami central station a train light rail and bus hub with stores and apartments
a big portion of the population wasnt being served said brian pearl a founder of global city development referring to everyday workers for whom low housing costs are a crucial consideration this summer mr pearls company plans to begin construction on a five story building with more than 200 apartments from studios to two bedroom apartments rents will be in the range of 1000 to 2000 a month
if you earn 60000 70000 a year you can afford to live there mr pearl said in an interview
mr pearls firm plans to close next month on another property where it expects to build about 260 rental apartments and 20000 square feet of retail space both sites are near parks
we want to create areas where people can have a community experience mr pearl said they can use the park the local retailers walk their dog
james w shindell who heads the real estate group at the law firm bilzin sumberg said that miami was becoming one of those gateway cities like san francisco new york or washington that attract human capital and while rents have been going up many professionals prefer to rent to stay flexible for their careers and enjoy features at new developments
while there is evidence of saturation in the market for high end condominiums developers see profit in redirecting their sights toward buyers in lower income brackets nir shoshani hopes to attract professionals aged 30 to 45 to a 500 unit condominium tower called canvas for which he broke ground in february the average unit will cost about 400000 he said and be just 860 square feet
for years there was little to attract outsiders to downtown except the american airlines arena the miami heats home court which opened in 1999 and the adrienne arsht center for the performing arts now a decade old in the last few years the perez art museum miami arrived and the patricia  philip frost museum of science is under construction and the wynwood arts district is now commanding such high prices that some artists and gallery owners are looking further afield to set up shop
adding to the renewal of downtown is a 13 million project to restore a half mile section of flagler street which long ago was the citys pre eminent urban thoroughfare but fell into decay in recent decades the plan inspired by the pedestrian only ramblas in barcelona spain is to transform the street with outdoor cafes wider sidewalks and valet parking the developer moishe mana has already invested more than 200 million in properties on and near flagler street
every year its becoming more like a city said michael a comras a developer whose optimism about miamis financial health led him last year to form a partnership that bought the cocowalk shopping complex in coconut grove for 875 million and the shops at sunset place a mall in south miami for 110 million both of which he plans to renovate
today the pie is getting bigger so when one area gets hot it doesnt suck the life out of the other ones mr comras said theres enough for everyone
not everyone here is as optimistic ezra katz the chief executive of aztec group a real estate investment banking firm said it would take several years to absorb the apartments and condominiums that have already been built or are in the pipeline he was concerned also that infrastructure improvements have not kept pace with development in the citys core
we have doubled the number of people living in the urban area but new roads transportation parking sidewalks and bridges havent appeared mr katz said we have set ourselves up for several years of congestion and traffic nightmares in and around downtown developers and government agencies saw the writing on the wall years ago and had the wherewithal to act but didnt now its too late


voters weary of the taunts and insults of the 2016 primary season may pine for a white house campaign about issues but the hillary clinton versus donald j trump showdown is almost sure to disappoint them it has quickly deteriorated into a scorched earth contest about personality and temperament with each side exploiting voters strong dislike of the other candidate
we have an explosive environment with two extremely negative candidates said ed goeas a republican pollster this is going to be a race to the bottom its who can drive up the negatives the most
mr trump accused mrs clinton over the weekend of abetting her husbands infidelities by seeking to tarnish his accusers he labeled her a nasty mean enabler
allies of the clinton campaign taunted mr trump as dangerous donald meant to raise fears of him gaining control of americas nuclear arsenal a charge soon to be echoed by more than 100 million in negative ads from a super pac that successfully tarnished the 2012 republican nominee mitt romney
the skirmishing threatens to mask the profound differences the candidates have on issues whether america should welcome or exclude illegal immigrants whether to secure peace by asserting power abroad or becoming a fortress at home whether washington mainly needs the kinks ironed out   or a dose of shock therapy
mrs clinton has vowed to stick to issues im not going to run an ugly race she said over the weekend
with polls showing that mrs clinton and mr trump the likely nominees are more unpopular than the candidates in any of the past 10 white house matchups their campaigns are exploiting their rivals perceived flaws to appeal to certain demographic groups to reshape the electoral college map
clinton allies for example see an opportunity to win the battleground state of north carolina because of mr trumps sharply unfavorable ratings with women
the trump campaign believes the number of white democratic voters who find mrs clinton untrustworthy could help tip ohio and pennsylvania into its column
this election is not going to be about issues its going to be a race about character and temperament between two of the most unpopular political candidates in history said steve schmidt who managed senator john mccains 2008 presidential race
even though mrs clinton and mr trump are among the best known people in america their unpopularity with the general electorate as shown in polls does not mean they cannot improve their images president obama in 2012 and george w bush in 2004 entered their re election races with higher unfavorable ratings than their opponents but ultimately won
the candidates selections of running mates the national conventions and especially the three presidential debates in september and october will offer broad new canvases on which to create impressions
mr trumps campaign manager corey lewandowski said the candidates approval ratings would improve as a wider universe of voters got to know him
look at the nationwide polls for mr trump right now his favorableunfavorables have continuously improved he said the more people that see and meet donald trump the better hes going to do
mr trump was viewed unfavorably by 57 percent of voters nationally in a cnnorc poll released this month down from 67 percent in march but he is still registering historic levels of unpopularity
mrs clinton was viewed unfavorably by 49 percent in the recent poll an improvement from 56 percent in march
democrats dislike trump and republicans dislike hillary but hillary is better liked among the democrats than trump is among the republicans said mr goeas who worked for an outside republican group opposed to mr trump but said he would now support him as the presumptive nominee
the first thing he needs to do is fix his problem with republicans mr goeas said the judgment on him has been passed on his personality not his position on issues
mr trumps efforts to unify his party got off to a perilous start last week with a former rival in the primary jeb bush saying he would not endorse him and the house speaker paul d ryan saying he was just not ready to back him
the support of republican leaders matters less to mr trump than that of regular voters in a year in which he has channeled grass roots fury at the establishment
but his effort to broaden support will soon face a barrage of negative television and web ads from a super pac backing mrs clinton which promises much tougher criticism than mr trumps republican rivals delivered
it would be a huge mistake to think weve had a real world litigation of any of these criticisms of trump said geoff garin a pollster for the group priorities usa action
the group plans 125 million worth of advertisements in the run up to election day they will run in seven battleground states emphasizing that mr trump has made his billions on the backs of others and has a temperament thats ill suited to keep america safe said a spokesman justin barasky
in some ways hillarys negatives are already baked in the cake and that is simply not the case with trump mr garin said virtually all of trumps negatives are the product of his bizarre conduct as opposed to any specific set of facts people have at their command about his record or what the course of a trump presidency is likely to be
mr trump has been foreshadowing attacks on mrs clintons temperament he is highlighting what he says is her lack of truthfulness about the 2012 attacks on americans in benghazi libya an issue reflected in the high number of voters who tell pollsters that she is untrustworthy
when they called her on benghazi she was sleeping folks mr trump told voters in indiana last week
the trump campaign is well aware that it needs to work to close a steep deficit with women and that for many independent women national security is the top issue women are looking for security in our country and they know im going to do the best job mr trump said in indiana
the clinton campaign foreshadowed last week that it would direct withering fire at mr trumps personality it released two web ads one using the words of his former republican rivals against him sample utterly amoral the other including a comment that he would be willing to use nuclear weapons against the islamic state even in europe
you have to have people imagine trump behind the desk in the oval office and have them be scared said dan pfeiffer a former senior adviser to mr obama
the electoral college map will dictate the terms of engagement mr trump is counting on his appeal to blue collar workers in the rust belt after he became virtually assured of the nomination last week he spoke of the carnage that trade deals wreaked on american manufacturing his campaign believes the issue will put the industrial states of michigan pennsylvania and wisconsin into play where no republican nominee has won since the 1980s
he has excited a base of people that have not been excited before mr lewandowski said
but mr trumps deep unpopularity with hispanic voters after labeling mexican migrants criminals and calling for a deportation force complicates his prospects in the swing states of colorado nevada new mexico and especially florida
a cbs news poll in april measured his unpopularity among hispanics at 82 percent
many hispanic voters see this as a watershed election where donald trump has put the good name of their community on the ballot mr garin said


the citadel announced on tuesday that it had denied a prospective student permission to wear a hijab with her uniform ending a nearly monthlong period of considering what would have been the first change to the 174 year old institutions uniforms
the citadels president lt gen john rosa said that while the college in charleston sc often arranged for transportation to religious services and made accommodations for prayer and diets based on religion it would stop short of changing the uniform he added that officials hoped the student would still attend
as the military college of south carolina the citadel has relied upon a highly effective educational model requiring all cadets to adopt a common uniform general rosa said uniformity is the cornerstone of this four year leader development model
but a spokesman for the family ibrahim hooper of the council on american islamic relations said tuesday that the student would not attend the college because she had been denied her religious rights
mr hooper who said he had spoken with the students father described her as heartbroken and in tears when she learned of the citadels decision which he said stood in opposition to past decisions by the military to accommodate religious dress
he also said all legal options were being considered and expressed confidence that the decision would be challenged in court we just cant leave an unconstitutional and frankly un american policy to stand he said
the family has declined to reveal the identity of the student and her home state mr hooper said
the commitment to uniformity has long been a foundation of institutions that are conduits to the united states military that commitment is being tested as americans engage in widespread cultural and religious debates questioning the status quo in hollywood politics and everyday life the men and women with roles in the armed forces are also getting caught up in the debate
the united states military academy at west point announced on tuesday that it would not discipline a group of 16 black female students who had raised their fists while posing for a photo in traditional dress gray uniform some though have criticized the women complaining that they had invoked a symbol of the black lives matter movement and sowed divisions in a military that relies on assimilation but others who were in touch with the students said the gesture was not political
these ladies werent raising their fist to say black panthers  mary tobin a west point graduate told the new york times they were raising it to say beyonce 
but a united states army captain who was allowed to wear a religious beard and turban while in uniform rejects the idea that uniformity upholds the militarys standards for discipline and safety
in the army people care how good you are at your job capt simratpal singh a sikh and a decorated officer told the new york times are you a leader do you work hard then having a turban and a beard doesnt change anything
the army announced in april that it had given captain singh permission to wear the beard and turban despite what the military had said was a need for uniformity and strict safety standards he had also filed a lawsuit against the defense department accusing it of religious discrimination after he was subjected to special helmet and gas mask testing
news of the students request at the citadel was reported by the washington post after nick pinelli a cadet wrote a lengthy post on facebook saying that the college would be promoting inequality if it allowed the student to wear a hijab
equality means the same set of rules for everyone mr pinelli wrote not different rules for different people it means accepting everyone and giving them the same tools to succeed as the rest


uber announced an agreement on tuesday with a prominent union to create an association for drivers in new york that would establish a forum for regular dialogue and afford them some limited benefits and protections   but that would stop short of unionization
the association which will be known as the independent drivers guild and will be affiliated with a regional branch of the international association of machinists and aerospace workers union is the first of its kind that uber has officially blessed although uber drivers have formed a number of unsanctioned groups in cities across the country
were happy to announce that weve successfully come to agreement with uber to represent the 35000 drivers using uber in new york city to enhance their earning ability and benefits said james conigliaro jr the guild founder and assistant director and general counsel at the international association of machinists district 15 which represents workers in the northeast
the agreement is ubers latest attempt to assuage mounting concerns from regulators and drivers groups about the companys labor model which treats drivers as independent contractors that model helps uber keep its labor costs low but it excludes drivers from coverage by most labor and employment laws such as those that require a minimum wage and overtime
that has spurred public disagreements and many drivers have organized in unofficial groups to gain more rights the prospect of unionization has loomed at times lawmakers in seattle voted last year to approve a bill allowing drivers for uber and other ride hailing apps to form unions
in response uber which is based in san francisco has been striking deals to tamp down the problems   with the proviso that the company be able to continue classifying its drivers as contractors and stop short of allowing drivers to unionize
last month for example uber reached a settlement in a prominent class action lawsuit with drivers who had contested their contractor status under the settlement the company agreed to pay as much as 100 million and put less pressure on drivers to accept all rides drivers will however continue as freelancers
uber faces other labor related hurdles along with lyft a competing ride hailing service the company this week withdrew operations from austin tex after losing a battle with the city council over the nature of its background checks for drivers
under the terms of the deal in new york which will be in effect for five years a group of drivers who are guild members will hold monthly meetings with uber management in the city where they can raise issues of concern
the drivers will be able to appeal decisions by uber to bar them from its platform and can have guild officials represent them in their appeals in addition they will be able to buy discounted legal services discounted life and disability insurance and discounted roadside help for problems they encounter while driving
yet unlike a traditional union which contractors typically cannot form guild members will not be able to bargain over a contract with the company that would stipulate fares benefits and protections uber will continue to determine most of these elements unilaterally albeit with more input from drivers
the machinists union has also indicated that for the duration of the five year agreement it will refrain from trying to unionize drivers from encouraging them to strike and from waging campaigns to have them recognized as employees rather than independent contractors
its important to have immediate assistance in the industry and this is the structure that provides that said mr conigliaro
he emphasized however that drivers did not waive any labor rights by joining the guild and that if uber drivers were found to be employees at any point during the agreement the union could try to unionize the drivers at their request
uber said the agreement would help smooth relationships with drivers whose frustrations have grown with recent fare cuts and policy changes 
communication is important said david plouffe ubers chief adviser on price cuts we havent always had the best forum to discuss and share data   how price cuts work what we see afterward
mr plouffe said that as a result of discussions with drivers in certain parts of the country uber had adopted a number of changes like a pilot program to charge riders when a driver has to wait for more than two minutes
with the agreement uber also wins an ally in its effort to change the new york state law that levies a nearly 9 percent tax on black car rides but that does not apply to taxis there is a 50 cent surcharge on yellow taxi trips uber says the law unfairly singles out parts of its service under the terms of the deal the machinists union will help uber lobby the state legislature to treat all hired vehicles equally
mr plouffe said the money likely to be saved from changing the law would flow to drivers bottom lines and some of it would be used to help set up a benefits fund that the guild would administer and whose scope it would determine among the potential new benefits is paid time off for drivers
uber was not seeking to replicate the guild idea outside new york which differs from other cities in that a much higher fraction of uber drivers use the platform full time or close to full time mr plouffe added
also on tuesday uber said the freelancers union which supports independent workers will advise the company on how to create portable benefits for its drivers and other gig economy workers
sara horowitz the groups founder and executive director praised the agreement as a bold step that would become part of a larger strategy for this new work force
the agreement drew a mixed reaction from drivers eric grant a veteran uber driver who recently served on a panel in seattle that heard appeals from fellow drivers who had been deactivated   part of a special pilot program in that city   said ubers new appeals program was a much needed change
one of the issues they have had in the past is that they deactivate people willy nilly without any appeals process mr grant said
others particularly those involved in competing attempts to organize uber drivers in new york were skeptical abdoul diallo who helped found an association of drivers in new york which is called the uber drivers network and claims about 5000 members said that the new organization sounded bogus and that the guild was no substitute for an actual union
mr diallo said deactivation was relatively far down the list of concerns for most drivers in his organization first and foremost price cuts and commissions matter most to drivers he said
the machinists union said no topic was off the table in the guilds discussions with uber including fares and commissions
mr diallos group meanwhile is encouraging drivers to sign cards that will allow the amalgamated transit union to represent them more than 5000 drivers have signed


the billionaire business tycoon donald j trump established a winning pattern in republican presidential primaries hed rip his rivals then take a softer tone after he had beaten them
i like everyone once its over he said last week
unfortunately for mr trump too many republicans have so far refused to reciprocate unless he can change their minds defections from within his own party will prevent him from ever becoming competitive in a general election against the leading democratic candidate hillary clinton
misgivings among republican leaders dominated mr trumps first week as his partys presumptive nominee house speaker paul d ryan the 2012 nominee mitt romney both the former presidents bush and the recent trump rival jeb bush have all declined to back him
but their objections merely represent symptoms of mr trumps potentially crippling ailment though he managed to knock out all his primary rivals he hasnt won over enough rank and file republicans to win in november
once the united states two political parties were ideologically diverse which allowed democratic or republican presidential nominees to offset defections by attracting like minded voters from the other side the modern era of polarization has largely erased that possibility leaving liberals almost exclusively democratic and conservatives almost exclusively republican
the result has been a sharp increase in internal cohesion from partisan voting in congress to rank and file behavior on election day exit polls from presidential contests tell the story
in 1976 a significant number of conservatives still called themselves democrats and many liberals called themselves republicans jimmy carter won the presidency that year with support from just 80 percent of fellow democrats since then except for the three way contest in which bill clinton defeated george hw bush and ross perot in 1992 no one has won the white house while doing so poorly with members of his own party
in the last four presidential elections republican nominees have drawn more than 90 percent of the votes from republicans each time the range for democrats has been from 87 percent al gore in 2000 to 93 percent president obama in 2012
in the most recent nbc newswall street journal survey mr trump drew only 72 percent support among republicans while mrs clinton drew 87 percent support among democrats that gap in party solidarity each drew 40 percent from independents left mrs clinton with a lead of 11 percentage points
the gap was equally stark when respondents evaluated the two candidates personally the survey found that 63 percent of democrats viewed mrs clinton favorably while 20 percent viewed her negatively republicans were split evenly on mr trump with 42 percent positive and 42 percent negative
most worrisome for the presumptive republican nominee 24 percent of republicans reported very negative views of him with 87 percent of democrats reporting negative views of him the opposition of one in four republicans would be impossible to overcome
so far mr trump has acted cavalier about discord in the party he blasted jeb bush senator lindsey graham and mr romney after they refused to back him
when mr ryan demurred mr trump said he wasnt ready to support the speakers agenda either he appeared to disavow two positions that appeal to free market conservatives like the speaker   opposition to a minimum wage increase and support for cutting the top rate of income tax paid by the most affluent americans
i am confident i can unite much of the republican party mr trump said last week in discussing the criticism from within his party but he added honestly there are some people i really dont want
his problem is that much isnt enough mr trumps candidacy gives every sign of galvanizing opposition from leading elements of the modern democratic coalition including millennials women hispanics blacks and college educated voters
as a leading figure in democratic politics for a quarter of a century whose husband presided over an economic boom mrs clinton remains broadly acceptable within her party to have a reasonable chance to win mr trump must bring together much more of his own


istanbul   turkish border guards have killed or injured more than a dozen syrian refugees as they tried to cross into turkey human rights watch said in a report issued on tuesday
the monitoring group said that turkish border guards had beaten and shot numerous syrian migrants during the months of march and april killing five people and wounding 14 others
while senior turkish officials claim they are welcoming syrian refugees with open borders and open arms their border guards are killing and beating them said gerry simpson senior refugee researcher at human rights watch firing at traumatized men women and children fleeing fighting and indiscriminate warfare is truly appalling
turkey which is host to three million syrian refugees and has spent billions of dollars caring for them vehemently denies the accusations ankara has always maintained that it has an open door policy toward migrants although thousands of refugees fleeing from the conflict in syria in recent months have become trapped at the border unable to pass into turkey
a government spokesman said tuesday that turkeys open door policy did not amount to open borders and that the country admitted refugees at designated points of entry when there is an imminent threat to their lives in other cases turkish aid organizations deliver humanitarian aid to communities and refugees camps on syrian soil the official said
a video that accompanied the human rights watch report showed refugees being beaten by what appeared to be border guards as well as the battered corpses of a man and a woman eyewitnesses identified the assailants as turkish soldiers the report said
the reports of abuse come weeks after european leaders praised turkey for its treatment of refugees last month donald tusk the president of the european council visited a refugee camp in southeastern turkey near the syrian border and said that turkey had shown an example for the whole world on how we should treat refugees
in march the european union reached a contentious deal with turkey to curb the flow of migrants into europe under the terms of the pact migrants who arrive in greece illegally will be sent back to turkey the european union will resettle a limited number of syrian refugees from turkey while pledging 68 billion to turkey to improve conditions for the migrants living there


monterchi italy   there wasnt much suspense when the monterchi city council recently considered the latest request to borrow the madonna del parto this tiny hilltop towns exquisite 15th century fresco the offer came from the capitoline museums in rome one of italys most prestigious settings for art
and the councils answer was no
no was also the response given to organizers of a current exhibition dedicated to piero della francesca the renaissance master who painted the madonna never mind that the organizers offered several hundred thousand euros just to rent the fresco for a few months   money the city council needed to help build a proper museum to display the artwork
we cannot lose possession of the madonna even for a minute said alfredo romanelli the mayor of monterchi anyone who wants to see the madonna has to come to monterchi
no one disputes that the madonna is a masterpiece of the renaissance what is disputed is almost everything else
for decades the madonna has been entangled in the type of distinctly italian bureaucratic standoff that can bend time as well as logic the contested issue is how and where the fresco should be displayed the roman catholic church is involved so is the ministry of culture there has been litigation there have been government committees there have been tv specials
what there has not been though is a conclusive accepted answer to a central question who owns the madonna
that is a problem said paola refice a government art historian who is a local point person on the dispute for the ministry of culture no one knows
situated among the medieval hilltop villages dotting the eastern boundary of tuscany monterchi is a quiet relic of about 2000 residents many of whom commute to jobs elsewhere or are pensioners the towns claim to any fame   and its sole source of tourism attracting about 30000 annual visitors   is the madonna which is displayed inside a retrofitted schoolhouse
it is not rare to find a renaissance or medieval madonna painted in the churches populating the small villages scattered throughout the valley but the madonna del parto is unique as a work of art as well as for the mystery that shrouds it della francesca now regarded as a titan of the renaissance is thought to have painted the fresco in the 1450s possibly in only seven days
yet no one knows who commissioned the work it was painted on a wall of an ancient church on a hill just outside monterchi that hill contained a natural spring famous in the pre christian era for a pagan fertility cult in which women came to drink the waters the catholics later built a church on the hill and maintained the fertility cult during the middle ages by dedicating the sanctuary to the madonna of the milk
della francescas madonna embraces this legacy depicting the virgin mary as visibly pregnant a controversial rendering for the era even so a few centuries passed without apparent incident then catholic prelates donated the church and its grounds to the town of monterchi in the 18th century so that the town could build a cemetery
mr romanelli the monterchi mayor said that this moment marked the citys ownership of the fresco and that townspeople have defended it zealously ever since when a group of nazis tried to take the fresco during world war ii women rang the church bells and the men rushed in from the fields bearing pitchforks
we defended it before mr romanelli said and we defend it now
in 1991 the madonna was removed from the church and taken to monterchi proper to be restored it was placed inside a schoolhouse built during the fascist era with the expectation that it would be returned to the church but that never happened as the schoolhouse became a small museum that brought in tourists
a decade passed
then in 2003 conflict broke out on two fronts first the local catholic diocese sued monterchi claiming ownership of the madonna and demanding it be returned to the church then monterchi city hall sued the ministry of culture after the ministry ordered its local office to draft a plan unrelated to the diocesan lawsuit to possibly return the fresco to its original locale
six years of tetchiness followed
finally in 2009 monterchi and the diocese struck a deal to end their litigation the fresco would be displayed in a convent across the street from the schoolhouse the diocese would donate the convent to the city a solution seemed in sight
six more years passed opinions differed over how the fresco would be displayed or how to pay for the costly renovations to convert the convent into a museum some art historians continued to argue that the madonna should be returned to where it was created yet the original church has since been reduced in size as the cemetery has steadily expanded
then in 2015 an italian court handed down a ruling on monterchis 2003 litigation against the ministry of culture it took 12 years said a rueful ms refice the ministry official the court ruled against moving the madonna back to the church the stars seemed aligned to use the convent
except
there is still plenty of distrust the mayor says church officials still have not signed important legal documents town officials remain suspicious that somehow the madonna will be snatched away
i have nothing to fight about with the people of monterchi archbishop riccardo fontana said nothing at all they want to keep their madonna and they can keep it
indeed no one is satisfied with the schoolhouse but no one seems capable of taking the next step renovating the convent could cost millions of euros monterchi might raise some of that money by loaning out the madonna to a major museum except city officials worry that doing so could bring a legal claim that would mean still more years in italian courts
ms refice said her office was amenable to the convent proposal but needed a concrete project plan with a budget archbishop fontana suggested crowdsourcing or seeking foreign investors mr romanelli said legalities must first be clarified
we are famous within tuscany because we have horrible relations with everybody else the archbishop joked about the region we are fighting always


american stocks surged to their biggest gain in two months on tuesday after the chinese government moved to stimulate its economy that gave a boost to energy chemicals and machinery companies
for months investors have worried about the state of chinas economy which is the worlds second largest after that of the united states the prospect of greater sales to china lifted companies that make basic building materials chemicals aircraft and building and mining equipment
the price of oil matched a six month high and companies that drill for oil and refine it also rose all 10 industrial sectors of the standard  poors 500 stock index finished higher
investors have been taking money out of stocks lately said bob doll chief equity strategist and senior portfolio manager at nuveen asset management its just another small step on the way of china attempting to address the issue he said this is a ray of sunshine which is needed
the sp 500 gained 2570 points or 13 percent to 208439 the nasdaq composite index rose 5967 points or 13 percent to 480988
the dow jones industrial average jumped 22244 points or 13 percent to 1792835
economic news from the united states was mixed the labor department said job openings in march rose by the largest amount in eight months but hiring slowed the agency said job openings grew 27 percent to about 58 million
amazons shares reached a nominal high after it started a self publishing video platform called video direct the move could make money for amazon and budding filmmakers in the way youtube has created a community of online celebrities amazon climbed 2332 or 34 percent to 70307
stocks overseas mostly traded higher japans benchmark nikkei 225 added 22 percent as the yen weakened a boon for the nations exporters the dollar rose to 10927 yen from 10838 yen the dollar has lost a bit of strength compared to the yen in recent months
germanys dax and britains ftse 100 both gained 07 percent and the cac 40 in france added 04 percent
bond yields were stable and the yield on the 10 year united states treasury note stayed at 175 percent the euro declined to 11367 from 11380
united states crude oil rose 122 or 28 percent to 4466 a barrel in new york the highest price in six months brent crude the benchmark for international oil prices gained 189 or 43 percent to 4552 a barrel in london
in other energy trading wholesale gasoline gained 4 cents or 3 percent to 149 a gallon natural gas rose 6 cents or 29 percent to 216 per 1000 cubic feet
gold fell 180 to 126480 an ounce


islamabad pakistan   after three years in captivity a son of a former pakistani prime minister was freed by afghan and united states security forces during a raid on qaeda militants in afghanistan officials said on tuesday
ali haider gilani 30 son of former prime minister yousaf raza gilani was kidnapped in may 2013 from a suburb of his hometown multan just days before general elections
the kidnapping came as a jolt to yousaf raza gilanis pakistan peoples party which along with the awami national party had faced threats from the taliban over their campaigns against the militants
afghan and american officials said on tuesday that united states special operations forces and afghan commandos had carried out a joint raid against militants in the district of giyan in paktika province that resulted in the recovery of mr gilani
brig gen charles cleveland the chief spokesman for united states and nato forces in afghanistan said the joint operation had targeted a qaeda camp we sensed there was a hostage also but that was not the purpose of the mission general cleveland said some of the individuals tried to flee and they were shot a total of four people the person who did not resist was gilani
pakistans ministry of foreign affairs said in a statement on tuesday that mohammad hanif atmar afghanistans national security adviser had called sartaj aziz the adviser on foreign affairs to pakistans prime minister to inform him about the recovery
afghan officials denied that such a contact had been made
mr gilani was campaigning for a provincial assembly seat in a suburb of multan on may 9 2013 when he was attacked by gunmen who shot and killed his personal secretary before kidnapping him two of his brothers who were running for seats in the national assembly withdrew from the elections after the kidnapping his father was dismissed as prime minister in 2012 by pakistans supreme court after he refused to open corruption cases against the president at the time asif ali zardari
the news of mr gilanis recovery was welcomed across pakistan and by the pakistan peoples party supporters of mr gilani gathered outside the gilani familys home in multan some dancing to drums during the celebration while others handed out sweets
in march shahbaz ali taseer the son of a prominent former governor was found in southwestern pakistan five years after militants kidnapped him
members of the gilani family said they were overjoyed
we are so ecstatic and relieved fiza gilani mr gilanis sister said by phone from the eastern city of lahore it was a terrible ordeal and all these years i and the whole family kept praying for the safe return of my brother today that day has finally arrived
it was not immediately clear when mr gilani was moved by his captors to afghanistan there has been speculation that he was being held in the pakistani tribal area of north waziristan until 2014 when the pakistani military conducted an offensive against militants there
family members said that last year he had made contact with the family calling from an afghan telephone number and urging them to cooperate with his captors who were demanding the release of several militants held in pakistani jails however we told them that it was not in our hands and we could not do anything about it fiza gilani said
on tuesday afternoon ali haider gilani spoke by phone with family members in pakistan from bagram airfield in afghanistan said ali musa gilani a brother he asked us to make his return quick he said


overtime is the ultimate crucible of basketball five tense minutes with the game potentially turning on every possession
stephen curry on monday scored more points in an overtime period than any other player in nba history and he did it in the playoffs after missing four games with a knee injury
the signs were not initially auspicious curry was 2 for 13 from 3 point range in regulation after coming off the bench and looked rusty
things improved late curry was 0 for his first 9 from distance but then hit a long 3 with four and a half minutes left and had some good assists in the fourth quarter he missed a running one hander that would have won it in regulation but warriors fans had reason to hope he would be back in form for overtime
heres what followed from curry who won his second consecutive mvp award on tuesday
426 remaining after a miss by cj mccollum for portland curry brings the ball up a pick by festus ezeli helps free him to drive for an easy 11 foot jump shot the warriors lead 113 111 but curry is far from done
320 al farouq aminu and mason plumlee had scored for portland and the warriors are down 3 that doesnt last long curry makes a 3 pointer from near the top of the key to tie it at 116 116
240 mccollum had put the blazers back on top harrison barnes misses but curry is right under the basket for a rebound and a quick put back to tie the score at 118 118 curry has averaged less than one offensive rebound a game throughout his career
220 draymond green steals the ball from damian lillard leading to an easy layup for curry the warriors take a lead they will not relinquish 120 118
151 the killer mccollum misses again and curry lopes down the court and bombs in a 26 foot pull up jumper for 3 at this point he has scored all 12 points for golden state in the overtime the score is 123 118
105 after making just two 3 pointers in regulation curry hits his third of the five minute overtime period a 25 footer with aminu in his face this time 128 120
the blazers owner paul allen had a little trouble believing it
52 seconds currys layup is blocked by lillard it is the only shot he misses in overtime the score remains 128 120
18 curry caps the record setting 17 point performance with two free throws 131 123 the previous record was held by gilbert arenas who had 16 in a 60 point effort in the regular season for the wizards against the lakers in 2006
final score monday night 132 125 and the warriors take a three games to one lead back to california curry finished with 40 points
even charles barkley was not sure what to say


is facebook two faced
the social network claims it is in the business of connecting people and things largely through powerful and supposedly impartial algorithms that focus on things like what other people are reading and talking about online as well as a users own interests
now however facebook is facing accusations of all too human censorship after a report on the website gizmodo said curators working for facebook suppressed news stories from typically conservative outlets because they didnt like the politics write john herrman and mike isaac
gizmodos story said a team of people assigned to post links and brief story descriptions to the facebook trending section suppressed stories about paul ryan mitt romney and conservative gatherings even though facebooks computers flagged these as popular items the site also said certain stories were inserted arbitrarily and stories about facebook itself were left off these decisions appear to have been at the whim of managers and differed depending on who was in charge
its not clear that there really is liberal bias inside facebook mr herrman and mr isaac report talking with other former employees on the trending desk who said left wing stories were also bounced despite qualifying for a ranking and the prime source in the gizmodo story is a self described conservative so maybe this is a story about conservative bias against liberal bias against conservative biased media as the kids say ugh
more important may be the fact that in facebooks algorithm driven world the scandal is happening in a corner where humans were in charge
the facebook employees also seem to have believed they were being observed gizmodo said in a different story so that they might someday be replaced by software to write the trending briefs that wouldnt be too surprising there is already software that writes sports and breaking disaster stories and facebook is good at revising algorithms and building products on a big scale
that means the outcome of this scandal regardless of whether bias is confirmed may well be more robo journalism as facebook strives to look impartial by letting computers do the work


what in the world offers you glimpses of what our journalists are observing around the globe let us know what you think whatintheworldnytimescom
the internet may never tire of cats but the people of ypres belgium sure did   to the point that they created a whole city celebration out of tossing cats to their death from a bell tower
the practice apparently dates from the middle ages when ypres a market town in flanders first prospered as a center of clothmaking the citys warehouses would fill with bales of imported wool waiting to be woven and bolts of finished cloth waiting to be sold at an annual fair
the warehouses drew mice and rats which would nest and breed prolifically in an environment like that to keep the vermin from chewing up the goods the story goes merchants would bring in a few hungry cats to hunt them but the hunters would multiply too and by the time of the fair each spring the place would be overrun with feral cats creating a nuisance of their own
in those crueler times hurling cats from a great height on what came to be known as cats wednesday was apparently seen in ypres as both a practical solution and a source of gruesome entertainment   the more so because popular superstitions linked cats to witchcraft and the devil according to a history posted online by the city in the middle ages many european towns dealt with feral cat problems in similarly inhumane ways but it was ypres that retained the bloody reputation
they dont throw live cats in ypres any more of course that stopped in 1817 after one lucky tabby reportedly landed unscathed and ran away as fast as it could but they still ring the bells on the cats day each year and in the 1930s the city brought back the old throwing tradition in a harmless way using stuffed toys and confetti
today the kattenstoet   the cat parade   is a big cultural festival held in ypres every three years with cat themed lectures music dance and theater as well as a grand procession to the bell tower to watch the plush toys plummet the next one is scheduled for may 13 2018


america has been here before
at the dawn of the 20th century the economy was already well into a fundamental transformation of the labor force as industry replaced farming and crafts as the primary source of new jobs the shift was painful spawning protest movements and political forces like progressivism but the united states emerged from the turmoil far more prosperous and powerful
notably the jobs of the new industrial economy were generally more productive and better paid than the jobs it left behind
the nation is well on its way through a second transition this time to a postindustrial economy with little factory work to be had even as industrial production has grown the economy has shed seven million manufacturing jobs since 1980 manufacturings share of employment has shrunk to 85 percent of nonfarm jobs from a peak of nearly 27 percent in 1920
for politicians on the campaign trail and in washington struggling to come up with a credible strategy to improve the fortunes of americas understandably angry working class that shift poses an unanswered question where will new better jobs come from
epochal transformations like these are complicated they are difficult to understand let alone manage and are driven not only by domestic forces but also by global dynamics over which american politicians have limited control during much of the 19th and 20th centuries government at multiple levels played an essential role in shaping the nations transition from farms and small towns to cities and factories it could do so again what has stopped it is not the lack of practical ideas but the encrusted ideological opposition to government activism of any kind
the construction jobs once fueled by the housing bubble that burst so violently in 2008 are unlikely to return anytime soon the jobs picking up the slack today are in retail sales or cleaning buildings paying little more than 26000 a year they are cashier positions paying 21000 or food prep jobs paying less than 20000
some growing occupations pay a decent wage registered nurses earn 71000 a year on average but these examples are the exception not the norm
though the decline of well paid working class jobs is often portrayed as the inevitable consequence of globalization and technological change it is in large part the result of a failure of government
an observation has recently popped up in the academic debate   in books such as concrete economics harvard business review press by j bradford delong and stephen cohen and in american amnesia simon and schuster by jacob s hacker and paul pierson they point out that for all our love of rugged individualism government played a large and underappreciated role in reshaping the american economy before   and it could do so again
start with high tariffs against imports imposed from the time of alexander hamilton to help foster americas industrial development then huge grants of land to build railways in the 19th century not only opened up the west they vastly increased productivity in agriculture from catalog retailing to centralized meatpacking the railways enabled innovations that spawned entire industries
the government also played a crucial role on the other side of this transformation bolstering workers human capital from the land grant college act of 1862 which created a network of public universities to the offer in the gi bill of rights to pay for the college education of veterans returning from world war ii the federal government invested aggressively in higher education
in the early decades of the 20th century local governments across the country poured money and resources into an impressive expansion of secondary education between 1910 and 1940 the high school graduation rate of american 18 year olds increased to 50 percent from 9 percent
finally the government directly created jobs   whether in the burst of infrastructure investment in the 1930s that gave us the hoover dam among other huge projects or the tenfold increase in federal spending from 1939 to 1945 as the government built up the military industrial complex to fight germany and japan
why american politics turned against this successful model of pragmatic policy making remains controversial perhaps it was the increasing footprint of money in politics which has given more clout to corporate interests lobbying for smaller government and lower taxes maybe desegregation led to increasing distrust in government by white voters perhaps it was the combination of a recession and high inflation of the 1970s which discredited interventionist government policies
in any event there is much the government could do
start with investment in the nations crumbling infrastructure lawrence summers once the top economic adviser to president obama never tires of repeating that this not only is urgently needed but is almost guaranteed to be profitable given rock bottom interest rates while it might not increase employment by tens of millions as these jobs tend to require high skills even a relatively small number of construction jobs would provide a needed economic boost
then there are health care and education critical sectors that are growing as a share of the economy and will provide many of the jobs of our future for both good and ill they are already deeply entwined with the government
to be sure that raises additional challenges republican governors refusing to expand medicaid for example but it also offers an opportunity for the government to shape through its power as a regulator and a contractor of private services the kinds of jobs these industries will offer
why not insist that home health aides acquire a certain set of skills and be paid accordingly
the huge issue going forward is are we going to care for the elderly with a bunch of minimum wage workers or people with a better certification offering better care for better pay asked lawrence f katz of harvard university there is a potential win win situation where workers and patients end up in better shape
similarly the government has enormous leverage to improve the quality of college education by tightening rules on for profit universities that feed from the trough of federal funds
a better path than funneling so much money to low quality for profits would probably be to help finance public universities and community colleges
not only would that improve the skills of american workers which are still considered among the poorest in the industrialized world but it would also probably improve the wages and working conditions of teachers
the good news is that the united states may have the best opportunity in decades to overcome its anti government political biases donald j trump the admittedly unusual republican standard bearer has publicly called for extensive public investment in infrastructure more orthodox republicans like the house speaker paul d ryan are also expressing interest in using government levers to tackle the lack of prospects for so many american workers
there are several levers available the federal government could try to rebuild a quality bureaucracy rather than subcontract so much of its work to expensive consultants and bottom end contractors that employ the cheapest workers available
it could invest more in research and development which has flatlined over the past several years
so whats holding us back the loss of a vision once shared across much of the ideological spectrum of what government can accomplish when it is allowed to do its job


washington   president obama will become the first sitting american president to visit hiroshima japan making a heavily symbolic stop this month at the site where the united states first used an atomic bomb at the end of world war ii
the visit which had been under consideration for most of mr obamas presidency could serve as a coda to the transformation in the relationship between japan and the united states from wartime enemies to the closest of allies but it also has the potential to open old wounds and it will take place in the shadow of a growing nuclear threat from north korea
both american and japanese officials sought to avoid any appearance that the visit would amount to an apology for the bombing which killed more than 100000 people
he will not revisit the decision to use the atomic bomb at the end of world war ii benjamin j rhodes mr obamas deputy national security adviser for strategic communication said in a post on medium instead he will offer a forward looking vision focused on our shared future
prime minister shinzo abe of japan has shown no signs of pressing for an apology he instead framed the may 27 visit as a chance to honor the dead and support the cause of nuclear disarmament
japan is the only country to be hit by a nuclear weapon and we have a responsibility to make sure that terrible experience is never repeated anywhere mr abe said
those goals are shared by mr obama who has made curbing the worlds stockpile of nuclear weapons and lowering the risks of nuclear attack signature issues of his presidency and they were important reasons he won the 2009 nobel peace prize
but while mr obama has spoken often of his hope for a world without nuclear weapons peace activists said he needed to pursue more concrete steps
we would like to see him take some action with this visit so that its not just empty words said paul kawika martin the senior director of policy and political affairs at peace action
mr obamas record on nonproliferation is mixed the new start agreement with russia ratified in 2010 limited the number of deployed strategic nuclear warheads to 1550 and under the 2015 deal with iran the government there surrendered nearly all of its nuclear material in addition mr obamas annual nuclear security summit meetings and other efforts succeeded in pulling bomb grade nuclear fuel out of countries like ukraine and chile
but the presidents push to modernize the american nuclear weapons stockpile by spending as much as 1 trillion over three decades could cause a new arms race as even mr obama has acknowledged and with north korea now believed to be able to mount a small nuclear warhead on missiles capable of hitting much of japan and south korea and with pakistan deploying small tactical nuclear weapons that are seen as vulnerable to theft or misuse the risks of a nuclear disaster may have actually worsened during his tenure
mr obamas condemning any future use of a nuclear weapon while at least implicitly supporting its past use in hiroshima and nagasaki will be a delicate rhetorical challenge
white house officials said that mr obama had no intention of questioning president harry s trumans decision to use a nuclear weapon
what i think the president does appreciate is that president truman made this decision for the right reasons said josh earnest the white house press secretary those reasons included a focus on the security of the united states and ending a terrible war he said
i think given the way that president truman approached this dilemma and given the outcome i think its hard to look back and second guess him too much mr earnest said
but such second guessing is in many ways the point of the 30 acre peace memorial park which mr obama will visit a spare granite archway stands between the skeletal dome of a onetime industrial exhibition hall located directly under the spot where the bomb exploded and a museum housing the charred belongings of victims and other evidence of devastation
the park offers a victims narrative illustrating in gut wrenching detail how more than 100000 people perished and thousands more were injured it provides few of the historical reasons for the bombing such as descriptions of the attack on pearl harbor the savagery of japans occupation of china or the extraordinary death toll of soldiers and civilians in the invasion of okinawa a short inscription on the parks memorial arch reads in part we shall not repeat the evil what exactly the evil was   the bombing or the conflict itself   and who is to blame are left unsaid
some historians say the bombings of hiroshima and nagasaki were unnecessary and even criminal while others argue that they saved american lives and those of hundreds of thousands of japanese civilians who would have perished in an american invasion older americans tend to view the bombings as necessary while younger ones see them as far more problematic
the japanese public has broadly welcomed the idea of a visit to hiroshima by mr obama even without an apology   something few believed would be forthcoming in an opinion survey published on tuesday before the decision was formally announced 70 percent of respondents told nhk japans national public broadcaster that they hoped the president would visit the city
complaints and demands for an apology were mostly confined to the angrier nationalistic fringes of twitter in japan
last month secretary of state john kerry became the highest ranking united states administration official ever to visit hiroshima during a diplomatic conclave intended to set the stage for the group of 7 meeting this month
sunao tsuboi 91 a leading antinuclear activist in hiroshima who was burned by the bomb blast on aug 6 1945 welcomed mr obamas visit which he said he hoped would project a broad antinuclear message
i was one of the first people who said obama should visit hiroshima he told nhk good for him for coming


brasilia   in a stunning twist in the effort to impeach president dilma rousseff of brazil the new speaker of the lower house of congress has changed his mind   less than 24 hours after announcing that he would try to annul his chambers decision to impeach her
brazilians awoke on tuesday to the news of the sudden about face by the speaker waldir maranhao who on monday was widely ridiculed and threatened with expulsion from his progressive party for trying to upend the impeachment process
mr maranhao said on monday that he would to try to annul the april 17 impeachment vote against the president citing concerns about procedural irregularities but in a decision made around midnight here and widely circulated in the early morning on tuesday mr maranhao told renan calheiros the head of the senate that he was revoking his earlier decision
the head spinning change of course was only the latest development in a political crisis that has mesmerized and bewildered latin americas most populous nation
the practical significance of the decision is that it improves the chances ms rousseff will be ousted this week
the senate which was already threatening to disregard mr maranhaos pronouncements is scheduled on wednesday to start voting on whether to remove ms rousseff from office and place her on trial over claims of budgetary manipulation ms rousseff is widely expected to lose that vote clearing the way for her to be replaced by vice president michel temer
the circuslike atmosphere in brazils congress   which has recently been marked by shouting matches protests inside the chamber and lawmakers spitting on one another   has provoked ire across the country
anyone who still lives with the idea that institutions are functioning is either a cynic or blind said josias de souza a prominent columnist
mr maranhao had taken the helm of brazils lower house as interim speaker just last week after the previous speaker eduardo cunha was forced to step down by the supreme court to face a trial on graft charges mr cunha who is accused of taking as much as 40 million in bribes had overseen the impeachment proceedings
but like dozens of other prominent politicians across the spectrum mr maranhao is grappling with claims that he pocketed bribes in the graft scheme surrounding petrobras the national oil company
ms rousseff is not accused of stealing for her own personal enrichment instead she faces accusations that she borrowed money from state banks to plug budget holes masking the depths of brazils economic troubles to bolster her re election prospects
last month the lower house voted to send ms rousseffs case to the senate by a wide margin   with 367 lawmakers voting for impeachment 137 voting against and seven abstaining
in a last ditch effort to prevent her from being ousted jose eduardo cardozo the solicitor general in ms rousseffs government said on tuesday that he was asking the supreme court to rule on whether the impeachment proceedings in the lower house were invalid
in his request before brazils highest court mr cardozo argued that mr cunha the deposed speaker of the house oversaw the proceedings as part of a strategy to shield himself from graft inquiries
it was unclear when the supreme court would rule on mr cardozos filing but some justices on the court have already signaled that they do not intend to interfere in a substantial way in the handling of the impeachment process in congress
even before mr maranhao reversed himself the senate leader mr calheiros had already vowed to go ahead with the senate vote on ms rousseffs removal on wednesday
the public backtracking by mr maranhao 60 raised questions about the lawmaker who is expected to be next in line for the presidency if ms rousseff is suspended for trial and the vice president takes the helm of the government this week
many political analysts are at a loss to explain mr maranhaos motivations some raised the possibility that his attempt to annul the impeachment vote was a last ditch effort by ms rousseff to prevent her ouster which now seems all but certain
mr maranhao hails from maranhao a state in northeast brazil that ranks among the poorest in brazil he was one of 10 children raised in poverty in a poor area of sao luis the state capital educated as a veterinarian he was the dean of a public university in his home state before winning a seat in congress in 2006 until his elevation to speaker last week he was a relatively obscure member of the chambers so called lower clergy as brazils less prominent federal lawmakers are called
mr maranhao voted against the impeachment of ms rousseff last month disobeying the guidance of his own progressive party and breaking with the stance of mr cunha the deposed speaker who had named mr maranhao as his deputy in that role mr maranhao had successfully maneuvered to prevent an ethics panel in the lower house from sanctioning mr cunha over claims of graft
various lawmakers said that they would now seek to have mr maranhao removed from his new post as speaker of the lower house but the effort seems to be fraught with uncertainty and bureaucratic hurdles even if his own party was to expel him from its ranks he might still be able to remain as speaker
either way the process could drag on for weeks a period during which mr maranhao could seek to prolong his stay as speaker by appealing any decision to remove him to brazils supreme court legal scholars said


taiz yemen   the familiar thud of shelling echoed off the mountains that cradle this besieged and ravaged city for a few terrifying minutes a warplane circled over neighborhoods and humming afternoon markets before dropping a bomb that momentarily silenced the guns
but the fighting never stops for long in taiz or across yemen for that matter a country that has endured 14 months of shattering civil war
yemens government and its main opponents the houthi rebels have been negotiating for weeks to end the conflict under intense pressure from the united states and from other western nations alarmed that al qaedas local affiliate al qaeda in the arabian peninsula is gaining recruits weapons and money in the midst of the countrys collapse
a frenzied escalation of violence over the last few days is threatening a nationwide cease fire that was supposed to build confidence for the talks the bloodshed has laid bare the furious rivalries   between aging warlords tribes islamist groups and regional powers   that are making yemens hostilities almost impossible to stop
even if the negotiations somehow succeed yemenis scarred by the vicious fighting past broken promises and deepening divisions say they fear that any truce would just be a prelude to an even uglier war fought between regions religious sects   even neighbors
people have feelings of revenge said mohamed nagy whose house is on a hill less than a mile from one of the front lines in taiz a city that residents boasted was a beacon of culture and intellectual life in yemen before it was transformed into one of the countrys deadliest battlefields
the reconstruction of souls by both sides will take a long time mr nagy said
the disagreements extend to who started the conflict fighting began in early 2015 when the houthis drove yemens government led by president abdu rabbu mansour hadi from sana the capital the crisis quickly escalated into a multisided war
a saudi led military coalition is bombing the houthis a shiite led movement that the saudis claim is in league with iran military units loyal to yemens deposed autocratic leader ali abdullah saleh mr hadis predecessor are fighting alongside the houthis other factions in the country including southern separatists powerful tribes and islamist groups have also taken sides
the united states is becoming more deeply involved in the fighting the obama administration has provided military support and intelligence to the saudi led coalition and in the past few weeks it has sent a dozen or so special operations force members to yemen to help fight al qaeda
al qaeda in the arabian peninsula faced little resistance from the saudi led coalition for most of the war the militants held territory across southern yemen until the united arab emirates recently launched an offensive to dislodge them
negotiations to end the conflict in yemen started only after tens of thousands of people had been killed or injured and millions displaced from their homes the front lines have also hardened sketching violent new borders on yemens map
the most vexing and polarizing battle has been for taiz one of the countrys largest cities and a strategic gateway between northern and southern yemen the houthis and their pro saleh allies have encircled the city for a year fighting a coalition of mostly local groups including ultraconservative sunni groups and al qaeda fighters known collectively as the resistance
various cease fire initiatives have repeatedly failed to separate the warring parties the nature of the confrontation   with both sides accused of carrying out atrocities against civilians   has served as a dire warning about the perils facing yemen as the war drags on
the houthis and pro saleh forces have shelled neighborhoods from their positions in the hills and on the citys outskirts while severely limiting the flow of essential goods including medicines to the city resistance snipers have shot civilians in houthi controlled areas and carried out summary killings and kidnappings according to human rights workers in taiz
houthi officials recently allowed reporters a rare visit to taiz but only to a section that they controlled called houban the visible damage there mostly from airstrikes is spare compared with the city center but the trauma   among the people who fled the shelling to find shelter in the yards of benevolent landlords or the medical workers tending to the conflicts victims while still haunted by the destruction of their own homes   was unmistakable
hisham maged a nurse working in a hospital in houban operated by doctors without borders said most of his friends had fled the city or been killed
some died in their homes he said some in the street
as he tallied the destruction to taiz an ancient city vanishing under artillery shelling and airstrikes he singled out the damage to a library a particularly senseless target of the war
it is so strange so dangerous he said
many said it would take international peacekeepers to separate the combatants politics was hampering any solution as well as the proliferation of armed groups said bashir fadel a driver with doctors without borders
to go back to normal will take a long time he said there are weapons everywhere   guns with young and old
yemens violence stretches from the southern port city of aden where shadowy militant groups have carried out assassinations and bombings to yemens northern border with saudi arabia the site of repeated clashes between the houthis and saudi troops
sana controlled by the houthis endured months of airstrikes that have subsided for now but the planes from the saudi led coalition still hover testing the nerves of residents and sending them scurrying around the city tending to lifes necessities before the bombing starts again
the residents of sana do not lack for reminders of the raids
caved in buildings like the home of the judge who was killed in an airstrike along with at least six members of his family are preserved like shrines with armed guards standing outside ready to narrate the tragic tales
lampposts are decorated with posters in shades of green depicting the conflicts martyrs some children some soldiers the names too numerous to count
displaced people clog sanas traffic intersections jostling with vendors of window wipers or sesame cakes and asking passing drivers and sometimes even one another to spare some change
everyone is bruised by the war
abdelsalam ali a student at sana university said fighting had destroyed his house in taiz several months ago a sister was injured and is still hospitalized he said his father had a heart attack when the house was hit it took him 40 years to build mr ali said
we have to cling to a little bit of hope he said of the possibility of a peace deal
but his friend maknoun ali disagreed the yemeni elites are taking charge it will be the same conflict they are fighting for their own interests and not for the nation
the houthis days as rulers of sana may be numbered if negotiations to form an interim government succeed but like sanas residents the rebels are moving frantically to ensure their legacy and their continued survival
to rally their followers they have blanketed sana with portraits of the groups founder hussein badreddin al houthi with a zeal that has brought derision even from members houthi leaders extol their   arguably pyrrhic   victory the survival of the movement after a withering bombing campaign by the saudi led coalition that was among the deadliest and most indiscriminate in the regions recent history causing a majority of the more than 6000 civilian deaths during the war
as the rebels send text messages to the public appealing for money the young men they mobilized for the war dismiss talk of peace deals mohamed khalid al sokkari 19 said he had recently returned from fighting against the yemeni government and its allies in marib province east of the capital branding his opponents as al qaeda mercenaries and other traitors of the nation
the other side was responsible for breaches of the cease fire he said adding we wont reach a deal with them
the war he said has yet to start


sadiq khan who was elected mayor of london on thursday the first muslim to hold the job lashed out on monday at donald j trump the presumptive republican nominee for president saying that mr trumps inflammatory remarks about islam could threaten security in britain and the united states
trumps ignorant view of islam could make both our countries less safe mr khan wrote on twitter on tuesday morning it risks alienating mainstream muslims london has proved him wrong
on monday mr trump told the new york times that there will always be exceptions when asked how his proposal to bar muslims from entering the united states would affect people like mr khan
i was happy to see that mr trump said of mr khans election i think its a very good thing and i hope he does a very good job because frankly that would be very very good
asked why mr trump said because i think if he does a great job it will really   you lead by example always lead by example if he does a good job and frankly if he does a great job that would be a terrific thing
mr trump has been criticized for his proposed ban which he announced soon after the terrorist attacks in and around paris in november that killed 130 people
in an interview with time magazine published on monday mr khan criticized mr trumps approach to muslims and said he planned to visit the united states before the inauguration of the next president on jan 20
mr khan the son of working class immigrants from pakistan was a human rights lawyer and was elected to parliament as a labour member representing south london in 2005
in december when mr trump floated the idea of barring muslims from the united states mr khan called mr trumps comments divisive and outrageous and said i hope trump loses   badly mr trump has urged a total and complete shutdown of muslims entering the united states until political leaders can figure out what is going on with jihadist terrorism
in his interview with time mr khan said i want to go to america to meet with and engage with american mayors if donald trump becomes the president ill be stopped from going there by virtue of my faith which means i cant engage with american mayors and swap ideas
mr khan told the magazine he was confident that mr trump would not win the november election
conservative tacticians thought those sort of tactics would win london and they were wrong he said referring to the divisive mayoral campaign in london in which mr khans opponent zac goldsmith of the conservative party criticized mr khans past advocacy on behalf of criminal defendants including his opposition to the extradition of a man who was later convicted in the united states of supporting terrorism
mr goldsmith accused mr khan of giving platforms and oxygen and cover and excuses to extremists mr khan   who supports many things that are reviled by jihadists like same sex marriage   said any contact he had had with radicals had been only in the context of defending their human rights
mr khan told time that his election had been a victory for a more diverse understanding of what it meant to be british and he argued that it could contain an antidote to extremism
what i think the election showed was that actually there is no clash of civilization between islam and the west he said adding of jihadists what better antidote to the hatred they spew than someone like me being in this position
mr khan said that his success and the success of other british muslims   like the pop star zayn malik the olympic runner mo farah and the reality television star nadiya hussain who baked queen elizabeth iis 90th birthday cake   showed young people that you can be british muslim and successful


with donald trumps unfavorable ratings at record levels the republican partys prospects for taking back the white house already seem bleak but its chances may be even worse yet the doubts mr trump has raised during his primary campaign also undermine the strongest rationale for any republican candidate in this election the need for new leadership after eight years of democratic control of the white house
the emory university political scientist alan abramowitz highlights this factor in his time for a change forecasting model of presidential election outcomes when a party has held the white house for two or more terms he writes voters will be more likely to feel that it is time to give the opposing party an opportunity to govern than when a party has held the white house for only one term
mr abramowitz finds that the party in power performs approximately five percentage points worse in the popular vote after two or more terms in office in a model that controls for the current presidents approval rating and the state of the economy the sample size of post world war ii elections is very small but mr abramowitzs model dominates the field in its forecasting accuracy
both mr abramowitzs model and a similar one from the political scientists john sides michael tesler and lynn vavreck an upshot contributor would characterize republicans as the favorite in this election with an estimated probability of winning of approximately 60 percent as mr sides notes the gop edge is due in large part to the white houses greater tendency to change hands the longer the incumbent party has been there
but these forecasts are made based on simple models that do not include any information about the nominees and implicitly assume as mr abramowitz notes that the parties select mainstream candidates in contrast betting and prediction markets that take the likely party nominees into account put mr trumps chances of winning in november at approximately 25 percent
why then is mr trump looking so likely to underperform in november even his unfavorability ratings may not fully explain his diminished chances candidates who are initially not seen as personally likable can overcome those perceptions as bill clinton did in 1992 another time for a change election though mr trumps ratings are worse and he has been known for longer at the national level
for instance consider a counterfactual situation in which ted cruz mr trumps chief rival became the nominee mr cruz also had high unfavorable numbers before dropping out of the race but if he had won the gop nomination under normal circumstances most republicans would have probably rallied around him as they did around mitt romney in 2012 and the electorate would have eventually come to see him somewhat less negatively
in mr trumps case his reputation for irresponsibility and lack of political experience overshadow the time for a change message he frequently calls for new leadership   a message that would normally be the strongest gop appeal in an election year when the economy is not weak enough to be the focus of the oppositions campaign but instead of being a referendum on the incumbent partys failures this election seems likely to turn on how voters view mr trump himself many voters who might have been open to an alternative after eight years of president obama will instead ponder whether it is too risky to vote for mr trump especially after mrs clinton makes his qualifications the central message of her campaign
mr trump could still win but he will have to find some way to turn the focus back to mrs clinton and the democrats and to convince voters that the change in leadership he represents is desirable


when your on campus audience is more likely to look at the phone between classes than pick up a newspaper whats a student publication to do
for a steadily increasing number of student led papers the answer has been doing away with print
the cornell daily sun one of the countrys leading student newspapers announced on monday that it would decrease its print production to three days a week from five joining a growing list of college and professional newspapers forced to adapt to financial challenges and the changing habits of readers
in an email to alumni sun editors acknowledged that rocky finances contributed to the decision the newspaper had operated at a loss for seven years and was dipping into its rainy day fund the editors said
but on the newspapers website editors described the cutback as a chance to focus more on digital journalism
by freeing ourselves from the constraints of a daily print model we are pushing ourselves further to pursue top quality around the clock journalism the editors wrote
in a telephone interview sofia hu the newspapers editor said the time saved from not having to produce a print edition would be invested in developing multimedia stories and investigations and in training writers to produce the newspapers design and layout two news editors along with several other staffers would work daily from 6 pm to at least midnight she said
the staff meanwhile would race to post articles online as fast as possible during the day   and oh by the way also attend class and find time for their homework
our editors and writers are basically putting out two papers a day she said
for all that effort print circulation declined to 3000 a day from 5100 in 2011 ms hu said but the paper edition remains important she said the less frequent publications will focus more on in depth articles investigations and long magazine style articles
the cornell daily sun is far from alone in its decision in the professional ranks newspapers in new orleans syracuse and harrisburg pa are among those that no longer print daily editions the list of college newspapers that have reduced their print editions or moved online only is long including those at ohio university the university of georgia the university of missouri and columbia university
student newspapers operate under a variety of financial arrangements while some like the cornell daily sun are fully independent of the universities they cover others are fully or partly financed by the colleges
some newspapers are spurred to reduce print editions as a cost cutting measure but others are motivated by a belief that ditching print will produce a better digital product said kelley lash the president of the college media association an educational organization for student journalists and their advisers
most of the time even if it was driven by finances it forces innovation and thats not a bad thing she said adding that she predicted more schools were likely to cut back or drop print altogether
in case youre wondering the cornell daily sun will keep the word daily in its name
were probably going to be more daily than ever ms hu said


court delays in the bronx   so troublesome that state officials had to create special courts to clear a backlog of felony cases   remain unresolved and have fatally undermined the right to trial for tens of thousands of people charged each year with low level offenses according to a lawsuit filed on tuesday
the suit which was filed in federal district court in manhattan and seeks class action status depicts a broken system in which hundreds of people arrive each morning and wait for hours or even a day for perfunctory court appearances
defendants often end up having to return to court repeatedly before their cases are dismissed or go to trial according to the suit which was filed by two law firms and the bronx defenders which provides legal representation to poor people
robin steinberg the bronx defenders executive director said delays for people charged with misdemeanors   the lawsuits focus   had only gotten worse in recent years last year there were more than 45000 misdemeanor arraignments in the bronx according to court statistics cited in the suit ms steinberg said the misdemeanor cases accounted for the vast majority of the people entering the system
we see the impact of intractable delays on the lives of our clients every day she said in an interview they suffer financially and psychologically   losing wages missing school scrambling to find child care
the filing comes three years after the new york times published a series of articles on the delays in the bronx courts describing how a lack of resources and a culture of delay had crippled the system creating a huge backlog of cases that undermined a tenet of the american justice system the right to a speedy trial
as public outrage over the issue crested state court officials created the dedicated courts giving judges in those parts a mandate to produce more plea agreements and push felony cases to trial that effort had some success in ridding the calendar of older felonies and easing the backlog
last year jonathan lippman who was then new york states chief judge and mayor bill de blasio a democrat announced a second initiative to speed up the cases of hundreds of defendants jailed at rikers island for more than a year on felony charges special supreme court parts were created which are operated by experienced judges who apply pressure to prosecutors and defense lawyers to move cases along
yet delays have continued to plague the lower courts in the bronx which handle the misdemeanor cases such as trespassing turnstile jumping marijuana possession and minor assaults
the system more closely resembles punishment than due process the lawsuit said
because people are not scheduled for specific times in court they may have to take off an entire day from work the suit says and when they finally go before a judge their appearance may last just a few minutes before the case is postponed to another date
defendants charged with misdemeanors in the bronx regularly see their cases languish far past the 60  and 90 day speedy trial limits set down in state law for various low level offenses because delays caused by the courts crowded calendar rather than the district attorney are not counted toward the limit defendants who wish to go to trial must often wait years and sometimes never get their day in court a 2013 study showed
the delays are caused by a shortage of judges court officers and court reporters that keep trial parts idle and locked the lawsuit said misdemeanor defendants must wait on average 642 days for a bench trial and 827 days for a jury trial in the bronx far longer than in new york citys other boroughs according to the lawsuit it noted that over 500 misdemeanor cases had been pending for more than two years
in one case a 40 year old single mother was charged in 2012 with a count of misdemeanor assault it was not until november 2015   1166 days after her initial arraignment   that she received an adjournment in contemplation of dismissal a disposition that requires no admission of guilt according to the lawsuit
another man joseph bermudez a 36 year old bronx resident was arrested in 2012 on suspicion of drunken driving the lawsuit says he received a bench trial in december 2015   1255 days after his initial arraignment   and was acquitted the suit says in a phone interview mr bermudez a warehouse manager at an appliance company said he had to use overtime as well as vacation days and personal and sick leave to attend many of the court appearances
the defendants named in the lawsuit are gov andrew m cuomo the states chief judge janet difiore and lawrence k marks the court systems chief administrative judge the private firms that are helping to represent the plaintiffs are emery celli brinckerhoff  abady and morrison  foerster
lucian chalfen a spokesman for judge difiore who took office in january declined to comment on the specifics of the lawsuit but acknowledged that chronic delays in bronx courts were a troubling phenomenon one the judge highlighted in her first policy speech
the issue of case backlogs and delays in the state courts particularly in the bronx are an absolute top priority and from her first day have been directly addressed by the new chief judge mr chalfen said she and senior court administrators are actively engaged in working on resolving the problem to the expectations and standards that we expect from the state court system
a spokesman for mr cuomo a democrat said the complaint was under review
the lawsuit seeks reforms not damages ms steinberg cited ideas such as excusing all defendants from having to appear for every court hearing allocating more judges and court staff to the bronx and creating flexible appearance times including in the evening
clearly there are things that can be done immediately to lessen the burden on people she said
councilman rory i lancman a queens democrat led oversight hearings in february on the delays in the citys criminal courts mr lancman said a shortage of judges court officers and courtrooms were the major reasons for the backlogs not just in the bronx but across the city
mr lancman said mr de blasio had the power under state law to appoint 107 criminal court judges and had filled all but a few of those positions still he said only about half of those judges currently serve in the criminal courts because state administrators have transferred them to hear felony cases about two dozen civil judges have also been shifted to hear criminal cases
there are just not enough judges mr lancman said the office of court administration is doing its best to shuffle the deck chairs on the titanic but its still the titanic


beijing   a labor arbitration panel in the southwestern chinese province of guizhou ruled on tuesday against a transgender man the plaintiff and his lawyer said in what has been described as the countrys first transgender job discrimination case
the plaintiff 28 who has been identified in chinese state news media only as mr c and has declined to provide his real name out of privacy concerns was born a woman but has said he considered himself a man and has worn mens clothes since college he filed his case in march with a labor arbitration committee in guiyang the provincial capital after the ciming health checkup center dismissed him last year after a brief probation period on the grounds that he dressed like a gay man and would strike customers as unhealthy mr c quoted a human resources manager as saying in an earlier interview
the panel ordered the company to pay mr c 40230 renminbi about 61 as mr cs wage for his one week probation period and rejected his demand for an additional months pay about 2000 renminbi as compensation and a written apology mr cs lawyer huang sha said in a telephone interview
in a text message mr c said he was disappointed by the ruling and would file a court case soon
although i got the wage but that wasnt what i have wanted at all he said in the process of this case i learned that discrimination against gender expression and transgender individuals is even more serious than i imagined i hope the law wouldnt keep supporting discrimination
mr huang said that the panel accepted the companys argument that it fired mr c because he was incompetent and said that the managers comments on mr cs appearance which mr c recorded did not represent the companys view
what im worried about the most is that the ruling has been a result of politics instead of arbitration mr huang said
a woman who answered the telephone tuesday afternoon at the office of jin yuping the ciming health checkup centers human resources manager said that ms jin had left work and would not be available for comment
the company which had said at the first hearing on april 11 that it had fired mr c because he was incompetent accused mr c at the second hearing on april 29 of missing work for a day and said that the decision to fire him was made jointly by the companys shareholders mr huang said mr c denied that he had been absent from his job
in late april after mr cs case and three others   one involving a woman and two cases involving hiv positive men who said they faced job discrimination 32 lawyers across 14 chinese provinces formed an anti labor discrimination lawyers group to provide legal assistance to individuals and companies
tingting shen a director of advocacy research and policy at asia catalyst an organization in new york that works with transgender people in china expressed regret over the ruling on tuesday saying chinas legal system failed to recognize the issue of discrimination against gender identity and gender expression in the workplace
still ms shen who is based in beijing called the case a landmark adding that mr cs courage would encourage more transgender people to stand up for their rights


people get hooked on cigarettes and enjoy them for that matter because of the nicotine buzz the nicotine doesnt give them cancer and lung disease though its the tar and other chemicals that do the real harm
a robust debate is going on among public health officials over whether electronic cigarettes or e cigarettes can alleviate the harms of smoking tobacco or whether they should be treated as negatively as conventional cigarettes in other countries such as britain officials are more in favor of e cigarettes encouraging smokers to switch from conventional to electronic
last week the food and drug administration issued new rules on e cigarettes banning their sale to anyone under 18 and requiring that adults under the age of 26 show a photo identification to buy them
electronic cigarettes carry the promise of delivering the nicotine without the dangerous additives the use of e cigarettes by youth has increased sharply in recent years in 2011 about 15 percent of high school students reported using them in the last month in 2014 more than 12 percent of students did that means that nearly 25 million american middle and high school students used them in the past month
the problem is that nicotine is generally considered less safe for children and adolescents than for adults poisoning is possible its thought that nicotine may interfere with brain development most worrisome its believed that becoming addicted to nicotine in any form makes smoking more likely later in life
e cigarettes are perceived to be less harmful than conventional cigarettes and they are thought to be useful aids to quitting these perceptions however are not always fully grounded in evidence
theres enough research about e cigarettes to have warranted a number of systematic reviews and meta analyses a 2014 study in the journal circulation analyzed the data from a number of angles for instance researchers found that the aerosol from e cigarettes was significantly lower in toxins than from conventional cigarettes although toxins could be detected those exposed secondhand were also at much lower risk from e cigarettes than from traditional ones though some risk might still exist
in other words we shouldnt believe that e cigarettes result in the inhalation of harmless water vapor but we can accept that they are most likely much safer than conventional cigarettes
another review published later that year came to somewhat similar conclusions and noted that at least a third of the scientific articles on the topic had authors with conflicts of interest it also reported that studies found worrisome compounds in the aerosol especially in the flavorings and propylene glycol which is often added as a humidifying agent the authors concluded that e cigarettes cant be deemed safe though they are less harmful than conventional cigarettes i conducted my own mini review a couple of years ago and came to the same conclusion
but public health officials believe that conventional cigarettes are one of the most significant public health threats and electronic cigarettes dont appear to be in the same league
many of them have argued that e cigarettes can help people to quit smoking cigarettes much as nicotine patches or gum do a 2015 study in plos one reviewed the evidence among 1242 smokers of e cigarettes 18 percent reported quitting conventional cigarettes for at least six months which was significantly better than those using placebos without nicotine in them e cigarette use was also associated with a reduction in the number of cigarettes smoked per day only two studies were randomized controlled trials however and they were of mixed quality
most important these studies could not compare the usefulness of e cigarettes for quitting against other measures like medications or nicotine replacement therapy its possible that those are more powerful
but others argue that e cigarettes may be a gateway to conventional cigarette use a meta analysis from early this year examined how people use both types of cigarettes it found that current smokers were significantly more likely to use e cigarettes and conventional cigarettes together this was even truer in adolescents where the use of e cigarettes does not discourage and may encourage conventional cigarette use
i admit to being conflicted here of course id rather no adolescents use either conventional or e cigarettes but i am somewhat swayed by the argument of e cigarettes for harm reduction
years ago pediatricians used to urge parents to quit smoking because of the health risk for their children then enterprising researchers showed that if smoking parents would just agree to smoke several yards away from their infant it could reduce hospitalization of infants in their first 18 months of life significantly now pediatricians still exhort parents to quit but they also talk about smoking outside away from babies we dont want to make the perfect the enemy of the good
and of course most pediatricians would encourage adolescents to use condoms if they have sex rather than preach abstinence only we recognize gray areas when it comes to discussing harm reduction
one question that few want to consider however is whether wed rather young people smoke conventional cigarettes or e cigarettes neither would be preferable but a recent study in the journal of health economics forces us to think about this dilemma
cigarette sales to minors have been dropping throughout the country for more than a decade but in the states that introduced bans on sales of e cigarettes to minors the decrease in conventional cigarette use slowed significantly in other words more children still smoke conventional cigarettes in states that banned e cigarettes than would be expected by looking at states without bans the study author argues that banning e cigarette sales to minors might increase teen smoking over all
the overall goal should be to get children and adolescents to quit all types of smoking banning sales of e cigarettes to minors may help achieve that goal but its also possible it may backfire


when jimmy kimmel asked hillary clinton in a late night tv interview about ufos she quickly corrected his terminology
you know theres a new name mrs clinton said in the march appearance its unexplained aerial phenomenon she said uap thats the latest nomenclature
known for her grasp of policy mrs clinton has spoken at length in her presidential campaign on topics as diverse as alzheimers research and military tensions in the south china sea but it is her unusual knowledge about extraterrestrials that has struck a small but committed cohort of voters
mrs clinton has vowed that barring any threats to national security she would open up government files on the subject a shift from president obama who typically dismisses the topic as a joke her position has elated ufo enthusiasts who have declared mrs clinton the first et candidate
hillary has embraced this issue with an absolutely unprecedented level of interest in american politics said joseph g buchman who has spent decades calling for government transparency about extraterrestrials
mrs clinton a cautious candidate who often bemoans being the subject of republican conspiracy theories has shown surprising ease plunging into the discussion of the possibility of extraterrestrial beings
she has said in recent interviews that as president she would release information about area 51 the remote air force base in nevada believed by some to be a secret hub where the government stores classified information about aliens and ufos
in a radio interview last month she said i want to open the files as much as we can asked if she believed in ufos mrs clinton said i dont know i want to see what the information shows but she added theres enough stories out there that i dont think everybody is just sitting in their kitchen making them up
when asked about extraterrestrials in an interview with the conway daily sun in new hampshire last year mrs clinton promised to get to the bottom of it
i think we may have been visited already she said in the interview we dont know for sure
while americans typically point to issues like the economy and terrorism as top priorities for the next president a desire for answers about aliens has inspired a passionate bloc of voters who make their voices heard on social media
stephen bassett who lobbies the government on extraterrestrial issues views a clinton presidency as a chance to finally get the united states to disclose all it knows about life beyond earth since november 2014 mr bassetts organization has sent roughly 25 million twitter messages to presidential candidates elected officials and the news media urging a serious discussion of the issue
that was a storm and now its like a steady drip mr bassett said
the movement viewed mrs clintons decision to correct mr kimmels use of the term ufo which some view as loaded and rooted more in science fiction than in science as a breakthrough because it suggested shed been briefed by someone and is not just being flippant mr buchman said
in fact mrs clinton had been briefed she was prepped by her campaign chairman john d podesta who is not only a well respected washington hand having served as a top adviser to mr obama and president bill clinton but also a crusader for the disclosure of government information on unexplained phenomena that could prove the existence of intelligent life outside earth
the time to pull back the curtain on the topic is long overdue mr podesta wrote in his foreword for the 2010 book ufos generals pilots and government officials go on the record by leslie kean an investigative journalist
mrs clintons position is not a political response to public sentiment   63 percent of americans do not believe in ufos according to an associated press poll but it reflects the decades of overlap between the rise to power of bill and hillary clinton and popular cultures obsession with the universes most mysterious questions
in 1996 mrs clinton was ridiculed after bob woodward reported in his book the choice that as first lady she had held discussions with her deceased role models eleanor roosevelt and mohandas k gandhi the tabloid weekly world news dreamed up sensational headlines about mrs clintons adopting an alien baby and having a ufo love nest
the clinton presidency also coincided with the hit television series the x files and movies like independence day which gave way to an era of fascination with the existence of aliens and the possibility of a government cover up
mr podesta an x files fanatic ran a fan club for the show in the clinton white house the x files fan club would like to invite you and mulder to lunch at the white house dont let the boss know he wrote in a 1998 email referring to the shows fictional fbi agent fox mulder according to white house documents in 1999 mr podesta had an x files themed 50th birthday party that the clintons attended
when mr podesta left the white house last year he posted on twitter finally my biggest failure of 2014 once again not securing the disclosure of the ufo files thetruthisstilloutthere
mr podesta declined to comment for this article
mrs clinton who speaks frequently about her childhood aspirations to be a nasa astronaut has been sympathetic to mr podestas efforts
in 1995 when she was photographed visiting laurance s rockefeller a billionaire philanthropist in jackson hole wyo she had tucked under her arm a copy of are we alone philosophical implications of the discovery of extraterrestrial life by paul davies
before that meeting john h gibbons the former director of the white house offices of science and technology policy had warned mrs clinton about mr rockefeller who had spent years pressuring the government to release files relating to a 1947 crash near roswell nm that had become the source of theories about a cover up of an alien spaceship
he will want to talk to you about his interest in extrasensory perception paranormal phenomena and ufos mr gibbons wrote
the meeting enthralled conspiracy theorists and in turn inspired hollywood writers
if you look at our mythology there are elements of those kinds of meetings chris carter the creator and executive producer of the x files said in an interview mr carter who is supporting mrs clinton added if i have to become a fund raiser to get an invite to her opening up the files ill do it
when mrs clinton started to talk openly about ufos and government disclosure in her 2016 campaign some activists traced the remarks back to the 1995 meeting with mr rockefeller
to this subset of americans who say the government is covering up what it knows about aliens and who are incredibly vocal on social media mrs clintons discussion of extraterrestrials signaled an important turn
other activists do not care as much about mrs clintons vow to open the files but do want prominent politicians to seriously acknowledge that humans may not be the only intelligent life in the universe a major victory some say would be for the candidates to be asked about the topic in a presidential debate
it shouldnt be a source of embarrassment to discuss it said christopher mellon a former intelligence official at the defense department and the senate intelligence committee we should be humble in terms of recognizing the extreme limits of our own understanding of physics and the universe


manila   as mayor of davao city in the southern philippines rodrigo duterte sometimes drove a taxi at night to see firsthand what was happening in his city on other occasions when his car got stuck in a traffic jam he would jump out and try to untangle the mess personally according to luzviminda ilagan a former member of davaos city council
mr duterte who is all but certain to be the philippines next president is known for a disregard for civil rights and made international headlines with off color remarks about subjects like rape but he also has a reputation for a hands on style of leadership one that has endeared him to many filipinos and helps to explain his success in the monday election
he is perceived as a very strong personality with ideas to put immediately into action said ms ilagan who has known mr duterte for more than 30 years he is willing to try anything new he is not afraid to be innovative and he is not afraid to go against the traditional way
with more than 92 percent of the votes counted tuesday mr duterte appeared to have an unbeatable lead in the presidential race unofficial returns showed him with nearly 39 percent of the vote putting him more than 15 percentage points ahead of his closest competitor
its with humility extreme humility that i accept this the mandate of the people the agence france presse news agency quoted mr duterte as saying early tuesday as the returns were coming in i feel a sense of gratitude to the filipino people
mr duterte visited his mothers grave and cried early tuesday according to video posted on youtube
both of mr dutertes top rivals former interior secretary mar roxas and senator grace poe had conceded by tuesday afternoon digong i wish you success mr roxas who had been polling in second place said tuesday referring to mr duterte by his nickname and acknowledging that he had won
senator poe who at one point had been leading in the polls conceded on monday night saying she had telephoned mr duterte to congratulate him i promise to join in the healing of our nation and to unify our countrymen for the sake of our countrys progress she said
in the philippines candidates for the highest offices need only a plurality to win and it is common for victors to receive less than 40 percent of the vote
during the campaign mr duterte touted his record in making davao safe from crime using extreme measures saying last year that his crime fighting strategy was kill them all if elected he said recently he would aggressively pursue those who break the law vowing to kill them himself and grant himself a presidential pardon
mr duterte has been accused of having ties to death squads that carried out extrajudicial killings in davao during one of his previous terms as mayor in the 1990s in a television interview during the presidential campaign he appeared to confirm his involvement in the killing of criminals in davao some in davao have praised his approach saying that the police in the city know that they have to do their jobs
at a campaign rally he made light of the rape and murder of an australian missionary during a 1989 prison riot in davao when mr duterte was mayor he later apologized
such language has offended many but mr dutertes blunt talk has also resonated with filipinos who have become tired of the more measured tones of president benigno s aquino iii
mr aquino who was barred by term limits from seeking re election has voiced alarm about the prospect of a duterte presidency saying it was tantamount to a return to the dictatorship of the ferdinand marcos years he had called on other candidates to unite to defeat mr duterte but none agreed
despite strong economic growth and resurgent foreign investment the philippines still has high levels of poverty and unemployment crumbling infrastructure and a raging war in the southern part of the country against insurgents and kidnap for ransom gangsfilipinos cast their ballots separately for president and vice president and in late counting on tuesday in the vice presidential race maria leonor robredo a member of the house of representatives had overtaken senator ferdinand marcos jr son of the former dictator by a slim margin
mr marcos known by his nickname bongbong was seeking a return to national prominence for the family name his father who was backed by the united states was forced from office by the people power movement in 1986 ms robredo was leading mr marcos by fewer than 200000 votes out of some 40 million cast
in the senate contest the retired boxer manny pacquiao was running eighth and appeared likely to win one of 12 open seats
mr dutertes spokesman peter lavina said at a news conference that the new president would attempt to change the constitution and shift power to the regions while trying to negotiate peace with rebel groups that have long battled the central government
ms ilagan the former davao city council member who also served in congress said she believed that mr dutertes willingness to be frank and spontaneous made him the kind of leader who could bring an end to the conflicts
he expresses what others are not able to say in polite society she said he is friendly and open to all sides which is exciting for his presidency


since the days when fiorello h la guardia was mayor and franklin d roosevelt was president it has been a well kept secret of new york city   to people if not to migrating birds the occasional wandering coyote and annoying invasive plants like wisteria a four acre peninsula in central park that the groundskeepers did not bother with and that was off limits to the public
officially anyway
now it is on its way to being less isolated not since the 1930s has it been open regularly now it will be   from 2 to 5 pm three days a week through june 30 and four days a week from july 1 to aug 31 with slightly different hours
the opening is the result of work done under the central park conservancys woodlands initiative a 40 million project that involved revitalizing areas of the 843 acre park including the promontory as the peninsula was originally known it received minimal maintenance even after it was renamed the hallett nature sanctuary in 1986 as the conservancy dealt with more prominent parts of the park but it remained fenced off
it still is but it has a new rustic gate and new pathways there is also a sanctuary within the sanctuary   benches at the top of the promontory   given by sima ghadamian a dealer in rare gems who has lived nearby for the last couple of years and her husband morad an investor and carpet importer and named for her parents mahrokh and iradj sakhai
the story is robert moses closed it off because he wanted it to turn into a bird sanctuary said douglas blonsky who as president and chief executive of the central park conservancy is the parks administrator moses became the parks commissioner in 1934
so yes the birds made the sanctuary a stop on their way north in the spring or south in the fall but the trees and plants that settled in were the wrong kind norway maples black cherries japanese knotgrasses   invasives all
wisteria was a huge problem too mr blonsky said in a woodland it will strangle everything and thats what was happening here the sanctuary on a big boulder made of manhattan schist was covered with wisteria he said leading the way to the sanctuary on wednesday he said some root systems remain embedded in the creases in the rock despite parks workers efforts to weed them out
mr blonsky said parks workers began the labor intensive process of clearing the sanctuary about 15 years ago it became a stop on tours for high school students with parks workers opening a gate but it was not open to the public although he said that homeless people often found a way in
ms ghadamian said she heard about the promontory after visiting a friend who had leukemia and soon died i thought im having such a hard time and i have a support system with family and friends she said i thought how hard it is to be in new york and not have that not have a place someone could go
the hallett sanctuary was supposed to be such a place but she said everything was so overgrown now with new pathways and benches she said its exactly how i think frederick olmsted wanted it
olmsted of course was with calvert vaux a designer of the park and to ms ghadamian he was an inspiring figure not only for the park but also for his other accomplishments including his work on the united states sanitary commission whose mission was to improve sanitation in the union armys camps during the civil war and thus the health of its soldiers
he got vegetables to soldiers and stopped scurvy ms ghadamian said he really saved so many lives to me as an immigrant that was how america does something special
ms ghadamian who was born in tehran arrived in new york in june 1978 her first memory of central park is from the following summer i said this cannot be a park and i never went back for maybe 15 years she recalled this looked nothing like parks in england where i had lived it was a dump it looked like a wasteland with needles   addicts even before the crack epidemic of the 1980s it was soulless she said
ms ghadamian and her husband now live in an apartment on fifth avenue that once belonged to nelson a rockefeller it looks over the park and they can see the sanctuary from their windows prompting a visitor to wonder why mr rockefeller who pushed for so many building projects when he was governor did not do something about the promontory
he probably never noticed it she said you could pass by there many many times and never know its there
the conservancy recently extended irrigation lines into the sanctuary so workers could water the area regularly workers also replaced the invasive plants they removed with native species   dutchmans breeches shooting stars and trillium among others
ms ghadamian said she left the planting to the conservancy for a reason
im not a good gardener at all she said


charleston wva   with west virginias economy battered by a coal industry in free fall senator bernie sanders of vermont is hoping that a strong showing in this states democratic primary on tuesday will keep him a force in the partys politics by showing that his message still resonates even though his rival hillary clinton has an almost insurmountable lead in delegates
as mrs clinton and mr sanders have campaigned here in recent weeks they have found frustrated voters who express the kinds of anxieties heard all across the country   only with a far greater degree of urgency and pain as they see their communities wither before their eyes
we just dont want to be forgotten said betty dolin who co owns a restaurant in danville about 20 miles southwest of charleston where customers tucked into hearty meals like meatloaf and country fried steak with gravy
she pointed out the empty tables that would once have been filled we cant have coal bring us something else she said and i dont mean job training a lot of these men are too old to train for another job
presidential primaries tend to bring attention to local issues as candidates move from state to state and as the candidates have come to west virginia to campaign coal has been no exception
these communities need help mr sanders said last week at a food bank in mcdowell county it is not the coal miners fault in terms of whats happening in this world
in some ways mr sanders is not a natural candidate to be courting the votes of coal miners he is outspoken on climate change and advocates moving away from fossil fuels but his message of economic fairness has been embraced by white working class voters
mr sanders has proposed legislation that would provide 41 billion to help coal and other fossil fuel workers and their communities offering support like financial assistance and job training
mrs clinton has her own 30 billion plan to help coal miners and their communities including a program to help school districts that are losing revenue
but what people here bring up is a comment she made about coal workers in march when she said during a televised forum were going to put a lot of coal miners and coal companies out of business she was talking about providing opportunity through clean energy and she emphasized that coal miners must not be left behind but the sound bite was a damning one
when mrs clinton visited mingo county last week she was met with chants of go home from protesters at a round table event bo copley a 39 year old father who had lost his job in the coal industry told her i just want to know how you can say youre going to put a lot of coal miners out of jobs and then come in here and tell us how youre going to be our friend
mrs clinton called her comment a misstatement and expressed regret but it offended voters in struggling coal communities and a candidate for west virginias supreme court even used it in a campaign ad
a lot of people that i know are laid off and you know that had to hurt the people said janet white 80 a librarian whose husband was a coal miner
with donald j trump having vanquished his two remaining primary opponents last week the republican contest here holds little significance but when mr trump campaigned in west virginia he found a receptive audience
at a rally in charleston last week he donned a hard hat given to him by an industry group that had endorsed him the west virginia coal association and mimicked shoveling coal my hair look ok he asked after taking the hat off
mr trump gushed about mining telling the crowd that he was fascinated by it and promising to revive the industry you watch what happens if i win were going to bring those miners back he said youre going to be so proud of your president he did not explain how he would go about doing that
the signs of the states economic distress are all over particularly in areas known for coal production like boone county south of charleston in the window of a barbershop and beauty salon in madison is a yellow sign we support coal and those who mine it
but inside barbara bias had no customers the wives of coal miners used to come in with money to spend she said not anymore
boone county used to be booming and now theres nothing she said this is a ghost town because when the coal goes out it hurts all of us
in the last quarter of 2011 west virginia had about 24700 coal mining jobs by the last quarter of 2015 that number had fallen to about 14500 a decline of more than 40 percent according to an analysis by sp global market intelligence
the industry has suffered because of a combination of factors and a slew of coal companies have filed for bankruptcy protection
the rise of hydraulic fracturing has caused a boom in natural gas production driving down prices and prompting electric utilities to switch from coal to natural gas a decade ago coal was the source of about half of the countrys electricity generation now its share is about one third according to the federal energy information administration
tougher environmental regulations have also taken a toll   the obama administration has pushed to cut carbon emissions from coal fired power plants and president obama is deeply unpopular in west virginia   as has a decline in demand for coal exports
its a perfect storm of those three factors coming together at about the same time said john deskins the director of the bureau of business and economic research at west virginia university so far in 2016 coal production in west virginia is down by more than a third compared with 2015 according to federal data


washington   as the house and senate return in full from a recess on tuesday republican lawmakers may try to run   and some will   but they cannot hide from the question that is likely to dog them until election day how do they solve a problem like donald j trump
republican members of congress guided by a complicated soup of regional interests constituent pressure and inner moral voices will be hard pressed to avoid taking a position on mr trump now that he is their presumptive presidential nominee
while lawmakers were on recess last week mr trump seized control of the republican party after winning the indiana primary and pushing his last rivals out of the race but the house speaker paul d ryan republican of wisconsin has said he was not ready to endorse him expressing concerns about his tone and values
mr trump who is scheduled to meet with mr ryan and other republican leaders on thursday returned the volley by refusing to rule out blocking mr ryan from his role as chairman of the republican convention
mr trumps failed republican challengers represent a gamut of views from stony faced support to silence to outright rejection senator marco rubio of florida reflected some of the hesitation about mr trump writing on facebook on monday i have never sought will not seek and do not want to be considered for vice president instead i will focus my attention on representing the people of florida retaining a conservative majority in the senate and electing principled conservatives across the country
house republican leaders are also fractured while mr ryan is withholding his support the no 2 house republican kevin mccarthy of california and the no 3 republican steve scalise of louisiana have backed mr trump
in the senate many members have remained vague about where they stand and there are divisions within states in nebraska senator ben sasse has repeatedly said he cannot support mr trump and has called for a third party candidate to step in the senior senator from the state deb fischer said she would support mr trump
i dont agree with his strategy she said of mr sasse im not going to hand this election to hillary clinton and thats what a third candidate would do
representative tom cole of oklahoma a senior member of the house republican conference said he expected a majority of his fellow republicans in congress to eventually line up behind mr trump with varying levels of enthusiasm even though he might jeopardize the partys chances in some senate and house races
you play this game with the cards youre dealt mr cole said the gop primary electorate has dealt incumbents running for re election trump in some districts trump will help in some he will hurt in most he will impact the margin rather than the outcome of the congressional race members know that and will react accordingly
he added republican members are far better prepared for the volatility and uncertainty of this election than they were in 2006 and 2008 when the democrats seized control of congress and the presidency they are better organized funded and positioned than they were because most of them saw this coming and most of them are battle tested
that does not mean that some are not deeply disturbed senator james lankford republican of oklahoma offered support of mr trump on monday with the enthusiasm of someone receiving a tetanus shot   it is necessary in his view but not pleasant
there are a lot of people in my state who have been asking me is this who we are  mr lankford said i say yes


hong kong   an american warship sailed on tuesday within 12 miles of an artificial island built by china in the south china sea an operation intended to show that the united states opposes chinas efforts to restrict navigation in the strategic waterway the pentagon said
the warship the william p lawrence a guided missile destroyer ventured into the vicinity of fiery cross reef a 700 acre artificial island china constructed in the last 18 months on top of two small rocks
the operation on tuesday known as a freedom of navigation patrol came as tensions between the united states and china escalated ahead of a united nations arbitration ruling on whether beijing has the right to claim 12 mile territorial waters and 200 mile exclusive economic zones around reefs and atolls in the south china sea
the ruling in a case brought by the philippines an american ally is expected in the coming weeks
china has built a military capable runway and dredged a deepwater port on fiery cross reef one of seven specks in the spratly archipelago close to the philippines that it has enlarged china contends that other countries must request transit rights for their ships around its claims in the south china sea the pentagon said
to emphasize its rights to fiery cross reef the vice chairman of chinas central military commission gen fan changlong recently visited there and the chinese army sent a performance group to entertain military personnel and the construction workers who built the island
cmdr bill urban a spokesman for the pentagon said in a statement that the william p lawrence exercised right of innocent passage as it transited within 12 miles of fiery cross reef that means the vessel was not conducting military operations
in response china said the american destroyer had sailed through chinese waters illegally the ship was tracked and warned said a spokesman at the foreign ministry lu kang
this action by the us side threatened chinas sovereignty and security interests endangered the staff and facilities on the reef and damaged regional peace and stability mr lu said at a regular news briefing
later the chinese ministry of defense said that three chinese aircraft and three warships had expelled the american vessel from chinas waters
it once again demonstrates that chinas installation of defensive facilities on the nansha islands is totally reasonable and very necessary indeed the ministry spokesman yang yujun said in a statement
nansha islands is the name beijing uses for the spratlys
the united states operation was carried out to demonstrate the right of freedom of navigation the pentagon said taiwan and vietnam also claim fiery cross reef and like china require prior notice for navigation within the 12 mile zone the statement said the philippines also a claimant to fiery cross reef makes no such demands the pentagon said
as an indication of the mounting tensions chinas military said that it was conducting exercises in the south china sea this week with warships submarines aircraft and troops from the garrisons in the spratly archipelago and the paracel islands
the united states navy conducted a freedom of navigation operation in january around the paracel islands and another in october around subi reef in the spratly archipelago none of the countries that make claims to the disputed rocks and atolls were notified of the freedom of navigation operation on tuesday the pentagon said
the pentagon said it did not make judgments on the territorial rights to the disputed islands


seoul south korea   when the north korean state news media on tuesday published lists of officials newly selected for senior posts at least one name came as a surprise ri yong gil a prominent general
in february south korean officials said general ri had been executed on corruption charges but according to the north korean reports tuesday he is not only alive but a member of the central committee of the norths ruling workers party as well as its central military commission
the appointments were made during the workers party congress that ended monday the first such gathering in 36 years general ri was also named an alternate member of the politburo according to the reports tuesday
general ri had been chief of the north korean armys general staff the third ranking figure in the armys hierarchy when his name abruptly stopped appearing in state media reports in january in february south korean intelligence officials said general ri had been executed apparently the latest senior official to fall in a series of purges and executions that the norths top leader kim jong un has used to consolidate power
because north korea rarely publicizes the executions of top officials most such reports cannot be independently confirmed and doubts about general ris supposed execution emerged in the weeks that followed in march a south korean cable channel mbn reported that general ri had been demoted not executed and that he had been allowed to return to service
pictures released tuesday by the north korean state news media seemed to support that theory general ri was shown wearing a three star rather than a four star insignia indicating he had been reduced in rank
south korean intelligence officials say it is extremely difficult to get reliable information about developments within the norths opaque government officials have disappeared from public view for months at a time only to resurface later early last year south korean officials told reporters that ma won chun a senior general who was in charge of the renovation of the pyongyang airport had been purged but general ma it appears was simply demoted and he resurfaced later in the year
on tuesday north korea organized a rally of hundreds of thousands of people in central pyongyang to mark the end of the party congress mr kim accompanied by his newly appointed senior aides oversaw the rally which featured parades and slogans of loyalty to his leadership according to the state news media


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du raibeolyi oemowa cehyeong seukeiting gisul deungeul bigyohamyeonseo depodeu gijaneun sunsuhan ilbon hyeoltongimedo yamaguci seonsuga seoyangyi seukeiteodeuli isangjeogeuro yeogineun uahan seukeitingeul ddeusbagge wanbyeoghi guhyeonhandamyeonseo ineun tongtonghago kiga jageun midori seonsuga muceog bureoweohal jaejurago sseossda depodeu gijaneun ddo yamaguci hyeongjejamaeyi gwansimsaneun geudeulegeneun gamang eobseul jeongdoro jigeughi migugjeogirago eongeubhaessgo yamaguciyi bumoga 2ca segyedaejeon porosuyongsoeseo gajogi jinaessdeon sijeoleul eongeubhaji anheuryeo haessdaneun sasile jimjis nolran deushaessda pyohyeoneul geudaero olmgimyeon ireohda gajog jung nugudo deoneun suyongso sijeoleul ddeoolrigo sipeo haji anhneunda seolsa saenggaghadeorado uriege malhaejujin anheul geosida yamaguciga pigyeo yeogsae eoddeon seonsuro girogdoeeosseumyeon johgessdago saenggaghalji ganeumhaji moshadeon depodeu gijaneun geujeo geunyeoga mulryeobadeun jaeneunggwa namdeulgwaneun dareun hyeoltongi geunyeomanyi bijangyi mugiga doeriraneun sigeuro geuleul mamurihaessda bunmyeong geunyeoyi gipeun gos naemyeoneneun ilbonineuroseoyi jeongceseongi issda jeogeodo geunyeoyi ilbuneun bunmyeonghi geureohda yamaguciga 1deungeul hamyeon geugeon teuripeul agsel gisulman gajgo issneun dareun seonsudeulgwaneun dalri geuga dongseoyangyi modeun jangjeomeul goru mulryeobadassgi ddaemunil geosida
museun malinji asil geosida geureonigga naneun geuddaeggajiman haedo sseuldeeobsi sangsehage seukeiting seonsuyi oemowa pibusaeg deung sincejeogin jogeoneul nayeolharyeo deuneun sigage balggeunhaeya handaneun geol molrassda yamaguciraneun sarameul algo naseoya biroso asiagye migugin yeoseongdo areumdaul su issdaneun saenggageul hage doen naneun ohiryeo i gisaga yamaguciyi jaeneungbbun anira oemoggaji geugcanhaneun geulirago saenggaghago gibbeohaessda
yamaguciga olrimpigeseo useungeul cajihadeon nal bameun nae eorin sijeol gajang haengboghaessdeon gieogeuro namaissda ihu myeoc ju dongan naneun nae ane oraesdongan ganjighaewassdeon han gaji somangi mueonji caceum ggaedalassda cingudeulgwa jal eoulriji moshae geujeo naeseongjeogigo caeg ilgneun geosman johahaneun oetoli hogeun giggeoshaeya joyeonbagge doel su eobsneun unmyeongeul tago nan aiga anira nae ane mugungmujinhan jamjaeryeoggwa himeul gajin geureon sarameuro namdeulege boigo sipeossda olrimpig seonsuga doel ileun eobseossjiman naegeneun dareun ggumi isseossda naneun seupeuring dalrin yeonseubjange ddogddoghago yonggamhan aideuli eoreundeuldo pulji moshan miseuteorireul puleonae cingudeuleul guhaenaeneun buryuyi iyagireul bbaegoghi sseugon haessda naega mandeuleonaen deungjanginmuldeuleun daegae eodinga nareul dalmassda nawa johahaneun geosi gatgeona naega gajin beoreuseul ddoggati gajgeona hajiman yamagucireul algi jeonggaji geudeuleun eonjena geumbalyi paran nuneul gajin aiyeossda iyuneun gandanhada geujeonggajineun ggog geureon moseubeul han geureon aiga doego sipeossgi ddaemunida
albereubil donggyeolrimpigi ggeutnago naneun saeroun juingongi jungsimi doen sae iyagireul sseugi sijaghaessda juingongi nuga doeeoya haneunji ddo eodiseo wassneunji jeonghaneun de byeol gomineul hal pilyoga eobseossdeon geon iddaega ceoeumida geomeun meorikal geomeun nundongja geu nugudo buinhal su eobsneun nuni busil jeongdoro meosjin nayi ceos beonjjae asiagye migugin juingong juingongyi ireumdo byeol gomin eobsi yeoreobuni jimjaghasil geu ireumeuro jeonghaessda
du ddalaiyi eommaga doen yamagucineun hyeonjae jeosodeugceung aideuli caeggwa cinhage jinaego deo naeun salmeul ggumggul su issdorog jiweonhaneun jaedaneul unyeonghago issda eolma jeone han malrei jungguggye miguginin cinguege eorin sijeol yamaguciga nayi yeongungieossdaneun iyagireul haessda nawa hamgge cueoge bbajin geu cinguneun eodinga aswibdamyeo ireohge malhaessda
sasil saenggaghaebomyeon jom seulpeun iligido hae asiagye migugin moduga gongyuhaneun eorin sijeolyi ginyeombijeogin gieogi ddoggatdaneun ge maliya
nae nai ddorae asiagye miguginege urireul daepyohandaneun insangeul simeojun kaerigteoneun jeongmal eolma doeji anhneunda keuriseuti yamaguciwa dwiieo deungjanghan misyel kwanbuteo yeonjaesoseol beibisiteo keulreobyi deungjanginmul keulraudia kisi geurigo asiagye migugineul bonddeo mandeun noran paweoreinjeo jeongdoga jeonbuda uri sedaega eoryeosseul ddae neuggyeossdeon ireon gamjeongeun ama yojeum asiagye migugindeuli myeoc nyeon jeon peurononggu nbae sinseonhan barameul ileukyeossdeon jeremi rinyi ingiga jeoljeongieosseul ddae natanan sowi rinsaeniti hyeonsangeseo neuggyeosseul gamjeonggwa biseushaesseul geos gatda nareul daepyohaneun nugunga mueongaga saenggindaneun geon jeongmal insaengeul baggul mankeum gangryeoghan gyeongheomida geujeonggajineun sangsangjoca haji moshaessdeon ganeungseongeul ggumggul su issge haejugi ddaemunida banmyeon naega isseuna mana han jonjaero yeogyeojigeona dareun saram nune geoyi boijido anhneundamyeon jeug dangsinyi jeongceseongi gyesog geotman beonjireureuhage pojangdoen sangpumina gyesog ddoggateun pigonhan nongdamina gojeonggwannyeomyi daesangeuro gyeoghadoen sahoeeseoneun naega eolmana seuseuroyi unmyeongeul gaeceoghaenagal su issneun gaci issneun saraminjie daehan hwagsindo geumankeum saenggigi eoryeoweojinda
nado du ddal aiyi eommaga dwaessda naneun galsaeg nundongjareul corongcorong ddeun uri aideulege ggangganhan seonggyeoggwa hamgge naega moeun keuriseuti yamaguciyi ginyeompumdo mulryeojweossda i aideulege neoneun hagi eoryeoun iliramyeo hangyereul seoljeonghaneun daesin neoneun hal su issdaneun ganeungseongeul ggumgguge haejul yeongungeun gwayeon nuguilji gunggeumhaejigon handa naega eoril ddaewa bigyohamyeon ddaldeuleun hweolssin dayanghan baegyeongyi cingudeulgwa eoulrinda geurigo naega asiagye migugin eorinie gwanhan caegiramyeon da sada ilghigido haessda geureohjiman yeojeonhi uri ddaldeuleun midieoeseo jagiceoreom saenggin eorinireul byeolro boji moshanda uri gajogceoreom dareun injongi manna gajeongeul ggurin jiban iyagireul darun deuramaneun daceungjeogin asiagye migugin kaerigteoreul juingongeuro han deuramamankeumina deumulda yeonghwaeneun yeojeonhi ontong baegingwa baegin munhwabbunida han beoneun keunddali eoridungjeolhan pyojeongeuro naege muleossda eomma miguge asia saramdeuli myeoc myeongina salayo
eorin sijeol keuriseuti yamagucireul hyanghan nayi saranggwa jongyeonggwa heonsini geutorog gangryeolhaessdeon iyuneun gandanhada naega rolmodelro sameul manhan nayi yeongungi doeeojul asiagye migugineul geumankeum cajeul su eobseossgi ddaemunida geureon rolmodeli myeoc myeongirado deo isseossdamyeon geumankeum gaggagyi yeoghaleul nanweo golgoru buyeohaesseul tende gyeolgug nayi baramgwa yeolmangeun orosi yamaguciege tuyeongdoel subagge eobseossda uri ddaldeul gateun asiagye aideuli johahago ddareumyeo bonbogiro sameul manhan hulryunghan inmuli deo manhi sogaedoego saramdeulege sarangbadasseumyeon haneun yogsimeun jigeumdo macangajida geurihayeo uri aideulyi jajongami rolmodeli bujoghaeseo sangceobadneun il eobsi jayurobge pyeolcyeojyeosseumyeon johgessda uri moduegeneun gagja seontaeghal su issneun yeongung hubodeuli deo manhajyeoya handa


london   credit suisse said on tuesday that it had lost money in the first quarter as turbulence hurt its global markets and investment banking business
tidjane thiam who joined credit suisse as chief executive in july is in the middle of an extensive overhaul of the swiss bank shrinking its investment bank and placing greater emphasis on its wealth management business particularly in asia and other emerging markets
mr thiam announced an acceleration of those efforts in march after he said that top executives had been surprised by the size of large risky positions in the banks trading book
the lenders turnaround has not been helped by turmoil in the financial markets which have cut into results across the industry and sent credit suisse last year to its first annual loss since 2008
in the first three months of the year credit suisse based in zurich reported a loss of 302 million swiss francs or about 311 million the bank reported a profit of 105 billion francs in the first quarter of 2015
the swiss bank reported a loss of 484 million francs before taxes beating analysts expectations
in the first three months of the year we have remained focused on executing our strategy with three clear priorities accelerating our cost and head count reduction efforts delivering profitable growth in wealth management focused divisions and maintaining our strong capital position mr thiam said in a news release we have been able to make good progress in all of these areas against an extremely challenging market backdrop
revenue declined 30 percent to 464 billion francs in the first quarter from 665 billion francs in the same period a year earlier
the banks global markets and investment banking businesses both showed pretax losses in the quarter as the lender navigated some of the most difficult markets on record and trading volumes and client activity were drastically reduced mr thiam said
while we saw tentative signs of a pickup in activity in march and then in april subdued market conditions and low levels of client activity are likely to persist in the second quarter of 2016 and possibly beyond he said
the global markets business reported a pretax loss of 635 million francs in the first quarter compared with a pretax profit of 842 million francs in the same period a year earlier
the investment banking and capital markets business reported a pretax loss of 103 million francs in the quarter from a pretax loss of 47 million francs in the first quarter of 2015
as part of its reshaping credit suisse is trying to reduce the companys annual net costs by 14 billion francs this year it achieved more than half of those cuts during the quarter mr thiam said the bank is aiming for overall cost cuts of 43 billion swiss francs by the end of 2018
the bank has already made about 3500 of 6000 expected job cuts this year mr thiam said the bank employed 47760 people at the end of the first quarter
over all operating expenses declined 3 percent to 497 billion francs in the quarter from 511 billion francs in the first quarter of 2015 credit suisse also took restructuring charges of 255 million francs in the first quarter
despite the challenging environment mr thiam said that the companys businesses focused on wealth management performed strongly in the quarter
the banks international wealth management business reported a pretax profit of 270 million francs in the quarter compared with 263 million francs in the first quarter of 2015
credit suisses asia pacific business reported a pretax profit of 251 million francs in the first quarter from 465 million francs in the same period a year earlier
its so called universal bank in switzerland reported a pretax profit of 426 million francs in the quarter compared with 427 million francs in the first quarter of 2015
separately credit suisse said on that it had named eric varvel as global head of its asset management within its international wealth management business beginning on june 1
he will report to iqbal kahn the chief executive of international wealth management and will replace robert jain who is expected to leave credit suisse later this year
mr varvel has more than 25 years experience at credit suisse previously serving as chief executive of its investment bank and a member of the banks executive board
he stepped down from the executive board in october 2014 as part of a shake up of the investment bank and took on the role of chairman for the asia pacific and the middle east regions


berlin   a 27 year old german killed one man and injured three others with a knife while shouting allahu akbar in a suburb of munich early tuesday but hours later after questioning him the authorities said that he had no known links to islamic extremism and that they believed he was mentally disturbed
the attack which occurred shortly before 5 am on a commuter train and platform in the bucolic suburb of grafing nearly 20 miles east of munich shocked and unsettled many germans who had already been on edge since the terrorist attacks in and around paris on nov 13 and at an airport and a subway station in brussels on march 22 the authorities responded swiftly to calls for help and the man was arrested shortly after carrying out the attacks
the lead investigator for the bavarian state police lothar kohler told reporters on tuesday afternoon that after initial questioning of the suspect whom the authorities did not identify officials had no compelling evidence or plausible conclusions as to a motive
we have no indication that he had any contact to islamic or salafist groups individuals or organizations mr kohler said the investigator confirmed that witnesses had heard the attacker shouting allahu akbar   god is great   and in german you infidels must die but as the context emerged the attack seemed less and less likely to be motivated by extremism
mr kohler said the attacker had undergone psychological treatment and used drugs on sunday though it was not clear whether he was under the influence of narcotics when he carried out the attack which left a 56 year old man dead and three other men   ages 43 55 and 58   injured one of them severely
the investigation will continue mr kohler said and will include a search of the suspects home in giessen near frankfurt as well as further questioning
the attacker traveled by train to munich on monday mr kohler said because he did not have enough money to stay in a hotel he spent part of the night near the main train station before heading to grafing the suspect had no police record mr kohler said but had come to the attention of the authorities in giessen for comments that mr kohler described as talking drivel the investigator did not elaborate
ken heidenreich a spokesman for prosecutors in munich who took over the investigation on suspicion that the attack might have been politically motivated said the suspect had seemed confused during his interrogation he said prosecutors would try to determine whether the man was criminally liable
the attacker told investigators that he had taken off his shoes before the attack because his feet had felt warm and because he had been afraid of blisters the authorities said he lunged at his first victim on the train then at another on the platform when the train stopped at the station in grafing as he fled across the square outside the station he stabbed two more men who were riding bicycles
germany has so far managed to avoid large scale terrorist attacks on the level of those suffered by paris in 2015 london in 2005 and madrid in 2004 but the authorities have remained on alert amid suspicion that the threat of an attack remains high although not concrete
in the days after the paris attacks security officials decided to call off an international soccer match in hanover following reports that it had been a possible target for terrorists the authorities in munich evacuated two of the citys main train stations on new years eve and warned people to avoid large groups despite the celebrations amid warnings of a possible terrorist threat
and in february the head of germanys domestic intelligence agency hans georg maassen warned that the islamic state was using the wave of newcomers to infiltrate europe the authorities in europe have seen repeatedly that terrorists are being smuggled in camouflaged as refugees mr maassen said on zdf public television
the authorities say they have foiled nearly a dozen plots to target the country since the turn of the millennium but in 2011 a 21 year old man from kosovo who said he was radicalized over the internet fatally shot two united states service members at the frankfurt airport
the islamic state recently called on german muslims to carry out brussels style attacks in germany posting images of the federal chancellery in berlin where chancellor angela merkel works and of the cologne bonn airport in germanys most populated state north rhine westphalia
travel on the rail line where the attack took place was briefly interrupted then continued with some delays because of the investigation the line is one of the main commuter connections for people living southeast of munich


vegans are by necessity a creative bunch they grind almonds for milk and spin soy into cheese ice cream and even some passable meat substitutes
but replacing the egg in particular the egg white has proved especially tricky the egg is a natural miracle a combination of water and proteins that has proved all but impossible to mimic without turning to a chemistry set of industrial powders
as a result many vegans lived for years without the culinary wonders that egg whites produce no pretty pastel macarons no meringues no angel food cake
then in 2015 came a breakthrough goose wohlt an indiana software engineer who had recently become a vegan was charged with coming up with a way to make vegan meringues for the familys seder an inveterate tinkerer   before food his obsession was antigravity   he set to work scouring the literature on proteins starches and vegetable gums
one night his wife mentioned that she had seen a video of two french cooks using the liquid from a can of chickpeas to make chocolate mousse he decided to try the technique for meringues
bingo the liquid whipped up instantly into a snowy white foam when he added sugar it turned shiny and glossy just like egg whites in march mr wohlt 41 posted his discovery to a facebook group called what fat vegans eat and caused a small sensation
vegan meringues were not only possible but a cinch and the secret was something that cooks often pour down the drain mr wohlt named his magic ingredient aquafaba combining the latin words for water and bean
since then aquafaba has become a quiet phenomenon a new facebook group dedicated to open source experimentation vegan meringue   hits and misses has more than 44000 members and the first aquafaba cookbook is due out this fall mr wohlt even submitted his neologism for consideration to the oxford english dictionary
chefs both vegan and omnivore are using aquafaba in everything from pancakes to purees this month sir kensingtons a new york condiment company is introducing the first commercial product using aquafaba a vegan mayonnaise called fabanaise
its a home run said adam kaye the culinary director of blue hill at stone barns who first used whipped aquafaba for wasted the restaurants 2015 pop up its delicious but its also something anyone can do you dont need to be ferran adria
to understand aquafaba first you need to examine the egg the yolk according to harold mcgees culinary science book on food and cooking is a bag of water containing free floating proteins and aggregates of protein fat and cholesterol which give it an extraordinary ability to emulsify and enrich
the white is about 90 percent water and 10 percent protein when whipped those proteins unfold and bond together trapping the air bubbles created by the whisk this is what allows for relatively long lived foams and ultimately delights like meringues souffles and angel food cakes
before aquafaba the most prominent egg foam replacers were bubble making agents such as baking powder or a mixture of baking soda and vinegar or thick bubble retaining whole foods like applesauce mashed bananas and ground chia seeds the problem was that none of these substitutes could do everything an egg could you cant make a meringue out of mashed bananas
commercial egg replacers like ener g offered a second option made from a mix of refined starches and leaveners they allow cooks to make egg white desserts but many vegans complain that they taste like cardboard the egg replacers also have to be cooked so they dont work say in a whiskey sour
how aquafaba works isnt precisely understood mr mcgee said the key is its viscous mixture of protein and dissolved starch which slows down the collapse of a foam as well as chemicals called saponins
saponins   the name comes from the latin for soap   have long been known for their ability to stabilize bubbles much as emulsifiers do gathering at the water air interface in the bubble walls and holding them together the lebanese meringuelike dessert natef is made with saponaria officinalis a saponin rich root that is used for carpet cleaning as well as cooking
whatever the reason aquafaba delivers dump a can of chickpea water into a mixer and it froths instantly like bubbles in a bath and whips into stiff glossy peaks it retains a slight beany aroma in the bowl but that disappears when cooked there is no residual flavor and few calories
its definitely cool said tal ronnen the chef at the vegan restaurant crossroads in los angeles where gallons of chickpea water used to be tossed out every week the kitchen now uses whipped aquafaba to lighten pancakes make macarons and create cocktails at the bar aquafaba adds little significant nutrition one recent analysis found about 18 grams of protein in three quarters of a cup and trace amounts of minerals
for sir kensingtons aquafaba was a miracle the market for vegan mayonnaise is booming sales have jumped in the last year to 34 million from 25 million while remaining flat in the 18 billion traditional mayonnaise market according to spins a retail sales data company but the company couldnt find a way to make one without resorting to protein powders starches or gums
our kitchen looked more like a lab than a kitchen recalled mark ramadan a founder
over several months testers worked up more than 200 formulas but none tasted quite right pea proteins left a vegetal aftertaste while a soy base tasted like emulsified edamame
about a year ago a company intern spotted an article about aquafaba on the website food52 and took it to laura villevieille sir kensingtons director of product the team grabbed a can of chickpeas from the grocery store and after four attempts it had its benchmark
it immediately worked so much better ms villevieille said it was much closer to our idea of what a mayonnaise should taste like whether it was vegan or not vegan
the discovery solved one problem but created another unlike a home cook sir kensingtons couldnt start opening cans of chickpeas it needed an industrial supply
an executive at whole foods market introduced mr ramadan to the owners of ithaca hummus an upstate new york company that follows the traditional method for making hummus simmering the chickpeas rather than steaming them as some companies do the aquafaba was waste product now it is a revenue stream this year sir kensingtons will buy about 20000 gallons of aquafaba to make its fabanaise
with the american market for hummus reaching 800 million annually theres a lot of aquafaba floating around or more precisely down the drain many vegans including mr wohlt predict that it is only a matter of time before new commercial products hit the market
that could be a boon for vegans though mr wohlt said he hoped that product development continues to be an open and inclusive process like the one that brought the world aquafaba in the first place no one appears to have secured patents related to aquafaba but sir kensingtons has filed for three related to its mayonnaise and its methods for producing aquafaba
right now mr wohlt said he and other enthusiasts are hard at work figuring out how to make an aquafaba angel food cake
i made one the other day that separated from the pan he said with every experiment were getting closer
recipes diy vegan mayonnaise  aquafaba meringues


i generally disdain flavored spirits but i like this stylish italian gin that borrows from limoncello and shines with tart sunny lemon gin after all depends on added flavoring including sometimes citrus peels this one from a family company that has been making gin in the piedmont region of italy for 40 years infuses the alcohol with lemon peels pressed and added to the mix of juniper and other botanicals its delightful on the rocks with tonic in a negroni or instead of vodka in a slushy sgroppino whisked with lemon sorbet and prosecco malfy gin 3399 at columbus ave wines  spirits 730 columbus avenue 96th street 212 865 7070 columbuswinescom


bacon is sometimes featured in food and dishes where it does not belong but this caramel corn welcomes it it is riddled with bits of niman ranch bacon and a touch of chile for a fine snack and its even better with peanuts the san mateo calif company that makes it also folds the bacon corn into granola and coats it with dark chocolate chunky pig caramel corn 9 chunkypiglovecom


along with opening a bakery a high end restaurant and soon a food hall claus meyer has found time to carve out a hot dog stand its outside his restaurant agern in grand central terminal and it sells custom made beef pork and chicken sausages in natural casings that are sizzled on a griddle they come smothered in such danish style trappings as onions raw and fried remoulade slaw pickles horseradish crispy shallots and ketchup they are served on whole grain buns the chicken called hen hound needed a pile of toppings the others had personality to spare and if a hot dog is not what you want theres a companion deli next door that has danish pastries sandwiches salads candies heavy on licorice and other items like coffee bread flour and vinegars danish dogs 7 to 8 grand central terminal 89 east 42nd street


a growing number of restaurants cultivate their own herbs greens and so forth on terraces and increasingly outside the city blue hill is the prime example others include narcissa blenheim and even pj clarkes too now in addition to its rooftop garden rosemarys along with its sister restaurants claudette and bobo is tilling 40 acres near fishkill ny in dutchess county what sets it apart is that it will sell its organic bounty including eggs flowers and optional fresh pasta to the public in community supported agriculture shares 400 for 20 weekly baskets from mid june to mid october 240 for 10 biweekly baskets to be picked up at rosemarys 18 greenwich avenue 10th street rosemarysnyccomfarm shares available until june 1


just steps from fifth avenues shopping bag scrum you can sip a coffee in quiet luxury perhaps nibbling a croissant or more substantial panini imagined by cesare casella the consulting chef the italian haberdasher domenico vacca has outfitted his shiny new american flagship store with an espresso bar and a barber shop beauty salon and private club when the wine license is approved a late afternoon stem of sangiovese will be available too dv cafe 15 west 55th street domenicovaccacom


alexander hamilton thomas jefferson and john adams dined with george washington at his first cabinet dinner on july 12 1790 at the morris jumel mansion in upper manhattan the house the oldest in manhattan was built in 1765 and served as washingtons headquarters in the fall of 1776 it is now owned by the city and on july 10 it will bring that cabinet dinner to life with a menu that includes martha washingtons lettuce and plum tarts asparagus ragoo dressed fish remoulade sausages great cake and cider joanna pruess a culinary anthropologist is in charge of the cooking july 10 6 to 8 pm 100 a person 212 923 8008 morrisjumelorgupcoming events


when gregory porter was a young man beginning to find his way in the world   specifically the part of the world known as southern california   he often encountered reminders of the danger that flowed unseen around him this wasnt unusual for a 20 something african american man built like an outside linebacker the position mr porter played on scholarship at san diego state in certain situations his mere presence could produce a shifty unease a tension he felt obliged to disarm
my brother used humor he said i used my voice
mr porter a singer songwriter known for his rafters raising baritone was speaking in a times square hotel room a few months ago on the eve of his third annual valentines day concert at town hall if i was walking behind a woman or if i walked into a store he went on i would just sing some intelligent song a criminal wouldnt do that somebody whos about to hit you over the head wouldnt be singing waltz for debby
a powerful voice used to soothing effect its an approach with special resonance for mr porter as he rolls out his fourth album take me to the alley released on friday on blue note it features a dozen original songs with grown up themes social conscience filial devotion the solicitous work that helps sustain a lasting romance its an assured unflashy follow up to liquid spirit which won the 2014 grammy award for best jazz vocal album and has sold nearly a million copies worldwide
with its deep confluence of jazz gospel and soul its a reassertion of core values after mr porters breakout success in electronic dance music thanks to holding on his collaboration with the british duo disclosure last year and a continuing rash of remixes by djs and producers liquid spirit claptone remix reached no 1 on the beatport top 100 leading to the incongruous sight of mr porter in shorts and a golf polo performing to a sea breezy young crowd in ibiza
take me to the alley opens with a version of holding on that could be mr porters own organic remix easeful acoustic with a beat thats more insinuated than declared as a whole the album contains some of his loveliest singing on record rooted in the comfort of an artist who knows that his audience will lean in to him the title track is a hymn of service and compassion largely inspired by the memory of his mother a storefront minister
mr porter 44 spends an enormous amount of time on the road   200 shows last year 270 the year before   and recently moved with his wife victoria and 3 year old son from brooklyn to bakersfield calif where he spent his youth its a stones throw from where my mother had her churches he said i find that the closer i get to her energy the truer i am to myself
bakersfield was a crucible for mr porter who grew up in a close knit african american minority that had mostly migrated from the rural south he experienced harrowing racism my brother got shot because he was walking in an all white neighborhood he said weekend after weekend they would urinate in beer bottles and throw them through our windows they threw pumpkins and watermelons through the windows they burned a cross on the front yard
the image of a broken window crops up on mr porters new album but under strikingly different circumstances break a window and let the sun in he sings in fan the flames which he wrote on the road last year after watching footage of protests in ferguson mo the songs title turns out to be a head fake as mr porter urges a flare up of nonviolence stand up on your seat with your dirty feetraise your fist in the air   and be sweet
mr porter has memorably sung about civil rights protests before   his song 1960 what is a soulful righteous howl   but here in a charged present tense he ends up sounding like an admonishing elder a fist raised in sweetness which might seem quaint in the face of the black lives matter movement is nevertheless consistent with his ethic of magnanimous restraint
music always came naturally to mr porter but he took a roundabout path to pursuing it with any focus after an injury sidelined his college football career he worked odd jobs and sat in at local clubs with guidance from a music mentor the saxophonist and pianist kamau kenyatta mr porter also found a home in theater appearing in it aint nothin but the blues a revue that ran on broadway and then developing a one man show nat king cole  me a musical healing
he found his jazz footing in new york the old fashioned way becoming a fixture at uptown jam sessions water his 2010 debut on the motema label introduced him as both a commanding singer and more unusually an insightful songwriter there were strong suggestions from all corners that said your first record should be standards mr porter recalled but the overwhelming energy of what i was feeling inside of me was what i wanted to say
like one of his heroes bill withers mr porter writes songs about family and everyday struggle sketching a continuity dont lose your steam from the new album could be a behest from his mother and a message to his son young man im counting on you goes the refrain in the music video set in a barbershop mr porter bounces his son demyan on one knee
his overwhelming subject is love in its myriad forms and stages at town hall after wishing the crowd a happy valentines day he announced his intention to celebrate love not only in a romantic sense but also love for your brother or your neighborhood later in the show he noted that a couple who got engaged at last years concert was in the audience
im always lobbying for the irrepressible strength of love mr porter said that platform has been consistent whether hes singing at buckingham palace as he did in 2014 or on an outdoor festival bill as he will in the coming months this thing has gotten me out of trouble he added referring to his voice and this sound that emanates from the church or from work songs or field hollers has found its way to so many places that i let it go where its going to go


ever since i started making it several years ago ive been loyal to one granola recipe that i picked up from a brooklyn company called early bird
made with olive oil maple syrup and a good hit of sea salt it is perfectly balanced between savory and sweet nutty and seedy with a gentle dose of fragrant spice to round things out
sometimes id change up the nuts dried fruit and spices but i always maintained the basic ratios because as granolas go this one had everything i wanted as a topping for my yogurt and fruit
it did not however have everything my husband wanted as a cereal in his bowl for him the granola was missing an important element found in certain packaged brands thick nubby clusters
clusters provide textural contrast to the chewy crispness of oats bulking out the mix and adding a different kind of crunch   an airier less dense one
the question was could i find a homemade version that pleased us both
this turned out to be no easy task
most homemade cluster granola recipes rely on egg whites to glue the oats nuts and seeds together this works but the texture veers toward sticky and brittle rather than crisp and light
other kinds of gluelike matter didnt succeed either more honey made it cloying date syrup made it taste like oatmeal cookie crumbs peanut butter overpowered all the other ingredients and applesauce just made it weird
in the end the solution was not glue but paste
that is grinding some of the oats and coconut into flour then adding liquid to make a paste that coats the whole oats and nuts and helps them cling to one another its not a cemented bond more like a tentative coupling that shatters and crumbles when it meets a tooth which was just what i wanted
in terms of the liquid water worked but since it didnt add any flavor i experimented with the likes of apple cider orange juice kombucha and coconut water before finally settling on coconut milk for its very gentle sweetness almond milk also works in which case you could add a drop of almond extract to the mix
either way youll end up with a clustery granola with a deep coconut spice flavor and a light crunchy and delightfully clumpy texture cover some with milk sprinkle some on granola or just eat it out of hand
recipes coconut almond cluster granola  more granolas


here is the bad news and the good news about fava beans
first the bad sorry but a cook has to spend a fair amount of time and effort with them and theres no getting around it the first step is shucking the beans from their giant pods wait theres more each bean must then be peeled individually removing the gray outer skin to reveal the bright green jewel within is without question a chore
the good news however is that fava beans are exquisitely delicious
if you can get your hands on some small smooth young pods about the diameter of a small carrot and about four inches long the peeling question is moot because no beans have yet formed inside them the pods can be grilled whole over coals or cooked a la plancha or stir fried in a hot wok chopped to add to a vegetable soup the immature pods stand in nicely for tender green beans
for the first favas that show up at the market in late spring many find peeling is unnecessary and its true that when the beans are very small   no bigger than a pea   they are tender enough to eat skin and all still some fava fanatics peel even the tiny ones
another way to avoid peeling is by roasting larger favas in their skins coated with olive oil and sprinkled with salt hot from the oven they make a great snack eaten one by one with your fingers sucking the bean from the skin and eating raw favas straight from the pod with pecorino cheese and salami is another time honored treat throughout italy
but generally when the beans are fully formed and get to be the size of large lima beans each pod will have six or eight they taste and look better naked they really should be peeled especially for these lovely mashed favas on toast peeling can be done in stages even a day ahead with an assistant if possible
with the work of peeling out of the way you will be glad to know that the mash comes together quickly a little olive oil and garlic a splash of water some chopped rosemary and just a few minutes on the stove larger somewhat starchier favas work best
the ambrosial warm green spread on freshly toasted baguette rounds is the perfect spring aperitif even though it takes about five pounds of fava beans in the pod to yield a small bowlful of mashed favas this labor of love is worth it
recipes mashed fava bean toasts  more spring dishes
and to drink 
the rich green flavor of fava beans calls for white wines that are crisp and lively with herbal elements im thinking of chablis particularly young straightforward village chablis rather than the more complex premier cru or grand cru bottles sancerre like chablis combines herbal and mineral flavors in a fresh way that would complement favas beautifully other options include vivacious whites like fianos from campania good orvietos from umbria or vermentinos from liguria you can also try pinot blancs from alsace austria or oregon silence of the lambs buffs can always pull out a nice chianti as for the liver youre on your own eric asimov


why is it so hard to find good fajitas
thats a question i found myself asking recently as i went on a fajitas crawl in los angeles where i live to check in on that essential and once fashionable tex mex dish the sizzling platters that arrived at my table never varied they came bearing the requisite grilled strips of skirt steak chicken or shrimp usually overcooked with seared onions and peppers that were greasy and underseasoned alongside were the predictable bowls of grated yellow cheddar cheese sour cream guacamole and salsa
they were a far cry from the fajitas i used to eat at backyard barbecues with mexican american families in the rio grande valley of texas where i lived and worked in the 1970s
my friends would grill cumin  and chile rubbed skirt steak at that time a cheap cut of meat slice it thin and serve it on irresistible freshly made flour tortillas they would cook onions and chiles sweet peppers and sometimes corn on the same grill until the vegetables were nicely charred and serve them along with the meat on the warm tortillas with grated cheddar and crumbled queso fresco fresh tomato salsa and homemade guacamole that they mashed in the molcajetes   mortar and pestles made from volcanic rock   that we routinely brought back from mexico when we went across the border to shop
they called the grilled strips of beef and the popular tacos they made with them fajitas faja means strip or belt in spanish a few tex mex restaurants in the valley also served fajitas but the dish was local far from mainstream
fajitas had been around on both sides of the border for as long as ranchers in south and west texas had been using immigrant mexican labor during roundups the ranchers partly paid their cowboys with cheap parts of the steer   heads entrails and trimmings which included skirt and flank steaks with the heads the workers made barbacoa de cabeza barbecued cows head and with the entrails they made menudo tripe stew the skirt steaks were the most desirable they grilled them over the camp fire sometimes tenderizing them first in a lime marinade and ate them in warm flour tortillas
the dish became known elsewhere in texas during the course of the 1970s as a diaspora of restaurateurs who had roots in the rio grande valley began to put them on their menus an enterprising austin butcher named sonny falcon in an effort to increase his skirt steak sales created wildly popular fajita king concessions at rodeos fairs and festivals all over the state they were called tacos a la ninfa at ninfa rodriguez laurenzos successful houston restaurant ninfas
but the real fajita breakthrough according to the austin chronicle food writer virginia b wood came in 1982 when a german born chef george weidmann put sizzling fajitas on his menu at the hyatt regency hotel in austin the restaurant quickly became the most profitable in the hyatt chain and fajitas became a nationwide phenomenon
in turn the price of skirt steak skyrocketed my local butcher sells it today for 1849 a pound
you would think that there would have been a fair amount of fajita innovation over these last 30 years but except for the dish opening itself up to chicken and shrimp there hasnt at least not that i saw
i decided to head into my kitchen and change things up i wasnt interested in altering the dish in any profound way but i did want my versions to have more flavor and less grease than restaurant fajitas i stuck to steak chicken and shrimp and i bumped up their flavor with a rub for the beef chile powder cumin salt chipotle adobo for the chicken and shrimp and a citrusy marinade and lots of cilantro for all
the accompanying vegetables are now on equal footing with the proteins i sear a generous mix of peppers and onions and season them with fresh green chiles garlic and cumin when theyre just about ready to come off the heat i add a few tablespoons of the marinade mix held back from the meat or shrimp which flavors the vegetables and deglazes the pan i added zucchini and corn to the onions and peppers for the shrimp fajitas
feel free to mix and match vegetables and proteins and to play around with other vegetables for this exuberant one dish meal
recipes steak fajitas  chicken fajitas  shrimp fajitas with peppers and zucchini  salsa fresca  quick green salsa  dishes for cinco de mayo


minerality one of wines most hotly contested words is often assailed as imprecise and too general even as it is widely used among wine professionals i find it far more useful than bothersome
here in wine school we try to talk about wine clearly and meaningfully the use of this term which came up repeatedly in our recent discussion about austrian riesling partly because of my prompting may seem to run counter to our bias against jargon yet it is practical in describing a wines salient characteristics without descending into the sort of hyper specific terminology that often ends up reducing the essence of a wine to a grocery list
we hope not to get too bogged down in the minutiae of tasting descriptions in an effort to explore the varieties of wine drinking experiences with an eye toward better understanding our own tastes we aim to drink as many different sorts of wines as we can we evaluate our reactions both rational and emotional this includes articulating not only how a wine smelled and tasted but also how it made us feel and how it acted with food
as we do each month i recommend three examples of a particular wine and you drink it in a relaxed setting with a meal if you are so inclined i ask you to share your thoughts and insights about the wines by commenting at nytimescomfood
the three austrian rieslings i suggested all from the 2014 vintage were knoll wachau loibner federspiel alzinger wachau durnsteiner federspiel and brundlmayer kamptal terrassen
just to decipher a bit the knoll and the alzinger rieslings come from the wachau region along the danube river west of vienna the brundlmayer comes from the kamptal a little to the northeast of the wachau loibner and durnsteiner both refer to the geographical location of the vineyards   loiben and durnstein are neighboring villages terrassen generally suggests that the grapes came from terraced vineyards federspiel a term used only for wines from the wachau region indicates they are medium bodied not as light as steinfeder but not as rich as smaragd also terms used only in the wachau
while i thought all of these wines were really good they gave just a hint of how good austrian rieslings can be tasting the best austrian rieslings which can combine a delicious richness with a coiled tensile strength would have required spending far more per bottle perhaps these bottles will inspire further experimentation
each of the wines was lively and refreshing the brundlmayer was brisk and zesty with flavors of lime and apple it was a bigger wine than the others which is a little counterintuitive as wines from the wachau are generally weightier than austrian rieslings from other regions but it seemed a little more straightforward
the knoll also seemed full of verve and energy with similar apple and lime flavors but it was enhanced by a scent of warm rocks   minerality that word again the vivacious alzinger stood out to me it seemed more complex with herbal floral aromas and flavors but it also had a savory saline quality that i loved and a fine stoniness that threaded through from sip to swallow and beyond
one objection to the use of the term comes from people who take it literally as if minerality were referring to actual minerals tasted in the wine but clearly its metaphorical used in the same way that people refer to tasting the flavors of cherry or blackberry another objection is that wine tasters ought to strive for more specific flavors and aromas ill get back to that idea
most readers embraced these rieslings and most found minerality to be a useful description several made an effort to discern what set apart the specific mineral qualities of these rieslings from mineral characteristics in other wines dan barron of new york dug especially deeply i thought
imagine a soft fresh sort of minerality he wrote of the brundlmayer though he had the 2013 vintage not the 14 not steely at all more fine grained powdery in between chalky and seltzery and veering into a curious yeasty quality
powdery captured what i had in mind particularly with the alzinger this quality contrasted for example with the wet river rocks sort of minerality that i often find in mosel rieslings the oceanic seashell quality of chablis the earthy granitic character of cru beaujolais
would this level of detail be useful to others sean mccarthy of wainscott ny for one seemed to accept the notion of minerality without needing to explore it further does minerality have meaning for me is the pope catholic he wrote its like licking a rock and some of us like that
jkm of washington dc deserves special notice for finding time for wine school and getting married this month mazel tov the couple celebrated with a 2012 loibner burgstall riesling federspiel from the excellent wachau producer fx pichler a wine he called downright kinetic they also found time to meditate on minerality
for me minerality exists as both flavor and texture sometimes contributing a cool sleekness or a salineumami impression or even a palpable tanginesssharpness he wrote its hard to describe but its undeniable that certain wines offer additional flavors and sensations beyond fruit acidity and tannins
other readers also seemed to find the term useful many wine tasting terms confuse me or make me skeptical but not minerality ferguson wrote the mix of herb and citrus tastes and the crisp texture of these wines are what i expect when i hear minerality it also reminds one of the influence soil has on wine
critics want more specific words slate for example crushed igneous rocks eggshells or petrichor which refers to the pleasant aroma that comes with the first rain after a prolonged dry spell no doubt one can always be more specific in describing a wine ive found certain wines especially those from volcanic soils to have a bloody iron character and ive often felt textural distinctions pebbly stony papery and yes powdery
while all very specific terms indicate a wide vocabulary of sensory terms on the part of the taster its not clear how much these terms communicate to the reader or the listener the most specific terms serve best as mnemonic devices jogging our memories to recall wines we have had in the past more general terms in my opinion convey a better understanding of the character of a particular wine to a wider audience
rather than speaking of wet slate sedimentary stones or river rocks its better to say simply the wine reminds me of animal vegetable or you know that other word


the piedmont region of northwestern italy is best known for its barolos and barbarescos magnificent wines made of the nebbiolo grape but these wines which can age for decades and touch both the head and the heart are generally saved for special occasions
for everyday most people in the region turn to easier cheaper more accessible red wines like dolcetto and barbera among their many virtues these wines are great with food barbera especially with its bracing acidity is a brilliant accompaniment refreshing the mouth and stimulating the appetite
next up in wine school well take a closer look at barbera in particular the barberas from alba and asti the two leading regions for barbera
i have a sentimental attachment to barbera back when i was a graduate student living on a tight budget a modest 8 splurge on a barbera dalba from a great producer giacomo conterno opened my eyes to the ways that wine could be more than a background accompaniment to a meal
conterno is one of the great barolo producers in the alba area most of them also grow barbera the grapes dovetail well the barbera grape ripens earlier than nebbiolo which gets pride of place in the sunniest parts of the vineyard barbera generally occupies the areas where nebbiolo wont thrive in the asti region which is not in the barolo zone barbera often gets the best sites you would think this would make barbera dasti superior to barbera dalba but thats not necessarily true
here are the three wines i recommend
vietti barbera dasti tre vigne 2013 della terra napa calif 16
alessandro e gian natale fantino barbera dalba superiore cascina dardi 2013 kermit lynch wine merchant berkeley calif 20
bruno giacosa barbera dalba 2013 folio fine wine partners napa calif 26
if you cant find these i would try any barbera that comes from a good barolo producer though that 8 giacomo conterno barbera dalba now runs around 60 so does the wonderful barbera dalba from bartolo mascarello but other bottles are far more reasonable including the giacosa whose barolos and barbarescos are priced on a level with the conternos and mascarellos less expensive names to look for include oddero prunotto coppo burlotto pio cesare luigi pira and g d vajra
barberas are versatile partners with food they are great with pizza naturally but also with all manner of meat sauces and with many grilled meats if youre throwing burgers or sausages onto the grill get out the barbera
serve cool with maybe a 20  to 30 minute spell in the fridge


times insider shares insights into how we work at the new york times in this piece amy chozick a times political reporter covering hillary clinton reveals how she found news and power life yoga on the campaign trail
ive never missed des moines more than i did a few weeks ago when briefly back in new york i found myself in a trendy workout class called slt   for strengthen lengthen tone   next to karlie kloss the supermodel and victorias secret angel
after months on the road covering hillary clinton for the times eating panera bread or whatever was provided on the campaign bus i had a lot of strengthening lengthening and toning to do and i had never felt so badly about the tolls campaign travel can take as i did in when i saw ms kloss sprawled out in plank position next to me
as i stumbled awkwardly through lunges and mountain climbers on a pilates inspired torture device   that includes pulleys and resistance springs and is called a megaformer   the 6 feet 1 inch inch blonde glided between positions with the grace of a gazelle i thought about the yoga studio i had gone to ahead of the iowa caucuses where the girls were pretty and a healthy size 6 in their lululemons
a year into the democratic primary and i had worked out all over the country i took a barre class taught by a state representative in an attic in manchester nh a spin class in madison wis five minutes from where mrs clinton later assailed the republican vision for the supreme court boxing lessons at the wynn in las vegas with my friend and competitor politicos annie karni the instructor a former fighter named brady who clearly doesnt know many journalists was shocked at our willingness to punch each other
but only in new york did i find myself next to the type of woman who for the rest of the country exists only in the pages of vogue and on instagram where incidentally ms kloss has 46 million followers she put the whole slt experience on snapchat which luckily disappeared or i could have been immortalized as the sweaty reporter stumbling through the routine behind taylor swifts best friend
eight years ago my reporting on clinton and obamas 2008 campaigns for the wall street journal took such a brutal toll on my waistline i had to enlist at a boot camp run by iraq war veterans after election day to get in shape for my wedding this involved climbing flights of stairs while former marines yelled obscenities at me scaling a 6 foot wall repeatedly and doing something called a bear crawl around an obstacle course that i would not wish on my worst enemy
this time i was determined to do things differently and to exercise whenever i could while on the road covering the clinton campaign but the sight of a sad gym at a holiday inn express in davenport iowa or anywhere else doesnt exactly motivate me i need a group class
so in the weeks ahead of the iowa caucuses i found refuge in power life yoga a sunny studio five minutes from the marriott in des moines where the political universe descends every four years and where the times politics team had decamped
yoga typically gives me anxiety i wonder how long i have to stay in downward dog before i can check twitter but pure life had a power sculpt class that took place in a heated room a nice touch in iowa in january that incorporated heavy weights and beyonce
in my first class the instructor asked us to say hello to our neighbors and to share a memory of our favorite childhood toy having lived in new york for 15 years i found this an odd slightly irritating request but i soon realized the incredible healing power of thinking about foofur a straggly blue stuffed dog my grandmother bought me when i was 8 rather than the latest poll numbers
the des moines girls seemed perennially perky despite the gloomy winter and lifted my spirits even on the most stressful days they knew i was using a first week free yes free promotion and wouldnt be back after the february 1 caucuses but they bothered to learn my name anyway and always said hello a nice change from the scowls i often encountered at soul cycle in new york
when i brought my friend and colleague jeremy peters the instructor saw on his release that it was his birthday after we took a sweaty tropical themed cardio barre class that felt like something youd do on a royal caribbean cruise right before the all you can eat breakfast everyone burst out in happy birthday jeremy
i dont get to spend as much time in one place as i did in iowa now that the campaign drops in and out of multiple cities even states in a single day but squeezing in a class when possible always clears my head even if it requires a 40 cab ride to a pilates studio in the las vegas suburbs which annie and i did before a democratic debate the women worked out in false lashes had dark tans and could have been on an episode of real housewives we loved them
the workouts dont always well work out deadlines and breaking news often mean i have to cancel ill never get my 3066 back from flywheel in seattle and sometimes what sounds like a good idea a surf simulation class in st louis turns out to not be worth the time and effort
i say all of this well aware that no amount of indoor cycling or holding the plank position can counter the unhealthy lifestyle of a campaign reporter which involves little sleep complete lack of dietary control and a constant need to navigate crowds and security forces i would like to personally apologize to the secret service agents who have to search through my sweaty gym clothes on a regular basis youre not going to find anything in there
but even the fitness classes that arent perfect like the yoga inspired class in derry nh when the instructor fell asleep or the spin class in charleston sc when a grapefruit scented candle almost burned the studio down give me a different perspective on a place and remind me that theres a big country with all types of women out there ... and most of us dont have legs like karlies


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good evening heres the latest
1 president obama will become the first sitting us president to visit hiroshima one of the two japanese cities the us hit with atomic bombs to force japans surrender in world war ii the highly symbolic trip set for late may is meant to further the quest to rid the world of nuclear weapons according to a presidential aide not revisit the decision to use the atomic bomb above a memorial ceremony last year for the 70th anniversary of the bombing

2 heres a gauge of how effective bernie sanderss message has been in changing hillary clintons platform after months of resisting his calls for a single payer health care system she has begun shifting left suggesting shed like to let people buy into medicare

3 the first et candidate thats what space enthusiasts have called mrs clinton who has proved surprisingly willing to discuss the possibility of extraterrestrial beings and pledges to open the files on area 51 asked recently if she believed in ufos she said that she didnt know but that theres enough stories out there that i dont think everybody is just sitting in their kitchen making them up above mrs clinton campaigning in kentucky

4 not even michael jordan managed it though lebron james and shaquille oneal came close stephen curry got every last nba vote for most valuable player his record shattering 402 3 pointers helped power the golden state warriors to the best regular season ever and his return to the playoffs this week after a knee problem bolsters the teams chances for a second consecutive title

5 severe weather continued to threaten the ohio valley and parts of texas a day after thunderstorms giant hail and nearly two dozen tornadoes struck across five states above one of the twisters that struck oklahoma

6 brazils struggle over president dilma rousseff grew yet more chaotic a congressional official backtracked after a surprise move to block her impeachment that raised the likelihood that the senate will vote wednesday to suspend her and put her on trial for manipulating the federal budget above a protest against the impeachment

7 an annual ranking revealed that the 25 best paid hedge fund managers took home a staggering 1294 billion in income last year despite disruptive volatility kenneth griffin above is one of two who topped the list with 17 billion a political donor he helped rahm emanuel win reelection in chicago and poured 31 million into the failed presidential campaigns of marco rubio jeb bush and scott walker

8 investigators unraveling what prosecutors call a huge fraud in vermont say two businessmen systematically looted millions of dollars from foreign investors the mechanism a federal program that grants green cards in exchange for major investment in distressed areas above an area where promised redevelopment never arrived

9 hes 16 6 foot 8 and a rising olympic hopeful one of our best read stories today is about reece whitley a philadelphia swimmer our sportswriter says is on the fast track in school and swimming hes an ambitious student whose classes include mandarin chinese and advanced chemistry an african american in a sport beginning to lose its monochrome cast and the rare top male athlete coached by a woman

10 finally theres more central park for new york city nature lovers a four acre section near the southeast corner will be open regularly for the first time since the 1930s robert moses the powerful urban planner who long served as parks commissioner closed it off as a bird sanctuary a couple whose fifth avenue apartment overlooks the spot donated benches

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on a recent particularly busy weeknight on bergdorf goodmans beauty level i stood at the omorovicza counter as shoppers swarmed around me a woman approached briefly to ask about the line   ive never heard of it   but otherwise i had the products to myself weeks later when i talked on the phone with margaret de heinrich de omorovicza who co founded the budapest based brand with her husband 10 years ago this summer even she admitted that omorovicza is not that well known in america   which is surprising given that it essentially epitomizes the inspired by nature yet super luxe stuff beauty dreams are made of these days
omorovicza once introduced the first silicone free bb cream at its spa in budapest face massage   still a novelty in the states though beloved by in demand holistic facialists like kristina holey and the alternative beauty forward french like beauty and well beings clemence von mueffling   has always been a signature treatment and mud masks which have fast become the beauty product du jour have long been a best seller for omorovicza
its quite a la mode to talk about purity   you know a beautiful fresh face de heinrich de omorovicza says referencing the current attitude toward skincare as the new makeup the florida born blonde met her husband and business partner stephen while she served as the chief of staff to the us ambassador to hungary and their family owned brand has been available through bergdorf goodman for eight years the department stores vice president of divisional merchandise manager patricia saxby describes its typical omorovicza shopper as loyal to the lines cult favorites including the thermal cleansing balm and the queen of hungary mist   each of which speaks volumes to the brands ethos
any skincare you pick up anywhere in the world   you know from kyoto to london to budapest to new york wherever   a minimum of 60 is made from water says de heinrich de omorovicza her product line is no exception except that its built around budapests thermal water the earths crust is thinner in budapest than any other city in the world thats why the waters rise up to the surface and the unusually high concentration of minerals absorb more effectively in the water omorovicza combines this mineral rich water and its accompanying medical grade mud from what she says is the oldest source in hungary into its thermal cleansing balm   essentially jarring a potent potion from the largest active thermal lake in the world
and the lines queen of hungary mist marries coveted synthetic free hydration with ever of the moment aromatherapy based on the perfume created for queen elisabeth of hungary in the 14th century the spritz is lightly scented with the help of the same south of france perfumer trusted by chanel and hermes theyre pure theyre not synthetic de heinrich de omorovicza says about the fragrant ingredients so theres a benefit for the skin as well   not to mention the senses
ultimately when it comes to skincare she says youve got to do whats right for you if your skin looks great and its working then keep with it   and dont let anyone tell you otherwise but for those looking for a change she shares her spring skincare tips with t below
im a huge believer in seasonal skincare de heinrich de omorovicza says why would you wear the same moisturizer in august that you would in january your skin doesnt behave the same you have different influences you should try to switch up your moisturizer and i would recommend to go to a lighter moisturizer or move the moisturizer that you adore and love to the evening and then use a lighter moisturizer during the day
though she admits that this is not necessarily the time of year you want a moisture boost de heinrich de omorovicza says that yes you do need a moisturizer at all times its not just about delivering the hydration but its also about delivering the nutrients to the skin and balancing the skin she often stresses the importance of rebalancing when something is off
i think that you want to keep it simple a good mud mask is great to detoxify the skin which is so important during the summer months because no matter where you are even if youre not necessarily in manhattan youre going to be outside youre going to be exposed to the sun   your skin will produce more oil she says its amazing to me how people do not incorporate masks into their regimen because its just a way to hypercharge working on whatever skin condition people have
de heinrich de omorovicza keeps her facial exfoliant in the shower   as a reminder to use it once a week
what it should be is you walk out and you feel different but you look different too de heinrich de omorovicza says these facials   people call them a personal trainer for the cheekbones its like you have a little workout and you see the muscles jumping and it plumps and firms the skin as well
for me with four kids and running around and all of this its the first appointment i cancel she says about facials i just cannot justify it when that happens she uses the omorovicza copper peel its quick   we just all want something quick
lets say youve got divine skin you were just born with it you know you want to keep that divine skin as long as possible she says and its not just going to happen   so take care of it


forget throwing stones a more pressing concern for those who live in glass houses is that its impossible to hide in them or is it the glass house the architect philip johnsons sprawling 49 acre new canaan conn estate and titular modernist building comprising 1800 square feet of four walled floor to ceiling clear glass famously plays with the boundary between voyeurism and hiding in plain sight   a function tangled up in johnsons homosexuality
the closet is a very complex mechanism now we believe that everyone should be out but its a dialectic   in a way it protected something says brennan gerard one half of the performance and art duo gerard  kelly the second installment of their performance piece modern living co produced by art production fund arrives at the glass house this friday and saturday we were thinking about how the house sheltered and protected a queer subculture   mostly gay men and mostly artists who werent totally out gerard explains
ryan kelly chimes in johnson talks a lot about the wish to be caught   thats definitely been inspiring the way the box is an invitation of voyeurism the glass house a leisurely residence for johnson and his partner david whitney became a retreat of gay society soirees and its still astonishing how the compounds neighbors remained oblivious to the libertine carousing next door but that may have been glasss intention all along as gerard explains the more time i spent in that space i realized that the glass served to reflect from the outside as much as its transparent there are moments in the day where its literally opaque and this piece in many ways is a way of moving forward by looking back
the costumes too engage with the complexities of johnsons life and work the duo enlisted uri minkoff to create nine dark uniform like suits in a fun fetishistic way but also a fascistic way kelly says evoking johnsons turn to the extreme right   including time spent in germany during the third reich a detail often glossed over in his popular lore it was not without risk for us or the curators for a project to deal with queer and politically problematic issues of johnson kelly says
this weekends performance piece is the second in a series that debuted in january at los angeless schindler house   a 1921 construction that like the glass house subverts the traditional domestic expectations of home the schindler house was built to accommodate two families who shared common space at the core of modern living gerard says is looking to modernist sites and reframing them as queer sites and asking what they might be in terms of ruins the function of so much domestic architecture is towards biological reproduction kelly elaborates this is why we made the project   how do you live queerly meaning not giving into convention in preparation for the project the duo lived in the marcel breuer house at pocantico hills as part of a residency that allowed them to delve further into their inquiry of queer domesticity ryan and i lived there for two weeks   you can really feel the specter of the nuclear family the space is highly gendered gerard says we were traumatized kelly says of the house plan
intimacy and the transmission of cultural history are at the forefront of gerard  kellys practice which exists mostly in performance but extends into dance video and text this time around with nine professional dancers   a first for the duo   borrowed from benjamin millepieds la dance project the piece distills this idea of relationships into ideas of rhythm and then how rhythms interact with others falling in and out of space gerard says theres a looping quality to the work that kelly compares to a gif we were interested in the pleasure of synchronization and asynchronization he says theres a lot of layering as a spectator you have to make choices about what you want to see though you always have a sense or are aware of whats going behind you


ruth rogers the vivacious restaurateur who traded woodstock for london almost 50 years ago is stationed in the shiny open plan kitchen of her georgian terrace home sunshine streams into the double height living space where no fewer than eight sash windows look out onto a palatial chelsea square today the celebrated chef and proprietor of what is surely the citys most cherished italian dining room the river cafe is wearing a knitted dress in shocking pink the favorite hue of her husband the architect richard rogers on the far wall a smudgy cy twombly canvas hangs above a row of ceramics the unglazed vessels look very edmund de waal but in fact are the creation of rogerss mother in law dada who first taught her to cook edmund de waal admired them when he came to dinner says rogers of the ceramicists handiwork as she scales a ladder to reach a vertiginous kitchen cupboard the whisk she procures proves essential in the days delicious agenda the preparation of white and green asparagus served with a sparkly take on a traditional bagna cauda meaning hot bath sauce here the red wine that typically makes up this centuries old northern italian recipe featuring garlic and anchovies is swapped for prosecco the full recipe for which is detailed below
were very seasonal at the river cafe rogers says of the springtime dish which kicks off the four course banquet she will prepare at next weeks edible schoolyard nycs spring benefit alongside chefs like daniel boulud and michael anthony the dinner chaired by david chang will support the heartwarming nonprofit program that teaches children the joy of growing cooking and sharing food through hands on experience we chose this for the edible schoolyard benefit because its light and clean its important to respect a vegetable well enough not to destroy the flavor with a sauce rogers says as she pours prosecco freely into the pan the asparagus should be allowed to be the star of the dish
for cooks first of the season asparagus heralds the arrival of spring in the kitchen but the beneficiaries of edible schoolyard nyc view the vegetable in rather more sinister terms they call them zombie fingers because thats what they look like when they break through the earth explains esnycs executive director kate brashares of the children who are fascinated by the seed to table alchemy of the programs vegetable gardens   and also worms certainly rogerss unfussy and seasonal style which has its roots in domestic italian cooking chimes with the edible ethos dont expect to order a tomato salad year round at the river cafe where the michelin starred menu is about fresh ingredients simply yet seamlessly prepared we see whats in the fridge and whats been ordered that day then sit down and write the menu says rogers of her close knit team thats what keeps us excited i grew up in america where its all about choice   but whats the point of having 20 types of tomato in winter if they all taste of nothing
when rogers first opened the river cafe together with the late rose gray in 1987 it served as the staff canteen for her husbands since relocated architectural practice at the time you could either eat well somewhere terrifying where the sommelier made you feel stupid or go to a local place and have a great time but eat badly she says we wanted to create a fun lively and approachable place that reflected the way we lived the river cafes informality which spills over into the democratic kitchen where the waiters arrive early to help prep the food invigorated the london culinary scene even introducing new ingredients such as cavolo nero to the british market next year this beloved institution where lunch frequently lingers into late afternoon on the thames side terrace celebrates its 30th anniversary though rogers still keenly feels the loss of her longtime friend and collaborator rose gray she has no intention of stopping anytime soon and is currently searching for a second site after one earmarked in mayfair met with resistance from locals who cant have ever sampled her cooking the greatest tribute to rose is for the river cafe to be thriving she says turning her attention back to the plated asparagus before brightly volunteering a typically uncomplicated taste test if theres no resistance when you put the fork in theyre done
yield 4 6 servings
1 bottle good quality prosecco 8 cloves garlic cut in half lengthways 2 bunches green asparagus 2 bunches white asparagus 12 salted anchovy fillets preferably ortiz 14 tablespoons unsalted italian butter cubed room temperature crushed black pepper extra virgin olive oil
salt
1 pour the whole bottle of prosecco into a saucepan with all of the garlic cloves reduce on a moderate high heat until the liquid has reduced and the garlic is soft it should reduce to roughly just under a glass
2 while the prosecco is reducing prepare the asparagus by snapping the stalks at their natural breaking point discarding the lower part peel the stalks of the white asparagus you dont need to peel the green asparagus
3 when the prosecco has reduced remove from the heat and stir in the anchovy fillets they will dissolve with the heat of the liquid you can use a potato masher to help break up the anchovies
4 using a whisk add the butter little by little whisking vigorously to make an emulsified sauce remove from the heat and finish the sauce with a pinch of black pepper and a dash of the olive oil
5 plunge the white asparagus into rapidly boiling salted water first allow them to cook for 4 5 minutes before placing the green asparagus into the same water and cook for another 4 minutes
6 use a knife to test the asparagus stalks   there shouldnt be any resistance once they are tender drain them well and dry on kitchen towel season with salt pepper and olive oil arrange them on a plate and pour the sauce over liberally


the first time the artist faig ahmed worked with textiles was when he was a student at the azerbaijan state academy of fine art in baku he stole rolls of printed fabric from the fashion department and used them to cover the schools unattractive five story soviet era facade
he was promptly expelled but now that same iconoclasm is creating a stir with his mind bending carpets traditional azerbaijani designs that have been psychedelically reassembled ahmed spent years getting to know old school weavers and trying to convince them to craft his designs most of them said no he recalls finally someone said i will do it as long as you dont tell anyone  it is essential for ahmed that everything from the dyes to the technique to the material is meticulously orthodox the result of course is anything but i dont want to change anything but at the same time i want to change everything he says


ilene chaiken the showrunner of empire is taking questions from readers of the new york times
created by lee daniels and danny strong empire made its debut on fox last year and was the sort of prime time phenomenon broadcast networks rarely generate anymore its ratings increased throughout its inaugural season as it became one of the most watched series on tv and made a star of taraji p henson
the second season of this music business melodrama which wraps up may 18 finds it routinely topping the weekly ratings suggesting the show could have staying power despite   or perhaps because of   its dizzying number of plot twists each episode
before empire ms chaiken was a creator of the l word on showtime she was also a producer on the fresh prince of bel air early in her career
please leave questions for her in the comments we will post her responses to some of them soon
previously we heard from joe weisberg and joel fields of the americans and robert carlock of unbreakable kimmy schmidt among others


it would be easy for a hotel as iconic as le sirenuse nestled into a rocky hillside in positano on italys amalfi coast to rest on its laurels converted from a private home in 1951 it retains an unusually intimate charm and appears blissfully untouched by time but antonio sersale the son of one of the hotels four sibling founders who now oversees its operations is a man of boundless energy and diversified interests at the beginning of every season for the past 10 years he has hosted with the novelist dani shapiro a weeklong writers conference offering workshops taught by the likes of susan orlean and meg wolitzer and with the art adviser silka rittson thomas he has recently begun to commission works of art each year an artist is invited to spend time at the hotel and then create a piece for the property   a neon sign by the turner prize winner martin creed was recently installed in the hotels lounge
meanwhile the line of airy and colorful printed caftans and silk dresses designed by sersales wife carla and sold among carlo moretti glassware and embroidered cushions at the hotels boutique will now be available stateside at bergdorf goodman carla has expanded into mens wear too opening another shop on the premises to carry a line of knitwear chinos and linen separates designed in collaboration with luca larenza plus swim trunks by allegra hicks as if there wasnt reason enough to check into one of the most sublime hotels in the world


london   some of the biggest names in music fashion and entertainment have been paying heartfelt homage this week to a british photographer known for his candid celebrity shots playful magazine covers and close relationships with his subjects matt irwin died on thursday of undisclosed causes at the age of 36
mr irwin was a relatively unfamiliar figure to the public or at least he was until this past weekend when several of his celebrity subjects took to social media to mourn
lady gaga posted a shot of her wrapped in violet gauze taken by mr irwin with a caption that included i will never forget this shoot together it was magical
i just dont want to believe hes gone he literally took my pics 3 months ago after i specifically requested him nicki minaj the singer and rapper wrote on instagram next to a picture of the two of them head to head mr irwin playfully sticking out his tongue always made me so happy on set always so loving  sweet  optimistic this is so surreal he was just so unbelievably talented god bless his family rest in peace my love ripmattirwin
thousands of one direction fans posted their favorite images of the boy band taken by the late photographer using a trending hashtag in tribute while jeremy scott the fashion designer and creative director of moschino put up a tribute to mr irwin alongside a snapshot of the photographer headphones on his neck and vintage cellphone in hand posing with the model agyness deyn my darling sweet matt this is how i will always think of you back in 2006 mr scotts message began
the celebrities praise supported a statement from camilla lowther management mr irwins photography agency matts unprecedented access to a generation of musicians models and actors of our time leaves behind a visual chronicle that reveals   and pays testament to   his infectious passion enthusiasm and talent
in less than a decade mr irwin had built a reputation as a well connected and digitally savvy photographer acutely aware of the rising power of social media in creating 21st century perceptions of celebrity the relentless demands by hyper connected millennial fans for intimate insider access and the increasingly blurred lines between public and private content
his photographs often reached much larger audiences than the circulation of the publications that hired him thanks to tongue in cheek off duty snaps of himself with his megastar subjects that he posted on his instagram account often in a modern pop culture twist on art imitating life the flashes from the celebrities own cameras or smartphones would illuminate him in the shots
mr irwin who was born in southport england on feb 10 1980 picked up his first camera at the age of 15 when a friend lent him a kodak super 8 after moving to london he got his first industry break as an editor and then in house photographer at the cult fashion publication dazed  confused where he shot his first cover in 2007 later he worked for magazines such as elle uk vogue russia vogue japan and glamour as well as the french luxury house hermes
matt was part of the first generation of digital natives said jefferson hack founder of dazed media
mr hack added that mr irwin   along with his friend nicola formichetti now the artistic director at diesel   helped usher in a bold new aesthetic and direction for dazed and then pop culture in the late 00s


portland ore   the big reveal for the golden state warriors came in parts
first there was the sight of stephen curry absent for the first three games of his teams western conference semifinal series with the portland trail blazers striding onto the court at moda center on monday night so he could dribble two basketballs at once a staple of his pregame routine
then minutes later coach steve kerr confirmed what everyone already suspected   that curry would play
what happened next defied reasonable expectations even for a basketball maestro like curry who has assembled a myth making season fifteen days after spraining his right knee in a first round game against the houston rockets curry brushed off the dust to carry the warriors to a 132 125 overtime victory that gave them a 3 1 series lead
crazy kerr said
remarkable trail blazers coach terry stotts said
my confidence never wavered said curry who set another nba record in a season full of them by scoring 17 points in overtime
curry finished with 40 points 9 rebounds and 8 assists he shot 6 of 7 from the field in overtime connecting on all three of his 3 point attempts
you miss three weeks its really weird walking back on the court said curry who had missed two games with a right ankle sprain before spraining his knee it took 48 minutes and things finally clicked
if curry lacked his usual rhythm through three quarters   he missed his first nine 3 point attempts   he was adept at making layups and he scored the warriors first 12 points of overtime his fourth 3 pointer of the game gave golden state a 5 point lead and a night full of drama here gave way to desperation then sadness
the warriors can close out the series wednesday night at oracle arena
they survived no shortage of adversity in game 4 they trailed by 16 points in the first quarter draymond green played through foul trouble shaun livingston was ejected late in the first half for arguing a call leaving kerr with a short bench when he had hoped to monitor currys playing time
instead curry wound up supplying 36 minutes and clogged the box score by shooting 16 of 32 from the field klay thompson added 23 points in the win
a lot of it was just the timing issue curry said you shoot shots in practice and you try to simulate game speed and whatnot but most of the time nobodys guarding you so its a little different and then a lot of it is allowing that muscle memory to come back
damian lillard had 36 points and 10 assists for the trail blazers and c j mccollum added 24 points
the warriors surged at the start of the third quarter curry darted through the lane for a layup to cut the deficit to 3 he also acted as a facilitator finding thompson for a 3 pointer that put the warriors ahead by 1 early in the fourth quarter curry buried a two foot jumper and the warriors were up by 5
but the teams continued to exchange 3 pointers   and the lead   as they fought to the finish of regulation lillard despite struggling with his shot for so much of the game emerged with a series of jumpers but the warriors harrison barnes sank a 3 pointer to tie the score 111 111 and the game went to overtime
coming off the bench was an unfamiliar role for curry he had not done it in more than four years without him for the first six minutes the warriors labored   much as they had in game 3 lillard made two 3 pointers as the blazers ran out to a 16 2 lead the warriors meanwhile missed 11 of their first 12 shots
curry soon stripped off his warm ups as he made the slow walk to the scorers table his first appearance of the series accompanied by enthusiastic boos
the blazers were determined to make curry work by running him through an obstacle course of screens at the other end he sank a 15 foot jumper that narrowed the blazers lead to 12
yet the warriors could not escape adversity after livingstons ejection the trail blazers went into halftime with a 67 57 lead
for the first two games of the series the warriors compensated for currys absence livingston capably filled in as the teams starting point guard thompson sank shots green created havoc the warriors won both games motoring along even as curry watched from the bench in street clothes
but the warriors lacking ball movement and what kerr described as desperation finally stumbled saturday in game 3 lillard collected 40 points and 10 assists to lead the trail blazers to a lopsided victory which enlivened portlands confidence and ramped up the drama ahead of game 4
perhaps the warriors would have felt less urgency to activate curry with a 3 0 series lead but curry did not need to lobby to play kerr said it was a collective decision made after kerr had conversations with general manager bob myers members of the teams medical staff and curry himself who assured everyone that he was fine
as he went through his pregame routine curry appeared to be moving well sinking shots much to the delight of hundreds of early arriving fans who snapped photographs with their mobile devices after he physically moved a security guard out of the way for his final shot   a fading 3 pointer from deep in the corner   curry raised an arm as he ran off the court
three hours later he left the court again this time with victory in hand


los angeles   the mets exacted pitiless revenge against chase utley they did it last october when they beat the dodgers in game 5 of their division series
they had another opportunity to send a more pointed message directly to utley in a lower stakes setting at dodger stadium on monday they chose to let the moment pass and utley was spared the retribution of a punitive fastball in the ribcage
but he suffered the same result as last october because the mets beat the dodgers again this time by 4 2 in the first meeting between these old rivals since their playoff encounter
if the mets really are determined to make their archenemy pay in kind for his october transgression against ruben tejada then it will come another day
utley is reviled in the mets universe for his rolling takeout slide of ruben tejada in game 2 of last years division series between the teams which resulted in a broken leg for tejada
utley came to bat in game 5 of that series when no one dared face the risk of ejection or suspension perhaps a regular season game seven months later would provide the platform for the mets to exact some revenge but there was apparently no such intent
that was brought up mets manager terry collins said what happened happened we won the series lets not get anybody hurt including our guys
but collins perhaps to plant a seed of uncertainty in utleys head added a cryptic message
there is only so much control you can have he said so well see what happens as we get through this
utley a second baseman was not in the starting lineup against the left hander steven matz but he stepped in as a pinch hitter against hansel robles in the seventh inning and he came up again in the ninth inning
mets fans at dodger stadium vocalized their disdain with boos and catcalls at the sight of utley striding to the plate but if they hoped to see robles even the score they were disappointed
robles pitched utley straight and the second baseman merely grounded out to first base in the ninth inning jeurys familia forced him to ground out to short and went on to earn the save
utleys hard slide into tejada who now plays for the st louis cardinals instigated this years rule change restricting takeout slides at second base
before the game collins made clear he still harbored some ill feelings toward utley for the play even though tejada is no longer on the team
chase plays hard i get that collins said ive been watching him for a long time
collins acknowledged that over the years he had instructed his players to take action against an opponent when he felt it was warranted although he did not specify how that occurred he added that the mets had enough veterans on the roster to handle the matter themselves if they felt it was necessary
i havent said one word about anything going into this series he said so well leave it at that
with payback off the agenda the game instead featured the mets playing superior baseball
for all the success the mets have enjoyed over their first 30 games the one rare detraction was that they had not fared well against left handed starting pitching
before mondays game they had scored only three runs against lefty starters and all of those came on one swing by yoenis cespedes
but on monday they found the solution against the former mets draft pick scott kazmir
the mets scored four times against kazmir including one unearned run and matz had another strong outing allowing two runs and six hits in six innings while striking out five he also had a run scoring double
curtis granderson led off the game with a home run on the first pitch by kazmir his 37th career leadoff home run kevin plawecki added a solo shot in the second inning and asdrubal cabrera scored on a single by cespedes in the third
the dodgers crept to within 3 2 on trayce thompsons two run home run in the fourth but a dodgers error in the sixth helped the mets pad the lead
kazmir had worked his way through early difficulties and had retired eight in a row before issuing a walk to wilmer flores in the sixth plawecki then hit a routine ground ball that should have ended the inning
howie kendrick the dodgers starting second baseman vacuumed it into his glove but when he took the ball into his right hand to throw to first base he simply dropped it and flores and plawecki were safe
kazmir may have thought he would be too with matz was coming to the plate but the pitcher ripped a ball down the third base line and into left field flores scored and matz settled into second base with a double and eventually a win
its good to be back matz said weve got a good team here and were really rolling
inside pitch
catcher travis darnaud went to new york to see dr david altchek who gave him a platelet rich plasma injection in his right shoulder but did not change the diagnosis of a strained rotator cuff the mets said darnaud would be shut down from baseball activities for about a week before testing his shoulder again ... wilmer flores suffered a cut nose and abrasions on his forehead face and neck and his batting helmet slid down on his face during a slide into second base he said it would not force him to miss time ... neil walker was left out of the starting lineup with a recurring shin bruise and may miss tuesdays game too


international
an article on april 10 about a ship engineers account of a territorial dispute in the south china sea in which a chinese fishing trawler was seized by indonesia and then taken back by the chinese coast guard referred incorrectly in some editions to the natuna islands of indonesia where members of the chinese fishing crew were detained while they are the northernmost point of indonesia in the south china sea they are not the northernmost point in the country

because of an editing error an article on monday about a theological battle being fought by muslim imams and scholars in the west against the islamic state misstated the snapchat handle used by suhaib webb one of the muslim leaders speaking out it is imamsuhaibwebb not pimpin4paradise786

an article on april 10 about maj gen m moein faqir the top military man in helmand province in afghanistan who has lost ground to the taliban since he arrived five months ago but claims success in cleaning up corruption misidentified the united states army unit that reinforced the province in march it is the 87th infantry regiment which is part of the 10th mountain division not the 87th infantry division
business day
an article on the automobiles page on friday about mitsubishis growing success in the american automobile market misstated the mitsubishi corporations relationship to the automaker it is a shareholder not the automakers parent

an article on monday about the hiring of james h shelton iii a former federal department of education official to oversee the philanthropic efforts in education of the facebook chief executive mark zuckerberg and his wife dr priscilla chan rendered incorrectly part of the name of a unit of the department of education it is the office of educational technology not education
sports
an article on wednesday about american pharoahs life as a stud misstated the age of thunder gulch the 1995 kentucky derby and belmont winner who was american pharoahs companion in his initial weeks of retirement he is 24 not 25

an article on thursday about the mets 8 0 victory over the atlanta braves referred incorrectly to an earlier start by steven matz in which he gave up seven runs in one and two thirds innings it was his first start of the season not on opening day the article also misstated in some editions the inning in which matz surrendered a single to braves pitcher jhoulys chacin it was the third inning not the fourth

an article on saturday about the portland trail blazers attempt to rebound from a 2 0 deficit in their nba playoff series against the golden state warriors misstated in some copies the game of the series that contained a disastrous fourth quarter for the blazers it was game 2 not game 4 game 4 had not yet been played it was monday night the article also misstated in some copies the warriors deficit entering the fourth quarter of game 2 it was 11 points not 9

because of an editing error an article on wednesday about the chaotic final seconds of the oklahoma city thunders 98 97 victory over the san antonio spurs in game 3 of their nba playoff series misspelled the given name of one of the spurs players who the nba said should have been called for a foul he is kawhi leonard not kahwi
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the washington nationals have taken the pitching prize of the next free agent class off the market the team agreed to a seven year 175 million contract with the right hander stephen strasburg locking up an important part of one of the majors best rotations
the agreement was confirmed by a person in baseball with direct knowledge of the deal who insisted upon anonymity because the team has not announced it the contract was first reported by the washington post
strasburg 27 can opt out of the deal after the third or fourth seasons but by signing now he takes himself out of a thin class of free agent starters that is scheduled to include andrew cashner bartolo colon r a dickey jeremy hellickson rich hill ivan nova and scott kazmir if he exercises an opt out clause
strasburg is 5 0 with a 276 era this season throwing 58 strikeouts in 49 innings he led the national league in strikeouts in 2014 and was the first overall pick in the 2009 draft tyler kepner


dwyane wade saved the miami heat in regulation then finished off overtime with an emphatic dunk now this eastern conference semifinal series is even again
wade scored 30 points goran dragic had a huge 3 point play with 224 seconds left in overtime and the heat beat the visiting toronto raptors 94 87 in game 4 on monday night
dragic and joe johnson each scored 15 for the heat who rallied from a 9 point deficit in the fourth quarter terrence ross and cory joseph each scored 14 for toronto which shot 39 percent game 5 is in toronto on wednesday night
miami was down by 77 68 midway through the fourth and trailed by 79 72 when kyle lowry got the roll on a 15 footer with five minutes left
that is when wade went to work
he scored the next 5 points for miami and eventually provided the equalizer with 126 seconds left getting to the rim for a layup that knotted the game at 83 joseph missed a jumper to end regulation and the raptors scored a mere 4 points in the extra session
it was not an offensive showcase by any measure the first shot of the night was an air ball by demar derozan which might have been a harbinger of what awaited both offenses the best example when wade tried a scoop shot from the right side of the lane in overtime the ball bounced on the back of the rim a few times and stayed there
kings hire joerger two days after being jettisoned by the memphis grizzlies dave joerger landed in sacramento as the latest coach looking to end the kings decade long playoff drought joerger replaces george karl and becomes the kings ninth head coach since the team last went to the playoffs in 2006 under rick adelman
joerger went 147 99 in three seasons with the grizzlies and took them to the playoffs each year
spurs gm honored r c buford was named the nbas executive of the year after deftly leading a retooling of the franchises aging front line resulting in a team record 67 victories in the regular season
last off season the spurs signed lamarcus aldridge the most coveted free agent on the market and persuaded the veteran david west to turn down about 11 million more from the indiana pacers buford also locked in kawhi leonard with a maximum contract
around the nba hornets point guard kemba walker had surgery on a torn meniscus in his left knee arkansas center moses kingsley withdrew from the nba draft
a home run by the miami marlins j t realmuto was negated when he passed his teammate marcell ozuna after rounding first base ozuna who started on first base misjudged the fly and retreated to first allowing realmuto to briefly trot past him
realmuto was credited with a single and an rbi and ruled out at second base while ozuna scored to give miami a 1 0 lead the marlins beat the brewers 4 1
around the majors moments after bryce harper was ejected from the dugout pinch hitter clint robinson hit a game ending solo homer to give the washington nationals a 5 4 comeback victory over the detroit tigers los angeles angels shortstop andrelton simmons will require surgery after tearing a ligament in his left thumb while diving to stop a grounder during a weekend game
the rookie mattias janmark ignited a three goal first period and kari lehtonen made 35 saves for the dallas stars who forced game 7 in the western conference quarterfinal series with a 3 2 victory over the st louis blues
vernon fiddler and jason spezza also scored for dallas which reclaimed home ice for wednesdays decisive game despite getting outshot 37 14 but home ice has meant little this series with the road team winning four of six
in nashville viktor arvidsson scored 2 minutes 3 seconds into overtime as the predators forced a deciding seventh game for their second straight series by beating the san jose sharks 4 3
arvidsson jumped the puck between three sharks and skated up the left side before throwing a backhand past goaltender martin jones colin wilson ryan johansen and roman josi also scored for nashville
united states falls to finland finland handed the united states its second loss 3 2 at the world ice hockey championship in st petersburg russia the game featured two players being considered for the no 1 pick in next months nhl draft finlands patrik laine and the united statess auston matthews
around the nhlthe florida panthers signed defenseman erik gudbranson the no 3 overall pick in the 2010 draft to a one year contract the university of north dakotas drake caggiula who was named the most outstanding player at the frozen four signed a two year entry level contract with the edmonton oilers
after venus williams beat coco vandeweghe 6 4 6 3 in the first round of the italian open she teamed up with her sister serena but lost to andreja klepac and katarina srebotnik 6 1 7 5 top ranked serena a three time rome champion had a first round bye in singles
it was the first time the sisters played doubles together since the 2014 united states open they are preparing for an attempt at a fourth olympic gold medal in doubles this summer in rio de janeiro
jamie vardy has given leicester a huge boost by insisting he will stay with the premier league champions next season vardy led leicesters miraculous charge to the title with 24 goals and his blistering form prompted speculation he could be lured away by one of the leagues superpowers
but with leicester looking forward to competing in the champions league and defending the title vardy 29 is adamant he will ignore any big money offers
agence france presse


a year is a long time in the art market and mondays marquee auction of impressionist and modern works at sothebys demonstrated how much the art world has changed since last may
the tally for 62 works on offer of which 21 lots failed to sell was 1445 million with fees far below the low estimate of 1648 million it was also far below the 3683 million raised last may in an equivalent sale of 64 works
imps and mods the powerhouse market of the 1980s have become far less fashionable than contemporary art last spring in more bullish times and with wealthy asian bidders active at new york sales christies and sothebys supported the prices of selected pre 1950s artists with some expansive guarantees or pledged minimum prices a year later many guarantees have disappeared   and so have many of the asian bidders who last year pursued three out of the five lots that sold for more than 20 million including a van gogh for 663 million
now were concentrating far more on lots priced in the 1 million to 20 million range and thats where we can make a profit simon shaw sothebys worldwide co head of impressionist and modern art said referring to the slim margins that auction houses often make from guaranteed works he characterized monday nights patchy bidding as a more sophisticated market in the post sale news conference
given the fireworks weve seen in the market and the subsequent waning the lurching around of the global economy and key collector groups said mary hoeveler an art adviser based in new york its not the moment to sell if your expectations are high
here are some of the highlights
best of the b team with no trophies by monet or van gogh   which last year spurred prices in excess of 50 million   it was left to the imps and mods b team of artworks to create monday evenings memorable moments maurice de vlamincks vibrant 1905 landscape sous bois thought to have been painted near chatou in france during the height of the fauvist movement had been in the collection of the blaffer family of texas for many years and had never been offered at auction that is an increasing rarity in this heavily traded market included in a number of major exhibitions it sold to nancy whyte a new york based adviser who was bidding on behalf of a client for 164 million against a low estimate of 12 million
surprise failureandre derains 1906 canvas les voiles rouges the red sails was another former blaffer picture but it failed to sell against an estimate of 15 million   to the surprise of sothebys and dealers in the room it was like a misfiring ferrari roger mcilroy the australian dealer said of the auction it did well at parts of the race but fell off the track occasionally
star seller sothebys was pleased to put one over on its archrival christies with an entry from the loeb family of collectors paul signacs shimmering 1892 pointillist painting maisons du port saint tropez was entered by the diplomat john langeloth loeb jr a former american ambassador to denmark it had been inherited from his parents john langeloth loeb sr and frances lehman loeb who sold their celebrated collection of impressionist and post impressionist art at christies in 1997 for 927 million the signac sold for 107 million against a low estimate of 8 million to a telephone bidder
surprise success auguste rodin is a trophy name but buyers have tended to prefer his editioned bronzes to his marbles the 1901 03 sculpture leternel printemps depicting a passionate kiss between two naked lovers was believed to be one of 10 known marble versions of the subject it inspired a lengthy duel between ben frija the oslo dealer and a telephone bidder who prevailed at 204 million an auction high for rodin   and the top price of the sale i dont understand paying 20 million for a rodin that he never touched said richard nagy the london dealer who regarded the work as carved by assistants from a maquette
guarantees in its may 2015 evening imps and mods sale sothebys and third parties pledged minimum prices to the sellers of 14 lots on monday night a more risk averse sothebys included just one guaranteed work   a 1926 magritte estimated at 2 million it sold for 23 million with fees to a bidder who appeared to be the guarantor
the last word last year 78 percent of the lots sold this may the selling rate dropped to just 66 percent this wasnt a sale of trophies said heinrich zu hohenlohe director of dickinson in berlin specialists in high end artworks there werent the standout lots that get people excited
it was a relatively difficult sale in difficult times he said


susan delvalle a veteran administrator for new york arts institutions has been chosen as the new president and executive director of creative capital a group known for applying the principles of venture capital to financing artists projects
ms delvalle whose appointment is effective june 1 succeeds ruby lerner who has run creative capital since it was founded in 1999 previously she served as executive director of the sugar hill childrens museum of art  storytelling as well as director of external affairs and development at el museo del barrio
in an interview ms delvalle said she was excited for the career change which takes her from working with institutions to the artists themselves creative capital selects a class of artists each year and awards them 50000 in funding as well as roughly 45000 worth of career development services theres a lot of hand holding ms delvalle said praising creative capitals approach and you rarely find that in other types of grants
this year creative capital awarded nearly 44 million to 46 artistic projects focused on social issues pertaining to race gun violence and gender identity previous winners have included the oscar winning documentary filmmaker laura poitras the choreographer kyle abraham and the downtown performance stalwart meredith monk
ms lerner announced her plans to step down in 2015 her departure wont be much of a retirement though im going to see if theres a book in creative capital she said and added that she would begin two jobs in january as the inaugural herberger institute policy fellow at arizona state university and as the first senior fellow at the patty disney center for life and work at the california institute of the arts


when the yankees bullpen gate opened and aroldis chapman jogged toward the pitchers mound the typically staid yankee stadium came to life and the baseball game morphed into a carnival act
heavy metal music blared and flaming graphics lit up the scoreboard relievers in the bullpen made side bets on how fast chapmans fastball would top out and fans oohs and aahs were based on the speed his pitches registered not their location
with the yankees in need of a distraction from their disappointing start the debut of chapman the hardest throwing pitcher in baseball was most welcome
he was even able to overshadow the yankees hitters   who hit five home runs   despite showing some signs of vulnerability in finishing off a 6 3 victory over the kansas city royals on monday
chapman whose pitches reached 101 miles per hour had been suspended for 30 games under major league baseballs new domestic violence policy in his return to the mound as much as his fastball energized the crowd it seemed to have at least as great an effect on the clubhouse
its adding another huge piece getting him catcher brian mccann said after the yankees in last place in the american league east had won for the fourth time in its last six games it kind of lifts the spirits up a little bit
the team got a pick me up early on in launching five solo homers off royals starter chris young two by carlos beltran
last summer when general manager brian cashman was asked if he had considered pursuing young he waved away the suggestion
young had signed with kansas city as a free agent after earning comeback player of the year honors with seattle in 2014 but the yankees had no interest cashman said because young is one of baseballs most extreme fly ball pitchers and fly balls at yankee stadium   especially ones to right field   often turn into home runs
cashmans assessment was spot on monday as the yankees hit each of their home runs over the inviting right field porch with beltran joined by brian mccann brett gardner and aaron hicks gardner hicks and beltran homered in the third inning when young who has allowed a major league leading 13 home runs was knocked out of the game
young is a guy thats going to throw fastballs up in the strike zone and try to get you to chase with the slider beltran said we didnt really chase the slider much and he was able to show a few fastballs in the middle of the strike zone and we were able to square them and we were able to get good results out of that
the early barrage along with a strong spot start from ivan nova allowed the yankees to unveil their new toy chapman whose return gives manager joe girardi a devastatingly deep bullpen with andrew miller and dellin betances also able to close out games the three lead the majors in strikeouts by relievers since the start of 2014
although betances and miller warmed up neither entered the game
but chapman did
it was a show betances said as soon as he starts throwing the ball in the bullpen the whole crowd gets up and takes out their phone
in the dugout players and coaches leaned on the railing and stole glances at the top of the center field scoreboard where each pitchs velocity is displayed
during his suspension chapman worked out in tampa fla and pitched against 18  and 19 year olds in extended spring training he began this outing as if there were not much difference
he struck out omar infante with a 97 mph fastball and then cheslor cuthbert with one that reached 101 before paulo orlando ripped a 90 mph slider over the head of hicks the center fielder for a double
alcides escobar hit a single to center to drive in a run before chapman gloved a comebacker from lorenzo cain and made his softest toss of the night flipping the ball to first baseman mark teixeira
that guys one of the hardest pitchers to hit escobar said his first pitch tonight was coming in at 100 thats not easy
there was some question about what type of reception chapman might receive because he has expressed little contrition about the actions that had led to his suspension he fired eight gun shots into his garage after an altercation with his girlfriend according to a police report
but the cheers relieved him
i was very excited and happy to see the fans receive me the way they did but i was looking to stay focused and get the job done chapman said through an interpreter a lot of people have been asking me about that but after the reaction i got today i can say it was incredible
it was as complete a game as the yankees have played this season and it harked back to last season when they owned baseballs second best record as late as july 27 not only did they belt homers and get strong pitching monday but teixeira had two superlative scoops of errant throws from shortstop didi gregorius turning a potentially troublesome inning into a smooth one
nova was outstanding in replacing c c sabathia who went on the disabled list with a strained groin having thrown eight shutout innings against the baltimore orioles on wednesday nova who had lost out to sabathia for the final spot in the rotation allowed only one run in four and two thirds innings on a homer far over the center field wall by alex gordon reminiscent of the blast he hit in game 1 of the world series
kirby yates who allowed one hit in one and two thirds scoreless innings of relief picked up the win and ben gamel a rookie outfielder had something to celebrate too he stroked a single to left field in his first career plate appearance as a pinch hitter in the eighth


every day as gil horowitz 80 passes by the stonewall inn near his home in the west village he is transported back to the early morning hours of june 28 1969 he was in his early 30s then a bisexual man still living largely in the shadows when he said he was arrested by a police officer as part of a protest outside the bar and taken to the sixth precinct station house overnight in jail he said he witnessed dozens of lesbian gay bisexual and transgender people chained to radiators and beaten with nightsticks
it was made clear to me that night that it was never safe to be lgbt he recalled stonewall was our turning point our rallying cry
mr horowitz was among the dozens of people who testified at public school 41 in the west village on monday evening in support of a proposal to create the first national monument to the gay rights movement anchored by the stonewall inn and neighboring christopher park
those spontaneous protests outside the tavern   led in part by sylvia rivera and marsha p johnson   are widely regarded as pivotal in spurring the equal rights movement for lesbian gay bisexual and transgender people
the meeting on monday attended by a host of local politicians and led by representative jerrold nadler of manhattan sally jewell the united states secretary of the interior and jonathan b jarvis the national park service director was the latest step in a growing effort to recognize the area as a national monument mr nadler and senator kirsten e gillibrand both democrats of new york introduced legislation to have congress designate the area as a unit of the national park system and president obama is considering executive action although the white house would not confirm its support several officials last night expressed confidence that the president would follow through and some even thanked him prematurely for his support
we are long overdue for recognition of the struggle for lgbt civil rights in our national park system and there is no better way to begin telling those stories than at stonewall mr nadler said to applause from the audience
ms jewell said the national park service is americas storytelling and we know there are stories yet to be told
the stonewall inn has already been declared a new york city landmark and was listed on the national register of historic places and then as a national historic landmark in 2000
there are two avenues for adding locations to the national park system through an act of congress or by presidential designation in congress a bill can be introduced requesting that an area be designated as a national park unit the president can also designate a site as a national monument based on the antiquities act of 1906 most presidents have used this authority together establishing nearly 140 national monuments nearly half of which were later redesignated by congress as part of the national park system
since republicans control the house and the senate backers of the bill are doubtful it would pass so they are counting on president obama to achieve their goal
the plot of land that would serve as the cornerstone of the monument is now a city park to ease the sites development as a national park or monument gov andrew m cuomo signed legislation permitting the city to transfer ownership of the area to the federal government a move endorsed by mayor bill de blasio a fellow democrat and other local and state officials
two thirds of americas national park sites are dedicated to issues of cultural and historic significance according to the national parks conservation association still there are no sites within the national park service dedicated solely to the gay rights movement
nance lomax first went to the stonewall inn as a transgender teenager from philadelphia to find a sense of community that had always eluded her the first night of the protests she narrowly avoided arrest but returned many times thereafter
stonewall meant the world to me ms lomax 62 said it taught me i could be or do anything
for mr horowitz and many others stonewall continues to serve as a center of lesbian gay bisexual and transgender life he gathered there with scores of patrons in times of celebration as after the supreme court ruling that legalized same sex marriage and in times of tragedy as when a gay man named mark carson was murdered blocks away in 2013
the place is a beacon of hope he said and we should never forget it


washington   the pentagon said on monday that an airstrike by the united states led coalition had killed one of the islamic states senior military commanders in iraq
the attack on may 6 killed abu wahib the islamic states chief military official in anbar province said peter cook the pentagon spokesman he said the strike had hit a vehicle carrying mr wahib also known as shakir wahib and three other islamic state members near the town of rutba
mr wahib had appeared in islamic state execution videos and mr cook said he had been a member of the group since it was known as al qaeda in iraq during the american occupation
anbar province has been a center of the influence for the islamic state since it seized vast stretches of iraq in 2014 offensives by the iraqi government and its allies have focused on reclaiming population centers in the province including the recent retaking of ramadi which is the provincial capital and of the town of hit
mr wahibs death would be another setback for the islamic state after months of apparent losses on the battlefield in iraq and syria iraqi officials and news outlets have reported mr wahibs death several times over the past year though this is the first time the pentagon has publicly said he had been killed


albany   new yorks attorney general announced on tuesday that the district attorney who had been handling the inquiry into a fatal police shooting of an african american man in troy would step aside
the move clears the way for the attorney generals office to investigate the case
under the terms of an executive order signed last year by gov andrew m cuomo the attorney general eric t schneiderman has the power to investigate and prosecute deadly encounters between police and civilians if it is unclear whether the civilian was armed and dangerous at the time before mr schneiderman could decide whether to intervene in the april 17 shooting in troy however a grand jury convened by the rensselaer county district attorney joel abelove had already declined to indict the officer prompting mr schneiderman to sue mr abelove for violating the executive order
mr abelove has now agreed to walk away from the case and turn over his files to mr schneiderman effectively setting aside the grand jurys finding that the officer sgt randy french was justified in killing edson thevenin 37 after a traffic stop
mr schneiderman formally claimed the case on april 30 making it the fifth such episode his office has reviewed a day later on may 1 mr cuomo amended the executive order to authorize mr schneiderman to investigate mr thevenins death
in a statement mr abelove noted that the settlement announced on monday had not found that he had exceeded his authority in the case
mr schneidermans office however had a different interpretation the agreement does not exonerate da abelove for any potential claims of misconduct said eric soufer a spokesman


donald j trump took steps to appropriate much of the republican national committees financial and political infrastructure for his presidential campaign on monday amid signs that he and the party would lag dangerously behind the democrats in raising money for the general election
mr trump who by the end of march had spent around 40 million of his fortune on the primaries has said that he may need as much as 15 billion for the fall campaign but that he will seek to raise it from donors rather than continue to self finance
but mr trump has no fund raising apparatus to resort to no network of prolific bundlers to call upon and little known experience with the type of marathon one on one serial salesmanship and solicitousness that raising so much money is likely to require   even if individuals can contribute up to the current limit of 334000 at a time to the party and he has to do it all in six months with a deeply divided party that is still absorbing the fact that mr trump is its standard bearer
no one should underestimate how hard it would be for any nominee to raise hundreds of millions of dollars in a very short period of time said mike duhaime who was the top strategist for the presidential campaign of gov chris christie of new jersey
while mr trumps continued feud with the republican establishment was likely to cheer his supporters his intense need for money to run his general election campaign suggests the degree to which he will rely heavily on the partys existing infrastructure
underscoring the urgency with which mr trump and republicans will need to increase their fund raising some of the partys allies who spent enormous sums in the 2012 election now appear likely to stay on the sidelines in the presidential race   including the vast koch brothers network which had pledged to spend nearly 900 million in 2016
mark holden chairman of the freedom partners chamber of commerce one of the koch networks main umbrella groups signaled that it would require a significant change in tactics by mr trump the presumptive republican nominee for his group to open the spigot
if during the general election cycle a candidate were able to garner support from the public with a positive message in support of the issues we care about and did not engage in personal attacks and mudslinging we would consider potentially getting involved mr holden said that hasnt happened yet and there is no indication that this will happen given the current tone and tenor of the various campaigns
the karl rove led group american crossroads is also in a wait and see crouch with officials saying they have no immediate plans to buttress the republican nominee both it and the kochs network are now expected to focus more on aiding republicans efforts to retain their majority in the senate
republican party officials have pressed mr trump to sign a joint fund raising agreement which would allow him to raise money for the national committee and for his own campaign simultaneously that in turn would also give mr trump a defensible answer for why after months of railing against wall street executives and special interests he recently turned to a former goldman sachs executive steven mnuchin to corral large checks for his campaign
both mr trumps aides and party officials were caught by surprise by the abrupt end of the primary contest last week when mr trump carried indiana prompting senator ted cruz of texas and gov john kasich of ohio to withdraw from the race but the two sides have hurried to wrap up a joint fund raising agreement and one is close to being signed according to people close to the national committee who were not authorized to speak publicly
as soon as theres unity its going to be very easy to do mr trump said in an interview monday adding that he still planned to write checks for his campaign i think well raise 1 billion he said
under a joint fund raising agreement mr trump and the party would most likely be able to raise even more than the current individual limit but such efforts are difficult and take time while the limits were lower in 2012 mitt romney raised less than 500 million under such an agreement that year using a donor network that had taken years to develop
in one sign of progress for mr trump stanley hubbard a billionaire broadcasting executive who had donated money to efforts to thwart him fell in line behind him all my other candidates withdrew one by one mr hubbard said in an interview he was the last man standing
but other donors remain staunchly opposed paul singer the billionaire financier who had backed senator marco rubio of florida made clear at a gala monday night for the manhattan institute a conservative think tank that he could not support mr trump and was dismayed by the likely choices in the general election
in a three and a half hour meeting on monday at republican headquarters in washington party officials detailed for mr trumps top aides the range of fund raising operations and the other political assets at his campaigns disposal these include the partys trove of data on voters nationwide the hundreds of organizers it has working across the country and the dozens of employees in the partys communications shop
mr trump chose not to assemble those kinds of extensive operations during the primary season when he prided himself on winning contests on a shoestring and ran a skeletal operation compared with many of his rivals so he may have to lean on the republican national committee in a way that few nominees have in recent years
in the lengthy meeting trump aides and party officials tried to forge a path forward in tandem with republican officials delivering the less than subtle message that mr trumps aides were in little position to try a takeover of the group according to a person briefed on the discussions
we can both learn a lot from each other because we both have the same objective   to defeat the democrats in november corey lewandowski mr trumps campaign manager said after the meeting
mr trump has few aides of his own to take control of the party which had just 16 million in cash on hand at the end of march and speaker paul d ryans declaration last week that he was not ready to support mr trump has given cover to some donors who speaking privately said they were already dreading the prospect of becoming involved
the trump campaign plans to try to take firm control over the partys convention with two senior advisers to mr trump paul manafort and barry bennett expected to head to cleveland on thursday according to two people close to the trump campaign
even as his aides met privately with party officials mr trump continued to suggest in public that republicans should embrace him saying in a cnn interview monday that the party because of me has received more votes than at any time in its history
with a meeting set for thursday with mr ryan mr trump did not endorse a suggestion by a well known supporter sarah palin that mr ryan should be hit with a primary challenge for saying he could not yet endorse mr trump
i have nothing to do with that mr trump said sarah is very much a free agent
mr trump is also set to meet with the senate majority leader mitch mcconnell of kentucky who has given him a lukewarm endorsement on thursday
mr ryan meanwhile was asked about mr trumps refusal to rule out removing him as chairman of the convention and he responded with a bit of brinkmanship offering to step aside if mr trump wanted him to
there were other signs monday that party unity could prove to be a hard sell
a potential complication to mr trumps convention planning surfaced providing the first indication that mr cruz would not simply hand his delegates over mr cruzs supporters emailed pro cruz convention delegates on sunday to urge them to attend the convention and take control of two key committees
many christian conservatives who supported mr cruz and other candidates harbor deep suspicions about the beliefs of mr trump a former democrat who not long ago supported abortion rights and how compatible they are with long held conservative stances on social issues espoused in the official republican party platform
at the same time mr trump appeared to lose one potential vice presidential prospect when mr rubio the former rival whom he called little marco said he had no interest in joining the ticket mr rubio said his reservations about mr trumps campaign and concerns with many of his policies remain unchanged


in separate announcements on monday mike tirico said he was leaving espn where he called monday night football to join nbc sports and espn said it had promoted sean mcdonough from college football to the monday night games
its a dream of a lifetime especially growing up in my house with my dad mcdonough said referring to his deceased father will a football writer for the boston globe who also worked for nbc sports as a reporter
the younger mcdonough was the lead network voice of a sport in the early 1990s when he called major league baseball for cbs and he wondered if such an assignment would come his way again
i wasnt sure i was willing to stay if they felt i wasnt capable of being a signature voice on a property of this type mcdonough said on a news media conference call
but he was assured at espn that the opportunity would come and it did about two weeks ago when tirico chose to go to nbc
tirico said in a separate call that the opportunity to play a role at the olympics for nbc was the main reason he left espn
he is also expected to be part of nbcs thursday night football package and coverage of golf and other sports if not for nbcs offer he said id probably be at espn for another five or 10 years


the mets began the season with a rock star starting rotation around which they would happily wrap their identity degrom syndergaard harvey matz   even bartolo colon would be in the mix
yet at the start of play on monday the mets found themselves with a whole other distinction they led the major leagues in home runs including one already famous blast from colon himself this shift in story line has probably caught mets fans by surprise because throughout the years the team when good has tended to be identified with pitching more than slugging
this season the pitching has been solid enough and the win loss record 19 11 through sunday is impressive but it is the mets power at the plate that has been sort of stunning entering mondays games the mets had hit 47 home runs three more than second place st louis
meanwhile the yankees their bronx bombers nickname notwithstanding were tied for 24th with just 25 home runs having failed to take advantage of the cozy right field dimensions at yankee stadium that quickly changed on monday night when the yankees blasted five home runs in the bronx before the game was half over and the cubs baseballs best team this season had 37 homers which tied it for 10th in the major leagues
more significant the cubs were no 1 in runs scored with 184 or 51 more than the mets who were tied for 14th with 133 likewise the cubs led all of baseball in on base percentage with a 368 mark while the mets were in 10th place at 325 part of that gap was because of team batting average the cubs were at 263 and the mets at 244 and part was because of walks with the cubs having drawn 47 more than the mets
all of that is a reminder that runs however you score them count more than home runs but for now it is interesting to see the mets flex their muscles in unexpected ways
in their 54 year history they have led the majors in home runs just once in 1989 when they hit a fairly modest 147 with howard johnson accounting for 36 the mets did not it should be noted make the postseason that year finishing six games behind the cubs in the national league east with an 87 75 record
the mets best home run total came 17 years later when the 2006 team which did make the playoffs topped out at 200 homers although six other teams that year actually hit more
the big home run hitters for the mets that season were carlos beltran who with 41 tied todd hundley 1996 for the most single season homers by a met carlos delgado 38 and david wright 26
this season the mets leading home run hitter entering monday was yoenis cespedes with 11 followed by neil walker nine and lucas duda seven wright in his new role as a not quite full time third baseman had just four although his on base percentage 405 was pretty impressive
having played just 30 games or a little bit less than 20 percent of the season the mets would end up with close to 250 home runs far more than their record if they kept up their current pace it would also be a lot more than the 177 homers they hit in 2015 when they ended up tied for eighth in the team rankings
in all likelihood though the mets home run surge will eventually tail off and at some point their pitching will probably pre empt everything else as they try to repeat as division champions and maybe make it back to the world series
then again if colon hits another homer all bets are off maybe this will be the year the mets slug their way to a championship


fort mcmurray alberta   aside from the complete lack of children everything at first looks fine outside ecole boreal a french language school in fort mcmurrays abasand neighborhood but a closer inspection showed signs of danger and a hasty retreat from it a fallen lamppost a cooler bag abandoned in a student drop off zone
immediately across the street the devastation that the great fire brought to this city is grimly apparent behind a charred chain link fence the blackened frames of two childrens bicycles nestled beside the remains of an adults mountain bike of the townhouse where their owners once lived little remained but a battered air conditioning unit
contrasts abounded during a brief tour of the city where 88000 people fled as flames and smoke advanced on may 3 the power of the forest fire which continued to grow on monday as it swept through the hub of albertas oil sands region is unmistakable
much of the city remains intact an eerie ghost town of abandoned cars and darkened storefronts following a tour of the area rachel notley albertas premier said that 2400 buildings had been destroyed but about 25000 remained standing
the path the flames took was obvious southwest of the city a burned out bus sat at the flying j service station which exploded as residents drove down highway 63 the only escape route to the south about two blocks north the attractive stone and wood sign at the entrance to the beacon hill neighborhood remained unmolested by flame as did a shell gas station across from it but just past that at the top of a rise a panorama of destruction unfolded
beacon hill was one of fort mcmurrays oldest and most popular areas built during an oil sands boom in the 1970s its houses and yards were larger than those in the developments that followed after real estate prices shot up
beacon hill was the first residential area destroyed by the expanding fire without exception its once prized homes have all been reduced to basements filled with charred rubble the highest remaining points on many lots are the twisted metal pipes that once supported electricity meters
on the blackened front lawn of one house garden hose lay melted
darby allen the fire chief said that a lack of personnel and poor water pressure forced his crews to quickly abandon beacon hill and focus on saving the downtown and other parts of the city despite that the neighborhoods strip mall its liquor store still firmly shuttered and two schools suffered little or no damage   thanks to a change in the winds direction cars parked on beacon hills streets appeared largely unscathed although the plastic grill of one pickup truck had sagged from the heat pools of molten aluminum trickled down driveways from cars that had been left next to homes
at the bottom of the black swath left by the fire as it departed beacon hill a trailer park was incinerated except for about six homes the area had recently been rebuilt after a flood
an adjacent fire station still stood thanks mainly to its array of sprinklers even now fires still flare up in the city several smoldering blazes could be seen along the highway yet on monday the situation had eased to the point that some firefighters were outside a fire station washing black soot off two of their trucks
the black line of destruction abruptly veered west just before reaching fort mcmurrays hospital and downtown firefighters had focused their defenses there chief allen said the fire instead headed toward abasand passing near a sign for a mothers day craft fair complete with face painting which was never held
with each minute the fire had become more potent expanding its reach by heaving flames before it the results were cruelly random in a section of abasand built as housing for employees of syncrude the oil sands mega project of the 1970s blocks of total ruin faced untouched houses just across the street
as one townhouse burned and collapsed its kitchen stove ended up in the entrance of an underground parking lot the half dozen cars inside the lot fared no better than the stove
in one yard an all terrain vehicle popular in fort mcmurray was shorn of all its plastic and rubber
in another area the gas pumps and convenience store of an esso service station remained intact but its sign and touchless carwash were melted charred ruins
the destruction while not as severe as many had feared appeared to have overwhelmingly struck homes whether by luck or design civic and industrial buildings fared better at an industrial park near the airport the fires charred line stopped in front of a yard filled with rental construction equipment
something similar seemed to have happened at the oil sands discovery center a museum for the tourists who make the long drive to fort mcmurray the fire went right to an excavator from the early days of the oil sands development but left the dinosaur sized machine untouched the museum building surrounded by a large parking lot seemed to have escaped serious damage
in addition to the homes lost much work remains before fort mcmurray can start to rebuild sections of the city even within the spared downtown appeared to be without power aside from emergency workers the largest presence in the city were utilities crews on hand to assess damage and replace burned out poles wires and cables
chief allen said his downtown apartment survived the beast of a fire for those who were not so fortunate he asked that they understand that firefighters gave it their all
he added it was like a fire id never seen in my life


seattle   the coal industry shaken by dropping global demand and tighter air quality regulations took another major hit on monday when the united states army corps of engineers said it would deny the permit for what could have been nations largest coal export terminal here in washington
the 665 million project called the gateway pacific terminal was already hitting headwinds the developer asked last month that the state environmental review on the project be delayed citing uncertainty and related costs and one of the largest potential suppliers of coal peabody energy filed for bankruptcy protection last month
but in the end the decision came down to fish
the lummi nation of american indians had said the terminal about 90 miles north of seattle would threaten the tribes ancestral fishing rights which are legally protected by treaties dating to the mid 1800s spills or maritime accidents the tribe said could permanently destroy fishing beds
in its decision the corps agreed saying the developers plan to extend docks across 144 acres over the water could have restricted access to the water by the tribe that concern was enough to stop the terminal corps officials said without even considering potential environmental harm
the corps may not permit a project that abrogates treaty rights said col john g buck the corps seattle district commander in a telephone news conference the project colonel buck said is not permittable
the chairman of the lummi indian business council timothy ballew ii called the decision a win for the treaty a win for the constitution and a win for all of indian country he added the ancestral sites will be protected
but a spokesman for the project called the corps decision inconceivable
looking at the set of facts in the administrative summary its quite obvious this is a political decision and not fact based bob watters the president of pacific international terminals the gateway proposals developer said in a statement
environmental concerns about energy transport through the northwest   both coal and oil   have grown in recent years as projects like the gateway pacific terminal were put forward municipal leaders in cities from spokane to seattle said trains carrying coal from mines in montana and wyoming or oil from north dakota posed risks air pollution caused by dust traffic congestion caused by mile long trains and the potential catastrophe of derailments in urban areas
but the economics of the market have spoken just as loudly
arch coal which was part of a team backing a big coal export terminal on the columbia river filed for bankruptcy in january a liquefied natural gas project proposed in oregon was shelved last month as was a methanol refinery plant in tacoma near seattle mr watters said in his statement that the gateway pacific developers were considering all action alternatives


renaud laplanche and his crew steered a 105 foot racing boat through new york harbor one day last spring its towering sails ripping across the water at 30 knots
an accomplished sailor and founder of lending club mr laplanche was hosting executives from hedge funds goldman sachs and other banks   part of his effort to win over wall street on his plans to upend traditional banking with a faster more democratic form of lending
he already had endorsements from lawrence h summers the former treasury secretary and john mack the former chief of morgan stanley who joined his board at lending clubs initial public offering in december 2014 the company was valued at over 8 billion
but on monday lending club announced that mr laplanche had resigned after an internal investigation found improprieties in its lending process including the altering of millions of dollars worth of loans the companys stock price already reeling in recent months fell 34 percent
the companys woes are part of a broader reckoning in the online money lending industry last week prosper another online lender that focuses on consumers laid off more than a quarter of its work force and the chief executive said he was forgoing his salary for the year
the problems at lending club in particular threaten to confirm some of wall streets worst fears that as favorable economic conditions begin to turn they will reveal many upstart companies with weak internal controls that have been feeding inaccurate information to starry eyed investors
it is clear this is bad news not just for lending club but for our entire industry peter renton who founded lendit a leading industry conference wrote in a blog post on monday really bad
marketplace lenders like lending club have created easy to use websites that match consumers and small businesses hoping to borrow a few thousand dollars with individuals or wall street investors looking to lend money
freed from the costs of brick and mortar branches and federal regulations requiring that they reserve money against their loans marketplace lenders have been able to grow quickly and with fewer expenses
the process is almost entirely online with loans approved in days rather than the weeks a traditional bank might take
while marketplace loans account for less than 1 percent of the consumer loans in the united states a recent report by the investment bank jefferies said that in some segments   like installment loans   the new lending companies account for more than 10 percent of the market
just months ago it seemed marketplace lenders couldnt churn out loans fast enough investors like hedge funds insurance companies and pension funds were clamoring to buy large pools of these loans which offered an attractive return at a time of record low interest rates
but in the first quarter lenders like lending club prosper and ondeck capital had difficulty convincing investors that their business models are sound
even though the majority of the companies borrowers continue to pay their loans on time wall street investors have started to worry about the prospect of increasing defaults
last week the small business lender ondeck said demand for securitized packages of its loans had all but vanished in the first quarter
investors are shooting first and asking questions later said christopher c brendler a financial analyst at stifel the investment bank
wall streets waning demand for loans exposed the achilles heel of marketplace lending unlike traditional banks that use their deposits to fund loans the marketplace companies discovered how fleeting their funding sources can be
since the start of the year lending club has raised interest rates on its loans three times to sweeten their appeal to investors
as the pressure to sell loans mounted across the industry the problems began to surface at lending club according to two people briefed on the companys internal investigation who spoke on the condition of anonymity
they said that in early april a lending club employee discovered that the dates on about 3 million of loan applications appeared to have been altered in some way the employee raised the issue with mr laplanche who alerted the companys internal auditor
that inquiry led to the discovery of more irregularities these two people said this time it appeared that about 22 million in loans that had been sold to jefferies did not meet the investment banks criteria
while the discrepancy was fairly minor they said the lending club board considered it a serious issue the company bought back all of the loans
a key principle of the company is maintaining the highest levels of trust with borrowers investors regulators stockholders and employees hans morris who on monday was named lending clubs executive chairman a newly created role said in a statement
the two people briefed on the internal investigation said it had turned up another issue mr laplanche had a stake in an investment fund that the company was also considering whether to invest in but mr laplanche had failed to disclose his personal investment to the board
mr laplanche did not respond to a request for comment
mr laplanche in many ways was considered the face of his industry he is a french born lawyer who spent the early part of his career at cleary gottlieb a large corporate law firm
he came up with the idea to start lending club in 2006 after seeing how little banks paid people to deposit their money and how much those same banks charged to lend we wanted to lower the spread he said in an interview last year
mr laplanche is also a world class sailor who holds two speed records he would frequently take his staff in san francisco sailing
last friday the board informed mr laplanche of its conclusions making it clear that he had lost its confidence three senior managers involved in the loan sales have either resigned or were fired the companys president scott sanborn was named acting chief
before the recent turmoil more traditional banks were putting faith in the industrys underwriting models and low cost lending system the banks had been buying loans from the marketplace lenders and also forming partnerships
jpmorgan chase for example started a partnership with ondeck to offer small business loans jpmorgan the nations largest bank figured that ondeck could offer the loans more cheaply and quickly than if the bank processed them internally
some analysts predict that if the funding pressure continues large banks could end up acquiring the marketplace lenders or pieces of them
they have good technology and it could ultimately be adopted by the banks themselves said todd h baker founder of broadmoor consulting which advises financial services companies


wall street has been agog since last thursday when donald trump announced that steven mnuchin   who made his fortune at goldman sachs worked for a firm funded by george soros and donated to hillary clinton   would be responsible for helping him raise 1 billion for republicans and his own campaign
for if mr trump is an unconventional political candidate his appointment of mr mnuchin as his national finance chairman is the epitome of just how unconventional this election has become despite what mr mnuchin said was a personal friendship of 15 years mr trump has attacked both mr mnuchins investment company   suing it in 2008 over a building deal   as well as goldman sachs the democratic party and other institutions mr mnuchin has supported
in a telephone interview monday mr mnuchin emphasized the friendship part of the equation i was there at the beginning when he decided to run for president and ive been a supporter and quiet adviser behind the scenes to him he explained the day after mr trump won the new york primary mr trump called mr mnuchin and offered him the job i told him on the spot i would he said
mr mnuchin is known among manhattans elite as part of one of the citys most influential families his father robert mnuchin spent 30 years at goldman sachs where he supervised equity trading and served on the management committee he moved on to become an art dealer and his mnuchin gallery on the upper east side has housed exhibitions of jackson pollock and willem de kooning
the son left goldman in 2002 and briefly worked for eddie lampert his yale roommate who is chief executive of sears he later started dune capital management an investment firm known for being on the team that bailed out the failed housing lender indymac in 2009 buying it out of bankruptcy from the fdic and renaming it onewest
mr mnuchin was the chairman of onewest and sold it to cit group in 2015 along the way onewest was involved in a string of lawsuits over questionable foreclosures and settled several cases for millions of dollars
meanwhile mr mnuchin made his name in hollywood he teamed up with brett ratner the producer and director and james packer the financier   together better known as the ratpac   to produce movies like american sniper and mad max fury road he briefly was co chairman of the movie company relativity media but   happily for him   he left before it went bankrupt
mr mnuchins new job with mr trump is filled with seeming contradictions mr trump spent much of his campaign attacking goldman sachs using the bank to malign ted cruzs wife heidi who is an investment manager there and mrs clinton who famously received rich honorariums for giving speeches there i know the guys at goldman sachs mr trump said during one debate poking at mr cruz they have total total control over him just like they have total control over hillary clinton he declared
mr trump has also said he plans to end the so called carried interest loophole that allows private equity executives and some hedge fund mangers to claim the lower capital gains rate rather than the higher ordinary income rate on much of their compensation the issue was a hot button for mitt romney in 2012 as he benefited greatly from this regulation mr mnuchin as the chairman of dune has done so as well
mr mnuchin supported mr romney in 2012 mr romney has denounced mr trump
both mr mnuchin and his new boss have backed mrs clintons democratic political aspirations in the past though both now swear fealty to the other team
im not a traditional fund raiser   i think that was part of the appeal i had for donald mr mnuchin told me on monday i have given to democrats in the past ive always believed in supporting the best candidate at the time
what about mr trumps broadsides against his former employer mr mnuchin emphasized that it was quite a while ago that he worked for goldman working there for 17 years but leaving in 2002 more recently he said ive been focused on the west coast economy and being a banker and lending in these markets
no doubt his connections will work to the benefit of the republican party even during an election cycle when all the remaining candidates seem to be trying to sling mud at so called fat cats not so mr mnuchin
i wouldnt in any way say i distanced myself from wall street he said i have very good friends on wall street
the job could be considered high risk for someone who hasnt lived in the glare of the public eye   and for someone backing as controversial a figure as mr trump with the exception of a handful of financiers like carl icahn few big names on wall street have yet endorsed mr trump
indeed many of the nations largest banks   including goldman sachs   havent done business with mr trump in years among the lenders on mr trumps disclosure form only merrill lynch among the countrys largest lenders is listed for a loan made in 1993 and 1994 since then smaller banks or foreign institutions like ubs and deutsche bank are listed as his biggest lenders according to former goldman sachs executives the firm doesnt solicit business from mr trump and has declined at least one project a spokesman for the firm declined to comment
mr mnuchin said i dont think it is true that goldman refuses to work with mr trump he added there is a long long list of some of the largest banks in the country that have done business with him he has had no problem finding people who want to lend to his businesses
one of the lenders that have extended credit to mr trump is mr mnuchins dune capital dune was among a syndicate of lenders led by deutsche bank for the construction of his trump international hotel  tower a 92 story skyscraper in chicago mr trump sued the lenders including dune in 2008 to extend the terms of the loan on the basis of unprecedented financial crisis in the credit markets the suit was later settled
mr mnuchins firm was also involved in investing in trump waikiki in hawaii i havent really commented on what business weve done together he said i would describe it as more of a personal relationship than a professional relationship
despite mr trumps changing rhetoric mr mnuchin is bullish even on wall street notwithstanding certain comments hes made and things like that ive gotten hundreds of calls from people who want to support him


washington   president obama signed a law on monday making the bison   tens of millions of which once roamed north america   the countrys first national mammal
the designation does nothing to threaten the bald eagles position as the national animal but the eagle is not a mammal so at long last the nation now has an official one
the bisons territory once stretched from the forests of alaska to the grasslands of mexico the animal remains the largest mammal in north america with mature bulls weighing up to a ton despite their size the animals are surprisingly quick reaching speeds of up to 35 miles per hour
they were not fast enough however to outrun bullets and their extraordinary size and tendency to travel in herds made them easy targets for hunters during the 19th century native american tribes survived on bison by following herds and massacres of the animals helped push indian cultures into collapse
the animals numbers have fallen to the tens of thousands in the united states and many of them are preserved in national parks groups fighting to prevent the extinction of bison had pushed for the federal designation
as a pennsylvanian i kind of thought that we ought to consider the groundhog as a national mammal said representative charlie dent a republican a groundhog from punxsutawney pa serves as a national weatherman in an annual rite
but i decided id better support the bison mr dent added
the founding fathers debated whether the bald eagle or wild turkey would better serve as the national symbol with benjamin franklin rooting for the turkey because the eagle is a bird of bad moral character
bison served a small role in president richard m nixons diplomatic opening to china during the secret back and forth that preceded nixons 1972 visit white house staff members had to come up with a state gift and they assumed the chinese would want a pair of american bison said lucy a winchester the white house social secretary at the time
the chinese soon sent word that they wanted musk oxen instead ms winchester said


philadelphia   every thursday reece whitleys busy life screeches to a halt the red light built into his 10 grade class schedule at william penn charter school a private quaker institution founded in 1689 is a 40 minute meditative period known as meeting for worship the period of silence sometimes broken by students or teachers sharing thoughts when the spirit moves them was the topic of a lively conversation during a recent quaker principles class
one student said the 40 minutes would be better spent studying another dismissed it as the adolescent version of nap time as sleep deprived students sometimes nod off
whitley wedged into a back row seat like a hummer limousine in a parking space for a compact car raised his hand and said he looked forward to the meeting for worship more this year than in the past
i can kind of get away from thinking about everything he said adding its nice
whitley 16 is on the fast track in school and swimming in the classroom his workload includes mandarin chinese and advanced courses in chemistry and algebra in the water he posted the seventh fastest time among american men in the 200 meter breaststroke last year to establish himself as a 2016 olympic hopeful
whitley will compete this week at the atlanta classic at georgia tech a three day competition starting friday that is akin to a midterm it will give whitley a better idea of where his swimming stands heading into the united states olympic trials in late june in omaha
there is so much more than meets the eye to the 6 foot 8 whitley an african american in a sport that is becoming more diverse the 2012 united states olympic swim team included three black swimmers   anthony ervin cullen jones and lia neal   all of whom will vie for spots on the 2016 squad last year neal helped make ncaa history in the 100 yard freestyle at the division i championships finishing second behind her stanford teammate simone manuel and ahead of floridas natalie hinds in the first 1 2 3 finish by black competitors
whitley escapes pigeonholing his teachers describe him as quick to smile and laugh but his teammates see his scowling fastidious side he is one of the few national caliber male swimmers to take instruction from a woman at senior level meets his coach crystal coleman stands out on the male dominated pool deck more than the towering whitley does on the blocks
that is saying something because the breaststroke events have historically been dominated by athletes almost a foot shorter than whitley in the mens 200 meter breaststroke at the 2012 london olympics the average height of the eight finalists was a shade over 6 feet
i kind of enjoy looking at people giving me weird looks whitley said i use it as motivation to get so fast it makes people freak out because im challenging their preconceptions
whitley was speaking before an afternoon workout in the office at the indoor 25 yard pool in the graham athletics center on the william penn charter campus in a few minutes he would begin a two hour workout interrupted only by a quick trip a tapped out whitley made to the restroom to throw up
whitley shared a lane with two other swimmers and during one set he alternated freestyle and breaststroke while chasing his two male teammates who were swimming freestyle with fins
when he banged arms with one of his teammates whitley stopped long enough to direct an icy stare at him the expression on his face showed none of the affability that whitley had radiated that morning in his chemistry lab his quaker class and an english lecture on the merchant of venice
did you see him get snippy coleman said with a laugh
coleman has been working with whitley since he was 11 long enough to be able to speed read his moods
the story of how coleman came to coach whitley is entwined with the story of how she met paul coleman the man who would become her husband she was at the middle atlantic junior olympics in 2010 directing her swimmers in sprints in a crowded pool during a warm up session restricted to participants 10 and younger when she saw a boy on the blocks who looked like gulliver among the lilliputians
four of my boys were lined up behind this swimmer and they came up to his kneecaps coleman said
the swimmer was whitley then 10 and already 5 feet 8 coleman then crystal keelan pointedly asked whitleys coach paul coleman who founded penn charter aquatic club if the youngster on the blocks was a teenager crashing the 10 under warm up paul kindly informed crystal that whitley did not turn 11 until january several months away after that crystal paid attention to whitleys races and paul paid attention to crystal
whitleys parents both doctors had signed him up for private instruction with paul who had a waiting list he approached crystal in the fall of 2011 because he liked the way she interacted with her swimmers he asked her if she would like to work with some of his swimmers who were seeking private lessons that is how she began working with whitley
he was such a sponge crystal recalled i couldnt wait until the next week so we could work on something new
the next year paul hired crystal as the head age group coach at the club in 2013 she was promoted to head coach when paul took a job with central bucks swim team a year later they were married
whitley said he did not give a second thought to his coachs gender others find it harder to wrap their heads around
at last summers long course junior national championships in san antonio whitley won the 200 meter breaststroke it is customary for the coach of the winner to hand out the awards for the event but coleman said that when she went to collect the medals the female volunteer who was in charge asked her is the head coach not available
at a national junior camp at the olympic training center in colorado springs a few months later coleman said a female team manager told her i dont think ive ever been at a camp with a female coach
in 2012 teri mckeever the womens coach at california berkeley became the first woman to be appointed the head coach of a united states womens olympic swim team in 2015 no male swimmer on the united states world championships squad had a woman as his primary coach a few had age group coaches who were women including ryan lochte an 11 time olympic medalist whose early years in the sport were overseen by his mother
coaching reece has given me the opportunity to meet and pick the brains of coaches at the highest level said coleman who is upfront about her strengths and weaknesses
at the training camp she said she told a usa swimming official i know i dont know as much as everyone on the deck but i know reece the best
the top two finishers in the 100 and 200 breaststrokes at the united states olympic trials will earn berths to the rio de janeiro games whitley is like a beefsteak tomato ripening on the vine no one expects him to make the olympic team but few would be surprised if he does
the trials may be six months too early for him said rowdy gaines a three time olympic gold medalist who is part of nbcs olympic swimming broadcasting team
barring injuries or burnout in four years gaines added hes going to be the best breaststroker in the world ive never seen a breaststroker with his talent its not even close
to finish first or second in omaha whitley will have to shave as much as three seconds off his personal best in the 200 his odds while formidable are considerably better than 5000 to 1 leicester city winning this years premier league title
in 2012 scott weltz lowered his personal best by more than three seconds to win the mens 200 breaststroke at the united states trials weltz was two years out of college and had never won any event in a major competition whitley who is two years shy of college boasts in addition to his junior national title a runner up finish in the 100 meter breaststroke at last summers world junior championships in singapore
weve talked about getting a best time and seeing what happens coleman said
whitley recalled a talk that the two time olympic medalist jessica hardy delivered to members of the united states junior team she told them about competing in her first olympic trials in 2004 at 17 she recorded a best time in the 100 breaststroke and finished fifth three places shy of an olympic berth she said she was thrilled with the result
as whitley listened he said he tried to imagine himself in her place
i was like if i do my best time and place fifth will i be happy he said she was super happy to have gone a best time but i feel like if you have the chance why not go after it i had to think to myself and my feeling was i wouldnt be happy if i got fifth
last month whitley was invited to throw out the first pitch at a phillies home game against the washington nationals it was jackie robinson day whitley was thrilled because his first love was baseball he showed promise as a pitcher developing a breaking ball to complement his fastball before giving up the sport after setting his first national age group record in swimming in 2012
i got out of the pool after that first national record and i said i want to do this again whitley said knowing nobody had ever swum that fast it was a feeling i wanted to experience again and again
before the game one of whitleys favorite players philadelphia first baseman ryan howard introduced himself whitley said they spoke for 15 minutes howard asked whitley details about the olympic trials and whitley who attended one of the phillies world series games in 2009 asked howard how he stayed composed on the big stage
he told me you cant get caught up in the atmosphere whitley said he said if you make it to the world series its because you belong there
during training whitleys thoughts will drift from technique to the trials when the training gets tough whitley tries to picture the atmosphere in omaha he gave the example of a recent set he struggled through it was three rounds of eight 75 yard breaststroke swims
i was really tired by the last round and it was hard for me mentally he said i started to envision the last couple of strokes at the finish at the trials thats what drove me
some thursdays during the meeting for worship whitleys mind also drifts to the trials he visualizes striding onto the deck and scanning the crowd of more than 12000 then he snaps his attention back to the present the rest of the picture will be revealed soon enough


washington   the stunning split between speaker paul d ryan and donald j trump might be bad for republican unity but good for constitutional democracy
mr ryans refusal to endorse mr trump was a reminder of a lost washington art   not just the willingness to take on the political opposition but a readiness to publicly challenge the leader of ones own party
if sustained it would break dramatically with the recent pattern of lawmakers regularly deferring to a president of their own party and ceding power from capitol hill to the white house
in raising concerns about mr trump mr ryan seemed to acknowledge the potential for republican on republican clashes should mr trump prevail in november and the fights could come not just on discrete policy issues like taxes and trade but also over mr trumps very interpretation of the powers of the presidency
i think conservatives want to know does he share our values and our principles on limited government the proper role of the executive adherence to the constitution mr ryan said during his memorable appearance on cnn last week
mr trump a businessman accustomed to acting quickly and independently has repeatedly expressed an expansive view of the oval offices reach
well i will say this theres a lot of precedent based on what hes doing mr trump said this year when pressed about president obamas penchant for executive orders to accomplish his agenda
such statements have mr ryan and other republicans worried that their nominee would pick up where mr obama leaves off after years of aggressive challenges to the presidents use of executive power on health care immigration environmental regulations and more the prospect of quietly standing by if mr trump did the same must unsettle members of his own party
but congressional republicans were not overly concerned about the proper role of the executive during previous republican administrations most notably the presidency of george w bush
the bush white house asserted its executive prerogative on multiple domestic and national security issues and the republican led congress in the aftermath of the sept 11 2001 attacks showed little interest in holding the administration accountable despite widespread criticism
you have tended to get a complete abdication of oversight during periods of republican unified government said thomas e mann a longtime congressional scholar affiliated with the brookings institution
it has not always been this way in the not too distant past lawmakers viewed themselves as more independent separate and even superior to administrations that came and went while members of congress built long careers on capitol hill
they were more than willing to take on a president of their own party as democrats did over the conduct of the vietnam war and republicans were full participants in bipartisan inquiries into watergate and during the reagan era the iran contra affair the readiness of the parties to cooperate in serious joint investigations gave them much more credibility as opposed to the partisan recriminations surrounding the now two year old house benghazi investigation
much of the most serious scrutiny of any administration came during the annual appropriations reviews when members of both parties held the feet of agency officials to the fire
but that process is badly broken now and the increasing polarization of american politics has led to a partisan were all in this together mentality where members of congress have been very reluctant to show any separation between them and their partys leader for fear of providing the slightest political opening to the opposition
for instance republicans with reservations about conduct during the invasion of iraq or the response to hurricane katrina did not want to give ammunition to democrats by airing their grievances despite very real misgivings and democrats have been careful about criticizing mr obama publicly even when they sometimes found the administrations actions amateurish and counterproductive
how deeply ingrained this sentiment has become was reflected in the response to mr ryans position by some fellow republicans they were incredulous the speaker would not simply fall in line behind mr trump given the political ramifications it just seemed foreign to them
despite the pitfalls of disunity there is a potential benefit to mr trump in the ryan stance republican voters nervous about backing such a relatively unknown quantity when it comes to governing could take some solace in the fact that congressional republicans led by mr ryan could team up with democrats to provide a check on a trump presidency
mr ryans approach could be a temporary interruption in what has become the normal course of business or a power play to try to force mr trumps embrace of mr ryans favored agenda he and others who share his view may quickly get behind mr trump
republicans have more than demonstrated they will be aggressive adversaries of hillary clinton or bernie sanders should one of them win the presidency and republicans keep majorities in the house and senate and a democratic senate or house would no doubt be a nightmare of oversight and opposition for a president trump
those same lawmakers could reclaim ground they have surrendered to the executive branch and reassert the independence of the legislative branch by showing they were willing to apply those same standards to a president of their own party


facebook scrambled on monday to respond to a new and startling line of attack accusations of political bias
the outcry was set off by a report on monday morning by the website gizmodo which said that facebooks team in charge of the sites trending list had intentionally suppressed articles from conservative news sources the social network uses the trending feature to indicate the most popular news articles of the day to users
facebook denied the allegations after a backlash   from both conservative and liberal critics   erupted it is beyond disturbing to learn that this power is being used to silence viewpoints and stories that dont fit someone elses agenda read a statement from the republican national committee not leaning in... leaning left blared the top story on the drudge report a widely read website
the journalist glenn greenwald hardly a conservative ally weighed in on twitter aside from fueling right wing persecution this is a key reminder of dangers of silicon valley controlling content and alexander marlow the editor in chief of breitbart news a conservative leaning publication said the report confirmed what conservatives have long suspected
facebook in response says that it follows rigorous guidelines to ensure consistency and neutrality and that it works to be inclusive of all perspectives we take allegations of bias very seriously a facebook spokeswoman said in a statement facebook is a platform for people and perspectives from across the political spectrum
the back and forth highlights the extent to which facebook has now muscled its way into americas political conversation   and the risks that the company faces as it becomes a central force in news consumption and production
with more than 222 million monthly active users in the united states and canada the site has become a place that people flock to to find out what is going on last year a study by the pew research center in collaboration with the knight foundation found that 63 percent of facebooks users considered the service a news source
in april facebook embraced this role openly releasing a video to implore people to search facebook to discover the other side of the story politicians have increasingly shared their messages through the social network
its not that facebook has changed fundamentally over the past four eight years said paul brewer director of the university of delaware center for political communication its the sheer volume of communication thats taking place and its that politicians know that they need to be using facebook now more than ever before to communicate
as it has become more influential facebook has taken pains to say that it is not an echo chamber of similar opinions in a peer reviewed study published last year facebooks data scientists analyzed how 101 million of the most partisan american users on the social network navigated the site over a six month period they found that peoples networks of friends and the articles they saw were skewed toward their ideological preferences   but that the effect was more limited than the worst case some theorists had predicted in which people would see almost no information from the other side
yet gizmodos report raises questions about the effects that facebooks staff members and their biases   even unconscious ones   have on the social network
while facebook has pledged to sponsor both the democratic and republican national conventions the companys top executives have not been shy about expressing where their political sympathies lie
at a facebook conference in april mark zuckerberg the companys chief executive warned of fearful voices building walls in reference to donald trump the probable republican presidential candidate
the allegations against facebook also put the spotlight on how it chooses which news articles to show users under the trending function   on desktop computers trending displays on the right side of screens on cellphones it appears when users search
facebook has long described its trending feature as largely automatic the topics you see are based on a number of factors including engagement timeliness pages youve liked and your location according to a description on facebooks site
the trending feature is curated by a team of contract employees according to two former facebook employees who worked on it and who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of nondisclosure agreements they said they considered themselves members of a newsroom like operation where editorial discretion was not novel but was an integral part of the process
any suppression the former employees said was based on perceived credibility   any articles judged by curators to be unreliable or poorly sourced whether left leaning or right leaning were avoided though this was a personal judgment call
the perception of facebook as a more conventional news operation opens it to a more familiar line of criticism which has been mounted against news organizations left and right large and small for decades according to a report last year by pew only 17 percent surveyed said that technology companies had a negative influence on the country for the news media that number was 65 percent   and rising
the agenda setting power of a handful of companies like facebook and twitter should not be underestimated said jonathan zittrain a professor of computer science and law at harvard university these services will be at their best when they are explicitly committed to serving the interests of their users rather than simply offering a service whose boundaries for influence are unknown and ever changing
by late monday users on the social network looking for more information about the gizmodo report did not have to look far it was among the top articles trending on facebook


los angeles   with california entering its fifth year of a statewide drought gov jerry brown moved on monday to impose permanent water conservation measures and called on water suppliers to prepare for a future made drier by climate change
under the governors executive order emergency drought regulations like bans on hosing down driveways or watering lawns within 48 hours of a rainstorm will remain indefinitely urban water suppliers will be required to report their water use to the state each month and develop plans to get through long term periods of drought
despite winter rains that replenished reservoirs and eased dry conditions in parts of northern california mr brown suggested that the drought may never entirely end and that the state needed to adapt to life with less water
californians stepped up during this drought and saved more water than ever before mr brown said in a statement but now we know that drought is becoming a regular occurrence and water conservation must be a part of our everyday life
californians have reduced their water use by 239 percent compared with 2013 levels since the governor ordered a 25 percent statewide cutback last year with rain brought on by el nino in recent months some water agencies have clamored for an end to rationing one affluent san francisco bay area water agency announced that it would stop publishing the names of its most egregious water wasters while another district has warned residents that they will soon face fines again for letting lawns go brown
ninety percent of the state remains in drought down from 97 percent two months ago according to the united states drought monitor
in the short term some water suppliers may indeed get a reprieve from the states mandate the state water resources control board which put emergency regulations in place during the drought has proposed allowing each water district to develop its own conservation plans based on what its water supplies would be if the drought continued for three more years for example an agency that projected a 10 percent shortfall three years out would be required to cut back water use by 10 percent the state will review each districts plan
other statewide conservation measures would also be eliminated from last years emergency rules like restrictions on hotels and restaurants offering water to guests a vote on the plan is scheduled for later this month
conditions have changed this year while were certainly in a statewide drought drought conditions have eased said mark cowin director of the california department of water resources some local communities have seen a great easing of their drought effects this year and will see life return more to normal
but he added were just one dry winter away from returning to where we were
felicia marcus chairwoman of the states water resources control board said the proposed regulations were part of a shift toward focusing on long term water conservation even during wet years with the assumption that the state would continue to grow drier over the next century a state law enacted in 2009 already requires a 20 percent reduction in per capita water use but officials are now pushing for even further conservation
our emphasis is on conservation as a way of life in california ms marcus said weve had the luxury of taking our precious water for granted in the past but we do not anymore


a state ethics panel asked a court on monday to compel the campaign for one new york a political nonprofit connected to mayor bill de blasio to hand over documents related to its lobbying and fund raising activities after the groups lawyer declared last week that he would not comply with the panels subpoena
the panel the joint commission on public ethics known as jcope filed papers in state supreme court in albany seeking to have a judge enforce the subpoena arguing that the nonprofit had no basis for refusing to provide the documents according to two people familiar with the matter
the campaign for one new york now has several days to respond according to the people who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the papers were filed under seal the groups lawyer laurence d laufer said in a letter on friday that the group would no longer cooperate with the panels investigation into the nonprofits lobbying activities saying the inquiry had become blatantly political
at issue before the judge is whether the panels most recent subpoena was lawful or whether the panel sought documents in a manner that was overly broad or burdensome or that sought information that would be considered privileged and therefore not subject to disclosure
the investigation by the panel is focused on whether the campaign for one new york which mr de blasio a democrat created after his election in 2013 to carry forward his agenda had acted as a lobbyist without filing the required paperwork declaring itself one it had done so in 2014 when the group was advocating mr de blasios universal prekindergarten initiative which required state approval but did not register again as a lobbyist in 2015
the group has maintained that its activities that year   and in 2016 when the group was winding down its operations   did not include lobbying and that it was not required to file
mr laufer in the 12 page letter argued that the investigation had gone beyond its original focus on lobbying to include fund raising activities that were not within jcopes jurisdiction to investigate
in the letter mr laufer suggested that the panels investigation had been of a piece with an inquiry by the state board of elections into mr de blasios fund raising on behalf of democrats in state senate contests in 2014 both independent agencies have had ties to gov andrew m cuomo he argued and may have been influenced by the governor a democrat who has been in an open feud with mr de blasio for months


baltimore   since barbaros final gallop at the 2006 preakness stakes time has trickled by ever so slowly for the trainer michael matz
a decade ago matz saddled barbaro the frisky kentucky derby winner with designs of pulling off an encore at pimlico race course soon after emerging from the starting gate though barbaro stumbled and broke his right hind leg
despite the efforts of an esteemed veterinarian the unrestricted financial backing of the horses owners and the outpouring of love from racing fans around the world the injuries that barbaro sustained at the preakness ultimately led to his death on jan 29 2007 by euthanasia
for those who knew barbaro a whimsical thoroughbred vivid memories linger
when youre looking for another horse like that it seems like its been ages matz said im hoping but i dont have a great deal of confidence im going to find it or its going to find me
that is because as one of barbaros owners roy jackson said he was a one in a million horse
barbaro a dark bay colt entered the preakness unbeaten in six races but that was not the only reason matz loved him
especially this time of year there are always memories of barbaro matz said one minute he wins the kentucky derby in front of 160000 people and on monday afternoon hes out in the paddock rolling around in the grass and having a good time those are the things that stand out
after tumbling to the dirt at the preakness barbaro was transported to the new bolton center at the university of pennsylvanias rural kennett square campus where dr dean richardson performed surgery
although barbaros broken leg healed he developed laminitis a painful and often crippling hoof condition in his left hind leg after several more procedures barbaro was found to have laminitis in both front legs
at that point richardson along with barbaros owners roy and gretchen jackson decided the horse could not be saved
although richardson said he was confident he did everything possible to keep the horse alive he looks back with no small measure of regret
its not like there have been evolutionary changes in the technology over the last 10 years to repair this type of fracture richardson said in retrospect however there are certainly some subtle things that i would probably do differently today if i were to approach the same type of fracture
if you ask me would i love to have another chance at saving barbaro the answer is categorically yes thats more because i care so much about him because hes a real special horse
barbaros situation was unusual in that the jacksons were willing to spend thousands of dollars for veterinary care to keep him alive   and not necessarily because of his potential as a stud
its not that horses cant be repaired its just that many times the economics of repairing a horses injury are not aligned richardson said you dont have the combination of an owner who has the resources and a horse that justifies that expense
the jacksons and barbaro fit the description
he deserved whatever we could do to try to save him roy jackson said the stud thing it didnt matter
barbaros ashes are buried at churchill downs the site of his biggest victory a bronze statue of the horse stands atop his remains
sometimes i sit on the sideline there watch people take pictures in front of the statue jackson said i think its a great memorial for him
barbaros dam la ville rouge lives on the jacksons estate in chester county pa that fact and the love barbaro received 10 years ago have helped his owners move on
we dont dwell on it much roy jackson said we got letters from people in every state and 14 foreign countries we think back on the huge outpouring of support we got thats what i think about more than the injury
richardson has taken a similar stance
the bitterness of losing him lessens over time he said but ive got a picture of barbaro on my office wall and a painting of him at home i certainly do still think about him
matz has 70 stalls at fair hill training center in maryland he hopes to fill one of them with a horse capable of competing for the triple crown
all trainers are looking for that and i was lucky enough to get one in barbaro he said the worst part of it is we never will really know how good he really was


san juan pr   as washington remains deadlocked over a solution to puerto ricos rapidly worsening debt crisis the treasury secretary jacob j lew traveled here on monday to put human faces on the dry numbers underlying the islands woes seeking to pressure republicans in congress to move quickly on a rescue package
mr lew with a small pack of reporters in tow visited a struggling hospital complex and an elementary school and conferred with local officials and business leaders   all to dramatize the stakes as the island faces both a financial collapse and the spread of the zika virus
the financial crisis is not just a question of bondholders but its a question of the lives being led by three and a half million americans who live on puerto rico mr lew said standing outside the cafeteria at eleanor roosevelt elementary school where employees told him of battling termites equipment breakdowns and electrical failures
what puerto rico needs is the ability to restructure its debt the treasury secretary added that means that there needs to be an oversight authority and the government of puerto rico has to work with that new structure to put the island on a path toward a sustainable economic future
puerto ricos governor alejandro garcia padilla interjected the secretary and the administration have been there with us we need congress to act
we have not been offered and we are not asking for a bailout mr garcia padilla said cognizant that conservative groups in washington have assailed emerging legislation as just that though no federal money is involved
but he added if congress does not act then we will need a bailout and it will be very expensive for us taxpayers
the debt crisis culminates years of financial mismanagement by a succession of island governments exacerbated by the recession of recent years as well as actions in washington in 1984 congress barred puerto rico from restructuring debt in bankruptcy as municipalities in the 50 states and businesses can do and lawmakers are trying to undo that stricture
the visit by mr lew was his second to the island this year it came a week after he wrote a letter to the house speaker paul d ryan republican of wisconsin warning that without a change in the law that would allow the island to restructure debt exceeding 70 billion and better manage its repayments puerto rico this summer could face a series of cascading defaults that force a federal bailout
also last week puerto rico defaulted on most of a 422 million debt payment   its largest missed payment to date   and about 2 billion comes due july 1
representative rob bishop republican of utah and chairman of a house committee responsible for the issue said on monday that he would unveil a revised bill by wednesday and press for a committee vote next week in an interview with reuters he said the treasury had been marvelous to work with but in some of the small areas i think they have been dragging their feet
a bigger problem republican leaders acknowledge is the opposition of conservative groups which have sponsored television advertisements inaccurately depicting pending proposals as bailouts
the opposition backed by some like minded lawmakers has hindered legislative efforts by mr ryan and mr bishop also opposed are lobbyists for hedge funds and other debt holders that do not want any reduction in the payments they receive
late last year mr ryan directed house committees with jurisdiction to devise a solution but tentative deadlines have passed without republicans being able to agree among themselves let alone with democrats whose votes are needed to pass legislation given likely republican defections
the islands economic health and education travails are driving more puerto ricans to move to the mainland united states they include doctors teachers and other professionals much needed here
at least 629 cases of zika infection have been confirmed and it is projected that up to 20 percent of the population could become infected this year according to data from the centers for disease control and prevention zika infections have been linked to serious birth defects
eleanor roosevelt elementary school was chosen for mr lews tour as representative of puerto ricos nearly 1400 public schools which are said to lack money even for screens to keep out zika carrying mosquitoes
scores of schools have been closed leaving more children distant from the nearest classrooms even as some bus companies have stopped driving students for lack of payment the government expects to shutter hundreds more schools
at the sprawling medical complex on mr lews itinerary   centro medico the primary medical center for the caribbean region and one of the largest trauma facilities in the united states   doctors and executives told him of their life or death decisions dealing with shortages of money and supplies
mr lew toured the trauma unit and the neonatal intensive care unit we are hanging by a thread dr juan nazario executive director of the hospital told him adding that officials decide day to day which bills   payroll medication suppliers   they can pay the secretary later called his tour heartbreaking
afterward en route to a meeting with representatives of business and social groups mr lew strode through paseo de diego a pedestrian mall once described as the commercial hub of the capital it is now his host told him almost 80 percent shuttered


the last time the kansas city royals played in new york they left town as world series champions they are back now   in a different borough facing the yankees in a four game series in the bronx but on familiar and friendly ground
we fly into la guardia so its right next to citi field first baseman eric hosmer said before batting practice monday that haul back   especially when you get on the highway and you get in that tunnel there   it brings back memories we were riding back from there on the bus having won a world championship
the royals have miles to go for a repeat they fell below 500 on monday with a 6 3 loss chris young who won last years world series opener in relief tied a dubious team record by allowing five home runs in a game
its a horrible feeling young said adding that his fastball had decent velocity but no life i put in a lot of hard work and effort to be good at this game and the results arent there right now its frustrating
the loss was the royals 10th in 13 games and youngs struggles swelled the starters era to 693 during that stretch at 15 16 over all the royals have a losing record for the first time since july 2014 but manager ned yost cited another rough patch as a comforting precedent
weve done it before said yost whose team went 11 17 in september before its charmed postseason run well break through
for hosmer who homered in the eighth inning monday this trip did not represent his first time back in new york he had visited around the holidays and found himself waiting for a friend by the christmas tree at rockefeller center a police officer approached hosmer and told him he could not stand there hosmer was startled until he realized the officer was joking
because you beat my mets the officer said
the royals took four of five games from the mets with hosmer tying the score in the clincher by charging to the plate on a grounder in the ninth inning it was a daring dash that typified the royals aggressive athletic offensive style and their overpowering bullpen stifled the mets the rest of the way
i think what weve had here the last few years   it works said reliever luke hochevar who won the decisive game 5 with two scoreless innings teams are looking to be competitive and so theyre going to see what has helped other teams winning the world series kind of made it a little more evident
the royals started this season 12 6 before their recent slump their formula has led to two consecutive american league pennants and the yankees seemed to be emulating part of it by trading for aroldis chapman in december
chapman a four time all star with cincinnati joined the yankees on monday after serving a suspension under baseballs new domestic violence policy the yankees plan to install him as closer adding him to a bullpen that already includes dellin betances and andrew miller
the yankees like the royals typically do not get many innings from their starters so the trade seemed to acknowledge that kansas citys way could work for them not so yankees general manager brian cashman said
i just saw an opportunity to grab somebody and we did it cashman said was this better than everything else that we had on the 25 and the answer was yes but it wasnt a copycat thing
manager joe girardi emphasized that past yankees teams   like the champions of the late 1990s   also had stingy bullpens that effectively shortened games cashman said he did not think the royals had landed on an innovative strategy for building a winner
theyve got a good defense theyve got a good bullpen theyve got good players and theyre hungry he said but was there any secret formula they uncovered like this is a new way to go i dont see anything like that
the royals have never claimed to be a template for others general manager dayton moore has steadfastly maintained that he designed his team to fit his big ballpark and modest payroll he traded and drafted shrewdly and showed the kind of patience that would be hard to imagine in new york the royals championship ring after all includes 30 diamonds around the face   for 30 years between titles
to earn another one they need to play better the royals entered mondays game averaging just 34 runs per game the fewest in the american league their on base plus slugging percentage with runners in scoring position 625 was the worst in the majors
yost has used alcides escobar who has a 286 on base percentage in the leadoff spot every game that says a lot about yost who is known for trusting his players sometimes in defiance of statistics but it also highlights his lack of alternatives
only hosmer batting 336 has hit much this season but he sees hope beyond the losing record
i think thats why you sleep a little better at night   the efforts there the competitiveness is there hosmer said its just not happening if you saw guys not competing or you saw guys dogging it there would certainly be a problem but theres none of that were just simply not getting it done


rome   behind dark glasses his face dominated by a fu manchu mustache ion tiriac betrays little emotion from his courtside seat at the madrid open a tournament he owns but when he speaks he leaves little doubt about his views on tennis
his tournament is one of three outside the grand slam events that pay male and female players equally but in an interview in madrid last week he joined the dissent within tennis leadership on the topic of equal prize money
i like very much more women than men said tiriac a 76 year old romanian billionaire all my life ive done that the longer the legs theirs are the more beautiful i think they are even in tennis theyre gracious and so on but i dont see the equal prize money being the status maybe they deserve more pay more the women if they deserve
but i think we have to go and calculate how much money are the men putting on the table and how much the women with tv rights because otherwise we have to compensate and compensate and compensate and you cannot compensate forever for that reason its a beautiful sport but i dont think the women can complain that they dont earn enough money
tiriac said that he was discussing with the wta the viability of continuing to offer equal pay a proposition he considers especially untenable because of the pay increases demanded by the atp
if i increase the womens too i am broke and i dont know how to do a tennis event tiriac said and i have done a tennis event since the 60s
saying that theyre equal   theyre not equal i mean once again i prefer a woman on the court they are beautiful on the court even federer who is very elegant i prefer an elegant woman not mr federer but they are not bringing to the table the same thing
tiriac a 1970 french open doubles champion who was inducted into the international tennis hall of fame in 2013 for his off court business and promotional work is not the first executive of a major tennis tournament with equal pay to declare mens and womens tennis unequal this year in march raymond moore the tournament director of the bnp paribas open in indian wells calif drew the ire of players and tour officials when he said that female players ride on the coattails of the mens success
if i was a lady player id go down every night on my knees and thank god that roger federer and rafa nadal were born because they have carried this sport moore said
less than 48 hours later moore resigned tiriac said that moores error was in trying to use humor instead of math
ray moore made mostly a joke out of it the way that he put it tiriac said i do something different i put it in numbers if the men give me 40 dollars from television and the women give me seven dollars its not the same finished
he conceded that paying women equally once they reached the semifinals would be acceptable
maybe you have to pay the top four from the semifinal and final as much as the men he said but maybe the rest are not so interesting to pay them the same kind of money
i have in excess of 11 million in prize money for both of them almost 6 million for men and 6 million for women and i cannot go like this forever and everybody would understand this at least its very simple
in an interview monday at the italian open in rome which pays the women only 56 percent of the mens total prize money steve simon the wtas chief executive responding to tiriacs comments pointed to the madrid open as a leader on the equal pay front historically
tennis has done an amazing job i think in addressing equal prize money through the grand slams and through these major combined events   and madrid was one of the leaders in that process in stepping up simon said we have a sanction an agreement which reflects equal prize money and we fully expect that to be honored and for madrid to keep showing the leadership they always have
simon acknowledged the disparity in revenue generated by the respective television agreements of the atp and wta but said that the disparity represented only one part of the equation for the tournament
we still have work to do and were going to work at it but equal prize money goes way beyond just the broadcast revenue situation simon said this sanction has brought great value to the mutua madrid open as well its promoted as men and women all towards that brand and product and he sells it as one and so on that basis equal is certainly right
i think if he lost the womens sanction and it wasnt there the event wouldnt have the status it has today
simon expressed dismay at tiriacs citing the legs of female players as a particular point of attraction
anytime you get into beginning to say that you like something because of the look rather than the talent i struggle with that simon said people are entitled to their opinions there but its certainly not something that we condone im always disappointed when i hear comments such as that because our athletes stand for themselves and their athletic ability
simon who has also had to cope with maria sharapovas positive doping test and increased scrutiny on match fixing since taking the helm of the womens tour last fall said his first year on the job certainly hasnt been boring but he bemoaned that equal pay continued to be a topic of debate with tennis leaders repeatedly veering off message
anytime the topic is brought up its just disappointing simon said this is a topic that has been settled equal prize money is a settled matter like i said tennis has had a wonderful job supporting it and in some ways better than business i think that should be something that were proud of and that we keep hanging our hat on
venus williams who led the womens players in winning their campaign for equal prize money at wimbledon in 2007 said monday after her first round match that continuing to talk about issues of equality was necessary as long as opposition remained
i think that as long as people think that women arent equal to men then this is a conversation that needs to be had williams said
but she also expressed some fatigue at the frequency with which the topic has been rehashed this year
theres always something seems like she said i just want a quiet year at this point cant we just play tennis


cuts to fiber optic cables caused widespread disruptions to telephone television and internet service across the northeast for several hours on monday time warner cable and cox communications reported
eric mangan a time warner spokesman said the problem which began in the early afternoon had stemmed from cables managed by level 3 communications a company that provides internet infrastructure to several telecommunications companies including cox and time warner
mr mangan said that repairs at level 3 were well underway and that time warner had restored service in new york city at 845 pm
mr mangan said he did not know how many customers had been affected he noted that broadcast television channels had not been disrupted
stephanie walkenshaw a spokeswoman for level 3 confirmed in a statement that the companys network was experiencing disruptions that were affecting some of our customers with operations in the northeastern united states due to a fiber cut caused by third party construction
shortly after 3 pm one of time warners twitter accounts told its customers in new york city that the company knew about the problems and that its technicians were investigating
the website downdetector which uses social media mapping to detect service interruptions showed that complaints about time warner had spiked online between 2 and 5 pm at the peak of the problems around 3 pm downdetector recorded close to 3000 complaints
time warner representatives responded to scores of complaints online typically telling customers they were aware of the problem and were not sure when it would be fixed
one representative responding to a manhattan customer whose cable was not working said in outage situations we are seldomly provided an eta once the issue is resolved your services will resume normal operation there


cairo   the families of three mexican tourists mistakenly killed in egypt in september when military helicopters fired on them will be paid 140000 each an official said on monday
the official elhamy elzayat the chairman of egypts tourism federation said the payments were not an admission of guilt by the government of president abdel fattah el sisi but rather an attempt to revive egypts flagging tourism industry
we need the tourists to come back we are doing this for the country mr elzayat said the tourism federation licenses travel companies and though not formally part of the government is partly run by government appointees
the attack was one of the deadliest on foreign tourists in egypt in years the three tourists were among 18 people having a picnic in egypts western desert officials said the party had been mistaken for islamist militants
twelve people were killed in all eight mexican tourists and four egyptians several others were wounded
egyptian officials did not publicly apologize for the killings they faulted the travel company that organized the tour for bringing the party to an area known for smuggling and insurgent activity without getting security clearance
mr elzayat also blamed the travel company windows of egypt tours saying it had made a mistake the company could not be reached immediately for a response officials at the mexican embassy in cairo also could not be reached for comment
tourism a critical source of hard currency for the government has been devastated by years of political turmoil as well as a militant insurgency in the sinai peninsula in october militants brought down a passenger jet carrying russian tourists from the sinai resort of sharm el sheikh killing the 224 people on board the islamic state claimed responsibility for that attack
mr elzayat said the federation was negotiating compensation with the families of the other mexicans who were killed the egyptian victims he said would have to wait for the outcome of local investigations mr elzayat said he did not know the status of those inquiries


it arrived in central park before dawn that sunday an instant attraction before it was quickly hauled away by a team of parks department workers
it was a headstone   a full size 420 pound hunk of vermont granite that would blend in nicely in any of new york citys cemeteries but it stood out here in sheep meadow with a name etched on its face of a man very much among the living
trump read the headstone and below that donald j the date of birth read 1946 the date of death was blank below that was carved an epitaph made america hate again
it was march 27 passers by took pictures that made the viral rounds
this is morbid but hilarious one commenter posted on instagram
this made my day lol another wrote
frank cassara 70 a third generation monument dealer in south slope brooklyn saw the headstone on the evening news and said five words four of them were printable i dont believe it
his son michael the fourth generation said four words three of which were what a moron
they knew that headstone well they had made it
the story came and went a one of a kind account of a bizarre and elaborate lark but behind the scenes the headstone was cause for concern could it be a threat on the candidates life someone had recently sent white powder to mr trumps son in manhattan and in the weeks to come more would arrive at trump tower the secret service and officers with the police departments counterterrorism apparatus began an investigation
they checked the stone for prints   none they reviewed video from park cameras and saw a box truck enter the park after midnight we saw a group of individuals loading and unloading something off the back of the truck officer donald sadowy said but the license plate was illegible
the police checked with tavern on the green and other park restaurants   had they received any orders at that hour no
several days later on april 2 a break in the case arrived on the website gothamist which published an interview with an anonymous artist claiming responsibility for placing the headstone
the story included photos of the stone including one before the engraving when it was blank in what appeared to be a showroom it stood among other models on a stores chipped tile floor
how many stores in the city make headstones
officer sadowy and sgt david cuce decided to visit one to ask about the stones design in hopes that it was unique to a particular store they chose one at random supreme memorials on fourth avenue in brooklyn in business 65 years they arrived april 4 the fourth generation owner met them inside
the officers recognized the showroom and its chipped tile floor
we were honestly smiling officer sadowy said we were kind of caught off guard
they showed michael cassara the pictures and he admitted making the stone at the specifications of a customer months earlier the young customer was different from the usual grieving customers who arrive to make arrangements for a loved one
hipster mr cassara said in an interview he didnt give us the details until we met a couple times
mr cassara said he didnt flinch when he heard the name the man wanted on the stone i deal with a lot of these artists i make a lot of crazy things he said i do a lot of movie props props for plays i want to make a stone for michael jackson
the cassaras declined to say what the stone cost another dealer said that sort of stone would run 2450
michael cassara was not charged with any crime
he didnt know where the tombstone was going to go officer sadowy said
mr cassara gave the police the customers name and footage from the shops videos that showed him loading the finished stone into a box truck with a dolly officers called the company whose name was on the truck and confirmed the same man had rented it and the dolly
on monday the police visited the man identified as brian a whiteley 33 he was not charged with a crime a man answering mr whiteleys phone on monday declined to comment
but in a phone interview on march 30 arranged by a publicist the artist who declined to give his name told melena ryzik of the new york times that he was trying to remind donald what type of legacy hes leaving behind
and also leaving the date of the death open alluding to the fact that theres still time to change who he is
the trump campaign did not address the headstone and a spokeswoman declined to comment on monday there is no reason to believe that mr trump even though he lives a few blocks away had seen it in person and it seems unlikely that he ever will the stone carefully placed to be seen by many is presently in a police storage facility in the bronx


carrying a loaded gun in a backpack strapped to ones body is no different from carrying it in ones clothing and both are illegal in public the california supreme court ruled on monday under california law it is a crime in to carry a loaded firearm on ones person in public and the court ruled unanimously that there was no distinction between clothing that is being worn and a backpack fanny pack or other container strapped to the body ap
a miami dade circuit judge declared on monday that floridas new death penalty law was unconstitutional because it did not require a unanimous jury decision the ruling by judge milton hirsch applies only to floridas 11th circuit and no other judge is bound by it a spokesman for miami dades state attorney said the state would appeal florida had to revise its law after the united states supreme court ruled on jan 12 that it was unconstitutional because it gave too much power to judges while juries played only an advisory role in recommending the death penalty the new law requires a 10 to 2 jury vote for the penalty to be imposed florida and alabama remain the only states that do not require unanimous verdicts ap
a federal security officer charged with killing three people including his estranged wife in a shooting rampage in a washington suburb last week was ordered held without bond on monday three other people were wounded in the rampage which began thursday afternoon outside a high school and ended with the arrest of the suspect eulalio tordil outside a shopping center friday morning a public defender representing mr tordil who is charged with first degree murder and other crimes said it was not realistic to ask for his release the montgomery county states attorney john mccarthy said that mr tordil glasses were knocked off in a struggle with one of his victims on friday and that he may have stayed in the area because he could not see to drive ap


an arizona law school that came under fire for admitting applicants who took the more general graduate record exam rather than the traditional law school admissions test has received a reprieve
the membership body the law school admission council has decided not to oust the university of arizona james e rogers college of law
i appreciate the decision not to expel arizona for our decision to open up jd admissions to people who take either test marc l miller the law schools dean said on monday jd refers to the juris doctorate degree conferred by law schools
in february arizona became the first law school to accept the gre as well as the lsat to admit students that policy drew criticism from those who said the lsat was the most reliable metric for predicting law school success
the council which oversees the lsat as well as the common application process used by thousands of law students refrained from penalizing arizona after a majority of the nations law school deans rallied last week to support the school nearly 150 deans signed a letter backing arizonas effort to broaden its applicant pool by accepting those who had taken only the gre and to spare it from being banned from the network that law schools use to process applicants
in a letter released over the weekend the councils president daniel o bernstine said its inquiry into arizonas new policy where it accepted three students on the basis of their gre scores had been misunderstood and mischaracterized as an obstacle to innovation an experimentation in legal education
that was not our intent he noted
arizonas deviation from the law school norm however may have a limited life
in his letter mr bernstine noted that the american bar associations section on legal education and admissions will review a study that arizona had conducted to assure the gres reliability as a predictor of law school success arizona had teamed up with the educational testing service last december to corroborate the test for law school applicants to satisfy the abas requirement that the gre is a valid and reliable predictor students first term law school grades
the resolution of these issues may well impact lsacs membership requirements mr bernstine said in his letter confirming that the council is allowing arizona to remain a member at least for now
arizonas testing will be examined again by the aba most likely this year confirmed barry currier the aba sections managing director for accreditation and legal education in addition he noted the aba wants to establish a process so schools one by one do not have to show that a test is valid and reliable predictor for their student body
supporters of the lsat say that it closely predicts first year law school grades while other more general tests do not have its precision but mr miller noted that arizonas testing measures found that the gre scores were slightly better in predicting entry year outcomes
the council certainly and explicitly retains the possibility that there could be a different decision down the road mr miller said but law schools who signed their letter have expressed their support for innovation and experimentation


the concept for kamasi washingtons set at greenpoint terminal warehouse on sunday night was simple effective and rare as well as a perfect example of form meeting function the stage in the middle of a large rectangular high ceilinged industrial space had been set up in the round mr washingtons eight piece jazz band   including a singer two drummers and mr washingtons father rickey on soprano saxophone   arrayed itself in a circle on it looking inward
maybe youve seen a concert like this before but think about it the circular formation gave the band communal power the tenor saxophonist mr washington writes the music but the spirit of the band is essentially collective and it gave the audience communal power too because as a member of it you faced the same way as the musicians as you watched and listened you conducted your energy in the same direction as they did across the circle or toward its middle
any performance engages a kind of two way ritual between artist and audience but this circular arrangement came closer to something like collaboration you might have been standing behind the pianist cameron graves who was looking across the circle at the drummer tony austin and the trombonist ryan porter you had mr gravess view because you were relatively close to him you sensed as well as saw and heard when he was becoming excited and because you were watching mr graves and mr austin head on you had a quickened sense of what mr graves was responding to you were a little more connected than usual to a desire for the music to work
the set did work it had lyrical grace funk gospel crescendos and gnashing collective improvisation it also broke out into a unaccompanied solo passages for mr washington and for the drummers mr austin and ronald bruner all of it was as intense as ive seen since mr washingtons life became a torrent of gigs after the release a year ago of his triple album the epic a jazz record that engaged interest far beyond the usual jazz scope
the performance was the final act of sunday nights three band bill where spaceways meet a night of spiritual jazz part of this years red bull music academy festival new york it was a clarifying concert tying histories together mr washington from los angeles and now 35 is an indirect descendant of the spiritual energetic jazz tradition of the 1960s some of his music   not all   contains the strong dire melodies and collective surges of power polytonal and polyrhythmic that suggest the work of john coltrane and pharaoh sanders
it made sense that mr sanders now 75 and still in possession of his full and lacerating tenor saxophone sound played in sundays concert too with his own band and it also made sense to see the sun ra arkestra now directed by marshall allen open the show in the early 1960s sun ra who died in 1993 hired and briefly worked with the young saxophonist then called farrell sanders but its not just that their paths crossed they were engaged in a common purpose
spiritual jazz if thats what you want to call the 1960s music of the coltrane sanders sun ra axis was partially expressing black pride and resistance in that spirit mr washingtons set included terence blanchards malcolms song for which he and the singer patrice quinn recast ossie daviss eulogy to malcolm x it also expressed a challenge to the perceived limitations of the jazz business as well as its harmonic conventions and standard repertory in any case spiritual jazz has always had significant extra musical meanings thats partly why its appeal hasnt slackened
some of those meanings are illustrated by the circle an eternal symbol of resistance and unity another is superstrength romanticism mr sanders with his quartet opened his set with a version of the pop ballad the greatest love of all then later drove into coltranes folkish modal vamp piece ole   seriously different songs both designed to elicit some kind of catharsis and the sun ra arkestra under mr allens direction and conducting and with the charismatic singer tara middleton played raucous improvisations over swing rhythm and extended its romanticism to the cosmos their greatest hits set ended with space is the place and a ceremonial parade through the audience


new haven   after a career of more than 70 years and on the cusp of his 92nd birthday the french singer composer actor charles aznavour is taking on his first american musical
of course the subject is french the artist henri de toulouse lautrec cavorting in the scandalous montmartre district of paris and the shows music brings the sound of gallic authenticity
but there are also major broadway names attached to the work titled my paris which opens at the long wharf theater here this week after a workshop production last year at goodspeed musicals
mr aznavour a global star who wrote the score to lautrec an unsuccessful west end musical 16 years ago is joined this time by a fresh team of tony winning talent chief among its members are the director choreographer kathleen marshall anything goes the pajama game and the librettist alfred uhry driving miss daisy and the musicals parade and the robber bridegroom jason robert brown parade the bridges of madison county has provided english lyrics and the musical arrangement
from a downtown hotel room here where he was staying during previews mr aznavour   dapper and diminutive   said creating a musical was no different from writing songs for himself
writing is writing he said giving a small shrug i can write on any subject just give me the first line which is the most important
mr aznavour was first approached to write a musical decades ago by the producer david merrick who asked him to compose the score for a show called moulin rouge
but he said he was not ready to write a musical
years later mike merrick   not related to david merrick   approached mr aznavour to write the score for the musical lautrec also centered on the moulin rouge the belle epoque nightclub
moulin rouge was in the head of everybody said mr aznavour who agreed to use the colorful dance hall setting only if the show was about toulouse lautrec
lautrec disappeared after its west end closing in 2000 but five years ago michael sukin a lawyer for mr aznavour who also works with the george gershwin family trust was taken by the music and brought the project to the attention of the producer scott landis during the making of the gershwin musical nice work if you can get it mr landis was one of that shows producers ms marshall his wife was its director choreographer
the pair fell in love with mr aznavours music and with mr sukin as co producer they began to assemble a dream team to reshape the material about five songs remain from lautrec according to ms marshall mr aznavour wrote the rest of the score over the past few years
mr aznavours website says that hes written more than 600 songs and sung in eight languages yet he said he always started a composition with the lyrics and then found the melody to fit the words not the rhythms make chansons francaises distinct as an art form and make a song last he said
in america its the music he said in france its the lyrics
ms marshall called his melodies so astonishing so beautiful so french   and not the ersatz french of cole porter or jerry herman its just french
but mr aznavour has learned to adapt to the demands of a show that aspires to broadway of mother and father a song written last week he said they told me what they wanted and at that moment i become a tailor doing a button here a button there
mother and father came about during tech rehearsals after mr uhry added a scene that deals with toulouse lautrecs parents the tony nominee bobby steggert plays toulouse lautrec alongside mara davi tom hewitt and josh grisetti
mr aznavours parents were armenian refugees who escaped the turkish genocide unable to emigrate to the united states because of quotas they settled in paris between other jobs they produced entertainments for their immigrant friends giving mr aznavour an early introduction to the business
though mr aznavours fame has come largely from his work as a singer songwriter and actor   he has appeared in more than 60 films including francois truffauts shoot the piano player in which he played the title role and the french language version of up in which he did the voice of the curmudgeon widower   he has a lifelong fondness for stage musicals i have 150 american musical albums he said and his plans on this trip include taking in hamilton with his 38 year old son nicolas a neuroscientist
in 2006 he announced that he would scale back on his performing and marketed those shows as part of a farewell tour but 10 years later he still keeps a schedule that has him globe trotting from prague to dubai to amsterdam with gigs slated next month in japan belgium and barcelona
mr aznavour who lives in switzerland said he felt that his writing was better than ever working is my pleasure


william a ackman the billionaire founder of the hedge fund pershing square capital management is paring back a stake in a health care stock but it is not the one that has been generating lots of negative headlines
on monday pershing set out to sell 1685 million shares in zoetis the former animal health arm of pfizer for a price range of 4675 to 47 per share according to two people with direct knowledge of the deal who requested anonymity because they are not authorized to speak publicly
the transaction is expected to be valued around 800 million and will be managed by bank of america merrill lynch and credit suisse pershing will continue to own 25 million shares in the company
the hedge fund paid 15 billion for an 85 percent stake in zoetis in november 2014 according a filing with the securities and exchange commission the stock has since gained 86 percent last year zoetis added william f doyle a representative for pershing square to its board of directors on april 22 pershing square said mr doyle would step down from the board of zoetis this week
it has been a difficult year for mr ackman whose pershing square holdings fund is down 18 percent dragged down in large part by a 9 percent position in valeant the pharmaceutical company that has come under intense political and regulatory scrutiny the fund has concentrated positions in a dozen companies making the portfolio vulnerable to sharp declines in just one or two holdings mr ackman may be selling the shares to raise cash in response to investor redemption requests or in order to make a new investment
pershing square trimmed its stake in another holding in march selling 20 million shares in mondelez international the food and beverage company at the time of the sale mondelez shares were down 7 percent for the year
representatives from pershing square and credit suisse declined to comment a representative from bank of america did not immediately respond to a request seeking comment


higher the rawest song on rihannas new album anti is a knockout two minute soul ballad about whiskey smoking and late night phone calls that happens to have been written by a 19 year old
bibi bourelly now 21 was also responsible for rihannas 2015 hit single bitch better have my money along with tracks last year by usher and selena gomez   an auspicious industry arrival by a proud self proclaimed outsider
but the same early successes that have positioned ms bourelly for a viable career as a solo artist   her first ep free the real pt 1 was released on friday via def jam   also set the bar high for her development while established stars have carried ms bourellys songs far she will now be expected to make hits for herself even though her nimble writing and earnest rebel image defy the easy categorization preferred by radio and marketing professionals
im the type of person who really wants to exist and live honestly to just say what i have to say and be who i am and do what i want ms bourelly said over lunch in manhattan on her release day fortunately and unfortunately what i love entails and makes a lot of money
in the self made confessional mold of recent major label prospects including lorde halsey and alessia cara ms bourelly has an easy confidence in her craft and no allegiance to genre her own three minute pop songs are typically guitar based mixing hip hop cadences with the angst of 90s female singer songwriters on the fizzy single sally lyrics about twerking and haters are shouted over a bluesy clap and stomp backing track
that novel but not always seamless mix was apparent friday night at this singers inaugural society sessions event an aesthetically underground party in the renovated basement of the old williamsburgh savings bank where ms bourelly backed by a three piece live band of scraggly rock guys followed a dj playing recent hits by future and drake
ego first released last year and also a song from the ep best illustrates her youthful commitment to nonconformity they want me to be this picture perfect girlin a little picture perfect worldbut i cuss when i talk and i lean when i walk and she does punctuating her songs and speech with swagger and a few well placed curses   and then a few more for good measure when ms bourelly catches herself spouting anodyne industry platitudes she interrupts with the opposite a string of playful self mocking obscenities
she is also aware of her squirminess when it comes to being boxed in by genre labels thats so easy for everyone to do to me not only because of my pen but because of how i look   because im black and im honest and im emotional said ms bourelly who ordered a chardonnay to chase her elaborate sushi order the world is going to do that to me but im not going to do that to myself
ms bourelly who is of haitian and moroccan descent grew up bouncing between berlin where her guitarist father jean paul bourelly lived while not on tour and the washington area where she stayed with an aunt and uncle high school was a constant struggle and college never an option she said having decided her lifes purpose by puberty
while she was at home in germany her adolescent interest in beyonce britney spears and the jonas brothers mixed with her dads love of jazz fusion and a tribe called quest we would alternate days in the car ms bourelly said thats how my taste was really formed
at 19 she moved to los angeles to work with a producer she met on facebook there she quickly found a manager whose connections   along with her strong demos   put her into a room with kanye west and rihanna
the release of bitch better have my money in march 2015 got ms bourellys name circulating but first there was the sketch for higher a title now tattooed in casual script in the middle of ms bourellys right forearm that song changed my life she said
still having made it first as a songwriter in the shadows was bittersweet ms bourelly explained it was awesome because i was writing for one of the biggest artists in the world after four months in la however its hard to give your songs away she added
in what might be rihannas finest vocal performance to date she stretches on higher to find the plaintive voice cracks that are ms bourellys specialty the opportunity gave this young songwriter a chance to make her mark on a major album and provided her with a front row seat to the necessary operation of a superstar with cameras constantly watching and ceaseless scrutiny i needed to learn how that worked behind the scenes in order to understand how to be an artist ms bourelly said
for now she exists in a strange limbo having met her heroes scored hit songs and performed on the tonight show but not yet having broken out on her own
this transitional period can raise a set of specific conundrums for ms bourelly like deciding when is the right time to get a second cellphone im not even popping enough to have a burner and whether shell be touring in a van or a bus still a van her manager pete dinero chimed in
ms bourelly plans to release a second ep this summer   the generic answer is that theyre two different chapters to my life but the truth is i just have too many songs she said   followed by an album later this year or early in 2017
she has already written more than 300 songs but insists its the creation not the career strategizing that drives her
i live life to make songs ms bourelly said if i go out to a party its because i dont have expletive to write about if i talk to a new guy its because the old guy bores me and i already wrote a bunch of songs about him
as for becoming a fully formed pop star its a work in progress she said im not ready yet but im not supposed to be


los angeles   just last week margot lee shetterly finished the manuscript for hidden figures her nonfiction book about black women who worked as mathematicians for the united states rocket program during the cold war era
the film adaptation it started shooting over a month ago in atlanta with taraji p henson in a lead role chernin entertainment the company behind the movie is already anticipating a year end release to qualify for oscar consideration
without a doubt a castigated hollywood is in a hurry to find what was largely missing during its last two awards seasons diverse prize contenders
more than a dozen pictures with black issues actors and often filmmakers are poised to surface once the summertime superheroes have their moment with many of these diversity minded films pointed toward the academy awards several movies   including paramounts fences and disneys the queen of katwe   are being assembled by major studios others like the slave revolt drama the birth of a nation and southside with you about a young barack and michelle obama were snapped up at the last sundance film festival
yet another batch is coming together from independent or nontraditional players underground a netflix financed fraternity hazing drama will be the directing debut of gerard mcmurray a producer of fruitvale station in a united kingdom directed by amma asante david oyelowo will play a prince from botswana and barkhad abdi an oscar nominee for captain phillips has been shooting another somali pirate story where the white man runs away
the push comes in the wake of the oscarssowhite outcry that humiliated the academy of motion picture arts and sciences after its acting branch put forward an all white field of nominees for the second consecutive year and of subsequent casting controversies it is a chance for hollywood to show a strong slate of movies made by black filmmakers as it did in 2013 with the release of lee daniels the butler the gugu mbatha raw vehicle belle and 12 years a slave which won the best picture oscar
fox searchlight which powered 12 years a slave to that victory bought the birth of a nation at sundance in a six studio bidding war fox searchlights strong track record at the academy awards as well as a sense that there could be a correction of sorts following the last two awards cycles has already prompted prognosticators to pronounce the birth of a nation directed by and starring nate parker as this years film to beat
while early front runners often falter   the revenant was once the leader for this years oscars but spotlight ultimately won best picture   mr parkers film is expected to capture attention with a bold marketing campaign that may well stretch beyond the confines of hollywood to trade on the energy and potentially the outrage brought on by an already unpredictable presidential election fox searchlight has scheduled an oct 7 release date
other black themed films are likely to be vying for awards votes too on nov 4 focus features an art house rival to fox searchlight will release the period drama loving about the interracial couple played by ruth negga and joel edgerton whose arrest for marrying in 1958 and subsequent legal battle led to the end of americas anti miscegenation laws directed by jeff nichols loving will play in competition at this months cannes film festival
paramount which pushed ava duvernays selma released in 2014 for the oscars has high hopes for fences an adaptation of august wilsons pulitzer prize  and tony award winning play about the black experience in the 1950s denzel washington a two time oscar winner for his roles in training day and glory is directing fences and playing a lead role mr washington won a tony in 2010 for his performance in a broadway revival of the play
its his passion project said aaron l gilbert managing director of the bron group of companies which is backing the film and who is an executive producer on a team that includes the producer scott rudin mr rudin of course is an oscar perennial whose no country for old men won best picture in 2008
if fences currently shooting in pittsburgh is indeed finished in time for awards consideration mr gilbert may end up competing against himself he also served as a backer of the birth of a nation
walt disney studios   which recently drew criticism for casting tilda swinton as a hitherto tibetan character in doctor strange from its marvel unit   may well join this years awards conversation with queen of katwe directed by mira nair an indian queen of katwe is based on the true story of phiona mutesi a ugandan chess champion it features lupita nyongo an oscar winner for 12 years a slave and david oyelowo who played the rev dr martin luther king jr in selma but was overlooked by the academy in prominent roles
disney plans a sept 23 release
in late august miramax will join roadside attractions to release the love story southside with you which recounts the obamas first date around that time a24 represented at this years oscars by room and the documentary amy is likely to roll out the hip hop infused morris from america a coming of age comedic drama starring craig robinson and markees christmas
a24 is also looking at an awards season release for moonlight a 1980s era drama based on the play in moonlight black boys look blue the movie directed and written by barry jenkins has production support from brad pitts plan b entertainment known for 12 years a slave and the big short which scored five oscar nominations and won one for adapted screenplay
the list goes on will smith snubbed by the academy this year for concussion though twice nominated in the past will star as a depressed advertising executive in the drama collateral beauty to be released in december it is directed by david frankel a past oscar winner for the 1996 short film dear diary and also stars kate winslet who has been nominated for seven oscars and won one for the reader
black youth and young black directors may have their moment in steven caple jrs the land a drama acquired by ifc about four impoverished friends in cleveland and in mr mcmurrays underground which counts the producer reginald hudlin django unchained as a member of its creative team
mr hudlin is just now resuming his work as the director of marshall an independent film in which chadwick boseman plays a young thurgood marshall in a quest for racial justice that predated marshalls years on the supreme court
wed love to get it out this year but it has to be right said paula wagner a producer of the film mr hudlin ms wagner noted had interrupted work on the film to help produce this years oscar ceremony
if marshall indeed makes it to the screen soon with its story of a black lawyer in a united states just emerging from its jim crow era it will share the stage with hidden figures a tale of black women using math to rise in the same often difficult milieu theodore melfi st vincent directed the adaptation of ms shetterlys book
its been such a whirlwind said ms shetterly who described her forthcoming books part in the sudden eruption of the kind of films that only months ago were said to be on hollywoods endangered list
its an african american story she said its a womans story now its part of the national narrative


carrie h cohen a former federal prosecutor in manhattan who helped win the corruption conviction of sheldon silver the former new york state assembly speaker has joined the law firm morrison  foerster as a partner the firm said on monday
ms cohen who spent nearly nine years in the united states attorneys office for the southern district of new york will represent financial institutions corporations and individuals in white collar criminal investigations and handle complex civil litigation among other things the firm said
ms cohen 48 joined the federal prosecutors office in manhattan in 2007 after working in the new york attorney generals office from 1999 to 2006 where she became the chief of the public integrity unit in the 1990s she had worked as an associate at the law firm now known as vladeck raskin  clark and later at morrison  foerster ms cohen is a graduate of cornell and the university of pennsylvania law school
in the attorney generals office ms cohen helped prosecute alan g hevesi the state comptroller who pleaded guilty in 2006 to a charge stemming from his use of state workers to drive his ailing wife and resigned from his office
in the federal prosecutors office ms cohen also prosecuted securities fraud cases including one involving an 80 million ponzi scheme
the five week corruption trial of mr silver ended on nov 30 with his conviction on charges of honest services fraud money laundering and extortion last week mr silver who also forfeited his assembly seat upon his conviction was sentenced to 12 years in prison
ms cohen also prosecuted hiram monserrate a former new york city councilman and state senator who pleaded guilty in 2012 in a corruption case and received two years in prison and she handled the prosecution of dinesh dsouza the conservative author and filmmaker who pleaded guilty in 2014 to a campaign finance violation he was sentenced to probation


uber and lyft were not bluffing
on monday the two leaders of the booming ride hailing industry halted service in austin tex after losing a legislative fight over how they screen their drivers
the decision to leave an energetic city known for its young well educated population offered a stark illustration of how strenuously the companies oppose new rules that would require them to perform fingerprint background checks on drivers
ending the service also meant that about 10000 drivers would be out of work taylor patterson an uber spokeswoman said
folks are devastated she said people are saying i dont know how im going to pay my rent
the legislative fight playing out in austin the texas capital has been watched closely by municipalities across the country as they ponder how to handle public safety issues posed by the so called sharing economy
austins city council voted in 2015 to require that the companies subject their drivers to fingerprint background checks which could turn up criminal records the regulation was fiercely opposed by the industry as unnecessary and less effective than its own system
uber and lyft both based in california responded by underwriting a nearly 9 million campaign against the ordinance that culminated with an up or down vote by austin residents on saturday nearly 56 percent voted to preserve the measure which also includes requirements for identifying vehicles and data reporting
both companies described the result as bitterly disappointing on monday
unfortunately the rules passed by the city council dont allow true ride sharing to operate lyft said in a statement instead they make it harder for part time drivers the heart of lyfts peer to peer model to get on the road and harder for passengers to get a ride
lawmakers and some law enforcement professionals have argued that fingerprint checks which are required of austins taxi drivers are the best way to establish a persons identity and weed out those with criminal records
uber has said that its own checks performed by the third party provider checkr include scrutiny of court records and other biographical information and are more effective than the fingerprint checks which it said rely on incomplete federal databases
industry experts have noted that the fingerprint rules which go fully into effect next february could pose a potentially time intensive and costly new burden on the companies and their drivers
yet uber still operates in two cities that require fingerprint checks houston and new york ms patterson the spokeswoman said the company was in new york for good but that it was pressing its case in houston and could potentially pull up stakes there lyft left houston in 2014
last week in miami dade county after a battle of more than two years transportation officials legalized ride sharing services with no requirement that drivers be subjected to fingerprint background checks
david butts a political consultant in austin who helped lead a campaign to preserve the new ordinance accused uber and lyft of putting corporate strategy above public safety
but were a progressive city mr butts said we happen to believe that government has a role to play and the idea that were just going to give them a blank check and say self regulate and well take your word for it was not acceptable to the majority of voters in this city
in addition to uber and lyft at least three ride hailing companies are operating in austin a center of technology that hosts the south by southwest festival and is home to the university of texas flagship campus
city officials said other companies were making inquiries on monday after the announcements by uber and lyft
get me a new ride sharing company in austin said it had been asked repeatedly how it would respond if its larger rivals left the open and honest answer is as its always been were not going anywhere the company said in a statement on facebook
councilwoman ann kitchen who led the effort to tighten the regulation of ride hailing companies said in an interview on monday that the city was open to continuing talks with uber and lyft
of course we have always said to uber and lyft that they are welcome here and we didnt ask them to leave she said but we have got to respect the will of the voters


tuck everlasting and american psycho are struggling at the broadway box office after opening to mixed reviews and failing to win best musical tony nominations
tuck everlasting adapted from the beloved childrens book about a girls encounter with an immortal family has been stuck at the bottom of the box office barrel since beginning performances on march 31 it grossed 282911 last week just 25 percent of its potential thats well below what it costs to run a large scale broadway musical
and the grosses for american psycho adapted from the polarizing bret easton ellis novel about a homicidal investment banker tumbled 17 percent to 492703 during the week that ended sunday according to figures released on monday by the broadway league
there was good news for several other shows a revival of the color purple had a particularly strong week grossing 967352 as theatergoers flocked to see the final performances featuring jennifer hudson who left the show on sunday
and three of the seasons new musicals   waitress on your feet and shuffle along or the making of the musical sensation of 1921 and all that followed   performed well grossing over 900000 each but all were dwarfed by the seasons biggest hit hamilton which grossed 18 million behind only the long running industry leader the lion king at 2 million
last week was the final week for disaster a new musical that closed early because of weak ticket sales that show grossed 387184 an improvement over the previous weeks
overall the 37 shows on broadway last week grossed 276 million down from 283 million the previous week when new york city schoolchildren were on vacation box office grosses for the current broadway season which ends in two weeks are 08 percent ahead of last season while attendance is up 17 percent


a democratic candidate for west virginias state senate who was beaten up at a barbecue last weekend said that he suspected the attack had been politically motivated but that he still hoped to leave the hospital in time to publicly watch the results of the state primary election on tuesday
the candidate richard ojeda said by phone from his hospital bed in charleston that he had been kicked in the head until he passed out at an outdoors campaign event by a man he had known as a child leaving him with fractured bones in eight places   including his eye socket and jaw   and stitches bruises and swelling
a suspect jonathan porter turned himself in to state troopers late sunday and was booked on felony charges including malicious assault and destruction of property according to a law enforcement official
mr ojeda said he believed the attack was politically motivated because he had been questioning leaders and publicly calling out entrenched nepotism that he said had resulted in favoritism in jobs and salaries
i have become public enemy no 1 he said adding that people had called his house and threatened him
mr ojeda 45 a military veteran who served in iraq and afghanistan has been campaigning for a state senate seat that includes parts of the large coal mining region in the states southwest his platform opposes what he describes as the state governments political nepotism corruption and misuse of government funds
we dont have transparency in logan county mr ojeda said if you work in the coal industry and you asked a question to any of these people you would find yourself laid off
in the telephone interview mr ojeda said he was at a barbecue campaign event on sunday in a mountainous region about 50 miles southwest of charleston the capital when mr porter asked him for a campaign sticker for the rear bumper of his pickup truck mr ojeda complied providing one that said ojeda for senate
when mr porter asked for one for the front mr ojeda said he knelt down to affix it there
he was behind me mr ojeda said he kicked me with steel toed boots in the back of the head he said he blacked out when i woke up my face was on a tree stump covered in blood
senior state trooper j e garren said that as other people at the event tried to intervene mr porter 41 got into his truck and drove toward mr ojeda who was on the ground one person stood in front of him to block the truck
mr porter backed up hitting all terrain vehicles that had been positioned to try to prevent him from leaving the scene the trooper said mr porter then fled the trooper said
witnesses told the authorities that mr porter had used brass knuckles to strike mr ojeda but the trooper said the authorities did not find any the motive was unclear because mr porter has declined to speak trooper garren said
the beating soon took on political overtones reverberating into other campaigns as mr ojedas democratic opponent state senator arthur kirkendoll and the brother of the suspect reacted to it online
mr kirkendoll said in a statement published by 13 news i do not now nor have i ever condoned violence it has no place in our political campaigns or in our communities mr kirkendoll who wished mr ojeda a speedy recovery could not be reached by telephone
mr porters brother harold porter jr who is running for logan county assessor in the election said on his campaign facebook page that he did not condone the violence something like this has no place in our county or our politics he said
mr ojeda urged his supporters not to assume that harold porter had any role in the attack writing on a facebook account that he uses for campaign news we may not see eye to eye politically on everything but i know he is a good person that would never be a part of anything like this
mr ojeda noted that the attack came hours after he had published photographs of a document that he had obtained through the freedom of information act showing his opponent was a paid consultant for the county
these are usually things that the elected officials dont want the citizens to see mr ojeda wrote well  come tuesday remember how my opponent has been charging the logan county commission a consulting fee for years to the tune of 250000 a month
after the attack mr ojeda wrote that he was brushing his teeth with a sponge but was still committed to the race if you thought this would shut me up you are mistaken he said
i am not scared of those of you who think you can intimidate me he said noting that he had dealt with the taliban and al qaeda while on deployment
mr ojeda said he wanted to leave the hospital in time to watch the voting on tuesday with friends then go to the courthouse where results of the election will be announced he said he would return to the hospital for surgery on thursday
i want people to know that i am ok he said


an experimental malaria vaccine tested in varying doses provided 55 percent protection for one year to a few volunteers a study released monday said
the vaccine made by sanaria contains thousands of live malaria parasites weakened by radiation the parasites create an immune response but do not persist in the body for long the radiation is applied to mosquitoes carrying the parasites which then are gathered from the insects salivary glands
several teams each using a different principle have tried for decades to develop a malaria vaccine but complete long lasting protection has proved elusive
in the current study published by nature medicine 55 volunteers were broken up into five groups who received different doses through different routes very high doses injected into muscles did not work neither did five small intravenous doses nor three medium ones
some volunteers dropped out because they were university of maryland students and they go to grad school or med school or work said a study author dr robert a seder of the national institute of allergy and infectious diseases which oversaw testing
five of the 20 volunteers who received intravenous doses of 270000 weakened parasites remained uninfected even after being bitten by mosquitoes with malaria three weeks after the final inoculation at six months and again after a year
adjusting the figures for dropouts and for the fact that even the mosquitoes werent perfect at transmitting malaria the cumulative vaccine efficacy was 55 percent the authors said
the army wants a vaccine that will give soldiers better than 80 percent protection for six months to a year dr seder said and travelers may be interested in one that works for six months
using the vaccine to fight malaria in african children is sanarias eventual goal in africa weve given up to 18 million parasites safely dr seder said as we keep going up in dose the results get better


it can be an awkward order for a pregnant woman a glass of merlot please
but she is legally entitled to it according to new york city
for the first time the city is explicitly prohibiting restaurants and bars from refusing alcoholic drink orders to mothers to be with new guidelines that say doing so would represent discrimination under the citys human rights law
while covered entities may attempt to justify certain categorical exclusions based on maternal or fetal safety using safety as a pretext for discrimination or as a way to reinforce traditional gender norms or stereotypes is unlawful the guidance released by the commission on human rights on friday says
that would also apply to foods deemed risky during pregnancy such as raw fish or soft cheese but its alcohol consumption by pregnant women that has long driven the touchiest debates over private etiquette and public policy
at least 18 states have laws that regard the use of intoxicants by pregnant women as child abuse according to a survey by propublica it was not clear how many jurisdictions have rules that specifically ban restaurants and bars from refusing alcohol service
several medical organizations including the american academy of pediatrics and the surgeon generals office discourage any alcohol consumption the centers for disease control and prevention has gone even further recommending that sexually active women who are not using birth control abstain from alcohol
nonetheless many expectant mothers allow themselves an occasional glass of wine encouraged in part by research showing that small amounts of alcohol may not be harmful according to the cdc about 10 percent of pregnant women drink alcohol
i looked forward to my friday night margarita during each of my pregnancies and i think they contributed to a happier healthier pregnancy for both mom and baby wrote one new york times commenter another reacted to abstinence advice this way stop infantilizing women
new york citys new guidelines would not undermine a state law that requires bartenders not to serve guests who are visibly intoxicated but some bar owners worry that the rules could muddy the question of when it is appropriate to cut off a pregnant patron
to a certain extent its government run amok said robert bookman a lawyer with the new york city hospitality alliance a trade group under state law he noted bars are required to post signs warning about the dangers of alcohol to fetuses
here you now have a city agency saying that if we take that seriously and try to discourage a pregnant woman from drinking were in violation of the law he said adding were stuck in the middle on this one
released before mothers day the guidelines from the human rights commission were intended to clarify the anti discrimination protections afforded pregnant women in the workplace in housing and in public settings
the commission said it was investigating at least one case of a pregnant woman who was denied entry to a bar over the moral judgments of its employees in another case a woman was refused entry to a concert in the bronx after she was told that it was an unsafe environment for pregnant women the commission said
the city cited research showing that pregnant employees continue to be denied accommodations they are entitled to such as schedule changes arrangements for light duty or bathroom breaks many expectant mothers are also sidelined in their careers officials said
the commission said it was investigating more than 40 cases of pregnancy related discrimination most involving the workplace in one case a pregnant employee who asked if she could arrive late to work so she could attend a medical appointment was subjected to a series of inappropriate questions the commission said including who is the father
accommodation of pregnant women cannot be a favor azadeh khalili the executive director of the commission on gender equity said in a statement supporting the new guidelines it is a human right and the law in new york city


the deal for krispy kreme doughnuts may require more sweetener
jab holding company has added a 25 percent premium to its 14 billion offer to take the krispy kreme chain private jab the billionaire backed owner of keurig green mountain peets coffee  tea and other coffee brands should be able to raise sales and margins but krispy kreme may prove too appetizing for others to pass up without a fight
krispy kreme is a natural fit for jab which backed by the billionaire reimann family of germany controls one of the worlds biggest packaged coffee businesses through its 51 percent stake in jacobs douwe egberts it is also a giant in single serve coffee because of its 14 billion purchase of keurig last year
selling jabs coffee through krispy kreme outlets could give the doughnut makers sales and margins a needed jolt selling cups of joe is more profitable than hawking doughnuts yet it makes up only about 5 percent of krispy kremes sales beverages at its archrival dunkin brands account for around 60 percent of revenue
krispy kreme also has a higher percentage of company owned locations than some competitors these are less profitable than franchised restaurants
krispy kremes operating margin is just 10 percent compared with nearly 40 percent at dunkin that helps explain why krispys shares trade at just over 18 times expected earnings over the next 12 months while dunkin and other fast food competitors tracked by thomson reuters trade on an average closer to 23 times
jabs 21 per share offer would just close that gap covering the 280 million premium that jab is offering through cost savings alone would require immediately eliminating 46 million   or 11 percent   of krispy kremes annual direct operating expenses using the companys 40 percent effective tax rate and a multiple of 10 times earnings rivals or even private equity firms may think they could do better   while getting their hands on an iconic brand with no net debt and a clear path to higher margins
that may still leave jab at the front of the line the deal is one of those rare ones in which there is real potential to increase revenue both at home and internationally by speeding expansion under the jab umbrella that means the deep pocketed acquirer should be able to inject more sweetener into its offer


mukachevo ukraine   before gliding along trails or sliding down slopes many of the worlds skis start at this bustling sprawling factory in western ukraine
here skilled machinists combine wobbly ribbons of carbon fiber and thin sheets of stiff titanium stacking them like cake layers and then heat pressing shaping and polishing them into finished slats for cross country or downhill use
here too craftworkers steam and bend wood into the sticks used by hockey players around the world under brand names that include nike and oxelo
the factorys austrian owner fischer sports pays employees the equivalent of about 307 a month on average   perhaps one eighth the amount that skilled woodworkers and machinists might earn in fischers home country
and since january when a new free trade pact between ukraine and the 28 country european union took effect fischers costs have been further reduced by the elimination of tariffs on the machinery and raw materials flowing into the country and the finished goods that are shipped back out
the pay may seem paltry by western standards but the factorys 1500 workers tend to see the jobs as an opportunity ukraine is one of the northern hemispheres poorest countries with an economy that generates less than 3100 a year per person
europe is our future said yuri v oros a machinist on the ski line
but that future is clouded by ukraines recent troubled past the countrys hostilities with russia and the nationalism now threatening the solidarity of the european union in a recent nonbinding netherlands referendum for example nearly two thirds of dutch voters urged their government to rescind its support of the ukraine pact
and even as fischer and some other multinational companies including nexans a french maker of electrical wiring have invested in ukrainian operations to take advantage of the free trade arrangement many other companies are hesitant to venture into this former soviet republic
so it is unclear how far any benefits of the trade pact might carry beyond the western edge of ukraine near the polish border where most of these factories are situated and into the broader economy in this country of 444 million about 5 million of whom are now living in areas claimed by russia or pro russian separatists
we will have episodic anecdotal success stories but its too early to call it a success said tymofiy s mylovanov president of the kiev school of economics
over all mr mylovanov said ukraines economy is barely growing stunted by low labor productivity and widespread corruption only over the long run he said might the trade agreement help lift ukrainians from poverty
the accord called the european union association agreement has already had a tortured journey after a former ukrainian president rejected it in 2013 opting instead for a deal with moscow pro europe citizens took to the streets in kiev in protests that led to a revolution
the new government in kiev pivoted back to the european agreement signing it in march 2014 but that same month russia annexed the ukrainian province of crimea inciting a russian backed civil war in eastern ukraine
by the time the european union trade pact took effect as scheduled many ukrainians were so distracted or demoralized by war and years of recession that they hardly noticed
yet here in mukachevo a picturesque town of cobble paved roads and a 14th century hilltop castle left over from the austro hungarian empire the fischer plant provides a glimpse of what the future of greater european integration could mean for this country
fischers ukranian subsidiary privately held does not disclose financial figures for the factory but executives say they expect benefits of the trade pact to add about 500000 euros or around 565000 to the factorys profits this year
ukraine has all the preconditions for investment vasyl ryabych the factorys director said in an interview in his office which overlooks the factorys groomed lawn surrounded by rose hedges
in the same way the north american free trade agreement in 1994 spurred a surge of light industry manufacturers   the so called maquiladoras   along mexicos border with the united states the association agreement is meant to encourage development along ukraines borders with the european union in turn ukraine is obliged to alter domestic economic policies through measures like overhauling the judiciary and changing rules for awarding state contracts
the fischer plant is only one of the signs of foreign investment popping up around lviv the regional capital of western ukraine
nexans the french company recently rented land near lviv where it plans to spend 120 million hryvnia or about 47 million on a factory that would put 2000 people to work making automotive wire another nexans plant in the region already makes wiring for bmw general motors and other carmakers
leoni a german competitor to nexans operates a factory in stryi in the lviv region making cables for volkswagen opel porsche and others
and fujikura a japanese car parts maker last fall announced plans to open a factory in the next three years that would employ about 3000 ukrainians
the economy is orienting toward europe said veronika movchan an economist at voxukraine a research organization in kiev
the tilt westward has increased ukraines trade with the european union to more than a third of the countrys total imports and exports compared with less than a quarter in 2012
during that same span however ukrainian exports to russia fell by more than half to 127 percent   a share that could slip further because moscow has put tariffs on goods from ukraine in retaliation for the european trade pact
and tariff free trade with the european union is a two way street as more european products compete with local goods ukraine might fall short of even its modest forecast of 1 percent growth this year some economists now say
the trade pact also placed tight restrictions on agricultural imports into the european union despite agriculture being one of ukraines strengths the quotas for tariff free honey imports are so low for example that ukrainian beekeepers used them up in the first six weeks of the year
if ukraine has any hope at all it is agriculture said ivan tchakarov chief economist for former soviet states with citi but the fact that theyve used up most annual quotas already suggests this agreement is not having the desired effect
all the more reason that supporters of the trade pact are counting on continued success from the fischer plant which is already branching out beyond skis and hockey sticks
having demonstrated its agility in handling carbon fiber materials and noting the regional growth in car parts the factory has set up a workshop that takes on the labor intensive work of polishing components for the auto industry
the sleek lightweight parts include engine mounts for high performance bmw m3 models and exterior panels for audi porsche and tesla after the polishing the parts are shipped back to wealthier markets
were like china said mr ryabych the factory director but on the border with europe


los angeles   representative xavier becerra democrat of california had loaded the question for precise effect
how many people here can say they are immigrants the child of immigrants or the grandchild of immigrants he asked the boisterous screaming supporters waiting for hillary clinton on thursday in a gymnasium at east los angeles college just outside his center city district
this election is personal very personal right mr becerra shouted as the crowd roared back in agreement you have got to get out there ive got to get out there because they are talking about us
mr becerra who as the no 4 democrat in the house is the highest ranking hispanic lawmaker in the party has made the fight against donald j trump and republicans personal on spanish language television where he is recognizable to millions of viewers he has become the most prominent and outspoken advocate of mrs clinton to a constituency she hopes to win over in huge numbers to capture the white house
it is a task democrats hope has been made easier by mr trumps derogatory comments about immigrants and his pledge to have mexico build a wall at the border but fortunes beyond mrs clintons are at stake mr becerra who is serving his 24th year in the house finds himself at age 58 blocked in his climb by more senior democrats the minority leader representative nancy pelosi of california the whip representative steny h hoyer of maryland and representative james e clyburn of south carolina who ranks no 3
known among colleagues in washington for his poise on camera and his discipline in staying on message   equally fluently in english and spanish   mr becerra is now the subject of hopeful whispering among some hispanic democrats as a long shot prospect to be mrs clintons running mate
when we were going through the list for fritz mondale back in 1984 nobody thought gerry ferraro was on the list said art torres a former california state senator and former longtime chairman of the state democratic party who hired mr becerra to be an aide in his district office in the mid 1980s
in an interview mr becerra candidly agreed that he would accept such an offer what do you do if you really believe in this kind of work he asked with a smile as his car driven by his district director liz saldivar maneuvered through a crowd of bernie sanders supporters who were protesting the clinton rally some of them carried signs with slogans like deport hillary clinton
but mr becerra also said he saw his future in the house where he hoped to help lead a major overhaul of immigration laws that mrs clinton has promised to pursue if she wins the white house
unlike representative chris van hollen of maryland another rising star in the party who decided to run for the senate this year rather than wait for other leadership positions to open up in the house mr becerra declined to seek the seat being vacated by senator barbara boxer of california who is retiring
while a senate race would have been an expensive and risky bet   a run for mayor of los angeles in 2001 was a total flop getting him just 6 percent of the primary vote   winning re election to the house is a near certainty in his heavily immigrant downtown district which includes parts of chinatown koreatown and boyle heights a largely hispanic area in 2014 mr becerra won 725 percent of the vote a low total for him only because under a new primary system he faced a fellow democrat in the general election in 2012 the last time he ran against a republican mr becerra won 856 percent of the vote
by staying in the house mr becerra seems to be betting that his arduous campaigning on behalf of mrs clinton   he has held events for her in 10 states and made countless television appearances   and his work to support fellow house democrats will secure him a continued role in leadership even if the path is so far uncertain
in the meantime he seems to relish his role on the presidential campaign trail and the speculation that comes with it for those who play the insider game mr becerra was part of a three person presidential delegation to the vatican for the canonization mass for popes john xxiii and john paul ii in 2014 joining him were john podesta the clinton campaign chairman who is expected to lead the vice presidential selection process and katie beirne fallon president obamas former legislative affairs director whose husband brian fallon is a spokesman for the clinton campaign
despite such connections conventional wisdom would suggest that mrs clinton in a race against mr trump would need to broaden her appeal among white men still mr trumps unorthodox candidacy may make traditional calculations obsolete mr torres said mr becerra would have a lot to offer the democratic ticket as a son of mexican american immigrants who went on to get economics and law degrees at stanford and whose reputation is unblemished mr becerra and his wife carolina reyes an obstetrician who specializes in high risk pregnancies have three daughters
totally an eagle scout   i think he still drinks milk with his lunch mr torres said of mr becerra having served on some of these vice presidential selection committees in the past i can tell you no 1 first of all is loyalty and trust that has to be the top priority he fits the bill and hes articulate in both spanish and english
that much was certainly clear as mr becerra made the rounds in his district last week
moments before jumping onstage where he gave his speech in english mr becerra paused to give an interview to a local reporter from univision who wanted proof that mrs clinton nos conoce   that she knows us
mr becerra continuing in spanish repeated a favorite saying tell me with whom you walk and ill tell you who you are
i know with whom i walk he said because hillary clinton has walked with us for a long time
on television mr becerra long ago became familiar to viewers because of his roles in pushing for a comprehensive immigration overhaul and at the center of fiscal policy debates including as a member of the bowles simpson presidential commission on the national debt and deficits
the clinton campaign not wanting to play favorites among friends described mr becerra as one of several prominent hispanic democrats who have been very helpful others include thomas e perez the secretary of labor and julian castro the secretary of housing and urban development
mr castro does not speak fluent spanish and mr perez a former assistant attorney general has only recently begun to attain national prominence though he is also the subject of some speculation as a potential vice presidential pick
one national spanish language television journalist framed the choices in the context of the entertainers jennifer lopez and marc anthony jlo has been able to cross the borders of language because of her fame but marc anthony is much more famous in spanish communities than she is because he sings in spanish said the journalist who asked not to be identified to safeguard his professional objectivity
then you have xavier becerra who speaks perfect spanish who is a company guy who is a hillary guy who is a nancy pelosi ie leadership guy and who has a long career serving the hispanic community in our language in our medium the journalist said
if you want to bring in the real hispanics the journalist added the 12 or 14 million who are going to vote know who he is theres no question about it


the obama administration is urging universities and colleges to re evaluate how questions about an applicants criminal history are used in the admissions process part of an effort to remove barriers to education employment and housing for those with past convictions in many cases for minor crimes
education secretary john b king jr released a dear colleague letter to universities and colleges on monday along with a guide beyond the box increasing access to higher education for justice involved individuals among the guides recommendations is a suggestion that colleges consider delaying questions about criminal records until after admissions decisions to avoid a chilling effect on potential applicants
noting that an estimated 70 million americans have some form of criminal record mr king said people who have been involved with the criminal justice system continue to face significant hurdles in obtaining access to higher education or career training
most universities ask questions about an applicants criminal record as part of the admissions process requests for this information have increased in the past decade or so after several high profile instances of campus violence
the department of educations announcement in a telephone news conference with reporters on monday came amid growing concerns that admissions questions marginalize black applicants a body of statistical evidence has emerged showing that black teenagers are singled out for disciplinary action in school and stopped and arrested by the police at higher rates than other ethnic groups
in a separate announcement on monday representatives from the common application used by more than 600 colleges announced that the fall 2016 application would include a revised question about criminal history previously the common application asked students whether they had been convicted of a felony misdemeanor or other crimes the reference to other crimes deemed ambiguous will be omitted
the common application has also begun a review to determine whether additional revisions of its questions about criminal history and past school discipline questions should be made for the 2017 application said aba blankson its senior director
the state university of new york said monday that its 64 campus system was already reviewing its practice of asking about criminal histories a resolution by the suny student assembly adopted in march called for removal of such questions citing research indicating that they discouraged prospective students from applying and that there was no evidence that admitting those with criminal histories improves campus safety
mr king also said monday that there was no evidence that such application questions deterred campus violence
janet napolitano the president of the university of california system said in the news conference with mr king that the universitys 10 campuses did not include such questions because they are not relevant to the evaluation of an individuals qualifications for study
the lawyers committee for civil rights under law an advocacy group said this year that it was conducting an inquiry of colleges and universities that asked what it considered particularly intrusive questions on their applications including questions about arrests without convictions
the beyond the box guide also recommends
 clearly informing potential students as early as possible in the application process about how to respond to questions about their criminal pasts
 ensuring that such questions are narrowly focused avoiding overly broad requests about criminal history
 giving all prospective students an opportunity to explain criminal justice involvement and their preparedness for postsecondary study
 providing training for admissions officers and counselors on the effective use of criminal history data
the education departments initiative follows other obama administration efforts aimed at reversing policies that limit the opportunities available to people with criminal records the administration warned landlords this year that they cannot impose blanket bans on tenants with criminal convictions


in life there are certain nonnegotiables we simply must have think food water and shelter for starters nobody will ask is it worth it to eat its just something you do to stay alive
but deciding what to eat thats a different question
will i eat the bologna or prosciutto drink tap water or bottled and anything discretionary   anything that has even the slightest element of choice in it   invariably deals with a question we find ourselves asking all the time
is it worth it
i recently talked about this question with adam ketcheson he is the vice president for marketing at arcteryx a manufacturer of very high quality equipment for skiing backpacking climbing and hiking the companys gear is internationally renowned for its performance durability design and craftsmanship
arcteryx products also tend to be more expensive than rival equipment often by a significant margin
recently mr ketcheson was heli skiing in british columbia with a group of executives when they learned that he worked at arcteryx one turned to him and said man i love your gear but is it really better than all the other brands
the answer was yes of course one hundred percent yes
but the next question his fellow skier asked was the one were talking about today ok maybe its better but is it worth it
this is a question mr ketcheson gets a lot about arcteryxs products and his answer is always the same i dont know he says the question is is it worth it to you
alas there is no objective answer to that question mr ketcheson can say an arcteryx rain shell is objectively better because it outperforms other shells in testing but whether it is worth it to you has no definitive answer its a matter of opinion
this question is one that we often want someone else to answer for us but in the end we have to answer it for ourselves there is no right or wrong answer just one that does or does not work for you personally
that said simply because no one can answer the question for you doesnt mean that there are not clever ways to think about it in particular ive noticed three functional relationships that seem to help in identifying whether something is worth it or not utility enjoyment and cost
utility last year i wrote about a 5000 road bike that i bought the purchase seemed absolutely crazy at the time but i did a little mental math and realized that if the bike lasted even twice as long as some comparable models it would be worth buying in fact it has lasted far more than twice as long and ive never looked back so it was worth it because of how much use i got out of it
enjoyment if you do not enjoy something its not going to be worth it if the choice is between a cheap can of sardines or some wild caught alaskan salmon regardless of the price if you dont eat it neither one was worth it if you happen to be partial to lox you would most likely find the salmon to be completely worth it the sardines on the other hand may find their way to the back of some cupboard and never be used they may have been less expensive but if you dont enjoy them they wont be worth it
cost its not always the most expensive stuff thats worth it because of how or how much you use or enjoy it it could just be the stuff that you have found incredibly valuable
for example i have this ice cream scooper that i absolutely love it cost me under 10 ive had it for years and every time i take it out i get this big smile on my face because it cost me so little sure i enjoy it and use it but what makes it memorable to me is that it feels like a steal
things like these are the secret little gems of the worth it world   the things that cost you almost nothing but give you a tremendous amount of utility or enjoyment
if you get a ton of use out of something you enjoy it every time you use it and it costs a relatively small amount its going to be worth it thats a no brainer thats the ice cream scooper
but many decisions are not so obvious particularly those in which the cost is high and thats when these three functional relationships can help
in the end however your answer is the only one that will count and the next time you are about to ask someone else is it worth it dont
instead ask yourself


london   a former investment banker and a businessman were convicted of insider trading on monday in what the british authorities have described as the largest crackdown on improper trading in britain
after a three month trial in southwark crown court in london martyn dodgson a former banker at morgan stanley lehman brothers and deutsche bank and andrew hind a businessman and trained accountant were convicted of conspiracy to insider deal as insider trading is described in britain
the conspiracy began in november 2006 and ended in march 2010 prosecutors said
the case sprung out of an investigation called operation tabernula the investigation began with a series of raids by the british authorities in march 2010
three other men who also were on trial were acquitted of criminal charges on monday
this was an extraordinary and complex case of a type not prosecuted in this country before mark steward the financial conduct authoritys director of enforcement and market oversight said in a news release on monday
the message is loud and clear that the fca will not tolerate sophisticated predatory criminals abusing our markets he added
sentencing of mr dodgson 44 and mr hind 56 will be at a later date the maximum sentence for each is seven years in prison
the financial conduct authority accused mr dodgson of improperly sharing information from the investment banks where he worked to be used to make improper trades
mr dodgson shared the information with mr hind his close friend the regulator said mr hind acted as a middle man and helped facilitate trades for the benefit of mr dodgson and himself the financial conduct authority said
the members of the conspiracy used unregistered mobile telephones encrypted records and safe deposit boxes to hide their improper trading from authorities the financial conduct authority said
the tips included inside information about paragon group legal  general and bskyb the regulator said
five people in total have pleaded guilty or been convicted of criminal charges in the matter
the other three who pleaded guilty are julian rifat a former senior execution trader at moore capital management graeme shelley a former broker at novum securities and paul milsom a former senior trader at legal  general


a bahamian man pleaded guilty on monday to charges that he had hacked into the email accounts of celebrities and others and gained access to a trove of unreleased movie and television scripts which he then tried to sell for thousands of dollars
the defendant alonzo knowles 24 was arrested in december after he flew to new york and tried to sell the scripts to an undercover agent who was posing as a potential buyer and had handed him 80000 in cash according to a criminal complaint filed in federal district court in manhattan
mr knowles also gave the agent the social security numbers of three professional athletes and a movie actress for which mr knowles had agreed to be paid in the future the complaint said
his arrest drew attention because it followed a widely publicized breach in which hackers stole confidential information from sony pictures entertainment and released it online about a year before
mr knowles in a conversation with the undercover agent described a process he called social engineering which involved doing research on a target according to the complaint which was signed by michael macdonald a special agent with homeland security investigations an arm of the department of homeland security
mr knowles said that it was difficult to go after a high profile celebrity so he would begin by going after friends found in photographs with them he would then hack the friends accounts to find the celebrities telephone numbers and other personal information
it boils down to the weakest link in the chain a former official of the federal bureau of investigation austin p berglas told the new york times in december after the charges were announced
at one point the complaint said mr knowles showed the undercover agent a list of names with phone numbers or email addresses of about 130 celebrities
mr knowles in court apologized to the judge paul a engelmayer and acknowledged that he knew his actions had been wrong and illegal
he pleaded guilty to both of the counts charged in a federal indictment against him criminal copyright infringement and identity theft
he could face a total of 10 years in prison when he is sentenced on aug 25 the federal sentencing guidelines which are only advisory suggested a sentence of 27 to 33 months according to the plea agreement in the case
the plea includes a provision under which mr knowles will forfeit among other things all copies of 25 unpublished television and movie scripts as well as unpublished music the plea agreement said
mr knowless lawyer clay kaminsky declined to comment after the hearing
the plea comes two months after a prosecutor kristy j greenberg told judge engelmayer in court that the investigation had turned up potential new victims of mr knowless scheme and evidence of how he had been using the information he was stealing
in one case she told the judge there was evidence that mr knowles had made credit card purchases using financial information of new victims that we hadnt known about


drakes new album views opened at no 1 on billboards chart this week with very strong numbers in both sales and streaming a major victory for apple which is offering the album through an exclusive deal
views young moneycash moneyrepublic sold 852000 copies in the united states in its first week on sale according to nielsen the best opening week of the year and the industrys biggest sales week since christmas when adeles 25 ratcheted to almost 12 million even more remarkable was the streaming number songs from views were listened to 245 million times in its first week most of it from apple music which is the only place where the album can be streamed in full spotify has a few singles but not the full lp
the streaming tally for views more than doubles the previous record of 115 million set just a week ago by beyonces lemonade itself another streaming exclusive with tidal in which beyonce is a partner lemonade drops to no 2 this week with 196000 sales and 97 million streams kanye west and justin bieber have both posted weeks of about 100 million streams but in ordinary weeks the totals are usually less than 20 million
the escalation of listening numbers show not only how quickly streaming has transformed the music industry but also the aggressive way that apple and tidal have been pursuing exclusives with top artists to lure fans and challenge spotifys dominance spotify says it has 30 million paying subscribers around the world apple music says it has 13 million and tidal reports having three million drake spoke at the introduction of apple music last june and the company has had a deal with him since then that includes a show ovo sound as part of apples beats 1 internet radio service this week drakes one dance which is on views is the no 1 single
notably for apple the success of views shows that fans still have a strong appetite to buy the download version of the album   which costs 1399   even when the streaming version of the same record is available through apple music which costs 999 a month but has a free three month trial period
also this week prince has two albums in the top 5   purple rain is no 3 and the very best of prince is no 4   and rihannas anti is no 5 a new album from rob zombie the electric warlock acid witch satanic orgy celebration dispenser opens at no 6 and vol 58 of the pop compilation series now thats what i call music starts at no 7


midfielder frank lampard who has yet to play for new york city fc this season will be a part of the bbcs coverage of this summers european championships in france
the bbc named lampard when it announced its team on monday for the monthlong tournament but its release said only that lampards role would include multiplatform contributions a new york city fc spokesman said monday afternoon that lampard a former england captain would not travel to france or do prolonged studio work as part of his as yet unspecified duties the team said unequivocally that lampard would not miss any games or practice sessions because of his bbc commitments
the bbc team for euro 2016 includes more than a dozen former international players and coaches and lampards inclusion was mentioned in the same sentence as that of the united states national team coach jurgen klinsmann klinsmann though will be coaching his team in the copa america centenario in june and consequently most likely would be unavailable to the bbc for anything more than brief interviews a spokesman for united states soccer confirmed as much on monday writing on twitter jurgen has no deal with bbc if he does participate it will be from la and only after hes done with the copa america
the euros will be held from june 10 to july 10 roughly concurrent with the copa america in the united states june 3 to 26 mls will take a two week break june 3 to 14 during the copas group stage
lampard has a complicated relationship with new york city fc fans who cheered his signing by the expansion team in 2014 but reacted angrily when he missed the start of the teams inaugural season in 2015 to finish out his contract with manchester city of the premier league lampard is nycfcs highest paid player at 6 million a year but he played sporadically and not always well when he joined nycfc last summer he has yet to appear in a game this season because of a nagging calf injury
in fact lampard who will turn 38 during the euros has appeared in only 10 of the 44 games in the teams history to date coach patrick vieira has regularly described lampards struggle to return to the lineup as day to day and the current hope is that he will return to full training as soon as next week
we dont want to put any date because it would not be fair to him vieira told reporters after a tie against montreal two weeks ago hes working hard hes working well when he will be fit he will be in the squad


davao city philippines   the front runner in the philippines presidential election rodrigo duterte held a large lead over his closest competitor on monday according to an unofficial tally of partial results
the commission on elections reported that with 83 percent of the votes counted mr duterte the mayor of the southern city of davao had nearly double the number of votes of his nearest rival election officials said they would not announce the winner of the race until tuesday though one of the leading candidates senator grace poe conceded defeat on monday night and withdrew from the race
mr duterte had been largely unknown outside the philippines before he declared his candidacy last november since then he has run a campaign light on specific policies and heavy on tough talk earning him comparisons to the presumptive republican presidential nominee in the united states donald j trump
like mr trump mr duterte has cast himself as an outspoken outsider and has drawn wide criticism for his comments
he alienated many people recently by joking about rape
at a campaign rally he made light of the rape and murder of an australian missionary during a 1989 prison riot in davao when mr duterte was mayor
she looks like a beautiful american actress he said what a waste they lined up and raped her i was angry because she was raped thats one thing but she was so beautiful the mayor should have been first
he apologized but his blunt speech has riled voters throughout the campaign
he boasts about his sexual conquests
on the campaign trail mr duterte has been accused of groping female voters during rallies and has bragged about his voracious sexual appetite fueled by viagra he said at a campaign event that he has two wives and two girlfriends and admitted that he is a womanizer he joked that he keeps his mistresses in a cheap boardinghouse and takes them to motels for sexual trysts
he has called for killing criminals
elected mayor of davao city seven times mr duterte has touted his record in making the city safe from crime using extreme measures in a speech last year he said his strategy to fight criminals was kill them all and he has said he would ignore or roll over those in his way
his aggressive comments and violently tough on crime position has earned him the nickname duterte harry   a reference to the character played by clint eastwood in the 1971 film dirty harry if elected president he said recently he would aggressively pursue those who break the law vowing to kill them himself and grant himself a presidential pardon
mr duterte has been accused of having ties to death squads that carried out extrajudicial killings in davao during one of his previous terms as mayor in the 1990s in a television interview during the campaign he appeared to confirm his involvement in the killing of criminals in davao and reissued his kill them all rallying cry
some in davao have praised his approach the police do their job in this city said giovanni perucho a bus driver that is because of mayor duterte the criminals are afraid of the mayor but the police are also afraid they know they have to do their job or else
like mr trump he had choice words for pope francis
during the popes visit to the philippines last year mr duterte cursed francis and his entourage for causing huge traffic jams in manila   a perennial issue for filipinos who endure grinding daily delays despite the fact that the philippines is more than 80 percent catholic mr duterte using a vulgarity in describing francis said he hoped the pope would never visit again
in january mr duterte reportedly sent a letter of apology to the vatican and in february during a visit with the bishop of bacolod city he asked for forgiveness for his comments
he has also cast doubt about the reliability of his countrys security alliance with the united states
the philippines is one of the united states oldest allies in asia mr duterte has been increasingly bellicose toward china threatening to settle his countrys dispute over chinas claims to parts of the south china sea by taking on the chinese navy himself on a jet ski
mr dutertes no nonsense message of strong solutions to nagging problems has resonated with some filipinos who have become tired of the more measured tones of president benigno s aquino iii
mr aquino has responded with alarm to the prospect of a duterte presidency saying it is tantamount to a return to dictatorship he had called on other candidates to unite to defeat mr duterte but none agreed


republicans spent an entire primary cycle searching for donald j trumps weak spot to little avail
but elizabeth warren a first term democratic senator from massachusetts seems to have come up with an answer   or at least a way to rattle the new york billionaire
on friday evening tensions between mr trump and ms warren spilled into a twitter war which spanned four hours and more than a dozen posts and insults   goofy elizabeth warren he called her a sexist racist xenophobic bully she countered   on both sides
the back and forth which played out in public rat a tat tat bursts 140 characters at a time also offered a vivid preview of how the six months until election day could unfold with the popular ms warren emerging as a unifier of the democratic base and mr trump   so far at least   still unable to resist small provocations as he tries to become a more disciplined general election candidate
ms warren is one of the few high profile leaders in either party to repeatedly challenge mr trump with clarity and directness portraying him as both dangerous and a charlatan she began her assault in a march 21 facebook post describing his candidacy as a serious threat and calling him a loser   one of the worst insults in the trump lexicon
and on tuesday the night mr trump became the presumptive republican nominee she again took to facebook to denounce him   a broadside that he seemed to be responding to when just after 7 pm on friday he launched a series of twitter posts deriding her as goofy and as hillary clintons flunky
goofy elizabeth warren and her phony native american heritage are on a twitter rant mr trump wrote in one missive refering to ms warrens claims of cherokee ancestry which became an issue during her 2012 senate race she is too easy im driving her nuts
mr trump first teased ms warren about her ancestry claims in an interview last summer with the new york times columnist maureen dowd saying shes caught a little wave perhaps its her indian upbringing he has since repeated the mockery calling ms warren the indian at a news conference in washington earlier this year
trump has built his campaign on racism sexism and xenophobia ms warren wrote in her facebook post on tuesday im going to fight my heart out to make sure donald trumps toxic stew of hatred and insecurity never reaches the white house
ms warren and mrs clinton the expected democratic nominee have had a strained relationship at times and ms warrens decision not to endorse mrs clinton so far has irked democrats who would like to see the primary wrap up but ms warren is still often mentioned as a possible vice presidential candidate for mrs clinton who has said she wants a running mate who can act as an attack dog
and ms warren is embracing a role right now that mrs clinton cannot
mrs clinton the former secretary of state has made clear that she hopes to hover at least slightly above the fray causing some democrats to fret privately that their party is not sharply attacking mr trump who has so far proved an elusive target
ms warren it seems is more than happy to fill the void
in a dozen twitter posts friday evening she not only called mr trump a bully who can be defeated not by tucking tail and running but by holding your ground but also adopted mr trumps twitter style writing
mary anne marsh a democratic strategist based in boston said that ms warren had a history of speaking her mind   to anybody on any topic at any time she said   and that the political moment was ripe for that type of authenticity
ms warren appears to take seriously her role in uniting the party and in an emailed statement she cast herself as someone willing to challenge mr trump republicans waited way too long to stand up and tell the truth about donald trumps record his temperament and why he is unfit to be president she said we cant repeat that mistake
but ms warren may also be trying to blunt mr trumps efforts to woo supporters of mrs clintons primary opponent senator bernie sanders of vermont no matter how unlikely mr trump is to bring them to his side in large numbers she is the person most closely aligned with mr sanderss brand of anti wall street populism and her imprimatur could help mrs clinton while the democratic primary race goes on
in some ways mr trump is reprising the native american attack that then senator scott brown used against her unsuccessfully in their 2012 contest ms marsh said that during that race ms warren won over some of the working class men who had voted for mr brown in his 2010 special election to the senate making her a particularly potent force on the democratic side
she is probably the most effective voice to engage trump and trump supporters because she won his voters in her election here and when it comes to helping them and creating jobs she is wildly popular with them ms marsh said she has standing with trump voters
for mr trump whose preferred attack megaphone is often twitter engaging with ms warren has its perils and could undercut his recent efforts to reassure party officials that he has the temperament to be president he also has high negative ratings among women and attacking two of the most prominent female democrats could backfire
ryan williams a republican consultant said mr trump needed to stop chasing every shiny object and going down every rabbit hole and focus on the white house
i think donald trump needs to recognize that hes the nominee of the republican party and his target is hillary clinton not elizabeth warren or anyone else mr williams said one of the main rules of politics is to never punch downwards and hes punching way downward by engaging with a liberal senator whos not even on the ballot this year
mr trumps allies view the dust up as simply mr trumps being himself and winning over voters in the process
donald understands the power of twitter roger j stone jr a longtime trump confidant wrote in an email nothing will galvanize the republican party like brawling with anti business fauxcahontas could not be a better contrast between trump who wants to create wealth and warren who wants to distribute it
and for democrats still struggling to take on mr trump who helped splinter his own party before beginning to turn his attention to the democrats ms warren has increasingly become a crucial figure in the fight helping to write the blueprint against mr trump one facebook and twitter post at a time
a lot of politicians dont know how to handle trump said tommy vietor a former obama administration official who worked on the presidents 2008 campaign shes showing that the best way to respond is to punch back hard and to call him out


in his dozen years in real estate jp forbes has heard the same question time and again from clients with children
its always whats your nearest park whats your nearest playground mr forbes said by phone last week from the kent a new 23 story condominium tower on the upper east side of manhattan mr forbes at the corner of 95th street and third avenue could simply respond why just a block north at the marx brothers playground instead he can do one better
we tell them the park is right here mr forbes the sales director for extell development said we brought the park indoors
on the third floor in the kind of two story space once reserved for a ballroom a fitness center or even an apartment or four residents will be able to retreat to camp kent the walls are papered with forest scenes the floors filled with beanbag boulders a treehouse bigger than many new york studio apartments is suspended over the space the room adjoins a balcony so children may play outside without being near the street
a lot of times playrooms are just for rainy days but we wanted to create a full time refuge mr forbes said how many buildings can say they have a river running through them
quite a few actually
in battery park city at river  warren children will be able to play inside a lighthouse and frolic in the carpeted surf at the seven year old barclay tower near city hall children climb aboard a mini tugboat before a colorful mural of new york harbor across the actual harbor in hoboken 1450 washington has a boat the ss friend ship built by blue water dories a company in boise idaho that typically makes fly fishing craft
and this is to say nothing of the underwater themed playrooms at crystal green the easton and 1 seaport complete with submarine jungle gyms or orca shaped swings
children are very sophisticated these days so it cant just be barbie or barney anymore said nancy ruddy whose architecture firm cetraruddy has designed high end apartment buildings for two decades
playrooms are nothing new in new york city residents have long turned unloved or unused corners of their buildings into play spaces   anything to get the children out of the apartment for a few hours
yet these spaces are rarely afterthoughts anymore gone are the days of flickering fluorescent light bulbs blank walls and hand me down toys like the luxury apartments that surround them playrooms have become carefully designed and curated affairs fisher price is out frank gehry and jean prouve are in
its not so much playroom envy but theres definitely this excitement when you have a friend with a great playroom said talli levine a mother of two who lives at the brompton an upper east side condominium with a great playroom
the trend toward bigger and bolder playrooms began about a decade ago during the last real estate boom when developers began cramming everything from screening rooms to climbing walls into their buildings that many parents are abandoning the suburbs to raise families here has also driven demand
we definitely get more playdates because of the playroom said marilyn clarke a nanny whose employer lives at 400 park avenue south where a large basement playroom becomes a de facto day care center during the day everybody wants to come over
at manhattan house on a recent afternoon two boys were bouncing on the gymnastic caliber mats part of a stratospheric scene of carved clouds and a smiling sun the 1200 square foot space used to be an apartment in the 1950s gordon bunshaft building until oconnor capital partners converted the white brick behemoth into condominiums
parts of the space   like a spaceship pod the size of a volkswagen beetle and a talking seven foot giraffe   resemble exhibits from a childrens museum and for good reason when the developer went looking for a designer it turned to roto a creator of science centers and childrens museums based outside dayton ohio
what we hear from developers is that new york parents just dont know what to do with their kids during the day that they or their caregivers need a space they can run to caroline petitti a designer with roto said so it cant be an everyday space or something you would get at home or the children get bored
roto is not alone local institutions like the childrens museum of manhattan the little red school house and kidville are also busy designing playrooms
the results are often inspired by the building or the neighborhood a jazz age street scene greets children at the walker tower a condominium in a 1929 chelsea tower while 70 vestry in tribeca has a playroom with hundreds of blocks inspired by the neighborhoods cobblestone streets
some even have that most important new york feature a view at the azure on 91st street in yorkville the playroom occupies the third floor corner overlooking first avenue and the bright polka dot playroom at the sheffield 57 is 57 stories in the air offering a sweeping midtown vista
at 280 st marks in prospect heights brooklyn the architects created a playroom that hovers over the lobby we had this idea where you came home from work and your kids are basically there to greet you said jordan rogove a partner at dxa studio
the tables and chairs here are junior versions of jean prouve collectibles though eames plywood elephants and frank gehrys color cube furniture   pieces more likely to resonate with parents than children   are just as likely to show up in playrooms now wayne norbeck another partner at dxa thinks provenance is important when you experience something unique no matter what your age it speaks to your imagination he said
and renowned designers have tackled playrooms as well at 160 leroy street ian schrager the studio 54 founder turned developer made it a point that herzog  de meuron the pritzker prize winners designing the rest of the building would have a hand in the playroom at 101 wall street the dutch designer piet boon is carving custom building blocks for his playroom
if it seems unfortunate that children are not frolicking in the streets anymore playing stickball and double dutch samantha rudin a fifth generation executive in her familys real estate empire points out that has not been the case for some time
there were cars in the streets when i was growing up so i learned to roller skate in the garden of my parents building and we have a playroom there now said ms rudin who helped design the playroom at the greenwich lane condominiums its a different city and different values
but these spaces can have their limitations especially as the children grow the brompton on east 85th street in manhattan has a british theme so the developer the related companies hired an english firm to design the playroom complete with a castle and queens guard dolls residents found it too juvenile so the condominium board replaced it the walls are now painted in bright colors and giant scrabble and chess sets are attached to them an xbox and a crafts table that converts into one for table tennis are also part of the new decor at 4 pm younger children clear out and older ones take over from 5 to 7 pm
related is planning a similar space in its next building the easton complete with study nooks and rehearsal rooms and a few other developers are following suit they call them tween rooms


benjamin franklin once pointed out that in this world nothing can be said to be certain except death and taxes evading taxes and shielding ill gotten gains are an effort to avoid some of that certainty but as much as the government tries to battle corruption in the financial system it will almost never be enough
in the wake of the disclosure of confidential documents known as the panama papers showing how lawyers set up shell companies to hide assets the white house announced initiatives last week to combat shady practices used by corrupt officials tax cheats and other criminals
like other well intentioned steps to fight corruption they will make it a little bit harder to shift money around anonymously but ultimately will be only a modest impediment to stanching the flood of illicit funds that course through the economy
the challenge to changing the misuse of corporate forms is that the ability to start a shell company is deeply embedded in the legal system a video posted recently shows a cats owner going to a firm to set up a limited liability company in delaware for the feline in less than five minutes just by paying the 249 fee and entering minimal identifying information
if it involves a cat it shows how remarkably easy it is to create an anonymous entity that can be used for almost any purpose whether nefarious or benign
the treasury department adopted a final rule requiring financial institutions like banks and brokers to verify the identity of beneficial owners of 25 percent or more of a company when it opens an account in addition there must be monitoring of the account which includes reporting any suspicious activity the regulation will be phased in over two years so do not be surprised to see a rush to open accounts before the reporting requirement kicks in
it also announced proposed regulations that would require a foreign owned single member limited liability company to obtain an employer identification number from the internal revenue service to report any taxable income this type of llc is used frequently in high end real estate transactions which the new york times described extensively in the towers of secrecy series about how numerous foreigners use corporate facades to buy manhattan condominiums if adopted the new rules will pull back slightly the veil of secrecy surrounding these entities because it will allow the government to track transactions and provide information to other countries trying to crack down on tax cheating
how much of a barrier the new treasury department rules will erect to the misuse of shell companies to hide assets remains to be seen ownership of a llc or other corporate entity could be divided among five holders none crossing the 25 percent threshold to stay below the customer information requirement the use of nominees holding purported interests in a shell can still take place to shield the true owners identity although perhaps if the same names appear on regulatory filings with some regularity then investigators will at least have a lead on who to scrutinize
the justice department announced that it would submit proposals to congress to make it easier to pursue transnational corruption one change would expand the list of crimes that can be a predicate for a money laundering charge against a foreign official who engages in corruption and transfers funds through the united states a second would allow prosecutors to issue administrative subpoenas in a money laundering investigation rather than just using criminal grand jury subpoenas to obtain banking records allowing information in some cases to be gathered more quickly
a third proposal would make it easier for the justice department to introduce the records obtained from foreign banks in court relaxing the requirements under the rules of evidence for submission of these documents
a more radical step is legislation the treasury department is preparing to require that newly formed companies disclose their beneficial owners to the federal government there are already bills in the house and senate that would require similar information be reported but so far they have not gone anywhere the united states chamber of commerce and american bar association fought efforts in prior years to pass legislation on this issue although perhaps the disclosure of the panama papers will mute some of that opposition
the legislative proposals will require approval by congress which may not be likely during the run up to the november elections when few bills are likely to be considered unless they are urgent
there is also the question of whether requiring greater disclosure of who controls a corporate entity goes too far in denigrating the privacy rights of the owners there are legitimate reasons to hide ones wealth from public disclosure especially in those parts of the world where that information could make one a target for extortion or kidnapping just because a criminal can use a corporate shell to hide ill gotten gains does not necessarily mean that most or even many of these entities are used for illegitimate reasons
balancing the needs of law enforcement with the privacy interests of individuals is always difficult as the recent fight over iphone encryption between apple and the justice department amply demonstrates how far the need to gather information on the identity of owners should go is an issue congress will have to settle
even if president obama gets everything on the wish list of changes being suggested there remains the problem of how effective they would be in fighting corruption money is like water following the path of least resistance impediments to anonymously transferring and holding assets may slow the flow in the short term but are unlikely to put much of a dent in how illicit funds move through the financial system because there always seem to be new avenues to hide their ownership
that does not mean that pushing for greater transparency in the ownership of assets and making it easier to prosecute money laundering are not worth the effort but the proposed changes should be seen for what they are   small steps in a continuing battle


a governor wants to lead on green energy the states utilities are nervously falling in line young entrepreneurs are buzzing determined to be part of the generation that finally solves climate change
to most ears that might sound like california where all those things and more are happening but it also describes new york
new york
the state may not leap to mind as being in the vanguard of the green economy but under gov andrew cuomo the most populous state in the northeast is in a close race with its counterpart in the west in setting ambitious climate goals and in some ways new york may be on the verge of pulling ahead of california
without much fanfare mr cuomo has started a big effort to retool his states utilities for the modern age trying to apply market forces to transform the way electricity is produced transmitted and consumed
critical rules are due in coming weeks from a state agency the public service commission depending on the details mr cuomos program could prove to be the most ambitious effort in the country and possibly in the world to enlist the profit motive as an ally in the fight against global warming
mr cuomo has been vocal on the issue of climate change since the state suffered through the trauma of hurricane sandy in 2012 the governor toured the remains of century old homes reduced to splinters by that storm scientists said the damage had been worsened by sea level rise induced by human emissions of greenhouse gases
in the case of climate change denial is not a survival strategy mr cuomo said at columbia university in october climate change is a reality and not to address it is gross negligence by government and irresponsible as citizens
new york starts with advantages it receives about 26 percent of its power from renewable sources already much of that comes from upstate dams but wind farms have been popping up around the state and solar power is up 575 percent in four years transport emissions are among the lowest in the country because of new york citys huge transit system
the state has largely shut down its coal burning power plants and mr cuomo intends to close the rest of them by 2020 he has set a goal of getting 50 percent of the states electricity from renewable sources by 2030
mr cuomo hopes to shutter the indian point nuclear plant north of new york city for safety reasons but he recently offered plans to save upstate nuclear power plants those are at risk of closing because of low electricity prices driven by cheap natural gas but he argues that losing the plants would take the state backward on emissions mr cuomo has drawn some opposition on this from environmental groups who are otherwise largely supporting his approach
the heart of mr cuomos policy is his intention to enlist market forces in shaking up the utility industry that plan has a name reforming the energy vision yes it does sound like something dreamed up by hippies at their commune in the mountains
in fact mr cuomo is among the most business friendly of the nations democratic governors and his plan is being led by a former partner at goldman sachs richard l kauffman
mr kauffman argues that the utilities distributing electrical power are among the most hidebound least innovative businesses in the nation historically they were monopolies that made their money by selling more electricity building whatever power plants were necessary to produce it and collecting the money to pay for those plants and other equipment in a sort of cost plus business model some of the plants tended to sit idle waiting to be turned on to meet peak demand a few hours a year   an enormous waste of money
new york state has been trying to get away from this system for years adopting rules that reduced the incentive for utilities to try to sell more and more power it successfully introduced competition in the wholesale power market but substantial inefficiencies remain and now the falling costs of renewable power the invention of devices like intelligent thermostats and electric meters and other developments have created the possibility of sweeping change
we need to open up the electricity system to innovation mr kauffman said in an interview
how exactly does the state intend to do that
the precise details are still under wraps at the public service commission but some of the possibilities have been outlined in reports and discussed extensively in public meetings
the state is likely to shift the rules of how utilities are paid new york may set targets   for instance telling the utilities to cut the average power consumption per household or to cut their peak demand on the hottest days   and then allow them to earn more money by meeting or exceeding those targets
the key to this system is giving the utilities a profit motive to cooperate with smaller companies that are bringing innovations to the electric grid take for instance the companies driving the national boom in the installation of solar panels
across much of the country they are seen as a threat to utility profits and the utilities are fighting them aggressively in new york the two sides have made a tentative peace deal hoping to influence the details of the state plan so their interests wind up being aligned long term
other small companies want to help people manage their electrical demand in real time installing water heaters or dishwashers that can turn themselves on or off to match the intermittent supply of electricity coming from wind farms and solar panels still others want to earn money by fixing up drafty houses that waste huge amounts of energy just as millions of houses with their leaky windows and barely insulated attics do across the country
when i drive down the street and i look at houses all i see is money coming out of peoples attics said andy frank the president of a small company called sealed on long island sealed is fixing leaky homes already and guaranteeing that customers will save on their energy bills but he sees the potential for a far larger business if the states utilities are given a stronger incentive to cut deals with companies like his
new yorks public service commissioners as they put the final touches on the plan are no doubt torn between the desire to move quickly and the fear of messing with an electrical grid that whatever its flaws does work they may well choose to start with small tweaks to the rules meaning it could take years to know if the plan is going to succeed
but if it does mr cuomo might well be able to turn new york the state where thomas edison invented the electrical grid in the 19th century into a global powerhouse of innovation for the 21st mr kauffman believes the entire energy system could become far more efficient so customer bills go down greenhouse emissions fall   and if the utilities are sufficiently creative their profits go up


mexico city   a mexican judge has ruled that the countrys most notorious drug lord joaquin guzman loera can be extradited to the united states where he would face federal charges of drug trafficking and far slimmer chances of escaping prison as he has done twice in his home country
the ruling essentially creates the basis for the ministry of foreign relations in mexico to grant the final approval for the extradition of mr guzman known as el chapo or shorty within the next 30 days
the ball is now in the foreign ministrys court and they have a month to execute the process or not said a spokesman for the judiciary in mexico who could not be identified because of government policy they have been notified and received the file
mr guzmans lawyers were notified of the judges decision on friday night and mr guzman was told on sunday during his transfer to another prison in ciudad juarez near the border with texas
there is nothing legally speaking that could impede the extradition from the judicial system point of view the judiciary spokesman said
the saga of mr guzman the leader of the sinaloa cartel has spanned the better part of a decade and a half in mexico after a 2001 escape he was captured in 2014 during a raid by the mexican marines a year later he escaped again this time through a mile long tunnel that ran to the floor of his cells shower
the decision to extradite mr guzman was made shortly after his recapture in january of this year having lost him twice the government decided that rather than risk a third embarrassment it would hand him over to the united states where he faces charges in numerous jurisdictions convictions would keep him imprisoned for a long time
an american law enforcement official speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk about the case said the mexican authorities had decided to relocate mr guzman to a prison in juarez on their own the official added that an extradition could still be months away
no decision has been made on which federal court in the united states would try him but the courts in brooklyn and chicago are considered strong options


an inmate who escaped from a prison in southern new jersey was apprehended on monday in the woods off the garden state parkway after spending nearly a week on the run the police said
the inmate arthur w buckel 38 escaped from a minimum security satellite unit of bayside state prison on the grounds of ancora psychiatric hospital in hammonton where he was serving a three year sentence on charges that included aggravated assault and burglary
mr buckel was convicted of aggravated manslaughter in 1996 in the beating death of his girlfriends 10 month old daughter in jersey city he was sentenced to 25 years in prison without the possibility of parole for 12  1/2  years and was released in june 2010
on wednesday mr buckel was seen on surveillance video entering a cvs drugstore in barnegat a town on the jersey shore
as police officers descended on the community last week schools were placed on lockdown and residents were told to stay inside and keep their doors locked
scores of tips flooded in but it was not until sunday night that the hunt for mr buckel intensified when he was spotted at the forked river rest area near exit 77 on the parkway in berkeley township the authorities said
the police released video from surveillance cameras at the rest stop that appeared to show mr buckel clean shaven and wearing a long sleeve gray sweatshirt gray shorts and work boots
the state police were advised that arthur buckel had reportedly indicated a desire to turn himself in and had been making arrangements through family and the state police to surrender at the rest area a post on the lacey township police departments facebook page said
but by the time the police arrived mr buckel had fled
state and local police officers searched the nearby woods assisted by dogs and aerial surveillance
shortly before noon the ocean county sheriffs department posted an update on its facebook page arthur buckel is in custody
mr buckel was just weeks away from being eligible for parole when he escaped


rome   at the palazzo navona a boutique hotel named for the famous piazza here guests must place a room key into a slot on the wall to activate the lights and temperature control system in their rooms
the palazzos use of the key card device is not unusual in europe or in other parts of the world like asia even in countries like norway where electricity is relatively inexpensive many hotels use them to reduce energy costs
american hotels have long resisted key cards or other energy saving systems energy was cheap and hoteliers feared that guests who routinely left their rooms with the lights and air conditioner on would see any check on their energy use as an inconvenience
hotel guests have a feeling that they paid for the space and they can use it freely and theres a natural tendency not to be too conscious of their energy use said brian carberry a director of product management for leviton manufacturing company of melville ny which makes key card switches and other energy saving devices for hotels
but the aversion of hoteliers in the united states is slowly shifting as americans have become more energy conscious and more states and municipalities have adopted rigorous building codes for energy use
in 2014 the latest year for which figures are available 29 percent of hotels surveyed by the american hotel and lodging association had a sensor system in guest rooms to control the temperature compared with less than 20 percent in 2004 and more than 75 percent had switched to led lighting up from less than 20 percent other energy saving measures had also been more widely adopted
according to the world tourism organization an arm of the united nations tourism has a significant impact on climate change accounting for about 5 percent of the carbon dioxide released globally into the atmosphere that is 3 percent from airline travel but the remaining 2 percent from accommodations and local travel said zoritsa urosevic the organizations representative to the united nations at geneva in charge of its liaison office
energy costs typically represent 4 to 6 percent of a hotels overall operating expenses with the largest share for heating and air conditioning
as a result ms urosevic said the potential for savings in carbon reduction and expenses for hotel companies is huge the organization works with european tourism agencies in a project called hotel energy solutions which on its website offers educational videos fact sheets on key cards and other energy saving devices and a calculator to help small and midsize hotels in europe assess their carbon footprint
many major hotels in the united states have digitally controlled thermostats to monitor the temperature in guest rooms said pat maher a retired marriott executive who is a consultant to hotels on energy management
and a growing number he said have installed sophisticated systems that sense when a room is occupied when a hotel guest enters a room the device allows the temperature to be manually controlled within a certain range   from 60 to 80 degrees for example   and then sets it back into an energy saving mode when the room is vacant again
mr maher said such a system could save a hotel 20 percent or more in energy costs and many utility companies he noted now offer rebates to hotels that have installed digital thermostats and other energy management devices
but key cards have still not caught on in the united states and are unlikely to do so mr maher said some guests complain about the systems and the technology is rapidly becoming obsolete he added
besides he said hotel keys themselves are likely to disappear soon replaced by systems that offer more security for guest rooms
you wont see a key card in about four years theyll be gone mr maher said replaced by controls operated from a guests smartphone
still for some independently run hotels especially those housed in older buildings key card based light and temperature controls appear to be an increasingly appealing alternative
key card switches are very effective and relatively low cost said tom leonard vice president of marketing and product management for the leviton division that makes energy management products the companys sales of the switches he and mr carberry said have risen by 25 to 30 percent in the last two years the increase driven primarily by energy efficiency standards like californias title 24
the key card systems allow hotels to select which circuits are controlled by the devices and in most cases the switches are programmed with a delay keeping the lights on for a brief grace period after the key has been removed from the slot
bd hotels installed key card switches in three of its boutique hotels in new york several years ago including the jane in the west village and the ludlow on the lower east side said dr richard born a principal owner so far dr born said they have had no complaints from guests but he added we cater to a different clientele than a marriott courtyard
at the aqua aloha surf waikiki and the aqua bamboo waikiki hotels in hawaii key card systems were put in as part of an overall energy savings initiative said david crouch senior director of operations at aqua aston hospitality which manages the hotels
the savings are tremendous mr crouch said
but he agreed that key cards are far from perfect they are not well suited to extreme climates mr crouch said and were unpopular in the hotel groups property in las vegas where temperatures can reach 110 degrees in the summer and the prospect of returning to a boiling hot room was less than appealing to guests
brian mcguinnes senior vice president of starwoods specialty select brand which includes the element line of green hotels said that his company decided not to install key cards because the technology is changing so quickly
we dont want to be caught in a beta versus vcr moment he said
the card systems can also be easily gamed by placing an extra room key in the wall slot to keep the lights or air conditioning on even when the room is vacant
you need to take the guest out of the equation said tom woodruff general manager of honeywells inncom product line which manufactures an occupancy sensing digital temperature control system
newer technologies have done that shifting energy use so subtly that a guest may not even be aware of the difference and even hoteliers who place guest satisfaction well ahead conservation may be persuaded to act to reduce their energy use
energy is just going to go up in cost and up in environmental impact mr leonard said i would be very surprised if the energy codes we see in california dont expand across the nation


baltimore   leave it to the youngest person in the lab to think of the big idea
xuyu qian 23 a third year graduate student at johns hopkins was chatting in late january with hongjun song a neurologist
dr song was wondering how to test their three dimensional model of a brain   well not a brain exactly but an organoid essentially a tiny ball of brain cells grown from stem cells and mimicking early brain development
we need a disease dr song said
mr qian tossed out something hed seen in the headlines why dont we check out this zika virus
within a few weeks   a nanosecond compared with typical scientific research time   that suggestion led to one of the most significant findings in efforts to answer a central question how does the zika virus cause brain damage including the abnormally small heads in babies born to infected mothers
the answer could spur discoveries to prevent such devastating neurological problems and time is of the essence one year after the virus was first confirmed in latin america with the raging crisis likely to reach the united states this summer no treatment or vaccine exists
we cant wait said dr song at the universitys institute for cell engineering where he and his wife and research partner dr guo li ming provided a pipette and petri dish level tour to translate our work for the clinic to the public normally it takes years this is a case where we can make a difference right away
the laboratorys initial breakthrough published in march with researchers at two other universities showed that the zika virus attacked and killed so called neural progenitor cells which form early in fetal development and generate neurons in the brain
in april the team and other collaborators published a study in the journal cell showing that this assault by zika resulted in undersize brain organoids damaged progenitor cells created fewer neurons leading to less brain volume
that may explain the smaller brains and heads a condition called microcephaly of some babies exposed to zika during pregnancy
i think theyve nailed it said dr eric rubin a professor of immunology and infectious diseases at harvard that is totally consistent with the pathology that has been seen in the kids that died or the aborted fetuses 
the experiments here suggest other worrisome aspects of zika infection that even low doses of the virus for short periods can cause damage and that it is most dangerous in the first trimester of pregnancy but can also be harmful in the second
the really sad news is not only can the virus infect neural progenitor cells but it turns them into a factory dr song said
the cells produce more virus and they actually can spread it said dr ming adding that infected cells appear to create a bystander effect releasing chemicals as they die that damage or kill neighboring uninfected progenitor cells
and the organoid results contain a frightening hint of why zika is also associated with adult neurological disorders including guillain barre syndrome a temporary paralysis dr song said they found that zika infection is even worse in glial cells which support and insulate neurons and are present throughout life not just in fetal development
but there is much more to learn and the collaboration catalyzed by a remark from a junior scientist now includes nine labs at six sites across the country
among them is a specialized lab at the national center for advancing translational sciences ncats which is testing drugs on neural progenitor cells hoping to find compounds that can stop the virus rapidly testing thousands of compounds in varying doses the lab has already zeroed in on a promising candidate if the drug succeeds in further testing it could allow scientists to skip much of the safety evaluation necessary for creating new drugs or vaccines
many other researchers are also rushing to understand how zika wreaks its damage teams in brazil and at the university of california san diego have also found that the virus attacked neural progenitor cells and shrank brain organoids the san diego team reported that zika overactivated a molecule that normally protects against viruses and the excess activity seems to switch on genes that galvanize progenitor cell destruction
in rio de janeiro stevens rehen a neuroscientist at dor institute for research and education said the brazilian team was also testing drugs seeking one that blocked the zika virus but they can test only those approved in brazil importing drugs from elsewhere involves weeks of red tape the idea is to be fast dr rehen said
at the university of pittsburgh carolyn coyne a microbiologist and dr yoel sadovsky an obstetrician and microbiologist are investigating how the virus enters the placenta they determined that zika does not infect trophoblasts placental cells that protect against most viruses
but there could be other routes does the virus sneak in through breaks in the lining does it hide in trojan horse cells does it piggyback on antibodies from related infections like dengue
going through the placenta is not the only way to infect a fetus dr sadovsky said
separately scientists at other institutions including vanderbilt the university of california san francisco and washington university in st louis are examining questions like how the immune system recognizes the virus
we dont know enough said sara cherry a microbiologist at the university of pennsylvania who is also testing drugs already approved for other diseases investigating their effects on cells from the placenta and blood brain barrier
we dont understand necessarily why zika infection of the brain leads to particular cell deaths also there may be different populations that are more or less sensitive to the virus
indeed dr rubin of harvard said it wouldnt be surprising if the virus had to get to a specific kind of cell in the placenta or that cell had to be in a specific phase in its growth cycle to get infected
meanwhile dr ming and dr song continue to explore they are investigating which snippet of zikas genetic material is its lethal weapon and are comparing zika infected brain organoids to tissue from a fetus aborted by a pregnant woman with zika
experiments from all these labs will provide clues dr rubin said but they will not tell the whole story in a person its way more complicated he said
dr song and dr ming both 46 met as high school classmates in wuhan china now at the institute for cell engineering their offices are both on the seventh floor she has the better view dr song said
no its the same assured dr ming
longtime collaborators we do argue but eventually we will come to an agreement she said in their labs students like their two teenage children know when to go to me and when to go to her dr song said
their son max 17 is an adjunct lab member of sorts and his artwork mapping the zika viruss international journey graces the cover of the journal that published his parents first zika study cell stem cell
by february the couple was puzzling over how to study the zika virus when they had no samples of it even if they could get some their lab did not have university approval to work with zika
then dr song received an email from his friend hengli tang a virologist at florida state university since meeting as graduate students they had vacationed and celebrated holidays together but never worked together
dr tang studied hiv and hepatitis c and recently had equipped his lab to study dengue a cousin of the zika virus that is carried by the same type of mosquito so when the zika epidemic erupted in south america it seemed a natural focus
as a virus guy dr tang is comfortable with frightening pathogens at gatherings with other researchers he laughed we always start with like what virus are you im herpes
but the brain was terra incognita and dr tang figured he needed a brain guy to support his zika research grant application who do i know in neuro he asked himself
he emailed dr song seconds later the phone rang
he said i didnt read the email i just saw zika and called dr tang recalled he was all excited and said we were just discussing where to find zika because we have the perfect system to study zika
the next day neural cells were winging their way to dr tangs lab in florida packed in vials in ice the first of many rapid fire fedex exchanges at one point fedex temporarily interrupted the breakneck pace by delaying a shipment questioning whether the unit of measurement milliliters was correct dr tang said the johns hopkins researchers sent four kinds of cells two types of stem cells which can be turned into other human cell types neurons and neural progenitor cells
dr song and dr ming were betting the zika virus targeted neural progenitor cells they had long studied microcephaly cases unrelated to the zika virus and knew progenitor cells were damaged in those cases
they sent cells derived from two people one healthy and one with schizophrenia because those were the cells they had and they wondered if schizophrenia would yield different results it didnt
it takes years to learn to handle these finicky cells dr tang had no such experience so a johns hopkins postdoctoral student zhexing wen immediately flew to florida to help later xuyu qian did too
to obtain samples of the zika virus dr tang had to scramble his usual supplier a nonprofit tissue bank was back ordered till july but finally a commercial source sold him a paltry two milliliters of zika for 300 each that was not nearly enough to test on the johns hopkins cells so dr tang had to propagate the virus eventually producing 800 milliliters
to do so he wanted to mimic the journey the virus takes from animals to humans first he grew it in monkey cells then in mosquito cells
the first strain was from africa where zika was identified in 1947 while quite similar to the brazilian strain asian strains are closer so he eventually obtained a cambodian strain and another strain from the current epidemic in puerto rico in the labs experiments different strains have yielded similar results
because the students in his lab are young women dr tang opted for safe handling precautions beyond those normally required for zika
he was not expecting much from the first experiments adding zika to the four types of cells to be honest this was supposed to be a pilot study he said we had no idea whether first of all the virus would even infect these cells
but within a week the results were striking the virus attacked neural progenitor cells much more aggressively than the neurons or stem cells
i was overwhelmed dr song said
suddenly they had a likely answer to one of the very first questions people want to know dr tang said
the results suggested that the zika virus was most dangerous in the first trimester when most progenitor cells form in those cells the infection increased activity of an enzyme caspase 3 which signals and also contributes to the death of cells dr ming said
dr rehen the brazilian neuroscientist working on similar research described caspase 3 as a sort of smoking gun
if you see someone dead in the street the person could be killed by a knife or by a car he said if you see caspase is involved you can see that the weapon was a knife the killer uses the knife the killer is the zika
in healthy humans this and other enzymes contribute to programmed cell death necessary so cells do not divide or grow endlessly like cancerous cells but kill too many cells or at the wrong time and development goes awry drastically
quickly the johns hopkins researchers found their cellphones buzzing as other scientists saw ways to build on their results
theres so many emails i cant keep track dr song said its im missing this piece can you send me that or i dont understand this part
but the first experiments lacked a crucial element they knew they were done on cells in plates in 2 d how would zika work in 3 d in a more complex more brainlike experiment
enter the brain organoids spheres at most the size of a bb containing stem cells differentiated into most types of brain cells as they grow they mimic fetal brain development a 100 day old organoid resembles the late second trimester of pregnancy dr ming said
they shipped organoids to dr tang in florida a task made easier because three high school students including max had spent summer internships designing miniature spinning bioreactors used to incubate organoids constructed with 3 d printed parts they were smaller than standard bioreactors and cheaper to use because they needed less cell growing material
meanwhile after the march finding the ncats lab in rockville md sprang into action wei zheng who runs the lab part of the therapeutics for rare and neglected diseases program said the fact that zika increased the caspase 3 enzyme gave him a way to test drugs on cells infected with zika
first search for drugs that block the spike in caspase 3 then weed out those drugs that are toxic to the cells themselves finally see if any remaining drugs prevented the zika virus from killing cells
dr zheng noted that zika took about three days to kill its progenitor cell victims and did not kill all of them if it did he said you wouldnt see a baby at all
it is possible though dr ming said when zika strikes very early in pregnancy it destroys so many cells that miscarriage results
ncats has perhaps the worlds largest collection of drugs and compounds some half a million during a recent visit an employee who goes by the name pepper showed how samples are fetched from glass walled carousels by giant yellow robotic arms in a meticulously programmed ballet resembling an albatross love dance
many of the compounds are untested in people but one collection contains about 2800 drugs approved in the united states or other countries another library holds about 2000 compounds that have been through some human safety testing
those libraries are potential gold mines if safety tested compounds block zika in laboratory cells they can be tested in people faster than new drugs or vaccines
we want to focus on the drugs that are immediately useful in people with the disease said dr christopher austin the director of ncats noting that similar drug testing was done with ebola yielding some compounds that are in clinical trials now
the johns hopkins researchers needed time to grow more neural progenitor cells but dr zheng started anyway first on brain tumor cells he infected with zika three compounds seemed effective   a caspase inhibitor a russian antidepressant and a common vitamin   so he whisked them to other researchers to try
after receiving progenitor cells he started again he found 173 drugs blocked caspase 3 increase about three dozen did so without harming cells and one   just one   prevented the zika virus from killing cells that drug which he declined to identify is not approved but has undergone safety testing and is in a clinical trial with cancer patients he said
he sent the drug to johns hopkins where early testing is yielding similar results but even if results are replicated in mice and humans hurdles remain including determining if it is safe for pregnant women and deciding who to treat since many women infected with zika have had healthy babies
also a drug that can save the cells after theyre infected is not the real prize dr song said the best drug would actually prevent the cells from being infected in the first place


the worlds space agencies are calling for a new generation of satellites that would be precise enough to map greenhouse gas emissions from individual nations their goal is to replace decades of rough estimates with advanced monitoring of what has become one of the worlds foremost concerns
the plan based on a growing body of research in space sensors is delicate politically because the global system could verify or cast doubt on emission reports from the 196 member states of the united nations framework convention on climate change which was adopted in 1992 if built the system could serve as an independent way to measure greenhouse gases and encourage lax countries to better comply with abatement goals
the recent paris accord which calls for the verification and certification of emission reductions essentially gave the plan a diplomatic stamp of approval
the proposed system of satellites six to eight in all would be in orbit by 2030 to map clouds of carbon dioxide the invisible gas linked to climate change rough estimates put the systems cost around 5 billion it would resemble the global fleet of weather satellites that observe water clouds
officials call the undertaking crucial for better dealing with aspects of climate change linked to civilizations waste gases
its what we have to do if planet earth is to be saved said jean yves le gall the head of frances space agency and a leader of the initiative its a consciousness shared by the heads of all the space agencies
its well known that carbon dioxide emissions from natural sources and fossil fuel combustion merge slowly into a global average long reported to be rising but the exact contributions of individual countries are something of a mystery
each nation draws on a mix of surface readings economic analyses and ecological estimates to quantify their emissions experts say the self reporting varies enormously in thoroughness frequency and accuracy
the 1992 climate accord calls on industrial states to issue reports annually typically with much documentation but developing countries which comprise the vast majority of the pacts signatories are required to make only sporadic communications for instance the worlds biggest emitter china issued reports in 2004 and 2012
the sense of urgency behind the satellite plan arises in part because developing countries a decade ago surpassed industrial nations as global emitters of carbon dioxide from fossil fuel combustion their estimated share stands at 60 percent
climate experts say the rising percentage of sketchy information makes the overall portrait of global emitters increasingly blurry
the uncertainty an october study by the european commission said has increased up to the point where it could undermine the credibility and the stability of future climate agreements
starting last fall space agency leaders from china india and other developing countries and industrial powers including the united states seized on such analyses to begin arguing for the satellite fleet last month at a meeting in new delhi they issued a draft public declaration
an international independent way of estimating emission changes it said would create a level playing field
on monday frances space agency known as cnes for centre national detudes spatiales based in paris said it had sent a penultimate draft for approval to the worlds space agencies 67 in all the french agency added that it expects a final declaration by monday
the fleet proposal grows out of strides in the development of carbon dioxide sensors for use in space in 2002 the european space agency launched an environmental satellite and in 2014 nasa sent up the orbiting carbon observatory a satellite that takes readings of the earths atmosphere nearly a million times a day
china japan and france plan to launch three more research satellites from now to 2020 europe and the united states are considering two more
experts say that making sufficient progress in the tricky research to warrant the establishment of an operational fleet will pose a major challenge especially in learning how to distinguish human emissions from natural fluxes
this is hard science said stephen w pacala a princeton university scientist who was the chairman of a national research council study on verifying greenhouse gas emissions the aspiration is marvelous but the devil here is very much in the scientific details
the fleet for instance would have to differentiate new human releases not only from the globes existing blanket of carbon dioxide but from such natural sources as volcanoes forest fires and decomposing plants and animals
michael h freilich the director of nasas earth science division said the goal was nonetheless easier in some respects than monitoring the weather from orbiting spacecraft clouds and storms are tracked on scales of minutes to hours he said whereas the necessary time frame for scrutinizing carbon dioxide plumes ranges from days to weeks
the trouble he added is that each measurement you make is going to be harder
dr freilich said that he had no doubt that the worlds scientists in coming years would learn how to turn measurements into information that could help determine if nations are meeting their reduction goals
would such a capability spark global resentment could it stir fears of an orbital police force
this is exactly what we want to avoid dr le gall of the french space agency said last week in an interview its a risk but its why we want to have all the space agencies involved and agreeing on the best way forward
in 2010 when the national research council released verifying greenhouse gas emissions methods to support international climate agreements dr pacala took the opportunity to stress how a new era of precise measurement could have positive implications for diplomacy
an objective system he noted would give nations confidence that their neighbors are living up to their commitments


rio de janeiro   the effort to oust president dilma rousseff of brazil was thrown into chaos on monday when the new speaker of the lower house of congress annulled a vote to impeach her immediately upending the power struggle gripping latin americas largest country
the surprise move came just two days before the senate is expected to decide on whether to suspend ms rousseff replace her with the nations vice president and put her on trial
senate leaders vowed to defy the decision on monday promising to decide the presidents fate this week anyway lawmakers on both sides of the issue said they would rush to the supreme court hoping for an answer on whether the impeachment proceedings would move forward as planned
and brazilians were left yet again trying to make sense of the maneuvering by their scandal plagued leaders
do you know what the world is now thinking of us brazilians joaquim barbosa a former chief justice of brazil asked in a twitter message many must be seeing us as a laughingstock
the battle over impeachment is happening at a time when brazil is reeling from multiple crises including its worst economic downturn in decades the zika epidemic and an enormous corruption scandal engulfing the national oil company
at the same time the nation is preparing to hold the summer olympics in rio de janeiro a city grappling with a brutal crime wave and doubts over the safety of infrastructure projects built around the games
but for months the main fight in the nation has focused on ms rousseff who faces accusations that she borrowed money from state banks to plug budget holes masking the depths of brazils economic troubles to bolster her re election prospects before the decision on monday few expected her to survive the vote in the senate
now politicians are scrambling to determine how the decision might affect the presidents fate
dilmas government was on its deathbed so anything like this that creates a mess could be positive for her said thiago de aragao a political risk consultant in the capital brasilia
mr de aragao cautioned that legal scholars and opposition figures were already mounting a formidable challenge to mondays decision
nothing is settled right now mr de aragao said the supreme court or the chamber of deputies itself will likely say this is invalid but that doesnt mean that chaos isnt the word of the day
on april 17 lawmakers in the lower house of congress chose overwhelmingly   with 367 lawmakers voting for impeachment 137 voting against and seven abstaining   to send ms rousseffs case to the senate which will decide if she should be suspended and go on trial
but that process was thrown into question on monday by waldir maranhao a previously obscure lawmaker who took the helm of the chamber of deputies last week after the supreme court ordered his predecessor to step down to face a graft trial
mr maranhao contended that procedural rules had been broken in the impeachment vote against the president last month he said the lower house should hold a new one
leaders in the senate signaled that they had no plan to reschedule their vote on whether to suspend ms rousseff on wednesday raimundo lira the senator at the helm of that bodys impeachment commission said that mr maranhaos decision had no practical effect
similarly renan calheiros the leader of senate called mr maranhaos move a joke with democracy he said he would disregard it
the decision has no value whatsoever said ronaldo caiado a senator from the conservative democrats party its just an act of the governments desperation and five minutes of fame for the guy in charge
ms rousseff responded to mondays decision by urging caution saying that she did not know what the impact would be while some of her supporters embraced it
we know that the impeachment process wasnt done in the right way said benedita da silva a lawmaker from ms rousseffs leftist workers party we hope that maranhao will stay firm in his decision
many of the nations leaders were already preparing for ms rousseffs suspension
michel temer the vice president who broke with ms rousseff and is the countrys leader in waiting has been seeking to assemble a cabinet in recent weeks drawing potential ministers largely from his centrist brazilian democratic movement party and the opposition social democrats
now many are trying to decipher the motivations of mr maranhao he was known as an ally of eduardo cunha the scandal plagued politician who oversaw the effort to impeach ms rousseff last week mr cunha was removed as speaker of the chamber of deputies by the supreme court putting mr maranhao in the drivers seat
friends i have a doctorate in this business but i dont have the faintest idea about whats going on mauricio santoro a prominent political scientist in rio de janeiro said in a facebook post
some questioned whether mr maranhao was seeking to shore up political support in his home state in northeast brazil which is governed by an ally of ms rousseff others questioned whether mr cunha had played a role in mondays decision
mr cunha the deposed speaker said on monday that he disagreed with mr maranhaos decision referring to brazilian news reports speculating about whether he had a hand in the move mr cunha said i condemn the insinuations of any nature published by unscrupulous journalists about any role of mine in this episode
mr maranhao has faced claims that he was not fit to take the helm of the lower house which would place him next in line for the presidency if the vice president takes over like mr cunha and dozens of other high ranking politicians mr maranhao is facing claims that he took bribes in the enormous graft scheme surrounding the national oil company petrobras
youre going to be surprised by me mr maranhao told fellow lawmakers last week
ronaldo macedo jr a law professor at fundacao getulio vargas an elite university said he expected mr maranhaos decision to be struck down
i dont think that this decision by maranhao will prevail he said pointing to previous decisions by the nations highest court mr macedo emphasized that justices had already approved the impeachment proceedings carried out in the lower house
in a speech to the lower house on monday mr maranhao defended his decision calling it an effort to save democracy


andy murray split with his coach amelie mauresmo on monday ending a groundbreaking two year relationship during which murray improved as a clay court player but failed to add to his collection of grand slam titles
a statement released by murrays management company did not disclose the reason behind the decision although mauresmo said dedicating enough time along with the travel has been a challenge for me
she gave birth to her first child in august and took six months off
working with andy over the last two years has been a fantastic experience for me said mauresmo a former top ranked player who won the australian open and wimbledon in 2006 ive thoroughly enjoyed being part of the great team of people he has around him
murray was the highest profile mens tennis player to have a woman as a coach bringing mauresmo on board in june 2014
by that time he was a two time grand slam champion   at the united states open in 2012 and wimbledon in 2013   and had also won a gold medal at the london olympics in 2012
under mauresmo murray reached the final at the australian open in 2015 and 2016 losing both times to novak djokovic he won his first clay court titles last year in munich and madrid
ive learned a lot from amelie over the last two years both on and off the court murray said in the statement shes been a calming influence in the team and we will all miss having her around
murray ranked third is heading into a busy period with the french open wimbledon the olympics and the united states open in the next four months
ill take some time to consider the next steps and how we progress from here murray said but id like to thank her for everything she has done shes been an invaluable member of the team


for decades steven croman was a successful landlord in new york city his companies bought up more than 140 manhattan apartment buildings often filled with rent regulated tenants and then methodically he pushed them to leave buying them out of their leases for relatively modest sums or if that did not work harassing them until they left tenants said he was a regular on worst landlords lists his tenants even started a website against him
mr cromans business came to embody in many ways how rent regulations have eroded in the city putting housing out of reach for more and more people he was able to deregulate most of his rent stabilized apartments within just a few years of buying the buildings enabling him to collect much higher rents
on monday though his fortunes took a different turn mr croman 49 turned himself in to the authorities around 7 am in lower manhattan he was charged with 20 felonies including grand larceny criminal tax fraud falsifying business records and a scheme to defraud relating to accusations he inflated his rental income to secure more than 45 million in bank loans he faces up to 25 years in prison his mortgage broker barry swartz 53 was charged with 15 felonies
the new york state attorney generals office which investigated mr croman for almost two years also filed a lawsuit against mr croman on monday seeking to force him to give up his real estate business and pay millions of dollars in restitution to tenants and penalties
the spiraling cost of housing in the city and the shrinking stock of rent regulated apartments have increasingly become a focus of city and state officials mayor bill de blasio a democrat has made affordable housing a cornerstone of his administration announcing in 2014 plans to build or preserve 200000 units over 10 years
the de blasio administration and the office of attorney general eric t schneiderman a democrat set up a joint task force last year to go after property owners who harass tenants in rent stabilized and rent controlled apartments one of the few ways that people with low incomes can afford to live in the city a brooklyn landlord was arrested last summer as part of the campaign but he owned only one building
mr cromans business built over 25 years and with properties stretching from the lower east side to the upper west side of manhattan is on another level he is the highest profile landlord in recent years to face such serious accusations in the city
mr schneiderman called him the bernie madoff of landlords at a news conference on monday the criminal charges he said should send a powerful message to landlords who see rent regulated apartments as gold mines gov andrew m cuomos tenant protection unit after its own investigation made a criminal referral to mr schneidermans office
in its lawsuit the attorney generals office accused mr croman of harassing and coercing countless working class and low income families out of their longtime homes mr croman then turned those vacant rent regulated apartments into lucrative market rate units often with shoddy and illegal construction that violated lead safety laws and endangered tenants who remained in the buildings court documents said
for robin tzannes who has lived in a croman building on east sixth street in manhattan for more than four decades each day brought new horrors no hot water no cooking gas and dust from construction that burned her throat and eyes its simply harassment she said in an interview on monday
the attorney generals suit also included mr cromans director of security anthony falconite a former new york city police officer accused of abusing his former position and said he intimidated tenants into giving up their apartments
mr croman is accused of using various methods to force out rent controlled tenants his employees referred to tenants as targets and competed to push out the most the lawsuit said a property manager who persuaded a tenant to take a buyout was said to have earned a bonus of up to 10000
mr croman would walk through his office chanting buyouts buyouts court documents said at one point mr falconite told a property manager through a text message that obtaining buyouts was a team sport the lawsuit said the property manager christine bermudez then responded i know that whos our next target we have to start lining them up
if tenants did not leave voluntarily the suit said mr croman had other tactics he turned their buildings into hazardous construction sites avoided making repairs and failed to maintain services such as heat electricity and hot water his companies also repeatedly filed baseless lawsuits against tenants in internal emails company employees acknowledged that such suits would aggravate tenants or pressure them to accept buyouts the attorney generals lawsuit said
in some cases mr cromans employees would not acknowledge receiving tenants rent checks and then his companies sued the tenants for unpaid rent
cynthia chaffee who has lived in a croman building on east 18th street in manhattan for 38 years knows firsthand how such tactics can erode tenants resolve mr croman took her to housing court 11 times she said even though she was not behind on the rent another tenant nelida godfrey said she racked up 240000 in legal fees
in all this mr croman had one person he relied on more than any other mr falconite whom he described as his secret weapon
the attorney generals office accused mr falconite of lying to get into tenants apartments of posing as a repairman a building manager a ups deliveryman an inspector he would do building sweeps knocking on the door of every rent regulated unit in a building
once inside mr falconite would accuse tenants of illegally occupying the units demand their identification and take their photographs without permission the lawsuit said then he would stalk them it said confronting them at work and even following them out of state the goal to intimidate them into leaving
sylvana jakich who lives on ridge street in manhattan recoiled when asked about mr falconite who she said pushed out half of the tenants in her building at one point she recalled he threatened to get his friends from the police department to handcuff her for peeking into a vacant apartment
once he pushed a tenant out of a rent regulated unit mr croman turned his attention to redoing the apartment to justify increasing the rent to market rate
but the attorney generals office said it found many examples of illegal construction in mr cromans buildings his companies did construction without obtaining the proper permits at least 175 times the lawsuit said he also regularly told his employees to ignore orders to stop working from inspectors with the citys buildings department
the citys department of health and mental hygiene found impermissibly elevated levels of lead dust in mr cromans buildings more than 20 times including levels over 65 times the legal threshold according to the attorney generals office
even after the health department ordered mr croman to fix the lead hazards he did not the lawsuit said
mr croman and his mortgage broker mr swartz pleaded not guilty to the criminal charges on monday in state supreme court in manhattan
outside the courtroom benjamin brafman mr cromans lawyer emphasized that the criminal allegations were entirely separate from the claims of tenant harassment
the charges in this case are defensible mr brafman said


when other music the scrappy east village record store opened in 1995 it existed in the shadow of tower records which ran the entire city block across east fourth street by 1998 virgin megastore was a short walk away in union square
yet other music known for its dedication to underground and experimental artists outlived both   tower shut its 89 american stores in 2006 while virgin closed in 2009 in the face of a shrinking music industry the longevity of this small shop could be seen as a win for the niche the curated even the slightly snobby but it couldnt last
as sales of physical music continue to plummet a no frills independent record store makes increasingly less sense as a business other music will shut its doors and mail order service on june 25 more than 20 years after its debut in this once artistically vibrant neighborhood other music recording co a label associated with the store since 2012 will continue
we still do a ton of business   probably more than most stores in the country said josh madell 45 a co owner of other music from behind the counter last week its just the economics of it actually supporting us   we dont see a future in it were trying to step back before it becomes a nightmare
business has dropped by half since the stores peak in 2000 when it did about 31 million in sales said chris vanderloo who founded the shop with mr madell and jeff gibson after the three met as employees at the music spinoff of kims video in the early 90s mr gibson left other musics day to day operations in 2001
rent on the other hand has more than doubled from the 6000 a month the store paid in 1995 while its annual share of the buildings property tax bill has also increased
then there are the dreary industry trends in 2015 streaming nearly doubled from the previous year while cds sales were down 82 percent from their peak in 2001 and despite the resurgence of vinyl which now makes up about 60 percent of other musics revenue up from about 20 percent in its first 10 years theres no real salvation in sight
pre internet we were a mecca for people mr madell said they would come to new york with 300 in their pocket because theyd heard or read about some records that theyd never seen anywhere
mac mccaughan a founder of the band superchunk and the indie giant merge records said that record shops were part of what brought him to the city in the 1980s as they started disappearing other music was the perfect record store in a city that needed a record store he wrote in an email i always found stuff i was looking for or discovered stuff i didnt know i was looking for
a staff knowledgeable about esoteric genres   ambient music free jazz 70s german psychedelic 60s french pop   served as spirit guides
thats what a place like this was all about mr madell said but the customers dont come in with the same sort of needs anymore if they want to know what something sounds like they just pull it up online
along with its meticulous selection other music made a name with its intimate connections to indie acts and labels the store was early to champion local bands like the yeah yeah yeahs interpol and vampire weekend selling homemade releases and hosting in store performances elliott smith and neutral milk hotel also played there over the years
i felt involved in helping these artists reach an audience mr madell said this is where you needed to be if you wanted to be on top of what was happening
now physical products are often an afterthought he added even for larger bands like radiohead whose new single and album were released first digitally with vinyl and cds coming weeks or months later the annual record store day in which artists provide stores with exclusive releases can help only so much
the energy of music obviously has moved out of a place like this said mr madell who admitted that cds now look like floppy disks to him
the new york music scene has also moved across the east river when we opened brooklyn was not even on the map really for music culture he added now that is definitely where youre going to be
as manhattan stores continue to close   notable survivors include bleecker street records and generation records on thompson street though both focus more on used titles   shops are opening in brooklyn though usually with more to offer
rough trade nyc a 15000 square foot spinoff of the london store that opened in williamsburg brooklyn in 2013 has a cafe and a performance space among other flourishes
from the very beginning weve always been a record store mr madell said its about people coming in here and getting lost in music in new releases we just never wanted to reinvent or dilute it as something else for better or worse


darren criss the actor and singer best known for his role on glee will once again play the title role in hedwig and the angry inch this time on the west coast
mr criss played hedwig on broadway for three months last year he will now open the shows national tour first in his hometown san francisco at the shn golden gate theater in october and then in los angeles at the hollywood pantages theater in november the tour will then continue around the country casting for other cities has not yet been announced
hedwig a rock musical about an east german singer whose sex reassignment surgery went awry features a book by john cameron mitchell and music and lyrics by stephen trask the musical began its life with off off broadway and off broadway runs and then was adapted into a film before making its way to broadway in 2014 it won that years tony award for best musical revival


los angeles   the trial over the mental competency of the ailing media mogul sumner m redstone was over almost before it began
yet in the course of nearly six months from the time it first burst onto the public stage in november until its abrupt dismissal on monday after just one day of testimony the legal battle provided a series of stunning revelations about mr redstones personal life as well as his reign over his 42 billion media empire
there were the embarrassing prurient claims about the sexual desires and deteriorating health of mr redstone who had not been seen publicly since a party for his 92nd birthday last may
there was the investor turmoil over corporate governance at his two big entertainment companies cbs whose shares have plunged nearly 8 percent in the last year and viacom down 39 percent mr redstone was forced to step down as chairman of both companies a development he had long declared would never occur
and there was the return of his long ostracized daughter shari redstone who gradually worked her way back into his life
the decision on monday by judge david j cowan of los angeles county superior court to dismiss the suit closed one chapter of this drawn out saga of money love power and the future of mr redstones personal and business empires the dismissal was a blow to manuela herzer mr redstones former lover who brought the suit challenging mr redstones mental capacity and a clear legal victory for mr redstone and by extension his daughter
i am grateful to the court for putting an end to this long ordeal ms redstone said in a statement i am so happy for my father that he can now live his life in peace surrounded by his friends and family
for now too the ruling maintains the status quo across mr redstones business holdings while the lawsuit concerned mr redstones personal life a decision that he lacked mental capacity could have set off a contentious battle for control at cbs and viacom he is a director chairman emeritus and controlling shareholder of both companies and remains in control until he is declared incompetent or dies
at that point mr redstones interests in cbs and viacom are to be held by an irrevocable trust that was created for the benefit of his five grandchildren among the trusts seven voting members are his daughter and philippe p dauman the chief executive of viacom who have disagreed on how the company should be managed
news emerged late monday that members of viacoms board of directors were evaluating mr redstones position at the company after considering the information about his condition that was made public during the trial according to a person with knowledge of the deliberations
that information includes the transcript of the videotaped testimony from mr redstone along with the evaluation by a geriatric psychologist the judge in his evaluation of the testimony said it is also not in dispute that redstone suffers from either mild or moderate dementia
the board is scrutinizing not only mr redstones pay   his total compensation was 2 million in the 2015 fiscal year down from 13 million the previous year   but also his continued role at the company this person said
it is not clear whether the board of directors at cbs is making the same considerations
spokesmen for viacom and cbs declined to comment the development was first reported by the wall street journal
the legal tussling and the potential for more salacious disclosures also appear likely to continue
within minutes after the court dismissed the case with prejudice ms herzer filed a 100 million suit against ms redstone her adult sons tyler and brandon korff and a team of nurses and other employees of mr redstone the new suit portrayed ms redstone as being at the center of a network of spies that manipulated abused lied to and unduly influenced mr redstone lawyers for ms herzer also said they planned to file an immediate appeal of judge cowans decision
robert n klieger a lawyer for mr redstone called the move to appeal unsurprising and the reflexive action of everybody that loses a case he said that the new suit smacks of desperation and also shows the true character of the other side
hours after the ruling ms herzer said in an interview that she was a little bit emotional on hearing the judges decision
i was thinking back at the video that i saw of sumner and how vulnerable and confused and alone he was his blank stare his mumbling she said it is sad and makes me want to protect him even more
ms herzer was referring to the 18 minutes of videotaped testimony from mr redstone that was shown on friday during the first and only day of trial in the video mr redstone said that he did not want ms herzer in charge of his care or in his life at all and that he was happy with the care he was receiving
mr redstone had not been seen publicly for nearly a year and had made no public declarations related to the suit since ms herzer filed it in november
in his ruling judge cowan said that mr redstones videotaped testimony had completely altered the case redstones testimony ultimately defeated her case the judge wrote
he stressed that he was not making a finding related to mr redstones mental capacity or the credibility of ms herzer or ms redstone but was focusing on the issue of mr redstones health care
the court is finding only that the proceeding is not reasonably necessary to protect the interests of the patient judge cowan wrote specifically herzer cannot be restored as his agent and redstone is satisfied with the care he is receiving and to be with his family
while the video remained confidential a transcript was made public during the questioning mr redstone denigrated ms herzer with obscenities multiple times and said that he hated her and wanted her out of his life
he mustered everything he could to tell the judge what he wanted and the judge respected that everything else was noise mr klieger said
the transcript also showed that mr redstones testimony was halting and that he was not able to answer some basic questions such as his birth name sumner murray rothstein   a point seized on by ms herzers side
how this judge thought that all of this was normal and that sumner was well taken care of to me is unbelievable and sad ms herzer said it is a sad day for sumner
lawyers for ms herzer argued that the court should not have accepted mr redstones testimony at face value and needed to hear all the evidence before dismissing the case after just one day of trial
my client came here to protect sumner redstone pierce odonnell a lawyer for ms herzer said outside the courthouse on monday surrounded by reporters we think that we established overwhelmingly that he has serious mental defects and perhaps more so that he has been the victim of undue influence a campaign initiated by shari redstone
mr odonnell added that he had learned that mr redstone was considering filing a suit against ms herzer and his former girlfriend sydney holland seeking to recover close to 150 million in gifts in recent years his two attorneys and a leading psychiatrist blessed these gifts as the result of sumners sound mind and free will mr odonnell said this is obviously a desperate act
in the new suit filed on monday ms herzer asserted that ms redstone developed an insidious two part plan to turn her father against her and sydney holland by first gathering intelligence then using her fathers staff to influence him
sharis blind ambition was so furious her animosity toward sumners two devoted caregivers so extreme that she would stop at nothing to get her way the suit says
in a statement ms redstone called the accusations total fiction and said the suit continues to speak volumes about herzers motivation and character


london   the british broadcasting corporation is variously seen as a crown jewel of british culture a producer of refined entertainment and reliable news coverage and as a cumbersome monolith burdened by scandal and mismanagement
but there is wide agreement that the bbc is at a critical moment in its nearly 94 year history challenged by the same forces that have upended traditional news media organizations elsewhere including the technology driven fracturing of its mass audiences it faces intense budget pressures accused of using public funds to distort the market for programming it is under constant assault by private sector competitors criticized by some members of the governing conservative party as having a left leaning institutional bias it has been caught in political crosscurrents
as the government prepares to set out on thursday its plans for a new bbc charter   the document governing its operations and the first revision in a decade   britain is grappling with fundamental questions about what role the broadcaster should play in a world of streaming video podcasts and proliferating news sites already the bbc has put itself through a series of staff cuts and reorganizations in recent years intended to address its array of challenges from the legacy of long ago sexual abuse cases involving big name stars to lapses in its journalism
any institution so central to public life and so huge   it receives 372 billion pounds a year or about 54 billion through the PS14550 license fee nearly all households pay plus PS13 billion in commercial and other income   is inevitably going to prompt questions about its scope size and purpose
and the last few years have made it clear that the way the bbc is now governed and overseen has serious design flaws that the new charter will try to solve though not without controversy
as the publication date for the government draft approached the debate flared with newspapers suggesting that the government would dictate bbc programming schedules fiercely denied that it would demand that the bbc publish the salaries of its stars the bbc says it will not and that it would ask the bbc to share some of its income with independent childrens television producers
at the british academy of film and television arts awards on sunday some winners gave speeches about the need to protect the bbc peter kosminsky who directed wolf hall the much lauded bbc drama about the court of henry viii warned that the government was trying to eviscerate the bbc and turn it into a state broadcaster like those in russia and north korea
john whittingdale the culture secretary in the conservative government of prime minister david cameron is among those who have given the bbc a major scare as the government prepares to unveil the draft
in a digital age when the media world is rapidly changing we must at least question whether the bbc should try to be all things to all people mr whittingdale told the news media he has questioned whether the public should be funding commercial enterprises whether the bbc should be competing so directly with commercial stations in popular entertainment whether it should be concentrating more on distinctiveness than ratings and whether its news website is damaging newspapers
mr whittingdale has also made offhand comments that have indicated a deeper animus as he did recently to conservative students at the university of cambridge he said that he was often driven insane by the way the bbc deals with complaints about impartiality and by the way it treats those favoring a british exit from the european union as faintly mad
the current charter runs out at the end of 2017 if we dont renew it he told the students it may be that the bbc will cease to exist which is occasionally a tempting prospect
mr whittingdale has taken a much harder line on the bbc than has mr cameron who along with his no 2 george osborne the chancellor of the exchequer calls the broadcaster a great national institution if one with flaws the difference in tone on the issue reflects the deeper split among conservatives on a variety of topics not least britains membership in the european union mr whittingdale like many of the bbcs toughest critics favors a british exit from the bloc
mr whittingdales criticisms threw the bbc into a completely juvenile reaction accusing all critics of being part of ideological assault and it has done them no credit said steve hewlett an analyst who conducts a media show on bbc radio 4
for now the bbc appears to have escaped radical government imposed changes reflecting both the governments preoccupation with the european union vote and popular support for the broadcaster officials say that conservatives remain uncomfortable with a publicly funded broadcaster skewing competition with the private sector but that overall the mood within the government about the state of the bbc has improved
the governments current demand is that the bbc produce material that is more distinctive from the commercial market no one has defined what that means but the argument tends to center on strictly come dancing a major bbc prime time success that could have been made by the commercial sector
james purnell a former labour party legislator who is director of strategy and digital at the bbc argues that distinctiveness means that the bbc aspires to make the best possible program in any genre whether it is a soap opera or drama and that the bbc must serve everyone since nearly everyone is a license payer and strictly is a bbc production from start to finish
but others including chris patten the former head of the bbc trust and a fierce supporter of the bbc and critic of mr whittingdale say they wonder whether the bbc should have spent millions in bidding to buy the rights for the voice uk an adaptation of a dutch show the voice uk is hugely successful on saturday nights against a homegrown commercial show - but it is a program to which the bbc added little that is distinctive
part of the answer the government concludes is to increase the amount of material on the bbc that is produced independently or through competition enlarging the window of creative competition from its current 25 percent in response mr purnell said the bbc wants to abandon its in house quotas and open nearly everything to competition while creating its own bbc studio to compete in every market including the commercial one
abroad the government seems happy to let the bbc compete in the digital market against companies like netflix and experiment with live streaming and subscriptions it has even provided additional money to the bbc world service which used to be funded by the foreign office and then only by the bbc again raising questions about government interference
the key question of the bbcs finances appears to have been settled last july when mr osborne needing to fill a hole in his budget made a deal with the bbc director general tony hall the bbc agreed to bear the cost over time of free television licenses for subscribers over the age of 75 in return for linking the license fee   paid by every household for the right to receive television programs either live or streamed   to the cost of living
it will mean however a cost of up to PS800 million to the bbc mr hewlett said about 20 percent of license fee income
since 2009 the bbc has cut the number of senior managers and its wage expenses by a third has moved a youth channel bbc 3 online and has announced that an additional 1000 jobs will be chopped while selling property and aiming to cut costs by a further 20 percent over the next five years mr purnell said
the proposed charter would also change how the bbc is governed a shift that has ignited a fierce argument about how much influence the government would have on a newly constituted bbc board in particular whether giving the government the power to appoint a majority of nonexecutive board members would effectively strip the broadcaster of its independence
even though the bbc gets billions in public money said alex towers the director of the bbc trust which oversees bbc management there needs to be independence or it cant do its job for democracy


new orleans   nothing has defined and even driven the fractious national debate over education quite like this city and the transformation of its school system in the decade since hurricane katrina
reformers say its successes as an almost all charter state controlled district make it a model for other failing urban school systems charter school opponents and unions point to what has happened here as proof that the reformers goal is just to privatize education and strip families of their voice in local schools across the country
now comes another big moment in the new orleans story the governor is expected soon to sign legislation returning the citys schools to the locally elected school board for the first time since hurricane katrina in 2005
strikingly that return is being driven by someone squarely in the pro charter camp the state superintendent john white he is a veteran of touchstone organizations behind the efforts to remake public schools   teach for america and the eli and edythe broad foundation and its superintendent training program   as well as the hard charging charter school efforts in new york city he represents the wave of largely white young idealists who rushed to this city post katrina to be part of the big thing in education
to mr white the move to local control is not the retreat it may seem he argues that it will make new orleans a new model radically redefining the role of central school boards just as many urban school districts are shifting increasingly large portions of their students to independently run but publicly funded charter schools
the mission was to recover the schools not to maintain a group of white bureaucrats not from new orleans said mr white 41 an alumnus of the elite st albans school in washington and the university of virginia the mission has to be completed and you cant call it completed when the central offices arent serving all the schools
at some point youre going to need to rely on the will of the people locally he added
this new model essentially splits the difference the schools will keep the flexibility and autonomy particularly over hiring and teaching that have made charters most unlike traditional public schools but the board becomes manager and regulator making sure schools abide by policies meant to ensure equity and provide broad services like managing the cost of particularly expensive special education students that individual schools might not have the capacity or desire to do
cities from boston to los angeles are locked in fierce fights over charter schools which critics say siphon off money and the most engaged families from local districts while skimming the best students and steering away the most challenging   not always with better results families in districts with majorities of poor black and latino children are increasingly pushing back against educator recruitment groups like teach for america scorning their efforts as education tourism for privileged ivy leaguers
people here say the national debate does not fit some of the nuances of the divide in new orleans for one thing the local board itself runs its own share of charter schools but what has resonated broadly here is the sense that changes to the schools were done to the citys residents not with them
this is a place where where did you go to school refers to high school so the move to erase neighborhood schools and replace them with charters after katrina angered powerful alumni groups about 7500 teachers were fired   most of them black   damaging the citys black middle class economically and politically
this wasnt just a loss of control over education this was loss on a massive scale said erika mcconduit diggs the president of the urban league of greater new orleans this very much feels like finally it will take things like this to heal those wounds
but the healing is far from complete
nearly every school building in new orleans has been rebuilt or refurbished and students have made impressive academic gains yet they were starting from the bottom new orleans was the second worst school district in the nations second lowest ranked state the schools have a long way to go before anyone considers them good or even good enough
some worry that with a return to local control and without the states prodding the schools will lose momentum and urgency they hear return and recall a school board that was notoriously corrupt and dysfunctional before the storm its televised meetings were bring your popcorn events like watching jerry springer said joey laroche the principal of the kipp charter high school here who graduated from the citys schools before katrina
if this is not done well we will go backwards as a city said leslie jacobs a local insurance executive and philanthropist who as a member of the state board of education led the creation of the state district that took over the schools we cannot go backwards
on the other side the legislation has done nothing to placate those who associate state control with charter schools   and want the charters gone as well
dont be fooled by a trojan horse the new orleans tribune a black newsmagazine editorialized calling the legislation passed by the louisiana house on thursday just a ploy to maintain the status quo
it is written to serve the needs and desires of the charter school movement and the predators and profiteers that have unapologetically gained from this experiment the tribune said not the people parents students voters and taxpayers of school systems that have been decimated by a so called reform movement that has done far more harm than good
mr white acknowledges that the bill will largely preserve the status quo
in detailed language it forbids the local board to interfere with charter schools autonomy on decisions like whom to hire what to teach how to spend their money and how long to make the school day pre katrina those decisions rested as they do in most school districts with the elected board which hires the superintendents who hire the principals
but the bill also gives the school board far more powers over the charter schools than boards in other cities have the board will be the regulator requiring that all schools participate in universal systems for enrolling and expelling students it will decide where new schools get to open or expand and have the power to shut down failing or undersubscribed schools
louisiana created the state run recovery school district to take over failing schools shortly before katrina but only after the catastrophic levee breaches   which made schools unusable even if most students had not fled the city   did it move to take over most of the schools
by the time mr white arrived in 2011 half the citys public school students were in charter schools it was a system as he describes it now of autonomy choice and chaos
schools had different enrollment procedures and policies on expulsion the parish school board itself was running about a dozen charter schools along with a half dozen traditional schools mostly the schools that had been higher performing before the storm those schools served lower rates of poor and special education students leading to complaints from state run schools that the parish schools were pushing out students who were harder to educate
mr white turned more schools over to charter school operators and now 93 percent of the citys 48000 public school students are in charter schools the highest percentage in the country
but he also moved to establish the unified enrollment system across all schools local or state run and a central expulsion procedure so that schools would have to follow the same rules on the students they took and those they let go
another new policy required all schools to provide transportation so that they could not weed out poorer students by making it impossible for those without cars to attend the citys charter school boards mobilized politically to force the parish school board to agree to a citywide system of funding so that all schools receive and spend the same amount of money for various categories of students like english learners and special education students
with these changes a return to local control seemed possible were talking to each other which we didnt do before said alexina medley the principal at warren easton an orleans parish charter high school were one city we should be one school system
with the 10th anniversary of the hurricane last fall the missionary zeal of young reformers coming to the city has waned and philanthropies have some reform fatigue said rhonda kalifey aluise a new orleans native who is the executive director of the kipp new orleans schools one of the biggest charter school operators in the city
the decade mark was crystallizing ms kalifey aluise said it was like yikes this wave is coming to an end 
the election of a democratic governor with strong teachers union support last year raised the pressure for return we thought lets get on top of this and make it work the way we want she said
it is hard to understate the presence of the state in the citys schools as mr white scooted out of his state owned prius to return a football that had been tossed from a schoolyard last week an elementary school student recognized him seizing the chance to suggest that dictionaries be allowed during state tests i think i did ok the student said
doubters worry that the timeline is too fast to create the same kind of robust power in the central office where staff has been depleted since katrina school board elections are this fall and the legislation calls for schools to be returned within two years
an even bigger question is whether the elected board will have the nerve to close failing schools and resist the citys tradition of crony politics and malfeasance
even those who have in the past resisted a return to local control say they now believe the changes here cannot be sustained without greater involvement from people who actually live here
it would be a shame said ben kleban the founder of new orleans college prep a charter network if our message to the rest of the country was that the only way to reform a school system is to seize control from local people


for a problem to gain attention does it need a name and a face
in at least two areas of american life   policing and politics   that question seems to be central to the debate
consider the dire state of policing and race relations in the united states much of the american intelligentsia and political class would probably say black men are policed too much in new york the police have moved away from stop and frisk practices in congress a bipartisan coalition is working on legislation to scale back the prison population boom that disproportionately locks up black men across the nation the black lives matter movement has drawn attention to police shootings of unarmed black men
yet over policing is only one way of looking at the story ghettoside a deep piece of reportage by jill leovy who for years covered homicides for the los angeles times draws attention to the flip side the failure to investigate and prosecute the murders of black men   most of them not by police officers many of them at the hands of other black men
ms leovys claim is she admits not an easy argument to make in these times that black men are far more often killed by police neglect than by police action   a problem of under policing not over policing
when a police officer shoots a young black man and cameras record it and the world sees the problem has a face justice has a focus there is a demand that the officer be punished
but when a young black man kills another in south los angeles and cameras dont record it the case languishes unsolved the problem has no face we are not sure where to focus or what to demand or whom to punish these are the nameless faceless crimes
some of the officers ms leovy writes have a cruel shorthand for the kind of case that has neither suspect nor story nhi for no human involved
one of the notions underpinning ms leovys book is that problems without a face like infernos without a demon are harder to process harder to get mad about and therefore harder to change
assuming the presidential race becomes a head to head contest between hillary clinton and donald j trump this notion will get another test
it is difficult and probably oversimplistic to put a single face on many of the countrys biggest challenges these include the slowing of social mobility the dislocations of trade in a globalized world and the immigration system these are messy problems in a messy world they have their causes but there are too many of them too many faces to bring into focus
mrs clintons instinct has been to treat messy complex systems as messy complex systems her rival in the democratic race bernie sanders gives at least some of these problems a name and a face they are embodied by wall street bankers it is a powerful simple message that mrs clinton has had mixed success countering
mrs clinton would face a similar challenge   albeit taken to alternative extremes   by mr trump who tends to personalize any system he encounters he gives a name to every problem and puts a face on every demon for instance he tries to simplify the problem with the immigration system by giving it the face of a mexican rapist he tries to personalize trade policy by talking of chinese bulk manufacturers killing us
even his tendency to recast activities of state   the passage of legislation the conduct of diplomacy   as deal making is itself a personalizing tendency a way of transforming an abstract problem into a person to person contest his propositions may seem simplistic generalizations but they are easy to understand and they grab attention
in an election marked by much scapegoat seeking anger voters could soon be facing a stark choice will they favor a candidate who speaks of the nation as a system of problems without a face like a complicated engine needing dozens of intricate repairs
or will they favor a candidate who seems to instinctively avoid the no human involved problem by slapping a suspect any suspect onto every crime


tim duncan is 40 years old his playing time has gradually been reduced and he has ceded his starring role on the san antonio spurs to kawhi leonard
but he was an all star as recently as last year and has been so great for so long that the past few games have come as a shock
on sunday for the first time in his 249 playoff games he failed to score the spurs lost to the thunder 111 97 evening the western conference semifinal at two games apiece
duncans 12 minutes of playing time were also his playoff low the game was the first in which he did not take a shot he contributed little beyond three rebounds and four fouls
it was not a fluke event duncans previous low of 2 points came in games 2 and 3 of this series he had 3 points in game 2 of an opening round sweep of memphis
sunday night was the third time in duncans career that he scored no points the other two times were in the regular season
these latest efforts are a long way from the career high 53 points he scored against dallas in 2001 he scored 40 or more in the playoffs four times the last time in 2008
though he started 60 of the 61 games he played this season he hit career lows in just about every category lamarcus aldridge is clearly the teams top big man now david west and boris diaw have been taking most of duncans minutes
on sunday the team was led by aldridge 20 points leonard 21 and another ageless player 33 year old tony parker 22 diaw had 11 and west 8 despite starting duncan trailed the reserves diaw west manu ginobili and patrick mills in playing time
duncan has been an elite player on an excellent spurs team for 19 years the spurs made the playoffs every year never with a winning percentage lower than 610 and won five titles with duncan the finals most valuable player in three of them
a relative latecomer to basketball growing up in the virgin islands duncan was initially a swimmer he was the no 1 pick in the draft after four years at wake forest the spurs had that pick as a result of a rare down season largely caused by an injury to david robinson the player selected just after him keith van horn has been out of the league for 10 years
careful management of duncans career has certainly contributed to his longevity that and his impressive talent have powered him up the nba career leader lists he stands fifth in blocked shots sixth in rebounds seventh in games played and 10th in minutes the names around his are virtually all those of hall of famers
his low key nature has often kept him out of the spotlight but the sheer force of his accomplishments has pushed him onto just about every list of the greats
duncan is signed through next season and so far he has deflected any talk of retirement the signs are there that his career is falling into deep twilight but the spurs locked in a struggle with the thunder will hope he has a little magic left


the idea sounds like fantasy an invisible film that can be painted on your skin and give it the elasticity of youth bags under the eyes vanish in seconds wrinkles disappear
scientists at harvard and mit have discovered that it is not fantasy at all reporting on monday in the journal nature materials on pilot studies with 170 subjects the researchers said a second skin composed of commonly used chemicals deemed safe by the food and drug administration can accomplish that   and in small studies of it so far no one has reported irritation or allergic reactions
undereye bags are just the start you can soak the film with sunscreen and protect yourself without worrying about sweat or water washing it away researchers said they expect it can be used to treat eczema psoriasis and other skin conditions by covering dry itchy patches with a film that moistens and soothes
the chemicals are siloxanes   their basic form is one atom of oxygen linked to two atoms of silicon   which form polymers long chains of repeating units the researchers made a large collection of them by modifying molecular features such as the chain length to get the ones with the properties they wanted
then they devised a two step process first a polymer a clear liquid is applied its chains are not very strong though so the next step is applying a product that links them together by modifying the chemistry of the chains the researchers can alter the properties of the second skin depending on how it will be used making it more or less permeable for example a more permeable second skin might be used for undereye bags while a less permeable one might hold a medication in place it can be removed with a solution that dissolves the polymer
the research was funded by a small privately owned biotechnology company in cambridge mass living proof and the product is being developed by another small privately owned cambridge company olivo laboratories which owns the patents all of the authors on the new paper have an equity interest in living proof and so indirectly in olivo
the report published on monday describes pilot studies the first test of the product the researchers say they are not sure yet when they will have enough data to submit to the food and drug administration for marketing approval   they will know more later this year
i think it is brilliant said gordana vunjak novakovic professor of biomedical engineering at columbia who was not involved in the research what they have done is design a clever biomaterial that recapitulates the properties of young and healthy skin they can use it as sort of a band aid over old and aging skin and get very significant results
dr murad alam a professor of dermatology at northwestern university who also was not associated with the study was impressed too but he cautioned that it was still early
this is a first step he said and all these applications will require further work but he added if the testing is successful i think it will be very popular
the idea for second skin originated more than a decade ago when dr r rox anderson a professor of dermatology at harvard medical school was approached by living proof which had been working on a polymer to be used as a hair product since dermatologists also know about hair the company consulted him why dr anderson asked the company executives couldnt there be a polymer to put on skin
a lot of what happens when we age and skin starts wrinkling and sagging is loss of elastic recoil he said when we move skin it doesnt snap back to what it used to be
what if there was a way to restore the elastic nature of skin
dr anderson listed what would be needed it has to be nearly invisible the skin still has to be able to breathe through this stuff and it needs to be strong enough and elastic enough that it actually affects the recoil of the skin
that he said is the challenge i put to them
dr robert langer a biomedical engineer who is a professor at mit and a scientific founder of living proof started searching for something that would work we made literally hundreds of polymers he said we were looking for safety spreadability adherence and the right kind of mechanical and optical properties
the skin can last for more than a day
one of the first applications said dr barbara a gilchrest a dermatology professor who is part of the research team was on undereye bags a condition that plagues so many middle aged and older people
we wanted something that is elegant and the ultimate test is right there on your face she said you really cant see it its there it looks normal we saw that as a very high bar if you can achieve that youve done something impressive
the researchers emphasize that the second skin is significantly different from a product that living proof tried to market a few years ago as a cosmetic that could correct undereye bags
those studies included tests on people with undereye bags and those with dry skin on their legs in one study participants put second skin on their forearms to see how quickly the skin returned to normal after it was pinched in a suction cup   a test of elasticity in another study people were randomly assigned to use second skin or a placebo under their eyes trained observers graded the subjects on the appearance of the undereye skin the products durability was tested in volunteers who wore it while running in heat and working up a sweat while swimming and while going out in a rainstorm
one of the important uses the researchers said is in treating eczema and the sort of dry skin that comes with aging with dry itchy patches on the back and legs that keep people up at night scratching
we tell people to pat their skin with a damp washcloth and put on a heavy moisturizer but that only lasts a short time dr gilchrest said they end up with greasy goo all over the sheets and they wake up in the middle of the night terribly uncomfortable we need something that was easier to use and didnt make a mess and stays which is what this stuff does
another application of the second skin is to keep drugs like cortisone creams on the skin dr anderson said less than 10 percent of what is applied stays there the other 90 percent ends up on your pillowcase or your clothes
the researchers emphasize that their tests of the product as a cosmetic treatment where most subjects responded are separate from their tests of it as a medical product where they do not yet know the response rate
a harvard colleague dr mathew avram who was not associated with the company or its product said he had tried second skin putting it under his eyes
it does work he said
but it was a little depressing he added i didnt realize i had those bags


raleigh nc   the nations clash over the rights of transgender people escalated sharply on monday as gov pat mccrory of north carolina and the justice department sued each other testing the boundaries of federal civil rights laws in a dispute over public restroom access
days after the justice department demanded that north carolina back away from a new state law restricting access to restrooms locker rooms and changing rooms mr mccrory in a lawsuit filed in federal district court here accused the department of a baseless and blatant overreach stemming from a radical reinterpretation of the civil rights act of 1964 the state general assemblys republican leaders filed a similar suit against the justice department
ultimately i think its time for the us congress to bring clarity to our national anti discrimination provisions mr mccrory a republican who is running for re election this year told reporters here right now the obama administration is bypassing congress by attempting to rewrite the law
hours later attorney general loretta lynch said no clarification was needed and she asserted that federal civil rights laws barring discrimination on the basis of sex prohibit laws like the one in north carolina
they created state sponsored discrimination against transgender individuals who simply seek to engage in the most private of functions in a place of safety and security she said at a news conference in washington none of us can stand by when a state enters the business of legislating identity and insists that a person pretend to be something or someone that they are not
straying from her usual understated lawyerly tone ms lynch a north carolina native grew impassioned as she likened the fight to earlier battles over jim crow laws and laws against same sex marriage
this is not the first time that we have seen discriminatory responses to historic moments of progress she said addressing transgender people she added we see you we stand with you and we will do everything we can to protect you going forward
the justice departments lawsuit filed in a different federal court in the state argued that north carolinas law which prohibits people from using public restrooms that do not correspond with the gender listed on their birth certificates compels public agencies to follow a facially discriminatory policy
even before the justice department challenged the law in court the federal government had been examining how it could pressure north carolina last month federal agencies acknowledged that they were studying whether the law affected north carolinas eligibility for aid from washington that helps pay for schools highways and housing
mr mccrorys suit was assigned to judge terrence w boyle an appointee of president george w bush and a former aide to jesse helms the longtime conservative republican senator from north carolina the federal district court for the middle district of north carolina where the justice department filed its case did not immediately assign a judge to handle the proceedings there
the law has drawn scorn from businesses like paypal and the nba has led to calls for a boycott of north carolina and has prompted some companies and entertainers to reverse plans to do business in the state it even found its way into the presidential race becoming a frequent theme of the final weeks of the campaign of senator ted cruz who said grown adult men strangers should not be alone in a bathroom with little girls
josh earnest the white house press secretary on monday described the north carolina law as meanspirited and said it would harm the states economy
but the economic arguments are familiar ones in north carolina and they have failed to prevent both sides from moving the clash into the courts the litigation will test the expansive view the obama administration has taken of civil rights law arguing that it bars discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity even if the wording of the law does not address those issues explicitly
it is in some ways bringing to a head a lot of developments that have been happening over the last several years said douglas nejaime the faculty director of the williams institute at the university of california los angeles which studies gender identity law whats become clear is that the issue around bathroom access has really been tightly caught up in the culture wars
the north carolina measure which mr mccrory signed into law on march 23 was approved by the republican controlled general assembly during a one day special session commonly referred to as house bill 2 the law was prompted by the city of charlottes adoption of an ordinance barring discrimination against gay or transgender people and specifically allowing people to use bathrooms and locker rooms that conform to their gender identity
on monday mr mccrory repeated his belief that charlotte the states largest city had provoked the turmoil here saying the governor did not seek out this issue
the litigation placed new attention on the dispute between charlotte a relatively liberal city where mr mccrory was mayor for 14 years and conservative republicans often from rural areas who dominate the legislature it further presses the governor who ran for office as a moderate into an unexpected role as a conservative warrior on social issues months before voters decide if he deserves a second term
mr mccrorys lawsuit left little doubt about his view of a justice department that republicans here regard with open contempt the department the lawsuit said was engaged in an attempt to unilaterally rewrite long established federal civil rights laws in a manner that is wholly inconsistent with the intent of congress and disregards decades of statutory interpretation by the courts
mr mccrory and other republicans said the laws bathroom access provision was a bulwark against sexual assault as mr cruz suggested but critics many of whom have demanded a full repeal said that transgender people had been using the bathroom of their choice for years without others noticing and that it had not been a problem in fact the risk of assault they said would be to a person who appears to be a woman and identifies as a woman and is forced to use the mens room
in a letter to mr mccrory last week vanita gupta the justice departments top civil rights official said the north carolina statute violated title vii of the civil rights act which prohibits sex discrimination in the justice department suit which named the university of north carolina as a defendant the federal government also alleged violation of title ix of the education amendments of 1972
when she wrote to mr mccrory ms gupta gave the governor until monday to tell federal officials whether he would remedy these violations
after her letter there were signals that republicans here influenced by the prospect of losing federal funds and facing an economic backlash were considering softening the law and its effects
but on monday it became clear that the prospects for a quick reconciliation had vanished


lagos nigeria   young men became entangled in a swirl of flying fists gas station workers swatted away boys hoping to fill their plastic cans a mother with a sleeping baby in her minivan was chased off rightly accused of jumping the line a driver eager to get ahead crashed into several cars the sound of crunching metal barely registering amid the noise
nigerians were getting used to days like this
but then came the ultimate insult to everyone waiting at the oando mega gas station a bus marked ministry of justice rolled up to a pump leapfrogging no fewer than 99 vehicles service with integrity was painted on its door a gas station supervisor who calls herself madame no nonsense stepped aside to let it fuel up before anyone else the crowd howled at the injustice
plummeting oil prices have set off an economic unraveling in nigeria one of the worlds top oil producers and the collective anger of a fed up nation was pouring out
starvation in the land of plenty said tony usidamen a public relations consultant waiting for fuel
for months many nigerians have endured painfully long lines for gasoline and power failures that last for days   with no fuel for backup generators scant power means water cuts for homes that rely on electricity to pump it everyday items are missing from stores and those that remain cost more than usual
in this country of rampant inequality the poor have long been desperate and the rich are still able to buy their way out of problems but the situation in nigeria africas largest economy is having an outsize impact on the expanding middle class which has become accustomed to air conditioning owning a car and going out for dominos pizza now even a bottle of perrier is too expensive for many
president muhammadu buhari is urging patience noting that when he took office last year he inherited a corruption plagued mess
we are experiencing probably the toughest economic times in the history of our nation mr buhari told nigerians on friday i cannot promise you that this will be an easy journey
low oil prices are not helping the resulting shortage of dollars means less cash for imports including fuel to power the nation though nigeria produces millions of barrels of oil a day it has long had to ship its own crude oil out of the country to be refined into gasoline
imported fuel has been arriving in lagos a city of 20 million by tanker truck a trip that takes a week old trucks and bad roads cause delays trucks sometimes disappear across the border where thieves sell the fuel and pocket the cash and militants keep blowing up oil platforms and pipelines
the lines at gas stations ebb and flow depending on the day but the government says the supply is getting better it has finally fired up nigerias three rickety oil refineries and the wait in lagos improved drastically last week eventually officials say nigeria will make all of its own gasoline
a certain amount of pain must be endured said garba deen muhammad a spokesman for the nigerian national petroleum corporation everybody must make sacrifices
at the gas station in lagos olafay segun and abu bellow tried to sleep away the pain of losing a morning of valuable fares in their yellow minibus they joined a huge line of vehicles backed up along the expressway both men stretched across the old metal seats in the beating sun it was like sleeping inside a tv dinner
suddenly the car in front gave up on the wait pulling out of line and leaving a gap mr bellow bolted for the drivers seat turning the key nothing happened long seconds passed as both men panicked that someone would pull in front of them he tried the key again success the bus jolted ahead a few feet
they wound up behind adeanike oso whose mind was on her chickens as the owner of oso farms a 3500 bird operation outside lagos she worried they might not have enough food and water
that morning ms oso had dropped off her children at school before heading to the farm but her nissan pathfinder was running low on fuel so she pulled into line that was two hours ago
toward the front was toyin adeniyi who was on her way to work as a school administrator three hours after arriving at the station she was still waiting
as midmorning arrived young men holding plastic gas cans gathered theres no light theres no water theres no anything said one michael tungi venting about nigeria everything is spoiled
the station was not allowed to sell gas to mr tungi to prevent fuel from slipping onto the black market people had been filling jerrycans and selling gas at high prices to drivers looking to skip long lines at filling stations mr tungi and the others were optimists hoping to sneak a few liters
first they would have to get past nike olorunfemi 50 the station supervisor wearing a straw hat and bright yellow vest she hollered sometimes with a bullhorn to let them know they were waiting in vain
thats why they call me madame no nonsense action lady ms olorunfemi said i dont take nonsense
the day had started out orderly and calm drivers inched forward the procrastinators the planners the innocents   the line absorbed them all having mercy on no one
im late already grumbled peter ademola a swimming pool maintenance man he had hopped into a minibus heading to a repair job but it was low on fuel now he was stuck in line wiping his brow tiny beads of sweat formed above the purple lipstick of the passenger next to him
what can i do mr ademola said
another driver ify ezeobi a shopkeeper figured every hour of waiting cost him 100 worth of business at his store im sick and tired of this he said
it was almost noon when the line stopped altogether the stations supply had run dry vehicles squealed away to search for fuel elsewhere it was anyones guess when the next fuel truck would arrive
some drivers made use of the empty hours until more fuel came a policeman read over a stack of witness statements one driver repaired a busted side mirror a doughnut saleswoman paraded alongside the vehicles old friends found one another in line their reunion an upside to the otherwise grim day
the hottest part of the day came and with it stress a mother made the calculations of every busy parent   if she waited would she get to school in time to pick up her children three energetic boys bounced in the back seat of another car hanging out the windows and slugging one another it was the first day of vacation and their father needed gas to reach their grandparents outside the city
a billboard with a man clutching his head taunted the stalled motorists need pain relief
ms olorunfemi   madame no nonsense   was still trying to chase off the people holding gas cans she snatched a can from one mans hand and threw it onto the freeway
anybody jumping the queue they call action lady and i send them out she said i hate cheating
but by afternoon cheating was in abundance some drivers employed a fried chicken strategy gaining entrance inside the stations parking lot by claiming they were patronizing the adjoining kfc
at 2 pm a fuel truck rolled in eliciting a cheer but unloading its 33000 liters would take hours
two men lugging a heavy generator rested it on the driveway three elementary age boys sent by their mothers arrived after school with plastic cans to try their luck
at nearly 5 pm fuel was finally in the pumps again drivers started their engines wheels spun in the dirt station employees blocked off the cars at the kfc dashing the hopes of line jumpers workers gathered around madame no nonsense for a pep talk
dont sell to anyone with a can she said be nice to all your customers
horns started blaring a security guard in t shirt and jeans with an ak 47 slung around his chest stepped in front of the vehicles the stations gates scraped open
ok madame no nonsense said lets go


moscow   hailing the soviet union for having brought freedom to other peoples and taking a swipe at the west over unacceptable double standards president vladimir v putin of russia presided on monday over the traditional victory day exhibition of military might in red square
among the many weapons on display were warplanes of the type moscow has deployed in syria and an updated version of the buk antiaircraft missile system that according to dutch investigators shot down a passenger aircraft over eastern ukraine in 2014
the military parade and flyby in moscow signaled the start of a nationwide series of such events an annual commemoration of the soviet unions defeat of nazi germany in 1945 and of the 26 million soviet soldiers and citizens who died during world war ii far more than in any other country smaller parades were held across the country and at a russian military base in syria
after the solemn lock step formality of events in red square hundreds of thousands of ordinary russians streamed through moscow st petersburg and other cities later on monday holding placards pasted with black and white photographs of relatives who fought and in many cases died during the war known as the immortal regiment the commemoration began in 2012 in the siberian city of tomsk as a private initiative but proved so popular that it has since been embraced and critics say hijacked by government authorities mr putin marched at the front of a huge remembrance procession in moscow holding a picture of his father vladimir a war veteran who was wounded fighting the nazis
moscow held its first grand victory parade in 1945 an event presided over by stalin and then resumed the ritual in 1965 under the soviet leader leonid i brezhnev the tradition halted after the 1991 collapse of the soviet union until president boris n yeltsin revived it in 1995 but the parades have taken on new significance under mr putin who has used them to showcase russias military revival and renewed national pride after the chaos of the 90s
victory day has also become a festival of soviet nostalgia with mr putin greeting soldiers on monday as comrades citizens donning red army hats and in some cases full uniforms and state run television channels showing little but war movies and footage of the parade
our soldiers and commanders have proved that they are worthy successors of the great patriotic war heroes and that they honorably protect the interests of russia mr putin using the russian term for world war ii said in his speech from a red square reviewing stand near a granite tomb containing the embalmed corpse of lenin the soviet unions founder
as has become customary mr putin made no mention of his countrys principal allies during the war the united states and britain but he allowed that russia was open to working with other nations to combat what he called the global threat of terrorism and to create a modern nonaligned system of international security a system that moscow believes has been blocked by the existence of nato and the expansion of the united states led military alliance into former soviet territory in the baltics
in an apparent swipe at the west particularly the united states he said comrades history lessons teach us that peace on earth is not established by itself that one needs to be cautious that double standards as well as shortsighted indulgence of those who nurture criminal plans are impermissible the remark seemed to refer to washingtons support for rebel groups in syria that russia views as terrorist organizations
this years parade was scaled back from last years event which had marked the 70th anniversary of russias victory but it still included 10000 troops   6000 fewer than in 2015   and a flotilla of tanks armored personnel carriers and missile systems among them were iskander short range ballistic missiles of the type that russia has deployed in the western russian exclave of kaliningrad a move that natos secretary general jens stoltenberg said last year would fundamentally change the balance of security in europe
watched by mr putin and by president nursultan a nazarbayev of kazakhstan the procession of military vehicles across the cobblestones of red square was led by a soviet era t 34 tank the mainstay of red army forces as they beat back hitlers army which invaded in 1941 and then advanced to conquer berlin in 1945 behind it rumbled the armata t 14 a new generation of battle tank first displayed last year and around 100 other vehicles and weapon systems including russias latest yars mobile intercontinental nuclear missile launcher a battalion of female soldiers took part for the first time
also on display was the s 400 air defense missile system which russia has deployed in syria to protect its base at latakia and buk surface to air missiles an updated version of the system that the dutch safety board in a report issued in october said was fired in july 2014 at malaysia airlines flight 17 over territory held by russian backed separatists the plane en route from amsterdam to kuala lumpur malaysia crashed killing all 298 passengers and crew members on board
russia has denied any role in the catastrophe advancing so far unsubstantiated theories that ukrainian warplanes had been responsible or that the ukrainians had attacked flight 17 with their own buk system


stocks were little changed on monday as gains for drug companies were almost canceled by sharp losses for metals and energy companies
after two weeks of losses shares traded in a narrow range drug company stocks which have been under pressure recently over concerns they will have trouble raising prices for medicines moved sharply higher
the energy market was shaken and the price of oil fell after saudi arabia replaced its oil minister metals companies tumbled on renewed worries about chinas economy
the sp 500 is kind of stuck in a range and its been in that range really since the middle of march said randy frederick managing director of trading and derivatives at charles schwab mr frederick predicted that after the weak jobs report friday and an uninspiring earnings season stocks would stay where they are for now
the dow jones industrial average edged down 3472 points or 02 percent to 1770591 as the machinery maker caterpillar and the energy giant chevron lost ground the standard  poors 500 stock index rose 155 points or 01 percent to 205869 the nasdaq composite index gained 1405 points or 03 percent to 475021
health care stocks one of the worst performing areas of the market this year made a broad rally the botox maker allergan jumped after reporting encouraging results from a late stage clinical study of a treatment for uterine fibroids a noncancerous growth in the uterus the stock climbed 1206 or 6 percent to 21371
united states crude fell 122 or 27 percent to 4344 a barrel in new york brent crude the benchmark for international oil prices fell 174 or 38 percent to 4363 a barrel in london among energy companies chevron lost 151 or 15 percent to 10035 and conocophillips fell 111 or 26 percent to 4165
the energy market was unsettled after the government of saudi arabia replaced ali al naimi its longtime oil minister over the weekend he had held that position for 20 years and was a powerful voice in opec
reports showed that chinas exports fell by 18 percent in april from a year earlier and imports plunged 109 percent both totals were weaker than analysts had expected china is a critical market for fuels and metals
gold dropped 2740 or 21 percent to 126660 an ounce and silver lost 44 cents or 25 percent to 1709 an ounce copper sank 5 cents or 22 percent to 211 a pound
krispy kreme doughnuts agreed to be taken private by the coffee giant jab beech for about 135 billion or 21 a share the companys board approved the sale and shareholders will vote on it in june krispy kremes stock jumped 410 or 243 percent to 2096
lendingclub tumbled 248 or 349 percent to 462 after its chairman and chief renaud laplanche resigned after an internal review of the sale of 22 million in loans to an investor
germanys dax stock index jumped after figures showed factory orders climbed in march figures for february also were revised higher the dax advanced 11 percent while the cac 40 in france rose 05 percent the ftse 100 index of leading british shares dipped 02 percent
the shanghai composite index sank 28 percent seouls kospi was off 04 percent while tokyos nikkei 225 advanced 07 percent
bond prices continued to rise the yield on the 10 year treasury note fell to 175 percent from 178 percent late friday the dollar rose to 10848 yen from 10713 yen the euro slipped to 11389 from 11401


snip or dont snip
in 2012 the american academy of pediatrics declared that the benefits of circumcising boys outweighed the risks of the procedure they cited health benefits that while not great enough to warrant a recommendation for all males to undergo the procedure were significant enough that it should be available to all and that it should be covered by insurance not long after the cdc concurred
lets look at the evidence for years pediatricians have cited studies that show that being uncircumcised is a risk factor for developing a urinary tract infection they point to research that shows that circumcised penises have lower levels of yeast and bacteria even more compelling cohort studies showed that there was a tenfold increase in the rate of urinary tract infection in boys who were uncircumcised versus those who were
the actual rates of urinary tract infection were 11 percent versus 01 percent for an absolute rate difference of 1 percent this means that 100 boys would need to be circumcised to prevent one urinary tract infection other studies say the number might be higher
its really hard to argue that this decrease is worth a permanent surgical procedure its especially hard to argue given that we dont really have data from randomized controlled trials its possible that theres something else different between boys who were circumcised and those who were not especially since the vast majority more than 80 percent of boys in these studies were circumcised regardless this amount of benefit seems to pass the threshold for coverage by insurance which is low so the procedure is available
another benefit sometimes mentioned is a reduced risk of penile cancer case control studies have reported that uncircumcised men have a three times greater chance of developing penile cancer again this is relative penile cancer is very rare in the united states so the actual risk reduction from circumcision is very very small its estimated that more than 300000 infants might need to be circumcised to prevent one case of penile cancer
some argue that circumcision can reduce the chance of contracting a sexually transmitted infection later in life a systematic review of 26 studies found that circumcised men are at a lower risk of syphilis or chancroid there might be some protection against herpes but its less significant
the strongest case for circumcision can be made as a benefit against the transmission of hiv in africa where hiv is much more prevalent randomized controlled trials of circumcision have been performed the results were quite convincing absolute rate reductions of 1 2 percent over one to two years were seen some estimate that for 10 to 20 males circumcised one fewer man might contract hiv over a lifetime one study likened circumcision to a vaccine of high efficacy
again though these results apply to countries with a much higher prevalence of hiv than we see in the united states the protection afforded therefore is much less significant here
opponents of circumcision point to its potential downsides surgical complications while rare are greater than zero pain is a concern as well evidence exists both to support and rebut the notion that infants recover quickly
more prominent concerns focus on sexual function and satisfaction opponents argue that the foreskin like much of the penis contains many nerve endings it also protects the head of the penis without it the penis might become less sensitive over time
but does this actually happen a recent study in the journal of urology discussed in the new york times measured penile sensitivity in circumcised and uncircumcised men and found no real difference it wasnt the first or the best study to look at this
a randomized controlled trial of more than 2700 men in kenya found that after circumcision they experienced increased sensitivity and that they had an easier time reaching orgasm a systematic review and meta analysis found that circumcision was unrelated to premature ejaculation erectile dysfunction or difficulty achieving orgasm
over all the evidence arguing for and against circumcision fails to make a compelling case in either direction the benefits while arguably real are small likewise the harms in such cases we usually leave the decision to the patient
there is of course an ethical problem here since the choice is almost always made by parents not by the boys themselves circumcision is irreversible and many argue quite stridently that this is genital mutilation inflicted on children for no reason
all cards on the table im jewish and im circumcised as are both my sons the procedure has a spiritual weight in my community when confronted by people who use terms like mutilation i generally recoil circumcising my boys was a personal decision for my wife and me and i understand the various arguments for and against people angry about this choice seem to imagine that we havent thoroughly considered it
i also live with the knowledge that its possible that my children might have chosen differently but we also have to recognize that parents make many many decisions for their children with a greater and more meaningful impact on them than circumcision thats what parents do assuming that this is the most consequential one we might have made about our boys lives and focusing so much attention on it   when evidence makes the value of either choice unclear   seems out of proportion
that doesnt mean opponents dont have a point circumcision is much rarer in most other industrialized countries health organizations in those countries dont advocate the procedure as we do in the united states an argument can also be made for waiting until boys are old enough to make a decision for themselves a number of factors make that difficult though its a more complicated procedure then with greater risks and higher costs
given that religion and culture are tied up in this its clear that this issue wont be decided soon its also clear that evidence wont make anyones choice easier in the end the decision as to whether parents opt to have their babies circumcised will remain a personal one


a german billionaire family has been on a breakfast buying binge the newest item on its plate doughnuts
the board of krispy kreme best known for its warm glazed doughnuts agreed to the companys acquisition by jab holding company and a minority investor bdt capital partners for 135 billion it announced on monday jab is the investment arm of the reimann family the heirs to the german consumer goods conglomerate joh a benckiser
its subsidiary jab beech plans to add the companys doughnuts to its other quick serve american breakfast staples including several coffee chains and a bagel company in recent years jab has acquired the parent company of einstein brothers bagels as well as peets coffee  tea stumptown coffee roasters and caribou coffee in december jab acquired keurig green mountain for 139 billion its biggest bet yet in building its coffee empire
krispy kreme founded almost 80 years ago is most famous for its glazed doughnut but it also sells a wide assortment of other flavors such as lemon filled and sour cream more recently the company has made coffee a priority with new offerings and promotions
coffee also happens to be the key ingredient in jabs other recent acquisitions jabs portfolio makes it the near ideal candidate to control krispy kreme will slabaugh an analyst at stephens said in a research note on monday jab would be able to improve krispy kremes operations add food and beverage options and help it expand nationally and internationally he said
peter harf senior partner at jab said in the statement we are thrilled to have such an iconic brand as krispy kreme joining the jab portfolio
this is yet another example of our commitment to investing in extraordinary brands with significant growth prospects he said
breakfast has become more lucrative for fast food restaurants in recent years all day breakfast at mcdonalds contributed to a 35 percent increase in its first quarter profit other chains such as wendys and taco bell have also focused more intently on the first meal of the day
the attention created more competition for customers in the morning hours a time when krispy kreme already had fierce competition from starbucks dunkin donuts and tim hortons
jab plans to acquire krispy kreme for 21 a share in cash a premium of more than 25 percent from fridays closing price krispy kreme has almost no debt its shares jumped in monday trading to just a few cents shy of the buyout offer price
bdt capital partners the investment firm led by byron d trott the former vice chairman of investment banking at goldman sachs is investing alongside jab and will hold a minority stake
as part of the agreement krispy kreme will remain independently operated from its headquarters in winston salem nc and will no longer trade on the public markets the transaction which needs shareholder approval is expected to close in the third quarter
jab also has stakes in the cosmetics maker coty and the shoe designer jimmy choo
wells fargo provided financial advice to krispy kreme while barclays and bdt  company advised jab simpson thacher  bartlett and womble carlyle sandridge  rice were the legal advisers to krispy kreme and skadden arps slate meagher  flom worked with jab


north korea which often struggles to feed its own people is making millions feeding foreigners
entities linked to kim jong uns pariah state run an expanding empire of restaurants abroad complete with singing and dancing waitresses in traditional dress they cater to tourists and businesspeople many of them south koreans and they pump badly needed hard currency profits back to the communist north which is largely cut off from the world economy by sanctions over its nuclear weapons program
because the restaurants handle a lot of cash they are also suspected of being a convenient conduit for laundering money from some of the norths sanctions busting activities
there are about 130 of the restaurants most of them in china though also in southeast and south asia and a few farther afield in russia mongolia and even the netherlands many are named pyongyang after the norths capital their menus often feature a specialty of the city cold noodle along with many variations on kimchi and in some asian locations at least dog meat soup
the north korean waitresses are said to be thoroughly screened for loyalty and carefully watched by security agents but there have been reports that some have tried to defect when that happens evidently the restaurant may be swiftly shut down and the rest of the staff shipped home
the pyongyang chain hit the headlines in february when the south korean government eager to step up pressure on the north after a provocative missile test urged its citizens to stop patronizing the restaurants when they travel


digital encryption with its mind numbing mathematics is hard to do its almost as tough as the arguments on what to do with it
as cecilia kang writes the united states government is facing off with the american technology industry over a bill that would require tech companies to comply with court orders seeking access to peoples encrypted data the two sides are engaged in heavy and vigorous behind the scenes lobbying
on first pass the government has a good point in moments of grave danger or to establish a chain of evidence there are good reasons to think authorized warrants should not be limited by actions taken by companies
but the companies have their own points if they build software that can be cracked or opened they are building flawed products that hackers know they can exploit
moreover these are multinational companies that might have to grant the same secrets reading powers to totalitarian states where they also do business whether the companies are giving up peoples privacy to foreign or american police many of their top engineers might leave instead of abetting
turning to the general public for guidance will not make this easier some people are for absolute personal privacy no matter whether you are a piano teacher or an isis recruiter others think the government should be able to see your every move   after all if you arent doing anything wrong what have you got to hide
the great middle however doesnt like isis or living in a world where a police officer reads our love letters or notes on organizing an antigovernment protest
what seems to bother the government as much as the problems of cheap plentiful and effective electronic secrecy is the new militancy companies are bringing to the issue
its not just that apple and google are lobbying against this bill in april microsoft sued the justice department challenging secrecy orders that keep microsoft from telling people the lawmen have a warrant to see their email
meantime software development is moving faster than lawmaking last month viber a free communications app owned by japans rakuten said it had put full encryption on every message the app which is popular internationally was previously considered to have weak security whatsapp owned by facebook and used by one billion people globally did the same and published a white paper on just how good it is
thats another casualty of modern tech its hard to control information when its hard to see national borders


officials in india hope to combat the threat of sexual violence against women and girls by requiring panic buttons to be installed in every new phone by january and for every phone to be equipped with gps by 2018
the announcement in april by ravi shankar prasad indias minister of communications and information technology means that manufacturers would have to create a button designed to alert the police and an owners friends or relatives in the event of distress or create a similar system that is activated by pressing the buttons 5 or 9 india does not yet have a nationwide emergency response number
it is not clear how this change would be put in effect or how manufacturers would create a panic button
two of the countrys largest phone suppliers samsung and apple would not comment on the policy change lava a fast growing indian telecommunications company the indian cellular association and the ministry of communications and information technology also did not respond to multiple requests for comment
kiranjeet kaur an analyst with international data corporation a global market research firm said that indias requirement was rare in the global phone market and that companies that build and sell low cost phones in india might be affected more than large companies like apple he said that many phones sold in india cost less than 20 and were not equipped with features like gps adding such functions mr kaur said could raise the price of phones by at least 50 percent
he noted that several companies already offered options like those proposed
there are a few apps that can be used on smartphones that serve the same function as a panic button mr kaur wrote in an email the uber app in india has a s o s button too there are a couple of third party apps too like the bsafe app motorola smartphones in india come with an emergency button option
but maneka sanjay gandhi indias minister of women and child development said manufacturers were on board she said in a statement that the requirements would create a safety net for women and girls and thanked phone manufacturers for agreeing to bring about historic change
indias wave of sexual assault has created an industry of companies that offer services to people who want to take their safety into their own hands   for a price
one touch response a subscription based service can deploy employees to escort people home or go to their aid when they are summoned via an app or a phone call
arvind khanna the companys founder said in an email that the need for personal safety in india has created a 5 billion market that is growing by 20 percent a year
we currently serve over 35000 paid subscribers along with hundreds of pay as you go users he wrote over 40 percent of our users are women
india is one of the fastest growing markets for cell phones in the world but in some cases women are not allowed to carry them in february reuters reported that several villages in western india had begun banning women and girls from using phones on the rationale that the devices interfered with their studies or allowed them to elope
let them study get married then they can get their own phones ranjit singh thakor president of a local council told the news service until then they can use their fathers phones at home if necessary
also unanswered by officials is the matter of which service will answer the distress calls a gang rape in 2012 drew a nationwide outcry but indian women who report their attacks still face understaffed police forces that operate on bribes a court system that is backlogged with cases and a culture more focused on protecting the victims modesty than with catching and prosecuting attackers
if youre a woman in distress the last thing you want to do is go to the police vrinda grover a human rights lawyer based in new delhi told the new york times in 2013


baltimore   when six police officers were indicted last year in the death of freddie gray a black man who suffered a fatal spinal injury while in police custody it was a watershed moment for activists and residents who wanted to see this citys police force held accountable many people were eager for the legal reckoning to begin
i had the date written down said shai crawley 21 referring to the first officers trial late last year and i was excited about it
but that case against officer william g porter ended in a mistrial dimming some residents hopes for a conviction of any of the officers and setting off months of legal maneuvering and delays since then voters have cast ballots for a new mayor and activists have pressed onward focusing on cases involving the use of force by police officers or on issues like housing and education
this week more than a year after the charges were announced the prosecution is set to begin anew with the trial of officer edward m nero who was present for the initial arrest of mr gray trials of the remaining four officers in addition to a retrial for officer porter will follow on a schedule that stretches into the fall
i dont get the sense that a lot of folks here in baltimore are focused a lot on the trial said dayvon love the director of public policy for leaders of a beautiful struggle a policy organization he said however that close attention would be paid to the verdict
folks are really focused on the day to day he said and also just focused on how to actually move things forward
that seemed to be the case for mr crawley now i cant even tell you the dates he said as he stood on a rainy street corner in baltimore last week protesting a death in police custody now i kind of brace for disappointment
mr grays death last april touched off widespread unrest in baltimore making ever more pressing the nations and this citys discussion of the use of force by the police especially against minorities with officer neros trial a city that is working to move forward will find itself looking back into the first moments of mr grays arrest   some of which were caught on widely circulated videos taken by bystanders that fueled public outrage
were going to finally be talking about actually some of the circumstances that gave rise to the video that has been the focus of so much attention in this case said david jaros a law professor at the university of baltimore officer nero was one of the officers who arrested mr gray last year and his trial may yield more information about the circumstances of the arrest
professor jaros cautioned that the trial could turn on complex legal theory and would probably offer little insight into how mr gray sustained the injuries that killed him i think we are going to continue to have questions about what happened and i dont think the trial is going to clear it all up he said
some activists are planning to demonstrate outside the courtroom as proceedings pick up even though the spread out schedule of the trials has made it hard to keep an intense public focus on them
we have to ensure that theres an expectation that weve received justice in the courts said the rev cortly c d witherspoon who leads baltimores branch of the southern christian leadership conference
he added people think that the concept of black lives mattering is on trial inside of that courtroom
many of the details of the case are well known by now on the morning of april 12 2015 mr gray 25 was walking in the downtrodden neighborhood of sandtown winchester saw a group of police officers and ran officers nero and garrett e miller pursued and arrested mr gray less than a minute later and found that he was carrying a folding knife which they said was illegal prosecutors have questioned this point a video taken by bystanders showed the officers placing a screaming mr gray inside a police van that was driven by officer caesar r goodson jr
mr gray was never buckled in after the van made multiple stops in the neighborhood it arrived at a police station where mr gray was found unresponsive and not breathing he died a week later of a functionally severed spinal cord
after more than a week of protests that set off looting and violence and prompted the governor to call in the national guard marilyn j mosby the citys top prosecutor announced that she had charged six officers   three black and three white   in the death of mr gray the toughest charge of second degree depraved heart murder was for officer goodson
during officer porters trial which ended in december with a hung jury prosecutors and defense lawyers said that mr gray sustained a fatal spinal injury during his ride in the police van officer neros trial will focus on a different part of the officers encounter with mr gray his initial arrest
its hard not to separate the freddie gray incident into a two act event said jose f anderson a professor at the university of baltimore school of law what happened to get him in the van what happened in the van
officer nero who was 29 and had three years of experience on the force when he was charged faces charges of second degree assault two counts of misconduct in office and reckless endangerment the trial was scheduled to start on wednesday but prosecutors on monday asked for a one day delay saying a power failure over the weekend prevented them from preparing a judge is expected to rule on the motion on tuesday
his trial will be the first time prosecutors lay out extended detail on their theory of why mr grays arrest led to charges for three of the officers court filings have suggested the case could hinge on the question of whether the officers had probable cause to arrest mr gray if the officers did not have cause to arrest mr gray prosecutors may argue then the physical act of arresting him could amount to assault
but warren s alperstein a lawyer in baltimore who handles defense cases and has represented police officers said it could be difficult for prosecutors to secure a conviction on those grounds
the supreme court has made it very clear that in circumstances like this law enforcement has the absolute legal right to chase pause apprehend an individual who for no apparent reason flees from the police in a high drug traffic area mr alperstein said
prosecutors are also expected to allege that the officers failure to secure mr gray in a seatbelt after putting him into the van was a crime they have taken the unusual step of securing a ruling that will most likely compel another officer present at mr grays arrest officer miller to testify against officer nero even though he is also facing trial in connection with mr grays death officer porter will also be required to testify in other officers trials before his own scheduled retrial in september normally co defendants are not compelled to testify against one another before their own trials to avoid incriminating themselves
and in another twist the court has not scheduled jury selection for officer neros trial which indicates he may want to put his fate solely in the hands of judge barry g williams
that could leave some residents of baltimore unsatisfied said the rev westly west 28 who was a frequent presence during the protests after mr grays death
i think its important that the people decide in this mr west said itll make them feel like theyre left out of this process
but out in sandtown winchester where mr gray grew up and was arrested many residents already feel left out brandi murphy 36 leaned against a recreational center and watched two teams of 8  to 10 year olds play a game of baseball one evening last week
if there was a conviction id say that would open my eyes and give a little more hope in the system ms murphy said
but she added i just dont see it happening


vienna   austrias chancellor resigned abruptly on monday after seven and a half years in office having lost control of his center left social democratic party amid a rightward shift fueled by anxiety over migration
the chancellor werner faymann initially supported the decision last year by germanys chancellor angela merkel to welcome migrants fleeing war and poverty and to refuse to set a limit on how many might come but after a ferocious backlash mr faymann switched course joining his coalition partner the center right austrian peoples party in supporting border restrictions
the policy reversal was not enough to stop the right wing freedom party which has run on a strident austrians first platform from capitalizing on the influx of migrants in september the party finished second in regional elections in northern austria
an even greater shock to the establishment occurred on april 24 when the freedom party candidate norbert hofer won the first round of the presidential election capturing more than one third of the vote he will face a former greens leader alexander van der bellen in a may 22 runoff
the two establishment parties   which have governed for the past decade in a so called grand coalition a political constellation that has dominated postwar austria   together received just 22 percent of the first round vote no matter who wins the second round the next president will not be from either mainstream party for the first time in decades
although the position of president has been considered largely ceremonial the two parties were thrown into a state of panic
left leaning social democrats angered by mr faymanns reversal on migration policy rebelled things peaked at viennas may day celebrations   typically a day of strength for the party which has governed in the austrian capital since the end of world war ii mr faymann was booed and heckled as party members held signs demanding his resignation
that set in motion a flurry of back room meetings aimed   until now   at rescuing mr faymann at least through the runoff and possibly the summer those talks failed over the weekend and mr faymann 56 bowed on monday to political reality saying he would step down as chancellor and as the partys leader
i am grateful that i was allowed to serve the country mr faymann said at a news conference in vienna
mr faymann said he was proud of his time in office having guided austrias recovery from the financial crisis while investing in education and research
we need to fight unemployment guarantee social cohesion and in the refugee crisis ensure order and humanity mr faymann said the question was thus did i have the full support of a strong backing from the party i have to answer in the negative the majority is not enough however i want to thank all colleagues who have stood with me in these days
vice chancellor reinhold mitterlehner of the austrian peoples party will serve as interim chancellor said astrid salmhofer a spokeswoman for president heinz fischer
under austrias constitution mr mitterlehner could remain in office for days weeks or even months ms salmhofer said parliamentary elections are not expected until 2018 though an early election is now likely
michael haupl the veteran mayor of vienna who won a tight race last year with a pro immigrant stance will take over as the temporary leader of the social democrats but a fierce contest for leadership of the party has already begun
among the challenges facing austria is the integration of about 90000 refugees and migrants who applied for asylum last year as hundreds of thousands more traveled through austria on their way to germany and scandinavia
the freedom partys nationalist and anti islam message seems to have struck a chord even in vienna with its history as the cosmopolitan former capital of the multiethnic and multilingual austro hungarian empire and   from 1918 onward   as red vienna where workers fought street battles to resist the rise of nazism in contrast to the crowds who cheered hitler when he annexed austria in 1938
in 1999 elections the party finished second and its populist leader jorg haider was eventually invited to join a government coalition by wolfgang schussel the leader of the peoples party at the time that prompted european partners above all france to effectively boycott austria much as foreign powers did after austrians elected kurt waldheim president in 1986 despite revelations that mr waldheim a former united nations secretary general had been attached to german military units in world war ii that committed atrocities in the balkans
mr haider eventually lost power and the freedom party split he died in a car crash in 2008 but the party never went away and it has enjoyed a surge of support as tensions over migration have grown


beijing   the brass band strikes up and a squadron of young female singers known as the 56 flowers launches into a rousing anthem to mao zedong whose giant smiling portrait looms over the stage
sailing the seas depends on the helmsman the singers and a backup choir warble in the great hall of the people a vast venue usually reserved for chinas legislature and other official meetings making revolution depends on mao zedong thought
it was an extravaganza worthy of china half a century ago when mao was treated as a political demigod   before the bloodshed and disillusionment of the cultural revolution had battered his cult of personality
but the 56 flowers big show happened last week at one of beijings central political sites and it has ignited accusations that officials connived in rekindling cultural revolution era veneration of mao right before the 50th anniversary of the start of that traumatic era video from the concert has spread online fanning the controversy
in another part of the show on may 2 a red banner appeared across the stage with pictures of soldiers and a slogan from 1970 people of the world unite and defeat the us aggressors and all their running dogs
ma xiaoli the liberal leaning daughter of a late communist party veteran warned in a letter published online that the organizers of the show were playing with ideological fire by reviving slogans and songs associated with one of the most harrowing times in modern china sailing the seas depends on the helmsman was written in 1964 and it became a standard during the cultural revolution
this performance had many elements that were deeply colored by the cultural revolution and this should prompt vigilance and concern ms ma wrote
beware of the revival and resurgence of the cultural revolution she added this was a vile episode in turning back history
ms ma has in turn been condemned online by neo maoists who argue that political liberals are using controversy about the cultural revolution to vilify their political idol
this just shows the importance of history as a proxy war for current political debate said jude blanchette an american researcher working in beijing who is writing a study of maos contemporary legacy
the controversy has also shown how difficult it is for the communist party to police its own propaganda policies meant to burnish maos public halo but without reviving fears of a return to purges and tumultuous mass campaigns
the concert took place just steps away from tiananmen where maos portrait hangs president xi jinping in particular has sought to protect maos legacy from critical discussion of the cultural revolution and other upheavals he would rather not revive such divisive memories yet officials also stand by the partys past condemnation of the cultural revolution which sought to shift the blame to maos radical underlings
this proves the enduring danger in the partys own history for the party itself mr blanchette said of the contention over the song indeed how can the chinese communist party and xi jinping argue that history is the best textbook but then make blanket prohibitions on historical remembrance both the positive and the negative
who was responsible for organizing and approving the more provocative parts of the performance remained unclear everyone involved seemed to deny responsibility many initial reports about the show and the ensuing debate were stripped from the internet and the website for the 56 flowers was down on monday
the china national opera and dance drama theater which helped to organize the concert said in a statement on friday that it had been misled about the show which it thought had the backing of the partys propaganda department a district cultural committee in beijing in charge of vetting such shows also said it had been deceived
but chen guang the manager of the 56 flowers said in a telephone interview that he had not misled anyone and that the group had no intention of fanning nostalgia for the cultural revolution
the only thing i want to say that we did not engage in any fraud mr chen said the songs the concert it was all organized by us and it was our kids who sang it thats our spirit and thats the song we wanted to sing but we didnt promote cultural revolution by doing this
but while the propaganda authorities may have disavowed this particular show the 56 flowers is the kind of ensemble that could only flourish with official help
mr chen and his partners founded the group of young women chosen to symbolize the 56 ethnic groups recognized by the government as a wholesome counter to the south korean and japanese girl bands and boy bands that many young chinese adore
the groups website before it went down dismissed critics of its blend of cute pop and party propaganda the 56 flowers it said would resist the infiltration of external pop idol culture and steadily grow in order to wage a counteroffensive


on monday as the spring auction season began in new york sothebys announced a 259 million loss for the first quarter of 2016 compared to income of 52 million the year before the publicly held auction house said that the loss was unremarkable having posted a first quarter loss for 22 out of the last 25 years
still sothebys could have used some good news at a time when the art world is watching to see whether the tumultuous changes wrought by the companys president and chief executive tad smith are paying off
mr smith has invited this kind of scrutiny by spending up to 85 million for a boutique art advisory business in january even as he reduced staff by 80 people through buyouts incurring an expense of 40 million
the reorganization included bringing in amy cappellazzo a former christies executive and co founder of the acquired art agency partners to lead a new fine art division above several of sothebys longtime specialists this helped contribute to the departures of more than a dozen executives resulting in a significant brain drain for the auction house several art experts said
mr smith also oversaw the largest guarantee in auction history paid for a single collection to the family of a alfred taubman last fall sothebys guarantee to the family was 509 million and sales thus far have brought 473 million including post auction private sales but the company says its shortfall on the sale is only 3 million because of the potential value of the unsold taubman lots it still owns
the days of the two major auction houses making big losing bets on guarantees just to gain market share may be behind us but many other challenges face both houses in a choppy market said thomas c danziger a new york lawyer who negotiates auction sales for major dealers advisers and collectors the next two weeks may well be a watershed moment for sothebys
on a conference call with analysts on monday mr smith said that sothebys nevertheless experienced a number of high points so far in the second quarter including a 17 percent sales increase in its april hong kong sales adding that he was hopeful about the coming week of auctions
mr smith also said on the call that an undisclosed outside sothebys investor might make further purchases of the companys stock   through the open market private transactions block trades or derivative transactions   to bring that persons holdings to at least 10 percent of the outstanding shares the auction houses stock jumped on this news rising six percent to close at 2891 a share
while it is unusual for sothebys to float the prospect of a stock purchase without providing more specifics some analysts said they were encouraged by the forthcoming nature of the announcement
there is a naturally high level of opacity to sothebys talking about their business said said david schick the lead luxury analyst at consumer edge research so a wide ranging talk about the art cycle details on expenses changes in strategy and an outside buyer all worked to break down that lack of understanding
more clarity improved investor confidence mr schick continued and we think helped contribute to a rally for the shares
the loss sothebys said was partly because of a 35 percent decrease for the company in its auction sales over all the primary factor in a 33 percent decrease in commissions the auction houses total revenues were down 491 million compared to last year
some analysts agreed that a general market trend was largely responsible this is a big reflection of where the art cycle is and what that does to the financials mr schick said
the impact of mr smiths changes mr schick said have yet to be seen when you bring in a new manager it actually gets worse before it gets better he said the company is repositioning under new leadership
since the second and fourth quarters include the biannual marquee new york impressionist modern and contemporary sales they have in recent years represented about 80 percent of total annual auction revenue sothebys said that investors should focus on results for those periods which better reflect the business cycle of the art auction market
david kusin who runs the consulting firm kusin  company said it was way too soon to draw any conclusions about sothebys performance the froth has gone out of the uplift he said prices should be down compared with the past few years
an anticipated softening in the market has made inventory more limited at all auction houses and guarantees more circumspect we might be in that situation for quite a while mr smith told analysts on monday adding that he was going to be very careful and conservative on guarantees however sothebys evening contemporary sale this wednesday features 10 works whose sellers have been guaranteed minimum prices amounting to a total of at least 70 million
among those who have left or are leaving sothebys are david norman vice chairman of sothebys americas and chairman of worldwide impressionist and modern art who has been at the company for 31 years melanie clore sothebys co chairwoman of impressionist and modern art and chairwoman of its business in europe 35 years cheyenne westphal sothebys head of contemporary art worldwide 25 years and alex rotter the co head of contemporary art worldwide
well know in six months if these moves were an upgrade said george sutton an analyst at craig hallum youd have to think that would affect things in the short term so we werent surprised to see the spring auctions very thin
many in the art world have also questioned the long term viability of bringing in art agency partners   which in addition to ms cappellazzo the former chairwoman of christies postwar and contemporary art development includes allan schwartzman a longtime art adviser and adam chinn a former investment banker
dont these three create a conflict of interest the art world has asked given that it would seem difficult for an in house sothebys advisory firm to counsel clients impartially and can sothebys longtime specialists feel comfortable reporting to ms cappellazzo who may not have as much expertise in their practice areas
on monday mr smith suggested that his acquisition of the advisory group was partly an effort to improve sothebys private sales we have a terrific team he said but on some of the other pieces of that value chain weve got a little work to do


lending club one of the largest online lending services said on monday that its chairman and chief executive renaud laplanche had resigned after an internal review showed a violation of the companys business practices
the company said that the case involved sales of 22 million in near prime loans to a single investor the company said the sale was made in a way that was against the investors express instructions the company did not say how the deal defied the investors wishes but added that the issue did not have to do with credit quality or pricing
scott sanborn the companys president will be acting chief executive one of its directors hans morris will become executive chairman
while the financial impact of this 22 million in loan sales was minor a violation of the companys business practices along with a lack of full disclosure during the review was unacceptable to the board mr morris said in a statement accordingly the board took swift and decisive action and authorized additional remedial steps to rectify these issues
mr laplanche was in many ways the face of the marketplace lending company lending club which he founded was the first marketplace consumer lender to go public when it made its debut in 2014 and mr laplanche frequently gave interviews to extol the virtues of this type of lending
since its ipo however the companys shares have been on a steady decline as lending club failed to live up to investors expectations for growth
on a conference call with analysts on monday morning the companys new executive team tried to assure investors that they had done a thorough job fixing weaknesses in internal controls lending clubs chief financial officer said the issue with the 22 million loan sale was isolated
still news of mr laplanches departure drove the companys stock down 25 percent on monday morning
the move comes as lenders such as lending club   which make loans to businesses and individuals and then sell them to hedge funds pension funds or individual investors   are struggling on wall street
the company also reported a profit of 41 million or 1 cent a share for the first quarter that ended march 31 compared with a loss of 64 million or 2 cents a share in the same period a year earlier
this has been a difficult weekend for the lending club family mr sanborn said on the conference call on monday morning despite lending clubs profit in the quarter the company faced trouble funding its loans in the capital markets as investors grew wary about potential credit problems


michel platini one of the most high profile figures entangled in global soccers continuing corruption investigations resigned monday from his position as head of european soccer after his bid to overturn a long suspension for unethical behavior was rejected
mr platini had been president of the continents governing body uefa since 2007 but he was suspended last october for a conflict of interest after a corruption investigation by swiss authorities revealed that he had taken a 2 million payment from fifa the organization overseeing world soccer in 2011 sepp blatter the longtime president of fifa approved the payment   which was issued shortly before mr blatter won re election   and was suspended by fifas independent ethics committee as well
mr platini and mr blatter have denied improper conduct and appealed to the court of arbitration for sport a three judge panel hearing mr platinis case was not convinced but reduced mr platinis ban to four years from six mr blatters case is still pending
in a statement mr platini called the decision a deep injustice and said he was stepping away from uefa so that he could focus on fighting his case in swiss courts mr platini also expressed disappointment that the decision effectively ended any chance he had of running for the fifa presidency in 2019
this decision is inflicting me a suspension whose length will de facto prevent me   as if by chance   from bidding for the next fifa presidential election mr platini said
mr platini and mr blatter have argued that there was an oral agreement between them that supported the 2 million payment which they said was for consulting work mr platini did for mr blatter from 1999 to 2002 this payment the men have said was simply back pay for work already done
the members of the cas panel rejected that argument noting that mr platini had received the money more than eight years after the end of his work relations the amount paid they added was not based on any document established at the time of the contractual relations and did not correlate with the alleged unpaid part of his salary
the court also said that mr platinis demeanor and attitude during the case was a factor citing the absence of any repentance and the impact that this matter has had on fifas reputation
the ruling essentially ends mr platinis career as a high ranking executive in soccer governance a sudden tumble for a figure who was often seen as the obvious successor to mr blatter mr platini was a key leader in bringing the european championships to his home country of france and will not be allowed to take an official role in hosting the tournament when it begins near paris next month the last time france hosted the tournament in 1984 mr platini led his national team to the title as captain


london   prime minister david cameron of britain warned on monday that isolationism has historically led to war in europe and urged his country to stay in the european union saying it has helped keep the continent at peace
his argument by focusing on security and not just economics brought his campaign to persuade his country to remain in the 28 nation bloc into a new phase
the european union has helped reconcile countries which were at each others throats for decades mr cameron said and britain has a fundamental national interest in maintaining common purpose in europe to avoid future conflict between european countries
while he said he recognized that some britons heads and hearts are torn mr cameron said that threats from a newly belligerent russia and from the islamic state meant that cooperation and unity of purpose with allies were vital to the nations security interests
the referendum on a british withdrawal from the european union known as brexit is scheduled for june 23 and mr camerons speech which was widely previewed in the british news media and delivered at the british museum was timed to precede a competing address from boris johnson the former london mayor who is a leader of the campaign to leave the bloc
mr johnson free of mayoral duties said that mr cameron had failed to bring home significant overhauls of the european union which is ratchet hauling us ever further into a federal structure that is more centralized and unitary he charged that european leaders were using subterfuge for their integrationist plans to create a country called europe and that britain as a trading nation would have no trouble replicating trade deals with the world including with the nations of the commonwealth
in a johnsonian flourish he concluded we will win for exactly the same reason that the greeks beat the persians at marathon   because they are fighting for an outdated absolutist ideology and we are fighting for freedom
the government also seized on the admission on sunday by michael gove the intellectual leader of the campaign to leave that a british exit from the bloc would also mean leaving the single market of the european union mr gove who is also the justice minister ruled out a deal like the one that norway has which gives the country duty free access to the 500 million consumers of the european union in return for financial contributions to the blocs budget and agreements to allow european union citizens freedom of travel and labor
one of the strongest arguments of the campaign to leave centers on immigration only if britain is free of the brussels bureaucracy the argument goes can it truly control its borders that is why mr gove ruled out the norway model although the campaign to leave has not been consistent on this issue mr gove asserts that britain could retain duty free access to the bloc which some european union member states have said would not be possible
george osborne the chancellor of the exchequer and the most powerful government official after the prime minister said that mr goves plan would be catastrophic for peoples jobs their incomes and their livelihoods mr osborne said that some people think wrecking the economy is a price worth paying   i absolutely reject that on monday mr cameron called mr goves plan reckless and irresponsible
the gove osborne clash dominated coverage in the financial times which editorialized that brexit is too high a price to pay over migration
most other newspapers like the times of london focused on early excerpts from the cameron speech that newspaper published its story under the headline brexit will raise risk of world war pm claims
paul waugh in the british edition of the huffington post wrote that mr camerons speech was more subtle but that he wont be upset with the bloodcurdling headlines
proponents of leaving the bloc have argued that the campaign to remain has been resorting to a project fear to scare voters into staying
daniel hannan a british member of the european parliament who favors leaving the bloc said on twitter remainers like to think of themselves as sensible moderates but this hysterical language is coming from their side
in another bit of political symbolism mr cameron was introduced on monday by david miliband a former foreign secretary who in 2010 lost a labour party leadership contest to his brother ed ed miliband then lost last mays general election and quit replaced by a left wing activist jeremy corbyn
david miliband who now runs the international rescue committee a humanitarian group based in new york returned to britain to urge voters to remain in the european union he called leaving political suicide on sunday he gave a speech in sunderland in northeastern england saying that the manufacturing jobs of the region would suffer if britain were to leave the bloc
he called the campaign to leave the bloc project fantasy saying that the argument that britain could renegotiate its own trade deals with large countries is risible
he said his temporary political alliance with mr cameron stemmed from their agreement on the importance of the issue


london   an impromptu retrospective of the work of the iraqi born british architect zaha hadid will open in venice this month during the citys architecture biennale it will be the first hadid exhibition since her death on march 31 at age 65
the 10 room exhibition which will run from may 26 to nov 27 at the palazzo franchetti is financed by the fondazione berengo a venetian foundation that promotes the art of glass making
the show will offer an overview of 35 years of ms hadids career from unrealized early projects   including a 1985 plan to transform trafalgar square in london   to works in progress such as a port headquarters in antwerp belgium that is to open in september and a residential building on the high line in new york that is due to be finished early next year the retrospective will be announced this week by ms hadids studio and the foundation
the idea for a hadid exhibition came up in october when the fondazione berengos director jane rushton got in touch with ms hadid on a visit to london ms hadid subsequently designed sinuous vase like sculptures for the berengo glassmaking studio which have yet to be produced said adriano berengo the studios founder berengo is based in murano in the venetian lagoon and has worked with artists including jake and dinos chapman and joana vasconcelos
ms hadid intended the exhibition to be a smaller research focused show illustrating the new technologies and computational design methods used by her london based practice zaha hadid architects after her death her studio decided to turn it into a survey of her career
we felt the responsibility to address the fact that unfortunately zaha passed away said manon janssens head of exhibitions at zaha hadid architects we couldnt just have the show as it was
other hadid retrospectives have been held at the guggenheim museum in new york in 2006 and at the state hermitage museum in st petersburg russia in 2015
all of ms hadids completed buildings will be represented in some way at the venice show through ms hadids own paintings as well as models in paper relief and 3 d printing line drawings photographs and videos
inside the 16th century palazzo franchetti the first thing that visitors will see is a forest of undulating towers the models created by 3 d printing and presented as an example of the practices working methods were studies for a 2010 competition entered but not won for the central business district in beijing
the first room will illustrate ms hadids early designs with paper relief models in the middle and walls covered by her large architectural paintings many of these were for projects that were never built such as the peak hilltop leisure complex in hong kong 1982 83 or the cardiff bay opera house 1994 96
one room will be devoted to her furniture jewelry and exhibition designs such as a 2008 mobile art pavilion for chanel another will feature filmed interviews with ms hadid
three career milestones will be presented in a dedicated room the vitra fire station 1990 93 in weil am rhein germany ms hadids first built project the rosenthal center for contemporary art in cincinnati 1997 2003 which helped ms hadid win the pritzker architecture prize in 2004 and the maxxi national museum of 21st century arts in rome 1998 2009 an illustration of how the practice evolved
woody yao a co curator of the exhibit with ms janssens and one of ms hadids longest serving architects recalled accompanying her to the architecture biennale in other years
usually when we went to venice we would walk around with zaha and she was an exhibition basically he said every two steps you had to stop and talk to people everyone was taking pictures with her
it will be a very different biennale this year mr yao added


william dudley the president of the federal reserve bank of new york may well be the most powerful policy maker in america who is neither elected nor confirmed by congress mr dudley serves as vice chairman of the feds policy making committee the federal open market committee and he is the only regional reserve president who holds a permanent vote on monetary policy
mr dudley a close adviser to the fed chairwoman janet yellen is a leading figure among the new generation of fed leaders who have made reducing unemployment the central banks priority in the post crisis period on friday morning shortly after the release of the latest jobs report he sat for a wide ranging interview at the new york feds grand dungeon like headquarters in lower manhattan
mr dudley managed to speak more than twice as many words during the hourlong interview as one of his colleagues the st louis fed president james bullard managed last week new yorkers really do talk faster
the fast paced interview has been lightly edited for clarity
does the latest jobs report showing the american economy added 160000 jobs in april fewer than expected suggest a loss of momentum
i wouldnt make too much about the headline payroll number being a little softer because theres other things in the report that are more positive for example total hours worked were up quite a bit average hourly earnings were up quite a bit so theres actually a lot of income being generated from the labor market and the data on payrolls is quite volatile month to month   160000 sounds like a lot weaker than the 200000 people were expecting but its actually well within what youd expect in terms of normal volatility its a touch softer maybe than what people were expecting but i wouldnt put a lot of weight on it in terms of how it would affect my economic outlook
you said in a speech last month that events so far this year have not shifted your economic outlook does that remain the case
i think the first quarter was weaker than expected but in terms of the outlook when i look at the fundamental forces driving the us economy i still think that theyre pretty much in place
employment is growing at a reasonable clip even with the slightly weaker payroll employment gain that we saw incomes are rising wages are on a flat to maybe gently accelerating trend so i think the fundamentals supporting consumer spending are quite good even though consumption was a little weaker in the first quarter than anticipated
another positive is the fact that financial conditions which had tightened very substantially in january and february have eased considerably since that time that provides better support for things like the housing sector also in terms of people looking at their balance sheets their balance sheets look better than they did a few months ago the fact that fiscal policy is going to be a little stimulative adds a little additional support for the economy and while there are still a lot of question marks about the global economy it still looks like the global economy is growing at a reasonable clip so i think the us economy is still on a decent trajectory above trend growth growth that will cause the labor market to continue to tighten which is what we would like and i think well see gradual upward pressure on wages which is desirable and then hopefully inflation will start to track back toward our 2 percent objective
so what should we make of the ongoing divergence between the strength of job growth and the reported weakness of economic growth
typically what happens is the labor market data tends to be the more reliable set of data so youd expect that gdp would tend to converge to the labor market but it doesnt always have to be that way my view is still that were looking for 2 percent real gdp growth over the next year if thats right the labor market should continue to improve we should continue to see tightening of the us labor market probably a gradual acceleration in wages as the labor market gets tighter and if thats how the economy plays out then i think were going to see further moves by the fed to gradually normalize interest rates
where do you expect your benchmark rate at the end of the year
i dont know because it depends on the data the expectations that were shown in the march summary of economic projections the median of two rate hikes seems like a reasonable expectation but it depends on how the economy evolves two seems like a reasonable number sitting here today but it could be more if the economy is stronger and inflation comes back more quickly or it could be less if the economy disappoints
youve highlighted the persistence of long term unemployment as an enduring legacy of the financial crisis are we making progress
the news from this latest payroll unemployment report was actually quite positive in terms of the long term unemployed i think whats happening is as weve run the labor market to a higher degree of utilization the long term unemployed are getting picked up and getting more employment opportunities
i was up at a place that works with the long term unemployed the workplace in bridgeport conn a couple of weeks ago theres no question that there is bias against the long term unemployed in other words when you have a stack of resumes the long term unemployed tend to be shunted aside however when the labor market tightens so the stack of resumes isnt quite as thick as it was before the long term unemployed get the attention that they deserve and then their prospects actually can improve at this point in the economic cycle one reason youd want to let the economy run a little bit hot in terms of putting a little bit of pressure on the labor market is not just because thats what you need to do to push inflation back to 2 percent but also because it will help to bring the long term unemployed back into the labor force and give them opportunities
the new york fed created a new survey of inflation expectations a few years ago and basically since its creation it has shown a steady deterioration in consumer inflation expectations at what point is that fall large enough to cause concern that youre losing credibility
it is concerning that a number of indicators of inflation expectations have come down a bit but they havent come down that much so the direction of travel is concerning but the magnitude of the decline isnt that great at this point i view it as concerning but against that we have to weigh a number of other things in terms of inflation one the labor market is gradually tightening up and i think we are making progress in our objective of getting closer to full employment two wage inflation looks like its stable to gently rising and three if you actually look at the inflation data over the last year despite a stronger dollar and despite lower energy prices core inflation has been quite stable now its been a bit below our 2 percent objective for the core personal consumption expenditures deflator but not that much   16 year over year for the core deflator isnt a big miss especially given that there are a number of forces in play probably pushing that down now you look at the last couple of months energy prices seem to have stabilized and actually increased a little bit and the dollar has actually weakened so im pretty confident that as long as the economy continues to grow at an above trend pace the labor market continues to tighten i am reasonably confident that inflation will get back to our 2 percent objective over the medium term so inflation expectations its a mild concern
what are the questions marks about global growth
we know that there are a lot of uncertainties in the world there always are i wouldnt want to state that this is a particularly uncertain period but as you look at events over the last year there are questions about chinese growth there are questions about chinese currency policy there was stress on emerging economies due to the weakness in global commodity prices there were questions about the efficacy of negative interest rates in europe and japan how effective would they be in supporting those economies the fact is inflation inflation expectations are still very low in a number of places around the world a little bit low in the us quite a bit low in japan and europe so thats a concern that its harder to get inflation back to central banks objectives because inflation expectations are on the softer side of where we would like them so theres still plenty of issues brexit britains june referendum on continued membership in the european union is another issue thats on the horizon so far if you look at the polls if you look at the predictive markets it looks like theyre going to vote to stay as opposed to leave but if they were to vote to leave that would probably be a market event that could actually lead to some change in financial conditions theres always some things but the situation today is dramatically better than it was in the first two weeks of february
are the potential consequences of a brexit vote sufficiently significant that you are less likely to raise rates are your next meeting in june so you can wait and see what happens
i think its one more thing thats in the mix obviously its going to depend on 1 an assessment of whats the economic outlook for the us at the time of the meeting 2 whats the probability of a vote to leave 3 if there was such a vote how much turbulence should one reasonably expect in financial markets so its just another variable in the mix but whats unusual about this particular variable is well have a pretty good understanding on june 24 about how it plays out thats different
if the fed starts raising rates while other central banks are moving in the other direction expanding their stimulus campaigns how much does that constrain you by weighing on the domestic economy
it really depends on how the divergence feeds back into us financial market conditions the big question always when theres a divergence in monetary policy is whats the consequence for currency valuation if the us were to follow a much more aggressive tighter monetary policy than the rest of the world one would expect in that environment the dollar probably would appreciate but that doesnt necessarily have to happen theres lots of factors that affect the currency valuation
monetary policy convergence could have consequence for financial market conditions and if it did wed have to take that into consideration but i dont think a priori i have a view that us monetary policy cant diverge from japan and europe i dont feel theres some clear constraint on the us
do you think the fed has been successful in convincing financial markets that the path of policy is data dependent
its probably not for me to say whether were communicating effectively were certainly trying to communicate clearly the summary of economic projections where we show our short term interest rate projections and we have the median short term projections i think we try to make it very clear that theres no commitment to that thats just the current expectation based on what we know at the time of that particular meeting so at the time of the december meeting the median expectation was four rate hikes in 2016 and by the time we got to the march meeting the situation had changed at least in the minds of many fomc participants and so the median expectation was two rate hikes i think people should understand that as economic circumstances change our expectations about what were going to do are going to change its just what we think were most likely to do at that moment based upon the information we have in hand at that moment in time but if the information changes and that affects the economic outlook then our view of how much monetary policy accommodation is appropriate will change
the market fixates on the median because thats a summary statistic but all that is is an expectation at that particular moment in time based on the available information if the information changes then peoples expectation about what is appropriate is going to change in my mind theres no commitment whatsoever in the dot plot
but last year the fed seemed perfectly happy to use those same projections as a kind of forward guidance about how long it was likely to keep interest rates near zero
i think forward guidance was an important tool of policy when we were at the zero lower bound for interest rates because theres a question of if the economy is weak how can i actually add additional monetary policy accommodation one way you can do that is you can commit to keep short term interest rates low into the future   that can affect long term interest rates and that can provide stimulus to things like mortgage rates support the housing sector so at the zero lower bound that makes a lot of sense
and now
one of the challenges that we face is that we are transitioning from a period where there was forward guidance to a period where theres in my mind not much forward guidance any longer i think the only forward guidance were giving right now is very very soft its just the notion that we expect the rate path is likely to be quite gradual but even that is not a commitment thats just our expectation and i think the market is having trouble adjusting to that fact that after years of having forward guidance they dont have forward guidance any longer so how the economic information unfolds and how that affects the outlook for economic activity for the labor market for inflation that then will drive the monetary policy decisions so the challenge is for the federal reserve to get the markets to think right along with us so as the economic information comes out they revise their expectations about what were likely to do as we do in reaction to the economic information
do you think youve contributed to the confusion by using the same tools to communicate a different message
its on us to communicate it as effectively as possible and i think were trying to do that the federal reserve today is much more transparent than it was even seven or eight years ago in terms of statements press conferences testimony interviews like this one so i think were trying to communicate as clearly as possible unfortunately the world is uncertain the outlook changes in relationship to a lot of developments that are hard to anticipate and so the world is a little bit messier than what we would like it to be but thats the world we live in
does it bother you that investors discount the possibility of policy moves at meetings with no scheduled news conference
i dont think its a real problem because if there was some compelling reason to raise interest rates at a meeting we would do so regardless of whether there was a press conference or there wasnt a press conference scheduled at the meeting in the current environment with the economy growing slowly and inflation below our objective slow and gradual seems like an appropriate monetary policy regime in that environment so if you wait a meeting it doesnt have much consequence but i think if there was a reason to move at a non press conference meeting we absolutely would
after almost eight years of low rates do you see signs of dangerous distortions in financial markets or in the broader economy
we look at this very carefully financial stability is definitely a part of how we think about monetary policy now much more so than before the financial crisis because without financial stability you cant actually have an effective monetary policy over time the two are pretty much joined at the hip so of course looking for places where there might be excesses in terms of financial markets are important because that creates potential vulnerabilities in terms of future financial stability
i would say at this point i dont see a lot of things that disturb me the things that would disturb me would be things that are very excessive in terms of valuation and very large in terms of the weight that they carry for the economy if you think back to the financial crisis you had a big bubble for the us housing sector which was very large and affects lots of people so that was a huge bubble in terms of the consequences for the economy obviously it was magnified by the fact that there were structural weaknesses in the financial system that rather than dampen the impact of the decline in housing actually tended to amplify it i dont see anything like that today there are some areas you might point to and say that those look excessive but some of the areas you might have pointed to six months ago theyve actually sort of self corrected
some people see a new structural weakness in the post crisis decline in the liquidity of financial markets do you share that concern
the bottom line is that the data on market liquidity is mixed some evidence points to no change in market liquidity but other evidence   more indirect evidence   suggests there has been some decline the question is how concerned should we be about that
the fact is liquidity was probably underpriced in 2004 and 2005 its certainly appropriate that weve raised capital and liquidity standards for major and systemically important firms and if that has had some consequence on market liquidity that may be a very appropriate price to pay for having a more stable financial system
unfortunately theres a lot more work we need to do on this market liquidity issue we dont have good data on this for example in the treasury market on dealer to customer interactions we just need to do a lot more work on this to understand how much market liquidity changed what are the factors driving it how much of a role if any has regulation played and is there something we need to do about it
i personally think people are perhaps a little overly concerned about changes in market liquidity in terms of their consequences for the macro economy at the end of the day if liquidity is a little more expensive but the financial system is a little more stable the benefits on the financial stability side are probably much more important than the fact that market liquidity might be a little more expensive
another possible weakness you raised recently is that the fed remains constrained in its ability to lend to securities firms
this is not a new standing issue the ability to lend to large systemically important securities firms was a problem before and during the crisis as well so the fed had to invoke special authority to engage in lending to some firms that if they had failed violently would have threatened to take down the entire financial system and led to in my opinion a global recession that authority has been made more limited by the dodd frank act but the difficulty existed before whats changed is the large securities firms are now subject to prudential regulation and so the question i raised in the speech i gave a week ago is given that we have this lender of last resort gap and the fact that they are now subject to tough prudential regulatory standards maybe it makes sense to think about whether the lender of last resort function should be extended to these entities what we found in the financial crisis is that we could lend to banks but the banks were not always willing to lend to the large securities firms and so i think thats a potential shortcoming of our system that we should re evaluate
do you expect to normalize interest rates before the next recession
i dont have a strong view of how likely or unlikely that is i dont think the risk of a us recession right now is high theres not a lot of imbalances in the us economy in terms of leverage build up monetary policy is quite accommodative fiscal policy this year is stimulative the consumer is in good shape with rising payroll employment and rising household income i dont see a lot of recession risk over the near term that said things could change
the idea that the expansion is long lived a pretty long expansion by historical standards i dont think that tells you anything about how much longer its going to last if you look at economic expansions historically they dont die of old age they die for two reasons one because the fed tightens monetary policy because theres a potential inflation problem thats obviously not going to happen over the near term at least on purpose because we dont have an inflation problem so why would the federal reserve be forced to act and tighten policy in such a manner the second way is a large adverse shock something that happens to the us economy thats unanticipated or it could be an external shock thats a harder thing to forecast theres always a risk of a shock that could push us into a recession but in the current environment given that the monetary policy one doesnt seem to be a big risk in my own mind the overall risk is quite low
are you concerned about the feds ability to deal with a shock given that rates remain so low
i think we have quite a bit of ammunition in some ways we have more ammunition that we had 10 years ago because weve developed new tools that we actually know are effective we could lower short term interest rates we could engage in additional quantitative easing we could extend the duration of our portfolio we could go back to forward guidance and make commitments about the path of short term rates in some ways were in better shape because we actually have tools that we know are effective and we have a monetary policy regime that we shown is very workable even with a very large balance sheet
one of the nice things about the december tightening is we got to test the proposition that we can manage monetary policy even with a very large balance sheet and weve been very effective as we implemented that first move of moving the fed funds rate up into the new target range thats an important thing to know for sure we were highly confident it would work we had done a lot of testing but now we know it works
you didnt mention negative interest rates
i would never say never to any potential policy tool but when the us economy was weak several years ago and we were far away from our unemployment and inflation objectives we did not pursue a negative rate policy so i would take some signal from that i think there are questions about the net positives and benefits of negative short term interest rates clearly it can make financial conditions more accommodative but also it has consequences potentially for bank profitability and i think households wonder about what kind of a regime were in if were in a regime of negative interest rates we also have a very large money market which also raises questions about how well it would work in the united states
this is not something im spending any time thinking about and its not something i contemplate doing now or in the future but at the same time it would be crazy to say im going to rule out categorically a whole set of policy tools it depends on the circumstances
is it possible that were trapped in a world of low interest rates
anything is possible but lets look at how the us economy is performing if the economy is growing at an above trend pace and job gains are sufficient to tighten the labor market then one would certainly expect that that would be consistent with monetary policy normalization over time i think the issue that arises in the current environment is if the economy is growing just a little bit above trend not a lot above trend and were not really certain where the full employment rate is   were approaching the full employment rate at a very shallow angle of attack that means that small changes in the growth rate small changes in what we see in terms of how the labor market is translating in terms of wages can affect the timing of monetary policy by several months but i think the general story of the economy over the last few years is very much intact so i think im not that worried about the issue that were not going to succeed in our objectives i think were still on track
why have we not seen overheating
i think there are residual headwinds from the financial crisis that affect the appetite for people to take on debt for example theres headwinds from the financial crisis that affect the extension of credit to borrowers in the housing sector for example prior to the crisis your credit score didnt seem to have much consequence for your ability to get mortgage credit but now theres a really strong bifurcation of the mortgage market by credit score
also i think that the demographics of the us economy are changing and were getting older that may also be a factor
and of course we exist in a global world and the rest of the world has been growing more slowly than what it was 10 to 15 years ago and that has a consequence for us
how about the local economy youve said that new york is doing pretty well some of its suburbs less so
younger people really seem to like to live in urban centers and new york city is a great city its a huge magnet for people to come to live and work and the suburbs of new york just dont have that same degree of attraction you see this around the whole country theres a lot of economic development going on in city centers there does seem to be a shift in taste in terms of where people want to live and work it disadvantages the new york city suburbs a bit that said the suburbs do benefit by the vitality of new york many many people myself included commute from the suburbs
the fed in general the new york fed in particular and bill dudley by name are often accused of focusing too much on wall street and not enough on main street
we absolutely care about main street thats the whole goal of policy is maximum sustainable employment and price stability theres absolutely nothing about the stock market theres nothing about wall street in our dual mandate the reason why financial markets matter is because they are our transmission mechanism for how monetary policy affects the economy if credit spreads widen dramatically if mortgage rates go up if the stock market plummets that will have real consequences for household and business spending that will affect real gdp growth that will feed into the labor market and inflation im never in my mind targeting a given level of any financial market im looking at financial conditions broadly and asking myself the question are they broadly consistent with the objectives that i want to achieve in terms of employment and inflation
you worked at goldman sachs before you joined the fed and this is often cited as evidence that your sympathies are with wall street
i cant wipe out my employment history but i know through my actions   the monetary policy decisions that ive voted on and the commitment i think ive shown to the community in terms of spending a lot of time traveling around the new york district and trying to really understand whats happening on the ground on main street   hopefully deeds speak more powerfully than words and i hope people judge me on my actions and i hope my actions are very much consistent with the view that i care completely about main street
there is a lot of talk lately about whether the federal reserves structure should be changed to increase its accountability some people would also like to change the feds mandate do you see any merit in the view that things arent working as well as they could
the structure of the federal reserve is very much consistent with the way the whole country is set up in terms of the federalized structure as time has passed that structure of the federal reserve has evolved often in response to financial crises i think that its always appropriate to ask yourself the question could the fed be structured in a different way so it could do its job better but i think people should actually be asking themselves a slightly different question how is the fed actually doing its job today are we actually making progress toward our dual mandate objectives what is the unemployment rate in the us relative to full employment its pretty close where is inflation in the us relative to our 2 percent objective its pretty close things arent perfect i would have liked a stronger recovery i would have liked if wed gotten here a lot sooner i would like the long term unemployed to be employed a lot sooner but were making progress on our mission if you look at how the fed has actually behaved over the last few years i would not want to trade places with a lot of other countries around the world
the second thing i would say its very very important that any changes that are made to the federal reserve are made to make the fed function better not because were unhappy about how the financial crisis played out i completely understand why people are unhappy about the financial crisis as ive said many times theres something fundamentally unfair about the fact that large firms had to be rescued to prevent the financial system from collapsing as people lost their homes and jobs theres something totally unfair about that however the consequence of letting those large financial firms fail would have been worse for everybody im absolutely convinced that we would have had a global depression but its really important not to let that unfairness lead to a response that could potentially hamstring the fed in terms of its ability to achieve its objectives i just ask that people ask themselves the question how is the federal reserve actually performing in its mission
why has the us bounced back from the crisis more quickly than europe or japan
i think its hard to say we have quite a different financial system much more dependent on the capital markets and less on the banking system that may have caused us to have a lot more pain early but then a recovery sooner
the fact that we were very aggressive in recapitalizing our banks early i think was important we got the banks in a much better place of health sooner than many other countries
we also have a more flexible economy in the united states i think its much easier for resources to flow from one use to another pretty quickly and so if there are mistakes that are made in terms of the allocation of resources those mistakes get corrected quite quickly
and i think the fed probably had a role i wouldnt want to overstate our role but we were very aggressive in terms of monetary policy coming out of the financial crisis we were very concerned about the us ending up in a situation where inflation expectations ended up anchored to the downside that they could be come trapped at the zero lower bound and monetary policy could lose its effectiveness to guard against that risk we were very aggressive in terms of how we pursued monetary policy through the financial crisis and in the aftermath i think there are a lot of factors and i like to think the federal reserve played its part


charlies chocolate factory has found its wonka
the actor christian borle who has won two tony awards for peter and the starcatcher and something rotten will play willy wonka in a broadway production of charlie and the chocolate factory next year the producers announced monday
that makes for a busy season for mr borle this fall between his departure from something rotten and his arrival at charlie and the chocolate factory he is to play marvin in a lincoln center theater revival of falsettos
the musical version of charlie and the chocolate factory that is slated for broadway is to be a substantially retooled version of a musical that has been playing in london since 2013 both are adapted from the 1964 book by roald dahl the broadway version is expected to more explicitly echo the sounds of the 1971 musical film willy wonka  the chocolate factory
one new indication that the producers are serious about reworking the british production they said that they had hired basil twist the acclaimed puppeteer whose singular aesthetic last year won him a so called genius grant from the macarthur foundation to join the project
the broadway show like the london production will feature music by marc shaiman lyrics by mr shaiman and scott wittman a book by david greig and design by mark thompson but it will feature a new director jack obrien and choreographer joshua bergasse
the musical is being produced by warner bros theatre ventures langley park productions and neal street productions and is scheduled to begin performances next march at broadways lunt fontanne theater


tokyo   takata the japanese airbag manufacturer at the center of the largest auto safety recall in history revised its estimates of a profit in the latest fiscal year to a loss of 120 million as the costs of the crisis mounted
the estimate for a loss of 13 billion yen or 120 million made public on monday in a preliminary filing with the tokyo stock exchange amounted to an admission that takata had been overconfident in predicting a quick end to its troubles about 70 million vehicles are now being recalled in the united states to fix takata airbags that can explode violently when they deploy tens of millions more have been recalled in other countries after two straight years of losses takata is facing dwindling cash reserves and questions about its future
until monday takata had stood by a prediction it made a year ago that it could repair the financial damage relatively soon at the time the company said it expected to earn a net profit of Y=5 billion for the year which ended march 31 making a fast rebound from a loss of Y=296 billion the previous year
many analysts had called that projection overly rosy it became effectively impossible a week ago when takata said that it planned to book charges totaling Y=201 billion to cover recalls and settlements with consumers who had been injured by the defective airbag inflaters that figure was four times the size of the profit it had been projecting
exactly how much the recalls will ultimately cost takata remains unclear the company is scheduled to report its final earnings for the previous year on wednesday along with its first forecasts for the current financial year which should provide a window into its latest thinking about the impact of the crisis
automakers not the airbag maker are responsible for carrying out the recalls they bear much of the initial cost which they can try to recoup from takata but the process involves delicate negotiations and calculations about the extent to which carmakers can squeeze a supplier whose products they still depend on
many analysts say takata will never be able to cover its share of the costs the company has hired an advisory team of lawyers and other specialists in corporate restructuring which is seeking potential sources of emergency capital like a major new investor or even a buyer to take over the company according to news media reports in japan takata needs a cash infusion to avoid bankruptcy and is hoping to secure some kind of rescue by the end of the summer the reports said
american regulators ordered a major expansion in the airbag recall last week after takata announced the Y=201 billion accounting charge in its short filing on monday the company did not say what additional financial impact it expected as a result of the expansion which covered up to 40 million vehicles more than doubling the size of the recall in the united states


brussels   the greek debt talks are entering an all too familiar stage as the countrys creditors on monday sought to overcome a standoff over whether to give new aid to athens
eurozone finance ministers discussed the bailout terms and for the first time formally debated ways to possibly ease greeces giant debt burden but the talks here on monday were inconclusive
the ministers said they would meet again on may 24 in hopes of signing off on a long delayed review of whether athens is complying with the terms of the 86 billion euro bailout agreed to last summer   its third financial lifeline since the crisis began seven years ago
jeroen dijsselbloem the head of the eurogroup of eurozone finance ministers told a news conference monday evening that there could be an agreement leading to more aid for greece at that may 24 meeting
the greek government said on monday that it hoped an agreement would make it possible to dispense EUR57 billion or about 65 billion from the bailout funds
once again though there are wide gulfs between european officials greece and the international monetary fund over a continuing austerity program and the prospects of debt relief for athens
greece needs the money to make a debt payment in july if the parties involved do not come to terms the country could default and the markets could be put through another summer of tumult a year ago the jockeying over the bailout prompted fears that greece could crash out of the eurozone and destabilize the wider regional economy
the situation does not seem to have changed much in a year
the imf a major creditor has been threatening not to contribute to the bailout program if eurozone member states fail to offer greece some debt relief and although the greek parliament has narrowly approved a bill overhauling the debt ridden countrys pension and tax systems workers in greece started a three day general strike on friday protesting austerity that has cut household incomes by a third with around 25 percent of greeks still unemployed
the eurogroup ministers have struggled for weeks to find common ground between their national governments and the imf which has demanded far reaching guarantees to make the prospect of greece paying back its loans more realistic
in a statement on monday the finance ministers said that greece must still put in place a mechanism to ensure that additional austerity measures are automatically implemented if necessary
greek debt is around 177 percent of gross domestic product and its potential to climb was underlined by an analysis prepared by the european stability mechanism the eurozone bailout fund that analysis seen by the new york times on monday showed that greek debt could fall as low as 63 percent of gross domestic product by 2060   or rise as high as 258 percent by that same year the wide range was a result of different scenarios using variables like the greek growth rate and the external economic environment
the imf has also long sought to persuade eurozone countries to offer greece some debt relief arguing that the countrys level of debt has to be cut in a letter to the eurogroup last week christine lagarde the funds managing director threatened not to contribute to the bailout program that was agreed upon last year if debt relief was not offered
germany the main national lender and a number of smaller countries that have endured austerity are skeptical about whether greece needs such relief
my assumption will be that there will be a problem of debt sustainability that we need to address mr dijsselbloem acknowledged during the news conference how big it is when we need to address it how we can address it we will discuss in detail next eurogroup he said
euclid tsakalotos the greek finance minister warned over the weekend that imposing more pain on greece could lead to the breakdown of bailout negotiations and the creation of a failed state in the region that could shake the currency bloc
but on monday at a separate news conference after the finance ministers meeting mr tsakalotos suggested that the plans for an austerity mechanism were acceptable to greece
asked whether the mechanism would also be acceptable to the imf mr tsakalotos indicated there could be still be more wrangling ahead the imf made it quite clear it wasnt its favorite mechanism   that it didnt think it was what it would have chosen he said but i think there is a general recognition by the imf that we can only do what is legally possible
there has also been mounting discontent among ordinary greeks over the new measures protests during the weekends general strike briefly turned violent on sunday when hooded youths pelted the police with firebombs and stones outside the parliament building in central athens
the package of measures includes 54 billion euros or about 62 billion in budget savings chiefly stemming from an overhaul of the social security system including more cuts to pensions and higher social security contributions the package also includes higher taxes for greeks on medium and high incomes and higher levies on alcohol and cigarettes


london   monday is europe day the european unions annual celebration of peace and unity on the continent this being the european union do not expect any fireworks or carousing in the streets of brussels although several public events are planned
the holiday commemorates a 1950 speech by robert schuman the french foreign minister at the time that set out the case for a european coal and steel community this was the core of what became the european union
though most of the continent is mercifully free of war an accomplishment for which the european union won the nobel peace prize in 2012 it is facing more challenges than ever here are six
british voters will decide on june 23 whether to leave the 28 nation european union a withdrawal that is known as brexit driven by fears over immigration dissatisfaction with the bureaucracy in brussels and anxiety over britains evolving place in the world the campaign to leave says that britain will be stronger outside the european union although most experts say the economy would take a hit at least in the short term
prime minister david cameron who is helping to lead the campaign to remain gave a forceful speech on monday warning that leaving the european union would raise the risk of conflict his office even released a video showing four world war ii veterans to make the case president obama visiting london last month also urged britain to stay in the bloc 
more than one million people desperate and fleeing war and persecution entered the continent last year testing the european unions bonds a majority ended up in germany where chancellor angela merkel defying domestic and international critics insisted on keeping the door open to asylum seekers under a deal with turkey reached in march asylum seekers using clandestine routes to reach greece from turkey are being sent back while the european union will directly resettle refugees mostly syrians who have been processed and registered in turkey
many observers say the crisis will not really abate without a political or other resolution to end the syrian civil war which is now more than five years old 
dissatisfaction with the european union is nothing new but a combination of factors   anxieties over islamic extremism fears of terrorism and economic stagnation   have fueled right wing parties across europe
 marine le pens national front made big gains in the first round of regional elections in france in december several weeks after terrorist attacks killed 130 people in and around paris though her party was shut out of power in the second round of voting
 in germany the migration crisis has fueled the rise of the far right alternative for germany
 last week the once marginal uk independence party which supports a british exit from the union won seats in the welsh assembly and in the london assembly
 the fidesz party of viktor orban elected prime minister of hungary in 2010 and the law and justice party which swept to power in poland in october have alarmed human rights and civil liberties groups by limiting news media freedoms reining in the judiciary and lashing out at dissidents 
years after the financial crisis of 2008 9 europes economy is only fitfully recovering
 the international monetary fund projects that the euro area will grow by a lethargic 17 percent this year compared with 43 percent in emerging and developing economies 26 percent in the united states and 22 percent in britain which does not use the euro
 aging populations stagnant productivity and rising inequality in europe are fueling discontent from 2008 to 2014 greek households lost 24 percent of their disposable income while german households gained more than 15 percent
 youth unemployment in italy germany and spain is high in france even a modest attempt to loosen the countrys rigid employee protections has been met with stiff protests 
monday is also victory day in russia commemorating the soviet unions triumph over nazi germany in 1945 a giant military parade in moscow celebrates the occasion the defeat of the third reich is traditionally observed on may 8 in europe where anxiety over a newly assertive russia is one reason the european union has been reluctant to confront poland and hungary more forcefully
the collapse in oil prices has sent russia into an economic malaise but president vladimir v putins assertive and unpredictable foreign policies   his seizure of crimea in 2014 and his military intervention in the syrian civil war last year   have made him a force to reckon with 
the song contest known as much for its campiness and kitsch as for the talents of its contestants is in its 61st year this years competition culminates in stockholm this week with the finals on saturday it is not sponsored by the european union but like soccer it has arguably become a unifying influence for a continent still haunted by the ghosts of history and it is at least one thing worth celebrating this europe day


once you get past places in vermont on the list of the worst counties for hillary clinton so far in the primaries you quickly arrive at coal county okla where she won just 19 percent of the vote
mrs clintons profound weakness in a county named coal is not because of her comments about shutting down coal mines as one might expect those comments came after the oklahoma primary
its because coal county like much of the traditionally democratic parts of the south has a huge number of registered democrats who now vote republican in presidential elections in the states with closed or semi closed contests   like oklahoma   these registered democrats can participate only in the democratic primary
when they do they have tended to vote against hillary clinton and for bernie sanders the senator from vermont
coal county okla is one of the most extreme examples there 80 percent of voters are registered democrats yet president obama won just 27 percent of the vote in 2012 mrs clinton has performed very poorly where the share of voters who are registered democrats is much greater than the share of voters who supported mr obama
the same phenomenon dogged mr obama in the 2012 presidential primary when he won just 22 percent of the vote in coal county okla thats not a typo i mean the 2012 democratic presidential primary when he had no major opposition not the 2008 one when he had a tough contest with mrs clinton
these conservative democrats are a legacy of the old democratic strength among white voters in the south where many white conservatives nonetheless remain registered as democrats in several states these voters can be something of a consolation prize to mr sanders who has often complained that closed primaries prevent many of his younger and independent supporters from voting
it bodes well for mr sanderss chances in coal country this month starting in west virginia on tuesday west virginia like oklahoma has far more registered democrats than obama voters
even today 49 percent of voters are registered democrats in west virginia but mr obama won just 355 percent of the vote against mitt romney in 2012 mr obama won just 59 percent in the 2012 primary in a one on one contest against keith judd who was in prison at the time and who will be on the west virginia ballot again on tuesday
the results of these counties have another odd characteristic a huge number of votes for minor candidates in coal county around 6 percent of the vote went to the former maryland governor martin omalley and obscure candidates like michael steinberg 3 percent mr judd 4 percent star locke 4 percent and roque de la fuente 2 percent also picked up support these candidates combined to receive nearly as many votes as mrs clinton   and in other counties they actually did
in the open primaries as in texas or alabama these conservatives tend to vote in the republican primary   just as they vote for republicans in presidential elections but in closed or semi closed contests like florida louisiana and oklahoma such voters must cast ballots in a democratic primary if they want to vote in a primary at all the result mrs clintons support surges once you cross the state line from oklahoma to texas but the turnout plummets
the same effect can be seen across the south mr sanders fared far better in the florida panhandle where a majority of voters are often registered democrats but republicans prevail than he did on the other side of the state line in alabama or georgia with their open primaries
in all nine of the panhandle counties carried by mr sanders mr omalley won at least 10 percent of the vote but these counties have very few voters and many of them are black democrats who have tended to be big supporters of mrs clinton so it didnt hurt her to the same extent in florida as it did in oklahoma
the only exception so far is pennsylvania where mrs clinton fared well in the traditionally democratic appalachian part of the state and where there were very few votes for minor candidates
its unclear whether these voters sincerely support mr sanders demographically similar voters on the other side of the state border arent showing up for him so theyre not exactly feeling the bern
exit polls in oklahoma which allowed independents to vote in the democratic primary for the first time showed mr sanders winning among people who wanted more conservative policies than mr obama or who trusted neither mr sanders nor mrs clinton in a crisis these are probably not voters who are getting fired up for the democratic revolution
its possible that some of the democratic voters showed up to vote for a republican but found themselves turned away
perhaps they showed up to vote in a local or statewide primary maybe some decided on mischief and were meddling with the democrats
or they might have simply wanted to register displeasure with a democratic party that has largely left them behind


ever since franklin d roosevelt four freedoms park opened on roosevelt island four years ago city hall has been arguing with the nonprofit group that built and runs the park over whether it is fully accessible to disabled people
the little known dispute has now reached an impasse with the de blasio administration declaring categorically that the park is not accessible and needs to be fixed
president roosevelt himself would have been unable to use a 12 by 60 foot sunken terrace at the southernmost end of the memorial he was paralyzed from the waist down and depended on a wheelchair for mobility
there is a particularly tragic irony in a park commemorating the legacy of franklin delano roosevelt   one of this countrys great historical figures with a disability and a role model to so many   that is not completely accessible to those with disabilities said natalie grybauskas a spokeswoman for mayor bill de blasio a democrat
though the park is open and operating the city is withholding a permanent certificate of occupancy and hundreds of thousands of dollars in financing until the matter is resolved
board members of the four freedoms park conservancy said that the sunken terrace was a design device created to enhance the views from an open air enclosure known as the room and that those views could be enjoyed by anyone in a wheelchair or motor scooter
from that vantage point the individual has full access to the visual experience intended by architect louis kahn the conservancy said in a 2014 analysis
the room has granite walls on three sides in place of a fourth wall is an uninterrupted vista of the east river this barrier free illusion is made possible by the sunken terrace beyond called a ha ha for the jolt of pleasant surprise it induces
the ha ha is like an invisible fence ensuring that no one can fall or jump from the room into the river though it can be reached by steps on either side of the room the sunken terrace was not intended by mr kahn to be a destination itself said james stewart polshek a conservancy board member who studied under mr kahn
you feel like youre in a pit mr polshek said
mr kahn one of the most influential american architects of the 20th century designed the park shortly before his death in 1974 that was long before the americans with disabilities act took effect prohibiting discrimination in any public accommodation on the basis of disability but construction of the park did not begin until 2010 long after the act was enforced
both the conservancy and city hall say their positions are supported by the law it seems possible to interpret the welter of complex accessibility regulations under the federal act either way
the remedy favored by the de blasio administration would be to install ramps on either side of the room
sally minard the president and chief executive of the conservancy said the use of ramps had been thoroughly explored but it would present its own drawbacks
railings would have to be installed along the ramps and behind benches that are now sheer slabs of mount airy granite set off against monumental blocks of the same whitish gray stone this would compromise the kahn design which the conservancy tried to follow as faithfully as possible
the consequences of doing it   for everyones experience   seemed to outweigh the value ms minard said the decision was not seen as a problem because we believed then as we do now that the park more than meets the requirements for accessibility for those with a disability and that the memorial as a whole is ada compliant
she said that the conservancy was prepared to continue operating as it does now under a temporary certificate of occupancy while acknowledging that the missing financing from the city is meaningful city hall puts the figure at 900000 the conservancy at 600000
it is unclear at the moment how or when the issue will be resolved for the time being the lowest level of the ha ha is closed to everyone
at least one advocacy group the roosevelt island disabled association supports the conservancys viewpoint the conservancy has helped guide and finance the associations own project on the island the fdr hope memorial which features a sculpture of president roosevelt in a wheelchair
jim bates the president of the association who uses a wheelchair and motor scooter said there is a better view from the room above than there is from the ha ha below because of a wide parapet wall at the end of the sunken terrace
the upper level is ideal mr bates said you can see everything
the kahn design had already been modified in subtle ways to improve accessibility ms minard said
loose gravel a difficult surface for wheelchairs and motor scooters was originally specified for two allees instead the conservancy installed a polypropylene honeycomb grid of two inch hexagonal voids filled by gravel clusters held together by resin it also raised the level of the cement and gravel fill between the 4 by 4 inch granite pavers in the promenades on either side of the island to offer a smoother ride for those on wheels
ms minard said both modifications had been made in consultation with victor calise the commissioner of the mayors office for people with disabilities
accessibility has generally improved at the south end of the island because of the memorial mr bates said it had been rutted parkland before   hostile terrain for a scooter i probably got stuck three or four times going into that area he said


palmyra syria   for a russian there is never a bad time or place for a classical music concert
and for the concert in the ancient ruins of this war ravaged syrian city staged last week by russias premier orchestra the mariinsky theater orchestra the invitation came as improbably as the event itself
russias foreign ministry called my cellphone on a saturday morning be ready to fly to syria in a few days we cannot tell you anything more but there is a dress code bring a bulletproof vest
so began the latest twist to russias military intervention in the syrian civil war which has been characterized by subterfuge and misdirection since it started in september thats when the world was told that giant ilyushin 76 transport airplanes flying from russia to syria were carrying humanitarian aid when in fact they were bringing soldiers and military supplies
airstrikes commenced the russians said their warplanes were targeting terrorists western governments however said the real objective was to prop up moscows ally the government of president bashar al assad
in march russias president vladimir v putin proclaimed the operation completed yet at least hundreds of soldiers and dozens of aircraft remained
the curtain pulled back if just a little on russias syrian venture when the russian press plane touched down around dawn one day last week at the kremlins air base in the coastal city of latakia
nearly a hundred moscow based foreign reporters emerged blinking in the sun and were greeted by russias desert soldiers round sunburned slavic faces peered from under tan helmets
the tour of russias battle for hearts and minds   and ears   in syria began in a tent mess where a line of cheery middle aged women ladled out kasha and tushonka the russian form of spam
one group of soldiers dressed in blue shorts and t shirts played volleyball and jabbed away at punching bags for the television cameras
an enlisted man was placed in a shipping container turned library his nose trained on an open encyclopedia of russian military medals as if improbably he had suddenly decided to study up as cameras rolled
defense is a system of political economic social legal and military means a placard on the wall read seeming to illustrate the modern russian way of war that we were witnessing
sometimes called a hybrid war after the intervention in ukraine in 2014 that brought these tactics to light it is a doctrine of tightly integrated diplomacy and messaging   including the art of military misdirection called maskirovka   along with conventional force at play now in syria
this strategy prizes so called soft power in syria however old fashioned hard power also abounds
the air base is a panoramic scene cluttered with helicopters and planes russian armored vehicles and trucks sit on acres of parking lots despite the declared end of their presence here there was no sign of packing up during our visit a syrian road crew was laying fresh smoking black asphalt to make room for more
but russia as the united states tried in iraq has also been attempting to navigate the whirlpools of the wars local politics
reporters were paraded through a reconciliation center where a dozen or so russian officers take calls from armed units seeking to join the cease fire announced in february and aid them in negotiating local truces with the syrian army a flat screen television hung on the wall beaming a static image of a dove an olive sprig and the syrian flag
to illustrate its peacemaking efforts the russian military brought the press pool by bus to the dusty village of kawkab in hama province about 70 miles from the embattled city of aleppo and near a front line
the site of ruined cinder block homes on a hill overlooking olive orchards appeared deserted at first but then a crowd of children chanting and waving posters of mr assad emerged to greet the buses
it took many months for the warring sides to come to the negotiating table but it has finally come to fruition the russian military spokesman maj gen igor konashenkov said of this place
in a large green tent pitched in a ruined market syrian military officers signed a cease fire agreement with village leaders then through a slit in the back of the tent young men with red and white head scarves covering their faces materialized said to be newly reconciled islamic militants from the village
with the russian military officers observing from their seats on white plastic lawn furniture the young men clanked battered kalashnikovs onto a table surrendering their weapons then pressed a thumbprint on a sheet of paper
the russian military says that it has overseen more than 90 such ceremonies in towns and villages since february reconciling more than 7000 former rebels and that this work not merely the airstrikes backing mr assads forces is central to its presence
it was unclear however who had reconciled with whom in this ceremony
asked through a russian military interpreter when he had come over to the government side one of the village leaders who signed the agreement akhmed mubarok appeared confused he said he had never been on any other side
i always supported the government he said the interpreter shrugged
outside the tent a russian press official suggested i interview a local man mohamad shoikh who surprisingly spoke english
russia has a very good army mr shoikh said we need the russian army we never want the russian army to leave we want the whole russian army to come here putin is a good leader
all the while there was not a word of confirmation about the concert in palmyra the city famous for its ruins from roman and near east civilizations that had been in the bloody grip of the islamic state until earlier this year
this was a military operation cloaked in secrecy to insert not only the journalists but three stand up basses cellos and other instruments and musicians from st petersburg into the syrian front line city
after a dawn departure from the mediterranean coast russian helicopter gunships buzzed overhead as separate convoys of buses with the press and the string section drove east into the syrian desert
afterward britains foreign secretary philip hammond criticized the concert as a tasteless attempt to distract attention from suffering syrians and he noted that an airstrike on a refugee camp that day had killed 28 people russia denied its planes had bombed the camp
but the concert was simply starkly beautiful and unfolded as the late afternoon sun faded over the ruins
valery gergiev the mariinsky director said he chose the pieces for their optimistic emotions to be played on the same stage where islamic state militants last summer had filmed a video of a mass execution we protest against barbarism that destroyed tremendous monuments to world culture mr gergiev said we protest against executions of people here on this stage
played in a second century roman amphitheater it was a concert of a lifetime   and surely risked a few lives along the way the islamic state lines were said to be about nine miles away outgoing artillery boomed as the buses arrived
then the gentler sounds of pavel milyukov playing johann sebastian bachs chaconne for solo violin echoed through the eerie desert space
sergei p roldugin a musician friend of mr putin recently implicated in the panama papers financial scandal acknowledged after the concert that he had missed notes in a cello solo of the russian composer rodion shchedrin though the piece was pleasant all the same the orchestra played sergei prokofievs symphony no 1
after the solemn harmony some comic dissonance was obtained on the return flight over iraqi and iranian airspace
some russian journalists it turned out had slipped out of the security bubble in latakia to purchase several bottles of a local tipple arak which the russian press corps nicknamed igilovka or the little isis
bottles of the little isis came out a wicked miasma floated around the cabin americans and russians agreed on one thing igilovka must be destroyed and it was before the final approach to the chkalovsky military airfield outside moscow


washington   unfailingly punctual he enters the office without a word he shakes hands with staff members who rise hastily from their desks and studies the home state curios on the walls he is ushered in behind closed doors and within the hour he leaves as quietly as he came occasionally slipping out a back exit with his retinue
then comes the statement from one republican senator after another i had a pleasant visit with judge merrick b garland he is an intelligent talented jurist however i cannot support considering his nomination to the supreme court
with this tango of praise and rejection the once sacrosanct process of filling a supreme court seat has taken a surreal turn in the past even eyebrow raising nominees received a hearing and a vote but senate republican leaders have said for nearly two months that judge garland a relatively uncontroversial nominee will get neither
white house officials have not blinked in this staring contest they have scheduled meetings with any senator who will return their messages   46 to date including 14 republicans this to and fro has left judge garland broadly regarded as a leading legal mind looking a little like the earnest leaflet clutching visitors who hope to raise awareness for their cause and grab a sandwich in the senate cafeteria
the situation seems poised to grow only more complicated with donald j trump wearing the fire engine red baseball cap of the presumptive republican presidential nominee
while senator mitch mcconnell republican of kentucky and the majority leader has been implacable in his opposition to considering the nomination senator jeff flake republican of arizona said his party should be pragmatic if the republicans lose the presidential election he said that might mean confirming judge garland in the lame duck session before the democratic victor could make a new   and potentially more liberal   nomination
if we come to september and we have a certain candidate that it doesnt look promising then we may want to reconsider mr flake said with a coy smile
democrats meanwhile are maintaining their optimism as the senate returns this week from a recess citing polls saying that most americans think the senate should consider judge garlands nomination they point to each incremental concession   a word of admiration here a courtesy meeting there   as proof of republicans weakening resolve
during the recess last week the democrats followed home some of the most vulnerable republican incumbents with mr obama giving regional television interviews and the group americans united for change driving around billboards to urge action on the nomination
and on monday the white house said that judge garland would submit a detailed questionnaire to the senate judiciary committee on tuesday detailing his experience and credentials usually a routine step the move this time is another tactic to pressure senators to act
the nomination impasse has become a serious campaign issue said senator harry reid of nevada the democratic leader
all you have to do is look at the republicans numbers which are dropping significantly he told reporters on thursday and i think theres going to come a time in the near future when even theyre going to say oh mitch ive had enough of this lets go ahead with this hearing and have a vote and get this over with
mr mcconnell however has emphasized that nearly every republican senator agrees that the next president should get to nominate a replacement for justice antonin scalia who died in february senators susan collins of maine and mark s kirk of illinois have been the lone holdouts calling for judge garland to get full consideration
it is rare for the senate to reject a supreme court nominee   the last time it did so was in 1987 when it voted against robert h bork after an ugly political battle in 2005 harriet e miers president george w bushs white house counsel withdrew amid questions about her fitness for the court and her stance on issues like abortion
but even ms miers the 10th and most recent nominee to fail without a confirmation hearing was expected to receive a hearing albeit a potentially rough one given the lackluster reviews of her meetings with senators
no president in at least the past century has had a supreme court nominee go unconfirmed on the grounds that it was an election year according to scotusblog which covers the court
calling on senator after senator in their offices judge garland has filled the minutes with smiles and small talk
senator mike rounds republican of south dakota said he had met with judge garland because presidential nominees deserve such a courtesy but they did not talk about judicial philosophy mr rounds said he had thanked him for allowing the president to fulfill his part of the process
from there we went on and talked about hiking in the black hills and other opportunities mr rounds said
senator richard blumenthal of connecticut a democrat who said he had known judge garland for decades dating to when mr blumenthal was a united states attorney said the judge seemed tentative when they met but he brushed away the idea that judge garland feels discouraged
he knew he was getting into this situation and he saw it as a service   and it is a service   to our country he said for him to endure this kind of grinding uncertainty and grilling i think is a service
the afternoon before the senate recessed senator james m inhofe of oklahoma one of the seven current senate republicans who voted in 1997 to approve judge garlands nomination to the united states court of appeals for the district of columbia circuit said he had decided to sit down with him out of respect for his work bringing justice to the victims of the 1995 oklahoma city bombing
reflecting on the six weeks since mr obama had named judge garland mr inhofe dismissed the notion that his nomination process apparently leading nowhere was odd
doesnt seem strange to me he said i just dont know why were doing it
a few hours later an email reached reporters having met with judge garland mr inhofe and senator james lankford another oklahoma republican said they remained opposed to considering his nomination
the three men had not even emerged from behind the thick wooden doors of mr inhofes office


london   the french oil and gas company total said on monday that it had agreed to acquire saft in a deal that would value the high technology battery maker at 950 million euros or about 11 billion
the deal is totals latest investment in renewable energy technology since the company agreed to pay 14 billion for a controlling stake in sunpower an american solar energy firm in 2011
under the terms of the deal total said it would pay EUR3650 a share for saft representing a premium of 383 percent to its closing price on friday
based in bagnolet in the paris suburbs saft is a designer and manufacturer of high tech batteries for the manufacturing transportation and civilian and military electronics sectors the company reported sales of EUR759 million in 2015 and employs more than 4100 people in 19 countries
the combination of saft and total will enable saft to become the groups spearhead in electricity storage patrick pouyanne the total chairman and chief executive said in a news release the acquisition of saft is part of totals ambition to accelerate its development in the fields of renewable energy and electricity
safts supervisory board has unanimously approved the takeover and said it intended to recommend that shareholders accept the offer
i am convinced that total will provide saft with the required expertise and resources needed for its future development particularly in terms of technological and commercial capabilities said ghislain lescuyer the saft chief executive


seoul south korea   north korea expelled a bbc reporting crew on monday for what it deemed a disrespectful portrayal of the country and its leader kim jong un as mr kim used a rare workers party congress to cement his grip on power
more than 100 foreign journalists were granted visas to visit north korea for the duration of the seventh congress of the workers party the first such political gathering in 36 years but the authorities there blocked those journalists from actually covering the event forcing them to rely on state run propaganda filled domestic news media to glean details of the meeting
the bbc reported that its correspondent rupert wingfield hayes who had arrived with a delegation of nobel laureates before the congress was detained on friday and questioned for eight hours before being made to sign a statement
o ryong il the secretary general of the norths national peace committee said that mr wingfield hayess coverage had distorted facts and spoke ill of the system and the leadership the associated press reported
a producer maria byrne and a cameraman matthew goddard were also being expelled on monday the bbc said they along with mr wingfield hayes were stopped on friday as they were trying to leave the country
in one of his reports mr wingfield hayes said that his team was in trouble after shooting a segment in front of a statue of the norths founding president kim il sung in which he said something on camera that he said government minders deemed disrespectful he said the officials demanded that the video be erased mr wingfield hayes did not elaborate on what he had said
mr wingfield hayes described north korea in one report as one of the most isolated impoverished and repressive places on earth he later expressed frustration that north koreans he wanted to interview ran away when he approached and that everything we see looks like a setup
before its four day session ended on monday the congress bestowed kim jong un with a new top title chairman of the workers party after he called for a more vigorous development of nuclear weapons and missiles state run news media reported the announcement was made during the 10 minutes that a small group of foreign journalists was allowed for the first time to watch the meeting the ap reported from pyongyang the norths capital
the congress also elevated two of mr kims closest aides   the party secretary choe ryong hae and pak pong ju the prime minister and chief economic official   to join the presidium of the partys politburo mr kim leads the presidium which has two other members kim yong nam the head of parliament and hwang pyong so the chief political officer of the military
mr kim the third generation leader in his familys dynastic rule of north korea had been widely expected to use the congress to cement his grip on power and have his crucial policies including the so called byungjin policy of increasing a nuclear arsenal while rebuilding the economy adopted as official party lines
the party meeting took place shortly after the united nations security council imposed a new round of tougher sanctions to punish the north for its recent nuclear and long range rocket tests but the decision adopted by the congress upheld mr kims campaign to expand his countrys nuclear arsenal both in quality and quantity by producing more diverse and smaller nuclear warheads
it also said the country should launch more satellites the united nations has condemned the norths satellite program as a cover for developing an intercontinental ballistic missile
mr kim also said that his country proudly stuck fast to its socialist path of our own choosing by successfully repelling the confusing winds of bourgeois liberalization reform and openness from around us
in its decision the congress also said that north korea would act like a responsible nuclear power would not share its nuclear knowledge abroad and would work for the denuclearization of the world it said it would improve ties with other countries including south korea if they respected the north
but the north made no commitment to denuclearizing itself instead it demanded that the united states prove that it is no longer hostile by stopping its annual joint military drills with south korea withdrawing its troops from the peninsula and signing a peace treaty
south korea dismissed the overture as propaganda saying that dialogue was possible only when the north convinced the south that it was ready to give up its nuclear weapons


mingyue china   i once saw a photo of a man with blue hands they belonged to an artisan textile dyer an ethnic miao who goes by the name han shan or cold mountain
intrigued i requested a meeting han shan said to meet him at an ancient buddhist monastery in western sichuan province on the edge of the tibetan plateau
to put it simply to us dyeing means life he said in the courtyard of the monastery as we sipped tea under a full moon i asked him to explain
speaking in the third person he told his story
he described a boy who grew up in a village in the mountains of guizhou province and the textile dyeing tradition of the miao people while other ethnic groups in southern china also use natural dyes the miao dye is known for its vibrant blue color which comes from what han shan called the blue herb or baphicacanthus cusia
at 18 when it was time to further his education han shan like many young chinese moved to a big city chengdu in sichuan with hopes of a better future but after a year he had become disillusioned with chinas urban dream
one day he decided to walk away from the city literally he set off on foot with no specific destination let alone purpose it would become a journey of more than 2000 miles and 15 years
i wanted to explore an unknown world he said to put it simply i started walking because i was bored
in the years that he walked across tibet xinjiang gansu ningxia and yunnan nearly 445 million people moved from chinas countryside to the city average incomes jumped to nearly 8000 from less than 1000 a year for most people life had rapidly transformed for the better
but not for han shan he remained in chinas past
when asked how he spent his time over those 15 years he decided it would be best to demonstrate
the next day we set off through tea fields bamboo forests and mountain paths along the way he picked wildflowers explaining their properties this flower can be used as a red dye he said throwing one into a basket on his back
in han shans view chinas modernization has come at a price society has lost its connection with nature we are developing so fast we have forgotten where we came from he said materialism is one of the core things that keep people away from nature
for him this carries dangers in taoism we say after the moon waxes it wanes prosperity is the prelude to decline everything collapses when it reaches such extremes
his answer to chinas materialistic society has been to retreat to this village mingyue on the outskirts of chengdu where he cultivates a simple life ironically perhaps he survives by selling the clothing he dyes to the same people he considers too materialistic
the dyeing tradition was passed to him from his mother and to her from many generations of miao before now han shan has carried the tradition from guizhou to mingyue where artists and free spirits like himself are creating a new space for themselves now even some local villagers have taken up the dyeing trade
urbanites armed with selfie poles and shiny new cars seeking a weekend getaway drop by to buy the naturally made clothes their purchases are putting food in han shans stomach a roof over his head and a smartphone in his pocket
the natural dyes may have represented life to the miao people a connection to the natural world but now those same dyes are han shans actual lifeline   his livelihood even those willing to walk thousands of miles cannot entirely avoid materialisms reach


the 61st annual eurovision song contest the campiest event on the international cultural calendar arrives at its glorious climax this week beloved by europeans although mystifying to many in the united states the contest was conceived as a way to unite cold war europe through music   a kind of world cup for pop songs   and to bolster ratings for national broadcasters over the years countries as varied as israel and the nascent balkan republics have vied to enter seeing participation as a sign of acceptance on the world stage this years contest is in stockholm where performers from 42 countries will compete for the top prize   exposure   in semifinals on tuesday and thursday and finals on saturday
who are the entrants
most eurovision participants come from countries in the european broadcasting union a conglomerate of broadcasters from across europe north africa and the middle east last year australia which has a large eurovision fan base and always loves a party brokered a deal to participate and they will be back last year roughly 200 million people tuned in to the finals far more than the super bowls average of 110 million viewers
each year the festival is in the country that won the previous years award swedens mans zelmerlow won last year in vienna with heroes how participants are chosen varies by country sweden land of consensus hosts melodifestivalen a monthslong song contest to choose its participant other countries use juries from the music industry participants from britain france germany italy and spain automatically jump to the finals because their national broadcasters contribute the most funding
what are the rules
eurovisions byzantine voting rules have evolved as organizers have tried to make voting more fair and more suspenseful this year the rules were overhauled yet again winners will be chosen by votes from professional judges in each country combined with votes from viewers
whos hot this year
the 18 year old singer jamie lee kriewitz stepped in to represent germany after an outcry over that countrys original entrant xavier naidoo a pop star who drew criticism because of apparent ties to right wing politics ms kriewitz whose look is inspired by japanese manga and whose sound evokes lana del rey will compete with her love song ghost
in only its second year competing australia has a front runner dami ims sound of silence widely considered one of the best entries in the lineup that song too stirred controversy for the lyric trying to feel your love through face time some claimed that the song referenced apples facetime video chat technology and violated the contests ban on commercial lyrics but conference organizers ruled that the lyrics of the australian song are presented as two separate words face time and not facetime which is an apple trademark
russias entrant sergey lazarev built his reputation as part of the pop duo smash which crooned romance songs in the early 2000s including numbers in french and english his you are the only one is part love ballad part rock anthem the video features frenzied digital animation and fire breathing background dancers
ukraines entrant jamala is a ukrainian tatar whose song 1944 seems to refer to the mistreatment of that ethnic minority group by soviet forces in the waning years of world war ii
the song has sparked controversy in russia where some say it violates the contests ban on political songs
frances entrant amir is a likely front runner with his debut single jai cherche i searched the song has a catchy beat and an uplifting if vague message youre the one thats making me strong amir sings like the melody of my song amir who has tunisian and moroccan ancestry represents a multicultural france after the november terrorist attacks whose targets included a paris concert hall solidarity with france is expected to be strong
what is victory worth
over the decades only a few eurovision winners have hit it really big with their songs including abbas waterloo in 1974 and celine dions ne partez pas sans moi in 1988 ms dion from quebec represented switzerland the riverdance spectacle from ireland started as a halftime show when ireland hosted the competition in 1994 back in 1958 the italian song nel blu dipinto di blu popularly known as volare by domenico modugno was a eurovision finalist
what are its big controversies
this year romania was expelled from the competition after failing to pay a 163 million debt it owed to the european broadcast union which was not nearly as exciting as the last big flap in 2013 when azerbaijan was accused of bribing judges and paying lithuanian students to call in and vote for its contestant in 2009 georgia withdrew after controversy over its song we dont wanna put in which was performed shortly after the 2009 armed conflict between georgia and russia some read the title as a reference to vladimir v putin then the russian prime minister and now the president
why is everyone so into it
national pride friendly competition between countries that once went to war an appetite for kitsch schadenfreude questionable taste   the reasons for applauding eurovision are numerous its like the oscar gala but with more of a freak show and fun in it and more politics said anna charlotta gunnarson a swedish radio host and die hard eurovision fan who has written books on the contest
how can i watch it
viewers in the participating countries can watch on television domestically and viewers around the world can watch on eurovisions website eurovisiontv the semifinals and the finals begin at 9 pm central european time or 3 pm eastern time for the first time this year the finals will be broadcast on television and the internet in the united states by logo a channel owned by viacom


the republican primaries this year could easily shake your faith in democracy the race whittled a field of 17 candidates down to a showdown between the two candidates with the highest unfavorability ratings in national polls
in many respects donald trump was less conservative than every other candidate ted cruz was more so neither appeared to set mainstream republicans in his sights
you might think that democracys not supposed to work this way   that more broadly acceptable candidates should have risen to the top many republicans i know worry that this outcome reflects a sickness in the republican electorate perhaps but maybe it is just an illustration of the inherent imperfection of democratic institutions
the failure of democracy to provide a coherent ranking of political hopefuls is a central insight of the subfield of economics and political science known as social choice theory the issue is neatly illustrated by condorcets paradox which shows that a shifting set of coalitions can make a collective body appear that it has no idea what it wants
heres how think about the republican party as an alliance of moderates conservatives and populists a coalition of populists and moderates will vote to ensure a populist beats a conservative conservatives and populists will vote together to ensure a conservative beats a moderate and moderates and conservatives will join forces to help a moderate beat a populist
the paradox is that these preferences form a cycle in which the populist is preferred to the conservative who is preferred to the moderate who is preferred to the populist even though the populist was preferred to the conservative who was preferred to the moderate
its as if the voters prefer chocolate ice cream to strawberry strawberry to vanilla and vanilla to chocolate   a bizarre cycle that suggests that voters believe that each candidate is both better and worse than each of the alternatives
its as if the will of the people is an incoherent concept
the problem is not that individual voters are clueless in this story theyre not even if each individual voter is rational and knows what he or she wants the electorate as a whole can act as if it were clueless and cant decide individually rational choices dont necessarily add up to collectively rational choices
the depressing thing is that the problem is actually worse than this the marquis condorcet a french mathematician in the second half of the 18th century showed how a majority rule vote can lead to incoherent collective choices
but kenneth arrow the economics nobel laureate showed in his 1951 doctoral thesis that the problem runs far deeper than anyone had imagined mr arrows impossibility theorem says that there is no mechanism that can coherently speak for the will of the people
loosely speaking this extraordinary result says that any mechanism that aims to speak for the will of the people   that is not a dictatorship   will be susceptible to at least one of three defects
the first possible defect is the problem the marquis illustrated   the problem of preference cycles the second possible defect is that voters will make choices that suggest that the addition of irrelevant alternatives leads them to change their minds this is the equivalent of choosing chocolate over vanilla only to reverse course and choose vanilla instead once strawberry has been added to the menu
the third possibility is that even when each voter individually prefers chocolate ice cream to vanilla somehow collectively the voters will choose vanilla instead im grateful to the economist alex tabarrok for this ice cream analogy
the news isnt all bad the fact that any voting rule is susceptible to one of these defects doesnt mean that the voters must make incoherent choices merely that it could happen and perhaps it just did
mr arrows impossibility theorem suggests that maybe the republican primary results say less about the desires of republican voters than they do about tensions inherent in groups of people collectively deciding what to do
economic theorists have also pointed to a reason that the modern gop may be particularly susceptible to making strange choices if disagreements between voters are simple enough   such as when some want more liberal policies and others more conservative policies   simple majority rule wont result in any of the defects that concerned mr arrow perhaps disagreements between democrats are this simple
but republicans disagree both about the desirability of conservative versus moderate policies and about the need for an outsider or an establishment leader this extra complexity again raises the possibility of collective irrationality even in the face of individual logic
the point isnt that democracy is bad merely that its imperfect and so even if this theorem points to the impossibility of a truly rational democracy it doesnt mean that the alternatives are any better as winston churchill once said democracy is the worst form of government except for all the others


you think youve done everything right your parents or other relatives have signed a durable power of attorney among other things it allows you to handle their finances   taxes bills bank accounts real estate sales   if they become incapacitated
everyone sleeps better months or years later suddenly or gradually the time comes when older family members can no longer manage transactions on their own
you take the witnessed and notarized document to a financial institution   a big brokerage firm like wells fargo or ameriprise or a national or regional bank or credit union and officials say no they wont honor your power of attorney
they insist that the account owners sign the institutions own power of attorney form   very unwelcome news because by now the older account holders may not be competent to sign legal forms thats why youre there in the first place
claire ullman a barnard college professor recently ran into this roadblock she and her husband have been helping an older relative consolidate her accounts
but roslyn savings bank wouldnt accept the new york state power of attorney that the relative had signed three years earlier when she sold her house in this case the bank wants a longer state form in the meantime the relative has developed dementia
we have a power of attorney but we cant use it a frustrated dr ullman said people sign these anticipating incapacity once incapacity arrives its too late to sign another one
its not clear how often similar scenarios with their catch 22 absurdity take place but elder law attorneys across the country say they have encountered financial institutions unwilling to honor valid powers of attorney
even in states where statutes require banks to accept a durable power of attorney or waive their liability when they do accept it elder law attorneys have seen some balk
numerous clients have had this dilemma said bernard krooks a founding partner of littman krooks in new york they listened to all the pundits and drew up the documents then the bank says thats very nice but its not our form
in long beach calif sally gutierrez had helped her mother dorothy hutchings with a checking account at a local credit union
parkinsons disease hadnt affected mrs hutchingss memory or judgment but at times she couldnt write she had bad tremors on her right side and she was very weak ms gutierrez said even making an x was too hard for her
so ms gutierrez put her own signature on the checks and in the spirit of full disclosure carefully wrote underneath poa for 2007 amended hutchings trust she had all the necessary paperwork too or so she thought
in 2008 however the credit union informed her by letter that it would no longer honor the power of attorney staffers insisted the family fill out the credit unions own form accompanied by letters from two physicians attesting to the account holders inability to make financial decisions
it was shocking ms gutierrez said i was panicked
financial industry executives said they couldnt provide estimates of how many banks and brokerages insist on their own power of attorney forms but i dont think its uncommon said nessa feddis the american bankers association senior vice president for consumer protection
she defended the practice banks hold important assets she said they have to be very careful when someone is asking for access to a customers account
you can see her point government agencies and advocacy groups increasingly warn about the financial exploitation of older adults especially those with cognitive impairment the perpetrators are often family members
some financial institutions now train staff members who should indeed be alert to abuse to recognize signs of diminished capacity
but banks have other motivations too typically when theyre insisting on their own forms theyre concerned about liability ms feddis said
if nefarious nephew a illicitly drains a seniors account to buy a ferrari upright nephew b might sue the bank sometimes too banks dismiss a power of attorney as being stale   signed too long ago   or for other reasons
the financial industry regulatory authority the nongovernmental organization overseeing securities firms recently issued an investor alert about powers of attorney it cautioned among other things that you may need a firms own form
what can exasperated families do one avenue a lawyer can often cajole reason or badger banks and brokerages into honoring valid powers of attorney by going above local managers to higher ups
once we get to the right people they accept it said craig reaves a past president of the national academy of elder law attorneys who practices in kansas city mo ive never had to go to court or even threaten litigation
of course you then have to pay the lawyer
or you can be proactive by asking a brokerage or bank if it requires its own durable power of attorney document and if it does having your relatives sign it when they are still capable of doing so youll have to do this for every institution where they have an account
but read those bank forms carefully or have a lawyer review them mr reaves advised they can contain disadvantageous indemnity or arbitration clauses or provisions that contradict the individuals general power of attorney in such cases ill tell clients not to sign and well fight the fight he said
though its usually unnecessary lawyers must go to court sometimes to make financial institutions accept a power of attorney stonewalled families have had to petition to become their relatives guardians or conservators   a long expensive process   when all they wanted was to pay their bills
the caregivers who told me about their travails found less drastic solutions
ms gutierrez managed to open accounts for her mother at a new financial institution dr ullmans relative keeps most of her money elsewhere so the familys inability to consolidate several small bank accounts has been maddening but not harmful
sometimes though people just wing it
eric murray felt relieved when his mother jane asbury completed her power of attorney and health care proxy before moving into an assisted living facility in san jose calif several years ago
a few months later he learned that wells fargo wouldnt allow him to access her accounts to pay her bills because she hadnt signed its form mr murray a software engineer argued that his mother had signed californias statutory form no dice
so he took wells fargos document waited for one of his mothers better days   she had alzheimers disease but could still chat pleasantly   and drove her to a local notary i crossed my fingers that the notary wouldnt ask too many questions and notice that she was impaired he recalled i did most of the talking
mrs asbury signed the notary stamped wells fargo was placated how this charade protected anyone is debatable but the gambit worked mr murray was able to handle his mothers finances until her death in 2013


london   the leicester we have known and not always loved pulled off an entire season of tenacious victories as it blew away the established order of english soccer after clinching the title last week the club arranged a homecoming celebration to be remembered
there was sunshine in leicester on saturday then a downpour king power stadium was packed and outside thousands of ticketless fans simply got as close as they could
inside the italian opera singer andrea bocelli was serenading the team and its italian coach claudio ranieri with nessun dorma the puccini aria sung before the world cup final in rome in 1990 by the three tenors   placido domingo jose carreras and luciano pavarotti
after that bocelli entertained the crowd with time to say goodbye but with his own spin changing it to time to win again
the smile on the singers face gave the surprise away before the words came out grown men celebrated by wearing flat hats in the shape of pizzas while kids on the shoulders of their dads wore the same shirt declaring leicester city champions that bocelli wore underneath his gray jacket
when play finally started saturday leicester ran everton into the ground the final score was 3 1 jamie vardy the rags to riches star scored twice and mis hit a penalty kick so high that he joked he must have been aiming for the club chairmans helicopter in the sky
andy king 27 scored the other goal for leicester a player who is not often in the starting lineup king moved to leicester at 15 after he was released by chelseas youth academy in over 300 games since king has scored in three different leagues as leicester rose from the third tier to the top of english soccer
watching over all this was vichai srivaddhanaprabha the thai billionaire who saved leicester from insolvency and whose son chose ranieri as coach a year ago vichai stood with his arms folded impassive as a statue
there really are elements to this story that no fiction writer could make up ranieri the 64 year old coach was summoned from unemployment to win a league title for the first time in his life at 29 vardy is fighting to be the top scorer in the premier league this season four years after he was a part time player eking out a living as a factory worker
the essence of this past year has come down to team effort for leicester on tuesday the morning after the league title was secured a notice was pinned to the trainers room at the club closed due to unforeseen circumstances
after an all night party at vardys home the players were feted all week long yet at game time on saturday they knuckled down to the hard running and hard tackling style that everton sadly had no appetite to resist
the energy of leicester   the hunger of men who for one reason or another had been bypassed by the bigger clubs   washed over everton as it has most opponents ranieri the deceptively avuncular italian who had flown home to rome last monday to have lunch with his mother explained on the field saturday what he said when he first met the team last july
i watched them ranieri said they were real friends and hard workers i said eh believe me you are better than you think trust me i can make you play good italian football hard clever football in england 
what we learned most from the past week came from ranieris mother renata she might be 96 but in her own engaging interview she told la repubblica newspaper we talked a bit about leicester but he wanted to feel comfortable
over steak and chicory the mother and son talked tactics claudio told me he found a group of players who trained like true professionals mrs ranieri said and finally everything has fallen into place my son has found himself
on saturday the ground was festooned in ticker tape the players and the owner cradled the trophy and ranieri was doing the endless rounds of interviews we know very well that next season will be different he conceded the fans are dreaming i say to them hey dont wake up keep dreaming keep pushing us 
next season leicester will be stretched as everyone tries to shoot it down off its unlikely perch and playing in the champions league will tax its resources too the owners will spend but not extravagantly and both they and coach ranieri have already acknowledged that holding on to the players who emerged as stars this season will come down to negotiations
i tell the players to stay with me one year more ranieri said but if somebody comes to me and says he wants to go i say go i want only happy players
he the club and countless fans around the globe who have seen this group of men grow together have witnessed that it is their unity the sum of their parts that brought the unlikely and shocking triumph
together they are champions apart they might not be the temptation of higher salaries in more exalted places will come but leicesters message is never give up never sell yourself short
unforeseen circumstances indeed


welcome to times insider events   live programming for times insiders and their guests times insider delivers behind the scenes insights into news features and opinion at the new york times
inside the new york times book review is a veritable repository of literary wisdom
first produced in 2006 it also has the distinction of being the longest running podcast at the new york times one that has featured toni morrison john updike stephen king donna tartt tom wolfe jonathan franzen elizabeth gilbert ann patchett patti smith robert caro junot diaz el doctorow ian mcewan and many others
at a recent times insider event pamela paul the editor of the new york times book review and the podcasts host spoke with three of the people who were around at its origin sam tanenhaus the founding host and former editor of the book review dwight garner a book critic for the times and gary shteyngart a novelist who served as the podcasts very first guest
mr tanenhaus and mr garner recalled asking mr shteyngart if he would participate in the inaugural podcast episode and ill never forget his response mr tanenhaus said which was yes or at least find out what one is 
ten years later i still have no idea what podcasts are mr shteyngart quipped
the conversation covered everything from the podcasts production value which has increased drastically to its music to what the hosts learned along the way
mr tanenhaus for one learned to play down the importance of preparation
theres a good excuse for not reading the book in advance which is that if you havent read it youll ask the very simple basic questions that listeners who dont know the book   and dont know the review   are more likely to want to hear
that was sams main advice to me when i started the podcast ms paul added
the hosts also emphasized the importance of spontaneity   and of learning to stifle the fear of sounding stupid
if youre not afraid of making a fool of yourself mr tanenhaus said it can make for pretty good radio
listen to the podcast in full to catch the rest of the conversation
times insider events brings live programming to times insiders and their guests if you are not a times insider but would like to receive invitations to times insider events you can subscribe here


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good evening heres the latest
1 donald trumps campaign began taking over much of the republican national committees financial and political infrastructure so far largely self funded mr trump has no fund raising infrastructure of his own but has said he may need up to 15 billion for the presidential race

2 senator elizabeth warrens recent sharp retorts to mr trumps twitter assaults   labeling him a bully after he taunted her as goofy   suggest that she is embracing the chance to unify democrats against him the approach has added to speculation about her becoming a running mate for hillary clinton who has said she wants a vice presidential candidate who can act as an attack dog

3 the justice department and north carolina sued each other escalating their clash over a law limiting public restroom access for transgender people gov pat mccrory a republican said the government was pursuing a radical reinterpretation of the civil rights act attorney general loretta lynch responded none of us can stand by when a state enters the business of legislating identity

4 good news for anyone worried about wrinkles scientists say they have created a film that works like a second skin returning youthful elasticity to older faces the film used on the left above is made of siloxanes   each molecule links an oxygen atom to two silicon atoms but dont add it to your shopping list yet the material hasnt been submitted to the fda

5 krispy kreme is on the market and the company at the front of the line jab holding added a 25 percent premium to its 14 billion offer to take the chain private

6 a california judge abruptly dismissed a lawsuit challenging the mental competency of the ailing sumner redstone whose vast media empire includes cbs and viacom but the flow of salacious details revealed by the plaintiff a much younger former lover whom mr sumner cut out of his will may not slow much her lawyer is planning to appeal and has filed a 100 million suit against other members of the redstone family

7 the philippines a major us ally in southeast asia voted for a new president the front runner a blunt spoken longtime mayor rodrigo duterte whose campaign included jokes about rape and promises to kill criminals he offers a strong contrast to the soft spoken outgoing president benigno aquino iii

8 our entertainment experts salute the flood of finales as the network tv season ends one highlight the last few episodes of the fourth season of the americans wednesdays 10 pm fx the most arresting vital drama on tv and scandal ends its fifth season thursday 9 pm abc the full list of suggestions is here

9 confusion reigned in brazil after the new speaker of the lower house of congress annulled the vote to impeach president dilma rousseff it appeared that the senate intended to hold to its plan of deciding on wednesday whether to suspend and try her for financial actions that hid the depth of the countrys economic problems

10 steven croman a real estate investor often on new york citys worst landlords lists was charged with 20 felonies including grand larceny and criminal tax fraud the case is part of a legal campaign by the city and state against landlords who strong arm rent regulated tenants out of affordable housing in order to raise rents

11 finally a judge in mexico ruled that the notorious drug lord known as el chapo could be extradited to the us where he faces many charges and is less likely to be able to carry out another escape but a us law enforcement official said any transfer could still be months away

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last fall the furniture designers christian lopez swafford and lauren larson of the brand material lust found themselves rethinking the role of textiles in living spaces they dont have to be rugs on the floor larson says they can be hung on a wall as tapestry or arranged on your bed she and swafford recruited the brooklyn based artists to dodsfall to collaborate on derma a series of all black handwoven works inspired by bodily irregularities the centerpiece suspended from the ceiling in material lusts newly opened experimental salon annex is a sculptural and richly textured blob and a nod to louise bourgeois swafford says made from scraps of leather alpaca wool and cotton and stuffed with old punk t shirts its called tumor i and it really brings together the room
material lust officially launched in 2014 though swafford and larson   both raised by artist mothers and parsons school of design graduates and a couple   began the project long before then as a creative release relegated to nights and weekends larson describes a set of him and her coat racks as their coming out moment those were inspired by a man ray photograph she says but it led us to look into primitive motifs   like hieroglyphics and alchemical symbols swafford says were concerned with where our work fits in the historical context of design and mentions their end goal to make heirlooms however the basis of material lust is oppressionism or exploiting sexual or uncomfortable imagery
these days that provocative tension isnt just in their design   at one point swafford says some people see a rams head some people see breasts some people see ovaries in reference to a sconce   but also in their relationship to the design world upset by how they think gallerists work   almost like vampires finding new talent churning out objects getting as much money as they can and as soon as it stops selling getting rid of the designers swafford says   the duo opened annex on the lower east side to celebrate an insular group of makers supporting one another
on display is the aforementioned derma collection a large scale oil painting of a leather jacket sleeve by the tattoo artist tamara santibanez selections from swafford and larsons private label orphan work and of course material lust pieces old and all new it contains swafford and larsons first upholstered items a lush oxblood colored sofa and an off white pleated club chair the her coat rack stands alongside the door the rams head sconce illuminates a corner an alchemy inspired vanity and side table and the vanishing twin chair a cousin to the pagan chair which garners instagram comments claiming the designers are devil worshippers   to their amusement comprise another setup their scifi looking crepuscule floor lamps are available in updated finishes and a walnut crawl chair with hands hints at whats to come
in february after they dismantle the living room swafford and larson plan to install a folksy bedroom full of hand carved furniture and a different set of artistic partnerships and eventually we want to take over more spaces in the building even if they arent next to each other swafford says we could have two or three things going on at a time   more rooms and concepts of rooms that dont exist an unorthodox yet fitting home for their extraordinary wares


times insider delivers behind the scenes insights into how news features and opinion come together at the new york times in this piece tony cenicola a times photographer describes a recent attempt at shooting starry time lapse videos on the canary islands
for a story about astrotourism in the canary islands i was asked by my editor to do a time lapse video of stars moving across the sky id never shot an evening time lapse before but i knew what it would entail hundreds or even thousands of individual frames stacked together to form a continuous video
i was happy to discover that i had access from the timess equipment pool to a camera with a built in intervalometer   a device that would enable me to set the camera to automatically take an exposure at a given time interval i took it home to do a test and discovered after a couple of tries that i liked the stars rate of movement when i set it at 15 second intervals
i then did some math if video runs at 30 frames per second and i was going to shoot one frame every 15 seconds it would take one whole hour to shoot eight seconds of video yikes i was aiming for at least one minute of video which meant id have to shoot for seven and a half hours
i did a second test to see how long the camera battery would last and after turning off the review screen in order to conserve battery life it lasted a little over two hours
so much for the testing   and off to the canary islands
i left on a 5 pm flight out of kennedy airport and arrived in tenerife at around 9 am the next day after a two hour drive to the hotel i checked my bags and went out to shoot various scenes la lagunas old town the beach made of black sand the seaside cliffs known as los gigantes   as well as any other shots that struck my fancy along the way the sky was overcast at the hotel that night so no stars
the next day i photographed a few more sites on my way back to the airport then flew to the island of la palma where the gran telescopio de canarias is the telescope is the largest and one of the most advanced optical and infrared telescopes in the world
the sky was still overcast when i arrived at the airport and i was beginning to worry to make matters worse the woman at the car rental counter informed me that the road to the observatory was closed   because of snow no less   and that even though i reserved a car with four wheel drive they only had two wheel drive vehicles available
i departed on the two hour drive winding up the mountain on narrow roads after an hour and a half i burst through dense fog to find myself above the cloud layer the views through the trees where stunning and even though i was trying to get to the observatory before dusk i just had to stop to shoot some pictures
the clerk at the observatory residence was just about to leave for the day when i arrived there was no snow on the road after all i threw my personal stuff into my room and drove to the telescope a short drive further up the mountain i met with the engineer who gave me a quick tour and i shot some video while he set up the telescope for the night then i went out to pick a spot to shoot the time lapse
i ended up on a hill that would put the telescope between me and the sunset the whole scene was backed by a sea of clouds that stretched all the way to the horizon
i started the camera and set the timer on my phone to two hours   so id know when to delicately change the battery for the photos to align in the time lapse id have to change the battery without moving or even nudging the camera
after about two hours i decided to go back to the room for a bit and grab some pillows blankets and coffee the temperature was dropping to near freezing and i wanted to be comfortable in the car while i waited for the cameras battery to run out
once its dark youre not allowed to drive with your headlights on anywhere near the observatory to my chagrin i discovered that the rental car being of modern vintage made it impossible to turn the headlights off
i opened the hood and yanked the bulbs out but it wasnt enough the headlights were surrounded by bright led bulbs so i pulled the floor mats out of the car and draped them over the lights   holding them in place with the hood of the car   and drove back to the residence all the while i was holding a flashlight out the window so i could see
i gathered up some blankets and pillows and using some black gaffers tape i taped over the headlights i returned to the observatory and continued shooting until 3 am when cloud cover moved in
when i looked at the images the next day i found them disappointing the scene looked great at sunset but i hadnt adequately captured the transition to night and the telescope itself had disappeared into the darkness   though there was an interesting glow coming from the town below the clouds also every time id started the car for some heat a bright flash of red light had flooded the scene
id missed my only chance at the gtc
the next night though i was back on tenerife where theres another array of telescopes the second time around i knew to park well away from the camera   and to better frame the shot
i reviewed them the next morning after three days of shooting and next to no sleep i was finally happy with the results


welcome to social capital a series devoted to analyzing the social media presences of celebrities
i have no idea what a chowder goblin is only that i want desperately to be one they first appeared in a tweet from the musician perfume genius i just lovingly ladled chowder in to sic my life partners bowl my own bowl and 8 golden ramekins for the chowder goblins
its not an especially unusual perfume genius tweet in that most of them are unusual   his feed is bizarrely amusing in the inane fuzzy way of late night adult swim but as with adult swim theres a real cleverness behind it and anyway hes sober perfume genius is the stage name of mike hadreas whose chowder apparently is real though im not sure i can say the same for the goblins
chowder goblins are just one of the many fantastical elements   and the many other goblins   that haunt the witchy tapestry of perfume geniuss twitter the overall effect is a kind of free associated fairy tale like someone live tweeting a lucid fever dream the longer you try to follow it the more sense it appears to be making   themes emerge and it seems there may be a deeper meaning to all of it his account has a distinct aesthetic thats difficult to pin down something like light wash denim dark crystal bonnie raitt or subdued pleated satin witchebooks perfume genius himself seems thematically torn and conducted a twitter poll about the style direction for his next album blue velvet vapelord vs normcore goblin king whether thats blue velvet like the movie the song or grandmas track suit is open to interpretation but the labyrinth reference is clear blue velvet vapelord won out but as far as his twitter goes its clear the two are not mutually exclusive
wherever his next album lands stylewise perfume geniuss social media is unusual for more than its aesthetics hes a major recording artist who instead of tweeting concert dates and music videos tweets about blouses vaping aliens and butts his own butt and the butts of others becoming famous seems to have had no effect on the content of his brand and compared with other recording artists hes an anomaly in his apparent disregard for any sort of branding his laconic bio declares the account official tweets   which is both technically correct since hes a verified user and a smirking acknowledgment of at the total lack of anything authoritiative across his fairly inscrutable feed if anything his unmediated presence has enabled him to connect more deeply with a fan base that appreciates his unfettered oddity for what it is a weirdness uniquely suited to the medium of twitter
perfume geniuss queer identity is palpable in his self presentation both physically   ive yet to see an image of him without a flawless high gloss manicure   and artistically each of his three albums deals explicitly with same sex desire and relationships and a teaser ad for one of his music videos which featured the gay pornographic actor arpad miklos without a shirt on was pulled from youtube for being non family safe sic perfume genius is a queer celebrity whose fame benefits queer visibility but even more vitally for his queer fans he is a queer celebrity versed and conversant in queer culture
perfume geniuss blouses and tentacles exist in a lexicon as rich and specific as queer culture itself one that becomes legible if not sensible to devotees hilarious though the chowder goblins are at face value in the context of his elaborate twitter fable they take on a richer significance as recurring figures a kind of entourage of the weird consciously or not they become stand ins for fans   that is lady gagas little monsters beyonces beyhive and perfume geniuss chowder goblins
in a feature for outcom perfume genius named half a dozen artists and cultural objects that inspired his most recent album a list that reads like a works cited page for his twitter account even the most disparate elements seem at home in his referential cosmos from suspiria to roy orbison to a folk music group called the bulgarian state television female vocal choir theres an unexpected ickiness to his aesthetic with its goblins and tentacles and even its blouses to an extent his counteraesthetic is radically queer in its appreciation of the gross and the bizarre and contrasts with the icy handsomeness he exhibits in photo shoots and live performances the tension between beauty and grossness is central to perfume geniuss self presentation as well as to a new mode of queerness that has emerged on social media one that values powerful strangeness above simple beauty in a community that often prizes pretty white cis men over queers of other stripes this counter aesthetic is notable particularly from someone who if it suited him could certainly look the part instead with his goblin horde perfume genius is a vanguard of a new kind of public queerness
one of my favorite perfume genius tweets reads i have a dedicated printer that just prints out pictures of sade all day and i just sit in front of it yelling yassssssss its a hilarious image and it also echoes a particular slice of gay internet culture unmodulated conditioned responses to kweenly stimuli perfume geniuss dry take doesnt quite rise to the level of a critique its his printer after all but it implicates him and other online gays in a certain mode of internet fandom however defensible   perfume genius himself once tweeted is it ok to stop being friends with someone if you find out they dont like sade it is
the sade printer is an idea uniquely legible to perfume geniuss queer followers not in its function but in its significance in acknowledging that some part of me actually wants and would use a sade printer and in considering the number of unironic yases i have uttered in my life im forced to consider my orientation to sade as personal kween a printer for beyonce rihanna or britney would serve the same purpose and hold the same appeal if im being honest there is something earnest and admirably uncritical about the gay communitys hagiography of female pop stars but by the same token there is something unconsidered and knee jerk to it sade or beyonce or rihanna or britney as a cultural icon is a great deal more than her music   she is an attitude smooth operator is a feeling perfume genius too is an attitude and his twitter an emotional state scrolling back through his tweets is like having a dedicated perfume genius printer each tweet a new more bizarre vision of the world than the one before each feels worthy of a hearty yassssssss


the canadian rb artist alex fleming who records under the moniker black atlass has quietly made a place for himself in the fashion world   at just 22 already his voice has featured prominently in both a saint laurent campaign and action bronson track and his stony visage not unlike a young jean paul belmondo appeared front row at a dior homme show in paris he was first approached as a teenager by the louis vuitton team who asked to use his song paris for an ad when he was still in high school it was just really inspiring and exciting   the first of anything of that kind that had happened fleming says having those elements come about at the beginning of my career really opened my eyes to this whole other creative world flemings fascination with fashion has come to saturate his aesthetic including his videos which have been directed by big name photographers such as kenneth cappello and yoann lemoine aka woodkid with whom fleming has toured i want to keep growing and blending together with everything else that i do he says
black atlasss upcoming full length album haunted paradise set to drop this summer via fools gold draws on flemings first experiences in los angeles as well as a trip he took to jamaica with his girlfriend last christmas youre trying to make it in this really beautiful place he says but there are so many darker things going on behind the scenes self produced the album explores a southern california that is both sinister and sensuous with material that recalls bret easton elliss prep school anhedonia and drakes cheerless calabasas bangers as fleming puts it the album is the story of the struggle between the hidden vices that a place so beautiful can hold and trying to maintain a pureness on your journey through that place
island love which can be heard here for the first time is full of contradictions   both party and comedown all at once you start to see the struggles of different people that move to this really beautiful place he says describing his album as telling the imagined stories of fellow los angeles strivers for the albums sound black atlass drew heavily on 90s alt rock as well as the pop and rb that was found on his first ep i started getting a lot more into 90s acoustic rock like smashing pumpkins nirvana radiohead fleming says it was sort of mixing those elements with something a bit more upbeat and a bit more i guess island heavy   thats sort of where that jamaican influence came through
later this year fleming is also set to star in another campaign for one of fashions biggest names though hes not ready to reveal who just yet its another instance of fleming having it both ways   or every way   and thats the point ive always wanted he says to be somewhat of a renaissance artist


get used to crooked hillary for better or worse thats donald trumps comic book villain name for hillary clinton its gaining traction on twitter and in other forums across the virtual schoolyard soon it will be chanted at trumps rallies painted on posters and deployed as a heckling epithet against the probable democratic nominee trump is confident the name will stick and hes usually right about these things
i feel it its an instinct trump told me over the phone he envisions crooked hillary as the latest triumph in a series after lyin ted liddle marco and low energy jeb the nicknames that he affixed to his vanquished republican rivals ted cruz marco rubio and jeb bush trump has a knack for coining just the right moniker the perfectly dismissive and catchy thing it works it flows trump said admiring his latest work
it was nice of trump to talk to me given that this is the new york times or as he calls us on twitter the failing new york times to be more precise actually trump wants me to include that not only is this the failing new york times but also that the failing new york times should also be followed by the tagline one of the most dishonest newspapers anywhere in the world this was becoming a mouthful but trump was not done and then ill go its truly one of the great disasters its sad whats happened to the failing new york times but again it was nice of trump to call
when i was writing about trump last fall for this magazine he did not specify whether the times magazine was also failing i asked him if his campaign ever conducted focus groups his face contracted into a smirk i do focus groups he said pressing both of his thumbs to the front of his head right here he does not seek suggestions or spitball ideas with his staff though sometimes hell test drive a name at a campaign rally and see how it goes over if he mentions say the name ted cruz and a lyin ted chant erupts he smells victory the whole place would be going lyin ted lyin ted  trump says thousands of people 25000 people
once an opponent drops out of the race trump told me his or her nickname dies at least as far as hes concerned he goes back to using the actual name although he reserves the right to bring the nickname back if he ever feels disrespected with jeb i just said hes a low energy individual but i dont mind talking about it now trump said jeb has said hes not going to the convention you know hes just a spoiled guy
like trump himself these monikers have a tabloid ready directness they can feel almost old fashioned like the professional wrestling shows of days gone by when trump kept calling rubio little marco i kept thinking of little louie no deep thought or nuance or hand wringing goes into his coinages which should come as no surprise as he has demonstrated with his mastery of twitter punchiness is crucial to the trump playbook spelling counts however it was important that lyin ted be rendered with an apostrophe no g and liddle marco with ds
it matters trump said of the spellings it matters as to the look and feel and touch
not everyone can do this on friday a spokesman for the democratic national committee tried to brand trump with the name dangerous donald lame effort in my view or sad as the donald would say trump could do much better but after i hung up with trump i immediately regretted that i had not thought to ask him an obvious question what would he call himself damn i keep failing


its not every submersible that does a star turn at the marseille history museum after its maiden dive but then oceanone designed by computer scientists at stanford university doesnt look like your average machine
it has arms and hands of a sort and a head with wide eyes to accommodate two cameras that give it stereo vision   the better to watch what its hands are doing it is equipped with artificial intelligence so it can do things like avoid obstacles on its own but a human does operate it from the surface and as oussama khatib who designed oceanone points out it has a friendly face
on its maiden voyage in the mediterranean dr khatib a stanford computer scientist was the human who operated it from a boat the robot is equipped with haptic or touch feedback so the operator can judge the force of the hands grip for example thats important when you are retrieving a 17th century vase as it did on its first dive at the end of april
dr khatib who specializes in robots in humanoid form said no other diving robot has arms elbows hands and vision like oceanone
we have wonderful underwater vehicles for sure he said progress in robotic mobility has been amazing they can see they can map they can discover new shipwrecks but they cannot do
he designed oceanone to meet the needs of researchers studying deep coral reefs in the red sea the robot can go deeper than human divers can go comfortably and into more dangerous spots it works well for archaeology too thus its first dive was to a shipwreck
the humanoid form dr khatib said enables fine control of grasping movements and makes it intuitive for a person to operate we are creating your avatar he said
humans working alongside oceanone tend to relate to it almost as if it were a dive buddy dr khatib said and the operator is able to communicate with those divers by using hand signs
oceanone does lack two human attributes   legs like a merman or mermaid its aft end is devoted to propulsion although it uses thrusters rather than a tail


welcome to watching the new york timess what to watch guide we comb through releases big and small famous and esoteric to email readers twice a week with our timely recommendations our most recent suggestions also appear below to receive our guide straight to your inbox sign up here
finale season is here a few shows have already ended but this week fox and abc get in on the game too the end of the network season used to mean the start of all reruns all the time but between cable and streaming year round programming is more robust than ever hallelujah
amid the finales theres also a knockout episode of the americans i have a theory that the americans is tv for tv obsessives   the more complex dramas youve watched the more youll appreciate what the show is pulling off
id love to know what shows you feel like you missed the boat on i put off watching bates motel and then somehow four seasons went by and now it feels a little late to join the party let us know what show slipped through the cracks email watchingnytimescom or tweet us at watching have a great week
the americans has become the most arresting vital drama on tv   fascinating and beautiful and somehow getting better and better in its current fourth season keri russell and matthew rhys star as elizabeth and philip jennings the mother and father of a normal american family in 1983 except that theyre actually soviet spies and they wear various disguises and participate in long term cons to gather intelligence
the spycraft is interesting in its own right but the show is much more about marriage and parenthood and the impossibility of knowing who anyone really is episodes that weave in actual culture and pop culture tend to be especially resonant and this weeks episode the day after   a reference to the tv movie about nuclear war   is particularly so and as often as the americans is shocking and as strong as the espionage plotting can be what i appreciate most is the shows refusal to engage in twists what the show presents as true is true many of the characters engage in profound spirit crushing deceit but the audience never feels lied to theres no rewatching old episodes in a new light now that something has been revealed
heres how to catch up seasons 1 3 are on amazon prime and season 4 is available to purchase individually on amazon and itunes but is free on several cable ondemand packages yes you need to watch all of it not only because its so terrific it really is but also because the show is very methodical characters reappear after long stretches away ideas germinate for several episodes and consequences are not always immediate
the americans can be very violent and it occasionally includes torture though its not gratuitous watch more than four episodes at a time and youll start feeling like a sad monster season 1 is good but season 2 is when things really launch wednesdays 10 pm fx
 new girl grandfathered the grinder tuesday starting at 800 pm fox new girl which is showing two episodes has been renewed for another season but grandfathered and the grinder are still waiting both are on the bubble but get your viewing in while you can just in case
 the big bang theory thursday 8 pm cbs
 scandal thursday 9 pm abc
 the amazing race friday 8 pm cbs
 the vampire diaries friday 8 pm the cw
 once upon a time sunday 7 pm abc
 last man on earth sunday 930 pm fox
 quantico sunday 10 pm abc
botched tuesday 9 pm e returns for a third season this week but dont write it off with its crasser and sadder brethren its oddly comforting and is the rare show where people in legitimate dire straits get actual help dont get back alley discount plastic surgery in tijuana agh
also this week the series premiere of chelsea wednesday 1201 am netflix chelsea handlers new streaming talk show
finally the lovable and affirming steven universe thursday 7 pm cartoon network is back with new episodes starting with super watermelon island which kicks off with one of the most enchanting dream sequences in living memory
the third season of peaky blinders premieres may 31 on netflix that gives you just enough time to watch the first two seasons which are only six episodes each cillian murphy stars as a crime boss in 1920s birmingham where vile behavior abounds
game of thrones this weeks episode was a talky one jeremy egner writes the episodes lone bit of action occurred in the past but it was a big one bran vision quested his way back to his fathers swordfight with the legendary arthur dayne for a spoiler filled explanation about why that scene was so important read this piece over at vulture
outlander even when ive disagreed with claires decisions in the past i have found it almost impossible to not get swept up in her passion and at the very least understand the thoughts behind her actions angelica jade bastien writes but for the first time there is something inauthentic to how certain events play out
veep after selina sends an ill advised tweet things get bad with china this is how international incidents get started apparently jen chaney writes not with a bang or even a security breach but with a direct message accidentally made public
silicon valley the writers of silicon valley have a special talent for engineering elaborate systems for the sake of a good running joke scott tobias writes of this oceans eleven spoofing episode
fear the walking dead i know from reading your comments that a lot of you feel cheated ea hanks writes about the hopes of many viewers that this series would take a wider view of the zombie apocalypse as opposed to like the walking dead focusing on one small group of survivors
captain america civil war made an estimated 181 million in north america this weekend so its safe to assume that many of you saw it still some of you havent so well be vague when pointing to some of the more interesting pieces about the film
the hollywood reporter has an informative look at that thing with the dad and how it happened in the comics
vanity fair is not very enthusiastic about that thing that happens between that man and that woman
vox writes about the films post credits scenes   the one with that important guy in that place and then the second one with that new guy in his house
yahoo asks the screenwriters about five key moments at least one of them involves that one bad guy


last tuesday the times columnist frank bruni sat down for a live chat with an audience of times insiders who dropped in with questions about mr brunis latest book where you go is not who youll be an antidote to the college admissions mania
the turnout was higher than wed anticipated and we received many more questions than mr bruni had time to answer hes addressed a handful below
do you think universities outside the us with lower tuition rates or in some cases tuition free are a better choice i am thinking mainly canadian universities and the uk and europe   janice badger nelson
frank bruni it depends of course on the particular school and im not nearly well informed enough about colleges outside the united states to name the ones that represent the safest bets
i hasten to add though that i dont believe its easy possible or sensible to divide the world into good schools and bad schools because the education a student gets has every bit as much to do with the control he or she seizes over it the experiences he or she demands the thoroughness and cleverness with which he or she surveys the landscape of that school and figures out how to till it to the best of his or her advantage
in fact ive met graduates of supposedly lesser schools who because they felt it incumbent on them to maximize that experience got more out of their higher education than an elite school student who felt that he or she could just coast through absorbing the glory of it all by osmosis
more specifically to your question there can be a short term risk to going to a foreign school thats unfamiliar to some american employers who arent accustomed to hiring from there might not be entirely confident of its instruction and graduates and might assume wrongly that the student was having a grand lark but i think thats offset by several advantages and so i think considering schools outside the united states is a fine idea for students who have the maturity and confidence to travel that far from home
for one thing education is about expanding your parameters broadening your frame of reference and challenging your previously held assumptions nothing does that as well as entering another country another culture also the world of business is more international and companies reaches are more global than ever before so you might actually find that your familiarity with and fluency in another country could be a resume plus and if in a given situation going abroad saves money and prevents a college graduate from emerging with enormous debt well thats a major consideration too to emerge from college with more rather than less debt is to have to make immediate career and job decisions that are dictated almost entirely by salary and the need to repay that debt it can discourage the kind of long term pacing and planning that may be the best way to sculpt a career

any suggestions on resources to good schools that may not have the name recognition what are your suggestions on helping kids block out the noise deactivating from social media beginning fall of senior year perhaps these days my kids want to impose a moratorium on college discussion i have a junior and a freshman and theyre sick of all the college talk at school and home regarding whos going where   weve repeatedly told them college is just a place you spend four years of your life and it will not make or break you they will end up where theyre meant to be but somehow it is still a source of stress kids have it rough these days   anne blythe
frank bruni stippled throughout the paperback version of where you go is not who youll be are anecdotes about schools   and sketches of schools   that might not come on your radar otherwise and the paperback has a bibliography with books and websites that speak to your concern and might help
let me single out two of these the first is familiar to many people and its called colleges that change lives a website that evolved from a beloved book of the same title the second is less familiar though i wrote a column that described it its a survey of honors programs and honors colleges at public universities throughout the country and it too comes in book and website form
as for blocking out the noise you cant control what happens at school or on social media you can and should control what happens at home and need to start monitoring that early on think about how often we adults when trying to start a conversation with a teenager and find some quick and easy subject matter for that ask what are you thinking about college or worse where are you thinking about going to college every time we do that we send a message that the selection of a college should be at the center of their thoughts at all times and that where they decide to go is going to define them theres an argument for a drumbeat of college college college in a disadvantaged community where kids need to hear that to realize that its a possibility for them and something to aim and strive for but in many communities where that drumbeat is relentless kids are bound for college anyway and all thats happening is that theyre being driven mad

could this be considered consolation for the losers of the college application process i was rejected much to my chagrin from all of the ivy league schools and i frequently wonder if i would buy into the notion that schools do not define success had i been one of the accepted students   jeffrey qiu
frank bruni explain to me how one is a loser if he or she didnt get into a highly selective school thats doing the following reserving a certain number of spots for the children of its alumni reserving another batch of spots for the children of celebrities and superrich people who will donate lavishly over time using applicants to cast all of the various sports teams and orchestras and debating societies and such on campus paying careful attention to the way the assembled class with its test scores will look on paper and influence meaningless rankings making sure not to have too many kids from any one specific geographic area paying attention to racial and ethnic diversity giving certain applicants priority because they seem to be interested in disciplines and departments that are shy on students at that moment in time prioritizing early decision applicants in order to improve yield and including more international students than ever before for reasons that arent just about the tapestry of campus life but are also about netting applicants likely to be paying full freight
my point is that this process is nowhere near a straightforward or objective evaluation of merit which is largely subjective anyway some aspects of this process are rigged other aspects are akin to a lottery that is not to take away the accomplishment and compliment of being admitted which more often than not reflects significant laudable achievement but there are many more students whose achievement warrants admission than there are students admitted and theres no reason to feel like a loser if youre left outside the gates if what i write in the book and in related materials is consolation great but what im really saying is you shouldnt need or be looking for consolation because that presumes a kind of integrity and logic to the process that dont really exist

how did you decide to write this book was there a particular person or situation that moved you to pursue this topic   kelly linehan
frank bruni when i began researching the book i was at an age   49   that meant that many friends kids and a few of my many nieces and nephews were going or had just gone through the college admissions process and i was confronted with how much more frenzied and brutal it had become over the 30 years since id been through it and that frenzy was predicated on the notion that a handful of elite schools could guarantee a glorious future while other sorts of schools would possibly impede one
i looked at that and then i thought about what id seen in more than 25 years of journalism during which id had an array of beats and interviewed and written about hundreds of successful people across scores of disciplines those peoples lives did not include the common thread of fancy undergraduate diplomas some had such diplomas many   probably more   didnt so there was a disconnect between the myth of ivy importance and the reality of distinguished careers and contented lives forged in an infinity of ways i felt strongly that the disconnect warranted examination hence the book

do your recommendations apply equally across race and gender lines   byron harrison
frank bruni generally yes but not exactly and not precisely you ask a great and important question and id refer you and everyone to the research of alan krueger and stacy dale which questioned and largely debunked the notion that elite schools were sprinkling some magic fairy dust on their students and creating big careers that wouldnt have happened otherwise but that same research noted that certain elite schools did seem to have a more measurable positive effect on the professional futures   at least as judged by earnings   of minority and first generation college students in whose case the imprimatur of that schools name was perhaps a more important reassurance to employers or the network provided by that school was especially crucial because there werent other family or high school networks to supplement it
but my larger point   that there are multiple paths to where youre going and that over focusing on elite schools is unnecessary and wrongheaded   holds for all students including minorities two young men i profile in the book illustrate that well one got into stanford and all the most competitive university of california schools but went instead to the university of maryland baltimore county because of a special scholarship program that gave him a tightly knit community of support and mentorship this worked out terrifically for him another went to the honors college at the university of tennessee at chattanooga hes now a rhodes scholar

how do you feel about the new coalition application and how would it affect incoming high school senior applicants this fall   michelle
frank bruni for those unfamiliar with michelles reference shes talking about a new group of more than 90 private and public colleges   most of them enormously prestigious ones including all eight in the ivy league   that have just made available a free online platform meant to guide students through the college admissions process bring them up to speed on whats required and give them ways and incentives to collect work they can share with colleges when application time comes the group is called the coalition for access affordability and success
i dont know how to feel about it because we havent yet seen how it winds up working next years applicants will be the first to have this portal and application option i remain concerned about and puzzled by how the online platform addresses the goals the coalition says it has which include demystifying the application process and broadening the socioeconomic diversity of applicants by giving more kids from more backgrounds a link to the schools in question the online platform in and of itself wont guarantee that broadening kids need to have instructors mentors and counselors in their lives who make them aware of the platform and guide them toward it do they will they this project will be only as successful as follow up efforts to put this new tool in the hands that its supposedly designed for

mr bruni my friends stepfather is a stanford professor he says that as a matter of unwritten policy stanford and the other ivys take a view of their student bodies which is much different from mainstream universities stanford sees its students not as competitors striving to prove themselves scholastically and earn their success within the school but as clients   clients to be serviced with a level of academic credential and institutional support that will enable them to reach greater heights in life than normal people
in other words its a private club and once youre in youre in they wont let you fail consequently this unofficial policy informs the behavior of the stanford faculty in ways that it wouldnt and couldnt at a less prestigious school with less resources to lavish on students do you believe this revelation could be true and if so why wouldnt every high school student in america want to try their luck at joining such a club   j
frank bruni i believe this observation to be largely true but too narrowly rendered its not only at stanford and at ivy league and ivy like schools that students have gone from being competitors to clients thats a shift thats occurred over recent decades and over the last decade in particular at scores if not hundreds of colleges and i think customers is a better word for it than clients including in the sense that the customer is always right
consider that as and a minuses are the most common grades at many if not most of the elite institutions except perhaps in the sciences consider the amount of attention and money lavished on student services and student facilities that exist to the side of and sometimes far from the heart of the primary academic mission consider the impulse on many campuses to keep away speakers and purge conversations that upset prevailing sensibilities consider trigger warnings which arent as widespread as the media sometimes suggests but which do exist and are emblematic of something larger
when i taught at princeton in the spring of 2014 it was still practicing what it called grade deflation which meant that in a large lecture style course the grades given had to average out to something like a 34 or essentially a b plus if thats deflation its a great illustration of how inflation is now the norm students were so concerned about what this did to their transcripts vis a vis other ivy leaguers applying to grad schools that princeton subsequently abandoned the practice it had previously stopped making entrance into its woodrow wilson school selective and competitive among the undergraduates as was once the case now anybody who chooses it as a major can have it maybe it should have always been thus but the change in policy tells you something about the shifted balance of power toward the students whose compulsory ratings of professors   a facet of the college experience that didnt exist so prominently decades ago   inevitably color how rigorously those professors teach
why shouldnt every student crave this experience because it may not be the right preparation for work and for life which arent as forgiving and coddling because high standards and demanding appraisals are often what exhort you to your best achievements and best self the list goes on

why college i have a be ba an me and an ms i like learning however they dont mean a thing i could do my job with my high school diploma i cannot believe that the grade schools junior high schools and high schools are that bad   jonathan
frank bruni it depends on the grade school the junior high and the high school some are awful
but thats not the gist of your question which seems to be is higher education even worth it i fervently believe so and most people who pursue higher education dont rack up the number and diversity of degrees that you did a cluster that may well be excessive it depends on what was required for your job and what motivated you to get those degrees
there remain many employers who rightly or wrongly wont look at someone without a college diploma there are many fields that require specific graduate degrees and those graduate programs cant be breached without a college diploma
so as a job credential college still matters very much but college isnt just or even principally vocational and though i understand the reasons im frustrated by how much of the conversation about college centers on its immediate measurable utility and some blunt dollars and cents costbenefit analysis college ideally doesnt just pave the way toward a career but also paves the way toward more informed citizenship more enlightened thinking a better understanding of who you are and a better understanding of the world around you its giving you tools for an engaged thoughtful life its exercising the muscle so to speak of your mind as surely as daily running exercises your heart
theres surely a point at or after which more education becomes self indulgent i dont think that point arrives at the end of high school

do you think high school resume polishing causes early burnout in kids what do you think should be the primary criteria for choosing a college   lisa j
frank bruni i think such resume polishing   which can become frantic manic   does cause problems including burnout and theyre problems of a particular kind thats what fascinates me
such polishing concentrates kids efforts on a very narrow spectrum of pursuits that play to their strengths and that are mastered with pure discipline diligence and plotting it doesnt necessarily foster or reward creativity it doesnt acknowledge the importance of spontaneity serendipity setback resilience and to use the coinage du jour grit in life and in eventual success i think frequently of something that a former admissions director at pomona said to me because its something that other elite school faculty members and administrators have also told me they recruit and admit young men and women who are fantastic on paper but who are in fact very fragile because theyve flourished in a very particular way and in a very particular climate with the illusion of complete control and they dont know how to pivot to new circumstances and turn on a dime
as for the primary criteria for choosing a college go with one thats strong in the areas that interest you but also strong in areas that dont because you will be a different person at 19 than you were at 17 and youll be different again at 21 youll discover new sides of yourself youll turn in new directions make sure the school can accommodate that
go with a college that will as i said in another answer in this discussion fill in the blanks of your life expanding you and showing you new things rather than just validating who you already are and replicating your high school appraise the diversity at the colleges youre considering more diverse is better because that means youll confront a wider range of perspectives and such a range is key to education if theres an option that involves significantly less debt on the far end give special consideration to that pay attention to which schools the adults in your life whom you find most interesting went to not just the schools that the highest earners went to use the internet enterprisingly and creatively to get a real time sense of what students at and recent alumni of a school think about the experience there

with the advent and robustness of online education couldnt a student learn just as much or more in that environment compared to the traditional brick and mortars i see the apples and googles willing to hire based on what you know compared to your pedigree but since the brightest minds have generally been gravitating to the top schools theres a bias toward thinking that a degree from a top school being a prerequisite for those jobs   day yi
frank bruni i dont think the full verdict is yet in on online education as a complete substitute for the more traditional approach and i have concerns and worries about it there are aspects of the classroom experience that cant be replicated online including elements of interaction and socialization can one fully learn so called soft skills and people skills online not based on the tenor of so much of the online and social media discourse i see apple and google arent the only employers out there and their methods arent the only methods
but you touch on a wider point thats crucial and a big part of my push for people to stop obsessing on only a handful of schools the skills you learn the intelligence you build and the demonstration that you can make of your usefulness to an employer are going to be more important broadly speaking than the name of the school on your diploma so focus on those whether thats online or on a campus


sam sifton emails readers of cooking five days a week to talk about food and suggest recipes that email also appears here to receive it in your inbox register here
good morning we bought a little less than a pound of barbecued brisket at hometown bar b que the other evening then cut it into this easy recipe for fried rice augmented by a drizzle of toasted sesame oil and a couple of tablespoons of korean red pepper paste thinned out with mirin put it on the table for dinner two adults and a lot of kids it went fast it was dead easy
that success got us thinking about all the ways you could give yourself a break this week julia moskin has an ace recipe for chinese chicken salad that is a terrific use of leftover roast chicken and you can do that if you have the meat but if you dont its pretty awesome served warm with meat torn off one of those roast chickens you can buy in the supermarket on the way home try it
or maybe you could adorn a delivery pizza with some sauteed spinach or use it as a base for a pan of ramps and fried eggs those are worthy meals
and you ever get to go mussels from the little french bistro everyone ought to have on a nearby side street you can dump a single order over a vat of cooked spaghetti and serve four people with ease just add bread on the side olive oil and perhaps a simple green salad doctoring food other people have cooked after all is still a form of cooking
but of course you can always start from scratch martha rose shulman has a new recipe for fajitas with skirt steak that you may wish to cook this week if her recipes for shrimp fajitas and chicken fajitas dont intrigue whichever you make serve some salsa fresca on the side
you might cook david taniss recipe for a chicken breast milanese with green olive celery relish or make pierre franeys recipe for sauteed salmon with leeks and tomatoes have you attempted melissa clarks recipe for the charlie bird farro salad yet you ought to and soon
there are thousands more good recipes to browse on cooking run through them at your leisure and save those youre interested in cooking to your recipe box rate them when youve formed an opinion or leave notes on them and as always if you run into problems please reach out for help were at cookingcarenytimescom
now go read joan didions notes from the patty hearst trial in san francisco in 1976 in the new york review of books her notes joan didion can write a little bit


cheeky twists on an old classic straight from the runway


houston   the offers seem too good to pass up loans worth tens of thousands of dollars with no money down and no time limit for paying it back the main catch sometimes buried in the fine print is the interest rate of 40 percent or higher
we take the weight off your shoulders reads one pitch while another urges borrowers to accelerate your award
yet the recipients are a very specific and some worry vulnerable group short of cash former nfl players with cognitive impairment from years of collisions on the field
the lenders are targeting this group because the former players stand to receive as much as 5 million each in a landmark legal settlement with the nfl that an appeals court affirmed last month
already a handful of players have borrowed thousands of dollars from these lenders according to industry officials and players against the payouts they hope to receive once the deal is completed after a second appeal is heard and lawyers for the league and for the players work out the logistics
this type of lending against a settlement payout is part of a legal   albeit largely unregulated   business focused mostly on victims in personal injury cases
but the loans have potentially devastating trap doors most notably the high interest rates that kick in immediately after money is advanced and can cut deeply into the sum a player might ultimately receive in a settlement
some financial watchdogs find it unconscionable that lenders are wooing players who have memory problems and other cognitive ailments that could mean they cannot fully grasp what they are borrowing or the fine print behind the loans
its predatory its one sided and it preys on people with brain injuries said richard h adler a lawyer in seattle who is not affiliated with the players but specializes in representing clients with traumatic brain injuries youre lending to someone who may not have the full legal capacity to understand what they are signing
despite the risks word is spreading in the retired player community where former stars and journeymen who are down on their luck see the loans as a potential lifeline to paying bills and repaying debts industry experts say that more than a half dozen lenders including companies like thrivest atlas legal fund and rd legal funding are aiming to loan millions of dollars to players in five  and six figure increments
lacurtis jones 43 a linebacker who played parts of two seasons in the nfl in the mid 1990s and two more years in canada is typical of the former players interested in a loan
he wants to borrow 100000 to pay money he owes in child support to help his family and to start a mentoring program for ex convicts his savings were depleted and work has been hard to find after he recently served time in jail because of a domestic dispute conviction jones also said he has struggled with depression memory and anger issues all of which he believes are related to his having played football
though jones is wary of the high interest rates he is confident he can pay back what he owes with the six figure settlement he hopes to receive in the settlement
i dont have none of my money left from the nfl said jones who lives in houston i dont want to get into a lot of debt but im looking for someone to give me some advance money i dont need much
to secure a loan jones has visited several neurologists to get a diagnosis that will assure his potential lender that he has a strong chance of getting a settlement once the deal is completed something that could take many months
most players are expected to get far less than millions a sliding scale reduces the payouts for players who were in the league fewer than five years and players who are older than 45 and the players could spend months trying to get approved all while the interest on their loans is piling up
players who fail to qualify for cash settlements however do not have to repay what they borrow a substantial risk for the lenders
if the case doesnt get won the money doesnt get paid back said kelly gilroy the executive director of the american legal finance association which represents about 40 lenders she estimated that about 25 percent of presettlement loans result in a loss to the lender because the settlement did not come through
lenders take the chance that some loans will not be repaid because they make sizable profits from their other clients most presettlement loans are for small amounts like when a person in a car accident needs 5000 to pay hospital bills while awaiting an insurance payout as a rule of thumb companies lend about 10 percent of what they expect the plaintiff to be awarded
lenders are raising that threshold to 25 percent or higher for nfl players not just because they could receive six  and seven figure settlements but because the nfl has published a grid detailing the range of potential awards something normally unavailable or confidential in other cases
ron sinai who works for nova legal funding a company in los angeles that finds clients for presettlement lenders said this information gives companies more assurance when lending to players the nfl is very careful about its image and wants to get this headache over with and pay out as soon as possible he said
sinai said lenders charged higher interest rates than banks because making nonrecourse loans as they are known was riskier unlike a traditional loan the collateral is the settlement itself
if we give a guy 100000 and the nfl doesnt believe the player has dementia were out of luck sinai said
representatives of lenders dismiss claims that they take advantage of people who may not understand what they are getting into
many companies require that a family member or lawyer represent clients with cognitive issues to ensure there is a valid contract their representatives add that the severity of a clients cognitive problems can vary widely
the bottom line said jeremy fink the chief operating officer of atlas legal funding is that anyone anywhere who doesnt have the mental capacity to do it shouldnt be doing it
to be doubly sure sinai requires that his clients also go before a judge and testify that they understand the terms of their agreement he also helps the players navigate the serpentine paperwork
hes been very transparent in helping us understand and making sure the documentation from the doctors is valid and communicating with the lawyers said tony george 40 who played two years in the nfl and is seeking a six figure loan to pay for his depression and diabetes medicine and to jump start his mentoring business
you have to ask yourself whether it is worth continuing to struggle usually when we get to this type of situation weve waited as long as we could
some players with cognitive issues though are unsure of what they are borrowing the wife of one former 45 year old player with mild dementia said that she had stopped her husband from taking out a loan not just because of the high interest rates but because it might take months or even years to get a settlement
if it looks good and looks pretty you think its ok said the wife who asked not to be named because of fears that talking publicly would jeopardize her husbands pending litigation with the nfl but theres nothing positive about it because youre going to lose your whole settlement players are better off going bankrupt than taking out one of these loans
still for former players who need money now not later the loans look like risks worth taking
im just trying to borrow enough so when the settlement comes through i can pay it back jones said we sacrificed ourselves so we can make millions of dollars for the owners but we also sacrificed our health


international
an article on april 10 about the political ambitions of boris johnson the departing mayor of london referred incorrectly to a program offering free subway service for londoners 60 and over it was instituted in 1973 by the greater london council not by mr johnson

an article on april 27 about the confirmation by colombia of two more cases of babies born with brain damage to mothers who had zika during pregnancy misstated the year when researchers found zika gene sequences in the blood of three children in haiti it was in december 2014 not 2015
new york
an article on friday about a public hearing on options for shutting down the l train tunnel during repairs misstated the name of a food market in brooklyn it is smorgasburg not smorgasbord
sports
an article last monday about the former islanders goaltender rick dipietros new career as a television analyst misstated in some copies the status of the contract he signed with the team in 2006 it would have had several years remaining this season would not have been its next to last season
the times welcomes comments and suggestions or complaints about errors that warrant correction messages on news coverage can be e mailed to nytnewsnytimescom or left toll free at 1 844 nyt news 1 844 698 6397 comments on editorials may be e mailed to lettersnytimescom or faxed to 212 556 3622
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oklahoma city   behind one basket at chesapeake energy arena on the home bench side a fan held up two white block letters for the entirety of the game sunday night a k and a d
the letters stood for kevin durant who has meant so much to the oklahoma city thunder over the last nine seasons and with a 17 point fourth quarter performance to ignite a 111 97 victory over the san antonio spurs durant a free agent this summer ensured he would play at least one more game in this city
the best of seven western conference semifinal series tied now at two games apiece will continue on tuesday in san antonio before heading back to oklahoma city on thursday
durant led the thunder with 41 points but until the fourth quarter it seemed as if san antonio were on its way to victory the spurs led by as many as 11 points and anytime oklahoma city threatened to steal the games momentum anytime the fans seemed poised to truly lose their minds san antonio was there with a cool response
that changed in the fourth with just under nine minutes left in the game durant shed manu ginobili with a crossover and drained a deep 3 pointer giving the thunder a 91 87 lead after a spurs miss durant came back down and nailed a step back jumper over kawhi leonard
with 2 minutes 26 seconds left durant flipped in a floater from the baseline giving the thunder a 6 point lead russell westbrook 14 points 15 assists then stole the ball and flung a pass ahead to durant for another bucket putting the thunder ahead 105 97 with 130 left durant hit a 3 pointer from the corner pushing the lead to 11 and sending the capacity crowd into hysterics
it was on me to figure out the best way to be aggressive and score and also make plays said durant who praised the spurs defense i was able to make some shots tonight
spurs coach gregg popovich had no choice but to concede as much youve got to give him credit he said of durant he was great he was great i dont know how else to say it he was fantastic
durant who also had five rebounds and four assists had spent much of the night frustrated leonard 21 points 6 rebounds 4 steals was indomitable on both ends he made the hoop sway with a dunk he swiped offensive rebounds over the heads of defenders he intercepted a bullet pass cleanly with his left hand his arm outstretched like a first basemans
tony parker 22 points was excellent too even drawing appreciative coos from the home crowd with a stylish pirouette dribble jumper combination in the second half
the spurs finished the first half up 53 45 durant and westbrook shot a combined 6 of 21 from the field through the first two quarters their frustration was plain throughout
with 222 left in the first quarter westbrook picked up a defensive foul after bumping parker and immediately stalked over to the referee danny crawford swiped at the air near his shoulder and yelled at him angrily the thunder assistant coach maurice cheeks pushed westbrook away but westbrook was charged with a technical foul
the spurs offense stalled briefly in the second against a suddenly staunch thunder defense their passing turned laborious and they had back to back 24 second violations
the thunders tight defending meanwhile freed them up to run on offense with 355 left in the half westbrook fired a sharp alley oop pass to durant who slashed along the baseline for a two handed dunk tying the game at 40 40 and sparking about 30 seconds of continuous cheers from the sellout crowd but the spurs took control again going on a 13 5 run to end the half
the arena swelled with noise again with 347 left in the third when westbrook slashed to the rim for a tough layup tying the game at 69 69 but again the spurs finished strong   hitting their first 3 pointer of the game with 325 left in the quarter and their second shortly after   and entered the final period up 81 77
it continued like that   big thunder moment cool spurs reply   until midway through the fourth when durant became too overpowering to be answered


the outer critics circle a group of theater writers from outside new york announced the winners of its annual awards on monday giving four prizes to she loves me and three to long days journey into night
she loves me won best musical revival and one of its stars jane krakowski won featured actress in a musical the 2016 tony nominees jessica lange and michael shannon won awards for their work in long days journey which also won for best revival of a play
the humans won for best new broadway play and bright star won best new broadway musical the christians and dear evan hansen won off broadway awards cynthia erivo the color purple and danny burstein fiddler on the roof who are tony nominees also picked up acting awards
the outer critics circle awards ceremony will take place on may 26 at sardis a full list of winners can be found at outercriticsorg


its official the kindergarten and first grade chess players from public school 77 who were profiled in the new york times last month are now the national champions for their grade levels the team came from behind on sunday to win a highly competitive three day tournament in nashville rising from near obscurity a few years ago to defeat powerhouse chess programs from around the country new york schools dominated the tournament which accommodated students up to the sixth grade
the team from ps 77 which is known as the lower lab school had a couple of potentially deflating losses in the early rounds but prevailed on the tournaments last day to defeat more established teams from new york city the dalton school hunter college elementary school the speyer legacy school and collegiate school
in the seven round tournament at the national elementary championship three lower lab players won six matches and two won five the top four scores are counted in the team score morgan mairaj royal buchanan and noah gillston each won six sobel gaudissard and benjamin kwon each won five
what a scene said vincent gaudissard whose son sobel lost his first two matches then won the next five the family had not planned to attend the tournament then changed their minds one day before arriving in nashville at 430 am on the morning of the first match
other winners from the city included teams from dalton kindergarten through third grade and kindergarten through fifth and public school 116 kindergarten through sixth grade blitz style
lower labs victory reflects a boom in chess in new york schools in recent years as the city prepares to host the world chess championship in november the first time the tournament will be played in new york since 1995 just three years ago said peter marinis whose sons pearce and rylan play on the third  and first grade teams lower labs program typically sent five or six students to local tournaments this year 19 players went to nashville at significant cost to the families in time and money
on sunday the expense and effort of getting there were forgotten
the best part was when i won the last game noah gillston who recently turned 7 said she was rated above me he said of his opponent i trapped her with my queen he continued i was thinking my rating is going to go up and my team is going to win
his mother amy gillston said i dont know if we will ever have this feeling again
michelle park the mother of ben kwon also decided to attend the tournament at the last minute he said mommy what happens if i dont win i said thats ok just play your best chess ms park said
when it was all over she said my husband said i hope you realize that this is your mothers day present its the best mothers day i ever had


at 10 am on july 19 the final section of governors island known as the hills will open to the public some 10 acres of ridges paths slides and lawns will rise seven stories over the harbor providing panoramic views of new york city
the statue of liberty looms large over the vista the closest point in all of new york to the copper giant yet it is not the only outsize presence on this 172 acre island that distinction also belongs to the woman who stood atop the hills on thursday giving a tour leslie koch the president and chief executive of the trust for governors island
this is the only place in new york city you can see her face ms koch said she was sited to greet all those ships coming into the harbor and thats why shes facing the verrazano
yet everywhere you look on governors island you see ms kochs influence
the concerts food festivals and civil war re enactments the award winning landscape created by the dutch designers west 8 the 450000 visitors who took ferries from manhattan and brooklyn last year and the fact that governors island is now on the map   the subway map to be precise but also the mental map of so many new yorkers   are largely thanks to ms koch
this summer will be her valedictory the islands parkland will be completed and it will probably usher in another record number of visitors there is still much to be done including attracting private development without alienating the parks newfound fans yet ms koch will not be there to enjoy it after a decade on the job and on the island she will announce her retirement on monday
the summer of 2005 the year before i started a grand total of 8000 out of eight million people came ms koch said at a cafe in lower manhattan later on thursday the buildings are vacant you couldnt bring a bike you couldnt eat or make art or dance you couldnt do much of anything now we get 8000 people every saturday and sunday
the hope now is to have that many on a given day the island and its 139 acres of parkland will open on memorial day this year as it has for the past decade but the ambition is for it to become a year round destination with millions of new square feet for commerce culture and research as mayor bill de blasio put it during his state of the city speech in february
the city had hoped to release a request for proposals by the end of the year for the islands remaining undeveloped parcels two lobes of land covering 33 acres on the south end as well as occupants for the nearly 12 million square feet of historic military structures on the north end now the city will solicit expressions of interest this year which will shape a formal proposal process next year
the citys economy is spawning new companies and new ideas and what could be a better place for that than this iconic entry to new york city where the past can literally collide with the future said alicia glen a deputy mayor
as has happened with many public private partnerships on the waterfront such as hudson river park brooklyn bridge park and coney island some advocates have questioned why the entire island cannot be open space ms koch believes both are needed to thrive
im always very careful to call this an island not a park because its not   its an economic development project ms koch said theres nothing worse for a building than to sit vacant
she pointed out that if the island were full of restaurants cultural institutions artisan shops business incubators and an educational campus the interview probably would have taken place on the island instead of in lower manhattan after the last ferry had returned at 6 pm
you need these kinds of active uses to both pay for and justify more frequent ferry service ms koch said every hour is just a little too unpredictable but if you knew there was a ferry every 20 minutes until 10 oclock you might stick around for another drink
early on ms koch realized the only way to attract developers was to attract everyone else first
after growing up on the upper west side and studying at yale university she spent 14 years in seattle as a marketing executive at microsoft and a consultant she returned to new york in 2003 to help start the fund for public schools and her work there led dan doctoroff a deputy mayor to hire her for the governors island job
i grew up here and i didnt even know what governors island was ms koch said everyone was asking what should go on the island but dan and i agreed that was the wrong approach instead lets just get people to the island and let them help us figure it out
during ms kochs first summer the island hosted art installations food stands and various events and happenings   all of which have expanded every year since another mainstay has been a public wall of sticky notes for suggestions among those that have been realized are a grove of hammocks and an ice cream stand
since her first summer ms koch has overseen the design of 40 acres of parkland a handover of control from the state to the city the opening of a high school and 300 million in new construction a good two thirds of which is invisible infrastructure
its kind of hard to believe its only been a decade said jessica lappin president of the downtown alliance a business group that has worked closely with ms koch and were just getting a taste because its about to take off
now when developments and businesses like the italian run spa that is scheduled to open in 2017 want to come to the island it will be as ms koch puts it as easy as setting up shop in manhattan
as for where she might set up next herself ms koch is waiting to figure that out
the island is ready for its next chapter and so am i i just cant wait to have the summer off for the first time in 10 years she said


for long stretches on sunday night yankees starter luis severino befuddled the red sox lineup whisking along with machine like efficiency severino set an unusually brisk pace for a yankees red sox game at yankee stadium affairs known to play out like leo tolstoy novels especially when broadcast on national television
but severino made three bad pitches whose effects overshadowed the rest of his craftsmanship the yankee tormentors dustin pedroia and david ortiz were to blame for the blemishes smashing three homers that accounted for all but one of the boston runs in a 5 1 victory
i think hes on the right track manager joe girardi said of severino were not scoring runs for him and he gave up a few and we werent able to overcome it
in severinos six starts this season the yankees have supported him with a total of only four runs
severino opened the game wildly walking mookie betts on four pitches pedroia then worked a full count before punching a high fly ball over the right field fence just beyond carlos beltrans glove
after a visit to the mound by the pitching coach larry rothschild severino found his footing he struck out five of the next six batters and retired 10 straight after pedroias homer
after the first inning he really settled down and pitched great catcher brian mccann said
with seven strikeouts under his belt severino then ran into ortiz who quickly erased all the positives with one vicious swing that sent the ball deep over the right field fence
the fourth inning home run by ortiz was his 453rd with the red sox surpassing carl yastrzemski for the second most in franchise history
unfazed severino went back to work and allowed only one more hit before ortiz came calling again to lead off the seventh inning ortiz bashed another pitch into the heart of the right field stands for his first multihomer game of the season and the 51st of his career
severino 0 5 left after six and two thirds innings allowing five hits and four runs he also registered nine strikeouts tying his career best severino had totaled nine strikeouts in his previous three starts combined
i think sevys got a lot of fight in him girardi said i believe hes really close when he gets us to the other side here to me this is going to make him better in the long run
while the red sox veterans were clubbing pitches over the short porch in right the yankees had difficulty getting the ball past the infield
red sox starter steven wright a knuckleballer who struck out a career high nine batters in his last start at yankee stadium on aug 5 was almost unhittable which helped speed the pace the game finished in 2 hours 27 minutes
after a blooping single by mccann in the first inning wright was dominant pitching a complete game and allowing three hits
i almost felt like he was putting it wherever he wanted mccann said
before the game girardi suggested that the proper way to prepare for a knuckleball pitcher was to unleash butterflies in the batting cage but theyre not allowed to swing and hit them thats the problem girardi said
to the pleasure of animal rights activists and to the chagrin of girardi the yankees were ill prepared for wright who struck out seven
he did not give up his second hit until the seventh inning when starlin castro led off with a double mccann followed with a deep flyout to right field moving castro to third base and it appeared that the yankees were finally catching up to wrights fluttering pitches
trailing by 1 0 in the count to mark teixeira wright threw a knuckleball that bobbled out of catcher ryan hanigans mitt seeing the ball on the ground castro broke prematurely for home hanigan quickly recovered and threw castro out as he retreated to third
that completely confused me said castro
the yankees finally scored in the ninth inning when brett gardner hit a two out solo home run but by then they had all but conceded the game
castro was due up next but was replaced by pinch hitter ronald torreyes after experiencing tightness in his left oblique while running back to third base in the seventh castro said he believed he would play monday
we were down four runs with two outs girardi said so i just said you know what im not going to take a chance
inside pitch
ivan nova who began the season pitching out of the bullpen will start mondays series opener against the kansas city royals replacing the injured c c sabathia in the rotation manager joe girardi said nova would probably be limited to about 75 pitches  aroldis chapman will become the yankees closer having completed a 30 game suspension under major league baseballs new domestic violence policy andrew miller who held the role in chapmans absence said he wanted to do what was best for the team and become a setup reliever what do you want me to do miller said you want me to throw a fit i think the goal here is to win  jacoby ellsbury did not start for the second straight game after straining a hip muscle on friday


the sale that loic gouzer christies deputy chairman of postwar and contemporary art put together at 5 pm sunday the first of five successive spring evening auctions at first seemed reckless filling a catalog with challenging even disturbing work with a kneeling hitler and a wooden grid of potatoes it was a far cry from the auction staples that can be counted on to command high prices
but the auction called bound to fail after a work by the artist bruce nauman also was considered an important test of the market art experts said it dared true collectors to step up and prove that their tastes ran deeper than just the auction darlings
the 39 lot sale at christies which had been estimated to raise at least 594 million brought a total of 781 million including buyers premiums with 31 percent of the lots selling above their high estimates and only one failing to sell at all those potatoes by sigmar polke
it shows that its not as bad as people think said the dealer william acquavella afterward if youre selective about what you put in your sales and its fresh material it will do ok the sales may not be as big as they were in november   there are no 100 million items   but its still alive
mr gouzers themed sale   his third in three years   was viewed as an important bellwether of what was likely to come in the crowded crop of auctions ahead for the first time in recent memory christies and sothebys will go head to head all in one week in new york
in that sense the market showed that it was still there however muted it may have been by predictions of a softening which has resulted in smaller sales this spring and markedly less inventory at all three of the major auction houses christies sothebys and phillips
the entire market was waiting to see what tone the auction set said helly nahmad a new york dealer after the christies sale on sunday so the fact that it was fairly strong gives the market a lot of confidence which is good at the beginning of the sales
at phillipss evening auction of 20th century and contemporary art right afterward   where the actor leonardo dicaprio sat in a sky box   the 37 lot sale that was expected to raise at least 4085 million ended up bringing 465 million with fees
with major collectors holding onto their most prized pieces in wait and see mode this season is devoid of the blockbuster items and record setting prices that have made recent auctions the stuff of banner headlines the highest estimate is 40 million   for a jean michel basquiat at christies on tuesday and a cy twombly at sothebys on wednesday
many in the art world said this round of sales represented a healthy contraction shaking out the speculators who have propelled the market to astronomical heights and leaving behind the true value collectors auction houses are trying to be more circumspect about guarantees having been forced by competition to give away much of their profit margins in the recent past this week christies and third parties have pledged minimum prices known as guarantees on just 18 of 100 lots at its two headline contemporary auctions last may it guaranteed more than half of 117 works
with mr gouzers sale christies seemed to say it was not going to try to go after the usual big ticket bait   the warhols bacons and richters instead it was going to shake out lower priced pieces of excellence
the biggest trophy of the christies sale on sunday was maurizio cattelans statue of hitler him estimated at 10 million to 15 million a notorious work the kneeling child man figure stoked outrage when it was placed at the site of the former warsaw ghetto in 2012 i wanted to destroy it myself mr cattelan once said of the work i changed my mind a thousand times every day hitler is pure fear
the sale was well timed because of mr cattelans recent re emergence from retirement with a sculpture of a solid gold toilet announced   but delayed   at the guggenheim museum
after active bidding that included the french dealer philippe segalot it was sold for 172 million with fees marianne hoet a christies specialist in brussels was the winning telephone bidder to an undisclosed buyer
jeff koonss floating basketball estimated at 12 million and one of the pieces with a third party guarantee went for 153 million with fees
christies which is privately owned by the french luxury goods magnate francois henri pinault said bidding from international buyers was strong and that there were purchases by some museums which may be announced in the next few days
the test some art experts said would be the amount of bidding for each item   if there were several parties competing that would attest to a resilient market and the bidding for many items was indeed competitive sometimes involving as many as five parties it was really lively and happening said tony shafrazi a collector the pieces were very good and the response was very healthy thats how it should be
immediately after the christies event phillips held their second 20th century  contemporary evening sale in new york the format allowed the russian owned auction house to bolster its sales with higher value works by modern masters rather than just rely on the fashionable new art that had been its trademark
this month phillips was dependent on presale guarantees to persuade collectors to sell desirable works sundays sale featured no fewer than 18 lots with third party guarantees plus two provided by the auction house itself
for phillips guarantees are absolutely crucial said edward dolman the auction houses chairman and chief executive we try to use them judiciously
the most valuable of the third party bets was brice mardens 1972 1974 black and gray striped abstract star for patti smith estimated at 5 million to 7 million this minimalist portrait had never been offered at auction before it sold for 59 million
mark bradfords monumental 2012 mixed media canvas building the big white whale was the standout contemporary work enhanced by mr bradfords recent selection as the united states representative at next years venice biennale depicting an abstracted map of france made out of red string and paper it sold for 35 million with fees against a low estimate of 3 million
the appetite for the french artist jean dubuffet fueled in part by christies 248 million sale last may of a 1961 painting and a current show at acquavella gallery continued with a 1959 painting barbe des rites depicting a hugely bearded male figure attracted 31 million more than double its low estimate


as desa boskovic stepped into the shadow of the serbian orthodox cathedral of st sava in manhattan on sunday afternoon her mind grew clouded with memory it was there that she sought refuge as an immigrant from serbia in 1973 hopeful for some sense of familiarity in this alien city its grand gothic arches have welcomed her every sunday since framing her family as they observed baptisms weddings and funerals now she wept as she beheld the scorched skeleton of the cathedral that a week earlier had gone up in flames generations of devotion reduced to rubble
this is the place that kept our culture alive here in new york said ms boskovic 59 without it im just lost
her fears were echoed by scores of parishioners displaced by the fire that engulfed st sava last sunday mere hours after the conclusion of easter services for years the brownstone cathedral on west 25th street had served as the anchor of serbian life in new york but this weeks services began for its stalwart congregants in a home not their own as a measure of solidarity the leadership of the episcopal diocese of new york offered to house services for the congregation in their churches at 10 oclock on sunday morning nearly 200 still grieving parishioners mounted the steps to calvary episcopal church on park avenue south and east 21st street
we are to resurrect with our church in all her beauty and all her glory said the rev djokan majstorovic the churchs priest who has led st sava for nearly 18 years and whose apartment looks out over the ruins he added please brothers and sisters stay together pray together and cry together
fire officials have yet to determine the cause of the blaze francis x gribbon a fire department spokesman said that fire marshals were exploring whether candles in the rear of the church had not been fully extinguished when a caretaker stowed them members of st savas board however said they believed that the candles were properly put out
lidija nikolic a board member said that despite the damage the buildings structure was intact and that they would try to rebuild it she noted that the church was insured and had received around 8000 a day in donations since the fire but that those amounts would cover only a fraction of the rebuilding costs the church had only recently completed a renovation of its roof and walls that cost around 45 million ms nikolic said rebuilding will take years she said and until it is complete the congregation has been invited to meet at st georges episcopal church on east 16th street which is a part of the same parish as calvary church
the episcopal church and the serbian orthodox church have an affinity that dates back over 150 years the first orthodox worship service in the united states is said to have taken place in 1865 at trinity episcopal chapel which nearly 80 years later was sold and became the home of st sava and so it seemed fitting that it was the episcopal church that comforted and housed st sava when its home was ravaged
the sanctuary was unfamiliar but the prayers remained the same
its not our church but its a holy place said jelena salom 87 surveying the stained glass windows wherever we go god will be with us
as children lined the aisle for communion tamara simonjenko bowed her head in her hands unable to bring herself to watch for decades ms simonjenko 90 and ms salom sat side by side in the familiar pews of st sava in the second row off the right aisle on sunday they clasped hands as they adjusted to their new surroundings
its beautiful but its not the same said ms simonjenko this is not our home
for zorka milich who first joined the st sava choir as a girl in the 1940s the story of easter provided an apt and buoying symbol for the community it was more than a building it was a place of life and history and it will rise again said ms milich 86 this community will not just let it die
as the service unfolded the attention of the worshipers was clearly focused several blocks away when the formal prayers ended they left the building grateful for the borrowed space but eager to return to st sava together they crossed park avenue south heading north and turning west on 25th street a mass of souls in need of consolation
holding her 4 year old son dimitri in one arm olivia grimpas gazed up at the burned out hull of the cathedral in disbelief
i know i should remain positive but theres just so much uncertainty she said her face wet with tears which dimitri dutifully wiped away
as father majstorovic led the congregation in song and prayer two men held up a painting of sava the patron saint of the church dressed in white robes with red crosses on his shoulders the icon had hung in the office of the priest in the back of the church and was among the only items left unmarred by the flames and the deluge of water that quenched the fire
to the members of the church the painting was a miracle a sign that their congregation too would survive this trial


atlanta   kevin love scored 27 points lebron james hit a huge shot with 392 seconds to go and the cleveland cavaliers finished off their second straight playoff sweep sunday beating the hawks 100 99 to advance to the eastern conference finals
the hawks had one last chance to extend the series after james missed a 3 pointer with the clock winding down atlanta got the rebound and put the ball in the hands of dennis schroder a speedy point guard who led the team with 21 points
schroder drove into the lane but was swarmed by james and tristan thompson schroder slipped and james tied up the ball forcing a huge mismatch of a jump ball with 28 seconds left in the game with a seven inch height advantage james flicked the ball toward the sideline
paul millsap tried to get off a desperation shot but it was after the buzzer   and anyway it did not go in
the cavaliers who opened the playoffs with four consecutive wins over detroit also made short work of the hawks in a series that mirrored last years conference finals in which the hawks also lost four straight to cleveland
the cavaliers will face the winner of the miami toronto series in the conference final toronto leads that best of seven series two games to one
schroder put the hawks ahead 97 96 on a drive with 1 minute 31 seconds remaining but james after having had one shot blocked and having missed two tip ins got another chance when a video review overturned a call that cleveland had knocked the ball out of bounds off the inbounds pass matthew dellavedova found james streaking into the lane and millsap was called for goaltending as he went for the block
schroders next shot was blocked by thompson and the cavaliers isolated james on the wing against millsap james stepped back and hit the jumper pushing cleveland ahead 100 97 schroder scored on a drive with 344 seconds left and james missed a potential clinching 3 it did not matter
the cavaliers buckled down at the defensive end and wrapped up the series
love carried cleveland in the early going hitting one 3 pointer after another as the hawks continually left him open in the corner he went cold in the second half but still finished 8 of 15 from beyond the arc accounting for all but 2 of his points he was fouled on one long range shot knocking down a free throw for a 4 point play and his only basket that was not a 3 pointer was a jumper with his toe on the line
james and kyrie irving finished with 21 points apiece millsap had 19 for the hawks
rebounds
miamis hassan whiteside is day to day with a sprained medial collateral ligament in his right knee and torontos jonas valanciunas will miss the rest of the heat raptors eastern conference semifinal series with a sprained right ankle
both starting centers were injured in game 3 of the series saturday and both got the news about their immediate futures in magnetic resonance imaging exams performed sunday


bobby wilson hit a tiebreaking grand slam in the eighth inning against the team that had just traded him away and the visiting texas rangers completed a three game sweep of the detroit tigers with an 8 3 victory on sunday
wilson had not homered for the tigers before they sent him to texas on tuesday his first home run of the season sent detroit to its sixth straight loss
tom wilhelmsen 2 2 got the win in relief for texas
white sox 3 twins 1 chicago struck out four times in an inning and still managed to score a run in a win over visiting minnesota for its fourth sweep this year
chicagos jose quintana 5 1 gave up one run in seven innings and lowered his era to 138
in the seventh tyler duffey became the first twins pitcher in nearly four years to strike out four batters in an inning but avisail garcia reached on a wild pitch and scored on dioner navarros double
diamondbacks 5 braves 3 chris herrmann hit two home runs including one with a man on in the 11th inning to give visiting arizona a three game sweep at atlanta
the braves 7 23 have lost four straight and are off to their worst 30 game start since at least 1900
cubs 4 nationals 3 chicago walked bryce harper a record tying six times then beat visiting washington when javier baez homered in the 13th inning for a four game sweep
the cubs won their seventh in a row and improved their best in the majors record to 24 6 harper matched the major league record for walks in a game the last to do so was jeff bagwell in 1999 harper was also hit by a pitch
pirates 10 cardinals 5 gregory polanco hit a three run homer and john jaso added a two run shot and pittsburgh beat host st louis
gerrit cole 3 3 gave up two runs on six hits in six innings
dodgers 4 blue jays 2 howie kendrick hit a tiebreaking single in the eighth inning and los angeles won at toronto joc pederson hit his sixth homer as los angeles took two of three from toronto
phillies 6 marlins 5 tyler goeddel hit a run scoring double for his first career extra base hit and then scored in a two run eighth inning helping philadelphia rally at miami
astros 5 mariners 1 collin mchugh went seven innings and host houston beat seattle
seattles robinson cano had a solo blast that gave him five homers and 17 rbi against houston this season
orioles 11 athletics 3 manny machado hit two of baltimores season high six homers including a grand slam and the host orioles scored all their runs on long balls in a rout of oakland
machado homered with one on in the first inning and hit his third career slam in the eighth
indians 5 royals 4 josh tomlin stayed unbeaten and cleveland beat visiting kansas city tomlin became the first indians pitcher to win his first five outings since justin masterson in 2011
brewers 5 reds 4 jonathan lucroy hit a tiebreaking home run to start the eighth inning then caught billy hamilton stealing for the final out as milwaukee won at cincinnati
rays 3 angels 1 matt andriese pitched seven innings of four hit ball to win his season debut as tampa bay completed a three game sweep of host los angeles
brad miller and curt casali both homered for the rays who have both won four straight and moved above 500 for the first time since last august
rockies 2 giants 0 eddie butler pitched six innings for his first win since being called up and colorado won at san francisco to split a four game series
colorados nolan arenado the majors leading home run hitter had a run scoring triple in his first at bat then singled in the third and doubled in the eighth
at 42 colon gets a card mets starter bartolo colon has his own baseball card to commemorate the moment when he became the oldest player to hit his first major league homer
topps has issued a card with a photo that shows colon his swing completed and his eyes gazing upward across the bottom are the words the impossible becomes possible   colon hits 1st career hr at age 42
the card is part of a new effort by topps to quickly celebrate big moments during the season so far this year cards have been printed to mark the steal of home plate by the yankees jacoby ellsbury and the no hitter by jake arrieta of the cubs among others ken belson


david villa and khiry shelton scored four minutes apart on sunday as new york city fc defeated dc united 2 0 in washington
it was the second straight win for nycfc which improved to 3 3 4 and now sits in fourth place in the eastern conference
villa gave nycfc the lead in the 49th minute by converting near the penalty spot on a back heeled assist by thomas mcnamara it was villas team leading seventh goal of the season
in the 53rd minute shelton scored on a cross from ronald matarrita uniteds best chance occurred in the 61st minute when marcelo sarvass free kick hit the post


matt harvey struck out 10 san diego padres on sunday the first time this season he has reached double figures in that category
during the course of six innings he looked dominant at times but once again he had trouble in the middle of the game he surrendered a two run bomb in the bottom of the fifth inning to catcher christian bethancourt who had just three career homers to that point and only escaped that inning with a 3 2 lead when a tag play at home plate was generously called in favor of the mets
so what to make of harveys seventh start of the season he threw consistently harder than he had at any previous point this season struck out the side in the first inning gave up just four hits and two runs and shades of bartolo colon hit a long drive of his own that almost went out of the park
still when you pitch only six innings as harvey did sunday a lot of things can happen after you leave the game
and in the case of the mets they only won the game   and moved back into first place in the national league east ahead of the washington nationals   because of the eighth inning dominance of the left handed reliever antonio bastardo
so while this surely was harveys best start of the season and one that will leave everyone around the mets encouraged it still feels as if there is a ways to go for a pitcher who was fearsome for much of 2013 and reasonably tough in 2015 in his comeback from tommy john surgery but who has basically been a work in progress through the first chunk of the 2016 season
it is worth noting for instance that harvey has yet to pitch into the seventh inning this season a year ago he pitched at least seven innings in five of his first 10 starts in april and may
pitching only six innings   and harvey has gone that far in only three of his seven starts   inevitably puts more pressure on the teams relievers and sure enough on sunday the mets bullpen balked home a run in the seventh inning and appeared about to blow the game in the bottom of the eighth until bastardo came in with the bases loaded and no outs and got two strikeouts and a pop up to protect a 4 3 lead that jeurys familia closed out in the ninth
harvey is now 3 4 with an era that is more than four runs a game it is logical to think that he is still feeling the effects of his war horse effort in 2015 when he ended up pitching 216 innings in the regular season and postseason
that was more innings than anyone   most notably his agent scott boras   wanted to see him throw after missing all of 2014 but the mets were on a roll eventually making it to the world series so it simply became almost unthinkable for him to sit down
he did not he even insisted on going out to pitch the ninth inning of game 5 of the world series against the better judgment of his manager terry collins kansas city ended up tying the score in that inning and winning the series a few innings later and harvey was left to brood about all of it during the off season
this season has not been any easier for him to deal with than that ninth inning was last november but after sundays game in which he threw 102 pitches harvey was clearly upbeat telling reporters that his mechanics were better his command was better everything was better
now he just needs to make it into the seventh inning and then eventually the eighth but maybe forget about the ninth


ivan nova was perplexed when he was asked to throw a bullpen session after he arrived at yankee stadium on friday sweating heavily from his forehead nova walked into the clubhouse shortly before 330 pm and was told by reporters that c c sabathia had been placed on the disabled list with a left groin strain
suddenly the reason for the extra throwing became apparent
nova is scheduled to start monday in the opener of a four game series against the reigning world series champion kansas city royals at the stadium before sundays game against the boston red sox nova said that losing the spring training competition with sabathia for the fifth starters spot and being sent to the bullpen had been difficult for him to accept at first but that manager joe girardi had told him he would eventually get another opportunity to start
after that you just got to accept it said nova who has made six relief appearances and has a 514 era dont think too much youre already in the bullpen what can you do
in 2011 nova seemingly solidified a spot in the rotation for years he went 16 4 compiling the most victories by a yankees rookie since stan bahnsen won 17 games in 1968 but nova has been unable to regain that early consistency in april 2014 he underwent tommy john surgery to repair his right ulnar collateral ligament and missed 14 months after returning last june nova went 6 11 with a 507 era
nova who has not appeared in a game since may 1 said he would like to throw 100 pitches monday but girardi has set a lower bar around 75 with sabathias injury and sundays starter luis severino winless with a 631 era going into that game nova did not think of his temporary reinsertion into the rotation as an audition
its a business and if they need me over there ive just got to find a way to help the team in the bullpen too he said
bullpen shake up aroldis chapman made his debut at yankee stadium on sunday afternoon briefly meeting with the news media the day his 30 game suspension under major league baseballs new domestic violence policy was to end
his return leaves andrew miller the current closer moving to a setup role in the bullpen
in his second season with the yankees miller has consistently expressed his willingness to make sacrifices to support the team a point that girardi emphasized before sundays game
asked why he had accepted yielding the ninth inning to chapman miller said what do you want me to do you want me to throw a fit i think   the goal here is to win
later he added wins are whats fun at the end of the day it doesnt matter if youre saving games for a last place team
as of sunday afternoon girardi had not spoken to miller or dellin betances the current setup reliever about their new roles in the bullpen he said he planned to before mondays game
girardi also said he envisioned interchanging miller and betances to maximize matchups against right  and left handers although both relievers have been largely successful in either situation this season
for miller who has not allowed a run this season in 12 appearances and has six saves leaving the closers role will require adjustments for one he will enter more games with runners on base he said that he had been spoiled by pitching after betances who also has been dominant striking out 27 batters in 14 innings
he finishes every inning and does such a good job i come in with a nice clean slate miller said adding that he would try to mimic betances approach
the way he goes about it try to copy that and try to get chap the ball in the best situation possible miller said
chapman wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt and a bevy of diamond studded jewelry said he was humbled that betances and miller changed roles to accommodate his arrival together chapman said through an interpreter they could make up the best bullpen in baseball
miller said that chapman who has saved more than 30 games in each of the last four seasons and regularly throws 100 miles per hour makes an already sterling back end of the yankees bullpen even better
you could have the six best relievers in baseball and you add him and youre going to be better miller said
ellsbury sidelined jacoby ellsbury was out of the lineup for the second consecutive game after leaving the first inning of fridays matchup against the red sox with a strained hip muscle
ellsbury received treatment sunday but girardi did not expect him to be available for mondays game a trip to the disabled list remained a possibility
i think if you see after five or six days hes not really improving i think it would probably make sense girardi said


the home run that the mets bartolo colon hit on saturday night   the first of his career at age 42   was startling hilarious mind boggling take your pick
but it also continued a tradition of pitchers occasionally weighing in no pun intended bartolo with a home run from out of nowhere sometimes in pretty big moments consider this list
rick wise philadelphia
june 23 1971 at cincinnati
wise not only no hit the reds in this game he also hit two home runs he hit a two run homer off ross grimsley in the fifth and led off the eighth with a homer off clay carroll
rick camp atlanta
july 4 5 1985 vs mets
in a game won by the mets that went 19 innings and ended at 355 am camp the last of seven atlanta pitchers and entering with a 060 career batting average tied the game with two outs in the 18th inning on an 0 2 forkball from mets reliever tom gorman somehow the mets survived the game had actually begun as a fireworks night promotion and sure enough the rockets went off at 4 am
craig lefferts san diego
april 25 1986 vs san francisco
no pitcher has hit a game ending home run since lefferts a padres reliever connected off greg minton in the 12th inning before lefferts the previous time it was done was by jim hardin of the orioles in a game against kansas city on may 10 1969 lefferts had come into the game in relief in the 11th inning and allowed a run in the 12th but san diego tied it in their half of the inning and lefferts came to bat game over
bobby witt texas
june 30 1997 at los angeles dodgers
witt became the first american league pitcher to hit a home run in nearly 25 years roric harrison of the orioles had been the last al pitcher to do so in the regular season back on oct 3 1972 the designated hitter rule took effect the next season in the american league and pitchers no longer hit but witt did on that day in june and he connected
esteban yan tampa bay
june 4 2000 at mets
everything pointed to yan being an easy out when he came to bat against mets starter bobby j jones in the second inning the devil rays starting pitcher had never had an at bat in a professional game not even in the minors and certainly not in his previous 132 games in the majors up stepped yan oblivious to the fact that only 11 pitchers in the history of baseball had homered in their first at bat and none had done it in eight years
i said to myself i got a chance  yan said i feel comfortable i feel i want to swing at the first pitch he try to throw a strike he figures im an easy out he wasnt
shawn estes mets
june 15 2002 vs yankees
the whole world was expecting estes to hit roger clemens with a pitch in delayed retaliation for mike piazza getting beaned by clemens two years before but estess first pitch to clemens whizzed behind clemenss upper thigh in other words he missed and he didnt make a second attempt to plunk him but estes did connect with a clemens pitch in the fifth inning driving one over the left field wall for a two run homer still mets fans would have preferred he hit clemens
randy johnson arizona
sept 19 2003 at milwaukee
johnson homered over the left field wall against doug davis for the first home run of his career at that point johnson had come to the plate 480 times
felix hernandez seattle
june 23 2008 at mets
johan santanas strategy was to throw hernandez a high fastball a pitch that was purposely out of the strike zone and one that an inexperienced hitter would chase it was hernandezs first at bat of the season and he had one career hit but hernandez swung at santanas 93 mile per hour fastball and hammered it over the right field fence no al pitcher had hit a grand slam since interleague play began in 1997 and now one had
joe blanton philadelphia
october 26 2008 vs tampa bay
blantons solo shot off edwin jackson in game 4 of the world series against tampa bay was the first by a pitcher in the last 33 world series it was a presidential election year and the republican candidate john mccain was publicizing a supporter known as joe the plumber after blanton connected a philadelphia headline proclaimed joe the lumber
sources baseball referencecom and mlbcom


the spanish league title race will go down to the final round with rivals barcelona and real madrid still in contention
barcelona routed its crosstown rival espanyol 5 0 at home on sunday to solidify its lead going into next weekend when another victory would secure barcelona its second consecutive title
luis suarez scored twice with lionel messi neymar and rafinha adding one goal each at the camp nou the win kept barcelona 1 point in front of real madrid which defeated visiting valencia 3 2 with two goals from cristiano ronaldo and one by karim benzema
atletico madrid which was tied in points with barcelona before this weekend dropped out of contention after a surprising 2 1 loss at already relegated levante atletico was chasing its second league title in three seasons
in the final round barcelona will play at granada which was fighting against relegation sunday but secured its place in the top flight with a 4 1 win at sevilla
real madrid will play at deportivo la coruna which will not have anything to play for in the last round
barcelona will be trying to win its sixth league title in eight seasons while madrid is hoping to lift the trophy for the first time since 2012
champions league race manchester city tied arsenal 2 2 in the english premier league to throw into doubt its return to the champions league next season alexis sanchez earned third place arsenal a point with a 68th minute equalizer at etihad stadium
after limping away with a right knee injury the england striker danny welbeck could be a doubt for the european championship
even more galling citys great rival   manchester united   is the team that could grab the champions league qualification berth fourth place city is two points ahead of united which has two games left   against west ham and bournemouth   to citys one
also sunday tottenham lost 2 1 at home to southampton but is assured of a top three finish and automatic qualification to the champions league liverpool beat visiting watford 2 0 on goals by joe allen and roberto firmino to stay in eighth place
higuain lifts napoli napoli won 2 1 at torino to improve its chances of qualifying for the champions league while roma celebrated francesco tottis 600th serie a appearance with a 3 0 win over chievo verona
gonzalo higuain scored his 33rd goal as napoli moved back into the second spot restoring its 2 point advantage over roma
also luca toni chipped in a penalty to set bottom dwelling hellas verona on its way to a surprise 2 1 home victory over juventus
france honors ibrahimovic paris st germain striker zlatan ibrahimovic was voted the french leagues player of the year for a third time
ibrahimovic beat competition from his teammate angel di maria marseille midfielder lassana diarra and nice winger hatem ben arfa
ibrahimovic has scored a season best 35 goals in the french league he is the first player to score more than 30 in a season in frances top division since carlos bianchi scored 37 in 1977 78


charleston sc   the charleston church where nine african americans were shot in what the police say were racially motivated killings has given 15 million in donations to family members of the victims
the post and courier of charleston reported that emanuel african methodist episcopal church said it kept about 18 million in donations for building maintenance an endowment and a scholarship fund
the money was donated to the church in the months after the shootings last june church leaders say that only 280000 worth of donations were specified for the victims families but that the church decided to add more than 1 million to those gifts
an additional 78000 specified for the city of charlestons hope fund will be sent there to be distributed said wilbur johnson the churchs lawyer
some family members are upset that the church kept more than it gave to them
its just sad how the church continues to disrespect the families the rev sharon risher whose 70 year old mother ethel lance died in the shooting told the newspaper
the post and courier reported that victims family members and survivors received certified mail last week with checks and form letters from the church
this sum represents the distribution to you of a percentage of the total amount of funds calculated upon the basis of the number of immediate family members of the emanuel nine victims and survivors the form letter said
the letters did not provide details about how much money the church received or how it decided to divide the donations
there was nothing personal about it at all andy savage a lawyer who represents several victims families and felicia sanders and polly sheppard two survivors told the newspaper
mr johnson the lawyer for the church told the post and courier that the church used roughly the same formula the city used to disburse the hope fund but also included additional family members in an effort to broaden the reach of the donations and in recognition of the churchs pastoral outreach
the hope fund formula divided 55 percent of donations equally among the nine victims beneficiaries 25 percent among the five shooting survivors 10 percent among children of those killed 5 percent to education expenses and 5 percent to a special needs account the newspaper said
there have been two distributions from the hope fund   the first for 25 million and the second for 600000   and a third and smaller distribution is expected the newspaper reported
nine people were shot and killed on the evening of june 17 2015 during a prayer service at emanuel the victims included the churchs senior pastor clementa c pinckney who was also a south carolina state senator
after the killings thousands of contributions poured in from around the world much of it going directly to the church the city established the hope fund to help distribute contributions it received
the post and courier said that originally emanuel officials planned to send the donations to the hope fund but city lawyers declined to accept the donations because of a pending lawsuit and other questions raised about the church leaderships handling of the donations
a judges order had prevented emanuel from disbursing donations until a few weeks ago when a lawsuit against the church   brought by the husband of cynthia graham hurd another victim   was dismissed arthur hurd filed the lawsuit last fall seeking an accounting of the donations after lawyers for the families accused the church of not being transparent the post and courier said


lac la biche alberta   fort mcmurray or fort make money as some canadians nicknamed it during its recent boom years was the kind of place where second chances and fat paychecks beckoned
those who settled there were trained engineers refugees from war torn countries and strivers from across canada and beyond drawn to a dot on the map in northern alberta a city carved out of boreal forest in a region gushing with oil riches
even after the price of crude began to collapse in late 2014 erasing thousands of jobs many residents managed to hang on tightening their belts while waiting for the good times to return
then early last week smoke and ash filled the sky the first harbingers of a catastrophic wildfire sweeping toward the city the entire population of about 88000 was forced to evacuate most in a frantic rush
since then the blaze has consumed whole swaths of fort mcmurray ranking it as one of the most devastating fires in canadas history the fast moving flames turned many of the citys homes   and the baby photos and wedding albums and other treasures that could not be packed in time   into little more than charcoal
but even as displaced residents file insurance claims and pick through piles of donated clothing many are adamant about rebuilding the city that gave them a financial lifeline as rare as the source of its prosperity the largest oil sands reserve in the world
fort mcmurray is the only place you can go sink 10 years of your life and bank enough money to retire said kevin lewis 55 the owner of a transportation company he fled to an evacuation center here in lac la biche 137 miles south in his pickup with only his wallet and the clothes on his back
for the moment lower temperatures have allowed firefighters to gain some control over the blaze which has turned away from the city but it is still raging in a nearby forest and the danger of its returning to the city remains
until environmentalists challenged the keystone xl oil pipeline this decade the city and the alberta oil sands reserve were little known outside of canada and the worlds oil companies but attempts to convert its deposits of tarlike bitumen into fuel go back decades and fort mcmurrays fortunes have risen and fallen with them
its first modern boom was in the 1970s when the government decided to place its bets on the costly to produce oil sands and billions of dollars flowed into the area that ended with a thud as oil prices sank in the 1980s and the sands suddenly seemed like a dying curiosity
the latest and much bigger boom was unleashed in the last 15 years as oil prices soared along with chinas demand for crude and as technology to extract oil from the sands improved
fort mcmurray which got its start as a fur trading post in the 1800s was never as pretty as the forest that surround it the downtown which has escaped the wildfire so far is an architectural time capsule of the 1970s filled with low rise buildings thrown up in a hurry and even at its best the city has a kind of town and gown feel with most of the jobs with big oil companies becoming what locals called fly in fly out
those employees came from across canada and were immediately bused by their employers to camps closer to the remote oil sands projects where they worked two week shifts before returning home
still with so many jobs in welding and construction and transportation the population ballooned to more than 90000 at its peak from 38000 in 2000 land that cost 27000 canadian dollars an acre at the turn of the millennium had reached 1 million canadian dollars about 775000 while new housing developments ate ever deeper into the surrounding woods of black spruce
doctors and lawyers dont make the money we make said chad abbott 50 a scaffolding company supervisor
mr abbott moved to fort mcmurray in 1998 with his family and worked at an oil sands plant site earning about 250000 canadian dollars a year he was part of a tightknit community in the city composed largely of oil services employees trades workers and engineers many of whom have lost all they own
initially during the most recent boom fort mcmurray had welcomed keeping much of the fast growing work force in the remote work camps but those workers lack of connection to fort mcmurray   as well as the lack of their dollars being spent there   eventually stirred resentment
in the early days they didnt want the camp workers in town because they would bring with them all you would imagine in the wild west come into town shoot up the town and head back out said stephen ross the president of devonian properties which began buying local land in 2000
the city could not hold all of the seediness at bay for a time a raft of strip clubs did good business but over the years fort mcmurray smoothed its rougher edges its neighborhoods filled with a melange of accents and nationalities from newfoundlanders to filipinos employed at hotels and gas stations and heavy equipment movers from fiji
before the fire the number of strip clubs had dwindled to just one showgirls near the end of the towns main drag franklin avenue several blocks away the green domed markaz ul islam mosque had become too small for friday prayers forcing the overflow crowds to use the gymnasium of a nearby catholic school
samya hassan 51 a hijab wearing refugee from yemen came to canada in 1990 and settled in fort mcmurray four years ago with her family they prospered her husband got a job as a truck driver she as a cashier   enough to put their three children through school
that all ended tuesday when she and her family fled fire roared next to the highway as they crept along in bumper to bumper traffic she used her headscarf to breathe through the heavy black smoke that blotted out the sun
ms hassan was able to grab her passport but no family photos ill have to start life over again like 25 years ago she said
for countless displaced residents it is the lost things money cannot replace that will haunt them ariana caissie 22 took her two cats but said her late fathers recipe cards were lost when her mother had no time to save them theyre just memories now she said
residents including local politicians are committed to rebuilding but questions remain about what fort mcmurray will be depending on what were able to dream up   and actually do and deliver   its a whole new world melissa blake the mayor said in an interview
adam rairdon a former chef has invested too much in fort mcmurray to walk away after spending about 20000 to study industrial radiography he left halifax nova scotia with his wife laura four years ago and found a job in the boom town about a month before oil prices started to decline they bought a house and began renovations
mr rairdon who took leave from his job to rebuild the house recalls listening to news of oil prices tumbling on the radio as he tore down walls around the same time ms rairdon became pregnant
by january 2015 his employer started cutting back unlike some co workers mr rairdon kept his job but lost about a quarter of his pay he said outside the hall on a fairground in edmonton now a temporary home for him his wife and their 10 month old baby
mr rairdon has seen video confirming that their home is largely destroyed soon he will drive his wife and child to his in laws home in new brunswick after that mr rairdon said he will buy a secondhand trailer and return to fort mcmurray to help rebuild
as soon as they open the gates im going with a shovel and work boots and were going to clean up our town he said there are many that probably cant many that cant afford to and many who are just so brokenhearted that they probably wont i can only speak for myself when i say im not done


boston   since 1991 more than 200 students from at least 67 private schools across new england have accused teachers administrators or other staff members of sexually abusing or harassing them according to a report on sunday by the boston globes spotlight investigation team
these and other allegations going back decades include claims of rape fondling molestation and oral sex by trusted adults in positions of authority including in one case an admissions officer
at least 90 lawsuits or other legal claims have been filed on behalf of the people who have made the accusations and at least 37 school employees have been fired or forced to resign because of the allegations the newspaper said in addition nearly two dozen employees eventually pleaded guilty or were convicted on criminal charges of abusing children or related crimes
the globes tally of abuse claims at new englands private schools many of them among the nations wealthiest and most prestigious institutions appears to be one of the first efforts to quantify the extent of the problem there is no central database of allegations against private school employees a 2004 analysis of the scant research on sex abuse at the nations public schools estimated that 96 percent of students between kindergarten and 12th grade had experienced some form of sexual misconduct by an educator ranging from offensive comments to rape there is no comparable research on private schools
the globe said that even its report most likely underestimated the incidence of sexual abuse at these schools because they are private they are exempt from public records requests the globe sent surveys to 224 private schools about their experience with sexual misconduct allegations but just 23   about 10 percent   responded the article is based on an examination of court cases and interviews with alumni relatives school officials and lawyers
still the globe found 11 cases in which private school employees who were accused of sexual misconduct went on to work at other schools   an echo of the catholic church scandal in which abusive priests were often moved to other parishes the newspaper said
allegations of sexual abuse have been emerging in recent years as survivors have slowly gained the confidence to tell their stories publicly after decades of grief dysfunction and difficulties with intimacy many came forward after the 2011 scandal at penn state which has paid 92 million in settlement costs related to jerry sandusky an assistant football coach who was convicted of abusing 10 boys over 15 years
the private schools have generally been loath to acknowledge problems when their students or alumni have reported them at least in the past but the globes report could add urgency for administrators to be more responsive and transparent in these cases as they seek to protect their students assuage parents and satisfy alumni and donors
the globes tally is sobering peter upham the executive director of the association of boarding schools wrote in an email but he added i dont think its the quantification of the problem that moves most administrators its the heartbreaking stories
he added over the last 10 or 15 years theres been a growing openness to acknowledge and investigate past abuse in all kinds of youth serving institutions thats a healthy development even if it means that todays school leaders must grapple with abuse cases   and organizational missteps   from the past when norms and expectations across society were different
this year at least eight new england private schools have started or disclosed investigations into sexual misconduct at least five of those inquiries   at st georges school in rhode island the taft school in connecticut phillips exeter academy in new hampshire and thayer academy and concord academy in massachusetts   have led to staff members being placed on administrative leave or fired the newspaper said
the case of st georges an elite boarding school in middletown ri is instructive anne scott a former student sued the school in 1989 saying she had been raped in 1977 by the athletic trainer who was 67 when she was 15 she said the school intimidated her into dropping the suit ms scott told her story to the globe in december
since then more than 40 alumni have reported multiple cases of molestation and rape at st georges mostly in the 1970s and 80s although a more recent case from 2004 has also emerged today the head of school eric f peterson who came to the school after the incidents occurred is facing calls for his resignation for either covering up allegations of sexual misconduct or failing to take them seriously the board of trustees has stood by him but the allegations have thrown the school into turmoil the findings of an independent investigation into the charges are expected to be released soon


harrisburg pa   the fbis approach to a campaign cash sting that implicated a onetime top aide to former gov edward g rendell suggests that it is a prelude to more public corruption arrests former federal prosecutors say
the sting that targeted the former aide john h estey raises many questions but one stands out who else may have taken the bait from a phony company set up by the fbi in an effort to root out public corruption in the state capitol
i would anticipate that there are a lot of people who are nervous and looking over their shoulder right now because they know they had conversations with john estey said jeffrey lindy a philadelphia defense lawyer and a former prosecutor
mr estey 53 is scheduled to plead guilty to wire fraud in federal court in harrisburg on tuesday last months court filing of the plea agreement is bumping up against the five year statute of limitations after he apparently created a scheme to funnel illegal campaign contributions to state lawmakers in exchange for their help on legislation benefiting the fbis phony company
the case has grabbed the attention of the political and legal circles in which mr estey was prominent and prompted speculation that he led investigators to former state treasurer rob mccord the extent of the fbi operation that ensnared mr estey is also noteworthy and former federal prosecutors say they would expect a successful sting to yield more arrests
in court filings federal prosecutors said the fbi set up the phony company which they did not identify to investigate allegations of public corruption they did not reveal the nature of those allegations but agents posing as its executives first made contact in 2009 with mr estey who represented the company through 2011 as an owner of an unidentified philadelphia based lobbying firm court papers said
youre not going to set up a fake corporation and go to all the trouble just to take down one guy said l george parry a philadelphia defense lawyer who as a former prosecutor helped set up the fake businesses
bruce antkowiak a former federal prosecutor who runs the criminology program at saint vincent college in latrobe pa said they dont do this on the fly there is a tremendous amount of intelligence information they would have that would indicate to them that if something like this was set up and if it was done right it would yield a significant law enforcement achievement
on saturday the philadelphia inquirer identified the fbis front company as the florida based textbook bio solutions registered in 2009 to a mail drop in a strip mall near fort lauderdale the mail drop had been used in a previous federal sting the inquirer reported
the company spent about 135000 on lobbyists records show one of the phony executives named john miles even gave 15000 in campaign contributions the inquirer reported
the front company had sought passage of legislation to require state schools and universities to dispose of unwanted textbooks through certified recycling centers that textbook bio solutions would run the company would purportedly donate the textbooks to poor counties or recycle them into pellet fuel as an alternative heating source the inquirer reported in october 2010 the bill passed the senate 49 to 0 it did not see house action and never became law
federal prosecutors and mr esteys lawyer have not revealed what led the fbi to mr estey or whether he cooperated after authorities said he pocketed some of the corporate campaign donations he had agreed in 2011 to illegally funnel to state lawmakers if he did cooperate he could have helped prosecutors penetrate powerful circles
former federal prosecutors say there was enough time for the authorities to confront mr estey with recordings and to persuade him to cooperate for at least a portion of the intervening period to lead investigators to more targets in exchange for a reduced sentence
mr estey was a senior executive at the 12 billion hershey trust company which oversees the majority stake in the hershey company he has served as chairman of philadelphias independence visitor center the delaware river port authority and the philadelphia regional port authority he was well known among pennsylvanias political elite and had been a partner at the prominent philadelphia based ballard spahr law firm
federal investigators netted a guilty plea last year from mr mccord who resigned his post as pennsylvanias elected treasurer after he was recorded in 2014 trying to elicit contributions to his failed campaign for governor he awaits sentencing
authorities may never reveal how they came to target mr estey or whether he helped ensnare mr mccord
there is no requirement for the government to put into a criminal information everything they may have against a particular defendant mr parry said they can withhold information


atlanta   gov pat mccrory of north carolina is expected to respond on monday to the justice departments warning that a new state law limiting the rights of transgender people is illegal after he and the federal government failed to reach an agreement that would have allowed him to postpone his reply
mr mccrory said that he could not assent to the justice departments condition for a one week extension   an acknowledgment by him that the law is discriminatory   and would answer by 5 pm on monday
im not going to publicly announce that something discriminates which is agreeing with their letter because were really talking about a letter in which theyre trying to define gender identity and there is no clear definition of gender identity mr mccrory a republican who is seeking re election this year said on fox news sunday its the federal government being a bully
the governor said that he was discussing all of our legal options all of our political options and he appeared to rule out the possibility that he would take some kind of independent action to undo the law or at least limit its enforcement as some people have suggested
a spokeswoman for the justice department dena iverson said on sunday that there were ongoing discussions after officials received requests from multiple parties for an extension of the deadline in our may 6 letters which were signed by the departments top civil rights lawyer vanita gupta
in her letter to mr mccrory ms gupta said the justice department had concluded that the law which bars people from using public restrooms that do not correspond with the gender listed on their birth certificates breached the civil rights act of 1964 mr mccrory signed the measure commonly referred to as house bill 2 into law on march 23 hours after the general assembly approved it during a one day special session
businesses and gay rights groups have criticized the measure and demanded its full repeal and the bathroom provision has emerged as a particular concern to officials in washington who have said that the federal government might someday seek to withhold billions of dollars in aid to north carolina
ms gupta did not make such an explicit threat in her letter to mr mccrory in which she said the state was engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination against its employees she gave the governor until monday to notify the justice department whether he would remedy these violations of title vii which prohibits sex discrimination and noted that the government could apply to the appropriate court for an order that will ensure compliance with title vii
ms gupta sent a similar letter to the university of north carolina which must also respond by monday
mr mccrorys bid for additional time is an extension of the argument that republican leaders in north carolina have been making for days that the justice department imposed an excessively hasty deadline to determine the future of a law they contend is crucial to public safety and privacy
the federal government mr mccrory said had given north carolina just three working days to respond to a pretty complex letter and to a pretty big threat and that state officials dont think three working days is enough to respond to such a threat
a spokesman for roy cooper the democratic candidate for governor and the states attorney general criticized mr mccrorys stand
governor mccrory signed hb2 into law in the dark of night after passing it in just 12 hours and now complains when hes given five days to defend it the spokesman ford porter said in a statement the governor needs to undo this law now and stop playing politics with our economy
mr cooper has refused to defend the law in federal court
although the general assembly will reconvene before mr mccrory must submit his reply on monday there is virtually no chance that lawmakers will change the law by 5 pm the speaker of the state house of representatives tim moore said last week that the deadline would come and go without action by the republican controlled legislature
i think we all as legislators have a duty to make sure that we analyze everything that we look to see what our legal arguments are to counter what the obama administration is trying to do and see what other things can be done mr moore said


in a bright classroom at public school 160 in borough park brooklyn three teachers orbited 28 students 21 of whom were still learning english
one teacher trained to teach english as a new language drew pictures to go along with words on a whiteboard a sweater next to seamstress an apple next to farm a table by the door was littered with work sheets about firefighters and teachers that included words in english chinese and uzbek along with colorful pictures all the third graders could understand
this is what a classroom for children learning english is supposed to look like according to new york states new regulations which cover everything from how those students are identified to what kinds of teachers they are entitled to
the reality however is trailing far behind
im telling you the whole city is out of compliance evelyn dejesus a vice president at the united federation of teachers said in a publication put out by the new york city teachers union this year its like the wild west out there
the regulations are a broad effort to improve the academic standing and progress of students learning english who are far behind their peers statewide only 34 percent of them graduate on time less than half the rate for those who already speak the language in new york city more than 10 percent of students are english language learners
shamsun nahar who came to the city from bangladesh in 2013 said her elder son was among those who needed the help an 18 year old student at a high school in the bronx he still has difficulty with english which has left him socially isolated and could keep him from graduating on time
the whole point of our struggling to be able to come here and raise our family here to leave everything behind is primarily because of education ms nahar said through a translator at a south asian organization called drum yet her son she said is already being left behind
among the most significant changes is that schools must now have an english language teacher   like the woman drawing pictures at ps 160   in the classroom for part of each week if even one student is learning english in the past students could receive english language instruction outside of the classroom while spending the rest of their time in a regular class trying to puzzle out the words on their own
another shift requires schools and districts to create programs in which classes are taught in two languages these bilingual programs will now be offered to students who are new to the public system as long as there are enough children in one place who speak the same tongue
but finding teachers who are both bilingual and licensed in relevant areas can be difficult
take bengali for example it is the fourth most common language among pupils learning english in the citys public schools but there are only three bilingual bengali programs in the schools
i have been talking to anybody who knows of a teacher who speaks the language so we can recruit milady baez a deputy chancellor in the citys education department said with a hint of desperation it is very very difficult
ms dejesus of the teachers union said she thought almost every city school needed to hire one or two teachers which would put the numbers required in the thousands
and the new rules came with very little in the way of resources   1 million for the entire state which has left schools scrambling
angelica infante green a deputy commissioner at the states education department said she did not yet know how many more teachers were needed
there is a shortage we do understand there is a shortage ms infante green said this is the first year of the regulation and were not looking to sanction anyone this year but we expect people to be on track she continued we expect kids to be getting as much of what theyre entitled to as possible
the administration of mayor bill de blasio a democrat has started 88 bilingual programs and hopes to offer at least 50 more beginning in fall 2017 ms baez said the city plans to spend 40 million to meet the new requirements in the next school year
both city and state education officials said they were working with colleges and education schools to try to recruit more language teachers and in some cases paying to get teachers licensed but the shortage has been building for years education officials and family advocates say that as large failing schools were closed and replaced with smaller schools during the administration of mayor michael r bloomberg many bilingual programs disappeared because schools no longer had the number of students necessary to sustain them
union rules are also a hurdle if teachers switch licenses to become english language specialists they lose their seniority which could make them vulnerable when a school trims its staff city education and union officials say they are discussing ways to change that
at ps 160 more than 1000 of its 1400 students are classified as learning english most speak one of several chinese dialects but a potpourri of other languages are spoken as well including uzbek russian urdu and arabic one third grader whose formal schooling has been inconsistent speaks portuguese and toisanese a chinese dialect
yet ps 160 is probably far ahead of many schools because it had been meeting some of the requirements before they came into effect teachers of english as a new language were integrated into general education classes with more than 10 of them already on staff the school also had a full time staff member coordinating the english language efforts
margaret russo the schools principal said ps 160 still had to hire five teachers of english as a new language to comply with the regulations
we were in a good place when this came down ms russo said and it was still a challenge for us


madrid   a decade after their first match when they were a couple of promising teenagers novak djokovic defeated andy murray again in madrid this time to win a record 29th career masters title
the top ranked djokovic defeated the second ranked murray 6 2 3 6 6 3 in the madrid open final on sunday 10 years after their rivalry started in the round of 16 of the tournament in spain
djokovic who beat murray in three sets in that 2006 meeting said that now 10 years later we are the two best players in the world which at that time maybe it seemed like something that will be very challenging for us to achieve
but we both thrived to be at the top and weve known each other since we were 12 djokovic 28 added i think you can see already in those junior days that both of us have serious intentions to conquer the tennis world
djokovic saved seven break points in the final game and converted on his third match point of the night on sunday to secure the win over murray the defending champion moving one victory ahead of rafael nadal in masters tournament victories
the loss kept murray from winning his 12th masters title and will drop him to no 3 in the rankings on monday when he will be surpassed by roger federer third in the list of masters winners with 24 titles
im very pleased that i have developed a great rivalry with somebody that ive known since very long time and somebody that i have a very good and friendly relationship with on and off the court djokovic said
djokovic has won 12 of the last 13 matches against murray since 2014 and is 23 9 over all against the 28 year old british player
it was djokovics second title in madrid and his fifth of the season he reached 33 wins the most on tour in 2016 the win leaves him tied with bjorn borg and pete sampras for sixth on the open era titles list with 64
its obviously very flattering to be alongside such legends of the sport tennis players that i was looking up to djokovic said its an achievement that im very proud of
djokovic dominated the first set but it was even from then until the end with both players faltering at decisive moments djokovic hit 25 winners but had just as many unforced errors while murray had 10 aces in the match which lasted 2 hours 6 minutes
the thrilling final game ended when murray sent a forehand into the net giving djokovic his 15th straight win against top 10 opponents a streak in which he has lost only two of 35 sets
thats why hes no 1 just now murray said he fought very hard in that game and served well when he was a bit nervous at the end he came up with some big serves and got himself some free points and did well
djokovic has won five of the last six masters titles including three this year he had already won in indian wells and miami and also clinched the australian open in a final against murray
djokovics next tournament will be the rome masters next week and then he plays at the french open where he lost the last two finals
i had an amazing opening four months of the season djokovic said i came here early got used to the conditions and played a really fantastic tournament that will definitely serve as a great confidence boost before rome and of course french open where i want to arrive in a best possible shape
djokovic won in madrid for the first time in 2011
in addition to beating nadal in straight sets in last years final murray also won the madrid tournament in 2008 when it was not considered a masters he defeated nadal in the semifinals on saturday
murray has been impressive this season on clay the surface on which he has struggled the most in his career he was coming off a semifinal loss to nadal in three sets in monte carlo
its been positive from where i was a few weeks ago going into monte carlo murray said ive played some really good stuff


houston   he was known as the maestro the man whose every word was dissected by oil traders and moved markets for two decades saudi arabias oil minister ali al naimi was the architect of saudi and opec cartel policies including the one that has now sent the price of oil into a deep collapse
but mr naimi was unceremoniously ousted over the weekend replaced as part of the new order in saudi arabia led by king salman aimed at a sweeping if long term modernization of the countrys economy
mr naimis successor khalid al falih is a big supporter of the kings agenda and now will be charged with the complicated task of sharply cutting the states persistent dependence on oil
while the symbolism of the moves was clear energy experts say they expect no quick or easy change in policy sharp departures in economic policy have been the exception rather than the rule for the conservative kingdom over many decades and mr falih wasted little time in trying to calm markets amid fears that already volatile oil prices could quickly become even more volatile
saudi arabia will maintain its stable petroleum policies he said in a statement issued on sunday we remain committed to maintaining our role in international energy markets and strengthening our position as the worlds most reliable supplier of energy
that means saudi arabia will probably continue to pump as much oil as possible helping to assure that gasoline prices for american consumers will stay low through the summer and that energy prices will be kept down for at least the rest of the year
inside saudi arabia there is plenty of skepticism that the change at the highest level of the government will be sufficient to drive reforms promised by king salman and engineered by his powerful son deputy crown prince mohammed bin salman to reduce the dependence of the unsteady statist economy on the future of oil which now appears increasingly unreliable
mr naimis ouster was part of a shake up announced on saturday aimed at restructuring the saudi government to diversify the economy and improve services for saudi citizens
at the core of the plan released last month in which mr falih will now play a major role is the transformation of the state owned oil company saudi aramco into an industrial conglomerate
prince mohammed has said that shares of the company will be sold publicly for the first time in its history and that the money will be put into a sovereign wealth fund that will be invested at home and abroad to supplement government revenues
saudi aramco has long been the most effective institution in saudi arabia but it has been intensely private about its finances and how it estimates the kingdoms oil reserves
opening up the company would subject it to new scrutiny that could change its culture in unpredictable ways analysts say and routing its worth into investments merely shifts the focus from one type of revenue   from oil   to others that are unpredictable and do nothing to increase the productivity of saudi workers
mr falih is a texas am graduate in mechanical engineering who worked his way up the ranks of saudi aramco eventually becoming its chief executive he is viewed by international oil executives and analysts as an agent of change but still a technocrat who has long been tied to the old saudi aramco culture
oil executives and analysts described mr falih as one of the most sophisticated and cosmopolitan officials in the world of oil already widely recognized as a leader among the ministers of the organization of the petroleum exporting countries who together control a third of the worlds oil production
they expect him to encourage a gradual rise in global oil prices while he moves the kingdom away from wasteful domestic energy consumption a change that will allow the saudis to increase oil exports in the years to come he will take over a newly reorganized ministry that will now hold sway over all facets of energy and industry not just oil
khalid is a very effective executive with a very sophisticated understanding of policy said daniel yergin an energy historian and vice chairman of the global consulting firm ihs
its a natural transition mr yergin said now there is a big new agenda ahead for saudi arabia and saudi aramco is central to it you need somebody who can implement and execute
mr falihs first concern will be managing opec which is deeply divided between members like venezuela and algeria that want to cut production to raise prices and the wealthier persian gulf kingdoms that are content to let the price remain low for a while
low prices are forcing higher cost producers like the companies drilling in the american shale fields canadian oil sands and brazilian and west african deepwater fields to give up investing in expensive projects
while king salman will make the final decisions mr falih could use his influence to affect current policy but his influence can go only so far
the oil market has bounced around in recent days prices have been pulled down by persistent reports of record inventories in the united states and elsewhere and pushed up by reports of rapid production declines in the united states china mexico and now canada as fires swirl near the oil sands fields in alberta
the wild cards in the market are numerous including how much political instability in libya iraq venezuela and nigeria will curb their oil production
with the oil price collapse that mr naimi helped engineer approaching its third year oil production in the united states alone has fallen from a high of nearly 97 million barrels a day to 88 million barrels
scores of american companies have gone bankrupt and cuts in exploration and production budgets have thrown roughly 120000 employees out of work
mr naimi tried to bridge the gaps among opec members russia and other international producers at a summit in qatar last month with a proposal to freeze production at current levels
those efforts were stymied by prince mohammed who refused to go along with a freeze unless iran went along but iran which has sworn to produce several hundred thousand more barrels of oil a day now that it has been relieved of sanctions over its nuclear program would not cooperate
mr falih can be expected to stay close to prince mohammeds line analysts say this is not likely to change anytime soon as long as tensions between saudi arabia and iran remain high particularly over conflicts in syria and yemen
but middle east oil executives said a gradual shift in saudi and opec policies might happen now that oil production in many countries was falling and prices had firmed somewhat in recent weeks
they said mr falih might conclude that prolonged low prices would cause a collapse in exploration investments that could set off a sudden uncontrollable price increase such turbulence would not only jeopardize the world economy but also spur a renewed drilling frenzy in the united states and other countries which would only lead to another price collapse
khalid al falih is likely to recognize the dangers of having a very low oil price for a long period said badr jafar president of crescent petroleum an oil and gas company based in the united arab emirates he may shift the policy to ensure a soft landing on price recovery


portland ore   another game on the bench for stephen curry meant another finely tailored jacket from his collection a hapless spectator for the golden state warriors on saturday night curry could only watch as another point guard filleted his teammates instantly turning a humdrum series into appointment viewing
the warriors are suddenly in some trouble against damian lillard and the portland trail blazers in the western conference semifinals the warriors still have a two games to one lead in the best of seven series entering game 4 on monday night but their lopsided loss to the trail blazers on saturday exposed some vulnerabilities   we got outplayed coach steve kerr said   and created a potential dilemma
the big question of course is whether curry will play it will have been 15 days since he sprained his right knee in a first round game against the houston rockets had the warriors taken a 3 0 series lead against the trail blazers there would most likely be less urgency for them to break the emergency glass and throw him back on the floor
but game 4 has shaped up as high drama with portland sensing an opportunity and the warriors must weigh the risks and rewards
a lot of times the team will go as i go said lillard who was sensational in saturdays 120 108 win collecting 40 points and 10 assists while exploiting the void left by curry and that goes for more than just scoring the ball that means how focused i am and how accountable im holding myself
on sunday curry returned to the practice court at moda center and participated in a game of three on three the warriors listed him as doubtful for mondays game but kerr said that curry looked good and that he would be re evaluated on monday morning the final decision on his availability kerr said will require some delicate calculus
the trainers would have to tell me that hes good to go steph would have to say hes good to go and then we would have to figure out a plan from there kerr said
he added you trust the medical staff in terms of whether theres potential for more damage and you trust the player with how hes feeling
kerr said he trusted curry to be honest with him in part because curry leveled with kerr after he had sprained his right ankle against the rockets during that series their conversations took on a familiar rhythm   curry lobbying to play kerr asking him to be honest and then curry admitting that he probably needed additional rest
so i know we would get a truthful answer out of steph kerr said
curry did not address reporters after sundays practice but it might be more difficult than ever for him to digest the prospect of missing another playoff game   especially against an upstart opponent led by one of the leagues most dynamic guards in lillard the warriors klay thompson said that curry was probably getting antsy
its never fun to watch thompson said
curry and lillard are different players to be sure but comparisons are unavoidable earlier this season andre iguodala of the warriors described both as new age point guards capable of dominating games in all kinds of different ways   by launching 3 pointers by zigzagging past defenders and launching themselves at the rim by penetrating and finding teammates
kerr too has made a habit of citing their similarities even if that has occasionally gotten him into trouble in february after lillard guided the trail blazers to a 32 point win over the warriors by scoring 51 points kerr said that lillard looked like steph curry out there
lillard let those comments marinate for about a month until the teams played again and he revealed that he did not like being compared to anyone let alone curry
im not impersonating anyone you know what i mean lillard said at the time before emphasizing im my own person
kerr quickly clarified that he had only meant to praise lillard and he even apologized to him in person but kerr was at it again after saturdays game he could not help himself
hes a lot like steph kerr said hes got unlimited range and he can shoot off the dribble and come off screens and shoot step backs so we know hes going to be a handful
lillard has the unique ability to turn compliments into criticisms to manufacture motivational fuel out of innocuous postgame comments
it has always been that way for lillard who could justifiably consider himself perpetually overlooked by college recruiters by the five teams that passed on him in the 2012 nba draft by the coaches who did not vote for him to play in the 2016 all star game after that particular snub lillard went on a scorched earth crusade averaging 335 points in the first 11 games after the all star break
lillard who grew up in oakland calif has saved some of his finest work for the warriors in his last three home games against golden state dating to the regular season lillard averaged 437 points while shooting 537 percent from the field and 575 percent from 3 point range
on saturday lillard became the first player in nba history to have at least 40 points 10 assists 5 rebounds and 5 3 pointers in a playoff game he also became the first player for the trail blazers to finish with 40 points and 10 assists in a playoff game since clyde drexler in 1992 it was history   the sort of history that curry usually makes
our season is on the line lillard said
it would not be a total stretch to suggest that the same is true for the warriors   not ahead of game 4 necessarily but as this series drags on they would welcome some high profile help


william c dudley the federal reserve bank of new york president who helped pilot the feds post crisis stimulus campaign sounded pretty calm about the nations current economic situation
in an interview on friday mr dudley said he foresaw continued growth despite bumps in the early months of the year   enough growth for the fed to get back to slowly raising its benchmark interest rate and if growth should falter he said there is plenty of medicine in the feds chest
it remains a reasonable expectation that the fed will raise its benchmark interest rate twice this year mr dudley said
i think the general story of the economy over the last few years is very much intact he said during the conversation at the new york feds ornate fortress in lower manhattan i think were still on track
the fed in recent months has faced some criticism that it moved prematurely by raising rates in december for the first time since the 2008 financial crisis in the months after the move both domestic and global growth weakened unexpectedly and volatility increased across a wide range of financial markets
the fed had held rates near zero to encourage borrowing and risk taking which stimulated economic growth as it increases rates those incentives are dwindling
in mr dudleys view the fed is keeping its balance by moving slowly
he said he still expected roughly 2 percent growth over the next year he described the global situation as dramatically better and said financial conditions have eased considerably
even government spending is rising modestly now
if thats how the economy plays out then i think were going to see further moves by the fed to gradually normalize interest rates mr dudley said though he emphasized that the pace would be determined by actual economic data
mr dudley 63 may well be the nations most powerful policy maker who was neither elected nor confirmed by congress the new york fed a quasi public institution watches wall street and carries out the feds monetary policies mr dudley its president since 2009 serves as vice chairman of the feds policy making committee and is the only regional reserve president with a permanent vote
a former goldman sachs economist he is sometimes portrayed as emblematic of an institution that is more interested in the health of wall street than main street questions about the new york feds efficacy as a regulator and its relationship with goldman in particular have dotted mr dudleys tenure but mr dudley a top adviser to the fed chairwoman janet l yellen has also been one of the strongest advocates for the feds stimulus campaign which is aimed at driving down unemployment and improving the performance of the broader economy
i cant wipe out my employment history mr dudley said in the interview i hope people judge me on my actions and i hope my actions are very much consistent with the view that i care completely about main street not about wall street
mr dudley also pushed back against critics who say the fed should be restructured since the crisis both democrats and republicans have advanced proposals to raise the feds accountability and circumscribe its powers
mr dudley said the rescue of large banks during the crisis was deeply unfair yet necessary and he cautioned that any changes should be focused on improving the feds ability to achieve its goals not on punishing it
if you look at how the fed has actually behaved over the last few years i would not want to trade places with a lot of other countries around the world he said
the fed is insulated by design from political pressure so that it can do unpopular things that are in the nations long term economic interest congress curtailed the feds emergency lending powers in the aftermath of the crisis and some members of both parties continue to push for even stronger restrictions
but in a speech last week in fernandina beach fla mr dudley argued that congress should consider expanding the feds emergency lending authority to make it easier to lend money to security firms i think thats a potential shortcoming of our system that we should re evaluate he said noting such firms are now subject to increased oversight
mr dudley does not however see any crises looming in the near horizon low interest rates can encourage excessive speculation and economic distortions as in the years before the financial crisis but the feds stimulus campaign so far has produced only a modest recovery and there remain few signs of overheating
i would say at this point i dont see a lot of things that disturb me he said
mr dudley said the risk of a recession seemed quite low the fed is unlikely to raise rates aggressively so the only danger is an unexpected shock to the economy
he also offered an upbeat take on the feds ability to revive economic growth whenever the next downturn inevitably arrives in some ways we have more ammunition than we had 10 years ago because weve developed new tools that we actually know are effective he said he was referring to the measures the fed employed in the aftermath of the financial crisis like promising to keep rates low for an extended period or buying large sums of treasuries and mortgage bonds
one thing hes not really considering though is the idea of imposing negative interest rates as europe and japan have done this is not something im spending any time thinking about and its not something i contemplate doing now or in the future he said although he added he was not ruling out anything
mr dudley listed standard reasons for the continued sluggishness of domestic growth borrowers are reluctant to borrow and lenders are reluctant to lend the population is aging the global economy is weak
james bullard president of the federal reserve bank of st louis said in an interview last month that he worried conditions would remain weak and that the fed would find itself unable to raise interest rates other economists share the same concern
mr dudley offered a more optimistic view he said the trajectory of growth remained quite shallow so small changes in the outlook could lead the fed to delay rate increases for months at a time that has created a communication challenge for the fed which is trying to set aside its post crisis practice of predicting when it will raise rates and instead encouraging investors to focus on economic data
i think the only forward guidance were giving right now is very very soft he said its just the notion that we expect the rate path is likely to be quite gradual
but all the arrows   growth inflation interest rates   are still pointing up


a french bakery that morphs into a riviera beach club a movie that will make a stop at the cannes film festival but will not be shown until 2115 a tour of a chateau
these may sound like itinerary ideas for a particularly upscale european jaunt but each is actually an advertisement for a high end liquor company in an attempt to attract customers especially much desired millennials premium spirit brands are often eschewing traditional marketing in favor of more imaginative promotions
millennials are not about acquiring products but about acquiring experiences said mauricio vergara the chief marketing officer in north america for bacardi
the concept of a french bakery that transforms into a riviera beach club is a main feature of a new campaign that begins on monday from grey goose a superpremium brand from bacardi
titled grey goose boulangerie bleue the bakery beach clubs are popping up in over 20 locations around the world through september including the cannes film festival the united states open in new york and summer hot spots like the hamptons ibiza and marbella chefs identified by slow food international will prepare brunch lunch and dinner dishes served with le grand fizz grey gooses first signature summer cocktail made with elderflower liqueur lime juice and soda admission to the clubs will be by invitation only
a more democratic aspect of the campaign is its advertising created by the agency bbdo the centerpiece is a 60 second tv spot of a group of friends who discover a dirigible and take it on a journey for a movie night in the sky screening an old black and white film against the clouds as they drink le grand fizz
how you connect with people these days is different than five years ago said dan leahy global content director for johnnie walker theres a rightful expectation that you can play with brands interact with brands and the brands should take a point of view they should contribute tangibly to the world its a natural evolution from television being the primary medium one way the internet allows more access to information more ways to participate
according to dan sanborn senior vice president of culture and partnerships for diageo north america which counts johnnie walker as one of its brands one advantage of the spirits category is that the drinks are often experienced at a bar a football game at home with friends and therefore part of celebratory moments
because the brands connect with consumers in varied places its forced us to think about new and different ways to engage with them he said
the cannes film festival will also be a stop on a tour by a new film on life in the year 2115 that will be displayed but not screened there commissioned by louis xiii cognac a remy martin brand that takes 100 years to make and retails for close to 3000 per bottle the film 100 years the movie you will never see was directed by robert rodriguez and stars john malkovich who also wrote it the film has been seen only by its cast and crew and has been placed in a safe that is supposed to open automatically on nov 18 2115 various people have received invitations for their descendants to attend the films premiere at the brands estate in cognac france in 2115
since the movie was announced in november the safe housing it has been touring the world it will be displayed at the majestic hotel in cannes later this month and then travel to johannesburg chicago and dallas before returning to cognac
according to ludovic du plessis global executive director for louis xiii the film was inspired by the fact that the cognacs creators never experience the fruits of their labor although he said its promotion is aimed at drinkers of all ages it is a way to talk to millennials by not giving them instant gratification it provokes their imagination with google you can find everything we are forcing them to stop everything and think
louis xiii also is giving its aficionados the opportunity   for 1000 euros or about 1140 per person   to visit its estate and tour its blending and aging cellars
similarly courvoisier cognac a less expensive brand from beam suntory is offering new tours of paris and expanded tour options at its chateau in jarnac france the latter priced from EUR12 to EUR250
last year keep walking the longstanding advertising tag line of johnnie walker inspired daniel titz and dorian lebherz two german film school students to make a 90 second commercial as part of their coursework the film about two scotch drinking brothers on the isle of skye in scotland has been viewed more than four million times on youtube
mr leahy who said johnnie walker was not aware the students were making the spot called it a really beautiful piece of work johnnie walker did not pay the students for the commercial but mr leahy said the brand and the students were committed to each other to collaborate in the future
maryleigh bliss chief content officer of ypulse a youth oriented market research company said it was very smart for johnnie walker to look at the kind of marketing young creatives are making themselves to use that and make it part of their brands process
several years ago the company released a report saying that millennials generally pass over material luxury goods in favor of social experiences the report concluded that what has stood the test of time as both a symbol of status and luxury for this generation is experiences and fundamentally broadcasting them through social media
and while millennials are having these experiences liquor companies are hoping they will have a drink too


the taliban attacked the afghan police compound at first light coming from all sides at the american green berets holed up inside the insurgents fired assault rifles heavy machine guns and rocket propelled grenades they came in what a soldier called human waves
not even strafing runs by american f 16 fighters stopped the assault the elite american soldiers   whose mission was only to train and advise afghan troops   had never seen a firefight as intense
holding the compound another soldier said took an alamo defense
on the morning of oct 1 about 30 soldiers were in close quarters combat against taliban fighters   even though white house and pentagon officials have repeatedly insisted that american troops no longer play that role
the americans were not ambushed while advising local forces behind the front lines or struck by rocket fire while manning a fortified base nine months after president obama declared an end to the american combat mission in afghanistan these green berets were at the leading edge of an offensive to retake kunduz where afghan forces had melted away as insurgents attacked leaving an entire city in the talibans grip for the first time since 2001
the fight for the police compound proved crucial in rallying afghan forces to retake the city
it also offered the starkest example to date of a blurry line in afghanistan and iraq between the missions that american forces are supposed to be fulfilling   military training and advising   and combat mr obama has portrayed that combat role as over but as the taliban in afghanistan and the islamic state in iraq have threatened the delicate stability he hoped to leave behind american forces are increasingly being called on to fight
the fall of kunduz was clearly a desperate situation said brig gen charles h cleveland the spokesman for the american command in afghanistan the soldiers he said recognized that if we dont really provide some very strong suggestion direction whatever you call it   if we dont get engaged with this quickly   were going to have a much larger issue
in interviews with military investigators green berets who fought in kunduz for the four days it ultimately took to begin securing the city provided a graphic and previously undisclosed account of one of the most important engagements of the war the investigators main purpose was to examine not that battle but the tragedy that stemmed from it it was these green berets who on the morning of oct 3 in the heat of battle called in the airstrike that killed 42 people at a hospital in kunduz run by doctors without borders prompting an international outcry and disciplinary action against 16 military personnel
the investigators wanted to know how the strike occurred but the interviews they conducted also revealed almost universal confusion among the green berets over their exact mission in kunduz the goal was simple not to lose the city but in a reflection of the ill defined parameters of the united states mission in afghanistan no one involved in the battle seemed to know how far the group was supposed to go to ensure success
when soldiers sought guidance from commanders in kabul the only sounds audible were the sounds of crickets a green beret officer said adding though those were hard to hear over the gunfire
at the outset of the battle for kunduz peter cook the pentagon spokesman said americans were using force only to defend themselves in accordance with the rules under which mr obama had agreed to keep troops in afghanistan american soldiers mr cook said were not directly engaged in the fight
the report on kunduz is heavily redacted roughly two thirds of its more than 3000 pages remain classified as do the names of the soldiers interviewed but the publicly released portions tell a far different story
the fighting was so fierce that american aircraft launched 22 airstrikes over four days a green beret called it a miracle that all of the americans survived
the swift fall of kunduz to the taliban on sept 28 stunned american commanders who hastily dispatched more army special forces as the green berets are formally known to reinforce a 12 man a team that was based near an airport south of the city
the first american reinforcements arrived early the next day they had planned to push into the city that night with whatever afghan forces they could muster they instead spent the night fending off a taliban attack on the citys airport after the afghan police guarding the perimeter ran from their posts
a special forces major arrived in the middle of the attack as he got off the helicopter the major recalled he was told theyre abandoning the perimeter and the base is about to fall
it was a chaotic scene hundreds of police officers and civilians who had taken refuge at the airport were fleeing into the darkness
teams of green berets rushed to secure the control tower while others fought off the advancing taliban some of whom were charging toward the runway in humvees captured from afghan troops in kunduz the americans were later joined by afghan units that had been emboldened by the ussfs assertive and quick actions the investigators said using an abbreviation for united states special forces
the next day there was a videoconference with the top afghan general at the airport and gen john f campbell the american commander in afghanistan at the time it went poorly
the afghan general answered questions that were not the ones that general campbell was asking the major recalled general campbell was somewhat upset
so the major spoke up and with that the operation to retake kunduz became an american plan
the american officers quickly agreed that the afghans lacked urgency and that they needed to get into the city as fast as possible they decided that the americans and the afghans would move into kunduz that night
the specifics   such as what legal authority would govern the american mission   were left unaddressed some american troops in afghanistan conduct raids against militants from al qaeda and the islamic state but fighting the taliban is now supposed to be the job of afghan forces not americans
reflecting on this the major said that general campbell was very much in a hurry to get back to dc   where he was due to meet with president obama and testify before congress
before the assault the major told his troops that the whole world is watching it would soon be true but not for the reasons he had expected
the american and afghan forces set out around 11 pm on sept 30 and quickly encountered taliban resistance american aircraft conducted five strikes between 1212 am and 328 am on oct 1 to clear insurgents in their path
the forces managed to seize the headquarters of a paramilitary police force and they took the citys prison the americans reached the provincial police headquarters around 4 am
on their way into the compound they hit a trip wire that set off a roadside bomb and were then attacked by a taliban suicide car bomber but no one was injured by the bombs and a lull in the fighting ensued giving them time to take up defensive positions
about an hour later the taliban launched an assault on the compound the fighting was intense and went on throughout the day and into the next at one point a rocket propelled grenade fired from close range nearly breached one of the hesco barriers hulking bales of canvas wrapped in wire mesh and filled with dirt that lined the compounds perimeter
it was readily apparent that there was a level of sophistication and coordination that none of us had ever come up against said the green beret who complained about the lack of guidance
by nightfall on oct 1 afghan reinforcements finally arrived with supplies   ammunition food and water   and the promise of relief for the americans the afghans also said they would abandon the compound if the americans pulled back to the airport as planned so the green berets stayed waiting on a larger group of afghan reinforcements that never arrived
the next afternoon had the heaviest fighting yet buildings around the compound were nearly obscured by the smoke and dust from the exchange of fire another green beret said
three afghan soldiers were injured and afghan troops began organizing a convoy to evacuate the wounded to the airport and bring back more supplies
the afghans also came up with a plan to seize what was believed to be the talibans command center the local headquarters of afghanistans spy agency the national directorate of security it was only about 500 meters from the police compound and the afghan troops would move against the nds headquarters on their way back from the airport the americans agreed to coordinate air support if needed
the major told investigators that he had not been concerned about civilians being hit the nds with a documented history of torture is feared by most afghans nobody squats in an nds facility the major told investigators
in the early hours of oct 3 the major was at his command post   a humvee with a map laid across the hood   awaiting word from the afghan force he believed was headed toward the nds building
by then the major had experienced significant fighting for approximately 51 hours the report said he had hardly slept
after a confusing back and forth with afghan officers he came to believe that the afghan commandos were under fire from the nds building they were in fact nowhere near it the major called in air support from an ac 130 gunship
he then climbed to a balcony in one of the police compounds buildings seeking a better vantage he could hear intermittent gunfire but he could not see much
the gunship was also struggling to find the building it had the right coordinates but its targeting system malfunctioned it pointed the aircraft to an empty field the crew members however spotted a building nearby that they and the green berets on the ground concluded was the nds building
it was not they were looking at the doctors without borders hospital and they missed what should have been obvious signs none of the people spotted inside the compound appeared to be armed
at 208 am on oct 3 the gunship opened fire the first round hit a courtyard where nine unarmed people were milling about
the attack continued until 238 am the investigators found and the gunship fired 211 rounds killing 42 people military investigators would describe the attack as a violation of the laws of armed conflict and a disproportional response to a threat that did not exist
but in the immediate aftermath the green berets thought they had hit the right target fighting fell off sharply in the morning and the taliban began retreating the green berets heard reports of civilians killed in the city but did not connect the casualties to the strike
it was only on oct 5 when the green berets returned to bagram air field the main american base in afghanistan that they found out the gunship had hit a functioning hospital not a taliban command post
we saw the news in the chow hall said the soldier who complained about a lack of guidance from commanders the whole detachment was in disbelief
that day in washington general campbell briefed reporters about the accidental strike on the hospital saying the facts would be established by military investigators
but general campbell was unequivocal on one point our personnel are not directly engaged in the fighting he said


when talking about his programming philosophy jamie horowitz the president of fox sports national networks fondly cites a quote recently attributed to norman lear the acclaimed creator of all in the family
he said the guiding light for his shows was dont worry whether this opinion or that view is likable it just has to be real and honest and then you build around that mr horowitz said during a recent interview oh yeah thats perfect
and he is betting that his shows will be successful
under mr horowitz a strategy has crystallized at fs1 the cable sports network of 21st century fox over the last year first it hired opinionated personalities like colin cowherd and jason whitlock then it euthanized a version of fox sports live a misbegotten knockoff of espns sportscenter and replaced it with another in which its hosts work in a closet size studio trying to be witty
and last month skip bayless the 64 year old co star of the espn2 debate show first take decided that he would join fs1 in late summer for a reported salary of 55 million and a signing bonus of 4 million
that mr horowitz was able to lure these personalities to fs1 should not come as a surprise after all mr cowherd and mr bayless owe a portion of their success at espn to mr horowitz who spent years at the network developing and overseeing opinion based programming that drew scorn and ratings in equal measure it is this kind of programming that mr horowitz now believes will make fs1 a more serious competitor to espn an untouchable behemoth in sports television
were making big bets on three types of programming live events pre  and postgame programming and opinion based programming mr horowitz said by phone from los angeles and were making an equally big bet against traditional news and information shows
that may be partly because of the failure of fox sports live but also the realization that the availability of scores and highlights on mobile devices has made programs like sportscenter   once must see tv for any self respecting sports fan   less critical
you can almost hear mr horowitz pronouncing last rites for sportscenter   which runs several times a day during the morning early and late evening and overnight and accounts for about half of espns programming   when he says strictly analytically the traditional news and highlights show is in a record free fall
from 2010 to 2015 the average viewership of all live editions of sportscenter has fallen by one quarter to 552000 and among adults 18 to 34 the audience has declined 37 percent to 178000 by contrast viewership for first take has risen 48 percent since 2010 with the last four years featuring mr bayless and stephen a smith the shows audience this year is 11 percent larger than the late morning edition of sportscenter on espn
keith olbermann who first came to prominence as a sportscenter anchor during the 1990s and subsequently played the same role for fox sports net on a similar show said the change in viewing habits feels irreversible
you can have a show anchored by me dan patrick and jesus he said and we could be announcing as our lead story that it was written in the sky that cubs fans had been granted eternal life   and seven eighths of our audience would say i dont want to hear this if its not about the nfl or nba theyre gone
espn and fs1 are each flush with college sports programming and major league baseball games but espn also has national football league and national basketball association rights
espn executives are protective of sportscenter and claim they are not too concerned about mr horowitz their former colleague and his plans at fs1 they like to point to the 5700 hours of sportscenter that populate espn and espn2 each year its substantial digital growth as video highlights are shared more and more online and how its 11 pm audience is 11 times larger than that of fox sports live
i remember when fs1 launched the story was that people were tired of espn and that it wasnt fun said rob king espns senior vice president of sportscenter and news now they have a new story
he acknowledged the declining viewership but said sportscenter has adapted by adding more features and tailoring some of its editions to suit various personalities such as the midnight version hosted by scott van pelt
theres nothing wrong with debate and discussion as a tactic mr king said but theres not much new about it either
he added what is new and what continues to evolve is the sports fan of today fans are smarter and more diverse than ever before underestimate fans at your own peril were aiming bigger
mr horowitz 39 a former basketball player at amherst college has spent most of his career in sports television but he is probably best known to the wider television industry for his brief and unsuccessful stint two years ago as senior vice president of nbc news and general manager of the today show nbc lured him from espn where he specialized in developing and overseeing opinion based programs like first take sportsnation with mr cowherd and michelle beadle and the short lived olbermann but mr horowitzs ambition to change the on air talent at today upset the staff lacked his superiors support and led to his ouster
the lesson of that experience he said is that he did not fully grasp how much change nbc news would tolerate at today or the time frame in which the network would allow it to happen
if youre not aligned in that its a tricky situation he said
with that in mind mr horowitz sought assurances from fox executives that they would back his plans mr horowitz recalled a conversation he had last year with eric shanks the president of fox sports in which he said if youre not interested in my ideas thats cool hire someone else
so far mr shanks has supported mr horowitzs initiatives despite companywide cost cutting at 21st century fox at least starting out mr shanks said theres nothing that we havent been able to rationalize financially
how many shows mr horowitz will develop at fs1 remains to be seen but the goal is to find long running hits like first take and pardon the interruption which is on espn and espn2 and works because of the friendly alchemy between michael wilbon and tony kornheiser who were fellow columnists at the washington post for years
mr horowitzs acumen will be tested when mr bayless comes aboard   mr horowitz declined to discuss him or plans for his show until mr bayless officially leaves espn   and in his latest project teaming mr cowherd and mr whitlock in speak for yourself a daily show starting june 13 to compete against sportscenter at 6 pm eastern time
its an alternative at 6 for sportscenter fans mr horowitz said emphatically
like mr bayless mr cowherd is devoted to mr horowitz from their time at espn and calls him an intuitive executive whom he trusts implicitly
we did a test show the other day mr cowherd said last week and i thought it was brilliant imagine that me thinking im brilliant and he said you buried the lead hes a big believer in leading with your boldest statement first
mr whitlock is a combustible columnist known for his outspoken views on race he returned to fox for a second stint after his dismissal as head of the undefeated espns boutique website about the intersection of race and sports
mr horowitz chooses to overlook mr whitlocks recent past and instead extols his fearlessness and willingness to tackle complex issues as perfect traits for fs1
this is the mission mr horowitz said two thoughtful guys in a format that allows them to say incisive things that other people hadnt considered or werent exposed to


washington   when the pentagon complained about a russian fighter plane performing a barrel roll near an air force reconnaissance plane in international airspace over the baltic sea on april 29 a quick response came from moscow which claimed that the american plane did not have its transponder turned on
the us air force has two solutions the russian defense ministry said in a sharp statement either not to fly near our borders or to turn the transponder on for identification american officials said the transponder had indeed been turned on
with that american officials and foreign policy experts said russia delivered its response to president obamas decision this year to substantially increase the deployment of heavy weapons armored vehicles and other equipment to nato countries in central and eastern europe the move is meant to deter russia from further aggression in the region
by sharply ramping up so called intercepts of american ships and planes in central and eastern europe russia is demonstrating its anger over the increased american military presence in a region it considers part of its backyard white house officials said they called the russian actions harassment
in just the last month there have been three incidents
on april 12 a russian jet buzzed an american guided missile destroyer the donald cook a photo released by the pentagon showed the jet passing over the ships bow at an extremely low altitude russia accused the united states of sailing the cook close to russias border in the baltic and warned that the russian military would respond to any future incidents
even so russia appears to be threading a needle the warplane did not turn on its radar and had no weapons under its wings showing that it was not in attack mode officials said that may have contributed to the decision by the donald cooks commander not to respond
two days later a russian warplane intercepted an american reconnaissance plane over the baltic sea at what american officials said was an unsafe distance prompting another protest from the pentagon
and in the latest incident on april 29 pentagon officials insisted that the american plane did turn on its transponder which identifies the plane for air traffic control
let me make clear that the transponder was on said michael carpenter the deputy assistant secretary of defense for russia ukraine and eurasia in an interview that allegation is false
obama administration officials said they interpreted russias statement as a demand that the united states stay out of the baltics   and that is not going to happen these officials said
were going to continue to fly and were going to continue to operate in the baltic sea mr carpenter said this is not going to change our activities one iota
but the game of chance underway in the skies and on the seas of central and eastern europe could lead to miscalculations american officials warn
barrel rolls for instance are exactly what they sound like   maneuvers in which the fighter plane makes a complete spin doing something like that in proximity of another aircraft thousands of feet up in the sky can be dangerous
defense department officials say they worry that an erratic move at high speed in the air could clip the wing of either aircraft potentially causing an accident and even death a midair collision between a chinese fighter and a navy surveillance aircraft in international airspace in 2001 was cited as an example
few people believe that such a miscalculation would lead to war but it would certainly exacerbate tensions between russia and nato when both sides have been adopting a more aggressive military posture
as he assumed command of natos military arm on wednesday in mons belgium gen curtis m scaparrotti said nato needed to be ready to fight tonight bringing to the european theater a term that has long been used to reflect the readiness of american troops in south korea
such talk has become common as nato struggles to deal with russia after moscows military activity in eastern ukraine the white house has added more than 34 billion for military spending in europe in 2017 more than quadrupling the current budget of 789 million on weapons and equipment that will be used by american and nato forces among the countries where the equipment and additional forces will be deployed are hungary romania and the baltic states pentagon officials say
the united states and its nato partners are embarking on a series of military exercises in advance of julys nato summit meeting in warsaw in part to demonstrate strength and resolve but these exercises are expected to rile moscow
in june as many as 12000 american troops will join service members from a number of european allies in poland for an exercise called anakonda which planners say will be the largest military exercise in europe in years altogether 25000 troops from 24 nato and partner countries will be involved
nato countries are also planning a new round of maritime exercises in the baltic sea before the warsaw summit meeting and economic sanctions against russia for aggression in ukraine are set to roll over in july
you add all of this up and it sends a pretty clear message to moscow said derek chollet a former assistant secretary of defense in the obama administration and the author of the forthcoming book the long game the question will be how will they react
but russia is reacting mr chollet and other russia experts say
the response from the united states and the west has been to send official complaints to moscow accusing russian pilots of unprofessional behavior and raising the specter of miscalculations but one of president vladimir v putins greatest domestic public relations successes has been his ability to position the incidents as a valiant russias defending itself from an aggressive united states and nato in its own backyard
they may look like theyre acting like children in our eyes michael mcfaul a former united states ambassador to russia said in an interview friday but not in the eyes of their own citizens
in russia mr mcfaul said were painted as the provocateurs


washington   cyrus r vance jr the district attorney of manhattan visited washington late last month to argue his case on a pressing issue encryption
in a string of meetings with members of congress mr vance told central lawmakers that encryption needed to be diminished during criminal investigations during a 45 minute session with senator angus king an independent from maine who is on the senate intelligence committee mr vance said his office had 230 iphones that might contain crucial information for cases but were useless because apple refused to help the police break the encryption on the devices
i wanted to express a sense of urgency around resolution of this issue mr vance said in an interview about his washington visit
a day after mr vance was on capitol hill tech executives including kent walker the general counsel of google and brad smith president of microsoft also met with lawmakers   but with a very different message on encryption tech executives at the meetings said they were concerned about any laws that would force companies to weaken the security of their technology according to news officials representing these companies
this kind of behind the scenes lobbying has become de rigueur in washington as the battle over encryption shifts to capitol hill it is the next phase of a bitter divide that spilled into public view this year when apple refused to comply with a court order to help bypass security functions on an encrypted iphone used by an attacker in the san bernardino calif mass shooting last year doing so would have let the fbi gain access to the phone that case ended after the fbi found an alternative way into the device
yet the standoff between the united states government and silicon valley tech companies continues   and the flurry of activity around the issue is broadening last month a senate draft encryption bill written by richard m burr republican of north carolina and dianne feinstein democrat of california rallied the attention of both sides the bill would require tech companies to give access to encrypted data with court orders
law enforcement officials immediately announced their support of the bill and began to push lawmakers to back it trade groups representing tech companies like apple and facebook have flooded into congressional offices sent letters expressing concerns that the bill weakens consumer privacy and security and delivered scorching speeches about the proposals
this is an escalating fight said robert d atkinson president of the information technology and innovation foundation a research firm based in washington that is funded by tech companies including google and microsoft its become the focus now in washington with hearings and legislative activity
law enforcement officials blame tech companies for creating the impasse
theres no question our relationship with the tech industry has gotten worse and now it seems like the tech industry is taking every opportunity they have to put up obstacles in our way including trying to derail legislative efforts that would give law enforcement what they need to keep people safe said terrence cunningham president of the international association of chiefs of police
facebook google and microsoft declined to comment on their lobbying activity an apple spokesman said the company has met regularly with members of congress on encryption and other issues
the amount of lobbying on the encryption bill is unusual at this early stage of a bills life showing the stakes involved tech companies are reluctant to give access to encrypted information from their users for privacy reasons and because it may affect their businesses law enforcement officials say their efforts to prevent and solve crime are hampered if they cannot see digital data on phones messaging services and other technology services
today terrorists and criminals are increasingly using encryption to foil law enforcement efforts even in the face of a court order senator feinstein said in a statement about the draft bill we need strong encryption to protect personal data but we also need to know when terrorists are plotting to kill americans
the rhetoric in washington around encryption has grown increasingly sharp last month when the contents of the draft encryption bill were leaked the president of the consumer technology association a trade group that counts apple google facebook and amazon among its 4000 members spoke to an audience filled with government officials at a lunch hosted by the media institute
the bill is dangerously overreaching and technically unsophisticated said gary shapiro president of the association this bill would essentially make effective cybersecurity illegal in the united states pushing companies that take cybersecurity seriously offshore
other tech trade groups including reform government surveillance and the business software alliance have also waded into the fray sending critical letters and meeting with senators to warn of the dangers of the bill and silicon valley executives have in increasing numbers made the trek to washington to make their cases directly
bob lord chief information security officer at yahoo visited several members of congress in late april to talk about the technology behind encryption and to warn of the unintended consequences of legislation that could weaken security while he did not specifically mention the burr feinstein bill he emphasized how consumers and human rights activists worldwide depend on encrypted technology for their safety and privacy
the notion that we would weaken encryption or provide back doors those suggestions will have unintended consequences mr lord said
law enforcement officials in turn have frequently met with the same lawmakers in the senate and house intelligence judiciary and commerce committees who are being targeted by the tech companies according to congressional staff members chief cunningham and other members of the police chiefs group have talked with mr burr and ms feinstein given opinions during the drafting of the legislation and hosted panels on encryption for house and senate lawmakers
tech companies have turned to certain politicians to champion their cause such as senator ron wyden a democrat from oregon on the day the draft encryption bill was introduced mr wyden who voted against the 2012 copyright bills known as the stop online piracy act and the protect intellectual property act which were also opposed by the tech industry said he had been flooded with calls from tech companies wanting to know what he would do
mr wyden said he intended to filibuster the proposal he has since met with intelligence committee members to persuade them to kill the bill
i have not filibustered many issues but i think the stakes are enormous mr wyden said in an interview the bill as written is a lose lose because it will create less security american families will be less safe and your liberty and privacy will be damaged
for all the lobbying few lawmakers have expressed their views on the encryption bill
im reserving judgment said senator king who met with mr vance last month the issues are so complex its like trying to nail jell o to the wall


louisville ky   all week   all prep season really   more doubts were heaped onto nyquist than mint onto juleps he is not dominant enough he will not be able to handle the mile and a quarter kentucky derby distance he is not american pharoah
on saturday at churchill downs nyquist went into the starting gate carrying all that criticism on his shoulders then blew past his competition to win the derby by one and a quarter lengths over a fast closing exaggerator and extend his record to 8 0
if anybody watches nyquists races you will see that he will not allow any other horse past him his jubilant jockey mario gutierrez said after the race hes the kind of horse that always has something left for whatever comes to him late
nyquist the 2 year old champion has now won the breeders cup juvenile the florida derby and the kentucky derby pushing his earnings to 495 million he still has a long way to go before he can be anointed another american pharoah who last year captured the first triple crown in 37 years but he is certainly carving out an imposing path
nyquist came out of the race well and will be shipped to baltimore on monday to prepare for the second leg of the triple crown the preakness stakes on may 21
hes doing great his trainer doug oneill said outside barn 41 on sunday morning he had his head out over the webbing looking bright eyed he ate it all up last night couldnt be doing better hes just such a special horse
among the challengers expected to take another shot at nyquist in the preakness is lani the japan based uae derby winner who made a name for himself in kentucky with his erratic behavior and exaggerator the santa anita derby winner who catapulted from far back in the pack to take aim at nyquist down the stretch
exaggerators trainer keith desormeaux and rider kent desormeaux both indicated after the race that they would like a rematch
asked about facing exaggerator and the desormeaux brothers in the preakness nyquists owner j paul reddam said jokingly i would have thought he was sick of us by now
turning serious he added no his horse obviously ran great and he was the closest threat and if i were him i would want a rematch too
laoban and cherry wine who were on the also eligible list for the derby are also expected to run in the preakness as are the newcomers stradivari collected uncle lino and awesome speed
gun runner who finished third in the derby and suddenbreakingnews who finished fifth came out of the race well and could end up heading to baltimore as well
an announced crowd of 167227 was on hand to witness the kentucky derby it was the second highest attendance in derby history behind the 170513 in 2015 when american pharoah began his quest
the overnight tv rating for the derby on nbc was a 94 a decrease from last years rating of 108
now all eyes will be on nyquist as he looks to ace his next test his connections who won the derby and the preakness with ill have another in 2012 only to be forced to scratch him a day before the belmont stakes with a tendon injury are being cautiously optimistic
it doesnt seem like we have ever really gotten to the bottom of him oneill said thats very exciting about the future and again like every other athlete you just got to stay injury free


peter naylor head of advertising sales at hulu stood on a stage before a roomful of advertising executives who were there to see what the popular streaming service had in store for the year after trumpeting hulus new interactive ads mr naylor made another pitch we offer you the opportunity to become part of the creative process with us he said
meaning what exactly
goose island ipa has signed on to sponsor our hit series casual and integrate into the show mr naylor said and in the current season of the mindy project he added not only does mindy fall in love with her new microsoft surface book but she also gets to escape the city in her newly designed lexus rx
this kind of advertising through product placement is certainly not new but mr naylors announcement   made during last weeks digital content newfronts an annual sales event where companies like hulu compete for digital advertising dollars   underscored a broader question running through the advertising industry what exactly constitutes an ad these days
for decades 30 second television commercials were the gold standard and as online video proliferated many digital ads were essentially repurposed from tv but in the last several years advertisers have become more sophisticated creating digital ads that were divorced from traditional campaigns and were better suited to the many platforms that have become available including facebook twitter youtube and snapchat now online ads interrupt nearly everything
this explosion of online ads however has led to the rising use of ad blockers and turned advertising into something of a dirty word so advertisers and publishers are now looking for ways to make online ads less like ads many in the industry are even changing the way they talk about ads
during the newfronts hulu and many other companies often using a rhetorical sleight of hand put forth the idea that ads are the products of symbiotic relationships rather than frustrating invaders jennifer l wong president of digital for time inc told advertisers the company was helping brands develop original content and added working with us is easy lisa valentino head of ad sales for conde nast urged the audience to take a look at the results when conde nast tells your story ze frank president of buzzfeed motion pictures said the company worked with brands and agencies to develop original content
many companies ran flashy videos that showcased examples of these partnerships much like ad agencies pitching clients buzzfeed for instance promoted its tasty channel as a successful example of how it could work with brands like oster which makes grills and other appliances
publishers are no longer content to be the place where ads go said ben winkler chief investment officer for the agency omd united states what were hearing at this newfronts more than ever is this can be a two way exchange
the rhetorical gymnastics however also signal a deeper trend in the ad business as companies seek to remove clutter from their sites while also bolstering their ad revenue many are turning to so called branded content a widely used but vague industry term that generally means ads that look more like things people actually want to read or watch
many publishers including vice and the new york times have formed what are essentially internal agencies that create ads for brands and many already boast of success or at least the promise of it
we believe branded content and native solutions is a large scale opportunity for time inc joseph a ripp chief executive of time inc said on an earnings call last week we are increasingly hearing from cmos that they want to speak to their customers in the same way that time inc talks to its audiences he added in a reference to chief marketing officers
branded content is not the only technique advertisers are trying they are also creating emojis posting on twitter creating instagram videos and dabbling in virtual reality platforms on the traditional advertising side some networks are showing fewer commercials and offering advertisers the opportunity to sponsor programming
nbc for example announced last month that it was planning to cut about 30 percent of the ads from episodes of saturday night live next season and allow advertisers to create original segments turner which is part of time warner and viacom which owns mtv and comedy central have also said they plan to reduce the amount of commercials on their cable networks
underpinning all of this rethinking are big changes in how people are consuming media   and in how advertisers are allocating their money consumption habits have become increasingly fragmented with more people watching programming including television shows and live sports on different online platforms as a result traditional television with its 30 second commercials is losing its commanding share of advertising dollars digital media is expected to pass tv as the biggest advertising category in the united states this year with roughly 68 billion in ad sales compared with 66 billion for tv according to the interpublic groups magna global
with online ad spending growing finding ways to stand out among the onslaught of other online ads has become more important for advertisers and therein lies a possible conundrum advertisers want their ads to look less like ads even as they are fighting harder for attention
as caty burgess senior vice president for media strategies at the cw television network said is the question what is an ad or what isnt an ad


the jersey tomato red ripe and juicy was once revered as the best to be had with a tangy sweet tart flavor that was the very taste of summer
if that kind of tomato perfection has faded to a dim memory in recent decades blame mechanized harvesting and long distance shipping which prize durability over flavor pulpy thick skinned flat tasting tomatoes became the unsatisfying norm
the old soft tomatoes split too easily so you couldnt ship them john hauser a farmer in old bridge nj said but newer tomatoes while they look good and hold up well made people start to understand that beauty is only skin deep a lot of flavor was lost
this season rutgers university introduced a reinvented version of a tomato variety from 1934 that reigned unchallenged for decades after years of work by rutgers plant specialists this old fashioned tomato with old fashioned taste has returned as the rutgers 250 named in honor of the universitys 250th anniversary
this was the tomato that made the jersey tomato reputation thomas j orton a professor in the department of plant biology and pathology said of the 1934 variety it was a groundbreaking tomato that redefined what a tomato should be and was the most popular variety in the world at one point it represented in excess of 60 percent of all tomatoes grown commercially
indeed the rutgers 250 is so popular that some 5000 packets of seeds made available to the public on the universitys website in february have already sold out then last month home gardeners snapped up 1200 seedling plants in just two hours at a campus event in new brunswick
i could have sold twice as many said william t hlubik the rutgers cooperative extension agent for middlesex county who supervised seedling production for the sale there was huge interest in the genetics and how plant breeders developed the 250 this is a real retro tomato   history you can eat
jim giamarese of east brunswick nj who sells his crops at the red bank farmers market said he would be growing the rutgers 250 for the first time this season and had high hopes given customer demand for other rutgers varieties
ive got some customers who are hooked he said people appreciate the effort to recapture the traditional flavor of the famous new jersey tomato theyre looking for that old time taste
rutgerss agricultural programs were once linked to campbell soup company which is based in camden nj and is one of the largest food companies in the world many of the most successful tomato varieties were the result of collaborations between rutgers and campbell soup
in 2007 when researchers at the new jersey agricultural experiment station rutgerss research arm set out to resurrect the flavorful jersey tomato they focused on varieties that were popular from 1950 to 1970 despite falling out of favor with commercial farmers after being judged too soft and perishable for modern harvest and transport they were still suitable for home and small scale specialty growers
the picture changed dramatically in the 1960s with machine harvesting since the old varieties were too soft and turned into tomato juice professor orton said it took an entirely different tougher and smaller tomato to undergo the rigors of the mechanical process tomatoes like rutgers became obsolete instantaneously
the breakthrough came professor orton said when plant breeders learned in 2009 that campbell soup still had genetic material from the parent plants that was used to develop the original rutgers hybrid the chase was on   in slow motion
the first generation plants were scraggly weedy things that didnt give us much hope said professor orton he worked the test fields with peter j nitzsche the rutgers cooperative extension agent for morris county and jack rabin the associate director of the experiment station
by 2013 researchers had narrowed the field to 14 selections and to five by 2014 last year three finalists were grown all over new jersey and vetted at six tastings size color yield and disease resistance were evaluated but flavor was the chief consideration
theres a whole mystique about the jersey tomato and its hard to say what makes it so much better mr nitzsche said to me   to most people   it has to do with a balance of sweetness and acidity but its partly subjective this isnt all pure science
last november the rutgers 250 emerged the winner
people have had enough of tomatoes that dont taste like much and have been demanding that we do better professor orton said
the tomato project was chasing something almost mythical he continued it wasnt a sure thing but we think we got lucky


charlotte nc   james hahn beat roberto castro with a par on the first hole of a sudden death playoff on sunday in the wells fargo championship ending a three month slump
hahn who failed to make the cut in his previous eight tournaments and had not shot a round in the 60s since february made a 4 foot putt on the par 4 18th at quail hollow club to win his second career pga tour title
you have to keep believing in yourself and keep grinding hahn said i constantly remind myself that i am good enough and belong out there
castros tee shot on the playoff hole found the creek on the left side of the fairway and his third shot landed in a spectators shoe on the side of the green leading to a bogey
hahn bogeyed the 18th in regulation for a two under par 70 and castro had a 71 to finish at nine under one shot ahead of justin rose 71
rory mcilroy and phil mickelson both shot 66 to tie for fourth at seven under with the third round leader rickie fowler 74 and andrew loupe 71
both castro and hahn had chances to win in regulation
castro broke a tie when he rolled in a birdie putt from 6 feet on the 15th hole to get to 11 under but he quickly gave up the lead with bogeys at 16 and 17 on the green mile the toughest closing holes on the pga tour
that gave hahn a one shot lead and a chance to put pressure on castro on the 18th hole if he made par but hahn rolled a 7 foot putt past the hole and took a bogey
castro playing with fowler in the group behind hahn got up and down from the rough on right side of the fairway on 18 and went on to make a 6 foot par putt to force the playoff
as it had for castro the 18th hole ultimately proved to be the undoing of mcilroy and mickelson too
mcilroy played the 493 yard hole in four over par for the week including a bogey sunday when his approach shot landed behind a rock on the other the side of the creek that runs along the left side of the hole
mcilroy had seven birdies between his bogeys on the first and last holes
anytime you walk off the golf course and shoot 66 you cant be too disappointed mcilroy said but i think in the circumstances having a feeling like i had a chance on the back nine to post a number for the guys to at least think about it and i didnt
mcilroy also took a gut shot on 15 when he failed to hole a birdie putt prompting him to drop his hands to his knees as he bent over in disbelief
despite the playoff loss castro refused to the dwell on the negative
sure it hurts to let this tournament specifically slip away but there are 154 guys that didnt have a chance in that playoff and i feel grateful to have had a chance he said


this is what to expect in the week ahead
technology
oracle and google will go back to court on monday to determine whether google unfairly used oracles property in the software it used to make the android operating system for smartphones oracle wants 88 billion for the use of about 7000 lines of code out of a total of 15 million lines in android if those lines are found to be critical and unfairly used google is likely to appeal failing all else the company will have to dip into its cash   totaling over 75 billion at the end of the first quarter quentin hardy
economy
eurozone finance ministers will meet on monday afternoon to seek agreement on fresh aid for greece the ministers have struggled for weeks to bridge a gulf between european officials and the international monetary fund which has demanded far reaching guarantees to make the prospect of greece paying back its loans more realistic greece needs the funds to avoid defaulting on its debts in july james kanter
entertainment
beyond brief comments in a news release robert a iger disneys chief executive and chairman has not publicly discussed the recent abrupt resignation of his most likely successor thomas o staggs analysts will have a chance to press mr iger about that on tuesday when disney reports quarterly earnings they will also be listening for any commentary by mr iger about the health of espn   namely did the number of subscribers go up or down   and any plans by disney to move deeper into the streaming business perhaps with an acquisition as for disneys quarterly results revenue is expected to increase by at least 6 percent to 132 billion while per share profit may increase 14 percent to 140 thanks to an ongoing theme park boom and strong ticket sales from star wars the force awakens and zootopia brooks barnes
banking
earnings season continues as several of europes largest banks report their first quarter results this week the swiss bank credit suisse and the italian lender unicredit will report on tuesday and the french bank credit agricole on thursday the first quarter was a challenging one for banks as turmoil in the markets caused clients to be more cautious and came as several of europes biggest lenders were in the midst of reshaping of their businesses chad bray
retail
macys is expected on wednesday to report a drop in revenue in the first quarter and the biggest declines in adjusted earnings per share since the end of 2009 during the depths of the financial crisis according to analysts polled by bloomberg the results follow a decline in macys sales during the all important fourth quarter when retailers rely on holiday shopping to offset slower periods at other times of year
on friday retail sales data for the united states is expected to show a slight increase in consumer spending for april after a decline in march rachel abrams
technology
russias antitrust authorities are expected on wednesday to announce a fine against google on the allegation that it misused its dominance over the android mobile operating system to favor some of the companys services over those of rivals google denies any wrongdoing but the possible fine   potentially up to 7 percent of the companys annual revenue in russia   comes a month after european union officials made similar allegations mark scott
economy
on friday morning the university of michigan will release its preliminary estimate of consumer sentiment in may economists expect a slight increase to 895 from aprils reading of 89 which is considered healthy while the stock market volatility of the first quarter and the rebound in energy prices may have slightly raised anxiety levels among consumers continued strength in hiring and the housing market has generally kept consumer confidence solid in recent months nelson d schwartz
chinas growth continues to slow but economists will be watching closely this week for signs of stabilization in the worlds second biggest economy china has been mired in industrial deflation for more than three years hurt by weak commodity prices and lackluster overseas demand but analysts expect this to continue to ebb on saturday china will report monthly data for industrial output retail sales and investment which are expected to show a slight improvement from march neil gough


washington   when president obama first visited japan in november 2009 he said he hoped someday to visit hiroshima and nagasaki where the united states dropped atomic bombs during world war ii
with his fourth and likely final visit to japan as president scheduled this month for a group of 7 meeting for leaders of industrialized nations the white house is deciding whether mr obama will follow through no sitting american president has ever visited the cities because of concerns that such a trip would suggest that the united states was apologizing for the attacks
the memories of hiroshima and nagasaki are etched in the minds of the world and i would be honored to have the opportunity to visit those cities at some point during my presidency mr obama said in 2009
the calculus for a visit is particularly complicated for mr obama political opponents have often falsely accused him of undertaking an apology tour of world capitals in his first year in office so anything that even hints at atonement would feed that criticism
on the other hand mr obama has made curbing the worlds stockpile of nuclear weapons and lowering the risks of nuclear attack a signature issue of his presidency an important reason he won the 2009 nobel peace prize
the symbol of hiroshima is the significant and even in some ways tragic ability that mankind has to wreak terrible destruction josh earnest the white house press secretary said in a recent briefing
but mr earnest was unequivocal when asked whether the president believes that japan deserves a formal government apology no he does not
the bombings killed more than 200000 people most of them civilians and led to the japanese surrender
some historians say the bombings were unnecessary and even criminal while others argue that they saved american lives and those of hundreds of thousands of japanese civilians who would have perished in an american invasion older americans tend to view the bombings as necessary while younger ones see them as far more problematic
there appears to be little official appetite in japan for an apology
in 2007 fumio kyuma japans defense minister at the time referred to the bombings as something that couldnt be helped a secret 2009 state department cable released by wikileaks in 2011 quoted a top japanese diplomat as calling a visit to hiroshima premature and any apology a nonstarter and japans own record of delayed apologies for its wartime behavior and atrocities has been criticized
mr obama has sought to make fundamental changes in foreign policy by challenging long held assumptions about relations with cuba myanmar and iran and many observers predict that he will do the same with japan he and his closest advisers are often disdainful of what they see as the think tank consensus in washington about how the united states should behave on the world stage in a speech in prague in 2009 mr obama made clear that he believed the united states had a unique role arising from hiroshima
just as we stood for freedom in the 20th century we must stand together for the right of people everywhere to live free from fear in the 21st century the president said as the only nuclear power to have used a nuclear weapon the united states has a moral responsibility to act
both thomas e donilon a former national security adviser to mr obama and wendy sherman who recently left as the fourth ranking official in the state department said in interviews that mr obama should visit hiroshima
mr donilon pointed to the north korean nuclear program a deep concern in japan as one reason for such a visit i think a visit would serve as a stark reminder of the dangers of nuclear weapons mr donilon said
ms sherman said mr obamas emphasis on nuclear nonproliferation made a visit to hiroshima essential
for him to go to japan and not go to the place where we birthed a nuclear century doesnt make any sense she said i think he has to go
but victor cha of georgetown university an adviser on asia in the george w bush white house said any suggestion that countries should get rid of all nuclear weapons while north korea continued to build more made little sense
i think the risks of a visit outweigh the benefits mr cha said
last month secretary of state john kerry became the highest ranking united states official ever to visit hiroshima during a diplomatic conclave intended to set the stage for the group of 7 meeting this month
everyone should visit hiroshima and everyone means everyone mr kerry said at a news conference he called the visit stunning and gut wrenching and he wrote in a guest book it is a stark harsh compelling reminder not only of our obligation to end the threat of nuclear weapons but to rededicate all our effort to avoid war itself
some conservative commentators criticized mr kerry for not telling the japanese that they deserved to be bombed something mr obama is also unlikely to do
for decades american diplomats largely avoided hiroshima and nagasaki or any official remembrance of the attacks that changed in august 2010 when john v roos the american ambassador at the time attended a commemoration in hiroshima his successor caroline kennedy has also attended
former president jimmy carter toured the hiroshima memorial in may 1984 three years and four months after he left office and representative nancy pelosi visited the memorial in 2008 when she was speaker of the house


peter burling spent the weekend driving a high performance catamaran at 30 miles per hour toward a concrete wall lined with thousands of spectators he had to take into account a three  to five knot current that ran along the hudson river as he picked precise trajectories past competitors and floating marks while judging distances and counting the seconds to each maneuver
burling 25 with emirates team new zealand had arrived in new york leading the americas cup world series which ends in france in november on sunday his team won
for most of his competitors these new cup boats present a steep learning curve but for the calm soft spoken burling the youngest helmsman in the fleet this is pretty normal stuff and with professional sailing having turned nearly entirely over to catamarans since the 2013 cup young sailors like burling will very likely become the norm at the top of the professional heap
in 2013 only one professional sailing series was held in catamarans the extreme sailing series with 40 footers this year five pro series are being contested in catamarans and half are using hydrofoils almost doubling the speed of the boats to averages of 25 to 30 mph
sailors in their 20s and young designers focused on foil development are beginning to dominate this new order of the sport
quite a few guys my age have spent a lot of hours sailing hydrofoil boats like the flying phantom and the international moth burling said last week before the cup was foiling i was already sailing a moth
the foiling moth a single person single hulled dinghy represents the proving ground for top cup talent in 2011 burling was fourth at the world championship the winner nathan outteridge now the helmsman for artemis racing was 24
the next year burling finished second behind outteridge at the london olympics in the two person 49er class since then burling and his crew member blair tuke have won 25 consecutive 49er events and are favorites to win the gold medal at this summers olympics in rio de janeiro burling and tuke are set to fly to rio this week to get back into their 49er olympic training
glenn ashby keeps their cup team advancing at 38 ashby a catamaran specialist in his third multihull cup campaign is the teams leader and is straddling the old and new generations of cup sailors he said sailors like burling were essential to a successful cup campaign
the best mix these days is to have some older heads who know how a large campaign works said ashby an olympic medalist for australia and a multiple time world champion in multihulls but you need the young guys who have the skill set to push the boat hard and drive the boat accurately if you had just old guys youd miss out on the abilities of the foiling generation
if the position professional foiling helmsman did not exist before the 2013 cup neither did nat shavers title of appendage designer designing dagger boards for an ac 50 the design being used for the 2017 cup finals in bermuda is as normal for shaver of groupama team france as racing foilers is for burling
today foil designers are the most important part of the design team with the ac 50s hulls and wings virtually the same and the foil design more open
when shaver 30 started with emirates team new zealands design team in 2012 there were four hull designers
traditionally the person who designs the hull shape claims the design said shaver an american who studied aeronautical engineering at the university of california irvine while also building a moth in his garage i didnt want to deal with that so i was designing foil stuff on the side
once the design team figured out it could design foils that would lift the boat out of the water shaver recalled the project manager grant dalton came into a meeting looked at the hull designers and said now that were foiling what are you guys going to do for the rest of the campaign
for some event managers this foiling evolution to multihulls was no surprise
professional sailing today is less about monohull versus multihull said mark turner who created the extreme sailing series in 2007 this is a technology assisted move most people want to go faster for commercially funded events they need to entertain the brands the clients the fans in the cities in the extreme series my decision to use catamarans was right visually its just better
the extreme sailing series shoehorns colorful high speed racing into far tighter venues than the hudson river the tight confines of st petersburg russia will feel even more cramped this year with the presence of foiling catamarans in the series for the first time
the tactician chris draper of softbank team japan and other sailors from the weekends world series races are graduates of turners series and now that foiling is part of that series and others the single hulled moth will no longer be the only way for up and comers to display their talent
guys like draper took a leap early on said turner now the chief executive of the volvo ocean race those are the guys at the front of the sport now
with the olympic nacra 17 catamaran class now testing out hydrofoils for possible racing at the 2020 games turner sees a dramatic change not only in the marketability of the sport but also the career opportunities for young sailors
the professional sailing world is becoming way more homogeneous he said the dynamic is now the same between events and the sailors more polyvalent burling can jump from the olympics to the cup and even a volvo ocean race it wasnt like that in the old days
still turner said the sport is too complex at the moment to unify its fan base
if you go to motorsport there are 100 events going on around the world but theres a certain order to it he said its easy for the media to follow for sailing last year this year and next year are part of a new phase


edmonton alberta   a week after it started the enormous forest fire that attacked fort mcmurray alberta had abated enough on sunday to allow police fire and health workers to move into hotels within the abandoned city
although the fire was far from vanquished lower temperatures and light showers allowed firefighters to check its progress rachel notley the premier of the province said the fire was quite a bit smaller than we feared instead of reaching half a million acres as forecast she said it had covered 390000 acres by sunday morning
the fires path shifted away from fort mcmurray into a heavily forested and unpopulated area closer to the border with saskatchewan said chad morrison albertas wildfire manager the change in weather he added should allow firefighters to start applying a death grip on the blaze over the coming days but fully extinguishing the flames is likely to take months
it definitely is a positive point for us for sure mr morrison told reporters
sunday was the first time that officials had adopted a positive tone when discussing the fire which began as a small blaze that resisted attempts to snuff it out on may 1 despite the optimism though the fire continued to bring disruption
after severely curtailing production husky energy shut down its oil sands operations north of fort mcmurray following the precedent set by other companies including syncrude the large oil sands venture north of the city although the fire had approached syncrudes two vast strip mines and processing plant it did not cause damage mr morrison said many other oil sands companies were evacuating workers on sunday
some analysts predict that the production shutdowns and the closings of the oil sands operations which export mostly to the united states will leave canada without economic growth during the current quarter
small fires continued to flare up in parts of fort mcmurray damaging two houses overnight but with the threat somewhat eased the citys 88000 evacuees who are now mainly in edmonton may be able to learn the fate of their homes after reporting early on that 1600 properties had been destroyed officials have provided no updates on the extent of the communitys destruction
the focus has been protecting and not counting ms notley said noting that buildings might have significant structural damage even if they appear sound on the outside
as the government shifts its main focus from protecting fort mcmurray to planning for its residents return a team of engineers and analysts will begin a formal damage assessment on monday several hundred utility workers were in fort mcmurray on sunday conducting their own analysis officials have said there appears to be extensive damage to the citys electrical system
workers have remained throughout the evacuation to keep the municipal water system operating and supplying fire hydrants the water within the pipes however is not safe for drinking
a preliminary assessment showed that the citys hospital had only smoke damage said scott long the executive director of operations for the provinces emergency management service as the fire breached the city more than 100 patients at the hospital were put into ambulances and buses before being airlifted out
all 25000 fort mcmurray residents who were stranded at oil sands work camps north of the city had been evacuated by sunday morning the pressure on emergency shelters was also easing on saturday night the main reception center at edmontons fairgrounds had 4400 cots but hosted only 600 people
officials said that payments from insurance companies had allowed many people to move into hotels and that landlords in edmonton were making empty apartments available at no cost many people have been taken in by relatives or friends
a large portion of fort mcmurrays population is from canadas atlantic provinces reports from that region suggested that many people were returning there at least temporarily


washington   senator ted cruz of texas is expected to return to the capitol this week the last of four republican senators battered and beaten by donald j trump to trudge back to the world of meetings over cafeteria cod and roll call votes to name the national mammal
but mr cruzs return is more fraught with curiosity than those of the other three senators rand paul of kentucky lindsey graham of south carolina and marco rubio of florida he made it the furthest winning 10 states and coming tantalizingly close to pushing mr trump to a contested convention only to drop out on the same day the billionaire developer suggested that mr cruzs father had conspired with lee harvey oswald
the partys presumptive nominee had also insulted mr cruzs wife baselessly alluded to extramarital affairs and labeled him lyin ted
now the man who helped create an outsider movement in national politics only to have it eat him alive after his rival co opted the idea must decide which group among his fellow lawmakers to join will he stand with the hold your nose set as mr paul has done and support mr trump or join forces with never trump as senator graham did on friday and publicly decline to get on board
or will he take the route of mr rubio in effect giving a non endorsement endorsement saying he will support any republican nominee but not explicitly name mr trump
i think all of us will be interested to see what position senator cruz takes said senator jeff flake republican of arizona who is more or less in the same place as mr graham after he pretty much excoriated trump on the final day of his campaign it would be quite a turnabout if he were to support him now
millions of voters are watching but for now he wont say mr cruz is currently scheduled to be back in dc next week and thats as much detail as were sharing right now his spokesman phil novack said on friday
the senate has long been the cradle of presidential ambition with each of the 100 senators possessed of the capacity to look in the mirror and see the next president of the united states but those dreams are so rarely realized that barack obama was the first to ascend directly from the senate to the white house since john f kennedy
mr cruzs return nearly coincides with the arrival of mr trump who plans to visit speaker paul d ryan and other house republicans on thursday with the goal of unifying the party mr ryan said last week that he was not ready to give mr trump his support
it is a division mr cruz helped create by pressing congressional republicans to defy party leaders and their colleagues to shut down the government and repeatedly hold up basic legislation giving him the distinction of being the least popular member of one of the worlds most exclusive clubs
but outside the noise and theatrics of the campaign mr cruz also finds himself at a potential turning point in his senate career both as a returning failed presidential candidate and as an unpopular firebrand who has been most comfortable as a thorn rather than partner to other republicans
the senate has a rich history of members whose run for president failed but who came back to effective legislative careers
from henry clay who ran for president three times in the 1800s to hubert humphrey who narrowly lost to richard nixon in 1968 to edward m kennedy one of the greatest bipartisan lawmakers of all time to john mccain who was defeated by barack obama in 2008 and is now an effective chairman of the senate armed services committee also rans can find their senate home a great refuge
they remember what they liked about the senate said donald a ritchie a historian emeritus of the senate the fact is united states senators are very influential and powerful people in their own right those who come back and are not running again or not at the end of their term hunker down in committee assignments and hopefully have learned a lot that can translate into legislation
the senates clubbiness and customs can also make for a pleasant landing after a dispiriting defeat the senate can be a forgiving place for those coming back from a run for president said jim manley a former senior communications aide to senator harry reid democrat of nevada you still have staffers at your beck and call and everyone still opens the door for you
at the same time even lawmakers who wore their antagonism of leaders with honor can evolve into statesmen in the senate this was the case with senator patrick j toomey of pennsylvania   now best known for his bipartisan efforts at a gun safety law   and mr flake who used to irritate house leaders and is now considered one of the most thoughtful members of the senate
toomey and flake   when confronted with the way the place works they moderated said james a thurber the director of the center for congressional and presidential studies at american university they changed the institution a little bit but more the institutions changed them in the case of mr toomey who is up for re election with trump at the top of the ticket he has to focus on his role in the senate mr thurber said
mr graham returned to the senate being well lindsey graham he quips he votes he goes on television and is funny eating a taco is probably not going to fix the problems that we have with hispanics he told cnns dana bash last week referring to mr trumps photo on twitter of himself with a taco bowl i think embracing donald trump is embracing demographic death
mr rubio has become more senatorial in a classic sense than he had been in the last two years going to the floor of the senate to fight for money to combat the zika virus and traveling to the middle east
marco always believed his purpose in the senate was to get things done said alex conant his former spokesman thats why he joined the immigration reform effort and spent so much time on foreign policy when the campaign ended it was easy for him to get back to work in the senate
mr pauls return has been decidedly different he has mostly just walked around looking miserable
what mr cruz will do is anyones guess right now he has been resting with his family and no one seems to have heard from him
the senate can change you mr manley said but if you want to be an effective legislator 60 votes are key and bipartisanship is necessary if you want to get anything done senator cruz demonstrated zero desire to work with his colleagues before he went on the campaign trail and i doubt very much he will change when he gets back and that is a problem the senate does not need right now


on monday you can watch mercury sail across the sun
its an astronomical event known as the mercury transit and it occurs about a dozen times a century
during the trip the planet will appear as a black speck awash in the suns light you can track its celestial silhouette for about seven hours starting around 712 am eastern and ending around 242 pm
depending on the weather it should be visible from most parts of the world except for australia new zealand and parts of east asia
the best way to view it is through a telescope or on several live streams but dont try to sneak a peek with your naked eye or camera phone because that could damage your sight
jim green the director for planetary science at nasa said that ever since the telescope was invented some 400 years ago astronomers had used the transit to gain important details about mercurys size orbit and atmosphere
this phenomena that we see in our own solar system were using those same basic principles to find planets around other stars he said
the kepler spacecraft has recorded 3000 to 4000 planetary transits it has used that information to identify 1041 exoplanets dr green said that based on that information there appeared to be more planets than stars in our galaxy
during mondays event solar physicists at nasa will have their high powered telescopes fixed on mercurys edge where it looks as if the planet ends and the sunlight begins
its that location where we will see the very tenuous atmosphere of mercury called an exosphere dr green said they want to gain a better understanding of the sodium that its exosphere emits he said
mercury transit is a pretty fantastic event added dr green who first saw the spectacle on may 9 1970 its one of those things that allow us to keep learning and discovering things not only in our solar system but also in the galaxy


the treasurys schedule of financing this week includes mondays regular weekly auction of new three  and six month bills and an auction of four week bills on tuesday
at the close of the new york cash market on friday the rate on the outstanding three month bill was 019 percent the rate on the six month issue was 039 percent and the rate on the four week issue was 020 percent
the following tax exempt fixed income issues are scheduled for pricing this week
florida board of education 180 million of debt securities competitive
florida 2417 million of revenue bonds competitive
california department of water resources 1077 million revenue bonds competitive
denver board of water commissioners 1522 million of revenue bonds competitive
new jersey 121 million revenue bonds competitive
san francisco public utilities 3084 million of revenue bonds competitive
california 887 million of east side union high school district general obligation bonds competitive
oklahoma 60 million of technical center general obligation bonds competitive
orange county fla 836 million of revenue bonds competitive
california 735 million of general obligation bonds competitive
one day during the week
austin tex 252 million of water and wastewater system revenue bonds ramirez
california 662 million of alameda corridor transportation authority tax exempt revenue refinancing bonds bank of america merrill lynch
central texas regional mobility authority 3687 million of revenue refinancing bonds j p morgan securities
charleston sc 614 million of waterworks and sewer system refinancing revenue bonds wells fargo securities
chicago 5464 million of water system revenue bonds pnc capital markets
clay county mo 526 million of public school general obligation refinancing bonds george k baum
florida housing finance corporation 75 million of homeowner mortgage revenue bonds morgan stanley
fort bend county tex 1723 million of unlimited road tax and refinancing bonds loop capital markets
georgia 55 million of facilities refinancing revenue bonds wells fargo securities
horry county sc school district 627 million of special obligation bonds bank of america merrill lynch
indiana 65 million of purdue university football performance complex debt securities bank of america merrill lynch
kent wash 645 million of refinancing debt securities keybanc
los angeles international airport 293 million of revenue bonds loop capital markets
maine municipal bond bank 599 million of revenue bonds wells fargo securities
massachusetts development finance agency 1169 million of debt securities cain brothers
new jersey higher education student assistant authority 190 million of student loan revenue bonds bank of america merrill lynch
new york state dormitory authority 1526 million of hospital center revenue bonds j p morgan securities
north carolina medical care commission 1697 million of health care facilities revenue refinancing bonds j p morgan securities
north carolina 1518 million of water and sewer system refinancing bonds j p morgan securities
oregon housing and community services department 56 million of single family mortgage program revenue bonds bank of america merrill lynch
oregon 298 million of general obligation bonds morgan stanley
pasadena calif unified school district 192 million of debt securities rbc capital markets
rockford mich public schools 716 million of school building refinancing debt securities stifel nicolaus
st croix county wis 804 million of bond anticipation notes robert w baird
texas public finance authority 1887 million of general obligation refinancing bonds barclays capital
texas 120 million of southern methodist university higher education debt securities bank of america merrill lynch
university of cincinnati 735 million of general receipt bonds j p morgan securities
virginia resources authority 89 million of infrastructure revenue bonds citigroup global markets
wake nc 194 million of limited obligation refinancing bonds bank of america merrill lynch


tampa fla   the end came quickly and somewhat mercifully for the islanders who acquitted themselves well even as they will lament two soul crushing overtime home losses in their eastern conference semifinal series against the tampa bay lightning
but amid the quiet clipped answers in the islanders locker room and clatter of team gear being packed the haunting facts remained
after winning game 1 here at amalie arena the islanders lost the next four games swept aside by a combination of superior tampa bay talent and tough luck it culminated in a 4 0 shutout in game 5 on sunday that ended the islanders longest playoff run in 23 years and lifted the lightning to their second consecutive appearance in the eastern conference finals
tampa bay will face the winner of the pittsburgh washington series for a chance to reach the stanley cup finals
the difference in the series was offensively they took advantage of their opportunities and we couldnt find a way these last few games to score some goals islanders coach jack capuano said if theres one thing that you have to look back on it is the inability and ineffectiveness to get some offense
the islanders were shut out for the first time this postseason they had clicked offensively while knocking off the florida panthers the no 2 seed in a riveting first round series and after a 5 3 victory here in game 1 a magical run appeared to be possible
we had an incredible run and were on the fun side of things islanders center frans nielsen said weve seen the brutal side of it too
as the series wore on the islanders could not crack tampa bay goaltender ben bishop who stopped 28 shots on sunday turning aside a few point blank chances early in the game that could have swung momentum to the islanders the islanders thomas greiss made 21 saves but he appeared to be under constant siege compared with bishops play
once youve tasted it the highs and the lows and everything that goes with it you want to get back again lightning coach jon cooper said of his teams determination to close out the islanders and return to the conference finals
victor hedman scored two goals and brian boyle had one as the lightning took a 3 0 lead into the third period after tampa bays nikita kucherov scored on a breakaway at 4 minutes 40 seconds of the third period the thunderous celebration at amalie arena only grew louder as the crowd serenaded the islanders singing hey hey hey goodbye
its the way playoff hockey is the islanders matt martin said they found a way to win games and we didnt but well learn from it its a credit to them they are a very good hockey team they were in the cup finals last year for a reason
the lightning opened a 2 0 lead in the first period on goals by hedman at 1349 and boyle at 1841 both players simply outworked defenders
with two islanders converging on kucherov behind the net the puck came free directly in front of greiss hedman poked it away from kyle okposo quickly pirouetted and fired a wrist shot that beat greiss on his glove side
boyles goal also originated behind the net where matt carle was being chased the islanders eyes were still on carle when boyle appeared from the opposite direction and seemed to steal the puck from his teammate boyle wheeled around the net and took aim and as the islanders turned their heads he fired high over greisss right shoulder
hedman quickly capitalized on a power play for his second goal at 422 of the second scoring on a slap shot 42 seconds after travis hamonic had been called for roughing
start to finish we played really well boyle said we were hard on the pucks we made sure we got the puck in deep we didnt turn it over in the neutral zone and give them opportunities we played a great game
that the islanders captain john tavares was frustrated by hedman and other lightning defenders illustrated how the islanders lost control of the series tavares had only one shot in tampa bays overtime victory in game 4 and managed one again on sunday he also spent four minutes in the penalty box on a double minor following a skirmish late in the second period
we obviously played some good hockey at times but we just let those two games at home slip away and that put us behind the eight ball tavares said we got off to an ok start but they came back hard and capitalized on a couple opportunities
the overtime losses in games 3 and 4 had a lingering effect on the islanders who appeared deflated after the lightning took a 2 0 lead and were continually demoralized by bishop
you dont want to go dry at this time of the year capuano said you look at games 3 and 4 and the opportunities that we had to score the two on ones a couple other chances that we had that could have turned the series the other way but you cant look back tampa bay played a great series


james blakes third album the colour in anything is rainy day music in excelsis it is a protracted unresolved feeling of inward emotion demanding that you notice its small details its all detail really
mr blake came out of english dubstep in 2009 and moved quickly toward a slow and lonely model of voice keyboard and laptop songwriting his music has always had stripes of rb descending in blurry ways from stevie wonder dangelo and joni mitchell with snipped repeating loops and digital stuttering the model has grown modestly but it has grown here he is still working mostly alone with some production help from rick rubin frank ocean and justin vernon aka bon iver two other artists given to introspection each contribute songwriting to the record mr blake has worked a smart array of subtle variations into his sound delicate high voiced musically spacious to the point of near transparency ebb tide to the point of miasma
the colour in anything grows self pitying almost maudlin in ways mr blake has managed to avoid in the past simply by using more elusive lyrical metaphors it is also unreasonably long a little over an hour and a quarter the spell breaks long before its over even if it returns near the end for always the albums vaguest and possibly best track
in other ways its timing is exquisite released online thursday the record appears less than two weeks after beyonces lemonade which introduced mr blake to much of the wider world through his written and sung contributions to the songs pray you catch me and forward and two and a half years after kanye west declared mr blake his favorite artist in a radio interview
within the records general emotion are a few specific concerns expressed in word and sound the most obvious is vanished love in many of the lyrics mr blakes persona focuses on an unrecoverable romantic past he can see it but he cant connect with it its sad that youre no longer her he sings in points and he redoubles the notion of lagging behind the present by lagging radically behind the beat its a common device at which hes unusually adept and the softness of his attack   the floppy spongy slightly delayed keyboard chords you hear in a piano loop during radio silence   is an ace up his sleeve he can do that for years it will always work
mr blakes other ace is his falsetto range which he uses for easily 70 percent of his singing its vulnerable and pretty   especially when he draws out a vowel in a dry pained vibrato   but what does it signify in nathaniel mackeys 1986 novel bedouin hornbook the character n writes a letter about al greens falsetto musing about the dislocated africans pursuit of a meta voice a voice like mr greens the narrator continues bears the weight of a gnostic transformative desire to be done with the world by this i mean the deliberately forced deliberately false voice we get from someone like al green creatively hallucinates a new world indicts the more insidious falseness of the world as we know it
mr green sings a lot about joy and so for mr mackey to interpret his falsetto as a desire to be done with the world or to hallucinate a new one is a great act of critical interpretation it discovers a deep meaning for anyone to interpret mr blakes falsetto that way would be a truism hes telling you as much in his lyrics i hope my life is no sign of the times he sings in i hope my life 1 800 mix im not living hereim not living here anymore he sings in put that away and talk to me he is abstracted floating worried not part of things theres an unintentionally funny moment in points in which you hear the distant sound of an air horn theres a dance party somewhere mr blake hasnt been invitedthe overriding notion in mr blakes music is that of living outside of time he wants to connect but cant this notion lies on the surface theres little deeper meaning this record is an achievement of manner and the songwriting process but in a strange way it undercuts its own possibilities


at least 120 prominent writers and artists from around the world have signed a letter sent to egypts president urging him to release ahmed naji an egyptian author and journalist imprisoned for a novel deemed to have violated public morals
the letter sent by pen america a group that promotes free expression amplifies the international pressure on the egyptian president abdel fattah el sisi over his increasingly harsh repression of writers and journalists
mr sisis government has imprisoned an unprecedented number of journalists since he took power in 2013 his policy of intolerance toward views he dislikes recently aroused the ire of egypts journalists union which includes many who work for state run news outlets
the pen america letter was sent before the organizations annual literary gala in new york on may 16 when mr naji will be honored in absentia with the groups annual freedom to write award
mr naji 30 has been a vocal critic of corruption under mr sisis administration he was charged last year with violating public morality provisions in the penal code for explicit references to sex and drug use in a novel the use of life and sentenced in february to two years in prison
in what clearly looked like a politically motivated prosecution the courts ignored that egyptian censors had approved the references moreover critics of the morality provisions contend they violate protections of freedom of expression in egypts 2014 constitution
writing is not a crime reads the letter to mr sisi which was signed by a diverse list of literary and artistic figures including woody allen margaret atwood j m coetzee jessica hagedorn david henry hwang and orhan pamuk
the letter called the sentencing emblematic of the egyptian governments deeply troubling crackdown on free expression
the egyptian authorities have not commented on the letter which pen america planned to announce on monday
suzanne nossel the executive director of pen america said in a telephone interview that the organization had discussed the letter in advance with mr najis lawyer and members of his family for advice on what the best approach would be
the organization has sent such letters before to other governments seeking pardons for imprisoned writers but in this case ms nossel said mr naji did not want a pardon that would have let his conviction stand
he wanted an amendment to the law under which he had been convicted she said
pen america has what ms nossel described as a good record in helping pressure governments to free imprisoned writers and artists who receive the organizations annual award thirty five of the 40 recipients who were incarcerated at the time they won were subsequently released
we cant say that its direct causation but we certainly believe the attention and pressure makes a difference and many of the award winners have told us that ms nossel said
pen americas 2015 award winner khadija ismayilova an azerbaijani investigative reporter who exposed government corruption was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison on charges of abuse of power and tax evasion
although she is still imprisoned the azerbaijani authorities are feeling increased pressure over her case on tuesday ms ismayilova was awarded the annual world press freedom prize by unesco the united nations cultural heritage agency in recognition of her outstanding contribution to press freedom in difficult circumstances


the rift in the republican party grew deeper on sunday and threatened to upset the july convention as donald j trump refused to rule out blocking paul d ryan the speaker of the house from serving as the conventions chairman
mr trumps warning was his latest affront to republicans who have urged him to adopt a more cooperative and unifying tone and it amounted to an extraordinary escalation in tensions between the partys presumptive nominee and its highest ranking officeholder
in a series of television interviews that aired sunday mr trump demonstrated little interest in making peace with party leaders like mr ryan who have called on him to more convincingly lay out his commitment to the issues and ideas that have animated the conservative movement for the last generation
im going to do what i have to do   i have millions of people that voted for me mr trump said on abcs this week so i have to stay true to my principles also and im a conservative but dont forget this is called the republican party its not called the conservative party
if anything mr trumps candidacy has thrived because of his resistance to party politics as usual not in spite of it he has broken with republican leadership in congress on trade military intervention and immigration policy and he appears as determined as ever not to fall in line now that he has effectively secured the nomination
mr trumps differences with those in the party who think they have earned more of a right to set its political and ideological course have led to a rupture at the time when republicans would ordinarily be trying to put the messy personal clashes of the primary contests behind them
these divisions have played out most openly and vividly around the planning of the republican national convention it is a telling reflection of the state of republican politics an escalating spat over going to a party for a party that is coming undone
four of the last five republican presidential nominees   george bush george w bush john mccain and mitt romney   have said they will skip the convention in cleveland where mr trump is expected to be formally nominated
mr ryan who serves as the conventions ceremonial chairman has made the provocative declaration that he is not ready to support his partys likely nominee a rebuke that drew mr trumps threat in an interview with nbc news to keep him from assuming that role
the large corporations that usually fund both parties conventions have grown wary of becoming involved they are holding back on sponsorships leaving cleveland about 7 million short of its 64 million fund raising goal just 10 weeks before the festivities begin
conventions have always been platforms for different views inside the party with the understanding that primaries are about our differences and the general election is supposed to be about coming together said kevin madden a republican consultant who has worked on several presidential campaigns most recently in 2012 for mr romney
but the big open rift that nobody can deny is that theres a lot we still dont agree on he said
with mr trumps two remaining rivals senator ted cruz of texas and gov john kasich of ohio now out of the race republicans have defused their biggest possible crisis ahead of the convention having a bitter fight for the nomination play out in front of tens of millions on television but they seemed to be barreling toward another
questions over mr trumps conservative credentials refuse to die causing some republicans to make demands of him that are unheard of for the partys standard bearer
conservative activists have called on mr trump to identify before he arrives in cleveland people he would appoint as cabinet members supreme court justices or even vice president gestures they say would calm fears over the sincerity of his conservatism
tony perkins a convention delegate from louisiana who is the president of the conservative family research council and had supported mr cruz before he dropped out of the race last week said mr trump could not afford to antagonize any more voters
the margins he has to work with in terms of electoral success are very small he said unlike other republican nominees who have been greeted skeptically by social conservatives mr trump faces deep and unrelenting hostility mr perkins added now not only do you have indifference you have outright resistance to his candidacy he said
having a nominee who engenders such mistrust poses complications for other aspects of the convention as much as the party gatherings are meant to convey cohesiveness and cooperation they have also become platforms to highlight diversity and inclusiveness virtues mr trump has not shown an inclination to promote
republicans have filled their speaking slots at recent conventions with women african americans and hispanics in an effort to overcome an image as the party of old white men but the list of speakers from the 2012 convention reads like a list of mr trumps enemies many have denounced him including gov nikki r haley of south carolina gov brian sandoval of nevada senator kelly ayotte of new hampshire and representative barbara comstock of virginia
and many of them are likely to skip the convention this summer a spokesman for mr sandoval said he did not plan to go to cleveland ms comstock and ms ayotte will stay home and meet with constituents instead ms haleys office has said she has not made up her mind
convention organizers in the past have also invited leaders of different faiths including islam to lead the body in prayer
the stage usually serves as a forum for the party to help elevate its next generation of leaders but there too the list from 2012 is a whos who of officials whom mr trump has alienated senator marco rubio of florida gov scott walker of wisconsin and of course mr ryan and mr cruz
mr trump and mr ryan are set to meet privately in washington on thursday as part of an effort to bridge the gap between the party establishment and mr trump
how to handle mr cruz   and the hundreds of delegates who will go to the convention pledged to vote for him   is another sensitive issue for mr trump and his team as they plan for the convention
absent an agreement with the trump campaign mr cruzs nearly 600 delegates could vote against mr trump in an embarrassing show of discord
but mr cruz who has given no indication about what he wants his delegates to do would most likely benefit from building up good will in the party if he wants to run for president again as many expect him to do
it is in senator cruzs interests to eventually be visibly supportive of donald trump as the republican nominee said paul manafort a senior adviser for the trump campaign who was brought on to help improve outreach to fellow republicans
the trump campaign must also begin raising money to plug any holes in the convention budget which will exceed 100 million when costs like security are factored in but some previous corporate sponsors like coca cola and walmart have been reassessing their commitments joe roman the vice chairman of the cleveland host committee said the large national corporations that were needed to close the 7 million gap the city is facing were taking some time to line up
the last five six seven million of anything is always the slowest he said
there is also the question of safety while the anger from trump supporters who were fearful he would be denied the nomination appears to have diminished masses of anti trump demonstrators are still expected to descend on cleveland a city that has been a caldron of racial tensions between the police and residents
so even if many are staying away from the republican national convention there is at least one group eager to go


the future is dire the past a blur and the present heartbroken yet hinting at possibilities on radioheads a moon shaped pool its ninth studio album and perhaps its darkest statement   though the one with the bands most pastoral surface
radiohead worries throughout the album about environmental devastation about mass thoughtlessness about love gone cold about finding some way forward youve really messed up everything thom yorke sings in ful stop one of the albums few up tempo songs though it uses its insistent beat for jitters not pleasurable motion
on this album grim tidings arrive amid gorgeous backdrops gentle pianos and acoustic guitars reinforced by a string orchestra multilayered tinklings and murmurings give the music a subliminally shimmering aura but this is radiohead whose beauty is always laced with dread for the most part a moon shaped pool is an album of nightmare lullabies in daydreaming a somber undulating piano waltz mr yorke croons beyond the point of no returnand its too late the damage is done the albums opening track burn the witch is a spiral of tension cryptically portraying a society ignoring its own witch hunts as a clattery insistent string arrangement ratchets up the dissonance and agitation
throughout the album the state of the world and the state of the singers heart shade into one another when i see you messing me around i dont want to know mr yorke sings in identikit and whether hes thinking about personal political or corporate betrayal   or just about the way facial features can be interchanged and messed around with in a police identi kit   is unclear even after the beatles tinged chorus arrives broken hearts make it rain
in present tense a bittersweet bossa nova akin to past radiohead songs like knives out and house of cards mr yorke sings as my world comes crashing downill be dancing freaking out and wonders will all this love have been in vain
mr yorke 47 and his partner of 23 years rachel owen separated last year releasing a statement that the parting was perfectly amicable at the end of daydreaming mr yorkes voice is played in reverse repeating half my life but the songs shouldnt be reduced to autobiography radiohead and mr yorke on his own have been playing some of the albums material   identikit present tense and true love waits   onstage for years as they painstakingly tinkered with them in the studio burn the witch has been hinted at for more than a decade
every hiss and creak on the album has probably been weighed and considered a moon shaped pool was five years in the making a little longer than the four year gaps between hail to the thief 2003 in rainbows 2007 and the king of limbs 2011 thats how radiohead works now in fits and starts between mr yorkes side projects atoms for peace appearances at protests and benefit concerts and the guitarist jonny greenwoods soundtracks among them there will be blood the master and inherent vice and collaborations such as junun with the composer shye ben tzur
the songs thrive on their coalition melding mr yorkes troubled words and aching melodies with mr greenwoods textural mastery including presumably the string arrangements and the self effacing contributions of the rest of the band both mr yorke and mr greenwood are relentlessly inquisitive listeners lovers of melody and explorers of idioms makers of puzzles who dont shy away from emotion
one thing radiohead no longer worries about is digital technology during the 1990s when radiohead made ok computer its songs warned desperately about technologys incursions on individuality but in radioheads music now technology is just a tool ubiquitous and unremarkable not the center of attention a moon shaped pool uses the studio extensively but reveals the human activity there regardless of how it was assembled the sound of the album is largely acoustic and analog a little hazy a little noisy avoiding the metronomic daydreaming opens with that most analog of effects a wavering pitch like a tape slipping off speed the technology just helps capture and loop the tones of acoustic guitars keyboards percussion and voices whether or not theyre fed through analog distortion gadgets its as amoral as a microphone or an amplifier and the music sounds unplugged even where its obviously programmed
the results often hark back to the late 1960s in a way a moon shaped pool is radioheads psych folk album the numbers which radiohead fans have previously known as silent spring counsels we are of the earthto her we do return and comes as close as radiohead gets to a call to arms well take back what is ours it insists the production hints at buffalo springfields expecting to fly with stately swells of guitar and gusts of strings desert island disk recalls the jazz tinged folk experiments of pentangle and the electronic phantasms of early tim buckley as mr yorke envisions the wind rushing round my open heart an open ravine yet its the rare song on the album that offers a glimpse of hope   a feeling of being totally alive totally released glass eyes starts as the bleakest of ballads with minor piano chords drifting into the fog as the singer arrives in a frightening unknown town and finds perhaps an escape a path trails off and heads down the mountain he sings i dont know where it leadsi dont really care
the album ends with true love waits a love song radiohead wrote in the 1990s and first recorded on a 2001 live ep i might be wrong with mr yorke simply strumming and singing alone building up to the songs pleading refrain dont leave dont leave two decades later its studio version testifies to what radioheads patient perfectionism can achieve instead of guitar chords it starts with four repeating piano notes a chord dissected and laid bare the same piano figure sketches the songs other chords through the first verse gradually more pianos are overdubbed in rippling loops low resonant tones and repeated chords not so much filling out the arrangement as emanating alongside it somewhere between harmonious and oblivious its a world that exists outside one mans longings and wont be eclipsed by them


for a decade and a half grime   the rugged fast paced british hip hop offshoot   has been remarkably durable one of englands most vibrant and innovative music scenes while also seeping out in fits and starts to the broader world whether grime is best when keeping to itself or engaging with everything else is a source of fervent fascination questioning and debate something as true now as it was at this genres inception unease about absorption into the mainstream is pervasive
on friday there were two reminders of the now long running push and pull between grimes ground level immediacy and the scope of its impact skepta one of the genres biggest current stars and one with growing international appeal released his debut full length album konnichiwa boy better know and that night dizzee rascal the teen prince of grimes first explosion in the early 2000s performed his 2003 debut album boy in da corner xl in full at music hall of williamsburg
grime is skeletal and skittish   producers are as essential as rappers   and grime beats are often as striking for whats missing as for whats there that canvas has led to different sorts of vocal approaches over the years on his debut dizzee rascal was a twisty rapper with a penchant for tight clusters of syllables often he appeared to be densely weaving himself in and out of spare beats skepta by contrast is a bruiser   a straightforward metaphor light lyricist whose rhymes land like quick jabs
thirteen years separate boy in da corner from konnichiwa and grime evolved in the intervening years but what didnt much change is the debate over its assimilation   both into british pop but also into the slipstream of forward thinking global pop dizzee rascals show   part of the red bull music academy lineup of concerts and talks which continues throughout may   perhaps inadvertently underscored those conversations
the stage was set up to mimic the cover of boy in da corner with the star sitting in the corner of a yellow room   he began by rapping the first song from the floor there was also a stall in the lobby where fans could pose with a similar backdrop and recreate the cover for themselves the ecstatic weirdness of i luv u remained intact after all this time as did the boom of fix up look sharp the passage of time did make jus a rascal sound more like a dr demento novelty record though
in a way this show served as a discovery engine a reminder that non single album tracks like 2 far hold ya mouf and seems 2 be were nearly as effective as his most famous songs but while this performance was spirited it was ultimately limited in effect album driven concerts are odd fits for singles oriented genres   the legacy of dizzee rascal or grimes first wave would likely have been better served by a dj set of his early hits or something closer to a warehouse rave
in the years since his breakthrough dizzee rascal has become a rather reliable pop star in an interview with complex last week he appeared mildly frustrated about the choices he has made i feel like i want to rap but its hard knowing that ive done really well off of dance music he said when asked about new music
his career is archetypical of someone who moves successfully from the margins to the center but who finds it a one way path grime stars over the years have handled the transition with different degrees of smoothness and some of the bending and accommodating that took dizzee rascal a few years to get around to skeptas already toying with thats partly a result of the quicker speed with which grime moves today as opposed to a decade ago thanks to social media   skepta can be the standard bearer for the genre at home while still collaborating with drake and recording songs with pharrell williams
konnichiwa ends up being a statement about the evolving nature of grime stardom in part its a roundup of the singles that have propelled skepta to stardom in the last two years the pugnacious shutdown and thats not me songs that are almost explicitly about how skepta both celebrates success and abhors its trappings those are themes he continues to explore elsewhere on the album like on corn on the curb i broke down a few more barricades got me a few more accoladesi used to look forward to the weekend now every days like saturday and skeptas most convincing when talking smack to an antagonist   his insults are pummeling and sometimes comically small my mum dont know your mumstop telling man youre my cousin
konnichiwa also shows skepta attempting to thread the needle when it comes to his sonic evolution to mixed effect the production   especially on the title track and corn on the curb  is more ornate than usual and on the tepid almost down tempo text me back about fomenting mistrust in a relationship skeptas hard flow feels out of step almost clunky
but sometimes assimilation is the mother of invention take numbers the song made with mr williams   its slow kooky off kilter the beat is closer to the buoyant bass and intricate syncopation of early productions by the neptunes mr williamss old crew and it forces skepta into unexpected cadences the result may not be grime but its grimy


a former lover of the ailing media mogul sumner m redstone who is waging a legal battle over his mental competency made a last ditch attempt over the weekend to keep her salacious lawsuit alive
in a filing on sunday to judge david j cowan of los angeles county superior court lawyers for the woman manuela herzer argued that the court should hear all of the evidence and not dismiss the case as the judge indicated he might do on friday after he heard videotaped testimony from mr redstone a 92 year old billionaire

ms herzers legal team outlined two reasons for continuing the trial first the lawyers said the court should not accept mr redstones testimony at face value they said the court was duty bound to look behind the testimony to determine whether redstones views are those of a man of a sound mind and whether he came to and has maintained these views absent any undue influence
the lawyers said that the court must hear all of the evidence from ms herzer to determine the answer to those questions
second they said that aborting the trial after one day and three witnesses would be a great disservice to redstones best interests because if his decisions are the product of mental illness or undue influence the proceedings are not only reasonably necessary but essential to protect him
in their own filing on sunday mr redstones lawyers appeared to take their lead from judge cowans remarks in court on friday when he expressed wariness over the need to wade through what he called the all of these shenanigans in the redstone household
the court need not preside over a trial regarding the breakdown of mr redstone and ms herzers relationship mr redstones lawyers said in their new dismissal motion
ms herzer filed suit last november claiming that mr redstone lacked the capacity to make the decision to remove her from an advance directive that would have put her in charge of his health care she said she was waging the legal battle out of concern for mr redstones well being
lawyers for mr redstone said ms herzer was motivated by greed on the same day he removed her from the health care directive he also removed her from his personal estate plan in which he had planned to leave her 50 million and his 20 million los angeles mansion
the trial began friday with the 18 minute videotape of testimony from mr redstone who has not been seen publicly for nearly a year
after viewing the video judge cowan declared that mr redstone had appeared to forcefully reject the notion that ms herzer should be in charge of his health care or a part of his life at all while he said he needed the weekend to consider whether the case should continue judge cowan indicated that mr redstones testimony had raised doubts about ms herzers position your burden now is a hard one he told her legal team after viewing the tape
in their filing on sunday ms herzers lawyers argued that mr redstones vehemence in his testimony may result from serious cognitive impairment and manipulation by his daughter shari redstone mr redstones outbursts do not indicate that he had capacity but rather confirm that he lacks it they argue
the filing said that to terminate the trial without hearing further evidence would risk setting a precedent with widespread implications for hospitals lawyers and others involved in elder care it cannot be that an elderly person   particularly an elderly individual whom everyone agrees is susceptible to undue influence   can simply state what he wants and have that accepted as gospel the filing said
mr redstones lawyers rejected the suggestion that he was manipulated of course there is not a scintilla of evidence that mr redstone actually wants ms herzer in his life but was unduly influenced to testify otherwise the dismissal motion said the redstone team also reiterated a caution it has raised repeatedly that the salacious details being presented by ms herzers lawyers are compromising mr redstones privacy and dignity
the possibility of dismissal after one day of testimony opened a path by which mr redstones side might quickly prevail in the case but the first days harsh testimony and the lurid details in pretrial filings had already subjected the redstone family to acute embarrassment and raised substantial questions about mr redstones continued role in his publicly held companies
mr redstone is a director chairman emeritus and controlling shareholder of cbs and viacom two of the worlds largest media companies
the videotaped testimony presented in court on friday remained confidential but a transcript that was made public showed a fiery yet somewhat feeble man mr redstone repeatedly referred to ms herzer in expletives and said that he did not want her to be in his life or to make health care decisions for him mr redstone responded to some basic questions   especially those that had yes or no responses   but struggled with others when asked what his birth name had been for instance he remained silent
yet mr redstone did say that he hated ms herzer when asked about whether he wanted ms herzer to make health care decisions for him he said no he said that the wanted his daughter to make health care decisions if he is unable to do so himself
also on the witness stand was dr stephen l read a psychiatrist testifying for the herzer side who examined mr redstone in late january and said that he lacked decision making capacity and that his arithmetic was appallingly bad in one example he said that mr redstone did a poor job when he was presented with a simple array of colored shapes   circles triangles stars and squares   and asked to identify them by pointing
in court documents over the last five and half months ms herzer detailed claims about mr redstones incontinence demands to eat steak while on a feeding tube and obsession with various lovers in turn lawyers for mr redstone asserted that ms herzer exploited their relationship for financial gain they said that between last august and mid october a period when ms herzer said she was occupied by taking care of mr redstones health care she charged more than 265000 to his american express card
the legal drama has riveted both hollywood and wall street a decision by the judge that mr redstone was incompetent could set off a contentious succession plan for the two biggest companies in his 42 billion media empire
upon death or if he is deemed incompetent mr redstones interests in cbs and viacom are to be held by an irrevocable trust that was created for his five grandchildren among the trusts seven voting members are ms redstone and philippe p dauman the chief executive of viacom ms redstone and mr dauman have disagreed on how the company should be managed


dallas   heavy metal and hip hop music blasted through american airlines center on saturday during game 5 of the western conference semifinal series between the st louis blues and the dallas stars but if you think country songs by shania twain would be too genteel for the playlist of the dj known as grubes then you do not know these smitten stars who gave her some credit for their overtime victory in game 4
still a question lingered could her music keep them winning
watching the game with the score tied at 1 1 in the first period tom gaglardi the stars owner said of twain im proud of her shes a good canadian and a great artist
gaglardi who is from vancouver added of the stars they listen to country music more often than not in the locker room and practice facility
even among country stars though twain holds a special place in the stars hearts
before game 4 on thursday members of the dallas news media waiting to speak to the team were held at bay by center jason spezza until the end of twains song youre still the one the dallas morning news reported the teams captain jamie benn pumped up the volume
did the lyrics remind the stars of the teams only stanley cup championship in 1999 looks like we made itlook how far weve come my babywe mightve took the long waywe knew wed get there someday
when the stars beat the blues 3 2 in overtime of thursdays game spezza suggested twain had had an influence amalie benjamin of nhlcom wrote on twitter first thing jason spezza said to me when i walked in the stars room shania grin
alerted to her apparent impact on the stars tying the series twain responded on twitter heard dallasstars have amazing taste in pre game music she wrote  must have helped them to the win incredible game guys
benn then responded writing that we only listen to the best
defenseman jason demers added omg shania knows who we are
sports teams sometimes cannot resist a connection to a celebrity including ownership by one as with jay zs former sliver of a stake in the nets this season the florida panthers inexplicably began awarding a spacey in space hoodie to the most valuable player of each game the actor kevin spacey learned of the ritual and began exchanging messages on twitter with the players when he attended a game the team handed out spacey faceys   cardboard cutouts of his head
twain did not show up on saturday and maybe she should have her music was playing to the full arena but youre still the one used for the kiss cam and man i feel like a woman did not have a victorious effect dallas lost 4 1
there were too many missed scoring opportunities   the stars lacked what coach lindy ruff called puck luck
afterward the stars locker room was subdued as players quietly explained their losing effort and discussed whether they could win the next two games to move into the conference finals twains music was by then a memory of inspiration past
but it offered a moment of jest for blues coach ken hitchcock asked if he knew about the twain stars musical romance and if he was able to counter it he instead responded that he was also inspired by twain
so whats the difference he said smiling really inspired so were even
the blues later posted on twitter a picture of twain in a blues jersey accompanied by the message its not too late shaniatwain   come on over
the twain incident would probably not have mattered or occurred if the stars were not in the midst of a revival the team had been weakened by the debt woes of the former owner tom hicks in 2011 gaglardi acquired the team through bankruptcy court the same route hicks had taken in selling the texas rangers a year earlier
we had become somewhat irrelevant in the market gaglardi said our season ticket base had hit the lowest point ever and we had to rebuild it thats not easy its one ticket one fan at a time theres no magic to it
now he said the season ticket base has risen to between 13000 and 14000
gaglardi a large man wearing an untucked pinstriped shirt was sitting on a deep sofa in his luxury suite filled with guests mainly local business executives
im a normal canadian he said i grew up with hockey ive played it since im 5 years old my kids play i coach back home its just a wonderful sport several years ago when the canucks came on the market im me so i tried to buy them but i ended up with a great franchise here
how great may depend on if the team can start a comeback in st louis on monday night
and if twains musical magic returns


santa barbara doeste brazil   on a stage festooned with confederate flags a singer was belting out dixieland delight by alabama near an obelisk honoring the americans who fled to this outpost in the aftermath of the civil war
were not racists said cicero carr 54 an engineer whose great great grandfather hailed from texas wearing a fedora featuring the rebel battle flag he explained in portuguese were just revering our ancestors who had the good sense to settle in brazil
at the annual celebration of brazils self described confederados one scorching sunday in april confederate flags adorned the hoop skirted gowns of young belles and the trucker caps worn by beer guzzling bikers as well as the graves of pioneers with surnames like mcalpine northrup and seawright
the commemoration reflected the resilience of what some historians call the lost colony of the confederacy in this region of sugar cane fields and textile factories unencumbered by the debate raging in the united states over whether confederate symbols promote racism the brazilian descendants of the american settlers many of them clad in civil war uniforms mingled at food stands offering southern fried chicken and buttermilk biscuits
the motto of the organizers to live and die in dixie
the presence of the confederados in the interior of sao paulo state dates to an effort by emperor dom pedro ii a staunch ally of the confederate states of america during the civil war to lure white immigrants to brazil thousands of southerners took him up on his offer moving here in the 1860s and 1870s
unable to adjust to brazils boom and bust economy many of the colonists returned to the united states but others put down stakes in a country that was the last in the americas to abolish slavery doing so in 1888 allowing some of the americans to acquire slaves for their plantations in brazil
despite this history the debate in the united states over confederate symbols has barely resonated here since the rebel flag became a renewed target of outrage last year after a gunman who glorified the flag massacred nine african americans at a church in charleston sc
instead the descendants of the confederates who are thought to number in the thousands across brazil generally say their festivities are detached from the polarizing views around similar commemorations in the united states
among the hundreds who attended aprils festa confederada confederate party including some visitors of african descent the discussion around the flags meaning to descendants of enslaved africans hardly registered brazilians who define themselves as black or mixed race make up nearly 51 percent of the countrys population according to brazils 2010 census
im here just because i just love america said sergio porto 38 a worker at a truck parts factory in sao paulo who was wearing a confederate bandanna and a t shirt saying hillbilly treasure mr porto explained that he was part of a subculture in brazil that exalts the rural culture of the southern united states and listens to brazilian bands that perform country music in english instead of portuguese
marcelo sans dodson the president of the organization here representing descendants of confederates expressed his condolences in a statement about the charleston massacre he called the killings a clear example of intolerance
still mr dodson defended using symbols of the old south to celebrate the heritage of brazils confederados for us he said the confederate flag symbolizes family unity fraternity and friendship
some confederados go further arguing that examples of intermarriage in their ranks over the generations have diluted the toxic legacy of slavery others say brazils prohibition on importing slaves forged a sense of self reliance among ancestors fleeing economic devastation who could not bring slaves with them or were too poor to buy slaves in brazil
but some scholars say the skirting of slavery during the celebration of confederate heritage reflects a broader reluctance in brazil to examine the staggering scale of the slave trade in the countrys history
brazil received far more african slaves than any other country in the western hemisphere about 49 million through the atlantic trade while mainland north america imported about 389000 according to the trans atlantic slave trade database
historians examining the confederate exodus say some of the southerners bolstered brazils slavery based economy citing the settlers who brought african american servants with them who were effectively still held in bondage and once in brazil many of the confederates took advantage of the ease and low cost of acquiring slaves
theres an attempt by the confederados to erase the interest in slavery as a principal motivation for their arrival in brazil said luciana da cruz brito a brazilian historian of slavery at the city university of new york
in one example ms brito documented a case in which charles g gunter a former alabama state representative described in 1866 the acquisition of 40 slaves in brazil for 12500 that amount is thought to be cheaper than similar deals in the united states before slavery was prohibited
as brazils abolitionists advanced their cause in the late 19th century some of the confederados sought to preserve slavery even as the region around their settlements emerged as a setting for slave revolts
in 1888 just months before brazil abolished slavery the confederate immigrants james h warne and john j klink led a mob that carried out one of the most notorious lynchings of that chaotic period killing joaquim firmino the abolitionist police chief in a town near santa barbara doeste in front of his family
many of the confederate immigrants were remorseless white supremacists said maria helena machado a historian of slavery at the university of sao paulo
another historian gerald horne of the university of houston compared the confederate migration to brazil to an exodus of american southerners after the civil war to fiji and other places in the pacific where they helped establish a trade in enslaved melanesians and polynesians
of course reluctance to pursue abolition was not the only cause for this migration dr horne said many of the migrants had good reason to believe they would be prosecuted for treason while many simply endured a sour distaste when contemplating a different kind of relationship with africans than what had existed previously
generations after the first confederates arrived here some are trying to decipher their complex legacy around brazil their descendants include ellen gracie northfleet a former justice on brazils supreme court rita lee jones a rock singer and animal rights activist and gregorio duvivier a comedian who writes a biting satirical column in the newspaper folha de s paulo
while the descendants are scattered around brazil the commemoration at the cemiterio dos americanos even lured a few americans who had traveled thousands of miles below the mason dixon line
i feel right at home here said stanley hudson 60 a lawyer from dallas who had heard about the commemoration through the sons of confederate veterans an association of descendants of confederate soldiers dressed in a captains uniform he added youve got to admire them for maintaining the culture through so many generations
another visitor from afar dionne ford an african american writer who lived here as an exchange student in 1985 returned this year to work on a documentary film with godfrey cheshire an american writer and director known for his exploration of his familys complicated ownership of a north carolina plantation
this was the first place i saw a confederate flag up close said ms ford 46 who was raised in new jersey
while ms ford said she hoped to explore the complexities of race and history among the confederados the festivities in april seemed to offer instead a simplified brazilian rendition of southern culture in the united states
near the stage where couples practiced fanci dancing as a sign put it vendors hawked t shirts with the slogan rebel  proud of it everything on sale could be paid for with confederate dollars obtainable at the entrance
this is a joyful event said carlos copriva 52 a security guard who described his ancestry as a mix of hungarian and italian he was wearing a confederate kepi cap that he had bought online as he and his wife raquel copriva who is afro brazilian strolled through the bougainvillea shaded cemetery
smiling at her husband ms copriva 43 who works as a maid gazed at the graves around them we know there was slavery in both the united states and brazil but look at us now white and black together in this place she said while pointing to the tombstones maybe were the future and theyre the past


daniella topol has been named the new artistic director of rattlestick playwrights theater she will replace david van asselt who has led rattlestick since its inception in 1994
ms topol most recently directed ironbound at rattlestick in march in his review for the times charles isherwood named the play a critics pick and praised ms topol for directing with economy and delicacy
ms topol has directed and produced plays across the country and has worked extensively with womens project theater whats exciting and unique about rattlestick is that were so committed to work that makes you lean in she said in an interview its work that is fierce and intense and brave
ms topol said her goals for rattlestick include championing new innovative plays forging connections with theaters outside new york and developing the theaters educational programs rattlestick can be a great place to continue to give opportunities to young diverse artists to get their hands dirty she said
rattlesticks next production presented with the colt coeur theater company of brooklyn is cal in camo by william francis hoffman directed by adrienne campbell holt


it is disneys multiplex the rest of hollywood just visits once in awhile
following the blockbuster successes of zootopia the jungle book and star wars the force awakens disney released captain america civil war over the weekend and the results were predictably massive civil war which received strong reviews sold an estimated 1818 million in tickets at theaters in north america it has already collected an additional 4966 million overseas
turnout at imax theaters both at home and abroad was particularly strong
disney has now had the no 1 movie in the united states and canada in 11 of the last 21 weekends and some box office analysts predict civil war will remain the top draw for the next two weekends after that a new movie   also from disney   may well take over the top slot alice through the looking glass not long after disney will release one of the summers most anticipated movies finding dory a sequel to pixars finding nemo
civil war cost about 250 million to make not including marketing costs it introduces movie audiences to a new marvel superhero black panther played by chadwick boseman great reviews great social media buzz and long term global playability will add up to major box office returns over the long haul paul dergarabedian a senior media analyst at comscore said in an email on sunday
civil war kicked off moviedoms all important summer season which stretches from the first weekend in may until labor day this time around studios will introduce at least 16 films with production costs of 100 million or more sometimes much more compared with 10 last year with that many giants fighting for attention some analysts have warned of cannibalism
it is difficult to envision a scenario in which a significant number of this summers releases are not money losers or at least disappointments doug creutz an analyst at cowen and company wrote in a research note on thursday


alden ehrenreich has officially been cast as the young han solo in a coming stand alone star wars film from disney the movie as yet untitled will follow solos life before 1977s star wars episode iv   a new hope mr ehrenreich will follow in the footsteps of harrison ford who of course originated the role
mr ehrenreich 26 starred in beautiful creatures 2013 and had a supporting role in woody allens blue jasmine 2013 he also appeared earlier this year in the coen brothers film hail caesar alongside george clooney channing tatum and scarlett johansson
set to be released in may 2018 the star wars movie will be directed by phil lord and chris miller the filmmakers behind the lego movie and 21 jump street


kabul afghanistan   more than 50 people were killed on sunday in southeastern afghanistans ghazni province when two buses collided with a fuel truck which then exploded officials said scores of others were injured many of them critically
the crash in ghazni was bad even by the standards of afghanistans notoriously dangerous mountain highways a total of 111 people were either killed or injured said hamidullah nawroz the head of ghaznis provincial council but because the victims were taken to many hospitals in different cities and many died on the way the number of fatalities was hard to determine
a bus full of passengers tried to pass the slow moving fuel tanker on a narrow highway in mukur district around 6 am sunday and crashed head on into another fully loaded bus mr nawroz said both buses then collided with the tanker which exploded and engulfed all three vehicles in flames
estimates of the number of fatalities ranged from 50 to 76 and many feared that the death toll could be even higher ismail kawusi a spokesman for afghanistans ministry of health said that there were 140 passengers on the buses but that rescue workers had identified only 50 bodies so far many of the remains were badly burned and body parts were scattered around the accident site
it takes time and only forensic medicine will be able to identify them mr kawusi said
in kabul on sunday the government hanged six taliban prisoners convicted of various terrorism offenses   the first such executions of president ashraf ghanis administration
the executions had been expected for some time after the talibans haqqani network detonated a large truck bomb on april 19 at the national directorate of security the countrys intelligence agency killing 64 people
mr ghani vowed in a speech afterward to retaliate with military action and the execution of taliban prisoners during his tenure which began in september 2014 the government had executed only one prisoner a notorious crime boss although about 300 men are on death row
all six who were executed sunday were members of the taliban or the haqqani network a taliban faction that has operated independently according to a statement from the national directorate of security
the president signed the order for the executions according to a statement released by his office after repeated requests from the families of victims of terrorist attacks
the statement continued the signing happened after a close examination of the fairness of the sentencing process in accordance with afghanistans human rights obligations
the executions reflected a lack of optimism among afghan officials about efforts to restart the peace process with the taliban who have refused to attend recent sessions hosted by afghanistans neighbors
the taliban responded to the executions by threatening to make military targets out of all those institutions involved in the martyrdom of prisoners according to a statement issued by zabihullah mujahid a spokesman for the group they will not be able to breathe one breath in peace and their relatives will not be able to live with confidence either


oklahoma city   hal smith first met kevin durant four years ago when a mutual acquaintance informed him that the basketball superstar was thinking about opening a restaurant
smith 69 runs a restaurant group based in norman okla that employs about 7000 people across seven states from their very first talk the two men established an easy rapport and within a year and a half they opened kds a sleek spot in downtown oklahoma city serving southern comfort food
but while the restaurant has done well in recent months a matter of basketball business has been prickling smiths mind after spending nine seasons with the same franchise durant will become a free agent this summer smith therefore has been forced to ponder the possibility that his famous business partner the face of their food brand could leave the city
i think about it every day smith said laughing what am i going to do are we going to keep it as kds are we going to change the name if he leaves
smiths concerns are a microcosm of the wider anxiety that has taken hold of the populace here the oklahoma city thunder fresh off another excellent regular season are locked in heated battle with the san antonio spurs in the western conference semifinals and in the background every day has been the whispering of an unavoidable question could these be durants final days in the teams blue and orange uniform
tension is inevitable when the possibility looms that a star athlete might switch teams yet the stakes somehow feel higher more profound than normal in oklahoma city where durant and the thunder are so tightly interwoven with the citys identity
the players likenesses decorate buildings and storefronts downtown and the franchises influence is plainly discernible in the citys small business nomenclature thunder donuts thunder nails thunder bail bonds thunder cab thunder vapor thunder ducts thunder concrete plumbing service thunder towing
weve got this reputation as an up and coming city and a lot of that is tied around the thunder and the success of the team is obviously directly tied to kevin durant said curtis fitzpatrick a morning host on the wwls the sports animal radio station so yeah theres lots of anxiety theres nervous energy a lot of people dont talk about it but theres no avoiding it on the horizon
theres a whole local economy based in oil and gas fitzpatrick added but theres a kevin durant economy too
durants stature in the area has been growing since 2008 when the seattle supersonics who drafted him the year before relocated to oklahoma city the restaurant in which durant owns a 25 percent share symbolizes the roots he has established when kds was still being conceptualized durant sent smith on a three city tour   from miami to los angeles to washington   to sample seven of his favorite restaurants even now smith said durant evaluates new dishes before they are added to the menu
the restaurant itself is situated just a few blocks from the teams arena memorabilia from durants career dots its walls at a news conference at the start of the restaurants construction durant elicited laughter when he said if somebody has a complaint ill try to go in the back in the kitchen and help fix it if i can
oklahoma city has never seemed like an obvious place for a major professional sports franchise but durant 27 who lives downtown has fit in here about as well as any global sports superstar could anyone asked to elucidate his local standing will often point to the 1 million donation he made to the american red cross in 2013 the day after a tornado devastated moore an oklahoma city suburb durant who was in minneapolis at the time had smith deliver the check to the local red cross office
people were crying that day smith said and so thankful
early in his career durants ingenuous demeanor endeared him to fans there was the time during the 2011 nba lockout when durant after connecting on twitter with an oklahoma state graduate student named george overbey drove an hour to stillwater to play in an intramural flag football game for overbeys fraternity team video of the game and the huge crowd that gathered to watch it made the rounds in the blogosphere the following day
he was locked in said overbey whose squad despite winning was disqualified from the tournament for fielding durant the most obvious of ringers he didnt care about all the girls there the people who came to watch we were talking strategy in the car the whole time on the way to the game
for overbey it was a small glimpse of the competitiveness that has helped durant collect seven all star selections four scoring titles and the 2014 most valuable player award
durants public image has morphed a bit as he has matured a little over three years ago the ad agency wieden  kennedy devised a campaign for nike titled kd is not nice a quirky effort to show that durant while generally modest and shy did not lack fire on the court
indeed he has shown an ornery side at times he bristled at reporters at the all star game last year for example telling them yall not my friends during the first round of the postseason this year he was retroactively issued a technical for deliberately elbowing a dallas mavericks player
regardless the support for him in oklahoma city has hardly ever wavered two years ago when the oklahoman printed the headline mr unreliable in reference to durants struggles during a playoff series against the memphis grizzlies the local backlash was severe enough to prompt an apology from the newspaper the sports editor said in a statement then that the paper had failed its readership calling the headline overstated and unduly harsh
he could be the mayor if he wanted said nick collison durants teammate since the seattle days
durant has quashed inquiries about his future plans whenever the subject has arisen to the uninformed outsider   that is possibly everyone besides durant   the possibilities seem multitudinous to the point that discussing them feels like a pointless pursuit still it can be entertaining reports have hinted at interest from elite teams like the golden state warriors and the spurs some wonder whether durant would move to los angeles where he often spends his summers the idea that durant might prefer the eastern conference where the playoff road tends to be more forgiving seems intriguing too
people here are praying he stays but many also insist that if a separation were to occur it would be mostly amicable   nothing resembling the nastiness that occurred after lebron james left the cleveland cavaliers in 2010
i can tell you people wont be burning his jersey in oklahoma the way people did for lebron in cleveland overbey said people will be devastated theyll be sad but they have too much respect for what hes done for the city
for now then all people can do is wait until free agency starts on july 1 smith the restaurateur said he hoped to sit down with durant next month to brainstorm possible additions to the menu he also wants to discuss plans to open a kds in austin tex where they might reformat the restaurant as an upscale steakhouse
in an ideal world smith said the oklahoma city location would keep its name no matter what durant decides this summer but he will have to wait and see
i think the city loves him enough not to hold a grudge smith said but if he leaves and people are disgruntled ill have to make another decision and i dont have that decision in my mind just yet


americans may need to shield the kids the presidential election promises to get ugly a race to the bottom
hillary clinton and donald j trump both arouse strong feelings many of them very negative both play tough
she is a policy wonk but mr trump has little interest in a wide ranging debate on issues in the republican primaries jeb bush senator marco rubio and senator ted cruz all tried at times to challenge him on substance he brushed them aside with pointed personal rejoinders it worked remarkably well
but a campaign dominated by personal invective and political mudslinging exacerbates polarization and makes governing tougher say knowledgeable veterans of other campaigns and administrations
if campaigns are not thoughtfully policy oriented it makes it harder for those who have to govern said andrew h card jr who was chief of staff to george w bush and now is president of franklin pierce university
your ability to claim a mandate is affected by the dialogue on issues during the campaign said stephanie cutter deputy campaign manager of president obamas 2012 re election campaign and a former top white house aide
there isnt much reason to be optimistic about thoughtful dialogue in this general election both sides are girded for a negative no holds barred slugfest
this will be compounded by outside groups including operatives with close ties to the two candidates roger j stone jr and david brock
mr stone is a longtime trump political adviser who helped bring his former business partner paul j manafort in to direct the campaign from his perch outside the official campaign mr stone makes no secret of his intent to eviscerate mrs clinton
political etiquette wont be an impediment he has written books charging that lyndon b johnson ordered the murder of president john f kennedy and that the bush family is tied to international criminal conspiracies and he has peddled an allegation that former president bill clinton isnt the father of his daughter chelsea
on the other side mr brock once a harsh clinton critic who changed camps is close to top clintonites and runs a political action committee supporting her like mr stone he is no stranger to political invective as a right winger he attacked anita hill the lawyer who testified against the supreme court nominee clarence thomas as a little bit nutty and a little bit slutty in the current democratic primary he blasted a bernie sanders ad featuring iowa supporters   they were mostly white as is the state it seems black lives dont matter much to bernie sanders hes also questioned the physical fitness of mr sanders
mr trump will focus on what he charges is mrs clintons failed record as secretary of state her use of a private email server also will be fodder regardless of the outcome of any inquiry and republicans claim to have collected a plethora of new damning material on the clinton foundation and its donors presumably this will be shared with the trump campaign
but the new york billionaire instinctively often effectively gravitates to personal critiques he already has declared that bill clintons sexual past is fair game criticized hillary clintons appearance and even said her going to the bathroom during a debate break was disgusting republicans and democrats alike expect the tone to worsen
the clinton camp can recycle some of the knocks that rivals such as mr bush mr rubio and mr cruz leveled against the republican front runner though they had little impact democrats have collected a large trump dossier including they say material that hasnt been made public
both mr trump and mrs clinton believe they can turn an ugly tone to their advantage maybe but starting jan 20 the sworn in 45th president will pay a price


washington   it is a bitter but basic fact in health research black americans die at higher rates than whites from most causes including aids heart disease cancer and homicide
but a recent trove of federal data offered some good news the suicide rate for black men declined from 1999 to 2014 making them the only racial group to experience a drop infant mortality is down by more than a fifth among blacks since the late 1990s double the decline for whites births to teenage mothers which tend to have higher infant mortality rates have dropped by 64 percent among blacks since 1995 faster than for whites
blacks are still at a major health disadvantage compared with whites but evidence of black gains has been building and has helped push up the ultimate measure   life expectancy the gap between blacks and whites was seven years in 1990 by 2014 the most recent year on record it had shrunk to 34 years the smallest in history with life expectancy at 756 years for blacks and 79 years for whites
part of the reason has been bad news for whites namely the opioid crisis the crisis which has dominated headlines   some say unfairly given racial disparities   has hit harder in white communities bringing down white life expectancy and narrowing the gap
but there also has been real progress for blacks the rate of deaths by homicide for blacks decreased by 40 percent from 1995 to 2013 according to andrew fenelon a researcher with the national center for health statistics compared with a 28 percent drop for whites the death rate from cancer fell by 29 percent for blacks over that period compared with 20 percent for whites
blacks are catching up said samuel preston a demographer at the university of pennsylvania the gap is now the narrowest it has been since the beginning of the 20th century and thats really good news
the history of health for black americans has been one of deep inequity at the start of the 1900s life expectancy for blacks was nearly 15 years less than for whites according to federal data this was partly because infant mortality was so much higher for blacks but it was also because blacks who were subjected to discrimination and segregation faced worse living conditions and had almost no access to medical care
well into the 1950s cancer was known among researchers as a white disease in part because fewer blacks lived long enough to die from it said keith wailoo author of how cancer crossed the color line
life expectancy for blacks improved in the 1970s as medicare and medicaid increased access to health care and helped integrate hospitals after the abolition of jim crow laws smoking had started to decline and new treatments for heart disease including blood pressure medications drastically improved health for everyone
then came a lost decade from 1982 to about 1995 blacks progress in life expectancy stalled dragged down by homicides aids and fallout from the crack epidemic life expectancy in 1993 stood at 692 down from 694 in 1982 there were five years of outright declines during the period unprecedented in modern times said sam harper an epidemiologist at mcgill university
since then blacks have experienced health improvements on a number of fronts
one profound change has been the decline in violence over the past two decades the cause is still a matter of intense debate the decline came after the institution of contentious tough on crime policies but some researchers point out that similar declines happened in canada where no such policies were enacted
homicides have decreased for everyone since the early 1990s but have gone down faster for blacks as a result the black white gap in deaths from homicides fell by 40 percent from 1990 to 2010 in the largest metropolitan areas across the country according to michael light a sociologist at purdue university
the decline in violence is a major social fact that is really reshaping society and the lived experience of kids growing up   particularly blacks said robert j sampson a sociology professor at harvard university who has been studying youth in chicago since the 1990s
there are all kinds of negative consequences that flow from violence in emotional responses cognitive development and links to future violent behavior dr sampson continued this change has provided an advantage that wasnt expected its almost like a reset of the expectations and experience of urban life
but he noted that the improvement has been complicated by the explosive rise in incarceration rates which has taken a heavy toll on black families
dr harper who has written extensively on the racial mortality gap said it was difficult to tell whether any of the improvements were because of specific policies aimed at lifting blacks health but he said the gains were clear
and while for some causes like aids the percentage drop in the death rate may have been similar for blacks and whites dr harper said the absolute decline in the number of deaths per 100000 was larger for blacks over the past 15 years because they had started at far higher rates the decline in black deaths from aids accounted for about a fifth of the narrowing of the mortality gap with whites from 1995 to 2013 dr fenelon said
there has been true progress for blacks dr harper said
dr otis w brawley the chief medical officer of the american cancer society said faster declines in cancer mortality for blacks were driven largely by substantial drops in deaths from lung cancer smoking has declined faster for blacks than whites and in most of the past 15 years blacks have had lower smoking rates than whites
i think its something to be celebrated its a very good thing dr brawley said but we need to be very cautious he added pointing out that over all black death rates from cancer were still higher than those of whites and that for some cancers like colon a disparity has sprung up since the 1980s possibly a result of screenings and new treatments that were less accessible to blacks
david r williams a professor of african american studies and public health at harvard cautioned that the country still has a long way to go to address the health disadvantages of blacks he said the excess in premature deaths among blacks is the equivalent of a jumbo jet crashing every day
we have had this peculiar indifference to this unprecedented loss of black lives on a massive scale for a very long time he said in a reference to web dubois that to me is the big story
he added when something happens to whites its news and its a crisis that we have to attend to
researchers do not fully understand why drug overdoses have hit whites harder than blacks dr fenelon said white rates overtook those of blacks in 2003
but it is clear that the difference is helping to close the life expectancy divide dr harper calculated that faster increases in white overdose deaths accounted for about 15 percent of the narrowing of the black white gap in life expectancy for men from 2003 to 2008
whatever the case the national hand wringing can leave a bad taste
indiana state representative charlie brown who represents gary a majority black city said it took a surge in infections in mostly white counties last year for his state to approve a needle exchange program
weve had this issue all along about people coming up with hiv and hepatitis c because of needles and it has not been a concern mr brown said but now its a problem in the white communities and it becomes almost a hysteria


we didnt know each other was how ann wiener from the 10th floor described peter glebo from up on 18
but he had thought of a way to meet neighbors like her in their building a 27 story art deco tower at 310 riverside drive on the upper west side of manhattan known as the master apartments he would photograph them and display the images in gallery space in the lobby yes the building has its own gallery space started a couple of years ago   a long wall opposite the front desk that is carefully lit and maintained by two residents who volunteered as curators if it wasnt uptown it could be a downtown scene
mr glebo   the president of tommy tune inc the business operation of the ageless song and dance man who is also a choreographer and director   is himself a triple threat a designer photographer and painter his works have been seen in gallery shows at the national arts club and art basel miami beach
mr glebo mulled overtures from his buildings curators and realized how little he knew about his surroundings about the vertical community that inhabits 310 riverside drive
i live here but i really dont live here   im always on the road with tommy he said i travel quite a lot but ive always been curious who are my neighbors so i asked if i could exhibit people who live and work in the building have camera will travel the hallways
he said the curators jan fort who lives down the hall from mr glebo on 18 and michael alicia from 19 liked the idea but told him we have to get approved by the board
that would be the co op board everyone in new york has heard about co op boards that proved to be the most persnickety of the many many headed hydras exerting authority over daily life
they wanted a sample he said i did carol channing with the hot pink a nonresident
the hot pink was a strikingly bright color wash that he applied to a black and white print the portrait of ms channing was hung in the mailroom and a building wide email was sent out it brought about 50 replies from residents interested in setting up shoots after they coordinated schedules he photographed about 25
peter wasnt content just to do pictures and put them up said mr tune who stopped by the building on thursday for a look before the official opening a little crowd had gathered several days before when the photographs were being hung he said how can i make it site specific using the building as a backdrop was a genius idea mr tune said
mr tune knows the building   he said he had lived there briefly years ago   and it is a building with a history built in 1929 it was conceived by and for nicholas roerich another artist whose name is trailed by a list of accomplishments in different fields he was a painter a poet and a peace activist to name only three and his fans included einstein and the roosevelts franklin and eleanor he once had a museum in the building
as mr glebo made his rounds he photographed more than neighbors he did portraits of the buildings staff including the porters and the superintendent enes radoncic
some of the residents poured tea when he showed up and some poured out stories they didnt clean up their apartments for me or clean up their lives for me he said
so he heard about a much loved cat that was dying he inspected a prized ficus tree he said it has grown so large in its owners living room that if it had to evacuate it could not squeeze through the front door
on the ninth floor he took 75 or so images of lana gersman who as the makeup artist lana g has been called in when the last four presidents were in new york he photographed her in front of paintings she has done   using makeup not paint   and during the shoot she had a revelation about one of them that made her want to redo it
he said stay there let me keep on shooting you right there she recalled adding that the shoot took only 15 minutes but it was the most intense 15 minutes of my life
mr glebo shot ms fort in even less time they had penciled in a three hour block but first there was a delay something about a run to a home depot for garden supplies they both have terraces and then there was the weather
it was absolutely pouring rain ms fort said i thought ive done this a thousand times i used to do a lot of print modeling peter literally stood on a stool and peered over the trees that divide our terrace he went click click click click and we were done
he did not show her the images before he chose one and printed it i had to trust that whatever he chose was going to be fine she said when she finally saw the one he had picked out her reaction was that it was more than fine wonderful she said
ms wiener on the 10th floor said that mr glebo was intensely interested in my surroundings she has a corner apartment so there were the views but the hudson river is nowhere in her portrait
when you walk in the first thing you see is all of these photographs taped to the wall mr glebo recalled she said these are my grandchildren and people i love i dont even want to frame them she took her finger and opened a pocket door and there were more so many in fact that some had to be cropped out
he also heard about the ficus tree for it belongs to her
i must have had it since 96 she said she brought it with her when she moved into the building after her husbands death in 2002 when she heard that mr glebo had described it as gigantic and so big it will never be able to leave through the front door she said well i got it in im not sure i want to move


as the military and political battle against the islamic state escalates muslim imams and scholars in the west are fighting on another front   through theology
imam suhaib webb a muslim leader in washington has held live monthly video chats to refute the religious claims of the islamic state also known as isis or isil in a dig at the extremists he broadcast from ice cream parlors and called his talks isis and ice cream
sheikh hamza yusuf an american muslim scholar based in berkeley calif has pleaded with muslims not to be deceived by the stupid young boys of the islamic state millions have watched excerpts from his sermon titled the crisis of isis in which he wept as he asked god not to blame other muslims for what these fools amongst us do
it is a religious rumble that barely makes headlines in the secular west since it is carried out at mosques and islamic conferences and over social media
the islamic state however has taken notice
the group recently threatened the lives of 11 muslim imams and scholars in the west calling them apostates who should be killed the recent issue of the islamic states online propaganda magazine dabiq called them obligatory targets and it said that supporters should use any weapons on hand to make an example of them
the danger is real enough that the fbi has contacted some of those named in the islamic states magazine to assist them in taking proper steps to ensure their safety said andrew ames a spokesman for the fbis field office in washington
the death threats are a sign that muslim religious leaders have antagonized the islamic state according to analysts who are studying the militant group their growing influence also contradicts those who claim that muslim leaders have been silent in the fight against violent extremism
this is what hurts isis the most it is muslims speaking out said mubin shaikh a canadian who once joined an extremist islamist group and now advises governments on countering radicalization fear mongering is what isis is trying to do whether to silence these people or to silence others as a deterrent
several of the targeted muslim leaders said in interviews that while they were taking the threat seriously they had no intention of backing off they have hired security guards and fortified their workplaces and some keep guns at home
its an honor to be denounced by isis said imam webb who frequently engages young muslims over social media whether on youtube facebook periscope or snapchat i consider it one of my greatest accomplishments in life
it has only reinvigorated me he said to provide the antivenom to the poison of isis
these muslim leaders say they are responding to fellow believers who are looking for a religiously based rebuke to violent movements that claim to be acting in the name of islam they say that extremist groups like the islamic state are a threat not just to civil society and security but to the future of their faith
sheikh yasir qadhi who is based in tennessee and runs a popular islamic educational institute thundered against the islamic state in a friday sermon at one of europes largest mosques in march only three days after the groups suicide bombers had attacked the brussels airport and train station
none of our senior scholars of any school   any school   has justified these deeds sheikh qadhi said at the east london mosque
he argued that the terrorist attacks of recent years had clearly violated islamic teaching because they cause more harm than good bringing more bombs more drones and more chaos to muslim communities he said
who has benefited please use the intelligence that allah gave you he said these radical groups have harmed the image of islam infinitely more than all of the foreign policy of western lands combined
these scholars ridicule the islamic states claim to have created a caliphate ruled by a successor to the islamic prophet muhammad instead in a highly effective bit of rebranding they call the islamic state kharijites a reviled group of muslims who killed women and children and rebelled against the caliphs in the seventh century
the imams named by the islamic state are based in the united states canada britain and australia they represent a broad spectrum of islamic thought   from spiritual sufis to puritanical salafis and even the more militant salafi jihadis
to the islamic states propagandists it does not matter that the imams are fervent muslims or critics of american foreign policy they are all unbelievers just like the shiite muslims christians and yazidis that the islamic state has killed by the thousands in iraq libya syria and elsewhere
this is not the first time that the islamic state has targeted muslim leaders in the united states but this is the longest list yet it includes sheikh hisham kabbani a lebanese sufi now based mostly in michigan who has been warning for years about rising extremism
the list also includes salafi oriented preachers such as bilal philips a canadian convert who has been barred from several countries because of allegations that he preaches extremism tawfique chowdhury an australian doctor who founded organizations and charities that propagate orthodox views of islam and abu basir al tartusi a syrian preacher based in london who has spoken in support of al qaeda according to news reports
cole bunzel a scholar at princeton university studying islamic history and jihadist ideology said what isis is saying is that even if you support al qaeda even if youre a supporter of someone like tartusi youre still not on team islam
the islamic states magazine also targeted american muslims in government such as representative keith ellison of minnesota huma abedin a longtime top aide to hillary clinton and mohamed elibiary a texas republican and former adviser to the department of homeland security
several terrorism experts said that an attack on any of these people was more likely to happen abroad than in the united states but that all it would take is one deluded or mentally unbalanced lone wolf
in march a popular saudi preacher sheikh aaidh al qarni was shot and wounded by a gunman in the philippines soon after the islamic states online magazine had put him on a list of apostate saudi scholars sheikh qarni who writes islamic inspirational books and has nearly 13 million followers on twitter had just given a lecture at western mindanao state university and his assailant was an engineering student
the effort to undermine the islamic state using religion is not just a western phenomenon in january muslim leaders from around the world gathered in morocco and produced the marrakesh declaration which denounces muslim oppression of religious minorities the organization of islamic cooperation which represents 57 muslim countries recently endorsed the declaration
sheikh hamza will soon air a television series in the middle east rihla with sheikh hamza yusuf rihla is quest in arabic the show applies traditional islamic scholarship to contemporary challenges in the muslim world and it includes strong messages against extremism   which sheikh hamza said amounts to swatting the hornets nest again it is likely to be seen in iraq and syria the islamic states strongholds he said
sheikh qadhi however said that based on several frightening experiences recently in tennessee he has more to fear from right wing muslim haters than from adherents of the islamic state
im not scared of isis in america he said i feel very safe in every mosque i go to but i am scared of other people in this land who are very ignorant and bigoted
he said he had gotten used to being vilified by both sides the right wing is calling me a stealth jihadist and isis is calling me a sellout we challenge both of their narratives even as their narratives feed into each other


cairo   unidentified gunmen sprayed bullets on a police minibus as it passed through a cairo district early on sunday killing eight plainclothes officers in an ambush that was later claimed by the islamic state
it was the deadliest attack on egypts security forces in the capital in months and a sharp reminder of the continuing threat from islamist insurgents while president abdel fattah el sisi is under increasing scrutiny for his harsh crackdown on political dissent
although the islamic states claim of responsibility could not be independently verified its format and language were consistent with earlier statements from the group the islamic state also claims to have downed a russian passenger jet that crashed into the sinai desert in october killing 224 people
the egyptian interior ministry said in a statement that four assailants had fired on the unmarked police minibus as it passed through helwan an industrial center on the southern edge of greater cairo the police officers were on routine security duties the ministry said
images on social media showed the bloodied bodies of the officers dressed in shirts and jeans slumped in and around a white vehicle that was raked with bullet holes
in a statement circulated on social media the islamic state also known as isis or isil said that soldiers of the caliphate had carried out the attack in retaliation for the imprisonment of pure women in egyptian jails   a common justification for violence by egyptian militants
the group identified one of the dead officers and said the attackers had taken guns from the police before escaping unhindered hours later egyptian security officials said they had tracked the assailants to a hilly area on the edge of helwan which they said had been sealed off as they conducted a search
islamist insurgents based in sinai have been fighting the egyptian government for years but the scale and frequency of attacks increased after the military ousted the elected president mohamed morsi of the muslim brotherhood in july 2013
fighting has been mostly confined to sinai where the egyptian military has a heavy presence and which is mostly sealed off to the news media but violence has occasionally spilled over into cairo usually in gun attacks and small bombings
in november four police officers at a checkpoint in cairo were killed in a gun attack that was also claimed by the islamic state
by lunchtime on sunday a funeral was underway for the slain officers who were honored with flag draped coffins at a service attended by the interior minister maj gen magdi abdel ghaffar and a row of white suited police commanders
fears over the spread of the islamic state which is based in syria and iraq but also has a muscular presence in libya have helped ensure western support for mr sisi even as he faces renewed criticism for a harsh police led crackdown on political dissent in egypt
more than 1200 people were arrested last month after public protests over the transfer of two red sea islands to saudi arabia almost 600 of them have been formally charged according to rights groups
mr sisis popularity has also been damaged by public anger at repeated episodes of police brutality often over trivial matters that have resulted in the deaths of ordinary citizens spontaneous street protests erupted twice in recent months after officers shot and killed people in separate arguments over a taxi fare and a cup of tea
the interior ministry which controls the police was criticized by egypts only media union after two journalists were arrested during a police raid on the unions headquarters on may 1
the furor over the arrests which built steadily during the week was to be debated in the egyptian parliament on sunday the state al ahram newspaper reported on its website most newspapers did not publish blackened front pages on sunday to protest the arrests as the union had said they would


racerelated is a newsletter exploring race with reporting essays art and discussion you can receive it via email
earle m lacey my father played an upright bass in a jazz band in the 1950s and when he listened to jazz he tuned out all the other instruments
its all about the bass he would frequently tell me boom boom boom boom boom boom boom
no offense to the trumpeters the saxophonists or the vocalists out there   youre all essential   but focusing on the very heartbeat of a song or anything else for that matter isnt bad advice his battered bass is now in my living room and i cant listen to jazz without thinking about him a black musician in an interracial band in the days of segregation
music often speaks to our identities and memories this week thats racerelateds focus
youll hear from a new york times reporter david gonzalez who connected with his father who was from puerto rico through his fathers love of boleros and from shreeya sinha a times editor who is a digital storyteller by day and an aspiring dj by night
her musical tastes are as global as she is   an indian millennial who grew up in nigeria zimbabwe vietnam and bangladesh among other places   but she believes an uncomfortable confrontation with a neighbor would have been avoided if she were more into pop
were also featuring a spotify playlist of songs from racerelated readers and contributors when the times newsroom starts to get to me i sometimes pop on headphones and listen to bob marleys first no1 hit simmer down we asked the executive editor dean baquet who comes from a long line of new orleans jazz musicians but describes himself as a failed trumpet player to weigh in on his favorite song too
- marc lacey

my earliest memory of being alive comes with its own soundtrack my father pedro used to sit with his battered guitar by the window of our first floor apartment in the bronx and slowly pluck out the songs he had learned decades earlier in puerto rico
they were romantic boleros filled with melancholy and heartbreak or traditional aguinaldos from his own rural childhood in caguas
god i hated those songs
during the 1960s when puerto ricans were depicted as knife wielding know nothings who would be the downfall of the south bronx the last thing i wanted to hear was some corny music that reminded me of where my parents were from besides by the end of that decade i was too enamored of jimi hendrix creedence and the guess who to even give a second thought to papis music so while he tried once to teach me guitar all i ever learned to play were records
a few weeks ago i was driving by van cortlandt park on a sunny morning when one of those old songs popped up randomly i only had to hear a few notes from the lead guitar to know it was noche de ronda by duo perez rodriguez one of papis favorite groups with flowery poetic lyrics they declared loyalty to a vanished lover vowing to wait until death
waiting maybe that was also a theme of papis life he had come here as a teenager to work in factories where in time he would lose most of two fingers on his playing hand no longer able to play leads he switched to rhythm he didnt really talk about that nor did he talk much about puerto rico having only gone back to visit once in the mid 1940s after he married my mother
music was the link to the island he left behind along with his brother eusebio and luis reyes a family friend they would break out the guitars to perform the music of their youth
to look back on them now   in a 1950s picture my sister alice found   was a revelation during the week they toiled in factories or as janitors but on the weekends they stood proudly one foot on a chair dressed in jackets and ties flanked by their wives who were just as dolled up
there are things you do to feed your family and there are things you do to feed your soul papis music was his sustenance in a foreign land no matter what happened on the streets of the south bronx inside those living rooms they had recreated a bit of puerto rico they could perform magic coaxing from their guitars sounds that transported them and kept them alive even if for many of them the toll of life here would lead to early graves
papi was no exception he was 59 when he died on march 12 1980 after having been diagnosed months earlier with lung cancer soon after his death i was at a record store on broadway where i spied a cassette of boleros i bought it went home and started listening
all i could do was cry in an instant my mind was flooded with images from those old house parties the sounds of guitars the garlicky smell of pernil in the oven my uncle juan with his stogie clenched in his teeth i recalled my father sitting by the window on beck street humming to himself as he played slapping the guitar to keep time
in the years since then i have bought tons of that old music now just as papis music kept a part of puerto rico close to him it now keeps part of him close to me
god i love those songs
- david gonzalez

i hate to be a pain said the angry handwritten note slipped under the door of my new york apartment by a neighbor but frankly you are being a pain
squabbles between neighbors are nothing new but i had one ill never forget after i temporarily moved into a small studio in a fancy building on the upper east side of manhattan
anyone who knows me knows i love music my taste is eclectic i played in my schools jazz band while living in the foothills of the indian himalayas love the rapper nas and can get lost in house music the pulsating bass and tribal rhythms mixed with rb soul funk and all that good stuff
though the music is big and bumpy i tried to be tame and respectful a little music in the morning and evening but not after 10 pm i kept the volume low
one night just before 10 pm i heard a succession of bangs on my door and low grade yelling for at least 10 minutes as a single woman living in new york i was not about to open the door i figured it was a drunk guy knocking at what he thought was his exs place
on another night i got a normal knock on the door it was will from security telling me my neighbor had complained about the noise i invited will in to listen himself he agreed it wasnt loud and i considered the case closed but i kept hearing bangs now through the wall
the next time i saw my neighbor who was white and in his early 50s i politely introduced myself and asked that we work out a solution he got aggressive quick he said he would complain night or day if he heard any music from my apartment he even threatened to make sure i couldnt renew my lease his wife standing nearby added so what do you even do she seemed surprised that a short indian girl who liked electronic music could actually be an editor at the new york times
i continued trying to pacify the situation eventually he acknowledged that it was not so much the volume but the music itself how can anyone like that music he asked me
to be neighborly i told him id tone it down even more i put away the subwoofer and bought a portable wireless speaker
thats when the note came
in the event you are not aware of the bass from your apartment it is better than it was but it is still torture your enjoyment is to my detriment it is not fair  unacceptable technology can improve this situation you still need to improve the situation i hate to be a pain but frankly you are being a pain my tolerance is waning do something asap
living in new york forces a certain level of tolerance when it comes to music i once lived next to an opera singer i wondered whether this man was discriminating against the genre and formed an opinion about the sort of person i was for liking it i decided to move elsewhere to brooklyn and still wonder if what i faced was musical profiling
- shreeya sinha

we couldnt do a music issue without a playlist below youll find a selection of songs   and the reasons they were picked   from new york times staffers and racerelated readers
thats the way of the world by earth wind  fire my favorite songs of youth were not about race directly but they provoke memories for me that are certainly about race memories of dimly lit house parties in working class new orleans neighborhoods like vascoville which we called boscoville for obvious reasons of course everyone there was black the songs that make me think of that time are thats the way of the world by earth wind  fire and could it be im falling in love by the spinners dean baquet executive editor the new york times african american  59  new york city
all falls down by kanye west as a black citizen i understand that part of the problem of collective black struggle stems from the desire to acquire and then boast of material possessions despite not having a set financial means to support these actions i am aware of the destructive behavior yet still take part chadd denson african american  21  west lafayette ind
one step by macaco i teach english to kids from spanish speaking countries and west africa and this song is in four languages sung by people from spain senegal and mali the message is that we are one under the same sun laura okeefe white  40s  new york city
no soy de aqui by chavela vargas to be an immigrant is to realize youll always be an outsider in your new country as you become an outsider in the country you left behind this song speaks of this uncertain condition   muted sadness wrapped in a smile fernanda santos phoenix bureau chief the new york times brazilian  42  phoenix
a change is gonna come by sam cooke i heard it the day of obamas inauguration driving to work it touched me so deeply i pulled over on the side of the road and bawled all the years all the hate and hurt and here we were with a possibility that it was going to get better with our first black president still waiting for that level of change in america peggy goodwin black  46  englewood nj
for a full spotify playlist of songs recommended by racerelated readers and contributors from the new york times whose tastes range from k pop to kanye click here also check out the new york times magazines 25 songs that tell us where music is going

 meet lemonades somali london poet warsan shire then watch wesley morris jenna wortham nikole hannah jones and jon caramanica discuss beyonce
 the music issue of the new york times magazine was filled with gems but dont miss ms wortham on syd tha kyd and jazmine hughes on sunday candy by chance the rapper
 there was no debate among top times editors that princes obituary deserved to run on the front page such decisions are not always so smooth however there was an animated discussion in 2012 over where to place the obit of adam yauch a founder of the beastie boys it ended up on a1 three decades earlier bob marleys obituary was featured far less prominently on d23 when louis armstrong died in 1971 reason prevailed

meet the mardi gras indian of lemonade read dodai stewart on prince blackness and sexuality or rembert brown arguing that drakes new album is the album you make when you want no 1 when you want the gold when you want the belt as the biggest musician alive right now
also questlove recalls how jimmy fallon won over the roots and pharrell gets an action figure

miguel jontel pimentel better known as miguel is a california native born to an african american mother and mexican father
victoria ford aka sneakshot has been photographing his rise to stardom for years as he combines genres and tackles race class love and lust   drawing comparisons to prince
we put together a full slide show with her images and her story of miguel below are a few highlights
if you like what youve seen so far share this or sign up for racerelated let us know what you think at racerelatednytimescom


karachi pakistan   unidentified gunmen have killed a pakistani rights activist known for campaigning against both religious extremism and the head cleric of a radical sunni mosque police officials said
the drive by shooting took place late saturday in the southern port city of karachi four men riding two motorbikes sprayed bullets at the activist khurram zaki said muqadas haider a senior karachi police official mr zaki was having dinner at a roadside cafe with a journalist friend rao khalid mr khalid and a bystander were wounded
there was no immediate claim of responsibility
this was the third high profile killing of a rights activist in karachi since 2013 and pointed to the immense dangers faced by activists in a country troubled by religious extremism and intolerance last year sabeen mahmud the director of a popular arts center in karachi was gunned down in the city after she hosted an event on human rights abuses in southwestern baluchistan province parween rahman a social justice activist was killed in 2013 a suspect in her killing raheem swati was arrested in karachi on saturday
mr zaki 40 a blogger rose to prominence after he campaigned with other activists against maulana abdul aziz the head cleric of the red mosque a bastion of sunni extremists in islamabad that was the scene of a military operation in 2007
after mr aziz refused to condemn the killings of schoolchildren in an attack in peshawar in 2014 rights activists gathered outside the mosque and demanded his arrest
apart from his opposition to mr aziz mr zaki a shiite had also campaigned against sunni extremists in karachi particularly against the banned extremist group sipah e sahaba pakistan
in a post on sunday on let us build pakistan a blog where mr zaki was an editor ali abbas taj the editor in chief said mr zaki had been killed because of his unwavering campaign against the taliban and their sunni extremist allies the pakistani authorities have occasionally blocked the blog because of its staunch pro shiite content
mr zakis death is a grim reminder mr taj wrote that whoever raises a voice against sunni extremists will not be spared as and when they have to murder they never fail he said
funeral prayers for mr zaki were said on sunday afternoon and members of his family and protesters staged a demonstration outside the chief ministers residence in karachi urging the government to bring the culprits to justice
human rights groups strongly condemned the killing
zaki was running a campaign against religious intolerance and social injustice on social media by peaceful protests said asad iqbal butt of the human rights commission of pakistan an independent rights group
mr butt said militant groups had started singling out activists who had been campaigning on social media against injustice and religious intolerance
raza rumi a pakistani political analyst and activist who moved to the united states after an assassination attempt in 2014 said the murder had sent a chilling message
being an activist in pakistan is highly risky as the state has yet to eliminate the sectarian militias that kill with impunity he said


sydney australia   prime minister malcolm turnbull the leader of the conservative liberal coalition government said on sunday that australia would hold national elections on july 2 in a contest that is likely to be close
the election will be the first time mr turnbull and his opponent bill shorten the leader of the main opposition labor party have faced each other on a ballot
mr shorten was appointed labor leader after his party lost control of the government in 2013 mr turnbull took over as prime minister in september after deposing his deeply unpopular gaffe prone predecessor tony abbott who was in his first term as prime minister
the announcement on sunday was no surprise the federal budget which is the governments annual blueprint for managing the economy was delivered a week early and mr turnbull had warned lawmakers that he would call a so called double dissolution election in which all senate seats are thrown open for a vote if the rambunctious upper house continued to block government legislation a change in senate rules passed in march means some dissenting senators from minor parties may find it hard to win re election on july 2
at this election australians will have a very clear choice to keep the course maintain the commitment to our national economic plan for growth and jobs or go back to labor with its higher taxing higher spending debt and deficit agenda which will stop our nations transition to the new economy dead in its tracks mr turnbull said at a news conference on sunday in canberra the capital
he promised a steady hand in managing australias economy lower company taxes and increased job growth
mr shorten at a news conference on sunday in tasmania australias southernmost state said labor represented a fairer australia he is likely to use the campaign to highlight the contrast between his own past as a union organizer and mr turnbulls as an investment banker and highly paid lawyer
the labor party has promised tax overhauls that would most likely affect affluent property investors by curtailing tax breaks on some investments it has also committed to legalizing same sex marriage within 100 days of entering office and enacting policies to help fight climate change
if the liberal coalition returns to power mr shorten said australians will see another three years of dysfunction of dithering and disappointment
the campaign will be a long one by the standards of australia where a typical election campaign runs four to five weeks and voters are already weary mr turnbull has squandered an early lead his party held in polls after unseating the staunchly conservative mr abbott
voters had expected mr turnbull to be bolder and more progressive but the governments flat footed approach to issues like tax overhauls and education funding and mr turnbulls decision to stick with a conservative party line on same sex marriage and climate change have damaged his partys standing
the liberal coalition and labor were tied in a fairfax ipsos poll taken from april 14 to 16 with each garnering support from 50 percent of the 1402 respondents the poll has a margin of error of 26 percentage points
he has squandered his partys lead said jessica elgood a director of ipsos
geoffrey robinson a lecturer on politics at deakin university in geelong victoria state said people expected something new from the government when mr turnbull took over and he has not delivered
both leaders have said they would maintain australias strict policies against asylum seekers who arrive by boat asylum seekers are assessed at offshore camps in papua new guinea and nauru and are not allowed to settle in australia regardless of whether they are refugees


oh hi mom happy mothers day just wanted to share a couple stories about the weird things mothers do in nature
xoxo
the new york times science desk

warning if viewing clusters of holes sends shudders down your spine you may want to stop now thats because the reproductive strategy of the surinam toad pipa pipa is a trypophobiacs worst nightmare but if youre open to the disturbing yet fascinating ways in which nature blows our fragile human minds look no further
the male swims up to the female and embraces her   sometimes for a whole day when its time to lay eggs the two toads turn backward somersaults in the water to release the eggs which then hit the males belly before bouncing back down to the mothers back for fertilization the toads repeat this 11 second synchronized dance 15 to 18 times and end up with 100 eggs on average the eggs grow a kind of skin on top of them and develop over the course of 77 to 136 days finally the little frog babies rip open the skin on their mothers back and hop out into the world like its nothing as you can see in this youtube video
a back full of eggs isnt the only weird thing about the surinam toad they have no teeth no tongue no distinction between the head and body and have super flat bodies that make them look dead
if you want to go hide under your covers for the next few hours wait this cute video of a squirrel moving its pup to a safer nest will put you at ease
north american red squirrels keep multiple nests within a territory to use as backup homes when fleas take over one nest or a predator gets too close this video accompanied a study published last year in proceedings of the royal society b biological sciences about squirrel moms being successful in life as a squirrel meaning surviving researchers found had less to do with the little creatures own genes than its moms genetic disposition to be a good nurturer
it all has to do with their mothers genetic capacity to give them a head start in life said andrew mcadam an evolutionary biologist who has studied these squirrels for decades the momma above appears to be setting up her tiny hairless baby for a solid future


tampa fla   the routine for aroldis chapman was the same most every day drive one of his four cars   a range rover a rolls royce a lamborghini or a porsche   to the yankees squat cinder block minor league complex about 9 am do some running weight lifting conditioning and throwing chat in spanish with some of the other players almost all of them teenagers and several times a week pitch in early afternoon games against another teams youngest prospects who are awaiting the start of rookie leagues and low class a ball next month
there might be no more than a handful of fans at these extended spring training games which are open to the public at no charge this is where chapman baseballs hardest throwing pitcher and one of its best relievers was marooned for the last five weeks
it was his penance for firing eight shots from a gun into his garage wall after an argument in davie fla with his girlfriend cristina barnea last october a confrontation in which barnea said chapman had put his hands around her neck although the police declined to arrest chapman and prosecutors decided not to file charges in part because barnea and other witnesses refused to cooperate chapman was suspended for 30 games under major league baseballs new domestic violence policy
chapman pitched his final game here friday traveled to new york on saturday and planned to be in uniform and eligible to pitch monday when the yankees open a series at home against the defending world series champion kansas city royals
im happy and anxious about helping the team chapman said in an interview here tuesday speaking through an interpreter
as giddy as chapman seemed to be about returning to the yankees who acquired him in december to fortify an already formidable bullpen they are eager for his return as well while the yankees dithering start to the season can be ascribed to many factors   feeble hitting and erratic starting pitching among them   it cannot hurt to add an a list talent to the roster
theres 25 guys in here all the time and the best 25 guys is what we want said andrew miller who has not allowed a run and has six saves but will cede the closers role to chapman hes been in i dont know how many all star games hes one of the best pitchers in baseball   you absolutely want him we need all the pieces we can get
chapman has largely been out of sight and out of mind in the yankees clubhouse just as if he were injured but as he went about his daily routine in florida chapman kept close tabs on the yankees often watching games on his television or his ipad as the team sank to last place in the american league east
the team has not come together yet chapman said days they pitch they dont hit days they hit they dont pitch they still dont put the two together
the yankees have begun to show a few signs of life in recent days even as alex rodriguez and then c c sabathia headed to the disabled list and chapman said he hoped his return would provide a lift as well
the toughest part was not being able to start the season with the team he said otherwise i tried to remain positive and focused and no negative thoughts   just remained positive i just accepted the suspension and waited
while the suspension which is costing chapman 1856777   about one sixth of his 113 million salary this season   is the most attention getting aspect of baseballs sanctions against him chapman is also awaiting entry into a counseling program
he has met twice with psychiatrists each with an expertise in a different area of domestic violence counseling according to a person who has been briefed on chapmans case but is not authorized to publicly discuss it a counseling program is being formulated for chapman and he will be required to participate
chapman though remains adamant that he did nothing wrong continuing a stance that he has more or less maintained since the start of spring training
ive never hurt anybody never in my life he initially told reporters in february thats not my character or who i am
when a week later he agreed to accept the 30 game suspension he issued a statement that said he did not in any way harm his girlfriend but should have exercised better judgment with respect to my actions
that statement was issued two months ago asked tuesday if the suspension had given him time to reflect on what happened and consider changes to his behavior chapman shook his head
i didnt do anything he said people are thinking that its something serious i have not put my hands on anyone didnt put anyone in danger since i didnt do anything like that im not thinking about it if i didnt do anything why should i think about it that is in the past now im thinking about more important things my family kids my career
asked if his girlfriends calling 911 last october while hiding in the bushes because she was terrified was a problem chapman said it was just an argument with your partner that everyone has ive even argued with my mother when you are not in agreement with someone we latin people are loud when we argue
he added i do not have a problem
chapman said latino ballplayers were a target because of the money they made and because they were not familiar with the norms and laws of the united states
all four players who have been investigated under baseballs nascent domestic violence program which was implemented last august after it was developed in conjunction with the players union are latinos three of them   chapman the los angeles dodgers yasiel puig and the atlanta braves hector olivera   are cuban the other player colorados jose reyes is dominican olivera and reyes are on paid leave while their cases remain under investigation puig was not penalized
unfortunately that is the way it is chapman said we make a lot of money everyone wants a piece of it and we end up looking bad when i had the problem everyone thinks i did something wrong in social media people are saying i hit my girlfriend
he added sometimes people talk too much we have to be careful about that we are not from this country and people want to harm us its easier to hurt someone who is not from here than someone who is people think we dont know what the laws are and they try to hurt you many people want money we have to take care of ourselves
speaking at a news conference at yankee stadium on sunday chapman sought to clarify his comments suggesting that latino players who were being investigated for domestic violence could be a target  i was not talking about the league or the suspension he said  im talking what i meant in general
in response to chapmans original comments about latino players being a target major league baseball issued a statement saying that all of its players receive professional training in english and spanish with respect to issues of domestic violence and that the joint policy with the union makes clear how seriously the sport feels about the subject
all personnel are held accountable for their conduct irrespective of where they were born the statement said
the players union declined to comment
cindy southworth the executive vice president of the national network to end domestic violence an advocacy group said domestic violence occurs at almost equal rates in race ethnicity class education profession and religion in any country i am sympathetic that our criminal justice system struggles with race bias but this is not the criminal justice system this is a suspension by a professional association that said this is not behavior we want our players to do
chapman said he was not sure how fans would welcome him monday at yankee stadium whether they would be reticent to embrace him because of the domestic violence case or whether his reception would be based on how he performed
but he said he felt well prepared to pitch though he was not permitted to play in minor league games he seemed to have embraced the overall experience he signed autographs and posed for photos with his temporary teammates treated them to a few spreads from his favorite cuban restaurant and paid for the players clubhouse dues a tab that ran to several thousand dollars
it has not been boring chapman said smiling i didnt want to be here but i had to be here a month and that was something good its a little different pitching here than there but i feel good i have prepared myself very well


rick friday was not immediately available on wednesday to explain why he was fired after two decades working as a cartoonist for farm news that is because he was feeding the cows on his iowa farm as he does early every morning before most people have gone to work
but the cartoon that got him into trouble last week had already spoken for him circulating online well beyond the audience of the thousands of farm news readers of his weekly its friday column which has been published since 1995
the cartoon shows two farmers in overalls and skewed baseball caps chatting at a fence
i wish there was more profit in farming one farmer says
there is the other replies in year 2015 the ceos of monsanto dupont pioneer and john deere combined made more money than 2129 iowa farmers
after the cartoon was published last friday mr friday said he was told in an email from an editor the next day that the cartoon would be his last for farm news because a seed company had withdrawn its advertising in protest
for mr friday 56 the termination came as a shock he has not only lived the farm life since he was a child but has also used it as his muse in illustrations for just as long he is a self taught artist who picked up a no 2 pencil when he was growing up on a 300 acre livestock and grains farm in lorimor iowa as a child he sold sketches to other children on the school bus for a nickel or a dime
so when he was contacted by a reporter on wednesday after he posted the news of his firing on facebook and it was picked up by local media mr friday had a good reason for not being able to chat right away it was still early before 9 am iowa time and he was being interrupted while feeding corn to the animals on his 200 acre cattle farm
when he paused to talk he revealed he was leaning against a fence and the heifers were staring at him hard
they are going how come you are not feeding me right now mr friday said and i have got some bulls around the corner that are patiently waiting for me to feed them too
i am a little bit behind because my phone has been ringing off the hook
he agreed to talk after the cows were fed
later mr friday who sometimes answers to ricky which is what the older women in town call him said that the rural life had inspired the 1090 cartoons he had drawn in pen in the 21 years he had been illustrating his farm news column
as with the others he had sketched the offending cartoon at his kitchen table then as always he scanned it emailed it off to an editor and asked for confirmation that it had been received it had been
usually mr friday said he receives a reply with typical editor feedback an apostrophe goes here or a word is spelled wrong there he said but the cartoon was published online with little else said
but on saturday an email from a news editor landed in his inbox mr friday quoting the email said that the cartoon had caused a storm here and that in the eyes of some big agriculture cannot be criticized or poked fun at
he was told his run with the farm news for which he said he had been paid embarrassingly low wages on a freelance basis was over per instructions from the publisher
farm news is read in print and online by 24000 households in 33 iowa counties according to its website on wednesday a woman who answered the phone at the company said no comment when asked about the end of the publications relationship with mr friday calls to farm newss publisher the messenger in fort dodge iowa were not returned
mr friday said he had never intended to make fun of anyone he said that as an editorial cartoonist he was illustrating news the plight of farmers was evident last year when commodity prices took a dive he said
we are kind of dictated what our wages are going to be somewhat on the stock exchange he said
asked why he had singled out monsanto dupont and john deere mr friday said he wanted to illustrate the differences between what a year in agriculture can look like for individual farmers and big agribusiness he said he drew his inspiration and research from a report in the des moines register and from whatever he could find on the internet about the salaries of the chief executives of those companies
in agriculture you need chemicals herbicides seed companies and equipment he said i just used reputation it was not trying to pick on anybody in this industry it is just common knowledge
the point of my cartoon and i hoped that it would be self explanatory is that one farmer said he wishes there was more profit   and who wouldnt he added
but someone complained about it and this is the philosophy i use when i explained it to my children they were being fed by two hands mr friday said referring to farm news and its relationships with him and with its advertisers
they knew they had to chose one and they chose the hand that they knew would hurt the least he said after 21 years that is what really bothered me
monsanto said it had no role in the decision to fire mr friday it said that it first heard about it when the des moines register wrote an article on may 2
this is not the first time weve been the subject of a joke or political cartoon and it probably wont be the last it is much easier to laugh at ourselves than it is to stifle humor the company said in a blog post


wrong wrong wrong   to the very end we got it wrong
just a couple of weeks ago political prognosticators in television and print media were describing indiana as the most important test for donald j trump and a firewall where ted cruz should do well it was one of those states mr cruz could have used to force the likely   if not guaranteed   prospect of a contested convention in cleveland where boy were we in for a spectacular show
still more recently   as in tuesday   the data journalist nate silver who founded the fivethirtyeight website gave hillary clinton a 90 percent chance of beating bernie sanders in indiana mr sanders won by a comfortable margin of about five percentage points
you can continue to blame all the wrong calls this year on new challenges in telephone polling when so many americans   especially the young   do not have landlines and are therefore hard to track down or you can blame the unpredictability of an angry and politically peripatetic electorate
but in the end you have to point the finger at national political journalism which has too often lost sight of its primary directives in this election season to help readers and viewers make sense of the presidential chaos to reduce the confusion not add to it to resist the urge to put ratings clicks and ad sales above the imperative of getting it right
every election cycle brings questionable news coverage remember the potential president herman cain but this season has been truly spectacular in its failings it has been dewey defeats truman on a relentless rolling basis the mistakes piled up the bad predictions the overplaying of every slight development of the horse race to the point of whiplash the lighthearted treatment of what turned out to be the most serious candidacy in the republican field the lessons learned did not
since mr trump emerged as the likely republican nominee on wednesday there has been a steady trickle of mea culpas from those   including nate cohn of the new york times   who had declared mr trumps nomination was most likely a no go or who had pronounced big inflection points in which the trump candidacy would go poof or who had played up pivotal states that werent even close
the good news is that with mr trump heading for the general election news organizations will get a second chance to rethink how they approach the race still to come and see how they can avoid the problems of the primaries
though it seems as if mr trumps success came out of the blue it didnt the first signs that something was amiss in the coverage of the tea party era actually surfaced in the 2014 midterms oh you broadcast network newscast viewers didnt know we had important elections with huge consequences for the governance of your country that year you can be forgiven because the broadcast networks hardly covered them they didnt rate no trump or anyone like him boring
but heres what happened a conservative economics professor and political neophyte named david brat decided he would challenge the house republican majority leader eric cantor for his virginia congressional seat there were few republicans more powerful than mr cantor so mr brats bid seemed quixotic mr cantors own pollster released numbers days before the election showing a 34 point lead for the congressman and the closest public poll showed mr cantor up by 13 points
when mr cantor lost headlines labeled it an earthquake and a shocker and it was for people who relied solely on polls it was less so for reporters   like jake sherman of politico jenna portnoy and robert costa of the washington post and the staff at breitbart news   who went to virginia and talking to actual humans picked up on the potential trouble for mr cantor
of course the data journalism at fivethirtyeight the upshot at the times and others like them can guide readers by putting races in perspective and establishing valuable new ways to assess politics but the lesson in virginia as the washington post reporter paul farhi wrote at the time was that nothing exceeds the value of shoe leather reporting given that politics is an essentially human endeavor and therefore can defy prediction and reason
after this column was published online last week some interpreted that as saying down with data as if it were a binary choice between data journalism and traditional reporting but it is not an either or proposition when done right each can enhance   and if necessary serve as a corrective for   the other
to be fair given mr trumps reality television background there was some cause to suspect that his presidential announcement last summer signaled that his campaign would be part performance art and that there was the possibility of a free fall as mckay coppins of buzzfeed wrote
it was another thing to declare as the huffington post did that coverage of his campaign could be relegated to the entertainment section and to add a disclaimer to articles about him and still another to give mr trump a 2 percent chance at the nomination despite strong polls in his favor as fivethirtyeight did six months before the first votes were cast predictions that far out can be viewed as being all in good fun but in mr trumps case they also arguably sapped the journalistic will to scour his record as aggressively as those of his supposedly more serious rivals in other words predictions can have consequences
yet when things swung around for mr trump they sometimes went too far the other way so that as he approached the iowa caucuses with a head of steam much of the reporting assumed that mr trump was on the verge of winning there but once again the more accurate picture emerged from on the ground reporting like that of trip gabriel of the times who found that organizational problems were undercutting mr trumps polling strength it seemed prescient when mr trump lost
the problems werent at all only due to the reliance on data dont forget those moments that were supposed to have augured mr trumps collapse the certainty that once the race narrowed to two or three candidates mr trump would be through and what at one point became the likelihood of a contested convention
as mr silver wrote on fivethirtyeight on wednesday there were a lot of extenuating circumstances that made the trump story hard to call and on thursday he wrote in a twitter post no i didnt predict that the republican party would lose its mind adding an expletive between its and mind mr trump has rendered useless the traditional rule books of american politics
thats all the more reason in the coming months to be as sharply focused on the data we dont have as we are on the data we do have and maybe watching out for making any big predictions about the fall based on the polling of today but a good place to start would be to get a good nights sleep and then talk to some voters


when you come back from the dead you get to make your own rules
that was the main takeaway from sundays episode of game of thrones which began to answer some of the questions raised by last weeks resurrection of jon snow
among them would he be the same jon snow yes more or less would he take pity on his betrayers no would he emerge as some sort of christ figure or holy warrior no the afterlife is dark and full of nothing he said despite whatever spiritual forces melisandre thinks she drew on to bring him back
perhaps most crucially would he remain lord commander of the nights watch or would death free him up to pursue more wide ranging forms of world saving the oath is a lifetime one but it was unclear whether it encompassed multiple lifetimes either it doesnt or jon didnt care handing over the feathery cloak of leadership to dolorous edd after putting his killers to the rope
my watch has ended jon said the rest of the assembled were understandably reluctant to argue with a man who had just risen from the dead
their silence made for a rare moment of verbal restraint in what was a very chatty hour of game of thrones in kings landing cersei plotted to return to power perhaps to her own detriment like everyone else varys and tyrion spun their wheels in meereen   even the best and the brightest get bogged down in geopolitical morasses the meereen plotline has become its own metaphor in this regard
even gilly the formerly illiterate and laconic refugee couldnt shut up she and sam made their first appearances of the season and education has made her effusive which was less wearying to me   i find them both very charming   than it perhaps was to her green at the gills companion it sounds like were about to meet the extended tarly clan
the episodes lone bit of action occurred in the past but it was a big one bran vision quested his way back to his fathers swordfight with the legendary arthur dayne more on this in a minute
back in the present another stark brans little brother rickon made his return to the story welcome back rickon sort of well actually no i think we all could have done without seeing you this week because 1 most of us can barely remember who you are and 2 the whole ramsay thing
but back to the oathbreaking zombie at castle black i mentioned earlier that jon was more or less the same but thats not quite right death hasnt malignantly overhauled him in a pet sematary sense but it has affected his spirit it was a haunted jon snow we saw on sunday   its unclear whether that derived from the bleak void he encountered on the other side or if hes just deeply bummed about compatriots killing him which would definitely leave a psychic mark in addition to the stab wounds
i did what i thought was right and i got murdered for it he told davos now im back why
i dont know exactly i thought we might see him spare his betrayers and use his new god like status to begin assembling a loyal force of fighters but no only olly gave him pause and even that may have been jon trying to figure out how the traitorous lad aged four years in a matter of days
the upshot is a man who has so far been defined by a sense of duty   to his family to the nights watch to a humanity vulnerable to zombie apocalypse   seems unmoored to the credit of the show it has put him on a more complicated less predictable path its one that still seems destined to arc toward a clash with wintry armies of annihilation among other existential threats but how he gets from here to there   your guess is as good as mine
cersei on the other hand seems to be on a trajectory weve seen before she and jaime are personas non grata in kings landing but cersei is planning a return to prominence and activating weapons great and small ranging from the gray fleshed mountainstein who continues to creep out everyone to a pack of sweets loving street urchins the children are varyss former little birds we learned who are now working for qyburn cersei seems to be orchestrating some sort of overthrow of the high sparrow and his militant minions via a shifty legal proceeding and trial by combat
because that worked out so well for everyone last time indeed cerseis vengeance campaign feels strikingly similar to the one she began after joffreys assassination down to the personnel you know the one that eventually led to tyrion shooting her father with a crossbow cersei getting marginalized and ellaria sand killing her daughter in revenge for oberyns death one wonders why she thinks this will turn out any better and i suspect the answer is shes not really thinking shes reacting fueled by grief and anger over her humiliation and myrcellas death and fear for tommens future the mothers love that the high sparrow discussed with the impressionable boy king
i wondered a couple of weeks ago if we would be seeing a more sympathetic cersei this season but so far we seem to be getting the same one weve always had she can ask her dead father or ned stark what tends to happen to inflexible people who fail to evolve on this show
finally speaking of ned stark brans vision took him to what seems like a key moment in the prehistory of this tale the main event was the thrilling sword fight at what the broader thronesweb tells me is the tower of joy lyanna stark was apparently inside alive rhaegar targaryen the man who official history holds kidnapped and raped her was dead
armed with these search terms you are now ready for a weekslong tumble through a number of online rabbit holes should you choose that route but even if not intriguing hints were at the margins of the scene one was the fight itself which unlike stark lore ended not with neds honorable victory but with a sneaky stab in ser arthurs back once again were led to believe that the official version of events might not true sansas discussion in season 5 of lyanna with littlefinger included in the pre episode reminder reel was similarly equivocal
we also saw bran call to his father from across the temporal plane this would seem to point toward the fascinating possibility of bran affecting past and future events
finally there was lyanna herself who keeps coming up this season though she did so less happily this week her offscreen screams suggested she was in some sort of distress perhaps after being abused or otherwise victimized by her captors or perhaps it was something else labor pains maybe it was mothers day after all
but again your guess is as good as mine
 theres a fine line between conveying a sense of toil and drudgery by repeating similar scenes and just wearing out your audience which is an oblique way of saying i was happy to see arya finally stop a stick and get her eyes back on sunday i guess that poison pool is anything the faceless men want it to be
 rip shaggydog rickons direwolf keep running nymeria wherever you are
 a wise man once said the true history of the world is a history of great conversations in elegant rooms tyrions doing his best to make meereen less of a slog
 varys is back in the intelligence racket speaking of meereen and little birds working the mata hari harpy and plotting some sort of counteroffensive against the rich masters underwriting the insurgenzzzzzzzzzzz...
 daenerys met the other women in the khals wives club receiving the customary drab brown tunic and a dose of reality from the headmistress yeah yeah storm born breaker of chains whatever you say   we all thought we were going to rule the world one day it turns out that thanks to her essos peregrinations khaleesi hasnt even qualified yet for the temple of widows she wont be welcome unless approved in a vote during khalar vezhven which i envision as a nutty mash up of sturgis and burning man but with more horses and fewer tech bros so if enduring spinsterhood in a sadness shrine is the best she can hope for whats the worst
 paging littlefinger and could you bring bronn with you
 a note about spoilers lots of fan theories surround lyanna stark in general and the tower of joy in particular please refrain from going into these at great length in the comments as they could be spoilers for some readers at the same time if you have no idea what im talking about and want to stay that way tread carefully if you read the comments these things will be tougher to avoid as the show continues to dole out this back story bit by bit


dhaka bangladesh   a local sufi muslim leader in northern bangladesh was found hacked to death in a secluded mango grove the police said on saturday
a girl in the district of rajshahi happened upon the body of mohammad shahidullah in a dry pond under a mango tree as she was gathering dried leaves for a fire on friday evening mr shahidullah was found about 25 miles from his home with two deep wounds in his neck and throat said abul kalam azad a police official in rajshahi mr shahidullah who owned a grocery store in his village had left home that morning mr azad said
similar attacks on intellectuals secular writers and others have taken place over the last two years in bangladesh the attacks have seemed to increase in recent weeks with a hindu tailor being hacked to death last month as were two gay rights activists among others several of the assaults have been claimed by the islamic state or by a branch of al qaeda according to the site intelligence group which monitors extremist websites an english professor was hacked to death also in rajshahi last month in an attack that was claimed by the islamic state and that police said they believed was connected to islamist militants
but mr azad said that this latest attack differed from the others in that it did not appear to have been carried out in the open but rather in a secluded field when asked if the police suspected islamist militants mr azad said it was too soon to tell
we are in a preliminary stage of the investigation so we cant say much about the possible motive behind the killing mr azad said but we suspect he might have been killed due to conflict with neighbors over land or he might have been killed due to conflict over his religious belief or ideology
mr shahidullah was a pir a leader in sufism the mystical form of islam and had more than two dozen followers in other villages said his son shojol ahmed sufism is seen as a moderate form of islam and attacks on secular bloggers and religious minorities have raised fears of a rising islamic fundamentalism in the country
mr ahmed disputed the notion that his fathers killing involved any altercation with his neighbors
i never heard that my father had any conflict with anyone said mr ahmed i never heard that my father had any enemy


sam sifton emails readers of cooking five days a week to talk about food and suggest recipes that email also appears here to receive it in your inbox register here
good morning happy mothers day its not too late to cook her our classic recipe for a dutch baby and set her to watching jane eyre on netflix this afternoon nip in around 3 or so and offer some tea or sherry then do chores until dinnertime when you can serve this easy recipe for pasta with butter sage and parmesan and congratulate yourself silently please on what a good son daughter husband or wife you are
so thats sunday night on monday perhaps you could join with those who abjure the consumption of meat on mondays theyre out there and cook the nigerian chef tunde weys recipe for vegan jollof rice its really good   unless youre liberian and take exception to every single thing about the recipe because liberian jollof rice is better
tuesday were thinking this recipe for fish tacos which i developed in an attempt to match the ones served at el siete mares in los angeles with an assist from the fish magician dave pasternack of esca in new york
do yourself a favor while youre cooking the fish slide a pot onto the stove and make yourself a few cups of short grained rice sometimes labeled sushi rice when its done let it cool a little then slide it into a ziploc bag and set in the fridge to chill that way on wednesday night you can make francis lams new recipe for kimchi fried rice do yourself another favor today and read the recipe now so you have time to obtain the other ingredients youll need kimchi nori some spam
on thursday try a classic craig claiborne and pierre franeys chicken fricassee with vermouth you can always use white wine if you have no dry vermouth on hand its outstanding
and then round out the week out in the yard on the deck or fire escape up on the roof or just crouched in front of the broiler and make spiedies with garlic bread and a big batch of grilled broccoli summers coming lets walk right into it
other recipes to cook this week are available on cooking save the ones youre interested in cooking to your recipe box rate them when youre done eating and leave notes on them for yourself or for others if youve got a shortcut or ingredient substitution to share and raise your prep cook game by auditing our new guide to basic knife skills which wed warrant is as helpful to experienced cooks as to beginning ones
finally if you run into problems please reach out for help were at cookingcarenytimescom and will get back to you soon as we can or you can find me on twitter like farhad manjoo instagram like sarah jessica parker pinterest like this dude whos really into smokers and grills or facebook just like everyone else but the kids have a great week


here are the weeks top stories and a look ahead
1 donald trump shifted his focus to the general election after his last republican rivals dropped out accusing hillary clinton of enabling bill clintons philandering rebukes of mr trump by top republicans fueled fears that their party was on the verge of an epochal schism on the democratic side bernie sanders prevailed in indiana reinvigorating his campaign though he still lags in the delegate count mrs clinton has benefited most from a record surge in political donations by women this year

2 dry and windy conditions fed a devastating wildfire in western canada about 88000 people evacuated fort mcmurray alberta on tuesday but the spreading flames later forced rescue teams to airlift people out of temporary shelters a disaster expert compared fighting the fire to trying to stop a hurricane from hitting the eastern seaboard our photographer managed to get to the town a bustling center for the oil sands industry and found large swaths reduced to ashes

3 sadiq khan a human rights lawyer and a member of the labour party became one of the most prominent muslim politicians in the west when he was elected mayor of london he won by a wide margin as voters defied a rising tide of islamaphobia and dismissed conservative attempts to link him to extremism

4 scientists who tracked former competitors on the biggest loser as they regained weight   sometimes hundreds of pounds   found a key to dieting frustration the body works overtime to regain lost pounds shrinking its metabolic rate and losing a hormone that halts hunger the story has drawn more than 2500 comments from readers many focused on fat shaming i have been dieting all of my life one wrote

5 prince had an undisclosed dependency on pain medication that may help explain his death at age 57 us health regulators have been tightening guidelines on painkillers in light of a national epidemic of prescription drug abuse

6 many standard home appliances and devices devour power even when turned off heres what our reporter found after testing about 30 appliances you can lower your electric bill   and reduce carbon dioxide emissions from power plants   by plugging them into a power strip to turn off collectively using a gaming console to stream movies is particularly inefficient

7 strikes and counterstrikes broke a partial truce aimed at temporarily halting catastrophic fighting in the divided syrian city of aleppo insurgents fired on government forces in the region and loyalists then attacked a tent camp for people already displaced by the war leaving rows of blackened tents and charred body parts activists put the death toll at more than 30

8 one of the men pictured in this iconic world war ii photograph may have been misidentified james bradley   who wrote the book flags of our fathers which became a clint eastwood film   said he believed his father john bradley was involved in a different flag raising the marine corps has opened an inquiry into the matter

9 nyquist the favorite won the kentucky derby his 20131 run beat the 20302 derby time of american pharoah the paragon that last year became the first triple crown winner in 37 years but was well off the record set by secretariat in 1973 of just under 200 the next leg for nyquist is the preakness on may 21 the last the belmont stakes comes june 11

10 this is it for the good wife its seventh and final season is concluding tonight 9 pm eastern cbs being herself   her selves   was work and it was constant our reviewer wrote of the focal political wife played by julianna margulies no wonder she kept so much red wine on hand

11 looking ahead north carolina is expected to miss a monday deadline set by the justice department to suspend or repeal a law limiting bathroom access for transgender people the state risks losing nearly 5 billion in federal aid for violating the civil rights act were going to move at the speed that were going to move at to look at what our options are at this point the top republican state representative said
have a great week

andrea kannapell contributed reporting
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portland ore   accompanied by a small crew of medical and support personnel stephen curry arrived at moda center on saturday afternoon about four hours before game 3 of the western conference semifinals between the golden state warriors and the portland trail blazers
curry the warriors star guard then played 2 on 2 the latest phase of his ongoing recovery from a right knee sprain warriors coach steve kerr shared two observations first curry carved up chris demarco a player development coach who was assigned to defend curry second curry refused to pass the ball to his teammate the assistant coach jarron collins
but i wouldnt either kerr said deadpan before adding he came out of it fine it was his first actual basketball
given the warriors long term aspirations of repeating as nba champions the game before the game was important   important because curry appeared to be nearing a return and even more important because the warriors went on to absorb a 120 108 loss without him
while the warriors have been able to survive and even thrive without curry for much of the postseason saturdays setback reinforced his value the warriors will take a two games to one lead into game 4 of the best of seven series here on monday night but the trail blazers regained their rhythm in game 3 finally capitalizing on a chance to steal a win in currys absence
in fairness not even currys shot making pyrotechnics would have masked his teams breakdowns damian lillard collected 40 points and 10 assists for the trail blazers who shot 17 of 30 from 3 point range al farouq aminu a rangy forward added 23 points and shot 8 of 9 from the field coach terry stotts played three of his starters at least 41 minutes each
we had to do everything to win this game stotts said
draymond green had 37 points 9 rebounds and 8 assists for the warriors and klay thompson finished with 35 points but kerr said he felt that his players failed to move the ball fouled too much and struggled in several other areas he had a long list of lapses
draymond green scored 37 points for the warriors and klay thompson had 35 but kerr said he felt that his teams ball movement was stagnant and he cited other problems
we couldnt get a loose ball or a rebound to save our lives kerr said adding i just didnt feel like we played with the desperation thats necessary to win a playoff game
as if the series had not taken enough of a dramatic turn green went so far as to make a guarantee for game 4
well win said green whose larynx might as well be a megaphone
after losing the first two games of the series in oakland calif the trail blazers found solace at home the last time the warriors visited moda center on feb 19 the trail blazers blistered them 137 105   by far golden states most lopsided loss of the regular season
the trail blazers also bounced back from a demoralizing loss on tuesday in game 2 when the warriors outscored them by 22 points in the fourth quarter to turn an 11 point deficit into an 11 point win the trail blazers came away feeling as if they had outplayed the warriors for three quarters   at oracle arena no less   until they let their momentum slip away
before saturdays game kerr said his players had done a good job of adjusting to life without curry it is not ideal of course he will need to regain his timing and conditioning once he does return but he appeared to come out of saturdays workout with his appendages intact and kerr said that curry would most likely play some 3 on 3 at sundays practice his status for mondays game remained uncertain
curry has not played since april 24 when he sprained his knee slipping on a wet spot on the floor in game 4 of the warriors first round series against the houston rockets the warriors have not had reason to rush him back   not yet anyway
on saturday with his team trailing at the end of the first quarter lillard went to stotts with a request that sounded more like a demand lillard usually sits on the bench for the first five or six minutes of the second quarter but he wanted to return earlier stotts was willing to oblige there was no reason to exercise caution at this stage of the season
its not going to be none of this you come out at this time or that time  lillard said it was straight go get it mode
lillard delivered his fifth 3 pointer gave portland a 12 point lead late in the second quarter likewise thompson carried the warriors scoring 24 of his teams 46 points in the first half
but lillard got more help as the game wore on early in the third quarter gerald henderson extended the trail blazers lead to 15 with a 3 pointer curry could only watch from the bench
we challenged them lillard said
rebounds
steve kerr the coach of the warriors said he had a great deal of respect for dave joerger who was fired on saturday as coach of the memphis grizzlies it makes me a little nervous kerr said adding but ive said this many times thats why they pay us a lot of money thats part of the deal and even winning doesnt guarantee you employment so you make the best of it and when youre on a good run like we are here you enjoy it because you know it doesnt last long


sports
a picture caption last sunday with an article about an electronic umpire machine that was tested by the brooklyn dodgers in 1950 misstated the surname of one of the umpires shown protesting the machine he was augie donatelli not donatello

an associated press article in some editions last sunday about a debate over a historical marker at philadelphias germantown cricket club honoring the tennis champion bill tilden who was convicted in the 1940s over his conduct with teenage boys referred incorrectly to sanctions against the penn state football program in another child sex abuse scandal which involved the assistant coach jerry sandusky while the penn state program was penalized by the ncaa including a ban on postseason play it was not suspended

the on pro basketball column in some editions last sunday about injuries that plagued the los angeles clippers in their first round loss in the nba playoffs referred incorrectly to an injury to blake griffin he hurt his quadriceps not his hamstring
magazine
an article on april 24 about communal pools in iceland misspelled the surname of a phd student who spoke about using them she is katrin gudmundsdottir not gudmundsdtottir
arts  leisure
an article last sunday about the difficult string quartets composed by ben johnston some of which are on a new cd by the kepler quartet misspelled the surname of a violinist in the quartet at one point as the article correctly noted elsewhere she is sharan leventhal not levinston the article also misidentified the city near the farm where mr johnston lives it is madison wis not madison ill

a picture caption last sunday with an article about the actor ben foster who is starring as stanley kowalski in a streetcar named desire at st anns warehouse in brooklyn carried a credit that misstated the photographers given name the picture of mr foster as kowalski in a 2014 young vic production is by johan persson not jonah

two picture captions last sunday with an article about the film director rebecca miller using information from a publicist carried credits that misspelled the photographers given name he is jon pack not john

an article last sunday about the opening of dear evan hansen starring ben platt at second stage theater in manhattan misstated the name of the film series in which mr platt appeared it is pitch perfect not picture perfect
travel
an article last sunday about f scott fitzgeralds time in st paul minn mistated the title of one of his books it is the beautiful and damned not the beautiful and the damned
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taryn rebecca adler a daughter of judith r adler and alan s adler of tenafly nj was married may 7 to samuel allen blank a son of nancy l blank of new york and the late robert s blank rabbi bruce s block officiated at the rainbow room in new york
mrs blank 32 is a freelance beauty and travel writer in new york she graduated magna cum laude from barnard
her father owns norben import corporation a silk flower import and manufacturing business in hackensack nj her mother is a jewelry designer in tenafly
mr blank 37 works in new york at blank property group a real estate development and investment firm where he is a co founder the firms properties include multifamily housing in new york and single family rental properties in phoenix he graduated from the university of pennsylvania
his mother is a member of the board of the new york campus of the hebrew union college jewish institute of religion his father was a senior partner in whitcom partners an investment firm in new york and a former trustee of the university of pennsylvania the wharton school board of overseers and the penn law board of overseers
the couple met through mutual friends in june 2014 in montauk ny


margaux naomi pierre a daughter of jeffri anne pierre and simon c pierre of columbia md was married may 7 to jordan vincent jones a son of jeanie jordan jones and juan jones of sugar land tex the rev donald a sterling a roman catholic priest performed the ceremony at the basilica of the national shrine of the assumption of the blessed virgin mary in baltimore
mrs jones 27 is a literacy coach at smith academy an elementary school in houston she graduated magna cum laude from spelman college in atlanta before becoming a fulbright fellow in valencia spain at colegio infantil gloria fuertes where she was an english teaching assistant she also received a masters degree in bilingual and bicultural education from columbia
her father is a washington based senior technology consultant for the unisys corporation the computer services provider her mother is a senior lawyer in baltimore specializing in government contracts for the united states department of health and human services
mr jones also 27 works in houston as a trader of futures contracts for natural gas and electrical power for a subsidiary of royal dutch shell he graduated cum laude from morehouse college
his mother retired as a college recruiter in houston for a corporate division of royal dutch shell his father is a mechanical engineer for the flint hills resources company a refining chemicals polymers and biofuels company also in houston
the couple met in 2009 during mardi gras in new orleans


julia hannaway stiglitz the daughter of jane hannaway of washington and joseph e stiglitz of new york was married may 7 to vijay karunamurthy a son of girija karunamurthy of roselle ill and the late sivaraman karunamurthy jed stiglitz the brides brother who became a universal life minister for the occasion officiated at the kunde family winery in sonoma cailf
the bride 33 is the vice president for business and market development for coursera an online education start up in mountain view calif she graduated from pomona college in claremont calif and received a masters degree in education and an mba from stanford
her father an economist who shared the 2001 nobel prize in economic science teaches economics as a university professor at columbia and is the author of globalization and its discontents her mother is a professor of public policy at georgetown the bride is the stepdaughter of anya m stiglitz
the groom 37 is the chief executive of nom a food and cooking website in san francisco he graduated from the university of illinois and received a masters in computer science from stanford and an mba from the university of california berkeley
his mother who works in chicago does accounts payable for the pampered chef a division of berkshire hathaway that sells cooking equipment and supplies his father who also worked in chicago wrote software for manufacturing companies
the couple were introduced through tinder in march 2014


charlotte beth delaney and caleb thurston whelden were married may 7 at the heritage hotel in southbury conn scott r cobban a friend of the couple who became a universal life minister for the occasion officiated
dr delaney 32 who will be keeping her name is a fourth year medical student at the albert einstein college of medicine in the bronx in july she is to begin a combined residency in internal medicine and pediatrics at the university of massachusetts medical center in worcester until september she was the musical director and the president of the lymph notes an 18 member a cappella group at the college of medicine she is still a member she graduated magna cum laude from williams college and received a master of music in vocal performance from nyu
she is a daughter of muriel j reynard and dr brian p delaney of pelham ny the brides father is a geriatrician and family doctor in the bronx and an assistant professor in the department of family and social medicine at the albert einstein college of medicine her mother who is retired worked in long island city queens as a managing director and a general counsel for citigroup
mr whelden 34 is a plumber in boston and sings with two professional boston based touring a cappella groups five oclock shadow and overboard he graduated summa cum laude from ithaca college
he is a son of cheryl m perelman and s norris whelden both of nantucket mass the grooms mother is a yoga instructor there and is on the board of the family  childrens service of nantucket a nonprofit mental health agency his father also has a plumbing business on nantucket
the groom is a stepson of suzanne horne whelden and of james a perelman who is the sheriff of nantucket
the couple met in 2011 in manhattan at a mutual friends birthday party and mr whelden proposed two years later at a new years eve concert in rockport mass during which he sang a song he wrote fall in love with backup by members of both of his a cappella groups


kristen yang the daughter of lihua yang and yipping yang of jacksonville fla was married may 7 to kevin diao the son of yanqing sun and yuanan diao of charlotte nc the rev joshua throneburg a pastor affiliated with the evangelical covenant church officiated at the lyman estate an event space in waltham mass
the bride 28 is taking her husbands name she is a fourth year medical student at boston university and is to become an intern next month at loma linda university childrens hospital in loma linda calif she graduated from duke
her father works in jacksonville as a developer of website applications for buying and selling cars her mother is a senior accountant in jacksonville with arizona chemical a producer and refiner of pine based chemicals
the groom 25 is a third year medical student at harvard he graduated with highest distinction from the university of north carolina at chapel hill
his mother is a professor of statistics and his father is the chairman of the mathematics and statistics department at the university of north carolina at charlotte
the couple met at the veritas forum an international organization that sponsors christian speakers and interfaith dialogue on college campuses at harvard medical school in 2014


stephanie marie ramirez and keith nobbe were married may 5 at the manhattan marriage bureau edwina torres a staff member of the new york city clerks office officiated
the bride 30 is a vice president overseeing communications strategies for clients at group gordon a public relations firm in manhattan she graduated cum laude from georgetown university
she is the daughter of ofelia p vargas of the bronx and dr gilberto e ramirez of springfield mass the brides father is an internist at collins medical associates in bloomfield conn her mother is an associate director of nursing at the metropolitan hospital center in manhattan
the groom also 30 works with a sales team in manhattan supporting products of emc corporation which develops data storage and security equipment and software he graduated magna cum laude from binghamton university
he is a son of mida s nobbe and rolf nobbe of hollis queens the grooms mother is a program director at the sco family of services a nonprofit organization in queens that serves children and families in new york city and long island his father retired as an electronics technician for herley industries a maker of microwave components and electronic systems in farmingdale ny
the couple met in english class their freshman year at bronx high school of science and have been dating since 2000


dr irim salik the daughter of parveen salik and noor m salik of orangeburg ny was married may 7 to mahmud riffat a son of nigar riffat and imran riffat of douglaston queens kim kirkley a minister with first nation church officiated at the park savoy estate an event space in florham park nj
the bride 33 will continue to use her name professionally she is a pediatric anesthesiologist with advance physicians services in valhalla ny she graduated from nyu and received a medical degree from stony brook university
her father who is retired was a computer software specialist for the new york city retirement system in manhattan her mother also retired was a teller with the pearl river ny branch of chase bank
the groom 30 is a vice president at first reserve an investment firm in greenwich conn where he specializes in energy investments he graduated from georgetown and received an mba from columbia
his mother is a senior teller in a manhasset ny branch of chase bank his father who is retired was the senior director and chief financial officer of synergos a manhattan based nonprofit organization that fights global poverty
the couple met in october 2011 through the brides cousin who brought mr riffat to a dinner party hosted by dr salik


hilary corman and mark adam kirsch were married may 7 at the metropolitan club in new york paul a engelmayer a judge of the united states district court for the southern district of new york and a friend of the couple officiated
mrs kirsch 48 is a managing director for exchange traded funds at blackrock the investment management company in new york she graduated from georgetown and received an mba from columbia
she is the daughter of the late patricia ann singleton green and the late allan singleton green who lived in new york
mr kirsch 54 is a partner in law firm gibson dunn  crutcher and a co partner in charge of the new york office he graduated from cornell and received a law degree from yale
he is a son of dorothy a kirsch and donald kirsch of new york
the brides first marriage ended in divorce as did the grooms
the couple were introduced by a mutual friend in new york in april 2014


lindsay michelle levine a daughter of shelley b levine and peter b levine of stamford conn was married may 2 to adam ross savaglio a son of amy j rosenblum and theodore c savaglio of manhattan edwina townes a staff member of the office of the city clerk officiated at the manhattan marriage bureau
the bride 26 works in manhattan as a vice president at barclays the british bank where she trades stocks for institutional clients she graduated summa cum laude from duke
her father retired as a managing director of the commercial mortgage department of citigroup in manhattan
the groom 27 works in manhattan for houlihan lokey a los angeles investment bank he advises real estate companies on financial strategies he graduated from washington university in st louis
his mother a former senior producer of the today show owns wanna be on tv a company in manhattan where she trains aspiring media professionals his father is a senior producer in manhattan for msnbc
the couple met in kindergarten at the dalton school in manhattan


serena claire josephs the daughter of celia h josephs and julian a josephs of chevy chase md was married may 7 to harris ian ziskroit the son of rosalinde m ziskroit and saul ziskroit of woodbury ny rabbi peter kasdan officiated at the longboat key club in longboat key fla
mrs ziskroit 34 manages relationships with clients at zenefits a company in san francisco that provides health insurance enrollment payroll and other services for small businesses she graduated magna cum laude from colby college and received a law degree from the university of miami she also holds a masters degree in applied positive psychology from the university of pennsylvania
her father is the president of a real estate development and investment firm bearing his name in chevy chase he is also an adjunct professor of real estate at georgetown johns hopkins and george mason university
mr ziskroit 32 is the chief investment officer of pelican advisors which manages assets for christopher james the founder of partner fund management a hedge fund in san francisco he graduated from cornell
his mother is an executive assistant and insurance specialist at sirina fire protection corporation in garden city park ny his father is the controller of global elite a company in new york that makes nba licensed hats
the couple were introduced over email in october 2013 by a friend of the bride in san francisco


yoosun cheong and dr matthew nicholas suberlak were married may 7 at the glen island harbour club in new rochelle ny the rev jonah so a presbyterian minister officiated
the couple met at yale from which they graduated
the bride 32 is known as sunny she is an associate at the new york law firm simpson thacher  bartlett she received a law degree from the university of chicago
she is a daughter of eunice cheong and john cheong of rye ny the brides father retired from the korean reinsurance company he worked in new york as the chief representative working with clients in the united states and germany
the groom 33 is a chief resident in radiology at university hospital in newark in july he is to begin a fellowship in abdominal imaging at duke university school of medicine from which he received a medical degree
he is a son of patrice p suberlak and ray j suberlak of san diego the grooms mother retired as a special assistant attorney general for the state of illinois his father who is also retired worked in san diego as a general counsel for solera holdings a software company based in westlake tex


angelica nicole rogers and andrew mckinley jr were married may 6 at cedar hall an event space in memphis john j deberry jr a church of christ minister and a tennessee state representative officiated
the couple met while attending hampton university from which they graduated she summa cum laude
mrs mckinley 30 is a web designer at the new york times she is the daughter of vivian m cansler and culton rogers both of memphis and the stepdaughter of carl a cansler sr
the brides father is the night shift manager of the master control room at wkno in cordova tenn a public television and radio station her mother is a mail carrier in memphis for the postal service her stepfather is a stock clerk at a kroger supermarket in memphis
mr mckinley 31 is a software developer at webmd a new york company that gives consumers medical information
he is the son of beverly r mckinley of columbia md and andrew mckinley sr of stone mountain ga the grooms mother is a sales associate at havertys a furniture store in columbia his father works in atlanta as an independent software developer of medical apps


tara elise hagan and thomas whitney malloy were married may 7 at the myriad botanical gardens in oklahoma city laina vlasnik yip a friend of the couple who became a universal life minister for the event officiated
ms hagan 32 is keeping her name she is the director of business analytics in new york for the advertising agency tbwachiatday  she graduated summa cum laude from the university of oklahoma and received an mba from harvard she is a daughter of bonnie hagan and doug d hagan of harrah okla
mr malloy 33 is the managing director of stage harbor group a financial consulting firm in new york he graduated from babson college and received an mba from the ie business school in madrid he is a son of jane e malloy and john j malloy of newtown conn
ms hagan and mr malloy met in november 2009 at the whole foods grocery on bowery and houston streets in new york ms hagan who was studying for the chartered financial analyst exam at one of the long rectangular tables at the in store cafe on the second floor noticed mr malloy sitting across the same table scribbling notes into the same study guide
he looked so handsome and diligent and studious just sitting there playing with his little calculator ms hagan said i just had to hit on him
but not before debating the pros and cons of such a bold move if i start talking to him and it bombs she asked herself will i have to relocate to another table
before she could provide herself with an answer ms hagan tapped on mr malloys study guide showed him her guide and said hey same book
i was a bit stunned i really didnt know what to say mr malloy said finally i just said yeah same book though its not my favorite
they began talking and learned that they each lived on the lower east side and worked in finance she as an auditor at deloitte and he as a financial analyst for general motors their hourlong chat covered a shared love of alternative music and travel and other topics ranged from their salad ordering strategies order the half size salad its three quarters the size of the full salad but half the price mr malloy said to their favorite whole foods regulars including mr malloy said the muscular man who eats a whole rotisserie chicken with his hands every night
they eventually parted ways but not before ms hagan gave him every possible piece of contact information i had she said laughing i practically threw myself at him
though mr malloy did not immediately reach out to her they bumped into each other   and into the muscular chicken eating man   several more times at the whole foods
when the financial analyst exams ended in december mr malloy invited ms hagan to a holiday party at his apartment the next day they went to brunch in manhattan and followed that with a long walk around times square and then dinner at a barbecue restaurant in harlem before walking around other areas of manhattan
when their first date finally ended it was 2 am being together just felt so easy and natural ms hagan said he was so funny and super intelligent i just loved being with him
mr malloy was feeling much the same she just gives off this positive energy that makes me want to be around her he said
they began dating steadily and four months later moved into an apartment together in the williamsburg section of brooklyn
we still use our old financial spreadsheets to plan for road trips and backpacking adventures ms hagan said laughing and they really came in handy when we were planning for our wedding


carlos alberto maymi fernandez and steven rapkin are to be married may 8 in an area of central park known as hernshead a miniature woodland landscape overlooking the lake judge valerie a pels of bronx county family court is to officiate
mr maymi fernandez left 51 is a vice president for account management at moodys investors service the bond rating firm in manhattan he graduated from cornell and received an mba from new york university he is also a commander in the united states navy reserve at the us cyber command at fort george g meade md later this month he is to begin a one year deployment to the us africa command in djibouti
he is a son of emma fernandez of bayamon pr and the late jose luis maymi his mother retired as the director of administration at the office of the comptroller of puerto rico his father was a journalist and editorial writer in san juan for the newspapers el mundo and el imparcial
mr rapkin 54 is an economist in manhattan for the securities and exchange commission he graduated cum laude from harvard and received a masters degree in computer science from cornell he also received an mba from new york university he served in the peace corps in 1984 and 1985 as a mathematics lecturer at mindanao state university in marawi city the philippines
he is the son of edward rapkin of charlottesville va and the late marilyn cahn rapkin his father retired as the owner of inus service corporation a company in fairfield nj that manufactured instruments used for measuring radioactivity
the couple met in may 1993 while visiting a waterfall in ithaca ny


stephanie marie mayer a daughter of roseanne f mayer and eduard j mayer of sugar land tex is to be married may 8 to brian benjamin rudick the son of dr marilyn j goske rudick and dr richard a rudick of boston the rev timothy mills an american baptist pastor is to officiate at auberge du soleil a hotel in rutherford calif
the bride 31 who will take her husbands name works in new york leading a strategy and operations team for google that supports those selling the companys productivity and computer storage products she graduated from tufts and received a masters degree in engineering management from dartmouth
her father owns elite resorts a company based in salt springs fla that develops sells and rents resorts and campgrounds in connecticut and florida her mother is a retired accountant who last worked for the enterprise fund a venture capital fund in toronto
the groom 34 is an associate at citadel a chicago based investment fund where he trades stocks and manages funds for institutional investors he graduated from duke and received an mba from the university of chicago
his mother retired as a professor of radiology and pediatrics at the university of cincinnati college of medicine and as a staff radiologist at the cincinnati childrens hospital medical center his father a neurologist is vice president for development sciences at biogen the biotechnology company in cambridge mass where he directs a program to improve the treatment of multiple sclerosis
the bride and groom were introduced in september 2011 through a mutual friend


lisa caitlin sullivan a daughter of cynthia l zack of grand blanc mich and dr john m sullivan of linden mich is to be married may 8 to eric mark lopata the son of betsy a lopata and benjamin b lopata of lawrence ny rabbi david snyder is to officiate at the henry hotel in dearborn mich
the couple met at harvard from which they received law degrees the brides cum laude
the bride 29 is an assistant deputy public defender in newark in the office of the public defender she graduated from washington university in st louis
her father is a dentist in burton mich her mother who is retired was the librarian at southwestern academy a public school in flint mich
the groom 30 is an associate in the tax group of the new york law firm sullivan  cromwell he graduated magna cum laude from columbia
his mother is an information technology consultant in lawrence who focuses on compliance systems for the investment management industry his father is a managing director in the corporate tax department at jpmorgan chase in new york


russell james boyd and marc joseph viscardi were married may 5 at the manhattan marriage bureau edwina townes a staff member at the new york city clerks office officiated
mr boyd left 38 is a group vice president for human resources for macys in new york he graduated from boise state university
he is a son of louann l boyd and lynn w boyd of boise idaho his father is a real estate agent in the boise office of group one sothebys international
mr viscardi 33 is the vice president for marketing in new york for running subway productions a live entertainment production company specializing in touring broadway musicals and commercial museum exhibitions he graduated from the university of arizona
he is a son of michael viscardi of rochester and the late marietta e viscardi mr viscardis father is a bus driver for churchville chili central school district in churchville ny his mother was a member of the administrative support staff for the engineering department of the monroe county water authority in rochester
the couple were introduced through a mutual friend in december 2004 at a nightclub in tucson


holland leigh casey the daughter of holly m casey and edward j casey jr of charlottesville va was married may 7 to maxwell stuart bent the son of rebecca l bent and edward s bent of washington conn msgr richard j shea a roman catholic priest performed the ceremony at st pauls memorial church on the university of virginia campus in charlottesville
the bride 27 works in advertising as the senior account manager for elle magazine in new york she graduated from the university of virginia
the groom also 27 is a manager at kub capital a real estate investment firm in new york where he oversees construction and building activities he graduated from boston university
the couple met in the summer of 2013 on a flight from new york to nantucket which is also how the grooms parents met in the summer of 1986


melissa morales the daughter of nelvis c castro and rodolfo a morales of bethesda md was married may 7 to andrew manion lewis a son of bridget r bennett of cumberland ri and thomas f lewis of uxbridge mass mina makarious a friend of the groom who is registered as a temporary officiant by the superior court of the district of columbia officiated at long view gallery in washington
ms morales 29 is a vice president specializing in health care and health coverage advertising in washington at gmmb a strategic communications and political media firm she graduated from the university of maryland and received a masters degree in government from johns hopkins
the brides father who is retired was the manager of member services for the inter american development bank federal credit union in washington where he oversaw the branchs staff and daily operations her mother is the deputy director of the office of communications and public liaison for the national cancer institute in bethesda
mr lewis 32 is a director of content in washington for subject matter a public affairs firm where he oversees digital communications for clients he graduated from american university
the grooms mother is a vice president specializing in the family well being and permanency division of the community care alliance a mental health and family support center in woonsocket ri his father who is retired was a librarian at central high school in providence ri
the couple met in 2007 at gmmb where they both started their careers


jennifer kathleen jacobs and david isaac schwarz were married may 7 rabbi diana fersko officiated at the tappan hill mansion in tarrytown ny
mrs schwarz 33 works in new york for legends a sports entertainment and hospitality company jointly owned by the new york yankees and the dallas cowboys she is the director of marketing for its operations at one world observatory atop one world trade center she graduated from the university of central florida
she is a daughter of kathleen spute and a stepdaughter of william h spute of ormond beach fla
mr schwarz 43 is the senior vice president for communications in new york at the spike tv division of viacom he graduated from syracuse
he is the son of mary a schwarz of long beach ny and the late herbert schwarz
the couple met in february 2014 in new york at a party at the w hotel bar


gabrielle david schonder and vijay shivram iyer were married may 7 rabbi rami shapiro officiated at southall meadows an event space in franklin tenn
the bride 30 works from new canaan conn as a producer and reporter for frontline on pbs she graduated from hendrix college in conway ark
she is a daughter of deana e goldstein and james c schonder of nashville
the groom 34 is the senior corporate counsel at the priceline group the online travel company in norwalk conn he graduated from columbia and received a law degree from the university of texas
he is the son of shanthi s iyer and shivram k iyer of plano tex
the couple met in november 2012 at an election night party and discovered a mutual love of books so they started a book club after several months as friends mr iyer asked her out


seoul south korea   in a speech before his ruling workers party north koreas leader kim jong un said on saturday that his country would live up to its international commitment to nuclear nonproliferation while trying to end the danger of war on the korean peninsula by using its strong nuclear deterrent as leverage against the united states
mr kim presented what north koreas state media called an ambitious blueprint for his impoverished yet nuclear armed country on saturday the second day of the seventh congress of his ruling workers party the first such gathering in 36 years mr kim said that his countrys dealings with the outside world should be based on the fact that it has become a nuclear power   a status the united states has repeatedly vowed to not recognize
our party and government will struggle to root out the danger of nuclear war being imposed on us by the united states based on our strong nuclear deterrent and defend peace in the region and in the world mr kim said his speech was carried by the norths official korean central news agency on sunday
mr kim said north korea would act like a responsible nuclear power by not using a nuclear weapon unless its sovereignty is violated we will comply sincerely with our international commitment to nuclear nonproliferation and strive to achieve the denuclearization of the world he said
mr kim also said his country was willing to improve ties with hostile countries if north korea is treated with respect and as a friend
mr kims comments appeared in line with what outside analysts have said has been shaping up as north korean policy in recent years the analysts also said north korea wants the united states to accept it as a nuclear power and sign a peace treaty in exchange for a commitment not to grow its nuclear arsenal or export nuclear weapons knowledge
north korea has indicated in recent years that it can discuss its nuclear disarmament only in the context of global denuclearization but washington has insisted it can start dialogue with pyongyang only when it agrees that it will abandon its nuclear weapons program
but senior north korean officials attending the party congress vowed to expand their countrys nuclear arsenal and claimed an ability to strike the united states with nuclear weapons our means of nuclear strikes are ready to launch any time targeting american imperialists bases of invasion in the asia pacific region and the mainland united states vice marshal ri myong su the chief of the korean peoples armys general staff said on saturday
vice marshal ri one of mr kims top aides said that if there were an order from mr kim his military would launch nuclear strikes to liberate south korea and completely erase the united states off the face of the earth
north korea had previously made similar threats and claims about its nuclear capabilities but remarks by senior officials during the congress showed that mr kim was using the rare political gathering to rally the party behind his so called byungjin policy on saturday mr kim said that policy was not a temporary step but his partys permanent strategic line
the byungjin   or parallel advance   policy calls for stockpiling nuclear weapons in the belief that the deterrent would allow the country to focus on economic recovery since taking power four years ago mr kim has adopted it as his national strategy despite warnings from washington and seoul that it would further isolate his already heavily sanctioned country
vice marshal ris comments were reported by the norths state run pyongyang radio and korean central broadcasting station also a radio network
united states and south korean officials doubted that north korea has developed a reliable intercontinental ballistic missile that would deliver a nuclear payload to the continental united states its three tests of the intermediate range ballistic missile musudan which is believed to have a range long enough to reach united states military bases in guam all failed last month with the projectiles crashing to the sea or exploding shortly after liftoff they said
but under mr kim north korea has accelerated its nuclear and missile program he presented his nuclear weapons program as his key achievement during the party congress which served as a platform to cement his grip on power
it is our unshakable determination that because the workers party has its byungjin line there is nothing we cannot conquer in nuclear armament said another senior party official wang chang wuk according to the north korean radio reports we are determined to push through the partys decision on building a nuclear might and to develop and make more diverse and advanced nuclear weapons of our own style
on saturday a parade of top party officials spoke at the congress idolizing mr kim who is believed to be in his early 30s for ushering in a great heyday in strengthening north korea said the norths official korean central news agency in his review of policies on saturday they said mr kim provided an encyclopedic political program giving a perfect solution to all problems
more than 3400 delegates from across north korea were attending the congress the first since 1980 when mr kims grandfather the norths founding president kim il sung was in charge the congress will elect a new party leadership reaffirming mr kim at the top post the north korean media said


women are bankrolling political campaigns this year more than ever driven by their rising rank in the workplace boosts in womens wealth and networks set up to gather their donations and bolster their influence
in an election year when women could be a decisive force the transformation is occurring at every level of political giving and in both parties from grass roots supporters sending in a few hundred dollars to the rarefied ranks of ultrawealthy donors who fund super pacs
forty three percent of all reported contributions to federal candidates for this election have come from women according to an analysis of federal election commission data by crowdpac a political crowdfunding website higher than any election cycle on record women have also provided a fifth of all individual contributions to super pacs for this election compared with just 1 percent in 2010 the year the supreme courts citizens united decision paved the way for new levels of giving to outside groups
the increase is especially pronounced on the left with the presidential campaign of hillary clinton galvanizing female donors she has counted on women to help propel her toward the democratic nomination and could count on them even more in a general election race against donald j trump
and she has counted on them to fuel her huge fund raising operation which already relies more on women than had any presidential candidate before her
close to half of mrs clintons bundlers   the volunteer fund raisers who solicit checks from friends and business associates   are women compared with about a third of president obamas 2012 bundlers nearly 60 percent of mrs clintons reported contributions totaling 70 million have come from women according to crowdpac the most of any presidential candidate by far the tally does not include contributions too small to be itemized in election commission reports
in interviews female donors in both parties described cascading cultural and economic changes that were driving their participation in political giving long among the most exclusive mens clubs in american culture more women are founding their own companies or rising to lead family businesses or have already sold or retired from them a common springboard to the upper reaches of political fund raising within marriages they said women now had more authority to steer family decisions about political giving
i think women have more money and even those who dont they have more power within their relationships to give to causes they care about said fran rodgers a board member of the democracy alliance a network of some of the biggest liberal donors ms rodgers said she began contributing sizable sums after selling her workplace benefits company
i was always interested in politics and policy ms rodgers said but only in the last 15 years have i been able to do it as a donor
the rise of women in business is providing not just the discretionary income required for large contributions but the kind of personal networks that power presidential and congressional fund raising
the fund raisers i went to in the late 1990s it was mostly men writing the checks said amy rao the chief executive of a silicon valley data management firm and a prominent democratic donor now its mostly women and a lot of these women are younger they work full time they are writing their own checks
democrats like mrs clinton have benefited from groups like emilys list which was founded in the mid 1980s to elect democratic women who are abortion rights advocates and in the process has helped build a growing network of female donors in the party emilys list alone has bundled more than 37 million for democrats in this election cycle a record pace for the organization and far more than any fund raising effort on the right for female candidates
but even among republicans female donors are playing a more significant role some of the largest contributors to super pacs in the republican primary have been women including diane hendricks the billionaire chief executive of a wisconsin based roofing and building supplies company and karen buchwald wright the head of an ohio company that makes compressors for hydraulic fracturing or fracking
ms hendricks was the biggest donor to the super pac that backed the presidential bid of gov scott walker of wisconsin both women are involved with freedom partners the free market group founded by the billionaire brothers charles g and david h koch membership dues start at 100000 a freedom partners official said that about 40 percent of the attendees at the groups annual donor seminar were women a proportion that had risen in recent years
in a very short period of time the landscape has changed for women said christine toretti a longtime republican donor in pennsylvania who headed her familys oil drilling company and has given more than 400000 to candidates since retiring in 2010
ms toretti mrs rao and other prominent bundlers in both parties said their networks of potential donors almost exclusively men until just a few years ago were now composed mostly of other women and more of them had earned their wealth on their own in contrast to times when women were more likely to wield their spouses wealth or inherited money
but while women are making more contributions than ever they still significantly trail men in the magnitude of their giving with about two thirds of all the money raised by federal candidates in 2016 coming from men according to crowdpac data most of the largest overall contributors in the country are men many of them in fields like energy and finance where women are still exceedingly rare in corporate boardrooms and executive suites
theresa kostrzewa a lobbyist in north carolina who has donated close to 300000 for republicans in recent years described arriving at a gathering for top mitt romney fund raisers in the summer of 2012 at the deer valley resort in utah the young woman who escorted her to her room ms kostrzewa recalled asked her what she did on mr romneys staff
theres an expectation even among women that other women are not donors ms kostrzewa said were still that much of an anomaly
less visible than the economic inequality that hampers giving by women are the cultural barriers that remain some research for example suggests that women are more comfortable giving to causes than to candidates whether out of a sense that politics is grubby or because nonprofit groups will have more impact on the issues they care about
if you care about social issues you may not think that politics is the place to invest your money said debbie walsh director of the center for american women and politics at rutgers university youd rather give to an activist group or a nonprofit
even when women assume senior posts at their companies they are more reluctant to ask their colleagues for contributions to candidates several donors described a familiar worry among their female friends about rocking the boat among male colleagues or offending people with different political views
women needed to be convinced that they were allowed to write those checks that they were needed said naomi aberly a major democratic donor and a clinton bundler
when ms aberly moved from texas to boston several years ago she said women were very active in raising money for local democrats but when out of town candidates came to boston   a major stop on the national fund raising circuit   the events were usually hosted by the same four or five very lovely white older gentlemen as ms aberly put it
she worked to persuade women in the city to become more active in raising money for democrats outside the massachusetts delegation particularly senators she is now part of a group of around 60 donors that has contributed 500000 to democratic candidates since last june
many of the women in her group are lawyers or worked in finance ms aberly said and they typically hold events at night after working hours
women are more tentative about coming out in the workplace about their political views whatever they are ms aberly added but then you have a conversation with them and point out that their male partners are doing it


brian elliott did not let this third period lead get away so st louis is going home with a chance to close out its second round playoff series against dallas
elliott turned away a strong push from the stars in the final period and the blues beat the stars 4 1 on saturday for a three games to two series lead
robby fabbri the rookie playoff points leader had a goal and an assist and dmitrij jaskin scored his first career playoff goal to put the blues ahead for good in the second period st louis then protected a 3 1 lead for a second consecutive road victory
the blues surrendered a 3 1 lead before winning in overtime in game 2 in dallas elliott was perfect in the third period this time getting 12 of his 27 saves to send the blues home with the series edge game 6 is monday night
i know weve done well on the road but weve set ourselves up well to go home and win a game elliott said if we can do more of the same i think well be on the right side of things after game 6
the stars created plenty of chances but they could not get much past elliott cody eakin who scored an overtime winner two days earlier was stuffed while alone in front of elliott
we hit some posts we hit a crossbar we missed a couple point blank stars coach lindy ruff said when you get chances to execute and turn the game its your chance to put the game in your favor and we didnt
fabbri who has two goals and eight assists in 12 playoff games started the scoring when what appeared to be a pass through the slot ricocheted off the skate of dallas forward brett ritchie past goalie kari lehtonen
capitals 3 penguins 1 alex ovechkin was a force all over the ice with washington on the brink of elimination and the capitals beat pittsburgh to stay alive in the second round playoff series now trailing three games to two
ovechkins blast on the power play set the tone early and another shot created the rebound for t j oshies power play goal in the second period
the veteran justin williams also scored to help washington force game 6 on tuesday night in pittsburgh
the penguins got a power play goal of their own from chris kunitz but could not overcome the capitals desperation and the brilliance of braden holtby who made 30 saves
wild hire boudreau bruce boudreau has agreed to terms to coach the minnesota wild
boudreau was fired by the anaheim ducks two days after their first round exit from the playoffs he has a career record of 409 192 80 and his 659 winning percentage is the best among active coaches sharks 5 predators 1 joe pavelski scored two goals and host san jose bounced back from a triple overtime loss to beat nashville and take a three games to two lead in the second round playoff series
patrick marleau and logan couture also scored as part of san joses reconfigured second line and the sharks moved one win away from advancing to the western conference final for the fourth time in franchise history and the first time since 2011 game 6 is scheduled for monday night in nashville
melker karlsson added a late goal and martin jones made 24 saves for the sharks
mike fisher the game 4 overtime hero scored and pekka rinne made 23 saves but nashville allowed goals in the opening and closing minutes of the second period
mvp finalists announced patrick kane of the chicago blackhawks jamie benn of the dallas stars and sidney crosby of the pittsburgh penguins are the finalists for the hart trophy given to the nhls most valuable player


in their 55 year history the mets have been known more for their pitchers than for their power hitters
but this season the mets are enjoying one of their rare power surges and the power parade continued in the most extraordinary fashion on saturday the mets hit four homers which accounted for all of their runs in a 6 3 victory over the san diego padres at petco park and they now lead the majors with 46 but the most impressive feat on saturday was the home run by mets starter bartolo colon
colons two run blast was the first of his career and it not only gave the mets a 4 0 lead but also launched colon into the record books
colon 17 days shy of his 43rd birthday became the oldest player to hit his first major league home run passing the hall of fame pitcher randy johnson who hit the only home run of his career nine days after he turned 40 colon is the second oldest met to hit a home run after julio franco who became the oldest player in major league history to hit a home run something he did as a met in 2007 at 48
i dont even know how to explain it colon told a group of reporters after the game once i hit it i knew it was gone
he added i think right now this is the biggest moment of my career
colons home run which was instantly celebrated on social media came in the top of the second inning after catcher kevin plawecki had hit a double to center field colon came up with two outs padres starter james shields threw a fastball for a ball then another fastball for a called strike
then the lightning struck colon launched a 90 mile an hour four seam fastball a few rows beyond the fence in the left field corner
colon seemed to know he had hit a home run almost from the moment the ball left his bat as he jogged down the first base line with the bat in his hand colon admired the arc of the ball before it landed in the seats
the home run came in colons 226th career at bat and touched off a raucous celebration in the mets dugout where his teammates waited 31 seconds as colon rounded the bases they hid in the tunnel so that colon returned to an empty dugout   then mobbed him a few seconds later
colon struck out in his other two at bats and he is hitting 083 for the season more important colon picked up his third victory of the season giving up three runs and six hits in six and two thirds innings yoenis cespedes david wright and michael conforto hit the other homers for the mets
in his three seasons in flushing colon has become something of a folk hero partly because of his antics at the plate having played nearly all of his 19 seasons in the american league colon had just 10 hits in 96 at bats before he joined the mets
at 285 pounds colon has been an adventure at the plate and on the basepaths often he swings so wildly that his helmet flies off sometimes he takes three strikes and returns to the dugout fans who have named him big sexy cheer every time he makes contact
but colon has worked on his batting and last season he had a career high eight hits including one of his two career doubles before saturday colon had been hitless in nine at bats
colon now has more homers this season than highly paid hitters like carlos gomez jason heyward and yadier molina
cardinals 6 pirates 4 matt carpenter hit a two run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning and st louis beat visiting pittsburgh ap
giants 2 rockies 1 matt duffy hit a game ending double with two out in the 13th inning sending host san francisco to a win over colorado ap
rangers 10 tigers 5 texas slugged five homers in a win at detroit the texas leadoff hitter rougned odor and nomar mazara went back to back in the first inning ap
dodgers 6 blue jays 2 clayton kershaw struck out 10 and visiting los angeles ended torontos winning streak at four ap
orioles and as split chris davis homered as host baltimore salvaged a doubleheader split with oakland 5 2 in the early game the athletics pounded out 15 hits in an 8 4 win ap
white sox 7 twins 2 chris sale struck out nine to become the first seven game winner in the majors as chicago rallied past visiting minnesota ap


namche bazaar nepal   eleven thousand feet above sea level jules mountain 49 a british investor proposed a toast
to the summit he said raising a pint at cafe danphe bar a popular gathering spot here along the trek to everests south base camp christof deblauwe 36 a belgian salesman joined in with a cup of tea
its going to be a good year said mr deblauwe who was back to make a third attempt to climb everest after his last expedition was canceled in 2014 mr mountain added if its not a good year things are going to be dire
as climbing teams made sorties up everests lower slopes in april a network of guides sherpas and mountaineers offered anxious predictions for the spring season after two years of tragedy a drop in climbing numbers this year and a confluence of safety concerns much is at stake
in april 2014 an avalanche on the south side of the mountain killed 16 nepalese passing through the khumbu icefall a stretch of ice towers strung with ropes and ladders then last april a series of earthquakes killed nearly 9000 people including at least 18 at south base camp
in response to both events climbing expeditions were canceled last year for the first time since 1974 not a single climber reached the summit of everest
climbing agencies have taken an upbeat tone this year noting that numbers typically rebound after major disasters but in namche bazaar the drop in demand is appreciable with around 290 climbers attempting everests south side ascent so far this spring down from 357 in the same time period in 2015 according to nepals department of tourism
the sherpas who often serve as high altitude guides complain of fewer tourists fewer jobs and fewer choices many lodges once chronically crammed now run under capacity western climbing agencies typically well represented on everest have struggled to fill teams some have offered discounts for returning climbers while others have canceled teams entirely
the vacuum has been filled by lower cost nepalese operators in a recent dispatch from base camp alan arnette an american climbing specialist said he could not recognize many of the names written across expedition tents
i have been predicting that the locals would take over everest and based on this walk thru the transition is well underway given that many longtime western operators have half their usual clients and some are not here at all mr arnette wrote on his popular mountaineering blog
as the unofficial capital of nepals khumbu region which has three of the worlds 10 tallest mountains namche bazaar offers a range of travel experiences from budget rooms partitioned with plywood to a secluded japanese resort where on a clear day guests have majestic views of everest here lodges promise finnish saunas and organic coffee sold for western prices across a steep hillside for a couple of dollars visitors can enter a buddhist monastery housing what local residents say is the skull of a yeti
mr mountain the british property investor said the choice to shift to a lower cost nepalese agency was an easy one after losing the 65000 he paid in 2015 for a western led expedition that was canceled and not refunded mr mountain has decided instead to climb with a nepalese agency that typically charges 35000 he said he was prepared to forgo some of the comforts included in the more expensive package
i was offered jacuzzis and swimming pools and saunas he said it was all about the money last year
mr deblauwe the belgian salesman was also turned away from everest in 2014 when the expedition he had paid 50000 for was canceled after the avalanche along the khumbu icefall only 800 was refunded the experience he said was so frustrating that he opted for a cheaper nepalese agency this season nepalese agencies he said are getting a better reputation
everest is becoming more accessible so thats a good thing he said thats good for tourism here
but foreign expedition companies warn that the lower cost may entail higher risks phil crampton the owner of altitude junkies in woodstock ny who is leading an expedition this year said in an email that local agencies paid lower wages to their climbing sherpas and that their guides were less experienced climbers who worry about safety he said will go with a foreign expedition company
billi bierling 48 a mountaineer and journalist in kathmandu said she believed that paying for a western guide was a worthwhile investment
we have all seen people on the mountain that shouldnt be there she said at the end of the day people want to save money often they dont know the inexperienced person doesnt know how much things cost
among the nagging worries this year is damage to the khumbu icefall route which was battered by last years earthquakes and is often cited as the most dangerous stretch of everests southern ascent
preliminary assessments of the icefall are encouraging but sherpas working along the mountain said these forecasts had done little to quell the fears of their families sherpas typically earn 3000 to 5000 a season which lasts from late april through may and put themselves at great risk for their clients
everybody is nervous said ang sandu sherpa 41 who has guided climbers for nearly two decades and returned to everest this year
every morning his wife lhakpa yangji sherpa 37 burns pieces of rhododendron bush as puja or a religious offering to keep him safe
i tell him every year not to climb ms sherpa said adding that she allowed him to continue so they could afford to educate their four children but now the children are young and they need to go to school
if they finish school she said they could emigrate to the united states
everybody in the industry is hoping for a smooth year said dawa steven sherpa the managing director of asian trekking a nepalese owned agency sending 15 people to climb everest this season its a lot of pressure on the government a lot of pressure on the associations on the expedition organizers on the sherpas


miami   kyle lowry got his game back at the perfect time for the toronto raptors
and the miami heat are in all kinds of trouble
shaking off his playoff struggles lowry scored 33 points   including 5 straight to break a late tie   in a duel with dwyane wade to lift the raptors to a 95 91 victory over the heat on saturday night in game 3 of the eastern conference semifinal series
i felt like it was just a matter of time lowry said
the raptors lead the best of seven series two games to one game 4 is scheduled for monday night in miami
lowry was a career 34 percent playoff shooter before saturday and was shooting 31 percent this postseason but he connected saturday on 11 of 19 shots and was 5 of 8 from 3 point range
ive said this hes struggled but you dont forget how to shoot toronto coach dwane casey said and we needed that we needed him to be kyle and he was kyle tonight
lowry had 29 points after halftime so did wade who by the end led with 38 points and sparked a miami rally from 13 behind in the second half
but the heat lost the game and maybe much more after center hassan whiteside took a second quarter tumble injuring his right knee whiteside will have a magnetic resonance imaging test on sunday
toronto center jonas valanciunas limped off with a sprained ankle in the third quarter and he will be listed as day to day but the injury sustained by whiteside a pending free agent seemed worse with his status for the rest of the series in doubt
guys have to step up wade said nobody can be hassan whiteside


chicago   after a new poll of chicagoans showed that they are deeply dissatisfied with the direction of their city distrustful of their police force and divided along racial lines people here and around the country weighed in on social media
some expressed shock at some of the most painful findings in the survey from the new york times and kaiser family foundation more than 80 percent of african american residents said it was at least somewhat likely that the young people in their neighborhoods would end up victims of violent crimes and about the same number said it was likely the young people would go to jail far fewer white residents had those expectations about young people in their neighborhoods
others spoke of similar entrenched racial and economic problems in their own cities suggested ways to improve relations with the police and opined on leadership in big cities
some pointed to longstanding allegations of corruption in chicago the nations third largest city
from a distance chicago has always appeared to be a city structured by cronyism and favors you do what we tell you and you got a job with the city  for life too many big cities are constructed this way the people who live there are victims of absentee slumlords crumbling infrastructure failing schools over policing and many of their futures are predictably bleak rahm emanuel has continued the tradition of inept leadership the poverty besieged people who live there must start to vote them out the political machines know poor people dont vote and arent much of a threat so they will continue to misuse and abuse them until they stand up
  charlotte scot old lyme conn
the root cause of all these problems is easy to define crony liberal leadership that has spent more money than the city has brought in for years is the issue try that as an article
  hozeking indianapolisphoenix
in the survey most chicagoans said their neighborhoods lacked good quality public schools but the survey also found that a majority   59 percent citywide   supported a possible strike by the chicago teachers union if it cannot settle on a contract in a twitter post the teachers union seemed pleased by the finding
while the poll showed sympathy for the chicago teachers union some respondents said the citys troubles were caused by pandering to municipal unions and an entrenched work force
i was born on the south side of chicago attended med school and residency on the far south side of the city the people want handouts the unionized employees i worked with at stroger john stroger hospital aka county were the laziest employed people i have ever seen it is a cultural problem billions of dollars has not and cannot fix the culture see the comments from charles blows last article for numbers on state violence on blacks vs blacks violence toward each other for who is really doing the most harm it is the fault of these communities and the people who live there if it is not safe any other pc sjw social justice warrior progressive talk is just hogwash the police in chicago are the best of any city i have ever lived in just look at the murder rate and shooting statistics and consider if you would want that job they may have made mistakes but guess what im a doctor and we make a lot and people die whether because of fatigue workload or mental illness it happens chicago has major issues with pension funding and the give me that attitude of the teachers and other unions has resulted in a credit rating of junk i love the city and am moving back after a year in charleston trust me chicago is way more integrated than the new south we may have our issues but blaming the police is not the answer blame the people who are doing the shooting and the parents of children failing in school until people take responsibility for their lives and their children nothing can change
  doctalk midwest
sixty two percent of respondents to the survey said they disapproved of rahm emanuels job as mayor and the numbers were worse among african americans some wondered how that would bode for mr emanuel if he were to seek a third term
some readers said chicagos troubles required a response that is broader than what can be accomplished in the city limits
when we consider a diverse and large city such as chicago as one entity we often make overly large generalizations that dont apply to the whole chicago is not just one city the north side with a population of over a million people basically functions as a separate city one that is as safe and prosperous as smaller thriving cities such as san francisco denver or seattle the south and west sides by contrast resemble cities such as detroit so the real news here is that millions of americans live in dangerous and impoverished neighborhoods and that chicago has more than its share of such areas as a chicagoan i am very sad about this situation but i dont see anything unique here i am no fan of our mayor but i am not sure that local politicians have much control over larger issues of economic and racial injustice that create blighted neighborhoods
  b magnuson evanston ill
most of the same things could be said about st louis where i live im not sure what the answer is i do know that the answer will be finding ways to bring people together not to marginalize there is so much to be gained by living around people who are not necessarily just like you unfortunately we seem to fear that today and the result is playing out in our urban centers
  ddf st louis
some noted what the survey showed so bleakly that life feels different on the more affluent north side than it does for black residents on the south and west sides where shootings and homicides have increased this year
chicago is two worlds you have the north side around the loop and parts of the south west side that were ok at best neighborhoods 35 years ago but now over the last 25 years have been revitalized by young college graduates moving into the areas to enjoy city life then you have the west and south side that have remained 95 percent black and in poverty for more than 40 years   in fact after the tear down and relocation of everyone from the high rise housing projects they seem to be getting worse for various reasons
  john chicago
some readers lamented the problems in chicago but said it was still a great american city
i came to chicago in 1974 and love this city that said i am not deluded about its myriad problems there is plenty of blame to go around surely police misconduct has been a serious problem for a long time yet the majority of cops are trying the best they can to do a very difficult job the force needs clear unambiguous rules and swift action when misconduct occurs one would think that the police union would want miscreants off the force as much as anyone else for bad behavior drags them all down
i am ambivalent about emanuel he is doing good things bringing corporations into the city we need their business their taxes and their customers and employees on the other hand the jobs they bring will not help the city residents who most need jobs
improving our schools should be a priority i do not agree that closing schools was such a horrible thing it is not surprising that many were in poor neighborhoods but it makes no sense for a bankrupt system to operate large old buildings with few kids in them effortmoney should be poured into improving cps chicago public schools especially on the south  west sides although i support and respect teachers i am not sure how a strike removing kids from classrooms burdening parents and missing class time really helps rather than hurts the children
our poor neighborhoods need better public transport better schools safer streets job training access to decent child care and much else how to pay for it is as always the question
  anne marie hislop chicago


charlotte nc   rickie fowler is looking to jump start his season at a course where he first won on the pga tour
fowler shot a four under par 68 on saturday to take the third round lead at the wells fargo championship
fowler who broke through at quail hollow club in 2012 for his first tour title had a one stroke lead over roberto castro with justin rose and james hahn two strokes back
fowler won the players championship and the deutsche bank championship last year and took a european tour event in abu dhabi united arab emirates early this year although he blew a late lead and lost the phoenix open in a playoff this season he seems to have the confidence to handle pressure situations in the final round
castro was atop the leaderboard for most of the day but bogeyed the 18th hole for a 71
winless on the tour he said he was looking forward to playing with fowler in the final group sunday
if you want to win a tournament out here and really win a marquee event like this one youre going to have to grab your hat and play with one of the top five players in the world probably the final round castro said so thats what ive got tomorrow so im excited about it
fowler parred the first seven holes before heating up with three straight birdies on nos 8 9 and 10 he appeared to be starting to crumble after bogeys on 11 and 13 but came back strong with three straight birdies starting on no 14 to pull into a tie for the lead
he had a little luck along the way
fowler avoided potential trouble on the 18th hole when his ball held up in the high grass instead of rolling into the creek along the left side of the fairway playing with the ball well above his feet fowler ripped an iron onto the green and saved par
phil mickelson and rory mcilroy the defending champion struggled dropping to eight shots behind fowler
mickelson looking for his first win at the quail hollow club in 13 starts was in contention until a quadruple bogey 8 on his old nemesis the 18th hole he finished with a 76


seattle   it was major local news when the new city council was seated here in january with a 5 to 4 majority of women
it was even bigger news last week when that new majority worked together for the first time   rejecting in a 5 to 4 decision along gender lines a land use deal that would have paved the way for a sports arena intended to help lure major league professional basketball back to seattle
the resulting backlash was ugly and swift
in hundreds of email messages and social media posts the female council members were attacked by people   practically all apparently men   who said they lacked intelligence and an understanding of the importance of sports because they are women one twitter poster simply used a four letter graphic insult to define them another man in a signed email suggested they should all kill themselves and rot in hell other critics in less violent but equally demeaning terms addressed them as ladies who should go back to the kitchen
in a city where liberal views are all but assumed and sports passions run deep the attacks quickly became as big an issue   or at least just as politically complicated   as the arena plan itself
mayor ed murray who supported the arena proposal and chris hansen the businessman who had been seeking the deal both gave an unsolicited defense of the five women at a news conference on wednesday   two days after the vote but that in turn caused more controversy with some people resenting the appearance that women under attack had needed men to stand up for them
on friday the council member who cast the decisive arena vote lorena gonzalez   and who also received the brunt of the hate mail   said in her first interview since the storm erupted that she appreciated mr murrays and mr hansens support and believed it honorable but in all due respect she said it was also not necessary
women were a majority on the nine member city council through most of the 1990s but since then until this year as through most of the citys political history they were a minority voice
when we are dealing with sexism we have to understand that we need to give women opportunity to lead and to stand on their own two feet because thats what we do every day and while i appreciate the intentions to defend us i would have certainly appreciated some consultation before the statements were made said ms gonzalez who before her election last year worked as a civil rights lawyer for a decade in seattle defending women in workplace sexual harassment cases
the fact that it was five women who tipped the vote to prevent this land use action from occurring i think just scratched the surface of what we know is a still unfortunately very very strong sentiment of sexism out there she said in a telephone interview my hope is that the men who are engaging in this vitriolic behavior will understand that it needs to end
the women on the council in their comments before the vote all said that financial arguments had swayed them they said that giving over city resources for the project without any promise that a national basketball association team would come   and with recent comments by league officials that no new franchise was likely   made the arena terms questionable and that another location already owned by the city should be considered
seattle is home to the seahawks of the national football league and the mariners of major league baseball but it has not had an nba team since 2008 when the supersonics left town for oklahoma city to become the thunder
seattle by various measures   not least that fans of the seahawks can trigger with their roars and stomping feet actual small earthquakes in the area around that teams football stadium   is a sports crazed town and being without an nba franchise for years has also been a blow to seattles image as a major city
but ms gonzalez who said that at least one of the emails to her had been referred to the seattle police for investigation said the arena vote had also exposed other fault lines
this particular issue will ultimately calm down at least for a little bit ms gonzalez said but i think the bigger question is what does it say about us as a city 


that baseball visionary george steinbrenner was way ahead of brian cashman a generation ago the boss was already trending with a bold new plan in the back end of the yankees bullpen
his team won the 1977 world series boasting a closer sparky lyle who won 13 games saved 26 pitched to a 217 era and gratefully accepted the american leagues cy young award
what did george do he signed a premier closer rich gossage known as goose and sent lyle onto the winter banquet circuit in a foul mood
a young reporter at the new york post was tipped that lyle had sounded off at an event in new jersey he called lyle at home having never had the pleasure of a conversation with him no matter lyle sounded off to a stranger a scoop on a screaming tabloid back page beckoned
gossage next on the call list agreed that the concept of two high profile closers was crazy
larry rothschild the yankees current pitching coach listened to this piquant slice of club history saturday morning and smiled
the closers went multiple innings back then he said now its different now it takes three guys to do what sometimes one guy would do
no offense just fact back in the day when bullpen aces were no quiche eating one inning wonders lyle could throw 137 innings his 1977 career high in his 17 seasons as the yankees closer mariano rivera by most accounts the best in baseball history averaged fewer than 70
well into the age of specialists for specific innings we come to the imminent return of aroldis chapman to active baseball duty on monday after a suspension by major league baseball for violating its domestic violence policy   and the much anticipated reshuffling of manager joe girardis late inning bullpen machinations
cashman   the last general manager hired and never fired by steinbrenner   made a stunning acquisition with his deal for the southpaw chapman who routinely hits 100 miles per hour on the radar gun amazing to no less a flamethrower than dellin betances
the difference between me and him is that ill hit 100 once in a while betances said where he hits it consistently hes a physical specimen something else
cashman wanted to enhance the faded yankee championship brand by making opponents cower if they trailed after six innings the last place team in the american league east the yankees have been taking on water in most other places their disabled list increasingly inhabited by the aged and chronically infirm
in the rearrangement of relievers that girardi said would most likely take effect as soon as the appropriate game situation presented itself its another story altogether there perfection gets demoted
that would be andrew miller and his 000 era after friday nights rare flirtation with failure a four out 36 pitch effort ended with miller leaving the bases loaded in a 3 2 victory recording his sixth save   after 36 last season when he was honored as the american leagues best relief pitcher
miller strolled into the clubhouse saturday morning ducked his lean 6 foot 7 frame into his dressing stall and spoke so dispassionately about his anticipated move to an eighth inning setup role with betances taking over the seventh that he sounded like a decaffeinated television analyst discussing it from the booth
might be a little bit of an emotional adjustment trying to prepare quicker but not get too amped up he said i dont think itll be too big an issue
in a career of routine change   five teams in 11 seasons starter to reliever to closer to setup   miller 30 has apparently found a healthy context along with the four year 36 million contract cashman provided him before last season
betances 28 also said he was all in with the program asked if he believed that he eventually would be the yankees closer he said i cant get out of my lane thats where im at trying to be the best i can at that
joba chamberlain once was heralded as riveras heir who knows what the future brings who can even say how long cashman will have the luxury of keeping chapman miller and betances
cashman considered moving miller after acquiring chapman who will be a free agent after this season the three man plan could be on a two month tryout if the yankees settle into or around the al east cellar how could cashman resist trading from strength
the late inning relievers would be his best assets with which to inject more youth and hope into what until this weekend has played like an atrophying team but on saturday at yankee stadium the yankees chased bostons ace david price and beat the red sox for a second straight day 8 2
cashman expressed his frustration recently with what he called underperforming talent but he has been at this for two decades and has to know that this team is far from his finest
if it fails to get into the postseason picture by july count on calls for cashman to produce the kind of coup sandy alderson scored for the mets when he landed noah syndergaard and travis darnaud for the aging knuckleballer r a dickey
yes its early chapman who will be at the stadium on sunday to meet with reporters should be on many days a sight to behold miller and betances are formidable
the yankees won saturday behind nathan eovaldis eight strong innings coasting without the services of betances who had pitched in three straight games and miller who shook his head when told that friday nights wild ninth inning had made for riveting television
i wish it hadnt been he said preferring and usually delivering less stress in the workplace
friday nights game   an emotional win against their fiercest rival   may have pumped some much needed adrenaline into the yankees collective body it also illustrated why cashman made the chapman deal ordinary or old in too many places the yankees really needed to be dominant somewhere
nor must girardi stick to the 7 8 9 script every time the yankees have a lead after six innings he has always been considered a shrewd handler of his bullpen let the juggling begin
i think it always depends on what the situation calls for girardi said
sparky lyle might agree in 1978 even with gossage as the closer in chief lyle saved nine games won nine more and received another world series ring the boss was right


it was in a very real sense the end of an era on saturday afternoon james levine conducted his final performance in the orchestra pit as music director of the metropolitan opera the position he was appointed to in 1976
emotion ran high throughout the performance a matinee of mozarts die entfuhrung aus dem serail that was broadcast live on the radio on the last day of the mets season mr levine 72 who agreed to retire at the end of the season for health reasons after struggling to retain his post received lengthy applause before each act including a prolonged standing ovation before the beginning of the third
but after the final curtain the weight of the moment was the most palpable as the members of the cast came out for their curtain calls they seemed more interested in applauding mr levine than in receiving applause themselves and the audience did not seem to want to let the afternoon end the loudest cheers for mr levine came after the singers had left the stage
many could not see the man they were cheering since mr levine has conducted for the past few seasons from a motorized wheelchair he could not make it from the pit to the stage in time for curtain calls so once the first members of the audience rose to give him an ovation mr levine still in the pit could no longer be seen by most of the audience members who had been sitting in the orchestra seats
but the ovation continued and soon the cast returned and led the audience in a long rhythmic clap
although it was mr levines last performance as music director in the pit of the opera house he has helped shaped for decades it will not be his last of the season he will lead the met orchestra in concerts later this month at carnegie hall culminating in a performance of excerpts from wagners ring cycle a specialty of his and he is scheduled to return to the met next season to conduct several operas   as music director emeritus


rio de janeiro   in one verbal assault from the podium of brazils congress jair bolsonaro told a fellow legislator that she was not worthy of being raped by him you dont merit that said mr bolsonaro a former army parachutist
in another episode the congressman described his abhorrence of homosexuality i would be incapable of loving a gay son said mr bolsonaro 61 the father of five children i prefer that he die in an accident
then mr bolsonaro justified his vote last month for the impeachment of president dilma rousseff by praising col carlos alberto brilhante ustra who oversaw the torture of dissidents during brazils military dictatorship which lasted from 1964 to 1985
colonel ustra who died last year at the age of 83 embodied the dread of dilma rousseff mr bolsonaro proclaimed his reference clear ms rousseff an operative in a guerrilla group in her youth repeatedly endured brutal torture sessions at the hands of colonel ustras colleagues
such venomous statements might signal the end of a politicians career in some places but not in brazil where mr bolsonaros rising national prominence reflects a veering to the right and growing vitriol as disillusionment with the political establishment grows
he is already one of the most influential politicians from rio de janeiro where in 2014 he was elected to a seventh four year term in congress with more votes than any other legislator now mr bolsonaro is surging among those eyeing the presidency in 2018
mr bolsonaro in excoriating immigrants promoting gun ownership and defending the torture of drug traffickers says his time is coming as a disgraced political elite reels from the upheaval surrounding efforts to oust ms rousseff
i plan to collaborate with the destiny of my country mr bolsonaro said in a wide ranging interview detailing his presidential ambitions and expressing admiration for leaders of the republican party in the united states including donald j trump
mr bolsonaro who bellows his opinions as if chiding a subordinate is drawing some comparisons to the presumptive republican presidential nominee for his appeal to disillusioned voters just like trump bolsonaro is tapping into reservoirs of resentment to emerge as a leading anti establishment figure said esther solano a scholar of international relations at the federal university of sao paulo who studies conservative movements in brazil
many brazilians still consider a bolsonaro presidency a remote even nightmarish possibility trying to laugh off his rise through jokes
a fixture on the fringes of congress mr bolsonaro has expressed extreme views since the 1990s when he said dictatorship era soldiers should have killed fernando henrique cardoso the once exiled sociologist who was brazils president from 1995 to 2002
but the rancor on the streets of brazils cities where protesters have vented antigovernment fury over the last year is now bolstering right wing politicians around the country
mr bolsonaro who is often greeted with raucous applause in airport lobbies and street rallies around brazil placed fourth among potential presidential candidates in a public opinion survey in april by datafolha a polling company
with 8 percent support mr bolsonaro ranked ahead of vice president michel temer with just 2 percent mr temer of the centrist brazilian democratic movement party is maneuvering to assume the presidency if ms rousseff is suspended in a senate impeachment vote this month
some brazilians were comforted that mr bolsonaros overall support remained in the single digits reflecting broad disenchantment with brazils political class the front runners in the poll luiz inacio lula da silva a former president had the support of only 21 percent and marina silva a former environment minister had 19 percent
still closer evaluation revealed some surprises in the poll conducted on april 7 and 8 in interviews with 2779 people the survey had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus two percentage points
mr bolsonaro emerged as the preferred candidate among the richest brazilians securing 23 percent of support among those with the highest incomes datafolha said among brazilians with a college education mr bolsonaro placed second with 15 percent support behind only ms silva according to datafolha
such findings caused jaws to drop around the country
jair bolsonaro is now the preferred presidential hopeful of a sizable part of the brazilian elite said fernando de barros e silva the editor of piaui a magazine focusing on brazilian politics and culture this is a portrait of the terrible moment were enduring
mr bolsonaro is reveling in the moment he emerged from obscurity as a young army officer in the 1980s when he was acquitted by a military tribunal on charges of plotting to plant small bombs in public buildings to pressure authorities to raise soldiers pay
he used that newfound attention to win a seat in congress and has carved out a specialty in brazilian politics by praising the countrys authoritarian military figures while staking out positions that his opponents call misogynistic homophobic or racist
as a member of the conservative social christian party part of the influential evangelical caucus in congress he expresses alarm for instance about the refugees coming from syria and other countries a relatively small number he argues that the scum of the world is arriving in brazil as if we didnt have enough problems to resolve
in the interview mr bolsonaro reserved special ire for haiti and haitian immigrants to brazil describing with revulsion the poverty and sanitary conditions he witnessed on a trip to port au prince haitis capital where brazil has maintained a peacekeeping force
i saw women there offering sex without excuse me for saying any hygiene whatsoever said mr bolsonaro also contending that haitian immigrants to brazil were bringing diseases to the country
alarming to many in a country where socially liberal policies like affirmative action and legalization of same sex marriage recently expanded mr bolsonaros positions appeal to a growing legion of supporters
the moral values that he promotes his conservatism are what i want for my children said antonio carlos pires 26 a nurse in sao paulo who expressed admiration for mr bolsonaro at a recent antigovernment protest
some however remain appalled by mr bolsonaro
minutes after mr bolsonaro praised a reviled torturer during the impeachment vote jean wyllys a leftist congressman from rio spit on him on the floor of congress reflecting the state of decorum in brazils congress eduardo bolsonaro 31 a congressman who is mr bolsonaros son then spit on mr wyllys
mr bolsonaros plaudits for the dictatorship have his critics questioning why he should enjoy special judicial standing as a congressman ensuring that lawsuits against him over hateful remarks advance at a snails pace in the supreme court
he uses his immunity to explicitly threaten ending democracy in the country while defending heinous crimes miriam leitao an economic historian and commentator wrote in the newspaper o globo ms leitao 63 who was tortured as a young dissident in 1972 added should democracy really have to coexist with someone who threatens it
democracy seems to be a flexible concept for mr bolsonaro who refuses to even describe brazils long period of military rule as a dictatorship what about the 1964 military coup that toppled a civilian government a revolution he said
asked to name the brazilian politician he most admired mr bolsonaro hesitated and then said president medici referring to emilio garrastazu medici the dictator whose rule from 1969 to 1974 was marked by economic growth as well as human rights abuses that were so widespread that it was known as the years of lead


louisville ky   they were not worried and they said so all week everyone had stopped by the barn of the trainer doug oneill and told him that his colt nyquist did not have the stamina to last a mile and a quarter   that he had cranked up his baby too much in capturing a 1 million bonus last month in the florida derby
there could not be anything left in the tank after that right there was no way that a favorite was going to win the kentucky derby for the fourth consecutive year was there
oneill   along with his brother and consigliere dennis and nyquists rider mario gutierrez and especially the colts owner j paul reddam   just smiled and went about his business the barn was humming along   think the google campus but substitute matted bed head for skinny jeans and piles of dung for beanbag chairs
what me worry that was the response from an outfit that had been here and done it before four years ago with a long shot named ill have another that late running colt sneaked into churchill downs and hid in the shadow of the tracks iconic twin spires without anyone much noticing
for the 142nd running of the kentucky derby on saturday there was no hiding nyquist was the 2 year old champion after all and the colt was undefeated in seven starts and had beaten at one time or another nearly a quarter of the field assembled here
nyquist had a better resume than last years triple crown champion american pharoah and had enough black type as stakes wins and places are called to rival that of the 1977 triple crown champion seattle slew he was the big horse by anyones definition
nyquist showed why as soon as he slipped out of the gate a thief in the night prowling with purpose around the first turn as if he were tethered to the front runner danzing candy and were atop the two fattest skis while riding in the wake of a big old boat
there are not many kentucky derbys that can be proclaimed over moments after they have started but losing betting tickets were being crumpled in knotted fists as soon as nyquist floated out of the first turn and then skipped down the backstretch as if he had just gotten out of school
it did not matter that he was chasing a swift front runner throwing down fast fractions gutierrez had nyquist breezing along unbothered horse and rider totally ignored florent geroux who had a colt named gun runner ahead and inside them and looked every bit like a horse sniffing the wire first
instead gutierrez let nyquist have his head as they came around the far turn and asked for another gear into the stretch a familiar rival by the name of exaggerator launched a late run from far back but his rider kent desormeaux knew that it was a futile chase
my horse slammed on the brakes and ducked back to the inside and then took off desormeaux said after exaggerator finished second a length and a quarter behind nyquist
gutierrez did not see exaggerator or anyone else that he was worried about when he peeked beneath his arm the rider knows his colt
he will not allow any other horse past him he said hes the kind of horse that always has something left for whatever comes to him late
bettors were hardly surprised by the outcome nyquist was a solid favorite paying 660 for a 2 bet it was a lucrative day for reddam as well his colts win was worth 124 million and lifted nyquists career earnings to more than 3 million
now that the kentucky derby was over a bigger race was on can it be is it possible that a year after american pharoah took down thoroughbred racings holy grail and became just the 12th triple crown winner in history   the first in 37 years   that racing could have another
again reddam and oneill took the hypothetical head on and acted as if it were not only a possibility but their plan
hes such a special horse oneill said we see it in his eyes on a daily basis hes the type of athlete that puts his time in the gym every day and goes to bed early when we go to the track each day he just swishes his tail and asks what do you want from me now 
oneill also knows that he will need a whole lot of luck and a little bit of magic to navigate those historic shoals
the affable oneill took a beating throughout ill have anothers run toward a triple crown when it came to light that over 14 years and in four states he had received more than a dozen violations for giving his horses improper drugs and that his horses had a tendency to break down or show signs of injury at a rate more than twice the national average
when asked if history could repeat itself oneill asked his mother who was here with him to light a candle at church on his and his horses behalf
we need some higher power to keep this guy injury free he said
while reddam enjoyed his second derby victory he could not resist barking back at doubters
i feel really good for the horse reddam said because along the way the last year he has taken a lot of shots for whatever reason and i think he proved all his critics wrong today
reddam could not help offering a pun and keeping hope for another piece of history in 2012 ill have another won two thirds of the triple crown before withdrawing from the belmont stakes on the eve of the race with a tendon injury
well have another he said when accepting the derby trophy
we will see if another triple crown is in the cards


its a special year for jack lenor larsen at age 89 he is celebrating the 25th jubilee of longhouse reserve his 16 acre sculpture garden in east hampton the estates sandy dunes wooded glens and walking paths   bursting this time of year with daffodils crocuses tulips and eurasian fritillaria   keep almost casual company with works of modern and contemporary art the sculptures are all so deftly placed within the landscape that it is difficult to imagine them fitting elsewhere
mr larsen a renowned textile designer author and art collector shares his garden with the public i wanted longhouse to introduce people to an alternative lifestyle to encourage them to be inventive and nonconformist he said
rotating exhibitions reinvigorate longhouses collection which incorporates items on permanent display or on loan by artists like dale chihuly willem de kooning buckminster fuller kiki smith and lynda benglis
the 2016 exhibition rites of spring brings contemporary form to centuries of mythic celebrations that welcome rebirth and renewal sandro botticellis grand painting primavera c 1482 in which venus presides over three graces comes to mind but where botticelli embedded nature in art the eight artists newly featured at longhouse embed art in nature
take the lithe stainless steel limbs of six lines in a t ii 1964 79 by george rickey 1907 2002 a treelike sculpture that is set in longhouses peters pond six lines stands tall as if protecting a seasonal family of delicate lilies and lotus plants its intersecting arms gently sway and churn in prevailing winds   whatever it takes to court the splendid nearby cherry tree that is currently abloom with sensuous pink blossoms
then there is venus incarnate   a pair of 16 foot high black stockinged legs leaping across the wooded kreye canyon larry rivers 1923 2002 who created legs 1969 aptly conveys venuss daunting sexual power unlike botticellis demure goddess of love and renewal
an especially poignant allegorical work by russian born artists ilya and emilia kabakov sits within an open sun drenched grassy knoll the arch of life 2016 is modest compared with this renowned couples more monumental installations yet five figures set upon an arch carry the full weight of their vision of pathos and resilience an egg hatches a human head a vulnerable youth shows bravado as he crawls on hands and knees wearing a lion mask a third figure bearing a light filled box on his back represents hope through adversity and a fourth torso sorrowfully draped over two sides of a wall suggests the universal plight of those unable to survive the final figure surrounded by the weight of his agony is in a state of collapse
another symbolically figurative work the invisible 2015 a bronze by enrique martinez celaya portrays a crying boy standing hands clenched in black mirror a square pool designed by mr larsen though figurative works tend to spark narratives this one tied to loss and the fragility of youth weds art to nature as a boys tears continuously drip into the pool
this mythic constancy prevails in jun kanekos untitled an installation of five dangos a word that means dumplings in japanese these monolithic ceramic works softly molded geometric forms set within a graveled court are shiny constructions that sport abstract painted patterns reminiscent of minimal painting and postmodern design
marko remecs would that i wish for tall totem 2016 interprets the totem pole as a monumental urban pillar rising 20 feet from a depression within grey garden it consists of a utility pole covered with industrial semi dome mirrors that reflect a glut of visual stimuli   on this day the limbs of budding trees and the flash of a red fox sauntering by the mirrors also reflect paranoia of covert surveillance and an obsessive compulsive need to eyeball all one can about the behavior of others in this respect remecs work bows to the culture of narcissism inviting viewers to take multiple selfies and exponentially replicate them online
finally there is neil nolands green re genesislake edenblack mountain 1986 a steel accordion pleated sculpture it sits quietly where it can bask in the whims of sun and shadow coaxing us to slow down to look at a single work of art from different angles and to have in this frenzied world what mr larsen wishes for us a chance for a moment to live a nonconformist life


when was the last time you saw an origami maker become the focus in your night at the theater never you say then why you might ask would anyone make it happen
the playwright rajiv joseph a pulitzer finalist for bengal tiger at the baghdad zoo has some metaphorical answers to that question in his comic and surprising animals out of paper the current offering of the hudson stage company in armonk if origami seems to you just a darling way to fashion a crane youll come away with other ideas after seeing it here as a symbol and device to examine the mysteries of the human heart
creating from paper a human heart is the task before the despondent origamist ilana jenny sheffer stevens who as the play opens is burrowed into the couch of her messy studio days of empty cartons of chinese food within her reach seems ilana cant get herself to create much of anything after a divorce and the loss of her elderly three legged dog but when a fan the calculus teacher andy michael guagno asks out of the blue to be buzzed into her apartment she begins a journey back to her next paper fold
that sounds like an obvious arc   the blocked artist gets unblocked   and the first scene is an improbable meet cute a patience demanding conversation that lasts well beyond a series of moments when it would realistically stop these are not the scripts only problems yet heres the thing great opportunities can diminish even the peskiest problems and for the most part the hudson stage production well directed by stephen nachamie mines what is special   and at its best its wonderful   in mr josephs script
the role of andy for instance is a tricky one he admittedly worships ilana he has repeatedly read her origami book and has recorded his every exchange with her in a diary of blessings begun at age 12 for one blessing he praises a rake theres a lot of besotted nerd in andy but also a sensitive and honest integrity that could be overshadowed onstage yet mr guagno earns laughs as the silly geek affection as the lovable suitor and most of all respect as the loving man of immense goodwill its a nigh ideal performance and idiosyncratically his
ms stevens has the sort of natural easy stage presence an audience can rely upon even as her character   passive until shes not   does the unexpected hers is a characterization you can trust in details as simple as when she ties back her hair or as complicated as when she fields a kiss she also knows her way around funny and its charming and convincing to watch her and mr guagno having an eventful st valentines dinner date
but theres a wild card to what at this point might seem to be a ready for sitcom love story the plays third character suresh adit dileep a troubled student at andys school and a prodigy of origami andy persuades ilana to take on suresh whose mother was recently killed as an apprentice most people start by folding a boat or a flower andy says he folds an amazonian toad
the hip hop loving suresh though is a moody teenager who baits and berates ilana even as he entertains and astonishes her after he presents ilana with an origami heart complete with all the chambers she invites him to accompany her to a conference on the form in japan and thats where this deceptively simple play becomes more unsettling in ways i wont reveal and where mr josephs skillful writing becomes apparent
mr dileep looks perfect for this difficult play making role which he attacks with commitment charm insight and energy theres a bit too much of that last quality though with anger that becomes dispersed and generalized where a deeper tangle of emotions might be revealed
while some moments land he and perhaps mr nachamie could have better finessed others and mr nachamie in spots could have better served the momentum of the two act play still the plays final complications have a punch
the actors are lucky to wear charlotte palmer lanes smart and character enhancing costumes and shoko kambaras multi location set serves the script with practical efficiency a trick in hudson stages whippoorwill theater space the contributions of talo kawasaki credited as origami consultant were no doubt helpful
folds leave scars ilana says explaining the consequences of each decision in origami thats true for these characters whose lives become enfolded and its the metaphor that should linger after the last scene of this arresting production


at a reading in manhattan last month the pulitzer prize winning novelist jane smiley faced an unruly crowd as she read from her new book twenty yawns audience members squirmed and fidgeted shouted out questions and seemed to get distracted
the beach umbrella was flapping in the breeze she read flap flap flap
look a fly a little boy in a spider man t shirt yelled swatting at a buzzing insect
ms smiley took the outbursts in stride and tried to engage an audience that consisted mostly of toddlers and their minders as she read the story about a girl who struggles to fall asleep after a day at the beach do you know how to look sleepy she asked the children flopped over and pretended to snore
for most of her career ms smiley 66 has tried to avoid putting readers to sleep now with her first picture book she is joining a handful of well known novelists who are aiming to reach readers so young that they probably appreciate the pictures more than the prose a cluster of new picture books from famous writers will hit bookstores in coming months including a lighthearted poetry collection by calvin trillin and a creepy fairy tale like picture book in translation from the mysterious pseudonymous italian author elena ferrante who is best known for her four part neapolitan series
every year there are adult writers and celebrities who choose to write in the genre but this is a particularly high caliber group said megan tingley the executive vice president and publisher of little brown books for young readers
the current crop of picture books from literary writers is arriving at a moment when childrens literature has become a vibrant and often lucrative niche for novelists revenue from childrens books sales ballooned to 17 billion in 2015 from 15 billion in 2011 according to the association of american publishers which tracks sales from more than 1200 publishers sales of adult books by comparison remained stagnant
following the blockbuster success of series like twilight and harry potter a growing number of best selling authors have migrated into the booming market for young adult and middle grade fiction including james patterson john grisham ms smiley and jennifer weiner
picture books typically written for 3  to 7 year olds could represent the next frontier for writers seeking to further expand their audiences by reaching an even younger demographic it also may help them hook impressionable young readers   sometimes before they can even read
some prominent authors have turned to picture books late in their careers motivated in part by the desire to write something their grandchildren could appreciate i tried to see things from their point of view said mr trillin who tested out his poems on a granddaughter ms smiley said her book had the desired effect on her granddaughter who turns 2 this year she fell asleep
others have taken up the craft as a social mission the poet and novelist sherman alexie who is publishing his first picture book thunder boy jr this month said he wanted to write a picture book that featured a native american protagonist   a rarity in childrens literature he also hopes to reach children at the moment when they are just discovering the addictive pleasures of books
i always hope my book becomes the gateway drug to reading so i was thinking why not aim for even younger said mr alexie who has also published an acclaimed young adult novel
writing childrens literature has always appealed to a subset of serious novelists james joyce who wrote some of the most famously impenetrable passages in english literature wrote two childrens fables about cats for his grandson james baldwin john updike and kurt vonnegut all published illustrated books for young readers
still it remains unusual for contemporary novelists to write text for picture books many still see the books as unsophisticated and pedantic   more of a sleep aid or a tool to teach literacy rather than a place to showcase elegant prose
it can also be a daunting genre for writers to break into classics by beloved authors like dr seuss still sell millions of copies a year diminishing the appetite for new titles
but lately there have been signs that picture books are entering a new golden age authors are pushing the aesthetic boundaries of the form with playful works like b j novaks the book with no pictures a pictureless picture book that has become a runaway hit with more than a million copies in print
once considered a stagnant category picture books made up about 14 percent of the market for childrens books in 2015 but accounted for nearly 40 percent of the 100 top selling childrens books   up from 15 percent in 2005 according to nielsen
while the prose can seem deceptively simple a well written picture book isnt easy to pull off
its easy to dismiss picture books because theyre short but its really hard to write a meaningful and enduring text that withstands repeated readings ms tingley said
it took mr alexie about 70 drafts before he was satisfied with thunder boy jr which is narrated by a native american boy who wants a different name
he wrestled with how to write convincingly in the voice of a young boy and how to pack complex ideas about race and identity into a short simple story
the difficult thing was to find a story that could hold sociopolitical meaning for the parents and the kids and blend it all together into a book that a 5 year old wants to read again and again said mr alexie whose book war dances won the 2010 penfaulkner award for fiction
mr trillin decided to write a picture book a few years ago when he found himself spontaneously composing funny rhymes for his grandson
the resulting collection titled no fair no fair and other jolly poems of childhood includes 14 whimsical poems with illustrations by the cartoonist roz chast the poems written for 3  to 5 year olds address childhood injustices like being denied ice cream for breakfast
mr trillin said it was difficult to abridge his vocabulary
it limits the rhyming possibilities he said often the humor in light verse comes from using an odd or unexpected word
for ms smiley who has published 16 novels including a thousand acres one challenge of writing twenty yawns was letting the images speak for themselves and cutting down on the descriptive prose she said but mostly the story was a breeze it doesnt have a plot ms smiley noted dryly in an interview after the reading she is already working on a sequel twenty bites
at the reading last month at bank street bookstore children offered their own assessments
its a little funny book a boy said as he handed ms smiley a book to sign
is it a little book thats funny or a book thats a little funny she asked as he scampered off
by then a bookstore employee had produced a basket of teddy bear shaped cookies and the impromptu literary salon broke up


al natali stood among the long rows of white and green chardonnay grapes blanketing parts of his vineyard in cape may county and grew excited it was last september the start of harvest season
he plucked a grape from its vine and popped it in his mouth oh its sweet he exclaimed and that is perfect he continued pointing to tiny seeds that hed spit back into his hand thats the bit the seed look at how brown that is
known more for its beaches and victorian era hotels than for its wineries cape may according to a growing number of devotees and wine experts is a small and somewhat obscure treasure three miles wide and found at new jerseys southern tip the peninsula has loamy soil and a relatively moderate climate softened by the delaware bay to the west the atlantic ocean to the east and the constant breezes that cross it
this geography and its less extreme temperatures help cape may produce one of the longest and best growing seasons for european vinifera wine grapes on the eastern seaboard according to several winemakers who have studied the peninsula plump and redolent grape varietals capable of growing here include cabernet sauvignon cabernet franc merlot chardonnay sauvignon blanc and pinot grigio among others
the central theme is that this is an undiscovered area this is kind of like a secret mr natali said of cape may where he bought a small horse farm and converted it into what is now natali vineyards in the early 2000s after leaving behind a 19 year career on wall street on the other hand he said weve only been growing grapes on cape may since the late 1980s
in the next year or so cape may may also be named an official winemaking region or in the federal governments vernacular an american viticultural area there are 235 such areas in the country today including high profile regions like napa valley and the north fork of long island in 2014 mr natali and others began collecting information from cape mays nine vineyards one has since stopped producing grapes
mr natali then spent a year researching writing and submitting a 16 page petition to the alcohol and tobacco tax and trade bureau for american viticultural area status for most of cape may county and a small section of cumberland county the land is already part of new jerseys larger outer coastal plain american viticultural area but vineyard owners in cape may contend that it has maritime temperatures that distinguish it the peninsulas softer climate for example allow its vines to survive new jerseys winters better than some vines planted 30 miles north they say
if the petition is approved vineyard owners will be allowed to label and advertise their wines as being made specially in cape may its exciting said darren hesington the winemaker at cape may winery  vineyard as he stood in black rubber boots covered in crimson red pulp from recently pressed grapes mr hesington produced more than 20000 gallons of wine last year from 26 acres under vine the most in the vineyards history he said and now that may has arrived he and the peninsulas other winemakers are gearing up for the expected seasonal crowds
kevin zraly a wine book author and a former wine director of the windows on the world restaurant at the world trade center said that during a 2012 tasting of wines from turdo vineyards and winery he discovered an impressive selection of grapes including the varietals sangiovese and nebbiolo there are not many wineries in the us that plant these grapes he said luca turdo the owner said that turdo is one of just a few vineyards in the country that grows the nero davola a sicilian varietal
cape may is already producing some wines on a par with those from the east coasts best known regions like virginia and the north fork said john mahoney chancellor of the dionysian society cape may is right where those places were 10 years ago he said both natali vineyards and cape may winery won awards at the finger lakes international wine competition held in rochester ny in march
the peninsula has also been part of a statewide expansion over the past 15 years there were about a dozen wineries in new jersey in 2000 and today there are 53 according to the garden state wine growers association the states winemaking industry brings in more than 40 million a year the association reported it helps our farmers who have been struggling said stephen m sweeney president of the new jersey senate
several miles down the road from mr natalis vineyard kevin celli the winemaker at willow creek winery  farm jumped behind the wheel of a bright red trolley used for vineyard tours and discussed the wine industry in cape may while steering the trolley he told stories of dreamy summers spent in the basque country in spain where he said he fell madly in love with winemaking he climbed onto the colonnaded porch of a mustard yellow mansion overlooking the land in cape may we get the cross breeze from the ocean to the bay back and forth every day it keeps the canopy   the leaves of the vines   nice and dry which is important for some of these specific old world european grapes we are growing he said
he then pointed to the fields divided into endless rows by thick wooden posts for us winemakers the grape growers the beautiful thing is that were discovering our terroir if the federal designation is awarded he said it will be a timeless asset
the bordeaux regions of france have been around for a long time mr celli said we hope cape may is going to be around for a long time too


ali angulo the co owner of arepa mania in new rochelle has a strategy for dining at his cafe
i can eat an arepa every day but not three meals he said in the morning i take the pabellon empanada   thats the one with shredded beef firm black beans mozzarella and sliced plantain   a very complete breakfast for lunch i take my arepa in the nighttime i can take one of those burgers easy
that plan is good as far as it goes but it leaves out the plantain sandwich called a patacon cachapas generously filled corn pancakes and pepitos venezuelan hero sandwiches with the dimensions of a polaris missile
mr angulo who has a full time job as a plumber opened the venezuelan restaurant last october with his brother manuel who is the cafes manager
i liked arepas and empanadas all my life but there are no places around here to get it ali angulo said i just decided to get into the business because a lot of people from my country from venezuela are coming over now
mr angulo who was raised in barquisimeto one of the largest cities in venezuela grew up eating the foods now offered at this family enterprise alejandra rizzio who is married to manuel angulo is the chef in a kitchen that has a winning way with soups sandwiches and of course arepas
the arepa was my first meal ali angulo said and the corn cakes here are grilled light with a little crunch and plenty of corn flavor they come with a choice of savory fillings shredded beef ground beef shredded roast pork and a variety of cheeses the reina pepiada with chicken salad avocado and garlic mayonnaise is an arepa with a backstory the sandwich was created decades ago to honor susana duijm a beauty pageant contestant who won the miss venezuela and miss world titles in 1955 it is not entirely clear who came up with the recipe although most accounts claim caracas as the birthplace in any event the voluptuous queen as the name translates makes for an excellent arepa a summer picnic in a warm corn pocket
diners can order meats and cheeses in any number of tasty ways in fried empanadas also made with corn or inside a folded cachapa dotted with kernels of corn the roast pork and the mild venezuelan cheese called queso de mano are an especially nice pairing with the slightly sweet pancake in fact pork is a fine option in any dish here including the patacon in which crisp disks of fried plantains play the role of well a roll pork plantain a little melted mozzarella   thats a lively lunch i have no doubt the pork would be just as good in a pepito but the shredded beef route had its own rewards
sandwiches are oversized and come fully loaded the patacon with sliced hard boiled egg sliced ham lettuce tomato the pepito with ham bacon lettuce tomato and crushed potato chips and then there is the majestic matterhorn of meat the hamburguesa mixta a patty of ground beef a grilled chicken cutlet roast pork ham bacon american cheese lettuce tomato ketchup mustard and mayonnaise do you want fried egg a friendly counterwoman asked sure   why stop now
i tried picking up the burger with my hands conventionally with little success i then cut it in half though the assemblage ended up bending the plastic knife it is worth conquering however you eat it
mr angulo didnt exactly applaud the performance if youre from venezuela youre going to find a way he said trust me even the patacon i see people they come at the patacon with a knife   i just grab it like a sandwich and thats what i do with the hamburger too
mr angulo initially envisioned arepa mania as a spot for venezuelan fast food but he said that customers were staying for a while people are making it a restaurant he said
on weekends customers seat themselves at one of the four tables or along the counter and order one of the soups served on saturdays and sundays the chopped beef version picadillo llanero is homey and hearty a half hour later mr angulo said theyre going to be asking for the empanada patacon whatever
does ali angulo ever do any cooking here
not at all he said without a note of regret im the eating man


it was a blustery spring saturday in brooklyn heights and the customers shopping at sahadis importing company on atlantic avenue had their heads covered   hijabs snapbacks church derbies pork pies bandannas kufi skull caps   and their hands full of products samples and numbered tickets the tickets are needed to keep order and flow at this foodie dreamscape which resembles an active bazaar with a jumble of containers and barrels crowded counters and overstocked shelves the action is all inside but the stores primary advocate was out front telling stories
charlie sahadi the 72 year old family patriarch is a natural storyteller and one of his favorites is the tale of the family business which began in the late 19th century as an importing enterprise in lower manhattan his father wade sahadi emigrated from lebanon in the early 20th century to join the business he eventually migrated to brooklyn in the late 1940s to the building on atlantic avenue between court and clinton streets where the shop still operates the street looks very different today from the way it looked then or even recently
if you told me 20 years ago mr sahadi said pointing out the front window of his office above the original storefront that id be operating across the street from barneys new york i would have had you institutionalized
though many of the middle eastern businesses that once surrounded sahadis have been replaced by ones catering to a different brooklyn sahadis has endured the store is practically a case study in how to run a business in a gentrifying neighborhood so when a new kind of customer started showing up in the 1980s someone who wanted foie gras in addition to baba ghanoush mr sahadi took notice
it made for much better conversation he said it worked two ways the new customers were picking up traditional middle eastern products and the original clientele was happy to discover specialty items from other parts of the world
this successful amalgamation of tastes and cultures also created a need for much more floor space so sahadis tripled in size with additions in 1985 and 2012 on either side of the original storefront within the exposed brick walls are offerings from all over the world fresh and frozen candied and brined there are separate stations for baked and deli goods fruits and nuts cheese coffee desserts and arabic pizza the rows and rows of shelves seem to have everything from anywhere that can be put into a jar all of it from every station and every shelf is presided over by an army of attendants who are always happy to explain or discuss or dispense a free taste
for the past five years abby sunshine 35 has been regularly coming to sahadis from manhattan i love all the options she said but they also let me try everything and thats what i want
even though mr sahadi after nearly 50 years in charge supposedly retired in january he often can still be found on site the official operations of sahadis have been passed to mr sahadis brother bob his daughter christine whelan 49 and his son ron 44
it was ron sahadi who assumed his fathers usual post on that blustery saturday standing by the registers observing the well ordered throng telling stories


as yankees third baseman chase headley slid safely into home against the boston red sox on saturday the ball hit him in the arm and the catchers glove smacked him in the face headley had to wonder what forces were conspiring to keep his offense at bay
im not going there headley said no pity party for me
but it has certainly been rough going for headley who is batting 169 and has two rbi through 88 plate appearances
so after sitting the two previous nights   one benching intentional the other a mix up by manager joe girardi   headley was eager to wipe clean his slate he made a good start on saturday notching two hits and two runs in the yankees 8 2 win at yankee stadium
the seven through nine hitters   headley shortstop didi gregorius and catcher austin romine   carried the afternoon for the yankees offense which had not scored this many runs since april 9 every starter reached base and the yankees pounded red sox starter david price for six runs and seven hits in four and two thirds innings
we havent had a lot of offensive explosions girardi said to get eight runs today was really nice everyone contributed which was even better
the pressure has particularly intensified around headley who is in the second year of a four year 52 million deal he is the only regular starter in baseball who has yet to record an extra base hit this season and his batting average entering saturdays game was the lowest among qualified starters 151
after he batted 259 last year headleys poor start this season has been somewhat perplexing he said he glanced at some of his advanced statistics while in texas   things like line drive percentage and exit velocity   and saw that many of the numbers matched up with his career figures
i know what type of player ive been my whole career headley said ive got to get back to that
saturdays game could be a springboard headley singled twice and scored twice on doubles by romine in the third inning and the eighth
the yankees broke a 1 1 tie in the fourth on a big hit by gregorius off price who struggled putting away hitters gregorius used more of a half swing like a bump and run chip shot from just off the green when faced with an 0 2 count and the bases loaded he dropped the bat head low to meet an 84 mile per hour changeup and poked it down the right field line for a double
that cleared the bases putting the yankees ahead 4 1 in the next inning carlos beltran doubled in two more runs with two strikes and two outs ending prices afternoon
price a veteran left hander had won four straight games against the yankees a familiar foe after his seven seasons with the tampa bay rays and parts of two with the detroit tigers but his early results with boston   which committed 217 million this off season to sign him   have not been great the loss dropped his record to 4 1 but he has an era of 675 after allowing at least five runs in four of his seven starts
the yankees needed length from their starter nathan eovaldi to make up for a bullpen that had neither dellin betances nor andrew miller the back end stoppers available to pitch because of their recent heavy workloads eovaldi stepped up tossing eight innings his longest outing since aug 24
i felt really good eovaldi said i thought the biggest key for me today was just locating the fastball able to work it inside and outside when i was able to do that i was able to get quicker outs
eovaldi made 107 pitches 77 for strikes and no walks in one stretch he threw first pitch strikes to 16 straight batters and he finished with six strikeouts
after a solo homer by jackie bradley jr in the fifth gave boston its second run eovaldi allowed a leadoff single by xander bogaerts in the sixth to bring designated hitter david ortiz to the plate amid a chorus of boos the moment seemed ripe for a dramatic swing by ortiz the longtime yankees foil eovaldis fifth pitch registered 100 mph and ortiz swatted it away foul
but with the count full eovaldi kept his splitter low enough for ortiz to roll over it and ground to first for a double play
it seems like any time he gets a hit the entire team starts swinging well eovaldi said so it was 3 2   i was able to locate a good splitter
inside pitch
jacoby ellsbury hip did not play saturday manager joe girardi said ellsbury was sore but listed as day to day


oklahoma city   it may be hard watching lamarcus aldridge bop and twirl through these playoffs to recall the days much earlier this season when his play was not so poised
aldridge 30 joined the san antonio spurs last summer on a four year deal worth 84 million he had made four all star teams with the portland trail blazers the only nba team for which he had played but san antonio represented a rarefied new environment one with its own inscrutable language distinguished culture and sophisticated style of play
david west another new signee last summer remembered commiserating with aldridge as they waded through their first weeks and months together
we always talked about it trying to figure it out said west 35 a 13 year veteran in the league it probably wasnt until a couple months in where you say ok i got it you start to recognize the hand signals eye contact with guys and everything else it just came with time
the efforts have been vividly realized in the spurs western conference semifinal series against the oklahoma city thunder san antonio holds a lead of two games to one after an impressive road victory at chesapeake energy arena and aldridge has scored 103 points in the three games so far
aldridges numbers in game 3   24 points while shooting 8 for 21 from the field   represented a downturn from the ridiculously high standard he set in his first two games yet the spurs never stopped giving aldridge the ball reinforcing the notion that he and kawhi leonard will be the pillars on which the team will rest its fortunes this postseason
it was pointed out to aldridge after the game that for all the talk through the season about his subsuming himself into the spurs group in the past three games he resembled the individually dominant player he had been in portland
its not about me he said its about the team if it ends up being like that then fine but im just doing what the game gives me
in game 1 aldridge scored 38 points without playing the fourth quarter he scored 41 points in game 2 making 33 of his 44 shot attempts in the two games
midrange play has become unfashionable in the bombs away league of today but aldridge has at least temporarily restored a measure of sheen to it
the spurs have built their reputation on passing and movement but they have been more than happy to let aldridge engage in a more ponderous form of post up play with the thunder showing him different defensive looks aldridge   with a combination of footwork strength and shot making ability   has easily dismantled most of them
hes taking his time being patient not forcing anything being smart the spurs danny green said hes doing a lot for us and taking a lot of pressure off us offensively because hes carrying that load we have to have him continue to do that
after aldridge scored at will in game 2 much of the discussion during a three day layoff centered on how the thunder might approach him in their next meeting and whether they might double team him more often
there was a simple tension that underpinned the discussion employing a second thunder defender to help cover aldridge would unbalance the oklahoma city setup and risk revving up the spurs passing offense yet the public was watching aldridge slowly gobble up the thunder on his own
aldridge was curious too and he quickly discerned a pattern as game 3 unfolded
when i tried to go quick to the baseline they doubled early and i think thats their scheme he said if i try to go baseline theyre going to double team me other than that they played me straight up
months ago aldridge had far different concerns it took him a while to feel comfortable expressing himself in the spurs system and to learn to use it to his benefit he acknowledged to reporters in the first month that he did not feel like himself that the teams good to great passes mantra was reverberating inside his head at all times
its almost like learning a different language guard patty mills said of what aldridge and other new players experience upon joining the team
aldridge commended coach gregg popovich for putting him and the other new players in positions to succeed giving them options down the stretch with which popovich knew they would feel comfortable
green said there was nothing to worry about he has the sets down pat green said of aldridge he knows the sets better than most of the guys on the team
it was not as if the acclimation process had particularly harmed the spurs the team won 67 regular season games and aldridge made the all star team he averaged 18 points per game in the regular season down from the 233 he averaged in his final two seasons with portland but he was taking an average of 62 fewer shots per game this season than in those last two seasons with portland the increase in his shot attempts in the playoffs has been by design
hes been rounding into form and weve been pushing him to do it because we know the type of player he is west said that initial time when he got here he was trying to figure himself out find his way but we just need him to be himself and the rest of us will adjust to him and kawhi
more important than aldridges personal numbers then has been the continuing subtle dynamic in which he has joined leonard   himself groomed from a young age with the spurs   to gradually take the teams gearshifts from tim duncan and other linchpin veterans
duncan 40 played around seven minutes at the start of each half in game 3 and scored 2 points in all he appeared on the court for two seconds in the fourth quarter merely to inbound the ball to leonard and the moment felt indicative of something larger it was a funny thing to ask of a five time champion and 15 time nba all star one who had been cooling on the bench all game
but as duncan settled back in his seat his broad smile seemed to indicate how well it has all gone


edmonton alberta   as evacuees from the fort mcmurray wildfire arrive at shelters hotels and homes of friends here many say they now have a taste of what a wave of refugees experienced in syria before they made it to canada a few months ago
wedad rihani a 68 year old lawyer is well placed to compare the two situations a syrian she arrived in fort mcmurray just 70 days before she became a fire evacuee one of six members of her family sponsored as refugees by her son fahed labek a chemist in the oil sands town
i left fire back home created by humans to come to the fire here ms rihani said her son providing translation here you can escape at home theres no escape here you get a smile there you get no help
ms rihani uses a wheelchair and lost her eyeglasses in the rush to evacuate she said fort mcmurray even in its current circumstances was preferable to what she had abandoned but she said most of the other 25000 syrian refugees brought in by the government of prime minister justin trudeau had arrived with less drama
a lot of other syrians went to other cities in canada where thank god there is no fire she said our bad luck followed hopefully everything will be safe now
late friday mr labek who is married and has two small children and his extended family left temporary shelter provided by the rashid mosque in the north of edmonton to check into a hotel they were among the estimated 25000 people who fled north from fort mcmurray only to be trapped by the fire in work camps
mr labeks family arrived in edmonton on thursday part of an airlift south that continued on saturday and that along with an evacuation down the highway will ultimately move 25000 people heavy smoke on saturday however forced the police to reduce by half the size of the convoys to 24 vehicles at a time
joining those evacuees on saturday were about 1500 employees from two oil sands strip mines just north of fort mcmurray as well as a processing site which were shut down by their owner syncrude chad morrison albertas wildfire manager said the closings were intended to protect employees adding that all oil sands operations were built to be highly resistant to forest fires
rachel notley the premier of alberta said the government planned to move those trapped north of fort mcmurray to the south by the end of saturday
ms notley added that the fire might double in size extending largely into unpopulated forests when first spotted and attacked by fire crews on may 1 the fire covered five acres but by saturday morning it had engulfed 385000 acres
with no end to the fire in sight and a reopening of what remains of fort mcmurray weeks away officials aid groups and volunteers were dealing with the needs of evacuees integrating their children into schools and addressing their psychological financial and social concerns
al rashid mosque alone has helped about 100 families many of those people were sleeping on cots in a basement classroom including two other syrians who arrived in fort mcmurray as refugees
an exhibition hall in edmonton had about 4400 cots available along with a variety of services including veterinary care and insurance claim processing
large numbers of refugees have remained in smaller towns and aboriginal reserves between edmonton calgary and fort mcmurray like lac la biche alberta
throughout friday wildfire helicopters and other aircraft flew in and out of lac la biche 137 miles south of fort mcmurray in all 28 helicopters aerial water bombers and other heavy equipment were on patrol for new outbreaks of fire
mr morrison said that warm weather and extreme dryness   fort mcmurray has not seen significant rain or snow for two months   had turned the dense needles of the black spruce that dominate the forest into potent raw material for fire
mr morrison said large wildfires in the province like one that burned about one third of slave lake alberta in 2011 are typically spread because of strong winds but the current fire is fuel driven he said
once ignited he said such fires can leap miles forward hurling out flaming projectiles lightning created within their clouds of ash and soot also spawns new fires
this is an extreme rare rare fire event mr morrison said even for alberta a province prone to wildfires and thats something thats historic for us
at lac la biche bryan davidson a pilot with the provincial fire service was geared up and waiting beside his helicopter were on 10 minute getaway he said of his seven person crew when conditions are right for a fire literally every second counts
the helicopter crews are often the first to discover the flames their role is to extinguish small brush fires before the flames mutate into raging infernos
once mr davidson gets his crew off the ground it heads to the nearest water source   often a pond created by a beaver dam   to pick up 270 gallons of water to drop on the fire


madrid   in a newly installed corridor of champions at the madrid open action shot paintings of recent winners adorn the walls as might be expected at a clay court event earth tones dominate the palette   except in the images of serena williams and roger federer from 2012 which many players hope will remain a one time aberration
that year tournament organizers changed the color of the clay courts from the traditional reddish orange to a vivid cerulean seeking a unique brand identity and a better contrast on television with the yellow ball
after top players complained about the clays slipperiness and its dissimilarity with other courts the blue clay was gone the next year and the novelty surface is now believed to be extinct worldwide
rafael nadal the dominant presence in spanish tennis for more than a decade had complained most forcefully of all speaking at the tournament last week nadal continued to criticize the choice to go blue
for sure that was a bad decision in that moment nadal said
nadal who has dominated red clay events around europe disliked the change even before he set foot on the blue surface and has maintained his traditionalism and his desire to preserve his preferred surface
i believe that the clay is red he said we dont have 100 tournaments on clay per year the clay is part of the history of our sport
comparing it to the sports other organic surface he said i dont see red grass so i dont like blue clay
ion tiriac the romanian tennis mogul who owns the madrid tournament chose blue hardcourts for television purposes when the tournament was in stuttgart germany
as blue became the color of choice across the tour   the united states open changed to blue in 2005 and the australian open followed suit in 2008   tiriac wanted he said to make the sport more interesting on the screen and saw no reason not to try blue clay at his tournament which had shifted to outdoor clay in 2009
it was not a stupid thing tiriac said last week
jose miguel garcia chief of competition and player services for the madrid open said that the blue clay had the same earthen origins as standard clay but that iron oxide was removed from the excavated earth to change its color from red to white before it was then baked into bricks the white bricks were ground into powder and the blue pigment was added
nadal and other top players on the atp players council including novak djokovic and federer objected to the switch when it was first proposed
although atp player representatives opposed the change unanimously tournament representatives and the chief executive at the time adam helfant narrowly pushed through its eventual approval
eric butorac who now serves as president of the council said the players skepticism had quickly been validated
players werent happy that it went through in the first place and then they went there with a critical eye butorac said adding that the surface had been so slippery that it was borderline unplayable
novak and rafa were the top two who were ready to hate it and then it lived up to every expectation from those two butorac said of djokovic and nadal
tiriac suggested that those two players found particular reason to complain because they ultimately lost on the blue clay to lower ranked players from their own countries
garcia said the criticism of the blue clay was rooted in the same complaints that had dogged the tournaments surface in the three previous years when it was red players had complained from the inaugural year at the site in 2009 that the court was soft and uneven because of poorly installed drainage systems
the blue clay garcia said suffered from the same poor underlying construction that had affected the red clay courts in previous years additionally a combination of heavy rain followed by a heat wave baked the clay base into a surface that was harder than it should have been players were unable to control their sliding on a powdery surface that garcia compared to marbles on a concrete floor
despite the slick conditions no players were injured during the week and the television aesthetics behind the innovation were validated the yellow ball was easier to track than at any clay court tournament before
the surface also matched the futuristic design at the tournament site called the magic box which is covered in metallic paneling
still nadal and djokovic said they would not return to the tournament if the clay remained blue
garcia said everyone at the tournament had been disappointed by the reception of the tournament which forced them to revert to red the next year
for me it was a risk because it was my responsibility and i was very damaged by all of this he said but ok and then for the tournament the decision was that we have to do the best courts in the world
the clay red again has improved
the real thing is after that year here in madrid the courts are fantastic nadal said calling them some of the best in the world
the womens semifinalist samantha stosur said madrids clay now ranked among the worlds best and she saw no reason to try another color experiment
dont mess with something thats good i think stosur said
tiriac though remains restless and he said he would reinstall the blue court yesterday if he could for the same reasons of visual contrast that drove his original experiment
i dont see the ball here he said gesturing toward a red court im old and i wear glasses
djokovic said last week that he applauded tiriacs creative spirit
saying that he thought the sports history should generally be respected djokovic added but having the kind of mind set of innovation and evolution i salute i think that its the right way everything is moving forward tennis should too
butorac said there could be renewed willingness to experiment in the next generation of players after those who experienced the blue misfire had aged out of the game
i think we need to continue to push forward he said a guy like tiriac while some think hes a little crazy he is a bit of a visionary having some guys who think like this is great for the sport i hope it doesnt deter people from trying more things like this in the future
garcia said that he was confident he would be able to incorporate blue clay perfectly with the lessons learned from the 2012 attempt and that he hoped the surface would be given another chance perhaps at a smaller tournament that would not be subject to the strong wills of star players
for me im very proud of it because i think it was something very impressive garcia said of the blue clay it was tough very tough to deal with the situation during the tournament i am sad that we couldnt get the court in good shape for the players but i hope that we can do it again in the future


birmingham england   at the end of each seasons final home game the tradition goes the players and staff at aston villa walk around the entire field in a slow processional the so called lap of appreciation which is done by other clubs too is a way for the team and fans to applaud each other one more time before summer
the circuit is often emotional such as in 2013 when stiliyan petrov led the team after announcing his retirement because of leukemia treatment and it is almost always warm last spring fabian delph the team captain carried his infant daughter who wore a claret and blue jersey with daddy written on her back and giggled for much of the ride
this season however there was more concern about the lap than excitement would the reception be nasty violent just plain sad while leicester citys fans partied in an endless   if somewhat surreal   championship celebration just up the road on saturday the mood at villa park with fellow bottom scrapers newcastle united in town was grim
a bloc of fans marched in protest before the match spectators in the stadium batted around hundreds of beach balls and other more anatomically graphic inflatables during the game in another show of discontent several home players were booed whenever they touched the ball when rain arrived in the second half many spectators simply gave up and left early if leicester is the small club that improbably hit it big in this season of seasons aston villa in last place and suffering a wretched campaign is the big club that has somehow plummeted to unthinkable depths
in some ways the numbers are as staggering as leicesters the villans have won three games all year equal to the number of managers they have had they have a goal differential of minus 45 they have scored just 27 times which is the same number of goals that the tottenham star harry kane has scored by himself
all of that would be bad enough at any club but aston villa   and newcastle frankly which did not exactly cover itself in glory during a hide your eyes 0 0 draw and will very likely be relegated as well   is one of englands most storied organizations
so no this has not been derby county recording 11 points and getting torched throughout the 2007 8 season aston villa has won the countrys top division seven times claimed the european cup in 1982 competed for a champions league spot as recently as 2009 and plays in a grand stadium that seats nearly 43000 it has not been relegated in nearly three decades its performance this season ranks among the most disappointing in english soccer history
adding to the sting is the juxtaposition of leicesters rise the foxes had a jubilee saturday with fans roaming outside king power stadium for hours drinking and chanting and singing and smiling before going inside and hearing the tenor andrea bocelli deliver a stirring prematch performance that was followed by the players walking through an honor guard as they entered the field oversize banners rolled through the crowd after the match the premier league trophy was raised for the first time in team history and a mostly middling club with a thai owner and little history of success had the cap on a season in which it beat just about everyone big and small
only 45 miles 20 wins and about 40 goals away was aston villa while leicesters ascent was relatively sudden   it was nearly relegated last year and shot up to first place from 14th   the villans tumble from near the treetops has been slow steady and brutal with this years showing being the rough equivalent to smacking square into one final branch on the way down
theories abound regarding what exactly was the tipping point but many villa observers point to the actions of the american owner randy lerner who poured money into the club shortly after buying it in 2006 only to switch to constant cost cutting a few years later
yet money is only part of it aston villa has had plenty of pricey player failures with the french international charles nzogbia who is earning is about 91000 a week but is mostly training with the clubs reserves among the most notable it has had internal battles such as when a former manager martin oneill resigned because he felt lerner was not supporting him it has had bad luck like when gerard houllier had to step down as coach because of medical issues and it has had some fans believe cosmic comeuppance for disrupting the natural order of things when in 2011 lerner inexplicably asked alex mcleish who had just finished coaching the bitter rivals birmingham city to come lead villa mcleish lasted a year
all of it led to this seasons nightmare which began somewhat bizarrely with a victory aston villa beat bournemouth in its opener last august a result that made the following nine game winless streak and subsequent firing of the first manager all the more jarring
leicester won on opening day too of course and the clubs diverged ever since leicesters quirks were novel and fun pizza parties for shutouts fan noisemakers that were weird but charming a former nonleague player jamie vardy who suddenly morphed into the countrys most dangerous scorer aston villas moves meanwhile were toxic a strange managerial hire in remi garde who lasted 20 games a series of protests from befuddled fans a scandal involving the veteran captain gabriel agbonlahor who was among other things photographed out partying on the night the villans were officially relegated last month
next season they will play in the second division for the first time since 1987 scarves were on sale outside villa park on saturday that read this club is our love whatever the division and there is no doubt the fans here are committed attendance will very likely remain strong
but the villa fans are also unyielding and that is why the players did little more than the typical quick clap toward the stands before vacating the field at the final whistle there was no lingering no celebration after the last home game of the season there was no lap of honor here on saturday
it made sense really after consulting with fan groups during the week the club made its best decisions in some time
it canceled it


washington   president obama told americas next generation of black activists on saturday that passion and outrage would fail to bring about the change they seek   unless it is accompanied by strategic thinking and tempered by a willingness to compromise
addressing the class of 2016 at howard university but speaking broadly to african american youths who have fueled a new civil rights protest movement during his presidency mr obama urged them to adopt a more disciplined form of activism that goes beyond indignant rhetoric and uncompromising demands
change requires more than righteous anger it requires a program and it requires organizing mr obama the countrys first african american president told the graduates at howard one of the countrys oldest historically black universities passion is vital but you have got to have a strategy
that strategy mr obama told the graduates must include listening to those with whom they disagree and compromising when necessary to achieve their goals the message appeared to be aimed at black lives matter activists who have expressed frustration and impatience with the slow pace of change by those in power
if you think that the only way forward is to be as uncompromising as possible you will feel good about yourself you will enjoy a certain moral purity but youre not going to get what you want the president said adding that such an approach leads to a downward spiral of more injustice and more anger and more despair and thats never been the source of our progress
the presidents commencement speech   one of three he will deliver this year   was written to envision a future in which the young howard graduates will take over from mr obamas generation but for a president nearing the end of his time in office it also served as a reflection on his own successes and failures
mr obamas tenure has been filled with compromises health care legislation that fell short of his ideal immigration executive actions that are limited in scope because of congressional opposition economic measures that were tempered by republican ideology and foreign policy ambitions held back by allies and adversaries alike
without mentioning them specifically mr obama on saturday offered a defense of his legacy of incremental progress saying that i always tell my staff better is good because you consolidate your gains and then you move on to the next fight from a stronger position
the president praised brittany packnett a leader in the black lives matter movement for being willing to participate in discussions with big city police chiefs and others in search of a solution to the violence that has too often erupted between african american young people and the police she did so he said despite criticism from other activists who questioned her participation
she did participate and thats how change happens mr obama said
but he also chided ms packnetts generation of young people especially african american youths for failing to exercise their electoral power just 20 percent of young people voted in the last election the president said his voice rising in anger
had young people voted in greater numbers he said his own policies would have been more successful and though he accused political adversaries of seeking to make voting more difficult he said young people were willingly giving up their chance to bring about change by failing to cast ballots in every election
and you dont have excuses he said you dont have to guess the number of jelly beans in a jar or bubbles on a bar of soap to register to vote you dont have to risk your lives to cast a ballot other people already did that for you
he also urged them to infuse their activism with knowledge saying that raising awareness about problems is not enough they must educate themselves enough to hold the right people accountable he said
if you care about better policing do you know who your district attorney is do you know who your states attorney general is do you know the difference he asked find out who they are what their responsibilities are mobilize the community present them with a plan
as he has before mr obama began his address with an optimistic message that he believes race relations in america are better now than they have ever been despite the focus in recent years on economic disparities unfairness in criminal sentencing rules and clashes between police and african american youth
he said that his election did not create a postracial society but he said that african americans were now succeeding in areas that they did not 30 or 40 years ago michael jordan is not only the greatest basketball player of all time he said but a team owner shonda rhimes owns thursday night and beyonce runs the world he said
were no longer entertainers were producers studio executives he said no longer small business owners were ceos were mayors representatives presidents of the united states
still he said it will be up to the next generation of young african americans like those in the audience to close educational achievement gaps eliminate pay disparity for black women end unfairness in the prison system and bring down the unemployment rate for african americans
to do that he urged those listening to embrace their heritage and their skin color in hopes of helping to shatter stereotypes that hold down minorities
be confident in your heritage be confident in your blackness mr obama said citing prince the singer who recently died you need to have the same confidence or as my daughters tell me all the time you be you daddy 
mr obama warned the audience that their path would not always be easy and he warned that they will have to deal with ignorance hatred racism foolishness
but he said they should always remember a little phrase that ive found handy these last eight years yes we can


madrid   a large number of foreign born residents of spain hail from romania and this weeks madrid open has become a particularly festive celebration of romanian success
after four romanian women reached the quarterfinals sixth seeded simona halep was the last one standing winning saturday evenings final 6 2 6 4 over dominika cibulkova of slovakia
halep was presented the trophy by nadia comaneci the former gymnast from romania who this year celebrates the 40th anniversary of her perfect 10 on the uneven bars at the 1976 montreal olympics comaneci had watched the match with ion tiriac the tournaments romanian owner
its a special feeling that many romanians are coming to support me halep said i see many flags in the crowd so yeah it means a lot actually it was a great moment that i got the trophy from nadia perfect 10 means a lot
this week i give to myself 95 she added laughing not yet 10
two more romanian players horia tecau and florin mergea will compete on opposite sides of the net in sundays mens doubles final
comaneci who traveled to madrid from her home in oklahoma for the final said it was a romanian day and drew comparisons between herself and halep
yes shes also very motivated comaneci said of halep i think she has more frustrations than me   or maybe she shows them more and i had them but i kept them inside i think you learn from every experience and you become richer   im not talking about money   richer in experience the more you play
halep broke the 38th ranked cibulkova in her opening service game and maintained constant pressure from the baseline throughout the match striking 20 winners to only 10 unforced errors
the title is equivalent to haleps greatest previous success in indian wells calif in march 2015 while she had not won a title at any level since then and had generated little momentum this season the triumph in madrid put halep back into the top five
halep was the only one of the 16 seeded women who even reached the quarterfinals at the madrid tournament making her a clear favorite despite her recent struggles
to be honest nobody told me that you are a favorite to win she said maybe thats why i won
the decimated draw in madrid reflected a tumultuous year in womens tennis
top ranked serena williams has played in only three tournaments this year and she has not won a title since beating halep in the final of the cincinnati masters event last august maria sharapova a champion twice and a runner up once in the past four editions of the french open is still serving a provisional suspension after testing positive in january for the newly banned substance meldonium victoria azarenka whose three titles this year are tied for most in the wta pulled out of the madrid tournament with a lower back injury
halep the runner up to sharapova in paris in 2014 can be added to the short list of contenders at roland garros which begins this month
now i have confidence halep said but every match will be different will be difficult and i dont want to think too far
on the mens side top seeded novak djokovic advanced to the final with a 6 3 7 6 4 win over sixth seeded kei nishikori he will face the defending champion andy murray after murray defeated rafael nadal 7 5 6 4 murray who beat nadal in last years final became the first player to defeat nadal at the same clay court tournament in consecutive years


jamie vardy scored twice saturday as leicester city produced a swaggering 3 1 home victory over everton in its first match as the english premier league champion before collecting the trophy
leicester city a 5000 to 1 preseason long shot produced the stylish energetic display after having spent a week celebrating the clinching of its first top flight title on monday
the only frustration was vardys missing a hat trick when he fired high on his second penalty vardy scored five minutes in and again in the 65th minute for his 24th goal
sunderland beat visiting chelsea 3 2 to climb out of the relegation zone with two games remaining newcastle was held to a scoreless draw on the road by relegated aston villa and norwich was below newcastle in the relegation zone after losing to visiting manchester united 1 0
elsewhere host west ham lost to swansea 4 1 bournemouth drew at home with west bromwich albion 1 1 and crystal palace beat visiting stoke 2 1
four straight for bayern robert lewandowski scored twice for bayern munich to clinch a fourth successive bundesliga title with a 2 1 win at ingolstadt
lewandowski opened the scoring with a penalty in the 15th minute after franck ribery was brought down by marvin matip and he claimed his 29th goal of the season not long after with a precise strike inside the far post after a brilliant through ball from xabi alonso
moritz hartmann pulled one back with another penalty   conceded by alonso   before the break but bayern never seemed to be in danger of missing out on its record 25th bundesliga title and its 26th german championship over all
borussia dortmunds 1 0 loss at relegation threatened eintracht frankfurt meant that even a defeat would have been enough for bayern dortmunds 77 points were a record for a second place team in the bundesliga which began in 1963
stefan aigners early header proved enough for frankfurt to climb out of the relegation zone 1 point above werder bremen in the relegation playoff spot after its scoreless draw at cologne
stuttgart lost 3 1 at home to mainz to move a step closer to relegation stuttgart was 3 points below frankfurt with wolfsburg next
darmstadt secured survival in its first season back in the bundesliga with a 2 1 come from behind win at hertha berlin that all but ended herthas champions league hopes
andre hahn scored twice as host borussia monchengladbach came from behind to beat bayer leverkusen 2 1 and all but secure the champions league playoff spot
tight race in spain the spanish league title race is reaching its climax with two rounds left and only 1 point separating the top three teams barcelona is ahead of atletico madrid on head to head goals and both have a 1 point lead over real madrid the three teams play sunday
barcelona will host espanyol knowing that a win combined with an atletico loss and a draw by madrid would secure a second straight title
sporting lisbon leads sporting lisbons 5 0 win over setubal lifted it into first place over benfica ensuring that the primeira liga championship in portugal will be decided in next weekends final games gelson martins scored twice for sporting
benfica will need a win at maritimo on sunday to recover the top spot heading into the last round of games
inquiry into players death prosecutors are investigating the sudden death of patrick ekeng a midfielder for dinamo bucharest after he collapsed friday during a match
ekeng 26 fell to the ground seven minutes after going on as a substitute in a match between dinamo and viitorul constanta
dinamo was leading 3 2 when ekeng collapsed in the 69th minute the game ended in a 3 3 tie
the local news media said ekeng had had a heart attack


harare zimbabwe   the independence festivities took place just as they have for decades led by president robert mugabe the only leader zimbabwe has ever had
but as mr mugabe 92 inspected a military parade during the celebrations last month he did something unusual when his vehicle stopped in front of a framed picture of the president mr mugabe bowed before his own portrait zimbabweans were stunned had their president grown so feeble they wondered that he could no longer recognize the person in front of him
mr mugabe the worlds oldest head of state said this year that he would preside over zimbabwe until god says come  his increasingly powerful wife grace vowed that her husband would rule from a special wheelchair until he was 100
but the end of an era looms over this capital as mr mugabe has grown visibly weaker in the past year talk of his death dominates the private conversations of the governing class leading to some cutthroat maneuvering for the endgame
to many zimbabweans the presidents decline has been obvious the same man who unyieldingly defied the west who outwitted or ruthlessly crushed his opponents for decades while leaders in other countries were felled in coups has been caught on video stumbling or dozing off during public events
mr mugabe it seems is succumbing only to his own age in march he dozed off at a news conference with the prime minister of japan last year he reread his 25 minute state of the nation speech to parliament in its entirety apparently not realizing that he had already read it to the same body of lawmakers a month earlier
what comes after mr mugabe who has been in power since 1980 is anybodys guess will his zanu pf party maintain its grip on zimbabwe or will it fall apart riven by infighting on which side   or sides   will the security forces mr mugabes bedrock support come down
as in the final days in mobutu sese sekos zaire or felix houphouet boignys ivory coast two other african nations forged over decades by a single leader tensions and anxieties hang heavy in the air conversations delicately include phrases like when the old man goes or when nature takes its course
for the first time mr mugabe has been forced to talk about his mortality in a recent meeting with the nations war veterans he complained that talk of his eventual death was fueling a fight over succession inside his party
i am not dying he said shame on you
the political uncertainty is one reason behind a severe cash shortage afflicting zimbabwe in recent weeks as people hoard money or move it out of the country banks in zimbabwe which adopted the american dollar in 2009 to help arrest an economic crisis are now so short on cash that they have limited withdrawals or left atms empty
the succession battle intensified after mr mugabe broke a taboo by speaking about his death with the national broadcaster zbc on his 92nd birthday in february said nginya mungai lenneiye a former world bank representative who has served in the zimbabwean government
that was the first time he clearly articulated it himself mr lenneiye said until he spoke about it no one dared to
for more than three decades mr mugabe has proved to be a master at pitting feuding factions against one another and rising above the squabbling
but at the heart of the battle inside his party lies a heated question is mr mugabe fit enough to complete his term and run for re election in 2018 as he has pledged to do
two factions in his party have attacked each other with increasing vitriol those on team lacoste   a faction led by emmerson mnangagwa a vice president whose nickname is the crocodile   argue that the president should be allowed to rest necessary political and economic reforms cannot be carried out under his stewardship they say
those associated with the g40 faction   short for generation 40 because its leaders tend to be younger   say mr mugabe remains in control and should run in 2018 mr mugabes wife grace a leader in the g40 has said she would carry her husband to work in a wheelbarrow if necessary
until 2014 ms mugabe 50 who became the presidents second wife in 1996 had drawn attention mostly for her charity work lavish lifestyle and shopping sprees but then she was voted head of the partys womens wing earning a spot in the partys decision making politburo and assuming a central role in the succession fight
one of ms mugabes first actions was to hold rallies in which she attacked a longtime vice president joice mujuru who had been considered mr mugabes eventual successor the first lady accused ms mujuru of corruption and witchcraft as well as wearing miniskirts and plotting to oust mr mugabe
ms mujuru was quickly stripped of the vice presidency and expelled from the party ms mujuru announced recently that she would run against mr mugabe in 2018 as head of her new party zimbabwe people first
now ms mugabes critics say she is trying to eliminate vice president mnangagwa the crocodile her onetime ally who had risen in the past year to become the candidate most likely to succeed mr mugabe
in a recent meet the people rally ms mugabe prowled the stage her right hand wound tightly around a microphone her left punching at the air she moved back and forth as if attacking and ducking before her unmentioned rival the crocodile
when i decide to attack a dog ill crush it openly and i wont hide the stick she said speaking without notes to cheering and ululation
philip chiyangwa a prominent zanu pf member businessman and member of g40 praised ms mugabe
i dont think her actions have anything to do with her ambitions as such but it is about the president getting proper security to complete his term of office mr chiyangwa said sometimes in that kind of office you dont know whats happening
her rivals accuse her of being power hungry and exploiting her husbands growing frailty for her own ambitions
christopher mutsvangwa an ally of the crocodile and a longtime zanu pf leader was dismissed as the minister of war veterans in early march after a public falling out with members of the g40 at the independence day celebrations here mr mutsvangwa dismissed as leeches prominent members of the g40 who were sitting not too far from him under the same tent
the present is now a story reminiscent of mao and jiang qing said mr mutsvangwa who served as zimbabwes ambassador to china referring to mao zedongs fourth wife who in the leaders final years assumed great power as part of the gang of four
in january while mr mugabe and his family took their annual vacation out of the country rumors spread in the capital that he had died overseas a couple of months later after mr mugabe suddenly canceled a visit to india and the government refused to disclose his whereabouts journalists here tracked down his plane in singapore where mr mugabe has received medical care in recent years
the news media basing its findings in part on an american diplomatic cable released by wikileaks has reported that mr mugabe has received treatment there for prostate cancer the government has denied the cancer reports saying that he has undergone cataract operations in singapore and is otherwise healthy
george charamba the presidents spokesman had no comment about the presidents bow before his own portrait
in the television interview on his 92nd birthday mr mugabe spoke softly sometimes tentatively slumping in his chair by the end his eyes full of vigor in interviews just a few years ago were barely perceptible behind his large rimmed glasses
morning exercise mr mugabe said yes of course to keep alive keep alive and also to enable me to resurrect when they say im dead
the interviewer looked down with an uneasy smile the president went on
it takes quite a lot he said every january i must prepare the necessary exercise for resurrection because i know ill be destined for death every january so now im dead alive


robin ventura has lived this before a celebrated franchise chasing history across town a swirl of clubhouse controversy a close group of veterans who know how to focus ventura sees it now as the manager of the chicago white sox he experienced it years ago as the third baseman for the mets
for me its fun ventura said the other day on the phone from us cellular field its kind of like a blast from the past or a flashback in a way of how they operate inside the clubhouse when they win its very similar
the white sox have won a lot so far at 20 10 after fridays game against minnesota the white sox had the most victories in the american league of course their north side rivals the cubs had the most in baseball as they pursue their first world series title since 1908
this too is familiar to ventura in 2000 he helped lead the mets to the world series a feat dimmed somewhat by the presence of the yankees who beat them in five games for their third consecutive title those mets though had been expected to contend these white sox were not   at least not by most outside their clubhouse
the white sox   who face the yankees in the bronx next weekend   went 76 86 last season for their third losing record in a row they considered a roster teardown but that would have been inconsistent with the franchises aggressiveness since winning the 2005 world series the players told general manager rick hahn to believe in them
at the end of the season hahn said almost to a man the veteran players were like bring back this same group theres reason to believe in bounce backs 
hahn did but he added to the core with third baseman todd frazier shortstop jimmy rollins second baseman brett lawrie center fielder austin jackson starter mat latos and catchers alex avila and dioner navarro only frazier was coming off an especially strong season but the group bonded quickly in spring training
its hard to pinpoint the chemistry thing   winning does that   but it was there right when they showed up ventura said it was there before the laroche thing and that made it easier for them to handle all that it seemed like that was a really big story outside of baseball but here everybody handled it and went on their way
the laroche story of course was the abrupt march retirement of adam laroche the designated hitter and a team leader laroches son drake had been a daily presence at white sox camp and like his father was popular with the players when kenny williams the executive vice president told laroche to scale back drakes presence laroche quit and forfeited his 13 million salary
the players especially the ace starter chris sale reacted angrily vehemently criticizing williams in public but ventura sensed that the players had a certainty of purpose regardless of the laroche issue that would serve them well his mets teams never seemed distracted by off field matters either
where guys are in their careers the kinds of players they are and what they care about   its very similar to this team ventura said there could be a lot of stuff going on outside and they still only cared about stuff on the inside
the white sox parted ways on thursday with another well liked player starter john danks who was designated for assignment after four winless starts ventura said dankss influence would still be felt in the lessons he had imparted to the younger left handers sale and jose quintana who entered the weekend a combined 10 1 with a 154 era
ventura said that sale and quintana especially had benefited from the teams opportunistic offense and vastly improved defense jacksons arrival shifted adam eaton to right field where he has been extraordinary a team that ranked last in the majors in overall defense in 2015 according to fangraphs is now in the top 10
if you dont score   and when theres the feeling that youre not really going to score   the pitchers try to do more ventura said sale and quintana tried to do more
and defensively we had some holes last year and werent quite as good we could have been they were trying to strike everybody out to take it away from the defense and do it themselves now you get a great play here and there but you really get the routine plays theyre confident pitching here now because of that
some elements of the white sox success may be hard to sustain   the nearly unhittable bullpen perhaps or the suddenly reliable latos but the offense may get even better as the weather warms up ventura believes and he can always count on the teams mind set
they just have a handle on what they need to get done he said it doesnt always happen every night but the belief is there
angels woes mount
the injury news for the los angeles angels on friday underscored the precarious nature of the teams plight the angels ace garrett richards has a torn ulnar collateral ligament and needs tommy john surgery another young starter tyler skaggs is still recovering from the operation and yet another andrew heaney may also need it heaney has a strained flexor muscle in his elbow
the angels veterans have also been afflicted c j wilson is on the disabled list with shoulder trouble closer huston street is out with an oblique strain and jered weavers velocity just keeps falling his fastball now averages 819 miles an hour according to fangraphs only one starter in the majors   the toronto knuckleballer r a dickey   throws his slower
weaver and wilson combine to make more than 40 million this season in the last year of their contracts so the angels conceivably could reinvest in a high impact arm for their rotation but the free agent market will be quite thin this off season with washingtons stephen strasburg the only clear top level starter available
the angels   who entered this season with the games lowest ranked farm system according to baseball america   are also still paying for their desperate moves years ago to add offense they owe the departed josh hamilton 24 million this year and next and albert pujolss salary rises by 1 million each season through 2021 when it reaches 30 million pujols 36 was hitting 202 through friday with a 672 on base plus slugging percentage
the teams centerpiece the 24 year old mike trout is signed through 2020 and is having another standout season but the angels still have not won a playoff game since trout arrived almost five years ago and their immediate future does not look promising
trust in the plan
the atlanta braves guaranteed a 2016 contract for fredi gonzalez last july shortly after the teams surprisingly competitive first half after trading several veterans the braves stood at 42 42 through last july 7
since then though they had gone 32 74 through friday raising serious doubts about gonzalezs standing even considering the other veterans the team has shed in that time the braves front office   fairly or not   expected a better product in the majors gonzalez acknowledged the teams treacherous path last week before a game at citi field when conceding that the braves best sources of hope were still in the minors
its a trust that the fans got to give our front office gonzalez said ive got to trust our front office we did it to ourselves it wasnt like we woke up we had a plan we kept the plan and continued doing the plan and youll see the fruits here shortly
the braves have not said whether gonzalez will be around for the harvest
some pitching oddities
every year pitchers find new and creative ways to fill up box score lines already this season two starters   the dodgers ross stripling and miamis adam conley   have been lifted for relievers during the eighth inning despite having allowed no hits others have been pulled from no hitters earlier or later but through the magic of the play index at baseball referencecom   with data back to 1913   we can tell that only stripling and conley have worked into the eighth allowed no hits and been replaced before finishing the inning
last sunday two days after conley nearly no hit the brewers milwaukees wily peralta allowed 13 hits to the marlins in five and two thirds innings with zero strikeouts   and he still won the game to find another winning starter who got so few outs allowed so many hits and recorded no strikeouts we have to go back almost 85 years
on may 24 1931 pittsburghs erv brame had a very lucky day at wrigley field the cubs player manager rogers hornsby homered off brame in the first inning and the fellow future hall of famers kiki cuyler and gabby hartnett later doubled off him but brame   supported well by his own cooperstown bound teammates lloyd waner paul waner and pie traynor   survived with a 10 7 victory


lafayette la   at 17 devin harris is not old enough to buy a pack of cigarettes but when he was accused of trying to use someone elses credit card to buy cigarettes he swiftly realized that   at least when it comes to the criminal justice system   the state of louisiana considers him to be an adult
the last thing i wanted was to be in the system said mr harris who was in jail for nine nights in april because his mother could not afford the bond before he entered a pretrial diversion program for the teenager those were long nights i called my dad   i aint talked to my dad in almost two years he said i just needed somebody to talk to
louisiana is one of nine states where 17 year olds are treated as adults in the criminal justice system however that could change as jurisdictions across the country re evaluate tough on crime policies
the state senate overwhelmingly passed legislation to include 17 year old offenders in the juvenile justice system the measure now goes to the house the state district attorneys association dropped its opposition to the measure when its authors agreed to extend the phase in period
proponents of the legislation point to cases like the prosecution of mr harris some states treat people his age like children in many respects   they cannot vote buy cigarettes or lottery tickets or serve on a jury   but as adults when it comes to crime
they are children for just about every other meaningful purpose in society said joshua perry the executive director of the louisiana center for childrens rights
mr perry pointed to a study done by the institute for public health and justice at louisiana state university that strongly supported raising to the juvenile defendant age to 18 among the reasons cited by the study
  at 17 adolescent brains are still developing so young people ae more likely to engage in more risky and impulsive behavior
  young defendants handled by the juvenile system had a 34 percent lower recidivism rate than those who went through the adult system
  inmates under 18 are more likely to be sexually abused by older inmates in prison
in the adult system cases can take much longer to be resolved than in the juvenile one parents do not have to be called if the police arrest a 17 year old but they can be an integral part of the juvenile system
rob reardon the director of lafayette parishs corrections division has been one of the strongest proponents of the change he says it does not make sense to put 17 year olds in an adult environment where they will miss school and get a record for life weve created a perfect system for creating criminals he said
there is also a practical concern mr reardon estimates that it costs as much as 500000 annually to house 17 year olds at the lafayette jail even though they only have a few at any time the prison rape elimination act passed by congress in 2003 requires those housed in adult facilities to be physically separated from older inmates
one of the studys authors stephen phillippi said the vast majority of the roughly 6000 17 year olds arrested in louisiana in 2014 were charged with nonviolent crimes like marijuana possession proponents of the change note that for those charged with serious crimes district attorneys would still be able to move cases into adult court   as they can now with many younger offenders
this legislation comes as louisiana takes a new look at its position as the state with the highest per capita incarceration rate gov john bel edwards a democrat elected last year has promised to bring that rate down and has made passage of the age legislation a major part of his agenda


bangkok   the mother of a pro democracy activist faces up to 15 years in prison after acknowledging that she had received a private message on facebook that the police say insulted thailands monarchy
the activists mother patnaree chankij 40 who works as a maid will be tried by a military court under thailands lese majeste law which makes it a crime to insult the long reigning king bhumibol adulyadej the queen or the crown prince
on saturday human rights activists called ms patnarees arrest a day earlier a new low for thailand which has increased prosecutions under the lese majeste law since the military took power in 2014
poonsuk poonsukcharoen a lawyer advising ms patnaree said ms patnaree had sent only a one word reply ja acknowledging receipt of the facebook message similar to saying yeah but had not expressed agreement with it or commented on its content the message was not made public so as not to repeat the alleged insult as is typical in such cases the sender of the message burin intin 28 was arrested last month
col olarn sukkasem the chief of the polices technology crime suppression division told reporters that the authorities had enough evidence to show that the pair had carried out things together he did not provide specifics saying the investigation was continuing
human rights watch said saturday that the military junta in thailand had arbitrarily and aggressively used the lese majeste laws to prosecute people for any speech deemed critical of the monarchy
since the coup two years ago the authorities have brought 57 cases under the law 44 of them involving online commentary the rights group said
among those who have been investigated under the law are a factory worker accused of insulting the kings dog a scholar accused of insulting a king who died centuries ago and ambassador glyn t davies of the united states who despite his diplomatic immunity was investigated after he criticized long prison sentences handed out under the law one man is serving 30 years in prison for posts he distributed on facebook
the thai junta has sunk to a new low by charging an activists mother under the insulting the monarchy law which has been systematically abused to silence critics said brad adams the asia director of human rights watch prosecuting someone for her vague response to a facebook message is just the juntas latest outrageous twist of the lese majeste law
at a news conference on saturday colonel olarn advised the public to exercise caution when communicating online
if you share this offending information you must take responsibility for your act as well he said simply clicking like on facebook could be considered an offense he said
he also had a warning for journalists reporting on ms patnarees arrest right now it is under investigation he said therefore i would like you to be careful in publishing information publishing false information can be considered an offense
ms patnaree was denied bail because the severity of her potential sentence made her a flight risk ms poonsuk said ms patnarees son sirawith seritiwat a leading student activist is out on bail on charges that he took part in a banned protest
at a protest outside a bangkok police station on saturday evening mr sirawith told his mothers supporters and the news media that the police had gone after her to get to him
shes never expressed anything politically he said shes never argued or debated with anyone
he added the junta is using my mother as a hostage and i can tell you that this is not a manly act and this is not an act that a government should be doing to its people
ms poonsuk who is not officially representing ms patnaree but accompanied her when she turned herself in said acknowledging a message with a single word was not evidence that she had insulted the king or conspired with mr burin to commit a crime
i havent seen any legal interpretation like this she said just saying yeah doesnt mean that she should be considered an accomplice


subic bay the philippines   rodrigo duterte the outspoken mayor of davao city and the front runner in the philippines presidential election told voters recently that he would settle territorial disputes in the south china sea by taking on the chinese navy on a jet ski
the candidates bravado worries some voters if duterte wins it will be frightening said joyce asilo 30 a manila resident who was visiting subic bay a former american base he could start a war with china hes very inconsistent in what he says
the countrys relationship with china is one of the issues facing voters in the philippines on monday when they will elect hundreds of government officials   from president to mayors   to address a raft of problems that threaten to derail the philippine economy one of the fastest growing in asia but the presidential race has descended into a series of off color jokes threats name calling and allegations about hidden bank accounts
mr duterte who has a substantial lead in the polls has joked that he would have liked to have raped an australian missionary who was killed in a 1989 prison riot in davao city and said disabled people should consider suicide he has been accused of having a secret bank account containing ill gotten wealth he is running on a strict law and order platform and has denied accusations of corruption but has also refused to reveal details about the account
another presidential contender vice president jejomar binay is under investigation by the countrys top corruption agency in connection with allegations that he and his family siphoned large sums of money from a government project in makati where he was once the mayor he has called the charges politically motivated
grace poe a senator and mar roxas who was endorsed by president benigno aquino iii and is a grandson of a former president are also trailing in the polls mr roxas has a distinguished resume of government service but he has been repeatedly mocked by filipino social media users because of photo opportunities gone wrong including one in which he took a spill on a motorcycle during a disaster relief operation
i dont know what to believe said carla yanga a 25 year old resident of pasig on the outskirts of manila i like roxas but my parents are voting for duterte i dont know
the talk of scandals allegations and ferocious social media posts has overshadowed the challenges facing the country despite strong economic growth and resurgent foreign investment the philippines still has high levels of poverty and unemployment crumbling infrastructure and a raging war in the southern part of the country against insurgents and kidnap for ransom gangs
the new government must also grapple with territorial claims by china in the south china sea in an area that includes much of the philippines 200 mile exclusive economic zone along its western coastline mr aquino who cannot run again because of term limits has responded by challenging chinas claims in a united nations arbitration court and by making a deal with the united states that would increase the number of american ships and aircraft operating in the philippines
mr aquino has refused to talk directly to china about the issue and has insisted that multilateral forums like the association of southeast asian nations deal with the matter so the claimants can present a united front against china
the main presidential candidates support philippine claims in the south china sea and back the case against china at the international court but mr binay and mr duterte also support holding direct talks with china none of the candidates are calling for the cancellation of the military deal with the united states though some have called for it to be re examined
mr duterte and mr binay seek a more conciliatory approach toward china and accuse mr aquino of being too confrontational both candidates have suggested engaging in investment projects with the chinese
in a recent blog post ernest z bower a senior adviser at the center for strategic and international studies in washington wrote that the next philippine president should not enter into bilateral talks with china over the south china sea
mr bower argued that such an approach would weaken the claims of other nations in the region and increase the likelihood of conflict he said the international court was the best forum for resolving competing claims
if the decision is released and a new administration ignores it to pursue the bilateral negotiations that china has demanded all along it decreases the incentive for other small nations to turn to international law and arbitration he wrote as other avenues for fair resolution of disputes are shut states will increasingly turn to military buildup in order to defend their interests with force
others have a more optimistic view julio s amador the deputy director general of the foreign service institute in manila a government run think tank said none of the candidates had indicated that they would abandon the international arbitration case
i do believe that the presidency will change whoever is elected and his or her foreign policy will be more nuanced than the general statements that were let loose during the campaign mr amador said after all during elections in the philippines its common that the intended audience is internal
gregory poling the director of the asia maritime transparency initiative which tracks developments in the south china sea said support for international arbitration and the military deal with the united states was unlikely to change
no matter who is elected the new president isnt going to be able to engineer any sharp policy turns on the south china sea mr poling said it is simply too prominent an issue with the electorate
he added however that he was concerned about comments mr duterte had made about the reliability of the alliance with the united states it could affect his decision making in any future crisis with beijing or his willingness to seek an eventual accommodation if he assumes the united states doesnt really have the philippines back mr poling said
in subic bay less than 200 miles from a shoal claimed by the philippines but occupied by china a taxi driver pete simpao seemed perplexed when asked about the south china sea dispute
i dont know about that mr simpao 74 said we need to control the drugs the killings the rapes the corruption i have a kid in manila and im always worried about the crime there im for duterte


if jonas valanciunas is emerging as the star many have assumed he would become then it may not matter if kyle lowry and demar derozan find their missing jump shots anytime soon
on thursday his last day as a 23 year old valanciunas the starting center for the toronto raptors led his team to a hard fought win in game 2 of a conference semifinal matchup with the miami heat his display of ability and determination was just one more indication that at the end of his fourth season his long predicted breakout had finally come
in game 3 on saturday a 95 91 toronto victory he built on that momentum scoring 16 points and grabbing 12 rebounds before leaving the game with a sprained ankle with 8 minutes 53 seconds left in the third quarter he played just over 22 minutes as toronto took a two games to one lead in the series his condition was listed as day to day
in thursdays game as they have in so many others in the playoffs the raptors were beginning to crumble after a stretch of dominance but that was when valanciunas came alive he scored 11 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter and overtime while fighting for offensive rebounds and playing solid defense
he did that and we didnt even run any plays for him derozan told reporters after the game it was just him being hungry i think hes definitely the reason that we won
perhaps more remarkable than valanciunass offense was his defensive performance late in thursdays game against hassan whiteside who himself left the floor saturday with an injury to his right knee in the second quarter
defense is generally considered the weakest part of valanciunass game it was a subject that was apparently raised by his toronto teammates heading into a series that on paper is an awfully tough matchup considering whitesides prowess inside dwyane wades vast playoff experience and the overall depth of the miami roster
i told jonas that if he will play as hard on defense as he does on offense we will win this whole series demarre carroll told reporters
in truth valanciunass breakout has encompassed far more than his solid performance in game 2 which ended with him having compiled 15 points 12 rebounds 3 steals 2 assists and just 1 personal foul in 38 minutes while lowry and derozan have struggled   they were a combined 12 for 75 on 3 point attempts in the playoffs before lowry broke out with a 33 point performance on saturday that featured 5 for 8 shooting from behind the arc   and the second seeded raptors have seemed to be on the verge of fading away valanciunas has put the team on his broad shoulders indicating that the four year 64 million contract extension he signed before the season might prove to be a bargain
in nine postseason games before saturday valanciunas a 7 footer taken with the fifth overall pick of the 2011 draft averaged 149 points 121 rebounds 16 blocks and a steal per game while impressive those numbers are suppressed by his having averaged just 292 minutes a game in a rotation with bismack biyombo a defensive specialist of the 62 lineups the raptors had used in the playoffs none included both of their talented young centers if he continues like this valanciunas will be the first player in nba playoff history to average 14 points 12 rebounds and 15 blocks while playing less than 30 minutes a game
if you adjusted valanciunass numbers to a per 36 minutes rate   closer to a typical amount of playing time for a starter   they increased to 183 points 149 rebounds 19 blocks and 12 steals through game 2 put another way valanciunas has been the second most important player of the nba playoffs according to the personal impact estimate a statistic tracked by nbacom that tries to assign a numerical value to how much a player has affected his teams performance his score 20 trailed only that of indianas paul george who had a 217 in seven games as his team was eliminated by toronto
should valanciunas and toronto get through miami it would be a huge step for the raptors yet the possibility of facing cleveland in the next round would be even more daunting still for a team that has become synonymous with collapse valanciunas is showing himself to be a pillar that it can rely on and perhaps that can take some pressure off the raptors struggling stars


hawthorne calif   decked out in high tech goggles steve zoumas dived low and saw the final gate zooming toward him a 20 foot tall metal framed box ringed with neon boom his sight went black the crowd let out a collective whoa as pieces of his aircraft which had just smashed into a concrete barrier went flying
zoumas was fine but his drone was destroyed he took off his goggles and crossed to the pilots lounge for the replay once again his quadcopter drone a buzzing machine roughly the size of a loaf of bread zoomed daringly around obstacles and through hairpin turns and once again it met its demise
i was pushing it that lap said zoumas a 31 year old construction company owner i just wanted to put on a show for the crowd
welcome to drone racing in which participants fly remote controlled drones against competitors at up to 80 miles per hour along looping courses that include hairpin curves and drops many races take place in open fields but here racers and spectators gathered in an abandoned rubble strewn mall that was set up with gates marking the course across two floors
fans sat on bleachers behind protective mesh passing around antenna equipped goggles to see the pilots view big screen televisions showed off unique camera angles while glowing copters whizzed by emitting the high pitched hum of weed whackers on steroids
racing is a labor of love for many pilots many are born tinkerers and spend hours customizing their drones with new parts or building them from scratch some say they have spent more than 10000 on frames motors batteries propellers and camera mounts
ken loo a 31 year old pilot known as flying bear said he and his wife had put off having children so he could spend more time racing he said he would give up his high paying silicon valley job if he could figure out how to fly drones for a living
of course that is the sticking point drone racing is still something of a guerrilla sport even though espn has agreed to air a drone special on its espn3 channel this fall money is tight and most pilots have to keep their day jobs while high profile races like the world drone prix held last march in dubai united arab emirates pay as much as 250000 to the winning pilot such affluence felt distant in the shell of the hawthorne plaza shopping center
that could change if drone racing hits it big attracting a mass audience and the sponsors who want to sell to them nick horbaczewski the entrepreneur who founded the drone racing league last year thinks he knows how to pull that off
the trick he said is making the audience feel the same thrill as the pilots that is why his league lights up each quadcopter and its pilots goggles with matching colored leds which help spectators track the tiny drones it is also why pilots wear t shirts emblazoned with nicknames like kittycopter rekrek and zoomas pilots back stories and slick editing build up the drama for videos put online
the fast talking horbaczewski 35 helped turn tough mudders a quirky half marathon in which people pay to slog through artificial quagmires into a more than 100 million business as its chief revenue officer he sank his own money into the drone league last year though he also raised 8 million from the likes of steve ross the miami dolphins owner the talent business creative artists agency and the media giant hearst
but there is plenty of turbulence ahead similarly promising quasi leagues have failed before take professional paintball which seemed like a surefire winner at its peak in 2005 a sport in which combatants shoot at one another across an obstacle strewn field promised a built in audience of gun enthusiasts and video gamers
paintball thrived for several years airing its own show on espn3 and drawing sponsors like budweiser monster energy drinks and the united states army then manufacturers of paintball equipment consolidated and cut back on ad spending interest in the sport dwindled and its main league folded in 2014
further complicating things multiple drone racing leagues are vying for attention horbaczewskis major competition is the international drone racing association which announced last month that it would have a special on espn3 in the fall there are a handful of other big leagues around the world and grass roots races pop up constantly
the hodgepodge of organizations has bewildered would be sponsors frustrating some who found the experience of backing a race a sinkhole for time and money multirotor superstore an online retailer of drone parts based in santa cruz calif already sponsors pilots like loo with discounts and access to new gear at grass roots events
but the owner michael silviera said he had spent 20000 sponsoring the idras united states national drone racing championships last year   to disappointing results his companys logos were not displayed as agreed at an after party he helped pay for he said that would have stung more had promised crowds actually turned up for the event attendance was fewer than 100 although he had been told to expect 10000 fans
that hurt quite a bit silviera said now were a little hesitant about doing things


college station tex   the five star quarterbacks are gone replaced at texas am by a graduate transfer student looking for a second chance the hotshot young coordinator is out a seasoned veteran assistant is now running texas ams offense
on the recruiting trail yet another five star passer has taken a pass on the aggies and the reaction one am assistant had to the news last week only made matters worse for coach kevin sumlins program
the aggies have lost some of the swagger that followed when johnny manziel took the southeastern conference by storm sumlin became a 5 million per year head coach and texas am looked as if it could be a perennial threat to alabama
maybe that is good for a program and a coach in need of a trajectory change after three straight seasons of not being able to break 500 in conference play expectations will be modest for the aggies in 2016 and that more than anything else might be what is needed in college station
whatever that perception is what is it compared to sumlin said because 36 in four years is the most anybodys won here in 20 years from a sheer numbers standpoint the things that you quantify where your programs headed by the numbers theres no questions this programs in better shape than when i took over
is it where we want it to be no but is it better based on the fact that were winning right at 70 percent of our games and from 2000 to 2012 it was 50 percent
wins and losses seemed to be the least of sumlins problems last december
in a matter of weeks two former elite quarterback recruits   kyle allen and kyler murray   decided to transfer add in kenny hill who left after the 2014 season and three likely starting quarterbacks transferred out of am in less than a year
were not in the business of trying to run people out of here sumlin said
the aggies had to play a third string quarterback jake hubenak in a loss to louisville in the music city bowl a few days later the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach jake spavital was fired spavital was 27 when sumlin hired him in 2013
it seemed as if a tempest was sweeping through texas am football
on a warm overcast april day in college station between meetings and spring practice sumlin said the winter upheaval had not been nearly as sudden as it had appeared from the outside the assessment of the program internally is probably different than what some people have sumlin said and its always been that way here whether its the first year that i got here or this year
high powered offenses have followed sumlin as he climbed the career ladder from co offensive coordinator at oklahoma to head coach at houston and then texas am
in 2012 sumlins first season the aggies were second in the football bowl subdivision in yards per play with manziel the heisman trophy winner at quarterback the next season texas am ranked fourth in the fbs in yards per play
manziel left after the 2013 season the next season am was 27th in yards per play and last season it ranked 69th
sumlin turned to an old friend to help turn things around hiring the ucla offensive coordinator noel mazzone
mazzone 59 and sumlin had worked together at minnesota in the 1990s sumlin also brought back the offensive line coach jim turner for a second stint at am
sumlin used the word experience eight times when explaining why he had chosen mazzone and turner
better experience than old mazzone said kevin and i really grew up in this one back world and then he was the one that really turned me on to that tempo stuff there was no doubt that it was an easy transition for him and i to be on the same page as far as what we want to be offensively
sumlin wants a more efficient and consistent running game and he needs trevor knight an oklahoma transfer to fill the void at quarterback
knight looked like a potential star when he led the sooners to a sugar bowl victory over alabama in 2014 but he never had sustained success throwing 17 interceptions in 490 career passes
knight showed sumlin and mazzone enough in the spring to be named the starting quarterback over hubenak
trevor who has been a very mature guy came in and really defused any notion about were in a so called quarterback crisis mazzone said
but the quarterback drama never seems to end at texas am the latest social media storm came last week when tate martell a highly regarded recruit from las vegas announced that he was backing away from a verbal commitment to the aggies what followed was a series of tweets from the am receivers coach aaron moorehead about a lack of loyalty and accountability that did not mention martell but still prompted an apology the next day
sumlin still even finds himself answering for his handling of manziel as the quarterback deals with legal and personal problems as a pro
all i know is that personally and as a university and as a program we did a lot to help johnny manziel sumlin said
the 2016 aggies will very likely be pegged to finish near the bottom of the sec west
a 36 16 record does not bring much job security in the sec and some aggies fans are wondering if the university was too quick after the 2013 season to hand sumlin a six year contract that pays him 5 million annually
sumlin dismisses the idea that this is pivotal season for him
he who listens to the fans soon sits with them he said smiling


kabul afghanistan   the closer integration of the feared haqqani militant network into the leadership of the taliban is changing the flow of the afghan insurgency this year with the haqqanis senior leader increasingly calling the shots in the talibans offensive afghan and american officials say
the haqqanis have refined a signature brand of urban terrorist attacks and cultivated a sophisticated international fund raising network factoring prominently in the united states militarys push to keep troops in afghanistan just last month the haqqanis were believed to be behind a truck bomb attack in kabul that killed 64 people and wounded hundreds
now the groups growing role in leading the entire insurgency has raised concerns about an even deadlier year of fighting ahead as hopes of peace talks have collapsed the shift is also raising tensions with the pakistani military which american and afghan officials accuse of sheltering the haqqanis as a proxy group
though it has always nominally been a branch of the taliban the haqqani network was seen as largely autonomous but the selection of sirajuddin haqqani the groups chief to become the deputy leader of the taliban during a leadership struggle last summer has turned out to be far from a symbolic move officials say
sirajuddin increasingly runs the day to day military operations for the taliban and we believe is likely involved in appointing shadow governors said brig gen charles h cleveland the chief spokesman for united states and nato forces in afghanistan
senior afghan security officials say mr haqqani brings to the taliban a more applied and lethal military expertise than the supreme leader of the group mullah akhtar muhammad mansour
mullah mansour has been consumed with a campaign to quell dissent against his leadership and he is said to have limited his movements and access since a reported attack on his life in quetta pakistan accordingly mr haqqani has stepped in at times even running meetings of the taliban leadership council according to senior afghan security officials
one senior taliban commander in southern afghanistan speaking on condition of anonymity to avoid angering the leadership said mr haqqani had been in constant contact with taliban field commanders in the south and the north of the country in addition to his stronghold in the southeast for any big surge of fighters or change of plans the field commanders have to contact mr haqqani the commander said
mawlawi sardar zadran a former haqqani commander in eastern afghanistan said mr haqqani had a central role in appointing taliban governors no one can be appointed without his advice he said the influence of sirajuddin in the taliban ranks seems to be just growing
a taliban spokesman zabihullah mujahid confirmed mr haqqanis elevated role saying it was because of his bravery
we can say that not only his military obligations but all his obligations have increased mr mujahid said
as the insurgency increasingly takes a mafia like shape relying heavily on drug trafficking according to the united nations the haqqani networks leaders also bring another vital resource a proven fund raising network that coupled with the talibans manpower and territorial command helps ensure a more diverse cash flow for the insurgency
over the past 30 years the haqqanis have developed complex streams of funding according to analysts in addition to extortion and ransom seeking they also have diverse business investments in several countries through front companies
the haqqani networks closer integration with the taliban command also creates awkwardness for the obama administration and is raising tension between pakistan and afghanistan
the state department officially listed the haqqanis as a terrorist group in 2012 and there is a 5 million american bounty on sirajuddin haqqani the departments rewards for justice program describes him as 43 years old and 5 feet 7 inches tall with a complexion that is light with wrinkles
but the afghan taliban as a group have remained off that terrorist list partly to ease the prospect of starting peace talks between them and the afghan government   a process that american officials have been centrally involved in with the clear and public integration of the haqqanis into the taliban leadership over at least the past year american officials have essentially been unable to dodge the claim that they are trying to broker talks with terrorists
the haqqani network which traces its origin to the 1980s guerrilla war against the soviets that was backed by the central intelligence agency is seen as having close links with the pakistani military spy service inter services intelligence known as isi
indeed some senior afghan officials say the pakistani military was central to bringing the haqqanis more closely into the taliban during the insurgencys leadership councils last summer which were held in quetta
the united states contributes billions of dollars of aid to the pakistani command and american officials have pushed pakistani officials to bring the taliban to the negotiation table and ease the insurgent campaign in afghanistan but at the same time the insurgencys top leaders still find shelter in pakistan and a sweeping anti militant operation by the pakistani military in 2014 seemed to put no dent in the haqqani groups operations casting doubt on pakistans claims that it had distanced itself from the terrorist group
the isi brought sirajuddin as the deputy to the taliban to give him protection so if the peace talks get serious the americans wouldnt be able to say we will make peace with the leader but not with the deputy  said rahmatullah nabil afghanistans former intelligence chief who now runs a charity for wounded afghan soldiers
mr nabil said that the merger had been helped by the fact that the haqqanis were struggling financially after their chief fund raiser was gunned down near islamabad in 2013 and that the taliban needed mr haqqanis expertise in waging complex attacks
even as american and afghan officials have demanded that pakistan do what it can to limit the insurgent offensive this year there has been little obvious result the taliban command or contest large swaths of afghan territory threaten important provincial capitals and through the haqqanis bombing campaign continue to create carnage and fear in kabul the capital
we have pressed the government of pakistan on its commitment not to discriminate among terrorist groups ambassador richard olson the united states special representative for afghanistan and pakistan said in a congressional hearing after the attack in kabul last month pakistan is at a strategic crossroads   i think it needs to make a choice


charlotte nc   im not going anywhere jason bohn told his caddie on friday as he rummaged through his golf bag outside the quail hollow clubhouse im planning to stick around for a while
bohn was referring to his plans in the immediate aftermath of a missed cut at the wells fargo championship but he might have been talking about his long term prognosis after a heart attack at the honda classic in february
as chilling as it is for bohn to consider if he had failed to make the cut at the honda at the end of february he very likely would not have survived to celebrate his 43rd birthday on april 24 he said that had he not parred the last four holes at pga national a treacherous stretch to make the cut with no strokes to spare he would have showered packed his suitcase checked out of his room at the on site hotel and headed to the airport for the next flight to atlanta where he lives in the suburbs with his wife tewana and their sons conner and cameron
i would have never gotten checked out if i hadnt made the cut bohn said i just didnt think it was severe enough
but with two more rounds ahead of him bohn asked to see a doctor hoping for an infusion of energy he expected to be sent on his way after receiving an antibiotic for the bronchitis that had laid him low the week before but when the paramedics arrived at his side and looked at an electrocardiogram they said they needed to get him to the hospital posthaste further testing at the catheterization laboratory at palm beach gardens medical center revealed that bohns left anterior descending artery commonly known as the widowmaker was 99 percent blocked
the next day instead of playing his third round bohn underwent a procedure in which a stent was used to open his blocked artery after a six week convalescence bohn a two time pga tour winner returned and has made one cut in three starts
my physicians said that if i hadnt asked for a doctor i probably would have died either in the hotel room or on the plane bohn said you hear of people saying oh i dont feel real well im just going to go lay down and then they never wake up thats kind of the position i was in
in retrospect bohn said he should have known his heart might be a ticking bomb after his first round of the honda classic he experienced a tightness in his chest that caused him to type chest pressure in a google search he stopped scanning the results when his eyes fell on what he thought was the most plausible explanation it said when bronchitis turns to pneumonia there can be that sensation of pressure in your chest bohn said i didnt notice anything about a heart attack
then again you do not see what you are not looking for his family had no history of heart disease bohn said or so they thought after his hospitalization bohns 72 year old mother carol decided to move up her annual checkup she has a healthy diet and an exercise regimen that includes daily walks
shes the last person youd expect to have anything wrong with her heart bohn said
his mother had an ekg and an echocardiogram neither showed any abnormalities her doctor recommended an exercise stress test which she completed the week her son returned to competition at the rbc heritage in hilton head island sc
bohn had just grinded to shoot a 69 to make the cut when he received a call from his mother she said im in the hospital my doctors are saying i have a lot of blockage  he said three days later bohns mother underwent triple bypass surgery
bohn became emotional at the thought that his health scare might have indirectly saved his mothers life
id have a heart attack every week to save my mom he said
since bohns return to golf friends and strangers alike have told him that his health scare motivated them to get physicals his fellow competitors have wrestled with their own mortality
johnson wagner who played in a group with bohn in the first two rounds of the honda classic said i remember seeing him in the locker room after the second round and he looked exhausted like he had grinded on a tough golf course to make the cut on the number then i found out an hour and a half later he had had a heart attack and actually was in the middle of it the entire time
wagner recalled bohns approach on 17 in the second round of the honda classic it was a gutsy shot to a difficult pin that bohn pulled off he reacted by clutching his chest and stumbling backward at the time wagner had assumed bohn was playing to the gallery   and on friday bohn said he had been   but from now on whenever he sees a competitor react like that he will involuntarily shudder
wagner was so shaken he vowed to give up tobacco because it elevates his heart rate but what can he do about competition which also makes his heart race
i feel like since jasons incident ive been on the cut line every week and i feel like im having a heart attack he said not to make light of his situation but it makes me wonder ive actually panicked about it a little bit i think am i having a heart attack or is it just nerves and the moment
while he was away bohn missed the tingling limbs the lightheadedness the feeling of the club resting heavy in his hands as he prepared to pull off a difficult shot in the heat of competition in hilton head i was really grinding to make the cut bohn said and man i really felt it
that sensation he added is what he loves most about golf
its not necessarily the wins because you come out on top very few times unless youre some people bohn said i think its the feelings of the grind when you have a difficult shot and you execute it thats what everyone is so hooked on
in moments of high stress on the golf course bohn said he does not worry that what he is feeling is the onset of another heart attack
its pretty amazing he said my cardiologists and everybody have built me a great level of comfort to know that i probably will never have another one


kabul afghanistan   taliban insurgents publicly executed two women one of them in an apparent honor killing in northern afghanistan recently according to afghan officials members of the victims families and a video posted online
the killings which were thought to be unrelated took place in recent months in northern jowzjan province in predominantly uzbek areas where taliban presence has traditionally been weak except among ethnic pashtuns
the killings came to light after a video was circulated of one of them and officials discovered evidence of the other
in one of the cases a pregnant 22 year old woman named rabia a mother of two young children was accused by her husband of adultery tried and convicted by the taliban on the spot and then publicly shot three times members of her family said that her husband had concocted the adultery charge because of a land dispute between their families and that he had wanted to inherit his wifes interests in the land
they buried her without even allowing her family to participate in her funeral said shakera her aunt who like many afghans has only one name
i know she was a very innocent woman shakera said speaking by telephone from her home in the provincial capital shibarghan she did not have the heart to be unfaithful
another motive for the taliban to kill her shakera said was that two of rabias uncles were militia commanders loyal to the uzbek leader abdul rashid dostum who is also first vice president of afghanistan
according to the deputy police chief of jowzjan province col abdul hafeez the apparent honor killing took place in memlek village in the district of faizabad the district governor of faizabad saira shekib who is one of afghanistans few female governors said it had been personally carried out by the talibans shadow governor in the district whom she identified as qari rasool
the killings were reminiscent of similar executions carried out frequently from 1996 to 2001 when the taliban ruled afghanistan and killed many women convicted of so called moral crimes by shooting them in the head at the national stadium before large crowds in rural areas where the group holds sway they have often stoned women to death for suspected moral offenses
the second jowzjan execution is believed to have taken place four months ago though the video surfaced only in the past couple days the victim is seen in a blue burqa sitting on the ground a taliban court convicted her of killing her husband whose family crowded around the execution site and loudly voted to execute her
the victims identity was not known but colonel hafeez said that the authorities believed that the video was genuine and that the execution had taken place in the khanaqa district the executioners face is covered but he was believed to be the districts taliban commander
the children of rabia the victim in the suspected honor killing were not present when the taliban official summarily executed her in the yard of her home but according to shakera rabias 3 year old daughter found her mothers bloodied sandals after the killing and recognized them
she ran to her grandma asking where is her mother shakera said the grandma did not have an answer for her
rabias 6 month old son had still been breast feeding at the time his mother was killed shakera said and members of the family say they have been unable to afford enough powdered baby formula for the infant both children remained with the fathers family
on saturday two coalition soldiers were killed in what may have been an insider attack in southern afghanistan according to a statement from the american led coalition
the attack took place at kandahar air field inside an afghan special forces compound afghan officials said samim khapalwak a spokesman for the kandahar governor described one of the gunmen as an afghan police officer and said four nato soldiers had been wounded in all the attack occurred during a training exercise he said
while the coalition did not confirm the victims nationality afghan officials said they were romanian soldiers
the coalition statement said that the victims had been shot by two gunmen wearing the uniforms of afghan security forces and that other coalition soldiers had shot and killed the attackers


the gunshot survivor frozen from the waist down a 380 caliber bullet lodged between his left kidney and lowermost rib lay on a hospital bed looking at mug shots of south bronx gang members
sgt michael j lopuzzo asked the man whether he could pick out his shooter
yep bruce purdy answered looking spent then he handed back the 8  1/2  by 11 inch booklet with 23 photos
who
mr purdy would not say soon he told sgt lopuzzo the police would hear about a crazy man in a wheelchair shooting the person who had put him there then youll know who it was mr purdy said
the hospital bed threat only hinted at mr purdys scorn for the system raised during a crack plague he was a child of government institutions   a half dozen foster homes a city jail six state prison facilities public housing high rises   who at 29 had landed at yet another lincoln medical and mental health center a red brick monument to both well honed emergency treatment and overburdened recovery care where most gunshot victims in the south bronx are taken
detectives began to make regular trips to mr purdys bedside in room 6c at the hospital after the shooting in october but he was unswayed having been robbed of sex and the use of his legs he said all he had to look forward to was getting revenge
then one night in december a week after mr purdy had left the hospital against doctors orders with little more than a basic wheelchair he fell short of breath was picked up by an ambulance and in the same emergency room that had tended to his gunshot wound died of a blood clot a three month investigation by the new york city medical examiner traced the fatal clot to the shooting and on march 14 mr purdys death was added to this years homicide tally for the 40th precinct a section of the south bronx where violence takes diverse paths to death
to understand what drives such violence the new york times is documenting each murder logged in the 40th precinct this year the killing of mr purdy counted as the fourth homicide there two more have since been recorded making the 40th the third deadliest precinct in new york city in 2016
mr purdys murder is perhaps the precincts truest mystery this year the killer remains on the loose the beneficiary of a lack of cameras outside the public housing building near where mr purdy was shot and a reluctance on the part of his companions and other witnesses to cooperate with the police he carried his silence to the grave
beyond the detectives mr purdy also gave up on lincoln medical center in his last weeks he resisted physical therapy he told relatives he had been left to lie for hours in his own excrement he lit his bedsheets on fire and cursed and yelled at doctors to send him home
the hospital in turn said in medical records that it was unable to do more for mr purdy doctors tried for weeks to find a bed at a rehabilitation center   especially difficult for patients on medicaid   only to have him change his mind on the day of his discharge and go home he told a nurse he planned to kill himself but was never admitted to a psychiatric ward the records are not clear about whether he went home with a prescription for anti clotting medicine his mother said he did not
saving mr purdy from a bullet in the back was not enough the poor pockets of the bronx from which he carved his itinerant life created hurdles that made it hard for a gunshot survivor to stay alive
mr purdys long path to death wound through a bathtub in a public housing project where a brother lifted his limp 181 pounds in and out of the water before that mr purdy lingered for six weeks at lincoln medical center a well regarded hospital for trauma care that   like many institutions across the country   struggles to care for paraplegics
this is just another case where societys ability to care for people in a multidisciplinary way is not always so perfect especially in underserved populations said dr ronald simon the former chief of lincolns trauma division and one of the doctors who oversaw mr purdys treatment
while the challenges of his care illuminate broad problems in how the health care system treats the poor and permanently disabled dr simon and outside medical experts said the hospital appeared to have met the relevant treatment standards and that mr purdy might have unwittingly hastened his death by leaving
he spent much of his last 47 days trying to prove he could return from injury and get justice on his own without the help of doctors or detectives
mr purdys mother thelma johnson believes her son would still be alive had doctors treated him more thoroughly at discharge when he left she said they didnt do nothing but give him a wheelchair
hanging on her wall at a homeless shelter on the grand concourse in the bronx is a red t shirt she pulled off his body in the emergency room near a box containing his ashes
one day she said im going to get some money and buy an urn for them
mr purdy was shot in a void a stretch of sidewalk unwatched by the citys extensive crime fighting surveillance equipment outside the reach of cameras floodlights or gunshot detectors
it was 9 pm on oct 28 and he had been hanging out in apartment 3c at 517 east 144th street a low rise building at the betances houses a public housing project he was with yesenia figueroa the wife of his best friend shamel robinson the two had gone to court earlier after mr robinson was arrested in the apartment early that day for having a loaded hi point 45 caliber pistol mr robinson told officers he had gotten the gun after an argument at a bodega according to court papers
mr purdy stepped outside to get chips and a soda ms figueroa who has a history of arrests for prostitution stayed inside the apartment   sparsely decorated with a curtain marking off one area   is home to a cast of transients mr purdy told detectives at one point that ms figueroa was his fiancee though she told a reporter they were only close friends
steps from the buildings front door a gunman came up from behind and fired two shots the second going deep into mr purdys back he fell between two parked cars rrn the gunman yelled mr purdy told detectives referring to a gang that the police said reigns in the betances houses and was behind a surge in shootings in the 40th precinct that hit a recent peak of 72 in 2011 amid a feud with gang members from the nearby moore houses mr purdy told his sister precious parker that the gunman also screamed you on my block
mr purdy told detectives that he had thought about playing dead but it was too late his eyes were still open and twitching when the gunman stood over his body then inexplicably the gunman uncocked his pistol and walked away
im shot im down miss im down please mr purdy told a 911 operator on his cellphone as he lay there alone
the operator mixed up the street name mr purdy repeated it when she asked him several times who shot him he said he did not know he grew more desperate as seconds ticked by
maam maam hurry up theres people coming he said please hurry up
of the gunman he said they ran off i think im afraid
there was no blood at the scene the slug had spared major blood vessels on the way to mr purdys spine
at the hospital mr purdy lurched between being depressed and being sanguine about his recovery according to medical records his mother received
he had once dreamed of being a doctor and had studied nursing in prison now he was a case study in the physical devastation and psychological ripples that result from surviving a shooting
the bullet had shattered two of the strongest vertebrae in the small of his back nudging his spinal cord to the right he lost movement and feeling in his lower half
roughly one in four trauma cases at lincoln medical center involve penetrating trauma   gunshots or knife wounds   compared with about 5 percent at most private hospitals and so a trauma surgeon is always on duty
mr purdy spent his time in room 6c learning to shift from his bed to a wheelchair and being taught to insert a catheter to urinate on nov 5 the day he was to have the bullet removed he declined to be operated on a decision that may have increased his back pain later
doctors deemed him a very high risk for deep vein thrombosis or blood clots in the legs a notorious danger for paraplegics that stems from the loss of movement he was treated with lovenox an injectable drug to prevent blood clots doctors say typical standards call for such patients to continue preventive treatments for at least three months possibly six sometimes forever
starting around 2004 the citys public hospitals undertook a decade long effort to address what dr robert s kurtz a trauma specialist who helped lead the push called a national problem of failing to prevent deep vein thrombosis he said city hospitals had raised their compliance rate above 90 percent
reeling from his injury mr purdy clashed with medical staff members refusing at first to discuss his family situation or mental state two days after the shooting he threatened to slide onto the floor unless someone brought him a wheelchair doctors said he had adjustment disorder a response to life altering trauma
mr purdys mother said his cousins took him cigarettes to smoke in bed having lost control of his bowel movements he told relatives that nurses had left him sitting in his own excrement for hours
on nov 19 at around 2 pm a social worker maria kazaki maher told him that he had not been doing physical therapy sessions he replied that an attendant had tried to take him to therapy without cleaning the stool he had been lying in for three hours he recorded his seven minute conversation with ms kazaki maher and a physical therapist michael santoro
mr purdy says of the physical therapy how am i going to go if im sitting in excrement
on the video mr santoro can be heard telling mr purdy his health has improved and that he can go home but mr purdy asks how they know he says he has not seen them in five days
ms kazaki maher replies you saw me like four days ago not counting the weekend
they ask mr purdy whether he can think of any other equipment he would need mr purdy sounds confused they abruptly end the conversation making preparations for mr purdys discharge possibly the next day
the discussion was scattered superficial totally disconnected   its pathetic said dr kurtz former director of service for trauma and surgical critical care at kings county hospital center and one of three doctors who reviewed the video and mr purdys medical records at the request of the new york times he cautioned that the encounter showed only a snapshot of his care its a religion to take care of a spinal cord patient its a massive undertaking
the city hospital system said in a statement the video demonstrates that the hospital staff were actively developing a safe and appropriate discharge plan
mr santoro asked about the video said i gave him the best care i could we all did there was no improper care by me ms kazaki maher who has since left the hospital declined to comment through her husband
on nov 26 thanksgiving day at 734 pm with a tv commercial hawking holiday deals playing in the background mr purdy recorded another video he lay naked on his bed with a clump of stool and dirty wipes next to him speaking into his cellphone camera he said he had been waiting 25 minutes for help
this is embarrassing man he said aiming the camera out the open door you got guests you got all sorts of people just walking by door open look at me look at me he panned the camera to the pile of waste beside him
paraplegic patients often languish without thorough and affordable care sound recovery requires among other things buying a special bed for home and teaching a patients relatives to give an enema but doctors say that outside of veterans affairs hospitals treatment often neglects even simple needs
the care is fragmented its scattered it depends on the whim and the will of individuals dr kurtz said adding that there was a crying need for more seamless programs
a patient like mr purdy could have left the hospital after as little as two weeks for a round the clock rehabilitation center dr simon said but while he estimated that 20 local rehabilitation centers would have taken mr purdy if he had insurance far fewer would have done so without insurance
so he ended up staying at lincoln for a more prolonged time until they found him a bed dr simon said
the city hospital system said there was pressure from the federal government in the form of financial penalties for delays to move patients to rehabilitation centers
it did not take long for mr purdy to spiral into desperation
patient started a fire by smoking and burning the bedsheet with the cigarettes stating to the nurse i will set more fire in the room to kill myself and the rest of the people say medical records from six days after he was shot mr purdy told a nurse he had started to work out the details of how to kill himself and intended to carry out his plan
for a time a health aide watched him around the clock a psychiatrist followed up the next day to assess his capacity to make decisions
but the limited mental health care documented in the medical records provided to ms johnson surprised some of the doctors interviewed for this article ms johnson said she had asked twice for her sons full case file and specifically for his psychiatric records but doctors who reviewed the documents said they appeared incomplete the city hospital system said all records had been provided mr purdy later denied being suicidal
dr simon noted that trauma care was often the first encounter with doctors in many years for young victims of violence in the south bronx mr purdys mother and sister visited a few times a week but without a regular family presence the burden on him only grew
he repeatedly asked to go home only for doctors to talk him out of it lincoln finally secured a bed for him in rehabilitative care at the citys metropolitan hospital center in east harlem an ambulance was arranged to take him at 1 pm on dec 7
but he changed his mind medical notes quote him telling attendants he was going home because someone had lost his belongings
doctors enlisted a psychiatrist to evaluate whether they could keep mr purdy in the hospital medical notes say he showed magical thinking in believing that he would walk again but he was deemed not delusional doctors concluded it would be illegal to hold him against his will
dr simon who was not involved in mr purdys discharge said he has had patients insist on leaving before even when he told them they risked dying and theyre like i dont care he said thats a sticky situation once you leave against medical advice
mr purdy was told about the risks of blood clots encouraged to exercise and stop smoking and educated on an injection for blood thinners records show
but the records do not include a clear list of prescriptions he received at discharge his family said he did not return home with a blood thinner prescription or medication
ms parker mr purdys sister whose public housing apartment doctors noted he was going to said she was not informed of the risk of blood clots or how to help prevent them
dr michael m baden a former new york city chief medical examiner said that proper administration of blood thinners would very likely have prevented the fatal clots
his last minute decision to go home would have made any plan more difficult to enforce dr kurtz said that he would have prescribed a blood thinner for home use but that other doctors might reasonably have decided otherwise
he said he understood why someone as distraught and isolated as mr purdy would have left against medical advice
one of the cousins who had been delivering him cigarettes rolled mr purdy out in his wheelchair
mr purdy came home to a family that hardly knew him his own 5 year old daughter was in foster care sent there in 2012 after he fought with the girls mother it was a fate he knew himself
around 1990 new york citys child welfare agency took ms johnsons seven children from her home mr purdy was 5 his mother was sprinkling crack cocaine on cigarettes   she liked the smell of the drug mixing with tobacco   and smoking crack rocks from pipes it was the tail end of an era when the crack cocaine trade drove violence across the city and left many children in broken homes
that began an institutional odyssey as mr purdy and his siblings bounced through five foster homes across the city together rebelling at every turn and sometimes running away ms parker said the most difficult siblings mr purdy among them were separated and scattered across long island and the city he landed in a brooklyn home and at age 13 he joined the shotgun gangsta crips a local affiliate of the national crips gang he told a detective during a 2010 arrest
he looked at it like his family said mr robinson his friend who also grew up in foster care he didnt have his real family
around age 14 the two of them landed at an alternative school in yonkers where they bunked next to each other
mr purdy told mr robinson that he wanted to pursue a music career and maybe become a doctor they finished school mr robinson said before moving into a group home in the northern bronx that helped them look for jobs and took them to six flags and disney world
but mr purdy had inherited some of his parents drug habits first smoking a joint around 15 ms johnson said
thats what we do said ms johnson who started smoking marijuana at 9 thats just what we do
ms johnson recalled telling mourners at her sons funeral that he had tested her patience as a boy running in from the street and sticking his hands in pots for an early taste
that was me and his biggest problem she said
but he grew more bitter in later years he would sometimes meet his mother on the streets after running away from foster homes as they parted he would call out just loud enough to hear crackhead
i thought i was paranoid that i was just hearing things ms johnson said but thats how he really felt about me
she trailed off clapping her hands upset at the memory
twenty three people told the police they heard gunfire from mr purdys shooting but none reported seeing anything using some version of a mantra that has wearied generations of bronx detectives heard shots saw nothing
detectives combed mr purdys arrest record over the years he had used four different names   mike johnson bruce cobb bruce cobbs and his real name many of his 23 arrests were for petty crimes but some were for selling drugs suggesting the possible role of narcotics or gangs in the shooting
his most serious crime came in 2009 when he choked a man from behind as two friends beat him and stole a cellphone and wallet he pleaded guilty to second degree attempted robbery in 2011 after having served nearly 20 months at rikers island he was in and out of state prison on parole violations until december 2014
he foretold his problems in a facebook post the next year when i married the streets he wrote i knew she made your heart cold and would eventually take everything from you
but the shotgun gangsta crips mr purdys gang was not known to be in conflict with gangs in the betances houses he had little history in the south bronx many of his arrests were farther north near his old group home
mr purdy told relatives he believed the gunman had walked away while he was still alive because the man had mistaken him for someone else a young man was arrested in a shooting using a 380 caliber gun at the same housing complex in april and he said in an interrogation that the word on the street was that mr purdys shooting was a case of mistaken identity
without video footage detective richard simplicio said he made at least four visits to mr purdys bedside trying to get him to say what he knew on one occasion mr purdy commented on detective simplicios leopard print accented nike dunks leading to a conversation between sneaker buffs
he felt comfortable the detective said unfortunately not comfortable enough to assist in the shooting
detective simplicio said he sympathized at the end of the day too were not with them 24 hours a day he said were not there for the most part to help them out
ms figueroa his friend rebuffed detectives twice she and her husband mr robinson had their own criminal cases with ms figueroa toting her baby in a carrier to an april court appearance for mr robinson he said he was in jail when he learned that his friend had died
investigators believe mr purdy told people close to him before he died that the man who had shot him was someone he had seen before
but detectives were counting on having more time to build a rapport with mr purdy to persuade him to cooperate rather than face the repercussions of his own revenge
detective simplicio said obviously i didnt think he was going to you know die after he got cut loose from the hospital
mr purdy joined the ranks of what the police call reclassified homicide victims injured in one year but not added to the departments murder tally until at least the next they include people stabbed or shot decades ago who hang on until old age as well as young paraplegics felled by bedsores that lead to amputations and infections
they are linked only by the creeping pace of deaths arrival and the stalled investigations that can follow
of the seven reclassified homicides logged by the police so far this year five remain unsolved a police department spokesman said a reflection of how cases become harder to close as time goes on there were 16 over all last year
of course a delay presents another challenge but its not the only challenge said dermot f shea the departments deputy commissioner in charge of crime analysis stressing that detectives are trying just as hard to uncover clues while a victim is alive
in mr purdys case the crime scene unit that handles homicide scenes did not respond leaving the work to an evidence collection team that conducts less rigorous ballistics tests and takes less detailed measurements there was scant progress in the case between his death in december and the medical examiners homicide ruling in march
only in recent weeks have detectives begun gathering better leads
no matter how quickly a victims relatives or law enforcement officials want an answer on the cause of death the citys 30 medical examiners are bound to trace a corpses clues to the start of the chain
the no 1 thing in every case is the body itself said the chief medical examiner dr barbara sampson and the body never lies
mr purdys autopsy was completed the day he died and an examiner would have found the fatal blood clots in his lungs immediately but the delay in ruling the case a homicide appears to have stemmed from toxicology tests which can reveal contributing causes and take weeks or months to be completed
when mr purdy arrived at the emergency room he said he felt short of breath after smoking marijuana initially leading doctors to believe he might have died of drug related complications they told his mother it looked as if he had taken k2 a drug whose popularity at the time was creating a panic though mr purdy told his mother he had not
soon after the medical examiners office cautioned sergeant lopuzzo the commander of the 40th precinct detective squad that drugs like k2 could have raised mr purdys body temperature and caused the release of the blood clots
but his death certificate ultimately linked them to the gunshot wound and resulting paralysis not to any drugs the blood clots pooled in his legs migrated toward his heart and threw off fatal clots to both lobes of his lungs
back at his sisters apartment mr purdys nieces and nephews jumped into his thick tattooed arms competing for attention
they asked why he was in a wheelchair and he said because i done something really stupid his mother ms johnson recalled he kept to himself what he meant
he took trips outside in his wheelchair for a smoke or fresh air he fitfully discovered life outside the hospital as a paraplegic he dwelled on the numbness in his penis expressing anxiety about never again being able to have sex or children
im never going to feel this again he would say ms johnson recalled it was funny to me but he was really serious
as a salve for his fears his aunt tickled him below the waist and he felt that ms johnson said
at the end of each day his younger brother randy parker an army veteran of kuwait and afghanistan scrubbed him down in the bath mr purdy often hugged him and told him he loved him and grieved his wilting body
mr parker recalled him saying i never thought that i would see the day that my baby brother would have to pick me up and do this you know wipe my ass and change my pampers and stuff like that
he would sit there and he would cry mr parker added
on the night of dec 13 ms parker ordered a pizza mr purdy and some siblings were playing cards at a table in a cramped kitchen of her sixth floor apartment he gasped for air
at first im thinking its a joke ms parker said he said he was tired
mr purdy had been sleeping on a couch in the living room and mr parker wheeled him there to rest it was the first time he had lost his breath since coming home
next thing you know hes like i cant breathe i cant breathe ms parker said
an ambulance rushed him to lincoln medical center where emergency medical workers took him in just as his mother arrived
his heart was racing its rate in the 130s he had high blood pressure nurses tried pulling his clothes off but it hurt his back
so i was like ok i got this let me do this his mother said her son threw up his arms and she pulled off his shirt
seconds later his eyes rolled back and his body started shaking nurses tried to tie him to the gurney to draw blood but he went unconscious he began having pseudo seizure like activity where he would gesticulate and make grunting noises medical notes say doctors pulled him away
he was put on a ventilator at 1243 am a half hour later he had no pulse for 26 minutes doctors tried to resuscitate him at 141 am on dec 14 he was pronounced dead by dr allysia guy
they wrote in medical records that his death appeared connected to an unknown drug though they acknowledged not understanding the true cause
the next day at 10 am mr purdy had been scheduled to have his first doctors appointment since his discharge from lincoln it was the day before what would have been his 30th birthday one of the last things doctors had told him was how important that appointment was


mardi gras morning was difficult at the cupcake cafe
the health inspector showed up and ruth arcone the cafes pie maker was so startled she forgot to put the plastic babies into her king cake the inspector didnt look in the fridge didnt even look in the bathroom ms arcone said when the inspector left were like ahh
she added we got an a
ms arcone 58 sank into her seat by the door on the counter sat her ring shaped cake sprinkled with purple green and yellow sugar when a regular came over and said this is delicious thank you ruth she looked up from her newspaper and said youre welcome
for five years ms arcone was a fixture at the cupcake cafe a hells kitchen institution at the corner of west 40th street and ninth avenue in manhattan she made 40 kinds of pie but produced only 10 to 15 a week im making pies by hand she explained one at a time
she spent most of her days there whether or not she was baking she would chat with customers at a big marble table and read aloud bits from the newspaper then at 7 pm ms arcone would pack up her papers and head home to geffner house a single room occupancy residence a few blocks away in midtown
at 11 pm she would start her second job as night caretaker at the dwelling place a nearby womens shelter
almost 20 years ago ms arcone was a resident of that shelter
homeless for two months ms arcone who graduated from stuyvesant high school and attended cornell university had been sleeping on the subway at night and hanging out at barnes  noble during the day
she was taken in by sister nancy chiarello one of the three nuns who run the privately funded shelter she stayed for 14 months the day she found housing at geffner house sister nancy offered her a job
ms arcone is aware of the limits of her life financially she gets by but her room at geffner house has no kitchen she makes batches of food at the dwelling place and carries them home
romantic love has been elusive ive never had a valentines day she said matter of factly
but she is comfortable in her artistry as a baker and on that mardi gras afternoon she was starting to feel some long delayed confidence
im thrilled she said looking down at her new sneakers with aquamarine stripes ive wanted these for a year
six weeks later on march 27 the cafe closed
much has been written about the recent surge of homelessness in new york city and the trauma of those living on the street anyone walking around midtown manhattan can see the toll the bundled up woman in the west 30s her campsite covered with plastic has made it through the winter so has the woman in a pleated skirt who does her laundry in the bathroom sinks in penn station
this story however is about a woman who managed to get back on her feet and yet still struggles with the reverberations from being homeless
for ms arcone it has been a long journey back
she is still picking up the pieces her confidence took a hit im good at working she said but not at presenting myself at finding work she is just starting to attend to her health last year she signed up for health insurance through the affordable care act and saw a doctor for the first time in 14 years
the number of homeless people and the number of single women in the shelter system have almost tripled since ms arcone was homeless according to data from the new york city department of homeless services the human resources administration and nycstat shelter census reports when ms arcone moved into the dwelling place in january 1997 there were 1345 single women out of a shelter population of 23698 in february of this year there were 3758 out of 60410 the data show
when women first come in theyre frightened maybe ashamed of their situation said sister joann sambs who helps run the shelter which has provided support for homeless women since 1977
for many of them homelessness is a new experience she added theyve had their own lives   jobs bank accounts credit cards theyve lost it all
getting back into the mix of daily life is an arduous process
hells kitchen has helped ms arcone she said she relishes her lively neighborhood particularly the two blocks   west 39th and 40th streets   tucked into the shadow of the port authority bus terminal those streets contain the dwelling place to which she is devoted the vegetable markets where she shops and the cupcake cafe
the cafe ms arcone said gave her a sense of community the work she did was appreciated said ann warren 60 the cafes co owner thats rare so many people work terribly hard and nobody sees them do it
as a child ms arcone would stand behind her mother a skilled baker in the kitchen i was waiting to lick the spoon she said
it was just the two of them her mother a school secretary raised her on the lower east side of manhattan her father with whom she had little contact died when she was 13
one sunday morning ms arcone then a senior at stuyvesant went into her mothers room before leaving to do volunteer work her mother had died in the night after a heart attack
i called the police ms arcone said i was terrified she was 17
my mother had named good family friends as my guardians she continued i moved in with them but it just was not a good fit
she went to cornell but couldnt find her footing she did however discover that she loved to bake i wanted to make the things my mother had made   her brownies and oatmeal cookies she said
leaving college after three years she enrolled at the new york restaurant school in manhattan and later found work catering but over the years she had a couple of setbacks in 1991 she fell and broke her wrist she was without health insurance and the hospital and surgery bills wiped out what savings i had she said
five years later while cooking at the cub room in soho her feet gave out one day i finished work ms arcone said went out to have breakfast and when i got up i couldnt walk
she didnt have money to see a doctor months later she was given a diagnosis of metatarsalgia an inflammation in the ball of the foot unable to work she couldnt pay the rent and she felt ashamed to ask for help your vision narrows she said i kept thinking if i can just make it through the day
fearing she would be evicted from her brooklyn sublet she gave away her beloved orange cat
then one night that november she came back from the store theyd drilled out the lock she said referring to the landlord
through the fall she slept on the a train she showered at the russian  turkish baths in the east village by the end of december ms arcone was  completely desperate she said and called a high school friend who was a lawyer he said im not even going to send you to the city shelters ms arcone recounted you wouldnt survive
he sent me to sister nancy she explained there was this relief i was inside i was warm and i had a place to sleep
she became a customer at the cupcake cafe in 2008 and in 2011 ms warren an owner asked if she would like to do some baking for the shop
the cafe first opened in 1988 on the corner of 39th street and ninth avenue and reflected the freewheeling character of hells kitchen in those days
were not business people said michael warren 66 who owned the cafe with ms warren a painter the couple divorced in 2010 but both remained with the cafe
the cafe featured doughnuts as well as cakes and cupcakes decorated with monet like flowers by ms warren and her staff and became a neighborhood hub mikes rule was if anybodys hungry they can get a doughnut and a coffee said adelaide morro 61 a longtime employee referring to mr warrens generosity
a glowing review in the new york times brought in those farther afield the musician david byrne and the actress sarah jessica parker were among its customers but after the 1990s there were financial struggles opening in 2004 the cafe on west 40th street had a smaller following two years later the original location closed in 2005 the couple opened a cafe in books of wonder a childrens bookstore on west 18th street that cafe closed six years later
yet the cafe on west 40th remained a haven for its regulars the room was strung with paper lanterns a few regulars stored their groceries there in an antique icebox
ms arcone is alert to every change on ninth avenue the turkish restaurant on 39th street got shut down by the health department she said heading out from the cupcake cafe on a frigid night in february she needed ingredients for tomato soup the owners just walked away then the pipes froze and burst
if it was us she added we would have cleaned till everything was right
whats with the pajamas she said as she passed a young man wearing pajamas with a nordic design
at terra a market on ninth avenue she navigated the narrow aisles there were bundles of bruised oranges and carrots for a dollar and also fresh asparagus for 199
she paused by the persian cucumbers have you had these i love them then she grabbed two bunches of dill scallions and a pint of cream for her soup she would cook it at 3 am at the dwelling place
at midnight ms arcone who is not quite five feet tall settled into her spot a table in the residences dining room behind her was a painting of a young woman lighting sabbath candles ms arcone who is jewish likes the painting its been here as long as i have she said
i like being here alone she added i know what i have to do at night it doesnt matter in what order or when i do it
upstairs 15 women were asleep lights must be turned off at 1030 pm i can think of eight i know that ive talked to she said
like some of the women who have stayed there ms arcone has struggled with depression it hit after her mother died we didnt know the word then she said now doctors would have prescribed an antidepressant
her 30s and 40s were tough
so much of it i spent feeling i was not any good she said at having a successful career at getting married
but oh my god she continued smiling somewhere between 50 and 60 things change ive accepted im never going to be president or white house pastry chef or whatever
but im doing what i like she added im taking care of myself and ive got things under control
two weeks before easter ms arcone and ms warren met at cull  pistol oyster bar in chelsea market for the dollar an oyster special it was a late birthday celebration for ms arcone
it was a rare break the two friends were giddy
i have a fantasy ms warren said looking out at the popular food marketplace of having the cupcake cafe here part of the fantasy is that she could drift into cull  pistol
theres no money to do it she added but i can dream
a waiter steered a platter of oysters toward them ms arcone closed her eyes as she ate her first
her thoughts turned to her 60th birthday two years away i really want to see the northern lights she said the cheap way is to go to iceland the expensive way would be the norway coastal voyage
maybe we could apply for a kitchen job on a cruise ship ms warren said wed see nothing
a week later ms arcone opened the door to her room at geffner house for a reporter
the walls were bare but evidence of her passion was everywhere there were hundreds of cookbooks in bookcases stacked neatly on the radiator and filling bags
a window looked north toward the hearst tower on the left you can see a bit of water ms arcone said sometimes you can see ships pull out and you can hear the horns
taped to the door was the daily newss front page with the headline im with stupid featuring the republican presidential candidate donald j trump with sarah palin a fan letter left by a customer and a picture of a black cat
ms arcone loves cats her one complaint about geffner house is that no pets are allowed everybody knows having a cat is a healthy thing she said its good for blood pressure for loneliness
she is matter of fact about other aspects of the residence its noisy she said noting that there was jackhammering during the day from a renovation theres loan sharking going on drug dealing she added youre riding the elevator with people so stoned they dont know what floor theyre going to
yet she said i dont feel unsafe
so why does she stay ms arcone pays only 698 rent she might be able to find a room in an apartment somewhere but she said i dont want to share besides she added my longest commute to my two jobs is three blocks you cant beat that
ms warren told her staff five days before easter that she had filed for bankruptcy and had to close the cafe
talking about it later she sounded relieved its the neighborhood living room she said about her business but the neighborhood living room is not a business
she said she felt terrible for her staff and especially for ms arcone ruth has been such a peach she said ms warren had been talking with her and other staff members about possible projects maybe a pop up maybe she would even reopen but for now everything was in limbo
the cafes last day was easter sunday babys breath filled a vase on the big table wheat doughnuts were set out regulars milled around the piano as murray weinstock 67 played jazz
were having a wake ms arcone said sitting in her chair she looked exhausted its huge she said of the closing its not only losing the work the money but if you live in a room you want to get out find someplace where you can just sit
she stood suddenly my cake plate she said and disappeared into the kitchen ms arcone came back holding it this is mine she said and stashed it in her tote
the young staff members stood at the back stunned
i guess im in denial said rebecca chambers 31 a cake decorator who had been hired there when she was 19 cupcake takes these tumultuous turns it always lands on its feet
at 4 pm ms arcone said ill be right back she had made an easter cake for the women at the dwelling place and needed to take it over they eat at 6 pm sharp it has a passion fruit curd filling she said rebecca iced it with coconut cream cheese
hurrying she carried the unwrapped cake down west 40th street toward 10th avenue then emerging from the shelter she walked back to the cafe in the fading spring light


senator bernie sanders of vermont has cut into hillary clintons lead in the democratic presidential race by more than two dozen delegates based on new data from washington state while mrs clinton won the guam caucuses on saturday
mr sanders handily won the washington caucuses on march 26 taking 25 of the 34 delegates awarded that day an additional 67 delegates could not be divided up until the state party released vote data broken down by congressional district
district level data provided to the associated press on saturday showed that mr sanders would pick up 49 of those delegates while mrs clinton would receive 18
still even with the additional delegates mr sanderss mathematical chances of winning the nomination have not improved
counting superdelegates the party officials who are free to support whomever they like and who have overwhelmingly backed mrs clinton so far she now has 2229 delegates or 94 percent of the total needed to win the nomination mr sanders has 1453
guams democratic party said mrs clinton had won 60 percent of the vote to earn four of the seven delegates at stake the pacific island is one of five united states territories that cast votes in primaries and caucuses to decide the nominee even though those residents are not eligible to vote in november
often overlooked guam drew attention from both candidates who ran radio advertisements in an effort to scoop up any possible delegates in the final stretch of primaries and caucuses
the next primary contest will be held on tuesday in west virginia more than 800 delegates will be awarded on june 7 when california new jersey and four other states hold nominating contests


in many visiting locker rooms space is an indulgence not a basic courtesy they are small because that is how visiting locker rooms are supposed to be skate shower get dressed get out
not so at barclays center and a good thing too every available inch was necessary friday night for the tampa bay lightning whose players fanned out to recap their 2 1 overtime victory in game 4 against the islanders in each corner a different catalyst
on one side goalie ben bishop who saved 27 of 28 shots including 15 in a tenuous first period
in front of his locker the hulking defenseman jason garrison whose one timer at 1 minute 34 seconds pushed the islanders to a 3 1 series deficit and the brink of elimination
over here alex killorn whose mucking in the corner freed the puck and initiated the sequence that led to the tying goal
and there nikita kucherov whose affinity for scoring at critical postseason moments evokes brad richardss and ruslan fedotenkos sorcery from the lightnings 2004 stanley cup run
i like playing under pressure kucherov said
among the four conference finalists from last season only tampa bay remains in the playoffs the others   chicago los angeles and the rangers   lost in the first round ousted by teams that had undergone significant retooling
st louis dealt t j oshie for troy brouwer and integrated younger players to a robust nucleus san jose changed goalies and coaches pittsburgh acquired phil kessel and nick bonino to bolster its offense and also fired its coach
tampa bay is the outlier a contender that assessed its roster loved its scoring and youth and depth and then sent it largely untouched back onto the ice for training camp the group that came within two victories of a stanley cup last year led by defenseman victor hedman and kucherov and bishop is older better and just as opportunistic
it is also after winning in overtime when trailing in the third period for the second time in four nights one victory from returning to the eastern conference finals with game 5 scheduled for sunday in florida
they havent raised the stanley cup so thats the one thing they havent seen coach jon cooper said but pretty much everything until then they have i think thats what puts us in the position that were in weve gone through this theres no real panic button anymore
not anymore though as cooper acknowledged there was kind of a little bit of a mourning period late in the season when the lightning lost two crucial members to injury the top two defenseman anton stralman broken leg understated in his brilliance and their leading goal scorer steven stamkos blood clot in arm
if we had found this had happened to stammer a couple days before game 1 of detroit i dont know if mentally we would have been able to take that cooper said referring to the lightnings first round opponent but there was a little bit of time to gather our thoughts
killorn said i dont want to say we were fortunate but we had a couple games left in the regular season to kind of adapt to playing without them
the night tampa bay announced stamkoss ailment with two games remaining before the playoffs general manager steve yzerman told reporters how the red wings had soared without him one spring   and they did winning two rounds in 1988 before he came back in time to lose in the conference finals
that the lightning could benefit from stamkoss or stralmans presence is indisputable though it is unclear when either may return but just as in pittsburgh where the penguins regrouped after evgeni malkin was injured and won 14 of 16 games the lightning recovered and as killorn said adapted
opportunities awarded to players like the 21 year old wing jonathan drouin who emerged as an offensive dynamo 8 points nine games after his trade request went unfulfilled and garrison who absorbed some of stralmans minutes were snatched
the lightning adopted a mantra that they did not want to let those be the final games stamkos and stralman played tampa bay has gone 9 5 in their absence 7 2 in the playoffs
its really exciting just to know that theres the potential for them to come back also right killorn said you see what were doing without them and you realize theyre around the corner and they could be back with us next series
the islanders might disagree with his presumptuousness especially after they outplayed tampa bay for long stretches in both games and on friday had far more scoring chances
all the lightning needed was one such chance in the third period and they capitalized with kucherov   reunited on a line with killorn and tyler johnson that pummeled detroit last round   ripping a short side one timer through a hole the approximate size of a millipede
any shots a good shot kucherov said and those are indeed words to live by
again his handiwork forced overtime his eighth goal over all in nine games and it vaulted him into third place in lightning postseason history with 19
already
he is 22
hes proven hes not a one hit wonder cooper said
kucherov most definitely is not and neither is his team


landon nordeman approaches red carpet photography as though it were street photography he favors reflective moments over splashy ones unassuming ones over instagrammable ones slyly poking the occasional hole in the polished sheen of celebrity culture
he turned his lens on that most star studded of new york events on monday the met gala a benefit for the museums costume institute but also a coveted platform for celebrities to display their relevance and for designers to unveil their masterpieces invitations are hyper exclusive although mr nordeman 41 was monitored by a communications handler throughout the evening he said his lens occasionally strayed to the unconsidered within the sea of meticulously orchestrated glamour
solange knowles stands alone in one of his photographs looking surprised at something on her phone her accordion like yellow dress appears more impractical away from the flashes of adoring cameras celebrities register in the corner of a frame almost as an afterthought waiters stand awkwardly internalizing the circus before them
shes not doing anything mr nordeman said of the image of ms knowles shes not expecting to be photographed she wasnt with handlers or anyone is that the most compelling thing no but there she is alone for a second
he said of his approach i love to work in a situation that is a controlled environment and try to shoot it in an uncontrolled way
mr nordeman who cites the bronx street photographer garry winogrand as an influence also favors flash which he said can make the candid moments of an elite fashion spectacle all the more arresting
the flash heightens the intensity of what im seeing he said with the naked eye it might look like theres not much going on but when you hit it with the flash it becomes a more dramatic version of itself


vanessa bayer of saturday night live doesnt get home until around 5 am following the shows weekly live performance and after party a lot of the time ill go to sleep with all of my makeup on ms bayer said the 34 year old comedian and actress who played amy schumers sidekick in the movie trainwreck last summer grew up in cleveland and discovered the meaning of comic relief while battling leukemia as a teenager i dont know if it made me funnier but it was so amazing how it made everything be ok she said ms bayer lives in a one bedroom apartment in a west village high rise by herself but i just realized theres a part of my floor that squeaks she said so its kind of like i have a cute pet
sofa bound i try to get up by 3 i put a sweatshirt on over my pjs and i go down my stairs its like a loft where i live my bedroom is upstairs my tv is in an entertainment center you have to open the doors for the remote to work so i open those and then i sit down on my couch ill forget my slippers upstairs and ill be like ugh i have to go upstairs to get them its like eight stairs but stairs are stairs
that makeup ill wash my face because i start to feel like my eyes are stuck together its so much makeup from the show i usually dont shower theres just no reason
toasted i order food from my couch and i dont leave my couch again until it comes ill order a bagel ill get really mad because they will forget to toast it it didnt happen when i lived further east near nyu those people were really on it id say it takes me a good 10 minutes to get over it ill have a savory or sesame bagel sometimes ill get a raisin bagel with raisin walnut cream cheese and theyll use a knife they cut an onion bagel with and then theres a whole section of the bagel i cant eat i usually order coffee with the bagel my coffee maker isnt the best so i like ordering it in sometimes the coffee will have spilled onto the bagel and then of course you know how upsetting that is
unreality television ill sit and ill watch tv while im eating my bagel its stuff i have dvr ed real housewives stuff on bravo i also weirdly watch general hospital i used to watch it and then i stopped and now ive started watching it again they have a lot of supernatural stuff i truly love it but the level of believability is very low its very refreshing
priorities i joined twitter two years ago i was late to it so i am still really into it ill make a tweet wait is that what you say post a tweet ill post a tweet and then ill call my brother and say hey did you see my tweet i wont talk on the phone too much its usually fun to talk to my parents i mean its always fun i dont want to burn my parents but i dont pick up the phone much on sundays i like texting with friends but i find if i am watching tv i have to focus on the show
checking the fridge my fridge is usually pretty empty if i can get it together to order freshdirect i will have some fruit and yogurt in the fridge but there isnt a ton of stuff you would cook with i feel like my parents are going to be very proud of me when they read this
noises off i usually meditate twice a day transcendental meditation for some reason i always forget to meditate on sunday because its such a weird day and ill remember at 5 and meditate for 20 minutes and its great because ill feel like im getting something done even though i am sitting on the couch
delivery at 7 or 8 i decide to order dinner i try and eat kind of healthy on sunday nights to balance out the bagel some kind of salad or sushi sometimes at dinner ill switch to hbo i can stay up watching tv so late the problem is i dont get tired early because of staying up so late i might order a snack popcorn at 11 sometimes ill order in three times on sundays people think new york is crazy and busy but its actually a great place for lazy people to live you can order microwaveable popcorn ill order like those bags of it but theres a minimum so then ill order laundry detergent i wonder sometimes what the doormen think of me


immigrant enclaves often acquire nicknames that are meant to distinguish them from the surrounding geography as if not quite belonging to it dearborn mich has several of these neighborhoods with names like little iraq little syria and little lebanon occasionally on certain talk radio shows the city in its entirety is referred to as dearbornistan
for a brief period about a decade ago i taught english in the citys southend neighborhood in an area known as little yemen each morning i exited the freeway and drove down the dusty stretch of dix avenue watching the chimneys of the industrial sector morph into a stretch of halal butchers and arab groceries men sat outside playing backgammon and women walked down the sidewalk in full niqab a black gown with an attached veil that covers everything except the hands and a small rectangular opening for the eyes these were the women i would teach
i had recently returned to michigan after dropping out of a fundamentalist bible college where until the year before my acceptance women were required to wear skirts in the classroom students were forbidden to go to the movies and dance and could be expelled for being gay or engaging in premarital sex i left of my own accord after struggling with a series of doubts
i privately renounced my faith one night in my dorm room yet i kept reneging worried that my decision was driven by sin i returned home without a degree and spent most evenings quarreling with my parents about the direction my life was headed beyond theological exegesis i didnt have any skills to speak of
a family friend put me in touch with a dearborn multicultural organization that offered classes in english as a second language i was hired as a teacher without much fuss about credentials
before my class each morning i drove the pickup van retrieving the students from their homes the houses were low brick duplexes the kind of buildings that could be found in midcentury suburbs anywhere in america it was always a shock when the women emerged in their niqabs often in twos or threes floating elegantly down the sidewalk
the women spoke varying degrees of english and i knew no arabic so our conversations were aided by an elaborate construct of symbols and gestures over time i learned their names dalia nadeen warifa aisha most of them had migrated from yemen within the last five years with their husbands who had come to work at ford
i ran a somewhat loose classroom i was supposed to be teaching tenses and vocabulary but the women wanted to talk about their lives and mostly i permitted the digressions once the door was shut they removed their veils and took off their head scarves mostly they spoke of their concerns about the community that the schools were overcrowded that southend was polluted and subject to overpolicing
people in america are afraid of the hijab one woman said it was a fear i had observed myself more than once id overheard the other teachers fretting in hushed tones about how the younger generation in town was not assimilating how are they supposed to become american the implication was that fundamentalism was a relic of the old country that should have been made obsolete by life in the west
one of my students was maryam a 19 year old who spoke better english than the others she was one of the few unmarried women in the class and the older women were always teasing her   in arabic though i gathered that the jokes were about men they would turn to her to confirm that she was blushing whenever this happened maryam gave me an impatient smile the look of a serious young person seeking distance herself from the frivolity of her elders
i had heard from the other teachers that maryams mother died when she was young and that her father was ill as an only child she was his primary caretaker it must have been a hard won luxury for her to attend these classes and she understandably wanted the time to be used efficiently
after class one day i asked maryam if she would prefer to meet with me for one on one lessons her english was advanced and i said she could benefit from private tutoring after some hesitation she agreed
for several weeks we met in an attic room that was just large enough to accommodate a table and two chairs i brought an english textbook and sometimes we read newsmagazines together wading through reports about the iranian election and the northern ireland peace process
there was a sadness about her a palpable distress that made me eager to help her   though i wasnt sure what to do i sometimes felt the urge to evangelize her an impulse that arose almost against my will like the itch of a phantom limb i no longer believed in god but then again it was possible that i was wrong and it pained me to think that i might be responsible for the state of someones soul as i drove home each afternoon my mind drifted into a familiar hive of anxieties were these women going to hell was i i sometimes wondered whether maryam was thinking the same of me
as the summer wore on she began to speak more candidly about her life she said she liked school very much and would like to possibly go to college to become a dentist she had a cousin who was in school for this occupation a woman her age who lived she was careful to note on the west side   code that the relative was more liberal
that night i looked up the educational requirements for dental school and printed the information from my parents computer though my efforts had no claim on her eternal destiny i confess that there was a certain questing vigor a missionary zeal to my assistance i would be her steward into secular life a handmaiden to her hegira when i gave her these documents at our next meeting she stared at them for a long time without saying anything then she thanked me and slipped the papers into her bag
soon after that day maryam stopped coming to school she gave no notice and no reason after a few days one of the other teachers confirmed what i already suspected she had been betrothed to a man almost twice her age she would travel back to yemen during ramadan to be married it wasnt uncommon for girls to drop out of classes once marriages were arranged for them they would be housewives and mothers education was no longer necessary
throughout my tenure at the school several more bright young women disappeared from the classroom and it was difficult for me to avoid becoming discouraged about the purpose of my work on some days it was unclear what function the language i was teaching would serve
unlike the other teachers i didnt believe that fluency in english would grant these women access to the freedoms of western liberalism i knew from experience that fundamentalism is a system with deep roots that it persists despite education and often defends itself with the vocabulary of rationalism possessing a language is not in the end the same as having a voice
but each day that i pulled up in the school van the women continued to appear at their front doors eager to come to school perhaps the classes were a respite for many of them a space set apart from the demands of their daily lives it was my job to teach them and so despite my doubts i too continued to show up


given that donald j trump appears to have locked up the republican nomination after spending little on television ads it may be hard to explain to younger americans how a single commercial made a difference in the 1984 presidential campaign
the one minute commercial commonly known as morning in america created for president ronald reagans re election effort in 1984 is one of the most effective campaign spots ever broadcast the ads haze of nostalgia and optimism helped obscure mr reagans lingering political problems with the deficit and unemployment
the scenes in morning would have fit almost seamlessly into the 1950s sitcoms father knows best or leave it to beaver one difference is that the ad is rendered in soft pastel colors similar to those used in the natural the robert redford baseball film also released that year
set to the music of sentimental strings images include a paperboy on his bicycle a family taking a rolled rug into a house and campers raising an american flag the subtext is that after 20 years of social tumult assassinations riots scandal an unpopular war and gas lines mr reagan returned the united states to the tranquillity of the 1950s
at the start of the ad the narrators melodious voice says its morning again in america today more men and women will go to work than ever before in our countrys history this wording which reflected the growth of the american population in four years distracts from the fact that unemployment remained higher at about 75 percent than it was when mr reagans predecessor jimmy carter left office
in fact mr reagans party had been blamed for a punishing recession using the slogan stay the course republicans lost 26 house seats and seven governorships in the 1982 midterm elections
its true that by 1984 the severe inflation that helped mr reagan defeat mr carter in 1980 was down significantly but under mr reagan the deficit had more than doubled although times were improving the president was potentially vulnerable to attack for having failed to fully keep his 1980 pledge to restore the american economy
nancy reagan who was as ever deeply involved in the way her husband was presented to the world disliked the pedestrian ads produced for his 1980 campaign which appeared to bend over backward not to make mr reagan an ex actor look too hollywood and in 1984 what came to be called tuesday team inc named for election day entered the picture
unlike earlier presidential campaigns that gave their accounts to existing advertising agencies the reagan campaign constructed its own shop with about 40 stars of the industry starting with bbdos phil dusenberry who had been co screenwriter for the natural and had produced michael jackson as he hawked pepsi
the team was quartered in a rented suite without windows above radio city music hall according to one member tom messner writing last month in adweek the group was offered free offices in   of all places   the newly opened trump tower but that was dismissed as a little showy
morning in america and several other reagan tv ads were written by hal riney of ogilvy  mather in san francisco known for his skill at appealing to the emotions he was determined to demonstrate that negative political ads were not the only kind that worked
riney had created a dreamlike 1970 spot for crocker national bank depicting a couple being married to the sound of a song he had commissioned from the songwriter paul williams called weve only just begun the song was soon made into a hit by a rising brother and sister duo called the carpenters
by mr messners account mr reagans pollster richard wirthlin and other reagan lieutenants briefed the tuesday team on the presidents accomplishments over two days in washington at one point the president popped in and said if youre going to sell soap you ought to see the bar
mr riney told the san francisco chronicle in 2004 that the briefings were a total waste of time because it was obvious that the main commercial should address how mr reagan had turned the country around after mr carter he wrote morning and several other reagan ads quickly while drinking bourbon in a bar below his ogilvy office   by his own account he was a heavy drinker in those days
mr riney used his own resonant voice to narrate morning in america a full quarter of the commercial is devoted to a small town church wedding that is almost a dead ringer for the one in mr rineys crocker bank spot the faces in the ad are overwhelmingly white
the commercial boasted that interest rates were about half those of 1980 and that about 2000 families a day were buying homes then over the wedding images it said this afternoon 6500 young men and women will be married
the number of weddings held per day is not quite the chief metric an economist would use to measure the health of a society but reciting this statistic allows the announcer to say they can look forward with confidence to the future
then the payoff under the leadership of president reagan our country is prouder and stronger and better why would we ever want to return to where we were less than four short years ago
whats missing from morning in america is mr reagan his face appears in the commercial for only two or three seconds at the end   a still color photo on a campaign button next to an american flag
why wouldnt mr riney who died in 2008 call more attention to a leader now often remembered as one of the most beloved americans of the 20th century
only 10 months before his re election campaign began mr reagans gallup poll approval rating had dropped to 35 percent equal to president lyndon johnsons at its nadir during the vietnam war by mid 1984 it had rebounded to the mid 50s but this was not a spectacular figure
what this commercial had to sell therefore was not so much the still controversial president as the notion that under his leadership good times were returning to the united states mr rineys approach must have been influenced by the 1976 commercials for president gerald ford which had marching bands and cheerful young singers performing the catchy jingle im feeling good about america
on the campaign trail mr reagans opponent walter mondale sensing the power of morning in america complained its all picket fences and puppy dogs no ones hurting no ones alone no ones hungry no ones unemployed no one gets old everybodys happy
thirty two years later the reagan campaign of 1984 is largely remembered for that one commercial few would argue that it saved mr reagan from defeat by mr mondale who ultimately carried only minnesota   his home state   and the district of columbia but it captivated many voters and helped push many of mr reagans problems to the periphery in todays fractured media universe it is unlikely that a single paid tv spot will again approach that kind of influence


the first time i met frederick jones in january 2015 he had something to say about the orthopedic shoes his doctors wanted him to wear how could he go to church in boats like those   how could he flirt how could he strut how could he pursue the lasting romantic connection that had eluded him for his 87 years or at least a temporary substitute
maybe i can persuade some lady to come over here and live with me and let me slap on her butt once in a while he said
we were in his third floor walk up apartment in crown heights brooklyn where i would visit him for the next 12 months for a series of articles called 85  up and afterward just because i missed him visiting him always made me happy
fred jones died on april 28 at suny downstate medical center after being rushed there in a state of cardiac arrest his death came one week after that of his daughter deidre jones the only one of his six children with whom he remained in close contact he had recently turned 89 the social worker said he died of a broken heart said danielle jones 29 deidre joness daughter and its true
fred was a complicated man he wanted to live to 110 but he continued to eat a diet rich in ice cream and pringles even as he lost two toes to diabetes he was outgoing and loved to tell stories but he was also protective of his privacy and rarely let people into his apartment which had gone to seed as his health weakened his conversation often ribald was equal parts god and sex he could sing like billy eckstine he wanted to get back to church to go to red lobster to hang out on the street and make conversation with the women who passed by he was never again able to do any of these things his favorite part of every day he said was waking up and thanking god for another day
i once asked him about the happiest time of his life it was after a long conversation about his mother and his grandmother the true loves of his life about earning small tips as a teenager during the early days of world war ii in norfolk va by helping servicemen find willing women about being the first one in his family who went to college
the happiest time of his life was right now he said without hesitation i have health problems but its been going on a long time so its secondary he said but i think happiness really is whats going on at a particular time i used to think happiness was something that somebody brought to you but happiness as opposed to enjoyment is when you are doing something and you are elated
after one of the 85  up articles a reader named jim healy contacted fred and became a part of his life for which fred never failed to give thanks on one visit mr healy asked fred what he would do if he found a couple hundred dollars on the street and fred said he would buy a suit so they did he wanted a purple suit which made it a bit complicated said mr healy a retired executive but they found one double breasted and checked and fred looked great in it and couldnt control his smile
you could say he died of a three story unheated walk up mr healy said there was truth to this as well
the other five subjects of the 85  up series continue roughly as the last article left them though two   john sorensen and ping wong   have had some noticeable loss of memory jonas mekas returned from paris where he contributed materials for a velvet underground exhibition
fred believed in a life after this one and expected the best for himself and his older brother whose health problems exceeded freds own heaven is my home but im not homesick he said almost every time we talked if i have the good fortune to meet fred there i promise to take him to red lobster i owe him that much and more


it has not yet been seen on television but the early notices for a digital advertisement from a democratic candidate for the senate from arkansas conner eldridge suggest it could well become a blueprint for how other democrats   incumbents and challengers alike   attack their republican opponents by linking them to donald j trump
the ad highlighting some of mr trumps most misogynistic remarks the ad alternates between those quotations and slowly spelling out the definition of the ads title harassment
a white blinking cursor on a black screen begins to peck out a dictionarys entry for harassment before the screen cuts to video and audio clips of mr trump she ate like a pig id look her right in that fat ugly face of hers the cursor continues typing the definition   to subject someone to hostility   before cutting again to the voice of mr trump opining about a womans cosmetic surgery the boob job is terrible
this continues for a full minute before the cursor blinks ahead of a new phrase trump enabler arkansas senator john boozman who is shown in a black and white photo as he is heard saying he will support the republican nominee regardless of who we pick even if it is mr trump
the impact the two minute ad was instantly seen as a preview of general election attacks on down ballot republican candidates with mr trump at the top of the ticket it received even more attention on the right than on the left this is brutal wrote erick erickson a conservative writer who opposes mr trumps candidacy he called it a road map for how democrats are going to take back the senate
the takeaway mr trumps victory in the primary campaign has created a sense of worry and uncertainty for lower level republican candidates unsure if he will drag them down or if they will need to hold onto his avid supporters to have a chance in november the threat contained in this ad   effectively using mr trumps and mr boozmans own voices against them   could well prompt some republicans to try to distance themselves from their presumptive nominee either way it provides a warning every vow to support the republican standard bearer   normally a routine statement not a fraught one   may now be turned into a democratic cudgel
one of senator ted cruzs final commercials sought to tie mr trump to hillary clinton calling them two sides of the same coin on tax increases guns and transgender bathrooms but something seemed off it showed mr trumps and mrs clintons profiles on a spinning gold coin   the sort ordinarily reserved for esteemed former presidents then again at least the ad reflected mr cruzs desire to return to a gold standard
nextgen climate a super pac run by tom steyer a billionaire hedge fund manager turned environmentalist released a 30 second ad showing mr cruz dismissing climate change as not science and mr trump calling global warming a hoax but in the ads second half mr steyer a democrat faces the camera in blue shirt sleeves with rolling green hills behind him   classic im a candidate staging he urges people concerned about climate change to vote without saying for whom but the healthy face time could help make him a more familiar figure in california where he is said to be considering a run for governor
mrs clinton and her allies were ready when mr trump became the presumptive nominee both her campaign and priorities usa released digital ads mocking his promise to be a unifier one showed other republicans calling mr trump a con artist phony bully and more with jeb bush saying mr trump needed therapy another repurposed mr trumps own unifier audio over video showing violence and protests at his rallies
28 million total spent in indiana by mr cruzs campaign and a super pac supporting him
26 million amount spent in indiana by super pacs opposing mr trump
900000 amount spent in indiana by the trump campaign


allison shragal 28 of chicago isnt a model or internet famous   shes an administrative assistant for a general contracting company but almost every day companies pay her to snap photos of herself engaging in routine activities   brushing her teeth eating breakfast cleaning the bathroom
if ms shragal takes enough selfies with her smartphone and uploads them to a special app she has an extra 20 to go get my nails done she said
her seemingly mundane images when combined with thousands of others contain insights that companies like crest are eager to mine they are using a chicago based company called pay your selfie to gather those insights and present them in reports on consumer behavior that are meant to go where focus groups and surveys cannot
among the tidbits that crest owned by procter  gamble learned from its recent monthlong quest for selfies theres a huge spike in brushing from 4 to 6 pm probably tied to a desire for happy hour fresh breath that knowledge could be useful when crest decides which times of the day to start future social media campaigns
users of the app receive anywhere from 20 cents to 1 for each task completed   in crests case a snapshot taken while brushing your teeth with your favorite crest product users cant double dip the app allows only one selfie per task
the selfies are a good way for companies to obtain information that people cant or dont articulate in focus groups or other traditional research methods said ravi dhar director of the center for customer insights at the yale school of management for example they could lead to an understanding of which rituals go along with certain types of consumption he said
pay your selfie which has been in business since last september doesnt require participants to have followers on a site like instagram in fact users dont have to share their images publicly at all although they can that makes it different from a company like popular pays which offers instagrammers the chance to post about brands like nike in exchange for giveaways or cash
the option of privacy suggests a greater possibility for authenticity said aparna labroo a professor of marketing at the northwestern university kellogg school of management if the task comes up when a person is naturally engaging in a relevant activity and its minimally intrusive to take a selfie they might actually capture some authentic moments
about 11 percent of the men in the crest photos were shirtless a level of comfort the brand rarely sees when it uses other tools in its research arsenal said kris parlett a senior communications manager for pg oral care other research methods include recruiting volunteers to record videos of their oral care routine in their bathrooms or to brush their teeth in insight suites mocked up home bathrooms with mirrors that allow analysts to observe them
its not data you could get through nielsen said michelle smyth a founder of pay your selfie referring to the bare chested photos its one of a kind research
companies set a target number of selfies to be collected in the thousands or tens of thousands and give pay your selfie at least 2 per usable image a portion of which goes to the selfie taker a computer scans the photos to make sure that theres a face and that the shot isnt too dark
app users who must provide some basic biographical data like age and city receive payment only for validated photos and can cash out at 20 eight pay your selfie employees pore over the photos to produce reports on their findings
the results are eye opening said alex blair who owns four franchises of freshii a toronto based chain of healthy fast food outlets it has sponsored two tasks on pay your selfie
in one the company asked participants to provide selfies with healthy on the go snacks for some people that meant snickers candy bars
we focus on organics and cool new macronutrients and our consumers are into quinoa and kale and bean sprouts mr blair said but some of these photos were so far from that wavelength its really helping us kind of realign with the mass market
mr blair said the selfies could be used to help determine whether stores should focus more on smoothies or prepackaged snacks the selfies leaned toward the latter the images also might identify neighborhoods to place new stores in based on whether people are in their offices suggesting a financial district opening might be a good bet or on the couch at home in their exercise clothes
one problem with traditional consumer research is the gap between what people say they do or would like to think they do and what they actually do selfies would seem to have the same problem as anyone whos ever posed for one and decided it was too embarrassing or revealing to share knows but ms shragal for one says shes become so accustomed to the app that she doesnt scrutinize the photos
in the beginning i focused on trying to do a cool picture said ms shragal who used to make aesthetic adjustments like wiping the toothpaste off her mouth before taking the crest image but after doing it for so many months i kind of just focus on doing the task correctly and getting it done
often tasks dont require owning or buying a companys product but lakeshore beverage a chicago distributor asked users to snap a selfie with a goose island 312 ale and learned which stores people visited to buy the beer
it was interesting to us because the user base on the app is a little more general than the beer specific buyer that we target through our marketing said matt tanaka who was until recently lakeshores head of digital marketing it helps us when were talking to retailers where people took a lot of selfies to say these places are top of mind in the case of 312 the places were target and walgreens
pay your selfie would not reveal how many clients it has worked with the company also conducts its own research   partly as a way to attract new business what are you eating for breakfast was a recent task it asked its users to complete for millennials top choices were pop tarts and froot loops the photos showed pay your selfies founders said they later had a meeting with a major cereal brand
even tasks not sponsored by individual companies are a fast and powerful way to share what seems uninteresting information to consumers but critical information to marketers said jean mclaren president of marc usa an advertising agency whose clients include rite aid she said she was considering working with pay your selfie
ms mclaren said she liked the idea of recreating a persons pantry by stringing together multiple seemingly random selfies from the same users   a cheaper faster way to get information that once could be obtained only through lengthy in home interviews
its like automated voyeurism she said


stay the course pay attention to the big picture and dont sweat the details that string of mantras makes sense for saving and investing but only up to a point
once you start paying attention to fees it becomes clear that the details really matter
years ago i began to notice that although i was faithfully socking away money into an ira my account wasnt growing much   not compared with the overall returns of the stock and bond markets
something was holding me back the main problem turned out to be fees a whole constellation of them no single charge was a deal breaker but over time the damage was large
that is a sad truth of investing niggling little fees weigh heavily over extended periods the addition of a mere 1 percent in fees annually over a 35 year career can reduce your nest egg by 28 percent according to calculations by the labor department higher fees than that are common and hurt even more in fact if you take the time to look at the math you may conclude that seemingly minor fees are far more dangerous than you think
in an ideal world you wouldnt have to worry about pesky details like mutual fund commissions and fees you could stuff savings into a reliable fund and reap the rewards when you need the money later you could in short assume that the people handling your investments were always acting in your best interest
but we dont live in that kind of world even with the prospect of tighter requirements for financial advisers beginning next year investors need to watch out for themselves as i wrote recently the labor department has proposed rules that should provide a greater degree of protection for many investors starting in april 2017 that assumes that the rules are not watered down further or blocked by the financial services industry
if the rules do take effect financial advisers dealing with retirement accounts will generally be required to act as fiduciaries that is they will be required to act in a clients best interest that is a major step forward but the rules contain glaring exceptions for one they dont affect nonretirement accounts at all the securities and exchange commission which could institute a universal fiduciary requirement hasnt done so
even for retirement accounts the labor departments rules contain vagaries and loopholes for example they dont say what specific fee levels are permissible or how best interest is to be construed and they give brokerage firms a way of defining the requirement to act in the best interest of existing customers through what is known as negative consent
in practical terms this means that if you have a current brokerage account and dont respond in writing to the brokers document you have given your consent next year expect to receive a document outlining this reality from your investment firm said marcia wagner a boston lawyer who is an expert on the law governing retirement investments people should become aware of this problem right now she said they should be on the lookout for communications from their advisers next year   and everybody should respond if you dont youve signed off on whatever your financial adviser may be doing in your account and that may not be the best thing for you
not everybody responds in writing to boilerplate notes from brokerage firms and financial advisers said jerry schlichter a st louis lawyer who has been a pioneer in class action suits involving excessive fees in 401k retirement accounts behavioral economics tells us that in a situation like this many people wont even read the documents and that is a big problem with the rules as they now stand he said
when and if the rules eventually do take effect he said it will be important for the labor department to a send a signal that it is serious about them by taking enforcement action and if it becomes clear that companies or individuals have engaged in systematic violations he said the new rules raise the possibility of class action suits on behalf of investors with iras
in may 2015 mr schlichter won a landmark decision before the supreme court which held that in 401k accounts sponsors have a continuing duty to act in employees best interests by monitoring investments and removing imprudent or needlessly costly ones
what will constitute a violation under the new rules isnt entirely clear partly because they arent final and havent been tested
knut rostad founder and president of the institute for the fiduciary standard a nonprofit advocacy group said it will take months if not years before the precise meaning of the rules is determined   in many cases in the courts
in his view investors should act now on their own behalf to make sure that they are being given a fair shake they should he said demand that their advisers do three things provide a written pledge to uphold a fiduciary standard disclose potential conflicts of interest as well as an indication of how such conflicts will be remedied and clearly list all investment costs
many of these costs are lurking somewhere on a firms website or in a mutual fund prospectus or supplemental document which few investors locate and read an earlier version of the labor departments new rules would have required routine publication of such expenses and projected returns in regular account statements but it was removed under pressure from financial firms
and so unless they check for themselves investors may not always understand when they are paying needlessly high fees like loads or commissions on mutual funds
until the late 1970s nearly all funds were sold with loads averaging about 8 percent of the value invested in a fund   and they were imposed at the front end meaning if you walked in the door of a brokerage firm with 1000 you walked out with 920 in a mutual fund plenty of no load funds   those without such commissions   are sold today among them index funds generally have very low fees over extended periods index funds have usually outperformed most actively managed funds especially those with high fees
but hundreds of funds with loads of at least 5 percent are still being sold according to an analysis provided to me by laszlo birinyi jr president of birinyi associates a research firm in westport conn for the most part these fees have meant more money for the fund managers and advisers and less for investors
presumably advisers acting in investors best interests would need to examine such costs carefully with the new department of labor rules coming into effect i wouldnt want to be in the position of trying to sell load funds mr birinyi said
in addition hundreds of funds are sold with another kind of charge known as a 12b 1 fee a fee of up to 025 percent that quietly saps fund returns for years currently the pernicious effects of loads and 12b 1 fees tend not to be clearly shown in standard investment returns
the new rules may be an improvement but its already evident that they wont be enough advisers with investors best interests at heart can help but investors will also have to peer through the murk of conflicts and excess fees and find ways to help themselves


this past week in a move that was long expected if no less mourned among those who nervously keep record of the disappearing new york of woody allen and nora ephron fairways parent company fairway group holdings filed for bankruptcy this shouldnt necessarily occasion a eulogy the grocery chain will continue its operations as it restructures and reduces its debt load at the same time it is hard to feel optimistic about the future of the endearingly chaotic unpolished new york retail style that fairway has embodied
as business reporters have duly noted fairways difficulties have stemmed in large part from the greed of private equity investment which has fueled an aggressive and miscalculated expansion despite its image of urbanity fairway now includes among its 15 locations a branch set a few paces from a sears in a mall in rockland county a few years ago another outpost opened in chelsea one block from a whole foods that had been in operation for more than a decade simultaneously of course came the guerrilla incursions from freshdirect and blue apron and the countless other three steps to vegetarian cassoulet meal delivery services that the internet economy has facilitated
arguably though fairway has also fallen victim to a culture of increasingly tiered consumer experiences for which it remains almost too quaintly ecumenical beginning in the 1990s with the growth of stores like target cultural commentators spoke often of the democratization of design   the phrase was trotted out to the point of linguistic abuse   a reference to the notion that clothes teapots place mats and so on created to the standards of elite tastes were now available to a mass audience if you had money and you were hip you expressed your renegade affluence by positioning a west elm vase on top of a 20000 biedermeier chest in some sense however rising inequality has pushed the trend toward a reversal in a city where 4 million apartments are so common that they begin to seem modest shopping down risks an affliction of heightened status anxiety
recently a friend sent me a photograph of an empty aisle at a fairway on the upper east side taken on a weekday evening at 530 when the store should have been flooded with shoppers waiting in line to buy wild alaskan salmon on their way home to watch the night manager a large big sale sign loomed ominously i held this image in my mind against the one i have of the dean  deluca on madison avenue in the 80s which i have never seen short of full   full of uniformed private school children getting cookies in the afternoon full of grown men and women in barbour coats and burberry and hermes nearly at every other time
both fairway and whole foods have seen sales weaken over the past year and part of the reason certainly may be that in this new world order they no longer register as rarefied even though they service the kind of customer who could probably tell the difference between butter from piedmont and butter from somewhere else fairway will give you a break on the price of excellent coffee it will sell you lots of limes for 2 but in many ways it represents an older bohemian new york a time when the upper west side was at the gravitational center and people eagerly answered their phones during pbs pledge drives
weve arrived at a point where food is another luxury experience demanding a luxury context according to a study published two months ago in the journal of food products marketing retail sales of costlier organic foods have been increasing faster than those of any other category reaching 37 billion in 2015 fairway sells organic produce for instance but not exclusively or even centrally the study which looked at more than 1250 food stores in manhattan found that 60 percent had what researchers calculated was an organic food products index of zero in other words despite the apparent omnipresence of pesticide free lacinato kale we are really still vastly undersupplied and there really is entrepreneurial opportunity
around the country and perhaps most notably at the new hudson yards the enormous residential and commercial development going up on the far west side where fairway once hoped to take up residence food halls with lavish restaurants beer gardens and chic grocers   complexes in the style of eataly of which mario batali is an owner   are reviving former manufacturing districts in big and small cities in austin tex in baltimore in dallas and denver and birmingham ala the culinary revolution is entering its next phase one in which the process of shopping for food will begin to feel more and more like the experience of staying in a boutique hotel in new york there are also plans for a food hall on pier 57 which will come with the anthony bourdain brand
architects and urban planners say that around the world retail space will eventually be colonized by food vendors because no matter how many rolls of toilet paper or value packs of led light bulbs or 10 ply cashmere sweaters we can buy on amazon we as human beings will always crave the tactile pleasure of buying food when we are in front of it
fairway catered to that instinct well what the market like no other underestimated was the growing desire to feel as if you are living in the pages of elle decor when you are buying dried fruit


louisville ky   the morning after victor espinoza pulled off the unthinkable winning the first triple crown in 37 years aboard american pharoah everyone in the jockeys room at belmont park not only the riders had an added bounce in their step
among the smiling visitors was andy laungani a tailor who has dressed many top jockeys including espinoza ensuring that they are as colorfully dressed off the racetrack as they are on it in fact launganis custom fashions received prominent display during the triple crown run espinoza owns about six of his custom sports coats and shirts
but on this day laungani was not there to take the measurements of espinoza or any of his other clients he was there to congratulate espinoza on his historic sweep and to bask in the communal afterglow
now hes really busy but hes still the same man to me laungani 68 said of espinoza hes still very humble   just a very nice friendly guy except hes on top of the world
likewise laungani with his towering frame and jet black hair is a fixture in jockeys rooms across the country wearing his own designs he is given an all access pass even helping himself to the jockeys buffet all the while waving and saying hello to riders as they pass maintaining relationships with his clients is how he keeps up his business and he has a lot of friends in high places he has dressed celebrities politicians businessmen and kentucky basketball royalty including coach john calipari
laungani was introduced to the racetrack life about 10 years ago when he made a custom suit for jean cruguet who won the triple crown aboard seattle slew in 1977 cruguet brought him to the jockeys room at keeneland and told the riders according to laungani you guys need good clothes get them from andy just look at my clothes
it took a little while for laungani to learn the etiquette of a jocks room
when he first came here he was trying too hard to maintain our friendship when we were working espinoza said so he finally figured it out and now hes a pro he knows when to talk about making suits and when to let us get back to racing
laungani was born in bombay india but jokes that he is part italian because of his mastery of fine italian style suits he was a model and actor in bollywood before going on to learn the tailoring trade in japan italy london hong kong and new york in 1976 laungani settled in lexington ky and established his business continental fashions
but the place laungani feels most at home is the racetrack there he can spend time with what he calls his extended family
when i look at beautiful horses i admire them so much he said im not good at betting im here to see nice people and nice horses its great company
one of his biggest clients is joel rosario who won the kentucky derby in 2013 aboard orb and rode shagaf in the derby on saturday but did not finish rosario and espinoza who finished 19th on whitmore in the derby have even gone to launganis house
when i go there they treat me good so when they are in lexington i want to take care of them too laungani said
laungani travels with a suitcase carrying the tools of his trade and is often seen carrying bags of suits jackets shirts and ties to deliver to his clients his custom suits run from about 995 to 1895 but ever the salesmen he points out how reasonable that is compared with most prices for custom made suits in the united states it takes him about six weeks to make a suit
even though he uses less fabric for jockeys diminutive frames their suits actually take longer to make
the smaller a suit gets it is harder to sew he said sure theres less fabric but the workmanship is difficult
espinoza said his taste in sport coats depended on what time of year it was he said he usually just told laungani what colors he liked and let him go to work
its like someone putting me on a horse and telling me how to ride espinoza said he knows how to make suits i dont know how to make them but if he comes back and they dont fit me right only then would i say something
on wednesday laungani was in the churchill downs jockeys room he saw the veteran jockeys corey lanerie who finished eighth on mo tom in the derby on saturday and robby albarado
albarado who has several jackets made by laungani told him he would be wearing one on oaks day then the talk quickly turned to one of launganis golden rules never give anything away
he should be giving me free jackets because a lot of people will see me wearing it and i make it look good albarado said
lanerie laughed and quickly chimed in i bet even after the triple crown he didnt give victor anything for free


houston   gov greg abbotts campaign sent me an email one morning showing the governor aiming a pump action shotgun in my direction this was a view of an elected official i had never seen   the get your hands up view if i contributed 25 to his campaign i would be entered in a contest to win a shotgun the subject line of the email read shotgun it was a typical morning in texas
the prize was special though it was not a rare antique it was the email noted three times a texas made shotgun
those are some of the most potent words in the states vocabulary texas made in a cupboard in our home here we had a bottle of 1835 a bourbon bottled in texas and named for the year of the first battle for texas independence my crunchy peanut butter is made with texas grown peanuts my salsa of choice is native texan born in texas never leavin texas i am not sure where our minivan was made but as i idle at red lights i know the heritage of the toyota tundra in front of me the stickers on the pickup trucks built in san antonio declare born in texas built by texans
i was born and raised in central california and i moved to houston from brooklyn in june 2011 to cover texas for the new york times i live here with my wife my 7 year old son and my 3 year old daughter who keeps a pair of pink cowboy boots outside on the porch or inside by the front door i have covered stories in the south the midwest and other parts of the country people in those places identified with their political party their job their cause their sexual orientation their city their race almost no one identified with their state the way texans do
who are these people these texans what do they tell us about america what to make of a state that is so focused on itself i wrestle with these questions all the time
one day behind a general store in central texas a firearms instructor in a wide brimmed cowboy hat reached for the butt of his holstered gun as i approached him for an interview the general store the hat the reach for the gun the line between the myth of texas and the reality of texas is razor thin
i have met texas rangers who actually do seem larger than life and artists and writers who have taken the states entrepreneurial energies in entirely cool directions ive met conspiracy theorists texas secessionists and texas nationalists there is a difference as well as those in the parallel and wholly separate texas made up of the uninsured the undocumented the imprisoned and the poor much of it is not my world but despite that   or perhaps because of it   i think im becoming a little bit texan the historian t r fehrenbach once wrote that texas shaped those who lived upon it more than they changed it
you dont just move to texas it moves into you
my life as a texan is exactly what you might imagine it would be the other day i crawled around the bathroom floor trying to catch a palm size green anole lizard that had sneaked into the house i spent a recent weekend at the houston livestock show and rodeo eating frito pie and watching the piglet races with my children my son stands every morning in his classroom and recites the pledge of allegiance to the american flag and then he makes another pledge to the texas flag in accordance with section 25082 of the texas education code which requires all children in public schools to recite the two pledges it is not some vestige of the late 1800s the law was passed by the texas legislature in 2003
about a month after i moved here a 41 year old man named mark stroman told texas that he loved texas just before texas killed him as he lay on the gurney in the states execution chamber mr stroman a convicted murderer who had an eighth grade education and was a native texan uttered as part of his last statement texas loud texas proud it was a jaw dropping moment that set a theme for me after nearly five years in texas the theme has only intensified the metamorphosis of texas the countrys second most populous state into ultra texas of a singular state into a singular superstate
i think part of the reason texas is having a moment is because its being more itself than its ever been said stephen harrigan a novelist and essayist in austin who is writing a history of the state its texas unchained in a way
texas of course comes by its sense of being a place apart honestly from 1836 1845 it was its own country the republic of texas and it has long feasted on hyperbole but these days texas does feel increasingly like a caricature of a caricature
texas has long had an anti washington streak but lest anyone doubt it the state has sued the federal government more than 40 times in the past 13 years in december an executive committee of the republican party of texas approved a resolution supporting secession and calling for the issue to be put to voters statewide party leaders struck down the resolution after a heated debate
this new ultra texas started in 2009 shortly after president obama took office   replacing a texan george w bush since then the lines between being pro texas anti obama and anti american blurred and there has been no going back so while other red state governors gripe about federal overreach mr abbott is the only one to propose in a 92 page document called the texas plan a convention of states to amend the constitution to allow states to override supreme court decisions and federal regulations
before he was elected in 2014 sid miller the texas agriculture commissioner traveled the state using an unofficial campaign slogan supplied to him by his campaign treasurer the rocker and conservative provocateur ted nugent keep texas the last best place
the notion of texas as the best place the exceptional place is an old one in his 1961 book about texas john bainbridge described the state as a mirror in which americans see themselves reflected not life size but as in a distorting mirror bigger than life he called the book the super americans
but the idea that texas is the last place is part of a new phenomenon people throughout the state say they believe that their way of life is under assault and that they are making a kind of last stand by simply being texan it is this fear anger and sometimes paranoia that lurks beneath the surface of texas politics and that underlies the expansion of gun rights the reflexive antagonism toward washington and the opposition to abortion same sex marriage and other issues that seems essential for succeeding in state politics these days senator ted cruzs remarks dismissing new york values at a republican debate should come as no surprise thats how people from the last best place talk about other places
but texas is not under attack it is merely changing as america changes with it it is a majority minority state that has become increasingly diverse and nonwhite   rural texas is shrinking while urban and suburban texas is expanding   and the tension between what texas is and what it was has come to define the state
the hard right domination of texas politics frustrates the states democrats and plenty of others in austin houston dallas and san antonio they are agitated but they stay put because they view texas as forever and republican texas as a kind of temporary occupation its hard to know if theyre right but easy to see why peoples emotional investment in texas transcends conservative politics
consider jack s blanton sr an oil tycoon and philanthropist from houston who died in 2013 at age 86 his brothers were born in texas but to his chagrin he was born in shreveport la one day 40 years ago his daughter who was living in boston went into labor with his first grandchild by the time he arrived from houston at the hospital visiting hours were over
so mr blanton climbed up the hospitals fire escape to see his newborn granddaughter and he had something with him a baggie of texas dirt which he put under the babys bassinet so she could begin her life over texas soil or something close to it
its sort of like getting baptized said mr blantons daughter elizabeth blanton wareing
as the world grows smaller as technology obliterates the significance of where we live and work as americans become more transient texas resists it declares to itself and the nation place matters america needs a superstate or to put it another way an antistate sometimes we love it here and sometimes we are disgusted here but to twist gertrude steins line about oakland calif there is a here here we tattoo texas on our arms buy texas built trucks and climb fire escapes with texas dirt in our pockets place we are unsubtly suggesting matters
at mr abbotts inauguration last year in austin i sat facing a stage assembled on the steps of the capitol before mr abbotts speech texas marked the occasion with the sounds of warfare it was the inaugural tradition of cannon fire
people flinched as the echo of artillery filled the streets from a distance it must have sounded like austin was under attack up close it felt like the opposite austin was doing the attacking and there for me was texas the last best place with state sanctioned cannon fire making people proud while making people wince


san diego   several things become clear within minutes of meeting kevin mitchell the former national league most valuable player and jack of all trades on the 1986 championship mets he loves baseball he loves teaching it to youngsters and he can tell stories lots of them
the tales large and small and often unvarnished pop out of mitchell like baseballs being swatted to the outfield nothing seems off limits his tough upbringing in san diego the grandmother who raised him his accidental discovery by the mets his roller coaster ride through professional baseball and the friends and enemies he made along the way
for someone who played into his 30s mitchell had an atypical career he was traded away by the mets after helping them win a title in his rookie year turned into one of the best players in the game in san francisco then bounced around for half a decade with stops in boston cincinnati cleveland oakland and japan
i think people were intimidated by me they stereotyped me mitchell said over lunch this past week at a tgi fridays in the mission valley neighborhood of san diego five miles from downtown im not scared to speak whats on my mind
mitchell over the years had a knack for generating news not all of it good   even if some of it was untrue as he contends the cat he supposedly killed to settle a domestic dispute is fantasy he said so is the tooth he reportedly broke eating a doughnut his supposed bad influence on his teammates darryl strawberry and dwight gooden which might have been in a factor in the mets trading him to the san diego padres is also hogwash he says
i thought i had made a home in new york mitchell said of his unceremonious departure from a city he still calls his second home i thought they made me a scapegoat for doc and straw
but scapegoat or not in the years after he left the mets he occasionally found himself involved in incidents that ended in arrests
and set against that were his assorted and sometimes unlikely feats   playing a bunch of games for the mets as a barrel chested shortstop and doing just fine hitting 47 home runs for the giants in 1989 and helping lead them to a world series making a barehanded catch of a fly ball in left field
now he is 54 and wistful he is recovering from a health scare   a bulging disc in his neck that pressed against his spinal cord and left him largely unable to move after surgery he said he was in bed for months and spent more than a year going from a wheelchair to a walker to a cane as he regained his ability to walk for a gifted athlete the whole experience was a shock that left him depressed and anxious
ive never been afraid of nothing my whole life but this scared me said mitchell who also lost a good deal of weight that he has since gained back i appreciate life i didnt know anything like this could happen to me
mitchell has recently been easing back into his old routines although no longer using a cane he walks slowly and with a limp and goes to physical therapy several times a week he is a long way from returning to the golf course
but he is strong enough to revisit the batting cage in san diego where he has taught youngsters to hit he is also going to fly to new york to meet up with his old teammates from the 1986 mets as they gather for a may 28 reunion at citi field
the 1986 mets club was stocked with big names and outsize personalities mitchell in contrast was something of an unknown who was discovered by the mets while playing in a pickup game in san diego he ended up being used at six positions in new york where he hit a dozen home runs and as every mets and red sox fan knows was in the middle of the teams improbable comeback in game 6 of the world series when with two outs and no one on base in the bottom of the 10th the mets rallied for three runs to win the game 6 5 and force a game 7
like any number of elements of mitchells career even his pinch hit single during that rally had a curious twist as the bottom of the 10th played out mitchell was in the mets clubhouse legend has it that he had concluded the mets were about to lose the series and was on the phone making plans to fly home to san diego and that when he was summoned to pinch hit after gary carter kept the game alive with a single he had to scramble to put his uniform back on
at the recent lunch mitchell maintained that had not been the case he was in the clubhouse he said but was still in his uniform and because the team made flight arrangements for players there would have been no reason for him to be booking a ticket
still he said he was surprised when mookie wilson told him he was being summoned to bat for pitcher rick aguilera during the regular season he had pinch hit mainly against left handed pitchers and calvin schiraldi bostons right handed closer was on the mound
i felt they were trying to make me the goat because if i didnt get on i would have made the last out of the world series he said a more likely explanation is that mets manager davey johnson was out of other options danny heep howard johnson and lee mazzilli had already been used
and who knows maybe johnson was even aware that mitchell had roomed with schiraldi when they were both climbing the ladder in the mets organization and that schiraldi according to mitchell used to tell him what pitches he would throw if the two were to meet in a game so mitchell said when schiraldi threw a first pitch fastball just as he had said he would years before he knew a curveball would come next he hit that pitch for a single to center that extended the rally
after mitchell advanced to third base on a single by ray knight that also scored carter the mets third base coach bud harrelson told mitchell to be alert for an errant pitch sure enough bob stanley who had come in to replace schiraldi threw the ball past catcher rich gedman allowing mitchell to score the tying run a few moments later mookie wilsons slow roller up the line got past first baseman bill buckner and well everyone knows the rest
the mets went on to rally again in game 7 and mitchell was now part of a championship team a little more than a month later though he said he was stunned to see television trucks outside his grandmothers house in san diego initially he thought she had won the lottery instead reporters told him he had been traded to the hometown padres
he said the mets had never called to explain why he was being sent away but he also maintained that he did not hold a grudge in fact he said he speaks often with many of his ex teammates including strawberry who he said has embellished some stories about him
while mitchell said he had never sought trouble it did seem to find him in late 1991 he was the subject of a rape investigation stemming from an episode involving an acquaintance in his chula vista calif home no charges were filed in early 1992 he found himself in the middle of a barroom brawl in san diego in 1999 he was arrested after an altercation with his father a year later after he had started a comeback he punched an opposing teams owner in the dugout during an independent league game
and after a fight with another golfer on a course in san diego in 2010 he was ordered to do community service and attend anger management classes
there is no trace of these rough edges when he is around young baseball players before his neck surgery he coached little league teams and gave batting lessons on the mend now mitchell has started to return to brickyard cages a batting facility in san diego that he calls his sanctuary youngsters stream up to him for autographs including zeke summers 10 who gave mitchell his bat to sign because he was in a hitting slump
i dont believe in slumps mitchell told the boy whose mouth was agape pointing to his head and then his hands mitchell added if youre ok up here youll be fine here


steven p jobs put his talent as a master salesman to the test when in 2005 he introduced new apple software for downloading digital audio shows the format was so incipient that he struggled to describe it
its sort of like tivo for radio for your ipod he said its not just the waynes world of radio but real radio is jumping onto this
but he was clear about the potential its getting very very exciting he said
he was talking about podcasting   radio style shows made for the internet that have in recent years exploded in popularity these days many amateur podcasters are going professional major media organizations searching for answers and bright spots in a fast changing and confusing digital world are releasing new shows every week advertisers are starting to follow them and so are millions of dollars of venture capital
it is in other words an industry now one that apple essentially gave life to and still dominates yet at this moment of triumph for podcasting concerns are growing in the community about how much apple actually cares
interviews with over two dozen podcasters and people inside apple reveal a variety of complaints the podcasters say that they are relegated to wooing a single apple employee for the best promotion that sharing on social media is cumbersome and that for podcasters to make money they need more information about their listeners and apple is in a unique position to provide it the problems they say could even open up an opportunity for a competitor
the lack of podcast data is kind of shocking said gina delvac the producer of call your girlfriend a popular show about pop culture and politics
late last month apple brought seven leading podcast professionals to the companys campus in cupertino calif to air their case to a room full of employees according to two people who were there the people would speak only on the condition of anonymity because they had signed nondisclosure agreements the company made no promises the people said but several pressing issues for podcasters were discussed in frank terms
after the presentations concluded eddy cue the executive at apple who oversees software and services arrived for a closed session with the companys employees according to the attendees
i think everyone whos seriously involved in this space theyd at least like to know what the endgame is said chris morrow the chief executive of the loud speakers podcast network people think theres another shoe thats going to drop
podcasting had been growing swiftly for years but in 2014 serial a show that in its first season re examined a murder case was the first breakout hit the season barreled into pop culture attracting 110 million downloads
by last year at least 46 million americans listened to podcasts each month this year that number will reach 57 million according to a survey by edison research
but podcasting is a product of a different era for digital media   and for apple when mr jobs introduced the updated podcast software in 2005 the company was still in comeback mode driven by ipods the iphone wouldnt come out for two more years
now apple is the biggest public company in the world but podcasts bring apple virtually nothing in direct revenue perhaps as a result the itunes podcasting hub that mr jobs introduced remains strikingly unchanged sharing on social media which basically didnt exist in 2005 takes multiple clicks
promotion within itunes which is still one of the only reliable ways to build an audience particularly for a new show is decided by a small team that fields pitches and does its own outreach interviews with people inside and outside the company make it clear that apples small podcast team has been hearing   and assuaging   such concerns for years
the question for podcasters   and for apple   is about what comes next apple has at least two obvious choices to rush to accommodate an industry that is quickly outgrowing its origins or to let podcasting be at the risk of losing its claim over a medium that owes its very name to the company
even podcasters are conflicted a hands off apple retains some appeal some would argue that it could have advanced in certain ways said andy bowers chief content officer of slates panoply podcast network but since 2005 he said theyve provided a remarkably level playing field
in a statement mr cue of apple said we have more people than ever focused on podcasting including engineers editors and programmers he added podcasts hold a special place with us at apple
in terms of revenue podcasting is still minuscule compared with the technology and entertainment industries in the early days hobbyists grew passion projects into businesses and full time jobs now a few established podcast networks and popular podcasters have millions in revenue
podcasters can sell advertisements at rates ranging from 20 to 100 for every thousand listeners for podcasts with hundreds of thousands of listeners   and in rare cases millions   those numbers add up the spending on advertisements will generate hundreds of millions of dollars for the industry this year said matt lieber a co founder of gimlet media a podcasting start up that has raised 75 million from venture capitalists
expanding the industry much more though gets tricky apple does not allow shows to charge people to download episodes for example and does not support paid subscriptions as many podcasters would like apple has stuck with an advertising model for podcasting that looks almost exactly like what mr jobs predicted onstage in 2005
measuring how many people listen is also inconsistent and a regular source of frustration podcasters know how many times their podcasts are downloaded for example but they dont know how many people actually listened or how far those listeners might have gotten
with data like listener counts and listening duration   similar to what apple provides app developers   the industry could accelerate quickly said ms delvac of call your girlfriend
but unlike with downloads of music movies and apps   sources of billions of dollars of revenue for apple which takes a cut from sales and subscriptions   the companys financial incentive in podcasting is limited the company takes no cut from podcast advertising and all podcast downloads are free so there is no cut to take from that either as it stands podcasting is effectively just one more free feature to help the company sell hardware
and its a popular one apples service now contains over 325000 podcasts the company expects users to listen to 10 billion episodes in its apps   on computers mobile devices and on apple tv   by the end of the year
apple built this village 10 years ago mr lieber said theres really interesting things in the village and interesting characters but the village now has the population of a city   and when a village becomes a city you need new infrastructure
apples conservative approach may be creating an opportunity for competitors as has happened before apples itunes software helped popularize online music only to watch streaming services like spotify and pandora create compelling alternatives apple pressured the television and film industries to sell and rent their content online then netflix built subscription streaming into a business worth nearly 40 billion
google abandoned a podcast app in 2012 but this year it added a podcast features to its music app which is included with smartphones that run the companys android operating system todd cochrane chief executive of rawvoice a company that tracks podcasts said apples share of podcast listeners is now about 65 percent down from 70 percent a year ago he attributed that change almost entirely to an upsurge in listening on android
in january spotify the streaming music service began rolling out an ambitious slate of podcasts among the companys promises to podcasters hosting streaming and extensive listening data audible the audiobook service owned by the notoriously aggressive amazon is investing heavily in original audio content under the guidance of eric nuzum a former vice president at national public radio the new york times is among the partners working with audible
were actively distributing our content in many different places right now said laura walker president and chief executive of new york public radio whose podcasts include radiolab freakonomics and 2 dope queens everything is growing
apples stance as the giant of the industry remains undisputed though and podcasters are left to navigate a complicated relationship with the company most send messages to the company at a general email address to those who have direct contact their relationship centers on one person steve wilson
mr wilson podcasters say acts as apples de facto podcast gatekeeper attention from him can be the difference between a hit and a dud   and between a podcast that pays and one that doesnt
the most consistent major source of new listeners   in some cases tens of thousands   is a top spot on itunes and apples podcast app that is the real estate that mr wilson helps oversee and that podcasters covet mr wilson directed a request for an interview to a company publicist who declined to make him available for an interview
as far as i can tell theyre huge podcasts enthusiasts said jody avirgan who hosts and produces podcasts for the espn data journalism site fivethirtyeight but youre trying to cram thousands of new shows into what six things that get featured on the home page
mr wilsons identity and contact information are shared among podcasters like a juicy secret and his podcast preferences are furtively debated in the industry as are those of his boss james boggs mostly it makes podcasters wonder at a company the size of apple what does it mean that american podcasters are left to lobby a single person
from apples perspective its not that simple of the more than 150 itunes podcast portals around the world 29 have hand edited selections and steve wilsons of their own any change to the way apple handles podcasting could have wide ramifications
additionally the top podcast list within itunes is also the subject of constant speculation among podcasters an apparent change in the system this year resulted in small podcasts from disney fans   and a show that hadnt yet published its first full episode   being ranked alongside shows with hundreds of thousands of listeners according to nicholas quah who publishes hot pod a newsletter about the industry
for listeners quirks like this may only be a little weird for podcasters who already struggle to communicate their success to advertisers it leaves them frustrated
i think its like the question everyone asks of any company said ms delvac the call your girlfriend producer how can i keep the good parts of my relationship the same and get more of what i want


kathryn ainsworth long and andrew drexel allen were married may 7 at dunwalke farm in far hills nj where the couple live and the grooms family raises cattle the rev dr kent r walley an episcopal priest led the ceremony
until april 2015 mrs allen 32 was an executive director specializing in foreign exchange in the new york offices of ubs the swiss bank she helped with currency trades for institutional clients she graduated from harvard
she is the daughter of dr barbara ml long of atlanta and the late ferdinand p schoettle jr who lived in vero beach fla the brides mother is a psychiatrist in atlanta who does consulting on workplace problems on behalf of companies and other organizations she is the secretary of the group for the advancement of psychiatry a nonprofit group based in dallas the brides father was a professor of tax law at the university of minnesota law school in minneapolis
she is the adoptive daughter of the late stephen b parker who ran an independent executive search firm in atlanta
mr allen 44 is a senior vice president and a wealth management adviser in the morristown nj office of bank of america merrill lynch he is also a co president of dunwalke farm he is on the boards of second stage theater in new york and the berkshire school in sheffield mass he graduated from rollins college in winter park fla
the grooms previous marriage ended in divorce
he is a son of elisabeth fell allen and philip d allen of hobe sound fla the grooms mother is the vice mayor of the town of jupiter island in florida his father retired from the dillon trust company in new york which managed the dillon family assets
his family owns and operates domaine clarence dillon a french company that owns three bordeaux vineyards chateau haut brion chateau la mission haut brion and chateau quintus the groom is also a descendant of anthony j drexel the 19th century philadelphia investment banker and philanthropist
the couple who were introduced in 2014 by a mutual friend met for the first time at cafe boulud in new york


each saturday farhad manjoo and mike isaac technology reporters at the new york times review the weeks news offering analysis and maybe a joke or two about the most important developments in the tech industry
mike good morning farhad im gearing up and researching my route to start delivering food for the timess new meal kit service can you help strap a few more foie gras packets to my back
farhad mike i know youre really passionate about getting traffic to your stories but ive warned you before   our readers do not want you showing up to their homes with food
mike im still trying to pitch my cook and eat mayonnaise sandwiches just like the ace reporter mike isaac marketing campaign no response yet but fingers crossed
anyway on with the show lets do a superquick rundown of the week in tech
this week you argue in your column that apple should fail more to ultimately win a professional tactic that seems to have suited you quite well
and google is teaming up with fiat chrysler to equip a fleet of minivans with self driving technology making this the most dad core rollout of autonomous vehicles in the history of silicon valley
farhad finally a tech company is thinking of fathers i hope this sets off a trend maybe spotify will offer a music subscription plan that plays only billy joel coldplay u2 and foo fighters or maybe twitter will roll out a feed of the best dad jokes oh wait never mind   that already exists
mike thank you resident dad and lastly a bunch of ex journalists turned facebook employees turned ex facebook employees leaked just how questionable facebooks practices around selecting trending content seem to be which was not a good look for facebook gizmodos scoop is well worth the read
but this week we wanted to try something new right instead of a deep dive into one tech topic were going to do a short list mostly because millennials love lists
farhad yup exactly i know that we planned to do a list called 14 reasons mike looks up to farhad but i actually worried wed run out of space so i had another idea we both encounter a lot of technology in our daily lives   for me during the course of reporting for you to escape bounty hunters so i was thinking that we could both list a couple of our most hated products or services in tech what gadget gets you really steamed mike
mike my most hated tech product has to be the popularization of the rugged bluetooth speaker designed to clip to ones belt loop essentially a modern take on the boombox but 10 times more obnoxious
its marketed as an outdoorsy type thing something to take to the beach or camping or in your case glamping imagine yourself scaling mount everest and listening to sugar ray at the peak the ad copy probably goes the tunes stream from your iphone to the speaker which sounds just as tinny and terrible as you would think
i never really saw them around on the street until i moved to san francisco now i mostly see them on cyclist dudes at least two of whom were smoking pot and blazing through stop signs i kid you not im walking down the sidewalk and all of a sudden im getting low quality audio blared at me its like being accosted by a drive by sublime album
farhad i guess i agree except when those dudes are blasting some sweet dad tunes like imagine if that guy was playing the eagles id stop him shake his hand put my lighter in the air and wave my arms gently back and forth marveling at the wonders of the universe
anyway you know what i hate the iphone charging cable its called lightning though a better name would be fraying im lucky if i get six months out of these cables before they start acting up   usually the connector begins separating from the cable or you get a kink in the line that begins to crack and soon your phone stops charging i hate it will someone please make a superstrong charging cable please
mike i am totally with you there i have a drawer full of cheap chinese knock off lightning cables and they all work for a day and then bust if i buy the real 30 one from apple it still goes bad in less than a year forget the annual new iphone events i want the company to hold an ultimate indestructible lightning cable event
heres something else that i wanted to like but actually hate streaming stationary digital cameras like those offered by nest for the home
i really liked the whole safety and security pitch at first when i lived in new york the editors unfortunately wanted me to leave my house and go into the office to work   something im pretty sure you have never done in the san francisco bureau so setting up a nest cam to watch my dog while im gone seemed like a nice idea
instead i felt like a creepy voyeur my dog sat and slept by the door and watching her made me feel sad then when my dog walker   whom i trust and like   came in i saw him pet my dog and be supersweet with her and do what i always assumed he did normally which was walk my dog but not telling him that i was watching him felt like a strange breach of trust as if i suspected him of something that wasnt ever really warranted
it made me realize how prevalent these cameras are now and how violated i would feel were i being recorded in say my friends homes my hatred i guess is that its so mainstream and theres little i can do to stop it
but at my house at least i let my dog have her privacy when im gone its better that way
farhad huh you seem to be a much bigger hater than me
lets see what else do i hate i hate most hashtags i can see their value as part of a political campaign or meme   like oscarsowhite or blacklivesmatter   but i hate when people add useless hashtags to their most banal posts on instagram people will post photos of their trendy brunch and then clog it up with a barrage of idiotic hashtags brunch sundayfun sleepinglate ihavenolife pleasehelp that kind of thing
look youre not a marketing campaign your brunch is not searchworthy dont hashtag your life
mike iagree
farhad also i hate writing this newsl   yeah anyway thats all i hate
mike you know what i hate the most saying goodbye to you every week farhad goodbye


backhammar sweden   along with more than a dozen members of her extended family widad majid spent last summer sleeping in sweltering refugee camps open fields train stations and a jail cell as she traversed europe en route from syria to sweden one small girl amid a remarkable human migration toward the hope of a better life
now widad 10 and the family live on the second floor of a big red farmhouse in backhammar a small community three hours west of stockholm they can see deer from the kitchen window and they walk in the woods at sunset
her 4 year old cousin zain was slashed on his shin last summer as he was being passed over the razor wire at the hungarian border in the dead of night he still has two gouge marks on his leg but the memories if not the scars are fading as he rides his bike to preschool a chocolate bar from his mother strapped to the fender
her uncles farid and ahmad majid entrepreneurial brothers who guided the family from their home in syria through europe with hundreds of thousands of other refugees last summer are making plans to open a grocery store once they complete the long process of winning asylum and residency in sweden
yet even as they do their best to assimilate and appreciate the new life they have won they continue to feel the tugs of what they left behind   no one more so than widad
her parents and two brothers did not make the journey to europe because one of the brothers nabih 9 has leukemia and was too sick for the grueling journey
nabih is in turkey being treated but he needs a bone marrow transplant and the only remaining member of his family who might be a compatible donor is widad yet as winter turned to spring in sweden she had not yet received asylum and to leave to help her brother in turkey before getting legal residency would mean she could not come back so the family whose journey through europe last summer was documented by the new york times faced yet another set of challenges and wrenching decisions
it is a matter of life and death said one of widads aunts amina nouri who is helping care for nabih in turkey
which is why widad was walking nervously one mid april morning into an expedited asylum hearing accompanied by a swedish legal guardian and the anxious best wishes of her relatives
talk her uncle farid urged her on the day they drove to the immigration office in goteborg for the hearing tell what you remember you cant not remember
for the past five weeks nabih has been secluded in a spartan but comfortable room with a view of the mediterranean in medical park hospital in antalya in southern turkey a private facility that specializes in bone marrow transplants
the other day he knelt on the bed exhausted from chemotherapy and a lack of appetite a peach fuzz of hair on top of his head playing a game on a laptop he wears a paper mask over his face because the chemotherapy has destroyed his immune system his family and visitors also wear masks
he is waiting for a bone marrow donor and at the moment widad appears to be his best hope
his cancer recurred in february about nine months after his treatment began a relapse within a year suggests that the cancer is highly resistant to drugs his family says his treatment was sometimes interrupted because of a shortage of beds at the first hospital in gaziantep turkey near the syrian border
without chemotherapy and a transplant the boy could die within a month one of his doctors vedat uygun said with a transplant he has a 15 percent to 20 percent chance of survival the hospital has searched international donor banks and has not found a ready match siblings have a one in four chance of matching or a one in three chance in places like the majids village in syria where there is a high degree of kinship nabihs younger brother was not a full match
if widad is not a match the doctors will use a partially matched donor probably his mother or his aunt but the risks of a half matched transplant may be greater and the survival rate lower
once nabih had a dream that widad was returning to turkey the family now thinks this was prophetic he sometimes wonders his aunt amina said why of all the children he was the only one who got sick it was gods will they tell him
nabihs condition aside the members of the majid clan who made it to sweden in mid september still have their soul searching moments wondering if they made a mistake in striking out from their homeland your fathers new wife is never your mother farid majid said syria is always our mother country
yet as one cease fire in syria after another fails their young children are becoming more swedish by the day soon they will have forgotten their old lives they cannot go back farid said
they are now an extended family of 14 living together interdependent ahmad and farid majid the two brothers ran a clothing factory in aleppo before it was looted during the civil war and they fled to their ancestral village in the afrin region near the turkish border in a kurdish part of syria when they set out for europe they brought their wives their children three young male relatives and widad
ahmad 30 over six feet tall was the leader of the family as they crossed europe easygoing and charming he attracted other refugees who followed him mapped the route negotiated with smugglers and appeased the guards in refugee camps farid 35 shorter and rounder still seemed to be suffering from the trauma of having been kidnapped for ransom by one of the many militias in syria he was silent brooding grim
now in a striking role reversal farid has taken over the dominant role while ahmad seems withdrawn and subdued farid flits around glad handing other immigrant businessmen who already know the ropes making plans for the future ahmad it seems was strong in war while farid is strong in peace
they spent their first few months in sweden in an overcrowded refugee center in the small town of kristinehamn
in november they were told that they would be moving to the farmhouse in backhammar a tiny settlement 20 minutes out of town just before the move ahmads wife jamila who had never complained during the trip through europe despite her pregnancy gave birth in a nearby hospital to their third child a daughter farida ahmad cut the umbilical cord
the majids enjoy their freedom though they find that many swedes look away as they walk by or at best exchange a polite hej hello or hej da bye they feel both happy and isolated sticking for the most part with other members of their family and fellow refugees and cooking communal feasts of homemade yogurt grilled meat hummus olives eggplant peppers flatbread and tabbouleh
a creek runs through the area surrounded by picturesque farms and forests horseback riding is popular and people get around by bike it is dominated by a nordic paper plant its chimney belching smoke day and night
there is a small general store encompassing a grocery a post office and a pub but the younger generation has moved out put off by the sometimes odorous factory and looking for greater opportunity in big cities said torbjorn andersson a retired factory foreman who moved here in 1972 refugees have been moved into the vacant houses
there are more of them than of us eva nyvall the proprietor of the general store said in what seemed like hyperbole
the neighborhood has tried to be welcoming ms nyvall took a group of about 25 refugees out for a hike ahmad pulls out a video of refugee children dancing around a christmas tree at the folkets hus the community center but everyone agrees that these gestures are not enough to foster a sense of community
cars and bicycles   too nice to be owned by refugees   stand outside many of the small neat single story houses but the inhabitants are mostly invisible the majids are used to the pulsing street life of aleppo where they had their clothing factory and the gossipy familiarity of their ancestral village near afrin where their father still cultivates the family olive groves they joke that backhammar is a zombie village
but the children appear to be thriving
at first ahmad worried that zains preschool class was spending too much time exploring the forest and not enough in class but he has come to appreciate that this is the swedish philosophy of education
you need to learn in the game one of his teachers sebastian martensson said as zain raced around on a tricycle
zain who speaks kurdish at home is learning swedish in class and arabic on the playground and his parents laugh because he does not know the difference
the three older children take a 20 minute bus ride to their school djurgardsskolan in town sitting next to swedish teenagers walled off by their earphones kristinehamn schools which were shrinking have had to hire more teachers to accommodate the flow of refugees
widad the oldest of the children can read swedish phonetically without necessarily understanding the words ahmads 6 year old daughter also named widad is taking dancing lessons after a period of time in immigrant classes they will be integrated into regular classes
the school is homey children and adults take off their shoes at the door they eat on china plates with metal silverware at tables set with unlit votive candles in the cafeteria in syria they had to bring their own food they fill out distinctively scandinavian work sheets about bears fishing for seal
were trying to give them some normality widads teacher maria hallberg said we dont ask them what theyve been through they need school they need the routine and lots of hugs
they want to learn she said they ask for more homework
the family receives an allowance of about 1800 swedish krona or 221 per month for each adult plus a smaller allowance for the children to pay for food and other necessities until it can get on its feet once they receive their residency permits the members of the family can enter a formal program of swedish language lessons and work training or relinquish their benefits and go out on their own
they live frugally buying clothes at the secondhand store they make yogurt a staple instead of buying it to save money everyone lost weight during the trip across europe when the family was constantly on the move and grabbing what food it could now most of the majids are five or 10 pounds heavier
this spring ahmad and farid joined other immigrants fishing at night on a river in saffle about a 90 minute drive away schools of silvery fish the size of large sardines swim in the rapids and four men with a net and a light can catch 150 kilograms 331 pounds of fish in one night and sell them for 25 krona 3 a kilo cleaned sometimes the local swedes come by and the syrians give them free fish
throughout their trek across europe the family was haunted by nabihs leukemia and worried that as a refugee he would get inadequate care in turkey the concern only intensified as the majids settled into their new lives and widads immigration hearing on april 19 had the whole family on edge
because she is in sweden without her parents widad has been assigned a legal guardian christer jansson an affable salesman for an oil company to look after her interests on march 22 he received an email from nabihs transplant specialist akif yesilipek in antalya asking for a blood test for widad
the request presented a moral dilemma for him after some research mr jansson determined that sending marrow by courier could be very difficult and that if widad was a match she might have to go back to turkey to donate without legal residency she could not return
his responsibility was to widad what if she gave up her safety her education and the promise of a better future in sweden and her brother died anyway
but the bureaucracy was responsive to widads plight expediting her asylum hearing mr jansson drove her to the proceeding in goteborg along with her uncle farid mr jansson was allowed into the hearing but farid was not
mr jansson later recounted that the investigator had asked why widad had so many stamps from turkey in her passport widad replied that her brother and mother were in turkey and that while still living in syria she often went to the hospital to visit nabih she cried a little mr jansson said as she talked about her brother
the judge asked widad if she had any religion she said she was muslim but she did not know whether she was sunni or shia
she talked about how there was no electricity in her syrian village and how she had to stop going to school because it was too dangerous she said she spoke to her mother by phone but not to her father who was stuck in syria because he cried too much she was asked if her father had been in the military and she said she did not think so
at the end mr jansson said one of the officials said they understood the need for speed because of her brothers illness so they would give her application priority
she was very accurate very smart mr jansson told farid
the three of them left jubilant that night the family celebrated widads success with three store bought cakes two vanilla and one chocolate
on april 28 widad received word that she had been granted a residency permit and with it the right to go to turkey if necessary dr uygun nabihs doctor remains hopeful that if widad is a match she can have her bone marrow extracted in sweden and sent to turkey so that she would not have to travel it is not clear who will pay for the procedure but dr uygun said the cost would not stop nabih from getting the treatment he needed
nabihs transplant operation has been scheduled for mid  to late may widad should receive the results of her blood test any day


park city utah   i want to be first on success said carl barney standing up from the breakfast table after a final sip of tea at deer valley a luxury resort with a view of utahs mountainous rooftop
mr barney who had arrived in the dining room wearing his custom made orange ski boots was referring to the trail named success with its early morning blanket of freshly groomed untouched snow
he could just as easily have been referring to himself
mr barney who turns 75 on monday arrived in the united states in the 1960s as a jobless british immigrant and went on to amass a fortune running for profit colleges all the while he was guided by the heroic entrepreneurial creed of ayn rand a champion of unalloyed selfishness and remorseless capitalism
she taught me how to live mr barney said
he credits rands brand of antigovernment libertarianism hard nosed rationality and unapologetic self interest with helping him realize his own american dream   an achievement he sells to the students at his schools but his inspiring story is not without contradictions
mr barney who opposes government backed loans and grants on principle has made his fortune in a business that is almost wholly dependent on them his students borrow heavily to pay for their studies in hope of replicating mr barneys up by the bootstraps success but often find themselves dropping out and burdened with loans and while he invokes a rigorous rand inspired ethical code of fair dealing he is in an industry with a history pockmarked by fraud and abuse
congress state prosecutors and federal regulators have opened investigations into numerous schools   including some of mr barneys   saying that they have misled students leaving them deeply in debt without providing the training and job placements that would enable them to pay it off
the troubles in for profit higher education have fed a mountain of student loan debt totaling 13 trillion the sector enrolled 104 percent of students but received 193 percent of federal aid according to the latest figures from the education department the prospect of a taxpayer bailout for defrauded students could run into the billions of dollars depending on eligibility rules
mr barney sees it differently he is proud of the role of for profit education in catering to students often ignored or left behind by traditional colleges and universities a few rogue employees and school operators he says have been used as a cudgel by critics ideologically opposed to the education business
im sure theres some bad guys out there he said after returning from a morning of skiing but a lot of them no
in his view there has been a deliberately designed campaign to cripple crush and close these schools spearheaded by people who really think profit making is wrong
federal efforts to prevent abuses through increased monitoring and regulation mr barney argues are only burdening schools with onerous requirements that further increase student costs
mr barneys business and beliefs place him at the center of a pressing national debate more than ever a college degree has become a ticket to the middle class but there is a divide over how to best help students with the fewest skills and resources
the clash is not just over policy options but ideas ayn rand who died in 1982 has long been a flash point for conflicting concepts of america and its promise
on one side republican leaders like senator ted cruz of texas and paul ryan the conservative house speaker consider her a lodestar president obama has described her vision as pretty narrow and not one that i think describes whats best in america
versions of this debate are playing out on the presidential campaign trail   in clashes over income inequality government regulation and college affordability
in mr barneys view both parties are leading the country in the wrong direction politics is not going to solve the problem he said settling into the third floor lounge of his alpine styled boutique hotel
that is why he directs his multimillion dollar contributions not to political candidates or super pacs   but to spreading ayn rands thinking around the globe over the years he said he had contributed more than 20 million to the ayn rand institute to create free online courses about her work and other projects millions more have gone to other similarly minded groups im not an altruist im not a do gooder mr barney said but i would like to have others experience the understanding and the benefits that ive had from philosophy
if rationality hard work and self interest are fundamental randian values so is the pursuit of happiness and that is what led mr barney to rise early that day   only to have to wait at the front of the ski lift line standing there he mentions to the lift operator his intent to be first down the run
you look like youre first in a lot of things the lift operator replies
soon enough mr barney is gliding down the mountain listening on his earbuds to a favorite broadway tune one day more from les miserables with its call to the masses to man the barricades
the greatest tragedy in all schools today is the ddd   a dropout who is in debt and doesnt get a degree mr barney said over an artistically arranged dessert plate the term is one of the many expressions that his staff refers to as carl barneyisms the abbreviations aphorisms quotations and guidelines that pepper the bosss daily conversation and fill employee binders
for years mr barney worked six and a half day weeks sending notes to colleagues and friends at all hours about newly discovered enthusiasms   videos books middle of the night brainstorms or even gadgets like the magicjack the as seen on tv device to connect a phone to a computer for inexpensive calls
if he finds something that he really likes hell send it to 10 of his friends said john allison the former chief of the bank bbt and a longtime friend who once received a keurig coffee maker from him
many of his work ideas are cataloged in pds procedure directives dls data letters ils information letters and mms management memos mm 302 for example is titled student satisfaction and success   sss and offers the antidote to what he calls the dreaded ddd
if something worked we then systematized it mr barney said
pd 154 r lays out a two year training program for employees who want to advance to associate directors among other things they will be expected to read rands manifesto the 1200 page novel atlas shrugged which depicts a rotted out america where creative geniuses stage a nationwide strike against corrupt moochers and looters
rand made her way to the united states after escaping the soviet unions terrors in the 1920s an experience that left her with a deep rooted distrust of government she extolled laissez faire capitalism ruthless ambition and individualism in her novels including the fountainhead and a philosophy known as objectivism
mr barney discovered rand in midlife he grew up with five siblings in postwar london
his father was a serial entrepreneur opening a nightclub a motel and a gas station he was good at creating things he wasnt good at carrying through mr barney said
rationing of food gas and clothing made deprivation a fact of daily life the abundance portrayed in american movies offered an alluring contrast
as a teenager he traveled to australia where he sold encyclopedias door to door and picked grapes i was good at it he toured india and later ended up in california   dabbling briefly he admits with some embarrassment in scientology   seeking meaning here and there while engaging in the great american tradition of self improvement
by the 1970s he participated in another american tradition making money in real estate then a minor business transaction came along that became a seminal moment after legally terminating a lease he offered some extra compensation for the inconvenience
the leaseholder was offended and said i dont want anything that isnt earned or deserved mr barney recalls she was describing rands trader principle which holds that two people engaging in a trade shouldnt take any more or less from each other than is deserved
mr barney was bewildered
her explanation you need to read atlas shrugged
he began teaching himself about rand and objectivism attending her final public appearance in 1981 in new orleans he heard speaker after speaker declare she changed my life
it was testimony mr barney would ultimately echo this is what rand taught me   identify that values that are important to you and practice the virtues to achieve that he said it infused him with a central purpose
that led him to pursue a business in education so when a friend told him about the existence of for profit colleges he was struck wow he said he thought you could actually buy a college thats what i want to do
in time he ended up buying and establishing several colleges including collegeamerica stevens henager and california college he developed an online division independence university
it was thinking about the future of that business and his legacy that mr barney said led him to merge his colleges in 2012 with the center for excellence in higher education a nonprofit that supports free market ideas in higher education the center bought all the schools for about 630 million
the money came from mr barney himself in the form of loans and tax deductible donations today the colleges are no longer considered for profit entities and the center supports programs at brand name universities like tufts clemson and duke
mr barney has stepped back from day to day oversight but nothing changed in the way the colleges are operated we woke up the next day with the exact same management team said eric juhlin who continued as chief executive
the sale which is awaiting education department approval has its critics industry watchdogs point for example to a whistle blower lawsuit brought by two former recruiters in 2014 that charges the merger was done at least in part to evade certain regulatory requirements that apply to for profit schools
todd zywicki executive director of george mason law and economics center and a longtime trustee at the center for excellence in higher education called the notion insulting saying it totally misrepresents what we were doing
mr barney similarly dismisses the accusations i could be a billionaire today if i hadnt converted to nonprofit
the salt lake city branch of stevens henager college occupies a modern four story building off highway 15 about a 45 minute drive from deer valley at night it bustles with students arriving for class after clocking out of their day jobs
all are looking to better their lives saying theyre spending from about 30000 for an associate degree to about 70000 for an mba and are taking on thousands of dollars in debt to make it happen
almost everyone who applies is accepted as mr barney acknowledged getting some of these students   those with the poorest preparation or juggling work family and school   to graduate is difficult we dont select the best we take who comes there and do the best we can he said
of the approximately two dozen students interviewed at random during a recent visit nearly all praised the schools instruction they particularly liked that the path to a degree was clearly mapped   no electives no course catalog to decipher   and that class work was structured around short four week modules
thomas hillier 46 said he and his daughter ended up enrolling at the same time she graduated with an associate degree in medical specialties and has a good job while he is finishing his bachelors in network security cynthia turgeon 42 who is majoring in accounting forensics said it has the best reputation in the valley
she and other middle aged classmates said they had seen several dropouts particularly younger students whom they described as often lacking focus and commitment   just as they themselves used to this is my third time back in school ms turgeon said its just clicking now
there were dissenters i didnt understand what i got myself into felicia robbins 21 said during a break in her medical specialties class she had heard about the school on radio ads theyre very enticing she said
ms robbins said she didnt realize that the course was largely self taught with an instructor providing guidance i thought it was going to be like college
only after dropping out she said did she discover other colleges would not accept her credits rather than throw out her investment she returned i feel like youre stuck she said
unhappy students can be found at any school but a darker picture is portrayed in lawsuits directed at mr barneys other colleges the colorado attorney generals office for example has accused collegeamerica in denver of deceptive advertising and lying about job placements and graduation rates former students have said in court papers that they were misled about the transferability of credits courses and instruction and employment prospects former employees have filed affidavits saying they placed misleading advertisements and were pushed to graduate failing students and lie to independent auditors the justice department has joined one whistle blower suit that says stevens henager recruiters were illegally awarded bonuses for signing up students
linda carter the former dean of the cheyenne campus in wyoming for example resigned in 2012 saying she was pressured to misrepresent information to school accreditation panels and was disturbed about what she called misleading advertising
when a dispute arose over whether she qualified for unemployment benefits the division of appeals of the wyoming department of workforce services held a hearing it concluded that ms carter had proved by a preponderance of the evidence the employers customary working conditions involved deceit on the part of the employer
the colleges are fighting the suits characterizing them as without merit
mr barney recalled his reaction to some of the accusations they are all horrific if anybody was reading those youd say those were really bad guys he said that when he investigated however he concluded that all the complaints were unjustified were not perfect he said but when we find something thats wrong we fix it
what mr barney said he refused to accept was guilt that was not deserved in the rand worldview that would be unearned guilt and akin to a sin a rich man should not feel guilt for hard earned wealth he said a pregnant woman should not feel guilt for having an abortion
so when it comes to the ddds   the dropouts and debtors   mr barney said im really sad about that but im not guilty we do everything to help them graduate he compared his denver schools on time graduation rate of 34 percent with the local community colleges of 10 percent
as for the complaint brought by the colorados attorney generals office mr barney said it was invented for political purposes and designed to force us into a settlement of millions of dollars
the schools request to get the case dismissed failed but mr barney points out that during one proceeding a judge in denver judge wrote that the schools admissions process ensured prospective students get the accurate information they need to make an informed decision about whether to enroll
at the same time mr barney said students sometimes did not pay attention to the requirements and costs even when they were explained
in mr barneys view the campaign against for profit colleges is motivated by resentment against their outsize profits he traces this animosity to the 2008 financial crisis and recession
the bad economy turned out to be good for his business stranded without jobs people flocked to enroll in college yet the budgets of many state run schools were slashed as the economy contracted
people turned to for profit schools the phones were ringing off the hook mr barney said along with the students came a lot of money there is no question it was massive
many of the winners were on wall street private equity and other investors bought several of the largest for profit systems after realizing the federal government was providing a virtually endless source of cash chiefly in the form of student loans students at for profit institutions went from receiving 13 percent of the outstanding federal student loan balances in 2003 4 to 21 percent 10 years later this turned teachers unions and some public officials against the industry mr barney said
not only does mr barney understand the indignation about profiting off public funds in one sense he shares it i dont think taxpayers should pay for our students he said he says he believes that government should get out of student loans and grants altogether and leave the financing to the schools potential employers and banks
it is a view that is echoed in atlas shrugged in the novel the legendary railroad titan nathaniel taggart is said to have tossed a government official down three flights of stairs merely for asking if mr taggart would like a government loan
to some critics the for profit college business represents the exploitative side of randian philosophy in which vulnerable students ambitions are manipulated for personal gain
the problem is not just a few bad apples said a j angulo a history professor and the author of diploma mills how for profit colleges stiffed students taxpayers and the american dream mr angulo says were really talking about a few good apples
that was the conclusion of a 2012 senate investigation the latest in a series of congressional and independent inquiries into for profit schools advertising job placement and graduation rates and recruitment strategies that date to the 1980s
to mr angulo the problem is systemic there is a fundamental conflict of interest and its created by the profit motive he said it leads to cost cutting and the thing that gets shortchanged systematically is instruction
such hostility to the profit motive is precisely what sets off mr barneys alarm bells he argues that for profit schools offer an alternative to failing overcrowded community colleges and an educational lifeline to working adults
free enterprise is what has propelled the united states to prosperity mr barney said sitting in a club chair in the lounge at deer valley after a day on ski trails with names like tycoon lucky star and of course success yes there are things to criticize he said
but there were two great philosophical experiments of our age he said   the soviet union and america since the founding of this country when the king was told to buzz off he said laughing its been a wonderful ride in america hasnt it


thomas swick has been a farmhand in alsace an english teacher in poland and a journalist at newspapers like the sun sentinel in south florida where he was travel editor for 19 years in a genre now saturated with destination marketers masquerading as travel writers mr swick stands out as a perceptive old school travel writer whose prose brings celebrated and obscure destinations to life in his new book the joys of travel and stories that illuminate them mr swick draws on a lifetime of travel wisdom and experiences in sharing his seven pleasures of travel anticipation emotional connection movement novelty discovery break from routine and heightened appreciation of home following are edited excerpts from a conversation with him
q you wrote in the chapter on anticipation long ago i realized that if i was feeling low as if life no longer held any interest it was because i had no trips planned do you still need to have a trip on the horizon to be content
a i really want to have a trip to look forward to i live in florida and i dont have to suffer through long winters but in the summer we yearn to get away from the heat and humidity i love the idea of getting away from the routine the sameness of everyday life
you write that trains are a voyeuristic pleasure   as close as we get to the fantasy of dying and then looking down on the action but on buses you can talk to people but theyre not always the people you want to talk to
there are some countries like mexico that have very luxurious buses but its still not romantic the train goes its own way it has its own tracks it shows you the backs of things in a way that buses dont its hard to romanticize bus travel on planes and ships they take you away from the world and youre surrounded by nothingness sea or sky but on a train youre escaping the world but youre going through the middle of towns where people have to stop and wait for your passage sitting in the dining car looking up from your breakfast watching places go by its a wonderful experience
youve been both a traveler and an expatriate you wrote living abroad is the travel equivalent of monogamy but while travelers are rewarded with novelty do they miss out on the intimacy and insights an expatriate gets from a lengthy stay
i havent lived abroad since i left poland in 1982 but when i travel now i try to replicate that experience of being an expat not just seeing the sights but trying to get beneath the surface of a place figuring out what its like to live there ive found that the places that are comfortable to live in arent always the most interesting to visit
one of your joys of travel is making emotional connections with the people we meet on the road is there one country in particular where youve found it easy to make these kinds of connections
brazil stands out i found the brazilians to be incredibly open brazil is the only place ive been to where you call people about getting together and they say sure how about tonight its usually the less visited less glamorous places where its easiest to meet people or it could be in an out of the way place in a popular country like france or italy
in an era of instant communication is it harder to experience the heightened appreciation of ones home another of your joys
the distance from home is shorter i feel sorry for young travelers today who probably wont experience that feeling of going somewhere and feeling completely cut off from everyone they know and being in a new place where they are on their own and have to fend for themselves that allows you to understand home better than if you are constantly in touch with it


beijing   three nobel laureates in science and economics who visited north korea this week for what was billed as an educational exchange said saturday that they had met university students who were eager to learn but who were hampered by the norths tight internet controls and by rudimentary decades old equipment
two of the laureates aaron j ciechanover of israel a biologist and sir richard roberts the chief scientific officer at new england biolabs in massachusetts said at a news conference in beijing that they had invited north korean students to come and work in their laboratories but that prospect appeared unlikely
the weeklong visit by mr ciechanover mr roberts and a third laureate finn erling kydland a norwegian who shared the nobel for economics in 2004 was organized by the vienna based international peace foundation and by the national peace committee of korea an organ of north koreas ruling workers party the trip which ended friday was authorized by kim yong nam the president of north koreas supreme peoples assembly and was intended as an exchange of educational views the organizers said
on friday the workers party opened its first congress in 36 years in pyongyang the north korean capital but the timing was coincidental said uwe morawetz the chairman of the international peace foundation he said that the south korean ambassador in bangkok had asked that the trip be delayed until after the congress which is a major propaganda event for north koreas top leader kim jong un but that the organizers had declined to do so because the visit had been planned long in advance
the obama administration made no attempt to discourage the trip mr morawetz said
the laureates gave lectures at the isolated countrys top universities all in pyongyang kim il sung university pyongyang university of science and technology and kim chaek university of technology at the news conference on saturday the laureates described highly motivated students who were hindered in part by their governments policies
the best thing we found was that the students were knowledge hungry said mr ciechanover a professor at technion israel institute of technology in haifa who shared the nobel for chemistry in 2004 the english was striking in two of the three universities we did not need translation
but the norths restrictions on the internet made it virtually impossible for the students to progress the scientists said the level of research was less than basic mr ciechanover said
student researchers had access to a so called e library through which they could ask supervisors for documents from the web which would then be sent to them through the universitys internal internet system the scientists said
one students work on adapting a herbicide for spraying on crops showed such promise that mr ciechanover said he had invited him to his institute in haifa similarly mr roberts a british citizen who shared the nobel for medicine in 1993 said he had invited a student to his laboratories in massachusetts the united states government might need some prodding to allow that student into america he said
the north korean authorities asked whether the students could come to israel and the united states said students would only be allowed to travel outside the country in pairs mr roberts said that rule is meant to discourage defections
the laureates are unlikely to have met average north koreans during their trip university students particularly at prestigious campuses in pyongyang are screened for loyalty to the government and foreign visitors are typically accompanied by government minders
north koreas nuclear weapons program was not discussed during the visit said mr morawetz who said he had deliberately chosen nobel laureates for the visit who were not involved in physics or nuclear research
but the laureates suggested saturday that the united nations sanctions imposed on the north because of its nuclear program should be eased at the okryu childrens hospital in pyongyang a showcase medical center that kim jong un visited during its construction in 2013 mr ciechanover said that there were 300 beds and a capacity for 300 outpatients but that doctors administered only about 60 tests a day a low figure that he attributed to the sanctions doctors faced shortages of medicine and took the view that you give only what you have to he said
the united nations sanctions do not apply to medicine but they restrict the norths access to foreign currency and the government is known to channel its limited resources toward the military
the laureates suggested that the sanctions which were tightened in march in response to north koreas fourth nuclear test in january would not lead to regime change or to the norths abandoning its nuclear weapons they say we are self sufficient we dont need you i got the impression they make them stronger mr ciechanover said referring to the sanctions
the international peace foundation usually receives corporate sponsorship for its work in asia but the north korea trip failed to attract backing mr morawetz said the laureates paid their own airfare and were provided accommodation in guesthouses by the north korean government he said


my whole life as a woman has been awash in hormone awareness adolescent despair hormones the stunning efficacy of new love affair crash diets hormones the labile nights of new motherhood hormones
women over the course of a lifetime are tortured by and tutored in the intricate complexities of hormones and their inevitable imbalances for those of us who didnt tune in to science classes when we had a chance too many distracting hormonal rages and dont even get me started on those math anxiety hormones hormonal chemistry remains mysterious partly because it is
brain science is seriously not my thing i still want to believe that love comes from the heart
i am quite sure though that i had never heard of grandmother hormones thats partly because womens magazines which largely pick up from high school curriculums to keep us up to speed on science and health are not exactly geared to anyone over the ripe old age of 40 unless of course we get a special issue on aging but then science quickly gives way to home economics featuring dressmaking and wardrobe organization kind of like in high school
when were young aging looks sort of yucky frankly even though it is extremely un pc to say so it looks sort of yucky when we get there too hence the magical thinking around skin creams
but then i became a grandmother nothing compares to the experience of holding six pounds of newborn boy against an older wiser pounding heart a heart burnished with the patina of age a heart that bears the traces of fractures the patchwork or plaster lathed over bad breaks that heart suddenly unexpectedly floods with ... hormones
hormones still rule that is the only way i can explain the mysterious intricate nature of my chaotic response to this new love the joy hes here hes made the passage safely hes breathing hes digesting hes already got the rooting around for the breast thing down the grandchilds every grunt and squeak is a fascination and i could gaze forever rapturously as the shadows of chemical firings cross that tiny sleeping face
yet howling alongside the lunatic joy comes terrifying anxiety i gaze at baby boy as it says on his cart and think not only do i have to worry about every single little thing that could go wrong with a grandchild but i also have to worry about what that pain would do to my own son and his wife double whammy
i will spare everyone the hellhole whipped up by my hormonal grandmother furies   the snatches of disaster that light across the ceaselessly channel surfing screen at the front of my brain as i ponder that frail neck that pulsing vein that utter helplessness and dependency contrary to what every therapist will tell you sometimes the only way to deal with anxieties is to slam that cellar door shut too dark down there
but   climate change i lay in bed the first night of being a grandmother and did the math when baby boy is my age worrying about his own grandchildren miami beach could be advertising scuba tours through its skyscrapers amtrak to boston could be running on elevated tracks that skim over the atlantic ocean the long island expressway may no longer be a parking lot   it will no longer be anything at all new york city will be the venice of america with gondolas bobbing over the david koch plaza in front of the met as the gondoliers descended from the men who once pedaled bicycle taxis   ha that low carbon alternative didnt do much to help did it now rest from the intense labor of navigating the tidal sluices of fifth avenue
and still climate change deniers will claim nothing happening here
no wonder grandmothers make great activists
i start making lists of ways in which i will be everything as a grandmother that i was not as a mother entirely selfless eternally patient endlessly entertaining excruciatingly upbeat but i am realistic i am not going to vow to be entirely nonjudgmental mainly because i have worked very hard for that right and have tirelessly refined the standards by which i judge   but thats another story of course everything baby boy does will be perfect i can say this from a place of true discernment
in reality things generally go right in hormonal floods nothing goes right they are the nuisance tides of life the day is sunny and bright but suddenly you are up to your knees in filthy contaminated sloshing water all because you refused to understand that a superheated heart will inevitably cause emotional tidal surges that bubble up from underground i must get this stuff under control
tripping in the train of anxieties come profound insatiable yearnings my attachment to baby boy was so instantaneous that i could feel a tingling in anticipation of nursing decades after i last nursed a child where the heck does grandmother letdown come from
my body also went into sympathetic insomnia so that at 3 am i was startled by dreams of the baby cries of 30 years ago only an orphan black binge could drown them out however i am pleased to report that i gained only 15 pounds during my daughter in laws pregnancy
every day that i visited the new parents in the hospital whenever i wanted to leave the maternity wing the nurses thoroughly checked my bags before unlocking the doors the tsa could learn something from our rn authorities and they were absolutely right to make sure i was not smuggling out a wee creature
my inner crone wanted desperately to keep baby boy in my arms forever a frightful loop played in my deranged brain yes yes yes i want him every moment of him every adorable sneeze and snort hormones are like that they create an alternate reality of course i know his parents will do a far better job with him than i ever did with mine thats the beauty of new generations they are smarter about everything they can also stay up all night i cannot
and then comes the leave taking why do we not live in those villages everyone always claims it takes to raise a child we should admit that raising a child depends a lot on the kindness of strangers it is rare that extended families live in the same state much less the same city i sit in the hospital and ponder the amtrak website the american airlines website and i cannot bring myself to buy a ticket home because what is home if it is not with baby boy
theres nothing like a hormonal storm to light up the skies especially those night skies at any time of life i know im going to get all this under control but right now i plan to let myself ride this queen tide of love out into the wild blue yonder no matter where it takes me relishing one of lifes final big gifts at any age we are capable of crazy mad head over heels falling in love even with its attendant crazy mad brain dysfunction
speaking on behalf of hormonal grandmothers the world over i want to say simply to our beloved children in law and in love who bear us grandchildren thank you we are eternally grateful


this 242 million year old creature swam the seas before most dinosaurs roamed the planet its the oldest known marine reptile to feast exclusively on plants and its mouth is full of mysteries
its name atopodentatus unicus which is latin for unique strangely toothed provides a clue to its puzzled past paleontologists in china first found its fossils in 2014 and believed it had a jaw shaped like a flamingos beak with a zipper of teeth down the middle
but those assumptions were wrong according to a new paper published friday in the journal science advances rather than a downward turned snout the reptile actually had a flat hammerhead shaped face the paper says
the team figured out how its mouth actually worked after finding two new fossils of the reptile that were much better preserved than the first find
they said the crocodile size creature used its front teeth to scrape algae from the seafloor which it would suck up like a vacuum then it would use its needle like teeth to trap the plants and filter out water like a whale with baleen
although they may have cleared the confusion they admit the anatomy is still surprising
a hammerhead in a reptile is such a ludicrous thing to think of said olivier rieppel a paleontologist at the field museum of natural history in chicago and a co author of the paper but it exists and its the earliest marine herbivore   its quite amazing


once upon a time there was a difference between on and off now its more complicated roughly 50 devices and appliances in the typical american household are always drawing power even when they appear to be off estimates alan meier a senior scientist at the department of energys berkeley lab
it adds up about a quarter of all residential energy consumption is used on devices in idle power mode according to a study of northern california by the natural resources defense council that means that devices that are off or in standby or sleep mode can use up to the equivalent of 50 large power plants worth of electricity and cost more than 19 billion in electricity bills every year and theres an environmental cost overall electricity production represents about 37 percent of all carbon dioxide emissions in the united states one of the main contributors to climate change
in the name of scientific inquiry i tested about 30 appliances from friends houses as well as my own by plugging the devices into a kill a watt power meter which can track how much power in watts is being drawn at any given moment
my cable box drew 28 watts when it was on and recording a show and 26w when it was off and not recording anything even if i never watched tv i would still consume about 227 kilowatt hours annually to put it in context thats more than the average person uses in an entire year in some developing countries including kenya and cambodia according to world bank estimates
always leaving a laptop computer plugged in even when its fully charged can use a similar quantity   45 kilowatt hours of electricity in a week or about 235 kilowatt hours a year your mileage may vary depending on model and battery my computer is a few years old and a few readers have written to say their macbooks use far less power
in 2014 73 percent of american households had a high speed internet connection which usually entails at least one modem and router
while neither one draws a lot of power in most homes theyre never switched off the same is true of many tvs
to turn a tv on with a remote it has to be on to receive that signal if its a smart tv it has to be on to stay online and if your tv is in quick start mode - to avoid the pain of waiting 15 seconds for it to boot up - its drawing even more power
lots of traditional household appliances - things your grandmother owns - are also moving online just like your grandmother light bulbs ovens refrigerators coffee makers - even mattresses   can now connect to the internet so they also draw power all the time
workhorse appliances like dishwashers or laundry machines have gotten much more efficient over time but many models now have digital displays which mean they always draw a little bit of power too
even as appliances get more efficient we have more of them in 1966 the average american used about 5590 kilowatt hours every year according to the world bank as of 2013 that number had shot up to about 12985 kilowatt hours annually
some of this increase comes from electronics almost two thirds of the population has a laptop half have a tablet or an e reader 64 percent have smartphones 36 percent have all three
but some traditional kitchen appliances around long before the internet draw a lot of power when theyre on even if theyre not on that often my test revealed that my coffee maker mid percolation draws more than 900 w although its only on for a few minutes at a time if a coffee maker takes 10 minutes to brew a pot and it brews one every day it comes out to about to about 50 kilowatt hours every year or a little more than what someone in niger uses every year
many utility companies will provide hourly data for electrical energy consumption and utilities in some parts of the country are installing smart meters which allow you and the utility to track how much energy your home is consuming on an hourly basis
perhaps the simplest way to curtail energy use is to use a power strip to group appliances   tv gaming console powered speakers dvd player streaming devices   so you can turn them all off at the same time however dr meier warned that since some of these products have clocks or internet connections that connection the time or other information could be lost if you turn off the power strip
and if you use your gaming console to stream movies well dont they can use 45 times more power than streaming consoles according to the natural resources defense council mostly because they arent good at using only as much power as the task at hand requires


during an exceptionally cringe worthy republican debate in march donald j trump raised his hands to show people that they werent abnormally small while it is unclear whether this display settled the underlying matter one thing was indisputable he wasnt wearing a wedding ring
hes not alone no band adorns the fourth finger of prince williams left hand or that of graydon carter or more recently of jay z and will smith and jada pinkett smith have been spotted without rings which has added to tabloid speculation about the state of their union
the question remains can a naked finger be just a naked finger
mr trump whose representatives declined to comment or to make him available for this article has not explained why he no longer wears the band he wore when he and melania knauss were married in 2005 the public is undoubtedly aware of his marital status so hes not exactly putting anything over on anyone he appeared to not wear a ring during his marriage to ivana trump and only occasionally with marla maples as well
as for jay z he and beyonce who was seen at the met gala sans her wedding ring have matching tattoos on their ring fingers never mind that she just released an album largely about infidelity
before prince william married kate middleton in 2011 the palace issued a statement noting that the couple had discussed it and that the princes decision not to wear a ring was personal preference the statement continued he doesnt even wear a signet ring   and decided he didnt want to
popular perception is that some men   and yes women too   go ringless in order to broadcast an availability that their spouses may know nothing about and there are many who subscribe to the notion that affairs may be avoided if both sexes would simply adhere to this public signifier that they are taken of course this doesnt account for those who are attracted by wedding rings precisely because they signal no possibility of a longer attachment
i think theyre making a statement by not wearing one said jeanne safer a psychotherapist in new york it may unconsciously signal availability for adultery either actually or in fantasy
judi winston katz 45 a real estate agent in fort lauderdale fla agrees she believes that ambivalence played a role in her decision not to wear a ring during her 20 year marriage while her former husband whom she loved as a best friend wore his ring right up to the day they signed their divorce papers she found hers a nuisance and removed it after their first year of matrimony i always wondered if it was subconsciously because i didnt want to be married to him she wrote in an email
just as customs about weddings have become less conventional so too have rules about rings both in the type of band or whether you wear one at all
many gay men have exchanged wedding bands but it may be too soon to say that these rings are here to stay dominick miciotta and jason smith of huntington ny however always wear the matching titanium bands they gave each other at their october 2013 wedding the ring is a part of marriage for both of us said mr miciotta 46 we are both fairly traditional we both feel the same way about commitment and love
in england the appearance of wedding rings for men is a relatively recent phenomenon in his 1996 book debretts new guide to etiquette  modern manners the etiquette expert john morgan wrote that in britain it is customary for the bride alone to sport a wedding ring and although some brides have adopted the continental habit of presenting the groom with his own band during the vows this remains not quite comme il faut
in the 16 years that nick sullivan the english born fashion director of esquire has been married nothing has adorned any of his fingers while he was very happy to get married he didnt feel the need for an extra symbol my wife doesnt care he said
neither does evin lowe whose husband robert schwartz wont wear a ring for him though it is more about trauma during his first marriage mr schwartz 47 who has a consulting business in new york wore the conventional gold wedding band after divorcing he decided that the ring represented a failed marriage and flushed it down the toilet
before marrying ms lowe he expressed his reluctance to literally put a ring on it she understood if i felt like i needed him to wear a ring all the time i wouldnt have married him said ms lowe 41 a lighting technician for film and television to me its a matter of trust
there are practical reasons for not wearing them haim hazan 40 the owner of a manhattan hair salon finds that rings get in the way of his work everybody knows im married he said but its convenient not to wear one
craig savel 53 a developer of computer apps and programs in new york said rings never entered the equation he and his wife marion stein eloped to niagara falls without rings for either of them were two kind of aging hippies mr savel said i think were also both afraid we are so ditsy well lose it with all the attendant symbolism
the way dr safer sees it going ringless does tend to symbolize that there is something deeper going on   an inability to fully commit or a desire to be free she and her husband the historian and writer richard brookhiser have been married for over 30 years and both wear rings
it never occurred to me that we wouldnt she said in marriage she believes you exchange your pathologies you should exchange rings too


may 4 the womens committee of central park conservancy hosted the 34th annual luncheon in the garden at 105th street it would be wrong to assume that hats are back in fashion   guests at the luncheon wore headdresses to celebrate spring this was one of the rare instances when guests were forced to use the umbrellas that are customarily handed out at the end of the luncheon above though the trees and flowers were in full bloom the clothes provided the color this was the first year some guests wore fur among the footwear were daintier versions of gardening shoes
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at the chanel boutique in bushwick brooklyn black and white tweed skirts hang near gold lame gowns classic black toed beige pumps are on display on a glass platform lit from below a quilted leather handbag with a gleaming gold clasp is also on view perfectly paired with a rabbit fur coat
alas this shop is not open to the public thats because its just two feet long by two feet tall and its inside the apartment of a man named phillip nuveen
mr nuveen 27 is a designer who works almost exclusively in miniature often making minute versions of the most sought after luxury goods each item is made by hand or with the help of a 3d printer he has designed little hermes bags eames chairs and louis vuitton steamer trunks that barbie most likely would be only too happy to have ken carry for her
i love fashion and style so my miniature world has become a very chic one he said
kate unvers aesthetic is far darker than mr nuveens but its just as tiny ms unver 29 is a collector of tiny objects that may decorate a dollhouse or at least the spooky place next door she is the proud custodian of a 2 inch bull skull an itty bitty motorcycle and a freckle size pair of antique scissors that actually work ive seen mini pistols that fire said ms unver the founder of dailymini a website devoted to all things diminutive eensy switchblades that actually pop out nearly microscopic marbles an electric chair that fits in the palm of your hand like so many miniacs as some of the collectors and artisans call themselves she came to the modern mini movement by way of a childhood love of dollhouses
apparently it really is a small world and its getting progressively smaller thanks to young artists working in 112 scale which is the traditional ratio for miniatures dollhouses and dioramas instead of dreamy young schoolgirls adorning pint size victorian mansions todays miniaturists are creating perfect parallel universes in the vein of the thorne miniature rooms on permanent exhibit at the art institute of chicago
type in miniature on etsy the online marketplace for handcrafted items and some 400000 items appear from wee cereal boxes to dime size waffles a large part of the allure comes from a defining influence of the diy movement an embrace of tactile crafts as an antidote to digital living many miniac artists create their work by hand others sometimes rely on modern tools like laser cutters and 3d printers miniatures of all kinds are huge among young adults who are rethinking dollhouse said darren scala the owner of d thomas fine miniatures in hastings on hudson ny and a trustee of the international guild of miniature artisans its about a return to the physical being able to touch and handle and actually play with something tactile
mackenzie mcalpin 36 is a sculptor who makes microscopic replicas of peoples pets from polymer clay this art form is not necessarily easy on the body she said your eyes go and your back starts hurting
for some miniacs there is a voyeuristic appeal commingled with the universal desire to inhabit and experience multiple environments at the same time its a way to explore worlds you cant explore and tiny fake worlds are easier to make and less destructive than secret real ones said louise krasniewicz an adjunct professor of anthropology at the university of pennsylvania we spend a tremendous amount of time in fantasy worlds watching tv reading books playing videos miniatures provide a way to practice things that we cant practice in reality
dr krasniewicz has built her own diminutive creations most notably a perfect replica of the set of the alfred hitchcock classic film rear window it comes complete with windows depicting each apartment and its inhabitants the things people are most curious about are other people and their lives she said were all interested in doing fieldwork in other peoples worlds
some may think artisans focused on minis reflect an older demographic for a very long time miniaturists have had this very grandpa in the basement working on model railroad vibe to it or grandma with her dollhouse said thomas doyle 39 an artist who works exclusively with contemporary miniatures
but the miniature is most certainly a growing trend in contemporary art ive seen a lot recently we are at a point where contemporary art is becoming so diversified what im interested in coincides with our current society and especially now that were living in this age of anxiety every age probably says that but things that are small remind us of our childhood a very ordered world
its no coincidence that the mini movement is having a moment during a time of political uncertainty and international turmoil while many of the artists are attracted to the creative process theres also a level of control thats appealing said nicole cooley who teaches creative writing at queens college city university of new york ms cooley is writing a book on mini ism and has 25 dollhouses in her glen ridge nj home
a miniature universe can also provide a psychological respite a year and a half ago ali alamedy and his family were driven out of iraq by the islamic state mr alamedy 33 has been making miniature worlds since he first bought a computer at 16 with the help of 3d software a piece of balsa wood and a hobby knife he constructed his first miniature farm scene i weathered it with coffee and there i discovered my love to rust and age wood and urban scenes said mr alamedy who lives a few hours outside of istanbul
since then he has used household items like aluminum foil plastic rods paper clips and foam boards to build scenes from places he has never been a french cafe an english bookstore a new york alleyway mr scala the shop proprietor himself a miniaturist is planning to introduce mr alamedy and his work to the united states market this year
reading lots of stories and books in my childhood inspired me to build the scenes from those stories mr alamedy said later on it became an escape from reality to places i would love to travel to but i cant
there are emotional and therapeutic benefits too some of the artists say amanda speva 30 a chicago based filmmaker who is making a documentary on miniatures recalls her friend having built a diorama depicting a happy time in her life the early days of her childhood before her parents divorced theres a big theme of fantasy of living out something you cant have in real life she said its about capturing a moment in time that you want to remember
for mr nuveen the chanel boutique creator a foray into the world of miniatures grew out of necessity he had no other way to show off his talents in college he studied graphic design but he dreamed of being an architect he wanted potential clients to see his work but he couldnt reach them in his bushwick flat on the fifth floor of a walk up
then it hit him i could build something tiny post it online and viewers would have no idea the scale he said i can show an idea for an interior and i dont have to do it in a real life human scale i can make it miniature and no one knows the difference
mr nuveen also operates a two foot tall art gallery to help gain exposure for some of his artist friends theyll send me images of their painting or drawing he said ill print them frame them hang them in the model and photograph them it looks like a real life exhibition big art little gallery


havana   in the gran teatro de la habana alicia alonso the woman with her name on the theater makes as grand an entrance as it is possible to make while being propped up by minders on a recent friday ms alonso the 95 year old director of the ballet nacional de cuba was ushered to her balcony seat she opened her ballerina arms to the audience who stood and cheered as if at a royal appearance ms alonso blind or nearly blind for decades has reigned over cuban ballet for more than 60 years longer than her stalwart supporter fidel castro lasted as head of state
that night the ballet nacional was dancing swan lake   ms alonsos version based on the 19th century russian original a staple of a repertory that includes almost no contemporary work the performance was well mannered old fashioned trapped in time it was as it has been
and yet ms alonso was surely aware of changes around her including in the theater that now bears her name dating from 1838 it reopened in january after renovations clean and bare on the inside its ornate exterior casting the brightest glow in the city center which remains rather dark at night president obama gave a speech there during his visit in march the first by a sitting american president since long before the 1959 cuban revolution a sign of a major shift in relations between the countries and presumably of incipient change for cuba
 how modern dance companies in cuba are bracing for american influences 
but what about for cuban ballet ms alonso likes to say that she will live to 200 and will still be running the company 100 years from now she has never chosen a successor ask anyone involved with the ballet nacional what happens after alicia and you get shrugs and sighs change must be coming but probably not while ms alonso is in charge
more important though might be what happens to cubas national ballet school in 1948 ms alonso   along with fernando alonso her husband at the time   returned to cuba from the united states where she was a star to found a company and a school after the revolution the troupe became the ballet nacional funded and protected by the state and the alonso school soon went national too
the school has supplied generations of dancers for cubas national and regional ballet troupes it has stocked companies across the ballet world which has long marveled at how a small impoverished nation has produced so many beautifully trained classical dancers amid a lengthy list some of the best known include carlos acosta and jose manuel carreno the achievement could justly be characterized as revolutionary
these days this companys official historian miguel cabrera   when talking to a yanqui journalist but even in the pages of granma the cuban communist party newspaper   is prone to emphasize the roots of cuban training in the united states what the alonsos picked up from george balanchines school of american ballet and from american ballet theater the russian or   whisper it   soviet influence is nevertheless undeniable in elements of style and crucially in the system of tuition free schools across the island identifying talent and funneling it to the center theres nothing quite like it anywhere else
whatever the fate of this company the school is the future of cuban ballet so said mr cabrera at the schools headquarters a grand edifice with marble staircases built in 1904 for a spanish social club commandeered for ballet in 2001 and recently named for mr alonso the man usually credited with developing cuban ballet pedagogy he died in 2013 the building is not one of the mildewed antiques that symbolize the islands isolation and disrepair like the gran teatro its a well scrubbed showplace with an echoey emptiness as if its current occupants havent fully moved in
that isnt to say that it feels uninhabited on the morning before that swan lake performance the second year boys class sweated hard for their tough minded teacher in pursuit of the heroic ease that distinguishes the schools male graduates among them were the ramirez castellano brothers identical triplets who have already been the subjects of a documentary
the boys all displayed a disciplined attention matching the schools reputation but later a nosy visitor could spy them on break their gazes fixed on the screens of cellphones anywhere else the scene might be unremarkable but cellphones have been legal in cuba since only 2008 public wi fi legalized last year is not yet available at the school yet such distractions are on the way threatening a system that has worked partly by being closed
influence from the united states remains limited though the loosening of travel restrictions may already be affecting ballet education this past summer the triplets studied in new york at the school of american ballet the great opportunity of the moment is interchange between schools said ramona de saa who has directed the cuban school since 1965 in the past few years she said there has been an unprecedented and in her opinion wholly positive rise in exchanges with ballet schools in the united states many run by emigrants from cuba
among them are ariel serrano and wilmian hernandez dancers who defected to the united states in 1993 hired by the sarasota ballet in florida they settled there and in 2012 they opened the sarasota cuban ballet school in new york last week for the youth america grand prix ballet competition mr serrano said that when he takes his students to havana they are surprised by the rigor we teach like cubans but american culture is more relaxed he said after the students return they work harder
for all of the less restricted back and forth though defections arent cold war relics just about every time the ballet nacional tours to the united states most recently in 2011 or even to mexico theres another round the latest exodus came in 2013 when seven dancers left
they all cite the same reasons the cuban companys stagnant and conservative repertory the restrictions and capricious decision making concerning travel and career opportunities outside of cuba the poverty united states immigration policy with its fast track for cuban migrants exerts a pull so does the likelihood of finding work check the rosters of american ballet troupes   san francisco boston houston pennsylvania arizona   and youll find cubans
for younger cuban dancers international competitions still offer initial exposure to the broader world last week narciso alejandro medina arias 17 a student at cubas national ballet school won first prize in the senior mens division of the youth america grand prix
asked about his dreams he spoke of wanting an international career what did he think of new york on his first visit its a very nice city he said shyly but it isnt cuba


taking a brief pause on their spring migration a group of the rarest global highfliers alighted briefly last wednesday on humble randalls island where   not far from a homeless shelter a state police station a fire academy and a psychiatric hospital   the contemporary art fair frieze new york has thrown up its big top
the stated purpose of this much ballyhooed gathering of 200 dealers from around the world is the presentation and sale of blue chip contemporary art yet as much as it offers a chance to ogle lots of what a critic for this newspaper termed modish junk art frieze also provides a choice opportunity to observe an elite group of people from among the ranks of the bloomberg billionaires index doing what comes most naturally to them that is jockeying for dominance
take michael r bloomberg himself there he was on wednesday attired in a dark suit a patterned power tie and tassel loafers and flanked by a praetorian guard comprising a former first deputy mayor a heavy hitting art consultant his decorator and several refrigerator size fellows all gliding past security guards and onto the sales floor fully 20 minutes before the fairs official opening
it says something about the pecking order that among those left to wait for the 11 am entry time were jerry i speyer the real estate magnate and chairman of the museum of modern art joel s ehrenkranz an arts patron whose wealth management firm handles 109 billion in assets allan schwartzman a mighty art adviser whose three person company was acquired by sothebys in january for 85 million john thain a former merrill lynch chief executive and dasha zhukova a collector and publisher and   oh incidentally   wife of the billionaire russian oligarch roman abramovich
primus inter pares as the saying goes
in just five editions frieze has made itself a requisite destination on the global art circuit a magnet for scores of the worlds richest and sizable numbers of the rest of us frieze organizers recorded 40000 visitors in 2015 yet it remains by some accounts a stepchild of more venerable fairs like the 46 year old art basel in switzerland
still it is hard to imagine how much higher one would have to reach to better the opening morning crowd on any global wealth index
there for instance whizzing down the aisles was henry r kravis the billionaire private equity investor and his wife marie josee president of the museum of modern art to which the couple has donated over 100 million to date there was the artist chuck close ranked no 5 in observers list of richest artists there was the billionaire philanthropist donald marron pausing briefly at an immense central booth where a stuffed sheep with gilded horns stood imperishably afloat in a glass walled coffin filled with formaldehyde
the ovine was of course a work by damien hirst the artist whom wealth x   an intelligence provider on ultrahigh net worth individuals   once rated the richest in the world and the booth was that of larry gagosian the hard driving international dealer whose 16 galleries trade upward of an estimated 1 billion worth of art a year
the pairing of mr hirst and mr gagosian was a kind of apotheosis of andy warhols famous precept that good business is the best art it was also a symbol of reconciliation between two colossal art world egos their first since mr hirst left mr gagosians stable in a highly public split after art basel miami beach in 2012
i hear leo was spotted the writer and editor barbara heizer was overheard saying on wednesday a reference to the a list actor and art collector and member of what the hollywood reporter terms the 20 million a picture club sure enough leonardo dicaprio soon rounded a corner so low key as to be almost unrecognizable amid all the sleek tanned types wearing 800 bottega veneta khakis and 1500 berluti sneakers the men or toting nilo crocodile birkin handbags from hermes gilded clasps left unfastened with studied nonchalance
and just then the former tennis star john mcenroe strolled past in skinny jeans and a ball cap and wearing a notably glum expression it is possible mr mcenroes sour puss owed to the disappointment he must feel at being sorely outranked in an art world where a fortune like his estimated at 50 million doesnt really buy much anymore


on the outside the house at 43 suffolk street in sag harbor ny was designed to blend in with nearby homes that were built in the 18th century inside it is very much a 21st century home its radiant heated bathroom floors gas fireplaces and security system can be controlled with an iphone and a hydraulic lift transports a vehicle down to the homes lower level where like a treasured sculpture the car sits in a glass enclosed showcase visible from a spacious lounge and a wine room
the owners have listed the house for sale at 12 million
we were aiming at understated luxury said john mclaughlin who owns the just completed home with his wife joanne mclaughlin mr mclaughlin 60 is a retired executive vice president of monster worldwide the parent company of the jobs site monstercom and his wife 52 is a potter they live on the same street as their newly built house in a home dating to 1765
the mclaughlins had initially planned to move into the new house which has five bedrooms and five and a half baths over more than 7000 square feet it sits on a quiet street near the quaint shops of this historic east end village once a whaling port i love old architecture but i also like a house that breathes mr mclaughlin said
but the couple never moved in because circumstances changed in the two years since they purchased for less than 2 million the nearly half acre property which had a 1960s ranch style house on it that they tore down both their children ben 22 and kylie 19 went off to colleges in california   which the parents had not anticipated   and the house became too big for just the two of us ms mclaughlin said also she said the children wanted us to stay in the family home even though they would only be visiting
the couple had already filled the new house with furniture and artwork from previous places they had lived in manhattan and in auckland new zealand during mr mclaughlins career at a head hunting firm and then at monster where at one point he oversaw the asia pacific region the house is being sold unfurnished though some furnishings may be negotiable
getting permission to build the house required six visits to the villages board of historic preservation and architectural review mr mclaughlin said each time he and his architect kirby grimes presented a slightly different plan mr mclaughlin said he originally wanted to pattern the house after the nearby custom house an 18th century building that is now a museum board members thought that proposal too large and later made other suggestions although the process was painful and very costly the outcome was a better house he said
lighting staircase railings and other details are all custom made dereyk patterson a woodworker from east hampton ny created cabinets and the beams that wrap around a two story stone fireplace window moldings echo the egyptian revival design of the local old whalers church the white oak floors were finished with a traditional soap and lye method and walls are covered with three coats of plaster and two coats of wax the backyard has a heated pool
were setting the bar for luxury in sag harbor said mark j baron of brown harris stevens of the hamptons who is the lead broker for the property
now that the owners have decided to sell they are only a bit sad ms mclaughlin said we hope someone will enjoy it as much as we would have


the nearby lunch tables were filled with gallerists and businessmen but diamanda galas put down her biscotto opened her mouth slightly and proceeded to hold a single note   a low plaintive note   for what felt like an eternity
it was a bright day and she was singing in full view of others at the trestle on tenth in chelsea some ignored her and others turned to watch but ms galas was completely oblivious
i can do that for four minutes she said gripping her water glass dressed in all black ms galas perused the menu pointing to items with her left hand which has the words we are all hiv tattooed on sequential fingers
this was her first new york performance in eight years completely impromptu her next one involves considerably more planning
on tuesday as a part of the red bull music academy festival ms galas   the enigmatic composer and vocalist sometimes described as the maria callas of avant garde music   will return to the new york stage with her nine foot steinway in tow playing at st thomas the apostle church in harlem for three nights she is calling her piece death will come and will have your eyes named for the poem by cesare pavese
ms galas who would not disclose her age because she feels its irrelevant in the face of an entire career of making music was back in new york where she lived for decades before uprooting in 2011 since 2014 she has been an artist in residence at the grotowski institute in wroclaw poland putting the finishing touches on a new conceptual piece tentatively titled das fieberspital the fever hospital which is named for a poem by georg heym she hopes to perform it in the united states as soon as next year
for more than 40 years ms galas has used her voice like an eagles talons with frenetic performances on dark topics like aids vengeance and genocide
there is nothing like her work anywhere in my opinion said henry rollins the actor writer and singer there are vocalists avant vocalists but nothing with the depth power and force
the performance artist marina abramovic remembers the first time she saw a piece by ms galas she was covered in blood ms abramovic said the audience and her became one beast together
its that vim that has propelled ms galas to continually breach the limits of music improvising mixing classical bel canto singing with demonic shrieks muttering and glossolalic runs her vocal range is stunning though the precise parameter is unknown theories put it at anywhere from three and a half octaves to eight octaves and like the gyuto monks of tibet she can invoke more than one at a time
raised in san diego by a greek mother and an egyptian father she has been honing her sui generis craft since she came to the world stage at the festival davignon in 1979 where she starred in un jour comme un autre an opera by the experimental composer vinko globokar about imprisonment and torture
mr globokar 81 remembers the young ms galas who was then a college student she had a technique of singing where everything was allowed he said
a few years later she released her first album the litanies of satan a rending 30 minute maelstrom of weapons grade solo voice and electronics in 1982 bernard holland a classical music critic for the times described a live performance of the album as grating screeches hisses strangled sighs pants and gaggings all delivered imaginatively and with great personal force
it set the tone for ms galass career shortly after her attention turned to aids activism and the group act up which inspired several of her most famous as well as profane and horrifying albums including plague mass and vena cava
her most recognized work is arguably masque of the red death an operatic trilogy about societys indifference toward the aids epidemic which had its premiere at alice tully hall in lincoln center in 1989 it was a personal battle that hit home when her brother philip dimitri galas died of the disease that year
her brush with popular culture would come in 1994 when she teamed up with john paul jones of led zeppelin on the sporting life a collection of homicidal love songs that combined mr joness signature heavy grooves with ms galass malevolent ravings about castration rape and torture the two toured extensively and even appeared on the jon stewart show on mtv
after a decade in which she continued to release albums every few years ms galas who was a longtime new yorker quietly moved away the circumstances of her self imposed exile were a mystery the last time she played new york was in 2008 at the knitting factory in tribeca since then one off shows in faraway places like warsaw and zaragoza spain have appeared intermittently on her website
the reason for her departure it turns out was death a recurring theme in her work my father died in 2010 ms galas said the second time i saw my mother after that it was clear to me that she had become extremely fragile
ms galas had moved to san diego to take care of her i am a greek daughter she said this means that i do not question my love for my mother she added that this impulse was a continuation of her aids activism you do not abandon the loved one when he or she is dying
when her mothers health improved last summer ms galas slipped back to new york into a midtown apartment where she lives alone her days are filled with a rigorous schedule of voice lessons contract negotiations booking tours and arranging music
promoting her art is something she does with great care with help from her small inner circle which includes the artist stephanie loveless who is her assistant
at the restaurant one hour turned into four the stories ms galas tells even about the most mundane facets of her life have a way of protracting to wagnerian proportions such as her distaste for marauding flight attendants who stand watch at airplane lavatories they monitor how long youre in there she said im traumatized
ms galas is garrulous not only about her work but also about the world as she sees it despite her dark wardrobe and wolflike rapacity on stage she has a softness in person she laughs a lot and engages the people around her she noticed that the waitress had a teutonic accent and so she struck up a conversation with her in german it ended with both in stitches
she is still driven by politics and social ills as one would expect these days the rise of the islamic state is a subject that gets her going as is feminism as it relates to hillary clintons presidential bid to ms galas the link is indubitable she has been in the trenches for decades she said adding that a woman who disavows feminism is a woman who does not realize the great amount of work done
and her art remains informed by her politics to be an artist is to be equal to the present she said because mediocrity is so largely rewarded and broadcast ubiquitously like a swarm of mosquitoes by obese and tone deaf accountants the public is unable to learn about let alone hear see and digest the art of the present
ms galas channels something much more primal the only thing that works is distilled rage she said


over the next year riders on the washington metro would cope with sparser service earlier closings and some station shutdowns under an ambitious plan to clear an enormous backlog of deferred maintenance on the accident prone increasingly unreliable system officials said on friday
for years the washington metropolitan area transit authority has tried to limit maintenance work to nights when the system is closed in order not to curtail service that approach has failed officials said contributing to the metro falling steadily deeper into disrepair
we need to do something different and dramatically different paul j wiedefeld the authoritys general manager and chief executive said at a news conference he called the plan a massive undertaking that would disrupt the commutes of hundreds of thousands of people but he added i dont think any customer wants us to continue this process where the service is unreliable unsafe because were not doing the basics
jack evans the authoritys chairman made headlines this year by suggesting that the system might have to take entire lines out of service for months the plan unveiled on friday does nothing so drastic and officials said that metro would continue to offer service on every part of its system but much less of it at times
mr evans a district of columbia council member said that directors supported the plan mr wiedefeld said he expected board approval by mid may and the major work to begin in early june
but officials were less clear about how to pay for the effort mr wiedefeld said he could not even put a price tag on it he said that some of the money had already been obtained but that the authority needed permission to spend it in the next year rather than over multiple years mr evans said the authoritys plans require action by congress
washingtons subway which extends into the virginia and maryland suburbs was considered a showpiece when it opened in 1976 but in 2009 the worst accident in its history the crash of two trains that killed nine people and injured dozens cast a harsh light on its deterioration in recent years riders have suffered through broken escalators breakdowns water seepage and frequent fires caused by aging electrical equipment there were two track fires on thursday alone and a fire last year killed one person
this week the national transportation safety board issued a scathing report saying that the authority had repeatedly failed to learn from safety lapses and correct them
the repair plan would accelerate years worth of postponed repair and modernization into a single year replacing aged tracks ties and insulators and clearing miles of clogged drains just to get the system to the point that it can keep up with routine maintenance that will actually lower the cost of the work mr wiedefeld said because things that have been done piecemeal can be achieved without daily interruptions the authority has already accelerated the replacement of its power cables which he said will be completed this summer a year ahead of the original timetable
the plan addresses each of 15 particularly troubled parts of the system with what mr wiedefeld called a safety surge lasting a few weeks to a few months which would have the greatest effect on service in five cases that would mean shutting down a stretch of track and a station and the authority would provide shuttle bus service to bridge the gap in the other 10 places the line would be limited to a single track so that trains could not pass each other in opposite directions and the number of trains running there would drop sharply
systemwide the metro will close at midnight on weekends rather than at 3 am and in certain places on weeknights it will close as early as 8 pm while work is underway rather than at midnight


this year marks the 400th anniversary of the death of miguel de cervantes the renowned spanish writer and author of the enduringly popular don quixote in commemoration a new trip to spain from the travel company zicasso traces his footsteps from madrid to la mancha the eight day miguel de cervantes 400 year tribute tour begins in madrid a cervantes expert provides background on the author and his works and takes travelers to the convent where he is buried visitors also travel to the writers hometown the unesco world heritage city of alcala de henares visit esquivias the village where he married and wrote much of the second half of don quixote see a live performance of the book at a 17th century open air theater in the town of almagro and take a cooking class in dishes popular when he was alive such as pipirrana a spanish potato salad
other activities include a tapas tour in madrid visits to wineries and a tasting of spanish brandies prices from 4336 a person which includes accommodations seven private tours with a cervantes guide all transfers some meals and numerous activities
shivani vora
marfa the small west texas town with a big art reputation has a new place to house its culture seeking travelers the just opened hotel saint george the 55 room hotel takes the place and the name of an original 1886 property on the site the new four story version features minimalist design all the better to show off its nearly 300 piece contemporary art collection sheepskin rugs white bedding and original paintings by mark flood soften the rooms which overlook the surrounding desert plateau a bookstore restaurant and bar are on the ground floor and this summer the property will open farmstand including a diner taco stand and farmers market stalls located across the street with a pool to be added next year rooms start at 195 elaine glusac


if you are unhappy with the underwhelming picks your team made in the nfl draft last month there is still hope in the days since the draft all 32 teams have been scrambling to sign more players ones who were not quite good enough to have their names called on television
most teams have signed a dozen or more some from powerhouses like alabama and others from programs not at the top level such as duquesne florida tech and the university of the cumberlands
most of these players will never be heard from again others will have brief careers but a number of them will outperform expectations and become regulars stars or hall of famers
for every standout who was drafted no 1 such as peyton manning or john elway there was a player who slipped through the cracks but eventually showed the scouts that they were wrong
here are 10 of the best undrafted players
tony romo romo was a three time ohio valley conference player of the year but it was at eastern illinois not illinois so every team passed on him in 2003 the dallas cowboys quickly picked him up as a free agent and he went from third stringer to backup to starter in three seasons romo has his detractors but he is the cowboys career leader in passing yards touchdown throws and other statistics surpassing troy aikman roger staubach danny white and don meredith
warren moon moon was the rose bowls most valuable player in his senior year at washington but teams perhaps influenced by a longstanding bias against black quarterbacks passed on him in the 1977 draft
he headed to canada for six seasons with the edmonton eskimos winning five grey cups before the houston oilers finally gave him an nfl shot at age 27 in 10 seasons with the oilers moon turned houston from an also ran into a playoff team he was still playing for the kansas city chiefs at 43 despite his late start he was third in career passing yards when he retired behind dan marino and john elway both first rounders he was elected into the hall of fame in 2006
priest holmes though they have now fallen slightly out of vogue running backs for decades were the stars of the draft and most of the good ones were high selections
but not holmes whose years at texas impressed none of the 1997 drafters the baltimore ravens grabbed holmes as a free agent and he won a super bowl in 2000 with them but he did not excel until signing with the chiefs he led the league in rushing yards in 2001 and rushing touchdowns in 2002 and 2003
willie brown overlooked in 1963 after playing at grambling a historically black college brown was cut by the oilers before catching on with the denver broncos after four years he was traded to the oakland raiders and went on to rack up seven straight pro bowl selections he played until he was 38 and earned a spot in the hall of fame his most famous moment may have been his interception for a 75 yard touchdown in the raiders victory in super bowl xi
antonio gates a high school standout gates chose to play basketball at kent state the san diego chargers took a shot on him in 2003 and he has rewarded them with 13 seasons as a tight end including eight pro bowl selections he also passed lance alworth as the teams career leader in reception yards
dick lane lane known as night train joined the army after high school and did not try out for the league until he was 24 in 1952 his first season with the los angeles rams he set a record with 14 interceptions traded to the chicago cardinals and then the detroit lions lane intercepted his way to seven pro bowl selections and eventually the hall of fame
john carney kickers are often passed over in the draft even ones from storied programs like notre dame carney signed with the tampa bay buccaneers in 1987 but he was cut he eventually re signed and played in his first game the next season he played 23 years with seven teams notably the chargers and the new orleans saints
john randle randle a defensive tackle was overlooked coming out of little texas ai now texas am kingsville in the 1990 draft the minnesota vikings were smart to give him a chance as an undrafted free agent and he went on to six straight pro bowl selections before finishing his career in seattle and making the hall of fame
rod smith another small college standout at missouri southern state smith a wide receiver was passed over for seven rounds in 1994 and signed as a free agent with the broncos by 2006 he was the teams leader in career receptions
kurt warner warner was passed over in 1994 after playing at northern iowa a tryout with the green bay packers led nowhere in the nfl which led to time with the iowa barnstormers in the arena football league and a stint stocking groceries he finally made the nfl with the st louis rams in 1998 and was an almost instant success making two super bowls in three years in an improbable final act he returned to the super bowl seven years later with the cardinals at age 37
maybe the next romo or warner is buried in the list of free agent signings this week it is enough to give hope to any player still waiting in the green room


if you want to learn about the economy there are good and bad places to go probably the worst source of reliable information is the current crop of presidential candidates dissembling and exaggeration are no strangers to politics but this years campaigns have been particularly egregious
here are six economic myths that underlie much of the recent rhetoric
american manufacturing has disappeared
the presumptive republican nominee donald j trump says we dont make things anymore judging from the surprising success of mr trumps campaign this theme apparently resonates with many voters but it is just not true
when do you think manufacturing output reached its peak in the united states the answer right now manufacturing output achieved a record high in the most recent quarter of data the nations manufacturers are now producing 47 percent more than they did 20 years ago
what has declined is manufacturing employment which is 29 percent lower than it was 20 years ago producing more output with fewer workers is called higher productivity which in turn is driven by technological innovation this change is hard on displaced workers but it is good for the economy over all rising living standards are possible only if productivity increases
bad trade deals are what ails the economy
mr trump says he would negotiate better trade deals bernie sanders brags about voting against the trade deals of the past hillary clinton has split with president obama and withdrawn her support for the trans pacific partnership
the experts have a different view among those who devote their lives to studying the economy there is a broad consensus about the overall benefits of free trade and trade deals of course trade hasnt been a boon for people who have lost their jobs because of foreign competition but in 2014 the university of chicagos igm panel surveyed prominent economists about whether past major trade deals have benefited most americans a few respondents were uncertain but most said yes not a single economist responded in the negative
the economy is rigged
to be sure we live in challenging times meager growth and rising inequality have resulted in stagnant incomes for much of the working class and declining incomes for those with the lowest levels of education
but to say that the economy is rigged as mr sanders and mrs clinton have done assumes that some small group of oligarchs planned this outcome clearly the wealthy and powerful try to protect their interests and they sometimes succeed but the economy is a complex decentralized system many outcomes are under no ones control
technological change for instance is an emergent process reflecting the decisions of thousands of engineers and entrepreneurs growth slows when the pace of innovation falls below historical norms inequality rises when the innovations that do occur are used by skilled workers and replace unskilled workers such skill biased technological change as economists call it is widely considered a leading cause of the increasing inequality the united states has experienced in recent decades
the rich dont pay much in taxes
in an era of great inequality it is natural for politicians to demonize the rich and some top earners dont pay enough in taxes such as the hedge fund and private equity crowd that benefits from the tax treatment of carried interest
but dont confuse these exceptions even if they are glaring ones with the general rule the congressional budget office estimates that under the 2013 tax law which is still in effect today the top 1 percent pays 33 percent of its income in federal taxes by contrast the middle class defined here as the middle three fifths of the income distribution pays only 13 percent of its income in federal taxes
tax cuts will unleash stupendous growth
while democratic candidates like to talk about making the rich pay their fair share republican candidates like to mimic ronald reagans call for lower taxes too often they act as if there were no problem that a tax cut couldnt solve according to the tax policy center mr trumps tax plan would reduce federal tax revenue by 29 percent
this number is most likely an overestimate because some of the lost revenue may be recouped with the somewhat faster economic growth that tax cuts can actually help promote but no serious economist believes that this growth by itself would be sufficient to prevent large budget deficits mr trumps assertion that he can easily fill the hole in the budget by eliminating waste fraud and abuse is one of the least credible claims of the election year
the next president can quickly fix all of our problems
all candidates like to offer themselves as panaceas vote for me and the economy will skyrocket the poor will see riches without bound and that annoying wart on your foot will finally disappear yet the power of the president   or even the entire government   is more limited than is often acknowledged
yes there are things that can be done a better education system for example would both promote growth and ameliorate inequality but there is no magic bullet to improve our schools and even if we succeeded the economic impact would be felt slowly over many years
just once i would like to see a candidate with a platform of humility vote for me if elected president i wont make a nuisance of myself
that doesnt offer the inspiring vision of greatness that we have come to expect from our presidents but by expecting too much we set ourselves up for the inevitable disappointment that follows


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in the new york times book review gal beckerman reviews matti friedmans pumpkinflowers a memoir about the time friedman spent stationed in southern lebanonin when he was in the israeli army beckerman writes
on this weeks podcast friedman discusses pumpkinflowers alexandra alter has news from the publishing world judith shulevitz talks about angela duckworths grit sherman alexie and yuyi morales discuss thunder boy jr and gregory cowles and parul sehgal discuss what people are reading
archive inside the new york times book review podcast


an elegant park facing apartment on the entire fifth floor of 4 east 66th street a 1920 limestone building designed by james e r carpenter sold for 52000000 it was the most expensive single transaction of the week according to city records
but an even larger deal   this one for a combination that will create a nearly 14000 square foot home   was also completed with the 42766500 closing on the bottom four floors of the seven story 33 foot wide atterbury mansion a century old townhouse that is part of a nine building assemblage making up a 10 unit condominium at 33 east 74th street that apartment is being combined with an adjoining three bedroom purchased for 15782875 in february according to a spokeswoman for douglas elliman real estate which is handling sales for the complex
only the sellers of these two upper east side megadeals have been identified at 33 east 74th it was the developer the health care entrepreneur daniel e straus using an affiliate company jzs madison llc he purchased the vintage buildings from the whitney museum of american art
the sellers of the 4 east 66th street apartment which has monthly maintenance of 20059 were the hedge fund manager and philanthropist daniel l nir and his wife jill e braufman the couple had bought the co op unit in 2007 for 29 million from robert h burns a founder of regent international hotels and one of several captains of industry who have taken up residence in the 12 story building also known as 845 fifth avenue
the sprawling home   one of just 16 units in the pet friendly building which prohibits financed purchases   has more than 7500 square feet ceiling heights of more than 12 feet and huge single pane windows that flood the space with light many prewar architectural details remain including its five wood burning fireplaces
an 11 by 36 foot gallery just off a private elevator vestibule offers views of the neighboring temple emanu el and leads to the homes formal living and dining rooms and a paneled library there are four bedrooms and five bathrooms along with a home gym a laundry room and a windowed kitchen with a breakfast room that provides central park vistas the spacious master suite features a sitting room two walk in closets and dual bathrooms
the buyers identity was shielded by the limited liability company 4 east 66th 5 sabrina saltiel of douglas elliman real estate was the listing broker
at 33 east 74th street which has the alternate address of 933 madison avenue the four floor unit th has 10088 square feet that includes five bedrooms five and a half baths two living rooms a formal dining room and a library the floors are connected by a private elevator there is also a 21 by 25 foot private terrace off the first floor family room the monthly carrying costs for that unit are 30427 according to streeteasycom
the adjacent unit 4a with 11463 in monthly costs has 3851 square feet each of its three bedrooms has an en suite bath and there is also a powder room
katherine gauthier of douglas elliman was the listing broker for both properties while lauren muss of elliman was a co broker on 4a richard j steinberg of elliman represented the unidentified buyer in both deals
big ticket includes closed sales from the previous week ending wednesday


for her first museum survey in new york open may 4 at the new museum nicole eisenman has chosen what might seem like a dopey title she went with al ugh ories presumably because she finds it difficult to utter the word allegory with a straight face it is after all a literary term and perhaps a little grand evoking the days when paintings came stocked with fluttering cherubs and an overlay of moral uplift
now 51 and a recent recipient of a macarthur genius grant ms eisenman is one of the leading figurative painters of her generation you might say her accomplishment has been to introduce the pictorial equivalent of an ugh   a note of grunting emotionalism and comic self reproach   into contemporary art she specializes in psychological dramas in which figures airlifted out of art history consort with lower life forms namely cartoon people with big heads and bulging tennis ball eyes unlike other artists who swipe from high and low culture as if stripping a car of its most valuable parts ms eisenman wants the different elements in her paintings to hang together and tell a serious sad funny story
put another way shes kafka with a paintbrush mindful of the nightmares of history and partial to somber social realist colors muddy browns and greens that hark back to depression era art it is perhaps relevant that her german jewish grandparents fled their homeland in 1937 refugees of the holocaust ms eisenmans awareness of the european past is matched by her attention to the politics of the american present tellingly the uncle sam who pops up in her painting tea party 2012 is a shrunken figure with a hole in his red striped pants sipping on his tea as two right wingers seated beside him assemble a bomb
ms eisenmans most ambitious works consist of large scale street scenes crowded with figures and intimations of her expressionist forebears especially james ensor and edvard munch in coping 2008 weary villagers and a lone mummy trudge home from work oblivious to an alarming deluge of brownish sludge that rises to their thighs and impedes their motion it is hard to think of another painting that says so much about stagnation whether economic or emotional with so many humorous touches a half timbered tudor building in the background could belong to either a medieval town square or the tudor revival shopping areas favored in affluent suburbs such as scarsdale ny where the artist grew up
these days ms eisenman is based in brooklyn and her studio occupies a nondescript space on the second floor of a brick faced building in boerum hill i recently stopped by to visit with her and grace dunham who contributed an affectionate and well written essay to the catalog for the new museum show the two women met last summer in a bar in new york and became instant friends perhaps because they are both well acquainted with the bumps and stresses of the artistic life i understand artists egos all too well ms dunham wryly notes at 24 she is the younger daughter in a creatively fecund clan that includes her sister lena and their artist parents carroll dunham and laurie simmons
i just moved to la ms dunham noted referring to her career as an activist im working on a project with two close friends who are coders and have a web development firm called jodie were building a crowdfunding platform to help queer and trans people raise money for prison related costs   bail bond commissary
as the afternoon unfolded the conversation shifted effortlessly from art and identity politics to the rewards of female friendship these are edited excerpts
nicole to what degree do you think your work reflects your life your autobiography
nicole eisenman work comes out of life where else would your work come out of if not your experience being a queer woman is the air that i breathe and its inescapable and its going to be part of the work but i would like gender to just disappear from the face of the earth
i am sure youre familiar with the formalist argument that art comes out of art and remains untouched by everyday life
grace dunham who was at the forefront of formalism cmon
who
eisenman all white men
dunham do you know what they are deluded people who are living under the delusion that their work is separate from their identity and experience are generally people who are benefiting from enormous amounts of structural privilege
surely some art is purely formal like the abstract paintings of ellsworth kelly
dunham hell no i would never ever accept someones work as purely formal
eisenman id rather look at bruegel ellsworth kelly no robert ryman no i have a problem with the fact that the world feels like its on fire and were all going to hell in a hand basket   and an artist can just paint white on white its so divorced from reality its too privileged
you both come from very privileged backgrounds
eisenman you have to acknowledge your own privilege otherwise youre walking around with a blindfold on i was just thinking about myself in relation to environmental issues i have stopped accepting offers from people who want to fly you to chicago to do a talk or fly you to arizona to do a talk for one night its crazy
do you mean on a private plane
eisenman no on a regular plane any plane we do this without thinking
thats ridiculous the plane is going anyway your presence doesnt increase carbon emissions and is likely to add to the amount of inspiration in the world
eisenman i think there are great people in arizona who could talk in arizona they dont need to fly people in keep it local or skype me in lets all figure out ways to do things where we dont have to use as many resources as we use
you grew up in scarsdale ny right
eisenman god are you going to write that ugh
did you find high school alienating
eisenman i remember walking down the halls of my high school actually in tears like i cant do this
which part of it
eisenman i think it was my freshman year just feeling like i had nowhere to fit in but the thing about my high school about most high schools is that you find a place for yourself it was somewhere between the art room and the parking lot where kids smoked pot and i played sports which kept me social in a different way
it doesnt sound so oppressive
eisenman it was horrible i didnt have sex when i was high school
does anybody
eisenman they may not be going all the way but theyre making out and going on dates theyre exploring their sexuality with each other and that i missed out on and that was oppressive
were you aware that you were gay
eisenman i definitely knew and i didnt have a soul in the world to share it with laughs i had the pillow in my bedroom so sad the receiver of my tears
grace what are you up to these days
dunham im gay did you figure that out i just put out a book of poetry online the fool
eisenman grace has multiple girlfriends every gay person under the age of 25 is in love with her its so hard being grace
dunham oh shut up
eisenman just say grace is my son just say hes my adopted son he showed up on my doorstep
nicole do you refer to yourself as a she or a he
eisenman im gender fluid but i use the she pronoun im a little old school i believe in the radicality of stretching the definition of what she is
dunham im with her i like it all i think its all stretchy if you let it be
eisenman stretchy and lezzy
nicole whats your advice for younger artists
eisenman oh god be that kitten on the branch and hang in there baby


its only natural that barack obama entering the homestretch of his presidency would be concerned about his legacy judging from a recent interview in the new york times magazine getting credit for the actions he has taken on economic issues seems to be of special interest to him
mr obama expressed frustration that many middle class americans feel theyve been left behind during his time in office the wealthiest americans meanwhile have become richer during the obama years
there is a lot about this problem of income inequality   and about the economy over all   that mr obama cannot control still there is something he could do right now to help narrow the widening gulf between rich and poor
in one deft move mr obama could instruct officials at his treasury department to close the so called carried interest tax loophole that allows managers of private equity and hedge funds to pay a substantially lower federal tax rate on much of their income
forcing these managers to pay ordinary income taxes on the gains they reap in their funds would accomplish two things it would take away an enormous benefit enjoyed almost exclusively by some of the countrys wealthiest people and tax experts say it would generate billions in revenue to the government each year though there are wide differences over exactly how much
but doesnt changing the carried interest loophole require an act of congress not according to an array of tax experts just as mr obamas treasury department recently changed the rules to curb corporate inversions in which companies shift their official headquarters to another country to lower their tax bills the treasury secretary jacob j lew and his colleagues could jettison the carried interest loophole
alan j wilensky is among those urging such a change he was a deputy assistant treasury secretary in charge of tax policy in the early 1990s when the carried interest loophole came about
this is something president obama can do and should do mr wilensky said in an interview this is not an impossible thing to get done
now a lawyer in minneapolis mr wilensky recently wrote an article on this topic for tax notes the definitive publication on national and global tax issues
victor fleischer a law professor at the university of san diego is another who has recommended that the treasury get rid of the unjust tax treatment on carried interest mr fleischer a contributor to the new york times has also estimated how much money such a change would bring to the treasury
its something that obama could accomplish and to be honest im not entirely sure why the treasury hasnt taken an interest in it mr fleischer said in an interview in fact there is quite a bit of revenue at stake and doing this on carried interest would cement obamas legacy in substance as well as symbolically
rachel mccleery a treasury spokeswoman said in a statement that closing the carried interest loophole has been a priority for the obama administration from the outset and that the department is continuing to explore its existing authority for ways to address the loophole
but the department cannot eliminate the carried interest tax benefit by itself she contended
the presidents first budget in 2009   and every one since   has included a proposal to close this unfair loophole and weve been pushing congress to get it done she added no one should be able to play by a different set of rules so its time for congress to act to close the carried interest loophole once and for all
the provision has come under repeated political attack during the current presidential campaign all three remaining candidates   bernie sanders hillary clinton and donald trump   have called for eliminating it a number of lawmakers tried to get rid of the carried interest tax benefit beginning in 2007 by 2010 it looked as if the special treatment would go by the boards
but a lobbying campaign by the financial industry supported by a number of influential republican lawmakers who argued that carried interest should be ended only as part of a broader tax overhaul put a stop to the effort
the treasurys recent action on corporate inversions is encouraging mr wilensky said but he acknowledged that it was easier to get rid of a tax rule that benefits faceless corporations than it was to abolish a regulation that enriches a small group of extremely powerful and vocal people
hedge fund and private equity managers are really the one tenth of the 1 percent and the carried interest rule hits their pocketbooks directly mr wilensky said its much easier to implement regulations that have an adverse effect on anonymous shareholders and institutions
managers of hedge funds and private equity funds receive two types of payments one paid annually represents a percentage of assets under management usually around 2 percent those earnings are taxed as ordinary income
but these managers also receive 20 percent of gains that their funds generate over time known as carried interest these profits are taxed at the lower capital gains rate thanks to a 1993 ruling by the treasury and the internal revenue service
closing the loophole tax experts say would involve characterizing both the 20 percent and the 2 percent as income from services rendered
in a 2008 paper two and twenty taxing partnership profits in private equity funds and in a follow up paper published last year mr fleischer described the current carried interest tax treatment as a conversion of labor income into capital gain an anomaly that was contrary to some generally accepted principles of tax policy
it is odd he argued to treat such partnership profits more favorably than other economically similar methods of compensation such as partnership capital interests restricted stock or at the money nonqualified stock options the corporate equivalent of a partnership profits interest
mr fleischers solution would be to tax carried interest at ordinary income rates if the amount of capital contributed to a partnership by tax exempt entities exceeds the amount of capital contributed by the service provider or manager tax exempt entities such as public pension plans and college endowments are big investors in private equity and hedge funds
in last years paper mr fleischer noted that a close reading of legislative history from 1984 shows that congress expected that the managers of an arrangement like a modern private equity fund would be taxed at ordinary rates in addition congress allowed the treasury department broad discretion on such matters and directed it to write regulations mr fleischer said
financial officials in britain have already started to trim beneficial treatment for carried interest they have cut back on what qualifies for the lower long term tax rate
beyond fairness theres another compelling reason for mr obama to act on this inequity it could generate 150 billion in revenue over 10 years by mr fleischers estimate two thirds of that would come from the financial industry the rest would be generated by real estate oil and gas partnerships and mining companies he said
mr fleischers prediction though is far larger than the congressional budget offices official estimate which is close to 18 billion over 10 years
whatever the correct amount the best reason to eliminate this tax break for the wealthy is that it would help narrow the gap between rich and poor in america the carried interest loophole contributes substantially to the increase in top end inequality in the united states mr fleischer has concluded
if these experts are right mr obama can direct the treasury to end what is an enormous subsidy for the wealthiest americans the treasury disagrees but punting this task to congress means nothing is likely to be done and thats too bad


click on the slide show to see this weeks featured properties in new york city
 on the lower east side a four bedroom two bath with a washerdryer in the hillman co op an elevator building with a gym a playroom and a private park with a playground
 in soho a one bedroom one bath in a postwar elevator building
 in midwood brooklyn a 1915 stucco house with separate entrances for a three bedroom one bath apartment on the first floor and a four bedroom two bath upper duplex the house has a shared finished basement a driveway and a garage


click on the slide show to see this weeks featured properties in the new york region
 in west islip ny a five bedroom three and a half bath redone 1950 house on 037 acre with a wine cellar a two car garage a carport an outdoor kitchen a gazebo an inground heated pool a new 300 foot bulkhead and a dock
 in westport conn a four bedroom two and a half bath renovated 1982 contemporary with two fireplaces a screened porch with steps down to a stone patio a carpeted lower level play area and two car attached garage on 106 acres


starting at 159
a ships captain built this sprawling white mansion with wraparound veranda in 1834 and a young woman who had honeymooned in camden bought it and turned it into an inn in 1901 over the years guests have included elegant summering new yorkers with retinues traveling north by train president bill clinton and screen and stage stars the jazz age poet edna st vincent millay was discovered there as a teenager in 1912 reciting her poem renascence to a roomful of well heeled new yorkers according to the hotel last june the newly renovated inn reopened under its latest owner the massachusetts based lark hotels which transformed it into a cool midcentury modern homage to cozy new england rusticity
a 10 minute walk from the hotel leads to the quaint center of town with its touristy chowder houses t shirt shops and working harbor where schooners can be rented to tour penobscot bay mount battie with a hiking trail is less than a mile from the hotel down the coast in rockland the farnsworth art museum home of the wyeth center holds a renowned sampling of american art and also the second largest collection of works by the sculptor louise nevelson for edna st vincent millay fans the camden public library a few blocks from the hotel devotes an entire room to the poet
we stayed in a king suite one of 36 rooms of varying sizes some with shared bathrooms our two rooms with dormer windows were cozy adjoined by a bathroom the midcentury modern and faux rustic theme of the lobby continued in shades of brown blue and lime green with hooked rugs the bed was covered with a simple white comforter and a pullout couch in the adjoining room was surprisingly comfortable the property has a modern sensibility providing wi fi apple tv and a digital radio clock by the bed with ports for iphones plus an ipad set to things to do in camden
snug spotless and utilitarian lined with white and black tile floors white wainscoting white beadboard walls a tiny dormer window overlooked towering pines there was no bathtub alas only a shower stall adorned with a white curtain plush terry towels were furnished
screen doors painted dark green led out of the pig and poet restaurant onto the veranda where cushy chairs and couches are arranged the clubby porch is perfect for curling up with a good book occasionally looking up to catch lawn games including an antique shuffleboard court and a modern version of the beanbag toss
the restaurant is an airy indoor room beside a bar lighted by halogen bulbs hanging from ships rope the pig and poet offers homey mainstays like buttermilk fried chicken mac and cheese and of course lobster roll but also more complex dishes like porchetta and egg with their own asian hot sauce for dinner we ordered a half dozen broiled oysters which arrived sizzling and drenched in thyme and the local grilled halibut served with kelp noodle and green papaya the next morning a free breakfast was laid out on the bar small dishes of egg pudding yogurt french toast with strawberry sauce and small pastries
sipping a cocktail in a rocking chair on the wide plank porch and watching children play shuffleboard under the shade of old pines is to be transported to a dreamy postcard summertime of a century ago


in the bell jar sylvia plath wrote when i was 19 pureness was the great issue at 46 virginia woolf told her diary one must be a miser only have time for essentials those are just two insights pegged to stages of life that are collected in 100 years an anthology by joshua prager that pairs one literary excerpt with every age from birth to a century old
the end result with a varied color palette designed by the graphic artist milton glaser looks clean and simple but the path there was a slog at one point while gathering material prager writes in the introduction he read 2700 pages by tolstoy and thomas mann and came away with two usable references
for writers even the earliest youth inspires rueful reflection at 2 years old wendy in peter pan knew that she must grow up you always know after you are 2 two is the beginning of the end
the conceit allows room to gather everything from freuds ideas about childhood to nora ephrons take on her neck and its also ideally built for amusing aphorisms like this one by aleksandr solzhenitsyn in cancer ward after the age of 40 a mans flat gives a good indication of what he is and what he has deserved
as the pages pass there is an increasingly wistful sense of what time takes from us he was turning 62 paul theroux wrote in the lower river not an age of life altering shocks but only of subtle diminishments and near the end at 94 we get the testimony of hugh g flood from joseph mitchells old mr flood except for the bottle i always walked the straight and narrow a family man a good provider never cut up never did ugly and i regret it
quotable
if a character really does come to life on the page as you write shes liable to do anything anything mine are always having religious fits or running off with men   lee smith in an interview with bookpage
prose on russos original fool
this week t coraghessan boyle reviews everybodys fool richard russos sequel to nobodys fool the novel about a declining town in upstate new york and a hard bitten resident named sully later played by paul newman in a movie adaptation in 1993 francine prose wrote about nobodys fool for the book review she concluded by comparing the experience of reading the novel to what it must be like to spend time in its fictional setting of north bath mostly youre curious and pleased glad for a chance to eavesdrop and see into these lives these souls then after a while you begin to fear that youll never get out of this place alive but as the end of your stay approaches you feel a premature nostalgia   youll miss the town especially sully   and you look around fondly regretfully as you speed up and drive on through


if you want to understand the bywater look no further than its frozen daiquiri machine yes its pumping out flamingo pink slushies but they contain two kinds of premium rum and get their color from pomegranate juice its a well thought out well balanced cocktail that just happens to be in slushy form said david kinch the restaurants owner that kind of sums up what were trying to do
frozen daiquiris are perhaps the last thing youd expect to see on a menu from mr kinch the pioneering california chef who has racked up three michelin stars for his innovative cooking at manresa the restaurant he opened in los gatos in 2002 but for his second restaurant a few blocks from his first the chef wanted a casual place that would channel the cuisine and spirit of new orleans the city where he grew up and got his first job in a restaurant kitchen as a 16 year old line cook at commanders palace at manresa we spend a lot of time creating an experience that becomes a giant memory mr kinch said with the bywater the whole point was creating a neighborhood joint
the neighborhood has responded enthusiastically for the first couple of months after the bywater opened in january a line snaked down the block from its purple green and yellow front doors inside the snug space servers in crescent city themed t shirts mr kinchs favorite reads new orleans is for livers dish out regional specialties like rich meaty gumbo ya ya satisfyingly crunchy oyster poboys fried green tomatoes and pillowy beignets
in devising their menu mr kinch and the bywaters chef david morgan couldnt resist adding personal spins to some of the classics theres a bo boy a porky riff on bo ssam and oysters rock a fella which forsakes oysters rockefellers typical all spinach base for a half spinach half watercress version that harks back to the original recipe
pretty much everything about the restaurant is a testament to mr kinchs love of new orleans the walls are decorated with photos and paintings from his collection while the music   a mix of new orleans soul funk and traditional jazz retro rb brass band and bebop   is pulled from the soundtrack of his youth the restaurant is in short a place where the chef can have fun
im not saying we dont pay attention to detail but theres a certain amount of freedom mr kinch said its really casual there are no reservations and the music is a little bit loud


the painter duncan hannah was musing the other day about lifes simple pleasures
i remember a great party after a roxy music show he said recalling a night from the early 1970s when he was a student at bard college visiting the city on weekends
it was at larry riverss loft and it was just fabulous mr hannah said nureyev was there and all the warhol drag queens and david bowie and bryan ferry and andy warhol at the end it was time to go and andy said so were going to the 82 club   an east village drag bar   do you want to come with us i said yeah whos we he said david bowie and bryan ferry and i said yeah that sounds good so we got in the limo and i unfortunately was extremely drunk so i thought id better keep my mouth shut because i dont trust myself we pull up and its andy warhol and david bowie and bryan ferry and me an art student
i woke up the next morning from a blackout in an abandoned building on 135th and lenox on the fifth floor and there was no one in that building or any buildings around it was just dresden i dont know what happened that night but it was a fast trajectory from the most glamorous moment i ever had to possibly the most tawdry moment i ever had i still have no idea how i traveled 133 blocks with no money and found myself on the top floor of a ruined building   seemingly untampered with it mustve been someones idea of a really good joke the last thing i remember is when the bouncer threw me in the gutter i remember thinking wow i actually made it to the gutter ive heard so much about now im in it so that was a good party
mr hannah has a lot of stories some of which appear in the book please kill me the uncensored oral history of punk by legs mcneil and gillian mccain which is being reissued this month in an expanded 20th anniversary edition
much in the punk world has changed since the book first came out the ramones the shaggy galoots of cbgb are currently subjects of a reverential exhibition at the queens museum richard hell wrote a well received memoir and patti smith has become an august institution cbgb itself is a restaurant at newark liberty international airport
but mr hannah who at 63 still looks the wide eyed enthusiast has continued doing what he has done for decades cobbling a persona from old movies and books and clothes and making unfashionably romantic paintings that seem conjured from another century the sexy racing cars are all from the days before nascar the sexy women mainly from old european movies the sensibility closer to edward hopper than to andy warhol or jean michel basquiat
without being exactly famous he is a rarity in new york a painter who makes a living solely through his art two of his paintings are in the metropolitan museum of arts permanent collection and a show of his recent work   mostly starlets and gas stations   is at the new release gallery in chinatown through may 14
its interesting that he continued to do his own thing said roberta bayley who worked the door at cbgb and remembers mr hannah in the club wearing a straw boater or looking like alain delon in purple noon all pretty features and noir mystique nobody was dressed like that ms bayley said he was just destined for beauty
mr hannah who grew up in minneapolis arrived in new york in 1973 and quickly made his way to the back room at maxs kansas city
ive always been interested in scenes he said even scenes that arent mine like swinging london the beat scene or paris in the 20s so when i got to new york i wanted to find the scene or make the scene whatever was going on i wanted to find the center of it and i still do i suppose
he played drums in some short lived bands and starred in a couple of underground movies with deborah harry he ran the shorter lived fan club for the band television
danny fields a member of the maxs court described the young mr hannah as a star struck wannabe in the best possible sense wanting to get in was part of it mr fields said he was wanted and he wanted to be there he was a beautiful young artist and the world was at his feet of course he would be someone important
mr fields added why would you come to new york unless you were star struck
mr hannah for his part was not blind to the effect he had on people
it seemed like older gay men had the keys to the city he said and i was an androgynous youth men were interested in me because of the way i looked and were willing to take me to a party that john gielgud was giving stuff like that
hes sober now and his club of choice is the private century association where he recently helped book the indie rockers bambi kino who perform only songs from the beatles 1960 62 set lists a recent night out entailed shopping for old art catalogs at the strand then having a hamburger and nonalcoholic beer with his friends michael chaiken an archivist and richard kern a filmmaker and photographer followed by watching an obscure french movie called the girl with the golden eyes at lincoln center tawdry the night was not
i hope its the theater with the good popcorn said mr kern whose artistic themes include heroin sexual obsession and lots of nudity
mr hannah said he had lately been reading his diaries and considering writing his own punk memoir in part because others had made the scene seem too historic
initially it was like 100 kids that would show up and we were all drunk and we thought everything was preposterous he said if you read a book about some party in montparnasse in 1920 or something and everybodys in the same room   brancusis there and modiglianis there and cocteaus there and man rays there   and you think just imagine how fabulous then it turns out that youve been in rooms like that where everybodys there and it wasnt like that there were cliques and people hated each other and so and so wouldnt dream of talking to so and so and you think it was probably that way in 1920 too
at the opening for his chinatown show several characters from please kill me made polite appearances and at least one bought a painting
a few days later in his apartment mr hannah displayed a new painting of his friend the writer glenn obrien leaning against a rolls royce wraith a loaner from rolls sticker price from 304350 which the two had taken for a test drive near their country houses in connecticut mr obrien was an early editor of interview magazine which gave mr hannah some of his first attention
the image is a long way from cbgb and the world of please kill me but mr hannah had always had other interests and these have sustained him as he has sustained them theyre there in the painting of mr obrien posed in front of the car like sean connery in a james bond movie you cant quite place
i suppose its kind of escapism for me mr hannah said of his painting basically im just here working but through my work i can be all over the world with all kinds of people many of whom are dead its a fantasy i suppose ive always been that way i was like that as a kid watching black and white movies i would just enter into them
it was he said a pursuit of the light
you need hope to paint well i think he said beauty is hard to achieve


each primary night this season while most people were looking to big colorful maps on tv or on news websites to see how the candidates fared political journalists and data nerds around the country had their screens open to an entirely different site one thats very green
called the green papers its run by two reclusive men who managed to build in their free time and for no money the countrys pre eminent source on primary delegates it grew out of a decades old friendship and a love of complicated rules and statistics
the site has been covering primary delegate counts since 1999 back when that was considered a fringe topic in electoral politics it emerged as a crucial element in the 2016 campaign and the green papers does something very few media organizations are willing to do accurately and independently tabulate delegates in real time
as a result it has accrued an impressive list of users in the last month the new york times the wall street journal npr fivethirtyeight the huffington post cnn and even the united states state department have cited the green papers as a source for their delegate counts
the site itself thegreenpaperscom radiates old internet charm every page is a shade of near fluorescent green hex color 99ff99 with a 1990s era typographical mix of comic sans and arial scrawled at the top of the home page are slogans like we were blogging before it was cool
theres a hits counter currently at 25 million and a notice of awards the site has won political site of the day and digital government award of excellence
the site buzzes with the tension of the old web each link charged with a small dose of mystery and danger   as i learned when i clicked one of the sites booby traps reserved for spambots and ended up blocking the entire new york times building from using the site prompting a brief panic in nerdier corners of the newsroom
the green papers owes its rise in part to the broken chain of information in americas electoral system within constraints set by the national parties each state party is allowed to devise its rules for awarding delegates to the national convention
normally this quirk goes relatively unnoticed usually the big things like national electoral data primary winners and polls are what matter but in this election it was often the small stuff that reigned supreme details typically buried in seldom seen powerpoints and technical pdfs like proportionality rounding rules and delegate allocation rules became crucial to calling an accurate delegate count   and thus the state of the race
election data in this country is organized disastrously said david nir political director for the politics blog daily kos having 50 states conduct their own election rules is a mess and a nightmare and most states dont do a good job of putting this information out
what the green papers has been able to do is take the confusing hierarchy from party to state to county and flatten it into a very simple form all of this information district after district is analyzed and tabulated in real time as quickly as it is publicly available
the gold standard for delegate counts is still the tabulation by the associated press but its services are not free and it doesnt maintain a public database that is as near fanatical in detail as the green papers the encyclopedic nature of the site which would be overkill in most elections makes it useful   even for the ap
i love the green papers said stephen ohlemacher lead delegate reporter at the ap when im doing research on how each state does their delegate count i look at the green papers to see what they have i use them to find original source documents
the entire corpus of the green papers is the product of two men in their early 60s richard berg andersson and tony roza they have been maintaining the green papers since the fall of 1999 at the start of the 2000 election cycle
but the original impulse for the duo to begin tabulating delegate counts goes all the way back to 1976 when they were undergraduates at boston university avid politics nerds mr berg andersson and mr roza posted weekly delegate counts from the local paper on their dorm room door for everyone to see
decades later the two started talking about picking up their old delegate count again this time they decided they would calculate the delegates themselves so they started cobbling together the site with mr berg andersson handling editorial and mr roza handling the delegate tabulation and site maintenance they named it the green papers in honor of the continuous computer paper with the sprocket edges that they used to print their delegate counts on
initially the only people who wrote to the site were high school students with school projects still i was shocked that anyone was really interested in this stuff mr berg andersson said it was so geeky
then the foreign journalists came calling
they couldnt figure out why the media in the united states were estimating the delegates when the delegates werent chosen until much later mr berg andersson said thats why we have two separate counts   delegates that are actually legally pledged to candidates and a separate count where we do our own same estimates of how many delegates we think a candidate would likely get
now mr berg andersson receives hundreds of emails a month from domestic and foreign journalists and sometimes from political parties he says he and his partner dont make any money with the site which is ad free it was something i just enjoy doing and reading about he said
mr berg andersson who says he is semiretired from being a credit manager for an electronics wholesaler in manhattan works out of his bedroom in morris county nj where surrounded by old books on american government election law history and politics he keeps track of all the delegate counts and rules on a dell laptop while chatting with mr roza who lives in california over aol instant messenger they havent met in person since 1999
they have primary days down to a science mr berg andersson begins by getting a few coffees from dunkin donuts which he stashes in the refrigerator for later he checks to see if the delegate rules for the states he is covering have changed since they were filed in the fall
as the polls start closing mr roza will pull the data from each secretary of states office and update the key delegate breakout tables for each state meanwhile mr berg andersson will juggle questions from the news media and fellow data nerds over email and he will call winners for senate house and other down ballot primaries
for mr berg andersson the entire evening condenses into a state of flow its natural its like driving a car
its the deep investment in rules and data that has made the site such a successful source newer sites like ballotpediaorg frontloadingblogspotcom and ourcampaignscom have all added to the pool of knowledge about elections
to do this kind of work requires an appetite for obsessive detail   which mr berg andersson applies to his other hobbies like detailed study of the new york city subway system the american highway system and old maps
hes kind of a savant said dave anderson mr berg anderssons brother mr berg andersson legally changed his name to reflect his swedish heritage his whole life he has had a deep fascination for things that most of us would have a superficial view
both men behind the papers are very private mr berg andersson the spokesman for the site refuses all news media requests for an interview in person and he declines to be photographed but in conversation he is open and frank with thoughts about gay marriage hes for it the confederate flag not a fan but respects peoples right to fly it and the islamic state he thinks theyre a street gang mr roza who places an even higher value on his privacy communicates only by email and prefers to stick to the topic of the green papers
the recent attention for their site amuses mr berg andersson but he has no illusions about fame for data nerds i know having done this for 16 plus years a year from now no one will be interested he said


in the elegiac drama last days in the desert ewan mcgregor portrays a holy man headed for jerusalem a wandering prophet variously addressed as rabbi or yeshua whos seeking spiritual awareness but who sheepishly describes himself as a bit lost to those he encounters
shown fasting and praying weeping in solitude and shivering through frigid judean desert nights hes the embodiment of jesus christ in everything but name father where are you he cries out in the film which arrives in theaters friday may 13 father speak to me
the movie implicitly takes up where the gospels of matthew luke and mark leave off but the films writer director rodrigo garcia mother and child and albert nobbs is quick to point out the existentially fraught father son relationship depicted onscreen is all poetic license and appears nowhere in the new testament
i liken it to a literary conceit you take a person from history or mythology   for example napoleon while he was a prisoner at elba or pocahontas before the europeans arrived   and invent a few days for yourself mr garcia explained
in the figure of jesus everyone knows his origins and his destiny he continued im freed because im not talking about episodes that are in the gospel
mr garcia is hardly the only moviemaker these days to find a certain freedom by using scripture as a springboard in the last few months a spate of faith based films including risen released in february and the young messiah from march has come to present never told or newly imagined chapters of jesus existence offering biblical back stories aimed at an audience of roughly 200 million americans who self identify as christians and attend church at least once a month
whats more several other such films are in hollywoods pipeline sony pictures animation recently announced it would release an as yet untitled nativity movie in december 2017 that presents the story of christs birth from the perspective of animals in the manger and later this year universal pictures international and film4 are scheduled to produce a biopic about mary magdalene   who is believed to have seen jesus on the cross and later resurrected   offering what its producers describe in a statement as an incredibly powerful new perspective on one of the worlds most well known origin stories
in the past big screen biblical adaptations have provoked an outcry over historical inaccuracies or perceived distortions of holy scripture   the last temptation of christ the 1988 drama featuring jesus in a dream lovemaking sequence the 2014 mega budget exodus gods and kings which depicts moses leading the israelites out of egypt and the director darren aronofskys noah also 2014 among them but these new movies are intended more as spinoffs or even prequels to the bible than straight ahead cinematic translations
its almost a new genre said mickey liddell a producer of risen audiences feel theyve seen the biblical stories in movies but what if we showed what else was going on at the time that makes it more interesting because you get a fresh perspective on the oldest story in the world
risen stars joseph fiennes as a roman centurion dispatched by pontius pilate to investigate rumors that a nazarene prophet called yeshua   the hebrew name corresponding with jesus   has risen from the tomb the officer must attempt to quell an uprising as word of the messiahs resurrection spreads across the realm but finds his own faith awakened in the process equal parts police procedural and biblical epic with cameo appearances by st bartholomew joseph of arimathea and mary magdalene the 20 million film was christened new testament noir and csi jerusalem by critics en route to its surprisingly robust box office returns risen was the third highest grossing film over its opening weekend in theaters and has taken in 45 million worldwide
mr liddell attributed the films success to the faith based audiences growing sophistication as moviegoers twenty years ago i think they were happy with whatever came out   if someone took the time to talk about their faith he said but that audience has matured our film connected because of the originality of the material
the young messiah based on anne rices 2005 novel christ the lord out of egypt envisions a kind of biblical prequel jesus at the age of 7 traveling with his parents from alexandria to nazareth pursued by roman assassins sent by king herod to massacre jewish children the boy awakens to his power as a healer and his celestial parentage how do we explain god to his own son joseph asks mary
it was an opportunity to go inside the holy family in a way that hasnt been done in other films said the director and co writer of the young messiah cyrus nowrasteh youre seeing them as parents youre seeing them face daily struggles and problems the burden and blessing of raising this very special child
the film grossed a lackluster 64 million however and faced complaints from critics like rick dack of defending the bible international who cited obvious scriptural archaeological and chronological problems with the young messiah for one depicting the preteen prophet raising a fictional bully character from the dead the thing people found most objectionable was the performing of miracles as a child mr nowrasteh said because jesus first recorded miracle is the wedding where he turns water into wine
as mr mcgregor described it last days in the desert aims to explore the human side of jesus but was never intended as a faith based film per se as conceived by mr garcia   a son of the nobel prize winning colombian novelist gabriel garcia marquez   the film uses biblical inspiration like jesus conversations with satan also played by mr mcgregor to flesh out a family dynamic left largely unexplored in scripture
this is the ultimate father and son story jesus in the desert trying to get some communication some sort of answer some sort of solace from his father mr mcgregor said and his father is god we get to see a very personal jesus


one recent morning erik harrison a vice president of the patrinely group stopped by 535w43 a rental complex nearing completion that his company is developing with the usaa real estate company between 10th and 11th avenues in manhattan but it wasnt the 280 units in the two 14 story brick towers designed by cetraruddy that were on his mind
it was the bike rooms one in each of the towers located not in a shadowy basement but right on the ground level with big windows letting in abundant light
were going to have a table where people can fix their bikes and maybe well hold workshops mr harrison said surveying the south towers 850 square foot bike space as cyclists seen through the windows zipped by toward the hudson river greenway well fit as many bike racks as we can
driven by demand as well as a city mandate developers and building owners are carving out bike rooms for residents to store what for some has become their transportation mode of choice
the state of the art spaces often have their own entrances saving wear and tear on the lobby and passenger elevators they also offer their own gear by way of pumps and repair stands and sometimes homey touches like hooks for hanging helmets in the fancier buildings porters and door attendants act as bike valets
people come to an open house and ask do you have a gym a roof deck a doorman  said david maundrell iii the executive vice president for brooklyn and queens new development of citi habitats now they also ask do you have a bike room 
ridership has been growing steadily according to the new york city department of transportation a 2014 survey by the new york city department of health and mental hygiene indicated that in vast swaths of manhattan brooklyn and queens up to 20 percent of the population cycled several times a month while the citi bike program can lay claim to some of the increase in cycling people who own their own wheels still make up the majority of riders according to paul steely white the executive director of transportation alternatives an advocacy group
of course riders can store their bikes in their apartments if theres room but now when youre spending a million dollars for a one bedroom said roberta axelrod the director of residential sales and marketing at time equities no one wants a bike in there propped against the wall
residents of older buildings have been clamoring for the conversion of formerly empty or underutilized back of house space into storage for bikes
if you have a building with two  and three bedroom apartments 100 units doesnt mean 100 bikes said matthew baron the president of simon baron development it could be 300 or 400 consequently there are waiting lists for many of the citys bike rooms
as for new buildings a zoning amendment passed in 2009 requires the provision of one bike space for every two units in structures of 10 apartments or more the law also applies to substantially enlarged buildings and to those being converted to residential use
it used to be youd build a building and then say where should we put the bikes ms axelrod said now its included in the program from the beginning
in downtown brooklyn 388 bridge a new 378 unit rentalcondo building created 190 bike spaces in three separate rooms in the basement one space above its mandated quota
many buildings near parks or bike lanes or ones geared to a demographic group that favors cycling exceed the minimum number of spots forty2east a new 53 unit condo building in east williamsburg has 36 bike spots nine more than its quota
in some cases bike rooms are muscling out other types of storage the richard meier designed condominium one grand army plaza in brooklyns prospect heights neighborhood originally was going to have 75 bike slots but even before the building opened in 2008 that number was deemed inadequate   especially considering the location opposite prospect park and the number of family size apartments it contained after space from the garage was folded into the bike room it accommodated 90 bikes and more recently with the addition of double decker racks and wall hooks it now has 117 spots
these days however it seems the mere provision of space isnt enough
bike rooms in buildings coming to market now are being tricked out with compression air pumps of the sort found in bike shops and gas stations and work stands to which one can clamp a bike while oiling a chain or fixing a flat tools are often on hand and sometimes theres a hose for washing bikes down after a muddy ride
at 252 east 57th street a condominium under construction near second avenue one of the door attendants stationed at the porte cochere will be able to whisk away a bike after a ride and have it readied for the next outing
at the residences at prince a condominium project in an 1826 landmark designated building in nolita that previously housed a catholic school the bike room will have hooks where residents can hang their helmets between rides
many buildings are providing the bicycles themselves acquiring their own fleets   emblazoned with the buildings names   for residents use
circa central park a condominium taking shape at west 110th street and central park west will have four branded single speed recreational bikes by priority bicycles according to shlomi reuveni a managing director of town new development which is handling sales and marketing
at 50 west a condominium under development in lower manhattan residents will be able to take the buildings four porsche bikes which cost 3700 each out for a spin
at least one building is even giving bicycles away nine52 a luxury condo soon to open on west 52nd street in hells kitchen will have 20 black single speed joulvert bikes according to maria theresa ienna of park river properties the director of sales it is also offering a bike valued at around 450 as a closing gift to the first 25 buyers
customers come in and listen to the sales presentation and say thats a beautiful bike ms ienna said we say if you buy an apartment the bike is yours  the least expensive unit in the building already in contract is a studio for 597000
there is usually a price for parking in a bike room according to owners and developers the charges which can come in the form of a monthly or annual fee vary widely from a token 10 per year to 10 to 100 per month
its a decent revenue stream said marc kotler a senior vice president for the new development group of firstservice residential it can be 10000 or 20000 a year in income for a building
for some new yorkers even a bike room wont do the finicky can stow their top of the line bikes in the private storage lockers that some buildings have safe from jostling and scratching
or come up with other solutions susi wunsch the founder of velojoy a cycling lifestyle website keeps her everyday bike an all black aluminum kona dew with disc brakes in the bike room of her greenwich village building though she isnt a fan of wrestling it on and off overhead hooks
she balances her serotta ottrott road bike   which she called her pride and joy   atop a bookcase in her home office with a frame thats clear carbon and titanium it weighs only 16 pounds
meanwhile her midnight blue pashley britannia with its big wicker basket strapped to the handlebars is parked in the dining room where its beauty merits sculpture status she said
it helps she added that she has a very understanding husband


finally we were in provence and the drive from gordes to carpentras had it all roadside vineyards cone shaped bories ancient stone dwellings the abbey senanque and at the foot of the mountain an artisanal boulangerie proffering baguettes and croissants
we were there for a soccer camp our three sons were all suited up
when our twins were 7 and our youngest 5 they learned geography by identifying countries with their flags during the 2010 world cup now at 13 and 11 they play for the downtown united soccer club in new york
planning a summer trip from paris to rome my husband and i figured we should combine our passion for historic sites with their passion for soccer but because soccer season in france and italy ends in may we were at a loss   until a teammate mentioned a camp in italy sponsored by juventus the turinese powerhouse intrigued we found our way to the website of soccer camps international youth soccer camp the site made clear is a big deal it involves professional coaching stadium visits language immersion and the like
we arranged to visit three camps in france and italy where our sons could take part and test them out while we spoke with coaches and participating families are european soccer camps welcoming and challenging for young american players or are they pricey forms of branded tourism those were our central questions and with the 2016 uefa european championship taking place this summer in france from june 10 to july 10 many soccer mad families are asking them too
carpentras france
stages bosquier feels like a soccer school with lectures and video demonstrations in the hours between morning drills and afternoon matches run by bernard bosquier a star of frances world cup squad in 1966 stages bosquier immerses players ages 7 to 17 in high level soccer and in the french language most players we met were from france but others came from england canada italy and the united states
for 35 years stages bosquier has been held in the south of france most recently at a sports complex in carpentras with a dormitory snack bar and lobby kitted out with foosball tables and walls papered with clippings about former campers like samir nasri who now plays with manchester city this summer the camp will move to a modern complex in cavaillon
after breakfast campers meet outside for ping pong and petanque a game like horseshoes but with balls before breaking into groups grands moyens petits on fields nearby as the boys changed into matching jerseys they hung their european club replica jerseys on hangers on the wire fence theyd been instructed to care for their uniforms as well as themselves our boys swapped their favorite team jerseys for camp colors and were gone
training begins amid the clicking of cicadas dribbling long passing passing with the outside of the foot and shooting and one called letoile   keep away along points of an imagined star coaches are mr bosquiers friends and former teammates 60 ish men with the taut legs of teenagers training is conducted in french but the language of soccer prevails football is the same as life said mr bosquier you need to work out you need to work together you need to respect one another
following an hour of games with seven players on a side campers walked to a park for football de plage beach soccer after showers lunch and rest they attended the midday lecture   le football est fait de mouvement the day we visited   and then went to late afternoon matches
mr bosquiers daughter valerie an interior designer during the year is the camps mother figure making sure the campers have water and sunblock taking photos for their parents during the midday pause she sent us into town for lunch and a swim and we returned refreshed to watch the matches   stages in a tournament which concludes on the last day of camp with parents present
in the evening our sons rejoined us and we pointed our rented citroen through the limestone passageways of gordes one of the loveliest villages in france at lartegal a small restaurant with tables beneath the floodlights of the chateau de gordes we ate salmon duck fresh vegetables and sorbet for a moment we all forgot there was soccer the next morning
information bosquiercom options include 460 euros about 520 for one week with room and board one week is reserved for girls ages 14 to 17
lignano sabbiadoro italy
fifty six miles from venice lignano sabbiadoro is a resort town in friuli poking out into the warm bath of the adriatic sea there the spartan getur sports village amid pine trees is the site of the ac milan junior camp the song playing in the lobby oddly was let it snow
as our sons joined the arriving campers they received a club kit and soon blended into the red white and black of ac milan
the camp directors pietro and michele marchioni father and son have turned their lifelong passion for ac milan into a soccer league of nations the marchionis run camps under license to their company sportaventi on the asiago mountain plateau at cortina dampezzo in the dolomites in jesolo lido a ferry ride from venice at lignano sabbiadore where we visited and one near naples for american military families   so that they can interact with italians off the navy base there michele marchioni said
soccer is the national disease he told us and explained how he came to spread it studying economics at oxford i realized i could bring the world here and create a multicultural society like the one i knew at oxford at the lignano camp half of the 92 campers were italian the coaches speak mainly in italian but english and russian are spoken too there were players from zimbabwe venezuela and lebanon a dozen players came from japan with a chaperone while their parents visited venice
at a buffet style breakfast our sons got to know two players from taiwan as well as another player from new york then all the campers strode in two lines to the soccer fields all singing the ac milan anthem with kids and coaches waving flags on long poles front and rear
morning training moved players through various activities including dribbling passing and five passes the drills our sons said were a notch less intense than at bosquier but the coaching was lively and precise with one coach for every 12 players goalkeepers are trained separately one coach showed a keeper how to position his body by making a cross   torso up and down arms outstretched
as at bosquier afternoons are devoted to matches but at lignano midday is time for fun one group goes to the waterslides another to the beach
the night we were there campers went to an amusement park and the marchionis took us to the restaurant brigantino for supper with pierino prati mr prati pierino the pest starred for italy in the 1970 world cup he ensured the camp is training players the ac milan way   playing with the ball as a team stressing style rather than physicality we look at the quality of their feet but also their minds mr prati said are they looking at their teammates do they have a global vision of the game
mr marchioni added soccer is like life soccer is life so we take a holistic approach physical mental and emotional to help bring the talent out from the inside as we left the restaurant the kitchen staff came out in their aprons to have their pictures taken with pierino prati   young men and women afflicted with the national disease
information soccercampsinternationalcomitaly soccer camps for boys age 7 to 16 options include 1295 for one week with room and board
chatenay malabry france
the logo of paris saint germain psg features the eiffel tower so it was strange to arrive at chatenay malabry a suburb blanketed in silence during frances august holidays at a landscaped estate campers were coming over the crest of a hill psg duffel bags slung over their arms the turf fields were refreshingly free of sports gear signage here the brands were psgs players a camp day named for the striker zlatan ibrahimovic was devoted to shooting lucas mouras day was focused on developing players dribbling and creativity with the ball
paris saint germain has opened camps in new york brazil montreal qatar and india as well as outside paris the clubs academy head coach ben houri strolling the sidelines explained the psg philosophy its easier to create an athlete than a footballer and its easier to teach passing than dribbling but dribbling is where creativity happens and good footballers are naturally relaxed with the ball players at the camp learn this through quickness exercises races and agility exercises right foot in the red hoop left in the yellow one
for one week they live like psg youth players said julien bacinello the project manager the camp is run by urban football which promotes soccer for adults in french cities and the family feeling we had seen at bosquier and lignano was less obvious the midday pause was more or less unstructured with players working foosball tables and playstations under the light supervision of young counselors
a wednesday outing to paris then was well timed urban football is converting tennis clubs to 5 on 5 soccer pitches and the branch in la defense offered a glimpse of soccers future office workers meeting during the lunch hour for a match and some team building
after two hours of training the campers went by bus across paris for a tour of the stade de france which they were reminded was the site of pariss home victory in the 1998 world cup final it turned out to be a history lesson in advance three months later explosions were heard there during the terrorist attacks on paris
information soccercampsinternationalcomfrance soccer camps for boys ages 8 to 17 options include 1395 for one week with room and board
in new york the next week our sons were back with their own club downtown united from the sidelines my husband and i assessed the european camps are they welcoming to americans yes if your children are willing to stretch a bit culturally and trust the language of soccer are they challenging yes but its important to choose a camp with a skill level that suits the player in your family are they an authentic experience or just pricey branded tourism theyre both european clubs have deep roots so joining the culture of a renowned club is a form of immersion in its home country
for our boys the answer to all soccer camp questions is simple they want to go back


this interview with jimmy dunne iii senior managing principal of the investment banking firm sandler oneill  partners was conducted and condensed by adam bryant
q tell me about your early years
a i grew up on the south shore of long island my father would always say to me that youve got to be a leader not a follower you cant let the room sway you just because other guys are going to jump off the brooklyn bridge you should not be a follower
so i was always willing to take a stand there was a belief in our household that theres a special place in hell for somebody who sits on a fence during a crisis
what about your mother
she was tough and she was strong she had very definite views and was seldom right but never in doubt there would sometimes be tense situations my father was working and traveling and there were arguments one i remember was about evolution which got very heated she thought i was being anti catholic or some crazy thing
i remember my father came upstairs and said to me look this is how its going to go if she says something is white its white im no longer interested in your point of view this is not high school where you come and tell everybody what you think everything you say has a consequence youve got to think about this
and he would talk to me about it like it was being in a boardroom and how you have to pick your shots his whole thing was about anticipating the consequences of what you say
sounds like he was grooming you for your current job
yes and no he was grooming me for how to anticipate things how to control the situation at home and make sure there was as little volatility as possible but he would have much preferred that i go into medicine
what were some early management lessons for you
there was one overriding thing that happened at bear stearns sometimes you have a point of view and you get turned around 180 degrees
there was a small group of us divvying up the bonuses and somebody wanted to give one guy an additional 5000 on top of the 20000 he was getting then someone said no he didnt earn it were not doing it and we should give it to the guy who made a 3 million bonus because he earned it and either the first guy has got to do a lot better or he has to quit or we have to fire him
that was not my view but he was right and it changed my mind its about meritocracy youve got to be brutally honest with people about where they stand and you do them a disservice by sugarcoating it or by not giving them the absolute facts that evolved into what i call my infinite finite strategy
which means
finite is about whether this guy or that guy gets the 5000 infinite discussions are whether you were a good father a good husband a good brother finite is stuff that should be handled with the back of the hand and theres a finite beginning and end to it theyre important theyre just not critical
so lets keep things focused on the nonpersonal financial nature that they are so that if i tell you youre not good at something im not saying youre not a good person but a lot of people cant handle the truth what we do is deliver the news without novocain
it is absolutely critical for me to be brutally honest with people because theyre entitled to it if they cant handle it it isnt written that these people must work here we live in the greatest country in the world there are other opportunities and water will find its own level that early conversation changed me to being 100 percent about merit with no fluff
what else about your culture
the other thing we do here is really emphasize that there is no problem with making a mistake we prefer them to be little mistakes but if you defend a mistake then that is a real insult because you have put your ego ahead of whats right and that we cant tolerate
its a very natural thing to do because you get all these really smart guys in a room and theyre in there battling they get into a fight and have to prove that they were really right and then they start defending the mistake then i go after them
in the moment
in the moment in public
and what does that look like
its not good it depends on what they did but ill let them know thats not what we do here the point is you have to be willing to take the blame let the tension come out of the room so you can discuss what really happened and not worry about it thats a definite style of ours
hearing that somebody might wonder if that tough hard driving style makes for a good boss
i dont understand in any way shape or form why theres a separation between the two
we also have a little saying here dont wave your w 2 in jimmys face which means i dont care how much money you made i dont care how productive you think you are were interested in being right and doing it the right way youve got to understand i may be tough in the moment but generally i have a reservoir of good will with people im just speaking about the issue im not making a judgment about everything else and its not personal
i tend to do much better with people who are secure the more insecure you are the more difficulty i probably will have with you if you have a skill set or are pretty productive i will try to figure out a way to work with that so ill adapt my style a little bit but im going to tell them the truth i may just make a little effort to be nicer about it
but if i get any sense that theyre not at least 70 percent as committed as i am then ill be a lot less cordial about the whole thing


there are very strict rules of engagement says jeromy mchenry who owns a private security firm in california and has made over 1000 citizens arrests statutes governing when and how laypeople can arrest their compatriots vary know your states laws in california you must witness the crime in order to make an arrest for a misdemeanor for a felony you dont mchenry likes to play it safe and always tells his new security guard trainees if you didnt see it it didnt happen
say you witness a man snatching a womans purse youre inclined to intervene assess your safety is he bigger than you might he have a weapon it is always better to be a good witness than to botch an arrest thereby endangering yourself and further complicating an unfolding crime if you do get involved act with authority speak in a stern matter of fact voice mchenry says announce loudly youre under citizens arrest decide ahead of time whether you intend to restrain the person most states allow for the use of necessary force for all but one of mchenrys citizens arrests he was on the job   either in security or looking for shoplifters in department stores   and he handcuffed perpetrators the one arrest he made in his free time involved holding a belligerent man down on the floor of a truck stop restaurant until the sheriff arrived expect people to run resist punch and kick ive been hit in the head with a bottle of alcohol mchenry says
call the police as soon as possible explain what you saw who was involved how it occurred and the actions that you took mchenry says your body will be humming with adrenaline but dont cuss yell use slang or act erratically with law enforcement officers you dont want to raise suspicions about your credibility
you will most likely have to go to court after making a citizens arrest you may need to testify undergo cross examination and appear multiple times before a judge inserting yourself into what you perceive to be a crime scene is a risky complicated act youre going to get sued if you mess up mchenry says you can be arrested for making a false arrest


one august afternoon last year waiting in the polished lobby of the maan soor hotel in hargeisa somaliland i wondered if it wasnt too late to cancel the appointment i had made i had been returning to the city of my birth regularly for the past eight years but my experiences were always screened by the purdah of wealth protected by tinted windows and uniformed guards waving metal detecting wands at every entrance i had spent even longer away than most of the returning diaspora that clogged the city every summer having migrated in 1986 before the civil war to join my father who moved to england in 1947 today i was venturing beyond the tinted glass into the real city to attend a class on marriage
i had heard about it from caroline a tall american phd student she knew the city better than i did and had signed up for the course to further understand negotiations of intimacy and morality in hargeisa love can be a taboo subject in somali families relationships come together and fall apart mysteriously shrouded in secrecy caroline had agreed to take me to the next class so i could hear for myself what they taught about how it happened how a happy marriage worked
the building was along a street i hadnt visited before in a workaday district of car mechanics teashops and khat stalls two little boys in long white khamis chased a third over uneven ground leaping pools of gray rainwater we climbed a dark concrete staircase past a landing dotted with handmade posters until we heard our names being called from above
the classroom was so full that i had to tiptoe between feet and knees to the chair a student had vacated for me a young man with a neat beard and glasses stood near the whiteboard in front of him the dim room was a sea of black black abayas head scarves niqabs gloves i stood out there in my gaudy prints and sheer hijab in somaliland that item is nonnegotiable i smiled nodded and tried to make my body smaller to reduce the feeling that i was intruding on a space that was not my own
in london my interactions with girls in floor skimming abayas are a study in avoidance we simply pretend not to see one another clothing is not a perfect barometer of religiosity but somehow tribes have been marked out only recently two girls in loose halfhearted hijabs and skinny jeans passed me on a london street and one taking in my only marginally less modest dress muttered to the other in languid distaste somalis these days  
the class leader was a brisk short young woman with bright black eyes a ready smile and the energy of an aerobics instructor she simultaneously apologized for and boasted about the number of students in the class then she explained for my benefit the modules and levels of the course cooking health negotiating a dowry raising children today the young man waiting patiently behind her would be speaking on the subjects of confidence and communication his qualifications for speaking on female confidence were obscure but he had prepared a powerpoint presentation so we readied our notebooks
nervously with a hurry to his voice he ran through his slides how to be a good listener having an opinion bringing a positive outlook there was a strong tang of oprah style self help to his lecture laced with an intimation that society as a whole might need help as well kalsooni lahow he repeated have self confidence his audience women studying for their first or second university degrees seemed to have confidence already they only wanted to learn how to transfer it into the romantic sphere of their lives this wasnt something they were likely to learn from their mothers generation women who were taught not to argue with men
after the lecture the classroom erupted into discussion and laughter the students complained about their male peers who they claimed didnt take marriage seriously   who would marry impulsively just because a girl looked good in a selfie these women were idealistic moralistic and opposed to much of what they saw around them corruption hypocrisy and disappointment they seemed intrigued by my way of life   independent unmarried peripatetic no one seemed to find any contradiction between the ideals they were espousing and the path i had chosen
it is rare for me to feel completely at home in hargeisa but to my surprise i started to perhaps i thought if i had lived here   if i had seen the war survived the refugee camps returned to the city to resume my studies flourished academically   perhaps my alter ego would have found her way to this room too in a black abaya planning the next stage of her life


re h is for hawk
mark landler analyzed hillary clintons aggressive foreign policy record in an adaptation of alter egos his book about clinton and barack obama
i am struck by the degree to which the excerpt from mark landlers book completely ignored hillary clintons real strength in foreign policy her deeply considered understanding that the uss global interests are best served by a three legged stool   defense development and diplomacy
when senator clinton was first appointed secretary of state she sought to generate support in congress by commissioning the first quadrennial diplomacy and development review in direct emulation of the department of defenses quadrennial defense review it took over a year to solicit views and turn them into coherent policy and administrative recommendations but those in the know think it was worth doing
the lengthy presentation of hillary as a potential commander in chief while perhaps a political necessity sells her and the country short in a global economy with few means of dealing with multiple cross border existential threats foreign policy should not be limited to discussion of military operations nor relegated to the sidelines amid arcane and partially informed discussions of trade agreements i expect more and better coverage leni berliner washington
after reading this article about hillary clinton becoming a hawk i find the fact that hillarys finger would be near the nuclear button to be disturbing
this article describes hillary as a person who would be more like gen douglas macarthur than gen dwight d eisenhower president harry s truman had to fire general macarthur for his insubordination concerning the conduct of the war on the korean peninsula who would fire a president hillary clinton
the critical characteristics of a president seem to be good judgment profound wisdom and good decision making using incomplete information   not having a hair trigger finger on the warnuclear button hillarys learned foreign affairs attributes are more like george w bushs cowboy based attitude than president obamas deliberate measured approach
only fools andor people who have not experienced war are eager to go to war at the expense of diplomacy we need neither as president of the united states john scott washington
this article doesnt really tell us how hillary became a hawk   and thats too bad it would be genuinely interesting to get some insight into how or if her views have evolved over time and what motivates them
taken as a whole this is a portrait of a would be president who a fundamentally believes in displays of force b is eager to give the military everything they ask for and c doesnt believe that military intervention is a last resort no matter what she might say in public
if anything worries me about hillary clinton this is it its not so much that shes more hawkish than me its the fact that events of the past 15 years dont seem to have affected her views at all how is that possible and yet our failures in iraq afghanistan libya yemen syria and elsewhere apparently havent given her the slightest pause about the effectiveness of military force in the middle east quite the opposite the sense i get from landlers piece is that she continues to think all of these engagements would have turned out better if only wed used more military power i find it hard to understand how an intelligent well briefed person could continue to believe this and that in turn makes me wonder just exactly what motivates hillarys worldview kevin drum in an article for mother jones
re first words
amanda hess parses the current usage of the word woke now a label for political awareness
i think the author missed a crucial nuance embedded in woke whiteness has co opted woke as an im not a racist card but that is neither its original meaning nor the context in which it was intended to be used black people have used woke not to describe being aware of current events but being wise to and ever on guard against the ways of whiteness particularly how racism can be embedded in what stories media decides to tell and how it tells them
and yes it absolutely is eye rolling at white folks overeager to identify as woke without even fully understanding what it means to be woke sheri m whitley new york


marilyn snell craved time to herself in the summer of 2012 so that she could take stock of the emotional losses enveloping her life in san francisco
she found that time on the greek island of kythira at a friends early 19th century home there she stayed in a room that was once a bakery white walled with a curved ceiling and a fireplace that had served as the bakery oven
a close friend and co worker had died of cancer in 2010 after months of her caring for him she was still struggling with sadness and the lessons he had taught her about death and human connections her mother too needed care during that time after two open heart surgeries
i was in a moment where i needed to survive and figure things out said ms snell now 57 and a freelance environmental journalist
long single she favored solitude yet alone in that white space and remembering her late friends belief in the lasting strength of relationships she concluded i needed to think of unfinished beginnings and set miscommunications straight
at the top on that list was gregory williams a man with whom she had had a relationship until he broke it off 24 years earlier she knew nothing about his life since then other than that he had married
before departing for greece she had attempted to reach out to him through facebook his response to her inquiry offered little encouragement it was just kind of thank you she recalled
back home in san francisco stronger and healthier she signed on to facebook and tried reaching out again
her earlier relationship with mr williams which spanned five years began in 1984 while they were commuting from berkeley on bay area rapid transit to downtown san francisco mr williams a newly minted architect couldnt help looking her way one night when the two found themselves the sole passengers on a train car rumbling under san francisco bay
i wasnt going to just sit there recalled mr williams now also 57 who crossed the car to introduce himself by the time he disembarked they had exchanged phone numbers lunch followed and then museum visits reggae concerts and road trips they shared a passion for the arts and nature
he was raised in los angeles and cerritos calif where his mother julietta taught in the cerritos public schools for 33 years and his father amos a korean war veteran retired after 36 years as a mail carrier in los angeles ms snell is from phoenix where her father richard had been the chairman of pinnacle west capital which owns arizonas largest electricity utility and where her mother alice was among other things deputy associate superintendent in the vocational division of the arizona department of education
hes quiet and an independent deeply creative thinker ms snell said of gregory williams who was later a founder of mass architecture  design a los angeles firm with commissions that have included several notable homes and restaurants and the coffee  milk cafe at the los angeles county museum of art i love the way he helps me see the world from a different angle
for his part mr williams said weve always had very similar spirits similar life views whether theyre social political family values
when she entered a graduate journalism program at the university of southern california he left his job at a san francisco urban historic preservation group to join her in his hometown where they lived briefly with his parents who invited ms snell to stay in a spare room for a few months during her studies
they just really epitomize to me what a loving relationship should be mr williamss mother said they hold hands its so warm with regard to the biracial nature of the relationship mrs williams said that she and the young couple did not blink although even today some people outside their families and friends still blink they still do at the notion of interracial marriage
in time ms snells journalism career took root when she worked at a los angeles based political and cultural journal she has got this profound sense of empathy that seems to affect everything she does said omar dajani a friend
over time however irritants began building they faced the same challenges that many young couples do with communication lapses self centeredness and thoughts that there might be something better out there
the couple say that they also lacked the insight to discuss race and class particularly at a time when acceptance was harder to come by
i wanted to be my own person not having her familys position dictating things mr williams said of his decision to break off their earlier relationship he began dating other women a year later and after two years lapsed he called to tell her he was getting married
it broke my heart said ms snell who returned to san francisco he had always been the one for me over time she had a series of relationships some serious she said but i came to love my solitary life
she threw herself into work as executive editor at the utne reader followed by eight years as senior writer at sierra a national magazine published by the sierra club
when she sought to contact mr williams on facebook in 2012 she did not know that during the year before he had separated from his wife of 18 years with whom he has two sons
mr williams responded more positively to her second facebook inquiry telling her ive been thinking of you he soon flew to san francisco hopeful but apprehensive i was thinking i will get into her car and we will have nothing to say and it would be horrible
but they clicked immediately and after seeing a play they went dancing at a bar called the make out room where as ms snell put it the sparks started flying
hes self confident without being egoistic ms snell said hes his own man she also found that the responsibility of fatherhood had changed him
it was in a rented cottage in point reyes calif that they began working off those 24 years of hurt and separation and quickly came to realize how close they still were mr williams said after dinner they wrapped themselves in blankets and sat side by side on a long side porch staring out at the dark forest and talking about their past insecurities and poor communication
i grew up catholic and it was kind of like confession mr williams said you dont see the person you just spill out your soul i told her lets see if theres something here and the only way we could do this was to see each other exclusively and see if theres something there thats worth rebuilding
ms snell said i just felt it was a sacred moment i realized then i really want this the next day walking on the beach mr williams asked how she saw herself growing old
i said i had always thought id live by myself in a shack in the desert she said he said thats terrible youre not going to be by yourself youre going to be with me
he suggested a larger shack a nurturing space with an interior courtyard she began talking solar panels and rain barrels they envisioned a future that would bring their two passions of design and nature together
they began being in touch every day mostly by text morning afternoon and night and they usually spoke by phone at night he said
cognizant of their parents ages and building health issues they began discussing marriage 18 months ago mr williams met with her parents in phoenix and asked for permission they agreed
he wanted to make the formal request alice snell said later it was refreshing
he proposed to ms snell in a courtyard at the back of the los angeles county museum of art for her engagement ring ms snell chose a family ring missing a stone which was fitted with a garnet that she and mr williams found for 9 in downtown los angeles in the jewelry district
they were married april 22 in the chapel at the beverly hills courthouse with ronald l engen a deputy commissioner of civil marriages for los angeles county presiding it was a simple ceremony with the bride the groom and mr williamss sister cynthia williams who served as witness
they followed that up with a celebration on april 30 at the snell home in phoenix attended by 150 guests including mr williamss two sons gyasi amos williams now 22 and kwame clyde williams now 15
the couple plans to build a home in the williamses old neighborhood south of the los angeles county museum of art a version of the shack they designed while in point reyes it will have commercial space on the bottom floor they want a community where people know each other
strangely we are very different people and we came apart because of our differences ms snell said but when we came together we found a way to build things


when maddy and hormuz batliboi of boerum hill brooklyn realized that they could not afford to move from their condo to a larger place in the borough they turned their attention to the east end of long island
after visiting friends with a second home on the vineyard laden north fork the batlibois   she is a lawyer hes an architect   started checking out the countryside studded with quaint hamlets and framed by pristine beaches the couple ended up keeping the condo and buying a larger house on the north fork for weekends and parental visits
it was much cheaper for us to buy a house out there rather than a place in brooklyn said ms batliboi who like her husband is 37 there is something about how much less intense it is than the south fork and how relaxing it is
the south fork a k a the hamptons is the north forks better known celebrity laden more expensive swankier ocean beached sibling carol szynaka the north fork sales manager for daniel gale sothebys international realty said that for a growing number of the people heading east brooklyn is the new manhattan and the north fork is the new hamptons
while the hamptons are very hip and happening that is not what we want from life when we go out ms batliboi said the synergy between brooklyn and the north fork is like the synergy between manhattan and the south fork it is more than the fact that it is less expensive
sheri winter clarry an associate broker with the corcoran group real estate on the north fork in southold also attributed the uptick in buyers from brooklyn to the regions laid back chilled vibe and its growing status as a family friendly second home haven for foodies and oenophiles brooklynites get the north fork period she said
there are reasons other than the vibe of course the north fork doesnt have the south forks atlantic ocean beaches but buyers can find houses perched on bluffs overlooking long island sound facing farmland or creeks or on great peconic bay particularly desirable over the last few years are older houses   some renovated some in need of fixing up   in greenport in walking distance of the harbor shops and restaurants real estate agents said the average price for a house in greenport in the first quarter of 2016 was 595000 according to data from brown harris stevens real estate
in february 2015 the batlibois paid 380000 for a 1400 square foot 1960s ranch with three bedrooms two baths and a basement on a third of an acre in mattituck their sons 7 and 4 years old play in the backyard a tiny community beach on great peconic bay is a quick stroll away a larger beach is within a five minute drive
its very restful ms batliboi said its a nice break from the city and the two hour drive is very doable on a friday night
the batlibois coordinate visits every other weekend with brooklyn friends who have vacation homes nearby they are people like us who cant afford that much more in the city ms batliboi said
its the best of both worlds she continued we love all the farm stands there is wine and beaches what more do you need in life
marianne collins a saleswoman with brown harris stevens in greenport said buyers might find a sweet little house on the north fork for 400000 a three bedroom two bath house close to a beach with farm views for way less than what they would be spending for a one bedroom apartment in brooklyn
to focus their buying power on the north fork brokers said some brooklyn buyers opt to hold onto their digs there continuing to rent a home or stay in a smaller co op or condo
the magnets that draw city dwellers include the areas burgeoning farm to table movement new craft breweries and distilleries wineries farm stands antiques shops and seasonal agri tainment activities like apple  berry  and pumpkin picking niche farms offer locally raised meat goat cheese organic greens and hops for making beer
farms have upped their game like crazy vineyards have upped their game restaurants have upped their game ms clarry said its really translated into the north fork coming into its own the food industry has helped people not just day trip but fall in love with it and move out here
last year after a decade in boerum hill allison katz 49 moved lock stock and barrel to the north fork as an owner of goodfood a takeout shop in mattituck ms katz carries local eggs honey and mixed greens as well as brooklyn roasted gorilla coffee i try to bring some stuff that is a little more urban ms katz said
the many former neighbors among her clientele care about where their food comes from and the environment and having a quality of life with their kids she said it is very low key it is not like in the hamptons where everyone goes out every night it is cook or pick up food and serve it at home
scott russell the supervisor of the town of southold which encompasses the village of greenport and assorted hamlets including mattituck peconic and cutchogue at the heart of the north fork said in an email message if people are looking to escape to the country southold is a close as you can get he added that through hard work planning and sound investing the town has been able to keep its rural charm protect its open spaces and has worked to keep its agricultural industry vibrant
real estate prices that are still within many buyers reach less traffic and congestion than you would find in the hamptons and large open spaces filled with active and productive farmland all make southold a compelling option he said
jonathan j miller the president of the appraisal firm miller samuel said that for brooklyn buyers the north fork would be a logical option because of the affordability compared to the south fork
the median sales price on the north fork for the first quarter of 2016 was 550000 it was 662431 in brooklyn the hamptons median price of 895000 aligns more closely with manhattans median of 1137500 only 67 percent of sales on the north fork topped 1 million in the first quarter while on the south fork 773 percent of sales exceeded 1 million
at higher price points ms collins said people might be renting a fabulous loft in brooklyn but when they decide to buy they put down roots on the north fork
waterfront homes on long island sound or peconic bay run from 2 million to 10 million ms szynaka said the middle of the market ranges from 750000 to just under 2 million
summer rentals often a precursor to buying are also more down to earth on the north fork than in the hamptons a house with a bay view and a pool in new suffolk another southold hamlet is for rent for 50000 from memorial day to labor day while a cutchogue creek front property with a dock is 35000 for the season and a sound front house in cutchogue with stairs to the beach is available for the month of august for 12000 ms collins said
shift your sights to the hamptons and you can rent a pond side house with a pool in sagaponack for 85000 for july or a place on mecox bay in bridgehampton for 395000 from memorial day to labor day said gary depersia an associate broker with the corcoran group
in search of a more family friendly neighborhood more peace and quiet and more space for their money gabe and tori phillips both 32 moved from manhattans lower east side to a three bedroom rental apartment in boerum hill brooklyn two and a half years ago
but when it came to buying last june the phillipses with their infant son in tow chose a 100 year old cedar shake cottage with two bedrooms and two baths in new suffolk paying 650000 it seemed like a good idea to make the second home purchase on the north fork instead of in the five boroughs where your dollar doesnt go as far said mr phillips the chief executive officer of gp renewables  trading a small energy company
the house has an open floor plan a big wraparound porch the original flooring and exposed beams and views of peconic bay the couple watch sailboat races off nassau point from a balcony off the upstairs landing and are two blocks from a southold town beach
the couple fell in love with the north fork mr phillips said having frequented bed and breakfasts there for a few weekends every summer for the better part of a decade in brooklyn we would have gotten a closet   a two bedroom apartment in this neighborhood is over a million bucks he said referring to boerum hill
three years ago ben wartofsky 48 and kristina ivy 45 of carroll gardens brooklyn bought a dutch colonial in southold for 365000 and furnished it with vintage pieces from local shops
what attracts buyers to the north fork is a lot about what is not here said mr wartofsky a standup comedian known as dc benny who sells real estate on the side for dwell residential in park slope brooklyn its not about being able to buy the same gucci bag you could in soho but instead it can be the quest for the perfect tomato or during your saturday morning walk with the dog stumble onto an amazing antique at a saturday yard sale
ms ivy who owns rica bath and body a skin care company in carroll gardens uses peppermint and lavender found on local farms in her products
last fall after renting on peconic bay for half a dozen summers mark timmins 42 an architectural designer from park slope paid under 500000 for land a block from long island sound in southold he and his wife nell daniel 45 an art and design teacher are building a contemporary four bedroom beach house there with sunset views over the sound
time on the north fork is all about friends and family mr timmins said he enjoys the open space the beach and shopping farm stands for food that was harvested the same day or the day before i love cooking that stuff myself
in april 2015 sophie mcneill a marketing director for scholastic and daniel mcneill a managing director of an investment bank who live in a brownstone in park slope paid about 765000 for a two story 2003 shingle house with three bedrooms three baths and a wraparound porch on nassau point a peninsula in cutchogue that juts into peconic bay its close to beaches well suited for their daughters who are 10 7 and 2
the tranquil environment and lack of pretension draw them to the north fork year round said ms mcneill who like her husband is 42 we get deer wandering through the garden a flock of wild turkeys crossing the road she said its idyllic it is a complete contrast to city living which is what we like
in 2014 francisco pineda 38 of williamsburg brooklyn the program director for columbia universitys masters degree in construction administration purchased and renovated an old house on the sound in southold to use as a second home having fallen in love with the more languid way of life he then paid 2 million in 2015 for an 1880s victorian on nearly five sound front acres in orient that he hopes to finish fixing up this summer
though mr pineda considered buying in the hamptons the traffic was a turnoff he said but heading east from riverhead on the north fork he found uncongested roads restaurants he described as on a par with manhattan and swaths of open land protected by the peconic land trust a nonprofit group
more and more people are noticing that the north fork has value mr pineda said he wonders whether a 2014 episode of the brooklyn based hbo series girls set in greenport might have tipped off the hipsters
victoria eichinger an art director and peter baumann a banker both in their 50s moved from tribeca to brooklyn a year and a half ago but have had a home in cutchogue for a dozen years enjoying the quiet family oriented lifestyle
that may be changing
i laugh because a lot of my friends always lived in the hamptons and wouldnt come visit me before ms eichinger said now everyone is coming to the north fork for the breweries and vineyards every restaurant is reservations only on the weekend


nice place the actor bryan cranston said to president obama as he glanced around at the white house when are you putting it on the market
the oval office looks eerily familiar even to a couple of first time visitors that solid oak desk with the south lawn behind it through floor to ceiling windows the pair of comfortable looking sofas on an oval rug with the presidential seal and on a gray afternoon a nimbus of light glowing above the crown molding at the ceiling
im only leasing mr obama replied i just want to make sure i get my security deposit back
the president showed us around the oval office and its adjoining private dining room chatting about items of particular significance to him a handwritten draft of a speech by president kennedy a seascape painted by senator edward m kennedy who gave it to mr obama when he was a senator and next to three family photos a pair of red boxing gloves signed to barack by muhammad ali
for mr cranston who won four emmys for his role in breaking bad a show that mr obama has said that he like millions of americans binge watched this visit had the feeling of deja vu
ive been in a replica of this room so much i feel like ive been here he said referring to the set of all the way an hbo film debuting on may 21 about the first year in the presidency of lyndon b johnson during which he fought to pass the civil rights act of 1964 mr cranston 60 won a tony award in 2014 for his performance in all the way on broadway the aptness of this pairing did not escape mr obama who said he credited president johnsons civil rights laws for ultimately leading to the election of representatives who look like me
but unlike the president in mr cranstons film who has just ascended to the position after the assassination of president kennedy and is only beginning to make his mark on the office mr obama 54 is in the homestretch of his second term and clearly thinking about his legacy this interview took place on april 29 the next night the president would give his final address at the annual white house correspondents association dinner which mr cranston attended ending his speech with the words obama out and a dramatic mike drop
mr obama invited us to take off our jackets and get comfortable he was already in shirt sleeves he offered cookies and drinks or to whip something up and for the next hour the pair spoke not only of how politics and the country have changed since the days of mr johnsons great society but also about the tonic of solid family lives after turbulent youths the generational shift ushered in by the obama presidency and how the digital age has made this president in his words probably the most recorded filmed and photographed person in history
philip galanes mr president i have to tell you right now im sweating does it bum you out to be the guy who stresses out most people he meets
barack obama actually im very easygoing the office is stressful for people when you work here you lose that sense of awe on a day to day basis but you recover it through somebody elses eyes   through visitors or friends who come for the first time but if im walking home late at night down the colonnade theres a majesty you never lose this is the same walk kennedy took that fdr wheeled himself down
pg is it a nice change bryan being the second most famous person in the room
bryan cranston i love it when i set out to be an actor i just wanted to tell stories the fact that great fortune came and allowed me to become famous is almost a distraction from what i wanted to do when i meet people now they only want to talk about me i get bored with that i want to find out what youre doing but the dynamic shifts the other way
bo its one of the downsides of any celebrity people have an idea of who you are so some of the spontaneity you had before making change in a coffee shop or striking up a conversation disappears but those moments are precious and the loss of anonymity turns out to be more profound than you realized the saving grace for michelle and me is that we didnt become famous until later in life i wasnt a national figure until i was 43 i had a full life of wheeling the grocery cart with my daughter in the front
bc and that probably gave you more maturity to handle the experience
bo i remember the day after i gave my speech at the 2004 democratic convention in boston the one that catapulted me to national prominence i was talking to a friend who was reacting to the craziness and i said im no smarter today than i was two days ago it makes you wonder about kids   16 17 20   whether theyre actors or sports stars who suddenly have to deal with this now these are high class problems and im always careful to say that being able to do what you love is an incredible privilege
bc how did you feel about your girls being put in that position
bo it was probably our biggest worry before we came here and its testimony entirely to michelle and my mother in law marian robinson who moved into the white house with the obama family in 2009 that theyve turned out to be such terrific grounded kids i give credit to the press for sticking with an unspoken rule not to follow them around and give them space to grow theyre pretty much able to do anything their friends do in some ways it was part of our decision for me to run when i did because we thought it would be easier for them when they were younger it would be a great challenge to land here as a teenager under a spotlight
pg this reminds me of your after school life as a kid cartoons and sitcom reruns homework before dinner then fighting for the tv remote all night the president was just like me and every kid i knew   the first to have that wall to wall engagement with pop culture
bo thats interesting
bc sounds familiar to me too but i had a challenging childhood that was touched by alcoholism and a need to grow up quicker than most kids do
pg which brings me to an interesting commonality all three of us grew up without fathers mine drifted into depression and suicide bryans was absent for 10 years   between 10 and 21 and the president met his dad just once at 10 or 11 were you looking for dads everywhere like me
bc not consciously when youre a kid you deal with circumstances the way they are i did want to be a policeman early on thats a very masculine role model and i followed that path for a while i had an aptitude for it but as every young man should i decided to go into acting because the girls were much prettier in acting class but ive come to see that parents are always teaching you in the best case its how to behave what i try to do in my life now is show our daughter a loving relationship with her mother but sometimes and largely with my parents they teach you what not to do im not going down that road its a dead end so i veered off in other directions and of course made mistakes going that way as well
bo theres a wonderful quote that i thought was lbjs but i could never verify it every man is either trying to live up to his fathers expectations or make up for his fathers mistakes i spent a lot of time trying to figure out in the absence of an immediate role model what it meant to be a man   or in my case a black man or a man of mixed race in this society but as bryan said theres no checklist its only later you realize the things you may have done in search of that absent father
pg i bet its had a big effect on how you both raised your daughters
bo there was a powerful sense that i wanted to get this right not that i was going to be perfect but that i was going to be there and engage and try to figure this out now i had the benefit of a great relationship with my mom and she taught me the essential elements of parenting unconditional love and explaining your values to your kids having high expectations and michelle comes from a very close family
bc as did my wife
bo i always think part of the attraction for me other than her great legs and being smart as a whip was the stability she had with her tightknit family being grounded and in one place for her entire childhood and i think part of the attraction for her was that i was this exotic guy who had done a whole bunch of stuff
bc my wife robin was from a stable family too there was something so attractive about that i thought this is what i want its still choppy waters raising kids but i could never conceive of not being there
pg theres a beautiful moment in your lbj movie where you come out of the oval office and bump into your daughter you have this wistful look in your eyes like have i sacrificed my relationship with this girl to this office
bc i pitched that scene it wasnt in the play i wanted you to feel the fathers love and his sense of regret that even though hes so busy with the worlds problems   
bo hes still longing to connect
pg both of you must feel that with your grinding schedules
bo how old is your daughter
bc shes 23
bo so youre a little ahead of me malia my oldest is about to leave for college the white house announced this week that malia obama was accepted at harvard and that she intends to start in the fall of 2017 after taking a gap year so this stirs up all kinds of strong feelings but ironically being in the white house gave me more time with the girls because   
bc the commute was so short
bo i live above the store weve been able to schedule pretty religiously dinner at 630 every night for the last eight years if i had a trip i might be gone for a few days but as busy as i was i was able to go upstairs have dinner they dont want you for more than an hour once they hit teenage then i can always come back down here and work it was a great and unexpected prize of this office but you do think about it as your daughter is about to leave what did i miss the one thing i never lost in a way that somebody like lbj might have   who was hungry for the office in a way that i wasnt   is my confidence that with my last breath what i will remember will be some moment with my girls not signing the health care law or giving a speech at the un
pg ive probably watched too many youtube videos of you lately but as amazing as youve been in your pop culture moments   that tear for aretha singing lets stay together   i think youre the first president in my life who is fully a man of his times youve been the parents at newtown the boy who might have been trayvon youve been the dreamers and their anxious parents has it been hard for you personally to represent such grief and hope
bo one thing you have to keep in mind is that im probably the most recorded filmed and photographed person in history up to now because im the first president who came along in the digital age every leader is a funnel for the culture he lives in and despite the exotic name and weird background i grew up as an ordinary middle class kid the cultural touch points that shaped you are the same ones that shaped me and the fact that that was true until i was 45 probably differentiates me from most presidents for somebody like lbj who fastened onto a political career early it probably changed the way he experienced culture and presented himself it never felt like a burden to me whats felt like a burden is seeing how politics has changed in ways that make it harder for washington to work there are a set of traditions a constitutional design that allows someone like lbj or fdr to govern and when those norms break down the machinery grinds to a halt thats when you feel burdened when you say heres what we need to do ive made my argument the majority of the population agrees with me yet were confronted with endless filibusters and polarization that forbids us from getting stuff done
pg i dont want to idealize the lbj moment there was a lot less equality for people of color and women as a gay man i dont want to rocket back to 1964 but there was a common conversation on national issues back then and it feels like we cant have that anymore we have republican facts and democratic facts the relentless messaging of false facts any optimism here
bc i do theres no denying the polemic nature of politics has pushed everyone to the fringes and the reaction to your administration has been an arms folded were not budging instead of the horse trading of lbjs time giving this senator or that congressman what they needed to get where we need to go weve turned to an athletic kind of partisanship if youre on the other side of the fence i cant support you even if you have a good idea and the vitriol on the talking head shows   
pg this doesnt sound very optimistic
bc but it can be start right away do it with your friend disagree without being disagreeable dont diminish him or her just work to find a common ground that we can build on
bo i just spoke to a group of young interns who rotate out every six months theyre incredibly idealistic and motivated
bc and you crushed their spirit
bo i told them if you had to choose a moment in human history to live   even if you didnt know what gender or race what nationality or sexual orientation youd be   youd choose now theres power in nostalgia but the fact is the world is wealthier healthier better educated less violent more tolerant more socially conscious and more attentive to the vulnerable than it has ever been now theres also enormous cruelty and tragedy and stupidity and pain but we tend to forget what the world was like im old enough to remember the 70s when we were still getting out of vietnam and we had lost tens of thousands of young soldiers and when they came back home they were completely abandoned we left an entire swath of southeast asia in chaos in cambodia two million people were slaughtered   about four times the number of people who have been killed in syria during this conflict but we dont remember that
bc were the kids surprised by your talk
bo i say this because im trying to inoculate them against cynicism which is a powerful force in our culture its what passes for wisdom being ironic and cynical now its true that the political landscape has changed in ways that are really unhealthy but there are fewer lubricants to get things done lbj did great things but he also relied on bagmen and giving them favors for which i would be in jail or impeached people are surprised when i say that congress is less corrupt now than its ever been
but my optimism springs from the fact that ordinary people are less narrow minded more open to difference more thoughtful than they were during lbjs time the question for me is how do i grab hold of that goodness thats out there and drag it into the political process i think it requires some new institutional structure for more citizen participation than weve had in the past
pg maybe tapping into the incredible power of pop culture
bo its a mixed bag michelle understood this earlier because she had fewer resources you have to leverage different platforms because a fireside chat just gets lost in the noise today people arent part of one conversation theyre part of a million
pg so you go on jimmy kimmel
bo youre drawing on where the culture is to get the message out when i want to sign young people up for health care ive got to do between two ferns which ended up being our biggest draw now the flip side of this is the trump phenomenon where celebrity itself becomes a credential if you are famous then you have merit
bc and your opinion matters
bo im sure youve experienced this the fact that youve now played a president almost qualifies you to be president
bc wait a minute
bo its too late for this cycle
bc it could be a brokered convention you never know
pg last subject bryans movie made me rethink legacy its not just the achievement its the flavor of it too lbjs legacy is not just civil rights and vietnam but also his hunger to be loved and win president bushs legacy is not only 911 and the iraq war but also his susceptibility to advisers whats the flavor of your legacy
bo oh its very hard for me to engage that
bc i can
pg you think it would be braggy
bo no its that theres me and then theres this character named barack obama who is slightly different on fox news than he is on msnbc i wouldnt vote for the barack obama on fox news probably
bc hes terrible
bo what a loser no its hard to see yourself in that way the one area that i do feel confident about is the notion of an inclusive nation that everybody is part of this story thats a running theme ive been faithful to throughout my presidency ive given a lot of speeches one of my favorites is one i gave in selma and theres a riff when i talk about what america is im talking about jackie robinson and a ranch hand about an immigrant on the lower east side and a bunch of gis landing on the shores of normandy i love it because it captures the essential miracle of this country all these pieces from every corner of the globe it works in fits and starts its messy and its ugly theres sadness and tragedy yet something distinctive and full of energy emerges from it and it captures the imaginations of people all around the world
pg and that ties in with your work bryan
bc i dont know about that
pg of course it does its the very inclusiveness that the president talked about the range of humanity you show in your work
bc im just interested in telling good stories and in essence this is a good story its why we talk about legacy in sports when someone retires they dont automatically elect them to the hall of fame theres a buffer period a five year period when everything has to settle down after five years of being out of the limelight do we still think of that person
bo let me pick up on that i was having a conversation with a couple of actors who were insisting that what they do is different from what i do no doubt its different but never underrate the power of stories lyndon johnson got the civil rights act done because of the stories he told and the ones martin luther king told when lbj says we shall overcome in the chamber of the house of representatives he is telling the nation who we are culture is vital in shaping our politics part of what ive always been interested in as president and what i will continue to be interested in as an ex president is telling better stories about how we can work together
bc well i think your story is going to have a very happy ending


to celebrate our daughter coming into our lives my husband and i decided to host a party during which sadie would be blessed by a catholic priest and be given a hebrew name by a rabbi we had the priest from my side of the family now we needed a rabbi
russell was barely even culturally jewish and had just started his own consulting business meaning he had no extra time for anything so finding a rabbi fell to me
many i contacted refused to officiate with a catholic priest others asked about the mother is she jewish they wanted to make it clear that sadie would not be considered jewish unless the mother was even if we gave her a hebrew name
sadie has two fathers most people get it when i say she has two daddies others persist asking no but who is her mom
with the rabbis i finally just said im her mom
this response has silenced women in elevators nannies on playgrounds and bureaucratic clerks in charge of postponing jury duty
i didnt realize that saying those three words would in some peoples eyes transform me from a married man into june cleaver i just thought if hanging out with a beautiful baby while someone else earns the money is momlike then sign me up
unfortunately i failed to read the small print explaining that my handsome husband may start seeing me as june cleaver too
as a former catholic i come from a long line of passive aggressive mothers my own catholic mother who lives one floor below us reminds me of it daily
if you really want to get me something nice for my birthday shell say i could use a few tubs of benecol when she saw me in a broadway show where i appeared briefly in spandex she said it might be fun for us to go on a diet together
mothers day is the worst she invariably turns down my siblings invitation for brunch in the suburbs preferring to complain to neighbors in our buildings elevator that none of her children invited her anywhere
russell was on a consulting trip for my first mothers day as a mom where he was enduring the hardships of luxury hotels in istanbul and london and emphasizing how grueling it was to eat with clients at world class restaurants as i dined on sadies leftover pureed spinach and pears a 9 month old is expensive and since i wasnt earning any money i was determined to spend as little as possible i planned on showering my mother with the extravagance of a card i would make myself
early that fateful sunday morning after a whopping three hours of sleep i was making my mothers card when our doorman buzzed
loud noises made sadie cry so our buzzer   similar to the sound of someone being electrocuted   caused her to scream and me to use language that wasnt child friendly over the screaming i heard that i had a package downstairs i assumed it was our shipment of formula from diaperscom
thanks junior i said ill be down in a bit i feared my outfit of boxer shorts and spit up encrusted t shirt was too casual for a full service lobby
id returned to my card making when my phone rang my mother
happy mothers day i said
thank you she said you have a package downstairs
i know ill get it later
she had clearly been making the rounds in the building moaning about her ungrateful children so the pressure was on to make her card so special that it would equal a fancy brunch and bouquet of flowers
as sadie and i trekked down to 11b to deliver it our neighbor said you have a package downstairs
thanks i said nostalgic for brownstone living and anonymous deliveries
my mother opened the door and i handed her the card which she pretended to appreciate oh david this is lovely she said why dont you go down and get your package
as i headed to the elevator leaving sadie with my mother yet another neighbor said you have a package downstairs i started to wonder where the line is between a full service building and a full annoyance one
when exiting our elevator into the lobby you make a hairpin turn past the shiny brass mailboxes before seeing the doorman at his perch if i were directing a movie this sequence would involve a slow pan of me turning the corner with a jump cut to a close up of my face as i saw what awaited me
it was not a package it was not a shipment from diaperscom on the doormans stand was a flower arrangement topped by a clump of mylar balloons stapled to the cellophane a big card yelled happy mothers day david
time stood still i felt as if i were in a vacuum with no sound movement or feelings
somehow i managed to grab the thing and rush it into the elevator i think i heard junior call out happy mothers day david in a nonmocking way but as in a bugs bunny cartoon there was a factory whistle blaring and steam coming out of my ears so i couldnt really hear him
in the elevator i assessed what i was holding this was no gaudy embarrassment of pink carnations and babys breath if its possible for a melange of balloons and flowers to be tasteful this was it and if my almost three decades with russell has taught me anything its that the difference between tacky and tasteful is usually the difference between a little money and a lot
even so the more my eyes focused on this expensive riot of mini green hydrangea and garden roses the more i wanted instead a bottle of single malt scotch a therapeutic massage and someone to look after sadie for five hours as the elevator ascended the full weight of the package became almost unbearable
i felt more than ever before the crushing burden of motherhood we moms may feel closer to the source of all power that exists in the universe but we are forced to endure the condescension of a society that acknowledges our role with pink balloons
i envisioned my allegedly hard working hubby lounging in his london hotel room suddenly remembering that it was almost mothers day and making a panicked trans atlantic call to the pricey florist he has on speed dial while trying to figure out which arrangement would most impress his mother he probably thought wait i have two mothers to think about now make it a double
the possibility that russell had merged me in his mind with his own mother hit me so hard that i almost dropped the heavy bouquet on the floor
i briefly thought about getting off on 11 and presenting it to my mother i also considered going directly into the trash room and stomping on it until it was unrecognizable until i realized that the shattering of glass and explosion of balloons would only call more attention to my wretchedness
thats when i decided to do what so many moms do every day suffer in silence i stowed the humiliating package in my apartment and went back to my mothers to get sadie as i entered i could tell that even my mother sensed it would be a bad idea to mention russells gift she again thanked me for my card and asked if we were going out for brunch
mom mothers day brunch in new york city is like a combination of jury duty the dmv and the no 6 train platform at rush hour
so no
no mom another time
one of the best things about being a new parent is having the license to sleep when your baby does so even though id been up for only an hour i stretched out with sadie and her sleeping breath against my chest gave me a moment to strategize why was i so upset didnt i have a great life wasnt i the first to call myself mom why should i be so offended if others follow suit
my father once gave me two pieces of advice marry a nice catholic girl and always be sure to look and overlook
look and overlook is one of those pithy phrases that makes sense one moment and baffles the next as i stared at the balloons however those words gave me much needed clarity i needed to overlook how much i felt like a stay at home loser and look a little more closely at the actual message on the card attached to the floral elephant in the room
so i ripped open the envelope it read
dear daddy david
just as weve decided that our daughter should celebrate both hanukkah and christmas theres no reason we cant co opt every holiday celebrating parenthood thanks for being the best parent in the world and making sadie and me feel so lucky love you tons daddy russell
ps because i know youre wondering i sent a different and much smaller arrangement to my mom
best mothers day ever


im excited that catherine zeta jones will be at my table gloria estefan said in her new york marriott marquis suite while preparing to be celebrated at an actors fund benefit salute in the same hotel
ms estefan said the actress once told her that she had cuts both ways stuck in her car cassette player and that she had listened to it for two years i said you must be sick of me the cuban born singer said she said no im a fan
ms zeta jones is not alone ms estefan 58 has won seven grammys and sold an estimated 100 million records thanks to impossibly catchy tunes like conga and anything for you and a public persona that borders on saintly
last november on your feet a spirited musical about ms estefans rise to stardom setbacks and marriage opened on broadway to lively reviews and business it would receive only one tony nomination this week for choreography on april 25 the actors fund which aids those in the performing arts honored six people including ms estefan and her husband emilio estefan whose group miami sound machine she joined in 1977 she married him a year later
ms estefan has lost track of how many times she has seen on your feet i dont even look at it and say wow thats me she said its a creative piece weve been lucky enough to be involved with the hard part she added was being honest about her mothers overprotectiveness we were quite easy on her to tell the truth ms estefan said im old and she still says call me when you get home
she is certainly capable of fending for herself reporters gathered in a side area to shoot and interview arrivals ms estefan dressed in a black lace dolce  gabbana blouse tirelessly worked the scene despite having been up since 530 am for a today show appearance
hola one of the photographers yelled hello she answered back darius brown a young producer from extra asked for her thoughts on prince i couldnt believe the innovation she said and he played every instrument bennett marcus of new york magazine wondered about the surge of interest in her native cuba you know whats funny she asked obama is now more popular in cuba than castro thats great
the tall and slinky ana villafane who ably plays ms estefan arrived and the real ms estefan said its me thats my actual height getting serious she expressed tremendous respect for a broadway talent like ms villafane who does eight shows a week shes a force to be reckoned with ms estefan said
inside the broadway ballroom the cocktail reception was crowded but ms estefan fielded all who approached a 50 something attendee told her that on your feet made her alternately dance and cry ill keep that in my heart the singer said projecting a genuine decency she probably would have made a good country star
sitting down to a steak dinner that she only half ate she appeared rapt as percolating numbers from on your feet were performed a neighbor in miami rosie odonnell gave a wide ranging speech rapping the opening number to hamilton and saying glorias life is like a musical you cant keep her down
a video montage of career highlights included her winning the ellis island medal of honor in 1993 and singing with stevie wonder at the 1999 super bowl halftime show the estefans took the podium to a standing ovation man you made me work a lot she said to her husband smiling after having watched the video the only reason weve been together for 40 years is she does all the talking mr estefan said god bless america
back at the table michael douglas had arrived but sans ms zeta jones maybe she was pulling the cassette out of the car annette bening showed up to give him his honor when he accepted mr douglas congratulated the estefans as the original dynamic duo
during a break ms estefan sauntered over to an adjacent table to hug her hero cristina saralegui the cuban born talk show host known as the spanish oprah glorias the one who told me to do the talk show ms saralegui said she said be fearless youll be a millionaire i owe it all to her
as she and her husband left   not via conga line but by walking to the elevator   ms estefan said were privileged to spend our lives making music


dancing about real estate is not uncommon in new york take susan rethorsts 208 east broadway a series inspired by her lower east side apartment and her process of moving out or ellen cornfields small stages in which three dancers shared a platform the size of a walk in closet
the choreographer juliette mapp who has been presenting work in new york since 2001 now turns to the subject of space with luxury rentals which has its premiere on thursday may 12 at danspace project the title calls to mind development in the surrounding east village blocks while alluding to the greatest expense for many dancers rehearsal space but luxury rentals looks beyond the quantifiable rent square footage with the eloquent dancers levi gonzalez jimena paz and kayvon pourazar ms mapp explores how performers lives evolve with the citys physical and financial terrain suggesting that dancing at whatever cost may be the greatest luxury of all through may 21 danspaceprojectorg


kenneth branagh initially found portraying kurt wallander the addled swedish detective so intensely disconcerting that he wore bright clothes and attended flower shows to cheer himself up i learned there was a journey in and through and away from all the dark materials that these books contain he said in a phone interview from london about the henning mankell novels on which wallander is based kurt felt these things very keenly and lived and breathed through these crimes and it wasnt always terribly healthy for me
wallander the final season starting sunday may 8 on pbs was no less daunting as kurt confronts alzheimers i found myself watching a bit at a distance because it was frankly a scary place to go mr branagh said recalling the time when mr mankell who died in october revealed to him that he had written his characters last words i saw him kind of wave goodbye to kurt on the page he added and i found myself waving goodbye to him on the screen


the dance music producer zhu pronounced like zoo followed a prolific apprenticeship with a rapid ascent in 2011 12 mostly unnoticed he released a track a week online for a year forging his particular combination of crisply understated house beats minor key melodies pop song structures and often his own wispy falsetto those elements defined his worldwide 2014 hit faded which brought him a grammy nomination since then after early attempts at concealing his face he has gone public and collaborated with skrillex a trak and kaskade his two nights at terminal 5 promise more than a laptop a feature length film and live instruments 8 pm wednesday and thursday may 11 and 12 terminal 5 terminal5nyccom
but zhu isnt sticking around for new yorks season opening electronic dance music festival electric daisy carnival with headliners like zedd and afrojack on saturday may 14 and david guetta on sunday it has a promising addition the hypnotic techno dj nicole moudaber has programmed a moodzone stage all day on sunday 1 11 pm citi field electricdaisycarnivalcom


two superstar chinese pianists of the same generation but with quite different personalities lang lang 33 and yuja wang 29 come to carnegie hall this week on wednesday may 11 mr lang who combines stupendous technique with theatrical flair is soloist with the philadelphia orchestra conducted by its dynamic music director yannick nezet seguin playing rachmaninoffs less heard youthful first concerto after intermission mr nezet seguin conducts mahlers symphony no 10 in deryck cookes much debated performing edition that includes the british scholars completion of the last three movements which were left in sketchy states by the composer
ms wang who has comparable brilliance along with taste and lucid musicality appears in recital at the hall on saturday she offers a substantive and serious program with two brahms ballades schumanns fantastical kreisleriana suite and beethovens mighty hammerklavier sonata 212 247 7800 carnegiehallorg


meryl streep has rarely played a role as fiercely defiant as that of joanna in robert bentons 1979 film kramer vs kramer in which her character abruptly leaves her husband dustin hoffman an advertising executive and young son to find herself more than a year after the father and son have grown close joanna returns to claim the boy and the couple become involved in a brutal custody battle ms streep won her first academy award for the role which inspired one of her strongest if not always sympathetic performances the movie based on a novel by avery corman reflected the feminist struggles of the period and ms streep didnt shy away from playing joanna as an angry self assertive woman
the film on thursday may 12 at the ifc center is the final selection in its series becoming meryl streep and is being shown in conjunction with the publication of michael schulmans biography her again becoming meryl streep it will be followed by a book signing and a talk with mr schulman and mr benton


in 1980 the german artist sigmar polke traveled the world from indonesia to tasmania to thailand the trip informed polkes subsequent work   his use of unconventional materials and brilliant sometimes chemically toxic colors now the david zwirner gallery is presenting a show eine winterreise winter journey that focuses on the theme of travel in polkes work from his playful take on 1960s tourist scenes to his layered paintings from the 1980s that explore intellectual as well as physical journeys
the exhibition at zwirners west 20th street location is the first since the gallery announced last fall that it had taken on representation of the polke estate polke died in 2010
curated by vicente todoli the show includes large scale paintings   like magnetische landschaft magnetic landscape an abstract mountainscape from 1982 and the lapplandische reise lapland journey series from 1984   as well as experimental films documenting polkes experiences


after a false heart attack scare i was given a diagnosis of coronary artery disease with 80 percent arterial blockage i am 53 in good shape a nonsmoker and gave up eating lard in my youth that is a joke i never ate lard but i am genetically predisposed to high cholesterol when sharing my news with family and friends i have been taken aback by their mostly blaming and impolite questions do i drink too much or have too much stress instead of offering kind words how should i respond
robin n y
about three million years ago in philosophy 101 we were assigned a book called the denial of death and i read it its thesis all of human civilization is an elaborate ruse to deny our ultimate mortality   or in this case to distinguish ourselves from an otherwise healthy seeming young person with 80 percent arterial blockage we hate reminders that we all die
im sorry for your experience though not surprised by it the only route past hurt that i see is to sympathize with how your news initially anyway may provoke reflexive anxiety in others divide these folks into two camps those who love and truly care about you and those whom you are telling because you understandably want to get this off your chest
with the first group respond to their blame game with no its genetic and you can imagine how frightened i am that should snap them back to their affection for you and a more humane interaction with the second group keep quiet about your condition i get the fantasy of disclosure like the lure of an escape valve but it rarely works with the wrong crowd when you want to talk about something personal reach out to someone who loves you every time
my boyfriend does not care for a good friend of mine i believe she knows this but we have not discussed it when she got engaged she wanted a small wedding and many of her friends were disappointed not to be included my invitation did not include my boyfriend he is furious that i went without him but i was not inclined to make two people do something that neither really wanted to do was there a better solution
tim brooklyn
i believe there was but i still sympathize with the ugly corner you were painted into i hate her how dare she not invite me but if your boyfriend is a true partner i think you might have said to him sarah wants a tiny wedding shes only inviting close friends not significant others i want to go but i also care about your feelings so you decide may i accept the invitation or should i send my regrets
given your boyfriends dislike of the bride it would be an act of pettiness to refuse you but when it comes to romantic relationships we deal supportively with all the colors on the palette even the ugly ones until we decide to discard the palette the only road i would barricade is going to the bride to wheedle a plus one out of her that would be bad form
i am organizing a lunch party for my 93 year old mother most of the guests will be over 80 so it is a sit down lunch with a fixed seating plan a young relative responded that she would try to come but just for an hour it strikes me as rude that she expects the party to proceed on her schedule and that she would leave prematurely creating a conversational hole at her end of the table what should i do
anonymous nj
this may sound hokey but my parties are much better when i surrender a little and give up my instinct to control everything not easy try to balance your mothers pleasure at seeing her young relative against your desire to ride herd respond to the young woman its a sit down lunch so maybe you could come for dessert around 3 pm but well be delighted to see you whenever you get here pulling a chair in or out is not the end of the world and some young blood may add pep to the party
the wife of my wealthy business partner brought a nice bottle of champagne to my party as a hostess gift her husband added a post it note that he was sure it cost him a lot of money he has since made several comments about its price obviously i dont give parties for the purpose of extracting gifts how should i respond
anonymous
it sounds as if your business partner is stuck in a conversational rut not blaming you for the present his wife gave help him out of it the next time he mentions the pricey gift say this wine seems to be affecting your financial outlook would you like me to pass the hat for you it will become a running gag or you will never hear a peep about it again


once a week when paula vogel was 15 and growing up in suburban maryland she would fake her mothers signature on a sick note for school and hop a bus to the library of congress where she requested books that formed a kind of autodidacts course of study
and they would bring them to me these 1930s 1940s 1950s really pulp fiction lesbian novels in which at the end one of the young women marries a man and the other one commits suicide this pulitzer winning playwright 64 said early one recent evening at the vineyard theater where her new play indecent opens may 17
created with the director rebecca taichman indecent is inspired by sholem aschs yiddish play the god of vengeance and events surrounding it swiftly shut down by the vice squad its 1923 new york production contained the first kiss ever between two women on a broadway stage what stunned ms vogel when she read it though as a 22 year old graduate student at cornell came later in the play a frankly erotic achingly romantic rain splashed female love scene
it is so beautiful really beautiful she said not a hint or a blink that its morally wrong
cut by the producer harry weinberger that scene never made it to broadway when the play moved uptown from greenwich village so it wasnt in question when a rabbi from the socially prominent temple emanu el among others lodged a complaint about the production weinberger was indicted with the shows manager and its cast of 12 for giving an indecent immoral and impure theatrical performance as the new york times reported
but the scene is at the heart of indecent which follows aschs play through the first half of the 20th century beginning in poland in 1906 when the writer is a young newlywed and the god of vengeance is his incendiary new script
asch had written an upstairs downstairs sacred and profane play in which a man who runs a brothel in the basement of his home pays to have a religious scroll made planning to keep it in the bedroom of his daughter rifkele as a testament to her purity while her parents seek a respectable husband for her she is already enamored of manke one of the prostitutes who work for her father
for ms taichman 46 aschs play has been an obsession since 1997 when she was a first year student at the yale school of drama having grown up in port jefferson long island in a home well stocked with yiddish books she was surprised to be unacquainted with the god of vengeance
drawn to it in part because she was at the time in love with a woman she got the trial transcript from the yale law library aschs papers were also at yale as were weinbergers ms taichman immersed herself i just couldnt believe the memories i had happened upon she said
from them she made a play that became her thesis titled the people vs the god of vengeance it cuts back and forth between aschs drama and the trial at which the playwright never appeared
feeling unsatisfied with her script but unwilling to let the subject go ms taichman went in search of a playwright collaborator thank goodness she said that shed grown up some by the time she finally got an introduction to ms vogel five or six years ago by then ms taichman understood that her own task was to give ms vogel all my knowledge that she wanted not clinging to her own conception of the play but instead trusting whatever ms vogels vision turned out to be
infused with music movement and dance indecent revolves around a troupe of actors who perform and cherish the god of vengeance through the decades and a sweet stage manager called lemml   his name a homage to ms taichmans grandfather his function a nod to ms vogels affection for our town by thornton wilder at the yale school of drama where she began teaching long after ms taichman had graduated she would sometimes soothe an upset student by taking a drive to wilders old house nearby and sitting outside to talk
the trial has a smaller role and lyricism a more prominent one in indecent than in ms taichmans play but for both her and ms vogel aschs actions leading up to the broadway production and his no show status at the trial are knotty issues why did he allow the rain scene to be cut from the script why didnt he defend his colleagues and his work
ms taichman believes that in the political climate of 1923 he was afraid just as she believes fear drove some jewish objections to the show
thats what i think makes it a really complicated story she said there was enormous anti semitism nobody knew what was coming but it was genuinely ominous so what in that moment when you feel at risk do you put out into the world about who you are
ms vogel who has a decades long record of championing young playwrights is less willing to absolve asch for failing to stand up in middle age for a play he wrote at 26
look its a young persons play she said ok its overwritten but its a beautiful young play
she remembers what the god of vengeance meant to her when she first read it she knows what it was like to be a lesbian playwright sending out her early plays   like the oldest profession 1981 and and baby makes seven 1984   and getting rejection letters that suggested in language she can still quote that she had a filthy mind
to her the framing device of indecent is a little love story to everyone along the way who helped me believed in me as a gay woman nurtured me stood up for my lifestyle stood up for my plays
it is also a thank you to asch which doesnt quite mean that shes forgiven him particularly for allowing the love between two women to be cut out of his play for broadway to her this was a betrayal by a mature artist of the artist he was when he began
i really feel it was a desecration   and im angry actually she said when people bash the young writers i believe in its hard for me to get over it


a hundred and twenty one years ago the irish playwright and poet oscar wilde was sentenced to two years of hard labor after withdrawing his writ for criminal libel against the marquess of queensberry queensberry had left a card for wilde at his club on which he scribbled to oscar wilde posing as a somdomite queensberry couldnt spell it was put in an envelope by the hall porter and picked up by wilde several weeks later in a tragically blind example of early celebrity madness wilde challenged queensberry   the father of his lover lord alfred douglas nicknamed bosie   in the courts only to end up in the dock himself accused of gross indecency and subjected to two of the most scandalous and tragic trials of the times he was arrested at the cadogan hotel
a few years later i was desperately thinking of ways i could raise money for the film i had written about wilde and i suddenly remembered david hares the judas kiss it was one of my favorite plays i thought if i could be good in the part of oscar who knew it could be the next step the missing link to getting my film on the road i coerced my producer friend robert fox into action we went to see david who agreed to the idea and then robert put the whole thing together pretty soon we were rehearsing the judas kiss at the hampstead theater in london it was the summer of 2012
davids play is an extraordinary portrait of oscar wilde etched out of two pivotal scenes in the writers life the first act takes place at the cadogan hotel where oscar hides after his libel action collapses for any die hard wilde fan that last afternoon of freedom in a pokey room on the corner of pont street is one of the great romantic riddles of the 19th century i have slept in that room by the way no message no vibration why does wilde not run when he has the chance does he know that his place in history is being carved as he sits there waiting to be arrested
the second act finds oscar at the end of the road in a crumbling rat infested palazzo outside naples as his lengthy affair with bosie finally unravels a beached whale oscar his butcher bosie and a bit of rough galileo a neapolitan fisherman spend one last night tearing each other to shreds as the bay of naples shimmers below them jewelled like the scrawny neck of some ageing dowager a surprise visit from oscars closest friend robbie ross brings the drama to a head the play ends with oscars face framed in a pool of light he is literally fading from view laughing at himself and at life
in the rehearsal room david hare watched a chaotic first run as if armageddon were being revealed his face was an agonized rictus of horror yes   i was all over the place   but so was everyone else we all huddled like scared geese by the coffee machine during the interval while david and neil armfield our marvelous australian director were coiled in a corner whispering   recasting   but they didnt have to worry
even if i was a little indistinct unsure of the lines less sure of the moves crashing into the furniture   this is my technique   david did not know nor did anyone else that i had ordered the most incredible fat suit from the master of disguise robert allsopp replete with baboon moobs a wobbling midriff and a marvelous knee length arse i would wear it under a tightly laced corset to squeeze me into the perfect wildean waddle
oscars sexual organ would be the key to my performance and rob made a christmas stocking of a thing with low hanging orbs filled with dried beans this appendage squelched inside my trousers would be visible to the audience i had to cut it down a size or two after a couple of previews it was taking over i had an incredible set of dirty teeth by fangs with enlarged gums to give my cheeks the oscar silhouette
i had two amazing wigs from the queen of hair alex rouse one thick and bouncy for act i and the other thin and balding for the denouement i was going to look astonishing as oscar before i even opened my mouth
yes i come from the marlene dietrich school of acting orson welles once told me about the day he called marlene and asked her to be in touch of evil   that afternoon she jumped out of bed rushed over to paramount to consult with her svengali travis banton the well known costumer together they ransacked the wardrobe department for a hat and a shawl and a couple of wigs and then she drove like a wild thing down to the border and shot in the afternoon i love this approach
luckily i had slightly more time than marlene and spent a whole year   between hatching the production and it coming to pass   fine tuning this look if not my performance
and sure enough when i appeared onstage at the dress rehearsal there was a collective gasp my creaky acting took flight it was astonishing suddenly the role was made for me and i was made for it a strange theatrical eclipse had occurred
the reviews were good audiences were enthusiastic we booked a tour and a west end transfer and i managed to get the bbc and lionsgate to take part in my film
suddenly wilde was my whole life and it felt right like the natural conclusion of something
gay marriage has just gone through david hare said one night visiting my dressing room before the show parliament had voted and it was splashed over the covers of all the papers will you be marrying henrique
maybe i replied cautiously
of course youre against it arent you he had me down for a neocon
i loathe weddings if thats what you mean gay or straight
through the open door i heard him spreading the news up the stairs to the other dressing rooms and it suddenly struck me that tonight our play was the most important artistic expression of the times in the theater 700 peoples worlds collide each night but this evening we were all tottering on one of the great tectonic shifts as our whole world was realigned this is how it suddenly felt
just a century ago a man   oscar   could be imprisoned and ruined   killed off basically   simply for being gay but tonight a homosexual stood on equal ground with the rest of society and i was quite unexpectedly extremely moved
sitting in the blue light of the wings in my usual seat my heart beating as fast as at an opening night watching the technicians and actors emerge from the darkness in that methodical slow motion peculiar to our trade i knew it was one of the great moments in my life
i was aware of every minuscule movement in my body   veins gurgling little muscles twitching hairs standing up and waving   but also i could feel the whole audience we were absolutely united the same thought was crossing all our minds this was the night to see a play about oscar wilde
i hurled myself onto the stage for my first entrance a theatrical lazarus back from the grave i was riding the crest of an invisible wave its undertow was the whole history of cruelty   the pillory the scaffold the red hot poker and the burnings at the stake all the vileness invented by humanity to curb and control the practitioners of the unspeakable sin   it was all tumbling on and oscar was there in every word razor sharp slashing the world down to size glittering in the lights and crashing against the walls of the theater
for me oscar is a kind of christ figure in his exile he was   along with that other jailbird verlaine   the last of the great 19th century vagabonds shuffling from bar to bar on the boulevard cadging drinks tragic and comic a clown with a missing tooth smelling vaguely of sweat and cigarettes his companions were street urchins and petty criminals his death in a cheap hotel room in paris was the final great romantic tableau of the century and started one of the great 20th century debates homosexuality was not even a familiar word until the scandal oscar changed that and the long road began toward recognition and liberty
we are all   the gays the lesbians the transgender community   still stalking tottering and sashaying along it as he predicted it has been   will be   streaked with the blood of martyrs but we have definitely come a long way since that may morning in 1895 when a judge could convict a man to two years of hard labor for being homosexual and get a standing ovation for it
in the three years between the west end and our current revival at the brooklyn academy of music my film has floundered sunk without a trace resurfaced and sunk again people have come and gone one producer   slightly overweight   making his way down the five flights of stairs from our production office for the fifth time in one day sweating and ashen declared that some films just dont want to be made well mine does we were finally greenlit in march eight years later it has taken more resolve than i knew i had
meanwhile the judas kiss is opening at bam we have new cast members and it feels like a new play my journey with oscar continues


i paid 341 to ride in the five boro bike tour so though the forecast called for cold and rain i had to do it to get my moneys worth
what else could a sensible person do have a cozy sunday indoors with brunch or a movie and kiss that 341 goodbye when i have the opportunity to put on more foul weather gear than admiral peary and risk collision with 32000 other bikers
sure one could argue that this is the wrong way to look at it that you are not getting the 341 back no matter what but that does not factor in the other investments i had made
i had sweated through countless spin classes at the ymca hanging around 15 extra minutes after each class so that there would be a better chance of someone calling 911 if i collapsed id paid 128 for new bicycle tires which brought my five boro tab to 469 and of course there was also that triumph of will thing i wanted to put my finish photo on facebook where all endeavor human and feline is measured
oh excuse me i have an im from an out of town reader you paid 341 for a bike ride what are you crazy
no just slow the regular entry fee was 94 plus processing fees but those slots sold out in 48 hours leaving only the vip spots for 325 plus handling fees i had seen the buff and jolly riders coming up avenue of the americas on glorious blue sky may days so this year i thought oh hell i can afford it and they are throwing in a vip breakfast which is sure to attract men who are not destitute the investment banker turned sculptor demographic i so long to meet and when these men see me in my hot skintight bike clothing i believe it has been two months since i mentioned i lost 26 pounds my nights as a jewish nun will be over
i wasnt worried about the actual course which i had ridden before until i realized i had ridden it 16 years ago which meant if you follow the medical literature on this stuff that i was 16 years younger also it turned out to be 40 miles not 30 as i remembered but i can do 25 or 30 miles easily as long as they are flat miles so i figured i could handle it i borrowed some rain pants from a friend as well as a baggy jacket that she said had proved absolutely waterproof my beautifully cut bike jackets selected from the get lucky line are merely water repellent
the vip breakfast near the starting line at franklin street and avenue of the americas in lower manhattan seems to be bagels in bags and i do not spot a single sculptor turned banker later i am told by a spokesman for the event that i took a wrong turn and ended up in the volunteer area but we are all in luck with the weather it doesnt start to drizzle until the sponsors finish talking
off we go i am at the front with the biking 1 percent and its great to be riding through manhattan without fear of motorized vehicles all you have to fear are the 32000 other riders but with this horrible forecast i am sure there are no more than 26000
im psyched it is a bit embarrassing when a little person in her 30s passes me on her little bike but i content myself with the thought that her legs are spinning so frantically that she will not possibly make it through central park where they will find her crumpled body the next morning
we ride through harlem up to the bronx on to the fdr drive the route is dotted with free food stops and bands at an exit off the fdr the street beat brass band is playing dixieland jazz its like the count basie scene in blazing saddles but better because youre in this movie all the crazy new york color is out i see half a dozen middle aged men in tutus a man on a stand up elliptical bike with calves so cut they look cubist and as we pedal through queens a guy in a turban which as the drizzle has now turned into rain probably weighs 20 pounds
meanwhile im having a problem with my borrowed rain pants they are so tight that they are affecting my breathing this is creating something of a dilemma do i keep the pants on and remain dry and breathless or take them off and get wet but oxygenated i opt for the oxygen and peel the pants off at the mile 18 astoria park rest stop
the rain gets heavier as i bike into brooklyn about mile 28 on a crowded bridge on the gowanus expressway it really kicks in my waterproof jacket which had been quietly trickling water down my back is now siphoning rain into my two layers of jerseys my shoes are sopping i am freezing i now have but two thoughts and unfortunately they are somewhat contradictory facebook triumphant photo yeah and hot bath this very minute
at mile 32 i spot an exit ramp
the temptation to leave is strong the n train which can get me to my apartment in half an hour is nearby on the other hand i am only eight miles from the finish i know what i have to do
i am kind of sorry though that i didnt take a selfie in my hot bath and post it on facebook as a triumph of will kind of thing


santa monica calif   ask chelsea handler what she plans to do on her new netflix talk show and youll just as likely get a passionate response about what she doesnt want to do no sidekick no house musicians if she can help it no predictable structures or formats of any kind
i dont want people turning it on and seeing the same thing she explained recently monologue first guest band da da da i just cant do it that way
on this april afternoon ms handler the acerbic comedian author and former host of es chelsea lately was sitting outside rosti tuscan kitchen a restaurant where she waited tables years ago while trying to break into show business
she was here to impart some wisdom to her niece charley a guileless cheerful 11 year old who hopes to be famous like her aunt while a camera crew from ms handlers show followed charley taking orders and receiving an education in the school of hard knocks the host herself was giving another kind of lesson the subject was the seeming staleness of the topical comedy format and how she hopes to avoid this when her show chelsea makes its debut on wednesday may 11
all these shows try to start out selling something different and ultimately all become the same just with a different guy ms handler 41 said in a husky voice that never fully shed its new jersey roots i have to do everything i can to prevent that from happening
as she understands it is one thing to promise innovation and quite another to deliver it in a field with about a dozen competitors mostly men
that she is one of just a few women to have hosted a late night show ms handler said was unimportant i dont think of myself as a woman   i think of myself as a person she said do you think thats what i think about all day no im just trying to be entertaining
still it is an unusual proposition that ms handler would create chelsea for netflix the streaming video service that has no programming grid or daily schedule to speak of
netflix has touted its ability to get viewers to binge on its content in lengthy doses but has no track record with topical shows it is hoping for ms handler to deliver a program that has the freewheeling spirit of a late night talk show if not the customary formats or time slot new episodes will be posted at 1201 am pacific time on wednesdays thursdays and fridays
it has made the deal more intriguing by taking this foray with ms handler at a time when she wants to be known for her wider interests in how the world works and not merely as a comedian who jokes about drinking and not wanting children
she is also a provocative entertainer   today she wore a necklace bearing a familiar two word obscene phrase   who doesnt disguise her restlessness and may even consider it her best quality
im totally impulsive she said proudly i was impulsive when i signed up with e and that lasted eight years i was impulsive when i wrote my first book and then i wrote five i would never want to be another way
its been nearly two years since ms handler brought the curtain down on chelsea lately her home for raucous commentary on popular culture round tables of stand up comedians and celebrity guests
though the series ran more than 1000 episodes ms handler said by its end she was bristling behind the scenes tired of being constrained by what she felt was es narrow focus on gossip and reality stars
were on before the kardashians or after the kardashians she said were surrounded by people who are nonsense no ones coming to this network looking for news or political stories or human interest or global issues none of the things im interested in are being talked about
when she could feel herself losing interest it was time to pack it in its one dimensional she said and i was one dimensional e declined to comment for this article
ms handler said she intended to take the next year off from the industry and fended off inquiries from other networks she would not specify which believing they would never allow her the independence she desired
but after a few conversations with netflix ms handler said its lack of experience in the talk show arena   and the freedom to experiment that came with it   were assets im my own island she said i have nothing to compete with its exactly where i want to be
ted sarandos netflixs chief content officer said ms handlers willingness to inject herself into unfamiliar situations and bring a wry humor to these explorations suggested she could carry a show more expansive than chelsea lately
theres nothing more boring than an interview where the interviewer is the functional expert mr sarandos said what you want is somebody whos super curious and in chelseas case remarkably funny at the end of the day the show is anchored on chelsea and her comedy
as for ms handlers spur of the moment nature mr sarandos said its the most exciting part you dont want to try too hard to contain that spontaneity because great things come out of it
in ms handlers personal office on the fourth floor of the david lean building at sony pictures studios in culver city calif hangs a motivational poster of sorts it reads you are remembered for the rules you break
the slogan applies to a performer who at 19 uprooted herself from new jersey to los angeles where she slept on an aunts couch while going out for auditions after early transgressions including a dui arrest at 21 she made headway as a stand up comic with a saucy flying solo style she has retained in best selling books like are you there vodka its me chelsea and day to day interactions
when a departing rosti customer told ms handler i like martinis too ms handler grumbled audibly people like to tell me they like alcohol oh ok glad to know it
she has been open about past relationships that have captured the publics fascination whether longer term with ted harbert the former e networks president and now nbc broadcasting chairman or shorter lived with the rapper 50 cent
even as an increasingly prominent face for an increasingly prominent content service ms handler has no qualms about posting partly nude photos of herself to her social media feeds and makes no apologies for doing so
if you dont want to see my boobs you can unfollow me on instagram she said
with a similar candor ms handler stripped bare the homogeneity of late night tv where she said a new generation of hosts had brought little innovation to the genre there are 10 or 11 guys doing what used to be done by two guys she said thats not interesting
in particular ms handler criticized stephen colbert the former star of comedy centrals the colbert report who took over from david letterman at cbss late show in september
look whats going on with stephen colbert and that show she said what is that hes being himself and hes not he didnt go in and make a different show hes just following in the footsteps of someone else a press representative for mr colbert declined to comment
now the burden is on ms handler who is being paid a reported 10 million salary a figure her representatives declined to confirm to show that she can do something different at her disposal shell have a series unencumbered by commercial breaks or running times though each episode will be around 30 minutes long
ms handler has already given a preview of how she would approach this task in four netflix documentaries released in january where she explored broad topics like racism marriage and drugs and traveled to peru to drink ayahuasca a psychoactive plant brew it made me a lot more patient with my sister she said
for the past few months ms handler and her producers have been busily producing field segments far and wide trying to find topics that are timely but approaches that are evergreen for segments that will appeal to viewers in the united states as well as the nearly 200 other countries where netflix is available
bill wolff the executive producer of chelsea said his role at this stage was to help ms handler identify compelling material and stories which make sense with her comedic mechanism
as mr wolff a former executive producer of the view and the rachel maddow show explained theres a lot to be known about chinese farm subsidies and how they affect the american worker   what can chelsea do to talk about that is that something shes really interested in
chelsea sitting in a room just talking to one person is not really what we do he added its chelsea engaged chelsea out in the world chelsea doing stuff
pinned to an office wall behind mr wolff were some 50 index cards representing pieces ms handler had already filmed on subjects like the so called gig economy working as a lyft driver or taking furniture assembly assignments from taskrabbit and on trips to moscow and mexico city another recent trip to florida had yielded segments tied to the 2016 presidential election like one where ms handler travels on a souls to the polls trip with a black church group to illuminate the practice of early voting
at a nearby soundstage on the sony lot work was underway on a modular set where ms handler will record segments in front of a live audience a la chelsea lately including one on one interviews and panel discussions
but ms handler said she wants to avoid inviting celebrities just to promote their projects and would rather emulate hosts like dick cavett when he would put on janis joplin with henry kissinger she said even so ms handler has also taped a dinner party with actors from the comic book movie captain america civil war
netflix says it has the capability to post episodes of chelsea within hours after they are completed still mr sarandos said most people are going to watch it a day or two later a week or two later or even a month or two later and the show is built for that meaning that its topical but its not a melting ice cube
getting netflix viewers regularly watching a topical show is a definite break in our normal model mr sarandos acknowledged but he said its not really trying to change their habit of coming to netflix as much as it is what you do while youre here
asked whether chelsea would make content available to share outside the netflix site mr sarandos said were likely to experiment with ways that we can introduce a broader audience to the show but its not the driver were not trying to create viral moments but well find some
some of ms handlers industry colleagues are confident she will make a smooth transition to her netflix series and that it will help energize the category
rob burnett a longtime executive producer of mr lettermans late show said that this was no longer a tv era in which you got somebody to be a very genial master of ceremonies and it goes on for 30 years
the way to make a talk show now mr burnett said is to feature someone who can make a big splash and almost by definition maybe in five years people are tired of it   theres no shame in that
jo miller an executive producer of tbss full frontal with samantha bee said that there was ample room for multiple hosts to cover similar subjects
larry wilmore chelsea and we could all do the same topic ms miller said wed have three different points of view and all three would be interesting and funny to watch there are going to be topics that are perfect chelsea topics that she can do better than anybody
ms miller deflected any questions about gender in topical comedy before they could be asked if its about our vaginas im going to seriously hang up she said laughing nonetheless chelseas got a brain thats what its about
on the morning after her taping with charley ms handler was in the kitchen of her bel air mansion having her hair and makeup done while she reviewed the script she would be filming that afternoon near the homes front door was a giant book of rock n roll photography open to a 1970s era portrait of bob dylan in a den was a vase whose shape was formed from numerous conjoined female breasts
ms handler said at first that she had no idea how long her contract with netflix ran though when pressed further she said it was a minimum of three years adding that she took the job seriously
this is a tv show she explained i would take a marriage more lightly
whatever the duration ms handler cautioned that chelsea wont be the show that i want probably the first or second day itll take three months for it to be where im like this is great this is what i want to do
by the way she added it becomes clearer and clearer as the show gets closer and closer
while her dogs chunk and tammy strolled in and out of the kitchen ms handler pointed to them and said thats what you do when you dont have children
compared to humans she said dogs cant talk and thats a whole big bonus
reminded that babies do not talk either ms handler replied yeah but then they dont shut up for the rest of their lives


as vanessa ives in the showtime series penny dreadful the french actress eva green has been possessed by demons spoken in tongues fallen in love with a werewolf and defied the devil what on earth can happen to her character next something scarier therapy
yes in season 3 now underway the impenetrable miss ives visits a alienist who bears a strange resemblance to a character from season 2 i always think no it cant get darker said ms green who was nominated for a golden globe for the role but well you dont know with this character whether its all in her head
the show set in victorian england incorporates characters from classic british novels of the era   dr frankenstein and his monsters dorian gray and dracula   to creepy head spinning ends i love playing a character from those repressed times who is so nonconformist its very jubilating ms green said being possessed sometimes its very freeing
ms green 35 grew up in paris and worked in theater before making her screen debut in 2003 in bernardo bertoluccis the dreamers later appearing as the double agent vesper lynd in the 2006 james bond movie casino royale later this year she will appear in tim burtons miss peregrines home for peculiar children
in an interview at a hotel in london ms green dressed all in black was warm and unlike vanessa smiled a lot these are edited excerpts from the conversation
when you were cast as vanessa did you know youd have epic sequences of demonic possession   projectile vomiting and mowing down men and furniture
i love all that i prefer doing it to light stuff there is something very physical about it which is fun but its true that its really intense like a drug or a sport sometimes after shooting i go home and lie on the sofa with a glass of red wine and cant move
is it hard to speak in tongues in that scarily deep voice
the first season i was very serious about it i learned some latin arabic german and lingala a congolese dialect but then some linguists created the verbis diablo for season 2 i was very good for an episode then i just made it all up and took my voice down an octave or two
french is your first language but youve mostly worked in english
i have only done one movie in french and it was terrible id love to do another but im scared playing in another language means you get out of yourself somehow i worked really crazily to sound british when i did the bond movie but im a nerd like that
when did you decide you wanted to act
i was very shy   i still am actually   and my school forced me to do a theater class when i was 12 because they thought it would be good for me my mother was an actress but she stopped when she had children and she would always tell me it was a cruel business i went to drama school but thought i wanted to become a director then i started to act and really felt alive and here i am
what are some of your career goals
i would love to do something with jacques audiard rust and bone i once wrote him a letter but perhaps he doesnt think im right people often see me as sophisticated or put me in the supernatural box
what was it like to work with tim burton on miss peregrine
he was really lovely the film is about lots of strange children with unique characteristics and im the guardian who protects them from the outside world there is some darkness but its very fanciful crazy with funny moments its very poetic very tim
whats in store for vanessa in season 3
vanessa has lost her faith but deep down there is a longing she meets dr sweet a zoologist in the first episode and she will fall in love but its weird its a penny dreadful kind of relationship what can i say


the woman in the photograph doesnt look frightened even though she has reason to be on the other side of the crumbling wall behind her a small boy is pointing a big gun at someone just outside the frame something in her posture however the way she cranes her head to look at the boy suggests impatience more than anything else shes on her way home from shopping it seems and carrying a large purse and a pale heavy object   a cauliflower shes standing on rubble but her clean white sandals and beautiful bare legs gleam
this is a favorite image of mine a snapshot of unknown provenance supposedly taken during lebanons civil war between 1975 and 1990 15 years of fighting that pulverized much of the capital leaving 150000 people dead and more than 17000 missing it was a war that unleashed sustained and inventive terror a war fought with child soldiers and car bombs   3641 of them killed some 4000 people it is the preoccupation of the alarmingly prolific lebanese writer rabee jaber winner of the international prize for arabic fiction whose novels are finally being translated into english by kareem james abu zeid the latest the dreamlike and unhinged confessions new directions paper 1495 was published this spring
what the sea was to melville terror is to rabee jaber he knows its smell its subtlest moods its allure and tedium   how the sight of a child soldier say can provoke more annoyance than fear in 18 novels written in about as many years hes traced how terror has remade his country by way of displacement and forced migration through the 18th and 19th centuries and into the present day the mehlis report his first novel to appear in english was published in lebanon in 2005 the very year it covers and follows the aftershocks of the assassination of the prime minister rafiq hariri in a car bombing which prompted an investigation by the united nations led by a german judge detlev mehlis confessions a slender book with a high body count is set in the middle of the civil war in the thick of kidnappings and ambushes on refugee camps when a childs bag of marbles turns out to be horrifyingly a cache of human eyes
of course the figure of the terrorist has long been irresistible to novelists   and dangerously so some of the attention is rivalrous as don delillo argued the terrorist has in some ways supplanted the writer years ago i used to think it was possible for a novelist to alter the inner life of the culture the writer in mao ii says now bomb makers and gunmen have taken that territory they make raids on human consciousness after sept 11 western writers flocked to the topic with touching and clumsy avidity in a bid it seemed for relevance in the effort to understand just what creates a terrorist then as now the dominant question when it comes to terrorism couldnt the novelist   that specialist in the dark cobwebby corners of the soul that diagnostician of how the private life intertwines with the public   prove himself useful but with a few notable exceptions like secret son by laila lalami and the richly researched harbor by lorraine adams there was a series of belly flops from our major writers the fictional terrorist remained a creation of both condescension and envy a tissue of projection anxiety and stereotype informed by little curiosity or context john updike infamously relied on the koran for dummies while writing his 2006 novel terrorist which imagined an american high school student of irish and egyptian descent who becomes a suicide bomber
what makes jaber so unusual is his indifference to terrorists hes not curious about what impels them   he rarely bothers to even name them theyre figures of vague dread rather than glamour its a perspective he seems to share with karan mahajan the author of the association of small bombs a new and singularly intelligent novel about a 1996 bombing in new delhi in an interview with his publishers mahajan who grew up in india and now lives in texas expressed exasperation with much western fiction that has treated terrorism as some kind of performance art conrad saw that terrorism was just another mode of pettiness of stupidity of expression he said we shouldnt unnecessarily exalt terrorists because of their recent successes in mahajans book   as well as a handful of others to emerge out of india pakistan and the middle east including the work of mohammed hanif and bilal tanweer   terrorism is neither aestheticized nor shorn of its relationship to history or other kinds of violence the war will never end because its inside us the lebanese novelist elias khoury wrote in his 2012 book broken mirrors translated into english last year brutality is revealed as boring repetitive frequently ridiculous a man in the mehlis report survives the tremendous blast of a car bombing only to be killed by a shard smaller than a lentil which pierces his heart its survival however tenuous   especially when tenuous   that proves intriguing
which is to say that i suspect jaber like the unknown photographer i admire would be less interested in the boy and his gun than in the woman and her thick cropped hair the sunflower print on her dress it is she who dominates the frame she who commands our curiosity is it a cauliflower shes holding is she hiding from the small boy with the gun   or waiting for him jaber is interested in what it means to live in and with fear not for one season but for a whole generation two generations three hes interested in the bones of beirut a city that has had to rebuild itself repeatedly after being razed in war in 140 bc then devastated by the earthquake of 551 then again during the civil war a city whose name derives from the canaanite beerot   wells   the water table that still sustains it hes interested in what lies beneath what nourishes us without our knowing how the sight of a parked car can set off panic   it wasnt a car anymore it was a ghoul the narrator of the mehlis report frets was it my time to die would the ghoul explode and splatter me all over the street and yet beirut is tense everyone is skittish but the steam still rises from the teacups and the cake smells sweet
this attention to endurance to life that goes on because it must go on takes a particular form its not so much realism cut with fantasy as fiction poised between the land of the living and the dead the dead watch the living on closed circuit television call their relatives on the telephone and obsessively revise their memoirs in the mehlis report in confessions the living feel they might be phantoms themselves the narrator cannot understand why everyone has always reacted to his face with such horror why he provokes his sisters to tears his brother to violence and the neighbors to gawking gradually he learns the truth he is the replacement for a child who died he even bears his name the man he calls his father has murdered his real family and kidnapped him
the city itself is a kind of ghostly palimpsest there is the beirut of the dead superimposed on the beirut of the living jabers translator has said of the mehlis report which takes the form of aimless walks as the protagonist an architect clinically evaluates passing women and takes stock of his city as it finally rebuilds after the civil war he is both comforted and repelled by the changes the skyscrapers promise growth but he rues each missing mulberry and olive tree the old movie theater now a burnt out husk its charred seats looking like rows of tombstones a dried up river that was once filled with pink and white fish this is a recurring scene in jabers fiction a character stops in front of one of beiruts modern buildings and tries to remember what used to stand there robyn creswell wrote in the new york review of books classical poetics in arabic calls this scene the nasib a nomad poet halts at an abandoned desert campsite and while figuratively sifting the ashes through his fingers recalls the good times he once had there
but this act of remembering is for jaber as much nostalgic temptation as ethical obligation it is the only if doomed path to dignity after all we are designed to forget   in fact the arabic words for human and to forget are very close in jabers work only the dead the underworlds meticulous memoirists keep perfect records


while planning her wedding i only hung up on my mother once said michelle blackley of buffalo shes normally a calm laid back woman but the wedding definitely flipped a switch where it became about her and less about me
she noted that the duo had a few heated conversations leading up to her union there last october said ms blackley now 38 she became a micromanager and wanted to delegate who was on the guest list whether we should have flameless candles in the gothic church we were getting married in and we had one big fight about my veil
many things about weddings may have changed but one constant has been a mothers need and desire to be involved in the planning
a wedding is a culmination of what youve invested in your childs life said lori thomas 62 of san diego whose daughter whitney married there on march 4 its the last big thing youll do for them since there are no real rules that tell you how involved you can be the participation spectrum is endless
behind every father who gives away his daughter theres usually a mother directing how he should do it shes also the one telling the photographer what moments to capture while making sure the guests she invited are seated in the correct spots
because people are marrying older women in their late 20s late 30s have an increase in emotional maturity said deborah m merrill author of when your children marry how marriage changes relationships with sons and daughters and a sociology professor at clark university in worcester mass theyre more mindful of their mothers feelings they have better coping skills and are better at problem solving they may not want their mothers there but they are more thoughtful about how they say it and thats a real shift
theres far more navigating of peoples feelings than i expected said alexa smith 30 who is marrying sept 2 at battery gardens a restaurant in manhattan i have a mom and a stepmom who are like best friends so thats having a mom in stereo both email or call every day with suggestions
ms smith who is from kentucky and is an only child noted that sentimentality drives her mothers one opportunity to see her daughter married shes been deeply involved because she knows this isnt coming around again ms smith said im on my own i live with the person im marrying this is my last need from them that must be very hard for a parent
even so ms smith also foresaw the potential of being overwhelmed by good intentions especially when it came to one of the most time honored wedding rituals a mother and daughter buying the wedding dress together
several months before her mother and stepmom and an aunt flew in from kentucky to begin the gown search ms smith found one she loved at gabriellas in soho while on her lunch break recognizing how much tradition was wrapped up in the search she kept it a secret from her family
when her posse arrived in new york they all visited kleinfeld saks fifth avenue and vera wang ms smith had deliberately left gabriellas on wooster street for the end of the pilgrimage where unbeknown to her relatives she had put the dress on hold
i had the salesperson pull the worst dresses he could find all which made me look terrible or lumpy she said then i put on the one id picked out months before which was beautiful and fit perfectly everyone cried when they saw me in it when i told them what id done they cried a little harder but they also thought it was funny
the dynamics between many boomers and their millennial daughters has changed making the process somehow less grating
formality of the relationship is a thing of the past said deborah tannen the author of youre wearing that understanding mothers and daughters in conversation and a linguistics professor at georgetown university these women are closer than a generation or two generations ago many mothers identify as their daughters best friend they rely on their phones to text snapchat email and speak daily but its not just the mothers seeking participation its the daughters too
professor tannen pointed out that being involved is fine but to be careful of boundaries close bonds always run the risk of feeling like bondage she said
ms blackley said my hair started to fall out because of the stress id never want to plan something like that again i dont think my mother would either
while some mothers are learning limitations others are learning that grooms have opinions too   ones that he wants to make sure are heard
i assumed whitney and i would plan the wedding together but i quickly realized this was a collaborative process said ms thomas of san diego who soon found out that her daughters husband drew had a clear and definitive vision of what he wanted in his wedding its not as common in this culture for the groom to have that much input years ago it seemed like they didnt really care but drew did
still when it comes to weddings some brides prefer their mothers voice instead
i ask my mothers opinion on everything said ashley iverson 33 who while in the planning stage spoke to her mother almost 10 times a day she has good taste shes smart she loves to plan parties and shes paying for our wedding the only person i wanted to back off was my fiance hes the only man i know who wanted to be involved at first it was nice and then got annoying
other mothers become surrogate planners a trusted soul to meet with vendors when their daughters arent available
my mother lives close to where we were getting married said whitney berry 34 lori thomass oldest daughter im in la and wasnt able to meet with everyone so she picked out the flowers did an additional visit to the venue walked the property and took pictures she also found the cake we didnt care about having one but she really did she wanted us to have that moment where we cut the cake as a couple so she found a magazine that highlighted one made of cheese which we loved because it was unique and personal and it still honored the tradition that was so important to my mother
todays overly extravagant and elaborate celebrations have created a cultural chaos of unending choices in situations like these adding moms thoughts to the mix often generates even more complexity
the greatest arguments and biggest complications come from having too many options and from mothers not being able to rein in their opinions because of that said marcy blum a wedding planner in new york years ago there was only a three course meal so there wasnt much to fight over because thats all you got to choose now its everything from molecular gastronomy to a 10 course dinner and that dinner can be served in a barn not in a hotel
she also mentioned the reflection factor
because most people assume the parents are hosting and because some parents names are on the invitations mothers worry how everything will look to their friends she said they lose sight of whats realistic the more weddings they go to and the more they see what other people are doing the more they feel they need to be better than the joneses
for other mothers the thinking is simple the fact that im paying for it gives me a say said marsha iverson 69
ms iverson had an integral part in planning her first daughters wedding three years ago and intends to reprise that role with her other daughter ashley
a friend said give her x amount of money and let her do what she wants ms iverson said if i just give her the money im only a guest who gave her a gift i dont want to be a guest i want the joy of planning this with her its a once in a lifetime opportunity for both of us this isnt just a check its my heart but im very aware this is not my day its hers


last november meg munoz went to los angeles to speak at the annual west coast conference of amnesty international she was nervous three months earlier at a meeting attended by about 500 delegates from 80 countries amnesty voted to adopt a proposal in favor of the full decriminalization of consensual sex work sparking a storm of controversy members of the human rights group in norway and sweden resigned en masse saying the organizations goal should be to end demand for prostitution not condone it around the world on social media and in the press opponents blasted amnesty in los angeles protesters ringed the lobby of the sheraton where the conference was being held and as munoz tried to enter a woman confronted her and became upset as munoz explained that as a former sex worker she supported amnestys position she agreed to respect my time at the microphone munoz told me that didnt exactly happen   the woman and other critics yelled out during her panel   but i understand why it was so hard for her
munoz was in the middle of a pitched battle over the terms and even the meaning of sex work in the united states and around the globe many sex workers the term activists prefer to prostitute are trying to change how they are perceived and policed they are fighting the legal status quo social mores and also mainstream feminism which has typically focused on saving women from the sex trade rather than supporting sex workers who demand greater rights but in the last decade sex worker activists have gained new allies if amnestys international board approves a final policy in favor of decriminalization in the next month it will join forces with public health organizations that have successfully worked for years with groups of sex workers to halt the spread of hiv and aids especially in developing countries the urgency of the hiv epidemic really exploded a lot of taboos says catherine murphy an amnesty policy adviser
onstage wearing a white blouse with lace her face framed by glasses and straight brown hair munoz who is 43 looked calm and determined as she leaned into the microphone to tell her story she started escorting at 18 after she graduated from high school in los angeles county picking up men at a dance club a couple of times a week and striking deals to have sex for 100 or so at a hotel or their apartments she had a part time job as a restaurant hostess but she liked feeling desired and making money on the side to spend on clothes and entertainment i really really did love the work she told her amnesty audience of more than 100 i was a little reckless the same recklessness led her to methamphetamine when her parents found out she was using they sent her to rehab she stopped escorting and using drugs and found a serious boyfriend when she was 24 the relationship ended and around that time her parents sold their house munoz started living on her own for the first time with rent and car insurance to pay and a plan to save for college escorting became her livelihood i was moving toward a goal and sex work helped me do that munoz told the crowd
a few years later however another ex boyfriend with whom she was still close started to take advantage of the underground nature of munozs work at first she told me he asked her to pay to get his car back after it was towed then he started demanding more money and dictating when she worked and which clients she saw munoz didnt exactly seem like a trafficking victim she was driving her own car going to school and paying her expenses but looking back she says thats the way she sees herself because the work i was doing was illegal he started to hold it over my head he blackmailed me by threatening to tell everyone including my family
the man was violent and munoz extricated herself with the help of a friend whom she later married haunted by the control her ex boyfriend had exerted over her she founded in 2009 a small faith based group called abeni near her home in orange county to help other women escape from prostitution as she had a couple of years later munoz who now has four children started letting herself remember the period earlier in her life when escorting served her well as a source of income and even stability struggling internally she had a crisis of conscience she says and came to regret her assumptions about what was necessarily best for abenis clients she stopped taking on new ones and then turned abeni into one of the few groups in the country that helps people either leave sex work or continue doing it safely
at the amnesty conference munoz told the crowd that she thinks decriminalization would have benefits for many people by bringing the sex trade out from underground i believe in the empowered sex worker she said i was one but the empowered sex worker isnt representative of the majority of sex workers its ok for us to be honest about this she was referring to the social and economic divide in the profession activists in the sex workers movement tend to be educated and make hundreds of dollars an hour the words they often use to describe themselves   dominatrix fetishist sensual masseuse courtesan sugar baby whore witch pervert   can be self consciously half wicked
some of their concerns can seem far removed from those of women who feel they must sell sex to survive   a mother trying to scrape together the rent say or a runaway teenager people in those situations generally dont call themselves sex workers or see themselves as part of a movement its not something people we work with would ever talk about says deon haywood the director of women with a vision in new orleans an african american health collective that works with low income women and trans clients some of them sell sex haywood says because its more flexible and pays better than low wage work at businesses like mcdonalds
human rights advocates tend to focus on people in grim circumstances like many feminists im conflicted about sex work says liesl gerntholtz executive director of the womens rights division at human rights watch which took a stand in favor of decriminalization four years ago youre often talking about women who have extremely limited choices would i like to live in a world where no one has to do sex work absolutely but thats not the case so i want to live in a world where women do it largely voluntarily in a way that is safe if theyre raped by a police officer or a client they can lay a charge and know it will be investigated their kid wont be expelled from school and their landlord wont kick them out
amnesty and human rights watch along with other groups that support decriminalization   unaids the world health organization the global commission on hiv and the law and the open society foundations   acknowledge that there can be grave harms associated with the sex industry but say that they see changes in the law as a precondition to reducing them last year an analysis in the lancet predicted that decriminalization of sex work could have the largest effect on the course of the hiv epidemic by increasing access to condoms and medical treatment governments can free themselves to crack down on trafficking and under age prostitution human rights advocates argue if they stop arresting consenting adults
its a pragmatic argument but the sex workers movement also hinges on an ideological conviction   the belief that the criminal law should not be used here as an instrument of punishment or shame because sex work isnt inherently immoral or demeaning it can even be authentically feminist once youve done it you always know when it comes down to it i have everything i need to survive says anna saini a former sex worker who is now a sex worker activist and law student living in brooklyn thats powerful this view poses a deep challenge to traditional western feminism which treats the commercial sex industry as an ugly source of sexual inequality
the activists themselves are a fractious bunch they belong to a variety of small and sometimes competing groups and question one anothers bona fides on social media and a blog called tits and sass women who publicly argue the case for decriminalization tend to be white women of color say that its harder for them to get an audience they also dont want white women to speak for them trans women raise similar objections dont tell my story in support of a cis womans story monica jones who is black and transgender cautioned me she did sex work without qualms to help pay the tuition for her social work degree at arizona state university if you want to be with me youre going to pay me or buy me a ring she says frankly of her partners two years ago she accepted a ride to a bar with a man and was found guilty of prostitution her case became a cause celebre when she challenged her conviction saying she was just going out for a beer that night and won her appeal
some opponents of decriminalization call themselves abolitionists consciously invoking the battle to end slavery as well as the one for equality if prostitution is legal and men can buy womens bodies with impunity its the extreme sexualization of women says yasmeen hassan the global executive director of equality now a womens rights group that campaigns against trafficking theyre sexual objects what does that mean for how professional women are seen and if women are sex toys you can buy think about the impact on relationships between men and women in marriage or otherwise
the united states has some of the worlds most sweeping laws against prostitution with more than 55000 arrests annually more than two thirds of which involve women women of color are at higher risk of arrest in new york city they make up 85 percent of people who are arrested so are trans women who are more likely to do sex work because of employment discrimination the mark left by a criminal record can make it even harder to find other employment in louisiana five years ago 700 people many of them women of color and trans women were listed on the sex offender registry for the equivalent of a prostitution misdemeanor women with a vision deon haywoods group won a lawsuit to remove them in 2013
because abolitionists see these women as victims they generally oppose arresting them but they want to continue using the criminal law as a weapon of moral disapproval by prosecuting male customers alongside pimps and traffickers   though this approach still tends to entangle sex workers in a legal net
last july the coalition against trafficking in women an abolitionist group accused amnesty of supporting a system of gender apartheid in which some women are set apart for consumption by men in a letter with 400 signatories including gloria steinem lena dunham kate winslet and meryl streep anna saini the brooklyn sex worker activist went from feeling betrayed by the celebrities to feeling victorious they threw all this fame and name recognition at us and amnesty is still doing whats right she said that was super exciting the fight has become liesl gerntholtz of human rights watch says the most contentious and divisive issue in todays womens movement
the battle lines among american feminists over selling sex were drawn in the 1970s on one side were radical feminists like the writer andrea dworkin and the lawyer and legal scholar catherine mackinnon they were the early abolitionists condemning prostitution along with pornography and sexual violence as the most virulent and powerful sources of womens oppression ive tried to voice the protest against a power that is dead weight on you fist and penis organized to keep you quiet wrote dworkin who sold sex briefly around the age of 19 when she ran out of money on a visit to europe
other feminists who called themselves sex positive saw sex workers as subverters of patriarchy not as victims on mothers day 1973 a 35 year old former call girl named margo st james founded a group in san francisco called coyote for call off your old tired ethics its goal was to decriminalize prostitution as a feminist act in its heyday coyote threw annual hookers balls where drag queens and celebrities mixed with politicians and police it was a party in 1978 a crowd of 20000 filled the citys cow palace and st james entered riding an elephant
by the 1980s dworkins argument condemning prostitution moved into the feminist mainstream with the support of gloria steinem who began rejecting the term sex work st james and the sex positivists were relegated to the fringes
the abolitionists moved into the fight against global labor trafficking in the 1990s focusing on sex trafficking though most estimates suggest that the majority of trafficking victims are forced into domestic agricultural or construction work the abolitionists wanted to erase the traditional legal distinction between forced and consensual prostitution by cracking down on all of it as trafficking in 1998 they tried to persuade president bill clinton   and hillary clinton who was the honorary chairwoman of the clinton administrations council on women   to adopt their broad definition in an international crime treaty and a federal trafficking bill it was a striking effort to expand and stiffen criminal punishment a strategy elizabeth bernstein a barnard sociologist who studies sex work and trafficking termed carceral feminism abolitionists have relied upon strategies of incarceration as their chief tool of justice  she wrote in 2007 they lost the fight to define all prostitution as trafficking during the clinton administration those were depressing years donna hughes an abolitionist researcher and womens studies professor at the university of rhode island said in an interview in national review in 2006
when george w bush was elected in 2000 hughes and other abolitionists formed a coalition with faith based groups including evangelical republicans to lobby the new president the bush administration funded christian groups like the international justice mission to rescue girls and women abroad ijm helped to raid brothels in cambodia thailand and india working with local police officers who broke down doors while american tv cameras rolled donations poured in to ijm from the united states
but local human rights and womens groups complained about the tactic after some raids by police forces in india and indonesia girls and women were deported detained in abusive institutions and coerced into sex with the police according to a 2005 bulletin by the world health organization and the global coalition on women and aids two years earlier when ijm reported that there were minors in a brothel in thailand the police raided it and locked the women who were working there in an orphanage the women strung together bedsheets to escape from a second story window
francoise girard was director of the public health program at the open society foundations when she met with gary haugen the leader of ijm and holly burkhalter a senior adviser in 2007 ijm said if we can save one girl its worth it  says girard who is now president of the international womens health coalition i said what happens to the girls and they couldnt answer burkhalter says she doesnt remember girards question but the police did not permit ijm to go on the raid in thailand if we had it would have gone much better she says adding that now when ijm helps with raids each victim has a case worker
the bush administration also funded abolitionist research on the harmful effects of prostitution prominently featuring references to that work on the state departments website hughes the abolitionist womens studies professor denounced strip clubs and lap dancing in a 2005 report on trafficking that was funded with more than 100000 from the state department melissa farley a psychologist who received bush funds wrote in 2000 in the journal women and criminal justice that any woman who claimed to have chosen prostitution was acting pathologically   enjoyment of domination and rape are in her nature non abolitionist researchers criticized her for presenting the brutal harm of some experiences of prostitution as the near universal reality without solid evidence
in part as a response to lobbying by feminist abolitionists and evangelicals in 2003 congress barred groups that aided trafficking victims from receiving federal funds if they supported the legalization or practice of prostitution the same year president bush committed 15 billion to the international fight against aids but required all recipients of the funding to sign an anti prostitution pledge the result was a head on collision between aids prevention and abolitionist ideas brazil turned down 40 million in american funds sangram a public health and human rights organization that was distributing condoms in sangli a red light district in rural southern india refused to sign the pledge and returned american funds in 2005 at a time when unaids cited it as a trusted source on hiv and human rights we were distributing 350000 condoms a month says meena seshu the director of sangram who has a masters degree in social work and has published in the lancet and won an award from human rights watch do you actually work with people or do you give them morals that was the choice
the obama administration continues to fund organizations involved in rescue missions in 2013 the supreme court struck down the anti prostitution pledge for groups in the united states ruling that it violated their free speech rights but the decision didnt apply to foreign groups which still cannot receive federal funding to fight aids if they support the sex workers rights movement
the current debate over sex work in the united states is often framed as a choice between international legal systems abolitionists embrace what they call the swedish or nordic model in 1999 at the urging of feminists swedens parliament passed the sex purchase act making it a crime to buy sex prostitution itself had not been a crime but the new law deemed it a serious harm both to individuals and to society giving the legislation a moral underpinning and aiming to flush the johns out of the baltic as a media campaign declared a decade later sweden announced a reduction in street prostitution by as much as 50 percent and proclaimed the law a success though no one had recorded data on street prostitution before the law passed the claimed drop became the chief selling point for a system that punished men yet online advertising for sex increased in sweden leading researchers to conclude that the small market was shifting indoors norway and iceland adopted the swedish model in 2009 and in the last two years canada and northern ireland enacted modified versions
sex worker activists reject this model people think the swedish state criminalized clients and not us because they cared about us but that was not the case says pye jakobsson a swedish sex worker who is the president of the global network of sex work projects the law is about protecting society and were seen as a threat some sex workers say that criminalizing male behavior pushes them to take greater risks women who worked on the street used to have safe spots where they would tell the client to drive jakobsson explains now clients say no because of the police they want to go someplace else remote how can the woman be safe there in december a bulgarian sex worker was found brutally murdered in a deserted parking lot at the harbor in oslo her friends   also migrants from the balkan states like many women selling sex in sweden and norway   looked for her when she went missing but they did not go to the police until they found her body
when the police investigate whether a man has bought sex they use it as a reason to check womens documents says may len skilbrei a criminology and sociology professor at the university of oslo she says that these inspections can lead to deportations sex workers also face the possibility of losing custody of their children and being evicted if the police tell the landlord they think youre escorting out of your apartment he has to evict you or he could be prosecuted skilbrei says the norwegian police called a long running oslo crackdown on prostitution operation homeless
the swedish government has been clear that it considers the problems the law causes for sex workers an acceptable form of deterrence reporting in 2010 that the negative effects must be viewed as positive from the perspective that the purpose of the law is indeed to combat prostitution when france adopted the swedish model in april the bills sponsor in parliament said one goal was to change mentalities on social media american sex workers poured out their sympathy for their french sisters who were marching in protest
sweden may not be a relevant model for the united states where the kind of hardship that often pushes people into street level sex work is more widespread and the safety net much weaker the difference is relevant says rachel lloyd the founder and ceo of girls educational and mentoring services gems based in central harlem which helps about 400 girls and young women in new york annually who have been involved in prostitution she opposes legalization because she thinks it will increase trafficking she visited stockholm two years ago and found it significant that there are so many family services that few teenagers are in foster care and that most have access to state funded universities i came away thinking in the us were not there she says about adopting the swedish model we dont have the social services lloyd says that not enough of the tens of millions of dollars in government funds and donations in the united states that go to fight trafficking are used for services like housing for teenagers leaving foster care 70 percent of gems members have been in that system when youre trying to move forward you need an apartment lloyd says you need to go to school in sweden she was also surprised to learn that men who are caught buying sex are fined rather than arrested paying an amount that depends on their income and generally ranges from 300 to 4500 according to a news report
australia has adopted a very different legal model from swedens in 1999 the australian state of new south wales repealed its criminal laws against prostitution freeing consenting adults to buy and sell sex and allowing brothels to operate much like other businesses other australian states have a variety of laws four years later new zealand implemented full decriminalization abolitionists predicted explosive growth of prostitution but the number of sex workers stayed flat at about 6000 in new zealand and somewhat more in new south wales condom use among sex workers rose above 99 percent according to government surveys sex workers in brothels in new south wales report the same level of depression and stress as women in the general population rates are far higher for women who work on the street who are also often intravenous drug users while the new zealand government has found no evidence that sex workers are being trafficked across the countrys border last november the parliament of new south wales gave the police more power to monitor brothels after reports that some were linked to organized crime and prosecutions for sexual servitude and exploitation one involved a thai woman who was recruited in bangkok and told she would learn to be a hairdresser
a couple of years ago a seattle dominatrix and outspoken activist who goes by the name mistress matisse flew to australia for three weeks and spent a week working i just had to see what it was like she says at home she writes for the stranger seattles alternative weekly and frequently tweets about the practice and politics of sex work to her 27000 twitter followers
in australia matisse worked at a small brothel called the golden apple small bar six bedrooms in sydney which is in new south wales and a larger one called gotham city i thought i wont be mistress matisse ill just be a girl doing full service   intercourse   which i hadnt done for years she says she saw three or four clients a night and then went to the beach
matisse contrasted working in australia with working in a brothel in nevada several years ago she much preferred australia nevada limits legal prostitution to a small number of brothels in rural areas and they are subject to strict licensing requirements in australia you go home every night and you can have a cigarette go on a date stay in a normal head space matisse said in nevada you had to be in the brothel 247 it was like a cross between summer camp and a womens prison most prostitution in the state takes place illegally outside the brothels in las vegas and reno with more freedom but also more risk
germany has a similar two tiered market the country became a growing destination for sex tourism after introducing in 2002 new regulations for the legal sex trade with an estimated 400000 sex workers migrant women working underground some of whom are lured into crossing the border face the same threat of deportation as in sweden meanwhile licensing requirements raised the cost of setting up brothels favoring chains and big businesses including a 12 story neon lit brothel in cologne whats strange is how industrial the brothels are says skilbrei the professor at the university of oslo they control the women for example with health checks thats not the model sex workers are fighting for because it diminishes their autonomy
amnesty distinguishes the laws in germany and the netherlands where sex work is legal but regulated by local authorities from those in new zealand and australia which place greater control into the hands of sex workers to operate independently self organize in informal cooperatives and control their own working environments the human rights group states melissa farley the psychologist and abolitionist researcher rejects all of these models the state functions as a pimp collecting taxes which i consider blood money she wrote in an email last december in the most recent government research a 2008 survey of 770 sex workers by the new zealand government most reported that they were not likely to report violence to the police which the government attributed to their sense of stigma farley sees this as proof that wherever prostitution exists the harm goes with it regardless of legal status
to amnesty the lesson is that decriminalization isnt like flipping a switch   it takes time for attitudes to shift there are signs that this has begun in the 2008 new zealand survey 40 percent of sex workers also said they felt a sense of camaraderie and belonging suggesting that their relationships with one another may provide an antidote to stigma annah pickering who does street outreach for the new zealand prostitutes collective describes a more recent dynamic with the police that would be unthinkable almost anywhere else we used to wave the police down for help and theyd keep driving but now they take sex workers complaints seriously she said she told me about an incident in south auckland last year one client negotiated with a street worker she did the act and he refused to pay she waved a cop down and he told the client he had to pay and took him to the atm to get the money
sixty years ago after gloria steinem graduated from smith college she spent two years in india on a fellowship observing village based land reform returning to the country in 2014 she called prostitution commercial rape making headlines until recently indian feminists shared steinems views of prostitution but many have gradually shifted their thinking in 2014 lalitha kumaramangalam the chairwoman of indias national commission on women came out in favor of decriminalization saying it would help protect sex workers from violence and improve their health care reaction within india was mixed but the refusal of americans like steinem to rethink their broad brush condemnation of sex work or the wisdom of rescue tactics angers some feminists there why have you locked yourself into saving sex workers in india and not engaged with the larger womens movement asked geeta misra who runs the human rights group crea in new delhi which tries to build feminist leadership and expand sexual and reproductive freedom
the debate shifted in india largely because of the role of the countrys sex worker collectives which are among the largest in the world and which exert a social and political force that has no parallel in the united states founded in the early 1990s the collectives first proved adept at helping to slow the spread of hiv melinda gates went to sonagachi the red light district in the city of kolkata in 2004 and wrote in the seattle times about a sex worker named gita and her peers who have helped to increase condom use from zero to 70 percent in their district and to reduce hiv infection rates to 7 percent   compared with rates as high as 66 percent among sex workers elsewhere gates concluded by announcing that the foundation she created with her husband bill gates would spend 200 million to fight hiv in india an amount later raised to 338 million
the sex worker collective in sonagachi the durbar mahila samanwaya committee dmsc the unstoppable women committee now has 65000 members and runs schools for the children of sex workers who often face discrimination and has established banks where sex workers can open accounts in rural sangli 6000 people belong to veshya anyay mukti parishad or vamp sex workers fight injustice an offshoot of sangram the public health group
while its illegal to own a brothel or sell sex on the street in india indoor prostitution is not against the law enforcement is uneven and the police sometimes demand sex or bribes nevertheless the relationship between the police and sex workers can approach a tenuous detente that allows the collectives to assert themselves a project of the gates foundation from 2005 until 2011 used the collective model to organize 60000 sex workers in karnataka they brought in peer educators to talk to the police and lawyers to teach sex workers about their rights not to be harassed and often not to be arrested as arrests dropped so did violence by the police pimps and clients along with the hiv rate according to a study last year in the journal of the international aids society
human rights advocates including amnesty think the sex worker collectives are a far better means of preventing trafficking and under age prostitution than brothel raids dmsc and vamp run screening boards in sonagachi and sangli which interview women who are new to the district asking if theyve entered the sex trade willingly and sometimes checking birth certificates for proof that the women are at least 18 partly out of self interest because older women often dont want to compete with younger ones its not a perfect system by any means among other shortcomings high end brothels in sonagachi run by people called agrawalis dont participate in the collectives condom distribution say researchers including prabha kotiswaran a faculty member at kings college london who conducted months of field work in sonagachi for her book dangerous sex invisible labor the agrawalis are a source of under age trafficking kotiswaran says at other brothels however she saw dmscs staff trying to help girls leave and find better options than state run protective custody where they often wind up after raids thats a nightmare like prison kotiswaran says
indian feminists want poor women to have alternatives for making a decent living but they are hard to come by kotiswaran found that women could make roughly six times as much doing sex work in sonagachi as they could at a garment factory in one study in 2011 of more than 5000 women across india only 3 percent said they were forced into the sex trade and only 10 percent said they freely chose it the rest fell into the gray area in between giving reasons related to poverty or issues like domestic violence or desertion
in any other context american feminists would celebrate tens of thousands of women organizing to improve their lives but steinem expresses deep suspicion of the indian sex worker collectives dmsc has enabled the sex industry to attract millions of dollars from the gates foundation creating a big new source of income for brothel owners pimps and traffickers she wrote in the newspaper the hindu in 2012 last fall in an interview with esquire she called the foundations work in india a disaster and said there was no evidence that women have the power to make men use condoms through a spokesman the gates foundation declined to comment yet studies have shown large jumps in condom use when sex workers organize and the annual rate of new hiv infections in india has fallen by half
steinems guide in sonagachi and during part of her 2014 trip was ruchira gupta an indian former journalist who founded a group called apne aap which tries to help women leave sex work and has helped the police raid brothels gupta has strong ties with american abolitionists she received funding from the state department during the bush administration won a clinton global citizen award in 2009 and is scheduled to receive an honorary degree from smith college this month steinem is on apne aaps advisory board nicholas kristof an opinion columnist for the new york times who has gone on brothel raids including one in cambodia that he live tweeted has called gupta a brilliant social entrepreneur when i asked gupta about the gates foundations work preventing aids she said theyre thinking about the 45 year old man who is the client instead of protecting women and girls from rapists they protect the men from aids gupta similarly denounced amnesty and human rights watch they see a little girl in a brothel and think its fine if we give her a condom rachel moran author of the recent memoir paid for who calls herself a survivor of prostitution in ireland also says that amnesty international has taken their views directly from pimps and traffickers amnesty categorically denies these accusations explaining that it consulted sex workers along with doing extensive research we recognize that harm can occur in sex work but to characterize the sex workers rights movement as a front for pimps is really shocking catherine murphy of amnesty says
steinem declined to talk to me her assistant said she would defer to gupta as her source on this subject human rights advocates question guptas approach because of the complexity of sex work in india many women who sell sex do so alone or in small groups out of homes or in side streets truck stops parks or railway stops some rent rooms from women who have done or continue to do sex work those women are often the ones arrested on charges of brothel keeping or trafficking says siddharth dube a public health expert and former senior adviser at unaids who writes extensively about sex work in india in a memoir no one else he adds and this is a disaster because this is a helpless impoverished woman in her 40s or 50s trying to survive
there is another side to prostitution in india which dube says is far less prevalent small rural communities in which for some families prostitution is intergenerational and women or girls are expected to enter the trade these are some of the most difficult places in which to fight trafficking you must try dube says but youre walking into a very complex and explosive situation where you can make huge errors of judgment in identifying who is a trafficker like everyone i spoke to he opposes under age prostitution but to address it you cant just have raids in a slipshod way or seek publicity you have to really painstakingly try to solve these problems with the community
apne aap concentrates much of its work in these kinds of communities and has brought in the media to cover raids and intergenerational prostitution but one tv segment the fallen women of perna which was broadcast on the tv show india today provoked beatings by some family members of some of the girls and women who appeared on the show according to former american and european interns and indian staff members of apne aap who wrote letters criticizing the organization in 2014 they sent the letters to apne aaps main funder the novo foundation in new york founded by warren buffetts son peter
gupta questioned whether the beatings occurred and said that if they did it wasnt because of apne aap she told me she hated the shows title but the group promoted the segment which included an interview with her through the use of occasional media gupta says we frighten the local authorities not to collude with the traffickers and we frighten the traffickers to think what theyre doing will go public
the former apne aap employees also wrote that there is a disconnect between the organizations head office and the needs and voices of the field offices and the girls and women they aim to serve after the letters apne aap ended the international intern program it also stopped renting an expensive office and house in delhi far from its field work and hired dalberg development associates to assess its impact over the previous five years dalberg praised apne aaps work bringing women together providing legal training and in particular helping to place children at risk of prostitution in residential schools but recommended that the group reduce or delink direct involvement in brothel rescues
apne aap is halfway through receiving a two year 700000 grant from the novo foundation in an email novo said it continued to support the organization out of concern for the marginalized girls and women who rely on apne aap for essential services the american support in particular by steinem for apne aaps model saddens and frustrates indian feminists who promote the sex worker collectives gloria steinem was one of our icons says meena seshu of sangram we really looked up to her why doesnt she come and listen to the people here with respect and dignity
a few years ago vamp the sangli collective made a short film save us from saviors on camera a leader in the collective named shabana says i started doing sex work when i was 12 years old one of my sisters was burnt to death i might also have been killed so i ran away in the next shot dressed in a bright yellow sari she sits with her two children and one of them kisses her on the head it is only recently that ive started thinking its good that im in sex work shabana says i dont have to depend on anyone for anything
what would decriminalization in the united states look like if the sex workers rights movement got its way its hard to apply lessons from other countries some activists think the best way to find out would be to start with a local experiment you need one place to try it meg munoz said to me mentioning the legalization of marijuana in colorado you need the right testing environment its not clear where that would be though san francisco voters rejected a decriminalization referendum by a wide margin in 2008
the way decriminalization might play out probably lies in the unsexy details of implementation cities could use zoning ordinances to address concerns about the effects on residential neighborhoods by confining brothels like strip clubs to industrial areas and limiting their size trafficking and promoting under age prostitution would remain crimes people could work discreetly in their own homes or hotels without fear of reprisal the sex industry could become safer as activists hope its also possible that the sex trade would grow as abolitionists warn especially if one area turned into a sex tourism hot spot
until now abolitionist ideas about punishing men and treating women as victims have dominated legal reform in the united states seattle for example has announced a shift toward arresting male clients and connecting sex workers with services but sex workers i spoke to around the country in a variety of life circumstances raised questions about how punishing buyers would make their lives better they would still be participating in illegal transactions and have something to hide an older escort told me that if she didnt dread exposure and losing her business she would report under age prostitution and trafficking to the police if she witnessed it
three years ago in new york abolitionists encouraged the establishment of human trafficking intervention courts for people arrested on prostitution charges judges mandate services like counseling to address trauma and can dismiss charges against those who attend and arent rearrested its better than having a criminal record sex workers and their advocates say but women who dont comply can still end up in jail and some of those who attend say they resent being forced into the mandated counseling the courts also authorize pretrial detention sending women to jail to protect them from men in their lives if a judge deems it necessary or simply to prevent their immediate return to prostitution these courts are an experiment in penal welfare because they repackage criminal intervention as social services argues kate mogulescu the founder and supervising attorney of the exploitation intervention project at the legal aid society a few months before the trafficking courts opened new york state passed a bawdy house law making it easier for prosecutors to institute eviction proceedings for prostitution if landlords do not
last spring with support from abolitionists and conservatives the same coalition from the days of the bush administration congress passed the justice for victims of trafficking act which makes the crime of buying sex from a trafficking victim equivalent to sex trafficking itself the maximum sentence is 99 years in prison rachel lloyd of gems thinks the emphasis of reform should be on helping girls and women not increasing penalties for men who pay for sex in 2008 she helped pass a safe harbor law which treats juveniles in prostitution as victims rather than criminals in new york more than half the states have such laws
talking to sex workers across the country in a variety of life circumstances i heard a range of feelings about what they do a self described east indian courtesan in new york said she loved playing a role developing a fantasy we can both walk into out of our mundane lives a dominatrix who lives on the upper east side told me she sometimes felt good about making an emotional connection then her tone changed but god i hate putting on the strap on a woman in brooklyn said her clients meant nothing to her i only care about my kids she said this is about providing for them mistress matisse the seattle dominatrix treats some clients as friends one does her taxes and another an exterminator checks her house for bugs she raised thousands of dollars from clients and online donors to help a woman named heather in west virginia who told me she hated sex work but was doing it to buy heroin pay for living expenses and go into drug treatment if you dont want to do this work you shouldnt have to mistress matisse told me i can see how it would bruise your heart other women sounding numb or even traumatized said that they had to dissociate to get through their time with clients ceyenne an activist who was arrested a few years ago while doing fetish work in new jersey said mentally and physically its a lot to carry she wrote a memoir and she speaks regularly to lgbt youth groups when i talk to these girls coming up now i tell them to reach for more
the traditional feminist argument against decriminalization is that legitimizing prostitution will harm women by leading to more sexual inequality the human rights argument for it is that it will make peoples lives better and safer in this fight over whose voices to listen to who speaks for whom and when to use the power of criminal law the sex workers rights movement is a rebellion against punishment and shame it demands respect for a group that has rarely received it insisting that you can only really help people if you respect them


after president obama and the rolling stones chanel on tuesday just days after the first american cruise ship in almost 40 years docked at the havana pier the french brand became the first european fashion house since castro seized power in 1959 to stage a show in cuba
the runway event kicked off both the official cruise collection season which stretches to mid june and involves a messy mix of small presentations designer chats and a few extravaganzas a la chanel still to come louis vuitton in rio gucci at westminster abbey dior in blenheim palace in oxfordshire england but also a potential   still mostly potential at the moment   new relationship between the island nation and the style set the connection might finally replace ye olde cliched cuba with its romanticized decrepitude sorbet shades and old convertibles with something a little grittier and more realistic in the designer mind
although perhaps not quite yet judging by chanel
held on the paseo del prado havanas main thoroughfare in front of approximately 600 imported guests including customers editors though not me i watched the show via live stream and celebrities gisele bundchen vanessa paradis tilda swinton vin diesel as well as various residents who could be seen hanging over the balconies of apartment buildings lining the avenue and watching from the street the show featured the designer karl lagerfelds signature mixture of muchness 86 looks including a few mens wear styles all of which ranged from the elaborate to the everyday with a bathing suit thrown in for good measure
there were wide legged pinstriped mens trousers under relaxed boucle jackets and sheer calf length organza guayabera shirt dresses in shades of gray with strategically placed pockets leaves of the monstera deliciosa plant wafted from the full calf length skirts along with a whiff of hemingway there were army green short suits with brass buttoned shirts finished in macrame fringe and striped body hugging knits and picnic plaid dresses there were light as air white crocheted lace dresses and sparkling pastel sequined party frocks with puffed whipped cream sleeves
oh and there were panama hats and berets very chanel very che and a male model carrying a cuban cigar also silk prints of 1950s cadillacs and oldsmobiles in gumdrop shades and souvenir t shirts emblazoned with the words coco cuba which were kind of cheerfully tongue in cheek but also teetered uncomfortably on the verge of let them eat cake dom especially at the end when a cuban band accompanied mr lagerfeld and his host of dancing models down the avenue to the lights of a few hundred iphones as all of the guests started madly using instagram or snapchat or whatever to record the moment check out the video
after all the average wage in cuba is still around 25 a month as abc news pointed out the show was a startling sight in a country officially dedicated to social equality and the rejection of material wealth before the event yoani sanchez a cuban journalist posted on twitter numerous pictures of the security cordon around the avenue
none of this has escaped chanel which has no official history with cuba   it was not an inspiration for coco or anything   and has been quick to note that showing there was simply a creative decision inspired by cubas cultural richness all reports about the event have noted the warmth with which it was received as sarah mower wrote on voguecom beforehand emilio estefan the cuban american musician told new york magazines the cut that he approved of chanels initiative because the more people that go there and show them the free world thats great for the cuban people
there is no question that simply holding such an event in havana brings both global attention and real investment to the city it is expensive to put on such a large show especially because the jaunt included dinners parties sightseeing   even a cuba revolution tour ahem that is a good thing who is to say those benefits do not far outweigh the moral ickiness of promoting very expensive clothes for the very few in a country where no one can buy such clothes bruno pavlovsky chanels president of fashion says the brand has zero business in cuba it is easy to get on a high horse from afar and perhaps the simple act of forcing the issue of being in havana and being faced with the contemporary truth of the country instead of its appropriated image is the best way to start grappling with it
its probably no accident that among the candy colors on the runway mr lagerfeld consciously included many shades of gray


midway through a bigger splash the latest hedonistic trip from the italian director luca guadagnino ralph fienness character harry puts on the rolling stones emotional rescue album and starts to dance his shoulders twitch his body flails and in a sort of drunken ritual set in the middle of a luxurious vacation home on an island off the coast of sicily he tears through the house his awkward movements getting bigger and more daring   the music propelling him into a state of almost fearsome abandon
it is a climactic scene for harry and the other characters in a film in which the body and its capacity to revel in all the senses   be it through music food sex or the heat of volcanic rocks   are pushed to the extreme
based loosely on the 1969 french new wave thriller la piscine or the the swimming pool the movie which opened may 4 stars mr fiennes as an outlandish music producer and the ex lover of marianne lane played by tilda swinton a rock star in the vein of chrissie hynde or david bowie marianne has had surgery on her vocal cords and has traveled to the remote island of pantelleria to recuperate with her current boyfriend paul a much younger filmmaker matthias schoenaerts but when harry and his recently discovered daughter penelope a lolita esque dakota johnson pay an unexpected visit much sex emotional tussling and intrigue ensue on a vacation that goes violently awry
with the migrant crisis looming in the background the brutal natural beauty of the island becomes a sort of fifth character but music particularly by the stones also plays an outsize role i wanted to create a movie that is rooted in the nostalgic world of rock n roll mr guadagnino said by phone explaining that marianne paul harry and his daughter are the last to enjoy the freedom of the rock n roll revolution a revolution that was about endless enjoyment it was meant to never finish so what happens when the party ends or when one person doesnt want it to
the films debut at the venice film festival last year was notably contentious   booed by some italian viewers who were reportedly displeased with the depiction of a star struck local police detective but largely impressing english language critics there was something fitting about that divided response a o scott of the new york times wrote since the film is about foreigners behaving badly on italian soil
befitting a film about four strong but very different characters mr guadagnino and his stars each brought ideas to the project that somehow melded into what the guardian has called a chamber piece of sexual tension
studiocanal approached mr guadagnino who is probably best known in the united states for the lush romance i am love 2010 also starring ms swinton about remaking la piscine as part of an effort to give new life to works in its extensive library as ron halpern studiocanals executive vice president for international production explained the thinking the film was very iconic but something very pure four people in a beautiful spot and someone is going to die wouldnt it be interesting to see a new version of that movie today fox searchlight is distributing the film in the united states
the studio chose mr guadagnino mr halpern said because i am love dealt with complicated romantic relationships and it deals with death in this contained sort of rarefied european world he has the right tone style and taste and he doesnt judge his characters
for mr guadagnino la piscine was only a jumping off point originally i wasnt game he said acknowledging that he hadnt even finished watching the original when he started on his adaptation but he soon saw the project as another opportunity to use sensual experiences to explore the unspoken aspects of relationships
ms swinton helped put the emphasis on the spoken and unspoken when as a condition of participating she insisted her character be unable to talk i suggested this to him as a challenge she said she thought the initial script had too much dialogue she didnt want it to be about two articulate people throwing words at each other
she added i like the idea of that kind of mess and the human disruption that not speaking would bring
she added at the same time the challenge to me was what is it you need to say every scene was an endurance test trying not to talk or trying to endure harrys relentlessness but by not talking she could maybe interrupt in a different way
for mr fiennes the movie let him indulge in a lack of constraint harry was a very liberating part to play he said hes someone who doesnt want to be contained by social norms which is maddening to everyone else alternatingly fascinatingly maddening and fun all at the same time
for the dance scene a choreographer helped loosen him up and they practiced in a cinema on the island the physical release he said was essential we all have the potential to be monsters but we recognize the monstrosity within us and still have compassion and kindness theres something very dostoyevsky about it
ms johnson also described penelope as a dark little monster of a girl but took pains to avoid completely sexualizing her i wanted the contrast between her behaving like an adult and playing with these adults emotions she said but also feeling very young and alone and scared
the island brought out the characters darker sides when people go on vacation ms johnson said they let their guards down its as though theyre on another planet they lose their minds and behave like animals
that setting up of an atmosphere and marinating the audience in it ms swinton said is central to mr guadagninos approach luca and i long ago coined for ourselves an approach to give the audience a place to hear or smell or taste thats very much a part of his work
she likened the film to creating a novel after awhile people are in it she added youre not just looking at the screen youre reaching for the sun cream thats luca


in 2009 alberto and joylyn estrella bought a one bedroom at oro then a brand new high rise condominium in downtown brooklyn
we bought at the bottom of the real estate crash so we were able to negotiate a great deal mr estrella said the price was 400000
the couple loved the convenient location the neighborhood was developing and flourishing mr estrella said his wife used the buildings gym he enjoyed the pool and the basketball court where he would shoot hoops or join pickup games
his work in the banking field sent them to sao paulo brazil for two years shortly after they returned ms estrella became pregnant
we fell into that trap of were having a baby we need all the space we can get  mr estrella said so they put the unit on the market it sold for 760000 a year ago just before their son alessandro was born and they moved to a two bedroom rental nearby at bklyn gold while pondering their next step their rent was around 3700 a month
alessandro slept in their room and didnt consume much space they ended up using the second bedroom for storage
the estrellas both in their early 30s missed being homeowners concerned that both interest rates and housing prices would rise they felt that buying in a lively brooklyn neighborhood was a good long term strategy
last summer they went on the hunt for a two bedroom with good closet space and a washer dryer their price range was up to 900000 or so
it was important to be close to cafes and restaurants said ms estrella who is pursuing a graduate degree in international relations at new york university i get a lot of writing done in coffee shops
family friendly park slope called to them a two bedroom in great condition at a small co op building on fifth avenue was listed at 749000 with a monthly maintenance fee of around 700
they deliberated their online search criteria had called up alarmingly few choices and they saw that selling prices were often above listing prices every time we asked to make an appointment the broker would say that one is off the market or its already in a bidding war the brokers were saying you need to be really competitive to even have a chance mr estrella said
so they fell into a second trap the feeling that there is nothing else out there he said they bid 805000 for the fifth avenue place but as soon as their offer was accepted the couple had second thoughts the lobby had no place to park a stroller the second bedroom was just 80 square feet
in order to have a washer dryer they took away the coat closet mr estrella said my wife has a lot of coats people make sacrifices and i dont know if thats one of the ones id make
they withdrew their offer believing it was too high the apartment sold for 785000
in brooklyn heights they considered a co op on montague street listed at 699000 with maintenance of slightly more than 1100 a month the large living room window right on the street tempted passers by to peek they envisioned endlessly adjusting the shades
it wasnt a true two bedroom either the place had been billed as a one bedroom with an office or nursery but the windowless space had been created with a pressurized wall the couple moved on and the apartment sold for 700000
at another brooklyn heights co op a bathroom had been enlarged at the expense of the master bedroom now tiny to the point that if you had a queen bed and two night stands you could barely walk around mr estrella said
in ditmas park brooklyn the couple visited a 2007 condominium building two bedrooms there were in the high 800000s the common charges of around 500 a month included negligible taxes the building had a tax abatement that was to expire shortly at which point taxes would soar to more than 1000 a month
three of the buildings 12 units were for sale i guess because the tax abatement was up and people wanted to get out of there mr estrella said
they were finding that two bedrooms werent all that much larger than one bedrooms   and layouts were often strange some were in less than pristine condition requiring money for upgrades many of the places they saw were a tedious and slow subway ride away from manhattan
so they checked out 388 bridge which opened in downtown brooklyn in 2013 it was what they had wanted all along   a new tower right downtown one subway stop from manhattan
ms estrella realized how much she liked having the services of the building and being in an area where you are steps away from everything
only a few units in their price range remained they decided they could live with a one bedroom that was around 100 square feet larger than their place at oro it had the requisite washer dryer and closet space
the couple bought the apartment this past winter for 945000 monthly charges are a bit more than 800
they are looking into creating some kind of corner nook for alessandro whose crib is now in the bedroom we know theres an expiration date mr estrella said
they dont have the pool and the basketball court they had at oro but they gained a playroom and a playground mr estrella swims at a gym near his midtown office and at the moment rarely plays basketball at oro i had my own basketball he said i left it on the court as a parting gift
their building is filled with children alessandro has a lot of kids his age he can play with mr estrella said we didnt have that in any other building we looked at


way way out in the atlantic ocean at a point where one of earths four cold water currents meets the searing african desert winds nights are dark as prehistory once the sun sets on the volcanic archipelago known as the canary islands a misty net of extraterrestrial white light blankets the sky from horizon to horizon until dawn every ray of visible starlight in the entire northern hemisphere and much of the southern hemisphere gathers overhead that sprawl of sky over a small island speck on the black ocean suggests like few other experiences the nanosecond that is human life
such black nights and clear skies have beckoned astronomers to install some of the worlds most powerful telescopes on volcanic peaks in this archipelago off the northwestern coast of africa as scientists use these state of the art observatories to search out signs of the big bang at sea level 8000 feet below tens of thousands of mostly british pensioners and brides to be on hen parties are getting drunk and sunburned
five million tourists annually visit this spanish territory from colder climes to bask in europes only subtropical weather the port at tenerife the largest island is the third most visited cruise ship destination in europe
behemoth floating parties disgorge thousands of passengers daily in wintertime the high season most of them are oblivious to the fact that they have just disembarked on an island with three official unesco sanctioned starlight reserves   locations where efforts are being made to preserve darkness and fend off light and air pollution to protect access to starlight only a small percentage of tourists make the two hour nauseating and twisting ascent to the telescopes   giant bulbous white towers perched at the windy top of mount teide
that may be about to change astrotourism is already a component of the canaries booming tourism industry drawing about 200000 visitors annually but with the 2014 designation of the islands as part of a larger eu skyroute itinerary for visitors and the creation in 2011 of a music and astronomy festival canarian officials believe more star trekkers will soon be taking the winding drive up the mountain at dusk to sit on what might be called one of natures sky decks
island officials and the spanish government are trying to cement the islands reputation as a key destination for both amateur and professional astronomers in 2007 scientists and policy makers from some 50 countries met on the smaller island of la palma for the first international conference in defense of the quality of the night sky producing a declaration on protecting the sky as a basic right for all humanity
among other matters they discussed outlawing light pollution in la palma home to the worlds largest optical telescope at the roque de los muchachos observatory the island happens to be the second best location for infrared and optical astronomy in the northern hemisphere after mauna kea observatory in hawaii according to astronomers
the canary islands telescope sites are run by astronomers at the institute of astrophysics iac in tenerife a local research organization that operates the european northern observatory the islands have also hosted telescopes from 28 nations over the last few decades
with the support of unesco the institute in 2007 created a starlight foundation and a starlight initiative devoted to keeping night skies dark with unesco the iac has been certifying starlight reserves around the world   defined as sites dedicated to protecting darkness from light and air pollution currently starlight reserves are certified in chile also home to one of the worlds largest telescopes nova scotia and portugal in addition to the canary islands
officials in tenerife also took the lead in the european union in promoting stargazing as a tourism pastime in other nations too they spearheaded the creation of the eu sky route which traces an astronomical highway for tourists across seven participating territories sharing exceptionally dark night skies including locations in bulgaria greece spain portugal italy and poland and the canary islands
mount teide forms a black pyramid at the center of the half barren half green island of tenerife teide is a unesco world heritage site and also a designated starlight reserve teide natural park on and around the mountain with its abundant hiking and proximity to beaches is said to be the most visited natural park in spain according to unesco thanks to numerous daily flights into tenerifes airports from barcelona and london
on the highest point on the nearby island of la palma at the roque de los muchachos observatory hundreds of researchers work at the gran telescopio de canarias great telescope of the canary islands
la palma population 70000 is home to a large colony of scientists and the remnants of a 1960s german commune and it is also a tiny center for astrotourism the economy revolves around astronomy and besides the telescope and research center there are 13 sky viewing points on la palma vacationers can even rent telescope equipped holiday houses and sip a vintage called stellar wine from local grapes
by day from some points near sea level on tenerife one can see the white columns of the telescopes perched miles high on the old volcano researchers use them to literally look back in time at starlight generated millenniums ago and to advance humanitys developing perceptions about space and time the stars they seek out are so far away it takes millions of years for their light to reach our eyes and for all we know they may have died already
impulses both earthly and intellectually sublime coexist easily on the canary islands the british lose their stiff upper lip down here faster than you can say spanish sun and a british television documentary called oaps behaving badly recently reported that so many british retirees party hearty in the bars that one of them is known as gods waiting room establishments like bonkers bar chinas white bar the down under bar the drunk n duck bar and the dubliner hold down the wilder end of the canarian amusement spectrum for the sober set there are dozens of golf courses irrigated with desalinated water
tenerifes astrotourism lure was bumped up in the last few years with the starmus festival headlined by the likes of the late american astronaut neil armstrong and other stars of the space world in the fall of 2014 in a vast conference hall in the ritz carltons abama resort a terra cotta red moorish styled compound garik israelian a canarian astrophysicist stood before 600 science aficionados from all over the world with music from pink floyds dark side of the moon blasting from speakers all around
a few hundred yards away the atlantic crashed into jet black rocks and split the blazing afternoon sunlight into spray diamonds but down in the conference room travelers from as far away as canada and china couldnt have cared less about sun and sea everyone had their iphones aimed at the wheelchair mounted with a black intel laptop that almost obscured the small slumped figure of the cambridge physicist and best selling author stephen hawking
dr hawking along with brian may of the band queen who earned a doctorate in physics from the canary islands astrophysical institute sometime after recording another one bites the dust and other rock anthems the evolutionary biologist richard dawkins and several astronauts were among the headliners at the second starmus festival in 2014 the pet project of dr israelian
dr israelien is a rocker scientist who had his own punk band and studied astrophysics in armenia before emigrating to spain with his family in the 1970s he moved to tenerife and began researching supernovas at the observatories   with pink floyd peter gabriel brian eno and other 70s rockers blasting on his earphones
he welcomed attendees standing before a giant led backdrop of a beam of light slicing through a triangle and splitting into a prism homage to the cover of pink floyds dark side of the moon album and the sounds of the bands breathe reverberating through the floor when the music died down he talked about the telescopes a few hours uphill
the huge eye looking out into space seems to me to be an uplifting symbol of humanitys eye looking out into the vast universe where we live in such a small corner dr israelien said but our species is capable of looking beyond
the islands are essential to extraterrestrial exploration now but they played a key role in earthly exploration as well columbus stopped there in 1492 that banner year in the human enterprise of looking beyond drifting down the coast of africa before steering west to discover the americas the explorer dropped anchor and fueled up on fresh water and fruit here
the islands were not exactly new to mainland europeans when columbus arrived the origin of their name is the latin word for dog   cane   possibly because as the ancient roman author and naturalist pliny the elder wrote early roman visitors to the islands encountered huge dogs the small tropical birds we call canaries native to these islands and others are named after the islands   not the other way around
but when columbus dropped anchor the islands were still inhabited by a tall white skinned people called the guanches they lived in the mountain caves wore goatskins and mummified their dead in the egyptian fashion teide capped with snow in the winter and the islands name tenerife are both words that come from the indigenous peoples name for white mountain
on the nearby island of la gomera schoolchildren are still taught an indigenous whistling language that those inhabitants of the island used to communicate over distances before the arrival of the telephone
but other than those few words and traditions for the lost goatskin wearing natives columbuss arrival heralded the end of language culture and time within two years of the explorers stopover the spaniards had colonized the islands and eradicated the guanche selling the survivors as white slaves on the continent what remains of them today are some of their names like teide and words for some of the flowers that grow only along its rocky ridges
after columbus the great german naturalist alexander von humboldt landed here in the 18th century and explored the islands identifying one of the four cold water currents in the world drifting past the islands which partly accounts for the near perfect weather the sky is literally cloudless 90 percent of the year
while one side of tenerife is gray rubble the islands are mostly fertile producing kiwi bananas mangoes apples tobacco and wine tenerife is filled with microclimates green toward the north and barren to the south in winter it is possible to swim on the beaches and an hour later ascend the volcano and stand in three feet of snow
the islands bounty and idyllic   and strategic   location made them a colonial prize by the 18th century and it was here that the spaniards shot off admiral horatio nelsons right arm with a cannon while defending tenerife against the british navy in 1797 he survived and went home with a condolence prize of casks of sweet canarian wine for which the british developed a taste that has not abated to this day george washington supposedly toasted the revolution with a glass of it
for modern day american visitors the canary islands resemble the caribbean but possess facilities and characteristics of europe   hospitals low crime relatively high standard of living spanish culture and healthy delicious food great tapas olive oil indigenous white goat cheese and a local delicacy wrinkled potatoes boiled in salted water until the water evaporates but the chief difference between tenerife and say aruba or the bahamas is the islands role in international space endeavors
dr israelien conceived starmus the islands science and rock festival in 2011 and its name is short for star music the concept of music from stars   unlike the medieval music of the spheres   actually has some basis in science and dr israelien has made a study of it
when the first sound waves were detected in stars about 10 years ago i realized this whole new branch of astronomy was starting he said we have tools to detect those sound waves they are low frequency infra sounds the timbre is different but i can take the sound ... and i can move it to our domain so we can hear it its playing the piano 10 octaves down
dr israelien who is compiling a library of the star sounds likes to think big hes working on projects to help armenian and other orphans in syria
in the fall of 2014 at the second starmus he had 600 attendees a repeat attendance by dr hawking and the participation of the local government and tourism agencies dr israelien plans a third even larger starmus festival from june 27 to july 2 this year devoted to discussion of the search for life in the universe the only place and best place to do something like this is here he said in one hour we can get a bus and get to a star party with the biggest telescope in the world at night there is no place on the planet where you can do that
dr hawking is again expected along with 10 nobel laureates a gaggle of american and russian astronauts and neil degrasse tyson the american astrophysicist author and television personality a rock star himself
among the science lovers who trekked across the planet for the last starmus were two canadians gordon maclaren and greg davies the men a marketing executive and an engineer are among richard dawkinss million plus twitter followers and when mr dawkins tweeted about the event they thought it sounded cool they each forked out 5000 for full access tickets and undertook a 36 hour odyssey arriving from toronto just in time to hear mr dawkins give his talk on a taxonomy of alien life
when told that a single tweet had enticed a pair of canadians to travel to the remote island mr dawkins asked if they had traveled together when told they had he replied dryly thats a single data point the curmudgeonly atheist biologist was later spotted in a hawaiian shirt poolside amiably chatting with the reborn christian american astronaut charlie duke and his wife dorothy who had come to tenerife armed with creationist literature to share with the attendees
the surreal spectacle of the geekfest in paradise reached a peak when more than a thousand people packed a hall for dr hawkings lecture and dr israelien produced a 1970s style rock n roll entrance dr hawking eyes closed was wheeled onstage to form the human centerpiece of a flashing light and sound show accompanied by a thundering rendition of a hole in the sky by the doom metal band atoma dr hawking later said he thoroughly enjoyed the starmus festival it is a combination of science and rock music both of which i love he wrote in an email he said he hoped that he would be invited back   and he was
starmus 2016 runs from june 27 to july 2 on tenerife featuring 10 nobel prize winners and dr stephen hawking among others rates locations and other details at starmuscom
to arrange visits to the astronomical observatories see ormastrocampesindexenhtml
to plan a visit to teide national park whcunescoorgenlist1258 and to arrange guided tours and visits to the observatories go to volcanoteidecomen
for restaurants and sightseeing in the palm lined streets of old town la laguna on tenerife go to visitingtenerifecomplacesla lagunahtml
the stunning los gigantes where the atlantic slams into hundreds of feet of black cliffs offers swimming restaurants and boat rentals realtenerifeislanddrivescomlos20giganteshtml
el aljibe frequented by the locals at playa san juan on tenerife serves fresh fish home cooking and papas arrugadas the islands signature wrinkled potatoes 8 avenida del emigrante playa san juan


i had a problem with kimchi fried rice its name says garlic and chile and sour yeasty ferments that will lay waste to your taste buds but the usual reality is chewy grains and a hum of warmth its like sidling up to a fireplace when you feel like being a smokejumper but grace lee a music marketer by day and kimchi maker by night and weekend set me straight on kimchi fried rice in her version the fire and tang of kimchi are mellowed out with butter and the rice is scented with sesame oil and topped with a soft fried egg it just tastes happy she said and i finally understood the dish its not tame   its food designed for comforting continual spoon to mouth consumption for koreans who grew up making and eating it there is no confusion about what it is supposed to be
its everyday comfort food for us its what you make for your kids when they come home from school lee said i saw how kimchi fried rice becomes a companion for life a taste that does not change
so it was somewhat odd when we got to the subject of the spam that she diced into it i was at a restaurant and they had a kimchi fried rice with brisket she said that was delicious but that is not spam if youre making this at home youre using spam its been a while since i pulled the tab on a can of spam myself though it was easy to see its appeal in lees rice   the salt fat and bounce it adds to each bite but spam whose name is rumored to be a mash up of the words spiced ham is a minnesota native and not shall we say the food of the ancients in korea
theres another supposed decoding of its name and the key to understanding its place in the korean pantry special army meat for decades after the korean war american gis stationed in korea ate from the bounty of the new industrial food revolution and a taste for these ingredients spread outside the bases evolving in korean hands thus you have dishes like budae jjigae army stew a bubbling pot of spam hot dogs kimchi tofu and a dozen other things thus you have spicy ramyun noodles blanketed by pasteurized process cheese food thus you have grace lee who will not make kimchi fried rice without spam although she concedes that you can make it without spam
it isnt hard to find these dishes in koreatown restaurants but its arguable that the cross cultural spirit that invented cheese ramyun may not have traveled easily with the restaurateurs whove left korea lee was born there but raised in ohio minnesota california georgia and seoul and makes it a point to try korean restaurants wherever she is in the world from mexico city to rome the food has tasted just as it might in korea
this is especially fascinating in midtown manhattan where koreatown is packed tight with restaurants bars groceries hair salons book and cosmetics stores but where relatively few koreans actually live its a commercial hub without a built in local clientele and yet even here the restaurateurs havent really gotten into the cooking for foreigners game to reconfiguring their food or style to fit non korean customers tastes the neighborhood exists because koreans will travel there to be surrounded by korean things the koreans i know are intensely proud and nationalistic lee says they never talk about korea we always say woori nara   our country 
but as someone whose family has moved back and forth between korea and the united states as someone who has felt culture shock on arrival and an even weirder culture shock upon re entry to the place where she came from lee has another theory as to why these restaurants tend to resist outside influence their owners strive to realize the memory of where they are from so many immigrants have such a traditional view of the place they left way more than the people who still live there she said to me they have to hold on so tight to what they remember
when lee moved back to korea for high school she and her parents had spent 15 years in america she wondered who she was supposed to be living in a place where she finally looked like everyone else but felt like a foreigner she remembers her parents struggling in their own way the seoul they returned to was not at all the seoul they left the streets were different the slang was different the culture was different after a decade and a half of working to preserve their koreanness in their home as they moved around the united states spreading out newspaper on the floor to protect it from toppled piles of cabbage as they wore dishwashing gloves to mix tubs of kimchi they finally relocated to korea only to find that the country had moved on without them
when lee lived there her family didnt have to make their own kimchi but she returned to the states years ago and now she makes it herself the way her parents did when they moved here when i visited her supply was dwindling it was time to make a new batch but she popped open a few jars for us to taste and for our kimchi fried rice the older more mature stuff had a depth and harmony aside from the sour spicy highlights kimchi takes time to meld lee explained then she opened another jar the cabbage still slightly green swimming in its fire red marinade this is young kimchi she said all the ingredients are more distinct you taste garlic then ginger then salt its like its still trying to find its identity she paused sometimes i really like it that way
recipe kimchi fried rice


my mothers chief personality traits are creativity and impulsivity a result of this union is that i grew up in a startling variety of houses a lagoon side bungalow a glossy condominium with no heat a cottage built around 1906 for workers cleaning up after the san francisco earthquake and several other homes of varying peculiarity
a common factor among these homes was smallness from age 10 to 11 i slept in a closet on a mattress of egg crate foam in a 1200 square foot house in san francisco it was not a walk in closet the closet housed my older brother until he grew too long to fit in it and the walls were spattered with brownish dots that had been circled in pencil these dots were the blood filled carcasses of mosquitoes that he had smacked blindly in the night and then circled in the morning for reasons that i never broached but attributed partly to vengeance and partly to the psychopathy of all pubescent boys
not long after i took up residency in the closet we moved an hour north of the city and i received my next housing assignment an outbuilding basically a shed 40 feet away from a one bedroom house where the other three family members lived the shed was 80 square feet of paradise it had a door that locked and i could lie flat on the floor and not touch any walls it even had a deck   an array of unfinished planks   where i could stand and survey my territory a dirt road a mulch pile and a network of puddles
in addition to a bed and shelf my mother stocked the shed with a flashlight and a tub of skippy peanut butter in case anything happened like if someone broke in and forced me to make a sandwich in the dark was this a legally habitable dwelling under california housing law no did i grieve when we moved out forcefully
some humans are optimized for small spaces and i am one of them perhaps you are too heres an experiment to try find the square footage of your home and calculate how big it is in units of you i am 5 foot 4 and my current apartment is 320 square feet therefore my current apartment is 3 x 375 mollys i wonder if there is a golden ratio at work here   a crude logic behind our spatial preferences as a compact and rectangular human i gravitate toward compact and rectangular shelters ranch houses make me feel diluted when i walk into a spindly victorian i feel as though someone is tightening my corset my first thought upon entering any dwelling more than 6000 square feet is nobody will hear my screams
i should clarify a point here when i talk about small spaces im not talking about photogenic shelters constructed from found materials by silicon valley billionaires i am not talking about cabin porn i am talking about the universal human instinct to burrow regardless of your personal dimensions there is a kind of play common to nearly every child it is to get under a piece of furniture or some extemporized shelter of his own and to exclaim that he is in a house  wrote the british architectural historian john summerson in his 1949 essay collection heavenly mansions none of us summerson writes entirely outgrow our love of squatting under the table
related to this is the human compulsion to fit a variety of components into a contained space this compulsion sheds light on many aspects of daily life it explains why packing is fun and unpacking is a chore it explains toolboxes tackle boxes tangrams the appeal of apples packaging faberge eggs and the reason that youtube is full of parallel parking videos it explains bento boxes ship cabins marie kondo and mujis entire business model it explains many toys for children dollhouses tree houses polly pockets and many toys for adults swiss army knives refurbished airstreams things that nest tightly exercise a potent fascination is there a psychosexual component to this urge toward snugness obviously there may also be a geographic component some cultures   japan iceland   seem more obsessed with tiny spaces than others
in my case i wonder if my relocation from california to the east coast a decade ago had something to do with the scale of nature im still amazed at the delicacy of the natural landscape on this side of the country the trees are so dainty the beaches are diorama size the waves are like ripples in a cats water bowl forget about bluffs canyons or crags i can appreciate a 350 foot tall redwood tree but i feel more at home with a dwarfish crab apple or a dogwood if tiny spaces heighten the sense of being left to your own devices then tiny trees enlarge your relative physical presence in the world
and this in the end is what i suspect the allure for tiny spaces is all about that its not so much an aesthetic preference as it is an existential one the american hunger for big cars big screens big personalities and big macs abides enormousness is still the easiest way to signal dominance but scaling down can be aspirational too in large open spaces we feel slight and vulnerable in small contained spaces we feel large and powerful wouldnt you rather feel like a giant than an ant


when some people buy furniture they consider only functionality and comfort others focus wholly on period charm or how well the prospective acquisition goes with everything else in the room
for christopher jackson 40 a tony nominee for his portrayal of george washington in the musical hamilton the issue is much more fundamental does the couch the recliner the dining table feel like home
home is a word we use a lot said mr jacksons wife veronica vazquez jackson 41 an actress and singer who had several dance hits in the 90s and is releasing a new single in june if something feels like home we get it right she said turning to mr jackson for confirmation
that it felt like home was why six years ago they chose their apartment a three bedroom rental on the second floor of a four family house in the country club section of the bronx
the couple had been living in riverdale in the northwest part of the borough but because the elder of their two children cj 11 has autism and attends a school in glen cove ny on long island they moved east and south we wanted to be closer to the throgs neck bridge to make the drive easier ms vazquez jackson said
she found the apartment on craigslist mr jackson liked what he saw on the video tour and everything fell effortlessly into place thats how we know something is right   when its easy said ms vazquez jackson who these days is a real estate saleswoman for the ny casa group
the couple met in 2003 at an early reading of lin manuel mirandas in the heights and   it was easy and it was right   married in 2004 mr jackson had a principal role in the subsequent broadway production reuniting with mr miranda in hamilton the playwrights next venture
what with the chirps and trills of cardinals and blue jays the couple can forget theyre in the city theres a backyard with lots of rolling around room for cj and his 6 year old sister jadelyn and for sam an inordinately affectionate labradoodle for mr jackson theres a patio off the kitchen for his much loved grill
i use it all year long he said ive been known to put on my parka and cook a chicken breast outside in the winter when spring and summer come im watching the food network im all about bobby flay
two blocks away is pelham bay park with a playground for cj and jadelyn and bike paths for mr jackson on occasion hes pedaled to the theater and after the show he returns to an enclave where theres space to breathe
if i can live where i can look directly up and see sky thats a selling point for me he said and how about that neighbor who taped a poster reading way to go chris on mr jacksons garage door the day after hamilton won a grammy
ms vazquez jackson is bronx born and bred and her parents are a seven minute drive away as soon as i met that lady there he said i was like ok lets go to the bronx
i cant imagine our lives without veronicas parents i really cant family is imperative for us mr jackson said  im a bit of an immigrant since i come from southern illinois so to be pulled in right away with her huge family and extended family gave me a sense of always being at home
this particular piece of the bronx looks like a toy workshop jadelyns barbie doll accessories are stashed on the bookshelves in the living room the spillover lines the floor cjs legos   his supply is vast   obscure the top of the dining table which when cleared can comfortably seat eight but has accommodated 11 or 12 at holiday gatherings
paper colored pencils crayons and paints are abundant we encourage our kids to be as artistic as possible and to explore as much as they can said mr jackson who does his own artistic exploration down the hall in the music studio with the help of nine guitars and a keyboard
luckily in this age of technology you dont need as much space as you used to to have a viable recording space said mr jackson who with the composer bill sherman won an emmy in 2011 for a song they wrote for sesame street if ive got 15 minutes before i head out ill pick up a guitar and play for a minute thats a real comfort
he sets similar store by his books my bible ive had since i was a teenager mr jackson said my james baldwin books   im going to read them all again this summer they mark a time in my life when i completely shifted my thinking on who i am as a black man as a father a husband a person in the public eye
a particular treasure is a copy of dreams from my father by barack obama mr miranda brought it back from the white house where in the spring of 2009 he performed a number from an embryonic show about the first secretary of the united states treasury
the president had just been elected and i really wanted to be at the white house too and instead i was on stage doing in the heights  mr jackson recalled its the only time ive ever been jealous of lin miranda he walks into my dressing room with the book and im like oh great and he says open the book dummy 
and there it was with an all but illegible signature to chris   dream big dreams barack obama
mr jackson just shot a pilot for bull a tv drama about a jury selection consultancy created by dr phil mcgraw the television personality and paul attanasio the screenwriter decorating has long taken a back seat to career building and child rearing although once in a while something new for his home does cross his mind
but the chocolate brown corduroy sectional stays in the picture i think the couch is the most important thing here because everyone falls asleep on it ms vazquez jackson said
everyone it seems except mr jackson sleeping is not something i do well he said unsurprisingly the cuisinart coffee maker on the kitchen counter is his very first stop of the day mr jackson bought a keurig coffee maker and a supply of its coffee filled pods for his theater dressing room believing that it would solve all my issues he said but after the first cup i was like cant do it the idea is fantastic but you cant beat a brewed cup of coffee
at some point mr jackson added hoisting a mug ill get away from it and practice yoga first thing in the morning but right now its coffee


picture him as a young man standing on the waterfront in north williamsburg at a polling site on sept 11 2001 which was election day in new york city he saw the planes hit the towers an unforgettable moment of sheer disbelief followed by panic and shock and lasting horror a scene that eerily reminded him in the aftermath of the cover of the don delillo novel underworld
everything changed that day but the way it changed ben rhodess life is still unique and perhaps not strictly believable even as fiction he was in the second year of the mfa program at nyu writing short stories about losers in garden apartments and imagining that soon he would be published in literary magazines acquire an agent and produce a novel by the time he turned 26 he saw the first tower go down and after that he walked around for a while until he ran into someone he knew and they went back to her shared williamsburg apartment and tried to find a television that worked and when he came back outside everyone was taking pictures of the towers in flames he saw an arab guy sobbing on the subway that image has always stayed with me he says because i think he knew more than we did about what was going to happen writing frederick barthelme knockoffs suddenly seemed like a waste of time
i immediately developed this idea that you know maybe i want to try to write about international affairs he explained in retrospect i had no idea what that meant his mothers closest friend growing up ran the carnegie endowment for international peace which then published foreign policy he sent her a letter and included what would wind up being his only piece of published fiction a short story that appeared in the beloit fiction journal it was titled the goldfish smiles you smile back the story still haunts him he says because it foreshadowed my entire life
its the day of president obamas final state of the union address jan 12 and the news inside the white house is not good luckily the reporters on the couch in the west wing waiting room dont know it yet the cream of the crop are here this early pm for a private off the record lunch with the president who will preview his annual remarks to congress over a meal that is reported to be among the best in the white house chefs repertoire
blitzer a man calls out a small figure in a long navy cashmere overcoat turns around in mock surprise
you dont write you dont call wolf blitzer the cnn anchorman parries
well you can call shoots back his former colleague roland martin their repartee thus concluded they move on to the mutually fascinating subject of washington traffic jams i used to have a 930 hit on cnn martin reminisces the office was 82 miles from my home it took me 45 minutes the cbs news anchor scott pelley tells a story about how members of the press destroyed the lawn during the monica lewinsky scandal and were told that they would be allowed back once the grass was replanted the national park service replanted the grass outside the white house but the journalists werent allowed back on the lawn
unnoticed by the reporters ben rhodes walks through the room a half beat behind a woman in leopard print heels he is holding a phone to his ear repeating his mantra im not important youre important
the boy wonder of the obama white house is now 38 he heads downstairs to his windowless basement office which is divided into two parts in the front office his assistant rumana ahmed and his deputy ned price are squeezed behind desks which face a large television screen from which cnn blares nonstop large pictures of obama adorn the walls here is the president adjusting rhodess tie presenting his darling baby daughter ella with a flower and smiling wide while playing with ella on a giant rug that says e pluribus unum
for much of the past five weeks rhodes has been channeling the presidents consciousness into what was imagined as an optimistic forward looking final state of the union now from the flat screens a challenge to that narrative arises iran has seized two small boats containing 10 american sailors rhodes found out about the iranian action earlier that morning but was trying to keep it out of the news until after the presidents speech they cant keep a secret for two hours rhodes says with a tone of mild exasperation at the break in message discipline
as the deputy national security adviser for strategic communications rhodes writes the presidents speeches plans his trips abroad and runs communications strategy across the white house tasks that taken individually give little sense of the importance of his role he is according to the consensus of the two dozen current and former white house insiders i talked to the single most influential voice shaping american foreign policy aside from potus himself the president and rhodes communicate regularly several times a day according to denis mcdonough obamas chief of staff who is known for captaining a tight ship i see it throughout the day in person he says adding that he is sure that in addition to the two to three hours that rhodes might spend with obama daily the two men communicate remotely throughout the day via email and phone calls rhodes strategized and ran the successful iran deal messaging campaign helped negotiate the opening of american relations with cuba after a hiatus of more than 50 years and has been a co writer of all of obamas major foreign policy speeches every day he does 12 jobs and he does them better than the other people who have those jobs terry szuplat the longest tenured member of the national security council speechwriting corps told me on the largest and smallest questions alike the voice in which america speaks to the world is that of ben rhodes
like obama rhodes is a storyteller who uses a writers tools to advance an agenda that is packaged as politics but is often quite personal he is adept at constructing overarching plotlines with heroes and villains their conflicts and motivations supported by flurries of carefully chosen adjectives quotations and leaks from named and unnamed senior officials he is the master shaper and retailer of obamas foreign policy narratives at a time when the killer wave of social media has washed away the sand castles of the traditional press his ability to navigate and shape this new environment makes him a more effective and powerful extension of the presidents will than any number of policy advisers or diplomats or spies his lack of conventional real world experience of the kind that normally precedes responsibility for the fate of nations   like military or diplomatic service or even a masters degree in international relations rather than creative writing   is still startling
part of what accounts for rhodess influence is his mind meld with the president nearly everyone i spoke to about rhodes used the phrase mind meld verbatim some with casual assurance and others in the hushed tones that are usually reserved for special insights he doesnt think for the president but he knows what the president is thinking which is a source of tremendous power one day when rhodes and i were sitting in his boiler room office he confessed with a touch of bafflement i dont know anymore where i begin and obama ends
standing in his front office before the state of the union rhodes quickly does the political math on the breaking iran story now theyll show scary pictures of people praying to the supreme leader he predicts looking at the screen three beats more and his brain has spun a story line to stanch the bleeding he turns to price were resolving this because we have relationships he says
price turns to his computer and begins tapping away at the administrations well cultivated network of officials talking heads columnists and newspaper reporters web jockeys and outside advocates who can tweet at critics and tweak their stories backed up by quotations from senior white house officials and spokespeople i watch the message bounce from rhodess brain to prices keyboard to the three big briefing podiums   the white house the state department and the pentagon   and across the twitterverse where it springs to life in dozens of insta stories which over the next five hours don formal dress for mainstream outlets its a tutorial in the making of a digital news microclimate   a storm that is easy to mistake these days for a fact of nature but whose author is sitting next to me right now
rhodes logs into his computer its the middle of the expletive night in iran he grumbles price looks up from his keyboard to provide a messaging update considering that they have 10 of our guys in custody were doing ok
with three hours to go until the presidents address to congress rhodes grabs a big gatorade and starts combing through the text of the state of the union address i peek over his shoulder to get a sense of the meta narrative that will shape dozens of thumb suckers in the days and weeks to follow one sentence reads but as we focus on destroying isil over the top claims that this is world war iii just play into their hands he retypes a word then changes it back before continuing with his edit masses of fighters on the back of pickup trucks twisted souls plotting in apartments or garages   they pose an enormous danger to civilians they have to be stopped but they do not threaten our national existence
watching rhodes work i remember that he is still chiefly a writer who is using a new set of tools   along with the traditional arts of narrative and spin   to create stories of great consequence on the biggest page imaginable the narratives he frames the voices of senior officials the columnists and reporters whose work he skillfully shapes and ventriloquizes and even the presidents own speeches and talking points are the only dots of color in a much larger vision about who americans are and where we are going that rhodes and the president have been formulating together over the past seven years when i asked jon favreau obamas lead speechwriter in the 2008 campaign and a close friend of rhodess whether he or rhodes or the president had ever thought of their individual speeches and bits of policy making as part of some larger restructuring of the american narrative he replied we saw that as our entire job
having recently spent time working in hollywood i realize during our conversations that the role rhodes plays in the white house bears less resemblance to any specific character on beltway insider tv shows like the west wing or house of cards than it does to the people who create those shows and like most tv writers rhodes clearly prefers to imagine himself in the company of novelists
what novel is this that you are living in now and will exit from in eight months and be like oh my god i ask him
who would be the author of this novel he asks
the one you are a character in now
don delillo i think rhodes answers i dont know how you feel about don delillo
i love don delillo i answer
yeah rhodes answers thats the only person i can think of who has confronted these questions of you know the individual who finds himself negotiating both vast currents of history and a very specific kind of power dynamics thats his milieu and thats what its like to work in the us foreign policy apparatus in 2016
it has been rare to find ben rhodess name in news stories about the large events of the past seven years unless you are looking for the quotation from an unnamed senior official in paragraph 9 he is invisible because he is not an egotist and because he is devoted to the president but once you are attuned to the distinctive qualities of rhodess voice   which is often laced with aggressive contempt for anyone or anything that stands in the presidents way   you can hear him everywhere
rhodess mother and father are not interested in talking about rhodes neither is his older brother david who is president of cbs news an organization that recently revived the effort to declassify the contents of the redacted 28 pages of the sept 11 report on the eve of obamas visit to saudi arabia on which rhodes as usual accompanied the president the brothers are close but they often go months without seeing each other he was like the kid who carried the briefcase to school ben says of his brother who worked at fox news and bloomberg before moving to cbs i actually didnt do that great in high school because i was drinking and smoking pot and hanging out in central park
rhodess impassioned yet depressive vibe which i feel in his stray remarks and in the strangeness of his decision to allow me to roam around the white house stems in part from feeling overloaded he wishes he had more time to think and write his mother is jewish from the upper east side and worships john updike and reads the new yorker his father is a texan lawyer who took his sons to st thomas episcopal church once a month where rhodes felt like the jewish kid in church the same way he felt like a jewish christian at passover seders his new york city prep school kid combination of vulnerability brattiness and passionate hatred for phonies suggests an only slightly updated version of what holden caulfield might have been like if he grew up to work in the west wing
rhodess windowless back office which doesnt have a tv screen is an oasis of late night calm in a building devoted to the performance of power the walls are painted a soft creamy color which gives it the feel of an upscale hotel room with the drapes closed he arrives here every morning between 8 and 9 from a modest two bedroom apartment in a grad student type building in an unpretentious washington neighborhood around the corner from his favorite post collegiate bar before coming to work he walks his 1 year old daughter to day care then he drives to work in his beamer which appears to be the one grown up luxury he and his wife ann norris who works in the state department and longs to return to her childhood home of california can afford when his wife takes the car he rides the bus which offers him a touch of the anonymity he craves his days at the white house start with the presidents daily briefing which usually includes the vice president national security adviser susan rice deputy national security adviser avril haines and homeland security adviser lisa monaco
the books on his shelves are a mix of delillo novels history books recondite tomes on cuba and burma and adventure wonk stuff like mark mazzettis the way of the knife c s lewis makes an appearance here alongside a volume of lincoln speeches obama tells all his speechwriters to read lincoln and george orwells all art is propaganda i have seen the same books on the shelves of plenty of brooklyn apartments yet some large part of the recent history of america and its role in the world turns on the fact that the entirely familiar person sitting at the desk in front of me who seems not unlike other weed smokers i know who write frederick barthelme type short stories has achieved a mind meld with president obama and used his skills to help execute a radical shift in american foreign policy
so i wonder how did he get from there to here
the story that rhodes published in the beloit fiction journal is a good place to start
the editor at foreign policy who read goldfish which rhodes attached with his query letter said that the young mfa would be bored with fact checking instead he suggested that he apply for a job with lee hamilton the onetime congressman from indiana who was looking for a speechwriter
i was surprised hamilton remembered what the hell does a guy who wanted to write fiction come to me for but he had always found writers useful and rhodess writing sample was the best in the pile so he hired him on at the wilson center a nonpartisan think tank though rhodes never said a word in meetings hamilton says he had a keen understanding of what was going on and a talent for putting the positions of distinguished participants down on paper i immediately understood that its a very important quality for a staffer hamilton explained that he could come into a meeting and decide what was decided i suggested that the phrase decide what was decided is suggestive of the enormous power that might accrue to someone with rhodess gifts hamilton nodded absolutely he said
rhodes served as hamiltons staff member on the 911 commission where he met denis mcdonough another hamilton protege who had gone on to work for tom daschle in the senate rhodes then became the chief note taker for the iraq study group the bipartisan commission that excoriated george bushs war in iraq he accompanied hamilton and his republican counterpart on the group former secretary of state and bush family intimate james baker to their meetings with colin powell condoleezza rice stephen hadley david petraeus and many others vice president dick cheney met with the group but didnt say a word according to both hamilton and edward djerejian bakers second on the isg rhodess opinions were helpful in shaping the groups conclusions   a scathing indictment of the policy makers responsible for invading iraq for rhodes who wrote much of the isg report the iraq war was proof in black and white not of the complexity of international affairs or the many perils attendant on political decision making but of the fact that the decision makers were morons
one result of this experience was that when rhodes joined the obama campaign in 2007 he arguably knew more about the iraq war than the candidate himself or any of his advisers he had also developed a healthy contempt for the american foreign policy establishment including editors and reporters at the new york times the washington post the new yorker and elsewhere who at first applauded the iraq war and then sought to pin all the blame on bush and his merry band of neocons when it quickly turned sour if anything that anger has grown fiercer during rhodess time in the white house he referred to the american foreign policy establishment as the blob according to rhodes the blob includes hillary clinton robert gates and other iraq war promoters from both parties who now whine incessantly about the collapse of the american security order in europe and the middle east
jon favreau then the campaigns lead speechwriter felt as if he could use a foreign affairs expert who could write foreign policy advisers kept changing all the language that made obama sound like he wasnt part of the democratic foreign policy establishment he remembers the idea of someone with a masters in fiction who had also co authored the iraq study group and 911 commission reports seemed perfect for a candidate who put so much emphasis on storytelling the two young speechwriters quickly found themselves to be in sync he truly gives zero expletive about what most people in washington think favreau says admiringly of rhodes i think hes always seen his time there as temporary and wont care if hes never again invited to a cocktail party or asked to appear on morning joe or inducted into the council on foreign relations hall of fame or whatever the hell they do there
he was easily underestimatable samantha power recalls of rhodess arrival on the obama campaign in 2007 herself a writer whose history of americas responses to genocide a problem from hell won the pulitzer prize power went to work in obamas senate office in 2005 power is now the american ambassador to the united nations her attire suggests a disingenuous ambivalence about her role in government that appears to be common among her cohort in the obama administration with a cardigan made of thick expensive looking cashmere worn over a simple frock along with silver spray painted rock n roll sneakers see im sympatico the sneakers proclaim
early on what struck her about rhodes was how strategic he was he was leading quietly initially and mainly just through track changes like what to accept and reject she says when i ask her where rhodess control over drafts of the candidates speeches came from she immediately answers obama but then qualifies her answer but it was hobbesian she adds he had the pen and he understood intuitively that having the pen gave him that control his judgment was superior to that of his rivals and he refused to ever back down he was just defiant she recalls he was like no im not thats bad obama wouldnt want that 
obama relies on rhodes for an unvarnished take in part she says because ben just has no poker face and so its easy to see when he is feeling uncomfortable the president will be like ben something on your mind and then ben will have this incredibly precise lay down of why the previous half hour has been an utter waste of time because theres a structural flaw to the entire direction of the conversation
the literary character that rhodes most closely resembles power volunteers is holden caulfield he hates the idea of being phony and hes impetuous and he has very strong views
on his first day in the west wing rhodes remembers thinking how remarkably small the space was and noticing that the same few dozen people he worked with at campaign headquarters in chicago were now wearing suits instead of jeans the enormousness of the endeavor sank in on that first day and he realized that for all the prep work there was no manual for how to be on the staff of the person who is running the country particularly at a time when the global economy was in free fall and 180000 americans were fighting in iraq and afghanistan he became aware of two things at once the weight of the issues that the president was confronted with and the intense global interest in even the most mundane presidential communications
the job he was hired to do namely to help the president of the united states communicate with the public was changing in equally significant ways thanks to the impact of digital technologies that people in washington were just beginning to wrap their minds around it is hard for many to absorb the true magnitude of the change in the news business   40 percent of newspaper industry professionals have lost their jobs over the past decade   in part because readers can absorb all the news they want from social media platforms like facebook which are valued in the tens and hundreds of billions of dollars and pay nothing for the content they provide to their readers you have to have skin in the game   to be in the news business or depend in a life or death way on its products   to understand the radical and qualitative ways in which words that appear in familiar typefaces have changed rhodes singled out a key example to me one day laced with the brutal contempt that is a hallmark of his private utterances all these newspapers used to have foreign bureaus he said now they dont they call us to explain to them whats happening in moscow and cairo most of the outlets are reporting on world events from washington the average reporter we talk to is 27 years old and their only reporting experience consists of being around political campaigns thats a sea change they literally know nothing
in this environment rhodes has become adept at ventriloquizing many people at once ned price rhodess assistant gave me a primer on how its done the easiest way for the white house to shape the news he explained is from the briefing podiums each of which has its own dedicated press corps but then there are sort of these force multipliers he said adding we have our compadres i will reach out to a couple people and you know i wouldnt want to name them   
i can name them i said ticking off a few names of prominent washington reporters and columnists who often tweet in sync with white house messaging
price laughed ill say hey look some people are spinning this narrative that this is a sign of american weakness  he continued but   
in fact its a sign of strength i said chuckling
and ill give them some color price continued and the next thing i know lots of these guys are in the dot com publishing space and have huge twitter followings and theyll be putting this message out on their own
this is something different from old fashioned spin which tended to be an art best practiced in person in a world where experienced reporters competed for scoops and where carrying water for the white house was a cause for shame no matter which party was in power it was much harder to sustain a narrative over any serious period of time now the most effectively weaponized 140 character idea or quote will almost always carry the day and it is very difficult for even good reporters to necessarily know where the spin is coming from or why
when i later visited obamas former campaign mastermind david axelrod in chicago i brought up the soft orwellian vibe of an information space where old media structures and hierarchies have been erased by silicon valley billionaires who convinced the suckers that information was free and everyone with access to google was now a reporter axelrod a former newspaperman sighed its not as easy as standing in front of a press conference and speaking to 70 million people like past presidents have been able to do he said the bully pulpit by and large doesnt exist anymore he explained so more and more over the last couple of years theres been an investment in alternative means of communication using digital more effectively going to nontraditional sources understanding where on each issue your constituencies are going to be found he said i think theyve approached these major foreign policy challenges as campaign challenges and theyve run campaigns and those campaigns have been very sophisticated
rhodess innovative campaign to sell the iran deal is likely to be a model for how future administrations explain foreign policy to congress and the public the way in which most americans have heard the story of the iran deal presented   that the obama administration began seriously engaging with iranian officials in 2013 in order to take advantage of a new political reality in iran which came about because of elections that brought moderates to power in that country   was largely manufactured for the purpose for selling the deal even where the particulars of that story are true the implications that readers and viewers are encouraged to take away from those particulars are often misleading or false obamas closest advisers always understood him to be eager to do a deal with iran as far back as 2012 and even since the beginning of his presidency its the center of the arc rhodes explained to me two days after the deal officially known as the joint comprehensive plan of action was implemented he then checked off the ways in which the administrations foreign policy aims and priorities converged on iran we dont have to kind of be in cycles of conflict if we can find other ways to resolve these issues he said we can do things that challenge the conventional thinking that you know aipac doesnt like this or the israeli government doesnt like this or the gulf countries dont like it its the possibility of improved relations with adversaries its nonproliferation so all these threads that the presidents been spinning   and i mean that not in the press sense   for almost a decade they kind of all converged around iran
in the narrative that rhodes shaped the story of the iran deal began in 2013 when a moderate faction inside the iranian regime led by hassan rouhani beat regime hard liners in an election and then began to pursue a policy of openness which included a newfound willingness to negotiate the dismantling of its illicit nuclear weapons program the president set out the timeline himself in his speech announcing the nuclear deal on july 14 2015 today after two years of negotiations the united states together with our international partners has achieved something that decades of animosity has not while the presidents statement was technically accurate   there had in fact been two years of formal negotiations leading up to the signing of the jcpoa   it was also actively misleading because the most meaningful part of the negotiations with iran had begun in mid 2012 many months before rouhani and the moderate camp were chosen in an election among candidates handpicked by irans supreme leader the ayatollah ali khamenei the idea that there was a new reality in iran was politically useful to the obama administration by obtaining broad public currency for the thought that there was a significant split in the regime and that the administration was reaching out to moderate minded iranians who wanted peaceful relations with their neighbors and with america obama was able to evade what might have otherwise been a divisive but clarifying debate over the actual policy choices that his administration was making by eliminating the fuss about irans nuclear program the administration hoped to eliminate a source of structural tension between the two countries which would create the space for america to disentangle itself from its established system of alliances with countries like saudi arabia egypt israel and turkey with one bold move the administration would effectively begin the process of a large scale disengagement from the middle east
the nerve center for the selling of the iran deal to congress which took place in a concentrated three month period between july and september of last year was located inside the white house and is referred to by its former denizens as the war room chad kreikemeier a nebraskan who had worked in the white house office of legislative affairs helped run the team which included three to six people from each of several agencies he says which were the state department treasury the american delegation to the united nations ie samantha power at times dod the department of defense and also the department of energy and the national security council rhodes was kind of like the quarterback running the daily video conferences and coming up with lines of attack and parry he was extremely good about immediately getting to a phrase or a way of getting the message out that just made more sense kreikemeier remembers framing the deal as a choice between peace and war was rhodess go to move   and proved to be a winning argument
the person whom kreikemeier credits with running the digital side of the campaign was tanya somanader 31 the director of digital response for the white house office of digital strategy who became known in the war room and on twitter as theirandeal early on rhodes asked her to create a rapid response account that fact checked everything related to the iran deal so we developed a plan that was like the iran deal is literally going to be the tip of everything that we stand up online somanader says and were going to map it onto what we know about the different audiences were dealing with the public pundits experts the right wing congress by applying 21st century data and networking tools to the white glove world of foreign affairs the white house was able to track what united states senators and the people who worked for them and influenced them were seeing online   and make sure that no potential negative comment passed without a tweet
as she explained how the process worked i was struck by how naive the assumption of a state of nature must seem in an information environment that is mediated less and less by experienced editors and reporters with any real prior knowledge of the subjects they write about people construct their own sense of source and credibility now she said they elect who theyre going to believe for those in need of more traditional seeming forms of validation handpicked beltway insiders like jeffrey goldberg of the atlantic and laura rozen of al monitor helped retail the administrations narrative laura rozen was my rss feed somanader offered she would just find everything and retweet it
rhodess messaging campaign was so effective not simply because it was a perfectly planned and executed example of digital strategy but also because he was personally involved in guiding the deal itself in july 2012 jake sullivan a close aide to hillary clinton traveled to muscat oman for the first meeting with the iranians taking a message from the white house it was were prepared to open a direct channel to resolve the nuclear agreement if you are prepared to do the same thing and authorize it at the highest levels and engage in a serious discussion on these issues  sullivan remembers once that was agreed to it was quickly decided that we resolve the nuclear agreement in two steps the interim agreement and the final agreement subsequent meetings with the iranians followed during which he was joined by deputy secretary of state bill burns bill and i had a huge amount of license to explore what the terms would look like within the negotiating parameters sullivan says what the precise trade offs would be between forms of sanctions relief and forms of restraints on their programs that was left to us to feel out
the fact that the president largely let his surrogates do the talking and the selling of the iran deal   and even now rarely talks about it in public   does not reflect his level of direct engagement sullivan and burns spent hours before and after every session in oman with the president and his closest advisers in the white house when the president wasnt present rhodes always was ben and i in particular the two of us spent a lot of time thinking through all the angles sullivan says we spent three four five hours together in washington talking things through before the meetings in march 2013 a full three months before the elections that elevated hassan rouhani to the office of president sullivan and burns finalized their proposal for an interim agreement which became the basis for the jcpoa
the white house point person during the later stage of the negotiations was rob malley a favored troubleshooter who is currently running negotiations that could keep the syrian dictator bashar al assad in power during the course of the iran talks malley told me he always kept in close contact with rhodes i would often just call him and say give me a reality check  malley explained he could say here is where i think the president is and here is where i think he will be  he continued ben would try to anticipate does it make sense policywise but then he would also ask himself how do we sell it to congress how do we sell it to the public what is it going to do to our narrative
malley is a particularly keen observer of the changing art of political communication his father simon malley who was born in cairo edited the politics magazine afrique asie and proudly provided a platform for fidel castro and yasir arafat in the days when the leaders words might take weeks to travel from cuba or cairo to paris the iran experience was the place where i saw firsthand how policy politics and messaging all had to be brought together and i think that ben is really at the intersection of all three malley says he reflects and he shapes at the same time
as malley and representatives of the state department including wendy sherman and secretary of state john kerry engaged in formal negotiations with the iranians to ratify details of a framework that had already been agreed upon rhodess war room did its work on capitol hill and with reporters in the spring of last year legions of arms control experts began popping up at think tanks and on social media and then became key sources for hundreds of often clueless reporters we created an echo chamber he admitted when i asked him to explain the onslaught of freshly minted experts cheerleading for the deal they were saying things that validated what we had given them to say
when i suggested that all this dark metafictional play seemed a bit removed from rational debate over americas future role in the world rhodes nodded in the absence of rational discourse we are going to discourse the expletive out of this he said we had test drives to know who was going to be able to carry our message effectively and how to use outside groups like ploughshares the iran project and whomever else so we knew the tactics that worked he is proud of the way he sold the iran deal we drove them crazy he said of the deals opponents
yet rhodes bridled at the suggestion that there has been anything deceptive about the way that the agreement itself was sold look with iran in a weird way these are state to state issues theyre agreements between governments yes i would prefer that it turns out that rouhani and zarif   mohammad javad zarif irans foreign minister   are real reformers who are going to be steering this country into the direction that i believe it can go in because their public is educated and in some respects pro american but we are not betting on that
in fact rhodess passion seems to derive not from any investment in the technical specifics of sanctions or centrifuge arrays or any particular optimism about the future course of iranian politics and society those are matters for the negotiators and area specialists rather it derived from his own sense of the urgency of radically reorienting american policy in the middle east in order to make the prospect of american involvement in the regions future wars a lot less likely when i asked whether the prospect of this same kind of far reaching spin campaign being run by a different administration is something that scares him he admitted that it does i mean id prefer a sober reasoned public debate after which members of congress reflect and take a vote he said shrugging but thats impossible
getting rhodes to speak directly about the man whose gestalt he channels is a bit like asking someone to look into a mirror while describing someone elses face the obama he talks about in public is in part a character that he has helped to create   based on a real person of course   and is embedded in story lines that he personally constructs and manages at the same time he believes very deeply in obama the man and the president and in the policies that he has helped to structure and sell on his behalf
obamas particular revulsion against a certain kind of global power politics is a product rhodes suggests of his having been raised in southeast asia indonesia was a place where your interaction at that time with power was very intimate right rhodes asks tens or hundreds of thousands of people had just been killed power was not some abstract thing he muses when we sit in washington and debate foreign policy its like a risk game or its all about us or the human beings disappear from the decisions but he lived in a place where he was surrounded by people who had either perpetrated those acts   and by the way may not have felt great about that   or else knew someone who was a victim i dont think theres ever been an american president who had an experience like that at a young age of what power is
the parts of obamas foreign policy that disturb some of his friends on the left like drone strikes rhodes says are a result of obamas particular kind of globalism which understands the hard and at times absolute necessity of killing yet at the same time they are also ways of avoiding more deadly uses of force   a kind of low body count spin move
he leans back and opens a drawer in the file cabinet behind his desk and removes a folder i was going to show you something he says removing a sheaf of yellow legal paper covered in longhand just to confirm for you that he really is a writer he shows me the presidents copy of his nobel peace prize acceptance speech a revision of an original draft by favreau and rhodes whose defining tension was accepting a prize awarded before he had actually accomplished anything in his longhand notes obama relocated the speechs tension in the fact that he was accepting a peace prize a week after ordering 30000 more troops to afghanistan king and gandhi were the authors heroes yet he couldnt act as they did because he runs a state the reason that the author had to exercise power was because not everyone in the world is rational
we sit for a while and i examine the presidents thoughts unfolding on the page and the lawyerly abstract nature of his writing process moral imagination spheres of identity but also move beyond cheap lazy pronouncements one note reads here was the new american self   rational moral not self indulgent no longer one thing but multiple overlapping spheres or circles who is described here as usual the author is describing himself
valerie jarrett has been called the presidents work wife and is the only member of the west wing staff who knew obama before he began contemplating a run for the presidency what i want to understand better i tell her are the swirls of the presidents emotional fingerprint which i saw in the longhand draft of his nobel speech we talk for a while about being american and at the same time being from somewhere else and the split screen experience of reality that experience allows jarrett was born in iran and spent her early childhood there
was it a point of connection between you and the president that you had each spent some substantial part of your childhoods living in another country i ask her face lights up
absolutely she answers the question is important to her the first conversation we had over dinner when we first met was about what it was like for both of us to live in countries that were predominantly muslim countries at formative parts of our childhood and the perspective it gave us about the united states and how uniquely excellent it is she says we talked about what it was like to be children and how we played with children who had totally different backgrounds than our own but you would find something in common she recalls her very first dinner together with the new fiance of her protegee michelle robinson i remember him asking me questions that i felt like no one else has ever asked me before she says and he asked me from a perspective of someone who knew the same experience that i had so it felt really good i was like oh finally someone who gets it 
barack obama is not a standard issue liberal democrat he openly shares rhodess contempt for the groupthink of the american foreign policy establishment and its hangers on in the press yet one problem with the new script that obama and rhodes have written is that the blob may have finally caught on
he is a brilliant guy but he has a real problem with what i call the assignment of bad faith one former senior official told me of the president he regards everyone on the other side at this point as being a bunch of bloodthirsty know nothings from a different era who play by the old book he hears arguments like we should be punching iran in the nose on its shipments of arms and do it publicly or we should sanction the crap out of them for their ballistic missile test and tell them that if they do it again were going to do this or were going to do that and he hears dick cheney in those arguments
another official i spoke to put the same point more succinctly clearly the world has disappointed him when i asked whether he believed that the oval office debate over syria policy in 2012   resulting in a decision not to support the uprising against assad in any meaningful way   had been an honest and open one he said that he had believed that it was but has since changed his mind instead of adjusting his policies to the reality and adjusting his perception of reality to the changing realities on the ground the conclusions he draws are exactly the same no matter what the costs have been to our strategic interests he says in an odd way he reminds me of bush the comparison is a startling one   and yet questions of tone aside it is uncomfortably easy to see the similarities between the two men american presidents who projected their own ideas of the good onto an indifferent world
one of the few charter members of the blob willing to speak on the record is leon panetta who was obamas head of the cia and secretary of defense and also enough of a product of a different culture to give honest answers to what he understands to be questions of consequence at his institute at the old fort ord in seaside calif where in the days before he wore mr rogers sweaters he served as a young army intelligence officer i ask him about a crucial component of the administrations public narrative on iran whether it was ever a salient feature of the cias analysis when he ran the agency that the iranian regime was meaningfully divided between hard line and moderate camps
no panetta answers there was not much question that the quds force and the supreme leader ran that country with a strong arm and there was not much question that this kind of opposing view could somehow gain any traction
i ask panetta whether as head of the cia or later on as secretary of defense he ever saw the letters that obama covertly sent to khamenei in 2009 and in 2012 which were only reported on by the press weeks later
no he answers before saying he would like to believe that tom donilon national security adviser since 2010 and hillary clinton then secretary of state had a chance to work on the offer they presented
as secretary of defense he tells me one of his most important jobs was keeping prime minister benjamin netanyahu of israel and his defense minister ehud barak from launching a pre emptive attack on irans nuclear facilities they were both interested in the answer to the question is the president serious  panetta recalls and you know my view talking with the president was if brought to the point where we had evidence that theyre developing an atomic weapon i think the president is serious that he is not going to allow that to happen
panetta stops
but would you make that same assessment now i ask him
would i make that same assessment now he asks probably not
he understands the presidents pivot toward iran as the logical result of a deeply held premise about the negative effects of use of american military force on a scale much larger than drone strikes or special forces raids i think the whole legacy that he was working on was im the guy whos going to bring these wars to an end and the last goddamn thing i need is to start another war  he explains of obama if you ratchet up sanctions it could cause a war if you start opposing their interest in syria well that could start a war too
in panettas telling his own experience at the pentagon under obama sometimes resembled being installed in the drivers seat of a car and finding that the steering wheel and brakes had been disconnected from the engine obama and his aides used political elders like him robert gates and hillary clinton as cover to end the iraq war and then decided to steer their own course he suggests while panetta pointedly never mentions rhodess name it is clear whom he is talking about
there were staff people who put themselves in a position where they kind of assumed where the presidents head was on a particular issue and they thought their job was not to go through this open process of having people present all these different options but to try to force the process to where they thought the president wanted to be he says theyd say well this is where we want you to come out and id say expletive thats not the way it works well present a plan and then the president can make a decision i mean jesus christ it is the president of the united states youre making some big decisions here he ought to be entitled to hear all of those viewpoints and not to be driven down a certain path
but that cant be true i tell panetta because the aides he is talking about had no independent power aside from the authority that the president himself gave them
well thats a good question panetta allows hes a smart guy hes not dumb its all part of the washington blame game just as panetta can blame young aides in order to avoid blaming the president for his actual choices the president used his aides to tell panetta to take a hike perhaps the president and his aides were continually unable to predict the consequences of their actions in syria and made mistake after mistake while imagining that it was going to come out right the next time another read which isnt necessarily opposed to that i continue is that their actual picture is entirely coherent but if they put it in blunt unnuanced terms   
panetta completes my sentence    theyd get the expletive kicked out of them he looks at me curiously let me ask you something he says did you present this theory to ben rhodes
oh god rhodes says the reason the president has bucked a lot of establishment thinking is because he does not agree with establishment thinking not because i or denis mcdonough are sitting here he pushes back in his chair the complete lack of governance in huge swaths of the middle east that is the project of the american establishment he declares that as much as iraq is what angered me
there is something dangerously naive about this kind of talk in which words like balance stakeholders and interests are endlessly reshuffled like word tiles in a magnetic poetry set with little regard for the immutable contingencies that shaped americas role in the world but thats hardly fair ben rhodes wanted to do right and maybe when the arc of history lands it will turn out that he did at least he tried something scared him and made him feel as if the grown ups in washington didnt know what they were talking about and its hard to argue that he was wrong
what has interested me most about watching him and his cohort in the white house over the past seven years i tell him is the evolution of their ability to get comfortable with tragedy i am thinking specifically about syria i add where more than 450000 people have been slaughtered
yeah i admit very much to that reality he says theres a numbing element to syria in particular but i will tell you this he continues i profoundly do not believe that the united states could make things better in syria by being there and we have an evidentiary record of what happens when were there   nearly a decade in iraq
iraq is his one word answer to any and all criticism i was against the iraq war from the beginning i tell rhodes so i understand why he perpetually returns to it i also understand why obama pulled the plug on americas engagement with the middle east i say but it was also true as a result that more people are dying there on his watch than died during the bush presidency even if very few of them are americans what i dont understand is why if america is getting out of the middle east we are apparently spending so much time and energy trying to strong arm syrian rebels into surrendering to the dictator who murdered their families or why it is so important for iran to maintain its supply lines to hezbollah he mutters something about john kerry and then goes off the record to suggest in effect that the world of the sunni arabs that the american establishment built has collapsed the buck stops with the establishment not with obama who was left to clean up their mess
it is clearly time for me to go rhodes walks me out into the sunlight of the west wing parking lot where we are treated to the sight of the aged henry kissinger who has come to pay a visit i ask rhodes if he has ever met the famous diplomat before and he tells me about the time they were seated together at a state dinner for the president of china it was an interesting encounter to imagine between kissinger who made peace with maos china while bombing laos to bits and rhodes who helped effect a similar diplomatic volte face with iran but kept the united states out of a civil war in syria which has caused more than four million people to become refugees i ask rhodes how it felt being seated next to the embodiment of american realpolitik it was surreal he says looking off into the middle distance i told him i was going to laos he continues he got a weird look in his eye
there is nothing snarky about his delivery rhodes just was bothered by seeing legless kids and unexploded cluster bombs in the jungle he is not henry kissinger or so his logic runs even as the underlying realist suspicion   or contempt   for the idea of america as a moral actor is eerily similar he is torn as the president himself once asked how are we supposed to weigh the tens of thousands who have died in syria against the tens of thousands who have died in congo what power means is that the choice is yours no matter who is telling the story


washington   gloria steinem and vice president joseph r biden jr were engrossed in conversation steps from his ceremonial office where he was getting his makeup done ms steinem already prepped was here to interview him for woman her new vice tv show
she skipped past notes her producers had readied about their topic its on us the white houses pledge initiative against sexual assault and led with her own question what motivated him to take on this cause she pressed him on gender related problems in the military   the culture is changing he said in part because of advocates like her a photo of joe and glo was snapped for her new instagram account
after the vice president strode away young white house staffers stepped in to angle for their own selfies seen it all aides went rapt as ms steinem recounted her experience as a 17 year old in washington we made it a project to swim in all the fountains the first president she remembers franklin d roosevelt and the times she picketed outside the capitol numerous
while ms steinem 82 has clocked a half century as an activist journalist and feminist leader woman is the first time she has produced and hosted a tv series beginning on tuesday it will run on the new cable channel viceland exploring in eight weekly episodes human rights and violence against women around the world from child marriage in zambia to sexual attacks in the united states military it is not an easy watch but ms steinem was adamant that it would present a complex portrait of its subjects as survivors and advocates and offer viewers a way to become involved
what i hope is seeing it will be the closest thing to being on the ground yourself she said it is being a witness and people in hard times need a witness and somebody who can help
in her focus on first person accounts and diy support systems ms steinem is aligned with the interests of millennial audiences   the kind that vice in their unlikely partnership hopes to deliver what that demographic newly awoken to her legacy might not realize is how well ms steinem   a social networker even before she joined twitter a nondriver a voracious traveler who has spent most of her career without a formal job and a lifelong rule breaker who can rock a raised fist and a raunchy punch line   fits in with them already
i think shes a hero said shane smith a founder of vice who greenlit the show
the two met at a google conference in 2014 where she talked about the global upsurge in violence against women and the fact that it was now extreme enough so that there are fewer females on earth than males she recalled
mr smith was listening she gave a speech and then i bawled my eyes out he said i was blown away by her storytelling and the wealth of her experience given her connections and insight he added i realized she was a natural producer
but their collaboration was hardly an obvious match vice made its name on bro centric content heavy on the danger zone posturing gross out humor and dopey stoner antics even its nerdiest cable show is called balls deep and as the brands poster boy mr smith a major onscreen presence in vices separate hbo show has reveled in a cussing anti authoritarian persona even as he became a vaunted and wealthy chief executive
ms steinem knew of vices very masculine reputation as she put it so before she committed to the series which began development in october 2014 she sniffed around for any trouble and emerged at ease it felt to me like an organization that had started one way and was becoming much more universal she said in an interview in vices clubby offices in williamsburg brooklyn what it reminded me of was new york magazine where she landed early in her career in the 1960s that was totally male   jimmy breslin and tom wolfe and all these writers and that also was open to change a subsidy from new yorks editor clay felker enabled ms steinem and others to start ms magazine in 1971
it helped that the team for woman was almost entirely female led by a group of female producers among them ariel wengroff a 26 year old with a background in politics before she landed at vice two years ago ms wengroff had never worked on let alone created a tv show
it was a complete leap of faith she said of working on woman which she and mr smith developed with the vice news producer iris xu ms steinem and her longtime associate amy richards from the crew up it is the most heavily female staffed program in vicelands lineup the company also began broadly an online channel oriented toward women in 2015
ms steinem has other tv credits and talk show offers were dangled over the years but they required too much time she said and she wasnt keen on network oversight vice feels much more able to move quickly she said
back in new york she invited some compatriots to the soho house for a first feedback screening leaders from the ford foundation and equality now along with leymah gbowee the liberian nobel peace prize winner they watched the series wrenching premiere about rape as a tool of war in the democratic republic of congo
episodes begin and end with ms steinem speaking to the camera about the challenges facing women but the bulk of the reporting is handled by young international correspondents chosen by vice who straddle the line between journalist and activist as ms steinem does they shot in eight countries an episode in pakistan directed by sharmeen obaid chinoy this years oscar winner for documentary short is still in progress
ms steinem did not travel with them but her expertise paved the way gloria brought a whole different level of credibility and access to women on the ground that we wouldnt have had otherwise ms wengroff said suggesting where we could and couldnt go who she felt was credible and who shes worked with and who also is new that we could empower
the host of the debut episode isobel yeung journeys along bumpy roads to meet a warlord and is barred from an interview despite having arranged for access   a marker of authenticity in this documentary style she is also visibly distraught by the horrors her subjects reveal in typical vice fashion the camera cuts back often to capture correspondents reactions their tears and outrage ms steinem loved this intimate take an emotional entry point
after the screening the audience swapped resources ms steinem wanted more footage online of women sharing their survival stories we have to figure out how strong they are and how to leave hope she said the challenge is to know and not despair and figure out how to make it better a little bit at a time
for ms steinem hatching ideas about grass roots networking   how to introduce one rebel group to another say   is as elemental as breathing theres nothing better than empathy she said a few days later at vices offices it was her first visit to its new headquarters a sprawling refurbished warehouse with a coffee bar on the ground floor and solar power on the terrace and she turned a few heads but wearing a snug leather jacket skinny black pants and a keffiyeh style scarf she hardly looked out of place   though she was almost certainly the oldest person there
the generational divide between ms steinem and many in her circle is inescapable and also somewhat irrelevant shes a cultural magpie   shell quote the organizing principles of black lives matter mention doing a version of the disco move the bump in zambia and reference the french statesman georges clemenceau military justice is to justice what military music is to music i think im like an overstimulated 6 year old she said because theres so many things and theyre so interesting
in an email her friend lena dunham wrote something amazing about gloria is that she is totally not content to rest on her laurels or stick to mediums shes comfortable with its the reason she remains so deeply relevant   that refusal to settle in
ms steinem was at vice to watch footage of her interview with mr biden and to give notes on an episode about female fighters in the revolutionary armed forces of colombia a rebel group
she was warned that the chairs in the screening room reclined but do they vibrate she said
then she got down to business she turned away when her face appeared on screen   even after a lifetime she doesnt like watching herself she still gets anxious about public speaking too i had chosen to be two things in my life a dancer and a writer she said because i didnt want to talk but im grateful the fact that no editor would print what i wanted to write forced me into talking
she can still rile as she learned after some comments she made about bernie sanderss and hillary clintons popularity with young women were she said misconstrued if i had meant what they thought i meant id be mad at me too she said of the idea that some young women support mr sanders only because men do she was talking about the allocation of power not boyfriends she said and gladly took to social media to explain herself its very important to experience at least one twitter war she said explaining later it was very educational lots of bad things have happened to me but not with such brevity
for the vice team ms steinems presence has been a series of pinch me moments im lucky to be working with her mr smith the vice executive said though hes reported from north korea and covered jihadis some of the hardships that woman details were new to him i found lots of it difficult to watch he said and grew pensive this is going to get very hippie dippie he said i believe the universe gave me daughters   his are 4 and 5   to help me understand the world better
ms steinem was impressed by her all female vice crew too whom she saw as emblematic of a generation striving not against what is but toward what can be they are smart caring and fast she wrote in an email she even proudly sported some company bling   a gold ring that spells out vice given to its top brass   although she did ask is this gender free jewelry
assured that it was worn by all sexes she kept it on


when joe morton was just starting out as an actor his grandmother came to see him in the original broadway production of hair at that performance he played the cop who ended the first act by informing all the naked tribe members that they were under arrest
after his line his grandmother stood up and announced proudly that was my grandson
nearly a half century later audiences dont need to be told who mr morton is his emmy winning turn as the villainous rowan pope on abcs popular scandal and leading roles in films like the brother from another planet and terminator 2 judgment day have taken care of that
new york theatergoers will get the chance to be reminded that mr morton also has serious stage chops   he was last seen on broadway in art in 1999   when he burrows deep into the soul and psyche of the sharp witted comedian and activist dick gregory in turn me loose the new biographical play written by gretchen law and directed by john gould rubin is in previews at the off broadway westside theater and is scheduled to open on may 19
in loose mr morton is onstage for 90 minutes in what is essentially a one man show that visits key moments in mr gregorys life im not doing an impression of dick gregory in terms of trying to create his voice and his style mr morton said but everything i am doing is based on who he is and what hes done a second actor john carlin pops up to set the scene as a nightclub mc or heckler a journalist a backstage flunky and more
during an interview late last month at a lounge upstairs at the westside theater mr morton 68 easygoing and sipping from a cup of coffee said that he jumped at the chance to play mr gregory when the project first came his way three years ago
its like somebody saying howd you like to play martin luther king but with humor mr morton said what dick gregory was able to do and what this play is able to do is to use art to talk about politics about social change and to talk about it not just to an exclusively black audience
three readings and one workshop production later turn me loose now focuses on mr gregory during the 1960s a tumultuous period during which the comic achieved his greatest success with nightclub and tv appearances comedy lps and a best selling autobiography but also found himself drawn ever deeper into the civil rights movement and other social causes he even ran for president as a write in candidate in 1968 pulling in 47000 votes
mr morton said the play is about a man whose conflict is either im going to become rich and famous or im going to give it all up and become an activist it has to be one or nothing it cant be a little bit of both
mr gregory 84 still makes 200 appearances a year and is still out there protesting he has given both the play and mr morton his blessing
when i look at the hottest play on broadway hamilton and hes been dead for 200 years at least i get to be played onstage while im still alive mr gregory said by phone from washington he name checked martin luther king jr malcolm x and medgar evers all of whom he knew and said he hoped the show would introduce younger audiences to the civil rights movement and its accomplishments
turn me loose gained additional celebrity luster when the musician john legend his producing partner mike jackson and their production company get lifted film company signed on to produce and mr legend has written a song for the show
i loved the idea of a theater experience that was so funny and yet had such a powerful message mr legend said by phone from los angeles dick gregory was such an important person and he still is
scheduling the production was the hard part given mr mortons ties to scandal in effect he is spending his summer vacation in new york having squeezed in two weeks of rehearsals in los angeles with mr rubin even as he was shooting his final scenes on scandal for this season
he and christine lietz his companion and business partner mr morton is twice divorced and the father of three grown children have settled into a rental apartment in midtown and are living out of suitcases for the duration christine and i call ourselves globally homeless he said explaining that he currently has no fixed address but goes where work takes him
shonda rhimes the writer and producer who created scandal says viewers should never confuse mr morton with rowan pope whos often a less than exemplary father to his daughter olivia kerry washington if olivia pope had been raised by joe morton instead of rowan pope we wouldnt have a tv show because olivia would be whole and happy and mentally healthy ms rhimes wrote in an email
back at the westside theater a day after the interview mr morton paced the stage during his first rehearsal in new york dressed in the sort of black suit white shirt and skinny black tie that mr gregory wore mr morton made it all the way through the play without a script afterward the production crew applauded he dipped into a curtsy not terrible mr morton said but i was dropping lines that ive never dropped before
mr rubin the director reassured mr morton saying it was a good start and they still had a week before facing an audience
that mr morton dropped even one line would surprise ms rhimes who gives him aria like monologues as rowan pope ive written a brand new two page monologue for papa pope at 7 am and hes delivered it word perfect an hour later adding nuances i never even imagined she wrote with joe the marathon hes running always looks like a sprint


while there was plenty to celebrate artistically this season at the metropolitan opera   with several acclaimed new productions and memorable star turns   the companys worrying box office slump continued
the met was on track to take in only 66 percent of its potential box office revenue through the end of the season on saturday company officials said down slightly from the previous season since some seats are discounted attendance is projected to be 72 percent
some weakness stemmed from factors beyond the mets control jonas kaufmann one of the last bankable stars in opera withdrew from all his appearances this season citing illness and other opera companies are facing struggles of their own but it is becoming a pattern
it is a daunting house to fill with 3800 seats and 200 standing room places the met is far bigger than most european houses and it gave 225 opera performances this season more than almost all of its peers it sold an average of 2869 seats per performance   more than enough to fill the 2256 seats of the royal opera house in london or the vienna state opera which can hold 2284
what to do channeling their inner impresarios critics and reporters for the new york times engaged in a little operatic spitballing throwing out ideas   including some that the met is experimenting with and others it might find off the wall   that could help fill the house again michael cooper
court the young even more give operagoers in their teens and twenties not just the best seats at cheap prices but also steep discounts at the intermission bar create a club that offers exclusive access to rehearsals meetings with directors and singers and trips to performances elsewhere give them perks you dont give your biggest donors corinna da fonseca wollheim
granted this met season has been unusually narrow in 2015 16 71 percent of performances have been of operas by puccini verdi donizetti or rossini heavier doses of gounod massenet wagner and strauss make 2016 17 appear somewhat better balanced but not enough while unusual repertory can be a tough sell well rounded offerings are essential to a sustainable future the met should start by edging more often into eastern europe janacek should appear every year and mussorgsky prokofiev and shostakovich deserve more than occasional outings then theres the matter of time the cavernous theater is a hindrance admittedly but gluck and handel ought to be mainstays not rarities and occasional forays into john adams alongside some muhly and ades commissions arent nearly enough contemporary work david allen
a few years ago the president of an opera club at columbia law school asked if i would join members for one of their regular lunchtime meetings when i showed up to my amazement there were some 150 students in attendance and an enormous stack of pizzas the met should actively assist and encourage clubs for opera lovers with shared interests the met could arrange discounted tickets for designated performances and even host receptions for the clubs with special guests like singers from the young artists program who might perform a couple of arias anthony tommasini
one seemingly simple way to draw bigger crowds perform when its convenient for audiences while other major opera houses ballet companies and broadway shows find that sunday performances are among their most popular the met retains a longstanding never on sundays schedule that dates back to the days of strict blue laws
many operagoers find weeknight performances difficult especially for operas that last three hours or longer an 8 pm start can be too late for older patrons and suburbanites who face long commutes after the final curtain but earlier starts are tough for the many people who typically work much later than 5 pm   especially if they want to be able to eat dinner
sunday matinees would be simpler for people in both groups and could appeal to operagoers from further afield peter gelb the mets general manager has suggested adding some sunday performances but he will need to win the agreement of the mets unions whose workers often have punishing schedules and who agreed to concessions in their last contracts and going dark on a weekday would cut into the mets already cramped rehearsal schedules michael cooper
every orchestra it seems has an artist in residence in fact the new york philharmonics this season has been the bass baritone eric owens why not the met planning is tough of course but with enough lead time why couldnt a singer participate in three or four or five productions over a season as well as concerts recitals lectures the more audiences know and love a performer the more eager theyll be to buy tickets to see her zachary woolfe
theres much to be said for the stagione system in use in many european opera houses in which only one production runs at a time this makes it easier to instill a sense of urgency in the public your chance to see a show is now or never as a magnet for cultural tourists some of whom travel to new york to see multiple operas over a few days the met is understandably reluctant to do this and the house is set up to run several productions at once but it would still make sense to link thematically related works into mini festivals that encourage binge watching like a lulu versus lucia showdown of madwomen corinna da fonseca wollheim
one festival is already offered by the met although its a summer of hd screenings on lincoln center plaza and admittedly festivals can be used as tools for both progress and reaction the new york philharmonic has its new music biennial but also its dvorak and rachmaninoff celebrations even so a festival during the main season   done properly   would let the met draw attention to new productions while trotting out old ones help it build excitement for unusual repertoire and give it an opportunity for collaboration with other non operatic institutions imagine a series looking at the orpheus myth over time from monteverdi to birtwistle or treatments of shakespeare balancing verdi with barber reimann and ades think what could be done for the forgotten romantics like korngold and schreker one could even contemplate a pageant of american operas david allen
the holiday presentations of family friendly operas   shorter and in english   should be expanded across the season consider marketing the occasional matinee of a full length opera to families too with clap all you like rules and affordable snacks at intermission while youre at it take a hint from the new jersey symphony orchestra which has players hang out at the front of the stage during intermission to take questions from audience members send choristers in costume out to the lobbies to pose for selfies corinna da fonseca wollheim
new yorkers like to dress up get in on the game the met should mark the dates of fashion week and throw open its doors with gala performances that enforce a strict dress code invite a runway star to dress the entire cast of one production with apologies to the regular costume designer then auction off the clothes dont let the other met and its costume institute steal all the paparazzi attention corinna da fonseca wollheim
why is it that audiences linger after performances at say the park avenue armory while they rush out of the met its because theres no comfortable exciting space at the opera house to sit down chat have unexpected run ins my idea throw out the overpriced mediocre grand tier restaurant and replace it with something like the smith across broadway moderately priced a little rambunctious and open including after the opera for food that includes both filet mignon and burgers drinks that includes both champagne and beer and good coffee zachary woolfe
the company might select a couple of offerings each season and turn them into citywide cultural collaborations its moving a bit in this direction next season for the company premiere of kaija saariahos lamour de loin the philharmonic will tie performances of saariaho works at the park avenue armory to the met run but couldnt the two mets opera and museum have worked on an exhibition on christian troubadours from aquitaine and religious art from tripoli the two locales this 12th century story shifts between how about asking early music ensembles to perform troubadour songs
how about verdis otello which returned this spring in time for the 400th anniversary of shakespeares death imagine high school english teachers in the city with the support of the met using this run as a chance to compare shakespeares tragedy with verdis opera and then taking students to the free dress rehearsal anthony tommasini
even in the higher altitudes of the opera house tickets are still quite expensive   especially when it comes to enticing new generations who may be iffy on the whole idea of giving opera a try on many nights this season the house seemed to sell out from the top down with the least expensive tickets disappearing first prices currently range from 25 to 480 but the average is 15850
the company does have more discounted options than ever   there are 25 rush tickets student ticket offers fridays under 40 discounts   but many of them place the onus on operagoers to figure them out and some like rush tickets require a degree of last minute flexibility that is hard for people who need to say engage babysitters or plan ahead and costly tickets make it harder for opera fanatics   people who not only want to see many different operas each year but also often want to see the same opera more than once to revel in a favorite singer or compare alternate casts
what to do ticket revenues account for an increasingly small percentage of the cost of actually mounting operas in a perfect world perhaps a very deep pocketed donor could be enticed to make a transformational gift that would allow the met to cut its prices across the board that would allow fanatics to go more often more realistically the met could use the information available in most ticket purchases   perhaps the credit card numbers and email addresses people use when they buy tickets online   to offer first time operagoers the chance to purchase say half price tickets anywhere in the house that could help groom future fanatics michael cooper
create a loyalty app that allows users to check in every time they visit add in a morning after quiz element that rewards close attention   to a detail of a characters costume a witty translation in the met titles or a line in the program notes award bonus points for arcane trivia frequent visits and thorny or new works make participation the entry requirement for lotteries that offer lavish prizes like a parterre box for a night a private dress fitting in the costume department or a chance to shadow a director for a day corinna da fonseca wollheim
one option that would offend many die hard opera fans but might entice more newcomers a little judicious cutting of operas to make things flow a bit faster onstage and make it easier for audiences with too few hours in the day to find time for opera
shakespeares plays are rarely performed uncut but in opera the trend in recent decades has been toward fewer cuts and treating scores as sacrosanct to get people out at a reasonable hour many opera companies including the met now have fewer intermissions another option would be to cut the operas the met sometimes does this for its shortened english language holiday presentations aimed at families which whittle down works like mozarts the magic flute and rossinis the barber of seville to two hours or less while some gorgeous music gets left on the cutting room floor the shortened operas are often among the most popular offerings of the year   and draw quite a few adults who are unaccompanied by children michael cooper
after years of illness and cancellations james levine the mets longtime music director has finally retired now the company has a chance to nab a vibrant replacement who has technical chops intriguing ideas about repertory a taste for the new and a connection to the city and its cultural life im thinking of the kind of leader you might see on a night off at national sawdust or even terminal 5 zachary woolfe


for pure escapism nothing is quite like running away to the circus and with the annual spring flurry of broadway openings in the rearview mirror now seems a perfect time for just such a change of pace youll need to go only as far as brooklyn where next door to st anns warehouse a temporary big top has been constructed under the brooklyn bridge there for the next few weeks nofit state circus a company that hails from cardiff wales will be in residence with bianco an immersive circus performance
audience members will stand while trapeze artists fly above their heads and other performers interact with them below in the show which drew crowds at the edinburgh festival fringe in 2013 and 2014 the st anns visit is the north american debut of this talented troupe through may 29 st anns warehouse 718 254 8779 stannswarehouseorg


a georgian estate on the coast of wales
256 million 175 million pounds
perched on a rocky outcropping overlooking the dovey estuary this 354 acre estate includes a four bedroom five bath house a restored cottage and a small private island the property is on the west coast of wales near the village of aberdovey aberdyfi in welsh at the southern end of snowdonia national park the cambrian coast railway line cuts through one side of the property connecting the local towns to pwllheli a resort town in northern wales
known as trefri hall the 5088 square foot main house was built in the 19th century the cottage dates to the 17th century the property is designated a grade ii listed site which means no major changes can be made without the approval of the local conservancy
the historic listing is definitely seen as a benefit said belinda hutchinson smith of strutt  parker the listing agent for the property it ensures the character of the property
the entrance of the main house leads to a reception hall with broad views of cardigan bay the house features deep sash windows 14 foot ceilings period molding and an oak staircase there is a marble fireplace in the sitting room which has a wide bay window overlooking the estuary which attracts a variety of migratory birds in 2003 the current owners added a glass conservatory with views of the estuary the river and the surrounding hills there is another marble fireplace in the dining room which is attached to the conservatory the kitchen features an aga range and a small breakfast area
the four bedrooms are upstairs each has its own en suite bathroom the fifth bathroom is on the ground floor all the bathrooms have been refurbished over the last six years with underfloor heating new showers and porcelain tiles the owner said one upstairs bathroom has a free standing bath tub next to a window with views of the estuary
the two story cottage was refurbished over the last four years originally a long farmhouse with living quarters on the top floor and stables below it now has two large bedrooms and one bathroom a living room with a balcony and two wood burning stoves around the cottage there are old stables and barns now used for storing garden equipment
the grounds have several cultivated garden areas surrounded by stone walls featuring azaleas hybrid rhododendrons fruit trees and japanese maple trees there are two greenhouses and separate workshops a boat house has been converted into an office with a wood burning stove and french doors leading to a deck and a dock a castellated bridge leads to the island which is deserted except for a contemporary decorative turret
the furniture and art on the property are not part of the asking price but select pieces are available for sale including furniture dating to the 17th century the owner said nineteen acres of pasture adjacent to the property are also available for sale although the land is currently rented to a sheep farmer according to the owner
the nearest village aberdovey is about a mile and a half away and has a post office grocery stores pubs and restaurants buses passing the house provide connections to aberdovey and to local towns the nearest international airports are manchester and birmingham which are both about two and a half hours away by car or train the train trip to london is about four and a half hours
market overview
wales is a much different market from the rest of britain according to agents sales activity and pricing tend to be steadier than in the roller coaster markets of london and other areas
we havent had the highs so we probably wont see the lows said anthony clay a partner with knight frank the real estate company
housing prices in wales were down 03 percent in 2015 according to data from the office for national statistics a sluggish british economy and uncertainty about the future have dampened sales activity agents said but the royal institution of chartered surveyors expects prices to rise 6 percent and sales by 3 percent this year primarily because of short supply
over all prices for large country homes in rural wales are often a fraction of the price of properties closer to london but they are also hard to find there isnt a massive turnover ms hutchinson smith said many of the bigger estates in rural wales are passed from generation to generation and rarely come on the market she said
for something exceptional the market is still very good she said the really special ones dont tend to be sold very often
in recent months the higher priced homes have been selling more than the lower range of the market according to julie elliott an associate in the swansea office of fine  country the real estate company a lot of buyers are second home buyers she said
many were buying before a new stamp duty increase on second homes went into effect in april she says now it will probably slow down slightly ms elliott said
who buys in wales
wales doesnt attract the wealthy foreign buyers found in many areas of britain agents said its too remote for many international buyers who like to be in range of heathrow the london airport mr clay said
around the cities investors are active buying homes to lease but they are less interested in the rural and coastal areas anything beyond cardiff in southern wales and bristol in southwest england is just harder work to sell mr clay said
a majority of the buyers in the coastal and rural areas are looking for a second home or a place to retire agents say waless beautiful scenery and wildlife also attract hikers bird watchers hunters fishing enthusiasts and sailors
a lot of buyers are coming home to wales ms elliott said they left and now they are returning to either buy a second home or relocate to wales she said people are buying second homes who probably will end up living in them
buying basics
wales follows the same basic buying procedures as the rest of britain agents said there are no restrictions on foreign purchases mortgages are generally available typically buyers search for property without an agent and then hire a lawyer to complete the transaction agents said
websites
official welsh tourism site visitwalescom
welsh government site walesgovuk
stamp duty information govukstamp duty land taxresidential property rates
languages and currency
english welsh british pound 1 pound  146
taxes and fees
britain charges a stamp duty ranging from 2 percent to 12 percent on properties of more than 125000 pounds or around 182500 depending on the purchase price in april a new law went into effect charging an extra 3 percent for a home that is not a primary residence agent commissions are typically 15 percent of the purchase price paid by the seller annual property taxes on this estate are about 8000 according to the owner
contact
belinda hutchinson smith strutt  parker 011 44 1743 284200 struttandparkercom


listen to this weeks podcast  subscribe itunes  rss  stitcher audioboom
on this weeks popcast the success and conservatorship of britney spears
britney spears has come a long way since her so called meltdown in 2008 last fall she signed a two year extension of her performance residency at caesars planet hollywood in las vegas   a 35 million deal   and shes working on a new record she has accomplished all this while living with the restrictions of a court approved conservatorship
in an article published this week in the new york times serge kovaleski and joe coscarelli write ms spears cannot make key decisions personal or financial without the approval of her conservators her father jamie spears and a lawyer andrew m wallet her most mundane purchases from a drink at starbucks to a song on itunes are tracked in court documents as part of the plan to safeguard the great fortune she has earned but does not ultimately control ms spears is 34 now this is a rare situation for a young successful figure living in the public eye
our guests are the times reporters mr kovaleski mr coscarelli and the times pop music editor caryn ganz talking about how conservatorships work in general what there is to be known about ms spearss life these days   either from reporting or from simply looking at her instagram feed   and the details of her piece of me show at planet hollywood
related articles
is britney spears ready to stand on her own
what is a conservatorship


chanhassen minn
what a lakefront modern with two bedrooms and one and a half bathrooms
how much 750000
size 1976 square feet
price per square foot 380
setting chanhassen is a city of about 25000 about 20 miles from downtown minneapolis paisley park the home and studio compound of the musician prince who died last month is about three miles from this house with its 12 small lakes the area has long been a place for second homes with large new houses replacing older construction in recent years the city owns the lakeshore downhill from this house theres a community dock at the end of the street shops restaurants and cafes are in nearby excelsior on lake minnetonka
indoors the single story modern house was built in 1958 and updated in 2006 it was designed by ralph rapson whose myriad achievements included designing a chair the rapson rapid rocker which is still sold today mr rapson was among the architects who contributed to the case study house program along with richard neutra charles and ray eames eero saarinen and others mr rapson was the dean of the architecture school of the university of minnesota for 30 years
the house is entered through a small recessed courtyard shaded by a large oak designed for broad views of lotus lake the interior has walls of glass in nearly every room much of the original interior is intact including the white brick walls and speckled gray terrazzo floors
the house is roughly i shaped steel beams frame a double sided glass fireplace separating the living and dining areas two sets of sliding glass doors open to a patio overlooking the lake the kitchen retains its original streamlined wood cabinetry and design
bedrooms are at opposite ends of the house the master has an en suite bathroom finished in the original blue tile with a sunken tub at one end of the house theres a library at the other off the kitchen theres a small sitting room the property also has a two car garage
outdoor space the lot is 058 acre simply landscaped with gray crushed granite and flagstone around the house
taxes 3846 a year
contact todd shipman lakes sothebys international realty 612 382 4550 sothebysrealtycom

richmond va
what a 1913 brick house with four bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms
how much 759990
size 3746 square feet
price per square foot 203
setting this house is at the edge of the fan a neighborhood and historic district in western richmond characterized by broad boulevards lined with 19th century townhouses it is around the corner from cary street the anchor of a low key shopping district filled with boutiques cafes and restaurants maymont a gilded age estate and public park on 100 acres on the james river is three miles away the fan is bordered by the museum district which contains the virginia museum of fine arts the subject of a 165000 square foot expansion in 2010
indoors the three story semidetached brick house has a tiled mansard roof it was updated over the past year inside and out the exterior retains its cornice modillions and gabled dormers as well as a portico with ornate columns much of the interior is original too including molding heart pine floors mantels and some pocket doors ceilings are 12 feet tall throughout the first floor
the design is side hall plan with common rooms in a line from front to back two parlors separated by a large archway and classical columns then the formal dining room and the kitchen architectural ornaments include the leaded glass framing the front door and an original stained glass panel in the dining room which has a gently rounded wall the kitchen has kitchenaid stainless steel appliances and a broan range hood custom cabinets here and throughout the house are by kitchen design of newport news va countertops are granite
three bedrooms are upstairs the master has another rounded wall with large windows and is part of a suite with a walk in closet and a bathroom finished in gray carrara marble the closet connects to a laundry area which also opens onto the hall another upstairs bedroom has a bay window overlooking the street the fourth bedroom in the former attic is reached by a spiral staircase the basement is unfinished and used for storage parking is off street
outdoor space a front porch and a back patio off the kitchen
taxes 5436 a year
contact brad ruckart and tommy waterworth brad ruckart real estate group keller williams richmond west 804 909 2346  804 517 9093 bradruckartrealestategroupcom

galveston tex
what a waterfront house with three bedrooms and three bathrooms
how much 749000
size 2092 square feet
price per square foot 358
setting galveston is an island city off the coast of houston in the gulf of mexico a narrow strip of land running about 25 miles end to end the island has four historic districts both residential and commercial with some architecture that dates to antebellum times this house has 100 feet of frontage on the bay side near the islands western end in a subdivision of mostly second homes beaches are a short walk away
indoors the house was built in 1990 and updated over the last couple of years it has a single story elevated one story up from the ground a gently contemporary spin on a beachfront cottage the house has an exterior of hardieplank siding while the interior has white board and batten paneling on the ceilings and walls and tiled floors designed to resemble wood
the design is open plan with a great room overlooking the bay glass doors open to a porch running the bayside length of the house and wrapping around one side the living area has built in entertainment storage the kitchen has granite and marble surfaces as well as stainless steel appliances including a pot filler over the stove spiral stairs lead to a small sitting room plantation shutters are used throughout
all bedrooms are off the great room the master is part of a suite with a walk in shower it opens to the side section of the porch
outdoor space the lot is about a quarter of an acre a catwalk leads from the porch to a sun deck that doubles as shelter for a boat underneath under the porch at ground level are a bamboo tiki bar and an outdoor kitchen theres also a fire pit by the waters edge and a little putting green
taxes 9796 a year
contact susanna mayberry remax leading edge 409 234 6618 susannamayberrycom


as i stared into my styrofoam container of fried chicken gizzards i considered my mission i had set out to explore the culinary delights of the mississippi delta hoping to discover foods with rich histories unfamiliar to those who had never visited these gizzards were a start but i had my eye out for tamales neck bones pies topped with ankle deep meringue i wanted to explore the established restaurants and the odd hole in the wall joints
but i hadnt quite made it to mississippi yet id stopped 20 miles short across the mississippi river in marvell ark eating at the double quick gas station   a small chain based in indianola miss scattered throughout the delta and known for its soul food offerings of fried chicken and fish and stomach engorging sides   didnt feel like cheating though as the gastronomic borders in the deltas of arkansas louisiana and mississippi tend to blur in these epicurean time capsules created by insurmountable and harrowing poverty locals prepare and enjoy dishes that stretch ingredients sourced from the lands nutrient rich earth and blended from a stew of cultural influences
my reverie was interrupted by an elderly woman at the booth across from me asking if i was one of the teach for america teachers in town i looked up and explained that i lived in new orleans
new orleans she said with all the energy the offensively steamy delta day would provide never been that far from here but i got to get some of that great food and gumbo before i die
caught a little off guard by the declaration of mortality i laughed she shrugged and turned away staring out the window and humming softly to herself
i popped a few final gizzards into my mouth chewed through their strange gumminess and heat tinged saltiness and got up to leave as i drove across the river i reflected further on a region that had been unchanged by time
time   and the economic pressures of the era we live in a shrinking job market has led to a shrinking population and rampant poverty a renewed effort by the mississippi tourism association has helped create a greater flow of tourists to the region by creating the mississippi blues trail and the mississippi freedom trail but there are a growing number of individuals visiting the delta specifically for its food
for some reason the food in the delta is just different said sylvester hoover a blues and civil rights guide and owner of hoovers grocery which i visited in greenwood miss its got a different taste to it turnip greens here dont taste like turnip greens outside of here none of your foods taste the same as it does here in the mississippi delta because in the delta a lot of it was raised here its got a different good dusty taste to it
once i made it into mississippi i aimed to find more of that food and figure out what about it made people drive to the poorest area in the country and i started in clarksdale
right at the famous crossroads where the late blues musician robert johnson supposedly sold his soul where highway 61 and 49 intersect i came across abes bar b q famous for its barbecue and hot tamales opened by lebanese immigrants in 1924 it moved to its current location in the mid 1930s abes is an institution paper plates are slathered with barbecue ribs pulled pork burgers and a constant flood of chili the frozen grape leaves available for order are the only giveaway of its ethnic background
phyllis fowler sister of the current owner pat davis worked at the restaurant   then owned by the eponymous abe   in high school and recently returned after retiring from a different career its very much a family run operation that includes cousins and her nephew
after i took my time consulting the menu she recommended a burger with coleslaw and barbecue sauce its what i grew up on she said wrap it in foil for 30 minutes and its just perfect
i added an order of tamales topped with the house chili and cheese and went to town ignoring her prescribed 30 minute wait but the potency of the food made each bite more difficult than the last the tamales were covered in so much chili i couldnt tell how many there were
how the tamale made its way to mississippi is still debated some say it arrived with the migrant laborers who came in to help with the cotton harvest others claim mississippi soldiers from the mexican american war returned with tamale recipes and a few assert tamales are a result of a native american population with a surplus of maize robert johnson references the cornmeal and pork packaged treat in his 1936 song theyre red hot in which he tells the story of a girl who is selling tamales two for a nickel got four for a dime
whatever the true history tamale production throughout the mississippi delta remains high whose is best is hotly contested but in the spirit of the other trails the southern foodways alliance headquartered in oxford miss cobbled together a trail of its own for the gastronomically curious   the hot tamale trail traveling its route proves that no two tamales are the same does eat place in greenville renos cafe in greenwood and the white front cafe in rosedale are a few other classic tamale joints worth checking out
forty minutes south of clarksdale sits cleveland and the senators place a soul food restaurant that offers plate lunches and a simple cafeteria like decor opened in 2003 by willie simmons a democratic state senator who has represented his district since 1993 the restaurant pays homage to senator simmons mother who fed 11 children on the recipes senator simmons kitchen staff now use while there i gorged myself on a plate of smothered chicken candied yams collard greens with ham and neck bones
we eat practically every neck bone they send down south as well as the ones that are here because neck bones is kind of a special meal senator simmons told me especially when you can find the ones that we have that are meaty when you season it properly some folks say it becomes a delicacy
neck bones come from the pig and were long considered a throwaway piece of the animal the intrepid people of the delta didnt let that food go to waste and have always boldly cooked a cut many dismissed as inedible it is considered a staple of soul food cooking and has recently gained popularity   an analogous reclamation to the more mainstream fandom surrounding pork belly
it used to be a cheap item but the more demand you have for it like anything else the more the price tends to go up senator simmons said were seeing the cost of neck bones increase over the years but it continues to be one of the items people love to eat
from there i traveled an hour to the southeast the crystal grill is the most recognizable restaurant in greenwood though luscos an italian restaurant famous for its whole broiled pompano gives it a good run for a town whose population has fallen below 16000 its somewhat fanciful to think a restaurant would ever need to seat 250 people yet the crystal grill has that capacity and has filled the seats for more than 80 years they also have pie   its impressive mile high meringue served atop chocolate or lemon filling has become the restaurants signature
the restaurant has grown on me for 60 years said johnny ballas who still cooks in the kitchen and pulls 70 hour workweeks and who told me that the secret of the meringue is in the simple syrup the best thing about it is seeing families in the tradition of children bringing their children and ive seen all that from fathers bringing their kids and them bringing their kids now
but theres an interesting dichotomy growing in greenwood and outside of it a new south has emerged though its ideas are somewhat vague it tries to promote the belief the south has become more diverse progressive and healthy its a dismissal of the grease
the delta bistropub co owned by fred carl jr   the founder and former chief executive of viking range corporation a company that has helped keep this small delta town alive   and the james beard nominated chef taylor bowen ricketts offers small plates and upscale cocktails but the food remains powerfully southern to appease the expectations of tourists and locals alike
ms ricketts came to greenwood from oxford to start the delta fresh market a cafe and farmers market and slowly developed an appreciation for her new town the farm to table movement started in the delta long before it became a national trend she said its this sort of authenticity that excites ms ricketts and though this isnt where she is from it is what has made it home
i cried for three days when i moved here she said leaning forward on her stool and resting her elbows on her bar but now i dont know why   i hate to love it so much theres something about the dirt it gets stuck in your toes
its this same intangible flavor   almost a love   that attracts tourists and seems to coat the greens chicken gizzards tamales and neck bones like those beads of grease as senator simmons explained to me its a sense of home or belonging that the cooks and chefs of the region use that causes us to remember the ways mama and grandmama used to make food taste so youre like man i cant wait to get back home to eat some more of that 
abes bar b q 616 state street clarksdale 662 624 9947 abesbbqcom dish to get the tamales with chili but the burger and pulled pork arent too bad either
senators place1028 south davis avenue cleveland 662 846 7434 dish to get whatever they have prepped and ready   always grab the greens
crystal grill 423 carrollton avenue greenwood 662 453 6530 crystalgrillmscom dish to get a slice of lemon or chocolate meringue pie
luscos 722 carrollton avenue greenwood 662 453 5365 luscosnet dish to get order the whole broiled pompano and a beer out of a chilled mug
delta bistropub 222 howard street greenwood 662 459 9345 deltabistropubcom dish to get the fried green tomato blt for lunch and catfish tempura for dinner


gavin pretor pinney decided to take a sabbatical it was the summer of 2003 and for the last 10 years as a sideline to his graphic design business in london he and a friend had been running a magazine called the idler the idler was devoted to the literature for loafers it argued against busyness and careerism and for the ineffable value of aimlessness of letting the imagination quietly coast pretor pinney anticipated all the jokes that hed burned out running a magazine devoted to doing nothing and so on but it was true getting the magazine out was taxing and after a decade it seemed appropriate to stop for a while and live without a plan   to be an idler himself and shake free space for fresh ideas so he swapped his flat in london for one in rome where everything would be new and anything could happen
pretor pinney is 47 towering and warm with a sandy beard and pale blue eyes his face is often totally lit up as if hes being told a story and can feel some terrific surprise coming he stayed in rome for seven months and loved it especially all the religious art one thing he noticed the paintings and frescoes he encountered were crowded with clouds they were everywhere he told me recently these voluptuous clouds like the sofas of the saints but outside when pretor pinney looked up the real roman sky was usually devoid of clouds he wasnt accustomed to such endless blue emptiness he was an englishman he was accustomed to clouds he remembered as a child being enchanted by them and deciding that people must climb long ladders to harvest cotton from them now in rome he couldnt stop thinking about clouds i found myself missing them he told me
clouds it was a bizarre preoccupation perhaps even a frivolous one but he didnt resist it he went with it as he often does despite not having a specific goal or even a general direction in mind he likes to see where things go when pretor pinney returned to london he talked about clouds constantly he walked around admiring them learned their scientific names and the meteorological conditions that shape them and argued with friends who complained they were oppressive or drab he was realizing as he later put it that clouds are not something to moan about they are in fact the most dynamic evocative and poetic aspect of nature
slowing down to appreciate clouds enriched his life and sharpened his ability to appreciate other pockets of beauty hiding in plain sight at the same time pretor pinney couldnt help noting we were entering an era in which miraculousness was losing its meaning novel purportedly amazing things ricocheted around the internet so quickly that as he put it we can now all walk around with an attitude like well ive just seen a panda doing something unusual online whats going to amaze me now his fascination with clouds was teaching him that its much better for our souls to realize we can be amazed and delighted by whats around us
at the end of 2004 a friend invited pretor pinney to give a talk about clouds at a small literary festival in cornwall the previous year there were more speakers than attendees so pretor pinney wanted an alluring title for his talk to draw a crowd wouldnt it be funny he thought to have a society that defends clouds against the bad rap they get   that stands up for clouds so he called it the inaugural lecture of the cloud appreciation society and it worked standing room only afterward people came up to him and asked for more information about the cloud appreciation society they wanted to join the society and i had to tell them well i havent really got a society pretor pinney said
he set up a website it was simple there was a gallery for posting photographs of clouds a membership form and a florid manifesto we believe that clouds are unjustly maligned and that life would be immeasurably poorer without them it began pretor pinney wasnt offering members of his new cloud appreciation society any perks or activities but to keep it all from feeling ephemeral or imaginary as many things on the internet do he eventually decided that membership should cost 15 and that members would receive a badge and certificate in the mail he recognized that joining an online cloud appreciation society that only nominally existed might appear ridiculous but it was important to him that it not feel meaningless
within a couple of months the society had 2000 paying members pretor pinney was surprised and ecstatic then yahoo placed the cloud appreciation society first on its 2005 list of britains weird and wonderful websites people kept clicking on that clickbait which wasnt necessarily surprising but thousands of them also clicked through to pretor pinneys own website then paid for memberships other news sites noticed they did their own articles about the cloud appreciation society and people followed the links in those articles too previously pretor pinney proposed writing a book about clouds and was rejected by 28 editors now he was a viral sensation with a vibrant online constituency he got a deal to write a book about clouds
the writing process was agonizing on top of not actually being a writer he was a brutal perfectionist but the cloudspotters guide published in 2006 was full of glee and wonder pretor pinney relays for example the story of the united states marine pilot who in 1959 ejected from his fighter jet over virginia and during the 40 minutes it took him to reach the ground was blown up and down through a cumulonimbus cloud about as high as mount everest he surveys clouds in art history and romantic poetry and compares one exceptionally majestic formation in australia to cher in the brass armor bikini and gold viking helmet outfit she wore on the sleeve of her 1979 album take me home  in the middle of the book theres a cloud quiz question no 5 asks of a particular photograph what is it thats so pleasing about this layer of stratocumulus the answer pretor pinney supplies is it is pleasing for whatever reason you find it to be
the book became a best seller there were more write ups more clicks more cloud appreciation society members and that cycle would keep repeating sporadically for years whenever an editor or blogger happened to discover the society and set it off again there are now more than 40000 paid members the media tended to present it as one more amusing curiosity worth delighting over and sharing before moving on that is pretor pinneys organization was being tossed like a pebble again and again into the same bottomless pool of interchangeable online content that he was trying to coax people away from by lifting their gaze skyward but that was ok with him he understood that its just how the internet works he wasnt cynical about it and he didnt feel his message was being cheapened either it felt as if he were observing the whole thing from afar and he tried to appreciate it
then pretor pinney noticed something odd
the way i felt when i first saw it was armageddon jane wiggins said wiggins was a paralegal working in downtown cedar rapids iowa in june 2006 when she looked out her office window and saw an impenetrable shroud of dark clouds looming over town everyone in the office stood up wiggins told me and some drifted to the window the cloud was so enormous so terrible and strange that it made the evening news wiggins who had recently taken up photography took out her camera
soon after that wiggins discovered the cloud appreciation society website and posted one of her pictures in its gallery but the anomaly wiggins thought she had captured wasnt actually anomalous similar photos turned up in the cloud appreciation societys gallery from texas norway ontario scotland france and massachusetts pretor pinney assumed that this phenomenon was so rare that until now no one had recognized it as a repeating form and given it a name as the hub of this network a network of people who are sky aware he said its easier to spot patterns that perhaps werent so easy to spot in the past
in fact many aspects of meteorology already rely on a global network of individual weather observers to identify cloud types with the naked eye filing them into a long established scientific framework not just as cumulus cirrus stratus or cumulonimbus clouds as schoolchildren learn but within a recondite system for describing variations atypical clouds are either fitted into that existing map of the sky or set aside as irrelevant pretor pinney liked classifying clouds using these names he was thankful to have that structure in place and yet it seemed a shame to repress the glaring deviant beauty recorded in wigginss photograph by assigning it a name that didnt sufficiently describe it he supposed if you had to you could call this thing an undulatus   the standard classification for a broad wavy cloud but that seemed to be selling the cloud tragically short stubbornly ignoring what made it so sublime this was undulatus turned up to 11 he said so he came up with his own name for the cloud asperatus the word asperatus came from a passage in virgil describing a roughened sea pretor pinney had asked his cousin a high school latin teacher for help he wondered how to go about making such a name official
in 2008 while shooting a documentary for the bbc about clouds pretor pinney pitched his new cloud to a panel of four meteorologists at the royal meteorological society the scientists sat in a line behind a table pretor pinney stood holding blown up photos of asperatus for them to consider it was a lot like the x factor  he said referring to the tv talent show the scientists were encouraging but diplomatic a new cloud name they explained could be designated only by the world meteorological organization an agency within the united nations based in geneva which has published scientific names and descriptions of all known cloud types in its international cloud atlas since 1896 the wmo is exceptionally discerning for starters pretor pinney was told he would need more carefully cataloged incidences of these clouds as well as a scientific understanding of their surrounding synoptic situation the process would take years and even then the chances of inclusion in the atlas were slim the wmo hadnt added a new cloud type to the international cloud atlas since 1953 we dont expect to see new cloud types popping up every week a wmo official named roger atkinson told me when i asked why atkinson said because 50 or 60 years ago we got it right
a cloud is only water but arranged like no other water on earth billions of minuscule droplets are packed into every cubic foot of cloud throwing reflected light off their disordered surfaces in all directions collectively making the cloud opaque in a way each cloud is an illusion a conspiracy of liquid masquerading as a floating solid object
but for most of human history what a cloud was physically hardly mattered instead we understood clouds as psychic refuges from the mundane grist for our imaginations feelings fodder clouds both influenced our emotions and hung above us like washed out mirrors reflecting them the english painter john constable called the sky the chief organ of sentiment in his landscapes and our instinct as children to recognize shapes in the clouds is arguably one early spark of all the higher forms of creative thinking that make us human and make us fun frankly a person too dull to look up at the sky and see a parade of tortoises or a huge pair of mittens or a ghost holding a samurai sword is not a person worth lying in a meadow with in hamlet poloniuss despicable spinelessness is never clearer than when hamlet gets him to enthusiastically agree that a particular cloud looks like a camel then not a camel at all but a weasel then not a weasel but a whale polonius will see whatever hamlet wants him to he is a man completely without his own vision
we look for meaning   portents   in the clouds as well the more grown up version of picking out puffy animals theres a long history of people finding signs in the sky pretor pinney told me from constantine seeing the cross over the milvian bridge to the often belligerent protesters outside pretor pinneys talks who are convinced that the contrails behind commercial airplanes are evidence of a toxic secret government scheme and are outraged that pretor pinney   the righteous lorax of clouds   refuses to expose it in short clouds exist in a realm where the physical and metaphysical touch we look up for answers pretor pinney says and yet we often dont want empirical answers there has always been a romantic impulse to protect clouds from our own stubbornly rational intellects to keep knowledge from trampling their magic thoreau preferred to understand clouds as something that stirs my blood makes my thought flow and not as a mass of water what sort of science he wrote is that which enriches the understanding but robs the imagination
the scientific study of clouds grew out of a collection of madly appreciating amateurs who struggled with this same tension the fields foundational treatise was first presented to a small scientific debating society in london one evening in 1802 by a shy quaker pharmacist named luke howard howard then 30 was not a professional meteorologist but a devoted cloud spotter with a perceptive if wandering mind his interest in clouds started early his biographer richard hamblyn explains that as a young student in oxfordshire howard seems to have found school magnificently boring he couldnt bring himself to pay attention except to his latin teacher who punished daydreaming with beatings today howard might covertly pull out his phone and read a link a friend shared about say an eccentric society in england that appreciates clouds but poor howards boredom was analog all he could do was look out the classroom window at the actual clouds rolling by
howards intention that night in london was to bring clouds down to earth without depleting their loftiness after years of closely observing clouds his appreciation of them had hardened into analysis he now insisted that though clouds may appear to be blown around in random ever changing shapes they actually take consistent forms forms that can be distinguished from one another and whose changes correspond to changes in the atmosphere clouds can be used to read what howard called the countenance of the sky they are an expression of its moods not just in a poetic way as constable meant but meteorologically
howards lecture was eventually published as on the modifications of clouds and on the principles of their production suspension and destruction it stands as the ur text of nephology the branch of meteorology devoted to clouds howard divided clouds into three major types and many intermittent varieties of each all similarly affixed with latin names or compounds he had learned his latin well like linnaeus who used latin to sort the fluidity of life into genera and species howard used his new cloud taxonomy to wrest our understanding of the worlds diversity from superstition and religion his signature assertion that the sky too belongs to the landscape can be read as a call for empiricism   a conviction that science can in fact measure out the mystical
nearly a century later howards work would be picked up by another energetic amateur the honorable ralph abercromby abercromby was the bookish great grandson of a celebrated english war hero he was apparently so meek and frail never robust even as a boy one tribute read after his death that he was forced to drop out of school and was rarely able to hold a job he served briefly in the military but seemed completely unsuited to soldiering deployed to newfoundland in 1864 abercromby began theorizing about how the fog there was produced later stationed in montreal he scrutinized the wind it would have been tempting for his superiors to label him absent minded or unfocused but in retrospect it was just another case of a young man intensely focused on something few people considered worthy of attention   another case of a young man in love with clouds
in 1885 abercromby took his first round the world voyage he was a civilian again and his private physician hoped the sea air would restore his pitiable health but he worked slavishly the whole time keeping a meticulous weather diary photographing the clouds at sea he published many scientific papers and a book about the clouds and weather that he encountered and he kept traveling scandinavia and russia asia and the united states compelled as he wrote to continue the observation and photography of cloud forms in different countries looking up abercromby came to realize that clouds looked essentially the same everywhere colonialism was sending goods resources and culture around the planet suddenly it must have seemed obvious that we also shared the same sky
abercrombys primary interest was in refining the science of weather tracking and forecasting and he knew that meteorologists everywhere would need a standard way to discuss and share their observations eventually collaborating with a swedish cloud scientist named hugo hildebrand hildebrandsson he convened a cloud committee to hammer out hildebrandssons meticulous nomenclature of clouds they declared 1896 the international year of the cloud by years end the committee produced the first international cloud atlas
the atlas is now in its seventh edition and its meticulous taxonomy provides for 10 genera of clouds 14 species nine varieties and dozens of accessory clouds and supplementary features the atlas also establishes a grammar with which these terms can be combined to allow for the instability of clouds   the way they morph from one form into another   or to describe their general altitude a cumulus for example might just be a cumulus or it might be a cumulus fractus if its edges are tattered or a cumulus pileus if a smaller cloud appears over it like a hood an altocumulus lenticularis meanwhile is a vast tightly bunched flock of clouds stretching across the sky at altitudes from 6500 to 23000 feet
of course not everything in the sky needs to be precisely described as a reference book for meteorologists the atlas has been concerned only with clouds that have operational significance   that reliably reveal something about atmospheric conditions as far as other clouds go says roger atkinson of the wmo one person might look at a cloud and say  its wonderful it looks like an elephant and someone else might think its a camel but the wmo doesnt particularly care it does not see its mission as settling disagreements about elephants and camels
soon after pretor pinney appeared on the bbc championing his asperatus cloud the media seized on the possibility however remote that the wmo would add asperatus to its atlas suddenly there were stories about the cloud appreciation society all over the place all over again this time pretor pinney   previously cast as a charming english eccentric with a funny website   was presented as the crusading figurehead of a populist meteorological revolt pretor pinney had initially turned defeatist after shooting the documentary and never bothered reaching out to the wmo the bureaucracy seemed too formidable now he didnt quite know what to say when reporters called he suggested they contact the wmo impishly channeling them as de facto lobbyists
then in 2014 the wmo announced it was preparing the first new edition of the cloud atlas in nearly 40 years the agency felt pressure to finally digitize the book to reassert its authority over the many reckless cloud reference materials proliferating online one of the wmos first steps was to convene an international task team to consider additions to the atlas most public interest a news release noted has focused on a proposal by the cloud appreciation society to recognize the so called asperatus the task team would report to a so called commission for instruments and methods of observation last summer the commission recommended to the world meteorological organizations 17th world meteorological congress in geneva that the cloud be included everyone seemed confident that the recommendation would soon be ratified by the wmos executive council except the new cloud wasnt asperatus anymore it was now asperitas the task team had demoted it from a cloud variety as pretor pinney had proposed to a supplementary feature and the elaborate naming convention for clouds required supplementary features to be named with latin nouns not adjectives one of those things thats so close but different pretor pinney told me with a tinge of amusement and resentment
when i spoke to roger atkinson of the wmo he stressed that asperitas would merely be a fourth order classification not a primary genus not one of the primary cloud types not one of the big nine neither was it the only new classification the task team recommended adding it was just the most famous one the prominence of the cloud seems to have forced the scientists hand asperitas didnt appear to have any operational significance but the public enthusiasm pretor pinney had gathered around the cloud ultimately made asperitas too prominent to ignore one task team member george anderson told me that not giving such a well known cloud a definitive name would only create more confusion
pretor pinney conceded all this happily my argument is not that this is some hugely significant thing he told me by now he was mostly using the cloud to make a point   to needle the human vanity inherent in the victorian urge to classify things to put them into pigeonholes and give them scientific names clouds he added are ephemeral ever changing phenomenal here you have a discrete scientific analytic urge laid onto the embodiment of chaos onto these formations within these unbounded pockets of our atmosphere where theres no beginning and no edge all he wanted was to encourage people to look at the sky to elevate our perception of clouds as beautiful for their own sake
slowly over the last 200 years the impulse of cloud lovers like howard and abercromby to make the mystical empirical had ossified into something stringent and reductive pretor pinney wanted to clear a little more space in our collective cloudscape for less distinct feelings of delight and wonder his championing of asperatus was in reality somewhat arbitrary there were a few other unnamed cloud forms he saw repeating in the societys photo gallery he just happened to pick this one
the cultural history of clouds seemed to be shaped by a procession of amateurs each of whom projected the ethos of his particular era onto those billowing blank slates in the troposphere pretor pinney was our eras i realized   the internet eras he wasnt just challenging the cloud authorities with his crowdsourced cloud he was trolling them
i was one of the many reporters who contacted pretor pinney when the first photos of asperitas made the rounds in 2009 i had seen an associated press article with jane wigginss photo of the cloud in iowa and a reference to pretor pinney and his cloud appreciation society and felt a kind of instant and exhilarated envy apparently some people cultivated a meaningful connection to what id only ever regarded as vaporous arrangements of nothingness i wanted in also i was impressed that these enthusiasts seemed to be rattling the self serious strictures of the scientific establishment and so it was disappointing to realize in those early days and as i checked back with him periodically that nothing was really happening yet and that no one seemed particularly rattled pretor pinney even sounded slightly exhausted by asperitas its the zombie news story that will never die he said
he was by then closing in on his 10th year as head of the cloud appreciation society and as hed done after 10 years with the idler magazine he was questioning his commitment to it somehow being a cloud impresario had swallowed an enormous amount of time he was lecturing about clouds around the world sharing stages at corporate conferences and ideas festivals with snoop dogg and bill clinton and appearing monthly on the weather channel then there was the cloud appreciation societys online store a curated collection of society branded merchandise and cloud themed home goods which turned out to be surprisingly demanding particularly in the frenzied weeks before christmas the cloud appreciation society was basically just pretor pinney and his wife liz plus a friend who oversaw the shop part time and a retired steelworker he brought on to moderate the photo gallery it was all arduous which pretor pinney seemed to find a little embarrassing my argument about why cloud spotting is a worthwhile activity is that its an aimless activity he said and ive turned it into something that is very purposeful that is work
at the same time he realized that hed conjured a genuine community of amateur cloud lovers from all over the world but regretted never doing anything to truly nourish it it felt so fluffy he said with no center to it like a cloud soon that spectral society   that cloud of people on the internet   would be celebrating its 10th anniversary im thinking that it might be a nice reason to get everyone together he said
one morning last september pretor pinney was fidgeting and fretting in the auditorium of the royal geographical society building at the edge of kensington gardens in london escape to the clouds a one day conference to celebrate the cloud appreciation societys 10th anniversary would be underway in 90 minutes and pretor pinney was impatiently supervising the small team of balloon installation artists he had commissioned to rig inflatable cloud formations around the stage this was the first big event that he organized for the cloud appreciation society the evening before the conference he was expecting 315 attendees but there was a late surge of ticket buying and now he was panicking about running out of artisanal cloud nine marshmallows for the gift bags outside pretor pinney kept pointing out the london sky was impeccably blue not a single cloud it was terrible
bounding onstage to kick off the conference pretor pinney seemed overwhelmed but cheerful he reminded the muddle of cloud appreciators from all over the world now crammed into the theater that to tune into the clouds is to slow down its a moment of meteorological meditation and he celebrated the transcendence of cloud spotting how it connects us to the weather the atmosphere to one another we are part of the air he told everyone we dont live beneath the sky we live within the sky
who were they all why were they there they were a collection of ordinary people with an interest in clouds behind all those user names on the cloud society website were schoolteachers sky divers meteorologists retired astronomy teachers office workers and artists many people had come alone but conversations sparked easily ive just seen the best cloud dress ive seen in my life a woman said on the stairway a second woman turned and said well yours is quite lovely too the atmosphere was comfortable and convivial and amplified by a kind of feedback loop of escalating relief whereby people who arrived at a cloud conference not knowing what to expect recognized how normal and friendly everyone was and enjoyed themselves even more
the program pretor pinney had pulled together was a little highbrow but fun a british author recounted the misadventures of the first meteorologist to make a high altitude balloon ascent an energetic literary historian surveyed english literary views of the sky pretor pinney and a professor of physics tried to demonstrate a complicated atmospheric freezing process in a plastic bottle but failed and between the talks a musician named lisa knapp performed folk songs about wind and weather she had saved the obvious crowd pleaser for her final turn onstage the melancholy joni mitchell classic both sides now
there would be one more talk after knapp finished but it didnt matter this   the joni mitchell moment   was the conferences transformative conclusion knapp had an extraordinary voice bjork like but gentler and performed the song alone accompanying herself with only a delicate monotonal indian classical instrument resting in her lap a kind of bellows called a shruti box it let out a mournful otherworldly drone after hours of lectures and uncertain socializing with strangers something about this spare arrangement and the sorrowful lyrics felt so vulnerable that by the time knapp finished the first lines   rows and flows of angel hair and ice cream castles in the air and feather canyons everywhere ive looked at clouds that way   she was singing into an exquisite silence
the performance moved me but it was more than that and weirder maybe somewhere in this story about clouds and cloud lovers id found a compelling argument for staying open to varieties of beauty that we cant quite categorize and by extension for respecting the human capacity to feel as much as our ability to scrutinize the sources of those feelings whatever the case as knapp sang i started to feel an inexplicable rush of empathy for the people i met that day the people sitting around me   all these others living within the same sky and i let my mind wander wondering about their lives what i felt really was awe the awe that comes when you fully internalize that every strangers interior life is just as complicated as yours it seemed very unlikely that a meeting of an online cloud society in a dark windowless room could produce such a moment of genuine emotion but there i was in the middle of it just thinking about clouds i guess had turned a little transcendent at least for me
then i heard the sniffle it was very loud with the room so transfixed it easily cut through knapps voice from a few rows behind me and when i turned to look i saw pretor pinneys wife fully in tears then the woman right next to me she was crying too and i heard others inhaling loudly oddly and got the impression there were more immediately afterward out in the hall the first person i walked past was bashfully apologizing to two others it was so strange she kept saying she just didnt know why shed been crying
a couple of days later i tried to describe it in an email to a friend many people spontaneously cried just releasing their tears like rain and i realized that we are all human beings   thats the truth  in all our different forms and sizes we are expressions of the same basic currents just like the clouds and when i read the email back i was mortified by how fluffy and stoned it sounded but still   even now   i cant pretend its not true


craig asks my wife calls me every day on her commute home with the expectation that i will chat with her for the duration of her drive i am effectively her personal podcast she says she wants to hear my voice this is false she is bored and wants to be entertained please make it stop
i am so sorry that your wife wants to speak to you but this sentence exists in a quantum state of sarcasm and sincerity youre clearly a monster but youre also right phone calls are terrible anxious messes of misunderstandings dropouts and dull patches thats why the phone is only for 911 and hands free time wasters like your wife you must grant your wife a 10 minute postwork call for venting thereafter encourage her to listen to the personal podcast that i order you to record for her every day


i have parkinsons disease   at least i think i do i have a slight tremor in my right hand my posture is becoming more stooped and i have a diminished sense of smell i have not spoken about this with a physician i have discussed it with a couple of other people who have the disease
im 70 years old and i have decided to apply for long term care insurance if i am correct about my parkinsons i am statistically at much higher risk of needing long term care than the average insurance applicant i have answered all the questions on the insurance application honestly one of the questions begins have you consulted a physician regarding any of the following conditions and it lists many illnesses including parkinsons well i have not consulted any physician about my condition and i dont think i will until the symptoms become strong enough that i require the use of pharmaceuticals to help me manage
must i make a special effort to inform the insurance company about my suspicions it will probably affect my eligibility or increase my premiums or am i just another point in their actuarial tables a lot of people get insurance and subsequently discover a condition that needs long term care name withheld
insurance is about sharing risk among people with homeowners insurance say many will pay more in premiums than they will ever collect others   those whose homes burn down   will collect more than theyll ever pay both groups have the confidence that a mishap wont wipe them out financially and the reason insurers stay in business is that people are better at predicting aggregate risk how many of our homes will burn down than individual risk which of our homes will burn down
because insurance takes on functions we consider basic to social welfare it tends to be a heavily regulated industry federal statutes now mean that medical insurers generally cant charge more for a pre existing condition or take genetic information into account long term care insurance though is a different creature here insurers can sort applicants into different risk classes based on their medical histories and even their parents medical histories they can charge higher rates or deny coverage altogether to certain applicants
which brings us to you the insurer could have asked other questions and learned facts that would have been relevant to your policys expected cost some questions go unasked because theyre not legally permitted your race or national origin or because the company has no way of telling if you have answered truthfully do you sometimes wake up with leg cramps even if you think the insurer would be better off knowing the answer to a question it didnt ask do you think you have parkinsons youre under no obligation to disclose it
after all insurers already know about you in the aggregate i mean you exemplify what they call adverse selection its the tendency of individuals who think they may be at particular risk to seek to insure themselves against that risk actuaries and underwriters aim to factor in the existence of such people albeit not always successfully research has shown that say people at risk for huntingtons are much more likely to have long term care policies underwriters stay in business by being students of human behavior so youve already been priced in
as long as you are truthful in your application then youre not the fly in the ointment you are so to speak on the ointments list of ingredients all that said the long term care insurance market doesnt work especially well these days people are living longer and ailing longer than was anticipated two or three decades ago when these products became available and fewer policies have been dropped insurers have lost money policyholders have faced sharp increases in rates the overall market is small meanwhile as more information about genetic susceptibilities becomes available to people long term care insurers will want to know what applicants know
we could pass laws to prevent genetic discrimination as we have with medical insurance but knowing less than their applicants could drive insurers out of this market in the end i suspect its going to seem sensible to create publicly funded arrangements that cover everyone
finally some medical rather than ethical advice you might want to get yourself to a doctor to see whether your amateur diagnosis is right for all you know your symptoms might be the result of a condition best treated soon
i am a liberal white woman whose work is focused mainly on social justice through education i have an aunt by marriage who often posts links on facebook that i find to be bigoted and racist if my aunt were to express any of these views in person i would immediately attempt to dissuade her however because these are merely posts on facebook i have not spoken up what is my moral and ethical obligation in this situation my students are often on the receiving end of police brutality and systemic racism and sitting idly by seems hypocritical name withheld
two things about your aunts posts are troubling the first is what they reveal about her views the second is what they add to the general level of online intolerance which may contribute to the social wrongs that you mention you might be able to do something about the first issue on your own a persons life is ethically diminished when she has odious feelings and views even if she doesnt act on them although its hard to get people to reconsider their positions we have a better chance with those we know and love
on the second front each of us can do a little but change will only come from the concerted actions of many people who realize these views are not only false but also harmful should say as much when the occasion arises in so doing as you point out we also express our solidarity with those who suffer as a result
but we have to do this carefully the object is to try to change peoples attitudes not to make ourselves feel good my bet is that your aunt doesnt recognize that shes a bigot some of her mistaken views may simply be the result of misinformation correcting facts can be more effective in changing a persons views than accusing the person of a vice such as racism and criticizing someone in public can be hurtful in a way that keeps the substance of what you are saying from being heard so let me acknowledge a potential conflict between what will help your aunt be a better person and what will help improve the atmosphere on the web which at least in principle may include taking issue with these views in front of third parties without wading into the debates over call out culture i suspect that especially with a relative theres a good case for calling in rather than calling out
you dont say how often you see your aunt in the flesh when you do it might be worth taking up these issues with her gently emails and facebook comments are not very effective forms of communication about difficult issues on the web im convinced that its more productive to produce and pass on helpful positive ideas than to keelhaul people with harmful negative ones evidence suggests however that this is a minority view


what do you call a philly cheese steak with no cheese and no steak
it sounds like the setup to a punch line but theres nothing to laugh at when it comes to eating vegan in philadelphia which in the last few years has blossomed into a dynamic universe of vegan food from old school doughnuts to adventuresome tacos veganism is so hot that the city declared last nov 1 philly vegan day
theres a new energy here said mike barone the owner of grindcore house a vegan coffee spot in south philadelphia famously an italian neighborhood thats undergone a restaurant renaissance near the grand passyunk fountain you can go out to more places that are vegan a lot of other places are accommodating and thats snowballing
philadelphias vegan cheerleaders say whats happening comes from living in a food curious city where its cheap to explore new ground
its affordable to live in and do business here said jeff poleon a co owner of dotties donuts a wholesale bakery where doughnuts are made with coconut milk and egg substitute and the glazes are infused with homemade preserves and nut butters people are willing to try something new the fact that its vegan is almost secondary mr poleon opened a brick and mortar shop in march in west philadelphia
much credit for the citys vegan boom goes to richard landau and kate jacoby a husband and wife team whose vegetable restaurant vedge vedgerestaurantcom opened in 2011 in a townhouse near the trendy 13th street neighborhood horizons their previous restaurant helped endear the city to vegan eating the menu emphasizes seasonal vegetables and hearty savory proteins like tofu and seitan wheat gluten
we are cooking good food mr landau said i dont think most of our clientele care that its vegan last year philadelphia magazine named vedge and v street among the best 50 restaurants in town calling vedge our favorite place to send anyone looking for a true taste of philly talent
in 2014 mr landau and ms jacoby opened v street vstreetfoodcom a street food restaurant in the tony rittenhouse square neighborhood that focuses on the spicier edgier stuff as mr landau put it there youll find korean fried tempeh tacos to go with your crispy peruvian fries
also igniting the citys vegan fire is nicole marquis who runs a mini empire of vegan restaurants bar bombon barbomboncom which opened last august near rittenhouse square upends the typically meat heavy cuisines of latin america with vegan versions of foods like fish tacos and chorizo filled empanadas
im trying to appeal to the masses to the person who never thought it was possible to eat a meatless meal but tries the food and goes i like this  said ms marquis whose mother is puerto rican
among the hot restaurants lining 13th street is ms marquiss charlie was a sinner charliewasasinnercom an upscale restaurant offering small plates like tofu and bean sausage and for dessert chocolate pot de creme with rum soaked bananas the name of the restaurant felt like the first sentence of a novel said ms marquis hip city veg hipcityvegcom near rittenhouse square and university city is ms marquiss fast casual concept that does a brisk business in its juicy battered chickn sandwich new locations are set to open in washington dc this spring and near city hall in philadelphia this summer
although her veganism is rooted in a deep personal mission to end animal suffering ms marquis said shes focused on an approachable brand with delicious food not preaching
no one wants to hear about factory farming when youre about to order a sandwich she said but we have the same outcome theres one less meat filled meal thats eaten every time i serve a sandwich
political veganism is at home at grindcore house grindcorehousecom a vibrant storefront cafe with a logo drawn in the style of a death metal band in addition to serving seasonal cream cheeses with a side of metal on the sound system grindcore is a meeting place for animal rights groups and a hangout for straight edge vegans who eschew not just eating animals and animal products but also drugs alcohol and smoking it also attracts many nonvegan artists musicians and other professionals who call south philly home
the staff is pretty welcoming despite how abrasive it might look mr barone said with a laugh
mark mebus a co owner of the society hill all vegan pizzeria blackbird blackbirdpizzeriacom said the enthusiasm thats driving philadelphias vegan scene reminds him of his early days as a vegan convert
wed heard that the natural flavors in ketchup contained beef powder so none of my friends ate ketchup because of that said mr mebus whose restaurant serves vegan reboots of cheese steaks and calzones we were kids we were gung ho about everything


youre one of the loudest most provocative voices at breitbart news and youre currently on a speaking tour of college campuses railing against pc culture you once admitted in a profile that your public persona started out as a comedy character that you created because i didnt like me very much what didnt you like about yourself ive wrestled with being religious and being conservative and being gay but the reason i felt like that is because of other gay people the only real shaming ive ever experienced has been from other gay people when i reveal my politics or my religion
did they hurt your feelings no i dont have feelings to hurt
do you like yourself now i love myself i am the best person i know
youve called feminism a cancer and malala yousafzai schoolmarmish is there anything you wouldnt say or wouldnt mock theres nothing i wouldnt mock i wouldnt say the n word its an ugly hateful word
why is it any different from anything else i defend peoples right to use offensive speech i just dont personally choose to use the n word but i think people who do use those words should not be subjected to censure thats already happening in the uk   the police are actively trying to regulate offensive speech that is so orwellian and terrifying and horrendous
what would surprise people the most about you people assume because i have a very thick skin that i dont have feelings i dont for the most part but occasionally im capable of great acts of charity i tend to do it quietly
but you promote everything else about yourself why not your charitable giving well if im going to promote a charity ill promote mine
you mean the white privilege fund that you recently started yeah   the yiannopoulos privilege grant its both means and ability tested so they have to show academic promise but they also need to need the money so its poor white men
to make it even more subversive shouldnt you give it to rich white men yes that would maybe be funnier but it wouldnt do any good in the world the thing that really rubs people the wrong way is the sort of hypocrisy of the social justice progressive left they dont actually like it when they see somebody doing real good in the world because it makes them feel bad about themselves cause all they do is sit on twitter all day and call people misogynists like 600 people say theyre going to come protest me on facebook and 20 show up they are lazy indolent blowhards on the internet
or maybe they just realize they have better things to do no i think they are lazy and entitled and they think that tweeting is the equivalent of real world action
youre a trump supporter and you frequently refer to him as daddy i do because thats what he is
i assume thats not in a purely father figure sense are you sexually attracted to donald trump oh yes i call myself a trump sexual i have a very antiwhite bedroom policy but trump is kind of like the exception to that rule
youve defended his perceived missteps with the idea that hes destroying old notions of whats acceptable and unacceptable but outside the gop primaries hes becoming more and more unpopular whats the overall benefit to him trump might become deeply unpopular in the way that i with some people am deeply unpopular but that doesnt mean that we dont get things done you can be unpopular and successful
if you succeed at your goal and everyone is able to say whatever they want what happens next i might have to become a social justice warrior cause ill be out of a job


las vegas   the disturbing images seem so distant now the pop star turned cautionary tabloid tale   head shorn face twisted umbrella gripped like a police baton as she bashed a paparazzi suv window more than eight years after her meltdown britney spears at 34 appears to be thriving
in september she announced a two year 35 million deal to extend her residency at planet hollywood resort  casino here forbes named her the fifth highest earning female musician of 2015 ahead of powerhouses like rihanna and nicki minaj and shes been hard at work on her ninth studio album expected this year
with her television guest spots and a wildly popular often eccentric instagram feed featuring her toned abs and adorable sons ms spears looks like that rare celebrity who has vanquished deep travails to snatch a second chance
im in a real good place in my life ms spears told people magazine last year in an interview about her personal life im the happiest ive ever been
ms spearss team presents her onstage as fully in control and backstage as the mastermind of her show an artist in top form but that view seems at odds with the conclusions routinely drawn about her at probate court in los angeles where an undisclosed mental illness and substance abuse led her family to take action in 2008
since then ms spearss life has been controlled by a court approved conservatorship known in other states as a guardianship designed for people who cannot take care of themselves
according to the arrangement which is typically used to protect the old the mentally disabled or the extremely ill ms spears cannot make key decisions personal or financial without the approval of her conservators her father jamie spears and a lawyer andrew m wallet her most mundane purchases from a drink at starbucks to a song on itunes are tracked in court documents as part of the plan to safeguard the great fortune she has earned but does not ultimately control
while the conservators are widely credited with rescuing ms spearss career   and her life   her apparent stability and success could belie the need for continuing restrictions
there are recent signs in fact that the conservators are now acknowledging the great progress she has made after successfully fighting to keep her from testifying in at least three prior lawsuits   a probate judge had previously agreed that doing so could cause her irreparable harm   ms spearss conservators allowed her to testify on monday in a case filed against her by a former self described manager they agreed that giving such testimony is not likely to cause harm to her according to court papers
could this be the start of a major unfastening of the strictures she lives under
neither the conservators nor her managers or lawyers will discuss her status and ms spears did not respond to multiple requests seeking an interview
while it is not possible to get an accurate sense of someones mental state from afar ms spearss friends and former associates said in interviews that for her the conservatorship has become an accepted fact of life   not a cage but a protective bubble that allows her to worry about her true passions music and her children
if anyone knew the real britney they would know that she would rather be remembered for being the great mother she is rather than the artist she is said david lucado a former boyfriend whose relationship with ms spears foundered in 2014 amid charges of infidelity that mr lucado denies and if anyone could see her interactions with her kids they would know that there is no need for a conservatorship over britneys personal life
since the conservatorship began some restrictions have been eased more far reaching rollbacks were discussed several years ago but never occurred according to a person who has been involved in ms spearss care who spoke on the condition of anonymity
ultimately some of the people who would help to decide whether to end it are the conservators and doctors who now help oversee it many of whom receive fees from ms spearss estate for their work on her behalf
ms spearss status and progress are measured by a court investigator for her case who is assigned to file reports on her progress once every other year those under conservatorship are not required to regularly appear in front of a judge after their conservators are appointed
and should ms spears ask to be released her cause would probably be led by the man the court appointed to be her chief advocate a lawyer samuel d ingham iii mr inghams role is among other things to ensure that the conservators do not loot her assets abuse their power or inappropriately restrict her freedom
there has been some debate in california over whether court appointed lawyers do enough to advocate the rights of those under conservatorship just last year the states senate committee on judiciary noted in a report in theory the court appointed counsel should be arguing on the proposed conservatees behalf for a less restrictive alternative to conservatorship whenever possible
mr ingham has been awarded more than 2 million in fees for his work on ms spearss behalf since 2008 this is in addition to the 69 million paid from the estate to the conservators and other lawyers who have helped manage ms spearss affairs under the current arrangement ms spears has never publicly questioned any of these payments but critics of the process have
as long as she is bringing in so much money and as long as the lawyers and conservators are getting paid there is little incentive to end it said elaine renoire president of the national association to stop guardian abuse an advocacy group usually the conservatorship just keeps going unless the conservatee makes a fuss or the family does
no one questioned whether ms spears needed help in early 2008 on jan 30 her psychiatrist had called for assistance and when the ambulance left the singers los angeles home it was led by a robust entourage of police vehicles
for days ms spears had been behaving bizarrely speaking in a british accent and driving at breakneck speeds now she was strapped to a gurney en route to ucla medical center helicopters buzzed overhead it was the second time in less than a month that ms spears had been taken to a hospital by ambulance for an emergency psychiatric evaluation
anyone watching that day would not have recognized ms spears as the musical phenomenon who a decade earlier wide eyed and 17 had posed in hot pants and bra on the cover of rolling stone magazine with hits including ...baby one more time she dominated the charts and her first four albums sold a combined 30 million copies
but like child stars before her ms spears encountered the pressures created by sudden fame and wealth and a rocky personal life did not help in 2002 her relationship with justin timberlake ended in january 2004 she married a childhood friend from louisiana in las vegas   a union that lasted 55 hours
nine months later she married again this time to kevin federline a local backup dancer two years later in november 2006 after the birth of their second son she filed for divorce
drug and alcohol issues fueled her decline in 2007 ms spears twice entered treatment but each time cut her stay short the substance abuse would factor in her battle to retain custody of her children the idea of losing contact with them tormented her associates said after being told she had lost custody of them in october 2007 she spent a night sleeping in a parking lot according to court papers she has since worked out a custody arrangement with mr federline
it clearly wasnt working with her in control of the ship said peter katsis who was part of her management team in 2007 it was overwhelming for her when she came of age
just what kind of mental condition afflicts ms spears has never been publicly disclosed but whatever the ailment by 2008 it seemed to have full possession of her although divorced ms spearss worried parents decided their daughter was in crisis
her father a former welder oil worker cook and a recovering alcoholic had subjected his family to years of verbal abuse abandonment and erratic behavior as a result of his heavy drinking britneys mother lynne spears wrote in her 2008 book through the storm a real story of fame and family in a tabloid world
but her parents rebuilt some kind of relationship after mr spears stopped drinking and they sought to intervene
after days of fasting and praying mrs spears said mr spears asked the court to establish a temporary conservatorship for his daughter that would give him broad control over her treatment visitors security and daily life on feb 1 2008 while ms spears was still in the hospital a judge reva g goetz granted his wish
i shuddered to think mrs spears wrote in her book describing her worries about those influencing britney at the time what depths of desperation we would have to plumb to regain charge of our child
at the outset ms spears thought of challenging the arrangement according to adam streisand one of two lawyers whom she spoke to at the time mr streisand said ms spears told him she was not comfortable with her father as conservator of her finances
it was clear to me that she seemed a bit agitated mr streisand said but my sense was that she did have the capacity to pick a lawyer and that she could make a rational decision
the judge though citing a recent medical evaluation said the singer was not capable of hiring her own counsel mr streisand said he respected the doctors opinion and went away
britney wanted to oppose the conservatorship he said but she was also extremely worried about her kids and seemed to understand that the best thing to do to see her kids was to accept it
by the end of 2008 the conservatorship had been made permanent by march 2009 ms spears was back on tour
initially though she seemed frustrated by the restrictions
i think its too in control she said during a 2008 interview with mtv if i wasnt under the restraints im under id feel so liberated
she continued theres no excitement theres no passion and then even when you go to jail you know theres the time when youre going to get out but in this situation its never ending
since then ms spears has said little publicly about this arrangement
the conservatorship system in california troubled for decades has undergone reforms in recent years that were designed to further protect the old and infirm people who are its typical clients
ms spears hardly fits that bill but this system operates for her the same way as it does for others
probate judges in california can appoint two kinds of conservators ones responsible for a persons physical and mental health and others who are put in charge of the individuals finances
ms spears has both
her father 63 is responsible for her physical well being   making sure she takes her medicine for example   and manages her estate he shares the financial oversight with mr wallet who specializes in conservatorships and probate law
mr spears takes in about 130000 a year as a conservator and is also reimbursed for the rent on an office he uses his bills are reviewed and approved by the judge he has sought only modest increases over the years though he also requested 15 percent of gross revenues from the performances and merchandising tied to ms spearss las vegas show the court ms spears and her court appointed lawyer signed off on it
for a time during 2012 jason trawick then her boyfriend also served as co conservator for her personal well being
as conservator according to his court filings mr spearss work has included overseeing and coordinating britneys redacted business costuming personal household stuff and legal matters touching upon entertainment music other business opportunities family law issues the litigation trial andor resolution of other disputes and ongoing litigation and conservatorship matters
he negotiates business opportunities such as her 2012 stint as a judge on the x factor as well as interviews and sponsorships even the maintenance of vehicles and the custody arrangement for her children
mr spears and his lawyers have also aggressively kept at bay anyone they consider a threat to ms spearss stability including a former business manager a former boyfriend and a lawyer who once sought to intervene in her case all of whom were served with restraining orders
in 2009 after a spears fan site breatheheavycom started a free britney campaign critical of the conservatorship its owner jordan miller said he received an irate call from mr spears who threatened to have the website taken down
speaking today mr miller says he can understand the lengths her family took
it was a really volatile situation and they were trying to protect her he said
the conservators work is monitored by mr ingham ms spearss veteran court appointed lawyer
though the courts typical maximum hourly fee is 250 judge goetz awarded mr ingham as much as 475 an hour to represent ms spears citing an exception in court rules that allows higher fees in cases involving unusual problems requiring extraordinary expertise
mr ingham who describes himself as a lawyer with expertise in high profile conservatorship cases told the court his typical hourly fee is 595
for a time in 2014 mr inghams clients included both ms spears and casey kasem the radio personality then 82 who was also in a conservatorship until his death that year his wife was challenging the size of the lawyers legal bills mr ingham said the case was particularly complicated but mrs kasems lawyer at one point accused mr ingham of padding his bills a charge the judge dismissed
mr ingham declined to comment ms spears is not known to have ever questioned any of mr inghams fees
the rules for meeting britney are tight no selfies no autographs no invading her personal space
each night before ms spears appears in her piece of me show at planet hollywoods axis theater here she poses for photos with fans backstage maintaining her brand at a time when her public appearances and interviews are rare and tightly controlled interviewers who are approved seldom mention the conservatorship the meet and greet packages start at 1500 and include a backstage tour led by a longtime spears employee
britney is very shy felicia culotta the vip coordinator said on one night last year i know yall find that very hard to believe   she goes out on that stage and she is a powerhouse but she is extremely shy
britney plays off energy ms culotta added if you go in scared of her she is going to be scared of you so dont be scared of her shes very normal
the routine and consistency of her las vegas residency   typically three shows a week for six weeks followed by six weeks off   are a good fit for a mother of two looking to avoid the grind of a tour
during her 90 minutes onstage ms spears recycles two dozen hits into an act that features backup dancers pyrotechnics and showers of confetti she changes costumes repeatedly at one point she jumps in a harness from a 31 foot tall tree during each performance a man or woman picked from the audience is strapped into a leather bondage harness and forced to creep across the stage on all fours
on this night ms spears in a bustier held the leash on a man your ass is out of this world she screamed
to be sure the show does not showcase the britney of old once a fluid natural dancer ms spears can appear stiff even robotic today relying on flailing arms and flashy sets her vocals are largely prerecorded and the lip syncing can lapse she seems to be doing a job but a good job and there is no arguing that the show is doing well it often fills the axis the largest theater on the strip
ms spears splits her time between las vegas and los angeles where her sons are in school often taking the one hour flight back after a weekday performance
she and her children are spotted around town in las vegas   by the planet hollywood pool or at the sonic drive in near the strip the fast food outlet was the hub of kentwood la the small town where ms spears grew up
in addition to the residency ms spearss next album her first since 2013 is expected this summer for months she has teased her new music   a single make me oooh is due in may   and logged studio time with hot songwriters online she has promoted herself in photos as a sexy pop star back in fighting shape
honestly im just particular with this record she told v the magazine its my baby and so i really want it done right
music is only one part of the business of being britney spears these days more than a dozen interconnected businesses including profitable lines of lingerie and perfume are overseen by the conservators
occasionally the businesses and ms spears are sued
when a company brand sense partners sued ms spears in 2011 in a dispute over a licensing agreement for one of her fragrances its lawyer at the time geoffrey a neri argued that the singer had to be capable of testifying he pointed out in court papers that she takes care of her children makes numerous public appearances and was then on a 79 date tour across much of the world
the notion that britney spears is mentally or emotionally unfit to testify under oath is a sham mr neri wrote
but in that case and two others judge goetz ruled the singer too fragile mentally to testify the judge now retired declined an interview request the case has since been transferred to a new judge
on monday after years of maintaining that the singer was too vulnerable to be questioned her conservators consented to a deposition by ms spears in a lawsuit filed against her and her father by sam lutfi an associate from the time of her breakdown he claims ms spears owes him money asserting she made an oral agreement in 2007 to have him serve as her manager and that her father assaulted him
despite an attempt by the conservators to separate ms spears and mr lutfi during her testimony   his physical presence in the same conference room as ms spears poses serious risks to her well being they argued in court filings   both parties were present for her deposition which lasted about four hours
ms spears in a magenta blazer and pearls testified without incident in mr lutfis presence even snacking on a cookie during a down moment
soon after she was back to posting on instagram including an image that read all energy is contagious hundreds of supportive comments flooded in from fans seemingly well aware of the latest legal twist in her life
you have gone through hell and back again but you have persevered every time one wrote you got this


for nearly a decade i have been writing childrens books under the ridiculous name pseudonymous bosch when my readers ask about it i usually tell them that pseudonymous is an old family name and that bosch is the brand of my dishwasher rarely do i mention hieronymus bosch whose paintings though edifying in their own way are not altogether appropriate for my target audience if pressed i admit that yes it is a pseudonym my nom de plume i explain is a nom de guerre it protects me from enemies as numerous as they are mysterious
having an alter ego can be a liberating experience as any writer will tell you you have to let yourself be bad in order to be good my crippling self consciousness disappears   well diminishes   when i write under boschs name whether making fart jokes or discussing the finer points of egyptology i worry less about the readers judgments im not doing the writing after all bosch is snarky irresponsible incorrigible pseudonymous bosch dont like my puns think i put a comma in the wrong place blame him
as my books have gained in popularity at least with a certain kind of obsessive 10 year old the pseudonym has provided a not unwelcome barrier between author and reader we live in an age when kids no longer think of authors as remote they expect to find their favorite writers online at all hours if not signing books at their local barnes  noble
pseudonymous bosch makes a big fuss about hiding from his readers as well as from his enemies he variously claims to be holing up in the jungle or living in an igloo in greenland nonetheless my daring double manages to make himself accessible via email and sometimes even ventures out into public with his signature sunglasses and the occasional fake beard whats his favorite book charlie and the chocolate factory of course does he have any pets yes his rabbit secretary quiche hes the one typing this letter whereas i might feel uncomfortable responding bosch always has answers at the ready
but as much as i owe to my pseudonym lately i find that it fits less than perfectly like an old suit that ive outgrown
once in front of a live audience a fellow writer asked me to describe a humiliating moment from childhood his expectation i think was that i would tell a funny anecdote that would demonstrate to kids   hey writers are people just like you and maybe someday you can be one too in retrospect i should have invented just such an anecdote but the only story that came to mind was true and not very funny about a time i was picked on for being gay before i realized i was gay myself instead of telling the story i stammered my apologies and changed the subject
afterward i felt confused and a bit foolish i couldnt have told that story without a lot of explanation and backpedaling   pseudonymous bosch isnt out or even necessarily gay   but not telling it made me feel as though id stepped back into the closet and back in time
in my non pseudonymous life i came out at age 20 and now live the gay american dream with a husband two kids and a mortgage in my pseudonymous life i am like one of those perennial bachelor uncles from another era a witty dining companion perhaps but ultimately pitiful because he cant tell the truth about himself
there are indeed gay characters in my books most notably larry and wayne the eccentric grandfathers of my heroine cass even if i am rather discreet in how i portray them perhaps i can out them ex post facto as jk rowling did for albus dumbledore and nowhere does it state that because an author is gay his narrator has to be so why does it feel as if im hiding something
but it struck me recently that in a way ive been writing about being gay all along my entire first series is about a secret the near universal experience of gay people of my generation is to have lived with a secret this state of secrecy is known as the closet and it defined a large part of my youth perhaps my fake identity is not so fake after all
in childrens books closets are full of secrets but they provide something else as well a doorway to magic and adventure think of the pevensie kids stepping through the professors wardrobe into the snowy land of narnia or harry leaving the cupboard under the stairs for the splendors of hogwarts in their new world these young heroes inevitably become new people meanwhile young readers go on a ride of their own imagining themselves ruling narnia for those whose personalities are still forming books provide a way of trying on various roles without risk
but in the end everyone must emerge from the wardrobe no matter how wonderful the world inside writers too like our readers weve had fun pretending to be other people and learned something about ourselves in the process
someday even pseudonymous bosch may come out of the closet thats a private creative decision between me my publishers and the childrens book buyer for walmart kidding scholastic reading club actually holds all the power in any case its time for me to out raphael simon if i can find him


last september the beacon community center in elmhurst queens introduced a free adult literacy program english for speakers of other languages esol among those who enrolled were students from myanmar china colombia ecuador india indonesia mexico and venezuela the nonprofit beacon center part of sunnyside community services helps immigrants ease the transition they are making from newcomer to new yorker said shawn mullin the programs coordinator
according to the 2013 edition of the newest new yorkers published by the new york city department of city planning in the period 2007 to 2011 71 percent of elmhursts residents or 77100 people were foreign born but brokers said newcomers from manhattan brownstone brooklyn and forest hills queens were also trickling into elmhurst drawn to its low rise lights out early streets lower housing costs and proximity to the subway
among them are jenny oliver a 31 year old physician assistant and her husband gareth oliver 35 who works in finance in midtown manhattan the couple had a baby last year and were outgrowing their one bedroom rental on the upper east side which cost 3500 a month they were also paying 500 a month to park their car
in november the olivers moved into a gut renovated two bedroom 1100 square foot co op in the continental park on 51st avenue in elmhurst paying 452000 common charges are 950 a month and they park free on the street
before we put an offer in we came out and walked around at night and on the weekend and found a lot of families and liked the diversity ms oliver said in manhattan everything we saw was so tiny and so expensive she was also delighted to discover elmhurst park on grand avenue where 9 month old jake can play
yael goldman an associate broker with nu place realty said her company had sold almost 60 apartments in the last year in the 153 unit continental park developers had bought 79 sponsor units in the 1962 co op and overhauled them while modernizing common areas the renovated apartments went on the market in 2014
people who are priced out of brooklyn and manhattan and looking for an urban feel are coming to sunnyside and woodside and now farther east is catching up ms goldman said theres great food of all kinds and shopping nearby and theyre seeing it as hip
christian cassagnol 38 the district manager of queens community board 4 which includes elmhurst and corona said i think of elmhurst as the crossroads of the world the neighborhood has also had enormous growth he added buildings are going upward and were getting a lot of applications for a lot of variances
marialena giampino 31 a makeup artist and a member of the community board said that all the new construction has hurt our sense of community she is also a member of the newtown civic association   elmhurst was once called newtown   which encourages residents to attend planning meetings and advocate for historic buildings to be designated landmarks
a descendant of sicilian immigrants ms giampino grew up in a two family house in elmhurst around so many different nationalities   it was cool how everyone could live together she said we want to preserve whats left of our historical structures fight for the next generation that comes
what youll find
elmhurst south of jackson heights is bordered by roosevelt avenue to the north and the long island expressway to the south the eastern boundary is junction boulevard and the western edge by one popular definition zigzags along 74th street queens boulevard and the brooklyn queens expressway
the united states census bureaus 2015 american community survey ofqueens community district 4 which includes elmhurst and corona gave a total population of 183871 the survey said 52 percent of residents of the district were hispanic and 34 percent asian
elmhurst is service oriented with food markets hair salons day care centers laundromats hardware stores acupuncturists and dentists and accountants offices broadway is the main drag lined with an international array of restaurants and brick apartment complexes furniture and mattress stores are bundled along queens boulevard which is also home to two malls queens center and queens place side streets hold modest one  to three family homes on narrow lots
what youll pay
in the first quarter of 2016 the median sales price of one  to three family homes was 773870 an increase of 59 percent over the same period of 2015 according to jonathan j miller the president of the appraisal firm miller samuel the median sales price for co ops of various sizes was 275000 up 25 percent from 2015 for condominiums the price dropped 22 percent to 440000
on april 27 a search on streeteasycom found 13 co ops and condos for sale within elmhursts borders ranging from 169500 for a 500 square foot studio co op to 499000 for a two bedroom condo no houses were listed
angela chen an agent at winzone realty said typical rentals range from 1200 to 1600 a month for a studio 1700 to 1900 for one bedrooms and 1900 to 2400 for two bedrooms
what to do
joe distefano 47 a 20 year queens resident has a culinary blogchopsticks and marrow and leads food tours in the borough in the last five to 10 years elmhurst has had a robust development in the thai restaurant scene he said recommending sugar club ploy thai and paet rio for nuanced authenticity woodside avenue nicknamed little thailand hasayada and khao kang
the six acre elmhurst park once housed ugly natural gas tanks but in 2011 it opened to the public as a re landscaped green space the playground has a slide swings and stationary bikes
the schools
daniel dromm a new york city councilman who represents district 25 jackson heights and elmhurst and is the chairman of the education committee cited public school 13 clement c moore as a well performing elementary school with about 1625 students from kindergarten through grade 5 according to the citys school quality snapshot 34 percent of students met state standards in english in 2014 2015 versus 30 percent citywide 44 percent did so in math versus 39 percent
intermediate school 5 serves about 1825 students from grades 6 through 9 there 43 percent of students met state standards in english versus 30 percent citywide 48 percent met math standards versus 31 percent
newtown high school is a flemish renaissance style city landmark with about 1905 students average sat scores for the class of 2015 were 401 in reading 434 in math and 389 in writing citywide averages were 444 466 and 439 the pan american international high school serves about 430 students with a focus on english language development for recent immigrants average sat scores were 320 in reading 340 in math and 318 in writing
the commute
from jackson heights roosevelt avenue the e f m r and 7 trains are scheduled to reach midtown in about 20 minutes the r and m stop part time there the 7 also stops at junction boulevard and 90th street elmhurst avenue the e also has late night service at elmhurst avenue grand avenue newtown and woodhaven boulevard and the m and the r stop part time at those stations among the local buses are the q29 q53 q58 and q72
the history
for more than 300 years elmhurst was known as newtown in the late 19th century it was renamed as developers sought to distance it from newtown creek a fetid estuary on the queens brooklyn border in 1896 a new york times article took issue with the new name asserting elmhurst has not a single elm in it the newtown pippin apple tree however is native to the area according to david karp a writer who calls himself the fruit detective the apple with its firm crisp juicy flesh was cultivated by george washington and thomas jefferson


i walked out of tokyo station the big commuter hub in the citys chiyoda district and turned to look up at its gorgeous brick facade i was lost i couldnt find the tokyo station hotel   a well reviewed luxury property that was renovated in 2012 my mistake it turned out was leaving the train station at all the hotel and the train station coexist in one long outstretched building which was completed in 1914 and offers a refreshing prewar architectural counterpoint to the glittering glass and steel skyscrapers tokyo is now known for
i looped back in and found the hotels lobby as well as its chief concierge marie antoinette mori who greeted me at her desk originally from the philippines ms mori became fascinated with japan during its big 1980s economic boom she studied international tourism in japan married a japanese man and began working in the hospitality industry where her career took off i became one of the favorites of mr stringer   the former sony chairman howard stringer i was the only one who wasnt afraid of him she said with a laugh
ms mori had prepared an itinerary for a fictitious guest spending 1000 about 110000 yen over the course of a day in this often pricey city my goal was to remake the itinerary on a budget of 100   necessarily cutting a few corners but hoping to retain the spirit of the original
high ms mori escorted me to the top floor of her hotel into a huge room where sunlight flooded in through large skylights guests grazed on a large comprehensive morning buffet ms mori recommended the tokyo station hotel breakfast 3800 yen where they could enjoy standard western fare eggs made to order coffee pastries or regional japanese staples where the tokyo station really excels ishikari nabe hot pot from the northern hokkaido region traditional rice porridge soybean milk skin and boiled rape blossoms ms mori said many luxury hotels in the area had comparable buffets the shangri la she said specializes in pastries over there they have a uh ... what do you call it she asked a cronut
low from one buffet in a huge train station to another i went to the considerably cheaper bar marche kodama in the shinagawa train station in the minato ward its also a little tricky to find dont exit the station once you get off at the shinagawa stop go into the ecute department store and youll find the small restaurant in the back corner once there i feasted on an eclectic mostly italian inspired buffet of prosciutto green salad fresh corn pasta bolognese crispy fried rice and for dessert italian wedding cookies the inclusion of the salad was particularly nice   japanese cuisine is healthy but not necessarily heavy on raw leafy greens total cost 620 yen
high ms mori quoted a price of roughly 15000 yen to have a private sedan with a driver for three hours to ferry our faux big spender around the city the tokyo station hotel goes so far as to meet guests at train platforms and escort them to the hotel   a service that comes only with staying at the hotel of course which can run over 1000 per night
low logistics are tricky for those unfamiliar with the city get to know and love the train because youll be spending quite a bit of time with it tokyos system is expansive and can be in a word daunting there are over 100 different railway lines in tokyo and most of them are privately held by competing companies the two big ones youll need to know are jr east the largest railway system in japan and the tokyo metro the citys busiest subway system
if youre planning to use only the subway or jr lines there are passes for that a combination ticket though which can be purchased in jr stations is the better way to go for 1590 yen youll be able to use several lines for one day including all of tokyos jr lines and the tokyo metro another option is to buy a suica or pasmo card available at ticket vending machines in major train stations reusable cards on which you load money you touch them to the turnstile each time you ride
there is a 500 yen deposit to pick up one of those cards but its worth it   you wont have to deal with individual tickets youll get a small discount on rides and you can even use it to make purchases in some stores and at the citys ubiquitous vending machines
related pro tip get a sim card for your phone   data only you wont want to be without a maps app when youre walking around cards in the 15 to 20 range are widely available make sure you get the right size the latest generation iphones for example use nano sim cards not micro sim
high the asakusa neighborhood is known for its sensoji buddhist temple tokyos oldest ms mori recommended a rickshaw tour of the neighborhood passing along sumida park one of the many places in tokyo to see sakura or cherry blossoms in the early spring a two hour tour costs 16250 yen
low i set out to do some exploring on my own and see some sakura in the process a follower of the frugal traveler twitter account recommended the nezu museum in the minato district while the nezus collection of buddhist art and chinese bronzes was interesting i was most impressed with the lush garden out back the garden   about four acres   is shockingly big in a place where space is so precious it truly feels like an escape from the city admission was 1000 yen
from there i hopped a couple of trains over to the korakuen station and walked up to the university of tokyos koishikawa botanical gardens after paying admission 400 yen i headed from the southeast entrance to a huge open expanse in the center of the garden i found families picnicking children playing and people lining up for coffee and tea from the ramshackle snack bar called coffee time a coffee is 300 yen all were enjoying the budding cherry blossoms and cool spring weather
high ms mori recommended the omakase tasting menu at   where else   sukiyabashi jiro the 90 year old sushi master jiro onos already formidable status was made outright legendary with the release of the 2012 documentary jiro dreams of sushi the 10 seat restaurant is difficult to get into but ms mori can make the arrangements we can get you into jiro she said but then you have to go you have to we cant have no shows at jiro the price for lunch or dinner is 30000 yen
low jiro received three michelin stars tsuta received one it was the first japanese ramen shop ever to receive such an honor the small unassuming space close to the sugamo station on the jr yamanote line is difficult to get into for different reasons they take no reservations and operate on a ticket system i went early one morning around 730 am and waited outside the restaurant with a handful of other people eventually the door slid open and a man came out with a handful of small laminated tickets he handed me one come back he said between 12 and 1 pm he took a 1000 yen bill as a deposit then went back inside and closed the door when i returned at noon i was treated to the best bowl of shoyu soy sauce based ramen id ever eaten the broth was deep intense and slightly sweet the accompaniments   soft boiled egg bamboo shoots and pork slices   were done perfectly the basic ramen bowl at tsuta is 950 yen   i paid a total of 1250 for three extra slices of pork
high who doesnt like a little costume play built into their vacations ms mori recommended something called a kimono experience and photo shoot wherein the patron pays for elaborate kimono dress in one of several styles oiran maiko or geisha as well as hair and makeup a photo shoot follows men dont think youre getting out of this theres a samurai option for you the oiran set with two kimonos costs 27000 yen
low i found a different way to incorporate both ceremonial clothing of sorts and culture into my visit taking in a japanese baseball game i bought my ticket at one of the many 7 elevens in japan 7 eleven is owned by a japanese company it was a complicated process one that involved a helpful clerk trying to spell my name in the japanese alphabet   buying at the stadium probably would have been easier it also involved deciding what cheering section i wanted to sit in i decided on an outfield ticket on the side of the home team the tokyo yakult swallows
the game was positively raucous   at one point everyone in my section produced tiny umbrellas and began thrusting them up and down and chanting a pro swallows chant i assumed while a small brass band backed them up the stadium grub selection was great too   a big bowl of ramen could be had for 750 yen yakitori for 100 yen and a whiskey and melon soda for 600 yen my ticket cost a reasonable 1800 yen
high seiji yamamoto is the chef at nihonryori ryugin a modern kaiseki restaurant that was awarded three michelin stars mr yamamoto is known for incorporating modern culinary techniques with the refined traditional kaiseki dinner the descriptions of ryugins courses are wonderfully abstract dishes have names like coolness warmth playfulness nostalgia and temptation and a message from the coast of japan dinner costs 27000 yen
low i was also in search of a taste of the coast of japan in the form of a sushi dinner i met up with my friend mayumi a tokyo native and presented her with my annoyingly specific parameters something good but not that good cheap but definitely not poor quality she good humoredly took me to a small place near the kyodo train station in her neighborhood about a 20 minute ride from shinjuku midori sushi an unpretentious restaurant next to a kfc the chef ken hosonos 10 course omakase menu featured an exceptionally silky smooth squid along with barracuda fatty tuna uni and a wonderfully buttery scallop among other pieces the cost was 3000 yen per person not only was it one of best sushi dinners ive had in recent memory but it was among the cheapest   a difficult to hit sweet spot that every frugal traveler seeks out


in recent years ive caught a rather nasty case of replay anxiety an increasingly common malady in american sports the afflicted cannot watch a long touchdown run a buzzer beater or a no hitter reach the bottom of the ninth inning without worrying that the unfolding drama will be interrupted by the sight of umpires and referees trotting   always a bit too slowly and dutifully   to the replay monitors to review a call sitting on my couch my eyes darting around the screen i feel the strain of switching between two parallel realities what the ref sees and what the machine knows
i feel bad for the refs who for the most part are company men in an industry that desperately wants to replace their jobs with automatons management in this case seems determined to put the refs flaws on full display every time the ref makes a mistake   especially one that alters the outcome of a game   its played over and over again on the giant glowing jumbotron that hangs over his head on the television broadcasts and then again throughout the night on sportscenter by the time he wakes up the next morning his gaffe will have been thoroughly dissected by the forensic experts of youtube who stretch every suspicious five second clip into a meticulously edited short documentary complete with a menacing violin soundtrack and enraged caps locked captions like notice no foul was called even though referee x was standing two feet away
even the quants have it out for refs in 2005 john ball a data analyst and rabid houston rockets fan had a fit of referee paranoia the rockets had just lost a series to the dallas mavericks jeff van gundy the rockets coach had been fined a record 100000 for insinuating that the mavericks owner mark cuban had persuaded the referees to call more offensive fouls on the rockets center yao ming ball ran a popular yao fan site at the time and he later began to compile a database that tracked information on referees habits along with a small team of fellow analysts ball watched hundreds of hours of tape to note all the times when a referee missed a call or ignored a violation they found that there were roughly 20 to 30 bad calls per game and that each ref has predictable patterns of behavior   some call more charging fouls others hate to blow the whistle on traveling violations and others give more leniency to superstars some nba teams now use the behavioral patterns ball tracks to develop game plans around referees balls data for example showed that derek fisher the squat blockheaded former point guard and recently fired knicks coach had an unusual talent for drawing illegal screen calls on his opponents from susceptible referees
referee scrutiny now extends all the way to the highest levels of sports since adam silver took over as the nbas commissioner in 2014 the league has gone to great lengths to make refereeing as transparent as possible the nba now releases on its website daily last two minute reports which review the performance of its referees in any close game these regular inspections appear to have contributed to some improvements in 2007 a study by researchers from cornell and the university of pennsylvania clearly showed that white refs called fouls on black players at a greater rate than on their white counterparts by 2014 a follow up study found that the racial inequity in fouls called had completely disappeared
but all the scrutiny has also created a hitch in the way we watch sports when villanova won the ncaa mens basketball championship in april on a last second shot the announcers and referees amid the revelry on the court had to double check whether the shot was released in time after nearly every touchdown in the nfl the announcer punctuates his call with a relieved and there are no penalty flags   which then gives the audience permission to celebrate or moan theres an implicit cost analysis in these moments we pause or at least hiccup in our response to make sure that the whole thing wont be overturned upon review
the pursuit of official certainty in other words has bred an epistemological uncertainty i no longer worry that a game will swing on a bad call but i constantly worry that i will end up cheering for a fiction the escapism of sports   an alternate world governed by its own arbitrary logic   dissipates and i find myself switching my attention among the referees calls the replays and the tvs corrections it feels as if some know it all child is nudging me in the ribs reminding me that what im watching is a game played by fallible men governed by an arbitrary set of rules enforced by other fatter fallible men
last month i watched jake arrieta the 30 year old chicago cubs pitcher whose brilliance over the past year should be an inspiration to late bloomers everywhere throw a no hitter in cincinnati with two outs in the bottom of the ninth arrieta got ahead 0 2 in the count on eugenio suarez according to csn pitchtrax the updating strike zone in the corner of the screen on the cubs broadcast arrietas next pitch was a big breaking ball that hit the outside of the plate but it received no reaction from the umpire wow he easily could have rung him up there one of the announcers yelled which in turn called forth in me an increasingly familiar neurosis if arrietas next pitch was roped out into center field for a base hit the no hitter that should have been a no hitter would be ruined i worried selfishly about my own role in witnessing this marginally historic moment   would the 10 minutes i had invested in watching the bottom of the ninth be wasted on account of this no good umpire
arrietas next pitch was a fastball that nicked the top corner of the csn pitchtrax and was once again ignored by the umpire drawing more protest from the announcers on the fifth pitch of the at bat suarez popped the ball up to right field arrieta did one of those sweaty lumbering half jump half fist pump celebrations that mark the end of so many no hitters and the cubs all gathered in the infield to slap one another on the back the game was over   two pitches after it should have been over according to csn pitchtrax
fans relative patience with these rituals of correction depends most likely on whether they want the uninterrupted thrill of watching a big play without self consciousness or the comforting constantly updating reality of live pitch tracking the leagues and the networks have chosen the certainty of the androids   and its hard to blame them given the incalculable harm that any referee scandal brings down on a sport but automation only breeds more automation and more rigid refereeing changes the style of play
under the watch of increasingly infallible referees pitchers who built their reputations as strike throwing machines by continually tricking the umpire will have to become actual strike throwing machines older nba players who leveraged their reputations to cheat on defense and get to the free throw line on offense will have to cede their spots to younger less creative players who can still perform inside the strictures of the official rule book nobody save gamblers and the suffering fans who mortgage their happiness on their teams success really wants such a stripped down efficient game nobody wants to lose the edifying and necessary knowledge that in the aftermath of a crushing defeat there is always someone else to blame
sports arguments have always been driven by conflicting versions of what happened whether michael jordans push off on the utah jazzs bryon russell in game 6 of the 1998 finals or the infamous 2002 tuck rule game between the new england patriots and the oakland raiders which put tom brady on the path to his first super bowl when the refs overturned what was initially called a fumble review and referee evaluations in theory should not kill off this vital part of fandom the tuck rule after all was invoked only after a referee review but there is a difference between arguing and rehashing a referees fallible interpretation and glumly accepting the readout of the machine relying on the referee still allows for a fantasy in which the call went your way the machines version of reality offers only the hopeless certainty that your team lost fair and square


when reserving a hotel room do you book directly with the hotel or through an online booking site like expedia or priceline
if you answered the latter hotels are trying to change that and you may stand to gain
a few weeks ago hyatt hotels began offering discounts to members of its loyalty program who book their rooms through hyatt instead of a third party such as travelocity the announcement came after marriott international introduced new discounted rates for loyalty program members who book directly with marriott which created an unambiguous marketing campaign called it pays to book direct both chains announced their discounts in the wake of hilton worldwide which said in february that it was rolling out the largest marketing campaign in its nearly 100 year history to tell its loyalty program members that they would receive discounts on rooms at more than 4500 hotels around the world if they booked directly
hotels have been trying to get travelers to book through their websites and call centers for years but now major chains are going further than ever to woo travelers away from third party booking sites which charge commission fees and have been a barrier to hotels marketing directly to their guests stay tuned when asked during its most recent earnings call about hotels offering discounts for direct booking expedia said that it was considering more flexible ways to work including testing link offs from our site on to the direct sites of some of our chain partners said mark d okerstrom expedias executive vice president and chief financial officer with hotels and booking sites vying to be the point of sale travelers are in a position to win not only scoring perks like room upgrades but lower rates too
the discounts at hyatt hotels are for properties in the united states canada and australia and apply to members of its loyalty program which is free to join at hyattgoldpassportcom members who book directly can now receive up to 10 percent off reservations made through hyattcom its app call centers and travel agents the chain also offers a best rate guarantee later this year guests who book directly will be allowed to make on demand requests to their hotel through the app they can also check in online and manage their reservation on their smartphones
the new rates at marriott are available more broadly at over 4200 hotels worldwide to loyalty program members its free to join at marriottrewardscom who book directly on its website app call centers or through certain corporate travel professionals karin timpone marriott internationals global marketing officer said in a statement that the company wants to help dispel the myth that other travel websites offer better rates for our hotels if guests find a better rate within 24 hours of booking directly marriott will match that rate and offer an additional 25 percent discount
it was hilton that led the direct booking charge with its stop clicking around marketing campaign which highlights its new discounts along with other benefits of booking direct and being a member of its rewards program which is free to join at hhonors3hiltoncom for instance its mobile app allows members to check in choose their room from a digital floor plan and use a digital key
yet its not just major chains that are pushing for direct bookings independent and boutique hotels are also offering perks to travelers who book directly aqua aston hospitality a hotel management group in hawaii for instance gives 20 daily starbucks gift cards to guests at its lite hotels some of the groups other properties including the kauai shores resort aqua waikiki pearl and ilikai hotels  suites give hawaiian snack baskets even car rentals to guests who book directly
the spike in offers comes at a time when the american hotel  lodging association a trade group based in washington dc has voiced its opposition to consolidation in the online travel agency business such as the acquisition last year of orbitz by expedia a deal that was particularly bothersome to hotels they said since they paid expedia commissions that were higher than orbitzs the group has also waged a campaign against deceptive booking sites that are made to look like a hotels own website but are not the federal trade commission has warned that such sites may charge fees fail to honor guest requests for certain types of rooms and even take travelers money without booking a room these developments aside there have long been practical reasons to book directly with a hotel
a few years ago i wrote about how hotels were offering best rate guarantees to those who booked with them direct booking has had other benefits too such as upgrades to rooms with better views free food and drinks free wi fi spa credits and a more personalized stay thats because any requests you make like additional pillows are going straight to the source as is information about any special occasions you may be celebrating nowadays booking directly may also include the ability to check in on your smartphone making changes to reservations is often easier or more seamless as well and of course there is the matter of the hotels rewards points in general you dont get them if you book through a third party
mark weinstein hilton worldwides global head of customer engagement loyalty and partnerships said in a statement that last year 57 billion points thats more than 16 million free nights according to hilton went unearned because guests booked their stay through a third party there is a huge misconception that third parties always offer lower prices for our hotel rooms he said which is simply not true
even so third party booking sites have their own loyalty programs that   for people who travel only a couple of times of year or prefer to hop among brands   may make more sense than joining a single brands reward program the hotelscom loyalty program for instance gives members one point for each night they spend in a participating hotel chain or boutique hotel booked through the site for every 10 nights they stay they earn a free night the maximum value of the free night is the average daily rate of the 10 nights stayed
the scope of such programs is hard to match at hotelscom free nights can be earned at more than 200000 hotels and redeemed with no blackout dates you wont get points from say hilton but if you have commitment issues its good to know that theres a loyalty program even for you


for most of her life virginia woolf suffered from what she called looking glass shame an aversion to seeing herself in mirrors she wrote about it late in her career not long before her suicide recalling that the trouble began with one particular mirror it hung in the hall of her family home and when she was about 6 her half brother gerald duckworth lifted her onto a nearby table and put his hands under her clothes
woolfs other half brother george duckworth also began molesting her a few years later paying her almost nightly visits for a time she would go on to speak and write publicly about the abuse which continued into her 20s   even confronting george   but mirrors continued to distress her it is so difficult she wrote with uncharacteristic and moving awkwardness to give any account of the person to whom things happen
the question of what posture to take toward our own pain is unexpectedly complicated how do we understand our own suffering   with what words and to what ends does great suffering always diminish us these are the kinds of currents swirling around the word survivor the increasingly popular term for people who have experienced sexual violence commonly used to describe those who had endured the holocaust the word was picked up by feminist groups organizing against the sexual abuse of children in the 1980s and has since broadened in scope and gone mainstream at the academy awards in february lady gaga performed her oscar nominated song for the hunting ground a documentary about campus rape accompanied by 50 men and women who had been assaulted their arms painted with words like survivor a day later she spoke out about being raped as a teenager 51 surviving and thriving she captioned a group photograph on instagram on social media people post messages of support to themselves or others with the hashtag survivorloveletter you are not what they took from you one woman writes to her younger self you are the monument of survival and recovery you erected in its place  you are a queen
the word has caught on with law enforcement the department of justice and the white house task force on campus safety we are here to tell sexual assault survivors that they are not alone its first report announced in 2014 a survivors rights act intended to empower survivors to make more informed decisions throughout the criminal justice process and demanding longer preservation of rape kits among other things was recently introduced in the senate
the evolving legal definition of rape has always been a bellwether of changing attitudes to race and gender and the legitimacy of survivor signals a subtle but important shift in thinking about sexual violence the historian estelle b freedman has argued that the story of rape in america consists in large part in tracking the changing narratives that define which women may charge which men with the crime of forceful unwanted sex and whose accounts will be believed but with a few exceptions there have been few historical records of how victims of violence have named and understood their own experiences
after all for much of history the good rape victim the credible rape victim has always been a dead one a serviceable symbol of defiled innocence around whom a group can rally   a suicide like lucretia whose rape catalyzed the founding of the roman republic or any of the catholic churchs patron saints of rape victims none of whom incidentally were raped they martyred themselves instead in literature women have been ingeniously silenced in ovids metamorphoses theyre turned into birds and trees one has her tongue cut out to keep her from testifying   a grisly and beloved trope that reappears everywhere from titus andronicus to the world according to garp
but beginning in the 1970s books like kiss daddy goodnight i never told anyone and the courage to heal which collected first person narratives of women who had experienced incest and child sexual abuse brought the issue to the fore of public consciousness they were among the first to pointedly use the word survivor often replacing victim in a form of deliberate rebranding to emphasize womens resourcefulness rather than their helplessness and the decisions they had made that allowed them to stay safe and sane
but what once felt radical has blossomed into a rhetoric of almost mandatory heroism im not a victim im a survivor is the common refrain from women like trisha meili the jogger whose rape in central park in 1989 roiled the city and the actress gabrielle union raped at gunpoint at 19 i hated feeling like a victim she said it makes you lazy others prefer thriver even warrior there appears to be such an insistence on toughness that its impossible to think of a book like alice sebolds memoir of her rape lucky being marketed today as it was in 1999 the flap copy calls her attack the crime from which no woman can ever really recover
tell that to jessica jones imperator furiosa from the mad max fury road comic book lisbeth salander from the girl with the dragon tattoo olivia benson from law and order special victims unit the bride in kill bill the survivor   or pop cultures fantasy of her   now cuts a distinctive silhouette shes damaged but never so much as to be a figure of pity or revulsion her wound makes her interesting even alluring where the victim was abject a figure of shame and isolation the survivor is lithe and frequently well armed she is a little scary and a little sexy and her rage feels divinely sanctioned
she crosses cultures she is priya the star of a new indian comic book who rides a tiger and fights back against her rapists she is maima currently strutting across a stage on broadway an ak 47 strapped to her chest in eclipsed danai guriras play about sexual captives during the liberian civil war even when imprisoned like the mother in room or the unbreakable kimmy schmidt she is endlessly resilient
and she comes to life in recent campus protests against sexual violence last year karmenife paulino a wesleyan student staged a photo shoot at the fraternity where she said she was raped posing triumphantly in dominatrix gear alongside bound and gagged actors playing fraternity brothers one thing that has been very therapeutic to me as a survivor was finding creative outlets for my pain paulino told a campus blog and so i just thought what would reclaiming that space look like
the preference for survivor over victim is a shift in language that is as much ideological as linguistic in bright sided her 2009 critique of americas obsession with positive thinking barbara ehrenreich noted a similar development among cancer patients the word victim is proscribed she writes deemed too self pitying martial metaphors are preferred and those who lost the battle are quickly forgotten it is the survivors who merit constant honor and so the pendulum swings from one extreme to another from casting rape as insurmountable pain to casting the survivor as possessing superhuman strength
its looking glass shame all over again   that terror of facing your vulnerability   a treasonous thought in a society that is desperately optimistic and addicted to recovery narratives there exists a small shelf of antisurvivor accounts full of frank almost voluptuous despair   edward st aubyns patrick melrose novels hanya yanagiharas a little life raymond m douglass memoir on being raped   all mens stories interestingly but generally the onus seems to be not only to survive but as quickly as possible to lift up others sexual violence activists admit to the strain wagatwe wanjuki one of the people who stood with lady gaga at the academy awards wrote recently at the womens website the establishment of the invisible cost of being a survivor youre best known for enduring the worst experiences of your life
a word that was conceived to free women from stigma now feels to some prescriptive compulsory survivorship depoliticizes our understanding of violence and its effects dana bolger the executive director of know your ix a survivor and youth led organization dedicated to fighting sexual violence in schools wrote at feministingcom it places the burden of healing on the individual while comfortably erasing the systems and structures that make surviving hard harder for some than for others the logic of compulsory survivorship neatly anticipates the conditions so many victims of violence face the disbelief or indifference the paucity of social support   to say nothing of the fact that as jon krakauer notes in his book on campus rape missoula if an individual is raped in america more than 90 percent of the time the rapist will get away with it it makes sense that an ethos of pluck and hardiness has taken hold there is simply no alternative
in japanese the word trauma is expressed with a combination of two characters outside and injury trauma is a visible wound   suffering we can see   but it is also suffering made public calcified into identity and inevitably simplified perhaps there was some latent wisdom in woolfs ungainly little phrase the person to whom things happen its roomy and doesnt pin you down at any stage of suffering or recovery it centers the person and not the event   which is crucial those who have faced sexual violence are so commonly sentimentalized or stigmatized cast as uniquely heroic or uniquely broken everything can be projected upon them it seems   everything but the powers and vulnerabilities of ordinary personhood


life moves pretty fast ferris bueller has aged 30 years
in celebration of the truant teen whose advice   if you dont stop and look around once in a while you could miss it   spun his friends through chicago travelers can re create some of the famous scenes from the film this month with a series of ferris buellers day off themed events and hotel packages in and around the city
ferris fest scheduled for may 20 to may 22 is an immersive experience highlighting his epic day said david blanchard whose company filmed here is organizing the weekend a portion of the proceeds will go to two national anti bullying organizations in a nod to the films of the director john hughes which shared a backdrop of teen bullying and high school issues mr blanchard said
 ferris bueller is timeless he said its really about breaking free from that 9 to 5 grind and really appreciating life and taking an adventure whatever that might be
the hughes family has endorsed the event mr blanchard said and family members along with some of the cast   among them cindy pickett who played katie bueller lyman ward tom bueller edie mcclurg grace and jonathan schmock the maitre d of chez quiz   will attend two screenings 25 at the gorton community center in lake forest ill other events include an opening night 80s high school theme dance party with cast meet and greets 50 in mr hughess hometown northbrook ill including a chance to be photographed with a replica of the ferrari spyder from the film along with larry flash jenkins who played its errant garage attendant 100 two days of filming location bus tours from 175 cap the event
hotels in chicago are also rallying around the films anniversary the virgin hotel will have a replica of the bueller bedroom admission 10 re created by the artist sarah keenlyside where visitors can step into ferriss elaborately staged sick day as it looked on screen tickets include an invitation to a twist and shout parade through downtown chicago
the hotel lincolns save ferris package from 350 comes with tickets to the cubs the art institute of chicago willis tower and skydeck   all day off destinations   along with a blu ray copy of the movie
the palmer houses buellers chicago package from 258 includes movie inspired amenities among them a spotify playlist of tunes from the film a bucket list of locations to help guests re create ferriss day off in chicago tickets to the art institute of chicago and a reservation at the hotels lockwood restaurant for dinner under the name abe froman   the sausage king of chicago


sometime in the 1790s jane austen wrote a wickedly funny epistolary novella about a widow named lady susan whose beauty and charm are matched only by her cunning ability to manipulate the doting men around her
austen never tried to publish it the novella lady susan was finally released more than 50 years after her death but the story never really caught on with devotees of her other more famous works
now lady susan is finally getting some long overdue respect
on friday may 13 the filmmaker whit stillmans adaptation of the story starring kate beckinsale as lady susan and chloe sevigny as her scheming sidekick arrives in theaters and little brown is publishing mr stillmans novel based on lady susan which he retitled love  friendship in the novel mr stillman takes the characters and plot from austens fictionalized letters and narrates the tale from the perspective of lady susans nephew who hopes to counter criticism of his maligned aunt the 41 letters from austens lady susan are included in an appendix
the book and film both showcase some of the sharpest lines from austens overlooked work like lady susans complaint that her friends husband is too old to be governable too young to die
mr stillman the writer and director known for his dialogue heavy dissections of class and manners in films like barcelona and metropolitan first began working on the screenplay more than a decade ago speaking by telephone from his home in paris he described why he decided to resurrect one of austens most underrated works and why he prefers the 18th century to today here are edited excerpts from the conversation
in metropolitan and some of your other films like the last days of disco characters are obsessed with manners and social norms and class and courtship which are very austeny subjects its almost surprising that its taken you this long to adapt one of her books
now people are groaning about all the jane austen adaptations my theory in the 90s was that i didnt want to take a jane austen book i loved and reduce it to a 90 minute movie the emma thompson ang lee sense and sensibility was beautiful but other ones i didnt think justice was being done its not a slam dunk to adapt these books
how did you discover lady susan i never read it until this year and i couldnt believe how funny it is
it was in the late 90s and i got a copy of northanger abbey to reread and they had lady susan and some other fragments in the same edition i was fascinated by it and thought it was too good not to be known
why do you think its been overlooked by filmmakers when there have been so many other austen adaptations
its so funny and clever but its kind of hard to read i consider it a gold mine or a diamond mine where there are a lot of good things in it but its kind of in an inaccessible form thats why it seemed like a really positive thing to adapt it so that i could pull out the diamonds and put them in a setting lines like facts are such horrid things
when did you become an austen fan
when i was having my weird sophomore year in university people recommended jane austen and the one lying around was northanger abbey i read it and hated it i told anybody who would listen how overrated and terrible she was i was without jane austen for several years then shortly after university my sister encouraged me to look at pride and prejudice and i loved it and read everything and became a total jane austen nut
you also wrote a novel based on lady susan why did you decide to write a novel as well as make a film
i didnt think lady susan was really finished and i was doing a lot of stuff with it when i was adapting it and i really felt there was another story there so i tricked little brown into committing to the novel
how scary was it to rewrite the work of one of your literary idols
not scary at all it was the perfect book to do that i think the form of it is so flawed   and flawed from her point of view it gave me the opportunity to dramatize what was in this archaic form that didnt suit her genius
what makes you think she felt it was flawed
i think this was quite far from being a finished piece if she were really going to publish it she would have done a lot more with it the things she did in the same period they started out epistolary and then she shifted them to the dramatized novels that we know pride and prejudice and sense and sensibility then she changed the titles she gave then the sonorous important noun titles so i changed the title to love  friendship
theres almost no redemption in this story lady susan never realizes the errors of her ways shes more like an oscar wilde character than a jane austen heroine do you think its a more satirical and slightly more contemporary than her other books
i dont like to say that thats something thats said a lot now like if you want to sell people on going to see something thats set in the past they say oh this has a snarky modern sensibility and i dont want to say that at all because i rather prefer the 18th century for me its not a good thing to say its contemporary
what do you prefer about the 18th century
in terms of almost everything i think its a superior time for music architecture manners thought not the movies the movies from that time arent so good
a lot of the best lines come from austens original how much did you borrow or tweak her sentences
i didnt borrow i stole theres tons
do you feel like you and jane austen share a certain sensibility
i identify entirely with jane austens point of view on everything


kunstenfestivaldesarts various venues through may 28
dance theater music and puppet shows will visit brussels for this festival an interdisciplinary lineup of international acts pieces include ottof a dance piece from marrakesh and cabaret crusades the secrets of karbala a movie that retells the story of the seventh century battle of karbala with puppets above simplexity la beaute du geste a dance piece featuring sara tan simin and victor hanna kfdabe
gnaoua world music festival various venues may 12 15
musicians from morocco mali and the united states will visit this festival which centers on traditional music from the region performers include a troupe from fez who will perform issaoua a form of sung folk tale that is practiced in different cities around morocco and several solo acts from morocco like maalem seddik bounhar some acts have a more contemporary flair like the american trumpet player christian scott and las migas a spanish female quartet that blends classical music and jazzfestival gnaouaneten
scottish artists 1750 1900 buckingham palace through oct 9
allan ramsay david wilkie james giles and other scottish painters are on view in this exhibition which was first shown at the queens scottish residence hollyroodhouse before traveling to london the show explores how enlightenment ideas worked their way into their output and compares and contrasts the work of artists who traveled abroad with those who stayed at home royalcollectionorguk
eduardo navarro octopia museo tamayo through july 3
the argentine artist eduardo navarro created a giant sculpture for his solo exhibition here   a mobile octopus shaped installation whose tendrils can be put on by 80 performers to make the octopus move performances take place on may 14 and june 11 though visitors can see the statue in stationary form on other dates an exhibition dedicated to the installation artist mario garcia torres is also running at the museum through june 26 museotamayoorg
cannes international film festival various venues may 11 22
the 69th edition of the international festival opens with the director of mad max george miller heading the jury that will choose the film that will be awarded the top prize the palme dor movies competing for the award include pedro almodovars julieta sean penns the last face and park chan wooks the handmaiden the festival opens with a screening of woody allens cafe society set in 1930s hollywood jesse eisenberg steve carell and kristen stewart starfestival cannesfr
norfolk and norwich festival various venues may 13 29
the sultry rb singer lisa fischer the science fiction themed band sun ra arkestra and the swiss sculptor alberto giacometti may not seem like immediately obvious pairings but theyll all appear in this interdisciplinary festival set in a small town near englands east coast ms fischer and the arkestra will each perform giacometti has a solo show at the sainsbury center for visual arts other performances in the varied lineup include the james plays a stage epic about the kings who ran scotland in the 15th century staged by scotlands national theater nnfestivalorguk
marvelous creatures animals in islamic art aga khan museum through sept 11
this family friendly show features a range of paintings and other artistic renderings of animals from islamic myth this recently opened museum which is dedicated to islamic art was founded by the aga khan a prominent businessman who has poured money into major philanthropic projects around the world agakhanmuseumorg
miyake issey exhibition the work of miyake issey the national art center tokyo through june 13
the japanese fashion designer issey miyakes eclectic output includes loose fitting pret a porter pieces and some more unusual designs like a ringed multicolored flying saucer dress made in a material that looks like a paper lantern the show looks at his output over the course of his career from his years as a student in the 1970s to the present nactjp
painted encounters national gallery of modern art through may 29
this exhibition focuses on the art produced for and by parsi communities in the 18th and 19th centuries the parsis a well to do indian community built close ties with china and the west in this period the exhibition includes a swath of the furniture textiles and portraits produced for them ngmaindiagovin
heavy artillery white rabbit through aug 7
major works by chinas leading artists are on view in this group show which centers on gigantic installations pieces include tank project by he xiangyu a replica of an army tank built entirely from leather xu zhens european thousand armed sculpture a statue piece that combines european classical styles with asian ones and polit sheer form office groups library a giant installation made of blue books whiterabbitcollectionorg
carl andre sculpture as place 1958 2010 hamburger bahnhof through sept 18
american artist carl andre had an unusual practice that included both minimal sculptures and a large poetry output this exhibition includes around 50 of his sculptures and 200 of his poems it takes place in the hamburger bahnhof a former train station that now serves as a contemporary art museum smbmuseumen


art insiders are calling it a gigaweek   and indeed the lineup of auctions next week in new york is impressive on paper sothebys and christies will go head to head on four successive evenings in marquee sales of impressionist modern and contemporary art in addition christies is offering a themed selection of contemporary works on sunday immediately followed by phillipss evening auction of 20th century and contemporary art
this crush of events is expected to raise at least 890 million yet the hype that attends these auctions comes as demand at the top end is contractingbecause of turbulence in the financial markets and the uncertainty of this years united states presidential race last may the equivalent themed and evening contemporary sales at christies alone brought in 14 billion with sothebys taking in 3797 million
a sea change has occurred at auction said wendy cromwell an art adviserin new york the night sales are smaller the estimates more conservative the guarantees less exuberant the great works fewer and far between
at the moment ms cromwell added collectors will not part with masterworks unless they are offered ridiculous sums of money
it would seem that christies which is privately owned by the french luxury goods magnate francois pinault is no longer willing to make that kind of offer
last may that auction house and third parties pledged minimum prices to the sellers of more than half of the 117 works   including a 1794 million picasso   in christies evening themed and contemporary sales sellers ofguaranteed works typically receive all of the hammer price and part of the buyers fees with the auction house sometimes making a minimal profit
this year christies and third parties have guaranteed just 18 of 100 lots atthat houses two headline contemporary auctions and no work is valued at more than 40 million at any of the houses
the guarantees arent there any more at the highest level said todd levin another art adviser based in new york christies has stepped back and the market is no longer on steroids and is returning to its normal state
that said sothebys and phillips are continuing to gamble on guarantees to attract art on wednesday night sothebys smaller than usual 44 lot salewill include 10 works that the company has guaranteed for a total of more than 70 million last may it guaranteed five with a total low estimate of 61 million
amy cappellazzo the new chairwoman of sothebys global fine arts divisionsaid that some guarantees next week had been taken on by third parties
this will be the first evening new york contemporary sale sothebys has held since paying as much as 85 million in january for the manhattan art advisory company art agency partners led by ms cappellazzo the former chairwoman of christies contemporary art department and the highly regarded adviser allan schwartzman
sothebys previous joint global heads of contemporary art alex rotter and cheyenne westphal and melanie clore the companys worldwide co chairwoman of impressionist and modern art are among several directors who have left since that acquisition the brain trust has been depleted and its really affected their competitiveness mr levin said sothebys evening auction is about 10 lots short of what it should be
ms cappellazzo said we feel confident about the deals that have been done for may and expect to be pleased with the results
seats at the auction are reserved though the live action is streamed onauction house websites heres what to watch for
perhaps the title was intended to manage expectations bound to fail is the latest themed auction organized by christies deputy chairman of postwar and contemporary art loic gouzer who organized last mays blockbuster 7059 million looking forward to the past sale
sundays 39 lot event is estimated to raise at least 594 million the auction is billed as presenting artists who have challenged the concept of fine art and commercial success
the title lot   bruce naumans relief of a bound torso   is a cast iron limited edition version of a unique 1967 sculpture that sold at auction in 2001 for 99 million a sensational sum at the time it is estimated at 6 million to 8 million
the selection of mark bradford to represent the united states at next yearsvenice biennale should encourage bidding at phillips which is offering three works the 12 foot wide mixed media canvas building the big white whale from 2012 is estimated at 3 million to 5 million the 37 lot sale could raise at least 4085 million and includes 18 third party guarantees and two company guarantees according to phillips
next weeks impressionist and modern art auctions are conspicuously short of major name masterworks the standout in sothebys 62 lot selection is andre derains 1906 fauve gem the red sails valued at 15 million to 20 million
christies postwar and contemporary auction has 61 lots estimated to raise at least 2856 million with just three works carrying company guarantees jean michel basquiats monumental 1982 painting untitled backed by athird party is arguably the trophy of the week estimated to sell for at least 40 million the seller the new york collector adam lindemann bought itat auction in 2004 for 45 million
sothebys contemporary evening sale at 44 lots is far smaller than last springs 63 lot auction as in last novembers auction this sales most valuable lot is a 1968 cy twombly blackboard abstract it is offered with a low estimate of 40 million without a guarantee the previous years biggeruntitled new york city sold for 705 million
claude monets 1919 water lily canvas le bassin aux nympheas rates star billing at christies evening auction of impressionist and modern art this signed and dated monet hasnt been seen at auction and is estimated at 25 million to 35 million


times insider delivers behind the scenes insights into how news features and opinion come together at the new york times in this piece emily bazelon a staff writer at the times magazine recounts how she and the photo editor stacey baker convinced more than three dozen sex workers to come out from underground and pose for the camera
when jake silverstein the editor of the new york times magazine and kathy ryan the magazines director of photography proposed a cover image showing dozens of sex workers for my article on the debate over whether prostitution should be a crime i was daunted i had been reporting the article for months and id spoken to lots of people who do sex work for a range of reasons some out of economic duress and others as a matter of true choice they were suspicious of the media and i couldnt blame them often news media coverage of prostitution is sensationalized or one dimensional or plain disrespectful its hard for people who have been portrayed in those ways to trust us and that includes the times also sex work is against the law so we were asking people to take a legal risk   to come out from underground
we got lucky the sex worker who helped me begin my reporting for this article is a dominatrix in seattle who goes by the name mistress matisse she got excited about the possibility of a photo spread that portrayed sex workers as their ordinary everyday selves   a concept that we hoped would be the opposite of exploitation she connected us to a friend of hers savannah sly also her professional name who is the president of the sex workers outreach project usa and a born organizer
swop was hosting a four day festival in seattle so working with stacey baker the unflappable photo editor on this project savannah helped us wrangle more than two dozen sex workers into a photo studio holly andres our equally unflappable photographer took group shots and portraits we told people they didnt have to show their faces they could turn their backs or wear masks and we asked them to wear the clothes they would wear to the grocery store   to just be themselves
by many accounts it was a fun and rewarding day i wasnt there now i cant believe i missed it but we wanted more photos and we especially wanted to make sure to convey the diversity of sex workers in terms of race ethnicity and sexual identity so savannah helped us put out a call in new york city
here we hit a bump the activist leader i had previously been in touch with in new york had dropped out of sight and the leaders taking her place didnt know us and didnt have reason to trust us to make matters worse i was going on vacation the week of the planned photo shoot and would not be there a couple of the leaders pushed back why did we want to take pictures of people without hearing their stories if we wanted diversity why wouldnt i be there to interview people were we treating minorities and trans people as faces to show rather than as full human beings
those were legitimate questions stacey and i felt terrible so we changed our plans we postponed the new york photo shoot i came back from vacation and spent an hour and a half in the times cafeteria explaining the story to two activists janet duran and anna saini and hearing their stories about why they had gotten into sex work how it had affected their lives and how they felt about the legal issues surrounding it they got interested in the article and in the end helped us recruit a dozen people for a very successful new york photo shoot i included comments from ms saini and others i interviewed at the shoot in my piece and we shot five videos in which people who gathered that day spoke for themselves
with savannahs help stacey followed up with a photo shoot in san francisco and with the help of monica jones a transgender activist in arizona we did a shoot there as well when the article went online on friday readers sex workers among them shared it on social media from all over the country and all over the world one of my favorite twitter posts reads in many ways the thing i love most is the picture its never how we are shown but its how we are


here are the top 10 comments of the week on our digital platforms as selected by our readers and the journalists who moderate nearly every comment
1 this victory is not a surprise to the average american such as graduates with masters degrees working for 12 an hour trying to pay off 30000 in student loans or 50 year olds with 400 left in savings after being unemployed for two years
we need jobs not handouts hillary wants to help the poor
heres a better idea   create jobs so there arent any poor to help trump gets it he is one of the few who understand what the average american is going through
  lark reacting to an article about donald j trump all but securing the republican presidential nomination after the indiana primary
2 im voting for trump because he is the best chance we have to destroy the republican party he may get to try some crazy stuff for two years however he is president not dictator
then in two years liberals i hope a liberal third party develops take over congress then in four years we got a generation of liberal control
since the media and the democratic party destroyed bernie our real hope for change the only option left to produce radical change is to vote trump
  jacqueline in colorado
3 what sank cruz is that despite liberal assurances to the contrary and even republican fears the people clearly believe that trump is the most electable republican   and i agree
as president trump clearly wouldnt apply ideological litmus tests to decisions but identify what he perceived to be americas interests and decide on that basis doubtless there would be both democrats and republicans who disagreed with him but you know ... i suspect that i wouldnt
  richard luettgen in new jersey reacting to a column by frank bruni about senator ted cruz of texas ending his bid for the republican presidential nomination
4 i joined the party of lincoln and reagan but i cannot belong to the party of trump
ill likely vote for gary johnson in november but if somehow the polls show a close race between trump and clinton ill do what six months ago i would have considered inconceivable vote for hillary clinton time for a shower now ...   michael in fort lauderdale fla reacting to an article about prominent republicans questioning whether they can vote for mr trump
5 regardless of the outcome of this primary bernie sanders has indeed been crucially important in reminding the democratic party that   yes indeed   the people support and are willing to fight for progressive policies
these are the same policies which once defined the democratic party until they jettisoned them in the late eighties in their pivot to the right
like it or not the views of bernie sanders are the future of the democratic party
if they want to keep winning elections   including this one   they had better internalize this and start acting on it
  dominic in new york reacting to an editorial about senator bernie sanderss role in pushing the democratic party further left
this comment received over 790 reader recommendations
6 heres the deal the people cited in this article   obese subjects and the researchers alike   can complain overstudy overmedicate  whatever
but the truth is the truth want to stay skinny and look good prepare to work out hard every day  and to be hungry
its that simple
  ijn in fort lauderdale fla reacting to an article about a study conducted on former contestants on the biggest loser and why they struggle to maintain weight loss
this comment received 46 reader responses
7 when i had toddlers i child locked all the kitchen and bathroom cabinets i gated off the stairs i child proofed the house
i put them in car seats and strollers with straps they slept in cribs with high rails and bumpers i tested the temperature of their bottles
i treated them like the fragile precious beings that they were
my number one job for the first five or six years of their lives was to make sure they didnt accidentally kill themselves
the thought of leaving anything dangerous within their grasp let alone a gun gave me anxiety
what kind of person leaves a gun anywhere near a child
  aimlow joe in new york reacting to an article about four toddlers who accidentally shot and killed themselves during one week in april
this comment received over 1100 reader recommendations
8 ive worked with a lot of women and gay men im a psychologist who have been involved in sex trafficking and prostitution ive yet to find one who found it empowering or thought they had any other choice
legalizing it will not change it or make it safe just like legalizing drugs does not eliminate the underground drug market
it should not be legal and it is not victimless
if we really want to make a difference how about creating programs to give at risk women and youth other options
and for those that like prostitution and have the luxury of being able to freely choose it   rest assured there will always be a market for you
  pg in new york responding to a times magazine article about a movement among sex workers and activists to decriminalize prostitution this comment had over 320 reader recommendations and 22 reader responses
9 the word purse has always disgusted me
a combination of the sound and also the thing   the constant piece of luggage that women are sentenced to lug around
hate the closed jaws just hate the word and the thing yuck
  socanne in tucson reacting to an article about a study that explores why some words induce a visceral disgust reaction
10 as a food lover this is horrifying and absolutely disgusting nails are one of the dirtiest places on the human body
  calla meza on the timess facebook page responding to an article about kfc marketing a line of lickable edible nail polish in two flavors original and hot and spicy in hong kong
this comment received 83 likes


san diego   drew pomeranz and four relievers combined on a three hitter jon jay had three hits and an rbi and the san diego padres beat the mets in a second consecutive game 2 0 on friday night
the padres who have been blanked eight times this year pitched their first shutout of 2016 they have held the defending national league champion mets to three runs and seven hits in the first two games of a four game series
pomeranz 3 3 allowed only a single to asdrubal cabrera with two outs in the fourth while striking out five and walking three in five innings his effort came a night after colin rea took a no hitter into the seventh in a 5 3 padres victory
noah syndergaard 2 2 took the loss after allowing two runs and six hits in six innings he struck out five and walked two
pomeranz threw 98 pitches as he ended a two start losing streak
kevin quackenbush threw a perfect sixth ryan buchter allowed two hits in the seventh and brandon maurer pitched a 1 2 3 eighth before fernando rodney pitched the ninth for his eighth save
jay doubled to left leading off the first and scored on matt kemps sacrifice fly jay singled with one out in the fifth to bring in jemile weeks who drew a leadoff walk and stole second
jay also singled in the third
in the seventh the mets asdrubal cabrera attempted to score from first on wilmer floress double into the left field corner but was thrown out on a relay from melvin upton jr to shortstop alexei ramirez to derek norris norris was shaken up tagging out cabrera but stayed in the game the play was reviewed and upheld


oklahoma city   in the latest chapter of a basketball series that has featured a surplus of technical sophistication and individual skill back and forth tactical scheming and prolonged periods of loud noises the san antonio spurs got the better of the oklahoma city thunder surging to a 100 96 victory on friday night at chesapeake energy arena to take a 2 1 lead in their western conference semifinal series
amid all the high level play it was a pair of turnovers in the final two minutes from the thunders two biggest stars russell westbrook and kevin durant which helped sink oklahoma city with 1 minute 55 seconds remaining westbrook lost control of his dribble near midcourt allowing kawhi leonard to coast to the other end for a dunk that gave the spurs a 5 point lead
then on the thunders next possession durant tried to find westbrook with a crosscourt pass and instead he flung it out of bounds david west responded with a running shot off the backboard that put the spurs ahead by 7
those definitely hurt us thunder coach billy donovan said of the turnovers it gave them some runouts it allowed them to score
the game was essentially secured when leonard pulled down an offensive rebound with 239 seconds remaining with the spurs protecting a 2 point lead
leonard scored 31 points to go with 11 rebounds lamarcus aldridge added 24 points for the spurs westbrook had 31 points for oklahoma city but he shot just 10 for 31 from the field durant added 26 points
game 4 is sunday night in oklahoma city
the teams were meeting after a three day break after the spurs took game 1 in a blowout a tense game 2 ended with a madcap 135 second sequence in which the thunder scrambled to protect a 1 point lead after turning the ball over on an inbounds play
the atmosphere friday night was intense from the start less than a minute after tip off westbrook stole the ball at midcourt and accelerated across the floor for a breakaway dunk he flexed and roared at the crowd
four minutes later spurs coach gregg popovich was roaring at point guard tony parker unhappy with the defensive coverage as he stalked onto the court to call a timeout
the ceaseless artificial noise pumping from the speakers inside the arena   during every possession every stoppage in turn triggering crowd noise   added to the mania
the spurs had shot atrociously to start game 2 on monday night plunging themselves into an early hole
we spotted them 13 popovich said of game 2
but they were sharp to start the game on friday   making their first four 3 pointers   and finished the first quarter ahead 27 20
the thunder hit a scoring drought from the first to the second quarters that lasted 7 minutes 24 seconds
westbrook was aggressive but his jump shot was erratic and he made just 6 of his 17 shot attempts in the first half as the thunder entered the intermission trailing 47 42
the spurs struggled as a team from the free throw line leonard who shot 874 percent from the line during the regular season and made 21 of his 24 foul shot attempts in the playoffs before this game went 10 for 14 from the line missing shots early on the spurs shot 24 for 34 from the line over all but leonard made the two most important ones   with 27 seconds left in the game to give the spurs a 100 96 lead   and was a force of nature in other aspects
the building grew deafening when the thunder cut the lead to 61 60 with less than five minutes to go in the third quarter but on the spurs next possession leonard ducked into a crowded paint then sprung out of the mass of bodies for a two handed dunk quieting the crowd spurs were ahead 72 69 going into the final quarter
serge ibaka drained a 3 pointer from the left corner with 755 left in the fourth to give the thunder a 78 77 advantage their first lead since the first quarter after a miss by the spurs on the other end westbrook   who had been shooting 7 for 25 to that point   drained a step back 3 pointer to stretch the lead to 4 westbrook stomped to midcourt biceps curled hitting his chest and yelling before san antonio called a timeout
but his bravado was deflated as the thunder fumbled the ball away down the stretch


front page
the about new york column on friday about the way in which the rev daniel j berrigan who died last week at 94 focused his life on deeds rather than worldly possessions misstated his date of birth in some copies he was born on may 9 1921   not on may 7
international
an article on april 7 about revelations that at least three of the seven people on the chinese communist partys most powerful committee have relatives who have controlled secretive offshore companies gave an outdated title for liu lefei whose wife was once a shareholder and director of a company registered in the british virgin islands and whose father liu yunshan is a member of the committee although the younger mr liu heads one of chinas leading private equity firms he is no longer a vice chairman of citic securities
new york
an article in some editions on tuesday about the gala at the metropolitan museum of art misidentified the entity that organized the exhibit about fashion in an age of technology it is the costume institute not the anna wintour costume center the article also misstated andrew boltons title he is head curator of the institute not of the museum because of an editing error the article misspelled in some copies the given name of the person who designed madonnas dress on first reference as the article correctly noted elsewhere he is riccardo tisci not ricardo
weekend
a picture caption on friday with an art review of frieze new york on randalls island in manhattan misstated the given name of an artist he is francois morellet not nancy francois morellet

the friday file on friday about an invitation from fidel castro to american tourists and businessmen in 1959 to visit cuba and a subsequent new york times article about american tourists there referred incorrectly to the reporter who wrote that article r hart phillips the reporter was a woman and thus ms phillips not mr
special section mens style
an article on friday about recent changes made to the classic brooks brothers button down shirt including a more tapered fit   and not one tailored to the torso of the tin man in the wizard of oz   misidentified the actor who played that role he was jack haley not ray bolger
opinion
an op ed article on wednesday about the need for a foreign policy elite misstated the number of american soldiers who died in the vietnam war it was 58000 not 50000
the times welcomes comments and suggestions or complaints about errors that warrant correction messages on news coverage can be e mailed to nytnewsnytimescom or left toll free at 1 844 nyt news 1 844 698 6397 comments on editorials may be e mailed to lettersnytimescom or faxed to 212 556 3622
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in a sharp and public escalation of its response to a raft of investigations the campaign for one new york a nonprofit political group tied to mayor bill de blasio said that it would refuse to comply with a subpoena issued by a new york state ethics panel
the letter written by the groups lawyer laurence d laufer accused the ethics panel of a blatantly political exercise in seeking further information related to possible lobbying activities
the state panel known as the joint commission on public ethics has been investigating the activities of the campaign for one new york since last year over concerns voiced by good government groups and in the news media that the group may have violated state regulations by acting as a lobbyist without registering as one with the state the group registered as a lobbyist in 2014 but did not do so in 2015
in the 12 page letter mr laufer argued that campaign for one new york did not perform any lobbying activities in 2015 and therefore was not required to register he questioned several aspects of the investigation its timing and its targets noting that the panel sought information related to potential lobbying of the state legislature the mayor and the city council but not to any potential lobbying of gov andrew m cuomo
we will no longer cooperate with what has obviously become a blatantly political exercise by an agency whose very independence is deeply in question mr laufer wrote in the letter provided to reporters and addressed to the panels executive director seth agata
hours after receiving the letter mr agata suggested in a telephone interview that the panel would go to court to compel production of the documents as early as next week
we have the option of going into court he said adding that regulated entities do not get to chose their regulators we want the documents and we want them now
the letter which provided some new details of the panels investigation was the second time in two weeks that mr laufer has accused a state investigative agency of a political motivation amounting to a barely veiled suggestion that some of the inquiries targeting mr de blasio a democrat in recent weeks were being orchestrated in albany
in both instances mr laufer questioned the political motivation of leaks of information to the news media and suggested that any member of the ethics panel who shared confidential information would be guilty of a crime
its an open threat said mr agata who declined to address the specifics of mr laufers letter saying he could not share details of the investigation i have one arm tied behind my back
the panels investigation began in may 2015 according to the letter with a request to interview bill hyers who managed mr de blasios 2013 mayoral campaign and who helped establish the campaign for one new york which the mayor created to promote his agenda the following year the basis of the inquiry appeared to be fund raising materials used by the group including those that were related to school issues and would require state approval the materials suggested to the panel a possible intent by the group to lobby in 2015 as it had done the year before
groups are required under state law to register with the panel within 15 days if they reasonably anticipate spending more than 5000 on lobbying activities
but mr laufer argued that the investigation had gone beyond its original scope and in seeking information about fund raising had drifted outside the panels jurisdiction and he said the timing of an earlier subpoena served in august suggested it had been drafted sometime after an april dinner with mr cuomo a democrat and just before the former executive director of the ethics panel left at the end of july to rejoin the executive branch and therefore could have been influenced by the governors office
a spokesman for mr cuomos office said that its only knowledge of the investigation is what has been reported in the news
the mayors group will continue to cooperate with investigations into other aspects of mr de blasios fund raising by the united states attorneys office for the southern district of new york and the manhattan district attorneys office mr laufer said


the islanders knew they would have to display verve on friday the same oomph they showed early in a game 3 loss on tuesday when they peppered lightning goaltender ben bishop with a barrage of pucks
the pressure to again perform strongly on home ice was even more pronounced as the islanders faced a series deficit in game 4 and once again the islanders started strong   and faltered late
after the islanders scored early in the first period and the lightning answered with a tying goal almost eight minutes into the third the teams went to overtime for the second straight time at barclays center for the islanders it was their fourth trip to overtime in five home games this postseason
the lightning won 2 1 on a slap shot by defenseman jason garrison 1 minute 34 seconds into overtime and tampa bay took a commanding three games to one lead in the series game 5 will be played sunday afternoon
hes got a bomb back there that was a rocket lightning coach jon cooper said of garrisons winner the earliest goal the islanders have ever allowed in a playoff overtime
the defeat left the islanders disappointed but still heartened by their gutsy play in two hard fought games at home against the lightnings prodigious offensive firepower
i have full confidence in this group and our ability to come back said left wing matt martin who threw thundering checks throughout and finished with 10 hits
the islanders rushed at bishop early and often as they did when they poured 17 shots his way in the opening period on tuesday this time the first period shot margin was 16 to 6 in favor of the islanders but bishop again held them at bay when necessary
islanders coach jack capuano applauded his teams moxie despite the back to back defeats his team lost game 3 5 4 on an overtime goal by the former ranger brian boyle
i cant ask for a better effort for the last six periods from our guys said capuano who chose not to criticize the officials after they missed an obvious high stick infraction on kyle okposo by garrison late in the third period our team can only control what it can control
after mike blunden took a roughing penalty for the lightning early in the first period okposo buried a wrist shot on the power play at 420 and the islanders had a lead nikolay kulemin and frans nielsen assisted on okposos second goal of the playoffs
that score held up until 749 of the third when nikita kucherov flung the puck past thomas greiss the islanders goaltender to tie the game it was kucherovs league leading eighth goal of the postseason and it marked the second straight game in which he scored the tying goal in the third period it gave the lightning a buoyancy they had not exhibited through most of the first two plus periods
kuch is not a one hit wonder cooper said of his 22 year old forward who led the team in scoring this season he continues to amaze we had a good feeling about what could happen and it happened
the islanders have scored with the man advantage in every game of the series thus far although they squandered a four minute power play chance later in the first when the former ranger ryan callahan was sent off for roughing still they held a lead heading into the first and second intermissions
you cant score one goal against this team and expect to win capuano said but the last two games have been good hockey games we have to regroup
at 133 of the second period greiss was forced to leave for what appeared to be a problem with his right skate blade the backup goaltender jean francois berube was pressed into action for the first time in the playoffs with the lightning on the power play
berube made two saves in a cameo appearance lasting 447 and left to loud cheers as greiss returned
the rest of the middle period was a cat and mouse contest as the lightning had the better of play but greiss and the islanders penalty killers snuffed out three lightning power plays
after the tight contest cooper was thankful his team had emerged from the last two games with victories
we have learned you get the other teams a game he said when asked about the challenge about closing out an opponent its a fluke they are where they are we were very fortunate to come out of here with two wins
the pressure for the islanders on friday was clearly at a high level the franchise had reached the second round of the postseason for the first time since 1993 and wanted to play longer but after they dropped two games in overtime at home the climb back looked awfully steep


channing frye scored 27 points his career high in the playoffs and the visiting cleveland cavaliers kept up their 3 point barrage friday night pulling away in the closing minutes for a 121 108 victory over the atlanta hawks and a commanding 3 0 lead in the eastern conference semifinals
two nights after setting an nba record with 25 baskets beyond the arc the cavaliers were nearly as good in a 21 of 39 performance from long range that moved them one victory away from their second playoff sweep over the hawks in two years
atlanta turned in a much more respectable showing after being blown out in game 2 but in the end it was the same result for the hawks a team that has lost 10 straight to the cavaliers going back to last years conference finals
the hawks led by as many as 11 but were dominated in the closing minutes
clevelands lebron james and kyrie irving each scored 24 points while kevin love finished with 21
that was to be expected
not so for frye whose previous high in these playoffs was 12 points and his best showing ever in the postseason was a 20 point effort in 2010 when he played for phoenix
frye a 32 year old forward made 10 of 13 shots including 7 of 9 from 3 point range he also had seven rebounds a devastating blow for an atlanta team that already was outgunned by the cavaliers and could not cope with someone else stepping into a lead role
the hawks led 103 99 with a little more than eight minutes remaining but the cavaliers were relentless and atlanta   which had matched cleveland shot for shot   suddenly went cold
game 4 is sunday in atlanta
extension for utah coach the jazz extended the contract of coach quin snyder the team announced a long term extension but did not release details
the 2016 17 season would have been the third year of the initial three year deal snyder signed when he was hired the team has gone 78 86 in two years under snyder and narrowly missed the playoffs this season
snyder is considered one of the bright young minds in the game with a knack for developing players the jazz allowed just 954 points per game the past two seasons the second fewest in the league despite a roster that was ravaged by injuries
snyder kept the team in contention for a playoff spot without the starting point guard dante exum for the entire season and with rudy gobert derrick favors and alec burks all missing long stretches


a teenager who raped a woman in chinatown with two other boys after the three of them had escaped from a group home for juvenile offenders was sentenced to 15 years in prison on friday in state supreme court in manhattan the district attorneys office said
the youth emanuel burrowes 17 had pleaded guilty to rape robbery and burglary in connection with the assault justice maxwell wiley had promised a sentence between five and 15 years in the end he opted for the 15 year term recommended by prosecutors citing the severity of the attack
mr burrowes and his co defendants eric pek and sanat asliev admitted in court that they had beaten and raped the woman 33 in an apartment stairwell on eldridge street early on the morning of june 1 after having accosted her in a nearby internet cafe all three were 16 years old last summer and had been living at a home for juvenile offenders in brooklyn run by boys town after the hourlong assault they stole the victims cellphone credit card and keys and entered her apartment in chelsea
mr pek was sentenced to 14 years last month mr asliev was scheduled to be sentenced on june 3 the home in park slope from which they escaped has been closed and its employees are facing criminal charges


orlando fla   kevin molino scored in the second half to help orlando city tie the red bulls 1 1 in a testy match friday night that featured eight yellow cards and a red card
molinos fourth goal came in the 67th minute on a touch to the middle at the top of the goal box the play started with darwin cerens long ball that cyle larin ran down and cut inside before tapping it to molino
the red bulls took the lead in the 19th minute when a good lead from sacha kljestan put bradley wright phillips behind the defense wright phillips beat goalkeeper joe bendik to the ball and rolled it inside the far post for his third goal kljestan has five assists in the past four games and leads the league with six
the red bulls 3 6 1 had won their previous two matches while orlando 2 2 5 which played the last five minutes a player down after cristian higuita earned a red card is without a win in five games


an alabama judicial oversight body on friday filed a formal complaint against roy s moore the chief justice of the states supreme court charging that he had flagrantly disregarded and abused his authority in ordering the states probate judges to refuse applications for marriage licenses by same sex couples
as a result of the charges chief justice moore 69 has been immediately suspended from the bench and is facing a potential hearing before the states court of the judiciary a panel of judges lawyers and other appointees among possible outcomes at such a hearing would be his removal from office
we intend to fight this agenda vigorously and expect to prevail chief justice moore said in a statement saying that the judicial inquiry commission which filed the complaint had no authority over the charges at issue
referring to a transgender activist in alabama chief justice moore said the commission had chosen to listen to people like ambrosia starling a professed transvestite and other gay lesbian and bisexual individuals as well as organizations which support their agenda
it is the second complaint lodged by the states judicial inquiry commission against the judge in 2003 he was ousted by the same body from his position as chief justice after disobeying a federal court order to remove a two ton monument of the ten commandments that he had installed in the rotunda of the state judicial building
he was elected to that office again nine years later
the current complaint concerns chief justice moores actions after federal court decisions regarding same sex marriage last spring he directed probate judges in alabama not to abide by a federal district courts order striking down the states ban on same sex marriage holding that issuing licenses to same sex couples would violate the alabama constitution
in january six months after the united states supreme courts ruling that same sex marriage was a constitutional right chief justice moore in an administrative order instructed the states probate judges that they had a ministerial duty to enforce the states ban on same sex marriage nearly all of the probate judges in the state have been issuing licenses to same sex couples though a few have stopped issuing marriage licenses altogether
in his order he argued that the supreme courts decision applied only to the four states involved in the case that was before the court and not to alabama that view runs counter to that of the federal district and appellate courts with jurisdiction over alabama and according to the formal complaint is contrary to clear and determined law about which there is no confusion or unsettled question
the complaint lists six charges against chief justice moore and lays out several violations of the states canons of judicial ethics
richard cohen the president of the southern poverty law center which had filed a series of complaints to the commission said chief justice moore has disgraced his office for far too long
for the good of the state he should be kicked out of office he added
chief justice moore held a news conference last week at which he argued he was upholding the law as he interpreted it in his capacity as a judge
this is about legalism he said wearing his judicial robe and speaking to reporters in the rotunda of the state judicial building there is nothing in writing that you will find that i told anybody to disobey a federal court order
on friday his lawyer mathew staver made a similar argument insisting the matter at hand was one that could only be decided by the united states supreme court
the judicial inquiry commission has no jurisdiction to resolve legal disputes he said and the complaint is solely focused on a legal dispute between federal and state courts


albany   as a former aide to both andrew m cuomo and his father todd r howe built a reputation as a prominent lobbyist in albany and washington with top clients like the metropolitan museum of art and major developers in upstate new york
trading on his connections as a cuomo loyalist mr howe was seen by many as a reliable conduit to the governors office now amid a sprawling federal investigation into the cuomo administrations marquee economic development projects he has emerged as one of its top focal points
the allegations against mr howe who has not been charged with a crime are not clear but a review of court documents and public records found that his professional persona masked a history of chaotic and slipshod financial dealings including a 2003 bankruptcy and nearly 400000 in federal tax liens and other judgments against him
though he looked every bit the prosperous beltway insider with large homes in the maryland suburbs and children in elite new england boarding schools he appeared to be often short of money dodging tens of thousands of dollars in bills from a long lineup of local car dealerships and home improvement businesses
at one point in 2009 he was apparently so pressed for money that he made a false bank deposit for 45000   a felony theft charge to which he pleaded guilty and received a one year probation sentence
as the federal inquiry became public recently mr howe 55 was fired from his job as president of woh government solutions the lobbying firm where he had worked for 14 years among wohs clients are cor development company suny polytechnic institute the developer lpciminelli and cpv valley llc which is building a power plant in the hudson valley   four entities that have been linked to central figures in the investigation mr howe was listed as a lobbyist for at least one of those clients
governor cuomo has taken pains to distance himself from mr howe since news of the investigation broke on monday the governors counsel alphonso david wrote a letter addressed to all executive branch agencies warning against any lobbying communications including phone calls emails or meetings with mr howe or anyone connected with his business
why does that not surprise me steve klitsch a contractor who sued mr howe over an unpaid kitchen renovation bill for his 21 million potomac home said upon learning that mr howe was involved in a federal inquiry i guess hes now really gone big time
mr howe did not return messages seeking comment a spokesman for mr cuomo a democrat declined to comment on the governors relationship with mr howe
his is a past littered with erratic behavior and litigation in 2002 a bank sued mr howe and his wife for failing to pay back a 90000 home equity loan in 2010 he was prosecuted for failing to return a rental car a felony he has had his wages garnished to pay off judgments in at least four cases over the past 11 years he was ordered to pay nearly 15000 to two tree landscaping companies alone
all the while his route through albany and washington kept intersecting with that of mr cuomo and his inner circle
his ties to the cuomo family date to 1984 when he joined gov mario m cuomos administration as a traveling aide in november 1988 mr howe was aboard a state owned airplane with the governor when smoke began filling the cabin forcing an emergency landing in the middle of the night
when andrew cuomo became secretary of the department of housing and urban development under president bill clinton mr howe followed him taking a job as mr cuomos deputy chief of staff he brought with him another cuomo confidant joseph percoco whom he had first hired to work for mario cuomo in 1991 according to a 2010 interview in the new york observer
mr percoco who was one of andrew cuomos top aides until recently and had long been considered one of his closest advisers has also been identified as one of the main subjects of the federal inquiry investigators are examining whether companies with business before the state sought to receive favorable treatment by improperly paying mr percoco
the two men remained close
we brought him down sat him down and basically said hey joe heres what we need done mr howe recalled to the observer of their move to washington and joe again stepped into the fray
in 2000 mr howe left the housing agency for a position at the mortgage bankers association a powerful industry lobbying group by 2002 he had landed at woh government solutions the washington based lobbying subsidiary of the law firm whiteman osterman  hanna based in albany
his financial troubles were already mounting he faced a foreclosure case in maryland in 1999 another the next year and a third in 2006 around the time he joined woh he and his wife found themselves in court being sued by a contractor fernando alban over an unpaid bill for a kitchen renovation
he always seemed to be a wheeler dealer said donald b weisfeld who was mr albans lawyer in the case money was constantly coming in and out but neither one of us really knew what he did
he would not answer phone calls several of his checks bounced yet he dressed well and looked like he had money mr alban said
mr alban won a judgment against the howes the sum was not princely   a little less than 8000   but larger cases would follow
in the bank theft case mr howe confessed to filling out a 45000 deposit slip without including a check making it appear as though he had 45000 in his td bank account according to court records he had already drawn a check for that amount to be paid to union college a private liberal arts school in schenectady ny which had been unsuccessfully trying to collect more than 35000 from him
when td bank discovered the discrepancy mr howe said he must have dropped the check he meant to deposit he promised to get a replacement check from fidelity investments where investigators later determined he had never had an account
mr howe pleaded guilty in april 2010 and was sentenced to one year of probation
it was unclear what the union college bill was for mr howe sent his children to expensive private schools but not apparently to union according to online profiles of his children
having to pay tuition was one of several excuses he gave mr klitsch the maryland contractor who won a judgment for more than 4000 against mr howe in 2009 after mr howe stopped making payments on his kitchen renovation bill mr klitsch said
mr klitsch said he found that his was only the latest local business to sue the lobbyist the list read like the maryland yellow pages a swimming pool technician a lumberyard a heating technician and so on
they said steve good luck man i tried suing him and it didnt work good luck mr klitsch recalled i was joking with them why dont we go down there put a big sign in the yard todd howe doesnt pay hes a professional rip off guy
despite his jumbled finances mr howe and his wife sarah a public relations consultant bought a 18 million home in washington in june 2015
mr howe had a reliable pipeline of woh clients including museums in new york and upstate institutions in the syracuse area to which the state has directed millions to help revitalize the local economy he frequently worked with cor a major developer that has received millions in state funds for multiple projects cor whose spokeswoman declined to comment on its relationship with mr howe is also mr cuomos largest donor in central new york
since the investigation became public however the man who once seemed to be everywhere is nowhere to be found information about him and woh government solutions has been scrubbed from whiteman osterman  hannas website


nairobi kenya   as emergency workers retrieved four bodies from a building that collapsed a week ago raising the death toll to 41 hundreds of nairobi residents were evicted friday from nearby buildings that are being torn down to prevent other disasters
the demolitions began even as rescuers continued digging through debris from the collapsed seven story building which fell during a period of heavy rain four survivors were rescued thursday but one later died a pregnant woman among the four people who were rescued also lost her baby
at least 70 people remain missing as rescue work continued in the rain on friday hopes dimmed of finding more survivors
after eight buildings collapsed in the country last year killing 15 people an audit of kenyas buildings found that 58 percent in nairobi were unfit for habitation following this building collapse authorities are taking action by tearing down condemned buildings
but residents evicted from buildings in the huruma neighborhood complained they were not given enough time to find alternative housing
since our neighbors building collapsed we were given less than a weeks notice to leave which is not enough anna kaloki said
sometimes the government does things without considering the people and we are not the ones who have done wrong we are just tenants she said the people who constructed these substandard buildings should be forced to get us alternative accommodation and we should not pay for it


portland ore   as his team gathered for practice friday morning terry stotts the coach of the portland trail blazers cited one of the luxuries of the nbas protracted playoff schedule more time to study game tape
but with three full days to digest his teams most recent loss to the golden state warriors in the western conference semifinals stotts did not have to make many hard choices about whether to cue up all the good stuff his players had done tuesday in game 2 or let them study everything that had gone wrong the trail blazers had plenty of time for both
on thursday stotts chose to dig into the fourth quarter breakdowns   all the missed shots turnovers and defensive miscues that had allowed the warriors to escape with a 110 99 win on friday stotts focused more on the first three quarters   all the crisp passes and cohesive plays that had put the blazers in control before everything went sour
for the most part we did a lot more good things than not stotts said so reinforcing the positives and showing them what needs to be done is probably more effective
the trail blazers facing a 2 0 series deficit ahead of game 3 on saturday at moda center are in some trouble but at least they have survived similar situations in the not so distant past in the first round they fell into a 2 0 hole against the los angeles clippers before winning the final four games of the series granted the trail blazers benefited from the injury induced absences of the clippers blake griffin and chris paul but they still had to win high pressure playoff games
to be sure portland has thrived as an overlooked overachieving team that had to reassemble the pieces after losing four starters to off season moves last summer
c j mccollum the teams starting shooting guard recalled some of the familiar narratives were not supposed to win a lot of games were not supposed to make the playoffs
so the teams current predicament feels like more of the same
we feel good the reserve guard gerald henderson said weve left the last two games behind us
the warriors will once again be without stephen curry who did not play in the first two games of the series because of a sprained right knee on friday steve kerr the warriors coach ruled him out of game 3 and indicated there was a small chance he could play monday in game 4
i think theyre an elite team with or without steph the trail blazers point guard damian lillard said obviously with him they go to a new level but nothing ever changes for me im going to be my same self regardless of whos out there im going to go out there and attack and try to help my team win the game
lillard pointed to some of the series odd dynamics from the start of the second quarter of game 1 through the end of the third quarter of game 2 the trail blazers actually outscored the warriors by 17 points but the first quarter of game 1 and the fourth quarter of game 2 were unmitigated disasters for portland
here in the old nba its four quarters henderson said weve got to sustain our play for the whole game
on tuesday the warriors went into the fourth quarter trailing by 11 and outscored the trail blazers by 34 12 the rest of the way lillard finished with 25 points but missed all three of his field goal attempts in the fourth quarter his takeaway from thursdays film session
hesitation lillard said we just werent sure of that same play as the game tightened up it kind of seemed like we were having second thoughts about making the simple plays that we had already made
the general takeaway was that the trail blazers have reason to believe they can compete with the warriors that their game plan and defense are solid stotts observed how his players had limited the warriors to eight 3 pointers in game 2 a modest total for them
we played three and a half very good quarters stotts said when all is said and done its a tie game with four or five minutes to go on the road against golden state you want to be in that position
but even without curry the warriors are in firm control if the trail blazers were to advance past them it would be vaguely comparable to leicester city taking the premier league title
theyre historically good stotts said theres no denying that and i know theyve had critics for whatever reason but i dont think you can deny what theyve done over the last two years
henderson was asked to compare the warriors to other great teams he had faced in his career were they the best he had seen
if i thought that i probably wouldnt tell you that today he said maybe at the end of the series
the challenge for the trail blazers is figuring out a way to prolong it


a group of young black women poised to graduate from the united states military academy gathered on the steps of west points oldest barracks last week in traditional gray dress uniforms complete with sabers for a group photo known as an old corps photograph because it mimics historical portraits it was nearly identical to thousands that cadets have posed for over the decades with one key difference the 16 women raised their clenched fists
the gesture posted on facebook and twitter last week touched off a barrage of criticism in and out of the armed forces as some commenters accused the women of allying themselves with the black lives matter movement and sowing racial divisions in a military that relies on assimilation
west point opened an investigation on april 28 into whether the women violated army rules that prohibit political activities while in uniform now as the women wait to hear if they will be punished they are gaining supporters who say they were simply making a gesture of solidarity and strength
the elite public military academy which trains many of the armys future leaders is overwhelmingly male and 70 percent white the 16 cadets in the photo represented all but one of the black women in a graduating class of about 1000 a meager 17 percent but the army has long tried to play down race and gender to create a force where everyone is green
when it comes to protest west point could not be more different from a civilian campus where demonstrations sit ins and leaflets are commonplace
at the military academy in contrast public displays of politics by students and staff members are prohibited in an effort to build a unified force that remains clear of partisanship
the group photo has revealed an underlying tension at west point
the academy while seeking to foster a diverse student body that reflects the nation also aims to educate future officers in the regimented ways of the military in which the only differences that matter are the ranks displayed on soldiers shoulders
at the heart of the controversy is the gesture the women chose did it represent a divisive political statement a matter of free speech or just a case of students showing their sense of accomplishment as graduation set for may 21 drew near
john burk an iraq veteran turned blogger who lives in georgia said he was sent the photo by a concerned person at west point on tuesday he wrote a post saying that by raising their fists the women were identified with black lives matter activists known for inflicting violent protest throughout various parts of the united states calling for the deaths of police officers and even going so far as to call for the deaths of white americans
mr burk a former drill sergeant who is white said via email that he had disciplined soldiers for making nazi salutes in photos and felt the raised fist was not much different the fact that it could offend someone by its usage qualifies it as a symbol that goes against army policies he said adding its not the fact that they are wrong for having their beliefs its the fact they did it while in uniform
but others who have spoken with the cadets said that evoking black lives matter was not their intention and that the raised fist that was once a sign of militant uprising is now often a pop culture symbol of strength and pride that has been hoisted in such mundane settings as this years super bowl halftime show
these ladies werent raising their fist to say black panthers they were raising it to say beyonce said mary tobin a 2003 graduate of west point and an iraq veteran who is a mentor to some of the seniors and has talked with them about the photograph
for them its not a sign of allegiance to a movement its a sign that means unity and pride and sisterhood that fist to them meant you and your sisters did what only a few people male or female have ever done in this country
she said the women were dismayed by the controversy they had caused she said most of the west point graduates she had contacted in recent days saw the womens gesture as a mistake and planned to lobby against punishment
gestures of solidarity with black lives matter which seeks to bring attention to the killing of african americans by the police are hardly uncommon among college students
such protests have roiled many campuses and a photograph distributed on social media of black football players at the university of missouri linking arms and vowing to boycott a big game prompted a reshuffling of the universitys top leadership
there is a very different environment at west point where incoming students are stripped of all personal possessions including watches and glasses and remolded through weeks of grueling team building and history lessons into cadets
the academy permits an array of student groups including a club for black cadets known as the contemporary affairs club but activism is not a permitted activity
west point officials declined to comment on what punishment if any the women might receive saying an inquiry was continuing
this is not the first time students have made a political statements in an old corps photo in 1976 the year before women were admitted to the academy male cadets widely referred to themselves as the last class with balls according to an officer who teaches at west point the officer who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak said that a number of seniors that year posed for a photo holding armloads of basketballs footballs and baseballs they were not punished the officer said
among black lives matter activists the womens gesture was viewed as a generic one that did not necessarily show solidarity with any political cause jonathan pulphus a junior at st louis university and an organizer for the movement said raising the fist was a way for a younger generation of blacks to pay respect to civil rights accomplishments and create a space for themselves in institutions where they tend to not have a sense of belonging
he said a failure by west point to recognize this could discourage black students from applying
if you want to make an institution appeal to a certain kind of crowd he added you dont stigmatize some of the more important cultural pieces to a students background


one evening in december 1989 john gotti had a conversation with his acting underboss frank locascio about murdering a troublesome underling in the gambino crime family who had failed to show up to a meeting
louie dibono mr gotti said you know why hes dying hes gonna die because he refused to come in when i called he didnt do nothing else wrong
mr locascio predicted mr dibono would be bringing mr gotti a large sum of cash the next day but i wouldnt take nothing the crime boss answered affirming in colorful language that mr dibonos days were numbered
that taped conversation along with the testimony of the familys third in command salvatore sammy the bull gravano was enough to convict mr locascio of conspiring to murder mr dibono who met his end violently in a parking garage 10 months later mr locascio received a life sentence for murder and racketeering
for years mr locascio who is 83 has insisted that he tried to talk mr gotti out of killing mr dibono he claims he tried to broker a deal that mr dibono would pay mr gotti 50000 to make peace
and he contends the same audiotapes used to convict him if enhanced with modern digital techniques would prove he is right many of his words are inaudible during the conversation with mr gotti swallowed up in music and background noise
having exhausted his other avenues of appeal mr locascio is now locked in a legal battle with the federal government over access to two of the tapes which were sealed by judge i leo glasser in 1998 he has filed a freedom of information act lawsuit in washington seeking to force the federal bureau of investigation to hand over the tapes so his audio expert may analyze them with digital tools
he faces more than legal obstacles justice department lawyers said in february that the original seven inch reel to reel recordings made by fbi agents had been damaged beyond repair when hurricane sandy flooded the agencys storage facility in new jersey in court papers the justice department has also said officials searched the 151 boxes of records from the trial and could not find copies of the two tapes mr locascio is seeking
even if undamaged copies of the recordings are located the justice department contends it does not have to release them under the foia according to court papers though the tapes were played in court and the transcripts have been published in a book they are now under seal and are no longer in the public domain the government argued in court filings
complicating matters fbi officials in washington handed over a redacted copy of one of the tapes on a compact disc in late march only to ask for it back a few days later saying they had made a mistake on monday prosecutors went into federal district court in brooklyn and asked judge glasser to order mr locascios lawyers to return the cd
the suit is the latest in a long series of unsuccessful attempts by mr locascios lawyers to get a new trial judge glasser and the united states court of appeals for the second circuit have repeatedly upheld his conviction   five times
in 2011 judge glasser also rejected mr locascios request to unseal the tapes noting that his lawyers were given copies of the original recordings at trial the judge said he had ruled against mr locascio at trial when he tried to call on an audio expert to interpret the tapes for the jury that ruling still stood he wrote
this is a thinly disguised effort to re litigate a ruling made during the trial upon which locascio and his counsel can only be described as fixated he wrote
mr locascios lawyer ruth m liebesman said mr locascio should be able to analyze the original tapes with modern audio techniques just as other defendants have been allowed to re examine old dna evidence with advanced technology why shouldnt we be able to do that with tapes as well she said
the recordings were made with a bug placed in an older womans apartment above the ravenite social club on mulberry street in little italy in manhattan where mr gotti held court the jury never heard the original reel to reel recordings copies were made on cassettes and the originals were put back in the fbis safe at 26 federal plaza in manhattan an agent george gabriel testified
the agent also testified the tapes had not been enhanced or altered before the jury heard them a contention mr locascios audio expert disputes
even if mr locascio obtains the original tapes and can tease out a clearer recording of his words by digitally filtering out distortion and background noise he is unlikely to persuade the courts to grant him a new trial for starters mr gravano testified that no murders were committed without the agreement of both mr gotti and mr locascio
the jury also seemed to be persuaded by an fbi agents testimony that the december 1989 conversation between mr gotti and mr locascio showed the decision to kill mr dibono had already been made and no payment he might make would change the plan judge glasser highlighted this point in a 2005 opinion denying mr locascio a new trial
in a 2011 affidavit supporting his request to unseal the tapes mr locascio remembered things differently it is my clear recollection that after telling gotti that i predict that hes going to bring you fifty i told gotti in sum and substance to take the money and forget about his anger with dibono he said adding i had nothing to do with the dibonos murder
for mr locascio time is growing short had he been convicted only of racketeering the maximum sentence would have been 20 years and he would now be free but the murder conviction means he will die in prison just as john gotti did in 2002
mr locascio is incarcerated in a prison hospital the federal medical center devens in ayer mass to pay legal bills his family has sold an upstate horse farm he owned he uses a wheelchair has emphysema and cannot stand on his own most days mr locascio maintains an old street toughs optimism about his chances of release despite the long odds his nephew also named frank locascio said other days are darker
i only heard him down in one visit his nephew said he was saying im the little fish in the fish tank and the waters evaporating


with every bit of good fortune the yankees have received recently the tincture of optimism evaporated as quickly as it had arrived
after the yankees placed alex rodriguez on the disabled list wednesday with a strained right hamstring c c sabathia   somewhat surprisingly   picked up the team resembling his former all star self and stifling the baltimore orioles for seven scoreless innings in a 7 0 win
it was in a time of despair a glimmer of hope
fatefully on friday sabathia joined rodriguez on the disabled list with a strained left groin then after the first inning of the yankees game against the boston red sox at yankee stadium jacoby ellsbury exited after grabbing his hip
but amid the mounting injuries aaron hicks made a winner of the yankees by leading off the seventh inning with a home run his first of the season andrew miller escaped a bases loaded jam in the ninth inning sealing a 3 2 win and ending a tumultuous day on a positive note
my hearts still racing miller said
the afternoon began less fruitfully sabathia did not speak to reporters in the clubhouse friday but manager joe girardi lamented that sabathia had probably had his best outing in the past couple of years against the orioles
it will be intriguing to see how the yankees handle their growing list of injuries while they try to climb out of last place in the american league east cracks are already spider webbing through their roster after they entered the season hoping that an aging core that included sabathia and rodriguez could guide them to the postseason
sabathia turns 36 on july 21 six days later rodriguez will be 41 they are injured and they are expensive
rodriguez is signed through the 2017 season when he will make 21 million sabathia too could remain on the yankees books until the end of next season   he has a vesting option for 25 million depending on the health of his left shoulder and on whether it causes an extended or a season ending trip to the disabled list this year
while the yankees have long recognized the restrictions those salaries would have on any retooling of their club their concern could grow if veteran players became more injury prone as they played out their contracts
girardi said sabathia first felt pain in the fourth inning of wednesdays game but he did not notify the team about it until after he had finished pitching sabathia wanted to take a day to rest and the team on friday suggested a magnetic resonance imaging test
lo and behold hes got a groin strain girardi said
sabathia missed three weeks during the 2012 season with a similar injury girardi said he would feel fortunate if sabathia returned as quickly this time
girardi was also unsure about how long rodriguezs injury would keep him out of action after a review by the teams physician dr christopher ahmad girardi said that rodriguez who was placed on the 15 day disabled list this week had a 1 plus strain grade 1 strains are typically mild or pulled muscles grade 2 indicates a partial muscle tear
thats my hope hes back in 15 days but well have to see how he heals girardi said of rodriguez
the yankees will also watch ellsburys progression girardi described ellsbury as having a little strain on a hip muscle and classified him as day to day
after david ortiz hit a two run homer in the first inning off michael pineda ellsbury led off the yankees half with a walk he stole second and later third after a pitch by rick porcello got past catcher christian vazquez deciding he could not score on the play ellsbury forcefully stopped his momentum rounding third base and then grabbed his right hip and leaned over
ellsbury gingerly went home after brian mccann hit a two out double
as the yankees were battling the red sox and dealing with injuries they received a small lift when aroldis chapmans 30 game suspension under baseballs new domestic violence policy was reduced by one game chapman will be eligible to pitch monday
before the game girardi after discussing so many ailments to his team became excited when chapmans name was mentioned i think it can be a lift for us and im looking forward to him getting here girardi said
on friday though his current closer thrived under duress the red sox loaded the bases with one out in the ninth ortiz had a 3 1 advantage on miller but a slider was called for strike two ortiz became furious and red sox manager john farrell quickly came out of the dugout to protect ortiz and was subsequently ejected for arguing farrell later said ortiz would have needed a hockey stick to hit the pitch
miller finished off ortiz who then was also ejected for continuing to argue the call ortiz stormed back onto the field causing a delay but miller struck out hanley ramirez to end the game
finally a break had gone the yankees way
they got an infield hit a blooper what else do they want to go their way miller said they cant have it all


fort mcmurray alberta   the houses had literally melted hundreds of them two story plastic sided homes were down to concrete slabs with stairs leading nowhere some iron railings survived but even they sagged a stark reminder of just how hot this fire had burned
there were no people for blocks as i cruised through the destroyed beacon hill neighborhood on friday morning the citys 88000 residents had been evacuated three days earlier as the walls of flame closed in an area the size of several football fields looked like a post apocalyptic movie set
even the usual signs of interrupted life were scarce furniture and appliances had burned up with the hard metal pieces of barbecue grills some particularly sturdy lawn furniture and the skeletons of curbside mailboxes remaining
i arrived inside the scorch zone late thursday night with a convoy of trucks ferrying diesel fuel aviation fuel mobile kitchens and other essentials to the emergency crews fighting the fire which has already burned 250000 acres   390 square miles an area bigger than dallas after a few hours of rough sleep in our rented suv a colleague from getty images and i set out at around 730 am in the thick haze to see what the flames had wrought
it was clear that the fire had whipped through very quickly and somewhat erratically people did not have time to take valuables and there were clear signs of what i would classify as panicked retreat on the road leading into town at least a dozen cars had been abandoned in the median   i imagined people trying to drive across the divided highway getting stuck and then just climbing into someone elses car
but the blaze seemed to have been selective burning one area to the ground and depending on how the wind was blowing at that particular moment sparing another the edges of the city where the forest abuts the residential areas were all but gone yet on one empty lot sprinkled with ash a hot pink bicycle with training wheels lay on the sidewalks edge seemingly untouched and ready to ride
on fort mcmurrays main drag franklin avenue the storefronts stood largely unscathed podollan inns and other b minus motels an esso gas station a few bars dotting either side of the street traffic lights flashed green and red though there were scarcely any drivers to go and stop canadian flags with their bright red maple leafs fluttered from utility poles neither singed nor tinged with soot
the fire was still raging but a few miles from town it remained too big and fast for firefighters to really engage occasionally we would see a helicopter or plane in the distance presumably dropping water on the flames
ive covered the aftermath of natural disasters like the 2004 tsunami in indonesia and the earthquake in pakistan the following year those were acts of nature that ended quickly this is different because its a continuing threat the fire is still burning out of control and no one really knows the direction it will take next
no one knows either when fort mcmurray residents will be allowed into the city to check on their homes never mind move back
because this fire is so big and not being fought at this point in a way that one could photograph i am focused more on its aftermath and how it affected the population
im documenting the trees now bereft of their branches the seared hulls of washers and dryers from what must have been a laundromat the aluminum car parts that had become silvery puddles the homes all those homes that used to have families and now do not have walls
driving the 235 miles up from edmonton had taken about six hours we hit the first police roadblock 11 miles south of fort mcmurray at about 8 pm on thursday and found a line of 18 wheelers laden with supplies drivers stood outside their trucks slurping coffee from thermoses or stuffing hands into jean pockets they seemed unflustered by the wait they were just eager to get their loads to people to help them do their jobs
slowly the convoy began to move and we joined it we ended up north of downtown in macdonald island park which had become a staging area it was cold overnight even in our sleeping bags
early friday morning there was a lot of smoke and ash in the air more than there had been overnight but by noon the sun was shining and the air was much clearer the thermometer topped 60 degrees fahrenheit there was an eerie silence over the town
i did not bring special gear just heavy hiking boots and warm clothes for nighttime we have two cases of bottled water and jerrycans full of gasoline were eating crackers cheese cola   all the unhealthy stuff weve got a basic medical kit and of course a power converter the kind that plugs in to the cars cigarette lighter to keep the computer phone and cameras humming


phoenix   a health care program for children of the working poor that had been left out of the budget approved by the arizona legislature this week was resuscitated on friday after democrats and moderate republicans agreed to attach it to a bill expanding disabled students eligibility for school vouchers
after blocking a previous stand alone bill authorizing the program last month the senate president andy biggs allowed the amended measure to come to a vote on friday the house of representatives had already passed it 38 to 21 late thursday
sixteen state senators   11 democrats and five republicans   voted for it essentially restoring the federal childrens health insurance program known in arizona as kidscare six years after the state froze enrollment in the program to cut costs the senators did so under intense protests from conservative lawmakers one of them senator nancy barto of phoenix said some of us here on the floor have obviously forgotten that we were not elected to expand government programs we were elected to get rid of them
late friday afternoon gov doug ducey a republican wrote on twitter just signed kidscare now arizona will no longer be the only state in the country where children whose parents make too much to qualify for medicaid yet too little to afford private insurance do not qualify for subsidized health care
less clear are mr duceys intentions regarding another bill about to hit his desk which would repeal a measure he signed into law last month requiring abortion clinics to follow an outdated protocol for the use of an abortion inducing drug his spokesman daniel scarpinato did not respond to requests for comment
the earlier bill restricting so called medication abortions specified that arizona doctors had to abide by federal guidelines as they existed on dec 31 2015 the arizona legislature passed it before the food and drug administration relaxed the guidelines but mr ducey signed it into law a day after the modifications which applied to the use of a drug called mifepristone to induce miscarriages at the time he acknowledged that some changes may need to be made in a later bill to conform to the new federal protocol
representative regina cobb a republican sponsored the childrens health care amendment going against many of her colleagues including the house speaker david m gowan who voted no during a heated debate that preceded the vote ms cobb a dentist said i see the results of what happens if we do not insure these kids
the program would provide subsidized health care for about 30000 children whose families earned 138 percent to 200 percent of the federal poverty level 27000 to 40000 for a family of three the state used to put in 1 for every 3 the federal government spent and the families paid a monthly premium
after the federal government increased its funding for the program by 23 percent last year arizona and nine other states qualified for full reimbursement because of their low per capita incomes that means the children will receive the benefit at no cost to the state at least until sept 30 2017


louisville ky   there are no holes in nyquists resume he is the reigning 2 year old champion and is undefeated in seven starts he has soundly beaten three of the top contenders in previous races   exaggerator brodys cause and mohaymen his trainer and jockey already have kentucky derby victories under their belts
so why do horse aficionados believe nyquist is immensely beatable saturday in the 142nd running of the derby the racetrack is a place where irrational logic rules and there are several reasons that this colt is deemed vulnerable despite accomplishments better than last years triple crown champion american pharoah and rivaling those of the 1977 triple crown champ seattle slew
atop them is a recent statistical anomaly can the morning line favorite really win the kentucky derby for a fourth year in a row
probably not
in the past 17 years the average payoff for a 2 win bet in the derby was more than 2970 a number diminished in recent years by the three previous victors american pharoah paid 780 california chrome 7 and orb 1280
in fact there would be some symmetry if a horse with double digit odds thwarted nyquist the colts trainer doug oneill and rider mario gutierrez teamed up for the last derby bomber in 2012 with ill have another 15 1 that colt was good enough to win the preakness stakes before scratching on the eve of the belmont with a sudden tendon injury
on paper nyquist seems to be a far superior horse he has already beaten some highly regarded contenders in this derby field he turned back mohaymen in the florida derby brodys cause last year in the breeders cup juvenile and exaggerator twice   in the san vicente stakes as well as the juvenile
he is the son of uncle mo who was a 2 year old champion that relished shorter distance but finished 10th in his only attempt at a mile and a quarter   the derby distance   in the 2011 breeders cup classic nyquist is among his first crop of runners to hit the track in addition oneill has given nyquist just two prep races this spring one of them a seven furlong sprint
i know my colt can get the distance said kent desormeaux the hall of fame rider who is riding exaggerator for his brother the trainer keith desormeaux im not sure nyquist can
even since romping to a six and a half length victory last month in the santa anita derby kent desormeaux has been itching for another shot at nyquist
i think its our race he said
keith desormeaux is not as brash but he made it clear he liked his colts chances
hes happy healthy and fit he said hes settled in and is a happy horse he isnt fidgety i couldnt ask for more i have no complaints
the brothers are hardly alone in thinking they have a capable horse the hall of fame trainer bob baffert fresh off a historic triple crown with american pharoah has been quietly confident in mor spirit who has never been worse than second in seven starts gary stevens another hall of famer will guide mor spirit out of the no 17 hole the only gate that has not produced a kentucky derby winner in the 141 year history of the race
the last time i had post 17 it was with gary stevens and point given and we all know how that turned out baffert said of the colt that was the beaten favorite in the 2001 derby he went on to win the preakness and belmont stakes as well as horse of the year
the post didnt get him beat he said now we just need to go and make history again
even the trainer of an outsider like majesto   30 1 on the odds board   believes that nyquist can be had gustavo delgado is convinced that majesto will make up the three and a quarter lengths that separated the colt from nyquist the last time they met in the florida derby
i think theres going to be a lot of speed delgado said someone will soften nyquist up and my horse will be in the middle i want him to run the last five furlongs remember in the derby you need luck anything can happen
oneill the trainer of nyquist has taken the skepticism of his colt in stride in 2012 he had a difficult experience during the triple crown season when the new york times reported that over 14 years and in four states he had received more than a dozen violations for giving his horses improper drugs and that his horses also had a tendency to break down or show signs of injury at more than twice the average rate nationally
in the weeks before belmont oneill was given a 45 day suspension because one of his horses was found to have an elevated level of carbon dioxide after a race in 2010 which can indicate that the horse was given a milkshake a mix of baking soda sugar and electrolytes delivered through a tube down a horses nose to combat fatigue
at the time oneill denied that he had ever employed the technique he did acknowledge that he had been careless operating his stable running too many horses at too many racetracks and that he had made mistakes beyond the public scrutiny new york regulators instituted stricter drug monitoring and surveillance policies before the belmont stakes
the trainer has said that he has tightened up his operation and that the experience no matter how uncomfortable benefits him now when he is under the pressure of having the favorite in the years most important race
it has allowed me to not be overwhelmed this time oneill said we found out that time that we had success doing what wed been doing all along it worked so were just doing that again   same patterns same style we just want to stay on course thats whats going to work


amtrak resumed its service between new york city and new haven on friday night after an interruption of more than two hours because of a power failure a company spokeswoman said
the power went out around 530 pm and was restored around 8 pm the spokeswoman kimberly woods said
it was not clear how many trains had been affected by the power failure ms woods said passengers would continue to experience delays related to congestion caused by the failure
some passengers wrote of their frustrations on twitter
a passenger on an acela train bound for boston from pennsylvania station nadine hays of wayland mass said her train had been stuck in the bronx for more than two hours without electricity
in a telephone interview around 730 pm she said that the train started to move after a diesel train had arrived to push it despite the delay ms hays professed her appreciation for train travel
living with the airlines   i travel a lot   a two and a half hour delay is not the end of the world she said


the attention grabbing news this week from a lawsuit between penn state university and its insurer was the disclosure by the judge that the universitys former football coach joe paterno may have been told in 1976 that jerry sandusky a longtime assistant coach had molested a child
before the judges order was reported thursday night even paternos harshest critics could not point to any evidence that the legendary penn state coach had known about sanduskys widespread sexual abuse of minors before 1998   13 years before the scandal broke
but the bigger news for penn state may have been elsewhere in the opinion where the judge gary glazer of the philadelphia county court of common pleas rejected the universitys argument that its insurer was obligated to cover all of the nearly 100 million in settlements the university has paid to 32 of sanduskys accusers
rather glazer concluded that instances of abuse after 1999 would be subject to trial he found that the insurer would be responsible for paying settlements reached for instances of abuse before 1992 he also found that the insurer was not responsible for claims stemming from abuse between 1992 and 1999   which accounted for many of the claims according to tom kline a lawyer for one victim who settled
the ruling on motions for a partial summary judgment could have significant financial consequences for penn state the university may fail to recoup tens of millions of dollars in settlement funds it has already paid out   money that officials of the public university had previously insisted will not be funded by student tuition taxpayer funds or donations but rather by insurance
penn state had depended during the litigation on the insurance coverage so its a very significant setback for the university kline said
in his ruling this week glazer found that an exemption written into many of penn states annual policies since 1992 eliminated the insurers obligations particularly because penn state apparently did not notify the insurer of the potential for claims in a timely fashion
by cloaking him with a title that enabled him to perpetrate his crimes wrote glazer referring to sandusky psu must assume some responsibility for what he did both on and off campus
or as kline put it their failure to report what paterno and others knew cost them millions in payments to the victims and the same knowledge and failure to report cost them millions in insurance coverage
penn state has already paid out the 928 million in settlements according to kline it also paid a 60 million fine as part of a punishment levied by the ncaa and spent nearly 30 million more over two years on internal legal and investigative costs according to a 2015 audit
the revelation on page 2 of the opinion that in 1976 a child allegedly reported to psus head football coach joseph paterno that he the child was sexually molested by sandusky could upend the public understanding of the case until now the widely though not universally accepted record has been that paterno and other university officials were not aware of allegations against sandusky until 1998 or 2001 after which time most though not all of sanduskys victims said they had already been abused
we note the courts opinion states the alleged incidents are based upon the deposition testimony of persons who claim to have been victims of jerry sandusky penn state said in a statement friday we note these are allegations and not established fact the university has no records from the time to help evaluate the claims more importantly coach paterno is not here to defend himself
paterno died in january 2012 only a few months after the sandusky scandal came to light later that year sandusky now 72 was convicted of sexually abusing 10 boys and was sentenced to 30 to 60 years in prison
paternos staunchest supporters have insisted that even the narrative that paterno had been aware of an allegation against sandusky in 1998   the conclusion reached by the freeh report a university commissioned investigation which penn state has since come to question   overstated paternos knowledge regarding the man who had been his top defensive assistant for three decades
in his ruling glazer also cited three other reports of molestation one in 1987 witnessed by an assistant coach in a university facility another in 1988 witnessed by a different assistant coach and a third in 1988 which was referred to the athletic director
yet glazer found that the annual policies before 1992 between penn state and its insurer pennsylvania manufacturers association insurance did not appear to absolve the insurer from covering sandusky related claims
a spokeswoman for the insurance company declined to comment friday
but glazer found that between 1992 and 1999 a specific abuse or molestation exclusion in penn states annual policies meant that the insurance did not apply to the negligent employment or retention of an abuser such as sandusky
moreover an  expected or intended exclusion in insurance policies beginning in 1998 suggested to glazer that the insurers responsibility for claims stemming from those years is a subject for trial because gary c schultz then a senior vice president and graham b spanier then the penn state president having known of an allegation against sandusky according to the freeh report should have understood the threat he posed
in 1998 and 2001 wrote glazer it was common knowledge unfortunately that sexual predators are repeat offenders
glazer found that schultz and spanier failed to take proper action as penn states executive officers
schultz and spanier should have contacted the authorities obtained help for the children abused and otherwise acted to prevent him from having future contact with children glazer said referring to sandusky instead they apparently chose to sweep the problem under the rug


the treasury department on friday rejected a plan to cut benefits for 270000 union drivers and retirees who belong to a deeply troubled teamster pension fund a decision that could thwart the intentions of other large financially struggling pension funds
the move welcomed by workers and retirees reopened the vexing question of how to save the huge central states pension fund which is on track to go bankrupt in about 10 years its restructuring was seen as an important test case of what pension trustees can do when they discover they have promised more in benefits than their funds can hope to deliver
kenneth feinberg the treasurys special master appointed to review central states planned reorganization said the proposal was based on flawed assumptions and did not demonstrate it would successfully rescue the ailing fund
the proposed cuts which would have begun in july were meant to rebuild the central states pension fund and ensure its survival for decades sent to the treasury for review in september the reorganization would have been the first under a 2014 law allowing troubled pension funds to cut benefits if that was the only way to keep them afloat previously cutting pensions that workers had already earned had been illegal except in the most unusual circumstances
if central states fails the benefits will be cut much more than they would have in the reorganization and because central states is so big its failure could wipe out the federal insurance program for pensions of its type stranding tens of thousands of other retirees who were never members of the teamsters
americas aging population and improved health care mean there are now more retirees than ever drawing their pensions for more years than expected and creating potential solvency problems for fund trustees
the teamsters central states pension fund is one of the largest of americas multiemployer pension funds led jointly by a union and multiple companies it gained power and notoriety in the 1960s when the trucking industry was booming and the drivers nest eggs were invested in the construction of splashy hotels and casinos in las vegas
in 1982 the union lost control of how the fund was invested because of the unions ties to organized crime under a federal consent decree the investment duties were shifted to a group of large banks which followed mainstream investment practices as the years went on the trucking industry experienced a long painful decline leaving fewer employers and unionized drivers to support the pension plan with regular payroll contributions
as of last fall the central states plan was paying 346 in benefits for every dollar of contributions it had received
mr feinberg said the reorganization had to be rejected because it failed to meet three statutory requirements
for one thing he said the proposed reorganization counted on an assumption about future investment returns that federal regulators found unrealistic   even though that assumption is widely used by state and municipal pension plans which are not subject to federal regulation
the central states trustees said the reorganization would succeed if the funds investments averaged 75 percent average annual returns
that simply wasnt credible mr feinberg said
the plans losing a fortune every month he said referring to payouts to retirees which are more than three times as much as the contributions coming in from drivers and their employers a pension fund with negative cash flow needs very stable investment returns but a 75 percent average suggests high volatility at least under present market conditions
he said he was also troubled by an assumption that in the future drivers would join the central states plan while they were still fairly young he said that did not match reality
the proposed reorganization also did not distribute benefit cuts equitably he said and finally the plan was not explained in a way that affected workers and retirees could readily understand
it is technical he said overly complex it is not readily understandable
thomas nyhan the executive director of the central states pension fund said the trustees had not decided how to respond to the treasurys rejection
we believe the rescue plan provided the only realistic solution to avoiding insolvency mr nyhan said in a statement on friday the pension funds problems were just as grave as ever he said and since its failure posed a risk to the federal insurance plan central states participants could see their pension benefits reduced to virtually nothing
mr feinberg said there was nothing to stop the central states fund from revising its proposal and trying again while the treasury had been vetting its application he added several other smaller pension funds had submitted their own reorganization plans which would not be affected by the central states decision
the labor department and the pension benefit guaranty corporation had also reviewed the central states proposal and all three agencies found it unacceptably flawed mr feinberg said
before making his decision mr feinberg traveled to eight cities and met with hundreds of retired teamsters virtually everyone who turned out was angry about the proposed cuts and skeptical that they were going to be fair to all 407000 members of the central states plan
some said they did not believe cutting the benefits would really save the pension fund and they wanted to keep drawing their full benefits since the fund would collapse anyway
other unions and groups representing older adults also came out against the central states proposal chiefly because of the way the 2014 law was enacted it was attached to an omnibus budget bill and whisked through congress with no debate just as the members were leaving for the winter recess critics said the bill should have been thoroughly debated given that it rolled back core legal protections that had been enacted for 40 years
some also called for giving more money to the pension benefit guaranty corporation so it would survive the collapse of a pension fund like the central states mr nyhan and other pension officials said they agreed that the federal insurance program should be strengthened but that idea was ignored by congress


a statue of jesus stolen last weekend from outside the rectory of a roman catholic church in brooklyn by three laughing thieves has been returned by a young man who said he found it in a nearby trash can
the ss peter and paul church in the williamsburg neighborhood had appealed for the return of the statue on thursday after reviewing surveillance video that showed the thieves taking it from its pedestal outside the church rectory at 71 south third street on april 30 in the video a young woman wearing ballet style flats lifts the statue off its base and tucks it under her right arm laughing with her companions as they run away
the statue a plaster mold had replaced a ceramic version that was stolen from in front of the rectory in 2012 and never found
carolyn erstad a spokeswoman for the diocese of brooklyn said on friday that a young man found the replacement statue in a trash can a few blocks from the rectory on the same night it was stolen he gave it to his mother ms erstad said but when they saw news reports and realized where the statue belonged they called the church and returned it
the statues right hand and base were damaged said mother maria bendita the mother superior of the williamsburg parish to which the church belongs it was taken for restoration to a company in mount kisco ny whose owner planned to give the church a new heavier statue to put outside the rectory she said the older one will go inside the churchs new building scheduled for completion in 2019 she said
the police said on friday that there had been no arrests in the case mother bendita said she would like to hear from the thieves who took it
what they did it had consequences she said they stole something that was sacred for us so wed really like to see what they have to say


washington   alex ovechkin glumly sat on the bench with his head pressed against his forearm wednesday night after the washington capitals lost game 4 of their stanley cup playoff series against the pittsburgh penguins
entering this second round series the focus was on ovechkin and the penguins sidney crosby two superstars who are meeting in the playoffs for the first time since 2009 instead the series has been defined by unlikely heroes ovechkin who led the league in goals for the sixth time in his career and crosby who finished third in the league in scoring in the regular season have only four points combined
even worse for ovechkin his team is facing a three games to one deficit and has been pushed to the brink of elimination game 5 is here saturday night
weve dug ourselves a hole capitals coach barry trotz said wednesday after washingtons third straight loss well see if we can dig ourselves out
the capitals steamrollered opponents during the regular season outscoring their foes by 59 goals and handily winning the presidents trophy awarded to the team with the nhls best record they had the leagues second best penalty killing the fifth best power play and a goaltender braden holtby who tied the nhl record for the most wins in a season
the capitals had built up such a head of steam that it appeared they might finally overcome their painful history of early playoff exits washington has not advanced past the second round since 1998 and the franchise has never won the stanley cup ovechkin is a three time hart trophy winner as the nhls most valuable player but his lack of playoff success is a common knock against him
all four games in this series have been decided by one goal with two going into overtime but it is a far cry from the epic clash between crosby and ovechkin seven years ago when they each registered a hat trick in game 2 before finishing with a combined 27 points in the series pittsburgh won the series in seven games and went on to win the stanley cup
many of the plays that tipped the balance have come from the 21 year old rookie goaltender matt murray and other less heralded contributors
the penguins captured game 4 with goals from trevor daley a player pittsburgh picked up in a trade in december from the chicago blackhawks and matt cullen a 39 year old veteran before patric hornqvist won the game in overtime
the win was all the more impressive because pittsburgh was missing perhaps its most crucial player defenseman kris letang who averages around 30 minutes of ice time a night during the playoffs letang was suspended for game 4 for a high late hit on washingtons marcus johansson pittsburgh was without its no 2 defenseman olli maatta who has not played since a late hit by the capitals brooks orpik in game 2 for which orpik was suspended for three games eric fehr a member of pittsburghs second line who scored the winning goal in game 2 was also absent from the game
it seems like every night different people step up at different times and make important key plays that help us win pittsburgh coach mike sullivan said on a conference call thursday to see these guys play as hard as they do for one another as their coaches its a thrill
sullivan has played a pivotal role too after he took over for mike johnston who was fired in december after a disappointing start to the year the penguins went 33 16 5 to finish the regular season with the second best record in the eastern conference including the playoffs they have won 40 of their last 59 games
pittsburgh did much of this without evgeni malkin who missed the last month of the regular season with an upper body injury before returning for the penguins first round series against the rangers
in the playoffs pittsburgh has survived without marc andre fleury who has been their main goaltender for more than a decade after the penguins picked him first over all in the 2003 draft fleury in the first year of a four year 23 million contract sustained a concussion at the end of march and was cleared to play before game 3 against washington but he has stayed on the bench backing up murray a move sullivan referred to as common sense
in the two games since fleury was cleared murray has stopped 81 of 85 shots
murray previously a standout in the minor leagues under sullivan is 6 1 with a 181 goals against average and 944 save percentage in the postseason
i take time to reflect on whats happened and to look back at all the fun that ive had and all the experiences that ive had this season murray said friday im feeling more and more comfortable
murray has been aided by the play of nick bonino a third line center who has eight assists in nine postseason games
the rookie conor sheary who started the season in the minor leagues has been a productive mainstay on pittsburghs first line carl hagelin acquired in a january trade has two goals and four points in the second round
those contributions have helped turn the capitals into underdogs washingtons three games to one hole in the series is something fewer than 10 percent of nhl teams recover from but the capitals know it can be done they led the rangers by that count in last years second round before losing three games in a row
we have to take that experience and turn it around our way ovechkin said


windsor ontario   in the last year sergio marchionne took a few test rides in googles self driving car and he came away impressed with the speed but it is the breathtaking pace at which the technology is advancing not how fast the car travels that has really grabbed his attention
each time it got better and better said mr marchionne the chief executive of fiat chrysler automobiles which is now collaborating with google it isnt pie in the sky people are talking about 20 years i think we will have it in five years
mr marchionne was speaking at the auto companys plant here which is starting to make a new minivan the pacifica under the partnership unveiled this week fiat chrysler will make about 100 modified pacificas that google will outfit with sensors and computers it has developed the two companies will put together a joint engineering team based in michigan to hone the technology
in his first public comments on fiat chryslers agreement with the tech giant mr marchionne acknowledged it was unclear how far their collaboration will go or how they will share the results of their work
we are approaching this in a completely open ended fashion he said we need to get to a stage where the car is viable so we can discuss the spoils of that work we are not there yet
others in the industry are also rushing to put autonomous vehicles on the road in real world situations
general motors and lyft the ride hailing start up valued at 45 billion intend to test a fleet of self driving taxis in an american city as soon as within a year according to a person who has been briefed on the two companies plans that would most likely begin using the technology inside the battery powered chevrolet bolt said the person who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk about unannounced initiatives
gm and lyft formed a partnership in january and said they planned to introduce an on demand autonomous network of self driving vehicles a spokesman from gm and a lyft spokeswoman declined to offer additional details about their plans
news of the taxi tests was reported earlier by the wall street journal
until now fiat chrysler had said little about its autonomous car plans mr marchionne spent much of 2015 focused not on vehicles of the future but on shaking up how cars are made today in a blunt presentation he called confessions of a capital junkie he suggested the auto industry was headed for a crisis unless companies consolidated and stopped wasting billions of dollars to develop engines and other components that customers never touch
he then tried without success to persuade general motors or other automakers to enter merger talks
some analysts were skeptical of the agreement with google
they are providing google with 100 minivans which is great but theres not necessarily a lot of ongoing collaboration said karl brauer an analyst at the research firm kelley blue book so it remains to be seen how much work they actually do together
other carmakers like ford motor and audi have made no secret of spending millions of dollars to create driverless cars usually with the idea of heading off any competitive threat that could come from driverless cars being developed by google and its silicon valley rival apple some have tried to recast themselves as mobility companies that will provide the means of moving people around whether by cars they own rent or hail via an app
on friday mr marchionne said the mobility concept was a lofty ideal
he also said he was not imagining a merger with google although he was counting on the tech giant to help fiat chrysler catch up in driverless car technology we will be walking in a collaborative fashion with them at their speed he said we are exploring with them to allow us into their world
he also said that rival automakers working on their own autonomous cars in competition with google were taking a risk that their investments may not pan out
its too early in this process to make the call who is going to end up with the winning solution mr marchionne said precluding development with others is a very dangerous bet


joe paternos family cant rest
how can they when his legacy continues to unravel almost five years after he was fired by penn state in the wake of a child sexual abuse scandal involving one of his assistant coaches how can they relax when paternos reputation once pristine grows more threadbare with every development in the case
they cant not now probably not ever i get it after all thats what family is for
but that doesnt make it any less uncomfortable when people defend paterno again and again
this week a judges ruling in a civil case filed in philadelphia revealed a claim that in 1976 a boy claimed to have told paterno that jerry sandusky then one of penn states assistant coaches had sexually abused him
if the claim is true that would be a quarter century earlier than paterno had said he first learned of sanduskys abuses   from another staff member in 2001 in that instance paterno said that he had reported the accusation against sandusky to his superior as required by law but he did not say that he had ever followed up or moved to cut penn states ties with sandusky who is now serving what amounts to a life sentence in prison
the latest development was a reminder that we will probably never know what paterno who died in 2012 knew of the abuse or when he first learned of it
on twitter scott paterno one of paternos sons tore into the latest accusation against his father writing it would be great if everyone waited to see the substance of the allegation before they assume its true because its not
in another twitter message he claimed the new story made no sense joe paterno the son said would never have protected sandusky whom he labeled an obscure assistant coach no one had yet heard of in 1976 nor would he have left his own young children alone with him its bunk scott paterno wrote
but is he right who can know for sure joe paterno cant tell us what we do know is that sandusky did terrible things to children and even after hearing that sandusky was discovered in the shower with a boy of about 10 paterno didnt call the police he didnt seek to have sandusky barred from penn states athletic facilities or apparently even question his assistant about what he had been told even though the two men had been colleagues for decades
all that makes the paterno familys continuing efforts to defend the coach hard to watch
its sad to see a family grapple so publicly with the death of their beloved patriarch and to focus so many of their statements on his legacy and on what the history books will say about him the harsh truth is that there will be a long chapter in those books about the sandusky scandal and about paternos role   or lack of one   in preventing it
one of paternos sons   the former penn state assistant coach jay paterno   wrote a book titled paterno legacy enduring lessons from the life and death of my father in it he writes i resented the people whod done this to my father to our university and to me
paternos wife sue wrote an email to the penn state lettermen last fall just before the fourth anniversary of her husbands forced departure from his storied program in it she blamed the universitys board of trustees the ncaa and what she called the flawed report compiled by the former fbi director louis freeh for taking a terrible tragedy and making it worse
i write to you now to let you know that we have not given up on setting the record straight   and we never will sue paterno wrote four years of secrecy are enough the victims their families each of you and everyone who cares about penn state deserve the truth
that sentiment is what makes the whole of the paterno familys efforts while understandable from their point of view seem tone deaf how can it be appropriate for any of the paternos or anyone from penn state to speak for the victims or their families given all that we know
its one thing to rage about the loss of a father or about a respected coachs reputation blackened by someone elses actions its another to forget that sensitivity for the victims and their families should be the key here
unfortunately it often seems the paternos and their supporters are interested only in writing and talking and tweeting about paternos mistreatment about the ncaas overreach in its investigation about how paternos statue should return to its former home outside beaver stadium
its yet another tragedy that the victims have to keep hearing all this for them this case already will live on and on in their minds and memories for the remainder of their lives
so no they cant rest either


the metropolitan opera is projecting that it will take in only two thirds of its potential box office income in the season that ends saturday the lowest percentage on record raising questions about how the organization is grappling with the significant challenges of mounting opera in the 21st century
twenty years ago the met was earning more than 90 percent of potential box office revenue tickets were even scarcer when it moved to lincoln center the general manager at the time rudolf bing wrote in a 1966 internal memo that the companys many subscribers made it impossible ever to buy a ticket
but now the met is faced with the same challenge that is confronting many other opera companies orchestras and dance troupes in america the decline of the subscription model as older reliable audiences that would attend many times each year are replaced by new theatergoers who go to the opera less often this season the met says it will earn only 66 percent of possible box office revenue which officials said would be the lowest percentage ever
the mets finances have been precarious in recent years but even with its weak box office figures the company ran a surplus last year because of large donations and across the board cuts made after it won concessions from its unions
when peter gelb became general manager a decade ago he tried to expand the audience by offering more new productions modernizing theatrical values simulcasting operas to cinemas around the world and to times square live on opening night he also raised ticket prices which now average 15850 because box office revenues cover an ever smaller percentage of the price of putting on operas
in an interview mr gelb said he believed the current box office slump was partly caused by timing as the mets older audience has aged out faster than it could be replaced but he said he was encouraged that the met had managed to sell tickets to 74000 new buyers this season
we have more individual ticket buyers than ever before but because they are relatively new to the met they are not yet converted to the kind of opera fanaticism that would result in enough multiple ticket purchases to make up for the loss of the older subscribers he said in a telephone interview thats basically the math thats going on the number of new ticket buyers however gives us reasons for hope he said
the met is hardly alone attendance at classical music opera and ballet fell between 2002 and 2012 according to the national endowment for the arts as organizations struggle to make their programs affordable and appealing to new audiences
marc a scorca president and chief executive of opera america a service organization said this is emphatically not specific to new york and not specific to the met adding that attendance at main stage performances dropped in the last 10 years almost across our entire field
the lyric opera of chicago reported earning 103 percent of box office capacity for 91 performances two decades ago receipts exceeded 100 percent because of tickets donated back for resale by 2014 chicago reported a 79 percent attendance rate at its 67 main stage performances
but the mets scale and its international prominence make its fortunes of particular interest the nations largest performing arts organization with an annual budget of roughly 300 million and a house that can hold 4000 it offered 225 performances of 25 operas
when discounts are accounted for the met projects an attendance rate of 72 percent that will be in the ballpark of new york city ballet which expects to fill 75 percent of its seats the new york philharmonic said it expected to sell about 80 percent of its seats but did not report the extent of its discounting programs
even in a rough season the met will have sold about 660500 opera tickets more than almost any of its peers globally met sales averaged 2869 seats per performance which would have overflowed the royal opera house in london 2256 seats or the vienna state opera 2284 seats last season the nearly sold out vienna company had sales of 462901 opera tickets 421100 people attended operas in 2o14 at the paris opera
mr gelb said that the met planned surveys and focus groups and would open more dress rehearsals to students and work to expand educational offerings he said that since the companys softest sales came in winter he was weighing a midwinter break
expanding dress rehearsals would allow 26700 students to attend next season mr gelb said he would move the students down from the highest reaches of the opera house so instead of just enjoying cutting school   or missing school i should say since theyre going with their schools   they can actually be enjoying opera up close he said
he said the company would continue to invest in the work it puts on the stage when people new to opera come in to the met he said we have to impress them   because we want them to come back
the memo in which mr bing lamented having too few seats came to light as the company prepared to celebrate its 50th anniversary at lincoln center we live mr gelb said in a different time


concerns over the zika virus have forced this months pirates marlins series out of puerto rico with the two games moving to miami
major league baseball and the players union announced friday that pittsburgh and miami would meet may 30 and 31 at marlins park
the union had asked commissioner rob manfred to move the games after players expressed fears about getting and possibly transmitting the zika virus
the united states centers for disease control and prevention has said zika can cause the birth defect microcephaly which results in an unusually small head and a damaged brain the virus is most often spread by mosquito bites but it also can be spread through sexual intercourse
puerto rico has had 785 confirmed zika cases including its first death from the virus
the cdc had spoken to players and staff members from both teams about the potential risks
it was a tough decision for us it was a tough issue pirates pitcher gerrit cole said in the end after the thorough presentation by the cdc there was just significant concerns for players and players families potentially expecting kids and people who may or may not be pregnant
a statement released by the league and the union said players who objected to the trip because of their specific family situations should not be forced to travel to puerto rico because too many regulars on both clubs fell into that category commissioner manfred had no choice but to relocate the games
rangers 5 tigers 1 cole hamels held detroit to one hit in seven innings and visiting texas became the first team this season to beat jordan zimmermann
after hamels allowed a bloop single to right by ian kinsler   the first batter he faced   he struck out nine and won his 11th straight decision
cubs 8 nationals 6 ben zobrist homered twice and anthony rizzo added a towering solo shot as host chicago defeated washington for its fifth straight win
john lackey struck out 11 one shy of his career high in seven innings and became the fifth active pitcher with 2000 strikeouts
blue jays 5 dodgers 2 kevin pillar hit a tiebreaking three run homer in the eighth inning jose bautista also connected and host toronto beat los angeles
indians 7 royals 1 jose ramirez got three hits and drove in a career high five runs as host cleveland defeated kansas city for its fourth straight win
reds 5 brewers 1 brandon phillips homered for the third straight game and the reds bullpen put together four scoreless innings in cincinnati
diamondbacks 7 braves 2 zack greinke allowed two runs in six innings brandon drury hit a homer and visiting arizona ended a six game losing streak
astros 6 mariners 3 carlos correa and marwin gonzalez each homered to lead host houston past seattle
marlins 6 phillies 4 giancarlo stanton hit a tiebreaking two run homer in the eighth inning and host miami won for the 11th time in 12 games
white sox 10 twins 4 melky cabrera had four hits and three rbi as host chicago became the second team to reach 20 wins
pirates 4 cardinals 2 jung ho kang homered twice and francisco liriano improved to 4 0 with a 207 era in six career starts at busch stadium
richards faces surgery garrett richards the angels opening day starter was placed on the disabled list and is expected to need surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right elbow sidelining him into next season
reds lose catcher reds catcher devin mesoraco will have surgery tuesday for a torn labrum in his left shoulder and will be in rehabilitation four to six months
darvish throws in minors the texas rangers right hander yu darvish was solid in a minor league rehab start giving up two hits and one run in three innings for class aaa round rock he had tommy john surgery more than 13 months ago


havana   idania wambrug teaches dance in a capacious brick vaulted studio with so much light streaming down from high windows that it almost feels like an outdoor pavilion its the same studio where she was a student in the 1960s and over the years all that natural light has been helpful when the electricity has gone out
the studio is in the national school of dance here in havana part of the national arts schools an avant garde architectural project conceived not long after the 1959 cuban revolution but never completed what ms wambrug teaches comes from that time as well with a mandate from the revolutionary government the cuban choreographer ramiro guerra created tecnica cubana a hybrid of american modern dance   the language of martha graham jose limon and others which mr guerra had studied in the united states   with ballet and cuban tradition both spanish and african
for a dance cognizant visitor from the united states watching a class in tecnica cubana is heady very familiar and then suddenly not as torsos contracting in graham style turn ultra sinuous ultra african or a standard ballet exercise swerves into the gestures of an afro cuban god yet the alloy is coherent and potent its a great under recognized invention that develops dancers of extraordinary strength with the agility to manage all of its wild twists
still tecnica cubana can seem rather like the 1950s chevys famously still cruising cubas streets gorgeous miraculously maintained way behind the times cuban ballet better known and also better funded by the state is even more trapped in amber information about dance in the form of videos or visiting choreographers is easier than automobiles to get through a blockade but traces of developments in american modern dance from the last 40 or 50 years though present are scarce here
 read about cuban ballets proud past and promising future 
like everything else in cuban american relations that may now be changing and the dance maker taking the most advantage of the changes is osnel delgado ms wambrugs son
mr delgado studied tuition free at the national school of dance as did both his parents and as do most professional modern dancers in cuba unless they train at one of the islands excellent ballet schools after he graduated he joined danza contemporanea de cuba the countrys foremost modern dance troupe founded by mr guerra in 1959 in 2011 the company made its first united states tour mr delgados performance at the joyce theater in new york was a moment of triumph but at 25 he had already decided to break off on his own as a choreographer everyone told him he was making the wrong move
on tuesday he returns to the joyce   for the third time in three consecutive years   with his own company its called malpaso which in spanish means misstep his wrong move came at the right time
what obama and our president just did malpaso has been doing for a while mr delgado said after a recent rehearsal in havana just a month after president obamas visit he and malpaso were back home after a busy spring touring the united states soon they head north again for more tour dates a schedule no other cuban troupe can match
when mr delgado first formed malpaso with fernando saez a friend and a savvy administrator with the ludwig foundation they applied for government funding when they were told it was unavailable they went ahead anyway becoming one of very few cuban troupes not reliant on government money
when the joyce sent the renowned american choreographer ronald k brown to havana in 2013 to create a work for a cuban troupe of his choosing mr brown picked malpaso the piece he made shared a program with one by mr delgado at the fledgling companys united states debut at the joyce the following year
the year after that malpaso returned to the joyce with a new dance by another prominent american choreographer trey mcintyre now its bringing bad winter an older work that the smitten mr mcintyre has presented to malpaso as a gift
partly a fluke of timing this engagement with the united states has become central to malpasos mission setting it apart from other cuban troupes of which there are a surprising number it offers american presenters something cuban along with something more familiar as mr delgado and his dancers absorb american influences
for decades the main outside influence on cuban dance has come from europe that can be seen in danzabierta a troupe that will make its new york debut on may 14 following malpaso in the joyces 12 day festival of cuban dance marianela boan who founded danzabierta in 1988 and who has since moved to the dominican republic believed in what she called contaminated dance and drew heavily on european dance theater like that of pina bausch
her aesthetic has been furthered by susana pous a spanish choreographer who has directed danzabierta since 2008 her works collaborations with cuban visual artists and musicians are she said about the problems of cuban life more than just pretty dance many of ms pouss pieces   like showroom which danzabierta is bringing to the joyce   address and resist exotic stereotypes of cuban dancers still promulgated by tacky tourist cabarets
an ambivalence about cubas dance heritage is expressed more intensely in the choreography of george cespedes one of danza contemporaneas most prolific homegrown talents his recent pieces seem to tamp down on the dancers virtuosity and sensual pleasure to be about a cuban body struggling within a dour oppressive conceptualism
in person hes refreshingly frank while many cubans respond to questions about how cuba is changing by rolling their eyes mr cespedes says that maybe his grandchildren will see change having started an independent company three years ago hes trying to get back into the government funded system its too hard he says to survive outside
mr delgado whose company is surviving and who may find a different path forward through american models is somewhat concerned about cuban dance losing its identity   buffeted by european influences and now by the coming flood of tourist money and what kind of dance that might encourage he can sound a lot like a modern dance choreographer in new york who would envy his free dance education and health care pining for a bigger audience longer runs and a permanent space to work he wishes he had a place to host a choreographic lab which we really need in cuba he said
the most recent policy changes announced by the obama administration mean that presenters in the united states previously restricted to providing only travel expenses and per diems will soon be allowed to pay cuban companies like malpaso to perform but this improvement has already generated controversy about how the cuban government may tax that income   one of many examples of the bewildering legal and economic limbo in which a group like malpaso has to operate
meanwhile mr delgado is doing what modern choreographers do trying to develop his own way of saying what he has to say a ballet class is part of malpasos everyday training but not any classes in tecnica cubana that technique is our base my blood he said but we dont dance like that
recently many of the malpaso dancers gathered in a restaurant that one of them had opened a source of income that would have been unlikely before restrictions loosened in 2010 with them was isidro rolando a man with five decades of experience as a dancer teacher and choreographer for danza contemporanea he taught mr delgados parents he recalled the importance of the company in establishing the legitimacy of afro cuban culture we created things of value he said ruefully but they will probably disappear
mr delgado rose from his chair and physically quoted a bit of mr rolandos choreography his attitude was respectful and affectionate but it didnt contradict what mr rolando had said


a paper based rapid test for the zika virus was introduced on friday by a consortium of research groups
the core of the test kit is a piece of paper covered with yellow dots that turn purple in the presence of zika virus rna although the test is relatively fast and simple it requires preliminary heating to amplify a samples rna which can be done in most laboratories
the test which gives results in two to three hours is much faster and cheaper than the pcr tests used now said james j collins a bioengineer at the massachusetts institute of technology who is one of the test designers
it should cost less than 1 per test said keith pardee a university of toronto biochemist and another test designer
dr collins took a cells normal reproductive machinery   including proteins nucleic acids and ribosomes   and freeze dried it on paper the work was described in the journal cell
the color change can be read by the eye or by an extra sensitive scanner that may eventually be able to measure viral loads in the blood sample
the test has worked on zika infected monkey blood which was used because human samples were hard to obtain in time now dr collins said were talking with groups in colombia and brazil about testing it in the field
the collaboration also included scientists from harvards wyss institute the broad institute cornell arizona state and boston university


washington   the federal communications commission confirmed on friday that it had approved charter communications acquisitions of time warner cable and bright house networks
the deals which would create the second largest broadband provider and third largest video provider in the united states now need approval from regulators in california a state administrative judge there recommended last month that californias public utilities commission approve the deal that decision is expected at a hearing on thursday
the justice department gave antitrust approval to the acquisitions with conditions on april 25 and charter and time warner cable shareholders have already agreed to the deals
charter has valued its deal for time warner cable at 567 billion excluding debt and the acquisition of bright house at 104 billion
thomas m rutledge president and chief executive of charter said in a statement on friday that the transactions had significant benefits including greater competition broader access to affordable broadband and new american jobs he said the conditions imposed by the fcc were largely extensions of the longstanding consumer friendly values and practices of our company
the justice department said charter had agreed to refrain from telling its content providers that they could not also sell shows online as conditions of its approval
a majority of the five member fcc voted to approve the deals earlier this week the agency said in a statement on friday that an order detailing the commissions reasoning and the conditions will be issued in the coming days
the commissions conditions would require charter to extend high speed internet access to another two million customers within five years with one million served by a broadband competitor the fcc chairman tom wheeler said
charter backed by the billionaire john malones liberty media has pursued time warner cable since 2013 the two companies had acrimonious exchanges in 2013 and early 2014 that ended with time warner cable rejecting unsolicited approaches by charter and instead pursuing a deal with comcast the no 1 united states cable provider that transaction was ultimately abandoned
in addition the commission on tuesday approved the european telecommunication group altices acquisition of the united states cable company cablevision systems in a 177 billion deal that includes assumption of debt
altice still needs approval from the state of new york and new york city if the deal is approved altice would become the fourth largest cable provider in the united states cablevision has 31 million subscribers mostly in new york new jersey and connecticut


berlin   the increasingly authoritarian tilt of president recep tayyip erdogan of turkey and the ouster of his prime minister this week have european leaders newly questioning their reliance on him and the viability of an already divisive deal struck this spring that has largely halted the flow of migrants to europe
the widening gulf in democratic values   combined with mr erdogans deepening intransigence   has now run up against provisions in the deal that would allow turks visa free travel to europe all this is threatening even to undo the deal
the gap between the sides and the growing pressure on the accord became clear this week when the european commission called on turkey to narrow its application of antiterrorism laws and bring them in line with european union standards   one of more than 70 conditions it has set for visa free travel
turkey has very broad terrorism laws which the europeans fear are being used by mr erdogan to crack down on his opponents in fact mr erdogan recently said the government should widen the definition of terrorist to include journalists and academics who are deemed by the authorities to have provided support for terrorists
but on friday mr erdogan proclaimed with typical defiance that turkey will not change its antiterror law for the sake of a visa deal that would allow the 75 million turks easier access to europe for three months at a time
we will go our way mr erdogan said you go yours
the episode was a fresh reminder of the political costs of holding together a deal that has helped the european union to avoid a replay of the chaotic tide of migrants that nearly collapsed its system of open borders last year
in return however turkey has been promised up to 6 billion euros over three years to meet the costs of sheltering refugees from syria and iraq as well as the possibility of the visa free travel arrangement and fresh consideration of talks to enter the european union
but the continuing viability of the deal was called into question this week with the ouster of the turkish official who has been most closely associated with it prime minister ahmet davutoglu he was pushed out on thursday by mr erdogan in what was widely interpreted as a move by the president to tighten his hold on power
two weeks ago mr davutoglu was the only turkish leader who accompanied european union officials as they visited gaziantep on the turkish syrian border to see how the deal was working
it is clear that davutoglu was the decisive man for the deal said sylke tempel editor in chief of internationale politik published by the german council of foreign affairs
echoing that thought the conservative frankfurter allgemeine zeitung noted friday that this means that the success of the deal will now be even more vulnerable to erdogans whims european leaders should be on red alert for rocky relations with ankara in the future it said
carl bildt the former swedish foreign minister appeared to be pessimistic about the future of the migration pact now that mr davutoglu has resigned
mr bildt wrote in a post late thursday to his twitter account that prospects for progress on eu turkey deal and relations have now dimmed considerably
no european leader has a greater stake in making the deal work than chancellor angela merkel who took the lead in negotiating it with mr davutoglu
on a visit to italy the chancellor noted cautiously on friday that we have made good progress with the deal with turkey the european union   at least germany and italy   is ready and stands by its commitments we hope of course that that is mutual
whether europe and turkey can continue to work closely together may now rest on whether mr davutoglus replacement also embraces a vision of turkey with one foot in europe or mr erdogans authoritarian bent said volker perthes a middle east expert and director of the government funded german institute for international and security affairs
for now i dont think the costs are actually higher for merkel than for other european leaders mr perthes said although she is more personally involved in a deal which pro forma is between the eu and turkey not the member states
under the deal turkey has already begun taking back refugees who had made their way to greece and the flow of migrants has virtually stopped
the aim of robbing smugglers of business and preventing refugees risking their lives across the aegean has thus been achieved noted ms tempel of the german council on foreign relations
but the other aspect of the deal   influencing turkeys internal development through conditions for travel and eventual european union membership   is much more fragile ms tempel suggested
if anything it is mr erdogan who has used the deal to extend his influence that became clear for ms merkel after a german satirist lampooned the turkish leader in a crude poem that prompted mr erdogan to sue under a 19th century law on offending foreign leaders
amid suggestions that she was effectively championing censorship the law forced ms merkel to allow the suit to go forward she also acknowledged that she had made a mistake in initially passing judgment on the poem agreeing with mr davutoglu that it was deeply offensive
with mr davutoglu now leaving office ms merkel and the rest of europe are left hoping for a replacement they can do business with
mr erdogans tough talk on friday is probably less worrying than the fact that we are losing one of erdogans team who had a very strong interest in linking turkey to europe mr perthes said i think he really wanted to do the deal with the europeans achieving this collaboration would have been a big victory for him also as a person
in turkey some analysts said they believed mr davutoglu had to go because he was cutting an increasingly independent and popular figure
aykut erdemir a former opposition lawmaker and senior fellow at the foundation for defense of democracies said erdogan feared that davutoglu could use his international profile as leverage against erdogan to carve an autonomous sphere of action domestically he added such a power sharing arrangement is not something that erdogan can tolerate
mr perthes the german analyst noted that mr erdogan often surprises and not always negatively he expressed hope that a new prime minister might be appointed with a mandate to finish the visa and other deals with europe
but manfred weber a german lawmaker of ms merkels conservative bloc who leads the center right european peoples party at the european parliament voiced wariness about granting visa free travel to turkey unless it also makes concessions
the resignation of the turkish prime minister is not a good signal mr weber said by email the european parliament would only hold a vote on visa waivers if all criteria are met
one of the five conditions ankara must still meet is to revise laws and practices to balance the fight against terrorism with respect for human rights
cem ozdemir a leader of germanys greens and among the countrys best known politicians of turkish descent said mr davutoglus departure underscores how much erdogan is trying to change turkey into a one man state
it showed he said that mr erdogan is the only negotiating partner who matters and that you can only bet moderately on the reliability of ankara
ms merkel he added had long evinced little interest in turkey and opposed its bid to join the european union
now he said it is not without irony that when turkey is going completely in the wrong direction she is the one opening the gates to europe ms merkels lack of turkish allies outside the government mr ozdemir said is coming back to bite her


two men have been arrested in connection with the fatal shooting this week of a college student in newark during a break in at his fraternity house the authorities said on friday
prosecutors in essex county nj said nafee cotman 18 and taquan harris 22 both faced charges of murder robbery burglary and weapons related offenses in the killing of joseph micalizzi a junior at the new jersey institute of technology inside the tau kappa epsilon fraternity house on monday
bail for mr cotman was set at 1 million prosecutors said mr harris was awaiting arraignment on friday night information regarding their lawyers was not immediately available
the authorities said the two men had broken into the house in the university heights section of newark around 3 am on monday they encountered mr micalizzi a 23 year old mechanical engineering student from freehold nj and shot him he was taken to university hospital where he was pronounced dead
mr micalizzis death was the second time in a month that a college student had been fatally shot in off campus housing in the neighborhood on april 10 shani patel a 21 year old rutgers student was killed and his roommate was wounded in a shooting at their apartment near the universitys newark campus the authorities said a suspect marcus feliz 25 was arrested and charged a few days later


for decades the weekly call in radio show with the mayor was a new york city tradition it provided a chance for sal from brooklyn or anyone else from the five boroughs to get on the line directly with the citys chief executive and for the mayor at the time to reveal inadvertently or deliberately his personality and style of thinking
but whereas his predecessors rudolph w giuliani and michael r bloomberg took calls throughout their terms mayor bill de blasio chose not to take up the mantle when he came to office in 2014 preferring his aides say to focus on deeds rather than words
that changed on friday even as mr de blasio said that the ultimate form of communications is action he began the first of what he said would be a weekly call in segment with brian lehrer on the public radio station wnyc
the about face which was not announced until mr de blasio joined mr lehrer on the air on friday at 10 am came the day after the mayors press secretary karen hinton publicly acknowledged that she would be resigning from her post next month amid investigations negative headlines and struggles in the city hall press operation
this comes at a tricky time for you mr lehrer observed at the start of the show referring to the impending departure of ms hinton to be transparent to the listeners we had offered this invitation at the beginning of your administration and your team didnt want it then
mr de blasio who called into the show appeared intent on presenting himself as his own best spokesman im going to be doing lots of things to communicate directly to my fellow new yorkers he said
in recent weeks the mayor has been a regular on the radio and last month began a quarterly television appearance on wnbc tv responding to pretaped questions from new yorkers the television program and the radio appearances with mr lehrer have both been titled ask the mayor
mr lehrer in an interview after the show said ms hinton approached his staff on thursday about a regular appearance by the mayor details were made final by early friday it happened very quickly after the idea was floated he said
ms hinton said the mayor decided to do the weekly show a few days ago adding that he and mr lehrer have a good rapport
over the course of his two terms mr giuliani logged about 55 hours sparring with callers on his friday show live from city hall ... with rudy giuliani his often unbridled and occasionally insulting conversations with new yorkers   your excessive concern for weasels is a sign of something wrong in your personality he told one repeat caller   came to symbolize mr giulianis brashness mr bloomberg during his tenure would join the radio host john gambling to take calls also on friday mornings
the archetype is la guardia reading the funny pages into the radio during the newspaper strike said stu loeser a longtime spokesman for mr bloomberg and a media consultant referring to former mayor fiorello h la guardia like it or not people expect their mayor to be in their face
mr de blasio speaking with mr lehrer on friday dismissed the notion that his decision to make the weekly appearance was an effort by city hall to improve its public relations insiders may want to characterize you know the communications strategy he said but i think the people are receiving the realities of our policies
the 30 minute segment included a question on the city councils passage of a bill supported by mr de blasio requiring stores to begin charging 5 cents per plastic or paper bag
mayor the bags that youre talking about charging for those bags get recycled we use them in our garbage said the caller identified as mel in the bronx and if we dont have those bags for the garbage were going to buy them
mr de blasio acknowledged that was a fair statement to say but he also took time to describe the environmental reasoning behind the bill well mel i appreciate the question i would argue it a little differently he said


slender man a blank faced horror meme that was born on the internet and used as the inspiration for countless short story adaptations and a real life grisly stabbing may soon extend his long limbed reach to mainstream movie audiences
its rare for a meme to attract hollywoods attention but three production studios see potential in turning slender man into a video game a tv show a virtual reality experience or even a very creepy doll
fans have long awaited the cinematic rise of slender man the character has been the subject of small budget films before and was recently rumored to be a possible inspiration for american horror story but this is the first time that hollywood is focusing on a meme in the same way it would explore the expansion of say a comic book character
the sinister meme received nationwide attention in 2014 when it was cited as the inspiration for a high profile crime two 12 year old girls in waukesha wis were accused of stabbing a classmate 19 times officials said that act was inspired by a desire to impress slender man both girls are still awaiting trial
mythology entertainment a production company whose works have included the movies white house down and truth secured intellectual property rights from the characters creator eric knudsen mythology has partnered with two other studios madhouse entertainment and it is no dream entertainment to explore tv show and video game possibilities
and then theres the movie screen gems a division of sony entertainment is negotiating with mythology to produce and distribute a movie based on the horror meme according to an email from annalee paulo a spokeswoman for the producers the script is still being written but the film could begin production as early as this fall
the movie announcement though elicited frustration from some fans online
this has got to be one of hollywoods most delayed reactions to an internet fad yet one user wrote on reddit this wouldve been an awesome idea financially if theyd had it half a decade ago
another observer wrote i definitely think that slenderman can be scary but it really depends on what kind of story they tell and how they go about telling it
the story of the ghoulish creature is a blank except for a few basics he has unnaturally long limbs wears a suit hangs out in the woods and preys on children he is said to have originated as a photoshop creation mr knudsen submitted to an online contest in 2009
but not all fans believe this is how slender man was born part of the characters appeal seems to be his adaptability enthusiasts have extended his influence from a meme to horror folklore claiming to have found clues to his past in ancient cave paintings hieroglyphics and germanic fairy tales
alternate tales can be found on the creepypasta wiki where writers have adapted his past into numerous iterations sometimes the character appears to be designed to breed paranoia in people who believe that he exists which has real world implications aside from the 2014 stabbing in wisconsin slender man has been linked to a handful of other crimes including the case of a 14 year old florida girl who told the police she had set her house on fire after reading about slender man online
after the 2014 stabbing mr knudsen said in a statement to the news media that he was saddened by the events in wisconsin something awful the site that held the contest also published a blog post titled please do not kill anybody because of slenderman
he was especially terrifying to the people who try hard to be afraid of things and help each other succeed the post read adding that the character was the internets dire equivalent of a collective ouija board party


istanbul   a turkish court handed down a long awaited judgment against two prominent journalists on friday sentencing them to more than five years in prison for releasing state secrets the verdict came just hours after one of the journalists narrowly escaped an attack by a gunman in front of the courthouse
the two journalists can dundar the editor in chief of the opposition newspaper cumhuriyet and erdem gul the newspapers ankara bureau chief were accused of espionage and attempting to topple the government through their reporting about weapons shipments by turkeys spy agency to rebels opposed to the government of president bashar al assad of syria
the istanbul court found the journalists guilty of revealing state secrets and sentenced them to five years and 10 months in prison but they were acquitted of the more serious charges of trying to oust the government
as the journalists awaited the courts decision on friday an assailant tried to shoot mr dundar shouting traitor as he fired at him mr dundar was unharmed but another reporter was wounded and taken to a hospital
in the space of two hours we have experienced two assassination attempts one was done with a gun the other was judicial mr dundar told reporters after the verdict
the jail sentences we received are not just to silence us he said the bullet was not just to silence us this was done to all of us to scare us into silence to make us stop talking
the cumhuriyet report about what the newspaper said were efforts to arm syrian rebels was published last may it infuriated president recep tayyip erdogan of turkey who filed a personal criminal complaint against mr dundar and publicly threatened him saying he would pay a heavy price
mr erdogan has claimed that trucks were carrying aid to members of the turkmen ethnic community and that the police who conducted a search had no right to do so
the journalists are expected to appeal the verdict and will remain free until the end of the appellate process cumhuriyet reported
the court also ruled that the journalists would face a separate trial over charges that they had assisted an armed terror organization the government has accused them of collaborating with fethullah gulen an exiled muslim cleric and onetime erdogan ally who has been accused of plotting a coup in turkey
in recent years turkeys government has cracked down on freedom of expression dozens of journalists have been imprisoned or have lost their jobs for criticizing the government and the turkish authorities backed by court orders have seized opposition media outlets prosecutors have opened more than 1800 cases against people on charges of insulting the president since mr erdogan took office in 2014
journalists who work for opposition media outlets or are critical of the government are often labeled traitors or terrorists making them vulnerable to attacks mr erdogan recently proposed that the government broaden the definition of a terrorist to include journalists politicians and others who are deemed by the authorities to have provided support for terrorist acts
we dont know the person who attacked us mr dundar said in a twitter post after the shooting on friday but we know who is making us a target


dublin   prime minister enda kenny of ireland was re elected friday on his fourth try ending 70 days of deadlock and clearing the way for an exceptionally fragile minority government
mr kenny received 59 votes with 49 against in the 158 member parliament   by far the fewest votes ever received for a winning prime minister in ireland a nation used to coalition governments with stable majorities speculation mounted on how long this government dozens of votes short of a majority might survive
in his victory speech a subdued mr kenny appealed to opposition lawmakers to work in partnership together to build a better ireland
it will be a real test of our democracy of our character and indeed of this house   a test i am convinced we will pass he said
mr kenny had governed ireland for the past five years atop a two party government that controlled the biggest majority in irish history but voters angered by the economic burden of irelands successful 2013 exit from an international bailout scattered their support to socialist protest parties and independents in the feb 26 election
mr kennys center right party fine gael suffered losses but retained its top position in parliament however mr kennys coalition ally in the left wing labour party fared poorly leaving him without a viable majority partner
now fine gael will stay in power only with external support from its age old rival party fianna fail
the parties have never shared power since irelands independence from britain in the 1920s when the two took opposite sides in a civil war fianna fail rebuffed mr kennys effort to form a majority coalition
fridays breakthrough become possible once fianna fail accepted a compromise plan according to which its lawmakers pledged to support fine gail from outside the government ranks on a vote by vote basis over the coming three years
mr kenny had lost three previous leadership votes since the election as fianna fails 44 lawmakers blocked his nomination this time they abstained opening the door for him to win a majority of votes cast mr kenny received 50 from his own party and nine from independents three of whom are expected to receive cabinet seats as part of the bargain


washington   to many republicans speaker paul d ryans proclamation on thursday that he was not prepared to support donald j trump seemed to be an opening bid in truth it was more like the final word
although party leaders furiously brokered a meeting between the two men at the capitol next thursday it is likely that only substantial changes in mr trumps language and tenor not just minor calibrations on policy positions will be needed to bring mr ryan to his camp
mr ryan has become increasingly depressed about the tone of the race within the republican party several people who have talked to him in recent weeks said he could not bring himself to give even nominal support to mr trump despite pressure from more conservative house republicans after the candidate disparaged various ethnic groups and accused senator ted cruzs father of conspiring with lee harvey oswald among other inflammatory comments those remarks determined mr ryans course far more than the considerable differences on policy between the men
mr ryans stance may lead to the remarkable scenario of a convention chairman presiding over the nomination of a man he does not support but it basically comes down to three things
first and most important he can do it unlike former speaker john a boehner who had to fight to cling to his gavel almost from the moment he took it in 2011 mr ryan was drafted into his job by the majority of his conference and unlike senator mitch mcconnell of kentucky the majority leader who says he supports mr trump mr ryan is largely impervious to criticism from the right agree or disagree with mr ryan at this point his members need him more than he needs them at least to prevent unmitigated chaos in their ranks
it is notable that house conservatives often derided mr boehner for not sticking to conservative principles in negotiating with democrats on legislation but now are chafing that mr ryan whose conservative principles have in many ways been rejected by mr trump is not getting behind the presumptive nominee
isnt it a principle that the gop speaker would support the gop nominee said representative mick mulvaney republican of south carolina and a frequent scold of house leadership discussing the partys conundrum in an email exchange rock meet hard place over at the speakers balcony
second mr ryan sees the value in protecting republican house members up for re election in swing districts where mr trump may well be a drag on the rest of the ticket
i thought it was helpful said representative charlie dent republican of pennsylvania i believe that paul expressed feelings that many of us have trumps attacks on muslims the hispanics that david duke fiasco the abortion exchange with chris matthews all these issues are just really unsettling he added donald trump has to convince many americans including me that he is ready and able to lead this great country and at the moment i am not convinced
representative ann wagner republican of missouri made similar remarks to the st louis post dispatch
the third reason is that nothing mr ryan has said compels him to change his current course as speaker which is largely focused on developing an alternative republican policy agenda and shoring up vulnerable members with money and help campaigning he plans to develop that agenda with house members even if election politics may well prevent any of it from becoming actual legislation
this is perhaps the weakest reason for withholding support from mr trump since without a republican in the white house there will probably be no ryan agenda but for mr ryan mr trumps conduct appears to loom larger than the speakers policy dreams so even if the candidate shows up at the capitol next week and says i fully support this agenda it would almost certainly not be enough ryan aides say
do not expect mr ryan to join senator ben sasse republican of nebraska who has taken to penning letters to america by the riverbanks and searching for an alternative to mr trump the speaker will probably just keep doing what he is doing raising money for republicans talking   both amorphously and perhaps later more substantively   about policy ideas and looking with hope and some desperation for that change in tone from the presumptive nominee
mr trump so far has not signaled that this is in the offing on twitter on friday morning he wrote paul ryan said that i inherited something very special the republican party wrong i didnt inherit it i won it with millions of voters


seoul south korea   after years of trying to separate fact from propaganda about north koreas nuclear program american and south korean intelligence officials say they have concluded that the country can now mount a small nuclear warhead on short  and medium range missiles capable of hitting much of japan and south korea
the united states and its allies have sought for nearly a decade to prevent the north from gaining such capabilities ever since it detonated its first atomic device a decade ago their failure is likely to raise new questions about the effectiveness of the policy toward north korea while ushering the long simmering nuclear standoff with the north into a more perilous phase under its combative young leader kim jong un
the assessment of the norths new capabilities is not based on direct evidence from inside its nuclear program senior officials said but draws on intelligence gleaned from high level defectors analysis of propaganda images and data collected from north korean missile and nuclear tests which have accelerated over the past six months
while some intelligence agencies suggested as early as 2013 that the north had learned enough about rocket engineering and the miniaturization of nuclear warheads to mount one on a shorter range missile there is a new consensus and greater confidence in that view in both washington and seoul the officials said
given the years of research north korea has devoted to the program experts do not consider the conclusion particularly surprising but the politics of the assessment which means the north can target american bases in south korea and japan are delicate both in the region and in the midst of a presidential election in the united states
the obama administration and the south korean government are reluctant to discuss the norths new capabilities publicly stung by the fiasco over whether unconventional weapons existed in iraq 13 years ago american intelligence officials say they no longer advertise conclusions about other nations capabilities and a senior south korean government official who described the assessment to foreign reporters insisted on anonymity
the officials said the public silence reflected an effort to avoid strengthening and encouraging mr kim who has doubled down on the nuclear program begun by his grandfather and father and has used it to tighten his grip on power publicly acknowledging the norths advances would play into mr kims narrative that only he can protect his nation by defying its enemies and building a nuclear arsenal the officials said
victor cha who was a senior official on president george w bushs national security council said american policy had been concerned about not overreacting to every north korean provocation and that made sense when their capabilities were not all that formidable
but now they have been in a spiral of escalation he said and we are underreacting when their capabilities are accelerating
park ji young a nuclear policy analyst at the asan institute for policy studies in seoul said officials did not want to discuss the norths new capabilities because they dont know exactly how they can stop them and because they dont want to scare the people
a master of bombast mr kim appears increasingly volatile during his fifth year in power in a speech on friday to the first congress of his workers party in 36 years he boasted that his nuclear weapons and missile programs brought his country dignity and national power
a few weeks ago he posed with what appeared to be a mock up of a small nuclear warhead and his government released a video depicting a nuclear strike on the lincoln memorial
but experts say north korea is years away from deploying an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of striking the mainland united states with a nuclear payload and even then no one sees the backward nation taking the enormous strides needed to build a much more destructive hydrogen warhead capable of leveling cities
still the norths new capabilities have prompted a rethinking of american military strategy in asia we know they have nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them gen robert b neller commandant of the marine corps said on tuesday at the council on foreign relations in new york if thats where they are going that changes the calculus
for president obama who has completed a nuclear deal with iran and renewed diplomatic relations with cuba and myanmar the advances in north korea highlight its status as the rogue state that got away
mr obama has pursued a policy of strategic patience   not overreacting to the norths missile and nuclear tests while using sanctions to press it to negotiate but north korea has refused to accept his demand that it commit to denuclearization as a goal before talks begin
instead it has accelerated its nuclear effort conducting tests in 2006 2009 and 2013 and in january the two most recent tests took place under mr kim and south korean officials say the north may attempt a fifth nuclear test soon perhaps to mark the party congress
in march mr kim specified that the next test should involve a nuclear warhead explosion analysts said that suggested that the north might be on the verge of demonstrating progress in making a smaller device building on previous tests that were perhaps more focused on the basics of detonation
shrinking a nuclear weapon is important because the smaller it is the easier it will be for a missile to lift it and the farther the missile can fly american and south korean officials said they believed that north korea could make a nuclear warhead small enough to mount on its midrange nodong missile which usually carries a 1500 pound payload but can carry as much as 2200 pounds over shorter distances
given the time that has elapsed since its first nuclear test we believe that north korea has achieved a significant level of miniaturization han min koo south koreas defense minister said in march he also noted that north korea had conducted more missile tests under mr kim than during his fathers entire 17 year rule
but mr han said the north has not mastered the complex technology needed to protect a nuclear warhead from destruction as an intercontinental ballistic missile re enters the atmosphere
soon after mr kim took power american satellites began picking up pictures of mobile missile launchers which are harder to find and to target
the missile launchers were of chinese design and the missiles resembled russian weaponry the nodong sometimes spelled rodong is a modified version of the scud missile and can reach american bases in japan another missile the musudan can target american bases as far as guam
in april north korea tested the musudan three times but it crashed into the sea or exploded seconds after takeoff each time north korea also has a long record of problems in its effort to develop intercontinental missiles including an embarrassing failure in april 2012 just months after mr kim took power
but there have been enough successes to worry american commanders in february north korea put a satellite in orbit with a three stage rocket that if successfully reconfigured as a missile some analysts believe could reach the west coast of the united states
a new concern is recent tests of a submarine launched missile deployment is likely to be years away but submarines could stealthily move missiles within range of additional targets and give the north a second strike capability   to launch after its land based arsenal has been destroyed
north korea first claimed to have launched a ballistic missile from a submarine a year ago but photos released of mr kim observing the test appeared to have been doctored video released from another test in december suggested that the missile was launched from a sunken barge not a submarine
on april 23 north korea conducted another launch apparently from a 2000 ton sinpo class submarine but the missile did not travel far officials said
john schilling an expert on north koreas missile program has estimated that the north may have an operational system by 2020 but its current submarines are old and noisy must surface frequently and cannot make it across the pacific to north america
the question now for both president obama and his successor is whether to set new red lines beyond which the north korean nuclear program cannot go   or whether drawing those lines will only encourage the north to step over them as it has done before
gary samore mr obamas top nuclear adviser in his first term said the policy of strategic patience had failed to change the norths calculations but that doesnt mean you just build more missile defenses and walk away he said we need some kind of process to begin to freeze what they are doing
the more progress north korea makes though the less willing it may be to stop
robert j einhorn a leading expert on proliferation said a crucial question was whether mr kim would dig in and refuse to cap their capability before they are able to deliver an icbm with a warhead to the homeland
there are concerns aside from missile capabilities should developing a long range nuclear missile be the next red line or does that make less sense when the north could sell a bomb to a terror group or put one in a basement in a big city asked sam nunn co chairman of the nuclear threat initiative
for now the new american response looks a lot like the old american response with the same weakness chinas fear of destabilizing its neighbor with sanctions that hurt too much
new sanctions enacted with chinas support after the january nuclear test have the potential to bottle up north korean ships as they visit ports around the world but the sanctions are difficult to enforce and there is no requirement to cut off fuel shipments which come almost entirely from china
so far we have kim jung un to thank for driving the chinese in our direction mr samore said but they are still primarily worried about a collapse in the north that leaves south korean and american forces on the chinese border


a farcical energy deal has given rise to a new takeover tactic call it the george costanza defense like the character from the seinfeld sitcom energy transfer equity wants to redefine the terms of a soured relationship its 21 billion takeover of rival pipeline operator the williams companies energy transfer based in dallas aims to pay less cash and seems intent on forcing the issue by making itself as unattractive as possible the stakes are no laughing matter though
energy transfer spent a year trying to seduce williams before its smaller rival finally agreed to a cash and shares offer last september then oil prices crashed dragging down the stock of both companies and raising concerns about the debt energy transfer would have to incur to cover the 6 billion cash portion of the deal
unable to wriggle out of the merger agreement energy transfer has started what looks like a scorched earth campaign against its own transaction in march the reluctant buyer slashed its estimate of the mergers financial benefits by more than 90 percent it also warned of big job cuts in williamss home state of oklahoma and began a private share placement that would dilute the stake of williams owners in the combined company
in the latest twist the energy transfer boss kelcy warren warned on thursday that the company would not be able to close the deal by a june 28 deadline because of problems procuring a necessary tax opinion from its legal counsel whether or not that issue is real the situation is reminiscent of the seinfeld episode the strongbox in which george costanza resorts to increasingly absurd tactics to try to persuade his girlfriend to let him dump her
for energy transfer and williams though it is no joke williams is already suing its merger partner over the private placement and would presumably fight any attempt by the buyer to walk away judges in delaware where any legal case would probably be heard have typically been unsympathetic to companies with buyers remorse energy transfer may yet persuade williams shareholders to accept less cash but that might provoke another seinfeld classic an extended airing of grievances


the police suspect that the same man a federal law enforcement officer committed three shootings on thursday and friday killing three people and wounding three others in the maryland suburbs of washington
the police in prince georges county md said the man eulalio tordil fatally shot his estranged wife gladys tordil on thursday afternoon and then fled as the search for him continued into friday morning shootings were reported at two locations in montgomery county potomac and aspen hill
mr tordil was arrested without incident friday afternoon in aspen hill across the street from the third shooting in the parking lot of a mini mall where officers had spotted the car he was reported driving a rented silver hyundai elantra sedan plainclothes officers watched him for over an hour as he went in and out of shops and ate lunch but waited until he walked back to the car away from bystanders at that point witnesses told local television stations several unmarked police vehicles boxed him in and officers jumped out with guns drawn
we did not want to endanger anyone and have a shootout when we took him into custody j thomas manger the montgomery county police chief said in explaining the delay there was some thought that may have been what he wanted
in a bulletin issued thursday the prince georges county police indicated that mr tordil had talked about committing suicide by cop
we do have reason to believe that this incident and the one in aspen hill potentially the one in prince georges county was in fact related said darryl mcswain assistant chief of the montgomery county police
officials would not reveal what evidence investigators had of links between the shootings
and chief manger said at a news conference the relationship between the suspect and the victims today we dont know
officials did not release the names of any of the people who were shot except ms tordil 44 who had obtained a protective order to keep her husband away mr tordil 62 works for the federal protective service a police force that guards federal facilities
on thursday afternoon when ms tordil drove to high point high school in beltsville to pick up her children her husband followed her got out of his car and confronted her in the parking lot the prince georges police said
a bystander tried to intervene but mr tordil shot him shot his wife multiple times as she sat in her sport utility vehicle and then drove off the police said the man who tried to help her was taken to a hospital and was expected to survive
hank stawinski the prince georges police chief said his department had hunted through the night and checked on several people in the region who had connections to the tordils looking for other potential victims or places he might hide
its tragic that we were not able to intervene prior to additional victims being harmed he said
around 11 am friday three people were shot in the parking lot of the westfield montgomery mall with one man killed and a man and a woman wounded the montgomery county police said the wounded man was in critical condition the police said while the womans injury was not life threatening
less than an hour later and a few miles away a woman was shot and killed in the parking lot of a giant supermarket in aspen hill not far from mr tordils home in the montgomery county shootings as in the one the day before the gunman escaped several schools in the region were placed on lockdown while the manhunt was underway
the aspen hill site had an eerie resonance for law enforcement officers it was just a few steps from two of the sniper shootings committed by john allen muhammad and lee boyd malvo in 2002 on oct 2 of that year they fired through the window of a store in the same mini mall where mr tordil was arrested narrowly missing a cashier the next day they shot and killed a taxi driver premkumar walekar at a gas station just steps from the giant store
the connection was not lost on me said john mccarthy the states attorney for montgomery county but he added i think its a coincidence


the executive director of an arts charity who was attacked with drain cleaner last year was fired by the board of the charity on friday along with the financial officer who helped her unearth what the authorities have called a 750000 embezzlement scheme
the ousters were the latest twist in a continuing drama that has shaken the quiet queens offices of the charity healing arts initiative which brings concerts performances and other cultural events to hundreds of thousands of disabled elderly and poor new yorkers each year
the executive d alexandra dyer was assaulted with a chemical drain cleaner containing lye in august   only several weeks into her tenure at healing arts   after she had questioned a staff accountant about years of bookkeeping lapses and missing money she had also hired a new chief financial officer frank williams to resolve the accounting inconsistencies the staff accountant was eventually arrested
the board said in a statement that it fired ms dyer and mr williams for withholding critical financial and other information
mr williams said the firings were retaliatory and that the board did not want scrutiny of its history of negligence that allowed the thefts to occur
he and ms dyer both 60 complained to the state attorney general last fall about the boards stewardship and last month ms dyer sued the board on behalf of the charity itself seeking the boards removal in recent settlement negotiations ms dyer said she insisted on an audit committee of two new board members and one holdover that would report its findings to the attorney general
this is happening because we exposed them mr williams said of the board theyre trying to kill a great organization
a spokesman for the board timothy gilles said the lawsuit is not the reason for the terminations
in april the staff accountant kim williams was indicted on charges that she stole more than 750000 over three years and orchestrated the lye attack to silence ms dyer two other people have been charged one with committing the attack and the other with conspiring with ms williams who is not related to frank williams all have pleaded not guilty
ms dyer said that as far back as 2011 the board had fired another chief financial officer after that person complained that ms williams was issuing duplicate payroll checks the same method prosecutors now say ms williams used to siphon funds a dissident former board member kitty lunn has said that the board ignored her pleas last year to seriously investigate why healing arts checks were bouncing and its credit cards were being declined
ms dyer was hospitalized for months after the lye attack she required multiple facial operations and is badly disfigured but she returned to work in january
the firings on friday come at a crucial time for healing arts most of its 5 million annual budget is from contracts with the city which in turn depend on healing arts having its paperwork in order federal forms that must be filed by tax exempt organizations known as 990s are due from healing arts on may 15
with deadlines for irs tax filings audited financial statements and various requests from funders just a week away the board said in a statement it had become apparent that healing arts initiative will not survive if ms dyer remains as executive director
the statement added the board and outside financial advisers and consultants have made numerous requests and had multiple conversations with ms dyer and chief financial officer frank williams in an attempt to get critical financial and other information but that information has not been forthcoming
ms dyer said the information has been so forthcoming its laughable her lawyer ronald g russo said she was considering filing a whistle blower lawsuit
doug cohen a spokesman for the attorney generals office said on friday that despite the firings the charities bureau would work with healing arts to make sure it had necessary internal reforms in place
ms dyers position has been assumed by ken berger a former president of a watchdog group charity navigator inside healing arts offices on friday he gathered the remaining employees in a circle
the only way to save this place mr berger said was for them to work with him over these precious few days he said that though he knew some might be skeptical of him there was no time to vet another executive director
a decision has been made mr berger said
the staff members sat expressionless except for a middle aged man sitting across from mr berger who covered his face with his hands


minneapolis   louise erdrich is along with garrison keillor and ann patchett among the handful of american writers crazy enough to want to own a bookstore hers in the kenwood neighborhood here is in what used to be a dentists office though perhaps not a very busy one neighbors remember that the dentist was often asleep in his own chair
ms erdrichs store birchbark books features a canoe hanging upside down from the ceiling and an old roman catholic confessional that has been repurposed as a display case there is also a reading loft marked off by a birch log railing and a counter displaying native american jewelry and artifacts
ms erdrich who is part ojibwe said recently that she started the business so she could have a place to sell such things which she brought back from frequent trips to the turtle mountain reservation in north dakota the home of her tribe and because it was something she could do with her four daughters
in the beginning she recalled she was so clueless that she didnt know that unsold books could be returned she laughed and said it might have been easier just to become a dentist
ms erdrich whose new novel larose comes out on tuesday was born in minnesota and grew up in wahpeton nd where her mother who is half french american and half ojibwe and her father a german american taught at a boarding school run by the bureau of indian affairs she attended dartmouth as part of its first coed class she was so quiet she said that people must have assumed she was stoned all the time
for the last 20 odd years ms erdrich 61 has spent most of her time in minneapolis which has a sizable native american population the unofficial center of that community is east franklin avenue and ms erdrich shy and gracious is a familiar presence there one recent friday she stopped by the minnesota american indian center where she bought some beaded barrettes at the gift shop and at a nearby gallery all my relations arts where her daughter aza erdrich an artist has a show of her paintings everyone recognized her but no one made a fuss
native people have lived here for generations which is why i feel so at home she said but theyre always in motion theyre always going back and forth from the city to their reservation   thats how they keep their families together ms erdrich said they put hundreds of thousands of miles on their cars just then she recognized one the license plate said ojikwe blending two words to signify ojibwe woman
larose forms a sort of trilogy with ms erdrichs the plague of doves and national book award winning the round house like them it is set in and around an indian reservation that readers have come to know as her version of faulkners yoknapatawpha county   a landscape where many of the same characters or their forebears show up again and again and where the past is part of the present philip roth said of ms erdrich in an email she is like faulkner one of the great american regionalists bearing the dark knowledge of her place as he did his he added she is by now among the very best of american writers
mr roth first came upon ms erdrichs work while judging a short story contest for the atlantic and reading part of what eventually became love medicine 1984 her first novel loosely following several generations of an extended ojibwe family it almost immediately established her as an essential writer on native american life a subject that american fiction had tended to neglect
i can see it ms erdrich said of her imagined setting which has now figured in some 15 of her books and she explained is mostly based on the world she grew up in sometimes i think i should place it somewhere specific and sometimes i think its better the way it is
the title character of the new novel is a young boy descended from generations of female laroses who is given to another family after his father accidentally shoots that familys son laroses best friend at first uncomprehending larose becomes a wise and sad ambassador shuttling back and forth between the two homes
ms erdrich said such transfers really did happen sometimes my mother once mentioned offhand that it wasnt totally unusual she said i didnt set out to write this book but thats how it works sometimes i started writing and couldnt stop my mother drops a little pebble in my brain and on it goes
she went on to explain that many native americans had an elastic view of family you have to remember about the destruction of native populations she said people had to take care of each others children and sometimes they also took care of nonnative children who were in trouble this was something that western culture disliked and didnt understand
it wasnt until 1978 she said ruefully that the government stopped removing indian children from their families and sending them to boarding schools for the sake of assimilation
it was also not until 1978 that congress passed a law guaranteeing native americans the freedom to practice their religions the idea was that the indian people were just supposed to vanish she said still an element of shrewd foresight in the treaties that native americans signed over the years made eradicating their cultures more difficult besides being a people theyre also a legal entity and the history of native people quickly became a legal history ms erdrich said she smiled thats why most smart native people are lawyers not writers she said
she became a writer she joked because she didnt know of any other way to develop a personality i thought ill be a recluse and just have books she said adding that she tried not to worry too much about ethnic or tribal identity im a mixed ojibwe she said im a citizen of two nations and that informs everything i think about
she added i try not to parse it out too much im just writing about the world that i live in and the world that i know
to judge from larose that world is not only one of familial attachment and loss of tribal connection but also of drug abuse adolescent yearnings volleyball games old age discontent and marital disappointments of a more or less universal sort its a place where its not unusual for an ancestor to recall being pursued by a burning head rolling through the woods
last year ms erdrich said she took the burning head saga out of larose and had it published it separately as a short story in the new yorker she thought about not restoring it she said but then i thought i need to explain why this kid has the gravity of character hes developed that made me go back and think about his ancestors
storytelling she added is a central part of native american life and inevitably an obsessive part of hers its probably the most selfish thing i do she said truly i dont do it for anyone else i do it because i have the addicts need to get lost in the story she smiled and it gets worse and worse every year i could go to rehab for this but its my life


shareholder activism has expanded well beyond the stereotypical irate hedge fund manager pounding his fists on the table for corporate changes mutual funds have started agitating publicly as have pension funds and on friday even a prominent family stepped into the ring
wildcat capital   which manages 179 billion for david bonderman the founding partner of the private equity firm tpg capital and his family - is seeking a corporate governance overhaul at sorrento therapeutics a developer of cancer treatments based in san diego the stock of sorrrento a biotech company has plummeted more than 75 percent since july to a 220 million market valuation
the move is an uncommon one for a family office which is a professional investment manager for a wealthy family given that such offices do not manage outside capital as a hedge fund or mutual fund would and that they deal with the finances of billionaires their activities are often private
wildcat capital which owns 25 million shares or 65 percent of sorrento took that rare step on friday calling out egregious actions undertaken by sorrentos management and board in a letter it publicized the family office led by leonard a potter demanded that the board fire sorrentos chief executive put a halt to the remainder of a private placement appoint three new directors and hire an investment banker to help sell the company
as activism has spread to almost every corner of investing over the last few years a few family offices have felt so emboldened this year in london for example western gate private investments the family office for the portuguese physicist luis amaral began demanding management changes at stock spirits a vodka maker
in his long letter to sorrentos board on thursday mr potter the president and chief investment officer of wildcat explained the actions that led him to take his first activist stance
sorrento was transferring assets into various subsidiaries and those subsidiaries then issued significant amounts of stock options and warrants some with higher priority voting privileges to a select group of executives and board members according to the letter this series of transactions appears to be little more than a looting of the company assets mr potter said
mr potter also criticized sorrentos licensing and investment strategies which have prevented the company from gaining control or influence in those situations sorrento also engaged in a private placement of as much as 150 million worth of shares with two groups of asian investors which could represent 45 percent of the companys outstanding shares mr potter said that investors did not receive sufficient disclosure related to this transaction and that it diluted the holdings of existing shareholders
as a result mr potter called for the immediate termination of henry ji the chief executive of sorrento and asked that the company halt the portion of the private placement that has not yet been issued the letter also requested that the board appoint three directors nominated by wildcat create a committee to find an interim chief executive and hire a banker to sell the company
we are not activists - in fact we tried to be constructive and offered our assistance to dr ji said mr potter in an emailed statement however after being rebuffed and seeing the continuing actions of dr ji and the board we felt it was necessary to take this step immediately in order to protect and maximize shareholder value
kevin m herde chief financial officer at sorrento declined to comment on the wildcat capital letter
sorrento shares plummeted more than 15 percent to about 550 on friday almost half the price at which wildcat capital acquired them last may wildcat is the second largest investor in sorrento after the chan soon shiong family foundation


the yankees have put the left hander c c sabathia on the 15 day disabled list because of a strained groin
the team brought up the left hander phil coke from the minor leagues on friday to replace him on the roster
sabathia 35 was coming off his best start of the season wednesday he pitched seven shutout innings and struck out six at baltimore he is 2 2 with a 381 era
this is another blow to the last place yankees before wednesdays game designated hitter alex rodriguez went on the 15 day disabled list with a strained right hamstring
sabathias move to the disabled list was retroactive to thursday


cairo   a prominent human rights lawyer was arrested here on thursday joining more than 1200 people detained after protests against the transfer of two red sea islands to saudi arabia
the lawyer malek adly was arrested on a raft of charges that included plotting to overthrow the state and spreading false news his lawyer said he is being held in pretrial detention for an initial period of 15 days but under egyptian law it could stretch to several years
his arrest signaled how president abdel fattah el sisi evidently rattled by public opposition to the transfer of the two islands tiran and sanafir is determined to quell growing criticism from lawyers journalists and activists
mr sisi who only a year ago seemed unchallengeable is grappling with a steep economic downturn and unusually vocal criticism demonstrations in the center of cairo and other cities on april 15 though small by egyptian standards were the largest since 2013 when mr sisi introduced a tough new law effectively outlawing public protest
mr sisi has blamed unspecified hostile forces for his woes and in speeches he has urged egyptians to give him their unwavering support the more you succeed the more the forces of evil will look for new wiles and more schemes he told farmers at a wheat harvest event this week
at the same time security officials have undergirded his authority with mass arrests the front for the defense of egypts protesters a network of lawyers and civil society groups said the security forces arrested 1277 people after the april 15 protest and a second smaller protest on april 27
hundreds were quickly released but at least 577 of them have been formally charged said ragia omran a lawyer with the protesters group after the protest law a lot of people stepped away from the political scene she said this recent incident has given them a spark to go back to the protest movement
the government is also under fire from journalists after the police stormed the headquarters of the countrys only press union on sunday and arrested two reporters days later the arrests turned to embarrassment for the government when the interior ministry accidentally released its guidelines for combating negative publicity over the episode
as the furor over the arrests mounted during the week the union called for the resignation of the interior minister maj gen magdi abdel ghaffar and ordered newspapers to refrain from publishing his name it has also called on newspapers to publish partially blacked out front pages as a protest on sunday


lexington ky   buried on the grounds of gainesway farms perfectly manicured 1500 acres are several champion racehorses including the prolific gray sire mahmoud a grandfather of the first gray horse to win the kentucky derby
not far from the grave site tapit a gray sire whose libido and fertility are rivaling those of the greats resides in a plush corner stall next to his son tapizar and across the way from american pharoahs grandfather empire maker tapit is brilliant white now almost ghostlike and blends in among the eight white stucco stallion barns
at 15 he has passed along enough of his hot blood as the stallion manager carl buckler likes to call it to establish himself as a two time champion sire and to command a 300000 stud fee the highest in north america so far his progeny have won 45 graded stakes races including 17 in grade i and earned more than 91 million
on saturday three of his sons   mohaymen creator and lani all gray   plus a fourth gray colt destin a son of giants causeway will compete in the kentucky derby casting a rare silver sheen on the most famous horse race in america two daughters royal obsession and taxable raced in the kentucky oaks on friday
the highest number of gray horses to run in a derby field dating back to 1930 is five in 1968 and 1981 only eight gray horses have won the kentucky derby determine 1954 and his son decidedly 1962 spectacular bid 1979 gato del sol 1982 winning colors 1988 silver charm 1997 monarchos 2001 and giacomo 2005 yet if saturdays race goes off with a full 20 horse field there is a 20 percent chance the winner will be gray
to have four gray horses heading into the derby starting gate let alone three sired by tapit is a statistical oddity considering that only 1937 or 8 percent of the 23169 foals registered with the jockey club from the 2013 foal crop were gray or roan bay was the most popular color with 8211 or 35 percent
he really seems to be positioning himself for greatness because he has had so much success said edward l bowen a horse racing historian and the president of the grayson jockey club research foundation the influence of tapit will go on for generations
the gray of all grays was native dancer whose only career loss came in the 1953 kentucky derby nicknamed the gray ghost native dancer captured the attention of many by standing out on black and white television screens
another standout gray skip away the champion 3 year old male in 1996 was purchased by the hall of fame trainer sonny hine for his wife carolyn who had vision problems and wanted a gray horse because they were easier to spot on the racetrack
tapit won the wood memorial in 2004 but his racing career was cut short after only six races because of recurring lung infections so he was sent to the breeding shed where he could pass on genes he inherited from standouts like native dancer mr prospector seattle slew a p indy and unbridled
he had a fabulous pedigree and all the qualities needed so we thought he would make a good sire said his trainer michael dickinson i cant say that we thought he would be this good but we always had a lot of confidence in him
to produce a gray horse only one copy of a dominant gene is needed from either the mother or the father according to ernest bailey a geneticist at the gluck equine research center at the university of kentucky if both parents are gray there is at least a 75 percent chance the foal will be gray bailey said if one parent is gray there is at least a 50 percent chance of the foals being gray but every horse that is gray has at least one gray parent
when gray horses are born they are usually a solid color like bay or chestnut and have flecks of gray hair some would identify that as roan but just like humans as the horses age they become more gray and eventually turn almost white the colors gray and roan were once recognized separately by the jockey club on certificates of foal registration but the categories were merged beginning with the foal crop of 1993
combining the two colors into one category reduced the number of corrections saving breeders and owners the time and expense associated with filing for corrected certificates of foal registration said rick bailey the jockey club registrar
the only clear differences between gray horses and bays or chestnuts is that grays are easier to spot and harder to keep clean tapit who loves to roll around in the mud is given multiple baths a day and is even vacuumed to keep him looking regal
because they stand out gray horses have become popular among bettors im betting the gray is a common phrase heard at racetracks
the derby is so unique because you have a lot of people betting who dont normally bet and pick horses based on names numbers and colors bowen said it will be interesting to see if the allure of the gray has an effect on the odds saturday
sarah duffy who lives in columbus ohio is one of those fans there is something mystical about the grays she said they have a spirit
this year she has plenty of grays to choose from she is picking mohaymen to win the derby because she likes the even color of his coat and the look in his eyes she is hoping that he can treat fans to a second consecutive triple crown sweep following american pharoahs sweep last year
ive been a fan of the ponies since i was a young girl duffy said my mom claims it is because she and i watched the last triple crown winner when she was pregnant with me i waited the full 37 years to see one on the outside
tapits sire pulpit was known to be a handful and tapit has passed on his fathers aggressive nature to several offspring his progeny at the derby have acted up while training on the racetrack in the paddock and in the starting gate
if you didnt know the horse hed be a tough horse to fool with buckler the stallion manager said of tapit but if you get to know him and respect him hell respect you hes more aggressive than my other horses i say its his bloodline at least we got the good end of it stakes winners
tapits demeanor serves him well in the breeding shed where he has no trouble keeping his focus
hes easy to handle when he gets into the breeding shed its all action buckler said theres no coaxing zero you just stand behind the mare with him and let him get ready
his owner ron winchell who retained a 50 percent stake in tapit and is able to watch him any time of day from a security camera feed said tapit was more playful than anything else when he was racing he would literally take stuff out of his stall and throw it he said its not a mean aggressive more of like ha ha i got you 
winchell is in an awkward spot this week he owns gun runner who is trained by steve asmussen and is not a tapit colt but asmussen also trains creator a tapit colt not owned by winchell either way though winchell would win if one of those horses crossed the finish line first
i would have thought our horse in the derby would have been a tapit but its not and its even funnier that steve has a tapit and its not ours winchell said ideally it would be us in first and a tapit in second
no matter what happens saturday tapit will keep breeding up to 135 mares a year performing up to three times a day his handlers hope he keeps producing champions
the only competition tapit has is himself michael hernon the director of sales at gainesway said referring to tapits earnings of 183 million in 2015 breaking his own north american record of 168 million in 2014
asked if the farm staff would do anything special for the champion stallion should one of his sons win the derby   adorn his stall with roses perhaps   hernon replied i dont know if hes a roses kind of guy he prefers champagne


los angeles   the lawsuit over sumner m redstones competency took a startling turn on friday when the judge interrupted afternoon testimony to say that he was strongly entertaining a motion by mr redstones lawyers to dismiss the whole case
the development came after the ailing media mogul in halting but fiery videotaped testimony appeared to forcefully reject the proposal that his former lover manuela herzer who brought the lawsuit make his health care decisions
judge david j cowan delivered what amounted to a judicial bombshell as dr stephen l read an expert witness for ms herzer finished his testimony relating to mr redstones competence gabrielle vidal a lawyer for mr redstone asked that the judge reconsider their request for a dismissal judge cowan said that he was leaning toward dismissal but that he would review the matter over the weekend and asked both sides to submit briefs
a decision to dismiss would put an end to a bitter monthslong legal battle that has included thousands of pages of documents and exposed lurid details that industry observers say have tarnished both sides it would also leave in place for now the controlling structure of his two big media companies viacom and cbs mr redstone is a director chairman emeritus and controlling shareholder of both and remains in control until he is either declared incompetent or dies
in bringing the suit ms herzer had claimed that the 92 year old billionaire wasnt competent when he removed her from a directive that would have put her in charge of his care but in reopening the question of dismissal judge cowan said he was relying heavily on mr redstones own statements in a profanity laced video that was played behind closed courtroom doors
i think he said what he wanted to say judge cowan said of the 18 minute video in which mr redstone repeatedly used obscene epithets in referring to ms herzer and said he did not want her involved with his health care
how can i sit here and say after seeing that video no youve got to have manuela judge cowan asked
in a brief verbal response to the judges remarks pierce odonnell ms herzers lawyer said that he still had a great deal of evidence to present he further noted that the judge appeared to be reducing a complicated decision about mr redstones well being into a far simpler one   whether ms herzer or mr redstones until recently estranged daughter shari redstone should be left in charge of his care
in addition to mr redstones testimony the judge said he was also strongly influenced by dr reads acknowledgment under cross examination that ms herzer at this point would not be a viable choice for management of mr redstones current or future care
in his testimony videotaped on thursday mr redstone said that he hated ms herzer in response to a question about whether he wanted ms herzer to make health care decisions for him mr redstone replied no
i want manuela out of my life mr redstone said at the end of the session when his lawyer asked what he wanted at the end of the trial the videotaped testimony was shown after reporters and spectators were cleared from the courtroom and a transcript was provided to news organizations afterward
in response to a question from his lawyer about who he wants to make his health care decisions if he is unable to do so himself he responded with the name of his daughter shar   shari he also confirmed that he had been seeing his family lately and was happy with the nursing care that he was receiving
while ms herzer claims that she is concerned about mr redstones well being his lawyers say that she is after his money on the same day ms herzer was removed from the health care directive she was also removed from mr redstones estate plan in which he had planned to give her 50 million and his 20 million los angeles mansion
in his testimony mr redstone was able to answer some questions   especially those with yes or no answers   but did not respond to others when asked what his birth name had been for instance he remained silent it is sumner murray rothstein the transcript shows that the flow of the testimony was sporadic and at one point his interpreter asked that mr redstones dentures be adjusted in order to better understand him
but at other times mr redstones comments were decisive and showed a glimmer of his well known ferocity and penchant for profanity
in the first question he was asked who ms herzer was his response denigrated her with two obscene words he repeated that description of her several times over the course of his testimony
during the testimony mr redstone said yes in response to a question about whether ms herzer stole money from him but was not able to say how much money she stole he also confirmed that he once said that she was the love of his life but that he did not still love her
when he later was asked by his lawyer why ms herzer was ejected he said she lied to me
when asked what ms herzer had done to assist in his health care he struggled to find words repeated his obscenities about her and failed to help an interpreter spell out an answer
whats the first letter the interpreter finally asked
l the next letter h h next letter i e h e the interpreter continued she helped helped
in opening statements ms herzers lawyers sought to show that mr redstone was mentally incompetent and under the undue influence of others when he removed ms herzer last october from an advance directive that would have given her authority over his health care
mr odonnell cast ms redstone as the central villain in a supposed conspiracy to deceive and manipulate him
she established a broad intelligence gathering network inside mr redstones home featuring a ring of spies mr odonnell said in describing what he said was a yearlong effort by ms redstone then estranged from her father to get control of his money and media properties
robert n klieger who represents mr redstone sharply dismissed the notion of a conspiracy instead he said ms herzer had worked to remain in mr redstones good graces and to share his wealth by weaving lies about other women with whom the media executive had become romantically involved
the first witness to follow mr redstones testimony friday was dr read a psychiatrist who examined the media mogul in late january and in a report said the executive lacked decision making capacity
dr read called mr redstone a thin shadow of what he was he said he rated mr redstones dementia based on an earlier examination as being toward the severe end of moderate
dr read noted mr redstones extreme difficulty in swallowing and with what he called language production
dr reads testimony also revealed that mr redstone engaged in sports betting with friends and family mr redstone often doesnt know who is playing but the bets are arranged so that mr redstone always wins dr read said adding that the mogul thinks he has a perfect record
in the afternoon as testimony resumed after judge cowans statements about dismissal ms herzers legal team shifted gears by calling a redstone caretaker they sought to portray him as having been at the center of a conspiracy orchestrated by shari redstone with an eye toward ousting ms herzer and an another redstone companion sydney holland
that caretaker a vocational nurse named joseph octaviano acknowledged having regularly provided ms redstone with reports of her fathers behavior including his relationships with ms herzer and ms holland
asked whether he would have been fired had mr redstone known that he was reporting intimate details of his life mr octaviano said yes asked whether it would be fair to say that he hated ms herzer he again answered yes
neither keryn redstone a granddaughter of mr redstone nor philippe dauman the chief executive of viacom testified as scheduled


london   conferences can be a little niche but most dont aim to stultify
not so the boring conference a daylong showcase of talks on deliberately dull topics first staged in london in 2010 the conference is set to take place here again on saturday may 7 according to its website tickets are sold out
this years participants include eleanor herring a historian who will discuss the history of lampposts and jason ward a jigsaw puzzle aficionado who will assemble a puzzle at the conference throughout the day
james ward no relation to jason who works for a small public relations agency conceived the event after the organizer of the interesting conference dedicated to interesting but nonutilitarian pursuits announced that it would not take place in 2010
so james ward who also runs a blog called i like boring things posted a knee jerk response on twitter saying that he would start a boring conference he said in a phone interview responses quickly began piling up and an idea that had started out as an idle tweet became something id have to do for real
as the conferences website notes mr ward 35 is the author of adventures in stationery a journey through your pencil case a book that was awarded two out of five stars by the south china morning post
the conference format has evolved through the years as mr ward has aimed for the right blend of actual dullness and enigmatic intrigue
theres a sort of constant refinement of what the conference should actually showcase he said noting that some early participants verged too far into the actual doldrums
having people with genuine interests in obscure or overlooked areas has worked best he said setting time limits on their presentations has also helped he noted
past participants include tim steiner a hand dryer enthusiast who has a dyson airblade installed in his house and a 7 year old boy who likes elevators both lectured on their interests peter fletcher who kept a yearslong record of each of his sneezes appeared at the first conference to discuss his project
he writes down the time the date where he was what he was doing and a measure of strength mr ward said of the sneeze project to me thats always been the kind of archetypal boring talk
technology allowing conference organizers will livestream the jigsaw puzzle event mr ward said people around the world can follow the progress of a man doing a jigsaw puzzle for seven hours which will be very exciting he said adding im sure it will set the internet alight


washington   in a biting critique of the presumptive republican nominee president obama said friday that donald j trump should be subjected to serious scrutiny and not be allowed to treat the presidential campaign like a reality show
we are in serious times and this is a really serious job mr obama said after being asked about mr trump at a white house news conference this is not entertainment this is not a reality show this is a contest for the presidency of the united states
the president suggested that mr trumps statements and proposals would wither under exacting standards and genuine scrutiny saying that particular attention must be paid to campaign promises made by mr trump   or any other candidate   on issues like the budget the economy and foreign policy
you know if they take a position on international issues that could threaten war or has the potential of upending our critical relationships with other countries or would potentially break the financial system that needs to be reported on mr obama said
what im concerned about is the degree to which reporting and information starts emphasizing the spectacle and the circus he added because thats not something we can afford
taking questions from reporters at the white house for the first time since mr trump became the presumptive nominee on tuesday the president chided the news media over its coverage of the campaign saying it had not yet focused on serious issues
one thing that im going to really be looking for over the next six months is that the american people are effectively informed about where candidates stand on the issues what they believe making sure that their numbers add up making sure that their policies have been vetted and that candidates are held to what theyve said in the past mr obama said
the comments though restrained in tone were a preview of what aides say will be a vigorous presence by mr obama in the general election mr trump and mr obama have a tense history that includes mr trumps leading role in the birther movement which falsely suggested that the president was not born in the united states
mr obama has so far held back from entering the fray on the democratic side in part because of the continuing contest between hillary clinton and senator bernie sanders asked whether it was time for mr sanders to concede the president once again demurred
he said both democratic candidates agreed on issues like raising the minimum wage investing in infrastructure improving the immigration system using the military prudently and providing health care to all americans
lets let the process play itself out he said
but mr obama seems increasingly impatient to weigh in on the republican side amid a contest in which millions of voters have rejected more than a dozen traditional candidates in favor of a hotel mogul and former reality tv star
the presidents comments came during what had been billed as a statement on the economy and financial corruption but after making his remarks on those topics the president took questions from reporters knowing that he would undoubtedly be asked about mr trump
he said republican voters must now confront the choice they have made
their standard bearer at the moment is donald trump mr obama said republican voters are going to have to make a decision about whether this is the guy who speaks for them and represents their values
in particular he added republican women voters are going to have to decide is that the guy i feel comfortable with representing me and what i care about 
he also suggested that reporters covering the campaign   including some sitting in the room   had not done enough to expose the weaknesses in mr trumps policies
he has a long record that needs to be examined the president said adding that the american people theyve got good judgment theyve got good instincts as long as they get good information
echoing mr obama vice president joseph r biden jr speaking on friday to the cbs affiliate in pittsburgh expressed worry that mr trump might ultimately persuade voters that he was fit to be president
he has beaten the odds hes surprised everybody mr biden said i think we all make a mistake when we dont take him seriously
the vice president said that mr trump could hire some really significant advisers and propose policies that would make people think well maybe this guy can actually be president 
mr obama like many of his predecessors has often criticized the news media for focusing on frivolous subjects that produce good images instead of the more weighty subjects that are central to governing
as if on cue a television reporter in the briefing room asked the president about a twitter post by mr trump in which he professed his love of hispanics and was pictured eating a taco bowl mr obama seemed amused if not surprised by the question
i have no thoughts on mr trumps tweets the president said bluntly as a general rule i dont pay attention to mr trumps tweets


the list of players who have been suspended by major league baseball since 2005 for taking banned substances is 42 pages long and it includes pharmacological quick fixes like boldenone clenbuterol formestane and stanozolol
but recently three players   the major leaguers daniel stumpf of the phillies and chris colabello of the blue jays and the minor leaguer kameron loe   were suspended for taking turinabol an anabolic steroid straight out of a doping time machine
developed in the 1960s by jenapharm an east german drug company turinabol became a foundation of the east german sports machine that rivaled the united states and the soviet union for medal supremacy at the olympics in the 1970s and 1980s
after the collapse of the soviet bloc turinabol largely disappeared and antidoping experts do not know any major pharmaceutical company that produces the drug whose chemical compound is dehydrochlormethyltestosterone
yet athletes have found a way to obtain turinabol which can help muscles retain protein to build or repair them and more player suspensions for the drug may be announced in the coming weeks according to a person with knowledge of baseballs antidoping program
baseball has only just started to catch players using turinabol but officials monitoring wrestling weight lifting and other sports have been catching athletes using the drug in recent years last year 11 of the 17 athletes suspended at the world weight lifting championships in houston were found to have taken turinabol and they came from azerbaijan belarus greece kazakhstan moldova and russia
it is a relative epidemic and this is not only north america said dr christiane ayotte the director of the montreal doping control laboratory it might have started in the former eastern bloc countries
antidoping experts believe that unscrupulous chemists in the united states may be creating the drug or more likely that it is being imported dr don catlin an antidoping pioneer in the united states who ran the drug testing lab at the 1984 los angeles olympics said turinabol was easily obtainable online he added that it was contained as a labeled ingredient in at least one supplement that can be bought off the shelf it is also possible the steroid is contained as an unlabeled product in a supplement he said
i suspect somebody got a big supply of it somewhere and has been distributing it among friends and neighbors catlin said one guy gets it and feels its working and tells all his buddies next thing you know youve got a miniepidemic
that turinabol has shown up in supplements sold in the united states means some athletes may have unwittingly taken the drug to be safe canadian authorities have warned their olympic athletes to stay away from supplements sold in the united states said dr bob mccormack the chief medical officer of the canadian olympic team
a high percentage of the raw materials for supplements come from china where there is poor quality control and there is a powerful lobby in the us to combat oversight so we tell athletes in canada not to take us supplements he said
although turinabol proved infamously effective as an east german steroid catlin said it does not clear the body quickly and is easily detectable for years it did not appear to be in widespread international use an average of four to six positive tests were recorded annually by the 35 labs of the world anti doping agency catlin said the number spiked to 73 in 2013 before lowering to 17 in 2014 and 14 in 2015 he said citing wada statistics
these things come and go catlin said but he added to think just because its old means you cant detect it is nonsense
in fact one reason for the recent suspensions is that like a cat and mouse game antidoping authorities have found more sophisticated ways of testing for the drug in 2012 tim sobolevsky and grigory rodchenkov published a paper in the journal of steroid biochemistry and molecular biology that outlined a more effective test for turinabol
since then antidoping groups and sports leagues have updated their tests to better detect the drug turinabol has been on major league baseballs banned list for years but the league updated its techniques to look for the drug in 2014 as part of an annual review of its drug testing protocol
ayotte the director of the montreal doping control laboratory said the number of positive tests for turinabol would start to drop as athletes realizef that leagues and associations were doing a better job of looking for the drug
but it will take time for word to get around the baseball players recently caught using turinabol may not have been aware of its east german provenance catlin said or they didnt care the side effects are horrendous particularly to women he said but male baseball players probably dont give a damn
few players if any may know that the state sponsored doping system in east germany was known by the euphemism supporting means and involved as many as 10000 athletes oral turinabol was often given to unsuspecting athletes including teenagers and children who were told that the blue pills were vitamins
a number of former east german athletes have said they developed chronic health problems believed to be related to taking massive amounts of turinabol in 2006 jenapharm agreed to pay 184 former east german athletes about 12000 each while the german olympic committee agreed to pay 170 athletes the same amount
perhaps the most extreme case involving turinabol use was that of heidi krieger who won the womens shot put at the 1986 european track and field championships in a 2004 interview with the new york times krieger said that taking the steroids created virile features and heightened confusion about an already uncertain gender identity in 1997 krieger had sexual reassignment surgery and is now known as andreas krieger
the fact that the drug is now so easily detected is the reason victor conte jr who ran the bay area laboratory co operative in northern california that figured in a widespread doping scandal a decade ago wrote on his twitter account that the knowing use of turinabol was dumber than dumb
steven ungerleider the author of fausts gold a book about the east german doping system said the emergence of turinabol in baseball was a little odd
theres a zillion other ways more sophisticated to use banned substances and avoid detection said ungerleider a sports psychologist in eugene ore why would anyone go back to using that he asked but people do crazy things


johnstown ny   the rabbis had never inspected a medical marijuana plant before
they had arrived here at vireo health of new yorks plant about an hour northwest of albany looking for evidence that the companys products merited kosher certification they would eventually give their approval but not before asking some tough questions beginning in the room where row after row of plants hung upside down to dry
this is where they start getting worried recalled ari hoffnung the companys chief executive because the kosher rules they were most focused on apply after a plant is dried
as legalization of medical marijuana has hopscotched the nation entrepreneurs have become nothing if not imaginative marijuana lotions gluten free edibles and many other niche products have hit the market businesses have also found resourceful ways to deal with a patchwork of taxation banking and interstate commerce issues
little about the fledgling industry then comes as a surprise but kosher pot
well business is business whether its widgets or weed and any bit of competitive advantage is welcome
youre seeing companies looking for creative ways to distinguish themselves but also just interesting ways to appeal to different types of consumers said taylor west deputy director of the national cannabis industry association
vireo a subsidiary of vireo health is one of at least two companies aiming to sell kosher medical marijuana products like tinctures or cannabis oil the orthodox union one of the united states most prominent jewish groups gave its first medical marijuana certification to vireo in january another company cresco labs in illinois is in the final stages of getting certified from a local rabbinical organization
vireos plant here looks like a prison and smells like a dorm it used to be the site of the tryon residential center a state run facility for troubled youths that closed several years ago the irony is not lost on mr hoffnung or his workers
as he walked by old classrooms where hundreds of marijuana plants now grow mr hoffnung explained that the rabbis had mostly cared about what happened toward the end of the manufacturing process which is why the drying plants had raised eyebrows what chemicals did vireo use to extract the cannabis oil the rabbis had needed to know what kind of capsules did they use
smoking marijuana by itself isnt an issue   at least not from a kosher dietary standpoint   since the rules are intended for food and drinks products ingested in some way on the other hand are another story
ingredients must not come into contact with forbidden foods like pigs or insects and the restrictions extend all the way down the supply chain
every ingredient in a marijuana brownie for example needs to be kosher the leaves if eaten would need to come from a bug free plant marijuana gelcaps cannot be made out of pig gelatin there are also rules for the equipment that processes kosher food vireos products that have been certified by the orthodox union can have the recognizable ou stamp on their packaging and must submit to periodic inspections from the groups rabbis
we literally took them through every square inch of the facility said david ellis the executive vice president of operations at cresco labs the chicago rabbinical council visited cresco in march and said it was in the final stages of issuing a kosher certification that will cover everything from chocolate bars to concentrates
lifesaving medical treatment is an exception to kosher rules a cancer drug made out of bacon wrapped crickets for example would be fine but while many patients use medical marijuana to treat the symptoms of serious illnesses cannabis products are often not considered curative
the products almost certain to have a niche market will be joining a booming industry legal sales of marijuana are expected to rise to 57 billion this year up from 44 billion last year according to a report from ackrell capital a boutique investment bank the recreational use of marijuana is legal in four states plus the district of columbia while medical marijuana is allowed in 19 more
mr hoffnung 42 is quick to say that he is not a cannabis enthusiast and wants nothing to do with the recreational marijuana industry he says that he considers vireo one of five companies licensed to sell medical marijuana products in new york a pharmaceutical company
dressed in a dark blue blazer and white button down shirt he looks like the wall street executive that he used to be having spent nearly a decade at firms including jpmorgan chase after wall street mr hoffnung served as a deputy comptroller for new york city part of his job involved analyzing the fiscal implications of medical marijuana
just studying it with a group of economists and sophisticated financial analysts led me to believe wow this is a multibillion dollar market mr hoffnung said
the industry still faces a number of challenges because the federal government considers marijuana an illegal drug many banks refuse to work with companies in the cannabis business leading to stories about trunks full of cash and covert money transfers and these companies cannot take advantage of some of the tax breaks intended for small businesses
vireo spent thousands of dollars on its kosher certification   mr hoffnung declined to say just how much because he sees it as one small step along medical marijuanas march toward mainstream acceptance the endorsement from a rabbinical organization he hopes will help the products appeal to a broader swath of consumers
theres no question he said that the number of patients that desire kosher products coupled with battling the stigma associated with medical marijuana made this a wise economic investment
representatives of the orthodox union and the chicago rabbinical council which inspected cresco said that the idea of kosher medical marijuana had stirred much internal debate and that they would certify only medical marijuana and not products intended for the recreational market
deciding to go forward with the certification process wasnt an easy decision said rabbi moshe elefant the chief operating officer at the orthodox unions kosher division
but rabbi sholem fishbane the administrator of kosher laws for the chicago rabbinical council said he now expected to get more calls
what i thought would be you know maybe ill call it an amusing afternoon he said about the inspection really turned out to be a lot of lessons of kosher 101


the new york timeskaiser family foundation survey of chicago is based on interviews conducted april 21 through may 3 with 1123 adults who live in chicago
ssrs of media pa conducted sampling interviewing and tabulation for the survey interviews were in english or spanish
the times and kaiser both contributed financing for the survey and teams from both organizations worked together to develop the questionnaire and analyze the data each organization is solely responsible for its own interpretation and conclusions
the sample of telephone exchanges called both landline and cellphone was randomly selected by a computer from a complete list of exchanges in chicago maintained by marketing systems group of horsham pa within each exchange random digits were added to form a complete telephone number thus permitting access to listed and unlisted numbers alike within each landline household one adult was designated by a random procedure to be the respondent for the survey
for purposes of analysis black and hispanic respondents were oversampled this involved random dialing in landline exchanges and cellphone areas with high proportions of minority residents plus interviews with minority households previously interviewed in polls by ssrs oversampled groups were then adjusted to their proportion of the population
interviewers made multiple attempts to reach every phone number in the survey calling back unanswered numbers on different days at different times of both day and evening
the combined results have been weighted to adjust for variation in the sample of the chicago population relating to age sex race and ethnicity education marital status and landline versus cellphone service
in theory in 19 cases out of 20 overall results based on such samples will differ by no more than four percentage points in either direction from what would have been obtained by seeking to interview all chicago adults this margin of sampling error takes into account the effect of weighting procedures
for smaller subgroups the margin of sampling error is larger for example it is plus or minus five percentage points for the 477 black respondents seven points for the 263 hispanics and seven points for the 304 whites
in addition to sampling error the practical difficulties of conducting any survey of the public may introduce other sources of error variation in the wording order and translation of questions for example may lead to somewhat different results
complete questions and results are available at nytimescompolls


chicago   the people of chicago are deeply riven by race class and neighborhood distrustful of the police fearful of the growing rate of violent crime and united chiefly in their disapproval of the mayors performance and their conviction that the city is headed down the wrong track
these are among findings of a new survey by the new york times and the kaiser family foundation which polled residents of a city that has been upended in recent months by revelations of questionable actions by the police threats of a teachers strike a school funding crisis and an uptick in violence
the poll finds broad discontent with the police and those charged with overseeing them particularly among african americans residents expressed concerns about racial bias in shootings by officers and many show ambivalence about whether calling the police will ease situations or not make a difference
residents of chicago the nations third largest city appear to have lost faith in many of its essential institutions including the police courts and the public schools
the sharpest levels of discontent appear among black residents on the south and west sides when it comes to hopes for young people satisfaction with city services and   especially   expectations about interactions with the police the divide between black and white chicago is striking
it seems like the police can do anything and get away with it enix daniels who is 50 and black and lives on the west side said in a follow up interview there are no repercussions if we do something we have to pay a bond before we get out if they do something they get to sit at their desk
the survey was conducted as chicago confronts a daunting array of problems six months ago protesters took to the streets after the release of video showing a white chicago police officer shooting a black teenager named laquan mcdonald 16 times the justice department began an investigation into the police department the police superintendent was fired and a task force last month issued a scathing report denouncing systemic racism at the department
these problems and divides are not unique to chicago cleveland baltimore and ferguson mo have all been convulsed after black people died in encounters with police officers and neighborhood segregation and budget and school problems are common in the nations major cities here though the challenges reached a fever pitch all at once and the survey shows how difficult it will be to win the trust of a divided city as it confronts some of the most fraught issues facing urban america today
in the survey 62 percent of residents said they disapproved of mayor rahm emanuels job performance and only a quarter approved among blacks his disapproval rating is 70 percent
most chicagoans say they doubt that the mayor cares much about the needs of people like themselves among black residents the feelings are stronger only 8 percent believe that mr emanuel cares a lot about people like them and nearly two thirds think he cares not much or not at all
responding to the surveys findings a spokesman for the mayor spoke of work already underway
the mayors focus is on building on the progress we have made with generations old issues in chicago from jobs to education to public safety adam collins the spokesman said in an emailed statement we are striving to grow our already record high school graduation rate to build out our first in the nation free community college program and extend our record performance of adding 41 corporate headquarters and nearly 100000 jobs here over the past five years and we will continue to invest in everything from technology to training as we work to reduce crime and build trust in the police department
the telephone poll was conducted april 21 to may 3 using landlines and cellphones with 1123 adults throughout the city of chicago the margin of sampling error is plus or minus four percentage points for all adults
nearly equal numbers of blacks whites and hispanics live in chicago a city of about 27 million but they often live on separate sides of town and the survey shows find themselves leading vastly different lives
by consistent double digit margins african americans and latinos on the south and west sides are more likely than north side whites to be dissatisfied with aspects of their neighborhoods like the condition of public recreation facilities services like trash removal and the availability of public transportation
ive been living in this neighborhood about 30 years and i really like it   its gotten nicer over the years said tammy snider 60 who is white and lives on the north side i sometimes take the bus to an aerobics class in an area thats not that safe but its during the day
the split between neighborhoods can feel like a gulf only on the north side do a majority of residents say it is very likely for a typical young person to graduate from high school on the west side just three in 10 think so
in the north and northwest side its clean you can walk up and down the street without getting stuck up said carl hill 62 who is black and lives on the south side our area is neglected
latinos in chicago attest to experiencing slightly less discrimination and generally live in less segregated neighborhoods but they share some of the frustrations felt by african americans citywide fewer than 20 percent feel very safe in the area where they live
few issues define chicagos divide more than schools most chicagoans say their neighborhood lacks quality public schools but the misery is lopsided on the south side 71 percent of african americans say so in 2013 mr emanuels administration oversaw the closing of nearly 50 schools many in black and latino communities a move that contributed to a tense re election fight for the mayor last year
the blowback has invigorated public support for the chicago teachers union which says it may strike if a contract deal cannot be reached fifty nine percent of residents citywide support the decision to strike and that soars to almost three quarters among african american parents living with children
teachers are overworked and underpaid said kareen noble 33 a black father of three whose wife is a substitute teacher i know the mayor inherited some of his problems but he closed a lot of schools without a better option or plan
nearly half of all parents living with children said they would like to leave chicago
chicagoans are more united in viewing crime and violence as the most pressing issues facing the city chicago has long wrestled with guns and gangs and the splintering of large gangs into smaller disparate groups has added to the bloodshed that largely plays out on the south and west sides as of late april murders were up 54 percent from last year and shootings were up by 70 percent
the homicide rate has slowed in recent weeks the police say and gun seizures and murder arrests are increasing
some parts of the citys mostly white north side seem insulated from these trends fewer than one fifth of residents there say they feel unsafe in their neighborhood and 64 percent of north side whites say their area is a good or excellent place to raise children but south and west of the citys gleaming loop skyline the fallout feels different   immediate and urgent nearly half of african americans say they have changed their daily routines in recent months in response to crime
when i was his age i could go out without my mother being worried i would get shot tierra cooper who is black said of her 7 year old son she said she was afraid to send him outdoors without intense supervision
the city was jolted by video that showed laquan mcdonald crumpling on a southwest side street amid a spray of police bullets across neighborhoods and races residents followed the case and 56 percent consider the shooting unjustified only 7 percent say it was justified
distrust in the police began long before that video emerged still vivid to many are the clashes at the democratic national convention in 1968 and confessions coerced using russian roulette and electric shocks on black men in the 1970s and 1980s by a midnight crew of detectives
but the videos release in november unleashed a new level of anger protesters marched in the streets a task force appointed by mr emanuel issued a crushing appraisal that the police departments own data gives validity to the widely held belief the police have no regard for the sanctity of life when it comes to people of color
now only one third of residents say the police are doing a good job nearly six in 10 think officers are not punished harshly enough in cases of excessive force and a majority of residents believe the police are more likely to use deadly force against black people and that african americans and latinos are usually treated unfairly by the citys criminal justice system
two thirds of chicagoans disapprove of mr emanuels handling of the police yet more approve than disapprove of his surprise choice for new superintendent of eddie johnson a longtime officer who is african american
chicagoans agree even more strongly that a range of reforms   some of which the city has already began to undertake   could help reduce police involved shootings including hiring an independent police monitor expanding crisis and de escalation training and adding more police dashboard cameras
in recent months the chicago police department has implemented dozens of reforms aimed at rebuilding public trust restoring accountability at every level of the department and promoting transparency said anthony guglielmi a spokesman for the chicago police department
but serious doubts linger a majority of black chicagoans doubt that calling the police will improve a dangerous situation forty two percent said they thought calling the police would not make much difference and 12 percent said they thought it would actually make matters worse


edmonton alberta   convoys of cars and trucks made their way gingerly through the wildfire ravaged community of fort mcmurray alberta on friday headed south to safety past the charred ruins of neighborhoods and businesses after being stranded for days north of town on the areas main highway
bracketed by royal canadian mounted police cruisers and preceded by a military helicopter watching for flare ups near their route the first convoy got rolling shortly after dawn and others followed at intervals
in the next few days officials hope to clear 15000 vehicles from the area which had been cut off repeatedly when flames blocked highway 63 the only road link to the rest of canada
food and fuel stops for the convoys were set up along the highway and the traffic was free flowing and going well rachel notley the premier of alberta said at a news conference in edmonton
mounties blocked intersections along the convoys route to prevent evacuees from turning off to check on their homes and property the city of fort mcmurray is not safe to return to and this will be true for a significant period of time ms notley said so the town site is going to be secured and protected by the rcmp
brig gen wayne d eyre said that military helicopter crews used techniques developed in the war in afghanistan to search for potential fire threats to the conveys
when fort mcmurray was swiftly overtaken by a wildfire on tuesday and the city was ordered evacuated most of its 90000 residents escaped south on highway 63 and the road rapidly became choked with traffic and was blocked at times by the fire about 25000 people headed north instead to take refuge in the large work camps used to house transient workers at oil sands projects some camps that had been mothballed after the recent slump in oil prices were reopened as shelters
the camps too were cut off when the flames closed the highway and they soon ran low on food and supplies officials tried to resupply the camps using a military transport plane but on thursday evening ms notley said that effort was no longer sustainable
many evacuees have been airlifted from the camps using an airstrip owned by shell canada on chartered and oil company owned aircraft including at least one executive jet
but other evacuees tried to drive south again only to be stopped at a police blockade outside fort mcmurray because smoke and fire had again severed highway 63 the long line of stopped vehicles led to frustration and sometimes confrontations
overnight on thursday tankers with gasoline and diesel fuel were escorted north to fort mcmurray to top off the tanks of the isolated evacuees many of whom had run out of fuel
the vehicles are being divided into convoys of about 50 with police cars at the front and back to keep them together and moving television images showed that many of the vehicles were pickup trucks fitted with buggy whips   pennants on long flexible sticks that are meant to ensure that the trucks are not overlooked and crushed by the immense dump trucks used in oil sands open pit mines
the police released the convoys to travel on their own once they were a safe distance south of fort mcmurray ms notley urged the evacuees to continue on to edmonton the provincial capital and nearest large city or to calgary farther south
what were trying to do is encourage them to go to the two major centers because thats where we have the greatest number of services both in terms of health income support mental health support as well as the capacity to absorb the students into the school system she said
new shelters were expected to open in both cities on friday
ms notley said the fire continued to grow thursday night and had burned about 250000 acres as of friday fire officials said the flames had reached the gates of the long lake oil sands project which has been shut down as well as the small town of anzac where some evacuees from fort mcmurray had initially fled
while there was as yet no end in sight to the fire a change in wind direction on friday may ease the threat it poses to populated areas chad morrison of the provincial wildfire service said the fire would probably stop moving south and start moving to the northeast of the city where there is nothing but forest
firefighters are having success protecting the surviving buildings in fort mcmurray as well as in anzac mr morrison said but the extreme intensity of the fire has made it impossible to tackle on any larger scale
right now we really do need some rain he said adding that even with rain well be here for weeks and weeks even that may be optimistic he acknowledged its not uncommon to have large landscape fires burn late into the year


for radiohead untraditional album releases are nothing new but the band can still surprise on friday morning after teasing fans with online clues for months but having never announced an official release date the british group said that its ninth album would be out on sunday
the album   its title has still not been confirmed   will be available on digital music services at 2 pm sunday and in physical formats on june 17 the announcement also came with a new song daydreaming and its video a collaboration with the director paul thomas anderson that is streaming on radioheads website the song is being sold in the bands online store and on itunes and is streaming on spotify and apple music
an unexpected album from a major act while owned in the popular imagination by beyonce thanks to back to back sneak attacks including last months lemonade was in some ways prefigured by radiohead in 2007 the band independently released in rainbows with a pay what you want model online just days after announcing the album king of limbs from 2011 came with even shorter notice and thom yorke the bands lead singer has also experimented with digital releases for solo projects
other acts with loyal fan bases including drake dangelo and kendrick lamar have since used variations on the sudden drop skipping the monthslong promotional lead up that has long come with big name albums on thursday night with little notice the british singer james blake who is featured on beyonces lemonade released his third studio album online
radioheads obsessive listeners perked up their collective ears for a fresh project in january after the band created a new independent company as it did before its previous two albums the band had also been seen recording in photos posted to social media
last week the band began cryptically wiping its online presence clean again stirring rumors of an imminent release before returning with some mysterious clips on instagram and eventually a new single and clay animation music video for the song burn the witch which has been viewed more than 82 million times in its first few days
the band had also announced a slate of tour dates for 2016   its first live shows since 2012 and another clue that new music was on its way
after eight warm up shows in europe radiohead is to appear at summer festivals including primavera sound in barcelona on june 3 secret solstice in reykjavik on june 17 and lollapalooza in chicago on july 29 the band is also scheduled to play two nights at madison square garden july 26 and 27 along with a handful of other summer dates in north america and japan


last month the jpmorgan chase shareholders letter went up online and the banks chief executive jamie dimon had some harsh words for start ups selling services that try to improve upon his banks offerings
to the mints and the acorns and the pennys and the scores of other services and their partners that use chase checking and credit card data in their work   and more important to their customers   he declared the following
# these start ups take more of your data than they need to
# many of them sell the data to outsiders in a way that benefits them but not you
# they often take your data every day for years even if your account is inactive
# if your money disappears because of fraud its on you not the bank
his broadsides make for great theater even if the statements are debatable but because its jamie dimon talking you have to take the letter seriously after all an ever growing number of consumers dont mind letting third parties see their financial information like their debit card transactions or investment choices if it means getting new investment or budgeting advice or services that the banks havent thought of themselves
well examine his points one by one in a moment but first a question why is the company making all of this noise now
none of these new services could exist without third parties called aggregators they run software in the background that connects the apps with banks and other financial services companies to collect customer data back in the 1990s when aggregators like yodlee first came on the scene the banks engaged in much public hand wringing about the security implications of screen scraping which is essentially what happens when an app needs to fetch your data from a banks computers
but by early 2002 the trade publication american banker was declaring these concerns almost passe early on big banks themselves used aggregators because high net worth customers wanted to see all their account balances on a single web dashboard
phase 2 was more troubling to the banks thats when mint came along collecting your credit card transactions from one company and then showing ads for other cards that offered better deals along the way it got bounties from that competitive card
now comes phase 3 in which the aggregators are helping start ups automate the transfer of money from big banks using the banks own data to do it consider acorns which rounds up your purchases to the nearest dollar grabs that extra change from your bank and drops it in an acorns investment account nifty right
but if youre jamie dimon this has to be utterly galling a bunch of west coast whippersnappers go into your site figure out when your customers are spending money tell a robot to take additional amounts out regularly and then invest the money someplace else your in house financial advisers are left out of the picture youd stomp your feet and hurl insults too
so should we believe his accusations here they are in his own words
far more information is taken than the third party needs in order to do its job
taken by whom a spokeswoman for chase declined to name names
does acorns take more than it needs absolutely not said an acorns co founder jeff cruttenden what about penny an app that tracks income and spending we pull three months worth of information and we did that only when consumers started demanding we give them more than two said a co founder mitchell lee plaid a newer aggregator that helps many start ups said it does not take more than it needs either
yodlee would not discuss mr dimons accusations but its silence may be connected to mr dimons next statement
many third parties sell or trade information in a way customers may not understand and the third parties quite often are doing it for their own economic benefit   not for the customers benefit
this is almost certainly directed at yodlee which was the subject of a wall street journal article last year about how it sells big batches of data on the activity of large numbers of customers say about the credit card transactions at specific merchants to hedge funds looking for a trading edge yodlee again declined to comment other than to send me a statement saying that customers should have control of their data plaid which yodlee is suing for patent infringement says it will not sell data to hedge funds
still protesters did not storm yodlees gates even if hedge funds had reason to pick out individual spending patterns they dont and they might not be able to anyway would consumers mind that those investors found out that say theyre going to mcdonalds more often because of the new all day availability of egg mcmuffins
after all this is a world where over 1000 people handed over their user names and passwords to a start up called blooom in exchange for a chipotle burrito and an analysis of their 401k investments
often this is being done on a daily basis for years after the customer signed up for the services which they may no longer be using
not us says penny in fact to do so would be uneconomical because the company has to pay fees to an aggregator every month for every account that its customers want it to track
this too may be a shot at yodlee perhaps its economic interest in selling mcmuffin data to hedge funds makes it worth the effort
when customers give out their bank passcode they may not realize that if a rogue employee at an aggregator uses this passcode to steal money from the customers account the customer not the bank is responsible for any loss
the aggregators have never had a breach that we know of plaid in a position paper on these issues points out that jpmorgan chase had a breach in 2014 in which thieves stole the contact information of tens of millions of customers
not everyone agrees with mr dimons reading of the relevant law here which is regulation e if an unauthorized transfer of money takes place because a thief has stolen your bank password from an aggregator nessa feddis deputy chief counsel for consumer protection and payments with the american bankers association agrees with mr dimon given that the consumer has handed over the password to a third party but an article in the fordham journal of corporate  financial law from 2003 came to the opposite conclusion
heres what would have to happen for a consumer not to get reimbursed a breach would have to occur as a result of an aggregators error it would also have to be apparent that it was the aggregators error even though fault is often difficult to discern the bank would have to risk bad press and lawsuits by refusing to reimburse the account holder and the aggregator and the app that used it would also have to turn the customer away even though the breach was their fault a judge might get involved too the odds of all of this coming to pass are close to zero
so if all of his statements dont amount to much why is mr dimon so exercised one hint comes from job listings that the company has posted including a posting for a vice president in a new unit that aims to leverage jpm proprietary data assets into opportunities for the bank it hopes to enable end users to make better decisions that sounds a lot like what many of the apps that scrape the banks data already do maybe someday the bank will invent services that are good enough to keep every customer inside its firewalls
or might jpmorgan just charge outside apps for access to the data or cut off access if they wont pay the bank is not offering specifics for now though patricia wexler a spokeswoman tried to make nice to account holders who want to liberate their data we understand our customers want to use these services she said in an emailed statement and we want to make sure that its done in a safe and secure way and that our customers understand that handing out their banking password to a third party has risk were happy to be working with the aggregator community to create a solution here
lets hope so your financial information which is so often used against you or to judge you belongs to you just like your health data said mr lee of penny and you should have access to it outside of the bank


that the singer prince died without even a basic will to govern what would happen to his estate potentially worth hundreds of millions of dollars was surely poor financial planning but for most americans a will is either more than they need or far far less
a will is one of the documents that financial advisers or estate lawyers usually advise clients to have but a wills role in getting assets to the right people at the right time and at the right tax rate is not what many people assume
some advisers say many americans may not even need a will and some people may benefit from a will but may opt not to draw one up for legitimate reasons
when someone dies without a will   known legally as dying intestate   there are laws in each state that govern how the assets are distributed and to whom in new york for example a married man with two children who dies without a will would have his assets split this way his wife would receive 50000 plus half of the estate and the two children would receive equal shares of the other half of the estate said jennifer b cona managing partner at the law firm genser dubow genser  cona
the courts job is to make sure all family members are protected ms cona said if there is no spouse and no children then parents and then siblings of the decedent split the estate
but she added most people dont want their assets distributed this way most spouses want all their assets to go to their spouse while she is still alive
going through what is called the probate process can also take considerable time and the costs can be taken from the assets in the estate in california for example the process takes at least nine months but can stretch out for years with court costs of thousands of dollars said kelly cruz director of strategic planning at aspiriant a wealth adviser in los angeles
there is also the issue of privacy going through a probate process like princes estate opens everything up to the public ms cruz said
so it would seem that the best response would be to draw up a will and avoid all that but theres a catch wills govern only certain types of assets most people who are not wealthy have more of their money in assets that pass to heirs through beneficiary designation forms not wills
these include retirement accounts 401k plans and life insurance other assets like bank accounts or homes can be jointly owned or have provisions to transfer ownership to an heir after the persons death in these cases the beneficiary forms overrule the will
the average american who would die intestate can deal with the majority of his assets with beneficiary designation forms said james a cox iii managing partner at the harris financial group in richmond va but a higher percentage of people who dont have a will have probably improperly filled out their beneficiary designation forms thats a far greater problem than not having a will
people starting out in a career for example may name a parent as the beneficiary on a retirement plan but decades could go by and the parent could die while still the named beneficiary in that case mr cox said the hassle is minor the parents estate files a form to disclaim the assets and they go to the beneficiaries in the standard line of succession
but a former spouse is a different story ive yet to have any of them disclaim mr cox said they got half on the way out and the remainder at death
likewise bank and brokerage accounts can be transferred to heirs by filling out transfer on death forms jeffrey carbone managing partner at cornerstone financial partners in huntersville nc said the cost of going through the probate process in that state is 4 per 1000 but he was able to save a client about 80000 on a brokerage account by having her fill out a transfer on death form naming her five children equally
sometimes there are easy fixes to estate issues he said
in states that have adopted the simpler uniform probate code which is about a third of them kevin flatley a lawyer at the keating law office in reading mass said he advises clients to forgo the expensive and time consuming process of creating an elaborate estate plan
instead he said he urges them to focus on making sure their assets are properly titled to go directly to the heirs im encouraging people more often not to worry about creating trusts just to avoid probate he said in states that have adopted the uniform probate code probate is a very simple process
new york is not one of those states but minnesota where prince died is mr flatleys advice though is predicated on the person designating assets that are easy to value   princes royalty income is not   and having heirs who all get along
but planners who work with wealthy clients who have more complicated assets shudder at such advice
for one the cost of an estate plan is not exorbitant darren m wallace a partner at the law firm day pitney estimated that a basic one for a married couple   two wills two revocable trusts and a set of documents if someone is incapacitated   at around 5000 a simple will may cost 500 to 1000 ms cona said
the real cost of not doing proper planning can come in a variety of ways mr wallace said taxes and asset protection are the two key reasons to do proper trust planning the other reason is keeping assets from passing to minor children
any good plan will also include what is called an advanced directive this includes a power of attorney which allows an appointed person to handle financial affairs should you become incapacitated and a health care proxy to allow someone to communicate with doctors about your health
these are decisions with end of life care ms cona said you should make them while you can
while it is ultimately an individuals responsibility to have everything in order a comprehensive adviser also makes sure estate documents forms and plans are set
we ask who is in your life and what would you do if you couldnt use these assets anymore said mark doman chief executive of the doman group
mr cox said he would consider it a breach of his fiduciary duty if he did not talk to clients about how assets pass its offensive sometimes to tell someone its selfish not to prepare a will he said but he added you dont want to dance around the edges
yet some people simply dont want an estate plan and make that choice consciously mr cox said he had one client who did not write a will because he did not want to upset his girlfriend of 20 years he put her as the beneficiary for various financial accounts and their home but without a will land that had come from his family reverted to his brother
it was easier for him to die intestate than to tell her that he didnt want her to have the property mr cox said
as for prince its hard to know why he never wrote even a will if not a full estate plan given his wealth but dying without a plan made him an outlier even among performing artists joan jeffri the director and founder of the research center for arts and culture at the actors fund said in surveys of older performing artists 92 percent had at least a will
estate planning helps artists shape their own legacy ms jeffri said if youre putting down your wishes youre helping to shape that legacy
that could be said for anyone


the all male final clubs at harvard university have long been bastions of money power and privilege but on friday 225 years after the oldest club was founded the university announced restrictions on the organizations that could ultimately be their undoing or at least significantly change their character by forcing them to become coed
starting with the class that enters harvard in fall 2017 members of single sex clubs will be prohibited from holding leadership positions on campus according to a statement released by the universitys president drew gilpin faust this would include athletic team captains many club members have historically been captains members will also be barred from receiving the official recommendations required for prestigious postgraduate fellowships and scholarships such as the rhodes and marshall scholarships the statement said
the new rules will apply not only to the six male final clubs but also to other single sex organizations including five womens final clubs and nine sororities and fraternities an estimated 30 percent of undergraduates at harvard belong to such clubs two other formerly male final clubs have already voted to admit women
richard t porteus a member of the harvard class of 1978 and graduate president of one of the final clubs the fly club said preliminary discussions were underway with lawyers to challenge the new rules under the theory that they infringe on the right to free association
we value what weve created over time and the opportunity that it offers for undergrads to develop as undergrads and over the course of their lives as people mr porteus said and we wont abandon it so whatever legal moral ethical means we have of sticking up for our principles im sure well consider and choose among but yes litigation is certainly not off the table
the porcellian club the oldest of the groups issued its own statement we are disappointed with this unfair and punitive decision that attacks harvards own students because they make a choice to freely assemble at unaffiliated off campus private organizations
two months ago a sexual assault task force said the final clubs raised serious concerns that required attention from harvard surveys conducted for the university as well as interviews with undergraduate women had found that some final clubs fostered an atmosphere of misogyny sexual misconduct and entitlement
harvard is not the first university to take action against single sex clubs fraternities and sororities were banned at amherst college in 2014 and wesleyan university announced that same year that it would require fraternities to be coed middlebury college is among several other small northeastern institutions that banned such clubs years ago
even so with fraternities at a number of universities under fire as the focus of sexual misconduct complaints the decision by harvard could spur other colleges to restrict single sex clubs
in announcing the decision dr faust described it as another step in harvards efforts to become a truly inclusive community
over time she said harvard has transformed its undergraduate student body as it welcomed women minorities international students and students of limited financial means as an increasing proportion of its population but the campus culture has not changed as rapidly as the student demography
the final clubs have a storied history at harvard theodore roosevelt was a member of the porcellian club franklin d roosevelt was admitted to the fly club also the choice of at least two massachusetts governors the kennedy brothers   john robert and edward   were final club members
tensions with harvard date back more than 30 years to 1984 when the male final clubs and the university severed official ties over admitting women as members none of the single sex groups are now officially recognized by the university according to a harvard spokesman the houses of the male final clubs are not on campus property
last year aware of mounting pressure from the university two of the clubs   fox and spee   voted to admit women
dr faust said last fall that she and harvard colleges dean rakesh khurana were weighing various options to address exclusivity sexual assault and alcohol abuse in the clubs and in march the administration delivered an ultimatum that the clubs should become coed by april 15
in april representatives of 13 groups including the six all male final clubs met with harvard administrators who had also considered banning the clubs altogether
the day before the meeting the president of the porcellian clubs alumni group charles m storey wrote in a letter to the harvard crimson the student newspaper forcing single gender organizations to accept members of the opposite sex could potentially increase not decrease the potential for sexual misconduct
in addition to criticizing many of them as centers of sexual misconduct the march 8 report issued by the task force on the prevention of sexual assault said the male final clubs perpetuated a class divide on campus
the clubs are imbued with a certain historical tradition that elevates members social status on campus creating an aura of sexual entitlement the report said a womans physical appearance is often seen as the basis for entry to these spaces and female students described a general expectation that entering final club spaces could be read as implicit agreement to have sexual encounters with members it said
male students who are not members are excluded from parties at many of the clubs according to the report enabling a gender ratio that makes it easier for members to have a sexual encounter
party themes and invitations have reflected misogynistic views and reinforced a sense of sexual entitlement according to the report which also pointed to competitive games between members where a man will win a particular woman or compete for the most sexual triumphs


journalists from around the world were invited to north korea to cover the ruling partys first congress in 36 years on friday but while many were allowed to travel to pyongyang the capital of the reclusive country they were then barred from the actual event
so on twitter and facebook journalists reported far from the proceedings taking place inside the convention hall where the countrys leader kim jong un is using the rare political gathering to consolidate his power
in theory the workers party which governs north korea is supposed to hold a congress every five years but this is only the seventh in the partys 70 year history the last one was held in 1980 before mr kim was even born kim il sung was in charge then it is not entirely clear why the event is happening now or what the government hoped to get with world news coverage reporters were working around the restrictions with some improvisation on social media
the press restrictions were not unusual for the country which does not allow journalists to move freely they are typically accompanied by government minders who monitor every step outside the hotel interviews with people on the street are overseen by the monitors as well
news bureaus operated by foreign press organizations are rare the associated press for example has been permitted to have an office but without a full time presence the agencys journalists are required to get government permission each time they visit which they are allowed to do only for several weeks at a time they are not allowed to move about freely when they do the new york times was not granted visas to enter the country for the conference
this congress was not the first time that international journalists have been corralled far from the action in 2012 more than 50 foreign journalists accepted coveted invitations to north korea for celebrations exalting the centenary of the countrys deceased founder kim il sung the ascension of kim jong un and a rocket launching
they were cloistered in a hotels press room which north korean government chaperones would not let them leave for hours the reporters learned about the rocket launching via messages and telephone and internet connections from people outside the country
on friday as in 2012 as the congress proceedings got underway foreign journalists on the scene reported at a distance it was not immediately clear whether access to the event which last several days will change for the unusually large press corps in the country which reuters reported was 128 reporters from 12 countries
so the visiting journalists found themselves out on twitter and facebook with the rest of us


washington   the anonymous source behind the huge leak of documents known as the panama papers has offered to aid law enforcement officials in prosecutions related to offshore money laundering and tax evasion but only if assured of protection from punishment
legitimate whistle blowers who expose unquestionable wrongdoing whether insiders or outsiders deserve immunity from government retribution the source who has still not revealed a name or nationality said in a statement issued thursday night
the documents which list the true owners of thousands of companies created to hide the people behind them expose the holdings of current and former world leaders and other prominent figures the source who uses the pseudonym john doe but whose gender is not known said that the papers could spur thousands of prosecutions if only law enforcement could access and evaluate the actual documents
john doe noted that journalists who have viewed the papers have said they will not turn over the full archive of 115 million documents i however would be willing to cooperate with law enforcement to the extent that i am able the source wrote
the statement which was issued thursday night under the condition that it not be reported until friday morning gave some hints about john does political views and concerns they include income inequality the american campaign finance system and the revolving door of united states officials who take jobs at banks or other companies they once regulated
banks financial regulators and tax authorities have failed the statement said decisions have been made that have spared the wealthy while focusing instead on reining in middle  and low income citizens
most of the revelations so far have involved wealthy foreigners and political players overseas the statement came on the same day that the obama administration citing the disclosures announced a series of steps intended to prevent wealthy individuals including political leaders from using offshore shell companies to hide assets embezzle or avoid taxes
the proposals would create a centralized federal registry of the actual owners behind any newly established corporation and would mandate that financial institutions collect and maintain information on these owners as bank accounts are set up the moves would make it easier to investigate financial fraud
our financial system should not provide the rich the powerful and the corrupt with the opportunity to shield their assets and avoid paying their fair share or with the opportunity to hide any illicit activity said wally adeyemo the deputy national security adviser for international economics nobody should be able to play by a different set of rules
the statement by the panama papers source was released through the german newspaper suddeutsche zeitung which originally received the once confidential archive of documents taken from the panama based law firm mossack fonseca bastian obermayer a reporter for the newspaper who received the original leak with his colleague frederik obermaier wrote in a blog post that he had confirmed via encrypted chat that the statement had come from the same person   of unknown nationality   who provided the secret documents
suddeutsche zeitung working with the international consortium of investigative journalists a washington based group comprising more than 100 news media organizations published articles about the panama papers starting last month that have set off political furors and unsettled financial institutions around the world
according to the consortium the documents reveal the hidden assets of 12 current and former world leaders 128 other politicians and officials and a range of sports figures and celebrities the 214000 shadow companies described in the documents are tied to people in more than 200 countries and territories the papers include long chains of emails showing how the companies have been used
news reports based on the documents have linked 2 billion in assets to a childhood friend of president vladimir v putin of russia and disclosed the holdings of the aliyev family which has long held power in azerbaijan the prime minister of iceland sigmundur david gunnlaugsson said he would temporarily step aside after the revelation that he and his wife owned an offshore company
in the statement the source denied being a government official or contractor now or in the past the confidential source was also extremely critical of the news media suggesting that certain unnamed news organizations had declined initial offers to take and report on the documents
the measures announced on thursday by the obama administration which in most cases have been in the works for years would attempt to combat illegal tax shelters with a collection of new tools
the centralized federal registry of the actual owners behind any newly established corporation   the most far reaching of the proposals   could be established only if congress passes legislation which is unlikely in this election year legislation pending in congress would require the reporting of similar ownership information when new companies are set up but the information would be filed at the treasury department only if states did not collect it on their own
separately the administration announced on thursday that it had completed a rule after four years of effort that would require banks and other financial institutions in the united states to collect and keep accurate records on these same beneficial owners after they open a new bank account
the rule mandates that banks know the identity of anyone who owns at least 25 percent of a legal entity or who controls it information that again could be provided to law enforcement investigators looking into fraud allegations
treasury officials also called on congress after several years of delay to ratify eight separate tax treaties with nations such as luxembourg and switzerland the agreements would increase the amount of information that tax enforcement authorities in the various countries could share as they tried to crack down on illegal efforts to hide money
and the treasury department proposed a regulation that would allow it to mandate that foreign owned companies set up in the united states like companies based here register with the internal revenue service that would allow the federal government to determine whether the companies owed any taxes to the united states or whether they might have been set up to illegally shield the owners from having to pay taxes overseas
stefanie ostfeld the acting head of the united states branch of a nonprofit group called global witness which has pushed for financial transparency laws welcomed the moves by the obama administration but said they were not necessarily sufficient many owners would remain hidden she said given that under the rules only individuals who own more than 25 percent of a company would have to identify themselves to banks
this is an important step to getting dirty money out of the financial system she said but there appear to be weaknesses in the regulation that provide would be money launderers with a blueprint for how to structure companies to avoid detection and continue to have access to american banks


williamson wva   hillary clintons campaign is trying to seize on the turmoil donald j trumps ascent has caused within the republican party hoping to gain the support of republican voters and party leaders including former elected officials and retired generals disillusioned by their partys standard bearer
the efforts come after the house speaker paul d ryan on thursday said he was just not ready to back mr trump comments the clinton campaign giddily blasted out in an email and on social media at the same time priorities usa action a super pac supporting mrs clinton intends to reach out to republican megadonors disillusioned by their partys presumptive nominee
more broadly mrs clintons campaign is repositioning itself after a year of emphasizing liberal positions and focusing largely on minority voters to also appeal to independent and republican leaning white voters turned off by mr trump
with the democratic nomination in sight mrs clinton has broadened her economic message devoted days to apologizing for a comment she previously made that angered working class whites and pledged that her husband former president bill clinton who remains widely popular among the blue collar voters drawn to mr trump would come out of retirement and be in charge of creating jobs in places that have been particularly hard hit
the effort is a striking turn after she spent the past year trying to mobilize the liberal wing and labor leaders in the democratic party but her campaign confident that the young people and liberals backing senator bernie sanders of vermont will come around to support mrs clinton in november is focusing its efforts on white working class women and suburban women who tend to vote for republican presidential candidates but who polls show hold negative views of mr trump
im here because i want you to know whether people vote for me or not whether they yell at me or not its not going to affect what i will do to help mrs clinton told residents at a health clinic here on monday as protesters chants outside of hillary go home could be heard
the campaign expects to assemble a republicans for hillary group and mrs clinton has from her days in the senate and as secretary of state cultivated strong relationships with prominent republicans and their top staff members mark salter a top adviser to senator john mccain this week expressed his support for mrs clinton on twitter minutes after mr trump clinched his partys nomination mrs clinton has also enjoyed a strong relationship with former defense secretary robert m gates a republican who described her as a superb representative of the united states all over the world
in the past mrs clinton has praised david h petraeus former director of the cia who is a republican in february he said that mrs clinton would be a tremendous president
mrs clintons two day swing across appalachia this week served as the beginning of the campaigns full court press to convince persuadable white voters that she would run a more inclusive campaign than mr trump   and to signal that she would cede no demographic group to him
i invite a lot of republicans and independents who ive been seeing on the campaign trail whove been reaching out to me i invite them to join with democrats mrs clinton told cnn on wednesday lets get off the red or the blue team lets get on the american team
in the democratic primary mrs clinton has struggled with non college educated white voters and self identified independents often losing those groups by wide margins to mr sanders but faced with the choice between mrs clinton and mr trump 51 percent of independents and 59 percent of moderates favor the former secretary of state compared with 41 percent and 39 percent for mr trump according to the most recent cnnorc poll
if the primary happened to be over already we feel the coalition weve built has the makings of a winning coalition as it is in a general election said brian fallon a clinton spokesman but he added were not satisfied with that we want to make inroads even with populations that arent supporting her in great numbers
senator sherrod brown democrat of ohio who is supporting mrs clinton said while campaigning with her at a diner in athens ohio on tuesday that the suburban women in cleveland columbus and cincinnati could ultimately decide the november election i think educated suburban white women to be sure are going to be turned off en masse and there will be more of that he said referring to their opinion of mr trump
on friday president obama helped in mrs clintons effort republican women voters are going to have to decide is that the guy i feel comfortable with representing me and what i care about he said of mr trump at a news conference
but if mrs clintons breaking down barriers tour in kentucky ohio and west virginia this week provided a road map for her campaigns strategy in the weeks ahead the antagonistic reception she received also highlighted her own vulnerabilities and tendency to divide people   weaknesses mr trump plans to exploit
at mrs clintons event in athens a protester peter schmidt 34 and a miller held a handmade sign that read id rather be home reading your goldman sachs transcripts a reference to the paid speeches she delivered to the wall street bank mr schmidt said her tour of appalachia felt like pandering i dont trust her he said thats why im holding this sign
mr trump who has proved adept in connecting with white working class men also plans to hit mrs clinton on her previous support for global trade deals that many americans blame for jobs moving overseas he has giddily seized on a comment she made to cnn in march that were going to put a lot of coal miners and coal companies out of business
the backlash over that remark   made in the context of replacing coal with clean energy jobs   turned mrs clintons campaign events into an appalachian apology tour as she was repeatedly and pointedly forced to explain what she called a misstatement
i cant take it back mrs clinton told one out of work coal industry worker bo copley 39 a father of three and a registered republican when he emotionally confronted her about the comment what i want you to know is im going to do everything i can to help no matter what happens politically she added that is just how i am made
the clinton campaign is also moving to exploit the public criticism of mr trump by prominent republicans
on wednesday the campaign released an online ad that quotes mr trumps former primary opponents describing him as a know nothing candidate a narcissist and the most vulgar person ever to aspire to the presidency among other epithets
mrs clinton has portrayed mr trump as a loose cannon on foreign policy and often points to her husbands record as evidence that she would help blue collar voters the brilliance of bill clinton gives her a particular edge said gaston caperton a democratic former governor of west virginia who supports mrs clinton
even with mr clinton in its corner the clinton campaign does not expect to win voters like mr copley who said he is undecided but who generally fits mr trumps core demographic of supporters but mrs clinton hopes to make inroads with women like mr copleys wife lauren   voters whom clinton aides call megachurch moms and describe as religious republican leaning women who reject mr trump
christine matthews a researcher who advises republicans on how to win female voters said that portraying mr trump as dangerous on foreign policy could help mrs clinton draw some republican women whose most important issues are national security and terrorism can she drive moms who have kids who think oh my gosh this is too scary a prospect and our country wont be safe if hes elected president  ms matthews said you can imagine that attack ad in your head
democrats acknowledge that the prospect of terrifying skeptical voters into supporting their candidate would not be the most inspirational campaign message
it is a far bleaker appeal than ronald reagans message of american exceptionalism and mr clintons promise to restore the forgotten middle class both of which inspired white working class voters to cross party lines
but mrs clintons pitch to republicans reflects the grim political realities of 2016 more than half of the registered voters who said they would vote for mrs clinton planned to do so in opposition to mr trump rather than in support of her candidacy according to the cnnorc poll
her bumper sticker for republicans should be unified against trump or vote for the enemy its important  said ben howe a republican and a contributing editor at the conservative online publication red state who posted the clinton campaigns imwithher slogan on twitter after mr trumps decisive victory in indiana
or as jan franck 65 a retiree in charleston wva put it after hearing mrs clinton speak on tuesday she could be a sock puppet running against donald trump and id vote for her


a slithering carpet of 75000 snakes in a space the size of a living room its hard to imagine wanting to get close to such a scene but every year it happens and visitors from around the world attend the unusual reptilian display in the remote hamlet of narcisse in manitoba canada
the peak of the emergence as the provinces website calls the unusual event is expected this weekend over the past week and a half guests to the wildlife area have had hints of whats to come thousands of red sided garter snakes have gradually awakened from an eight month nap in their subterranean limestone lairs they tumble about the craggy landscape in tangled knots with a singular focus reproduction
over the winter snakes seek shelter from below freezing temperatures in limestone caverns in manitobas interlake region they survive on stored fat and when the weather gets warm as it is now they surface
when they wake up literally after eight months underground i dont know about you but id want to get a big mac or a meal said bob mason a reproductive biologist at oregon state university who studies these snakes but the first thing on the snakes agenda is sex
the males pour out of the dens first and wait for the females to slowly trickle out over the course of a few weeks
once she gets up off the floor shes sort of swarmed by all of them said doug collicutt a local biologist
in this sea of snakes a female isnt easy to find even though shes three to four times bigger at times the ratio of males to females is 10000 to 1 imagine trying to find a slightly bigger piece of spaghetti in a colander of spaghetti and its moving dr mason said so the snakes use scent
a female secretes pheromones from her skin luring dozens to hundreds of males that try to court her by rubbing their chins along her back and flicking their tongues she ultimately decides when she is ready to mate by a mysterious mechanism called cryptic female choice
the closest male wins and leaves a stinky plug inside her that tells others to back off she can wait a couple days for the plug to dissolve and mate with another snake or she can slither off into the swamps to feed and give live birth to her babies in august in case youre wondering the female can store sperm until shes healthy enough to reproduce said dr mason who documented a female snake who gave birth seven years after mating
by june there are no snakes at the dens but they all return in september   except the babies of the 250000 snakes born each summer not one can be found in the den that fall for centuries some thought they stuck out the winter in giant ant hills but dr mason believes the creatures freeze and come back to life like wood frogs he has no evidence but said he hoped to prove himself right before he retires


a hasty effort to make peace between donald j trump and republican party leaders veered toward the point of collapse on friday as jeb bush announced he would not back mr trump in the general election and mr trump unleashed a caustic personal attack on a prominent senator who declined to endorse his campaign
since a landslide victory in indiana made him the presumptive republican nominee mr trump has faced a shunning from party leaders that is unprecedented in modern politics mr trump has struggled to make peace with senior lawmakers and political donors whom he denounced during the republican primaries and upon whose largess he must now rely
in a new sign of the republican partys reservations about mr trump the top strategist in charge of defending republican control of the senate said in a briefing for lobbyists and donors on thursday that the partys candidates should feel free to skip the nominating convention in cleveland in july
the strategist ward baker the executive director of the national republican senatorial committee said conventions were a distracting spectacle every four years according to two people who attended the briefing and who spoke on the condition of anonymity about the private session mr baker the attendees said told republican lawmakers that they would be better off talking to voters in their home states
andrea bozek a spokeswoman for the national republican senatorial committee said it was up to each individual campaign to decide whether to attend the convention
on friday mr bushs disavowal of mr trump landed as a bitter blow the former florida governor is revered among party veterans and has one of the most powerful fund raising networks in republican politics in a statement mr bush said his former opponent lacked the temperament or strength of character to serve as president
mr bushs father and brother george bush and george w bush announced earlier in the week that they would not endorse mr trump
mr trump said at a rally in omaha that he was untroubled by the bush familys opposition and he repeated his past mockery of jeb bush as a low energy person im not surprised at the bush family in all fairness because ive been very critical of what happened mr trump said
he reacted with fury to another statement of rejection from senator lindsey graham of south carolina mr graham a longtime trump critic who briefly ran for president last year said friday that mr trump was unfit to be commander in chief
the populist manhattan businessman responded with a statement savaging mr graham a senior spokesman for the party on national security mr trump boasted that he had destroyed his hapless run for president and consigned mr graham to the political ash heap
while i will unify the party lindsey graham has shown himself to be beyond rehabilitation mr trump said in omaha mr trump branded mr graham nasty and called his campaign a disgrace
mr trumps belittling attack poses a new challenge for a party already riven by frustration and indecision over his campaign having campaigned for the republican nomination on a platform of cracking down on immigration and foreign trade mr trump now trails hillary clinton in general election polls and cannot afford an exodus of voters from the republican base
while mr trumps war on the republican establishment has galvanized his supporters it is likely to complicate his efforts to court a broader array of voters including moderate republicans and political benefactors in order to compete in november
mr trump has acknowledged he will need help from the partys traditional bankrollers during the general election when he has said he will no longer finance his campaign from his personal fortune
he has appeared uncertain of how to respond to the prospect of mass defections from inside the republican party he has said in recent weeks that he favors party unity as a practical matter but that there are also republicans whose support he does not believe he needs   and whose support he would not welcome
dan senor a former adviser to mitt romney and paul d ryan in the 2012 election said mr trumps dismissive attitude toward his critics could have crippling consequences in a general election
theyre still trying to project this mind set that theyre blowing up the place blowing up the institution mr senor said but now theyre talking to 120 or 130 million voters not a few million in a few states
for a transitory moment on friday mr trump appeared determined to repair the breach between himself and the party establishment after clashing sharply with mr trump mr ryan the speaker of the house announced on friday afternoon that mr trump would visit washington next week to meet with congressional republicans and with mr ryan privately
mr ryan said thursday that he was not ready to endorse mr trump a statement widely interpreted as signaling to republicans that they would face no pressure to close ranks around mr trump in a terse statement mr trump retorted that he did not support mr ryans policy agenda
next weeks meeting between the two men mr ryans office said will concern republican principles and ideas that can win the support of the american people this november
mr trump conceded in a television interview on friday morning that he had been surprised by mr ryans rebuke and he sounded exasperated by the party leaderships unwillingness to rally to his candidacy you talk about unity mr trump said but what is this
even as he has earned a cold shoulder from much of the party establishment mr trump has also collected important endorsements from deep within the republican elite the senate majority leader mitch mcconnell of kentucky has committed to supporting him and reince priebus the republican national committee chairman hastened on tuesday evening to declare mr trump the partys presumptive nominee former vice president dick cheney also said in a cnn interview that he would vote for mr trump as the republican nominee
sheldon g adelson the billionaire casino owner who is a major benefactor of the party said at an event in manhattan on thursday that he would support mr trump gov pete ricketts of nebraska whose family financed millions of dollars worth of ads attacking mr trump in the primaries introduced mr trump in omaha on friday
most republican campaign contributors face less immediate pressure to count themselves as with or against mr trump but strategists expect mr trump to face considerable skepticism john mckager stipanovich a longtime florida lobbyist and fund raiser close to jeb bush said mr trump would face stiff resistance among the people the party has typically relied on for financial support
mr stipanovich predicted that the stances taken by mr ryan and the bush family would hurt mr trump with traditional party donors
obviously trump has spent an awful lot of time in the last year disparaging people like that said mr stipanovich who has vowed to oppose mr trump it will be some indication of how craven they are to see how quickly they crawl to him on their knees or to the party to help him i dont know that they will do that


bangkok   myanmar recognizes 135 ethnic groups within its borders but the people who constitute no 136 they are the people who must not be named
daw aung san suu kyi the leader of myanmars first democratically elected government since 1962 embraced that view last week when she advised the united states ambassador against using the term rohingya to describe the persecuted muslim population that has lived in myanmar for generations
her government like the previous military led one will not call the rohingya people by that name because it does not recognize them as citizens said her spokesman u kyaw zay ya a foreign ministry official
we wont use the term rohingya because rohingya are not recognized as among the 135 official ethnic groups said mr kyaw zay ya who was at the meeting our position is that using the controversial term does not support the national reconciliation process and solving problems
the stance does not bode well for the rohingya or for rights activists who had hoped ms aung san suu kyi a nobel peace prize laureate would reverse discriminatory policies that have marginalized the rohingya and prompted many to flee
she is not saying anything about the rohingya people in myanmar and their rights to religion and education and health care said u aung win a rohingya community leader in rakhine state as a nobel peace prize winner why is she so silent
the united states embassy confirmed that the newly arrived ambassador scot a marciel had met with ms aung san suu kyi but would not comment on their discussions
ms aung san suu kyis position on the name has taken on great significance as her party the national league for democracy or nld establishes the countrys first nonmilitary government in decades barred by the military drafted constitution from serving as president ms aung san suu kyi holds the posts of state counselor and foreign minister among others but she is the countrys de facto leader the new government took over in march
the rohingya in myanmar muslims in a primarily buddhist land are denied basic rights including citizenship freedom of worship education marriage and freedom of travel more than 100000 who were driven from their homes by violence in 2012 are in resettlement camps many fled on dangerous sea voyages
many nationalist buddhists reject the name rohingya and call them bengalis implying that they are interlopers from bangladesh a position also taken by the former military government
the united states embassy recently drew criticism for using the word rohingya in a statement expressing condolences for the deaths of at least 20 people whose boat capsized on april 19 off the coast of rakhine
nationalist buddhists challenged the new myanmar government to protest the americans use of the word and staged a demonstration outside the united states embassy in yangon
at an april 28 news conference mr marciel responded by saying that it was standard practice around the world to let communities decide for themselves what to be called and normally when that happens we would call them what they want to be called he said its not a political decision its just a normal practice
ms aung san suu kyis decision to raise the issue with mr marciel the next day was an apparent concession to the extremists and was welcomed by the nationalist association for the protection of race and religion also known as ma ba tha
we dont want that word because they are not our nationality said u thaw bar ka a leader of the group and now i read the news that the foreign ministry agrees with us its really good at first i thought the new government would be useless on this issue
rights advocates expressed disappointment that ms aung san suu kyi was not willing to go against popular opinion and support a dispossessed people
its dismaying that the new nld led government is continuing this wrongheaded effort to police the language of yangon based diplomats about the rohingya said phil robertson deputy director for asia at human rights watch
mr kyaw zay ya said that ms aung san suu kyi had not ordered the americans to stop using the word or threatened consequences if they did


stocks closed modestly higher on friday ending three days of losses after the us governments disappointing jobs report added to speculation that the federal reserve might keep interest rates low for another year
investors were also weighing tepid us earnings reports and persistent weakness in the global economy
the standard  poors 500 stock index rose 651 points or 03 percent to 205714 and the nasdaq composite rose 1906 points or 04 percent to 473616
the dow jones industrial average rose 7992 points or 05 percent to 1774063
the three major indexes ended the week slightly lower despite fridays gains
stocks started the day lower after the labor department said us employers had created just 160000 jobs last month significantly below the 200000 that economists were expecting
while one month does not make a trend there have been a few reports this week from around the world that suggested weakness in the global economy a closely watched chinese manufacturing survey showed production contracted last month and european union officials trimmed their forecasts for growth across the 19 countries that use the euro
once again we received evidence that the us economy is just bumbling along and will most likely remain so until after the us presidential election said tom di galoma a managing director of fixed income at seaport global
stocks turned higher in the early afternoon and stayed there reflecting that in a way the bad news of the jobs report was good news for investors who have benefited from more than seven years of extremely low interest rates
mr di galoma and others said that the april jobs report significantly reduced the possibility that the federal reserve would interest rates in june or even later this year in my view a rate hike potential this year is nearing zero probability he said
immediately after the release of the jobs report bond prices jumped and interest rates moved sharply lower but as the day wore on the market reversed course us government bond prices ended lower and the yield on the benchmark us 10 year treasury note rose to 178 percent from 174 percent the day before
the euro rose to 11401 from 11398 and the dollar declined to 10713 yen from 10725 yen
in other economic data the fed said that people had sharply increased use of their credit cards in march pushing up total borrowing at the fastest pace in more than a decade
total consumer borrowing rose 297 billion in march a 10 percent increase to a fresh record of 359 trillion borrowing in the category that includes credit cards jumped 111 billion or 142 percent the biggest one month gain in this category since july 2000 borrowing for auto and student loans rose 186 billion an increase of 85 percent
in company news payment processor square sank 283 or 22 percent to 1022 the company run by the twitter founder jack dorsey reported a larger than expected quarterly loss and reported sharply higher expenses
in commodities benchmark us crude oil rose 34 cents to close at 4466 a barrel on the new york mercantile exchange brent crude used to price international oils climbed 36 cents to close at 4537 a barrel in london
wholesale gasoline rose less than 1 cent to 1496 a gallon heating oil rose 1 cent to 1337 a gallon and natural gas rose 25 cents to 2101 per thousand cubic feet
gold rose 2170 to 1294 an ounce silver rose 20 cents to 1753 an ounce and copper was unchanged at 215 a pound


nashville tenn   mike fisher ended his own personal playoff drought with his first overtime goal in 12 years giving the exhausted nashville predators plenty to celebrate
fisher scored his second goal at 1112 of the third overtime and the predators beat the san jose sharks 4 3 early friday morning in the longest game in franchise history
it took a long time but thanks we have fish nashville goaltender pekka rinne said
with the victory the predators won their first overtime game on home ice more importantly they tied this second round best of seven series at 2 2 the sharks needed only five games in beating nashville in the first round in both 2006 and 2007 nashville coach peter laviolette in his second season said teams have a lot invested in a game that goes this deep
to win a game like that is big laviolette said to think about the other scenario youre 3 1 the other way this ties it up 2 2 it shortens the series our guys played like champs tonight
james neal scored with 421 left in the third period tying it up at 3 3 and the teams went scoreless during the first two overtimes and headed to a third extra period   the first in the nhl playoffs this year
the predators killed off six penalties including one shortly before fishers winning goal at 103 am rinne made 44 saves to give fisher a chance at his second playoff overtime goal in fishers career and first since game 6 with ottawa in 2004
i dont care how these wins come if we have to play all night rinne said its 2 2 right now
this was the longest game for the sharks since a four overtime game in dallas in 2008 now the sharks the nhls best road team during the regular season have lost two straight away from san jose for the first time since dec 18 and 20
game 5 is saturday night in san jose   about 44 hours after this game ended
sharks coach pete deboer still was furious after the game over a goal joe pavelski scored at 734 of the first overtime period that could have ended it much earlier
pavelski grabbed the puck out of the air and then tapped the puck across the line at 734 but officials immediately ruled no goal for goaltender interference they upheld that ruling after review for pavelski crashing into rinne and pinning him down before the puck crossed the line
deboer said he was told pavelski did get his stick on the puck before it crossed the line but officials waived it off for incidental contact
i dont understand deboer said i guess incidental contact is youre cross checked from behind while you are in the air and you have the opportunity to stop i guess thats what it is you know what that rule has been clear as mud to every coach in the league all year so why should it be different tonight
rinne said a goalie is nervous anytime they review a goal
it was called off on the ice and i felt pretty comfortable that its not going to be a goal rinne said missed a bullet there so that was nice
most of nashvilles fans stuck around for the finish and had just given the predators a standing ovation a couple minutes before fishers game winning goal gave them a reason to celebrate
sharks goalie martin jones who made 41 saves himself including a great stop on a backhander off colin wilsons breakaway earlier in the period was at the edge of the crease fisher scored into the net behind jones and was so tired he almost forgot how he scored
that was a good play to get mattias ekholm free in the middle there fisher said he got a shot through and i just kind of go in there and got the rebound and got it home
fisher started the scoring for nashville at 950 of the first period colin wilson also scored
brent burns scored twice and joonas donskoi also had a goal for san jose
in the first overtime each team had plenty of chances predators center ryan johansen hit the far post at 500 while the sharks nearly scored twice before pavelskis disallowed goal joel ward couldnt convert on a wraparound try while rinne stopped the puck with his left leg after sharks center logan couture skated up the slot
both teams had plenty of chances in the second overtime rinne kept them playing with save after save including one off a point blank try by tomas hertl late nashville captain shea weber with 45 minutes 16 seconds of ice time at that moment went to the box with 203 left in the overtime period for high sticking sharks defenseman paul martin
nashville killed off the penalty setting up the third extra period
notes nashville defenseman roman josi played a game high 4907 while weber finished with 4907 burns played a team high 4735 for the sharks  wilson passed now sharks forward joel ward nine for second most playoff goals in franchise history with his 10th wilson also extended his points streak to five straight tying ward for the longest streak in franchise history  predators center mike ribeiro was a healthy scratch for a second straight game


want to spend more quality time with your doctor maybe you should try joining a group
paradoxical as that may sound it works remarkably well for bill swain 69 who began going to shared medical appointments several years ago after his doctor suggested the idea now he attends quarterly sessions for eight to 15 people that usually last 90 minutes
a digital white board lists group members vital signs such as blood pressure and weight mr swain who doesnt like falling behind his peers especially likes the accountability and the extra medical attention
yearly physicals can mean sliding too far back said mr swain who is retired and lives in ellensburg wash i had a lump on my neck a few months ago it turned out to be nothing but i might have put it off until my physical this way i have the physicians ear four times per year
shared medical appointments are still relatively rare but they are slipping into a system rife with 15 minute doctor visits nearly doubling in popularity in the last 10 years according to the american academy of family physicians and they are being seen as one weapon for fighting fast rising diseases like diabetes which threaten to overburden the health care system
several studies show that group visits are particularly effective at keeping chronic illnesses in check typically recent lab results are discussed and patients can schedule individual time with doctors if they need it nurses are also on hand to refill prescriptions or take vital signs
some experts see shared medical appointments as one antidote to the increasingly rushed typical medical visit which doesnt provide enough time to discuss chronic illnesses or overall wellness care an aging population will intensify the need for new solutions in coming years experts say
the idea of structured group visits is generally considered the brainchild not of a physician but of edward noffsinger now a semiretired california psychologist though he had a life threatening illness dr noffsinger said he had difficulty getting an appointment to see his doctor and even when he did visits were too rushed
i wanted to give people more time with their doctors he said and then theres the opportunity to share with other patients people feel responsible to others but not their doctor
these days the medical treadmill keeps going faster and faster he said the problem is getting worse not better he said but when youre sick you want good care and support
byron haney a family physician and mr swains doctor sees group visits as a powerful prescription patients are able to take over more of their own care while he acts as a facilitator its so outside the box dr haney said but the results he added are startling such as greater patient satisfaction and sustained weight loss
people leave knowing that recovery is possible and that theyre not alone dr haney said he sees shared appointments as a powerful community medicine tool to more effectively meet future needs
dr haney also uses shared medical appointments to help prevent diabetes one of the countrys fastest growing diseases ive never had a prediabetic convert to diabetic in a group setting he said
shared medical appointments are being used elsewhere too joslin diabetes center based in boston offers the weight achievement and intensive treatment program a 12 week program and group intervention for diabetics that helps control weight and manage the disease
during the program nearly 500 people have lost an average of 20 pounds each according to osama hamdy medical director of the obesity clinical program at joslin and an assistant professor of medicine at harvard medical school moreover dr hamdy said many have managed to maintain their weight loss and reduce their use of medication
people in groups do much better than individually dr hamdy said they find wonderful friendships and motivate each other
mike herlihy a 69 year old diabetic turned to the joslin program several years ago after having trouble losing weight on his own
the program completely changed everything he said by the end of 2010 he had lost 70 pounds and he has managed to keep most of the weight off changing his lifestyle was the hardest part mr herlihy said but the joslin program and the team there helped him
behavior change is the toughest thing to do he said but this is a holistic approach
mr herlihy says he continues to exercise one hour a day regularly checks his sugar levels and even carries a scale to weigh in when he travels i learned discipline like eating slower or having only half a sandwich he said i feel pretty good and thats reinforcing too
nevertheless shared medical appointments are not a panacea
the group visits dont work for everyone said edward shahady a family physician and medical director of the diabetes master clinician program at the florida academy of family physicians foundation in jacksonville fla some patients find that its not their style said dr shahady who has been offering shared medical appointments since 2003
and dr carole lieberman a psychiatrist in beverly hills calif bristles at the whole idea of shared medical appointments
medicine is deteriorating in many ways she said its all about saving money and group visits are the next outrage
dr lieberman argues that spending time with ones doctor helps build rapport and seniors are getting the worst of a downward spiral in health care she said
but many patients thrive under the regimen dr shahady said and studies suggest that group visits are generally beneficial older patients like the socialization offered by groups he added and though they might be shy to share at the beginning many quickly start talking even about such intimate matters as sexual dysfunction
the renowned cleveland clinic which introduced group visits over a decade ago has been folding more shared appointments into its schedule the clinic now offers many varieties including ones for diabetes high blood pressure wellness and parkinsons disease
to attend these group visits patients typically sign confidentiality agreements which give them more privacy
dr marianne sumego an internist and director of shared medical appointments at the cleveland clinic acknowledges that group visits are not right for some people
this is patient centered dr sumego said the visits provide more timely prevention and treatment in many cases while other patients do better with one on one sessions with their doctor she said with an aging population i need to think outside the box
mr swain in washington is pleased with his results cheered on by his peers he has given up chocolate ice cream and sugar in his coffee they encourage me to take the best care of myself he said


dear facebook addicts you are a great benefit to mark zuckerberg and his growing facebook empire
when the social media giant announced the results for its most recent quarter wall street analysts were reasonably impressed by its jump in both total revenue and profitability
but as james stewart points out in his column the number that is truly eye popping is 50 thats the amount of time the company says users spend on its facebook instagram and messenger platforms that number doesnt include the messaging app whatsapp
time spent on facebook platforms has gone up by 10 minutes over the last two years and its just about 10 minutes less time than people spend eating and drinking every day according to the bureau of labor statistics
in other words time spent on facebook is catching up with time spent seeking basic sustenance
the analysis firm comscore puts daily facebook use at a more modest 35 minutes but thats still twice the time comscore believes people spend on youtube almost four times the amount of time they spend on all of yahoos sites and 35 times the amount of time people spent on twitter
no doubt facebook has done a remarkable job of finding new ways to keep people on the site from more relevant newsfeeds to trending topics to video but if its nice out you could still consider going for a walk since on average people spend about 17 minutes a day getting exercise


its inevitable that the next six installments of the monthly jobs report before the november election will be judged by their political implications so lets save some time by looking at the april numbers released friday through that prism
hillary clinton should be feeling pretty good about the economy but a little less good than she did before the reports release at 829 am if donald trump wants to make assailing the obama economy a centerpiece of his campaign he has a bit more of a leg to stand on than he did previously
this was a mildly disappointing report the total of 160000 jobs added last month was below the 200000 forecasters expected and revisions subtracted 19000 from the last two months previously announced job gains but those numbers are volatile and probably mean nothing job gains were even weaker in august and september of last year and that didnt signal any meaningful economic slowdown just the usual ups and downs of these numbers
and for the rubber meets road dimension of the economy for most workers   compensation   the new data are solid average hourly earnings rose by 03 percent in april and are up 25 percent over the last year thats within the range where wage gains have hovered for years now but in a time of low inflation it signals meaningful improvement in american workers purchasing power
the real bad news in the new data isnt in the headline numbers but in the details of the survey of american households that generated the unchanged 5 percent unemployment rate for six straight months the labor force had been growing including a gangbuster start to 2016 in which 15 million more people were counted as either working or looking for work that was promising news it suggested that many of the millions who left the labor force during the 2008 recession and the long slow recovery were returning
those numbers reversed in april though as the labor force shrank by 362000 people and the labor force participation rate fell by 02 percentage points
this too may turn out to be a statistical blip but it suggests the buoyant story that was told by the first three jobs reports of the year   of a big return of disaffected workers to the labor force   isnt quite true including the april drop the labor force has increased by an average of 273000 a month so far in 2016 which is still an excellent result   but a good bit less excellent than the 484000 monthly gain that was evident from january through march
for the federal reserve this report will cut two ways softer job growth and the reversal on the labor force will weaken the case for raising interest rates in june while steady wage growth will support the case on net that will probably make the central bank a little less inclined to move forward with a rate increase than previously but its a close call
but this is the kind of report that shouldnt lead anyone to radically rethink assumptions about how the economy is doing job growth is steady wages are rising faster than inflation but not as fast as workers might prefer the basic trend of workers rejoining the labor force remains valid but isnt as robust as it had seemed based on the first three months of 2016
only six more months of job numbers to go before the nov 8 election mark your calendars now as we wait to see whether that basic pattern holds for another half a year


carrying a fire shelter has been mandatory for anyone fighting a wildfire in the united states since 1977 but in canada where a raging fire is threatening to destroy the city of fort mcmurray alberta firefighters stopped carrying shelters in 2005 do canadians know something americans dont
wildfires are an ever present threat to both the united states and canada and they burn similarly on both sides of the border hot big and tough to tame beasts its where they burn thats different in the united states there are more often homes and people close to the flames
that means canadian firefighters may have time to think and strategize while american firefighters have to take more risk as they rush   and the shelters can help mitigate the risk in canada where fires often burn in densely forested areas it can also be much harder to find a clearing or local road where it is safe to deploy shelters which are not built to withstand direct contact with flames
in 2013 19 arizona firefighters were trapped by a wave of fire and died despite deploying their shelters
as part of my research for a book about that fire i took a basic wildland firefighting course we used green or orange shelters not silver ones we had 25 seconds to whip them out grasp the handles marked right hand and left hand shake the shelters open step inside and drop to the ground
i did as id been taught albeit more slowly than the actual firefighters in my group   rolling onto my belly keeping my face down and spreading my legs i pointed my feet in the direction the imaginary flames were coming from a trick meant to protect the airways and torso
it was a windless day in prescott ariz but it quickly got hot inside the shelter   and that was with no fire burning it got eerily quiet too and claustrophobic i felt trapped i remember closing my eyes taking deep breaths and reminding myself that this was only a drill


nothing says i love you like a life size 3 d model of yourself but if mothers day passes on sunday without a 30000 version of your likeness arriving at her door fear not perhaps its a good idea for fathers day
just kidding but not really
a company in alabama was offering to make an actual life size replica of a person thanks to an enormous 3 d printer for the cool price of 30000 that is not however their normal business strategy
we do more of industrial things said renato gross the president of swigro the company offering the deal
mr gross said he was approached by groupon about the idea which has generated a desirable amount of attention
it has been all over the news mr gross said
but that does not mean its a prank mr gross said the company is capable of printing a person sized model with a great level of detail
a full scan of the persons body would be necessary   the groupon offer included travel and lodging   and creating the final product would take about a week mr gross said
were always looking for unique bespoke experiences that we can offer exclusively for groupon customers bill roberts vice president of global communications for groupon said in an email
last year the company offered a surrogate son also completely legit mr roberts said that promised 16 hours of enthusiastic obedience and doting on your mother for the holiday
but what mothers want the most according to a survey of about 4500 women by influenster a product discovery website are gifts that pamper them and the idea that homemade creations are cherished may not be true
diy gifts werent really rated that highly said elizabeth scherle the president and co founder of influenster
flowers werent rated highly either but plenty of people were still planning to send them based on a survey by the national retail federation
influenster also found that at least among young mothers the person they most wanted gifts from was their spouse
good luck out there


rome   pope francis receiving a prize for service toward european unification on friday urged leaders to remember the ideals of the european unions founders calling for an update of the idea of europe at a time of mass migration economic sluggishness and fears about terrorism
the past can serve as an inspiration to confront with courage the complex multipolar framework of our own day and to take up with determination the challenge of updating the idea of europe the pope told european leaders in the sala regia at the vatican where he was awarded the charlemagne prize named for the ninth century king of the franks who became holy roman emperor
a europe capable of giving birth to a new humanism based on three capacities the capacity to integrate the capacity for dialogue and the capacity to generate he said
francis was selected as this years recipient for reiterating values central to europe solidarity compassion tolerance and respect for others as well as for his message of peace and understanding you are the pope of hope for all of us donald tusk president of the european council said at fridays ceremony
the accolade   officially the international charlemagne prize of aachen the german city where charlemagne died and is buried   was first awarded in 1950 its organizers describe it as the oldest and best known prize awarded for work done in the service of european unification
past recipients include winston churchill bill clinton henry a kissinger vaclav havel and pope john paul ii who won an extraordinary charlemagne prize in 2004
as in his 2014 address to the european parliament in strasbourg france francis raised his concern that europe was flagging in its commitment to a common vision
what has happened to you the europe of humanism the champion of human rights democracy and freedom the pope asked on friday what has happened to you europe the mother of peoples and nations the mother of great men and women who upheld and even sacrificed their lives for the dignity of their brothers and sisters
those questions have become more pressing in recent years as the vision of political and economic unity has clashed with the realities of an economic downturn threats of terrorism and the largest movement of migrants since world war ii on an unprepared continent populist politics often tinged with an anti european message is also wearing down the desire of many european leaders to arrive at a shared response to these pressing issues
faced with the difficulties of the present the pope challenged europes leaders to revive the de facto solidarity and concrete generosity that followed the second world war and to recognize that the identity of europe is and always has been a dynamic and multicultural identity that today requires a profound cultural integration
the soul of europe is in fact greater than the present borders of the union and is called to become a model of new syntheses and of dialogue the pope told the audience which included leaders of the european unions principal institutions and its central bank as well as elected officials including prime minister matteo renzi of italy and chancellor angela merkel of germany
the true face of europe is seen not in confrontation but in the richness of its various cultures and the beauty of its commitment to openness he said
he also called on leaders to put in place more inclusive and equitable economic models aimed not at serving the few but at benefiting ordinary people and society as a whole and the pope asked them to develop better opportunities for europes youth who are stymied by record high unemployment rates and face pressures to emigrate
we cannot look to the future without offering them the real possibility to be catalysts of change and transformation he said we cannot envision europe without letting them be participants and protagonists in this dream
francis urged leaders to refer to the continents founding fathers who dared to change radically the models that had led only to violence and destruction
they dared to seek multilateral solutions to increasingly shared problems he said
finally the pope shared his dream for europe a europe that cares for children that offers fraternal help to the poor and those newcomers seeking acceptance because they have lost everything and need shelter
in his europe being a migrant is not a crime but a summons to greater commitment on behalf of the dignity of every human being young people live a simple life undefiled by the insatiable needs of consumerism and getting married and having children is a responsibility and a great joy not a problem due to the lack of stable employment
i dream of a europe that promotes and protects the rights of everyone without neglecting its duties towards all he said i dream of a europe of which it will not be said that its commitment to human rights was its last utopia


moist luggage crevice stroke slacks phlegm
how did those words make you feel
certain everyday words drive some people crazy a phenomenon experts call word aversion but one word appears to rise above all others moist for that reason a recent paper in the journal plos one used the word as a stand in to explore why people find some terms repellent
it doesnt really fit into a lot of existing categories for how people think about the psychology of language the studys author paul thibodeau a professor of psychology at oberlin college said of moist its not a taboo word its not profanity but it elicits this very visceral disgust reaction
a little less than a quarter of the approximately 2500 unique subjects tested in mr thibodeaus five experiments over four years had trouble dealing with any appearance of the word
when asked to react to moist in a free association task about one third of those people responded with an expression of disgust mr thibodeau said almost two thirds of those who later reported an aversion were so bothered by moist that they could recall its inclusion among a set of 63 other words   an unusually high rate
the peer reviewed study attempted to explain why moist had become the linguistic equivalent of nails on a chalkboard for some people
words that sound similar   including hoist foist and rejoiced   did not put off participants in the same way suggesting that aversion to the word was not based on the way it sounds but people who were bothered by moist also found that words for bodily fluids   vomit puke and phlegm   largely struck a nerve that led mr thibodeau to conclude that for those people moist had taken on the connotations of a bodily function
it has long been acknowledged that many people are cursed with moist phobia in 2007 a linguistics professor from the university of pennsylvania mark liberman wrote about moist in exploring the concept of word aversion in 2012 the word came up again after the new yorker asked readers which ones they would eliminate from the english language mr thibodeaus study cites people magazines 2013 attempt to have some of its sexiest men make the worst word sound hot
but jason riggle a linguistics professor at the university of chicago said the excessive focus on moist might have made a broader understanding of word aversion more difficult
moist has become such a flagship word for this and the fact that so many people talk about it now makes it harder to get a handle on word aversion more generally he said
that may help explain why other recent studies on word aversion unlike mr thibodeaus found a close link between a words phonological properties   its combination of sounds   and peoples reactions
david eagleman a neuroscientist at the baylor college of medicine whose lab has conducted its own experiments into word aversion over the past year found that an unusual combination of sounds in a group of made up words was more likely to put people off than several other factors a study at colby college last year also suggested that a words phonological properties could repel people
dr eagleman suspects that word aversion is similar to synesthesia the blending of senses in which an aural phenomenon such as a musical note can trigger a visual or even an emotional response he suggested that the process through which a specific combination of sounds evokes disgust might be similar
there appears to be this relationship between phonological probability and aversion he said in other words something that is improbable something that doesnt sound like it should belong in your language has this emotional reaction that goes along with it
dr eagleman said that his labs experiments were a prelude to neuroimaging that could investigate how the brain responds when faced with aversive words but in the meantime it might help to compile a broader list of words that certain people cannot stand
so heres a question for you forgetting all things moist for a second what other words without explicit sexual scatological racial or taboo connotations do you find repulsive and we dont mean the merely annoying like literally or obnoxious like synergy but words that are viscerally repellent
name them and tell us why they disgust you in the comments section feel free to recommend words already listed by others


new delhi   india aggressively imposes death sentences but hardly ever executes anyone
a new study conducted by the national law university which is led by high ranking judges and lawyers found that 1810 death sentences were issued between 2000 and 2014 but only four people have been executed
among the prisoners interviewed for the study the median wait for a ruling on their appeal was six and a half years with one prisoner waiting more than two decades to learn his fate
the study which was made public on friday is the first major effort in india to interview a large group of death row prisoners and evaluate their treatment the authorities in indias prison and court systems did not review the report and have not offered any reaction
more than 95 percent of death sentences imposed since 2000 were overturned or commuted by higher courts the study found but the prolonged uncertainty prisoners faced had a profound psychological effect on them
some prisoners were extremely hopeful according to the report and others said that they would rather be executed than live a life with the possibility of an execution looming large
among those interviewed for the report was a man identified as jayakanthan   like other subjects he is identified by a pseudonym for his protection he blinked continuously for the first few minutes the reports authors wrote because he was kept in a cell with no source of sunlight for all but 20 minutes a day his only human contact was with the guard outside his cell the report said and he told researchers that his primary interaction was with lizards that he had lured by sharing his food
he felt that the noises made by the lizards were to thank him for feeding them the report said he also told the researchers that the lizards kept visiting his cell not for food but to make noises as though talking to him as their friend
other prisoners reported that they were tormented by mosquitoes during their long incarceration or that they were kept awake by a light bulb in their cell that burned through the night
the study described a complete lack of engagement between defense lawyers and their clients on death row and it suggests that lawyers were not inclined to do more because of the extremely low fees that defendants families were able to pay
among 258 prisoners interviewed about their legal representation nearly 77 percent said that they had never met their lawyers out of court and that their interactions in court were perfunctory more than 70 percent complained that their lawyers did not discuss case details with them mostly talking about how they would get paid
prisoners complained that legal aid lawyers at the trial court and appellate court levels tried to extort money from the families of death row prisoners threatening not to turn up for hearings unless they were paid with a few exceptions death row prisoners remained ignorant of the whole process and also of their fate whether they will live or die said anup surendranath the reports lead author they become the most irrelevant person in the whole process
with no access to information about their appeals prisoners interviewed for the report said they spend their time constantly wondering if the end has come every time the huge iron doors of the barracks are pushed open
one prisoner whose appeal was rejected after a six and a half year wait said he had only learned that his execution would proceed when he saw it announced on the television news he was watching in prison he became so agitated that he tried to kill himself with a piece of floor tile before the state could execute him the day before he was to be hanged he learned that the supreme court had stayed his execution
a prisoner convicted of murdering his five daughters described a meal of lentils flat bread and vegetables which he was told would be his last he had mixed feelings upon learning he would be hanged he feared death he said but he was also grateful that the uncertainty of death row would come to an end
the day he was to be executed the supreme court issued a stay order in a painful twist on the grounds that he had never received official notice that his petition for mercy had been rejected


london   moneta money bank the banking business of ge capital in the czech republic said on friday that it was valued at 347 billion czech korunas or about 15 billion in its initial public offering in prague
the stock offering for the business formerly known as ge money bank continues efforts by general electric to retreat from finance and focus on its industrial roots
general electric said last year that it planned to sell the bulk of ge capital within two years since then ge capital has entered into agreements for asset sales worth more than 170 billion
the czech business priced its offering of 2606 million shares on the prague stock exchange at 68 korunas a share the bottom of its expected price range
ge capital sold 51 percent of monetas shares and will retain a minority stake in the czech bank
shares of moneta were up slightly at 6805 korunas around midday on friday as conditional trading began in prague
this ipo is another milestone in the execution of ges strategy to significantly reduce its financial services businesses richard laxer the president and chief executive of ge capital international said in a news release
plans to pursue an initial public offering for the czech business were announced in april
the bank based in prague has 229 branches and 629 atms in the czech republic it serves 117 million retail and commercial customers in the country the company posted a profit of 45 billion korunas in 2015
citigroup goldman sachs and jpmorgan chase served as joint global coordinators on the offering


it already looks clear that many obamacare insurance plans are going to raise their prices significantly
over the last few years average premium increases in the obamacare markets have been lower than the increases for people who bought their own insurance in premiums before the affordable care act but several trends are coming together that suggest that pattern will break when plan premiums are announced in early november many plans may increase prices by 10 percent or more over the last two years ive written articles warning against scary headlines that exaggerate premium increases next year those scary headlines are more likely to be accurate
peter lee runs the countrys largest and most stable state marketplace covered california the typical rate increase has been only 4 percent over the last two years next year will be different we expect our rates to go up more than that this year he said at a recent meeting with health reporters he predicted big rate increases in other states
only two states have collected proposed rates for 2017 yet but in both of them popular carriers are asking for double digit increases insurers dont always get what they want and there is local variation in insurance rates but these early requests are in line with statements from insurance officials and regulators about what to expect
most people who are buying insurance on the obamacare marketplaces will not feel the effects of these increases the formula that calculates federal subsidies will offset the increases for them but rising prices will hurt higher income americans who have to pay their own premiums that group is already paying a lot for health insurance and the coverage often comes with high deductibles and other forms of out of pocket expenses
thats a problem but some context is helpful higher prices are not by themselves a sign that the insurance marketplaces are dysfunctional or failing most of the reasons prices will go up next year are pretty predictable the initial prices for obamacare plans were much lower than forecasters expected to some extent the coming increases will be a correction not a sign that markets are spiraling out of control
there are three main reasons premiums are likely to be substantially more expensive   and one factor offsetting the increases
being treated will cost more in 2017 than it does now thats true for everyone using the medical system   not just people with obamacare plans it will be true for people in government insurance programs like medicare and medicaid and for people who get their insurance through work the cost of medical care basically goes up every year so thats not a huge surprise but the last few years that growth has been very slow by historical standards actuaries are predicting that 2017s bump will be a little bigger that increase is not because of obamacare but because of drugmakers releasing more new expensive products hospitals raising prices and doctors offering more technologically complex treatments actuaries differ a bit in their estimates and the cost of medical care varies by place but the estimate ive heard in my reporting is somewhere around 6 percent
the health law included some protections for insurance companies in the first few years devised to help the markets become stabilized and protect insurers who made miscalculations in setting prices while they were getting used to things two such programs expire at the end of this year one is currently paying the bills for the rare patients who require extremely expensive medical care another was set up to protect insurers who made bad guesses on how sick their overall pool of customers would be together the loss of those protections is expected to raise rates by about 4 percent
even if medical costs stayed flat and the early buffer programs continued a lot of insurance companies would still be raising their rates thats because the prices many of them charged in the first few years werent high enough to cover the medical bills of their customers some insurers bet so badly that they have gone under or have chosen not to return to sell to the new marketplaces others plan to return but will need to raise rates to make the business more sustainable
some of the early underpricing may have been strategic   as insurers were hoping to hook new customers with low prices and to try to keep their loyalty as prices rose but it seems that a lot of the underpricing was a mistake as insurers made bad estimates of how many people were likely to enter the markets in the early years and how much it would cost to pay for their medical care
not every insurance company is losing money in the obamacare markets so this last factor wont affect every plan but there is evidence that underpricing was fairly widespread so it will affect a substantial number of them
as part of its spending deal late last year congress gave the insurance industry a big financial gift that should help drive down premiums it temporarily eliminated a tax on health insurance premiums the tax had been passed along to customers as taxes usually are in the form of higher prices experts claim that the savings should flow the other way   making price increases about 2 percent less than they would be otherwise
there are other ways the insurance plans can help keep down costs many have started narrowing their networks of doctors and hospitals to those they believe to be lower priced that trend may continue and may help some insurance companies hold down price increases
most states need to submit proposed rates to the federal government next week but the final numbers for most states wont be clear until nov 1 when healthcaregov opens its doors for shoppers
while headlines about high prices may be right beware of predictions that they mean obamacare is failing a one year price increase does not spell doom


under ordinary circumstances naming a polar research ship after the naturalist david attenborough would have made perfect sense
but these were not ordinary circumstances because in announcing on friday that the vessel would carry mr attenboroughs name the science ministry in britain chose to disregard the opinion of the 124000 people who voted for a different name in an online poll boaty mcboatface
the public provided some truly inspirational and creative names and while it was a difficult decision im delighted that our state of the art polar research ship will be named after one of the nations most cherished broadcasters and natural scientists the universities and science minister jo johnson said in a statement
the natural environment research council a british government agency had tried to open things up on the internet and let people suggest a name for the 287 million vessel in an online survey in march
that plan backfired when the name boaty mcboatface received overwhelming support many of those who voted for it were quick to express their disappointment
the initial suggestion to name the ship boaty mcboatface took off a twitter account was created a train was called trainy mctrainface for a day and even cheesy mccheeseface surfaced online
mr attenboroughs name received over 11000 votes putting him in fourth position when the poll closed on april 17
the government signaled that it was unlikely the name boaty mcboatface would ever grace the ship mr johnson told the daily telegraph the government was looking for something that fits the mission and captures the spirit of scientific endeavor
on friday mr johnson said the ship would be named after mr attenborough in celebration of the broadcasters contribution to natural science
if the peoples will was ignored their voice was heard the name boaty mcboatface will live on as a high tech remotely operated submarine that will collect data and samples
were ensuring that the boaty name lives on through the sub sea vehicle that will support the research crew mr johnson said
still that failed to satisfy supporters of the boaty mcboatface handle who made clear that this was not what they had voted for
james hand the man who initially coined boaty mcboatface said he was pleased that the name would live on
the name appeals to the child in us thats one of the reasons its been so popular he said in a statement that referred to the natural environment research council i never expected boaty to become as popular as it has and im glad nerc have chosen to harness some of that interest
he added he found the ships name rrs sir david attenborough a fitting and excellent choice he voted for attenborough despite having prompted the social media frenzy around the boaty name
one of britains most adored personalities mr attenborough said he was honored to give his name to the ship
i have been privileged to explore the worlds deepest oceans alongside amazing teams of researchers he said in a statement and with this new polar research ship they will be able to go further and discover more than ever before


after assuring americans he is not running for president to make things unstable for the country the presumptive republican nominee donald j trump suggested that he might reduce the national debt by persuading creditors to accept something less than full payment
asked on thursday whether the united states needed to pay its debts in full or whether he could negotiate a partial repayment mr trump told the cable network cnbc i would borrow knowing that if the economy crashed you could make a deal
he added and if the economy was good it was good so therefore you cant lose
such remarks by a major presidential candidate have no modern precedent the united states government is able to borrow money at very low interest rates because treasury securities are regarded as a safe investment and any cracks in investor confidence have a long history of costing american taxpayers a lot of money
experts also described mr trumps proposal as fanciful saying there was no reason to think americas creditors would accept anything less than 100 cents on the dollar regardless of mr trumps deal making prowess
no one on the other side would pick up the phone if the secretary of the us treasury tried to make that call said lou crandall chief economist at wrightson icap why should they they have a contract requiring payment in full
mr trump told cnbc that he was concerned about the impact of higher interest rates on the cost of servicing the federal debt were paying a very low interest rate he said what happens if that interest rate goes two three four points up we dont have a country i mean if you look at the numbers theyre staggering
the congressional budget office projects that interest payments on the federal debt will climb to 500 billion in 2020 from roughly 250 billion this year that is based on a projection that rates on the benchmark 10 year treasury will reach 41 percent in late 2019 still a low level by historical standards if rates were to climb more quickly or reach higher levels debt payments would be higher
pressed to elaborate on his remarks mr trump did appear to step back he said that he was not suggesting a default but instead that the government could seek to repurchase debt for less than the face value of the securities the government in other words would seek to repay less money than it borrowed
maya macguineas president of the committee for a responsible federal budget said that she shared mr trumps concern about the size of the federal debt but that the issue needed to be addressed through changes in fiscal policy   some combination of less spending and more revenue
its a policy problem not a debt management problem she said when it comes to fiscal responsibility people are always looking for the easiest of answers if there were low hanging fruit here the treasury department would already be on it
repurchasing debt is a fairly common tactic in the corporate world but it only works if the debt is trading at a discount if creditors think they are going to get 80 cents for every dollar they are owed they may be overjoyed to get 90 cents mr trumps companies had sometimes been able to retire debt at a discount because creditors feared they might default
but mr trumps statement might show the limits of translating his business acumen into the world of government finance the united states simply cannot pursue a similar strategy the government runs an annual deficit so it must borrow to retire existing debt any measures that would reduce the value of the existing debt making it cheaper to repurchase would increase the cost of issuing new debt such a threat also could undermine the stability of global financial markets
in 1979 for example what the government described as bookkeeping problems temporarily delayed 120 million in interest payments in the aftermath of the delay investors pushed up interest rates on treasuries by about 06 percentage point according to a 1989 study by terry l zivney of the university of tennessee at chattanooga and richard d marcus of the university of wisconsin milwaukee that cost taxpayers roughly 12 billion
in 2011 federal borrowing costs climbed as congressional republicans refused for a time to increase the federal governments statutory borrowing limit raising doubts about the governments ability to repay its debts the bipartisan policy center calculated that the higher rates will cost taxpayers about 19 billion
there is a limited opportunity for mr trump to pursue bond buybacks without disrupting markets he could seek to take advantage of the markets preference for brand new treasuries in a longstanding quirk older vintages of treasuries trade at slightly lower prices than the latest issuance treasury officials have discussed issuing new debt to fund purchases of older debt but they would do so because newer securities are easier for investors to buy and sell that might improve the workings of financial markets any savings however would be small change
it would not move the needle at all on the overall debt mr crandall the economist said


washington   the marble floored atrium at the office of dentons a prominent law and lobbying firm is a popular venue for the capitals elite to gather for political fund raisers and ritzy receptions for corporate clients
but the featured guest one recent evening was not a member of congress or a company executive it was qubad talabani the deputy prime minister of the regional government of kurdistan the financially struggling region in northern iraq that is desperately looking for ways to pay for its war effort against the islamic state after its economy was decimated by the global drop in oil prices and a surge of refugees
you cannot win a war bankrupt mr talabani said in an interview if we are the boots on the ground against isis we have to be supported to stand on our own feet
washington is bloated with thousands of special pleaders most of whom want to push or derail legislation or a regulation but mr talabanis visit   which included meetings with officials from the white house state department pentagon and on capitol hill   came with a decidedly different agenda seeking money to finance a foreign war
mr talabani and the small delegation that kurdistan has in washington have used tactics similar to those of corporations that spend millions of dollars to grease the levers of power retaining five firms to push its cause they have been effective winning over a rare combination of military hawks conservative republicans and a collection of liberal democrats in congress more important they secured a commitment late last month for 415 million in additional aid to support the kurds pesh merga militia force
they are willing to fight said representative gerald e connolly democrat of virginia who is a member of the kurdish american congressional caucus which the lobbying team helped set up in the house they are the only group that has had consistent battlefield success
kurdish officials say they will continue to press for additional money for ammunition armored vehicles and protective gear against chemical weapons requests that lawmakers say they are looking for ways to accommodate
what is perhaps more notable is that the kurds are succeeding even in a climate of austerity on capitol hill the relative stability in kurdistan and in its capital erbil contrasted with the continuing chaos in baghdad   highlighted by the storming last saturday of the iraqi parliament building by protesters   has only enhanced the clout of the kurds in washington but it is also an area of a continued threat including to american military forces there with one american service member killed by enemy fire near erbil on tuesday during a clash with the islamic state
i am prepared to do whatever i can to support your noble efforts representative trent franks republican of arizona told a gathering of kurdish officials on capitol hill late last month we are not going to quit
the cash crunch in kurdistan   so severe that the government fell behind in payments to the pesh merga forces   has complicated the lobbying effort meaning that some of the firms have been paid less than specified in their contracts dentons for instance collected just 5000 a month during parts of last year instead of the 20000 a month called for in its contract
but the lobbying pitch has if anything only intensified disclosure records filed with the justice department show more than 2300 contacts with members of congress   emails telephone calls meetings and other events   just in the last half of 2015 including private conversations with at least six united states senators
the campaign taking place at the same time as kurdistan is planning a referendum on a proposal to establish itself as a nation independent from iraq has created tensions between washington and baghdad iraqi officials are engaged in their own diplomatic effort backed by another high priced washington lobbying firm the podesta group
in addition to the push for more money for their military the kurds and their lobbyists recently persuaded the united states to remove two of kurdistans prominent political parties from a list of potential terrorist groups
kurdistan is not entitled to have an official embassy in washington its small but well connected team instead operates out of an embassy like townhouse a few blocks from the white house that displays flags from both iraq and kurdistan
we have to punch above our weight said bayan sami abdul rahman the head of the washington based delegation who like mr talabani was educated in britain and speaks with a british accent we have no choice
the kurdish lobbying team in washington mobilized last summer a series of private meetings were set up with lawmakers including senator john mccain republican of arizona and senator joe manchin iii democrat of west virginia as the lobbyists and the kurdish delegation attempted to line up votes for a senate proposal to provide direct military support to the kurds bypassing baghdad
the obama administration objected to the proposal but the measure was popular enough to win 54 votes just a few short of the 60 it needed to move ahead sending a clear sign that the kurds had wide congressional support
it is easy for the kurds to make the case as more people in the united states now recognize who the kurds are and what they are doing said david m tafuri a former state department official who helps lead the dentons team lobbying for kurdistan so it is easier for them to get an audience in washington
besides dentons the lobbying team includes ed rogers a republican and former white house aide who is a founder of the bgr group and joe r reeder a former under secretary of the army during the clinton administration who is now at the lobbying firm greenberg traurig
kurdistan which until the drop in oil prices had seen its revenues surge in recent years as it increased exports of oil through a pipeline connecting the region to turkey has spent nearly 6 million on outside lobbyists and public relations firms in washington since 2010 far more than countries like kazakhstan and pakistan
the washington based team of kurds led by ms abdul rahman and an employee assigned to focus on lobbying remziya suleyman have their own personal stories of hardship
ms abdul rahmans father and brother were killed in 2004 during a bombing in erbil ms suleyman was 3 when her family fled kurdistan in 1988 to escape chemical attacks carried out under saddam hussein
to bolster the effort the kurdistan government has sent a stream of top officials to washington including mr talabani as well as sherzad o mamsani who was recently named as kurdistans first director of jewish affairs in an open appeal to build support in israel for the kurdish effort
already the kurds have started to receive some behind the scenes support from political consultants who work on israels behalf in washington and who see the kurds   a minority group that like the jews have at times been targeted for persecution by arabs in the middle east   as an unusual but potentially important ally
it is a delicate relationship ms abdul rahman agreed because the kurds cannot appear to be too closely aligned with israel without causing tensions with neighbors like iran
here in washington if the pro jewish and pro israel interests see the kurds are a friend of the jewish community it could lead to congress being even more forceful in its support of the kurdish regional government said zach d huff a political consultant who traveled to washington from israel in april to help the kurdish lobbying effort a visit that included a meeting with the powerful american israel public affairs committee to ask for its assistance
just last month two house lawmakers   representatives ileana ros lehtinen republican of florida and brad sherman democrat of california   both known as strong supporters of israel introduced their own resolution asking the state department to send military assistance to the kurds
not to be outdone mr franks who more typically is focused on finding ways to cut federal spending moved to reintroduce legislation authorizing the pentagon to deliver weapons directly to the pesh merga bypassing baghdad and setting up what will most likely be another clash with the obama administration
my priorities mr franks said assisting our allies the kurds in their fight against isis


tampa bay forward brian boyle was showered with boos friday evening when the lightning took the ice against the islanders at barclays center for game 4 of their nhl eastern conference semifinal series
no surprise there
during pregame warm ups on tuesday boyle skated across the islanders logo and mixed it up with defenseman travis hamonic
but the play that made boyle villain no 1 for islanders fans came in overtime when boyle flattened defenseman thomas hickey with a big hit at the blue line boyle then took a loose puck passed to victor hedman and tapped in the rebound after hedmans shot missed
game over
the official on the play either overlooked boyles hit or was too busy managing a game that is now being played at the speed of light by athletes with larger and better conditioned bodies built like machines
bigger faster and stronger than in the past hockey players are also just as committed as their predecessors were to getting away with as much as possible
boyle the lightning center is 6 feet 7 inches so is goalie ben bishop so is defenseman andrej sustr
the size of a professional football field has remained the same since the nfl came into existence in 1920 the standard size of a basketball court has not changed in more than 50 years hockey has been played on a 200 by 85 foot rink over the last 50 years with bigger and faster athletes playing on rinks and fields and courts whose dimensions have remained constant for decades every sport   not just hockey   is impossible to referee without the all seeing eye in the sky
there was a time when an officials word was sacrosanct unimpeachable irrefutable and undeniable the official was the absolute authority
no longer
with the expanding use of video replay its now common to have multibillion dollar leagues issuing apologies and admitting that the officials on site blew a crucial call
this is not a case of sudden humility the innovation that was supposed to be an entertaining bauble for fans has become a second guessing cyclops that has imprisoned the sports industry
whats changed all this is technology and the access by fans to games lightning coach jon cooper said after practice thursday
a couple of decades ago two cameras might have covered a game officiating mistakes happened but they were less likely to be noticed today 20 cameras are trained on a game   cameras trained on the blue line for offsides or on players to monitor legal and illegal hits what the naked eye might have missed is being seen by millions
so now youve got all these eyes focused on our game and it does nothing but back you into a corner cooper said referring to the officials
the decline of the referee and the rise of the electric eye is a boon to fans this probably gets them more engaged cooper said whether it makes them mad or sad or enraged it keeps them engaged
hockey like its violent cousin football finds itself in the precarious position of trying to achieve a delicate balance of making a rough game appear safe while giving the fans what they crave what they want is blood hard hits and bone crunching checks
the nhl amped up the sport by removing the red line combating obstruction hooking and holding couple that with more athletic players competing in a confined space and there will be lots of crowd pleasing rock em sock em action   not to mention an increasing number of injuries
you did everything to speed up the game and nothing to slow down the game cooper said it makes the game exciting and fun but theres a negative to that
when they hit harder skate faster eventually injuries are going to happen
fans in large part want the unsafe in hockey officials walk a thin line about which bone jarring hits to allow and which to penalize
replay was quickly used in game 4 with 10 minutes 49 seconds left in the first period ryan stromers redirected shot on goal was credited as a save although the shot appeared to carry bishop into the net the official wanted to make sure and after a five minute consultation the call on the ice was upheld
still getting it right with the naked eye seems to be growing increasingly rare officials miss a lot we always knew they did but the video now confirms it
the prevalence of instant replay has reduced officials to waiters who drop the puck take care of the ball during breaks or try to prevent players from fighting
this week the nba acknowledged that officials had missed five calls in the final 135 seconds of a game that the oklahoma city thunder won by a point over the san antonio spurs last season the nfl admitted that officials had missed several crucial calls in a playoff game
owning up to mistakes is all well and good but if i am a fan of the team that has been victimized by a call that cost it the game the apologies do me no good
when it comes to a critical error how far are leagues willing to go not only to get it right but also to make it right how far are we from the day when leagues will actually change a games result
i dont know if there is any way that you can do that cooper said technology is where its at but ultimately im a true believer in the idea that humans are playing the games humans should officiate the games
for the time being in brooklyn islanders fans just wanted brian boyle to get what they thought he had coming to him


rochester minn   the dalai lama who tirelessly preaches inner peace while chiding people for their selfish materialistic ways has commissioned scientists for a lofty mission to help turn secular audiences into more self aware compassionate humans
that is of course no easy task so the dalai lama ordered up something with a grand name to go with his grand ambitions a comprehensive atlas of emotions to help the more than seven billion people on the planet navigate the morass of their feelings to attain peace and happiness
it is my duty to publish such work the dalai lama said
to create this map of the mind as he called it the dalai lama reached out to a source hollywood had used to plumb the workings of the human psyche
specifically he commissioned his good friend paul ekman   a psychologist who helped advise the creators of pixars inside out an animated film set inside a girls head   to map out the range of human sentiments dr ekman later distilled them into the five basic emotions depicted in the movie from anger to enjoyment
dr ekmans daughter eve a post doctoral fellow in integrative medicine research worked on the project as well with the goal of producing a guide to human emotions that anyone with an internet connection could study in a quest for self understanding calm and constructive action
we have by nature or biologically this destructive emotion also constructive emotion the dalai lama said this innerness people should pay more attention to from kindergarten level up to university level this is not just for knowledge but in order to create a happy human being happy family happy community and finally happy humanity
the dalai lama paid dr ekman at least 750000 to develop the project which began with a request several years ago
dr ekman recalled the dalai lama telling him when we wanted to get to the new world we needed a map so make a map of emotions so we can get to a calm state
as a first step dr ekman conducted a survey of 149 scientists emotion scientists neuroscientists and psychologists who are published leaders in their fields to see where there was consensus about the nature of emotions the moods or states they produce and related areas
based on the survey dr ekman concluded that there were five broad categories of emotions   anger fear disgust sadness and enjoyment   and that each had an elaborate subset of emotional states triggers actions and moods he took these findings to a cartography and data visualization firm stamen to depict them in a visual and he hoped useful way
if it isnt fun its a failure dr ekman said its got to be fun for people to use
stamens founder eric rodenbeck has created data visualizations for google facebook and mtv as well as maps showing climate change and rising oceans but he said the atlas was the most challenging project he had worked on because it was built around knowledge and wisdom rather than data
not surprisingly getting scientists to reach a unified understanding of human emotions was difficult
dacher keltner a professor of psychology at the university of california berkeley also counseled pixar on establishing and depicting the emotional characters for inside out he has even advised facebook on emoticons
although dr keltner took part in dr ekmans survey the two are not in complete agreement on the number of core emotions still dr keltner said he saw the project as a good step
the survey questions could have allowed for more gray areas he said but its important to take stock of what the scientific consensus is in the field
dr ekman emphasized that the atlas was not a scientific work intended for peer review
it is a visualization for what we think has been learned from scientific studies he said its a transformative process a work of explanation
the dalai lama wants to keep religion out of it
if we see this research work as relying on religious belief or tradition then it automatically becomes limited he said even if you pray to god pray to buddha emotionally very nice very good but every problem we have created so i think even god or buddha cannot do much
the dalai lama said he hoped the atlas could be a tool for cultivating good in the world by defeating the bad within us
ultimately our emotion is the real troublemaker he said we have to know the nature of that enemy
the dalai lama said he had been encouraged by president obamas reaction to the project when he told him about it in india
obama seems i think to show more interest about our inner value he said in the past compassion was something of a sign of weakness or anger a sign of power sign of strength basic human nature is more compassionate thats the real basis of our hope
while excited about the atlas however the 80 year old dalai lama will probably not be clicking around the interactive site he is much more comfortable turning the printed pages of a version that was custom made for him
technology is for my next body he once quipped to the researchers


after racing ahead for many months the american jobs machine cooled in april as employers took their cue from other signs that economic growth was slowing by easing up on new hiring
the 160000 increase in payrolls in april reported by the labor department on friday followed the best two year stretch for the job market since the tech fueled boom of the late 1990s
the unemployment rate which is tied to a separate survey of households was unchanged at 5 percent
its a soft report but it doesnt portend a turn in the labor market said michael gapen chief united states economist at barclays id be more concerned if there were weakness across the board but there wasnt
late last month the government reported that the economy barely expanded in the first quarter but most experts say the gains in the labor market in recent months are a more reliable sign suggesting that the economy will continue to expand for the rest of 2016 and that the pace of growth will pick up modestly from the stagnant start to the year
aprils slower but still steady pace of payroll growth could be a sign of things to come with economists expecting the economy to grow at an annual rate of 15 to 25 percent for the balance of 2016 monthly job gains may fall from the 192000 pace registered so far this year
the latest jobs data is likely to leave the federal reserve waiting for further signs of a pickup in activity before moving ahead with any interest rate increases fed officials will see one more jobs report before their next meeting in june
william c dudley president of the federal reserve bank of new york said in an interview on friday that the latest government data demonstrated that the labor market continued to improve gradually in line with the feds expectations
its a touch softer maybe than what people were expecting but i wouldnt put a lot of weight on it in terms of how it would affect my economic outlook he said
mr dudley added that it remained a reasonable expectation that the fed would increase its benchmark interest rate two times this year
the labor department also revised downward its estimate of the number of jobs added in february and march by 19000
diane swonk an independent economist in chicago pointed to the strong gain of 67000 jobs in the business and professional services category as additional evidence that the broader slowdown in hiring last month was not an ominous sign of trouble ahead
the quality of the jobs improved but the quantity did not she said adding that the health of this heavily white collar sector helped explain why wage growth was also robust
the 03 percentage point rise in average hourly earnings was the most positive sign of the economys trajectory in fridays report
until recently wages had been a sore point throughout the nearly seven year old recovery barely rising in real terms despite the big drop in the unemployment rate
the change in earnings in april suggested that the upward tick in wages was not a fluke over the last 12 months wages are up 25 percent well ahead of the pace of inflation
in addition to a tighter labor market which has prompted some major employers to raise their wage floor dozens of states and cities either have already carried out or are considering increases in the minimum wage combined those forces are helping push up pay at the low end of the job market
weve hit a tipping point ms swonk said its showing up in low wage jobs for waiters and waitresses in retail and in leisure and hospitality
the good news is that we are re engaging people whove been on the sidelines ms swonk added
states including california colorado michigan and massachusetts increased their minimum wages at the start of 2016 maryland and the district of columbia are set to enact raises on july 1
at a news conference friday at the white house president obama said he was pleased that the united states economy had added 160000 jobs in april though he cautioned that the global economy as many people here are aware is not growing as fast as it should be
here in the united states there are folks out there who are still hurting mr obama said and so weve got to do everything we can to strengthen the good trends and to guard against some dangerous trends in the global economy
with the race to succeed president obama now moving from the primary phase into the general election campaign the april jobs report contained fodder for candidates in both parties
democrats can point to the rise in wages as evidence that conditions are improving but the slowdown in hiring particularly among manufacturing industries and a large drop in the number of americans in the work force may add to complaints among blue collar workers that they are being left behind
the proportion of americans in the labor force dropped last month to 628 percent from 63 percent in march partly reversing a rebound that began last fall after the participation rate hit lows last seen in the 1970s
like the unemployment rate participation in the labor force is measured in the labor departments household survey which is separate from the survey of businesses that is used to calculate the change in payrolls
although the two tend to correlate over time the household data is more volatile than the payroll survey and april was no exception it showed more than half a million people leaving the labor force
for college educated workers many of them supporters of hillary clinton and senator bernie sanders on the democratic side the already low jobless rate declined even further to 24 percent the unemployment rate for americans with a high school diploma who have contributed to the crowds supporting the gop standard bearer donald trump was unchanged at 54 percent
the unemployment rate for workers without a high school diploma increased slightly to 75 percent in april continuing a rise from 67 percent at the end of 2015
the payroll numbers and the unemployment rate tend to dominate the headlines but the federal reserve also pays close attention to the participation rate
while mr dudley the new york fed president left open the possibility of higher interest rates in june economists predicted that aprils softness might persuade janet l yellen the fed chairwoman and her colleagues to remain cautious about future rate increases
after the report barclays told clients in a note that the april data put a rate increase in june off the table and the that bank now expected only one interest rate increase by the fed this year
some notable pockets of weakness remain in the nations economy
in the first three months of 2016 factories shed 47000 jobs hurt in part by a stronger dollar and weaker overseas demand manufacturing employment rose by 4000 in april the oil patch is still reeling from the impact of sharply lower energy prices despite a recent rebound other commodity based industries like metals and mining are also hurting
between january 2015 and march 2016 the mining and logging industry lost 170000 jobs in april miners and loggers cut another 8000 jobs
public sector employment unexpectedly fell by 11000 and pacesetters with big gains in previous months like retailers hit the brakes on new hiring
when approximately 40000 verizon workers went on strike last month it was right in the middle of the week that government number crunchers analyze to gauge the strength of the job market
before the report some economists predicted that the strike could have a modest impact on the numbers mr gapen the barclays economist said he did not think that was the case because the telecommunications industry did not register a big drop in employment
in hot fields like health care technology and professional services employers are scrambling to find new employees in chicago contextmedia which provides tablets and digital wallboards for doctors offices brought 25 new employees aboard in april the company plans to add about 100 workers a quarter for the rest of 2016 said iman jalali the companys chief of staff
were trying to attract talent from across the country he added weve got some of the best people in chicago but when you are growing so quickly you need to keep growing the pool


atlantic city   as this fading gambling mecca reels on the edge of bankruptcy its finances scrutinized by a host of auditors some objectionable expenses have bobbed to the surface but none have drawn such broad resentment as the realization that atlantic city pays about 1 million a year to provide pensions for retired lifeguards
in much of the northeast lifeguard stands are the province of youth teenagers and college students making the most of a break between semesters but members of the atlantic city beach patrol return year after year lured by the prospect of turning a summer on the sand into a lifetime of payouts
some like norman draper 69 are collecting 15000 or more annually for stretching a temporary beach job into a second career   a modest sum but still an unusual amount for seasonal work in mr drapers case the gig lasted for 51 summers
but the dedication of weathered veterans like mr draper has not earned much sympathy from those trying to save atlantic city from economic ruin
the president of the new jersey senate stephen m sweeney is calling for the repeal of an 88 year old statute that created the pension system for atlantic citys lifeguards senator sweeney a union leader who generally supports generous pay and benefits for workers said providing pensions for what is generally considered part time summer work was ludicrous
i dont think that public pensions for summer lifeguards are appropriate said mr sweeney a democrat from gloucester county this is just one of the bad spending habits but it is symbolic of the budget practices that have long plagued the city and led it to the verge of a financial disaster
on the subject of lifetime payments for lifeguards mr sweeney has an ally in gov chris christie a republican who wants the state to take control of atlantic city and rework its contracts with public employees lifeguards get pensions in atlantic city   could we please this is ridiculous mr christie told reporters at a news conference in march
under intense pressure to slash municipal spending atlantic city officials have already eliminated jobs and done away with perks that raised eyebrows including cars that were available for city council members
mayor donald guardian a republican has resisted mr sweeneys push for a state takeover but supports eliminating lifeguard pensions he praised the senator for creating a bill that will allow us to end the lifeguard pension plan that we have been forced to pay by the state for several decades now
but that sort of talk irritates mr draper who just started collecting his pension after retiring last year from the lifeguard job he had held since he was 17
its only because the lifeguard pension seems to be so frivolous and unnecessary to some people that its being picked on and being targeted he said in an interview people think that the lifeguards just sort of show up every day and flip the boats and go home and go to a bar or whatever
but he rescued several people over the years he said while maintaining a high level of physical fitness and risking skin cancer from prolonged exposure to the sun his lifeguard pension should not be viewed any differently from the larger pension he is collecting after 25 years of teaching in public schools
by the time he retired as a captain of the beach patrol mr draper was earning 30000 for four months work he said he qualified for a pension equal to half his final pay because he was over 45 and had been a lifeguard for at least 20 years the pension plan allows a surviving spouse to continue collecting the benefits after a retired lifeguard dies
those were the rules set by a statute pushed through the new jersey legislature in 1928 by emerson richards a republican state senator who lived along the boardwalk lifeguards like mr draper contribute 4 percent of their paychecks to the pension fund the city is responsible for the balance
as the roll of retired lifeguards has grown the citys obligation has become onerous kevin lavin the former emergency manager for atlantic city found that the lifeguard pension was costing the city more than 1 million a year and suggested amending the law so the pension could be cut off
seth grossman a lawyer and former city councilman recalled noticing lifeguards on the city payroll in winter months and wondering why he learned that lifeguards approaching retirement would paint boats and perform other off season chores to increase the annual income that would determine the size of their pensions
we used to call it the lifeguard mafia mr grossman said listing some of the powerful alumni of the beach patrol including two men who represent atlantic county in trenton senator jim whelan a democrat and assemblyman chris a brown a republican
the law was drawn up with atlantic city in mind but lifeguards in several other jersey shore towns eventually discovered that it applied to them too three years ago the council in ocean city just south of atlantic city passed a resolution asking state lawmakers to relieve them of the lifeguard pensions burden
michael allegretto a former councilman in ocean city who sponsored the resolution said he thought the state law was unfair to taxpayers in beach communities he said it was also wrong to take some of the pay of lifeguards who just do it in high school and college because the qualifications for a pension for most of them were very unattainable
the issue of pensions for lifeguards has also arisen in places where beaches require year round monitoring in 2011 discontent about the high pay and rich pension plan of the lifeguards in newport beach calif pressured them to accept a less lucrative contract
mr draper vowed to fight in court before he would yield his lifeguard pension which is something of a draper family tradition
he said his father elmer collected a pension of less than 1000 a year after serving on the beach patrol from 1934 to 1954 he said his sister in law had been collecting the pension of his older brother charles draper who was an atlantic city lifeguard for 34 years since he died three years ago
despite mayor guardians position mr draper who served as the president of the bargaining unit for the union that represents the lifeguards said he had been assured by representatives of the city that the pension plan was secure he recalled his counterpart in a negotiation telling him if we ever reach the point where we cant pay the lifeguard pension the city will be in bigger trouble than you can ever imagine


bangkok   plans by the malaysian government to shut down the troubled state fund at the heart of a multinational investigation could saddle the government with billions of dollars in debt and may be a first step toward a government bailout opposition leaders said
the government announced plans this week to close the fund which was created by prime minister najib razak and is suspected of being the source of hundreds of millions of dollars deposited in his personal bank accounts
the finance ministry said on wednesday that it would absorb the fund 1malaysia development berhad the ministry which mr najib oversees in his capacity as the countrys finance minister will take over 1mdbs remaining assets
critics are concerned that the ministry will also assume the funds estimated 675 billion debt setting the stage for a government bailout
my reading is that they will take the opportunity to transfer as much of the debt as possible to the ministry of finance said tony pua an opposition member of parliament our fear is that the ministry of finance will mount a multibillion dollar bailout of 1mdb which is now unable to pay its debts
government officials did not respond to requests for comment the funds president arul kanda kandasamy declined to discuss plans for scaling back the fund how much it owes or the possibility of a government bailout
malaysian officials once had high hopes for the fund which mr najib created in 2009 promising that its investments would produce significant revenue for the country the fund had planned a 3 billion initial public offering for its energy assets as recently as last year which could have generated even more cash
but critics say that the wealth fund was nothing more than a ponzi scheme and that huge sums it borrowed were fraudulently diverted to well connected insiders
at least seven countries are investigating 1mdb and numerous international bank transfers involving the fund swiss investigators said in january that 4 billion may have been misappropriated from 1mdb
mr najibs role in establishing 1mdb as prime minister overseeing it as finance minister directing its advisory board and reportedly receiving money from the fund has raised many questions about his culpability
he denies any wrongdoing
in january attorney general mohamed apandi ali who had been appointed by mr najib cleared him of any crime related to the transfers of 681 million into mr najibs personal bank accounts mr apandi said the money was a gift from the saudi royal family
the saudi foreign ministry disputed that explanation in february but changed its position last month confirming that the money was a saudi donation
in all mr najib has banked more than 1 billion from various sources his office has acknowledged
the moves announced on wednesday were in keeping with recommendations by a parliamentary committee which issued a report critical of 1mdb last month
the foreign ministry said that it would take over 1mdbs assets accept the resignation of the 1mdb board effective may 31 and abolish its advisory board which mr najib had overseen
the ministry said it would appoint new members to the board to reflect the limited business profile of 1mdb
an adviser to mr najib said that sales of 1mdb assets that are underway combined with the transfer of other assets to the ministry would leave 1mdb as a shell company without any operations the fund will continue to service any remaining obligations he said but will eventually cease to exist
mahathir mohamed a former prime minister and a leading critic of mr najib charged that the funds debts could bankrupt the government
the sum is so huge that if the government cannot pay them the financiers it could be bankrupted he wrote in the malaysia chronicle on thursday this has happened to greece
mr mahathir also challenged the contention by mr najibs allies that much of the money that the prime minister received came from a saudi donor
none of his explanation can be believed mr mahathir said no one would give this huge amount to anyone even if he had done something for islam or for any other cause the belief is that the money came from 1mdb the only source of such sums accessible to najib


london   in a europe struggling with a rise in islamophobia riven by debates about the flood of syrian migrants and on edge over religious ethnic and cultural disputes london has elected its first muslim mayor
sadiq khan   a labour party leader a former human rights lawyer and a son of a bus driver from pakistan   was declared the winner after a protracted count that extended into saturday he will be the first muslim to lead britains capital
the victory also makes him one of the most prominent muslim politicians in the west
london is hardly representative of britain about a quarter of its residents are foreign born and one eighth are muslim and mr khan is not the first muslim to hold prominent office in europe rotterdam in the netherlands has had a muslim mayor since 2009 and sajid javid is the british secretary of state for business
nonetheless mr khan 45 won a striking victory after a campaign dominated by anxieties over religion and ethnicity britain has not sustained a large scale terrorist attack since 2005 and its muslim population in contrast to france is considered well integrated but an estimated 800 people have left britain to fight for or support the islamic state dozens of assaults on british muslims were reported after the paris terrorist attacks in november
the conservative candidate zac goldsmith attacked mr khans past advocacy for criminal defendants including his opposition to the extradition of a man who was later convicted in the united states of supporting terrorism mr goldsmith said mr khan had given oxygen and cover to extremists when the conservative prime minister david cameron repeated those assertions in parliament he was accused of racism
mr khan defended his work as a human rights lawyer and has said he hoped donald j trump   the presumptive republican presidential candidate who has called for barring muslims from entering the united states   loses badly
mr khans victory was also his partys biggest boost in a series of elections on thursday in which labour further lost its grip on scotland once a stronghold and clung in some cases just barely to seats in england and wales
mr khan won with 568 percent of the vote versus 432 percent for mr goldsmith according to londons election body the results were not final until saturday morning because in londons electoral system voters are allowed a first and second preference and mr khan did not win an outright majority in the first round
in his acceptance speech mr khan said that the mayoral election was not without controversy and added that he was proud that london has today chosen hope over fear and unity over division
i hope that we will never be offered such a stark choice again fear does not make us safer it only makes us weaker and the politics of fear is simply not welcome in our city
mr khans campaign focused on bread and butter issues like the cost of housing and transportation he drew strong support from labor unions and kept a careful distance from his partys leader jeremy corbyn a socialist who has an ardent base among young voters but faces heavy resistance among fellow labour lawmakers
in the past week the labour party was distracted by a dispute over anti semitism that led to the suspension of a lawmaker naseem shah and a former london mayor ken livingstone
mr khan argued that as an observant muslim he was well placed to tackle extremism im a londoner im european im british im english im of islamic faith of asian origin of pakistani heritage a dad a husband he said in a recent interview with the new york times
the fifth of eight children mr khan was born in tooting south london to recent immigrants from pakistan and grew up in a public housing project his father drove a bus and his mother was a seamstress
elected to parliament in 2005 mr khan was appointed a junior minister for communities in 2008 and minister for transport in 2009 under the last labour prime minister gordon brown although he was not one of the highest ranking ministers he became the first muslim to attend cabinet meetings regularly and was admitted to the privy council a largely ceremonial body in which induction normally requires taking an oath to the queen
the palace called me and said what type of bible do you want to swear on  mr khan told the magazine the new statesman when i said the quran they said we havent got one so i took one with me
as londons mayor he will have significant power over transportation and planning   as well as responsibilities for the police civil defense and fire services   in a city with an acute shortage of affordable homes and a creaking overcrowded mass transit network
mr khan will succeed boris johnson a conservative who has held the post since 2008 and is a leading figure in the campaign for britains departure from the european union that vote will take place on june 23 mr johnson is seen as a possible successor to mr cameron as leader of the conservatives particularly if britain votes to leave mr cameron is campaigning for britain to remain
within britain the news of the collapse of the labour party in scotland was almost as big as mr khans victory
the scottish national party won its third straight victory in the scottish parliament   a triumph that its leader nicola sturgeon called historic even though the party narrowly lost its majority the labour party fell to a humiliating third place behind the conservatives who won seats in part by appealing to scots opposed to independence scots rejected independence in a 2014 referendum but there is speculation that a new referendum could be called particularly if britain leaves the european union
the snp won 63 seats down from 69 and two short of the 65 required for a majority in the 129 seat parliament but it was far ahead of its rivals ms sturgeon said she planned to lead a minority government rather than seeking a coalition with smaller parties the conservatives captured 31 seats and labour 24
the labour party have completely lost touch with the hard working people theyre supposed to represent mr cameron the prime minister said
in wales labour remained the biggest party though the uk independence party which favors leaving the european union entered the welsh assembly for the first time winning seven seats
in england labour won two by elections to the british parliament and a labour mayor joe anderson won a second term in liverpool labour also kept control of local councils in crucial english communities like crawley southampton norwich and hastings where the party had been thought vulnerable
nonetheless mr corbyns troubles have taken the focus from the conservatives who are deeply divided over the june 23 referendum on european union membership
given that mr camerons government has recently faced crises over the steel industry and a strike by junior doctors his partys gains in scotland were sorely needed good news
as for mr corbyn he said that labour had defied its critics and hung on in england though he conceded that there was a lot of building to do in scotland


london   in a sign that the global steel industrys troubles are not over arcelormittal the worlds largest steel maker said on friday that it lost money in the first quarter of this year largely because of low prices resulting from global overcapacity especially in china
the companys chairman and chief executive lakshmi n mittal said that despite the loss business conditions were improving he said in a statement that he expected improved results in the coming quarters
steel prices have rallied sharply in recent weeks though it is not clear whether the rise is sustainable or has merely been fueled by speculation
mr mittal warned that excess capacity in china meant the market remains fragile and we must continue to be vigilant and active against the threat of unfair trade
arcelormittals loss narrowed to 416 million compared with the 728 million that the company lost in the first quarter of last year revenue fell more than 20 percent to 134 billion
analysts expect the performance of arcelormittal and the wider industry to improve as future results reflect a surge in steel prices   including a gain of more than 50 percent in the united states   since december but they note that the glut of steel making capacity around the globe is likely to limit profitability
we do not think the industry is healthy we dont think it is sustainably a high return business seth rosenfeld a london based analyst at jefferies a securities firm said in an interview
arcelormittal has struggled in recent years it lost nearly 8 billion in 2015 and raised 3 billion in new capital from shareholders this year to reduce debt
the entire steel industry has been under pressure in recent years as a result of overcapacity particularly in china which now produces around half of the worlds steel as chinas economic growth has slowed it has exported its surplus steel squeezing global prices until the recent rally
over the last year the steel industry has become a focal point in europe and in the united states of concerns about competition from china arcelormittal and other steel companies have had some success in lobbying both regions to impose tariffs on steel imports from china and other low cost producers
the recent announcement by tata the largest steel producer in britain that it would either sell or close its british operations threatening 15000 jobs has further drawn political attention to the industry
on a call with reporters aditya mittal arcelormittals chief financial officer said that the trade actions were supporting steel prices especially in the united states which has moved more quickly to protect the industry than europe has he also said that the problems posed by china had not yet been resolved
the risks remain in china because china has not yet addressed the issue of having too much steel making capacity he said
arcelormittals stock price has soared in recent weeks following the trend in steel prices but it was down more than 4 percent through early afternoon trading in europe on friday to 450 euros or about 515 that is but a fraction of the stocks high of more than EUR65 which it reached in 2008


another brand is abandoning the traditional fashion show calendar
on friday brioni the italian luxury tailor announced it would hold its next show   the first by its new creative director justin oshea   on july 4 in paris during the womens couture season dumping its usual june milan mens wear slot
brioni is the third label owned by the kering group to reveal that it will no longer be playing by the old calendar rules in april gucci said that in 2017 it would unite its mens and womens collections in a single show most likely during the womens wear season and earlier this week bottega veneta said it would hold a joint show this september in honor of its 50th birthday
these followed similar announcements from burberry tom ford vetements and public school all of which are wreaking havoc with fashions former twice a year four city cycle of shows for mens and womens wear the calendar is not cast in stone anymore but no one is quite sure how it is all going to end
we are in a time of great experimentation said carlo capasa president of the camera nazionale della moda italiana the italian chamber of fashion which administers fashion weeks lots of brands are trying different approaches to see what is most effective
mr capasa then professed not to be concerned that brands were abandoning mens fashion week
still brionis move is particularly significant for two reasons
first as mr osheas debut the show will be closely watched in part because mr osheas background is merchandising not designing before joining brioni he was fashion director for the website mytheresacom he was a nontraditional hire at a time of creative director flux and his success or failure will be used as ammunition in the debate over how much real designers matter to fashion brands
and second the show will not be a one time experiment but the beginning of a new approach to showing for brioni
we arent a fashion brand so we dont need to mimic fashion gianluca flore chief executive of brioni said in explaining the new system we are a style brand so we are going to follow the customers
the planned couture show is nominally linked to the opening of the refurbished brioni flagship store in paris where the collection will be held it also however reflects a very specific positioning of brionis made to measure business as the mens wear equivalent of made to order couture albeit at a slightly lower price point indeed mr flore refers to it as pret a couture and immediately after the show special runway looks the ones for our little prince customers   we have a lot of them mr flore said will be available for customers to order
meanwhile mr flore said brioni planned to hold its next show in november in new york to coincide with the opening of another renovated store both the july collection and the november one are to be delivered to customers a few weeks after the events in part to facilitate a turnover of stock and the replacement of brionis former aesthetic created by the designer brendan mullane with mr osheas aesthetic whatever that may be
mr flore gave a few hints it wont look that different but there might be some more relaxed and feminine options because that is contemporary lets wait and see
and after that ... well who knows
brioni also will combine its precollections and main lines and will sell both after the shows so there will be only two selling seasons a year as opposed to the current four brionis business is evenly split between its own stores and wholesale with revenues of about 180 million euros or 206 million a year
all of the changes will make for an interesting couture week anyway brioni is not on the official calendar but the jewelry brand bulgari is   it will show on july 5 at the italian embassy in paris   and fendi has announced it will hold its second haute fourrure extravaganza in rome on july 7
increasingly when it comes to shows anything goes


seoul south korea   north koreas leader kim jong un said friday that his nuclear weapons and missile programs brought his country dignity and national power as he convened the first congress of his workers party in 36 years
mr kim opened the congress in a large theater in pyongyang the capital on friday morning the unusual political gathering was widely expected to serve as a platform for the young leader to consolidate his power touting his nuclear weapons program as his biggest achievement
in footage of the speech released by state run television mr kim boasted of his countrys nuclear test in january and the launch in february of a satellite widely seen as a cover for developing an intercontinental ballistic missile
he also said the nuclear test detonated a hydrogen bomb although the united states and south korea have doubted the claim because it yielded an explosion too small to be a thermonuclear bomb
mr kim called the nuclear test and satellite launch great successes that confirmed the dignity and national power of juche korea at the highest level juche or self reliance is the norths governing ideology
officials in washington and south korea who had hoped mr kim might be willing to bargain over the program in return for economic and diplomatic concessions were bound to be disappointed mr kim increasingly appears to view the nuclear program as the main political asset that legitimizes his rule
the congress held in the april 25 house of culture unfolded behind closed doors more than 100 outside journalists invited to pyongyang for the rare event were denied access to the theater and had to rely on the norths state run central tv which didnt release footage of mr kim addressing the delegates until late friday night
mr kim wore a western style suit and tie not in his trademark mao style uniform central tv said the congress would review the countrys past policies elect the leadership of the party and revise its charter it will also uphold mr kim as the partys supreme leader the broadcaster said
the congress was expected to last until early next week
under north koreas one party system the congress is where the countrys most important elections and policy decisions take place at least in theory analysts outside the isolated north are watching closely for insights into the evolving leadership of mr kim who inherited his family dynasty about four years ago when he was still in his late 20s
analysts broadly agree that any changes announced during the congress including to the partys leadership or its charter will seek to cement mr kims authority as the norths monolithic leader mr kim has had scores of senior generals and party officials executed for disloyalty since taking power
analysts are also watching to see if mr kim loosens the states control over the economy though no bold moves in that direction are expected
mr kim has championed a so called byungjin strategy for the nation which calls for securing a nuclear arsenal while trying to rebuild the moribund economy all indications are that mr kim who came to power after the death of his father kim jong il in late 2011 will hold fast to this policy during the congress
in a lengthy dispatch on friday the state run korean central news agency or kcna hailed mr kim as a strong leader who had armed the country with a nuclear deterrent against its enemies particularly the united states so that his people could work to revive the economy
north korea has recently claimed success in testing various technologies needed to build capability for a nuclear strike including a new engine for an intercontinental ballistic missile in what many have seen as attempts to bolster that image of mr kim
such advances are the biggest gifts our defense scientists and engineers present to the seventh party congress kcna said parroting the official rationale for mr kims byungjin strategy the report said the powerful nuclear deterrent would safeguard the norths future and boost the revolutionary will of the people to dedicate themselves to building the economy and improving their living conditions
the united states and south korea have vowed to derail such a policy by isolating the north with the enforcement of united nations sanctions until it gives up its nuclear weapons
the party congress is the closest that north korea has to an election of its top leader in theory the workers party which governs north korea is supposed to hold a congress every five years to elect a central committee which in turn chooses the leader of the party and his lieutenants
but the kim family which has ruled the country since its creation in the 1940s has paid little heed to such formalities kim jong il acquired all the top military and party titles without once holding a party congress the last one took place in 1980 when mr kims grandfather kim il sung was in power
mr kim was appointed the leader of the workers party in 2012 at a conference of party representatives but that gathering was a less prestigious forum than a full fledged congress south korean officials have contended that mr kim is holding the party congress now because he values pomposity more than his father did and wants his young leadership to receive the imprimatur of a full congress
the decades since the last congress have been marked by existential crises for the north korean government the collapse of the soviet bloc the death in 1994 of kim il sung who remains a godlike figure in the country and the devastating famine that followed which weakened citizens trust in the kim familys rule
mr kim has sought to legitimize his leadership by sprucing up pyongyang the showpiece capital that is home to the countrys elite he has also relaxed state control of the economy tolerating a limited number of markets and has let collective farms and factories keep a portion of their products for themselves or to trade in the markets
but south korean intelligence officials recently told lawmakers in seoul that discontent has mounted in the north in recent weeks as the authorities mobilized people for 70 day battles to increase production before the party congress   both to demonstrate their loyalty and help cover the costs of the event
analysts in south korea expected mr kim to continue the past practice of handing out luxury goods to party delegates who have gathered from around the country
phil robertson deputy asia director at human rights watch said this week that the congress was made possible by the forced labor that untold thousands of north koreans are subject to as part of everyday life under kim jong uns abusive rule


developers wanting a bigger slice of the buyer market are now attracting signature restaurants often backed by a globally recognized brand or michelin starred chef
in the same way that high end spas and gyms have become a must have within top residential developments fine dining restaurants are a key component of the upscale residential scene
this is partly because consumers have become generally more food aware latching onto popular concepts like farm to table dining extensive media coverage has also contributed to the rock star prominence of chefs like ferran adria the former chef of el bulli in spain and wolfgang puck the owner of the spago and cut brands
a high end restaurant without doubt makes a project more attractive to buyers says jacob sullivan head of sales at the berkley group the developer of one tower bridge in london
berkley recently announced a deal with the company that operates the ivy the famous 100 year old restaurant in covent garden to open a branch of its offshoot brand the ivy market grill the venue will have a riverfront site with a terrace and mezzanine level
residential units at one tower bridge retail from PS147 million or 214 million for a one bedroom apartment to PS145 million for a four bedroom penthouse
an internationally branded restaurant may not be the only reason buyers purchase in a development but it improves the offering mr sullivan said wealthy people are used to the finer things in life and enjoy having a quality restaurant on their doorstep
just as chefs chase michelin stars so do diners which is why it is the one accolade many developers in commercial and residential real estate want to bring on board
the mahanakhon building nearing completion in bangkok the thai capital is the citys tallest and has 194 residential units restaurants run by internationally acclaimed chefs feature in the adjacent mahanakhon cube
a branch of joel robuchons latelier is on the fifth floor with vincent thierrys vogue lounge on the sixth both chefs are french and have solid global pedigrees including michelin stars
the residences will be sold under the ritz carlton brand and cost from 362 million baht or 1 million for two bedrooms with the top level sky residences from around 942 million baht
in the middle east developers of mixed use projects with retail residential and hotel components have also worked hard to create the quality restaurant scenes found in cities like new york and london
the palazzo versace hotel and residential complex in dubai for example plans to operate what may be a world first in fine dining its enigma restaurant will host a series of one time three month visits from globally recognized chefs including quique dacosta of spain and bjorn frantzen of sweden both holders of several michelin stars
the 169 apartments in the palazzo versace sell fully furnished from around 59 million dirhams or 16 million for a two bedroom property of 185 square meters or 2000 square feet
owners of residences in dubais 160 story burj khalifa the tallest building in the world have access to atmosphere on the 122nd floor the restaurant is run by jerome laguarde who has decades of international experience in michelin rated establishments
residences on the ninth to the 16th floors are sold under the armani brand available properties are listed from 46 million dirhams for one bedroom but can exceed 20 million dirhams depending on specification a further 900 residential units are on floors 19 to 108 and range from studios to four bedroom apartments priced from around 5 million dirhams luxhabitat a local agency is listing one penthouse in the burj khalifa for 102 million dirhams
the trend is not limited to urban locations there is now a climate in which resort based and regional developments are enlisting restaurants and chefs recognized by michelin
casamia a michelin starred restaurant in britain recently moved into the general a new residential development in bristol in the west of england
prices at the general a redeveloped historic site start from PS399500 for a two bedroom unit a further phase is expected to be introduced this spring
it is a perfect match said helen moore managing director for the generals developer city and country a michelin recognized name like casamia brings a cachet to a project it gives confidence to buyers that we offer a premium product
similarly the developer of the golf resort monte rei on the portuguese coast has employed the chef albano lourenco to oversee its signature restaurant vistas mr lourenco previously ran the michelin rated restaurants sao gabriel and arcadas da capela both in portugal
before the appointment of mr lourenco vistas featured jaime perez a protege of mr adria at el bulli as head chef both appointments were considered a coup
monte rei has a jack nicklaus designed golf course that is one of europes top rated but it is at the eastern end of the algarve coastal region which has a lower level of development but also less tourism recognized names like those of mr perez and mr lourenco have helped raise the resorts profile
the idea is to create destination dining for visitors residents and potential buyers said ramon lopez chief executive of monte rei albano lourenco is one of the most respected chefs in portugal his michelin status is a good indication for potential buyers of the quality the resort can offer over all
property prices at monte rei are attractive compared with some of the better known but more densely developed golf resorts farther west three bedroom villas start at EUR125 million or 14 million
the services of a michelin ranked superstar do not come cheap according to elodie casola marketing director for developer arum group which is constructing the residential component at the abama resort on tenerife in the canary islands of spain
it is difficult to secure a michelin starred chef she said the bigger the name the more expensive they or their brand can be it can be hard to recover that investment so developers have to consider if it is worth the outlay
the abama is managed by ritz carlton and offers apartments from EUR390000 and villas from EUR135 million so far around 100 properties have sold to clients from britain and northern europe
the resort has two michelin ranked restaurants the two starred mb run by martin berasategui and the one starred kabuki an asian influenced restaurant headed by the spanish chef ricardo sanz
wealthy international buyers are very demanding when it comes to standards ms casola said the presence of a top chef or michelin award is a guarantee of quality and value across the whole product


karmei yosef israel   when david woo and margalit shinar decided to buy a house after 28 years of a peripatetic life together israel was the only option for the couple but it was not an obvious choice
they had spent most of their life together in london washington and new york where mr woo is a managing partner and heads the research desk at bank of america
mr woo now 48 is taiwanese by birth but left home when he was 15 to study in the united states he met ms shinar 20 years his senior when he was in college at tufts university in massachusetts and she was studying for her masters degree
twenty eight years later the time had come to settle down ms shinar an american by birth who was raised in israel is 68 and wanted to return to the land where her family still lives
the only question was where
they knew they wanted a house something pastoral with a large garden and not too many neighbors
the communities along israels coastline where the agricultural lands have become suburban enclaves were not quite right they were either too expensive or had crowded lots that did not leave enough room for privacy
a real estate agent specializing in country properties took them to moshav karmei yosef an agricultural community in the judean foothills that is mentioned in the bible and is still home to many farms as well as two wineries
the first plot they looked at was the former home of ida nudel a former soviet refusenik who had been gifted the land by prime minister ariel sharon ms nudel had planted an extensive garden full of plants and trees mentioned in the bible and it radiated peacefulness and calm
when i saw this place i said thats it its done mr woo said youre buying for the plot and this lot is particularly lovely it has gentle terrain and we fell in love with the garden its like magic
the half acre garden behind the house slopes down toward a private locked gate that leads to a public forest next door the houses very own secret garden
they call this area little tuscany ms shinar said we even have a monastery nearby and olive trees and wineries
there were also no looming houses nearby said ms shinar who wanted to be far from the madding crowds
people told me i wouldnt last here that i would die from being so far from urban life but what seduced us is the proximity to tel aviv and jerusalem
karmei yosef is halfway between jerusalem and tel aviv about a 30 minute drive to either city
there was a simple house already on the property but ms shinar had never considered living in someone elses home
the idea that i would buy someone elses house never crossed my mind said ms shinar an architect by training whose former husband and daughter are also architects and im fussy i want this and not that and especially in israel which has very young architecture the chances of finding something id really like and afford well there was practically no chance
they began working with an architect but when ms shinars architect daughter kedem shinar helped solve a particular troubling issue with the black iron staircase leading to the second floor ms shinar knew she had found the right professional
mr woo felt the same way
we wanted something modern we didnt want to build another tuscan villa in israel said mr woo referring to the style of some of the nearby houses we wanted something original so almost by definition you go down the path of modern but modern with a soul that would be homey with the context of israel and we wanted a garden and to draw inspiration from the east
kedem shinar earned her architectural degree in japan where she lived for four years more important the two women and mr woo share a similar aesthetic she said
we see eye to eye on many things kedem shinar said of her mother and mr woo
mr woo a longtime new yorker loves lofts and wanted the airy spacious feeling of a high ceilinged loft in the country he is a tall man and did not want to feel cramped in any space finally the couple are writing a novel together and wanted to be sure to have plenty of nooks that would encourage creativity
what they created was the sum of all those parts the square spare house 350 square meters on a half acre plot is large and airy but not too big which settled ms shinar who has lived most of her life in fairly small spaces
the double door entrance on the eastern side of the bauhaus inspired house leads into a spacious public space divided into an airy living room and dining area furnished with eames inspired pieces including a comfortable twill covered l shaped couch turkish rugs and a long plank dining table the focus however is on the interplay of walls and windows leading out to the garden with double height windows and sliding doors open to the garden and the forest of cypress and fir trees beyond
i was scared stiff of double height windows ms shinar said i was brought up in israel where you dont open big windows to the sun
the house has a northern exposure however with sun coming from the east in the morning but never any direct sunlight the wraparound sliding doors offer complete exposure to the garden creating one of the houses many frames to the garden mr woo said
the open kitchen is on the other side of the public space taking up a spacious corner by the back door that opens onto the kitchen garden planted with herbs for easy picking with the burners set into the kitchen island and liberal use of wood and metal in the cupboard doors and surfaces ms shinar has the efficient attractive work space that she lacks in their new york apartment while mr woo has the right kind of space for cooking chinese food which can create a lot of smoke
an upper gallery houses the floor to ceiling library and office with a wood and iron bridge that floats over the double height living room and while the palette of the house is mostly neutral from the poured concrete floors and wooden elements to the iron doors and stair treads there are many touches of color from the area rugs textiles and bright orange barstools set at the kitchen counter
ms shinar also preferred creating a modern interpretation of something local whether it was her kitchen window designed with glass squares framed in metal known as a belgian window in israel or the iron staircase in homage to the ironworks seen in many israeli homes
if youre in jerusalem you have to use jerusalem stone she said referring to the citys law requiring facades of the creamy limestone but for me stucco is israel and so are belgian windows and cement floors because thats what israelis use you want to be able to live in it and put things down on the counters and tables without ruining some composition
on the west side of the house is the iron staircase that leads up to the master bedroom also offering a full view of the garden and forest beyond downstairs is a guest room and on the side of the house is another apartment with a separate entrance that can be used for guests or family like all the other rooms it faces the forest said kedem shinar pointing to the wraparound windows
were always oriented toward the garden she said
for kedem shinar it was important to include those elements of eastern influence although she is aware of how much she has to learn from the enigmatic culture
im careful when i mention being influenced by japan she said its not about copy and paste or planting bamboos i consciously tried to take some of the elements that i had deeply learned and understood
one of the elements she included is the concrete and wood deck that leads from the living room   a mix of materials that was cheaper and more practical and also blended with the colors of the garden   and floats japanese style over the garden it is a concept found in traditional japanese houses and shrines creating a strong connection between inside and outside she said
mr woo said if we wanted to build a house that was totally integrated with nature we could have lowered the house to the level of the garden i think the reason the japanese create a little distance is to allow you to contemplate nature and enjoy it its not totally being part of it but its a reverential thing
the garden which slopes down toward the forest and is divided into different zones has areas where mr woo and ms shinar can sit on a bench and contemplate their surroundings work on a tale or weed in the garden theres an english style garden outside the front door with tall colorful flower beds of mediterranean flora a fruit and olive tree orchard and a grape arbor being developed toward the back near the secret door leading to the forest
the house is respectful of nature but its not an environmental house ms shinar said its a more of a philosophical approach
mr woo said he often wondered if like them ms nudel the soviet refusenik preferred the forest to the mountainous side of the community
im sure she did ms shinar said the mountain offers drama the forest offers peace


london   zinedine zidane a player who scored majestic goals on all the worlds biggest stages is now a game away from winning the champions league just four months into his transition as a coach
the job is not done yet for the second time in three seasons the final has come down to atletico and real madrid the first final between the two local rivals in lisbon two years ago was won in extra time by real the second in milan on may 28 has no favorite
zidanes real madrid suffered to use his word right through the two legs of the semifinal squeezing through on the basis of a fluke goal   an own goal off a defenders leg in the bernabeu stadium on wednesday night
atletico progressed to the final by virtue of organized defense and brilliant counterattacking to eke out wins against two of europes finest teams barcelona and bayern munich in the previous two rounds
it will be another derby said dani carvajal reals galvanic right back thats good for spanish football and for the community of madrid one of the key factors behind us reaching the final is that we didnt concede   i recall in the decima year that we conceded very few goals at home and that helped us greatly
ah the decima
the word means tenth in its madrid association it crowned the 10th time that real has won the european cup or champions league it is built on the foundations of the fantastic alfredo di stefano and ferenc puskas teams of the mid 1950s and runs through the real editions graced by zidane and the galacticos at the start of this century
now older and balder at 43 zidane has been thrust into the coaching role right at the very top of his profession after 24 games as what he calls the trainer he is in another final
and even as zizou as zidane is known talked of the suffering and the perfectly executed plan to get past manchester city on wednesday his players were cavorting across the bernabeu field
they wore new t shirts over their playing tops shirts that spelled out now for la undecima the eleventh
how boastful how presumptuous and how provocative that is bound to read across the city to the neighbor atletico which is driven by a hunger to be europes champion for the first time
the reality of what we saw in the semifinals is that there is very little margin of difference between the madrid teams we know that atletico performed well against barcelona and bayern observed reals german midfielder toni kroos but weve got more quality and weve got to go out and show that were the better side
the jury will be out on that assertion until the night of the final
diego simeone has coached atletico into a battle hardened team that no opponent no matter how grand or how decorated in history can take lightly if as kroos says real has more quality then it had better be prepared to prove it in milan
all that real madrid demonstrated against manchester city was that it was prepared to slug out two games as negatively as anyone could imagine two games 180 minutes between clubs that have amassed a billion dollars worth of players neither daring to be adventurous or creative
city created nothing not even a hard luck story the only goal of two obdurate stalemates in manchester and madrid was an intended cross from gareth bale that skewed off the outstretched leg of citys defensive midfielder fernando and diverted into the net
the rest suggested that city is a team as well as a coach that has run its course manuel pellegrini normally a progressive coach who likes his team to play creatively has been undermined since the start of the year when manchester city confirmed that it would terminate his contract after this season
pep guardiola the successor will have to do something he has not confronted in his coaching career at barcelona he took forward magnificently a group already created around lionel messi andres iniesta and xavi hernandez
at munich guardiola was handed a winning team and substantial money to add to it
with city there are more question marks than solid parts the absence of the playmaker david silva on wednesday took out citys most spontaneous player injury after just seven minutes to vincent kompany denuded it of its rock of defense
but with yaya toure a shell of the giant he once had been and with the core of the club aging this was a city team too meek almost cowed in the arena of real madrid for its part though bale did strike the crossbar with a header in the second half real offered poor fare for a club that aspires to dominate europe and the world
it was a busy game concluded cristiano ronaldo who lasted the whole night despite being out for the past two weeks with a hamstring injury the team did well we controlled the game and had more opportunities we are facing atletico again and im happy
the superstar was then prompted by the media to give his endorsement on his coach zidane is doing a fine job ronaldo replied he is helping us and we are happy with his work i admire him as a coach and as a person and i hope that he stays with us
we have always been with him he is a humble person he likes to learn and listen to the players and it is very easy in this sense
what greater testimony could zidane ask the team now 10 straight victories in the spanish league and through to the final of the champions league has done this the hard way   almost the atletico way of putting results before performance


front page
an article on wednesday about the identities of the service members in an iconic photograph of american patriotism depicting their heroism in raising the flag over iwo jima during world war ii which inspired the book and the movie flags of our fathers omitted the name of one of the authors of the book besides james bradley ron powers also wrote it

an article on april 7 about mossack fonseca the panamanian law firm that became a powerhouse of secretive offshore banking for the worlds elite misstated the surname of the secretary general of the organization for economic cooperation and development who said panama has been reluctant to follow an international banking transparency initiative started by the organization in 2009 he is angel gurria not gerri
international
an article on april 25 about a new humanitarian prize created in memory of the armenian genocide misstated in some editions george clooneys connection to the award which he presented at a ceremony in yerevan armenia mr clooney was co chairman of the prize selection committee not master of ceremonies the article also referred incorrectly to vartan gregorian the american philanthropist and scholar of armenian descent while mr gregorian helped create the prize and helped lead the selection committees deliberations he was not the chairman or a co chairman

the saturday profile article on march 12 about alain finkielkraut a french intellectual whose argument that much of islam is incompatible with french society has won a larger audience after the terrorist attacks of 2015 imprecisely translated the french word beur it refers to french children of north african muslim immigrants not simply muslims a reader alerted the times to the imprecision shortly after publication but editors failed to follow up with a correction

because of editing errors a picture caption on march 6 with the milan journal article about a restaurant inside a penitentiary near milan that is staffed by inmates and winning rave reviews misspelled the name of the restaurant and the prison as noted correctly in the article and in an earlier reference in the caption the restaurant is ingalera not ingelara the prison is bollate not bellate the errors were corrected online shortly after the article was published but editors failed to follow through on this print correction
new york
an article on tuesday about an agreement by the developer aby rosen to pay 7 million in a settlement with the new york state attorney generals office over unpaid taxes on art misidentified the owner of the picasso curtain le tricorne which mr rosen had sought to remove from the seagram building it is now owned by the new york historical society no longer the new york landmarks conservancy the article also misspelled landmarks as landmark
sports
because of an editing error the sports of the times column last friday about social media abuse faced by female sports journalists misidentified the publication for which julie dicaro is a reporter it is the cauldron   not sports illustrated a partner of the cauldron

the sports of the times column on monday about baron daviss showtime documentary the drew on a summer basketball league in the heart of south central los angeles misstated part of the name of the school that hosts the games it is charles drew middle school not charles drew high
the arts
an article on thursday about art fairs in new york city this week omitted part of the name of one it is the 154 contemporary african art fair not the contemporary african art fair
special section mens style
an article on page d6 about the author mychal denzel smith misstates the publication date of his coming memoir invisible man got the whole world watching it is june 14 not june 16

the life as a runway column on page d8 a photo essay featuring the executives and employees of the advertising agency droga5 misstates the agencys relationship with three brands android coke zero and spotify are former clients not current ones
obituaries
an obituary on thursday about the photographer charles gatewood misstated the date of his death he died on thursday april 28   not on friday april 29
the times welcomes comments and suggestions or complaints about errors that warrant correction messages on news coverage can be e mailed to nytnewsnytimescom or left toll free at 1 844 nyt news 1 844 698 6397 comments on editorials may be e mailed to lettersnytimescom or faxed to 212 556 3622
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1 this is not entertainment this is not a reality show this is a contest for the presidency of the united states with that president obama urged journalists at a white house news conference to scrutinize donald trumps record and ideas as he pursues the presidency one trump idea unnerved economists cutting the national debt by giving creditors less than full payment

2 hillary clinton has begun reaching out to republicans alienated by mr trump and her campaign expects to assemble a republicans for hillary group lets get off the red or the blue team she said this week lets get on the american team there was no sign of tensions easing between mr trump and the house speaker paul ryan

3 london elected its first muslim mayor despite rising islamophobia in the west he is sadiq khan above a human rights lawyer of pakistani descent otherwise the labour party lost ground in scotland and was just steady enough in england and wales to forestall any immediate threat to the partys controversial leader the longtime socialist jeremy corbyn

4 our pulitzer prize winning photographer tyler hicks managed to reach fort mcmurray the town in western canada devastated by a wildfire still raging a few miles away hundreds of houses had literally melted he says his photographs capture signs of the rapid evacuation of almost 90000 people and the wreckage left by walls of flame and intense heat

5 using the name john doe the person who leaked the panama papers to journalists said he would be willing to give the same documents to law enforcement agencies in exchange for immunity from government retribution his statement shed light on his motives enumerating concerns over income inequality us campaign finance and the revolving door between big banks and us government regulators above the law firm whose documents were leaked

6 these cadets poised to graduate at west point took this photograph last week setting off speculation that were aligning themselves with the black lives matter movement while in uniform a west point alumna who spoke with the seniors said the gesture was more of a pop reference than a political statement for them its not a sign of allegiance to a movement she said its a sign that means unity and pride and sisterhood

7 the media mogul sumner redstone reviled his former lover at the opening of the lawsuit she filed challenging his mental competence he referred to her with expletives and said he wanted her out of my life the proceedings are all but certain to add to the salacious details she revealed about his sexual desires incontinence and eccentricities a ruling of incompetence would set off power struggles at viacom and cbs

8 a new poll shows deep discontent and fracturing by race and class in chicago the nations third largest city distrust of the police and fear of crime are prevalent as is disapproval of mayor rahm emanuel and the citys overall direction a resident kareen noble above with his daughter said his south side neighborhood was too violent i do allow my kids to go out alone but not for very long

9 kim jong un the north korean leader convened the first congress of the governing workers party in 36 years analysts concluded that mr kim was bolstering his young leadership with the imprimatur of the full congress in his speech he boasted of developing nuclear weapons and missile technology intelligence officials say the countrys advances mean the north could hit japan or south korea with a nuclear armed missile

10 a few suggestions from our entertainment experts check out clips of new movies in the video above for your small screen netflix has miss fishers murder mysteries an australian import with a glamorous detective and great hats the good wife comes to an end on sunday 9 pm eastern cbs and our music critics debuted a new feature a listeningwatching playlist this week radioheads burn the witch and seven other songs

11 finally the 142nd kentucky derby is saturday post time 624 pm eastern nbc our race experts favorites in the field of 20 3 year old thoroughbreds nyquist odds 3 1 running from post 13 and mor spirit 12 1 post 17
good luck

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frieze new york isnt the only game in town this weekend new york is buzzing with a flurry of fairs hoping to attract the collectors that swarm to the city to shop on randalls island and auction week previews scattered across the city and into brooklyn these satellite events offer unique experiences to see something unexpected here an overview of the top venues to check out
collective design seems to get better with age in its fourth year the 20th  and 21st century design fair corrals galleries from 11 international cities under the roof of the skylight clarkson sq a refurbished industrial space along the west side highway new york shops like johnson trading gallery and patrick parrish gallery mingle with international influencers like copenhagens etage projects and madrids garrido gallery exhibitors take meticulous care with the look of their booths and its a pleasure to circulate around inspecting the fine details unlike an art fair things are touchable we recommend starting with one of the sibling design duo fernando and humberto campanas chairs at friedman benda or print all over mes fully committed sky lounge with various projects inc if youre looking for a souvenir head to sienna pattis booth where mallory westons graphic pins are available for 20 to 30 each through may 8 collectivedesignfaircom
walking through spring masters new york feels a bit like an art history 101 crash course from polished neolithic figurines to crisp christopher williams prints this event geared toward the secondary market embraces all types   making for the weeks most varied fair experience spring masters has a more genteel sensibility than its contemporary competition in part due to its generous layout and low lighting erected within the park avenue armory the fair is organized like a hive with hexagonal booths stacking on one another this irregular shape encourages a sense of journey that is absent from fairs arranged on the favored grid system there are many treasures to find if youre patient enough to look including alexander calder drawings rare tiffany lamps and sizable marc chagalls through may 9 springmastersnyc
if frieze represents the art world establishment then the new art dealers alliance nada fair is the rebellious prodigy held in basketball city along the east river the independent art fair is saturated with contemporary up and comers outfitted with a noticeable amount of solo booths the attitude there is go big or go home strapping on the artist rachel rossins virtual reality piece at signals booth is worth the wait as is a closer look at the handcrafted displays by alex chitty that occupy patron gallerys booth following mira dancys eye catching neon odalisque and site specific painting at moma ps1s greater new york show the artist is a welcome sight at galerie hussenot with a large punchy portrait and mirror piece the video art distributor daata editions is also on the scene with virtual works by artists like jacolby satterwhite rashaad newsome and katie torn through may 8 newartdealersorg
the furthest afield 154 contemporary african art fair is worth the schlep out to pioneer works in red hook in its second new york edition the fledgling fair offers a place for international collectors to discover new artists and galleries that dont have a large footprint at other the contemporary fairs with only 17 exhibitors in total 154 encourages a more intimate viewing experience and dealers tend to engage with their visitors african exhibitors like david krut projects from johannesburg and artlabafrica from nairobi help give context to the continents art scene from a native perspective while european and american outposts like milans officine dellimmagine and richard taittinger show how these artists are fitting into the global landscape dont be shy about asking questions the fairs primary mission is to expand the conversation through may 8 1 54com


as an artist who matured during the rise of the so called attention economy   which has rewarded practices that combine a miscellany of ingredients into sometimes tenuous works of art   josh klines anticipated new solo show at 47 canal gallery demonstrates how a little editing and restraint can elevate unnerving sculptures to an indelible mise en scene titled unemployment klines exhibition begins in the gallery foyer where the stuffing of an easy chair upholstered in clear vinyl is in plain view shredded financial data credit card offers and mortgage contracts formerly belonging to the artist   and to the unemployed persons represented in his show in the main exhibition space amid illuminated shopping carts replete with empty plastic bottles custom molded in the shape of human hands and discarded computer keyboards silicone cast in a full spectrum of skin tones life size individuals in business attire lay on the polyester sandstone carpet they are curled in the fetal position and bagged in plastic like yesterdays recycling   because in a sense they have been recycled
the figures are 3 d prints of laid off professionals kline found and fabricated in baltimore she was the president of a small company that developed educational curricula for wall street he explains stepping past a woman in a skirt suit he was an accountant there is something altogether mortuary about the scene which the artist describes as a period piece set in the near future possibly the 2030s these types of jobs arent extinct yet but processes of automation have already begun
a third room contains sporelike glass bubbles blown around moving boxes full of personal effects running shoes stilettos mugs full of highlighters and family photos all the office errata a soon to be disgruntled discharge would pile up and take with them on the day they receive their pink slip i call these unemployment viruses because when youre unemployed it feels like youre sick with something the way that people avoid you kline says these are different stereotypes of different sorts of people
kline made a splash last year with his installation included in the new museums triennial surround audience the memorable protagonists of which were soldier mannequins in gray blue fatigues whose faces were occluded by teletubby masks like infantilized storm troopers both bodies of work refer to key issues he feels will come to define 21st century politics the project at the new museum was about democracy and political speech in the corporate commons under mass surveillance by government security he says this new one is about the middle class as it loses its jobs to software over the next quarter century   the lawyers the journalists the accountants all the office workers and what to do with this huge swath of the population
a cheery proposition waits around the corner where the suburban carpet yields to a subflooring made of amazon prime boxes complete with their disconcerting smiles a patchwork blanket made of middle class brands and fabrics   the gap quilted down etc   is spread before a projection of a new video by kline done up with the saccharine rhetoric of a campaign spot its a jazzy propaganda for universal basic income hinging on the trope of creating more time for living for me the video is completely sincere   its what i believe in kline says but i wanted to couch it in the language of political advertising its like an ad from the future


rager against the machina
on monday night at the metropolitan museum of art the fashion crowd sure tried its best to dress for this springs manus x machina costume institute exhibition as vanessa friedman put it apparently when designers think fashion and technology they think mr roboto but not sarah jessica parker who told us the story behind her hamilton inspired trousers we rounded up our favorite metallic futuristic looks and here roberta smith reviews the show
other awards and honors
meanwhile the british fashion council has decided to rework its annual awards making the event more met gala like womens wear daily announced the first ever wwd honors to celebrate creative vision and business leadership scheduled for oct 25 and opening ceremony won the national design award for fashion
finger lickin... god no
kfc has created finger lickin good edible nail polish in two flavors   original and hot and spicy   and yes it is actually a real thing according to the communications director in charge of the hong kong based campaign
doh who
hedi slimane tweeted a statement from his lawyer herve temime that reads in part for the record hedi slimane has never had in the past let alone now the intention or desire to launch a brand under his name and therefore denies recent rumors including in wwd of alleged encounters with investors in paris or doha where hedi slimane has in fact never been
havana affair
chanel cruise arrived in cuba on tuesday check out our photo diary and vanessa friedmans review
yes future queen
catherine the duchess of cambridge is on the cover of british vogues centenary issue and featured in a 10 page spread related there is officially a princess charlotte effect the telegraph said
b b b buyers and the jets
etihad airways the united arab emirates national airline signed a multiyear contract to sponsor 17 wmeimg fashion events including new york london and milan fashion weeks
the departed
alessandra facchinetti has resigned from her post as creative director of tods trademark will no longer make clothing in order to focus on accessories
tweet of the week


a small sampling of our favorite stories from the week
i woke up one morning last spring and decided it was time to move out of london after nearly 20 years says chloe lonsdale owner of the british brand mih jeans so she moved into what was once a boathouse and harbormasters residence in coastal england   and didnt change much ive never once in my life put on a brand spanking new outfit i always wear something i treasure and build around that i work the same way when appointing a room
for many of us its synonymous with war and strife but for the artists chefs designers architects and scholars who live there beirut will always be a place where ideas and beauty flourished  and flourish still
jeremy mcalpine is constantly looking for underwear   and the older it is the better late 19th  and early 20th century undergarments   bloomers petticoats nightdresses and slips   make up the core of our womens collection he says he visits flea markets around europe and works with vintage dealers to collect these garments but before going to out to luxury clothing retailers around the world each is dyed black
the conservator gloria velandias now ubiquitous presence at fairs came out of a casual conversation in paris with the former art basel director sam keller who does something for the exhibitors if something happens she asked keller referring to works being damaged however slightly during the bustle of the fair he said they had no one and invited me to give it a try sixteen years later velandia is the go to for art basel frieze and the armory
we had been in discussions and reviewing sketches and i just so happened to take my daughters to see the show hamilton ive seen it a few times now so i can look at singular pieces of the show rather than focusing on the bigger story i was looking at the costumes and in particular the mens suiting of the period all of a sudden i was like oh thats it sarah jessica parker explains the decision behind the unusual choice   and with the help of her stylist erin walsh shows how it all came together behind the scenes


welcome to watching the new york timess what to watch guide we comb through releases big and small famous and esoteric to email readers twice a week with our timely recommendations our most recent suggestions also appear below to receive our guide straight to your inbox sign up here
lets check out some fun shows this weekend ive seen an awful lot of severe beatings on tv in the last few weeks   the cost of watching dramas i guess though if i never see someone spit out a tooth again that would be ok i had to balance it out with some lighter fare and i turned to my go to comfort genre the skill oriented reality contest show
project runway all stars ended thursday night but you can watch it on lifetime so im left with my obsession spiketvs ink master which is basically top chef for tattooing if there was ever a case for a show to watch with your finger on the fast forward button this is it im allergic to all that fake infighting that is so common on reality shows and unfortunately ink master tends to be two thirds that but the one third thats actual artistic talent and thoughtful educational judging compelling tv
thats also the best way to watch amazons the fashion fund about the finalists for the cfdavogue fashion fund for emerging designers all the presentations and feedback sessions are great   and all the talking head dithering is a snooze
this sunday is mothers day and i have a few suggestions for what you can watch with your mom the good wife is coming to an end but wallander is back the tv gods giveth and the tv gods taketh away have a great weekend
 punchy dramedies and great costumes try miss fishers murder mysteries its an australian import set in the 1920s and our heroine is phryne fisher essie davis a glamorous and brilliant detective with a bob haircut to die for she solves a lot of scandalous murders and she wears a lot of incredible hats the dream watch on netflix
 super trashy tv movies of course lmn thats lifetime movie network has a mothers day marathon of glorious schlock starting at 6 am and running two hours each theres lies my mother told me with a young hayden panettiere sins of the mother with nicole beharie and jill scott and mom at sixteen with jane krakowski as a perhaps overly involved health teacher then come the murder ones like mother like daughter mommys little girl the good mother a mother betrayed wheres my baby and finally at 10 pm mother of all lies
 heartfelt british dramas watch call the midwife this weeks episode is the sixth of eight in season 5 though the beats are straightforward enough to follow even without a background in this lovely show this particular recommendation isnt just from me its from my own mother who gives extra applause for the most newly born looking babies watch at 8 pm on pbs on sunday
we had some great times the good wife you will be missed but after seven terrific seasons its definitely time to wrap things up here are some florrick related articles to whet your appetite
 a conversation with the shows star julianna margulies and its creators robert and michelle king the new york times
 more with the kings about the mechanics of the show ap
 the shows best and worst moments plots and episodes vulture
 an ode to alicia florrick hitfix
 and one to alan cummings eli gold the washington post
we are now more than a dozen movies into the marvel cinematic universe and captain america civil war ao scott writes does not in any way transcend the conventions of the genre on the contrary it succeeds because it doesnt really try so yes its familiar but its also fun though not as dire as you might think a more honest title would have been captain america collegial misunderstanding or captain america intramural pickup game
additional reading
 the film is the screen debut of the black panther whos having a big year the new york times
 the directors joe and anthony russo who came up in tv might just be the future of hollywood vulture
 new to the marvel cinematic universe dont worry heres a primer usa today
wallander is back for a fourth and final season with three 90 minute installments starting sunday night kenneth branaghs beloved detective character is starting to lose his memory and is experiencing blackouts so if you like your richly told scandinavian detective stories with a side of oh god the cruel emptiness comes for us all youre in luck sunday pbs 9 pm seasons 1 3 available on netflix
this seminal sketch comedy series is finally on hbo the show created by and starring bob odenkirk and david cross is one of the most influential comedy series of the 90s   just about everything on adult swim ifc and comedy central these days owes some debt to the series everyone has a favorite sketch but if youve ever sat through the movie jesus christ superstar allow me to recommend the parody masterpiece jeepers creepers semi star watch on hbo go and hbo now the show will also be on amazon prime later this month
the current seasons of four wonderful shows are now free to download on itunes crazy ex girlfriend jane the virgin the good wife and madam secretary girlfriend and jane are two of the most inventive original and ambitious shows in living memory toying with form and genre in unexpected and delightful ways weve already talked about the good wife a lot in this newsletter but madam secretary never gets any love   and thats too bad because its second season has been a huge leap forward the political stuff is still so so but the home life stories have blossomed
a new radiohead album will be released on sunday the band dropped two music videos in advance   burn the witch and daydreaming daydreaming was directed by paul thomas anderson boogie nights there will be blood if that matters to you


sam sifton emails readers of cooking five days a week to talk about food and suggest recipes that email also appears here to receive it in your inbox register here
good morning we spent a couple of hours making breakfast pizzas in the rain last weekend up in the catskills sliding pies into an outdoor oven humming with the heat of dry hardwood coals and eating them standing up in the kitchen nearby in advance of a long drift on the delaware river looking for trout it struck me then and now as one of the highest best uses of our time on the planet to cook with friends outside before spending time outside observing always the exigencies of the elements fire air earth and water aristotle added ether or quintessence we added guanciale
maybe you could do some of that this weekend out in a park or the yard before a walk or a bike ride or a fishing trip or a visit to some place where you may see some birds or insects even if you just grab a sandwich from the bodega before a long walk in the village with your baes time spent outside in the presence of food and friendship is a balm and we should take advantage of it
this could be the weekend for grilled paella john willoughby has a great recipe for a grilled paella made with seafood another for grilled paella made with chicken and rabbit i square the circle with a recipe for grilled paella with shrimp chicken and clams
or you can make melissa clarks recipe for timpano then take it somewhere to eat on sunday heres a size large version of that recipe from the actor stanley tucci
you could make our recipe for eli zabars egg salad sandwiches or martha rose shulmans recipe for grilled leeks with romesco sauce maybe just bake christine muhlkes whole wheat bread and take it somewhere with some good cold cuts salted butter and a tub of roasted peppers
and of course sunday is mothers day check out the art historian jean sorabella of the metropolitan museum of art talking about motherhood and art you could join the hordes taking mom out to brunch but were hoping you dont we have a fine collection of mothers day recipes you could make at home instead   never ever underestimate the power of a good breakfast in bed served to a mother whos usually up before everyone else
try baked eggs with prosciutto and tomato a green strata with goat cheese and herbs some french toast amandine some fruit filled scuffins
many more recipes to cook this weekend are available on cooking save the ones youre interested in to your recipe box rate them when youre done cooking and leave notes on them for yourself or for others if youve got information to share you know the drill if anything goes wrong you can find us at cookingcarenytimescom well get back to you soon as we can have a great weekend


for his bookshop and website one grand books the editor aaron hicklin asked people to name the 10 books theyd take with them if they were marooned on a desert island the next in the series is the artist and performer justin vivian bond who stars in kiki and herb seeking asylum at the public theater this month through may 22 one grand is also hosting a pop up shop at industry city in sunset park brooklyn a selection of one grand curators will be reading from their selections on sat may 7 at 5 pm
lipstick traces a secret history of the twentieth century greil marcus
lipstick traces gives a profound and well documented introduction to countercultural history and is a wonderfully enlightening window into the intellectual underpinnings of rock n roll
the man who fell in love with the moon tom spanbauer
a spiritual manifesto as well as a heartbreakingly beautiful read this book explores themes of gender the oppression of women and queers in the old west and is an intense portrayal of the power of the human spirit
play it as it lays joan didion
turned me onto the poetry of nihilism at a very tender age spare and strong i know what nothing means and keep on playing
the thiefs journal jean genet
anarchy sexuality sodomy obsession nonfiction werque
edie american girl jean stein
in high school i was working at waldenbooks when this book came in it wasnt until years later that i realized that emulating edie sedgwick and dying facedown on my pillow high on drugs might not be the most glamorous way to go
pentimento lillian hellman
pentimento begins with the words old paint on a canvas i look in the mirror and what do i see hellu the fact that the validity of her memoirs has been disputed does not make them any less inspiring
manifestoes of surrealism andre breton
nothing in manifestoes of surrealism makes sense but its endlessly readable nonetheless when im writing and i get stuck i crack it open point to a sentence and take it from there who needs to be linear not me i dont go anywhere without it
concerning the spiritual in art wassily kandinsky
as a student i was so moved by his paintings of music that i needed to know more i discovered this book and the imperative to insert a deeper meaning into my work became very clear kandinsky taught that it was possible to do so through technique which in turn inspired me to take what i do   even the funny things   much more seriously
still life with woodpecker tom robbins
cosmic and hilarious i like books that make me laugh out loud this one does
eustace chisholm and the works james purdy
in my opinion james purdy is the most underrated writer in american literature probably because he was gay his books are heart wrenching brutal and sometimes flat out meanspirited but they are also incredibly beautiful and endlessly poetic im not all that fond of books that make me cry but in purdys case i dont mind


why he chose pillows over fashion   and what inspired londons most beloved nightclub
rifat ozbek belongs to a small but special club that has no name comprised of artists who walk away from the spotlight at the peak of their fame in the 1980s and 90s he was named designer of the year   twice   by the british fashion council for his madcap east meets west aesthetic his clothes were modeled by linda naomi and kate and worn by the likes of madonna and tina chow i mixed patterns and colors things that didnt seem to go together   at least to the western eye says the istanbul born designer then about a decade ago ozbek felt the cycles had grown too demanding and so took refuge in designing his holiday home in bodrum turkey he began making decorative cushions with textiles from central asia and uzbekistan and filling them with down and turkish lavender from that yastik his line of exquisite pillows was born they can be found in some of the most fashionable sitting rooms in europe and london where ozbek has a shop i wanted to simplify my life and do one product no seasons no fit problems he laughs ozbek rarely takes on side projects but in 2012 he did decorate loulous the nightclub portion of 5 hertford street robin birleys london club the result was a much buzzed about cavern of decadence with the designers signature mash up on display including an eight foot stuffed giraffe this summer three new ozbek designed floors will open at 5 hertford street featuring more of his unrepentant joyful touch the only thing that scares me is clinical minimalism he says the one thing i am absolutely not is minimal


ask the times a times insider feature draws on times staff members expertise to answer questions about current events science sports culture and whatever else is making headlines
a reader asks is the stud life of championship racehorses like triple crown winner american pharoah   paired for breeding with the likes of judy the beauty and take charge lady   really about old fashioned attraction a very special date waiting in the breeding shed where they will consummate the relationship as a recent times article implied id have thought the impregnating of mares by studs at this level of pedigree would more reliably be done via artificial insemination especially given the noted performance anxiety of past champions and the amount of money at stake
the new york times sports reporter joe drape   author of the just published american pharoah the untold story of the triple crown winners legendary rise hachette books as well as the aforementioned times article about american pharoahs dance card this season   responds
the jockey club which keeps the stallion registry insists that thoroughbreds unlike other breeds of horses conceive their offspring the old fashioned way so artificial insemination is prohibited and what has been done naturally in the wild by horses forever becomes a highly choreographed and brief   15 seconds   encounter it is nevertheless potentially worth tens of millions of dollars
it begins with a teaser stallion   an awful job   to ensure the mare is ready and up to four men or women in flak jackets and helmets they are there to make sure american pharoah or whatever other stallion mounts the mare safely the entry man holds a breeding roll   a sort of padded baton that is soft thick and wrapped in plastic he is there to make sure the stallion hits the mark he also is responsible for whisking a cup beneath to catch some semen which is handed off to the stallion manager in an adjacent lab where he puts it under a high powered microscope he estimates the quantity and motility of the sperm and adds it to his detailed notes of the assignation the whole process is videotaped as well in case there are any insurance claims or disputes
have a question for ask the times submit it using the form below


times insider delivers behind the scenes insights from the new york times below are highlights from radio and television interviews featuring times reporters and columnists
juliet macur a sports of the times columnist joined kqed radios forum to discuss her recent piece on a video titled morethanmean in which men read aloud rude and offensive tweets about two female sports journalists as the women sit and listen
gina kolata a reporter for the times joined kcrw radios press play to discuss her recent piece on how former contestants on the biggest loser have struggled to keep the weight off
n r kleinfield a metro reporter for the times joined nprs on point to discuss his latest piece on what its like to live with early stage alzheimers
coral davenport a times reporter covering energy and environment policy joined american public medias marketplace to discuss her latest piece on the climate refugees of isle de jean charles in southern louisiana


the most repeated story about the career of alden ehrenreich an actor whose name is worth committing to memory now is a story of discovery a miracle of luck and circumstance not unlike lana turners at the soda fountain
but because mr ehrenreich 26 is a young jewish prince of the palisades and our story begins in the early aughts the soda fountain is a los angeles bat mitzvah and the discoverer is steven spielberg
mr ehrenreich is used to retelling the details he said though over the years people have become more and more apologetic about asking for them again
the broad strokes are these at the age of 13 noodling around with a video camera he and a friend made a funny video for the bat mitzvah of a friend of a friend it was a surreal and haphazardly plotted love story which began in the present and eventually cut to 20 or 30 years later with mr ehrenreich in a kimono screaming to stop a wedding
when we showed it to our parents they said you look like a moron you cant let anyone see this mr ehrenreich said
he was not even at the bat mitzvah where it was screened but mr spielberg was a call from dreamworks the studio mr spielberg helped found and a meeting with its casting director followed
mr ehrenreichs progress has been slower than that overnight sensation story would suggest
after the video he spent years auditioning bagging stray cameos on procedurals and in teen friendly tv shows he built himself up by gradual persistence and though his name is not yet immediately familiar to you it is to a handful of hollywood heavyweights francis ford coppola woody allen the coen brothers warren beatty
i think youve chosen a good person to be writing about mr beatty said when a reporter called citing mr ehrenreichs unusual combination of sensitivity and intelligence and humor my feeling is that he is going to be a major player in movies
that may happen sooner than later mr ehrenreich is suddenly being discussed all over hollywood as trade papers and gossip columns on both coasts trumpeted this week that he has landed the role of star wars han solo in the coming solo standalone movie scheduled for 2018 rumors of which have circulated for weeks when asked mr ehrenreich said he could not say anything about it though he did cop to being a star wars fan who isnt he said star wars vs star trek probably both a representative for disney which distributes the star wars films and owns lucasfilm which produces them declined to comment
before then   most likely   mr ehrenreich will star in mr beattys long gestating film about two young strivers who arrive in hollywood to work for the mogul howard hughes mr beatty has had it in mind since the 1970s in april it was reported that the film would be released this fall though mr beatty said that a date had not been chosen
mr ehrenreichs rise comes after a few starts that stalled tetro a modest family drama by mr coppola was warmly received but played at only 16 theaters in the united states at its widest release beautiful creatures a big budget supernatural teen romance fizzled
then came joel and ethan coens back lot comedy hail caesar with a star making turn for mr ehrenreich
hail caesar is a loving sendup of old hollywood a jaunty caper of kidnapping and communist intrigue set at capitol pictures a fictional studio its plot functions mostly as a way to cram a variety of 1950s studio system genre flicks and scenery chewing actors into a dizzy pastiche
george clooney does his best charlton heston in hail caesar a ben hur ish film within the film scarlett johansson vamps as an esther williams style mermaid channing tatum tap dances a homoerotic homage to gene kelly
even in such company mr ehrenreich stood out as the cowboy crooner hobie doyle a western actor shoehorned into a prim drawing room comedy called merrily we dance another film within the film he made off with entire scenes
he went nose to nose with ralph fiennes in what may be the films most endearing bit of shtick a painstaking elocution lesson in which a country boy butchers a line would that it were so simple in attempted mid atlantic english
hail caesar   the coen brothers film rather than the capitol pictures one   was met with mixed response though it was a hit with many critics wise to the countless hollywood in jokes but mr ehrenreich in particular who took lessons in rope tricks with both lasso and spaghetti horseback riding guitar and gun slinging to prepare earned raves
charming the new york times wrote superb variety wrote
alden is the kind of actor that steals every scene hes in mr clooney wrote in an email its so much fun to watch how hard he works and how effortless it seems
hobie doyle would seem an odd choice for mr ehrenreich a kid from los angeles he attended the crossroads school for arts  sciences in santa monica calif where jonah hill and jack black were also students he campaigned for an audition and won the role   in part one suspects because he has such an affinity with old hollywood himself
unlike many of his contemporaries vying to be x men or rom com heartthrobs mr ehrenreich resembles the stars of an earlier era at 26 his hair is already silvering as if by force of will raised by movie buff parents mr ehrenreich speaks worshipfully of paul newman and jimmy stewart frank capra and elia kazan
when you watch a lot of movies as a kid the stories do shape a little bit how you view the world he said
mr ehrenreich spent a few years at new york university but left in 2011 without completing a degree film was always the goal i just had a feeling of i know what i want to do and i want to start doing it again he said
in effect he put himself through his own film school with mr coppola with whom he lived for weeks while preparing for tetro i was young enough that i didnt know not to pepper him with questions all day long so thats all i did mr ehrenreich said all day long im like what was robert duvall like what was pacino like it was the greatest mentorship i could have ever imagined from essentially my favorite director of all time
he repeated the process with mr beatty over hourslong meetings and lunches at the musso  frank grill in hollywood
when mr ehrenreich got the tetro role he had appeared in zero films but he impressed one of its executive producers fred roos who has worked with mr coppola on casting and production since the godfather
i think he can be a real star mr roos said you will build movies around him i think hes talented enough to bring off anything one of my oldest friends in the business whos a movie star that never fit any mold is jack nicholson alden kind of has the jack personality from the get go
mr ehrenreich is not a star yet despite the accolades for hail caesar his day to day life is not radically different he still goes most days to the one room office he rents in west hollywood to read scripts and write on the lot where by coincidence hail caesar was shot it is the site of the original united artists the studio founded by mr chaplin and others
the office is so sparsely furnished as to be kafkaesque bare but for a cheap desk and two office chairs an amfm radio and a college dorm mini fridge plugged into one wall the only bit of decor balanced facedown against one wall is the oversize prop poster for lazy ol moon a hobie doyle western glimpsed in hail caesar
mr ehrenreich walks to work the paparazzi have not yet noticed
things changed a little bit maybe professionally but im learning how much you are always ignorant of what the life of something is outside of it he said it starts from zero every time every time you finish youre unemployed
but whether he is aware of it people are watching inside the industry and outside of it he has already shot the iraq war drama the yellow birds and mr beattys film whenever it arrives will likely bring mr ehrenreich even more attention i think itll be a real step up for him as far as things being offered to him said mr roos who saw it in a private screening
so for now he is adjusting to life on the cusp of stardom
you get used to it though i dont think you ever really get used to it he said of seeing himself onscreen i remember the first time with tetro its like when you look in the mirror at the end of a long day thats who i was all day and its that times 10


san diego   colin rea lost his no hit bid with two outs in the seventh inning and finished with eight plus innings of three hit ball as the san diego padres beat the mets 5 3 on thursday night
the padres remain the only team in the major leagues without a no hitter having failed to achieve the milestone in 7519 games since 1969
rea 3 1 had retired 19 straight batters until yoenis cespedes grounded a single through the right side where the second baseman normally would have been the no hit bid was extended several times by the shift
the mets only baserunner up to that point had been david wright who walked with one out in the first
reas no hit bid was also preserved when jon jay made a nice sliding catch of curtis grandersons fly ball on the warning track in center for the final out of the third
manager andy green let rea go out for the ninth in an attempt to get his first complete game in 12 career starts but green pulled rea after he allowed grandersons leadoff homer to center his fifth brad hand came on and walked david wright before allowing cespedess two run homer with one out his ninth
fernando rodney got the final two outs for seventh save
rea 25 struck out five and walked one
derek norris finished a triple short of the cycle for the padres
rea got enough support from the padres sometimes anemic offense which jumped on jacob degrom 3 1
wil myers homered to straightaway center with one out in the first rea hit a run scoring single in the second and alexei ramirez had a run scoring double in the third
logan verrett came on to start the sixth for the mets and surrendered norriss home run to left the padres added another run on an error
degrom allowed three runs and eight hits in five innings struck out two and walked one


toronto   demarre carroll scored 21 points jonas valanciunas had 15 points and 12 rebounds and the toronto raptors beat the miami heat 96 92 in overtime on thursday night to even their eastern conference semifinal series at one game apiece
valanciunas had 11 points and 7 rebounds in the fourth quarter and overtime as the raptors avoided losing consecutive games for the first time this postseason
demar derozan scored 20 points kyle lowry 18 and terrence ross 10 for toronto which battled back late in the fourth quarter and then shut the heat down to start overtime
goran dragic scored 20 and dwyane wade and joe johnson each had 17 for the heat hassan whiteside had 13 points and 13 rebounds while luol deng had 12 points
game 3 is saturday afternoon in miami
the heat led by 77 70 midway through the fourth but back to back baskets by valanciunas shaved the gap to 80 78 with 3 minutes 18 seconds remaining ross tied it with a jumper at 201
derozan missed a pair of free throws with 122 remaining but valanciunas grabbed the rebound on the second and tipped it home to give toronto an 82 80 lead after a missed shot by wade lowry hit a pull up jumper with 45 seconds left giving the raptors a 4 point cushion
wade cut it to 1 with a 3 pointer but lowry replied with another jumper with 149 seconds to go putting toronto up by 86 83 after a miami timeout dragic tied with a 3 pointer with 105 seconds left
lowry whose halfcourt shot sent game 1 to overtime got the last shot off for the raptors but could not hit the rim with a long 3 point attempt
the heat went cold in overtime missing their first five field goal attempts including three misses by johnson derozan and valanciunas connected and carroll made two free throws before miamis first basket of overtime a driving dunk by deng with 23 seconds left
miami matched a franchise postseason record with 11 turnovers in the first leading to 14 toronto points
the raptors led by 48 41 at halftime


st louis   cody eakin scored 2 minutes 58 seconds into overtime and the dallas stars beat the host st louis blues 3 2 on thursday night bouncing back from a blowout loss two days earlier to tie their second round stanley cup playoff series at two games apiece
patrick sharp set up the winner and also scored for the stars who were coming off a 6 1 loss in game 3 the rookie radek faksa had the other goal for dallas
vladimir tarasenko scored his sixth goal of the playoffs on a first period breakaway and added an assist for st louis giving him five points in the last two games paul stastny also scored off a deflection from tarasenko
game 5 is set for saturday in dallas
eakin has a goal and seven assists in the postseason he beat brian elliott on a three on two break after the blues pressured goalie kari lehtonen on the opposite end
the stars are 1 2 in overtime in the playoffs and the blues are 2 2
tarasenkos goal was an exception to the rule in a tight checking first period somehow he found the defense napping and scored his 16th career goal in 24 playoff games beating lehtonen between the pads
the stars looked worse on the play given that they had six men on the ice an infraction that went undetected
faksa who had the deciding goal in the stars game 1 victory tied it on an unassisted goal off a giveaway by another rookie joel edmundson sharp had a tap in for his first point of the series on a power play off an assist by jamie benn giving the stars two goals in 109 and the lead
dallas had been 0 for 12 with the man advantage before sharps fourth goal of the playoffs over all
edmundson played sparingly the rest of the period totaling 238 in four shifts
stastnys first goal of the playoffs on a deflection from tarasenko tied it on a four on three power play at 1306 of the second
tarasenko leads the blues with 11 points in the postseason


harrisburg pa   a judge in philadelphia said that insurers in litigation with penn state asserted that in 1976 a boy told joe paterno the universitys football coach at the time that he had been molested by jerry sandusky the website pennlive reported thursday
an order by the judge gary glazer also cited reports by unidentified assistant coaches that they had witnessed inappropriate contact between sandusky a former penn state assistant and children pennlive said
glazer wrote in a decision on insurance coverage for sandusky related claims that there was no evidence that reports of these incidents ever went further up the chain of command at psu
sandusky is serving 30 to 60 years in state prison on a 45 count conviction on child sexual abuse charges for instances going back to back to the 1990s involving 10 boys
paterno went to university higher ups with a graduate assistants 2001 report of sandusky abusing a child in a team shower and told a grand jury in 2011 that he did not know of any other similar events involving sandusky
i do not know of anything else that jerry would be involved in of that nature no paterno testified 10 months before sandusky was first charged in 2011 along with two university administrators accused of covering up complaints about him i do not know of it
the paterno family lawyer wick sollers told pennlive that there was no evidence to corroborate the new disclosure and that paterno had never covered up sanduskys actions
through all of this review there has never been any evidence of inappropriate conduct by coach paterno sollers said to the contrary the evidence clearly shows he shared information with his superiors as appropriate
paterno also told the washington post in 2011 that he knew nothing about a 1998 police investigation into a mothers complaint about sandusky showering with her son
a penn state spokesman lawrence lokman told pennlive that university officials involved in the sandusky scandals legal fallout knew broadly of the insurance cases allegations
many many people potential victims and victims have come forward to the university as part of the settlement process lokman said
paterno had an unparalleled coaching career at penn state but was fired in the months between sanduskys arrest and his own death from lung cancer in 2012
three administrators who worked with him as high ranking university officials await trial on criminal charges over their handling of the sandusky scandal
sandusky is appealing his conviction and on thursday was granted a hearing on may 20
judge john cleland said the hearing would provide the defense with an opportunity to prove claims that prosecutors lied withheld evidence and leaked secret grand jury information to find additional victims as it seeks to have charges dismissed against sandusky or to be granted a new trial


a relatively dry el nino winter a warm spring that melted snow earlier and years of policies that left forests ripe for burning have contributed to the destructive wildfire that forced the evacuation of fort mcmurray in alberta scientists say
global warming may have played a role too although experts cautioned that it was impossible to link an individual event like this one directly to climate change
but there is little doubt that global warming has affected the frequency and intensity of fires and lengthened the fire season in alberta as it has elsewhere in north america
the warmer it is the more fire there is said mike flannigan a wildland fire expert at the university of alberta in edmonton in alberta he said the fire season now begins march 1 a month earlier than in the past
around fort mcmurray the number of heat wave days when temperatures are at least nine degrees fahrenheit above normal has tripled since 1950 said stefan kienzle a hydrologist at the university of lethbridge in southern alberta
hotter temperatures dry out the underbrush and ground litter that can fuel a fire
fuel moisture is really the key to the fire business dr flannigan said thats why temperature is so important
warm temperatures in the region this spring made the fuel situation worse by melting snow earlier an earlier melt means that sunlight hits the forest floor sooner so the underbrush has more time to dry and becomes easier to ignite said david martell a forestry professor at the university of toronto
if the snow disappears quicker then that whole volatile situation comes quicker and lasts a little longer he said
alberta had already been affected by the powerful el nino that developed last year in the pacific ocean and that has affected weather around the world
like much of the northwestern united states and canada alberta was drier than normal this winter although perhaps not as dry as might have been expected given the intensity of el nino said anthony barnston the chief forecaster at the international research institute for climate and society at columbia university
in alberta though what may have had a greater impact were drier conditions from late summer into fall last year a period when the region normally gets a lot of rainfall dr barnston said that meant the province was already experiencing a water deficit when el nino related dryness set in
some experts also say that fire suppression policies have helped make fires in canada more destructive
like many forest agencies in the united states those in canada long had policies to fight every fire no matter how small they were or how little they threatened people that approach increases the amount of fuel available so that out of control fires can become hugely destructive
within the past decade though some canadian agencies have adopted different policies monitoring fires case by case and letting smaller ones burn which spares larger trees but consumes much of the fuel that can leave a mosaic of thinned out patches that can help halt the spread of larger fires
there is an intent to try to let fire play its natural role in particular areas where its safe to do so said peter fuglem former director of the wildfire program for the british columbia forest service but its a difficult policy decision on when and where to let fires burn
dr flannigan said that letting some fires burn was reasonable for most of northern canada but in alberta it is difficult because theres almost no place that doesnt have significant development
that applies to fort mcmurray where the fire can be seen as another example of how development   in this case related to the regions rich reserves of oil sands   into what had been largely wilderness makes certain fires so destructive
in 1951 a few years before modern commercial oil sands development began fort mcmurray had 926 people this week as the flames approached and eventually overran the community more than 80000 people fled


jaime garcia watched in wonder as his teammate brandon moss launched a moonshot at busch stadium
garcia then pitched seven sharp innings thursday as the st louis cardinals blanked the philadelphia phillies 4 0
it was a bomb garcia said of mosss 462 foot drive he hit it a long way it was the longest home run by a left handed hitter in the history of the new busch stadium which opened in 2006
garcia a left hander was also impressive he improved to 2 2 while giving up two hits walking none and striking out five
moss unloaded off jerad eickhoff for the long solo homer in the first inning
i feel like i hit it really well moss said im still searching for consistency but ill take that one any homer is a good homer
st louis scored three times in the seventh ruben tejada hit a sacrifice fly and stephen piscotty added a bases loaded double
indians 9 tigers 4 michael brantley was 4 for 5 and mike napoli hit a three run homer as host cleveland topped detroit
brantley who missed most of april after off season surgery on his right shoulder entered the game batting 167 he had a run scoring single in the first and a two run double in the eighth raising his average to 276
brantley also ended a potential detroit rally in the sixth with a catch on the warning track after a long run
blue jays 12 rangers 2 edwin encarnacion homered doubled twice and drove in six runs lifting host toronto over texas
toronto which was the top scoring team in the majors last year set season highs for runs 12 and hits 15
kevin pillar doubled twice singled and had two rbi for toronto j a happ is 4 0 after giving up one run in seven innings
marlins 4 diamondbacks 0 adam conley pitched shutout ball for his second start in a row and host miami won for the 10th time in the past 11 games
christian yelich hit a two run homer and derek dietrich and chris johnson had two out run scoring hits giancarlo stanton went 2 for 3 with a double and scored a run
reds 9 brewers 5 jay bruce hit a three run homer off chase anderson during a five run first inning for host cincinnati
alfredo simon made it easy on the major leagues worst bullpen becoming only the second reds starter to last seven innings he allowed three runs in seven and two thirds innings including alex presleys two run homer the reds turned three double plays behind him
puerto rico games debated commissioner rob manfred said a decision was imminent on whether two games between the pittsburgh pirates and the miami marlins would be played in puerto rico this month amid concerns about the zika virus
the teams are scheduled to play in san juan on may 30 and 31 to celebrate roberto clemente day a leaguewide tribute honoring the pirates hall of famer and puerto rico native but manfred said the games might be moved to miami
white sox demote danks the chicago white sox designated the left hander john danks for assignment and recalled the right hander erik johnson from class aaa charlotte
danks is 0 4 with a 725 era in his 10th season with chicago


baltimore   perhaps manager joe girardi could have saved himself some teeth gnashing thursday night when he was kicked out of the game in the fourth inning if he had showered and headed somewhere bucolic with a glass of red wine in his hand
instead he retreated to his office and watched the yankees 1 0 10 inning loss unfold in technicolor high definition
the loss the seventh in eight games for the yankees was a case study in poor execution mismanagement and squandered opportunities that joined the familiar hallmark of their season so far a conga line of meager at bats
the cherry on top of this frustration sundae was that when pedro alvarez lofted a sacrifice fly to shallow center field scoring pinch runner nolan reimold from third with the winning run it wasted eight sublime shutout innings from masahiro tanaka who has a 229 era in six starts but just one win to show for it
its kind of been the story of the season   we havent hit first baseman mark teixeira said its not rocket science
the yankees return home from a 2 7 road trip languishing last in the american league east six and a half games behind baltimore and boston against whom they open a three game series on friday
they were shut out for the third time this season this time managing just four hits   three of which came in eight innings against kevin gausman who was every bit tanakas equal until the 10th the yankees put runners in scoring position just twice   each time leaving starlin castro with regrets and anger
castro was picked off second with two outs in the ninth getting caught by catcher matt wieters when brian mccann swung through a 3 1 pitch if that irked girardi he was infuriated earlier when the third base umpire chris guccione refused to call gausman for a balk for not coming to a stop in the set position when castro who had doubled had reached third with two out a balk would have sent castro home with a run
hes balking girardi said and they can say hes not trying to deceive the runner   hes not stopping
he added i still dont understand why its not a balk its too loose of a rule its not enforced and i dont understand it
girardi who is usually stationed at the top dugout railing closest to home plate went to the far end to harangue guccione when beltran popped out girardis barking continued for a few seconds before guccione turned and ejected him as girardi began to walk up the dugout steps
he threw me out when i was coming to get an explanation said girardi who was ejected for the first time this season
that bothers me if you want to throw me out because im arguing the balk call thats one thing when im out there but i was telling him he was balking he was balking he was saying no he wasnt no he wasnt so im going trying to get an explanation after the inning before i say anything i take one step and he throws me out clearly that bothers me
when girardi frustrated turned to head back to the dugout after he had said his piece guccione said something that caused girardi to pivot and engage the umpire again finally girardi returned to the dugout handed his lineup card to the bench coach rob thomson and headed into the clubhouse where he meted out instructions
the most puzzling came in the 10th inning when after a 10 pitch inning from dellin betances in the ninth girardi turned not to miller the closer who has yet to allow a run this season but to the rookie right hander johnny barbato who has begun to look vulnerable after a strong start to the season
girardi said he was trying to save miller because he did not think he could pitch two innings and wanted him to be able to close out the game if the yankees had taken the lead miller who had pitched just twice in the previous nine days said he was well rested and could have pitched two innings
im trying to get a couple of outs out of barbato and maybe you can get an inning and a third girardi said it just doesnt work
barbato was victimized by a high chop infield single by kim to lead off the inning then jonathan schoop laced an 0 2 pitch into center field that sent kim to third without a play miller then was summoned but his 0 1 pitch was lifted to center where ellsbury delivered another weak throw that was far too late to make a play at the plate on reimold
allowing ellsbury to play center field with aaron hicks   who has one of baseballs strongest arms and is just as athletic as ellsbury   in left field seemed another puzzling move hicks did not have a ball hit to him all night
the yankees sent the game to extra innings when dustin ackley starting in right field for the second time in his career leapt at the wall in the bottom of the ninth to catch wieterss towering drive then recovered in time to double up pinch runner joey rickard at first
ackley had a chance to be a hero in the 10th when pinch runner brett gardner stole second with two outs but ackley struck out against zach britton
its frustrating ackley said thats the game you want to win 9 out of 10 times i mean youve got to manufacture a run at least one or two there for tanaka we werent able to do it we had a couple of opportunities with guys in scoring position but werent able to come through
inside pitch
reliever james pazos who was recalled wednesday when alex rodriguez was placed on the disabled list was sent back to class aaa scrantonwilkes barre the yankees called up outfielder ben gamel in part because brett gardner had been hit by a pitch on the elbow wednesday


peter pan is getting ready to fly away
finding neverland the broadway bio musical about j m barrie the scottish playwright who wrote peter pan will close on aug 21 the shows producers said on thursday night
the musical was a broadway debut of sorts for the hollywood mogul harvey weinstein who has invested in multiple other shows but was serving as lead producer for the first time the experience was rocky at times   mr weinstein replaced much of the creative team and cast during the shows development   and the show was not nominated for any tony awards last season when it was eligible
but mr weinstein is still determined he is planning a national tour of the show beginning in buffalo this fall and winding up back on broadway he said he is planning a second production in london next year and a third production in asia the next year he said he intended to make a film version of the musical as well
finding neverland with music and lyrics by gary barlow and eliot kennedy and a book by james graham was adapted from a nonmusical 2004 film that starred johnny depp the broadway musical directed by diane paulus initially starred matthew morrison as barrie that role is now played by alfie boe
the musical which had a pre broadway run at the american repertory theater in cambridge mass cost an estimated 20 million to develop and mount it has not recouped its capitalization on broadway but mr weinstein is hoping that he will be able to repay investors from the other productions of the show
the production began previews on broadway on march 15 2015 and opened on april 15 2015
it started strong with about five months in which weekly grosses were usually over 1 million but its financial performance has weakened over time last week it grossed 583984 and played to audiences of 62 percent capacity
the show did spectacularly well when families and tourists were here but it was tough when the family audience wasnt available mr weinstein said in a telephone interview
i wish we could have played longer but well be back and when it comes back it will be much more economical to run
meanwhile mr weinstein is continuing to pursue multiple theatrical projects he hopes next year to bring to broadway the paris based theatre du chatelets musical adaptation of the classic film singin in the rain starring derek hough his company is also developing a musical adaptation of around the world in 80 days and he has the rights to film adaptations of two musicals in the heights by hamilton creator lin manuel miranda and pippin


l train riders finally had an opportunity to quiz top officials from the metropolitan transportation authority about plans to close their subway tunnel into manhattan and they had plenty of questions
at the authoritys first community meeting in brooklyn on thursday evening riders asked why a shutdown was needed and how they would get around people who live along the booming subway line have become increasingly worried that the closing could paralyze williamsburg and other brooklyn neighborhoods
officials from the authority outlined two proposals for closing the east river tunnel starting in 2019 to repair damage from hurricane sandy hundreds of people filled the auditorium but they were asked to submit written questions which took some of the drama out of the event
riders wanted to know would service be increased on other nearby subway lines yes was the tunnel in danger of collapse no how much would new ferries across the east river cost still to be determined
the first option for the tunnel work officials said would close the entire tunnel for 18 months and stop all service on the l line between manhattan and brooklyn the second option would close one tube at a time over three years providing only 20 percent of the current service through the tunnel
one l train rider thomas sukhu who lives in ridgewood queens was not pleased with the proposals and favored building a new tunnel under the river he said he wanted to speak at the meeting and complained that the location of the hearing at the marcy avenue armory was out of the way so people would not attend
i say no to this shutdown mr sukhu said before leaving the meeting frustrated
veronique hakim the president of new york city transit which oversees the citys subways and buses said officials had ruled out building a new tunnel because it would be expensive and would take too long the work was too complex to complete during nights and weekends she said
the authority plans to offer travel alternatives including additional buses over the williamsburg bridge and extra ferry service between manhattan and brooklyn nearby subway routes including the g and m lines would add trains to carry riders who move over from the l line officials said
since news of an extended l train tunnel shutdown leaked in january residents and local leaders have started to brace for its impact carlo a scissura the president of the brooklyn chamber of commerce said businesses were panicking
restaurants and bars along the line fear they will lose customers developers worry that potential renters will stay away from those neighborhoods
you may see people who say its not worth it to rent an apartment along this corridor im just going to do something else mr scissura said
the brooklyn chamber of commerce is part of a group called the l train coalition which has pushed for details about the shutdown and wants the community to have a say in the decision a critical issue is whether the authority plans to run enough buses on nights and weekends mr scissura said
this is an area where a saturday or a friday night is like prime time rush hour on a monday morning commute he said
officials said the authority planned to make a decision about the tunnel work in the next three months a second public meeting is scheduled for may 12 in manhattan and riders can submit comments on the authoritys website
on thursday riders alliance a rider advocacy group urged the authority and mayor bill de blasio to consider a range of travel options
people shouldnt have to move or find new jobs because of construction on the l train and they shouldnt find themselves stuck with a two hour daily odyssey to get to work john raskin the groups executive director said
for local businesses popular destinations like the brooklyn brewery and the smorgasburg market would still draw people who might take uber or a ferry but less prominent stores and bars could suffer said eric ottaway the brewerys chief executive officer
it will affect people who want to come to williamsburg and wander around mr ottaway said it will hit smaller businesses


edmonton alberta   the wildfires ravaging fort mcmurray alberta have done something that the collapse of global oil prices could not do curtail production in the canadian oil sands
while the total reduction has not been revealed analysts say it is substantial several companies have announced that they are throttling back or in one case shutting down their oil sands operations in the area and pulling their employees out
at this point in time were not focusing on production numbers said chelsie klassen a spokeswoman for the canadian association of petroleum producers our operators are just focusing on the evacuation right now we do not know the impact
no one can say how long production will be curtailed just as no one can say when the fire will burn out but if output is low for an extended period it may have a significant effect on canadas economy the oil sands contribute 21 million barrels to canadas total daily production of 39 million barrels nearly all of it is sent to the united states
most of the oil sands operations are north of fort mcmurray and out of the direct path of the fire which continued to move south of the city on thursday threatening the airport forcing the evacuation of several small communities and showing no signs of abating
but some operations are to the south and one of them   the long lake project owned by nexen a unit of cnooc the chinese oil company   was closed in the face of the advancing fire the company did not offer any statistics for the lost production from long lake which has been plagued by technical problems
production slowdowns north of the city which is now cut off by road from the rest of alberta have been prompted by two factors pipeline shutdowns because of the fire and corporate decisions to evacuate all but the most essential employees far from the fires
will gibson a spokesman for syncrude which pioneered the oil sands said the company had reduced operations to a minimum at its two projects and at facilities that turn the tar like bitumen from the sands into synthetic crude oil syncrudes main operation is about 20 miles north of fort mcmurray the nearest to the city
on thursday the company was evacuating about 1500 employees by air
syncrude has the capacity to produce about 350000 barrels of oil a day mr gibson said he did not have a figure for what minimum output would be
suncor the largest integrated oil company based in canada has also reduced output and was flying out employees its too soon to determine impact on production said paul newmarch a spokesman
shell canada shut down all but the bare minimum operations at its albian sands project about 60 miles north of fort mcmurray husky oil said it had reduced production from the oil sands by two thirds to 10000 barrels a day
in addition to oil workers as many as 10000 residents of fort mcmurray fled north from the fire most of them taking shelter in the work camps normally used to house oil workers an airstrip at shells albian sands work camp was being used by the oil producers and the regional government to fly many of them out and to fly in food and supplies for those who remain
because the capital costs of oil sands operations are high few of them chose to cut production when oil prices slumped and complete shutdowns for price reasons were not considered restarting the large projects after a shutdown can take months and be hugely expensive
some very small demonstration projects have been closed though and several companies have delayed new projects or canceled expansion plans because of the market slump


stephen curry is unlikely to play for the golden state warriors on saturday in game 3 of the western conference semifinals at portland as he has not yet practiced on his sprained right knee
while the warriors practiced thursday curry did work on the side
he did not participate in any scrimmaging which the medical staff and coaches want to see before he is cleared to return
hes gotten better and better each day coach steve kerr said but when asked whether curry would play on saturday kerr replied probably not
game 4 on monday is still a possibility if curry keeps making progress
everything has gone very smoothly kerr said he hasnt had any setbacks hes ramping up things in the weight room
the warriors will practice again in oakland on friday before flying to portland in the afternoon kerr said that even on a game day when the team has only a shootaround curry could work two on two with assistant coaches
golden state the defending champion leads the best of seven series against the trail blazers two games to none


over the past few years screen manufacturers have become obsessed with the potential of tiny crystals known as quantum dots the idea is that a quantum dot television or cellphone may offer sharper and brighter images for less money there was talk that apple would release an imac with a quantum dot screen last year but then the company switched course declaring that the existing process for making these little crystals was too toxic to the environment samsung offers its suhd tv with environmentally friendlier quantum dot technology but its not cheap
in a study published in proceedings of the national academy of sciences last week five chemical engineers at lehigh university outline a simpler and more environmentally friendly way to create the dots feed some metal to a single enzyme extracted from bacteria the colorful vials pictured above are filled with the little dots grown in a lab at lehigh through this cost effective method
under led lights the little crystals which can generate both electricity and colored light glow like plastic pegs on a lite brite screen
bryan berger a co author of the study stumbled across this alternative for creating the little dots through an unintended sequence of events it began when an alarmed hospital staff in pennsylvania discovered a superbug growing on metal surfaces in 2011
doctors and nurses were worried stenotrophomonas maltophila or steno as the bacteria is called can potentially cause bad infections in immune compromised patients and few antibiotics can kill it so they asked dr berger a chemical engineer at nearby lehigh to find out why the bacteria seemed to thrive on metal
what dr berger found surprised him the microbe appeared to be taking in electrical charges presumably from the metal surfaces and spitting out clusters of tiny metallic particles dr berger did not know how to halt the superbug but what he saw sparked his imagination could this same bacteria that was spitting out metal be re engineered as a mini crystal generating machine
the answer was yes
as an engineer its extremely exciting but as a medical scientist its extremely scary dr berger said
he and his colleagues found that within a few minutes of feeding the metal cadmium to the steno bacteria   bam   they had created quantum dots
they published those findings last year the problem was that they were using a potentially infectious bug to create the dots whats significant about the new study is that dr berger and his colleagues steve mcintosh and chris kiely discovered that they didnt need the bacteria after all they could make the dots with a single enzyme inside it
quantum dot screens are still a long way from becoming as commonplace as led screens because they have been expensive and messy to make existing methods can require temperatures as high as 300 degrees celsius or 572 degrees fahrenheit oily organic solvents that can cause pollution and costly facilities to make it all happen
dr berger and his colleagues created their multisize nanocrystals with one enzyme in water at room temperature its safer more environmentally friendly and much cheaper than previous approaches they say its also possible to control the size of the crystals which determines the color of their light as you can see above
does this mean that sometime soon quantum dot tvs will become much more affordable
warren chan a biomedical engineer at the university of toronto who has been synthesizing quantum dots for decades and was not involved in the study said thats unlikely with these particular dots while he agreed that safer and cheaper production is ideal these easy to make dots arent going to be as crisp or as bright as the ones made with previous processes he said that means that while they may address apples concerns about toxicity they wont meet its other needs   just yet
but they could be helpful in other ways quantum dots are already being developed in medical imaging to tag tumors and identify diseases and are being closely watched by manufacturers of green energy for their potential to boost the efficiency of solar cells these new dots if they can be engineered to be even brighter may have applications there but thats a big if
so what happened at the hospital dr berger is still trying to figure out how to prevent the superbugs ability to colonize metal surfaces


mayor bill de blasios prospects of getting the legislature to renew his control of new york citys schools were thrown into doubt on thursday when the leader of the state senate issued a statement harshly criticizing mr de blasios performance at a hearing on the issue
too often the mayor showed a disturbing lack of personal knowledge about the city schools the senate majority leader john j flanagan a long island republican said in a statement in addition he has left too many unanswered questions and failed to provide specifics on many of the issues raised by my colleagues on both sides of the aisle
until that occurs mr flanagan added i will not entrust this mayor with the awesome responsibility of operating the new york city school system
the animus between mr flanagan and mr de blasio is not new the mayor is the subject of a multipronged investigation by state and federal authorities over an unsuccessful effort in 2014 to oust senate republicans from power last year when mr de blasio went to albany seeking renewal of mayoral control of schools originally granted to mayor michael r bloomberg in 2002 mr flanagan made sure he received only a one year extension
still mr flanagans statement had the feeling of a sneak attack on wednesday mr de blasio appeared before members of the senate in albany to argue for a seven year extension of mayoral control mr flanagan did not attend the hearing and the questioning was relatively mild although one republican senator terrence p murphy asked why given the multiple investigations mr de blasios administration is facing he should trust the mayor to run the citys schools
in an exchange that may have given mr flanagan his opening another senate republican john defrancisco asked the mayor about the back pay being given to the citys teachers under the most recent contract mr de blasio did not know the answer to the question although it was a simple one which prompted mr defrancisco to respond with derision
on thursday a spokesman for the mayor austin finan did not respond directly to mr flanagans criticism saying the mayor and the schools chancellor carmen farina articulated a clear and compelling case for the state to grant a multiyear extension of mayoral control
from pre k for all to graduation rates above 70 percent mr finan continued the successes of a school system with direct mayoral accountability cannot be denied
a second hearing is scheduled for may 19 in new york city


madrid   when she boarded her flight to come here louisa chirico was not sure if she would be able to play at the madrid open at all but chirico a 19 year old from harrison ny clinched one of the final spots in the qualifying draw for the tournament one of the four highest tier events on the wta tour
five wins and one walkover later 130th ranked chirico is into her first wta semifinal after beating 39th ranked daria gavrilova 7 6 1 6 2 on thursday
i dont like to say that im surprised because i go into every match thinking i can win chirico said i definitely thought it was possible but its just sometimes about execution and whatnot needless to say i wasnt sure if id even be able to play here so im just very excited for the opportunity
born in morristown nj chirico grew up in westchester county and played tennis for the first time at 7 at the lake isle country club in eastchester learning to play on the green clay courts there chirico developed an affinity for sliding on clay that americans typically struggle to master
those skills and the athleticism she had developed by playing soccer and other sports served chirico well when she tried out for a spot in the united states tennis associations player development program at 13 at the billie jean king national tennis center in queens the site of the united states open
jay gooding one of the coaches who worked with chirico as she began training with the usta was impressed by chiricos physical and mental tenacity
shes very strong physically and she can move said gooding who now works with chirico in an arrangement separate from the usta program and when she was younger she wasnt afraid to miss normally in junior tennis especially in america everyone is pushing and moonballs and she was never afraid to miss she missed a lot but i liked that as a coach i think ok theres a lot of upside there you can always tone that down its tougher to get someone to hit the ball than to slow it down
identifying her endurance and physicality as a strength from her early teenage years chirico and gooding worked on developing a playing style that would make the most of those assets
as my coach likes to say i have a big engine chirico said so we thought to utilize that as best as possible we would try and form my game around that which means playing with shape playing heavy and making the rallies as physical as possible its true a lot of the women like to play fast and flat so i think it counters that a little bit
chiricos weapons have been maximized by the conditions in madrid where the altitude amplifies her topspin against gavrilova   as well as against previous opponents including the 2008 french open champion ana ivanovic   her strength outshone her inexperience chirico consistently kicked the ball above her opponents comfortable strike zones allowing her to gain quick control of rallies
in the semifinals on friday chirico will face 38th ranked dominika cibulkova who beat top seeded agnieszka radwanska in the first round
although chirico has achieved a career best result this week and improved her ranking from 130 to inside the top 80 playing in europe meant she forfeited a chance for the usta allotted wild card into the french open which is awarded to the player who achieves the best results in a series of smaller events on green clay in the united states
chirico earned the wild card through that process last year but she and gooding wanted a truer tougher test this year on the surface she calls her favorite despite her climbing ranking chirico will still have to play in the french open qualifying draw a trade off that she and gooding are content with
at the end of the day where are we trying to go gooding said he added our goal is to win grand slams to be top 10 to be no 1
if chiricos affection for red clay is atypical for an american so is her ability to quietly develop away from the gears of the tennis industrys hype machines
i definitely feel like ive been a little bit under the radar and i dont mind that chirico said the other players can have the spotlight i dont really care about that with good results comes more attention obviously so im going to try to keep it one step at a time and keep my goals process oriented thats the biggest thing for me if i get ahead of myself and focused on results thats never good
three top names advance novak djokovic andy murray and rafael nadal made their way into the madrid open quarterfinals each with straight set wins the top ranked djokovic beat roberto bautista agut 6 2 6 1 for his tour best 30th win of the season murray the defending champion defeated gilles simon 6 4 6 2 and nadal topped sam querrey 6 4 6 2 ap


when the ac 45 foiling catamarans hit the hudson river on thursday morning it was the culmination of almost a weeks work by skeleton shore crews riggers have been splicing lines of aramid fibers and rebuilding winches under headlamps in jersey city while the sailors rest each night
this is the americas cup world series where points count for earning the right to challenge oracle team usa in the fall of 2017 in the americas cup in bermuda but the races that spectators will be watching off battery park this weekend are only part of the effort required to win the cup
this weekends races feature ac 45s built to be identical while larger more customized ac 50s are used in the finals
but the first of the new ac 50 boats have yet to be built and teams have been testing innovative wing and foil systems on modified ac 45s referred to as sport boats at their bases in bermuda and around the world
after the world series event in new york the crews head to chicago where they will race on lake michigan in june the small gap between the races provides little time for rest
the whole show here will be packed up on monday and well be sailing the sport boats on tuesday said andrew henderson known as hendo who is the australian shore operations manager for oracle team usa
his voice was starting to crack from shouting across the yard all week he oversees the safety of the sailing team on and off the water including when the towering wing sails are precariously swinging in the breeze from a crane before they are attached to the boats
for the teams with bases in bermuda the testing of the sport boats is just as important as the world series races on the hudson although the ac 50 is designed to specifications there is latitude to develop wing and hydrofoil control systems that are being tested on the trial boats weekly the first to master control of the new class will be able to outmaneuver the others and keep the pedal down longer
teams are allowed to start sailing ac 50s in late january this years world series ends in november and through the end of the year the 45s will be inventing and fine tuning the systems that the 50s will use


the police were searching on thursday for three laughing thieves who made off with a statue of jesus from a roman catholic church over the weekend clergy and police officials said
the diocese of brooklyn announced the theft on thursday a holy day set aside to commemorate christs ascension into heaven the ss peter and paul church is asking for the return of the statue said mother maria bendita the mother superior of the williamsburg parish to which the church belongs
the three foot tall statue which depicts jesus holding a heart was a century old family heirloom donated to the church in 2012 after a previous version was stolen the donors and church officials said it sat staked on a pedestal in front of the church rectory until early saturday morning when three thieves grabbed it church and police officials said
they knew what they were doing mother bendita said adding its a pattern of disrespect that we are seeing for our faith
surveillance video shows the thieves approaching the figure of jesus around 215 am in front of the church rectory on south third street in the video a young woman wearing ballet style flats lifts the statue off its base and tucks it under her right arm laughing as she and her companions run away
the police said that the three thieves had not been identified or apprehended but that they probably lived nearby
waleska soto 43 the church secretary said she noticed the statue was missing when she showed up for work on tuesday but parish officials thought a member or maintenance worker might have taken it for cleaning until they saw the video on wednesday and reported the theft to the police she said
im upset said ms soto who grew up in the church and was married there its something sacred it belonged to the rectory it belonged to the community
george damerel donated the statue with his wife kathleen days before christmas in 2012 about two weeks after its predecessor was stolen it had been in his wifes family for over 100 years and her maternal grandmother had kept the statue on top of an altar in her bedroom where she prayed before it in the morning and at night the couple said
no kidding mr damerel said in a telephone interview from his home in new jersey after being told of the theft isnt that awful i cant believe it thats amazing i dont know what to say
the churchs original statue a ceramic version that had stood outside the rectory for more than a decade was pilfered by an unknown man in december 2012 according to the church and the police it was never found and the thief was never apprehended the police said


a brooklyn teenager was convicted of murder on thursday for setting fire to a mattress in the hallway of his high rise that led to the death of a police officer
the teenager marcell dockery was arrested on a murder charge in april 2014 after officer dennis guerra was killed while responding to the fire set on the 13th floor of a building on surf avenue in coney island brooklyn officer guerras partner officer rosa rodriguez was critically injured
at a two week trial in state supreme court in brooklyn prosecutors told the jury how mr dockery who was 16 at the time of his arrest confessed to the police that he had lit the fire because he had been bored though his lawyer jesse a young argued that the confession was coerced the jury returned a guilty verdict after only a few hours of deliberation
prosecutors introduced surveillance video at the trial of the heavy smoke that filled the hallway during the fire but the emotional heart of their case was testimony by officer rodriguez who described in measured tones how she had been unable to breathe in the hot chaotic scene after being rescued by firefighters officer rodriguez spent several months in burn units and eventually required a lung transplant
when the officers arrived at the building on april 6 2014 they saw no sign of fire and unwittingly took an elevator up to the blaze after officer guerras death the police department issued new directives for how its personnel should respond to fires ruling that officers should take an elevator toward a fire only after inspecting it for smoke and should exit at least two floors below the blaze
though the prosecution acknowledged that officer guerras death had been an accident mr dockery was charged with what is known as felony murder a provision of the law that permits a death to be legally considered a homicide if a defendant kills someone while committing another felony mr dockery was also found guilty of arson for setting fire to the mattress as well as assault for the injuries to officer rodriguez
after the conviction was returned patrick j lynch the president of the patrolmens benevolent association praised the just verdict but added that it would not bring officer guerra back
in a statement ken thompson the brooklyn district attorney said one officer had died and another had been injured all because the defendant was bored
mr young the lawyer could not be reached for comment
mr dockery now faces 25 years to life in prison he is scheduled to be sentenced on june 14


on his last day alive the rev daniel j berrigan wore pajama bottoms that had belonged to an older brother who died last year in father berrigans closet was a thin navy blue backpack light as a feather his niece frida berrigan said he brought it everywhere
dan owned nothing ms berrigan said on thursday he carried nothing whenever i traveled with him to conferences speaking engagements retreats family occasions hed bring that little backpack of nothing id pick him up and ask is that all you have hed say yes thats it lets go
father berrigan a jesuit priest who died last week at 94 and whose funeral will be held on friday in new york filled his life to the brim with poetry and protest preaching and witness
deeds not things made father berrigan one of the best known roman catholic priests of the 20th century his physical possessions barely filled the modest room in the jesuit infirmary at fordham university in the bronx where he spent his final years he departed indifferently penniless from a world that often seems to keep score in gilded ink
my cousin carla and i got married 15 years apart ms berrigan said he wore the same shirt to both weddings last week five years after the second of those weddings it was still hanging in the closet
he had two kinds of clothes threadbare translucent from wear and things that he had never worn she said he had a shiny old black raincoat that he wore to every demonstration just google the images of him
with his brother philip and other catholic peace activists he led protests against the vietnam war that were intended to shock at catonsville md in 1968 the berrigans and seven others walked into a draft board office carried out armloads of records and burned them in the parking lot with homemade napalm in 1980 father berrigan philip and others climbed into a general electric plant in pennsylvania and hammered at missile warheads evoking the verse in the book of isaiah about a moment of revelation when people beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks
in their early years of activism the berrigans and others of the catholic left worked at the edges of the institutional church they were a prophetic force since then the church has become one of the worlds most consistent prominent voices against wars into his late 80s and early 90s father berrigan continued to speak from a distinctly catholic perspective against war capital punishment abortion bigotry and indifference to the poor he also managed to keep being arrested
when a network television reporter noted in 1981 that he was not getting as much attention as he once had father berrigan replied i dont think we ever felt our conscience was tied to the other end of a tv cord
ms berrigan and others kept vigil with him in his room last week as he became frail in recent years she said he was tenderly cared for by his brother jesuits and the staff at the infirmary by choice he had no computer the television was never on yet the space was not empty or quiet there were piles and piles of books she said visitors read to him
on the walls were watercolors by the peace activist elizabeth mcalister the wife of his brother philip they are the parents of ms berrigan father berrigan once did a commercial for ben  jerrys ice cream with other social activists and occasionally boxes of stuff with logos would arrive one item became a favorite a red stocking cap with a goofy cow on the side it was like something a kid would wear ms berrigan said he wore it all the time
after he drew his last breaths on saturday ms berrigan said they sat in his room she opened mail for his birthday may 9 and laughed at gimmick cards that chirped out songs those would have hit him on the silly bone she said
father berrigan drew inspiration from dorothy day who helped found the catholic worker movement in 1933 to bring fresh radical life to the churchs teachings on social justice among other things catholic worker communities across the country feed clothe and shelter those in need
on friday morning a march of peace will begin at 730 from maryhouse on third street between first and second avenues in manhattan one of two catholic worker homes in new york it will go to the church of st francis xavier on west 16th street near the avenue of the americas for father berrigans funeral mass at 10
during the offertory which is part of every catholic mass gifts of bread and wine are brought to the altar when those offerings are blessed catholics believe the bread and wine become the substance of the divine when they are passed to the congregation all can then eat and drink of the goodness of god
at the mass for father berrigan in addition to bread and wine other gifts will be brought to the altar a plowshare a hammer
and that shirt ms berrigan said the one he wore to the weddings


the museum of world war ii outside boston has paid 50000 for anne franks inscribed copy of grimms fairy tales in what the museum is calling the first major offering of material connected directly with frank in nearly 20 years
the book auctioned by swann auction galleries in new york is inscribed with the names of anne and her sister margot on the title page in annes handwriting and was accompanied by a 1977 letter by their father otto frank explaining that the book had been left behind in the familys apartment in amsterdam before they went into hiding in the secret annex
kenneth w rendell the museums founder and executive director said in an interview that the book would be a centerpiece of the museums holocaust collection which includes material relating to other members of the frank family as well as what he called very human pieces from others who had been in concentration camps
i had everyone surrounding her on display but nothing that had come from her own hand he said adding that he been the underbidder when an anne frank autograph sold at christies in 1989
this was a very exciting opportunity he said i wasnt going to miss it
the book he said will go on display soon at the museum which is in natick mass and has more than 7000 items on display and nearly 500000 in its research collection according to mr rendell it was founded in 1999 as a home for mr rendells vast personal collection and became a public nonprofit three years ago he said
franks own diary is permanently on display at the anne frank house in amsterdam
auctions of material relating to anne frank who died at 15 in 1945 in bergen belsen and other victims and survivors of the holocaust have sometimes been controversial in 2014 the manhattan auction house doyle canceled the sale of material relating to the holocaust diarist mary berg after her family raised objections it was later acquired by the united states holocaust memorial museum in washington
mr rendell himself a dealer in manuscripts and autographs said that auctions were a legitimate means for getting such artifacts into publicly accessible collections
if these things dont get into museums they exist in a vacuum he said he added when you see someones handwriting its personal it makes someone real


washington   if donald j trump loses the presidency he can return to his manhattan office tower and get back to business but speaker paul d ryan intends to remain on the job in the capitol after november and he would like as many fellow republicans as possible right there with him
mr ryans remarkable declaration on thursday that he was not yet ready to embrace the candidacy of his partys all but official nominee was the starkest evidence yet of how deeply top congressional republicans fear the damage an unbridled mr trump could do to their majorities in the house and senate
it was also perhaps a vain attempt to control the uncontrollable by letting mr trump know that the campaign was not only about him and to make clear he had some responsibility to come to terms with down ballot candidates on explosive issues like immigration and trade
the bulk of the burden on unifying the party will have to come from our presumptive nominee mr ryan the highest elected republican official in the nation said in an interview on cnn
as a disciple of jack kemp the new york lawmaker and 1996 vice presidential nominee known for offering a positive conservative vision mr ryan embraces a tone and policy agenda often at odds with mr trumps style and statements mr ryan also remains very close to mitt romney his presidential running mate four years ago and someone who has been unsparing in expressing his low opinion of mr trump
still the general assumption around washington was that mr ryan would follow the lead of his senate counterpart mitch mcconnell the kentucky republican and majority leader and reluctantly get on board the trump train despite having spoken out earlier when he felt mr trump had strayed too far from the conservative line but mr trumps quick reaffirmation of his plan to ban muslims from entering the united states while deporting millions of illegal immigrants even as he was promising to unify the party in the aftermath of his decisive indiana primary victory on tuesday was seen in ryan circles as a doubling down on policies the speaker opposes it helped prompt mr ryans surprising statement
its time to set aside bullying to set aside belittlement and appeal to higher aspirations appeal to what is good in us and to lead a country and a party to having a vast majority of americans enthusiastic about choosing a path mr ryan said in the cnn interview
left unsaid was the fact that mr ryan is a man with ambition and a political future that could possibly include a white house run he and his allies know a full embrace of trump policies could cost him dearly in the years ahead   all for what could be a losing effort this year
as the reality of mr trumps nomination continued to sink in with republican office holders around the country democrats have become increasingly optimistic about their chances for big november gains on capitol hill
senator harry reid the nevada democrat and minority leader made it abundantly clear on thursday that he intended to be a regular and harsh critic of mr trump and that republicans were possibly on the precipice of an electoral debacle
hes the embodiment of everything americans hate about a system thats rigged for the top 1 percent mr reid said of mr trump during a conference call with reporters hes the definition of a man who was born on third and thinks he hit a triple whats worse he uses his wealth to rip people off and is now sowing hatred and division every place he steps
while republican control of the senate may be at serious risk republicans   at least at the moment   are expected to hold on to the house though with some loss of seats but the loss of each one makes mr ryans job as speaker in charge of a restive and difficult to control republican majority just that much harder
in addition the seats most in play this year are those of the less conservative house republicans in more vulnerable districts meaning the speaker could enter 2017 with a smaller but even more conservative majority making it even harder to strike compromises he and his allies want to limit the damage as much as possible
with house republicans under increasing pressure to take a position on mr trump mr ryans statement also buys his colleagues additional time as well as political cover if they choose to say they are not ready to get fully behind the last man standing in the republican primary presidential race and it echoed the positioning of other house republicans who are uneasy with mr trump and want some reassurance before giving him their full support
i dont think its my job to offer the olive branch said representative steve king of iowa a hard line republican who was a national chairman for senator ted cruzs campaign mr king said he wanted mr trump to present the names of the justices he would appoint to the supreme court
mr ryan outlined his stance as the trump campaign was reaching out to republicans on capitol hill putting him at odds not only with mr mcconnell but with other house republican leaders who have promised to endorse the new york businessman and mr trump has spoken favorably about mr ryans top lieutenant representative kevin mccarthy of california the majority leader
mr ryan left the door open to a meeting of the minds with mr trump in the future though any interest in meeting mr ryan anywhere near halfway was not reciprocated in the dismissive statement mr trump issued after mr ryans pronouncement
mr trump according to mr ryan will be the nominee because he earned it he deserved it he won the vote the support he hasnt won quite yet is the house speakers


for 10 months as he ran an insurgent presidential campaign donald j trump excoriated the republican partys donor class as a group of special interests whose support he did not want or need
that was then
now mr trump is the presumptive republican nominee with a newly minted national finance chairman steve mnuchin who worked for soros fund management and goldman sachs and since mr trump seems to have little interest in pouring hundreds of millions of dollars of his own money into a general election battle that will cost at least 1 billion mr mnuchin will lead efforts to raise that money from others
mr trump is already facing a reluctant donor community which he often demonized in his speeches saying he will not be beholden to special interests or their money
i dont really see this as a change mr mnuchin said in an interview were not looking to raise money from special interest groups and things like that the majority of the money thats coming in is going to be in small and medium sized donations
i dont see that being inconsistent with mr trumps railing against wall street fat cats mr mnuchin said
mr mnuchin said he had done business deals with mr trump though he declined to provide details he said he attended mr trumps new york primary victory party on april 19 and the next morning the candidate called and asked if he would consider the post he spent time traveling to indiana with mr trump and they met in los angeles
roger stone a close confidante and sometimes adviser to mr trump defended the move
donald trump knows wall street will pay both sides he said in an email why shouldnt he take their money to beat hillary they are going to find out you cant co opt donald trump hes his own man with his own nationalist views he cant be bought sure hell take their money but he wont change his views on immigration trade or nato or his commitment to make hedge fund managers pay their fair share of taxes
on thursday mr trump got a potentially significant lift in the form of an endorsement from sheldon g adelson a casino magnate who gave more than 100 million to republican groups in the 2012 election
for now however many donors remain unconvinced
trump has been the political equivalent of when youre dating a guy and hes giving you all these messages that hes just not that into you said theresa kostrzewa a lobbyist based in north carolina and a republican bundler who supported jeb bush this cycle thats really what hes told republican donors and fund raisers up until now   not only that hes just not that into you but that i dont need you i dont want you and you stink
mr mnuchin said the campaign is working on a joint fund raising agreement with the republican national committee and noted that some donors have already announced their support such as the nascar chief brian france and andy beal a california based donor mr mnuchin anticipated that roughly 30 staffers would end up devoted to fund raising for the campaign and party
but already many of the partys major donors are eyeing mr trump warily woody johnson the heir to the johnson and johnson fortune and a former jeb bush backer whom mr trump singled out for scorn in february declined to comment on his plans for the general election
paul singer a major funder of senate races was never trump yesterday and is never trump today a person briefed on his thinking said on wednesday
ms kostrzewa added that mr trump would be at a disadvantage because unlike other candidates who often have a vast donor network for their previous political campaigns mr trump is practically starting from scratch
some top republican donors also wonder if mr trump has the patience to headline fund raisers where top dollar donors often expect the candidate to spend several hours at an event   posing for photographs speaking at a dinner and then lingering after for small talk at a republican retreat last year in boca raton fla mr trump offered brief remarks at a postdinner reception but notably did not shake hands and stay after as many other 2016 hopefuls did
mr mnuchins firm purchased onewest the remnant of a california based mortgage lender that collapsed during the financial crisis and the bank came under scrutiny for its harsh foreclosure practices one new york state court judge described onewests behavior as harsh repugnant shocking and repulsive
mr mnuchin was vague when asked about whether mr trump would seek to soothe donors egos by creating tiers of top bundlers the way that mitt romney and senator john mccain and president george w bush did he also did not answer whether the campaign plans to explicitly sanction super pac money
mr mnuchin said that by working with the republican party he expected to raise in excess of 1 billion but added that the finance operation may bear some trademark trump hallmarks
like everything with donalds campaign there will have aspects thats conventional fund raising but there will have aspects thats not conventional fund raising he said


as much as he fancies himself the consummate contrarian and zen versed outlier to conventional thinking phil jacksons supposed preference for removing the interim label on kurt rambis as the knicks head coach now seems extreme and perhaps even irrational
on thursday larry bird the indiana pacers president announced that frank vogel would not return as head coach after five and a half seasons five playoff appearances and two eastern conference finals runs thwarted in both of those instances by no less formidable an opponent than lebron jamess miami heat
vogel 42 has won more nba games than any pacers coach before him worked briefly for the los angeles lakers as an advance scout during jacksons coaching reign there has spoken glowingly of jacksons stylistic influence on the sport and flattered him further by hiring brian shaw a jackson protege as an assistant in indiana
vogel was also not only born pensacola fla and raised wildwood nj in the united states   as was david blatt who was recently interviewed for the head coaching job by jackson   he came up unlike blatt through the coaching ranks the good old american way
in other words there is nothing on vogels resume that occurred in any other country than the one that claims to have invented the game and most of the sideshows that go with it
meanwhile according to a person close to blatt speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the current coaching search blatt at least came away from his chat with jackson with the belief that he was a legitimate candidate for the knicks job
he pitched himself to jackson as a defensive minded coach who while playing collegiately at princeton was reared on the joy of a deliberate five man offense and therefore amenable to embracing jacksons beloved triangle he reminded jackson that he initially went to cleveland in 2014 to coach a young undisciplined cavaliers team a work in progress that was before james suddenly returned as the homecoming king when the cavs were essentially the knicks minus the veteran shotmaking of carmelo anthony
as for what occurred in cleveland during blatts season and a half there wasnt it obvious that he couldnt win over james without winning a championship this in large part was because james the de facto franchise strongman didnt choose or approve blatt as coach in the first place nor did it help that james created an immediate all or nothing mandate in cleveland through the kevin love acquisition after initially pleading for patience with an inexperienced roster
as impressive a coaching portfolio as blatt created overseas in places like russia and israel there was never a chance it would provide him with the leverage or credibility to avoid becoming the scapegoat with the cavaliers even after getting to two victories away from the title last june without two of the teams best three players and despite winning 30 of 41 games this season with a still battered roster
yes it has long been established that foreign born players can thrive here in an nba of opulence and opportunity but what about european trained coaches we checked in with maurizio gherardini a longtime italian league general manager who worked in the toronto raptors front office as an assistant general manager for seven years before taking over the turkish power fenerbahce ulker
ive been privileged enough in my years at benetton treviso to work with three nba to become coaches   mike dantoni david blatt and ettore messina he said the commitment by an nba franchise to go for a euro coach is more complicated even if he may eventually be a great strategist or an innovator
he added dantoni was initially perceived not much of an option when he first started in denver but then in phoenix he developed a basketball style that somehow changed the overall quality of the game   and its not a surprise that the warriors and steve kerr somehow have developed their game on the basis of the basketball played those years in phoenix
messina has taken the path of showing his value on a prestigious bench like the spurs in order to increase his chances blatt coached the best player in the game in cleveland but he was perceived more european than american and bottom line it will always take a strong commitment by an organization to go for a foreign coach as such a decision needs to be bought into by your top players who most of the time are not european
too often old school perception weighs more heavily than performance had blatt coached at kentucky he would have american court cred james never bought into him his teammates followed their leader
that doesnt mean blatt would not be a good fit with the knicks jacksons original coaching choice golden states kerr was about to hire blatt as an assistant before cleveland signed him he no doubt has endorsed blatt to jackson
would anthony jamess good buddy buy in he doesnt have jamess clout nor does he deserve it and anyway kristaps porzingis represents the knicks long term future porzingis a 20 year old latvian would not be an issue but if jackson is concerned about blatts impact on anthony and possibly others easily influenced by james including targeted free agents he now has vogel on the coaching free agent market
in indianapolis bird said its time for a new voice around here saying he preferred to play a faster brand of ball even if vogels roster wasnt exactly golden state speedy fair enough coaches are hired to be fired but those with solid reputations also get rehired
already mentioned as a possibility in houston vogel probably wont be unemployed very long blatt could wind up in sacramento where vivek ranadive born in india is the owner and vlade divac a serb is the top basketball executive
the time for jackson to act would seem to be soon unless he really is intent on running out the clock to facilitate the anointing of his friend the 58 year old rambis and his 65 164 career coaching record
that would be a decision sure to infuriate the knicks fan base at least some of the players and possibly the owner james l dolan but with all the brand name coaches he has ignored jackson still has viable options solid choices
he just has to make one and let common sense triumph over the temptation to be contrary


washington   the white house on thursday said that it expected intelligence officials to provide a classified briefing to donald j trump after the republican party formally nominates him for president at its convention in july a tradition for major party nominees dating back to 1952
asked whether president obama was concerned about mr trumps receiving classified information in light of the presumptive republican nominees reputation for making unfiltered comments josh earnest the white house press secretary said the president would leave it to intelligence professionals to decide what to share with him
those are assessments that will have to be made by the intelligence community and the president has full confidence in the ability of our professionals in the intelligence community to make those assessments mr earnest said
mr earnest referred reporters to comments last week by the director of national intelligence james r clapper jr who said that the obama administration intended to continue the practice of briefing the nominees from both major parties this electoral cycle
we have already established a plan for briefing both candidates when they are named and certainly after november when the president elect is known and it gets more intensive mr clapper said weve already got a team set up to do that and a designated lead who is not a political appointee
mr clapper added that he and other obama officials would not be involved other than ensuring that everybody gets the same information and that we do comply with the needs to protect sources and methods and comply with security rules
mr trump said in an interview with the washington post this week that he was eager to start receiving regular classified intelligence briefings
but that overstates the information mr trump will receive after the party conventions and before the election the major party nominees for president and vice president receive only a one time intelligence briefing about the state of the world
michael j morell a former deputy cia director who regularly briefed mr obama before retiring in 2013 said the postconvention nominee briefing would last several hours the idea is to get them to understand that they have now stepped into a bigger world in which foreign allies adversaries and neutral parties are paying close attention to whatever they say and that their words may have broad consequences he said
michael e leiter a former director of the national counterterrorism center provided the terrorism portion of the briefing that mr obama received after he became the democratic nominee in 2008 mr leiter said the post convention briefings lay out a significant amount of important and sensitive information
you are not trying to give them a tactical update on the issues of the day but to lay out the full panoply of issues that they are going to face the good the bad and the ugly of what the world looks like and what implications there may be going forward he said
both former officials said that the postconvention briefing for nominees would contain top secret information but not a discussion of the sources and methods used to gather it or any description of covert operations after the election the president elect receives regular briefings with more sensitive information
still while mr earnest suggested that responsibility for what to tell mr trump would reside with the intelligence community mr morell said that there was no formal rule permitting intelligence officials to share classified information with presidential nominees who lack security clearances each cycle he said the current president signs off on the briefings
the handling of classified information is already part of the campaign because of the investigation into mr trumps likely democratic opponent hillary clinton over her use of a private email server to conduct state department business while secretary of state mr trump has called her use of the server criminal and said she should not be permitted to run for president because of it
aki j peritz a former cia intelligence analyst wrote a column in march raising concerns about the prospect of giving mr trump classified data
trump shoots from the hip and speaks in a stream of consciousness mr peretz said if you give him a particularly juicy piece of intelligence what is to stop him from talking about it that afternoon
just this week on the morning of the indiana primary mr trump told fox news viewers that it had been reported that ted cruzs father rafael cruz was with lee harvey oswald shortly before oswald shot president john f kennedy his source for that baseless claim turned out to be an article in the national enquirer a supermarket tabloid


edmonton alberta   the passengers arrived through an airport gate normally used as an exit some had bulging oversize bags others nothing more than a shopping bag or backpack and all around were an unusual number of children along with dogs and cats of all sizes
the arrivals at edmonton international airport were part of an effort to re evacuate about 8000 people who had fled north from fort mcmurray alberta as vast wildfires moved in on it this week only to find themselves cut off from the rest of canada as the blaze spanned the only highway south
its just surreal i dont know what to do lory curnew told her former neighbor marlene mcdonald as they stood by a baggage carousel its devastating to say the least
the evacuees had taken refuge in work camps normally used by oil sands workers but some of those camps quickly became overcrowded the combination of the camps being cut off and the remote possibility that the fire could swing their way has led to the airlift which will last for days while the evacuees arrival in edmonton brought them to safety it only reinforced the uncertainty they now face having fled a town where much including many of their homes has been reduced to ashes
they had been among the canadians drawn to fort mcmurray by jobs that paid exceptionally high wages during the oil boom that beacon dimmed with the global plunge in petroleum prices but the oil industrys downturn is now the least of their concerns and although her future is far from clear ms curnew like many of the evacuees is already skeptical about promises from politicians that fort mcmurray will rise again
for a lot of people i dont think theyll go back said ms curnew a single mother who worked in construction and who arrived with a single suitcase her 15 year old son parker and two dogs you just cant go back there with no services no food coming in no anything you just cant go back there
with the wildfires now covering more than 210000 acres and as of thursday afternoon seizing and scorching still more territory officials and politicians are dodging questions about fort mcmurrays future yet it is already difficult to foresee that a city of about 90000 people that struggled with explosive growth earlier in this decade will emerge in the same form and for the thousands of its residents who have nothing to return to there is no new canadian boomtown to replace it
with flames lapping at the edges of highway 63 the citys only land connection to the rest of canada the vast majority of the 88000 evacuees went south in a slow motion traffic jam in which trips that normally last for minutes stretched into hours
some drivers their cars low on gas and with service stations closed down and dry stopped on the side of the road or gave up at nearby communities like anzac as the fire expanded and shifted south they were forced to again pack up and find refuge
by thursday officials believed that the vast majority had made their way to edmonton the nearest major city or farther south to calgary the home of white collar oil industry workers
about 2800 people without friends or family in edmonton ended up registering at the northlands exhibition center now an emergency shelter including justin dick 23 who was lured to fort mcmurray three years ago along with his mother and stepfather from winnipeg manitoba by hopes of sharing in the oil boom
now mr dick said outside the exhibition hall it looked as if the house where he lived and all their belongings had been consumed
we just wanted to get ahead in life and now weve lost everything he said
a few yards away malcolm macqueen 31 a fire extinguisher technician from fort mcmurray said that he was already looking for another job just hours after arriving in edmonton
you want to remain hopeful but its hard with the reports so you just have to make the best of it mr macqueen said
like many hotels the chateau lacombe in downtown edmonton had become something of an impromptu shelter at least for those fort mcmurray residents who could afford it dogs and children sat around the lobby as their anxious parents tried to figure out how to move forward in the restaurant on wednesday night a group of employees of suncor a canadian energy company watched television news reports about the fire and checked twitter ryan whitmarsh 28 an engineer said he happened to sleep late on tuesday morning missed a company shuttle and had to take his car to work his inadvertent tardiness proved to be a boon a few hours later when everyone was told to evacuate immediately
at home his father randy a suncor worker on the night shift quickly packed frozen food and drinks into a cooler which they loaded into mr whitmarshs car along with a tent and their passports the highway to edmonton was so jammed that they camped on the road on tuesday night waking up to spot good samaritans offering free gasoline to stranded motorists while ryan whitmarsh and his father are safe worries about his 427000 house torment him i have a knot in my stomach just thinking about it he said
though most residents cling to the faint hope that their homes and belongings have survived some are less optimistic asked what she expected to find upon returning to her condominium mona wesala 27 a kenyan engineer who works for suncor slowly shook her head ashes she said
not all evacuees had flights to safety the canadian broadcasting corporation reported that thousands of cars were lined up behind a blockade north of fort mcmurray on thursday as frustration mounted the broadcaster reported more than two dozen cars and trucks tried to force their way through police cars acting as barriers but stopped when at least one police officer stood in front of his cruiser
what will replace the ashes of fort mcmurray and what to do with the displaced remained questions for the future on thursday while temperatures that were unusually warm even for midsummer were replaced by more seasonable conditions on thursday the fire showed no obvious signs of abating fire officials told reporters that without significant rainfall it could remain out of control and continue growing for several more days aerial bombers were covering the buildings still standing in fort mcmurray with water and flame retardants but officials said those measures would not guarantee the buildings protection
fort mcmurray has loomed large in the collective imagination of canada to environmentalists its name is synonymous with degradation others view the oil sands a major technological achievement and many canadians without ever visiting imagined an out of control boom town rampant with crime and social problems both along with eye popping real estate prices exist but became inflated in retellings beyond the city
ms curnew like a disproportionate number of fort mcmurray residents came from newfoundland a province of chronic unemployment 22 years ago to build a new life she hopes to stay in her adopted province
while she said that she has encountered nothing but kindness since tuesday ms curnew was disturbed over much of what she saw on social media
ive been reading some of the negative comments on facebook people saying all these materialistic people theyre getting what they deserve their crap town is burning she said before boarding a chartered city bus to northlands i started out as a single mom there just renting worked it up and got a house all myself im not materialistic i was just there living within my means just trying to raise my son


los angeles   the trial to determine the mental competency of the ailing 92 year old media mogul sumner m redstone will open with a blockbuster lineup of witnesses on friday beginning with mr redstone himself
at a final case management conference here on thursday judge david j cowan of the los angeles county superior court established a first day trial schedule that promises to lead with 30 minutes of video testimony from mr redstone
if all goes according to plan that will be followed by testimony from a psychiatrist who has examined mr redstone dr stephen l read mr redstones granddaughter keryn redstone and philippe dauman the chief executive of viacom of which mr redstone is a controlling shareholder
mr dauman like mr redstone will testify via an already recorded video according to pierce odonnell a lawyer for manuela herzer
ms herzer a former companion and romantic partner of mr redstone initiated the court case in november by filing a petition that claimed mr redstone was not competent when he removed her from a directive last year that would have given her supervision over his health care lawyers for mr redstone are disputing the claim
mr redstones own testimony presents a considerable challenge for the court ordered by judge cowan only three days ago the 30 minute video testimony was completed earlier on thursday lawyers both for ms herzer and for mr redstone said in court
in opening thursdays hearing at 130 pm judge cowan asked if the testimony went smoothly
it did answered mr odonnell whose opinion at least on that matter was affirmed by robert n klieger who represents mr redstone
judge cowan turned down requests to bifurcate the trial with one part dedicated to mr redstones competency and the other related to whether he was under undue influence of his daughter shari redstone his caretakers or others when he removed ms herzer from his health care directive last october
judge cowan said he found the issues to be interrelated and to be dependent on facts lots of which he intends to explore during testimony that is likely to become painfully personal though the court has allowed lawyers to withhold some details from their public filings
when mr redstones video testimony is presented on friday the courtroom will be cleared of all but a few lawyers expert witnesses court personnel and shari redstone but mr odonnell was ordered to make a transcript of mr redstones remarks available to reporters
judge cowan noted that 18 news organizations had asked for space in his small courtroom were going to get some more chairs in here judge cowan promised
the nonjury trial is scheduled to run through next thursday but could go longer and will be decided by judge cowan


the leaders of two of the nations biggest most powerful labor unions   the service employees international union and the american federation of state county and municipal employees   are completing a plan that calls for unusually close cooperation in political campaigning organizing and bargaining in states and cities across the united states
the effort begins a process that could lead to a merger of the two organizations an outcome that would create the nations largest labor union with some 36 million members
while we recognize the differences in culture and structure between our respective organizations and the divisions that have hampered us in the past the times demand that we build on our common purpose states a resolution the unions are expected to approve it cites challenges like political attacks on organized labor growing income inequality and deteriorating workplace conditions
the document adds that the two unions will consider ways to step up the collaboration including a formal merger
the resolution   which was adopted by the service employees international union board on thursday and was expected to be considered by the american federation board in june   also would need to be ratified at conventions the unions have scheduled for this year
the american federation of state county and municipal employees has 16 million members most of whom are government workers the service employees international union has approximately two million members and is split nearly evenly between workers in the private and public sectors about 80 percent of the unions membership is in roughly a dozen states including new york california and illinois
the purpose of the new arrangement said mary kay henry the service employees international union president was to unite the power of our organizations at every level to deal with the unprecedented attack on working people and growing inequality in this country
the unions plan unity partnerships to expand on such initiatives as a joint organizing drive of home care workers like a recent one in pennsylvania and joint lobbying efforts to persuade state lawmakers to increase funding for public schools and hospitals
the benefits of the arrangement officials said would be that the unions could settle on common messages and strategies rather than tugging in different directions and they could eliminate duplication of fixed costs   for phone banks direct mail and advertisements union officials also said they hoped the joint efforts would prevent politicians from playing one union against the other when raising money for their campaigns a practice the unions said they found exasperating but were often powerless to stop
the two unions along with two other large public sector unions   the american federation of teachers and the national education association   had already stepped up cooperation in recent years they engaged in joint field mobilization efforts during the 2014 midterm elections and worked closely on the strategy surrounding a legal challenge by conservatives seeking to prohibit any union agreements from requiring government employees to pay fees to the unions that represented them the supreme court which split 4 4 on the case after justice antonin scalias death in february left intact the agreements ability to impose the labor friendly requirement
an inter union committee spent just over a year deliberating on the new partnerships the committee acknowledged the possibility of a future merger but its mandate was not to consider institutional changes of that kind
the point of this resolution is not to get to a merger said lee saunders the american federation president thats not what were trying to do but it is an option that exists and cant be ignored
members of the unions often emphasize the cultural differences between the organizations and say the leaders of union locals in numerous states might be reluctant to merge while both unions are known for their expertise and spending in political campaigns the service employees organization is widely seen as more innovative and willing to take risks in organizing workers
the service employees international union has spent tens of millions of dollars backing the fight for 15 movement which drew attention to the plight of fast food workers the effort brought no immediate benefit in the form of new members   something most traditional unions insist on as a condition of spending large sums on organizing but it spurred several cities and states to agree to phase in a 15 minimum wage over the next few years which will benefit many of its members and millions of other workers
some union officials questioned the wisdom of a potential merger which they said could turn the focus toward weaving together two huge complicated organizations and away from external threats like anti labor legislation but many concerns about cultural compatibility might be exaggerated according to labor experts
i think lee saunders and steve fantauzzo have begun to really change the focus of that union said steve rosenthal a former political director of the afl cio who now works with both unions as a consultant referring to the american federations president and chief of staff theyre much more grass roots oriented much more member driven and i think thats really compatible in a very big way with what you see at seiu mr rosenthals wife is an official for the service employees international union
a decade ago the tension between the unions was sharp as they fought in various states over organizing child care workers and home care aides at one meeting of the afl cios executive council in las vegas in 2005 the service employees president at the time andrew stern got into a shouting match with gerald mcentee the american federation president over which union should seek to organize 45000 child care workers in the midwest
the rancor grew worse later that year when mr stern led his union and several others to quit the afl cio the nations main labor federation
more recently the two unions have joined together on a 2014 mobilization campaign in pinellas county fla which produced turnout levels more akin to a presidential year than a midterm election and on electing three union backed justices to the supreme court of pennsylvania in 2015
benjamin gerritz a board member of a large service employees local in oregon who is a caseworker at an aids focused nonprofit said that the unions recent collaboration in his state on collective bargaining and on policy issues like paid sick leave and an increase in the minimum wage worked seamlessly and that he would support a merger
if the unions did merge one big question would be the relationship of the new union and the afl cio the american federation of state county and municipal employees remains a member of the afl cio
ms henry said it was too soon to speculate about such questions she said that she and mr saunders were focused on increasing the effectiveness of their political organizing and bargaining efforts and that the structural question about the afl cio is going to follow


kelcy warren has been trying for months to free his pipeline empire from a deal with the williams companies despite their ironclad merger agreement
so far his tactics have merely gotten him and his company energy transfer equity sued
now mr warren thinks he has found a breakthrough
his companys outside legal adviser latham  watkins said it was unable to provide a certain tax opinion a condition required to close the deal without it energy transfer said its deal with williams would be effectively dead
we cant close we dont have a transaction that can close mr warren said on thursday in the energy transfers conference call to discuss quarterly earnings absent substantial restructuring of this transaction which energy transfer has been very willing and actually desiring to do absent that we dont have a deal
restructuring is certainly another option for energy transfer mr warren said in the call that he would like to pay for williams with stock rather than the agreed upon mixture of stock and 6 billion in cash which energy transfer would have to finance by taking on debt an all stock deal would also presumably enable latham to grant the tax opinion since the main reason it couldnt offer one was the cash involved in the transaction according to tax experts
but the talk at this point may be just theater williams has not received a new proposal from energy transfer to restructure the deal according to people briefed on those discussions williams has not gotten a termination notice either said those people who spoke on the condition of anonymity
some experts say they are skeptical of the validity of lathams decision not to grant the tax opinion the questions arose after energy transfer amended a regulatory filing on april 18 to show that latham would no longer be able to deliver a so called 721 opinion if the transaction were closed that day no reason was given williams after consulting with its legal team led by cravath swaine  moore disagreed
then on wednesday the dueling law firms were able to make their cases in public by way of an amended regulatory filing on the deal because of the market declines in the energy sector since the deal was signed williamss assets are now valued at far less than the 6 billion in cash its shareholders would be receiving from energy transfer according to lathams argument that could prompt the internal revenue service to require them to recast the transaction making the assets suddenly taxable
cravath said in the filing on wednesday however that it did not think recasting would be necessary
robert willens an independent tax consultant said the irs would focus on the values that existed at the time the deal was signed back in september as opposed to now while latham was able to obtain an irs ruling for other parts of its opinion the firm did not seek one related to this issue
now that were seeing such a dichotomy of opinion between the two law firms people cant help but think latham is bending over backward to help their client said mr willens in an interview in regards to energy transfers desire to get out of the deal certainly the issues latham is raising are not just totally hogwash theres some merit to them personally i think cravath has a better side of the argument
however energy transfers chief financial officer thomas e long said in the earnings call thursday that latham really scrubbed this issue before reaching its conclusion and energy transfer also consulted with other legal advisers that reached the same conclusion as latham
representatives from energy transfer williams and cravath declined to comment a representative from latham  watkins did not respond to requests for comment
the disagreement between the two law firms underscores the contentiousness that has permeated this deal almost from the beginning
seven months ago energy transfer announced its 38 billion acquisition of williams a capstone deal for mr warren giving him 71000 miles of pipelines across the united states soon thereafter the market for energy companies radically changed for the worse for williams where the board was initially split on a transaction the deal suddenly became a necessity energy transfer on the other hand has scrambled frantically for a way out
by february energy transfer fired the architect of the deal jamie welch who had been serving as its chief financial officer the next month energy transfer sharply cut its estimates for how much the merger would lift earnings to 170 million from the original 2 billion projection energy transfer based in dallas also threatened thousands of job cuts for williams employees in tulsa and oklahoma city even though the initial agreement said a presence in oklahoma would be maintained
tension rose when energy transfer disclosed an arrangement that gave mr warren and several other unit holders of the company priority over other investors in both energy transfer and williams if the deal were to close this transaction gave the select group protection if energy transfers distributions   similar to dividends   were cut in a cash squeeze
that led williams to sue mr warren for breaching their merger agreement mr welch is also suing energy transfer for wrongful termination


mary matalin a high profile political pundit and veteran strategist for the republican party changed her party registration to libertarian from republican she said on thursday
but in an interview with bloomberg politics which reported on the switch she emphasized that her decision was not connected to donald j trumps being the presumptive republican presidential nominee
she described herself as a voter as a provisional trump and a never hillary referring to the leading democratic candidate hillary clinton
pressed on thursday about why she switched political parties ms matalin told bloomberg politics that she was a republican in the jeffersonian madisonian sense
im not a republican for a party or a person she continued the libertarian party represents those constitutional principles that i agree with
of mr trump ms matalin said she liked his attitude and what she knew of his economic policies adding i just dont know enough i think not only could he win i think he could win in a landslide if he would stop his high school boy antics with women otherwise hes going to force suburban women to hillary
she said conservatives were angry after two successive presidential elections in which they lost and with what appeared to be no response from washington as the party was falling apart
ms matalin is probably best known for her appearances on television as a staunch defender of republican policies for more than a decade she appeared on cnn with her husband james carville a democratic strategist
the husband and wife team were two of the networks best known contributors for years they were co hosts of crossfire after it was canceled they were regulars on the situation room and election night specials they announced in early 2013 that they were parting ways with cnn
ms matalin was president george bushs campaign director and was assistant to president george w bush she was also assistant and counselor to vice president dick cheney according to her website
she worked at the republican national committee in 1984 as national voter contact director for the reagan bush campaign and later as chief of staff to the chairman of the committee


iain murray gunned a speedy motorboat through the choppy waters of the hudson river and spoke about the impressive catamarans set to race this weekend in an elite international competition
they are wing sailed carbon fiber beasts that appear to fly above the water and can reach speeds of nearly 40 miles per hour
they like flatter water but this wont bother them said mr murray 58 an accomplished skipper from australia who as the director of this weekends regatta was on the river on wednesday to plan the racecourse several hundred yards away from the skyscrapers of lower manhattan
holding a world class sailing race part of the americas cup series off battery park city may make for spectacular shoreline viewing but it is not easy for organizers or racers who may prefer a location farther offshore with easier winds to navigate and little interference from other boat traffic
the race poses daunting logistical challenges there is the harbor traffic   ferries tugboats barges and other large vessels that ply the hudson   that must be diverted along with a designated area for the more than 700 personal recreational boats expected to anchor for the event
then there is the rapid current of the hudson river as well as effects on the wind by the tall buildings flanking the racecourse both in manhattan and on the other side of the river in jersey city
all of which complicates the task of timing the races to start precisely at 2 pm for live coverage of the regatta on saturday and sunday the competition officially called the louis vuitton americas cup world series helps promote and determine points for the 35th americas cup to be held in june 2017 in bermuda
the cup was held in new york waters from 1870 to 1920 but after nearly a century the competition is returning to the city with vastly different boats from those in the earliest races which featured wide wooden two masted schooners
in comparison the boats being sailed this weekend resemble spacecrafts
the six countries competing use nearly identical catamarans each with a 70 foot tall solid sail that looks like an airplane wing the sleek vessels are equipped with l shaped hydrofoils that let them glide dramatically out of the water
the geometry of the boat is measured to the millimeter said mr murray who was docked at liberty landing marina in jersey city to visit the large white tents sheltering the sailboats
inside the tent for oracle team usa which won the most recent americas cup in 2013 workers were wet sanding the boats red rudders like precious stones
in the softbank team japan tent mr murray walked between the black catamaran and the sail lying unattached next to it drumming his fingers on the thin plastic skin stretched taut over the sails strong light frame
its the same stuff your meat comes packed in at the butchers he said of the plastic
these races combine high tech design with extreme athleticism from crew members in helmets who scramble around the boat hang off the edge to provide stability and sometimes get washed off
the sailboats have become youtube sensations and helped fuel a stadium sailing trend ocean racing staged close to land for better viewing with enthusiasts using special apps that allow graphics for an enhanced experience
in their attempt to make sailing both spectator  and television friendly organizers say new york has the right audience and setting for news media attention
the lower hudson provides an ideal location for stadium setting say the events promoters who expect more than 20000 people to gather along the waterfronts of lower manhattan and jersey city to see the races which will run roughly between chambers and rector streets
races have been held near urban areas before including in san francisco and gothenburg sweden but they have never been staged this close to a downtown area
organizers have met for months with new york city officials and law enforcement agencies and other parties commercial shipping companies have agreed to work around the race times and a separate lane will be established near the shoreline for ferries and other vessels
for sailors a major challenge will be the hudsons wind and current conditions to adapt to the strong tidal current which during the race will be running south with the outgoing tide organizers are using heavier anchors and longer chains than usual to secure the race buoys which are called marks
as for the air the canyon of high rises in manhattans financial district and in jersey city could negatively affect the all important wind that is the sailors fuel
winds from the north or south coming straight up or down river are preferable and the most likely given local weather patterns
but a breeze from the east   and slightly less so from the west   would become shifty and turbulent as it sifted through the buildings and swept across the racecourse said nathan outteridge 30 the captain for the artemis racing team from sweden
it adds a new element and dimension to it and makes it trickier mr outteridge said
weather forecasts for saturday predict a morning wind from the north that by early afternoon will give way to a prevailing ocean breeze from the south the concern is that the lull during the shift will occur when the races are scheduled to begin at 2 pm for the live telecast
the catamarans need about 10 knots to glide above the water and races will not begin if the wind is below 5 knots or above 25 knots mr murray said a knot is equivalent to a speed of 115 miles per hour
to try to run three races of about 20 minutes each officials will set the course and length just before starting time
practice races on friday will be filmed for use in case conditions on saturday or sunday prevent the regatta
whatever the conditions mr murray said at the end of the day even if you have lots of current or dead cows in the water the best guys will win


the legal professions gatekeepers engaged in a fierce debate this week after an arizona law school began accepting applicants who had taken only the more general gre graduate admissions exam instead of the traditional law school admissions test
the university of arizona james e rogers college of law announced the new test policy in february opening its doors to a larger pool of applicants that decision prompted a scolding by the law school admissions council the nonprofit entity that oversees the law school applications process the council warned in an april 4 letter that it might expel arizonas school from its network which would send a strong signal to law schools that they need to play by the established rules
on wednesday some 150 law school deans including martha minow from harvard and robert post from yale lined up to support arizona in a letter to the councils president daniel bernstine the deans argued that experimentation benefits all of us and said that kicking out arizona is unwarranted under the existing rules and sends a terrible message to law schools about experimentation in the admissions process
the council has significant clout in the legal profession because it oversees the administration of the lsat and the common application process used by tens of thousands of people when they apply to any of the 206 law schools accredited by the american bar association
last month the council told arizonas law school that substantially all of its member students take the lsat and suggested that to ignore that practice could jeopardize the schools membership
the tussle highlights a growing frustration in legal academia some law school deans grappling with an overall drop in enrollment view the standardized test as an impediment to their reaching new groups of potential applicants who could become law students the gre is given by computer and offered frequently during the year the lsat critics say is less user friendly because it is a written exam and offered only four times a year
kathryn rubino an editor at the legal industry blog above the law wrote in a post that the law council has managed to consolidate quite a bit of the power in the law school admissions game and they are not looking to share that anytime soon
the council issued a statement on thursday saying it wanted to emphasize that our inquiry into the university of arizona law school was a request for clarification on the law schools new policy which we had only learned about through media reports to characterize this as a threat is unfortunate
two months before arizona decided to accept students with successful scores from either test it worked with the educational testing service to examine whether gre test results were a valid and reliable predictor of students first term law school grades and thus whether the test met the standards set by the bar association whose section on legal education accredits the countrys law schools they concluded that the test met the standards
marc l miller the dean of arizonas law school said it had received about 30 applications from gre test takers and so far has admitted three of them for the class entering this fall and there could be more
we are trying to diversify the paths to legal education and believe that gre applicants are as good or better than lsat applicants mr miller said he said the number of people who take the gre was five times the number of students who take the lsat
arizona ranked nationally among the top 50 law schools has 130 to 135 first year students including 30 who are foreign students earning an american juris doctorate the 100 american students are about evenly split between arizona residents and nonresidents
we would love to get back to 150 the number we had before the downturn mr miller said but we are not looking to gre takers for that
as the economy changed six or seven years ago we began changing the makeup of our class to admit international students many of whom are from asia but this move is about diversifying the mix which worked well for us when we tried it earlier
but the dispute could get nasty mr miller also wrote a letter to the council noting that curbing the schools admissions policy could raise antitrust issues restrictions on the arizona schools actions unreasonably restrains the competition on law school admissions testing market
he said on thursday that two weeks ago he was worried about how his school would get the services of the law school admissions council but after the support from other deans i dont see us being left out he said
the councils board comprised mainly of law school deans and law professors will meet friday at a regularly scheduled board meeting according to spokeswoman wendy margolis
we can assure our members and everyone in the law school community that we are taking all perspectives into account as we consider these issues the councils statement said


palmyra syria   russia has made its mark on syria with the crash of bombs and the thud of artillery on thursday the russians added gentler sounds live classical music echoing through an ancient stone theater and into the eerie empty desert
extending its soft power into the syrian conflict russia deployed a symphony orchestra led by one of its best known conductors valery gergiev and the cellist sergei p roldugin an old and   according to the panama papers documents leaked last month   very wealthy friend of president vladimir v putin
their performance space was palmyra the city of ruins left by roman and other ancient civilizations and ruined further by the depredations of the islamic state also known as isis or isil
the orchestra played pieces by johann sebastian bach and two russian composers sergei prokofiev and rodion shchedrin in a second century roman amphitheater the set for a 2015 film produced by the islamic state that featured the execution of 25 people
the contrast was intended to underscore what russia sees as its underappreciated role in helping syrian forces liberate palmyra from zealots and fighting on the side of civilization against barbarism
the russians were so eager to make that point that they flew a group of reporters from moscow to syria and then bused them to palmyra to see the performance the production attended by a heavily guarded vip guest list was broadcast live on russian state television
viewers in russia saw the concert spliced with videos of islamic state atrocities part of a domestic political operation intended to mobilize pride in russias military role abroad at a time when the economy at home is mired in the second year of a deep recession
mr putin thanked the musicians by video link from his vacation home on the black sea
he said the performance signaled hope for palmyras revival as the heritage of the whole humanity but also as hope that our contemporary civilization will be relieved from this horrible disease international terrorism
the deployment of classical musicians in territory reconquered with russian help by syrian forces just two months ago reprised a performance conducted by mr gergiev in august 2008 to celebrate russias victory in a brief war with the former soviet republic of georgia over south ossetia that georgian region also with moscows help has declared itself an independent state like the donetsk region of eastern ukraine
mr gergiev the artistic and general director of the mariinsky theater orchestra in st petersburg music director of the munich symphony orchestra and previously the principal conductor of the london symphony orchestra has long been an eager supporter of russias direction under president putin he joined other prominent cultural figures in signing an open letter in 2014 in support of russias annexation of crimea in ukraine
also taking part in the palmyra spectacle before an audience of russian and syrian soldiers officials and dignitaries was mr putins friend mr roldugin the cellist whose name surfaced last month in leaked papers from a panama law firm that indicated he had 2 billion in offshore accounts
wearing a white cap and accompanied by the orchestra he played quadrille from not only love an opera by shchedrin
mr putin has dismissed the so called panama papers disclosures as a plot to weaken us from within and said mr roldugin had used the money attributed to offshore companies he controlled to import musical instruments
the dignitaries attending the concert included several foreign ambassadors to unesco the united nations cultural agency based in paris which has declared palmyra a world heritage site
darko tanaskovic the ambassador from serbia said the gathering was a way for international society to give syrians hope
we have to solve the problems of migrants in europe but we have to give them hope to live here as well he said
shortly before the concert the desert silence was broken by a thud from a russian demining center near the ruins
russia has a history of turning to classical music for morale in conflict using talented artists to display its cultural strengths it did in august 1942 when during the nazi siege of leningrad as st petersburg was then called starving russian musicians supplemented by military performers gave the citys first performance of dmitri shostakovichs symphony no 7 otherwise known as the leningrad symphony
the concert on thursday like mr gergievs 2008 concert in tskhinvali the capital of south ossetia involved much more than just music while showcasing russias musical richness it was also a military mission with guests bused in a heavily guarded convoy escorted by helicopter gunships the route from latakia the site of russias main military base on syrias mediterranean coast led past syrian military outposts destroyed villages clusters of burned vehicles and other reminders of the fierce fighting that had raged in an area held by the islamic state from may 2015 until march this year
the concert performed by mr gergievs mariinsky theater orchestra was held just a week after unesco experts had visited to assess the destruction inflicted by the militant group they reported extensive damage to the citys museum where statues had been defaced smashed their heads severed the fragments left lying on the ground also destroyed was an arch and the temple of baal shamin which the experts said had been smashed to smithereens
western governments have been reluctant to endorse russias military role in syria which they have repeatedly portrayed as an effort to not merely uproot terrorism but to help syrias president bashar al assad crush all opposition including rebel groups supported by the west russia has also been accused of bombing hospitals something moscow denies and propping up a brutal dictator
russias military first became directly involved in the syrian conflict last september declaring the mission mostly accomplished mr putin in march ordered the withdrawal of the main part of russian forces
yet at russias base in latakia this week there was no sign of any pullout at an airfield clogged with warplanes and helicopters su 24 fighter bombers were taking off and landing regularly
a library established in a shipping container offered a growing collection of russian language novels and other books sgt alexander korenyev the librarian said it had 1476 titles when he arrived three months ago and about 2000 today many have military themes like a tome titled the winged heroes of moscow
the officers like history the soldiers science fiction and the women in the canteen   well you understand   like romances the librarian said
the russian military has also opened a rest center   called a psychological unloading in russian   in a base tent oil paintings of a birch forest and a snowy landscape adorn the tent walls to help soldiers forget syria
as part of a push to persuade skeptics of its intervention russia has deployed teams of officers to promote reconciliation between the syrian government and its opponents
the russians like the american military in iraq after the 2003 invasion are diving into tangled local politics
a day before the concert the russian military took reporters to kaukab a village east of latakia where local chiefs held what was described as a reconciliation ceremony with the syrian government the village on a hill overlooking orchards and badly damaged by recent fighting looked deserted at first but when the buses carrying reporters arrived a crowd of children appeared waving portraits of mr assad
the russians said they had carried out 92 such ceremonies involving 52 armed groups
as shadows lengthened in palmyra after thursdays concert and dusk cooled the heat of the day mr roldugin the cello maestro said he had left his stradivarius home
i wouldnt bring such a cello to this climate with the heat and the dust mr roldugin said portraying himself as a musician of modest means that seemingly belied his vast   at least on paper   offshore wealth its a rare instrument he said it costs a lot


amir khan readily accepts that he is a huge underdog for his world boxing council middleweight title fight with the champion saul alvarez in las vegas but he has promised to give his much bigger opponent a boxing lesson
the english challenger khan has moved up two weight classes to take on alvarez the red haired mexican fighter known as canelo whose only loss in 48 professional fights was to the undefeated floyd mayweather jr in 2013
im not supposed to win khan told reporters while he prepared for the highly anticipated fight that is scheduled for 12 rounds at t mobile arena on saturday im a guy whos supposed to walk in and get beaten
but khan said he would not let that happen
this is a huge fight as canelo is a star in mexico and america khan said i know im here as the underdog but im ready to win and take this wbc belt back to my home in england
khan 31 3 19 knockouts is a two time former world champion who has oozed confidence in las vegas this week despite not having fought since his unanimous decision over chris algieri nearly a year ago
i wouldnt have taken this fight if i didnt think i could take it said khan 29 i have trained for everything and worked on my speed and my power
khan said a win over alvarez would be one of the biggest victories of his career not only because of his opponents star power but also because it would take place on the weekend after cinco de mayo
the fans will be very happy on saturday night khan said i will be the new world champion i think it will be difficult to knock canelo out but i know i can give him a boxing lesson
alvarez a former wba and wbc super welterweight champion who lost both titles in a majority decision to mayweather is a 5 to 1 favorite in an intriguing matchup that will pit his power against khans speed
there is a difference between wanting and doing said alvarez 25 who has a record of 46 1 1 including 32 knockouts on saturday night we will see who will give who a boxing lesson
alvarez said he knew khans strengths calling him a very fast very elusive very tricky fighter but said he was confident in his preparation
im training hard for 12 rounds im ready to go all of those rounds said alvarez who had claimed the wbc middleweight championship with a unanimous decision over miguel cotto in november but if the knockout presents itself im ready to take it


los angeles   this is why dreamworks animation needed to take shelter in the arms of a larger conglomerate the boutique studios kung fu panda 3 collected about 430 million at the global box office in the last quarter but the company could put together only 138 million in profit even with help from its television toy and digital businesses
dreamworks animations first quarter results released on thursday nonetheless were an improvement from the year ago period when the company lost 548 million
after years of efforts to escape a boom and bust cycle driven by sporadic film releases jeffrey katzenberg dreamworks animations chief executive last week sold his studio to comcasts nbcuniversal for 38 billion
the deal driven by comcasts hunger for family oriented characters to fuel its theme park and licensing divisions is expected to close by the end of the year mr katzenberg will ultimately hand over the reins to christopher meledandri nbcuniversals animation chief
between now and then it is business as usual for us mr katzenberg said in remarks on a call with analysts after fazal merchant the chief financial officer read his own statement the men abruptly ended the call without taking questions
based on mr merchants remarks the expensive kung fu panda 3 will become the latest in a string of disappointing dreamworks animation movie releases
mr merchant said the film would most likely end its time in theaters at close to break even any profitability will depend on future sources of revenue including dvd sales and television reruns which mr merchant noted were highly variable
it has taken in 508 million since release roughly half of which goes to theater owners 20th century fox which handles distribution for dreamworks animation also collects a percentage to release and market the film
on a brighter note quarterly revenue totaled 1904 million a 14 percent increase from a year earlier as newer businesses like television cartoon production consumer products and digital media continued to grow analysts had expected revenue of about 183 million
on a per share basis dreamworks animation delivered 16 cents in profit for the quarter far more than analysts had expected
i believe our first quarter results are solid mr merchant said
profit from the tv unit totaled 211 million an increase from 35 million while consumer products delivered profit of 15 million up from 94 million digital media a unit that includes dreamworks animations stake in awesomenesstv a youtube based video company added 65 million in profit up from 21 million
still hit movies are crucial to the dreamworks animation business model the studio will try again with trolls a musical meant to rekindle the collectible troll crazes of the 1960s and 1990s analysts have mixed expectations for the film which is scheduled to arrive on nov 4 the same day that disney will release marvels doctor strange
more established studios in recent days have reported a range of quarterly results for their movie operations
the blockbuster success of deadpool which took in 7613 million worldwide contributed to 470 million in profit at 21st century foxs film and television studio a 23 percent year over year increase operating income at warner bros totaled 426 million a 29 percent increase largely because of reduced costs
universal pictures could not match its release last year of fifty shades of grey and operating cash flow declined 43 percent to 167 million bringing up the rear paramount which has been put up for partial sale by viacom lost 136 million analysts had braced for even larger losses
disney which released the smash hit zootopia in the quarter is scheduled to report its results on tuesday


washington   president obama commuted the sentences of 58 nonviolent drug offenders on thursday the latest in a series of efforts to address what he has called the overly long and harsh sentences of an earlier era
most of the prisoners whose sentences will be cut short were serving decades behind bars for drug possession and distribution the result of a crackdown on drug related crimes in the 1980s and 90s that affected many african americans and other minorities
the president has commuted the sentences of 306 individuals   more than his six most recent predecessors combined but mr obama said that his efforts alone were not enough he urged members of congress to keep working toward legislation that would change federal sentencing laws particularly mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent drug offenses
it just doesnt make sense to require a nonviolent drug offender to serve 20 years or in some cases life in prison mr obama said in a statement
an excessive punishment like that doesnt fit the crime its not serving taxpayers and its not making us safer
white house officials have said that mr obama intends to keep working through a backlog of thousands of prisoners who have sought commutations of long sentences for drug related crimes
as a country we have to make sure that those who take responsibility for their mistakes are able to transition back to their communities mr obama said its the right thing to do its the smart thing to do and its something i will keep working to do as long as i hold this office
while sponsors of the legislation in congress have won some new support in recent weeks the effort remains stalled
while i will continue to review clemency applications mr obama said only congress can bring about the lasting changes we need to federal sentencing


the cook county states attorney anita alvarez who was widely criticized for her handling of the killing of a black chicago teenager in october 2014 asked to recuse herself and her office thursday from the prosecution of a white chicago police officer charged with murder in the case
after originally opposing activists who said the case should be handled by a special prosecutor because the states attorney was too closely allied with the police department ms alvarez who lost the democratic primary in march asked the court to appoint a special prosecutor to handle the prosecution of officer jason van dyke in the killing of laquan mcdonald who was 17
while it is has not been an easy decision i believe that it is the right one because it will help to avoid unnecessary legal delays and provide continuity in the handling of this very important and complicated case she said in a statement after thursday mornings court hearing it would also ensure that one designated prosecutor will handle this case as it proceeds to trial
while there is no legal conflict of interest that would prevent the states attorneys office from continuing the prosecution of this case i believe that the results of the recent election and the impending transition of this office make this the best and most responsible decision
kim foxx the democratic nominee for states attorney who defeated ms alvarez a two term incumbent by almost 30 percentage points said the call for a special prosecutor was clearly the appropriate decision in this case
cook county judge vincent gaughan said he would consider the question and set a hearing on the matter for june 2
ms alvarez was criticized for the delay in bringing charges for mr mcdonalds death   and her refusal to make public the police video showing that mr mcdonald was shot 16 times most of them after he had crumpled to the ground an autopsy found that he was shot in the back at least twice
the dashboard camera video became public in november but only after a judge ordered that it be released ms alvarez filed murder charges against officer van dyke just hours before the video was released protests erupted in chicago in the wake of the videos release
officer van dyke and others said mr mcdonald had been aggressively swinging a three inch folding knife and moving toward the police as if to attack
but the dashboard camera showed that although the teenager was carrying a knife he seemed to be trying to walk past a group of officers veering slightly away from them
last april even before a lawsuit was filed chicago agreed to pay mr mcdonalds family 5 million


the winters tale a new opera written by ryan wigglesworth and directed by the actor rory kinnear will be a highlight of the 2016 17 season that the english national opera announced on thursday
other new productions include the british premiere of daniel schnyders jazz influenced chamber opera charlie parkers yardbird and alban bergs lulu in the william kentridge production that was well received this fall at the metropolitan opera revivals include the director jonathan millers little italy version of rigoletto catherine malfitanos staging of tosca and the first revival of mike leighs 2015 pirates of penzance which according to the company is its most successful production ever
the reduction in the number of new productions   half the number in the 2015 16 season   is part of the troubled companys attempt to slash costs after a 29 percent cut to its grant from arts council england the distributor of public funds last february during the summer of 2017 the company will rent out the london coliseum its main home and present charlie parkers yardbird at the hackney empire and jonathan millers production of the mikado at the winter gardens in blackpool
daniel kramer the companys newly hired artistic director attended the news conference his appointment came more than a year after john berry stepped down in the wake of the funding cuts and cressida pollock a management consultant was named chief executive fraught contract negotiations with the companys chorus and the subsequent resignation of its music director mark wigglesworth no relation to ryan wigglesworth have heightened the sense of turmoil but the music director will as previously planned still open the season leading a new production of don giovanni directed by richard jones
mr kramer whose production of tristan and isolde for the company will open on june 9 has played no role in programming this season or the next one he begins his new job on aug 1 and said that he already has three commissions underway for the 2018 19 season


mayor bill de blasios press secretary will leave her post next month the latest sign that the administration is continuing its long struggle to control and disseminate its own message
the press secretary karen hinton sent a letter of resignation last month a person familiar with the matter said ms hinton is expected to depart after the budget is made final most likely in june roughly a year after she was hired
in his two and a half years as mayor mr de blasio a democrat has often lamented that his liberal policies have not been clearly conveyed to new yorkers pointing to those challenges as an explanation for the criticism that has buffeted his administration the press office has undergone shifts in personnel and new hirings including at least two rounds of changes since last may when ms hinton was brought in   filling a post that had been empty for three months
the administrations inability to define itself has been highlighted by the weeks of unforgiving headlines that have accompanied news in at least five investigations including inquiries by the united states attorney for the southern district of new york and the manhattan district attorneys office ms hintons letter to the mayor dated april 6 came before the revelation of most of those investigations
ms hinton confirmed her resignation on thursday afternoon which she said was motivated at least in part by a desire to spend more time with her daughter a junior in high school
for the past year i have had the privilege of being part of mayor de blasios efforts to build affordable housing prevent homelessness educate pre k students and support the mentally ill she said in a statement to the new york times the mayors commitment and tenacity have turned progressive values into everyday realities for so many new york city families i am proud to have been part of that effort and look forward to continuing to support the mayors future successes
when she was appointed mr de blasio described ms hinton as a battle tested communications professional and highlighted their work together at the federal department of housing and urban development when gov andrew m cuomo was president bill clintons housing secretary ms hinton is married to howard glaser a former top cuomo aide
but ms hinton 57 who early in her career was a reporter in jackson miss and became communications consultant for democrats and high profile officials never fully assimilated into the core group of mayoral aides and city hall decision makers in some cases she was not informed of important decisions until just before they were to be announced
her influence as the top spokeswoman appeared to diminish after a senior de blasio aide phil walzak who was the former press secretary issued a rare rebuke over comments by ms hinton critical of albany last august saying they did not reflect the views of the administration
that early stumble occurred during a moment of feuding between mr de blasio and mr cuomo who was said to have privately bristled at someone as close to his orbit as ms hinton taking the job with the mayor
lately the mayor has appeared to struggle with how to respond to the spate of inquiries which have centered on whether his fund raising activities   aimed at pressing for his liberal agenda or at getting democrats elected to the state senate in 2014   went beyond the boundaries of the law prosecutors are looking both at campaign finance violations and separately at whether any favorable municipal action was taken on behalf of contributors
at one point last month mr de blasio said he would no longer take questions on the investigations two days later he decided to address the inquiries again since then he has spoken on a number of occasions repeating that he holds himself and the administration to the highest ethical standards
after he delivered a brief statement last week television cameras followed and reporters lobbed questions as he walked to his sport utility vehicle infusing a routine mayoral appearance about immigration with the high drama of a media frenzy
on tuesday mr de blasio changed tack again for nearly 20 minutes after a news conference on crime statistics and plans for a new police precinct in queens he sat alone behind a blue curtain draped desk and answered questions from reporters who traveled from city hall to the precinct near the citys eastern border
city hall officials have not named a replacement for ms hinton whose resignation was not among the series of changes to mr de blasios communications staff announced this week including the hiring of a social media director and a new speechwriter
ms hinton said she planned to return to her work as a spokeswoman for ecuadoreans in their legal fight against chevron over contamination in the amazon rain forest
in a statement on thursday mr de blasio praised ms hintons work for the administration in helping us inform new yorkers about our vision and said she will be missed
i thank karen for her service and i know she will remain a source of trusted advice for me and our team the mayor said


walking on water isnt an activity associated with ordinary humans dont be surprised however to see children doing just that on saturday at lehman college in the bronx
religious miracles wont play a role in this feat   just a shallow pool of cornstarch filled water
if you try to stand on its surface you will sink said brian greene a professor of mathematics and physics at columbia university but if you walk briskly across it the motion of your feet causes the liquid to momentarily solidify and you wont sink
this demonstration of what is known as a non newtonian fluid will be among about two dozen exhibits at the first city of science a world science festival satellite event the annual world festival founded in new york in 2008 by dr greene and tracy day always culminates in a free street fair at washington square park city of science which is presented by con edison and is also free takes that fairs highlights indoors and outside manhattan
these major exhibits will travel to each borough said ms day the festivals chief executive who is married to dr greene the world science festival is june 1 through 5 the city of science dates for brooklyn queens and staten island havent been announced yet
kids are amazing she added they want their hands on things and they want a bunch of wows and thats when you get to explain the science
experts will do that discussing how the displays illustrate phenomena that arent readily visible the astroblaster or seismic accelerator for instance consists of a 26 foot high vertical stack of balls threaded onto a cable each ball is smaller than the one beneath it if the whole stack is allowed to fall at once energy transfer will send the top ball rocketing to an astounding height in many ways its the physics of a supernova explosion dr greene said
another exhibit the space time simulator uses simple materials like spandex a circular frame a large weight and marbles it neatly illustrates the theory of general relativity without einsteins equations
but the show wont be all physics aspiring neurosurgeons can dissect sheep brains there and fans of zoology can expect a large petting zoo with creatures like mealworms rose hair tarantulas and madagascar hissing cockroaches
the idea dr greene said is that you feel that youre being drawn into a magical world but one thats being governed by the deep laws of science
10 am to 4 pm the apex 250 bedford park boulevard west gate 7 bedford park worldsciencefestivalcomcity of science


jefferson 1970 long before the broadway musical hamilton mr rzewski gave early america a stirring spin sung in a plain forceful style like a medieval chant the opening lines of the declaration of independence are joined to a burbling surging piano part
coming together 1972 using incantatory fragments from a 1971 letter by sam melville who was among the 43 men who died that year in the uprising by inmates at the attica prison in upstate new york the music builds in frustration and fury i am in excellent physical and emotional health the letter says with agonizing irony there are doubtless subtle surprises ahead but i feel secure and ready
variations on the people united will never be defeated 1975 in 36 dazzling takes on a chilean protest song mr rzewski endows leftist politics with irresistible glamour and force a recent recording by igor levit juxtaposes the work with two epochal sets of variations   bachs goldbergs and beethovens diabellis   and the people united didnt suffer by comparison
winnsboro cotton mill blues 1980 opening with a steady chugging this work has parts that can seem on the surface merely charming but in the end its pointed metaphor for labors relation to capital is clear with a churning nightmarish evocation of mill machines eventually overwhelming a gentle ragtime workers song
de profundis 1992 a setting of oscar wildes letter from prison where he had been sent for gross indecency mr rzewskis work demands much of its pianist vocalist who clucks whistles dolefully hits his or her own chest the pianist is supposed to wear a lapel mike and the score indicates at one point sings half sobbing its a solo cantata one that heightens our perception of wildes suffering and pushes us to reflect on his conviction


it sounds like the setup for a joke an eminent composer and pianist walks into a fish market and starts to play a chilean protest anthem
but there it is on youtube a 2015 video of frederic rzewski pounding out his 1975 masterpiece an hourlong fantasia on the people united will never be defeated on an upright piano at wholeys a pittsburgh institution
well its kind of strange mr rzewski pronounced zhev ski recently recalled thinking of the invitation from the market where his son works as a cashier but why not
from fish market to floating concert hall on friday ursula oppens who gave the premiere of the people united will play it at the cozy bargemusic just south of the brooklyn bridge in dumbo as part of a rare new york visit by mr rzewski and a weekend long immersion in his work which is both rigorous and eclectic
and crucially political
mr rzewski who at 78 is flinty and opinionated yet warm is one of many great american composers whom a vast majority of america has never heard or even heard of but of that group he may be the one with the most to say to us now he has for decades been making thought provoking heart wrenching music about issues that dominate the headlines today the perils of incarceration the tension between the government and the governed the struggle for gay rights the decimation of the industrial working class
he may be particularly valuable at a moment when the political discourse produces only an unending almost unlistenable screech passionate but not strident unsparing yet subtle his work offers something increasingly rare a space to be both angry and reflective
take coming together composed in the aftermath of the 1971 attica prison uprising lines from a letter written by sam melville an attica inmate who later died in the violence are repeated like incantations over a seething building din when i heard it in 2011 performed outdoors in bedford stuyvesant by the brooklyn philharmonic and mos def it had a terrifying yet seductive force the words retaining fierce integrity as the music churned around them
in winnsboro cotton mill blues the melody of a workers folk song is gradually engulfed by music as ruthlessly propulsive as an industrial engine not a word is spoken but the moral is poignant a way of life has been cruelly taken away de profundis a setting of oscar wildes prison cri du coeur makes wildes suffering disconcertingly personal and physical while playing the dizzying solo part the pianist also speaks the text hits his or herself whistles and seems to sob
rzewski pieces like stop the war and no more war make no bones about their composers politics but theyre not pamphlets in sound they have wit sensitivity one of the dozens of what he calls miles that make up mr rzewskis sprawling solo piano series the road stop the war bristles with crushing chords and its performer even shouts out the title at one point but the music keeps receding as if stunned by the violence and rage it feels compelled to depict
the son of pharmacists mr rzewski was born in westfield mass and educated at harvard and princeton centers of mid 20th century composition he moved to europe became an important new music interpreter and in 1966 helped found the ensemble musica elettronica viva which used widely available electronic instruments for exercises in collaborative improvisation
he now speaks a bit ruefully of those heady days free improvisation was going to change the world he said of his generations 1960s dreams it was going to create an entirely new language so that people could come together from different parts of the planet and instantly communicate
he paused well of course we were wrong
but he hasnt given up the fight this whole black lives matter movement is very important he said of course ever the good socialist he drew a distinction its not a party its a movement
his influence can be felt in pieces by much younger composers like sweet light crude a brooding mock love song to fossil fuels by david t little who has also performed mr rzewskis music when andrew norman in his split used a piano concerto to reflect on power on how a group the orchestra can exert control over an individual the soloist the effect was rzewskian even if the sound world was not ted hearnes wikileaks oratorio the source a driving and simmering reflection on the iraq war that broods without settling for easy answers feels as if it were in mr rzewskis lineage
mr rzewski practices the progressive ideas he preaches making his scores available online and encouraging rather than blocking the dissemination of his recordings on youtube he remains he says a revolutionary optimist asked if its possible actually to affect politics through music mr rzewski answered probably not before adding with a wry smile but you have to write as if you could you cant be sure you might


visitors to frieze new york one of the art industrys larger trade shows housed in a white tent on randalls island are greeted by what could be taken as a new fair branding symbol a giant helium inflated figure of a fat howling baby with a tiny brainpan and an immense open mouth
titled free money this 25 foot high outdoor sculpture is the work of the young american artist alex da corte who has based his career on sending pop culture through the spin cycle in this case he appropriates an image from tim burtons 1989 batman in the film to bring out the people of gotham the joker stages a parade with flashy floats like this one promising to cap the event with a shower of cash what the crowds get instead though is a fog of poison gas
this is an apt image for an art fair even if a fairs only conspicuous killer effect is to raise the worlds quotient of junk art and the prices paid for it frieze which originated in london a quarter century ago certainly contributes to these spikes and is geared to an audience that wants to see what it already knows its main value lies however in shining light on some unfamiliar galleries and in bringing forward art we might not otherwise see
absorbing the whole event which runs through sunday requires strategizing helped somewhat by the fairs organization into several almost manageable parts mr da cortes colicky kid for example is one of a group of special projects commissioned from individual artists the more than 200 galleries participating are divided into four broad categories
the largest consists of galleries that have been in business long and profitably enough to be able to afford the fairs steep expenses the smaller focus section is made of galleries established since 2004 and showing work that hasnt previously appeared in an art fair under the label frame come relative newbies galleries eight years old or younger a section called spotlight offers what passes for history at this fair solo shows of 20th century art from the 1960s forward
there are rewards in all categories if youre a shopper itchy to lay down some bucks you may find general inventory displays with a few things by several artists most attractive and there are plenty of these some mix this and that gallery artists with resale items youll find plenty of these others are artful installations in themselves
theres a beauty at the new york gallery salon 94 where judy chicagos moody spray painted 1983 eu 22 earth birth is on the same fluid wavelength as a picture by the sudanese painter ibrahim el salahi and both gain in sensuality from the contrasting presence of tough pieces by the great pakistan born american sculptor huma bhabha and the japanese ceramist kentaro kawabata
other group shows are less striking for coherence than for including extraordinary individual artists at broadway 1602 a downtown new york space recently relocated to harlem youll find two in the american pop artists idelle weber and the polish sculptor wanda czelkowska both with work from the 1960s and a four artist show at foksal gallery foundation from warsaw is particularly interesting for the presence of drawings by erna rosenstein 1913 2004 an artist poet with a rich story and vibrant hand she was recently in unorthodox at the jewish museum here
a wall of wild and dirty little doll puppets by a belgian duo jos de gruyter and harald thys makes gavin browns enterprise a destination and two galleries from bogota colombia are well worth tracking down for a glimpse of wonderful artists all but unknown here casas riegner has tiny abstract paintings on woven fabrics by carlos rojas 1933 1997 and two figurative paintings by the political artist beatriz gonzalez subject of an unforgettable 1998 retrospective at el museo del barrio and still hard at work in her 80s
a second gallery instituto de vision with alberto baraya otto berchem pia camil and wilson diaz was awarded one of two frieze stand prizes this year for its visually and thematically striking mix a comparable award might have gone to andrea rosen gallery a staple of new yorks chelsea which brings together a funky mika rottenberg air conditioner piece a mirrored installation with coconuts by david altmejd a faux hot spring by hayden dunham and all but blank paintings by simon fujiwara for some reason it all clicks
mr fujiwara also has a solo at taro nasu a gallery from tokyo as a viewing experience the one artist format is particularly satisfying maybe because its conducive to concentration some such shows like the dumpsters worth of damien hirsts at gagosian are a drag but others cast a spell even in a fairs mall like atmosphere theres a magnetic example in a multipart installation by david wojnarowicz at ppow made in 1985 and virtually unseen since just inside one of the fairs two entrances and another almost invisibly casual by a newcomer ann cathrin november hoibo at standard oslo just inside the other one
in general solo shows are the way to go many combine the fairs least splashy material with the brightest thinking at stevenson gallery from cape town south africa theres an invaluable mini survey of moshekwa langas art something almost impossible to imagine in almost any new york commercial space skoto gallery in chelsea being an exception similarly only aicon gallery isolated on a block near the bowery is likely to come up with the focused look at the indian modernist s h raza that it gives us here barbara thumm from berlin brings early paintings by jo baer who remembers that an artist associated with geometric abstraction once did and is now again doing big surrealist inspired figurative things
the fairs spotlight section provides refresher courses in the careers of alan shields his fabulous early 1970s inverted gumdrop all painted canvas strips and hippie beads is at van doren waxter and in those of two conceptualists david ireland at anglim gilbert san francisco and mary kelly ms kellys work at the pippy houldsworth gallery london includes a 1974 study for her post partum document a project that examined maternity as a form of labor and caused an uproar by incorporating her childs feces stained diapers she remains a linchpin presence in the history of international feminism
save londons parafin gallery for a spell of quiet time with nancy holts exceptionally beautiful and seldom seen 1968 western graveyards series of photographs haunting in a different way are the photographs called reconciliation studies by howard fried at the box from los angeles the pictures are all of clothes from mr frieds mothers wardrobe taken after her death in 2002 the individual items depicted are also for sale as art objects though with contractual strings attached for details talk to the gallery staff who will be wearing some of the outfits during the fair
for many new yorkers mr fried will be a discovery isnt discovery what fairs should be for check out the spicy political work of the mexican painter performer and book publisher felipe ehrenberg at baro galeria from sao paulo and the witty kinetic art of abraham palatnik at galeria nara roesler another sao paulo space finally a selection of drawings by denzil forrester at the nonprofit white columns is both news and a preview of things to come born in grenada in 1956 mr forrester graduated from the royal college of art london and has been steadily producing large paintings on the theme of reggae dance hall culture white columns will organize a new york exhibition of his work in november but you saw it first here at the fair
what ive pulled out here is some of what interested me a lot did not acres of over upholstered abstract paintings fussy machine tooled sculptures second tier auction bait and tired work by good artists william kentridge for one needs a rest the blank impression made by new galleries in frame is particularly dispiriting
mr da cortes gape mouthed baby captures some of the big emptiness built into the art fair phenomenon it also manages the currently popular ploy of being at once critical and self aggrandizing the master of this game is maurizio cattelan another of the fairs commissioned artists a while back he announced that he was retiring but has since been revisiting it his frieze project recreates his first new york gallery solo in 1994 which was also the last show at the soho space run by the dealer daniel newburg
for that occasion mr cattelan installed a chandelier and a live donkey in the gallery and he has done so again at frieze does this bit of history matter to anyone other than the artist or mr newburg i doubt it and whats the piece about a goya like jibe at art world grandiosity and dumbness by someone who has done very well by nibbling away at the hand that feeds him whatever it was of some interest at the fairs vip preview to watch the 1 percent audience that frieze is custom designed for lining up with coffee cups and champagne flutes and waiting for quite a while to take a look and maybe try to figure it out


ann arbor mich   in japan the automaker mitsubishi motors is mired in a heap of trouble
last month it acknowledged cheating for the last 25 years on gas mileage tests for cars in japan embarrassing top executives and tarnishing a name that has been dented by scandal before since then its stock price has plunged and it has had to halt production of the tiny models at the center of the scandal
but in the united states its a brighter picture
although mitsubishi is a bit player it is increasing new car sales faster than most other automakers and is expanding its sliver of the american market helping the surge are a few affordably priced models that can appeal to consumers on tight budgets a group other car companies often ignore
the company says the vehicles it sells in the united states   like the outlander sport utility vehicle and the lancer compact   are not affected by the fuel economy deception that took place in japan american customers and dealers seem unfazed
i read about it it doesnt change my mind a bit said timothy harig a retired factory worker in canton ohio who bought a metallic brown outlander in october for about 24000 a few thousand less than competing models from honda and nissan i track my gas mileage on every tank and im happy with what i have
there are others like mr harig in april while the gas mileage scandal was making headlines in japan mitsubishis sales in the united states rose 18 percent
its performance stands in contrast to that of volkswagen which has been mired in an emissions scandal of its own last month volkswagen sales fell 9 percent continuing a steady decline since the disclosure in september
if anything mitsubishis low profile has helped it weather the storm in the united states with mitsubishi its a very small number of people who even possibly care about its troubles at home said karl brauer an analyst with the auto research firm kelley blue book
he added that mitsubishi enjoyed the continuing support of its major shareholders including the mitsubishi corporation japans largest trading company with holdings in electronics finance machinery and chemicals
they still think theres potential in the us market and so they stick with it mr brauer said
although it is growing in the united states mitsubishi still faces hurdles the gas mileage controversy has caught the eye of american regulators and the environmental protection agency has asked the company to provide more information about its vehicles and to repeat one test that is used to determine a cars official fuel economy rating
don swearingen chief operating officer of mitsubishi motors north america said the company was complying and was confident there were no irregularities with the fuel economy ratings of its american models he added that he had no concerns that the scandal in japan could hamper mitsubishis push to grow in north america
i think they are very committed mr swearingen said we add tremendous value to the company
mitsubishi recently reported that its north american business generated 58 million in operating profit in 2015 the second annual profit in a row in the region after seven years of losses
still in the highly competitive american market mitsubishi struggles to measure up its brand is not a household name like ford chevrolet honda or toyota and it trails in quality last year in j d powers closely watched initial quality study mitsubishi ranked well below average
automakers also increasingly push dealers in the united states to build megashowrooms offering coffee bars and other plush amenities mitsubishi showrooms are often small and spartan
ann arbor mich for example has a mitsubishi dealership but it is tucked behind hyundai and nissan franchises and is overshadowed by toyota bmw and chevrolet showrooms down the street on tuesday the dimly lit mitsubishi showroom was occupied by four outlanders and no sales employees
ryan lester the sales manager acknowledged that selling mitsubishis could be tough it is what it is he said
not so long ago mitsubishis future in the united states was uncertain
in 2000 it admitted that it had covered up safety defects in its vehicles for years then like other automakers mitsubishi was hit hard by the recession
in 2011 a devastating earthquake and tsunami in japan disrupted auto production for months lacking inventory mitsubishi saw its american sales slump in 2012 to fewer than 58000 vehicles half the number in 2007
the next year another small japanese automaker suzuki exited the united states market a move that followed isuzus departure in 2008 it seemed mitsubishi could be next
to turn around its north american business mitsubishi trimmed its model line ending production of one of its most popular cars the galant and leaving itself without a midsize sedan it also decided to close its lone american plant in normal ill production ended in november
at the same time mitsubishi redesigned the outlander sport utility vehicle just in time to catch the wave of consumers moving out of cars and into suvs the company also added a small car the mirage that could travel 40 miles or more on a gallon of gas
both vehicles are aggressively priced the mirage for example starts under 15000 in the last two months mitsubishi offered rebates of 3500 that brought prices on 2015 mirages down further said doug waikem owner of a mitsubishi dealership in massillon ohio
i like the brand he said its not huge volume but i can take someone whos looking at a used car and say hey i can get you into something new for about the same price
that is just the deal steven sanders made at mr waikems dealership last month mr sanders a ymca teacher and college student was looking to trade in his beaten up minivan for a used honda civic new civics which sell for 18000 and up were out of his price range
but then his wife ran across the mirage and fell in love with it mr sanders said with his trade in and the rebate his total cost came in at 11000
as for mitsubishis troubles in japan he didnt put much stock in it i read a lot of reviews he said i have a friend who has a mitsubishi he added i feel good about it


moise katumbi the former governor of an important province in the democratic republic of congo and now an outspoken opposition figure has announced he is running for president of congo in an election that is supposed to be held by the end of this year
analysts have said that mr katumbi poses the greatest threat to congos president joseph kabila and soon after his announcement his home was surrounded by security forces aides to mr katumbi said on thursday
mr katumbi said on twitter that the police had arrived to arrest him this is kabilas response to my presidential bid he wrote in french and english
dangerous tensions have been steadily rising across congo as the presidential election approaches mr kabila who has been in office since 2001 faces term limits and is supposed to step down this year but he has not indicated he will do so he seems to be heading in the direction of other recent african presidents who plunged their nations into turmoil by tinkering or trying to tinker with term limits
on wednesday congolese officials said they were opening an investigation into allegations that mr katumbi was using american mercenaries mr katumbi who has made millions of dollars subcontracting for mining companies called that a grotesque lie
aides said the allegations might have arisen from the fact that mr katumbi had hired an american company that provided unarmed security advisers   some with united states military backgrounds   for protection no more than four advisers were assigned at any time the aides said
the authorities low maneuvers will not obstruct my peaceful struggle mr katumbi said on twitter
for years congo has been racked by war the fear now is that it could slide into another especially bloody phase if mr kabila who became president after the assassination of his father laurent kabila tries to retain power by force western aid agencies say that a series of interlocking conflicts over minerals land ethnicity and political divisions during the past 20 years has killed millions many locally driven wars continue to rage today
mr katumbi who announced his candidacy on wednesday is wildly popular across congo in part because he owns a successful soccer team
other opposition leaders have begun to coalesce around him he is widely credited with doing a good job running what was then called katanga province from 2007 to 2015 he resigned to join the political opposition
he lives in a new mansion in lubumbashi congos second largest city where violent protests have recently erupted against mr kabilas rule
mr katumbis advisers say mr kabila has been quietly building up military forces in lubumbashi in anticipation of more protests


the pop superstar prince may have lived an outsize life but emerging details about his long struggle with pain and reliance on opioids will resonate with thousands of patients who have stumbled down that well trod path it is a remarkably common narrative in the unfolding story of the nations opioid epidemic
many details have yet to be confirmed about princes case but a typical trajectory can go something like this a patient undergoes a procedure to address a medical issue   extracted wisdom teeth for example or as prince did orthopedic surgery to help the patient get through recovery a dentist or surgeon writes a prescription for opioid painkillers like percocet or vicodin
procedure over problem addressed
but that prescription may not be written judiciously opioids may be required after a procedure for a few days but sometimes physicians practice sloppy prescribing habits and they give patients much more than they need said dr patrick g oconnor a professor of medicine at yale school of medicine and a past president of the american board of addiction medicine and the more patients take the more likely they are to become dependent
after a follow up visit or two the specialist who did the procedure has no reason to continue seeing the patient that doctor could also be an emergency room physician who treated kidney stones sciatica or any number of other conditions involving stabbing pain
yet the patients pain may persist demanding to be tamed the patient who now knows just how effective these drugs are wants to refill the prescription
the default approach is you go to your primary care provider and theyll take care of it said dr jonathan h chen an instructor at the stanford university school of medicine who has researched the distribution of opioid prescriptions
as he spoke during a break in his shift in a same day urgent care clinic he had just attended to a patient who had recently had shoulder surgery but said she was still in pain
i have to figure out how to manage that pain he said it would be easier to continue the pain medication she is on
has the acute pain now become chronic and have the opioids created a pleasant dulling sensation that itself has become desirable
though their introduction to opioids had a legitimate foundation certain vulnerable patients may now be set on a path that could end in dependence or addiction
according to one study of older patients those who received an opioid prescription within a week after low risk surgery were 44 percent more likely to become long term users of opioids within a year than patients who were not given such prescriptions
evidence has been mounting that suggests prince started taking medications for hip pain and became dependent on them about 10 years ago he had hip surgery to ease the toll that decades of physically strenuous performances including spectacular splits had exacted on his small frame
at first glance prince did not appear to have the risk factors that addiction specialists have identified in many patients susceptible to opioid dependence which can include abuse of alcohol or other drugs mental health challenges or a family history of substance abuse indeed much has been made of princes abstinence from drugs and alcohol
but some experts say the potency of these painkillers and the very real effect of pain on a patients life can send someone with no history of substance issues down a path toward addiction
these are still powerful drugs that can affect many peoples lives dr chen said
according to the centers for disease control and prevention opioids which include prescription pain relievers and heroin killed more than 28000 people in 2014 the national survey on drug use and health said 43 million people were using pain relievers for nonmedical purposes that year
dr oconnor said that if patients continued to have pain after a procedure they should be reassessed throwing more pain medication at it isnt necessarily the answer he said


the final season of the good wife found alicia florrick julianna margulies after a failed stint in politics rebooting her law career by working in the chicago bond court serving the indigent she had scant seconds to consult with clients get the facts make a plan then it was on to the next   bang bang no time to fuss or look back
bond court was a comedown for alicia once an elite lawyer it was also a metaphor if unintentional for broadcast tv that too is a kind of piecework
the shows creators robert and michelle king turned out 22 or 23 episodes a season on cbs for seven years their peers at hbo or netflix   the white shoe firms of the tv world   might make half that many allowing more time for planning and polishing
the good wife which ends its run sunday was one of a fading breed the broadcast network hour that delivered quality in quantity
while the networks had all but ceded ambitious drama to the cable channels the good wife competed with them backward in heels and twice as fast it was swaggeringly proud of this taunting cable with the show within the show darkness at noon a parody of pay tvs sour testosterone and pain cocktails
of course tv is not olympic diving viewers judge the product not the degree of difficulty the good wife sometimes showed its strains plots suddenly abandoned midseason course corrections personnel issues eg whatever nameless thing we shall never speak of that kept ms margulies and archie panjabi from sharing screen time until ms panjabi was finally written off
but the sheer volume allowed it to be a tv portmanteau several shows in one it was a tart backroom politics story it was a tragic romance and one of the funniest shows on tv it was fascinated with technology building a universe of fictional tech companies chumhum scabbit and basing cases on bitcoin and nsa surveillance
above all it was alicias story we met her standing by her husband the states attorney peter florrick chris noth as he was taken down by a sex scandal hence the title   but she was more than a wife and not dully good re entering the law at a firm whose partners included her old flame will gardner josh charles she applied her political skills including the ability to make moral trade offs
alicia was an unusual network tv protagonist enigmatic shrewd controlled she was also an open atheist another rarity on tv she had passions but unlike the male antiheroes of cable she didnt have the luxury of letting them spew volcanically in court and in the media saint alicia had to manage her presentation
she was a private person for whom little was allowed to be private   not even her for show marriage to peter now the governor in the penultimate episode she prepared him to testify in another scandal trial again involving an alleged affair irritated at her grilling he snapped at what point are we playing husband and wife here and at what point lawyers her answer all points
being herself   her selves   was work and it was constant no wonder she kept so much red wine on hand
in the courtroom the good wife saw the law as the exercise of power for good for ill or for money like game of thrones it believed power does not accrue to saints when its principals were accused of wrongdoing   peter will alicia herself   it would allow the possibility that they might be guilty and that we might be rooting for them to get off anyway
it could be dark but not dour it was restless and excited like a news junkie with too many browser tabs open jittering from topic to topic plot to plot this sometimes induced whiplash but it kept the series unpredictable the aesthetic of play extended to its cold opens which rivaled breaking bad for ingenuity
the series was also a pinata of candy bright supporting roles alan cumming as eli gold a devilish dervish of a political consultant carrie preston as the flighty lawyer savant elsbeth tascioni michael j fox in the role of his career as the manipulative lawyer louis canning
it had a vast bench of eccentric recurring judges it employed so many new york theater actors it should have come with a playbill it was well written not only for women but also for characters beyond the 18 49 demographic like diane lockhart christine baranski who made getting older   becoming more capable accruing power and means   look sexy and enviable
the series stayed lively longer than most but it lived too long it sustained collateral damage from the gunshot that killed off will after mr charles decided to leave the show for a while the death   and alicias prolonged wrestling with grief and what might have been   deepened the drama
but the kings never seemed to figure where to go from there alicia ran for peters old states attorney job which might have given the series a vital late life reboot not to mention the timely resonance with hillary clinton running for the office in which her own husband survived a sex scandal
instead the series stepped back and reset its premise having alicia strike out on her own again and rejoin the firm again even the romantic subplots of the last years felt like do overs a flirtation with her fellow lawyer finn polmar matthew goode then a fling with jason crouse jeffrey dean morgan a laconic bearded sex cowboy straight out of a fan fictioneers dreams
did the good wife need to replace will at all not to deny alicia a good time but the shows most interesting relationship was always between her and her hard to know self
the good wife finally couldnt transcend the limits of broadcast tv   down to the pressure to give the audience what its used to but it did great work trying and its medium may have been the most fitting one for a series that was beginning to end about compromising in an imperfect world


i wanted to have a more human relationship with the person who was representing my work julian schnabel said a dialogue between a dealer and an artist is important
mr schnabel was discussing why he is leaving the gagosian gallery for pace effective immediately
ultimately its about friendship said mr schnabel 64 you want somebody to be on the other end of the line which arne always has been
arne is arne glimcher chairman of pace gallery where mr schnabel spent 20 years before leaving to join larry gagosian in 2002 mr glimcher said that he had remained a fan of mr schnabels work collecting it himself
i so deeply believe in his work mr glimcher said i think hes really one of the great artists he added that there seemed to be a re examination of mr schnabel among institutions the museum of modern art acquired a painting last year
asked for his response mr gagosian said through a spokeswoman gagosian gallery never formally represented julian schnabel and he was not one of the gallerys artists we wish him all the best as of wednesday mr schnabel was among the artists listed on gagosians website and as recently as april 2014 he was the subject of a solo exhibition there
mr glimcher said that next season pace would present a show of mr schnabels new work which will also be featured in its booth at art basel next month purple paintings made from photographic images of the patterns in his studio floor that have been transferred to canvas
julian is a person who needs a lot of attention mr glimcher said and this is a gallery that pays attention to artists
an artist isnt typically rediscovered at 77
but that seems to be whats happening to judy chicago of the dinner party fame who is now going to be represented by salon 94
jill soloway creator of the acclaimed amazon television series transparent is also making an amazon series based on womanhouse the 1972 feminist art space that ms chicago organized with miriam schapiro
ive always loved what judy chicago likes to call circle pedagogy ms soloway said lets connect in a feminist and cooperative way
jeanne greenberg rohatyn salon 94s founder started seeing ms chicagos work at various exhibitions recently everybody was showing different pieces of judys career and i thought that was interesting ms rohatyn said
so she visited ms chicago in albuquerque her archive is incredibly relevant ms rohatyn said but at the same time we dont see her work out there commercially
ms chicago said that both developments would help her reach a major goal overcoming the erasure of womens achievements including my own and bringing them into the mainstream
its hard to imagine how an institution as comprehensive as the metropolitan museum of art decides which pieces in its collection it no longer needs or wants but somehow the museum has made peace with parting with more than 600 pieces of chinese ceramics which it will offer at christies on sept 15 to benefit the mets acquisition fund
we have over 4200 chinese ceramics so were looking to thin out the collection where its duplicative or the quality is not there to raise funds for things we really need said maxwell hearn chairman of the mets asian art department adding that the winnowing was conducted in consultation with outside experts
about 60 percent of the things were deaccessioning came in 1879 so there wasnt that much scholarship there wasnt that much discrimination mr hearn theyve really been extensively reviewed most have never been exhibited or published
the selection features song dynasty 960 1279 jun wares blue and white porcelains from the ming 1368 1644 and qing 1644 1911 dynasties and pieces from the kangxi 1662 1722 yongzheng 1723 1735 and qianlong periods 1735 1795
many of the items have impressive provenance including porcelains from the collection of the trustee samuel putnam avery part of the mets first acquisition of asian art in 1879
under the guidelines of the american association of museum directors museums are allowed to sell works to support acquisitions but not for operating funds
for a small museum like the colby college museum of art in waterville me acquiring a set of picasso etchings is a big deal so colby is especially grateful to the donors peter and paula lunder longtime colby supporters who in 2013 gave their collection of american art valued at more than 100 million to the museum
some of the 100 etchings will be exhibited from june 2 to aug 21 with all of them on view during spring and summer 2018
rendered in a neo classical style that the artist adapted from his studies of classical sculpture the suite explores themes of mythology identity and sexuality
you see the artist as maker said sharon corwin the museums director and chief curator it captures the themes and tropes that define his career


nrg energy moving to complete its reorganization after the ouster of its chief executive last year is paring back involvement in two of its alternative energy ventures as it seeks to cut costs and streamline operations the company announced on thursday
the company whose large fleet of conventional power plants has made it a leading independent power producer will sell a majority stake in its electric vehicle charging business evgo and its home solar division will sell the future customer agreements it originates to two partners sunrun and spruce once the systems are up and running
that approach will allow the residential solar business to break even by next year mauricio gutierrez nrgs chief executive said in a conference call with analysts
we dont have any grand aspirations in terms of the total sales and installations that we want to have for the year mr gutierrez said declining to disclose financial goals under the new business model he added we sell install and flip to a third party
though it continues the companys pushes into alternative energy mr gutierrezs strategy is more restrained than that of his predecessor david crane who sought to transform the company into the google of electricity
mr gutierrezs approach to fast growing new energy businesses that have generally offered more promise than profit is intended to help the company thrive despite the financial pressures of low wholesale energy prices
the company has held onto its large scale renewables development business and plans to sell a 51 percent stake in the california valley solar ranch a large farm in san luis obispo to nrg yield a subsidiary during the second quarter this year
the home solar unit will for now focus on three markets where it is already active   new york new jersey and massachusetts   but will look to offer rooftop arrays to the residential customers it serves in texas when the economics are more viable mr gutierrez said
it makes a whole lot of sense that if we already have a relationship with the residential customer and this is one of the products that they are asking for that we provide it he said
the company announced a net profit for the first quarter of 47 million in contrast to a net loss of 136 million for the first quarter of 2015 it also announced that christopher sotos would be the new chief executive for nrg yield the publicly traded subsidiary set up to buy the power plants the parent company develops and then pay dividends to investors from the income the plants generate
mr sotos has been on the board of directors of nrg yield since its initial public offering in july 2013 and has been head of strategy and mergers and acquisitions at nrg energy since 2012


seen head on behind the scaffolding performance space 122 looks about the same as it has for years that red brick facade overlooking first avenue those hulking metal gates guarding the door
but stroll a few yards up the sidewalk peek around the edge of the building and the scruffiness gives way to a gleaming new exterior its sleekness betrays no hint of the gentrifying neighborhoods tatty crime ridden past or the creative experiments that have gone on there since 1980 when ps122 opened at the corner of east ninth street
what began as a squat in an old public school building would become a stage for people like spalding gray and meredith monk for eric bogosian and the preglobal blue man group
we had sort of a charmed life growing up there said mark russell the organizations artistic director from 1985 to 2005
that past and the larger history of performance in the east village will be available beginning on saturday and continuing for the rest of the month through a free self guided smartphone enabled mobile tour that starts at ps122 and heads east to tompkins square park before wending down avenue a to the pyramid club then over to howl happening an arturo vega project on east first street a kickoff event on saturday at 2 pm will include a semi guided tour with a few ipads available for those without smartphones
a short video is paired with each location on the walk at howl its a homage to the performance artist tom murrin and his full moon shows at ps122 its about the time in november 1988 that the artist david leslie dressed a la julie andrews as maria von trapp scaled the building for a piece called stunt and plummeted five stories   which was part of the plan in a clip of the performance the crowd below reacts in horror but mr leslie survived in the video hes the one telling much of the tale
the tour presented in conjunction with lower east side history month is a bit of a public relations exercise for ps122 whose building has been closed for renovations since 2013 it has continued to present programming elsewhere in the meantime but its staff members have been working out of greenpoint brooklyn since late 2011
vallejo gantner ps122s artistic director worries that young artists dont know that the organization is part of the east village and neither will some of its neighbors when it reopens which it expects to do next year he doesnt want it to seem he said as if we parachuted in
the challenge is to talk about the artistic exploration that has happened there but in a way that is not just about nostalgia he would like to see ps122 remain the hub of an innovative generative culture even if east village rents mean fewer of its artists live around the corner
that ethos doesnt have to die just because the neighborhoods changed he said because thats the thing that made it interesting and will make it interesting in the future
interesting of course is not always fun mr russell now director of the under the radar festival remembers some of the downsides of making art in a neighborhood he said was a pioneer area
it was pretty beat pretty dangerous he said we would get robbed usually just after our benefits that was really sad
for security if not fire safety he installed a roll down corrugated steel gate in the middle of a hallway
but ps122 flourished amid the boom of the 1980s and soon developed an international reputation it became a magnet for experimental artists including richard maxwell young jean lee and karen finley participants in a four day benefit before the center closed for renovations included philip glass elevator repair service the wooster group and some neighbors from the building mabou mines
mr gantner said that he intended this months mobile tour to be the first part of a video project that would grow over time celebrating the presence of boundary pushing art in a neighborhood that he said does not need another hidden cocktail bar
if we wanted to live in a rich kind of financial hub we could live in frankfurt mr gantner who is australian said we could live in singapore and be bored out of our skulls we live in new york because its an exciting dynamic creative scene where were surrounded by interesting people
thats been true of the east village mr russell said for longer than many might think w h auden lived on st marks place some of the beat era writers and painters migrated from the west village and ellen stewart started la mama in a basement on east ninth street a half block from where ps122 is now
its good to know that mr russell said when you walk down the street


the bodies of murdered young women began turning up one by one more than 30 years ago in south los angeles the killer became known as the grim sleeper so named because he apparently took a long break between victims on thursday a jury convicted a small time car thief lonnie d franklin jr of 10 murders capping nearly three months of wrenching testimony and decades of uncertainty for the victims shattered families
mr franklin was found guilty of 10 counts of first degree murder and one count of attempted murder because one of his victims escaped
family members of the victims in the courtroom sobbed as the verdicts were read its just unimaginable how you feel once you get what youve been waiting to hear said porter alexander 75 whose daughter alicia alexander was killed in 1988 im so glad
in the trial that began in february in los angeles superior court prosecutors said mr franklin had stalked a fairly circumscribed area of south los angeles from the mid 1980s until 2007 when the last known victim was found most had been shot with a 25 caliber pistol and some had been strangled dna or ballistics evidence linked mr franklin 63 to each of the victims   nine women and one teenage girl   prosecutors said
most of these victims have been dead for over 20 years beth silverman the deputy district attorney said during closing arguments this week its time its time that justice was served in this case
mr franklins lawyer seymour amster had tried to raise doubts about the reliability of the evidence and during closing arguments he proposed that an unnamed relative could have been the killer
a court clerk pronounced the word guilty over and over as she read the verdicts in the order that the victims died debra jackson 29 henrietta wright 35 barbara ware 23 bernita sparks 25 mary lowe 26 lachrica jefferson 22 alicia alexander 18 princess berthomieux 15 valerie mccorvey 35 and janecia peters 25
the penalty phase begins on wednesday prosecutors said they would seek the death penalty
the effort to capture the killer who appeared to stop in 1988 and begin again in 2002 had dragged on for so long because of a lack of witnesses and evidence officials said the number of murders that pervaded los angeles in 1980s including the work of several other serial killers also complicated the investigation
but some family members and victim advocates saw a more troubling factor they suggested that the case had not spurred a sense of urgency in law enforcement or in the news media because of the victims involved young african american women living at the margins many of them cocaine users and at times prostitutes
margaret prescod an advocate for the families contrasted this case with that of natalee holloway the white alabama teenager whose 2005 disappearance in aruba caused a media sensation
these are 10 women here she said and you walk around the city of los angeles and ask people most people have never even heard of it can you imagine that
the break in the case came after mr franklins son christopher franklin was arrested in 2008 on a charge of carrying a weapon and had to provide a dna sample investigators determined that he had a familial link to evidence from the cold case
the authorities said the fathers connection to the murders was confirmed after a detective posed as a pizzeria busboy and collected a partly eaten slice that he had left at the time familial dna to capture a murder suspect represented a first in american law enforcement the technique is now used in at least 10 states
on july 7 2010 the authorities announced the arrest of lonnie franklin a former sanitation worker and police department garage attendant he was captured in front of the lime green home he shared with his wife just a few miles from the alleyways where the bodies had been found the grim sleeper had been there hiding in plain sight the whole time officials said
we never gave up on this investigation not for one minute chief charlie beck said in a statement at the time
in a search of the elder mr franklins home the authorities found hundreds of photographs of women many of them naked among them was a picture of enietra washington who is believed to be the serial killers only survivor
ms washington 57 provided some of the trials most riveting testimony as she recounted the day she was attacked in 1988 she said mr franklin pulled up next to her in an orange ford pinto as she was walking to a friends house and asked if he could give her a ride pressing the offer repeatedly after she got in he shot her in the chest ms washington testified
you shot me she recalled saying according to the los angeles times i asked him why
she was dogging him out or disrespecting him she recalled him saying
ms washington said he sexually assaulted her took photographs of her and left her for dead on the street in court prosecutors presented the picture found in mr franklins home showing ms washington bloodied and partly exposed
mr franklin did not testify but he has maintained his innocence during the trial the jury was shown a taped interrogation of mr franklin los angeles detectives placed photos of the victims on a table asking him if he recognized them one by one according to the los angeles times
each time mr franklin rejected any connection to the women i havent killed anybody he said
since the case began lurching toward trial in 2010 investigators have linked him to at least six additional victims they believe there could be others
in an unexpected twist on wednesday prosecutors disclosed that mr franklin had been convicted of rape while serving in the army in germany abc7 reported ms silverman the deputy district attorney said he and two friends had driven to a village dragged a woman to the vehicle and sexually assaulted her
ms silverman said she would bring up the case during sentencing
ms prescod who founded a group black coalition fighting back serial murders said the conviction of mr franklin might represent a bit of respite for the victims families
but for us its not over she said on thursday she noted that 35 women appearing in the photographs found in mr franklins home remained unaccounted for
where are they she asked where else could that happen and it not be an outrage


louisville ky   the horses for the 142nd running of the kentucky derby are listed in order of post position with comments by joe drape and melissa hoppert of the new york times the morning line odds were set by mike battaglia of churchill downs
purse 2 million guaranteed
distance 1 1/4  miles
track record 159 25 secretariat 1973
weight 126 pounds
post time 634 pm eastern
television nbc
joe drapes win place show picks mor spirit mo tom nyquist
melissa hopperts picks nyquist creator mor spirit
trainer patrick gallagher jockey aaron gryder odds 50 1
joe drape he has never won a race and wont be close in this one
melissa hoppert there are only two horses in the field that i think have no shot hes one of them
trainer donnie von hemel jockey luis quinonez odds 20 1
jd he closes like a freight train and hails from an underrated trainer i like him
mh the no 2 hole shouldnt be a problem for this closer a live long shot with a great name
trainer steve asmussen jockey ricardo santana jr odds 10 1
jd one of the many late bloomers that is going to take money
mh this tapit colt won the arkansas derby and is getting hot at the right time hes also been training well
trainer tom amoss jockey corey lanerie odds 20 1
jd hes had two bad trips at the hands of the same jockey he needs a clean trip
mh one of two entrants for the saints owners tom and gayle benson hes the better of the two but he always seems to find trouble
trainer steve asmussen jockey florent geroux odds 10 1
jd he has been the buzz horse in the mornings here
mh the louisiana derby winner has the ability to shift gears which is helpful in the 20 horse kentucky derby but i dont think he is fast enough
trainer chad brown jockey irad ortiz jr odds 20 1
jd he closed very fast in the blue grass
mh theres been some buzz on the backstretch about this second place finisher in the blue grass but that field hardly seemed imposing
trainer mike maker jockey julien leparoux odds 50 1
jd no chance at all
mh the spiral stakes winner is the slowest of the derby bunch pass
trainer mikio matsunaga jockey yutaka take odds 30 1
jd hes bred to run all day but he has had his mind on the girls and his workouts have been erratic
mh the uae derby winner shipped from dubai and has been acting up since his arrival the only reason i left him off my no shot list is that he is by tapit a champion sire
trainer todd pletcher jockey javier castellano odds 15 1
jd he ran very fast early in the year but has been away for a while
mh earned a big speed figure while winning the tampa bay derby in march and has been out of action since then but if anyone can train a horse into this race its pletcher
trainer ron moquett jockey victor espinoza odds 20 1
jd he will be running late too late
mh espinoza trying to win a record third straight derby was given a chance to ride several horses he picked this third place arkansas derby finisher must count for something
trainer keith desormeaux jockey kent desormeaux odds 8 1
jd did he run well in the santa anita because of a wet track
mh this curlin colt turned in the most impressive prep race performance this season in the slop in the santa anita derby but does he perform better on a wet track
trainer dallas stewart jockey brian hernandez jr odds 30 1
jd hes probably a little bit behind his competitors
mh i have a soft spot for this benson colt because he loves to nap but on derby day will he be asleep on the track stewart however does know how to get a horse on the derby board
trainer doug oneill jockey mario gutierrez odds 3 1
jd hes undefeated in seven races and the 2 year old champion favorites have won the last three here your call
mh i cant help but wonder if hed be getting more respect if american pharoah hadnt just won the triple crown hes done nothing wrong so im going to give him his due and make him my pick
trainer kiaran mclaughlin jockey junior alvarado odds 10 1
jd he was the hot horse early but didnt lift his feet in florida im passing
mh i really want to love this tapit colt with only one loss but his performance in the florida derby which mclaughlin says we can throw out still leaves me scratching my head
trainer todd pletcher jockey john velazquez odds 15 1
jd he has gotten a lot of attention here but the wood memorial was slow slow slow
mh the wood winner has been training lights out since arriving at churchill downs he could certainly hit the board
trainer chad brown jockey joel rosario odds 20 1
jd hes stepping way way up
mh this fifth place finisher in the wood while training well doesnt appear to be fast enough to win here
trainer bob baffert jockey gary stevens odds 12 1
jd heres your winner hes finished one or two in all of his races hall of fame connections nice price why not
mh i nearly picked him to win   until he drew post 17 where no horse has ever won this race from i still believe the california horses are the superior bunch so im making him my third choice
trainer gustavo delgado jockey emisael jaramillo odds 30 1
jd he is one of the best bred for the distance
mh the second place finisher in the florida derby capitalized on mohaymens bad day he wont catch a lucky break here but his venezuelan connections have been a refreshing sight among the kentucky bluebloods
trainer dale romans jockey luis saez odds 12 1
jd hes a hometown favorite here
mh as a closer the blue grass winner will not be hampered by the outside post in a year like this in which the race is essentially wide open he could very well hit the board
trainer clifford sise jr jockey mike smith odds 15 1
jd he needs to get out cross in front of 19 other horses and then lead every step of the way good luck with that
mh this speedy colt has been going toe to toe with the big guns in california and his fourth place santa anita effort in the slop is not the best indicator of his ability still the 20 hole is a tough spot


beirut lebanon   more than 30 people were killed thursday when warplanes struck a tent camp for displaced syrians in the northern syrian province of idlib according to antigovernment activists and opposition groups
the attack took place shortly after insurgents launched an offensive against government forces in neighboring aleppo province just hours into what was supposed be to a new 48 hour truce there
video images from the kamuna camp in idlib showed smoke billowing from rows of tattered and blackened tents as well as a pickup truck packed with wounded people moaning and crying women and children appeared to be among the victims
in the remains of the camp   whose name means cumin in arabic   scattered clothing cooking pots and charred body parts could be seen
the attack displaced some of the most vulnerable syrians   people who had already fled their homes and often other refuges and were stuck near the border with turkey the turkish authorities have routinely stopped allowing syrians to cross the border as refugees
it was unclear who carried out the attack but the warplanes operating over the insurgent held province are typically those of the syrian government and its most powerful ally russia
the white house condemned the attack calling it indefensible the associated press reported
south of the city of aleppo insurgent groups including the nusra front which is affiliated with al qaeda began a coordinated attack seeking to advance against government forces and allied militias in the town of khan touman and the surrounding area according to insurgent spokesmen and antigovernment activists familiar with the fighting
taken together the two events illustrated why both the syrian government and its opponents were skeptical of the partial truces prospects the opposition says that previous airstrikes by syrian forces on civilian areas make it impossible to trust the government and the government says its opponents are fair game for attack even during truces because they maintain battlefield alliances with the nusra front which is excluded from such deals
the fighting south of aleppo appeared to revive a battlefield coalition known as jaish al fatah or the army of victory which brought together the nusra front other islamist groups and some of the groups that the united states and its allies consider more moderate and have provided with weapons and salaries
the two sides accused each other of breaking the cease fire earlier in the day with the government saying that insurgents had resumed shelling inside the divided city of aleppo and insurgents saying that the government had carried out airstrikes on the citys southern outskirts
at the same time the islamic state   also excluded from any truce deals   said on social media that it had seized the shaer natural gas field a key outpost in the desert of homs province from pro government forces and taken large amounts of ammunition
the gas fields have changed hands several times between government and islamic state forces and their loss was a blow to the government of president bashar al assad even as it celebrated its takeover of the nearby city of palmyra


raleigh nc   the republican leaders of north carolinas general assembly defiantly announced thursday that they would not meet a monday deadline to suspend or repeal a state law limiting bathroom access for transgender people setting up a potential legal showdown over what has become one of the nations most explosive cultural issues
we will take no action by monday said tim moore the speaker of the state house of representatives referring to the deadline the justice department gave the state to tell federal officials whether the law would stand that deadline will come and go
though mr moore criticized the deadline as unreasonable he also seemed to signal that republicans might eventually agree to alter the law which forbids people to use public building restrooms that do not match the gender listed on their birth certificates
the legislative process doesnt work where a response can be given by just a few days he said so were going to move at the speed that were going to move at to look at what our options are at this point
his comments as well as a private meeting later with a leading critic of the law mayor jennifer roberts of charlotte were indications that lawmakers here may be concerned about the potentially damaging consequences of keeping the law intact and defying the justice department
the obama administration contends that the law violates the civil rights act of 1964 and its finding could push the federal government to withhold in federal aid
the law puts more than 48 billion in federal funding to state and local governments at risk according to a recent analysis by the williams institute a research organization at the university of california los angeles law school that focuses on sexual orientation and gender identity law the bulk of those losses would be from education funds though the state could also lose money for career services health care housing and other purposes
we had a productive discussion and were looking for solutions and i look forward to further dialogue said ms roberts whose citys effort to protect transgender people spurred the legislative drive that produced the law she made her comments after she huddled for more than an hour with mr moore and senator phil berger the president pro tempore of the state senate
neither ms roberts nor mr berger one of the most influential republicans in the general assembly ruled out additional meetings we had a conversation mr berger said everyone had an opportunity to express where they are i think everybodys looking for solutions and hope to continue to have further conversations
wednesdays letter from the justice department brought new urgency to a debate that has surrounded the general assembly for more than a month in a letter to gov pat mccrory a republican the departments top civil rights lawyer warned that the law was a violation of the civil rights act because north carolina was engaging in a pattern or practice of discrimination against transgender state employees
the letter notes pointedly that the justice department could seek a court order to ensure compliance with the civil rights act when it has reason to believe that such a pattern exists
mr mccrory who is in a tough re election fight signed the law hours after the legislature approved it in a one day special session in march arguing that it was a common sense matter of privacy and public safety
but the law which also prohibits local governments from passing anti discrimination ordinances prompted a fierce outcry from gay rights activists as well as several major corporate leaders some of whom canceled plans to create jobs in the state
that has brought severe headaches for mr mccrory allowing his democratic rival this autumn attorney general roy cooper who has said he will not defend the law in court to argue that the governor has not been the good steward of the state economy that he claims to be in local and national news media the debate over the law has largely eclipsed mr mccrorys argument that he has engineered a carolina comeback by cutting corporate tax rates and enacting other pro business policies
mr mccrory   who is not as conservative as the legislative leadership and has clashed with them in the past   remained silent on thursday amid speculation that he might be considering some kind of unilateral action to stave off litigation by the justice department
but several legal experts as well as some members of the general assembly said the governor did not have the ability to suspend or revoke the law gerry cohen a lawyer lobbyist and former bill drafting director for the legislature said that the matter was settled by the north carolina constitution which states that no authority may suspend a law without legislative consent
norma houston a faculty member at the university of north carolina school of government agreed but she said that mr mccrory did have the ability to engage in settlement negotiations leading to the suspension or revocation of the law
mr mccrory could raise that option with the justice department ms houston said he could also direct lawyers for the state to enter into a negotiated settlement of a pending federal lawsuit that challenged the bathroom law in late march in hopes of arriving at an outcome that satisfies the plaintiffs and the justice department
if a protracted lawsuit cannot be avoided the political effect would be mostly bad for mr mccrory said ferrel guillory the director of the program on public life at the university of north carolina at chapel hill
stuff like that just interrupts and creates static at the core of his campaign mr guillory said it again raises a question about whether the governing authorities in raleigh are on top of things
at a white house news briefing thursday afternoon the press secretary josh earnest was asked if the letter was meant to send a signal to other states that pass similar legislation
mr earnest replied by saying the decision to inform mr mccrory that north carolina had violated federal law was made by the justice department and independent of any sort of political interference or direction from the white house
at the legislative building here on thursday lt gov dan forest a republican accused the federal government of engaging in extortion by effectively threatening to withhold federal aid for education and he said that he did not expect mr mccrory to do anything to block the law
i expect the governor to stand strong he said


the department of homeland security announced thursday that it had opened an investigation into complaints by a transportation security administration manager who said he was instructed to provide the names of somali american leaders visiting the agencys office in minnesota so they could be screened against national security databases for terrorist ties
the departments office of inspector general said it would look into allegations made by andrew rhoades an assistant federal security director at minneapolis st paul international airport that he was advised by his supervisor david mcmahon to check potential somali visitors to the agencys offices with the field intelligence officer to determine if we want them in our office space or meet elsewhere
the public disclosure of the comments by mr mcmahon quickly drew accusations of racial profiling
somali leaders in minnesota condemned the remarks saying the episode would damage outreach efforts by the tsa and other federal agencies and called for an inquiry members of minnesotas congressional delegation representative keith ellison and senator al franken both democrats followed quickly with their own requests for an investigation by homeland security
jaylani hussein a somali american who is the executive director of the minnesota chapter of the council on american islamic relations said he welcomed the action by the inspector general
mr rhoades who works with somalis in the twin cities area said he also welcomed the investigation
the sad part is that those on any list really require my help to address any misunderstandings as to why they are receiving such scrutiny he said i cannot build good will and demonstrate a genuine desire to help if they are not wanted in my office
the inspector generals office said it would make the report public after the inquiry ends


a man suspected of sprinkling a combination of mouse poison hand sanitizer and water on produce in grocery stores in michigan was arraigned on thursday in district court in ann arbor mich on four felony counts of poisoning food and drink
the man kyle andrew bessemer 29 had been arrested after he was identified by members of the public when images from surveillance video showing him in a grocery store with a red shopping basket were published online the fbi and the local police announced on tuesday
the authorities said mr bessemer of ann arbor had intentionally contaminated food in open food bars and produce sections by spraying the items with the mixture at stores including a whole foods market a meijer and a plum market over the last two weeks
it was not clear if anyone had been sickened by the poison or how it had been detected the authorities did not provide a motive
a washtenaw count district court judge elizabeth pollard hines ordered mr bessemer to be held on 250000 bail a hearing was set for next thursday
state authorities listed at least 15 other stores in other cities including flint and midland that might have been affected health officials in michigan said that the man also admitted to contaminating some produce stacked in stands
the authorities said the chemicals in the mixture were a form of anticoagulant similar to what is found in medicines that prevent blood clotting the michigan department of health and human services said that it does not anticipate any adverse health effects for anyone who ate the contaminated products
the authorities were investigating those episodes the washtenaw district attorneys office said in a statement
the announcement that someone had randomly doused self serve food sent a shudder of concern throughout the food industry which is well aware of the unintentional contamination associated with people serving themselves from common bowls and trays said michael doyle the director of the center for food safety at the university of georgia
consumers lean in and heap their plates some without utensils people sneeze into the food some scoop up a little taste with their fingers strands of hair from scalps or beards can drift down into the serving bowls mr doyle said his wife once found a band aid in a salad
i try to avoid them he said referring to salad bars and buffets
after the mouse poison scare in michigan state health officials advised residents to discard foods like salads and olives if they had been purchased between mid march and the end of april
plum market said in an emailed statement on thursday that it had proactively removed all exposed produce and prepared foods a spokeswoman andrea ritter said in a telephone interview that guests were pleased by the measures


on a warm spring evening james lee sat drinking a gin and tonic on the balcony of the apartment he shares with two roommates in crown heights brooklyn he had the night off from his job as a server at a manhattan restaurant and he was talking about the high cost of living in new york and what its like to have roommates at his age 33
thats when one of the men he lives with andrew rosenthal stepped outside what do you want for dinner mr rosenthal asked do you want me to make the baked ziti
no mr lee said you put way too much salt in the baked ziti
dude salt is amazing mr rosenthal said gandhi almost freed india because of salt you just want to order in
yes mr lee said once his roommate was gone mr lee added this is going to be a very expensive dinner
the two had not had a meal together for a while because mr lee works nights and spends much of his free time with his girlfriend rachael field a vocational counselor in brooklyn criminal court ms field happens to be mr rosenthals best friend from childhood in recent months mr lee had been pressing ms field about moving in together
theres definitely part of me that thinks im almost 34 and i still have two roommates mr lee said its out of economic necessity i would do anything for my girlfriend and me to have our own place together
a bit later while waiting for dinner to arrive mr rosenthal a 34 year old clinical coordinator at a homeless shelter pointed out his contributions to the living space the art on the walls the tomato plants on the balcony the compost heap
james is the definition of a nice person mr rosenthal said of his roommate he doesnt ask the hard questions which is frustrating but hes a kind generous person
even so the roommate life is not always ideal if you asked me 10 years ago if this was going to be my life i would have slit my wrists mr rosenthal said but i have made it to the best of my ability the life that i wanted im going to build a life for myself and not compromise and im not going to wait around for a woman to mature me which is what ive seen with so many guys
mr rosenthal is not alone in hanging on to a living arrangement more typical for people in their 20s data on the living arrangements of americans from the ages of 18 to 44 suggests that nonfamily households have become more common in recent years and a united states census bureau study taking a broader view also reported an increase to 61 percent from 17 percent from 1970 to 2012
for all that eric klinenberg a sociology professor at new york university noted that for men living with nonfamily members was not unusual long ago
theres a long tradition of men living with something like roommates dr klinenberg said men used to live in boardinghouses quite commonly you had places like the old ymcas these were really significant parts of the housing stock a century ago they have since become far less common
these days adult men living with roommates are the outliers i think its flipped dr klinenberg said theres much less of a stigma being a 40 year old man living alone than being a 40 year old man living with a male roommate living alone has become far more viable a hundred years ago that would have been completely different
to be part of any household   whether with a partner or spouse other family members or roommates   means giving up the freedoms that go with the living alone life
but it can also ward off loneliness and the almost constant presence of others is something that sam jackson 35 likes about having roommates growing up in houston he was part of a family with 10 children and he never had the chance to feel alone nor did he want to
there are moments where im not super social and i just go to my room and shut the door said mr jackson a lawyer for a city trade union but theres something comforting about knowing that theres someone possibly in the living room
i could ask one of the guys if it was a wednesday night hey do you want to go out and get a drink with your other friends you have to call them and you have to meet somewhere whereas sitting here with a roommate you can say dude youre not doing anything either and all you have to do is go to a bar
he was seated on a couch that has seen better days on the walls of the apartment in bushwick brooklyn that he shares with two other men were mirrored advertisements for beer brands a row of dusty basketballs occupied a nearby shelf when this place cleans up its a looker mr jackson said
some people may say he is living out a prolonged adolescence
if someone were to use that as a description of me and how i live my life i would be totally ok with that mr jackson said i like being perceived as young and living as a responsible adult if i were in pittsburgh i would just run out of stuff to do your peer group would be paired off   seriously paired off i think if i were in houston or any other city it would probably be a lot harder to live a prolonged adolescence
jeremy owens too likes having other people around even at 41 he rents out a room of the apartment he owns in the bronx a place he once shared with his wife to the 24 year old sister of a previous roommate
after his divorce mr owens who teaches middle school math lived in this apartment with two other men he took the living room for himself and put up bookshelves as a divider his current roommate is about to move out which has left him at something of a real estate crossroads
i was talking to a friend of mine trying to figure out what to do with the place and he said if you want to come live with us mr owens said hes in late 20s and id be one of four the other guys are 26 28 31 then 41 we all get along but one of these things is not like the other
mr owens recalled that when his marriage ended he found himself out of step with men his age
when you first arrive here in your late 20s you have tons of people in the same situation youre in he said but now you ask yourself am i going to live a 20 year old life or a 30 year old life am i supposed to be doing that at my age
jon derengowski 31 a television script coordinator found himself in a similar situation after a breakup now he lives in a rent stabilized apartment in greenpoint brooklyn where he has lived with nine different people since 2008 but one of those people was his longtime boyfriend when the relationship ended after a year and a half he had to replace his partner with a stranger who could help with the rent
maybe its not depression but theres definitely a bit of self criticism that sets in mr derengowski said of the period after his boyfriends departure youve hit this very defined point on the trajectory that most people agree is the right thing to be doing and then youre not there anymore
even though he gets along with his roommates mr derengowski said he does not necessarily want to see someone sitting on the couch when he gets home from work
i have a routine he said if i just want to come home and check out and open a bottle of wine i dont want to feel obligated to include somebody else the worst thing is when you walk in the door and youve got 30 of groceries in your hand and somebodys got every pot and pan going in the kitchen and you go ugh so what do you do you wait an hour or give up and go to a restaurant
joe tobal 35 a bartender who writes fiction has had roommates most of his adult life at the moment he shares an apartment in astoria queens with two women in their 20s but having recently come into some family money he is about to move out on his own
i am so excited mr tobal said if i wake up in my boxers i want to be able to walk in the kitchen and grab a glass of water
he added that he feels as if he has lived in what he called a subset of adulthood he pays his bills and college loans on time he owns a car and he isnt having ramen for dinner but as a bartender he is often out long after midnight
its certainly not a lifestyle i want to be in another 10 years mr tobal said i dont want to be that guy the guy whos 45 50 years old whos trying to pick up girls every night i hope to god thats not the path the lord has set me on having his own place he said feels like moving forward
of his life now he added this has been a fun vacation for a little while but its not sustainable
not long after my first interviews with mr lee and mr rosenthal at the apartment they shared in crown heights their living arrangement was about to change mr lee and his girlfriend ms field had decided to move in together
to be precise ms field is the one who made the final decision like mr lee she was living with two roommates but when faced with renewing her lease she decided to act on the thing he had been asking her about for a long time she called him and simply told him it was time
were both looking forward to having our own space ms field said theres a higher degree of ownership and permanence at least for me it feels a little more grown up
because of their work schedules it turned out that she was the one to tell her longtime friend and mr lees roommate mr rosenthal the first conversation did not go well ms field said but she understood after all mr rosenthal was losing not only a solid roommate but also a friend
making it trickier for mr rosenthal was the fact that mr lee would be building a new life with his best friend from childhood and now he will have to start the search for a new roommate
its always stressful mr rosenthal said after learning that things were about to change its always not a pleasant experience youre always trying to find someone who can be an adult for lack of a better term


in ancient times scribes churned out documents   love poems prayers lawsuits   for clients who were illiterate or too busy to write although reams of the texts survive on papyrus bark and parchment the ingredients of the inks remain a mystery scientists archaeologists curators historians and conservators are collaborating on testing these writings and crumbs of ancient pigments to unlock the ink recipes
at the metropolitan museum of art the conservator yana van dyke has been creating experimental inks from plant extracts including oak galls or swollen tissue on oak trees infested by wasps to compare with those used on manuscripts hilary becker an assistant classics professor at the university of mississippi who plans to join the faculty at binghamton university in new york this fall is completing a book titled commerce in color about the ancient roman pigment trade
the ancient ink laboratory a collaboration between columbia university and new york university is using nondestructive techniques like micro raman spectroscopy microscopy and infrared photography to scrutinize inks on documents the lab is also studying fermentation residues from winemaking that may have gone into ancient ink mixtures and crusts found inside ancient inkwells at the university of michigans kelsey museum of archaeology
in poring over roman texts ms becker has found references to indelible and invisible inks on the market some of them highly valued and complaints about adulterated ingredients and poor quality in the fifth century roman law mandated that only emperors could write with prized purple ink made from charred seashells for example anyone else who obtained this expensive dye would face the death penalty
david ratzan the head librarian at nyus institute for the study of the ancient world said that no one is certain how soot and other charred ingredients in black inks were made and harvested pliny the elder mentions that the best kind of black pigment is adulterated with the soot from furnaces and baths which is used for writing
all this new scholarship could be useful for experts authenticating manuscripts and for conservators trying to stabilize documents damaged by corrosive inks extracts in the formulas may also indicate where tree species once flourished and help identify the trade routes for ink products
its all part of a puzzle ms van dyke said
from the 1880s to the 1910s the painter j alden weir vacationed with fellow intellectuals in a sleepy corner of eastern connecticut at his home there in windham he sketched meadows bordered by picturesquely sagging fences and encroaching railroad lines and textile mills his visitors included john singer sargent and childe hassam anne e dawson an art history professor at eastern connecticut state university has spent seven years tracking down documents and artworks for a good summers work j alden weir connecticut impressionist opening on saturday at the lyman allyn art museum in new london conn and a book rare light j alden weir in windham connecticut 1882 1919 from wesleyan university press
the windham artists colony has largely been forgotten unlike some of its counterparts along the connecticut coast and in the new york suburbs mr weirs other family home in wilton conn is now the weir farm national historic site and studio spaces there are still stocked with brushes palettes and paints in windham he worked in a converted shoe factory that has since been demolished its weeded over remains are not far from the weir familys graves his paintings of the area have often been mislabeled as scenes of the countryside around wilton
ms dawson analyzed mr weirs correspondence as well as family inventories the artist sometimes adapted his natural surroundings in windham to improve his compositions on canvas shifting hill contours and adding hollyhocks and other plants he called the technique hollyhocking
on may 20 and 21 boyd auctions in portsmouth nh will offer antiques passed down to mr weirs descendants including art supplies paintings letters and family photographs ms dawson said that she would document the material before it is dispersed
leopold and rudolf blaschka a father and son team of bohemian born glassmakers based in dresden germany were known for bending wisps of glass into detailed models of flowers and marine life in the late 1800s they supplied displays for schools museums and aquariums while also making prosthetic glass eyes and lab equipment for export after a few decades on view the botanical and zoological pieces were often considered outdated countless items ended up in storerooms their petals shattered and tentacles snapped
in recent months experts have been restoring the blaschkas glass minutiae in preparation for fragile legacy the marine invertebrate glass models of leopold and rudolf blaschka an exhibition opening on may 14 at the corning museum of glass in corning ny it will explore the blaschkas methods of reinforcing models with wires and glue the their shipping crates and the surviving glass creations worldwide videos will show conservators repairing the antiques many of which belong to cornell university
the curator of the cornell holdings drew harvell a marine biologist researched the contemporary fates of the creatures that were immortalized in glass for her recent climate change related book a sea of glass searching for the blaschkas fragile legacy in an ocean at risk university of california press she collaborated with the filmmaker david o brown on a documentary about the subject fragile legacy and the teams footage of marine life depicted by the blaschkas will be screened at the corning museum
an exhibition of the photographer guido mocaficos close ups of blaschka sculptures runs through may 24 at hamiltons gallery in london harvards blaschka collections are the subject of a book due this fall sea creatures in glass the blaschka marine animals at harvard harvard museumsscala and a renovated display that reopens there on may 21


washington   in an extraordinary rebuke of his partys presumed nominee speaker paul d ryan the nations highest ranking elected republican said thursday that he was not ready to endorse donald j trump for president
mr ryans announcement represented a split among republicans not seen in at least a half century and it came only two days after mr trump said he would unify the party after essentially clinching the nomination with his victory in the indiana primary
as the chairman of the republican national convention mr ryan has repeatedly said he would support his partys nominee as republicans tried to regain the white house and solidify control of congress
but the combination of mr trumps at times outrageous remarks   insulting women hispanics and muslims   and his broad rejection of many core republican policies proved too toxic a brew for mr ryan as he defended his majority in the house the reputation of his party and his own viability
within an hour mr trump offered a biting rejoinder saying in a statement that he was not ready to support speaker ryans agenda
perhaps in the future we can work together and come to an agreement about what is best for the american people he said they have been treated so badly for so long that it is about time for politicians to put them first
mr ryan who made his remarks in an interview with cnn said republicans want a standard bearer that bears our standards
i think conservatives want to know does he share our values and our principles on limited government the proper role of the executive adherence to the constitution he said theres a lot of questions that conservatives i think are going to want answers to
mr ryans ambivalence toward mr trump adds another layer of division in a party torn by the billionaire developers ascent placing him at odds with his fellow wisconsinite reince priebus the party chairman who pronounced mr trump the presumptive nominee and said republicans should fall in line mr priebus was not aware mr ryan was going to make the statement his spokesman sean spicer told cnn
although mr ryan said he had expected the race to run at least a few more weeks he had spent the last day honing his position aides said even as others like senator mitch mcconnell of kentucky the majority leader voiced unequivocal if not effusive support for mr trump while mr ryans defiance put him in line with a number of other prominent republicans mr trump has defied convention throughout the campaign so the long term effect was at best uncertain
in a campaign that has delivered a daily dose of head shaking moments of awe mr trump on thursday continued the trend in a manner that made some republicans cringe in honor of cinco de mayo mr trump posted a photo on twitter of himself digging into a taco bowl   made in the trump tower food court of course   and included in the caption i love hispanics
a party nominee has never failed to gain the support of a house speaker or majority leader from his party in modern times in 1896 speaker thomas brackett reed ran against william mckinley and made it be known he would not serve as vice president but ended up backing the nominee
in 1964 senator barry goldwater had to wait a bit uncomfortably for the endorsement of senator everett dirksen of illinois but mr dirksen gave it and thus ended the stop goldwater movement
while mr ryans remarks caught republicans off guard it also gave them essentially a permission slip to go their own way on mr trumps candidacy had mr ryan issued a forceful endorsement it would have put pressure on fellow house republicans to follow his lead a step many have been unwilling to take
im not there right now mr ryan said and i hope to though and i want to but i think what is required is that we unify the party and i think the bulk of the burden on unifying the party will have to come from our presumptive nominee
mr trump who once said mr ryan would pay a big price if he did not support him knows that the speaker and other opponents did not have great sway over primary voters but mr ryan who has helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for republicans may well be a more notable voice in a general election
outside of mr trumps remarks about muslims hispanic immigrants women and other groups   which mr ryan has at times gone out of his way to denounce   his policy positions on many major issues notably trade and entitlements stand in stark contrast with mr ryans
mr ryan has been signaling a willingness to carve out some terrain to differentiate himself by insisting that house republicans write their own policy agenda this year and he has left bread crumbs of ambivalence for months by giving speeches that at times criticized mr trumps views
after mr trump proposed a temporary ban on muslims entering the united states mr ryan strongly disagreed this is not conservatism mr ryan said in december what was proposed yesterday is not what this party stands for and more important its not what this country stands for
he also criticized mr trump for declining to distance himself from the former ku klux klan leader david duke if a person wants to be the nominee of the republican party there can be no evasion and no games mr ryan told reporters in early march
this is fundamental mr ryan added at the time and if someone wants to be our nominee they must understand this i hope this is the last time i need to speak out on this race
while saying thursday that i dont want to underplay what mr trump accomplished mr ryan picked up on those earlier themes adding we hope that our nominee aspires to be lincoln and reaganesque someone who appeals to a wide vast majority of americans
mr trump is expected to be a drag on some republican candidates running for the house and senate this november given his intense unpopularity with key voting groups including women hispanics and voters with college degrees
even before mr ryan spoke out mr trump was confronting the prospect of crippling defections within the republican elite both george bush and george w bush the only two living former republican presidents announced on wednesday that they would not back his candidacy
mike shields president of the american action network a conservative outside spending group said mr ryan had effectively cleared the way for others in the party to decide for themselves how to handle mr trump mr shields said that with mr ryan as an example many candidates could cleave to a message and an issue agenda distinct from mr trumps
this is something that every republican can say at the local level mr shields said its great leadership on paul ryans part because it puts them in a place where all these other members can turn around and say the same thing which is look there are some things that weve got to stand for 
in exit polls big chunks of the republican electorate said they remained deeply wary of mr trump in indiana the state where he effectively locked up the republican nomination about a quarter of republican voters said they would be scared to see him as the president
mr ryan alluded thursday to the broad stakes for his party i just think you always run like everything is on the line my focus this fall is has been and will be the house majority mr ryan said he added but i also really love this country and i want to see us win this election


the letter from fidel castro to the american people read like this
i wish to invite the american tourists and the american business men to come back to cuba
we are back to normal in cuba a cuba where there is liberty peace and order a beautiful land of happy people our hotels shops and offices are open and we want our friends from the united states to come and see cuba which can now be counted among the countries where freedom and democracy are a reality
this was not the invitation that led an american cruise ship to sail into havana on monday the first from the united states to dock there in 40 years other forces and figures smoothed those choppy waters rather this invitation according to a report in the times was issued by mr castro in january 1959 shortly after he overthrew the government of president fulgencio batista
just months earlier in november 1958 mr castros rebels were still fighting hundreds of miles from havana and it was batista who was trying to revive tourism
to the visitor havana continues to be a charming cosmopolitan city which is rapidly becoming one of the most modern in latin america the times reported on nov 2
streets are crowded and there is heavy traffic both day and night motion picture theatres have good houses at the big casinos and nightclubs the play over the green tables is heavy the sevilla biltmore hotel casino has no limit on any wager in any game and recently two americans won 59700 in two hours there at the blackjack table this is not rumor but an authenticated report
when the batista regime fell it was left to mr castro to resume the enticements and he did so with gusto
a year after mr castros letter the headline yankee tourist now a vip in cuba ran in the times along with a photograph issued by the cuban government showing a bikini clad model posing seductively on varadero beach
that secretary of a number of years ago who went to havana on one of those cruises for 4950 to spend a few days may be able to do so again r hart phillips wrote maybe not for 4950 but for not too much more than that this is because premier fidel castro has launched a crash program designed to attract american visitors to cuba where tourism is rapidly becoming a state owned and operated business
castro had made himself president of a new tourist organization with unlimited powers in tourism ms phillips reported with great enthusiasm he flies around the island ordering the confiscation or seizure of hotels and motels the development of new beaches and the construction of new roads hotels motels and other facilities for tourists
strangely enough dr castro simultaneously talks of an imminent invasion by enemies of his regime and of blood flowing in the streets
nevertheless ms phillips reported the american tourist has become in the second year of the revolution a very important person he is welcomed everywhere he goes to the visitor cuba is a peaceful island where the present government is striving to remedy all evils of past governments
it may not have worked out quite as planned


the ubiquitous easily torn often doubled up plastic bags from the grocery store   hoarded by dog owners despised by the environmentally concerned and occasionally caught in trees   will soon cost at least a nickel in new york city
the city council voted 28 to 20 on thursday to require certain retailers to collect a fee on each carryout bag paper or plastic with some exceptions mayor bill de blasio has expressed support for the measure
passage of the bill came after two years of debate and at least one other attempt by the citys elected officials to charge a fee or tax on disposable bags the legislation modeled on similar laws in california and washington dc encountered an unusual amount of resistance and resulted in what council members said was one of the closest votes in years on par with the extension of term limits passed during the tenure of mr de blasios predecessor michael r bloomberg
the vehemence of the opposition could perhaps be traced to plastic bags daily presence in the lives of new yorkers who often shop for groceries spontaneously and then lug the crinkly bags home to be reused as trash can liners or to pick up after pets as with previous measures adopted by the 51 member council to prohibit smoking in bars and to include calorie information on restaurant menus the impact of the bag bill which would take effect in october is likely to be immediate for millions of people
that many will be unhappy about paying for bags that have always been free is the point
the fee is irritating which is precisely why it works said councilman brad lander a brooklyn democrat and with councilwoman margaret chin a manhattan democrat a main sponsor of the legislation we dont want to pay it so well bring bags instead so the fact that its irritating irritates a lot of people
the debate that preceded the bills approval on thursday provided a rare sight in the council chambers where most bills pass by large margins at least one member called the bill stupid prompting another to object mr lander in his remarks promised to show a colleague opposed to the measure where he could buy plastic bags in bulk online there was also a fair amount of canine scatological humor
to the bills proponents the goal is not to collect the fee but to nudge new yorkers into bringing their own reusable bags when they shop other cities that have introduced similar fees have seen a sharp drop in the use of plastic bags petroleum products that can linger in landfills for centuries
in new york city the sanitation department has said it collects roughly 10 billion single use plastic bags a year
the council settled on a 5 cent minimum fee after an earlier version of the bill called for 10 cents stores which will collect and keep the fees can charge more if they choose
mr de blasio a democrat said during a radio interview last week that people must stop using plastic bags for the good of our environment
i think itll change the behavior quickly and not hit peoples pocketbooks in any meaningful way he continued
under the legislation restaurants including those that deliver and serve takeout and street vendors of prepared food will not have to charge for the plastic bags they give to customers among the other exemptions plastic bags used for produce small paper medicine bags at pharmacies bags used at state regulated liquor stores and bags used by soup kitchens those buying groceries with food stamps are also exempt from paying the fee
paper bags were also included in the bill sponsors said because they have an environmental impact if paper bags were not included shoppers would simply switch from plastic to paper resulting in no change in overall waste
new york is hardly in the forefront in regulating plastic bags though not for lack of trying mr bloomberg offered a proposal in 2008 for a 6 cent bag fee   5 cents for stores a penny for the city   before dropping it several months later amid strong opposition at the time one of the opponents on the council was simcha felder a brooklyn democrat who is now a state senator last month senator felder introduced a bill that would prohibit the levying of local fees on bags it passed a committee this week
in discussing his opposition this week mr felder traced the 200 year history of how people have carried their groceries home progressing from cloth bags to boxes to paper to plastic and said that reusing bags presented a health hazard he said he would hold a hearing on his bill in the city next month
thats nothing less than a tax on the poor and the middle class   the most disadvantaged people he said
opposition to the measure has also come from the plastic bag industry   via its lobbying arm the american progressive bag alliance   as well as from those who like mr felder said the fee amounted to a regressive tax disproportionately affecting low income and minority new yorkers while failing to positive benefits for residents
i was in washington dc when the bag fee happened and you know what it was to clean up the river said bertha lewis a social justice activist and longtime ally of mr de blasios these funds are being dedicated to the pockets of the retailers
ms lewiss group the black institute collected thousands of signatures in opposition to the bill and received support from the american progressive bag alliance   which according to its chairman changed its name in recent years from the plastic bag alliance
some who had expressed early support for the bill were said to be wavering amid what council members described as a torrent of robocalls and fliers in certain districts in opposition to the measure which would cover retail stores grocers bodegas and many street vendors
the council speaker melissa mark viverito who voted in favor of the bill was asked at a news conference before the vote was taken if she used reusable bags when she went shopping right now i dont she said adding that the bill would push her to do so and im more than happy to do that


united nations   the united nations says it wants to rethink how humanitarian aid is delivered to the worlds spreading crises
but as of thursday only about 90 of the 193 countries recognized by the united nations had promised to attend the big event it is organizing to do just that the world humanitarian summit and the medical aid charity doctors without borders announced that it would pull out calling the conference a fig leaf of good intentions and saying that countries in conflict were ignoring systemic violations of international humanitarian law
disappointing the spokesman for the united nations stephane dujarric said thursday in response to the decision by doctors without borders
he said the summit meeting scheduled to start on may 23 in istanbul was expected to address the issues that doctors without borders regarded as priorities including the obligation of warring parties to grant unimpeded access to humanitarian aid
the back and forth came barely two days after the aid groups international president joanne liu rebuked the permanent members of the security council for their direct and indirect involvement in military attacks on health workers and health care facilities
in a statement about its decision doctors without borders said it had hoped that the meeting for which it spent months preparing would advance vital access and protection issues
unfortunately it has failed to do so the organization said instead focusing on its ambitions to do aid differently and end need fine sounding words which threaten to dissolve humanitarian assistance into wider development peace building and political agendas
the united nations secretary general ban ki moon and several senior officials have increasingly voiced their own criticism of countries that flout international law they have accused syrias government of blocking lifesaving medical relief and bombing hospitals
united nations officials have sought to draw attention to the meeting in recent days saying it will attract 6000 participants and host 110 side events the goal is to inspire new commitments to preventing and responding to crises the united nations undersecretary for humanitarian affairs stephen obrien said at a news conference on monday
he also said 45 heads of state and government would be among the delegations attending he was repeatedly asked to name the countries but declined
the debate over the conferences usefulness is part of a broader discussion about the effectiveness of the united nations in tackling the greatest global challenges including the ebola epidemic and the conflicts in syria and south sudan


as sumner m redstone cedes the chairman posts at cbs and viacom one of the business worlds most combative moguls is quietly stepping off the corporate stage
for decades mr redstone proved one of the most voluble media titans even in an industry full of outsize personalities like rupert murdoch and barry diller a lawyer by training he transformed his familys movie theater business through savvy and daring into an entertainment empire that runs from the paramount movie studio to cbs to comedy central and showtime
mr redstone was born in boston in 1923 his father max who sold linoleum from the back of a truck eventually bought a drive in movie theater with his savings then bought several more meanwhile his son proved an academic whiz graduating from the boston latin public school and then harvard in three years after a stint in washington as a cryptographer for the united states army mr redstone returned to harvard to earn a law degree he initially stuck with the law becoming a special assistant to the united states attorney general and then a partner at a washington law firm but business called in 1954 and he turned to the familys movie theater business eventually named national amusements
in 1958 he sued major hollywood studios for the right to show first run movies at drive ins which were then considered a dumping ground for rerun films the drive ins soon gave way to movie theaters with multiple screens   mr redstone named them multiplexes
in 1979 he famously staved off death during a fire at the copley plaza hotel in boston clinging to a window ledge on an upper floor as the fire shot up my legs as he put it in his memoirs he suffered third degree burns over nearly half of his body underwent numerous operations and was warned that he might never return to a normal life
eight years after the fire mr redstone bought viacom for 34 billion in a hostile takeover exhibiting the kind of daring maneuvering that was to mark his career he put the movie theater business up as collateral for the huge amount of loans required for the deal in 1994 he added paramount to his growing empire fighting off both mr diller and the telecommunications billionaire john c malone in a pitched battle in 2000 viacom then paid over 37 billion to buy cbs reuniting the two businesses decades after separating and creating a true colossus astride the media landscape in 2005 mr redstone decided to split the company in two again separating cbs from viacom
for a decade mr redstone went through a series of top executives at viacom he fired frank j biondi jr in 1996 mel karmazin quit in 2004 and tom freston was ousted in 2006 and replaced by philippe p dauman the current chief executive who took over as executive chairman from mr redstone on feb 4
in the early 2000s mr redstone established an irrevocable trust that would determine the future of his companies when he died or was incapacitated in 2006 he had paramount end its relationship with tom cruise because he felt the actors public behavior was hurting his value to the studio
in november 2014 he participated in a company conference call for the last time
a year later manuela herzer a former companion of mr redstones filed suit in los angeles challenging his mental competence disclosing embarrassing details of his physical condition she said in a petition that mr redstone was unable to communicate reliably or competently manage his own health care and asked the court to determine whether she was improperly removed from a directive that would have given her authority over his health decisions
lawyers for mr redstone said ms herzers action was motivated by greed on the same day his health care plan was changed she was removed from his estate plan in which she would have reaped tens of millions
a judge orderd mr redstone to give 30 minutes of sworn testimony to be videotaped at his mansion this week as part of the competency battle that will go to trial on friday
ms herzers filing also prompted renewed scrutiny of mr redstones ability to serve as chairman of viacom and cbs positions he resigned from in february
these days mr redstone is mostly housebound at his mansion in the gated community of beverly park in los angeles he receives occasional visits from his daughter and her family as well as viacom officials including mr dauman people in the entertainment industry also stop by robert evans a film producer with longstanding ties to paramount pictures is among those who regularly see mr redstone an assistant to mr evans said   either attending movie screenings or just stopping by to visit
last year a planned 92nd birthday party for mr redstone on the paramount lot was canceled and was held instead at a smaller venue near his home


fx is adding another ryan murphy anthology series to its lineup
feud which will dramatize famous clashes is the third limited anthology show mr murphy will have done for the network joining the macabre american horror story and american crime story a hit earlier this year with its first installment the people v oj simpson
debuting in 2017 the eight episode first edition of feud will explore the longstanding rivalry between the mercurial film stars joan crawford and bette davis who came together for the 1962 film what ever happened to baby jane in an effort to rejuvenate their careers feud will unfold largely on the set of the film a garish psychodrama that went on to critical and box office success and an enduring reputation as a camp classic
jessica lange a former fixture on american horror story will star as ms crawford and susan sarandon will play ms davis the cast will also include alfred molina as robert aldrich the films director and stanley tucci as the studio boss jack warner the pilot is based in part on a script by jaffe cohen and michael zam
mr murphy will be an executive producer along with brad pitt and dede gardner
american horror story which changes spooky settings each year but recycles much of its cast has been a ratings winner for fx since it debuted in 2011 the people v oj simpson was arguably the most acclaimed new show of 2016 the next american crime story reportedly will dramatize the events surrounding hurricane katrina


atlanta   the members of georgia states beach volleyball team attended virtually every one of their universitys home football games last fall it was a gesture of support but also of gratitude
we wouldnt be here if they hadnt started it the senior alexis townsend said
what she meant is that when georgia state created a football team in 2010 that put an immediate strain on athletic department finances but also required a rebalancing to comply with title ix the federal law mandating gender equity in higher education a result was that georgia state dropped its mens cross country and track and field programs and added one in the nascent womens sport of beach volleyball
the georgia state football team has had its own achievements it led the universitys move to a more prominent conference the sun belt in 2012 and last season it qualified for its first bowl game
but the beach volleyball team is by far the more successful new sport on sunday the panthers were seeded seventh in the eight team field for the ncaas inaugural championship tournament they will play no 2 southern california on friday
beach volleyball a sport that enters the wider public consciousness every four years at the summer olympics is now a fast growing ncaa sport at least 60 colleges field programs and while the fact that southern california pepperdine and hawaii have teams is not surprising it is the presence of programs at places like georgia state south carolina nebraska and boise state that shows how gender equity requirements could be the most significant driver in the sports growth
last sunday night at georgia state the team and a few staff members gathered at coach beth van fleets house in the old fourth ward neighborhood to watch the bracket unveiling streamed live on the ncaas website as a home cooked meal wrapped up and several players studied for final exams van fleet put on a documentary about north carolina states improbable run to the ncaa mens basketball championship in 1983
the show came on at 10 pm though the panthers expressed shock that a regional rival florida state received the top seed the overall trend in the bracket was unmistakable with the exception of florida state all of the highest seeds went to teams from the western united states
look at the other seven schools georgia state athletic director charlie cobb said referring to a field that also includes ucla hawaii and arizona they make sense
georgia state by contrast plays on three tiered courts tucked into the middle of downtown atlanta there are a few palm trees and a boardwalk and a sophisticated drainage system under the sand ensures that the courts do not flood when it rains the team even practiced as snow fell one day in february
at a recent practice the beeps of trucks backing up and the rumble of trains passing through mingled with loudspeakers blaring top 40 radio the marta passenger rail system runs about 40 yards from the courts and a freight train passed even closer
thats our beach out there cobb said right next to the marta track
van fleet who played traditional volleyball known as court volleyball or indoor volleyball as a georgia state undergraduate said that while it would be easy to be cynical about the fact that her team owes its existence to the creation of the panthers football program she is simply appreciative
we wouldnt be here if it wasnt for football she said and i think its important that every female on this team knows that
beach volleyball   which had been an emerging sport an ncaa category for gestating womens sports   is almost laboratory created for athletic departments looking to balance their gender equity numbers as kathy deboer executive director of the american volleyball coaches association which used to run the national tournament explained in an email it is well known and popular it is relatively inexpensive to add particularly for colleges that begin with so called crossover players already on scholarship for court volleyball and it has existing advocates with know how namely court volleyball coaches
its a great way to add a womens program and be able to phase it in because its very cost efficient said cheryl levick the former georgia state athletic director who presided over the additions of football and beach volleyball cobb said that even with six scholarships which can be subdivided among more than six athletes the annual cost of beach volleyball at georgia state was less than 500000
at practice monday the teams first since learning its ncaa seeding the sky was overcast and the wind blew fiercely skidding balls across the sand on one court an assistant coach increased her height by standing on a table to block while on another a former player who volunteers with the team used his height to present the panthers players with a similar challenge the drills were intended to simulate the blockers and hammerers the team will face this weekend in gulf shores ala van fleet said
beach volleyball which features two players on a side who play on courts that are slightly smaller than those that hold six players in court volleyball requires the same skills and is called the same name but its a different sport van fleet said
in competition it is more akin to tennis teams seed five pairs which play the other teams equivalents   no 1 vs no 1 and so on the team that wins more matches prevails
the ncaa reined in the skimpy uniforms that are sometimes required on the professional circuit and are a not so secret olympics draw players tops must cover their midriffs while they are standing still and shorts or briefs must have at least a one inch inseam we want them to be able to feel comfortable out there and yet not be in a bikini because thats not what the image is for us said kristin fasbender a championships director at the ncaa
young womens participation in beach volleyball jumped nearly 50 percent from 2007 to 2014 according to the volleyball coaches association but the top talent still gravitates to court volleyball where there are hundreds of college teams each offering up to a dozen full scholarships
but georgia states players insist beach has much to recommend it
if you play beach you get to touch the ball once every play at least said townsend who grew up in houston playing court volleyball before van fleet persuaded her to switch indoor you can go six plays without touching the ball
the freshman brooke weiner added its a lot more fun than being inside of a gym


the media mogul sumner m redstone was in the middle of a bitter divorce from his wife of 52 years in december 2000 when he was spotted with a decades younger woman at the new york premiere of the paramount movie what women want
his companion was manuela herzer then a 36 year old single mother of three the pair met the previous year and they dated for about two years when he asked her to marry him in 2000 she declined
yet ms herzer remained in the orbit of mr redstones life as a friend even as he cycled through another marriage and a series of girlfriends he lavished gifts real estate and money on her   more than 70 million in cash and other assets since 2009 he named her a beneficiary of his personal trust listing her as family upon his death he planned to leave her an additional 50 million and his 20 million los angeles mansion according to various court filings
now ms herzer is challenging mr redstones mental competence in a salacious lawsuit she filed last november not long after she was suddenly ejected from mr redstones life and his home where she had maintained a residence for about two years she also was removed from his will and from a directive that would have given her supervision of his health care
the legal battle filled with embarrassing claims about mr redstones sexual desires incontinence and demands to eat steak while on a feeding tube is scheduled for trial starting friday in los angeles county superior court exactly three weeks before his 93rd birthday
this real life soap opera has captivated both hollywood and wall street while the dispute concerns mr redstones personal affairs the outcome could have major implications for his 42 billion media empire which includes two of the worlds largest entertainment companies viacom and cbs both still controlled by mr redstone
a ruling by judge david j cowan that mr redstone is not competent would set off a contentious battle for power across mr redstones businesses
at the center of it all is ms herzer now 51 who claims in the suit that mr redstone lacked mental capacity and was under the undue influence of a nurse and his daughter shari redstone when he changed his health care plan is ms herzer a loving friend concerned about his well being whom he trusted to look out for his best interests even more than his own family or are her claims an invasion of privacy riddled with lies and motivated by greed
those questions will set the backdrop for the trial as the court is expected to hear video testimony from mr redstone as well as from his daughter doctors and nurses ms herzer and philippe dauman the chief executive of viacom
the trial will expose the tragic inconvenient truth that sumner redstone needs the courts protection from those who have lied to and exploited him in his debilitated condition pierce odonnell a lawyer for ms herzer said in a statement we look forward to trial
robert n klieger a lawyer for mr redstone said in a statement that the case was all about money for ms herzer
for mr redstone it is about his ability to decide who will make the most important health care decisions in his life mr klieger added some things are more important than money
the two sides came close to reaching a settlement last month but talks hit a snag since then hurried trial preparations have been underway with both sides boldly proclaiming that they are looking forward to arguing the dispute in court
the trial which is scheduled to last five days promises to provide vivid details and plot turns worthy of a shakespearean drama
the first witness friday is expected to be mr redstone in video testimony recorded thursday mr redstone has not been seen publicly since his 92nd birthday last may and has suffered minor strokes that have left him with a severe speech impediment in her suit ms herzer called him a living ghost
one person who has interacted regularly with mr redstone and who asked not to be identified because the conversations with mr redstone were private said that while it was difficult to understand him initially people who become familiar with his speech patterns could make out what he was saying particularly when he responded to yes or no questions spoke in shorter phrases or became angry his speech therapists and nurses are said to assist in interpreting mr redstones more complex statements
next on the witness list is dr stephen l read a psychiatrist who conducted a medical exam of mr redstone in late january and filed a 37 page report most details were withheld dr read is expected to testify that mr redstone did not fully understand and appreciate the consequences of removing ms herzer from the health care directive according to court documents filed by her lawyers on thursday
lawyers for mr redstone asserted in a separate court filing on thursday that dr reads report was manipulated by mr odonnell
then comes keryn redstone mr redstones granddaughter who has formed an alliance with ms herzer that essentially pits her against shari redstone her aunt in a recent declaration keryn redstone described her grandfather as a prisoner in his own home she also claimed that she and her grandfather had been threatened by her aunt shari redstone has called the claims false
new court documents filed thursday by lawyers for mr redstone assert that ms herzer exploited her relationship with him for financial gain saying that between last august and mid october she charged more than 265000 to his american express card and at one point called in a request for 40000 in cash to be delivered to mr redstones house and had him sign for it
in response lawyers for ms herzer said that mr redstone had been generous to many people in his life and ms herzer was one of them
ms herzer has said the suit is solely about mr redstones well being she was introduced to him by one of his old friends in 1999 about five years after her bitter divorce from eric chamchoum a nigerian born telecommunications executive who is part of a dynastic lebanese family
ms herzer was born in buenos aires the only daughter in a family with four sons the family moved to miami when she was a child she later studied in paris where she met mr chamchoum the couple moved to los angeles
their divorce filings in the los angeles court system are lurid the case includes well over 1500 pages with accusations of physical abuse and tax evasion and assertions by ms herzer that her husband had threatened to abduct their two children and take them to nigeria lawyers came and went
mr chamchoum lived in nigeria at the time ms herzer was unable to provide any evidence of abuse
over the years ms herzer has listed her occupation in public records as homemaker producer and self employed she owns property in california new york and paris and is also listed as the principal officer of the herzer foundation dedicated to the prevention of childhood diseases and child abuse
former employees of paramount the movie and television studio owned by viacom described her as a frequent presence on the lot and on the red carpet for movie premieres charity parties and other social events over the years last year she participated in an interview and photo shoot for a lengthy profile about mr redstone in vanity fair
though they stopped dating early in the 2000s mr redstone and ms herzer remained close and in early 2013 she moved into his mansion at his request she said in court filings from 2013 until august 2015 ms herzer said she helped mr redstone make health care decisions along with his girlfriend at the time sydney holland
in august ms holland was ejected from the home after a confession of infidelity at that point ms herzer said she took over the management of mr redstones health care she characterized his health as deteriorating rapidly
on the morning of oct 12 ms herzer was removed from mr redstones home in a scene she described as a tearful frenzy she has said that she did not know why she had been ejected and was told by mr redstones lawyers only that she had lied to mr redstone the papers filed by the redstone side on thursday said the lies involved ms herzer obstructing mr redstones relationship with another woman as well as her fabrication of a letter she said was from ms holland
lawyers for ms herzer said that they will show during the trial that the allegations have no merit


mosca colo   wes arneson planted his bare feet in the mud and prepared for the fight of his life a tussle with a 400 pound alligator called big bertha who lives in a geothermal swamp under a willow tree in high desert colorado
bertha opened her jaw like a lion and let out a hiss like a snake ride it like a cowboy someone yelled mr arneson hopped on
residents call the san luis valley a vast alpine desert in southern colorado one of the weirdest patches of the west sparsely populated and largely free of light pollution the valley lays claim to more than a dozen spiritual centers a ufo watchtower and a roadside attraction called the colorado gators reptile park
here the headline activity is the alligator wrestling course a three hour endeavor in which novices wrangle carnivorous reptiles with names like pitbull darth gator and sir chomps a lot the cost 100
critics see the park as a dangerous even cruel gimmick contrived for adrenaline junkies raised on reality television but to the people of san luis valley   which is isolated agricultural and missing out on much of colorados economic boom   homespun tourist attractions are a way of life
in order to survive down here you have to do something different said judy messoline 71 who opened the ufo watchtower down the road after her cattle operation failed in 16 years she has had 30000 visitors she said and 110 extraterrestrial sightings
in an era of pricey tourist attractions with well rehearsed routines the gator park is defiantly do it yourself with dirt roads hand painted signs rusty pools and a disdain for safety measures like work boots and gloves the park has no insurance and a caution sign looms at the entrance warning trespassers will be delicious
its an adventure said the parks owner jay young 42 whose family moved here in 1974 they started a tilapia farm using thermal waters that flow beneath the landlocked valley brought in alligators to aid in the cleanup and eventually converted the operation into a reptile menagerie
it wouldnt be fun he said if it was safe
while alligator wrestling exists in swampy parts of the country like florida it is most often performed by professionals and few places allow rookies to take part here injuries are part of the package weve only lost one finger mr young said actually it wasnt lost i pried it out of the gators mouth and sent it to the hospital
the gator park attracts people like sky divers and motorcycle racers looking for the next thrill   but mr young also seems to have cornered a market few knew existed people who use gator wrestling as therapy
mr arneson 52 is a tourist from minnesota who works part time for a tribal school district he suffers from chronic pain caused mostly by a car accident and said he was looking for a few minutes or even seconds when all he could think about was something else
he planned his trip around the class freedom thats what this is about he said
he wore khaki shorts and a t shirt to his lesson and brought his girlfriend lorie steinke who mostly stood far back
in pond 1 two employees taught mr arneson and another student to pluck two foot alligators from the water by the nape the parks turkeys cackled and a crew of emus looked on toes sticking up make a good snack said an instructor drew nelson 36 if you feel something you dont like be a tree
then they were on to pond 2 which teemed with alligators measuring four to seven feet in length mr nelson ran in like a child at the shore yanked an alligator named kim kardashian by the tail and with a giant tug jumped onto her back
mr arneson the student went next
this is the most dangerous size alligator mr nelson said theyre big enough to do some real damage but small enough to move real fast
the young family first imported alligators from florida in the 1980s using them to consume tilapia waste soon though the reptiles proved more popular   and profitable   than the fish
the park opened in 1990 and grew to include pythons and hundreds of other pets whose owners had abandoned them the wrestling course began in 2000
staff members say the real purpose of the class is to pull the reptiles from the ponds to check them for wounds and apply antibiotics if necessary tourists are simply helping out we love alligators said mr nelson the instructor were looking for their injuries not the glamour
but a veterinarian with people for the ethical treatment of animals condemned the practice saying alligators mostly like to be left alone we encourage anyone who cares about animals to stay far away from this place the veterinarian heather rally said
at the park the class moved to pond 3 the finale
mr nelson ran into murky water carrying a green lasso neck deep he hooked the rope around something heavy and then slowly emerged dragging a 10 foot 3 alligator named big bertha by the neck
bertha waggled and snapped mr arneson danced around the gator and then jumped onto its back hooking his feet under her arms his hands in her jaw crease
two visitors from denver stood by i think its mean honestly said chance galindo 43
her travel partner agreed
im kind of half hoping hell actually bite somebody said lb templeton 44 like bullfighting you love it when the matador gets it
in front of them mr arneson yanked berthas head back delivered a kiss to the snout climbed off and watched her slither away as a storm blew in an instructor issued a word of advice come on said josh stokely 26 lets get out of here while were still alive


an inmate on the verge of parole eligibility was on the run on thursday after escaping from a prison in southern new jersey prompting residents to stay in their homes local schools to lock down and dozens of law enforcement officers to fan out in a manhunt the authorities said
the inmate arthur w buckel 38 was last seen on tuesday during a 6 am bed check at a minimum security satellite unit of bayside state prison on the grounds of ancora psychiatric hospital in hammonton officials said mr buckel is serving a three year sentence on charges that included aggravated assault and burglary and would have been eligible for parole on may 21 officials said
the state corrections department said it was investigating how mr buckel had escaped
mr buckel was previously convicted of aggravated manslaughter in 1996 in the beating death of his girlfriends 10 month old daughter in jersey city he was sentenced to 25 years in prison without the possibility of parole for 12  1/2  years and was released in june 2010
on wednesday a man the police said was mr buckel could be seen on surveillance video entering a cvs store in barnegat a township on the jersey shore about an hours drive northeast of the prison unit from which he escaped
a stolen chevrolet silverado was found outside the cvs and officials said they believed mr buckel had used it during his escape
but by thursday evening the barnegat police department said on its facebook page that it had received information from state officials that mr buckel was no longer in the area the police said officers would be present at all barnegat schools on friday
mayor jon novak of barnegat speaking at a news conference on thursday cautioned township residents to keep their doors locked and their eyes open for anything unusual
mr buckel was 18 when he admitted to hitting his girlfriends baby when she would not stop crying at a labor day party in 1995 according to news accounts from the trial
later that day the girls mother realized that her daughter had stopped breathing and brought her to jersey city medical center where she was pronounced dead an autopsy showed that the girls skull had been fractured
mr buckel is thought to have at least one relative who lives in the barnegat area the police said the woman whose child he killed lives in the township
we have hard links and we have speculation arthur p drexler the barnegat police chief said
mr buckel is 5 feet 9 inches tall and has light blue eyes a mustache and beard and a small tattoo under his left eye according to the corrections department it was not clear what he was wearing when he escaped but the cvs video shows him in a bright yellow jacket and khaki pants
mr novak noted that mr buckel looked considerably different in the cvs surveillance video than he did in other available photographs including those from the state motor vehicle commission mr buckel appears to be a good deal heavier in the video than he does in earlier pictures
mr novak said large numbers of law enforcement officers would be assigned to local schools and along bus routes while chasing down every lead


washington   alarmed by donald j trumps grip on the republican presidential nomination world leaders are wrestling with the possibility that even if he loses the general election his ascent reflects a strain of american public opinion that could profoundly reshape the way the united states addresses security alliances and trade
from beijing tokyo and seoul to the headquarters of nato in brussels and the vulnerable baltic nations along russias western border officials and analysts said in interviews that they saw the success of mr trumps america first platform as a harbinger of pressure for allies to pay up or make trade concessions in return for military protection
in many capitals mr trumps formal and off the cuff foreign policy proposals   his threat to pull out of nato his musings about removing the united states nuclear umbrella over japan and south korea his pledge to slap huge trade tariffs on china   are regarded with a mix of alarm and confusion asked on thursday if beijing was concerned about the prospect of a trump presidency the chinese foreign ministry spokesman hong lei replied we hope the us people from all walks of life would view bilateral relations from a reasonable and objective perspective
stefano stefanini a former representative of italy to nato and former diplomatic adviser to the italian president put it this way there is no donald trump contingency plan
the mistake that europe might make is to think the trump phenomenon might just fade away mr stefanini said the sentiments that donald trump is expressing will certainly influence the next administration or the next congress
officials do not see mr trumps rise as merely an american version of the anti immigration and isolationist parties that have picked up support across europe they are finding signs of tangible political change in statements by democratic leaders as well
already mr trumps assertive positions about american interests have led some officials to look again at president obamas recent critique of european and persian gulf allies as free riders they have also helped shed light abroad on the domestic political forces at play around hillary clintons decision to renounce her support for a new asian trade deal
some too are revisiting the words of robert m gates in his last weeks as defense secretary in 2011 mr gates warned that a new generation of americans with no memory of the cold war would eventually ask whether nato the central institution of european security was an artifact like the single segment of the berlin wall that remains standing as a reminder of the past in europe last month mr obama pressed allies to live up to commitments to spend 2 percent of their gross domestic product on defense a benchmark that few have hit
some of the claims made during the campaign have been empty or just wrong said peter westmacott a former british ambassador to the united states where he was regarded as one of the savviest analysts of american european relations there is no better iran nuclear deal and not many people think it is a good idea for south korea or japan to acquire nuclear weapons
but others should give us europeans pause for thought he said nato members need to reflect on whether its right or sustainable for the us to pay over 70 percent of the bill for our collective security or how to ensure we take care of the losers as well as the winners in global free trade
clearly many european policy makers were already upset with mr obamas reluctance to intervene on their behalf in conflicts where they have national interests and with his demand that european nations put what he called in an interview with the atlantic more skin in the game
europeans cite the united states reluctance to take the lead in ousting col muammar el qaddafi from libya an operation that revealed major flaws in nato operations and they are unconvinced by mr obamas insistence that he made the right decision in backing away from the red line he had drawn over the use of chemical weapons by president bashar al assad of syria
over all i would say there are too many signs of american retrenchment and retreat said anders fogh rasmussen a former prime minister of denmark who was nato secretary general until 2014 europeans he said would generally prefer an american president who will demonstrate determined american leadership even as to many analysts mr trumps rise suggests pressure for the nation to turn inward
mr rasmussen said he saw mr trumps demands on nato as an acceleration of the obama administrations effort to encourage more burden sharing but they come with an isolationist twist he said the america first term embraced by mr trump in a recent interview with the new york times goes back to a movement led by charles a lindbergh in the 1930s to keep america out of war in europe
the european reaction to the revival of that term has been so sharp that american military leaders while reluctant to get involved in the campaign have tried to take on mr trumps arguments
gen philip m breedlove who just stepped down as the supreme allied commander for europe wrote in the washington post this week that when he assumed his position in 2013 he thought that arguments about natos utility were without merit and there was no need to engage now he said without naming mr trump he felt compelled to explain to my fellow countrymen why the united states absolutely needs nato   a nato that is strong resilient and united
five members of the joint chiefs of staff made a similar set of arguments at the council on foreign relations in new york on tuesday also avoiding any mention of mr trumps name
but to many who live on russias raw border especially in the baltic nations in moscows shadow there is nothing more puzzling than mr trumps reluctance to criticize president vladimir v putin he has often spoken admiringly of mr putin saying he respects his strength and views him as someone with whom he can negotiate to european ears that sounds as if mr trump may be playing into mr putins hands opening a rift within nato
russias enthusiasm about trump seems to be predicated on the assumption that he may actually withdraw forces from europe said matthew rojansky the director of the kennan institute a washington research group focused on russia
that is exactly the fear of others in a region where nato is the only bulwark against russia and where some people doubt that an american president would really commit forces to protect them in times of conflict
after russias intervention in ukraine a lot of latvians woke up and said thank god we are in nato said lolita cigane a member of the latvian parliament
in neighboring lithuania a plaque at town hall in the capital vilnius commemorates a 2002 visit by another republican president george w bush anyone who would choose lithuania as an enemy has also made an enemy of the united states of america mr bush said then mr obama made a similar vow in estonia and increased natos presence in eastern europe in response to the russian threat and mr trumps position feels like backpedaling to people in the region
mr trumps argument that seoul and tokyo which host tens of thousands of american troops need to pay more or see the troops leave bewildered officials in those countries japan pays roughly 2 billion a year toward the troops housing and military leaders often say it would be more costly for american taxpayers to base those same troops in guam or in the mainland united states moreover those bases are critical for daily intelligence gathering on china and north korea
american military officials and diplomats argue that these forward deployed bases are critical to maintaining freedom of navigation and deterring north korea but mr trumps argues that they are worth it only if they do not cost the united states a fortune
i think the real subliminal message trump is saying is this the us can afford to survive and prosper without any allies if it was forced to cut off all ties but the converse isnt true said chung min lee a professor of international relations at yonsei university in seoul he added that mr trump was forcing allies to come up with convincing elevator speeches on the key benefits they bring to the us and thus far none of them have done so
in china a frequent target of mr trumps criticism he is widely viewed as a pragmatist who is less hawkish and less focused on human rights than mrs clinton is
his proposal to impose high taxes on chinese goods receives little attention there and his talk of chinas raping the united states in unfair trade deals has been met with shrugs as if to say that charge is nothing new instead the conversation focuses on mr trumps business success or his pronouncements on preventing foreign muslims from entering the united states an attitude that jibes with the antipathy in much of china toward the muslim population in the western province of xinjiang
many in china believe a pro business republican president will tend to be pragmatic and china friendly if not pro china said wang dong associate professor of international studies at peking university therefore many in china tend to view trumps remarks of imposing more than 30 percent of tariffs on china as rhetorical campaign language
mr trumps assertion that american troops in south korea and japan should be sent back to the united states is in alignment with official though rarely stated chinese goals but his suggestion later reversed in part that japan and south korea should be able to develop their own nuclear arsenals alarmed beijing especially the notion that japan the occupier of china in world war ii would become a nuclear power


doctoral students in the sciences are more like the rest of us than previously thought they dont know what they want to do with their lives either
so when confronted with the choice of what to do with their newly minted doctorates they tend to keep marching in a straight path to pursue postdoctoral research positions
in a study published thursday in science magazine researchers tried to figure out why so many phd students choose to do post docs given the relatively low odds of landing a full time faculty position which is traditionally the end goal of such work
their results perhaps befitting the complex topics of advanced research were somewhat inconclusive unfortunately it is not clear why phd students pursue postdoc positions and how their plans depend on individual level factors they wrote
but the authors of the study from the business schools at georgia tech and cornell university did find evidence that many phd students pursue post docs as a default option after graduate school or as part of a holding pattern until the job they want is available this may not come as a surprise to liberal arts majors who have gone to law school for the same reasons
the authors who did not get postdoctoral degrees themselves conclusively demonstrated the need for more career planning among graduate students and that graduate students should consider their career paths before they even begin a phd program
its probably not a controversial conclusion said henry sauermann an associate professor at georgia tech and one of the authors of the study but what might be a little different here is thinking about whether the phd is the right path in the first place
to collect their data the authors surveyed phd students who were studying biological and life sciences or physics chemistry engineering or computer science at 39 research universities in the united states in 2010 and 2013
more than three quarters of biological and life science students believed they needed to do at least a year of postdoc research to be qualified for phd level research in academia or in an industry forty two percent of the students in the other fields thought the same
of the biological and life sciences students who had finished their doctoral degrees by 2013 74 percent had taken a postdoctoral position and so had 46 percent of those in the other fields of study that year the most common reason students gave for doing a postdoc was that they thought it would increase their chances of getting the job they wanted
at times it is difficult to get a clear takeaway from the paper for instance the authors wrote that the limited availability of faculty positions may discourage students from pursuing post docs but that limited availability may also encourage students to pursue a postdoc in order to become more competitive
one lesson may be dont get a phd until you know what you want to do with it but this may require further study


facebook reported dazzling first quarter results last week net income nearly tripled to 15 billion and monthly active users hit a record 165 billion but its a much smaller number that leapt out at me
fifty minutes
thats the average amount of time the company said that users spend each day on its facebook instagram and messenger platforms and thats not counting the popular messaging app whatsapp
maybe that doesnt sound like so much but there are only 24 hours in a day and the average person sleeps for 88 of them that means more than one sixteenth of the average users waking time is spent on facebook
the average time that users spend on facebook is nearing an hour thats more than any other leisure activity surveyed by the bureau of labor statistics with the exception of watching television programs and movies an average per day of 28 hours its more time than people spend reading 19 minutes participating in sports or exercise 17 minutes or social events four minutes its almost as much time as people spend eating and drinking 107 hours
when you really think about it 50 minutes is a tremendous amount of time   its huge said ken sena a managing director and analyst at evercore who covers consumer internet companies usually when a platform expands its user base the average time spent goes down because a lot of new people arent that active
but the average time people spend on facebook has gone up   from around 40 minutes in 2014   even as the number of monthly active users has surged and thats just the average some users must be spending many hours a day on the site prone to the unofficial syndrome known as internet addiction disorder
theyre doing a tremendous job of finding ways to keep people on the site mr sena said
facebooks chief executive mark zuckerberg disclosed the 50 minutes metric almost as an aside during the companys earnings call last month but it could well have been the opening slide in his presentation because time has become the holy grail of digital media
time is the best measure of engagement and engagement correlates with advertising effectiveness time also increases the supply of impressions that facebook can sell which brings in more revenue a 52 percent increase last quarter to 54 billion
and time enables facebook to learn more about its users   their habits and interests   and thus better target its ads the result is a powerful network effect that competitors will be hard pressed to match
ranked by average time spent on the platform facebook has few rivals according to the latest data from comscore the only one that comes close is alphabets youtube where users spent an average of 17 minutes a day on the site thats less than half the 35 minutes a day users spent on facebook based on comscores data which unlike facebooks 50 minutes is derived only from users in the united states
users spent an average of nine minutes on all of yahoos sites two minutes on linkedin and just one minute on twitter according to comscore no wonder twitter is struggling to attract ad spending
people spending the most time on facebook also tend to fall into the prized 18 to 34 demographic sought by advertisers
generally speaking higher usage on facebook skews to younger users and towards millennials specifically said andrew lipsman vice president for marketing and insights at comscore you hear a narrative that young people are fleeing facebook the data show thats just not true younger users have a wider appetite for social media and they spend a lot of time on multiple networks but they spend more time on facebook by a wide margin
the surging popularity of facebook and other social media naturally brings up some questions what arent facebook users doing during the 50 minutes they spend there is it possibly interfering with work and productivity or in the case of young people studying and reading
that data is hard to come by for one thing people dont want to admit in surveys that they are using social media when they are supposed to be doing something else
while the bureau of labor statistics surveys nearly every conceivable time occupying activity even fencing and spelunking it doesnt specifically tally the time spent on social media both because the activity may have multiple purposes   both work and leisure   and because people often do it at the same time they are ostensibly engaged in other activities according to a bureau spokeswoman
the closest category would be computer use for leisure which has grown from eight minutes in 2006 when the bureau began collecting the data to 14 minutes in 2014 the most recent survey or perhaps it would be socializing and communicating with others which slipped from 40 minutes to 38 minutes
but time spent on most leisure activities hasnt changed much in those eight years of the bureaus surveys time spent reading dropped from an average of 22 minutes to 19 minutes watching television and movies increased from 257 hours to 28 average time spent working declined from 34 hours to 325 those hours seem low because much of the population which includes both young people and the elderly does not work
the bureaus numbers since they cover the entire population may be too broad to capture important shifts among important demographic groups comscore reported that television viewing both live and recorded dropped 2 percent last year and it said younger viewers in particular are abandoning traditional live television people ages 18 34 spent just 47 percent of their viewing time on television screens and 40 percent on mobile devices among those 55 and older 70 percent of their viewing time was on television according to comscore so among young people much social media time may be coming at the expense of traditional television
mr lipsman of comscore said he was skeptical that social media use could be blamed for stagnating productivity or a decline in educational standards he said comscores data suggests that people are spending on average just six to seven minutes a day using social media on their work computers i dont think facebook is displacing other activity he said people use it during downtime during the course of their day in the elevator or while commuting or waiting thats the biggest driver of so much of this engagement
facebook naturally is busy cooking up ways to get us to spend even more time on the platform a crucial initiative is improving its news feed tailoring it more precisely to the needs and interests of its users based on how long people spend reading particular posts for people who demonstrate a preference for video more video will appear near the top of their news feed the more time people spend on facebook the more data they will generate about themselves and the better the company will get at the task
as a company spokeswoman jessie baker told me the time people spend on our site is a good measure of whether were delivering value to them the better we do at providing what people most want to see the more likely they are to return to the app and spend time
obviously there are limits to how much time facebook users can spend since there are only 24 hours in a day but short of that i dont feel theres any upper limit said mr sena the analyst everybody wants to be the platform thats on all day kind of like some people used to have their television on all the time facebook is probably in the best position because people are already such active users


jerusalem   israels military said it found another tunnel on thursday burrowed from gaza into israeli territory   the second in three weeks   as officials revealed the arrest last month of a hamas operative who had disclosed much information about the groups digging
the israeli effort to find tunnels from gaza which hamas considers a strategic asset has led to a flare up of violence along the border in recent days hamas militants have fired at israeli forces along the border for the first time since a cease fire brokered by egypt ended 50 days of fierce fighting in the summer of 2014 the israelis responded with tank fire and airstrikes medical officials in gaza said that a palestinian woman identified as zayna al amur 55 was killed by israeli shelling in the southern gaza strip according to wafa the official palestinian news agency
the hamas operative under arrest mahmoud atawneh 29 was detained in early april after he crossed the border fence into israel armed with two knives according to shin bet israels domestic security agency
the shin bet announcement fueled speculation over whether israels recent success in detecting tunnels was the result of a tip rather than some unique technological breakthrough as prime minister benjamin netanyahu of israel had suggested last month
lt col peter lerner a spokesman for the israeli military said that the newly discovered tunnel found in the southern part of the border area between gaza and israel on thursday morning was more than 90 feet underground
its detection colonel lerner said resulted from what he described as a combination of technology intelligence engineering and operational activities he declined to elaborate on the technology telling reporters it is a secret that is best well kept
hamas fired mortar rounds toward israeli forces operating along the border for a second day on thursday causing no casualties israel said it had carried out airstrikes overnight and on thursday against more than a dozen targets in the northern and southern part of gaza describing them as hamas terrorist infrastructure sites and hamas military posts they were apparently uninhabited at the time
israeli analysts said that the exchanges of fire seemed intended to warn rather than kill and to re establish red lines or boundaries on both sides
during a visit to the militarys gaza division on thursday israels defense minister moshe yaalon said we will not be deterred by hamass threats and we will continue our activity in the face of the breach of our sovereignty until we find and expose the last of the tunnels
mr yaalon said hamas opened fire on the israelis and that israel would continue to respond with force to every provocation by hamas so that the escalation will not occur
a senior hamas official moussa abu marzouk said in a statement late wednesday that hamas fighters had acted against the israeli forces to prevent their bulldozers from any effort to impose new realities in the border area and that hamas had contacted egyptian officials for help in restoring the cease fire
colonel lerner said that israeli forces have been operating within 100 yards on the gaza side of the border fence and that the militarys operations within that limited area had been accepted in the past hamass decision to shoot he said was likely the result of the militant groups worry that the israelis were closing in on its tunnel network
israel said it had destroyed 32 tunnels by the end of the 2014 war which left more than 2100 palestinians and 70 israelis dead nearly a dozen of those tunnels ran beneath the border into israeli territory according to israeli officials and hamas used some to carry out ambushes against israeli forces israeli officials fear that hamas could also try to use the tunnels to attack israeli border villages
it was not immediately clear when the tunnel discovered on thursday had been dug the military said it would continue investigating over the next few days
mr atawneh the hamas operative in israeli custody provided his interrogators with detailed information about the routes of tunnels in northern gaza hamass operating methods and how it uses private houses and institutions for the purpose of concealing tunnel digging shin bet said in a statement he also told his interrogators that the network of tunnels includes rooms for resting fitted with showers and dining areas in order to improve the conditions for hamass underground fighters


donald trump emphasizes his business savvy as a reason to make him president in a phone interview with cnbc on thursday he showed both the strengths and limitations of this background as he talked about the federal reserve the dollar and the national debt in more detail than he has before
in short he showed clarity and consistency in talking about monetary policy and the dollar but he also made an offhand comment that if taken literally would amount to rejecting the very underpinnings of the global financial system and would threaten to undermine the united states two centuries of creditworthiness
win some lose some
mr trump was asked whether he would reappoint janet yellen as fed chairwoman her term is set to expire feb 3 2018 about a year after the next president takes office i have nothing against janet yellen whatsoever he said i dont know her shes a very capable person people that i know have a very high regard for her but shes not a republican
when her time is up i would most likely replace her because of the fact that i think it would be appropriate
fair enough if he is elected president it will be mr trumps prerogative to appoint a fed leader of his liking that said traditionally presidents try to make it a nonpartisan appointment ronald reagan renominated jimmy carters appointee paul volcker bill clinton renominated reagans appointee alan greenspan and barack obama renominated george w bushs appointee ben bernanke
still fed watchers have assumed that if a republican wins the 2016 election the new president will appoint a new fed leader more interesting is that mr trump seems to favor a new fed chair who continues the low interest rate policies of mr bernanke and ms yellen
shes a low interest rate person shes always been a low interest rate person he said and i must be honest i am a low interest rate person if we raise interest rates and if the dollar starts getting too strong were going to have some very major problems
that gets the economics of the current american monetary policy dilemma pretty much right as the fed moved toward interest rate increases last year when other global central banks were trying to ease policy it created steep upward pressure on the dollar that in turn hammered american exporters undermining growth here
it also caused strains across the global economy because the dollar is the global reserve currency and because debts around the world are denominated in the currency a stronger dollar meant tighter money in countries from china to brazil
it was in no small part due to this effect that the fed has slowed the pace of rate increases from what it envisioned late last year
moreover if you agree with mr trumps oft repeated views that china and other countries seize unfair advantage in trade by depressing their currencies economists generally argue thats not the case with regard to china at present but it has been in the recent past you should want low interest rate policies out of the fed while there are certain benefits it sounds better to have a strong dollar than it actually is he said
mr trump acknowledged that his preference for low interest rates would need to change if inflation took off if inflation starts coming in and we dont see any signs of that inflation starts coming in thats a different story you have to go up and you have to slow things down but right now i am for low interest rates janet yellen would agree
thats in contrast with many leading conservatives like paul ryan and ted cruz who have favored tighter money and a stronger dollar for the last several years
things got messier when mr trump talked about his view of the national debt seeming to apply his experience renegotiating with creditors for his casinos and hotels to the world of treasury debt were paying a very low interest rate   what happens if that interest rate goes up 2 3 4 points he said we dont have a country we have tremendous debt tremendous he advocated shifting toward longer term debt locking in current low interest rates for the federal government
that isnt unreasonable the federal governments budget could be strained if interest rates rise   though a world in which rates rise significantly is probably a world in which there is also strong economic growth higher inflation or both either would mean more tax revenue which would make the debt manageable despite higher rates
but mr trump also suggested something that would represent a radical shift in united states policy if we take him seriously ive borrowed knowing that you can pay back with discounts he said he added now were in a different situation with the country but i would borrow knowing that if the economy crashed you could make a deal
he specified later that he didnt mean renegotiating bond terms which countries like argentina and greece have done repeatedly what he says he meant was buying back bonds at discounts after rates have risen much as a company at risk of bankruptcy might buy its own bonds back at say 70 cents on the dollar and thus reduce what it owes i dont want to renegotiate the bonds but i think you can do discounting he said
but typically the kinds of discounts on bond prices he is talking about occur when a country or company is at high risk of defaulting on its obligations and to even threaten that would be a rejection of a principle that dates to alexander hamilton and the founding of the republic   that the united states promise to make good on its obligations is ironclad threatening to repudiate american government debts could also arguably violate a provision of the 14th amendment of the constitution
it is that reputation for creditworthiness and reliability that has made united states treasury bonds the bedrock of the global financial system   a crucial difference between american government debt and the likes of argentinas or for that matter the kind of debt owed on a failed casino project
i am the king of debt mr trump said i love debt i love playing with it but now youre talking about something thats very very fragile and has to be handled very carefully
two centuries of united states treasury secretaries would tend to agree


kabul afghanistan   the united states embassy issued a strongly worded warning on thursday about kidnappings of foreigners here after an american citizen narrowly escaped an abduction attempt in downtown kabul
the threat of kidnapping and hostage taking continues to be very high the embassy said in a statement posted on its website it added that the attempted kidnapping on monday targeted several expatriates including an american citizen who were riding in an aid groups vehicle the statement gave no further details
the attempt came four days after a well known australian aid worker katherine jane wilson also known as kerry was kidnapped in the eastern city of jalalabad she had been working in afghanistan for about 20 years relatives and australian government officials said
that abduction and others have alarmed foreign residents in afghanistan where kidnappings seemed a relatively minor risk until a year ago
since last spring kidnapped foreigners have included two germans a man and a woman who worked for the german aid group giz a female dutch aid worker and ms wilson there have been rumors of other kidnappings of westerners but embassies have not confirmed them
in addition a canadian hostage colin rutherford was released in january after being held for five years by the taliban
an american freelance journalist believed to have been taken prisoner by the haqqani network in eastern afghanistan has been held for at least three years as in many such cases the hostages identity has been kept secret by the authorities and the news media including the new york times at the request of relatives or government officials
two other americans are thought to be held caitlin coleman of york pa disappeared with her husband joshua boyle a canadian while vacationing in afghanistan in 2012 she was pregnant at the time her child who would now be about 4 would be an american citizen as well her family released videos of ms coleman and her husband that had been sent to them by the taliban
the aid group that was targeted on monday has not been publicly identified but it is believed to be a major american organization
in the case of ms wilson 60 the australian government confirmed her identity and her father brian wilson appealed for her release in an interview with the british newspaper the daily mail
i presume shes a hostage and that theyll do their best to keep her alive and not harm her simply because they want to have something or other in return and its not very good having a dead hostage the paper quoted mr wilson as saying
ms wilson ran the zardozi organization which promotes the work of afghan artisans particularly women and sold their handicrafts primarily to foreign residents here and abroad the groups items were sold in ganjina a popular handicraft venue in central kabul that has shut down because of security concerns and a decline in customers
the afghan police believe that many of the kidnappings of foreigners have been carried out by criminal gangs motivated by ransom the fear is that such groups could sell their hostages to extremist organizations several of those kidnapped such as the german and dutch citizens taken last year have been released but it is not known whether ransoms were paid
afghan citizens working for aid groups are frequently kidnapped while in the field but in most cases they are released unharmed after negotiations with insurgents and community leaders that was the case with five afghan employees of the international committee of the red cross who were abducted in ghazni province in february but released unharmed after four days last year however five afghan workers for the save the children charity were abducted and murdered in southern oruzgan province
the kidnappings of foreigners in kabul have been concentrated in the taimani neighborhood where many foreign aid workers and journalists have homes and offices the attempt on monday also took place in taimani said fraidoon obaidy who leads the criminal investigation division for the kabul police despite the embassys statement however he said it was apparently an attempted carjacking of the aid groups vehicle there was no proof that showed it was a kidnapping attempt he said
in the kidnapping of one of the german aid workers in taimani the police arrested suspects leading to her release mr obaidy said no ransom was paid that i might know of he said but if anything was paid to the kidnappers without telling us that is a different issue
the other german worker for giz was taken hostage in the northern city of kunduz and he has also been released officials said
mohammad omar safi the governor in kunduz province at the time of the abduction said a criminal gang had released that worker after a 15 million ransom was paid the kidnappers had wanted more mr safi said and they kidnapped the second giz staff member in retaliation demanding an even larger ransom
mr safi who was interviewed by phone from germany said he had no personal knowledge of whether a ransom had been paid in the second case
a spokesman for giz oliver hanschke declined to say whether the agency had paid for the release of its workers giz does generally not comment on hostage taking mr hanschke said
the united states embassys warning on thursday advised americans to avoid predictable travel patterns within afghanistan the embassy also urged people to review your personal security plans take appropriate steps to enhance your personal safety remain aware of your surroundings monitor local news for updates and maintain a high level of vigilance


pfizers record with mergers hardly inspires confidence the drug giants last two huge acquisition attempts failed it could try another merger to cut its tax rate it could enter one or more potentially heated auctions or it could split up if it wants to succeed at deal making the company needs clearer goals
pfizer led by ian c read is still smarting from its rejected attempt to buy astrazeneca for nearly 120 billion in 2014 and the more recent 160 billion acquisition of allergan which the two sides agreed to but then canceled last month after the treasury departments clampdown on tax driven deals
the new rules against so called inversions in which cross border mergers help american companies change their tax domiciles sent pfizer back to the drawing board so far mr read and his colleagues have responded only with a variety of scribbles
mr read said this week that he would still entertain deals of any size and he has ruled out another big tax reducing acquisition only for the immediate future one relatively small but potentially expensive target could be medivation the company a cancer focused biotechnology business is fighting off an unsolicited offer from sanofi and its takeover defenses are weak pfizer has expressed interest too according to reuters sources
the company has also been considering breaking up since 2013 that option has excited shareholders who are skeptical of pfizers deal making prowess mr read has created value for shareholders by disposing of assets such as the animal health unit zoetis the spinoffs shares have comfortably outperformed those of its former parent
mr read says that a split is still on the table and that pfizer will decide whether to do it by the end of this year with a view to making it happen by the end of 2017 but over the years the company has seemed more entranced with possible acquisitions actually setting a strategy might impress investors more than keeping all options open


london   the mystery behind who created the online currency bitcoin deepened on thursday
craig steven wright an australian entrepreneur and computer programmer who earlier this week said he was that person on thursday withdrew an offer to prove his assertion removing the contents of his blog and replacing it with a post simply titled im sorry
i believed that i could do this mr wright wrote on his blog i believed that i could put the years of anonymity and hiding behind me but as the events of this week unfolded and i prepared to publish the proof of access to the earliest keys i broke i do not have the courage i cannot
mr wright was first identified as bitcoins founder in december 2015 by wired magazine and the technology website gizmodo but he did not come forward then this week that changed and he said in interviews with the bbc the economist and gq that he was the digital currencys creator known by the pseudonym satoshi nakamoto
almost as soon as mr wright announced he was the creator of bitcoin on monday skepticism surfaced in the bitcoin community about the authenticity of his claims
in a news release on monday mr wright said that he had decided to make his identity public to dispel any negative myths and fears about bitcoin
i cannot allow the misinformation that has been spread to impact the future of bitcoin and the blockchain the currencys communal digital ledger he said at the time im now able to build on what i have previously completed by releasing my research and academic work and help people understand just how powerful this can really be
outside organization a public relations company that distributed his release on monday verified that the comments on the blog were from mr wright and did not provide any additional comment on thursday
bitcoin was founded as a digital competitor to existing currencies and it has gained traction as financial institutions and others have begun researching how they can use the blockchain technology to improve transactions the currency is created by people using computers to solve complex math problems and it can then be traded digitally each coin is associated with its owner by a digital key
the mysterious identity of its founder created an aura around the digital currency since it surfaced in 2009 and fueled a parlor game of speculation about satoshi nakamotos identify
satoshi nakamoto communicated only by electronic message and never revealed his or her true identity before ending all communication in 2011
to verify his assertions this week the bbc said mr wright provided digitally signed messages using cryptographic keys inextricably linked to bitcoins generated by satoshi nakamoto mr wright also posted evidence on his blog including a technical walk through of how to verify cryptographic keys
all of that information was wiped from his blog on thursday
when the rumors began my qualifications and character were attacked mr wright said on his blog on thursday when those allegations were proven false new allegations have already begun i know now that i am not strong enough for this
in his post on thursday mr wright apologized to jon matonis one of the founding directors of the bitcoin foundation and gavin andresen who succeeded satoshi nakamoto as the lead bitcoin developer
both men said on monday that after reviewing evidence provided by mr wright they believed that he was satoshi nakamoto
i can only hope that their honor and credibility is not irreparably tainted by my actions mr wright said on his blog they were not deceived but i know that the world will never believe that now i can only say im sorry
after the wired and gizmodo articles last year australian federal police raided mr wrights home in a suburb of sydney in connection with a tax investigation tax authorities in australia said at the time that they had determined that mr wright was not satoshi nakamoto
on thursday mr wright seemed determined to return to the shadows ending his post with the words and goodbye


larry bird the president of the indiana pacers said thursday that the team would not renew frank vogels contract for next season cutting ties with a respected name in the coaching ranks bird said he believed it was time for a new voice to lead the pacers keeping with his long held philosophy on short shelf lives for coaches
i know its not going to be a 100 percent popular move bird said at a news conference but my responsibility is do whats best for the franchise
vogel was 250 181 in five and a half seasons with the pacers he led the team to the playoffs five times including a first round loss to the toronto raptors this season the pacers became known as one of the better defensive teams in the nba under vogels leadership but bird said that around the all star break he had started thinking it might be time for a change to bring in a coach to breathe life into a sometimes stagnant offense
he called the decision to part ways with vogel one of the toughest he had had to make in basketball but bird has long maintained that players start to tune out a coach after three seasons and vogel lasted longer than that
vogel led indiana to the eastern conference finals in 2012 13 and 2013 14 the only season vogel in which did not lead indiana to the playoffs was last year when the star forward paul george missed most of the season after breaking his leg in a scrimmage with usa basketball
with george back fully healthy this season the pacers pushed the second seeded raptors to seven games in the first round before losing
i think he did fine but its all about motivating players and getting them to play at a higher level bird said
vogel could be in demand immediately he interviewed with houston in 2011 and has ties to rockets general manager daryl morey
bird said that with george and the promising rookie myles turner as part of the teams nucleus the pacers job should be an attractive one among the names that have been linked to the job are the former nba coach nate mcmillan one of vogels assistants and the former pacers player and golden state coach mark jackson
bird said he would not hire his former boston celtics teammate kevin mchale
i would not do that to kevin to have him work for me bird said thats not fair i respect him too much


victory dance the new victory theaters summer series of free performances for new york city students will return in july with a lineup that includes local favorite companies like david neumanns advanced beginner group the limon dance company and camille a brown  dancers
the season runs from july 13 through july 29 and features three programs of dance and talks with educators and artists each program will also have one performance for the public with tickets available for 10
mr neumann will join doug elkins and annie b parsons big dance theater in program a july 13 15 the next week july 20 22 program b features sonali skandans jiva dance as well as the limon and lar lubovitch dance companies rounding out the lineup are the american tap dance foundation nadine bommer dance company and ms browns company in program c july 27 29
tickets and more information are at newvictoryorg


how do you stop a big fast moving wildfire like the one ravaging fort mcmurray alberta the answer is you cant
don whittemore a senior disaster response manager from boulder colo who has trained teams of firefighters in the united states and abroad compared the task to trying to stop a hurricane from hitting the eastern seaboard
wildfires are fought from the air and on the ground in a coordinated offensive meant to keep them from spreading if the fire can be denied access to fresh terrain and fresh fuel it will dwindle and burn itself out but when strong shifting winds are driving the flames as in alberta the fire can move unpredictably and leap far beyond fire breaks and other obstacles like rivers and highways making containment efforts futile and dangerous
its not a matter of not enough resources or not enough money or not enough willpower to fight the fire mr whittemore said its the basic fact that there are forces of nature that we simply cannot control
those who fight wildfires base what they do on a ranked list of priorities and at the very top is life and safety if neither can be ensured the only sensible option is to disengage
that is what has happened at fort mcmurray in the face of a fire that the mayor melissa blake called a multiheaded monster officials have focused on making sure that residents get out safely by wednesday about 88000 people had been evacuated from the area without any reported deaths or injuries directly related to the fire pushed to the sidelines by the raging flames firefighters are focusing on spot fires until they are able to attack the main blaze
firefighters the least visible players in the battle are also the most crucial the tools of their trade   chain saws shovels picks pounders and a combination adz and ax called a pulaski   are as rudimentary as they are effective firefighters use them to open breaks in the forest that are devoid of anything that burns starving an approaching fire of fuel
working close to the blaze they also direct helicopter and airplane pilots who drop water and an orange mix of fire retardant chemicals the airdrops are the most common action images broadcast on television but they are not capable of extinguishing a big fire by themselves they can only help to slow and direct it
prolonged drought and unseasonably warm weather has left the forests of northern alberta tinder dry and primed to burn on wednesday the temperature in fort mcmurray hit 88 degrees far above the previous record high for the date with wind gusts up to 35 miles an hour and relative humidity below 20 percent those conditions will have to change substantially before it will be either safe or practical for firefighters to mount a major offensive
mother nature has conspired against us on multiple fronts daryl black a member of the emergency command team in fort mcmurray said in a telephone interview on wednesday what were looking for is a prolonged period of precipitation as things stand theres no suppression thats going to be happening


the democratic nominee for president has a 70 percent chance to win in november
thats according to an aggregator of betting markets predictwise
the supreme court nominee merrick garland has a 0 percent chance to receive a senate hearing before the election this year
thats according to mitch mcconnell charles grassley and just about every other republican senator who has spoken on the matter
if life is partly about playing the percentages republicans with their blockade against mr garland   a 63 year old widely viewed as a centrist   seem to be getting the math wrong if the democratic nominee almost certainly hillary clinton wins democrats will probably be able to name a more liberal justice and also a younger one who could serve a much longer term are republicans with donald trump set to be their nominee just feeling lucky
at the time of justice antonin scalias death in mid february democrats were given roughly a 60 percent chance to win the presidency according to prediction markets those chances rose to 71 percent by mid march in unison with successes by mr trump as well as by ted cruz two anti establishment candidates
as trump and cruz knocked down marco rubio the markets went up for the democratic nominee david rothschild an economist at microsoft research who runs predictwise said via email
recently the rise of mr trump has actually decreased the predictwise probabilities for a democratic victory to 70 percent today from 76 percent last week the markets view trump as a much more viable general election candidate than cruz mr rothschild said
nevertheless the democrats chances are still really high for this time in the cycle he said the markets are in line with polling that shows mrs clinton with an edge against mr trump
the senate races in swing states look correspondingly promising for democrats with their chances for overall control of the senate now being listed at 62 percent from 57 percent a few days ago
president obama tried to apply pressure to vulnerable gop senators in swing states this week holding interviews at the white house with local news stations from some of those states and pressing mr garlands nomination
heres why republicans may want to hold their ground apart from whether its the right thing to do
# as the upshot noted in february a supreme court with merrick garland would be the most liberal in decades republicans dont even want to think about the potential of such a huge shift on the court and as long as some hope is alive that a republican can win the presidency they dont have to in the meantime they can avoid 5 4 losses this year
# republicans have no reason to hold a hearing now if they can hold one immediately after the election should mrs clinton win richard lempert of the brookings institution was prescient in foreseeing the selection of mr garland but added
# there hasnt yet been widespread public clamor for a hearing or as the new york post put it sorry liberal media no one cares about merrick garland michael walsh of the new york post wrote
some republicans no doubt worried about future primary fights are looking over their shoulder at their base which has felt betrayed on all manner of issues if democrats push through a clinton nominee next year without republican support at least republican senators cant be blamed
this week mr mcconnell is insisting that he will hold the line but a day after mr trumps victory in indiana leon wolf of the conservative website redstate said republicans should confirm merrick garland asap
the chances of a vote on mr garland have risen in the last few days in the markets to roughly 45 percent from 35 percent basically the markets think there is a very high probability that there is a vote in the lame duck period for mr obama mr rothschild said but while obama says he will leave the nomination if the democrats sweep the senate and presidency obama could withdraw the nomination
by driving such a hard bargain republicans may not get a bargain at all then again republicans have said they might consider blocking a supreme court pick next year by filibuster if need be   even after voters have their say which is the stated reason the gop is blocking mr garland in the first place how does this end
dahlia lithwick of slate has suggested the single most fantastic thing that could ever happen to resolve the blockade of hysteria that now threatens both the court and the country mr garland could simply show up to the supreme court to work with the understanding that the senate has essentially confirmed him by choosing not to vote against him
its hard to put a percentage on that one but it would be tough to beat for court drama


jerusalem   nini ungar clearly recalled that friday in february 1942 when the nazis loaded her her husband and her parents on a cattle cart and transferred them standing upright to the railway station in vienna
she was in her mid 20s and did not yet know that she was pregnant the family had already spent days in the squalid compound of a school where thousands of jews destined for deportation were warehoused she was among 1000 on the transport that set out that day for the ghetto in riga latvia
the viennese were standing and laughing finally they got the jews out  ms ungar who was born mina tepper and was one of only 36 from that transport to survive the war recounted in video testimony we scraped the ice from the windows   we were so thirsty we didnt have water we didnt have anything she said of the train journey
her journey across a wintry europe can now be traced on a database that documents about 1100 transports searchable by train or boat or bus or victims name a project of yad vashem israels holocaust memorial and research center the database sheds new light on the cross border europewide nature of the stages leading to the mass extermination of some six million jews known in hebrew as the shoah
very often people think of the shoah as something that took place in the camps and killing sites in eastern europe from a geographical perspective said joel zisenwine who has directed the transports to extinction project since 2008 by focusing on the transports i think we provide a more precise image of the final solution he said this is a continental enterprise if that is the right word
the database first went online in 2010 but yad vashem is promoting it now in connection with israels annual holocaust remembrance day on thursday because it has amassed enough information to map most of the deportations from western and central europe dr zisenwine said the research illuminated how railroad companies and the local government authorities were complicit in the transports and how many of them ordinary people saw
in paris amsterdam or salonika people may not have witnessed mass murder he said but they did witness jews being marched to the train station
ms ungars train departed from viennas aspangbahnhof at 540 pm on feb 6 1942 and arrived in riga on feb 10
in the video recorded in the united states in the 1990s she described carriages packed with people their suitcases piled above them and scenes of overflowing lavatories on arrival at the skirotava station in riga the deportees were told that they had to walk miles to the ghetto and that those unable to make the distance could take buses instead
ms ungars mother her feet frozen got on board along with about 700 passengers many of them old or sick or children yad vashem researchers said the vehicles were not buses but gas trucks and their passengers were murdered
the database shows the transport routes on reconstructed maps based on google imagery their details have been cross referenced with other sources including nazi documentation railroad company documents material from war crimes trials and the diaries and testimonies of deportees
some survivors for example recalled seeing signs out of train windows giving researchers clues
we are trying to tell the story of the transports as a historical event not just the technical movement of people from a to b dr zisenwine said for example earlier transports from vienna to the lublin district of poland took jews to some kind of jewish reserve for a short term plan of resettlement he said but by 1942 the purpose was mass murder
half a dozen researchers are beginning the next phase mapping the transports in eastern europe where documentation is harder to come by
one day this week avi kotsere burg a german speaker and marina spivak a polish speaker were poring over documents relating to the german annexed warthegau region of poland where the lodz ghetto was ms spivak had a scanned testimony from the yad vashem archives on her computer screen handwritten in polish by an anonymous girl who had survived
so many did not one of the many chilling stories of the transports tells of the last journey of three of the sisters of sigmund freud according to yad vashems records marie freud adolfine freud and pauline winternitz were deported on transport 29 from vienna to the theresienstadt ghetto in czechoslovakia in june 1942 there were 1005 jews on board most were over 60
adolfine who was about 80 died in terezin czechoslovakia according to a list of theresienstadt camp inmates cited by yad vashem
on sept 23 1942 transport bq left theresienstadt for the treblinka extermination camp in poland carrying 1980 jews
the train is believed to have gone north to dresden germany then east to breslau posen and warsaw before stopping inside the camp according to the same list of theresienstadt inmates marie who was 81 and ms winternitz then 78 were on board
samuel rajzman a treblinka survivor said in his testimony before the nuremberg international military tribunal in 1946 that he had witnessed their arrival in the camp
he described one of the sisters   it was not clear which   approaching the commander of the camp showing him an identifying document saying she was the sister of sigmund freud and asking to be given light office work the commander said there must have been a mistake and told her that in two hours there should be a train to vienna
she could leave all her valuables and documents here have a bath and after the bath she would receive her documents and a travel permit to vienna mr rajzman cited the camp commander as saying the lady of course went to the bath house from which she never returned


shortly after 19 year old bryce harpers major league debut in 2012 rob miechs book the last natural bryce harpers big gamble in sin city and the greatest amateur season ever arrived in bookstores
dont worry this is not another story about the explosive growth of subtitles
this is a story about baseball players being called for one reason or another the natural harpers hardly the first and its highly unlikely that he will be the last
you might guess as i did that the impulse to anoint baseball players as the natural began in 1984 upon the release of the movie starring robert redford in the titular role alas you would be wrong as i was
bernard malamuds first novel the natural upon which the movie was based was published in 1952 and with no lack of publicity it was reviewed twice in the new york times but it doesnt seem that many of that eras sportswriters were inspired to compare their subjects to malamuds roy hobbs even with both willie mays and mickey mantle 1950s versions of bryce harper and mike trout just then bursting upon the scene
then again malamuds hobbs however talented was hardly an attractive character redfords hobbs on the other hand is largely pure of heart which allowed the post 1984 writer to compare a player to the celluloid hobbs without insulting him
except the comparisons began not in 1984 when hollywoods version of the natural was released to generally warm reviews they actually began in 1982 right here in the times or at least thats the first ive been able to find the headline on an article by joe durso about tigers outfielder kirk gibson read detroits kirk gibson the natural which proved wonderfully prescient when six years later in the first game of the 1988 world series an injured gibson came off the bench to hit a wildly improbable game winning home run much like roy hobbss climactic blow
you know the one in the movie
in the book hobbs strikes out
which probably explains why so few players were dubbed the natural before 1984 but so many have been since
beginning with terry pendleton a cardinals rookie in 1984 who batted 409 in his first 22 games his teammates began calling him the natural but pendleton finished that season batting an un hobbsish 324 superstardom and a long lasting nickname would ultimately elude pendleton as it eluded gibson but pendleton would well into his career win a most valuable player award just as gibson had
in 1993 blue jays first baseman john oleruds teammates took to calling him hobbsy while he flirted with a 400 batting average until late in the season a few years earlier giants first baseman will clark  like olerud a left handed batter with a textbook swing   was commonly called will the thrill but the natural was another of his nicknames
for all their talents olerud and clark would seem to have little connection to roy hobbs except for their sweet swings redford modeled his swing after that of ted williams whose swing might have been the sweetest of all where hobbs was an aging knight errant plucked from obscurity and looking for one last chance at redemption olerud and clark were both high draft picks seemingly ticketed for stardom even before turning professional although at least olerud showed great promise as a young pitcher   just as hobbs had   before focusing on hitting
in the mid 1990s outfielders andruw jones and karim garcia would both be called the natural however briefly jones delivered on that early promise and garcia did not but neither was associated with the nickname for long
which brings up another running theme youth which is odd considering that hobbs was pushing 40 but jones and garcia were 19 when they arrived in the majors just like harper and so was ken griffey jr when he reached the majors and landed on the cover of sports illustrated billed as the natural
and then theres jeff francoeur anointed as griffey was with the natural splashed across his photo on a sports illustrated cover francoeur wasnt particularly young 21 when he made his debut in 2005 what francoeur did have were a tremendous start shades of pendleton batting 400 in his first 25 games along with the looks of a movie star
but perhaps the closest weve come to the real spirit of the natural were a couple of wildly different players toe nash and rick ankiel
like hobbs ankiel came up as a pitcher and like hobbs ankiels pitching career ended shockingly in his case first a mysterious inability to throw strikes then injuries but years later ankiel returned to the majors as a power hitting outfielder just like roy hobbs which led to the obvious and explicit comparisons and the unnatural tag when we learned that ankiel admitted using human growth hormone during his comeback
nashs story seemed nearly as improbable in 2001 espns peter gammons unveiled nash a middle school dropout from rural louisiana who wore size 18 shoes could hit the ball 400 feet from both sides of the plate and throw 95 from the pitchers mound discovered playing baseball on a field carved out of sugar cane fields with men twice his age nash signed with tampa bay for 30000 and there was talk about books and movies
gammons or his editor called nash the natural in his headline but he was also compared to sidd finch and babe ruth that was before the new orleans times picayune reported that nash had been arrested five times in the first year after he turned 18 with various charges pending nash somehow managed to play for part of a minor league season in 2001 but more legal troubles landed him in jail for most of 2002 and then again from 2005 through 2013 in 2014 nash played again in the semiprofessional sugar cane league if he had jumped from there to another professional contract it would have been perfectly hobbsian
but within a year nash was arrested once more on a variety of criminal charges
oh and bryce harper in 2015 harper hit 42 home runs and was the unanimous choice as national league most valuable player
he certainly deserves a nickname or three when still a teenager harpers teammates called him mondo and bam bam gained some currency later when harper was a rookie in the majors his teammates noticed his bats were inscribed wonderboy   the name of the movie roy hobbss homemade bat   and created a hobbs nameplate for his locker but neither mondo nor hobbs seems to have taken real hold and miechs book   in paperback retitled phenom the making of bryce harper   does not mention the natural even once in the text let alone suggest why harper might be the last of the species
maybe its time to retire the natural in todays highly corporatized analyzed to the nth degree baseball maybe there simply isnt any room for another roy hobbs although come to think of it maybe there never has been sometimes fiction is actually stranger than truth


no sooner had senator ted cruz of texas exited the republican primary on tuesday night than hillary clintons partisans on social media began calling for senator bernie sanders of vermont to follow suit
sanders supporters answered those calls with a hashtag that quickly started trending on twitter dropouthillary
with his victory in indiana mr sanders seems all but certain to remain in the race for at least another month taking his insurgent presidential campaign to the california primary on june 7 but there is one thing he will definitely leave behind if he ultimately abandons the democratic nomination fight an army of online foot soldiers unmatched in size influence and capabilities more than ready to join the next battle
the only question is whether that battle will involve mrs clinton
according to personal democracy media which studies the intersection of politics and technology roughly nine million sanders supporters have organized through hundreds of facebook pages reddit forums and slack channels and mr sanderss digital corps is not some loose network of supporters informally sharing articles and videos it is a driving force behind his campaign soliciting tens of millions of dollars in donations an average of 27 at a time routinely mobilizing volunteers to perform impressive feats of organizing and developing cutting edge technology to aid mr sanderss run
if mrs clinton can harness even some of the power of this group it could provide an important lift for her in a bruising general election in which social media is certain to play a prominent role it not only would help her reach younger voters among whom she has performed miserably in the primaries but could also fortify her for the digital trench warfare she can expect if she faces the twitter adept republican favorite donald j trump in the fall
but mrs clintons place at the forefront of her partys establishment could make her a tough sell to an online community whose members often identify themselves as revolutionaries more than as democrats
turning sanders for president into a direct drive for hillary is probably doomed said david fredrick who co founded a reddit forum sandersforpresident that has more than 230000 subscribers it would alienate a lot of our users and cause us to lose a lot of the momentum weve been able to develop over the last two years
mrs clintons aides say they hope that at least some in mr sanderss online army will ultimately get behind her   particularly now that they seem almost certain to face the stark choice between her and mr trump
but bringing around this vocal and defiant core of sanders supporters may not be easy one need only surf through the dozens of reddit forums devoted to mr sanders or the comments on his facebook page to find countless examples of ambivalence if not outright hostility toward mrs clinton
on twitter the hashtags bernieorbust and stillsanders have been used more than a million times since january according to zignal labs an analytics company that tracks social media some sanders supporters have even co opted the republican hashtag neverhillary
already some of the technology professionals who volunteered countless hours to the sanders campaign are turning away from mrs clinton and toward progressive candidates further down the ballot
if bernie doesnt win we need to still carry that torch as it were said jon hughes a developer who built voteforbernieorg and helped organize the campaigns digital volunteers and there are a lot of great candidates out there that can do that
mr sanders was something of a social media savant even before starting his campaign aides say he had more facebook followers than any other member of congress except representative paul d ryan of wisconsin now the house speaker but once mr sanderss campaign began his message started to resonate with young tech oriented voters who helped propel him to improbable victories in a number of primaries and caucuses by not only championing his candidacy but also building much of his campaigns digital infrastructure
a group called coders for sanders developed an app for canvassers an interactive event map for mr sanderss website and the app his campaign used to track and monitor the iowa caucuses volunteers also built a tool to make it easier to give money to mr sanders his campaign says 94 percent of the 200 million he has raised has come online at least two of those volunteers were brought on to the campaigns staff aidan king its social media liaison and zach schneider who oversees its web development work
for this campaign social media hasnt just been about spreading a message said kenneth pennington mr sanderss digital director its been an avenue for broader participation
the sanders campaign and its network of online supporters became closely intertwined with staff members often making requests through social media before the new york primary last month campaign aides asked the reddit pages subscribers to make two million calls on mr sanderss behalf they made three million
the value of the online army hes built should not be underestimated stephanie cutter a former deputy campaign manager for president obama said of mr sanderss followers whether that army chooses to rally behind mrs clinton she added depends largely on mr sanders how and when does he endorse secretary clinton and what type of leadership role is he going to play to bring his supporters along
yet even an enthusiastic endorsement from mr sanders may go only so far for all the cooperation between the campaign and its online foot soldiers they remain a sprawling decentralized group over which mr sanders exerts little control
its not an army its a swarm said micah l sifry a founder of personal democracy media theyve flocked to sanders in response to the moment of opportunity he seized in the last year but as the primary comes to its conclusion they wont be commanded by bernie or any other general
they have already demonstrated their unruliness with the rise of the so called bernie bros known for aggressive online harassment of mrs clintons supporters and though mr sanderss prospects have dimmed the anti clinton rhetoric from some of his backers has grown more heated
mrs clintons supporters are fighting back citing online interactions with the bernie bros a pro clinton super pac correct the record recently announced that it would spend 1 million to respond quickly and forcefully to negative attacks and false narratives about mrs clinton
mr pennington of the sanders campaign said it was too early to speculate about what mr sanderss online supporters would do if he ended his campaign but some of them are already beginning to lend their efforts to progressive candidates in different races
mr hughes the founder of voteforbernieorg has created another site grassrootsselectorg to identify and promote liberal candidates through some of the same digital channels used by the sanders social media movement developers who volunteered for mr sanders are also working with brand new congress a new political action committee devoted to electing lawmakers who share mr sanderss policy views in the 2018 midterm elections
progressive candidates usually do not have the same reach or accessibility towards apps or resources to help jump start their campaign said rapi castillo a software developer and member of coders for sanders we could have a lot of impact
of course the more willing mrs clinton is to incorporate some of mr sanderss policy positions into her campaign the more success she will have wooing his supporters   at least to a point
she can win some of them with honey but if she tries to command them theyll just sting her mr sifry said as swarms may do


a woman who underwent a full face transplant in 2011 after she was mauled by a chimpanzee was back in the hospital on wednesday after her body began to reject the transplanted tissue in her face doctors said
charla nash 62 was participating in a research study designed to determine whether tissue transplant patients could be weaned off traditional anti rejection drugs when her immune system began to attack her facial tissue brigham and womens hospital in boston said in a statement
ms nash was in no danger of losing her face however dr bohdan pomahac the hospitals director of plastic surgery transplantation said in a statement he said she was experiencing a moderate rejection episode
the viability of charlas face transplant is not in jeopardy he said overall she is doing well
ms nash lost her hands lips nose and eyes when she was viciously attacked by a friends pet chimpanzee in stamford conn in 2009 the animal a 14 year old named travis who was something of a local celebrity was shot and killed the day of the attack when he opened the door of a police car and threatened an officer seated inside
ms nash received a full face transplant at brigham and womens hospital two years later she got a new forehead nasal structure nose lips nerves facial skin and facial muscles her sight never returned doctors also performed a double hand transplant but both hands failed to thrive and were removed the hospital said
with ms nashs body beginning to reject her face dr pomahac said she would be removed from the research study
she has resumed her original medication and will most likely leave the hospital in the next day or two he said we expect this rejection episode to be resolved within the coming week
in the statement released by the hospital ms nash said she never felt unwell and had not realized that her body was rejecting the transplanted tissue
i appreciate everyones concern she said i feel perfect i didnt even know i was having a rejection episode
shelly sindland a spokeswoman for ms nash said the only sign of trouble was a few red patches that a medical team observed on her face her doctors then did a biopsy and discovered that her immune system was attacking the transplanted tissue
the drug study that ms nash was participating in was funded by the defense department to improve quality of life for service members who return from war with serious injuries ms sindland said in a statement ms nash said she was disappointed to be leaving the study
i am proud of my contributions to date and am hopeful that it will help those wounded serving our country and others needing transplants in the future she said
ms sindland said ms nash saw her participation in the study as a way to celebrate the miracle of her survival after the chimpanzee attack
she wants to make sure that it wasnt in vain and that her life stands for something ms sindland said thats why she wanted to participate in this study


washington   after years of debate about the health risks of electronic cigarettes the federal government on thursday made it final they need to be regulated and kept out of the hands of children
the food and drug administration issued sweeping new rules that for the first time extend federal regulatory authority to e cigarettes banning their sale to anyone under 18 and requiring that adults under the age of 26 show a photo identification to buy them
the long awaited regulations 499 pages of them shifted the terms of the public debate over e cigarettes putting the federal governments heft behind a more restrictive approach to the devices many health experts fear that e cigarettes will eventually hook a new generation on traditional cigarettes while others worry that a tougher approach will make it harder for addicted smokers to get access to devices that may be their best hope of quitting
weve agreed for many years that nicotine does not belong in the hands of children sylvia mathews burwell the secretary of the department of health and human services said at a news conference on thursday progress has been made but the context has changed so we need to act
e cigarettes were introduced about a decade ago as devices that deliver nicotine without the harmful tar and chemicals that cause cancer they have since grown into a multibillion dollar business with nine million american adults using them and while most health experts agree that they are less harmful than cigarettes little is known about their long term effects
the rules which take effect in 90 days have broad implications for public health and the tobacco industry they subject producers to federal regulation for the first time requiring them to register with the fda and provide it with a detailed account of their products ingredients and their manufacturing processes producers will also have to apply to the fda for permission to sell their products that includes vape shops that mix their own e cigarette liquid
the move was applauded by public health experts who said the industry needed oversight and who had been waiting nearly seven years for the agency to provide it but it infuriated many e cigarette companies which argued that the rules would crush smaller producers that could not afford the time and lawyers to complete an arduous federal applications process that would have the effect of buoying big tobacco companies some argued many of which have gotten into the e cigarette business
this is not regulation   it is prohibition the american vaping association a trade group for the industry said in a statement it said that submitting an application to get a product approved would take more than 1700 hours and cost more than 1 million
the growing use of e cigarettes has sharply divided american public health experts the central question is whether they help people stop smoking   or whether they are a gateway to traditional cigarettes especially for younger people health experts in britain have decided that they are effective in helping people quit and have urged smokers there to switch to them american experts have been more cautious warning that e cigarette use may eventually result in young people moving from vaping to traditional cigarettes
but smoking rates for youth have declined since the devices were introduced in the mid 2000s and some experts say that is proof enough that the fears   at least for now   have not come to pass
in terms of the health of the public this action is a disaster said dr joel l nitzkin senior fellow for tobacco policy at the r street institute a conservative think tank in washington this will move the debate into a new arena i wouldnt be surprised if we started seeing lawsuits
smoking is the largest cause of preventable death with more than 480000 tobacco related deaths each year in the united states forty million american adults smoke
the regulations establish oversight of what has been a market free for all of products including vials of liquid nicotine of varying quality and unknown provenance finalizing the rules has taken years they stem from a major tobacco control law congress passed in 2009 and were first proposed in draft form in 2014
the process has started and it has been incredibly difficult said matthew l myers the president of the campaign for tobacco free kids a health advocacy group who welcomed the rules
producers will be subject to fda inspections and will not be able to market their products as light or mild without agency approval companies will be prohibited from giving out free samples
there are retailers selling these products but in the back room they are also mixing said mitch zeller the director of the center for tobacco products at the fda that means under the law they are manufacturers
one of the central questions about the regulations was whether they would be so tough that it would be hard for smaller producers to remain on the market and thus bolster large tobacco companies which have money and big legal departments to navigate the arduous federal application process
market analysts and industry groups seemed to be in broad agreement on thursday that the regulations would have that effect some public health experts also expressed that concern
if the vape shops go out of business because they cannot afford to provide the information the fda needs then the multinational tobacco companies will have less competition said gary a giovino a professor of health behavior at the state university of new york at buffalo
but federal health officials countered that the industry would have ample time to respond to the rules companies with products on the market now including vape shops that mix their own liquids will have two years to submit an application to the fda for approval of a product it can stay on the market for another year while the agency reviews the application
officials and public health experts said there was broad agreement   including in federal statute   that the industry needed to be regulated not unlike the food industry and that these rules were a thoughtful way to accomplish that mr zeller said that until now the industry had been the wild wild west
today is a first step a foundational step to bring all these previously unregulated products into the world of being regulated he said at the agencys briefing
the rules also impose regulations on hookah and pipe tobacco as well as all cigars a tougher move than originally anticipated as the agency was pondering excluding so called premium cigars
the rules did not include specific bans on flavors in e cigarettes though health officials said they were working on new rules to extend the flavor ban for traditional cigarettes to cigars antismoking activists had been pressing the agency to prohibit flavors in all tobacco products arguing that they appeal to young people and the omission in the new regulations was a disappointment
the concern is for at least three years flavored e cigarette products will remain on the market no matter how many kids are using them mr myers said he added that the fda left open the possibility of limiting the addition of flavors in the future but that it would depend on how the agency interpreted the rules released thursday


stocks closed mostly unchanged on thursday after an early rally in oil prices faded investors were awaiting the release of a closely watched jobs report on friday
the standard  poors 500 stock index fell 049 of a point less than 01 percent to 205063 and the nasdaq composite lost 855 points or 02 percent to 471709
the dow jones industrial average rose 945 points or less than 01 percent to 1766071
as the week drew to a close the markets focus turned to the april jobs report investors will be watching closely to see how it influences the federal reserves plans for raising interest rates at its next policy meeting in june
economists expect the labor report to show the number of nonfarm jobs grew by 200000 last month and the unemployment rate stayed at or slightly under 5 percent
a private sector jobs report released by adp on wednesday showed that private employers created only 156000 jobs last month significantly below estimates
ahead of fridays numbers investors were reluctant to make any bets several traders and strategists said there was no major catalyst to move the market higher at the moment
theres just too many unknowns right now and theres nothing to get people going in the market the jobs numbers may provide some guidance said jj kinahan chief strategist at td ameritrade
crude oil prices gave up much of an early gain that was driven by concerns that production could be reduced by a fire that swept through the canadian oil sands hub of fort mcmurray alberta
benchmark american crude oil rose 54 cents or 12 percent to 4432 a barrel on the new york mercantile exchange brent crude used to price international oils was up 58 cents or 13 percent at 4520 a barrel in london oil had been up nearly 4 percent earlier in the day
despite what turned out to be a relatively modest rise in oil prices energy companies were still the best performing part of the market the energy component of the sp 500 rose 07 percent
a number of companies fell after earnings and forecasts that did not impress investors the electric carmaker tesla sank 1103 or 5 percent to 21153 after reporting a much wider loss than wall street analysts were expecting the company suffered parts delays for its new model x suv
the cereal maker kellogg sank 197 or 26 percent to 7505 after reporting declines in both sales and earnings in the first quarter seaworld entertainment sank 98 cents or 5 percent to 1849 after reporting a wider first quarter loss as expenses climbed
in other energy commodities wholesale gasoline rose less than 1 cent to 149 a gallon heating oil was unchanged at 133 and natural gas fell 7 cents to 2076 per thousand cubic feet
bond prices rose sending yields lower the yield on the 10 year treasury note fell to 174 percent from 178 percent a day earlier the euro fell to 11400 from 11489 and the dollar rose to 10724 yen from 10690 yen
in metals gold fell 210 to 127230 an ounce silver rose 3 cents to 1733 an ounce and copper fell 3 cents to 215 a pound


london   the french drug company sanofi and medivation a california company that makes a prostate cancer drug traded volleys on thursday in a contentious takeover fight
medivation reiterated its rejection of sanofis 93 billion offer calling the proposal inadequate
medivations board of directors believes the execution of medivations business plan will deliver value to its stockholders that is far superior to sanofis proposal the company said in a news release
earlier in the day in a letter to medivations board that sanofi made public sanofi said that it had had extensive conversations with medivations top shareholders and thought there was overwhelming support for a transaction
sanofi said it would go directly to medivations shareholders if the companys board continued to decline to negotiate on a transaction
as you know your shareholders have the ability to act at any time by written consent to remove and replace the board olivier brandicourt the sanofi chief executive said in the letter if the medivation board of directors continues to refuse to engage with us then we intend to commence a process to remove and replace members of the board
on april 28 sanofi offered to acquire medivation the maker of the prostate cancer therapy xtandi for 5250 a share
the offer represented a premium of more than 50 percent over medivations two month volume weighted average share price before takeover rumors emerged but it was less than 1 percent above its closing price on april 27
last week david hung a founder and the president and chief executive of medivation called sanofis proposal opportunistically timed and said it substantially undervalues the company medivations directors unanimously rejected the offer
shares of medivation have risen since the offer was made on speculation that another bidder might step in or sanofi might increase its offer the companys shares rose 1 percent in midday trading on thursday to 5965 medivation was scheduled to release its first quarter earnings on thursday after the markets closed
i want to reiterate our preference to engage with you to negotiate a transaction mr brandicourt said in the letter we believe immediate engagement would be in the best interests of your shareholders as it would enable them promptly to realize substantial and certain value while minimizing the disruption to your organization
mr brandicourt who took over as chief executive last year after christopher a viehbacher was ousted has said that sanofi is interested in medium size acquisitions and that cancer treatment is an area of interest


rio de janeiro   brazils supreme court ruled on thursday that eduardo cunha the powerful lawmaker who orchestrated the effort to impeach president dilma rousseff must step down because he is facing a corruption trial
the decision added to the political turmoil in brazil a country deeply divided over its scandal plagued leaders just this week vice president michel temer the man preparing to take over the presidents office from ms rousseff was ordered to pay a fine for violating campaign financing limits
the twin decisions are not expected to save ms rousseffs presidency support for her ouster remains strong in the senate which is preparing to vote next week on whether to remove her from office and put her on trial over claims of budgetary manipulation
still the decisions tarnish the men in line to take over from her despite his conviction mr temer is still expected to become president if ms rousseff is removed by the senate yet the ruling could make him ineligible to run for elected office for eight years creating an unusual situation in which a politician who may be barred from campaigning ends up running the country
on thursday a supreme court justice teori zavascki ruled against mr temers powerful ally mr cunha as the speaker of the lower house of congress who oversaw the vote in april to impeach ms rousseff in the chamber of deputies mr cunha had adroitly fended off charges of taking as much as 40 million in bribes
scholars and political analysts described the initial ruling by justice zavascki which the 11 member court later endorsed as reflecting the capacity for brazils legal system to curb abuses of power joaquim barbosa a former chief justice of the supreme court called the move extraordinary and courageous
the ruling to remove mr cunha an evangelical christian radio commentator sidelines a top political opponent of ms rousseff after much of his role in impeachment process had been completed the impeachment decision is now in the hands of the senate which is expected to vote against the president on may 11
mr cunha can appeal the ruling against him and he is expected to do so a spokesman for mr temer said he would not appeal his conviction and would pay a fine of about 23000 mr temer 75 has already signaled that if he were to become president he would not run for re election
in a statement mr temers office said that he had exceeded the limit for campaign donations because of a calculation error mr temers office also said that he would become ineligible to run for office only if another court chose to act on the electoral courts ruling
in the lower house attention now shifts to waldir maranhao an obscure ally of mr cunha poised to take over as speaker like mr cunha mr maranhao is under investigation on graft charges raising the possibility that the supreme court could also order him to step down
the legal clouds around mr cunha and mr temer raise concerns over the legitimacy of a possible government led by their centrist brazilian democratic movement party which recently broke an alliance with ms rousseffs leftist workers party to seek her impeachment
the ruling involving mr temer was issued on tuesday in a case before an electoral court in sao paulo in that case prosecutors were trying to increase the fine against him over campaign donations he made in 2014 the court decided against increasing the fine but it upheld the ruling that mr temer had violated campaign finance laws
while prosecutors have determined that mr temer will not face an investigation over testimony implicating him in the colossal graft scandal engulfing petrobras the national oil company various politicians identified as potential ministers in mr temers cabinet are battling their own corruption cases
the figures under investigation include top allies of mr temer such as geddel vieira lima a former executive at one of brazils largest government controlled banks romero juca a senator from roraima state in the amazon and henrique alves a former tourism minister
mr temer said this week that he saw no problem naming such politicians to his cabinet maintaining that they were innocent until proven guilty
an investigation is just that only an investigation mr temer said in nationally televised comments


gibraltar   a referendum in june over britains membership in the european union has generated an intense debate with recent opinion polls suggesting the outcome is too close to call
but in gibraltar a british territory at the tip of the iberian peninsula nobody seems to question european union membership only a handful of people attended a recent rally by anti union campaigners visiting from london the only badge worn by residents here bears a simple and clear message im in
if anything the referendum has helped unite gibraltars political parties and 33000 inhabitants around the fear that this unique place   a british low tax jurisdiction bordering spain and within sight of north africa   could face more uncertainty than the rest of britain should voters choose to leave the european union or brexit as britains possible exit has been nicknamed
spain has never stopped contesting british sovereignty over gibraltar though madrid is in the middle of political turmoil and faces new elections in june the conservative government of spains acting prime minister mariano rajoy has said enough to convince people in gibraltar that a threat to close the border to isolate the territory is real
jose manuel garcia margallo spains foreign minister said in march that if britain left the union spain would require co sovereignty with britain for maintaining gibraltars access to the european union market in practice that would require flying the spanish flag on the rock the dominant feature of this promontory of 26 square miles
gibraltar stands as a case where the european union for all its shortcomings has acted as something of a salve for a lingering dispute over territorial sovereignty between two members removing it runs the risk of reviving old conflicts
even the mitigating influence of the european union has not prevented spain from occasionally creating significant problems for gibraltar in recent years by enforcing stricter customs controls leaving people and vehicles waiting for hours to cross the border
fears of even greater disruption are widely shared among the 10000 workers who commute daily to gibraltar from nearby spanish towns an economically depressed area collectively known as the campo de gibraltar that is home to 267000 people
some of gibraltars concerns about the referendum have to do with how gibraltar entered the european trade bloc in the first place
when britain joined the european common market in 1973 a precursor to the union gibraltar negotiated a special deal reflecting its isolation and precarious situation
four years earlier in 1969 the dictatorship of francisco franco that ruled spain closed the border with gibraltar leaving gibraltar reliant on supplies and funding from britain   similar to the berlin airlift the united states conducted during the cold war said fabian picardo the chief minister of gibraltar
the result was that gibraltar was granted something of a hybrid european membership as a free port it was excluded from europes customs union allowing it to build up its trading and services activities on advantageous transit and taxation terms
once spain returned to democracy and fully reopened the border in 1985 gibraltars economy gained in recent years it has been a standout example of economic growth in southern europe even withstanding the euro debt crisis weve got to thank franco for something mr picardo joked
britain secured control of gibraltar in the treaty of utrecht in 1713 to this day the british government handles gibraltars defense and international relations while gibraltars government has significant autonomy over trade and industry issues as well as the ability to set its own tax rates including a 10 percent corporate tax that is half that of britains
after the release of the panama papers   a huge leak of documents from a panamanian law firm working for the worlds wealthy to keep their money offshore   spain renewed its accusation that gibraltar functions as a tax haven that claim is firmly denied by gibraltar
miguel ferre the spanish secretary of state for budgetary issues said in an interview in april with abc a spanish newspaper that the goal is that there is no territory left that can be considered fiscally opaque in particular gibraltar
gibraltar however says that it developed financial services as well as a big online gambling sector thanks to fiscal incentives similar to those used by ireland and some other european countries
gibraltars location at the entrance of the mediterranean sea has also made it an obvious hub for bunkering   where ships avoid docking costs and instead refuel and change crews off gibraltars coast
four wheel drive vehicles made by toyota that are used by the united nations and other nongovernmental organizations in africa travel through gibraltar to be customized without entering the european union and having to comply with european regulations
gibraltar has a unique status within the european union said john isola the vice president of the gibraltar chamber of commerce our whole economic model is based on the sales pitch that you can take advantage of low tax and an anglo saxon legal system and then sell services to european countries
that marketing pitch would suffer should britain leave the union gemma vasquez a corporate lawyer who is coordinating the pro union campaign gibraltar stronger in europe said investors were already growing wary
we are drafting clauses into contracts to say that if brexit would happen it would be an element of force majeure she said which would limit investors liabilities and obligations should britain leave the union
gibraltars membership in the union mr picardo argued has protected it from spains conservative government by ensuring that europe opposes any sanctions that would violate its treaty obligations
but he said if we denuded ourselves of the protection of the treaties it really would be down to who is in charge in madrid 
yet should spain squeeze gibraltar it would also significantly hurt spaniards like miguel valencia 51 who crosses from the border town of la linea de la concepcion every day to work for a gibraltar beverage distributor
mr valencia said he had recently been retraining as an electrician and had done some odd jobs in spain just in case i lose this job and really need to find work in spain
mr valencia said that his father had once worked for the same company in gibraltar but that he lost his job in 1969 when francos government pressed spanish sovereignty claims and closed the border
it was a major blow especially since my father was our familys only breadwinner mr valencia said if that happened again when you look at spains labor situation now it could be even harder to find another job than it already was for him then


they say venture capital is a business of connections of knowing the entrepreneurs with good ideas the executives who can help those ideas along and surrounding those people with whatever support they need
at least thats the idea the downside of all those personal connections is that when things go wrong they go very wrong
as katie benner reports xfund a venture capital firm was formed two years ago and manages more than 100 million it has put money into start ups like the genetics company 23andme but a dispute between its two partners over the firing of an employee ballooned into allegations of abuse hidden cameras and an investigation by the funds investors
this could be amusing to silicon valley haters a bit of schadenfreude for the type of people who say they are changing the world but more often than not invest in food delivery apps except for one thing   the money
as we glorify or villify venture capitalists we often forget that they are usually playing with other peoples money so when they mess up its usually at someone elses expense at xfund investors had to come up with a way to salvage the fund in other words find a way to make sure their money wasnt flushed down the drain


park ridge nj   the walls in kendra and allan daniels townhouse are crowded   very crowded there are folk art paintings there is an original drawing from winnie the pooh there is a watercolor by humphrey bogarts mother
even the bathrooms are something to see a first floor one is filled with framed originals by an illustrator for children nura woodson ulreich one on the second floor has a watercolor by yves st laurent
if there is such a thing as collectionitis the daniels have it they have already reduced their holdings with what amounted to his and her sales   his at christies in 2001 hers at sothebys in 2011   and with steady gifts to museums still the four levels of their townhouse are overflowing with objects twenty six hundred square feet can hold only so many 19th century weather vanes old carousel giraffes and camels and display drawers with st laurent necklaces
its like living in a submarine mr daniel said very tight
and it is going to get tighter
after the exhibition mystery and benevolence closes at the american folk art museum in manhattan on sunday 10 or so items will be sent back to the daniels who donated to the museum the 190 other objects that were part of the show   signs plaques banners clock faces carved picture frames even a wooden grave marker
this presents a challenge for ms daniel who does the arranging in the townhouse where to put the items that have served as place holders because months ago when those things were taken down and sent to the museum in time for the january opening of mystery and benevolence she filled the vacancies
mr daniel said he did not know how many objects they live with ive never done an inventory he said
whatever the count it was enough to send a visitor still on the first floor into sensory overload anne imelda radice the executive director of the folk art museum said she was just blown away the first time she visited the daniels home
you dont often see so many beautiful things in one place at one time she said yes its their home and its a nice warm place but you have a sense that the art rules its shown in a way that you really see each piece thats the kind of exhibiting that you see in a museum
the daniels were art dealers when they met and married in the 1990s he had concentrated on folk art she on illustrations for children mr daniel 82 said he stopped working as a dealer after he joined the board of the american folk art museum in 2008
they have vintage womens shoe heels in a narrow cabinet on the second floor and dog figurines on shelves in the kitchen a few feet from a weather vane of the angel gabriel made in 1840 for a church in massachusetts it was depicted on a postage stamp in 1965 and more recently shown at the national gallery of art
it is just steps from what ms daniel described as the mona lisa of their collection portrait of a young girl and her cat by the artist ammi phillips who crisscrossed new york and new england for decades before his death at age 77 in 1865
we bought it because its beautiful because we really love it mr daniel said it was kind of out of our price range but sometimes you have to really step out to get something that is so dramatically beautiful thats the good part the bad part is it makes everything else pale by comparison
ms daniel spoke up i dont think it does
they acquired the canvas at an auction at christies in 2007 the trade publication antiques and the arts weekly reported that they paid 124 million for it
and then they faced a familiar problem as soon as he bought it she said i ran in here and started clearing things
the folk art museum has its own phillips of a girl in a red dress with a cat   a different girl with a different cat and a dog as a bonus ms hollander the curator said phillips painted maybe four or five children in red dresses going back to 1830 when the one in the museum was painted
the one belonging to the daniels came later about 1835 according to ms hollander who says theirs is more sensual and the colors more lush ammi phillips as an artist changed with the times she said he had the ability to give his customers what they wanted what was up to date what was fashionable
ms daniel was an artist she said before she began collecting american paintings though from a period somewhat later than those mr daniel favored before she came along he had displayed works the way andy warhol had you know where you put it on the floor against the wall ms daniel said warhol did an exhibition where things were where he left them allan was the same way
she is not she arranges the objects in the townhouse in a way that is organized and precise rather than cluttered and busy
to return the odd fellows serpent staff that the museum borrowed to its place ms daniel will take down a cane that carries the faces and names of the commanders in chief from george washington to grover cleveland it was probably carved during clevelands first term because benjamin harrison whose presidency came and went between clevelands two terms is nowhere to be seen
an independent order of odd fellows harp is also going back to its spot its place holder has been a barber pole ms daniel will find somewhere else to put that
ive been saying we need a bigger house mr daniel said kendras been saying we need less stuff


when the kia brand hit american shores in the 1990s among its first offerings was the sportage sport utility vehicle my brother in law bob bought one then and drove 80000 miles in three years an admirable feat of endurance for both car and owner considering the models small spartan demeanor back then
now kias oldest nameplate the fourth generation sportage is far more pleasant holding its own in a wickedly fierce segment that includes the ford escape honda cr v and toyota rav4 fans of lucha libre will especially love the sportages front fascia though others might wrestle with the face
the third generation sportage was the first kia to get the former audi designer peter schreyers deft touch closely guiding this one as well mr schreyer wisely kept much of the attitude the expensive look must have inspired the chassis engineers
sportage gets the improvements it needs to keep pace with the pack shouting is no longer needed when talking with passengers at highway velocity the steering wheel provides feedback where there once was none at all a slimmer a pillar offers improved visibility the suspension goes from stiff and brittle to compliant and refined sportage is not overtly sporty but it is quite comfortable the suspension team deserves a raise
the interior group merits one too granted im driving the top shelf sx turbo model that adds a cut and sewn dashboard with satin finish to metallic trim bits its retail price of 33395 add 1500 for all wheel drive will cause those stuck in kias past to choke understand that its stuffed with features and technology like heated and vented seats heated steering wheel a panoramic glass roof and auto braking with pedestrian detection the vibe is near luxury
the same basic style and functionality can be had in base models for 24985 albeit with less power most sportages run with a 24 liter 4 cyliner engine turning out 181 horsepower truth in advertising sx turbos 2 liter engine is turbocharged churning out 240 horses 237 in awd trim and 260 pound feet of torque early in the power band wheel spin is eager and often launching front wheel drive models i suggest awd with the turbo motor
gear changes are elegantly made with a six speed automatic no matter the engine the sx adds steering wheel paddle shifters getting from 0 to 60 miles an hour takes about 75 seconds in the turbo if youre drag racing nissan rogue subaru forester and sibling hyundai tucson
on standard grade gas i saw 27 miles a gallon during a 200 mile road trip this beat the government rating of 21 city 26 highway a figure lower than most competitors the mazda cx 5 beats the sportage with an epa highway rating of 33 miles per gallon
the fairly capable all wheel drive system adds traction a different front fascia to improve the approach angle and a slight bump in ground clearance to nearly 7 inches it subtracts a couple of mpg
the back seat is quite roomy for two adults three in a pinch curiously it lacks seat warmers that the soul has the roomier trunk has a load floor that adjusts for height the sx gets an automatic liftgate that opens when you stand close by with the proximity key slick
my brother in law bob would be impressed with the 2017 sportage kia has come a long way in two decades fuel efficiency aside its a comfortable and stylish package that can tussle in the most competitive segment the automotive arena has


beijing   now that china had completed a 10000 foot runway fit for fighter jets and dredged a huge harbor at fiery cross reef an artificial island at the center of a territorial dispute in the south china sea the time had come to reward the workers who built them
one of chinas biggest navy ships a type of amphibious assault vessel arrived at fiery cross reef this week loaded with a performance group from the peoples liberation army they danced and sang for two and a half hours before a cheering crowd of military personnel and construction workers
a video of the performance by cctv the chinese state broadcaster showed the gray hull of the kunlunshan a 20000 ton warship and the second largest vessel in the chinese fleet as the backdrop for the temporary stage rigged up portside
one of the most applauded songs of the evening was this is the kind of man we want to marry a patriotic ballad about a navy man who postpones his wedding because of his duties far from home eventually the mans fiancee comes to the island and they marry on the construction site
the audience dressed in blue military fatigues and hard hats cheered when the singer onstage delivered the i do line
an enthusiastic construction worker told a cctv interviewer this is exactly our lives wife and children waiting for us to come home he wore a helmet bearing the name of the china communications construction company a state owned enterprise specializing in port airstrip and bridge building
song and dance is always a way to show gratitude said gary li an analyst at apco worldwide a consulting firm on geopolitical affairs the vessel the performers arrived on was similar to ships used by the united states marines to carry vehicles helicopters and troops he said
the performance was a sign that fiery cross reef is considered a long term garrison mr li said
live theater is not the only distraction for workers and troops on fiery cross reef last month satellite images showed a newly built soccer field and basketball and tennis courts
the football field and tennis courts are all to enrich the spare time of the soldiers who are all young men working there under tough conditions said xu guangyu a retired major general now they can even watch television and use mobile phones before we didnt even have stable radio signals
fiery cross reef now a 700 acre island where once just a couple of low lying rocks were lapped by the tides is the subject of an arbitration case filed by the philippines at a united nations tribunal in the hague
a ruling is expected in the coming weeks and there is wide expectation that the panel will decide that chinas construction in the last 18 months on fiery cross reef and other islands in the spratly archipelago contravenes international law
before the ruling china is making various military and diplomatic moves to show that it is standing firm on its claims to seven disputed islands in the spratlys about 500 miles from china and less than 150 miles from the philippines
a large scale chinese naval exercise will soon be underway in the south china sea the peoples liberation daily announced on wednesday
this week three warships from the south sea fleet left hainan island the southernmost province of china for the exercise and three more will soon join them the newspaper said the exercise is intended to strengthen the combat spirit and foster the concept of war preparation it said


three point records have fallen rapidly this season mostly to the mighty warriors on april 24 golden state made 21 in a first round game against the rockets setting a playoff record
but on wednesday night the cavaliers took that record away and added another cleveland hit 25 3 pointers not just the most in a playoff game but more than the regular season record as well
the cavaliers 3 point marksmanship has been overlooked this season in the shadow of the warriors while golden state made 1077 3 pointers a record cleveland made 880 of its own the fifth highest total of all time j r smith led the way with 204 but kevin love matthew dellavedova lebron james and many others had 3 point punch as well
ten cavaliers made 3s in wednesdays game smith hit seven one off his season high and james and kyrie irving had four each
j r is the only one on the team who has the ultra green light james told reporters after the game its fluorescent
even dahntay jones who played most of the season for the grand rapids drive of the nba development league drained one in his five minutes on the court
the cavaliers shot 25 for 45 from 3 point range they tried and made more 3s than 2s and shot them at a higher percentage 556
the hawks could not stand up to the barrage of 3s they were never in the game and lost 123 98 atlanta was 11 for 27 from 3 point range and no player made more than two
with kevin posting the basketball smaller guys have to double team coach tyronn lue explained to the cleveland plain dealer with lebron being aggressive and driving the ball to the basket and kyrie getting to the basket teams are trying to shut the driving lanes off that makes for guys kicking it out
the regular season record is 23 shared by the 2009 magic against the kings jameer nelson made five and the 2013 rockets against the warriors jeremy lin also made five
since the adoption of the 3 point shot teams have been hoisting up bombs in hopes of stealing a last second win rallying from a deficit or punctuating a win and while the 3 pointer was initially dismissed as a gimmick to be used only in unusual situations it has increasingly become a crucial weapon
just about every 3 point record that can be thought up has fallen in the last few seasons golden states stephen curry made 402 this season shattering his own record of 286 from the season before the warriors set the team record and nba teams made on average 85 3s a game up from 57 a decade ago and 08 in 1979 80 the shots first season
after a sweep of the pistons with 12 20 12 and 13 3 pointers the cavaliers now lead the hawks two games to none 15 and 25
the cavaliers are 6 0 and untroubled in the playoffs so far playing in the weaker eastern conference they look like a good bet to make the finals
the result of a potential cavaliers warriors series is uncertain but it is a sure thing the 3s would be raining down


what in the world offers you glimpses of what our journalists are observing around the globe let us know what you thinkwhatintheworldnytimescom
the cost of living in london is now so high that it takes nine tenths of an average persons income just to cover the rent for an average apartment never mind luxuries like say food or clothing or taxes
and if you fancy living in a fashionable neighborhood like kensington and chelsea think again every penny of the 38960 an average briton makes in a whole year would be swallowed up by your landlord in just eight months
these figures come from a recent report by cbre a global real estate advisory firm which says londons residential rents are the highest in the world PS2083 about 3020 a month for a typical two bedroom apartment
in kensington and chelsea where diana princess of wales once lived and where you can walk to harrods the average soars to PS3405
spiraling housing prices and bouts of apartment envy dominate dinner party talk in london the way aspirational new yorkers fret about getting their toddlers into the right preschools and no wonder if groceries had gone up as much as housing prices have since 1970 a chicken would now cost PS5557 in london according to shelter a housing charity in the city
of course not every corner of london is as pricey as kensington and chelsea the cbre report identifies one borough with leafy open spaces good schools independent shops and average rents of just PS1007 a month
that rare haven of affordability is bexley which is not on the radar of status conscious londoners because it is way out in the sixth and most distant transit fare zone an hour by train from the center of the city


friday is the start of north koreas most important political meeting in 36 years the seventh congress of the ruling workers party thousands of delegates from around the country are in pyongyang the capital whose residents have been mobilized to welcome them but beyond the choreographed pageantry and fervor there are reasons to watch the proceedings closely
in theory the workers party rules north korea and the congress is where its most important decisions are made delegates will elect the partys central committee which will choose the politburo and the partys top boss the first secretary kim jong un is to say the least highly likely to retain that post the congress also reviews past policies and adopts new party lines
thats the theory in reality all decision making power is concentrated in one supreme leader mr kim and all political events are dedicated to ensuring what the country calls his monolithic leadership the charter of the workers party commits it to upholding mr kim as its center while abiding by the kim il sungkim jong il ideology as its only leadership philosophy referring to north koreas two previous supreme leaders mr kims grandfather and his father

it is not entirely clear according to its charter the workers party is supposed to hold its congress every five years but this is only the seventh in the partys 70 year history the last one was held in 1980 before mr kim was even born kim il sung was in charge then
by the time kim jong il inherited power in the mid 1990s the norths economy had collapsed after decades of mismanagement the disintegration of the soviet bloc and a series of droughts and floods famine is believed to have killed more than two million citizens during the 1990s kim jong ils response to the crisis was to rely on a military of 11 million to ensure internal security and the army replaced the workers party as the main governing body kim jong il retained his party titles as well as military ones but he never convened a party congress which spared him from having to address the subject of the famine
though conditions in the north are far less dire now kim jong un has done little to improve living standards since taking power a few years ago nevertheless he announced in october that a party congress would be held this month he has been billing himself as a leader who can protect the countrys independence and dignity with nuclear weapons and three recent failed attempts to launch midrange ballistic missiles were seen as efforts to bolster his image before the congress

with this party congress kim jong un is restoring the party as the main governing agency said lim eul chul an analyst at the institute for far eastern studies in seoul south korea under mr kim the workers party has regained powers and perks that it ceded to the army under his fathers rule including the lucrative right to export coal the new party leadership he puts together   approved by delegates who though technically chosen in local elections are actually handpicked loyalists   will make the party truly his own that is why some analysts have likened the congress to mr kims coronation and called it the official start of the kim jong un era

in his new years speech in january mr kim said that he would present an ambitious blueprint for the country during the congress and he vowed to treat improving the peoples living conditions as the most important of the numerous state affairs analysts are watching to see if he introduces economic reforms
mr kim has shown some tolerance for private enterprise giving rise to a new moneyed class that has thrived on smuggling goods from china he has made improvements to his showpiece capital opening water parks and building high rise apartments along the taedong river but most of the country lives in misery without enough food or electricity in 2013 mr kim adopted his so called byungjin policy calling for rebuilding the economy while expanding a nuclear arsenal the idea is that nuclear weapons will provide security that allows the country to focus on economic recovery
now that north korea claims to be a nuclear power some analysts expect mr kim to shift more attention to the economy the united states and south korea say the byungjin policy will not work and they have vowed to deepen the norths isolation until it abandons its nuclear weapons but few expect that to happen any time soon indeed the party may amend its charter to define the north as a nuclear power south korean analysts say the norths constitution was amended to that effect in 2012

its hard to say kim il sung used past congresses to help remove rival factions and tighten his familys grip on power at the sixth congress in 1980 kim jong il grabbed crucial party posts that cemented his status as his fathers heir during that meeting north korea presented a vision for a reunified korean peninsula a democratic confederal republic of koryo in which the south and north would exist in peace as autonomous regions respecting each others political systems
at that congress north korea also mobilized a million people in pyongyang for a rally nearly 120 countries sent delegates to the capital that year including senior officials from the chinese and soviet communist parties this time as the norths circle of friendly nations has shrunk considerably the congress will be a domestic affair though some foreign journalists have been invited to cover it


london   millions of britons voted on thursday in elections for the scottish parliament and the welsh and northern ireland assemblies and to choose several mayors many local councilors and some police commissioners
the voting is a big test for the opposition labour party and its left wing leader jeremy corbyn the contests also come seven weeks before britain votes on whether the country should remain in the european union
probably the most watched of the votes is the race for mayor of london the capital has 86 million residents   the most since the start of world war ii the two main candidates   zac goldsmith of the conservative party and sadiq khan of the labour party   are competing to replace mayor boris johnson who is stepping down after two terms results will probably be known on friday
the mayor has substantial authority over areas including policing transportation housing fire and emergency services environment culture and economic development
here is a look at the two favorites to succeed mr johnson
childhood son of sir james goldsmith a billionaire financier magazine tycoon and politician and annabel goldsmith a socialite and nightclub promoter brother of jemima khan a journalist and film producer brought up in southwest london
age 41
education attended several private schools studied at eton college one of the nations most elite private boarding schools but was expelled for drug use
current job member of parliament for richmond park in southwest london since 2010
previous job environmental activist proponent of local and organic food   though he was perhaps better known for his outgoing social life
family life married to alice rothschild a member of the famous banking family they have two children mr goldsmiths brother was once married to ms rothschilds sister previously married to sheherazade bentley also known as sheherazade ventura a jeweler and environmentalist they have three children
proposals doubling home construction to 50000 a year by 2020 ensuring that a significant proportion of homes are designated for renters moving forward with late night service on the underground londons subway system creating more green spaces deploying more police on public transit at night avoiding increase in council tax
author the constant economy how to create a stable society 2009
childhood son of a bus driver and a seamstress immigrants from pakistan grew up in public housing in wandsworth a borough of southwest london that has several heavily immigrant neighborhoods
age 45
education attended state schools and studied law at the university of north london
current job member of parliament for tooting in south london since 2005 was minister of state for transportation from 2009 to 2010 under prime minister gordon brown
previous job lawyer specializing in employment discrimination police brutality civil rights and other social justice issues elected to the local council in wandsworth at the age of 23
family life married to saadiya ahmed a fellow lawyer who was also born and raised in south london they have two daughters
proposals spurring the construction of new homes and giving londoners not overseas investors the priority in buying them freezing transportation fares introducing a one hour unlimited ride bus ticket intended to help people who use various connections get to work improving community policing and reducing knife violence guns in britain are rare making cycling safer
author fairness not favours how to reconnect with british muslims 2008
ten other candidates are running for mayor of london sian berry of the green party david furness of the british national party george galloway of the respect party paul golding of britain first lee eli harris of cannabis is safer than alcohol ankit love of the one love party caroline pidgeon of the liberal democrats sophie walker of the womens equality party peter whittle of the uk independence party and john zylinski an independent
most polls have registered relatively small support for these candidates


for years fuelcell energy has been considered a company to watch its technology promised to help economically reduce carbon dioxide emissions from power plants which could help combat climate change the danbury conn company might be able to make a difference experts said if only it had a partner with really deep pockets
now it has one
in an agreement announced on thursday exxon mobil said it had tightened an existing relationship with fuelcell in hopes of taking the technology from the lab to the market
any commercial development is years away warned vijay swarup vice president for research and development at exxon mobil research and engineering but he added we think its got the possibility to be a game changer
although the companies did not disclose the size of exxon mobils investment in fuelcell were putting the necessary resources behind this to take the research to the next level dr swarup said
the technology   known as carbon capture and sequestration or ccs  is an important but challenging potential solution to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions
the goal is to take carbon dioxide after it is removed from exhaust steam and to lock it away by pumping it into the ground or use it in industrial applications
reducing the amount of carbon dioxide released by power plants could provide a bridge of sorts to the use of energy sources that do not emit greenhouse gases said emily a carter founding director of the andlinger center for energy and the environment at princeton university
while many climate activists demand an immediate shift to renewable power sources like solar and wind were going to be burning fossil fuels for the vast majority of our electricity for some time to come whether we like it or not she said we desperately need ccs
carbon capture has not yet fulfilled its promise in large part because of the enormous amounts of energy required in conventional processes to separate carbon dioxide from power plant exhaust and to compress it those processes greatly diminish the power output of the plant and raise the cost of the electricity produced
what exxon mobils partner brings to this thorny problem is its particular class of fuel cells   devices that generate electricity through chemical reactions
the companys fuel cells are already used to provide clean energy in about 50 locations around the world but without a connection to fossil fuel power plants as envisioned in the new agreement
the fuel cells use a high temperature molten carbonate salt mixture carbon dioxide flows into the fuel cell and emerges in a concentrated form that is ready for storage
it is this idea of matching up power plants which produce carbon dioxide with fuel cells that are hungry for it that led to a collaboration between exxon mobil and fuelcell that started more than four years ago
the result at least so far in the laboratory is that the fuel cells effectively isolate and compress the carbon dioxide while producing enough power to more than make up for the energy cost of capturing the carbon
exxon mobil estimates that a 500 megawatt power plant with these fuel cells could generate 120 megawatts of additional power compared with a loss of 50 megawatts of power using conventional carbon capture technology
the company estimates that using these fuel cells with natural gas power plants could lead to a reduction of more than 90 percent in the plants carbon dioxide emissions while also producing large amounts of useful hydrogen
fuelcell energys products can also strip 70 percent of the smog producing oxides of nitrogen from the exhaust of coal burning power plants
chip bottone president and chief executive officer of fuelcell energy said he hoped the research would lead to a process that could be incorporated in power plants around the world
when you can make it affordable with private capital everybody wins he said
such a high profile effort to fight climate change could be interpreted by critics of the company as an attempt to improve the public image of exxon mobil at a time that it is under investigation by state attorneys general and news organizations and attacked for its past funding of organizations that denied climate change
alan jeffers a spokesman for exxon mobil said that he expected activists to accuse the company of engaging in a public relations stunt to burnish its reputation but he added thats untrue
noting the four year history of the work with fuelcell he said the research would continue for years to come
professor carter of princeton said the idea of merging these two technologies to get something thats greater than the sum of its parts is terrific
its preliminary she said of the collaboration which she learned of before the official announcement
her program administers a research agreement between exxon mobil and princeton and she has received a consulting fee in the past for reviewing the companys research
the proof will be in the pudding she added
jay faison a republican entrepreneur who is urging his party to support clean energy called exxons announcement a monumental point in time for this energy transition adding that when the market leader makes that move you have to think that others arent far behind
an expert in the carbon capture field had a more measured view
david keith a professor of physics and public policy at harvard and the founder of a carbon capture company in canada said that the greatest challenge surrounding ccs was not technological
he said the biggest need was for policies to encourage its widespread adoption as subsidies helped make technologies like solar and wind power competitive enough to take hold
the basic blockage around ccs isnt making the technology a little better dr keith said its the policy snafu around the business case
my guess he added is that theres something real and useful here


hong kong   the alibaba group which owns chinas biggest online marketplaces is squeezing more money out of slowing growth
the chinese e commerce giant which lists shares on the new york stock exchange reported on thursday a surge in profit and revenue in the first three months of the year compared with the same period last year the company made more money by charging retailers to use its platforms which connect vendors small and large with chinas growing ranks of connected consumers
but the figures covering the fourth quarter of the companys fiscal year also showed stalling growth in the volume of sales over its platforms gross merchandise volume a closely watched measure of the transactions on the companys websites grew 24 percent compared with the same period a year earlier about the same pace in the prior quarter
still investors bid alibabas shares up on thursday in a blog post released with the earnings report alibabas executive vice president joseph c tsai said the company was able to buck the trend of broader global economic troubles because of the resilience of chinese consumers which economists say must make up for chinas weakening manufacturing and construction sectors
chinese consumers with their healthy balance sheets and ability to spend will propel chinas shift from an export  and investment led economy to a consumption driven economy mr tsai said
for american investors alibaba has become a proxy for the chinese economy though a sizable portion of chinas retail sales take place on alibabas marketplace websites   chinese consumers spent almost 500 billion on alibaba last year   the companys sales growth outperformed the rise in transactions on its site
the results also showed the growing toll that alibabas forays into hypercompetitive areas outside its core business are taking on its finances it said that its koubei business which allows chinese consumers to order food and other items and services on their smartphones had generated 135 million in losses for its parent company in the quarter
in his post mr tsai pointed to the patience involved in creating the companys taobao marketplace now the major sales driver of the company he said the company would take a similar long term view and continue spending on new businesses it thinks can help it grow
when alibaba was listed in late 2014 the hype the company had built up helped it raise more than 20 billion the largest public listing in united states history since then a sagging chinese economy and a slowdown in spending growth on alibabas platforms have meant that despite solid results the companys share price has not returned to the level it reached on the first day of trading
still alibaba has made progress making more money from its main business
unlike amazoncom in the united states which keeps its own inventory and sells directly to customers alibaba serves as a middleman and makes money from getting vendors on its services to buy advertising and other services although the amount spent on alibabas marketplaces has grown about 20 percent this quarter and last its revenue from ads and commissions on those sites has grown 30 percent or more in the longer term investors expect those numbers to align more closely meaning slower sales growth
spending growth on alibabas e commerce sites will most likely continue to moderate the company also faces rising competition from jdcom which operates a business model similar to amazons as well as continued expenses from some of its strategic investments and acquisitions
still chi tsang an hsbc analyst in hong kong pointed to its continued strong cash position and dominance in online shopping as advantages people dont think about how much cash this company generates he said
alibaba said on thursday that sales rose 39 percent in the fourth quarter to 375 billion gross merchandise volume rose 24 percent to 115 billion its profit rose more than 80 percent to 832 million minus one time items the company posted a profit of 302 renminbi or 46 cents a share lower than the 360 renminbi a share that analysts had expected


istanbul   in pursuit of more power president recep tayyip erdogan of turkey has purged the judiciary of enemies jailed journalists and crushed anti government protests now he has ousted his closest political ally the countrys prime minister ahmet davutoglu whose modest effort to check mr erdogans ambition was too much for the president
mr davutoglu publicly loyal to mr erdogan even as he pushed back privately on some of his excesses said thursday that he would step aside as the leader of the islamist justice and development party or akp and give up his position as prime minister
clearly shaken but a loyal party soldier to the end mr davutoglu described his relationship with mr erdogan as brotherly
you will never hear me say negative things about our president he said thursday his voice quavering my loyalty to him will last until the end
mr davutoglus resignation exposed a rift between the two men over mr erdogans moves to expand his power their split signals that mr erdogans transformation from democrat to autocrat is nearly complete his ambition of establishing an executive presidency closer at hand
as an islamist leader who presided over a growing economy and seemed serious about advancing democracy in turkey mr erdogan was embraced by the west when he came to power in 2003 a dazzling and charismatic reformer he seemed to embody the promise that islam and democracy could coexist
in recent years critics have argued that mr erdogan never intended to become a liberal leader citing an old quote attributed to him that democracy is like a bus when you arrive at your destination you step off
mr erdogan has tried to silence his critics sometimes with comical effects and is seeking to change the constitution to establish a more powerful presidency and solidify his status as the pre eminent political figure in turkey
the ouster of mr davutoglu offered another vivid example of mr erdogans autocratic style and his mastery of power politics that turks this week likened to characters from the godfather or house of cards
mr erdogan is often compared to president vladimir v putin of russia for his authoritarian style and his ability to keep winning elections while eroding the quality of turkeys democratic institutions mr erdogan burnished that image when he switched from prime minister to president something mr putin had done to preserve his political supremacy
mr davutoglu long seen as subservient to mr erdogan was often compared to dmitri a medvedev mr putins loyal deputy but mr medvedev has stuck around and mr davutoglu is out
mr erdogan doesnt even want someone like davutoglu who was pretty much singing his tune with some nuances said suat kiniklioglu a former lawmaker with the akp and the chairman of the center for strategic communication in ankara step by step hes making sure his political objective which is the presidential system is achieved
the resignation of mr davutoglu follows one of his greatest successes as prime minister a deal with the european union to stem the flow of refugees from turkey to the continent
mr davutoglu not mr erdogan was front and center in those negotiations and the international attention he received angered mr erdogan analysts said mr davutoglu also sought a meeting with president obama according to turkish news media reports and though the meeting did not transpire the analysts said it nevertheless raised the ire of mr erdogan
erdogan has been deeply suspicious of davutoglus attempts to gain international credibility through his dealings with the european union and attempts to meet with obama said aykan erdemir a former opposition lawmaker with turkeys main secular party who is now a senior fellow at the foundation for defense of democracies
as part of the refugee deal the european union agreed to visa free travel for turks to parts of europe and to speed up turkeys long stalled negotiations to join the bloc with mr davutoglu out that process is further in doubt
in public mr davutoglu has largely been deferential to mr erdogan he was praising him and glorifying him said mr kiniklioglu the former lawmaker
but mr davutoglu was known to be less enthusiastic than mr erdogan in pushing for a presidential system something that would have eliminated any remaining authority in the office of prime minister which under turkeys constitution is the most powerful position
there is no major ideological divide between the two said omer taspinar an expert on turkey at the brookings institution its a power struggle with erdogan pushing for total loyalty and full support for his presidential agenda and davutoglu showing slight resistance in order to keep checks and balances to protect his role as prime minister
while his public comments indicated little distance between him and mr erdogan there were signs lately that mr davutoglu was trying to assert himself and at least modestly challenge mr erdogans authority
the basic problem is that erdogan seeks to eliminate anyone in the party who has any ambitions of authority of their own said svante e cornell a turkey analyst with the central asia caucasus institute a research organization
the split between turkeys top two political leaders added another element of turmoil at a time when the country is facing numerous challenges a war in the southeast against kurdish militants spillover from the war in syria with cross border shelling and the arrival of millions of refugees
mr davutoglu had been the chief architect of turkeys syria policy which is widely viewed as a failure
for years turkey allowed its southern border with syria to be an easy conduit for weapons and fighters a policy criticized by the united states and other allies for allowing the rise of the islamic state the refugee crisis shows no signs of abating and syrias president bashar al assad remains firmly in power backed by russia and iran
analysts say mr davutoglu will most likely be cast as the scapegoat for turkeys syria policy by mr erdogan and his inner circle
the country also endured a period of political instability last year after the akp lost its parliamentary majority before regaining control in a snap election during this period turkish stocks fell and the turkish lira lost value against the dollar reflecting investors concerns about mr erdogans unchecked power
mr kiniklioglu said that mr davutoglus assertiveness on international issues very likely raised concerns among mr erdogan and his inner circle that the prime minister was slowly trying to exercise his own authority
referring to mr erdogan mr kiniklioglu said he just wants someone who sits quietly in ankara until the executive presidency is in place
mr davutoglu said he would step aside after a special party congress to choose a new leader to be held on may 22
mr erdogan who as president is supposed to be above party politics is expected to help choose a successor to his former acolyte who will be subservient and lead his effort to rewrite the constitution and establish a presidential system that would most likely require new elections for the akp to gain more seats in parliament to approve any constitutional changes
mr davutoglu a bookish and professorial counterweight to the brash and abrasive mr erdogan agreed in 2014 to be prime minister when mr erdogan was elected president other top akp officials had demurred fearing that they would have no authority under mr erdogan
analysts say mr erdogan given his power and his vast popularity among turkeys pious masses is unlikely to face much political cost in removing mr davutoglu


hong kong   assume for the sake of argument that kfcs fried chicken is as advertised finger lickin good
would you really want it to remain on your fingers indefinitely
these are just two of the salient questions raised by the chicken chains new hong kong marketing campaign in which it is offering lickable edible fingernail polish in two flavors original and hot and spicy
yes it is actually a real thing said anna mugglestone marketing and communications director for ogilvy  mather group in hong kong the agency running the campaign i tried it myself in the office when they were doing testing
and as you might expect
it tastes like chicken she said its crazy i dont know how they do it
a more logical question would be why
ms mugglestone said the nail polish was a way to remind the younger generation of the great taste and good times the brand stands for
the polish is made in conjunction with mccormick  company which produces the spices for kfcs chicken it has yet to be mass produced but could be available in the second half of this year
kfc is asking hong kong customers which flavor they would prefer neither apparently is not an option
ms mugglestone said there has been vast interest in the polish but comments online ranged from skeptical to harsh
grossintriguing the fashion and lifestyle website rackedcom tweeted
original is actually pretty cute for spring glamourcom wrote if you know it didnt taste like fried chicken


a former police sergeant has been held without charges in a federal detention cell in philadelphia part of an effort by the authorities to pressure him to decrypt two computer hard drives believed to contain child pornography
the case reveals yet another battle line for law enforcement and digital privacy advocates over encryption this time on an apple computer not an iphone
the sergeant francis rawls was ordered by a federal court last august to hand over the two hard drives which were seized from his home because they were suspected to contain the illegal pornography
mr rawls was shown to a private room at the district attorneys office to comply with the order once there according to a court document he spent most of the time staring at the computer and then said he could not remember the passwords to turn off filevault a feature of macs that encrypts hard drives when a user logs out he was taken into custody and this week he started his eighth month in a federal detention center all without ever being charged with a crime
mr rawlss case is the latest in a growing number of legal battles over digital privacy in the united states the challenges are playing out in courts across the country propelling a national debate over when the government can compel individuals or companies to disclose codes or passwords giving access to private data
not only is he presently being held without charges but he has never in his life been charged with a crime keith m donoghue his federal public defender wrote in a motion last week seeking his clients release
in two high profile cases recently the justice department tried to force apple to unlock an iphone used by a gunman who was behind the massacre in san bernardino calif and an iphone used by a brooklyn drug dealer the department later backed off after it accessed data on the phones without the companys help
mark rumold a senior lawyer with the electronic frontier foundation a nonprofit group that focuses on defending civil liberties in digital issues said the increased focus on privacy rights was spurred in 2013 by edward j snowdens revelations about government surveillance which led to the pursuit of more advanced encryption technologies to counter that surveillance
it is a combination of a growing awareness and increased use of technologies that are privacy protected mr rumold said i do not think it is a stretch to say these types of issues are affecting people all over the country in everyday life
encryption goes further than a simple login password by scrambling data in a way that requires a password key to descramble it it is used most commonly to protect consumers from online fraud or to keep bank accounts secure
law enforcement agencies have typically made encryption an issue in high profile cases involving terrorism or child pornography in march president obama said the united states had already accepted that law enforcement can rifle through your underwear in the search for suspected predators so there was no reason to treat a persons digital information differently
if the government has no way into a smartphone he added then everyone is walking around with a swiss bank account in your pocket
many of the cases involving court ordered access to personal devices include arguments centering on an individuals right under the fifth amendment against self incrimination and about whether they can be compelled to reveal passwords or decrypt those devices
in the philadelphia case for example the officer was told to type in the passwords in a private room in the district attorneys office rather than to simply tell the password which could be construed as testifying against himself
suspects may be on shakier constitutional grounds when it comes to biometric data like fingerprints
in another recent case the authorities in california obtained a search warrant in february compelling the girlfriend of a suspected member of an armenian gang to press her finger against an iphone that had been seized from a glendale home the phone was protected by apples fingerprint identification system and prosecutors wanted access to the phone data according to a los angeles times report
in some cases courts have said that ordering suspects to decrypt their own devices for investigators violated their rights such as in the 2013 case of a massachusetts forgery suspect but when the case later made its way to the massachusetts supreme judicial court that decision was reversed
in his motion to a federal court of appeals last week mr donoghue the philadelphia public defender said his client whom he referred to as john doe had come under scrutiny during a delaware county investigation into a public network called freenet where users communicate and share files in a secure environment
the two hard drives and other devices including an apple mac pro computer were seized from mr rawlss home on march 30 2015 after he did not decrypt the hard drives he was ordered in september to be incarcerated indefinitely until he complied with the order not to punish him but to coerce future compliance prosecution documents said
he was taken into custody by united states marshals the philadelphia police department said in october that mr rawls who had been on the force for 17 years would be suspended and then dismissed for conduct unbecoming an officer
last week mr donoghue said in his motion to the court that the detention was causing irreparable injury to a man who had not been charged with any crime and who was exercising his right not to provide evidence that might be used against him
we are hopeful the appeal will result in our clients prompt release from the custody that was ordered after he invoked his fifth amendment right against self incrimination mr donoghue said in an emailed reply to questions
parts of the court documents that would explain the reasons for mr rawlss detention and the court order are still under seal government prosecutors have until may 16 to reply


no chance no way never
yet here we are donald j trump is the presumptive republican presidential nominee
maybe its not fair to call out the knowing skepticism of the political thinkers who once declared mr trumps nomination an impossibility many people thought he was a long shot not everyone though democrats were quick to mock when he declared his entry into the race on june 16 news organizations struggled with how to cover him
heres a quick look at how unthinkable it all seemed before voting began
senator rand paul spoke with certainty about that in august
during an interview on nbc news mr paul who was still in the race attributed mr trumps strength in the polls to the free advertising of media coverage
hes on every channel all the time and people have gone gaga he said
mr paul dropped out in february
on tuesday after mr trumps landslide win in indiana senator ted cruz acknowledged the inevitable and quit the race and finally on wednesday gov john kasich of ohio dropped out leaving a republican field of just one mr trump
james fallows a correspondent for the atlantic wrote last july that mr trump faced several obstacles that simply could not be overcome
he is a novelty candidate akin to herman cain or michele bachmann mr fallows explained he has no experience in appointed or elected office or the military and his derisive remarks about mexicans would not bear scrutiny
everyone knows for certain that he will fade as the novelty of his histrionic act gets old and as republican voters begin to think about actually winning he wrote
bob garfield the writer and host of the wnyc radio program on the media took issue in july with how news organizations were reporting early polls deemed by him to be unreliable that seemed to show strong support for mr trump
the candidate he said was akin to the kid in geometry class making fart sounds in his armpit whats not a joke is how the press reported those poll numbers   and most others
that was nate silver in august the prediction expert and editor of fivethirtyeightcom pegged mr trumps odds then informally at 2 percent
writing on the day of the first republican face off mr silver said tonights debate could prove to be the beginning of the end for trump or he could remain a factor for months to come but hes almost certainly doomed sooner or later
political scholars at the university of virginias center for politics declared in september that the republican hierarchy would never allow mr trumps nomination
its not enough to be a showman reasoned the authors larry sabato kyle kondik and geoffrey skelley
party leaders believe the initials of the gop will be changed to rip if trump is on the november 2016 ballot and this near unanimity of leadership opinion should be enough to defeat trump one way or the other they wrote
that was the flat declaration from chris cillizza who writes about politics for the washington post in july
but just because trump isnt going to win or even come close doesnt mean that his rise   and the massive amount of attention he continues to attract   is meaningless its not the question however is what exactly trumps gulp popularity means he backtracked a month later as many eventually did
one of the most vocal voices on twitter foretelling mr trumps downfall was bill kristol the editor of the weekly standard
the last straw he said came when mr trump belittled senator john mccains war record hes not a war hero the candidate had declared hes a war hero because he was captured i like people who werent captured
during an appearance on msnbc in july mr kristol said hell stay in the debates hell be showman he will get out before iowa
the mccain remarks also looked a turning point for nate cohn a new york times writer for the upshot who called that an inflection point for mr trumps candidacy
his surge had so far been a largely media driven phenomenon mr cohn reasoned his attack against mr mccain would trigger a shift in scrutiny to the candidates record and that would be it even a cursory look at mr trumps political record reveals a candidate with serious liabilities once journalists and campaigns started taking him seriously
on wednesday mr cohn had some new thoughts about the presumptive republican nominee the headline what i got wrong about donald trump


life is short read the slogan of the new day britains youngest national newspaper lets live it well
unfortunately for the publication the first half of its slogan proved prophetic
barely 10 weeks after its start as a counterintuitive print only experiment the new days publisher trinity mirror announced on thursday that it was shutting down the newspaper amid a precipitous decline in newsstand sales that the company conceded was financially unsustainable
targeting what it believed was a significant potential audience of lapsed print readers in britains famously crowded newspaper market trinity mirror one of britains largest media companies began the new day in late february with a goal of reaching as many as one million paying readers a week
but unlike most of the worlds major publishers which have pushed aggressively to distribute their content online and on mobile platforms the new day made a conscious decision to forgo those options as a way of keeping operating costs down and simplifying the business model
we always said that there was an element of experiment to this and if it wasnt going to work we would close it said elizabeth holloway a trinity mirror spokeswoman this confirms that it is a challenging time for print
in a statement trinity mirror which also publishes the daily mirror tabloid and dozens of other british national and regional titles said that the reception for the new day whose daily circulation had fallen below 40000 copies in recent weeks had been disappointing and that as a result it would cease publication on friday
the news came as the company reported a 45 percent drop in group print circulation revenues in the first quarter compared with a year earlier and a 19 percent drop in sales from print advertising
the closing of the new day which employed a modest editorial staff of 25 people comes as other european newspapers are also taking a critical look at the long term future of their print operations
in britain the guardian media group which experienced a slump of 25 percent in print revenues last year recently announced plans to cut 250 jobs or about 13 percent of its work force as it increases its digital focus
the independent one of britains most respected newspapers went digital only in march el pais spains largest daily warned its staff this year that it was considering a similar move
last week the new york times announced a major restructuring of its own global print editions to focus on digital platforms the move which involves the closing of the paris based editing and print production operation of the timess international editions will result in the elimination of around 70 jobs it comes alongside plans to invest 50 million over the next three years to grow its international digital audience
the new day which printed five days a week was originally available only at newsstands and sold for 50 pence or about 70 cents a copy although the company used social media platforms like twitter and facebook to promote its content none of it was available online
circulation reportedly fell from around 150000 copies a day in early march to as low as 30000 by last month although it had initially shunned subscriptions the new day experimented with a paid e edition via a mobile app in mid april but that failed to generate significant sales ms holloway said
analysts said the main challenge for the new day was changing the habits of readers who have become used to a cornucopia of free content online as well as the convenience of being able to read it on mobile phones and other devices
in the end ms holloway said it proved too big of an ask to get a critical mass of people to change their behavior frequently enough to make it viable
nick tjaardstra a deputy director of the world association of newspapers and news publishers in frankfurt described the new day as a brave mass market pitch but he stopped short of saying that its failure pointed to the inevitable demise of print
uk papers like the mail and the telegraph that have a clearly defined audience which has not yet fully migrated to other channels will continue to sustain very attractive albeit slowly declining profits from print products mr tjaardstra said in an email referring to two major daily british newspapers with high circulations
he added the interesting takeaway from new day is that they probably saw the venture as much less risky than a digital only pitch where their content would have had no paid value and digital ad revenue would have been low without scale or targeting


london   natos european missile defense system will go live on thursday when a base in romania becomes operational the next day poland is scheduled to break ground on its nato missile defense base
the decision by the united states and its allies in eastern europe to proceed with ballistic missile defense in the face of increasingly loud russian criticism is an important stage in the alliances new stance toward moscow
those deployments will be coupled this spring with major military exercises in poland and the baltics with significant american participation and a beefed up rapid reaction force of up to 5000 troops
altogether said derek chollet a former united states assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs there will be a quite robust display of military power in europe and allied resolve and hopefully moscow will see it for what it is an alliance improving its capabilities
at the biannual nato summit meeting in warsaw in early july the main issues are expected to be east west read russia and north south   how to deal with threats to members like turkey and greece from the chaos of syria iraq libya and the islamic state the phrase arc of instability has re emerged in nato speak
there is confusion about what useful purpose nato can serve in the south but there is more clarity on russia after its annexation of crimea and armed involvement in eastern ukraine its threats to the baltic region and intervention in syria
talk of strategic partnership is gone instead there are calls to abandon the nato russia founding act of 1997 which spoke of shared values and a commitment to peace there is less emphasis on finding common ground with russia than on setting clear limits
the intention in warsaw is to move from reassurance of eastern nato allies to deterrence of russia that means more troops and equipment longer deployments bigger exercises and a persistent presence of nato and american troops in countries like poland and the baltics
at the 2014 nato summit meeting in wales the alliance decided to rotate small numbers of troops through the baltic region now nato is planning to deploy four combat battalions of roughly 1000 troops each in poland and the three baltic states estonia latvia and lithuania two of them are likely to be american one german and one british and washington will add a third combat brigade in europe
there will be discussion of how to recreate the infrastructure dismantled after the cold war to move tanks quickly to poland which now takes at least a day the new deployments are a more serious tripwire to deter a war that nato leaders must now at least contemplate
how will russia react president vladimir v putin views nato as encircling russia to limit its influence moscow argues that the only possible target of natos missile defenses is russia now that iran has agreed to limit its nuclear program
russia has already said it will create three new divisions along its western border and has threatened to put nuclear warheads on its new iskander missiles and base them in kaliningrad   territory bordering poland and lithuania that moscow annexed after world war ii
some nato country officials including in poland believe that moscow already has nuclear weapons in kaliningrad and will wait to announce that deployment in response to an operational missile defense or as moscows riposte to the nato meeting
russia has been developing a ground launched cruise missile version of the iskander that the departing nato commander gen philip m breedlove has said violates the 1987 intermediate range nuclear forces treaty with washington
moscow for its part argues that natos own missile defenses violate the inf treaty because they could be used offensively
so the newly robust nato moves may give moscow the excuse to say that it is pulling out of the treaty altogether and mr putin who has domestic problems and has discussed using nuclear weapons in a conflict with nato may decide to announce the deployment of nuclear weapons in kaliningrad or even crimea
putin has given us plenty of reasons to be concerned said mark leonard director of the european council on foreign relations he uses his unpredictability as leverage over the west so we cant trust our assumptions


jakarta indonesia   indonesia malaysia and the philippines agreed on thursday to conduct coordinated sea patrols and establish a hotline to combat piracy and kidnappings in waters bordering the three southeast asian nations
a meeting among the countries foreign ministers held in the indonesian city of yogyakarta was prompted by the recent kidnapping of 10 indonesian sailors in the southwestern philippines by abu sayyaf a militant organization that has functioned as a kidnap for ransom group for more than two decades
the 10 sailors abducted in late march were released on sunday indonesian officials said that no ransom had been paid
abu sayyaf has kidnapped at least 19 people including foreigners in the past year and a half on monday the head of one hostage a canadian citizen was found in the southern philippine town of jolo
indonesias foreign minister retno marsudi said in a statement after the meeting that the latest crisis showed the importance of working together to fight piracy and kidnappings
we agreed to strengthen cooperation and collaboration in the handling of security challenges as well as the implementation of coordinated patrols in the waters of common interest ms retno said of the meeting with her counterparts from malaysia and the philippines the countries also agreed to set up a hotline to improve their emergency responses she added
joko widodo the president of indonesia was also in yogyakarta for the meeting as were the heads of the armed forces of the three nations
in a joint statement the three countries said that they recognized the growing security challenges such as those arising from armed robbery against ships kidnapping transnational crimes and terrorism in the region particularly in reference to the maritime areas of common concern
the waters surrounding the sulu archipelago where the sailors were kidnapped include the sulu sea and the northern limit of the celebes sea indonesia and malaysia share a land border on borneo island southwest of the sulu sea and the three countries have sea borders in the region
according to indonesias foreign ministry more than 100000 ships sailed through the sulu sea last year carrying about 60 million tons of cargo and more than 18 million passengers
since 2006 indonesia malaysia singapore and thailand have conducted coordinated air and sea patrols in the strait of malacca the worlds busiest sea lane also in response to piracy and fears of terrorist threats in those waters


san francisco   the start up via a ride sharing service that pools commuters faced some headwinds as it sought new financing recently
its primary competitors include two of silicon valleys best financed companies uber and lyft and it went looking for new financing at a time when venture capitalists have begun to tighten their purse strings amid concern that many of the start ups that they have backed may not survive
yet via appears to have done well the company was to announce thursday that it had closed on 70 million in a new round of financing with an additional 30 million expected to close in the next several weeks
the latest round was led by pitango growth an investment firm based in israel and included c4 ventures hearst ventures and the investment firm of the billionaire roman abramovich who may be better known as the owner of the london soccer team chelsea
about 70 percent of the new round came from new investors according to isaac hillel a managing general partner of pitango growth
the new money will help the four year old company expand on what it says is a quest to change mass transportation including expansion within existing markets like new york city and chicago and entering new cities like boston and washington
vias main focus isnt on getting one or two passengers from one point to another so much as on smart car pooling   figuring out the most efficient way to get up to six passengers headed in the same direction to their destinations
were trying to build a mass transit system daniel ramot the start ups co founder said in an interview via is the only system designed from the ground up to allow for a fully dynamic public transportation system
the result is that customers sharing suvs are picked up close to their current locations and ideally dropped off close to their preferred destinations that means passengers may pay less than what they would for an uber or lyft ride riders pay 5 plus tax in manhattan south of 110th street from 6 am to 9 pm on weekdays or about 6 plus tax from 9 pm to midnight on weekdays in the neighborhoods of chicago where via operates the service costs about 4 plus tax for about the same hours except during rush hour
in regions that are less dense via is seeking partners that will help subsidize the service or use the technology to provide a similar offering so far the start up has joined a partnership with mercedes benz for rides in parts of orange county calif
there are so many empty cars going around mr hillel said in an interview i really think its the future of solving congestion
the concept has also gained attention for helping riders make new friends and even find potential dates
via isnt the only start up offering this kind of car pooling service both uber and lyft provide similar offerings which both companies have been promoting heavily in recent months uber has said that its uberpool provides 100000 rides a week in new york lyft has estimated that about 30 percent of its overall rides come from its similar line service with that percentage rising to more than half in new york and san francisco
lyft also introduced lyft carpool a service aimed specifically at commuters in march
but via says it has held its own the company claims to have provided more than four million rides to date and has performed 125000 rides a week in manhattan it says that its membership has quadrupled over the past 12 months to 250000 customers
the company plans to push out from manhattan into other boroughs as well as expand its service to weekend travel
that sort of growth prompted via to begin looking for new financing over the past several months after having collected 27 million from investors a year ago since that time fund raising has become more challenging with start ups asked more pointedly about how they will eventually make money
mr ramot said that his company had faced little difficulty raising money from existing and new investors at what he called a substantial rise in valuation and without onerous special terms he declined to be more specific
we did see more of a focus and questions around is this a sustainable business model  he said
while via doesnt yet make money mr ramot argued that the two sides of its business   operating the service directly in dense cities and licensing its technology in other cases   represented a sustainable model and a good way to expand
well continue to grow the platform very rapidly and move a step closer towards our goal of changing how mass transit and public transit work he said


kansas city mo   shaquille kornegay 2 years old was buried in a pink coffin her favorite doll by her side and a tiara strategically placed to hide the self inflicted gunshot wound to her forehead
she had been napping in bed with her father courtenay block late last month when she discovered the 9 millimeter handgun he often kept under his pillow in his kansas city mo home it was equipped with a laser sight that lit up like the red lights on her cousins sneakers mr block told the police he woke to see shaquille by his bed bleeding and crying the gun at her feet a bullet had pierced her skull
in a country with more than 30000 annual gun deaths the smallest fingers on the trigger belong to children like shaquille
during a single week in april four toddlers   holston kiyan zaveon and shaquille   shot and killed themselves and a mother driving through milwaukee was killed after her 2 year old apparently picked up a gun that had slid out from under the drivers seat it was a brutal stretch even by the standards of researchers who track these shootings
these are shooters who need help tying their shoelaces too young sometimes to even say the word gun killed by their own curiosity
they accidentally fire a parents pistol while playing cops and robbers while riding in a shopping cart after finding it in the pocket of the coat their father forgot to wear to work the gun that killed shaquille last thursday was pointing up as if being inspected when it fired
they are the most maddening gun deaths in america last year at least 30 people were killed in accidental shootings in which the shooter was 5 or younger according to everytown for gun safety a gun control advocacy group that tracks these shootings largely through news reports
with shootings by preschoolers happening at a pace of about two per week some of the victims were the youngsters parents or siblings but in many cases the children ended up taking their own lives
you cant call this a tragic accident said jean peters baker the prosecutor of jackson county mo who is overseeing the criminal case in shaquilles death her office charged mr block 24 with second degree murder and child endangerment these are really preventable and were not willing to prevent them
gun control advocates say these deaths illustrate lethal gaps in gun safety laws some states require locked storage of guns or trigger locks to be sold with handguns others leave safety decisions largely to gun owners
twenty seven states have laws that hold adults responsible for letting children have unsupervised access to guns according to the law center to prevent gun violence though experts say such measures have at best a small effect on reducing gun deaths massachusetts is the only state that requires gun owners to store their guns in a locked place though it has not stopped youngsters there from accidentally killing themselves or other children
gun rights groups have long opposed these kinds of laws they argue that trigger locks can fail that mandatory storage can put a gun out of reach in an emergency and that such measures infringe on second amendment rights
its clearly a tragedy but its not something thats widespread said larry pratt a spokesman and former executive director of gun owners of america to base public policy on occasional mishaps would be a grave mistake
in kansas city shaquilles family is trying to come to grips with her death and the murder charge facing mr block in interviews several relatives said they did not believe he deserved to be convicted of felony murder but some questioned his judgment in leaving a loaded gun out while he slept as well as his actions after he discovered that his daughter was grievously wounded
according to court records mr block told the police that immediately after the shooting he went to the bathroom wrapped the gun in a shirt and put it into a vent in the floor he then ran outside carrying his dying daughter and yelled for a neighbor to call for help he was also charged with evidence tampering
shaquilles mother montorre kornegay said that she had recently separated from mr block after more than five years together but that they remained close she said he loved the girl whose first word was daddy when he called ms kornegay from jail he told her he was sorry and talked about how much he missed shaquille
the girl was just 2 but wanted to be older telling people she was already 5 she would run through the house playing her own private game of peekaboo relatives said in a cacophony of squeaky children at home relatives could always distinguish shaquilles low raspier voice one day shell be a singer they told one another
what happened was wrong ms kornegay said she said that she did not think mr block deserved to face a murder charge but that he had behaved irresponsibly why didnt you stay up and watch her
parents police officers and neighbors from georgia to california are asking similar painful questions this week here are some of their stories
in 2015 there were at least 278 unintentional shootings at the hands of young children and teenagers according to everytowns database during the week in april when shaquille and the other children died there were at least five other accidental shootings by children and teenagers alysee defee 13 was shot in the armpit with a 20 gauge shotgun she had used for turkey hunting in floyd county ind zai deshields 4 pulled a handgun out of a backpack at her grandmothers home in arlington tex and shot her uncle in the leg
a child who accidentally pulls the trigger is most likely to be 3 years old the statistics show
holston cole was 3 a boy crackling with energy who would wake before dawn his pastor said he loved singing jesus loves me and bouncing inside the inflatable castle in his familys front yard in dallas ga
about 7 am on april 26 he found a 380 caliber semiautomatic pistol in his fathers backpack according to investigators the gun fired and holstons panicked father david called 911 even before a dispatcher could speak mr cole wailed no no into the phone according to a redacted recording
mr cole pleaded for his 3 year old son to hold on until the ambulance could arrive stay with me holston he can be heard saying on a 911 tape his voice full of desperation can you hear me daddy loves you holston holston please please
holston was pronounced dead that morning
the local authorities have been weighing what can be a difficult decision for prosecutors and the police after these shootings whether to charge a stricken parent or family member with a crime while laws vary among states experts said decisions about prosecution hinge on the specific details and circumstances of each shooting what may be criminal neglect in one childs death may be legally seen as a tragic mistake in another
officials with the paulding county sheriffs office have suggested that they expect mr cole to face at most a charge of reckless conduct
anything that we do criminally speaking is not going to hold a candle to the pain that this family feels said sgt ashley henson a spokesman for the sheriffs office sergeant henson said investigators had sensed early on that the shooting was accidental you want to be able to protect your family and take care of your family but on the same hand youve got to be safe with your weapons he said
some gun control groups have urged states and district attorneys to prosecute such cases more aggressively saying that grief aside people need to be held responsible for what are easily preventable deaths
brent moxey the pastor who officiated at holstons funeral said the boys father was already haunted i think he runs the scenario over and over and over in his mind mr moxey said the family   which did not respond to a message left at their home seeking comment   was still asking for privacy
about 1000 mourners attended holstons funeral on april 30 remembering a boy who loved superheroes and would sometimes wrestle cardboard boxes the day he died he spent time alongside his mother haley as she read the bible playing with the highlighter pen she used to note passages mr moxey said
this little boy loved to tinker and to play and he loved to get into things mr moxey said describing the very impulse that probably led to holstons death he loved to figure out how stuff works
in indianapolis kanisha shelton would stay protectively near her 2 year old son kiyan watchful of the stray dogs known to roam through the neighborhood
but on the night of april 20 ms shelton stepped away from the boy leaving him in the kitchen while she was upstairs she had placed her purse out of his reach on the kitchen counter but when her phone started ringing the boy apparently pushed a chair close to the counter climbed onto it and reached for the purse according to an account from a cousin john pearson there was also a 380 caliber bersa pistol in it
just after 9 pm ms shelton heard a loud bang and rushed downstairs there in the kitchen she found kiyan lying on the floor bleeding from a gunshot wound to the chest he was rushed to a local childrens hospital where he was pronounced dead
ms sheltons mother who answered her daughters cellphone said the family did not want to speak about the death no criminal charges have been filed
the police in indianapolis said such scenes were becoming more common the mother was obviously very shaken up capt richard riddle said indeed on sunday night another child 10 years old died in what the police say appears to have been another accidental shooting
a 2013 investigation by the new york times of children killed with firearms found that accidental shootings like these were being vastly undercounted by official tabulations and were occurring about twice as often as records said
dr garen j wintemute an emergency physician and a researcher at the university of california davis who studies the public health effects of gun violence said that nearly everyone   from toddlers to adults   can fail to accurately distinguish toy guns from real guns loaded guns from unloaded ones
that doesnt stop them from playing with it he said
mr pearson said he sympathized with ms shelton and thought of kiyans death as a tragic accident it was up on the counter so i do think she thought she put the gun away out of the babys reach mr pearson said shes going to be in a living hell
essie jones who lives across the street said ms shelton had recently taught kiyan to ride a small bicycle with training wheels guiding him on the bike in the driveway theyd be up in the yard playing she said he was very happy
in a condolence book online dianna mitchell wright who identified herself as auntie wrote of her anguish over losing the boy she had nicknamed my main man
all i have are memories she said and your pictures in my cellphone
the coffin that held zaveon was no bigger than a piece of carry on luggage and it was so light that two pallbearers easily carried it through the packed st paul missionary baptist church in bermuda la
his full name was zaveon amari williams but to his family in natchitoches the 3 year old was known as baby zee on april 22 he found a pistol and shot himself in the head according to detective john greely of the natchitoches police department when paramedics arrived they found the mother cradling the boy and crying that he was not breathing according to ksla news 12
the police arrested a companion of the mother alverious demars 22 on charges of negligent homicide and obstruction of justice detective greely said that the police believed that the pistol belonged to mr demars and that he hid it after the toddler shot himself the police have not found the weapon
as a responsible adult its his obligation to secure that   to make sure a child does not get ahold of it detective greely said explaining why mr demars had been arrested
the family declined to speak but in a facebook post the boys mother destiny williams wrote that she had not been able to sleep and was a useless sad waste i cant take life she wrote why is it so cruel and unrelenting and unforgiving
the funerals for these children were filled with a similar anguish
at the funeral for baby zee the wails and screams grew so loud during a final moment of goodbye that ushers closed the church doors to give the family privacy in georgia holstons father tearfully read a letter that reflected on how the family used to sing jesus loves me at the kansas city funeral for shaquille family members crumpled as they looked into the coffin shaking with tears or kissing her
the day after shaquille was buried her maternal grandmother pamala kornegay reflected on the girl who was missing from the cluster of grandchildren who sat coloring on her living room floor ms kornegay said she was not angry with shaquilles father
were just upset she said it was careless it could have been prevented so senseless she said because mr block had loved his daughter so dearly
he would take a bullet for her she said


for foreign born students desperate to stay in the united states the university of northern new jersey seemed like the perfect solution they did not have to go to class but they could get coveted student visas and still work at their dream jobs
they just needed to pay a broker anywhere from 3000 to 12000 over the last three and a half years more than a thousand agreed
that was their mistake
on april 5 the government revealed that the university was a fake   part of an elaborate sting operation that resulted in the arrest of 22 brokers who arranged for students to enroll these brokers belonged to an underground network of recruiters operating throughout the country who acted as middlemen between students and fraudulent schools known as visa mills the government said
twenty five students were listed as anonymous co conspirators but officials say all of them knew they were committing fraud by not going to class within days 1076 of them were ordered to appear in immigration court facing deportation or even a lifetime ban from the united states
they were 100 percent fully aware said alvin phillips a spokesman for the department of homeland security all purported students are recorded at some point or another fully going along with the pay to stay scheme
there are both audio and video recordings from the presidents office in new jersey when students called or visited mr phillips said he personally witnessed some of these exchanges and heard students admit they knew the university would not have classes
but in interviews more than a dozen students insisted that they were collateral damage in the sting operation duped by both the brokers and the government
in some cases their efforts to verify the university or even transfer were rebuffed by the brokers they say in other instances the students point to what they say was active deception by the government in person meetings with the universitys supposed president letters confirming they could work instead of go to class and twitter messages about classes canceled because of bad weather
in october a a young man from shanghai living in new york city was so frustrated when the university had not sent a needed eligibility form that he rented a car and drove to the campus a like most of the students insisted on being identified only by an initial because their immigration cases were still pending or their families back home did not know their situation
at the universitys office in a nondescript building off the garden state parkway in cranford a man presenting himself as the institutions president steve brunetti signed the form he told a how proud he was of all his students and gave him a souvenir
it was a slick t shirt with the letters unnj on the front on the left sleeve was an american flag
a said he did not think the experience was odd i just figured that was the way it was done he said
winona sun an art therapist in brooklyn learned of the sting operation while she was in china visiting her parents when her visa to re enter the united states was revoked i feel its over punishment she said in a telephone interview from china if the target is for the brokers why do they want to tear people down and lie to me
the federal government accredits 8687 educational institutions in the united states to enroll international students 118 million are currently studying here the students enrolled at the university of northern new jersey had all come to the united states legally and had earned degrees from schools including the university of chicago the university of michigan and fordham
but after graduation the clock was ticking for those who wanted to stay in the country a program called optional practical training lets foreign born graduates remain for 12 or 36 months depending on their field companies can apply for a temporary skilled worker visa known as an h 1b for employees but around 230000 people apply annually for the 85000 visas given out
a number of the students failed to get an h 1b and seemed out of options   with jobs at facebook google and morgan stanley on the line others were seeking to transfer from colleges they heard were under investigation to stay one step ahead of immigration officials
that is when the university of northern new jersey beckoned
according to some students brokers assured them that they could immediately earn credit hours for their work experience in a program called curricular practical training without taking classes
it is very much like a honey trap because you have a very very great temptation being waved in front of these young men and women said david grunblatt co head of the immigration and nationality group in the labor and employment law department at proskauer rose in new jersey he represents companies concerned about hiring foreign graduates for practical training
most of the students were from china and india where working with brokers is a familiar way of doing business but in retrospect they seem to have ignored what should have been red flags whether because they were overly trusting willfully ignorant or willing participants in visa fraud
corey lee an immigration lawyer in manhattan said if you didnt go to a class for a year you should expect something is going on
ms sun 29 earned a masters degree in art therapy at a massachusetts college and moved to new york to work for a nonprofit social services agency she declined to name the college or the organization because she did not want to endanger her application for a waiver to return to the united states
her employer applied for an h 1b visa for her but she faced a gap of several months before it would come through
ms sun said her broker told her she could work instead of taking classes but referred her to the university in february 2015 after she enrolled ms sun said she called there approximately 20 times no one responded
if one person called me back and told me it was fake i would not have gone to the university of northern new jersey ms sun said what else can i do i dont know the american system
louis farrell the director of the student and exchange visitor program part of united states immigration and customs enforcement said academic nonimmigrant student visas require the holder to enroll in a full course of study and attend and pass all their classes and that they should be wary of any recruiter who promises they can work without restrictions while attending school
but there seem to be inconsistencies in the united states citizenship and immigration services definition of a full course of study in one entry on its website it says that the designated school officer can determine a full course of study farther down it says that a student must complete at least 18 hours of classroom study
ultimately the students said that because the department of homeland securitys website certified the university of northern new jersey they believed the institution was legitimate in addition the website of the new jersey education department listed it as approved so did the website of the accrediting commission of career schools and colleges a national body its director michale s mccomis later said he had certified the university in order to cooperate with the governments investigation
z who is 27 and also from china did not win the h 1b lottery he found the university of northern new jersey online without a broker how risky will it be for obtaining full time cpt without attending any classes he wrote to the university in an email he showed to the new york times referring to curricular practical training
the response from the generic infounnjedu if you are not comfortable with what we have offered i ask you to try another university in the new jersey area
without a direct answer z said he fell back on the universitys government accreditation a year passed
when he asked how he would provide evidence for another h 1b application the university suggested making up classes from a template and to send it in with 620
that was the final flag unlike students who were listed as co conspirators z did not fabricate school transcripts instead he transferred
but on april 5 his student status was terminated because he had been enrolled at the fake university for more than 45 days
k a 30 year old from china who earned an mba in new england began to suspect something about the university after he had worked for a year and did not hear about the start of classes i was wondering if there was a lecture or something i could attend he said his broker told him online classes were coming soon
k said that he too relied on the universitys accreditations if the government is not trustworthy who should we trust he said
his girlfriend s 26 whom he met at business school was accepted to the university the next year in january 2016 but she said the broker told her that her authorization form and the school schedule would be delayed while the university expanded to two more campuses
the couple went to the campus in cranford in march only to find the doors locked supposedly because it was spring break
then at 820 am on april 5 immigration and customs enforcement agents knocked on the door of their rural new england home
k and s were detained in separate cells for several hours the next day k resigned from his job at a local company they are both waiting for hearing dates
like the other students they were notified that they needed to leave the country or apply for reinstatement of their student visas but students have said that few colleges if any have been willing to sponsor them after they were tainted by the university of northern new jersey reinstatement ultimately depends on the governments approval
the students say they have been put in an untenable position financially they paid thousands of dollars either to brokers or directly to the university eight students alone said they spent a combined 46000 some paid the university via paypal or cash with the money going to a holding company listed on some students invoices waterfall properties
as they wait for a hearing in immigration court that could take a year or longer they cannot legally work
typically in any fraud investigation it is our policy that we do not refund any money mr phillips the homeland security spokesman said
absolutely there was a message mr phillips added we welcome international students in america but they must do so according to the standards the right way
but barmak nassirian the director of federal relations and policy analysis for the american association of state colleges and universities wondered why government officials bothered to create a fake university when such places already existed several fraudulent universities have been shut down in previous years
the brokers may have recognized the university of northern new jersey as a visa mill mr nassirian said but he could see how some students could be deceived by its certifications can you really blame a student he said even if they are a little greedy a little gullible or a little too hopeful


donald j trump turning his attention to the general election has begun quietly reaching out to key elements of the republican establishment as he seeks to unite the party behind his candidacy before his anticipated battle against hillary clinton
mr trump who is expected to run on a nonideological platform of his own design is trying to reassure party officials that he understands there are certain norms even he needs to follow as the republican nominee and that he is capable of producing an organization and infrastructure that can sustain a costly general election campaign
his team already working to transform a lean operation into a national presidential campaign apparatus has been reaching out to members of congress and washington think tanks strategizing on how best to take on mrs clinton and woo supporters of her primary opponent senator bernie sanders of vermont and planning to head to cleveland next week to help direct the partys july convention according to aides
the campaign has also begun thinking about what a convention with mr trump a circus master and media savant as the prime time act will look like
the site has been chosen and the arena is fine but id want to have   you know the last republican convention was extraordinarily boring mr trump said in one of two phone interviews wednesday and were going to come up with some things that will make it interesting and informative but also smart and different
mr trump a former reality television host added that he would look to organizations like img a global talent management company to help with the production
the campaign is honing a broad general election theme a populist pitch of america first and jumping off the foreign policy speech he delivered last wednesday in washington mr trump is planning three more policy speeches in the coming weeks they are likely to focus on the economy veterans and his view of the judiciary in that address he plans to release a list of conservative judges who exemplify his view of a strong supreme court justice aides said
to improve its outreach to the republican political and policy establishment the trump campaign recently opened an office near the nations capital in the old town neighborhood of alexandria va but it is unclear whether the core of the campaign will be based in the washington area or in new york where mr trump returns almost every night
the trump operation is still struggling with its rapid expansion with persistent reports of tensions between corey lewandowski the campaign manager and paul manafort the newly installed senior adviser
soon the campaign plans to put a transition team in place to prepare for a trump administration and on thursday announced steve mnuchin the head of a private investment firm as the teams national finance chairman
as the presumptive nominee mr trump will begin raising money for the republican party and various congressional committees his campaign said he has largely self funded his campaign so far   a fact he often promotes as evidence that he is not beholden to special interests   but has signaled he will raise money for his general election effort
he also did not rule out the possibility of accepting public matching funds saying i dont know enough about it but he added that he would receive a briefing on the topic on thursday
on tuesday ed rollins once ronald reagans campaign manager joined great america pac a super pac supporting mr trump as a chairman on a call with prospective supporters of the group on wednesday mr rollins said its goal would not be to spend large amounts on television ads but instead to try to plug holes for the campaign i think what we want to do is really examine what are the pieces that are missing he said
since last month mr trumps congressional team has held meetings on capitol hill every thursday morning when congress is in session it said that attendance at the meetings which often feature a guest speaker from the trump campaign had swelled after the recent string of trump victories and that it would announce more than half a dozen endorsements in the coming weeks
mr trumps fund raising efforts could help court lawmakers
dollars matter a lot in these tough races so to the extent that mr trump is helping us raise money money that will help us protect our majority hes going to win a lot of friends in congress said representative chris collins of new york one of mr trumps congressional chairmen thats going to soothe a lot of folks and show he does care about the house maintaining its majority
the campaign has begun reaching out to washington consultants and operatives from rival campaigns as well as meeting quietly with republican leaders in swing states where it believes mr trump can win in november
ive seen it when the campaign comes in and says this is the way were going to run the state whether you like it or not we know more about your state than you do mr manafort said in an interview and thats not an effective way to do it
but recruiting supporters in the washington establishment has been something of a challenge
its still very much an insurgency campaign and theres still a high degree of reluctance in dc to get on board with the campaign even though a lot of people have made the jump or are softening their positions said joe kasper chief of staff to representative duncan hunter of california a chairman of mr trumps congressional outreach effort
the campaign is also refining its messaging for the general election with mr trump preparing lines of attack against mrs clinton   including possibly continued assaults on her gender   and discussing how he can woo supporters of mr sanders who his team hopes will be receptive to his anti washington message of economic populism
in an interview mr trump suggested that mrs clinton had bad judgment and a lot of baggage that could harm her the emails are bad judgment he said benghazi was bad judgment libya was bad judgment whitewater was bad judgment
repeating an attack he has already waged against mrs clinton using mr sanderss words against her mr trump also said bernie sanders said she suffers from bad judgment
asked if would make an issue of former president bill clintons infidelities which he briefly did after mrs clinton accused him of sexism mr trump was circumspect i would always say things are off limits but if they make things off limits on limits thats ok with me he said
the campaign also plans to bring on additional staff to help with the news media and it is seeking a point person for surrogates who would recruit and book trump supporters to speak on television and hone their talking points
ultimately however mr trump said he did not plan to make wholesale changes to his approach after his primary victories when you win the pennant and youre in the world series and youre three games up you dont want to start changing your lineup he said
mr trump said he was likely to select a running mate in early july and would soon announce a vice presidential selection committee on which ben carson the retired pediatric neurosurgeon who endorsed mr trump after ending his own presidential campaign would play a central role


seven years ago chris king known around hockey rinks as kinger was cut loose from the islanders radio team because well it had actually ceased to exist to save costs the team opted to simulcast msg television broadcasts on two long island radio stations
it was a disaster   just a terrible decision   and everybody realized it immediately king said recently
so a year later king was brought back to a new spot on the radio dial but with an unusual new partner   or to be more accurate partners games were to be presented on wrhu fm the hofstra university station and the broadcasts would largely be produced by hofstra students
king 54 is unfailingly enthusiastic but he knew that a lot of long suffering fans were snickering to involve a college radio station in a professional hockey teams broadcasts seemed to many islanders fans to be not only cheap but also bush league king pushed on
islanders games can still be heard on wrhu but with the team in the second round of the stanley cup playoffs facing the tampa bay lightning the broadcasts are also simulcast on wfan when the yankees are not playing at the same time or wcbs   two king size new york radio stations
king has become a mentor as well as a play by play man and he now says of working with students its one of the best parts of my job i never saw that coming because most professionals dont have to do that
the unusual hofstra islanders double team has worked but the islanders recent success could jeopardize the arrangement
we created the islanders radio network in order to hit the new york and long island market and hofstra is our long island station barry baum the chief communications officer for brooklyn sports and entertainment which operates the islanders arena barclays center said in a statement its a one year deal and theres been a lot of interest from 50000 watt stations in new york for next season our plan is to explore all options with the focus on providing the widest possible distribution for islanders fans
nevertheless radio hofstra university with help from professionals like king and john mullen a 39 year old producer has helped the islanders find a loving home dozens of students have also gained hands on experience in the last six years
this is the first season that color commentary for king on the broadcasts has not been provided by a rotating team of students greg picker formerly of the islanders communications department is now the analyst
but many students have benefited among them mark weiner a senior journalism major from the bayside neighborhood of queens who will graduate this month weiner has done a little of everything producing in the studio analyzing games and reporting from games and practices
its everything ive ever dreamed about said weiner who has also done broadcasts of hofstra sports events kinger has probably been the best mentor ive ever had he doesnt treat us like college students   he treats us like professionals hes a mentor for everybody there are a lot of pro broadcasters who wouldnt have done that
there is virtually no difference between the broadcasts in the regular season on wrhu also carried on wrcn fm in suffolk county and wnye fm in new york and those in the playoffs on wfan and wcbs king though has found a new audience
his joyous call of john tavaress game winning and series winning goal in the second overtime of game 6 against the florida panthers in the first round of the playoffs punctuated with a yes yes yes was played to television and internet audiences in the united states and canada the playoff series win was the islanders first since 1993
you can kind of call me the jinx because 1994 was my first year on the islander broadcasts said king a former software engineer who became a disc jockey before joining the islanders as a host of pregame intermission and postgame broadcasts
king a long island native and mullen essentially design the broadcasts and mullen said rhu uses the same model that a regular major network would use
students collaborate at the studio and on site mixing sound operating the board producing commercials cutting highlights and gathering interviews with players that can be broadcast before during and after games or turned into features
mullen said the people we have instead of 25 theyre 18 19 20 21 the things that the students have displayed are maturity professionalism and dedication becoming a member of the broadcast team has become competitive among students
he added once people hear the broadcast we get positive feedback if they didnt know anything about it theyd think it was a standard deep network product
hofstra students did not join king and picker in tampa fla for games 1 and 2 of the series against the lightning but they and mullen were in the studio pitching in as they prepared for final exams
of his changing cast of teammates for six seasons king said they do have classes   i forget that too at some point
he added i love seeing the students progress theyre raw but theyre talented its fun to see what they can do


sydney australia   an australian who had recruited for the islamic state in the middle east and urged fellow australians to commit terrorist attacks at home has been killed in an american airstrike in iraq officials said on thursday
neil prakash whom the attorney general george brandis called the most dangerous australian involved with the extremist group was killed in the city of mosul on april 29 mr brandis said
mr prakash had appeared in isil propaganda videos and magazines and has actively recruited australian men women and children and encouraged acts of terrorism mr brandis said in a statement using an alternate term for the islamic state which is also known as isis
about 110 australians overseas are believed to be fighting for the islamic state or actively supporting the group according to the australian government which is part of the united states led effort to fight the extremists mr prakash left australia in 2013 and had been based mostly in the syrian city of raqqa officials said
australian officials have linked mr prakash who also used the name abu khaled al cambodi to a number of failed terrorist plots here including a purported plan to attack police officers in april 2015 during celebrations for the anzac day holiday which honors australian and new zealand veterans of world war i
prime minister malcolm turnbull said in an interview with sky news that mr prakash has been a target for some time as he should have been
mr brandis said another australian shadi jabar khalil mohammad and her sudanese husband abu saad al sudani had been killed in a separate united states airstrike near al bab syria on april 22 both recruited foreign fighters for the islamic state mr brandis said
ms mohammad was the sister of farhad mohammad 15 an australian boy who shot and killed a civilian police employee curtis cheng outside a police station in suburban sydney in october the boy was then shot dead by police


london   barclays said on thursday that it had sold a 122 percent stake in the barclays africa group for 1305 billion south african rand or about 882 million
the british bank is cutting its 623 percent stake in the african business to free itself from regulatory and capital requirements that have dragged on its balance sheet
barclays which has operated in africa for more than a century said on wednesday that it would make its first sale of its stake in the african business after announcing plans in march to do so the bank would like to reduce its holdings to below a controlling level or to sell the stake entirely
on thursday barclays said in a news release that it had sold 1036 million shares of barclays africa at a price of 126 rand a share
the statement did not give details on who had bought the shares but the bank said on wednesday that the shares would be sold in a private offering to institutional investors it added that the public investment corporation an investment manager owned by the south african government had agreed to buy up to 103 million shares or about 12 percent of barclays africa
barclays now owns 501 percent of the african business
barclays africa is listed on the johannesburg stock exchange and holds majority stakes in banks in 10 countries with offices in two others the businesss biggest profit driver is south africa
the african business was considered one of four pillars of barclays strategy alongside its credit card and its consumer and investment banking operations under antony jenkins who was ousted as chief executive in july
but barclays new management no longer sees it as a core business because of the regulatory and capital requirements associated with holding a controlling stake even while not fully owning the business
under james e staley who joined barclays as chief executive in december the bank is accelerating the sale of businesses it does not consider core operations and it is focusing its strategy around two divisions the british consumer bank and the corporate and investment bank


los angeles   victors are said to write history but in california history is being written by a committee that is at the center of a raging debate over how to tell the story of south asia as it tries to update textbooks and revise curriculums for grades 6 and 7
the dispute centers on whether the region that includes modern day india pakistan and nepal should be referred to as india or as south asia to represent the plurality of cultures there   particularly because india was not a nation state until 1947 it also touches on how the culture of the region is portrayed including womens role in society and the vestiges of the caste system
it might seem somewhat arcane but it has prompted petition drives as well as a donteraseindia social media campaign and a battle of opinion pieces
when the committee met earlier this spring dozens of students turned out at the state capitol some in tears earnestly telling the educators that anything other than india would amount to erasing their heritage
state educators have also heard debates about the portrayal of so called comfort women in world war ii the armenian genocide and discrimination against sikhs in the united states but none of the arguments have persisted as strongly as the fight over the indian subcontinent that is a reflection of the transformation in californias population where asians including south asians are the fastest growing demographic
we have a lot of people engaged in this because we have such a vibrant diverse state said tom adams the deputy superintendent of the california department of education adding what were really trying to do here is make sure that the children of california have a curriculum that helps them understand all these groups
but first the committee has to deal with a fight that mirrors similar arguments being made in india where hindu nationalist governments have begun overhauls of textbooks in some states
on one side are advocates from the hindu american foundation which seeks to shape the image of hinduism in the united states backed by some scholars they want the entire area under dispute to be referred to as india reflecting what they say is the most important influence in the area
they also want the caste system to be explained as a phenomenon of the region not as a hindu practice   an idea that is not universally accepted in india
a group of other scholars challenge the historical accuracy of this view they say the area should be referred to as south asia
they also say the foundation is trying to sanitize history by wiping out any link between hinduism and castes
the debate has been closely watched by indian newspapers which chronicle the smallest changes in the proposals california students are also jumping in with passion
vidhima shetty a high school freshman told the committee that using the term south asian would be akin to asking her to change her name
names are what define us as people they represent character and personality she said the board is confusing our cultural terms with geographical terms by removing india as a term from the textbooks this leaves indian american children with no ethnic or cultural identification to turn to when we acknowledge ourselves as south asians us hindus are forced to re identify ourselves as something we are not
perhaps no state other than california with its large immigrant population would have such a contentious fight
there are roughly 22 million immigrants from india living in the united states according to the migration policy institute a washington based think tank california with its vibrant technology industry has attracted the most in the nation as many have settled in the bay area and in southern california
according to the foundation nearly half of the 25 million hindus in the united states live in california
the textbook dispute has come up as the states instructional quality commission debates a new framework for the kindergarten to 12th grade social science curriculum an effort meant to include new research and reflect the states increasing diversity the state board of education will vote on the final changes next month
the resolution could affect schoolchildren well beyond californias borders although the standards that the commission approves will be written into californias textbooks because the state is so large textbooks that are made based on its framework are often used elsewhere as well
the hindu american group is hardly alone in pushing for changes in the way ethnic groups are portrayed the states committee also heard from filipino korean and mexican advocates mr adams said
there have been a lot of groups that are eager for us to include their history in the framework
but the hindu american group has been particularly active in trying to shape californias history curriculum for the last decade it has been pushing   unsuccessfully   for public schools to give more attention in the curriculum to the hindu religion and indian culture
the language at issue appears in dozens of places in the sixth  and seventh grade history curriculum where either the terms india or south asia could be used scholarly groups on both sides have submitted suggestions to the committee
for example a reference to early civilizations of india could be early civilizations of south asia or in this unit students learn about ancient societies in india could instead be in this unit students learn about ancient societies in south asia
the civilization that is being covered is indian said suhag shukla the executive director of the hindu american foundation which started the social media campaign donteraseindia when you talk about ancient india thats the birthplace of indian students she said
the foundation also says the caste system should not be taught as part of the hindu religion and culture but rather explained more generally as part of the regions history
this is an issue not only about accuracy but also cultural competency ms shukla said
but scholars like thomas hansen a professor of anthropology and south asian studies at stanford university say this position glosses over an uncomfortable topic
mr hansen has butted heads with the hindu american foundation for more than a decade over how indian history is taught in california
the issue is when you can use the term indian and when you can use hinduism he said as opposed to south asia this group has a lot of interest in calling everything hindu and indian so that it can equate modern day india with historic roots but its absurd it would be like calling ancient rome italy
he said that the caste system was an integral part of indian society even today with roots in the hindu religion
it distorts reality mr hansen said this is important for children to understand our duty is to make sure that the history is keeping with the scholarly research rather than give in to what a particular group wants
ms shukla said her group was not trying to deny the fact that castes exist but arguing only that tying it to hinduism was unfair she said many students had reported being bullied after they completed the current teachings about hinduism and the caste system
she recalled that when she was a child in cupertino in the 1980s she was asked to stand up in her classes to explain the caste system and answer questions about whether her marriage would be arranged
every religion has some form of caste and discrimination ms shukla said were not trying to deny the fact that this became a hierarchical and discriminatory practice but this has to be discussed in a nuanced manner
during a hearing last month dozens of indian students spoke out against the changes the south asian scholars have suggested to the commission accusing them of hinduphobia and robbing them of selfhood
ms shukla is also pressing the state to include the idea that hindus in india have a historical acceptance of religious diversity allowing jews and zoroastrians to come to india as they escaped persecution in nearby lands
michael witzel a harvard university professor of sanskrit who has also been pressing california for changes that hindu advocates have objected to for nearly a decade said the entire controversy was one of image protection
castes are a hot button issue and people living in the united states dont want to talk about it or want to deny it he said but its ingrained in the society and it has its roots in sacred texts
in the midst of the back and forth said mr adams the deputy superintendent the commission is trying to strike a balance


oakland calif   shaun livingston traveled to brazil last summer to hang out with leandro barbosa a teammate on the golden state warriors livingston went to see the country and visit his friend but he also took advantage of an opportunity to dig into the secrets behind barbosas durability
barbosa was a willing instructor introducing livingston to training methods that included sprinting on sand and backpedaling around traffic cones but then barbosa broke out his favorite recovery drink a viscous green liquid that he poured from a large jug this barbosa said was the good stuff   his special horse medicine
livingston bought into pretty much everything that his friend sold at camp barbosa but he declined to partake of barbosas magic potion
i didnt try everything livingston said i tried enough
barbosa 33 continues to produce off the bench for the warriors who defeated the portland trail blazers on tuesday night to take a series lead of two games to none in the western conference semifinals barbosa who is one of the oldest players on the team still enjoys hearing himself referred to as the brazilian blur a nickname he picked up years ago as one of the shiftiest guards in the nba
that barbosa was able to recover so much of his quickness after undergoing knee surgery three years ago remains something of a medical mystery   a mystery that is to everyone except barbosa who cites clean living hard work and a green liquid extract made from the leaves of a south american shrub called arnica do mato
it burns going down said barbosa who scored 7 points in 13 minutes in the warriors win tuesday night you kind of feel dizzy if youre not used to it i got used to it
barbosa says he has his delivered direct from brazil as an extract he drinks it straight up twice a day   once in the morning and once at night it is not particularly delicious he said then again it was not originally intended for human consumption
its a medicine you give horses barbosa said whenever they get hurt it helps them recover very quickly because they have to run
arnica do mato is hardly a familiar substance in american sports   or anywhere in the country several plant science experts said they had never heard of it barbosa though swears by it he said he had not sustained any serious injuries since he began swilling his amazonian potion he does not think it is a coincidence
my entire family drinks it now barbosa said
yet he has not succeeded in his attempts to convert teammates to the church of arnica do mato
tastes like acid harrison barnes said
i almost threw up festus ezeli said
barbosa said he went to the warriors medical staff last season for permission to continue drinking the extract it has become an essential part of what he described as a disciplined lifestyle he goes to bed early he squeezes in extra conditioning at practice he walks his dog
i try to keep myself out of trouble said barbosa who averaged 64 points in 159 minutes a game during the regular season
it should be noted that arnica do mato which is also known as lychnophora ericoides is not the same as arnica montana a plant that grows in mountainous regions of europe and is commonly sold as an over the counter homeopathic remedy for soreness bruising and swelling they are more like distant cousins
the plants are from the same family but more important they contain similar substances and so their uses are comparable said christophe merville the director of education and pharmacy development for boiron usa a company that manufactures a line of arnica montana products
those similar substances include flavonoids a group of plant metabolites that have antioxidant effects and sesquiterpene lactones a class of chemical compounds that are known to have anti inflammatory properties merville said
arnica montana typically comes as a topical gel or in pill form   and it is always highly diluted alissa gould the public relations manager of boiron usa said the companys arnica montana products were regulated as an over the counter drug by the united states food and drug administration
and unlike barbosas horse grade extract gould said our products dont burn going down
still barbosa could not have been more effusive or exhaustive in listing the purported virtues of arnica do mato
it cleans out all the bad things that you have in your body he said as he made a large sweeping motion with his arms all natural
barbosa spent the first seven seasons of his nba career with the phoenix suns whose up tempo style was an ideal fit livingston recalled trying to defend him
they just got up and down so you constantly had to be aware of him livingston said because if you didnt he was gone where did this dude go but his brakes   he didnt really have brakes he would take off and then it would be hard for him to stop but he was so fast
barbosa said he learned a lot from steve nash his former teammate with the suns who now works as a consultant for the warriors   about eating raw vegetables and lean proteins about the importance of doing squats a strong base is vital especially given the dynamic way that barbosa moves on the court
hes always taking care of his body said anderson varejao a reserve center for the warriors who has known barbosa since they were teenagers in brazil he doesnt take much time off
in february 2013 while playing for the boston celtics barbosa tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee   a devastating injury for a 30 year old guard who had always relied on his explosiveness as barbosa began his rehabilitation alex evangelista his personal trainer recommended that he start drinking the arnica do mato extract it was new to barbosa
evangelistas reasoning struck barbosa if expensive racehorses were feasting on arnica do mato then it must be good enough for him he became a believer he bought vats of it he drank it he even bathed in it
every time i went in the cold tub alex would add some to help with the healing barbosa said
evangelista who works for a professional soccer team in brazil visited barbosa for a couple of days here last week in the home locker room after the warriors defeated the houston rockets to advance out of the first round barbosa reminded evangelista that he needed a fresh supply of the extract he was running low
you cannot find it here in america barbosa said
ezeli a reserve center said that whatever barbosa was doing must be working because he continues to play well like barbosa ezeli has dealt with leg injuries after he had knee surgery in february ezeli turned to barbosa for advice and encouragement but ezeli has his limits he could not stomach the brazilian brew
thats one of those things where i need to know scientifically that it really works for me to keep doing it ezeli said because its disgusting
but what about barbosas enthusiastic sales pitch
sure ezeli said but you can just eat fruits and vegetables too
dr james gladstone co chief of sports medicine at the icahn school of medicine at mount sinai said that he was unfamiliar with arnica do mato
athletes are always looking to get an edge   on recovery on muscle strains on anything said gladstone who was speaking generally and had no direct knowledge of barbosas fondness for plant extracts as long as they know theyre not performance enhancing drugs or whatever why wouldnt they try it
varejao said that arnica do mato was popular in brazil as a homemade remedy he explained how members of his family would let the plant leaves marinate in alcohol to draw out their healing properties then soak rags in the liquid balm
you put the wrap right on the spot thats bothering you and its really good varejao said
in other words varejao endorsed the use of arnica do mato as a liniment as for barbosas willingness to drink the stuff
oh varejao said i dont do that


none of the men in the man book club had a problem with the bull castration scene in the power of the dog a 1967 novel by thomas savage but more than one member of this all male reading group in marin county calif got squeamish when the host announced that the taco appetizers he had prepared that night were filled with ground up rocky mountain oysters   that is animal testicles
the fun part was looking at the expressions said the clubs founder andrew mccullough 53 some guys had real difficulty swallowing i kept eating i have standards i need to adhere to as secretary and founder
the man book club is going into its ninth year it has 16 members a number of whom are lawyers and engineers in their mid 50s each month the host must prepare a meal appropriate to the book under discussion
there was an eight course french supper to accompany henry millers tropic of cancer and a meal of refined comfort food presented on tv trays for bill brysons 1950s era memoir the life and times of the thunderbolt kid
i was always a little jealous of my wifes book clubs mr mccullough said now our wives are jealous of us weve created something that is more durable the book club my wife belongs to   theres a lot of changeover
women it seems can afford to drop in and out of reading groups in its 2011 survey of voluntary organizations the pew research center found that 11 percent of americans were active in literary discussion or study groups such as book clubs and that women were more than twice as likely to take part in such gatherings as men were
perhaps because participation in reading groups is perceived as a female activity some all male book clubs have an outsize need to proclaim the endeavors masculinity in addition to going by the name the man book club for instance mr mcculloughs group expresses its notion of manliness through the works it chooses to read we do not read so called chick lit he said the main character cannot be a woman
this is detailed in the man book clubs criteria on the groups website no books by women about women our cardinal rule
the members of the club rate books on a scale of 1 to 10 the leader with a score of 88 is nobodys fool by richard russo the lowest rated book at 33 is oscar and lucinda by peter carey
another all male reading group this one with a name even more insistently macho than that of the man book club is the international ultra manly book club of kansas city kan it was started by a group of college friends and its website hammers home its he man identity through prominent images of chuck norris dwayne johnson better known as the rock and oprah winfrey standing before an oprahs book club logo beneath the legend not your mothers book club
unlike the marin county group the international ultra manly book club is not big on the dinner party element when one of its members does bring food to one of the monthly get togethers it tends to be manly   like spicy said john creagar 32 one of the regulars
in explaining the clubs purpose the international ultra manly book club website makes explicit the notion that men take literature as seriously as women the about us section says it was founded in part on the vision that one day we could step out of the shadow of our mothers book clubs and proclaim that yes we too are intellectuals
if that mission statement seems a tad defensive there are indeed women who treat book clubs as entities that lie beyond the masculine sphere two years ago edward nawotka 44 a writer and editor in houston was out for drinks with the guys from his reading group the houston mens book club when a woman started hitting on its president
she asked how we knew each other and when we said book club she was like wait are you gay mr nawotka said he added that he and the woman ended up dating
he said he understood her reaction fiction is designed to examine empathy mr nawotka said men arent encouraged to talk about their feelings or emotions in public when your friend gets divorced you dont sit around with the guys wondering how do you think jon feels about getting divorced
but over discussions of jose saramago haruki murakami and anthony doerr the 15 members of his group have formed a bond weve seen each other through family tragedies mr nawotka said when i needed a divorce attorney i turned to these guys and when the founding members wife died from cancer all the club members attended the funeral
jon tomlinson is the founder of the nyc gay guys book club which meets at the jefferson market library in new york city and has 1200 members in its meetupcom group anywhere from 10 to 60 men show up at the monthly meetings people come to connect to find their place in a new city to fall in love mr tomlinson said
especially popular nyc gay guys book club novels have included giovannis room by james baldwin a single man by christopher isherwood and the goldfinch by donna tartt mr tomlinson said
the selection process he added is largely democratic but at times he feels obligated to vet suggestions some guy wanted to read a 1000 page book on lesbians who were persecuted in russia he said im not going to get people to read that book
for the international ultra manly book club in kansas city the monthly meetings provide a space to explore literary depictions of what it means to be a man the regulars have considered the issue while discussing everything from abraham lincoln vampire hunter by seth grahame smith to rabbit run by john updike
manliness means something different for all of us mr creagar said
but all the members share a love of books theres this idea that if guys read we dont think that deeply about it mr creagar said
the club rates the books it reads on a five star system for overall quality and on a five hand grenade system for manliness gilead by marilynne robinson for instance earned four and a half stars and three hand grenades
mr creagar suspects there are many male readers who would love to join a book club but they dont get asked he said or they worry that if they do join theyll be seen as intruding on a female activity or stigmatized as being the only guy
for this reason the international ultra manly book club sees itself as a resource for men seeking a literary community in addition to listing its reading schedule its site includes best of lists including the top 100 books for every man
though it includes rough stuff like fear and loathing in las vegas by hunter thompson and blood meridian by cormac mccarthy the list has room for gentler works like the chronicles of narnia by c s lewis and the harry potter series
and yet the group has standards we are not allowed to suggest books that our mothers have suggested mr creagar said we had an accident one time we read water for elephants it was a huge mistake


mychal denzel smith isnt operating a branch of niketown from his tiny bedroom in bushwick brooklyn it only looks that way
there are two over the door shoe organizers full of sneakers and a metal retail display rack against the wall cant fit another pair a column of unopened nike shoe boxes teeters over the bed reaching nearly as high as the bookshelf next to it that is crammed with classics of black literature past and present like notes of a native son by james baldwin and how to slowly kill yourself and others in america by kiese laymon
a few pairs of high top basketball shoes rest on a plastic container at the foot of the bed the first thing mr smith sees when he wakes in this apartment he shares with three roommates
man this is a lot of sneakers you say taking it all in
there are more under the bed mr smith pointed out trying to telegraph that he isnt a hoarder just a sneakerhead what do i spend my money on he said i spend it on what you see books and shoes
mr smith a contributing writer at the nation and an alfred knobler fellow at the nation institute didnt always have so many sneakers upward of 200 pairs by last rough count for a while he mostly wore converse chuck taylors
when i moved to new york i was a broke broke freelancer he said standing amid his collection shoes were not in the budget
but mr smith 29 soon began appearing on tv as a commentator and signed a deal for his first book invisible man got the whole world watching an impassioned memoir that will be published june 14 and aims to capture what its like to be young black and male in america today and with success came sneakers
in fact one can chart mr smiths last few years in new york through the kicks he bought to mark big events a life story told in shoes if you will lets start with the nike air jordan 3 retro infrared 23 pair
mr smith bought them at the footaction store on 34th street near eighth avenue after he earned a raise from his employer
id never had a pair of air jordan 3s before he said theyre the first shoe that jordan did with tinker hatfield who is nikes golden god in terms of design they have a huge place in the jordan legacy
the shoes   white and black high tops with the gray above sole pattern known to aficionados as elephant print   were heavy in the rotation after mr smith got them so much so that the toe crease is no longer fresh and he is thinking about donating them
these days he is more enamored by another pair of nikes the air jordan 11 which he calls the greatest sneaker of all time they were worn by michael jordan during the 1995 96 season when the chicago bulls went 72 10 then a record and won the championship this season the golden state warriors bettered that record by a game at 73 9
but perhaps the shoes are meaningful because mr smiths parents refused to buy them for him as a child
i remember them saying were not buying an 11 year old child patent leather sneakers mr smith said with a laugh
so after he signed his book deal in 2014 he bought a reissued pair he called the patent leather design forward thinking adding that it was meant as a dress up sneaker
lifting his foot to show the shoes he was wearing  air jordan 1s in a white orange and black colorway known as the shattered backboard mr smith explained that he wore them to a debate at the schomburg center for research in black culture in harlem to shatter expectations of respectability
i kind of throw it in peoples faces a little bit he said because i know theres an association people make with sneakers with a lack of intelligence a lack of engagement with the world with black youth with wayward black youth
marc lamont hill 37 an author and distinguished professor of african american studies at morehouse college who has been a mentor to mr smith said that mr smith brings hip hop attitude and style to the role of public intellectual
typically the price of entry to be on tv is you have to put on the suit you have to put on the tie dr hill said hip hop is about interrupting spaces mychal really likes to dress like that its quintessentially hip hop
mr smith said i need to wear my sneakers thats when i feel most myself
given the love of sneakers and hip hop one might assume he owns a pair or two of yeezy boosts the fashion sneakers kanye west designs for adidas
in invisible man got the whole world watching which takes its title from a line in the 1999 mos def song hip hop mr smith professes his admiration for mr wests music and describes the moment in 2005 when the rapper called out president bush during a telethon for hurricane katrina victims as spurring a political awakening in him
but mr smith doesnt own a pair of yeezys i dont like the look of them he said kanye is meaningful to me i just dont like his sneakers
with a few exceptions what mr smith likes are high top nike basketball shoes particularly jordans more than a decade after the player retired from the game he still holds tremendous appeal in the sneaker world even among young black men like mr smith who wasnt born when mr jordan debuted in the national basketball association in 1984
in his book mr smith criticizes mr jordan for not being an outspoken political athlete in the way muhammad ali was
but mr smith also thinks that by his bodily genius on the court the basketball star represented something important to black men he embodied a certain black cool a black masculine cool that everyone wanted to emulate mr smith said during the interview in his apartment
buying and wearing big bold brightly colored sneakers is a way to be associated with mr jordans cool factor and worldwide visibility
when im wearing a pair of jordans i feel more confident mr smith said i walk taller i walk straighter
he opened a shoe box at the foot of his bed and pulled out a pair of air jordan 1s in the classic red white and black colorway a 30th anniversary reissue of the 1985 high top that started it all
he bought them after he finished the manuscript for his book and got a second pair for his editor as a gift for seeing him through the writing process
i knew exactly what i wanted mr smith said i finished my first book im buying the first air jordans
he still hasnt worn them he is saving them for the first promotional event for his book a reading at barnes  noble on the upper west side on june 9
mr smith laid them back into the box got to keep the toes fresh


nearly seven years after a landmark overhaul of the credit card industry regulators are renewing their scrutiny of a popular type of loan that can pack a big punch for consumers who dont use it as intended
deferred interest promotions commonly offered on store brand credit cards give consumers a chance to buy big ticket items like appliances furniture or even medical procedures and put off paying any interest charges often for the first six to 12 months critics warn that the deals can be misleading and costly because shoppers do not always realize they will be hit with interest charges for the entire period if they fail to pay off their balances by the end of the promotion
in march richard cordray the head of the consumer financial protection bureau told congress that regulators had significant concerns about deferred interest promotions repeating a warning he has made for several months in december the agency issued a report that said the number of purchases using deferred payment promotions had risen 21 percent between 2010 and 2013
the report singled out such promotions as the most glaring exception to the trend toward upfront pricing after the passage of the 2009 credit card accountability responsibility and disclosure act that act was a sweeping reform of card industry practices that aimed to eliminate hidden fees and curb abusive policies particularly those affecting borrowers with poor credit
consumer advocates say stamping out potentially deceptive behavior is a constant challenge as certain avenues for profit are cut off the credit card industry moves to other permitted products
we think deferred interest credit cards are probably one of the worst abuses if not the worst abuse that remains after the credit card act said chi chi wu a lawyer at the national consumer law center
though the bureau wont say whether it is pursuing specific cases david mayorga a spokesman says its analysis of the products is continuing
while deferred interest products can offer benefits to consumers they can also impose significant costs he said
retailers such as best buy home depot and walmart often use deferred interest promotions a december study of 49 major retailers by the credit card marketplace cardhub found that almost three quarters offered financing and nearly half of those included a deferred interest plan a majority of the cards with deferred interest promotions are issued by the biggest providers of store brand cards
citibank represented 35 percent of the offers and synchrony financial 29 percent while comenity bank a subsidiary of alliance data systems backed 12 percent of the promotions examined
at synchrony which is a former unit of ge capital deferred interest promotions made up 171 percent of its 657 billion in outstanding credit card loans as of dec 31 2015 some 80 percent of transactions are paid off before the promotions end the company says
citi and comenity do not break out financial data for deferred interest promotions
the promotions help sway consumer behavior synchrony explained in a march 2014 corporate filing that the availability of promotional financing is important to the consumers decision to make purchases of big ticket items and a driver of retailer selection of the small and medium size businesses that offer its store brand cards 88 percent use deferred interest promotions
we are committed to ensuring consumers understand that deferred interest is a fair transparent and easily understood product and that they understand how to avoid paying interest samuel wang a spokesman for synchrony financial said we have taken a number of steps to improve and enhance our disclosures and consumer education well beyond what the cfpb and the law require
comenity declined to comment janis tarter a spokeswoman for citi said a majority of its borrowers pay off the balance before the promotional period ends
we communicate clearly and frequently to customers throughout the life cycle of the product to help customers avoid paying interest ms tarter said
the offers can trip up consumers who dont do their homework however sara ohara 26 and her husband brandon ohara 24 accepted a 12 month deferred interest mail solicitation from discover in 2013 as they were planning their wedding
the couple who are from bozeman mont paid the minimum on their card every month for 12 months but got a big surprise when they returned from their honeymoon during the 13th month an extra 800 tacked on to their outstanding balance it was the interest backdated to the month they opened the account
im sure there was very fine print that explained everything but it was our very first credit card and we didnt really know how it all worked ms ohara said
it was this moment of panic she said it was really shocking for us
derek cuculich a spokesman for discover said the company wouldnt comment on specific accounts citing customer privacy
card industry officials defend the promotions as cost effective the consumer financial protection bureaus december report revealed that a majority of those who take advantage of these deals have prime or superprime credit scores and pay off their card balances before being assessed interest payments roughly three quarters of the time
its a very popular program and overwhelmingly consumers benefit from it said mallory duncan general counsel at the national retail federation he said the programs should be structured in a way thats transparent competitive and so that customers use them in the way theyre intended
but for consumer advocates longstanding problems with the promotions remain
the bureau found that consumers with very low credit scores avoid interest charges only about half the time retailer cards including those with deferred interest promotions also tend to carry substantially higher interest rates than so called general purpose cards
in january 2009 several financial agencies including the federal reserve completed a joint rule banning the product
the agencies quickly pulled back clarifying their position in may that year to allow the promotions in certain cases the card act signed into law a few weeks later also permitted them consumer advocates note that the reversal came after several months of lobbying by retailers and banks but the timing of the push may have also been a factor coming after the banking crisis in 2008
there was a lot of conversation about how deferred interest promotion programs help customers purchase needed items when credit is tight - and at the time credit was tight for everybody said mercedes tunstall a partner at the law firm pillsbury
lately there has been a crackdown in december 2013 regulators ordered synchrony - then ge capital - to pay back more than 34 million to consumers enrolled in its medical credit card program for lack of clear disclosures last august springstone financial refunded 700000 to consumers who had signed up for its deferred interest dental card without being given proper instructions
and last may the online payments giant paypal was fined 10 million over its bill me later service in part for unfairly charging some customers deferred interest fees the company was also required to return 15 million to consumers who used the service which is now called paypal credit
the consumer bureaus approach could mirror actions against credit card add ons such as payment protection and identity monitoring the agency filed a series of enforcement actions against the card issuers starting in 2012 citing deceptive practices and managed to transform the way those add ons are marketed and sold without writing a formal regulation
alan kaplinsky a partner at the law firm ballard spahr said he thought many bank issuers had already brought their disclosures around deferred interest into compliance though it hasnt always been easy without a formal rule in place
its taken a while for the industry to figure out what the cfpbs expectations were said mr kaplinsky
if they find an issuer they think is hiding the ball about how these promotional offers work theres no question in my mind theyll certainly go after that credit card issuer he added


shortly after he finished college eric shoemaker a 34 year old los angeles based public relations executive allowed his chest hair to grow out i dont know if it was my age or becoming comfortable with myself he said but the thought of getting waxed   which makes your hair follicles bleed and you get ingrown hairs   you have to ask who youre doing it for
mr shoemakers decision came more than a decade after those touchstone calvin klein ads featuring a smooth torsoed mark wahlberg then known as marky mark popularized the hairless look which was further endorsed in the next decade by the hit tv show queer eye for the straight guy
similarly gabriel santos rocha a 31 year old model manager stopped depilating roughly eight years ago in his early 20s i thought that the ideal body had no hair he said but frustration with all the upkeep nudged him back to his natural state i hated dealing with the maintenance and the stubble and the itching that came with it mr santos rocha said
the response to his furry physique has been positive ive never noticed anyone not liking my body hair he said
for a new generation the overly groomed body appears to be falling out of favor were seeing a return to 70s fashion said tim bess an analyst at the trend forecasting agency the doneger group the late 60s and early 70s were about freedom the hippie movement having lots of hair
mr bess cited lindsey buckingham of fleetwood mac   with his unbuttoned shirts and thatch of chest hair   as a prototype adding that the preened look seems dated it gets a little too perfect too mannequin looking mr bess said
christopher oldstone moore the author of the 2015 book of beards and men and a senior lecturer at wright state university in ohio believes that an increasingly urban and digitized life has left some men disconnected from their masculinity
there are different ways to connect to your organic masculinity dr oldstone moore said hair is one way to do it
an unkempt body is a perhaps unforeseen corollary of the lumberjack look that has long since peaked in certain brooklyn circles even the brand 2xist known for its sleekly textured models has opted to show its underwear on the hairy frame of nyle dimarco a recent winner of americas next top model
tom speight the brands president said weve seen everything from man buns to full beards go mainstream in recent seasons and we want to reflect that rugged a tad unpolished yet approachable look
as with most things it is probably not a bad idea to be wary of extremes i think were going to have to walk slowly mr bess said because if you go too far with it it can look a little neanderthal y


american workers are reaping fewer of the gains of a growing economy in the form of pay and benefits shareholders are reaping more in the form of corporate profits that shift has been one of the most important economic stories of the last several decades and it is the key to understanding stagnant wages for middle class workers and a soaring stock market in the last quarter century
here is what is less widely understood that trend appears to be reversing itself
it is early and the reversal may not last and it certainly hasnt fully undone the shift underway since the 1980s but the numbers are quite clear that in the last couple of years workers have claimed a bigger piece of the economic pie and shareholders a smaller one
the evidence available so far in 2016   steady growth in wages and weak earnings for publicly traded companies   suggests that the reversal is continuing this year
at the start of 2013 for example 61 percent of national income went to pay and benefits for workers but by the end of 2015 that had risen to 626 percent that said in the early 1990s that figure was around 66 percent
if the proportion of national income going to workers in early 2013 had stayed constant there would now be 251 billion a year less flowing into americans paychecks than is the case that is about 1900 a year per household
at the same time corporate profits share of national income has fallen from 142 percent in the middle of 2014 to 121 percent by the end of 2015 that translates to 328 billion less in annual corporate profits than there would be if the earlier proportion had held
you can pick different numerators and denominators to get at the same concept   using just wages and salaries instead of total compensation for example or dividing by gross domestic product instead of the related concept of national income   but the same basic pattern reveals itself
and there is plenty of other anecdotal information and data consistent with the shift among the companies in the standard  poors 500 first quarter earnings are on track to be 76 percent lower than a year earlier weak earnings growth and lately an outright contraction in corporate profits are a culprit in a stock market that has largely moved sideways for more than two years
a big part of the story is a steep decline in the profitability of the energy sector reflecting a much lower price of oil and natural gas total corporate profits were 64 billion lower in 2015 than in 2014 a fall in the profitability of the petroleum and coal products sector accounted for 40 billion of that
there may be something broader going on that is holding back corporate profits beyond simply cheap oil you might expect that the hit to profits in the energy sector caused by cheaper fuel would be counterbalanced by higher profits in sectors that use fuel like airlines and trucking firms
that is where the other side of the equation   higher worker compensation   comes into play part of the reason corporate profits are falling appears to be that companies are having to pay their employees more
hiring has been quite strong over three years with millions of americans getting jobs that has pushed the unemployment rate steadily downward to about 5 percent very gradually a labor market that was very much tilted in favor of employers is tilting the other way
that means companies are having to work harder to attract good employees they do that by paying higher wages and salaries up 10 percent in 2015 compared with 2013 and more generous benefits package up 6 percent over the two year period
it is worth noting that this doesnt necessarily mean that pay is rising by that much for the typical worker after all the pay for chief executives and other highly paid people counts in those compensation numbers
still paired with other evidence it doesnt look as if this is solely a phenomenon of the highest paid workers making more for example average hourly earnings for nonmanagerial private sector workers rose 256 percent in 2015 in a year of very low inflation that number was only 169 percent in 2012 when inflation was higher
it is hard to say definitively what has driven these trends but heres a try
the shift of national income toward shareholders and away from workers since the 1980s was driven in part by a decline in union power and a rise in shareholder driven capitalism that made managers more ruthless than their predecessors in seeking to minimize salary expense that includes refusing to give raises and laying off employees
that long term trend along with a cyclical downturn during the 2008 recession and its aftermath left workers with very little bargaining power and shareholders with the upper hand
in the last two or three years as the economy has firmed up workers have regained some of that bargaining power they lost in the recession but they have not at this point at least gained the power they lost over the last three decades
in the meantime workers celebrate getting a little bit bigger piece of the economic pie and shareholders bemoan their smaller piece
it would be better if the pie were bigger to begin with if overall national income were rising rapidly it decidedly isnt there would be room for both workers and shareholders to be fat and happy one of the great questions for the economic future is what it would take to make that happen


imagine if apple released a new iphone but no one could buy one no matter how early you lined up imagine if tesla answered the 400000 plus pre orders for the new model 3 by making a few hundred imagine if gordon ramsay opened a power lunch restaurant with only two tables
now you know what watch lovers are up against trying to get their hands on the new rolex oyster perpetual cosmograph daytona scheduled to be released this year
this sleekly contemporary update of one of the most collectible watches of the last 50 years drew audible oohs when it debuted at the baselworld watch fair in march
reviewers declared this next generation daytona with its techie cerachrom bezel a triumph the watch rolex lovers have been waiting for in the words of gear patrol
despite the 12400 price dealers were bombarded with orders from the moment it was announced demand was unlike anything weve ever seen said ira melnitsky the chief executive of tourneau the watch retailer
there was just one problem daytonas are scarce considered a timepiece for cognoscenti not first time buyers the company typically parcels them out in limited numbers to dealers who in turn set aside the few they can get for their most loyal customers
anyone who knows how many or few daytonas will actually be made is not telling a spokeswoman for rolex a company that is discreet to say the least declined to discuss production or distribution plans for the new model or even the official release date many aficionados expect it in stores this summer
given the surging interest the situation is starting to resemble a highly genteel version of the cabbage patch kids frenzy of the 1980s when tight supply for the must have dolls around the holidays led to near riots in toy stores
well never have enough to satisfy demand mr melnitsky said
indeed the new model may represent a prime arbitrage opportunity for anyone fortunate enough to get hold of one but crazy enough to sell it i wouldnt be surprised to see these new daytona models get flipped in the secondary market for a cool 5000 premium over retail in the first six months said paul altieri who runs bobs watches a prominent online dealer of vintage rolexes in westminster calif i could sell 10 of them tomorrow
this is hardly the first time that the rolex daytona has created a fuss the storied chronograph named after the daytona speedway in florida debuted in the 1960s as a tool for auto racing enthusiasts with its three subdials for timing laps it was basically the worlds most regal stopwatch
by the 1970s it was already achieving icon status with a big boost from paul newman who adopted it as his signature timepiece when he developed a passion for motor sports
in the years since the daytona has become the rare timepiece coveted by both tweedy collectors christies sold a so called paul newman model from 1969 for 11 million in 2013 and paparazzi dodging celebrities daniel craig adam levine and eric clapton to name a few
anticipation of the new model has been building for years especially after rolex redesigned its submariner and gmt master ii models with cerachrom a scuff  and fade resistant ceramic that infuses these venerable midcentury models with a 21st century flair
the wait was finally over in march my phone started vibrating nonstop at baselworld moments after rolex raised the green window shades said stephen pulvirent a watch journalist and editor at surface magazine everybody was chirping its finally here
that same day some even lined up outside the fifth avenue flagship of wempe jewelers a prominent rolex dealer before it opened said ruediger albers the president of american wempe corporation
but for rolex devotees the heady rush quickly gave way to a gnawing realization that they were going to have to wait a long time to possess one to some it feels like an horological version of waiting for godot
ive heard several times of two year waiting lists said louis westphalen one such devotee who oversees vintage watch sales at hodinkee the influential new york based watch site i have friends who have given up because they were beyond 20th place on waiting lists
to some dealers even two years seems optimistic mr albers said the wait could reach five years
managing expectations is a challenge said mr albers who is considering engraving the purchasers names on the back of each watch to discourage buyers only looking to resell for a profit he is also considering setting aside a couple of daytonas for loyal customers to borrow for a week so they can at least enjoy the newness
even so the daytona is likely to remain the most unattainable status symbol in town it certainly takes less time to get great hamilton tickets mr albers said


the most profound recent development in mens clothing concerns the millimetric adjustment of a garment first sold in 1900 in january brooks brothers issued a redesign of its oxford cloth button down the shirt known commonly and not quite insufferably as an ocbd
the upgrade to mother of pearl buttons the addition of side gussets to the shirttails even the disappearance of the breast pocket   these tweaks are no big deal unless you are an emeritus professor wondering where now to stick your reading glasses the removal of the collars interior lining however constitutes a major moment in the history of minutiae as it reinstates a first rate collar roll
with its points buttoned down the unlined collar spreads and bends at its front edges to form an elegant bell curve or maybe to slither a bit asymmetrically   a casually dashing soft contour among the strict lines of traditional mens wear
this is the sort of detail in which god is said to exist philosophers of the ivy league look liken particularly dramatic collar rolls to the silhouettes of angels wings
in 1896 john e brooks admired the hidden buttons that secured the collars of english polo players and began engineering his sportswear classic with its incidentally spiffy arc to the collar
the distinctive roll was prized for its nonchalance going back to the 1920s said christian chensvold the founder and editor in chief of the trad fashion website ivy style that mr chensvold broke traffic records with his coverage of the new button down suggests the peculiar gravity of the quintessential american clothiers reworking of its quintessential product
it also indicates the richly complicated feelings of brooks brothers most passionate customers who double as its least patient critics vexed that its emergence as a global brand complicates sober stewardship of its establishment legacy for basic mens wear brooks brothers is the source its the prehistoric mud said lisa birnbach editor of the official preppy handbook and a co author of true prep because of that people get very proprietary
mr chensvold said what they did with this shirt is symbolic of whats going wrong with the whole company
oh he appreciates the new shirt which he bought at the madison avenue flagship store where he is a regular he said but he would have appreciated the companys acknowledgment that it had grievously erred when it added the lining around 1989 there was no mea culpa he said adding dont make me sound too censorious im always afraid theyll take away my third floor golf simulator privileges
according to guy voglino the brooks brothers vice president charged with managing mens wear the company decided that its oxford cloth button down needed to be refreshed last year we looked back and softened it up he said
the reference points were the button downs of the 1940s and 50s when the brooks brothers shirt was firmly established as a crucial element of insouciant collegiate style the more frayed the better in his memoir out of place edward said wrote of watching two princeton classmates apply sandpaper to a pair of new blue button down shirts trying in a matter of minutes to produce the effect of the worn out aristocratic shirt
after pausing to note that brooks brothers return to tradition has involved discontinuing the traditional fit button down   the baggiest cut sized to skim the torso of jack haleys tin man   we see that the company is reaping considerable rewards by re engaging with this heritage we are probably selling 15 to 20 percent more units mr voglino said
some who expressed mixed feelings about the throwback shirt included hard core traditionalists men who embrace sack suits and rep ties as a shelter from the shifting winds of fashion people harboring informed opinions about the collar rolls worn by william f buckley on firing line and miles davis on the cover of milestones holdouts disdainful of uniqlos of the moment oxford with its paltry button down collar
the cost of the brooks brothers shirt   140 from 92   is their chief complaint a shirt often treated as a workhorse is now valued like a thoroughbred which is particularly scandalous to members of a sartorial subculture that makes a virtue of frugality accruing social capital by finding cordovan loafers at thrift stores
on the other hand a certain resentment of the merchants on which they rely a state of perpetual laments that things arent as good as they used to be seems to be a feature of the new trad worldview
and the ready availability of the old is new shirt saves a lot of trouble for collar roll connoisseurs who have been relying for decades on tiny mail order shops with long waiting lists or troubling tailors to move their collar point buttons by an eighth of an inch its both lovely and risible at once all this fussing over a collar prized for its unfussy appearance nonchalance is everything to a preppy ms birnbach said its a virtue a value a trope and an aesthetic as far as studied nonchalance is concerned thats how you learn


rene holguin the founder of a shop and brand called rth likes the scent of wood the smell of cedar dominates one of his two locations in west hollywood calif at the other one just next door on north la cienega boulevard its palo santo
mr holguin is also a fan of the poncho a poncho is a global truth he said every culture has their version of it
after having worked at levis and ralph lauren he never intended to start his own shop which has a branch in tokyo as well but then he began making leather goods and had some success selling them what is now the primary rth location got its start as a workshop
i thought i was going to be geppetto making a bag a week with my dog said mr holguin 50 then he transformed the place into a showroom dressed a few mannequins in customized jeans and voila he was in business
leather seems to be the heart of your stores whats the attraction
my dad had a boot company i grew up around leather and leather craftsmen i love leather just like i love wood in that it ages beautifully
and these shirts these are all your own line
our shirt program includes the pop over shirt the camp shirt stock tie shirt artist shirt long shirt and tent shirt everything is made here in la im a big woven shirt wearer im not a t shirt fan in a collared shirt you always look a little tidy
this denim is it vintage material that you have messed with
customized is what we say my jeans ive always customized during my time at ralph and levis i would always take their product and customize it because it would never fit the way i wanted i did it for all the mannequins here and everyone started to ask for it people call it a drop crotch we dont call it that its a slouch
why have you moved into the moisturizers and whatnot
were more about scent we made a room spray that was really for vintage textiles vintage always has a little mustiness no matter how much you have it cleaned we developed a scent to spray on the clothes in your closet and make it purified from any odor and any juju as well


often in the posthumous rush to exalt dearly departed cultural icons sweeping claims are made for creative influences they are said to have exerted assertions not always supported by fact
was david bowie truly a pioneer of gender blur in fashion or rather a shrewdly adaptive interpreter of what was already in the air did a vogue for stick and poke tattoos and girl group cats eye makeup predate amy winehouses success or follow on her tragic death and sartorially prince may have been a sexually polyvalent version of iceberg slim   all slick suits frilly jabots stilettos and shades   but he was sui generis a trend of one
with some performers though its easier to draw vectors directly from an onstage persona to its effect on the style world and that is surely the case with the magnetic congolese musician jules shungu wembadio pene kikumba or papa wemba who died april 24 after collapsing onstage during a concert in the ivory coast city of abidjan
throughout a career spanning decades papa wemba remained among the most persuasive global proponents of african music singing in his supple piquant tenor he transmitted the propulsive hybrid originally known as congolese rumba later soukous far beyond the boundaries of africa
yet if most obituaries rightly focused on papa wembas music few failed to note his singular role as style muse and nominal leader of sape a loosely federated cult of fanatically natty congolese dandies known as sapeurs whose acronym in english translates as the society of poseurs and persons of elegance
based in brazzaville the shantytown capital of the republic of congo the sapeurs have long performed a deft act of reverse colonization appropriating the elegant duds and status markers of european high style to disport themselves through the dusty city in all their finery
dressed in costly designer labels kilts and sporrans suits with short pants savile row tailoring accessorized with bowlers or ebony canes they parodied the structures of class even as they demonstrated adherence to a way of life few in one of the worlds most impoverished countries will ever know
and like members of american voguing houses they provided enduring inspiration to people like the japanese designer junya watanabe who not only based his fall 2015 mens wear collection on the sapeurs but also imported some of the movements most prominent members to walk in his paris show
the sapeurs who appeared in solange knowless 2012 losing you video came close to upstaging the singer with their saucy antics and numberless fashion magazines have featured editorials about them or the extreme styles they propose
lovingly name checking armani daniel hechter jm weston and others designers and labels in his lyrics papa wemba and his followers also stood as an enduring emblem of one of fashions most punk dimensions the ability to be political
back in the days when papa wemba and his band started out the repressive regime of president mobutu sese seko in the democratic republic of congo banned the wearing of western suits in an effort ultimately unsuccessful to eradicate colonial influence under a program he termed authenticite flouting the ban those who held true to the style popularized by papa wemba risked public beatings by wearing their glad rags anyway demonstrating that creative authenticity knows no uniform


london   pep guardiola regrets that he must leave bayern munich without delivering on the one trophy for which he was hired   the champions league
it hurts he said in the media room at the allianz arena of course it hurts every time titles are just statistics but i can tell you that i gave everything   my life   to these players im sorry more for them than myself
bayern had won the game but lost the contest this was the third time that guardiolas team had gone out at the semifinals to clubs from his own country   to real madrid barcelona and now atletico madrid and though guardiola tried to say on tuesday that titles are not everything he knows that that is how he will be judged
he inherited a bayern that won everything including the champions league in the final season of his predecessor jupp heynckes and to lose not one but three semifinals in his three year term as heynckess successor will inevitably go down as a legacy of failure
outside on the grass where atletico madrid had on tuesday done just enough to eliminate bayern atleticos coach diego simeone ended the night as we have not seen him before
at the final whistle simeone was bent over crouched on his haunches his face hidden in his hands he tried to hold back tears and stop trembling he was elated and emotionally spent his team with comparatively fewer resources and with substantially less of the ball had squeezed victory out of adversity
the format of champions league soccer invites this conundrum when teams finish with one game won and the other lost and tied on the aggregate score the away goals break the tie
atletico won 1 0 in madrid last week and lost 2 1 in munich this week
without dirty or particularly ugly play simeones atletico had done exactly this to barcelona in the quarterfinals too we played against two of the three best teams in the world simeone said we went through with difficulties im very proud
in the first half tonight we were up against the best team ive seen in my career bayerns display was unbelievable we fought we had to suffer and weve made it through to the final
atletico like the remarkable leicester city is noteworthy for the heart and spirit and inexhaustible effort with which it defies the odds leicesters winning the english league was a 5000 to 1 shot and what would be the odds against atletico madrids reaching the final of the champions league for the second time in three years and moreover for a second time having sold its top strikers and top goalkeeper and found others to step up to the defiant way that coach simeone wins contests
let us be clear there are more ways than one to win matches and if guardiolas way is to coax beauty almost like a symphony of talents out of great players there is also virtue in simeones achieving results with supposedly lesser players and with tactics that contain the opponents before striking them when they are weary
simeones teams are unfailingly fit to run the 90 minutes and more they are competing   again   against barcelona and real madrid in the spanish league which is tougher to win than the german bundesliga
and when it is played within the rules atleticos minimalist style has to be acknowledged the purpose is to reach the next round and simeones team exposes as nonsense the current trend to throw numbers at everything and to draw conclusions from those numbers
the statistics say that atletico had barely one third of ball possession in the four games of the champions league against barcelona and bayern atletico beat neither on goals scored but it did the hardest thing scoring an away goal in each contest
so when both coaches and the computer wizards avow that bayern appeared overwhelmingly the more accomplished side in the allianz on tuesday their opinion is baseless
bayern missed chances before it opened the scoring tuesday through a free kick from xabi alonso that deflected into the net off the knee of the defender jose maria gimenez
moments later gimenez conceded a penalty kick that was wasted by thomas muller whose meek shot was anticipated and saved by the excellent goalkeeper jan oblak
we did many things right and a few things wrong muller said it may not have eased his pain that atletico was later given a generous penalty kick and that was similarly tamely struck by fernando torres and saved by manuel neuer
but before that atletico had changed its tactical approach at halftime its new plan was to press bayern deeper to suppress the home side in its own half
simeone had dared to take off a defensive midfield player and replaced him with a winger that approach paid its dividend in the 54th minute when atletico broke like a stone out of a sling
torres passed to antoine griezmann from the center circle and griezmann had the speed to get behind the bayern defense and the composure to wait for neuer to rush toward him before calmly stroking the ball around the keeper
griezmann follows a long line of atletico strikers   sergio aguero radamel falcao and diego costa among them   polished by atletico and sold for profit it is a wonderful trick
simeone has others his team suffered when bayern regained the lead through robert lewandowskis headed goal in the 75th minute that left a quarter hour 20 minutes given time added on for deliberate time wasting by atletico but by then exhaustion had set in and organized resistance rode out the pressure
bayern feels the hurt atletico is in another final and simeone is trying to win europes most coveted title before inevitably griezmann is sold to the highest bidder


the new york drama critics circle has named shuffle along the best new musical of the season and the humans the best new play
the awards are significant because they are chosen by theater critics but have limited predictive value for the tony awards because the critics consider both broadway and off broadway shows each season so they are often out of sync with the tonys cycle the group had named hamilton the best new musical last season when it played off broadway at the public theater making that show ineligible for this years award
shuffle along which has the full title of shuffle along or the making of the musical sensation of 1921 and all that followed is a jazz and tap show that explores the history of an early all black broadway musical it features songs from the 1921 musical by eubie blake and noble sissle and a new book by george c wolfe who also directed the show
the humans written by stephen karam and directed by joe mantello is about a close knit family grappling over thanksgiving dinner with a series of unexpected disappointments and challenges
shuffle along has been nominated for a tony award for best new musical but hamilton is widely expected to win that category the humans has been nominated for a tony award for best new play and is a leading contender in that category
the drama critics circle includes 22 new york area theater critics critics from the new york times are not part of the organization


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1 donald trump the de facto republican presidential nominee has begun reassuring party officials that he will build a solid campaign for the general election and pondering how to add pizazz to the convention in july but paul ryan the highest ranking elected republican said he was not ready to support mr trump europeans grappled with a growing sense that mr trump could upend us foreign policy and some journalists kicked themselves for being blindsided wrong wrong wrong   to the very end we got it wrong our media columnist writes

2 mr trumps widely shared social media post linking taco bowls his love for hispanics and mexicos cinco de mayo holiday appeared unlikely to win back any of the hispanic voters his campaign has alienated just fyi mr trump mistook the source of his best taco bowl   it came from the trump cafe not the trump tower grill

3 the vigor of bernie sanderss campaign may shift democratic political primacy away from the liberal rich back to the working class with hillary clinton firmly ahead in the delegate count strategists are debating whether she could ever muster mr sanderss online army of roughly nine million highly effective supporters

4 captain america civil war aims for themes particularly relevant during the election season like the powers of superrich businessmen and the balance of isolationism and collaborative engagement our reviewer calls the latest marvel installment reasonably enjoyable but says it succeeds more in the vein of a workplace sitcom than a grand saga

5 turkeys president recep tayyip erdogan ousted his prime minister above in a further step into authoritarianism analysts said the prime ministers prominence in making a deal with europe over refugees infuriated the president erdogan seeks to eliminate anyone in the party who has any ambitions of authority of their own one said

6 the wildfire raging through part of western canada spread further forcing some people to evacuate for a second time i really felt like it was the apocalypse one said oil sands projects and pipeline companies suspended operations and evacuated workers around the threatened town of fort mcmurray reducing production by about a third

7 the shooters in a fraction of each years 30000 gun deaths are under the age of 5 in one recent week four toddlers killed themselves and a 2 year old fatally shot his mother above a 4 year old who shot and injured her uncle such episodes fuel calls for more gun controls but a gun rights advocate said to base public policy on occasional mishaps would be a grave mistake

8 prince appears to have had a problem with pain pills he started taking years ago which he hid from friends and associates but his dependence grew so acute recently that friends reached out to an addiction specialist who was frantically trying to set up treatment when the singers body was found

9 should prostitution be legal the times magazine examines the intense debate among aid groups over entrapment versus feminist freedom i believe in the empowered sex worker an advocate for legalization said i was one but she also said it was important to recognize that most sex workers arent above a dominatrix known as mistress matisse

10 the fda issued sweeping rules for e cigarettes to take effect in 90 days ending a period for the industry that one official called the wild wild west the rules ban selling e cigarettes to anyone under 18 and require producers to disclose manufacturing processes and scientific data vape shops that mix their own solutions will be considered producers

11 finally london voted for a mayor to replace the outgoing boris johnson one of the most closely watched races on a day of major british elections in a field of 12 the two front runners are zac goldsmith the son of a billionaire and above right sadiq khan the son of pakistani immigrants if elected mr khan would be the first muslim to hold the post earlier we misspelled his surname kahn results are expected friday

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in talking about dennis freedman the creative director of barneys new york the artist margaret lee immediately mentions his avant garde furniture collection   such a boundary pushing sight to behold that it informed parts of her 2014 show closer to right than wrong closer to wrong than right specifically the size and arrangement now the pair is picking up the dialogue again collaborating on a series of windows for barneys and bringing new yorkers into the conversation what you see downtown freedman explains referring to the pair of dioramas on seventh avenue started with a discussion of spaces that people live in   and the spaces they create to present themselves in a certain way   and we focused on the kitchen he and lee explored and exaggerated the idea that in some homes the room is rarely used for cooking which freedman describes as neither right nor wrong rather it is what it is scroll over the photographs above and below to learn more about their concept


all appearances to the contrary the new york architect david rockwell is not channeling his energy into product design
yes he is presenting two lighting groups during nycxdesign he was recently in milan with his valet furniture for the chinese company stellar works and his workplace collection for knoll called rockwell unscripted will be introduced at the neocon furniture fair in june what of it
a coincidence said mr rockwell 59 the result of four to five years of interesting relationships that just happened to bear fruit at the same time
as is typical he has a whole mess of stuff going on his company rockwell group recently did the interiors of vandal a restaurant on the bowery with an art program curated by the street artist hush it is working with the architects diller scofidio  renfro on culture shed a multidisciplinary art space that will rise at hudson yards
and it produced a quaint 1930s style hungarian perfume shop as a setting for the recent broadway revival of the musical she loves me
as different as those endeavors are and theyre just a few morsels in the rockwell stewpot they have something in common that product design lacks when mr rockwell designs a piece of architecture he said he creates the look and feel of a place in response to a brief with a product its going to end up in a whole range of environments we cant control where it goes the personality of the product emerges at the level of how things are made
his new led lamps toe the line between object and ambience as sculptures that modify their surroundings notch for example a sconce created with the new york lighting company rich brilliant willing which will be shown may 14 to 17 at the international contemporary furniture fair at the javits center is a cube of blackened bronze with a diamond shaped cutout revealing a brass surface inside this simple form can be modified to produce three varieties of light a golden glow from the middle an uplight and a downlight
gold peeking through black is also a feature of mr rockwells steel lamps for the turkish company gaia  gino to be shown by casa international at the wanteddesign show in chelsea may 13 to 16 in this case the lustrous cutaways have a sinuous curve and that really is a kind of flame he said


tiffany fong was recently out of college and working as an assistant to steve jobs when an existential crisis erupted around the time the iphone was unveiled i was in his office opening mail she said and i thought if steve jobs were me would he quit this job she concluded yeah he totally would do it he wouldnt take this job in the first place
so ms fong changed her life she moved to paris enrolled in fashion design classes in london and plotted with her sister to open a luxury handbag company and after the global economic crisis scuttled her plans she didnt crumble with jobs like determination she applied to business school
today she is the 32 year old creative director of mdb family a childrens furniture business with six divisions including nursery works which she repositioned two years ago to emphasize high end design she is also the creative director of capsule a new mdb company selling more affordably priced home furnishings directly to consumers both brands will be exhibiting at the wanteddesign manhattan show may 13 to 16
we feel theres room to bring art and design into the nursery ms fong said referring to nursery workss new offerings including the ami rocker a bassinet that converts into a double seat rocking chair in fact she noted nursery works helped spur a trend in elegant baby appointments with its 4500 acrylic vetro crib designed in 2010 by her father in law daniel fong who founded million dollar baby in 1990 with his wife maryann ms fongs husband teddy is the chief executive
the smooth lines and bulbous comfort of capsules big arm sofa would work in a nursery too though the piece is designed for all ages and comes with a family friendly price of 1299 ms fong said that her companys long and often exclusive relationships with factories create efficiencies in operations and materials reducing costs many of the components are repurposed from the childrens products
those circumstances also allow her to experiment with design my vision is for capsule to be the opening ceremony of furniture she said referring to the eclectic fashion retailer and producer known for its creative collaborations and recently granted a 2016 national design award


collective design
first rate examples of vintage 20th century design from an international group of dealers as well as cutting edge creations this year there will also be an exhibition celebrating the influence of the tokyo firm nendo and a new feature called collective concept with presentations by talents like apparatus lindsey adelman and fort standard
through may 8 at 550 washington street collectivedesignfaircom
voutsa pop up
the wallpaper company voutsa opens an immersive pop up space with its exuberant patterns applied to walls furniture and clothing with collaborators like sasha bikoff tzelan and paul marlow
through may at 179 mott street voutsacom
downtown design festival
a 12 day series of events at the south street seaport now called the seaport district will include conversations with prominent designers an exhibition by parsons school of design and family workshops on animation may 7 and architecture may 14 sponsored by the childrens museum of the arts as well as a design market presented by wanteddesign
through may 17 at 19 fulton street the parsons show is at 117 beekman street southstreetseaportcomseaport culture the design market continues through june
the annex by material lust
with a dark heavy metal aesthetic that riffs on pagan and alchemical symbolism the founders of the design firm material lust know how to turn heads their new permanent installation presents their own work along with that of other designers and artists
195 chrystie street material lustcom
bklyn designs
the proliferation of design studios in brooklyn is no secret and bklyn designs was founded in 2003 as a place to showcase that boundless creativity for those who want to bring some of it home theres also a pop up shop organized by the american design club
through may 8 at 72 noble street brooklyn bklyndesignscom
the future perfect
this trendsetting store presents an exhibition of new american design including furniture by christopher stuart of the indiana firm luur and lighting by ladies  gentlemen studio and the glass artist john hogan
through june at 55 great jones street thefutureperfectcom
wanteddesign brooklyn
the popular wanteddesign fair which started in manhattan added a brooklyn satellite last year this years brooklyn edition includes a workshop with international design schools and a range of exhibitions among them a survey of designers from western north carolina and the transatlantic creative exchange project pairing designers and institutions from the united states and france on collaborative products
through may 17 at 220 36th street brooklyn wanteddesignnyccom
design pavilion
a group of structures known collectively as design pavilion will take over the newly renovated astor place plaza highlights include an installation by snarkitecture for the condominium development 125 greenwich street a structure designed by harry allen with the biomaterials company ecovative the dupont corian blur bar by joe doucet and growth a show of new objects curated by the american design club
through may 11 at astor place between lafayette street and cooper square design pavilioncom
catellani  smith hallucinations
light projections by the designer enzo catellani and the glass artist giuliano gaigher
through june 12 at abc carpet  home 888 broadway abchomecom
jens risoms 100th birthday
in honor of the danish american furniture designers 100th birthday design within reach is producing a side table from his first collection and selling it for 100 for one week only after that it will be 195 ralph pucci will also honor the designer with a permanent exhibit of mr risoms newly reissued designs from the 1950s and 1960s opening may 16 the show will also include the new gabriella bronze chair by vladimir kagan who died last month
design within reach dwrcom and ralph pucci 44 west 18th street ralphpuccinet
kips bay decorator show house
now in its 44th year the annual show house demonstrates whats possible when top interior designers let their imaginations run wild participating firms this year include david kleinberg design associates drakeanderson sawyer berson suzanne kasler and timothy whealon interiors among others
the opening night cocktail party is may 11 and the show house runs from may 12 to june 9 at 19 east 61st street kipsbaydecoratorshowhouseorg
the collections two at colony
colony a cooperative showroom of independent designers presents an exhibition celebrating the color pink and a host of activities in conjunction with it including a drink and draw session with nude models may 14 design dim sum may 15 and movie night may 16
through may 17 at 324 canal street goodcolonycom
new danish design at patrick parrish gallery
emerging danish design outfits pettersen  hein anne dorthe vester and maria bruun and kasper kjeldgaard present minimalist conceptual pieces
through june 4 at 50 lispenard street patrickparrishcom
tribeca design district night
tribeca galleries and showrooms   david weeks studio uhuru r  company stillfried wien oly and others   stay open late with exhibit openings and cocktail receptions
information tribecadesigndistrictcom
lee broom pop up store
the british designer lee broom has a reputation for innovative presentations during last months salone del mobile in milan he turned a roving delivery van into his showroom broom off broome his pop up space in new york will offer some 50 products for sale including a new lighting piece exclusive to the united states
through june 10 at 63 greene street leebroomcom
usm mix it
the modular furniture company usm partnered with three noted mixologists to create custom bar carts from the components of its haller system the carts will be on view following a cocktail party from 630 to 830 pm
28 30 greene street usmcom
designjunction and dwell on design
the united kingdom based organization designjunction introduced a new york satellite of its london show last year its back again this year in partnership with dwell on design presentations by artek muuto dyke  dean and others offer a tastefully pared down sense of european modernism accompanied by an extensive program of talks organized by dwell magazine
through may 15 at 540 west 21st street thedesignjunctioncouknew york
sight unseen offsite
the online publication sight unseen presents a selection of emerging designers on the cusp of doing bigger things expect provocative pieces from across the united states along with offerings from little known designers from countries like canada germany and russia
through may 16 at 1114 avenue of the americas offsitesightunseencom
wanteddesign manhattan
since it was founded in 2011 wanteddesign has become one of the most vital design events outside the international contemporary furniture fair exhibitors include established brands like alessi and cappellini as well as new studios presenting for the first time
through may 16 at 269 11th avenue wanteddesignnyccom
nerihu at 12 warren street
the future perfect presents a complete apartment designed around new furniture by the shanghai firm nerihu for de la espada in a new condominium building developed by ddg
through may 17 at 12 warren street thefutureperfectcom and ddgpartnerscom12warren
ronan and erwan bouroullec at vitra and axor
the three level space shared by vitra and axor will be given over to a celebration of the french design phenoms ronan and erwan bouroullec with products the brothers designed for vitra axor artek and nanimarquina
through may 17 at 29 ninth avenue vitracom and hansgrohe usacomaxor
ernest showroom
the new ernest showroom holds an open house presenting its indoor and outdoor furniture and products from dapostrophe royal botania renson and delta light
through may 15 at 255 fifth avenue ernest nycom
international contemporary furniture fair
this is the main event the trade fair around which the rest of nycxdesign developed the first three days are for design professionals only the final day may 17 is open to the public browse design from more than 750 exhibitors from across the world or buy products on the spot at the milk stand a pop up shop presented by the blog design milk in a space designed by the brooklyn firm bower
through may 17 at the jacob k javits convention center 655 west 34th street icffcom
nycxdesign awards
winners of the annual nycxdesign awards presented by interior design magazine and the icff will be announced at a 6 pm event at the museum of modern art followed by the icff opening night party
museum of modern art 11 west 53rd street icffcom
soho design district night
starting at 6 pm the streets of soho will take on the look of a block party as various showrooms - luceplan artemide blu dot blackbody flor flos fritz hansen nanimarquina ingo maurer moroso and others   remain open for special events and cocktails
information sohodesigndistrictorg
roll  hill showroom
the new york lighting company that helped catapult american lighting design to international prominence opens its first showroom a 4000 square foot space in soho where it will present large scale creations from designers like bec brittain karl zahn and jason miller the companys founder
3 mercer street rollandhillcom
apparatus studio
apparatus opens its new 10000 square foot combination showroom design studio and production space presenting a new collection that includes light fixtures and monolithic marble tables
open house through may 17 at 124 west 30th apparatusstudiocom
best of found muji
the japanese retailer muji long prized by designers for the thoughtful simplicity of its products also sells like minded objects from other companies   a collection called found muji favorites from that collection will be on display and for sale
through mid june at 475 fifth avenue mujicomus
yabu pushelberg
the interior design firm opens its studio to present its new furniture collection for linteloo
6 to 9 pm at 88 prince street yabupushelbergcom
matter
the cutting edge furniture store presents new work by aelfie and studio proba john hogan and vonnegutkraft
through may 17 at 405 broome street mattermatterscom
anabela chan at les ateliers courbet
the london based jewelry designer anabela chan will present her nature inspired creations including sculptures made from butterfly wings painted crystal candy dishes for lobmeyr and fabrics for bernhardt textiles
through june at 175 177 mott street ateliercourbetcom
new york design center
numerous showrooms - desiron global views cliff young tucker robbins cf modern currey  company metropolitan lighting theodore alexander raul carrasco and others   will host evening events
200 lexington avenue nydccom


talk to a designer who specializes in narrative inspired wallpaper and youre bound to get a good story about her life katie deedy 34 grew up in atlanta with ambitions to be a freelance illustrator struggling to build a career in new york she scanned a drawing into her computer one day and accidentally created its mirror image
having stumbled onto an interest in patternmaking ms deedy combined it with an inherited love of storytelling her mother is a havana born childrens book author she began to design wallpaper that is guaranteed to start conversations founding a company in brooklyn called grow house grow
typical of ms deedys work is captain smith a flowing pattern of octopuses and jellyfish that she named after the doomed commander of the titanic and a motif of sloths manatees american woodcocks and other slow moving creatures called ode to the unhasty
also a panorama of monkeys in victorian beachwear inspired by a 1909 new york times article about a primate found in a bathhouse in queens ms deedy quotes the headline in her catalog description he wore a red bathing suit and rockaway police suspect yale man
at the international contemporary furniture fair this month she will introduce nacht a pattern derived from das wunderzeichenbuch the book of miracles a 16th century german manuscript that caught her eye she said because it depicts bizarre and magical celestial phenomena from meteors and eclipses to locusts and torrents of blood its pretty wonderful mindful of the market she toned down her interpretation to sprays of stars rendered in metallics against skies of dark blue slate gray or lavender
nacht will be the third and final wallpaper in her codex collection which also includes patterns referring to the alexandria library in egypt and the voynich manuscript an early 15th century illustrated document executed in a writing system no code breaker has ever been able to crack then its on to her next subject her mothers homeland cuba
my family had tremendous difficulty like so many refugees who left she said this is a major endeavor for me and i want to make it amazing


geography is destiny or at least it was for johan lindsten mr lindsten 34 grew up in a forested part of sweden called the furniture kingdom which is home to ikea and dozens of other housewares companies today lo and behold he designs furniture including chairs with needlepoint nature scenes that have put him on an international stage
i always had a furniture culture in my life he said by phone from stockholm rattling off family members in the business cabinetmaker grandfather architect sister structural engineer brother and so forth
but what really got him started was a hunt for a cd rack at age 13 he couldnt find any he liked so he designed and made one himself ever since he said the joy of creativity has followed me
mr lindstens embroidery chairs pay tribute to the needlepoint he admired on his grandmothers walls as a child the craft he noted has been around for 8000 years and was once a symbol of wealth and status people dont do it anymore he said now they watch tv
giulio cappellini creative director of the italian furniture company cappellini and a celebrated talent spotter saw an early concept a few years ago and brought out the chairs as prototypes at the 2015 milan furniture fair from may 13 a market ready example will be shown in new york at cappellinis soho showroom during nycxdesign
the four chairs in the embroidery series represent the four seasons each seat back has a panorama cross stitched in tapestry wool woodland deer for autumn butterflies and blooming trees for spring a flamingo against a scarlet sky for summer and snow covered mountains for winter the scenes are produced by machine at a rate that would leave an etsy crafter breathless even so mr lindsten said it takes four days to make a single chair
not all of that labor is about the textile the chairs are solid ash stained in colors that coordinate with the seasons as for the lounge chair form i would say its a little discreet mr lindsten said it has a scandinavian personality and italian quality


these are the strange and tortuous days in presumptive trump america
its cinco de mayo and the republican national committee just put out a statement honoring the many ways mexican americans have enriched our countrys culture its not clear whether this includes the millions of them that the partys likely standard bearer has vowed to deport but these are the kinds of awkward matters that will preoccupy presumptive trump america in the weeks and months ahead where to even begin
maybe here with something that popped onto my twitter machine yesterday via the manchester union leader nh senator ayotte will support   but not endorse   trump reads the headline that certainly clarifies things
it also helps explain why so many people think politicians are weenies and why they are fundamentally correct and why donald trump is now completing his bull rush though the paper wall of the republican party
for as remarkable as trumps rise has been whats maybe more remarkable is how he has exposed the lameness of the political ranks he is seeking to join why does he even have to bother with some of these losers now trump seemed to be wondering as much wednesday morning when he was asked on the today show whether he would be able to unite the republican party i am confident that i can unite much of it he said there are parts of it i dont want this struck me as the kind of perfectly trumpian declaration   smirking confident and dismissive   that explains how trumps romp over what was supposedly an elite republican field looked almost easy in the end
with the ranks of the defeated now completed   john kasich quit the race on wednesday   trumps victims are now lining up to demonstrate their rationalized devotion to their abuser it is a diminishing spectacle bobby jindal a onetime republican star who flailed wildly at trump during his short lived quiver of a campaign said on wednesday that he would most likely be voting for trump in november im not happy about it he felt the need to add
neither apparently are some officials at the republican national committee committee staff members were told that if they cant support trump they should leave by the end of the week according to the new york times the words kicking and screaming come to mind unity or else
on monday jon huntsman a former republican governor of utah and proponent of the gentlemans centrism embodied by his nonprofit group no labels seemed to endorse trump the master labeler himself   the man who labeled lyin ted cruz little marco rubio and low energy jeb bush among others yes labels
you can certainly see how many republicans find themselves in a tough spot they think that hillary clinton is awful and that it might be politically problematic for them as republicans to say theyd vote for her even if they believe trump would be worse its considered unseemly for politicians to say they plan to stay home in november rather than vote even if thats what they plan to do no third party option has come forward but theres also something hilarious about marco rubio calling trump the most vulgar person to ever aspire to the presidency during his campaign and then last week pivoting to say that trumps performance has improved significantly he added that hes more certain than ever that he will support the republican nominee now that its apparent that hillary clinton is going to be the democratic nominee as if that prospect came out of nowhere or that he might be feeling the bern otherwise
ted cruz meanwhile called trump a pathological liar and a narcissist at a level i dont think this countrys ever seen as recently as tuesday this was after his father said electing the alternative to his son would signal the destruction of america which led trump to insinuate that raphael cruz had a role in the john f kennedy assassination 2016 and yet cruz has said repeatedly that he would support trump if he were the republican nominee   though he did show signs of perhaps reconsidering after trump started mocking cruzs wife cruz said nothing about supporting trump in his departure speech on tuesday night while trump played gracious and praised lyin ted as tough smart and one hell of a competitor
if cruz really does plan to be the skunk at the garden party that he claimed shouldnt he have made it clear by now that he would not support trump under any circumstances but this is presumptive trump america a land of heavy pressure to finesse and contort   even if it lands you on the side of a pathological liar who would ensure the destruction of america also cruz will probably run again in 2020 for what thats worth there are always considerations it will be awkward


for three decades anda andrei helped the hotelier ian schrager create boutique hotels with uncommon appeal most recently as his companys president of design but two and a half years ago ms andrei 62 struck out on her own
the first completed project of anda andrei design is 11 howard above right a soho hotel for rfr holding that opened last month which she designed in collaboration with the danish firm space copenhagen
we wanted a scandinavian feel which is so classic and ageless said ms andrei above left noting that the majority of the furniture and accessories were made from basic materials like oak brass and linen in copenhagen and brooklyn down to earth but a touch glamorous
next up is the asbury a hotel in a converted salvation army building in asbury park nj set to open on memorial day weekend designed with the hotelier david bowd as part of istars redevelopment of the towns waterfront for which ms andrei is the overall creative lead it offers a different take on chic and simple bright beachy rooms with posters depicting area history and happenings glued to walls clamp lamps and plywood beds and bunks top the hope ms andrei said is that it will appeal to both young families and young professionals and create a new center of gravity in town
11 howard rooms from 272 a night 888 296 5111 or 11howardcom the asbury rooms from 125 a night 732 774 7100 or theasburyhotelcom


times insider delivers behind the scenes insights into how news features and opinion come together at the new york times
michael s schmidt a national security correspondent for the times just traveled for two weeks in asia and the middle east with the defense secretary ashton b carter the trip was what mr schmidt calls half a magellan
we went all the way to the other side of the world   in this case the philippines   but instead of circumnavigating the earth we turned around and made our way back he said
on the trip mr schmidt passed through 14 time zones visited five countries india the philippines the united arab emirates iraq and saudi arabia wrote five articles landed on one aircraft carrier and threw up once during a midair refueling of the defense secretarys plane in all mr schmidt flew 22547 miles had he flown around the equator it would have been 24901 miles as he got over the jet lag he took some time to answer a few questions
what is the secretarys plane like
along with serving as his plane for foreign trips it is a doomsday aircraft that is designed to be an airborne command center if theres a national emergency like a nuclear attack it can refuel in air and fly for days without landing the plane   which is called the e 4b   is a retrofitted 747 and was built decades ago during the height of the cold war the idea was if the country was devastated by an attack the president defense secretary or other administration officials could fly around in the e 4b and have all the capabilities of a command center on the ground   including the ability to launch nuclear weapons according to the air force at least one e 4b there are more than one is always on alert with a global watch team at an american air base somewhere in the world
the inside of the plane is divided into sections theres an area just for the secretary work rooms for his staff a conference room an operations center bunk beds for the crew and a cabin for the press the press cabin is similar to business class on a commercial flight the seats are big and theres decent legroom but the plane is very old you can hear it creak when we take off or turn and the upholstery and decor look like something out of the 1970s
the best part is the food which is made in a tiny kitchen at the front of the plane there are baskets of snacks in the press cabin a cart with sodas and we get hot meals for breakfast lunch and dinner and other treats in between i must have eaten 7000 calories worth of food on the flight from washington to india
what is it like when the plane refuels in midair
on long trips we refuel several times in flight even though were traveling to war zones the refuelings are in fact often the most tumultuous parts of the trips the captain will get on the loudspeaker and say buckle up were coming into a refueling the fasten seat belt sign goes on and a specially designed tanker that has come to meet up with us from wherever is the nearest american air baseflies a few dozen yards over our plane and drops down a hose the e 4b opens a hole in the front of the plane and connects with the hose
the problem is that in order to keep the hose in the plane the pilots   who are flying by hand not autopilot   need to maneuver the plane up and down this creates the feeling of turbulence for the entire time of the refueling which   depending on how thirsty the plane is   can last an hour and a half its not turbulence in the sense of hitting bumps its much more like going up for a few seconds and then falling for a few seconds
we had two refuelings on our flight back from saudi arabia and i vomited during the first one luckily i did it in the bathroom on a trip i made with the defense secretary in february 2015 i was allowed to sit in the cockpit for a refueling and shot this video the video does not do justice to actually how close the tanker was above us it was very easy for me to imagine how if either pilot made the slightest mistake the results would be catastrophic after i left the cockpit i walked down a spiral staircase and threw up but that didnt deter me   i found the refueling so neat that i went and watched the next one the second one i watched was at night the hose kept on coming out and fuel sprayed all over the windshield of the plane luckily it has windshield wipers
how does traveling with the defense secretary work do you play cards with him on the plane and then pile into a van with him wherever you land
on the plane we usually see him for only a brief period of time when he gets on hell typically come back into our cabin say hello and thank us for coming on many trips hell do an on the record question and answer with us in the cabin its a small cabin but he uses a microphone because the plane is so loud this secretary does not often make news so the question and answer sessions do not always lead to stories the rest of the time hes usually with his staff or sleeping
when we land the press and his staff come out of one exit and we head into cars and vans that are lined up in a motorcade next to the plane the motorcade usually has at least a dozen vehicles in it then the secretary comes out of the planes main entrance down the long staircase and is usually met by the american ambassador to the country we are in and senior officials from that countrys government he then gets into a fancy car or suv at the front of the motorcade and we speed off with police cars blaring their lights and sirens
what was your favorite part of the trip
it definitely was the visit we made to the aircraft carrier the uss john c stennis just off the coast of the philippines in the south china sea mr carter wanted to take his filipino counterpart to see the carrier as part of the administrations efforts to reassure our allies that we will support them against the chinese to get to the carrier we took a special plane that is designed to land on it the plane is small and is similar in size to one that a major american airline would use to fly passengers from a major city to a smaller domestic hub it has propellers and looks sort of like a miniature cargo plane it has very few windows and we had to sit in these large seats that faced backward the seats had many different straps and buckles to lock us in and we wore helmets and eye gear
we flew for about 30 minutes and then about 10 seconds before we landed the crew shouted here we come we hit the deck of the carrier and you could hear the planes tailhook engaging the wire to slow us down the plane went from a few hundred miles per hour to zero the amount of force was unlike anything i had felt before it lasted only a few seconds but it felt as if it would never end
as soon as the plane stopped a door at the back popped open and we were told to get out   and there we were in the middle of the deck in the middle of the south china sea right next to us were fighter jets you could literally touch them we went inside for a few minutes where we were given special colored vests and life preservers and then came out back onto the deck and watched jets take off and land about 30 feet in front of us
what was iraq like
it was my first time in iraq since i spent all of 2011 in our baghdad bureau this time my stay there lasted less than eight hours and i dont think i saw a single iraqi the secretarys security officials determined that it was too dangerous to spend the night in iraq so we got up early in the morning and flew from abu dhabi into baghdad we landed at the airport in baghdad and were whisked onto helicopters where we put on body armor and helmets and were flown into the green zone we landed in the green zone on a cement helipad and were quickly ushered into up armored suvs and taken to a small american military base
while mr carter and his staff met with american military commanders and senior iraqi officials we ate at the militarys dining facility and received a briefing on the progress of the war we then took helicopters back to the airport where mr carter announced at an event with american troops that president obama was sending an additional 217 troops into iraq to join the roughly 5000 already there we then got back on a plane and returned to abu dhabi i could have been on a movie set in california and not known the difference
did you get any time off to do any exploring in any of the countries
not much but there were unexpected encounters and discoveries at the hotel we stayed at in saudi arabia there were separate gyms for men and women in the mens gym there was a squash court i play and ended up matching up with a local saudi businessman we were going to play first to three and i won the first game we stopped to get water and as i headed back into the court for the second game he turned to me and said are you going to be here in a little while i said yeah he said ok ill be back shortly
i was puzzled about where he was going and after pausing for a few seconds i said where are you headed he said to pray
he came back 20 minutes later and he went on to win the next three games


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hard to believe but its been 10 years since the first episode of inside the new york times book review started in 2006 by dwight garner the senior editor at the book review then and now a book critic for the times the show was hosted by sam tanenhaus an editor of the book review from its inception until 2013 in the very first episode tanenhaus spoke with the novelist gary shteyngart guests later in that first year would include maurice sendak john waters jennifer egan vendela vida dave eggers and lemony snicket and over the ensuding decade the show would welcome john updike toni morrison donna tartt and keith richards among many others
on this special episode of the podcast pamela paul the current editor of the book review and host of the podcast talks to tanenhaus garner and shteyngart about the history of the show favorite and least favorite guests and more
archive inside the new york times book review podcast


anna karina was only 19 years old when she met the director jean luc godard in the two years since she had moved to paris from copenhagen where she was born karina had gone from being penniless on the streets to an in demand model after godard cast her in le petit soldat she quickly became an emblem of the french new wave through her performances in godards films   and also his wife and muse their relationship was by all accounts tumultuous and they divorced in 1965 but the films and especially karinas performances have only gained in esteem over time i could be their grandmother she says with a smile about the fans that still approach her in a recent conversation before an event in her honor at the brooklyn academy of music earlier this week shell also appear at film forum tomorrow to kick off a series dedicated to her work with godard karina talked about her early days modeling how she got her name and the pleasure and pain of her time with godard
how did you first get into modeling
i went to paris when i was 17 and would sit in a cafe called les deux magots in the latin quarter i spoke english but not a word of french this lady came up to me and said do you want to do some fashion pictures i was scared i told her that if she came with a lot of people i would do it maybe i was naive but being naive can help once in awhile those pictures were for a newspaper called jours de france and i needed the money but they couldnt pay me until they were published so i took copies of the pictures and went by foot   in white high heels that were dirty because i didnt have another pair   to elle magazine soon after i got the cover of elle and suddenly everyone wanted me like a miracle
how did you get the name anna karina
when i was doing a shoot for elle i was telling the makeup lady that i wanted to be an actress suddenly this other lady comes into the room that looked very smart with a big hat and a cigarette in her mouth she heard me say i wanted to be an actress and said whats your name i said hanne karin bayer she said you should call yourself anna karina it was coco chanel i only knew her from the perfume
how did you meet godard
i got a telegram asking to do a part in breathless but he told me i needed to take my clothes off so i said to this strange person with dark glasses   nobody was wearing dark glasses like that at the time   that i wouldnt do it three or four months later i got another telegram this time he said wanted me to play the main part in a film i showed it to some of my friends they said godard you have to see him i thought the strange guy with the dark glasses
what was your working relationship like
it was always the same thing   no script dialogue at the last minute everyone always thought we just said anything we wanted its difficult to explain   some actors want to know why they have to do this and that it was so simple and natural with godard
youve said that working on band of outsiders saved your life
its a long and sad story godard and i got married because i got pregnant then i lost the child and they couldnt do anything about it so i went to a kind of not a crazy house but a place where you have to relax i hated it one day godard came and got me out because i had tried to commit suicide he said im doing a new film and youre going to play the lead its called band of outsiders it was then that i came alive
despite the hardships do you have fond memories of that period
we never thought the films would be so famous for so long we were just happy to do things it was more bohemian we knew we were doing something we liked and it was not like everyone else it was a happy world


its not a pastiche of the 1970s says chloe lonsdale the founder of the nostalgia infused womens denim line mih jeans which this week marks its 10th anniversary with a just opened pop up shop in londons soho we could have sourced shag pile rugs and gone all austin powers   but thats not what were about denim grounds us and keeps us more real the space has a light and airy feel thats true to the way the brand balances old with new the 1950s wicker hanging chairs in the window are offset by a contemporary tobi ishi table by bb italia
the stores residency on upper james street runs through the end of may and lonsdale has overseen everything with a forensic eye for detail   right down to the harvested cow parsley installed by mayfairs tuktuk flower studio on the shops facade that also fills the rainbow hued ceramics by mexican artist milena muzquiz they make me smile she says of the vessels which sit alongside wooden bowls filled with limited run sew on patches to jazz up your jeans the i love avocado patch is already a social media hit that can be applied at the patch bar visitors can also bring in jeans of any brand to custom crop in the store
its clear that lonsdale sees the space as a testing ground for mihs evolving retail blueprint this past year she has worked with the young london design duo matteo fogale and laetitia de allegri on planning the look and feel of future stores the way denim is sold is stuck in its ways says lonsdale whose father ran jean machine britains first major importer of american denim were rooted not in the states but in west london and that eclectic vintage portobello road spirit however much theres a 1970s denim girl in all of us we all want to feel cool now thats why we present denim as part of a complete look lonsdale trades the typically dark industrial shop model   where jeans are usually stacked floor to ceiling   for something altogether lighter freer more finessed playful geometric motifs are replicated in mirrors and venetian plaster displays elegant brass rails made in part from recycled resin yogurt pots have a speckled patina that looks just like marble lonsdale is so gratified by the sustainable materials luxurious finish that shes having a cabinet maker replicate them for the kitchen of her new portobello pied a terre t also brings you into her 400 year old boathouse in west sussex
much like the mih denim that inspires such a devoted following among industry insiders lonsdales taste leans toward the hardworking and unshowy today she is wearing silver no6 clogs a blue t shirt and the high rise tapanga flare thats part of the cult denim project to celebrate its 10 year anniversary 10 of the brands best selling most unique pieces have been reissued to sell in store and on net a porter theres the chambray frill collar dress that is modeled after one that belonged to lonsdales mother the boiler suit once worn by charlize theron and a heavyweight shirt that she swears shes worn over dresses to friends weddings her own father famously wore double denim to hers so how does it feel to see her long held retail vision realized albeit temporarily i can never wait until the next thing she admits glancing at the hermes cape cod watch that was an anniversary gift from her husband johan quintus who is also mihs coo im like when can we open a permanent shop


there is no earthly reason that the national design awards a program of the cooper hewitt smithsonian design museum should give most of its love to new yorkers and yet it often does last year six of the 11 winners were based in new york but in an apparent corrective the gotham count is down this year the nonprofit center for urban pedagogy took the corporate and institutional prize and opening ceremony really a global brand won for fashion
in other parts of the nation the architect moshe safdie somerville mass was honored for lifetime achievement his yad vashem holocaust history museum is pictured bruce mau evanston ill was named design mind marlon blackwell fayetteville ark took the architecture prize geoff mcfetridge los angeles won for communication design tellart providence ri and elsewhere took interaction design
and san franciscans albeit with multiple offices swept the rest studio oa for interior design hargreaves associates for landscape design and ammunition for product design
mariana amatullo a design educator who led the 2016 awards jury confirmed that non new yorkness was a factor in the selection of honorees announced thursday but not the first lens more important she said were excellence and innovation
information cooperhewittorgnational design awards


it was an act of desperation that led us to write the email my wife and i felt overwhelmed and hopeless two years into our marriage we began discussing the possibility of seeking professional help the problem was our home
we had finally acquired some furniture including a dining table and chairs a credenza a properly proportioned couch and a side table considering i had lived as a single man with little more than an overlarge sofa and a tv on the floor it was a big improvement but our rental apartment still wasnt coming together
framed art sat on the floor because we didnt know where to hang it the furniture floated independently with no cohesion we went to stores and shopped online but the thought of buying anything caused paralysis we feared wed make a costly mistake
in the bathroom i had already painted the walls glossy black years earlier a decorating disaster the space also lacked storage and needed a new recessed medicine cabinet neither of us are bob vila types these were jobs for a decorator and potentially a contractor but we had no clue how to find reputable professionals
then my wife cara came home one day and told me about a service she had heard about it offered a free consultation with an interior designer who comes to your home discusses your goals and creates a plan if you hire the designer you pay by the hour
i had stubbornly held on to the idea that if we studied enough shelter magazines we could pull together our space ourselves but its at your lowest point that youre sometimes willing to try something new
ok lets contact homepolish i finally said
homepolish was founded in 2012 by the 24 year old stanford graduate noa santos and his partner will nathan mr santos a business and architecture major moved to new york for a job at a high end residential design firm within weeks he said he knew two things he loved design and his chosen profession was terribly obsolete
mr santos now 27 thought the traditional commission structure gave designers an incentive to inflate budgets breeding distrust among clients and creating unnecessary drama and he disliked the way talented staff members often worked for years for a big name designer without a chance to establish their own reputations or firms
mr santos also noticed that when friends and people he met discovered what he did they were desperate for advice
it was this light bulb in my head he said why is everyone so eager for me to help them they didnt have access to this anywhere else
soon after mr santos quit his job and started homepolish with mr nathan to give designers access to clients and provide clients with accessible design expertise
initially mr santos was the only designer but before long the roster had grown to 60 and now there are more than 500 designers affiliated with the company some have recently graduated from design school others have years of experience and are moonlighting or testing the waters to go out on their own
the process is akin to online dating prospective clients log on to the website enter basic information location budget goals preferred style and are matched by one of the companys queen bees with a designer suited to their project a free consultation follows either in person at home or via skype
if clients dont think they jibe with the homepolish designer they notify the queen bee and   as simply as swiping on tinder   are rematched the queen bee also acts as a go between if any problems arise during the design process
once a match is made clients can buy either a single day session three hours for 349 or a set number of hours which are bought in chunks of five starting with a 10 hour minimum at an hourly rate of 130
i dont presume 130 an hour is affordable for everyone mr santos said we say its accessible our clients typically make as a household 100000 and they typically have 10000 to spend on a project
homepolish has opened up personal design to this large segment of professionals who though successful by most measures were nevertheless previously unable to afford most decorators chris wallgren and his partner brijen shah fit the category
mr wallgren 38 is a consultant for public transportation agencies dr shah 39 is a doctor at mount sinai in manhattan the couple bought a two bedroom co op on the upper east side three years ago and after a few tentative furniture purchases grew frustrated trying to decorate the place themselves
im at a stage in my life where i dont want this to look like college mr wallgren said
but when the couple interviewed designers and architects they were stunned mr wallgren said the decorator comes to your apartment and says ok this is going to cost a hundred grand he said you need a 30000 couch
instead on a friends recommendation they tried homepolish during the initial consultation the designer they were matched with rearranged some furniture it was an immediate improvement and set the couple at ease about spending money the designer projected a 25000 budget and 50 hours of work
thats what he estimated and thats what he stuck to mr wallgren said adding that it was a collaborative largely stress free process that resulted in a home that feels complete
haley weidenbaum a 28 year old designer in los angeles who has become something of a star within the homepolish stable said the loose approach was what made the process feel collaborative and unintimidating
usually at a firm its more than one person on a project ms weidenbaum said this feels more personal and less business y the client just feels like oh this person is helping me with my home
ms weidenbaum is juggling around 20 projects at the moment and while many of them are for young professionals and first time homeowners ive done a lot of nurseries she said she also works with some very wealthy clients
twenty years ago if you lived in bel air youd hire the top designer and theyd do everything custom she said in the last 10 years magazines and blogs have shown you dont need to pay three times as much to make your home look good
my wife and i hope thats true we were paired with a young designer michelle zacks who was a clothing designer for many years before switching to interiors working for a brooklyn firm and later as an assistant prop stylist
she came over one evening and we discussed our goals a renovated bathroom a living room that looks pulled together more lighting and a non ikea storage solution for my record collection
my wife liked her energy and i liked that she humored me by looking through my giant stack of shelter magazine tear sheets we agreed to the initial 10 hour buy in with the possibility of buying more hours and increasing our 5000 budget as the project goes along
so far so good when we met with ms zacks to go over lighting and storage solutions she had sourced she showed that she understood our style she also arranged for a reasonably priced contractor to look at our bathroom and give us a quote which we have accepted
its comforting to know that we can go in baby steps without committing too much time or money upfront and as ms weidenbaum said the process feels informal as if a friend with good taste and connections is helping us get our place together
for mr santos the homepolish co founder thats the whole point
people find the task so daunting he said its such a big spend what people want is a design partner
that and a living room where the art is off the floor and on the walls
other online services that take the fear out of decorating
homeowners can get per room online design services by filling out a style questionnaire and uploading pictures of the space that needs a makeover one of havenlys designers will email custom concept boards and product suggestions prices start at 79 a room wwwhavenlycom
this service is similar to havenly in that it pairs clients with designers and the process happens online the basic package two concept boards a furniture layout and a personalized shopping list costs 299 a room for 1299 a room you get those benefits and extras like a 30 minute phone call with a design assistant wwwdecoristcom


los angelenos have come to see the echo park craft fair as a kind of pilgrimage a semiannual bonanza for independent goods from makers crafters designers and chefs this saturday and sunday crowds will head to mack sennet studios for the market   which was founded in 2009 by beatrice valenzuela and rachel craven   for what promises be the fairs biggest and most varied selection yet i wanted to become an exhibitor because i believe in the good that rachel and beatrice have created and continue to create with each fair and with the personal work that they do says lauri kranz of edible gardens la a new vendor who will be participating this year it is very special this passion that they have and then share with the rest of us the kosas cosmetics founder sheena yaitanes agrees i jumped at the chance to become an exhibitor she says it will be a joy to be in the presence of talented artists here a look at six first time vendors that wont get lost in the mix
when the sisters margaret and katherine kleveland launched doen online in february much of their modern bohemian collection was snapped up on the first day the direct to consumer line brings its wares to the craft fair for the first time which the designers hope will be a way of introducing themselves to customers   offline we wanted to be able to connect with our los angeles community and meet some of our amazing customers says margaret also since we are direct to consumer and have no storefront we thought it would be nice for people to be able to see items in person feel the material and get to know us and the brand all of our pieces have intricate handwork are high quality and have special details which we wanted customers to see and touch while shoppers should look for seaside friendly pieces and beach cover ups fans should be prepared many of the highly coveted sold out pieces from the spring collection will be available in real life
like many of my friends that went to art school with me i had fallen into a career and fallen off on making art says david scheid who first started creating and installing stained glass at a studio in cincinnati in the mid 90s as a part time job nearly two decades later he found himself looking for a creative outlet while tour managing bands like girl talk and beirut so when his friends valenzuela and her husband ramsey condor casually mentioned they needed a stained glass window for their front door scheid created a piece for them now known around la for his site specific installations and multicolored triangle hangings scheid has made a range of stained glass pieces for the echo park craft fair which vary in size pattern and colorway when hung in a place where light can really pour through the shadows cast will change the whole vibe of the room its a fleeting thing he says of why he loves the medium once the sun is gone you have to wait until tomorrow to see it again
edible gardens la designs builds plants and maintains organic vegetable gardens and edible landscapes that includes walk in garden houses which the companys founder lauri kranz describes as similar to a greenhouse but with screens instead of glass so that the air flows through and the bees and butterflies can come and go for the craft fair edible gardens la will offer items from its garden to table line and debut a few new collaborations including a denim market bag made with the designer agnes baddoo a waxed canvas lunch bag created with catherine mccord of weelicious and a special nature is slow dark chocolate and rose petal bar with valerie confections
im doing my part to stimulate the postal economy says the artist clare crespo who has teamed up for a second round of her deli post stationery collaboration with paper chase press it feels important to keep this tactile magical custom alive in our civilization unlike her first edition of paper sandwich fixings this spring crespo has been inspired by her illustrated mandalas of fruits vegetables snacks and dishes of spring and summer paper chase press nicole katzs print house in hollywood applied crespos delectable drawings to a new suite of paper goods   including postcard pads with bright green colored edges quirky notebooks and greeting cards consider this a preview of the paper goods food market crespo plans to launch online and in stores later this year food and mail make people happy they are two of our great joys she says
with years of combined experience in the coffee business and the restaurant industry friends emily erb and anna morton co founded leaves and flowers in 2014 with the goal of creating food and beverage products with a sense of well being working closely with farmers in california and oregon the pairs line of herbal infusions and small batch teas take inspiration from plants themselves the freshness of these ingredients enhances the flavor and potency of our product making it a truly unique tea experience says morton who attended the california school of herbal studies while we bear in mind the medicinal properties of each ingredient we never compromise on flavor and in so doing our herbal infusions are as delicious as they are medicinal in addition to selling their blends at the craft fair the pair will be preparing organic matcha lattes hot and iced using a batch of organic matcha that just arrived from japan as well as their turmeric wellness tea a therapeutic mix of turmeric rosemary ginger citrus peel and black pepper
kosas cosmetics launched last october with only four shades of lipstick and according to the companys founder sheena yaitanes stands out for its willingness to keep beauty simple this translates to luxe mango and shea butter infused formulas with ingredients like green tea rose hip sweet orange and grapeseed oils that give a pretty sheen in one swipe   and up the intensity as they build kosas will introduce four new warm weather colors at the fair and yaitanes will be there herself with her lipsticks and a mirror in hand we will be helping women discover shades that flatter them that they will actually wear she says its important to me that people get use out of the lipstick they buy yaitanes says her goal with kosas is to eventually make essentials every woman needs in her makeup case the collection will always be concise she says that selectiveness is at the heart of our philosophy


when workers digging a trench outside the rug designer luke irwins house far left in wiltshire england discovered a preserved roman mosaic mr irwin couldnt believe his good fortune as he put it the chances of being a rug designer and finding a 2000 year old floor design 20 yards from your front door have got to be about 20 billion to one
the excavation that resulted not only turned up evidence of an enormous roman villa dating from ad 175 to 220 but also inspired mr irwins latest rug collection mosaic near left
i was so overwhelmed by the scale of the discovery and this elaborate and luxurious footprint from the past mr irwin said but he was nevertheless determined not to simply copy the roman design what was vital was that we used the inspiration of the mosaic as the backdrop but that the design and color was relevant to 21st century aesthetics
so while the rugs texture is reminiscent of a mosaic tile floor the designs range from orderly geometric patterns to painterly washes of color that look as if theyve been eroded over time
available in wool silk and cashmere from 167 a square foot information 011 44 207 730 6070 or lukeirwincom


mih jeanss chloe lonsdale left london after 20 years for an ancient home surrounded by tidal wetlands
i woke up one morning last spring and decided it was time to move out of london after nearly 20 years says chloe lonsdale owner of the british brand mih jeans by the end of that summer she and her husband were set to migrate with their four children from notting hill to sussex in southern england the wild coastal county where the clothing designer was raised they enrolled their kids in a school they loved and began looking for houses in nearby villages a month before the start of the fall term an offer theyd put on a spot in sidlesham a tiny village in west sussex perched on an inlet fell through the couple went to the local pub the crab and lobster to drown their sorrows we saw a for sale sign on the house next door and that was it
a year later the 36 year old and her brood are settled into life at quay house a slate roofed retreat that once served as the towns boathouse and harbormasters residence surrounded by a nature preserve with grassy marshlands that rise and fall wild swans egrets and crabs lonsdale and her husband johan quintus mihs coo let the children run free in the preserve after school and surf and kiteboard at the nearby beach on the weekends when the tide is especially high theyll launch a kayak directly off their back porch some days ill be working in my study and ill look up and the water levels have risen and suddenly youre surrounded by the raw energy of the sea it makes you feel like youre floating lonsdale says in keeping with her no nonsense style   shes perpetually clad in old bluejeans and soft cotton shirting from her expertly spare line of clothes   lonsdale didnt change much about the 400 year old house just a fresh coat of chalky white paint on the lime plaster walls and some elbow grease on its water warped skeleton the original flagstone floors had to be scrubbed of mold and salt deposits accumulated from the houses aquatic surroundings but she didnt dare touch its ancient oak beams or the family of birds that had taken up residence in one of the chimneys the house is really bigger than any ideas you might have for it its almost a living thing if we gutted it and fixed all of its quirks that feeling we love so much would be gone
in a similar laissez faire fashion when it came to decorating lonsdale didnt buy much instead each room is arranged around a well loved piece of furniture the only shift she made from city to country living was adding a few warm tactile accents achieved easily with cozy sheepskin pelts and velvet upholstery a long antique oak table she topped with a hammered piece of zinc anchors the dining area i love it because its so hard wearing we prep food on it the kids color on it we have giant dinner parties around it the patina is the best part she says the living room is centered around a time tested sofa from bb italia in a coarse weave canvas a philippe starck ghost mirror she bought for her first flat in london and a new indigo hued velvet ottoman that doubles as the kids trampoline on lazy sundays
i dont want to live in a house that looks straight out of an interiors magazine i want my surroundings to have a personal significance and most importantly for the country a practical function lonsdale says ive never once in my life put on a brand spanking new outfit i always wear something i treasure and build around that i work the same way when appointing a room her newly designed studio in londons brook green   a former victorian era school building   is an extension of this idea after peppering the space with family heirlooms like vintage robin day chairs and ethiopian wool tapestries from the 70s lonsdale collaborated with the young london furniture designers matteo fogale and laetitia de allegri on sustainable white and silver flecked tables and clothing racks that look like marble but are made from recycled yogurt cups lonsdale attributes her aesthetic approach to her father who was one of the first people to import american denim brands   wrangler levis lee   to the uk via jean machine his chain of denim only shops famous in 1970s london the designer is celebrating that legacy and the 10th anniversary of the founding of her own brand with the opening of her first store this month   a temporary spot in londons soho area which will be filled with vintage furniture culled by lonsdale and flowers by silka rittson thomas of the tuktuk shop in mayfair the pop up will also carry a small offering of special denim pieces designed with her fathers substantial collection of old jeans in mind dad still has the same 40 pairs hes always worn its his uniform and he has lived with it his whole life lonsdale says i learned about style from him the idea of disposable fashion or furniture for that matter has never been something thats interested me


catskill ny   rob kalin made the bed he sleeps on the cob oven for the bread he bakes with near religious fervor the progressive preschool his twin daughters zia and kora attend on the onetime dairy farm he bought three years ago and his own underwear
in the five years since mr kalin was forced out of etsy the global online crafters marketplace he founded in 2005 which went public last year he has been trying to make a life here that matches his values in a former mill and furniture factory in two 19th century buildings that stretch from main street to the catskill creek behind it he has assembled a small community of artisans engaged in the same challenge
whether he and they can make a living doing so and at the same time raise the fortunes of their adopted town is still being debated he said
theres two very different versions of value mr kalin said theres the walmart and mcdonalds version which is price and convenience and then theres values and that part is really hard were not purists we are trying to be practical but this is a challenge
mr kalin 36 is still the soft spoken diy evangelist he was 11 years ago when he and two friends chris maguire and haim schoppik created their handmade community in his brooklyn apartment by the time he left etsy in 2011 it was a venture capital darling with revenues over 40 million the other day he was standing in the storefront of the mill buildings he bought out of foreclosure a few years ago the fallout of a failed condominium project without knowing exactly what he may do with them
whats a good use for buildings like this in a town like this he asked himself im still figuring it out
the property he has named the catskill mill is enticing and deceptive looking the modest storefront on main street unfolds into a 20000 square foot warehouse connected by a steel truss bridge enclosed in glass to a 55000 square foot warehouse on the creek mr kalins initial thought was to create catskill branded products objects like housewares and furniture made from local materials
who would make them and how local is local should the place be a co op or would craftspeople work for mr kalin he and trevor babb an artist who was living in california spent a week camping in the desert talking it through and then mr kalin persuaded mr babb to move here
mr babb and mr kalin are kindred spirits mr babb 38 makes cunning old world disaster kits   steamer trunks and wooden boxes filled with supplies tools and materials like seed libraries   for the end times he calls them fantastical provisions for the post apocalyptic homestead in 2009 when he had a show of this work in red hook brooklyn mr kalin bought a piece called shelter a sculptural object made from a large hunk of wood embedded with axes picks and machetes and they became friends mr babb also makes exquisite leather luggage
mr kalin makes refined wood furniture of shakeresque simplicity and extremely high end horn speakers and other bespoke stereo components with jeffrey jackson 43 an engineer and hi fi designer from memphis who moved his entire family and his collection of world war ii era electron tubes and other audio arcana here to collaborate with mr kalin
jeffrey is one of a half dozen people who understands this stuff said mr kalin introducing mr jackson a lanky man with a shock of curly brown hair
mr kalin can seemingly make anything well knitting still confounds him he said as do bagels not too long ago he made a unisex tunic he colored with cochineal   a carmine dye yielded by insects that live on cactuses a favorite of the aztecs   in shades from bubble gum pink to a dark royal purple
he made the tunics for friends enjoying the intimacy of fitting a garment to a loved one and he made one for himself hoping it would give him a more roman silhouette he said but it ended up looking like a shift dress photos he sent prove otherwise in purple knee socks and scuffed leather boots with straps and buckles he looked rather like an extra from ben hur
mr kalin has had a foothold here since 2008 when he began renting a 1920s duck hunters camp on a finger of land overlooking the hudson as a weekend place not that he got up here much in brooklyn he was sleeping on the floor of the unheated warehouse that was etsys office in 2009 when he was first able to sell his stock in etsy he bought the house with the proceeds by then he was dating layla delridge who was working on a diy sewing website in the same building as the etsy office
mr kalin has been on his own since he was 16 when he left home to work in a photo shop he wanted to be a photographer and live in an artists squat with an uncle in boston his parents were divorcing and he was bullied in school he did return to high school and is proud to tell you he graduated with a d average
afterward he spent a year at the school of the museum of fine arts boston while sneaking into art and design courses at mit using fake id cards he and a friend had made for themselves he crashed classes at harvard too because there was a girl there he was interested in but found them too boring to continue
he later moved to new york and worked at the strand bookstore and for a construction company among other jobs while sneaking into night classes at the new school eventually he graduated from nyus gallatin school of individualized studies with a concentration in classics when he and a classmate mr maguire made a website for the founder of getcrafty a how to site for the booming indie craft movement mr kalin had an idea to create a digital marketplace for these new makers
as for the name etsy its origins are still a mystery it has been reported that fellinis 8 1/2  will yield a clue or that the name is a play on the latin for what if et si mr kalin remains mischievously closemouthed gee i plumb forgot he said
either way etsy was perfectly tailored to the movement at the time an agora for the whimsical and the twee crocheted toilet paper anyone as well as for the useful and the beautiful like handmade clothing ceramics and furniture perhaps inevitably regretsy a blog parodying its most out there wares like felted vulva necklaces appeared along with a virtual storefront etsy offered its sellers skill  and community building workshops and residencies
while its community grew exponentially each year and mr kalin and mr maguire were joined by mr schoppik and jared tarbell etsy soon struggled under the ambitious idealism of mr kalin always an eccentric chief executive in 2008 he hired maria thomas a senior vice president for digital media at national public radio to help focus the business he then stepped aside and offered her his job
two years later he stepped back into the role only to be fired by his board in 2011
rob is more of an artist than an entrepreneur but the two are similar and related said fred wilson a founder of union square ventures and an early investor in etsy they both require risk taking and doing things differently
five years ago mr kalin said he could have talked about being sacked for days now im just really grateful for my experiences with etsy and im so glad im not the ceo of a publicly traded company he said i got off the ride not when i thought i would but i take a very karmic view of things if the universe gives you a hint and you dont listen it gives you a kick
mr kalin and ms delridge moved here full time the year he was fired and got married their daughters were born in 2012 the couple are now separated and ms kalin runs an avant garde fashion boutique in hudson ny we are trying to be kind to each other and just be good parents mr kalin said having kids is a gigantic emotional reset its been a clarion call for me to try and figure out the way i want to live my life for my kids
this town of just under 12000 has welcomed mr kalin and his collaborators said kay stamer the executive director and founder of the greene county council on the arts after the blows of the last recession we are on the upswing again she said not the least of it is thanks to rob and trevor and company who have opened their hearts and space to us
the town may still be searching for its cultural identity said james male the principal of house hudson valley realty but mr kalin has been a course correction for the place the cultural identity that its wrapping its arms around now is crafts the arts and dance mr male said last year his office sold a 19th century former lumberyard complex to the american dance institute now based in maryland which plans to turn it into a performance space and artists housing opening in 2018
mr male and an associate michele saunders have been selling main street properties to artists relocating from soho brooklyn and beijing he said with prices about half what they are in nearby hudson my clients who want to be over there dont want to be in the hubbub of hudson he said people who could live anywhere they want choose to live in catskill because its still under the radar it also has a great food truck
not anymore in 2013 mr kalin bought a food truck and hired a chef to create a vietnamese menu for it as a way of sticking his toe into the waters of food service
but it was hard to make money mr babb said we had all these limitations we need to use locally sourced materials we need the packaging to be compostable we need to pay everyone a living wage and we need to keep the prices low so everyone in catskill can afford it which is basically impossible economics
they ran the truck for two seasons a humbling experience mr kalin said recalling mishaps like the night the truck broke down minutes before a benefit we made amazing food and fed a lot of people we cared about but even in its best month it lost about two grand he said
all during this time mr kalin mr babb and others were working to clean and stabilize the mill areas they were trying various scenarios could they make and sell local products under one house brand   clay leather textiles and wood for example
we had a metal shop for about a minute mr kalin said but it was too noisy and metal is tricky to source locally
they hired margot becker a 29 year old fiber artist who lives across the river in hudson as a consultant to set up some looms for them and work through as she put it some fiber processing ideas what does it mean to make something from start to finish what does it mean to be a hand artisan and how does one make a living also how do you fit that into catskill whose economy isnt new york city paying the right amount for a woven thing thats been made from start to finish is a huge luxury
kurt holsapple 65 a local furniture maker who met mr kalin when he built him a kitchen came on board as well to the delight of the everyone mr holsapple a free spirit and charmer who describes himself as dyslexic and colorblind with a touch of aspergers makes graceful wooden furniture and fine art from natural materials that look like miniatures by robert smithson the recession here had hit him hard
i went into foreclosure while i was doing robs kitchen he said i was picking up side jobs but i couldnt make enough to pay my taxes so i just gave up on paying my mortgage when rob found out he was just setting up the mill and said lets invite kurt i had 200 when i came in i do feel very lucky to be here because at my age hes giving me a chance to not worry about making money for a few years
rob is a patron in a sense this has been like going back to college but im the old fart
three years ago mr kalin bought a former dairy farm on 300 acres near his property with a group of parents he created a preschool there in the cathedral like dutch barn he is restoring he hoped to put an elementary school but adhering to building codes would have meant destroying the character of the old timber framing so he is searching for other options
in 2014 he bought another property a ravishing but derelict 1812 brick townhouse thats nestled behind main street and across from the warehouse on the creek
we went through 18 different possibilities mr babb said of the house its a bakery no its a bakery and a cafe and a fine dining restaurant no its none of those things its an elementary school no it cant be that because its too close to a local bar ok its just a house but whos going to live there ok ill live there but robs like you cant live there you cant be a plantation owner it can be a guesthouse no you cant have an empty guesthouse you cant not rent it out ok its a bb and oh itll be like a showroom too wait it cant just be a retail setting thats too tacky ... this is how we think
the plan now is to turn the house into a bb filled with goods that have been made by ms becker mr holsapple and others so that guests can live with the wares of the catskill mill dishware and other ceramic pieces   including the sinks   were made by asia sosnowski a 27 year old ceramist from clay dug out of mr kalins land sconces and chandeliers are being designed by laleh khorramian 42 who also makes handmade garments like mommybaby quasi space age resort wear
mr kalin commissioned these pieces   furniture and towels and rugs and ceramics   from their makers and may commission more he said though the present arrangement has the artisans concentrating on their own work in studios set up throughout the main street warehouse
on a recent afternoon mr kalin had made enough bread to send a few loaves home with a photographer and a reporter who were eating handfuls of it and standing around an elegant butternut dining table and benches the furniture was made by mr holsapple and mr kalin and set in the mills storefront
mr kalin disappeared to find wrapping for the bread and was gone a bit longer than you would expect it to take to find a suitable container as it happened he was making bread bags which he sewed from muslin scraps and then signed faintly with his initials
at one point i created too much here mr kalin said noting his habit of stretching himself too thin a friend said when the phone rings you always answer it but if you aim too high and try to come in a little bit lower youre still way up in the clouds


times insider shares insights into how we work at the new york times in this piece gina kolata a science reporter offers insight into her recent story about a study that yielded surprising discoveries about the physiology of obesity and helped explain why so many people struggle unsuccessfully to keep off the weight they lose
it was such a clever idea   why not look at the biggest loser contestants and ask what happened to them over the years but how i wondered had kevin hall the researcher at the national institutes of health who actually directed that study even thought of it
it all began dr hall says because he likes to watch reality television shows its one of those guilty pleasures i have when i get home from work i want to watch trash a friend said you ought to check out the biggest loser i was more interested in something like the bachelor but i decided one night to turn it on
he tuned in to the nbc show in the middle of an episode at the end the contestants stepped on scales and to dr halls astonishment registered incredible weight loss as much as 13 pounds in one week
i was like what the hell is going on  i decided to tune in the next week i saw a bunch of people getting yelled at on treadmills
but what he wanted to know was what are they eating what is their body composition he dug around on the internet and found the name of the shows doctor robert huizenga and his contact information he emailed then called and asked how many calories are the losers burning the answer was that though the show was not measuring precisely the losers did wear some not very accurate devices to estimate calories
how much exercise the losers did three hours of intense exercise a day and were encouraged to do more
what did they eat they selected their own diets but were told they should at least eat a minimum amount the show did not keep track to see if they ate that much
i had these questions   what happened to their metabolisms what happened to their body compositions dr hall suggested collaborating with dr huizenga to find out
there were issues   professional differences and personality clashes between a member of dr halls team and dr huizenga to make matters worse the institute was disinclined to have dr hall do the study because they did not want to be involved with a reality tv show
but dr hall was persistent
i had a very interesting group of scientific questions and i couldnt do this study at the nih he said
there was no way he could bring obese people in and make them exercise that much and diet that strenuously
in the end the study went forward with dr huizengas cooperation that was how they got the contestants metabolic and hormonal data before season eight began and at the finale
then we said wed like to see what happens long term  dr hall said at first dr huizenga was interested but then he said nbc wanted the institute to fund a big reunion party that of course was out of the question so dr hall was on his own
then dr jennifer kerns who had been a loser herself in an earlier episode of the series and then worked as a doctor with the show moved to washington dr hall told her his problem   he wanted to study the losers six years later but had no way of contacting them she told him about a secret facebook page to which losers belonged she helped dr hall find them through that page which enabled him to do the final metabolic measurements without the involvement of nbc or dr huizenga he invited the 16 contestants from season eight to come to the nih for two days of testing fourteen agreed
when the federal researchers measured the losers metabolic rates they were shocked   at the shows finale the contestants rates were lower than would be expected for people their size but now six years later they were even lower
it is very disturbing i almost dont believe it dr hall told me in december shortly after he saw the results i was just blown away rigorous tests produced the same conclusion six years after the shows finale the contestants metabolisms really were slower than they had been when the contest ended
and that in the end was what made the results so stunning for example danny cahill the man who won the contest in the eighth season losing 239 pounds in seven months was now burning 800 calories a day less than expected for a man his size and he had food cravings that were often irresistible leading to binges no wonder he gained back more than 100 pounds despite his best efforts not to
dr hall sent out an email to the contestants telling them the news writing we suspect this will not come as a big shock to you guys who are actually living in your bodies and having to work so hard to keep weight off as you know i am living the same pain however this is a big surprise for the scientists who are trying to understand these metabolic changes that occur with weight loss and regain


times insider shares historic insights from the new york times in this piece david w dunlap a metro reporter looks back at a particularly memorable letter sent to the timess publisher
edith wharton loved animals
but she hated john p haines the president of the american society for the prevention of cruelty to animals mrs wharton and other members of the society believed that mr haines was at least inept if not corrupt in his management of the agency
after an especially stormy meeting on feb 15 1906   a meeting so charged that it was front page news in the new york times   mrs wharton took pen in hand at her townhouse on park avenue and east 78th street
she addressed a private letter to adolph s ochs the publisher of the new york times
what brings her to mind this week is the fire on sunday that consumed the chapel near madison square park in manhattan where she and edward wharton were married in 1885
both whartons were devoted to animals she to dogs and horses he to cows sheep ducks and hens
dogs   small dogs and preferably pekinese   were among the main joys of her being and had been since she was a child r w b lewis wrote in edith wharton a biography 1975
the timess account of the stormy meeting noted mrs whartons assertion that the societies for the prevention of cruelty to animals in paris and rome   of which she was also a member   did far better with less money than the new york society the article reported that opponents of mr haines had adjourned to the whartons home to draft a statement that in smothering further criticism the society is put on record as fearing to face charges of negligence and inefficiency
actually it is hard to square mrs whartons letter with the account in the times of the same day since it had already done the things she asked mr ochs to do its as if she hadnt read the paper yet perhaps she had let her home delivery subscription lapse dont let this happen in your household choose the times subscription thats best for you starting as low as 99 cents
haines hotly assailed in spca meeting the timess headline read mrs cadwalader jones tells him hell regret the day  employes appear to vote  both sides say meeting was packed   haines must go or the society collapse reformers declare
of course the times offered balance in its account noting that mr haines enjoyed the support of miss irwin martin the vice president of the toy spaniel club she wanted to vote that no further evil reports of the management be listened to the times said
in the end the reformers won mr haines resigned on march 8 nine days later the whartons sailed for europe


in anticipation of the 2020 summer olympics japan is in the midst of a mini hotel boom the rooms at the new amanemu above within ise shima national park seven hours south of tokyo by car are designed to promote total tranquility   all clean lines and warm woodsy neutrals with a basalt stone onsen style tub in every suite and the high rise hoshinoya below in tokyo will aim to maintain that same hushed intimate feeling when it opens in july with an entire floor devoted to onsen tubs each in a private room with a sliding roof to reveal the sky


two weeks after being photographed in front of the taj mahal following in the footsteps of her mother in law diana princess of wales the duchess of cambridge has struck another similar pose as the cover girl of british vogue
the duchess catherine may be one of the most photographed women in the world whose every clothing choice is chronicled and dissected and spurs a thousand sales but until this week when she was unveiled as the star of vogues centenary edition which went on sale on thursday the duchess had never before posed for a glossy magazine shoot
to be able to publish a photographic shoot with hrh the duchess of cambridge has been one of my greatest ambitions for the magazine said alexandra shulman the editor of british vogue
diana appeared on the cover of british vogue four times unlike the princess however who famously embraced risky fashion statements and high profile industry friends as a means of self expression and even defiant transformation   a vogue portrait of her in a ball gown and diamond tiara by patrick demarchelier in 1990 is a case in point   the duchesss 10 page spread made it emphatically clear that for her power dressing is not a regal priority in fact the shoot for the june 2016 issue bears all the hallmarks of the same subtle and meticulously managed messaging around her public image that has been underway since her marriage to prince william in 2011 that the future queen is emphatically accessibly normal
photographed in january by josh olins near anmer hall the familys retreat in norfolk england and styled by the british vogue fashion director lucinda chambers the duchess is depicted as an ordinary country wife and mother who prefers the simpler things in life
in the cover photograph the 34 year old is wearing almost imperceptible makeup a white fitted shirt and double breasted suede coat from burberry and a forest green fedora from the vintage store beyond retro   the kind of clothes she might wear to the supermarket or on a school run
in a second photograph she is wearing a classic striped breton t shirt from the french brand petit bateau that costs 35 pounds or about 50 other items include a pair of 70s style flared denim dungarees by ag jeans navy knee high boots from the british fast fashion brand dune and a checked shirt by the london based cabbages  roses
she didnt want to be dressed as a fashion plate and was not keen to be shot in gala gowns and tiaras ms shulman wrote in the accompanying article adding that the shoot had been inspired by what the duchess likes to wear when she is off duty   jeans shirts t shirts
the same as the rest of us she added
the duchess ms shulman said even arrived at the shoot at the wheel of her land rover four wheel drive in a parka and with curlers still in her hair
the duchess had never taken part in a photography shoot like this before a spokeswoman from kensington palace said this week she hopes that people appreciate the portraits with the sense of relaxed fun with which they were taken
thus far some have and some have not
predictably the cover and accompanying photographs have become a social media sensation in recent days unleashing mixed reactions with those who believe royalty should represent an ideal pitted against those who support the populist new look duchess
there is nothing fashion or even aspirational about the shot said liz jones a journalist at the daily mail adding that the former kate middleton had been transformed from a statuesque beauty into a parody of meryl streep in out of africa 
nicholas cullinan director of the national portrait gallery where two of the images have been installed as part of a vogue 100 century of style exhibition that is now on display said josh has captured the duchess exactly as she is full of life with a great sense of humor thoughtful and intelligent and in fact very beautiful the vogue shoot was commissioned jointly by the magazine and the gallery
jonathan jones an art critic at the guardian disagreed however he wrote an outraged and much read column about the fact that two of the photographs were on display at the national portrait gallery
in a modern britain that prides itself on its artists galleries and aesthetic daring it is absurd that a public gallery lets itself be a servant of royalty he wrote
she is assumed to have some kind of special relationship with art because she studied art history at university shes certainly chosen a historically important painting from the family art vault for her home he continued so how does this inform her portraits in vogue not at all these are just slight and silly pictures that only a flatterer would call art
according to bronwyn cosgrave the author of made for each other fashion and the academy awards and a former features editor of british vogue the role of a royal is often to promote fashion and catherine has always done it in her own way but one of the great things about vogue is the superior level of styling and when i look at those images i dont see a stylists hand and thats very likely to be down to the fact she did not want to be styled
its time for her to embrace fashion she continued we know shes no profligate pretender shes an admirable woman who has plenty of admirers and who has more than passed the test but those bland photos beyond the cover are a bit of a letdown when its your big moment in vogue you need to loosen up


international
because of an editing error an article in some editions on wednesday about an accidental leak of confidential memos meant to temper news media criticism of the egyptian government misstated the surname of a journalist who said the memos suggested that the government did not want to be held accountable he is mahmoud elmamlouk not mahmoud el mamluk heba habib the article also misidentified mr elmamlouks employer and his job title he is the editor in chief of innfrad not a reporter for youm7

because of an editing error an article on march 23 about survivors accounts of the brussels terrorist attack misstated the day it occurred it was on tuesday march 22   not on thursday march 17 although the error was promptly corrected online editors failed to follow through with this print correction
business day
an article on tuesday about a second lawsuit filed by the former professional wrestler hulk hogan against gawker media misstated part of a claim in the suit the suit contends that gawker tried to gain access to video andor audio footage of mr hogans use of racial slurs not that it had obtained that tape gawker denies ever possessing it

an article on wednesday about the growth of outside financing for law firms misstated the amount of capital held by burford capital a litigation lender it recently added capital bringing its investment total to 1 billion it does not have roughly half that of gerchen keller capitals 14 billion in assets the article also misstated the position of christopher p bogart the chief executive of burford when he was at the law firm cravath swaine  moore he was an associate not a partner
sports
a report in the nba roundup last thursday about a meeting between phil jackson and david blatt to discuss the knicks coaching vacancy misstated the surname of the teams general manager in some copies he is steve mills not mill

the keeping score column in some editions on friday about the performances of the mets and the yankees 20 games into the major league baseball season misstated in some copies the mets era entering last thursdays games it was 291 not 241

a sports of the times column on april 26 about a court ruling affirming nfl commissioner roger goodells broad authority to administer discipline to players like tom brady misstated in one instance the name of the court that made the ruling as the article correctly noted elsewhere it is the united states court of appeals for the second circuit not the united states circuit court of appeals second district
arts
a report in the arts briefly column on wednesday about the lincoln center out of doors festival this summer referred incorrectly to patti smiths opening night performance she is headlining a double bill with mariachi flor de toloache as the opening act she is not being honored the report also referred incorrectly to the salsa duo richie ray and bobby cruz who will also appear at the festival they perform songs they are not dancers
obituaries
an obituary on monday and in some editions on sunday about the rev daniel j berrigan the jesuit priest and antiwar activist misstated the year the movie the mission in which he had a small role was released it was 1986 not 1989
the times welcomes comments and suggestions or complaints about errors that warrant correction messages on news coverage can be e mailed to nytnewsnytimescom or left toll free at 1 844 nyt news 1 844 698 6397 comments on editorials may be e mailed to lettersnytimescom or faxed to 212 556 3622
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gerard depardieu plays a longtime mayor battling for his legacy in marseille netflixs new french language series a delightfully dysfunctional family tries to hold itself together in flowers and its a mini reunion of the west wing on mom
marseille on netflix sex drugs corruption betrayal jewelry heists and mafia warfare   no vice seems left unturned in netflixs first original french language series a sneering gerard depardieu stars as robert taro the longtime mayor of marseille now facing a re election campaign against lucas barres benoit magimel his merciless former protege its clear that you represent the past and i represent the future barres threatens in an intriguing subtitled trailer which is all that was made available to watch before the thursday premiere ill snatch marseille from your grasp and youll end up alone all alone with nothing to which taro responds i am a crocodile ready to bite eat kill consider it fair warning image mr magimel left and mr depardieu
flowers on seeso maurice flowers julian barratt a childrens book author and deborah olivia colman of bbc americas broadchurch his music teacher wife try to hold their dysfunctional marriage together amid her suspicions that he is in a relationship with his illustrator will sharpe the shows creator and as their family crumbles so goes their creaky old house populated by maurices ailing mother leila hoffman and the couples 25 year old twins sophia di martino and daniel rigby who both have eyes on a neighbor georgina campbell
mom 9 pm on cbs bonnie allison janney fantasizes about a career in politics   ok she wants to be president with richard schiff as her chief of staff   in this homage to ms janneys past life on the west wing
junebug 2005 955 pm on starz cinema a worldly chicago art dealer embeth davidtz travels to rural north carolina to meet the parents of her golden boy husband alessandro nivola and receives a chilly if courteous reception ben mckenzie plays the younger brother who misinterprets a helping hand as something more amy adams earned an oscar nomination as his pregnant wife who sees a star in the familys midst writing in the times stephen holden called phil morrisons film wise bittersweet beautifully acted image ms davidtz center
the catch 10 pm on abc were more invested in this series now that alice mireille enos has once again succumbed to ben peter krause but theres still that pesky problem of agent dao image ms enos
lip sync battle 10 pm on spike the nba all star chris paul wagers new editions candy girl against snoop doggs performance of could you be loved by bob marley and the wailers
building off the grid big sky ranch 10 pm on diy jon and etta smith live out a city slickers dream mostly by building a self sustaining house corral and livestock feeding system on their bear  and rattlesnake infested bison ranch in northwestern montana


pittsburgh   patric hornqvist beat braden holtby in overtime to give the pittsburgh penguins a 3 2 victory over the washington capitals on wednesday night in game 4 of the eastern conference semifinals
washingtons mike weber tried to clear a shot but the puck went right to hornqvist in the circle he buried it for his fifth goal of the postseason and gave the penguins a three games to one lead in the best of seven series game 5 will be saturday in washington
the penguins had lost their last eight overtime playoff games
matt cullen and trevor daley also scored for pittsburgh and the rookie goaltender matt murray stopped 34 shots
jay beagle and john carlson scored for washington


the metropolitan transportation authority is considering two proposals to shut down the l train tunnel between manhattan and brooklyn that would close the subway line under the east river or reduce its service by 80 percent officials said on wednesday
the proposals that will be outlined at a public meeting in brooklyn on thursday are closing the entire tunnel for a year and a half to repair damage from hurricane sandy or closing one tube at a time over a three year period any shutdown   a growing source of anxiety among people who live along the crowded subway line   would not begin until early 2019 officials said
if one tube remained open trains would run every 12 to 15 minutes up from the current interval of three to four minutes during the morning rush officials said at a briefing for reporters trains could carry about one fifth of the 225000 riders who currently take the l train under the river each day
the agency has ruled out making repairs only during nights and weekends because the complex work could not be done in such a narrow window said veronique hakim the president of new york city transit which runs the subway and buses building a subway tunnel under the river as some residents have suggested would be expensive and take too much time ms hakim said
under either proposal the authority might run extra buses over the williamsburg bridge and add ferry service between manhattan and brooklyn riders could be directed to other nearby subway routes including the g and m lines which would have additional trains to handle more passengers
the authoritys chairman thomas f prendergast and ms hakim planned to present the two options on thursday during the meeting at the marcy avenue armory a second public meeting is scheduled for may 12 at the salvation army theater in manhattan
the subway crossing known as the canarsie tunnel was flooded during the 2012 hurricane officials said the tunnel required major work to fix crumbling walls and to repair tracks and cables
despite the damage mr prendergast said that the tunnel was safe for riders and that the agency had conducted regular inspections to look for problems after receiving input from residents and businesses the agency plans to decide which option to pursue within three months
asked whether he would rather close the whole tunnel at once mr prendergast said the agency was committed to hearing from the community before making a decision but he noted that when people learned more about the plans they often favored a full closing
i think there is an aha moment they have in their minds like geez if its only one in five people you can carry maybe it would be better to have two tracks mr prendergast said in reference to closing the tracks in both tubes the more efficient of the two options
the canarsie tunnel work could cost 800 million to 1 billion with the federal government covering much of the project mr prendergast said
the briefing was the first time that officials from the authority discussed the plans in detail under plans for a full tunnel closing no l trains would run between the eighth avenue stop in manhattan and the bedford avenue stop in brooklyn the line would continue to run throughout the rest of brooklyn
if one tube were closed at a time the l line would run in two separate segments reduced service between bedford avenue and eighth avenue and nearly regular service between the lorimer street and canarsie rockaway parkway stops
asked whether buses might have a dedicated lane over the williamsburg bridge so they would not get stuck in traffic mr prendergast said the idea would be considered to add capacity to the g line ms hakim said the agency would add cars to its trains which are known for being shorter than their platforms


the nations consumer watchdog is unveiling a proposed rule on thursday that would restore customers rights to bring class action lawsuits against financial firms giving americans major new protections and delivering a serious blow to wall street that could cost the industry billions of dollars
the proposed rule which would apply to bank accounts credit cards and other types of consumer loans seems almost certain to take effect since it does not require congressional approval
in effect the move by the consumer financial protection bureau   the biggest that the agency has made since its inception in 2010   will unravel a set of audacious legal maneuvers by corporate america that has prevented customers from using the court system to challenge potentially deceitful banking practices
honing their plan over decades credit card companies banks and other lenders devised a way to use the fine print of their contracts to push consumers out of court and into arbitration where borrowers must battle powerful companies on their own without the ability to pool resources most people abandon their claims and never make it to arbitration
the new rules would mean that lenders could not force people to agree to mandatory arbitration clauses that bar class actions when those customers sign up for financial products the changes would not apply to existing accounts though consumers would be free to pay off their old loans and open new accounts that are covered
and while those rules are not final yet   there will be a 90 day public comment period   financial industry lawyers say they are tough to derail
its going to spell the end of arbitration said alan s kaplinsky a lawyer with the firm ballard spahr in philadelphia who pioneered the use of arbitration clauses to thwart class action lawsuits and thus opposes the proposed rule it will lead to a huge upsurge in litigation and take away a benefit to consumers
mr kaplinsky and other backers of arbitration argue that the private legal system is a more expedient way to resolve disputes class actions they say are primarily a boon to plaintiffs lawyers
for years that assertion was largely anecdotal since there is no federal database that tracks arbitrations
but in a yearlong investigation the new york times created its own database showing that despite the industrys claims few people ever go to arbitration once their effort to build a class action case is blocked
the numbers are particularly stark when they involve disputes for small amounts like questionable bank fees and overcharges the times found that from 2010 to 2014 only 505 consumers went to arbitration over disputes of 2500 or less
that is a minuscule fraction of the tens of millions of americans whose financial contracts include arbitration clauses
among the class actions quashed was a case brought by citibank customers who accused the bank of duping them into buying insurance that they were never eligible to use and another against american express was brought by a group of merchants who challenged the companys high processing fees
richard cordray director of the consumer financial protection bureau pointed out what a major change his agency was poised to bring about many banks and financial companies avoid accountability by putting arbitration clauses in their contracts that block groups of their customers from suing them he said in a statement
the rule would apply only to the consumer financial companies that the agency regulates it would not apply to arbitration clauses tucked into contracts for cellphone service car rentals nursing homes or employment
it is a good start said berle m schiller a federal judge in philadelphia who has been critical of arbitration clauses that dismantle class actions and tip the scales in favor of companies class actions are the only way that companies can be brought to heel
the agencys proposed rule would be the first significant check on arbitration since a pair of supreme court decisions in 2011 and 2013 blessed its widespread use those decisions signaled the culmination of an effort by a coalition of credit card companies to stop the tide of class action lawsuits
the group dusted off a federal law dating to 1925 that formalized arbitration as a means for companies to resolve their disputes with one another starting in the early 2000s the credit card companies began widely using arbitration for disputes with their customers
as arbitration spread it drew the ire of prosecutors judges and officials like senator elizabeth warren democrat of massachusetts who championed the creation of the consumer protection bureau the dodd frank law which overhauled wall street and created the bureau specifically charged the agency with the task of studying arbitration
last march the agency released a 728 page report detailing how few consumers followed through with arbitration once their class actions were blocked
for the few who did go through with the process the report also showed the lopsided nature of the rulings businesses won bigger judgments against consumers in arbitration   a total of 28 million in 2010 and 2011 largely for debt payments   than the consumers obtained in relief according to the agencys analysis
during that period only 78 arbitration claims resulted in judgments in favor of consumers who received less than 400000 in total relief
the financial industry disputed the findings arguing that on an individual basis consumers fare better in arbitration than in class actions on average awards in arbitration are 166 times as great as the sums received by individuals participating in a class action according to the industrys analysis
but judges and law professors say that class actions by their very nature are meant to help large groups of people recoup small amounts of money   a 35 overdraft fee or a mysterious 5 late fee for example
and more broadly class actions can force companies to change their business practices
banks   not all of which use mandatory arbitration clauses   may understand that concept better than most banks had to pay more than 1 billion to settle class action lawsuits beginning in 2009 that accused them of manipulating their checking account policies to maximize the number of overdraft fees
since then seven of the banks involved in the class actions have adopted mandatory arbitration clauses
the new rules giving borrowers access to class actions are likely to draw vigorous opposition from the us chamber of commerce and other business groups though they may not be able to do much about them their position has been that the consumer agencys study does not support its conclusions about mandatory arbitration
the proposed rule is a wolf in sheeps clothing the us chamber of commerce said in a statement now the agency designed to protect consumers is proposing a rule that will end up hurting them


j r smith made seven 3 pointers and the cleveland cavaliers hit an nba record 25 3s in a 123 98 runaway win over the atlanta hawks on wednesday in game 2 of their second round series
the cavaliers made 18 3 pointers in the first half and added seven more after halftime to embarrass the visiting hawks who have lost 10 straight postseason games to cleveland
clevelands 25 3 pointers were the most by an nba team in any game   regular season or postseason
lebron james made four 3 pointers and scored 27 points for the cavaliers the defending eastern conference champions who were 25 of 45 from beyond the arc
even their furry mascot moondog got in on the act by making an over the head backward fling from half court on his first try in the final minutes
the reserve dahntay jones made the record breaking 24th 3 pointer with 2 minutes 24 seconds left bettering the mark of 23 previously held by orlando 2009 and houston 2013 mo williams added another 3 pointer for good measure
ten cleveland players made at least one 3 pointer each
smith made six 3 pointers in the first half   the cavaliers knocked down seven straight during one dizzying stretch   as cleveland built a 38 point lead over the stunned hawks who will head home for fridays game 3 down two games to none in the series and utterly demoralizedno return for bosh chris boshs season is over regardless of how far the miami heat advance in this postseason
the heat and bosh made the announcement after the team practiced in toronto ending rampant speculation in recent days that bosh would try to return to the court during the playoffs
bosh has not played since the all star break after a blood clot was discovered in his left leg it is the second consecutive year that boshs season ended at the break because of problems with clotting and the joint statement came one day after the national basketball players association urged bosh and the team to resolve any concerns they had about his immediate future
bosh is expected to remain with the team throughout the playoffs it is unknown whether he has dealt with other clots or remains on blood thinners


daniel murphy finished a triple shy of the cycle the slumping slugger bryce harper hit his 10th homer of the season and the washington nationals routed the floundering royals 13 2 at kansas city on wednesday
stephen strasburg merely had to show up to push his career best start to 5 0 in six innings
kris medlen 1 3 allowed nine runs six of them earned and six hits in two plus innings for kansas city
cubs 6 pirates 2 ben zobrist hit a three run homer and anthony rizzo also connected as chicago completed a three game sweep at pittsburgh
the cubs jon lester 3 1 scattered eight hits in five and two thirds innings struck out five and walked two
with their seventh win in eight games the cubs improved to a major league leading 20 6
angels 7 brewers 3 mike trout had a run scoring triple and ignited a four run eighth inning with a solo homer and los angeles avoided a three game sweep at milwaukee
after a slow start trout has 18 rbi in his last 13 games
blue jays 4 rangers 3 russell martin singled home the winning run with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth and host toronto picked up its second straight last at bat victory over texas
indians 4 tigers 0 corey kluber pitched a five hit shutout and host cleveland used a four run fourth inning to defeat detroit for the fifth straight time this season kluber 2 3 beat detroit for the second time in two weeks striking out seven and walking two in his second career shutout and eighth complete game
marlins 4 diamondbacks 3 giancarlo stanton hit his ninth homer a two run shot in the third as miami grabbed a 4 0 lead and held on to edge visiting arizona
jose fernandez 3 2 allowed three runs in five innings while striking out seven for the marlins who have won nine of 10
rockies 2 padres 0 tyler chatwood pitched three hit ball for eight innings to lead colorado over host san diego it was the padres eighth shutout loss in 28 games this season
chatwood 4 2 struck out seven and walked one the rockies won for just the seventh time in their last 27 games at petco park and avoided a three game sweep
reds 7 giants 4 brandon phillips eugenio suarez and zack cozart homered in a five run first inning and cincinnati beat jake peavy for the first time winning at home against san francisco
adam duvall added a solo shot for the reds and dan straily 1 1 overcame solo homers by brandon belt and conor gillaspie for his first major league win since april 2014 with oakland cincinnati avoided a three game sweep
rays 8 dodgers 5 steve pearce hit one of four tampa bay homers a go ahead three run shot in the sixth inning and tampa bay topped visiting los angeles
brandon guyer steven souza jr and curt casali added solo homers for the rays pearce chased alex wood 1 3 by putting tampa bay ahead 5 2
mariners 9 athletics 8 dae ho lee hit a go ahead two run homer in the seventh after an earlier solo shot giving him his first career multihomer game and seattle rallied to win a back and forth game at oakland
the mariners nelson cruz also homered a rare shot into the second deck of seats in center field the mariners claimed their first sweep of the season
red sox 5 white sox 2 david ortiz hit his 509th home run to put visiting boston ahead to stay at chicago
ortizs two run shot to right field off carlos rodon in the fifth inning tied him with gary sheffield for 25th on the career list it was the sixth homer of his farewell season and his 451st with boston one off carl yastrzemskis club mark


los angeles   california will become the second state in the nation to raise the smoking age to 21 and will begin regulating electronic cigarettes like other tobacco products under legislation signed by gov jerry brown on wednesday
mr brown a democrat signed both bills without comment hours before the deadline to act he vetoed a bill that would permit local governments to impose taxes on tobacco products
the tobacco legislation was passed overwhelmingly by the democratic controlled legislature over objections from the tobacco industry backers of the legislation said it would accelerate similar efforts in other parts of the country
one of the bills raised the legal age for buying tobacco   for smoking vaping or chewing   from 18 to 21 hawaii is the only other state that has raised the age for smoking the california bill includes an exemption for active members of the military between the ages of 18 and 21
a second bill would place the same regulations on electronic cigarettes including licensing sales as are now imposed on other tobacco products the tobacco bills the governor signed will reduce the toll smoking takes on the health of californians and the health of our state budget said anthony rendon the democratic speaker of the assembly
tom steyer a leader of the save lives campaign which had lobbied for the bill hailed mr browns decision
despite threats from the big tobacco lobby governor brown and the legislature sent a clear message we will do everything possible to save lives and protect our children from the deadly effects of tobacco he said


a man pleaded guilty on wednesday to criminal charges in the rape and strangling of a girl in the bronx a week before her 16th birthday prosecutors said
the man luis vega 38 pleaded guilty to first degree manslaughter and a first degree criminal sexual act in state supreme court in the bronx for the 2012 death of the girl destiny sanchez who was the daughter of his sisters boyfriend prosecutors said
mr vega will be sentenced this month to 25 years in prison for the manslaughter charge and 20 years for the criminal sexual act prosecutors said he will serve the sentences concurrently he will also be sentenced to 10 years of postrelease supervision and will have to register as a sex offender prosecutors said
his lawyer could not be reached for comment on wednesday
the authorities said that on nov 22 2012 destiny left her fathers home with mr vega and went to an apartment building on barretto street in the hunts point neighborhood where mr vega gave her alcohol the next morning the authorities said she was found unconscious in the lobby with her clothes askew and bleach poured over her body
mr vega was linked to her death by dna evidence prosecutors said


moving toward its goal of building 80000 new affordable housing units over 10 years the de blasio administration plans to announce on thursday that it will lease public housing land to build nearly 500 apartments for low income tenants most of them elderly the apartments will be in three buildings that will rise up to 16 floors in the parking lots and grassland of housing projects in brooklyn and the bronx
new york city has selected three private developers for the buildings at the mill brook houses in the south bronx and at the ingersoll houses and the van dyke houses in brooklyn the additions to the grounds of the three housing projects will feature amenities and services like rooftop gardens arts and technology programs community centers preschool education social services and a walk in urgent care center housing officials said
the agreements between the new york city housing authority and the developers are expected to be finalized by the end of the year with construction expected to start next year and last about two years officials said
the sites were included in a strategic plan announced last year by the housing authority that seeks to shore up the deteriorating public housing stock as well as increase the stock of affordable units the 489 units in the new buildings will charge below market rents to households earning 20 to 60 percent of area median income   or 12700 to 38100 a year for one person   and public housing residents citywide will get preference for 25 percent of the apartments officials said
the new services and amenities will be open to both housing authority residents and the residents in the surrounding neighborhoods officials said
we expect that our developer partners are going to integrate these new buildings with the existing community to ensure that residents feel theres a benefit said shola olatoye the chairwoman and chief executive of the housing authority
although the city has tapped available public housing land before to build affordable housing the new construction comes as the city is struggling to keep up with the demand for low cost housing and the housing authority is facing large deficits the new all affordable buildings are the first three of 50 to 60 similar buildings city officials envision on housing authority land they are expected to generate about 10000 below market rate units officials said
the all affordable buildings are expected to generate up to 200 million in fees from developers over 10 years but to raise up to three times as much administration officials also have plans to use land parcels within public housing in prime real estate locations for buildings in which half the units would rent at market rates
already plans for the first two of 30 to 40 of these hybrid buildings envisioned by the housing authority have been announced for housing projects in brooklyn and manhattan but residents weary of gentrification are adamantly opposed to these additions the concept proved equally controversial when first proposed by mayor michael r bloomberg
residents have been more welcoming of the all affordable buildings partly because there is more consensus on the need for housing for the elderly and housing authority officials have met regularly with tenants to hear their concerns the developers chosen for the three lower rent buildings are bfc partners a company that builds both affordable and market rate housing dunn development an affordable housing developer that has already built on housing authority property in the bronx and west side federation for senior and supportive housing a nonprofit provider of senior housing and services in mott haven in the bronx
the housing authority is leasing the land for the three buildings under 60 year leases that guarantee affordability for at least that long officials said
the proposal for ingersoll senior at the ingersoll houses in fort greene brooklyn by bfc partners consists of a 16 story building with 145 apartments on the site of an unused grass area for people 62 years or older earning up to 60 percent of area median income it will include a senior center with a large variety of social health and cultural services
at the van dyke houses in brownsville brooklyn dunn development plans to build dumont commons a 13 story building on the site of a parking lot with 188 homes for single adults and families earning 30 to 60 percent of area median income the building will offer a walk in urgent care and wellness center and many early childhood prekindergarten and after school programs among others
it will bring tons of jobs to the community at least 50 employees for the two health care programs and 33 employees for early childhood and pre k said martin dunn president of the company and we are committed to hiring a significant number of nycha residents for construction jobs he said using the acronym for the housing authority
mill brook terrace in the south bronx by the west side federation will have 156 units within nine floors for low income older adults the building on the site of a current parking lot will include a senior center a community room for the use of the neighborhood and a rooftop garden
the units will be available to applicants earning 20 to 60 percent of area median income
asked about the plans on wednesday however some housing authority residents in brooklyn said they had no knowledge of what was coming
at ingersoll samantha newton 49 said she had heard about the proposed building but she felt that combined with all the other glassy residential buildings going up in the neighborhood it would make the area little manhattan she said she would rather see money spent on improving the existing buildings
but another tenant gertrude moore 71 said if they build apartments for seniors ill be glad to go in i wouldnt have to worry about kids playing in the hallway throwing balls against my door eating in the hallway
still she worried she may not have enough income to qualify their low is not my low she said


a state court judge on wednesday temporarily blocked state authorities from licensing as a child care facility a federal immigration detention center holding migrant children and their mothers the texas department of family and protective services was preparing to issue a child care license to the center located in dilley where families seeking asylum including very young children are detained ruling on an emergency request by grassroots leadership a prison advocacy group judge karin crump of travis county found it was probable that new regulations adopted by the department to support the license were inconsistent with state law on friday texas issued a child care license to a similar detention center nearby in karnes city julia preston
the name of a founder of the university of tulsa law school john rogers will be removed from campus because of his ties to the ku klux klan trustees voted wednesday to remove the name from the law school building mr rogers was a lawyer and philanthropist who helped found the law school in 1943 served as its unpaid dean for years and was a trustee for decades he also helped incorporate the kkk affiliated tulsa benevolent association it was founded months after the 1921 tulsa race riot that left about 300 black residents dead and a thriving section of downtown   known as black wall street   decimated ap


phoenix   lawmakers here early wednesday reaffirmed arizona as the only state to not participate in a program that offers health care to children of the working poor
a proposal to restore the federal childrens health insurance program known in arizona as kidscare stalled in the state senate this week as lawmakers passed a 96 billion budget senate leaders voiced concern that the federal government would eventually cut payments to the childrens health care program and that the state would be forced to assume the cost
state lawmakers originally froze enrollment in the program about six years ago amid an economic slowdown but supporters saw an opportunity to restore the program after congress last year increased the states matching rate by 23 percent which allowed 10 states including arizona to receive full reimbursement because of their low per capita income
arizonas republican controlled house voted 47 to 12 last month to allow the program to restart but permitted the state to suspend it if fewer federal dollars came in
but the measure died tuesday in the senate when its president andy biggs would not allow it to come to a vote he suggested that he did not trust future legislators to resist public pressure and cut off the benefit if the federal funds dried up
the national debt is at an all time high the federal government is still engaging in massive spending and kidscare is one of the examples of a program that they have no revenue to pay for said state senator john kavanagh a republican from fountain hills northeast of phoenix we dont want our children and grandchildren to foot the bill
when budget negotiations began last week republicans in both chambers shut out democrats from the meetings effectively excluding them from final decisions over school funding the makeup of the state supreme court and the childrens health care program
tensions flared and a tenuous bipartisan coalition that had won the programs approval in the house of representatives disintegrated gov doug ducey a republican stood on the sideline the reason for the opposition here lies somewhere in arizonas messy and deeply divided politics whether it is immigration abortion or the right to bear arms conservative lawmakers often take hard line stances against federal social programs
the fight over the childrens health care program is at its core a battle over the states identity with both sides arguing they have the best interest of children at heart some 30000 children could enroll in the program that represents about 20 percent of the 160000 uninsured children in arizona the third highest such population in the country
democrats and some moderate republicans say help can wait no longer but conservative lawmakers who lead both legislative chambers maintained that taking the federal money would jeopardize the well being of those young people by leaving future generations with more debt
before the recession arizonas children health care program served as many as 63000 children whose families earned 138 percent to 200 percent of the federal poverty level   27000 to 40000 for a family of three the state put in 1 for every 3 the federal government spent and the families paid a monthly premium
while freezing the program in 2010 saved 129 million in the 2011 fiscal year the state lost three times as much in federal matching funds according to an analysis by the kaiser commission on medicaid and the uninsured
in her practice in suburban phoenix where dozens of patients were enrolled in the program dr elizabeth mckenna a pediatrician says she has since noticed fewer kids coming for well appointments more kids who should have been treated going to the hospital with pneumonia bronchitis
a gallup poll in 2013 showed that arizonans political ideology was a mirror image of the nations   just to the right of center but that is not the image the legislature often projects largely because poor voter turnout means elections are decided by the most passionate and often more conservative voters
on tuesday the legislature approved a budget that included 8 million in tax cuts for businesses but did not include the resumption of the childrens health care benefits mr biggs had again blocked a bill to reauthorize it from coming to a vote in the senate
this gives arizona another black eye dana wolfe naimark the chief executive of the childrens action alliance an advocacy group said in a statement
blaming mr biggs and a small number of legislators with an extremist agenda ms naimark said arizona will continue to have a tarnished reputation around the nation as our children are left behind children in every other state


madrid   real madrids 1 0 victory over manchester city on wednesday was not about inspiring and pulsating soccer madrid scored its only goal on a deflection off a defenders leg city did not manage a single shot on target
but style points were not the goal the result was the only thing that mattered to real madrid and its win set the stage for another city derby in the champions league final to be played later this month in milan
for the second time in three years real madrid will take on atletico madrid its city and spanish league rival in the final of europes biggest club competition two years ago real madrid turned around a tense game in lisbon to beat atletico in extra time and win a record 10th title
after a scoreless draw in manchester in the first leg zinedine zidane real madrids new coach and former star had promised that he would field an offense minded side lifted by the return of cristiano ronaldo who missed the first leg with an injury
madrid was true to zidanes word taking charge of the game from the start while city defended deep even though madrid was missing the injured karim benzema it rapidly became clear that the team had enough firepower to challenge the city defense which suffered an early blow when its injury prone captain vincent kompany limped off after 10 minutes
twenty minutes in real madrid was rewarded for its constant pressure   even if that reward still required an element of luck dani carvajal ran forward unchallenged on the right side before sliding the ball ahead to gareth bale at the near post bale who has recently been at his best for madrid in ronaldos absence hit a powerful shot from a tight angle
while the shot might have been parried under normal circumstances the ball looped over goalkeeper joe hart after glancing off the outstretched leg of city midfielder fernando the goal was officially attributed to the unfortunate fernando rather than bale
even though madrids goal meant city needed to push forward in search of an equalizer city struggled to find a way to raise the tempo and started to regain some control of the midfield only late in the second half citys sole chance of the first half came when kevin de bruyne fed a ball on the left to fernandinho whose low shot skidded past the post of madrid goalkeeper keylor navas
in the quarterfinals ronaldo had almost single handedly eliminated wolfsburg by scoring a hat trick in the return leg in madrid that overturned an unexpected 2 0 defeat in the first leg
this time ronaldo did not put his name on the score sheet but he made his presence felt particularly in the air after 10 minutes ronaldo easily outjumped nicolas otamendi to send a powerful header over harts goal halfway through the second half ronaldo again found enough free space to strike another strong header but he sent it straight at hart
and in one of the most bizarre moments of the game ronaldo rose for a high cross and then caught the ball with both hands before pushing it into the net only the fact that he had been offside spared him a yellow card for the deliberate and odd handball
with madrids fans preparing to celebrate the final whistle city nearly got a last minute away goal which would have qualified it for the final with a flash of brilliance from sergio aguero who had an otherwise quiet evening from well outside the penalty box aguero hit a dipping shot that flew just above the goal
after the game ronaldo said we created chances but lamented his teams inability to finish off city earlier
in this type of game ronaldo said you have to kill the game
zidane acknowledged that madrid had to suffer until the final seconds but he also praised the teams overall performance
having taken over halfway through the season without any previous top flight coaching experience zidane recognized that reaching the champions league final was already an important milestone
im happy with what is happening to me he said
as for the final against atletico zidane said there is no favorite its a 50 50
wednesdays result brought to a disappointing close manuel pelligrinis managerial career at city pellegrini a former madrid coach is making way for pep guardiola who will take charge after enduring his own champions league semifinal heartache on tuesday when his bayern munich team beat atletico 2 1 but was eliminated on the away goals rule having lost by 1 0 in the first leg
pellegrini told reporters that city had suffered because of the absence of injured players like david silva but that the team had managed to shut down madrid to the point that he argued neither team deserved to win before a penalty shootout
either of the two would have deserved to go through he said
whatever pellegrinis views nobody was going to spoil the party for the madrid fans who gave a long round of applause to their players after the final whistle before launching into their traditional asi asi asi gana el madrid thus thus thus wins madrid


a federal jail guard was sentenced on wednesday to seven years in prison after an inmate gave testimony about how he raped her inside a manhattan jail
it wasnt consensual sex the unidentified woman told the guard rudell mullings as she read from a statement in federal court in brooklyn it was rape
mr mullings pleaded guilty last year to a charge of sexually abusing a prisoner which carries a term of up to three years in prison under sentencing guidelines
the inmate who was sentenced to 30 years for a homicide told judge edward korman of federal district court that mr mullings had harassed her for several weeks before accosting her on feb 14 2015 in a hallway where she was waxing the floor
on wednesday mr mullingss lawyer asked for six months of jail time and six months of house arrest
but judge korman   after criticizing prosecutors for not making mr mullings plead guilty to more serious charges   called the guidelines ludicrous given the circumstances a harsher sentence was needed he said to send a message that this conduct is totally unacceptable and deserves severe punishment


washington   the islamic state fighters arrived on the outskirts of the northern iraqi town of teleskof before dawn launching a sophisticated attack from multiple directions they used armored bulldozers to plow over a protective trench so their convoy of trucks   some laden with explosives   could drive deep into the town residents and some local soldiers quickly fled
a group of navy seals who were in teleskof called urgently for help roughly a dozen more seals arrived rumbling into the town in suvs to join a firefight that would last much of the day the long and bloody battle killed dozens of islamic state fighters and one member of the seals special warfare operator first class charles keating iv
petty officer keating a decorated member of the seals who served both in iraq and in afghanistan was a track star from arizona and the grandson of a disgraced banker jailed in the 1990s for his role in the savings and loan scandal as the third american to die in iraq since the campaign against the islamic state began he is the most recent example of how american troops are fighting on the front lines while the obama administration tries to play down the american role in combat there
tuesdays battle in teleskof   recounted by a witness and american officials   could presage a future in iraq where american troops move even closer to routine daily battle in the fight to reclaim large parts of iraq from the islamic state
we keep saying its supposed to be advising that were doing and yet were losing one kid at a time said phyllis holmes petty officer keatings maternal grandmother in an interview on wednesday even carter said it was a combat death she said referring to defense secretary ashton b carter
and it was one hell of a combat death
the battle in teleskof began early tuesday when volleys of mortar shells and blasts from rocket propelled grenades disrupted meetings that the seals were having in the town with officials from the pesh merga the kurdish force battling the islamic state in northern iraq soon a force of more than 100 islamic state fighters punched through kurdish checkpoints and overwhelmed the defenses on the southern edge of teleskof a largely christian town about 14 miles north of mosul
the fighters from the islamic state also known as isis or isil had taken the town by surprise forcing many local fighters to retreat north of the town as it was overrun the attackers were able to very covertly assemble enough force to sprint towards teleskof said col steve warren the american military spokesman in baghdad
the seals were grossly outnumbered and radioed that they were in a troops in contact situation   military jargon for a firefight colonel warren said that american fighter planes bombers and drones were sent to the town along with a second group of seals that group included petty officer keating
matthew vandyke who runs a security firm sons of liberty international that is training local iraqi forces   the nineveh plain forces   said that the seals arrived in a convoy of sport utility vehicles from the north and drove directly into teleskof
they went directly into combat he said
mr vandyke said that one of the trucks in the seal convoy appeared to get hit by a rocket  propelled grenade and that the seals then got out of the suvs and went further into the town on foot
a pitched battle continued with the seals moving among buildings in the town and calling in airstrikes about 930 am colonel warren said one of the seal team members radioed for medical help petty officer keating had been shot by an islamic state sniper in the side in an area not covered by his bulletproof vest
two black hawk helicopters arrived drawing fire from islamic state fighters but were able to evacuate petty officer keating to the american militarys medical mission in erbil he was pronounced dead shortly afterward
the seals eventually pulled out of the town after they ran out of ammunition mr vandyke said
eventually several hundred kurdish pesh merga and other local fighters were able to mass for a counteroffensive by the end of the day those militias had managed to expel the islamic state fighters from teleskof
although american officials have used linguistic contortions for months to present the american military role in iraq as something other than direct combat mr carter did not hesitate on tuesday to call petty officer keatings death a combat death
last month the pentagon announced that american military advisers would begin working more closely with iraqi officers making direct battlefield decisions a change from the previous policy of keeping americans at iraqi headquarters   far from the fighting
still the top american general in iraq lt gen sean b macfarland insisted at the time that this would not mean more american troops would be in harms way
its not any closer to the enemy than it has ever been he said
since his death was announced friends and family have remembered petty officer keating 31 as an outgoing athletic man who never avoided using a last name made infamous by his grandfather
charles h keating jr who died in 2014 went to prison after defrauding thousands of people who had deposited money in savings and loan institutions a group of senators who came to be known as the keating five  alan cranston of california donald w riegle jr of michigan john glenn of ohio and dennis deconcini and john mccain of arizona   came under investigation for their extensive dealings with mr keating and the regulatory help they provided him
mrs holmes petty officer keatings maternal grandmother said he was sometimes mocked when his last name was called out at high school track meets but she said he remained close to his paternal grandfather until the elder mr keatings death
as far as charlie was concerned it was his grandfather who loved him she said
he attended indiana university where he was a star member of the track team he dropped out to join the navy and graduated from the grueling seal training course in june 2008 according to a navy news release he deployed both to iraq and to afghanistan before moving to san diego to become a sniper trainer
when he died on tuesday petty officer keating was on his third tour of duty in iraq


baltimore   the yankees have traveled almost a decade with alex rodriguez on his current contract weaving through dark corners and over rugged terrain his production and priorities have shifted through the years but rodriguez has been a reliable attraction a reason for fans to show up or tune in
even this season with the yankees stuck in last place in the american league east rodriguez commands attention he struggled early and then started to hit pulling within eight home runs of 700 for his career
the meaning of those homers is a tiresome topic no matter how a hitter does it smashing 692 homers stamps him as a slugger who will never be forgotten contextualize a rod however you like but never deny his star power
the yankees and most of their fans made peace with rodriguez last season he returned from a yearlong drug suspension and belted 33 homers helping the team to a wild card berth humble courteous grateful   name an adjective you would want from a chastened celebrity and it applied to rodriguez once scrubbed from the teams giveaway calendar rodriguez now has a replica bat day in his honor at yankee stadium
the first 10000 guests age 14 and younger will still receive their a rod bat at the stadium on may 14 but rodriguez will not be using a real one in the game that day he was placed on the disabled list wednesday with a strained right hamstring
i cant think of a worse time to go on the dl rodriguez said obviously the offense has been struggling and i take a lot of pride and responsibility in making sure that our offense plays well i talked to the team yesterday theres no reason why we cant score five runs per nine innings that should be a good par for us
the yankees surpassed that standard on wednesday beating the baltimore orioles by 7 0 to improve their record to 9 16 but they ranked 26th in runs per game before that at 342 and rodriguez was hitting just 194
in his last six games though he had gone 7 for 19 368 with three homers it was a small sample to be sure but a flat lining patient can find hope in any blip
usually you have two or three guys that rotate and carry the team first baseman mark teixeira said take your no 1 hitter your no 3 hitter and your no 5 hitter   if theyre all doing well and a couple of guys are getting on in between youre scoring five or six runs a game well none of us are doing that right now you have a big team slump
rodriguez understands his standing in that framework after starting last season not knowing what to expect from himself he was again a force in the lineup the yankees whose left leaning order faces more infield shifts than any other team need rodriguezs thump
that is the duty he signed up for after his last most valuable player season in 2007 when the yankees brought him back for 10 years and 275 million
i enjoy it rodriguez said i mean the thing is its twofold no 1 im in the middle of the lineup but im also one of the few right handed batters which for our lineup is extremely important especially with all the lefties that they throw at us
the yankees bigger problem is not losing rodriguez who faded down the stretch after turning 40 in july it is relying so much on him in the first place
it is hard to ask rodriguez or the yankees over 30 free agent power hitters   teixeira carlos beltran and brian mccann   to be more than they are at this stage of their careers what they need are homegrown hitters who provide prime years production at low cost they have none
the injury to rodriguez gave the yankees a free shot at injecting new life into the lineup they resisted the old nick swisher and the new aaron judge in favor of another relief pitcher the left hander james pazos the middling rotation is a pressing problem too
we believe in them manager joe girardi said of his hitters im not saying were going to have 13 pitchers the whole time but its what we decided to do
without rodriguez as the designated hitter the yankees can put other veterans there and use aaron hicks more often in the outfield that improves their defense and gives hicks who is batting 067 with no homers a chance to find his swing
learning more about hicks a former first round draft pick who never quite established himself in minnesota is the kind of thing the yankees should be doing now at 26 he still has the chance to get better few other yankees do
finding and developing true offensive stars is difficult of course the yankees never had a chance to draft bryce harper who went first to the washington nationals in 2010 or manny machado who went to the orioles two picks later
but impact hitters do not always go in the top of round 1 mike trout was drafted 25th over all josh donaldson 48th nolan arenado 59th giancarlo stanton 76th   not to mention the many superstars signed internationally all teams have access to players like that   trout in fact was chosen in a slot the yankees abandoned to sign teixeira   but none of those players are on the team
so the yankees are left to absorb a body blow when a 40 year old designated hitter falls to injury rodriguez makes things interesting and that does count for something but most of his stature is based on his past the yankees need reasons to be excited about the present and they do not have enough


on the day that donald j trump became the presumptive republican nominee for president nbc came to him
in an unusual move on wednesday nbc relocated its flagship nightly news broadcast six blocks north to trump tower where lester holt conducted a live interview with mr trump in his 26th floor executive office
mr holt anchored the rest of the broadcast from the buildings gold and marble lobby  a signature trump tableau   introducing segments about a canadian wildfire and defective airbags as tourists milled behind him
nbc plans to extend the same offer of broadcasting nightly news from the home or headquarters of the eventual democratic nominee a network spokesman said wednesday night
news anchors frequently interview presidential candidates in their homes or campaign offices earlier wednesday wolf blitzer taped a conversation with mr trump in the downstairs bar of the trump tower atrium which was broadcast later in the day on cnn
but few in the industry could recount another instance where an evening newscast   considered the symbol of a network news brand   shifted its entire broadcast to a candidates home turf
is tomorrow nights show going to be broadcast from chappaqua judd legum the editor of the liberal website thinkprogress wrote on twitter referring to the leading democratic contender hillary clintons residence the tweet typified the surprised and in some cases deeply skeptical response to nbcs move on social media where the role of the television networks in mr trumps rise is often fiercely debated
in the interview mr holt congratulated mr trump before peppering him on a range of topics like his campaign finance plans whether he was still committed to a temporary ban on muslim immigration and his plan to deport undocumented immigrants mr trump said he would follow through on both pledges
sitting in a spacious office beneath a wall of framed photographs mr trump said he would run a fair campaign against mrs clinton   if her team reciprocated if they treat me properly im going to treat them properly mr trump said it would be a beautiful thing to see
mr trump is a big ratings draw for broadcast and cable networks alike prompting some critics to question the copious amounts of airtime he has received during the campaign his evening appearance with mr holt was far from his only televised interview on wednesday he called in by phone to four separate morning shows before speaking later to mr blitzer and bill oreilly of fox news in what amounted to a televised victory lap after his win in the indiana primary on tuesday
nbc also announced on wednesday that natalie morales the today show personality will move to los angeles to host the entertainment program access hollywood she will continue to appear on today as its west coast anchor


david berube was flying home to connecticut in his single engine plane on tuesday when he called air traffic controllers for help he was having difficulty maintaining control and experiencing problems with the instrument panel officials said
then officials said the plane broke apart in midair over long island killing mr berube 66 and his two passengers
mr berube a businessman had flown for decades his brother bruce berube said something terrible had to have happened he said in a telephone interview on wednesday its not like hes some new guy
bruce berube who confirmed his brothers death said the passengers were his brothers fiancee and a friend they were returning from myrtle beach sc where mr berube said the youngest of david berubes three children a son had recently gotten married
the authorities said on wednesday that they had tentatively identified the three people   two men and a woman   aboard the plane but would not release their names because they were awaiting confirmation from a medical examiner
at a news conference near the scene officials from the national transportation safety board said that investigators had not determined what caused the seven passenger plane to break apart but that there was no evidence of an explosion
the authorities said on wednesday that debris covered an area of roughly one third of a mile reducing the two mile estimate given earlier investigators scoured yards and roadways for evidence they found the nose wings and tail the four corners that are critical pieces of an accident investigation said robert gretz a senior air safety investigator for the safety board


charlotte nc   adam scott has a daughter his firstborn who will be 18 months old this summer after careful consideration he decided his child should take precedence over the baby conceived by an abbreviation heavy crowd   the ioc and augusta national the pga the ra the lpga the usga and the igf   for delivery at the rio de janeiro olympics after a seven year gestation period
after a disappointing tie for 42nd at the masters in his sixth start in an eight week stretch scott took stock of his schedule if he participated at the rio games in golfs modern era olympic debut scott would have spent seven days with his family in the nine weeks between the united states open which starts june 16 and the end of the mens olympic competition in mid august in that span he would be competing in three majors and a world golf championships event
with too many important tournaments and not enough time with his daughter bo vera at an important stage in her development the math did not add up for scott who bowed out of the olympics ranked seventh in the world scott the first australian to have won the masters is the most conspicuous golfer in his sports budding olympic medals dont matter movement
the tough part was to choose not to represent australia scott said wednesday adding but i feel like i do that every week
scotts decision opened him to criticism in his homeland where the olympics are highly valued and in the tight knit circle of athletes for whom an olympic gold medal is the most treasured currency
michael phelps the most successful olympian in history with 22 medals including 18 golds said last week i think it stinks not having adam in there somebody who has been such a big part of the game over the last few years
phelps 30 mentioned jordan spieth a 22 year old american who has enthusiastically embraced the opportunity to compete
you see some of these golfers who are so excited to have a chance to be back in the olympics phelps said you could probably argue that some of these guys probably think the masters the rest of the majors are bigger than what the olympics is in reality the olympics is the largest level in athletics in the world theres no higher level of competition
the scheduling nightmare that scott and the worlds other top golfers are expected to sleepwalk through so that the sport may field its dream team in rio comes into sharp relief when you consider this between the united states swimming trials where phelps is expected to qualify for his fifth olympic team and his next competitive start in rio the golfers will contest two majors the british open and the pga championship and a world golf championships event
if the power brokers in golf had taken care to carve out room in the schedule for the olympics instead of shoehorning them into the calendar it definitely could have changed scotts decision he said but in their courtship of the ioc the top golf officials were like the ardent suitor who gives little consideration to the future beyond the presentation of the attention grabbing engagement ring
rory mcilroy who will defend his title this week at the wells fargo championship will represent ireland in rio mcilroy the third ranked golfer in the world said i feel like the officials were patting themselves on the back for getting golf in instead of treating the sports inclusion in the olympics as the first step in a marathon of planning
golfs ruling bodies had seven years to smooth over the ruffled feathers of sponsors or tournament officials whose events could have been sacrificed this year for the greater good of the game they also could have fought for a mixed gender event which scott said would have been a great platform or a team format at the olympics instead they took the path of least resistance a stroke play event that guaranteed a maximum star presence and a minimum overall impact
the powers that be whiffed and because they would not make the tough calls the players are left to wrestle with the difficult decision on whether to opt out of the olympics
the recent withdrawals of players like scott the south africans louis oosthuizen and charl schwartzel and the fijian vijay singh who have won a combined six major titles will surely be followed by others before the olympic rosters for the 60 player mens and womens fields are made final on july 11
peter dawson the president of the international golf federation called the withdrawals regrettable as if he were an innocent bystander and not an architect of the design flaw that is causing so many high profile recalls
three top 25 players bypassing the olympics gives golf a black eye the players have yet to be subjected to the world anti doping agencys drug testing program which includes unannounced out of competition retrieval of blood and urine samples they officially enter the testing pool on friday given that one player in the world top 20 said his understanding was that random testing came with 24 hour advance notice more fireworks may ensue
mcilroys concern is that golf will be banished from the olympic family after the 2020 games
im not sure if were going to have another opportunity to win a gold medal after that he said adding its off to a rocky start if we dont do something to change the narrative and get people excited about it im worried what will happen
maybe most golfers do not covet an olympic gold medal the way they do a masters green jacket or the british opens claret jug but in time their attitudes could change mcilroy a four time major champion said he was willing to get his vaccinations for potential diseases leave his fiancee erica stoll at home as a precaution against the zika virus and give the olympics a whirl
go play four rounds really competitively and try and win a gold medal mcilroy said and if you do i dont know how that will stack up against the other things that ive done in my career now but maybe i might look back in 20 years time and a gold medal might be one of my crowning achievements in the game


san francisco   xfund a venture capital firm formed in 2011 as technology start ups boomed began coming undone last year when the relationship between its two partners soured
the two venture capitalists patrick chung and hugo van vuuren argued over the dismissal of an employee and who controlled the firm the disagreements festered setting off a chain of events including accusations of abuse a restraining order application revelations that a hidden camera was used to record an investor meeting and an investigation by the funds investors
now the firm which manages more than 100 million and has put money into start ups like the genetics company 23andme is in salvage mode even so xfund is in no danger of immediately shutting down
xfunds investors   which include saudi aramco and jim breyer the silicon valley venture capitalist who helped fund facebook   have halted its main fund from making investments according to court documents the investors are trying to amend the funds structure to push changes including potentially removing one of xfunds venture capitalists the proposed changes if passed would avert xfunds shutdown and would effectively mean its investors would remain wrapped up in the fund for at least 10 more years
xfund plans to work through this transition and move forward a spokesman said
the contretemps offer a glimpse into the opaque world of venture capital where partnerships are easy to form but are very hard to untangle new venture firms often pop up especially in boom times when an investor decides to set up shop alone or with one partner but their funds which are created as 10 year vehicles rarely have to account for their actions and typically lack a strong corporate governance structure
even when things go south the venture funds can limp along for years with investor money tied up in the structures after the dot com bust early last decade which hurt many venture firms the venture capital industry did not really shake out because of these factors as of 2015 there were 1224 venture funds in the united states up from 1009 a decade ago and nearly double from 1995 according to the national venture capital association
many of the ugly episodes among venture partnerships are hushed up but xfunds situation has become public because of a restraining order application filed in santa clara county superior court by mr chung against mr van vuuren
there are no easy divorces in venture capital said venky ganesan a partner at menlo ventures a venture firm that is not connected to the xfund the average venture capital fund is active for more than 15 years so you can be stuck with your investment partners for longer than most average americans will be with their spouses
mr chung who will remain with xfund and mr van vuuren who is being pushed out declined through spokesmen to comment mr van vuuren is considering legal routes to fight his removal according to two people who have worked with the partners and who spoke on the condition of anonymity
the three people who represent xfunds investors   mr breyer jenny chen of jasper ridge partners and david york of top tier capital   also declined to comment
xfund began with a small fund in 2011 called the experiment fund originally to invest in start ups in boston including at harvard its primary backer was new enterprise associates one of the nations largest venture firms
mr van vuuren a harvard alumnus helped create xfund from cambridge mass mr chung a harvard business school and harvard law school alum co founded and advised xfund while working at new enterprise associates he joined xfund in 2014 and opened its silicon valley office on sand hill road the stretch of menlo park calif where many venture firms reside
together the two men raised 100 million for a new fund and xfund broadened its focus to silicon valley investing in start ups like the apartment rental platform zumper with tech start ups soaring in value xfund turned into a potentially lucrative business for mr chung and mr van vuuren venture firms take a fee of 2 percent of assets under management every year   that translated to about 2 million a year for xfund and its four full time employees
yet tensions surfaced between mr chung and mr van vuuren over who had more control of the firm last may the two started seeing a corporate coach and a psychologist
the control issue peaked when the two men disagreed last year over the firms operations head and executive assistant kristen ostro mr chung claimed she was doing a poor job but mr van vuuren wanted to keep her according to court documents mr chung eventually fired ms ostro over mr van vuurens objections
mr chung had the upper hand because it turned out he had a tiebreaker vote for xfunds decisions according to court documents mr van vuuren claims in a statement filed with the court that he thought mr chung had a tiebreaker vote only on investment decisions not operational ones with the firm
ms ostro did not respond to a request for comment in an email sent to both men and included in court documents she said mr chung fired her in retaliation for her claiming that he had been bullying and mentally and emotionally abusing me and the entire team she wrote that she sought medical treatment as a result of the workplace harassment
ms ostro negotiated a severance package with xfund and signed a nondisparagement agreement according to two people who were briefed on ms ostros arrangement and who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the contract is private
in march mr chung filed a restraining order application against mr van vuuren saying that his partner was acting erratically and had verbally threatened him and his family mr chung also said that mr van vuuren had physically threatened him in mid january by trapping him in an alley in palo alto calif and making violent motions
in court filings in response to the restraining order application mr van vuuren said mr chungs accusations were smear tactics texts and emails show that mr van vuuren wanted a more equal 50 50 partnership at xfund mr van vuurens court submissions also included video of a meeting that mr chung held with one investor who was worried about the fund taken from a hidden camera
the restraining order application was later withdrawn
by mid january xfunds investors had learned of the deteriorating relationship between the men and decided to terminate the main funds ability to make new investments but the investors had limited options to make wholesale changes because the structures of venture funds give the venture capitalists outsize power
mr breyer and others who represented the interests of the investors interviewed the funds lawyers portfolio companies and employees to figure out next steps a mediation attempt in march failed xfunds lawyers later sent a letter to mr van vuuren saying he was fired mr van vuurens lawyers shot back in a letter that the fund structure did not allow xfund to fire his client
in march xfunds accounts were frozen after conflicting orders to the funds bank by mr chung and mr van vuuren
xfunds investors had devised a plan to salvage the fund they proposed cutting the main funds size by at least half with no new investments allowed according to a letter to investors the remaining money would be used to support start ups that xfund had already invested in and mr chung alone would oversee the portfolio until all the start ups had been sold or gone public which could take nearly a decade a third party may be appointed to monitor mr chungs decisions according to an investor in the fund who spoke on condition of anonymity
xfund under mr chung is taking other steps to prolong the firms life in a letter to investors last week xfund requested 5 million for among other things expenses including legal fees for the fund and its investors as well as expenses for mr chung


albany   mayor bill de blasio went to the state senate on wednesday to argue for a seven year extension of mayoral control of new york citys schools a year after the senate and gov andrew m cuomo humiliated him by extending it for only one year
for the most part the senators who attended the hearing in albany did not question mr de blasio aggressively on his education policies but one republican terrence p murphy who spoke last invoked the many investigations swirling around the de blasio administration to ask why he should trust the mayor with control of the citys schools
mr de blasio a democrat cited the increase in the citys graduation rate under mayoral control to over 70 percent his successful expansion of prekindergarten and after school programs and improved test scores
those prove real achievement and that alone would be a reason i think to support a renewal of mayoral control he said the mayor added with reference to the investigations in a democracy we dont judge by allegations we judge by facts and through due process
mr murphy had a personal reason to bring up the investigations his opponent in 2014 benefited from large donations solicited in part by the mayor and his fund raising apparatus that poured into the democratic committee in putnam county as part of a major effort by the mayor to help the democrats regain control of the senate local republican officials complained prompting an investigation by the state board of elections which in turn led to a criminal investigation into the fund raising by federal and state authorities prosecutors are examining whether the mayor and his aides used the committees to illegally redistribute large contributions to democratic senate candidates
before mr murphy spoke the nearly four hour hearing was mostly peaceful with some senators taking the opportunity to press mr de blasio about specific concerns in their districts like overcrowding or schools facing colocations simcha felder a democrat from brooklyn accused mr de blasio of having shirked a commitment to parents of children with disabilities mr de blasio had said he would allow the parents to seek money from the city to send their children to private schools every three years instead of every year mr de blasio said the city would move to three year settlements in many cases soon
it was not clear however whether the senate was inclined to grant mr de blasio the seven years he was asking for even some of the democrats expressed concern about such a long extension with some saying they might not like the next mayors education policies
mr de blasios schools chancellor carmen farina who testified with mr de blasio appeared to risk offending her audience when she said that having to plead for mayoral control in albany was a diversion from the real work of running the citys schools
a few minutes later the chairman of the senate education committee carl l marcellino a long island republican said in a tone of slight irritation that the state spent some 9 billion on the citys schools and that the states taxpayers expected the legislature to perform some oversight


tensions between iran and the united states never far from the surface showed signs of worsening on wednesday with the iranians threatening to block a vital persian gulf access route and protesting what they called the american meddling approach and tone
the iranian messages conveyed in statements by a commander of the islamic revolutionary guards corps and by the foreign ministry came a few days after ayatollah ali khamenei the supreme leader expressed exasperation with the united states questioning the longstanding deployment of the navys fifth fleet in the persian gulf
it is americans who should explain why they have come here from the other side of the world and stage war games the ayatollah said in remarks widely reported in irans state news media
together the messages appeared to reflect a steady buildup of anti american sentiment in iran recently despite the nuclear agreement that took effect in january which on paper at least eased the countrys economic isolation american and iranian diplomats had hoped the agreement would help lead to a new period of detente in the estranged relations between their countries
but the iranians have not yet benefited economically and have accused the united states of obstructing their ability to do business and attract investments in part because of other american financial restrictions unaffected by the nuclear agreement
iran is not experiencing the benefits it envisioned after sanctions relief said alireza nader an iran expert at the washington offices of the rand corporation a research group the increasingly angry tone from iranian leaders he said can be partly traced to iran signaling its displeasure about that problem
the iranians have also taken note of efforts by some lawmakers in washington who opposed the nuclear agreement and who have warned against a resumption of commercial dealings with iran
on monday for example three members of congress sent a letter to boeings chief executive dennis a muilenburg urging him in the strongest possible terms not to execute any sales to iran which the company is considering after meeting with iranian aviation officials last month boeing has not commented on the letter but has acknowledged opening discussions with iran
the iranians have also been seething over an april 20 supreme court ruling that permitted the use of nearly 2 billion in seized iranian assets to compensate american victims of overseas attacks that united states officials have attributed to iran despite its denials iran remains on the state departments list of state sponsors of terrorism another sore point with the iranians
last week irans foreign minister mohammad javad zarif known for his good relations with secretary of state john kerry and for advocating improved relations with the united states wrote to secretary general ban ki moon of the united nations calling the ruling a crime and an example of american arrogance
the warning from the revolutionary guards about blocking american access to the persian gulf waterway known as the strait of hormuz a vital oil shipping route appeared to be partly a response to a congressional resolution introduced april 28 by representative j randy forbes republican of virginia
the resolution condemned what it called irans illegal detention of american sailors patrolling near iran in january and said iran had undermined stability in the arabian gulf
the use of the term arabian gulf has long irritated iran which bans publications that do not use persian gulf to describe the body of water
on wednesday irans fars news agency which has links to the revolutionary guards said lt cmdr brig gen hossein salami had issued a warning to the united states to avoid escalation
iran will decisively confront any menacing passage through the strait of hormuz fars quoted him as saying we warn the americans not to repeat their past mistakes and they should learn from historical realities
in what appeared to be a coordinated message the foreign ministry delivered a note of protest on wednesday to the swiss embassy in tehran which represents american interests the official tasnim news agency said the note referring to mr forbess resolution slammed washingtons meddling in the security affairs of the persian gulf and strongly objected to the use of a fake name for the body of water in a resolution proposed by a us congressman last week
political analysts in the united states noted that the strait of hormuz has long been a potential flash point for american iranian animosity but questioned whether iran would risk a military confrontation by closing it or denying american access
eugene gholz a public affairs professor at the university of texas and a former pentagon adviser played down irans umbrage at the use of the term arabian gulf
nobody is seriously going to contemplate fighting a war over that he said but he added that he did not rule out further escalation saying people who are looking for an excuse to fight will find something


detroit   tesla motors said on wednesday that it was confident it could accelerate production to meet high demand for its forthcoming model 3 electric vehicle despite the departure of two top manufacturing executives
the carmakers chief executive elon musk said that tesla expected to produce a total of 500000 vehicles by 2018 two years sooner than previously announced
the goal represents a huge leap from teslas production of about 15000 vehicles in the first three months of this year but mr musk expressed confidence that the company could meet the ambitious target and begin filling more than 325000 orders for the model 3 by late next year
i think we have done a good job on the design and technology of our products mr musk said in a conference call with analysts the big thing we need to achieve in the future is also to be the leader in manufacturing
the expansion will take place without the help of greg reichow teslas vice president for production who is taking a leave of absence after five years with the company also leaving the company is john ensign who had been vice president for manufacturing since 2014
mr musk who said he was recruiting new manufacturing executives gave no reason for the unexpected departures
were confident that with the strength of the team high quality manufacturing at tesla will continue he said
the company said mr reichow would assist in the transition
my belief in teslas ability to successfully deliver great cars and inspire the world to drive electric remains as strong as ever mr reichow said in a statement released by the company
tesla has had to confront quality concerns about its model x sport utility vehicle including a recall last month of all 2700 vehicles to repair a latch that prevents rear seats from folding forward in a collision
mr musk did not share details of how tesla would increase vehicle production but he said in a letter to shareholders that the move will likely require some additional capital to finance the expansion
the company is also building a major battery plant for its vehicles in nevada and expects to produce its first battery cells there by the end of this year
an expansion is necessary to meet the extraordinary demand for the model 3 which will be the companys first electric vehicle aimed at mass market consumers
with a price of about 35000 and a battery range of more than 200 miles the model 3 has generated enormous interest from potential customers tesla has received 1000 deposits for more than 325000 vehicles
one industry analyst said converting all the orders into sales could be a difficult task particularly if new electric cars from other automakers hit the market before the model 3
while pre orders suggest demand could be there with recent executive departures and more competitive offerings this may be tough to achieve efraim levy at sp global market intelligence said in a research note
mr musk reiterated earlier forecasts that tesla would sell up to 90000 model x suvs and model s luxury sedans this year
for the first quarter tesla reported wider losses but larger revenues than in the same period in 2015 the company said that it lost about 283 million on revenues of 115 billion in the first three months of this year during the same period last year it reported revenues of about 940 million and a loss of 154 million


istanbul   the turkish prime minister ahmet davutoglu a close ally of president recep tayyip erdogan will soon leave office a government official said his departure is occurring amid a disagreement between the two men over mr erdogans drive for more power
the two leaders met on wednesday night according to the turkish official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a decision that had not been announced publicly its unlikely that davutoglu will run for leadership again he said
the prime minister is expected to hold a news conference on thursday after a meeting with officials of the governing justice and development party or akp according to turkish news reports which also said that mr davutoglu was likely to step aside after a coming special party congress
the leadership change atop the islamist party comes as the country is facing multiple challenges including a war with kurdish militants terrorist attacks by islamic state fighters and the arrival of millions of syrian refugees the shuffle clears the way for mr erdogan who critics say has become increasingly authoritarian to consolidate even more authority
under turkeys constitution the prime minister is the most powerful official and the president although he has some genuine powers is a largely ceremonial figure but mr erdogan has not been like previous turkish presidents and there has been little doubt that he is the countrys pre eminent political figure
mr davutoglu who became prime minister in 2014 after mr erdogan was elected president had long been seen as subservient to mr erdogan
but simmering tensions between them boiled over this week leading to speculation in the turkish news media about a rift the tensions apparently reached a breaking point last week after party officials stripped mr davutoglu of his power to choose provincial party leaders
even with a person as compliant as davutoglu the relationship didnt work said sinan ulgen a former turkish diplomat and the chairman of the center for economics and foreign policy studies a research organization here
in public mr davutoglu has sought mostly to play the role of party loyalist and devotee to mr erdogan but analysts say the two men have privately differed on several issues
mr davutoglu was said to be resistant to mr erdogans long held ambition to rewrite turkeys constitution and establish an executive presidency
recently mr davutoglu had suggested he was willing to return to peace negotiations to end a long war   which resumed in earnest last year   with the kurdistan workers party or pkk while mr erdogan has appeared more hawkish
the two leaders also seemed to differ on monetary policy with mr davutoglu supporting the independence of the central bank and mr erdogan seeking to intervene for lower interest rates
in choosing to step down as the leader of the akp mr davutoglu will clear the way for mr erdogan to pick a new party boss who will then become prime minister
the new elected prime ministers main mission will be to drive forward the presidential agenda mr ulgen said
but even with a new prime minister it will not be so easy for mr erdogan to alter the constitution as he wants the akp which has been in power for more than a decade with mr erdogan the prime minister for much of that time does not have enough seats in parliament to approve the changes on its own or call a national referendum on a new constitution most opinion polls show the turkish public opposes mr erdogans proposed presidential system
mr erdogan rose to power in 2003 and the akp won several national elections but last june the party lost its parliamentary majority and the kurdish political party won seats in parliament for the first time
that is when war resumed between the turkish state and the kurdish pkk which seemed eager to return to arms critics of mr erdogan said he sought to use the conflict as a political strategy to regain nationalist votes
indeed after failed coalition talks with opposition parties last summer mr erdogan called for new elections and the party regained its majority in november
with mr erdogans not having enough support to amend the constitution analysts have predicted that with a new prime minister he could move to hold early elections in a bid to amass more seats in parliament


los angeles   the homeless population in los angeles county jumped 57 percent last year with a sharp increase in tents and homeless encampments offering daily evidence of the problem sweeping this region county officials said wednesday
yet the findings based on a three night block by block census of homeless people living on the street also described reason for optimism a 30 percent drop in the number of homeless veterans and an 18 percent decrease in homeless families
officials said that these reductions were a result of spending on housing vouchers for veterans and increasing temporary shelters for homeless families and that the success showed that there were ways to achieve even broader cuts in the homeless population
where we invest we see results said peter lynn the executive director of the los angeles homeless services authority which oversees the homeless fight in the region still he said homelessness is a crisis in los angeles
jerry jones the director of policy at the inner city law center here and a longtime advocate for homeless people said the figures confirmed the importance of spending on housing
homelessness is responsive to targeted housing subsidies which is why we saw fewer veterans on the streets he said second the overall problem continues to get worse in the absence of those resources
still this was the second year that the count tracked a jump in homelessness in los angeles from january 2013 to january 2015 the homeless population increased 12 percent though that report covered two years
officials said the increase reflected in part a more aggressive effort to count younger homeless people a more daunting target because unlike older homeless people they did not tend to be concentrated in one place like skid row they said that accounted for some but not all of the increase
the youth count definitely had an impact mr lynn said
the overall homeless population increased from 44359 in january 2015 to 46874 in the count in january 2016 in all of los angeles county there was a 20 percent increase in tents encampments and vehicles there not counting the cities of glendale long beach and pasadena
the number of homeless veterans in the county dropped from 4362 in the 2015 count to 3071 this year the number of homeless families slipped from 8103 to 6611 this year
los angeles has the second worst homeless problem in the nation after new york city but because of the warmer climate there are more unsheltered homeless here
the findings come as the los angeles city council and the los angeles county board of supervisors have moved to increase spending on housing for the homeless the county has proposed a 98 million spending increase while the city has proposed spending an additional 138 million it is not clear where the money would come from and officials estimated it would cost more than 1 billion to find housing for everyone living on the streets
mayor eric garcetti who had pledged to end homelessness among veterans by the end of last year seized on this latest report as a sign of progress saying the findings show that when we target our resources to help specific populations such as homeless families and veterans we get results and save lives
despite our progress los angeles is facing a historic housing shortage a staggering mental health crisis and veterans are becoming homeless every day mr garcetti said adding we need all hands on deck to tackle this crisis


it is as iconic an image from the criminal underworld as the tommy gun or the getaway car a grim last act for the unfortunate soul whose life is about to end in a new pair of footwear
cement shoes
one would be hard pressed to think of a worse way to die than being fitted as the saying goes for cement shoes   fate hardening with every passing minute until the time comes to be dumped feet first into a watery grave never to be seen again
never again   that is the whole point and it is exactly why cement shoes are the unicorn of true crime everyone can describe them but who has seen them
before monday precious few which makes the discovery that morning in brooklyn of a cement shoed corpse all the more remarkable
the body of peter martinez 28 better known on the streets as petey crack had washed up near manhattan beach in brooklyn at one end his head was wrapped in duct tape at the other where his feet should be was a five gallon bucket filled with rock hard concrete   a mix of cement sand gravel and water   encasing his legs up to the shins
the police said mr martinez had a long history of arrests he had been reported missing in february by his girlfriend it seems that strong currents dragged mr martinez despite the homemade anchor to shore where he was discovered by a college student there were no arrests in the case as of wednesday and the results of an autopsy were not yet complete
how long his body had been in the water was just one of the mysteries the police were sorting through mr martinezs last outfit   gray sweatpants blue boxer shorts and a black jacket   was intact and his tattoo of the virgin mary holding a rose was still visible
crime historians were mystified struggling to think of similar cases
no said thomas reppetto an author of books about organized crime not right offhand
mike dash a crime writer in london who has written about mafia killings said ive definitely never heard of this happening before its just one of those stories that goes around i think youve got a first there by the sounds of things
there are countless accounts of those shoes over the years they are there in the opening pages of e l doctorows 1989 novel billy bathgate in which a character barefoot delicately gingerly placed one foot at a time in the laundry tub in front of him that was filled with wet cement
the scene resembles a killing rumored to have happened in the 1930s but the real body was never found countless similar examples exist   cement shoes believed to be worn by men never seen again and therefore by definition themselves never seen and yet the shoes fit snugly on the imagination
at the 1987 trial of john gotti a prospective juror was dismissed after relating what a boyfriend had once told her if you do anything wrong ill get the mafia after you youll be wearing cement shoes
making a pair of cement shoes sounds easy enough a bag of concrete mix some water and a large bucket would seem to be all one needs for the job
but there is one more important ingredient time an amount of uninterrupted time not commonly associated with murderers looking to cover their tracks
how long would cement shoes take to harden paul bartelotti owner of mb concrete in brooklyn tried to imagine the process
they could have gotten just a bag and added water he said not too much   the consistency has to be just right like carvel ice cream not like paint thick a little thicker
for several hours the captive could still pull his feet out it would take at least i would say the better part of the day to not get your feet out mr bartelotti said depends on the temperature
concrete hardens quickly in warm temperatures he said mr martinez disappeared in february
it was cold mr bartelotti mused if you let it sit from 12 hours to a day the guy wouldnt be able to get his feet out he considered the situations they could make it wet and make the guy stand in it or put his legs in and pour the cement around it he could have been dead and they just stuck his feet in
mr martinez had survived brushes with death before he was shot in the leg in 2008 the scar was there on the body that was found on monday high enough on the leg to be above the concrete the circumstances surrounding the shooting are as murky as everything else
the discovery of his remains the actual sighting of a thing of legend may be the moment for which mr martinez will be forever known


the wearable fitness device maker fitbit on wednesday forecast profit for the current quarter that fell far short of analysts estimates overshadowing a strong first quarter report and sending the companys shares down 13 percent in after hours trading
fitbit has been spending heavily to diversify its portfolio of colorful wristbands and clippable devices that track calories sleeping patterns and heart rates to better compete against rising rivals from apple and garmin as well as to tap into new markets
the time to invest is now said the companys chief financial officer bill zerella he added that fitbit would need to increase spending in china and india as it builds a global brand
fitbits operating costs nearly tripled to 215 million in the first quarter which ended april 2 largely because of marketing for the 200 blaze smartwatch and the alta wristband the companys first global releases
fitbit forecast an adjusted profit of 8 to 11 cents a share for the second quarter widely missing analysts average estimate of 26 cents according to thomson reuters ibes but it slightly raised its forecast for full year revenue and profit
net income attributable to common stockholders fell to 11 million or 5 cents a share in the first quarter from 156 million or 22 cents a share excluding one time items fitbit earned 10 cents a share breezing past analysts average expectation of 3 cents
revenue jumped 50 percent to 5054 million beating the average estimate of 4431 million
the company said it sold 48 million connected health and fitness devices in the quarter worldwide sales of wearable devices are expected to grow 184 percent in 2016 to 2746 million according to research firm gartner
shares of fitbit are down 42 percent this year through wednesdays close of 1710


leather belting fringe citrus colors playful geometric prints victorian styling those were the trends that magazines like elle and vogue spotted in the spring 2016 fashion collections
so prepare to find them at nycxdesign the five borough cross disciplinary festival which runs through may 17 celebrates the indefatigable furniture makers weavers jewelry artists potters and other professionals who trot out new design ideas every spring some marketable others waiting for their millennium
because there are only so many aesthetic tropes out there and lots of nets reeling them in were bound to see correspondences between the designs we put on our backs and those used for serving onion dip
leather belt straps they make up the arms of neri  hus wood capo lounge chair for de la espada which will be displayed may 13 to 17 in a show apartment at 12 warren street in tribeca designed by the furniture retailer the future perfect
orange youll think youre in miami with all the juice colored fabrics and accessories including a wall clock by abi alice for alessi with the palette of a creamsicle the dotty clock will be at homi the italian lifestyles fair which runs concurrently with the international contemporary furniture fair at the jacob k javits convention center in hells kitchen may 14 to 17 wild geometries for its first wallpaper collection shown at the icff heath ceramics has concocted intoxicating compositions of angles and curves
nycxdesign is in its fourth year the mix of exhibitions workshops lectures and parties once known as new york design week has doubled in length expanded in scope and won the support of the new york city economic development corporation the festival has been given its own street banners ads on taxi television screens and shuttle buses among key sites
having grown to more than 500 events at 200 locations it may one day rival the milan furniture fair the mother of all design jamborees in guaranteeing that every single person within a 30 mile radius of the city is aware that cool stuff is happening even those who dont know their jacquard from their jack bauer
design week has traditionally been a global melting pot at the icff austrians spaniards norwegians and even tibetans will be selling their goods
but an international spirit is growing even stronger thanks in part to a couple of frenchwomen odile hainaut and claire pijoulat they started their own trade show wanteddesign five years ago in chelsea and followed up in 2014 with an outpost in industry city the elephantine former factory complex in sunset park brooklyn
exoticism is a hallmark of wanteddesign go to its manhattan branch at the terminal stores building may 13 if you want to see fresh design ideas from poland argentina the netherlands and tunisia
there youll also find a baby smooth tomato red sofa called mellow a collaboration between bernhardt the american furniture producer and oceane delain a young french designer ms delain sourced the seamless stretchy fabric from the medical industry dyeing the first samples in her bathtub to make the colors more appealing
in brooklyn may 7 to 17 wanteddesign will exhibit innovative works in glass by students and faculty of ecaluniversity of art and design in lausanne switzerland
nycxdesign has a regional element too with clusters of neighborhood businesses and cultural institutions synchronizing events
organized by jean lin a design curator and david weeks a designer the second annual tribeca design district aims to be one such magnet participating showrooms will sponsor a neighborhood walk on may 12 and several will host activities through may 17
colony for instance a canal street cooperative of american designers founded by ms lin will present a beer tasting dim sum sampling and a live nude drawing session
at south street seaport from may 5 to 17 the downtown design festival will offer creative workshops for families and exhibit parsons school of design projects that aim to foster social change there will also be lectures by noted designers and urbanists and a market by wanteddesign offering furniture artwork and accessories the party is may 9
some design week institutions hop around bklyn designs may 6 to 8 a furniture fair moved last year to greenpoint from dumbo brooklyn while collective design mostly a show of gallery pieces that straddle art and utility is having its fourth edition at its third manhattan location the 60000 square foot skylight clarkson square in west soho
while milan may seem to have a bottomless supply of vacant palazzi for its design week new york is stingy with large event spaces supporters of a robust nycxdesign are hoping that the new west side real estate developments will provide some badly needed sites
collective design with its experimental reach celebrates the aesthetic and conceptual juice squeezed from materials and processes
fernando mastrangelo a brooklyn based sculptor who uses bb pellets corn kernels and cupcake sprinkles in some of his works is introducing chunky furniture of cast sand that is inspired by glaciers
david nosanchuk a new york interdisciplinary designer will be represented in part by louie a 3d printed lamp manufactured by the italian company exnovo that is based on scanned elements of louis sullivans 1899 bayard condict building in noho in an odd way its an example of the victoriana that really is beginning to slip into contemporary product design
youll find innovation all over town stop by the flatiron district shop of sandy chilewich from may 13 to 19 to see a material so new that its still looking for an application ms chilewich who revolutionized table settings with her artistic vinyl place mats has developed a weave with glowing strips of jelly colored acrylic inserted into the white textiles open pockets
loving the effect but not quite sure what to do with it she contacted matilda mcquaid deputy curatorial director at the cooper hewitt smithsonian design museum for advice ms mcquaid wasnt sure either but quickly ushered the textile called edges into the museums permanent collection
the traditional theme of new yorks design week has been home furnishings by extending the borders to include organizations like the frieze new york art fair on randalls island may 5 to 8 where you will find dog patterned maharam serpentine galleries wallpaper designed by alex katz and the noguchi museum in long island city where tom sachs is interpreting the japanese tea ceremony through july 24 nycxdesign is putting on needed weight
the city hopes outsiders will have an incentive to visit and residents will find relevance and maybe even career paths as steven learner the founder of collective design said in describing the impact of a citywide smorgasbord more is more
new york has always been a phenomenal hub for creativity mr learner said i just think the design moment is happening right now its sort of like a puppy that doesnt belong to you you come back two months later and say my that thing has really grown


articles in this series are exploring new research to understand obesity its damaging health effects and how best to treat it


washington   doctors who prescribe painkillers should be required to undergo training aimed at reducing misuse and abuse of the medications said a group of advisers to the food and drug administration though they acknowledge the challenge of putting such a mandate in place
the agencys advisers voted unanimously on wednesday that the fda should change its so called risk management programs for opioid painkillers the highly addictive medications at the center of a national wave of addiction and abuse
opioids are among the most widely prescribed drugs in the nation with more than 170 million prescriptions filled last year
panelists also said the risk plans should apply to all prescription painkillers including immediate release drugs such as vicodin and percocet as it stands such measures apply only to long acting drugs that release their ingredients over 12 hours or more like oxycontin
the fda is not required to follow the advice of its panelists though it often does
it is the second time since 2010 that an fda panel has recommended expanding safety measures for painkillers but the training plans instituted about four years ago are voluntary and data shows that under half of the doctors targeted by the effort have completed the training
despite a full day of presentations many panelists said they still could not determine whether the risk plans had helped curb misuse and abuse of the drugs
while overall painkiller prescriptions have fallen slightly over the last five years that trend began before the safety programs were in effect at the same time overdose deaths tracked by federal scientists have continued to rise
the data does not give us a clear indication of whether we are reaching the target population for the crisis we are trying to resolve said joseph obrien the panels patient representative


marcus lemonis is well known for writing checks to fund small businesses as the star of cnbcs the profit his company may soon receive a large cash infusion of its own
camping world where mr lemonis is chairman and chief executive is readying an initial public offering people briefed on the discussions said the company which sells recreational vehicles and other products for camping is aiming to generate 350 million in proceeds said these people who spoke on the condition of anonymity
goldman sachs and jpmorgan chase are helping to manage the ipo which is expected this year pending market receptivity these people said
mr lemonis took an unusual path to the rv industry he was born in beirut lebanon in the 1970s and lived in an orphanage until an american family adopted him at 9 months old his adoptive parents owned a chevrolet dealership in florida which spurred his interest in cars and entrepreneurship he started camping world rv supercenters after acquiring more than 100 rv companies
camping world and its financing affiliate good sam enterprises are partly owned by the private equity firm crestview the two businesses were combined in 2010 according to their website
representatives from goldman sachs jpmorgan chase and crestview declined to comment media contacts at camping world did not reply to a request seeking comment
camping world sells more than 8000 products through more than 100 retail stores and online the company says on its website that its annual revenue exceeds 17 billion
on the profit mr lemonis offers capital to small businesses and then advises their managements in november he told business insider that he had invested about 35 million through the show and had lost several million in the process


the new york designer harry allen and the portland based esque studio first collaborated a decade ago when mr allen designed metal cages into which andi kovel and justin parker blew glass creating curvaceous functional objects like lamps and vases for their latest collaboration mr allen has created geometric forms using stainless steel cut by water jet to contain ms kovel and mr parkers blown glass
in my head the glass was going to be organic drippy and droopy ms kovel said but we started blowing them and they were coming out as perfectly symmetrical spheres
harry allen esque features about 25 of those pieces most of them light sculptures that can sit on a table or hang from the ceiling through may 28 at heller gallery 303 10th avenue information 212 414 4014 or hellergallerycom


lee broom doesnt present his work like a typical designer   he always puts on a show for his first installation in new york mr broom who is based in london is creating a monthlong pop up called broom off broome
i didnt want to create a conventional store or showroom he said the idea is to take people on a bit of a journey the space reveals itself as you walk through
the 2000 square foot shop in soho is mr brooms take on british georgian architecture mixed with new york loft style in his signature gray palette
hell be showing about 50 pieces of furniture and decorative accessories including new versions of his mini crescent light fixture a chandelier table lamp and desk lamp created for this location where everything is for sale prices range from 110 for a half cut crystal glass to 39850 for the shadow cabinet sideboard
open may 12 to june 10 at 63 greene street information nycxdesigncom 


a simple ad for old navy stores has turned into a snapshot of the extremes of race relations in the united states fueling both an outburst of bigotry and a powerful reaction against it
last friday old navy posted the ad to twitter promoting a sale with a photo of an attractive happy interracial family in an embrace within hours a backlash was apparent with hashtags like boycottoldnavy and whitegenocide and messages like stop promoting race mixing you degenerates and i dont shop at stores that are anti white and promote race mixing
in the days since there has been a backlash to the backlash with hundreds of people voicing their rejection of the prejudiced messages in the most personal way possible posting photos of their own interracial families often with the hashtag lovewins
with a snapshot of her own parents holding her as a baby the journalist soledad obrien wrote on twitter my parents marriage was illegal in 1958 jack mccain the son of senator john mccain republican of arizona posted a picture of himself with his wife renee swift mccain who is black and directed harsh words toward anyone who was offended by it
debbie felix a company spokeswoman said we are a brand with a proud history of championing diversity and inclusion at old navy everyone is welcome beyond those remarks the company declined to comment on the twitter storm
this was far from the first advertisement for old navy or any number of other businesses to show an interracial relationship nor was it the first time some people had responded with venom to such images
isaiah wilson a lawyer in omaha said that he was not exactly surprised by the white separatist views but that they dredged up memories from two decades ago when he and his wife bridgett wilson began dating and we did get a lot of dirty looks or comments mr wilson 39 is black and his wife is white he responded to the old navy ad with photos of the couple and their two children
were just a family trying to raise loving intelligent kids and trying to pay the bills he said why is just the sight of us together so offensive to some people
leeann cornett 50 who is white said she posted a photo of herself with her husband brian cornett who is black and their daughter both as a personal statement and to counter what she sees as excessive ugliness in social media
you often see people getting on a bandwagon to trash and demean said ms cornett a middle schoolteacher in colorado springs its much more appealing to me to stand behind something that i see as positive and show solidarity im glad to see a lot of people feel the same way


in celebration of art week dover street market will host an open house on thursday from 6 to 8 pm the photographer ari marcopoulos will be on hand to sign copies of epiphany a documentary style photography book published by idea which showcases guccis prefall 2016 womens and mens collections 35 the jeweler designer charlotte chesnais will debut her fine jewelry collection which includes saturn earrings in gold with white diamonds 12800 and maison margiela will unveil an installation consisting of a mount of chairs all cast in white highlighting a maison margiela silver sponge painted top handle handbag 4380 at 160 lexington avenue
need a last minute present for mom the tibi designer amy smilovic will be at bergdorf goodman on 5f on thursday from 3 to 5 pm to introduce a capsule collection of signature off the shoulder tops 295 that are being reissued in fabrics from the tibi archive
the cashmere brand naadam is hosting a multibrand shopping evening on thursday from 6 to 9 pm where youll find a range of fun gifts including lizzie fortunato blue lapis cabochon superstition earrings 105 and cheeky greeting cards 5 at 139 fulton street suite 400
on saturday from 2 to 6 pm the giles  brother designer philip crangi will be at the soho banana republic store offering free custom engravings on his signature cuffs 70 at 550 broadway
and mero is introducing a mom pendant which comes in oxidized silver 125 and 18 karat gold 650 at 241 elizabeth street
denim deserts the rihanna capsule collection for manolo blahnik including the 9 5 her thigh high denim boots with western inspired crystal trim whose wearability has been variously debated will be available for special order on thursday 3716 at 31 west 54th street
the arme de lamour designer ivana berendika has collaborated with fivestory on a capsule collection including a large ruffle bracelet 550 and a gypsy sphere set of eight rings 260 in a new gunmetal colorway reflecting a new york state of mind at 18 east 69th street
jeff koons has created three designs for the nexus live phone case each of which features a different sculpture from his gazing ball series 40 available tuesday at storegooglecom
through may 11 curve will donate 15 percent of the sale price on items like the row sunglasses 450 and churchs black oxfords 605 to dkms a nonprofit that raises money to fight blood cancers at 57 bond street


louisville ky   each may up to 20 horses line up in the starting gate for the kentucky derby each with a shot at capturing americas most famous horse race and going on to sweep the triple crown
it is one of the most enduring rituals in american sports but first comes the draw that determines where in the gate each horse in this immensely crowded field will be placed and so the connections of the 22 horses two on the also eligible list that have been entered in saturdays 2 million race all filed into the aristides lounge at churchill downs on wednesday evening waiting to find out all of it happening in the glow that american pharoah created in 2015 by becoming the first horse to win the triple crown in 37 years
nyquist the undefeated 2 year old champion drew post 13 and was made the 3 1 morning line favorite by the churchill downs oddsmaker mike battaglia
lured by a 1 million bonus from the auction company fasig tipton as a graduate of its florida 2 year old in training sale nyquists connections took him from his home base of california to face the previously undefeated mohaymen last month in the 1 million florida derby   an almost unheard of meeting ahead of the kentucky derby nyquist won with ease as mohaymen who drew the no 14 post for the kentucky derby and was listed at odds of 10 1 was pushed wide throughout and never found his footing on the wet track at gulfstream park finishing fourth
i feel very confident with the way hes been training since then said mohaymens trainer kiaran mclaughlin we had plenty of excuses in florida
nyquists trainer doug oneill and owner paul reddam are familiar with the hubbub surrounding the kentucky derby having won the race with ill have another in 2012 they are also familiar with the heartbreak that often strikes on the triple crown trail ill have another who also won the preakness stakes was scratched a day ahead of the belmont stakes with a tendon injury still that memory did not prevent them from feeling excited when nyquist drew a favorable post im very happy oneill said
bob baffert the trainer of american pharoah will be trying for his fifth derby victory although baffert is here with mor spirit it would be easy to think that american pharoah was still in his barn wearing an american pharoah jacket on wednesday baffert autographed race programs and bourbon bottles commemorating last years sweep he has been asked about american pharoah far more often than he has been asked about mor spirit and he has no problem with that
im all about photographs and autographs   thats my life right now baffert said people come up to me and say thank you for american pharoah he was just a very rare horse thats why it was so hard for me at the breeders cup because i knew that was it
baffert visited american pharoah this week at his new home in versailles ky at coolmores ashford stud he spent about an hour with the horse walking him and even waiting for him to breed to a mare
i had a lump in my throat when i first saw him baffert said i really think he recognized us
baffert acknowledged that he feared american pharoah would be a different more aggressive horse now that he is a stallion but that was not the case
he hasnt changed at all baffert said hes just a real sweet horse so intelligent and so kind
mor spirit drew the dreaded no 17 hole from which no horse has ever won his odds are 12 1 almost equally dreaded is the no 1 hole from which no horse has won since ferdinand in 1986 and nos 18 19 and 20 from each of which only one horse has won trojan nation 50 1 majesto 30 1 brodys cause 12 1 and danzing candy 15 1 drew those spots
churchill downs uses a points system to determine the derby field with points being earned by the top four finishers in designated prep races the louisiana derby winner gun runner who drew the no 5 post at odds of 10 1 had the most points with 151
laoban who would be ridden by cornelio velasquez and cherry wine who would be ridden by robby albarado are on the also eligible list and could draw into the field should any horses be scratched before fridays scratch time of 9 am eastern
another familiar face from the american pharoah camp the jockey victor espinoza will be aboard whitmore the third place finisher in the arkansas derby who will leave from post 10 at odds of 20 1 espinoza who also won the kentucky derby in 2014 with california chrome will try to win a record third straight derby


some furniture designers favor brazilian hardwoods others welded steel the japanese designer shiro kuramata was a master of acrylic the italian postmodernist ettore sottsass did wonders with corian
fernando mastrangelo his signature material is salt
mr mastrangelo 37 a sculptor and designer in brooklyn has perfected the technique of binding salt and other granulated substances like sugar quartz crystals and coffee grounds with resin and using the mixture to make furniture many of his pieces have rough surfaces that look as if theyve been gnawed by a plague of locusts in the most attractive way
i was looking for a material that could speak about life and death in one swoop said mr mastrangelo who was born in the united states to uruguayan parents raised in monterrey mexico and worked early on as an assistant to the artist matthew barney he sees a paradox in salts capacity both to preserve and destroy it keeps shipboard grub edible and is used to mummify bodies but it also has this way of deteriorating anything that comes into contact with it
mr mastrangelo has taken salt to its limits casting it in a hypnotic 25 foot high wall sculpture for the technology mogul sean parkers west village townhouse the project took two years six months of which were spent on the installation alone completed in 2014 it was the artist said a pivotal point in his career his savory spot
in 2014 he began producing furniture under the brand mmaterial while issuing limited edition designs as fms studio
at the collective design show this month mr mastrangelo is exhibiting drift fms studio work that seems to be hewed from rock this time dont thank salt   thank sand
for these six pieces   including a sofa bench and mirrors   he cast layers of blue sand in hand carved molds to imitate the ombre effect of glaciers he was inspired by a 4000 mile motorcycle journey he made with his friend the actor boyd holbrook from santiago chile to patagonia
but sodium chloride will be back in the game soon mr mastrangelo is planning a trip to the dead sea the holy grail of salt lovers and the theme of next years collection


beijing   months of bureaucratic surrealism culminated last week with ye jinghuan 63 a retired manager at a major chinese company sprawled on the floor in a beijing court building and served with a 15 day detention order together with four of her friends
the episode at a branch of the xicheng district court has deepened a sense among ms yes friends and some lawyers that chinas police and justice systems are seriously broken despite the promises of president xi jinping and other officials to rule the country by law
it began with a small and easily avoidable injustice
she went to the police early last year to ask for a document proving that her elder sister was her sister said zheng wei 61 a friend who accompanied ms ye last week
the document proving a relatives connection is a common feature in legal or administrative cases it is issued by the police in the place where a persons hukou or residence permit is based
ms ye needed it to reach an agreement over the demolition of the family home said ms zheng also a retiree and another friend su nan a member of a human rights organization who said she was not present when the dispute with court officials grew physical last week but arrived later in the day to help
the police refused to issue the document ms zheng said they said that just because two people had the same parents didnt necessarily mean they were siblings she said
frustrated in early march this year ms ye and a group of friends went to the xicheng district court in beijing to file a court case over the polices handling of her request by mid march the court had not responded although it was required to say within seven days if a case could go forward on march 14 ms ye and her friends returned to the court to ask why
unable to get an answer from several officials ms ye photographed a person at the complaints guidance desk to whom she was eventually directed whose job was to help people file cases ms zheng said
were ordinary people said ms zheng explaining why ms ye did that if we go to a courthouse were afraid that they   the officials   would say we didnt go so we had to have evidence all we could do is take a picture
incensed the officials demanded that ms ye delete the photos and when she refused seized their phones and detained ms ye and a friend wang xiuzhen 72 in an underground garage for 20 minutes ms zheng said
on april 27 ms ye and her friends returned to the court to file a complaint that officials still had not dealt with her case against the police over their handling of her request for a document affirming that her sister was her sister
again as evidence a member of the group photographed a court official receiving ms yes documents and again officials demanded that the photos be deleted during a scuffle as officials tried to take away the person who was taking photos ms ye fell ms zheng said then she and ms su said officials issued detention orders for the five for disturbing order in the court building three were released later that day on the grounds of age or ill health
currently only ms ye and one friend zhu xiuling 50 are in custody in the dongcheng district detention center said a lawyer ma lianshun who tried to visit them twice but was turned away
no one picked up repeated calls made to two numbers at the south branch of the xicheng district court on tuesday
a person answering the telephone at the dongcheng district detention center referred media requests to the local public security bureau the bureaus main office referred callers to a press section where the phone rang unanswered
officials told mr ma that he could not meet the women because the stamp on his lawyers id was blurred he said this was the first time in his career that he had heard that
ruling the country by law is a sham mr ma said we cant defend ourselves against nonsense regulations that officials invent people should be able to get things done when they go to a courthouse


jerusalem   in response to mortar rounds fired by hamas toward israeli defense forces operating outside the gaza strip israel hit five targets in gaza with airstrikes on wednesday a military spokesman said
hamass military wing complained in a statement that israeli forces had been excavating enormous areas east of gaza israel has been using the excavations to help search for new warrens of tunnels that hamas is believed to be digging beneath the border between gaza and israel
israeli military commentators said that the mortar fire - a total of six rounds on wednesday - was clearly intended to discourage israeli attempts to find the tunnels
although missiles and other weaponry are fired sporadically from gaza israel has seldom named hamas as the source since a cease fire in 2014 that ended 50 days of fighting and other rogue groups operate in the area in this case though israel said hamas fired more than five mortar rounds at its defense forces adding that israel would continue to guard against all terrorist threats above and beneath ground
an israeli military commentator roni daniel said on israeli television that the mortar fire did not seem intended to hit the military engineers searching for the tunnels but only to warn israel and disrupt the work the area has been fairly quiet since the 2014 war and while neither side is eager to set off a new escalation the exchanges of fire could have unpredictable consequences mr daniel said
witnesses in gaza saw one israeli airstrike hit a tower used by hamass military wing at least two schools were evacuated and hamas police officers streamed from their stations in gaza city
hamas claimed that the israeli excavations had caused unspecified damage to gazan land


for the second year in a row polina semionova a principal dancer at american ballet theater is withdrawing from its spring season at the metropolitan opera house the company announced this week it said she would be taking a medical leave but did not elaborate
ballet theater said that ms semionova would be replaced by hee seo in frederick ashtons sylvia on tuesday and may 14 by devon teuscher in alexei ratmanskys symphony 9 on may 17 and may 21 by gillian murphy in swan lake on june 13 and by isabella boylston in swan lake on june 18 and by ms seo in romeo and juliet on june 24
born in moscow ms semionova studied at the bolshoi ballet academy joined the berlin state opera ballet as a principal at 17 made her debut with ballet theater in 2011 and joined the company the following year as a principal dancer she missed the met season last year after being sidelined by an injury


compared with medicine where small companies often lead in turning cutting edge science into new drugs agriculture has never had much start up activity agricultural biotechnology for instance has been dominated by six giant seed and chemical companies including monsanto and dupont
but new technologies are opening up new opportunities and investment in early stage agricultural companies is springing to life
one sign of that is the announcement being made thursday of a new accelerator to assist fledgling agriculture companies its backers include two big agrochemical and seed companies bayer and syngenta and some venture capital firms that typically focus on pharmaceuticals not farms
the time is really right for early stage ag investing to come to life said john dombrosky chief executive of the new organization called the agtech accelerator its happening before our very eyes
some 499 agricultural technology companies attracted 46 billion in investments last year nearly double the 236 billion in 2014 and way up from about 500 million in 2012 according to agfunder an organization that helps connect investors with agricultural companies
companies based in the united states raised just over half that total or 24 billion
about 165 billion of the 2015 global total was for food e commerce companies which some might not consider agriculture but there was still a big increase in other sectors as well monsanto for instance now has its own venture capital operation
agricultural biotechnology once meant mainly genetically modified crops because of regulations and consumer opposition these often required many years and tens of millions of dollars to bring to market so genetic engineering was dominated by big companies working on major crops like corn and soybeans
but now there are new less expensive techniques for providing crops with new traits such as the crispr gene editing approach which might not even be regulated this could open the market for smaller companies working on less widely grown crops
there is also a lot of development of so called biological products such as living microbes that can kill pests or ways to improve the health of the plant microbiome the community of microbes that live in on or around a plant
a plant microbiome company in north carolina called agbiome raised 345 million last year from investors including monsanto syngenta some venture capital firms and the bill and melinda gates foundation
there is also a huge effort now to apply electronic technology to the farm including sensors robots and drones and big data approaches to advise farmers what crops to plant on each small parcel of their land and how much water and fertilizer to apply to each spot
now you have biologicals and digital which are not as much impacted by those long time lines and high costs said derek norman head of corporate venture capital for syngenta
the agtech accelerator will be based in research triangle park in north carolina where bayer and syngenta have their main united states crop research operations new start ups will be able to work in the accelerators building and take advantage of its management
the accelerator is starting with 115 million but that will be increased later this year mr dombrosky said besides bayer and syngenta investors include arch venture partners flagship ventures harris  harris group hatteras biocapital mountain group capital and pappas capital
an investor and driving force behind the accelerator was alexandria real estate equities which develops life science research facilities alexandria is also involved with accelerator corporation which helps nurture new medical biotechnology companies in seattle and new york
the agricultural accelerator will get ideas for new companies and expert advice from various universities including duke north carolina state pennsylvania state purdue the university of north carolina washington state and the university of california davis


almost everyone who has ever dieted knows how hard it is to keep the weight off and almost everyone including many scientists has wondered what works an article on monday about what happened to contestants from the biggest loser television show is a vivid illustration of the problem although there is no magic formula for weight maintenance here are answers to some questions that arise over and over
that is the advice dieters often get but studies have not found that to be the case for example a recent australian study funded by the australian national health and medical research council and the sir edward dunlop medical research foundation randomly assigned 204 obese people to subsist on just 450 to 800 calories a day for 12 weeks or to cut a more modest 400 to 500 calories a day from their diets over 36 weeks the goal for both groups was a 15 percent weight loss three years after the study began almost everyone had regained the weight they lost despite counseling on diet and exercise there was also no difference in the levels of two hormones leptin and ghrelin that drive hunger the main difference between the groups was that more people in the rapid weight loss group lost at least 125 percent of their weight 80 percent compared with 50 percent in the slow loss group and fewer dropped out 3 percent compared with 18 percent
although it seems to make sense that snacks can pack on the pounds studies that randomly assigned people to snack or not have failed to confirm this and even observational studies have not found evidence that snacks undermine weight loss
muscle burns more calories than fat so it might stand to reason that the more muscle you have the faster you will burn calories but it turns out that building muscles has almost no effect on resting metabolism which determines how many calories a person burns when at rest the reason is that any muscle you add is small compared with the total amount of skeletal muscle on your body and most of the time that muscle is at rest you cant go around flexing your biceps nonstop muscles have a very low metabolic rate at rest one researcher calculated that if a man weighing about 175 pounds lifts weights and puts on about 4 1/2  pounds of muscle   a typical amount for men who lift weights for 12 weeks   he will burn an extra 24 calories a day the amount in a couple of life saver candies
you can as long as you do not eat more calories to make up for the ones you burned it sounds simple enough but this is not as easy a proposition as it sounds says dr michael rosenbaum a doctor and obesity researcher at columbia university the brain controls your hunger and your cravings for food and it is all too easy to accidentally consume more calories than you burned exercising that is a major reason studies that use exercise alone to help people lose weight have generally failed to find an effect
exercise also has an unexpected effect documented by dr rosenbaum and dr rudolph leibel at columbia university they found that after you lose 10 percent or more of your weight by diet alone your muscles start using genes that make them more efficient they burn 20 to 30 percent fewer calories for the same exercise
many people swear by diets that are low in carbohydrates or gluten free or revolve around fasting two days out of seven dr lee kaplan an obesity researcher at harvard says there is no diet or weight loss regimen that is guaranteed to work but that people can often maintain a loss of 5 percent of their weight which is enough for health benefits to kick in he tells his patients to try one weight loss program after another in hopes of finding something that works for them
anecdotal reports by people who have succeeded in keeping weight off tend to have a common theme constant vigilance keeping close track of weight controlling what food is eaten and how much often by weighing and measuring food exercising often putting up with hunger and resisting cravings to the best of their ability those who maintain a modest weight loss often report less of a struggle than those trying to keep off large amounts of weight


in movement
ecm
return
newvelle
theres a sly urgency in jack dejohnettes backbeat which combines a strong forward pull with something cagey and equivocal that rhythmic signature is crucial to the feel of some miles davis albums from the early 1970s and a range of other music since the latest example is in movement the debut ecm release by an exploratory trio with mr dejohnette on drums and piano ravi coltrane on saxophones and matthew garrison on electronics and bass guitar
mr dejohnette 73 has known the other members of this group since they were children by way of their fathers the saxophonist john coltrane and the bassist jimmy garrison who played in coltranes quartet that lineage provides a strong background hum for the trio informing its repertory even without the obligations of a formal tribute
the album opens with alabama john coltranes mournful hymn and later hits peak intensity with rashied a tribute to his last drummer rashied ali a roiling spontaneous duo for drums and sopranino saxophone that track feels revelatory and ablaze there are slow pensive offerings like blue in green from a miles davis album on which john coltrane appeared
but the story here more often involves an elliptically assertive groove on the title track a group improvisation mr garrison lays a framework of looped chords and effects over which ravi coltrane ventures a soprano saxophone melody elucidating a song form in real time its an impressive show of collective intuition and no less transfixing than the trios intently hazy take on serpentine fire the earth wind  fire staple or a sinewy original titled lydia
a much more delicate version of lydia which is the name of mr dejohnettes wife appears on his first solo piano album return just out on newvelle   a vinyl only subscription label whose aesthetic in terms of visual as well as sonic design suggests a debt to ecm   its an album of careful contemplation and obvious personal stake
the piano goes even farther back than the drums for mr dejohnette whose style on return is austere but sonorous with viscosity in his touch and use of pedal sustain beyond milton nascimentos ponte de areia delivered as a twinkling lullaby every track is an original with some shades of influence ode to satie broadcasts its allusions while silver hollow has a stately melancholy that evokes keith jarrett a longtime associate
but when mr dejohnette digs into a groove as on the dervish trance or exotic isles he finds a meditative space of his own at no point does he sound like a drummer merely dabbling in melody and harmony   and yet his command of rhythm is as profound and inexplicable in this format as in any other


dawn
loma vista
dawn the new album by the australian songwriter and producer ry x born ry cuming floats in a gorgeous dolorous haze his voice is a pearly androgynous tenor a vessel for liquid melancholy that blurs words at the edges he stretches pop structures with repetition that grows devotional obsessive hypnotic when he sings about love and desire he places himself at a confluence of the intimate and the sacred on salt he sings
his music often suggests two other mantric ethereal songwriters   jeff buckley and james blake   and in a way ry x has created a bridge between two awkwardly named but emotionally charged genres psych folk and future rb an acoustic guitar or slow moving keyboard chords are usually at the center of his productions in some places they are all there is but then echoes open up boundless spaces around him other instruments waft in and his voice multiplies itself dance beats sometimes arrive with a subdued four on the floor thump as in deliverance but not always ry x likes waltzes too including only which starts out folky and turns choirlike and reverential
like many other 21st century ballad singers ry x has dance music connections between the release in 2013 of his first ep as ry x berlin and his new album he made albums with two electronics oriented projects the acid and howling as ry cuming he also made a self titled 2010 album of pop rock songs that only held glimmers of his current style but all the other recordings were just groundwork dawn brings a craftsmans subliminal assurance to songs that seem to materialize entirely on their own terms with an organic ebb and flow beacon starts out as a small string ensemble and then an acoustic fingerpicked undulating waltz   i fall into your minds eye ry x sings   but by the end it is awash in electric guitar feedback and his incantatory voice singing wordless ahs hes both supplicant and shaper


in the american cinephile circles of the 1960s each new film from the french director jean luc godard was an event vital film critics like manny farber andrew sarris and pauline kael and public intellectuals like susan sontag weighed in creating a near constant colloquy on how this director was reinventing cinema the buzz and argument were equally fevered in paris mr godards home at the time
but anna karina the danish born model turned actress who during this period was mr godards muse leading lady and wife   one of the screens great beauties and an enduring symbol of the french new wave   doesnt recollect the hype or intellectual foment reminiscing about working with mr godard she largely remembers freedom and fun
we did not see ourselves as remaking cinema at the time at least not in my view ms karina now 75 said speaking in english by phone from los angeles myself and the other actors were not part of the industry we werent inside the star system we were running around shooting in the streets hiding behind trees to do our makeup it was a very simple way of working
ms karina who lives in france is making a rare visit to the united states where in los angeles and new york she is presenting several godard films at various theaters on friday she will appear at film forum in manhattan for a newly restored version of mr godards wry eccentric quasi caper band of outsiders 1964
she met mr godard when she was still in her teens he was preparing his debut feature breathless and wanted to cast her in a bit role she balked at its nudity requirement they began a romance acted opposite each other in an eric rohmer short and married in 1961
when he was a critic in the 1950s mr godard wrote the cinema does not query the beauty of a woman it only doubts her heart records her perfidy and sees only her movements
ms karina 10 years younger than mr godard cheerfully allowed that their relationship had more than a touch of pygmalion to it and she spoke admiringly of him as a teacher recalling his erudition with some awe their films together can be read as a multivolume work about their relationship
in le petit soldat their first film together although its release was held up for several years by french censors she was the young revolutionary as object of desire in a woman is a woman 1961 she was a stripper flirting with domesticity in vivre sa vie ms karina played a desultory beauty who drifts into streetwalking on the way to cinematic sainthood
band of outsiders saw her as naive coquettish but clever with a streak of mischief in alphaville she was a robotic woman of the bleak future introduced to love via poetry by the tough guy eddie constantine for their final collaborations mr godard made his soon to be ex wife a femme fatale they divorced in 1965 in pierrot le fou she seduces and double crosses jean paul belmondo and in made in usa she gender reverses the trench coated noir antihero leaving a trail of corpses
we appreciated that what we were doing was different through the way jean luc directed us physically she said on the phone in older hollywood movies a character will make an entrance close a door light a cigarette sit down have a drink in jean lucs movies you were doing everything at once and sometimes you wouldnt shut the door all the way sometimes your cigarette wouldnt light on first try you were always moving through the scene in an active way that was more like being than acting
while mr godard never worked from a standard script ms karina insisted that the actors were not improvising he would come in with prepared texts for us which we rehearsed and were required to say as he presented to us
she added the only thing i can recall being allowed to improvise was the little singsong i dont know what to do chant in pierrot le fou which i came up with because i literally did not know what to do
the godard karina relationship was famously tumultuous she told a dizzying story of the pairs embarking on an impromptu road trip to the south of france maybe i didnt understand jean luc exactly there i was thinking wed have a nice holiday in the south of france about 200 kilometers in i look at him and say youre not happy and he says im not unhappy im just a little disappointed i canceled a meeting with truffaut in paris so he turns back and after 100 kilometers he looks at me and says youre not happy and he turns around again and so it goes
ms karina said the turmoil did not bleed into their working relationship until very late but when she recalled mr godards presenting her with a difficult monologue on the set of made in usa and insisting on shooting it right away her incredulity and indignation made it sound as if she was upset about something that had happened just yesterday he was making a fool of me and he did it on purpose she bristled
after parting ways with mr godard she seemed to take roles that flirted with international stardom working with eminent directors like george cukor and tony richardson of the 1969 adaptation of vladimir nabokovs laughter in the dark she said it was a mistake for tony richardson to change the setting from prewar germany to contemporary london with all the miniskirts and the bling bling
she is currently working on a memoir about her early years and putting together a stage musical for which she has written songs
ms karina seems to regard her work with mr godard with pride and affection its very touching wherever i go to see very young people come to the films whether in japan or south korea or the united states or france she said the films feel like they are not old or old fashioned they still feel fresh and touch people its a fantastic gift he gave to me


through the crackle of an old phonograph recording the tenors voice sounds musky and slightly metallic but the german words ring out sharp and clear the sopranos tone is warm opulent and heady
i am listening to the love duet from act ii of wagners tristan and isolde in a 1943 recording with max lorenz and paula buchner as the doomed lovers someone put up a clip of it on youtube where it has drawn more than 16000 clicks and many comments from opera buffs debating the relative merits of wartime wagnerians links beckon   to other tristan excerpts to a documentary about lorenz to a clip of prince playing summertime the page is a portal inviting the viewer to roam freely through time and space
for me it is a portal into my familys history to a cold april sunday in 1944 in the buchenwald concentration camp my grandfather hermann da fonseca wollheim a doctor and at the time a political prisoner had recently been transferred there from a gestapo prison in hamburg where he was interrogated about what authorities suspected were subversive views six weeks later he was dead of acute dysentery one of more than 50000 who perished there and one of the millions of victims commemorated on yom hashoah holocaust remembrance day on thursday
my grandfather wrote a letter that day to his wife kathe in which he tried to reassure her that he was in good health enjoying the fresh air   a reference most likely to his work in the camps quarries   and the splendid views of the harz mountains
the letter which is now in the possession of my uncle is fascinating from a different angle on the 70th anniversary of the end of the war in europe last year my husband a political commentator for the wall street journal used it as a point of departure to interview my father   who turned 11 on v e day   about his wartime memories and to reflect the tensions facing 21st century europe
but what caught my attention and set me on the search that brought me to the vintage recording of tristan was a single line in the letter tonight at six i will listen to the furtwangler concert on the radio my grandfather wrote to my grandmother why dont you too turn on the radio on sundays so we can think of each other fervently
what was the concert that was broadcast that day what music might have served as a bridge between a bunk in block 59 and the bourgeois living room of his familys hamburg villa where my grandmother now did her best to raise two young boys on her own amid frequent air raids
i was moved by the notion of music as a kind of telepathic conduit between two lovers separated by fate in some ways it seemed so modern similar to the late night requests to radio stations for songs dedicated to faraway sweethearts today in the age of streaming on demand listening that sense of music as a public space capable of sheltering secret trysts seems to be vanishing
i havent been able to find out whether the speaker system at buchenwald normally used for barking out orders really was given over to classical music broadcasts every sunday evening the buchenwald survivor and author jorge semprun who wrote a memoir of his time in the camp mentions the concert broadcasts but suggests that they were subject to the whims of the guards
as for the program i received answers from jorg wyrschowy an archivist at the german broadcasting archive in frankfurt what my grandfather referred to as the furtwangler concert was in fact a weekly classical music hour featuring an array of ensembles and conductors that was broadcast at goebbelss behest beginning in 1944 each one opened with a fanfare from the last movement of bruckners third symphony signaling in the words of one radio host at the time the fighting spirit of the german people and its attachment to the indelible musical masterworks of its culture
a glance at the program for spring 1944 shows that these indelible masterworks included operetta arias as well as bachs st matthews passion waltzes and that second act from tristan which aired the day of my grandfathers letter
did kathe receive it in time for the following sundays broadcast of bruckners fourth with its wistful opening horn solo if so did it remind both of the pilgrimage they had made to bruckners grave in the st florian monastery
my grandfather who spent lavishly on books and music owned a fine gramophone and a large collection of recordings in the early years of their marriage he and kathe hosted listening parties for their friends at which guests seated themselves on a staircase while hermann nimbly flipped records one side could hold only about eight minutes of music they must have created a deep stock of shared musical memories in my grandparents
were hermann and kathe able to listen to the following weeks broadcasts of music by mozart handel and strauss and if so how did the joyous hallelujah chorus from handels messiah resonate with the starving and terrified inmates of buchenwald
on april 17 of this year my uncle and two of my cousins attended a rededication ceremony at the buchenwald memorial where a new permanent exhibition was unveiled among the individual stories singled out for display is that of my grandfather apparently the reason for his arrest   the word scrawled on his police file   was so unusual that it caught the eye of researchers auslanderfreundlichkeit was the verdict that would ultimately carry a death sentence friendliness to foreigners
as a doctor whose jewish grandfather made him in the eyes of the nazis a second degree mongrel he had treated ukrainian forced laborers employed in a nearby factory showing them great kindness and teaching himself russian to better care for them one day well all have to learn russian he was overheard saying   a dangerously defeatist statement and possibly my grandmother speculated the cause for his arrest the gestapo would also find a note one of the ukrainian women had written for hermann attesting to his kindness to show in event of a red army victory
among those acts of kindness sliding open the doors that connected his medical studio to his living room and playing classical records for his ukrainian patients in the belief that however temporarily music could offer some solace


this is supposed to be harriet tubmans moment the treasury department announced last month that tubman a former slave who escaped to freedom and helped others to do so as well would be on the front of the 20 bill bumping the slave owning andrew jackson to the back of the bill
the process is slow though and tubmans picture will not be on the money for four more years meanwhile there has been some internet confusion about tubmans image one photo of a glamorous young african american woman in a long dress identified as harriet tubman went viral in recent weeks   although the woman pictured was identified at snopescom as lady sarah forbes bonetta davies
and on facebook common sense conservative posted another photo in which a woman holding a rifle is identified as harriet tubman but snopes found that woman is actually mary fields or stagecoach mary the first african american woman employed as a mail carrier by the united states post office
its sort of puzzling and kind of fascinating that someone as crucial and important as that would get lost and mixed up just as she was having her coming out party for the 21st century said ric burns the documentarian who collaborated with his brother ken on the pbs civil war series
while more exalted civil war figures like robert e lee ulysses s grant and abraham lincoln are featured in historic portraits not many people have a clear idea of what harriet tubman looked like
it just speaks to how little we know about african american women of that era how little visual imagery there is said stephanie mccurry a history professor at columbia university photography was very much a studio operation at that time
then too said jone johnson lewis a writer on womens history the photo mix ups may reflect both a paucity of photographs and an american predilection for glamorized celebrity
there arent that many photographs of harriet tubman because she didnt live a particularly public life and she didnt pose for images to support and promote herself the way sojourner truth did she said people now expect celebrities to look a certain kind of way but harriet tubman was not a glamorous person she was a tough old woman who looked like shed lived a hard life and was disabled from a young age by her beatings
the image that will appear on the currency will be created by the bureau of engraving and printing based on historic images with several security measures built into the design according to a spokeswoman for the treasury department who added that there has not been a final decision on which photograph or drawing will be the model for the image
in recent decades tubman and her role on the underground railroad has been less of a presence in academe than in childrens books and songs schoolchildren across the country read simple books about her escape from slavery and her rescue of other slaves traveling at night through a network of secret routes and safe houses many also learn the song come on up with the chorus she said her name was harriet tubman and she drove for the underground railroad
but catherine clinton a history professor at the university of texas at san antonio and the author of a biography of tubman said the abolitionists long career and work for womens suffrage have been largely overlooked in academe
she had amazing exploits as a scout a spy and a nurse of the union army dr clinton said what made her so successful behind enemy lines was her invisibility
at a summit meeting that included treasury secretary jacob j lew and representatives of the smithsonian institution dr clinton said there had been discussion of the aesthetics of putting a woman on the currency and whether americans would accept it she said she herself had strong feelings about not using one of the images showing tubman in the turban that she wore when she was trying to blend in but rather in the prim white lace collar she favored most of the time
harriet tubman could be a cover girl for american history she said im glad the invisible woman is becoming visible now


this year the backdrop for the annual jeffrey fashion cares celebration a buoyant benefit for lgbt causes was military might at the intrepid sea air  space museum on april 4 fashion world movers like the designers prabal gurung thom browne and alexis bittar circulated under missiles air kissed next to gun turrets and snapped selfies with sleek aircraft
not that the guy stuff took center stage staged in a low lit hangar where white chairs flanked a red carpet the runway show was the piece de resistance with plimsolls instead of boots on the ground and only a bit of camo it focused on the splashiest looks for the lads of summer
young men with determinedly blank facial expressions stalked down the runway in creations that included a slim gucci suit whose floral print suggested palm beach chinoiserie a pinstripe givenchy pant look tweaked with images of christ and a long white grandma cardigan with posies climbing up the front lord  taylor mais non saint laurent
if the outfits seemed otherworldly so too did the models bare chests paired with seemingly everything were impossibly sculpted all the biceps were laser cut every abdomen hyper defined waists tapered into nothingness and buttocks were platonically ideal
when the lights came up one admirer a towering figure with an expansive chest and farmboy good looks confessed that the parade of fabulousness was bittersweet i would love to wear clothes like that zach miko said but they dont exactly make them in my size
at 6 foot 6 and 275 pounds the imposing mr miko is hardly a mainstream customer for the designers whose looks flattered the catwalk crew whose waists top out around 32 inches mr mikos waist is 40 inches and though he keeps in shape by biking hes free of hard edges and sharp angles even in the go see ensemble that he chose for this flaunt it evening   jeans from levis jacket from hickey freeman and the white dress shirt he wore at his wedding   he looked more like the running back who stole your heart in high school than a high profile clotheshorse
for all of that mr miko 26 is the model of the moment as the first and so far only hunk signed with brawn a division for plus size men that img started in march he has a mandate to speak for guys of size longing to be au courant and if his blue eyes and tattooed biceps look familiar its because the response to mr miko and his body positive message has been over the top see good morning america entertainment tonight voguecom and british news media outlets galore more than 58000 instagram followers have bonded to the actor since he happened into modeling making his debut online last september in the plus size line of targets mossimo collection
some are slavering over his body sending nude photos suggesting hookups and in one case requesting photos of his naked feet most of the feedback however has been from people sick of being fat shamed they tell him theyre over the moon about seeing a comrade looking sharp in clothes that they too can wear
i was always the big kid who felt like the outsider mr miko said for me the coolest thing about this is the idea that kids like me can look at a website or a magazine and see somebody their size instead of these adonises he added i think thats going to do amazing things for their self esteem
the fashion industry has long since acknowledged plus size women the img models president ivan bart said that it was the success of curve its division for generously proportioned femmes that inspired brawn a few smaller agencies represent plus size models but img is the first international agency to take up the cause
aside from racking up diversity props for img whose client list includes gisele bundchen and karlie kloss as well as hari nef who is transgender and jillian mercado who has muscular dystrophy curve brought larger beauties like precious lee and tara lynn to the fore and transformed the ultra voluptuous ashley graham into a supermodel this year ms graham smoldered on the covers of maxim and the sports illustrated swimsuit issue it featured three models each on separate covers as well as a special edition of glamour
for his part mr bart is convinced that big and tall guys are ready to break out an oprah phile who lauds ms winfreys authenticity he said that his aha moment came in london this winter when he was scouting more beautiful curve women i thought we cannot have this conversation one more minute without a male perspective
a beefy stocky guy in his own words mr bart a brooklyn native who was a psychology major at the university at albany understands the kind of fashion traumas that most of his confreres dont discuss in a light filled conference room at imgs manhattan headquarters he described childhood visits to the dreaded husky department and the shaming experience of shopping in mainstream stores where dressing rooms are now the stuff of nightmares
getting the largest size possible and then being in that room alone with the mirror youre like come on man please zip mr bart said you dont fit and the lovely store clerk will come and say are you ok
youre so not ok you dont even want to say do you have another size you just leave thats my experience
offering an appropriate example of plus size pulchritude to heavier men as well as to the fashion industry required a candidate who seemed relatable in mr barts words the search took mr bart to instagram where mr miko already known as targets big boned dreamboat had posted pics of himself napping with his rescue dog mugging with his adorable wife laura miko an actress and fitness model and gamely modeling an elf themed sweatshirt that implored take me gnome tonight no pretension there
moreover mr miko wasnt afraid to show his feelings he had spoken up on the love your body site chubstr saying all the right things about celebrating ones genetics most men still want to be hugh jackman i want to be john goodman and sharing moments from the plus size modeling scene on his initial shoot for target a job he had gotten because his manager spotted a request for a larger model on facebook medium size shirts had arrived at the tribeca studio by mistake humiliated he had faced the cameras with the too snug shirts sliced down the back
mr miko had better luck with subsequent shoots for target and for clients like the british plus size label bad rhino and his brawn portfolio would make it clear that he could look the part of a bon vivant or even a bombshell the photo with the great black t shirt where his own tattoos are showing is one of the hottest most desirable   men women everybody is passing out and dying mr bart said
in a telephone interview ms graham said im excited for whats to come for zach i havent met him yet but ive seen the amazing photos that he did and i can see why they signed him as the brawn man
in the light of day its hard to believe that mr miko once loathed his body relaxing at rockwood music hall the lower east side club where until recently he worked regularly tending bar he looks like a gorgeous lumberjack in plaid shirt jeans and vintage boots from ll bean the jowls and jiggles celebrated by dad bod enthusiasts are mia
even so mr miko said that his size has defined his life and coming to terms with it was a battle though his wife always told him he was perfect not until he began modeling clothing that flattered his body did he begin to feel his own power i dont remember when i learned that being big was a bad thing he said but as a kid thats what i thought
raised in a roman catholic household in stratford conn where his father was in the medical supply business and his mother was a receptionist mr miko reached 6 1 by the time he was 12 bullied at school shunned at dances by girls who were afraid id step on their feet he channeled his energy into becoming a stand up small town kid his credits included altar boy little leaguer rock band guitarist drama club impresario and inevitably eagle scout
i never used my size in an aggressive way he said i tried to be funny and charming i wanted to be one of the guys
blending into the crowd however was impossible while his peers could cruise for clothes at the mall mr miko wore hand me downs from his 6 5 father whose wardrobe came from big and tall catalogs
with the approval of his parents who he says were extremely supportive mr miko worked with a personal trainer and began dieting at 13 for years it was a struggle he said at times he dropped weight i look at pictures of me when i was 17 and i was thin mr miko said but i always felt big i had wild body dysmorphia
a creative sort who loved storytelling and science fiction he embraced acting in high school and later at albertus magnus college in new haven after two years he transferred to the american academy of dramatic arts in new york where he graduated in 2011
since then mr miko has snared parts in productions including the web series rock star cafe a childrens theater production of king arthur an allstate commercial and even for a nanosecond the wolf of wall street
now waiting to hear about auditions that he did during the pilot season mr miko still performs with his comedy duo the dreamstalks singing childrens music from the point of view of jaded adults glam it is not but like mr miko its wry bold and totally charming
so where will americas top plus size male model be at this time next year at the very least he will be supporting other brawny dudes in distress
recently mr miko took up the fight against american eagle which had released videos of undie clad guys from svelte to chunky musing about body image body positive advocates applauded the company for promoting diversity until april 1 when american eagle announced that the clips were parodies the real message the company said was that it would stop retouching photos of male models in swimsuits and underwear
mr miko didnt appreciate the joke and he criticized the company on instagram i dont think they meant to be malicious he said recently but they were saying to all these guys celebrate the way you look and then it was never mind you still look funny since then the company has begun to explore using more models with diverse body types
and then there are those   some in the fashion industry   who ask whether body positivity is a whim even as plus size hunks besiege img and mr bart scouts for more zachs i tell them that this is something people want mr miko said this is something people crave i hope its not a flash in the pan
in any case mr miko zachlander to his friends is holding nothing back last month he shared a revealing photo with his multitude of followers not as a sweetly confident grown up but as a big boned tentative looking child with braces nothing about him suggested he would grow up to be a model but the boy himself was beautiful


it was weather education day at citi field on wednesday and the atmosphere obliged with cool temperatures wind and spitting rain   conditions that typically suppress offenses but the mets hit anyway
they hit home runs out to the corners and the deepest parts of the ballpark their phenomenal power display of april has carried into may turning citi field   once a tormenting wasteland of warning track flyouts   into a bandbox just wait until the temperatures rise
im enjoying this a lot shortstop asdrubal cabrera said
cabrera hit one of the teams four home runs in the 8 0 afternoon win over the atlanta braves the fourth time this season the mets have homered at least four times in a game the mets have never had more than eight such games in a season
their 40 home runs are the most the franchise has ever totaled through 26 games and the total tied colorado st louis and arizona for the major league lead through wednesday nights games thirty eight homers have come within the last 18 games
that figure could continue to rise if lucas duda heats up riding the home runs he hit in the third and fifth innings one of which went to the opposite field
those are great signs for lucas duda manager terry collins said i hope he stays hot because he can carry you
oddly before the second inning the mets had been shut out for 17 consecutive innings a stretch that started after the team had hit three home runs in the first inning monday collins said he thought the team had good swings tuesday but it managed only a base hit in a 3 0 loss
the power returned wednesday rene rivera a backup catcher got it rolling with a two run homer to left in the second off a low slider from braves starter jhoulys chacin that drifted over the plate in the third cabrera hammered a two run shot to left center one of the deepest parts of the ballpark
we were shocked how far that ball went collins said when you hit the ball hard it doesnt matter what the conditions are
then it was dudas turn he took chacin out twice for his 14th career multihomer game
i didnt think the ball was carrying very well duda said but it left the yard so ill take what i can get
all the offense arrived in support of steven matz who allowed just two hits in seven and two thirds innings to cruise to his fourth straight victory
since a disaster in his season debut seven runs in one and two thirds innings matz has pitched to a 067 era two runs in the last 27 innings with 29 strikeouts and only 21 hits allowed
matz retired 19 of the first 20 batters he faced on wednesday giving up only a single by the opposing pitcher chacin in the third before another single to erick aybar in the eighth prompted collins to relieve him
i felt like i was comfortable with all my pitches matz said
matz credited his routine rivera noted his composure collins praised his efficiency
what he did today is how i think you pitch collins said you get the ball you get on the mound you throw it it keeps you in a better rhythm youre not thinking about anything but throwing strikes
matz said that it did not take extra effort on his part to work quickly it comes naturally to him actually he often has to remind himself to go more slowly
if im 2 0 on a guy real quick then im kind of like ok slow it down here  matz said
that was rarely the case wednesday in fact matz fell behind into a 2 0 count just twice all afternoon and he threw first pitch strikes to 17 of the first 23 batters he faced rivera said matz had shaken off his signs only a couple of times and his quick pace kept atlanta off balance he induced 10 groundouts and struck out eight and has not allowed a run in 1323 innings
matz did not speculate about what might have caused such trouble in his opening start but the recent run support has certainly helped the mets have outscored opponents 35 3 in the last four games matz has started
it builds up confidence collins said we saw that with his second start   we got him some runs and he relaxed and made his pitches now he knows he can do it no matter what the score is
inside pitch
wilmer flores got the start at third base on wednesday after david wright received the day off rest


james bullard president of the federal reserve bank of st louis doesnt know when the american economy will fall into another recession but he says its increasingly likely that it will happen before the fed has a chance to return its benchmark interest rate to a historically normal level
indeed mr bullard has fretted for years that the united states and other major economies may be stuck with low interest rates for some time to come in an interview last week mr bullard said he wants to raise rates he really does it just seems as if the necessary conditions keep slipping away
after pushing to raise rates at the beginning of the year he voted against a rate increase in april and he said hes still thinking about june if you talk to people in tokyo they say well weve been through this and tried all these things and you guys are just following us  he said in the interview i hope thats not exactly true
mr bullard also talked about his distaste for the feds dot plot and why hes not afraid of a little brexit
and i asked mr bullard the most talkative of the feds current crop of officials whether he talks too much read on for his answer the text of our conversation is lightly edited for clarity
q the feds latest policy statement following your april meeting didnt say much was it meant to signal that youve become a little more likely to raise rates in june or a little less
a my idea was to keep options open for june we are data dependent well get quite a bit of information between now and the june meeting and then we can make a decision
q you said in march that if job growth remained strong you might be ready to raise rates in april job growth has been strong but now youre not sure about june what changed
a i think the main issue from a data perspective is that the tension between slow economic growth and relatively strong labor market data is becoming more intense if you just look at the gdp growth rate   15 percent over the four quarter sequence if you believe the tracking estimates for the current quarter   to me thats below my estimate of potential growth that does not sound very good to me and here at the st louis fed we were projecting above trend growth so i think this growth outcome has been disappointing from our perspective and ive had to dial back some of my projections about policy because of that
q is it possible the jobs data is painting a more accurate picture right now
a its possible the general rule of thumb within the fed is that labor market data trumps gdp data but when youre talking over a four quarter sequence where youve had weak growth that starts to become more suspect weve projected 3 percent growth around the corner for the last several years in a row but that just hasnt materialized and i think at some point you have to take the signal thats being sent
q what about the possibility youre still overestimating the economys potential
a i think its hard to make a case that potential growth is as low as 15 percent or 1 percent we have moved potential growth down years ago it used to be 28 percent and then it came down to 25 24 22 20 but i dont think its much lower than that i would take slow growth at face value
q whats wrong
a low productivity growth
q thats why youve marked down potential growth but why are we falling short even of that
a thats an open question weve certainly got some headwinds the committee has cited the big increase in the exchange rate in the second half of 2014 when i talk to ceos in manufacturing or businesses that are related to energy they certainly talk about things not being great in their sectors still youd think the economy is pretty big and diverse and wed be able to overcome sectoral challenges and that doesnt seem to be happening
q but your models say most of the exchange rate impact should have happened already and oil is supposed to be a net positive
a we know the models are highly uncertain all im saying is im taking a little more signal than i would have taken in the past from the weak gdp growth
q youve described low inflation as the major surprise of this era economically speaking whats your best understanding of why inflation has stayed so low
a once major central banks hit the zero lower bound the key issue was whether central banks would be able to keep inflation expectations consistent with inflation targets i think the us has done a moderately good job of that but other central banks have lagged the european central bank in particular and the bank of japan they have not been able to convince markets that they were going to be able to defend their inflation targets this has led to relatively low inflation expectations and low inflation outcomes
q how consequential is the difference between promising 2 percent and delivering 1 percent
a i think its very consequential in terms of central bank credibility if you say im going to hit a 2 percent inflation target and youre unable to do it thats very consequential in terms of confidence in the central bank and your ability to meet your commitments it means stabilization policy is not going to work as well because confidence in the central bank has eroded when shocks hit the economy youre just going to have to suffer with the shocks it means you cant cushion the shocks as well as you otherwise would have been able to
q even in the united states inflation expectations have fallen sharply and despite a recent rebound they remain low by historical standards are you ok with the current levels
a were not really even today at the right level for inflation expectations i think its very difficult to look with a sober eye at the tips based inflation compensation and say that were at a good level given our 2 percent inflation target i think theyre too low ideally youd like to be where you were in the summer of 2014 which is the last time these were really at a sufficient level it makes me nervous to have a normalization cycle in the face of these very low inflation expectations
and one thing you can say about them is gee they seem to be very highly correlated with oil prices and so theyre not as meaningful as you think they are and certainly for about a year 18 months after oil prices started to decline   so this is summer of 2014   all the way through the end of last year i kept saying yes but theyre highly correlated with oil prices i was expecting prices to decorrelate and it still hasnt happened were coming up on two years im starting to feel like you just have to take the signal at face value
further reading a recent st louis fed analysis finds inflation expectations basically imply that the price of oil will fall to zero this suggests markets may be underestimating inflation
q isnt this an argument for expanding the feds stimulus campaign
a i think the low inflation expectations suggest a somewhat moderated path of rates compared to what we previously laid out the question is how much do you really have to do to get expectations back into line
q the weakness of the global economy is one reason youre moving more slowly are you worried about the outcome of the british referendum on european union membership
a i think the brexit vote there are a couple of aspects of this that make it much less of an international macroeconomic event its a scheduled event you can track which way the vote is going to go by looking at polling and its a long term strategic vote on the part of the uk the day after brexit   even if they vote to leave   nothing would actually change in terms of the trade arrangements those would continue for at least two years its certainly momentous in some sense for the european project but i dont see it as a kind of global shock event in the way that the chinese devaluation was last august which was a surprise move that seemed to signal something about chinese policy and the chinese situation this is a very different kind of event
q youve suggested that the fed should stop forecasting policy developments why
a my views have been affected by our experience in the december january time frame before we did liftoff we would routinely use the dot plot a quarterly projection of future interest rates as an implicit commitment on what the fed was going to do going forward we would ask the committee when do you anticipate that youre going to raise rates and my interpretation of that is that it was a commitment
now when we lifted off we did the same thing and if you look at past behavior of the fed once we start moving we keep moving in the same direction thats the way the fed works so it looked like a quasi commitment to raise rates four times in 2016 and we put language around it saying this is all data dependent but from the markets point of view they were saying in the past whenever you started moving you kept moving so youre giving us guidance about what youre going to do and youre going to stick with it
it was very hard for us to break that off in the january february time frame to convince markets that we really are data dependent so this whole experience convinced me that there is more commitment embedded in the dot plot than we would really like and certainly more than what has been the norm for the fed in other eras when weve had successful policy making greenspan never said anything about what the committee might do in the future the norm in central banking away from the zero bound is to say we have set the policy rate exactly where we think it should be for today given everything thats going on in the economy and in the future well look at the data you didnt do this kind of dot plot thing
ive wondered if we should get back to something thats more akin to that we dont want to give unintentional commitments were doing it with good intentions were trying to be transparent were saying this depends on the economy but im wondering if its really working all that well
q but arent you still effectively at the zero lower bound didnt you just say that low inflation expectations have convinced you to wait and move more slowly
a but im wondering if i should give that in my dot plot
q so that might be your intention but you wouldnt seek to shape expectations by announcing that
a exactly
q on the other hand youve argued the fed should hold news conferences after each policy meeting
a whats disturbing about the press conferenceno press conference cycle is that you have a meeting sitting out there in the future like november and who knows what the data will be showing but people already are discounting the probability of moving at that meeting thats not right sitting here six or eight months ahead of time that should be just as likely as december all meetings should be the same ex ante they should all have a press conference other central banks have press conferences more often than we do i think markets crave communication from the chair even if there is no particular message they still want to know that there is no particular message im not sure why weve gotten into a situation where were not meeting the international standard on this dimension
q do you think markets are sometimes confused by the voices of other fed officials specifically do you think you talk too much
a obviously not i have views as a policy maker i do have an agenda which is to match up the research on monetary economics more closely with the policy discussion my view is if youre going to put a man on mars you would want the best engineering if youre going to make good monetary policy then you would want the best economic research brought to bear on the issues if you look at the research in monetary economics on policy at the zero lower bound its unsatisfactory so weve got a lot to discuss i can play that role and i intend to play it
q you argued earlier this year the fed should raise rates because the economy performs better in an environment of higher nominal rates are you asserting that low rates are dragging on the economy
a suppose you could choose you can either be in the japanese situation over the last 20 years or the us situation as it existed between 1984 and 2007
q is that a choice one gets to make
a thats a good question but suppose you could get back to that 1984 2007 equilibrium the good thing about that is you could conduct a stabilization policy through nominal interest rate adjustment that made sense to everybody you could cushion the economy from shocks by adjusting the rate you would have the tools to be able to stabilize the economy if you stay at the zero bound its very unclear we certainly have unconventional policy moves ive actually argued that unconventional policy works reasonably well but its far less clear how it works or how effective it is we have much less experience with it so if you could get back to the higher equilibrium youd be in much better shape
q sure but what do you do to get there
a the way to work your way back is when you get good news on the economy you should nudge the nominal interest rate higher and if you get enough good news youll be all the way back
q isnt it possible that you dont get enough good news
a im sort of the original guy on this argument in december of 2008 i circulated a graph that illustrated two steady states for the economy including one that has low nominal interest rates and low inflation in perpetuity and i said youre taking a risk that you would get stuck in this situation i think very few people at that meeting understood that risk here you are seven and a half years later and its certainly looking like the probability that we would get stuck is much higher than it was seven and a half years ago
ive always been worried that the long run here is the japanese outcome i still hold out hope that thats not the case but i am worried about it and its been going on for a very long time if you talk to people in tokyo they say well weve been through this and tried all these things and you guys are just following us i hope thats not exactly true i do think weve been able to do better than the boj did in implementing some forms of unconventional monetary policy i thought qe2 was particularly effective weve been able to keep expectations of inflation relatively high i still hold out some hope
q could stronger fiscal policy help you to escape
a im not as big an advocate of fiscal policy as some other people its very hard to do very much on a business cycle time scale given the fact that youve got to work with congress its better to think about fiscal policy   your tax plans your spending plans   over the medium and long run
q do you worry the next recession arrives before you normalize policy
a i think thats a significant risk and even a likelihood at this point at some point something will happen and well be back in recession and by almost any reckoning we will not have much that we can do in the way of lowering our policy rate i have been more of a fan of unconventional monetary policy than others i do think we have some ways to react one is through balance sheet expansion i think those kinds of policies are effective you can argue about how they work and what they do also youd have forward guidance i do not think negative rates are likely even if the economy is hit by a fairly large shock


st louis
in the 1996 97 season ken hitchcocks first full season as an nhl head coach his dallas stars raced to a division title and the most points in franchise history they claimed the second seed in the western conference drawing the no 7 edmonton oilers who had lost all four of the teams regular season matchups
and then everything changed hitchcock said it overwhelmed me overwhelmed our team
the stars lost game 7 at home in overtime despite having what hitchcock called a way higher level of talent that series introduced hitchcock to the difference between the regular season and the playoffs a difference he understands perhaps better than any other current coach
since hitchcock joined st louis 13 games into the 2011 12 season the blues have the most regular season victories in the league according to the elias sports bureau but until sundays victory at dallas they also had not won a second round playoff game during that span
the blues have now won two the latest a 6 1 demolition of dallas on tuesday night their best performance of the postseason two more victories and st louis will reach the conference finals for the first time in 15 years
weve had countless years of having early exits and i think now weve really bought into what he preaches defenseman kevin shattenkirk said of hitchcock as monotonous and as frustrating it might be at times when you want to play out of the structure it works and we really have a group in here that believes that now
this is the best and deepest team hitchcock has coached in st louis loaded with steady defensemen balanced scoring and elite goaltending it was also nearly eliminated in the first round by the reigning champions the chicago blackhawks who trailed the series by three games to one and overcame a two goal deficit in game 7 before losing
the next day hitchcock told reporters how nice it had been to return to his condominium afterward and see so many supportive messages
it wasnt get rid of hitch he quipped so thats a nice sign
hitchcock 64 may not like the unceasing speculation about his job security but by now he accepts it he has been fired from nhl head coaching jobs three times ousting the blackhawks very possibly helped him avoid a fourth
in each of the past three seasons st louis lost in the first round to a lower seeded team despite having a much higher level of talent after minnesota paddled the blues last year hitchcock dangled for about a month   as the team reportedly pursued mike babcock and todd mclellan   before coming back on a one year deal
the blues retooled trading the popular wing t j oshie for the power forward troy brouwer   the teams conscience hitchcock said they integrated younger players like center robby fabbri and defensemen colton parayko and joel edmundson none older than 22 into a core led by david backes alex pietrangelo vladimir tarasenko and alexander steen
as the blues parlayed their contributions to survive another perennial contender anaheim reached its threshold for despair for expectations unfulfilled last week the ducks fired bruce boudreau another coach with a stellar regular season resume whose teams underachieved in the postseason in the first round anaheim lost game 7 at home to the nashville predators   its fourth consecutive game 7 loss at home all after holding a 3 2 series lead
boudreau won three playoff series with anaheim one more than hitchcock has so far with st louis
youre not fooling hitch he knows hes got a shelf life because of how he coaches corey hirsch a former blues goalie coach under hitchcock said in a telephone interview he eats sleeps and breathes hockey   its what makes him great but people can only be around that for so long and be pushed for so long before you say ive had enough i just cant do it anymore
hitchcock is exacting but engaging insistent but impish a master of in game tactics who demands perfection or the closest thing to it he conveys those demands through what backes the blues captain called ken isms   like hitchcocks wish that players must be comfortable being uncomfortable
hes always pushing you to get better and hes seemingly never satisfied with what weve done or what weve accomplished and hes always looking for more and rightfully so said backes who scored the overtime winner in game 2 and added two goals in game 3
he added that really doesnt let anyone get comfortable with where you are or what youve done so far i think thats a good mind set to have and something thats really sunk in here because you cant change whats already in the past its been written
much like peter laviolette of nashville hitchcock excels at shepherding underachieving teams to prominence the stars the flyers and the blues each made the playoffs in his first full season in charge the blue jackets got there in his third and he was dismissed in his fourth
the blues were 6 7 when hitchcock fielded a call from general manager doug armstrong with whom he worked in dallas hitchcock got in his car and drove from columbus where he consulted for the blue jackets and piloted st louis to a 43 15 11 finish
those players thought that they were playing at the highest level they could play at   thats what they think in the back of their mind but hitch knows theres another level said hirsch who was fired as goalie coach in may 2014 and is now an analyst for sportsnet if you look at whats happened in st louis thats exactly what hes done you can always play harder you can always perform better
dallas wing patrick sharp who made his nhl debut for philadelphia while hitchcock was coaching there credited hitchcock for molding him into a more complete player
he taught me how to compete how to battle harder sharp said who knows if that would have happened if i didnt play for him
all that demanding all that pushing and exhorting   it can produce a negative side effect his style can grate on players who in past coaching stops have tuned him out but hitchcock has evolved players said
as hard as it is to believe i think hes calming down behind the bench a little bit forward ryan reaves said i dont want to jinx anything because hes going to come back in full force sometimes but i just think its a testament to the team we have i think as our team matures you dont have to be that guy whos all over everybody all the time
during the morning skate tuesday hitchcock barked at parayko for making two poor passes hitchcocks best teams   among them the 1999 stars who won the stanley cup and the 2004 flyers who lost in game 7 of the conference finals   were driven by veterans he has studied football coaches who deal with frequent turnover and roster purges to learn how they connect with younger players
i soften the blow a little bit sometimes when i want more hitchcock said referring to edmundson fabbri and parayko but i treat them as go to players and ive learned to look past the age
hitchcock has carved a worthy legacy for himself only three coaches have won more regular season games and they are the same three who lead in postseason victories scotty bowman joel quenneville and al arbour
they managed to master what flustered hitchcock nearly 20 years ago what he is still seeking to solve his status in st louis may depend on it although as the quest continues this much is certain his team is not overwhelmed and neither is he


washington   the justice department warned the state of north carolina on wednesday that its new law limiting bathroom access violated the civil rights of transgender people a finding that could mean millions of dollars in lost federal funds
in a letter to gov pat mccrory vanita gupta the top civil rights lawyer for the justice department said that both you and the state of north carolina were in violation of civil rights law and gave him until monday to decide whether you will remedy these violations
a justice department official said that federal officials hoped that the state would agree to comply voluntarily with federal civil rights law by abandoning the measure but the department has a number of tools it can use to try to force compliance including denying federal funds or asking a court to do so said the official who spoke on condition of anonymity
the ultimatum escalated a contentious national debate over north carolinas new legal stance on transgender and gay people and set up what could be a lengthy showdown between the state and the obama administration
in a statement mr mccrory a republican said the right and expectation of privacy in one of the most private areas of our personal lives is now in jeopardy we will be reviewing to determine the next steps
phil berger the president pro tempore of the state senate accused the justice department of a gross overreach that he said deserves to be struck down in federal court tim moore the speaker of the house called the letter an attempt to circumvent the will of the electorate and instead unilaterally exert its extreme agenda
the state measure house bill 2 known as hb2 was signed into law in march and says the bathroom a person uses is determined by his or her biological gender at birth that requirement is facially discriminatory against transgender employees because it treats them differently from other employees ms gupta wrote
as a result we have concluded that in violation of title vii the state is engaged in a pattern or practice of resistance to the full enjoyment of title vii right by employees of public agencies she said the letter was first reported by the charlotte observer
the law has become an issue in the presidential campaign and has prompted boycotts of north carolina from celebrities like bruce springsteen as well as calls for repeal by a number of businesses some of which have canceled plans to create new jobs in the state
opponents cheered the justice departments move
i think it makes clear what weve known all along which is that hb2 is deeply discriminatory and violates civil rights law in all kinds of manners said state representative chris sgro of greensboro
matt mctighe executive director of freedom for all americans an lgbt rights group said in a statement wednesday that actions have consequences and governor mccrory and his legislative allies are now paying the price for this anti transgender law that they so hurriedly enacted
hb2 is a solution in a search of a problem that simply doesnt exist and lawmakers must take immediate action to fully repeal it he said the states economy and reputation have suffered enough and now students all across the state stand to lose out on nearly 1 billion in critical funding because of hb2 the livelihoods of north carolinas families are at stake and there is no excuse for inaction
in december 2014 the attorney general at the time eric h holder jr directed the justice department to begin including gender identity   including transgender status   as a basis for discrimination claims under federal civil rights law
that decision reversed a policy at the justice department that specifically excluded transgender people from federal protection mr holder called the decision an important shift meant to affirm the justice departments commitment to protecting the civil rights of all americans
in addition the equal opportunity employment commission held last year that equal access to restrooms is a significant basic condition of employment and that denying access to transgender individuals was discriminatory ms gupta noted in her letter to mr mccrory
the justice departments threat was not the only front opened wednesday in the battle over transgender bathroom rights
in illinois a group calling itself students and parents for privacy filed a lawsuit against the department of education the justice department attorney general loretta e lynch and the school directors of township high school district 211 in cook county ill seeking to stop the district from forcing 14  to 17 year old girls to use locker rooms and restrooms with biological males
in november federal education authorities ruled that the school district near chicago violated title ix the federal law that forbids discrimination on the basis of sex in public education when it did not allow a transgender student who said she identifies as a girl to change and shower in the girls locker room without restrictions
the fact that the student who is biologically male now uses the bathroom and locker rooms at william fremd high school the lawsuit states creates an intimidating and hostile environment for girls according to the lawsuit which was filed wednesday in the united states district court in the northern district of illinois
the suit also asks the court to set aside a department of education rule in which transgender students are covered under title ix
meanwhile in oxford ala the city council on wednesday rescinded an ordinance it had passed the week before that forbade people to use a public restroom that did not match their gender at birth according to the alabama news website alcom
the news service reported that at least one of the three members who voted to rescind the ordinance in the 3 2 vote was influenced by a city attorneys opinion that the ordinance might be illegal under title ix


nature is a muse for many artists but for anabela chan its almost an obsession the london based jewelry designer has been collecting exotic butterflies beetles and taxidermy birds since she was a teenager and those collections often make their way into her work   not just the insect inspired stickpins from her beauty and beast collection but the bloom sculptures in which real butterfly wings are arrayed under handblown glass domes from 8000 to evoke permanent floral arrangements
theyre about immortalizing the transience in beauty with something that can be admired forever said ms chan 31 who studied architecture and worked for the architect richard rogers and the fashion designer alexander mcqueen before founding her own company in 2013
a selection of ms chans creations will be on view at les ateliers courbet from may 16 to june 30 including her new collection of candy dishes produced with the austrian crystal company lobmeyr featuring painted details of ms chans hummingbirds and butterflies from 1200 and her fabric collection for bernhardt textiles from 40 a yard
information 212 226 7378 or ateliercourbetcom


knoxville tenn   zenobia dobson removed the envelope from her mailbox and placed it unopened in her apartment in the lonsdale homes public housing complex her living room already crowded with artifacts of mourning respect and unrecoverable loss
there were the football jerseys framed but not yet hung on the walls in honor of her dead son proclamations from the city and county a large painting of his face in the clouds his weight bench still by the front door
there was also a collage produced for his funeral that included a reproduction of the twitter message from president obama that made her son zaevion posthumously famous it declared him a hero at 15 and asked whats our excuse for not acting on gun control legislation
ms dobson ran some errands and then came home and opened the envelope it was full of poems from university of tennessee students she had never met and their professor the poet marilyn kallet who wrote
i want to kill the bullet that killed your son zenobia want to stop this madness
ms dobson read the poems and then she cried as if it were still dec 17 that evening last year zaevion the youngest of her three sons and a promising high school football player was shot in the chest a couple of blocks from home in what the police say was a retaliatory gang attack zaevion the police said was an innocent bystander with no gang affiliation he died shielding two young women from the attackers
on jan 5 a few days after the presidents twitter post mr obama mentioned zaevion again in a tearful speech in which he proposed more vigorous gun control legislation the killing of this innocent teenager he said should allay any doubt as to why you should feel that fierce urgency of now
but that was not the feeling in knoxville the third largest city in a state where there has been little political appetite for a new gun control crusade
the republican controlled legislature here is one of the most gun friendly in the nation in february it passed a resolution naming a semiautomatic weapon the barrett model m82m107 as the official state rifle on monday gov bill haslam a republican allowed a bill to become law that will allow faculty and staff members at public colleges and universities to be armed
the mayor of knoxville madeline rogero a democrat in a city with a strong republican presence has decided that zaevions story would best serve as an argument for strengthening programs for at risk youth and addressing the root causes of gang violence
in an interview ms rogero with what seemed like a mix of pride and exasperation noted that she had been named as a defendant in two lawsuits challenging a city policy that banned firearms at the annual tennessee valley fair the national rifle association opposes the policy
when you make it just about guns then you dont really get more to the root cause of why somebody takes up a gun she said
the police chief david rausch who joined the mayor for an interview at city hall agreed that it would be tricky to make the teenagers death a gun issue because then you polarize people he said
and so with guns off the table the response to the killing in this city of 184000 has played out instead with a focus on themes that do not polarize in the american heartland a respect for chivalry sacrifice football and mothers who resolve to raise good sons
the state legislature has voted to name a freeway overpass for zaevion and at the lonsdale homes a playground will be built and dedicated in his name fulton high school where zaevion as a sophomore played linebacker and fullback for a football program that has won numerous state championships has created a scholarship named for him a countywide zaevion dobson day will be commemorated each jan 24 in honor of the number   24   that he wore on the field
among the items in ms dobsons living room is a citation of excellence presented by the knoxville police department extolling zaevions heroic act of valor and bravery in giving his life by placing himself in grave danger to protect others
ms dobson 46 is a single mother who grew up in the same project where she raised her boys encouraging their interest in sports and staying in close contact with their teachers with the death of zaevion she has become something of a public figure strangers recognize her from the news they just stop me at the mall and want to give me a hug she said
the response for many here was an example of knoxville at its best transcending the dividing lines of partisanship race and class state representative eddie smith a republican who represents zaevions neighborhood was instrumental in having the overpass named in his honor his first thought was to jump on top of those girls and protect them he said what high school student would have thought to react that way
but mr smith is among those who are adamant that gun control should not be part of the conversation criminals will always find a way he said im a christian so i go back to cain and abel it didnt involve a gun it involved a rock
after burying her son ms dobson returned to her job at a meals on wheels program for the elderly her politics are no secret a digitally altered image hanging in her kitchen shows mr obama malcolm x and the rev dr martin luther king jr together striking similarly pensive poses
she is grateful for the posthumous recognition zaevion has earned but frustrated that gun control is not part of the discussion on april 16 zaevions 12 year old cousin jajuan hubert latham was killed in an unrelated gang shootout that is under investigation
all i can do is just pray that one day theyll have a change of heart she said of tennessee lawmakers
ms dobson has been following her sons case closely chief rausch said that five people of interest had been picked up and questioned none have been charged for the killing though four are being held on other charges the police have not released information about the weapons used except to note that there was more than one
last week the mayor invited ms dobson to the unveiling of the proposed city budget which includes funding for a new recreation and jobs center for young people and increased funding for an antiviolence program called save our sons ms dobson could not attend she had to work
but she did go during her lunch break to hear ms kallet and her students at their poetry reading on friday afternoon they were poems of condolence mostly with hints of bewilderment and rage senseless shooting spree  ms kallets poem read echoing the language of news reports
as if there could be a meaningful shooting spree  
after reading most of the poets approached ms dobson and hugged her she hugged them all back and when they were done she dried her tears and made her way back to work


in the unregulated world of estate sales it can often be a challenge finding a reliable company to handle the unforgiving task of assessing and selling a persons lifetime of possessions in just a few days
that was the issue melanie stepanovich faced as executor of her cousins estate she had the daunting task of clearing out his home in downey calif
hundreds of boxes stacked to the ceiling were crammed into a 2200 square foot house some contained antique bronze statues 1920s lalique perfume bottles vintage disney memorabilia and tiffany style lamps rolled up persian rugs and antique furniture were scattered around the house ms stepanovich 67 a retired high school teacher had no idea where to start
do you know the hoarders tv show thats what the house looked like except it wasnt garbage or trash ms stepanovich said i was overwhelmed depressed and stressed to the max i knew i had to get help
after doing a little research online ms stepanovich hired grasons company estate sale services and within three weeks grasons had priced and sold the homes contents netting more than 20000 for the estate
the art of pricing antiques and selling hidden gems may seem easy in an era of ebay auctions and dazzling finds on antiques roadshow on pbs in reality turning estate sales into a profitable business can be difficult
still would be entrepreneurs have entered the estate sale business in droves more than 12000 estate sale companies operate across the country with more than 98 percent of them mom and pop businesses estimates micky mcquade chief executive of estatesalesnet a listing site for estate sales
unlike appraisers and auctioneers estate sale companies are not licensed or regulated making it difficult for consumers to assess or compare businesses
simone kelly who founded grasons is betting that building a business in this fragmented industry and franchising its name in cities across the country will give the company a leg up
having a brand name that is trusted and reputable is humongous for us ms kelly said she conducts background checks on all employees and potential franchisees she said and has rejected 14 people for franchises because they did not meet her standards
grasons held 245 estate sales through 11 franchises in three states in 2015 up from 27 estate sales in its first full year in 2012 ms kelly said she expected to have 40 franchises nationwide by the end of 2016 and 300 by 2020
grasons the parent company makes money by charging a 30000 franchisee fee and a 45 percent royalty on the franchisees gross estate sales it plans to raise the franchise fee to 40000 and charge a flat 500 a sale ms kelly said its revenue 103000 in 2012 rose to more than 375000 in 2015 she said she predicted that revenue would reach 920000 in 2016 and exceed 98 million in 2020
ms kelly said she was lobbying matthew harper a california state assemblyman to write legislation to regulate the industry madeleine cooper mr harpers legislative director confirmed that the state was considering ways to impose penalties or regulations on it
the estate sale business requires a deftness for both appraising and handling people
ms kelly recalled a large estate in september 2013 in which the deceased mans only surviving relative was his 94 year old mother possessions at the home in huntington beach calif included three rolls royces a 1992 jaguar xjs a 2006 cadillac escalade arizona leather interiors furniture four flat screen tvs a gun collection and a grand piano
tagging and pricing the items was challenging enough adding to the stress were the strangers dropping in professing to be long lost relatives or friends who were entitled to some of the property she said some were testy insisting that pen scrawls on napkins and random pieces of paper were proof of their claims
some even went searching through the koi pond looking for treasures she said it was crazy it was the most disgusting display of humanity id ever seen
ms kelly calmly referred all of them to the estates lawyer who sorted out what was owed to whom
grasons franchisees hope some of the experience and credibility that ms kelly acquired will help their operations the franchisees make their money by charging a commission usually 30 percent on the proceeds of each estate sale
in some instances they pocket as much as 50 percent for hoarding clean out jobs and as little as 10 percent for big ticket items such as cars and rare coins
franchisees say the estate sale business is often tough work we have two or three days to empty a house that took 60 years to fill and that takes skill said kathleen shattles who goes by kendra she owned a small estate sale company called americas attic in huntington beach calif before she bought grasonss first franchise in 2014 she recently bought a second franchise
combing through a labyrinth of possessions is also daunting elderly clients in particular are notorious for hiding valuables sometimes sewing them into the hems of draperies or taping them under floorboards
we literally pull up carpets we stomp on the floors we hit the walls we hit the ceiling we climb up into attics every drawer is removed and we look underneath it and behind it ms shattles said
building a business was one of ms kellys longtime goals she flexed her entrepreneurial muscle early digging up worms in the backyard to sell to fishermen while living in muskegon mich at 9 years old and setting up a lemonade stand at 11
even though she had no college education she started a loan company we financial in fountain valley calif in 2002 and in 2003 she bought a remax franchise in huntington harbour calif for 25000 when she sold the franchise and ancillary businesses after a divorce in 2006 it had 55 agents and was valued at more than 400000
while running the real estate business she discovered estate sales she saw potential for huge demand given the need for property sales after a divorce death of a parent or downsizing she scoured books antiques websites and auctions to learn about appraising and pricing items in late 2011 she started grasons which is named after her sons grant and jason
one customer cindy rossi said she had contacted three estate sale companies before choosing grasons to handle the sale of her former husbands estate in huntington harbour in 2014
the sprawling 5500 square foot home was chock full of antiques and collectibles including paintings a 1970 rolls royce and 1975 stutz blackhawk
ms rossi said the grasons brand made a difference
anytime youve got more than one office youre looking at somebody whose business is doing well or they wouldnt be expanding ms rossi said
grasonss biggest rivals are caring transitions of cincinnati and blue moon estate sales near raleigh nc which both operate franchised estate sale companies
blue moon which started in 2010 is similar to grasonss model but it focuses on the northeast and southeast while grasons is largely in the west however grasons recently added a pennsylvania franchise which probably will compete with blue moon
caring which started in 2006 and has 169 locations focuses on a different niche most of its customers are older people who are moving to a smaller home or an assisted living center it offers estate liquidation and relocation services which include packing and moving a client to a new home
ms kelly said her company did not compete directly with caring and sometimes even referred clients to it for his part chris seman president of caring transitions said the expansion of franchise operations would help the industry
the rising tide lifts all boats he said i think its good for the industry and will bring in a level of professionalism and quality that frankly is not there today


sight unseen offsite the show produced by the former id magazine editors monica khemsurov at left and jill singer right may attract only a fraction of the visitors expected at the international contemporary furniture fair but those who know design consider it a must see for new talent david alhadeff owner of the future perfect said it is more of interest to me   not only as a cultural participant of design week but also as a buyer within design week   than any other off site or the javits
an offshoot of the online magazine the pair founded in 2009 the show will be in the grace building overlooking bryant park this year with more than 50 exhibitors and it has become such a part of the establishment that mr alhadeff joked about using the name as an adjective i sometimes refer to things as being so sight unseen he said its not a negative comment
through may 16 at 1114 avenue of the americas information offsitesightunseencom


in one room of the new apparatus showroom on west 30th street in manhattan artisans polish raw brass by hand meticulously applying finishes to create a patina that looks decades old
in the next room someone cuts leather and horsehair and a few steps away others labor at workbenches methodically assembling the various pieces into sculptural light fixtures that conjure up a vague industrial past and are imposing enough to transform a space
this is the heart and soul of the operation said gabriel hendifar 34 who owns the firm with his fiance jeremy anderson 40 every single component that goes into every single fixture passes through all of these hands
in roughly five years apparatus has grown from two guys building light fixtures at their dining table to one of the most talked about american design firms with a staff of 35 a 10000 square foot studio and showroom that officially opens here later this month and a second showroom in milan
and all the while mr hendifar and mr anderson have remained steadfast in their commitment to maintain control of the entire process   not just the design but the manufacturing sales packaging and marketing
theres this idea of the maker that we were very much inspired by which feels like a thing in new york right now mr hendifar said
we were originally in los angeles looking to people like lindsey adelman jason miller and david weeks he said naming three established new york designers who have built their own hands on fabrication studios all these amazing people were doing all these great things
mr hendifar and mr anderson are not the only ones to emulate that model dozens of other young firms across the country are following suit unlike earlier generations of designers most of whom sought licensing agreements with large manufacturers they are taking control of nearly every aspect of production from initial concept to final product delivery
cara mccarty curatorial director at the cooper hewitt smithsonian design museum attributes this to a number of factors including e commerce and social media designers can sell online and become known in a way that they couldnt without that technology ms mccarty said thats made a huge difference
but its also an outgrowth of this go local movement she said drawing a connection to the popularity of artisanal foods and the farm to table trend in the same way that many consumers are turning away from mass produced foods in favor of the local and homegrown she said they are also seeking out small batch designer goods and often she said they have an opportunity to impact the final design and actually work with the maker its customized for their interior or taste
whether you think of it as locavore design or simply another byproduct of the tech revolution the maker movement is fueling a resurgence in american design not long ago the real excitement about new design was in europe at furniture fairs like the salone del mobile held every april in milan but increasingly american design seems to be stealing the spotlight
theres a lot of interest in the european market from european designers and architects said jacques barret founder of triode gallery in paris which has made products by american designers a focus for the last couple of years and is planning an exhibition on apparatus next month people who discover american design are very impressed with the design the materials and the way its done they design they make its really different from what we see in europe
nick cope 33 who runs the wallpaper company calico in red hook brooklyn with his wife rachel 34 has noticed a different attitude as well now during the milan furniture fair everyone is asking about whats going on with design in new york and how people are doing this he said
theres something about the american spirit of entrepreneurship and this pioneering attitude that you can do it all he said that seems extremely relevant right now
the copes founded their company in 2013 to produce one of a kind wall size murals ms cope creates original artwork by marbleizing paper using traditional methods or painting by hand and scans the finished pieces into a computer at high resolution
when a client places an order the artwork is digitally cropped to ensure that each installation is different and the nonrepeating pattern is printed on rolls of wallpaper that are assembled like a puzzle
companies have approached us about licensing things but for us working together in this studio and having complete control of production is so meaningful and rewarding ms cope said its part of our lifestyle were in this really lovely community with lots of designers around us
among the other designer driven workshops on the streets surrounding calicos studio is uhuru a furniture company founded in 2004 by jason horvath and bill hilgendorf who studied industrial design together at the rhode island school of design before starting a small woodworking shop in brooklyn
we didnt want to have to justify what we were trying to do to anyone else or to convince someone to make our stuff said mr horvath 38 we just wanted to design it and make it
after presenting their first collection at bklyn designs in 2006 they soon developed a reputation for creative use of reclaimed materials ipe from the coney island boardwalk heart pine beams from the domino sugar refinery in williamsburg brooklyn various scraps found on the street a new collection of brass tables and benches currently in the works was inspired by the rusty metal straps used to secure boxes to shipping pallets
uhuru now employs about 70 people in two production facilities an 8000 square foot space in an old warehouse in red hook brooklyn and a 40000 square foot operation in new holland pa
the company which opened a showroom in tribeca last year fills nearly 1 million in orders every month mr horvath said and to fulfill large commercial jobs like furniture for the new ace hotels in pittsburgh and new orleans the partners are overseeing additional production in nicaragua and vietnam
financial necessity of course plays a significant role in this charlie miner the chief executive of workof an online marketplace for products made by designers credits the recent financial crisis in particular
we attribute a lot of this growth to things that happened in the economy in 2007 and 2008 he said when students were graduating from design schools with few job prospects those individuals began forming independent studios and a few years later mr miner said the next generation of professional design and manufacturing brands was starting to emerge
workof which earns a commission on products sold through its website was founded in january 2014 and initially represented 10 design firms all in brooklyn since then it has grown rapidly and now offers products from more than 100 design studios across the country
the recession however cant be blamed for everything some designers like the role models for the partners of apparatus have insisted on retaining control of their work for a while now
in the beginning i produced everything said mr weeks 47 who has been making his own light fixtures for 20 years it was me personally at a jewelry table making swivels grinding metal and bending everything i cut the shades by hand and sanded them on the belt sander
i had every intention of developing a licensing arrangement he said until i had so many disappointing experiences in that realm not only the quality you get back but the relationships with companies who have their own agendas
and licensing agreements he was dismayed to discover typically paid only a fraction of the wholesale price of each product to the designer theyd have to sell a hundred of the thing that you can make one of he said for you to make the same amount of money
so mr weeks built up a studio of skilled artisans who could manufacture his designs in house with some custom parts from outside suppliers and thats how he continues to produce pieces like the large scale brass otto fixtures he is introducing this month
in 2013 he opened a tribeca showroom he now employs about 20 people and is moving his production studio to a larger 6000 square foot facility in bedford stuyvesant brooklyn
in decades past when most furniture and product designers were just one link in the production chain they created objects in their studios with paper computers or physical models and then handed off the designs to manufacturers those manufacturers not only built the designs but promoted them as well paying for the cost of things like advertising customer service and exhibiting at furniture fairs
this is how charles and ray eames worked in the 1940s and its how european design stars like patricia urquiola and ronan and erwan bouroullec still work today
but designers who make their own products dont have that kind of support so many of them are turning to one another forming collectives that allow them to share experiences contacts and the costs of presenting at trade fairs
one such group is join a collective that began in seattle expanded to include a larger swath of the pacific northwest and now has members from across north america
we had a community of friends who were involved in making things the same way we were said chelsea minola 35 one of the founders of the group who owns the design firm grain on bainbridge island wash with her husband james 33 we shared all kinds of resources and presented at design shows together it was a really important part of how we grew our business and was invaluable in bringing attention to our tiny brands
its a little like an old fashioned barn raising the whole community coming together to help whomever is in need a similar image comes to mind when you hear that calico painted the large wall panels in apparatuss new showroom or that uhuru helped to build the display units that calico uses for its presentations at trade fairs or that other designers are pooling resources to fund a shared showroom like colony in manhattan
mr minola who helped found join described this sort of cooperation in its most basic form as pragmatic its creating a platform to show work he said
then he corrected himself its more than that its community building
thats a big claim but one that will sound familiar to any locavore


beirut lebanon   a new partial truce in the syrian civil war has been extended to the divided city of aleppo officials from the united states russia and syria said wednesday after days of diplomacy by american and russian envoys to halt catastrophic fighting there
but the details and duration of the partial truce   and whether it imposed new conditions on the syrian government insurgents or their international backers   remained murky
the parties that negotiated it did not even agree on the precise timing the state department said the truce had begun at 1201 am on wednesday and syrian state television said it would take effect at 1 am on thursday
nor did their statements clarify the main disagreement between the united states which backs some insurgents and russia the most powerful ally of the syrian government over which rebel groups are fair game for government and russian airstrikes
the crux of the problem is that nusra front fighters affiliated with al qaeda are intermingled in parts of insurgent held territory with rebel groups that have agreed to the partial truce
russia says those groups can therefore be targeted while the united states has argued against russias position the american backed rebels have been told to dissociate from all who are not part of the truce but some rebels have said that is impractical
aleppo the main hub of northern syria is a crucial battleground split between government controlled and insurgent held territory nearly 300 people mostly civilians have died in renewed fighting there with government airstrikes pummeling the rebel section and rebels shelling the other side
the fighting has shattered a two month respite provided by a partial cease fire that tamped down the death toll across syria now in its sixth year of war but the violence never ended entirely especially amid sharp disagreements between russia and the united states over what constituted a violation the nusra front and the islamic state were excluded from the deal
in a statement a state department spokesman mark c toner said that after an agreement on friday to restore a truce in the damascus suburbs and in the northern province of latakia russia concluded arrangements late tuesday to extend this effort to aleppo province including aleppo city and its surrounding areas
since this went into effect today at 0001 in damascus we have seen an overall decrease in violence in these areas even though there have been reports of continued fighting in some locations mr toner said
but syrian state television quoted the syrian army command as saying that a cease fire would apply in aleppo starting at 1 am on thursday the russian defense minister maj gen igor konashenkov told the official interfax news agency that the truce would last for 48 hours through friday
earlier on wednesday foreign minister sergey v lavrov of russia told rossiya segodnya a state owned news agency that russia the united states and its allies and the syrian government had all agreed on terms for a cease fire but that the syrian government said the opposition continues to shoot
he said the united states had tried to define the territory of the truce in such a way as to include a significant part of the positions held by the nusra front
he added this was absolutely unacceptable and at the end we managed to strike it down
general konashenkov in a briefing for reporters visiting russias air base at latakia in northwestern syria called the renewed commitment to the cease fire a success in much of syria but he said attacks by the nusra front had obstructed the extension of the cease fire to aleppo
broadly though he called russian and american efforts to bring local groups of fighters into the cease fire process a success he said russian negotiators had persuaded 52 opposition units of differing affiliations in 92 towns and villages to join these people lived together for thousands of years he said we need to get them back together
at an emergency session of the united nations security council on wednesday afternoon the under secretary general jeffrey feltman told diplomats that an agreement even on a day of silence in aleppo   meaning a one day truce   had proved challenging
also appearing before the security council the united nations top relief official stephen obrien chronicled attacks on an ambulance two hospitals and two united nations supported primary health centers in the last two weeks he singled out the syrian government for denying permits to health workers to immunize children
earlier in the day in geneva jan egeland a norwegian diplomat who is a senior adviser to the united nations relief effort in syria warned that thousands of aleppo residents were at risk of siege besiegement is worse in syria than in any other place on earth he said
both the government and its armed opponents have carried out new offensives in the past two days even as diplomats worked on the new truce
mr toner the state department spokesman noted in his statement that there had been dozens of airstrikes by the government in the besieged damascus suburbs on wednesday morning and called for a reaffirmation of the temporary truce there
at the same time both mr feltman and mr lavrov singled out the nusra front for making it difficult to stop the fighting
vitaly i churkin the russian ambassador to the united nations chided the opposition and its backers for not distancing themselves from the nusra front on the battlefield this has not occurred he said in the council session
on both sides of aleppo people cautiously welcomed a new pause in heavy fighting but expressed doubts it could last
zakaria malahifji the political chief of an american aided rebel group said that in parts of aleppo the effects of the truce had already been felt
airstrikes stopped today by 11 am he said adding that there were still skirmishes in some places but no open battles
it is just the pressure by the international world that made the regime stop bombing but this has been repetitive and the regime will bomb again he said
dr tahsin martini an ophthalmic surgeon in government controlled western aleppo said the city was much quieter on wednesday
but dr martini was skeptical that the deal would amount to much more than a tactical pause between the belligerents we dont see a lot of hope in these cease fires he said by telephone on the other side they are fanatics and the families of fanatics the last cease fire only gave them time to regroup and get more ammunition and arms in order to hit us even harder than before
the high negotiations committee the syrian opposition group in exile that objects to any political solution that includes president bashar al assad criticized the partial truce saying in a statement that it should cover all areas of syria not just select locations
our people deserve a relief from bombs of terror being rained on them by the regime deserve to return to their homes in peace and deserve a lasting solution to the bloodshed it said which means a syria free of assad


an article on monday by gina kolata about the biggest loser contestants who are struggling six years later with regaining much of the weight they lost on the show drew a flood of responses from new york times readers the article   after the biggest loser their bodies fought to regain weight  explained how the body fights back hard against major weight loss with changes both to how many calories a person burns when at rest and levels of some hormones readers posted more than 2500 comments and the article was the most shared on the times website and facebook page on tuesday below is a selection of responses which have been edited for clarity
at last we have persuasive medical evidence that being overweight is a disease rather than a moral failing and some people appear to be dealt a fat future at birth my cousin in a thin family was chubby from the time she was 3 years old she has battled to stay thin since she was 10 doctors have chastised her for eating too much slapping her with the conventional wisdom that her excess calories are the problem a person of determination and discipline she had fought hard over the years dieting for months exercising by swimming bicycling and hiking dozens of times she has lost the pounds only to see them come back to the point her previous weight has been surpassed at age 34 she now weighs 285 pounds at 5 5 she is obese to spend time with her can be heartbreaking as we walk down the street i watch people regard this gallant woman who has struggled so hard with contempt and disgust some even make comments like you should be ashamed or stop gorging thank goodness she has many people who love her including a handsome fit husband whom she met at the gym she is a brilliant wonderful human in a fat body
 samsara
so can we stop our cultural tendency to fat shame people now
 working mama in new york city
this is depressing and more than a bit overwhelming as someone who has struggled with weight almost all of my adult life i cant help but wonder if i am fighting a losing battle or making things worse in the long run stay at my current weight overweight though not obese or diet and risk lowering my already low metabolism even more i exercise daily and vigorously though that seems to have little impact on my weight but have gone on and off heavily restrictive diets for more than 10 years and its true each time i stop i gain a bit more weight so that now i am 20 pounds more than i was 10 years ago
 ann in el paso
i was 10 years old when i first dieted i have been dieting all my life each time i regain the weight plus 20 more pounds the last time i decided on different goals i wanted to feel better and move through space more easily rather than lose weight on a scale i threw my scale away i focused on what i needed to eat rather than what i should not
 cyn in new orleans
i lost the weight slowly probably about a 2 to 3 year span of time and after reading this im glad i did not do it any faster
 christina
i was a chubby child not good at games unpopular with peers and embedded in a dysfunctional family food was a reliable pleasure and comfort you are not doing your kid any favors by giving him that bag of chips or big gulp or encouraging him to graze nonstop so you cant just go on a diet and then go off you must change your life for me at least it was worth it
 acw in new jersey
the amount of exercise the show uses is unrealistic in the extreme slower weight loss and more moderate brisk walking exercise would be a more prudent approach i lost 1 to 2 pounds a week for a total of 45 pounds im 5 2 and have maintained it with some up and down for over eight years the up and down is never more than five pounds and only happens when i stop weighing myself once per week
 janet camp in milwaukee
i am an md who works with patients to optimize weight loss every day and i teach at columbia eighty percent of my practice is metabolic related for example i saw a 20 year old student about two hours ago who is barely eating 800 1000 calories per day and exercising for an hour per day mostly aerobic just to maintain her mildly overweight build in the face of pre diabetes her body fights her for every pound every day ceaselessly this article is exactly what i see in daily clinically practice   how losing weight is the relatively easy part compared to the chronic battle one has as the body relentlessly tries to return you to the set weight it wants
 joseph feuerstein md in connecticut
as a scientist i do not argue with the data that is collected regarding the slowed metabolism i have to imagine it has something to do with the pace at which these contestants lose their weight looking at mr cahills description of his life on the show or during his four months at home it is simply not a realistic lifestyle except for people being sponsored by a reality tv show my biggest concern from this study is that some people will read this and direct the reason for their weight gain completely to something is wrong with my body and while this study appears to say yes there is there is nothing more hopeless than trying so hard to do something and finding out that its not going to work because of something that is out your control i think this can be very easily interpreted by some to give up and say their obesity it because of their malfunctioning metabolism that can be very easy to do but also very dangerous for the individual to give up that pursuit of a healthy lifestyle
 j in new york
the elephant in the room is that we are living in a society where food is abundant and temptations abound we are bombarded with food commercials on tv grocery stores are packed with delicious high calorie items that we end up buying despite our best intentions people keep bringing delicious doughnuts and bagels to work and leave them lying around for everyone to eat i have found that when i go overseas   specifically to india to see my mother   i lose weight because i just dont eat junk food and i dont miss it either i also end up walking a lot more over there than i do here what this article is missing is the psychological and environmental factors that cause addiction to unhealthy foods
  rajs ca
still its not just biology rates of obesity are much higher in the united states than the rest of the world that is the fact that scientists interested in preventing obesity should be researching
 tonyd michigan


baltimore   while the sky continued to fall around the yankees on wednesday afternoon with alex rodriguez headed to the disabled list leaving a dilapidated offense without one of its seemingly sturdiest pillars brian mccann sat calmly at his locker
so as fans clamored for nick swisher or aaron judge or rob refsnyder   or anyone   to be recalled from the minors and inserted into the lineup and as the yankees sank further in the american league east mccann displayed a been around the block demeanor
if there was angst swirling around the yankees over their floundering start to the season it had not enveloped at least one corner of the visitors clubhouse
i know this mccann said baseball is such a long season youre going to have courses through the season where you play bad baseball it just so happens that ours is april and its magnified we still have a long time to get this turned around and thats got to be our mind set in here weve got five months to continue to climb up the standings and thats just the reality to it
the yankees took at least one step in the proper direction later wednesday getting a turn back the clock performance from c c sabathia and three rbi from mccann to break open a tight game and beat the baltimore orioles 7 0 the victory ended a six game losing streak that had at times seemed more like 60
we felt like we clinched a playoff berth left fielder brett gardner said
nobody was more responsible for ending the skid than sabathia whose previous trip here had ended with his walking into manager joe girardis office last october and leaving the team to check into an alcohol rehabilitation clinic sabathia who had done little so far this season to engender much confidence that he could be more than a passable fifth starter threw seven shutout innings   the first time he had done that since april 7 2013
its a big contrast from me standing in this locker room the last time sabathia said to be able to go out and get us a win felt great
sabathia who allowed six hits and two walks and struck out six used his cut fastball and his fading changeup to work both sides of the plate he also mixed in his slider and his two seam fastball his pinpoint control left the orioles so off balance that when he worked up in the zone with his marginal fastball he was able to sneak it by as he did in striking out joey rickard and manny machado
sabathia induced three inning ending double plays and escaped a first and third one out fix in the fifth by striking out rickard with a letter high 87 mile per hour fastball before retiring machado on a liner to center field
when he has all his pitches he has two going one way and two going the other way which i think is important girardi said and theyre all different speeds
when sabathia struck out caleb joseph to end the seventh inning he strode slowly off the mound as yankees fans behind the third base dugout rose to applaud he descended the dugout steps into a swarm of teammates offering high fives
sabathia was not the yankees only encouraging performer jacoby ellsbury reached base five times one of them on a single that began the three run rally in the sixth that broke a scoreless tie mccann contributed with a run scoring single in that inning and a two run double in the eighth when the yankees put the game out of reach
carlos beltran started the four run rally in that inning with a ringing double
it was a bounty of riches of a kind rarely enjoyed this season by the yankees who had been held to two runs or fewer in 13 of their first 24 games the only real cause for concern at the end of the night was the condition of gardner who took a bases loaded fastball from the orioles dylan bundy on his right elbow in the eighth it was a painful way to drive in a run
gardner left the game in the ninth although x rays were negative it seemed unlikely that he would play thursday when the yankees finish their road trip
on wednesday beltran replaced rodriguez as the designated hitter a role that girardi said would also fall to teixeira and mccann
the decision to replace rodriguez on the roster with reliever james pazos raised eyebrows but girardi said it was in deference to the yankees schedule on tuesday they began a stretch in which they play 20 games in 20 days and girardi emphasized that they might not carry 13 pitchers through that entire stretch
also to be determined is the extent of rodriguezs injury although a magnetic resonance imaging exam wednesday morning revealed a strained right hamstring rodriguez had not yet been examined by the team doctor so little was known except that he will spend at least 15 days on the disabled list
rodriguez 40 said it was important to let a hamstring injury heal because rushing back could lead to a more serious setback he missed 13 games with a hamstring injury in 1996 when he was 20
i felt pretty good coming in but the machine doesnt lie rodriguez said youve got to be smart theres a lot of baseball to be played this year


the curtain rises but the actors onstage dont know how the show begins nor do they know what the story is which actor plays what role or who those characters are exactly this is not a description of an actors nightmare but of a very real entirely improvised play called stolen house that takes place on borrowed stage sets
when it arrives for late night performances in manhattan this weekend the cast members will make themselves at home on sets used for current productions at the anne l bernstein theater the victorian drawing room of perfect crime and the barrow street theater the clinical environment of the effect from there an unscripted two act play will unfold
it helps that the cast is made up of a supergroup of improv stars the chicago duo tj jagodowski and david pasquesi better known as tj and dave the members of the los angeles team weirdass stephnie weir and bob dassie and the new yorkers scott adsit and john lutz all six are comedians with credits like 30 rock mr adsit and mr lutz madtv ms weir and veep mr pasquesi and each excels at the kind of long form improv popularized in new york by the upright citizens brigade but the stolen house crew specializes in a slower more patient version grounded in everyday relationships
the show is the brainchild of the stars as well as of the director stephen ruddy and the barrow street theater producer scott morfee mr ruddy has long sought to find overlap between scripted theater and spontaneous performance he has produced gravid water a show that matches improvisers with actors who have memorized lines from scripts playing at the ucb theater since 2004 when he saw the broadway production of august osage county in 2008 mr ruddy imagined what skilled improvisers could do on its elaborate multilevel set years later he proposed the stolen house concept to the best and most theatrical improvisers he could think of   who all had worked in gravid water
the performers knew one another from second city and the io theater in chicago and fell in love with the idea it is really just an expansion of the natural work we already do but it is given a kind of legitimacy mr adsit said by phone
mr morfee and the barrow street name helped mr ruddy start conversations with a number of theaters many of which were surprisingly game to have the cast members pay a visit its a pretty good financial model mr ruddy said were using their space at a time no one is using it and i remind producers that they arent drunken 20 year old kids they respect theater
in chicago the producers of sideshow theater companys stupid  bird allowed stolen house to play on their suburban kitchen set but mr ruddy supplied foods and dishware players drank beer and ate baked goods when it felt appropriate
the cast started working on stolen house in 2013 rehearsing in new york and chicago they read aristotles poetics agreed on a loose definition of what made a play and determined a collective approach to theme and character they experimented on empty sets with handfuls of props mr ruddy had brought with him unlike improv performed in black box theaters stolen house adheres to the physical reality suggested by its set and each show kicks off with basic scene building techniques informed partly by the surroundings
but until opening night in chicago at the victory gardens theater last august the cast members had not successfully completed a rehearsal of their two act format we shrugged our shoulders and said well i dont know what this is going to be mr adsit recalled we might be defeated here
the run was far from a defeat all four shows sold out and the breadth of subject matter and tone gave the performers a sense of what was possible in one show an oddball family debated whether to sell their dead parents home another night turned into a mamet esque sex comedy revolving around a lovable loser and his blind date
the foundations of stolen house can be seen most clearly in mr jagodowski and mr pasquesi whose subtlety and dynamism have convinced many theatergoers of what improv can accomplish in 2014 jason zinoman wrote in the new york times in the most ephemeral art form tj  dave creates characters rich enough that you can almost believe they have a past and a future
when mr morfee saw the duo in 2004 he said their shows seemed like plays and he booked them at the barrow street four times annually while stolen house is not meant to improve on what mr pasquesi and mr jagadowski do it is mr morfee said a conceptual cousin of tj  dave
the backers of stolen house say they hope to make it a continuing engagement popping up in different theaters across the city several times a year even though they dont know what the content of the show will be each night that includes mr morfee who is producing the show despite never having seen it live he has been given videos but refuses to watch them he said ill be sitting in the audience along with everybody else going holy cow i hope this works


flint mich   the flint city worker who was one of three people charged last month in connection with the citys water crisis has agreed to cooperate with investigators in exchange for reduced charges
the city employee michael glasgow flints laboratory and water quality supervisor had been charged with tampering with lead testing reports a felony punishable by five years in jail and with willful neglect of duty a misdemeanor
on wednesday prosecutors threw out the tampering charge and mr glasgow pleaded no contest to the misdemeanor on the condition that he continue to cooperate with state and federal investigators who have said that more arrests in relation to the crisis are on the way
a deal for mr glasgows cooperation was widely anticipated his arrest came as a surprise to some as he had voiced concerns over the decision to switch the citys water supply to the flint river from lake huron in 2014 when no corrosion controls were added after the switch at flints water treatment plant pipes started leaching lead poisoning much of the citys water
the deal came with conditions judge jennifer manley of genesee district court said the court would revisit the agreement every three months to make sure that mr glasgow is holding up his end of the bargain robert harrison mr glasgows lawyer called the arrangement unusual but said mr glasgow was pleased to contribute to the investigation
todd flood special counsel for the states investigation into the flint water crisis said its possible that all charges could be dropped after one year he has to fulfill the conditions mr flood said
mr flood declined to comment on what information mr glasgow could contribute to further investigations when asked how crucial mr glasgows cooperation was he said i wouldnt have done it if it wasnt
a hearing on wednesday for the other people arrested so far two state department of environmental quality workers was postponed


when michael pomeranc was growing up in the mid 1960s in rego park queens his parents and their friends spent countless evenings discussing their harrowing experiences in world war ii all were survivors of the holocaust and mr pomeranc often saw them chain smoking and crying late into the night the absence of anything tangible from their histories plagued him most
not having the ability to understand where everybody went was very very traumatizing mr pomeranc 58 a prominent new york city hotelier said recently as he sat in the lobby of his hotel sixty soho what happened to the cemeteries of my great grandparents where are my grandparents and my aunts can you go there would you see anything it was like they were talking in an abyss
the pomeranc family is well known in new york real estate circles jack pomeranc came to america after the war and amassed a fortune building residential properties and airport hotels mostly in new jersey now 88 he still spends most days commuting from his fifth avenue apartment to his office in fort lee his sons larry michael and jason the youngest and a frequent presence in the style pages built up a national chain of celebrity friendly boutique hotels
but the past was always with them particularly for michael who spent nearly three decades working to uncover the fate of his murdered relatives last seen in adampol a polish agricultural town near belarus in the 1990s he began searching historic records and tracking down leads across europe it was not until this year when caroline sturdy colls a forensic archaeologist he had hired completed three years of research that his efforts led him back to adampol
in january dr sturdy colls an associate professor of forensic archaeology and genocide investigation at staffordshire university in england published the first full scale investigation of adampol according to her findings as many as 1000 jewish victims are buried there in mass graves beneath farmland woodland rubbish heaps and a shooting range because of mr pomeranc efforts are now underway to erect a monument and protect the site from development
adampol is significant said paul shapiro the director of the jack joseph and morton mandel center for advanced holocaust studies at the united states holocaust memorial museum in washington to really know   not to guess   where these sites are is huge and of course that poses the question once we know what will the world do about it
in recent years researchers have uncovered a vast network of more than 42000 relatively unknown nazi camps and ghettos many of which were behind the iron curtain or had few surviving eyewitnesses who could tell their stories most of the sites remain unmarked neglected and poorly documented attempts to mark these areas are increasing and are also often controversial
the reality is that today in some little town someone decides to build a supermarket and when they go to dig they find human remains mr shapiro said unless something is done you have the prospect of the remains of the victims of the holocaust simply strewn across the european continent and ultimately built on top of
preserving an area for remembrance can be a complex process that necessitates cooperation from local authorities and the polish government the chief rabbi of poland michael schudrich who must also sign off is currently reviewing the adampol findings
it is not only in the pomeranc family that adampol looms large survivors settled in various countries including britain canada and israel and many have since reconnected via facebook and other online outlets
adampol was a horrible catastrophe and yet no one has ever heard of it said helen maryles shankman who lives in teaneck nj
she turned her mothers stories of surviving adampol as a child into several fictionalized retellings including in the land of armadillos her most recent book published this year by scribner
for arie hochberg who was born just after the war in lublin a town to the south of adampol the discovery offers a flicker of hope it is very possible that my grandmother and aunts and uncles were buried there said mr hochberg who lives on the upper west side of manhattan
his mother anna yuchtman was a 20 year old nurse when the war broke out and survived by escaping to russia she returned after the war to discover just one sister still alive the rest of her family disappeared said mr hochberg who runs a business importing israeli wines and sits on the board of the blue card a holocaust organization until her death in 2004 she didnt know where or how they died
adampol featured a landed estate owned by a polish prince which was converted during the war into a slave labor camp jews worked the estates fields and slept in its barns and stables at first jews from the surrounding areas flocked to adampol driven by the mistaken notion that it would be safer than staying in the towns and ghettos where executions and deportation to the nearby sobibor death camp were increasingly common like many others the pomeranc family including jack his parents and five of his siblings sought refuge there an older sister chaja had earlier fled to belarus
adampol turned out to be far from the safe haven the pomeranc family had hoped the conditions of the camp were undeniably harsh with endless hours of manual labor and meager food rations the constant threat of mass shootings was most terrifying
we were afraid every minute of every day jack pomeranc said every few months there were shootings we never knew when they would suddenly appear and everyone would try running and hiding we were lucky the woods were nearby
in those woods which were large and deep and still border the town of adampol hid a ragtag group of jewish partisan fighters the young men and women starving and poorly armed raided farmhouses in search of food and supplies and conducted missions to free fellow jews jack and his older brother jurek often sneaked out of the camp and stayed with the partisans
in september 1943 jurek and his cousin returned to adampol for abram jacks 8 year old brother before the boys could return to the woods another mass shooting began they scrambled to safety but their parents and two youngest sisters who were probably ages 3 and 4 were shot and thrown into shallow graves
jack his brothers and their sole surviving sister cesia remained in the forest with the partisans for the rest of the war death was always near in one instance jack was shot in the back during a raid and he hid in a dirt hole for weeks while cesia tried healing him with salves made from leaves
jack survived the war but those he lost were never far from his mind we were not the typical american family said michael pomeranc who recounted the family stories jack had told him when my father came home from work and would see all of us around the dinner table he would get very emotional we lived two lives   the public life and the private one
to provide a modicum of healing for his father and some resolution for himself mr pomeranc set out to uncover as much as he could about the family he searched for birth certificates school papers and other personal documents he hired researchers to interview townspeople in adampol and villages where his family lived before the war he offered rewards   no questions asked   if they returned items that had once belonged to jews he unearthed a few photographs but nothing more
then mr pomeranc hired dr sturdy colls who had conducted similar research at treblinka a nazi extermination camp in poland because jewish law forbids disturbing the dead archaeological excavations of holocaust sites is not possible instead she combed through thousands of pages of postwar trials witness testimonies and government papers unearthing stories of camp life and the murders that occurred there
she visited adampol hoping to spot evidence with her naked eye and was successful next to one of the buildings someone had dug a pit for a drain pipe and in the soil there were burned bone fragments that were quite easy to see and you could see there were additional bones so it was likely they were scattered she said
dr sturdy colls also employed advanced technologies like light detection and ranging or lidar which shoots pulsed laser beams from sensors mounted on aircraft or satellites to measure the height of the ground surface and produced detailed three dimensional maps she uncovered several large depressions indicating mass graves and one area where the graves were perfectly aligned in straight rows i think there could be in the region of 800 to 1000 mass graves but it could be more she said
while dr sturdy colls has finished her report mr pomeranc would like her to go back to adampol to uncover more definitive proof of the grave sites but first they must obtain rabbi schudrichs approval
people wonder why dig so deep into this past mr pomeranc said the truth is we never left the past weve never entirely been able to leave the death camps and the partisans and the forests behind


berlin   in his first comments since stirring a diplomatic dispute with turkey a german satirist said that chancellor angela merkel filleted and served me with tea to president recep tayyip erdogan of turkey who is trying to prosecute the comic over an obscene poem
jan bohmermann who has become germanys most notorious comic since his sketch lampooning the turkish leader aired on march 31 joined a chorus of critics who have accused ms merkel of curtailing free speech
ms merkel was the chief proponent of a european union deal with turkey that has helped stem the chaotic flow of migrants to europe mr erdogans cooperation is still needed to enforce that deal
in return he has sought billions of dollars in aid and other concessions including looser visa restrictions for turkeys citizens the european union proposed visa free travel for turks on wednesday
but mr erdogan has also used his new leverage to pursue his critics in europe extending a crackdown at home that has already targeted more than 1800 opponents for insulting him
it is not my job to make art that angela merkel or whoever always finds agreeable mr bohmermann said in an interview with the german weekly die zeit published on wednesday on the contrary my role is to ask questions start debates and draw attention to problems
the chancellor is not allowed to waver when it comes to freedom and human rights he added but instead of this she filleted me and served me up with tea to a despot suffering a nervous breakdown
ms merkel initially called the poem satirizing mr ergodan deliberately offensive something mr bohmermann himself concedes
the chancellor has since apologized telling reporters that in hindsight it was a mistake to make the remarks and has repeatedly stressed the importance of freedom of expression and the press in germany but she allowed a lawsuit filed by mr erdogan against the comedian to proceed under a 19th century law that allows prosecution in germany for insulting a foreign leader
mr bohmermanns interpretation of the proceeding was slightly different now there will be a trial in the name of the people humor vs the german government mr bohmermann said in the interview which was complete with emojis im eager to see who will get the last laugh
in the uproar that followed his poem mr bohmermann took an extended break canceling his regular show which is to air next week at its regularly scheduled time after receiving threats from turkish nationalists he was forced to live under police protection he canceled an appearance at an awards show and his social media pages went dark for six weeks
but on wednesday mr bohmermann was back several hours after the interview was published in germany he spoke to his fans live over social media from new york where he was supposed to appear on the nightly show with larry wilmore but said he had changed his mind because he wanted his first television appearance to be in germany
one fan asked about the hardest part of his hiatus the worst was having to keep my mouth shut he said munching on melon slices
mr bohmermanns fans have remained loyal throughout the affair but the reactions on wednesday from german media outlets that had rushed to his defense several weeks ago were decidedly mixed
tanit koch the editor in chief of the mass circulation bild daily took the comedian to task for failing to accept ms merkels willingness to recognize and apologize for her mistake
jan bohmermann can allow himself to be ironically irresponsible from the safety of the tv screen angela merkel does not have that luxury ms koch wrote pointing out that the chancellor has had to deal with the very real and unironic diplomatic disaster that bohmermanns poem created
in doing so ms koch added she made mistakes which she readily admitted to that showed her class however jan bohmermann has shown no such stature
stefan kornelius the foreign editor of suddeutsche zeitung who wrote a biography of ms merkel questioned whether mr bohmermann had actually paid attention to her remarks in which she said she was letting the judiciary rule on whether the comedian had gone too far stressing that such decisions are not a matter for the government
of course merkel made a mistake mr kornelius said but he supported her decision to give the courts the final word on whether the poem crossed the boundaries of satire or should be protected as freedom of speech in the end in germany it will be up to a court to decide that


a tsunami of contemporary and modern art is arriving in new york city this week and its easy to feel overwhelmed running from now through the weekend are at least nine art fairs with work by thousands of artists and dealers from dozens of countries thats in addition to the citys standing array of art offerings comprising hundreds of gallery and museum shows
not to mention the boatloads of public art on view
there is far more than one person could see much of it up for just a few days before its trundled off to someones private collection
for a nonexpert with an appetite for art but a limited amount of time and money this situation calls for careful strategizing so we asked some veteran fairgoers for tips on how to make the most of it
dress to impress   the people watching is half the fun said melena ryzik a culture reporter who has covered several art fairs for the new york times and dont be shy about engaging the gallery assistants often their seeming aloofness is just a mask for boredom and they are happy to answer questions
martha schwendener a critic for the times warned against trying too hard to see everything even if you feel that you have been extraordinarily conscientious and thorough   and even if youre an expert art viewer   one of your friends or maybe one of your frenemies is going to say oh you didnt see x that was incredible you really missed out
other suggestions arrive early the crowds get thicker in the afternoon your phones battery will not last all day so carry a charger and note that while admission prices can be steep many fairs offer discounts for students seniors or young people
now what sort of experience are you looking for
frieze new york now in its fifth year is the luxury option it offers the broadest range of art is the hardest to get to and charges the highest admission fee standard tickets are 49 and it takes place on randalls island in a tent large enough for three decent circuses with more than 200 galleries showing some of the bright lights among contemporary artists
this seems to be a strong year for female artists the organizers said with gallery shows focused on lisa yuskavage and isa genzken at david zwirner huma bhabha judy chicago and betty woodman at salon 94 and works by cornelia parker whose roof installation just opened at the met at londons frith street gallery
not everything is for sale the fair running thursday through sunday also offers commissioned work through its frieze projects and frieze sounds series
performers carrying mirrored discs positioned outside the tent will track the movement of clouds as part of an eduardo navarro work instructions from the sky in anthea hamiltons reinterpretation of a 1972 project by the italian architect mario bellini a futuristic car is to be stuffed with mimes who will it is threatened interact with viewers and at least one professional pickpocket will be on hand acting on behalf of the artist david horvitz to deposit small sculptures in the pockets of some visitors all other pickpocketing is unauthorized
as in previous years the fair will also pay tribute to an artist project or art gallery that has had a lasting impact this year in homage to daniel newburg gallery which operated from 1984 to 1994 in lower manhattan maurizio cattelan will restage his 1994 exhibition warning enter at your own risk do not touch do not feed no smoking no photographs no dogs thank you the gallerys last it consists of a donkey in a bare room illuminated by a chandelier
if this sounds like a lot frieze offers many chances to relax and indulge food vendors include frankies spuntino robertas and cosme among others and a series of talks organized by tom eccles executive director of the center for curatorial studies at bard college promises to engage the brain while the body rests the poet eileen myles speaks on thursday afternoon on saturday the novelist ben lerner will join in conversation with the critic hal foster
getting there can be tricky so plan on making a day of it the best way to go is the east river ferry service 19 round trip which departs every 30 minutes from east 35th street an additional ferry runs thursday and friday only departing from east 90th street
most of these are easier to reach with lower cost of admission
portal in its first year is organized by 4heads inc which also presents the governors island art fair the focus is on emerging artists it runs through tuesday at the federal hall national memorial at 26 wall street free
spring masters offers fine art as well as design and jewelry at the park avenue armory friday through monday 25 online 30 in person
nada features more than 70 funky galleries from a dozen countries through sunday at 299 south street on the lower east side 20
context new york and art new york share the same location pier 94 12th avenue at west 54th street and run through sunday context is focused on early  to midcareer artists while art new york aims to showcase important never before exhibited works from both primary and secondary markets 40
154 contemporary african art fair includes 17 galleries from nine countries with work by 60 artists on view it takes place at pioneer works in red hook brooklyn 159 pioneer street friday through sunday 20
flux is a hybrid of art fair and public installations with works and events across harlem events take place through the end of may some require tickets
collective design offers works of striking design from more than 30 galleries through sunday at 550 washington street soho 32
with so much attention focused elsewhere this could be a good weekend to crawl some neighborhood galleries here are some recent recommendations from times critics
betty tompkins women words phrases and stories at the flag art foundation in chelsea
jean dubuffet anticultural positions at acquavella galleries on the upper east side
jessi reaves at bridget donahue on the lower east side
akio suzuki at southfirst gallery in williamsburg
the 1970s the blossoming of a queer enlightenment at the leslie lohman museum of gay and lesbian art in soho
or take a peek at whats on offer in next weeks evening art auctions
christies has three big evening sales next week ranging from impressionists to contemporary art with works by cindy sherman jeff koons and jean michel basquiat many will be on display in their rockefeller center showroom during business hours
sothebys will have two major evening sales next week as well including works by claude monet francis bacon and cy twombly their showroom is at 1334 york avenue at east 71st street


london   prime minister david cameron gave in to pressure from the house of lords on wednesday and announced that britain would accept more unaccompanied syrian children as refugees
mr cameron did not specify numbers but acted after a campaign led by a labour peer alf dubs who came to britain from czechoslovakia in 1939 at age 6 fleeing the nazis in a program called the kindertransport in which hundreds of jewish children were rescued
were going to go round the local authorities and see what more we can do mr cameron told parliament
but he did not want to take steps that will encourage people to make this dangerous journey from syria to europe he said
britain has agreed to take 20000 refugees over five years from those in camps outside europe and is providing aid to those camps but mr cameron has refused to take part in a european union plan to redistribute refugees already in europe arguing that it only encourages others to take to the sea
mr dubs said later i trust the prime minister will be true to his word and move swiftly to ensure the home office works closely with local authorities to find foster families to give these young people a stable and secure home


washington   deaths from hepatitis c in the united states continued climbing in 2014 the centers for disease control and prevention reported on wednesday but experts hope the trend will reverse over the next few years as more people with the virus receive highly effective new treatments
the agency also found that more americans died from complications of hepatitis c in 2013 than from 60 other infectious conditions combined including hiv tuberculosis and pneumococcal disease but while there has been an explosion in new hepatitis c cases among young opioid addicts who inject heroin and other drugs with shared needles the rising deaths are largely among baby boomers who contracted the virus decades ago and have deteriorated over time
theyve progressively become ill with liver damage and other conditions caused by the virus said dr john ward the director of the cdcs division of viral hepatitis theyre now succumbing before they receive the care and treatment that could avert those diseases
the agency counted 19659 deaths caused by hepatitis c in 2014 a record
many older people with hepatitis c acquired it from blood transfusions that they received before 1992 when donated blood was not screened for the virus left untreated it inflames and can eventually scar the liver making it less effective at filtering toxins over decades it can lead to liver failure and liver cancer and it is the most common reason for liver transplants
weve been expecting a tsunami of liver cancer and cirrhosis that would crest right around now said dr ira jacobson a hepatitis specialist who is the chairman of the department of medicine at mount sinai beth israel what im optimistic about is that were going to make a major dent in the mortality much sooner than we would have without these medications
dr jacobson noted that the latest death statistics were from 2014 the first year that the new breakthrough drugs for hepatitis c patients became widely available and that the number of people being cured has multiplied since then
since 2012 the cdc has recommended that all people born between 1945 and 1965 be tested for hepatitis c but dr ward said many still have not even those who discover they have the virus may not seek proper care and those who do may not gain access to new drugs that cure most patients in 12 weeks with few side effects one such drug sovaldi has a list price of 1000 per daily pill or 84000 for a 12 week treatment another harvoni costs 94500 for 12 weeks
the prices have strained the budgets of state medicaid programs and prison systems leading many to restrict treatment to the most seriously ill patients but with other new hepatitis c drugs entering the market gilead sciences the maker of harvoni and sovaldi has begun offering bigger discounts to insurers
lawsuits brought by states have also helped last week under a settlement reached with attorney general eric t schneiderman seven health insurers in new york agreed to eliminate restrictions on who could receive the drugs
dr ward said the agencys goal was a decline of at least 15 percent in deaths associated with hepatitis c over the next five years but public health officials face another huge challenge in slowing the rapid rise of hepatitis c infection among young people swallowed by the opioid epidemic acute cases of hepatitis c have more than doubled since 2010 according to the agency with the new cases mostly among young white drug injectors in rural and suburban areas dr ward said the agency believed as many as 30000 people were acquiring hepatitis c each year
one big remaining barrier he said is the reluctance of insurers to treat people who have not stopped injecting opioids and will continue to use them


madrid   two years ago a tiny spanish village gained fame for deciding finally to break any possible link to the persecution of jews during the spanish inquisition
it held a referendum in which the villages 56 registered inhabitants agreed to shed its medieval name   castrillo matajudios which roughly translates as little hill fort of jew killers instead it is now called castrillo mota de judios or something like little hill fort of jews
since then however the village has become a victim of repeated acts of vandalism mostly anti semitic graffiti that the mayor attributes to unknown far right extremist groups that he believes have no direct connection to his village
the mayor lorenzo rodriguez perez filed a police complaint on tuesday after the latest aggression in which the villages brand new road signposts were sprayed over the weekend with anti semitic and fascist graffiti he said
the signposts will need replacing the mayor said they had been erected last october when his village officially completed its name change after the may 2014 referendum
in a handful of recent incidents he said extremists painted offensive graffiti onto the facade of the town hall and damaged public benches and other parts of the village
a name change sadly doesnt only bring about positive consequences and the respect it deserves mr rodriguez perez said there are some people who want us to forget the jews   and certainly not get closer to israel   but we will not bow to any attempt to create a threatening environment here
as part of the overhaul the villages authorities have also been promoting its jewish roots there is an archaeological project to dig up the remains of a synagogue and other buried evidence of the historic settlement
and in june castrillos mayor will lead a delegation of seven officials from the village on a weeklong visit to israel during which castrillo is to be named the twin village of an israeli community kfar vradim
since the village announced its name change the israeli ambassador to spain as well as representatives of the jewish community in spain have visited castrillo the rapprochement and official visits have generated some protests by pro palestinian activists the mayor said
we have respected such protests and expect others to respect the choice of people here to change our name the mayor said but there is always a portion of people who are too intransigent to understand such basic rights even in a democratic country like spain


shuttered diy rock clubs rarely get an encore but market hotel a rollicking space under the tracks of the jmz subway lines defied the odds and rose again in january six years after the police raided it over the lack of a liquor license
market hotel first opened in the late 2000s when bare bones clubs flourished in brooklyn hosting then underground dance parties like mister saturday night and providing a launchpad for homegrown bands like real estate and titus andronicus while its unlikely return delighted indie fans the resurrected club also reminded them of other diy music shrines that have vanished including glasslands 285 kent and death by audio
the place
bordered by auto shops and check cashing outlets the triangular club is up a precarious flight of stairs practically within arms reach of the elevated subway platform at myrtle avenue passing trains rattle the walls which combined with the undulating floor rounds out the rough hewed experience this is the sort of music club where drummers haul their kits through the crowd after the show obstructing nearly everyones views is a pillar notorious enough to have its own twitter account marketpillar
the crowd
despite the all ages designation the crowd on a recent thursday night was filled with late 30 somethings many of them coupled off and a few dead asleep as the clock neared midnight patrons blamed tardiness on band practice and talked about how cool and alternative philadelphia is there was a pacific northwest attitude in the air owing perhaps to the thermals a recent headliner out of portland ore sub pop tote bags and sensible fleeces provided relief from the neighborhoods edgier nighttime fashion norms some crowd surfing and a gentle mosh pit emerged late into the set
the playlist
music depends on the act future bookings include sheer mag deerhoof and local diy stalwarts the so so glos the bar sells earplugs but volume levels are humane
drinks
take in the show with a lionshead 4 soju cocktails from 7 bitburger 8 or an ironic bottle of sparkling wine 25 the bar also serves club mate the caffeinated soda from germany that is spreading across new york clubland get it spiked for 10


if there is ever a contest for least appreciated creature on earth first prize should go to a microbe called wolbachia
the bacterium infects millions of invertebrate species including spiders shrimps and parasitic worms as well as 60 percent of all insect species once in residence wolbachia co opts its hosts reproductive machinery and often greedily shields them from a variety of competing infections
ever since the zika outbreak began in brazil last year scientists have suspected that wolbachia might protect mosquitoes from the virus now researchers have confirmed this hunch providing the first solid evidence that releasing wolbachia infected mosquitoes into the wild could help quell the epidemic
we are pretty sure that mosquitoes carrying wolbachia will have a great impact on zika transmission in the field said luciano a moreira a biologist at the oswaldo cruz foundation in belo horizonte brazil and the lead author of a new report on the researchers findings published on wednesday in the journal cell host  microbe
wolbachia was first discovered in 1924 lurking in a mosquito caught near boston but it was decades before researchers understood how bizarre it really was
instead of floating freely in the blood it nestles inside individual cells as a result the bacterium cannot easily jump from one host to another an infected female carries wolbachia in her eggs and her offspring are born infected
the species has evolved into a vast number of strains with a range of cunning tricks intended to increase its numbers most involve increasing the number of infected female hosts
some strains make it impossible for an infected male to reproduce with an uninfected female   when his sperm fertilizes one of her eggs it fails to develop
this strategy called cytoplasmic incompatibility gives wolbachia infected females a competitive advantage in the race to reproduce since they can mate successfully with infected or uninfected males
in 2009 scott l oneill a professor at monash university in australia and his colleagues reported that a type of wolbachia normally found in flies could also infect mosquitoes   and that once in residence the bacterium blocked dengue viruses from attacking its new hosts
it was just curiosity based work totally serendipity dr oneill said
an estimated 390 million people are infected with dengue each year but if mosquitoes carrying the infection are protected from it they cannot transmit the virus to humans so through a program called eliminate dengue dr oneill has led experiments to test wolbachia in the field
in 2011 the programs team released hundreds of thousands of wolbachia carrying mosquitoes in two towns in northern australia the microbe quickly established itself in the wild population five years later most of the mosquitoes   aedes aegypti the species that also transmits the zika virus   continue to carry wolbachia
the scientists have begun similar experiments in other countries including vietnam indonesia and brazil when the wolbachia carrying mosquitoes take over researchers no longer find locally acquired cases of dengue
the program is introducing a large scale trial next month in the indonesian city of yogyakarta to quantify wolbachias impact on dengue infections
this is to get the gold standard evidence dr oneill said were thinking that there will be a very big effect
when zika broke out in brazil last year a number of researchers   including dr oneill   suspected that wolbachia might work against that virus too since zika and dengue are closely related
in brazil dr moreira began an experiment he and his colleagues fed human blood spiked with zika to mosquitoes some of which carried the dengue blocking wolbachia strain
the scientists waited up to two weeks and then checked the mosquitoes for signs of zika as they had hoped mosquitoes with wolbachia ended up with drastically lower levels of zika genes
to see how infectious they were the scientists injected their saliva into mosquitoes not infected with zika in 80 trials the saliva failed to cause any new infections in 80 trials with wolbachia free mosquitoes zika infections sprang up in 85 percent of the insects
we have very good results comparable to the best results we got for dengue dr moreira said
dr oneill who was not involved in the new experiment said two other unpublished studies were yielding similar results
jason l rasgon an entomologist at pennsylvania state university agreed that the results in brazil demonstrated that wolbachia suppressed the zika virus
but he said it would be useful to see if wolbachia kept blocking zika infections for more than two weeks and in addition to detecting genetic material from viruses he said it may be important to count zika viruses with more traditional methods
to me this is an initial preliminary study but thats ok dr rasgon said nobody has had the time to go in and do the rigorous work
dr moreira and his colleagues are moving forward with the studies dr rasgon described
dr moreira said he hoped the new study would lead to experiments to see if wolbachia can prevent human infections with zika not just dengue it is also possible that wolbachia could work against other diseases spread by mosquitoes including yellow fever and malaria
ary hoffmann a microbiologist at the university of melbourne predicted that there would be uses for this strange parasite that we have yet to imagine
there are many millions of wolbachia strains out there he said we are only really just starting to explore their potential


louisville ky   lani japans long shot hope to win the 142nd kentucky derby on saturday can be heard before he is seen
a gray colt set to become the second japan based starter in the derbys history lani whinnied for all he was worth as he came into view while exiting barn 17 on tuesday morning at churchill downs wide eyed and seemingly miffed by the rush of people and horses passing by he all but stomped to the main track in the latest exhibition of how temperamental he can be
after digging in and giving the exercise rider eishu maruuchi every indication he was unwilling to complete the five furlong work scheduled for him lani eventually traveled the distance in 1 minute 1 second the time while not overly impressive represented a positive step after a series of misadventures since his arrival at churchill downs on april 3
on april 20 he was so unresponsive that a five furlong drill took 106 barely fast enough to qualify as a public workout a week later after the jockey yutaka take flew in from japan to give him a five furlong breeze lani was willing to accelerate to top speed for only three furlongs timed in 37 25 seconds
he added to his bad boy reputation when maruuchi took him to the starting gate on monday as part of their pre derby preparations lani the son of tapit another notoriously strong willed horse dug in and kicked for several minutes before reluctantly entering
maruuchi with atsushi koya of the japan racing association acting as an interpreter said of his relationship with lani he is the king and i am the servant
most horses can be persuaded to do what a rider wants not lani
he likes to get into a strong gallop by himself maruuchi said he doesnt want the rider to push him forward
can such a mercurial 3 year old one who often exhibits studdish behavior whenever a filly is near upset the heavily favored nyquist who was undefeated as a 2 year old champion and also withstand pressure from 18 other starters on saturday
take japans pre eminent rider made note of how unclear their prospects were when he said after the failed five furlong work on april 27 if he wants to run on derby day we have a big chance
lani qualified for the kentucky derby the opening leg of the triple crown by earning the 100 points awarded to the winner of the 1 316 mile uae derby on march 26 at meydan racecourse in dubai that race too was anything but routine after stumbling out of the gate he rallied from last to prevail by three quarters of a length
the kentucky bred lani has three victories in six starts for earnings of 1366618 for his owner koji maeda with all of his wins coming on dirt of the 20 projected starters he is one of the few whose bloodlines suggest that   if nothing else   he will handle the mile and a quarter distance with aplomb heavenly romance his dam was sired by sunday silence the 1989 kentucky derby winner
hes as well bred as anyone in the race steve haskin a longtime horse racing journalist said in fact if i ranked by pedigree hes the top horse in the race theres tons of class and stamina
lani has enough to overcome his globe trotting began march 15 when he journeyed almost 5000 miles to dubai from japan on april 1 he boarded another flight which carried him about 7200 miles to chicago he was quarantined at arlington park near chicago for two days before being taken by van to louisville
i know im giving him a tough task mikio matsunaga his trainer said through an interpreter
the history is daunting ski captain japans only previous derby starter finished a distant 14th in 1995 with take aboard seven other starters who raced exclusively outside north america before the derby all fared poorly china visit produced the best finish winding up sixth in 2000 mubtaahij the winner of last years uae derby never threatened in taking eighth
mike watchmaker national handicapper for daily racing form questioned whether 3 year old thoroughbreds who prepared outside the united states would ever overcome the grueling travel and be properly equipped to meet the sternest challenge of their young racing careers
the kentucky derby is a uniquely american race watchmaker said it is a race very much geared to an american horse on an american schedule i say that because its a dirt race and no other country has a racing schedule like our racing schedule to prepare a horse for the kentucky derby with races increasing in distance spaced out properly and all on dirt
watchmaker said of imports theyre always going to be up against it in this race
even though lani who will break from the no 8 post was given odds of 30 to 1 his presence is creating keen interest in japan
good trainer good jockey good colt in the biggest race in the world koya of the japan racing association said we are very interested in how lani can compete against very strong american horses
watchmaker doubts that lani is in the mold of the venezuelan horse canonero ii a seemingly impossible long shot who won the derby in 1971 he described the misbehaving lani as the rankest of outsiders
matsunaga the trainer clings to the hope that lani will stay composed before a massive crowd enter and break from the starting gate without issue and run the race of a lifetime
ive got big ambitions for this weekend he said


seoul south korea   when kim jong un the north korean leader arrives at the seventh congress of the governing workers party on friday he will essentially be attending his own coronation meeting for the first time in a generation the congress   in theory the countrys highest decision making body   will cement his status as supreme leader
it will also elect a new central committee which in turn appoints the partys politburo and presidium those posts are expected to be filled with a new generation of loyalists whom mr kim has already been elevating through purges and reshuffles analysts said
by far the most interesting aspect of the meeting will be mr kims promotion of his so called byungjin policy which calls for simultaneously achieving two seemingly incompatible goals a nuclear arsenal and economic development
mr kim has accelerated north koreas pursuit of nuclear warheads and the ballistic missiles capable of delivering them as a result his country has come under more international sanctions complicating what he defined as his top priority in a new years speech in january improving living conditions for his people
analysts said mr kims byungjin policy would be reaffirmed as the official party line though reviving the norths moribund economy while the country is under sanctions is a difficult prospect he has said the congress will present an ambitious blueprint for his nation
the congress is an occasion for kim jong un to officially declare at home and abroad that his era has arrived said koh yu hwan a professor of north korean studies at dongguk university in seoul he will boast about his nuclear weapons and the security they provide as his biggest achievement and then will exhort his country to focus on rebuilding the economy
some analysts said that after the meeting mr kim may try to reduce tensions on the korean peninsula as a way to encourage china to offer more aid
but others remained skeptical kim jong un will never stop nuclear weapons development said chang yong seok an analyst at the institute for peace and unification studies at seoul national university he does not consider economic reform without nuclear weapons
mr kims audience will include foreign journalists invited to cover the event allowing the world a rare glimpse of the supreme leaders vision for his impoverished yet nuclear armed country
during the last party congress held in 1980 mr kims grandfather the norths founding president kim il sung spoke for five hours on his partys achievements frequently interrupted by applauding delegates at the time north korea still enjoyed a degree of economic and military advantage over south korea
but things have changed south koreas economy surged ahead while millions of north koreans died of hunger during a famine in the 1990s refugees fled the failed socialist paradise in the north many ending up in the capitalist south
still north korea stuck to its command economy even when the soviet bloc disintegrated and its communist neighbor china adopted market reforms and prospered
mr kims father who came to power in 1994 adopted an emergency military first rule relying on the peoples army as the main governing tool and never convened a party congress he sought nuclear weapons in defiance of united nations sanctions telling his people that the weapons would protect their independence and dignity from the american imperialists
mr kim was still in his late 20s when the death of his father kim jong il in 2011 catapulted him to the top of the secretive regime outside analysts who had predicted openness and diplomatic compromise under his young leadership   mr kim had spent time in switzerland as a teenager   had a surprise in store
the young man had more than 100 senior party officials or generals including his own uncle executed while he also let the workers party regain its influence on the military thousands more were demoted or banished he engineered purges with such frequency and ruthlessness that president park geun hye of south korea called mr kims rule a reign of terror
his main selling point domestically has been his image as a strong young leader able to arm his country with nuclear weapons in recent months north korea has tried to bolster that image by reporting success in a flurry of tests of technologies needed to acquire a nuclear strike capability including the test of what it called a submarine launched ballistic missile
north korea conducted the last two of its four nuclear tests under mr kim including one on jan 6 the north also placed two satellites into orbit the most recent in february by using rockets widely believed to be a cover for developing an intercontinental ballistic missile
north koreas news media did not report what south korean and united states officials called three successive failures in launching its musudan intermediate range ballistic missile in recent weeks
jeong joon hee a south korean government spokesman said he suspected that the north korean military pressed ahead with the doomed tests to help glorify mr kims image ahead of the party congress
such nationalism has proved popular among young north koreans said mr chang whose institute for peace and unification studies has been tracking public opinion inside the north by interviewing recent defectors
he is definitely more popular among young people than old mr chang said
youth has been a defining key word ahead of the party congress said park ju hwa and kim kap sik researchers at the government run korea institute for national unification in seoul
they analyzed more than 1500 articles the main north korean party newspaper rodong sinmun has carried about the congress and found youth cropping up repeatedly in various political slogans like youth power
kim jong un sought to dispel anxiety over his young leadership and justify a generational change he is introducing through the party congress the researchers wrote in a joint paper


chanhassen minn   prince rogers nelson had an unflinching reputation among those close to him for leading an assiduously clean lifestyle he ate vegan and preferred to avoid the presence of meat entirely he was known to eschew alcohol and marijuana and no one who went on tour with him could indulge either
but prince appears to have shielded from even some of his closest friends that he had a problem with pain pills one that grew so acute that his friends sought urgent medical help from dr howard kornfeld of california who specializes in treating people addicted to pain medication
dr kornfeld who runs a treatment center in mill valley calif sent his son on an overnight flight to meet with prince at his home to discuss a treatment plan said william j mauzy a lawyer for the kornfeld family during a news conference on wednesday outside his minneapolis office
but he arrived too late
when the son andrew kornfeld who works with his father but is not a doctor arrived in chanhassen the minneapolis suburb where prince lived the next morning he was among those who found the entertainer lifeless in the elevator and called 911 mr mauzy said emergency officials arrived but could not revive prince he was dead at 57
as law enforcement officials continue to investigate exactly what killed the pop and rock icon there is mounting evidence that he had become seriously dependent on painkillers something sure to rattle some of those who knew him well many have insisted in recent days that they never even saw prince take pills let alone abuse prescription medication even though some knew he had had hip surgery years ago
when his private jet had to make an emergency landing in moline ill in mid april after he went unresponsive friends decided they may need to intervene according to a person with knowledge of the situation prince assured his friends in the following days that nothing was wrong he had the flu his publicist said
im doing perfect prince told his lawyer l londell mcmillan two days after the emergency landing three days after that conversation with mr mcmillan though princes representatives were looking for help from an addiction doctor
princes penchant for privacy may help explain how he kept his secret from so many at the jehovahs witness kingdom hall near here where prince was a worshiper congregants scoffed at the first reports that prince may have been abusing painkillers
and rarely did he let the musicians who toured with him know how much his hips actually hurt from decades of high voltage performances jumping onstage in platform heels they would only notice small things like that he stopped doing splits
there wasnt a tour we did where he wasnt sometimes performing in pain said alan leeds princes former tour manager in the 1980s and later the president of the singers paisley park records he was that kind of old school the show must go on guy so the idea of him medicating himself in order to perform isnt strange to me
but mr leeds and others said prince never discussed pain pills with him and questions about how he felt would often be met with a shrug or an assurance that he was ok
unlike many stars of his magnitude who are known to employ extensive entourages and teams of staffers to handle everyday business prince was also surprisingly autonomous friends and associates said often driving himself around and making appointments without the knowledge of his assistant such insistence on maintaining his independence may have made keeping a secret easier they said
many of princes closest friends relatives and associates have declined to answer questions about his health so it is unclear who contacted dr kornfeld but a person with knowledge of the situation said the musician had willingly sought treatment
the younger mr kornfeld was sent to paisley park to try to get princes condition stabilized mr mauzy said dr kornfeld then contacted a doctor in the minneapolis area who cleared his schedule on the morning that prince was found dead so that he could have time to meet with and assess prince mr mauzy said
the hope was to get him stabilized in minnesota and convince him to come to recovery without walls in mill valley mr mauzy said that was the plan
dr kornfeld felt it was a lifesaving mission mr mauzy said
prince began taking painkillers for his ailment years ago and ultimately decided to have hip surgery in the mid 2000s after which he was prescribed more pain medicine according to a person who worked with him and requested anonymity because of the nature of the case
jason kamerud chief deputy at the carver county sheriffs office which is investigating the death said that investigators are looking into among other things whether prince may have overdosed from painkillers at his residence but deputy kamerud declined on wednesday to comment on mr mauzys statements the sheriffs office has said that it did not believe suicide or murder were to blame for princes death
officials with the drug enforcement administration and the united states attorneys office announced wednesday that they were joining the investigation
the mystery of princes death mirrors the enigma of his life he shunned the selfie culture and didnt allow people to take his picture at his estate yet at the same time he regularly opened his doors here and invited the public in for house parties where he would address the crowd
on the saturday before he died prince had done just that giddily unveiling a new purple guitar and piano before about 200 guests he had just started on his memoir tentatively titled the beautiful ones he had tour dates lined up in eight cities across the country
yet people who knew prince wondered whether he was in a malaise his ailments limiting his ability to tour and battling melancholy after the death in february of denise matthews also known as vanity a former girlfriend and collaborator in australia during a show on feb 16 the day after she died he became emotional
someone dear to us has passed away prince told the crowd before dedicating the song little red corvette to her according to local news media accounts of the show later he told the audience im trying to stay focused its a little heavy for me tonight
concerned friends said they had recently been discussing princes emotional state he had told some people that he was feeling depressed and some suspected he was going through a period of professional stagnancy
in fact prince shunned an 85 million offer to do a large scale world tour in favor of smaller shows said kim worsoe his tour coordinator i dont do tours i do events mr worsoe recalled prince telling him
others said they did not detect any depression his small concerts said damaris lewis a friend and dancer were an indication that he had found peace with himself his fans were his family she said
for his final acts prince who on new years eve had given a powerful show in the caribbean shunned his high energy performances with a big band for something more intimate and less taxing just himself playing piano and singing the piano and a microphone tour he called it
in march he held a last minute party and performance in new york to announce his memoir he held three concerts in canada before returning home on march 23 and attending a service at his jehovahs witness kingdom hall dressed in a suit and tie his hair slicked back
prince was baptized into the faith in 2003 under the guidance of larry graham a bass guitarist whose band regularly performed with prince and who moved his family to minnesota to be near the entertainer as a witness he would go door to door with a fellow congregant in their three suburb territory quoting the bible and introducing himself as rogers nelson
he was very into spiritual things mr graham said he already had been interested in the bible and a love for god
associates said that princes dedication to religion in addition to his commitment to pure living may have contributed to a sense of shame about his growing dependency on medication
princes next scheduled tour dates were two back to back shows on april 7 at the fox theater in atlanta but as she was brushing her teeth around 10 on the morning of the show lucy lawler freas the atlanta promoter said she got a call from mr worsoe prince was sick with the flu
he can barely speak his voice is really hoarse she recalled mr worsoe telling her
it was the first time in the more than a quarter century that he had worked with prince that the artist canceled a show mr worsoe said
but two days later prince rescheduled the show for the 14th
on the rescheduled date prince landed in atlanta late day and needed a police escort to make it to the theater on time he said he was still feeling sick but back in the dressing room where water and fresh fruit was awaiting prince mr worsoe said he did not notice any visible signs of illness
with his afro picked out prince took the stage sidling up to his purple piano and surrounded by candelabras he performed two sets at 7 and 10 pm
he was epic ms lawler freas said no signs of the flu
prince said it was his best show ever mr worsoe recalled but afterward prince said that his stomach hurt prince wanted to go back to minneapolis to get checked out by a doctor mr worsoe said and asked to postpone shows in st louis nashville and washington that were scheduled but not yet announced for the next week
prince and two other passengers boarded his private jet which left at 1251 am eastern on the friday after his atlanta show just over an hour in the pilot radioed to air traffic controllers that he had an unresponsive passenger on board the plane only about 48 minutes from its destination of minneapolis turned around and quickly landed in moline touching down at 118 am
princes bodyguard carried him off the plane to emergency responders waiting on the ground according to city records they rushed him to a hospital prince was treated with a narcan shot typically administered to those suffering from an opioid overdose according to published reports but he stayed at the hospital for only a few hours before flying back home
a master of image control prince started shaping the narrative right away
he hastily organized a party at his home for the following evening later he casually rode a bicycle in a stripmall parking lot
princes representatives asked jeremiah freed a blogger who runs drfunkenberrycom to help spread the word of the party on saturday night before that night mr freed said he never really had any concerns about princes condition though he was struck by something that the musician told him in january prince spoke of david bowies death mr freed recalled saying he was having lucid dreams in which he communicated with people who died
when prince first strolled into the party before he was in full view of the public he looked upset to me mr freed recalled they locked eyes he added when i saw him there was no smile
other friends reached out to prince over the weekend concerned about what had happened to him on the plane he had a resounding message im ok
knowing how much prince who didnt use a cellphone but was constantly surfing his silver macbook valued his privacy friends said they did not press him
on monday april 18 ms lawler freas the atlanta promoter said that princes representatives told her to hold off on confirming the eight tour dates she had arranged for him he was going to take a break that week and they would get back to her the next monday april 25 to confirm the concerts
prince seemed to lead a mundane life from there stopping by a show at the dakota jazz club in minneapolis on tuesday april 19 the next day police said someone dropped him off at his compound at about 8 pm he was found dead the next morning setting off the sweeping investigation
if we really want to be accurate and get it right i think you have to pump the brakes said deputy kamerud of the carver county sheriffs office some investigations are like 50 piece puzzles some are like a 10000 piece puzzle this one is the latter
mr freed the blogger said he could hardly believe reports of the painkiller dependency prince he said would help anyone in his band with a drug problem and even pay the cost of their recovery
if you abused drugs he said you werent going to work with him you didnt have a job


our busy modern lifestyles have a million wicked tricks for increasing stress including the repeated pings and buzzes of our smartphones but with the right app a smartphone can actually be a tool to help reduce stress and find calm
one such app is headspace which is all about guided meditation a narrator talks through a mental exercise and meditation session intended to help meet a goal such as reducing stress or coping with anxiety
the guided meditation can be a series which contains several mediation sessions that last from a few minutes to as long as an hour there are also single sessions to help with a particular problem like managing a panic or anxiety attack you just choose a meditation session make yourself comfortable pop on some headphones hit play and let the soothing narration change your state of mind
the app is easy to use with minimalist controls and a straightforward interface the narrators voice reminded me of being read to at night when i was a child the language used is also easy to understand dispensing with the mumbo jumbo that some meditation apps use
you do have to commit to using the app regularly to make the most of it which may not be easy for everyone to help keep people on track the app logs a users progress by filling in a graphic as a session is completed which can be motivating
headspace is available on android and ios it includes a limited number of sessions free for access to more the subscription fee is 13 a month
calm from calmcom is a guided meditation app that is simpler in terms of features and menus than headspace and more relaxing in its look and feel its main feature is the ability to choose the theme that is seen and heard during a meditation narration with a long list of options like coastline at sunset or fireplace an attractively filmed video then runs in a loop on the screen accompanied by a soothing soundtrack
calms design and the language in each guided meditation is simple and unfussy the length of some guided meditation sessions can be chosen to suit the time available from two minutes to around half an hour
the free version of calm contains a surprising amount of content a premium subscription costs 10 a month or 40 a year and provides longer meditation programs calm is available on ios and android
another technique for maintaining inner balance is to keep a journal the 3 ios app gratitude journal by happy tapper puts an extra spin on this idea by encouraging you to make journal entries that focus on things you are grateful for on a particular day the app has a brightly designed interface with clear controls and a layout that make it easy to type a few sentences that talk about what you are thankful for
you can rate each day using a five star system and include photos or videos the app automatically appends a quick weather summary for your location so that when you read back through previous entries you can get a sense for how the weather influences your mood or experiences there is an option to protect your entries with a code to keep prying eyes away from personal matters or you can share an entry on social media if you want to be open
lastly the pacifica app is a bit of a swiss army knife for relaxation because it combines many different techniques the app includes a mood tracker awareness of how your moods fluctuate can help you gain control over them and a health tracker alongside guided meditation audio tracks to help with different problems it also has chat groups on various topics to discuss concerns or experiences as well as a community section to share tips with other users such as movies that lift you up or inspiring quotations
the app available on ios and android includes a limited amount of free content  you can unlock the rest for 4 a month or 30 a year
galaxia a novel social networking app has been available on ios for a while but now it is also hitting android devices unlike well known public social networks like twitter or facebook galaxia lets you create miniature private social networks open only to invitees try out its basic features free


is supreme the skateboard inspired clothing brand worshiped by streetwear disciples everywhere officially over
not likely but thats the prediction of brendon babenzien who happens to be the former creative director of supreme at the beginning the guys that hung around the shop and skated more or less for supreme they pushed skateboarding culture forward said mr babenzien 44 that culture has now reached an apex
as the argument goes supremes growing popularity cannibalized its cult status so hard core streetwear followers are looking for alternatives at the same time those kids who were skating in the 90s have grown up and they dont want to dress like teenagers
thats where mr babenzien comes in last october he opened noah a boutique at 195 mulberry street in nolita on the surface the merchandise at noah 328 reversible hoodies and 228 loudly patterned flannel shirts may not seem all that different from whats sold at the supreme flagship store a few blocks away
but mr babenzien says his stuff is more authentic rather than being produced in china from inexpensive materials he wants his items to be higher quality
he points to a pair of corduroy shorts made in england 228 and a rain resistant anorak with a wool lining made in italy 448 i buy from those places because i know the people are being treated well he said
mr babenzien has been in streetwear since 1994 when he moved to miami to help his friend don busweiler with pervert an influential streetwear brand that mr busweiler abandoned in 1995 along with all his possessions when he joined a cult called the brethren
mr babenzien moved to new york and immersed himself in the skate scene his pervert experience helped land him a job at supreme in 1996
i was the first person hired to do any product or design he said before that it was sweats and hats
under supremes founder james jebbia he helped turned supreme into a globally recognized brand as well as a talisman for downtown new york among a certain set of young men it has unlimited street cred they regularly camp outside the shop in anticipation of the next limited edition deck or sweatshirt
this is actually mr babenziens second swing at noah which he started in 2002 and ran for three years it was youthful inexperience that was my downfall he said i had a terrible business sense
he was welcomed back at supreme where he was named creative director brendon was the captain of the team said angelo baque the brand director at supreme he comes from a diverse background hes this grumpy dude from long island but he understands hip hop and can talk about public enemy or gang starr
but in the decade since mr babenzien said he has become antsy married with a baby daughter he is more into jogging and meditation than skateboarding these days i wanted to do my own thing he said
he left supreme last year and teaming up with his friend chris gibbs of the los angeles store union opened a pop up version of noah at 393 broadway just south of canal that featured a halfpipe
mr jebbia who is notoriously press shy would not comment on his departure but wrote in an email theres no beef or anything
noah has found early fans for its 48 graphic tees and 988 reversible military coats among them are the streetwear blogs that zealously chronicle the latest limited edition sneaker as well as established mens wear editors
the interesting things to me are these classic silhouettes and theyre very well done said garrett munce a fashion editor at gq magazine he has a distinct point of view
asked what that point of view is mr babenzien resorts to vague answers my vision is evolutionary he said asked to explain himself further he turned to his publicist apoplectic before relenting its a stream of consciousness but that may be the point
ultimately the same kids who decide whether supreme is still worth chasing will decide if mr babenzien is a worthy alternative the only way to be genuinely cool as a brand is to go to great lengths to deny its about being cool and talk instead about other stuff said nick sullivan esquire magazines fashion director in fact it is totally about being cool cool sells sweatshirts
when pressed further mr babenzien offered more insight into his vision or at least his target consumer the best way to discuss it is to picture what a teenagers bedroom looks like he said its all over the place but it makes sense


frankfurt   a suitcase stuffed full of cash may soon be worth a lot less
in a move aimed at hampering cash transactions by terrorists drug dealers and money launderers the european central bank on wednesday announced an end to the 500 euro bank note worth roughly 575
when it comes to moving money nefariously the EUR500 note has been especially handy
it is a large denomination in a widely circulated and easily convertible currency in the united states the largest denomination is 100 after the federal reserve discontinued the 500 1000 5000 and 10000 bills in 1969 switzerland has a 1000 franc note worth about 1050 but its supply is limited
the EUR500 note is also more compact and convenient for evading the gaze of authorities the equivalent of 1 million in that high euro note weighs about five pounds and fits in a small bag according to a harvard university study this year
after the european central bank phases out the EUR500 note by the end of 2018 the next highest denomination will be EUR200 that same 1 million would weigh roughly two and half times as much
and using 100 bills is just downright bulky that would clock in at roughly 22 pounds and require an entire briefcase to carry
getting rid of the EUR500 bill will make life harder for criminals raising their costs and increasing their detection risks peter sands the lead author of the harvard study and a former chief executive of the british bank standard chartered wrote in an emailon wednesday
american law enforcement officials have noted for years that the euro has become the currency of choice for drug cartels european central bank officials acknowledged wednesday that EUR500 bills play a role in illegal transactions like money laundering and in financing terrorism and the harvard study said that in some circles criminals refer to the note as a bin laden after the former leader of al qaeda osama bin laden
while the necessity of the EUR500 note has been debated for a while the pressure to abolish it grew after the terrorist attacks in and around paris in november and in brussels in march an argument we can no longer ignore benoit coeure a member of the central banks executive board said in an interview with the french newspaper le parisien in february referring to the notes use for illicit activities
there are still many ways to hide illegal transactions like using offshore banks and shell companies digital currencies like bitcoin also allow financial transactions outside the purview of central banks and regulators
but robert palmer an expert on money laundering at global witness an advocacy group said cash remained an important element in the criminal economy
there is a range of ways that people launder money mr palmer said by telephone from london some are new and innovative and some are old fashioned hard cash is still a common way of moving dirty money
the decision wednesday to phase out the notes by the european central banks governing council does not immediately remove from circulation the roughly EUR300 billion worth of the purple EUR500 notes which depict an unidentified modern building on one side and a bridge on the other
the decision simply means that beginning at the end of 2018 central banks in the 19 countries of the eurozone will no longer replace EUR500 bills that are returned for sorting or other reasons
the european central bank said it would not take the more radical step of declaring that EUR500 bills are no longer legal tender such a move would have meant the notes could no longer be legally used for transactions people with EUR500 notes would have had to bring them back to a central bank to be exchanged for smaller denominations
mr sands said the central bank could take steps to discourage use of the notes still in circulation for example by requiring banks to ask questions when customers present EUR500 bills for deposit
to critics the steps taken on wednesday were seen as an infringement on personal freedoms as they make it harder for people to opt out of the traditional financial system
those opposed to the move argue that criminals are not the only ones to use large bills there was a surge in demand for EUR500 bills during the global market panic that came after the collapse of the investment bank lehman brothers in september 2008 according to a 2011 study by the european central bank some people no longer trusted the banking system and preferred to hold cash
one leading german economist also accused the european central bank of ulterior motives with fewer large bills it will be easier for the central bank to push interest rates to new lows said clemens fuest president of the ifo economic research institute in munich which has been critical of the central banks cheap money policies
that is because for almost two years the european central bank has been charging lenders a so called negative interest rate to keep money in its virtual vaults which are considered the ultimate safe haven the policy is intended to push down market interest rates and force banks to lend money rather than hoard it currently the central bank deposit rate is minus 04 percent
in theory banks can avoid this de facto rent on their deposits by holding cash in their own vaults but in practice it is expensive to store large amounts of bills safely   and it would become even more so if the denominations were smaller
with fewer EUR500 notes available the banks might be even more likely to do what the european central bank wants them to do which is lend money rather than sitting on it it would be significantly more expensive for banks and savings banks to store lots of smaller bank notes  mr fuest said


mark zuckerberg the chief executive of facebook and dr priscilla chan a pediatrician who is his wife said wednesday that they had hired james h shelton iii a former deputy secretary of the united states department of education to oversee their efforts in education in the latest example of former federal officials who are taking up jobs in silicon valley
mr shelton will lead the education component of the chan zuckerberg initiative which mr zuckerberg and dr chan announced they were creating last year for their philanthropic and social entrepreneurship endeavors the education work is focused on customizing learning for students and addressing disparities
when you think about philanthropy the question is how can you be catalytic mr shelton said in a phone interview its a huge opportunity for transformational work
mr sheltons hiring is part of a stream of washington officials going to work for tech titans among them are jay carney a former white house press secretary who is now senior vice president for corporate affairs at amazon and david plouffe a former senior adviser to president obama who is chief adviser and a board member at uber
the trend is more recent in education former federal education officials often used to enter politics or take up positions at universities and research groups
but in march the emerson collective an organization set up by laurene powell jobs the widow of apples co founder steve jobs said it had tapped arne duncan the former education secretary to lead an effort focused on young people in chicago
the advent of nontraditional philanthropic vehicles seems to be drawing new interest from veteran education officials both the emerson collective and the chan zuckerberg initiative are limited liability companies an organizational structure that enables investing and advocacy as well as philanthropy
silicon valley traditionally has not played a huge role in education reform said richard culatta a former director of the office of educational technology at the department of education and now chief innovation officer of the state of rhode island
he said the hiring of prominent education officials like mr shelton who is also a former executive at the bill and melinda gates foundation and mr duncan could herald new approaches to learning
there could be huge impact from nontraditional organizations in really innovating in the field he said
in a facebook post on wednesday mr zuckerberg said the couples education initiative would focus on personalized learning   the idea of using various technologies to help students customize their educational pathways   and on addressing barriers to education like poverty and illness
we set up the chan zuckerberg initiative with the flexibility to support nonprofits invest in companies and advocate for policies that will advance this mission mr zuckerberg wrote well build technology where it can help and we believe in listening to and working closely with parents teachers and students to understand the specific needs of the communities were working in
the couple are already involved in a variety of education endeavors they donated 100 million to schools in newark and they have pledged 120 million to schools in the san francisco bay area
they have donated 23 million to educationsuperhighway a nonprofit group dedicated to increasing broadband access for schools nationwide they have also invested 15 million in altschool a network of private schools
dr chan is also working on the primary school which takes a new approach to elementary schools scheduled to open this fall in east palo alto calif it is a free private school that will provide health care and education for students and their families
in a facebook live video on wednesday dr chan said that she recognized the role that teachers could play in shaping students futures
teachers were the first people who opened my eyes to what was possible in the world and what was possible to me dr chan said


london   londoners will decide whether to elect sadiq khan the labour front runner as their first muslim mayor on thursday but in elections being held across britain the wider results will pose a bigger test for the party as a whole   especially for jeremy corbyn its left wing leader
ahead of this election cycle it would usually be the governing party   not the opposition   feeling the pressure and these elections come at a particularly precarious time for prime minister david camerons governing conservatives as the party faces a crisis in the steel industry and strikes by doctors in march a cabinet minister quit and the conservative party is deeply split over a referendum in june on whether britain should quit the european union
in london labours mayoral candidate mr khan who is the son of an immigrant bus driver is the favorite to replace the outgoing mayor boris johnson a conservative
but outside london the elections may provide labour with more ominous results that could increase pressure on mr corbyn at a time when newspapers have been filled with speculation about plots against him from within the party in the aftermath of a dispute over allegations of anti semitism in its ranks
across the nation millions of ballots will be cast in elections that include those for the scottish parliament the welsh and northern ireland assemblies mayors in london liverpool salford and bristol councilors in 124 municipalities and some police commissioners
things would be pretty bad for labour apart from the london mayoral contest and london should not be of much comfort to jeremy corbyn because sadiq khan campaigned despite jeremy corbyn said steven fielding director of the center for british politics at the university of nottingham he was referring to the fact that mr khan has distanced himself from mr corbyn since last year when mr khan nominated mr corbyn in labours leadership contest but then opted not to vote for him
in scotland labour will be retreating in wales labour which is already a minority government might be forced to go into coalition professor fielding added
scotland used to be a labour stronghold but thursdays elections for the scottish parliament are expected to confirm the dominance of the scottish national party which leads the scottish government though it lost a referendum in 2014 over scottish independence which it still champions the snp rebounded and won a landslide in scotland in last years general election
the anticipated surge for the snp could inject new life into the cause for scottish independence just ahead of the european union referendum that is likely to highlight scotlands preference for remaining inside the bloc should the overall vote in britain be for withdrawal against the wishes of scots pressure for a second referendum on scottish independence would likely grow
against this backdrop labours fortunes in scotland are so reduced that it finds itself in a grim battle with the conservatives for the place of second biggest party in the scottish parliament
in london mr corbyn faces continuing dissent from some of his own lawmakers most of whom did not vote for him last year in a leadership contest that he won with an overwhelming majority of party members and supporters
thursdays council elections are one of the first major tests of mr corbyns electoral appeal but labour faces a tough task in retaining the seats it currently holds they were last contested four years ago when the party was performing well in some of its urban english strongholds and in wales labour is also now being challenged by the uk independence party which campaigns against immigration and for leaving the european union
mr corbyns leadership is under special scrutiny after recent claims of anti semitism in his party last week he suspended naseem shah a lawmaker and ken livingstone a former london mayor and a close ally after both were accused of making anti semitic comments
some of mr corbyns internal enemies believe that poor results in thursdays elections could prove a catalyst for a leadership challenge against him according to many british newspapers
but mr corbyn told the left leaning daily mirror this week that he was losing no sleep over speculation of a leadership challenge
if there is one there is one   but im not having sleepless nights about this mr corbyn said adding that he was elected with a very big mandate to do the job and urging critics to respect the mandate respect the wishes of party members
a victory in the london mayoral contest would probably give mr corbyns supporters enough evidence of labours electoral appeal to quiet his critics for the time being at least
ultimately his internal opponents know that even if they were to force a new leadership contest they have no credible alternative candidate who could beat mr corbyn among the party members and supporters who have the final say   and who remain largely loyal to their leader
but professor fielding warned that some of mr corbyns own lawmakers were so disenchanted that they may be hoping that labours election results are a cataclysmic disaster and a signal for those who voted for jeremy corbyn to start thinking that maybe a mistake was made


as recalls of defective airbags made by takata mushroomed from a few thousand in 2008 to tens of millions a central mystery remained what was causing the airbags to rupture violently sending metal fragments flying into the cabin
on wednesday federal safety regulators said they had the answer long term exposure to environmental moisture and wide temperature fluctuations over time can degrade the propellant used to deploy the airbag making it unstable and prone to unexpectedly explode
based on the findings the national highway traffic safety administration said on wednesday that it would require takata of japan to work with automakers to recall an additional 35 million to 40 million airbags bringing the number recalled in the united states to nearly 64 million
this is the largest recall in american history mark r rosekind the agencys administrator told reporters
regulators reviewed three investigations and conducted an inquiry into the cause of the defect at least 11 deaths worldwide and 10 in the united states have been linked to the defect in every case the car was an older model the deadly ruptures have happened with increasing frequency in recent years
all of the investigations found flaws in the airbags propellant which includes a compound called ammonium nitrate and is enclosed in a steel casing called an inflater
the science now clearly shows that these inflaters can become unsafe over time and faster when exposed to high humidity and high temperature fluctuations mr rosekind said
takata did not immediately respond to a request for comment
for years takatas engineers struggled to stabilize the ammonium nitrate a cheap but volatile explosive that is more often used in large scale applications like mining eventually takatas engineers added a drying agent to help stabilize the compound
in addition to ammonium nitrates volatility mr rosekind said that the age of the airbag had emerged as an important factor takatas inflaters even without the drying agent do not pose a risk to safety when they are installed in a new vehicle and for a few years afterward he said
but after time they pose a risk and should be replaced he said
the expanded recall means that all inflaters that use ammonium nitrate and do not contain a drying agent will be replaced
takata has until the end of 2018 to recall cars that have airbags with such inflaters and until the end of 2019 to recall faulty bags installed as part of earlier recalls
automakers face an enormous logistical challenge in replacing the faulty inflaters not only are there shortages of parts in many areas of the country but automakers also must deal with confused and frustrated consumers who face the prospect of driving potentially deadly cars while they await the repair in some cases automakers have made loaner cars available
mr rosekind was blunt in his criticism of takata and blamed its efforts to manipulate testing data and mislead regulators for the snowballing recalls
takata and honda were aware of an airbag rupture in a honda vehicle as early as 2004 but did not alert safety regulators or issue a recall former takata engineers have said that takata conducted secret tests on inflaters it retrieved from scrapyards that year but ordered the data destroyed after the two inflaters cracked under testing
in addition documents unsealed as part of lawsuits against takata have shown that it manipulated data as early as 2000 to conform with automakers safety requirements
all the while takata engineers struggled to tame ammonium nitrate even as deaths and recalls mounted takata maintained that limited manufacturing errors were at fault not a fundamental problem with the propellant the first recall in 2008 affected only about 4000 cars
its because of how long it took for everyone to realize whats going on   thats why it went from a small recall to the largest recall in american history mr rosekind said were talking about propellant degradation thats different from a manufacturing defect
he said valuable time was lost because of takatas obfuscation
there were some years of confusion withholding information about that he said


the donald j trump show just got picked up for the fall
with his win in the indiana primary tuesday night and the suspension of ted cruzs campaign mr trump the former apprentice host became the presumptive republican presidential nominee with that came the hint that he may retool his programming for the coming season
making the transition from a primary to a general election is like moving from cable to a major network in a primary youre niche casting to intense fans in november there are more rewards for getting a lot of people to like you a little bit not everyone can scale up successfully
in his victory night remarks mr trump flashed as he has before a new approach he spoke with more restraint which for him meant not referencing anyone as lyin or telling us how much higher the mexican border wall just got
whereas after the michigan and mississippi primaries he gave remarks surrounded by heaps of self branded steak and wine he was now surrounded by his slickly coifed benignly smiling wife and children mr trump even went so far as to compliment his opponent as one hell of a tough competitor it was less a qvc pitch more a glossily aspirational portrait like a classier reality show on bravo
of course that same morning mr trump had gone on fox  friends and cited a national enquirer article that accused mr cruzs father of having associated with lee harvey oswald but that was the morning ages ago bygones right
whether mr trumps campaign and presentation are truly ready to change well see the next day mr trump was on good morning america still defending the enquirers oswald story
but it was not only mr trump pivoting tuesday night with the possibility of a contested republican convention gone the news networks were facing a general election that could be unpredictable and in which the usual dynamics and rules of behavior could be scrambled
fox news for instance will now cover a republican nominee whos friendly with many of its conservative hosts   and who has been complimented by the big boss rupert murdoch   but who has repeatedly assailed the channels rising star megyn kelly if theres post primary awkwardness in the republican party fox may both cover it and live it
and while the general election is half a year off the early polls   most of which have the likely democratic nominee hillary clinton leading considerably   could frustrate tvs desire for a nail biter anything can change but if the race proves lopsided it could be tempting to seize on any data point that hints otherwise
on msnbc the republican strategist steve schmidt said that mr trumps win   in spite of or because of talk that would kill a normal political career   upended not just the party establishment but the umpire role of the press the days of the media policing whats a negative comment whats fair whats a low blow whats in bounds   its all over he said
maybe although having a candidate with a shall we say open attitude to rumors and conspiracy theories might also give us more aggressive fact checking than the usual both sides do it default after mr trumps oswald comments cnns jake tapper excoriated the candidate for making an unfounded ridiculous and frankly shameful charge
thats not an anti trump position or a pro cruz position mr tapper said its a pro truth position
it was the kind of straight talk that our political culture actually could use more of but it remains relatively rare in tv news still there was a sense in the nights coverage that however things play out in november something in the culture had already shifted
reveling in his indiana success mr trump thanked not any local politician for endorsing him but the former indiana basketball coach bobby knight here were the sources of power and authority in this primary and maybe america as a whole sports pop culture celebrity social media
wed seen it coming for months but tuesday it was immediately real an 80s pop culture figure and reality show host was about to become the republican nominee the man who once owned the miss universe pageant would be wearing the tiara in cleveland
its not as if no one has come to head a major party ticket from outside politics of course but the last person to do so gen dwight eisenhower did it by defeating the nazis in the european theater mr trump did it by firing gary busey on nbc


credit suisse is culling its ugly ducklings the swiss bank sold 12 billion of distressed credit to tssp an affiliate of the united states buyout group tpg locking in 100 million of write downs on top of those it has already taken the financial damage looks less painful than the dent to the groups credibility
back in october credit suisse surprised the market by deciding to stick with credit and securitized products it could have sold off tidjane thiam the chief executive took the view that the outsize return on the assets justified the risk of losses
unfortunately the bet went wrong adverse markets meant the bank wound up making almost 1 billion of write downs including 338 million on a distressed credit portfolio that stood at 29 billion at the end of 2015
having decided to cut his losses mr thiam can take comfort that prices of distressed credit dont look to have largely changed compared to fall triple c rated distressed assets have not budged much from around 80 percent of par according to barclays indexes while the lowest rated united states high yield debt was trading at 419 percent of par on tuesday at a slight premium to 355 percent on oct 21 when credit suisse updated its strategy
in other words the financial damage from selling now looks similar to what it would have been in october whats more while detailed numbers of the tssp deal announced tuesday were not disclosed the sale looks to have been at a smaller discount than previous asset disposals this year
that also implies credit suisse could have sold its earlier batches more profitably had it waited though and mr thiam does not emerge better off for the whole affair his handling of it which included the claim that senior managers had not been kept informed of what was going on has raised more questions than it has answered   about credit suisses risk management its communications and its bosses grasp of detail


radiohead erases its internet presence beyonce posts cryptic hints on her instagram account then schedules a mysterious hourlong hbo special the electronic musician james blake retweets photographs of billboards suggesting the title of a coming project
these are the signs and symbols that portend a new album in 2016 as listeners have shifted away from cds and downloads artists have become nearly as creative with their album release strategies as they have with their music   all in an effort to stoke excitement for the few records that still have a chance at netting major sales
this year many artists have resorted to a novel strategy offering fans a trail of digital bread crumbs that lead to a release
over the weekend radiohead joined the crowd gradually removing all signs of its presence online including its website and social media accounts before releasing a new single burn the witch and accompanying video on tuesday
catherine moore a clinical associate professor of music business at new york university and an expert in strategic music marketing said the bread crumbs strategy was an example of fans enthusiastic participation in what used to be considered the business side of the industry
harnessing the sharing harnessing the excitement and enthusiasm of the first to see the next bread crumb is really exciting for fans dr moore said
people talk about user generated content   user generated distribution is just as important she added
radiohead fans who were paying close attention noticed that something was afoot in january when news surfaced that the band had filed papers months earlier to create an independent company an action it had also taken before the release its past two albums additionally in advance of radiohead release on tuesday certain british fans were sent fliers that read sing the song of sixpence that goes burn the witch and we know where you live
these covert actions though they would be unusual for many artists were almost tame by radioheads standards the english rockers have had unusual album releases for nearly a decade anticipating a sea change in album promotion
the bands 2007 album in rainbows was made available on a pay what you wish basis just days days after the world was informed of its existence its 2011 album the king of limbs was released on even shorter notice after it was announced
many major artists have diverged from the conventional cycles of album promotion and release over the past decade in 2008 nine inch nails released its album ghosts i iv online with no warning in december 2013 beyonce opened the floodgates by releasing a self titled surprise album pre empting out of nowhere releases from drake u2 david bowie and dangelo in the following years
i didnt want to release my music the way ive done it i am bored with that beyonce said in a news release at the time
dr moore said that the turn away from conventional marketing was inevitable after itunes began to gain traction early in the previous decade taking away control of retail distribution away from the labels
they changed the pricing rules and once the pricing rules changes and the means of distribution changes the marketing has to change she said
though many listeners now prefer streaming services over itunes the marketing experimentation persists
the lead up to the release of beyonces album lemonade last month was comparable to that of the radiohead single she offered obsessive fan hints at the album title on instagram months ago pictures of a glass of lemonade and the singer sniffing a lemon were clues to the albums title and themes before announcing the hbo special that was a visual presentation of the album
the singer was rewarded for her efforts lemonade has had the most successful week of any album so far this year
marc hogan a journalist who covers the business for the music website pitchfork said that strategy could be seen as a way to reward fans attention and loyalty
feeling like youre in the know about your favorite band makes you feel closer to that band and makes you more excited to check out that record he said
frequently hints about new albums come from artists collaborators rather than the artists themselves those who knew to keep track of the twitter account of mr blakes collaborator dan foat were rewarded when he liked a tweet speculating about the artists new album
dr moore and mr hogan stressed that innovative release strategies for the most part were not an option for artists who have yet to develop the loyal fan bases of a beyonce or a radiohead or even a major independent artist like mr blake
the people who can do these unconventional release strategies are people who have already succeeded the conventional way mr hogan said


the frolicking didnt end with the met gala hours after anna wintours annual coronation drew to a close gussied up peacocks with social media followers to stoke headed into the nights after parties
balmain hosted a soiree at the gilded lily in chelsea where the extended kardashian clan wore different shades of balmain as they posed for family portraits with the designer olivier rousteing
beyonce arrived around 1 am and sidled up next to mr rousteing sharing champagne and laughs as camera phones snapped away
meanwhile at nearby up  down naomi campbell and the weeknd hosted another met gala after party the packed and hazy room included taylor swift katy perry justin bieber and madonna
at 4 am lady gaga got intimate with a fan who stuck out his tongue in a suggestive manner for a selfie video which would end up on twitter instagram and vine


donald j trump is now the presumptive republican presidential nominee but he is also keenly aware that many in his own party   and many americans frankly   are scared and anxious about the idea of him in the oval office even he is not sure how a deeply divided nation would adjust to the first 100 days of a trump presidency
what he does know however is what he wants to do in those early months in a series of recent interviews he sketched out plans that include showdowns with business leaders over jobs and key roles for military generals executives and possibly even family members in advising him about running the country
shortly after the nov 8 election president elect trump and his vice president   most likely a governor or member of congress   would begin interviewing candidates for the open supreme court seat and quickly settle on a nominee in the mold of justice antonin scalia
he would start building a government based on relationships perhaps inviting the republican leaders paul d ryan and mitch mcconnell to escape the chilly washington fall and schmooze at mar a lago over golf and two pound lobsters
on inauguration day he would go to a beautiful gala ball or two but focus mostly on rescinding obama executive orders on immigration and calling up corporate executives to threaten punitive measures if they shift jobs out of the united states
and by the end of his first 100 days as the nations 45th leader the wall with mexico would be designed the immigration ban on muslims would be in place the audit of the federal reserve would be underway and plans to repeal the affordable care act would be in motion
i know people arent sure right now what a president trump will be like he said but things will be fine im not running for president to make things unstable for the country
the new york times interviewed mr trump three times over the past two months most recently on saturday as well as several campaign advisers and trump confidants
the possibility of mr trump in the oval office   an outcome that once seemed fanciful   became less remote on tuesday night when his main challenger senator ted cruz of texas quit the race on wednesday gov john kasich of ohio said he would withdraw too
despite his radical vision of how to remake america and all his outrageous talk on juvenile subjects like his anatomy   to say nothing of the polls showing him behind hillary clinton   jan 20 may find the most underestimated politician in america assuming the presidency
while professing some surprise at his success mr trump increasingly sounds like a man who thinks he knows where he will be eight months from now and the unrivaled power he will hold he talked of turning the oval office into a high powered board room empowering military leaders over foreign affairs specialists in national security debates and continuing to speak harshly about adversaries he may post on twitter less but everyone will still know what he thinks
as president ill be working from the first day with my vice president and staff to make clear that america will be changing in major ways for the better mr trump said in a telephone interview on saturday we cant afford to waste time i want a vice president who will help me have a major impact quickly on capitol hill and the message will be clear to the nation and to people abroad that the american government will be using its power differently
but he also acknowledged that he might face significant and incessant protests   even thousands of demonstrators massing on the national mall as he takes the oath of office nearby at the capitol
mr trump said he would try to unite republicans and disaffected democrats and independents over the next six months before the november election and then work in office to show americans that his chief interest was fighting for their needs he argued that the fact that he would not have to rely on wealthy donors to finance his campaign would ultimately prove appealing to many voters as they realize he is not bought and paid for
i know everyone wont like everything i do but im not running to be everyones favorite president mr trump said things are seriously wrong in this country people are hurting business is hurting im running to move quickly to make big changes
several friends and allies of mr trump said that negotiating was the word he used the most to encapsulate his first 100 days in office he wants to put strong willed people   business executives and generals are mentioned most often   in charge of cabinet agencies and throughout his senior staff and direct them to negotiate deals and plans with congressional leaders and state officials as well as insurance companies and others in the private sector they say he will accomplish the things he has promised or else keep trying well aware that his supporters will have his head if he does not
hes not going to depart from the agenda hes laid out not a bit said roger stone a longtime adviser and confidant mr stone declined to describe details of his private conversations with mr trump except to say having gone out a thousand times to say im going to build a wall he has to build a wall he has said he would scrap trade deals his voters will demand he scrap trade deals he knows that
modern america has never seen anything like a trump administration business leaders and even entertainment figures new to politics have been elected governors of course and insurgents like newt gingrich rose to power
but this is different a manhattan real estate developer and bombastic reality television star mr trump would be a president like no other yet historians suggest the country would adjust he would quickly find himself consumed with the urgent and normalizing tasks of building a cabinet assembling senior staff and reassuring wall street and the public that he was capable of governing america
trump is predicting hell be able to do all these things but his workload will be pretty enormous and his power would be so limited by precedent by the bureaucracy by the constitution said robert dallek a presidential historian even in trade and immigration where trump says he will make revolutionary changes congress has a say on those things a lot of people have a say the president is not king
but mr trump pledged in the interviews to deliver on his campaign promises even if they prove disruptive or explosive
on his first day in office he said he would meet with homeland security officials generals and others   he did not mention diplomats   to take steps to seal the southern border and assign more security agents along it he would also call the heads of companies like pfizer the carrier corporation ford and nabisco and warn them that their products face 35 percent tariffs because they are moving jobs out of the country democrats and some republicans have warned that financial markets would react poorly and that mr trumps protectionist stances might plunge the country into recession but he insisted that trade is killing the country and the markets would be fine
bilateral talks with mexico would start pretty quickly on the wall and i would have chief executives into the oval office soon too he said the oval office would be an amazing place to negotiate it would command immediate respect from the other side immediate understanding about the nations priorities
as for which foreign leader he would call first as president he said they would not necessarily be a priority
we have to take a tougher stand with foreign countries mr trump said were like the policemen of the world right now so i wouldnt be calling them up right away and getting more entangled
for good or ill he would command the nations attention unlike any modern president and not simply because of his penchant for redecorating in gold and renaming planes and buildings after himself for the record he said he had no ambitious renovation plans
his first 100 days would be riveting said ari fleischer a former press secretary for president george w bush the question would be whether he is capable of downshifting from the hot rhetoric of his campaign to the serious business of building a presidency based on sound judgment and necessary coalition building
mr fleischer said it was possible that mr trump would make the adjustment given his frequent comments about negotiating with democrats and republicans to reach compromises
that side of him intrigues me mr fleischer said he keeps alluding to how well he gets along with people its almost like trump is playing a shrewd game tough campaigner today great deal maker later he added of course if he wins hell have some level of strength and momentum akin to a mandate that would help
mr trump did seem aware that his early months could be consumed with trying to win confirmation for his cabinet and perhaps a new supreme court justice and with making appointments throughout the bureaucracy
he made it clear that he was not interested in delegating these tasks and that he wanted to make sure his appointees shared his governing philosophy one of his closest advisers his daughter ivanka would probably stay with his company but he said he would seek counsel from her and her husband the businessman jared kushner and noted that family members had served in administrations before
even jobs that might seem incidental in a trump universe like a united states ambassador to the united nations have apparently crossed his mind
i think about a un ambassador about a secretary of defense and secretary of treasury but i think more about winning first mr trump said otherwise im wasting time i want people in those jobs who care about winning the un isnt doing anything to end the big conflicts in the world so you need an ambassador who would win by really shaking up the un


london   barclays said on wednesday that it planned to sell a 122 percent stake in the barclays africa group as it moves to reduce its holdings in the business in an accelerated strategy shift led by its new chief executive
the british bank announced plans in march to sell down its 623 percent stake in the african business over the next two to three years and james e staley its chief executive said the action announced wednesday was an important first step
barclays which has operated in the region for more than a century wants to reduce its holdings in the african business to below a controlling level or sell the stake entirely the goal is to free barclays from regulatory and capital requirements that have dragged on its balance sheet
we continue to explore opportunities to reduce our shareholding including capital market and strategic options said mr staley who is known as jes in a news release
the barclays african business is listed on the johannesburg stock exchange and holds majority stakes in banks in 10 countries with offices in two others the businesss biggest profit driver is south africa
the african business was considered one of four pillars of barclayss strategy alongside its credit card and its consumer and investment banking operations under antony jenkins who was ousted as chief executive in july
under mr staley the bank is accelerating the sale of businesses it does not consider core operations and focusing its strategy around two divisions the british consumer bank and the corporate and investment bank
barclays said it would sell 1036 million shares or 122 percent of the business in a private offering to institutional investors
the public investment corporation an investment manager owned by the south african government has agreed to serve as an anchor investor in the sale buying up to 103 million shares or about 12 percent of barclays africa
the announcement of the planned sale came just over a week after atlas mara limited an investment company backed by the former barclays chief executive robert e diamond jr said it was in discussions with a group of investors about exploring a bid for barclayss african business
atlas mara was formed in 2013 to invest in financial services companies in africa
barclayss investment bank will serve as the sole global coordinator on the offering


the retired american soccer star abby wambach is joining espn as an analyst and a contributor
wambach the leading career scorer in international soccer will cover the european championships in france and the rio olympics in august but her role wont be limited to soccer she will work across multiple platforms including espn films and shows including outside the lines according to the network
talking and reporting on things that im passionate about really really was the selling point to me wambach told the associated press because i dont want the rest of my life to be based on the fact that i played soccer i want to be able to venture and learn about different things
wambach also will produce a podcast fearless conversation with abby wambach which she promises wont shy away from controversy among her first topics will be foreign players on the us national team wambach drew criticism when she blasted us mens coach jurgen klinsmann for bringing in a bunch of these foreign guys in december
oslo born midfielder mix diskerud subsequently posted a message to wambach on instagram
i know were not quite equal from your group of people the countrys commander in chief need to be selected however other than that   you and i share something not unique but constitutionally earned a birthright to defend this nation as an american wherever we go led by whoever has earned by democratic process hisher right to lead on or off the field in peace in war in practice or in any other kind of pursuit of your happiness he wrote
wambach said shes willing to re examine those comments
why not i think people tend to steer away from stuff that has caused controversy in their lives for me what better place to start to be quite honest its been few and far between in my career the reason being that ive been speaking for 23 other women so i kind of toed the party line during that time
wambach the fifa player of the year in 2012 scored 184 career goals more than any other player male or female she played 15 years with the us womens national team
she capped her career last summer with her sports most prestigious championship when the united states defeated japan 5 2 in canada in the world cup it was the third world cup title for the us women and first since 1999
wambach appeared in four world cups with the national team she also has a pair of olympic gold medals from the 2004 games in athens and the 2012 games in london she did not compete in the beijing games because of a broken leg
wambach announced her retirement in october and played her final match in december
since she stepped away from the team she has made several appearances at charity events and campaigned for democratic presidential candidate hillary clinton
during the course of her career wambach has been active in fighting for equal rights for female athletes she led a group of players in a protest of fifas decision to play the 2015 world cup on artificial turf which is considered by many to be inferior to grass
she made headlines last month when she was pulled over for driving under the influence in portland oregon where she lives after posting a public apology on her facebook page she pleaded guilty and entered a diversion program for first time offenders


hong kong   on java road in hong kong a new pair of brown leather gucci loafers lovingly wrapped in cellophane hangs from a storefront   the deal of a lifetime at less than 3
just not this lifetime
the shoes are paper replicas meant to be burned as offerings to relatives who have died   a modern twist on an old chinese custom at specialty shops across this city the bereaved can choose from an impressive array of goods to send to their departed loved ones including italian sports cars smartphones six packs of beer cigarettes dress shirts and sport jackets
one store next to hong kongs ten thousand buddhas monastery even sells paper replicas of mcdonalds value meals complete with fries soda and a package of something called chicken muneggtc
but the gucci handbags and shoes that grandmother may have cooed over when she was among the living now appear to be out of her ethereal reach a shopkeeper quickly snatched the loafers away from one inquiring customer explaining that they were no longer for sale
it seems guccis zeal to protect its brand extends into the hereafter
last week its parent company paris based kering sent a letter to six local stores that sell the paper offerings telling them to stop selling replicas of gucci products because they were using its famous trademark that graces shoes wallets hats jewelry and womens purses
what we are trying to do is let them know that gucci is a trademark and we are trying to protect it charlotte judet a hong kong based spokeswoman for kering said by telephone we fully respect the funeral context
elaborate paper offerings for the dead are for sale the world over available for purchase by the living across asia from cambodia to mainland china in china the bereaved with a few clicks of a mouse or taps on a smartphone can buy replicas of everything from bonsai plants to flat screen televisions for home delivery
as incomes have soared and consumerism has taken hold across the continent the cardboard replicas once limited to fake currency have become increasingly elaborate one shop offers a paper wall unit air conditioner presumably for relatives who may be in the lower reaches of the hereafter
the practice has even migrated across the ocean in 2011 in new york one chinatown shopkeeper was arrested for selling cardboard replicas of designer handbags and loafers and charged with copyright infringement
but gucci chose to make a stand in hong kong not in beijing new york or bangkok the forces at play essentially define hong kongs place in the world here is a city that combines a no holds barred consumer culture a strong bond to chinas old traditions and a robust legal system inherited from the british that respects and enforces intellectual property rights hong kong is at its essence a fusion of eastern culture global capitalism and western law
people in hong kong are law abiding alice lee an associate professor of law at the university of hong kong who focuses on intellectual property said in a telephone interview we have had the benefit of british rule for such a long time
but ms lee said gucci would have a difficult time proving that makers of paper offerings infringed on its trademark to successfully sue for trademark infringement she said a company has to demonstrate that people confuse the cardboard replicas with real gucci products which is highly unlikely
her colleague haochen sun a professor who studies trademark protection of luxury brands said gucci might have a case under hong kong law if it argued that the paper offerings sold in shops only blocks from the companys own retail outlets blurred the distinctiveness of guccis brand or caused it harm
the subtleties of trademark law have yet to trickle down to the street level
instead of laughter guccis letter which threatened no legal action and asked for no compensation prompted compliance from some of the shops that sell the paper offerings along java road gucci branded offerings for the dead disappeared from the shelves as shopkeepers feared that their tiny businesses could collapse if subjected to a lawsuit
sitting on a stool in the back of one shop past the incense and ersatz packs of cigarettes from brands like danhill lucky strlke marlbero and sailem one proprietor who asked to be identified by only her last name chan said she and others had little choice because their businesses were so small
for gucci it was an easy win even though its letter did draw some ridicule in the local press
the symbolism of a global multibillion dollar luxury company warning perhaps some of the poorest retailers in the city over items that could not ever be taken for the real thing just seems a little bullying jing zhang fashion editor for the south china morning post wrote tuesday
ms lee the law professor had a different interpretation purpose served she said they want to show the world that they are taking their intellectual property rights seriously
the shopkeepers lament what they see as the absurdity of it all their target market   the dead   does not appear to intersect with the well heeled or aspiring to be wealthy living and breathing gucci customers who frequent the outlets shops in hong kong one of the companys top markets
our customers are totally different said one shopkeeper outside ten thousand buddhas monastery who gave only his surname lan they burn these things to send to the spirits
neither ms chan nor mr lan had received a letter from gucci ms chan read about it in a local newspaper and quickly moved to exorcise her store of any paper replicas of gucci projects
actually the word gucci rarely appears in the world of paper offerings in almost all instances the enterprising manufacturers   from somewhere in mainland china   alter the spelling those gucci loafers at the shop next door were labeled guuci mr lan who as of monday had not heard of the warning letter had one paper gueei purse on offer
ms chan said the whole idea of gucci threatening such action was odd it has nothing to do with us she said


gov john kasich of ohio a moderate voice who tried to portray himself as the adult in the republican primary field but failed to win any state but his own ended his long shot quest for the presidency on wednesday cementing donald j trumps grip on the presidential nomination
mr kasichs departure a day after mr trumps victory in the indiana primary leaves mr trump as the only candidate remaining in the republican race his closest challenger senator ted cruz of texas dropped out tuesday night
in remarks in columbus ohio that lasted about 15 minutes mr kasich recalled the emotional moments he had on the campaign trail and stressed the need to live a life bigger than ourselves he did not mention mr trump or explain why he was leaving the race
i have always said that the lord has a purpose for me as he has for everyone mr kasich said and as i suspend my campaign today i have renewed faith deeper faith that the lord will show me the way forward and fulfill the purpose of my life
a conventional candidate in an unconventional race mr kasich 63 outlasted the other governors in the republican field but his longevity was largely a testament to his unbending refusal to drop out long after it became clear that voters were not flocking to his campaign
he rarely wavered from his above the fray approach to his rivals even as they racked up far more delegates when they attacked one another mr kasich struck a sunny tone and told people that they were made special by the lord while mr trump and mr cruz emphasized their outsider status he ran unapologetically as a candidate with experience
mr kasich citing polls had insisted that he was the only remaining republican candidate who could win in november but while he expressed hope that voters in the northeast would embrace him he was obliterated by mr trump in the five states that held primaries last week and he never matched mr cruz as the main alternative to mr trump
in a last ditch deal with mr cruz mr kasich agreed not to compete in indiana a critical state for those hoping to stop mr trump mr cruz in exchange agreed not to compete in two states with later contests oregon and new mexico
mr kasich had hoped that neither opponent would win enough delegates to clinch the nomination before the republican convention in july in that case many delegates could potentially vote as they wished regardless of which candidate voters in their home states preferred mr kasich said he believed his track record in government and his favorable poll numbers in hypothetical matchups against the democratic front runner hillary clinton would win over those delegates
but mr trumps victory in indiana put him in a commanding position to officially secure the nomination on june 7 when the last republican contests will be held
mr kasich had been set to fly to the washington area on wednesday to hold a news conference meet with a newspaper editorial board and attend fund raisers for his campaign he got on his plane in columbus according to campaign advisers but had reservations about pressing on the plane never took off and within hours mr kasich was announcing the end of his bid
a former chairman of the house budget committee and the governor of a large and electorally critical state mr kasich did not lack in credentials and his tenure as governor of ohio a job he entered on the heels of the recession offered him an alluring story of economic turnaround
he set himself apart from the republican field through his moderate views   under the affordable care act he expanded medicaid in ohio and he talked frequently about the need to help people in the shadows like those with drug addiction or mental illness at times he expressed dismay about the direction of his party asking last week do the republicans actually think that they can win an election by scaring every hispanic in this country to death
mr kasich presented himself as the optimistic candidate in a gloomy race refusing to unleash the kinds of personal attacks that have been a defining characteristic of this years campaign before the new hampshire primary he described himself as the prince of light and hope
mr kasich planted himself in new hampshire holding more than 100 town hall style events in the state he was rewarded with a second place finish which his campaign hoped would vault him to prominence
in the months that followed he continued holding town hall style meetings in state after state taking questions from voters his events often felt more like group therapy sessions than campaign stops audience members opened up to him about deeply personal subjects and mr kasich dispensed hugs
the people of our country changed me mr kasich said on wednesday they changed me with the stories of their lives
the march 15 ohio primary was a rare bright spot for him   a victory over mr trump and one that kept his long shot bid alive
but mr kasichs soothing message never caught on in a campaign that has exposed the anger and frustration coursing through the electorate
he found himself stuck in fourth place in a three man race trailing senator marco rubio of florida in the delegate count even though mr rubio had ended his bid in march
in recent weeks mr kasichs great achievement appeared to be showing off his impressive appetite at a variety of restaurants   prompting mr trump to deride his eating habits
mr kasich has often been talked about as a possible vice presidential candidate and on wednesday mr trump told cnn that he was interested in vetting mr kasich for a potential spot on his ticket mr kasich has repeatedly insisted that he will not be anyones running mate if george washington came back from the dead i might think about it with him he said last week but thatd be about it
mr kasichs team had high hopes about the northeast believing mr kasich who grew up near pittsburgh would be appealing to moderate voters there but mr trump dominated the five states that voted last week in the northeast and mid atlantic
mr kasich acknowledged last week that he considered dropping out of the race after mr trump routed him in those contests but decided to continue
until the very end mr kasich stuck to his message even as it became clear it was not a winning one
my job is to provide people with a sense of hopefulness of unity of healing he said last week thats what im going to do and if that doesnt take me to a road to victory so be it


washington   a 28 year old army officer on wednesday sued president obama over the legality of the war against the islamic state setting up a test of mr obamas disputed claim that he needs no new legal authority from congress to order the military to wage that deepening mission
the plaintiff capt nathan michael smith an intelligence officer stationed in kuwait voiced strong support for fighting the islamic state but citing his conscience and his vow to uphold the constitution he said he believed that the mission lacked proper authorization from congress
to honor my oath i am asking the court to tell the president that he must get proper authority from congress under the war powers resolution to wage the war against isis in iraq and syria he wrote
the legal challenge comes after the death of the third american service member fighting the islamic state and as mr obama has decided to significantly expand the number of special operations ground troops he has deployed to syria aid rebels there
mr obama has argued that he already has the authority he needs to wage the conflict against the islamic state under the authorization to fight the perpetrators of the terrorist attacks of sept 11 2001 enacted by congress shortly after the attacks
that argument is controversial because the islamic state is at odds with the leadership of al qaeda and its affiliate in syria the nusra front critics contend that the administration is stretching the sept 11 authorization too far by applying it to an organization that did not exist in 2001 and that operates far from afghanistan
the administration has countered that its position is legitimate because the islamic state used to be a qaeda affiliate in iraq during the iraq war in an april 2015 speech stephen preston then the top pentagon lawyer argued that the fact that al qaeda splintered after the death of osama bin laden did not mean that the authority to keep fighting each successor faction came to an end
administration officials have also said the fight against the islamic state is covered separately by the 2002 authorization president george w bush obtained from congress for the invasion of iraq although they are not relying on it
the administration has asked congress to enact new authorization for using military force against the islamic state but lawmakers have not acted on that request they have however passed military appropriations bills that earmark funds for the effort against the islamic state which could suggest that lawmakers have acquiesced to the executive branchs theory
captain smiths lawyers are david remes who has represented many guantanamo detainees in habeas corpus lawsuits and bruce ackerman a yale law school professor who published a column in the atlantic last year arguing that the war against isis was illegal and that a serviceman ordered to fight in it would have standing to challenge it in court
we want to get this back on the agenda said mr ackerman calling the precedent mr obama is setting a turning point for whether constitutional checks and balances on a presidents ability to initiate a new war at his own discretion will survive
current and former administration officials have said that in 2014 when confronted by the islamic states rapid conquest of iraqi territory mr obamas advisers presented him with a choice he could say that bombing isis was part of the existing war or he could say it was a new war each theory they told him was defensible but each had its own downsides
mr obama decided to go with the first one   that the islamic state campaign was part of the existing post sept 11 war   because he believed that immediate intervention was necessary to halt a disaster but that the republican controlled house of representatives was too dysfunctional to vote on any war authorization within 60 days
that was important because the war power resolution a vietnam era law says presidents must withdraw deployments into hostilities after 60 days if congress has not authorized the operation to continue in 2011 mr obamas air war intervention in libya which lasted longer than 60 days without congressional authorization prompted criticism inside and outside the administration
jack goldsmith a harvard law school professor who has criticized the administrations use of the 2001 war authorization to cover the islamic state but is not involved in the suit said the case was significant because it could overcome a major hurdle to getting a court to review that theory
but mr goldsmith said captain smith faced many other hurdles including precedents that suggest that when congress appropriates money for a conflict it has implicitly authorized it he also predicted that if a court did rule that the conflict was illegal congress would authorize the fight to continue - perhaps giving it broader scope than mr obama has wanted
were in a terrible equilibrium where congress doesnt want to step up and play its part in this military campaign and so the president has basically gone forward and done what he thinks he needs to do mr goldsmith said it would be a lot better for everyone including the president if congress got more involved


boston ballet announced on wednesday that it has entered into a five year partnership with the choreographer william forsythe with an agreement to add one work each year as well as performing the four ballets already in the company repertory the first acquisition is mr forsythes full length artifact which will be performed feb 23 through march 5 next year at the boston opera house
mr forsythe who no longer runs his own company is currently the associate choreographer at the paris opera ballet but will leave that position when benjamin millepied the current director of dance there steps down in july mr forsythe also holds the position of professor of dance at the university of southern california glorya kaufman school of dance
mikko nissinen the artistic director of the boston ballet said that the announcement of the partnership with mr forsythe was unrelated to the choreographers departure from paris we have been working on this for a couple of years he said in a telephone interview from boston adding that his own experience of dancing in mr forsythes work had changed him as a dancer i think bill forsythe is an important modern artist and a profound american voice he added for me this is a dream come true
mr nissinen said that he and mr forsythe were still discussing which works would enter the repertory after artifact but that he hoped to acquire pieces that were less well known to north american audiences
in a statement mr forsythe suggested that new work was a possibility mikkos support of the work means that the dancers and i can deepen our wonderful relationship and i will have a new home for new ideas he said
mr nissinen said that in order to give the dancers a head start with mr forsythes style and working methods they had already begun workshops with jill johnson a former member of mr forsythes company and currently the director of the dance program at harvard we are totally committed mr nissinen said its the biggest priority for the boston ballet going forward


panama   the anonymous message began appearing on panamanian cellphones days after the news broke that 115 million documents called the panama papers had leaked from a law firm dealing in secretive shell companies
the message was a call to arms to defend the nations honor
ok people the only way to combat those who are smearing the name of our country is to create positive informed and educated content read the message in spanish which circulated quickly and widely we only want to clean the name of panama we want to attack like martial arts using the force of our opponent all at the same time
in short order social media was festooned with multilingual pro panama hashtags often accompanied by photographs of beaches sunsets mountains and happy carefree people
panamaparadise
ilovepanama
wearepanama
wearenotpapers
panamaismorethanpapers
while the leaks from the law firm mossack fonseca may have left panama looking like a wellspring of tax havens and an unconditional friend of the wealthy and corrupt they have also set off an eruption of patriotic fervor in this small central american country from the impoverished rural hinterlands to the halls of the presidential palace panamanians are pushing back at the negative attention that has tumbled down on them
they made the normal regular panama come alive and say whats going on im not a piece of paper im not the guy laundering money in london in france in japan im not that said antonio alfaro the president of panamas chamber of tourism an industry association they have brought us together
some panamanians have viewed the leak and the resulting international news coverage as an attack on panamanian sovereignty or even as a plot by a foreign competitor to wrest banking business from panama
many have bridled at the catchy nickname for the scandal   the panama papers   saying it unfairly shamed an entire nation they floated alternatives like the uncatchy mossack fonseca papers
the reaction has been widespread crossing all socioeconomic lines
most of the people who have been involved in these papers are foreigners not panamanians so panama is really the victim of this said fernando aramburu porras a management consultant and former economics and finance minister of panama the national mood is a little beaten up he said
while the reaction has flowed from a reservoir of national pride some panamanian commentators said it reflects a certain national fragility   revealing perhaps a lack of self confidence about the countrys place in the world
miguel antonio bernal a constitutional lawyer and self described agitator of conscience said that panama was still in effect trying to find its footing as an independent democracy after years of living under military dictatorships and within the american sphere of influence during the united states stewardship of the canal which ended in 1999
and now what are we he asked shrugging he likened the country to an adolescent we are a 15 year old little country in the world but we dont know what we are in the last 30 to 40 years we lost our soul were looking for our soul our identity what it means to be panamanian
with a stable fast growing economy that depends on a well developed services sector the country has become a regional trade hub and a popular place for foreign real estate investment but it also suffers some of the worst income disparity in latin america with high rates of poverty among its nearly four million people particularly in rural areas
the country has closely aligned its identity with the panama canal which for years has been a kind of sacred cow here immune from criticism but even that institution has not been an unqualified source of pride for the nation
an ambitious project to expand the canal has run way over budget   costing about 53 billion   and its opening now scheduled for june 26 has been delayed for nearly two years some panamanians albeit quietly say they have been concerned about damage to the countrys international reputation should the canals opening be delayed further
but while panamanians generally celebrate and embrace their canal the same cannot be said for their relationship with the robust offshore banking industry after the mossack fonseca leak many were quick to distance themselves from the lawyers and bankers involved in that industry and from the politicians who protect it
the immense majority of the people of panama are honest hard working people luis gonzalez marin a top labor union official said when theres a fight between elephants the thing that suffers is the grass
it made all the panamanians look bad roger villarreal a hotel employee in panama citys banking district said of the scandal he too has participated in the pro panama social media campaign unleashing several tweets pegged with the hashtag panamaesmasquepapeles or panamaismorethanpapers
he said twitter had allowed panamanians to express their sense of liberation after years of living under the thumb of dictators and to an extent the united states
you know when you have a weight lifted off of you he asked you have the liberty of expressing yourself you feel capable of defending whats yours
according to a recent national poll by the panamanian research firm dichter  neira 91 percent of respondents believed that the panama papers affair had greatly affected the countrys image and 81 percent believed that it would affect the nations economy the nationwide poll was conducted in face to face interviews with 1200 adults at their homes and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 29 percentage points
but some panamanians see the leak and the resulting fallout as a potential watershed for the country a test of its emotional constitution and its desire to earn the worlds respect
what we need at this time is not crazy patriotism said mr bernal who habitually wears a panamanian flag pin on his jacket lapel
we need to see the crisis as an opportunity to be better to cure what is necessary inside panama first and then to be respected around the world
he likened the panama papers crisis to a wave the country catches it like a surfer or is crushed we need to surf to the top of the wave to recover the country he said its a good moment to think and reflect and act
indeed some tourism officials have been trying to figure out how to flip the negative attention to the countrys advantage
mr alfaro of the chamber of tourism said that a halt to government tourism advertising more than a year ago and delays in the construction of a new convention center have impeded the growth of the sector
but in recent weeks the country has received more international publicity than it ever dreamed of   just not the kind it dreamed of perhaps
mr alfaro also reached for a surfing metaphor water is apparently never far from mind in a country squeezed between the caribbean sea and the pacific ocean
if we can do it fast enough then we can probably take a ride on the wave of everybody knowing where panama is he said we have to ride that wave in but we have to do it very carefully
the tourism promotion engines in his mind had started to turn
they say we are a fiscal or financial paradise he said a pitch taking shape but we are a tourism paradise tell me where else can you have breakfast in the pacific lunch at the atlantic and be in the mountains at night and never get into an airplane


a man accused of sprinkling mouse poison and hand cleaner on produce at several self service food bars in michigan grocery stores over the last two weeks has been arrested the fbi and local police said on tuesday
images taken from surveillance video at a supermarket and published online by the fbi showed the man carrying a red basket in a grocery store walking past a display of avocados and down aisles
the man was identified by members of the public and arrested by the agency and the ann arbor police but his name had not been released as of early wednesday
the authorities said the man was suspected of contaminating food in several ann arbor grocery stores including a whole foods market a meijer and a plum market over the last two weeks it was not clear if anyone had been sickened by the poison or how it had been detected
our joint investigation leads us to believe that this individual sprayed a liquid mixture of hand cleaner water and tomcat mice poison on produce the authorities said it said the man admitted to using the potentially hazardous material to contaminate food
the authorities did not provide a motive
david p gelios an fbi special agent said in the statement that the man had visited several other grocery stores in the ann arbor area in the last few months state authorities listed at least 15 other stores in other cities including flint and midland that might have been affected
health officials in michigan said that the man also admitted to contaminating some produce stacked in stands
the authorities said the chemicals in the mixture were a form of anticoagulant similar to what is found in medicines that prevent blood clotting the michigan department of health and human services said that it does not anticipate any adverse health effects on anyone who ate the contaminated products
out of an abundance of caution and to protect public health and food safety i encourage consumers to dispose of any foods purchased from salad bars olive bars and ready to eat hot and cold food areas from these stores between mid march and the end of april said jamie clover adams the director of the states department of agriculture and rural development
although most of these types of foods may have already been eaten or disposed of some may still be in refrigerators or freezers she said in a statement


we will never know just how wrong we were about donald trump
did he have a 1 percent chance to win when he descended the escalator of trump tower last june twenty percent or should we have known all along
was mr trumps victory a black swan the electoral equivalent of world war i or the depression an unlikely event with complex causes some understood at the time but others overlooked that came together in unexpected ways to produce a result that no one could have reasonably anticipated
or did we simply underestimate mr trump from the start did we discount him because we assumed that voters would never nominate a reality tv star for president let alone a provocateur with iconoclastic policy views like his did we put too much stock in the party decides a theory about the role of party elites in influencing the outcome of the primary process
the answer as best i can tell is all of the above
i do think we   and specifically i   underestimated mr trump there were bad assumptions misinterpretations of the data and missed connections all along the way
but i also think mr trump was a tremendous long shot when he entered the race and even for months thereafter victory wasnt inevitable   and it took a lot to go his way
if there was anything that should have signaled that this time would be different from the very start it was 17 the number of republican candidates who entered the race
the sheer number kept many donors and officials on the sidelines waiting to see who would emerge as a strong contender it diffused whatever power the party elite had to influence the outcome
it created a huge collective action problem in which none of the republican candidates had a clear incentive to attack mr trump   just their rivals for their niche of the republican party the effect was to legitimize mr trump as an ordinary candidate and to damage the others
and at just about every stage there were too many candidates to mount a truly effective anti trump effort by new hampshire there were still nine in south carolina there were six on super tuesday there were five the race narrowed to three candidates only after two thirds of all of the delegates to the republican convention had been awarded it became a one on one race only after mr trump had effectively secured the nomination
maybe mr trump really did have a ceiling at various stages there was evidence for it in public polling and in the actual results well never know
another result of the large field was that mr trumps opposition was always far less organized and underfunded than it would otherwise have been a candidate like marco rubio never had a chance to take advantage of the benefits that usually accompany elite support he didnt have time
it was clear from the start that jeb bush was a weak establishment front runner i never thought much of mr rubios chances and scott walker on paper the best of the bunch quickly raised doubts about his preparedness
it was also obvious that the mainstream candidates could face serious challenges on their flanks from john kasich on the left and ted cruz on the right the notion that successful factional candidates could prevent a mainstream candidate from building a broad coalition was also discussed at several times even in the specific context of mr kasich its basically what happened to mitt romney in 2008
but what wasnt really discussed was what ultimately happened with mr kasich he was strong enough to prevent mr rubio from consolidating the center right of the republican party costing him states like virginia on super tuesday but he wasnt strong enough to become a plausible contender in his own right like mr mccain in 2008
in the end mr kasich was strong enough only to block a viable mainstream candidate leaving mr cruz as the sole remaining candidate to defeat mr trump this to me is a world war i black swan advantage for mr trump   parts of it were foreseeable but not the totality of what ultimately happened
the failure of a broadly appealing candidate to break out left mr trump with one rival mr cruz
i think we got a lot wrong about mr trump but i think we nailed mr cruz he was strongly opposed by party elites and had so little appeal to voters who didnt consider themselves very conservative that he couldnt win the nomination it was a lucky break for mr trump
who knows what would have happened if mr rubio hadnt stumbled in that debate ahead of new hampshire and come in second instead of mr kasich perhaps mr kasich and mr bush would have left the race allowing mr rubio to consolidate the center right of the party   and maybe even win it all well never know
the first big article i wrote on the republican race wasnt about the importance of endorsements or party elites it was about blue state republicans
in recent cycles they had backed the establishment against conservative candidates they were a big reason i believed that an establishment backed candidate had an advantage against a conservative outsider despite the turn toward tea party conservatives in congress polling data showed they were well educated and moderate   natural allies for the establishment
to some extent this view has been vindicated mr cruz this years conservative outsider was pummeled in the blue states
but it was completely wrong in a far more important sense the republicans in these states were no allies of the establishment at least not against mr trump the blue state republicans gave him his first win in new hampshire and later they put him over the top
this could just be the result of a simple analytical error conflating opposition to ideologically consistent conservatives with an affinity for establishment backed candidates
or perhaps they would have voted against mr trump if someone other than mr cruz had been the principal opponent to mr trump
either way i thought the partys establishment could count on these voters and instead they were among mr trumps strongest backers in the end
theres an important lesson here these arent liberal or moderate rockefeller republicans these are voters who showed a surprising tolerance for mr trumps extreme comments on immigration women and other issues
i didnt consider myself that much of a party decides disciple at the beginning of the race but i was sure of one thing it would be extraordinarily hard to win if a candidate were deemed unacceptable by the partys elected officials donors and operatives
such a candidate would lack the resources and staff to run an effective campaign he or she would face both a chorus of vocal opposition from credible leaders and a well financed fight to the end
in the end mr trump didnt face many of the challenges that outsiders usually do
his limited resources were irrelevant   he had unlimited free media his weakness at delegate selection conventions could have cost him the nomination but he ultimately won enough contests to ensure victory
an even bigger surprise was the complete failure of republican elites to firmly and consistently denounce mr trump its why i thought he was done after his comments dismissing john mccains status as a war hero i thought a chorus of republican criticism of his most outrageous comments and the more liberal elements of his record would follow but it simply didnt
it never did
the republican elite treated mr trump as it would have treated a fairly ordinary candidate even as he said extraordinary things thats a big part of why he won
i did not expect that the party would cede its biggest prize to an outsider who had so many dissenting policy views and who faced so many questions about his fitness for the presidency
maybe because i never cared much about pop culture and dont watch much television i never would have guessed that mr trump would be able to sustain nonstop dominance of television media for the entire campaign season
the tremendous news media coverage of mr trump was a big reason he looked like a boom bust candidate like herman cain in 2012 but mr trumps media coverage never faded
if you had told me about the persistence of the coverage i wouldnt have dismissed his chances after all the media was the fuel of his rise from the start
mr trump benefited from party rules and a calendar that made it far easier for him to win the nomination
if the republicans had delegate rules like those of the democrats mr trump would not yet be the nominee he would be counting on superdelegates
he was also helped by this years calendar two thirds of all of the delegates were awarded in the 45 days after iowa making it important for the party to narrow the field quickly in a year when it was not positioned to do so
even when it looked as if mr rubio might benefit from unified republican support he had only a week for fund raising and to try to build a strong organization ahead of super tuesday with the calendar from 2012 he would have had five weeks
we were just overconfident there havent been very many presidential elections in the modern era of primaries there certainly havent been enough to rule out the possibility that a true outsider could win the nomination even if it seemed very incongruent with what had happened in the post reform era
thats a lesson to keep in mind heading into the general election


the frolicking didnt end with the met gala hours after anna wintours annual coronation drew to a close gussied up peacocks with social media followers to stoke headed into the nights after parties
balmain hosted a soiree at the gilded lily in chelsea where the extended kardashian clan wore different shades of balmain as they posed for family portraits with the designer olivier rousteing
beyonce arrived around 1 am and sidled up next to mr rousteing sharing champagne and laughs as camera phones snapped away
meanwhile at nearby up  down naomi campbell and the weeknd hosted another met gala after party the packed and hazy room included taylor swift katy perry justin bieber and madonna
at 4 am lady gaga got intimate with a fan who stuck out his tongue in a suggestive manner for a selfie video which would end up on twitter instagram and vine


william h gross as prominent a stamp collector as he is a bond investor has just sold a sizable chunk of his stamp collection   netting 45 million
mr gross who says he has spent more than 100 million on his collection since the early 1990s will donate 2 million each to the pimco foundation the philanthropic arm of his former employer and the new york times neediest cases fund the rest will go to smaller charities
mr gross is in the middle of a bitter legal dispute with his former firm over the circumstances of his abrupt departure in late 2014 but he has vowed to keep supporting the pimco foundation which he was instrumental in setting up and supporting
the pimco foundation appreciates the donation from sue and bill gross sarah middleton executive director of the pimco foundation said in a statement these donations serve to improve local and global communities and help empower others to better their lives
under mohamed el erian pimcos former chief executive the companys employees were asked to volunteer their time as well as their money to support various causes
the foundation has a size of 77 million and mr gross has said that he will donate the proceeds of his 200 million lawsuit if he wins it to charities   including the one at his former company
mr gross who has a net worth of nearly 2 billion according to forbes magazine was inspired to start a serious stamp collection when he discovered that his mothers lifelong stash could not be sold at a profit as he accumulated wealth in the 1990s at pimco he began to look at stamps as a type of asset class deserving of the same rigorous study that characterized his analysis of fixed income securities
along the way he has relied on the same kind of principles that made him one of the worlds largest bond investors insisting on discounts to face value and rarity in the stamps that he bought
since 2007 mr gross has been more a stamp seller than buyer raising more than 20 million in this period
this latest sale includes eight volumes and more than 1000 stamps from switzerland a collection he bought in 1999 and has added to


the veteran choreographer lar lubovitch has been commissioned by the joyce theater to conceive and direct ny quadrille a two week tribute to 18th century dance that will open the 2016 17 season
for this festival the joyce will have a square platform stage built with seats on all sides and in keeping with the spirit of four mr lubovitch has tapped four choreographers   pam tanowitz roseanne spradlin tere oconnor and loni landon   to create dances that will be performed four times each from sept 27 through oct 7
among other highlights in the coming joyce season are the french choreographer jerome bels bessie award winning work the show must go on 2001 part of the french institute alliance francaises crossing the line festival in october and bill t jonesarnie zane dance company which will perform two parts of analogy a trilogy inspired by oral histories collected by mr jones from oct 2 through nov 6
in november michelle dorrance brings back the blues project which had its joyce premiere in february 2015 before she was awarded the macarthur genius grant the work was created with toshi reagon and biglovely
the season closes in february with the martha graham dance company performing repertory works and presenting a new sufism inspired work by the choreographer sidi larbi cherkaoui
more information about the season will be available at joyceorg


before the season the chicago cubs were the hot pick to win the world series
jake arrieta a cy young award winner in 2015 was set to anchor a strong rotation the signing of right fielder jason heyward from the st louis cardinals bolstered a potent offense that already included anthony rizzo and kris bryant
fourteen of 31 experts surveyed by espn had the cubs winning the championship the optimism came despite the teams star crossed history including a 107 year stretch without a championship and a sweep by the mets in last years national league championship series
so far the experts look smart the cubs 6 2 winners over the pittsburgh pirates on wednesday have the best record in baseball at 20 6 and lead the strong nl central by six games the biggest division lead in the majors
while the cubs 769 winning percentage is extraordinary it is not completely off the charts last years leaders through the games of may 3 the cardinals were at 750 and most leaders at this point in recent times were around 700 there is always a hot team or two at the beginning of the season and many of them fade
what is different this year is that the cubs are backing up their record by winning their games by large margins going into wednesday nights games the cubs led the major leagues in scoring with 159 runs and had given up the fewest 66
the cubs last three games 6 2 7 1 and 7 2 victories over the pirates are typical chicago won three of four over the reds by scores of 16 0 8 1 and 9 0 and four of its six losses this season were by only one or two runs
the cubs run differential of plus 93 is remarkable for this point in the season last year the cardinals were plus 40 and the major league leader is usually around plus 50 on may 4
while many teams that start fast in april are propelled by a healthy dose of luck the cubs have been somewhat unlucky using bill jamess pythagorean formula scoring 159 runs and surrendering 66 should lead to a 833 winning percentage the cubs should probably be 22 4 over a 162 game season an 833 percentage would lead to a mind boggling 135 wins which would destroy the record of 116 victories held by the 2001 seattle mariners and the 1906 cubs
another statistic that helps quantify luck is babip or batting average on balls in play a number that measures how often balls that are put in play fall for hits although batters have some control over this a huge amount of it is luck teams and players with a high babip almost always fade as their luck evens out
but as of now the cubs are not getting especially lucky in babip their figure through tuesday was 297 a bit below the league average in contrast the pirates who led the nl in babip at 335 may be in for a fall
the cubs pitching probably cannot stay quite as hot as it has been arrieta jon lester and jason hammel are a combined 13 1 with eras under 200
but most of the pieces that make up the cubs offensive numbers seem sustainable center fielder dexter fowler will probably not keep hitting 348 but many of the other players are putting up realistic numbers
bryant 303 four homers is improving as expected in his second year and rizzo 260 nine homers is well within a plausible performance range other players like heyward 211 no homers and addison russell 224 two homers are actually underperforming if they return to expected levels the cubs offense will be even more potent
of course it is only may injuries which are also heavily dependent on luck will play a big role in the season and even if you concede a postseason spot to the cubs short playoff series often bring unpleasant surprises to dominant teams
but as of now chicago is looking as powerful as any cubs team in 100 years


hong kong   in china an iphone can be found for a small fraction of the official price it just might not be a phone
a chinese company has won the right to sell its leather goods under the iphone trademark after years of legal back and forth with apple according to an article in chinese state news media the case is yet another that centers on names that are well established in much of the world but that have had to fight for control in china such as the basketball star michael jordan and the shoe brand new balance
the chinese company xintong tiandi applied for the iphone trademark in china just after the first apple smartphones came out in 2007 according to an article by the state run legal daily last week still xintong tiandis trademark in china for leather goods was approved before apples which had applied for the rights in 2002 the article said
the website of xintong tiandi features a range of leather products including pen cases passport holders handbags and wallets all stamped with iphone none of the products are phones in a news release issued last week the company also featured photographs of its other products like a leather ipad case labeled iphone next to a bottle of remy martin cognac
in the news release the chinese company said that the huge victory brings esteem to xintong tiandis promise to protect the iphone trademark before adding that it was willing to work with the american technology giant
the sentiment may not be shared however apple is disappointed the beijing higher peoples court chose to allow xintong to use the iphone mark for leather goods when we have prevailed in several other cases against xintong the silicon valley company said in a statement on wednesday we intend to request a retrial with the supreme peoples court and will continue to vigorously protect our trademark rights
while the chinese companys approach might be perplexing it testifies to the power of apples name recognition in the country the iphone brand signals middle  or even upper class status in china and many are expected to be willing to pay for a passport cover or other item labeled with the apple products name as a way to show that they have made it
the iphone ruling in a high court in the beijing municipality is just one of a spate of high profile trademark and piracy cases in china the countrys huge number of factories bolstered by a 100 million strong class of migrant workers has made china the workshop of the world able among other activities to quickly pump out products that can make a company a quick profit on the impulse to imitate
aiding them is a first to file trademark system that lets unrelated third parties register trademarks which are copies or imitations of well known brands according to a post last year from law firm dla piper
among other high profile cases michael jordan lost the rights to the name he is known by in china and new balance paid 16 million in damages for what a court said was the illegal use of the chinese name for the company which a person had trademarked
apple had previously faced a similar situation with the ipad in 2012 the company was forced to pay 60 million for the rights to use the ipad trademark in china apple had bought the rights to the name in a number of countries but after ipad tablet sales took off in china a chinese company said it had not secured the rights in that country
the case caps a tough couple of weeks for apple last month the companys itunes movies and ibooks stores in china were ordered shut by a national regulator the company also reported last week that sales in china had dropped as it struggles to keep the loyalty and admiration of fickle chinese consumers


ottawa   walls of flame driven by strong shifting winds raged out of control on wednesday in and around the evacuated city of fort mcmurray alberta where firefighters were helpless to stop the destruction and where about 88000 people had fled their homes
to date the fire has resisted all suppression efforts bernie schmidt an alberta forestry official told reporters in a conference call on wednesday this is a very complex fire with multiple fronts and explosive conditions
rachel notley the premier of the province said that at least 1600 buildings had been destroyed no deaths or serious injuries were reported but the danger was far from over
this is a really dirty fire darby allen the regional fire chief for the area said on the conference call there are certainly areas within the city which have not been burned but this fire will look for them and it will take them
the entire population of fort mcmurray the main center for canadas oil sands region was ordered to evacuate on tuesday evening once the fire which began in woodlands outside the city had overwhelmed firefighters efforts to hold it at bay cars and trucks jammed the only route out of the city highway 63 which runs north to the oil sands work camps and south to edmonton the nearest sizable city 270 miles away
as the road became gridlocked it took motorists five hours or longer to cover 12 miles to evacuation centers at the work camps and southbound travel was impossible for several hours on tuesday when flames blocked the highway some motorists took to highway 63s grassy median and even drove the wrong way on the opposite side in hopes of escaping the city faster
jasmin herold a german filmmaker who has lived in fort mcmurray for the last two years had a harrowing time getting out like many in the city she said she thought the worst of the fire had passed when tuesday dawned bright and sunny but when the smoke returned in midafternoon she gathered up her dog her notes laptop and hard drives with documentary footage and jumped into a small toyota sedan with her boyfriend michael beamish
getting from her neighborhood to highway 63 normally a two minute drive took an hour and a half ms herold said in an interview and all the while through the back i saw the flames reaching for our area highway 63 was jam packed so they tried local roads to get to the south end of town and found themselves driving through a tunnel of fire
it was hot in the car very hot   i thought maybe this was it for us she said with little choice they pressed on she said and finally went up a hill and into sunshine again
the southbound highway was littered with abandoned cars trucks and buses the evacuation had drained fort mcmurray of gasoline and many motorists ran out of fuel in the clog of traffic fleeing the city the jams had cleared by wednesday afternoon and gasoline tanker trucks began patrolling the highway to refuel stranded vehicles
hundreds of firefighters were in fort mcmurray on wednesday with more on the way but many of them were standing by waiting for a chance to go into action helicopters and airplanes dropped water and chemical suppressants but the speed of the fires progress and frequent shifts in its direction have so far made it too dangerous to tackle it from the ground said laura stewart a spokeswoman for the provincial government
as the fire spread into the city reporters and witnesses said the sound of exploding propane tanks filled the air the downtown business district of fort mcmurray was still largely undamaged on wednesday but several businesses on its fringes were destroyed including a gas station and a hotel and there were signs that the fire was once again headed its way
prime minister justin trudeau said on wednesday that he had pledged the national governments total support for the firefighting efforts aid for evacuees and other needs during a telephone call with ms notley the premier who flew to fort mcmurray on wednesday mr trudeau said offers of support from local governments across canada had been pouring in as well
canada is a country where we look out for our neighbors mr trudeau said in ottawa where he was meeting with lawmakers of his party
the defense minister harjit sajjan told reporters on a conference call that the military was prepared to offer whatever assistance was requested alberta is home to several large military bases
most of fort mcmurrays oil sands operations are north of the city and well outside the likely path of the fire ian d gates chairman of the department of petroleum engineering at the university of calgary said that it was unlikely that the oil sands deposits underground would be affected but that the bitumen in oil sands already at the surface exposed by mining or erosion might burn if a sufficiently hot wildfire were to reach them
thousands of oil sands workers live in other parts of canada and commute by air to the region for a few weeks work at a time sleeping in company owned or leased work camps between shifts several oil companies shut down or curtailed operations and flew employees out to make room in their camps for evacuees
the citys airport remained open on wednesday but only for a limited number of departing civilian flights military aircraft arrived carrying emergency personnel and supplies westjet a major canadian airline brought in aircraft on tuesday to evacuate more than 100 patients from fort mcmurrays hospital
ms stewart the provincial spokeswoman said the immediate cause of the fire which started over the weekend was still unknown but she added that the winter and spring had been unusually dry and warm parching the forests that surround the city the weather this week has been unseasonably hot with temperatures on tuesday reaching about 90 degrees fahrenheit   rare in fort mcmurray even at the peak of summer   with relative humidity of just 13 percent
fire and emergency services officials said that shifting winds and continued high temperatures could increase the size of the fire which covered about 25000 acres on wednesday morning satellite thermal images showed that the fire jumped a river on wednesday and was curling back toward downtown fort mcmurray on one hand and toward the citys airport and an industrial park on the other firefighters spent tuesday night clearing fire breaks near the industrial park and airport but the intensity of the fire made it unclear whether those efforts would have any success
ms notley the provincial premier said that officials were holding off on flooding the area with assistance until the shape of the fire becomes clearer and the weather turns cooler which may help make the fire less destructive
your first thought is to say get more people get more stuff go go go  ms notley said but that approach could cause added danger and hamper firefighting work by clogging the citys small airport instead she said the province has been concentrating on sending specially trained firefighters and specialized equipment in from other parts of the province
david martell a professor in the fire management systems laboratory of the university of toronto said that large forest fires are effectively impossible to fight in hot dry conditions because they can shoot out flames more than a mile ahead of their fronts all that crews can do right now he said is prepare plans and resources to really go in and hammer it when the weather changes


united states and global stock indexes moved lower a second day on wednesday after a dismal report on job creation gave investors concern over the state of the economy
the data followed a round of economic news out of china and europe a day earlier that also suggested sluggish growth
the standard  poors 500 stock index fell 1225 points or 06 percent to 205112 and the nasdaq composite fell 3759 points or 08 percent to 472564
the dow jones industrial average fell 9965 points or 06 percent to 1765126
stocks started the day lower and stayed there a survey by the payroll processor adp showed american companies had hired workers at the slowest pace in three years last month adp said private companies hired 156000 workers in april down from 194000 in march and significantly worse than expected
the weak reading bodes poorly for the broader job market survey due friday from the labor department one of the most closely watched reports on the economic calendar economists expect the government to report that employers created 200000 jobs last month and that the unemployment rate held steady at 5 percent
economic indicators out of europe were disappointing on wednesday retail sales fell 05 percent during march from the previous month investors had expected a more modest decline of 01 percent
the financial information company markit said its purchasing managers index for the region a gauge of business activity slipped to 53 in april from 531 the previous month though still above the 50 threshold indicating expansion the reading has fallen from the start of the year
while stocks are well off the lows they hit in february investors remain reluctant to make heavy bets the sp 500 has bounced off the 2100 point mark several times in the last six months most recently last week suggesting that investors are waiting for more positive data or earnings
weve run out of gas here said rob bernstone a managing director in equity trading at credit suisse we are going to need some sort of catalyst to move this market higher but i dont know what that catalyst might be
among individual companies stock in intercontinental exchange the parent company of the new york stock exchange jumped 1751 or 7 percent to 25849 after the company announced it would not bid for the london stock exchange the announcement came at the same time intercontinental was reporting first quarter earnings which were better than expected
shares in the travel company priceline sank 10160 or 75 percent to 125304 after it warned that profits would slow in the second quarter
benchmark united states crude oil added 13 cents to settle at 4378 a barrel on the new york mercantile exchange brent crude used to price international oils fell 35 cents to 4462 a barrel in london
in other energy trading in new york wholesale gasoline fell two cents to 149 a barrel heating oil fell half a penny to 133 a gallon and natural gas rose 6 cents to 214 per 1000 cubic feet
bond prices rose the yield on the 10 year treasury note edged down to 177 percent from 180 percent the dollar rose to 10693 yen from 10641 yen late tuesday the euro fell to 11498 from 11505
gold fell 1740 to 127440 an ounce silver fell 20 cents to 1728 an ounce and copper fell 3 cents to 218 a pound


there has never been a presumptive nominee for a major party quite like donald j trump not only is he a newcomer to the world of politics but he would shatter the mold of party standard bearer mr trump who now appears all but certain to clinch his partys presidential nomination would be the first in a range of colorful categories
mr trump hosted 14 seasons of the apprentice on nbc drawing millions of viewers to the show and adding to his personal fortune he claimed in a personal financial disclosure form that he earned more than 213 million over the course of the show but nbc never confirmed that claim whatever the paycheck the show gave mr trump something money cannot buy his signature catchphrase youre fired

the candidate has his own superstar bio on the world wrestling entertainment website which refers to him as a captivating billionaire a pop culture icon and outspoken alpha male he has clobbered vince mcmahon with a clothesline move and then forcefully shaved his opponents head in the ring he has been on the receiving end of a neck wrenching move from stone cold steve austin and he has a relationship with the organization that goes back to andre the giant in 2013 he was awarded the highest honor in professional wrestling an induction into the prestigious hall of fame

in 1989 mr trump played himself in ghosts cant do it a widely panned movie summed up as an american romantic crime fantasy comedy film the plot involves the main character dying and becoming a ghost his wife trying to drown a young man so that the deceased husband can inhabit an earthly body again and engage in carnal pleasures again and so that they can complete a business deal with mr trump or something like that the film was a success at the razzie awards winning worst picture worst actress worst director and worst supporting actor mr trump

in a republican party whose evangelical voting base has grown to become a major influential voice in particular in the nominating process mr trump is the first nominee to have been divorced twice he divorced his first wife ivana a czech american model in 1990 and his second wife marla an actress in 1999 he married his current wife melania in 2005

presidential candidates tend to be from the upper crust of american society and often come from the financial sector law or a career in politics mr trumps wealth came from numerous endeavors but never before has a casino owner with towering properties in las vegas and previously atlantic city held the cards of a major partys nomination

mr trump has put his name in big gold letters on commercial goods as varied as rib eyes and chocolates something he reminded voters of during a speech in march he also served trump wines and water

mr trump is perhaps better known for his involvement in the miss usa and miss universe beauty pageants but he also founded a modeling agency trump model management in 1999 a jamaican model filed a lawsuit against the company in 2014 but it was thrown out this year

before he left the race senator ted cruz shared a parting thought if anyone has seen the movie back to the future part ii the screenwriter says that he based the character biff tannen on donald trump   a caricature of a braggadocious arrogant buffoon who builds giant casinos with giant pictures of him wherever he looks it is indeed true that mr trump served as inspiration for the character

a grouch with a flamboyant hairstyle and the catchphrase i have more trash than all of you donald grump arrived on sesame street in 2005 looking for an apprentice or as he put it in a thicker new york accent than mr trumps a helpah he continually needles and belittles those seeking to be his helpah showering them with nyahs and he brags about his wealth nonetheless the other characters are entranced with mr grump as oscar the grouch glows his name is on every piece of trash in town


in the early minutes of monday nights met gala   the annual benefit that shuts down the metropolitan museum of art and hands several of its galleries over to a scrum of fashion designers vogue editors and the celebrities they clamor to dress   a hush hung over the opening room of the costume institute exhibition the gala celebrates manus x machina fashion in an age of technology
in the central room where a chanel couture wedding dress sits under a dome of digitally projected embroidery all that could be heard was the churchly incantation of the brian eno soundtrack tavi gevinson the actress currently appearing on broadway in the crucible was gazing in rapt silence
there was more than one reason for that ms gevinson it turned out had lost her voice
i feel like a spy ms gevinson said or rather wrote she was communicating largely by notes scribbled in the small notebook she carried and by facial expression she caught sight of a faux radish appliqued dada ishly on a vogue editors dress and goggled her eyes in compliment
at the met gala everyone feels like a spy or at least an interloper the ticket price is blue chip 30000 each this year and the crowd is famously famous anna wintour vogues editor in chief keeps a close eye on the guest list this year a spokeswoman for the museum said the event raised a record 135 million
its fun for meeting the five people youve always wanted to meet in your life said marcus wainwright a co founder of rag  bone and a veteran of many years at the met it gives you some sort of permission because you got in the front door
the initial quiet was soon superseded by a dull roar there they all were wandering the corridors of the manus x machina exhibition or sipping champagne in the carroll and milton petrie european sculpture court a motley crew of actresses naomi watts and michelle williams uma thurman and nicole kidman musicians taylor swift nicki minaj and zayn malik sports stars maria sharapova derek jeter and caroline wozniacki and tech gurus tim cook and jony ive of apple a sponsor of the exhibition


paris   europes highest court upheld tough new tobacco rules on wednesday finding that the european union had the legal right to place restrictions on the sale of electronic cigarettes and to adopt rules requiring cigarette packs to carry graphic images of diseased human organs
the new rules take effect this month although the unions 28 member countries have some leeway in how to adopt the measures which also include a ban on menthol cigarettes
although the court ruling cannot be appealed the tobacco industry which lobbied against the rules before the european union voted them into law in 2014 indicated on wednesday that it would continue to seek to overturn some of the specific elements including rules meant to remove the marketing allure from cigarette packaging
resistance could prove difficult though because the court ruled in favor of the tobacco law on all counts
the european court of justice based in luxembourg had been asked by poland romania and several english courts to determine whether the 2014 legislation which updated rules for the sale of tobacco and e cigarettes was lawful
the new eu directive on tobacco products is valid the court found the extensive standardization of packaging the future eu wide prohibition on menthol cigarettes and the special rules for electronic cigarettes are lawful
the court of justice interprets european union law to ensure it is applied evenly across the bloc and it settles disputes brought by claimants who believe the blocs laws have violated their rights
poland which has one of the worlds highest rates of menthol cigarette consumption had argued that the rules were unfair to its smokers and romania supported its challenge the tobacco industry led by philip morris international and british american tobacco had challenged plain packaging rules in britain where the courts passed the matter to the court of justice
the court found that the 2014 tobacco law was meant to facilitate the smooth functioning of the internal market in europe while providing a high standard of protection for human health the court also noted that such regulation was necessary under europes international treaty obligations as a party to the world health organizations framework convention on tobacco control
the court ruled that the european union had not overstepped its bounds in limiting the nicotine content of e cigarettes to 20 percent of the liquid that is used in them and imposing bans on e cigarette advertising similar to those affecting traditional tobacco products the court noted that the new regulatory system for e cigarettes is in fact less strict than that governing tobacco
totally wicked a british maker of electronic cigarettes had challenged the european regulations arguing in part that vaping   as use of e cigarettes is known   is safer than smoking that argument recently received support in britain from the royal college of physicians
totally wicked said in a statement after wednesdays court ruling that the new regulations would adversely impact the availability of good quality electronic cigarettes and e liquids and jeopardize the life changing potential of vaping resulting in a major detrimental impact on the public health of millions of people across the eu
in the united states e cigarettes are now a multibillion dollar market they have gained popularity faster than the federal government has managed to regulate them in 2014 the food and drug administration proposed ways to bring them under federal oversight including banning their sale to people under 18 but has not yet published final rules that would put the measures into practice
in the absence of federal regulation in the united states many states have already passed laws that ban using e cigarettes in public places regulate their sale and in some cases tax them more than half of states already enforce bans on their sale to minors
the european court on wednesday also strongly endorsed member states right to standardize cigarette packages to reduce their marketing appeal
australia pioneered the plain packaging rules drawing attacks from the tobacco industry including a so called investor state case under the countrys trade agreements with hong kong that case was dismissed at the end of 2015 but the industry continues to fight tobacco regulation through the world trade organization and other bodies
in new delhi on wednesday reuters reported the indian supreme court backed plain packaging rules requiring that a greater portion 85 percent of a cigarette pack be covered with health warnings
the packaging restrictions around the world have been heavily resisted by tobacco companies which argue that it is an attack on their intellectual property rights although plain packaging is not mandatory by european union member states the blocs new rules allow members to require that 65 percent of the front and back surface of each package carry health warnings and in some cases pictures of disease ravaged human organs
the european court of justice found that the purpose of the packaging rules is such as to protect consumers against the risks associated with tobacco use and does not go beyond what is necessary in order to achieve the objective pursued
but the tobacco industry says the last word has not been heard on the subject
todays judgment is specific to detailed aspects of eu law and reflects the substantial deference that the court of justice often shows to the eu institutions when reviewing eu legislation marc firestone philip morris internationals senior vice president and general counsel said in a statement
the court has not considered whether plain packaging is legal or is capable of reducing smoking rates mr firestone said those questions are currently under review by the english high court and the world trade organization we look forward to the outcome of those proceedings as well as the timely implementation of the directive in each of the 28 member states


apple is running out of parking spaces if you drop by its infinite loop headquarters you will find the place stretched beyond capacity even the valets who double and triple park the teslas and porsches that now flock to the worlds most valuable company have given up finding free spots
people at apple speak longingly of the companys new campus steve jobss 5 billion circular glass dream which is scheduled to open next year the spaceship as it is called is almost ready soon apple will slip the surly bonds of earth the strictures of time and space and be ready for launch
that was the plan anyway but in the last few months after more than a decade of unprecedented growth history was interrupted apples last two earnings reports showed that it had finally hit a peak though apples profits remain the envy of the corporate world a naysaying pessimism now surrounds everything it does
three months ago i said this view was too gloomy given the size of its customer base and the unlikely prospect of iphone lovers switching to android apples short term future looked ok no need to fret apple is doing fine i wrote
that is still true several analysts project that over the next year apples iphone sales will return to slow growth rather than decline which should keep its bottom line at its current stratospheric level
but you dont build spaceship shaped corporate monuments on the prospect of doing just fine the deeper question is whether apple can keep its place as the north star of the tech firmament can the company build the next great platform in computing as it did the last one are its best days ahead of it as timothy d cook the chief executive insists   or is the new campus the capstone of an era of apple dominance that we will never see again
i will offer a suggestion to thrive in the next era of tech apple needs to take a series of bigger bolder risks
apples last decade and a half mostly under mr jobs has been defined by perfectionist focus as its executives and marketing videos repeatedly boast apple says no to a thousand ideas before it says yes to one that attitude was perfectly suited to a particular era in tech   the rise of mobile devices which were the ultimate expression of apples expertise in creating jewel like hardware
but the next moment in tech is likely to be dominated by data driven online services   more products like siri and apple pay fewer stand alone hardware innovations like the iphone
in that environment the slow search for precision and perfection might no longer be in apples best interest mr cooks goal now should be to alter apples governing ethos to induce a small measure of chaos into his company
it is likely that apple is already working on some bold plans in secret a car and a pay tv service are among several that have long been reported the shift im calling for would not be radical just evolutionary it should be more nimble and slightly more public with its experiments and push more of them out sooner when it releases stuff it should move faster to fix and improve what is wrong above all it should take more risks it should say yes more often
these changes will be difficult because they could upset apples customer base and its brand experimenting more means failing more usually in public failing means looking bad and looking bad isnt something apple does well
the news media is especially unkind to perceptions of failure from apple when apples maps apps had flaws it was considered headline news never mind that apple maps is now much more popular than google maps with iphone users the apple watch sold more units in its first year than the iphone did   but because the watch was far from perfect and it hasnt yet become a must have new gadget its widely derided as a whiff
still for apple a more freewheeling attitude one that pushes it to put out more experimental products could be worth the risk were in an odd time in tech there are lots of new technologies pegged as potential next big things   artificial intelligence virtual reality drones wearables the internet of things   but figuring out how all these pieces should fit together to create experiences people love necessarily involves experimentation
in this environment the best new products are not likely to be obvious they will most likely be ridiculed at first and they may actually be kind of useless in early versions but over time with brainstorming and updates based on consumer feedback you might discover something precious
a good example here is the amazon echo the voice recognizing household computer that has morphed from an odd gimmick into a useful and groundbreaking example of the future of computing and it seems no accident that the echo   like amazons successful cloud business and its prime subscription service both unlikely ideas   were birthed from a company whose chief executive has embraced risk and failure as a signal measure of corporate health
i believe we are the best place in the world to fail we have plenty of practice and failure and invention are inseparable twins that chief executive jeff bezos wrote in a recent letter to shareholders he added most large organizations embrace the idea of invention but are not willing to suffer the string of failed experiments necessary to get there
apple has accumulated many of the pieces to create technologies of the future it has expertise in voice recognition data mining wearables and of course hardware and software design most importantly it also has a huge installed base of users who willingly try its newest products
what it doesnt have quite yet is enough of an appetite for the speed and risks that come with creating and maintaining new services some of its sins here have been unforgivable siri was one of the earliest voice recognition technologies released to the public it wasnt perfect when it came out and apple has made slow improvements over time todays siri is vastly more powerful than yesterdays
but it still feels like a missed opportunity there is so much siri should be able to do that it cannot why cant siri plug into more parts of my phone why cant it tap into the uber app to call a car for me or start up hbo now when i say hey show me last weeks game of thrones
ben thompson who writes at the site stratechery recently cited a similar litany of shortcomings in apples services   among them the app store imessage apple pay and apple music mr thompson said that apples unusual functional organizational structure   in which executives are in charge of certain business functions like engineering or marketing and not product lines   worked better for creating hardware products than compelling online services
im not sure i quite buy mr thompsons thesis about the cause of some of apples mistakes in its online services it is not clear that apple needs a wholesale restructuring rather than simply a greater push from mr cook to be bolder in these products
it is important to note too that apple has very patient customers and that the overall value of its ecosystem often makes up for particular deficits in some of its services consider apple music a subscription music service that offered no great improvements over competing services like spotify yet despite being late to market and not as pleasant to use as rivals apple music has snapped up 13 million subscribers paying 120 a year
its already become a 2 billion business and it did not exist last year said kulbinder garcha an analyst at credit suisse who has said that apple can realize significant growth in its profits by creating and improving online services if apple moves quickly to fix some of the problems with apple music   cleaning up its user interface adding handy features like spotifys in app lyrics browser   it could easily build on that early growth
these things dont have to be a hit from day one but whats important is that they keep learning from their mistakes and keep updating them mr garcha said in other words be faster take more risks go bold


when gordon moore a co founder of intel first observed that the number of components that could be etched onto the surface of a silicon wafer was doubling at regular intervals and would do so for the foreseeable future as john markoff reports it is entirely possible that no one quite understood the implications of what he was saying
over the next three decades chip makers embarked on a seemingly endless miniaturization effort that made computers more powerful and more affordable in 1965 the year mr moore wrote what came to be known as moores law the densest memory chips stored only about 1000 bits of information todays densest memory chips can hold roughly 20 billion bits
it is not a stretch to say the world changed because transistors got smaller and cheaper
but now that an influential association of chip makers is signaling a limit to their ability to keep making silicon chips smaller the question is whats next there are possibilities of course like rethinking how computers work through a cutting edge technology called quantum computing and making chips on other materials like a type of carbon called graphene
todays ipads which cost a few hundred dollars are more powerful than the mainframes of the 1980s which would cost a few million dollars today the industry hopes it will be able to keep up the improvements for another 30 years


tokyo   takata the japanese auto parts supplier faces big losses dwindling cash and mounting costs from an auto safety scandal already linked to 11 deaths
now as the scandal widens to include tens of millions of more cars in the united states one problem has gained new urgency whether the company can survive in its current form
regulators in the united states announced wednesday that 35 million to 40 million additional takata airbags need to be fixed that would more than double what is already the largest automotive recall in american history
its very clear that the company cannot pay all the expenses at this point said koji endo a car industry analyst at advanced research japan the question is is there a player that wants to save takata
potential saviors include japanese automakers which have become increasingly dependent on takatas airbags seatbelts and other parts over the years they could also include foreign auto parts companies that might be tempted by takatas still strong sales and its market share
but any company that intervenes would face daunting challenges particularly the potential for the scandal to widen further
exactly how much the recalls will ultimately cost takata remains unclear the national highway traffic safety administration the american regulator has said 100 million airbags may eventually need to be fixed in the united states alone
the companys cash reserves have shrunk by 40 percent in over the past two years as the problem has expanded according to its financial disclosures even before the news of the widened recall takata has said it planned to to book special one time charges totaling 201 billion yen or 189 million to cover recall costs and settlements with consumers injured by its inflaters   an amount four times the size of the annual profit it had projected before that
automakers not takata are responsible for carrying out the recalls and they bear much of the initial cost which they can then try to recoup from the supplier but how much they can recover is negotiable that raises difficult problems like how hard carmakers can afford to squeeze a supplier whose products they still depend on
takatas sales have not declined significantly it still controls about 30 percent of the airbag market and some automakers in japan like honda have become especially reliant on it takata is also a major supplier of seatbelts if it collapsed suddenly some carmakers assembly lines would halt
those pressures could set up japanese carmakers as possible saviors for takata one scenario floated by the japanese news media is that a rising sun alliance of honda toyota and other japanese producers could bail the company out with an injection of emergency capital taking ownership stakes in return takatas banks would be expected to keep credit flowing to the company
publicly at least the carmakers have pushed back against the idea hondas president takahiro hachigo said in his most recent comments on the matter in february that his company was not considering financial aid for takata
one obstacle said mr endo of advanced research japan is that as partial owners carmakers would be on the hook for unpredictable future costs such as potentially large penalties stemming from lawsuits against takata in north america carmakers would have to weigh such risks against takatas collapsing or being bought out by a foreign competitor
such competitors like trw automotive of the united states might be tempted by takatas large market share but because the airbag sector is already tightly consolidated any attempt at a takeover could raise antitrust issues
a competitor would still have to contend with the possibility of unresolved future costs one option would be to restructure the company so that it becomes two entities a good company that owns the continuing business and a bad company responsible for its legacy liabilities in that arrangement which would be similar to what resulted from the bankruptcy and restructuring of general motors in 2009 the good company would continue to run businesses like seatbelts and the overhauled airbag operations while the bad company would pay out and settle the claims against takata
takata has hired an advisory team of lawyers and other specialists with expertise in corporate restructuring according to japanese news reports the team believes takata needs a cash infusion to avoid bankruptcy and is hoping to secure some kind of rescue by the end of the summer
for now carmakers are absorbing much of the financial impact mazda set aside a little over Y=40 billion last week to cover the cost of replacing takata airbag components largely as a result its net profit for the past fiscal year declined by 154 percent other bigger japanese carmakers are scheduled to report their earnings in the coming weeks
its an enormous financial burden mr endo said theres no way takata can pay it back


salt lake city   starting later this month women in utah seeking an abortion 20 weeks or more into a pregnancy will first have to be given anesthesia or painkillers   drugs that are intended not for them but for the fetus
those are the terms of a new law that has made utah the first state in the country to require what doctors here are calling fetal anesthesia for the small percentage of abortions that occur at this point in a pregnancy the law passed by the republican controlled state legislature and signed in late march by gov gary r herbert a republican has opened a new front in the heated debate over fetal pain
the science examining when a fetus begins to feel pain is complex most scientists who have expressed views on the issue have said they do not think the neurological wiring to feel pain is in place until a fetus is further along in a pregnancy past the point when nearly all abortions occur
but in recent years the issue has become political fodder in legislative battles over restricting abortions later in a pregnancy
anti abortion groups and lawmakers in utah said they were acting out of concern for the fetus but abortion rights activists and some obstetricians and maternal care doctors in utah said the law was bafflingly vague and scientifically unsound they said that it intruded into confidential decisions between doctors and patients and that it could put womens health at risk by creating a broad requirement for them to take unspecified painkillers
youre asking me to invent a procedure that doesnt have any research to back it up said dr leah torres an obstetrician gynecologist who spends half of a saturday each month working in salt lake city at one of utahs two licensed abortion clinics you want me to experiment on my patients
in recent years abortion opponents have cited concerns over fetal pain to pass state level restrictions on abortions occurring at 20 weeks or later   or to pass laws requiring doctors to tell women that a fetus may feel pain at that stage of development
but many doctors reject those claims saying a fetuss brain and nervous system are not developed at 20 weeks to feel pain they cite a wide ranging 2005 study that found a fetus was unlikely to feel pain until the third trimester of a pregnancy or about 27 weeks the american congress of obstetricians and gynecologists said in 2013 that no subsequent research had contradicted that study
curt bramble a republican state senator in utah who is also a certified public accountant said he had sponsored the anesthesia law to extend common decency to a procedure he would rather outlaw altogether he said an outright ban on abortions or on those at 20 weeks was unlikely to survive a legal challenge instead he said he hoped utahs law would shift the focus of the abortion debate onto the fetus
whos making the decisions for the child he said whos the doctor for the baby its not the womans body were talking about its a separate person
the law which takes effect on may 10 contains exceptions for cases of rape and incest or if two doctors agree in writing that the fetus has a condition that is uniformly lethal it also exempts cases when a woman would die or have major irreversible health problems without terminating the pregnancy
mary taylor the president of pro life utah who testified in support of the law said she appreciated its focus on the condition of the fetus and on surgical abortions that she called barbaric and horrific
dr torres and other critics argued that the law was unworkable and made no medical sense they said it offered no definition of what in utahs view legally constitutes a fetal anesthetic many women already receive anesthesia or painkillers if they have surgical abortions and those drugs naturally pass to the fetus dr torres asked if that would be enough   if motrin would suffice and other doctors asked if they would have to specifically inject a fetus with an anesthetic through a womans abdominal wall
we dont know what to do dr torres said what does it mean how do we not break this law
the law says that doctors who perform abortions at this stage of pregnancy   a rarity according to a 2012 tally by the centers for disease control and prevention   must provide anesthetic or analgesic to alleviate organic pain to the unborn child it also requires doctors to tell women that substantial medical evidence shows that a 20 week fetus may feel pain during an abortion critics said scientific research did not prove that statement
a spokesman for utahs health department said it was leaving decisions about anesthetics and analgesics up to individual doctors but the doctors are required to issue the warning about fetal pain as part of a long list of notifications women must be given before having an abortion
doctors found guilty of violating the law could lose their licenses or face thousands of dollars in fines
people on both sides of the debate said it was likely to affect only a handful of women in 2014 there were 17 abortions in utah at or beyond 20 weeks according to karrie galloway the chief executive of utahs planned parenthood chapter
abortions that late in a pregnancy often occur after doctors discover severe or lethal problems with how a fetus is developing or after a pregnancy begins to pose a health risk to the mother said dr alexandra grosvenor eller a physician in salt lake city specializing in maternal fetal medicine and an assistant professor at the university of utah
dr eller was among 24 physicians who wrote to the legislature objecting to the law citing the scientific research suggesting that pain could not be felt until later in a pregnancy
the physicians who objected to the law said doctors often induced labor to terminate pregnancies after 20 weeks they said they did not administer intravenous painkillers or anesthesia to mothers to anesthetize a fetus during normal deliveries and asked why they should do so during an abortion or during the delivery of a fetus with profound problems that was expected to die outside the womb
this is an egregious attempt to tell us how to practice medicine dr eller said i cant think of any other area where the legislature tells us what medications to give to patients
like more than a dozen other states utah prohibits any state money for abortions and has placed strict limits on what kinds of clinics and facilities can provide abortions as well as the types of abortions they can perform in her practice dr eller said she was limited to terminating pregnancies in which there was a lethal or severe problem with a fetuss development
the conversations with couples can be wrenching she said they sometimes come into the office hoping to find out whether they are having a boy or a girl and discover there is an untreatable problem with how its heart or brain is developing
we make this devastating diagnosis she said you walk into that room and youre going to change someones life forever for the legislature to tell me how to counsel that woman   these conversations are hard enough


london   shares of the london stock exchange fell sharply on wednesday after the operator of the new york stock exchange said that it had decided against making a counterbid for the london exchange
the intercontinental exchange the owner of the new york exchange had been seen as a potential rival to a planned merger between the london stock exchange and deutsche borse which confirmed that they were in discussions in february and agreed to merge in an all stock deal in march
jeffrey sprecher the chief executive of intercontinental exchange known as ice told analysts in a conference call on wednesday that the company had spent the last two months evaluating the data for a potential merger with the london exchange
we thought that the combination may have a compelling rationale mr sprecher said as it would bring together the premier trans atlantic capital raising venues
but he added the disappointing level of engagement of the lse ultimately did not allow us to make a complete determination of the integration benefits and their related risks that ice would require to support a bid
with hopes for a bidding war dampened shares of the london stock exchange tumbled as much as 99 percent before closing down 42 percent in frankfurt shares of deutsche borse rose 58 percent
analysts have speculated that the cme group   which operates the chicago mercantile exchange the chicago board of trade and the new york mercantile exchange   and hong kong exchanges and clearing could also ultimately emerge as suitors to break up a marriage aimed at creating a european champion in a rapidly consolidating industry
the potential merger between the london stock exchange and deutsche borse comes at a politically charged time as britons prepare to vote in june on whether to leave the european union
the london stock exchange and deutsche borse have said that an exit by britain would not change the deal but that it could well affect the volume or nature of business carried out by the combined company
the merger would allow london which has served as a financial gateway to europe to maintain economic ties to the continent the companies say they hope to complete the deal by the first quarter of next year
the combined company would be based in britain and would have headquarters in london and in frankfurt
four years ago deutsche borse abandoned plans to merge with the parent of the new york stock exchange after european antitrust regulators threatened to block the deal
this is the third attempt to combine the london stock exchange and deutsche borse since 2000


london   the french insurer axa said on wednesday that it was in talks to sell its remaining life insurance and savings business in britain including its sunlife unit after a strategic review
axa also said that it had agreed to sell its portfolio advisory business known as elevate to standard life for an undisclosed amount as part of the exit from the life insurance business in britain
that move followed an agreement last month to sell its offshore investment bonds business which is based on the isle of man to life company consolidation group
axa said that it expected to receive 650 million pounds or about 952 million if it is able to sell its life insurance and savings units in britain the sale of the businesses would result in axas losing 400 million euros or about 462 million in income
after detailed consideration we have come to the conclusion that these businesses could be even more successful if supported by organizations with a stronger strategic focus on the life and savings segment paul evans the chief executive of axas british operations said in a news release
axa did not disclose which companies it was talking with about a possible deal
its operations in property and in casualty health and asset management are not part of the discussions
any deal to sell the companys remaining life and savings businesses in britain would be subject to regulatory approval
by buying the portfolio advisory business standard life would gain more than 160000 customers and about PS98 billion in assets under administration
after that transaction standard life would have 350000 customers and PS364 billion in assets under administration
this acquisition is a clear sign of our continued commitment to lead the uk adviser platform market david tiller the head of adviser and wealth manager propositions at standard life said in a news release


praia cape verde   some countries have oil diamonds or cocoa beans cape verde a tiny archipelago about 385 miles off the west coast of senegal has music and it is betting on that resource to help bolster its fragile economy
this month music promoters and producers from the united states europe and some african nations landed in praia the countrys capital for the atlantic music expo a four day talent showcase that the government bills as a music professionals meeting they attended seminars networked and hopped from one stage to another joining crowds of giggling teenagers dancing elders and excited children to watch aspiring local and international singers
the atlantic expo which ran from april 11 14 was followed by the privately sponsored kriol jazz festival now in its eighth year which promotes creole inspired island music
its essential to see people perform live before you book them and there is nothing better than experiencing a music culture where its actually from said paula abreu the director of programming for summerstage an annual new york city music festival you immediately know if an artist has what it takes to entertain a public of thousands
ms abreu booked the musicians mayra andrade dino dsantiago and the cesaria evora orchestra for last years summerstage after seeing them at the atlantic expo
the model for many cape verdean artists is the international star cesaria evora who put cape verde on the map of the music world with her renditions of mornas the islands ballads of love and longing
here from the rural areas to the breezy beach towns everyone sings and has a beautiful voice said jose da silva who developed the kriol festival and is the producer of the atlantic music expo what matters is who works hard enough to be discovered
mr da silva a music producer who helped to relaunch the career of ms evora in the 1980s worked with the cape verde ministry of culture to create the atlantic music expo now in its fourth year this year the government spent about 227000 to finance the expo which also had corporate sponsors
together the two events attract thousands of fans and music professionals each year and pump more than 1 million into the islands economy each year officials said
that is no small amount in cape verde which became independent from portugal in 1975 the youth unemployment rate is 36 percent according to the national statistics office and it is one of the few countries that has more diaspora citizens than locals a population of about 500000 on the islands but more than 700000 abroad
when we became independent all we had was people said abraao vicente the newly appointed culture minister and an artist and poet himself
today all we export is music maybe because it was always the easiest art added mr vicente whose wife is a prominent cape verdean singer who uses the name lura you dont need any material to sing
mr vincente said one of his goals was to attract tourist dollars by staging musical events like the atlantic expo across the islands to finance these mr vicente plans to collaborate with international producers by offering space for their own festivals
but of course he said cape verdeans should be the ones involved for those who dont have a stage to find one
last years breakout star was elida almeida scouted by programmers from france the united states and africa at the music expo the 23 year old from a mountainous village on the main island of santiago has since toured the united states canada and is now performing in major african cities
ms almeidas song nta konsigui has been used as the soundtrack for a portuguese telenovela and her videos have received almost two million views on youtube
i feel privileged to have gone so far in so little time ms almeida said in a skype interview from cotonou benin where she was performing my objective is now to take cape verdean music as far as possible
empty of human life before their discovery by the portuguese during the 15th century the cape verdean islands were an early center for the shipment of slaves from the west african coast to the americas
we are positioned in the middle of the atlantic right between the african continent and the americas so we were at the cross point both culturally and physically said charles akibode a historian who was instrumental in getting cidade velha one of the first settlements for transcontinental slavery designated as a unesco world heritage site
for helio batalha a 27 year old hip hop artist who performed at the music expo that blending of cultures and history has led to a form of identity crisis for young cape verdeans we are told we are african but we dont know much about the continent mr batalha said sitting outside his uncles tiny storefront in ponta dagua one of the poorest neighborhoods in praia
he said the music expo had allowed him to meet producers and programmers but nothing is booked for now there is a fantasy that after ame you get handed a plane ticket he said lets wait and see
not every cape verdean thinks the festivals are a worthy investment
there are problems that could be solved with those amounts of money said mirto cesar a 40 year old unemployed electrician in praia with two children there is real misery here drugs crimes hunger misery music cant solve
nonetheless mr cesar said he would still take his children to hear afternoon performances on the towns main square
dont get me wrong it is part of their culture he said
at 4 am on the saturday of the kriol festival praia was still resonating with music the crowd had moved to a seaside stage overlooking the kebra kanela beach up to play was a cape verde jazz veteran teofilo chantre known for having been a composer and musician with cesaria evora many years ago he had never played so late he admitted and for this concert he had decided to ask musicians from the younger generation to accompany him
on stage mr chantres languid nostalgic voice seemed ignited by a different energy afterward he seemed pleased with the collaboration conceding he probably now had more to learn from the young players than they could from him
music matters so much because we were always isolated here he said its what reconnected us it put us on the map


brussels   the european union authorities proposed visa free travel in the bloc for turkish citizens on wednesday a significant step for the group of 28 nations as it struggles to come to terms with the migrant crisis and hew to its humanitarian values
an accord reached on march 18 in which the bloc pledged to introduce visa waivers by the end of june has helped bring the blocs migrant crisis under greater control but that deal prompted widespread criticism that it neglects human rights and rewards president recep tayyip erdogan of turkey
the proposal from the european commission the blocs executive arm could be modified and still needs approval from a majority of the blocs national governments and the european parliament the commission also took two other steps   it proposed changes to a quota system for asylum seekers and recommended keeping in place some internal european border controls for at least another six months   as part of a package that represents one of the most comprehensive efforts to manage the migrant influx
here are some of the questions surrounding the debate in europe over how to deal with the migration crisis
more than one million migrants reached europe last year and the route across the aegean sea to greece from turkey though not without risk is one of the most direct for many migrants to reach the continent
cooperation with turkey   which shares a border with iraq and syria the homeland for a significant portion of migrants fleeing war and conflict   has been the most effective way to cut off the influx from the middle east
the flow of migrants to greece has slowed markedly since the accord with turkey took effect the eu turkey statement has clearly yielded results frans timmermans the first vice president of the european commission wrote on twitter average daily arrivals in greece now low 100s not 1000s
however there has been an increase in migrants using the more hazardous central mediterranean sea route to italy although most of them are from africa
visa free access to europe is widely sought by citizens and the leadership in turkey which aspires to european union membership it also provides a feather in the cap of mr erdogan and other turkish leaders who extracted significant concessions from the european union
the march 18 deal called for turkey to receive about 66 billion to help organizations look after the migrants there to accept the return of most migrants and refugees who travel across the aegean to greece to remove an incentive to make the journey to europe for the eventual resumption of negotiations on turkeys membership to the european union and the promise that the european union would resettle one syrian from a camp in turkey for each syrian who used an irregular route to reach greece a measure that would decrease the burden on ankara
even if the visa waiver proposal is ultimately approved the chances of mass arrivals from turkey appear slim to qualify for entry turkish citizens would be required to hold passports that contain fingerprint and facial data embedded on a chip   passports that turkey will not start producing until june
the extent to which the european union is willing to compromise its principles in pursuit of a migration deal is a source of significant unease
offering mr erdogan a political prize like visa waivers strengthens his appeal and confers legitimacy even as he pursues actions that cannot be reconciled with the blocs views on human rights
turkey is cracking down on freedom of expression threatening minority groups and members of the opposition and it has pressured germany to prosecute a comic who ridiculed mr erdogan while in germany
turkey must still fulfill five of more than 70 requirements laid down by the commission before its citizens can qualify for visa waivers the most difficult benchmark for ankara to complete could be revising laws and practices to balance the fight against terrorism with respect for human rights and the european parliament said on wednesday that it would not vote on the proposal until all of the requirements are met
there is still work to be done as a matter of urgency but if turkey sustains the progress made they can meet the remaining benchmarks mr timmermans said on wednesday
the dublin regulation which requires refugees to register in the european union country in which they first arrive penalizes countries by geography it places a disproportionate burden on front line states   namely greece but also italy and malta   to accommodate migrants
the new rules would require other member states to accept a certain number of asylum seekers when those front line states are overwhelmed
because previous attempts to enforce the relocation of migrants have largely failed the european commission is proposing financial sanctions that would require countries that refuse to participate to pay EUR250000 or about 290000 for each refugee they do not accept as part of the quota or corrective allocation
changing the dublin rule could also ease human rights concerns because migrants seeking to move northward across europe to destinations like germany have been effectively trapped in inhospitable conditions there are nearly 58000 stranded migrants and refugees mostly in greece
the european union authorities have made saving the schengen area which allows passport free travel through much of the bloc a priority
the european unions strategy is to allow for temporary suspensions of the open border policy for six months at a time to restore it entirely at a future date
right now the prospect of another migrant influx makes open borders for some countries untenable so brussels is making an effort to reassure those countries that they can put checks in place if the influx is revived


leopards are reclusive and known for their ability to adapt traits that have led some wildlife biologists to assume that the animals remained relatively abundant in the wild
but a study published wednesday suggests that leopards have lost as much as 75 percent of their historical range since 1750 at that time the big cats roamed over about 135 million square miles in africa asia and parts of the middle east but that has shrunk to about 33 million square miles according to the study conducted by a team of 14 scientists representing 15 universities and organizations including the zoological society of london the wildlife conservation society the iranian cheetah society national geographic and panthera a global wild cat conservation organization
the study which appears in the journal peerj is believed to be the first to assess the leopards status globally across nine subspecies and won immediate praise from other scientists for its scope and detail
partly on the basis of the findings the cat specialist group of the international union for conservation of nature has recommended that the leopard panthera pardus be reclassified on its red list of threatened species as vulnerable indicating that stronger conservation efforts are needed said andrew b stein an author on the study who is a member of the group
the species is currently listed as near threatened with three subspecies classified as critically endangered and two others as endangered
luke hunter the president and chief conservation officer of panthera said that the studys findings highlighted the fact that many of the worlds most iconic animals were disappearing from the wild
their trajectory is just the same he said lions and tigers are faster to disappear than leopards and yet its exactly the same process
like lions leopards have been threatened primarily by human activities including the destruction of habitat the hunting of smaller animals that leopards depend on for prey revenge killings by farmers who have lost livestock illegal trade in leopard skins and parts and to a lesser extent trophy hunting in countries where it is allowed
the researchers analyzed 6000 records from 2500 locations and more than 1300 sources to map the leopards current and past ranges 1750 was picked as a starting point because it was before the beginning of the industrial revolution and the colonial era in africa the records included studies reports photographs and newspaper clippings
over all the study found the leopards range had decreased by 63 percent to 75 percent with the difference representing areas where the data was less clear cut but of the nine subspecies only three were represented in 97 percent of the cats current range
three other subspecies   the arabian leopard the north chinese leopard and the amur leopard a shaggy cold weather cat found in far eastern russia   retained only 2 percent of their historical range the researchers found in large parts of asia including southeast asia and the middle east leopards had almost vanished only about 17 percent of the big cats current range was protected land
even in places where leopards still had expansive ranges the researchers found they were often fragmented their habitat broken up by farms villages or other human development
that did not augur well for some leopard subspecies which had only a few patches left the researchers wrote in general the more clusters of dense population there are of a species and the more corridors of land that exist allowing animals to travel from one area to another the more likely the species is to survive they said
this is a sophisticated and very comprehensive study said tim caro a professor of wildlife biology at the university of california davis who was not involved in the study
dr caro called the tiny pockets of leopards that the researchers found still existed particularly depressing
without strong action by governments their fates are sealed he said
theodore n bailey a retired wildlife biologist and the author of a 1993 book the african leopard ecology and behavior of a solitary felid said the study was the most comprehensive and detailed analysis of the status and distribution of the leopard to date he noted that although the leopard could adapt to a wide variety of landscapes from rain forest to desert and to different type of prey the study found that its loss of range was greater than that of other predators
dr stein of the cat specialist group said that techniques developed in the last 10 years had changed the way scientists surveyed leopard populations the new methods he said had revolutionized our ability to capture information on the species
scientists have no reliable estimates of how large the global population of leopards is and the study did not try to provide such an estimate but wildlife biologists say that leopards still far outnumber the remaining lions or tigers
yet leopards have received far less attention from conservationists than their higher profile counterparts
i think the biggest threat to the leopard on a global scale is that its been just under the radar said philipp henschel the lion program survey coordinator for panthera nobody really cared about the leopard because everybody assumed they were really abundant and widespread
that neglect was reflected in the scientific literature although scientific reports had increased steadily since 2000 the new study found that of 330 articles on leopards published from 2000 to 2015 69 percent dealt with only two subspecies three subspecies had fewer than five research articles each devoted to them
dr henschel said that the subspecies that were listed as critically endangered could be lost in the next five years or so
we really have to act urgently he said
in the case of the amur leopard whose population has dwindled to below 60 efforts by conservation groups working with the russians and chinese seem to be slowly reversing the downward trend dr henschel said
but he added that wildlife biologists were partly at fault for failing to notice the leopards decline lions and cheetahs were easier to study he said because they could be observed from a land rover while leopards elusive creatures that they are were mostly seen in photographs from camera traps that required extra effort to set up
i think thats something that biologists have to be honest about he said biologists have to start picking up and be ready to invest a lot of sweat into counting these cats to show the world how rare they have become


san francisco   for decades the computer industry has been guided by a faith that engineers would always find a way to make the components on computer chips smaller faster and cheaper
but a decision by a global alliance of chip makers to back away from reliance on moores law a principle that has guided tech companies from the giant mainframes of the 1960s to todays smartphones shows that the industry may need to rethink the central tenet of silicon valleys innovation ethos
chip scientists are nearly at the point where they are manipulating material as small as atoms when they hit that mark within the next five years or so they may bump into the boundaries of how tiny semiconductors can become after that they may have to look for alternatives to silicon which is used to make computer chips or new design ideas in order to make computers more powerful
it is hard to overstate the importance of moores law to the entire world despite its official sound it is not actually a scientific rule like newtons laws of motion instead it describes the pace of change in a manufacturing process that has made computers exponentially more affordable
in 1965 the intel co founder gordon moore first observed that the number of components that could be etched onto the surface of a silicon wafer was doubling at regular intervals and would do so for the foreseeable future
when dr moore made his observation the densest memory chips stored only about 1000 bits of information todays densest memory chips have roughly 20 billion transistors to put it another way the ipad 2 which went on the market in 2011 for 400 and fits in your lap had more computing power than the worlds most powerful supercomputer in the 1980s a device called the cray 2 that was about the size of an industrial washing machine and would cost more than 15 million today
that ipad 2 mind you is slow compared to newer models
without those remarkable improvements todays computer industry wouldnt exist the vast cloud computing data centers run by companies like google and amazon would be impossibly expensive to build there would be no smartphones with apps that allow you to order a ride home or get dinner delivered and scientific breakthroughs like decoding the human genome or teaching machines to listen would not have happened
signaling their belief that the best way to forecast the future of computing needs to be changed the semiconductor industry associations of the united states europe japan south korea and taiwan will make one final report based on a chip technology forecasting system called the international technology roadmap for semiconductors
nearly every big chip maker including intel ibm and samsung belongs to the organization though intel says it is not participating in the last report
to replace what the semiconductor industry has done for nearly 25 years a professional organization called the institute of electrical and electronics engineers announced on wednesday that it will a create a new forecasting system called the international roadmap for devices and systems that is intended to track a wider range of computer technologies
one technology could be so called quantum computing a cutting edge reimagining of how computers work that taps quantum physics   a branch of physics that explains how matter and energy interact another could be graphene a form of carbon and an alternative to silicon that could produce smaller and faster transistors that use less power
the end of moores law is what led to this said thomas m conte a georgia institute of technology computer scientist and co chairman of the effort to draw up a new set of benchmarks to replace the semiconductor reports just relying on the semiconductor industry is no longer enough we have to shift and punch through some walls and break through some barriers
predicting the end of moores law has for years been a parlor game in silicon valley and not everyone in the industry believes that what it has come to represent is nearly over intel the worlds largest chip maker is a notable contrarian and predicts it has the means and know how to push further into the atomic level
in a statement on his companys website last month brian krzanich intels chief executive played down concerns i have witnessed the advertised death of moores law no less than four times he wrote
intel however faces its own problems because of a long slump in pc sales and an inability to sell many chips to smartphone makers last month the company announced plans to lay off 12000 workers   roughly 11 percent of its work force   and take a 12 billion charge
the industry saw signs that moores law was running out of steam as far back as 2005 when researchers began to worry that computer processors were becoming so hot that they would soon match the surface of the sun in heat output
but the industry managed to fix the problem by worrying less about increasing speed and instead splitting tasks among many processors in effect it kept things cool by finding a way to share the load
by walking away from a task they have managed for so long the chip makers other than intel   the silicon valley giant says it is no longer formally contributing to the forecasting process   are posing broader questions about their businesses
as you look at intel saying the pc industry is slowing and seeing the first signs of slowing in mobile computing people are starting to look for new places to put semiconductors said david kanter a semiconductor industry analyst at real world technologies in san francisco
in addition to the impending physical limits of transistors other barriers are looming for example most of the semiconductor industry now insists that the per transistor cost of computer chips has stopped falling that had been one of the factors leading to rapid development of new computer technologies
many executives and analysts in the computer industry are skeptical about intels ability to keep moores law going they point out that if the chip maker were able to continue to reduce costs it would have been able to make larger inroads into the mobile computing world of smartphones as part of its recent cutbacks the company killed its atom microprocessors which it had been unsuccessfully trying to sell to smartphone makers
if your whole business was about moores law and it was ending how would you react dr conte wrote in an email message


london   adidas said on wednesday that it was seeking to sell parts of its golf business including taylormade one of the worlds best known brands of golf equipment
the german sportswear maker began a strategic review last year of its golf business announcing that it had hired an investment bank to explore options for the business which has struggled in recent years to gain momentum
on wednesday adidas which is based in herzogenaurach germany said that its executive board had concluded the review and had decided to enter concrete negotiations with interested parties to sell parts of its golf division
adidas said that it would actively seek a buyer for its taylormade adams and ashworth brands and would instead focus on golf footwear and apparel sales through its adidas golf brand
taylormade is a very viable business herbert hainer the adidas chief executive said in a news release however we decided that now is the time to focus even more on our core strength in the athletic footwear and apparel market
a final decision on selling the business including any potential agreement is subject to approval by adidass supervisory board
taylormade was founded in 1979 by gary adams a golf equipment salesman and it was acquired by adidas in 1997 its clubs are carried by professional golfers including justin rose jason day and sergio garcia
as adidas expanded its golf business it acquired the ashworth brand for 728 million including debt in 2008 and the adams brand in 2012 for 70 million
the taylormade adidas golf business posted sales of 134 billion euros or about 15 billion in 2012 but they have steadily declined in recent years it posted sales of EUR902 million last year
in the first quarter of this year adidas said that revenue in its taylormade adidas golf business decreased 1 percent on a currency neutral basis the company said that growth at the core brands taylormade and adidas golf was more than offset by sales declines at ashworth and adams in the quarter


the republican primary is effectively over and donald j trump will really truly be the nominee
mr trump won indiana so convincingly on tuesday that he drove senator ted cruz of texas his chief rival out of the race one more contender gov john kasich of ohio remains but for all intents and purposes the contest is finished
on the democratic side senator bernie sanderss victory did little to alter the race hillary clintons delegate lead remains intact and mr trumps emergence as the unchallenged republican standard bearer may help the clinton cause as democrats grow anxious about the general election matchup
here are some of our takeaways from what proved to be a decisive night for the republican race
with his victory in indiana mr trump inherits a republican party that has been traumatized and torn apart by his campaign a majority of primary voters in the later contests ultimately chose him but potentially crippling divisions persist on the right in indiana roughly a quarter of republican voters said they would be scared to see him elected president according to exit polls
it is not clear that mr trump has it in him to unite the party his final day on the campaign trail was a tour de force of political brutality he first lobbed the outlandish claim that mr cruzs father had a connection to john f kennedys killer and then mocked mr cruz as a floundering loser mr trump has continued to ridicule other vanquished foes including jeb bush long after they left the race
mr trump begins the general election as a severe underdog to mrs clinton and large scale defections from the republican side could doom his candidacy even before he formally claims the nomination but mr trump boasted on tuesday night that republicans were clamoring to board the trump train and said of the party we have to bring unity
republican elected officials and party leaders deferred the day of reckoning for as long as possible but now it has arrived they will have to say definitively and soon whether they plan to support mr trump in the general election
the republican national committee has already swung behind mr trump with reince priebus the party chairman declaring tuesday night that mr trump was the presumptive nominee but others in the party   most significantly a half dozen senators running for re election in democratic and swing states   face a tougher choice
democrats see this as a fateful moment for their adversaries who must decide whether to shun mr trump and risk angering a huge chunk of the republican base or to embrace him despite his controversial comments and low levels of support among crucial groups like women college educated voters moderates young people and nonwhite voters
democratic senate candidates have already wielded mr trump against their opponents this week ted strickland the partys nominee in ohio released a statement tuesday night jeering here are the 5 words that are striking fear into senator rob portman presumptive republican nominee donald trump
republicans opposed to mr trump gravely misunderstood their own party many believed that the bulk of primary voters were firmly set against mr trumps candidacy and saw his early successes as a function of the large fractious group of candidates running against him as the republican field dwindled in size they expected a majority of the party to rally around a single rival
that simply did not happen when mr trump won a landslide victory in new york last month easily cracking the 50 percent mark republicans hoped it was a home state phenomenon a week later on april 26 he swept five northeastern states and republicans hoped that was a matter of regional affinity
this was wishful thinking and in indiana mr trump put an end to the mirage he defeated mr cruz by more than 15 points and won more than half the vote in a seventh consecutive state   this time in the midwest
there was no anti trump majority left to rally if it ever existed in the first place
mr sanderss success in indiana did little to loosen mrs clintons grip on the democratic nomination it would still take a turnaround of unprecedented scale for mr sanders to overtake her in the delegate race and many of his supporters seem to recognize that
in a state split almost evenly between the candidates three quarters of democratic voters said they expected mrs clinton to be the nominee according to exit polls of the voters who forecast a clinton nomination two in five voted for mr sanders
sanders supporters who are mainly young liberal and distrustful of wall street and international trade are not delusional about his path forward   but nor are they willing to stand aside and give mrs clinton the nomination unchallenged they want to make her keep working for it
mrs clinton and her closest allies have been careful not to anger sanders supporters by seeking to shove him out of the presidential campaign his strong showing on tuesday proved that there is still a powerful constituency for mr sanderss ideas within the democratic base and in some sectors of the party a real sense of loyalty to him personally
mr trumps emergence as the all but anointed republican nominee may change this dynamic giving him a monthlong head start to rally skeptical republicans behind his campaign while mrs clinton continues to grapple with mr sanderss challenge on the left could become an intolerable prospect for democrats eager for a free hand to engage mr trump


the met gala the celebrity studded style juggernaut and party masterminded by anna wintour and dressed up as a cultural and philanthropic event which dominated the conversation at the start of the week along with to be fair the indiana primary has spawned many byproducts theres a documentary film the first monday in may its own magazine vogues met gala stand alone issue and an e television special
little wonder it has also now produced its own rival
last week the british fashion council announced that it was reinventing its annual awards which since 1989 have been styled as the british fashion awards the council is renaming them the fashion awards globalizing them moving the hoopla around hem to the royal albert hall and otherwise upscaling them
if the met gala is often referred to as the oscars of the east coast the british fashion council is hoping its new look event will be the met gala meets the academy awards in the words of natalie massenet its chairwoman   with a twist unlike either the oscars or the met the council is adding a particularly contemporary dimension to its festivities on wednesday tickets officially went on sale to the public
of the approximately 3000 seats that will be available in the royal albert hall the top two tiers or 1500 seats will be available starting at PS48 about 70 to anyone who wants a peek beyond the red carpet the plan is to have tables on the floor   which will cost PS27500 for 10 people and PS33000 for 12   reserved for invitation only nominees and their brands and interested parties where dinner will be served
ditto the grand tier boxes which will have their own butlers and ditto the next tier once the events costs have been covered a percentage of the profits will go to the councils fashion education foundation earmarked to support the next generation of designers
the goal is to raise PS10 million in 10 years   which sounds like a lot except that since 1999 the met gala has raised 145 million for the museum besides that the aim is to position london as the talent arbiter of the industry and possibly ms massenet the driving force behind the transformation as a plausible heir to ms wintours crown
and to have according to ms massenet the most beautiful red carpet so everyone will want to tune in
all of which sounds admirably ambitious but it also raises the question of whether this a harbinger of the modern age where fashion is open to the world see the increasing discussion about the need for consumer facing fashion shows and attention hangs on the hook of a sparkling celebrity parade be it at the nfl draft or the white house correspondents association dinner or have we in fact finally reached red carpet   and for that matter award show   saturation
on the one hand i am all for global fashion awards as opposed to local fashion awards this is a global industry
traditionally the united states and britain have hosted their own hometown heroes events the council of fashion designers of america awards and the bfc awards which have tended to seem a lot like high school with the usual suspects dressed up and the same names nominated over and over again though both groups have tried to leaven their parochialism by adding an international award it hasnt really changed the overall import which may be why neither milan nor paris has followed suit
by expanding its purview to include all designers everywhere the bfc will not only solve this problem but also expand its potential donor base and guest list london not having the same tradition of private and corporate philanthropy as say the united states
ms massenet for example specifically mentioned american retailers as a potential guest list target terry lundgren the chief executive of macys inc is famous for his fund raising
the international aspect will likewise pump up the red carpet marketing opportunities as it is the unspoken job of nominated designers to invite their famous muses to the event and celebrities are enlisted as presenters to the designers who dress them or want to dress them there are a lot of interested parties who could be cannily employed to the bfcs benefit
moreover the fact that it will be the british who bestow the laurels for best womens wear and best mens wear designer in the world among other achievements will nicely frame london the city with the least economic fashion power of the big four weeks as an influencer and it will underscore its role as the talent incubator for the industry
not to mention the fact that it will ignite speculation about what ms massenet the founder and former chairwoman of luxury e tailer net a porter who left that company last september will do next   given the rumors that her ambitions lie with american vogue ms wintours fief and that she was being considered for grace coddingtons former job as creative director
assuming it works of course as it happens the fashion awards are scheduled for dec 5 when london tends to be wet and cold and may pose some red carpet challenges get the heat lamps ready
there is already some rebellion in the ranks against the met   gwyneth paltrow famously called the gala boring and unfun in 2013 and announced she was no longer going   and more enforced faux festivities may rankle
and ms massenet no longer has her e commerce platform as a lever for brand support the way ms wintour has vogue she will be depending on the halo effect of the education foundation and the desire to mount the same steps as daniel craigs james bond and the royal family
still even the possibility of another must go to international award event could have a ripple effect on the fashion world pointedly steven kolb chief executive of the council of fashion designers of america which is also transforming its event into a dinner and televising the evening wrote in an email the cfda and bfc have a great friendship and they shared their ideas with us looking forward to see how it develops
it is not hard to imagine that if the bfc is successful in its makeover the next thing you know the cfda will be upsizing its event and thats before we even get to the fashion group international awards or the couture council artistry of fashion award didnt know about those did you its exhausting even to contemplate
and i cant help but feel that as the fashion party world professionalizes because lets be honest thats what all of this is the transformation of events into businesses something   some sense of fun and the legitimacy of private celebration   is disappearing
the reason hollywood famously enjoys the golden globes more than the oscars is that they are less portentous they include dinner and attendees schmooze and move around and drink at will the reason oscar goers and for that matter met goers change their red carpet attire for the after parties is that they no longer have to serve as ads for a brand and have more freedom to wear what they want
and one reason london is often so beloved as a party venue is that its events have historically felt less polished and less controlled than big hoo has like the met ball people are allowed to get sloppier now all that is coming to an end
its for a purpose greater than simply the industry patting itself on the back it will surely get more page views but some of the soul is being lost


flint mich   president obama vowed federal support for the beleaguered residents of this city on wednesday and said government officials at all levels should have prevented flints water supply from being contaminated with lead
in his first visit to the city since the water crisis began mr obama received updates from local officials and residents made a show of drinking filtered tap water and told a crowd of about 1000 people at a high school that they deserved more from their leaders
ive come here to tell you that ive got your back that were paying attention mr obama told the crowd which cheered loudly
i will not rest he vowed and im going to make sure that the leaders at every level of government dont rest until every drop of water that flows to your home is safe to drink and safe to cook with and safe to bathe in because thats part of the basic responsibilities of a government in the united states of america
mr obama who coughed occasionally throughout the speech paused at one point and looked offstage can i get a glass of water he asked drawing laughs and applause
i really did need a glass of water mr obama said as he sipped the water that an aide handed to him this is not a stunt
many here welcomed the presidents message but his visit months after the magnitude of the water crisis became apparent also prompted expressions of exasperation from residents who are still struggling to confront the health and safety repercussions of drinking lead tainted water for months
when he landed in flint on wednesday the president was greeted with evident good will from people here many of whom voted for him twice and consider themselves supporters
but mixed with the affection were misgivings many flint residents say that the federal environmental protection agency shares the blame for failing to forcefully intervene early in the crisis even after receiving complaints in 2014 that the water was foul and discolored
dozens of neighbors and demonstrators gathered across the street from the high school where mr obama was scheduled to appear some chanted in unison obama obama cant you see this flint water is killing me others waved bottles filled with brown water and wore t shirts emblazoned with the slogan flintlivesmatter volunteers carried clipboards busily soliciting signatures as part of a statewide effort to recall gov rick snyder
in the seventh month since officials acknowledged the crisis with unfiltered water still unsafe to drink many remain angry with mr snyder for the states failure to prevent the contamination when mr snyder tried to apologize to the crowd on wednesday he had to speak over repeated eruptions of boos and jeers
you didnt create this problem he said government failed you
you failed us several people in the audience yelled
but residents are also impatient that more federal aid has not made its way to flint so that the lead pipes that contributed to the contamination can be replaced
on tuesday valerie smith paused from taking orders at spectacular spudz at the flint farmers market to recall her thoughts when she heard about mr obamas visit
i was like obamas coming  she said cracking a smile  thats great bring a check 
the department of health and human services announced a 10 million grant on wednesday for health services in michigan including 1 million for a health center in flint that is treating those affected by the water white house officials said the federal government had already provided nine million liters of water and 55000 water filters
its a little too late jimmie stephen a truck driver said as he walked down saginaw street in downtown flint on tuesday the epa had a job to do and they ignored it none of the politicians have helped us i think the community is just going to have to band together to resolve our problems
mr obama had been under pressure for months to visit flint white house aides said he had decided to make the trip after receiving a letter from an 8 year old girl amariyanna copeny who is known among many in the city as little miss flint
after receiving a briefing from federal officials who have been on the ground in flint for months mr obama urged residents to use filters for their drinking water and to make sure that children received medical checkups at the end of the briefing he took a sip from a glass of flint water after saying filtered water is safe
karen weaver the mayor of flint told the high school audience that mr obama deserved credit for a robust response to the crisis we asked for help mr president and you answered the call she said
but critics have said the federal government was conspicuously absent during the crucial months before the crisis was declared when residents were drinking the lead tainted water and state and local officials were largely brushing off their concerns
emails from last summer which were among thousands of pages of messages and documents released this year show a lack of alarm about the crisis on the part of some epa officials susan hedman a regional administrator for the agency resigned in january and gina mccarthy the administrator of the epa withstood withering attacks by republicans during a house oversight committee hearing about the agencys failure to step in she had argued that states bore primary responsibility for water safety
officials at the epa pointed out wednesday that a commission had concluded that state officials were primarily responsible and that investigations into the crisis had led to indictments of people at the state and local levels monica lee a spokeswoman for the agency said the federal government had not been told the truth about the situation in flint
we cant serve our oversight role when the state is lying to us about what theyre doing ms lee said
mr obama also used his visit to flint as an opportunity to pressure republicans in congress to support billions of dollars in improvements to infrastructure around the country he tweaked them and some of the partys presidential candidates who have suggested deep cuts to federal environmental programs
the president chided republicans for a corrosive attitude that does not support government investments in public infrastructure
its a mind set that says that environmental rules designed to keep your water clean or your air clean are optional or not that important mr obama said that attitude is as corrosive to our democracy as the stuff that results in lead in your water it leads to systemic neglect it leads to carelessness and callousness


republican elected officials donors and strategists grappled uncomfortably on wednesday with the inevitability of donald j trump as their presidential nominee an unexpectedly sudden denouement that left many in a state of political paralysis and others vowing to oppose the partys new standard bearer
while some called for unity many republican leaders refrained from falling in line behind mr trump with dozens avoiding inquiries about where they stood or saying they wanted mr trump to detail his policies or tone down his language first others tied themselves in knots as they praised and criticized mr trump in a single breath or suggested that they could abide mr trump but loathed his agenda
senator kelly ayotte of new hampshire who is in a tough re election race signaled that she would support mr trump but not endorse him as a spokeswoman put it a rhetorical contortion that other republicans repeated privately representative raul r labrador of idaho a staunch conservative said he would support mr trump but derided him for not knowing much about the constitution or politics former gov bob martinez of florida who retains a strong network of donors said he would raise money for mr trump but was unsure about his proposals like temporarily banning foreign muslims from entering the united states
for a party that usually rallies around its presumptive nominee quickly the brutal primary campaign and the questions about mr trumps substance and style have fueled a remarkable level of dissatisfaction   antipathy that will not fade simply because senator ted cruz of texas and gov john kasich of ohio have ceded the race to him
the journey from denial and resistance to grudging acceptance and even peace with the trump nomination may never be complete for some republicans but leaders hope to change that quickly to save the party from splintering and to have a real shot at winning in november
there will be some that will take days and weeks to realize that there are two choices and that its between donald trump and the democratic nominee which most of us believe will be hillary clinton said gov phil bryant of mississippi mr bryant who supported mr cruz called on him and others to back mr trump realistically and i think republicans are realists this is an opportunity to have a republican president sitting in the oval office he said
but representative tom cole of oklahoma a veteran house member and republican strategist said he was counseling his colleagues in competitive races to be coldblooded about how they approach their nominee
position yourself in the way you think is best for you he said allowing that it is difficult for some members
i know a lot of republicans who are in red leaning districts in blue states who see trump as more helpful to them than they would have cruz mr cole said citing representative elise stefanik who represents a sprawling district in upstate new york but if youre in a heavily hispanic district your calculation is very different
mr trumps achievement also drew a rebuke of sorts from the last two republican presidents aides to former presidents george bush and george w bush said they would not participate in or comment on the presidential campaign by contrast they supported the republican nominees in the last two elections john mccain in 2008 and mitt romney in 2012 mr trump ran a sharply negative campaign against former gov jeb bush of florida the son of the elder mr bush and brother of the younger who dropped out in february
for some in the party the question of whether to embrace mr trump is not merely an intellectual exercise some staff members at the republican national committee were told wednesday that if they were unable to get behind the nominee they should leave by the end of the week
representative peter t king of new york whose long island district mr trump won overwhelmingly in the april 19 primary echoed other republicans in pledging to vote for mr trump even though he had reservations calling mr trump a guy with no knowledge of whats going on
as far as any involvement or campaigning its really going to depend on him filling in the gaps and consolidating his policies mr king said right now theres no real coherence
the lingering resistance to mr trump is especially strong in some of the states and congressional districts with hotly contested races this year representative carlos curbelo who is from a competitive district in south florida and has been outspoken about his refusal to support mr trump said hispanics in his district were furious at mr trump over his inflammatory language about latinos
resentment is a kind way of putting it mr curbelo said people are offended and really incredulous he added that he would consider supporting a third party presidential candidate though that option did not appear to have much support among other republicans on wednesday
but the widespread discomfort and anxiety about mr trump was utterly clear in the hours after he became the presumptive nominee on tuesday night most leading republicans were publicly silent and the dearth of congratulatory news releases and twitter posts spoke volumes
over the last two days more than 70 republican governors senators representatives officials and donors were contacted directly or through aides for comments about mr trump only about 20 replied with many aides saying their bosses did not want to take a stand yet others begged off by saying the officials were traveling or too busy to email call or release a statement
mitch mcconnell the senate majority leader said in a news release issued after 7 pm wednesday that mr trump had the opportunity and the obligation to unite our party around our goals
democrats were gleeful mrs clintons campaign issued a list of more than 40 conservatives denouncing mr trumps success among them gov charlie baker of massachusetts who said wednesday that he would not vote for mr trump a spokeswoman later said mr baker would not vote for mrs clinton either
some of the biggest republican donors were warily eyeing mr trump on wednesday associates of the billionaire paul e singer and of the ricketts family both of whom helped finance the failed stop trump efforts said they were still evaluating the race
while most donors and republican leaders had become resigned to the probability that mr trump would be their nominee the withdrawals of mr cruz on tuesday night and mr kasich on wednesday forced them to face up sooner than expected to a question they had been dreading
a ton of republicans are waking up this morning   and i know because weve already chatted   and many are saying im not getting in this mess  said gregory w slayton a top republican fund raiser who remains adamantly opposed to mr trump some are saying well im going to have to back trump and of course many are saying i dont know what im going to do 
two influential republican groups the club for growth and the republican jewish coalition said they planned to focus on helping house and senate candidates this fall and on keeping both chambers under republican control rather than making the presidency their top priority
william kristol editor of the weekly standard said the hostility toward mr trump could be damaging if the republican convention this summer gets out of hand or if his unusually high negative ratings end up hurting other republicans on the ticket
i think people are underestimating the degree to which you could see a crisis in the republican party he said
still in some quarters reconciliation between mr trump and his onetime critics is underway senator marco rubio of florida who clashed bitterly with mr trump before dropping out of the presidential race has had multiple phone conversations with him recently according to republicans close to mr trump aides to mr rubio declined to comment
and gov nikki r haley of south carolina who supported mr rubio and had castigated mr trump at times issued a statement wednesday reiterating that she would support the republican nominee for president a spokesman for ms haley said she and mr trump had not spoken
trent lott a former senate republican leader from mississippi who supported mr kasich said he thought more republicans would come around to mr trump once they appreciated his appeal among conservative democrats and independents as well as among republicans who do not traditionally vote
the thing about trump is he has been turning out historic numbers even in my state here mr lott said i talk to some labor union people in my hometown theyre for trump


inch by inch the new world trade center is being stripped of its connection to the world trade center that was attacked on sept 11 2001
not without reason who would want to work or shop where 2753 people were killed
the trident shape columns so emblematic of the wreckage are housed in a glass pavilion that makes them hard to see from outside the battered sphere sculpture from the trade center plaza was moved to the battery though it may come back panels on a nearby pedestrian bridge that were damaged are being replaced
the latest erasure is occurring along the main wall of an east west underground gallery that links santiago calatravas transportation hub to battery park city
much of the wall follows the footprint of the original 1 world trade center the first building to be hit by a hijacked jetliner during the attack the footprint also defines the edge of the national september 11 memorials north pool which is about 25 feet behind the gallery wall
until mid march the wall was a vast expanse of unadorned white marble pedestrians might not have understood its implicit symbolism yet its spartan solemnity seemed to acknowledge the power of what stood behind it
now a gigantic electronic billboard is taking over the wall
gigantic as long as the spire of nearby trinity church is high 280 feet nine and a half feet tall with an led display operating at all hours sometimes it will be kinetic sometimes static mercifully it will always be silent
the billboard is part of westfield world trade center a luxury shopping mall that is to open in august in the world trade center transportation hub
the heart of the mall is mr calatravas birdlike oculus its underground limbs include the east west gallery
because the gallery opened to the public in 2013 well before retail tenants had set up shop there have been years to appreciate it without any commercial veneer
but it was never intended to stay that way the operators of westfield world trade center said
the digital signage network throughout the facility has always been part of the retail program the westfield corporation said in a statement the goal is to integrate physical and digital experiences across the facility
as for the 280 foot long sign the westfield statement said the objective is to create moments of interest for those passing through the east west gallery
how can the public reflect on history looking at a wall ablaze with advertising store promotions and arts culture news and information programs
isnt that disrespectful westfield does not think so
westfield is a partner of the september 11 memorial and museum foundation and has deep respect for the site and its history the company said in its statement there will be no digital media no screens or other signage facing the memorial and westfield has been and will remain sensitive to the memorial
and yet
at street level the footprints of the original trade center towers are treated reverently they define the edges of the memorials twin pools they are the frames around which the names of victims are inscribed
at bedrock level they are treated respectfully clad in shimmering aluminum the footprints help visitors to the national september 11 memorial museum orient themselves and understand where the buildings stood
in the gallery between those levels however one edge of the 1 world trade center footprint will now be the backdrop for a high energy marketing device
mr calatravas renderings of the hub do not show any advertising on the scale of the billboard though he has said nothing publicly it would be hard to imagine that he is not frustrated by westfields plans for signage
the port authority of new york and new jersey which built the gallery cares principally that the billboard not show explicit political or sexual material the two are frequently confused the agency can veto content westfield said but that issue is not expected to arise
the nonprofit national september 11 memorial and museum at the world trade center foundation does not object to the billboard in fact the foundation said it may collaborate with westfield on the content shown on digital screens elsewhere in the hub during the annual commemorative period in september
somewhere under all that content something real will have been lost


london   weak energy prices continue to take their toll as profit dropped sharply at europes largest oil company royal dutch shell
shell said on wednesday that earnings for the first quarter fell 89 percent from the same period in 2015 to 484 million at shell the pain was widespread with many business areas experiencing a drop in profit and the critical oil and gas production group seeing outright losses
it is part of the broad financial fallout from the troubles in the oil patch energy prices are off nearly 40 percent in the past year although they have stabilized somewhat of late and the industrys players big and small are scrambling to limit the damage
investors are watching closely for potential threats to the industrys hefty payouts despite the earnings weakness shell held its dividend steady at 47 cents a share or roughly 7 percent the companys stock price was off about 1 percent in european morning trading
shell faces a tricky balancing act this year
the company just completed its 54 billion acquisition of bg group a britain based oil and gas producer a bet on the fast growing liquefied natural gas industry with bg in its business shell is now a global leader in liquefied natural gas a fuel that is chilled to liquid form and transported on ships
on a call with reporters simon henry shells chief financial officer said that bg had contributed about 200 million in earnings in the quarter bgs production too had grown about 25 percent as australia and brazil ramped up their output
but that business is also facing some near term headwinds as chinese demand slackens and competition increases profit in a group that includes liquefied natural gas dropped 33 percent in the first quarter to about 1 billion
shells decision to spend a large amount of money on a takeover at a time of weak oil and gas prices has been met with skepticism by some investors but the companys chief executive ben van beurden argued that low prices provided an opportunity for financially strong players to strengthen themselves by swallowing weaker ones
mr van beurden appears to be following the acquisition with aggressive cost cutting
on wednesday shell said that the deal would not lead to an increase in overall capital investment and operating expenditure compared with 2015 the company has already indicated that it would most likely close bgs headquarters in reading just west of london as well as the companys office in aberdeen a north sea oil hub
we will continue to manage spend through dynamic decision making mr van beurden said in a statement
bg the company has said complements shells portfolio of liquefied natural gas and shell argues that the company would be able to capitalize on additional sources of liquefied natural gas around the world with bgs leading positions in places like brazil
it is still early days said biraj borkhataria an analyst at rbc capital markets but encouragingly capital spending and costs continue to come down


paris   societe generale one of frances largest banks reported on wednesday a rise in first quarter profit as a one time revaluation of its own debt and a shift in the way it prepares for potential bad loans helped it offset a weak market for investment banking
societe generale said net income rose almost 7 percent to 924 million euros or about 11 billion in the three months through march from the same period a year earlier
without one time items which included the debt revaluation profit would have slipped less than 1 percent to EUR829 million as it was the bottom line was better than the market had been expecting analysts surveyed by reuters and bloomberg had expected earnings to decline as much as EUR100 million
the bank said revenue fell 33 percent to EUR62 billion
societe generales french retail banking unit contributed about 18 percent more to the banks profit than a year earlier while the international retail banking and financial services unit posted an increase of 83 percent results in both divisions improved in part because the bank set aside less money against possible loan losses
those gains helped offset a 12 percent decline in profit in the unit that includes investment banking which was affected by the turbulence in the equity markets in the first quarter the bank promised more savings at the investment banking unit saying that it was pursuing its efforts to control costs and risks there
on tuesday societe generales crosstown rival bnp paribas also surprised the market with stronger than expected profit thanks to lower loan loss reserves even as revenue declined
business conditions in the first quarter of 2016 were more challenging than was the case a year earlier frederic oudea the chief executive of societe generale said in the earnings statement despite that the bank generated sound results showing the benefits of its diversified and highly integrated business model
the bank said its core tier 1 equity ratio a measure of its ability to withstand financial shocks rose 25 basis points in the period to 111 percent


hong kong   a man believed to be the last person still in prison for participating in the 1989 tiananmen protests is scheduled to be released later this year a human rights group said
the man miao deshun was given an 11 month reduction in his sentence this spring which means he should be released in october according to the dui hua foundation an organization based in san francisco that has lobbied for mr miao and other prisoners from that era
mr miao was convicted of arson for throwing a basket onto a burning tank and was sentenced to death with a two year reprieve in august 1989 he was one of more than 1500 people sentenced to prison after the crackdown in june 1989 on protesters in beijing and other cities left hundreds possibly thousands of people dead
mr miao 51 was a worker from hebei province and his harsh sentence may have been connected to his lowly status workers involved in the protests generally received longer jail terms than students
former prisoners who knew mr miao recalled him as extremely thin and one said that guards would not shackle him probably because he did not have the strength to move with chains around his feet the bbc reported in 2014
dui hua said that mr miao has had no contact with the outside world in many years and that he has hepatitis b and schizophrenia
the group had raised mr miaos case in 17 prisoner lists submitted to the chinese authorities since 2005 he was given a one year sentence reduction in 2012 and his sentence was reduced again in march for good behavior making him eligible for release in october
we welcome this news and express the hope that he will receive the care he needs to resume a normal life after spending more than half of it behind bars john kamm executive director of the dui hua foundation said in a written statement


red carpet hair can be tiresome even monday at the met gala which is known for bolder fashions and hairstyles than hollywood awards shows you could have bet your blow dryer there would be an ingenue with effortless beach waves or a more serious actress going for the shock of an impenetrably sleek blowout
that the menu has become as predictable as the one at your local drybar is disheartening these are women after all who make their money on their image and yes sometimes their talent
that is unless youre a client of adir abergel
mr abergel a stylist based in los angeles has been steadily leading his roster of actresses down more challenging paths the simple yet stunning gold twined braids saoirse ronan wore to the golden globes in january mr abergels innovative way of eschewing hair accessories
its about being creative he said admonishing those who reach too quickly for a barrette
kristen stewarts post twilight oily strands the stylists personal mission to bring back grunge and break that mold of classic hollywood hairdos he said
or how about the parade of rooney mara updos that have ranged from geisha robot to neo warrior the result is a mutual collaboration mr abergel is grateful for
rooney likes to wear her hair back   most women dont he said you really start to think about form and texture and shape in a different way she really pushes me
a few days before he styled ms stewarts hair for the met gala a punk hacker chic coif with bleached white strands defined by a single cornrow mr abergel 38 was dressed casually for a late breakfast at gemma in the bowery hotel his clothes were monochromatic but he had accessorized with a silver and turquoise statement necklace and gold wire earrings that looped dizzyingly around his lobes like gilded bird nests
with his anything goes personal style and ready laugh it is easy to imagine him cajoling a client into letting her freak flag fly why not the leather bound topknot
or as ms stewart put it in a text message adir has a forward energy it moves everyone around him
but that is not his sole point mr abergel insists rather as a hairstylist he advocates individuality not all his of ladies are of the intrepid ms mara variety
i have clients like reese witherspoon and jennifer garner who are classic beauties he said its not even that they wouldnt go there it wouldnt fit who they are as a person
mr abergel is also forthright i know i am a talented hairdresser he said but he also knows that celebrity hairstyling requires additional skills like being able to bring a difficult actress out of a high and mighty funk
for ms garner his longest running celebrity client they met when she was just an alias baby he said he stands out because of what she calls his uncanny ability to walk into a room read the energy melt into it and then shift anything funky to fabulous
it helps that he has a nurturing personality its the israeli moroccan in me he said i grew up with my family hosting a 20 person shabbat dinner every friday night
mr abergel grew up in jerusalem and los angeles the son of a human rights activist and a painter he took an early interest in womens hair by experimenting on his mothers friends he was sidetracked only temporarily in his early teens by the club scene in new york where he lived from 13 to 16 i wanted to be a dancer he said
when he returned to los angeles he landed a plum job as an assistant to the stylist arthur johns only 16 at the time he had marched into mr johnss salon and brazenly declared him his mentor he was doing everyone from olivia newton john to chaka khan to tina turner mr abergel said
but it was not only mr johns who taught him the foundation of hair the starry clientele had plenty to say too regulars like edie adams an actress and singer in the 50s and 60s who died in 2008 would share the secrets behind their signature dos which became a lasting influence
hair is really about architecture mr abergel said noting that red carpet hair needs to last through the carpet premiere and after party that deceptively simple blowout on his client gwyneth paltrow there are secret daubs of mousse at the roots to create lasting volume
by the time mr abergel struck out on his own he had already begun to build a reputation at 26 he worked in london for a year assisting european hair greats like odile gilbert and julien dys and taking on clients like sienna miller and maggie q it was in london that he began to realize that los angeles stylists lacked fresh inspiration instead reaching for the same old images of rita hayworth and veronica lake
la doesnt have street style which affects the way you interact with your craft he said adding that when he travels he takes time to sit and observe street fashion and hair trends
and despite our image oriented age he thinks that originality has been lost if he searches pinterest for say edgy structural updos the images are all homogenized he said the boards reference the same images over and over
aside from the met gala mr abergel was in new york exploring opportunities for a hair care line of his own   not just for the money he said but to take back some control over his time no surprise that celebrity hairstylists are often at the mercy of ... well celebrities
i have my own life he said including a husband who as an immunologist is actually doing things to save the world he wants to start a family being pregnant would be my dream he said the couple hope to adopt down the line
in the meantime mr abergel has his ladies to tend to many of whom have become friends if not nearly family ms garner said i have no secrets from him


let no one say that india isnt doing its bit to fight global climate change government scientists are working hard to reduce carbon emissions by making cows less flatulent
consider the numbers india is home to more than 280 million cows and 200 million more ruminant animals like sheep goats yaks and buffalo according to an analysis of satellite data from the countrys space program all those digestive tracts send 13 million tons of methane into the atmosphere every year   and pound for pound methane traps 25 times as much heat as carbon dioxide does
so reducing animal flatulence might actually do some good   especially in india where there is little chance of cutting back the use of fossil fuels anytime soon in fact the country expects to double its coal production by 2019
scientists at the cow research institute in mathura around 100 miles south of new delhi are tinkering with cattle feed seeking a formula that will create less gas for the cows to belch out that is how most of it is released by the way scientists say much less comes from farting
but a team of researchers in the southern state of kerala is working on a long term answer
em muhammed a breeding expert has been experimenting with an indigenous strain of miniature cattle that produce less milk than typical crossbred cows but are much better able to stand very hot weather an unexpected surprise along the way he said was that these dwarf animals which are about one quarter the weight of crossbred cows produce only one seventh as much manure and one tenth as much methane
in a side by side field trial on a blistering summer afternoon dr muhammed said the dwarf cattle did fine while the crossbred animals were struggling to survive   one of them fainted so he is working to isolate what he calls the thermometer genes in the miniature cows dna so his team can develop a large population of cattle that are heat tolerant and planet friendly


london   almost two thousand years ago the romans built a straight road through the heart of england that helped put the city of leicester on the map and today a roman claudio ranieri has taken leicester to a title that is rightly being acclaimed as the eighth wonder of the world
there is an explosion of life of joy in the city that none of us leicestershire natives ever expected to be part of we know where the players the 5000 to 1 outsiders to win the premier league were on monday night they broadcast their own celebration from the home of jamie vardy their rags to riches goal scorer as the premier league title was handed to them by an implosion of tottenham hotspur in a brutish match down in london at chelsea that was drawn 2 2
but where was their manager he had been at home in rome taking lunch with his 96 year old mother renata before boarding a private airplane made available by leicesters thai billionaire owner to a discreet viewing in leicester with his wife of 40 years rosanna and his two assistants
leicester is a multiethnic team of nationalities spanning the globe every one of them spurred on by the adversity of having been rejected by bigger clubs theirs is the best story in sports a band of brothers who know that they are the sum of parts galvanized by hope and spirit and guided by this polite sometime ridiculed aging italian coach
it was a fellow manager arsenals arsene wenger who said last week that leicester is a compelling psychological study because not one of its players was born on a red carpet to play in the champions league at 18
no sir leicesters players had to toil to fight to make themselves believe that together they could earn the right to win the english league and next season to enter the realm of real madrid barcelona bayern munich   clubs that put together teams costing six times the knockdown prices at which the leicester city players were valued as a whole
from here on who knows what they can achieve who other than vichai srivaddhanaprabha the billionaire from bangkok who saved leicester city from insolvency six years ago foresaw leicester taking on the world in this wonderfully ridiculous way
a thai benefactor players from nonleague competitions and from nine different lands calling themselves city foxes and this improbable mentor from rome who in his 30 years as a coach and before that 12 years as a player had never previously won a top title
there are people who seriously believe that it was karma the blessing of leicesters king power stadium by monks from the buddhist temple where vichai worships that has made this happen
there is the other story linked to the bones of richard iii a former king of england being buried in leicester where he fell in battle
there is the way that all the big clubs   chelsea manchester united manchester city arsenal and liverpool   fell beneath their very expensive parts to lay the trophy open to a team like leicester
it would be demeaning if it were not so wondrous
this is the triumph of the improbable the example to children everywhere that in sports achievement starts with believing and can become reality through the process of hard work of collective spirit of daring to punch the giants on the nose and outrun them
when people ask where will this end they should go back one year to when leicester was the last placed team in the premier league it was then fighting against relegation and fighting together for survival as a team that leicester turned fear into something peerless
ranieri arrived in the summer a manager fired by greece his then 27th job as a soccer coach because the greeks had lost to another fairy story   the faroe islands
when the srivaddhanaprabha family interviewed candidates to take over their modest little team they asked ranieri whether he would be prepared to stay should leicester be relegated at the end of this season out of the premiership
he said he would but the wily fox of a nomadic manager that he is ranieri apparently also negotiated a 5 million pound bonus for himself or about 74 million in the event that he helped leicester to be premier league champion
more than likely the owner considered that to be an easy clause to sign but he liked the manager who could even contemplate the unthinkable
those of us who have been around ranieri and have seen how at his training sessions he can appear the most childlike enthusiast on the playing fields appreciate that there is a humility about him that is contagious he loves the ball almost the way an infant learns to
he exuded this joy to players half almost a third his age when he was chelseas manager a dozen years ago he was fired after a change of ownership and the team that he was building was handed to the younger brasher jose mourinho
and when they met again as adversaries mourinho spoke disparagingly of ranieri as the elder who in more than 20 clubs never won a major title well he has now leicester is his 28th team on a managerial road that has encompassed italy spain monaco greece and england
his maiden championship and leicesters too started in a way that intrigued the players ranieri joined them at preseason camp in austria last august and for the first week he did nothing but observe their workouts
he was assessing what they had their skills their desire their togetherness ranieri was known in his chelsea days as the tinkerman a term he once asked me to explain to him
it meant a meddler a coach whose substitutions baffled the players the tinkerman this season made fewer changes than any opponent he kept the bond that he saw preseason and ran with it to the title that seemed incomprehensible
italys gazzetta dello sport newspaper cast him on tuesday as emperor claudius britannicus this is one roman conqueror that leicester folk will follow wherever he takes them onward and upward into europe i am proud ranieri said to have led this group of footballers   real men humble people who gave everything to achieve a common dream


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1 donald trump stands unchallenged for the republican presidential nomination after john kasich followed ted cruz out of the race mr trump now faces an electoral map that heavily favors hillary clinton in recent interviews with the new york times mr trump sketched out what he meant to be a reassuring vision of his early presidency including rapid action on a wall with mexico and halting muslim immigration

2 bernie sanders holds a lead on mr trump even wider than hillary clintons according to a new national poll mr sanders who won the indiana primary on tuesday but remains far behind in delegates cites his strong performance against mr trump as a main argument for staying in the race

3 president obama made his first visit to flint mich since the water crisis emerged promising that he would not rest till the water was safe he earned applause after asking for a glass of water i really did need a glass of water he said as he sipped this is not a stunt

4 the cause of princes death has not been announced yet but a clue emerged his representatives had contacted a specialist in addiction to pain medication who sent his son on a redeye flight to minneapolis to offer prince treatment options just off the flight he was one of the people who found the musicians body

5 a towering wildfire raged in western canada forcing an entire city of about 80000 people to evacuate the defense minister said the military was ready to assist hundreds of firefighters the town fort mcmurray is the center for the countrys oil sands region above watch scenes from the fire

6 the navy seal killed in iraq this week was special warfare operator 1st class charles keating iv the grandson of a banker jailed in the 1990s in the savings and loan scandal his death in a battle with islamic state fighters exemplifies the combat dangers facing us soldiers on the advise and assist mission   as well as the range of americans trying to halt isis

7 an army intelligence officer is questioning whether the us fight against the islamic state is legal capt nathan michael smith sued president obama saying congress must explicitly authorize him to deploy troops above kurdish fighters hunt for militants in the northern iraqi town where the decorated seal was killed

8 new york city flashed back to the days of mob wars after a mans body washed ashore in sheepshead bay brooklyn his face had been duct taped his arms were tied behind him and his feet were encased in concrete   which takes hours to harden the case may be the only um concrete case of the fabled cement shoes

9 the future of the japanese company takata is in doubt after us regulators said 35 million to 40 million more of its airbags needed to be fixed that more than doubles the size of what is already the largest automotive recall in us history
us stocks fell after a report said us hiring last month was the slowest in three years

10 the tech world could lose one of its guiding principles moores law   the idea that the transistor capacity of a computer chip doubles annually   is not expected to apply once scientists manipulate atom size transistors so an association of engineers announced it would devise an alternative way to forecast computer technologies above gordon moore the author of the law

11 finally the justice department warned north carolina that its transgender bathroom law violates the civil rights act the state could lose millions of dollars in federal funding unless they rapidly alter the law some establishments are already making their objections to the law clear like the art hotel 21c in durham above

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in this weeks episode of modern love the podcast cheryl strayed the author of wild and a host of the podcast dear sugar reads mary elizabeth williamss 2014 essay a second embrace with hearts and eyes open about a divorced couple who reunite to experience life and love through a new perspective
you can also hear the episode on itunes and stitcher
afterward listen to a conversation between ms williams a journalist and author of the new memoir a series of catastrophes and miracles and the modern love editor dan jones
follow cheryl strayed on facebook and twitter and mary elizabeth williams on instagram


when the brazilian painter roberto burle marx started to design gardens in the early 1930s landscape architecture wasnt considered much of a discipline the recognizable geometric shapes stringent symmetry and acceptable flora established in french gardens had remained unchallenged for centuries burle marx abandoned the rigid layouts and began to use local plants importantly he treated these projects as a form of art the flowers and the plants were his brushes and his colors and the landscape became the canvas says jens hoffmann the deputy director of exhibitions and public programs at the jewish museum and there was an added dimension of time he became very very sophisticated in his understanding of the way that things grow when under what conditions   and he could influence these conditions too by planting things next to one another or he sometimes created shadows so certain plants werent exposed to light
in putting together an exhibition of burle marxs work hoffmann and his co curator claudia j nahson had to address a glaring issue you cant transport any of the gardens to new york he says sure they assembled plans maquettes and photographs of some of his 2000 landscapes they also lucked out as hoffmann says burle marx made a lot of other things
roberto burle marx brazilian modernist opening friday puts on display more than 100 different items that span six decades and account for work in a huge variety of fields landscape architecture and painting of course but sculpture theater design textiles and jewelry too he had a hand in almost every medium that you can imagine nahson says he really had this urge to create and he said that although his various fields of expression were all interconnected he still approached each medium in its own way if im doing a painting im doing a painting if im doing a garden im not doing a painting im doing a garden the show comprises traditional still life oil paintings a tile mosaic reminiscent of matisses dance art deco like bracelets nearly cubist pithecellobium tortum plant studies semi futurist bronze statues and his later in life acrylic paintings on denim he died in 1994 taking it all in it seems the singular commonality is actually burle marx himself whom nahson describes as a renaissance man noting that in his spare time he cooked sang baritone and cared deeply about ecology
a 90 foot long wool tapestry made for the santo andre civic center in 1969 comes closest to a garden according to hoffmann and is installed along a back wall so the shapes unfold across the horizon burle marxs preferred plants philodendrons and bromeliads fill the entrance to the exhibition one of the galleries is devoted to the artists former plantation outside of rio de janeiro and a screen over the museums central park facing window leaves the nearby nature viewable however its the american experimental musician arto lindsay who provided the finishing touch the exhibition is part retrospective and part group show of contemporary talents a soundscape that allows viewers to feel entirely enveloped nahson remarks as one would in a burle marx garden


times insider shares insights into how we work at the new york times in this piece vivian yee a metro reporter recounts how she went from looking up former new york state legislators in the federal bureau of prisons inmate directory to passing through metal detectors with just a notebook and pen for a chat
its not that hard to get in touch with a federal prisoner all you have to do is send a letter
ive been exchanging a lot of correspondence with federal inmates lately after the convictions last fall of sheldon silver the former speaker of the state assembly and of dean g skelos the former majority leader of the state senate it became clear that both men were destined for prison those of us who covered their trials wondered what would it be like for them would they be treated differently because of their former status how would they handle the long fall from wealth and power to the bare necessities
new yorks state legislature is notorious for losing members to prison cells often because of corruption and we had a very long list of such cases from the past several years i began writing to those former members looking them up one by one in the federal bureau of prisons inmate directory
ive had enough doors slammed in my face to know that many of them wouldnt want anything to do with a reporter but i figured at least a few would be interested these were politicians after all they had gotten accustomed to seeing their names in the headlines for years before they got in trouble some part of them might still crave public attention
it was hard to know what to say in the end my letters simply asked if they would tell me about how their lives had changed i included copies of stories i had done in the past hoping to show that i was capable of trying to understand as opposed to merely judging them for their crimes
four wrote back pedro espada jr william f boyland jr efrain gonzalez jr and eric stevenson i also called shirley l huntley who had been released and she agreed to let me visit her
mr gonzalez had a friend from prison call me one of the first things he told me was that mr gonzalez had been a kind of jailhouse politician holding court in the law library and answering to the title of senator that detail stayed in my mind it became a recurring motif in my story
mr gonzalez was about to be released so communicating through his friend on the outside we arranged to meet after he returned home to the bronx
mr stevenson wrote back eager to talk   i had hit the jackpot with his story he wrote   but later changed his mind after his lawyer learned about the interview mr boyland and mr espada added me to their email lists you cant initiate email contact with inmates but they can ask to email you through a system called corrlinks its sort of like the gmail of the federal prison system except that it looks like it was designed in 1992
it took me a few days to get used to seeing the names of incarcerated ex lawmakers appear in my inbox but both seemed interested in talking so i started reaching out to the wardens of each prison to set up official media visits
the process was bureaucracy in full glory it took more than two months just to establish contact process my official requests perform background checks on me and set the dates i would be allowed to bring a notebook and a pen   nothing else
in march i drove to loretto pa a tiny hamlet in western pennsylvania to see mr boyland leaving everything but my notebook pen and id in the car i passed through a metal detector and several sets of locked doors before arriving at a spacious brightly lit visitors room sort of like the multipurpose room at my high school a guard brought the prisoner in and we talked for three hours sitting across from each other at a round table he was warm candid and occasionally funny
but whenever i asked him about his crimes or whether he had any remorse the smile disappeared he would insist on his innocence the people at home still loved him and believed in him he said over and over
it was the same with all of them reflective thoughtful and raw conversations would turn stilted canned and defiant as soon as i approached the subjects of albany indictments and convictions it was as if their politician masks had suddenly snapped back into place they protected a belief in their innocence as though it lay at the core of their identities
which maybe it did
this dynamic was especially interesting with mr espada everything i had read about him revealed him to be a bombastic opportunist with a gift for making every situation about himself   a stunt master and escape artist who was finally paying for his misdeeds he was in a word preposterous
i could tell from our first few interactions that i was in for the classic espada experience he said he wanted to talk to me to expose the injustices of the prison system then he said he had changed his mind then after i pressed him he changed it back again saying he felt the cause of prison reform was too important for him to walk away from the interview
sure whatever gets you talking
when i met him at the metropolitan detention center in brooklyn though i was struck by how shrunken and almost deferential he seemed the puffed out chest had deflated there seemed to be moments of introspection as he told me about how he had gone from considering himself to be above the rules to realizing he had to adapt and learn to accept his lot
then of course he started talking about prison reform the political revolution he had led in albany and his innocence the old espada came blustering back
a few readers   including a former inmate who met mr espada and several other former lawmakers in prison   have questioned whether i let my four subjects off too easy i think respectfully that my story wasnt about parsing whether they deserved their punishment or not or whether they were guilty or not they were all convicted of their crimes i took that as a given now that they were being punished i wanted to delve into the details of their day to day lives and learn how they were coping   emotionally physically spiritually   with their falls from grace
they hurt a lot of people has prison helped them come to terms with that fact the answer it seems is no


julia leach who grew up in minnesota by way of france has been taking regular trips to mexico since she was 5 her travels have brought her all around the country   from zihuatanejo to punta mita tulum to mexico city so for the latest collection of her six year old line of travel inspired items chance she looked to the country as a source of inspiration for me its less about the artisanal visual and cultural references that we know and more about the sea and the jungle and the natural beauty she said the range of items available online beginning today include basket bags she produced in collaboration with the los angeles based designer eliza gran her signature striped shirts now rendered in tie dye   and enormous straw hats brimmed with feathers


fascinated by impossible bouquets the dutch baroque still life paintings that took years to complete because each flower could only be painted while in season the regime des fleurs perfumers alia raza and ezra woods have recreated the art form   with a treat for the senses its our goal to bring a sense of floralcy to everything   that includes food raza says their first foray into edible experiences was with timelapse a fragrance made with food grade botanical extractions and alcohol   available in the regime des fleurs spritz a gin prosecco cocktail at dimes now the duo has collaborated with burrow bakerys ayako kurokawa on a scented and flavored cookie as part of regime des fleurss ongoing artefact program of collaborations we used essences that can be used for both perfumery and flavoring says woods its meant to be tasty but subtle   and hard to put your finger on the dough and icing are subtly infused with notes of bergamot orange elderflower and almond to conjure up the uplifting feelings kurokawas hand painted watercolor like bouquets represents each cookie is made to order in brooklyn and takes about a day and a half to complete


in this series for t the writer and author of worn stories emily spivack interviews creative types about their most prized possessions
for the artist david horvitzs much anticipated commissioned work at this years frieze new york a professional pickpocket will work in reverse secretly depositing mini sculptures into fairgoers pockets and bags here horvitz reflects on the art of giving things away as art   and perhaps his oldest personal object his orthodontics
ive been wearing retainers since i got my braces off in high school i try to wear them every night i have two the bottom one is original but the top one broke and was replaced with a mouth guard that protects me from grinding my teeth theyre kind of like gloves   gloves for the mouth
i like the idea of having a daily practice or i guess you could say a nightly practice every night i brush my teeth and put in the retainers ive tried to meditate every day but when i travel it gets disrupted i used to wake up and read a chapter of a book but when i travel it gets disrupted basically travel disrupts everything except for wearing the retainers ive gone through phases of not using them for days or weeks but i always start again when im not traveling i keep the retainers in the medicine cabinet in my bathroom theyre in a pink retainer case that has my younger sisters name on it at one point i guess i took her case
ive never thought about it before but my bottom retainer might be the oldest thing i have i hold onto very few things i try to get rid of as much as i can ill be in my studio and ill find a bunch of say polaroids   something i dont want because they take up too much space or i dont want to carry them around with me   and ive developed this ongoing practice where ill mail them to art libraries under the guise of a donation of an artwork or document or ephemera for example ill send a letter that says here are these 10 polaroids from a road trip to robert smithsons spiral jetty from 2002 i would like to donate them to your collection at the kandinsky library at the pompidou in paris please accept my donation i sign them but i never include my return address so they cant send them back sometimes theyll find me and say we need to mail this back and i give them a fake address mostly though i think the librarians are kooky and theyre like this guy is thinking about our library and hes funny lets archive this dead tree he mailed to us
my teeth were very crooked when i was younger years later my orthodontist told me that he had given presentations about my teeth at orthodontic conferences because theyd been that bad but hed successfully fixed them without surgery i still wear these retainers almost 20 years later because my parents spent so much money on my teeth and if i stop wearing the retainers my teeth could get bad again itd be such a waste to regress
usually people dont know i wear retainers i dont like to talk while im wearing them because i sound weird but just say you call me in the morning ill answer my phone hello oh hold on i have to take off my retainers and thats how people usually find im wearing them when im traveling and stay at peoples houses i dont feel secretive because ive worn them for so many years but i always mention when i put in my retainers at night because inevitably theyll say whats in your mouth why are you talking weird
its funny   you wear shoes for six months but they get worn out and you get new ones but these retainers   i brush them i gargle with scope while im wearing them my dentist cleans them i dont have any jewelry but in a way they have become a kind of jewelry


sam sifton emails readers of cooking five days a week to talk about food and suggest recipes that email also appears here to receive it in your inbox register here
good morning lets cut to the chase weve introduced a terrific new guide to knife skills on cooking by the indefatigable julia moskin that we think will benefit everyone from the novice cook to the experienced one its beautiful to boot so take a gander at that study on its videos and practical prose and then slice and dice your way through julias new recipe for a celery salad for dinner get your brunoise on
or dont its the middle of the week and youre exhausted with the trials and tribulations of life in 2016 the idea of cooking a complicated recipe after work today may be anathema you just want to eat
two ideas one is pick up a heat lamp roast chicken at the market on the way home dont think too much about its provenance tear it apart for four or half of it for two shredding the meat with your fingers then mix the chicken with a few handfuls of baby arugula a large handful of sliced scallions and a lot of chopped cilantro cut an avocado or two into the mix if you have one on hand then make a dressing out of lime juice garlic and olive oil and season it with salt and pepper drizzle that over the top and serve dinner in 15 minutes tops
but if thats too complex heres a second option which a number of readers have asked about since i published this exegesis on excellent sandwiches in the times magazine a peanut butter and gochujang sandwich gochujang is a korean hot pepper paste if you dont have any sriracha offers similar joys its most delectable on sesame bread but really any high quality loaf will do toast the bread then apply a thick spread of peanut butter to it and a thin coating of the gochujang or a lively squirt of sriracha on top of that sandwich and serve extra points if you add kimchi or pickles its shockingly good with a cold glass of milk
those looking for more concrete recipes can of course find thousands on cooking to keep things simple maybe make melissa clarks fine recipe for spicy roasted shrimp with broccoli rabe or her recipe for vegetarian skillet chili
have you tried martha rose shulmans recipe for penne with peas pea greens and parmesan which of course you can make without the pea greens if you dont have any or florence fabricants recipe for monkfish with caper butter were thinking that may work crazily well with lobster and we love a twice baked potato on a wednesday night always particularly when the recipe includes both milk braised cauliflower and plenty of cheese
scroll through our database and see what grabs your fancy save the recipes to your recipe box send them to friends or post about them on social media as we do on facebook twitter instagram and pinterest rate them highly we hope and leave notes on them for yourself or for others if youve discovered a shortcut or substitution worth sharing and if anything goes wrong please dont hesitate to reach out to us for help we can scramble out of cookingcarenytimescom just like the granite mountain hotshots
now make sure to carve out some time for kelefa sannehs look at paul simons endless comeback in the new yorker heres cool papa bell off simons forthcoming album stranger to stranger out in june read mary odonoghues kiddio at the wedding in granta
and if you thrilled as we did to bryan millers short dispatch from hawks restaurant in rayne la this week take a look at this cool flyover video of the town and crawfish farms that surround it we want to go to there see you soon


the comedian louis ck has a bit about all the work that goes into being a modern consumer its like a job he says mocking the research we do before making even the most inconsequential purchases you have to make sure you get the best one as the joke progresses ck imitates a person reading online reviews of blu ray players i dont know he says his voice ascending with faux anxiety his hand stroking his chin i dont know which one to get i dont know i gotta get the best one then he interrupts the character hes been playing why who are you the king of siam that you should get the best one ever
it may be good to be king but it sure is a lot of work in the digital age everyones a critic of the everyday turning the promise of our best life into a research binge and fetishizing the small differences that separate essentially similar experiences nowhere is the pursuit of bestness as urgent as when it comes to travel the threat is not just that you might waste money but precious priceless time if you eat crappy pizza tonight you can eat better pizza tomorrow but whens the next time youll make it to jakarta travel already involves planning   purchasing tickets making reservations   and endless choices big and small once you start researching it can be hard to stop its like were all grad students and its always exam season whats the best beach getaway the best tapas in madrid
it can feel these days as if the horizon of perfection is ever receding experiences that dont stack up are worse than disappointing   theyre signs of our failure to have found something better or of our ignorance or our lack of savvy only a rube doesnt know where to go for the best mojito in miami some of this has to do with the competition that is fueled by social media in which we monitor the fabulous lives of other people but most of it is internal an inflated sense of entitlement coupled with the misguided belief that we can buy our way to happiness not to mention the pressure of wanting to experience something authentic or secret   a desire that gets harder to gratify as global culture absorbs and subsequently flattens local specialties when you can already order up pretty much anything you want from your computer at home what is there to look for abroad whatever it is had better be not only special but the most special something that you couldnt do or find or have at home even if you tried
the problems with planning ones vacation in search of the best are legion and barely need spelling out when we turn leisure into work we forget how to be spontaneous we spend our vacations tracking maps of pins dropped with military grade precision rather than relaxing and appreciating what comes but sometimes sometimes its worth it seriously when is the next time youre going to be in jakarta maybe this is a regular thing for you good for you take a chance live in the moment but for the rest of us its ok to try theres something beautiful and utopian in the belief that the best is out there if we can only find it
because while its possible to blunder your way into something great by accident most treasures are found with the aid of treasure maps it all comes down to your attitude its stupid to be controlled by the rankings or get carried away with anxiety but its just as stupid not to do your homework at all the experts have something to offer   its called expertise sure some of the yelpers out there are freaks obsessives basement dwellers but whats their real crime caring too much learn from their labor benefit from their wild knowledge it pays off
several years ago when i was in tokyo i arranged an entire morning of sightseeing around visiting one coffee shop to try a beverage that was essentially an espresso milkshake it had come highly recommended by a coffee blog   one of many coffee blogs i consulted ahead of time   and it was awesome it was a thick cold amphetamine fueled dessert dream it was worth all the effort it took to find it it was good enough for a king


i am pan written and illustrated by mordicai gerstein 46 pp roaring brook press 1899 picture book ages 5 to 9
the great author illustrator mordicai gerstein who won a caldecott medal in 2004 for the man who walked between the towers often gravitates to myths legends and folktales adding his own frisky touch while mining their timeless human dimensions his newest book i am pan is as exuberant as youd expect and may even have some deep life lessons buried in it certainly young readers or listeners will finish the book with a better understanding of greek mythology which these days seems an indispensable feature of kid culture but mainly its pure unadulterated fun without for one moment being pandering   the kind of book called for when say a sluggish mood has descended upon story time and youre the one in the readers seat with an energetic style that seems to owe as much to old hollywood as to modern graphic novels gerstein celebrates the often overlooked god of sheep shepherds noise and confusion as an irrepressible character without a shred of self doubt who brought a bit of needed levity to a family that took itself very seriously indeed
gerstein creates a cinematic scope for pans story before the title page has even appeared as were introduced to the ancient greek setting and cast of characters   zeus and hera along with a handful of the more charismatic gods and goddesses of olympus in bursts pan who turns out to be our narrator he seems determined to steal every possible glimmer of spotlight furry legged and cloven hoofed hes got curling rams horns on his head but big human hands stretched out as if he wants to hug the entire world
the illustrations a vibrant mixture of furiously loose pen and ink lines and dabs of rainbow bright color are laid out in boxes that often partition the pages comics style   or perhaps in the style of movie storyboards the effect is to heighten the sense of storytelling rooted in the visual though with the ever verbally agile gerstein as much as his illustrations seem to be whats taking you places the words are never an afterthought as pan tells of being born to a human seeming mother and her husband hermes the messenger god the slapstick comedy begins the midwife is horrified by the babys appearance and flees the premises but hermes is so excited he flew right through the roof to tell papa zeus the news we see red roof tiles flying about as the golden hued god leaps out into the sky on the way to olympus
pan gambols his way through several more stories surviving war heartbreak and vicious mount olympus gossip gerstein ends with a wonderful gag about pans death centuries after his peak years when people sailed new seas fought new wars and worshiped new gods pan claims he announced his own death just so he and the rest of the gods could retire in peace free from all the responsibility he leaves us with a parting reminder that he still likes to incite a little chaos now and then   but when you sense a mood of confusion approaching dont panic were reminded not for the first time in the book that the word itself derives from the mischievous gods name - another way that learning greek mythology from a book like this is perhaps in spite of gersteins best effort at subversive frivolity eminently useful


amsterdam   the van gogh museum here has started a program to offer its professional services to private collectors corporations and other institutions it says the move could create a new revenue stream as a hedge against declining government financing and global events like terror attacks that could have an effect on visitor numbers
museums around the world have long sought creative ways to bring in money outside of ticket sales but the van goghs program announced last month is unusual in that its target group includes private clients experts in museum finance and administration said
under the program museum employees will provide advice and support in areas such as collection conservation and preservation installation of climate control systems museum management and the development of educational programs
museums are used to a different type of outreach that is more about sharing their knowledge and collection but not in the commercial contractual manner said france desmarais the director of programs and partnerships for the international council of museums in paris whats unique is that they are using their expertise to commercialize in a sense but museums have been doing revenue generating activities for a long time
a museum with a public mission that is working on behalf of private clients could raise questions about curatorial independence some experts said ms desmarais said that ethical concerns might arise if for example the van gogh museum was offering collectors advice about acquiring artworks from the auction market because the perception could arise that the museum might eventually want to acquire the work for itself or receive it as a donation
the van gogh museum said that so far it had no plans to do so
adriaan donszelmann the managing director of the van gogh museum who initiated the program said he did not think ethical issues would be a problem but he did acknowledge that there could be time management issues for staff members
weve made sure that its ok for our current staff to spend 5 to 10 percent of their time on professional services for people who want to be part of this adventure mr donszelmann said if the program is successful he added the museum might hire additional specialists to serve clients
mr donszelmann said he expected the venture which was announced on april 7 to generate up to 5 percent of the museums annual operating budget currently EUR45 million he said there were no contracted clients as of monday but that the museum was in negotiations with several interested parties
compared with other dutch museums the van gogh receives a relatively small proportion of its income in the form of subsidies slightly less than 20 percent or EUR7 million a year though the museum has lost a small amount of state funding a 2012 tax on profits from commercial enterprises like gift shops has cost the museum EUR500000 annually officials said
we are quite dependent upon people visiting the museum and 85 percent of those visitors come from other countries mr donszelmann said in this time of potential terrorism and natural disasters this flow of tourism to amsterdam is vulnerable
he declined to discuss fees except to say that they would be arranged on a sliding scale with museums or other public institutions paying lower rates than corporate clients he also said that services could be provided in exchange for museum sponsorship
robert j stein the executive vice president and chief program officer of the american alliance of museums in washington called the program a great idea
in a telephone interview mr stein said the van gogh museum was known for its expertise in business development among other areas
the hesitancy or concern is that those kinds of efforts could detract from the overall mission of the organization he cautioned but he added that a program like the one the van gogh has started could expand networks of donors and sponsors aside from any immediate financial benefits
the van gogh museum started a pilot project two years ago to test the viability of the program mr donszelmann said it found a number of clients through a partnership with deloitte luxembourg the financial management consultancywhich remains involved in the new program
for example van gogh museum managers offered professional advice to arcis a fine art storage and collection care company in manhattan that is planning to open in 2017 on security climate control and operational systems
dos elshout a doctoral student in cultural studies at the university of amsterdam who recently completed a thesis on new business minded approaches at dutch museums said this was part of a trend in european museums to look at new sources of revenue as government subsidies for arts institutions have been reduced or have become less predictable
museums exchange services knowledge tips and so on all the time and of course it was always in a collegial way he said now because of the financial cuts of a few years ago they have to ask money for services
ms desmarais of the international council of museums noted that some european museums such as the louvre and the british museum have provided advice and professional services to governments and other institutions in 2007 for example the united arab emirates and france signed an agreement to create the louvre abu dhabi drawing on the expertise of the paris museum and offering space to exhibit items from its collections
abu dhabi the capital of the united arab emirates paid 525 million for the privilege of using the louvre name plus an additional 747 million for anticipated art loans special exhibitions and management advice
in the united states the guggenheim museum has long been a pioneer in revenue generating activities using income from satellite museums in bilbao spain and abu dhabi to supplement traditional fund raising
mr stein of the american alliance of museums said many institutions were engaged in what he called entrepreneurial revenue diversification including staging traveling exhibitions developing software and opening satellite stores
this is a little bit of where cultural organizations are going he said most museums had been in the philanthropy and ticket business for a long time and are recognizing that some balance of that with earned revenue sources is a healthy position to be in


what is a conservatorship
when someone is thought to be unable to care for himself or herself an adult with a relationship to the individual perhaps a spouse or other relative may petition a county probate court for control over his or her affairs via a conservatorship in some states it is known as a guardianship this can include control over his or her personal needs physical health food shelter financial affairs or both
who are britney spearss conservators
her father jamie spears oversees her personal life and finances andrew m wallet a lawyer serves with mr spears as co conservator of her estate
who is typically under a conservatorship
the arrangement is typically used to protect the old mentally disabled or extremely ill some recent high profile cases include those of zsa zsa gabor and casey kasem the young actress amanda bynes has also been under the temporary conservatorship of her parents
who oversees a conservatorship
a court appointed lawyer is assigned to ensure that conservators are not taking advantage of their power or inappropriately restricting the freedoms of the person being cared for for ms spears that person is samuel d ingham iii who also worked on mr kasems conservatorship in a general conservatorship a court investigator also files progress reports every other year
how could a conservatorship end
if the person under the conservatorship becomes able to handle his or her affairs someone involved or close to the case would have to ask the court to end the arrangement the court investigator would then look into the case and a judge would ultimately decide the court can also remove a conservator who isnt fulfilling his or her duties


kandahar afghanistan   it is spring that determines how a year turns out according to an afghan proverb and if the helmand poppy fields this spring are any indication the taliban will have a very good year
as the opium harvest winds down across helmand province afghanistans largest in territory and poppy cultivation farmers and officials are reporting high yields the skies were generous with heavy rainfall and the afghan government with its cancellation of annual eradication campaigns it had lost much of the territory in helmand to the taliban anyway
so it was with peace of mind that farmers and thousands of seasonal laborers who had traveled to helmand scraped the gum from the opium bulbs taliban fighters were just around the corner to lend a hand   and to receive their share of wages and taxes in cash or kind the crowded fields amounted to an insurgent recruiters dream
we are happy that we had a good harvest this year compared with previous years said abdul rahim mutmain a farmer in musa qala district mr mutmain said his modest plot saw a four fold increase in yield compared with 2015 which was plagued by crop failures and concerted government eradication
there is no security concern for a single laborer being checked or robbed by the police mr mutmain said the entire district is under taliban control and the bulk of the harvesters are taliban he added actually this is the taliban regime   you can take your narcotics anywhere or anytime you want to sell them
the united nations which has described the taliban behavior more like godfathers than a government in waiting  says the insurgency extracts a large share of its expenses from the narcotics trade which the agency put at roughly 3 billion a year within afghanistan
the story of just how deeply the taliban are intertwined in the business even at the farm level can be told by the fluctuations in violence since last years poppy harvest
for much of the winter the insurgents had the afghan forces on the back foot in helmand inflicting heavy casualties overrunning outposts and even entire districts the fighting reached the gates of lashkar gah the provincial capital drawing american and british special operations forces into the combat
then just as harvesting began in late march and early april officials reported a sudden dip in fighting despite the talibans official launch of their annual offensive on april 12 with violence intensifying across other parts of the country helmand is still experiencing a relative lull as the last bulbs of poppy are scraped
the period of calm has allowed the afghan army in helmand a rare breather to train and rebuild a force that took a bad beating last year with men dying at alarming rates and outposts overrun easily the 215th afghan army corps was forced to abandon certain districts bringing what remained of the troops to the headquarters for collective retraining
the american led nato mission in afghanistan which has officially shifted to a limited role of training and assisting the afghan forces has said that overall training lagged behind because of the relentless tempo of fighting last year the army was forced to turn out raw recruits simply to fill the gap caused by casualties and desertion now afghan military officials and nato advisers say they are trying to refocus on quality better logistics and cooperation at the large unit level
during the monthlong harvest season in helmand the taliban have better things to do than fight they profit in multiple ways from the lush opium fields
their fighters often lay down their weapons to work as day laborers farmers say they also collect the opium tax they impose on the local level as well as stick around for the additional 10 percent islamic tax on farm produce called ushr those proceeds are supposed to go to the needy but often end up going to the taliban
above all the harvest season becomes a taliban recruitment drive with thousands of men coming in from all over the country who are already frustrated with their lack of job opportunities
the poppy harvest is a good time for the taliban to interact with new faces   best time for new recruitment said bashir ahmad shakir the head of security committee at the helmand provincial council
abdul jabar qahraman the afghan governments representative in charge of the fighting in helmand said the taliban were campaigning 24 7 to recruit from the pool of 15000 laborers mostly jobless young people who arrived in helmand for the harvest season he said the government arrested some 700 of the laborers to disrupt the harvesting but the men were released a few days later except for a small number suspected of being taliban members
the war in afghanistan is not a war of ideology it is a war of financial benefits mr qahraman said
the poppies support the taliban financially he added the commanders of the taliban stuff their pockets with cash once they receive the cash that makes their stomachs oily they prepare themselves for fighting
but zabihullah mujahid a spokesman for the taliban said opium cultivation was a regional and traditional issue that brings people the income they need for the rest of the year
poppy farming has nothing to do with us and in such in an environment of conflict we cannot prevent it either mr mujahid said its natural that in some areas the taliban are residents of that area and have family needs maybe for meeting those needs they may have participated in the harvesting but it is not some formal work from our side
consider mr mutmains roughly four acres in musa qala district this year he said he collected about 88 pounds of raw opium compared with about 30 pounds from six acres last year among the 25 laborers he hired for the 15 days of gum collection mr mutmain said 10 were active taliban members who took a break to work the harvest the rest were young men from other provinces mostly neighboring areas
you know they become good friends with each other   they spend at least 12 or 15 days which is enough time to build trust mr mutmain said the taliban fighters recount stories of bravery how they manage to blow up armored vehicles and overrun checkpoints
those kinds of tales really impress the newcomers and some go to the battlefields with them and join mr mutmain said
since he lives quite a distance from his fields mr mutmain built makeshift huts for the workers to rest in during the afternoon and sleep in at night he also hired a cook who served beans chickpeas and the traditional southern yogurt drink shrumbai
soon after the harvesting was over a taliban tax collector arrived with a notepad and a witness mr mutmain said sometimes the farmers need to line up the plastic bags of opium they have collected each weighing about 10 pounds for inspection but most of the time the taliban take their word for it
you either pay them in the current price or in narcotics mr mutmain said about the tax he paid cash the equivalent of 400
mahatabuddin khan another farmer in khanshin district said he paid his taxes in kind he had hired 15 people five of them taliban and the rest young men from northern districts of helmand to work on his two acres which ultimately yielded about 35 pounds of opium
the tax collector arrived before the harvesting was even over he estimated how much the plot in front of him would yield and mr khan paid just under two pounds in raw opium
he had a notepad to write my name and the amount of narcotic collected from me mr khan said of the collector
many across helmand fear a difficult year of fighting ahead now that the insurgent machine is fueled with new cash and fresh fighters
the afghan military forces in helmand are preparing to face the toughest summer season of fighting said mr shakir the provincial council member


front page
a map in some editions on april 25 with the continuation of an article about a report by an international panel of investigators that details the abduction of 43 missing mexican students in the city of iguala in september 2014 located incorrectly a town that is near iguala called cocula it is in guerrero state in southwest mexico as is iguala the cocula that was labeled on the map is in jalisco state northwest of guerrero

an article on march 4 about president xi jinpings remedy for chinas economic gloom which has echoes of reaganomics misstated part of the name of an american credit rating agency that lowered its outlook for china from stable to negative earlier that week it is moodys investors service not investor although the error was corrected online shortly after publication editors failed to follow through with this print correction
international
an article on march 14 about an attack by al qaedas north african affiliate that killed 16 people at three beach resort hotels near abidjan in ivory coast referred incorrectly to abidjan it is the economic capital of ivory coast and its largest city   not the political capital which is yamoussoukro editors were alerted to the error the day of publication but failed to follow through promptly with online and print corrections
business day
an article on tuesday about proposals to require mandatory training for physicians who prescribe opioids misstated a summary by dr darrell g kirch president of the association of american medical colleges of the fears of medical school leaders they feared that the federal mandate could lead to the imposition of additional legislative agendas that were not in the interest of patient care they did not say the reverse that such agendas were in the interest of patients

the mediator column on monday about stephen colberts efforts to find his footing as host of the late show on cbs rendered part of a headline on the website daily kos incorrectly the headline as it appeared on the website said calling jon stewart america needs you now more than ever not american
sports
an article last wednesday about the effect of aging on elite runners misidentified the marathon at which steve spence won a bronze medal it was the 1991 world championships not the 1992 olympics
the arts
because of an editing error the byline was omitted for an article on tuesday about scott rothkopf chief curator of the whitney museum of american art the article was by robin pogrebin in addition the article misidentified the institution where yve alain bois mr rothkopfs thesis adviser at harvard is now an art history professor it is the institute for advanced study in princeton nj   not princeton university

a music review on monday about concerts at carnegie hall by the atlanta symphony orchestra and chorus and by the utah symphony referred incorrectly to the music director of the utah symphony at one point he is thierry fischer and thus is mr fischer not mr thierry
obituaries
an obituary on tuesday about the artist marisol misstated the given name of an artist with whom she studied he was yasuo kuniyoshi not kazuo the obituary also misidentified the location of el museo del barrio where the exhibition marisol sculptures and works on paper was presented it is in manhattan not in the bronx
dining
the pour column last wednesday which recommended 20 wines costing less than 20 misstated the vintage of the domaine michel bregeon par frederic lailler muscadet sevre et maine sur lie it is 2013 not 2014 in addition an accompanying picture was published in error it showed a 2014 domaine de la bregeonnette not the 2013 domaine michel bregeon par frederic lailler muscadet sevre et maine sur lie
the times welcomes comments and suggestions or complaints about errors that warrant correction messages on news coverage can be e mailed to nytnewsnytimescom or left toll free at 1 844 nyt news 1 844 698 6397 comments on editorials may be e mailed to lettersnytimescom or faxed to 212 556 3622
readers dissatisfied with a response or concerned about the papers journalistic integrity may reach the public editor at publicnytimescom or 212 556 7652
for newspaper delivery questions 1 800 nytimes 1 800 698 4637 or e mail customercarenytimescom


oakland calif   the defending nba champions mounted a remarkable comeback without the most valuable player stephen curry
next game they might have him back and really get rolling
klay thompson scored 27 points and gave golden state its first lead of the game on a 3 pointer with 5 minutes 33 seconds left and the warriors rallied to beat the portland trail blazers 110 99 on tuesday night for a two games to none lead in their western conference semifinal series
it started with how focused we were in that fourth thompson said weve been down and out before
he added we were just locked in on both sides of the ball we can build on this game that effort there in the fourth quarter is what its going to take to beat this team
draymond green added 17 points 14 rebounds 7 assists and 4 blocked shots in another win without curry sidelined with a sprained medial collateral ligament in his right knee
game 3 is saturday in portland ore and curry could be in uniform
thompsons 3 with 644 remaining tied it igniting the capacity crowd inside deafening oracle arena as the defending champions erased an early 17 point deficit
we hung in there warriors coach steve kerr said we turned around what was a pretty bad game for us but we had enough time to get back
damian lillards 3 to beat the third quarter buzzer put portland ahead 87 76 entering the final 12 minutes   golden states largest deficit going into the fourth all playoffs
for most of the night the energized blazers did everything the defending champions typically do on their impenetrable home court making the zippy pass setting the tone on the defensive end crashing the boards answering any threat with a big basket
we played three really good quarters we showed we can compete with them blazers coach terry stotts said it got away from us in the fourth quarter its disappointing to lose a game youre competitive and youre in position to win in the fourth quarter weve got to close it out it was an opportunity to get a win on the road weve got to learn from it
lillard had 25 points and 6 assists and cj mccollum added 22 points as portland hit 13 3 pointers the blazers were also down two games to none in the first round to the clippers
obviously golden state is a different monster lillard said
shaun livingston scored 14 points for his fifth double digit performance during these playoffs filling in for curry little used festus ezeli contributed 8 points and 6 rebounds down the stretch
thompson coming off a career playoff high 37 points in sundays 118 106 game 1 win shot 7 for 20 with five 3 pointers andre iguodala made all five of his first half shots for 11 of his 15 points to go with five rebounds and four assists helping golden state get back to within 59 51 at the break
the blazers switched up defenders to swarm thompson from allen crabbe to al farouq aminu maurice harkless and others
portland shot 667 percent in the first quarter to take a 34 21 lead   quite the opposite of when the blazers trailed 37 17 after the first period two days earlier in a 118 106 loss
so out of sync were the warriors early that at one point curry could be seen emphatically adding his input in the middle of the coaches huddle and again to teammates
lillard and mccollum who combined to shoot 13 for 43 in game 1 went 17 for 39
we had an opportunity to steal one on the road it hurts to go back in the locker room after playing so well for so long lillard said they played desperate
the warriors won their sixth straight at home against portland all by double figures for a total margin of victory of 89 points
ian clark gave golden state a lift late in the first half and produced 5 points in nearly 12 minutes
the blazers came out defending well from the tip unlike in game 1 as the warriors missed eight of their first 10 shots and portland took a 17 5 lead midway through the first quarter
andrew boguts two blocks gave him 65 in the playoffs most in warriors franchise postseason history


shea weber scored the go ahead goal and had an assist and the predators beat the san jose sharks 4 1 in nashville on tuesday night to close the gap to two games to one in the teams western conference semifinals series
james neal and filip forsberg each scored on the power play for the predators colin wilson also had a goal and pekka rinne made 26 saves
patrick marleau had the only goal for the sharks who lost for the first time away from san jose this postseason
game 4 is thursday night
the predators not only lost the first two in san jose but they were also facing the nhls best regular season road team the sharks also went 4 2 in nashville in winning first round series in both 2006 and 2007
nashville has not lost a game in regulation on home ice to san jose since feb 25 2012 with the lone defeat in seven games a shootout loss april 2 this time the predators shut down the sharks power play killing four penalties after san jose went 3 of 5 in the first two games
blues 6 stars 1 alexander steen and david backes had two goals apiece and the st louis defense put the clamps on visiting dallas in an easy victory that gave the blues a two games to one edge in the teams second round series
vladimir tarasenko had a goal and two assists troy brouwer had a goal and assist and brian elliott was strong when he needed to be for the blues in their first lopsided triumph of the postseason their other five wins were decided by one goal
the blues finished 2 points behind the western conference champion dallas in the regular season and have control of the series heading into game 4 thursday night in st louis
st louis scored four unanswered goals after colton sceviour gave dallas the early advantage the blues scored three times in a breakaway second period


san francisco   prime minister justin trudeau of canada grabbed international headlines recently with a simple explanation of a cutting edge technology called quantum computing now ibm is trying to do something similar by making a research oriented quantum computer and a   relatively   simple tutorial available online for anyone to try
the possibilities of a new class of computers that are able to exploit the most basic properties of energy and matter to speed calculations beyond what is possible with todays digital systems has long held both promise and controversy the systems are based on the notion of a qubit or quantum bit   a basic value capable of encompassing more information than the 1s and 0s that are the basis of classical digital computing
a computing system composed of just five qubits which is what ibm built would not be able to replace current personal computers however the ibm quantum experience will allow students hobbyists and even serious researchers to experiment with algorithms that are radically different from the ones now used for everything from word processing to speech recognition
its meant to be educational but also to be the beginnings of a larger framework said jerry m chow manager of the experimental quantum computing group at the ibm thomas j watson research center in yorktown heights ny
ibm researchers have recently demonstrated a quantum computer that they believe will one day be scaled up to a machine that might have hundreds of qubits and be able to run a wide range of algorithms more quickly than todays computers
some quantum computing theorists believe that such a computer one day might be designed as a universal computer capable of performing any task much faster than machines now in use
ibm has been gradually enhancing the power of its quantum computer which is assembled from a network of qubits made from metals that become superconducting when they are cooled to temperatures near absolute zero
researchers at the company announced the construction of a four bit quantum computer last year and in february reported they added a fifth qubit and were making progress in refining certain error correcting methods that are important for quantum computing
the ibm quantum computer will offer visually oriented online tutorials that are intended to help people and companies understand how programming such a computer will be different from programming a digital computer in addition to visual simulations of quantum computing it will include a gamelike system that will parcel out access to the actual quantum computer for online users
the idea of computers that might exploit the spooky laws of quantum behavior that describe nature at an atomic level was first broached by the physicist richard feynman in 1981 since then scientists have proposed specialized algorithms that might allow quantum computers to break computer codes or even simulate complex biological processes
the ibm simulator is not the first quantum computing simulator available online for example in 2014 google engineers made available the quantum computing playground that allows online users to play with a simulated quantum computer with between six and 22 qubits


miamis goran dragic scored 26 points and dwyane wade had 7 of his 24 in overtime after a halfcourt shot by torontos kyle lowrys tied the score at the buzzer and the heat beat the host raptors 102 96 on tuesday night in game 1 of their eastern conference semifinal series
joe johnson scored 16 points and josh richardson 11 hassan whiteside had 17 rebounds for the heat
game 2 is thursday night in toronto
lowrys improbable 3 pointer from his own side of the halfcourt line capped torontos 6 point comeback in the final 20 seconds of regulation but the raptors could not deliver in the extra session toronto went scoreless for the first 3 minutes 46 seconds of overtime before demar derozan hit a jumper
varejao denies intent golden states backup big man anderson varejao said he did not deliberately trip trail blazers guard gerald henderson in game 1 of their western conference semifinal playoff series
portland coach terry stotts called it a dirty play on monday on tuesday the nba ruled it a flagrant 1 foul on varejao
varejao 33 a 12 year veteran said i would never try to hurt anybody i would never do that
battle for attention despite getting more attention from canadian television viewers the toronto raptors are still struggling to compete with hockey and baseball
the canadian sports network sportsnet said that the raptors first round game 7 win over the indiana pacers had an average audience of 153 million viewers sunday night making it the most watched raptors game ever in canada
still the raptors were outdrawn by saturdays nhl draft lottery which pulled in an average of 157 million viewers
meanwhile the network said the second round of the nhl playoff series between the pittsburgh penguins and the washington capitals averaged 15 million viewers while a regular season baseball game between the toronto blue jays and tampa bay rays on saturday attracted an average of 11 million viewers


islanders coach jack capuano did not hide his anger after brian boyle scored an overtime goal to give the tampa bay lightning a 5 4 victory tuesday night at barclays center
its a direct shot to the head capuano said referring to an unpenalized hit boyle had made on islanders defenseman thomas hickey just before the goal those are the type of hits were trying to eliminate from our game
such is playoff hockey
boyle scored 2 minutes 48 seconds into the extra period to give the lightning a two games to one lead in the teams eastern conference semifinal series the lightning had forced overtime when nikita kucherov scored with 39 seconds left in the third period
its just too bad it had to end that way capuano said i thought we played one of the best games of the year we came out tonight and played a hard game our guys should be proud of the effort
asked if he thought he could be disciplined for the hit boyle a former ranger said i dont think so ive never had anything like that happen in my career
in a series needing a spark the drama started in pregame warm ups as islanders defenseman travis hamonic had words at center ice with boyle the enforcers matt martin of the islanders and mike blunden of the lightning joined the discussion and it was game on
the lightning knew they would have to deal with a raucous crowd at barclays center and the islanders came out flying bombarding lightning goaltender ben bishop with 17 shots in the opening period
josh bailey back in the islanders lineup after missing the first two games of the series with an upper body injury scored the first of his two goals 755 into the first period
an eight year islanders veteran bailey had perplexed his coaches and fans with a confounding lack of offensive production but capuano made it clear after the optional morning skate that he still wanted bailey in the lineup
it doesnt surprise me that he scored two goals capuano said it doesnt surprise me that he gave us a boost thats what veteran guys do
capuano said the islanders coming off a 4 1 loss on saturday in game 2 in florida needed to be more physical against the speedy lightning
while there were no fisticuffs the islanders and the lightning displayed their rugged best there were numerous scrums after the whistle as players pushed and shoved one another
we knew they would come out strong in front of their home crowd said bishop who made 35 saves we knew there would be a push
the punishing play continued in the second period lightning forward jonathan drouin was dazed after an open ice collision with hickey and the play started a skirmish in front of islanders goaltender thomas greiss who made 36 saves drouins head collided with hickeys shoulder sending drouin flying he left the game but later returned to assist on kucherovs tying goal
the brisk pace continued as defenseman victor hedman put the lightning ahead by 2 1 with a booming slap shot from the point 810 into the second islanders defenseman nick leddy answered with a point blast of his own at 1450 to tie the game at 2 2
bailey rewarded capuanos faith by poking the puck past bishop on a power play 227 into the third to put the islanders ahead by 3 2 but tampa bays vladislav namestnikov answered at 325 to knot the score again
cal clutterbuck gave the islanders a 4 3 lead with a goal at 1123 and the islanders seemed destined to capture a victory in regulation but then kucherov scored his team leading seventh goal of the playoffs
bailey said he was already turning the page after his strong performance and looking ahead to game 4 at home on friday
these swings in momentum are all part of the ride he said you refocus and get ready for next one


baltimore   manager joe girardi was midway through another dispiriting postmortem speaking to reporters outside the visitors clubhouse when the dark blue backdrop with the logos of the yankees and their sponsor began to fall away from the curtain rod from which it hung
it was a fitting epitaph for another frustrating night in a young season that has been filled with them as the yankees were beaten by the baltimore orioles 4 1 on tuesday night
it was the yankees sixth straight defeat and perhaps not the only loss they suffered in the fifth inning alex rodriguez left clutching his hamstring after running out a ground ball he will undergo a magnetic resonance imaging exam wednesday morning to determine the extent of the injury
i dont know how bad it is girardi said its definitely worrisome he just started swinging the bat too
that tone of weariness is becoming a familiar one for the yankees who once again struggled to do anything more at the plate than hit singles   or string many of them together it was the 13th time in 24 games that they have not managed more than two runs
luis severino turned in his best start of the season but his few mistakes were too much to overcome he allowed two home runs to mark trumbo and dropped two soft tosses from mark teixeira while covering first base the second of which allowed another run to score
as he walked back to the mound after the second drop severino was patted on the back by teixeira a gesture of support and encouragement that the yankees are finding themselves increasingly needing as they sit in last place in the american league east at 8 16 the last time they were this many games below 500 was in 2007 when they started the season 21 29
before the game general manager brian cashman tried to direct some of the heat away from his players coaches and girardi by accepting blame for the poor start and reiterating that no changes were afoot   for the moment
the reality is the talent level that we currently have in that clubhouse is good enough to be a force cashman said so we shouldnt have to be thinking this way i shouldnt be sitting in front of you right now having to talk about such an awful april we left spring training feeling really good about ourselves
tuesdays defeat prompted left fielder brett gardner to refer to wednesdays game as a must win weve been struggling here for a few weeks gardner said i think everybody knows   i guess its never a must win in may but it feels like it its important to us to get things going in the right direction for whatever reason it hasnt happened
the yankees sense of urgency is an unwelcome sign for girardi who was asked afterward if there might be any anxiety over games in may that suddenly have the importance usually reserved for contests in august or september
anxiety girardi said you cannot be anxious for anything it does you no good i think the players are frustrated i think they come prepared every day and they expect good things to happen and right now theyre not happening but that will turn around
the yankees trotted out their usual lineup and looked little different from the way they have all season the seven runs they posted sunday night in an 8 7 loss at boston looked like an aberration as the night wore on
their only run came in the second when didi gregorius grounded a two out single up the middle scoring brian mccann a potentially robust inning had been undercut one batter earlier when starlin castro grounded into a double play
the yankees put runners on in each of the first six innings but every half threat petered out the only extra base hit was gardners double off the right field wall in the first and a promising start to the sixth in which teixeira walked and mccann blooped a single to left soon fizzled carlos beltran lined out to right and castro lined into a double play when mccann was caught off first
the yankees struck out nine times against chris tillman who matched his career high he had entered the game with a 496 era against the yankees
rodriguez who had shown signs of coming alive with two home runs over the weekend in boston and five rbi on sunday night flied out struck out and grounded out in his three at bats it was not clear how long he would be out he missed two games last week when he tweaked an oblique muscle
it wasnt a big pop rodriguez said ive done that before in my career im hoping for the best hopefully its just a small setback
but it could be another one that the yankees find difficult to absorb


washington   the white house is considering the creation of a national monument to the gay rights movement on a small piece of greenwich village parkland across the street from the stonewall inn where a 1969 uprising helped inspire the push for equality advocates said on tuesday
the interior secretary sally jewell and other federal officials are scheduled to attend a listening session next week in new york during which supporters of such a park will make their case the advocates include senator kirsten e gillibrand and representative jerrold nadler both democrats from new york
we are excited about this and we do think that the president should move forward on it said kristen brengel the vice president for government affairs at the national parks conservation association the scheduled meeting was reported by the washington post
robert atterbury a spokesman for mr nadlers office said the national park service has completed a reconnaissance survey on the greenwich village land known as christopher park a routine step before making any recommendation to the president
white house officials said no decision had been made president obama has the power to create national monuments as he has done repeatedly during his two terms
the push to create a national park or monument near the stonewall inn is intended to recognize the protests that erupted at the manhattan bar after the police raided it in summer 1969 those spontaneous protests by primarily gay men who frequented the bar are viewed by many as the beginning of the modern gay rights movement though historians have noted the movement began before stonewall
the bar has been granted landmark status by the city even as it continues to serve as a watering hole that caters not only to the areas gay residents but also to tourists from around the world gay or straight
stonewall deserves to be remembered said brian sullivan a former bartender at the tavern who returns almost daily when i started coming here gay people were disowned by their families so this is the place where we formed a new gay family of our own
mr sullivan 57 leaned against the bars red brick edifice as he recalled some of the history he had witnessed there from harrowing police raids to resolute speeches by the drag queen marsha p johnson
this is the mecca its where it all started he said
chad walter a market researcher who plays for the stonewall billiards team said he hoped a monument would strengthen the continuing gay rights movement
people are still being discriminated against all across the country mr walter 39 said this adds legitimacy it tells people that even the government agrees this movement is important and historic
advocates of creating a national park near the stonewall inn have been working to build support for years they are hoping that members of the public will turn out at the meeting next week to encourage mr obama to act before he leaves office in january the parks conservation association has collected about 20000 signatures on petitions that have been sent to the white house
but even as advocates are urging the president to act new york lawmakers   led by ms gillibrand and mr nadler   are trying to build support for legislation that could create the national park if the president chooses not to
marc brumer a spokesman for ms gillibrand said they were making good progress on the legislation which he said had recently picked up support from senator mark s kirk republican of illinois
whether its the right to marry the person you love or the repeal of dont ask dont tell weve come so far in the push for equal rights ms gillibrand said in a statement its past due for a national monument honoring the legacy and events that took place at stonewall and the lgbt rights movement in our country


beyond the external elements   a light drizzle creeping fog a drooping temperature and some nebulous trace of pregame illness   matt harvey did not appear to have much in the form of opposition as he made his sixth start of the season tuesday
the atlanta braves would have to be considered in the flyweight class of hitting teams this season ostensibly allowing harvey an opportunity to sharpen his form after a bleak opening month although he had won his previous two outings something still seemed amiss with harvey the mets supposed ace   an absent gear that he used to attain continually
but the mets will need to keep waiting and wondering about what issues might be chipping away at harveys early form his command wavered and again fatigue seemed to set in late in his outing he ultimately surrendered three runs and eight hits in five and two thirds innings picking up his fourth loss in a 3 0 defeat at citi field
the mets offense did not help managing only one hit and four base runners none of whom advanced beyond first since homering three times in the first inning monday the mets have been held scoreless in 16 straight innings
but the primary concern was harvey whose lackluster appearance against a pedestrian braves lineup heightened the alarm on a situation that already seemed fraught normally a dominant spring performer before this season his career record was 8 0 in march and april his inauspicious start to 2016 has been baffling
right now im just not feeling good with my mechanics not feeling good throwing the ball harvey said its frustrating
the braves made solid and consistent contact against him that has not been said about the braves very often this season entering tuesdays game they sat last in the national league in runs hits extra base hits and home runs   only five homers through 25 games 12 fewer than the next lowest team
but having lost to harvey 6 3 on april 22 the braves looked aggressive against him early in counts and his once dominant fastball command faltered atlanta threatened in the second inning putting the first two runners in scoring position for the bottom of the order but harvey induced a short flyout by erick aybar and then forced out the runner on third a j pierzynski via a rundown after an infield grounder by matt wisler the starting pitcher harvey ended the threat by snaring a comeback grounder by mallex smith and tossing the ball to first
he could not avoid damage in the fifth however smith a rookie center fielder laced a line drive down the left field line that was ruled a home run after a replay review that put atlanta ahead 1 0
in the sixth kelly johnson led off with a single stole second and scored on a double by pierzynski harvey appeared to be running out of gas another well hit ball by reid brignac to center field enabled pierzynski to advance to third and he later scored on a wild pitch harveys final pitch his 100th wound up in left field on a single by smith
of the 18 earned runs harvey has allowed this season 13 have come in the fifth or sixth inning such midgame struggles have raised questions about whether harvey is feeling the fatigue of a long playoff run last season
my body doesnt feel bad he said i dont feel tired or any downside from the workload last year i think its just right now im in a funk with my mechanics
manager terry collins has not ruled out fatigue as a factor but he wants to wait and see before making any judgments
for some reason in that 70 to 90 pitch range he doesnt make the quality pitches collins said we dont have an answer for you i wish i did
before the game collins said that harvey had felt ill the previous night and the team planned to use intravenous fluids in the afternoon to make sure he did not get too dehydrated harvey dismissed his sickness as an excuse for his performance
the biggest thing is feeling for my mechanics he said it seems like im feeling for every pitch
the damp and dreary conditions were not particularly conducive to dominant pitching but wisler seemed unaffected he shut down the mets through eight innings surrendering only a fifth inning single to asdrubal cabrera
we hit the ball pretty hard today and they caught it collins said any one of those hits could have opened up a big inning for us
collins said he was heartened by harveys last showing in cincinnati this one was not as encouraging
we expect perfection and youre not going to get it collins said hes going to be fine its a work in progress


new york citys rent stabilized tenants could see another rent freeze this year for one year leases after a vote on tuesday by members of the citys rent guidelines board
the board voted 5 to 4 to consider a 0 percent to 2 percent increase on one year leases   and 05 percent to 35 percent on two year leases   when it sets its annual rent guidelines this summer for the approximately one million stabilized apartments in the city the range is the same as last year which led to the first rent freeze in the boards history for one year leases and a historically low increase of 2 percent on two year leases
last year was the first time all nine members of the board had been appointed by mayor bill de blasio a democrat
were committed to establishing rent adjustments that are fair grounded in the data and that reflect real life conditions in our neighborhoods austin finan a spokesman for the mayors office said
the boards vote was a preliminary step before public hearings and a final decision on june 27 the final rent levels could go up or down but the board which represents both tenants and landlords as well as members of the public has usually stayed within its proposed range of possibilities in the final vote
reports by the rent boards staff show that the price index of operating costs for rent stabilized properties decreased 12 percent this year and that landlords net operating income grew by 35 percent in 2014 the most recent data available it is the 10th straight year that income has outpaced expenses the research shows
but landlord groups say that the numbers do not present a full picture of costs and that especially with the 0 percent or paltry rent increases approved in recent years many owners are not making enough to maintain their aging buildings
the rent stabilization association a landlord group with 25000 members had called for a 4 percent increase for one year leases and 7 percent for a lease of two years
its time for a reasonable rent increase jack freund executive vice president of the group told the board during testimony at a meeting last month
there were positive economic signs for tenants the boards research shows with rising employment and wages and fewer evictions last year still the most recent figures in 2014 showed that most rent stabilized tenants could not afford their apartments based on the federal standards that consider housing affordable if a households rent does not exceed 30 percent of its income
the median rent and utilities to income ratio for stabilized tenants was 364 percent the figures showed
on tuesday night a crowd of about 400 tenants and their supporters packed an auditorium at the cuny graduate center in midtown manhattan to chant and wave signs demanding a rent rollback and no more homeless the audience grew more contentious when a group of tenants stopped the proceedings by rushing to the front of the auditorium to protest the voting down of a proposal to decrease rents by board members
shame shame the group yelled among other chants for about 10 minutes
theres some disappointment but its lower than i thought it would be monica duke 49 a tenant from harlem said of the boards decision im pleased its not higher ive seen tenants being evicted in my building and become homeless
the new guidelines will be in effect for lease renewals between oct 1 and sept 30 2017


jake arrieta dominated the pittsburgh pirates yet again scattering two hits in seven shutout innings tuesday night as the chicago cubs defeated the pirates 7 1 in pittsburgh
seven months after shutting down the pirates in the national league wild card game arrieta allowed only singles to sean rodriguez in the second inning and francisco cervelli in the seventh arrieta 6 0 struck out five and walked two while lowering his era to 084 he became the second six game winner in the major leagues after chris sale of the chicago white sox
kris bryant had three hits for the visiting cubs who have won seven of eight and moved to five games ahead of pittsburgh in the nl central
jon niese 3 1 gave up six runs and nine hits over five innings
the cubs have won each of arrietas last 19 starts he became the first chicago pitcher to win each of his first six starts in a season since mordecai brown won his first 11 in 1908 which is also the last time the cubs won the world series
phillies 1 cardinals 0 aaron nola threw seven innings and ryan howard homered to lead visiting philadelphia which has won seven of eight while st louis has lost five of six jeanmar gomez recorded his ninth save in nine opportunities
giants 3 reds 1 jeff samardzija went eight innings to win his third straight start and san francisco rallied on the road for two runs in the eighth inning cincinnatis bullpen gave up at least one run for the 21st consecutive game surpassing the 2013 rockies for the major league record according to information provided by the reds from the elias sports bureau
marlins 7 diamondbacks 4 a two run pinch hit single by ichiro suzuki put miami ahead in the sixth inning as it rallied past visiting arizona
white sox 4 red sox 1 jose quintana pitched eight crisp innings for his third straight win and chicago cooled off visiting boston jose abreu had two hits and three rbi as chicago ran its record to 19 8 with its third straight win it has won nine of 11 over all
blue jays 3 rangers 1 justin smoaks first two home runs of the season a tying drive in the ninth inning and two run shot in the 10th powered host toronto past texas
indians 7 tigers 3 francisco lindor hit a three run homer scored three times and fell a triple short of the cycle leading host cleveland over detroit
dodgers 10 rays 5 trayce thompson joc pederson and yasiel puig homered as los angeles pulled out of an offensive funk with a win on the road
brewers 5 angels 4 chris carter hit two long home runs and drove in three runs junior guerra won his first career major league start and milwaukee rallied from an early four run deficit at home
red sox lose sandoval pablo sandovals rocky second season with the boston red sox was cut short by shoulder surgery sandoval had a torn labrum repaired by dr james andrews in florida and the estimated recovery time is six months
white sox to cut danks the chicago white sox plan to cut the left hander john danks on thursday ending his 10 year run with the team
zika seminar for marlins the miami marlins player representative tom koehler said the team attended a seminar on the zika virus that heightened concerns about playing two games in puerto rico against the pirates on may 30 and 31 a decision is expected by the end of the week regarding whether the games will be played as scheduled or moved koehler said


cairo   egypts interior ministry already under fire over accusations of police brutality and other abuses heaped new woes onto itself on tuesday when its press office published apparently by accident confidential guidelines that aim to counter a growing tide of news media criticism
memos sent to journalists from the ministrys official email account contained suggestions about how to counter a vicious news media campaign that were triggered by the arrest of two reporters at the journalists union headquarters in downtown cairo late sunday one document proposed a rule to stop all coverage related to giulio regeni the italian graduate student whose brutalized body was found on a cairo roadside in february
the accidental leaks provide a rare glimpse into the mind set and internal working of the notoriously opaque egyptian government at a time when president abdel fattah el sisi is under intense scrutiny at home and abroad the regeni killing has plunged relations with italy into crisis while the police arrested dozens of people on april 25 during a rare public protest over the transfer of two egyptian islands to saudi arabia
mr sisi hopes to counter the countrys continuing economic crisis which has seen a sharp decline in the value of the egyptian currency with large cash infusions from allied countries in the persian gulf like the united arab emirates yet hardly a week goes by when his once unchallenged popularity is not tested by a new crisis
this week it is the countrys journalists who have engaged in an open ended sit in at the headquarters of the journalists union where sundays arrests took place one reporter who witnessed sundays raid said that plainclothes police officers barged into the building and beat up one of the guards
journalists have called for the dismissal of the interior minister maj gen magdi abdel ghaffar who insists he has done nothing wrong but judging by the leaked media guidance his ministry believes it needs to show a strong hand to stop the protests from growing
the ministry cannot backtrack one of two memos says backtracking means a mistake was made instead it says the police should seek to undermine the credibility of the journalists union by deploying retired police generals to the countrys influential and mostly pro sisi television programs to explain the ministrys point of view
the memos proposed assigning more staff members to monitor news websites around the clock
the leak shows how they deal with problems and that they dont want to be held accountable said mahmoud elmamlouk editor in chief of innfrad a local news website he said the raid on sunday represented a dangerous escalation from the interior a new way of dealing with journalists
interior ministry officials blamed a technical malfunction for the leak and said that they would be setting up a new email address they refused to comment on the contents of the leak
the two journalists who were arrested work for a website that has covered police actions against activists and journalists the two men were accused of illegal possession of weapons and they are being held for questioning for 15 days


seattle   look outside almost any window at the guest rooms homeless shelter here and the view speaks of wealth and power that the residents inside all lack construction cranes claw the sky trucks hauling steel or concrete rubble shake the streets amazon the giant online retailer is building out its headquarters campus in every direction as it and other tech companies in a scramble for real estate and highly educated talent reshape the city and its work force
but as tens of thousands of newcomers and longtime residents are finding the allure of the tech economy comes with big risks and dangers too in the rapidly climbing housing and rent prices that have shocked them the boom has brought with it a crisis of homelessness that the mayor has declared an emergency
we knew it was going to be expensive said mary delp who arrived here last month with her partner jd cox and her extended family after a job loss and then an eviction in las vegas they considered and rejected the idea of a move to texas seattle ms delp said felt like the place with the rawest roaring economic boom
but the costs of moving and rent were more than we expected she said so we ended up homeless
they and their two children are settling for now into the guest rooms a former travelodge hotel owned by amazon which offered it last month to a local nonprofit group called marys place to run as a 200 bed shelter for families the old hotel is now one of seattles largest but most temporary of homeless refuges   doomed to destruction next year as amazon continues to build
we can make it work here ms delp said with crisp resolve sitting in a brightly painted recreation room as her children krystallynn 7 and elijah 6 played nearby there are job signs everywhere you look out there
ms delp 26 is pregnant due in september she spoke vividly of the trip north full of hopes and plans but also pain in condensing the contents of a three bedroom house into her fathers van and a small u haul trailer pulled behind
my dad would sleep in the drivers seat and at first we were sleeping in the middle seat and the kids had the back but then it got too uncomfortable for me to sleep being pregnant sitting up and everything so we took over the back and the kids would sleep in the middle seat my dad was still in the front seat he raised me as a single father so ive got to make sure hes ok he never gave up on me
joe dopp 39 a former roofer and surgical scrub tech took his family of five to seattle this year from a small town on washingtons pacific coast where second homes and tourism defined the economy and it was even harder he said to earn a decent wage and afford a home he spoke fast sitting on a mattress in the familys room words tumbling out
i made 12 an hour for two years i didnt get a raise i asked for one i was told no when other people had gotten them i still dont understand that i did everything i was supposed to do but thats one of the main reasons i said well if were out we can go to seattle or somewhere else and actually have an opportunity
the tech boom mr dopp said is clearly making some people very rich but that does not bother him a bit because it is also creating construction jobs that he is qualified for and ready to take i never got a job from a poor man in my life he said i dont mind people making their money
chelsie brown 32 mr dopps partner talked about the things left behind
when we had an apartment we could take showers cook dinner whenever you wanted to could eat whenever we wanted to could have groceries in the house we had furniture beds to lay in blankets - we had security you know we actually had stuff that we loved
on the road it was all so different
i did a lot of meal planning this is what were having but when it came down to meats i would have to get it that day because refrigeration was nonexistent anything we had foodwise we had to put it in our car
there were stories of hope and light laura longs son giomoni caro 6 has multiple disabilities he has had five heart operations already she and her partner angel caro 34 a former locksmith have moved repeatedly and left jobs behind to give him the care he needs they came here so he could be treated at seattle childrens hospital which anchors a corner of the citys biotech corridor and recently expanded its cardiac specialty care
its just been a struggle ms long said as soon as you start climbing the stairs boom   another medical issue happens another hospital stay another something you cant overcome that last step that gets us over the top it just keeps getting knocked back down
but she said she would change nothing hes one tough cookie he tells me mom its going to be ok
tyrus gilbertson 39 came to seattle last fall to take care of his two children ages 7 and 14 after their mother vanished he had been involved in his childrens lives he said living in a city half an hour north but the crash course as a single father has pushed him to places he never imagined
i was a wrestler in high school and my coach was always like never give up so ive always been a fighter always been quitting is not in my vocabulary
he sat with his palms flat on the table soft spoken but resolute in talking about how he has made ends meet he plans to enroll in a welding course this fall
i even panhandled a couple of times ive always been a shy person so panhandling was like the worst thing in the world for me to do i hope ill never have to do that again
joe dopp and chelsie brown said being homeless cant help but make you more empathetic
you recognize the things that other people have gone through   you see the world through other peoples eyes a little bit mr dopp said
even still right now ms brown replied you cant judge a book by its cover until you read it thats what i look at it as you cant judge people just because theyre sitting in the street
mr dopp you dont know their story at all
ms brown no you dont know their story
as they spoke near sunset the guest rooms was quieting for the night   doors closing common room lights clicking out   sheltering the people within


ottawa   the entire community of fort mcmurray the heart of albertas oil sands region was ordered to evacuate on tuesday night as a fast spreading wildfire advanced on the city and cut off its only highway link to the south
the fire destroyed a number of homes in one neighborhood and some trailers in a trailer park said robin smith a spokesman for the regional municipality of wood buffalo which includes fort mcmurray according to television news reports commercial buildings downtown were also ablaze
there were no reports of injuries by early evening
a video showed flames and smoke rising hundreds of feet into the sky prompting the largest fire evacuation in albertas history the edmonton journal reported the fire was expected to get worse on wednesday when winds were forecast to switch direction and increase in speed
mr smith said early tuesday that highway 63 which connects fort mcmurray to edmonton alberta to the south and the main oil sands production areas to the north was heavily congested with cars fleeing the fire which began over the weekend
late in the afternoon however the fire jumped over the highway making evacuation to the south impossible mr smith said he added that there was no immediate danger in areas north of fort mcmurray the highway was later reopened
as of early tuesday evening the citys airport was open but some airlines were canceling flights said jillian philipp an airport spokeswoman after leaving the airport earlier in the day ms philipp said she was unable to return because of the fire but employees still there told her that it did not appear to be in the immediate path of the flames
the provincial government had ordered residents out of six neighborhoods and a trailer park by late in the afternoon after declaring the fire out of control
the fire had consumed about 6500 acres of forest by late monday night and increased substantially in size by tuesday said laura stewart a spokeswoman for the provincial government ms stewart said that strong changing winds were shifting the fires direction making it unsafe for firefighters on the ground as a result their efforts had been limited to aerial water bombing
a photograph posted by the government showed only a relatively small line of trees and a hill separating a commercial district from a tower of flame
until last year the oil sands had made fort mcmurray canadas boomtown where the biggest concern was dealing with frenetic growth and the housing shortages and social problems it created
the collapse of oil prices however has hit the city particularly hard oil sands companies have been laying off workers as projects are completed but no major oil sands projects have shut down
last year the regional municipality had a population of about 125000 excluding thousands of workers who officially claimed residency elsewhere but who commuted by air to fort mcmurray and lived in work camps


imagine a television service that knows a viewer watches today every morning and the daily show with trevor noah at night on the subway this tv fan catches up on the news on the phone
when viewers turn on the service it is already streaming their favorite programming depending on the time place and device in use it also understands what she is most likely to want to watch next
that is the new vision for hulu which got its start primarily as a rerun service for broadcast tv shows
how do we get people to content that they love fast said mike hopkins hulus chief executive how do we make it so personalized that we are thinking ahead for you so that you dont have to
mr hopkins confirmed hulus plans to create an offering of both live and recorded programming from a streamlined bundle of broadcast and cable channels the initiative is part of a push by hulu and its three corporate owners   21st century fox the walt disney company and comcasts nbcuniversal   to rethink how tv companies approach the future
several details are still being determined including the price and which channels will be included in the package executives with knowledge of the plans said the service was expected to cost about 40 a month and hulu was close to deals to include broadcast and cable channels from both disney and fox
the development is part the evolution that has occurred at hulu since mr hopkins was named chief executive in 2013 since then hulu introduced an advertising free option made a big bet on original programming and struck streaming deals for a number of television hits including seinfeld and empire
hulu now counts more than 10 million subscribers with a vast majority paying for the ad supported model that compares with netflixs 457 million paid subscribers in the united states
in advance of hulus upfront presentation for advertisers on wednesday mr hopkins discussed what is next for the company and for the future of streaming television his answers have been lightly edited for length and clarity
why create this new offering that would offer a live and on demand stream of entire broadcast and cable channels now
broadband speeds have advanced quite a bit over the last few years there are a couple of other offerings that have been put out into the market in various forms that show that network groups are willing to license their channels in this way now
some tv executives described hulus new service as an effort to rethink their approach to streaming video what needs to be fixed
there is a paradox of choice that is out there today with the number of channels that are available it is not intuitive or easy always to find them particularly on your mobile device we are going to try to solve that by making it more personalized
one major risk of a streamlined bundle from hulu could be the potential that traditional cable and satellite distributors see the new service as a declaration of war that could put at risk the billions of dollars that the tv networks receive each year from those traditional distributors what can you do to prevent that
it is not a declaration of war on anyone i dont think we are designing this for people that are really happy with their pay tv service this is designed for the people that the marketplace is concerned are falling out of love with pay tv we want to have a product for them
will viewers be able to skip through commercials or pay for a commercial free offering
we havent made any of those decisions yet
how would you describe the competitive rivalry now among netflix amazon and hulu how do you expect that to change
were all in this new market and developing it together i dont really see it as a rivalry per se between any of us we certainly compete against each other for content rights but i am not sure i would say we are rivals just yet
the last year has seen an explosion of new streaming services that allow people to ditch their traditional tv subscriptions that cost an average of 80 a month in favor of cheaper viewing how many streaming services do you anticipate people will subscribe to
were in this phase where a lot of people are going to launch these and test and see how they work over time not all of them will last it is not an easy business to be in you are direct to consumer every single day you have to make people happy enough to stay a subscriber it is very easy to sign up and it is very easy to cancel
a big win for hulu was when it became the exclusive streaming home to episodes of seinfeld how did that fit into your strategy what are other hot properties that you are after
tv is very personal for people so when you think about the shows that you watch they are different than the shows that i watch and they are different than the shows my daughter watches when we look at our product we have to have as many of the shows as you want and love as we can possibly have and then we have to personalize the service for you so that you know that we have them and that we are recommending the next one that we hope you will enjoy
last september hulu introduced an option that allowed people to pay 12 a month for a commercial free version of the service what have you learned from the rollout of the new offering
giving people choice is really important even though a lot more people decided to stick with the ad supported plan or to choose the ad supported plan as new customers by giving them the choice i think we have made people happier with the ultimate choice that they have made


the human brain begins as a neural tube that develops five weeks after conception years later it is fully formed on tuesday experts in neuroscience genetics and social work met in manhattan to talk about what can happen to it along the way and what emerging research tells us about how children who seem broken can be made whole
officially the meeting was called poverty the brain and mental health it could have been called this is your brain on poverty or dont give up on little kids
for some children living in poverty is like playing football without a helmet everyday life causes social concussions the developing brain gets hammered not by linebackers but by the stresses often present in homes where people are poor brute force is not required to cause physical changes in the brain emerging science shows
theres no doubt that the field of public health has been slow to embrace much of this research and insight dr mary t bassett new york citys health commissioner said a lot more work has been committed to helping infants survive early death less has been done to truly help them thrive
how does stress reshape the brain
it sets off the release of a hormone called cortisol essential to the fight or flight response and critical to a childs healthy development dr bassett said
some children are exposed to multiple chronic stresses neglect abuse maternal depression parental discord crime and other domestic dysfunctions in response cortisol levels rise and stay high said margaret crotty executive director of the partnership with children and an organizer of the meeting one analogy like revving a car engine too fast for too long
too much cortisol changes two parts of the brain ms crotty said one is your prefrontal lobe in the front of your brain thats how you develop executive functions   negotiating with people telling the difference between good and bad thinking about the consequences of your actions your social behaviors in a classroom literally how you behave
the other area she said is the hippocampus deeper in the brain which is central to creating memories of fact the things you can declare and verbalize ms crotty said pretty important to school
her organization provides social services in the citys schools youd be amazed at how many kids are suffering from not having an alarm clock she said in one of our schools 47 percent of the kids are living in shelters within walking distances of the schools there was one child who was consistently late and finally just stopped coming to school we went there what was happening well the mothers cellphone was stolen and she couldnt afford to get another one whos she going to tell that to
two decades ago doctors and researchers in california studied the effects of home lives that included abuse neglect and dysfunction in childhood on the health of 17421 adults it was called the adverse childhood experiences study the stress factors were called aces the more factors children had the more likely that disease and mental health problems would emerge when they were adults it is considered a landmark piece of research and its findings have stood up dr bassett said
research in the field of epigenetics the study of how genes and the environment interact has explained some of the responses that cause trouble said dr frances champagne an associate professor of psychology at columbia university early life stress turns on genes that overreact to stress
at the same time dr champagne said those genes that help us to buffer us from the effects of stress are epigenetically silenced
she and others said in the meeting which was held at the american museum of natural history that evidence showed the brains ability to adapt meant that children and even older people were not doomed by biology and environment dr bassett said stresses were risk factors and that city policies like universal prekindergarten were based on research that showed they did not have to define a childs future
outside the home children can build resilience by forming caring consistent relationships with adults ms crotty said thats how your cortisol levels drop she added
renee wilson simmons director of the national center for children in poverty at columbias mailman school of public health said a proverb could sum up the wisdom in the research
work the clay she said while its soft


los angeles   los angeles county which operates one of the nations largest juvenile justice systems on tuesday approved a plan that places broad restrictions on the use of solitary confinement for juveniles locked in county detention facilities
the plan approved unanimously by the board of supervisors allows for the use of solitary confinement only for brief periods as a cooling off measure
even then placing someone who is younger than 18 in solitary confinement can be done only in consultation with a mental health professional according to the law which will be phased in by sept 30
we need a more therapeutic approach finding ways to help these youngsters who have probably been traumatized all of their lives instead of treating them like rats said hilda l solis a county supervisor who was a sponsor of the legislation
ms solis said that she had recently visited the cell of a 14 year old boy who had been confined to solitary for fighting when she visited he had been in the cell for three days the boy ms solis said was lying on a thin plastic mattress on a concrete floor although the cell was frigid she said the boy did not have a shirt or shoes and was wearing a sports jersey around his waist instead of pants
she said that if the boy wanted to use the bathroom he had to bang on the cell door and hope someone heard him
i was thinking to myself why are we opening up more wounds for this person she said it was very upsetting
the los angeles county action is a part of a national trend of jurisdictions eliminating or severely restricting solitary confinement for juveniles
studies have shown that being isolated in a small cell for up to 22 hours each day can have particularly negative psychological effects on the developing brains of teenagers and that it may also increase recidivism
deep isolation is profoundly disabling and understanding the harm caused by isolation is one step toward understanding the harm this has for everyone held in isolation said judith resnik a professor of law at yale who has studied solitary confinement
more than a dozen states have banned the practice in recent years and in january president obama announced a largely symbolic federal prohibition on the use of solitary confinement for juveniles in federal prisons the ban affected fewer than 30 young inmates who were being held in isolation
in 2015 new york city agreed to prohibit the use of solitary confinement for prisoners up to 21 years of age
los angeles countys juvenile justice system which is more expansive than adult jail systems in many counties around the nation includes three juvenile halls and 13 juvenile camps that together hold about 1200 young inmates
under the new los angeles law youths can be placed in isolation even for short periods only as a temporary response to behavior that poses a serious and immediate risk of physical harm to any person
the new rules not only greatly limit solitary confinement   which is also sometimes called restrictive or special housing   but mandate that the cells used for the purpose are redesigned for other uses including as cool down rooms where juveniles deemed out of control would be able to get care and to calm down without being punished by isolation
were part of a national movement that has taken a second look at how we treat our young people in custody said sheila kuehl a county supervisor who was also a sponsor of the legislation


for law firms a lack of capital largely because of the cash flow of a typical partnership structure is a major competitive obstacle according to a survey of firms and in house lawyers released tuesday
as a result more firms and companies are expected to turn to outside financing to fuel growth according to the 2016 litigation finance survey by burford capital a litigation lender in the survey 81 percent of lawyers said lack of capital inhibited growth
more than nine out of 10 clients or 94 percent reported increased pressure on legal budgets staffing and spending up from 80 percent in 2014 and 73 percent in 2013 litigation finance makes money available for upgrades like improving technology or data security or taking on big cost intensive cases
according to the survey which had responses from 60 large law firms 28 percent of lawyers in private practice have used litigation financing since 2013
nearly three times as many or 75 percent of outside counsel predicted that litigation financing would grow in the next five years the survey said in january burford announced it was committing 100 million in financing for a group of cases at a large unnamed law firm in december the firm announced an agreement to provide 45 million in litigation financing to a major telecommunications company with a portfolio of pending litigation at the company which declined to be named legal fees and expenses had eaten into operating revenue
last year burford which is listed on the london stock exchange committed 30 million to the hausfeld law firm to expand its presence in germany including opening an office in berlin
burford is not the only firm in the sector gerchen keller capital llc a chicago based litigation lender has 14 billion in assets burford recently added capital bringing its investment total to 1 billion others include bentham imf which has funded more than a half dozen litigation portfolios the field is likely to grow as pressure from costs incurred by litigation continues
finance is increasingly used by firms and clients as an innovative and flexible means of accessing capital that can be invested back into the business said christopher p bogart burfords chief executive and a former general counsel at time warner
burford which was co founded by mr bogart in 2009 reported revenues last year of 103 million up from 82 million in 2014 its pretax profit rose to 67 million last year from 57 million in 2014
mr bogart who is also a former associateat the law firm cravath swaine  moore said burfords clients often do not want to be identified
no one likes to talk about litigation he said even though litigation has moved from aggravating and immaterial to being a very significant matter for many companies burford has more than 600 million invested in litigation though only 13 percent of its financing arrangements support single lawsuits he said
financing helps firms be more flexible in responding to client demands for alternatives to the traditional hourly billing model as well as to curb litigation costs typically law firm partners are reluctant to invest long term because their pay is tied to current profitability not to future payouts financing litigation allows firms to absorb costs in the short term and compete by offering clients alternative fee arrangements


washington   the capital regions subway system has failed to adequately learn from a series of dangerous and sometimes fatal episodes in recent years making little or no progress toward instituting a culture of safety the national transportation safety board concluded on tuesday
the assessment came as the board discussed the findings of a more than yearlong investigation into a fatal instance of smoke filling a tunnel in january 2015
its conclusion painted the most complete picture to date of the how the aging infrastructure flawed safety response and inadequate local and federal oversight combined to cause the event which killed one person and injured 91 others
but the investigation also allowed the board members to express concerns about how the nations second busiest subway system has acted   or not acted   to address prominent safety lapses
when the ntsb finds itself issuing a continuous stream of accident reports to address the basic safety management of a single transit rail system something is fundamentally flawed christopher a hart the boards chairman said here that something is safety oversight
the report came as the newly installed managers of the transit agency known here as metro grapple with several high profile setbacks and continuing funding woes facing the system
the ntsb members acknowledged that metro under that leadership appeared now to be taking steps in the right direction and offered more than 30 recommendations to the authorities involved in the incident primarily involving maintenance and safety training
they also renewed their criticism of the federal transit administration which has overseen the systems safety since october arguing that it does not have the ability the experience or the disciplinary authority to do its job adequately
instead mr hart and other board members said metro should be reclassified as a commuter rail system and its oversight moved to the better established federal railroad administration until authorities here conclude their long stalled efforts to create a federally approved local safety oversight body
that suggestion prompted a response after the meeting from secretary of transportation anthony foxx who defended the fta in a letter released to the board and said it should continue its oversight of metro
though many of the investigations findings were forecast in a preliminary report in the days after the smoke event and during investigative hearings last june the final report gave a step by step account of what went wrong and who was to blame
investigators concluded that the jan 12 2015 episode was caused by a prolonged short circuit that consumed power system components that had been allowed to lapse under ineffective inspection and maintenance practices
water that contaminated the faulted cable a dearth of smoke detectors in metros tunnels ventilation fans that did not work properly and staff that was not trained in how to use them exacerbated the problem the ntsb said
the board also said that city fire and emergency services were not prepared to respond to such an event
whatever could go wrong that afternoon did go wrong robert l sumwalt a member of the board said while questioning ntsb investigators to quote a shakespearean play it was a comedy of errors except it was not funny
ntsb members made frequent comparisons to conclusions reached in a similar investigation after a 2009 train collision that killed nine people near the citys outskirts
top metro officials attended tuesdays meeting paul j wiedefeld its new general manager is expected to announce a systemwide maintenance plan in the coming weeks
and on monday in advance of the safety boards report metro took steps to address at least one of its concerns announcing that it would station a fire department official at its operations control center at all times to help coordinate emergency responses


candles that had not been properly extinguished after an easter service probably caused the fire that swept through the historic serbian orthodox cathedral of st sava in manhattan on sunday officials from the new york fire department said on tuesday
theres no reason at this point to label it suspicious said francis x gribbon a fire department spokesman and what the fire marshals are looking at is the use of candles in the rear of the church that may not have been completely extinguished
mr gribbon said it was likely that a caretaker thought he had extinguished several hundred candles after a luncheon that followed a celebration attended by some 700 congregants
the caretaker told fire marshals that he stowed the candles in a cardboard box under a piece of wooden furniture in a rear corner of the 161 year old church on 25th street between broadway and avenue of the americas in the flatiron district the future of the building a new york city landmark is uncertain depending on how much the fire damaged the 19th century stone structure
for decades the church has been the spiritual pillar of the serbian community in the region
as part of the ceremony on sunday several hundred candles were lit and placed in a long metal tray containing sand to safely hold them
after the luncheon ended around 3 pm the caretaker thought he had put out the burning candles in the sand fire department officials now believe one or more candles may not have been fully extinguished and may have started a fire that gutted the churchs old wooden interior after the church had closed mr gribbon said
even the crowds at the flea market in the parking lot next to the church did not report any signs of fire he said
when the fire became evident around 7 pm firefighters entered the church to find it fully engulfed in flames mr gribbon said the caretaker also entered through another door and the incoming oxygen fed the already mounting blaze
mr gribbon said portions of the interior   most notably the choir loft   had collapsed another indication that the fire had been burning for a while
you dont get a fire like that in 10 minutes he said
the caretaker was ushered out finding no one else inside officials ordered the firefighters out fearing other areas would collapse mr gribbon said
buildings department officials said that the church was in no immediate danger of collapsing but that inspectors were still monitoring the structure
church officials did not return calls on tuesday but many churchgoers had questions as to whether the damage was severe enough to prohibit rebuilding the church with its original structure bob stopanjac founder of the serbian association of new york said
mr stopanjac said he doubted the fire was caused by the candles he said candles had been part of the churchs celebrations for decades with no fires
he said some serbs in the community were concerned about news media reports that said st sava was among a group of four christian orthodox churches that caught fire on sunday
i have no answers mr stopanjac said


jupiter fla   what boosters describe as the nations last tackle powder puff football game is no more at least for now after 50 years of spirited competition between seniors and juniors jupiter high schools principal canceled the annual event saying he did not think that helmets and shoulder pads borrowed from boys teams protected girls adequately
the cancellation surprised residents of jupiter a middle class suburb on the atlantic coast the game packs the stands   something the jupiter boys team rarely does   and raised 7000 last year parents said while boys dress like female cheerleaders the girls experience the thrill of competing in front of a large crowd instead of playing softball or soccer in front of a few dozen spectators
the game makes our town special said haley osborne 17 a senior who was disappointed that she was missing her final chance it is a once in a lifetime or maybe twice in a lifetime opportunity you cant come back when you are 30 and play
marcy murphy a special needs job coach said it is almost like a friday night in texas everyone comes out to watch the game that is why you see the uproar thats what this game means to this town
murphys son brandon plays for the boys team and helped coach the girls last year
but principal dan frank who has led the 2800 student school for three years held firm this months game is off he said a girl broke her leg a few years ago each year players get bruises and sprains and there is always a chance of more serious injuries
in a statement frank said student safety is my first priority the narrow window of time for student preparation and practice and the limited availability of properly fitting safety equipment would put our students at risk
a last minute attempt to enlist the city of jupiter as the games sponsor failed when town manager andrew lukasik rejected the idea also citing safety concerns
some girls and their parents said frank told them tackle powder puff games might return under certain conditions instead of two weeks of practices they would be held for two months so the girls would be better trained instead of the girls using pads and helmets from the boys team and a local youth league football uniforms designed for girls could be purchased along with specific insurance for the game
frank would confirm only that he had asked the district to help determine whether the game could be resumed at some point
as for this year frank suggested that the girls adopt flag football   something they refused to consider
thousands of other american high schools host flag powder puff games a no contact version in which girls stop their opponents by pulling flags off opponents belts but florida schools already offer girls flag football as an interscholastic sport and the girls in jupiter said the equivalent of a seniors versus juniors scrimmage would be boring after 50 years of tackling
osborne and her friends caitlin walsh megan mendoza and sophie garcia said frank made another suggestion that they found demeaning   that they play a modified kickball game and have the runner bob for apples at second base or spin around at third
we are not in elementary school mendoza said
frank acknowledged suggesting several alternative events but he would not be specific
members of jupiters class of 2016 fondly recalled last years 50th annual game which they lost 17 12 to the class of 2015
remember there were three of us saying lets all just get on amanda but no one could take her down one girl said another chimed in one girl got hit so hard her helmet flew off a third added it is s0 fun
for the girls and their mothers the risk of injury has been overblown
the car ride to the game is more dangerous said lori walsh caitlins mother
girls get hurt during cheerleading and while playing soccer and basketball they said so why not ban those too
they also noted that florida allowed girls to play on boys high school football teams including several female kickers and a girl who substituted at quarterback in a neighboring county
thats much riskier marcy murphy said
for now at least the game is over
the jupiter alumna julie wright a local preschool director who played in the 1988 and 1989 games said this years juniors and seniors were being deprived of some of their greatest high school memories
it is nothing you can experience anywhere else wright said i dont remember the pep rallies or the shows we had at school i couldnt tell who did what but powder puff i remember it is an enjoyable tradition that doesnt cause anyone any harm


baltimore   the baltimore orioles took batting practice tuesday in the late afternoon sunshine the yankees expected to do the same but the sky started spitting just as manager joe girardi spoke with reporters in the dugout he peeked through the thicket of cameras and notepads and noticed the grounds crew springing to action
theyre covering the field girardi muttered of course
the sky is falling on these yankees it seems to judge by their wretched start they went on to lose 4 1 and have now dropped two thirds of their games this time starter luis severino allowed two homers and made two errors and alex rodriguez hurt his hamstring while running out a grounder
it was another dreary day for the 8 16 yankees who are eight games below 500 for the first time since may 2007 they recognize the urgency of the moment
i guess its never a must win game in may but it feels like it brett gardner said its important for us to get things going in the right direction
girardi said it was puzzling to see such inconsistency but the yankees have actually been fairly predictable their starters rarely last long or pitch very well and their offense gasps for runs
tuesdays game was the first in a stretch of 20 in a row against baltimore boston kansas city the white sox arizona and oakland it is a grueling stretch another test for a team that may not be up for it general manager brian cashman emphasized again on tuesday that girardis job was safe and took the blame instead
the bottom line is im the general manager cashman said im not used to sitting there watching this type of baseball just like our fans arent used to watching this type of baseball its certainly a reflection of me and i take it personally
he added i know that this is a very difficult game its a very humbling game and periods of time when things dont go as anticipated   thats part of the game but for the collection of talent that we have to have it go on for this extended period of time   thats abnormal
much more abnormal though is the yankees performance the last 23 seasons which have all ended with winning records that success and the unmatched collection of titles that preceded it creates the illusion that the yankees simply cannot endure a full season like this
winning after all is what they do it is right there on girardis back 28 the number he has worn since 2010 signifying the next yankees championship he wore no 27 in 2009 the last year the yankees won it all that was also the only season in the last dozen that ended with the yankees in the world series
the baseball landscape has changed the kansas city royals have won two pennants in a row of course and beat the mets in the world series last fall both teams benefited greatly by staying disciplined through a rebuilding process they traded veterans for prospects and made smart choices near the top of the draft
the yankees refusal to go this route is their blessing and their curse they annually spend 200 million or more on payroll a good faith gesture to their demanding fans but in an industry flush with cash   and with rules that increasingly promote competitive balance   the yankees financial advantage is not as important as it once was and for a team that never tears down it is much harder to stockpile high impact prime age talent
whatever changes have happened you just work around them cashman said referring to the industry i dont think that way
maybe the problem is the yankees strategy for their workaround yes they sat out the free agent market last winter but the yankees rarely confront the hard choices nearly every other team has to make even when they resisted a reckless 10 year commitment to robinson cano after the 2013 season they plowed a fortune into contracts for jacoby ellsbury masahiro tanaka brian mccann and carlos beltran doubling down on high priced imports as the path to october
cashman the general manager since 1998 has a history of resuscitating teams that looked dead his 2005 and 2007 editions started just like this and recovered to reach the playoffs but cashman finds no hope from those examples
in some of those cases we had some injuries a collection of injuries he said this is a collection of underperformance that can self correct organically youre always looking to improve the club but in the meantime its trying to get the guys that are capable going
in 2005 and 2007 rodriguez was the single biggest reason for the yankees surge capturing the american league most valuable player award both times if these yankees have a serious mvp candidate nobody knows who it is
yet this is largely the same cast that won the first al wild card last season and it is healthy the players cannot have all turned this bad this quickly   can they
that is the essential question the yankees face maybe they turn to the farm system for a savior   nick swisher the prodigal bro is hitting 306 at class aaa   but maybe this is the year the yankees actually fall flat
it happens to everyone else now and then everyone but the yankees who are finding perhaps that they may not be so different from the rest of the pack


rio de janeiro   brazils vice president michel temer who is preparing to take control of the countrys embattled government as early as next week will not face an investigation over testimony implicating him in the colossal graft scandal engulfing petrobras the national oil company federal investigators said tuesday
rodrigo janot the prosecutor general determined that the accusations against mr temer were not substantial enough at this point to merit an inquiry according to a spokeswoman for mr janots office in the capital brasilia mr temer 75 has been maneuvering to replace president dilma rousseff if the senate votes next week to suspend her and put her on trial
the decision bolsters mr temers standing at a critical juncture when powerful figures across brazils political class are battling accusations of corruption and abuse of power including various top allies that mr temer is considering for cabinet posts as well as officials in ms rousseffs leftist workers party
mr temer came under scrutiny this year when delcidio do amaral a senator whose testimony as part of a plea bargain has jolted brazils political elite told investigators that mr temer had played a key role in obtaining posts at petrobras for two executives who have since been sentenced to prison on charges including fraud and bribery
one of the former petrobras executives oversaw an illegal ethanol purchasing scheme that benefited legislators from mr temers centrist brazilian democratic movement party according to investigators
in an interview in april mr temer said that he was innocent of any wrongdoing and that his connections to the disgraced petrobras figures involved bureaucratic responsibilities as the former head of his party
still the prosecutors office kept open the possibility that mr temer could face inquiries over other matters
for instance investigators recently disclosed an intercepted text message describing a payment of 5 million reais about 14 million to mr temer from oas an engineering company engulfed in the petrobras scandal mr temer has acknowledged receiving that money contending it was a legal campaign donation
the senate is widely expected to vote next week to suspend ms rousseff for 180 days and put her on trial over claims that she manipulated the federal budget by using funds from public banks to cover shortfalls
the chamber of deputies voted last month by a wide margin to approve the impeachment of ms rousseff a move that the president and her supporters have described as a coup
the prosecutor generals office also said tuesday that it was seeking to move forward with investigations involving an array of figures in ms rousseffs workers party in connection with the petrobras scandal including former president luiz inacio lula da silva who was already under scrutiny over his ties to construction companies and jaques wagner ms rousseffs chief of staff
and the globo television network reported on tuesday night that mr janot had also asked the supreme court to authorize an inquiry into whether ms rousseff sought to obstruct the petrobras investigation the offices of mr janot and ms rousseff were not immediately available to comment on that report


washington   the justice department took steps tuesday to restore the access of some government watchdogs to sensitive internal records but officials called on congress to enact a permanent wider fix
the inspector general offices for 72 agencies across the federal government charged that legal policy changes made by the obama administration over the last several years had curtailed their access to records harmed a wide range of investigations and compromised their independence
at least 20 investigations into topics such as sexual abuse at the peace corps and fatal shootings by the drug enforcement administration were slowed hindered or sometimes closed as a result of the changes the inspectors general said
justice department officials said tuesday that a new directive and an accompanying legal opinion would address some of those concerns
in a memo dated monday deputy attorney general sally q yates said that responding to investigations by the justice departments inspector general is of the highest priority for the department and she directed officials to provide timely access to all the material requested
that includes grand jury documents wiretapping records and other confidential materials that a controversial justice department legal opinion last year concluded could be withheld in some circumstances ms yatess memo was first reported by the associated press
in december a congressional spending bill signed by president obama threatened to cut off funding if records were improperly withheld from the inspectors general for the justice department and five others covered by the bill the commerce department nasa the national science foundation the equal employment opportunity commission and the legal service corporation
a legal opinion last week by the justice departments office of legal counsel   replacing the one that came out last year   said that because of that funding measure all material must now be turned over to those watchdogs through the end of the fiscal year in september
in a telephone interview michael e horowitz the justice departments inspector general and leader of the governmentwide association of inspectors general said it was unfortunate that it had taken the threat of a cutoff in funding by congress for his office to see its full access to investigative records restored for now
the igs have a right to access these documents   period he said
he urged congress to act on a proposal that would ensure permanent access for all 72 inspectors general   not just those covered by the funding measure through september
justice department officials said they too welcomed congressional action to clear up what they said were ambiguities in the law


residents of drought stricken california doubled their water conservation efforts in march compared with the month before officials said tuesday cities and businesses used 243 percent less water than at the same time in 2013 it was twice the saving from the dry month of february when the savings hit a record low 12 percent water regulators announced march was a cooler and wetter month and officials also credited californians with changing their habits especially when it comes to watering their landscaping which consumes half of a homes water use march was the first month under relaxed conservation requirements since mandatory cutbacks began in june 2015 californians are expected to use at least 20 percent less water previously the order was to conserve by 25 percent ap
michigan lawmakers on tuesday advanced a 500 million plan to restructure detroit public schools by creating a new district the vote was taken as teachers fearing they would go unpaid if the district runs out of money closed the district for a second consecutive day by calling out sick teachers youre going to get paid said state representative al pscholka a republican and the chairman of the house appropriations committee before the panel approved the plan over objections that it would not be enough money and hurt the teachers union labor agreements would not transfer to the new district and collective bargaining would be restricted the proposal which passed mostly along party lines would retire the districts debt by 2023 and start up a new district in july the republican led house could vote on the plan this week ap
the leaders of a proposed museum of narrative art say they are looking at locations outside chicago after a battle over whether the museum may be constructed along the citys lakefront mellody hobson a financial executive said tuesday that she and her husband the filmmaker george lucas were looking elsewhere after a legal fight with local activists who have opposed sites along lake michigan from the beginning this process has been co opted and hijacked by a small special interest group ms hobson said monica davey
a federal judge on tuesday dismissed a lawsuit accusing maines governor paul r lepage of using blackmail to force a charter school operator to rescind a job offer to a political opponent in a flap that led to an impeachment effort judge george z singal of united states district court in portland agreed with the governors lawyers who said mr lepage a republican was entitled to immunity the speaker of the state house mark eves a democrat accused the governor of overstepping his authority when he used state funding as a threat to force the charter school operator good will hinckley to rescind a job offer ap


indianapolis   less than a month ago senator ted cruz seemed to have done it
he had won wisconsin former rivals were holding their noses to support him he was dominating delegate elections positioning himself for what seemed increasingly likely to be a floor fight at the republican convention in july as the campaign of donald j trump fell into internal disarray
tonight is a turning point mr cruz said on primary night in milwaukee it is a rallying cry
it was neither
on tuesday mr cruz ended his campaign his loss in indiana extinguishing any chance of denying mr trump the nomination
together we left it all on the field in indiana mr cruz told supporters here as cries of nooo rained from the crowd we gave it everything weve got but the voters chose another path
yet to dismiss mr cruz as an also ran would diminish his unlikely feat in outlasting nearly every rival his calls for conservative purity were for better or worse the most consistent message in the field his rage against the washington cartel a signal of the nations ever dimming view of its leaders
in a year when many voters flocked to the candidate they hoped could startle washington into submission mr cruz galvanized millions of supporters drawn to his more ideological conservatism quoting founding documents and free market texts he was the most right leaning candidate to even sniff the nomination in at least a half century
long before mr trump careered into the race mr cruz staked perhaps the loudest claim to the boiling national anger among hard line conservatives in the age of president obama
he was half right
ted cruzs theory of the race was that conservatives were angry said ben domenech the publisher of the federalist a conservative online journal it turns out that everyone was angry
for a candidate who appeared just a few weeks ago to have a plausible path to the nomination the descent came quickly the calendar did not help
hours after his wisconsin victory he charged headlong into new york city earning bronx jeers that foretold a hostile reception across a half dozen eastern states that were never a natural fit for him
manhattan has spoken mr cruz joked bitterly in indiana everyone give up and go home
but the problems ran deeper
given an opening to unite the party in opposition to a man many see as an existential threat to it mr cruz was unable to consolidate support leaving republican leaders lurching toward a fateful bet live with the risk of a trump nomination rather than elevate a figure they loathe
his advisers insisted that he was a more versatile candidate than past iowa caucus winners like mike huckabee and rick santorum but he failed to sufficiently expand his appeal much beyond the partys most religious and ideological voters his surrogates in indiana looked much the same as in iowa with faith inflected testimonials from the radio host glenn beck and representative louie gohmert of texas
conservatives are uniting mr cruz said often on the campaign trail long after it felt true but his efforts were undercut in large measure by his toxic relationships with senate colleagues and a manifest indifference to repairing them
soon the indignities mounted he named carly fiorina his prospective running mate despite trailing by several hundred delegates briefly rousing a partly full indianapolis pavilion
he earned scorn in indiana for referring to a basketball rim as a ring he was heckled by a young boy in la porte and several middle aged men in marion
sir with all respect mr cruz pleaded after approaching one of them for a chat on monday donald trump is deceiving you he is playing you for a chump
on tuesday morning he at last unburdened himself in full promising to tell reporters what i really think of donald trump for the first time
this man is a pathological liar mr cruz said ticking off mr trumps distortions his infidelities his penchant for conspiracy theories the man is utterly amoral
it is possible there is nothing more mr cruz could have done
mr trump has proved immune to political gravity he has been largely impervious to attacks once mr cruz backed away from his monthslong embrace and began hammering him
most critically mr trumps success in early states across the south thought to be mr cruzs firewall forced a rewrite of the cruz campaign playbook on the fly
but while few politicians have better absorbed the lessons of the partys rightward tilt in recent years mr cruz found himself outmaneuvered on issues like trade and national defense by an outsider whose political antenna had a crisper signal
even on immigration   where mr cruzs grasp of the partys id helped vanquish a foe marco rubio who came to regret embracing a pathway to citizenship   mr trump managed to go bigger and louder
that mr cruz lasted this long anyway was a triumph of management guile and considerable hustle no republican campaign more effectively marshaled its finances holding the most cash on hand for much of the race and no candidate worked harder than he did frequently dashing through six events a day in iowa
with a showmans itch and a singular manner of speaking   the long pauses the controlled twang the easy deployment of words like elan and hosannas on the stump   mr cruz registered at times like an actor playing the role of presidential candidate
he often resorted to gimmickry from re enacted movie scenes to lawyerly theatrics to his grandest stunt of all adding mrs fiorina to an imagined ticket
but these last few flailing weeks belied a campaign that for months had followed its initial strategy to the letter
mr cruz and his advisers often likened the election to a college basketball tournament bracket where opponents like scott walker and mr rubio were to be muscled out one by one they also griped that gov john kasich of ohio failed to leave the court despite the score
when mr cruz entered the race his team openly cheered its meager position roughly 5 percent in the polls reasoning that he could energize his core supporters first
you have to own a base in the republican primary his campaign manager jeff roe said the day mr cruz announced his run at an evangelical university last year if you own the base then you can grow it
mr cruzs most consequential choice might have come last year when he defended mr trump as a credible outsider and a force for good in the race as rivals began taking swings
as late as december he celebrated mr trump as terrific rising quietly in the polls as mr trump absorbed the slings and arrows directed to a front runner
even after mr trump began disparaging mr cruzs canadian birth the senator initially resisted a full scale barrage eventually his broadsides were frequent and scattershot mr trump was too unsteady too shifty too consumed by social media too much like hillary clinton
recently as mr cruzs growth seemed to reach its outer bounds he leaned increasingly on this sort of messaging potpourri
he tried positioning himself as the partys champion of women he cast himself as the heir to president obamas generational promise debuting a new slogan   yes we will   that was quickly abandoned
then there was his habit of declaring as fact things he wished to be true mr cruz often described the hard ceiling of support that mr trump would surely brush up against estimating it to be 35 to 40 percent
donald has been a minority candidate a fringe candidate mr cruz told reporters last week
the next day mr trump received at least 54 percent of the vote in all five primaries
and if mr trumps chosen moniker for mr cruz lyin ted was not quite as instantly devastating as some of his others low energy jeb bush little marco rubio the cruz campaign contributed to lending it a ring of truth   not least because of his abrupt antagonism toward mr trump after reams of praise
while mr cruz steadied himself rebounding in his home state of texas and winning several smaller contests and delegate conventions his successes were too few
even in victory mr cruz spoke often in apocalyptic terms facing defeat his pleas grew pained
if indiana does not act he said hours before tuesdays vote this country could well plunge into the abyss


antoine griezmann scored on tuesday to send atletico madrid to the champions league final for the second time in three years despite a 2 1 defeat at bayern munich
atletico which lost to its rival real madrid in the 2014 final progressed on the away goals rule with an aggregate semifinal score of 2 2 having won the first leg in madrid 1 0
atleticos fernando torres had a scoring chance with a late penalty kick but was denied by bayern goalkeeper manuel neuer
atleticos keeper jan oblak saved a penalty kick from thomas muller in the first half minutes after bayerns xabi alonso had leveled the matchup with a free kick in the 31st minute
griezmann scored in the 54th to put atletico in the drivers seat but bayerns robert lewandowski scored in the 74th
atletico will play either manchester city or real madrid in the final in milan on may 28
ronaldo set to return real madrid which has a nearly perfect home record will welcome manchester city on wednesday for the second leg of their champions league semifinal and will get a boost with the return of cristiano ronaldo who missed three games because of a leg injury including a 0 0 first leg draw last week ronaldo leads the champions league with 16 goals one short of the record he set during the 2013 14 season
two face discipline the english football association charged manchester united midfielder marouane fellaini and leicester defender robert huth with violent conduct after they clashed during a premier league game on sunday reacting to having his hair pulled by huth fellaini appeared to strike huth with his elbow


regulators are expected to announce as early as wednesday that at least 35 million additional airbags made by takata will need to be fixed according to a person briefed on the matter this would more than double what is already the largest automotive recall in american history
the airbags can unexpectedly explode sending metal parts hurtling into the cabin at least 11 deaths worldwide have been linked to the defect
the expansion would bring the total of recalled takata airbags to at least 63 million in the united states   possibly affecting nearly one in four of the 250 million vehicles on americas roads
at issue is takatas use of a compound called ammonium nitrate which can become unstable over time or when it is exposed to moisture takata has wrestled with the makeup of the compound over the years eventually adding a drying agent to make it more stable the new recalls focus on airbags that do not have the drying agent
scott upham founder and chief executive of the automotive consulting firm valient market research said that the wider recall was an admission by takata that its use of ammonium nitrate   a cheap but potent compound more often used at large scale sites like coal mines   was a safety risk
finally theres enough scientific evidence to point to the humidity issue as affecting the propellant mr upham said for a long period of time they denied that ammonium nitrate was to blame but this does validate there are fundamental issues with the chemical itself
ever since the first takata airbag recall of about 4000 vehicles in 2008 the company insisted for years that the problems did not lie in the design of the airbag inflaters with ammonium nitrate but instead were the result of manufacturing flaws or quality control problems
internally though it harbored doubts quashing the results of tests that failed manipulating data to conform with automakers safety requirements and continually revising patents
but only in may last year did takata admit that its products were in fact defective then in a consent order issued last november the national highway traffic safety administration gave the japanese parts maker until the end of 2018 to prove that the airbag inflaters without the drying agent were safe
the agency imposed a 70 million penalty that could increase by 130 million if takata does not meet the consent orders terms in levying the penalty regulators noted that takata had produced testing reports that contained selective or inaccurate data
the new round of recalls to be announced this week was prompted by findings of three separate investigations into the rupture conducted by honda motor the automaker most affected by the recalls takata and a consortium of 10 automakers
the agency has said that ultimately more than 100 million airbag inflaters that use ammonium nitrate may need to be recalled takata has until the end of 2019 to show that its inflaters that contain the drying agent are safe
the safety agency has also barred takata from using ammonium nitrate for new orders
in a statement the safety agency said it could not comment on plans for an expanded recall but it said the agency had reviewed the findings of investigations into the takata airbag ruptures and would take all appropriate actions to make sure airbags in americans vehicles are safe
takata said in a statement that it was working with regulators and our automaker customers to develop long term orderly solutions to these important safety issues
the expanded recall was reported earlier by the wall street journal
the growing recall though has been anything but orderly and takata now faces new financial pressure
it already appeared to be heading for a second consecutive year of losses and the company said on monday that it planned to to book special one time charges totaling 201 billion yen or 189 million to cover recall costs and settlements with consumers injured by its inflaters
that would more than negate the 5 billion yen of net profit or 47 million it forecast in its most recent earnings guidance the company is scheduled to report final results for its latest fiscal year on may 11
as for consumers the mere announcement of the newly expanded recall is likely to sow more confusion in what has been a dizzyingly complex problem
even as automakers look to other suppliers to provide them with replacement inflaters there has been a persistent shortage of parts in many areas of the country forcing many car owners to ask for loaners if they can get them or drive their cars knowing of the danger
all the while doubts over ammonium nitrate have persisted as the human toll has mounted
in december a georgia man joel knight died on a south carolina highway when the airbag in his ford ranger ruptured after his truck hit a cow sending metal into his neck he bled to death not knowing that the airbag posed a risk because it had not been recalled the ranger has since been recalled
mark lillie a former takata engineer who raised concerns about the ammonium nitrate propellant in the late 1990s said he felt vindicated by takatas expanded recall
but he said he remained concerned that the ammonium nitrate remained vulnerable even with the drying agent which is called a desiccant
undoubtedly the desiccant will reduce the problem and delay the onset of the problem he said but it cant eliminate the problem


33 million
15 east 36th street between madison and fifth avenues
manhattan
a private investor from maryland has bought this eight story 1940 brick building in murray hill the 43580 square foot building has 55 apartments   34 are free market and 21 are rent stabilized the cap rate is 238 percent
buyer cammebys international
seller montt company
brokers peter von der ahe joe koicim david lloyd and corey isdaner marcus  millichap
3429sq ft
120000 approximate annual rent
55 ninth street between smith street and second avenue
gowanus brooklyn
a group that manages a shared creative workspace for independent designers developers content strategists illustrators and small business owners has signed a three year lease for a 3500 square foot space in this single story americans with disabilities act compliant warehouse with 20 foot ceilings a common area a buffet kitchen and two bathrooms the tenant received a month rent free for the build out
tenant small city llc
landlord gowanus holdings llc
broker alex robayo ideal properties group
11 million
326 328 graham avenue at devoe street
williamsburg brooklyn
these two combined 1920 four story walk ups with a total of about 12000 square feet on a 50 by 100 foot lot are to be delivered vacant the buildings feature nine free market apartments and 3000 square feet of ground floor retail space now occupied by rosenblum eye centers outdoor parking in the rear can accommodate six to eight cars
owner326 328 graham avenue corporation
broker faith hope consolo douglas elliman real estate


donald j trump became the presumptive republican presidential nominee on tuesday with a landslide win in indiana that drove his principal opponent senator ted cruz from the race and cleared the way for the polarizing populist outsider to take control of the party
after months of sneering dismissals and expensive but impotent attacks from republicans fearful of his candidacy mr trump is now positioned to clinch the required number of delegates for the nomination by the last day of voting on june 7 facing only a feeble challenge from gov john kasich of ohio mr trump is all but certain to roll into the republican convention in july with the party establishments official but uneasy embrace
in the democratic contest senator bernie sanders rebounded from a string of defeats to prevail in indiana over hillary clinton who largely abandoned the state after polls showed her faring poorly with the predominantly white electorate but the outcome was not expected to significantly change mrs clintons sizable lead in delegates needed to win the democratic nomination
mr trumps victory was an extraordinary moment in american political history he is now on course to be the first standard bearer of a party since dwight d eisenhower a five star general and the commander of allied forces in europe during world war ii who had not served in elected office
mr trump a real estate tycoon turned reality television celebrity was not a registered republican until april 2012 he has given hundreds of thousands of dollars to democrats including his likely general election opponent mrs clinton and at various points in his life he has held positions antithetical to republican orthodoxy on almost every major issue in the conservative canon including abortion taxes trade and gun control
but none of this stopped him with his ability to speak to the anxieties of voters and his shrewd use of celebrity and memorable put downs mr trump systematically undercut veteran politicians in a field of candidates that many in the party had hailed as the strongest in at least three decades he was underestimated by leading republicans and democrats time and again and he succeeded while spending far less money than most of his rivals and employing only a skeletal campaign staff
after mr cruz exited the race tuesday night mr trump appeared subdued and projected a more sober than usual mien as he absorbed the ramifications of the indiana victory
it has been some unbelievable day and evening and year   never been through anything like this mr trump said putting aside the venom he has spewed at mr cruz this year mr trump said of the senator he is one hell of a competitor he even veered toward empathy for mr cruz saying he knew how tough it is to be brought low by a brutal defeat
of the 17 republicans who ran for president this cycle mr cruz   a onetime ally of mr trumps   proved to be his strongest and most tenacious rival winning 11 primaries and caucuses but the first term senators appeal among traditional conservatives was no match for mr trumps fiery and uncompromising vow to fight for the interests of average americans who have lost faith in the countrys political leadership republican primary voters made clear that they found mr trumps brand of hard edged nationalism more attractive
mr cruz speaking to supporters in indianapolis said he could not fight on without a viable path to victory
tonight im sorry to say it appears that path has been foreclosed he said as some admirers called out for him to reconsider without mentioning mr trump by name mr cruz said we gave it everything we got but the voters chose another path
as remarkable as mr trumps achievement is his expected nomination also poses undeniable peril to the party he is poised to lead republican leaders who have been reluctant to embrace his candidacy are watching him with great trepidation and on tuesday night they seemed to be grappling with the implications of mr trumps emergence as the new face of their party
no candidate since the dawn of modern polling has entered the general election with the sort of toxic image mr trump has in the eyes of large groups of voters facing a race against the countrys first female major party nominee mr trump is burdened with disapproval ratings as high as 70 percent among women who make up a majority of voters in presidential elections
he is also an unpredictable voice on policy at trump tower on tuesday night amid his litany of thank yous mr trump demonstrated the degree to which his nomination represented an astonishing break from political precedent in denouncing mrs clintons past support for the north american free trade agreement and saying it had caused carnage for american workers he signaled he would run to her left on free trade and upend the decades long bipartisan consensus on the issue
mr trump starts the general election campaign with a still unfurling roll of incendiary proposals and provocations that are the stuff of dreams for opposition researchers he made his name in the last presidential campaign as the countrys most prominent birther fueling debunked conspiracy theories that president obama was not born in america he has used hostile and hard edged language about hispanics suggesting that mexican migrants are rapists and murderers and he has not backed off his proposal to bar all foreign muslims from entering the united states effectively creating a religious test for immigrants
no one is more eager to talk about those positions than mrs clinton who made clear on tuesday that she wanted to sharpen her focus on mr trump as soon as possible because the fight against him was likely to be bruising
im really focused on moving into the general election mrs clinton said during an interview on msnbc and i think thats where we have to be because were going to have a tough campaign against a candidate who will literally say or do anything
yet the indiana results were an embarrassing reminder of her vulnerabilities only slightly more than half of democrats voting tuesday called mrs clinton honest and trustworthy according to early exit polls a remarkably shaky assessment for the partys likely nominee after closing the gap with blue collar white voters in parts of the northeast last week mrs clinton lost them by 30 points in indiana she also again suffered with self identified independents casting ballots in the democratic contest 73 percent backed mr sanders
mr sanders speaking to reporters after winning indiana had some tough words for mrs clinton after a week when he toned down criticisms of her and shifted his focus to their policy differences
i understand that secretary clinton thinks that this campaign is over mr sanders said ive got some bad news for her tonight we won a great victory in indiana next week we are going to be in west virginia we think we have a real shot to win in that great state and then were going to kentucky and were going to oregon and we think we have a pretty good chance to win there as well
we feel great about tonight not only in winning here in indiana and accumulating some more delegates but also gaining the momentum we need to take us to the finish line he said adding the he realized he faced an uphill battle
while mr sanders devoted three days to campaigning in indiana and spent more than 1 million on television advertisements mrs clinton did not run any ads and spent only a day campaigning in the state visiting the indianapolis area
clinton advisers said they saw no point in spending a couple of million dollars on television advertising and campaign travel when mrs clinton was likely to lose the state anyway its democratic primary electorate includes a healthy share of independents and newly registered voters demographics that have repeatedly favored mr sanders and the two democrats are expected to divide the states 83 delegates given the close outcome
tad devine a senior adviser on the sanders campaign said that the indiana results would not reshape the democratic race markedly given mrs clintons sizable delegate lead
while the democratic race has turned relatively civil the republican fight in indiana grew bitter in the final hours with mr cruz on edge tuesday morning about the future of his candidacy mr trump baited him by suggesting   with no evidence   that mr cruzs father had joined lee harvey oswald in passing out pro fidel castro pamphlets in new orleans shortly before oswald assassinated president john f kennedy
mr cruz unburdening himself after a campaign in which mr trump also mocked his wifes appearance responded with a flourish called mr trump a pathological liar and delved into his rivals personal life
listen donald trump is a serial philanderer and he boasts about it mr cruz said directly raising mr trumps marital history for the first time i want everyone to think about your teenage kids the president of the united states talks about how great it is to commit adultery how proud he is describes his battles with venereal disease as his own personal vietnam
but the appeal did not work indiana republicans proved willing to embrace mr trump the once unimaginable but now virtually certain nominee regardless of the personal flaws and political shortcomings that would have once derailed would be presidents


when the body of the man with the tattoo of the virgin mary spread across his back was found on the shore in brooklyn his face was wrapped in duct tape and his feet were encased in concrete the police said
this individual was wrapped in black plastic bags and his arms were tied behind him robert k boyce the chief of detectives for the new york police department said at a news conference in queens on tuesday his feet were submerged in poured concrete obviously a homicide
the unidentified mans body was found around 1030 am on monday by a student at kingsborough community college who was walking on the campus shoreline along sheepshead bay the police said the student notified a nearby fire department marine unit which alerted the police chief boyce said
the medical examiner will determine how the man died and how long he had been in the water
chief boyce said the police would release a sketch of the man and his tattoo of the virgin mary holding a rose
the victims hands were also wrapped with duct tape the police said he was wearing gray sweatpants blue boxer shorts and a black jacket
it is not uncommon for bodies to float to the surface or wash ashore in new york city in the spring rising temperatures help speed decomposition which produces gases that make a body buoyant enough to float to the surface
the body of anthony white 21 who was wanted in the stabbing death of his roommate in an east harlem homeless shelter was found floating in the hudson river in march that was almost two months after his roommate deven black 62 was killed
but rarely have victims been found with concrete around their feet an old fashioned technique rumored to be a favorite of mob hit men with plenty of patience concrete takes hours to harden
in august 1964 the body of ernest rupolo a 52 year old triggerman turned informant was found in jamaica bay with two concrete blocks tied to his legs
before mr rupolo several mobsters and gamblers and at least one rumrunner were believed to have been encased in or weighed down with concrete some of them have never been found


they are wall streets gatekeepers   the crisis communications firms that work to polish reputations persuade the press and help announce mergers and acquisitions
now one of the most influential new york based public relations firms is trying to manage a turbulent deal of its own
sard verbinnen  company is in talks to sell a 40 percent stake for 60 million to golden gate capital a private equity firm based in san francisco according to people briefed on the matter who requested anonymity
but the deal has been at least temporarily delayed because of a wave of employee resignations from sard verbinnen in the last week the people briefed on the situation said the employees resigned as a result of negotiations related to the investment the sources said
under the proposed agreement golden gate would value sard verbinnen at roughly 150 million in addition to its ownership stake golden gate has agreed to invest up to 50 million more in sard verbinnen for expansion projects there is also a path for golden gate to take complete control of the firm in the years to come
sard verbinnen was founded by george sard and paul verbinnen in 1992 the firm has offices in new york chicago los angeles san francisco and london and has represented companies like time warner cable activision publishing and valeant pharmaceuticals international sard verbinnen has roughly 75 million in annual revenue according to people with knowledge of the firm
if completed the investment would allow sard verbinnen to fuel ambitious expansion plans including potentially opening new offices in washington hong kong and houston and offering more robust political communications research and video production
a deal would also allow mr sard and mr verbinnen to cash in on their substantial ownership of the company according to people with knowledge of the firms finances the co founders control about 60 percent of the firms equity meaning their shares would be valued at a combined 90 million
mr sard and mr verbinnen recently presented the 25 other partners at their firm with an offer related to the golden gate deal in addition to terms that would have allowed the partners to sell 40 percent of their shares to golden gate the new contracts included noncompete and nonsolicit agreements such provisions are commonly put in place to retain senior employees after a change in control
of the 27 partners at sard verbinnen including the co founders 24 agreed to the new terms but three partners balked at those restrictions and quit last wednesday
jonathan gasthalter who has a significant book of business working with about a dozen hedge funds was the most prominent departure among his clients at sard verbinnen were point72 asset management the firm run by steven a cohens family office greenlight capital run by david einhorn and renaissance technologies another large hedge fund founded by james a simons mr gasthalter also represented mr cohens previous firm sac capital advisors
mr gasthalter had talked about starting his own firm for years but has now made good on the thought he is expected to take many of his clients with him to his new firm gasthalter  company
also last wednesday dan gagnier and renee soto quit sard verbinnen mr gagnier who works with clients including hedge funds and industrial companies has also started his own firm gagnier communications ms soto is expected to continue consulting for valeant the embattled pharmaceuticals company
the departure of the three partners has delayed the announcement of golden gates investment in sard verbinnen some of the companies that worked closely with mr gasthalter and mr gagnier have informed sard verbinnen that they are taking their business to the new firms but several people with knowledge of the negotiations said they still expected the deal to be completed
sard verbinnen and golden gate know each other well sard verbinnen has represented the private equity firm for nearly 10 years working with it on deals like its investments in california pizza kitchen and red lobster the new york firm began talking with golden gate this year after another large public relations firm approached sard verbinnen about an outright acquisition instead of agreeing to that deal mr sard and mr verbinnen pursued private equity backing
in addition to the three partners who quit last week monday brought additional departures three less senior employees   nathaniel garnick amanda klein and kevin fitzgerald   all quit sard verbinnen to join mr gasthalters new company according to people with knowledge of the staff moves
mr sard has told people that the departure of mr gasthalter and mr gagnier may actually be a good thing for sard verbinnen because it might allow the firm to work with big companies that did not want to be associated with a firm that represented so many hedge funds however mr sard himself represents trian partners the activist hedge fund run by nelson peltz
also on monday sard verbinnen announced a major new hire peter rose who recently retired as global head of public affairs for the blackstone group joined sard verbinnen as vice chairman mr rose is well connected in business and politics and is expected to help with the anticipated expansion that would be funded by the golden gate investment
in a news release on monday mr sard and mr verbinnen said of mr rose as we invest to further strengthen the firm and expand our geographic footprint and service offerings we look forward to benefiting from his counsel and to his active involvement in our work with selected existing and new clients
mr sard and the firm declined to comment mr gagnier and ms soto declined to comment and mr gasthalter did not return calls seeking comment golden gate capital declined to comment through its public relations firm sard verbinnen


that didnt take long
just nine hours after receiving a lone tony award nomination the producers of the high camp disco era musical disaster said tuesday that the show would close on sunday
disaster a spoof of 1970s disaster films was praised by charles isherwood of the new york times for delivering a rush of giddy nostalgia and jennifer simard was widely lauded for her outre turn as a guitar slinging nun with a soft spot for slot machines   a performance that on tuesday brought her a nomination for best featured actress in a musical
but audiences were not interested the show consistently struggled at the box office and the producers concluded they could no longer afford to keep it running the musical had been capitalized at up to 65 million according to a securities offering that money will now be lost
disaster which combined once popular and oft mocked songs with a new book by seth rudetsky and jack plotnick had two previous off broadway runs it began performances on broadway on feb 9 opened on march 8 and had been scheduled to close on july 3 upon its closing it will have played 32 previews and 72 regular performances
in recent weeks it has been playing to half capacity audiences last week it grossed 264032 in eight performances well below what it costs to keep the musical afloat
the shows nederlander theater wont be empty for long a return engagement of motown the musical is scheduled to open there on july 12


rio de janeiro   a judge lifted the nationwide suspension of whatsapp in brazil on tuesday allowing the popular messaging service owned by facebook to get up and running again
the ruling from judge ricardo mucio santana de abreu lima overturned a lower court order that had led to whatsapp being blocked on monday afternoon the suspension was supposed to last 72 hours
judge mucio is one of 13 judges on the higher court in the northeastern state of sergipe where whatsapp has become embroiled in an organized crime and drug trafficking case authorities are seeking information for the case from the messaging service but whatsapp has not complied with requests for data leading to the court order on monday
the restoration of service is not a full blown victory for whatsapp judge mucios ruling was on process rather than the merits of the original case a court spokesman said the court provided no additional information on the reasons for revoking the whatsapp suspension
whatsapps chief executive jan koum said the service continued to protect its users privacy we have no intention of compromising peoples security and we hope those impacted by this decision join us in making their voices heard in support of an open and secure internet mr koum wrote in a facebook post
whatsapp has faced other legal difficulties in brazil because of the case in sergipe the same case led to the march arrest of a facebook executive diego dzodan mr dzodan was released after one night in custody
many brazilians posted on the facebook page of judge marcel maia montalvao who had ordered whatsapps suspension to express their frustration about the services brief shutdown
one wrote dont joke around with these kinds of things senhor judge while another wrote that the judge was the type of person who thinks that whatsapp is only for chitchat and does not understand how much this affects small businesses universities and self employed workers
internet privacy experts said they were concerned about the precedent that lower court judges like judge montalvao were setting with their shutdowns of a messaging service especially as brazils congress may soon pass laws that would weaken digital privacy
i am concerned that more of these orders may be issued said javier pallero a lawyer and policy analyst with the new york based digital privacy group access now
brazils internet bill of rightsdoes not allow the blocking or suspension of entire sites services or apps in the infrastructure layer of the internet said ronaldo lemos an author of the legislation and head of the institute of technology and society in rio de janeiro


somebody find a plumber with a golden plunger
serious technical issues are holding up production of maurizio cattelans 18 karat gold toilet a sculpture he created that was set for installation at the guggenheim museum on wednesday according to a spokeswoman there on tuesday the museum announced that the exhibition of maurizio cattelan america as the sculpture is called would be delayed and that no new opening date had been set its not days but i cant be more specific than that right now a spokeswoman said
the piece is an ambitious tour de force to have been installed in a frank lloyd wright designed bathroom along the museums curving ramp the solid gold toilet a working replica of one by kohler was being made in the artists studio in italy when the foundry encountered technical difficulties which they are working to resolve a museum spokeswoman said to the museums knowledge this kind of casting process has never been done before
and no the guggenheim insists this is not another prank by mr cattelan who retired from art making in 2011 but recently found himself eager to get back in the game actually its even more of a torture not to work than to work he told randy kennedy in announcing the end of retirement last month in the new york times the sculpture is a punning extension of his work on a magazine called toilet paper and also a wry tip of his hat to marcel duchamps fountain urinal
neither the guggenheim the toilets host nor the artist would give a cost for the toilet saying only that it was a loan and would be paid for with private funds creating the toilet mr cattelan said gave him a way to get around the wall i had hit
maurizio cattelan be right back a documentary recently made its debut at the guggenheim as part of the tribeca film festival
for the guggenheim mr cattelans return is probably not soon enough


st petersburg fla   floridas largest newspaper the tampa bay times said on tuesday it had purchased its main competitor the tampa tribune ending a long newspaper rivalry
the acquisition means that the tribune has ended a 123 year run as a stand alone paper the times will become the fifth largest sunday circulation newspaper in the nation
the chairman and chief of the times paul c tash said he intended to create one financially secure locally owned daily newspaper in the tampa bay region he did not disclose the purchase price
the continued competition between the newspapers was threatening to both mr tash said in a statement
the times bought the paper from the revolution capital group which purchased the tribune in 2012 for 95 million
for decades the two papers have competed in the cities of tampa and st petersburg and the suburbs of pasco hernando and citrus counties the competition was also a reflection of the regional differences between st petersburg and tampa which are about 30 miles apart and separated by tampa bay
the rivalry had waned in recent years as both papers adjusted to the challenging realities of the newspaper business
its fair to say weve seen this day coming for a very long time mr tash said
rick edmonds a media business analyst at the poynter institute for media studies in st petersburg   the nonprofit that owns the tampa bay times   said he thought the acquisition was in the cards for some time
the tribunes fate was kind of sealed when the company that bought them sold their property and main building he said
poynter reported that at least 100 layoffs were expected
if youre a newspaper reader this is sad news said gary r mormino a florida historian and professor emeritus at the university of south florida st petersburg the competition has been overall good for the community
the tribune won a pulitzer prize in 1966 for local investigative specialized reporting in 1999 the paper became one of the first in the nation to converge with a tv station when it shared a newsroom with wfla
the times began its history 131 years ago as the west hillsborough times it was known for most of its existence as the st petersburg times but changed its name to the tampa bay times in 2012 to reflect the territory it serves
in april the times won its 11th and 12th pulitzer prizes for local and investigative reporting


syosset ny   a single engine plane crashed on long island on tuesday killing the three people onboard and showering debris over a two mile area with dozens of homes several schools and at least one busy thoroughfare the authorities said
the crash was reported shortly after 230 pm on cold spring road in syosset ny according to a statement from the federal aviation administration the seven passenger plane had two male adults and one female adult who were traveling from myrtle beach sc to robertson field in plainville conn outside of hartford officials said
the faa said the crash was under investigation and the national transportation safety board will determine its cause robert gretz a senior air safety investigator for the board said on tuesday night that the plane went off radar and broke up in flight over syosset
the nassau county police said no one on the ground had been injured though a section of cold spring road remained closed and residents were told by the authorities to stay close to their homes those who were away from home at the time of the crash said they had to park outside the police perimeter and be escorted in by officers
syosset a hamlet of about 20000 people near the eastern edge of the county has homes with mostly wide tree covered lawns and several schools cold spring road is among the busiest streets in the neighborhood residents said with school buses ferrying students throughout the day
at harvest house a independent living retirement home with eight residents run by the sisters of st dominic sister mary butler said she heard a noise while she was working at the computer you hear things but youre not quite sure she said you think its a big truck going by
then she looked at the front yard of the home where what appeared to be a piece of carry on luggage had landed and not far away she saw a womans pocketbook a piece of the aircraft landed near the driveway she said
police officers knocked on the door to tell them what had happened and then searched the property hours later sister butler said in a telephone interview she could still hear helicopters flying overhead and saw investigators at work on the street
sue gold who lives nearby said she was not at home at the time of the crash but she could tell as she left work on tuesday afternoon that something was wrong her job is near a nassau county police precinct station house and she saw a string of police vehicles fire engines and ambulances heading toward the area
i was thinking something might have happened at the high school she said
as she got closer to home ms gold said she saw fire engines with their ladders extended so that investigators could climb up and survey the debris area her street was blocked off so she had to park around the corner and was escorted in
a piece of the wing had crashed into her neighbors roof she said and a passenger seat had fallen in a yard she also saw golf clubs strewed about
ms gold said she was troubled by the crash but she was also relieved because no one on the ground was hurt we feel terrible for the people who lost their lives she said it could have been a lot worse you have to understand its a major thoroughfare there are so many school buses that go down the street at all times
on tuesday evening as investigators were still scouring the area ms gold waited eagerly for her husband to get home she had tried to go see a friend who lives nearby but the police told her to stay on her property still she said they made sure she was not by herself for too long
i did not want to be inside the house alone ms gold said
stay here she said a police officer told her well stay here with you


some movies want to be loved others prefer to be admired and then there are the movies like those by jean marie straub and daniele huillet that indifferent to love or admiration are monuments to their own integrity
its appropriate that this couple who married in 1959 would have their first complete retrospective at the museum of modern art its show covers over 45 titles those made together as well as those mr straub still active at 83 directed after ms huillets death in 2006 few filmmakers are more uncompromising in their modernism or their devotion to art their first short feature adapted from a novel by heinrich boll was titled not reconciled   words that could stand as their motto
the retrospective which runs from friday through june 6 may not be the toughest ticket to attain in new york but it could be the citys most tough minded show mr straub and ms huillet were anything but frivolous
in her memoir the new yorker theater and other scenes from a life at the movies the distributor toby talbot described a party in rome sometime in the 1970s where everybody was drinking wine and beer smoking pot dancing having a ball when the bell rang announcing mr straub and ms huillets presence the director bernardo bertolucci called on the revelers to flush the drugs and hide the liquor quickly explaining the straubs are here
straub huillet as they preferred to be called are cinemas conscience   an antidote to all the junk movies youve ever seen drawing on kafka cezanne brecht schoenberg and malraux to name only some of their best known sources straub huillet films are meant to raise ethical questions on subjects as varied as proper camera placement and the appropriate political approach to the subject
we make our films so that audiences can walk out of them mr straub once said perhaps not altogether in jest nevertheless the straub huillet oeuvre long championed by a devoted cadre of academics programmers and fellow filmmakers is having a moment two newly published books   a collection of their writings and an anthology of other peoples essays on their work   may be found at the miguel abreu gallery in lower manhattan where an exhibition of straub huillet stills videos and annotated scripts is on view
although mr straub and ms huillet were both born in france and met as students in paris their nationality eludes precise classification mr straub left for west germany to avoid service in the algerian war after making their first movies there he and ms huillet moved to rome in the late 1960s since his wifes death mr straub has lived in rolle switzerland where one of his neighbors is jean luc godard
mr godard a sometime comrade of mr straubs is thanked in the end credits of chronicle of anna magdalena bach 1967 that film was chosen to open momas retrospective because as the curator joshua siegel the shows organizer explained it was the most accessible
based on letters written by bachs second wife   stoical accounts of domestic tragedy and artistic frustration   chronicle uses lengthy takes and a static camera to document the performance of bachs music in period costume with period orchestration the experience is both transcendent and material described by the film critics manny farber and patricia patterson as creating a feeling of cement blocks and extraordinary poetry at the same time
perhaps concerned that chronicle might be too seductive straub huillet followed it with a feature length adaptation of corneilles 17th century verse tragedy othon declaimed by costumed nonactors in the noisy streets of contemporary rome the new york times critic roger greenspun who reviewed this dada style assault at the 1970 new york film festival estimated that half the press screenings attendees fled for the exit
in those days mr straub presented himself as an aesthetic terrorist if we hadnt learned how to make films i would have planted bombs he maintained around the time he and ms huillet more temperate in her public statements but equally committed to cinematic clarity made a 1974 version of schoenbergs never completed opera moses und aron   originally dedicated to a former film student who joined the red army faction and died in prison on a hunger strike
mr straub and ms huillet shot moses und aron on location in egypt and italy and insisted that it be shown in the original german dubbing is murder mr straub wrote quoting the filmmaker jean renoir in calling attention to its source as an unfinished work the film is less an adaptation than the documentary representation of a text
many straub huillet films do not dramatize their source material but present it for contemplation in the context of a tranquil landscape that was once the site of a strike a revolt or a massacre the feature length fortinicani 1976 juxtaposes an essay by franco fortini the italian poet of jewish descent with a sylvan vista outside florence where the nazis murdered a group of italian partisans
their movies are elemental things concerned with the flow of history the beauty of the natural world and the specificity of their human actors the filmmakers may be marxists but their aesthetic can be gleaned from their admiration for cezanne the subject of two typically oblique short features it is not simply that cezanne like them is an artist of landscapes but that his paintings like their movies are as much tangible objects as they are representations
i first encountered straub huillet as a teenager at the 1968 new york film festival digging up my notes i see i reported back to my college film society that the shockingly austere chronicle of anna magdalena bach was a hard film to sit through but if you can dig it its like 90 minutes of tantric exercises with the same cleansing results in an age of sensory overload such a movie was good for your mental health
and so it is asked if he was afraid that encouraging audiences to see straub huillet might be akin to pressuring children to eat their spinach the curator mr siegel was unfazed they might find that they like it he told me spinach is delicious


detroit   the development of self driving cars in recent years has been primarily a competition between technology companies and automakers working independently of each other
but that dynamic changed markedly on tuesday when google said it would expand its testing of autonomous vehicles by installing its technology in a fleet of minivans made by fiat chrysler
the deal is the most prominent example yet of a silicon valley company collaborating with a traditional automaker on self driving vehicles
it could also prove to be a breakthrough in the generally wary relationship between technology and auto companies and prompt more collaborative efforts
the deal is a major departure for google which previously had chosen to work mostly on its own in creating and testing self driving vehicles
for fiat chrysler the arrangement allows the company to gain access to googles expertise in driverless cars rather than develop its own technology
analysts said fiat chrysler needed a partner to catch up to other car companies that are investing heavily in self driving vehicles
it couldnt have picked a better one than google which is far down the road with self driving cars said michelle krebs an analyst with the firm autotrader
no financial terms were disclosed for the deal which calls for fiat chrysler to provide google with 100 chrysler pacifica hybrid minivans built specifically to accommodate self driving features
the companies said that fiat chrysler would design and engineer the minivans and that google would then integrate sensors and computer systems into the vehicles
the arrangement is the first time google has worked directly with an automaker to adapt mass market vehicles for self driving purposes until now google had used an automotive supplier to build its own autonomous vehicle prototypes
john krafcik the chief executive of the google self driving car project said the deal was a critical step in efforts to create autonomous vehicles for everyday driving he said the collaboration will accelerate our efforts to develop a fully self driving car that will make our roads safer and bring everyday destinations within reach for those who cannot drive
sergio marchionne fiat chryslers chief executive has been outspoken in recent months about his companys desire to form technology partnerships partly to defray the cost of developing high tech systems on its own
the experiences both companies gain will be fundamental to delivering automotive technology solutions that ultimately have far reaching commercial benefits he said
other automakers such as general motors and ford motor are also moving rapidly to develop self driving cars gm for example has agreed to buy the technology company cruise automation to begin outfitting its cars with self driving systems
at the same time federal regulators are working on setting new guidelines for self driving vehicles google is part of a coalition   which includes ford and volvo   that supports swift passage of rules to allow for driverless cars on the nations roadways
google is testing its own self driving prototypes in california and elsewhere the company has also modified sport utility vehicles produced by toyota to accommodate self driving systems
but the pacifica hybrid minivan is a larger vehicle that can accommodate more passengers with features like electronically controlled sliding doors the van could be well suited to ferrying larger groups of people without the need for an actual driver
there was no indication that fiat chrysler had an inside track to mass produce self driving vehicles for google one day for now the collaboration is said to be strictly for testing purposes
the companies said their engineering teams would work together at an unnamed location in michigan
it is a deal that should benefit both parties said jack nerad an analyst with the auto research firm kelley blue book
mr nerad said adapting a gasoline electric hybrid vehicle like the pacifica was a logical extension of googles testing efforts for fiat chrysler the deal highlights the attributes of the new version of its bellwether minivan which is going on sale this year
its hard to look at this as anything but a win win he said
the nations top auto safety regulator mark rosekind said last week that self driving technology had the potential to reduce traffic fatalities   currently 33000 a year   on american roads
the technology has also been supported by those who advocate self driving vehicles for disabled people who cannot operate a car as well as by groups like mothers against drunk driving that aim to reduce accidents involving alcohol consumption
opponents of fully autonomous vehicles have said the safety of driverless cars has yet to be proved and they cite wrecks involving google prototypes on public streets
currently there are no federal rules that expressly prohibit autonomous vehicles but california has proposed that self driving cars require an actual driver behind the wheel to take control if autonomous systems fail to operate safely


getting into hamilton these days requires either deep pockets   for tickets on the secondary market   or high level connections this hip hop musical about alexander hamilton which on tuesday picked up a record 16 tony nominations is sold out more or less indefinitely with some secondhand tickets going for upward of 1000
now it turns out even the buzzy new book about it is in high demand and short supply
a new behind the scenes volume about the creation of the musical called hamilton the revolution is selling so briskly that its currently out of stock on amazon secondhand sellers at the site are asking for up to 621 for their copies despite a fairly robust first printing of 60000 some booksellers have struggled to meet demand for the book which came out on april 12 its publisher grand central promptly ordered a second printing of 50000 copies but doesnt expect that supply to last long either the company has since ordered a much bigger haul and intends to have 400000 copies in print by summer
the oversize book which has a list price of 40 is like catnip for hamilton addicts it traces the evolution of the wildly successful hip hop musical and includes the full text of the libretto as well as more than 200 footnotes from lin manuel miranda the shows creator and star facsimiles of his notebook pages and color photos from the production
meeting demand for the book which was written by mr miranda and jeremy mccarter a cultural critic who was involved in the shows development has been complicated by the elaborate production process that gives the book a revolutionary era feel
hamilton the revolution was designed to mimic the appearance of a text from alexander hamiltons era with a ridged leather spine roman numerals for chapters and cream colored lightweight paper that was a special order stock from asia the books are printed in china and reprints take approximately four to six weeks
the thinking behind this was how do we create something that in its physical form and in its content recaptures the innovation that lin brought to the musical by reinventing a very old story for the modern day said charles melcher the chief executive and founder of melcher media which produced the book for grand central
of course meeting those exacting aesthetic standards probably means lost sales in the short term the book hit the no 1 spot on the new york times hardcover nonfiction best seller list last week but has already slipped to no 4 probably because of its limited availability it has also fallen on amazon from no 1 on april 13 to no 20 on tuesday and as an intricately designed physical object the book doesnt translate well digitally one frustrated amazon reviewer described the kindle version as a pdf of the book with excruciatingly small print and poor quality photos
the musical has also helped spur sales of ron chernows 2004 biography alexander hamilton which has sold more than a million copies and inspired mr miranda to write the musical paperback sales spiked after the musical opened from 3300 copies in 2014 to 106000 in 2015 in march mr chernows biography hit no 1 on the timess paperback best seller list
mr chernows publisher penguin books is making the most of the moment the latest paperback edition features the musicals logo   a silhouetted hamilton with his arm raised   and boasts the inspiration for the hit broadway musical


patti smith will kick off the lincoln center out of doors festival which offers free music and dance performances every summer among others ladysmith black mambazo the salsa duo richie ray and bobby cruz and darlene love will perform in various spots around lincoln center plaza
ms smith will headline a night of words and music on july 20 performing with her longtime collaborators the guitarist lenny kaye and the bassist tony shanahan ladysmith black mambazo will join the hallelujah train a gospel and americana band featuring the drummer brian blade on july 21
ms love sings on july 23 and mr ray and mr cruz will take the stage on july 24
afropunk which will stage its own festival in august will present an all female lineup on july 27 lou reed will be celebrated with an entire day of activities on july 30 including film screenings music performances and martial arts demonstrations
the festival will run through aug 7 the full lineup can be found at lcoutofdoorsorg


washington   it is an iconic photograph of american patriotism depicting the heroism of service members raising the flag over iwo jima during world war ii which inspired the book and movie flags of our fathers
but while the image has become a symbol of the sacrifices of american troops the marine corps has also had to defend it for 70 years against accusations that it was staged and that some of the men were misidentified
now the man who wrote the best selling book which chronicled how his father and five marines came together to lift the flag in the famous photograph has raised new doubts about the image saying that he now believes his father is not actually in it
the author james bradley revealed his conclusion in an interview on tuesday just days after the marine corps said that it had opened an inquiry into whether the identifications in the photograph were correct
he said that his father john a navy corpsman had participated in raising a flag on iwo jima on feb 23 1945 but had not taken part in another flag raising the same day which became the famous photograph
his father he said probably thought that the first flag raising was the one that was captured in the famous picture taken by joe rosenthal a photographer for the associated press mr bradleys doubts tell a story about the fog of war the efforts of a son to memorialize his father and the apparent willingness of the marines to at first brush aside questions about one of their most historic moments
mr bradley said he had become convinced that his father was not in the photograph after studying evidence that was published in a 2014 article in the omaha world herald which described doubts raised by amateur historians who compared that photograph to images of the first flag raising they found that the pants headgear and cartridge belt on the navy corpsman identified as john bradley were different from the gear he wore that day
mr bradley said he had waited a year to examine the evidence in the newspaper article because he was working on a new book in vietnam and then became ill he did not come forward with his belief that his father was not in the photograph he said because there was little interest from the news media and the marines
it wasnt top of mind mr bradley said in the interview it wasnt a priority i was overseas and this past fall i was recovering from a disease i got in new guinea that almost killed me now theres interest in this and im talking about it i didnt have the energy to carry the water all by myself
the photograph taken during one of the bloodiest battles of the war was splashed across the front pages of newspapers throughout the country less than 48 hours after it was taken exceptionally fast for the time it was an immediate source of patriotism and controversy
president harry s truman used it to sell bonds to fund the war and mr rosenthal brushed back accusations that it had been staged and two years after the image was taken one of the men identified as being in it hitchhiked to texas from arizona to tell the family of a man who died on iwo jima that the man had been incorrectly named as one of those depicted that spurred a congressional investigation that led the military to acknowledge that it had misidentified one of the men
flags of our fathers first published in 2000 was on best seller lists for nearly a year it was later made into a movie directed by clint eastwood the photograph was also the inspiration for the marine corps war memorial in arlington va a statue in which six 32 foot tall figures are depicted in the positions captured by mr rosenthal mr bradley said that his father had met with the sculptor of the memorial who based some of the figures on his body
all of the men identified in the photograph are dead three of the men died fighting the japanese on iwo jima john bradley died in 1994
the 2014 article in the omaha newspaper detailed how stephen foley a man in ireland who worked at a building supply company and eric krelle an omaha based historian had concluded that mr bradley was misidentified after poring over the images and studying uniforms worn on the island
at the time however the marines and james bradley discounted the research
listen i wrote the book based on facts told to me by guys who had actually been there mr bradley was quoted saying in the article thats my research thats what i trust
he added at the end of the day the truth is the truth everything is possible but really
the marines said at the time that they firmly stood by the established accounts of who was in the photograph
last year dustin spence a historian from california who made a documentary about the flag raising and mr foley approached the marines with findings that they said showed problems with the identifications mr spence said in a telephone interview the marines mr spence said did not seriously look into their claims i believe its something difficult for some in the marine corps to swallow mr spence said
the smithsonian channel said it had gone to the marines after months of thorough scientific analysis and had since been working closely with the service it added that it would broadcast the findings this year
the marine corps acknowledged the inquiry in a statement but provided few details
our history is important to us and even today this iconic image still represents the fighting spirit of marines and is a symbol of the tremendous accomplishments of our corps the marines said as such with the information and research provided by the smithsonian channel who used advanced digital technology to examine battle footage the marine corps decided to review their photo enhancements film analysis and findings
it added joe rosenthals photo captured a single moment in the 36 day battle during which more than 6500 us servicemen made the ultimate sacrifice and it is representative of the more than 70000 us marines sailors soldiers and coast guardsmen that contributed to the battle
a summary on the paperback edition of flags of our fathers reads here is the true story behind the six flag raisers and the immortal photograph that came to symbolize the power and courage of america during world war ii in flags of our fathers the son of one of the flag raisers captures the glory the heartbreak and the legacy of the six ordinary boys who came together at a crucial moment in one of historys bloodiest battles   and lifted the heart and spirit of a nation at war


the nhl suspended pittsburgh penguins defenseman kris letang for one game for an illegal hit on washington capitals forward marcus johansson
letang will miss game 4 of the teams stanley cup playoffs series on wednesday night
the nhls department of player safety ruled that letang had made significant head contact with johansson well after johansson had released the puck during a sequence in pittsburghs 3 2 victory on monday night in game 3 of the eastern conference semifinal series
johansson was carrying the puck into the pittsburgh zone when he made a pass to the boards as four penguins converged on him letang drilled johansson in the upper body johansson briefly left the game
letang received a minor penalty for interference after the play and was issued the suspension after a brief hearing on tuesday
the league pointed out that because johansson was not in possession of the puck he was not eligible to be checked on the play the nhl stopped short however of describing the hit as charging which could have carried stiffer discipline
letang did leave his feet while finishing the check but the league attributed that to the force of the collision the nhl also said the head was not the main point of contact
johansson went through the nhls concussion protocol before returning to the game although he did complain of some neck pain after the game the capitals trail two games to one in the best of seven series
washington held johansson out of practice tuesday and he will be evaluated on wednesday coach barry trotz said
letang said he had no intention of hurting johansson
i saw him coming full speed letang said i tried to step up in the middle things happen fast
the suspension is the second in two games for a player in the series washingtons brooks orpik was suspended for three games after taking aim at olli maattas head in game 2
a change in calgary the calgary flames fired bob hartley a season after he was voted the nhls coach of the year
calgary took a big step backward after reaching the playoffs last season the flames finished 35 40 7 with only vancouver and edmonton posting fewer wins in the rugged western conference
bob has taken this team as far as i feel he can take it flames general manager brad treliving said at a news conference
last season hartley led the flames to a 45 30 7 record and third place in the pacific division
in four years with calgary hartley had a regular season record of 134 135 25 he won a stanley cup in 2001 with the colorado avalanche a team he coached for five seasons he also coached the atlanta thrashers before they became the winnipeg jets


william j pulte the founder of the homebuilder pulte group and its largest shareholder is locked in a messy public battle with current management yet mr pultes interests are divided as he has hedged his own stock holdings in the company and borrowed heavily against them leaving one to wonder whether he is acting more in his own interests than the companys
the battle over pulte homes erupted in march when the 83 year old mr pulte called a meeting with the companys chief executive richard j dugas jr other attendees included mr pultes grandson and james j grosfeld a former chief executive of pulte and a director appointed to the board in december at the behest of mr pulte at this march 21 meeting mr pulte demanded that mr dugas immediately announce plans to retire or there would be war according to a letter to shareholders
mr pulte criticized the companys poor stock price performance over the last 13 years and its move to atlanta from michigan in 2014 which he claimed had needlessly cost the company tens of millions of dollars
the power play was not entirely successful mr dugas indeed resigned however he made his resignation effective a year from now a timetable endorsed by pultes independent directors and these directors decided not to nominate mr grosfeld mr pultes handpicked representative for election at the 2016 annual shareholder meeting
the pulte board said mr grosfeld had acted behind its back to support mr pultes attempt to replace mr dugas and called his behavior inexcusable
weve seen this playground fight before a founder trying to take back a company is nothing new and when a board digs in to defend a chief executive who is leaving under less than ideal circumstances it never ends well
but there is something off about this fight
mr pulte owns 89 percent of pulte even long after giving up a managerial role but this large personal stake is not what it appears through hedging and borrowing against the shares mr pulte has given away economic interest in them while retaining voting rights and the rights to receive dividends
in 2014 after he left the board mr pulte borrowed about 249 million from an unidentified bank using 18 million shares as collateral this number corresponds to about 52 percent of pulte this type of borrowing is not uncommon though it is increasingly frowned on for company executives and board members because it reduces their effective economic stake in the company
mr pulte further hedged these shares using derivatives after taking out the loan he entered two put and call arrangements with the bank according to the terms of the contracts below roughly 16 a share mr pulte can put 7200000 million shares to the bank meaning he can force the bank to buy them and lock in the 16 price for himself and if pultes stock drops in the 12 range he can force the bank to buy another roughly 108 million shares this effectively means that mr pulte will not suffer any losses if pultes stock goes below these prices he will simply allow the bank to foreclose on his stock instead of paying back the loan since the stock is worth less
mr pulte also capped his upside with a call option above either 25 or 30 a share the bank can buy mr pultes shares and pocket the difference
the net result is that mr pulte has limited his downside and upside exposure to pulte homes it does not matter if the stock goes below the put threshold or above the call price mr pulte gains or loses money only between those levels
the loan goes through 2017 when the put and call options expire
mr pulte probably entered into this type of transaction for tax planning purposes he can get the money for his shares now while deferring the need to pay capital gains taxes for selling them but the trade off is that he also has given up some of the economic interest in his shares
this was not mr pultes only loan he used another five million shares about 14 percent of pulte as collateral for another loan the exact terms of this loan were not disclosed so it is unclear whether mr pulte is personally responsible for the loan or whether the shares are the only collateral
still the arrangements apply to about 75 percent of mr pultes shares this leaves him with 77 million shares that are unencumbered or 22 percent of pulte a not insignificant amount but a level that makes him only the ninth largest shareholder of pulte
mr pulte can still vote all his shares however and claim ownership
it is hard to know what to make of this despite technically being pultes largest shareholder mr pultes economic incentives are not fully aligned with the companys his upside is limited in some circumstances as is his downside
in a note to clients the susquehanna financial group called mr pultes actions puzzling but it attributed them to a need to push up the stock price before the hedges and loans expired in 2017 because mr pulte may use pulte stock to satisfy the loans when they expire the higher pultes stock price by then the less stock mr pulte has to deliver to satisfy the loan because the stock is worth more
mr pultes fight with management might have merit pulte homes stock has not performed well recently even compared with other homebuilders in a poorly performing industry shares of pulte are down 23 percent from where they traded in may 2013 management is relying improving the financial performance of the company through cost reductions and paying out more profits in the form of dividends to shareholders since 2010 susquehanna notes pulte has outperformed five out of nine other homebuilders
in the end though mr pultes actions show that he is acting more like an aggrieved founder than a typical activist shareholder the question is whether caring about the company as its long term founder is enough when there are different economic interests at stake his hedges mean he has every incentive to push up pultes stock price in the short term
mr pulte wants to hedge his shares while at the same time voting them fully if a shareholder activist hedge fund had this type of arrangement it would not pass the smell test and indeed mr pulte is not even a great activist
his opposition to mr dugas came after the deadline for nominating pulte directors and so mr pulte cannot run against them this year
the result is that pultes board unseated his chosen nominee while mr pulte is forced to rage against them
a representative of mr pulte declined to comment
when a founder goes ballistic on his own company the turmoil consumes all and in this case mr pultes interests may be a bit divorced from the shareholders


a 16 year old brooklyn boy was sentenced on tuesday to 12 years to life in prison for accidentally shooting a man in the back of the head on a public bus two years ago
the boy kahton anderson was convicted in february in state supreme court in brooklyn of second degree murder in the death of angel rojas 39 who was shot on a crowded b15 bus during the evening rush on march 20 2014 mr anderson whose first trial in april 2015 ended in a partial verdict had pulled out a silver 357 revolver from his backpack and opened fire on three rival gang members he feared were threatening him unintentionally striking mr rojas who was talking on his cellphone
after the shooting mr anderson who at the time was an eighth grade student and a basketball player at junior high school 57 in bedford stuyvesant ran off the bus to pursue his rivals emptying his gun on the street
mr rojas an immigrant fruit vendor and the father of two children was taken to woodhull medical and mental health center where he was pronounced dead
a member of a gang called stack money goons mr anderson had argued at his trials that he had acted in self defense claiming that members of a rival gang the twan family had shot at him earlier in the day he said he had taken the bus to avoid stepping on the other gangs turf   treacherous territory as his lawyer frederic pratt called it but once on board the bus he encountered three twan family members and used the revolver which mr pratt said he and his friends had shared


jerusalem   a court here on tuesday sentenced an israeli man convicted of abducting and murdering a palestinian teenager in 2014 to life in prison and an additional 20 years sealing a case that has roiled israelis and palestinians
rejecting an insanity plea that was submitted at the end of the trial the jerusalem district court had ruled last month that yosef haim ben david 31 was fully responsible for his actions when he and two teenage nephews abducted muhammad abu khdeir 16 off a street near the boys east jerusalem home drove him to a forest on the outskirts of the city choked him beat him unconscious and burned him to death in the early hours of july 2 2014
one of the teenage defendants was sentenced in february to life in prison and the other received a 21 year term after the judges determined that he had played a lesser role in the murder their names have not been made public because they were 16 at the time of the crime
mr ben david expressed regret in the courtroom on tuesday apologizing to mr abu khdeirs relatives who have attended dozens of court proceedings and telling them that what happened was not in my character and that he had not been in control of his actions according to asher ohayon the public defender representing him
after the sentencing mr abu khdeirs family members hurled curses at mr ben david and called him a murderer and a racist according to the israeli news media
mr ben david was sentenced to life in prison for the murder and an additional 20 years for crimes leading up to the murder including the attempted kidnapping of an 8 year old palestinian boy in the same area of east jerusalem the night before the boy managed to escape after his mother shouted and struggled with the would be kidnappers
the court ordered mr ben david to pay compensation of 150000 shekels or about 40000 to the abu khdeir family and 20000 shekels to the family of the 8 year old
mr ohayon the public defender said he planned to appeal the conviction on the grounds that mr ben david was not responsible for his actions


sheldon silver who rose from the lower east side of manhattan to become one of the states most powerful and feared politicians as speaker of the new york assembly was sentenced on tuesday to 12 years in prison in a case that came to symbolize albanys culture of graft
the conviction of mr silver 72 served as a capstone to a campaign against public corruption by preet bharara the united states attorney for the southern district of new york which has led to more than a dozen state lawmakers being convicted or pleading guilty
but none had the power cachet or longevity that mr silver a democrat had enjoyed and prosecutors sought to make an example of him they asked that he receive a sentence greater than the terms that had been imposed on other new york state legislators convicted of public corruption offenses
the longest such sentence cited by the government was 14 years the term imposed last year in the case of another former democratic assemblyman william f boyland jr who was tried and convicted in federal court in brooklyn
judge valerie e caproni of federal district court in manhattan noted that even before mr silvers arrest when some of his fellow legislators had been arrested on corruption charges he remained undeterred one would think that the image of mr silvers colleagues being arrested and led off to jail would have caused someone who was basically honest to reappraise what was going on judge caproni said
instead she said mr silver stopped nothing continuing to lie to his staff and to the press while holding himself out as a paragon of virtue
judge caproni said that there had been an incalculable intangible harm to the people of new york and that the cumulative effect of public corruption makes the public very cynical she then listed some of mr silvers misdeeds and addressed him directly mr silver those are not the actions of a basically honest person
in court carrie h cohen an assistant united states attorney had asked that mr silvers sentence reflect the massive damage caused to the public by his crimes
the sentence ms cohen continued should send a message that this is not the way business is done in albany or at least that it shouldnt be and that no one including sheldon silver is above the law
mr silver briefly addressed the court before his sentence was delivered saying he had let down his constituents family and colleagues im truly truly sorry for that he said
mr silver was convicted on nov 30 of charges that included honest services fraud money laundering and extortion upon his conviction he forfeited his assembly seat two weeks later dean g skelos who as majority leader had been mr silvers republican counterpart in the state senate was also convicted of corruption
mr skelos is to be sentenced on may 12 a week later john l sampson a former leader of the senate democrats will face his own sentencing prosecutors scrutiny of new york lawmakers continues several inquiries are now focused on possible wrongdoing connected to the administrations of gov andrew m cuomo and mayor bill de blasio both democrats
to date however mr silvers precipitous fall has no recent rival in the world of new york politics
in a statement issued moments after the sentencing mr bharara said that the stiff sentence is a just and fitting end to sheldon silvers long career of corruption
mr silver had served for more than two decades as the assembly speaker imposing his will on matters large and small he had a reputation as a staunch defender of new york city a shrewd negotiator in budget talks and at times a recalcitrant opponent of anything he disliked
but during a five week trial last fall a different side of mr silver emerged evidence showed that he had obtained nearly 4 million in illicit fees in return for taking official actions that benefited a prominent cancer researcher dr robert n taub at columbia university and two real estate developers glenwood management and the witkoff group
mr silver had expressed regret that his actions made the state capitol the object of ridicule in a letter sent last month to judge caproni he offered an emotional apology saying that he had failed the people of new york
his lawyers had argued that the former speaker should be allowed to use his unique talents to benefit others and that a sentence that incorporates extensive community service and little   if any   incarceration could do that mr silvers lawyers had suggested that he could work with the fortune society to help current and former inmates find jobs
one of mr silvers lawyers joel cohen told the judge that his client had been devastated and crushed by everything that had happened notwithstanding everything he has done mr cohen said his obituary has already been written
another prosecutor howard s master on tuesday questioned the authenticity of mr silvers contrition noting he had insisted that he would be exonerated until the very moment of the jurys verdict
judge caproni citing mr silvers age said she would not adhere to sentencing guidelines that recommended a term of roughly 22 to 27 years calling such a sentence draconian and unjust the courts probation office had recommended a 10 year sentence
the judge ordered that mr silver forfeit more than 5 million in proceeds from his crimes and pay a 175 million fine
she rejected a defense assertion that mr silvers actions had not caused discernible harm she said the specter of corruption made it impossible to know whether government officials were making decisions for the right reasons or for personal financial gain
his crimes cast a shadow over everything he has done and has thrown into doubt every difficult decision any legislator has ever made the judge said
mr silver must surrender himself by noon on july 1 his lawyers have requested that he serve at the federal correctional institution in otisville ny a prison known for its familiarity with the housing of prisoners who like mr silver are orthodox jews
governor cuomo said on tuesday todays decision sent a simple message that officials who abuse the publics trust will be held accountable justice was served
last month prosecutors in a written submission to the judge offered what they said was additional evidence of the ways mr silver had abused his office for personal benefit by helping two women with whom he had conducted extramarital affairs
one of the women had regularly lobbied mr silver on behalf of clients with business before the state he had used his official position prosecutors said to help the other woman get a state job
mr silvers lawyers said after the hearing that his case would be appealed mr silver addressing a crowd of reporters said i believe in the justice system in this nation and well pursue whatever remedies the system makes available


beirut lebanon   insurgent shelling hit a maternity hospital in the government held section of the syrian city of aleppo on tuesday according to state media and footage from the scene underscoring what rights groups are calling a growing disregard for the rules of war
it was the sixth assault on a medical facility in the divided city in less than a week and the first to have caused casualties on the government controlled side at least three women were reported killed and 17 people wounded including children
on wednesday warplanes destroyed a pediatric hospital and a clinic on the rebel held side of the city leaving dozens of people dead including medical workers women and children
that attack believed to have been carried out by the syrian government despite its denials came as intensifying airstrikes and rebel shelling shattered what remained of a fragile truce that had prevailed for a few months the violence of the past week has plunged aleppo back into all out war killing scores of people mainly civilians
the strikes on hospitals and clinics have incited a new wave of outrage from international humanitarian organizations which called for an end to the attacks and emphasized that if deliberate they constitute war crimes the united nations security council condemned the attacks in a resolution on tuesday that passed unanimously
this breaks all the rules of humanity pawel krzysiek the spokesman for the international committee for the red cross in damascus these indiscriminate attacks must stop
secretary of state john kerry said later tuesday that the hospital appeared to have been struck by a missile fired from rebel held territory and that the united states condemns such attacks no matter who commits them
several rebel groups denied having shelled the dabbit maternity hospital but numerous other insurgents operate in the city of aleppo including some fighters of the nusra front which is linked to al qaeda
a commander of an american backed rebel group said his men were not involved and contended that other groups that had carried out attacks in the past were being brought under control but that did not explain the civilians killed in dozens of shelling attacks on government held neighborhoods in the past week which suggest that american backed groups are carrying them out or that they are unable to stop other groups from doing so
some anti government activists   and even the rebel commander who goes by the name abu qutaiba   suggested that the shelling of the maternity hospital had been carried out by the government to tarnish the insurgents
but other anti government activists said they assumed the attack had been carried out by insurgents even as they debated whether it had been a missile or rocket strike as state media has said or a car bomb some condemned the assault like razan ghazawi who wrote on twitter that attacking medical workers was a tactic of president bashar al assad and committing those crimes only makes us a criminal like him
others sought to justify it
we will target their areas more khaled eido an activist and former fighter said by text message calling the attack retaliation for the massacres the regime committed in the past and on obamas silence
abu qutaiba the rebel commander said his group called go straight as you were commanded receives aid through a covert program run by the cia and allied intelligence agencies including what he called precise weapons and would never randomly shell regime held areas but a number of rebel groups use missiles improvised from gas canisters which are both powerful and imprecise
even with the escalation of violence the russian foreign minister sergey v lavrov expressed hopes that a truce could be restored in aleppo within hours russia is the most powerful backer of the syrian government
he spoke in moscow after meeting with staffan di mistura the united nations special envoy for the syria conflict who is trying to revive peace talks
footage from the government held side of aleppo showed the maternity hospitals facade partly sheared off along with the blackened wreckage of a car and patients including several children being rushed to other hospitals
state news media said that the death toll could rise and that in all 14 people had died tuesday in insurgent attacks today aleppo is a place of slaughter said the rev ibrahim nsier a protestant clergyman he listed places struck tuesday morning including near his apartment where he said a shell killed a 5 year old schoolboy
we gathered his flesh from everywhere he said
on the rebel held side a suspected government airstrike destroyed a warehouse holding medical supplies mr krzysiek said and rescue workers said at least six people died in other government attacks


cardiff wales   with thunderous roars and flashes of blue light an electric arc furnace at a steel mill in this industrial city melts 170 tons of scrap metal at a time which is made into reinforcing bars for construction projects across britain
the furnace decked out with all the latest gear helps keep costs down by relying on local scrap instead of imported materials it was part of a broad 500 million investment plan to make the steel mill competitive and profitable
but china has stymied the strategy
the steel mill owned by the privately held celsa group of spain just cannot compete with chinese rivals which offered products at 20 percent below prevailing rates in britain celsa estimates that chinese companies at one point accounted for about half of the regions sales in a certain type of reinforcing bar up from essentially nothing just four years ago
its nice to have free trade but it has to be fair said luis sanz the managing director for british operations at celsa
the steel industry sits at the crux of a major debate playing out across the world economy one that could soon be intensified by a looming change in the global trade rules
as chinas economy has slowed the countrys manufacturers in varied areas like solar panels tires aluminum and shoes have been in a desperate hunt to maintain sales and avoid layoffs looking beyond their borders many are offering rock bottom prices to win orders
the heavy discounting has fed a backlash politicians like the american presidential candidates donald j trump and bernie sanders are railing against free trade saying the rules hurt domestic workers countries are crying foul claiming that chinese exporters are dumping goods
and the dynamics are getting more complicated as a crucial provision of global trade rules expires in december
when china joined the world trade organization in 2001 the country was labeled a nonmarket economy at the insistence of the united states and europe the technical designation makes it easier to prove that china is dumping goods in foreign markets allowing countries to slap tariffs on those products in march the united states imposed a prohibitive 266 percent tariff on certain chinese steel makers for selling below cost
calculating production costs in china is tricky the true costs are often obscured by politically guided policies that benefit companies including state backed loans at below market interest rates and free land for job creating factories
given chinas designation in the wto the united states europe and others can use a proxy country a locale with a similar level of income and better data like poland thailand or south africa to help determine production costs the proxy countries often have higher costs than china which has greater economies of scale
china is beginning a global lobbying push to bar the use of proxy countries chinese ministers have been meeting with overseas leaders and with executives of businesses that sell to china the country is calling for wto members to acknowledge chinas market economy status and to adopt the necessary measures as soon as possible the commerce ministry said in a faxed response to questions
but the rules are somewhat ambiguous complicating chinas efforts the 2001 wto agreement explicitly authorizes the use of proxy countries through december in cases against china but it is silent about what happens after that
the europeans and americans are skeptical about whether china actually qualifies as a so called market economy in a market economy supply and demand are the guiding forces in china the government also plays a major role dictating investments strategy even when a plant can close
chinas policies have helped create extensive overcapacity china makes 50 percent of the worlds steel 55 percent of its aluminum and 60 percent of its cement even as its domestic demand has weakened
theyre nowhere near a market economy and its delusional to think that they are said leo w gerard the president of the united steelworkers union
the tensions have been palpable in steel
celsa and other western steel manufacturers got clobbered by the global financial crisis that started in 2008 as demand sank and prices dropped when the industry started to recover they faced a growing competitive threat from china
in the last three years chinese steel exports more than doubled to 107 million metric tons higher than the annual raw steel production of the united states prices fell steeply although they have perked up lately on speculation of renewed demand in china
the result has been a shakeout in steel
celsa has not turned a profit in seven years arcelormittal the worlds largest steel maker announced an annual loss of nearly 8 billion in february blaming chinese competition since the beginning of last year united states steel has cut 5000 jobs and warned that thousands of others are at risk
unfairly traded steel imports have reached historic levels in 2015 and 2016 taking almost 30 percent share of the domestic steel market doug matthews a us steel executive testified in a government hearing last month
china faces its own share of pain
hundreds of steel makers are limping along overloaded with debt and battered by weak prices the chairman of dongbei special steel a large chinese company hanged himself in march days before the company began defaulting on loans
the global downturn has created a political firestorm in february thousands of steelworkers marched in brussels the headquarters of the european union demanding protection from chinese products
the issue flared up again when tata steel announced plans to sell or close its money losing business in britain prompting calls for an emergency session of parliament tata has managed to find takers for some of its plants but about 11000 jobs in britain remain at risk
effective antidumping measures have to be implemented as quickly as possible said wolfgang eder chief executive of voestalpine one of europes largest steel makers warning that many thousands more eu jobs are under severe threat
the political mess could set up a standoff over the wto rules since they are one of the industrys main defense mechanisms
the obama administration has pressed china to follow through on promises of market oriented reforms to help level the playing field the administration has not taken a public position on whether to repeal proxy country procedures for china which would require legislation
getting legislation through congress is even more difficult than usual this year trade is a touchy subject in the presidential election and the administrations trade priority is to win congressional approval of the trans pacific partnership with chinas economic rivals in the region including japan and vietnam
europe which is just starting to consider the issue is looking at a compromise by toughening penalties against china while still conferring market status on the country doing nothing may well create new and serious frictions in our bilateral relationship with china cecilia malmstrom the european trade commissioner said in a speech in march adding that three million jobs in europe depend on sales to china
the two way relationship is what makes the trade rules so complex
if china does not prevail some players worry about getting stuck with insufficient and high cost goods from local factories we dont want locals to go out of business but we want it to be free and fair said jeffrey kabel the chairman of the international steel trade association a group in london that represents the entire steel food chain including traders producers and users a big worry among customers he said is that they wont have a choice for buying
on the flip side the celsa production line with its glowing metal rods employs about 750 people mr sanz said the plant was not yet ready to start layoffs although the jobs could also not be guaranteed
we want fair competition to see who survives he said


an 18 billion merger of medical companies suffers from a lack of logic ims health holdings a health care data mining company is uniting with quintiles a manager of drug trials each will own about half the combined company and   other than some cost savings   the reasons for combining are a bit hazy the presence of the buyout shop tpg on both sides may offer some clues
the two companies work in adjacent markets quintiles runs trials needed to get drugs approved while ims tracks their sales the two do have something in common however with tpg owning a big chunk of ims and a smaller one of quintiles tpg is also represented on both companies boards from its point of view on each side the merger may have plenty of benefits
for starters the deal is expected to result in 100 million of annual cost savings and make operations more efficient ims for example has a lot of information on patients with specific illnesses and the doctors who treat them that could speed efforts to recruit subjects for quintiles clinical trials and employees to run them
the limited overlap though will make cutting costs more difficult combining the companies may also create bureaucracy and friction among employees
ims shareholders will own 514 percent of the combined company and quintiles shareholders will get 486 percent making this a so called merger of equals the chief executive of ims ari bousbib will be the new companys top executive while tom pike the head of quintiles will become vice chairman each company will appoint six board members sharing power makes sense in theory but it can lead to boardroom and executive squabbling as the two sides jockey for influence
in any event investors seem skeptical of the mergers benefits with the share price of each company down about 7 percent after the transaction was announced ims and quintiles call this an all star deal the real issue is whether the assemblage will perform as a team


not too long ago brazilians might have been counted as the most optimistic people in the world from 2008 to 2013 as the united states and europe grappled with the aftermath of a crisis wrought by blind trust in unfettered finance brazils income per person grew 12 percent after inflation wages soared the poverty rate plummeted even income inequality narrowed
brazil remained only a high middle income country in the technospeak of the international monetary fund but for the first time in forever the eternal country of tomorrow as brazilians often ruefully described their nation saw itself instead as a rampant member of the emerging cohort of brics brazil russia india china and south africa   maybe even closer than china to making the jump into the ranks of the worlds richest nations
and then it didnt happen
between 2015 and 2017 the brazilian economy is expected to shrink 8 percent in the imfs estimation that is deeper than the contraction of the early 1980s which began what in brazil and much of latin america is still known as the lost decade
unemployment hit 11 percent in the first quarter brazilians are so angry that they are about to impeach their president the development of brazil into an advanced economy   once tantalizingly within sight   again seems more like an elusive mirage
what gives
mistaken hopes inspired by high commodity prices are common in latin america with china insatiably buying brazilian iron and soybeans it was hard for policy makers not to feel invincible as rock bottom interest rates in the united states pushed a wave of money into brazilian bonds
lula thought he was an economic genius said jose a scheinkman a noted brazilian economist now at columbia university about brazils previous president luiz inacio lula da silva who stepped down in january 2011
the commodity boom however did not a new economic paradigm make the hubristic belief that it had led to critical policy mistakes
the boom delayed other policies that were costly to implement judicial reforms tax reforms education reforms labor market reforms opening up to foreign trade said alejandro werner who heads the western hemisphere department at the imf
when dilma rousseff succeeded mr da silva as president she doubled down on the populist alternative markets are overrated she concluded the kind of politically painful but economically beneficial reforms the imf likes are pointless better to develop the economy by the hand of the state
brazils economy has long been notably closed to the world its average applied tariff of 10 percent according to the world trade organization is the highest among the brics but that did not stop the brazilian government from further increasing subsidies and protection for favored sectors like the auto industry the three federal development banks did so much subsidized lending that by last year they accounted for well over half of all lending in brazil
there is nothing inherently wrong with government action to spur the economy yet the brazilian government did not know when to stop often interventions smacked more of political opportunism than ideological resolve increases in the minimum wage   a critical benchmark used to index wages pensions and a host of prices   were extremely popular so were caps on regulated prices for gasoline and electricity which kept the inflation rate from rising way past its official target
it was a classical mistake of political economy said rubens ricupero a brazilian economist and diplomat who was minister of finance in the mid 1990s they wanted to stay in power
monica de bolle a brazilian economist at the peterson institute for international economics dates the populist shift to 2006 when president da silva was hit with a vote buying scandal known as mensalao
after that he became much more populist she said he needed support not to be ousted from office
the case for populism only intensified as mr da silva fought to ensure the election of his anointed heir ms rousseff and as she battled to ensure her own re election in 2014 after the commodity boom had lost much of its steam ultimately the strategy opened the way for her impeachment when it was discovered that the state owned banks were in effect surreptitiously funding the government hiding a growing budget deficit
even without the scandals and mistakes brazil would be facing rocky times chinas cooling appetite for brazils commodities and the gradual tightening of monetary policy in the united states were bound to slow the economy but what turned the downturn into a crisis was bad policy making when the foreign outlook dimmed brazils economy was strangled by fast rising public debt fed by billions in loans gone bad to former national champions
revelations of rampant corruption were hardly surprising given the cozy relationship between corporate brazil and a government dispensing contracts subsidies preferred loans and other protections
what is the rest of the world to learn from brazils troubles
lula walked back slowly to the old closed economic model said arminio fraga who headed the central bank in the 1990s during brazils fairly brief flirtation with opening up its economy it worked while commodities and financial conditions were doing well but became unsustainable when that was over
brazil was not alone until the 1980s governments all over latin america flirted with similar policies of state control more recently venezuela and argentina spent much of the last 10 years increasing the governments hold on the economy
one important lesson is that the choices faced by governments in latin america and developing nations around the world do not necessarily pit free markets against policies to combat poverty and foster social inclusion brazils anti poverty strategy started in the 1990s well before its turn toward state control and most of brazils enormous subsidies over the last few years went to large corporations not the poor
businessmen all supported the interventions with the exchange rate and interest rates the subsidized credit and the interventions in prices of electricity and gasoline said marcos lisboa who heads insper an educational and research institute in sao paulo they didnt support opening the country to trade
nor do brazils misfortunes amount to a wholesale indictment of the latin american left mr ricupero the former finance minister notes that bolivia and ecuador run by left leaning governments exhibited more cautious economic management and avoided brazils fate
not every government with a social inclination will necessarily do the same as brazil he said
brazils downfall offers a more complicated lesson development is hard and if brazils rise and fall offer lessons about governments inherent limitations the great american meltdown of 2008 similarly offers a cautionary tale about allowing markets to run wild
avoiding turning inward is the biggest challenge as latin america has proved time and again it is a recipe for low productivity growth relying on commodities has failed time and again too but even the successful export led models   taiwan and south korea most prominently   no longer seem so useful in a world where much manufacturing will soon be done by robots
but there are other common sense recommendations to come out of such experiences invest in human capital manage commodity bonanzas with caution recognize that openness to foreign competition is necessary to develop
as president obama might put it dont do stupid stuff easy feel good recipes   especially those found wanting in the past   will probably fail if you try them again that goes for the united states too americas very own populist donald trump   offering walls and tariff barriers to his aggrieved supporters   could learn something from the brazilian experience he probably wont


kathmandu nepal   a canadian man living in nepal has two days to leave the country the nepalese immigration authorities said on tuesday after he was accused of posting a message on twitter aimed at spreading the social discord
the man robert penner was arrested on monday at his office in the lalitpur district south of the capital kathmandu on orders of the department of immigration police and immigration officials said he was held for a day before the department canceled his work visa and ordered him to leave the country
the department had received a complaint against mr penner for spreading unnecessary messages about nepal said kedar neupane the director general of the department of immigration mr neupane did not say who had initiated the complaint or which of mr penners many social media posts about nepalese politics were found to be offensive
his working visa has been canceled after the charges against him were proven true mr neupane said
mr penner who had lived in nepal for more than two years worked at a technology company and often wrote about the countrys political situation on twitter he used the platform to question recent government actions including the arrest of a journalist and the newly passed constitution in november he wrote a blog post responding to critics of a human rights watch report on violations in southern nepal
on tuesday mr penner took to twitter again to provide updates on his arrest
mr penner did not answer multiple calls for comment on tuesday evening
immigration officials defended the decision to expel mr penner from the country they said nepalese immigration law had a provision for canceling the visa of any foreigner whose presence disrupts the peace and security of nepal or affects the harmony between the people of nepal
during the discussion with us he agreed to leave the country mr neupane said adding that if mr penner did not leave we may have to adopt other legal measures to implement our decision
dipendra jha a supreme court lawyer who said he had spoken with immigration officials on mr penners behalf criticized the governments action
it is against the right to freedom of expression guaranteed by our constitution mr jha said social harmony cannot be disturbed when someone questions
according to his twitter profile mr penner works as a scientist at cloud factory an online company with an office in nepal


to no ones surprise the broadway and beyond phenomenon hamilton dominated the tony nominations on tuesday morning but there were still plenty of surprises throughout and the nominators are likely to have anointed a few stars in the making charles isherwood a new york times theater critic michael paulson the theater reporter and scott heller the theater editor talk about how the awards derby shapes up from here
scott heller hello charles hello michael how do you think the nominations went this morning
charles isherwood well of course hamilton was nominated in virtually every possible category it has the potential to win 13 tonys out of its 16 nominations because in two categories   leading actor and featured actor   more than one performer from the show was nominated i do find it slightly puzzling that it was nominated in the book of a musical category since the show is almost sung through but its the kind of juggernaut that we havent seen in years
the one significant surprise in the acting categories was the absence of audra mcdonald from the list did they finally decide she had won too many her performance was wonderful but it was a tight category this year
and despite that omission it was a remarkable year for nonwhite actors the two shows with the most nominations   hamilton and shuffle along   feature predominantly nonwhite casts
heller its pretty clear that hamilton will take the best musical prize and many others michael what would you say are the tightest races
michael paulson this was a really good season for musical revivals the favorite i suspect is the color purple because critics liked it so much more than they liked well disliked the original production new york magazine headlined its review the color purple is one of the greatest revivals ever but the other nominated shows have a strong argument to make as well including two with lyrics by sheldon harnick fiddler on the roof and she loves me as well as the deaf west theater production of spring awakening
isherwood i think youre right that color purple will take the award although the spring awakening revival was fresh and inventive in its own way color purple truly felt like an entirely different show it was mildly surprising by the way that bartlett sher was not given a nomination for directing fiddler on the roof
paulson some of the acting categories will be competitive too
isherwood yes leading actress in a musical is a really tough one with laura benanti carmen cusack cynthia erivo jessie mueller and phillipa soo im particularly glad that carmen cusack of bright star got a leading actress nomination and that the show did as well as it did winning a best musical nomination and four others was this the first year that five musicals were nominated still i think cynthia erivo is the likely winner michael do you think hamilton will win in all the categories its nominated in thus setting a record or might there be a spoiler in one or two
paulson i dont think hamilton will win them all most people ive talked with agree with you that cynthia erivo is the leading contender to win best leading actress in a musical for example and i think that choreography set design costume design and lighting design are all competitive
heller lets talk about plays both new and revivals there are five new musicals nominated but only four new plays is that a sign that it wasnt all that strong a year for new plays
isherwood there are rarely more than a handful of new plays on broadway during any season it seems musicals dominate the business and are now regularly being put in what once were considered straight play theaters im racking my brain to think of a new play that wasnt nominated only one i can think of is our mothers brief affair and for what its worth i think the humans is the likely winner this year
paulson also notable the two leading contenders for best new play the humans and eclipsed are both by american writers this is a category often won by brits   last year for example it was the curious incident of the dog in the night time
heller ive also read that the four nominees mike bartlett danai gurira stephen karam and florian zeller are under 40 and first timers on broadway   havent fact checked that yet but its a good sign when it comes to revivals you have the big guns   eugene oneill and two arthur miller productions plus blackbird these are mighty acting showcases and they dominate the leading actor nominations any predictions or surprises can you not win a tony playing mary tyrone
isherwood dont forget that noises off was also included   making for two revivals not by dead people anyway i think jessica lange has a pretty good shot at winning it is one of the two great roles for women in the american canon along with blanche dubois and she received largely glowing reviews i found her performance to be very moving and accomplished
paulson i think many folks expected that ben whishaw would get a nod for his work in the crucible but he didnt but what do you think scott what were your biggest surprises of the morning
heller i thought audra mcdonald would be a shoo in for shuffle along and i expected benjamin walker to be nominated for american psycho whether you do or dont like the show i liked it he is onstage virtually every minute and is scary and magnetic throughout the night i was there he stayed in character to call out someone in the front row for making noise and it was chilling this makes two great antihero roles that have gone unrecognized following bloody bloody andrew jackson
isherwood i was not as enamored of his performance or the show i was disappointed that more of the cast of the crucible was not singled out mr whishaw was wonderful as were saoirse ronan and tavi gevinson
heller lets look ahead to the awards broadcast itself will it be exciting to see one show dominate or will we be overstuffed with hamilton by june 12 and what do you expect from james corden
isherwood frankly i am already a little overstuffed with hamilton but i do think that a show like this generates excitement that spills over into the broadcast it will certainly goose the ratings or so it is expected james corden will be funny thats the gig and he is but its a bit odd to have a brit hosting angela lansbury was technically born british but shes thoroughly american now i cant think of another british host but my memory can be spotty
paulson on the other hand james corden is a tony winner for his riotous performance in one man two guvnors and has demonstrated a great love for musical theater so i think hell put on a good show and lets not forget that most of america has not yet seen hamilton   the only televised performance so far has been on the grammys   so i agree that interest will be high
the challenge for cbs et al over the next few weeks will be to figure out how to balance hamilton mania with the desire to feature the other nominated shows and maybe even some of the non nominated shows on the broadcast hamilton of course is a tough ticket to come by and producers are hoping that viewers of the tony broadcast even if they tune in to watch lin manuel miranda can be enticed to buy tickets to other shows all of which actually have available seats
heller thanks so much well have plenty more to say in the coming weeks until then read michaels full article on the nominations here and join us tomorrow around 1045 am for a facebook live report from the meet and greet with todays tired and happy nominees


beijing   newly married in san francisco two men with matching red ties held hands and smiled broadly as they bounded out of city hall on a recent sunny day
though a common enough scene in the bay area the marriage ceremony for this couple was notable for many chinese people seeing the news one of the men was hanscom smith the united states consul general in shanghai photographs of his marriage posted tuesday on the official chinese microblog account of the united states consul general generated interest in china which does not allow same sex marriage
mr smith married lu yingzong or eric lu who is from taipei taiwan an island that is independently governed but that the chinese communist party claims it rules
one chinese internet user by the name of daniel chen dandan posted an image of a beating heart on a microblog writing respect any type of love
a few official chinese news media websites picked up the photographs of the wedding and posted a short accompanying announcement one photograph showed the men exchanging rings in front of a judge at city hall
the reports of the marriage were pointed reminders for some that china prohibits same sex marriage a gay couple in hunan province filed a lawsuit last year for the right to be married and a court surprisingly accepted the case in january but a judge ruled against the couple last month
one of the men sun wenlin was told in a telephone interview on tuesday that mr smith and mr lu had married in san francisco
i support them very much he said my best wishes to them
he added that he hoped the visibility of the marriage would push chinese officials to allow same sex marriage in the future
despite the court ruling mr sun said he had made plans with his partner hu mingliang to hold a marriage ceremony in a park on may 17 the international day against homophobia he recently helped start a crowdfunding campaign to raise money for 100 gay couples across china to hold public marriage ceremonies
mr smith the american diplomat has served in embassy posts across the world including in afghanistan cambodia and thailand as well as in the american institute in taiwan the de facto embassy for the united states on that island
in an interview posted on a website of the american chamber of commerce in shanghai mr smith said it was important for american officials like him to engage with the chinese audience directly through social media
in september 2014 the british consul general in shanghai brian davidson married his chinese american partner scott chang at the british ambassadors residence in beijing the wedding caused a stir on chinese social media networks
mr smith who arrived in shanghai that month was asked by the state run newspaper global times what he thought about mr davidsons wedding
i have not yet had the chance to meet my british counterpart mr smith said but i congratulate him on his wedding


berlin   one of the leaders of pegida the german anti immigrant movement was found guilty of incitement on tuesday for insulting refugees in a social media post two years ago
lutz bachmann who helped found pegida the german acronym for patriotic europeans against the islamization of the west was ordered by the district court in dresden to pay a fine of 9600 euros or 11000 prosecutors had sought a jail sentence of up to seven months for the post in which he called immigrants cattle brutes and trash
mr bachmann insisted throughout his trial that someone else had posted the remarks to his facebook page according to a local public broadcaster mdr it was not clear if mr bachmann who has previous convictions of theft drug dealing and failing to provide child support would seek an appeal
tuesday was not the first time that mr bachmann has run into trouble over his presence on social media last year he was briefly forced to step down as the head of pegida after posting a picture of himself dressed as hitler to his facebook account
the pegida movement emerged in the fall of 2014 and at its height brought together as many as 25000 people to its weekly marches through the streets of dresden supporters shout slogans against migrants muslims and the government similar movements have sprung up throughout germany and europe although the dresden marches have attracted the most attention and support
the influx of migrants in germany has been accompanied by a rise in the popularity of the far right notably in saxony where citizens have responded to the arrival of migrants and asylum seekers with protests that have often turned violent


rome   stealing food from a supermarket may not be a crime in italy if you are homeless and hungry the nations highest appeals court has ruled
in a case that has drawn comparisons to les miserables the supreme court of cassation threw out the conviction of a homeless man from ukraine roman ostriakov who was caught trying to take 407 euros   about 470   worth of cheese and sausage from a store in genoa without paying for it a trial court sentenced him in february 2015 to six months in jail and a fine of EUR100
the condition of the defendant and the circumstances in which the merchandise theft took place prove that he took possession of that small amount of food in the face of the immediate and essential need for nourishment acting therefore in a state of need and therefore the theft does not constitute a crime the appellate court wrote in its decision which was reported on monday by the italian news agency ansa
the courts decision went far beyond what the appeal in the case had sought valeria fazio the prosecutor at the genoa court where the trial was held said in a telephone interview that her office understood that mr ostriakov had stolen only out of need and had appealed in hopes that the court might set a more lenient sentence
but the court decided that he doesnt have to be punished at all ms fazio said
the court has yet to release its full reasoning in the case but gherardo colombo a former member of the supreme court of cassation said it seemed to rely on an italian legal doctrine ad impossibilia nemo tenetur
the term is latin for no one is expected to do the impossible
maurizio bellacosa a professor of criminal law at luiss university in italy who has often argued cases before the court of cassation said that the application of that doctrine in a shoplifting case has a certain novelty
they rarely apply the state of necessity  mr bellacosa said and when they do it is generally in cases like a castaway who fights with another shipwreck victim for the last raft he has to save his life
when examining thefts by poor people he said usually the court classifies these cases as smaller crimes but crimes as poverty is considered avoidable through the social support system
in contrast with the american legal system the decisions of the court of cassation do not necessarily create binding precedents for lower courts to follow but mr bellacosa said the decision in the ostriakov case is a new principle and it might lead to a more frequent application of the state of necessity linked to poverty situations
the ruling quickly generated a heated response in italy
for the supreme judges the right to survival has prevailed over the right to property massimo gramellini an editor at la stampa a newspaper based in turin wrote in an opinion column in america that would be blasphemy and here as well some conformists will talk about a legitimation of proletarian expropriation
in the 1970s when italy was rocked by violent leftist groups like the red brigades radicalized youths plundered supermarkets with impunity in the name of the working class but they stole caviar and champagne mr gramellini added now people dont steal to pursue an ideal but to fill up their stomach
another commentator goffredo buccini writing approvingly of the decision in the italian daily corriere della sera likened the current situation to the period right after world war ii when the italian economy was in ruins
as the law is nothing else but the box where our living together takes shape it was unthinkable that jurisprudence did not take reality into account mr buccini wrote he cited statistics from confcommercio a trade association showing that thefts resulting from hunger have been on the rise in recent years
italy has managed only a fitful recovery from the financial crisis that began in 2008 according to the world bank gross domestic product per capita is about where it was in 2010 and the international monetary fund projects that the economy will grow by a sluggish 13 percent this year in some italian cities homelessness has become more prevalent
mr colombo the former member of the supreme court of cassation said he believed that the decision in the ostriakov case was correct
under the italian constitution and the universal declaration of human rights everyone has a legal right to dignity he said in a telephone interview emphasizing that he was offering only his own opinion if you cant eat because you have absolutely no money and cannot sustain yourself without taking something you dont own in this case the italian criminal law justifies this theft
mr ostriakov 30 was spotted by another customer when he tried to leave the supermarket with cheese and sausage in his pocket after having only paid for some breadsticks mr colombo said it was important legally that the theft was nonviolent
it would have been different if he had committed a robbery he said they wouldnt have acquitted him


frankfurt   the head of development for porsche has left the automaker seven months after he was suspended for possible involvement in volkswagens emissions cheating scandal porsche said tuesday
wolfgang hatz 57 a well known figure in motoring circles left porsche at his own request the company said mr hatz was suspended in september soon after volkswagen which is porsches parent company admitted rigging diesel engines to evade emissions tests
porsche said in a statement tuesday that an internal investigation had found no evidence that mr hatz shared responsibility for the emissions cheating but he decided to leave the company in light of the continuing investigation and suspension porsche said
volkswagen diesel vehicles as well as some audi and porsche models were programmed to run emissions controls at full capacity only when the cars were being tested at other times they flouted pollution limits
mr hatz the former head of engine and transmission development at volkswagen helped develop the motor at the center of the emissions scandal he was also a critic of the pollution regulations imposed on automakers
in 2007 shortly after being named head of engine and transmission development at volkswagen mr hatz complained at an event in san francisco that new rules on tailpipe emissions in california were unrealistic
i see it as nearly impossible for us mr hatz said of a proposed regulation during the event which was filmed by an auto website
as recently as february oliver blume the chief executive of porsche said he would like to bring mr hatz back to the company in a statement tuesday wolfgang porsche a member of the family that founded the sports car maker and the largest shareholder in volkswagen praised mr hatzs outstanding work and gave him credit for reviving porsches racing program
mr hatz had overseen porsches famed development and testing center in weissach germany since 2011 he was responsible for the introduction of the 918 spyder a plug in hybrid super sports car that can accelerate from zero to 60 miles an hour in less than three seconds
mr hatz will be succeeded by michael steiner 51 who has held various management positions in porsche research and development most recently as head of quality


the surprising departure of jed bernstein last month after just 27 months as president of lincoln center was prompted not by a change in career plans as announced but by the discovery that he had been in a relationship with a staff member the organization acknowledged on tuesday
the center the worlds leading performing arts complex had presented the resignation as a sudden but understandable decision by a cultural leader who wanted to return to producing shows for the stage where he had spent much of his career
in reality mr bernstein 61 was forced from the top post after an anonymous complaint revealed that he had been involved in a consensual relationship with a woman in her 30s who worked for him   and whom he had twice promoted according to two people briefed on his resignation they spoke on condition of anonymity because negotiations over his departure were confidential
after repeated requests during the past several weeks to elaborate on mr bernsteins departure lincoln center on tuesday provided a statement to the new york times through the crisis management firm rubenstein the statement said that in response to the complaint received in march lincoln center immediately retained independent outside counsel to conduct an investigation and determined that mr bernstein had violated lincoln center human resources policy by not disclosing a personal relationship with an employee
mr bernstein as president had been positioned to lead lincoln center into a new era of prominence led by a fund raising effort to turn the new york philharmonics acoustically challenged home into a world class symphonic hall
but even with 100 million from david geffen the job of raising an additional 400 million to cover the projected cost has become more difficult with the departure of such a key figure lincoln centers operations are now being directed by katherine g farley the chairwoman who said in a statement at the time of mr bernsteins resignation that lincoln center is in a very strong position artistically operationally and financially
mr bernstein did not respond to calls and messages over the past several weeks on tuesday he said in an email sent by his publicist cristyne l nicholas i take full responsibility for my actions and have cooperated fully with lincoln center i remain proud of the incredible group of colleagues with whom i have worked at lincoln center and the accomplishments that we were able to achieve together and as i move forward to my next chapter i wish them continued success
concerns about mr bernstein first came to the boards attention in november when he asked to renew his contract which was to expire in december 2016 in preparation lincoln center   which was planning to grant the renewal   sought feedback about him from members of the senior staff
while some praised mr bernstein for his energy and enthusiasm others complained about his management style namely his telling off color jokes and addressing female employees as sweetie and honey the people briefed on the matter said
lincoln center executives asked mr bernstein to work with a coach to correct the behavior which he began to do the sources said the entire staff was also given a refresher workshop in sensitivity training lincoln center however did not believe that its presidents conduct constituted sexual harassment the people knowledgeable about his departure said
then in march before the contract was finalized an anonymous complaint alerted lincoln center executives about a sexual relationship between mr bernstein and a female employee whom he had promoted most recently to a senior position in september both mr bernstein and the employee are single
to investigate lincoln center enlisted outside counsel   jeffrey s klein chairman of the employment litigation practice group at weil gotshal  manges
although the inquiry determined that the relationship had ended by the time mr bernstein was confronted and that it appeared to be consensual the sources said it violated lincoln centers policies about senior management dating subordinates the organization declined to provided a copy of the policy
lincoln center officials confronted mr bernstein who agreed to resign and was paid a sum of money according to the terms of his contract which are confidential
as for why lincoln center did not originally disclose the true circumstances of mr bernsteins departure the sources said the institution wanted to protect the woman involved the times is withholding her name to protect her privacy
lincoln center was also satisfied that the woman having been twice promoted under its previous president reynold levy deserved the latest promotion that she had received from mr bernstein the sources said
mr bernstein took over from mr levy in january 2014 mr levy a prodigious fund raiser who oversaw the institutions ambitious 12 billion renovation served for 11 years a search for mr bernsteins successor is underway
before coming to lincoln center mr bernstein spent more than a decade as president of the broadway league the industrys national trade association he also produced broadway shows and helped to re establish the bucks county playhouse in pennsylvania as a stage for live theater
he landed the lincoln center job partly because former mayor michael r bloomberg a friend of ms farley had supported him mr bernstein and his brother doug directed the mayors performance in the annual inner circle show
the organization never received information suggesting that mr bernstein had any history of comparable misconduct the sources said and the issue did not surface in his vetting as a candidate
when he was hired in may 2013 mr bernstein struck many as a surprising choice because he had a marketing background and had never run a nonprofit institution let alone one with multiple prominent constituents which in this case include the metropolitan opera and the new york city ballet


beasts  bottles the beasts in question are mostly pedigreed chickens from various farms spinning on the rotisserie in full view they come truffled dressed with herbs provencal style or seasoned with chile and hoisin sauce the chef laurent kalkotour is an owner along with the manager leslie affre and the sommelier alexander lapratt all of them partners in the brooklyn restaurant atrium dumbo mr lapratts wine choices emphasize magnums and other big bottles often poured by the glass and favoring beaujolais champagnes and selections from the rhone theres a duck feast for two to four lots of terrines and charcuterie and even a vegetarian dish from the rotisserie as at atrium dumbo this dining room has a wall of plants 151 atlantic avenue clinton street brooklyn heights 718 855 3158 beastsandbottlescom
metrograph commissary the food at screenings of golden oldies and other films at this plush new cinema is not everyday popcorn and soda a 45 seat skylit restaurant run by henry rich an owner of rucola and june serves new american food prepared by dennis spina who was at roebling tea room norberto piattoni who was francis mallmanns chef de cuisine is the consultant theres also a lounge bars and a private dining room opens thursday 7 ludlow street canal street 212 660 0312 metrographcom
don muang airport zachary mexico and billy jones who own babys all right a showcase for bands and entertainment have carved out an area in the space for this thai restaurant the consulting chef jarrett wrisley owns soul food mahanakorn in bangkok the chef michael sablan who was at mission chinese food will run the operation day to day there will be serious thai dishes like green curry fried rice spicy larb and pulled pork in khao soi coconut curry along with a burger monday 146 broadway bedford avenue williamsburg brooklyn 718 599 5800 donmuangairportbkcom
izi the renovation of the blue fin space in the w new york times square hotel has given the ground floor over to an izakaya style japanese restaurant with sushi and sashimi bar snacks poke bowls and korean double fried chicken blue fin is on the second floor thursday 1567 broadway 47th street 212 918 1405 izinewyorkcom
the landing the spacious restaurant lounge and private dining areas offer bruschettas salads pasta and sandwiches the chef is adam shepard who was at lunetta in boerum hill industry city building 2 220 36th street second avenue sunset park brooklyn 347 417 8483
bear restaurant natasha pogrebinsky has closed her eastern european spot in astoria queens and is cooking at starlight 596 grand avenue lorimer street in williamsburg brooklyn she said she may look for a new permanent location for bear
kitchit brendan marshall and ian ferguson have shut down their internet based dinner service after five years saying the reason was a lack of funding
red stixs the chinese restaurant that replaced chin chin in midtown has closed the original in the hamptons will not open this season either
atla enrique olvera the much lauded mexican chef will open a second new york restaurant with about 60 seats and more informal than cosme in early fall 372 lafayette street great jones street
gjelina and gjusta this restaurant and bakery cafe from travis lett fran camaj and shelley armistead who run the popular places by the same names in venice calif will move into in a two story space around the end of the year ken friedman and april bloomfield are helping the owners navigate the complexities of opening in new york 45 bond street bowery
sugarfish by sushi nozawa the southern california sushi chain owned by kazunori nozawa and jerry a greenberg is to open in new york around the end of the year in the space that is currently the moore brothers wine company the shop lost its lease and is moving this summer to the industry city complex in sunset park brooklyn 33 east 20th street


im doing it all wrong
thats the first thing i learned in a recent long overdue crash course in knife skills
of course i can chop an onion i know adults who cant and that explains why some people hate to cook when chopping an onion takes 20 minutes producing an entire meal becomes unthinkably onerous but i learned by watching other home cooks
so my grip on the knife wrong
my hold on the onion wrong
the motion of my wrist forget about it
in the first 10 minutes of class it seemed a miracle that i had ever managed this task with my pliocene era motor skills by the end it seemed a miracle that chopping onions could be so fluid that using a sharpening steel was so easy that bell peppers could practically unfurl from their cores at the touch of a blade
i did not master the difference between a brunoise and a macedoine but i did extract enough useful information to improve my cooking on a daily basis that information along with experience from a lifetime in the kitchen is distilled in our knife skills guide
a home cook can lead a rich full kitchen life without ever learning to cut properly but there are excellent reasons to learn how knives are used in a professional kitchen
maintain sharpness for safety and speed the bromide sharp knives cut dull knives slip is absolutely true and when the blade is sharp and straight it does more of the work of cutting which in turn makes the job go faster you cant learn speed you can only develop it said sydney willcox an instructor at the brooklyn kitchen chefs dont use different cuts from home cooks they just do it faster
reduce the physical work the classic chefs grip has evolved for a reason it lets you use the weight of the knife the sharpness of its blade and your body weight to move the knife instead of the strength of your arm and hand and chefs rarely take the extra step of peeling i just carve off the sides with my knife the chef jesse schenker said right away i have a squared off shape to work with which saves time and makes for even dice
make the food better cutting all your pieces the same size is for cooking not just for looking said sue gonsalves who teaches at the institute of culinary education in manhattan uniformly sized and shaped pieces will cook at the same rate
i still do it wrong most of the time its difficult to unlearn decades of habit but absolutely worth it to feel the knife as an extension of your hand to watch its blade rock back and forth as tiny cubes or thin slices fall to the cutting board is to experience one of the great pleasures of cooking practice on a recipe like celery salad which calls for chopping slicing halving and julienning
in time the repetition of good knife work becomes a meditative practice   with piles of ingredients to show for it
learn more with our guide to basic knife skills
recipe marinated celery salad with chickpeas and parmesan


its safe to say that leicester citys triumph in englands premier league this season was unlikely
but theres unlikely and then theres unlikely before the season started you could get 5000 to 1 odds that leicester would win the title
now that we know miracles happen are there other long shots on the horizon that might rival leicesters improbable win
we checked the british legal bookmaker ladbrokes and found some other unlikely events listed in order of improbability
33 1
the nashville predators to win the stanley cup playoffs only eight teams remain in the chase for the cup but the predators were in a hole down by two games to none against the sharks entering tuesday nashville tied for 13th in the regular season and has never in its history gone beyond this round still almost anything can happen in the nhl playoffs
125 1
the portland trail blazers to win the nba playoffs entering tuesday portland trailed the mighty golden state warriors one game to none an astonishing comeback in that series would still leave the trail blazers to face the thunder or the spurs and then probably the cavaliers a tall order but still only 125 1
150 1
the cleveland browns to win the super bowl the hapless browns last made the playoffs in 2002 and last won it all in 1964 last season they were 3 13 making them the longest shots to win the next super bowl maybe robert griffin iii will make the difference
250 1
seven songs in the eurovision song contest russia is the 2 1 favorite in the annual kitschfest which is being broadcast on american television for the first time this year several songs are judged to be bad enough to reward loyalists at 250 1 including montenegros hard rock offering the real thing by highway
300 1
northern ireland to win the euro 2016 soccer title having qualified for a major tournament for the first time since 1986 northern ireland is the outsider for this summers contest in france its group includes poland ukraine and world cup winning germany
500 1
the atlanta braves to win the world series atlanta has started 7 19 after going 67 95 last year somehow the braves have hit only six home runs all season
1000 1
watford west brom and burnley to win the premier league in 2016 17 the chance that leicester city will repeat next season is slight but not outlandish at 25 1 these three teams have far less of a chance watford and west brom are probably just relieved not to be relegated burnley is in the drivers seat to win the championship the tier right below the premier league and join the league next season
1500 1
hungary to win the world hockey championship while russia canada finland and sweden will be in the mix at the worlds this month in russia hungary will be there too after being promoted from a lower group last year with only a handful of nhl players on its roster it is a lot more likely to be relegated back than to win the title hungary did finish in fifth in the championships  in 1937
2000 1
northern ireland to win the world cup while northern ireland has qualified for the 24 team euro tournament this summer it will be hard pressed to be one of the 13 european teams that make it to the 2018 cup in russia much less win it ladbrokes does not offer odds on all the minnows and the likes of andorra or liechtenstein would have even longer odds
3000 1
mexico senegal and puerto rico to win the olympic mens basketball gold medal the united states is a prohibitive favorite of course if you bet 12 pounds on the americans with ladbrokes and are right you will get your 12 pounds back plus just one more to even make the olympics these three teams have to get through qualifying tournaments against international powers like italy france and serbia then they would have to find a way to the gold without big name players
but as leicester has taught us it could happen
so when gorgui dieng and maleye ndoye lead senegal past kevin durant and stephen curry in the final in rio you can just shrug your shoulders and say eh ive seen stranger


the parent company of the struggling new york grocery chain fairway market filed for bankruptcy on monday just three years after taking the company public after an ambitious expansion plan failed to generate enough sales to pay down the companys debt
the grocery store chain has been a destination for gourmands in new york for decades but it has faced increasing pressure in recent years from fresh food rivals like whole foods market and trader joes a leveraged buyout of the chain by a private equity firm led to an aggressive store opening plan that vacuumed up cash and sent the stock companys stock price plummeting
in its statement and court filings fairway emphasized that it would execute a chapter 11 restructuring plan without interruption to its business landlords trade creditors and employees will be unaffected the company said as part of the plan fairways senior lenders will exchange debt for common equity and 84 million of debt in the reorganized company
nathan glickberg started fairway in the 1930s as a fruit and vegetable stand on the upper west side under the name 74th street market in 1954 the company expanded into meat cheese and dairy products and then gradually into a wider variety of specialties the company now operates 15 in locations in the greater new york city area including four wine and spirits stores
fairway is famous for apples stacked to the ceiling olives straight from italy new york style bagels hand sliced smoked salmon prime beef and specialty imports jack murphy fairways chief executive said in a statement on monday nobody slices a fish or boils a bagel like us nobody
in 2007 the company sold an 80 percent stake to sterling investment partners a private equity firm based in westport conn for 150 million including 71 million that was added as debt on the companys balance sheet under sterling and fed by new debt the company expanded into new markets stores opened in new jersey connecticut and elsewhere
that expansion plan became more aggressive after 2013 when the company had an initial public offering of stock selling shares for 13
but fairway did not just face growing competition from whole foods and trader joes which were opening new stores that catered to the same specialty tastes cheaper mass retailers   like dollar stores drugstores and convenience stores   also ate into fairways business the company said in its bankruptcy filings
shares of fairways stock plummeted on tuesday the stock fell another 51 percent to 10 cents a share
for the 52 week period that ended april 3 same store sales fell 6 percent according to court filings
at the beginning of last year executives conducted an extensive process to try to sell the company or attract additional investment according to its bankruptcy filings with the help of the investment bank greenhill  company fairway contacted more than 60 potential suitors
unfortunately no acceptable proposals were put forward the company said in february fairway warned that its failure to attract additional investors threatened its ability to continue operating
for the nine months that ended dec 27 2015 fairway reported a net loss of 36 million as of that date the company listed assets of 346 million and liabilities of 397 million according to court filings
on monday the company said that its restructuring plan would help ease the burden of 279 million in loans and would restore fairway to long term financial health


after sliding into a banquette at brasserie cognac a french restaurant on broadway eric ripert didnt even give the lunchtime menu a glance
i want cheese souffle steak au poivre and tarte tatin he told jolie white the general manager he asked for the steak cooked rare he decided the meal deserved a glass of red wine
voila ms white said with a brisk nod of affirmation classic
mr ripert 51 works a few blocks away as the chef at le bernardin the holy seafood sanctuary that has been viewed for decades as a gold standard of culinary exquisiteness since its debut in 1986 the restaurant has received four stars from the new york times all five times it has been reviewed mr ripert landed there in 1991 when he wants to come home to classic bistro fare though he often heads to this far more everyday place
to me theres something magical about souffle he said to this day when i see a souffle rising im mesmerized im just like a kid again
on the surface it may look like an exercise in gauzy gallic nostalgia but anyone who dips into mr riperts forthcoming memoir 32 yolks will realize that just like a kid again is a very complicated phrase for mr ripert
his formative years in france and andorra were marked by a fair share of misery his parents split his dashing and beloved father died of a heart attack when eric was 11 and his stepfather whom he refers to by the pseudonym hugo seemed to delight in dishing out an endless array of torment
he was a parasite mr ripert said it was a disaster for the family he basically destroyed our life with mr riperts encouragement his mother eventually kicked hugo out of the house
for a while mr ripert lonely and angry was shipped to a boarding school where he says he fended off the advances of a predatory former priest and his early forays into the hospitality business included mishaps both comic a marx brothers style spilling incident in culinary school and agonizing a martin scorsese style body scalding in the kitchen at la tour dargent in paris
mr ripert has been a prominent figure in new york city since 1991 but fans of his cooking and even his closest friends have remained unaware of his youthful pain
i had no idea said anthony bourdain who has spent countless hours talking and traveling with mr ripert the chef has always struck him as a happy and balanced person prone to neither the neurosis nor the self sabotage that would hint at the presence of hidden scars
i knew it wasnt a happy childhood but i had no idea how dark mr bourdain said you just dont see evidence of that darkness he compared 32 yolks to a dickens novel i was absolutely as the brits say gobsmacked he said i read it in one sitting
in the book composed in collaboration with the author veronica chambers who met with mr ripert for scores of conversations in a private room at le bernardin food serves as a frequent source of comfort and an occasional arena of agony
there are the elaborate nourishing meals prepared at home by his mother monique my mother worked six days a week at her boutique but she cooked like a michelin starred chef every single night mr ripert writes
and there are lessons in the soul of cooking from men like jacques quillacq a stocky and temperamental chef in andorra who befriended the young eric after the death of his father and georges desbouges a gentleman farmer in gascony who took mr ripert under his wing and taught him about meat and smoke and country fare just before mr ripert moved to the united states and began to make a name for himself
but there are also brutal tours of duty in the kitchens of la tour dargent and jamin the three michelin star atelier where the chef joel robuchon ruled according to 32 yolks like the nit picking trip wired darth vader of degustation
everyone dealt with the pressure differently mr ripert writes of his comrades at jamin some guys shook all the time some went downstairs and cried in the stairwell i saw a few guys punch the walls some guys suffered crippling anxiety attacks
over lunch mr ripert said he still endures a recurring nightmare about mr robuchon the dream happens every two or three months still mr ripert said i fail in america in my career and i go back to work for him
in a response for this article mr robuchon wrote in an email let me be clear i am very demanding with my team almost as much as with myself but i condemn violence in any form whatsoever he said that the book described a high pressure period when jamin was trying to win its third michelin star and that in the years since he had become more flexible he described mr ripert as a friend with whom he regularly keeps in touch
mr riperts book is also full of passages of mystical beauty and raw emotion including a heartbreaking scene in which the young eric experiences a visitation from his dead fathers spirit and finds a moment to say goodbye in spite of all the rich material though an editor at random house had to pursue mr ripert relentlessly for years to persuade him to do the book
he resisted for the same reason that his close friends knew next to nothing about his childhood he is not wired to spill or to linger in the past im very much in the present and i never go back in time he said
all of the experiences chronicled in 32 yolks both bright and dark feed into mr riperts work at le bernardin he strives to run his kitchen the kind way the compassionate way as a sharp break from the reign of terror chef is god approach embedded in centuries of french tradition
you can achieve the exact same results he said but going the kind way is a much longer process if you get kicked in the butt you learn immediately
in his culinary aesthetic the discipline and precision that he absorbed from mr robuchon are paired with a deep love of home cooking and a rustic honesty that mr ripert picked up along the way
the power of the flavors   that comes from soul food he said without such roots he added your food stays pretty and superficial
much of what he cooks and eats is tangled in the memories that he explores in 32 yolks the cheese souffle at brasserie cognac reminded him of his mothers crab souffle
everything is in this souffle for me he said it warms your body it warms your soul at the same time his mothers rendition was so delicate that it defied being made in volume
it was my big frustration not to be able to do the crab souffle at le bernardin he said as a child he was in his own words something of a glutton and his appetite has never really waned i dont eat for memory he said i eat because i love what im going to eat and then it brings the memory
mr riperts appetite for comfort food and memories was in evidence over lunch where he inhaled all but a few scraps of his colossal repast when it comes to food he feels no impulse to hold back
why would i he said i cannot eat and think about restriction when i eat i eat i do not understand the idea of guilty pleasure its all about pleasure


warplanes level a hospital in the rebel held half of aleppo syria killing one of the citys last pediatricians a saudi led military coalition bombs a hospital in yemen in afghanistan american aircraft pummel a hospital mistaken for a taliban redoubt
the rules of war enshrined for decades require hospitals to be treated as sanctuaries from war   and for health workers to be left alone to do their jobs
but on todays battlefields attacks on hospitals and ambulances surgeons nurses and midwives have become common punctuating what aid workers and united nations officials describe as a new low in the savagery of war
on tuesday the security council unanimously adopted a resolution to remind warring parties everywhere of the rules demanding protection for those who provide health care and accountability for violators the measure urged member states to conduct independent investigations and prosecute those found responsible for violations in accordance with domestic and international law
but the resolution also raised an awkward question can the worlds most powerful countries be expected to enforce the rules when they and their allies are accused of flouting them
russian warplanes were blamed for the bombing of syrian health centers for instance and syrian soldiers backed by the kremlin continue to remove lifesaving medicines even painkillers from united nations aid convoys heading into rebel held areas
at the same time britain and the united states back a saudi led coalition that is accused of attacking health facilities in yemen china and russia support the government of sudan which is accused of at least two attacks on health facilities supported by doctors without borders the international medical charity in kordofan state
from the charitys international president dr joanne liu seated at the security councils horseshoe shaped table came the sharpest rebuke to the councils five permanent veto wielding members
you therefore must live up to your extraordinary responsibilities and set an example for all states she said i repeat stop these attacks
without naming the countries she criticized the united states   for having refused to submit the american attack in october on her organizations hospital in kunduz afghanistan to an independent international inquiry   just as she scolded russia for having denied that its warplanes had hit civilian targets in syria
broad attacks on communities and precise attacks on health facilities are described as mistakes are denied outright or are simply met with silence she said
just hours before a maternity hospital was hit in aleppo on the government held side syrian state news media reported fatalities and heavy damage at the hospital and blamed insurgent shelling
last wednesday airstrikes believed to have been carried out by the syrian government demolished a hospital in the rebel held portion of aleppo killing dozens of people including one of the citys last pediatricians
there is plenty of blame to go around in 11 of the worlds war zones between 2011 and 2014 the international committee of the red cross tallied nearly 2400 acts of violence against those who were trying to provide health care that works out to two attacks a day
peter maurer the president of the international committee of the red cross who attended the security council vote commended members for what he called a strong resolution even if only to remind combatants of longstanding rules of war
he warned members not to grow accustomed to attacks on hospitals and ambulances these are not sad realities we have to get used to he said they are abominations to fight and trends to roll back
the united states said it had punished the american soldiers implicated in the kunduz hospital bombing russia said it could not corroborate accusations leveled against russian forces in syria
that the resolution only echoed rules laid out decades ago was not lost on one of its main proponents gerard van bohemen the ambassador of new zealand these legal requirements already exist he said some are among the oldest rules of international humanitarian law the problem is one of respect and compliance
there have been high profile attacks on health workers in the past
serbian troops stormed a hospital in the croatian town of vukovar in 1991 removed several hundred patients and executed them sri lankan forces were accused of attacking hospitals in the tamil tiger held towns of the north in 2008 and 2009 during the last few months of the civil war in that country in pakistan taliban militants have assassinated dozens of health workers trying to vaccinate children against polio
targeting a medical facility is considered a war crime if proved to be deliberate that is a difficult legal hurdle and few prosecutions have been made against warring parties accused of attacking hospitals and health workers
the pentagon has said that the strike on the doctors without borders hospital in kunduz in october was unintentional british and american officials have increasingly publicly urged their allies in the saudi led coalition waging war in yemen to abide by international law though they have not called for international inquiries into possible rights violations in yemen as they have in syria a united nations panel of experts has documented what it described as widespread breaches pointing to airstrikes by the saudi led coalition as well as shelling of health facilities by houthi rebels
in yemen the poorest country in the middle east a fourth of all health care facilities were destroyed or shuttered in one year of war according to the united nations
saudi arabia was among the co sponsors of the security council resolution which was delicately worded
drafted by egypt japan new zealand spain and uruguay it avoids a direct reference to possible prosecutions by the international criminal court a delicate topic for some countries
but the resolution cites the statute that created the court condemns the prevailing impunity for attacks on health centers and calls on governments to carry out independent investigations
it also demands that armed combatants allow unimpeded access to health workers those demands have been repeatedly made in syria   and been ignored millions of people living in besieged and hard to reach areas have no access to medicines


district heights md   inside a crumbling school building in a neighborhood dotted by pawn shops fast food restaurants and strip malls a security guard is shouting into the girls restroom to make sure there are no problems outside a gaggle of boys is smoking trash overflows from a bin just beyond the schools fence
oblivious to the grim surroundings young artists are hard at work inside the building suitland high school those artists are eager participants in a rigorous four year academic and arts program that has survived budget cuts neighborhood violence and a constant shortage of art supplies although the program the center for visual and performing arts founded in 1986 has had dwindling enrollment it has been a crucible for emerging artists many of them african americans and some now rising to national prominence
sam vernon suitland class of 05 is represented in three current shows in new york city including one at the brooklyn museum eric n mack suitland 05 is preparing a show that opens in the fall in paris the two artists said that the world inside the annex as the arts center is known was where it all began   where they spent up to four hours a day with art teachers all practicing professionals close friends since ninth grade at suitland both ms vernon and mr mack went on to cooper union and later yale several of this years suitland graduates are also headed to well regarded college arts and design programs many with substantial financial aid among them is malik mills 17 who managed to produce finely detailed pen and ink drawings even as his family members faced eviction from their home my photography teacher was the first person to introduce conceptual art to me he said
for students intent on a career path in the arts suitland is an exemplar program for what we seek to see in schools all over the country said jeff poulin arts education manager for americans for the arts a nonprofit advocacy group yet programs such as suitlands he said are always at risk in public school systems with tight budgets
the suitland program which began as a magnet curriculum to comply with court ordered desegregation in prince georges county md is today largely african american suitlands arts programs have not fully recovered since countywide budget cuts in 2008 and a subsequent threat eventually lifted to a system that buses students from across sprawling prince georges county the seven teachers often dip into their own pockets to pay for supplies after quickly exhausting the 1000 annual allowance they each receive to cover all 65 students in drawing and painting photography printmaking computer graphics and art history
officials who manage the nearly 2 billion budget for 130000 county students from kindergarten through high school said that they were looking for ways to support suitlands program even as they worked to integrate the arts more fully into mainstream classrooms
phyllis wilson who leads the visual arts program at suitland said the class of 05 was an intense group she added we didnt have to motivate them they motivated each other
recalling the rigor of ms wilsons drawing class ms vernon said we were made to draw straight lines from one side of an 18 by 24 page to another for two or three weeks before we could even go on to observe objects and still lifes students receive a grounding in the basics in their first two years before choosing a concentration and there are frequent critique sessions
the teacher student connection is very deep and very long term and helps us develop and flourish as artists said yaa cunningham 17 who will attend the university of rochester in the fall and plans to study art
ms vernon 28 recalled the program as this magical thing she creates eclectic collages and designs with often subtle messages about the african american experience last year complexcom which focuses on youth culture and design tabbed her as one of 15 young black artists making waves in the art world
ms vernon said that suitlands program helped her step outside traditional art at the queens museum ms vernons louis  sam in the international 2016 show plays off louis armstrongs little known collages for the brooklyn museum she produced a black and white series of drawings and designs on vinyl it is in disguise masks and global african art a show exploring the evolution of the mask and contemporary forms of disguise that opened on friday and in an artistic trifecta that many more mature artists can only envy she recently mounted a 12 foot tall black and white collage for a pop up exhibition at the kings theater organized by the singer lauryn hill as part of her recent concert
mr mack 28 was recently named to forbess 30 under 30 promising talents in visual arts and design wrapped up a fellowship at studio museum in harlem in 2015 and is represented by the los angeles gallery moran bondaroff for one recent piece he bought mens jackets secondhand and used grommets to outline what looked like bullet holes in the fabric its the body kind of dealing with a subtractive form which in itself is an inherent violent act he said and it transforms the body into another space what people ended up bringing to the piece was it was like the body being shot
mr mack got his first taste of art as a child visiting the national gallery in washington his father was a security guard there and his mother worked in the archives when it came time for high school his parents wanted him out of their tough capitol heights neighborhood his brother had been a student in suitlands main building so mr mack knew a bit about the arts program once there he focused on photography sculpture and painting which influence his work today
a lot of my work right now has to do with imaging re presenting everyday images and surfaces mr mack said the suitland teachers encouraged students to get out of their classrooms and see the works up close in addition to the national gallery mr mack discovered the hirshhorn museum i saw newer more controversial works that went against the grain he said those visits helped him realize that he could antagonize and interrogate the tradition i was used to understanding in painting
david humphrey a new york artist and curator first met ms vernon and mr mack as graduate students at yale where he served as a critic on review panels both artists he said are very cogent and motivated adding they have the kind of focused tenacity to ride all the ups and downs and turns of their careers
at suitland teachers hope the program survives long enough to produce a few more like them


aby j rosen the manhattan real estate developer and art collector is well known for exhibiting works from his collection at the landmark seagram building and at lever house both on park avenue as well as at 530 park avenue a 19 story residential condominium he also has five pieces by picasso in his manhattan home and a controversial 33 foot tall bronze sculpture of a pregnant woman with an exposed fetus on the grounds of his estate in old westbury on long island
that 25 million 13 ton sculpture by damien hirst is one of 200 artworks that have put mr rosen at the center of another controversy   this one involving unpaid taxes
the new york attorney general eric t schneiderman announced a 7 million settlement with mr rosen on tuesday for failing to pay taxes on 80 million in artwork that he had bought or commissioned since 2002
art dealers who buy works solely for resale do not have to pay sales taxes but the attorney general said art buyers like mr rosen could not avoid sales or use taxes by claiming that the artwork they purchased was for sale while treating the pieces as they would their personal possessions
mr rosen used the artwork for his own enjoyment or to enhance the value of his real estate brand according to the attorney generals office
we are committed to rooting out tax abuses wherever we find them especially in the art world where the difference can be hundreds of thousands   if not millions   of dollars in lost tax revenue mr schneiderman said
law abiding new yorkers should not be stuck footing the bill for those who fail to pay their fair share
mr schneiderman a democrat said his office had uncovered serious abuses of tax law in the course of the investigation and he simultaneously announced a separate 210000 settlement with victoria gelfand an art dealer who had not paid sales or use taxes on 31 works bought from 2005 to 2013 including john baldessaris it couldnt be helped richard princes piney woods nurse and cindy shermans untitled no 217
ms gelfand is a director of the gagosian gallery but the settlement involved works that she bought over the past eight years through her own company artemis said deirdre a mcevoy with the law firm patterson belknap webb  tyler who is representing ms gelfand
ms gelfand intended to sell the works ms mcevoy said and she displayed some of the unsold art in her home
when dealers buy art they customarily submit a resale certificate indicating that they intend to put an item back on the market and therefore do not have to pay taxes the attorney general took the position that art dealers who display purchased art in their homes owe sales or use taxes ms mcevoy said while she disagreed ms mcevoy said ms gelfand wanted to do the right thing so she settled with the state
our understanding is that the ag is conducting a broad investigation into the use of resale certificates ms mcevoy said
in mr rosens case in addition to mr hirsts virgin mother sculpture the art covered by the settlement includes jean michel basquiats warrior for which mr rosen paid 91 million in 2012 andy warhols howdy doody which cost him 866500 in 2011 roy lichtensteins sock which cost him 525 million in 2011 and cy twomblys venere franchetti which cost 18 million in 2011
from 2002 to 2015 the attorney general said mr rosen used a company he formed in 2002 22nd century acquisitions to buy artwork and a second company lever house artwork to commission new art the companies in turn claimed an exclusion from sales taxes because the art was for resale
the settlement relates to an uncertainty as to whether some of mr rosens transactions were done as a private collector or as a dealer based on how artwork can be displayed for sale roxanne donovan a spokeswoman for mr rosen said in an email
mr rosen will continue to act as both an art dealer buying and selling fine art and as a private collector as applicable she continued
mr rosen and his partner michael fuchs have acquired or developed a total of three dozen office buildings hotels and apartment houses mostly in new york
the properties are often intertwined with mr rosens contemporary art collection which he has said contains more than 800 works worth well over 500 million in 2013 he opened a gallery in the sales office for 530 park avenue at 61st street which he had renovated providing one stop shopping for apartment buyers his company also offered commercial tenants advice on designing and decorating their spaces
mr rosen said in a 2014 interview that he was selling 30 to 40 artworks at any one time displaying the art he said increases its value
but he also caused a flap among preservationists and restaurant fans in 2014 when he sought the removal of an artwork he did not own a 19 by 20 foot theater curtain painted by picasso that had hung in the four seasons restaurant at the seagram building since it opened in 1959
eventually both the curtain known as le tricorne and the four seasons were evicted from the building the curtain now hangs at the new york historical society on the upper west side of manhattan which owns it
and in july four seasons will leave after 57 years the restaurant is likely to move to a new home three blocks to the south at 280 park avenue an office building between 48th and 49th streets
as part of his settlement with the attorney general mr rosen agreed to pay the proper taxes on artworks not acquired for resale and to employ outside accountants to prepare and file tax returns for 22nd century and lever house artwork


san francisco   ellen pao spent the last few years spotlighting the technology industrys lack of diversity in court and beyond erica baker caused a stir at google when she started a spreadsheet last year for employees to share their salaries highlighting the pay disparities between those of different genders doing the same job laura i gomez founded a start up focused on improving diversity in the hiring process
now the three   along with five other prominent silicon valley women from companies including pinterest stripe and slack   are starting an effort to collect and share data to help diversify the rank and file employees who make up tech companies the nonprofit venture called project include was unveiled on tuesday
the standard mantra for every company on diversity statistics is were not doing well but were working on it said ms pao a former venture capitalist at kleiner perkins caufield  byers who sued the firm for accusations of gender discrimination and lost people dont learn anything from that can you tell us what are you actually doing
the groups push is one of the more visible diversity efforts to come from women in silicon valley as tech companies grapple with criticism over the makeup of their work forces which skew white and male over the last few years tech entrepreneurs like kimberly bryant of black girls code and laura weidman powers of code 2040 have promoted the inclusion of young women and minorities in early computer science education programs with their start ups
project include stands out because of the number of well known tech women in the group who have championed diversity and are now banding together ms pao for one was in the headlines last year for her court case against kleiner perkins as well as her ouster as interim chief executive of reddit the online message board tracy chou a software engineer at pinterest who is also a founding member of project include has been one of the most vocal engineers concerning the lack of female peers
project includes other founders are freada kapor klein a partner at the kapor center and a longtime proponent of inclusion in tech susan wu of the mobile payments start up stripe y vonne hutchinson of the diversity consulting firm readyset and bethanye mckinney blount a former executive at reddit
all of them are working on project include outside of their respective workplaces on their own time
as part of project include the group plans to extract commitments from tech companies to track the diversity of their work forces over time and eventually share that data with other start ups the effort will focus on start ups that employ 25 to 1000 workers in the hope of spurring the companies to think about equality sooner rather than later the project will also ask for participation from venture capital firms that advise and mentor the start ups
project include aims to have 18 companies as part of its first cohort a few have already signed up the group will meet regularly for seven months to define and track specific metrics at the end of that period the group will publish an anonymized set of results to show the progress   or lack thereof   that the start ups have made around diversity
if companies start early with diversity and inclusion they dont have to bolt it on later which is much harder said ms baker the former google engineer who now works at slack a workplace collaboration software start up
the groups push is intended to cut through techs slow pace of change on diversity large companies including google facebook and microsoft have openly admitted their failings in creating diverse work forces and some have started programs to move the needle but that has not seemed to spur much movement in views on the issue
in december for instance michael moritz a partner at the venture capital firm sequoia capital made headlines when he said in an interview that his firm   which had no female investment partners in the united states   would focus on hiring women but would not lower its standards to do so he also said the firm was blind to gender and race
it is this incredibly self serving mythology that we are the best and the brightest and that the best ideas rise to the top and will get funded said ms kapor klein noting there is plenty of data to show that minority access to tech programs and networks is worse than that of white males despite an avalanche of rigorous data to the contrary the belief in pure meritocracy persists
many of the women involved in project include were already leading diversity efforts before they decided to collaborate last year for example ms pao became something of a magnet for women who were disenfranchised with inequality issues in tech after her case against kleiner perkins
so when ms pao had the seeds of the idea for what would become project include it was easy to find others to join forces she reached out over twitters private message system to ms baker who is known in silicon valley for raising awareness around diversity issues ms baker in turn introduced ms pao to ms hutchinson ms pao already knew ms blount through their time working together at reddit eventually over a dinner they settled on a group of eight with a number of outside supporters
kate mitchell managing director at the venture capital firm scale venture partners and a co chairwoman of a national venture capital association task force on diversity said her group was working with project include because of its tech centric start up approach to sharing data and information with other participants
its taking a page out of open source software ms mitchell said you measure you try things you iterate and then you build on top of each others ideas and make your companies even better
the hope over time is for members of project include to form a community open to discussing inclusion issues among one another a lot of these conversations are very uncomfortable for people ms pao said these are exactly the types of uncomfortable conversations that we need to have


when the republicans seized control of the house of representatives in 2010 both parties agreed on this much democrats wouldnt get it back anytime soon
now with 247 seats republicans hold their largest majority since the great depression and because state legislatures draw district lines to benefit incumbents fewer than 40 seats are now considered truly competitive
but the political force that is donald j trump has called that shared assumption into question by alienating huge blocks of general election voters in his drive for the republican presidential nomination mr trump has created the possibility of a democratic breakthrough
what trump has done is inject unpredictability into 2016 house races said david wasserman an expert on house races at the cook political report newsletter
the republicans 54 to 46 seat majority in the senate has always been in jeopardy they hold 24 of 34 senate seats on the ballot this fall seven of them in states that president obama carried twice
but the house had been considered out of reach for democrats mr wasserman began the election season projecting the loss of between five and 15 seats for the republicans which would still keep them in the majority
in the wake of mr trumps rise mr wasserman has bumped up that forecast to between 10 and 20 seats at the high end that still falls below the 30 seat gain democrats need to return the speakers gavel to nancy pelosi
but mr wasserman says the potential for mr trump if he ultimately secures the nomination to lose in a landslide this fall means larger gains cannot be ruled out
in the modern era of polarized evenly matched parties a popular vote margin of 10 percentage points or more is rare in general elections for president it hasnt happened in more than three decades but current polling suggests its not out of the question
in an nbc newswall street journal survey last month hillary clinton led mr trump 50 percent to 39 percent in a prospective general election matchup in the four previous presidential races only once has an eventual nominee ever led another by a margin that large in the nbcwall street journal poll
behind mr trumps deficit lie negative evaluations of him by a series of crucial target groups they include millennial voters 80 percent unfavorable in washington postabc news polling this spring white women 68 percent hispanics 85 percent and white college graduates 74 percent
given current boundaries for house members districts mr wasserman has identified dozens of republican held districts with one or more of six risk factors that could give democrats a chance if mrs clinton routs mr trump at the top of the ticket
they include the 26 republican held districts that mr obama carried in 2012 districts where latinos and asians make up at least 20 percent of the electorate and districts where at least 25 percent of adults hold a college degree
forty republican incumbents have at least three of the six risk factors retirements by republican incumbents have left democrats in position to compete for an additional 10 seats this fall
theres a danger for republicans mr wasserman said
to capitalize democratic house candidates will attempt to tie republican opponents to mr trump as closely as possible
republican candidates in turn will have to choose between embracing their partys nominee in the hopes of galvanizing core constituencies or joining the small number of house members explicitly refusing to endorse mr trump
democratic unity or the lack of it will play a critical role if hillary clinton as expected overcomes a feisty challenge from bernie sanders
to have a chance at recapturing the house mr wasserman said democrats need bernie to voice strong support for clinton and to campaign for her actively in the fall to drive out his voters
even if he does house democrats face an uphill fight not since 1980 when ronald reagan walloped the democratic incumbent jimmy carter has a party gained at least 30 house seats while winning a presidential election
mr reagans popular vote margin that year just under 10 percentage points


european soccers governing body voted tuesday to formally recognize the kosovo football federation as its 55th member in a vote at its annual congress in budapest serbia which does not recognize kosovo reacted angrily to the decision and said it would work to overturn it
recognition by the european body uefa paves the way for fifa membership for kosovo in a vote next week in mexico that would allow kosovo to enter qualifying for the 2018 world cup in russia a country that refuses to recognize it gibraltar which won a ruling favor i ng its own fifa membership at the court of arbitration for sport on monday is also likely to enter fifa next week
we will be able to bring people together through football said fadil vokrri kosovos federation president and a former international player for yugoslavia this is our vision for the future
the vote was close 28 to 24 in favor two ballots were declared invalid with opposition being led by serbia which like russia does not recognize kosovos independence
we must say no to politics tomislav karadzic the president of serbias soccer association told uefa members in a speech before the vote adding it would create tumult in the region and open a pandoras box throughout europe many serbs view kosovo as an inviolable part of their countrys territory
serbian officials said they would file a complaint with the court of arbitration for sport arguing that uefa had acted in violation of its statutes and referring to kosovo as the separatists
this could lead to serious divisions in the continents competitions marko djuric an official in serbias ruling party told reporters in belgrade they can only dream that our fight is over and that their uefa membership is definite
ever since fighting a war of independence against the serbs in the late 1990s kosovo has existed in political and cultural limbo despite being recognized by a majority of united nations and european union member states since declaring independence in 2008 kosovo has yet to win official recognition russia an ally of serbias has threatened to veto any such move at the united nations security council
with political recognition at a dead end sports became a battleground for kosovos international legitimacy in 2014 the international olympic committee recognized kosovo allowing its athletes to compete under their own flag for the first time at the rio olympics this summer
but such was the lack of support within soccers corridors of power at uefa and fifa that mr vokrri and his general secretary eroll salihu opted for unconventional methods to raise awareness of their campaign for recognition in 2012 the two men sneaked into the swiss national teams hotel before a world cup qualification match against albania they hoped to procure signatures from the swiss players with kosovar roots for a petition calling on uefa and fifa to recognize the kosovo federation
two years later the former fifa president sepp blatter pushed through a limited agreement to allow kosovo to play international friendlies against fifa members but tuesdays membership vote is unlikely to be the end of the controversy
first kosovo will submit its application for membership to fifa and a vote to approve it   most likely a formality   will be held at that organizations annual congress next week in mexico next discussions will take place on how to insert kosovo and gibraltar should it also win membership next week into the qualifying groups for the 2018 world cup this also has a seemingly simple solution while seven of the nine groups for uefa qualification have six teams the other two have five
the most controversial discussions though will be the issue of players switching nationalities a number of players born in kosovo or with roots in the territory now play for other teams including albanias captain lorik cana belgium midfielder adnan januzaj and switzerland midfielder xherdan shaqiri
the kosovo federation citing what it calls kosovos unique set of circumstances has called for players to be granted a one time chance to switch nationality immediately which is currently against fifa rules
but several european national teams could be decimated if such switches were permitted at the 2012 world cup qualifying match between switzerland and albania for example a majority of the 22 players who started the match had kosovar roots
last sunday the swiss tabloid newspaper blick published an article with the headline the kosovo fear could shaqiri and xhaka leave our national team soon
several swiss players like granit xhaka   whose brother taulant represents albania and whom he will play against when the two national teams meet at euro 2016 this summer   have said they will consider making a switch
yes of course granit xhaka told the new york times in 2012 for now we play for switzerland but later we will see what will happen


way way back in the pioneer days of the cocktail renaissance   say 2003 or thereabouts   questing mixologists and curious enthusiasts didnt have many drink manuals to lean on out of print bartending texts of the 19th century were hard to find treasures and publishing houses like mud puddle books had not yet begun to reprint the old volumes
the old waldorf astoria bar book was one of the few texts that remained in print and could be found at a local bookstore first published in 1934 it contained hundreds of recipes from the original hotel on fifth avenue which had been torn down a few years earlier to make way for the empire state building
the value of the original book was that it was a great snapshot of the cocktails that existed right before prohibition began in 1920 said robert hess an authority on the recent cocktail movement
it took more than 80 years but the ancient compendium has been given a makeover
the updated version which penguin random house will release on may 17 dropping the old and the hyphen from the title was the idea of frank caiafa manager of the hotels peacock alley bar he was aware of the legacy of the original manual and of its predecessor old waldorf bar days 1931 both written by albert stevens crockett a newspaper columnist and sometime publicist for the hotel
when mr caiafa suggested bringing the books into the modern era his boss bit that was in 2010 mr caiafa spent two years researching the history of the cocktails and another three testing the many recipes
it was strange the rabbit holes you would go down said mr caiafa 49 a born and bred new yorker with the bulky build and soft sandpaper voice of a 1940s film barkeeper some of the drinks that on paper id think oh this will be a breeze ill be on to the next recipe by the end of the night i wouldnt be on to the next recipe for days
besides the two crockett books mr caiafa drew on three other related volumes drinks 1914 by jacques straub a swiss born bartender who was a friend of oscar tschirky the waldorfs famed headwaiter bottoms up 1951 by ted saucier who was publicity director for the waldorf in the 1930s and 40s and mr tschirkys own 100 famous cocktails 1934
mr caiafa tweaked and updated most of crocketts recipes to suit the modern palate in his introduction he compares the old versions to scratchy recordings on well worn vinyl and he likens himself to a modern audio engineer brought in to master old recordings
recipe peacock alley martinez


an undulating lobby ceiling that isamu noguchi sculpted in the 1940s has emerged at a u haul branch in st louis two decades after it was hidden by partitions and dropped ceiling panels noguchi designed the feature known as a lunar landscape for the buildings original owner the american stove company its amoeba shape channels originally meant to conceal light bulbs were recently unveiled
stephen langford the president of the u haul company of st louis said he ended up slathered in dust as he helped uncover the artwork its something that needed to be shown he said adding that the noguchi surface needed only minor repairs
last fall its fate became something of a local cause celebre a plaster model of its contours which had belonged to the buildings innovative modernist architect harris armstrong went on display in the st louis art museums exhibition st louis modern news coverage including a radio program alerted the public that the actual artwork survived unseen at the u haul facility and calls for its preservation arose on social media
david conradsen the museums decorative arts and design curator who worked with the shows co curator genevieve cortinovis said experts over the years had contemplated removing the sculpture to transfer it to the museum but had concluded that it would be basically destroyed in removal
dakin hart the senior curator of the noguchi museum in long island city queens described the ceiling as a hugely important and early example of the artist creating an all encompassing artistic environment mr hart added i cant wait to see it
mr langford said that people are now more than welcome to walk in to view the work overhead


the coachella of classic rock is coming soon and it features no less than bob dylan the rolling stones and paul mccartney
neil young the who and roger waters of pink floyd will round out the bill for desert trip a new festival scheduled for oct 7 through 9 at the empire polo club in indio calif home of the popular coachella valley music and arts festival but instead of the millennial heavy crowd that flocked there last month for lcd soundsystem ellie goulding and disclosure   accompanied by flower crown fashion and trendy vips   this one aims squarely at baby boomers a largely untapped festival audience
goldenvoice a california concert promoter that is owned by the global concert giant aeg live organized the mega concert which will have two acts play full scale shows   not abbreviated festival sets   per night
the rolling stones and mr dylan are scheduled to get things going on friday oct 7 with mr mccartney and mr young filling the saturday slots on oct 8 mr waters and the who will close out the event on sunday oct 9
despite their established places in the rock canon the six acts have never shared a bill roger daltrey of the who called the lineup the greatest remains of our era
three day passes start at 399 for general admission with reserved tickets also available for the floor 699 999 and 1599 the grandstand 999 and 1599 and the standing pit 1599 single day passes cost 199 tickets go on sale on monday at 10 am pacific standard time at deserttripcom
the performers who have all been inducted into the rock and roll hall of fame teased their participation with videos posted this week to social media but each gave just one hint october
before expanding to these titans of the 60s and 70s goldenvoice made its name with coachella which has become perhaps the marquee summer pop festival known for its top tier bookings and headline grabbing reunion shows guns n roses outkast the pixies last years edition sold an industry leading 84 million in tickets and had daily attendance of 99000 according to the trade publication pollstar the promoter is also behind festivals including stagecoach fyf firefly and the new panorama on randalls island in july


even in the age of social media this particular selfie seemed extreme a teenager strapped into a gurney with blood running down her forehead somehow taking the time to tap out a message to her snapchat friends lucky to be alive
the selfie quickly went viral and is a component of a lawsuit filed by a georgia man accusing the teenager christal mcgee of recklessly using snapchat while driving over 100 miles per hour and slamming into his vehicle last year leaving him with severe injuries he is also suing snapchat accusing the company of negligence
after the accident lawyers for the man wentworth maynard distributed the photo of ms mcgee on the gurney leading the police to open an investigation into the crash
according to a police report ms mcgee who was 18 at the time was driving with three friends in a mercedes benz around 10 pm on sept 10 in hampton ga she and her friends maintain that mr maynards vehicle drifted into their lane and then ms mcgee crashed into his car she lost control and ran off the road
mr maynard sustained a severe traumatic brain injury his lawyer said the police were not able to interview him that night because of his injuries they said neither driver was immediately cited for a traffic violation
mr maynard and his wife filed the lawsuit on april 19 it says that ms mcgee began using a snapchat lens that clocks the speed of vehicles attempting to push her car to higher and higher speeds
an accident reconstruction determined that at the time of the collision ms mcgee was driving 107 mph the lead lawyer in the lawsuit michael l neff wrote on his website he also published photos of the teenagers selfie and of both cars after the accident showing the white mercedes ms mcgee had been driving with a smashed front end and mr maynards mitsubishi with a demolished left side and back end
in a telephone interview on monday mr neff declined to say how he obtained the snapchat selfie
wentworth maynard began a five week stay in the intensive care unit where he was treated for a severe traumatic brain injury mr neff wrote on his website mr maynard and his wife are suing snapchat and ms mcgee to recoup all costs associated with the accident and his injuries
the crash has become a high profile case in the debate over distracted driving a growing problem largely attributed to people who cant put down their electronic devices while theyre behind the wheel because of the dangers associated with driving while distracted experts are pushing to treat it   and in some cases penalize it   like drunken driving
its dangerous devastating crippling and its a killer and still socially acceptable candace lightner the founder of mothers against drunk driving and a founder of partnership for distraction free driving told the times
attempts to reach ms mcgee were unsuccessful in an interview last week her grandfather james mcgee said that the teenager had also been seriously injured in the crash and that her family believed mr maynard was responsible for the accident
he pulled his vehicle out in front of them mr mcgee said not giving them enough time to stop now theyre trying to lay the rap on her
mr mcgee said that since the accident ms mcgee had graduated from high school and wanted to join the air force but her plans had been delayed because of the crash she is working part time at a home improvement store he said
her grandfather added its a big setup for somebody who is young and innocent
mr maynards lawsuit accuses snapchat of motivating drivers to use the filter to receive a trophy one of the apps badges given to users after they complete a task according to snapchat the service has never offered trophies for high speed driving
a snapchat spokesman emailed this statement no snap is more important than someones safety we actively discourage our community from using the speed filter while driving including by displaying a do not snap and drive warning message in the app itself
chief mark harris of the lovejoy police department one of several law enforcement agencies that operate along the road on which the crash occurred said on monday that ms mcgee hasnt been charged with speeding partly because there had been conflicting reports from her passengers about how fast she was driving but the police have opened an investigation into the crash after reports said that ms mcgee had been using snapchat chief harris said
we didnt know anything about snapchat he said
the police department is trying to verify the speed he said adding that mr maynard may also have committed a moving violation by changing lanes without signaling


renewed concerns about economic growth abroad specifically in europe and china weighed on the market on tuesday causing stocks to retreat from the previous days gains
stocks started lower and remained there most of the day the dow jones industrial average moved down 100 to 200 points throughout the day the dow finished 14025 points lower or 08 percent at 1775091
the standard  poors 500 stock index lost 1806 points or 09 percent to 206337 and the nasdaq composite lost 5437 points or 11 percent to 476322
the selling started in asia when a chinese purchasing managers index for manufacturing declined to 494 last month from 497 in march a number below 50 indicates that manufacturing is contracting
worries about china were largely responsible for a bout of turmoil in global financial markets early this year those concerns were compounded after european officials trimmed their economic growth forecasts for the 19 countries that share the euro currency citing an unpredictable global outlook reflecting political uncertainty and weakness in emerging markets
although europes economy was surprisingly strong in the first quarter when it regained the size it was before the 2008 financial crisis pierre moscovici the european unions economic commissioner said the recovery remains uneven
the global economic worries caused more losses for two of the hardest hit sectors in the united states stock market this year energy and banks energy companies in the sp 500 slumped 22 percent the most in the index and financial stocks fell 13 percent
chevron dropped 199 or 2 percent to 10132 jpmorgan chase lost 123 or 2 percent to 6256 goldman sachs fell 304 or 18 percent to 16314
pfizer jumped 90 cents or 3 percent to 3370 after the company reported solid first quarter earnings that beat analysts estimates pfizer had big sales gains with some of its newest drugs including lyrica and the vaccine prevnar 13
in energy benchmark united states crude oil lost 113 or 25 percent to close at 4365 a barrel on the new york mercantile exchange brent crude fell 86 cents or 19 percent to close at 4497 a barrel in london


how do you cast a diva starry enough to sing casta diva
anna netrebkos decision not to take on the title role in bellinis norma the bel canto masterpiece famous for that aria left both the royal opera house in london and the metropolitan opera scrambling to find replacements for major opening night productions they had planned around her
but if ms netrebkos new york fans are losing a norma they are gaining a tosca ms netrebko plans to perform the title character in puccinis tosca a role debut for her in a new production at the met in the 2017 18 season sharing the role with kristine opolais
for those keeping score as the latest example of the prima donna mo effect unfolds this is how ms netrebkos decision not to sing norma will ripple through the opera world
in london the soprano sonya yoncheva who has made a name for herself gamely stepping into roles at the last minute will replace ms netrebko as norma at the royal opera house this fall in what will be her role debut that will require her to withdraw from five performances as mimi in la boheme at the met where she will be replaced by ailyn perez ms perez was available because she recently withdrew from a production of tchaikovskys eugene onegin which was to open the dallas operas season
in new york the soprano sondra radvanovsky who won accolades for her command of bel canto style when she sang all three queens in donizettis so called tudor trilogy this season will replace ms netrebko in the new production of norma that will open the mets 2017 18 season that production will be directed by david mcvicar and will also star joyce didonato as adalgisa and joseph calleja as pollione
ms radvanovsky was supposed to be singing leonora in verdis il trovatore in vienna that fall but the vienna state opera released her from her contract so she could replace ms netrebko in new york replacing ms radvanovsky in vienna ms netrebko
but the viennese will not be the only ones who will get to hear ms netrebkos leonora in 2017 18 the met said that it would add a revival of il trovatore to its season so that she could reprise the role with which she had a big success earlier this season


philadelphia   seeking to do more than provide basic homes for its residents this citys public housing agency is taking a new approach to neighborhood revitalization in its latest project it is adding commercial and educational development to its main role of home building aiming to address the underlying causes of urban distress
in the northern part of the city the philadelphia housing authority is razing part of the norman blumberg apartments in the sharswood neighborhood which has had especially high rates of poverty crime and urban blight the agency plans to bring in shops offices and schools along with housing in an ambitious program to breathe new life into a struggling community
the 500 million project just two and a half miles from downtown philadelphia aims to recreate a middle class community that never recovered after being ravaged by rioting in the 1960s agency officials say
two high rise apartment buildings from the late 1960s that had become symbols of urban decay were imploded in mid march in the most conspicuous stage so far of the project other dilapidated housing has also been removed
under the multiyear sharswood blumberg choice neighborhoods transformation plan commercial development and new or reopened public schools as well as fresh housing will offer the neighborhood its best chance of recovery said kelvin a jeremiah president of the philadelphia housing authority
we never really came up with a comprehensive approach that went beyond housing mr jeremiah said if you only focus on housing what about the crime issues what about amenities what about the education
under the plan the destroyed towers as well as some other low rise apartment buildings on the eight acre site will be replaced by 1200 new housing units most will be for rent or sale at below market prices the first phase of the new construction containing 57 units is underway and is due for completion this fall
central to the new vision will be the creation of a new commercial corridor along ridge avenue the neighborhoods main street which lost businesses as the local economy declined
in all the plan projects 400000 square feet of commercial space the agency said it was close to making a deal for a drugstore and a supermarket it is also seeking agreements with other businesses like banks mr jeremiah said
the housing authority plans to move its headquarters to the street from downtown bringing around 1100 employees who will bolster demand for businesses
mr jeremiah said the agency was in talks with some private developers who were attracted to the project because of its proximity to adjoining neighborhoods like brewerytown to the west and francisville to the southeast in those neighborhoods new construction is popping up and property prices are rising as a real estate boom ripples outward from downtown or center city philadelphia with residents seeking more affordable options
the michaels development company a developer of affordable housing plans to build 42 affordable rental units in sharswood the companys senior vice president milton r pratt jr said the neighborhood was well positioned to turn itself around given the buoyant market nearby and its proximity to center city
this is one of the most attractive neighborhoods in the city for redevelopment mr pratt said
similar efforts to involve private developers in public housing projects have taken place in chicago molly sullivan a spokeswoman for the chicago housing authority said the agency had redeveloped several neighborhoods by combining public and market rate housing with commercial development
the new york city housing authority offers commercial space at market rates to businesses like dry cleaners delis supermarkets and barbershops
philadelphia officials say that citys revitalization plan also depends on providing public schools to replace two that shut down in 2013 the housing authority is working with the school district and big picture learning an educational nonprofit to decide whether to reopen the shuttered schools or build anew said nichole tillman a spokeswoman for the housing agency
the project has attracted support from the federal department of housing and urban development which awarded it a 500000 planning grant under its choice neighborhoods program jane vincent an administrator for the federal agency said the grant reflected the projects potential and federal state and local involvement
it really is transforming the neighborhood she said
while other philadelphia neighborhoods are plagued by poverty and crime the problems are especially acute in sharswood mr jeremiah said
youre looking at a neighborhood that is severely distressed he said noting that the poverty rate in the predominantly black sharswood community is 53 percent or twice the rate for philadelphia as a whole
mr jeremiah said that during an evening trip to the neighborhood in 2013 soon after he became head of the housing agency he encountered a man who threatened him with a gun when he refused to buy drugs after hearing residents stories of crime in the area he thought the housing authority ought to focus on the neighborhood
we have to do better by these families he said
about 500 families were temporarily relocated to low income housing elsewhere in the city while the project takes shape
to create space for the new housing the agency has been buying property from residents but it has met resistance from some who say it has offered prices far below market value in some cases the agency has used eminent domain to acquire parcels
michael scott a resident of sharswood since 1969 said the agency offered him around 60000 for a house a commercial building and a vacant lot that he said together were worth about 300000 he rejected the offer
sitting on a wooden fence bordering one of the neighborhoods 1300 vacant lots mr scott 49 said he welcomed the revival plan because its time for the neighborhood but he is waiting for a higher offer for his property
a neighbor kim wong 69 said the housing authority offered him 28000 for his house one of only three still standing on his block he said the property was worth 105000
ms tillman said that the housing agency was committed to giving residents fair prices for their properties and that owners were entitled to a reappraisal at the agencys expense if they were dissatisfied with an offer
david scolnic a real estate lawyer with the philadelphia firm hangley aronchick segal pudlin  schiller said the redevelopment plan had great potential to improve one of philadelphias poorest neighborhoods but its success he added hinges on whether new businesses can be persuaded to open there
the key to the whole development is how quickly can you get people back into the neighborhood and that will give the retailers a chance to succeed if there are sufficient residents there mr scolnic said if it works it could be a model for similar developments nationwide


there is something quintessentially new york about a grocery store chain with just 15 locations that thinks it needs to be a publicly traded company but so it was with fairway group holdings the manhattan institution that had its initial public offering in 2013 and has now filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection
on one level fairways story is like that of the myriad oil and gas companies filing bankruptcy petitions these days an eager business sets its sight on a major expansion beyond what the market can support
fairway is a bit different because it has filed a prepack in such prepackaged chapter 11 cases creditors vote before the bankruptcy case is filed which allows the company to get in and out of bankruptcy fast in fairways case company executives hope to leave bankruptcy around june 1
prepacks are useful tools for revamping a companys balance sheet and that is exactly what fairway is doing it is eliminating old shareholders mostly a single hedge fund and giving ownership of the company to the secured lenders the old secured lenders will also continue as lenders under a debtor in possession loan in bankruptcy and under an exit facility as the company leaves bankruptcy
so fairway will cut down its secured debt become a private company while leaving everyone else untouched in the process this will fix fairways problems if the problems are mostly the result of too much debt
the disclosure statement does note that same store sales have declined 6 percent in the last year fairway points to its upper east side location where a whole foods store opened just around the corner as a particular source of these declines
prepacks are often but not always associated with second bankruptcy filings or chapter 22 cases after solving their balance sheet problems many companies find they have operational problems too
only time will tell if fairway will avoid this fate and if its debt reduction will be sufficient to allow it to retool and compete in what it acknowledges is an extremely competitive operating market


kuala lumpur malaysia   nurul izzah anwar an opposition member of the malaysian parliament flew to the island of borneo on monday to participate in a local election campaign she did not stay long
immigration officials in sarawak a semiautonomous state with its own border controls refused to let her enter ms nurul izzah took the next plane home
i am participating in legitimate political activity she said on tuesday but i found myself immediately deported as soon as i arrived
the sarawak vote on saturday is the first test of prime minister najib razaks popularity   and of his willingness to compete in fair elections   since disclosures that almost 700 million had been mysteriously deposited in his personal bank accounts
known for its dense rain forest and wildlife sarawak is set apart from malaysias other 12 states by its semiautonomous status it will hold elections for state and federal offices two years before the rest of the nation
for malaysian opposition leaders restrictions on campaigning there are part of the frustration of going up against mr najib who heads malaysias formidable governing coalition
ms nurul izzah is one of about two dozen opposition leaders and activists who have been refused entry into sarawak this year in keeping with a ban on unsavory elements imposed by the states chief minister adenan satem
mr najib and mr adenan are allies and appeared there together last week to kick off the campaign
critics say that the money that landed in mr najibs accounts was diverted from a government fund the 1malaysia development berhad that he created his office said most of the money was a donation from the saudi royal family he has denied any wrongdoing
mr najib has been campaigning in sarawak during the past week in the hope that his candidates will win by a large margin
since the 1990s sarawak has banned political leaders and activists it deems undesirable from entering but the deportations have increased considerably this year according to a list compiled by the online news site malaysiakini
asked about the ban last month mr adenan said i have to protect the interests of sarawak from unsavory elements political or otherwise that is my job
he added that the deportees could return as tourists after the vote they are at liberty to come to sarawak any time after the election he said with a laugh
in addition to leading sarawak mr adenan is the head of the pesaka bumiputera bersatu party it is part of the governing barisan nasional coalition headed by mr najib mr najib is also president of the countrys largest political party the united malays national organization which does not have a presence in sarawak
among those denied entry to sarawak are the opposition members of parliament tony pua rafizi ramli and teresa kok as well as the journalist clare rewcastle brown whose website sarawak report was blocked in malaysia after she reported on mr najibs receipt of hundreds of millions of dollars
attorney general mohamed apandi ali a najib appointee cleared the prime minister of any crimes this year but investigations of the leaders transactions continue in more than five countries
mr najib has been the subject of investigations spanning five countries ms nurul izzah said if anyone were to be barred it should actually be him
ms nurul izzah is the daughter of the former opposition leader anwar ibrahim who is serving a five year sentence for sodomy
in the last national election in 2013 opposition parties won a majority of the popular vote but ended up with far fewer seats in parliament that is because the district lines favor rural voters who generally support mr najibs coalition
in beginning the campaign last week mr najib called the sarawak election a precursor of the next general election scheduled for 2018 a victory this week he said according to the the malay mail online will certainly form a very strong momentum for us moving forward


silicon valley is built on precise engineering data driven analysis and software as rational as the semiconductors on which it runs
it is also one of the most emotional locations in american business
in this case were not talking about the irrational exuberance in the management of a company like zenefits where greed for growth may have led to regulatory cheating and greed for fun meant beer kegs at work
there is also the irrationality of glitz and aura and living with fickle consumers as brian chen discusses in his story on fitbit
fitbit makes a device that tracks things like steps and sleep from a wearers wrist founded in 2007 the company has over 1000 employees and last year sold 213 million devices almost twice the number of a year earlier
sound good it might be but for the aura accorded to apple products for many tech product reviewers and fans apples watch wrist worn and capable of doing what fitbit does it the standard by which fitbit falls short
the apple watch does more things the apple watch is an apple product and those sell well fitbit announces a new product and its stock drops because it is not apple
never mind that fitbits sell for much less probably to a different audience or that apples last quarter showed declining sales while apple is quick to trumpet its sales triumphs after a full year it still hasnt given numbers on watch sales estimates are that it sold 12 million but with unknown profitability partly because of the huge marketing put behind apple watch
the real problem the company seems to be struggling with is that it is not apple which basks in an aura of cool design excellence and unbeatable success
fitbit is a single purpose device unlike the multipurpose iphone or watch but thats been true for years and fitbit keeps increasing sales it may be that there is room in the world for both things
on the other hand that may be too rational a view for the tech world and its investors


madrid   king felipe vi of spain signed a decree on tuesday to dissolve parliament and hold a rerun of national elections for the first time since the countrys return to democracy in the late 1970s
the step followed months of political paralysis and discord over who should form a government after inconclusive elections in december that election resulted in a fracturing of spains political landscape with the emergence of insurgent parties that challenged the establishment marking a sea change in the nations politics
the repeat election is now scheduled for june 26 but opinion polls suggest that the outcome of a new vote could look much like the first which split ballots among four main parties with no single one close to a majority
turnout however could fall amid growing frustration about the intense but fruitless party squabbling
whatever the outcome in late june patxi lopez the socialist president of the lower house of parliament called on tuesday for an electoral overhaul to tighten future deadlines for forming a government and to ensure that spain does not spend so much time again in political limbo he also urged party leaders to draw lessons now from their failure to break the deadlock since december
we havent managed to fulfill the citizens mandate mr lopez told a news conference after meeting the king on tuesday morning i hope that these four months have served to understand a few things
the repeat of elections was virtually guaranteed a week ago when felipes final round of consultations with party leaders ended in failure
since then the party leaders have instead opened a new round of mutual recriminations over who should be held responsible for leaving spain without an elected government at a time of economic social and political challenges
spains unemployment rate rose again slightly in the first quarter to about 21 percent according to figures released last week by the national statistics institute
on tuesday the european commission the executive arm of the european union also warned spain about its budget deficit and soaring debt as well as unemployment even as the countrys economy continues to recover at about twice the growth rate of most other european nations
without additional budgetary tightening spain will most likely fail to meet its european obligation to lower its deficit below 3 percent of gross domestic product until 2018 according to the european commissions latest forecast
the financial crisis exposed growing economic imbalances in spain and also brought to the surface several corruption scandals involving kickbacks mostly from the construction industry paid to politicians from established parties during a property boom which collapsed in 2008
such scandals helped two emerging parties challenge the traditional two party system and alternation of power between the conservative popular party of mariano rajoy the caretaker prime minister and the main opposition socialist party
but after the dec 20 elections the two newcomers   the center right ciudadanos and the far left podemos   also ended up in an acrimonious standoff that played a significant part in the overall deadlock that stalled forming a coalition government
the latest polls indicate that the popular party will once more win the most votes in june but not enough to regain the parliamentary majority that it had until decembers elections
even though mr rajoys party recently got entangled in more corruption scandals particularly in the eastern region of valencia it could benefit from a low turnout as the conservative electorate is seen as a more disciplined force when it comes to voting
in fact after turning down the kings offer to try to form a coalition government in january mr rajoy has largely stayed on the sidelines of the negotiations   as well as the debating in parliament he and his ministers have refused to appear before lawmakers while openly questioning the legitimacy of an assembly that did not elect the government and was in any case likely to be short lived
since the elections spains main party leaders have not only failed to form a coalition government but have also struggled to maintain their party stewardship
in fact all the main parties except ciudadanos face internal divisions that they will try to contain ahead of the vote antonio barroso a spanish political analyst at teneo intelligence in london said in a recent analysis
the turmoil in spain comes as politicians in the northeastern region of catalonia are forging ahead with plans to secede from the rest of the country
the spanish vote could also be affected by britains referendum on whether to leave the european union scheduled for june 23 just three days before spains new election according to antonio roldan a lawmaker from ciudadanos
should british voters decide to leave the european union the shock waves would be felt across the 28 nation bloc but perhaps particularly in countries like spain that already face fiscal challenges and that were on the front line of the euro debt crisis he said
if britain exits the bloc the countries on the periphery will look particularly vulnerable and spain will stand out as the only country without a government as well as a large deficit hole mr roldan said this will be a very fragile situation


the new york times company reported a 14 million net loss for the first quarter of 2016 as it continued to grapple with how to offset falling revenue in print advertising digital subscriptions remained a bright spot for the company showing robust growth
in its earnings release on tuesday the company said it added 67000 net digital only subscriptions in the quarter the most in a quarter since the end of 2012 the times now has roughly 12 million digital only subscriptions for its news products including its crossword product subscriptions which accounted for about 2 million in revenue in the first quarter the company counts close to 14 million digital only subscriptions by the end of the year it expects to have more than 15 million digital only subscriptions
this was a very strong quarter for our digital subscription business mark thompson the companys chief executive said in an earnings call with investors the rate at which we are adding subscriptions is continuing to accelerate
the net loss for the quarter was roughly the same as in the first quarter of 2015 total revenue fell about 1 percent to 380 million from 384 million in the first quarter of 2015
circulation revenue increased roughly 2 percent to 218 million as growth in digital subscription revenue and an increase in home delivery prices offset a decline in print copies sold the times has a daily print circulation of 590000 and 11 million on sunday revenue from digital only subscriptions increased about 14 percent to 54 million from 47 million in the first quarter of 2015
advertising revenue remained a trouble spot falling about 7 percent to 140 million print advertising revenue dropped 9 percent and digital advertising revenue fell about 1 percent to 42 million a figure that represents about a third of the companys total ad revenue the company took a 41 million loss related to the announced closing of a paper mill in maine
we remain bullish about our strategy mr thompson said and believe that our timely pivot from traditional digital advertising towards branded content and marketing services video and more seamlessly integrated ad formats on both mobile and desktop will deliver growth in the second half of 2016
the times announced last week that it was planning to close its editing and prepress print production operations in paris which would result in the elimination or relocation of up to 70 jobs it also said last month that it would invest more than 50 million over the next three years in an ambitious international digital expansion plan
these two announcements   demonstrating a willingness to invest substantially in digital growth while applying rigor and realism to the economics of our mature print platforms   illustrate the approach we are taking everywhere mr thompson said
adjusted operating profit the companys preferred method for assessing performance decreased to 52 million in the first quarter from 59 million in the year ago period
we believe there is considerable scope for further savings in the company and we will be going after it in the coming months mr thompson said


ims health holdings the health care information and technology provider and quintiles transnational holdings which assists pharmaceutical companies with clinical trial research said on tuesday that they had agreed to an all stock merger of equals
the merger would create a combined company worth 176 billion based on market capitalization and with 72 billion in pro forma revenue in 2015
it is the latest in a series of health care deals as companies in that industry sector seek greater scale   as evident in 40 billion in potential transactions announced on a single day last week
last thursday abbott agreed to purchase st jude medical for 25 billion sanofi that same day made an offer to buy medivation for about 93 billion while abbevie signed a 58 billion deal for stemcentrx
this combination addresses life science companies most pressing needs to transform the clinical development of innovative medicines demonstrate the value of these medicines in the real world and drive commercial success tom pike the quintiles chief executive said in a news release im confident that together we will make our clients even more successful
under the terms of the latest deal ims health investors would receive 0384 shares of quintiles stock for each share of ims health that they own
following the merger ims health shareholders would own about 514 percent of the combined company while quintiles shareholders would own the remaining 486 percent
the transaction would be subject to approval by regulators and the shareholders of both companies it is expected to close in the second half of the year
investors owning about 54 percent of ims health and 25 percent of quintiles have entered into agreements to vote in favor of the deal
the companies expect to achieve about 100 million in annual cost savings by the end of the third year following the transaction
the combined company would be called quintiles ims holdings and maintain dual headquarters in connecticut and north carolina ari bousbib the chairman and chief executive of ims health would serve in the same role at the combine company
mr pike the quintiles chief executive would serve as vice chairman of the combined company
ims health is being advised by goldman sachs and the law firm weil gotshal  manges and the independent committee of the ims health board was advised by the law firm morris nichols arsht  tunnell
quintiles was advised by barclays and the law firms bryan cave and smith anderson blount dorsett mitchell  jernigan and the independent directors of quintiles were advised by the law firm simpson thacher  bartlett


brussels   the eurozone economy continues its long slog
with growth slowing and the region facing a wide array of challenges   from the long running greek debt crisis to the possibility of a british exit from the european union   the european commission the 28 nation blocs executive arm warned on tuesday of high risks and substantial uncertainty in the economy
here are some highlights from the commissions latest forecast
output in the eurozone the 19 country currency union is finally back to levels reached in the early months of 2008 before the financial and debt crises emerged but a slowdown in china the european unions second largest trading partner behind the united states makes export growth an uncertain prospect low inflation or even periodic falling prices in the eurozone has also stoked fears that the region could suffer a lost decade while many of the continents people are also grappling with widespread unemployment and falling wages
on tuesday the commission lowered its growth estimates for the euro area for this year and next gross domestic product is expected to advance 16 percent in 2016 and 18 percent next year compared with a previous forecast in february of 17 percent this year and 19 percent in 2017 the commission also lowered its forecast for economic growth in the broader european union now expected to hit 18 percent this year and 19 percent in 2017 
there have been signs that the greek economy has bottomed out and the commissions assessment is comparatively rosier for the country in february the commission forecast that greeces economy would shrink 07 percent this year and grow 27 percent in 2017 on tuesday it predicted the decline this year would be a less severe 03 percent and it held firm to its forecast for 2017
despite those forecasts there are still challenges political instability has made it difficult for greeces left wing government to carry out changes needed to improve the climate for business and there is also the threat that athens could default on its debts this summer unless it receives more bailout aid for many greeks the economic situation remains dire output has fallen by more than a quarter since 2010 around 25 percent of the work force is unemployed and about half of all bank loans are in default 
a slew of reports have warned that a vote by britain on june 23 in favor of a departure from the european union a so called brexit would have serious economic costs for the country including a drop in growth and exports experts predict a period of uncertainty particularly over the future of britains free trade arrangements with the rest of the bloc british companies currently enjoy automatic access to the european unions single market a vote to leave the bloc could also encourage other countries to consider that path threatening the european union with fragmentation
in february the commission predicted that britain would grow 21 percent in 2016 and the same amount next year its latest forecasts however are sharply lower with the country now expected to grow only 18 percent this year and 19 percent in 2017 
a slowdown in emerging markets has left germany the eurozones biggest economy looking vulnerable if german manufacturers remain wary and confidence in the economy remains weak companies may cut back on investment or hiring pushing growth closer to the lackluster eurozone average of about 1 percent on tuesday the commission cut its forecasts this year and next for germany by 02 of a percentage point predicting advancement of 16 percent in both years
germany also has significant savings that could be invested in infrastructure projects providing stimulus to the domestic and wider european economy but germany has been reluctant to countenance such spending and the countrys leaders have been unwilling to allow other european states to run larger deficits some economists say that has exacerbated the painful effects of austerity policies enacted over the past six years across the region 
in september the commissions president jean claude juncker said migration could be an antidote to looming labor woes in europe where an aging population threatens economic growth in its autumn forecast officials predicted that the three million migrants expected over the next three years would provide at least a small lift   a net gain to the european economy of perhaps a quarter of 1 percent by 2017


london   philips the dutch electronics giant said on tuesday that it planned to list an initial public offering of its lighting business on the euronext stock exchange in amsterdam
philips first announced plans in 2014 to spin off the lighting business as part of a reshaping of the company to focus on health care and technology since then the company has pursued a dual track effort to separate the lighting division through either a public offering or a private sale
late last month philips said it was more likely the company would pursue an ipo
todays announcement is an historic one for philips as we aim to separate our company into two market leading companies focused on capturing opportunities in health technology and connected led lighting solutions markets respectively frans van houten the philips chief executive said in a news release
we believe that the recent performance of both companies demonstrates that the fundamentals are in place for long term profitable growth and that philips lighting is well positioned for success as a stand alone company he added
the offering would consist of at least 25 percent of philips lightings shares the proceeds from the listing would go to philips
philips would retain a majority of the companys shares with a plan to fully sell down its ownership over the next several years
the lighting business includes divisions that produce traditional light bulbs and led lamps and that design complete lighting systems the business had about 34000 employees and posted sales of 74 billion euros or about 85 billion in 2015
in april philips said that it was actively engaging with interested parties about the separate sale of its automotive and led components business lumileds
in january philips called off the sale of a controlling stake in the lumileds business to go scale capital an investment fund sponsored by gsr ventures of china and oak investment partners because of regulatory concerns raised in the united states
goldman sachs and jpmorgan chase are acting as global co coordinators on the offering


san antonio   manu ginobili was shuffling his feet frantically along the sideline waving his arms maniacally as if he were staging some sort of interpretive dance
dion waiters was inches away from him trying to inbound the ball as his team the oklahoma city thunder held a 1 point lead over the san antonio spurs with 135 seconds remaining to play before a loud and anxious capacity crowd at att center
what happened next was perhaps the most remarkable scene of the 2016 nba playoffs
desperate to find an open teammate and feeling the pressure of a suffocating defense waiters rammed his right elbow into ginobilis chest to create some much needed space there was no whistle and then milliseconds before waiters would have violated the five second time limit he flipped a looping pass to kevin durant who could not corral it the spurs ended up with the ball and wove a sequence of passes toward the basket before securing an open 3 point attempt for patty mills
but the shot clanged well short and players from both teams were scrapping for the loose ball as the buzzer sounded
with that the thunder escaped from san antonio with a 98 97 victory on monday night in an intense highly entertaining and hard to forget game evening the teams western conference semifinal series at one game each as the players walked off the court lusty boos reverberated around the arena and replays of the final sequence flickered over and over on the jumbo screen above center court
the breathless final moments injected life into the long nba postseason and restored intrigue to the series after a lopsided opening victory for the spurs it also led the nba to state tuesday that there had been five incorrect calls in that final sequence of the game
specifically the nba said ginobili should have been cited for a technical foul for delay of game for stepping on the sideline during that final inbounds play waiters should have been called for an offensive foul for hitting ginobili with his elbow when the ball was tossed in by waiters fouls should have been called on the spurs mills and kawhi leonard the nba added and after the spurs stole the ball and mills missed his 3 pointer the thunders serge ibaka should have been called for grabbing the jersey of the spurs lamarcus aldridge in the resulting scrum
that is a lot of calls that were not made so it was no surprise that the national basketball referees association posted on twitter on tuesday that the final inbounds sequence   with a completely unexpected foul by the player throwing the ball in   would be used in future training sessions
but that is down the road in the immediate aftermath of the game both teams used linguistic gymnastics as they answered questions about what exactly had happened as time ran out asked to comment on the inbounds play spurs coach gregg popovich said something certainly happened on the sideline i thought
ginobili smiled when asked to describe the sequence
didnt you see it he said
billy donovan the oklahoma city coach turned a reporters question about the play into an awkward minute long back and forth in which he ultimately pleaded ignorance about the whole thing
im not sure what youre talking about donovan said
waiters shook his head when asked if he realized he had elbowed ginobili
no waiters said im in the game man i dont really know what was really going on
meanwhile ken mauer the lead referee did not need to wait for the nba to weigh in to acknowledge mistakes had been made he told a pool reporter after the game that an offensive foul should have been called on waiters for his errant elbow and that the spurs should have been awarded the ball which they eventually stole anyway
its a play weve never seen before ever mauer said of waiterss elbow
noncall notwithstanding other things occurred in the final 135 seconds that seemed worthy of scrutiny or plain wonderment
# upon stripping the ball away from durant after waiters made the inbounds throw the spurs danny green floated a parabolic pass to mills that seemed to give the thunder more time to get back on defense
# after mills grabbed greens pass almost underneath the thunder basket he relayed it to ginobili and rushed into the right corner to set up for the final shot with ginobili giving the ball back to him with an audacious no look pass thrown from behind his left ear
# steven adams of the thunder who seemed everywhere during the final sequence appeared to be held by a fan after contesting millss final attempt and he glared into the stands after angrily freeing himself
when it was all over the spurs mostly declined the opportunity to make excuses
after scoring 43 points in the first quarter of game 1 they were weirdly impotent at the start of game 2 they started the contest shooting 2 of 16 from the field   with a surprisingly high number of those misses coming at the rim as the early deficit spiraled popovich chirped angrily at his players from the sideline
the thunder looked re energized after a lethargic performance in game 1 durant 28 points and russell westbrook 29 points 10 assists were ruthless still popovich chided a reporter for wondering afterward whether a difference in effort levels between the teams had been a factor thus far in the series
at this level everybody plays hard popovich said its not about effort thats going to be there for everybody its about mistakes its a game of mistakes
as he saw it his team made many errors yet somehow it still put itself in a position to win
i thought we lost the game three times tonight and we got back in it popovich said so i give our guys credit for hanging in there on a night when they werent very sharp
it was the play of aldridge who scored 38 points in just less than 30 minutes in game 1 that masked many of san antonios shortcomings in game 2
he scored 41 points on monday night making 15 of 21 shots he established openings with trickery   spins half turns and all manner of fakes   or simple athleticism he goaded defenders into fouls
with 258 seconds left aldridge drained a 3 pointer from the top of the arc after catching a 20 foot no look pass out of the paint and through traffic from tony parker itself a feat of wizardry about 12 seconds later aldridge drew a foul on another 3 point attempt and hit all three free throws to bring the spurs to within a point
that set up the wild closing scene
with game 3 set for friday in oklahoma city ginobili   in the aftermath of the madness he had just experienced in game 2   was determinedly looking ahead
its over he said of mondays contest im not going to be able to change it nobodys going to change it its one one weve got to go to okc and try to win a game


gulfport miss   guns in bars guns in airports guns in day care centers and sports arenas conservative state lawmakers around the country are pressing to weaken an array of gun regulations in some cases greatly expanding where owners can carry their weapons
but the legislators are encountering stiff opposition from what has been a trusted ally law enforcement
in more than a dozen states with traditions of robust support for gun ownership rights and where legislatures have moved to relax gun laws during the past year the local police have become increasingly vocal in denouncing the measures they say the new laws expose officers to greater danger and prevent them from doing their jobs effectively
we are a gun society and we recognize that but we should be writing gun laws that make us safer said leonard papania the police chief in gulfport who opposes part of a new state law that creates exceptions to the rules for concealed carry permits do you want every incident on your street to escalate to acts of gun violence
mississippis measure signed into law in april and pushed mainly as an effort to allow worshipers in church to arm themselves is one of several that have passed in recent months west virginia and idaho have approved laws allowing people to carry concealed handguns without a permit or firearm training   and in many cases without a background check texas has given residents the right to carry handguns openly oklahoma appears set to pass a similar measure in the next several weeks
during the past year state capitals have emerged as a fierce front in the debate over guns gun control groups have challenged and sometimes even outflanked the powerful national rifle association in the states but gun rights advocates have won numerous victories in relaxing restrictions
there has long been a tension between the interests of law enforcement and the efforts to roll back gun regulations but the conflicts are becoming more frequent as gun laws are expanded particularly in states with permissive policies police officers in maine and texas have described coming across people displaying their weapons near schools and libraries daring anyone to call the police and challenge their newly won rights
several states including arizona georgia and michigan have enacted laws that prohibit the police from destroying firearms that have been used in crimes instead the weapons must be sold to licensed dealers or to the public at auction
despite the current conflicts police officers and gun rights advocates have long been largely on the same side of the national debate over guns but police departments have insisted that gun owners be required to receive training as their officers do and that people with violent histories who are more likely to clash with the police be blocked from obtaining weapons the recent legislation including constitutional carry laws   which typically eliminate the polices role in issuing permits or questioning people who are openly armed   has frayed the alliance
what is alarming to the police is that they have no power to ascertain the potential criminal background of an armed individual until a crime is committed and by then it is too late said ladd everitt the spokesman for the coalition to stop gun violence an advocacy group
the objections to these laws are not only about officer safety law enforcement officials also argue that creating more exceptions to gun regulations will impede investigations the discovery of an unpermitted weapon typically gives officers probable cause to conduct searches but some of the new laws could take away that option in some cases this has upended longstanding political dynamics with traditional law and order conservatives who are championing the new gun laws questioning the tactics of police officers as overly aggressive
the police have some merit to their concerns said ken morgan a mississippi state representative who backed the states new law which allows people to carry holstered weapons without a permit
but mr morgan a republican added that the police were overstating how much the measures would affect the way they pursued investigations a lot of times they dont consider their own discretion he said
the nra which supports the new laws said opponents of the measures sought to harm peoples ability to defend themselves
these laws simply protect and expand the ability of law abiding citizens to exercise their constitutional right to self protection said jennifer baker an nra spokeswoman gloom and doom predictions of wild west scenarios in states with strong gun rights have proven time and again to be nothing more than scare tactics
in mississippi law enforcement officials said that they had learned of the new law only when it was heading toward passage in the state house of representatives and that attempts to negotiate the language in the bill   particularly the section expanding exceptions for concealed carry permits   had been mostly unsuccessful
the police said nra members across the state had received fliers accusing law enforcement of allying with michael r bloomberg a former new york mayor who is one of the nations most visible gun control advocates another challenge for opponents was that the law despite containing multiple parts was widely identified as a church security measure the success of such a law in a conservative state like mississippi was practically predestined they said
law enforcement officials in the state said the political power of the gun rights lobby had overwhelmed their calls for caution
were advocating the safety for our police officers but on the other side you have the nra and other special interest groups that say if youll do this well endorse you and make you look good  ken winter the executive director of the mississippi association of chiefs of police said of his efforts at lobbying in the legislature we dont have anything to offer them other than good advice
local law enforcement agencies opposed to enhancing gun possession rights have generally lost recent legislative battles
maine enacted a law last year allowing people to carry concealed weapons without a permit or training despite the objections of michael sauschuck the police chief in portland the states largest city
it is absolutely ludicrous to me that we require people to go take a test to get a drivers license but we are allowing people to carry a deadly weapon on their person without any procedures regulating it chief sauschuck said
there have been some victories for the police however
on tuesday governor nathan deal of georgia a republican vetoed a bill passed by the republican controlled legislature to allow gun owners 21 and older to carry a concealed handgun onto public college and university campuses with a permit
the campus police chiefs of the university system of georgia supported keeping the existing campus gun laws according to hank m huckaby the system chancellor who spoke before a state senate committee in march
mr deal in a statement tuesday said from the early days of our nation and state colleges have been treated as sanctuaries of learning where firearms have not been allowed to depart from such time honored protections should require overwhelming justification
last year law enforcement officials in california helped win approval of a law that allows the police to seize weapons from someone for 21 days if a judge determines that person has the potential for violence and the police in ohio have stalled a bill that would allow people to carry guns inside police stations airports and day care centers
in texas where concealed handguns will be allowed in university classrooms beginning aug 1 law enforcement officials won a surprise victory last year after art acevedo the police chief in austin held a news conference where he was flanked by law enforcement leaders from across the state
his message to conservative republican lawmakers who were seeking to limit police officers authority to question people with firearms as part of the states open carry legislation was blunt
you cant be the party of law and order and not listen to your police chiefs chief acevedo said
the legislature ultimately approved the open carry bill which went into effect in january but voted down the amendment curtailing the polices power to ask questions


washington   islamic state fighters killed a member of the navy seals on tuesday after they broke through kurdish defenses in northern iraq in what military officials described as the militant groups biggest offensive in months
gov doug ducey of arizona identified the serviceman as charlie keating iv the grandson of the arizona financier charles h keating jr who was imprisoned in the savings and loan crisis of the 1980s
he is the third american service member to die in combat since a united states led coalition began fighting the islamic state in iraq in 2014 the death was also the third such casualty in combat since the american troop withdrawal from iraq in 2011
he was two to three miles behind the front lines when he was killed by small arms fire united states military officials said american advisers have been assisting iraqi security forces and kurdish pesh merga fighters as they push to reclaim territory from the islamic state
for several months american military officials have said that the islamic state is on the defensive but on tuesday the groups fighters used humvees and bulldozers to break through front line kurdish positions and enter the town of teleskof iraq
an american military official said that the islamic states assault   which also killed several pesh merga fighters   was an effort to stymie an advance by the iraqi military on mosul about 14 miles from teleskof mosul iraqs second largest city has been held by the islamic state since 2014
with the iraqi military pushing slowly toward mosul officials say that clashes like those on tuesday may become more frequent which could also heighten the danger to american troops in iraq
while president obama has insisted that he is not putting combat troops on the ground in iraq the definition of combat has become further blurred with each new american death there
obama administration officials took pains to say that the new casualty did not occur on what the military was defining as the front line of battle in keeping with mr obamas insistence about ground troops
still defense secretary ashton b carter while traveling in germany on tuesday said that it is a combat death
the pentagon press secretary peter cook said in a statement that this sad news is a reminder of the dangers our men and women in uniform face every day in the ongoing fight to destroy isil and end the threat the group poses to the united states and the rest of the world isil is an alternative name for the islamic state
officials said that islamic state fighters occupied teleskof for several hours before they were driven out later in the day by pesh merga fighters american officials said that fighter planes and drones were providing air support for the kurdish fighters
united states backed forces aided by american airstrikes have killed 25000 islamic state fighters in iraq and syria military officials say iraqi and kurdish forces have taken back 40 percent of the terrorist groups land in iraq and forces backed by the west have seized 20 percent of islamic state territory in syria
nearly two years after the united states and its allies began the fight to stop the self declared caliphates surge in iraq and syria the campaign has made substantial gains and is nearing a turning point but tuesdays attacks show why officials and military experts are cautious about predicting continued progress
the first american to die in the campaign was master sgt joshua l wheeler 39 of sequoyah county okla sergeant wheeler was killed in october while responding to a helicopter raid by kurdish commandos aimed at rescuing about 70 hostages who were about to be killed by islamic state militants
the second american service member killed was staff sgt louis f cardin 27 of temecula calif who died in march when the islamic state fired rockets at a secret base of about 100 marines in northern iraq he was leading marines to a bunker when a rocket exploded near him


hong kong   chinese regulators have begun an investigation into the internet giant baidu after the death of a college student who said he received distorted information on cancer treatment from the companys search engine
the student wei zexi 21 from the central province of shaanxi died of synovial sarcoma a rare form of cancer on april 12 before his death he wrote a long post on a chinese website that detailed his experience seeking treatment
in a promoted search result on baidu he learned of a hospital in beijing that offered treatment for people with his condition his family borrowed money to raise the more than 200000 renminbi or about 30000 to pay for a type of immunotherapy from the second hospital of the beijing armed police corps
mr weis form of cancer is generally treated with surgery and chemotherapy and he accused baidu of taking money to promote less proven treatments in its search results after his death the search company has been denounced online with some people calling it by the similar sounding Bai Du  or 100 poisons
china has strict laws against false advertising in medical products but how they apply to online search results is not clear it also is unclear whether the promoted link that mr wei followed was in fact misleading
companies that were involved in services that deal with human life should be particularly conscientious of their duties when conducting their businesses the website of peoples daily the communist partys flagship publication wrote in a commentary that questioned baidus corporate ethics billions of net users trusted baidu for their search engine and online forum services the company is hence responsible for the trust and is obligated to taking up their social responsibilities
the cyberspace administration of china the countrys online regulator acknowledged the public complaints and said on monday that it would conduct a joint investigation into baidu with the state administration for industry and commerce as well as the national health and family planning commission
government and military health authorities have announced a separate investigation into the hospital xinhua the state news agency reported on tuesday
our deepest condolences go out to wei zexis family tracy hu a baidu spokeswoman wrote by email baidu is a trusted company and we uphold extremely high standards to make our platform safe and trustworthy
on its weibo account baidu said that the second hospital of the beijing armed police corps where mr wei received treatment is a top level institution
we will cooperate with law enforcement investigations to the best of our ability and crack down on all illegal behavior baidu said in a weibo post and we strongly call on the management departments of related hospital bureaus to strengthen hospital supervision and build a trustworthy treatment environment for patients
the second hospital of the beijing armed police corps has not yet commented on the case a representative for the hospital could not be reached on tuesday
baidu has faced criticism before over the handling of health related information in january it overhauled its health forums after the moderator of a hemophilia discussion group said the management of the page had been sold to a private hospital in 2012 zhou hongyi the chief executive of the internet company qihoo 360 accused baidu of relying on advertisements of fake health care products for 30 percent of its revenue
mr wei wrote that he did not know that when he consulted baidu for medical information
baidu at that time i didnt know how sinister it could be he wrote bidding for ranking on medical information or the matter with the hemophilia page should make it clear what sort of thing it was
baidu says it applies particular vigilance to health care pages and has proactively cleaned up the customer base by using certification standards and screening potentially misleading ads
mr weis death has also increased attention on medical entrepreneurs connected with the so called putian system named after the city in fujian province from which many of them came the entrepreneurs made money by selling folk remedies and went on to invest in hospitals around the country
they are now represented by a national association the putian chinese health industry association last year the association was reported to have 8600 member hospitals about 80 percent of all private hospitals in china
the spread of the putian hospitals has relied on widespread online advertising and chinese news outlets have questioned the reliability of such promotions
it is necessary to conduct an in depth review alongside a serious investigation over whether baidus business is legal of why despite prohibitions and supervision a number of putian system medical institutions can still rely on swindling to become a formidable presence in chinas medical market the beijing news wrote in a commentary on tuesday
it was not immediately clear if the department in the beijing hospital that treated mr wei had a connection to a putian system company although some chinese news outlets suggested a link a nurse at the hospital told huashang bao a newspaper based in xian that the hospital itself controlled the department


hamilton is already a sold out smash hit that rare piece of theater to cross over into popular culture showered with prizes and accolades celebrated by artists and politicians memorized by children and late night talk show hosts
on tuesday the hip hop musical about americas first treasury secretary added another mark of distinction it was nominated for 16 tony awards more than any other show in broadway history
tony nominators deemed the show prize worthy in every category of theatermaking   acting writing directing dance music and design a whopping seven hamilton performers were singled out in two categories hamilton actors will compete against one another
its unbelievable   its absolutely humbling and incredible said the shows 36 year old creator and star lin manuel miranda who was nominated for three awards himself for his book his music and his performance in the title role mr miranda has already won a pulitzer prize for his work on the show
 a look at the surprises and stars in the making in this years tony nominations 
the show is most directly about the life and death of alexander hamilton but it is more broadly and boldly about america itself   its origins and its aspirations   as it deftly uses contemporary music and a multiethnic cast to suggest that the revolutionary impulses of the nations founding generation are as relevant and as riveting today as they were in the 18th century
when i had the idea i did say to myself i cant believe no ones done this yet because it felt to me like a good idea   hamiltons life was uniquely suited to the things that are my strengths hip hop and musical theater storytelling mr miranda said in a telephone interview shortly after the nominations were announced
the current theater season led by hamilton has been the most diverse in broadway history and the tony nominations reflect that of the 40 acting nominations 14 went to black hispanic and asian american actors the nominee diversity is a particular point of pride for broadway this year when hollywood has been convulsed with controversy over the lack of oscar nominations for nonwhite performers
when you look at broadway and hollywood its clear whos leading said michael arden who was nominated for his direction of a revival of spring awakening that featured deaf actors as well as an actress in a wheelchair this is one of the strongest seasons ive seen in years
hamilton is the overwhelming favorite to win the most coveted tony award this year the prize for best new musical but four other musicals hope to benefit simply from being nominated in that category bright star waitress school of rock   the musical and shuffle along or the making of the musical sensation of 1921 and all that followed those shows can now market themselves as best musical contenders hoping the nominations will help them at the box office
we call it the hamiltonys and we know this is as far as we can go but its great to have got this far said andrew lloyd webber the composer and lead producer of school of rock which is an adaptation of the jack black film about a failed musician who lies his way into a job as a substitute teacher and then trains his pupils to perform rock music alex brightman was nominated for his exuberant lead performance
that musical is a significant comeback for mr lloyd webber best known for his enormous successes in the 1980s including tony awards for evita cats and the phantom of the opera
i havent done a musical on broadway for quite a while he said in a phone interview from london its fun to be able to do this
the race for best new play is likely to be more competitive
the nominees are eclipsed by danai gurira about a group of liberian women kept captive by a warlord the father by florian zeller about a mans struggle with dementia the humans by stephen karam about a close knit family grappling with disappointment and king charles iii by mike bartlett imagining a crisis that might ensue after queen elizabeth iis death
the nominees for best play revival are blackbird long days journey into night noises off and two plays by arthur miller   the crucible and a view from the bridge   both given adventurous reinterpretations by the belgian director ivo van hove
several emotionally grueling plays scored multiple acting nominations including long days journey into night gabriel byrne jessica lange and michael shannon eclipsed lupita nyongo pascale armand saycon sengbloh blackbird jeff daniels and michelle williams the crucible sophie okonedo and bill camp and the humans reed birney and jayne houdyshell
this was an excellent season for musical revivals and four strongly reviewed shows will face off in that category the color purple fiddler on the roof she loves me and spring awakening
the 16 tony nominations for hamilton broke the record shared by the producers 2001 and billy elliot 2009 each nominated for 15 prizes with 12 tonys the producers is the winningest show of all time hamilton is unlikely to surpass that partly because it earned multiple nominations in two categories
among the days notable nominees was the prolific producer scott rudin mr rudin had five shows on broadway this season and they were all listed among the best in their category in addition to shuffle along for best new musical mr rudin was nominated for producing the humans and three play revivals the crucible a view from the bridge and blackbird
mr rudin had asked that shuffle along a jazz and tap rich show which explores the origins and aftermath of an early all black musical be considered a revival not a new musical so that it would not have to compete with hamilton
he lost that battle but shuffle did well on tuesday garnering 10 nominations second only to hamilton its creators however were stung that the shows star the six time tony award winner audra mcdonald was overlooked for her performance in the show
you have to reach for a bigger word than disappointed   im shocked  said george c wolfe who was nominated for directing and writing the book for shuffle along
among the other notable snubs benjamin walker was passed over for his bare chested and blood soaked performance as patrick bateman the antihero at the dark heart of american psycho while jennifer hudson was not nominated for her sultry turn as a nightclub singer in the color purple my presence was used for my celebrity not my talent ms hudson said on twitter im not surprised
the nominations dealt a blow to several shows that could have used help luring ticketbuyers including american psycho based on the bret easton ellis novel and tuck everlasting adapted from the book by natalie babbitt about a girl whose encounter with an immortal family forces her to make a difficult choice
the single tony nomination for disaster for jennifer simards scene stealing performance as a guitar slinging slot machine loving nun was not enough to save that musical spoof from sinking nine hours after the nominations were announced the shows producers said that disaster would close on sunday
but tuesdays announcement offered a big boost to bright star a soulful southern romance with bluegrass music by the comedian steve martin and the singer songwriter edie brickell the musical which has been struggling at the box office received five tony nominations including one for carmen cusack a veteran of touring productions who finally snagged a broadway lead and earned critical praise for her performance
we set out to write a certain type of show and we are satisfied that we did what we set out to do mr martin said now its up to the audience
this years nominees were selected by a panel of 47 theater experts many of whom work at nonprofit organizations and in academia the winners will be chosen by the 846 tony voters   a mix of producers performers and other theater industry professionals   and will be announced at a ceremony presented by the broadway league and the american theater wing on june 12 hosted by james corden and broadcast on cbs


sydney australia   australias immigration minister accused human rights advocates on tuesday of giving false hope to asylum seekers held in offshore detention centers suggesting that they bore some responsibility for two recent protests in which asylum seekers set themselves afire
the minister peter dutton spoke a day after a 21 year old somali woman set fire to herself on the pacific island nation of nauru where hundreds of people who tried to reach australia by boat are being held indefinitely the woman identified by advocates as hodan yasin was flown to the australian city of brisbane where she was hospitalized in critical condition on tuesday
on friday a 23 year old iranian man who had also been held on nauru died after self immolating earlier in the week apparently to protest conditions there and australias zero tolerance policy toward migrants who try to reach the country by boat
mr dutton said on tuesday that those policies would continue people who suggest that resisting the governments policy that somehow that is going to twist our arm we are not going to stand for that he said advocates should reflect on their message of false hope and misleading portrayal of the situation in nauru
their intentions may be honorable and they may be noble in their own minds but they are causing serious harm and we are not going to tolerate the situation mr dutton said
australia says that no asylum seeker who tries to reach the country by boat will ever be allowed to settle there regardless of whether he or she is granted refugee status doing so officials say would encourage migrants to make the treacherous ocean voyages often in unseaworthy boats which have sometimes ended in mass drownings
human rights advocates and others have criticized that policy as well as the conditions at the offshore detention centers where such people are sent on nauru and on manus island in the pacific nation of papua new guinea that countrys highest court recently declared the center on manus island illegal and officials from papua new guinea and australia were to meet this week to discuss the fate of the more than 800 men held there
this is a policy in free fall said sarah hanson young an australian lawmaker for the opposition greens party who said she was pretty disgusted by mr duttons news conference it is a policy that is hurting people breaking people lets make no mistake about it that is exactly what it is designed to do
on nauru an impoverished island nation just eight square miles in size more than 400 men women and children live in the camp facilities but are free to travel around the island hundreds of others have resettled in the community but asylum seekers there say their plight is dire with little meaningful work and no hope of moving forward with their lives and some single women have said they were attacked
an australian lawmaker melissa parke of the opposition labor party said in parliament on monday that a young african refugee had been raped on nauru and flown to port moresby the capital of papua new guinea for an abortion australia bears ultimate responsibility for the plight of this young woman she said it is time for the government to correct a number of great wrongs and end offshore processing
advocates said that ms yasin had been returned to nauru against her will last wednesday after months in australia where she had been treated for a head injury on monday she walked to a bus shelter just outside the nauru camp doused herself with an accelerant and set herself on fire said pamela curr an advocate at the asylum seeker resource center in melbourne
ms yasin had traveled alone from somalia as a minor making her way to indonesia and from there toward australia where the boat she was on was intercepted ms curr said she was held for a short time on christmas island an australian territory near indonesia before being moved to nauru in late 2013 ms curr said
she has a lively spirit one that got her halfway around the world probably on a barely seaworthy boat ms curr said to then try to take her own life is devastating when you burn yourself it is not a cry for help it is an attempt to take your life
ms curr met ms yasin last november when she was in brisbane being treated for a serious head injury possibly after being thrown from a motorcycle she had been in a coma and had no recollection of what had happened she isnt someone we have a lot of information about ms curr said
she said to me before she was sent back i hate this life it is an unfair life  ms curr said
ian rintoul a spokesman for the refugee action coalition in sydney said that he had also visited ms yasin in a hospital in brisbane last year and that two guards had sat at the foot of her bed the entire time she was treated
it will be the same now he said and it will be very hard for us to know how she is doing or offer her support


join us for live updates on the indiana primaries
donald j trump and hillary clinton are hoping that tuesdays primaries in indiana put to rest any question of whether they will win their parties presidential nominations for senator ted cruz of texas and the stop trump movement the state which had seemed winnable as recently as last week is most likely the last opportunity to deny mr trump the delegates he needs to avoid a contested convention in july
but indiana could also provide some insight into whether mr trump and mrs clinton will be able to win over the constituencies that have been most resistant to their candidacies
here are some of the questions that could be answered by tuesdays results in the hoosier state
after a huge sweep of the northeast last week that exceeded even the most optimistic projections for his delegate haul mr trump is not very far from the 1237 delegates he needs to secure the nomination a win in indiana would make him the overwhelming favorite to clinch it by june 7 the last day of voting for republicans
mr trump already has nearly 1000 delegates and even the most pessimistic projections would give him another 120 from west virginia new jersey and three states   washington oregon and new mexico   that award their delegates proportionally putting him about 120 delegates away from the nomination a win in indiana would cover about half of that number since the states 57 delegates are awarded on a winner take all basis both statewide and by congressional district
mr trump would have plenty of opportunities to cover the rest a win in california 172 delegates where he leads in recent polls by more than 20 percentage points would be more than enough
but mr trump would not even need to win california taking a third of its congressional districts and snagging a few extra delegates in west virginia or washington   let alone a surprise win in nebraska or montana   would be enough to win the nomination outright
the 92 delegates up for grabs in indianas democratic race will be distributed proportionally and will probably do little to loosen mrs clintons tightening grip on her partys nomination
but now that she is moving closer to becoming the democratic nominee what will be telling is whether some of the constituencies that have been resistant to her candidacy begin coming around
among the most significant of the voting blocs that have sided with her opponent senator bernie sanders of vermont are working class white voters whom mrs clinton will need to claim in the general election she began making progress with such voters in the pennsylvania primary last week effectively splitting whites without a college degree with mr sanders and will need to do so again in indiana to win the state over all
mrs clintons performance in madison delaware and howard counties will offer insights into whether she is gaining with working class whites all three are traditional manufacturing hubs with roots in the auto industry she won each of them in her 2008 contest with senator barack obama a race in which she performed far better with the sort of blue collar whites mr sanders has won over this year
the republican race in indiana could be decided in and around indianapolis the states capital and population center not only do about half of the states voters live in the indianapolis media market but five of indianas nine congressional districts include or are adjacent to marion county which is home to indianapolis
with 27 of indianas 57 delegates going to the statewide winner and another 27 allocated across its congressional districts a strong performance around the capital is crucial
but the challenge for mr cruz is that while many of the republicans in this heavily suburban and relatively affluent area are uneasy with mr trump they may be more inclined to support gov john kasich of ohio or stay home than back a hard line conservative
while mr cruz and mr kasich forged a deal in which mr kasich agreed to cede indiana to mr cruz a new poll from nbc and the wall street journal indicates that mr kasich is still receiving 13 percent of the vote despite not campaigning actively in the state and even if mr kasich were not in the race and his support were reallocated by the second choice preference of his voters mr trump would still lead mr cruz by 11 points according to the survey
compounding mr cruzs challenge the parts of northern indiana where he was expected to do well are more competitive than his campaign anticipated and southern indiana a heavily blue collar region full of reagan democrats could turn into a rout for mr trump
a victory for mr trump in indiana would not just be important for the delegates it could also be telling because indiana was supposed to be a good state for mr cruz who has fared well in primaries dominated by reliably conservative and evangelical voters
mr trump has won only two red states by more than five percentage points since mr cruz emerged as his principal conservative rival after super tuesday mr trump only barely defeated mr cruz in nearby kentucky missouri and downstate illinois and that was before senator marco rubio left the race mr cruzs big win in wisconsin seemed to confirm that the rubio vote was safely in his camp which boded well for him in indiana
but mr cruzs expected advantage has not materialized polls have shown mr trump ahead by as much as 15 points pushing mr cruz first to pursue his desperate alliance with mr kasich and then to announce that carly fiorina would be his running mate
a victory for mr trump in indiana would suggest that he has broken through his ceiling in conservative states and that mr cruz has in fact lost ground over the last month and it would raise serious questions about whether mr cruz can still beat mr trump in other states where mr cruz was thought to be favored like nebraska washington montana and south dakota
a cruz upset on the other hand would suggest that his weakness in the northeast was a regional phenomenon and that he might still have the strength needed to stop mr trump in california and elsewhere in the west


what in the world offers you glimpses of what our journalists are observing around the globe let us know what you think whatintheworldnytimescom
shes famous for a lifetime of campaigning for democracy in myanmar has been honored with a nobel peace prize and now thanks to an electoral triumph she is the leading political figure in her country
but for anyone who speaks or writes about her she presents something of a quandary what do you call daw aung san suu kyi for short
western notions of first and last names dont really apply in myanmar formerly burma burmese people generally dont hand down family names from one generation to another or change a birth name upon marriage and theres no particular pattern to the number of syllable elements except that very short names like u nu are becoming a bit less common
burmese people use courtesy titles to convey social status and consider them a more essential part of the name than mr or ms would be in english daw is one such prefix it translates literally as aunt but means something more like madame and denotes an older or married woman of substance u is the equivalent for a man when she was a girl her name would have started with ma instead of daw
parents can draw elements of a childs name from wherever they like and in daw aung san suu kyis case hers came from theirs   her father was the independence leader gen aung san and her mother the diplomat khin kyi   as well as from her grandmothers the suu part which also refers to the day of the week when she was born
her brothers names also start with aung san so thats not ideal for a nickname instead burmese people tend to shorten her name using the suu part to daw suu or amay suu mother suu or to dr suu kyi she has an honorary doctorate from oxford
thats also the route hillary clinton followed when she was secretary of state in 2012 for example mrs clinton referred to her familiarly as suu kyi
the new york times manual of style and usage though brooks no such familiarity it advises that the second reference should be ms aung san suu kyi which hardly helps in the for short quandary


for new yorkers who rely on the 86th street subway station on the upper east side of manhattan the morning commute is a humbling experience an endless stream of people funnel onto the platforms trains arrive with a wall of humanity already blocking the doorways
as no 6 trains pull into the upper level of the station riders scan for an opening and if they can squeeze in for a suffocating ride downtown
you can wait four or five subways to get on and youre just smushed cynthia hallenbeck the chief financial officer at a nonprofit said before boarding a train on a recent morning
the lexington avenue line is the most crowded in the system but subway riders across new york city are finding themselves on platforms and trains that are beyond crowded l train stations in brooklyn are routinely overwhelmed in queens no 7 train riders regularly endure packed conditions
subway use now at nearly 18 billion rides a year has not been this high since 1948 when the fare was a nickel and the dodgers were still almost a decade away from leaving brooklyn today train delays are rising and even a hiccup like a sick passenger or a signal malfunction can inundate stations with passengers
delays caused by overcrowding have quadrupled since 2012 to more than 20000 each month according to the metropolitan transportation authority
the crowded trains can make for tense commutes contributing to an uptick in assaults among disgruntled passengers the transit police say with crowds lining the platform edge some riders and train operators worry that someone could fall onto the tracks
and with summer approaching the imposed intimacy will soon be even less welcome as platform temperatures climb into the 80s and 90s
in terms of physical discomfort and feeling that life stinks in the subway this is the no 1 culprit said gene russianoff the longtime leader of the straphangers campaign a rider advocacy group
subway ridership in new york is in the midst of a resurgence almost unimaginable in the 1970s and 80s when the system was defined by graffiti and crime ridership has steadily risen to nearly six million daily riders today from about four million in the 1990s
but the subway infrastructure has not kept pace and that has left the system with a litany of needs many of them essential to maintaining current service or accommodating the increased ridership the authoritys board recently approved 142 billion for the subway as part of a 295 billion five year capital spending plan
on the busiest lines like the 7 l and q officials say the agency is already running as many trains as it can during the morning rush crowds are appearing on nights and weekends too and the authority is adding more trains at those times
the long awaited opening of the second avenue subway on the upper east side this year will ease congestion on the lexington avenue line installing a modern signal system which would allow more trains to run is many years away for most lines
in the meantime the agency is doing its best to keep trains moving on the century old system workers known as platform controllers have been deployed at busy stations like 86th street to direct crowds so that trains can depart more quickly
subway guards the early 20th century forerunner of todays platform controllers were posted at busy stations the last time the system had this many riders during the great depression and world war ii era that role the new york times noted in 1930 required the skills of a football player a head usher a stage director pugilist circus barker and a sardine packer
that year the citys health commissioner criticized the indecency of present overcrowding and warned of protecting riders from contagious diseases a video from the new york transit museums archive shows subway riders scrambling onto crowded trains in the 1940s
another big city currently grappling with huge crowds is london and there the tube has taken drastic measures stations simply close when they get too crowded the busy oxford circus station in that citys west end was closed more than 100 times over the course of one year officials said leaving hordes of riders to mill about at street level
it is difficult to imagine new yorkers patiently waiting at roped off subway entrances
kevin ortiz a spokesman for the authority said such restrictions were not necessary in new york city   at least for now
at this point we dont feel there are any current safety issues associated with overcrowding but its something we will continue to monitor as ridership grows mr ortiz said
the authority has weighed several proposals including buying trains with open pathways between cars that can carry more riders and installing platform safety doors like those on the airtrain at kennedy international airport to serve as a barrier to keep riders from falling onto the tracks
brussard alston a train operator for nearly two decades who has worked on the c line said operators were instructed to approach crowded stations slowly at about 10 miles per hour
when youre bringing the train into the station and you see the station is packed you always have that on your mind   the possibility that somebody could be pushed or someone could fall or trip or faint mr alston said
at the 86th street station riders stood away from the platform edge because of such concerns parents with young children held on extra tight
i worry about that all the time wendy baez an officer manager at a law firm said thats why i always stay in the back
as tara salvemini arrived on the platform she said she left for work early to avoid the crowds
people are trying to walk back because they dont want to get too close to the edge and theyre pushing you forward ms salvemini who works in the entertainment industry said people can be very aggressive
nearby a platform controller gave stern directives over a microphone do not block the doors step all the way in


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they are banned in france mandated in saudi arabia and a fashion statement in indonesia veils for muslim women come in all sizes shapes and colors   and with terminology that can mean different things in different places
the quran is oblique in its references to hijab which is described not as an article of clothing but something akin to a curtain or separation that allows for privacy heres a guide to how that looks around the muslim world
abaya the ubiquitous and requisite covering for women in saudi arabia is seen throughout the arabian peninsula and parts of north africa typically black the garment is constructed like a loose robe or caftan and covers everything but the face hands and feet
burqa the taliban required garment is worn mainly in afghanistan and covers the entire face with a crocheted mesh grill over the eyes when first mentioned in the new york times in 1988 it was described as tentlike in kabul most burqas are blue but in other parts of afghanistan and pakistan theyre brown green or white
chador for centuries women in iran have worn these semicircles of fabric draped over the head like a shawl the chador has no fasteners it is held in place under the neck by hand black is the preferred color in public but women often wear colorful versions at home or at the mosque
hijab the term has become a catchall particularly in the west for all islamic veils but is mainly used to mean a head scarf styles vary not only by geography but also fashion trends
jilbab also mentioned in the quran the term generally refers to a protective article of clothing not a specific garment in indonesia jilbab refers to any head to toe style of modest dress especially a head scarf but in north africa and the arabian peninsula it typically means a long dress or tunic
khimar this is the third term along with hijab and jilbab that is mentioned in the quran cumulatively they make up the religious justification for veiling historically khimar refers to any article of clothing that promotes modesty covering the genitals and breasts of a woman and protecting her from the gaze of unrelated men in some countries the term is used to describe any veil or head scarf similar to a hijab
niqab a veil that covers a womans face with a slit left for the eyes though not required in saudi arabia it is almost always worn with an abaya by women in public in much of the world including south asia and north africa women often don a half niqab a square of fabric tied or held with a band below the eyes


what in the world offers you glimpses of what our journalists are observing around the globe let us know what you think whatintheworldnytimescom
erotic sculpture park check bumper cars designed like genitalia check snack bar serving aphrodisiac recipes check sex on the premises uh better not
entrepreneurs in brazil are seeking to build an adults only theme park called erotikaland near the city of piracicaba about two hours drive from sao paulo and they hope to open its doors by 2018 but the project is setting off debate over public displays of sexuality in brazil where carnival celebrations feature scantily clad dancers and thousands of short stay love motels strive to please an exacting clientele
we cannot be known as the capital of sex matheus erler a member of the christian socialist party who leads the piracicaba city council told reporters he said he was worried that the park would attract debauched individuals
the businessman in charge of the project mauro morata tried to ease some local concerns when he made clear that the park would be built outside the city limits still municipal leaders in piracicaba and nearby sao pedro have maneuvered to block the project mr morata says he is pressing ahead anyway with his search for an acceptable site and emphasizes the projects economic upsides 250 new jobs and thousands of visitors who can afford 100 apiece to get in
as for the racy theme the investors behind erotikaland say the park will promote a healthy approach to sex parkgoers will be able to tour a museum exploring the history of sexuality and employees will promote condom use the park will have a sex playground but it will feature a labyrinth ferris wheel and water slide
what the customers cannot have the investors say is any actual intercourse   at least not in the park
this wont be a place for nuns but its not like were trying to recreate sodom and gomorrah mr morata said if attendees want to take things to another level they can go to a nearby motel   which we will operate


it was a good day for einstein when an international collaboration of physicists announced in february that they detected ripples in space time known as gravitational waves from the collision of two gigantic black holes far far away neither gravitational waves nor black holes   both predictions of einsteins theory of gravity general relativity   had been seen directly before
it was also a good day for the researchers for whom great honors were immediately predicted now those predictions are coming true on tuesday yuri milner a russian internet entrepreneur and philanthropist announced that he was giving 3 million to the gravitational wave discoverers the award is a special addition to the 3 million breakthrough prizes in fundamental physics he awards every fall
the three ringleaders of the gravitational wave experiment known as ligo ronald p drever and kip s thorne of the california institute of technology and rainer weiss of the massachusetts institute of technology will split 1 million the other 2 million will be split among 1012 scientists who were authors of the article in physical review letters or who made major contributions to the study of gravitational waves


london   ubs said on tuesday that its first quarter profit fell 64 percent compared with a year ago as investor wariness about the financial markets continued to hurt its wealth management and investment banking businesses
the lender which is based in zurich has shrunk the size of its investment bank and shifted its focus to wealth management an area it considers to be more consistently profitable but which has been hit hard by turbulence in the markets dating to last year
one positive in the quarter however was that the amount of net new money invested by clients in the wealth management business increased at a stronger pace than in the same period last year
for the three months ended march 31 ubs reported a profit of 707 million swiss francs or about 738 million that compared with a profit of 198 billion francs in the first quarter of 2015
in view of exceptionally low client activity levels we continued to manage our resources effectively while making progress on costs sergio p ermotti the ubs chief executive said in a news release
ubs said that some factors that have hurt investor sentiment in recent quarters have stabilized but it warned that macroeconomic challenges and geopolitical risks that have caused clients to be more cautious are unlikely to be resolved in the foreseeable future
negative market performance substantial volatility as well as underlying macroeconomic and geopolitical uncertainty led to more pronounced client risk aversion and abnormally low transaction volumes in the first quarter the bank said
operating income declined 23 percent to 683 billion francs in the first quarter from 884 billion francs in the same period a year earlier
net interest income the measure of what a bank earns on its lending after deducting what it pays out on deposits and other liabilities rose 5 percent to 171 billion francs in the quarter from 164 billion francs in the first quarter of 2015
operating expenses declined 5 percent to 586 billion francs in the first quarter from 613 billion francs in the same period a year earlier
in the wealth management division ubs said pretax profit fell 41 percent to 557 million francs in the quarter from 951 million francs in the first quarter of 2015
ubs said that its wealth management business had 155 billion francs in net new money invested by clients in the first quarter compared with 144 billion francs in net new money in the same period last year
the wealth management business in the americas which is operated separately reported a pretax profit of 212 million in the first quarter a 21 percent decline from 268 million in the same period a year earlier
ubss investment bank reported a pretax profit of 253 million francs in the quarter down 67 percent from 766 million francs in the first quarter of 2015


paris   bnp paribas the largest french bank said on tuesday that its profit rose in the first three months of the year even as revenue fell in a particularly unfavorable environment
the lender based in paris said net income came in at 18 billion euros or 21 billion up 10 percent compared with the same period a year earlier the results were bolstered by a 28 percent reduction in the funds it set aside for loan losses without those one time adjustments it said net income would have been just 4 percent higher at EUR16 billion
that surprised the market consensus which had been for a decline in profit
revenue fell 2 percent from a year earlier to EUR108 billion
ultralow interest rates in europe   led by the european central banks negative rates policy weakness in stock markets and unease in the bond market   hurt performance the bank said that was most evident at bnp paribass investment banking unit the units global markets division posted a 24 percent drop in revenue to EUR13 billion
the bank last month said it was restructuring the investment banking business laying off more than 650 employees
jean laurent bonnafe the banks chief executive said in a news release that the results showed bnp paribass revenue had held up well thanks to the diversity of its geographies and businesses
the operating expenses are well contained and the cost of risk is down significantly he added
bnp paribas said its basel 3 common equity tier 1 ratio continued to improve reaching 11 percent at the end of march up 10 basis points from its level at the end of 2015 the ratio is an indicator of the banks ability to withstand financial stress


london   hsbc said on tuesday that its profit fell 18 percent in the first quarter of this year compared with a year earlier as uncertainty in the markets hurt its investment banking and wealth management businesses
the lender which is based in britain but generates more than half of its earnings in asia is significantly reshaping its business it announced plans in june to shed tens of thousands of jobs to sell underperforming businesses and to shrink its global investment banking business
the quarterly results included 341 million in restructuring charges as well as 31 million in charges related to its efforts to shield its british retail banking business from the effects of investment banking and other activities in the event of another financial crisis
banks in britain must separate their retail operations by 2019 citing increased regulatory costs hsbc considered moving its headquarters out of britain last year but opted in february to keep its headquarters in london
the quarter also included 17 million in charges related to the disposal of its operations in brazil hsbc agreed in august to sell the bulk of its operations in brazil to banco bradesco for 176 billion brazilian reais or about 51 billion at current exchange rates
for the three months that ended march 31 hsbc reported a profit of 43 billion compared with a profit of 526 billion in the first quarter of 2015
hsbc reported an adjusted pretax profit of 543 billion which was ahead of analysts expectations
our first quarter performance was resilient in tough market conditions that affected the entire banking sector stuart t gulliver the hsbc chief executive said in a news release profits were down against a very strong first quarter of 2015 but we increased market share in many of the product areas that are critical to our strategy
revenue declined 6 percent to 15 billion in the first quarter from 159 billion in the same period of 2015
net interest income the measure of what a bank earns on its lending after deducting what it pays out on deposits and other liabilities was down 4 percent to 791 billion in the quarter from 827 billion in the first quarter of 2015
operating expenses declined 7 percent to 826 billion in the first quarter from 885 billion in the same period a year earlier
pretax profit in hsbcs investment bank known as global banking and markets fell 30 percent to 212 billion in the quarter from 304 billion in the first quarter of 2015
market uncertainty led to extreme levels of volatility in january and february which affected our ability to generate revenue in our markets and wealth management businesses mr gulliver said however our diversified universal banking business model helped to cushion the impact through growth in other parts of the bank
the retail banking and wealth management business reported a pretax profit of 113 billion in the first quarter from 161 billion in the same period a year earlier
hsbc said that pretax profit declined 10 percent in its commercial banking business to 205 billion in the quarter from 229 billion in the first quarter of 2015
in asia the banks pretax profit fell 18 percent to 353 billion in the first quarter from 433 billion in the same period a year earlier


paris   les bouquinistes has long been a favorite luxury restaurant of paris visitors set on a quay along the left bank founded by guy savoy a three michelin star chef it offers a warm welcome a contemporary setting a creative menu prices that are not stratospheric and drop dead views of the seine and notre dame
but on a recent thursday evening this 50 seat food emporium was empty except for one couple at a table in front and a small group celebrating a birthday in a back room
it is fear of terrorism said cedric jossot les bouquinistess manager we rely on tourists   americans japanese   and they are not coming
paris has been on edge for more than a year first there were attacks against the charlie hebdo newspaper and a kosher supermarket in january 2015 that left 17 victims and three jihadist gunmen dead then came much more deadly and extensive attacks in november that targeted a stadium a concert hall and neighborhood bistros and bars claiming the lives of 130 president francois hollande declared that france was at war and imposed a nationwide state of emergency that is still in effect
brussels was attacked in march reports that those responsible had links to the november paris attacks and had first wanted to attack paris have left the impression that the city is not safe
all of that on top of broader economic trends that have depressed business in many luxury oriented industries has resulted in empty tables at some of the citys finest and best known restaurants lively bistros that cater to local french diners seem to be full formal expensive restaurants much less so
its a catastrophe said yannick alleno another three michelin star chef and one of the most innovative in paris at pavillon ledoyen we try to stay positive and spread the message that paris is a magical destination like always yes we are at war against terrorists but the entire world is at war against terrorists
to attract clients at lunchtime mr alleno has introduced a slimmed down menu of no starter but a perfect main course for example a poached fillet of turbot in its juice pearls of potatoes seasoned with dry fish skin and cucumber ravioli with smoked cottage cheese a spiced seaweed tea bottled water and coffee are included but wine is extra yet at 72 euros it is hardly a bargain for everyday diners
and so the paris restaurant universe has become more complicated luxury hotels are suffering from a downturn because of both fear of terrorism and an increase in short term apartment rentals which means fewer concierge restaurant referrals according to philippe faure the french foreign ministrys diplomat in charge of promoting tourism the state of emergency means that many foreign insurance policies will not cover business travelers to france he said
more foreign visitors who stay in rented apartments rather than hotels are following the lead of some parisians who are using new high quality meal delivery services or even hiring private chefs
michelin starred restaurants particularly those in luxury hotels are suffering the most people walk in see that the dining room is empty and walk to the bistro across the street mr faure said
alain ducasses signature restaurant at the plaza athenee hotel and le cinq the luxury restaurant at the george v hotel run by the four seasons both with three michelin stars are sometimes nearly empty at 130 one recent lunch hour the plaza restaurant was serving only two tables of two people each at the dinner hour one recent evening at le cinq there were only two sets of diners
its creating an atmosphere of anxiety and stress for everyone   the chefs the owners the diners said francois regis gaudry the dining critic for the weekly lexpress who eats at paris restaurants daily
mr gaudry said that during a recent lunch at le gabriel the michelin two star restaurant of the luxury hotel la reserve he was stunned to see that only about a third of the tables were occupied at chez lami jean a well known bistro specializing in basque cuisine that is featured in many american guidebooks and blogs it was even worse i was there with an american food critic and there was no one except us he said
restaurants that once had monthslong waiting lists like mr ducasses le jules verne at the top of the eiffel tower can now be reserved much more quickly especially for lunch mr ducasse can partly cover his losses because he has several restaurants that cater to different budgets and different kinds of customers champeaux his new brasserie at les halles for example has been full since it opened last month he said but he is distressed by the governments repeated extension of a state of emergency
i was in new york after sept 11 and your mayor was perfect   he assured all of us with businesses there that life must and would go on he said this message of fear here in france is terrible for restaurants and for the whole economy
other chefs are fighting back by slashing prices gilles epie at the unstarred citrus etoile near the arc de triomphe has started an internet campaign and is offering online advance reservations with a 30 percent discount off meals but not wine to keep customers coming he had just visited las vegas and was struck that the restaurants built in the artificial city of paris there were full so im telling everyone its time to come to paris he said the real paris
but for mr faure there is no choice except to wait it out its frustrating because its paris only paris that is suffering he said the rest of france   the mountains the sea   are packed but we cant mount an argument that contradicts the official line that we are in a state of emergency because of the terrorist threat
theres nothing to do   except to have a lot of patience


rayne la   it is early april in southwest louisiana and we are trundling along sumpy dirt roads flanked by muddy corrugated fields where the crawfish dwell peak season is approaching when these crustaceans are at their largest and most plentiful so i was keen to reach hawks restaurant which is widely considered a touchstone of this gastronomic genre
i discovered hawks four years ago during one of my periodic food tours through cajun country it is in the vicinity of rayne a small city population about 8000 that bills itself as the frog capital of the world dating to its days as a major commercial source of the meat
hawks sells t shirts boasting of its location in the middle of nowhere but today it is easy to find thanks to satellite navigation systems
the 33 year old hawks is closed for more than half of the year and looks it it operates during crawfish season typically early january to late may a giant red crawfish painted on the door of a low unprepossessing barn marks the spot
this year has been a great crawfish harvesting season owing to the exceptionally wet and mild winter according to the owners anthony arceneaux 54 and his wife jennifer 49 crawfish sometimes called mud bugs were pretty much a cajun victual until the early 1980s then a short lived cajun mania swept the nation fueled by the fire stoking telegenic chef paul prudhomme
hawks 188 seat dining area is plain spacious and neighborly attracting a mostly local clientele   large families young couples and old timers in cowboy hats and western shirts its decor revolves around an admirable collection of neon signs donated by beer salesmen small wire crawfish traps hang from wooden beams
my group of four was escorted to a table next to a hearty threesome who were staring down a huge five pound platter of boiled crawfish in the shell 2799 alongside sat a three pound serving 1799
mr arceneaux takes great pride in his purged crawfish which undergo a 36  to 48 hour cleansing process that causes them to expel the bitter tasting waste material in their gastrointestinal tracts
the boiled crawfish are cooked in water seasoned with both cayenne and what mr arceneaux describes as a commercial chinese pepper mix which leaves them faintly sharp but not too spicy a similar blend is used on the crunchy cleanly fried crawfish tails
hawks etouffee departs from the traditional recipe in that the roux is made with cornstarch rather than flour this leaves it lighter and more sumptuously absorbed by the white rice the addition of tomato lends a touch of sweetness that plays off the peppery aftertaste
in cajun country it is said the only restaurants that do not serve bread pudding are those that have gone out of business there are endless variations ms arceneauxs startling rendition is made with glazed doughnuts condensed milk evaporated milk eggs and sugar its an acquired taste
hawks 416 hawks road rayne la 337 788 3266 hawkscrawfishcom


urbani the truffle company based in umbria italy opened a showroom and offices in new york six years ago now it has turned the premises into a teaching space its calling truffle lab classes and cooking lessons by the chef christine berni silverstein begin may 9 oils jars and tins of truffles sauces dried mushrooms and candies are for sale in the front urbani truffles 10 west end avenue 60th street 212 247 8800 urbanicom


look into any chefs kitchen and youll see stacks and stacks of simple steel skillets the go to utensils for finishing many foods they are not as common in the home cooks arsenal but they should be mark henry an australian engineer has upgraded them with improvements like an openwork handle that stays cool and one piece construction without rivets so food residue doesnt get trapped he has applied similar features to cast iron skillets both come preseasoned solidteknics aus ion steel skillets 7995 to 18999 at jb prince jbprincecom ausfonte cast iron skillets 9999 to 12995 at amazoncom


global feedback an organization that seeks to reduce food waste has held public eat ins since 2009 at these events dishes are prepared by well known chefs using ingredients that would otherwise have gone to landfills next week in union square park some 5000 people will be served by chefs like dan barber jason weiner and evan hanczor who will also show how to use the ingredients the organization promises to feed another 5000 new yorkers in need feeding the 5000 may 10 from 11 am to 4 pm free feedbackglobalorg


learn how to make macarons at home or give mom the gift of a baking lesson at laduree followed by a formal afternoon tea the hourlong classes are for one to six people including children on wednesday thursday and friday afternoons at 2 or 3 pm year round extra classes for mothers day will be held this saturday and sunday the cost 200 per adult 150 per child includes the tea which takes an additional hour and a gift box laduree soho 398 west broadway spring street reservations a week in advance from salesusladureecom


shenyang china   not long past the break of dawn after downing a bowl of hot porridge and dropping off his son at school zhang yuzeng made his way to a street corner near the nanyun river there under the poplar trees he rummaged through his toolbox
pliers check club hammer check cigarettes check
mr zhang hung a sign on his scooter   electrician carpenter plumber   and pumped a techno mix through his headphones then he waited
there is no other way he said if you dont show up you wont be able to make a penny
nearly every morning for the last two years mr zhang 42 has advertised his skills and looked for work here at the lu yuan labor market in shenyang one of northeast chinas largest cities not so long ago his prospects were decent a day of painting walls or fixing toilets could fetch 50 or more
but as the economy has slowed and parts of the northeast have fallen into recession temporary jobs have grown scarce in shenyang restaurants are cutting back and construction companies are struggling to pay workers for the few remaining positions the daily rate has dropped below 30
at the lu yuan market the days begin with muted promise as hundreds of workers gather along the banks of the nanyun before sunrise smoking cigarettes eating sunflower seeds and sharing jokes
there are cooks who were once famous for elaborate buffets but now go hungry at night and maids who spend their days tidying closets but live in squalid rooms that cost 150 per night the workers wave signs and show off their tools and pounce at the sight of halting cars
by early afternoon after the street cleaners have swept away the last of the mornings plastic wrappers and the construction vans have disappeared the workers set out for home some wander the streets depressed and defeated
shenyang with a population of over eight million was once a boom town with its economy growing by 10 percent as recently as 2012 but under the pressure of a property glut and a downturn in manufacturing the economy has slowed last year it grew by 35 percent
mr zhang moved to shenyang from the countryside when he was 18 with his knack for laying electric cables he had grown accustomed to working almost every day
now sometimes more than a week passes without work he worries that his wife a waitress might leave him they have a 10 year old son and a 20 year old daughter and their savings of about 3000 are dwindling
im sad he said im a man in my 40s and i cant give my family happiness
as mr zhang spoke a beggar named wang baocheng appeared mr wang hobbles through the lu yuan market each day carrying a black trash bag filled with clothes and a statue of a monkey that he keeps for good luck
this morning his forehead was bruised and almost entirely purple he tried to persuade a manager at a heat insulation factory that he was fit for work the manager was dubious accusing him of having a drinking problem
if you dont hire me i will lie underneath your car right now mr wang threatened
the man offered a 50 renminbi bill about 8 and mr wang took it and stumbled away
on another corner zhao yan 58 a widow struggled to get attention from potential employers in passing cars she was looking for painting work but said it had become more difficult for older laborers many of them illiterate to land jobs she wore a blue hat with a superman shield to set herself apart
its like a war she said bosses are picky they will choose younger people over me
ms zhao said she often did not have enough money for food subsisting on pastries that cost a few cents other people can eat cooked rice but i only get porridge she said
on a sidewalk near a gazebo a group of construction workers cracked open eggs that had been boiled in tea they joked that they lived in lantian luguan meaning the blue sky hotel or outdoors
still some were confident the economy would eventually rebound
it cant always be like this said huang wei 58 an electrician its just like the stock market after it declines it will bounce back but you never know how long that will take and its hard for ordinary people to estimate fate is in the hands of the state
in a nearby exhibition hall dozens of cooks gathered with cards pinned to their shirts identifying their specialties pancakes noodles dumplings they dressed neatly but not too neatly they said so the bosses would know they had experience workers who exaggerate their skills are often chased out of kitchens they added
outside the hall a bulletin board promoted a government buzzword entrepreneurship and urged residents to start their own businesses the display offered brief biographies of an eclectic set of role models   including walt disney the inventor james watt and the radio pioneer guglielmo marconi   and explained how the toy manufacturer mattel has turned barbie dolls into valuable collectors items
innovation is the inexhaustible source of the progress of a nation read one slogan
workers ignored the display gathering by the nearby noodle stands to smoke instead
mr zhang sat on a stool in his corner passing the day listening to music and talking with friends he had polished and organized his tools tucking them away in towels and plastic bags
when a black bmw 740li stopped on the street mr zhang and several electricians rushed to the passenger window a man needed help hanging a light after a few minutes of negotiations the car sped away the man had refused to pay more than 30 and the workers said the job was too far away to be worth taking
on days like this shenyang can seem especially gray the river flows slowly arguments break out over jobs sometimes turning violent people talk about solving their problems by jumping into the river usually they are joking
mr zhang said he often felt frustrated by the uncertainty of the job market as a child growing up in a village in the eastern province of shandong he had dreamed of becoming a soldier but his family did not have the connections to get him into the military and he did not attend high school
when he moved to shenyang in 1991 his ambitions were revived and he became a carpenter thinking he could one day be a boss i was like a newborn calf unafraid of tigers he said invoking a chinese proverb
now mr zhang said he had no choice but to return to the lu yuan market each morning even if his prospects are dim i have no other options he said
a friend motioned to the water theres always the river she said


youll see rome through the eyes and taste buds of katie parla and kristina gill in this attractive new cookbook they lightly sketch roman history via its neighborhoods and their culinary specialties like offal in testaccio jewish foods from the ghetto and the cooking of libyan immigrants along the way they describe old recipes that have gone out of fashion and how chefs innovate based on them serious cooks may want to tackle the complex bread and pizza recipes and the art of making guanciale at home others will prefer the simpler crostini slathered with butter and ribbons of anchovy or classic chicken with tomatoes and peppers i only wish that they had included a list of all the restaurants they mention with addresses tasting rome fresh flavors and forgotten recipes from an ancient city by katie parla and kristina gill clarkson potter 30


bill yosses best known as a former pastry chef at the white house is turning out savories as well as sweets he has started a company perfect pie that makes and sells pies including a hearty chicken potpie with truffles beef tamale chile pie in a cornmeal crust smoked duck and collard pie with several cheeses an open faced tomato and cheese tart and a vegan turmeric tofu and vegetable pie in a millet crust pecan apple and huckleberry are some of the dessert pies individual size ones 750 are sold at brooklyn roasting companys cafes most notably the spacious new one in the flatiron district by summer the pies will also be available online and full size ones will be added for 40 each brooklyn roasting company brooklynroastingcom perfect pie 212 410 3262 perfectpiecom


chicago   in the weeks leading up to the reboot of his three michelin star restaurant alinea the chef grant achatz and his team have staged a series of wildly experimental pop up dinners perhaps the most startling moment one night came when diners were given an envelope bearing a simple message please shut up
the dining room was suddenly bathed in harsh bright light as waiters in white coveralls served a monochromatic dish of marcona almonds clamshell mushrooms and white asparagus in a white veloute on white plates atop white tablecloths servers with a finger poised over lips signaled everyone to eat in silence
minutes later the room plunged into near darkness to the ominous guitar intro of paint it black servers described the next dish in a frantic manner a duck stew with mushroom blackberry and chinese vinegar reduction blackened forbidden rice and fried black lentils the food was so dark it was difficult to tell if one had finished it
that one two punch mr achatz later said was meant to convey a sense of tension and release a ride from valley to peak along the emotional sine curve
and while he has no plans to stage anything as extreme once the restaurant opens it may provide some clues about his intentions for one of the worlds most renowned and unpredictable restaurants
alinea which on monday won a james beard award for outstanding restaurant has been closed since new years day for a seven figure gut renovation and conceptual reset it is scheduled to reopen in the coming weeks the pop up dinners called the progression were served in the space that previously housed moto a restaurant owned by the late chef homaro cantu
mr achatz 42 said his cooking would rely less on the pyrotechnics of molecular gastronomy that he favored as a 30 year old these days he said its about less shock value what intrigues him now is how to enhance the dining experience by evoking emotions
a good cook will understand nuances in layers of flavors through seasoning maybe its acid spice bitterness mr achatz said in an interview at the restaurant we want to keep that going how do we season with sound with light with elements of emotions for us that makes the experience more complex and nuanced
through highs ruth reichl proclaimed it the best restaurant in america in gourmet in 2006 and lows mr achatzs bout with cancer in 2007 alinea has operated continuously in the upscale lincoln park neighborhood since its first day may 4 2005 the reopened alinea will be a brand new restaurant in everything but the name
every signature alinea dish the one bite dumpling bursting with black truffle broth an edible helium balloon of green apple taffy spring vegetables graffitied with spray painted carrot juice is gone new dishes have yet to be worked out but the goal will be purity of flavor peak season fava beans for instance dressed with lavender and olive oil the complexity comes in its simplicity mr achatz said
the most significant change is the restaurants interior its minimalist stainless steel and glass have been replaced by warm tones plush banquette seating and ornate crown molding that brings to mind turn of the century parisian rowhouses classicism is punctuated by modern touches like a tabletop made with a translucent resin that makes plates look as if they float
the downstairs oval shaped room known as the gallery has been fitted out like a performance space with lighting and sound systems that can be synchronized using an ipad furniture can be moved in and out with ease turning a seated area into an open cocktail lounge space halfway up the curving staircase is a nook where a musician or poet may perform
every ceiling tile has up to four brass anchors that can hold nearly 100 pounds in weight mr achatz envisions suspending legs of iberico ham or baskets where diners forage for their next course
the first thing to hang from the anchors will be paintings by the chicago artist thomas masters during the meal they will be unhooked from the ceiling and a course will be plated atop the acrylic panels making a visual connection between the colors and textures in the food and the artwork
the gallery is closest in spirit to the playful and polarizing experiments conducted at the pop up dinners like a theatrical presentation meals at the gallery will be limited to 16 diners for each seating with a set start time mr achatz and his business partner nick kokonas have already pioneered the selling of tickets at their restaurants
he said gallery meals would cost more than those upstairs where he would offer a more traditional sit down dining experience
though servers are unlikely to ask diners to please shut up the pop up dinners spirit of experimentation will carry over to the new restaurant
were not really worried so much about offending anybody as we are trying to keep our beliefs true the executive chef mike bagale said being normal is a fear


strawberries peas and rhubarb are all well and good but springtime has extra special charms for the garlic lovers among us
after a winter of shriveling sprouting cloves the warming weather brings new garlic shoots ready for plucking this neonatal green garlic is a boon for those enthralled by the stinking rose yet its mellower and fresher than the white papery heads you get during the rest of the year
available from april through june green garlic looks like scallions with floppy leafy tops and slender white stalks all of the plant is edible including any bulbs swelling from the root ends the bulb is what eventually forms cloves and grows into a garlic head but while still young those tender bulbs are juicy and sweet with just a hint of the pungency they develop after maturation and the greens are wonderfully herbal with an allium tang
you can use green garlic anywhere youd use scallions   in salads compound butters or pesto like sauces or treat it like regular mature garlic and puree it into hummus pesto or aioli or saute it as the base of a soup stew or sauce green garlic may not be as intense as mature garlic but it has the freshness of youth on its side and the moment to seize it is now
in this tabbouleh recipe i treat green garlic stems like herbs and mince them into a mix of parsley and mint that make up the backbone of the salad feel free to play with the ratio of parsley to mint to green garlic as long as you keep the overall volume of herbs the same youll end up with a salad thats more green than beige which is exactly the point this variation is on the lighter side compared with some other tabbouleh recipes but its very complexly flavored
you can serve tabbouleh as a side dish to simply grilled or roasted meats or fish and its a natural with falafel either homemade or ordered in but it also works well with just a chunk of good feta and some warm pita on the side for one of the easiest yet still satisfying meals around
you can make the tabbouleh up to three hours in advance bear in mind though that it gets more garlicky the longer it sits but for garlic lovers tried and true that is not necessarily a bad thing
recipes green garlic tabbouleh  more green garlic ideas


at the pike place market in seattle its the glistening freshly caught salmon piled high that youll notice first the fishmongers are jolly and sales are brisk
you might think all was well in the world of wild salmon but youd be wrong its actually a wonder that wild salmon is even a possibility in the 21st century considering the rampant overfishing that made atlantic salmon both here and in europe nearly extinct
the only atlantic salmon for sale now is farmed and it is called atlantic even if the fish is farmed in norway or chile but inexpensive farmed salmon is a bland sorry alternative to wild artificial dyes and pesticides are often used and the farms pose environmental hazards
pacific wild salmon has survived despite great odds due mostly to careful often extreme management concerted efforts by conservationists have averted its total demise
fortunately there is hope for the wild salmon that inhabit bristol bay a relatively pristine fishery off alaska that so far has remained unharmed and is well managed by the alaska department of fish and game bristol bay residents have depended on salmon for physical and spiritual nourishment for generations
when wild pacific salmon season opens in late spring along the west coast from alaska all the way down to san diego there is reason to celebrate the years first wild salmon whether king also called chinook or sockeye has incredibly brilliant red flesh an exquisite sweet mild flavor and a tender velvetlike texture
i bought a beautiful piece of king salmon the other day it wasnt cheap at 40 a pound but it was enough to make four diners extremely happy and there were no complaints about the four ounce portion   only moans of pleasure i let the thin slices cook gently in butter making sure they were just done which took no more than four minutes
a spoonful of lightly whipped cream seasoned in a savory way with salt pepper lemon zest and a dab of mustard was the sauce its a great effortless topping to use for other kinds of delicate fish too or for garnishing pureed vegetable soups
we all agreed for a luxury like wild king salmon its well worth paying a pretty penny and keeping the preparation perfectly simple
recipes wild king salmon with savory whipped cream  more salmon dishes


the roast beef at mr donahues which opened in february on mott street is a testament to the virtues of simplicity but there are moments when ann redding and matt danzer the chefs at the nolita microdiner find themselves wrestling with that
its weird ms redding said as dinner service got rolling the other night its weird doing something so simple its such a departure from what we do at uncle boons
uncle boons around the corner on spring street is where the chefs who are married tangle with the intricate and intense flavors of thailand at mr donahues a meticulously retro shrine to the milder grandfatherly aesthetic of meat and potatoes the objective is different to avoid too many components as mr danzer put it
we have to stop ourselves sometimes he said limitation has become something of a theme at mr donahues the room has only nine seats five of which are counter stools although the impending arrival of outdoor seating should more than double that
such is the salty crusted tenderness of the restaurants roast beef that it would be hard to imagine wanting to gild the lily ms redding and mr danzer take a whole strip loin from painted hills a ranch in oregon and brush it with a coating of whipped egg whites that gives the seasoning a generous packing of sel gris cracked pepper chopped fresh rosemary and thyme something to stick to
they slide the roast into the combi oven for a couple of hours or so in low heat   200 degrees thats all when someone orders it the cooks slice off slabs that are about an inch thick
at mr donahues the 26 roast beef comes as do all of the main courses with two sides of your choice pickled beets maybe or asparagus amandine or jerk mushrooms or an artichoke with a little tub of dipping mayonnaise thats suffused with the flavors of shrimp scampi
the result winds up addressing a sort of longing in ms redding ive always been obsessed with prime rib she said


its the rare wine list that can be all things to all people only the most well financed restaurants have the resources to range freely the world over and present the best of the best instead most wine conscious restaurants narrow their visions and choose a style or region in which to concentrate
the selection must complement the cooking and ideally it must convey something significant about the restaurants identity and aspirations
im thinking for example of the wine list at marta which reels you in both with its counterintuitive emphasis on champagne   with pizza really   and with its pricing which distinguishes it as among the least marked up champagne lists in new york it offers a wide selection of italian wines as well
another restaurant wildair offers a hard core list of wines grown and made naturally within that stylistic realm which speaks to the wine director jorge rieras passionate belief in the beauty of these wines wildair offers a wide variety of grapes from different regions
allow me to go a step beyond these quirky focused lists and present freeks mill a new casual restaurant in gowanus brooklyn which has one of the deepest most narrowly concentrated selections ive seen you say youve been yearning for a nice glass of pinot grigio forget about it you may as well be ordering a hamburger in the old saturday night live cheeseburger skit
if you want beaujolais or a chenin blanc from the loire valley though freeks mill is the place to be of roughly 200 bottles on the list about 70 of them are chenin blancs from various loire appellations and another 65 are beaujolais almost entirely from the 10 beaujolais crus the best parts of the region
you have a few other options freeks mill has pulled together nice selections of wines from the country of georgia all made in the ancient way of using indigenous grapes like kisi and rkatsiteli and fermenting and aging them in terra cotta qvevris amphora like vats buried in the cool earth these wines can be stunningly delicious but they are to the proverbial pinot grigio what the traditional polyphonic choral music of georgia is to a commercial ditty
freeks mills list was constructed by alex alan the sommelier and a partner in the restaurant which opened in early april in putting it together he lands freeks mill squarely in the middle of an age old debate is a restaurant obliged to give customers what they want by offering something for everybody or can it stay true to a vision no matter how narrow uncompromising or esoteric
mr alan said his choices were not originally philosophical but instead grew out of a draft of the restaurants opening menu which emphasized seasonal vegetables small plates and a wood burning oven
i put it all together in my head based on the flavors and how they worked he said as it turned out i have a lot of beaujolais and chenin blanc in my house its what i like to drink
knowing that freeks mill was on a quiet block of gowanus where the prominent local landmarks include a coffin wholesaler and a shuffleboard theme bar mr alan pondered whether obsession might have its advantages
i started thinking that no one was going to come out to gowanus unless i go all the way down the rabbit hole with these two regions he said id provide something else if people arent interested but thats just a pressure release valve
even with such a concentration in two regions mr alan insists that customers have plenty of variety from which to choose from the loire chenin blancs come from vouvray and savennieres montlouis and jasnieres anjou touraine and saumur the various appellations offer a multitude of terroirs and its a fascinating opportunity to compare different expressions of the same grape
i think chenin plays in an amazing variety of sites from light lean montlouis to rich savennieres mr alan said even if the flavor profile has something in common i would say you have more variety between montlouis and savennieres than anywhere in the world
in beaujolais too mr alan sees a wide spectrum of expressions between say the light fruitiness of brouilly and the denser more textured wines in morgon
in a perfect world i want to give customers what they want mr alan said but i also want to teach them something without it feeling like im teaching them something
nobody has complained yet about the narrowness of the list he said but if people do mr alans safety valve selections may not offer a comfortable landing among the 13 whites labeled not chenin blanc he offers a 2014 pazo de senorans albarino for 50 and a 2014 pattes loup chablis for 75 but also a hungarian juhfark for 55 and four vintages of a blend of obaideh and merwah from the legendary lebanese producer chateau musar these wonderful age worthy wines will set you back 115 to 350 a bottle depending on how old a bottle you select
hopefully theres enough there mr alan said if you want to stick to your guns im going to offer it to you but its top tier
prices for beaujolais run for 40 for a 2015 jean foillard beaujolais nouveau one of four non cru selections up to 100 for a 2014 lapalu brouilly cuvee des fous a rare bottling made from vines over 100 years old that is gorgeously vivid freeks by the way is a nontipping restaurant so list prices have an extra percentage figured in
i applaud mr alan for going all in on his list for the most part he has chosen wonderful wines that will reward consumers who put themselves in his hands and honestly beaujolais and loire chenin blancs are distinctive and delicious but well within any notion of what constitutes the mainstream
for truly adventurous palates i highly recommend exploring the selection of georgian wines they are unusual particularly the amber wines whites that are made like reds instead of removing the pigment bearing skins from the grape juice as is the case with conventional white wines the skins are left to macerate with the juices giving the wines an amber cast and a tannic rasp that is rare in a white they feel great in the mouth and the tannins give the wine an extra bit of heft as a group these are honest authentic delicious expressions made by small farmers
though the lists bandwidth may seem narrow the opportunity for pleasure is great if you just cant live without bordeaux or pinot grigio however a few thousand other restaurants in new york will have what you want


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good evening heres the latest
1 donald j trump won indianas republican primary delivering a crushing blow that led senator ted cruz to end his presidential campaign mr trump is now the nominee in all but name only bernie sanders rebounded to win the democratic primary but hillary clinton still holds a large enough lead in delegates that she remains the favorite to win the democratic nomination

2 the voting was overshadowed most of the day by bitter sparring between the two top republicans mr trump accused ted cruzs father of associating with president kennedys assassin repeating an assertion made by the national enquirer mr cruz called mr trump a pathological liar utterly amoral and a narcissist at a level i dont think this country has ever seen

3 a court in new york sentenced sheldon silver the disgraced former assembly speaker to 12 years in prison for crimes including fraud money laundering and extortion the trial exposed the culture of graft in albany mr sheldon 72 said he was truly truly sorry for letting down his constituents family and colleagues

4 its unbelievable   its absolutely humbling and incredible that was lin manuel miranda the creator and star of hamilton as the show broke yet another broadway record garnering 16 tony nominations the recognition covered every theatrical category and epitomized the most diverse season in broadway history most of us cant get tickets but check out the clip above

5 a navy seal was killed in northern iraq the third us service member to die in combat as part of an american led coalition fighting the islamic state a pentagon spokesman said the coalition would honor this sacrifice by dealing isis a lasting defeat above defense secretary ashton carter in germany

6 new doubts arose about this iconic world war ii photograph of the us flag being raised on iwo jima it seems that the photo did not after all include john bradley a navy corpsman mr bradley helped raise the flag earlier the same day but is not in the photograph of this flag raising despite representations in his sons book flags of our fathers the basis for a clint eastwood film

7 this may come as no surprise to new yorkers or visitors whove been on the move at rush hour a surge in ridership   nearing 18 billion rides a year   is pushing the citys century old subway system to its limit train operators approach crowded stations slowly mindful as one said that somebody could be pushed or someone could fall or trip or faint

8 speaking of rides and fainting brazil is considering an idea for an erotic theme park with evocative sculptures a sex playground and bumper cars designed like genitalia   but no sex its not like were trying to recreate sodom and gomorrah a main backer said we learned this via what in the world the timess new showcase for compelling international tidbits

9 eight prominent women in silicon valley unveiled a data driven effort to help diversify the tech worlds predominantly white male work force among project includes creators ellen pao whose gender discrimination suit became a focal point for women in tech and erica baker who helped reveal startling pay disparities among google workers

10 in more than a dozen states critics of efforts to ease gun laws increasingly include the local police we are a gun society and we recognize that but we should be writing gun laws that make us safer said a mississippi police chief do you want every incident on your street to escalate to acts of gun violence

11 the us government is resettling native american residents of a sinking louisiana island before they become climate refugees its among the first climate inspired mass relocations anywhere we see this as setting a precedent for the rest of the country the rest of the world an official said

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the forthcoming gagosian san francisco can be found in just about the perfect place upstairs are the art printmakers crown point press san francisco heavyweight dealer john berggruen is soon to relocate next door and just across the street is the most important neighbor of all the san francisco museum of modern art whose new 235000 square foot expansion is the years most hyped opening for the art world the block is nothing short of a juggernaut   and one that was unlikely to escape the attention of the equally larger than life dealer larry gagosian the emerging collector base in silicon valley and the reopening of sfmoma made it a perfect time to open in san francisco he says
on may 18 the latest addition to the gagosian empire opens with planesite a powerhouse cross generational group show curated by the new york gallery director sam orlofsky and featuring works by artists including louise bourgeois joe bradley and rachel whiteread its conception orlofsky says began with the artists mark grotjahn and richard serra whose monumental sequence 2006 faces the gallery through the glass walls of sfmomas lobby what they had in common was making works in both sculpture and works on paper he says this kernel of similarity eventually evolved into a dialogue between two  and three dimensional art
each of the artists   a list that grew to include the bay areas late richard diebenkorn and david ireland as well as picasso warhol and giacometti   is represented by both a sculpture and a drawing sketch or collage tatiana trouve for example draws in copper in two ways once on paper in a collage of studies sketched between 2012 and 2015 and again in i tempi doppi 2014 with continuous loops of copper wire evocative of lines scribbled into space and roy lichtensteins vibrantly colored 1990 sculpture mobile iii pops in a sunny skylit corner of the gallery   and foregrounds his preliminary colored pencil sketch for the same work mounted to the wall nearby also on view are previously unseen sculptures by diebenkorn and cy twombly emphasizing the gallerys close relationships with artist estates we play to our strengths orlofsky says
at gagosian san francisco the programming will roll out slowly   just three or four shows in the first year far fewer than the seven or eight per year typically shown in new york where openings are a more ingrained part of peoples cultural schedule orlofsky says while many international blue chip galleries have lately have been flocking to the art scene in los angeles where gagosian beverly hills opened in 1995 the northern california scene is still a burgeoning one gagosian san francisco is positioned to court not only the well established san francisco collector base but also the emerging collectors of silicon valley   thanks in no small part to its powerful neighbor silicon valley is quite separate its about an hour away but sfmoma has the best outreach to any audience in the bay area says the gagosian san francisco director anna gavazzi asseily formerly of the gallery in london they have an important education program   and thats how it starts


people think we move around a lot lisa spellman says with a laugh the beloved gallerist and her 32 year old institution 303 gallery were among the first art spaces to adopt chelsea as a new home from soho of course in 1996 and remained in the same space on 22nd street for 15 years but the last three have been a game of real estate musical chairs its so boring but everyone always wants to talk about real estate quips spellman who in addition to launching the careers of heavyweight artists christopher wool robert gober doug aitken and karen kilimnik has played a maverick hand in the continuous poker game known as the new york real estate market its being a new yorker for so long   its a second language
but now 303 returns to west 21st street in a not yet finished storm ready foster  partners building   which displaced the site of spellmans two story gallery in 2013 resulting in a temporary move to a studio mda designed space on 24th street 303s new space is a homecoming of sorts according to spellman who negotiated air rights for her former property which allowed us to get a second floor she says the gallery also includes an origami steel staircase a private outdoor sculpture garden and sun flooded offices encased in prismatic glass resembling an aitken devised creation more than an architectural feature but more important within the 12000 square foot gallery with 21 foot ceilings theres nary a column or visible support buttress that was a deal breaker spellman says the result a seamless vault of sheer expanse
the dust hasnt settled yet and hard hats are still the fashionable back of house accessory but come this saturday may 7 spellman is swinging open her glass doors with the gallerys first solo exhibition of work by the berlin based alicja kwade whose reality distorting sculptures toy equally with physical space and human emotion kwades show is titled i rise again changed but the same a quote taken from the 17th century swiss mathematician jakob bernoulli who was noted for his calculations of probability space is a critical factor the artist says some works would never have been made without the space though some are still not realized because there has not been the right space so far
the show includes new large scale works paravents in which glass and mirrors reflect found objects such as wood cylinders or steel beams   to divide the things in two different reality layers but in one physical space as kwade says also on display are her intersecting bronze rings in the shape of the worlds time zones which hang cascading in a perpetual 24 hour loop and the gallerys walls hold coated mirrors reflecting sheets of steel which manipulates the viewers perception of entry and vibrancy beyond the theoretical and describable kwade says in fact spellman says she chose kwade whose public art fund commission of a spinning clock in central park just closed for her works capacity to transform time and space theyre very architectural fragile but strong and the building is so much about light and glass spellman says its a very powerful contrast anchored in the landscape but very temporal


at an art fair there are many visible roles in play director exhibitor client critic installer but an undersung   and increasingly critical   part is the one inhabited by the conservator gloria velandia and her team of trained assistants almost invisible except to those in the know velandia runs the international circuit as the preferred conservator for major league fairs including frieze new york which begins this thursday im the doctor on call velandia says of her unique position under the fair tent my role is primarily to help make sure one people have an understanding of what they are purchasing that would be for condition reporting and two helping ensure that the artworks are in the best condition for display and sale her now ubiquitous presence at fairs came out of a casual conversation in paris with the former art basel director sam keller who does something for the exhibitors if something happens she asked keller referring to works being damaged however slightly during the bustle of the fair he said they had no one and invited me to give it a try sixteen years later velandia is the go to for art basel frieze and the armory   with a masters degree in chemistry and conservation shes the person you want on the scene when a vacuum cleaner hose fondles a floor piece or a painting gets hassled during the vip bum rush
velandia travels the world as a consultant and contemporary art preservation specialist but the bulk of her business takes place at her studio in new york where she and her team repair clean and restore work for museums auction houses galleries and collectors velandias shop handles sculpture painting and works on paper according to protocols she has developed with artists and their estates throughout the year we receive artworks for restoration and conservation we are also brought to evaluate conditions and give advice on collection management and maintenance she says for some clients we provide protocols on a given collection we help them create annual maintenance data so they understand how to take preventative steps on conservation and cleaning if its a jeff koons outside it can be cleaned once a month if its an anish kapoor piece with pigment dont touch it no maintenance required clients flock to velandia for her expertise across modern and contemporary works   and her discretion
the fair atmosphere presents a different set challenge for velandia and her team they must perform last minute touch ups and evaluations on site rather than in the comfort of their well appointed headquarters the majority of the work happens during the install process she says as you can imagine the exhibitors want their booths to look beautiful for the moment it opens for the vips if they anticipate a client will request a recent condition report they want to have those documents ready so they can make the sale as a third party consultant velandia is hired to act as an informed second opinion on what can be an extremely high end investment despite the meticulous attention to detail her work entails though velandia takes a rather zen approach to the weathering process thats impossible to avoid when living with art everything changes everything ages aging doesnt necessarily mean damage she says its about teaching collectors how to live with these ephemeral materials


the cult novelist on his home office in chicago where he wrote his latest novel a decent ride
i grew up in a small rabbit hutch of an apartment in the kind of municipal housing district that they call projects in the us but are more tellingly referred to as schemes in scotland there was no room for bookshelves so in the absence of somewhere to permanently reside books tended to transition through our house and around the scheme as a result i like to have books about to delve into to inspire me sometimes just a glance at the spine of a certain work will help
my workspace in my chicago home is usually ordered when i begin a project but it descends into a mess of post it notes photographs and articles stuck on the walls by the time im finished youre catching me quite early on in the game here music is very important in my writing i have a playlist for each character and usually end up with a mixtape for every novel sometimes i get carried away and forget to write but its never wasted as something always resurfaces from my binges
the space itself is really four areas a library type room with a large desk i can cover with a manuscript an alcove with my decks and music a smaller office with a whiteboard and reference books and a balcony where i can sit outside and write in the sun counting my blessings that i dont have a real job to do as much as i like this place i try not to get too attached to it and i therefore do a lot of work in coffee shops and on public transit its important for me to be able to write anywhere and not get too precious about trying to chase the fools gold of optimum conditions


on monday night sarah jessica parker attended the met gala celebrating the exhibition manus x machina fashion in an age of technology wearing a suit by monse here she explains the decision behind the unusual choice   and with the help of her stylist erin walsh shows how it all came together behind the scenes
the creative process of landing on an idea of what to wear to the met gala happened much later than usual this year because ive been so consumed with shooting and postproduction my team takes the theme so seriously each year   and i dont think wed do it any other way theres my amazing tailor lars nord who has been building my met outfits for like 100 years serge normant the genius behind my hair my makeup artist leslie lopez the manicurist gina eppolito the magnificent alyssa arminio coo of my brands sjp collection and sjp beauty and my talented stylist erin walsh who has an eye for keeping everything cohesive
together we are always excited challenged and befuddled by the themes   and its fun to see it all come together there are always surprises that occur day of things we didnt plan that reveal themselves to us and help move things in a new but exciting direction things always change last minute serge can do my hair and then decide 40 minutes before i walk out the door that he wants to change it all its all part of a process
we had approached fernando garcia and laura kim of monse with a general direction of what i was looking for   but our actual idea arrived rather late in the game this years theme manus x machina fashion in an age of technology is far more challenging than themes of years past mostly in terms of how i wanted to express it as i understood it it wasnt as straightforward as past themes like the era of punk in fashion or examining chinese culture in fashion what is technology and what does it mean when applied to fashion we didnt want to simply apply lights and actual physical technology on me we didnt want it to be about the electronic screen or something that could turn on and off we wanted it to be about the technology of thought of application of fabrication the technology of the hand and the machine
so we decided that this year maybe i wouldnt wear a dress we were interested in trousers we had been in discussions and reviewing sketches and i just so happened to take my daughters to see the show hamilton ive seen it a few times now so i can look at singular pieces of the show rather than focusing on the bigger story i was looking at the costumes and in particular the mens suiting of the period all of a sudden i was like oh thats it it was such a specific time and i was curious how we could use technology with that what would the technology part of the idea be fernando introduced us to these embellishment artists in brooklyn called le studio anthost who take the idea of old fashioned couture embroidery and with technology apply it to fabrications using paint it was the perfect marriage of technology and the hand of man together we were able to really collaborate and meticulously look at the period and redefine what it was that we were trying to achieve
thats when all of the important details started taking shape the hair the idea of doing an open back in the jacket having the pants fold in a different way the pinstriped sleeves the button detailing the one feminine thing we wanted to use was a corset rather than create a proper mens suit frankly it wasnt going to be very flattering for the occasion it wasnt going to be festive enough it didnt feel right the corset has very feminine framework and detailing but in terms of overall silhouette and idea we kept it pretty true to masculine notes without it feeling forced
we picked a very simple shoe silhouette from our collection the rampling without yet knowing what color we were settling on for the suiting we love this strong teal satin color but it was a total leap of faith there had been discussion of painting a stripe up the back but when we discovered le studio anthost the idea of them applying their technology really completed the idea for us shoes of that period typically had buckles worn in the front   a detail we found inspiring and interesting so i looked around in my closet and i found two brooches ive had for 15 or 20 years the mismatch of them seemed perfect in scale and color on the front of the shoes
i feel very fortunate to work with such a dedicated and loyal team for the met gala every year we all function together like a single organism it may just be me on the carpet but theres a whole system of people working together behind the scenes like the gears of a machine


when blac chyna a businesswoman who is engaged to rob kardashian and kylie jenner an entrepreneur and kardashian scion were ready to announce the end to a well publicized feud they did so the new fashioned way they face swapped on snapchat fans most likely had an inkling that the fate of their relationship would end in public symbiosis this confirmed it
face swapping is a feature that became available on snapchat in february using an object recognition algorithm in the snapchat app your phone camera lens focuses in on your face and that of another person also visible in the frame and swaps them
it has become wildly popular in the last few months with thousands of users sharing on social media pictures of their faces swapped with babies pets and cultural icons like the character on the starbucks cup
last week snapchat released an update to the feature that lets you face swap with any image that lives on your phone so now people are face swapping with harper lee the michael jordan crying meme beyonce and president obama
even hillary clinton has jumped on the bandwagon last week her campaign posted to its snapchat feed a story which used the face swap function to superimpose onto the head of the republican presidential candidate donald trump the faces of abraham lincoln dwight d eisenhower and ronald reagan
in planning coverage of last weeks national football league draft espns social media team discussed its desire to have a star athlete pose for a face swap we saw this as a trend our fans enjoy and had the idea to try it said steve braband a network social media producer when kristen scott a production assistant heard joey bosa an ohio state defensive end being asked on the red carpet about athletic similarities to jj watt a houston texans defensive end she asked mr bosa if hed submit to a snapchat face swap mr bosa obliged he thought it looked hilarious mr braband said and he showed it to his mother
soon after snapchat introduced its face swapping capability max campbell 24 came across a video in which a young girl was trying to face swap with another person but her camera accidentally zeroed in on a poster of the mona lisa
that was the first time i saw art swapping said mr campbell a photography coordinator for the new yorker he decided he wanted to do a lot of it himself and needed a venue that provided ample opportunity
he quickly settled on the metropolitan museum of art and is now aiming to take a face swapping selfie with every possible work of art there everyone at the met is taking selfies anyway it not even conspicuous anymore he said
eimear kelleher 26 a marketer who lives in brooklyn began to swap her own face with the well preserved visages of the real housewives to delight her friends me and my roommates are obsessed with them so i knew they would get a kick out of it she said its pure entertainment though ms kelleher has face swapped images of bethenny frankel lisa vanderpump erika jayne sonja morgan lisa rinna and dorinda medley among others she is most taken by how she looks with kyle richardss face superimposed onto hers if i could look like that in 20 or 30 years i wouldnt complain


times insider shares insights into how we work at the new york times in this piece the reporter farah stockman recounts a funny thing that happened on the way to her new desk
its 5 am on monday april 18 2016 my alarm is going off im sleeping sitting up cradling a giant bottle of tums im eight months pregnant which is to say i feel as if ive swallowed a bowling ball made of acid im in no mood to climb out of my warm bed in boston and catch a 6 am train to new york
but im the new kid on the new york timess political reporting team ive been at the paper for less than a month after 16 years at the boston globe im still learning my way around the times building the mysteries of its elevators the secret passwords to its dizzying array of systems the faces that go with the famous bylines
ive got to get to new york i tell my husband the political team meets every monday at 11 am im determined to be there i want the editors whove hired me to know that they havent made a mistake that i can still hustle even if at the moment it looks as if all i can do is waddle ive got a few weeks to prove my worth before i go on maternity leave
my husband drives me to south station in the dark i get there early so early in fact that i watch several iterations of the see something say something video along with a helpful public service announcement about how to behave if i ever encounter an active shooter
i board the train and spend what seems like several hours waiting for the internet to load but im in a pretty good mood because i know im going to arrive in time to make the politics meeting then i get to my desk in the newsroom and discover that it is no longer my desk ive been moved clear across the room to an unexplored region by the elevator juanita powell brunson explainer of all things newsroom offers to show me to my new desk
as i cross the newsroom dean baquet the executive editor accosts me im sure hes going to congratulate me on my first story which ran on the front page of the paper instead he says did you know that youre a finalist i look at him blankly is he talking about the pulitzer prizes wouldnt that be cool   to be a finalist i think but i have no idea i have not been informed thats above my pay grade i say
i return to my new desk which overlooks a window showcasing a billboard for the museum of sex i memorize that as a landmark just in case i get lost i try to settle in how do you set up the voice mail on this darn phone whats the password to my computer how in the world do we file our expenses the clock ticks toward 1045 am ive got 15 minutes left to get a cup of tea when i return from the cafeteria i see a note from matt purdy a deputy executive editor asking me to call him immediately my heart seizes am i in some sort of trouble are they going to tell me that this new job   my dream job at the new york times   has all been a terrible mistake
then matt appears and asks me to follow him i go sheepishly like the new kid at school summoned to the principals office he leads me to a glass office with dean baquet and arthur sulzberger the timess publisher whom i once exchanged pleasantries with in a parking lot at a journalism conference but otherwise barely know arthur greets me warmly he seems downright giddy
you won he tells me the pulitzer prize
it must be hard for folks whove spent their whole careers at the new york times to understand how psychologically unprepared other reporters are to receive this honor of a lifetime most reporters dont find out that they won the prize until they hear their name read out on television thats how kate kingsbury my former colleague at the boston globe learned of the prize last year i distinctly remember standing in a furniture store in 2009 under a gaudy chandelier the moment i learned from the newsfeed on my phone that i had not received the pulitzer
but knowing hours in advance presents a quandary should i stay in my newly adopted newsroom the one that informed me of what was to come or should i report to the boston globe the newspaper that nominated me dean graciously offers to help me get back to boston to celebrate with now former colleagues but the mere thought of getting back on the train gives me a sharp pain in my belly so acute i start wondering if im going to give birth here and now
i decide to skype in to the globes newsroom from my desk with the museum of sex billboard in the background i figure ill change from my maternity leggings and flip flops into an actual dress but throughout the excitement and the discussions of logistics and protocol the nagging feeling of an unfinished mission never leaves me
it stays with me until i finally slip into the conference room where the politics meeting is being held late but present at 1125


we should have known what we were in for when taylor swift arrived
ms swift who has been on something of a campaign to crush her former ladylike image seized her moment as co host of the metropolitan museum of art costume institute gala this year to make a different kind of statement arriving just after 6 pm to take her place on the receiving line in a tiered halter necked silver crocodile print louis vuitton dress with side cutouts knee high spiked gladiator boots dark lipstick and a shock of platinum hair think pris of blade runner reimagined by marvel and ready to join the avengers and youll get the idea the dress divided the online viewing community and set the tone for the night
if the theme of this years blockbuster exhibition is manus x machina the dress code for the opening party seemed to be rather manus vs machina and fall into one of the two categories for anyone wondering why the promise of wearables is as yet unfulfilled this red carpet was the answer apparently when designers think fashion and technology they think mr roboto


international
an article on april 6 about the first italian translation of the babylonian talmud referred imprecisely to its number of pages while it is 5422 pages long if both sides of a page are counted it contains only 2711 individual pages not 5422 the imprecise reference was repeated in an accompanying picture caption

an article on april 2 about the filing of a criminal complaint of culpable homicide by the police in kolkata india against ivrcl the company building an elevated highway that collapsed killing at least 23 misspelled at one point and in some editions the surname of the chairman of a rail company who called ivrcl a major defaulter as the article correctly noted elsewhere he is satish agnihotri not aghnihotri

a listing on march 6 of well known alumni of britains elite schools with an article about efforts by some of those schools to diversify their student bodies misidentified the alma mater of the celebrity chef nigella lawson she went to godolphin  latymer school not westminster school although the error was corrected online shortly after publication editors failed to follow through with this print correction
new york
because of an editing error an article in some editions on monday about a fire that ravaged the serbian orthodox cathedral of st java in manhattan just hours after parishioners had attended easter services referred incorrectly to the julian calendar which christian orthodox churches sometimes follow it is one of the reasons   not the only one   why orthodox churches often celebrate easter later than western churches
business day
an article on monday about the annual shareholder meeting of berkshire hathaway in omaha misidentified the baseball event held there annually it is the college world series not the little league world series

because of an editing error an article on monday about a lawsuit against the owner of quaker oats after testing found traces of the pesticide glyphosate in some oatmeal omitted the given name of the lead plaintiffs lawyer he is kim richman of the richman law group
sports
a picture caption on thursday with an article about the way the coachs challenge replay system was used in the first round of the nhl playoffs misstated in some copies the given name of the florida panthers coach as the article correctly noted he is gerard gallant not gerald
weekend
because of an editing error a classical music entry in the listings pages on friday about the metropolitan opera referred incorrectly to the screening of elektra in theaters scheduled for wednesday evening it will be a recording of this past saturdays performance not a live broadcast

a movie entry in the listings pages on friday about a series of jean luc godard films starring anna karina that will be shown at various sites in new york city referred incorrectly to an event with ms karina scheduled for this coming friday night at film forum in manhattan she will take part in a q and a after the film band of outsiders not introduce it
obituaries
because of an editing error an obituary on saturday about the weight lifter tommy kono misstated the year he won his second olympic gold medal in melbourne australia it was 1956 not 1960 as the obituary noted elsewhere the 1960 olympics at which he won a silver medal were held in rome also because of an editing error the obituary misidentified the affiliation of artie drechsler who commented on the number of medals kono won he is with usa weightlifting not usa wrestling
opinion
a letter on saturday from a hillary clinton supporter at harvard misspelled the surname of the protagonist of west wing whose ideology the letter writer cited he is jed bartlet not bartlett
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the theme of the exhibit at the metropolitan museum of arts costume institute this year was fashion in an age of technology this meant that people like andrew bolton the institutes new head curator along with jonathan ive of apple   who served as a sponsor   spoke in lofty tones about the dichotomies of man versus machine haute couture versus ready to wear hand sewn versus mass produced
for lay people it meant a carefully curated exhibit of wild designer gowns and a gala celebration on monday night at which the bulk of celebrity attendees wore metallics
kanye west wore a loosefitting metallic jacket and a pair of colored contact lenses that turned his eyes a kind of iridescent blue his wife kim kardashian wore metallic beaded balmain
the stylist tabitha simmons wore red and gold embroidered dolce  gabbana looking rather like a chair in pre revolutionary france


the sickening feeling in the gut of yankee fans is an unpleasant sensation shared by brian cashman
cashman watched as the yankees were swept in boston over the weekend and used words like horrific to describe the season a term uttered infrequently in his 19 years as their general manager
as the slumping yankees paused monday before heading into the teeth of a withering schedule cashman expressed deep frustration over the state of the team and sounded as if his patience was running out
although major changes are not on the horizon if the yankees continue to disappoint something will have to change
theres only so long you can allow it to go on before tinkering cashman said in a telephone interview but it just needs to stop
the yankees are 8 15 and in last place in the american league east they have lost five in a row to fall seven games under 500 they have not been that far under 500 since 2007 when they opened the season 21 29
cashman said very few players on the roster could look in the mirror and say they had lived up to expectations the rest are significantly underperforming
he said he would prefer that this group of players turned things around and played up to the levels they had established in their careers but if they dont he or manager joe girardi will act
ive done this job a long time and i put this roster together cashman said i feel its significantly better than it has performed and when it doesnt perform up to expectations over the course of time i have a history of making changes i would rather not go that route but when you are forced to do so you are forced to do so
cashman said that the coaching staff and girardi were not in danger he also said he was limited by what kind of moves he could make to adjust the roster or the lineup in conjunction with girardi and the staff
if outside help is available he will consider it but early may is not typically a prime time to make trades cashman would not rule out calling up a player or two from the minor leagues but he stressed that the talent on the major league roster should be able to play up to that standard
using unusually strong language to describe the state of the team cashman said that there had been lean times in the past several seasons including the yankees three 8 14 stretches last year that team rebounded to make the playoffs as did the 2007 squad
but he added that since he had taken over as general manager he had never seen the yankees open the season so poorly and he is tired of watching it
its really frustrating he said this team scored the second most runs in the american league last year and weve added starlin castro to it to come off a horrific month of april like we have it is pretty hard to stomach
cashman said he would be in baltimore for the three game series starting tuesday with the orioles a visit that he had scheduled before the lost weekend in boston
three games in baltimore is difficult but the schedule is unrelenting after that series the yankees return home for another weekend series against the red sox then host the world series champion kansas city royals and the chicago white sox who are in first place in the al central
cashman was encouraged by the offensive performance on sunday night when the yankees scored seven runs but they still lost 8 7 alex rodriguez seems to be coming out of his offensive funk hitting two home runs and a double and driving in five runs in the boston series
others have not done as well
some leashes might be shorter than others cashman said
he could have been referring to chase headley who has been woeful headley is batting 156 and his slugging percentage is the same because all 10 of his hits have been singles
cashman sounded eager to get aaron hicks more at bats even though he is batting only 077 2 for 26 because he had hit the ball hard as for minor league players like aaron judge cashman would carefully weigh him and other options too if the situation did not change
this group needs to self correct he said to the degree it doesnt then yeah ill look for alternatives to get us going id rather not do that
pitching has been a cause for concern starters michael pineda on saturday and nathan eovaldi on sunday struggled reliever dellin betances gave up a home run in each of his last three outings two of them game deciders in boston one was by david ortiz on a breaking ball on friday and the other was by christian vazquez on sunday
cashman said betances might be tipping his pitches so the coaching staff will be evaluating that carefully over the next few days then again so will the orioles


after hitting his first home run at citi field this season coming off a vintage uppercut swing that created a thundering crack and sent the ball towering over the left field wall david wright went through the congratulatory line awaiting him in the mets dugout and briefly shrugged his shoulders
wrights first inning solo shot was not improbable but his reaction was fitting
wrights spinal stenosis has drained the once bountiful pop found inside his bat through the first month of the season wrights regular slot in the second spot of the mets lineup at times felt more like a courtesy for 13 years of service rather than an appropriate role
but on monday he rediscovered that pop jump starting the mets offense in the first inning of his teams 4 1 win over the atlanta braves
i hadnt been swinging it great by any means wright said but one of the things i think ive done a decent job at   even though im not seeing the ball well or mechanics are off or timings off a little bit   i am finding a way to get on base for those guys that are seeing it well and are swinging it well
wright reached base two more times going 2 for 3 with a walk and coming up short on a third hit in the seventh inning when mallex smith made a running catch in deep center field
michael conforto followed wright in the first inning with a single and then yoenis cespedes and lucas duda hit back to back home runs   the fifth time the mets had done so this season
in 77 games with the mets cespedes became the fastest player in franchise history to reach 25 homers topping carlos delgados previous record by 11 games
atlanta starter mike foltynewicz challenged cespedes with a 96 mile per hour fastball over the plate that cespedes launched over the center field wall
i think a lot of teams think i cant hit it when it comes straight like that so ill keep swinging at them and showing them that i can cespedes said through an interpreter
mondays early power surge against the braves provided a quick boost of morale
swelling with positive vibes after winning the first five games of their current nine game homestand the mets had suffered a deflating loss sunday to the san francisco giants
giants pitcher madison bumgarner had cooled off conforto who finished april batting 365 with 18 rbi conforto was hitless in three at bats against the giants ace striking out twice despite his sweltering start over all conforto remains unproven against top level left handed pitchers as evidenced by his performance against bumgarner
noah syndergaard had also verified his mortality putting in his worst outing of the season on sunday while his continuing inability to hold on baserunners emerged as a troubling trend
the mets had no such difficulty monday attacking foltynewicz who had been recalled from the braves class aaa affiliate in gwinnett ga for the start after a 42 pitch first inning foltynewicz lasted only three and two thirds innings
bumgarner   i mean any team that faces him you have a good chance of just getting blanked out for the whole game so try to look at it that way cespedes said today we were fortunate we were able to take advantage of a young pitcher
like wright bartolo colon another veteran also turned back the clock he allowed two hits in each of the first three innings but after a single by adonis garcia he settled in to retire the next 12 batters he faced in order by frequently using a pitch rarely used in his stable   a cutter
with two outs in the seventh chase darnaud the brother of mets catcher travis darnaud singled to break the streak but colon rebounded when smith softly flied out to center field
manager terry collins left colon in for the eighth inning and he picked up three more quick outs after conforto caught freddie freemans fly ball to end the inning colon gave himself a round of applause and then was told he was done for the night wright walked over and gave colon a pound of the fist
colon struck out seven batters over eight scoreless innings prolonging the woes of a braves lineup that has scored the fewest runs in the national league while the mets homered three times in one inning monday the braves have only five home runs all season
colon notched his 220th win of his career which surpassed pedro martinezs total and gave him the second most wins among dominican born pitchers behind juan marichals 243
im amazed when he goes out there every fifth day collins said nothing seems to faze him hes truly an amazing guy deserves all the wins hes had


a union representing thousands of striking verizon workers and several consumer groups plan to complain to federal regulators on tuesday about the tactics verizon uses to persuade customers to switch their home phone service to fiber optic lines
in an informal complaint to be filed with the federal communications commission the union and consumer groups contend that verizon is engaged in institutional deception because it sends out workers with no intention of repairing old fashioned copper telephone wires verizon has made it clear that it would prefer to invest in expanding its fiber network instead of maintaining the copper lines
when customers have trouble with their traditional home phone service the complaint says the company advises its workers to tell customers that fiber is the only fix customers who refuse to switch to fiber are often told that their service could be disconnected within 20 days the complaint says
the complaint comes three weeks after about 40000 unionized employees of verizon went on strike after contract negotiations failed many of the workers belong to the union that joined in the complaint the communications workers of america the liberal advocacy groups that joined in the complaint included common cause and citizen action of new york
verizon executives said the complaint was a bargaining tactic and denied that the company had any intention of deceiving customers including those who resist entreaties to switch to fiber
not everybody welcomes this with open arms said tom maguire senior vice president for national operations support but he added were not trying to deceive folks
mr maguire admitted that the company writes up a ghost service order to switch a customers service before it sends a technician to investigate a problem the company even uses a ghost icon that resembles a character in the pac man video games to indicate that the company hopes to make the switch
the complaint cites the creation of the ghost orders as evidence of the companys true intentions customers are purposefully being put in a situation where they have to make a quick decision   under duress   to either switch service to fiber or lose service altogether the complaint says
mr maguire countered that to have a technician go out and have that conversation with the customer i think is much better he said most customers are persuaded that the fiber network is superior to copper wires which he said were more prone to being damaged by water and wind once they get on fiber theres no issue mr maguire said
the complaint asks the fcc which is overseeing the nationwide transition from traditional phone service to fiber optics to order verizon to stop the practices it cites but the evolution away from copper is well underway
verizon and other phone companies are retiring their copper networks piece by piece verizon has given public notice that it plans to retire sections of its network in manhattan on staten island and in new jersey
regulators require at least 90 days notice before copper lines are retired but some consumer advocates worry that verizon could accelerate that change by coercing customers into switching over to avoid a quick disconnection
christopher m shelton the president of the communications workers of america said the union fully supports the conversion from copper to fiber but we believe that consumers should be able to make this choice without pressure threats and deception from verizon
todd oboyle program director for common causes media and democracy reform initiative said we dont want any provider to kind of take an end run around this really important public policy process
common cause has no stake in the contract negotiations between verizon and its unions mr oboyle said the organizations goal is to help create universal affordable access to telecommunications and the internet he said
we want customers to have a choice mr oboyle said but he added customers should go into this with eyes wide open


a gun owner was fatally shot in an arlington drugstore parking lot on monday after intervening in a dispute in which a woman was wounded police said the unidentified man who was killed was shopping when he saw a female employee who had been shot in the leg near the store entrance the arlington police said the man retrieved a weapon from his vehicle and confronted the gunman who was trying to flee in a car lt christopher cook said the suspect left his vehicle shot the man in the head and fled police said the suspect ricci bradden 22 later surrendered and was in custody on a homicide charge the police said reuters
a bill allowing staff members and faculty at tennessees public colleges and universities to be armed on campus became law on monday without gov bill haslams signature mr haslam a republican said he disagreed with the bill for not allowing campus leaders to make their own decisions regarding security issues on campus but he acknowledged that the final version of the measure had addressed concerns raised by college administrators with provisions protecting colleges from liability and a requirement to notify law enforcement about who is armed on campus the law will keep gun bans in place in some areas including stadiums or gymnasiums during school sponsored events and meetings where disciplinary or tenure issues are being discussed ap
a judge on monday temporarily barred louisville from removing a 70 foot tall confederate monument near the university of louisville mayor greg fischer and james ramsey the university president announced friday that they would remove the monument the latest government effort to reconsider displaying confederate symbols judge judith mcdonald burkman of jefferson county granted a restraining order sought by the sons of confederate veterans and everett corley a republican running for congress ap
legislators have approved a plan to dump most of the work of balancing the states budget on gov sam brownback while telling him that he cannot cut aid to public schools the measure passed early monday by republican supermajorities in both chambers assumes that the governor a republican follows through on plans to delay major highway projects and cut higher education spending it also anticipates his making 92 million in further cuts during the next fiscal year beginning july 1 that could touch state medicaid health coverage for the poor and disabled and other social services the state would delay 96 million in contributions to public employee pensions mr brownbacks spokeswoman has said the governor believes he can sign the measure kansas has struggled to balance its budget since the republican lawmakers slashed personal income taxes in 2012 and 2013 at mr brownbacks urging ap


russell westbrook had 29 points and 10 assists and the oklahoma city thunder held on to beat the spurs 98 97 in san antonio on monday night evening the teams second round western conference series at one game apiece
the spurs failed to score on a wild sequence in the final seconds
kevin durant added 28 points as the thunder handed the spurs just their second home loss of the season rebounding from a 32 point beating in game 1
oklahoma citys dion waiters appeared to push manu ginobili while inbounding to start the final possession and danny green stole the ball from durant patty mills missed an open 3 pointer san antonios lamarcus aldridge lost the ball after grabbing the air ball and kawhi leonard was unable to gather the ball before the buzzer sounded
aldridge had 41 points in his second straight dominant performance but the rest of the spurs did not provide the same assistance they did in san antonios 32 point victory in game 1
game 3 is friday at oklahoma city
aldridge an all star forward had 13 points in the final quarter including two 3 point plays he made his second 3 pointer of the season to pull san antonio to within 96 94 and then made three free throws after being fouled by serge ibaka to make it 98 97 setting up the final sequence
cavaliers 104 hawks 93 lebron james scored 25 points kyrie irving added 21 and cleveland withstood a strong comeback by visiting atlanta to maintain its dominance over the hawks in game 1 of the teams second round eastern conference series
james converted a critical 3 point play with 2 minutes 9 seconds left for the cavaliers who fell behind in the fourth after leading by 18 points
cleveland swept atlanta in last years eastern conference finals and has won eight straight over the hawks cleveland also improved to 9 0 against atlanta in the postseason
dennis schroder scored a playoff career high 27 and rallied the hawks before they crumbled in the closing minutes atlantas offense bogged down in crunchtime and the hawks scored only two field goals in the final four minutes
paul millsap added 17 points and 13 rebounds for atlanta which got just 8 points from jeff teague
jamess 3 point play which he punctuated by flexing his biceps came after he stripped the ball from schroder and the cavaliers kept their possession alive with two offensive rebounds one by tristan thompson the other by j r smith
game 2 is wednesday night
the cavaliers did not show any rust of an eight day break after the first round until the third quarter when their offense slowed and the hawks got hot but when it mattered most the defending conference champions made the big plays and as always james led the way
cavaliers coach tyronn lue was not worried about his team being overly confident despite its success over the hawks
this team has our teams attention he said before the game theyre a good team we know theyre capable of scoring the basketball and playing great defensively were not going to overlook these guys
hopeful about curry stephen curry was expected back on the court for more light shooting monday to test his sprained right knee still with the hope he could be ready to return for golden states game 3 of the western conference semifinals saturday at portland
coach steve kerr said monday that curry would not be available for tuesday nights game 2 with the warriors up by one game to none in the best of seven series after a 118 106 win sunday in the opener
curry showed his face only briefly during the teams shooting time monday he did not take any shots during the portion the news media could watch curry sprained the medial collateral ligament in his knee during a game 4 first round victory at houston on april 24 when he slipped on a wet spot just before halftime
with golden state scheduled to take wednesday off currys first chance to scrimmage in a five on five would most likely be thursday


the authorities in texas have granted a child care license to a federal immigration detention center where thousands of mothers with their children have been confined often for weeks and sometimes months
the decision to recognize the center in karnes city as a care provider for children drew outrage from immigrant advocates who said it was little more than a prison it was a victory for the department of homeland security which considers the center a holding station where families pass initial health and security checks and the first phases of their asylum screenings
the texas license strengthens the hand of the obama administration as it tries to maneuver around a ruling from a federal judge in california who ordered the rapid release of all migrant children and their parents and ruled that minors could not be held in secure facilities not licensed specifically for child care
officials at the texas department of family and protective services did not make a statement about the license which was issued on friday and posted on the agencys website early on monday the initial license is temporary lasting six months
if ever there was lipstick on a pig this is it said jonathan ryan the executive director of raices a legal services group in san antonio that works with immigrants if you want a child care facility you dont contract with a for profit prison company
known as the karnes county residential center the facility is a series of barracks behind brick walls it holds a maximum of 580 migrants and is run by the geo group a private correctional detention company
the center includes a well equipped daily school a gym and a medical clinic and offers many activities for mothers and children but immigrant groups have reported that even short periods in detention took a psychological toll on the children many of whom arrive with families fleeing violence and forced recruitment by gangs in central america
in her order last august judge dolly m gee of federal district court for the central district of california gave the obama administration two months to release migrant children held in unlicensed facilities the administration appealed texas officials revised the states licensing rules adding exceptions that allowed the karnes center and another family detention center in texas to qualify for child care permits a challenge by advocates to the rule revisions failed in state court
according to records from the texas agency an inspection of the karnes center on march 29 showed that childrens health records did not record allergies clearly and that cleaning carts were left unattended posing dangers to children but the agency approved the license and gave center officials a chance to correct the problems
patrick crimmins a spokesman for the texas agency said officials would conduct three unannounced inspections over the next six months if the center meets the required standards it will receive a permanent license
the department of homeland security did not immediately offer a comment on the license


chicago   female chefs triumphed in surprising numbers monday night as this years james beard awards were handed out at the lyric opera of chicago
suzanne goin the chef behind the acclaimed lucques and a fixture of the restaurant scene in los angeles for many years won top honors as outstanding chef dahlia narvaez also based in los angeles took home the prize for outstanding pastry chef for her creative work at osteria mozza and daniela soto innes who oversees the day to day cooking at the mexican chef enrique olveras new york city restaurant cosme was named rising star chef
representatives of the james beard foundation said 2004 was the last year that all three of those awards had gone to women but even more women shared in the evenings bounty a striking amount of recognition in what is still a male dominated profession
joanne chang of flour bakery  cafe in boston was named outstanding baker renee erickson of the seattle restaurants the whale wins and the walrus and the carpenter was named best chef in the northwest
leah chase the 93 year old grande dame of dooky chases restaurant in new orleans received a standing ovation upon appearing on stage in a wheelchair to accept a lifetime achievement award
this gives me courage to keep going for about 10 or 12 more years she said
top prizes also showed a notable degree of geographical diversity the best new restaurant medal went to shaya in new orleans while alinea the trailblazing temple to experimental cuisine in chicago captured the prestigious outstanding restaurant award
new york claimed some major prizes including the award for ms soto innes of cosme ken friedman of restaurants like the spotted pig and salvation burger was named outstanding restaurateur eleven madison park received a prize for outstanding service and maison premiere a palace of cocktails and shellfish in brooklyn got a nod for outstanding bar program
the veteran chef jonathan waxman of barbuto was recognized as the best chef in new york city while zak pelaccio of fish  game in hudson ny was honored as best chef in the northeast
jon shook and vinny dotolo who started out with the funky meat fixated restaurant animal and have gradually built a growing los angeles empire with restaurants like son of a gun jon  vinnys and petit trois landed the prize for best chefs in the west
here is a complete list of the winners


isle de jean charles la   each morning at 330 when joann bourg leaves the mildewed and rusted house that her parents built on her grandfathers property she worries that the bridge connecting this spit of waterlogged land to louisianas terra firma will again be flooded and she will miss another days work
ms bourg a custodian at a sporting goods store on the mainland lives with her two sisters 82 year old mother son and niece on land where her ancestors members of the native american tribes of southeastern louisiana have lived for generations that earth is now dying drowning in salt and sinking into the sea and she is ready to leave
with a first of its kind climate resilience grant to resettle the islands native residents washington is ready to help
yes this is our grandpas land ms bourg said but its going under one way or another
in january the department of housing and urban development announced grants totaling 1 billion in 13 states to help communities adapt to climate change by building stronger levees dams and drainage systems
one of those grants 48 million for isle de jean charles is something new the first allocation of federal tax dollars to move an entire community struggling with the impacts of climate change the divisions the effort has exposed and the logistical and moral dilemmas it has presented point up in microcosm the massive problems the world could face in the coming decades as it confronts a new category of displaced people who have become known as climate refugees
were going to lose all our heritage all our culture lamented chief albert naquin of the biloxi chitimacha choctaw the tribe to which most isle de jean charles residents belong its all going to be history
around the globe governments are confronting the reality that as human caused climate change warms the planet rising sea levels stronger storms increased flooding harsher droughts and dwindling freshwater supplies could drive the worlds most vulnerable people from their homes between 50 million and 200 million people   mainly subsistence farmers and fishermen   could be displaced by 2050 because of climate change according to estimates by the united nations university institute for environment and human security and the international organization for migration
the changes are underway and they are very rapid interior secretary sally jewell warned last week in ottawa we will have climate refugees
but the problem is complex said walter kaelin the head of the nansen initiative a research organization working with the united nations to address extreme weather displacement
you dont want to wait until people have lost their homes until they flee and become refugees he said the idea is to plan ahead and provide people with some measure of choice
the isle de jean charles resettlement plan is one of the first programs of its kind in the world a test of how to respond to climate change in the most dramatic circumstances without tearing communities apart under the terms of the federal grant the islands residents are to be resettled to drier land and a community that as of now does not exist all funds have to be spent by 2022
we see this as setting a precedent for the rest of the country the rest of the world said marion mcfadden who is running the program at the department of housing and urban development
but even a plan like this   which would move only about 60 people   has been hard to pull off three previous resettlement efforts dating back to 2002 failed after they became mired in logistical and political complications the current plan faces all the same challenges illustrating the limitations of resettlement on any larger scale
for over a century the american indians on the island fished hunted trapped and farmed among the lush banana and pecan trees that once spread out for acres but since 1955 more than 90 percent of the islands original land mass has washed away channels cut by loggers and oil companies eroded much of the island and decades of flood control efforts have kept once free flowing rivers from replenishing the wetlands sediments some of the island was swept away by hurricanes
what little remains will eventually be inundated as burning fossil fuels melt polar ice sheets and drive up sea levels projected the national climate assessment a report of 13 federal agencies that highlighted the isle de jean charles and its tribal residents as among the nations most vulnerable
already the homes and trailers bear the mildewed rusting scars of increasing floods the fruit trees are mostly gone or dying thanks to saltwater in the soil few animals are left to hunt or trap
violet handon parfait sees nothing but a bleak future in the rising waters she lives with her husband and two children in a small trailer behind the wreckage of their house which hurricane gustav destroyed in 2008
the floods ruined the trailers oven so the family cooks on a hot plate water destroyed the family computer too ms parfait who has lupus is afraid of what will happen if she is sick and cannot reach a doctor over the flooded bridge
ms parfait who dropped out of high school hopes for a brighter future including college for her children heather 15 and reggie 13 but the children often miss school when flooding blocks their school bus
i just want to get out of here she said
still many residents of isle de jean charles do not want to leave attachment to the island runs deep parents and grandparents lived here there is a cemetery on the island that no one wants to abandon old and well earned distrust of the government hangs over all efforts and a bitter dispute between the two indian tribes with members on the island has thwarted efforts to unite behind a plan
aint nobody i talk to that wants to move said edison dardar 66 a lifelong resident who has erected handwritten signs at the entrance to the island declaring his refusal to leave i dont know whos in charge of all this
whether to leave is only the first of the hard questions where does everyone go what claim do they have to what is left behind will they be welcomed by their new neighbors will there be work nearby who will be allowed to join them
this is not just a simple matter of writing a check and moving happily to a place where they are embraced by their new neighbors said mark davis the director of the tulane institute on water resources law and policy
if you have a hard time moving dozens of people he continued it becomes impossible in any kind of organized or fair way to move thousands or hundreds of thousands or if you look at the forecast for south florida maybe even millions
louisiana officials have been coping with some of the fastest rates of land loss in the world   an area the size of delaware has disappeared from south louisiana since the 1930s a master plan that is expected to cost tens of billions of dollars envisions a giant wall of levees and flood walls along the coast
but some places like the island would be left on the outside for those communities wholesale relocation may be an effective tool if a far more difficult and costly one
thats one of the things we need to learn from the creation of this model which is how to do it economically said pat forbes the executive director of the states office of community development the agency in charge of administering the federal climate grant
a vast majority of the 1 billion disaster resilience grant program is spent on projects to improve infrastructure like stronger roads bridges dams levees and drainage systems to withstand rising seas and stronger storms
but experts see places like isle de jean charles as lost causes
we are very cognizant of the obligation to taxpayers to not throw good money after bad ms mcfadden of the department of housing and urban development said we could give the money to the island to build back exactly as before but we know from the climate data that they will keep getting hit with worse storms and floods and the taxpayer will keep getting hit with the bill
with door to door visits the state is only beginning to find out what the residents want in a new plan mr forbes said
the location of the new community has not been chosen chiefs of the two tribes present on the island   the biloxi chitimacha choctaw and the united houma nation   have debated who would be allowed to live there beyond the islanders themselves and whether some islanders could resettle elsewhere one of the planners involved in the resettlement suggested a buffer area between the new community and its surrounding neighborhood to reduce tension chief naquin wants a live buffalo on site
what has been decided and what was essential for the islanders support is that the move be voluntary
ive lived my whole life here and im going to die here said hilton chaisson who raised 10 sons on the island and wants his 26 grandchildren to know the same life of living off the land
he conceded that the flooding has worsened but he said we always find a way


rio de janeiro   whatsapp a messaging service owned by facebook was shut down in brazil on monday after a court order from a judge who is seeking user data from the service for a criminal investigation
judge marcel maia montalvao ordered telecom companies operating in brazil to suspend whatsapp nationwide for 72 hours as of just after midday monday brazilians said they could not use the popular messaging service
the shutdown is the latest twist in a case that has embroiled whatsapp in legal trouble the case which is under seal involves an organized crime and drug trafficking investigation in the court in lagarto in the northeastern state of sergipe the court has been seeking data from whatsapp to aid in the investigation diego dzodan a facebook executive was briefly taken into custody in march for refusing to comply with orders to turn over whatsapp information in the case
the judge who ordered whatsapps shutdown on monday is the same one who ordered mr dzodans arrest mr dzodan was released after one night when a higher court judge said the arrest was an extreme measure
this decision punishes more than 100 million brazilians who rely on our services a whatsapp spokesman said of the shutdown adding that the company had cooperated to the full extent of our ability with local courts
the shutdown is the second time a brazilian judge has ordered a nationwide ban of whatsapp in the last few months in december a judge in sao paulo ordered telecommunications carriers to block whatsapp for 48 hours because it had not complied with police eavesdropping requests in a separate criminal drug case
an appeals court overturned the ban the same day it took effect saying that it was not reasonable to suspend a service used by so many people simply because the company had not provided information sought by the courts
a debate over law enforcement access to tech companies data has been raging in the united states apple recently grappled with a court order asking it to help unlock an iphone used by a terrorist apple refused leading to a standoff with the united states government that was tabled when the fbi found an alternate way into the device
american tech companies and law enforcement are now sparring over access to digital data in other venues including washington where many are lobbying over a new draft encryption bill released last month by senator richard burr a north carolina republican and chairman of the senate intelligence committee and senator dianne feinstein of california the ranking democrat on the committee
concern is growing in brazil that its congress may pass laws that would weaken digital privacy one measure calls for internet companies to remove content deemed critical of politicians within 48 hours while another calls for imprisonment for violating an internets sites terms of use the proposals worry many internet privacy advocates including the authors of brazils widely respected internet bill of rights or marco civil
the full congress is considering several of these proposals and could vote on them this week
on monday brazilians took to twitter to lament the loss of whatsapp which is used there as much by professionals as by students but some appreciated the respite izatleite a twitter user wrote now without whatsapp ill finally be able to read without being disturbed or interrupted


alzheimers not only alters the lives of people with the disease but also the lives of those who care for them the journey can be just as emotionally and physically demanding for caregivers but that mental and physical stress is often overlooked because the focus is on the patient
when geri taylor 72 learned she had alzheimers her husband jim became uncommunicative for two weeks he said then they sat together talked it through and planned out their next steps they told n r kleinfield of the new york times in his article fraying at the edges the disease in an unexpected way strengthened their marriage mr taylor said
the times asked dr mary mittelman a research professor of psychiatry and director of the alzheimers and related dementias family support program at nyu langone medical center and cynthia epstein a clinical researcher and social worker at the center to answer a few questions that people might have when caring for someone with alzheimers a leading cause of dementia they collaborated to provide these responses
successful communication strategies should be attuned to the stage of dementia as the illness progresses verbal communication may become more difficult caregivers can communicate through body language tone of voice choice of words concrete rather than symbolic and appropriate touch the behavior of the person with dementia is a form of communication that a person learns to understand with familiarity and patience
to make others more comfortable in engaging with someone with memory loss let them know that the person has dementia and share the strategies you have learned to improve communication depending on the stage of the illness there are many ways that others can interact with a person with dementia for example if you are at a party and the person no longer remembers your name asking the person to dance could be an alternative to talking
those all can be symptoms of dementia people with dementia may accuse others of taking misplaced belongings because they are unaware that they cannot remember where they put them
if the hallucinations and delusions do not cause distress it may be best to go along with them rather than to try to convince the person that they are not real if they do cause distress then caregivers may want to acknowledge the fear they are causing and take practical steps like altering the lighting and the environment to avoid any triggers for example bunched up clothes may look like a monster or a portrait may appear to be a real person in some cases a physician may recommend prudent use of medication when other responses fail
it is best to make changes in the home when the person is in the early stage and can adjust to them remove scatter rugs and extension cords that can be tripped over fragile ornaments that can inadvertently be broken and valuable items that can be misplaced that can reduce not only accidents but also stress and arguments provide good lighting that does not create confusing shadows and play soft music to create a calm environment
in later stages of dementia providing chairs that are easy to get in and out of labeling the door of the restroom and offering a quiet nook distant from tv noise can improve comfort and functionality
try to stay calm rather than meeting anger with anger anger or agitation may be expressions of pain or confusion or a need the person cannot express verbally if you suspect unaddressed illness or pain a doctor should be consulted it is not easy for a person with dementia to identify the source of distress so it will take knowledge of the person and perhaps a little detective work to respond effectively if nothing seems to be wrong the symptoms may abate if you distract the person by offering food or suggesting a walk
in the persons home lock doors disguise them or use a device to alert the caregiver that the door has been opened stops can prevent windows from being open enough to allow a person to exit when away from home it is essential to be vigilant as a person can quickly wander off all people with dementia should wear an identification bracelet or pendant so that if they do wander they can be found
sometimes what appears to be depression is caused by boredom isolation and a lack of suitable stimulating activities the activities that the person enjoyed before becoming ill can be modified new activities may also help for example a person can join a chorus or participate in dementia friendly museum programs if the symptoms persist a mental health professional can evaluate the possible causes of depression and other mental health issues psychotherapy can be effective with people in the early stage of alzheimers in some cases medication may be helpful
caregivers must take care of themselves as they too often become entirely focused on the person for whom they are caring research conducted at nyu langone found that the emotional and practical support received from family and friends led to significantly fewer symptoms of depression and stress and better physical health of the caregivers the study also found that those caregivers were able to keep their relatives with dementia at home for a year and a half longer than those who did not receive support recognition of the effectiveness of supporting family caregivers has led to new and expanded programs to improve their quality of life


the coalition of republicans opposed to donald j trumps candidacy braced monday for a debilitating setback as he appeared poised for a victory in indiana that would put him on track to seal the republican nomination by the time primary voting ends next month
the indiana vote has emerged as a decisive and perhaps final test for senator ted cruz who has abandoned hope of overtaking mr trump in the race but still aims to throw the republican nominating fight to a contested convention in july mr cruz of texas has pleaded with indiana voters in recent days not to anoint mr trump as the partys standard bearer and has devised a series of long shot tactics to derail him in the state
on monday that mission of persuasion took on a vividly literal form for mr cruz during a campaign stop in marion ind confronted there by determined hecklers bearing trump campaign signs mr cruz insisted to one that he was making a mistake
donald trump is deceiving you he said he is playing you for a chump
polls now show that mr trump has a clear advantage in indiana where 57 delegates are at stake a survey conducted by marist college for nbc news and the wall street journal found mr trump leading mr cruz by 15 points there and close to capturing an outright majority of the vote gov john kasich of ohio was in a distant third place
mr cruz has signaled that he intends to forge ahead irrespective of the outcome in indiana in a bid to block mr trump from winning the 1237 delegates required to claim the nomination he spent part of the weekend campaigning in california which is among the last states to vote on june 7 and collected the endorsement of former gov pete wilson who warned that mr trump would doom the party as its nominee
but mr wilson conceded in an interview on monday that a defeat in indiana would imperil mr cruzs path forward to win california mr wilson said the first thing he needs to do is win in indiana
without such a victory mr wilson said i think its much more difficult the nearer that trump gets to having the magic number the more difficult it is
republican strategists opposed to mr trump acknowledge that losing indiana could break the back of the organized resistance to his candidacy and relegate mr cruz to the role of a symbolic dissenter on the right mr trump has said that a victory in indiana on tuesday would effectively resolve the race in his favor
at a concert hall in carmel near indianapolis on monday mr trump again said that winning the state would end the republican race and interspersed his mockery of mr cruz with harsh attacks on hillary clinton im going to start focusing on hillary he said thats going to be so easy its going to be so great
paul manafort a senior adviser to mr trump said the indiana vote would confirm mr trumps status as the inevitable and presumptive nominee after tuesday mr manafort said the trump campaign will increasingly turn its attention to preparing for the july convention in cleveland and laying the organizational groundwork for the general election
mr manafort said it was past time for mr trumps rivals to bow to reality cruz and kasich should be doing what historically all losing candidates do he said drop out
on the democratic side polls suggest that mrs clinton is in a close fight for indiana with senator bernie sanders of vermont mr sanderss populist message has broken through in several other states in the industrial heartland including neighboring michigan and he could score an upset that would reinvigorate his demoralized supporters
campaigning monday in evansville ind mr sanders said he needed to record some big wins to become the nominee addressing a riled up crowd mr sanders took aim at the billionaire class prompting a supporter to cry out that the superrich should get lost in earthier language
laughing mr sanders replied that he was constrained from using such language i cant quite phrase it like that but thats not bad he said you get to the point very succinctly i like it
if some voters remain passionately supportive of mr sanders the delegate math however is firmly against him mrs clinton has more than 90 percent of the 2383 delegates needed for the nomination including unpledged superdelegates who can change their affiliation she has nearly 300 more pledged delegates than mr sanders
still mrs clinton faces some tricky political terrain after indiana the race moves to several states seen as friendly to mr sanders including west virginia and oregon
protesters greeted mrs clinton in west virginia on monday and criticized her for a recent statement seeming to cheer the decline of the coal industry mrs clinton told a crowd there that she regretted her remark but that it had been misinterpreted and had most likely harmed her in the coal rich state
because of the misstatement that i made which i apologized for when i saw how it was being used she said i know that my chances are pretty difficult to be honest
for republicans trying to stop mr trump mrs clintons command of the democratic race has further raised the stakes mr trump trails mrs clinton in general election polls and party leaders fear that his unpopularity would drag down their candidates for the senate and house of representatives
but as mr trump has gained strength in the nominating fight winning primaries by widening margins some republicans have grown apprehensive about mounting an all out war against him given the growing likelihood that he will be nominated
mr trumps adversaries have pursued a range of unlikely strategies against him as the odds of defeating him have faded almost to the point of evaporation the forces arrayed against mr trump staked their hopes first on wisconsin where mr cruz soundly defeated him and then on indiana another midwestern state where mr trump was seen as vulnerable
mr cruz a hard line conservative who has struggled to rally the republican establishment to his side has seemed to deploy every available tactic to block mr trump in the state including forming a brief alliance with mr kasich and naming carly fiorina the former hewlett packard executive as his running mate
groups opposed to mr trump have spent 2 million on television ads attacking him in indiana and on friday mr cruz collected an endorsement from gov mike pence a republican who is popular among conservative voters there
if the anti trump effort in indiana falls short said robert blizzard a republican pollster it will be increasingly difficult for either senator cruz or governor kasich to make an argument in upcoming primary contests they can stop trump
mr blizzard who worked for a super pac supporting jeb bushs campaign said an indiana defeat for the anti trump forces would prompt republicans to turn their attention to shoring up the rest of the party for a fall campaign
theres no doubt were going to face an uphill general election contest with trump at the top of the ticket he said and its time to figure out how our candidates from us senate to congress to state legislature compete on that battlefield


washington   when patients in south dakota seek help for serious but manageable disabilities such as severe diabetes blindness or mental illness the answer is often the same with few alternatives available they end up in nursing homes or long term care facilities whether they need such care or not
in a scathing rebuke of the states health care system the justice department said on monday that thousands of patients were being held unnecessarily in sterile highly restrictive group homes that is discrimination it said making south dakota the latest target of a federal effort to protect the civil rights of people with disabilities and mental illnesses outlined in a supreme court decision 17 years ago
the obama administration has opened more than 50 such investigations and reached settlements with eight states one investigation into floridas treatment of children with disabilities ended in a lawsuit over policies that placed those children in nursing homes with its report monday the justice department signaled that it might also sue south dakota
while the administration has received widespread attention for investigating police abuses and supporting the rights of gay and transgender people the justice department has also steadily made these cases part of its civil rights agenda the government says that those efforts have allowed more than 53000 americans with disabilities to leave institutions or avoid them altogether it is a small number compared with the 250000 working age people who are estimated to be needlessly living in nursing homes but advocates say the federal campaign has had significant effects
there has been as much of a revolution in enforcing disability rights since 2009 as there has been for any other group in the county said talley wells a disability lawyer with the atlanta legal aid society
there are more than 17 million nursing beds in the united states and many americans require round the clock care and the protection of a nursing home but for untold numbers of others   with mental illnesses developmental disabilities or chronic diseases   the confines of a nursing home can be unnecessarily isolating yet when patients seek help paying for long term care states often steer them toward nursing homes even though it may not be needed
one 45 year old south dakota man with diabetes told justice department investigators that he wished he could be at home with his wife and daughter but was in a nursing home because he needed help moving around his house on one leg
a 73 year old man in a wheelchair told investigators that he was in a nursing home against his will some of these places are warehouses he said according to the report
with help the justice department said such people could live at home hold jobs and lead productive lives instead they are confined and segregated from society many cannot leave the grounds of their institutions without supervision or perform tasks such as shopping for groceries or cooking meals one resident told investigators that when friends visited to take him for a car ride they have to sign me out like a kid
these are real issues that more and more people are going to be confronting with our graying population said vanita gupta the justice departments top civil rights lawyer
the justice departments efforts are rooted in a 1999 supreme court decision olmstead v lc the court ruled that unless a nursing home is medically necessary people have a right under the americans with disabilities act to receive care without being segregated from society advocates for the disabled have compared that ruling to brown v board of education which declared racial segregation in schools unconstitutional as was the case after that decision however change was not immediate
president george w bush issued an executive order in 2001 telling the federal government to work with states to meet the supreme courts decree during his administration the justice department opened several cases over the living conditions in public nursing homes
under president obama the department changed its strategy rather than focusing on living conditions the authorities asked whether residents should be confined in the first place
since then officials have created a new body of civil rights law rhode island agreed to end a decades old system that had kept people with developmental disabilities segregated in adult day programs and to help them find jobs rather than confining them to low paying workshops oregon did the same last year the justice department has filed documents on behalf of children with mental illnesses in west virginia and people with developmental disabilities in indiana
states have been trying for years to increase in home care which is often cheaper than putting someone in a nursing home what were seeing now is the feds involvement and the courts said debra miller director of health policy for the council of state governments states are all looking to move in this direction its just a question of how fast you can go
dennis daugaard south dakotas governor said that his state had made progress but that with such a sparse population it faced problems not shared by more urban areas
ideally we want elderly residents and people with disabilities to be able to stay in their communities and receive the services they need without going to a nursing home mr daugaard said in a statement that can be a challenge for a state like ours which is made up of rural communities
the justice department however said south dakota was not trying hard enough to address a problem it has known about for years in 2013 it spent 133 million in medicaid money on nursing homes and 27 million on in home care the department said
in home health aides can be less expensive than nursing homes because they do not provide unnecessary services states though face a chicken or egg conundrum does money go to nursing homes because beds are often more readily available than in home services or are there fewer in home services because less medicaid money is spent on them and nursing homes have little financial incentive to encourage patients to seek in home care ms miller said
mr wells the atlanta lawyer said the legal fight was both shaping public opinion and reflecting it a few years ago when the justice department began aggressively taking on state governments you could just feel this movement he said he added that patients deserved options that allowed them to remain part of society
its what all of us would want for our family members he said when we need that level of service do we want that in our homes or do we want that in an institution


damascus syria   adnan gimaah was perhaps the sourest purveyor of sweets in the old souk of damascus
if a customer questioned the quality of his wares he snorted impatiently if they haggled too hard he invited them to leave his idea of small talk was to grumble about the phone bill his wife incurred in nightly calls to their son a homesick refugee in germany
costing me a fortune he said
still it was impossible to miss the humor that undergirded his gruff manner and the customers seemed to like it it matched the mood of the city a fatigued capital with an increasingly threadbare air trapped in an interminable season of war
damascus is shielded from the worst of syrias turmoil and violence yet filled with those who have suffered from it   the displaced the bereaved those seeking to flee   and so everything even the candy is laced with a layer of skepticism
what you do you mean whats in it mr gimaah snapped at an elderly woman who had sat down on a couch in the back of his century old shop and was chewing a mlabbas a sugarcoated almond arent you eating it
the womans name was najieh dahir and she hailed from deir al zour a besieged city in the far east of the country in fleeing to damascus she had been forced to leave behind her daughter who was trapped in a neighborhood controlled by the islamic state and living in fear one wrong move and theyll cut the hand off the mother said matter of factly or they can take you as a slave
she had also left her husband behind but was less bothered by that hes no use to me anymore she said impatiently he hasnt sent any money i hope a shell lands on him
mr gimaah in apparent appreciation of the black humor allowed himself a little smile mrs dahir ordered two kilos of mlabbas then hurried home
a picture of syrias president bashar al assad was draped across a nearby lane mr assad is a ubiquitous presence in the rump state that he rules watching from portraits in immigration halls crowded city streets and desolate army bases he has a variety of looks the sharp suited statesman the windswept military commander in khaki and shades or the fearless leader posing with a bear
but as the war drags into its sixth year mr assad has been joined in the images by the foreign leaders who have played a crucial role in keeping him in power hassan nasrallah of hezbollah the lebanese shiite militia and president vladimir v putin of russia whose warplanes have mounted devastating attacks on opposition controlled areas including many believe the bombing last week of a hospital in aleppo that killed at least 55 civilians
mr assad rules from a hilltop palace overlooking damascus   a city that despite continuing fighting in some rebel held suburbs is firmly in his grip his early plans to modernize syria have given way in the last five years to the iron fisted authoritarianism of his father hafez al assad yet the city has managed to preserve a tenuous air of normalcy at least in its downtown districts fashionable weddings spill through the streets on the weekends the wealthy still gather for meals and to smoke water pipes at plush restaurants and bars
the opera house intermittently offers musical productions and tv studios are filming drama series which enjoy a huge following in the arabic speaking world there are few signs of the russians who have played such a decisive military role over the last six months
but for the most part syria once a middle income country has only a tiny minority who can still afford the good life many young syrians have fled abroad either in search of work or to avoid military conscription more than half the prewar population has been displaced
some of those who remain have pawned their gold a traditional last resort to cover their living expenses everything is changing we can feel it said waddah abd rabbo editor in chief of al watan a private newspaper the people are tired and the state is under such great strain its a kind of miracle that its still going
across the city tattered posters from the recent parliamentary election cover the walls few people however feel comfortable speaking openly about politics particularly with foreigners like me   who are accompanied by an official from the ministry of information
there is little enthusiasm for the faltering peace talks in geneva which seem to many syrians like an abstraction at best and an exercise in cynical maneuvering at worst but frustration with the war induced hardships is never far from the surface and unlikely events can become sucked into the wars paranoid politics
after a fire swept through one corner of the old city last week torching over 100 shops and businesses rumors quickly circulated on the internet that iran another of mr assads close allies was somehow responsible the official explanation was more prosaic faulty electrical wiring
the next day anas kanoos picked his way through the steaming rubble of his toy store trying to salvage what he could
mr kanoos was downcast the business which consisted of two stores had been in his family since his grandfather they had already lost one store in the damascus suburbs to fighting during the war
he kicked a pile of steaming childrens slippers then he picked up his phone and started making calls time to plan for a rebuilding what else can we do he said
some syrians trying to see past their countrys anguish are choosing to consider events in the broader sweep of history the citys great mosque a magnificent site revered as one of the holiest in islam once drew a stream of pilgrims today that traffic has dried up but the mosque itself remains untouched
one recent evening flocks of warbling swallows rose and fell in unison over the mosques ancient courtyard inside the caretaker salim al rifai 85 watched over a small shrine that according to legend contains the head of john the baptist
the change in syria in the past five years was the difference between sky and earth mr rifai said fingering his beads as he spoke but even the worst calamities did not last forever he added this too will pass
the sound of a distant explosion filtered into the mosque mr rifai ignored it
first though he said his countrymen needed to change we need to believe in god and do what he asks of us he said and we need to help each other to be human again


colorados supreme court on monday struck down local government prohibitions on hydraulic fracturing or fracking handing oil and gas companies a victory in a lengthy battle over energy production in the environmentally conscious state
in separate rulings the court said a moratorium in fort collins and a ban in longmont were invalid because state law pre empted them a lower court had reached the same conclusion earlier
two other cities and boulder county have prohibitions on fracking that presumably are affected by the decisions with oil and gas exploration in a slump nationwide the short term effect of the rulings in colorado will be small industry officials said
but when the slump ends activity in urban areas across the front range   the eastern foothills of the rocky mountains and colorados most populous region where oil and gas production is concentrated   could be significant
the land opened to exploration by mondays rulings is comparatively small more significant said experts on both sides of the conflict is that the rulings shut down future efforts to stop fracking in local jurisdictions
officials of the colorado oil and gas association said the decisions go beyond prohibitions on oil and gas operations preventing localities from imposing any rules on those operations that conflict with state laws and regulations
colorados regulation of oil and gas production is the most stringent in the nation said dan haley the associations president this continues to protect citizens and continues to protect the water and air in colorado but allows our operators to develop natural resources that have been off limits for a number of years
officials in fort collins and longmont said they were disappointed by the rulings environmental groups said the rulings would give new momentum to efforts to force a statewide referendum
the supreme court has approved signature collecting efforts for three fracking related ballot initiatives the two most significant would effectively reinstate local control over fracking and other activities and outlaw fracking within 2500 feet of occupied buildings waterways and public open spaces
supporters must gather nearly 100000 signatures by august for each of the initiatives to place them on the november ballot i think this is definitely going to add fuel to the fire for folks to get out there and help get these initiatives passed said lauren petrie a senior organizer at food and water watch in colorado an opponent of fracking
spurred by the rise of hydraulic fracturing colorado has become one of the nations largest producers of oil and gas the state has more than 50000 active oil and gas wells
environmental advocates say that the front range oil and gas boom has contributed significantly to an ozone haze that sometimes blankets the area and that a coming report will show that well leaks of methane a greenhouse gas are common they also argue that the chemicals used in fracking can leach into water and pose significant health hazards
mr haley of the oil and gas association said colorados strict rules have led to a reduction in pollution from wells even as oil and gas production rose in recent years
colorado is one of several states where the oil and gas industry has faced citizen led efforts to ban fracking new york has banned fracking statewide and pennsylvania has granted local government authority over hydraulic fracturing the texas legislature responded last year to one citys ban on fracking with a law that pre empts local control over a broad range of drilling activities
gov jerry brown of california came out against a fracking ban last year but advocacy groups are waging a statewide campaign to place a ban on the ballot
its 2 to 2 and californias still in play said bruce baizel the energy program director for earthworks an environmental advocacy group that focuses on mining and energy exploration


jason hammel raised his record to 4 0 and anthony rizzo hit two doubles on monday night as the visiting chicago cubs beat the pittsburgh pirates 7 2
hammels era rose to 124 after he began the game at 075 which led the national league he gave up two runs and five hits in five plus innings with three strikeouts and a walk his streak of five straight starts allowing one run or fewer ended
rizzo hit a run scoring double and scored in the third inning as the cubs went ahead 2 1 then he doubled again during a four run fifth that pushed the lead to 6 1
chicago improved to 18 6 the best record in the major leagues and avoided losing a second consecutive game for the first time this season
giants 9 reds 6 the reds roughed up johnny cueto in his return to cincinnati but san francisco rallied against the reds bullpen riding brandon crawfords three run homer to victory
joey votto hit a three run homer as cincinnati scored six runs in the third inning off cueto who received a warm welcome from his former teammates and fans before the game
rangers 2 blue jays 1 nomar mazara hit a tiebreaking home run in the eighth inning and visiting texas beat toronto for its fifth win in six games
in the bottom of the eighth mazara preserved the one run lead by throwing out michael saunders at home plate to end the inning
tony barnette worked one inning for the win and shawn tolleson finished for his ninth save
brewers 8 angels 5 jimmy nelson pitched seven strong innings and drove in the go ahead run and milwaukee defeated los angeles at home
nelson retired 15 of 16 batters before giving up a solo home run to mike trout in the sixth he allowed two runs and four hits in seven innings
ryan braun reached base four times for the brewers
orioles lose shortstop baltimore shortstop j j hardy will be sidelined for at least a month with a hairline fracture in his left foot
the injury occurred sunday when hardy fouled a ball off his foot in the fourth inning against the chicago white sox
the orioles were off monday manager buck showalter said he expected hardy to miss four to six weeks
hardy was expected to be placed on the 15 day disabled list on tuesday before the orioles opened a three game series against the yankees
surgery for red sox player boston third baseman pablo sandoval will have surgery on his left shoulder in the next few days
the team said the procedure would be performed by dr james andrews in florida the team did not say how long sandoval was expected to be sidelined
sandoval is in the second season of a five year 95 million contract he has been on the disabled list since april 13 with a strained shoulder
dodger is suspended los angeles dodgers pitcher josh ravin was suspended for 80 games after a positive test under major league baseballs drug program
ravin is the eighth player to be suspended this year under the big league program and the fourth in three weeks he tested positive for growth hormone releasing peptide 2 the commissioners office said


mexico city   four men have been arrested in the murder of a honduran environmental and indigenous rights activist whose killing two months ago prompted international condemnation the authorities said on monday
the activist berta caceres led a decade long fight to block construction of the agua zarca dam along the gualcarque river which is sacred to her lenca people despite numerous threats and the killings of other members of her organization she was undeterred
she was awarded the prestigious goldman environmental prize last year but the international acclaim was not enough to protect her on march 3 gunmen burst into the house where she was staying in la esperanza her hometown in western honduras and fatally shot her
the suspects were arrested in raids early monday two of them are linked to the honduran company that is building the dam desarrollos energeticos sa or desa
since the killing the honduran government has been under intense pressure to find ms caceress killers the murder occurred as president juan orlando hernandez has been trying to project a new image of his country one of the most violent in the world
alongside the gang and drug violence a steady drumbeat of assassinations of journalists lawyers labor and peasant leaders and environmental activists has come to mark honduran politics ever since a 2009 coup
one of the suspects arrested on monday sergio rodriguez orellana is a manager for social and environmental issues for desa the company said in a statement noting that it was surprised by his arrest we trust that all employees actions are within the law the company said and denied any material or intellectual connection to the murder
the company said it had complied with all investigators requests
a second suspect douglas geovanny bustillo had worked in the past for a security company hired by the dam project desa wrote in response to an email
a military spokesman told the local news media that the two other suspects are an army major and a retired captain
ms caceress family said they learned of the arrests from news reports they questioned whether the investigation would ultimately lead to those who planned and ordered the killing ms caceres was not under police protection when she was killed
because we have been excluded from the investigative process from the start we have no way to judge whether the arrests are the result of an exhaustive investigation nor do we know if they included the intellectual authorship at all its levels according to a statement monday from ms caceress family and the organization she founded the national council of popular and indigenous organizations of honduras
silvio carrillo a nephew of ms caceres wrote in an email that officials had told the family last week to expect an arrest soon
the family asked for an independent investigation by the inter american commission on human rights but the honduran government rejected it
as we have stated since the assassination mr carrillo wrote the honduran government lacks the veracity and political will to conduct a just thorough and professional investigation


puerto ricos default on most of a 422 million debt payment on monday puts the spotlight back on washington to enact a rescue package for the island and congressional aides said a revised bill would be introduced next week
on monday treasury secretary jacob j lew renewed his call on congress to act swiftly warning in a letter to house speaker paul ryan that without a legal framework for a debt restructuring puerto rico is in danger of getting caught in a series of cascading defaults that could lead to a taxpayer bailout
this is not just a matter of financial liabilities and litigation mr lew said in the letter which was circulated to other lawmakers and released publicly late last year mr ryan instructed the relevant house committees to find a reasonable solution for puerto rico
mr lew in mondays letter and in an interview last month with the spanish language television station univision cited signs of mounting woes including the closing of hospital facilities on the island and the struggle to contain the spread of the zika virus with scant financial resources available the human costs for the 35 million americans in puerto rico are real and they are escalating daily mr lew wrote
on sunday gov alejandro garcia padilla gave a televised address in which he announced the payment default   the biggest to date in puerto ricos worsening debt crisis   and said he had to order it because washington had failed to help in time
we have repeatedly traveled to washington to convey the urgency of the situation the governor said so far no action has been taken the crisis escalates each passing day
puerto rico did pay 23 million representing interest due on monday the remaining 399 million that was not paid was to cover the principal
congressional aides said on monday they agreed that the latest default showed an urgent need to establish federal oversight and restructuring powers for puerto rico but they could not see a way to speed up the process in 1984 congress explicitly barred puerto rico from restructuring debt in bankruptcy without leaving any rationale for doing so
now that they must design some other restructuring framework for puerto rico lawmakers are intent on leaving a full paper trail which takes time said parish braden a spokesman for the republican majority of the house natural resources committee which is drafting the bill in consultation with house democrats and the obama administration
the payment on monday came from the islands powerful government development bank that institution has been involved in virtually all public borrowing by puerto rico and performs other critical tasks as well such as holding cash on deposit for municipalities and government agencies
in november the bank was found to be insolvent and in april it was sued by a group of hedge funds calling for its assets to be frozen
legislators on the island thought a bank run might ensue and they raced to enact a measure giving the governor the power to halt debt payments by the development bank other smaller debt payments were also due from other branches of government on monday but the moratorium law was initially written to halt only debt payments by the government development bank
that means puerto rico did not default on monday on a 15 million monthly payment on its general obligation debt said matt fabian a managing director at municipal market analytics general obligation debt is given top priority by the puerto rico constitution and if the island skipped that type of payment it would face lawsuits from its creditors
its all about avoiding powerful litigation for as long as possible mr fabian said explaining why he thought puerto rico made one payment and defaulted on the other
but the new law does allow the governor to declare a moratorium on other types of debt payments that come due on july 1 those payments total about 2 billion including about 800 million related to general obligation debt
one of the sticking points in the rescue legislation has been how to handle the highest priority debt the treasury department has argued that puerto ricos restructuring will not be successful if all debts are not on the table but some lawmakers are concerned about overriding puerto ricos constitution or setting a precedent that deeply indebted states might one day try to follow
while waiting for congress some creditors have also been dickering with puerto rico over voluntary debt adjustments one group made up of credit unions that hold some of the development banks debt agreed to a one year deferral of 33 million of the total 422 million payment
and in a statement issued just before midnight on sunday the development bank said that a second group of creditors was considering whether to settle their accounts with the bank for about 47 cents on the dollar the details of any such settlement are unknown but while deliberations continued the bank said the creditors agreed to not sue over the missed payment on monday


omaha   priyanka bodalia a 24 year old from cincinnati who works in accounting was roaming the convention center here where berkshire hathaways annual meeting was taking place saturday afternoon she couldnt have been more excited to hear from warren e buffett the companys chief executive and his partner charlie munger as well as to see the parade of boldface names that made the pilgrimage
all my friends are jealous that im here she said beaming as she stood with her father near the dairy queen booth i took a snap of bill gates and they were like are you kidding me youre in the same room as bill gates
ms bodalia was hardly the exception among the 40000 shareholders who had traveled here for what has become known as the woodstock for capitalists an unabashed celebration of business investing innovation and entrepreneurship
but she may be increasingly an exception among her generation a poll released last week by the harvard institute of politics found that among 18 to 29 year olds only 19 percent identified themselves as capitalists and only 42 percent said they supported capitalism the number was slightly higher for those in the next age group 34 to 49 years old with 31 percent identifying as capitalists and 50 percent saying they supported capitalism
in nebraska where bernie sanders beat hillary clinton by a wide margin in the democratic caucuses the juxtaposition between this weekend long tribute to capitalism and the skepticism expressed by a generation that questions the very premise of the system was stark
it is an issue that mr buffett said he was well aware of you should be questioning it at that age he said in an interview mr buffett perhaps surprisingly spoke positively about mr sanders   who rails against income inequality and the corrupting influence of money and he praised him for being direct and authentic but mr buffett a hillary clinton supporter said mr sanderss solutions are very off base
we have a system that has built abundance mr buffett said and yet he acknowledged that it left too many people behind his answer for the next generation the conclusion shouldnt be to kill the golden goose he said instead he said we need to make more eggs and distribute them better
that is a message that should translate broadly but it is not often articulated or championed effectively by the business community
ms bodalia said that some of her friends   most likely the ones who were unimpressed that she had seen mr gates and who might have been captured by harvards poll numbers   would benefit from a visit to omaha indeed underneath all the talk about investing mostly to a wealthy older crowd was a more profound message about the businesses that power much of the economy and spur employment its a message that perhaps could use a wider audience
while mr buffett and mr munger mostly sidestepped questions about politics over the weekend i was one of three journalists who posed questions to them along with three analysts and some shareholders they have long communicated a philosophy of about creating a fairer better version of capitalism
financiers are among those who do receive undeserved wealth and have caused envy mr munger said just two months ago at the daily journal annual meeting a corporate gathering in los angeles we dont want a lot of undeserved wealth for doing nothing or acting counterproductively fixing undeserved wealth would be extraordinary
still mr munger who unlike mr buffett leans conservative suggested that socialism could lead to much worse results people passionate about egality gave us the soviet union and all those murders and communist china and the starvation and lovely north korea i am suspicious of all this passion that brings about such bad examples
he added inequality is the natural outcome of a successful advancing civilization what the hell is the guy at the top 1 percent to do is he the main problem when you get rich you finally realize how little power the rich really have   they will spend a lot and get practically nowhere
that economic worldview runs counter to the one mr sanders has traded on so successfully this primary season the one so many young people seem to believe
as for mr buffett he has mostly managed to avoid becoming a political target in part because he is often described as a compassionate capitalist he regularly criticizes wall street rent seekers supports raising taxes on the rich and promotes the earned income tax credit for example and yet his critics say his folksy image is for show citing his stakes in goldman sachs and wells fargo and his partnership with 3g capital a firm known for running an extremely lean organization they also cite the wealth he has tied up in berkshire which itself is run to limit his tax bill and his plans to give it all away to charity so uncle sam wont be getting much
im not so sure all those positions are at odds but for a new generation entering the workplace that has reasonable questions about whether the current system gives them enough opportunity studying the ideas of mr buffett could at least provide another perspective
twenty years from now therell be far more output per capita in the united states in real terms than there is now mr buffett said in 50 years itll be far more no presidential candidate or president is going to end that they can shape it in ways that are good or bad but they cant end it


fredi gonzalez had breakfast on monday with an astronaut michael j massimino who has flown two missions to service the hubble space telescope massimino a longtime friend asked gonzalez how someone could possibly stand at the plate and hit a 99 mile an hour fastball
gonzalez the manager of the atlanta braves was incredulous how he asked rhetorically do you walk in space
youve got to have some pride and ego and a little cockiness about yourself to be able to do that gonzalez said youve got to be pretty sure about yourself mike
after a black hole of an opening month these braves have found that self assurance does not come easily they lost 18 games in april the most in franchise history since 1900 and arrived in flushing with just five home runs  or half the total of trevor story the colorado rockies rookie shortstop
the braves who open a new ballpark next season and have traded most veterans of value did not expect to contend but they did not plan to struggle like this they made seven roster moves monday including the demotion of second baseman jace peterson who was batting 182 his replacement reid brignac had a rough night when he leaned down for a grounder in the fourth inning the ball hopped off the base and smashed him in the face
its been that kind of season for the braves whose 4 1 loss dropped their record to 6 19 the worst in the majors
its not what we expected general manager john coppolella said in an email we felt we would have a better team than we did last year because of a deeper lineup and a better bullpen it seems like we keep saying the same thing but we cant make excuses and we just have to play better
chances are they will the braves winning percentage is 240 an outlier that would come in even lower than the 1962 mets standard of futility they have had bad luck a rugged early schedule eight losses by one or two runs a hamstring injury to outfielder ender inciarte but even the veterans recognize that the major league team is not the priority now
the average age of the braves position players according to baseball reference is 297 years the oldest in the national league the emphasis in the organization is on long term assets that can lead to sustained success
theyve made it fairly clear where theyre at said infielder kelly johnson who compared the braves to his previous team the mets for their talent in the minors they had to treat it like a full on rebuild from the bottom up and its going to take time hopefully guys force their hand and play out of their minds theyve already moved up the shortstops anytime you get guys competing and pushing each other thats what the team wants
those shortstops   ozzie albies at class aaa gwinnett and dansby swanson at class aa mississippi   are part of a farm system that vaulted to third over all this spring from 29th in baseball americas 2015 rankings the braves got there largely by trading jason heyward craig kimbrel justin upton evan gattis andrelton simmons shelby miller and several others
just four braves are signed past 2017 including third baseman hector olivera who is on the restricted list after he was arrested in april and charged with assaulting a woman the others are right fielder nick markakis starter julio teheran and first baseman freddie freeman who have generally played well this season
freeman signed an eight year 135 million contract two years ago making him the centerpiece of a franchise that abruptly pulled off the tablecloth there was a personal toll said freeman who was close friends with many of the traded players but now he understands
i had to grasp the business side of it freeman said i finally kind of got to see that this off season with the hauls we got for shelby and andrelton its hard to see those guys go because they were such a huge part of our team but everything comes full circle when you start to see some guys get called up here who are going to help us long term
the right hander aaron blair   who arrived from arizona with swanson and inciarte in a trade for miller   has pitched well in his first two starts joining a rotation that includes matt wisler and mike foltynewicz who gave up three homers in the first inning monday wisler came from san diego in the upton trade and foltynewicz from houston in the gattis deal
other top pitching prospects like sean newcomb who came from the angels for simmons and lucas sims are thriving in the minors
i think you see how the mets kind of rebuilt the thing said jeff francoeur a veteran outfielder and theyre trying to do the same thing here get a bunch of young pitchers you can never have enough think about it you get seven eight nine young pitchers a few of them turn out to be a degrom and a syndergaard and you never go on long losing streaks look at the mets right now theres no way theyll ever go on a long losing streak because one of those guys is going to go out and throw a gem
the braves alas have endured two long streaks nine losses to start the season and eight in a row from april 20 to 27 gonzalez said the clubhouse had the right kind of veterans   francoeur catcher a j pierzynski reliever jason grilli and others   to keep the attitude upbeat
the direction of the franchise has been set and there is no deviating now
if anything these struggles reinforce the belief system and core values that define our long term vision said coppolella adding that his bosses had been through this before ask any of the teams who have gone through similar processes   the royals cubs pirates astros mets   and they would say dont lose sight of whats important no matter how difficult the adversity 


washington   renewing his attack on capital punishment justice stephen g breyer said in a dissent on monday that his colleagues were wrong to turn down a challenge to californias death penalty system which he called unreliable arbitrary and plagued by unconscionably long delays
the case was brought by richard d boyer who has cited the stress of his long wait on death row after being sentenced in 1984 for the murders of an elderly couple in fullerton calif referring to the conclusions of a state commission in 2008 justice breyer said the delays in mr boyers case were the product of a dysfunctional system
more california death row inmates had committed suicide than had been executed by the state he wrote indeed only a small apparently random set of death row inmates had been executed a vast and growing majority remained incarcerated like boyer on death row under a threat of execution for ever longer periods of time
justice breyer has emerged as the courts leading critic of the death penalty in a sweeping 46 page dissent last june he urged the court to take a fresh look at the constitutionality of the death penalty
it is highly likely that the death penalty violates the eighth amendment he wrote referring to the constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishments justice breyer said that death row exonerations were frequent that evidence showed innocent people had been executed that death sentences were imposed arbitrarily and that the capital justice system was warped by racial discrimination and politics
justice ruth bader ginsburg also signed the june dissent wednesdays two page dissent was a sort of summary of the longer one and this time justice breyer wrote only for himself the court gave no reason for rejecting the new case boyer v david no 15 8119
justice breyer stressed a theme that has long troubled him that long delays between death sentences and executions might themselves violate the eighth amendment
it is difficult to deny the suffering inherent in a prolonged wait for execution justice breyer wrote in a similar dissent in 1999 adding that our constitution was written at a time when delay between sentencing and execution could be measured in days or weeks not decades
in response justice clarence thomas said he found that argument curious
i am unaware justice thomas wrote of any support in the american constitutional tradition or in this courts precedent for the proposition that a defendant can avail himself of the panoply of appellate and collateral procedures and then complain when his execution is delayed


standing in ruin on monday near madison square park was not only a hub of serbian life in new york city
standing in ruin was a landmark of old new york
standing in ruin too was a symbol of restless manhattan a spiritual home for wealthy episcopalians the lost souls of the notorious tenderloin and generations of orthodox christians who knew it as the cathedral of st sava peter ii the last king of yugoslavia attended services there
in this brownstone house of worship at 15 west 25th street   now scorched and roofless after a fire on sunday   edith newbold jones was married in april 1885 to edward robbins wharton
at the time the building was a chapel of ease built and run by the parish of trinity church on wall street to serve the gentry mrs wharton would later write about well to do society families who had deserted lower manhattan for the pleasant upper reaches of the city in the east and west 20s
to provide for the return of a portion at least of our faithful and long tried friends it was thought expedient to build a new church at their very door the rector of trinity church the rev william berrian said at the dedication of trinity chapel in april 1855
richard upjohn was the architect of both the wall street mother church and the 25th street chapel which the landmarks preservation commission called a rugged version of english gothic revival reinforced with large buttresses which give it both durability and permanence
prophetically trinity chapel was the setting in 1865 for what the new york times described as the first public celebration of the russian or greek church not only in this city but on the american continent
the wedding in 1885 of pussy jones and teddy wharton as they were called by family and friends was a quiet affair it may have been the happiest day of the troubled marriage which ended in divorce in 1913
it was in 1914 that trinitys leaders decided to close the chapel which was now surrounded by the bad elements of the tenderloin a shadowy realm of hotels saloons gambling dens and whorehouses
the rev joseph wilson sutton was supposed to wind things down as the priest in charge instead surprising everyone he breathed new life into trinity chapel enrollment grew a sunday school was re established spiritual healing services were introduced as was a school for organists
by the start of world war ii however trinity parish could no longer afford to keep the chapel open
the property was sold in 1943 to the fledgling serbian eastern orthodox church of st sava led by the very rev doushan j shoukletovich a year later it was elevated to become the first serbian orthodox cathedral in america
lending instant luster to the new cathedral were king peter ii and queen alexandra in exile from yugoslavia which abolished the monarchy in 1945
the thousands of displaced serbians who are starving and homeless in europe look to this king as a symbol of unity father shoukletovich said at the easter service of 1948
st sava suffered its first big structural trauma in 1966 when a bomb exploded at communist party headquarters across west 26th street from the north side of the cathedral whole sections of stained glass were shattered by the blast but they were later replaced with byzantine style windows
resilience seems to play a large role in the history of st savas
make of this what you will but on monday the great cross over the entrance was still standing against the sky


kenneth bae says his north korean captors interrogated him up to 15 hours a day for the first four weeks of his incarceration and yelled with impatience until he wrote a confession to their liking but they would later allow mr bae to read his bible and permit him to pray
they told mr bae that nobody from america cared enough to negotiate his freedom and that he would most likely spend his entire 15 year sentence of hard labor in north koreas penal system where he toiled on a soybean farm and lost more than 30 pounds but they let mr bae read hundreds of letters emailed from the united states by his family and friends
the north koreans also billed mr bae about 300000 for hospital expenses as one of the conditions for leaving but apparently dropped that demand in the final phase of his ordeal which ended abruptly after two years in november 2014 the bill he said was never paid
mr bae 47 a missionary and a father of three from washington state who was the longest held united states prisoner of north korea revealed these previously unreported details about his imprisonment in a book not forgotten which goes on sale tuesday
he was freed with another american matthew todd miller in what the north korean authorities described as a magnanimous gesture by their leader kim jong un they were flown home on an american jet by james r clapper jr the obama administrations director of national intelligence who had visited pyongyang to secure their release
mr baes book a chronology of events as he saw them is written as a religious tale sprinkled with scripture he inserted to reinforce his theme of hope versus despair and his belief that the christian god had protected him in a country where sharing such thoughts is considered subversive but the book is also a survival story that shines a light on north koreas history of seizing united states citizens
about a dozen americans have been arrested in north korea in recent years all but two have been released usually through intervention by top american officials otto f warmbier a college student from ohio was sentenced in march to 15 years of hard labor for trying to steal a political banner kim dong chul a businessman from virginia was sentenced on friday to 10 years of hard labor for spying and other offenses
in an interview before the book was released mr bae said he knew by the third night of his detention in november 2012 that he should start keeping a journal i felt like i had a story to tell so i decided that maybe it was something i could write about he said
a naturalized american originally from south korea mr bae was arrested in the north korean city of rason while leading an officially permitted tour from china where two years earlier he had started a travel business that specialized in north korea
his underlying motive in that business was missionary work which is illegal in north korea the north korean authorities discovered his real purpose by examining files in a computer hard drive that mr bae says he had inadvertently left in his luggage
the first month of captivity he said was among the most difficult as he struggled to explain why he had such material
i felt like an insect tangled in the spider web he said every time i moved it got messier with no way out
mr bae said he was questioned from 8 in the morning until 10 or 11 oclock at night every day for four weeks it was very intense
his treatment improved after he wrote a confession that satisfied his interrogators in which he described himself as a terrorist who had plotted to overthrow the government mr bae said his chief prosecutor told him he was the most dangerous american criminal apprehended in the 60 years since the korean war
while his prison cell was spartan mr bae said he was far better off than north korean felons the penal camp where he was assigned was apparently meant only for foreigners even though he never saw another prisoner
it wasnt the marriott hotel he said in the interview it wasnt even motel 6
during his confinement mr bae was hospitalized three times for problems including diabetes an enlarged heart and back pain the north korean authorities he said wanted to charge him 600 euros per night in a hospital which he said worked out to about 300000 i told them im a missionary i dont have that kind of money he said
while his prison treatment was harsh mr bae said it also revealed a softer undercurrent of respect toward foreign citizens by the north korean authorities who are concerned about their image abroad
he was never beaten mr bae said he was allowed to communicate with family members   his mother was even permitted to see him in the hospital he still carries the bible he was allowed to keep during his imprisonment
what is most surprising is the access kenneth bae had to messages from his family said bill richardson a former diplomat who has visited north korea to negotiate the release of imprisoned americans and who wrote the foreword to mr baes book nonetheless mr richardson said in a telephone interview kenneths ordeal was the toughest
as mr bae realized he was about to be released he wrote in the book a prosecutor whom he had nicknamed mr disappointment for repeatedly predicting he would never leave told mr bae he had done so with good intent
i did not want you to get your hopes up only to have them crushed mr bae quoted him as saying
mr bae also wrote that he had known about a trip to north korea in january 2014 by dennis rodman the former basketball player and a friend of mr kims but wrote that he only later learned that mr rodman had disparaged mr bae in a cnn interview rather than calling for his release mr rodmans remarks for which he later apologized incited outrage by mr baes relatives in the united states and indirectly galvanized publicity over his case
i thank dennis rodman for being a catalyst for my release mr bae said in an interview with cnn broadcast on monday he brought attention to my plight


the yankees have not been a dominant team for a while now but it is still noteworthy that they are currently in the grips of a five game losing streak are an unsightly 8 15 on the season and are firmly in last place in the american league east it is as bad a start as the storied franchise has had for some time
their april record of 8 14 was the first losing mark in that month since 2008 and left them in the cellar at the end of the month for the first time since 2007 to find a worse april record for the team you have to go back to 1991 when the yanks started 6 11 seven games under 500 is also a worst for the team under joe girardi the manager since 2008
excellence of course has been expected of the yankees for just about forever their last full season losing record was 1992 they have not completed a year last in their division since 1990 and finishing in the basement then was a bigger embarrassment than it would be now since in 1990 there were seven teams in the american league east instead of the current five
the reasons for the yankees slow start are varied the most glaring involve the offense and starting pitching of their regular position players only second baseman starlin castro has a particularly impressive batting average with a 314 mark carlos beltran mark teixeira and alex rodriguez the somewhat elderly middle of the batting order are hitting 250 225 and 203 that is not very good although all are batting much better than chase headley 156
the veteran andrew miller has been flawless as the closer but the yankees rotation has a 4 10 won loss mark masahiro tanaka has begun well but the other four starting pitchers all have eras over 500 the yankees are surrendering 49 runs a game which was the second worst figure in the league entering monday when the yankees were idle
in particular the yankees have struggled against good teams their record against 500 teams or better is 3 11 which was the third worst in baseball before mondays games
still they have played only 23 games and if nothing else the yankees record is better than that of the houston astros whom they lost to in the wild card game last season and the minnesota twins in the national league the braves are worse than the yankees with a 6 19 mark after mondays loss
oddsmakers say the yankees are 6 to 1 to come back and win the division and a credible 28 1 to win the world series putting them just about in the middle of the pack atlanta is in a much more hopeless position at 500 to 1 but odds are little consolation when you are in last place and the other team in town the mets is doing just fine
the yankees current predicament is sort of amusing to yankee haters and none of it is that surprising to those who have watched yankee greats like mariano rivera andy pettitte and derek jeter retire in recent seasons and other stalwarts like c c sabathia start to fade new stars have not exactly taken their place and while the buzz around the team has been limited over the last three seasons the yankees managed at least 84 wins in each of them and did get into that one wild card game as futile as it turned out to be
the slow start this season may end up being an aberration but the current numbers suggest that the good times in the bronx may be on hiatus for a while


kathmandu nepal   the embryos belonged somewhere but probably not in this empty fertility clinic in the capital of nepal
for months they had sat suspended in a tank of liquid nitrogen at the fertility center at the grande city clinic and hospital which until recently operated a robust surrogacy business that attracted would be parents from around the world but the embryos are now stuck in limbo after nepal abruptly banned surrogacy in september
weve gotten to the point now where its shut down and we dont know where to go said kain rafferty a data services officer from melbourne australia who has embryos stored in the clinic
surrogacy may be the only way for some couples to have biological children by implanting an embryo into a woman who carries the child for them but many cannot afford the process in developed countries like the united states or canada and have looked for cheaper options in less regulated countries like nepal india and thailand now one by one these nations have shut their doors amid concerns over exploitation of the surrogates oversight and safety leaving people of less means without many choices
when you look at the global map currently said doron mamet a co chief executive officer of tammuz a surrogacy agency based in israel there are only a few options that are open
the united states regulates surrogacy on a state by state basis and some states are friendlier than others californias laws are among the most permissive while surrogacy contracts are unenforceable in states like michigan
the process is allowed in a patchwork of other countries to varying degrees canada like many places forbids commercial surrogacy meaning that pregnant women may be reimbursed only for their expenses ukraine is one of the few low cost surrogacy options available to foreigners but not to same sex couples like mr rafferty and his partner who used an egg donor to create their embryos
israel bans same sex couples from using a surrogate and many heterosexual couples consider the process too onerous and expensive some couples like oshri and anat gez have looked outside the country for easier and less costly options
the gezes said they came to nepal after a decade of trying to have a child and four failed attempts with surrogates in india
they had wanted two children and were expecting twins through a surrogate in kathmandu when nepal imposed its ban their leftover embryos would have been expensive to store especially in a country where they could no longer be used mr gez said
but the twins were born prematurely the gezes said and one did not survive the gezes brought home only one child
but by then the couple had already decided to destroy the leftover embryos now the couple must figure out where they can start the process again
we didnt know mr gez said we thought we had twins
mr rafferty the australian and his partner are also evaluating their options and what to do with their embryos like many same sex couples they turned to nepal after india closed surrogacy to single people and gay couples india later shut off surrogacy to all foreigners and there is a debate over what to do with some of the embryos stored there too complicating matters further frozen embryos can be more difficult to use successfully than fresh embryos
india and nepal share a porous border and some women who wanted to become surrogates crossed easily into nepal where there were fewer restrictions according to several surrogacy experts that critics said was part of the problem
the process of gestational surrogacy has been criticized for taking advantage of vulnerable women with few financial resources prabin pandak a legal advocate who petitioned the supreme court to ban surrogacy argued that it was akin to human trafficking
the chance of exploitation is very high said deepak dahal a nepali journalist who covered the surrogacy debate for the nagarik news
the internet is littered with ads for surrogacy agencies some more respected than others in nepal agents typically acted as go betweens for prospective parents and the clinics on the ground
the problem with those agencies   some of them of course are probably very good and careful   but anybody can do it said lisa c ikemoto a law professor at university of california davis who specializes in reproductive technology basically what they do is they set up a website
surrogates in nepal often came from poor rural areas of india and they had few protections if the agency refused to pay them or if they got sick or injured critics of surrogacy also worried that agencies and prospective parents had no obligation to take care of ill or disabled babies
but proponents say that surrogates can earn life changing sums of money its true that they do this for the money said dr sahil gupta who has overseen surrogacy at the grande clinic dr gupta who is now based in india and is working remotely with mr rafferty said that he typically arranged for surrogates to earn about 9000 each plus room and board
the thing is the kind of money that they get out of surrogacy is probably 10 years of their savings otherwise dr gupta said adding that he is hopeful that the government will reverse its position
a small handful of pregnant women were allowed to carry their children to term after the ban took effect one surrogate at the clinic a shy woman who for privacy reasons wanted to give only her first name bibha said that she earned just a few hundred dollars a year as a seamstress in india speaking through a translator who works at the clinic bibha said she hoped the nepalese government would change its mind
before the ban dr gupta estimated that roughly 40 to 60 percent of his clients had been same sex couples some went to mexico he said where there was a brief window before banning surrogacy for foreigners too
for same sex couples its become increasingly difficult said andrew vorzimer a lawyer who specializes in reproductive law
experts also worry that newer unregulated surrogacy industries will experience the same swift crackdowns of their predecessors i am very much in favor of less expensive options for people but to date there has not been a single place ive felt comfortable sending people to said john weltman the president and founder of circle surrogacy which is based in boston mass i would caution dramatically against new and up and coming places like cambodia and panama because the legal framework is not secure


syosset ny   travis hamonic has seen most everything in his six seasons with the islanders the chance to play before the home crowd in a second round playoff game will be a first
hamonic a 25 year old defenseman has been a key player on the islanders roster during the course of his career hamonic proved that again when he returned from a late season knee injury to play at his usual high level as the islanders ousted the florida panthers in the first round
their second round series against the tampa bay lightning is tied 1 1 entering game 3 in brooklyn on tuesday night
hamonic who has been paired with nick leddy during the playoffs said he was eager to skate before the rabid islander fans at barclays center which was as loud as nassau coliseum during two overtime victories against the panthers in the first round
its awesome hamonic said monday you play all year to have an opportunity to do this you get to hit people the intensity is there and you have the chance to play for something thats pretty cool
the islanders captain john tavares has been a teammate for hamonics entire islanders career and cannot overemphasize hamonics importance to the franchise which selected him in the second round of the 2008 draft
travis is an all around defenseman who brings different tools tavares said you cant easily find those guys with size and mobility he plays hard and doesnt cross the line hes a very fair player
but looming over the season has been a trade request hamonic made in november to be closer to his home in st malo manitoba for unspecified family reasons he remains with the islanders for now and any potential distraction has not been evident in his spirited play
there is little question hamonic has become a fan favorite during his time with the islanders as much for his efforts on the ice as away from the rink when hamonic was 10 his father died of a heart attack hamonic has made it his personal mission to mentor and spend time with youngsters growing up without a parent
the islanders signed hamonic to a seven year 27 million contract in july 2013 and having him on the blue line with leddy and johnny boychuk has been a big reason the team reached the 100 point mark and the playoffs during the past two seasons
islanders coach jack capuano said he expected his team to bring a physical element against the quick and talented lightning hamonic said he would be up to the task
thats part of our identity something we try to do as a group my six years here said hamonic who had five goals and 16 assists in 72 games this season we can always do more and be physical
they will surely need the 6 foot 2 hamonics mixture of size and skill to counter the speedy lightning who won saturdays game 2 4 1 after the islanders took the opener 5 3
tampa bays reunited line of tyler johnson ondrej palat and nikita kucherov known as the triplets is a particular challenge that elusive lightning unit gave the rangers fits in winning the eastern conference finals last spring and combined for two goals and two assists in game 2
hamonic said the mission to defend the three was simple
we just have to stop them hamonic said thats pretty much it
hamonic is not the only player having a strong series who made a trade request during the season lightning forward jonathan drouin 21 wanted out of tampa unhappy with his playing time and demoted to the american hockey league since rejoining the lightning in april he has three goals and six assists he scored his first career playoff goal saturday against the islanders and has added two assists in the series
the islanders are looking forward to their first game in front of their home crowd since dispatching the panthers in overtime in game 6 hamonic and tavares agreed that the decibel levels would be a motivating factor
we saw in the first round what kind of atmosphere we can have and how crazy it can get hamonic said i can only imagine it will be even better we rely on them to bring a certain aspect to our game they are passionate and intense in the best way possible
tavares added that the teams core   which includes the unrestricted free agents kyle okposo and frans nielsen   wanted to achieve meaningful results this spring the islanders have already won a round for the first time in 23 years the rest is new territory for this group which lost in the first round to pittsburgh in 2013 and to washington last year
it goes a long way in that weve been through a lot together   the sacrifices the hard work and all the ups and downs said tavares who leads the islanders with six goals and 11 points in the playoffs we want to do something special you can see how committed everyone is to getting the job done
slap shots
islanders goaltender jaroslav halak practiced with the team but coach jack capuano said there was no timetable for his return halak last played on march 8  defenseman ryan pulock and forward josh bailey both of whom have missed recent games with injuries also skated though there was no word if they would play in game 3


on sunday about 700 congregants of the serbian orthodox cathedral of st sava attended a festive orthodox easter celebration
they brought brightly colored eggs and heard a plea from the altar to contribute to the continuing renovation of their beloved church a majestic stone structure on 25th street between broadway and avenue of the americas in manhattan that new york city made a landmark in 1968
but on monday worshipers began a sad pilgrimage to the church instead of taking their place in its pews they leaned against police barricades and gazed upon the historic building which was gutted by a raging fire on sunday night
its a very emotional experience said velimir sabic a serbian immigrant and longtime congregant of st sava who stood with his wife and their three young children at a barricade
the vaulted roof which had been renovated several years ago was reduced to a charred spindly skeleton the roof of the apse in the rear section was a shambles the once grand stained glass windows were now gaping chasms the cause of the fire remained under investigation on monday
mr sabic said his family had watched the 19th century church burn on the evening news as the blaze quickly tore through it devastating the pitched roof the footage reduced his two young sons both altar boys at st savas to tears
he said he brought his family from their home in the bronx to pay respects to the church for decades the spiritual pillar of the serbian community
for serbs this was our main church in new york said nick zelenovic a retired textile manufacturer from middle village queens who said his two children were christened there
for every serb there is a lot of sadness today said mr zelenovic who added that within days of arriving in new york from serbia in 1972 he began attending mass at st sava
the church had been a spiritual destination for serbs living in the region including many from queens neighborhoods like glendale maspeth and ridgewood
it was a journey that required mirjana jovanovic of glendale to take three trains and a bus to attend the easter service all while carrying the dozen colored eggs she had made
ms jovanovic said she began attending services there almost immediately after immigrating to new york from serbia in 1986 she was married in the church in 2002 she said on monday after talking her way past police lines so she could take snapshots of the building just to remember
besides news reports word of the fire spread by word of mouth and over the churchs website which alerted parishioners with a simple headline our church has burned down
flames first began appearing out of the top edges of the front double doors and within minutes the circular stained glass window higher up on the facade shattered and a big tongue of fire came jumping out said herman tulp a dutch tourist staying across the street at a hotel
it was apocalyptic he said
firefighters responded to the blaze around 7 pm which grew and required roughly 170 department personnel to curb a fire department spokesman said
investigators have not labeled the fire suspicious the spokesman frank dwyer said adding that the blaze may have been made worse by the age of the church and its wooden interior
its a very large structure with lots of voids where heat and smoke can gather and lots of combustible material mr dwyer said
he said that firefighters continued to put out small pockets of flames until monday afternoon and that there were no reports of major injuries
on monday amid the destruction the churchs two stone crosses still stood high atop the front and rear of the structure and the american and serbian flags flying outside the front entrance still waved only slightly torn
if the stone is strong enough mr zelenovic said looking upon the church maybe we can rebuild


a round of good natured twitter trash talk has erupted among the head of the british royal family and the leaders of the united states and canada and the internet appears to be charmed by the tit for tat videos by queen elizabeth ii president obama and prime minister justin trudeau of canada it was all part of an effort to promote the 2016 invictus games
the choreographed challenges began last friday when mr obama and his wife michelle tweeted a short video at prince harry it showed them standing with their arms crossed over their chests in front of a line of three uniformed officers looking as if they had a bone to pick with the royal family
hey prince harry remember when you told us to bring it at the invictus games  michelle obama asked
careful what you wish for said the president as the officers behind him stuck out their tongues or sneered at the camera one pantomimed a mic drop and said boom
the prince responded two hours later with a video sent from the official twitter account of kensington palace it showed him reading with his 90 year old grandmother when a hail to the chief ringtone erupted on his phone
message oh from michelle how very amusing the prince said before watching the video with his grandmother afterward the queen a paragon of decorum who has not always been known for letting her hair down responded with a slight smile boom really please
the prince blushing turned to the camera repeated the mic drop and said boom
the queens foray into social media made a big splash   it was retweeted over 28000 times and liked by more than 41000 twitter users
but it was not the first time she has had a little fun on camera to promote a sports event in 2012 she appeared in a six minute james bond spoof with the actor daniel craig as part of the opening ceremony of the london olympics
not to be left out of the invictus trash talking mr trudeau who has turned into a viral social media star joined in on the act he performed a push up and a mic drop with a slew of canadian competitors in his own twitter video on monday
some twitter users rolled their eyes and provided droll commentary
the invictus games an international paralympics style event for members of the armed forces who were injured or are living with chronic illnesses both veterans and active duty were started in 2013 by prince harry the name was drawn from the 19th century poem invictus by william ernest henley himself an amputee
the 2016 competition will be held in orlando fla for four days next week and will bring 500 competitors together in 10 events like archery power lifting and wheelchair basketball fifteen nations will compete including the united states a slew of european and commonwealth countries and iraq jordan and afghanistan
the 2017 games will be held in toronto


avondale la   brian stuard made steady golf pay off on a waterlogged course in the haunting cypress swamps outside new orleans
he birdied the final hole of a largely unspectacular final round to sneak into a three way playoff on monday at the zurich classic then beat jamie lovemark on the second extra hole for his first pga tour triumph
during the tournament stuard 33 never bogeyed a hole on the 7425 yard par 72 tpc louisiana course which was soaked with more than four and a half inches of rain weather delays on thursday saturday and sunday not only forced a monday finish but also led officials to shorten the tournament to 54 holes
i wasnt playing great stuard said after his final round 69 which was not even among the top 20 scores on the day i was just kind of i dont know   hanging around i kind of hung in there all week i just didnt get too ahead of myself and just stayed real patient
lovemark stuard and byeong hun an entered the playoff at 15 under par
an came apart on the first playoff hole and lovemark on the second as stuard remained composed virtually clinching the win with a 160 yard approach to within two and a half feet of the pin for an easy birdie putt
stuards best previous pga tour finishes were second places in mexico one in 2010 and the other in 2014 he arrived in new orleans with conditional status on the pga tour meaning he could play only in tournaments that had room for him when enough higher ranked players skipped the event his victory was worth 126 million it also gives him a two year exemption to play in majors and any other tour event he wants
ive always been i guess a journeyman kind of player just always grinded it out said stuard who became the seventh first time winner in new orleans in the past 11 years you just had to have the confidence to say one day its going to be your time 
lovemark came in with only five top 10 finishes in his career but four of those had come this season
i feel good lovemark said after his best finish since his only other second place in 2009 not too disappointed just a little bummed but moving on to next week
jason day the worlds top ranked player wound up tied for fifth with chris kirk at 13 under
i just wish it was 72 holes day said at least i gave myself an opportunity to be around the leaders
the saturated course rewarded players most adept at hitting long in the air off the tee and aiming right for the pin on approach shots on many shots balls hardly moved upon landing
players sometimes struggled to gauge abnormally slow greens it happened to lovemark at the most pivotal of moments he left a nine and a half foot birdie putt for the win inches short on the 18th green
the narrow miss seemed to unsettle lovemark whose shots became erratic he managed to par the 18th on the first playoff hole but his approach on the second playoff   also on 18   found a muddy area near the grandstand well left of the green
an did not look like a contender entering monday but he shot up the leaderboard with birdies on 11 13 14 and 15 his five foot birdie putt on 18 landed him in the playoff for only his second top 10 and his first top three finish but he botched consecutive approach shots on the first playoff hole leaving him with a bogey that ended his tournament
bobby wyatt a 23 year old making his ninth pga tour start on a sponsor invitation briefly surged into the lead with an eagle and six birdies on his first 13 holes of his final round but three putts for bogeys on the 14th and 15th cost him
i certainly havent been in this position a lot so i think probably some of it is nerves wyatt said
a birdie on 16 highlighted by a 138 yard approach shot to four feet from the hole followed by a seven foot putt on 18 for his eighth birdie of the round left him alone in fourth at 14 under
wyatt still felt like a winner in the scheme of things his first top 10 finish earned him 336000 and qualified him for a 10th tour start at the wells fargo championship in charlotte nc this week
i found out i can play with these guys he said


artists space the venerable nonprofit gallery that was founded in soho in 1972 and has spent most of its peripatetic existence in that neighborhood will close its main space there on greene street in june because its landlord is planning to build a penthouse atop the building
the gallery which was founded to focus on emerging artists and has been home to several landmark exhibitions during its history has operated out of a large loft space at 38 greene street since 1993 and is one of the few reminders left of sohos storied art past stefan kalmar the executive director and curator of artists space said that the institution had 29 months remaining on its lease but decided to negotiate a buyout in light of the building owners planned penthouse expansion that project would cause construction headaches and would most likely lead to a significant increase in the rent for its exhibition space
he added that artists space had already begun hunting for a new location to lease long term or to buy that would be large enough to accommodate its exhibition programs and also the activities of its artists space books  talks program which it has run out of a space at 55 walker street in tribeca since 2012
mr kalmar said that it was too early to say where the institution might alight but that it was important for it to move into a neighborhood where artists currently live and work which has not been the case for a long time in soho


newark   the roads were still dark early monday morning when joseph micalizzi a junior at the new jersey institute of technology made his way from the library to his room in the tau kappa epsilon fraternity house friends said around 320 am a pair of blasts punctuated the morning hush and mr micalizzi 23 was found shot in what the police and college officials believe was an attempted robbery at the fraternity house
mr micalizzi an engineering student who was in his second year at njit after transferring from brookdale community college was taken to university hospital here where he was pronounced dead at 502 am
he died senselessly thats all i can say mr micalizzis father john said his voice trembling as he spoke from the familys home in freehold nj where relatives and friends had gathered to cope with the news he was a good kid studying very hard for his engineering degree i havent met a single person who didnt love him
the police said no suspects had been identified nor had any arrests been made njit and the essex county sheriffs office are each offering 10000 for information leading to an arrest in the case
the shooting was the second time in less than a month that a college student was killed in the area on april 10 a student at the newark campus of rutgers university shani patel was shot to death in his off campus apartment on central avenue and his roommate a recent graduate of the school was seriously wounded marcus feliz of newark was charged in the killing
in a statement on facebook njits president joel s bloom said this is a tragic time for joes family friends and the entire njit campus and we extend our thoughts and prayers to all affected mr bloom said a memorial was being planned
tens of thousands of students from njit rutgers newark new jersey medical school and essex county community college all intermingle in this area of newark called university heights which has seen a wave of development in recent years still crime has persisted with 104 homicides in newark in 2015   an increase of 8 percent from 2014   and 33 this year
frank lino a close friend of mr micalizzi from high school and college said he was always careful about the hazards of the neighborhood a wrestler with taekwondo experience mr micalizzi slept with a baseball bat near his bed mr lino said he even taught self defense to some classmates
you always hear the rumors about crime said mr lino 22 a sophomore studying network security who said he planned to transfer out of the college i figured it was overblown but now after the shooting last month and this im realizing its very real the city falsely propagates this idea that newark is safe again but they need to put their money where their mouth is why wouldnt there be any security guards its a busy intersection
mr lino described mr micalizzi as an ambitious young man with wide ranging interests he played trumpet and drew animations of characters from star wars and avatar
he was always the first guy to bail and go do homework mr lino said then he caught his wording and sighed i cant believe i have to say was
on monday afternoon as gray clouds gathered overhead a group of tau kappa epsilon members embraced one another and shook their heads in disbelief outside their red brick fraternity house with its large white greek letters trimmed in red marking the front of the building on the buildings side hung an enormous american flag a front window was smashed open next to a sign saying warning premises protected by 24 hour video surveillance a faded yellow emergency call box hung next to the front door
john micalizzi and mr lino said the house had been broken into recently they said a man came in and took some cellphones and wallets before fleeing at the sight of a fraternity member
with all these other problems john micalizzi said im scratching my head why they didnt ramp up security the students all pay a hefty fee to study there theres no explanation for it


sumner m redstone the ailing chairman emeritus of viacom and cbs will be required to give 30 minutes of sworn testimony as part of the court battle over his mental competency a california judge ruled on monday
the session will take place at mr redstones los angeles mansion at some point this week and will be videotaped lawyers for both mr redstone and manuela herzer his former companion and romantic partner who brought the lawsuit will be allowed to take 15 minutes of testimony from mr redstone
the videotape will not be made public but a transcript will be made available
the ruling came in advance of fridays scheduled start of the trial in a suit that was filed in november by ms herzer the case is being heard by judge david j cowan of los angeles county superior court
pierce odonnell a lawyer for ms herzer said that he planned to begin his case with the video that is more than enough time to establish what i am going to establish he said in a phone interview
mr odonnell did not say what he planned to ask mr redstone
in a statement gabrielle a vidal a chairman of trust and estate litigation at the loeb  loeb law firm which represents mr redstone said we appreciate the courts continued protection of mr redstones privacy and dignity
the development could shed some light on the well being of mr redstone who has not been seen publicly since his 92nd birthday party last may although he is represented by a team of lawyers he has not made an appearance or any public declarations during the course of the legal fight
previously the judge declined several requests to order the deposition of mr redstone stating that taking testimony from him would be unproductive because he has a severe speech impediment
whether the judges decision to allow for the examination of mr redstone would bring the two sides back to settlement negotiations remains to be seen talks hit a snag about three weeks ago after a framework of a settlement had been reached


chris gibson a republican congressman from upstate new york who had taken steps toward running for governor in 2018 said on monday that he had decided to leave politics altogether
representative gibson a retired army colonel with 24 years of active duty experience in the military and six in congress was widely seen as the strongest republican contender to pose a challenge to gov andrew m cuomo a democrat who has battled questions over the last several days about a federal investigation into a former top aide and confidant
mr gibson had begun raising money for a potential campaign through an exploratory committee he formed in february gibson for new york traveling the state to raise his profile he had emerged as a vocal critic of mr cuomos leadership
but mr gibson said family considerations as well as a job offer from williams college which he will join in february as a visiting lecturer on leadership had influenced his decision to step away from public life he and his wife mary jo have three teenage children whom mr gibson in a statement announcing the decision described as being in their last years at home
the last year has also brought into greater clarity what our next steps should be as a family mr gibson said in the statement ultimately for our family the opportunity to spend increased time together balanced with a return to academia was one we could not pass up
it was not lost on mr gibson that taking on mr cuomo a second term governor with strong fund raising and other advantages would have been a formidable challenge
republicans have not won a statewide election since 2002 and have struggled to find viable candidates the 2014 race was overshadowed early on by donald j trumps flirtation with challenging mr cuomo he later demurred after edward f cox the states party chairman declined to clear the republican field for him unlike in 2016 mr trump was averse to a primary fight mr coxs preferred candidate rob astorino the westchester county executive did not manage to gain traction with voters though his name has been mentioned for a possible rematch in 2018
on monday both mr cox and mr astorino praised mr gibson as a good public servant and wished him well
mr astorino however suggested that it might not be the end of mr gibsons public career
im confident this wont be the last we hear of him mr astorino said
during his time representing new yorks 19th congressional district which extends across the hudson valley and sprawls out toward central new york mr gibson found points of agreement with democrats on issues like gay rights and the environment while maintaining a conservative position on gun rights
there is already one prominent candidate to replace him in congress zephyr teachout a liberal law professor who mounted her own challenge to mr cuomo in the democratic primary in 2014


mexico city   the first cruise ship in nearly 40 years to sail across the florida straits from miami to havana docked in the cuban capital on monday cutting a 90 mile ribbon of water that for years was a symbol of the political gulf between the two countries
hundreds of cubans stood near the dock and on havanas sea wall snapping pictures with smartphones and filming the arrival of the ship adonia which arrived in the colonial era port after crossing overnight from miami the 704 passenger ship is operated by fathom travel a unit of carnival corporation
isabel buznego a passenger aboard the sold out cruise was born in cuba but left about 40 years ago when she was 5 she said she was overcome with emotion when she first spotted the 16th century fortifications that protect havanas bay
that really got to me ms buznego said
the ships arrival on monday caused a stir among the locals too so thick was the crowd as the american passengers disembarked that a passing tourist asked whos the celebrity
the cruise was the latest stage in the surge of american travel to the island since president obama announced the normalization of relations between the united states and cuba in december 2014 the arrival of a ship from florida recalls the heady days before fidel castros 1959 revolution when the island was a tropical getaway for americans and cubans could board a ship in havana and be in miami within hours
commercial sea traffic all but dried up when the united states broke off diplomatic and commercial relations with cuba in the early 1960s the florida straits became a treacherous barrier that tens of thousands of desperate cubans crossed or drowned trying to cross on rafts and leaky vessels
plans for the cruise ran into trouble in april after it emerged that it would exclude cuban born passengers because they were barred by the cuban government from entering the country by sea that prompted a furor in miami and washington and the cuban government lifted the restriction
robert l muse a lawyer in washington who specializes in laws related to cuba said the cuban governments concession was probably driven by diplomatic considerations not because it was concerned about lost tourism dollars
if it were purely about the money they wouldnt have backed down mr muse said with washington eager for the detente to produce more commercial deals the cubans conceded to keep the dialogue afloat he said
the last time an american cruise ship sailed to cuba from the united states was in the late 1970s during a brief thaw begun by president jimmy carter since the 2014 announcement of restored relations several ferry and cruise companies have applied to the treasury department for licenses to carry american passengers to cuba
so far only carnival and a french company ponant have reported receiving a license to offer cruises to cuba from american ports the treasury department has issued a general license to american ferry operators but they have yet to get permission from the cuban authorities
for cubans the possibility of regular sea crossings to the united states brings the prospect of closer ties with their expatriate friends and relatives living there
antonio serrano 53 a hospital worker who was watching the adonia passengers arrive in old havana on monday said he was there to show returning cubans that his solidarity is strong


hulk hogan the retired wrestler who won 140 million in an invasion of privacy lawsuit against gawker in march after it published a sex tape of him and a friends wife sued the online publication again on monday this time he accused the website of intentionally inflicting emotional distress and leaking a video transcript in which he is quoted as using racial slurs
the racial comments were recorded during a 2007 encounter with the wife of his friend at the time todd clem a radio host who legally changed his name to bubba the love sponge clem the former wrestler whose real name is terry g bollea sued gawker after it published a video excerpt in which he could be seen having sex with the wife
mr bolleas new lawsuit also accuses a florida radio host and several other people of participating in a willful and malicious conspiracy to extort him and invade his privacy the amount of damages he was seeking was not immediately available
mr bollea said from the beginning that he would seek to hold all persons and entities fully responsible for their wrongful actions his lawyers said in a statement this lawsuit seeks to do just that
gawker which previously denied leaking the court protected transcript reiterated its denial on monday saying in a statement this is getting ridiculous
as weve said before and are happy to say again gawker did not leak the information its time for hulk hogan to take responsibility for his own words because the only person who got hulk hogan fired from the wwe is hulk hogan
mr bolleas comments were first published by the national enquirer in july 2015 leading to his dismissal from world wrestling entertainment in the transcript he is quoted as saying he is a racist to a point and uses a racial slur against african americans while discussing suspicions that his daughter was sleeping with a black man
the new suit asserts that gawker tried to obtain portions of a tape of his making such racial comments in hopes of using it as leverage to get him to settle or drop his claims furthermore the lawsuit states since gawker could not publish the transcript itself because of a court order editors passed it on to an editors friend at the enquirer
as evidence the lawsuit points to a gawker article by its founder nick denton that predicted mr bolleas real secret would be revealed   it was posted soon before the enquirer report   and a 14 minute gap between the publication of the article and a gawker editor albert j daulerio tweeting about it
based upon the timing and content of daulerios tweet daulerio was aware in advance of the enquirers plans to publish the court protected confidential transcript the lawsuit argues
in its statement gawker accused mr bollea of abusing the court system to control his public image and media coverage


jacques brand the chief executive of deutsche banks operations in north america will leave the german bank one of the highest ranking executives to do so during the firms overhaul
deutsche bank will announce mr brands successor in due course said john cryan and jurgen fitschen the co chief executives of deutsche bank in a note posted on the companys website on monday
mr brand is headed to pjt partners said two people briefed on his plans who spoke on the condition of anonymity because that part of the announcement is not public
his departure comes at a crucial time in the banks evolving relationship with united states bank regulators the federal reserve requires that large foreign banks soon place their united states operations into new holding companies that will then be subject to stricter regulation than foreign banks had been subject to in the past
mr brand was to become chairman of deutsche banks new united states holding company the bank announced internally in march that bill woodley who is currently the deputy chief executive of deutsche bank in north america will serve as chief executive of the new holding company
the stakes are high for deutsche bank in this transition because its american operations have fallen well short of the feds expectations in recent years last year for instance one of deutsche banks american entities failed the feds annual tests that are meant to assess whether a bank has the wherewithal to make it through stressful economic and market conditions
mr brand began working at bankers trust about 26 years ago and moved to deutsche bank when it bought bankers trust in 1999 he rose through the ranks to become chief executive of north america the region he oversaw included about 10000 employees as a deal maker he is known for his real estate expertise notably for helping advise blackstone in its 26 billion acquisition of hilton hotels
deutsche bank has advised marriott international on its acquisition of starwood hotels  resorts and last year it advised blackstone on its purchase of strategic hotels  resorts
last year the firm ranked eighth in advising on global mergers and acquisitions and 11th in advising on mergers in the united states according to rankings provided by thomson reuters
mr brand is the latest banker to leave a large firm in favor of a newer and smaller shop focused on mergers and acquisitions paul j taubman a former investment banker at morgan stanley left in late 2012 to start his own firm which soon merged with a unit of blackstone
last year that entity which is now known as pjt offered stock through an initial public offering since then the firm has advised on key deals including yahoo which is considering selling itself


flint mich   gov rick snyder of michigan has a question for president obama want to get together
in a rare overture by a republican governor to the democratic leader mr snyder said on monday that he had made a formal request for a meeting with the president hoping to sit down with mr obama during his visit to flint planned for wednesday
mr snyders comments reversed a statement he made last week during a trip to europe when he was asked whether he would meet with mr obama in response the governor appeared to give the president the brushoff
ive got a pretty full schedule next week mr snyder told the detroit news by telephone from zurich adding that he did not plan on being in flint on wednesday
on monday mr snyder seemed eager to amend those remarks saying that he had made a request to karen weaver the mayor of flint to meet with her and mr obama
what i have done when i did get it confirmed the president was coming is weve been in ongoing dialogue and ive made a formal request for a meeting with the mayor and the president mr snyder said
mr snyder made the announcement at a restaurant in downtown flint where he filled several gallon jugs with the flint water he had pledged on april 18 to drink for 30 days during the citys tainted water crisis his pledge was temporarily lifted last week when he traveled to germany and switzerland
mr snyder took some criticism for his perceived snub of mr obama particularly from democrats and michigan residents who believe mr snyder should be pursuing more aid from the federal government mr snyder said his remarks from europe were misinterpreted
mr obama was prompted to make a stop in flint after receiving a letter from amariyanna copeny 8 who asked that the president meet with her while she was in washington in march for a flint rally
mr obama did not see her in the capital but wrote back that he would come to flint and hoped to meet her there
josh earnest the white house press secretary said at a news briefing that details of mr obamas visit were still being worked out but that it would be traditional when a president travels to invite the governor of a state to at least greet him on the tarmac
ari adler a spokesman for mr snyder said the governor would be waiting to meet mr obama on the tarmac at bishop airport in flint


republican lawmakers in virginia said on monday that they were considering a court challenge to gov terry mcauliffes decision to restore voting rights to more than 200000 convicted felons opening the door to a legal battle that could create uncertainties about their ability to vote in november
governor mcauliffes flagrant disregard for the constitution of virginia and the rule of law must not go unchecked thomas k norment jr a republican and the majority leader of virginias state senate said
on monday mr norment and another republican william j howell the speaker of the states house of delegates said they had retained charles j cooper a prominent conservative lawyer who argued before the supreme court in support of californias onetime ban on same sex marriage to examine the legal options to remedy this washington style overreach by the executive branch
mr mcauliffe issued an order on april 22 that effectively did away with his states civil war era limitations on voting rights for convicted felons many of whom are african americans by allowing those who have completed their prison and parole or probation time to vote
his action was hailed as a victory for enfranchisement but prompted a backlash from republicans who accused the governor of overstepping his constitutional authority as part of a political gambit to get more democratic voters to the polls in november mr mcauliffe is a longtime political ally of hillary clinton the likely democratic presidential nominee and virginia could be a crucial swing state in november but mr mcauliffe denied that the action was motivated by politics
his predecessors and previous attorneys general examined this issue and consistently concluded virginias governor does not have the power to issue blanket restorations mr norment said in his statement by doing so now with the acknowledged goal of affecting the november election he has overstepped the bounds of his authority and the constitutional limits on executive powers
an aide to mr howell matthew moran said that no date had been set to file the lawsuit but that lawmakers intended to move forward as quickly as possible
mark herring the state attorney general who is a democrat is ready to defend mr mcauliffes order if it is challenged said mr herrings director of communications michael kelly
it is the latest conflict between mr mcauliffes administration and lawmakers from the republican controlled general assembly who have clashed over issues like gun rights medicaid expansion and a state supreme court appointment a spokesman for mr mcauliffe said on monday that the republicans had not yet specified their legal rationale for challenging the restoration order and accused them of playing politics with voting rights
these virginians are qualified to vote and they deserve a voice not more partisan schemes to disenfranchise them the spokesman brian coy said according to the sentencing project a research organization in washington one in five african americans in virginia are not allowed to vote the group estimates that nearly six million americans around the nation cannot vote because of felony convictions
carl w tobias a law professor at the university of richmond school of law said he believed mr mcauliffe had the constitutional authority to restore the felons voting rights but a lawsuit could impede voter registration ahead of the november election
i think what they are likely to do is to go into state court and to ask for an injunction basically to stop registration and voting by the people whom the governor has enfranchised mr tobias said
he added with the elections coming the stakes are really high and so time really is of the essence i dont think theres any question about that


washington   the book jacket for j dennis hasterts 2004 memoir speaker proudly notes how little known he was by the public despite being one of the most powerful people in america
not because he has anything to hide it says but because he doesnt care who gets the credit
it turns out that john dennis hastert did have something to hide something quite reprehensible now his admission in federal court that he sexually molested wrestlers on the illinois high school team he coached years before setting foot on capitol hill is provoking a re evaluation of his tenure as the longest serving republican speaker and mr hastert fares poorly in this new light
the bill of particulars is lengthy consider the mark foley page scandal an explosion in questionable earmarking for pet legislative projects the neutering of an already weak ethics process hardball tactics on the house floor a weakening of committee chairmen accompanied by heightened pressure on them to leverage legislative clout to raise campaign money undue deference to the executive branch personal enrichment
take those together with the shocking revelations of sexual abuse of youths placed in the trust of mr hastert a popular and successful coach and he emerges as a deeply flawed figure who contributed significantly to the dysfunction that defines congress today even his namesake hastert rule   the informal standard that no legislation should be brought to a vote without the support of a majority of the majority   has come to be seen as a structural barrier to compromise
mr hasterts affable persona and the odd circumstances that thrust him into the speakership   a surprise resignation at a moment of crisis and the lack of alternative consensus candidates   kept expectations low and helped insulate him from harsh criticism
nobody was going to see him as evil incarnate or someone who was fundamentally undermining the integrity of the legislative process said norman j ornstein a congressional scholar at the american enterprise institute who has been critical of mr hastert and his era in the house but the abuses and the offenses just kept piling up
the nature of mr hasterts sexual conduct with the youths   one of whom took financial compensation that led to law enforcement scrutiny of mr hasterts banking practices   raises new questions about his handling of the page scandal
disclosures of sexually charged communications from mr foley then a republican house member from florida to teenage pages whose welfare was the responsibility of house leaders caused a furor in 2006 and helped democrats take back the house mr hastert professed no awareness of the activities even though others said he had been alerted to the behavior but did nothing
it is now easy to imagine that mr hastert had hoped the problem would disappear out of fear of bringing attention to his own past in fact rumors about mr hastert surfaced at the time but nothing ever came of them until years later when large bank withdrawals to pay one of his victims caught the attention of federal authorities
it was a sex scandal that put mr hastert into the top house job in the first place robert livingston a louisiana republican in line to replace newt gingrich was forced to step aside after accusations of marital infidelity as the house impeached president bill clinton in 1998 republicans settled on mr hastert then a deputy to the feared house whip tom delay of texas a figure so polarizing he could not move into the speakers chair
mr hastert and mr delay worked closely for years and after mr delay faced ethics recriminations over strong arming lawmakers on a major medicare vote in 2003 mr hastert ousted the ethics chairman and key staff members and instituted changes to make it harder to bring such complaints
much of mr hasterts time in office has been measured in the context of the sept 11 attacks and the congressional response he was seen as a chief ally of president george w bush and vice president dick cheney with whom he had a very close relationship as the white house pushed for war against iraq and for antiterror measures
scott lilly a former senior house democratic aide who is now at the center for american progress recalled that mr hastert provided space on the house side of the capitol for mr cheney who already enjoyed an office across the rotunda because of his role as president of the senate
at times he seemed to believe he worked for the vice president mr lilly wrote in a recent huffington post article the house that denny built
to mr lilly and mr ornstein one of the most egregious acts by mr hastert was steering a 2005 highway bill to passage after he made certain that it contained a new illinois road called the prairie parkway close to land mr hastert had secretly purchased through trusts a series of profitable real estate deals along with a flourishing lobbying practice after he left the speakership helped mr hasterts net worth grow substantially and explained how he had millions to pay to his high school victim
designating federal money for pet projects reached such a corrupting level during the hastert era that it was later banned altogether some lawmakers now say the ban has made it much harder for congress to advance legislation without the incentives that used to exist
mr hastert still has allies some of whom wrote letters to a federal judge hoping to influence sentencing with mr delay writing that mr hastert is a man of great integrity
most former colleagues want to say little either good or bad about the man they once affectionately called coach the house seems unlikely to formally weigh in since mr hastert has been gone since 2007 his portrait has been removed from the speakers lobby but the impact of his reign lingers


a pain management specialist dr nathaniel katz was stunned in 2012 when the food and drug administration rejected a recommendation from an expert panel that had urged mandatory training for doctors who prescribed powerful painkillers like oxycontin
that panel had concluded that the training might help stem the epidemic of overdose deaths involving prescription narcotics or opioids at first dr katz who had been on the panel thought that drug makers had pressured the fda to kill the proposal then an agency official told him that another group had fought the recommendation the american medical association the nations largest doctors organization
i was shocked said dr katz the president of analgesic solutions a company in natick mass you go to medical school to help public health and here we have an area where you have 15000 people a year dying
now as the white house the centers for disease control and prevention and other federal and state agencies scramble to find solutions to the vexing opioid problem the role of doctors is coming back to center stage the obama administration recently announced that it supported mandatory training for prescribers of opioids
on tuesday a new fda panel of outside experts will meet to review once again whether such training should be required the hearing will almost certainly touch off an intense debate inside the medical community and focus attention on medical groups like the ama which have resisted governmental mandates affecting how doctors practice for both ideological and practical reasons the panel is expected to make its final recommendation on wednesday an fda spokeswoman said the agency now supported mandatory training
since 2012 the fda has required drug companies that produce so called long acting opioids   drugs like oxycontin fentanyl and methadone   to underwrite voluntary educational courses on the medications in a surprise last week many of those manufacturers came out in support of rules requiring doctors to have specific training or expertise in pain management before getting a license from the drug enforcement administration to prescribe a strong opioid
the approach which would require congressional action would ensure that prescribers got appropriate training in pain management with opioids so their patients can continue to access treatment options the group said
dr patrice a harris who is the chairwoman of the amas task force to reduce opioid abuse said the organization was committed to helping doctors better use opioids but dr harris added that the ama continued to oppose mandatory opioid training for doctors because many physicians do not prescribe the drugs
she added that the group also opposed laws that require doctors to check databases before issuing a prescription for a narcotic painkiller such laws which a growing number of states have adopted are intended to help doctors identify patients who seek prescriptions from multiple physicians and to help doctors avoid prescribing dangerous combinations of drugs data shows that when such programs are voluntary many doctors do not use them
we know these tools are a great tool in the toolbox said dr harris who is a psychiatrist but they are not a panacea
doctors say measures like checking prescription databases take up more time in days already filled with bureaucratic duties and many express ideological concerns about governments reach into medicine and experts say many doctors believe that their practices and their patients are not responsible for the opioid problem
timothy condon a former official at the national institute on drug abuse said he encountered that attitude in 2010 when several federal agencies approached the ama and medical groups representing specialists to seek their support for mandatory physician training
the take home message was who are you as feds to tell us how to practice medicine you already regulate us so much said mr condon who is now a research professor at the university of new mexico in albuquerque
he added that when he countered that the scale of the prescriptions that doctors were writing for opioids was central to the overdose problem the response from the medical group was silence
mandatory training before prescribing the drugs is not the only area where government officials and medical experts are cautiously circling each other
the obama administration has asked american medical schools to incorporate new recommendations from the centers for disease control and prevention about how to treat pain into their curriculums along with urging physicians to try nondrug approaches first the guidelines suggest that opioids be used sparingly
so far however only about one quarter of the 145 teaching institutions that belong to a major organization the association of american medical colleges have agreed to incorporate the cdc guidelines into their programs
dr darrell g kirch the organizations president said his group and medical schools were actively working to reduce inappropriate opioid use but he added that many institutions preferred to develop teaching guidelines based on their own expertise
in addition dr kirch said that medical school leaders feared that committing to one federal guideline could lead to a situation where lawmakers imposed agendas on physicians that are not in the interest of patient care
last week the fda released data showing the impact of a voluntary approach to educating doctors the figures showed that only about half of the 80000 doctors who the agency had hoped would receive training by march 2015 had completed it
while the agency said the results make it difficult to draw conclusions regarding the success of the program it also raised concerns that requiring training could make it harder for patients to get needed drugs the fda will also ask the panel to review whether doctors who prescribe so called short acting narcotics like percocet or vicodin should have access to training
the medical community is not monolithic in its views recently for example the massachusetts medical society supported legislation in that state imposing a limit on an initial opioid prescription to a seven day supply some doctors and dentists give patients 60 or 90 high strength painkillers enough for a month giving rise to potential misuse of the drugs or opening a door to addiction
dr katz the pain expert in massachusetts said he understood the resistance of physicians to mandates including the fear that malpractice lawyers will seek to wield them as weapons but he has been urging regulators for about 15 years to require doctors to undergo mandatory training
there is incredible rationalizing that exists he said there is a problem and patients and doctors are a part of it but doctors think it is not me and it is not my patients


rio de janeiro   the drug testing laboratory that will handle samples during this summers rio games was shaped by what happened at the last olympics
during the 2014 winter games in sochi according to an independent report commissioned by the world anti doping agency officials at a moscow lab destroyed the samples of russian athletes with the help of federal police the report led to the suspension of russian track and field athletes from global competition and the lab in question lost its certification
its an extraordinary manual of what not to do said marco aurelio klein national secretary of the brazilian doping control authority we reviewed all of our procedures after reading it
last year at this time brazils antidoping laboratory was fighting to regain its own international certification now as fresh blue paint dries on the doors of a multimillion dollar facility here officials say the lab is ready to process thousands of drug tests for the summer olympics
were living on a different planet than before mr klein said we have a level of sophistication you see in laboratories in movies
it took roughly 200 million brazilian real or about 60 million to get there even in the face of a pronounced recession government money has poured into outfitting three floors of labs at the federal university here with new scientific equipment and speckled marble countertops that money has also gone toward training 96 technicians to collect and test blood and urine samples
that investment earned the lab reaccreditation from wada last year the facility had lost its certification in 2013 forcing authorities to outsource drug testing to a lab in lausanne switzerland during the 2014 world cup in brazil
francisco radler de aquino neto a chemical scientist and the director of the rio facility said the lab was preparing to host 100 additional technicians assigned by wada during the olympics
we need to do one years worth of analysis in three weeks with 24 hour timelines he said the lab is going to swell during the games
this years olympic drug testing operation may face particular scrutiny and security because of what happened in russia it is still unknown whether russia will be allowed to send track and field athletes to compete in rio that decision rests with the sports governing body the newly banned drug meldonium meanwhile has surfaced in tests of russian athletes across sports
but doping among brazilian athletes is also of concern as the summer games approach according to new numbers released by wada last week brazil ranked ninth of 109 countries in doping violations in 2014 with 46 infractions russia was first with 148
mr klein said fighting doping in a nation as large as brazil was difficult
a growth of positive tests means you are improving he said of having uncovered more violations than in past years
he noted that brazil had not previously conducted doping tests outside competition and that such tests now made up about 40 percent of the labs work
were going beyond the recommendations he said
in the years leading up to its decertification the rio lab fell behind international standards mr klein said because of how rapidly and sharply standards changed
we had a lab that was born in a classroom in 1989 for the america cup he said that was 10 years before wada existed five years before any antidoping code existed
mr klein credited very firm support from the federal government as critical to overhauling the countrys operations to be ready for the olympics
people imagine the president doesnt have the time with everything thats going on he said of dilma rousseff who is facing impeachment amid a sweeping graft scandal but in fact late at night we went to the president in the middle of this crisis and we got her signature on a presidential decree
that late night signature in march helped to bring brazils policies in line with international doping rules enabling the creation of a single national tribunal for doping cases across sports and preserving the labs certification for the summer games
but beyond the olympics mr klein called the lab an asset to rio de janeiro and the broader region with the exception of colombia no neighboring country has an accredited antidoping facility
most labs cant keep up with the speed of technological innovations he said citing the high cost
he motioned proudly to the machinery surrounding him at the laboratory complex beside a research center for petrobras the national oil company at the center of the scandal involving the president and others
today he said we have everything we need to carry out our work for the games


the big news of the theater world this week will be the list of tony award nominees set to be announced at 830 am on tuesday
but even before the nominators speak the market is expressing its views on the season now that all of the new shows have opened
the top grossing new musical last week by a long shot was hamilton followed by school of rock on your feet and waitress the top performing new play was the humans
the top performing musical revivals were the color purple and fiddler on the roof while the top performing play revival was the crucible
among the shows that could really use a tony nomination boost are the new musicals bright star tuck everlasting and disaster
overall the week ending may 1 was a strong one for broadway because it was a vacation week for new york city public schools the 37 plays and musicals now running grossed 28 million up 12 million from the week before according to figures released monday by the broadway league the current broadway season is now grossing 07 percent more than last season and attendance is up 16 percent
the grosses for several shows were affected by free tickets given to journalists tony voters and opening night guests
among the latest openings waitress is looking especially strong it grossed 907936 in eight performances last week and played to sold out houses all week and cirque du soleils broadway debut paramour continues to do very well in previews earning 1065771 in six performances last week that show is scheduled to open on may 25 making it the first show of the 2016 17 theater season


london   on friday the same day that brian enos new album the ship arrived a small show of his artwork opened at paul stolper gallery in london it includes new pastels with slowly shifting patterns and accompanying music
in an interview at his london studio mr eno discussed his visual art which along with these projects includes forthcoming work intended to soothe patients at a london hospital these are excerpts from the conversation
your gallery show began on the same day as the release of your new album did you plan that as a happening
the ship was due to come out much earlier but it would have meant announcing it two days after david bowie died so i thought that would be in quite bad taste
have the visual art projects blossomed and become a focus of yours or are you always working on many projects at once
theyre all tangled up together you know and in fact because they use similar procedures they sort of proceed in a very rough parallelism   sometimes something goes ahead a little bit because i get an interest in it and follow it but then the other things pick up
if one of the horses ive got in the race at the moment looks good then i put a lot of support behind it to see where that one can get to and then i look back and i think oh these ones are dropping behind a bit ill pick up on that one
using light youve been making art for hospitals have you talked to doctors about the impact your art could have on patients
certainly it turns out the space in brighton is used by the staff as much as the patients it was originally intended for the patients but actually the staff like going there as well theres a heart surgeon there for example who goes and sits in there before big operations to chill out a little bit
the early 20th century russian avant garde was your favorite era for the visual arts
certainly that was the era that inspired me when i was at art school   sort of 1906 through 1927 in russia there was such a lot that came out there and i think were still absorbing it actually i keep seeing it reappearing in different ways i suppose that was the time when painting started to do something that music had already been doing for millennia music has always been the only completely nonfigurative art music didnt start from attempts to imitate nature music seems to have come from somewhere else completely and of course in the early part of the 20th century painters envied that enormously there was that famous statement all art aspires to the condition of music i think it was walter pater who said it and in the early 20th century the first abstract painting was an attempt to make something that behaved like music in visual terms
is your visual artwork influenced by work from that period
well very certainly yes the first painting i ever saw that made me think i want to be a painter was a mondrian when i was young my uncle showed me a little tiny book of mondrian pictures and i was so transported by them i thought this is what i want to do that was the first time in my life that i had any idea of what i wanted to do i was about 9 or 10 at the time and as soon as i saw those i thought i want to be a painter
youve said you like fellini because the visuals and music in his films dont line up in a gallery show like this where you have visuals and music are you composing them together or thinking about them pushing against each other
in film music i often think of that latter thing trying to make something that doesnt build up whats already there visually but sort of argues against it gives another refraction of it
whats next for you
i cant tell you
because its a secret
no no its not a secret i cant tell until i see how it unfolds


less than 48 hours before the whitney museums show on portraiture opened last week scott rothkopf was urging an art handler to rotate a hanging calder wire head 45 degrees to the left
it might seem surprising for a chief curator to concern himself with such minutiae but intense attention to detail is one of the qualities that catapulted mr rothkopf from an art magazine editor to the top ranks of one of the leading cultural institutions in the country at just 38 years old
there were eyebrows raised when mr rothkopf was appointed last may given that he had not risen through the curatorial ranks   the whitney where he arrived as a curator in 2009 was his first museum job not counting his stint as a summer intern there in 1998
and he replaced the much beloved donna de salvo a longtime curator who is now the whitneys deputy director for international initiatives
but in his first year mr rothkopf has already been making an impact largely by championing emerging artists and shaping the museums future he has promoted three young curatorial assistants and hired a fourth he elevated dana miller   with whom he curated the current show human interest portraits from the whitneys collection   to director of the collection and helped woo christopher y lew from moma ps1 making him and mia locks curators of the next whitney biennial
he has really reinvigorated the contemporary program said adam d weinberg the museums director what hes doing is recognizing young talent and people who work hard and moving them up its important for a museum devoted to contemporary art not to just have curators who are over 60
mr rothkopf has a boyish presence that is accentuated by his compact height energetic cadence and gregarious personality in an interview in his office overlooking the hudson river he said one of his first goals was to re energize the whitneys tradition of supporting emerging artists the connective tissue between biennials wasnt as strong as i wanted it to be he said
to this end he encouraged the inclusion of lucy dodd a rising talent in a recent rotating series on the wide open fifth floor he is set to announce that the whitney will feature an outdoor windmill installation by virginia overton a prominent commission for a lesser known artist
we have to keep close to that lively and experimental spirit mr rothkopf said just because we seem like a more grown up museum doesnt mean that were not going to take risks
in the whitneys new downtown building mr rothkopf is helping lead an interrogation of what it means to be the museum of american art   how much should the institution include artists from other countries who have done significant work in the united states how much should the collection reflect the other geographical americas
i think what youre going to see is a great expansiveness in terms of the kinds of artists we feature in the program mr rothkopf said
the portraiture exhibition that opened last week which the critic holland cotter of the new york times called immediately engaging exemplifies this integrated approach with works by african american artists female artists and younger artists alongside established names
the exhibition looks at portraits through the prism of social media even as it draws on the whitneys figurative tradition this appears to be mr rothkopfs sweet spot   knowing how to attract crowds with shows that feel relevant and accessible and sometimes whimsical while at the same time undergirding them with intellectual heft
it will be pleasing to larger audiences but theres a lot of scholarship beneath the surface mr weinberg said while there might be a larger chronological or thematic idea there are also surprises he understands that exhibition is also storytelling
mr weinberg evaded the question of whether he is grooming mr rothkopf to be his successor i think that scott someday will be a great director whether its at the whitney or someplace else he said
mr rothkopf clearly has big ambitions one only had to watch him work a room full of trustees at a recent whitney gala to see that he is deft with the donor crowd but many say mr rothkopf who is also deputy director of programs made it this far this fast largely through hard work human interest is the 10th show he has curated solely or collaboratively in seven years
four of these involved surveys of major artists jeff koons wade guyton glenn ligon and mary heilmann each of whom remarked on mr rothkopfs meticulousness from the marketing to the catalog
it was like brain surgery without anesthesia mr ligon said ive never had someone really think about every component of a show like that
mr ligon said that mr rothkopf suggested they go to see every piece they wanted to borrow for the exhibition in person if a show is a kind of poem every word matters mr ligon said and you cant pick those pieces from transparencies youve got to go look at them
a fan of mr koonss work for 20 years mr rothkopf organized the 2014 retrospective the last exhibition in the breuer building and used the catalog to put forth an elaborate if somewhat defensive argument for the way mr koons self consciously exposes the mechanisms of money and publicity in his art in essence having his cake and eating it too the critic roberta smith wrote in the times in a tempered review of the show
mr koons said that mr rothkopf would come across with ideas that were very fresh like the idea of concentrating mr koonss banality series of kitsch figurines on a large pedestal
growing up in dallas the son of an amateur painter and a doctor mr rothkopf recalls making a menu of museums he wanted to visit on his annual trips to visit his grandparents in new york they included the whitney to see calders circus the moma for the picassos and the guggenheims frank lloyd wright building
as an art history undergraduate at harvard mr rothkopf impressed his thesis adviser yve alain bois with his paper on surrealism in america in the 60s one of the readers sent it to yale university press and they wanted to publish it right way said mr bois who is now an art history professor at the institute for advanced study in princeton nj its graduate student quality
just after college mr rothkopf organized a comprehensive survey of mel bochners late 60s photographs at harvard art museums it comprised an important body of work by an influential artist little known for photography said james cuno who was then director of the harvard museums and now is president and chief executive of the j paul getty trust
his subsequent work at artforum and the whitney has proved that he is the leading contemporary art curator of his generation mr cuno added
the bochner show which drew national attention also caught the eye of ms de salvo who was instrumental in bringing mr rothkopf to the whitney
as to whether she felt unfairly supplanted by mr rothkopfs ascendance ms de salvo said i never thought of it that way im taking on some big initiatives for the institution im really happy hes here doing what hes doing
in the new whitney hierarchy mr rothkopf who used to report to ms miller is now her boss
it could have been awkward but ms miller said the two have remained friends hes coming at it from a warmhearted generous place she said he immediately took steps to empower younger staff members in the department he gave them travel budgets he invited them to meetings and openings hes definitely trying to be as inclusive as possible


san francisco   earlier this year fitbit invited guests to a las vegas hotel to witness something that it promised would ignite the world of health and fitness
the event held during the international ces in january was intended to make a splash for the wearable tech companys new product the blaze a 200 smartwatch that measures a wearers steps heart rate and sleep
the watch got a lot of attention that day   but not all for the better the term fitbit blaze became one of the most talked about topics on facebook and twitter but some people were comparing the device unfavorably to the apple watch many reviews of the gadget later made the same apple comparison fitbits stock tumbled more than 12 percent that day
i was going in thinking this is going to be awesome james park fitbits chief executive said of the blaze introduction in an interview last month i was definitely pretty surprised when i looked at some of the aftermath of it
the reaction to the blaze encapsulates the predicament facing fitbit the young company that has been a leader in wearable technology in many peoples eyes it lives in the shadow of apple the silicon valley behemoth whose touch screen smartwatch could potentially stomp its smaller rival out of existence
this even though fitbit has been trying to do everything right   and has largely succeeded
fitbit which went public last year has been increasing revenue at a rate of more than 90 percent as sales of its fitness trackers soar last year fitbit sold 213 million devices almost double the 109 million it sold in 2014 fitbit scheduled to report earnings on wednesday is also the worlds largest maker of wearable devices by market share according to the research firm idc
yet the fact that fitbits products focus on one thing   tracking your fitness   is not helping the companys image in this era of swiss army knife devices where products like the iphone and apple watch can do multiple things history has been unkind to single purpose gadgets many of which have flopped like ciscos flip camcorder or have struggled like the action camera from gopro
competing with apple whose cash hoard exceeds the size of many countries gross domestic product is also not easy although apple last week reported its first sales decline ever in iphones apple watch sales appear to be growing apple does not break out sales of the watch but analysts estimate it has sold 12 million of them since the products april 2015 debut
as a result fitbits stock has fallen about 10 percent since it went public last june there were concerns around competition particularly from apple katy huberty an analyst at morgan stanley said of investor skepticism around fitbit
mr park said it actually does not bother me at all when people frequently compare his company to apple he said the apple watch serves a different market than fitbits 60 to 250 accessories that focus on health monitoring
fitbit purposely took the opposite approach from apple watch he added the strategy was to begin with simple devices to make wearables more approachable and carefully layer on more features over time in contrast the apple watch started out doing a bit of everything showing notifications tracking fitness statistics and making phone calls
we look at it from a consumer point of view mr park said apple watch is a computing platform but thats really the wrong way to approach this category from the very beginning
an apple spokeswoman did not respond to requests for comment
indisputably fitbit is growing both in staff and sales at the companys san francisco headquarters a timeline on the wall in the fifth floor hallway illustrates the firms history in 2007 when mr park a harvard dropout who had worked on photo sharing software founded fitbit with his business partner eric n friedman who is now fitbits chief of technology the start up had just two employees by 2015 it had 1101
inside the offices furnished in midcentury modern style employees are constantly shuffling in and out of conference rooms for meetings on a recent visit a group of new hires was touring the headquarters
still a concern among investors is whether fitbit can extract more money from existing customers most of its sales are from people who buy fitbit devices for the first time not those who upgrade
in addition many people may end up leaving their fitbit devices in a drawer of those who bought a fitbit device in 2015 28 percent stopped using it by the end of the year according to the company
that means that many people who buy fitbits dont use them for long and presumably arent going to buy another fitbit device said jan dawson an independent technology analyst they have to constantly find new people to sell fitbits to whereas most consumer electronics companies can rely on a good amount of repeat business
addressing some of these concerns falls partly to woody scal fitbits chief business officer who oversees sales and marketing for the company last year fitbit acquired fitstar which makes apps offering video instructions on workouts the apps charge a monthly subscription fee for access to exercise programs an example of how fitbit could eventually collect money from software services
but it may be a while before fitstar has an impact on fitbits results earlier last month the fitstar app was ranked 157th in the health and fitness category of apples app store according to app annie a research firm fitbit said fitstar had accumulated 35 million downloads and has a loyal user base
the big picture for fitbit mr scal said is its evolution into a digital monitoring platform to discover and prevent health problems fitbit has teamed up with corporations that offer wellness programs for employees bp for example offers fitbits to more than 23000 employees partly to ensure they are getting enough sleep before they work on oil rigs mr scal said the data from sleep monitoring a feature built in to all fitbit devices could lead to new health revelations
i believe weve tracked more nights of sleep than have ever been tracked in the history of man he said we can actually now compare it to normative data that we have and we can identify irregularities
as for apple though mr park said he was not bothered by the rival company it has long been in his sights when timothy d cook apples chief executive introduced the iphone 4s in 2011 for example mr park had a realization
at the time the new iphone added a capability to synchronize with wireless accessories using the standard called bluetooth fitbit trackers back then lacked bluetooth connectivity but mr park wanted them to be able to synchronize data immediately with the iphone
it could enable a lot of possibilities in terms of real time feedback he said
so mr park gathered a few top employees into a conference room they decided to re engineer the fitbit products to support the new feature the decision set product releases back about six months but the revised devices became best sellers
mr park said fitbit was poised to innovate products to stay competitive sensors are getting more sophisticated so he imagined a situation where high end fitbit devices could eventually support mobile payments or control smart home products like internet connected light bulbs
yet the products will stop short of resembling the apple watch
were going to be very careful with how we include these things over time mr park said i think one of the general knocks against smartwatches is that people still dont know what theyre good for so theyve crammed everything in


twice every year earth collides with a ring of debris left behind by halleys comet creating a pair of sibling meteor showers that can dazzle in the night sky
this entire week you can catch the first of the two displays called the eta aquarids it began on april 19 and will peak on may 5 before ending around may 28
the eta aquarids is one of the fastest meteor showers its specks pierce the sky at about 148000 miles per hour
if you blink youre not going to see them they move that fast said bill cooke an astronomer with nasas meteoroid environment office the meteors which are often no bigger than a grain of sand can pack a punch equivalent to a 357 caliber bullet according to dr cooke thats why they leave these brilliant streaks in the atmosphere   they have a lot of energy
the show favors the southern hemisphere over the northern hemisphere stargazers south of the equator will see between 20 and 30 meteors per hour during the peak while those to the north will catch about half as many but even if youre in the northern hemisphere the eta aquarids should provide a better performance than last months lyrid meteor shower which was washed out by the moon
your next chance to witness remnants from halleys comet rain on earth will be in october during the orionid shower since the celestial celebrity pays us a visit only about every 76 years dr cooke suggested taking advantage of the annual showers especially if you dont want to wait until 2061
the eta aquarids and orionid showers provide an opportunity to at least see part of halleys comet burning up dr cooke said


in response to growing concern about the presence of lead in drinking water at schools gov chris christie on monday ordered mandatory testing for all new jersey public schools
under the plan the state would provide 10 million to cover the cost of the testing in 3000 facilities and the results would be posted by the school districts
people need information so that they can feel safe mr christie said at a news conference in trenton
lead awareness   and public anxiety   have been running high since dangerously elevated levels of lead were discovered in the water in flint mich where the citys water supply was contaminated with possibly devastating public health consequences especially for children
in march the continuing dangers of lead were driven home for new jersey residents when water at 30 of newarks 67 schools was abruptly shut off because high levels of the metal had been discovered
even as state and school officials sought to reassure nervous parents that they had the situation under control there were questions about how the problem had been previously handled
new jersey has been wrestling for decades with the best way to address concerns about lead exposure in camden for instance students in the school district have been drinking bottled water since 2002   a far cheaper response than tearing out swaths of lead piping
the decision about whether to test water for lead was left to individual school districts newark and jersey city have long required testing in their schools
in early april mr christie said he wanted to act cautiously before mandating testing statewide
do we really want the state to be responsible for testing every faucet in every school in the entire state is i think a question really worthy of debate and discussion and not jumping to conclusions mr christie a republican said at the time
but on monday he said that it had become clear that the state needed to address the concern of parents who were hungry for information
this is not about reporting to the state this is about reporting to the parents he said i think it is the right thing to do because there is public concern about it
testing would begin before the next school year with the education department working with the environmental protection and health departments to determine scientifically appropriate protocols for testing and responding to any elevated levels that are cause for concern
while replacing old pipes in places where elevated lead is found might be prohibitively expensive mr christie said using bottled water as in camden could prove a model for other districts
the governor also announced that the state would strengthen its response to lead exposure
currently new jersey requires lead testing for all children ages 1 and 2
mr christie said the state would lower the threshold of blood lead levels that would be a cause of concern   to between five and nine micrograms per deciliter of blood from 10 micrograms   to match the most recent guidance of the federal centers for disease control and prevention


chaska minn   a special administrator will manage princes estate for the next few months a judge here decided on monday as questions continue to arise about the size of the musicians fortune and to whom it will be distributed
relatives and their lawyers   along with a throng of reporters   packed the carver county probate court for the first hearing on the estate of prince who may have died without a will
were not used to this much notoriety in little carver county judge kevin eide said during the 12 minute proceeding at which he agreed that a bank bremer trust would oversee the estate
prince was not married at the time of his death last month and his only child died in 1996
his sister tyka nelson had requested that the bank oversee the estate and all but one of his siblings his half brother john nelson have signed an agreement with the bank mr nelson did not appear in court on monday
possible heirs in the absence of a will include tyka nelson and the half siblings john nelson norrine nelson sharon nelson alfred jackson omarr baker and lorna nelson who died in 2006 according to court documents
everyone has been spoken for frank wheaton a lawyer for mr jackson said afterward
the search for a will is continuing a lawyer for bremer trust said at the hearing
the value of princes estate is unknown and includes large areas of land near paisley park his recording studios near here and his most recent residence in addition to his music the real estate alone is valued at about 313 million according to property records and experts estimate that the music   including unpublished recordings in princes vault   is worth much more the value of princes existing catalog could be about 50 million and thousands of hours of unreleased recordings stored in the vault might be worth another 50 million according to howard e king an entertainment lawyer who represented prince in the past
the real unknowns are what is unreleased and can it really be exploited for big money mr king said is prince big enough to be exploited in death the way michael jackson was can you sell tens of millions of dollars of prince merchandise
that will depend on how his unreleased music is managed and whether its handled by someone who enhances it or liquidates it mr king said prohibitive estate tax he added could mean that the assets would be quickly liquidated and it could be years before the estates full value is known
it is also possible that others will come forward to make claims on the estate as the district judge noted on monday
none of us have a crystal ball no one knows what claims will be made but we will address these issues as they come judge eide said
indeed after the hearing the court paperwork showed that one woman darcell gresham johnston had come forward to say that she too is a half sibling


leicester city which was promoted to englands premier league only two years ago and flirted with relegation just last spring capped one of the most remarkable seasons in soccer history without kicking a ball it clinched its first premier league title on monday after second place tottenham tied at chelsea
leicester city had missed a chance to clinch the title outright when it tied manchester united 1 1 on sunday but tottenhams 2 2 tie just over 24 hours later did the job just the same leicester leads spurs in the standings by 7 points with two matches to go meaning the foxes cannot be caught
the results led to delirious beer soaked celebrations in leicester where fans gathered in pubs and restaurants to watch mondays match and then poured into the streets when it was over leicester citys players watched the game at the home of striker jamie vardy and a video posted to the twitter account of defender christian fuchs showed them roaring and dancing at the final whistle
the mood was considerably darker at stamford bridge where chelseas rally from a two goal halftime deficit   capped by eden hazards curling shot into the top corner in the 83rd minute   sent a hot tempered match between the london rivals off the rails
rather than press for a winning goal after chelsea had tied the score tottenhams players seemed intent on exacting revenge for their ruined title hopes spurs midfielder erik lamela stomped on a fallen chelsea players hand the coaching staffs traded angry words on the sideline and eric dier scythed down hazard as he cut across the middle
when the final whistle at last ended the match the teams traded punches and shoves at the mouth of the tunnel to the locker rooms tottenham players received nine yellow cards chelsea three but few in leicester surely noticed they were dancing and hugging and rejoicing in their unlikely championship the first top division crown in their clubs 132 year history
that is not to say leicester citys championship in the worlds richest soccer league comes as a complete surprise the foxes spent most of the season in first place   they have lost only three times in the league   and fought off challenge after challenge for months
since november when the foxes became an unlikely fixture at the top of the standings rivals and experts and fans waited every week for a sign that the team would falter that it was not up to a task usually reserved for englands bigger richer clubs   teams like united and city from manchester like chelsea and arsenal from london and every week leicester a 5000 to 1 shot to win the title when the season began has proved its doubters wrong
one bookmaker sky bet told the associated press it paid out 46 million pounds 68 million to bettors who picked leicester to win the title with 128 putting money on the team at those enormous odds
the foxes won at manchester city and tottenham against chelsea and liverpool at upton park and selhurst park they earned points in the northeast and on the south coast scored victories on the road and at home in the east midlands a timeline of leicesters title run reads like a fairy tale complete with heroes and villains but also lucky bounces and timely goals pizza parties and silly sayings
the champions roster is a blend of good genes goalkeeper kasper schmeichel is the son of the former manchester united goalkeeper peter schmeichel grit midfielders danny drinkwater and ngolo kante and late blooming stars vardy 29 who was playing in the fifth division as recently as 2012 set a premier league record by scoring in 11 straight games this season but he missed the most recent two matches after his temper earned him a suspension the french algerian midfielder riyad mahrez acquired for a song in 2014 played well enough this season that he was voted the premier leagues player of the year ahead of players who are paid multiples of what he earns
those disparate parts became a championship whole under leicesters well traveled italian coach claudio ranieri ranieri like his club had a second tier history before this season despite having challenged for league championships at some of europes biggest clubs   including with juventus and roma in italy and with chelsea in england   ranieri had never won a top flight title
hes almost 70 and he hasnt won anything the former chelsea manager jose mourinho hissed about ranieri in 2008 ranieri was 56 at the time but mourinho was right
now however ranieri hired last summer after nigel pearson was fired has won something extraordinary this years premier league title is the first top division championship for leicester city which was founded in 1884 and joined the football league in 1890 its previous high water mark was a runner up finish   in 1929
in a postmatch news conference monday chelsea manager guus hiddink said ranieri had called him after the match
he called us and thanked us for what we did especially in the second half hiddink said i congratulated him for being champion
leicester will celebrate its championship at its final home match of the season a now meaningless kickaround against struggling everton next weekend the foxes will close the season in two weeks at chelsea but their performance has ensured an even bigger prize
next season leicester city will make its first appearance in the uefa champions league


pep guardiola arrived at bayern munich in 2013 bayern the german league champion had just won the champions league under its departing german coach jupp heynckes and guardiola   a spaniard who had just directed barcelona through a four year period in which trophies seemed to pile up like snowflakes in a blizzard   was expected to produce the same continental glory
to date he has not and if tuesdays second leg of this years champions league semifinal does not produce a trip to the final for guardiola he will leave for manchester city this summer having been beaten at the penultimate stage in all three of his seasons and each time by a former spanish rival
an ouster this year would perhaps be the most intriguing although bayerns losses to real madrid 2014 and barcelona 2015 were against sexier opponents the man on the opposing bench on tuesday has quickly become one of europes defining characters in an era when teams so rarely have a distinctive identity that carries over from season to season diego simeones atletico madrid which holds a 1 0 lead against bayern munich after the first leg is european soccers pink elephant big stout and impossible to miss
this is by design while guardiola made barcelona world famous for its silky possession oriented style simeone has transformed his red and white striped atletico players into rugged ruthless defenders who guard their penalty area with fury and look to strike on offense through counterattacks or quite often on set plays after restarts
the style has worked particularly well in europe since simeone took over atletico in 2011 the rojiblancos as the team is known have conceded champions league goals at home to only three teams and have lost at vicente calderon stadium just once this season atletico has produced 34 shutouts in 53 games in all competitions including last weeks first leg stifling of guardiolas star laden team
the atletico wall has several critical pieces among the most important of course is the goalkeeper jan oblak who was a backup until an injury to the starter forced him onto the field last spring oblak a slovene responded immediately saving a penalty and recording a shutout in his first match he has kept hold of the starting job since
in front of oblak are a number of hard nosed players like filipe luis the spanish national team starter juanfran and jose maria gimenez a talented young center back the captain is diego godin a gritty veteran player whom simeone praises constantly and trusts implicitly
godin is typically all over the field pushing his way into scrums and serving as a backbone to atleticos unflagging shape yet even he did not hesitate when asked earlier this season to identify the root of atleticos success
simeone is the stone around which this project is constructed godin said he has strengthened this group of players he has made the players and fans believe not just with words but with acts
many of those acts involve simeones sideline histrionics which are notably piqued and pugnacious an argentine who played in three world cups for his national team as a midfielder simeone cuts a swarthy figure in the bench area typically wearing outfits that are mostly or entirely black and slicking back his flowing hair with his square jaw and sharp glare simeone is imposing when he confronts a referee or stamps his foot or takes off running in celebration after an important goal particularly in comparison with rival coaches like barcelonas luis enrique manchester citys professorial manuel pellegrini or even guardiola
after retiring from a playing career that included two stints at atletico simeone began his managing career by bouncing around clubs in argentina in 2011 he helped the sicilian club catania avoid relegation briefly returned to a job in buenos aires and then in december of that year joined atletico
there simeone found his place injecting the club   which has historically played in the significant shadow of real madrid   with a needed distinctiveness and a belief that spanish soccer could be about more than barcelona and real in his first season simeone won the second tier europa league the next year atletico beat chelsea to claim the season opening super cup and in 2013 simeone won the copa del rey with atletico beating real madrid in the final
then in 2014 he delivered the spanish league title and was a minute away from beating real madrid in the champions league final before losing in extra time
now atletico is back on the verge of another trip to the final a rematch with real and its new coach zinedine zidane is possible if los blancos are able to overcome manchester city on wednesday though beating bayern munich is challenge enough on its own and guardiola will have the added incentive of trying to avoid a personal triad of spanish dismissals
its not over yet we still have a chance guardiola told reporters recently if we lose it you can kill me but we still have a chance
simeone understandably was circumspect regarding atleticos focus playing at munichs allianz arena is among the most difficult road games in europe yet neither the circumstances nor the opposing players even if they include weapons like thomas muller or robert lewandowski change simeones expectations
he expects his players to be brutish to be firm to be unbowed
it is what they always are it is what he has made them


financial disclosure statements from a former senior aide and campaign manager to gov andrew m cuomo currently at the center of an investigation involving improper lobbying and conflicts of interest show that he earned at least 70000 in consulting fees in 2014 from two entities that do business with the state
the aide joseph percoco was one of mr cuomos closest confidants and was employed by him as his executive deputy secretary until early january when he left for a job as senior vice president at madison square garden
federal prosecutors in manhattan and the federal bureau of investigation are currently looking at whether mr percoco and his wife failed to properly disclose thousands of dollars in income they had received from entities doing business with the state according to people briefed on the matter
the states joint commission on public ethics known as jcope received a federal grand jury subpoena seeking copies of mr percocos financial disclosure forms more than a week ago according to a person familiar with the subpoena fbi agents from the buffalo office have executed search warrants at locations around buffalo albany new york city and washington several people briefed on the matter said
also last week the governors office received a grand jury subpoena seeking a broad range of records including correspondence and other documents reflecting whether mr percoco may have sought a benefit on behalf of any of the companies that paid him and his wife or anyone else a person with knowledge of the subpoena said
according to records provided by jcope mr percoco reported earning between 70000 and 125000 in outside income in 2014 from cor development a development company in central new york and cha consulting an engineering company based in albany mr percoco received between 100000 and 150000 from the cuomo campaign itself which he managed
mr percocos wife lisa toscano percoco is also listed on the jcope filings as earning between 75000 and 100000 from chris pitts llc which appears to be related to a democratic operative in connecticut who has worked for competitive power ventures one of the entities being investigated by federal authorities efforts to reach mr pitts by phone and email were unsuccessful
it is not clear when mr percoco earned the consulting fees and if they overlapped with his time on the state payroll he left the administration on april 20 2014 to work on the governors successful re election campaign and rejoined it on dec 8 according to state officials
mr percoco a longtime cuomo loyalist who has been referred to as a brother by the governor is also believed to be one of the focuses of a review ordered by mr cuomo on friday shortly after news of the federal inquiry surfaced bart m schwartz a former federal prosecutor is to conduct the review it involves the buffalo billion a signature cuomo administration program meant to revitalize that long suffering city and other elements of the governors nanotech initiative on which he has hinged much of his upstate economic policy
in his first public comments since the revelation of the federal investigation the governor offered a qualified declaration of support of mr percoco who was in his small inner circle during his first five years in office
i know joe percoco for many years and he is a good man mr cuomo a democrat said in remarks to reporters after speaking on monday evening at an association for a better new york dinner in manhattan and i would be shocked if he did anything wrong
mr cuomo said he had been aware that mr percoco was considering taking on consulting work for other clients when he left the administration to consult for his re election campaign during the campaign and after mr percoco formally rejoined the administration however mr cuomo said that they never had a second conversation about which companies mr percoco had consulted for or even whether he had done so
youre in the private sector you can do whatever you want to do mr cuomo said so there would be no reason to say well who did you represent
cor a major developer in syracuse involved in several upstate nanotechnology and development projects receiving state funds told the post standard on saturday that it had not paid any money to mr percoco on monday maggie truax a spokeswoman for cor repeated the statement cor development did not hire retain or pay joe percoco in any capacity and intends to fully cooperate with any investigation into this matter
michael mcgovern a lawyer representing cha consulting which also has business with the state said we are cooperating fully with the us attorneys office and have been responding to their requests based on those discussions it is our understanding that we are not a target of the investigation
a spokesman for mr mcgovern would not say if someone had specifically told him or his client that cha was not a target the spokesman also would not say if cha had been searched and had no comment on mr percocos disclosure that he had received consulting fees from cha
both cor and cha   founded as clough harbour  associates   have been significant donors to mr cuomo according to records with the state board of elections clough harbour  associates contributed 195000 to the cuomo campaign between 2013 and 2015 including donations of 50000 in late may 2014 about a month after mr percoco began working for the campaign
cor development is also a major contributor its president steven f aiello donated 65000 to mr cuomos campaigns between 2011 and early 2016 while other aiello family members and officials also donated tens of thousands of dollars
mr percocos lawyer barry a bohrer did not respond on monday to questions emailed to him about the payments
as a part of the governors team when he first took office in 2011 mr percoco has deep connections to mr cuomo with the former aide often acting as mr cuomos political enforcer and occasional de facto bodyguard in october mr cuomos office confirmed that mr percoco   who was earning 175828 a year   would leave the administration to pursue more lucrative opportunities outside albany
on monday mr cuomo said that he was concerned about mr percoco whom he characterized as distraught but he called for a full review of the facts before any judgment was made
lets know what it was he said you dont know what happened i dont know what happened


an organized teacher sickout forced nearly all of detroits public schools to stay closed on monday and tuesday after the systems chief manager said that without more money from the state he would be unable to pay teachers the salaries they are owed in july and august and summer school would be canceled
teachers have staged other major sickouts this year calling for teachers to call in sick but this is the first one sanctioned and organized by their union the 2600 member detroit federation of teachers in a sign of how the crisis in detroit public schools is escalating
here are some of the questions raised by these events
how bad are the school systems finances
in a word awful no other large school system in the country is in comparably terrible shape officials have talked about the possibility of filing for bankruptcy
several years in a row the district has done short term borrowing just to keep operating and with little ability to repay nearly all of that debt just gets rolled over into the next years budget the districts year end budget deficit ballooned to a projected 320 million this year from 94 million in 2013   nearly half the total 667 million general fund budget
and that doesnt count the districts immense long term obligations 35 billion in debt pensions and other costs
cant the state of michigan do something
it has done a few things and it might do more but so far the record of state intervention and the prospects for a long term fix look murky at best
since 2009 detroit public schools has been under the financial control of a series of emergency managers appointed by gov rick snyder and his predecessor jennifer granholm those managers have come up with plan after plan and things have only gotten worse
darnell earley was the state appointed overseer for barely a year after serving as emergency manager of the city of flint he was appointed to both posts by mr snyder he abruptly resigned from his detroit schools position early this year under fire over flints water contamination crisis
a year ago mr snyder a republican proposed a 715 million aid package for the detroit district but it has been bogged down in the republican controlled legislature
the alternative is so unimaginable steven rhodes the current emergency manager said at a news conference on monday dps will not be able to maintain operations after june 30
in january the district warned it would simply run out of cash and have to shut down in april with more than two months left in the school year to avoid that the governor and the legislature approved 487 million in emergency aid in march but that was enough to keep the doors open only through the end of the school year
wasnt there already a bankruptcy
that was the city of detroit the school district is a separate entity and was not included in the citys 2013 14 bankruptcy
how did things get this bad
there are a lot of factors including mismanagement but a major contributor is demographics   specifically the sharp decline in the citys population in addition more than half the students going to publicly funded schools in the city attend charter schools which have proliferated in the last generation
so that leaves detroit public schools with just 46000 students down from 167000 in 2000 and more than 200000 in the early 1980s that means a much smaller budget as most of the systems funding comes from the state and is paid on a per student basis
the local tax base has shrunk radically as the city has gotten smaller and poorer restricting the ability to raise money that way but the district is still carrying debts retiree costs and infrastructure that it built up when it was a much larger system
does the district have other problems besides being broke
where to start this is probably the most troubled big district in the country and the woes are tied to money
by many measures of academic performance detroits students fare worse than those in most other large school systems an analysis released last week by stanford university researchers put detroit students on average 23 grade levels below the national average in achievement
many of the schools are literally falling apart with crumbling plaster water damage and leaks roaches rats and mold in the buildings
the planned class size in grades 6 to 12 is 38 students which many educators would consider too big but in reality many classes are bigger because of a shortage of teachers
why would the district be paying teachers in july and august anyway
teachers who are paid every two weeks had a choice to receive their salaries for the 2015 16 school year over 44 weeks september through june or over 52 weeks september through august which many people prefer because it makes family budgeting easier the union said almost two thirds of teachers spread the payments over the full year some teachers had also counted on additional earnings from working in summer school


person of interest has no superheroes no zombies no ninjas no direwolves but as much as any show on television it makes the high low connection thats at the heart of genre and comic book storytelling
the obvious appeal of this cbs series which returns for an abbreviated fifth and final season on tuesday is pulpy and visceral its central cast includes three wisecracking assassins with good looks and hearts of gold and the spiraling frantic story lines allow them and their adversaries to run up prodigious body counts secondary characters on person of interest almost always come with expiration dates
but the shows premise combining fear of sentient computers with fear of unfettered post 911 government surveillance has been sufficiently sturdy and coherent to provide ballast for the comic book action it makes you think or think youre thinking while you enjoy the gunplay and slightly dopey humor and it makes you care more than you expect to about the fates of the shows heroic heavily outnumbered band of hackers black ops agents and cops
in the new season the series pushes that conceptual framework hard finch michael emerson the owlish genius who created the crime predicting artificial intelligence program called the machine wonders whether its time to pull the plug is the existence of a program that could exterminate us an existential risk the world cant afford two programs actually given that the machines main antagonist since season 3 has been another artificial intelligence named samaritan the answer as fans of finch will immediately predict lies in the machines close connection to its benevolent maker
at the end of season 4 a full year ago the writers killed off or sidelined most of the adversaries of finchs group leaving the corporate backed samaritan and its shadowy minders as the only significant enemy in the early going of season 5 four episodes were available to critics the show spins its wheels a little
one of the clever things the shows creator jonathan nolan did was to encapsulate the creative tension between self contained crime solving episodes a cbs hallmark and a long range conspiracy story by having the machine spit out numbers that led the heroes to individual weekly cases with 13 episodes to go the producers appear to be leery both of spending time on cases and of setting up their climactic showdown too soon and the plots have a neither here nor there quality in the fourth week however the reintroduction of some favorite characters begins to bring the story into focus
the most crucial element of the shows success remains the same mr emersons tremendously appealing oddly moving performance as finch the programming genius who is uncomfortable in every situation but always rises to the occasion as the new season opens mr emerson has to play a number of very emotional scenes with a computer monitor carrying on passionate conversations with the blinking cursor not one moment of this will tempt you to laugh in fact you might have to blink back a tear and thats a bit of magic as impressive as any string of computer code


patric hornqvist and tom kuhnhackl scored a minute apart in the first period matt murray stopped 47 shots and the pittsburgh penguins took control of their eastern conference semifinal series with a 3 2 win monday over the washington capitals
carl hagelin added his third goal of the playoffs for pittsburgh which took a two games to one lead in the best of seven series on another night guaranteed to keep the nhl player safety office busy
one day after washingtons brooks orpik received a three game suspension for an illegal hit on pittsburghs olli maatta penguins defenseman kris letang took a shot at capitals forward marcus johansson that is sure to be reviewed before wednesdays game 4
alex ovechkin and justin williams scored for washington in the third period but the capitals find themselves in a deficit against a franchise they have beaten just once in eight playoff meetings
before the game orpik reflected on the illegal hit he said he was trying to be physical yet the instant he made contact with maattas head early in game 2 on saturday night orpik said he knew he had crossed a sometimes vague line between aggressive and illegal
the nhl suspended orpik three games for a hit that the director of player safety patrick burke described as forceful unacceptably high and excessively late
looking back orpik agreed
it was a bad hit he said monday it was intended to be a hard hit definitely not at his head but i dont think there is anything that you can argue that it was definitely late i think that was pretty black and white
rangers re sign raanta the rangers agreed to a deal with the backup goalie antti raanta who appeared in 25 games this season after being acquired from the chicago blackhawks in june
raanta 26 had an 11 6 2 record with a 224 goals against average a 919 save percentage and a shutout playing behind henrik lundqvist
raanta who is from finland tied his career high in appearances and was eighth in the league in goals against average he allowed two goals or fewer in 13 of his 18 starts


a gel used to prevent infections in the umbilical cord stumps of newborns was endorsed by the european medicines agency last week an important step toward distribution of the disinfectant in poor countries
infections of the stump after it is cut and clamped or tied kill many newborns families and midwives have been known to put butter turmeric ash cow dung and even rat feces on stumps to promote healing many babies die of tetanus
the new gel a joint venture of save the children and the pharmaceutical company gsk contains chlorhexidine also used in a disinfectant mouthwash the company makes
the gel called umbipro needs no refrigeration and comes in a sachet that can be opened without scissors
in 2012 a united nations commission estimated that such a product could save almost 85000 babies a year
save the children advised the company on what to put on the pictorial instructions that come with the gel said dr pauline williams gsks head of global health research and development
for example the nonprofit suggested that a baby be shown in an illustration wearing a warming cap and officials discouraged use of a diagram showing an eye with a red slash through it intended to indicate the gel is not for use in eyes
gsk will initially make six million sachets and sell them at cost the company will not patent the design and will help small manufacturers in poor countries make their own versions dr williams said
in 2011 the world health organization released a list of 30 basic inexpensive drugs or items that every clinic in the world should have to save mothers and childrens lives chlorhexidine disinfectant was on the list along with antibiotics intravenous saline zinc oral rehydration solution and other simple interventions
in 2010 an american study of hospital infections found that washing the skin with a chlorhexidine alcohol solution before surgery resulted in far fewer postoperative infections than the povidone iodine solution that most hospitals used


the baltimore museum of art has chosen a new director
christopher bedford the director of the rose art museum at brandeis university will in august succeed doreen bolger who served as the baltimore museums director from 1998 until her retirement in 2015
mr bedford hopes to amplify its greatness in all areas he said in a telephone interview but also reconsider and redefine   and perhaps become a model for   civic engagement he was recently named the commissioner for the united states pavilion for the 2017 venice biennale which will present a new installation by mark bradford
before becoming director of the rose in 2012 mr bedford held curatorial positions at the wexner center for the arts in ohio the los angeles county museum of art and the j paul getty museum
the baltimore museum which turned 100 in 2014 recently raised 807 million added nearly 4000 art donations to the collection and completed a 28 million renovation


when a free diver from new zealand broke one of the sports most prized world records on saturday plunging 122 meters beneath the oceans surface fans were awe struck by the display of human endurance but the mark was to be short lived
on monday the same diver william trubridge broke it again
this time he added two more meters descending a whopping 124 meters about 407 feet while holding a single breath for 4 minutes 34 seconds
he is the king of free diving said dana beck a new york instructor who has trained with trubridge the guy completely lives eats sleeps free diving its complete devotion
trubridges records in the free immersion category came during the annual vertical blue competition at deans blue hole in the bahamas considered the sports premier event in free immersion divers descend without fins pulling themselves along a weighted rope to depth and back to the surface
in a video of trubridges descent on saturday   in which he extended by one meter the record he himself set in 2011 121 meters   he pulls himself slowly along the rope conserving energy traveling a distance well beyond the height of the statue of liberty he then breaks through the surface filling his lungs with deep purposeful breaths
trubridge who owns vertical blue both a diving school and competition host and trains year round in the bahamas has been a dominant force in the sport he holds the world records in two of the three main ocean based categories of competition free immersion and the constant weight no fins category in which divers descend without pulling on a rope or using fins a third category allows the use of fins
trubridge had not planned to repeat a record attempt on monday said francesca koe a spokeswoman for vertical blue speaking by phone from the bahamas koe said he felt strong after his saturday dive and decided to push the limit further
when he emerged from the dive the small crowd of fans and fellow competitors erupted in cheers she said adding were going to party tonight
free diving has been gaining popularity in the united states as more people have viewed the videos and become enthralled by the tranquillity of divers gliding into the ocean depths the sport has also attracted competitors from other disciplines such as running who hope to maximize their use of oxygen
concerns in recent years about the dangers of the sport have led the competitions governing body the international association for development of apnea to tighten safety protocols
an american diver nicholas mevoli 32 died during a record attempt at a vertical blue competition in 2013 last august the russian diver natalia molchanova 53 one of the sports most celebrated athletes disappeared during a recreational dive off the coast of spain


berkeley calif   think for a moment of carbon dioxide as garbage a waste product from burning fossil fuels like other garbage almost all of that co2 is thrown away   into the atmosphere where it contributes to climate change a small amount is captured and stored underground to keep it out of the air
but increasingly scientists are asking rather than throwing away or storing co2 how about recycling some of it
at laboratories around the world researchers are working on ways to do just that the x prize foundation has created an incentive a 20 million prize for teams that by 2020 come up with technologies to turn co2 captured from smokestacks of coal  or gas fired power plants into useful products
but perhaps the ultimate goal of researchers in this field is to turn the waste product of fuel burning into new fuel in theory if this could be done on a large scale using renewable energy or even sunlight there would be no net gain of emissions   the same carbon dioxide molecules would be emitted captured made into new fuels and emitted again over and over
the grand prize is figuring out how to make co2 be recyclable a renewable resource said harry a atwater a materials scientist at the california institute of technology and director of the joint center for artificial photosynthesis which has laboratories at the lawrence berkeley national laboratory here and at caltech that would be a millennial advance for society
carbon dioxide is used to make some basic products like urea fertilizer and specialty plastics but the processes are not necessarily energy efficient and almost all use co2 from natural underground reservoirs even if companies started using carbon dioxide that was captured the amount would be less than 05 percent of the roughly 32 billion metric tons of co2 emitted annually by human activity
what dr atwater and others have in mind are devices that if scaled up could recycle a significant portion of carbon dioxide that is captured from power plants or processes like cement manufacturing or even directly from the atmosphere
but developing devices that can efficiently and economically convert large amounts of co2 will require overcoming many hurdles not the least of which is all the energy required to split carbon dioxide molecules
the big challenge is how do we go from milligrams to megatons said dick t co a northwestern university professor and managing director of the solar fuels institute a group that encourages collaboration among researchers in the field how do we make a dent in our energy portfolio when people are working in test tubes today
in a research building at the lawrence berkeley lab with a view of san francisco bay in the distance dr atwater leads a team of scientists that is trying to mimic what plants do through photosynthesis they want to take co2 and water and using only sunlight turn it into fuel
the center started in 2010 with a grant from the department of energy devoted its first five years to one aspect of photosynthesis splitting water into its components hydrogen and oxygen
dr atwater frances a houle a deputy director and karl walczak a project scientist showed some of the fruits of that work   a chip size sandwich of semiconductor material catalysts and membranes encased in a clear container with a water based solution when the chip was exposed to light bubbles of gas   hydrogen on one side oxygen on the other   formed broke off and rose to the top
by their calculations the chip is about 10 times more efficient than a typical plant which uses about 1 percent of the sunlight that strikes it
the center is now working on the carbon dioxide part of the photosynthetic equation the goal is to integrate the two processes in a device that might look a lot like a solar panel but rather than generating electricity it would produce fuel   perhaps methanol which could be burned directly or converted to gasoline
carbon dioxide is much more difficult to split than water however involving six steps each requiring energy and a catalyst nature appears to do it effortlessly but it has had millions of years of evolution to improve the process
the big challenge with co2 is that you produce a whole bunch of products dr atwater said nature has developed very refined mechanisms that produce precisely one product
much of the work at the center involves studying catalysis through theoretical analysis and testing possible combinations of metal oxides to see how well they might work the testing method is similar to one used for drug discovery with equipment that can analyze large numbers of very small samples at a time
the goal is to make a device that can make just one product as in natural photosynthesis but more efficiently at the same time the device has to be able to last for years as solar panels do that adds to the engineering and design challenges
there are other research groups and some start ups and established companies that are working on co2 conversion as well sunfire a company in dresden germany built a prototype to make synthetic crude oil from carbon dioxide and water part of the crude is diesel fuel and in 2015 audi used some of the sunfire diesel to briefly power one of its cars
the sunfire process uses electricity not sunlight so the electricity would have to come from renewable sources to result in meaningful carbon reductions given the amount of electricity is required a big challenge is producing fuel that could compete in price with conventional fossil fuels said christian von olshausen sunfires chief technology officer
in berkeley at a lab building just down the hill from the joint center for artificial photosynthesis three young scientists have started a small company opus 12 to develop their own co2 conversion device powered by electricity
their idea is to exploit the fact that co2 can be converted into many different products by coming up with catalysts tailored to produce specific ones
our vision is to design this reactor more as a platform said nicholas flanders who founded opus 12 with kendra kuhl and etosha cave
the three met at stanford where they were working on advanced degrees about a year ago they received financing and other assistance including lab space from the lawrence berkeley lab under an energy technology incubation program called cyclotron road
dr kuhl and dr cave studied catalysis at stanford and though their operation is far smaller than the centers just up the hill they are working on developing and fine tuning catalysts to efficiently convert co2 we make the secret sauce dr kuhl said
in their small lab they spray catalysts for testing onto a small membrane using modified airbrush equipment the coated membrane is then put into a prototype reactor about the size of a smartphone but thicker which is hooked up to sources of co2 water and electricity what comes out of the reactor   proprietary information for now the scientists say   is analyzed for its purity
over the next year and a half mr flanders said the company plans to scale up their reactor to something the size of a dishwasher that would be big enough to start generating revenue by making small amounts of products for niche applications that command a relatively high price because of the electricity needed any device they make would need to use renewable electricity to maximize the co2 reduction benefit
beyond that mr flanders envisions larger devices that could convert tons of carbon dioxide a day into fuels or other products thats still not very much given the billions of tons of co2 pumped into the atmosphere every day but opus 12 is in it for the long haul he said
the joint center for artificial photosynthesis is too although dr atwater is realistic about the challenges of directly converting sunlight and co2 into fuel
you can rest assured that the energy and catalysis problems of humanity will not have been resolved five years from now he said
but there is growing interest in the work of dr atwater and his fellow researchers particularly after the recently signed paris climate treaty that calls for sharp emissions reductions to combat global warming
we have some wind at our back that we havent had until recently he added


a doctor who performs abortions at a hospital in washington filed a federal civil rights complaint on monday charging that the hospital had violated the law by forbidding her out of concerns for security to speak publicly in defense of abortion and its role in health care
the doctor diane j horvath cosper 37 an obstetrician and gynecologist has in recent years emerged as a public advocate urging abortion providers not to shrink before threats last december her complaint says officials of the medstar washington hospital center imposed what she described as a gag order but what the officials termed a sensible precaution against anti abortion violence
at odds in the case are sharply conflicting visions of how best to protect abortion providers and patients the dispute comes at a time when legal restrictions on the procedure are tightening many clinics are besieged daily by hostile protesters and an extremist fringe has sometimes made murderous attacks
dr horvath cosper is part of a national movement of physicians and other medical staff members who argue that silence about their work only feeds the drive to stigmatize and restrict abortion similar sentiments among some patients have led to a shout your abortion campaign on social media
the dialogue is dominated by those who have demonized this totally normal part of health care dr horvath cosper said in an interview
i dont think the way to deal with bullies is to cower and pull back she said
still some hospitals and clinics providing abortion services and many physicians especially in more conservative and rural regions think it is safer to try to keep a low profile
abortion care is so highly stigmatized that providers have felt safer staying in the closet and many institutions have also wanted their doctors to stay in the closet said dr nancy l stanwood an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the yale school of medicine
each individual has to decide how he or she feels said dr stanwood who is the chairwoman of physicians for reproductive health a national advocacy group that includes more than 3000 doctors and provides media training to those who want to speak out on medical issues that is a personal decision based on privacy and risk
according to the legal complaint hospital officials told dr horvath cosper that they were worried about security after a self described anti abortion warrior attacked a planned parenthood center in colorado springs in november killing three people and wounding nine
in ordering dr horvath cosper to end her advocacy the medical director of the hospital dr gregory j argyros said he did not want to put a kmart blue light special on the fact that we provide abortions at medstar according to the complaint
since then hospital officials have ordered dr horvath cosper to turn down several requests for interviews or articles or risk losing her job she said in the complaint which was filed with the office for civil rights of the department of health and human services
if the civil rights office finds that dr horvath cospers rights were violated it can order the hospital to take corrective action or risk losing its federal funding
the hospital on monday afternoon did not directly respond to the allegations saying in a brief emailed statement medstar washington hospital center is committed to providing family planning services for our community and we do so in a respectful private and safe environment
we look forward to cooperating fully with the office for civil rights said the statement which was issued by donna l arbogast the hospitals vice president for public affairs and marketing
dr horvath cospers legal case rests on a little known aspect of the church amendment which was adopted in 1973 after roe v wade established abortion rights nationwide earlier that year the bill is best known for offering protections to medical staff members who object to participating in abortions on religious or moral grounds
but the legislative history and final wording of the amendment show it was intended to be two sided said gretchen borchelt the vice president for reproductive rights and health at the national womens law center and a co counsel in dr horvath cospers complaint
the law states that no entity receiving federal money may discriminate against any doctor because of his religious beliefs or moral convictions respecting sterilization procedures or abortions that means that doctors are protected from punishment for supporting abortion just as they are protected if they oppose it and refuse to participate according to the complaint
if she cant speak out about abortion the way other doctors at the hospital do about what they work on she is being treated differently and that is discrimination ms borchelt said
dr horvath cosper finished her medical residency in obstetrics and gynecology in minnesota in 2010 and eventually decided she said that she wanted to focus on abortion and contraception and to train more doctors in this subspecialty
there will always be someone to do c sections at 3 in the morning she said but there might not always be someone to perform abortions
she came to medstar in 2014 on a two year family planning fellowship which is offered by a national foundation that subsidizes doctors salaries at selected hospitals as they pursue advanced training in reproductive medicine including the development of teaching and speaking skills
dr horvath cosper created a buzz last november when she wrote an article in the washington post that described what it was like to live in fear because of her profession
the colorado shootings occurred on nov 27 on dec 4 she was called to meet with dr argyros and other hospital officials who said she should stop her public advocacy and clear any media requests with the public affairs office
since then dr horvath cosper said she has forwarded several requests to be interviewed or write articles and in each case has been turned down
her lawyer debra s katz of the washington firm katz marshall  banks who is also co counsel in the complaint said she tried to negotiate an agreement with the hospital that would allow dr horvath cosper to write about abortion without mentioning where she worked
hospital officials responded that if she wished to speak about abortion she should relinquish her fellowship and leave
dr horvath cosper said that the medstar center in washington while seeking to silence her had not carried out many of the physical security measures at the clinic that are recommended by professional groups like the national abortion federation


kathmandu nepal   a canadian man in nepal who writes frequently about political issues on social media was arrested on monday afternoon after posting a provocative message on twitter aimed at spreading social discord according a nepalese immigration official
the man robert penner has been living in nepal for at least two years he was arrested at his office in the lalitpur district by a team of police officers on the instructions of the department of immigration according to pitambar adhikari the district police chief mr penner was turned over to the immigration authorities who have held him since then
mr penner has been prolific online often weighing in on political controversies after nepal passed a new constitution last year he questioned a citizenship provision that was seen as discriminatory against women in november he responded to critics of a human rights watch report about violations in southern nepal
more recently he criticized the detention of kanak mani dixit a journalist who was arrested last month on suspicion of abusing his position as the chairman of a transportation cooperative
according to his twitter profile mr penner works as a scientist at cloud factory a technology company with an office in lalitpur an official at the department of immigration said mr penner had a valid work visa
the immigration official kedar neupane said mr penner had been arrested because he had was spreading unnecessary messages about nepal on social media but did not say who had made the complaint


american royalty has a lock on the billboard album chart this week as queen bey and prince continue to dominate the conversation
in the biggest week for an album so far this year beyonces lemonade parkwood entertainmentcolumbia debuts at no 1 with 485000 album sales and 115 million streams following its premiere on hbo on april 23 beyonces first six studio albums have debuted at no 1 a feat never before accomplished billboard reports
lemonade which was accompanied by a conceptual short film was available for its first weekend exclusively via tidal the music service owned by jay z and other artists including beyonce before spreading to other retailers for digital download tidal has said it would be the only place to stream the album in perpetuity while a physical version will be released on friday may 6 individual songs from lemonade were also purchased 908000 times for a final tally of 653000 album equivalent units including downloads and streams according to nielsen music
prince who died on april 21 at the age of 57 occupies no 2 no 3 no 4 no 6 and no 7 on the chart last weeks no 1 the very best of prince a 2001 greatest hits compilation fell one spot with 216000 album sales and 36 million streams followed by purple rain from 1984 which sold 133000 albums and 167000 songs another prince compilation the hits the b sides is no 4 while rihannas anti is no 5 largely on the basis of 36 million streams
in addition to tidals huge streaming numbers for lemonade it is the only major streaming outlet that has princes entire catalog
the continuing battle between streaming services which increasingly includes exclusivity windows for major artists will once again play out on the charts next week as drakes fourth album not counting mixtapes views makes its debut views will be available exclusively on apple music and itunes for its first week with industry forecasters predicting that the album could top beyonces big week in both digital sales and streams


chicago   we had just finished the mathematician eugenia chengs splendid demonstration of nonassociativity where the order of operations counts   as it does in say subtraction
now she wanted to forge ahead with the next lesson in knot theory
i suggested we wait until later why she asked
well we shouldnt eat two desserts before dinner should we i said and giggled nervously
why not she replied not giggling she tightened her apron strings and walked over to her stove
of course what was i thinking hadnt dr cheng already made clear her conviction that in mathematics rules are like eggs meant to be broken stirred flipped over and taste tested and that day we had broken a lot of eggs
youre absolutely right i said rushing to her side for the grand unveiling of another mathematically themed confection
dr cheng pulled from the oven a perfectly baked specimen of what she calls bach pie named for the great composer beloved by mathematicians everywhere an oblong rectangle of creamy dark chocolate studded with banana slices and topped by an escher like braid of four glazed pastry plaits that followed divergent trajectories never quite crisscrossing where you expected them to
the filling was a clever concatenation   banana added to chocolate gives you bach dr cheng said the braiding illustrated the structure of a bach prelude and the sorts of patterns that knot theorists study to see how looped up the braids are dr cheng said and whether you can transform one braid into another by wiggling the different strings
the pie was a true union of art and math too beautiful to besmirch and besides youre not supposed to untie knots with your teeth are you
another rule easily broken
dr cheng 39 has a knack for brushing aside conventions and edicts like so many pie crumbs from a cutting board she is a theoretical mathematician who works in a rarefied field called category theory which is so abstract that even some pure mathematicians think it goes too far dr cheng said
at the same time dr cheng is winning fame as a math popularizer convinced that the pleasures of math can be conveyed to the legions of numbers averse humanities majors still recovering from high school algebra she has been featured on shows like late night with stephen colbert and her online math tutorials have been viewed more than a million times
the hardcover edition of her first book how to bake p an edible exploration of the mathematics of mathematics has sold about 25000 copies in this country and been translated into six languages a surprising hit for a text visibly if judiciously seasoned with numbers graphs and equations the book is being released in paperback this month
i spend a lot of time explaining mathematics on blogs and i try to cut through the technicalities and make things easier to understand said john baez a professor of math at the university of california riverside and yes a cousin of joan still his posts are aimed at scientists and others with some quantitative background
eugenia has gone all the way in he said shes trying to explain math to everybody with or without pre existing expertise and i think shes doing wonderfully
so committed is dr cheng to mass math demystification that she recently left a tenured professorship at the university of sheffield in britain to take a position at the school of the art institute of chicago where she teaches math to art students lectures widely and continues her research in category theory on the side
dr cheng adopts a literal approach to making math more appetizing math is about taking ingredients putting them together seeing what you can make out of them and then deciding whether its tasty or not she said
every chapter in how to bake p offers recipes for desserts and other dishes that encapsulate mathematical themes to demonstrate how math seeks to identify underlying similarities across a broad set of problems for example dr cheng starts with a recipe that can be readily tweaked to make mayonnaise instead of hollandaise sauce
books might tell you that hollandaise sauce needs to be done differently she writes but i ignore them to make my life simpler math is also there to make things simpler by finding things that look the same if you ignore some small detail
her recipe for lasagna illuminates the importance of context to math dr cheng lists among the basic ingredients fresh lasagna noodles and then points out that another cookbook might deem the noodles not truly basic and instead describe their preparation from scratch
so too do numbers change their character and degree of basicness depending on context the number 5 for example when viewed among the natural or counting numbers is one of those elemental creatures a prime number divisible only by 1 and itself
but in the context of the so called rational numbers which include fractions 5 loses its prime identity and gains versatility able to be divided into ever tinier slivers like a cake at a dieters convention
the number 1 in its multiplicative identity is practically bedridden leaving other numbers unchanged 6 times 1 equals 6 in its additive capacity however 1 is unstoppable if you keep adding 1 to itself dr cheng noted you can generate all the natural numbers out to infinity
context can prod numbers to defy grade school verities 2 plus 2 equals 4 and thats that but not if youre talking about a clock face with only three numbers 1 2 and 3 in that case 2 plus 2 equals 1 - if you start at the 2 and move clockwise by 2 you reach 1
i admit i was skeptical at first about her analogies to cooking but i ended up being completely sold said steven strogatz a professor of applied mathematics at cornell university who also writes popular books
she conveys the spirit of inventiveness and creativity in math that all mathematicians feel but do a very poor job communicating when teaching math refreshing is the word that keeps coming to mind
dr cheng wears glasses has long black hair and walks with an elegant upright posture like a dancer she is alternately outgoing and reserved passionate and matter of fact she is a classically trained musician and owns a 1910 steinway grand piano
she is also an extremely good cook on a recent afternoon we are in her well stocked kitchen and she is stirring a mix of egg yolks sugar and cream   my lesson in nonassociativity otherwise known as custard this is something where the way you combine ingredients counts she said
if youre making a cake you can throw together the flour sugar butter and eggs however you please and the cake will come out fine   thats an associative process not so for preparing custard you must first combine the sugar and egg yolks and whisk them into a froth before you pour in the cream
blend the ingredients in a different order she said and you end up with a runny mess
in math too you have associative operations like addition and multiplication where you can change how your numbers are whisked together as you calculate and still emerge with the same answer 45  6 is the same as 456
subtraction division and exponentiation are nonassociative operations whos clumped with whom matters so while 10 6 4 will give you 8 10 6 4 leaves you with nothing
dr cheng continues stirring the custard peering into the pot to ensure that lumps arent forming people ask me do you eat your custard warm or cold she said i tell them i eat it all at once
she adjusts the temperature of the burner up and down up and down getting the custard to come out just right can be tricky she said   harder than doing math and more like living life
dr cheng insists that the public has it all wrong about math being difficult something that only the gifted mathletes among us can do to the contrary she says math exists to make life smoother to solve those problems that can be solved by applying maths most powerful tool logic
science may depend on forming hypotheses doing experiments and gathering evidence that support or refute your hypothesis but math is simply a matter of stating the terms of your argument and then defending those statements using logic
the great thing about math is you dont need much to start exploring it dr baez said no expensive equipment just pencil and paper and you can start fiddling around with patterns and numbers
the key to thinking logically is to get comfortable with abstraction numbers are one type of abstraction that we take for granted the number 3 can stand in for 3 bananas 3 pies 3 bach partitas
the next step up in abstraction is to replace specific numbers by symbols like x and y a powerful maneuver that allows you to apply your argument more broadly just as a general purpose recipe for pie can be the vehicle for banana blueberries pumpkin nuts knots you name it
as an example of abstraction at work how to bake p presents this little brain teaser my father is three times as old as i am now but in 10 years time he will be twice as old as me how old am i it then takes the reader through the solution by way of x y abstraction
dr cheng recognizes that people can feel uncomfortable with some of the abstractions required by mathematical thinking by the need to ignore the particulars of say this green round pillow and that square purple pillow in favor of an abstract ideal of a pillow that youre going to call x
but its just a matter of practice she said before the idea starts to feel like a real object that you can manipulate with ease you become very good at separating whats relevant from what isnt and that can be very useful in daily life she said
sometimes she finds it oddly satisfying to mentally shave a bearded man or imagine how a furry dog would look like after a swim in a lake thats what abstraction is she said you reveal the structure underneath
dr chengs upbringing in rural sussex as one of two daughters led her readily to math love their mother a statistician who had been considered the most brilliant math student at her hong kong high school would keep her girls entertained at the beach for hours with books of logic puzzles
and because their mother commuted each day to a london accounting firm while their father had a child psychiatry practice near home the girls grew accustomed to the idea of a briefcase mother and a father who made dinner
i think eugenia and i both benefited from the atypical setup said alethea cheng fitzpatrick dr chengs older sister and now an architect in new york we didnt go into adulthood with any preconceptions about gender roles or gender abilities
later during graduate school at cambridge university and three postdoctoral fellowships in europe and the united states dr cheng would often find herself in a tiny minority ive been to conferences where there were more cubicles in the womens bathroom than there were women to use them she said
today in the united states less than 30 percent of graduate students and about 12 percent of tenured faculty members in math are women dr cheng is striving to change attitudes across the board i want to be a role model for men as well as women she said
the custard is ready the ideal becomes real i finish the first bowl and ask for more
 let x be me and y be my father today y3x in 10 years my father will be y10 and twice my age so y102x10 since 3xy we can get rid of the y in that equation as 3x102x10 and since 2x10 is the same as 2x20 we can now say 3x102x20 finally subtract 2x from both sides of the equation and you get x1020 therefore x10 and i am 10 years old


the court of arbitration for sport ruled monday that gibraltars soccer association had the right to become a member of fifa a decision that could allow gibraltars national team to earn last minute admission into the qualifying process for the 2018 world cup
the ruling by a three person panel comes after years of court battles political maneuvering and rejection surrounding gibraltars bid for membership in fifa soccers global governing body gibraltars quest for full membership is still subject to a vote by fifa at its annual congress in mexico next week
fifa executive committee is ordered to transmit the gibraltar football associations application for fifa membership to the fifa congress the sports court said in a statement after its judgment the court also ordered fifa to take all necessary measures to admit the gibraltar football association as a full member of fifa without delay
gibraltar had won a previous case at the court of arbitration for sport the switzerland based legal body that adjudicates on disputes within the world of sport in 2013 that cleared the way for it to join uefa european footballs governing body as a result gibraltar entered qualification for this summers european championships in france it was drawn into a group with the current world champion germany as well as poland ireland scotland and georgia
not surprisingly gibraltars team of amateur players most of whom hold full time jobs in gibraltars police force customs office or fire service lost all 10 of its matches conceding 56 goals while scoring two
but gibraltars difficulties in joining uefa and fifa have been rooted in political controversy rather than any perceived lack of ability the tiny rock measuring 225 square miles with a population of 30000 is a british overseas territory located on the iberian peninsula connected to the european mainland by an isthmus near the spanish city of cadiz
it was ceded to the british in the 1713 treaty of utrecht and became a strategically important naval base at the mouth of the mediterranean sea
but spain has always retained a claim on gibraltar with tensions between britain and spain over its ownership flaring up periodically
when the issue of gibraltars membership in uefa was first raised in 2007 spains soccer federation threatened to pull its teams   including real madrid and barcelona   out of european and international competition that led fifa to reject gibraltars application for membership on the grounds that its stadium was built on a disputed territory uefa later changed its statutes to admit teams only from a united nations recognized nation state
gibraltar countered that several fifa members   including palestine the faroe islands and even england   are not recognized nation states either and that it had applied for membership before the rules were changed
the ruling on gibraltar is not likely to be the last controversial addition to 2018 world cup qualification in europe kosovo which fought a war for independence from serbia in the late 1990s also has been pushing for uefa and fifa membership
kosovo is recognized by a majority of european union and united nations members but official recognition by those bodies and others has been elusive instead kosovo has sought legitimacy through sport in 2014 the international olympic committee confirmed kosovos membership meaning it can compete under the kosovar flag at the olympic games in rio de janeiro this summer
yet in soccer there has been fierce opposition to kosovo joining uefa and fifa serbia views kosovo as a historical part of its territory while russia a serbian ally has vowed to use its united nations security council veto if a vote is ever brought on kosovos recognition
the former fifa president sepp blatter supported greater recognition for kosovo and the territory was granted permission to play friendly matches against other fifa members in 2014 its first match was a 0 0 draw against haiti in the ethnically divided northern kosovar city of mitrovica
uefas congress which meets in budapest will vote on kosovos uefa membership tuesday if that passes as is likely fifa membership for kosovo could also be confirmed in mexico
the moves could set the stage for both kosovo and gibraltar to be added to one of uefas nine qualification groups for the 2018 world cup in russia seven of those groups have six teams and two have only five


south koreas olympic committee last week unveiled uniforms infused with mosquito repellent that officials say will help protect athletes from the zika virus at this years games in rio de janeiro
the outfits all feature long pants long sleeved shirts and jackets the clothes are to be worn by athletes during ceremonies training and at the athletes village
south korean officials said they couldnt alter the uniforms worn during competition itself because of strict rules and performance concerns
officials in the united states also unveiled closing ceremony outfits for the athletes by polo ralph lauren the americans dont seem quite as worried about the zika epidemic the team will be wearing white twill shorts to the closing ceremony


yellowstone national park wyo   when the yellowstone grizzly bear was listed as threatened under the endangered species act in 1975 there were only about 100 to 200 of them in the park and the surrounding country
the main culprit in their decline was oddly garbage bears raiding dumpsters in a campground or say lapping up bacon grease behind an outfitters tent were often shot as scary nuisances
a 35 year campaign to clean up dumps and bear proof garbage cans   and to teach people to keep picnic baskets and coolers in the car   has had a significant payoff there were 717 grizzlies at last count in the 20 million acres in and around yellowstone national park
still the bears have all but disappeared from almost all of the continental united states except for yellowstone and glacier national parks and a few other slivers of habitat all told there are about 1800 in the lower 48 states one reason for the overall decline is that they have the lowest reproductive rate of any mammal in north america besides humans
sows have their first cubs at five to eight years of age and space them three years apart just one in three cubs survives to adulthood a grizzly lives about 30 years on average
now scientists are at a crossroads some biologists say that the grizzlies numbers are robust and that it is time to remove the most stringent protections for the bears delisting them under the species act which among other consequences means they would probably be hunted again for sport that prospect disturbs even those in favor of lifting the restrictions
citing the grizzlys recovery in the wild country in and around yellowstone the fish and wildlife service tried to delist the bear in 2007 environmentalists sued and a federal court forced officials to redo an analysis of the future of the whitebark pine tree whose nuts are an important food for the bears
the trees numbers have declined widely as the climate in the rocky mountains has warmed and tree killing insects are taking a steep toll
nevertheless federal biologists say the plan to manage the grizzly after delisting is adequate but lifting protections is still a hotly contested proposition
if delisting is completed this time   perhaps as soon as the end of the year   park officials will continue to manage the bear within yellowstones 22 million acres where they will essentially remain protected
but in the rugged wild country around the park the fish and wildlife service would turn over management of the bears to the states of montana idaho and wyoming that would probably mean a return to the hunting of grizzlies for sport in those states
kerry gunther a biologist who heads the bear management program at yellowstone says he favors delisting the bear but although he is a hunter dr gunther says he cannot imagine shooting a grizzly each bear is an individual he said they are highly intelligent
but sympathy for the grizzlies is often accompanied by fear the big bears   males range up to 700 pounds and females up to 400   occasionally attack humans last year a hiker in yellowstone was killed by a sow with two cubs
with delisting there would be a limit on total grizzly deaths a year in the yellowstone ecosystem which would include everything from hunting to bears hit by a car or dispatched by biologists if numbers drop below 600 in the ecosystem discretionary mortalities will be halted including hunting
critics say that delisting would put the big bears at risk and that it is being done for political not scientific reasons many westerners vehemently oppose the federal authority represented by the endangered species act some ranchers say bears are preying on their herds more frequently and some hunters are eager for a trophy
but the grizzly population is lower than federal officials believe and is dwindling according to david mattson a retired wildlife biologist who has analyzed federal data the delisting proposal has also given short shrift to the effects of warmer and drier weather he added the ecosystem is unraveling because of climate change he said and will continue to do so as temperatures grow warmer
the decline of key bear foods like trout pine nuts and elk means the population may continue to drop dr mattson said
why rush with a decision to delist when all indicators are of a population that is vulnerable and positioned to decline even more than they already have he said
other researchers argue that the grizzlies are likely to prove resilient to climate change studies show that the bears are wide ranging omnivores eating everything from ladybugs and moths to earthworms plant roots grass and wild berries
if they lose one food source dr gunther said they will switch to another bears are better adapted to deal with climate change than a lot of other species he said they once ranged from alaska to the arid regions of mexico
scientists like dr gunther also argue that a great deal has been learned about grizzlies now one of the most studied wildlife populations
whatever the future holds the recovery of the yellowstone grizzly has been remarkable while cleaning up garbage has been central there were other important elements domestic sheep have been moved out of bear habitat and homeowners were urged to keep dog food and bird seed out of the reach of bears
technology has also played a key role about 10 percent of the regions grizzlies were fitted with gps collars by federal biologists in the 1990s whereabouts of some bears now is recorded every hour and beamed to an airplane to be downloaded onto researchers computers
the result is a very detailed picture of what a bear has been foraging where it is traveling   and the habitat that needs to be protected
sophisticated hair analysis has opened another window into how grizzlies live snagged on barbed wire traps the tufts provide clues to the bears diet
in each hair is all of the isotopes of what hes been eating over the last six months in chronological order said chris servheen the director of the grizzly bear recovery program at the fish and wildlife service
dna in the hair also provides a detailed picture of the population   individual sex families and migration   without ever touching a bear all of this powerful science assures the grizzlies future said dr servheen who is leading the delisting effort
perhaps the most important factor in the bears recovery in the yellowstone region has been changing attitudes many once saw the grizzly solely as a nuisance or threat today it is more common to find respect and an acceptance of the fact that yellowstone is one place where humans are not at the top of the food chain
the esa does work if its applied properly said dr servheen referring to the endangered species act if we can recover grizzly bears we can recover lots of things


the blowup of the merger between halliburton and baker hughes will reverberate beyond the energy industry
the promised combination of two of the worlds top oil services companies is the latest deal foiled by regulatory pressure this year after pfizers 160 billion bid for allergan baker hughes pockets a 35 billion breakup fee for its efforts at halliburtons expense punishing halliburtons boss and board would yield a more enduring lesson in merger and acquisition hubris
investors were already pricing in failure for the deal valued at 35 billion when it was struck in november 2014 baker hughes shares finished last week trading 26 percent below halliburtons cash and shares offer even the thwarted acquirers shares held up despite the colossal breakup fee reflecting the markets anticipation of failure all along
that does not mean there should not be a reckoning baker hughess chief executive martin craighead ought to emerge unscathed the saga wasted management time but playing hard to get when halliburton came courting has proved wise baker hughes plans to buy back stock and pay down debt thanks to negotiating the largest cash breakup fee ever that will go some way toward numbing the pain of the 980 million net loss that the company suffered in the first quarter as the slump in oil drilling activity worsened
halliburtons chairman and chief executive david j lesar on the other hand emerges a loser for his poor reading of the antitrust climate in washington the promise of 2 billion of annual cost savings might have made the huge breakup fee seem worth the risk at the time yet having agreed to pay away most of the present value of those savings to baker hughes shareholders to clinch the deal he is now handing over cash worth more than the next three years of halliburtons expected net profit to a leading competitor
mr lesar already gave up his 2015 bonus because of halliburtons poor financial performance another zero this year might start to restore some lost credibility   and might make other empire building leaders think twice before getting caught up in merger mania stricter penalties including a rethinking of mr lesars job would more effectively reinforce the point


hundreds of protesters stormed baghdads fortified green zone on saturday and entered the parliament building demanding an end to corruption a day later they began to leave what brought on this chaos and why did it end so quickly
images of iraqis storming parliament over the weekend made it seem as though a popular revolution was at hand in reality it was something else partly a legitimate expression of popular anger but partly political theater
the episode had to be somewhat condoned by the authorities given the ease with which the protesters were able to pass through the fortresslike security there were reports that prime minister haider al abadi had tacitly supported the breach although his office denied that and a militia aligned with the protesters took over security around parliament suggesting a deal with the security forces
there were reports of lawmakers being attacked and slapped but no one was seriously hurt protesters did attack the fancy vehicles of lawmakers   the detested black sport utility vehicles that barrel through baghdad traffic sirens ringing   and damaged furniture desks and wall hangings in the hall of parliament but all in all it was largely nonviolent 
they are mostly loyalists of the shiite cleric moktada al sadr who rose to prominence after the american invasion of 2003 he commanded a militia that fought the americans then took part in the grisly sectarian war of 2005 and 2006 after national elections in 2010 he emerged as a power broker
mr sadr resurfaced in february to lead protests supporting measures by mr abadi to reduce government waste tackle corruption and end sectarian quotas the quotas have become the foundation of iraqs political system apportioning government positions based on sect over merit and arguably bringing on much of the countrys dysfunction mr sadr is nominally an ally of mr abadis and the protests were seen as an effort to push mr abadis opponents to approve a cabinet filled with technocrats rather than officials loyal to a party or sect
but mr sadr is unpredictable and cannot be seen as a reliable ally he has said that if further attempts to pass a new cabinet fail he will push for mr abadis ouster

it was a tactical withdrawal after they jubilantly occupied parliament on saturday afternoon the demonstrators moved by evening to another area of the green zone a former parade ground where saddam hussein held military pageants by sunday evening mr sadr had directed an orderly end to the demonstration saying he would allow the political class another chance to meet and approve a new cabinet he also gave notice that he would not hesitate to use his influence among downtrodden shiites to create havoc in the streets if his grievances were not met with government reforms

the deadliest fault line in iraqi society is the divide between the majority shiite arabs and the minority sunni arabs this is at the heart of the war between the iraqi state   supported by the american led coalition and iran   and the sunni extremists of the islamic state
but the political crisis in baghdad is largely a struggle among shiites the american invasion upended the old order of sunni dominance   under mr hussein under the monarchy and under the ottomans before the founding of modern iraq at the end of world war i   and for the first time gave the shiites power yet they have never figured out how to overcome their differences and unify iraq
as mr abadi has pushed to root out corruption trim government and end sectarian quotas he has been opposed by other shiite factions the protests   both those being led by mr sadr and others that began last summer and at first were largely led by secular iraqis   also reflect a growing anger over corruption and a failure to provide basic services

the green zone is the name that the american military gave to the fortified heart of baghdad that served as the seat of the occupation and the new iraqi government
outside the blast walls and razor wire of the green zone is a teeming city of traffic jams car bombs and daily hardships like a lack of reliable electricity and clean water but within the zone cars move easily between checkpoints tanks are positioned at major intersections electricity flows and iraqi officials live in palaces it is home to the american embassy a fortress inside a fortress
for ordinary iraqis the green zone is a symbol of occupation and corruption that has long been off limits its breach was unprecedented and for many of the protesters it was their first time inside reflected in pictures of iraqis enjoying themselves for an understanding of the relationship between iraqis and the green zone read this piece by anthony shadid a new york times reporter who died in 2012

far worse by nearly every measure
things were not good in 2011 al qaeda in iraq the predecessor of the islamic state was regrouping the prime minister at the time nuri kamal al maliki was showing himself to be an authoritarian and shiite supremacist rather than the unifier the americans had hoped for and the sunni awakening the american led program that paid former sunni insurgents to work with baghdad was unraveling still there was some measure of hope that iraq could lurch forward
now it resembles a failed state on three basic levels security politics and given the collapse in oil prices economics

for now the withdrawal of mr sadrs followers from the green zone allows yet another chance for iraqs leaders to address the crisis and approve a new cabinet put forward by mr abadi
but iraq has not held together as a country the northern kurdish region is a de facto state with its own foreign policy army and visa rules roughly a third of iraq is in the hands of the islamic state including mosul iraqs second largest city the reach of the central government is limited and shiite militias with ties to iran are in some cases more powerful than state security forces
a decade ago as a senator vice president joseph r biden jr called for the partition of iraq an idea that is likely to resurface if iraq continues on the path it is taking


kandahar afghanistan   the afghan security forces began a push to break the talibans hold on a crucial southern highway through oruzgan province officials said on monday hoping to ease the insurgents intensifying siege of an important provincial capital
while the most public and urgent security concerns in the south have been focused on the fighting in helmand province in recent months the insurgency has also been slowly choking the city of tirin kot the provincial capital of oruzgan
the province next door where many of talibans founding leaders hail from became a softer target for the insurgency last year since the mysterious assassination in march 2015 of gen matiullah khan the former police chief and strongman who largely kept the insurgents at bay the provinces security leadership has fallen into chaos
now tirin kot has been cut off from most of its surrounding districts last week the taliban overran dozens of outposts on the highway connecting the city to kandahar the southern regional economic and military hub according to muhammad karim khadimzai the head of the oruzgan provincial council
the highways closing has raised food prices in tirin kot and districts nearby and increased fears that the insurgents might take the city mr khadimzai said
the security situation is deteriorating in oruzgan day by day he said we only have access to chora district which is close to the capital the rest of the districts are cut off from the provincial center
a stronger taliban foothold in oruzgan would further destabilize the surrounding areas including kandahar and large parts of central afghanistan while kandahar has remained relatively safe as other parts of southern afghanistan has come under fire from the territory gobbling insurgency the province is vulnerable in the districts bordering oruzgan and helmand
the operation to clear the highway connecting kandahar to tirin kot as well as the surrounding districts was led by lt gen abdul raziq the powerful police chief of kandahar
clearance operations are ongoing in several districts in kandahar including shawalikot and mianshin which is key to reopening the highway said zia durani a spokesman for the kandahar police
on sunday morning engineering units trying came under fire while trying to clear taliban land mines around the highway mr durani said he said that 45 taliban fighters were killed in the six hour battle including two senior commanders for kandahar province
since the ouster of the taliban government in 2001 oruzgan has been largely run by strongmen allied with former president hamid karzai through his popalzai tribe
one of those was general khan the powerful oruzgan figure who made a fortune as a highway militia leader providing security escort to nato convoys he was killed in a targeted suicide bombing in downtown kabul
soon after his death general khans younger brother rahimullah khan demanded to be appointed police chief despite lacking formal military experience or basic literacy the central government realizing that much of the police force in oruzgan was made up of general khans escort militia reached a compromise with rahimullah appointing him deputy police chief
security officials say rahimullah khans lack of experience and mismanagement including abandoning checkpoints in several districts including around the highway has been one factor in the talibans gaining ground a widespread security collapse in oruzgan was narrowly avoided four months ago only after the army stepped into push back the taliban


washington   there is a federal law that allows the government to discriminate against messages that may disparage people even the dead as well as institutions beliefs or national symbols
such a law would not be out of place in thailand where it is a crime to mock the king or in turkey where you can go to jail for insulting turkishness
here in the united states the patent and trademark office uses a federal law the lanham act to test the distinctively american commitment to free expression by making distinctions between acceptable trademarks and disparaging ones
its decisions often seem to have no rhyme or reason it has registered vulgar sexual references and has taken a flexible approach to ethnic slurs while it has rejected trademarks for heeb dago injun and squaw saying they were disparaging in other cases it has registered trademarks for the exact same terms
in 2009 at the second argument in the citizens united case on campaign finance an outraged chief justice john g roberts jr said that we dont put our first amendment rights in the hands of government bureaucrats
but apparently we do at least where trademarks are concerned
two recent petitions have asked the supreme court to sort out whether the washington redskins and an asian american dance rock band called the slants have names so offensive that they should be denied the protections of federal trademark law
last year in the slants case a federal appeals court in washington found the lanham acts disparagement provision unconstitutional writing for the majority in a 9 to 3 decision judge kimberly a moore of the united states court of appeals for the federal circuit said that while some rejected trademarks convey hurtful speech that harms members of oft stigmatized communities the first amendment protects even hurtful speech
that is consistent with recent supreme court decisions which have been quite protective of offensive speech including hateful protests at military funerals depictions of animal cruelty and lies about military honors
more generally the supreme court said in june in reed v town of gilbert that laws that target speech based on its communicative content were presumptively unconstitutional
the government however says that the trademark law does not bar any speech   the slants are free to continue to use their name what the law does the justice department said in urging the supreme court to hear the case is merely offer federal benefits on terms that encourage private activity in line with legislative policy
there is some recent support for saying that the first amendment falls out of the analysis when the government is not acting as a censor but is merely choosing what speech to adopt or support in june in a 5 to 4 decision in walker v sons of confederate veterans the supreme court ruled that texas could refuse to allow specialty license plates bearing the confederate battle flag because the plates were the governments speech and were thus immune from attacks on first amendment grounds
but the government in its supreme court brief in the slants case lee v tam no 15 1293 did not seem ready to adopt millions of trademarks as its own speech rather it said it could confer its benefits based on whether it approved of the speakers message
the problem with that argument according to a brief supporting the redskins from leading first amendment lawyers including floyd abrams and rodney a smolla is that the government is not free to attach unconstitutional conditions such as the surrender of first amendment rights to the receipt of government benefits
the slants as it happens say they do not intend to disparage anyone they say they seek to adopt and reform a disparaging term about asians much as some gay people have embraced the term queer
the redskins too say they mean no offense for a long time the trademark office agreed registering redskins trademarks in 1967 1974 1978 and 1990 in 2014 though it reversed course and canceled six registrations saying they disparaged native americans
the team lost before a trial judge in virginia and has appealed to the united states court of appeals for the fourth circuit also in virginia
last week though the team filed an unusual petition in the supreme court if the justices agree to hear the slants case the petition said they should hear the redskins case too even though the fourth circuit has not yet ruled
such a move   lawyers call it certiorari before judgment   is rare but the supreme court occasionally allows it as it did in major sentencing and affirmative action cases when hearing two appeals at once would allow it to consider a range of legal issues
native american groups have marshaled substantial evidence that redskins is widely understood to be a deeply wounding slur they add probably correctly that a ruling for the team would allow federal trademark protection for the most vile racist terms
in most of the world where laws against hate speech are commonplace the trademark cases would be easy ones should the supreme court decide to weigh in it would again have to assess how robust the american commitment to free speech is


paris   in france as in the united states there is no politics as usual this year with popular disaffection on the rise traditional parties and candidates have been thrown off course as voters look for alternatives to the status quo
the restless sometimes incoherent clamor for change has taken many forms in france   support for the extreme right national front recurring strikes by hard left labor unions and a protest movement known as nuit debout or up all night which for the last month has gathered young people in paris and several other cities to vent their frustration with the system
if there is one thing these various dissatisfied voters would agree upon it is the failure of the french political establishment on the left and on the right to solve the countrys persistent problems   high unemployment low growth and the social cleavage created by immigration and inequality
this frustration helps explain the unlikely success of demain or tomorrow a french documentary since its release in december the film has drawn almost one million viewers   unheard of figures at the box office in a category in which movies rarely top ticket sales of 50000
the 80 minute film was made as a road movie with a budget of 13 million euros about 15 million one third of it collected through crowdfunding
with a chatty narration by melanie laurent a well known french actress it tracks a global quest for workable initiatives in places as disparate as detroit finland iceland and india where people have found ways to move away from dependence on fossil fuels mobilize grass roots democracy grow their own food and inspire children to learn
if this sounds a bit boy scoutish as one critic suggested it is unabashedly so according to cyril dion who along with ms laurent directed the film
it reconnects people to something positive and gives them hope he said in an interview
the movie opened at a propitious moment after a difficult year that included two terrorist attacks in paris and a persistent economic crisis he said when so many people are disillusioned when the politicians have nothing to propose
the response has been enthusiastic and sustained the film is playing in 122 french cinemas for longer than some recent hollywood blockbusters audiences have been known to stand up and applaud as the credits appear on the screen mr dion said some viewers have written to tell him that it changed their lives
when he showed the movie on april 17 at the place de la republique in central paris where the nuit debout protesters have been camping out every night since march 31 a crowd of some 2500 people   mostly young   braved unusually cold temperatures and occasional technical difficulties
they too are looking for solutions that can work said mr dion 37 a former actor with a long history of civic activism
as france lurches toward presidential elections next year its two main parties are deeply divided president francois hollande a socialist has popularity ratings below 20 percent the worst for any sitting french leader and may not run again for its part the main opposition party the republicans is trying to herd 11 declared candidates toward a primary in november
only the national front is on track with a xenophobic anti european message that is feeding off a deeply pessimistic view of french society
at the place de la republique the nuit debout movement has deliberately avoided any political platform or structured leadership protesters say they want to avoid the kind of vertical hierarchy that they blame for the paralysis of the current system they have opted instead for what they call a horizontal movement that draws strength from the grass roots
it is in this inchoate context that demain continues to attract viewers according to mr dion this success is proof that optimism fueled by positive can do energy can be a force for change
it is a vision that is almost political he said


a scrap between two well known soccer players in a vital premier league game is certain to make news but when a manager later bizarrely raises the specter of sex masochism interest in the incident will undoubtedly explode
while tangling during a corner kick in the first half on sunday defender robert huth of leicester pulled on the expansive hair of marouane fellaini in response fellaini drove an elbow into huths neck area
the referee missed the episode and neither player was punished although both could still face three match bans for violent conduct
but the incident wound up being overshadowed by manchester united manager louis van gaals memorable postgame reaction which roamed into areas not normally discussed in sports interviews
asked about the scrap van gaal told an interviewer manish bhasin of bbc sport when i grab your hair now youll react also
punctuating the remark by gesturing to pull bhasins hair he said because its not in the books that somebody has to grab with the hair and pull it behind
only in sex masochism then it is allowed he added lifting the session into the pantheon of extraordinary interviews
bhasin thanked van gaal for not pulling his hair but perhaps prudently elected not to follow up on van gaals surprise remark
mirth ensued in britain over the comment
the game ended in a draw 1 1 the result delayed leicesters clinching of the premier league title and also was a blow to manchester uniteds hopes for a top four finish and a champions league place it now stands 4 points behind manchester city for the vital fourth place with a game in hand
van gaal has made statements that went into strange territory before in february he was asked is that the challenge then to match the same sort of desire the other team has
he replied yeah you are right and your word is fantastic desire hungry and a lot of times i use the word horny to my players after laughter from reporters he turned to midfielder juan mata to his right and asked is true mata nodded yes with an uncomfortable grin on his face
van gaal walked out of a news conference after five minutes at christmastime last year after being deluged with questions about his job status his unusual farewell line was enjoy the wine and a mince pie last summer he referred to his player chris smalling as mike
english is not the native language of the dutchman van gaal who has also coached in the netherlands spain and germany the language gap can certainly go a long way to explain his unusual locutions those who mocked pedro martinez for saying the yankees were his daddies often did not account for his efforts to use a modern idiom in a language not his own
there may not be many more van gaalisms being issued from manchester widespread speculation is that he will be fired after two seasons probably to be replaced by jose mourinho the former two time chelsea manager
still van gaal remains defiant after sundays game leicester manager claudio ranieri told van gaal in a friendly way that he was doing a fantastic job van gaal replied i am


madrid   roger federer withdrew from the madrid open on monday because of a back injury continuing a year of misfortune in tennis in which many of the games brightest lights have flickered
he said he injured his back in practice on saturday forcing him to cut that session short and to cancel scheduled practices over the next two days he had been scheduled to play his first match on wednesday evening a possible meeting with rafael nadal loomed in the quarterfinals
im very disappointed to say the least said federer who has won here twice since the event switched to clay in 2009 i was hoping to play i changed my schedule around and practiced well in switzerland before coming here this is not really what i wanted to do come here and do a press conference about pulling out its been a tough year
in the first week of this season federer reached the final at brisbane despite struggling with flulike symptoms he then reached the semifinals of the australian open losing to the eventual champion novak djokovic but partly tore the meniscus in his left knee in a household accident shortly after the tournament
after having surgery on his knee federer withdrew from three subsequent tournaments in rotterdam dubai and indian wells calif but added the miami open to his schedule he traveled to that tournament but withdrew before his first match with a stomach ailment in april he played his first matches in three months in monte carlo where he reached the quarterfinals
federer who has overcome similar back problems before said he hoped to play next week at the italian open in rome having avoided serious injuries for most of his career he expressed perspective on the sudden deluge of setbacks that have dampened his season
if you look at the pullouts this year many i couldnt even do something about it he said if its clear that you cant play and you know its the best for your career and for the future of the season it doesnt feel like such a big letdown
he added i mean i am frustrated im a little sad of course not to be playing here at the same time im still upbeat that the back issue is going to go away
federer is not the only tennis superstar who has been absent for much of the season serena williams who withdrew from madrid on friday because of flulike symptoms has played in only three tournaments since september maria sharapova competed this year only at the australian open where she tested positive for meldonium a newly banned substance she accepted a provisional ban in march as she awaits a hearing
while sharapovas return date is unknown federer has his sights set on the next grand slam event the french open which begins may 22
the goal has always been that im at 100 percent when the french comes around hopefully he said hopefully if not then latest wimbledon thats always been the case ever since i stepped into the operation room to be honest
though short on matches federer said that he was satisfied with how he had been able to train and that he did not discount his prospects at roland garros even though he has won the title there only once
time will tell if ill be fine at the french he said i do believe i have chances there
referring to nadal he went on the problem in the past has been more rafa than the clay itself if you take rafa out of the equation i wouldve had an amazing clay court career i still with him ive had a great clay court career its still the surface where i did grow up still a surface i feel comfortable on ive spent maybe most time of my life on that surface
while confident on clay federer said the lack of external pressure could also help his cause
i probably can enter the french open or clay court season with maybe a little bit less expectations because you guys expect less from me he said im not the overwhelming favorite in those events and sometimes that can be helpful too i still put pressure on myself wanting to go far and deep and play well same thing this year maybe something can happen at the french if not still a huge summer ahead


youve heard of the american dream right the american dream was this machine we built to get rid of uncertainty and create security its the white picket fence the job and the minivan you watch dan rather and a sitcom you go to bed go to sleep and repeat
it may not be that exciting but hey at least its stable for years   for as long as we can remember   thats been the end goal stability and security and millions of us work really hard to get there each year
theres nothing wrong with that if its what youre into but theres a whole group of people   and this group is growing by the way   who have said forget that i want to focus on experiences instead
you probably know the refrains by now experiences trump stuff experiences tend to bring us happiness more stuff tends to breed discontent theres a wealth of research to back up these ideas up
so people go out and spend a bunch of money to participate in adventure races like the tough mudder just to have an experience instead of buying a new television people buy skis and lift tickets people pay to go to the rock climbing gym instead of paying to go to the movies more and more the economy is moving in this direction
but the idea that you can leave a stable job a 401k sell your house retrofit your van and spend a couple of years living out of it by yourself or with your spouse or even with your kids is something completely different not only is it different its mind blowing
this mind blowing concept is not the choice of experience over stuff its not even experience over stability its experience over security and that is a very fascinating development in our culture
consider the professional baseball player daniel norris who was making 2 million but living in a volkswagen van who told him he could do that at its extreme choosing experiences over stuff isnt just about making these kinds of value based decisions about recreation on your weekends its also choosing experience over security and making the same decisions on a life size scale
once i began framing it this way i kept learning about more and more people doing this there is jeremy collins deciding to pursue a life of art and climbing after getting laid off from a comfortable office job or the writer brendan leonard leaving a copywriting job at ibm arguably the definition of security to follow his dreams of being a freelance writer and starting a blog
the more i learn about people completely bucking convention and living these incredibly interesting alternative existences the more i find myself wondering if they can do it can i
do i dare open that bulletproof fireproof combination safe where ive locked up my dreams and say oh ill do that later when life is more stable when im more secure what if i try to make this really creative vision one that ive always dreamed of come true and i fail do i even dare to ask what if
as for you ok so you dont want to live in a van maybe you dont have a dream locked up inside your own little pandoras box thats fine
but if you do   and my gut tells me that for most people reading this what im writing rings true   i am telling you to at least consider that one simple question what if
in considering the possibilities consider also that according to this new set of values the uncertainty and the insecurity that you feel trying something adventurous and new is all part of the very reason for doing it thats part of the tangible benefit thats the hard part of the adventure race the mud in your face and the suffer fest
as the patagonia founder yvon chouinard famously said its not an adventure until something goes wrong maybe youll lose some money in selling the house maybe youll make less income if you quit your job but thats part of the adventure
if you would make the same experience over stuff choice weekend after weekend maybe its time to start thinking about making the experience over security choice for your life at the very least you might want to ask yourself what if


stock indexes moved solidly higher on monday recovering some of the steep declines of last week
recently battered technology stocks like amazoncom and microsoft posted gains helping to end a seven day losing streak in the nasdaq composite index
the standard  poors 500 stock index added 1613 points or 08 percent to 208143 and the nasdaq rose 4224 points or 09 percent to 481759
the dow jones industrial average rose 11752 points or 07 percent to 1789116
notably apple did not participate in mondays gains closing down 10 cents or 01 percent to 9364 apple has fallen eight days in a row and has lost 16 percent of its value in the last two weeks
technology stocks have been an unexpected drag on the market last week apple reported its first quarterly decline in profits in years which sent ripples through the stock market in response investors have been moving into safer investments the dow jones utility index a collection of 15 dividend paying utility companies is up more than 14 percent this year
theres a risk off sentiment in the market right now said david lebovitz a global market strategist at j p morgan funds
overseas japans nikkei stock index fell more than 3 percent overnight as markets there reopened after a holiday the market fell as japanese investors continued to react negatively to the bank of japans decision to leave interest rates unchanged the japanese yen also continues to climb sharply which hurts japanese exporters
its a bit concerning mr lebovitz said investors are beginning to question whether monetary policy can really push japans economy forward and generate growth
among individual companies halliburton rose after a 34 billion merger with baker hughes was called off in the face of antitrust concerns from the justice department halliburton rose 74 cents or 18 percent to 4205 baker hughes fell 96 cents or 2 percent to 4740
the apollo education group which runs the university of phoenix rose sharply after a group of investors raised its bid for the company apollo rose 97 cents or 124 percent to 877
in economic news the institute for supply management said on monday that its manufacturing index came in at 508 last month down from a 518 reading for march but above the 50 threshold that signals growth the march number ended a five month losing streak for manufacturers
export orders grew faster in april but new orders and production grew more slowly last month than in march a measure of employment fell suggesting that factories are cutting workers
in a separate report the commerce department said that construction spending rose 03 percent in march after a 1 percent gain in february the consecutive increases raised total spending to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 114 trillion the highest level since october 2007
the increase in february represented an upward revision by the government from its initial estimate that spending had fallen 05 percent for the month but the government revised the estimate for january down to show a drop of 03 percent from a previously reported increase of 21 percent
the report showed that the housing market remained robust through the first quarter of the year said jesse hurwitz an economist at barclays research
benchmark american crude oil fell 114 to close at 4478 a barrel in new york brent crude which is used to price international oils fell 154 to close at 4583 a barrel in london
in other energy trading in new york wholesale gasoline fell 4 cents to 156 a gallon heating oil lost 3 cents to 136 a gallon and natural gas dropped 14 cents to 204 per 1000 cubic feet
bond prices fell the yield on the 10 year treasury note rose to 187 percent from 183 percent late friday the dollar slipped to 10645 yen from 10637 yen while the euro strengthened to 11516 from 11448
precious and industrial metals futures ended mixed gold rose 530 to 129580 an ounce silver fell 13 cents to 1766 an ounce and copper lost 2 cents to 226 a pound


the securities and exchange commission is supposed to be wall streets top cop charged with protecting investors while it ensures that brokers and bankers adhere to the rules
recent articles in the new yorker and fortune however raise questions about whether the agency was willing to take on tough cases against one wall street firm goldman sachs and its executives they feed into a broader concern about whether the agency can adequately police the markets by taking on the biggest players
jesse eisinger of propublica who has contributed to dealbook and has delved deeply into the financial crisis wrote the article in the new yorker about the secs decision not to pursue charges against any senior executives at goldman related to a synthetic collateralized debt obligation put together by the firm fabrice tourre a midlevel trader who helped structure the transaction was the only individual accused of wrongdoing
a lawyer at the sec assigned to the case provided materials showing that the agency seemed to avoid pursuing more senior executives for their role in the deal at least not until the last moment a supervisor at the agency stated in an email that many involved in the transaction were good people who had done one bad thing and later wrote about the financial crisis that the vast majority of the losses suffered had nothing to do with fraud and the like and are more fairly attributable to lesser human failings of greed arrogance and stupidity of which we are all guilty from time to time
when the time came to finally decide who to sue those involved in the investigation were split about suing anyone at goldman above mr tourre in the end robert s khuzami the enforcement director at the time said that the lack of consensus among our group is itself for me confirmation that others should not be named
goldman settled the case three months after being sued by paying a 550 million penalty and admitting that the marketing materials for the cdo contained incomplete information but the sec dropped the most serious fraud charge against the firm resolving it under a provision that only requires negligence rather than an intent to defraud mr tourre was found liable by a jury in 2013
stephen gandel wrote in fortune about a mortgage backed security assembled and sold by goldman that bundled more than 5000 residential subprime mortgages eventually costing investors more than 500 million when many of the shoddy mortgages went into default although the sec notified the firm in february 2012 that it planned to pursue civil fraud charges no further action was taken in an august 2012 filing goldman disclosed that the case had been dropped but no reason was ever provided by the agency for its decision
the justice department later reached a 5 billion settlement with goldman for its sale of residential mortgage backed securities from 2005 to 2007 including the security the sec investigated in 2012 but decided not to act on
according to mr gandel the chairwoman of the sec at the time mary l schapiro said that the case against goldman never reached the five commissioners to review and decide whether to proceed with civil fraud charges that means the decision to drop the matter was made by the staff in the enforcement division even though there was enough evidence at one point to send a so called wells notice telling the firm that it planned to recommend charges
after the debacle in 2008 over the secs failure to do anything about the huge ponzi scheme perpetrated by bernard l madoff that resulted in investors losing billions of dollars there was a promise that the agency would take a tougher approach in many ways the enforcement division patterned itself after the justice department with former prosecutors like mr khuzami assuming leadership positions
mary jo white the current chairwoman of the sec spoke in 2013 about adopting the broken windows approach used with great success by the police in new york to send a message to wall street that the agency was going to take a harder line on small violations it followed the lead of federal prosecutors in offering leniency to those who cooperated while announcing that in some cases it would require an admission of a violation rather than the usual approach of neither admitting nor denying the charges
but the new yorker and fortune articles raise the question whether the sec was willing to take on the tough cases against a well funded opponent like goldman at least when the evidence of wrongdoing was not overwhelming the agency continues to highlight its pursuit of insider trading cases but those have minimal impact on the markets compared with pursuing wrongdoing inside a large organization
prosecutors and administrative agencies have the widest discretion when deciding not to accuse someone of violating the law that decision is almost always made in secret with no outside review it involves weighing the evidence to determine not only whether charges could be brought but more important whether the case has a reasonable chance of success because merely filing an accusation can have a devastating impact on the defendants
being in law enforcement means making tough calls and running the risk that a case will be lost in the two cases involving goldman and its executives there was no right or wrong decision to be made because the evidence of violations was equivocal so choosing not to proceed is certainly defensible
the broader issue to consider is the message sent when the choice is made not to pursue a case even though charges could have been filed goldman publicly disclosed that it had been notified by the sec of possible charges in 2012 related to the mortgage backed security it sold and then the case quietly disappeared that does not inspire public confidence especially when that deal along with others turns up four years later as part of a 5 billion settlement with the justice department
the lesson for the financial industry may well be to fight the case or at least not try to settle it too quickly when the evidence of wrongdoing is ambiguous
for the public the secs decision not to pursue charges feeds the continuing mistrust that the agency will not take on difficult cases if it can get a quick settlement instead even one without an admission of wrongdoing whether that perception fair it is certainly prevalent
the articles by mr eisinger and mr gandel show that these were close calls certainly not slam dunk cases without an explanation about why the agencys staff reversed its course in one instance and choose not to pursue individuals in senior management in the other we are left to speculate about the reasons
the cases have been put to rest and cannot be revisited now the sec does not have to explain why it chooses to drop a case or pass on charging potential defendants but then it cannot object when the public draws its own inferences from a failure to act


gnc holdings the vitamins and health supplement chain with 9000 stores may be looking to sell itself
gnc said that it had hired goldman sachs and the law firm wachtell lipton rosen  katz to advise on strategic and financial alternatives according to a statement monday the review will look at the companys current plan as well as other strategies such optimizing the capital structure partnerships or a potential sale
gnc has a total enterprise value of about 31 billion according to standard  poors capital iq
the announcement comes days after gnc announced earnings and projections that disappointed investors sending the stock 29 percent lower on thursday
revenue same store sales and net income were all lower in the first quarter from a year ago management blamed a need to mark down prices for expiring products and lower demand for vitapak a vitamin aimed at athletes for the unacceptable results
after speaking with a range of shareholders gnc decided to pursue a review of the companys alternatives the companys chairman michael f hines said in the release
we are in the early stages of a broad review and will take the time we need to thoroughly evaluate our opportunities to achieve the best results for our shareholders business partners and associates mr hines said while the review is ongoing gnc will continue to act with the necessary urgency to deliver improved financial performance by addressing our near term challenges and continuing to execute our strategic initiatives
gncs stock gained about 6 percent in early trading monday
contributing to gncs sluggish demand is the constant string of headlines about how regulators are cracking down on the dietary supplement industry
the justice department said in november that it had filed criminal and civil enforcement actions against companies and individuals in the industry although gnc was not named in any of the cases the company did have recent run ins with the oregon and new york attorneys general over their ingredients and testing procedures gnc said the oregon lawsuit was made without merit and reached an agreement with the new york attorney general
still the negative publicity surrounding the industry has affected many consumers impressions about the safety and necessity of vitamins and dietary supplements
gnc started 80 years ago as a health food store in downtown pittsburgh soon expanding to multiple locations while manufacturing its own vitamins and supplements the company was passed around among various private equity firms starting in the late 1990s until ontario teachers pension plan and ares management took the company public five years ago


sydney australia   a somali woman set fire to herself on monday on the tiny pacific island of nauru where australia sends asylum seekers who try to reach its shores by boat she is the second refugee within a week to burn herself
the woman 21 who has been identified only as hodan by refugee activists suffered critical injuries the government of nauru said in a written statement she was being treated on nauru by four emergency doctors from australia and was expected to be moved to an australian hospital
on wednesday an iranian refugee identified in australian news reports as omid masoumali 23 set himself on fire mr masoumali died in brisbane on friday his wife nana masoumali told barri phatarfod an australian doctor with doctors for refugees that her husband had been without medical care for two hours and that he had not been airlifted from nauru for 24 hours
mr masoumali was protesting the conditions on nauru and his plight
the australian government refuses to allow asylum seekers to come to australia to be processed if they arrive by boat or are intercepted at sea even those determined to be refugees are not allowed to settle in australia they are resettled on nauru or in papua new guinea where australia has another offshore processing center on manus island or in third countries like cambodia
australias immigration minister peter dutton has refused an offer from the government of new zealand to allow refugees to resettle there
the policy is meant to deter asylum seekers from paying people smugglers to ferry them from indonesia and into australian waters often on unseaworthy boats
but human rights activists say that the policy is harsh stopping rickety boats setting off for australia may prevent drownings but it often pushes refugees back into war zones or into dire situations fighting with extremists kenneth roth the human rights watch executive director said in sydney last week
in its statement the government of nauru said it was distressed that refugees are attempting such dreadful acts in order to attempt to influence the australia governments immigration polices
sally thompson a spokeswoman for the refugee rights action network in western australia said hodan had been treated in a brisbane hospital for a head injury she suffered on nauru but last wednesday she was taken back to the island against her will
hodans friend called me to tell me hodan had set herself alight and she was in the hospital and she was in a very bad way ms thompson said there happened to be a specialist medical team on nauru which is unusual and we hope she is getting better care than omid
dr phatarfod from doctors for refugees said she had been told that hodan had severe burns perhaps to as much as 70 percent of her body
elaine pearson from human rights watch in sydney said conditions at nauru and manus island are grim
self harm on nauru isnt new ms pearson said every week asylum seekers in detention on nauru have been self harming by cutting themselves swallowing razor blades poison or trying to hang themselves with sheets
ian rintoul from the refugee action coalition in sydney said that sunday marked 43 days of protests on nauru where men women and children were pictured holding signs saying god please help us
ms pearson said australias department of immigration and border protection had a log that showed 188 episodes of self harm among asylum seekers held on nauru in 12 months
so the question is why has the australian government been so slow to act and address the cause of this severe level of depression and despair faced by the refugees she said in a telephone interview
the australian government cant just sit on its hands while people are setting themselves on fire she said sending asylum seekers to nauru and manus was supposedly about saving lives at sea but now those very people are trying to kill themselves on land
last week papua new guineas high court declared that the detention center on manus island was unconstitutional prime minister peter oneill said his government would meet with officials from australia this week to determine what lies ahead for the more than 800 men held on the island
mr dutton the australian immigration minister ruled out moving them to australia mr duttons office did not return phone calls requesting an interview on monday night
about 1100 asylum seekers or refugees are held on nauru including almost 470 who have remained within the camps grounds the camp gates were opened last year allowing refugees to live in the community


it was welcome news friday when europes economies reported higher than expected growth the region after all has had to deal with rolling debt crises terrorist attacks an influx of refugees and migrants and the possibility that britain may vote to leave the european union
then there is spain across europe economic growth has helped bring the unemployment rate down but in spain the rate is 20 percent according to european union surveys and has been above that level for over five years even as the countrys economy has been recovering
youd be forgiven for thinking that such a high level of joblessness weighing on families for so long would have caused the country to crack by now the jobless number is so much higher than the rate for other economic laggards like italy 11 percent and portugal 12 percent
certainly some of spains unemployment is overstated because some workers have off the books jobs and people may feel optimistic because unemployment has fallen in recent quarters from 25 percent two years ago
still spanish officials recently said they did not expect the jobless rate to fall below 15 percent until 2019 and theres the matter of the countrys youth unemployment those under 25 an almost incomprehensible 455 percent
a new government in spain   once it is chosen after almost half a year of discord   may end up pursuing smarter and bolder policies that reduce joblessness to levels that exist elsewhere in europe
but the chances of that look slim
spains unemployment is so high partly because of particular local forces that have existed for decades marcel jansen an expert on labor markets at the universidad autonoma de madrid notes that unemployment above 20 percent is not uncommon in spain in fact it has been at that level in three periods since spains transition to democracy in the 1970s and ominously from the previous unemployment rate peak in the 1990s it took 14 years for it to decline to the wider european level mr jansen notes
one cause of the high rate became embedded in spains labor market over the last 40 years a significant proportion of spains workers emerged from the dictatorship years with ironclad job security many of those protections remained mr jansen said but much of the new hiring in the democratic era took place through temporary employment contracts just before the 2008 financial crisis around a third of spains workers were on temporary contracts far higher than the european average
when the crisis hit it was very easy to lay off the temporary workers true during the recent recovery the high use of temporary contracts has most likely spurred spanish firms to bolster their hiring but the persistence of overly protective labor contracts alongside temporary ones with too few protections has probably also created inefficiencies within spanish companies that have dampened economic growth
mr jansens preferred solution is to introduce a new contract that could increase protections for temporary workers and loosen them for many permanent workers but he said spains politicians had shown little support for this idea
something else is making matters worse right now much of spains working age population does not have an education beyond high school and many of those people have remained unemployed for multiple years after the financial crisis of 2008 nearly a fourth of the unemployed have been without work for four years or more
such workers are increasingly losing contact with the industries they worked in and that will make it even harder for them to find jobs and hiring in spains construction industry a big employer before the crisis is not likely to return to precrisis levels anytime soon mr jansen says helping the long term unemployed requires a substantial overhaul of spains retraining programs but this costs money and spain has one of the largest budget deficits in europe
this is where we bump into the big economic debate that looms over the continent on one side are those who insist that struggling countries must pursue policies that cut government spending and free up markets to spur strong and sustainable growth as we have learned spains labor market could certainly do with some big changes but as we have also seen these changes are far from imminent they are expensive they threaten entrenched interests spains leaders are so divided that they cant form an administration that could attempt bold moves
economists on the other side of the debate emphasize the need for the european union as a whole to come together to introduce big top down actions such policies include debt forgiveness and far greater fiscal stimulus spains sky high unemployment has not moved europes leaders to take such steps by now then again europe cant count on spain   or any country   to tolerate this high level of joblessness forever


a bell tolled 17 times inside st patricks cathedral on thursday it echoed off the polished marble floors and the scrubbed limestone columns it echoed off the hundreds of hard hats that were resting in laps on pews and beside 16 roses on 16 empty seats at the altar
the bell forged by ironworkers from two unions hung from a cross made of bent and mottled steel salvaged from ground zero it tolled 17 times for the 16 construction workers who died in the past 12 months in new york city and once more for those who had died since 2008 when the building trades began celebrating an annual memorial mass here there are 140 names now adorning the base of the cross saints of a soaring skyline
there is understanding this is a sacred industry the rev brian jordan chaplain for the building and construction trades council of greater new york said as he preached from the marble pulpit our hands are sacred not just my hands as a priest or as a piano player as a violin player or stephen curry the basketball player everyone here who works in construction you have sacred hands and thats why we appreciate you here today
each april on or around workers memorial day hundreds of construction workers file into st patricks led up the limestone steps by a procession of bagpipers and the banners of their locals each april their numbers swell
the memorial had been held since 2000 at father jordans home parish st francis of assisi on west 31st street then came the crane collapse in march 2008 that claimed seven lives six of them from the industry the mass was hastily moved to st patricks and has remained there since
accidents were less frequent for a while after the crane collapse because of increased safety measures and a postrecession construction slowdown but as real estate has boomed in recent years the number of injuries and fatalities has risen sharply for the workers there is more work but also more risk
its a tough business and i want to show my support tamek sellars a metal lather with local 46 said before the mass when hundreds of workers assembled on fifth avenue you never know what could happen day to day putting up the city god forbid if anything ever happened to me my brothers and sisters would show support for me
in the last calendar year 12 workers died on construction sites in the city according to the new york city buildings department up from eight in 2014 the total has not been that high since the previous construction boom when 12 workers died in 2007 and 19 in 2008 according to the federal occupational safety and health administration which categorizes accidents differently there were 17 construction fatalities in 2015
father jordan prefers to count those who have died from one workers memorial day to the next 16 this time
many are tragedies that eddie jorge the bellman for the mass knows all too well
ive been to these nonunion jobs to try and clean them up said mr jorge an organizer with the new york state iron workers district council and then you have to go back a few months later because your fears have come true it brings you down
these are boom times exceeding those of even a decade ago last year 88 million square feet of construction was underway according to the city that was more than double the amount of work done in 2013 or 2014 and it exceeds the 65 million square feet built in both 2007 and 2008
all that progress comes at a cost few but those assembled at st patricks recognize
i was at many of the sites of many of these accidents rick chandler commissioner of the buildings department said in an interview this mass is a reminder to me and my staff of what were here for safety is our no 1 priority
even so the number of injuries at construction sites has also risen to 472 last year
that was twice as many as in 2014 when 237 workers were hurt and three times as many as in 2011 that year at the trough of the construction slowdown 152 workers were injured and five died during the previous boom there were 121 injuries in 2007 and 178 in 2008
the city attributes this rise in part to more rigorous inspections which are catching accidents that would not previously have been reported and in february the department announced harsher fines and 100 new inspectors to increase enforcement
the unions see a different problem
the real tragedy here is that these were almost exclusively nonunion jobs and a lot of these deaths could have been prevented said larry amandola a third generation electrician with local 3 whose grandfather once worked across the street building rockefeller center
only two of those honored at the mass were working on union jobs dominick deluca a 25 year old member of local 1556 fell 15 feet from scaffolding last may while doing facade work at the butler houses in the bronx manuel sobral 56 a laborer with local 1010 was run over by his van in central park in february
those in the union argue these were freakish accidents   unlike those that claimed the lives of the other 14 recognized on thursday
angel munoz 27 fell down an elevator shaft last august at a construction site in hells kitchen where workers were made to work up to 60 hours a week fernando venegas 19 was one of seven workers crushed when a retaining wall collapsed in september at a development in clinton hill brooklyn the others survived in july alton louise complained about working during a heat wave when he was sent up to the roof of a williamsburg brooklyn project one more time he later collapsed and died
his body temperature measured 106 degrees father jordan cried out during a homily that recognized each of the fallen what is going on here this is a human being something has to change here in new york
while on any other day those assembled for mass might have been picketing the nonunion job sites on this day they honored their fallen comrades and stood by their families they clasped hands and cradled shoulders and wiped tears from sun cracked eyes they held aloft babies who would never know their fathers they came in spite of intimidation from foremen and fear of deportation
a parade of carhartt coveralls and neon safety vests formed in the aisles for communion the white wafers glinting between calloused hands
at the closing prayer the families of the deceased were invited to the altar to collect their rose and hard hat the last to mount the carpeted steps were angel munozs father and brother luis who was supporting himself on a cane after his own construction accident
his boss told him he couldnt have off today and we told him to take a hike father jordan said to cheers
the next day luis munoz said that he hoped to return home to ecuador someday with angels helmet
i want to give it to his wife and kids mr munoz said and let the kids know he died working for them to make their life better


on the campaign trail donald j trump has promised to do quite a few things that are beyond the powers of an american president like billing mexico for a border wall but when it comes to foreign trade his powers as president would come closer to his expansive ambitions
as president mr trump could seek to penalize other nations for undercutting american manufacturers or stealing american ideas he could also pursue congressional legislation to impose a 45 percent tariff or tax on imported chinese goods as he has proposed
the bottom line some experts say is that mr trump might well be able to squeeze china
that does not mean however that his punitive approach would ease americas economic pains in fact a range of experts agree that mr trumps proposals are more likely to deepen those problems particularly if china or other targeted nations retaliate rather than accept his demands
starting a trade war might be cathartic for workers who have lost jobs but it is unlikely to create a lot of factory work
theres no way a tariff of this kind could deliver the kind of benefits that hes talking about and its quite wrong to think that the big problem for american workers has been foreign trade said j w mason a professor of economics at john jay college and a fellow at the roosevelt institute a liberal think tank but i think it could be very destructive for the rest of the world
mr trumps views on trade are among his oldest and steadiest public policy positions he has long maintained that other countries are taking advantage of the united states because americans spend more money on foreign goods than the rest of the world spends on american goods and he has long argued for slapping higher tariffs on those foreign goods in order to fortify the american economy
trade was the first policy issue mr trump mentioned last tuesday in a speech after his latest round of victories in five northeastern primaries
our jobs are being sucked away from our country and were not going to let it happen anymore folks he said at a victory party in new york that night
it emerged again wednesday in washington during what was billed as a major foreign policy speech
this tuesday mr trump hopes to sweep the delegates in indiana and all but sew up the republican nomination nowhere has trade figured more centrally than in the hoosier state where the air conditioner maker carrier opted to move operations to mexico becoming a recurrent feature in mr trumps anti free trade litanies
china has prospered over the last few decades by focusing its economy on low cost manufacturing for foreign markets exports to the united states soared particularly after china joined the world trade organization in 2001 american businesses and consumers bought 4819 billion in chinese goods in 2015 about one fifth of all imports and the most from any country but manufacturing employment in the united states has fallen sharply a 2013 study estimated that chinas rise had eliminated at least one million domestic factory jobs
in the current campaign mr trump has proposed a 45 percent tax on chinese imports and a 35 percent tax on mexican imports he has also proposed tariffs on goods that specific american companies produce in foreign countries including carrier air conditioners and ford cars
mr trump has said the threat of such tariffs would persuade china for example to modify the economic policies that he describes as providing unfair advantages to chinese companies rather than incur his wrath he says american companies would be persuaded to keep more of their factories close to home
the 45 percent is a threat that if they dont behave mr trump said at a republican debate in miami last month the united states will tax you
he added it doesnt have to be 45 it could be less but it has to be something because our country and our trade and our deals and most importantly our jobs are going to hell
as president mr trump would have some latitude to reverse a course that the nation has pursued for decades but the results could be troublesome on multiple fronts the removal of trade barriers has played a significant role in reducing global poverty and encouraging peace between nations achievements that could be eroded by tit for tat backsliding
the basic principle is that a sovereign state enters trade agreements of its free will and it can get back out said robert howse the lloyd c nelson professor of international law at nyu school of law but thats the easy part
imposing sweeping tariffs would reverse a mainstay of united states foreign policy beginning after world war ii the united states gradually reduced its import taxes and pushed other nations to do the same seeking not only to promote increased trade but to prevent conflict the united states now imposes average weighted import tariffs of just 14 percent according to the world bank among the lowest rates in the world
under existing laws mr trump could impose tariffs only on specific categories of imports not whole countries and only by demonstrating specific violations of trade rules such as export subsidies
there are at least 50 sets of laws and regulations that exist that china has at least in spirit crossed the boundaries sam clovis an adviser to mr trump said in an interview
but mr trump would have the difficult task of proving that china is breaking the rules before the world trade organization which polices global commerce international trade laws limit the type of help governments can provide to companies but the role of the chinese government is particularly opaque said mark wu a professor of law at harvard and a former united states trade negotiator in the administration of president george w bush
chinas economy is its own beast and it has a form that was not envisioned at the time these rules were created 20 years ago mr wu said wto rules are not necessarily equipped to address all of the problematic aspects of that china inc system as far as american exporters are concerned
in fact one of mr trumps favorite charges that china and other nations are suppressing the value of their currencies is actually not a violation of existing trade agreements
a central problem is defining currency manipulation in a way that excludes the united states   in particular the federal reserves post recession stimulus campaign which had the effect of weakening the dollar much in the same way that other countries do to their currency
alternatively mr trump could pursue the radical option of seeking legislation to impose a broad china tariff in effect demolishing the rules of global trade
it would be a flagrant violation said alan o sykes a professor of law at stanford and an expert on international economic relations there is no prior violation of wto law that would be even close
the impact of such legislation would touch almost every aisle at walmart
in 2015 americans bought 142 billion worth of chinese shoes 25 billion of chinese jewelry and 593 million of chinese rugs and most of all cellphones   64 billion worth according to the commerce department
all told the united states imported 4819 billion in chinese goods in 2015 a record
but research suggests that the price of chinese goods would rise by significantly less than 45 percent because companies would hold the line to preserve their market share consumers can also buy comparable goods when the united states imposed a 35 percent tariff on chinese tires in 2009 imports of tires from china declined while imports from indonesia mexico and thailand rose sharply
for the same reasons however economists see little chance that a tariff would achieve mr trumps goal of encouraging domestic production they say it is even less likely to create large numbers of new factory jobs american manufacturing output is at the highest level in history and employment has fallen because of large gains in efficiency a trend that is unlikely to reverse
china could retaliate by imposing its own tariffs china responded to the tire tariff for example by imposing a tariff on american chicken parts
the united states sold 1162 billion in goods to china in 2015 including aircraft parts automobiles and semiconductors   high value industries in which workers earn high wages losing chinas market could mean sacrificing better jobs for less desirable ones
doug oberhelman chairman and chief executive of caterpillar described higher tariffs as very dangerous in february were 5 percent of the world population said mr oberhelman who spoke in his capacity as president of the business roundtable a pro trade lobby ninety five percent of our potential customers are elsewhere weve got to learn and figure out how to deal with that
the damage to international trade agreements could also have deep and enduring consequences
one of the central benefits of the current system is that it separates trade disputes from other kinds of conflict the global effort to reduce tariffs after world war ii was dreamed up as a way to prevent world wars said mr howse the nyu professor
that should not be forgotten


beirut lebanon   negotiations are underway to extend a fragile cease fire agreement in syria to the embattled northern city of aleppo which a surge of violence has nearly torn apart in recent weeks secretary of state john kerry said on monday
in the last weeks the cessation of hostilities has been put to the test and it has frayed in certain areas and it has fallen completely in a few areas mr kerry said in geneva after meeting with the united nations special envoy for syria staffan de mistura mr kerry said he was particularly disturbed about air raids on a hospital and three health clinics in aleppo for which he blamed president bashar al assads government
the regime has clearly indicated the willingness over a period of time now to attack first responders to attack health care workers and rescue workers mr kerry said and the attack on this hospital is unconscionable under any standard anywhere it has to stop he added that both sides   the opposition and the regime   have contributed to this chaos
mr kerry said that he planned to talk to his russian counterpart foreign minister sergey v lavrov on monday evening and that mr de mistura would travel to moscow on tuesday all part of an effort to restore a fragile cease fire that was brokered in february with american and russian support and is now at risk of collapse
mr kerry urged russia to pressure mr assad to stop the attacks this is the moment to try to make certain that what everybody has signed up to is in fact being delivered being lived up to without hypocrisy and without variation
mr kerry said there could be no legitimate political talks until both parties carried out the agreement   a full cessation of hostilities throughout the country and the nationwide delivery of humanitarian aid and yet one party is blatantly violating that agreement he said referring to the syrian government
speaking at a news conference with mr de mistura mr kerry said that the deal was fraying in some areas and had collapsed in others and that legitimate talks on a cease fire were impossible unless all of the involved parties were committed to it
mr kerry said that russia and the united states would add personnel in geneva so that the cease fire agreement could be monitored 247   a declaration that left the unsettling impression that until now the agreement promoted as being of ultimate importance had not been monitored around the clock by its sponsors
mr de mistura added a note of reality saying he appreciated that while russia and the united states were developing an improved cease fire monitoring system we need the political will otherwise we would have only a mechanism
well said mr kerry said
asked repeatedly whether he trusted the russian government on the efforts to restore a truce in aleppo mr kerry declined to answer
in noting that the partial truce had fallen apart in some parts of syria mr kerry acknowledged what has been clear for more than a week on the ground the relative respite from violence brought by the two month reduction in hostilities has come to a resounding end in many areas especially aleppo where more than 200 people have died in the past week most of them civilians
about two thirds of those deaths have been on the rebel held side of town which is being pummeled anew by airstrikes and by bombs dropped from helicopters including on a hospital
but both sides have demonstrated a disregard for civilian life with rebels firing mortar shells and missiles last week toward most of the government held neighborhoods in aleppo in one of their worst barrages in recent months
yet as mr kerry carries out shuttle diplomacy to try to revive the partial truce it has been renewed in several areas but not in aleppo where it is needed most
the syrian army said in a statement on monday that a temporary truce in the suburbs of damascus and in the coastal province of latakia would be extended for an additional 48 hours
the tass news agency in russia quoted lt gen sergei kurylenko head of the russian coordination center in syria as saying only that talks about a cease fire for aleppo were continuing
the sticking point is apparently an unwillingness by russia to tell the syrian government to stop its aerial bombardments on insurgent held areas there
mr kerry as well as residents and opposition figures say the governments warplanes in a campaign aided by russia are mainly hitting areas not controlled by the nusra front which has a small presence in aleppo
instead they are believed to be striking areas controlled by other insurgent groups including some backed by the united states and its allies
the united states is considering whether to draw up a map of safe zones where civilians and members of moderate opposition groups could seek shelter from attacks by mr assads military the associated press reported
it was not immediately clear whether russia would accept such a plan or could persuade the assad government to respect the zones such an agreement is also unlikely to be helpful if the sides cannot agree on what constitutes the violations the monitors are supposed to be watching for
even if so called hard lines were drawn on a map and civilians and insurgents not affiliated with the nusra front were encouraged to go there the plan would face major practical problems given the difficulty of moving safely within the city
rebel groups may not agree to give up areas that russia believes are held by the nusra front arguing that in fact they are held by local opposition fighters and seeing the plan as a ploy to allow the government to take them back


it sounds awfully nice a yearlong postponement of schoolwork
the white house announced on sunday that malia obama the presidents older daughter would be among the thousands of students to take a so called gap year between high school and college
the hiatus from classrooms textbooks and tests has become an increasingly popular choice the idea is that university bound students go on an adventure do something meaningful and if all goes to plan arrive at campus a year later more mature focused and attuned to their goals
still despite growing acceptance of the gap year or bridge year by university administrators   and its ready adoption in other parts of the world   many americans continue to view it with trepidation
some parents worry that their children could veer off track academically and never recover but higher education experts argue that the opposite appears to be true studies have shown that not only do the students go on to perform better than their non gap year classmates they also tend to end up in more satisfying careers although researchers note that self selection could play a part as gap year students tend to be more affluent
for some reason theres some concern around   does it contribute to academic atrophy what were finding is absolutely not said ethan knight founder of american gap association an accreditation organization if anything it connects the theory that theyve been exposed to over their many years of education to the reality of whats going on in the real world
a growing number of colleges and universities including all eight institutions in the ivy league system have been signing on to the idea as a constructive choice for incoming freshmen harvard university where malia plans to start in the fall of 2017 has for decades been urging members of its incoming class to consider it
and the case has only grown stronger with the rising intensity of competition to get into elite colleges according to an essay written by william fitzsimmons harvards dean of admissions and two other school officials
faced with the fast pace of growing up today some students are clearly distressed engaging in binge drinking and other self destructive behaviors the authors wrote
one remedy they suggest is to take time out for the scores of incoming harvard students who heed the advice each year the authors added the results have been uniformly positive
in the reaction to malias decision on social media some people have pointed out occasionally with a note of contempt that the financial barriers to embarking on a gap year can be too much for some families a yearlong immersive international program for example can run about 35000
but university administrators also note that gap year plans come in a variety of forms some of them at no cost americorps city year for example pays students stipends to teach another popular program global citizen year provides financial support   more than 6 million since 2010   for students to pursue experiential learning
but those programs can be highly competitive city year for example says it selects only about one in four applicants
its hard to do it if you dont have the resources said chris yager the founder of where there be dragons which leads international programs
but he added organizations that target gap year students often tend to be driven by a sense of mission rather than profit and many programs including his offer at least some level of financial assistance people who are doing the gap year programming right now at least theyre all really principled people he said
then there are those gap year plans created by students who possess rare initiative robert clagett the director of college counseling at st stephens episcopal school in austin tex recalled one who spent the first third of her year tending llamas at a monastery in north dakota the next third she worked for a judge in oklahoma city and finally she volunteered at an orphanage in the dominican republic
its not unusual for students to spend maybe half their gap year with a job mr clagett said maybe living at home or an internship where they make some money and then spending the second half of the year traveling or having whatever kinds of experiences theyre hoping for
more universities have begun formal gap year programs that take varying approaches to enrollment and the providing of aid including princeton tufts university of north carolina at chapel hill and elon university
at princeton and north carolina for example freshman year enrollment is deferred and at least some financial help is provided while elon considers participants enrolled and charges its regular tuition another program offered by the new school in new york city also treats students as enrolled and offers up to a full year of academic credit
florida state university is among the latest campuses to start offering scholarships to gap year students late last year the public institution said applicants could get up to 5000 and sent an email to the entire incoming freshmen class urging them to consider deferring their freshman year
we wanted to spearhead this effort in higher education and to be a leader and to showcase gap years as an important part of the educational system said joe oshea the universitys director of undergraduate research and academic engagement
weve had a really strong response so far mr oshea added its been really exciting
there is growing evidence that as more students discover that postponing their freshmen year is an option many take the opportunity
the exact number of young people who take gap years is not known but the american gap association said its surveys indicate that it has been on a sharp rise for at least a decade at the same time attendance at the national circuit of usa gap year fairs has seen explosive growth in recent years organizers say
this is all great news said mr clagett the st stephens administrator who is a longtime proponent of the gap year movement
asked if there is any downside to gap years he paused in about 40 years of working in higher education he said i have yet to work with a student who has regretted taking a gap year
in a letter to the new york times aaron schwartz a princeton student said his gap year in urubamba peru was the best decision of my life returning volunteers are not only enriched academically he said but they are imbued with a new sense of civic responsibility
so my advice do something different go on an adventure learn a new language you wont regret it


beijing   chinese communist party officials have put an outspoken property tycoon who is a party member on a one year probation for writing online comments criticizing president xi jinpings propaganda policies according to reports published on monday by chinese news websites
the probation means the tycoon ren zhiqiang could be expelled from the party which has more than 85 million members if he steps out of line again the news was announced on a public holiday by party discipline officials in the xicheng district of beijing a sign that the party wanted to get the news out quietly perhaps because of mr rens popular online presence
mr ren wrote comments on his microblog in february questioning a major announcement that month by mr xi that chinese news organizations must serve the party mr ren wrote on his main microblog which had nearly 38 million followers that the chinese news media should serve the people and not the party
mr ren had a reputation for posting contentious statements which earned him the nickname the cannon censors quickly deleted his posts on mr xis new policy and a website managed by the beijing party committees propaganda bureau said mr ren had lost his party spirit and taken up opposing the party
then officials at the cyberspace administration of china which controls internet content decided to muzzle him by deleting his main microblog account which had been hosted on the sina weibo platform
the internet control agency took the unusual step of issuing a long statement explaining its move a spokesman jiang jun said in a written statement issued on feb 28 that internet users have reported that ren zhiqiangs account had been continuously publishing illegal information and the impact was vile
the censure of mr ren came as a surprise to his friends and online followers and some liberal chinese rushed to his defense zhang xin another prominent real estate developer posted news of the deletion of mr rens sina weibo account the day it happened some chinese scholars journalists and party insiders wrote commentary criticizing the censure
the public pushback gave a window into the growing frustration among intellectuals over the broad crackdown by mr xi on freedom of speech
many chinese businesspeople such as mr ren see party membership as useful in part because of the access it allows to officials and the party elite
mr ren did not answer calls made on monday evening to his cellphone
some political analysts also noted that mr ren was a friend of wang qishan   the powerful head of the partys anticorruption agency and an ally of mr xi who has made the fight against corruption in the party a touchstone policy
the analysts said there had been signs for months that there may be tensions or a power struggle underway in the top party ranks between mr wang and liu yunshan the overseer of the vast propaganda apparatus both men are on the seven member politburo standing committee the top governing body in china the analysts said the attack by censors and the internet agency on mr ren might have been a swipe by mr liu and his allies at mr wang
elite party politics in china continues to be opaque under mr xi and there is often speculation of where the major players stand and who wields greater power and influence


hulu until now primarily a rerun service for episodes of broadcast television shows is working to create a more robust offering that would stream entire broadcast and cable channels to consumers for a monthly fee
the still unnamed service was described by three executives with direct knowledge of hulus plans who spoke on the condition of anonymity mike hopkins the chief executive of hulu may discuss the concept at hulus presentation for advertisers on wednesday
hulu is planning to introduce the service early next year while exact pricing details are still being determined the new service is expected to cost about 40 a month
news of the service was reported earlier by the wall street journal
hulu wants to offer what is known as a skinny bundle of broadcast and cable channels   in particular those operated by 21st century fox the walt disney company and comcasts nbcuniversal those three media companies co own hulu
we believe the important takeaway is that this is a way for programmers to take more control of their destiny in a fragmented pay tv ecosystem with heightened risk of skinny bundle inclusionexclusion steven cahall an analyst with rbc capital markets said in a research note on monday
two executives described the development as part of an effort to rethink the way tv companies approach streaming video to make the experience easier for viewers
the new service would not look like a regular cable channel instead offering a more intuitive personalized experience one person said it also would allow for more targeted commercials where advertisers could select particular audiences to see their messages an ad for cat food for example would be aimed at cat owners
offering a combination of live and recorded programming to streaming services required changing traditional rights agreements and the tv companies are expected to start making their programs available to other streaming services in a similar fashion one executive said
other such slimmed down streaming television services include sling tv available for about 20 a month and playstation vue which starts at about 40 a month
the services are aimed at younger consumers who prefer a more tailored streaming experience over a traditional cable or satellite subscription package and customers known as cord cutters who resist paying for bundles of hundreds of cable channels
todd juenger an analyst with sanford c bernstein said in a recent research note that while a new hulu offering would allow tv companies the chance to capitalize on the push toward more tailored bundles it also would come with a number of risks
one major risk could be that traditional cable and satellite distributors might see the new hulu service as a declaration of war that could put at risk the billions of dollars the tv networks receive each year from those traditional distributors
mr juenger painted a picture of future negotiations we expect every future distribution negotiation would start like this why should we carry your networks at all if consumers want them they can buy them directly from you thanks for making our decision easy   youre dropped
another risk is that the networks left out of the new offering might join together to create their own lower cost competitor he said


shopping malls need anchor stores those giant retailers that bring in shoppers with money to spend and some time to browse all the nearby little stores
likewise a high tech region needs an anchor company that giant or at least influential company that draws in technical talent and generates the know how and cash for another generation of start ups and   just maybe   the next big thing to come along
silicon valley and the surrounding region have had these companies for decades from hewlett packard and intel to facebook and google the seattle area has its giants in microsoft and amazon even austin has had its own tech powerhouse in dell though that company has seen better days
but new york the biggest city in the country has plenty of tech companies and plenty of tech workers and it is second   though a distant second   among regional tech investment a giant that can compete with behemoths of silicon valley however remains elusive
this week a group of new york tech executives and investors will unveil an effort some hope will help create an environment where a homegrown company can join the ranks of techs biggest companies
new york may not be able to lure tech minds with the promise of silicon valleys sunny weather but these days its probably a cheaper place to live and thats a good start


pikalevo russia   the factory meeting room where the russian leader vladimir v putin browbeat one of russias richest tycoons in front of cameras from state television has become a shrine hallowed ground where mr putin showed a path out of economic pain for ordinary people and calmed a spasm of worker unrest
it all happened here this is where he solved the future of our factory sergey lyakhov a manager at the sprawling plant said proudly showing off the tidy third floor conference room
but that was nearly seven years ago when mr putin now president was prime minister today the economic troubles that mr putin came here to make a big show of solving are back only worse and involving far more intractable problems than just the trivial greed of tycoons that mr putin blamed for pikalevos tumult in 2009
pikalevo about three hours east of st petersburg and the rest of russia are now mired in the countrys longest recession since mr putin came to power at the end of 1999 with the world bank warning last month that the nations poverty rate would increase this year to 142 percent of the population undoing nearly a decades worth of gains
russias current crisis though largely caused by market forces beyond the kremlins control notably a slump in the prices of oil and gas has pushed mr putin into a corner after years of taking credit for a booming economy which also had little to do with his actions and casting himself as a can do leader capable of untying the toughest economic and political knots he faces a crisis that has exposed the stark limits of his power and prowess
a recent rebound in oil prices has lifted hopes in the kremlin that the worst of russias economic storm has passed but it has also highlighted just how much mr putins fortunes depend on unpredictable and uncontrollable outside forces like the energy market or the economic sanctions imposed by europe and the united states
mr putins power for example does not touch the torrent of slurry a muddy sludge used to make cement that now flows uselessly into an overflowing storage pit the sludge is a byproduct of alumina production at pikalevos biggest industrial plant and it used to feed production at an adjacent cement factory but that factory hammered by slumping demand as a result of russias recession has slashed production and takes only 20 percent or less of the brown muck it used to buy
nor does it touch pikalevos only hotel a dowdy soviet era hostelry where the staff members all middle aged women were recently told that their services were no longer needed as the owner the alumina factory had other unspecified plans for their workplace
mr putins power has not even protected one of his most ardent local supporters the towns mayor dmitry nikolaev who was suspended from his post on april 19 amid a criminal investigation into corrupt payments involving the alumina factory and a construction company
as the leader of the worlds biggest country a nuclear power intent on asserting itself on the world stage mr putin has far more pressing concerns than pikalevos myriad troubles but throughout his 16 years in power whether as president or prime minister mr putin has presented an image of an omniscient and omnipresent leader interested in and capable of addressing his countrys most microscopic concerns
he is ultimately responsible for everything that happens in russia said maxim volkov the chief executive of the pikalevo factory visited in 2009 by mr putin the largest of three interdependent but since the collapse of the soviet union separately owned plants this is very good but also very bad
while praising mr putin as a tough and efficient leader who ended the drift and decay that characterized the rule of president boris n yeltsin in the 1990s mr volkov said the concentration of power in the kremlin had left the president responsible for all the idiots who work under him and for solving all the countys quarrels and problems no matter how small
the government simply cannot resolve every dispute in this country he said
on a nationally televised call in show last month mr putin displayed omnivorous interest in the concerns of ordinary people at the same time he dropped his customary swagger in response to a flood of questions about the economy acknowledging that this year there would be yet more contraction instead of growth as he predicted on the same show last year
it is difficult to say exactly where the bottom lies he conceded russia mr putin said is going through a gray period
nina suslova a veteran worker at the cement factory sees it in hues closer to black she was informed on a recent morning that her job was being split between three people meaning that she would work only a few hours a day and would have her salary slashed accordingly we need to eat we need to pay our bills we can only think about surviving now not about the future ms suslova said during a visit to her trade union representative to appeal for help
such cost cutting maneuvers which keep workers off the unemployment register but in some cases reduce their income to almost nothing are increasingly popular with russian businesses hit hard by the downturn but they are deeply unpopular with a population that had grown accustomed to rising salaries under mr putin
they dont like the word cuts and prefer to say they are optimizing workplaces said elena petrova the trade union representative for ms suslovas cement factory her office wall adorned with portraits of mr putin
the downturn seems to be taking a toll on mr putins standing or at least on faith in his policies as russians fascination and delight with his foreign ventures wanes and pocketbook issues increasingly dominate public worries around half of those polled this year by the independent levada center said they thought russia was moving in the right direction compared with 64 percent last summer
all the same mr putin remains hugely popular with 73 percent of those polled in march saying they trusted the president this was down from 83 percent in the same month last year but still far above what any western leader can muster
ms suslova the disenchanted worker said she had always voted for mr putin had cheered his 2009 visit to pikalevo as offering salvation and had believed his rule would steadily make her life better but she said she now realized that one man cant do everything
for 16 years however the kremlin aided by hagiographic reports on television has been telling and to a large degree convincing russians that in the case of their leader one man could do just about anything and everything
his visit to pikalevo in 2009 helped construct this image but the problem he solved then was relatively simple the three separate private owners of a once unified industrial combine could not agree on the price of the products they supplied to one another and which each needed to keep going starved of vital supplies they halted production leaving workers without work and pikalevos 22000 residents without heat and hot water angry residents blocked a nearby federal highway in protest
in just a few minutes during a televised meeting in june 2009 with the owners including oleg v deripaska a billionaire aluminum magnate who owns the biggest of the three factories mr putin put everything right describing the owners as cockroaches he accused them of making thousands of people hostages to your own ambitions your nonprofessionalism and maybe simply your trivial greed it is absolutely unacceptable
the owners fearful of losing their assets swiftly ended their quarrel behind the scenes the kremlin leaned on gazprom the state controlled gas giant to cut the price of energy to the pikalevo plants and on state owned banks to provide cheap credit
the factory at the center of those troubles mr deripaskas alumina plant is now pumping out its primary product a chemical compound used in aluminum smelting as well as hot water for the whole town and a tide of slurry for the adjacent cement factory that no longer wants it
on a recent day only one of six kilns at the cement plant was operating managers at the plant owned by a russian building materials group called eurocement declined to be interviewed mr volkov who runs the alumina plant said the cement factorys antiquated equipment and plummeting demand for its products left it no hope of recovery
there is no solution he said even if they get their materials for free they still could not compete
and this in a nutshell is the kremlins current nightmare with low global energy prices and western sanctions over the ukraine conflict crimping russias prospects of recovery the economy has hit a wall it simply cannot compete with china the united states or even the european nations that russian state media constantly portray as fading has beens the easy and popular fixes the kremlin used in the past to resuscitate the economy   or at least to placate the public   have all been exhausted
there are few signs however that russians will take to the streets in protest or flock to the banner of a divided and feeble opposition svetlana antropova a local trade union leader who helped organize the highway blockade in 2009 cursed what she called the torture inflicted on pikalevo workers but she said she saw no point in street protests and has instead filed a raft of lawsuits over alleged violations of the labor code she also quit mr putins political party united russia
she said she had received a call recently from a trade union colleague in moscow who asked about setting up a pikalevo branch of yabloko a pro western liberal party critical of the kremlin she said she told him not to bother even trying
asked who is at fault for russias economic troubles she shrugged and said the world market the chinese the europeans frankly i dont know all she knows for sure she said is that ordinary people are suffering


officially its the metropolitan museum of art costume institute benefit a black tie extravaganza held the first monday in may to raise money for the costume institute aka the fashion department the only one of the mets curatorial departments that has to fund itself
unofficially monday nights festivities in new york have been called many things including the party of the year the oscars of the east coast mostly because of the star quotient and the elaborate red carpet in which guests pose on the grand entrance stairs to the museum and somewhat pointedly an atm for the met by the publicist paul wilmot
update see the 2016 red carpet arrivals here
the party signals the opening of the costume institutes annual blockbuster show and it is known for its celebrity and fashion hosts
this year the exhibit is manus x machina fashion in an age of technology and the hosts are anna wintour chairwoman of the gala jonathan ive chief design officer of apple taylor swift and the actor idris elba


berlin   long before he became a global web fascination for using his mouth and his nose and   he swears   his soul to make nature sounds spring from a microphone like a geyser from the ground gennady tkachenko papizh was a show business chameleon
there is little it seems that the russian born mr tkachenko papizh has not tried his journeyman career including stints as a singer comedian and mime has ranged from the swarthy his turn as django the drifter gypsy hit man on a russian mafia show to the absurdly sublime he is close friends with and has worked alongside slava polunin the russian clown what else he has made a one man show about robots he has played a pirate despite all this versatility however widespread renown did not arrive for mr tkachenko papizh 52 until march
that was when while sitting at a cafe here checking his smartphone he saw that miss arab usa   who is a 22 year old brooklyn born syrian named fabiola al ibrahim   had for some reason posted to her facebook page a video of mr tkachenko papizh competing on a talent show in the former soviet republic of georgia this will take you to another world she promised of the link which leads to about three minutes of mr tkachenko papizh vocalizing the sounds of crickets bird wings rustling water dripping and hyper dramatized operatic chanting
the show georgias got talent is about what you might expect from spectacles like this anywhere there are singers and dancers and the occasional seminude couple roller skating dangerously atop a coffee table yes they are worth a look yet mr tkachenko papizhs performance which he began by solemnly intoning let us try to feel what the mother earth wants to tell us resonated more deeply
i was just astonished that one man had the power and talent to produce such sounds ms al ibrahim said in an email it reminded me that we as humans are capable of so much which we tend to forget gennady was a good reminder of that
the video on miss arab usas page has logged more than 70 million views and inspired more than 102000 comments   mostly unbridled encomiums with viewers gushing about the performances spiritual cosmic harmony its primordial eloquence and its channeling of a world where suffering has finished there are also a few who question whether mr tkachenko papizh is perhaps an alien being used as a vessel to deliver a message
one of the judges on the show a georgian actress named ruska makashvili who appeared to find the performance almost erotic said she understood the universal appeal of mr tkachenko papizh because he has an amazing voice and was being real
mr tkachenko papizh for his part allows that angels speak to me while he is performing still he is very much human he said and thus dealing with the aftereffects of becoming an overnight web sensation a crush of overtures from fans business executives agents and would be collaborators has flooded his email in box and facebook account leaving him to sort out how to best capitalize on his new visibility
he said that he hoped to travel to london soon to record an album and had been negotiating with a producer regarding a possible project
in germany he has begun working with steve last he said who is the nephew of james last a big band legend
about 90 percent want me in electronica mr tkachenko papizh said over lunch at a restaurant here recently he frowned this kind of music doesnt interest me he added before noting somewhat vaguely that an asian princess has asked me about performing for her charity and she is talking with my wife about it
such a change however should not be seen as the act of a developing prima donna mr tkachenko papizh who arrived to two recent meetings on his bicycle and favors casual cotton shirts topped with a patchy vest said he was not especially interested in being wealthy he lives here with his wife larissa porkhimovich who is a financial auditor and their two young children he also has an older son from a previous relationship and he said that he is most interested in simply harnessing this gift i have which has a magical effect
it has taken some adjustment for his wife i think he really likes testing trying things she said it can be a little strange   sometimes i am in the house and i will just hear sounds like a bird flying but it is inside but that is who he is
mr tkachenko papizh first dabbled with imitating sounds as a young boy he said initially approximating musical instruments like a guitar or a ukulele his mother taught him how to use his nose to augment his noises and years later he found himself surrounded by a crowd after he broke into an impromptu performance near a campfire at a yoga retreat
a lot of people say they dont need a drug anymore that this is an alternative he said my sounds get them to a state where they are much more under the influence than drugs i dont know if it is true but they tell me this
regardless the nature sounds were not a key part of his repertory in his earlier days as he studied the circus arts drama and the bel canto opera method in russia before bouncing among various shows and theaters including a long stint at the theater buff in st petersburg
now however he is focusing on his sounds his 8 year old son tim antony tries to create sounds of his own too and the pair recently found a practice room with excellent acoustics near the swimming pool of their hotel while on vacation in the czech republic
but generally mr tkachenko papizh finds rehearsing to be impractical preferring to leave each performance as an organic compilation of whatever enters his mind at the moment
if i think too much it feels like my wings are tied and i cannot fly he said i am not free
some routines do take at least basic planning   mr tkachenko papizh occasionally integrates dancers into his shows   but the goal is not to be flawless in georgias got talent for example he did not win nor even make the final a girl with a remarkable singing voice won that edition but he said he did not care
winning was not the purpose and never has been
i am still trying to understand the power of my skill he said people have told me you should teach this you should organize a master class even but i tell them no
he shrugged for me to teach it he said would mean that i actually know what it is that i am doing


if you were contracting for a kitchen remodeling youd probably solicit bids and select the lowest one that meets your quality standard many goods and services purchased by the government are bought in a similar way including certain medical equipment like walkers and wheelchairs for medicare patients
but a big part of medicare isnt private coverage through medicare advantage and that accounts for about a quarter of medicares budget and a third of its enrollees
its odd since such competitive bidding approaches are part of both republican and democratic efforts to expand health insurance competitive bidding is built into medicares prescription drug program   passed by a republican congress and signed by president bush in 2003 and its built into the insurance marketplaces established by the affordable care act   passed by a democratic congress and signed by president obama in 2010
both kinds of plans are subsidized with government payments set by a competitive bidding process individuals enrolled in plans that cost more than the government subsidy have to pay the difference a source of downward competitive pressure on costs and bids
now the white house is proposing a plan for medicare advantage to inject more competition which the administration says would save 77 billion over 10 years but the plan seems doomed if past efforts are any guide
medicare advantage plans submit bids to the government that reflect their estimated costs for provision of medicares standard benefit the current approach to paying those plans tries to incentivize lower bids but is not true competitive bidding the government payments are established by comparing plans bids with a price set by the government not with one another it would be like paying your kitchen remodeler an amount you previously established somehow and turning a blind eye to the extent it exceeds the contractors bids the result the government pays a typical medicare advantage plan more than 5 percent above its bid
a perverse consequence of a lack of competition is that plans can garner additional government payment by upcoding or making their enrollees appear sicker than they really are medicare pays plans more for sicker patients because such patients cost more but this assessment is based on patient medical records which can be influenced by the plans in subtle ways
for instance plans may include doctors in their networks who tend to more aggressively code diagnoses they may also provide electronic tools or training that make it easier to do so another tactic is to require annual exams or to provide home visits both approaches catch medical problems that might not otherwise be diagnosed some though not all of the additional diagnoses may be useful catching serious conditions early
government audits of 201 patient records from each of five health plans released last year found upcoding in 80 percent of cases and an investigation by the center for public integrity found that upcoding accounted for nearly 70 billion in additional payments to medicare advantage plans from 2008 through 2013
it amounts to 640 per medicare advantage enrollee per year absent any correction by the government said timothy layton a postdoctoral research fellow at the harvard medical school he is the co author of a recent study of medicare advantage upcoding along with a health economist at the university of texas michael geruso though payment adjustments by medicare reduce the impact to about 120 per person per year upcoding still costs a total of 2 billion annually according to the study
under the new white house proposal the government would solicit bids from medicare advantage plans then pay those plans no more than the average bid plus 5 percent
the administrations proposed approach would resemble how the government pays obamacare marketplace plans and medicare drug plans but there are important differences the subsidy for a medicare drug plan is based on plans average bids   not 5 percent above them as is proposed for medicare advantage plans the government subsidy for lower income individuals and families for marketplace plans is tied to the price of a silver rated plan with the second lowest premium   not the average premium as proposed for medicare advantage plans competitive bidding approaches based on the lowest or second lowest bid save considerably more money than those based on average bids
the administrations competitive bidding proposal would likely reduce the fiscal consequences of upcoding mr layton said plans could still upcode to garner additional payment but any attempt to retain that additional revenue as profit would be undercut by a lower bid from another plan
the debate over competitive bidding for medicare plans often turns on whether traditional medicare should be included this is essentially medicares public option the coverage provided directly by the government doing so would cause the premiums for traditional medicare to rise in markets where private plans have lower costs putting it out of reach for some beneficiaries
some policy experts argue that this is an expected outcome because private plans could devise benefits packages attractive to healthier and less costly enrollees while traditional medicares benefit package is constrained by laws and regulations to cover the broader population others argue that shielding traditional medicare from price competition   as the administrations proposal would   saves less money and perpetuates a less efficient form of coverage
this explains why competitive bidding   despite its bipartisan pedigree   is so vexing to politicians those who seek to preserve traditional medicare as an option want to protect it from competitive bidding those who think it deserves as newt gingrich put it to wither on the vine advocate subjecting it to direct competition along with other medicare advantage plans these are mutually exclusive and widely held preferences fracturing any possible broad coalition for competitive bidding
no one is too sanguine about chances for success of the current proposal because five similar efforts have failed in the recent past all were halted by congress amid objections from health care insurers providers and medicare beneficiaries
there is really no political constituency for competition robert reischauer former congressional budget office director said when a mid 2000s effort failed it is still true today




hong kong   an official who oversaw a demolition project in southern china has stepped down and two others have been dismissed state news media reported on monday after a video showing law enforcement officers beating women and at least one child circulated on social media prompting widespread criticism
seven officers who were filmed kicking and hitting residents of the village of qionghua in haikou a city on the southern island province of hainan were also detained over the weekend the haikou government said
workers had been trying to remove people from houses that scheduled for demolition the local government said the houses had been built illegally
the video shows members of a local police auxiliary unit known as a joint defense team kicking and clubbing women and a child as they sat in a dusty street the sound of cries filling the air
huang hongru who oversees the district that encompasses qionghua stepped down to take the blame for the episode and two deputy officials were dismissed the state news agency xinhua reported on monday
the local authorities said that some people had thrown rocks and lit fireworks and gas canisters in an effort to resist the officers and 11 had been detained on saturday beijing youth daily reported
people who see this video will feel a stab of pain officers wearing law enforcement uniforms brandishing clubs striking women and children cowering at the foot of a wall the scene filled with cries read a commentary published on monday by the beijing news if you use clubs to deal with women and children even if you are justified in targeting illegal construction youll be condemned from all sides
the haikou government said a group of officials visited people who were assaulted to offer apologies but comments posted to the citys official weibo account indicated this had done little to assuage public anger as some called for more officials to be dismissed
property and land rights in china are frequent sources of conflict which can sometimes spiral into violence the disputes are often over efforts to tear down houses to redevelop valuable land moves that are usually backed by local officials seeking to increase economic growth and tax revenue from land sales such clashes have sometimes resulted in the deaths of residents and workers and in suicides by people trying to defend their homes


washington   early in 2011 after a hectic visit to yemen secretary of state hillary clinton landed in the tranquil arab sultanate of oman she was there to talk to sultan qaboos bin said about an idea one of his envoys first pitched to the state department in the spring of 2009 that oman serve as a conduit for secret nuclear talks between the united states and iran
mrs clinton agreed to explore the proposal but was dubious that it would go anywhere even under the best of circumstances she wrote later this was a long shot it would be 18 months before she took up the sultan on his offer and dispatched a team of diplomats to oman to meet with the iranians
mrs clinton however was not the only prominent american making discreet trips to oman in those days senator john f kerry then the chairman of the senate foreign relations committee and later her successor as secretary of state was holding his own meetings with sultan qaboos and his trusted emissary a businessman named salem ben nasser al ismaily
mr kerry came away convinced that oman could deliver iranians who spoke for their top leaders and he urged president obama and mrs clinton to open a back channel
hillary and company were skeptical he said in an interview the president on the other hand was intrigued by the prospect of an omani channel twice telephoning the sultan to ask him about it he was genuinely curious about trying to find an out of the box approach to change the dynamic mr kerry recalled
the iran nuclear deal signed last year after months of direct negotiations with iranian officials is likely to be remembered as mr obamas most consequential diplomatic achievement in mrs clintons campaign to succeed him she is claiming her share of the credit for it the multinational sanctions regime that she cobbled together helped pull irans government to the bargaining table the team she eventually sent to oman she likes to say set the table for mr kerrys diplomatic banquet
but the behind the scenes story of mrs clintons role is more complicated than her public account of it interviews with more than a dozen current and former administration officials paint a portrait of a highly cautious ambivalent diplomat less willing than mr obama to take risks to open a dialogue with iran and increasingly wary of mr kerrys freelance diplomacy her decision to send her own team some officials said was driven as much by her desire to corral mr kerry as to engage the iranians
mrs clinton who declined to comment for this article worried that he was promising too much to lure the iranians to the table   a worry shared by people in the white house the senators aides meanwhile suspected that mrs clinton was content to run out the clock on an opening at one point a frustrated mr kerry told his chief of staff david wade if this is going to go anywhere we have to get people in a room talking
defenders of mrs clinton say that her distrust of iran was warranted and that her success in lining up the sanctions makes her the best candidate to handle the next phase of the relationship enforcing the nuclear agreement
shes built one coalition that was tremendously effective in imposing sanctions said jake sullivan mrs clintons top policy adviser at the state department who was a member of the team sent to oman for the talks if it comes to it she can rally the world to both deter and punish iran
the secret history of the iran nuclear diplomacy parts of which have never been reported before lays bare stark differences between mrs clinton and mr obama going back to the 2008 campaign over how to approach one of americas most intractable foes
they shared the same tactic which was engagement but they envisioned different endgames said karim sadjadpour an expert on iran at the carnegie endowment for international peace the presidents endgame was im a guy who can bridge differences ive bridged races and countries all my life so im going to be able to resolve this
clinton had a more cynical view of the endgame he continued were going to engage them not because we think theyre going to reciprocate but because when they rebuff us it will expose the fact that the problem lies in tehran and not in washington
few would have expected mrs clinton to be in the vanguard of an overture to iran during the 2008 campaign she ridiculed mr obamas pledge to hold talks with irans leaders without preconditions she warned iran that if it ever launched a nuclear strike on israel the united states would totally obliterate it
yet the secret channels origins go back to her own special adviser on iran dennis b ross who got a visit at the state department on memorial day weekend in 2009 from mr ismaily he came bearing a sheet of paper outlining an offer by iran to negotiate with the obama administration on a range of issues including the countrys nuclear program as well as its support for hezbollah
as a general rule mr ross said he viewed such proposals not with a grain of salt but a small ton of salt but he had gotten to know the omanis through his work on middle east peace issues in the 1990s and he knew their ties to the iranians were genuine he said he decided to pass along mr ismailys proposal with a caveat laden cover memo to mrs clinton she told mr ross to keep talking to him
a few weeks later the iranian authorities cracked down brutally on antigovernment protesters dashing mr ismailys hopes to set up a channel and prompting the white house to shift from a strategy of engaging tehran to one of pressuring it mrs clinton lobbied china and other countries in the united nations security council to impose harsh new sanctions on iran a step widely seen as a crucial lever against the iranians
around that time mr ismaily got another chance to demonstrate his skills as an intermediary he negotiated the release of three young americans who had been arrested by iranian guards while hiking on the border between iran and iraqi kurdistan oman paid bail for the three hikers roughly 500000 each
in december 2010 several weeks after the release of the first american mr ross and a senior official on the national security council puneet talwar secretly traveled to oman to hear from sultan qaboos himself how he thought a channel could work they were impressed by what the sultan told them he had visited the supreme leader of iran ayatollah ali khamenei and was confident of the countrys seriousness in seeking a nuclear deal
the next january mrs clinton stopped in muscat the capital of oman for her own briefing she expressed doubts that the iranians could negotiate in good faith but she agreed to put it to a test mr obama was more intrigued he called sultan qaboos twice over the next few months to ask him about whether he could deliver iranians who could speak with the authority of the supreme leader the white house intent on secrecy did not disclose the calls
mr kerry had long nourished the idea of opening lines of communication to iran and he saw his chance when he got involved in trying to free the hikers that put him in contact with the sultan and his emissary mr ismaily confirmed this account but declined to speak on the record about his role in the nuclear talks
mr kerry visited oman in late 2011 and the first half of 2012 spending hours with the sultan discussing the possibility of secret talks with iran he also met with mr ismaily   sometimes in london and rome other times in washington later in a one on one meeting with mr obama in the oval office mr kerry told him that the only way to test its potential was to meet the iranians
the state department and the national security council however deliberated for months without making a decision
in his zeal to jump start negotiations mr kerry passed several messages to the iranians through mr ismaily the senator was coordinating his talking points with mr obamas national security adviser thomas e donilon with whom he had a close relationship but his aggressive approach alarmed mrs clinton as well as people at the white house several former officials said they worried that mr kerry had promised the iranians concessions on enriching uranium that the white house was not yet willing to make
mr kerry these officials said indicated to the iranians that the united states would acknowledge at the outset of the talks that iran had a right to enrich uranium for a civil nuclear energy program iran had long demanded that concession claiming it was guaranteed by the nuclear nonproliferation treaty but the united states had steadfastly refused and the obama administration was at that moment debating how and when to relax that position
mr kerry denies ever signaling to iran that it had a right to enrich we made it crystal clear to them he said at the same time he held out to the iranians the prospect of their having a peaceful nuclear program and he was dismissive of hard liners in israel and the united states who demanded that iran dismantle its nuclear infrastructure
in the fragile atmosphere of early 2012 officials said mr kerrys forward leaning style came to be viewed as a liability mrs clinton and mr obama worried that the iranians would believe mr kerry was speaking for the president
sometime that spring mr obama decided that it was time for the executive branch to take over the negotiations mr kerry did not protest believing that he had taken the process as far as a senator could three years later in vienna as secretary of state he would lead weeks of grinding talks that produced a final agreement
after she left the state department mrs clinton diverged from mr obama on a central tactical question whether to impose harsh new sanctions on the iranians after they elected hassan rouhani who had run for president seeking better relations with the west to ease irans economic isolation mrs clinton was swayed by many in congress as well as by prime minister benjamin netanyahu of israel who argued iran was so desperate for a deal that tightening the vise would have extracted better terms
she would have squeezed them again a person who has worked with her for several years said and the only debate is what they would have done
mr obama feared that ratcheting up the pressure would undercut mr rouhani unravel the sanctions coalition and doom his diplomatic efforts he persuaded the senate to hold off on new sanctions mrs clinton never made her differences with mr obama public and she has publicly endorsed his nuclear deal though with more caveats than her former boss
its not enough just to say yes to this deal she declared last october we have to say yes and yes and we will enforce it with vigor and vigilance yes and we will embed it in a broader strategy to confront irans bad behavior in the region yes and we will begin from day 1 to set the conditions so iran knows it will never be able to get a nuclear weapon


london   the dutch chapter of the environmental activist group greenpeace on monday disclosed a trove of documents from the talks over a proposed trade deal between the european union and the united states
the documents greenpeace said showed that american trade negotiators had pressed their european counterparts to loosen important environmental and consumer protections along with other provisions
but american and european trade officials while not denying the validity of the materials insisted on monday that the documents   248 pages which greenpeace said amounted to two thirds of the latest negotiating text   merely represented negotiating positions and that the criticisms were off base
still the disclosures and criticisms are unlikely to speed the talks which already seem to have little chance of making progress until after the united states elects its next president in november   if even then given how rancorous foreign trade has become in the american political debate
the deal known as the transatlantic trade and investment partnership would cover a huge range of goods and services between the worlds largest national economy and the worlds largest single market spanning telecommunications agricultural products textiles intellectual property financial services and regulatory compatibility
in one of the negotiating documents   a chapter on sanitary and phytosanitary measures   american negotiators made repeated references to improving cooperation over products of modern agricultural technology
the united states proposal clearly indicates their pressure to get rid of trade barriers for genetically modified organisms jorgo riss the director of greenpeaces european unit said in a telephone interview the proposal also refers to a global low level presence initiative which mr riss said was an american backed initiative to gain global acceptance of agricultural exports containing traces of unauthorized genetically modified organisms
in general opposition to genetically modified organisms or gmos tends to be stronger in europe than in the united states mr riss acknowledged there was no direct reference to gmos in the documents but said the language clearly was aimed at promoting their acceptance
negotiations over the accord began in july 2013 the latest round the 13th concluded friday in new york
after decades of free trade orthodoxy there has been growing resistance to further liberalizing the movement of goods services capital and labor fueled by fears that the benefits have flowed disproportionately to corporations investors and well educated workers   and that the harm to less educated workers has outweighed the benefits to consumers in the united states the two leading contenders for president donald j trump and hillary clinton have expressed skepticism about trade deals
last month mr obama traveled to a manufacturing fair in hanover germany to join the german chancellor angela merkel in urging the acceleration of negotiations while expressing confidence that the talks would wrap up this year mr obama who will leave office in january acknowledged that time is not on our side
that was an implicit acknowledgment of the skepticism held by mrs clinton the democratic front runner toward multilateral trade agreements
so mondays revelations   like the panama papers which disclosed vast amounts of information about offshore wealth held by global elites   could further complicate efforts to complete the trade talks even if there did not appear to be big bombshells within the documents
perhaps the most sensitive issues are outlined in a document describing the tactical state of play on both sides the document says for example that different approaches to animal testing remain irreconcilable many american made cosmetics use ultraviolet filters for which animal testing is used to assess safety the european union bans such testing on animals
the americans expressed particular sensitivity over tariffs on dairy sugar and tobacco while the europeans wanted restrictions on wine labeling included in the accord
greenpeace accused the american negotiators of trying to weaken environmental protection standards of taking a laxer approach to product regulation than the europeans and of trying to give corporate lobbyists greater say in decision making
these leaked documents confirm what we have been saying for a long time ttip would put corporations at the center of policy making to the detriment of environment and public health mr riss said we have known that the eu position was bad now we see the us position is even worse
the sierra club which has published a critique of trade deals said it was dismayed that the words climate change were not mentioned once in the 248 pages
the group said the documents showed the americans were proposing to allow corporations to petition for the repeal of a regulation if it was more burdensome than necessary to achieve its objective given its impact on trade the documents also showed it said that the europeans had proposed allowing certain environmental standards to be deemed technical barriers to trade which could weaken labels requiring the disclosure of the climate footprint of a product or service
the sierra club also warned that the text included trade rules that could be used against buy local programs that support local clean energy jobs in nearly two dozen american states
although the disclosures may have been embarrassing officials on both sides tried to contain the fallout
the interpretations being given to these texts appear to be misleading at best and flat out wrong at worst said matthew mcalvanah an assistant united states trade representative
in a statement he said the accord would preserve not undermine our strong consumer health environmental standards and position the us and the eu to work together to push standards higher around the world
in a blog post cecilia malmstrom who as the european commissioner for trade is leading the 28 nation blocs negotiations with the united states said that many of todays alarmist headlines are a storm in a teacup
ms malmstrom said that the documents reflect each sides negotiating position nothing else referring to genetically modified organisms which are of particular concern to many european consumers she added no eu trade agreement will ever lower our level of protection of consumers or food safety or of the environment trade agreements will not change our laws on gmos or how to produce safe beef or how to protect the environment


for a year and a half halliburton and baker hughes two big oil field services companies had been focused on their 35 billion merger that distraction even as commodity prices deteriorated and their peers cut costs to survive is finally over
the two companies announced in a statement on sunday that they had decided to terminate their merger the news came after an excruciatingly long regulatory review process that culminated in a lawsuit last month by the justice department to block the deal on antitrust grounds
while both companies expected the proposed merger to result in compelling benefits to shareholders customers and other stakeholders challenges in obtaining remaining regulatory approvals and general industry conditions that severely damaged deal economics led to the conclusion that termination is the best course of action said dave lesar chairman and chief executive of halliburton in sundays statement
the deal was one that raised eyebrows from the start on whether it would get past regulators the two companies were seeking to band together to compete with the likes of schlumberger and in the meantime to erase billions in costs related to operations and research and development things changed drastically soon after the deal was signed in november 2014 oil prices sank to their lowest levels in years a burden that has affected the entire industry
sales of assets which were necessary to appease regulators concerns that the combination was just too big suddenly became more challenged would be buyers turned inward to manage their own business during the downturn and private equity stayed on the sidelines
with the companies inability to shrink the justice department sued in april to block the deal saying it would eliminate vital competition skew energy markets and harm american consumers that left the companies with little will to fight
what halliburton may have miscalculated here is the severity of the downturn and certainly the appetite of the department of justice to flex its muscles in a large corporate merger said matt marietta an analyst at stephens inc
as compensation for the breakup halliburton agreed to pay baker hughes 35 billion by may 4 according to sundays statement it is a lofty price especially when cash flow is tight in the energy industry
that high fee was necessary because the deal almost did not happen two years ago the two companies struggled initially in the fall of 2014 to find a suitable price and breakup fee but then halliburton threatened to turn over baker hughess board to restart discussions the plan worked with halliburton raising its bid and agreeing to a larger than average fee if the deal were to fail to win regulatory approval at the time the fee was a symbolic commitment from halliburton to do whatever it took to make sure the deal cleared the justice department
as stand alone companies though analysts say both halliburton and baker hughes should be able to survive halliburton has about 10 billion of cash on its balance sheet that it could use toward the breakup fee or potentially other transactions according to data by sp capital iq
i dont see a risk of either of the companies being bankruptcy risks mr marietta said i think both companies are well positioned to manage through the downturn
shares of both companies have surged about 20 percent each since the justice departments lawsuit was disclosed on april 6 for many investors the lawsuit was a way of dissipating the cloud of uncertainty that had covered the deal for 18 months
the move by the justice department was the latest tough stance from an administration that has been seen as taking more aggressive actions against large deals the previous one was pfizers attempted 152 billion merger with allergan which was terminated after the treasury department came out with new tax related rules that eliminated many of the benefits of the deal
the european commission the european unions executive body also raised concerns about the halliburton baker hughes deal
the transaction raised competition concerns on a very large number of markets related to oil field services provided to oil and gas exploration and production companies in europe margrethe vestager the european union competition commissioner said in a statement
she said that a number of customers contacted us to raise issues with the proposed transaction
the date by which halliburton and baker hughes would have to decide whether to continue on their path of regulatory approval or terminate their merger agreement was extended to april 30 as a result halliburton postponed its earnings call to tuesday which many analysts assumed was done to discuss the deal
since the downturn started at the end of 2014 halliburton has reduced its head count by about a third the company said in its april 22 earnings statement the company also said it would reduce the infrastructure that it had kept in anticipation of a deal with baker hughes both companies have experienced significant slumps in revenue and reduced rig counts over the year


security lines at airports are getting longer   much longer   and wait times could reach epidemic levels when air travel peaks this summer according to airlines airports and federal officials
a combination of fewer transportation security administration screeners tighter budgets new checkpoint procedures and growing numbers of passengers is already creating a mess at airports around the country
while federal security officials say they are hiring and training hundreds of additional screening officers matters are not expected to improve anytime soon
airline and airport officials have said they fear that the current slowdown will last through the year and could cause a summer travel meltdown when more than 220 million passengers are expected to fly during the peak travel months of july and august
this is going to be a rough summer there is no doubt about it said gary rasicot who was recently appointed to a newly created position as the tsas chief of operations we are probably not at the staffing level we would like to be to address the volume this is why we are talking about people getting to the airport a little earlier than planned
to deal with the expected crowds mr rasicot said the agency planned to assign 768 new officers to the busiest airports by june 15 the agency is also allocating an extra 26 million for overtime pay and is looking for ways to move its explosive sniffing dogs where they will have the most effect on reducing wait times
already passengers have reported epic lines
travelers have seen lines stretching to the curb snaking to other terminal levels or even extending into different concourses
some have managed to handle the situation with humor
others have not been quite as forgiving
at charlotte douglas international airport in north carolina about 600 passengers missed their flights on march 25 because an inadequate number of screeners led to waits exceeding three hours airport officials said brent d cagle the airports interim director of aviation complained to the tsa calling the episode a fiasco
this situation could have been avoided had the tsa had the proper staffing or overtime budget necessary to meet customer demand mr cagle wrote in a letter to the security agency tsa officials denied that the wait had ever been that long telling local reporters that it had been 75 minutes for a short time
this was far from an isolated incident airports in atlanta miami new york seattle denver and chicago among others have all experienced similar problems in recent months
last month denver airport advised travelers to get to the airport as much as three hours before their flights still people waited for more than an hour and a half to clear security
airport workers walked up and down the line with therapy dogs and handed out bottled water and candy to travelers according to one report the airport accused the tsa of providing an inadequate number of screeners on what was an average saturday
tsa officials say the main reason for the longer lines is an increase in the number of travelers this year
where it starts is actually a volume issue said mr rasicot who was previously a senior official with the united states coast guard as was the tsas administrator peter v neffenger its really a good news story the economy is doing well americans are traveling more and this equates with record numbers at our checkpoints
at the same time he said the number of tsa screeners has declined by about 5800 because of tighter budgets the agency currently has 42350 agents assigned for security checks
we need to stop losing people and we need to add more he said
he said some airlines were helping by assigning their own employees to perform some tasks like helping direct passengers to the right lanes or advising them on when to take off their shoes
still many passengers complained that the agency seemed ill prepared to handle the crowds
ben cheever a support engineer for a cybersecurity firm recently missed a flight in seattle despite getting to the airport two hours ahead of his 6 pm departure to san diego two lines spilled into the airport lobby he said a third was reserved for passengers who had signed up to a trusted traveler program called tsa precheck that allowed them speedier access
after 90 minutes the tsa opened a couple of extra lanes but he still missed his flight it was too little too late he said the next day he showed up three hours ahead of time it was the most miserable business trip ive ever had
american airlines said that the slower security lines had forced it to delay flights and rebook passengers who had missed connections for instance in a one week period in mid march the airline said about 6800 of its passengers missed their flights after being stuck in tsa lines too long
tsa lines at checkpoints nationwide have become unacceptable said ross feinstein a spokesman for american airlines lines grew in january february and march and now in april too we are really concerned about what happens in the summer
another factor that lengthens wait times is that passengers are carrying more bags on board to avoid paying fees for checked luggage
but theres not much airlines can do except warn passengers to show up three hours before takeoff for international flights and as much as two hours ahead of their flights for domestic travel
there are other factors at play as well last year the agency vowed to make changes to security and screening procedures to address widespread safety lapses that had been uncovered by the department of homeland securitys inspector general
the audit found that agents had failed to spot weapons and explosives in 95 percent of the undercover tests the findings prompted criticism by some former and current tsa employees who claimed that the agency was keen to keep passengers moving quickly through the lines
in response the tsa stopped randomly processing some passengers who had not enrolled in a prescreening program to go through its expedited precheck lanes
it eliminated a program known as managed inclusion ii which let officers trained in behavior detection direct some passengers through the faster precheck lanes after checking them for explosives using trace detection samplings
now tsa agents send unvetted passengers through the precheck lanes only if they have been checked by explosive sniffing dogs while waiting in line that policy is called managed inclusion i
meanwhile tsa agents have been finding record numbers of guns and other weapons that passengers are barred from carrying on the plane
both the airlines and the tsa said that one way to alleviate the longer wait is to sign up for precheck which allows eligible passengers to go through the speedier lanes without having to take off their shoes and belts or remove laptops and other electronic devices from their bags
so far seven million people have enrolled in one of several trusted traveler programs including 25 million in the tsa precheck program and 25 million in global entry a program run by customs and border protection
there is an 85 application fee for the tsa program and a 100 fee for global entry both are valid for five years
the tsa has added more precheck lanes but the number of people enrolled still falls well short of the 25 million the tsa would like to sign up
even passengers with precheck have had close calls
anne marie harrison a wine saleswoman who has signed up for precheck and who flies out of newark liberty international airport about twice a month said she nearly missed her flight after waiting more than an hour recently
that day the security line started downstairs in the baggage check in area that was odd she said especially for a sunday morning when the airport was usually empty
something needs to be done she said it is just crazy
still not everyone is complaining


an australian entrepreneur claimed on monday to be the creator of the online currency bitcoin within hours the skepticism started
whether the truth is ultimately uncovered the hunt for the founders identity is part of the new reality of the online age a vast array of new tools and technologies make it ever easier to hide in the vast digital ocean that is the internet   and all the more difficult to put a face to every screen name
the identity debate is crucial for bitcoin as those in the virtual currency community take sides over its direction some purists want to maintain bitcoins outsider status underscored by the mystique surrounding its founder others see an opportunity to expand bitcoin into the commercial realm making it more vulnerable to speculation and uncertainty
craig steven wright the computer programmer who claimed in interviews with the bbc the economist and gq to be the currencys progenitor said that he had come forward to quell the rumors while mr wright was first identified as bitcoins founder in december 2015 by wired magazine and the technology website gizmodo he remained silent then
mr wright said that he now wanted to dispel any negative myths and fears about the virtual currency i cannot allow the misinformation that has been spread to impact the future of bitcoin he said
he didnt offer further insight in the timing of his announcement and he declined an interview request through a representative at the outside organisation a public relations company
if his claims prove true mr wright could help shape the debate over the future of bitcoin the direction of the virtual currency is at an impasse ahead of a major bitcoin conference on monday
but many technical experts including some of the leading bitcoin developers said that mr wrights evidence did not prove he was the digital currencys creator identified by the pseudonym satoshi nakamoto
it would take the real satoshi about five minutes to provide conclusive proof to the entire bitcoin community if the real satoshi wanted to do that said joseph bonneau a researcher at the applied crypto group at stanford university
then there were the enthusiasts who sought to play down the importance of the founders identity the creator they argued has remained anonymous for years and the currencys popularity has grown regardless
mr wright is a lot like those very difficult geeknerdblatherers that turn minor it support into a social drama ian grigg a crypto currency researcher wrote in a blog entry
satoshi was more than a name it was a concept a secret a team a vision now satoshi lives on in a new form   changed he added much of the secret is gone but the vision is still there
in the world of cybercrimes and encryption finding the human behind the computer is the exception not the rule
the leaker of the panama papers the trove of documents that exposed offshore accounts used by the rich and powerful remains anonymous the digital culprits who stole more than 80 million from bangladeshs central bank remain at large and there is still no concrete indication of the perpetrators of the hack against sony in 2014
the creator of the illicit internet market called the silk road known in part for its reliance on bitcoin was confirmed only by an operation in which he was grabbed at a san francisco library with his laptop open before that all that was known about him was an intriguing screen name dread pirate roberts
the latest twist in bitcoins origins story is likely to feed the power vacuum that has plagued the virtual currency
while a decentralized nature is at bitcoins core it has also led to internal reflection over its evolution bitcoins longtime backers have recently split over the proper way to expand the network
founded as a digital competitor to existing currencies bitcoin has moved more into the mainstream of late financial institutions are putting resources into researching how they can use the blockchain the currencys communal digital ledger to make transactions faster and cheaper competition too has risen with a host of new virtual currencies like ethereum and the growth of the bitcoin system has stalled
the mystery of bitcoins founder has been central to its cachet ever since it surfaced in 2009 yet the creator has also been mostly silent since bitcoin rose to prominence
if mr wrights claims can be confirmed they open a whole new set of issues for bitcoin does its creator have more power than others who have played a major role in its development if the founder asserts authority over its direction does that undercut the very power of the currency as a decentralized system
mr wrights revelation was made just before a large bitcoin conference began in new york on monday after the announcement the price of bitcoin fell about 10
satoshi as the creator became known communicated only by electronic message and never revealed his or her true identity before cutting off all communication in 2011 that has led to frequent speculation about the identity of satoshi   speculation that has so far proved wrong
in perhaps the most notable case newsweek claimed in 2014 that the founder was dorian satoshi nakamoto a physicist living in california the revelation fueled a reporter driven car chase of mr nakamoto across los angeles an indication of the tabloid level curiosity behind bitcoins originator dorian nakamoto eventually denied being the bitcoin founder
if mr wright is perpetrating a hoax it is a rather elaborate one
to back up his claims the bbc said mr wright had provided digitally signed messages using cryptographic keys inextricably linked to bitcoins generated by satoshi nakamoto mr wright also posted evidence on his blog including a technical walk through of how to verify cryptographic keys
i didnt take the decision lightly to make my identity public mr wright said in a news release and i want to be clear that im doing this because i care so passionately about my work
soon after the stories were published in wired and gizmodo the australian federal police raided mr wrights home in suburban sydney in connection with a tax investigation the australian tax authorities said at the time that they had determined that mr wright was not satoshi nakamoto
gavin andresen who succeeded satoshi nakamoto as the lead bitcoin developer wrote monday on his blog that he believed mr wrights claim mr andresen has pushed for a bigger bitcoin a strategy mr wright also appears to back
after spending time with him i am convinced beyond a reasonable doubt craig wright is satoshi mr andresen wrote during our meeting i saw the brilliant opinionated focused generous   and privacy seeking   person that matches the satoshi i worked with six years ago
but the bitcoin community was not in consensus
another of the leading developers working on bitcoins basic software gregory maxwell said that the evidence presented by mr wright was not enough to convince him it demonstrates no connection between this person and bitcoins creation mr maxwell wrote in an email to the times
a programmer who is in charge of the bitcoin discussion boards michael marquardt wrote on reddit   under the screen name theymos   that mr wrights new writings suggest an effort to deceive the public and the main reddit page dedicated to bitcoin was full of discussion on monday about the legitimacy of mr wrights claims
altogether the weight of the new evidence tips the scales very little and the scales were already stacked against him being satoshi said jeremy clark an assistant professor at the concordia institute for information systems engineering in montreal


burlingame calif   this is the most populous state in the nation but in presidential elections it has almost always found itself on the sidelines the last time a republican primary in california mattered was 52 years ago when the party nominated barry goldwater
but california will finally play an important role in the drama of presidential politics
the 172 republican delegates up for grabs in the states june 7 primary which in most years has taken place well after the partys presidential standard bearer was known will determine whether donald j trump can clinch the nomination on the last day of voting and avoid having to wrangle uncommitted delegates at the national convention in july
all three republican presidential candidates along with hundreds of reporters turned up for the partys state convention here over the weekend the biggest show in memory of presidential candidate firepower at this yearly gathering
california is at a crossroads   california is going to decide this republican primary senator ted cruz of texas who may need a win in indiana on tuesday to keep his hopes alive here told hundreds of conventiongoers saturday whod have thunk it
the sudden interest in california on one hand has been a cause for celebration in a state that has been starved for attention in presidential contests a meaningful primary means extensive campaigning and a national focus on issues of particular concern to the electorate here rather than the usual brief touchdowns to raise money or appear on jimmy kimmel live
mr cruz for one drew appreciative applause when he denounced environmental regulations that he said were depriving drought stricken farmers of water in the central valley a rival gov john kasich of ohio all but gushed im not a big panderer but i do have to tell you i love california i have been coming here for a very long time
as desirable as the attention may be the prospect of the presidential campaigns arrival in california also poses a threat to the states republican party which has been politically marginalized with republican registration at just 28 percent a republican has not won a statewide election since arnold schwarzenegger was re elected governor in 2006
republican leaders are in the midst of a major effort to reposition the party ideologically as it seeks to revive its appeal in a state that is increasingly democratic and latino in large part that means distancing the state party from national republicans on issues like immigration and same sex marriage
yet mr trump landed on thursday night in orange county with a blistering speech attacking immigrants who are in the country illegally and suggesting that mexicans illegally crossing the border were responsible for a recent spike in crime in los angeles and mr cruz trumpeted the endorsement of former gov pete wilson who championed a state initiative in 1994 that would have cut benefits to those in the country illegally and that is widely seen as one of the reasons the party is struggling today
even if mr trump wins in indiana and convincingly proclaims himself the presumptive nominee he is almost certain to continue campaigning aggressively in california to amass enough delegates to fend off any challenges at the republican national convention
that is a prospect some republicans here do not welcome
it does set back republican efforts in california said bill whalen a fellow with the conservative hoover institution who served as a senior adviser to mr wilson the california party is in a phase of rebuilding and rebranding and that means toning down the message and developing a message that appeals to a widening swath of californians i cant think of a more toxic situation than him coming in alienating women and mexicans
chuck page a republican state senate candidate from saratoga said he was worried about how the presidential campaign here might affect republicans like him it makes it harder for me he said in the atrium of the convention hotel here protests against mr trump clearly audible outside im a middle of the road kind of guy
there was a time when it seemed the fight between hillary clinton and senator bernie sanders of vermont would also remain up in the air until june providing california democrats with their own rare opportunity to help decide a national primary but with mr sanderss chances of overtaking mrs clinton fading the biggest question here may be whether he will make a strong enough showing to provide her one more embarrassment as the primary calendar runs out
in general elections californias 55 electoral votes are the biggest prize on the map but the state has swung decisively democratic in recent years a republican has not carried the state since george bush beat michael s dukakis in 1988
californias presidential primary is most often scheduled to coincide with the june state primary   largely to avoid the cost of separate elections by that point though presidential nominations have usually been decided and when the presidential primary has been held earlier   as in 2008 when mrs clinton defeated barack obama in the state   california has had to compete for attention with other states holding contests the same day
we were pretty relevant in 68 said john burton the state democratic chairman who has been involved in state politics for 50 years he paused yeah thats a long time ago
understandably the prospect of another relevant campaign here has stirred much excitement when mr kasich who has won just one state this year showed up on friday for an evening news conference 15 television cameras awaited him the convention hotels atrium was packed with volunteers passing out buttons for mr cruz or trying to sign up delegates for mr kasich strikingly no such organizational presence was visible for mr trump
ive never seen anything like this this far out said jim brulte the state republican chairman who was besieged by delegates campaign aides and reporters as he moved through the convention hall
the convention site as it happened was 10 miles from the cow palace the scene of the bitterly divided republican national convention that picked mr goldwater in 1964
the party is reaping a windfall from the heightened interest tickets to hear mr cruz mr trump and mr kasich speak were 100 each yet there was a cost too in the protests outside and in a three story banner smuggled into the hotel and unfurled down a wall reading stop hate
a greater cost some republicans fear could come in setting back efforts to reposition the party on immigration and to appeal to political independents in a state where latinos make up 39 percent of the population mr trump and mr cruz by contrast are appealing to core republican primary voters who polls show embrace their tough immigration language
its devastating to us here said rob stutzman who was deputy chief of staff to mr schwarzenegger and is leading the anti trump movement in california its so toxic to our brand
and marty wilson a republican strategist said the damage extended beyond latino voters it hurts us even more with asian voters he said our growth in california comes because of immigrants from the pacific
lanhee j chen a california republican who advised mitt romneys 2012 presidential campaign warned that a discussion that is as caustic and bitter about immigration as trump wants is problematic for the long term prospects of the party he said that prospects for state candidates in 2016 were nearly impossible already and that even 2018 would be tough
its hard to get good candidates he added to do kamikaze missions


for years new york   a city not accustomed to being second banana   has looked on as silicon valley has solidified its influence over the technology industry
sure new york has added tens of thousands of good paying tech jobs while the wall street job engine has sputtered and the citys start ups pulled in 194 billion in venture funding in the first three months of this year the most for any quarter in five years and second only to silicon valley according to the research firm cb insights
but the big hit   the next google or facebook or even salesforce a powerhouse in online services for business   has proved elusive
to improve the odds of fostering that next big thing in new york executives at tech start ups big tech companies and venture firms are creating a new policy and advocacy organization technyc the nonprofit will be formally announced at an event this week
technyc has no set agenda yet but its approach said julie samuels the executive director will be to work early with city state and federal officials on issues that affect tech companies before laws are passed some broader issues like taxes schools and affordable housing also help determine whether people want to work and live in a city
new york is in a competition to be where start ups are going to locate and bigger tech companies are going to grow second and third offices ms samuels said
the new organization arrives at a time when the path ahead for the local tech economy is uncertain new york it seems has become fertile ground for start ups but has very few breakout winners
there have been some notable failures in the last two years fab an e commerce marketplace for designer furniture housewares and other merchandise and quirky an online network for inventors both collapsed losing hundreds of millions of dollars for venture investors
silicon valley venture firms suffered some of the biggest losses on those new york start ups
in january foursquare a social app that uses location technology raised 45 million but at a price that cut its valuation nearly in half and the gilt groupe a fashion e commerce service was sold to the hudsons bay company the department store conglomerate that owns saks fifth avenue for 250 million about quarter of its onetime valuation
start ups are inherently risky that is why venture capital firms invest in a broad portfolio of companies so a few winners can make up for the losers
in new york it is not the setbacks that stand out as much as the scarcity of lucrative paydays   start ups sold to the public or to other corporations for 1 billion or more
there have been a few over the years in 2007 for example google paid 31 billion for doubleclick an online ad serving service in 2013 yahoo bought tumblr a microblogging platform for 11 billion last year etsy an online marketplace for handmade and vintage goods went public at a valuation of 18 billion and traded above that for a while but has since retreated
yet those are exceptions big exits really havent happened yet in new york said fred wilson co founder of union square ventures a new york venture capital firm its a valid criticism
that should gradually change he argued as the new york tech community matures mr wilson also said that new york entrepreneurs were influenced by the trading culture of wall street they are more inclined he said to build a company sell it cash in and move to the next one than some silicon valley entrepreneurs who dream bigger and view their company as their lifes work
a study last year by compass a research firm pointed to the potential of new york and to how far behind the bay area it is the study looked at various factors including the funding market reach talent pool and start up experience of various locations to come up with a ranking of global start up ecosystems excluding china japan and south korea
new york ranked second over all but was way behind by some measures compass estimated the value of all bay area start ups   including sales to companies public offerings and private valuations   at 264 billion to 323 billion the comparable estimate for new york start ups was 41 billion to 50 billion
still the new york tech economy has shown impressive job growth an analysis by jason bram a researcher at the federal reserve bank of new york concluded that from 2007 to 2015 new york tech employment grew by more than 60 percent to 126170 workers by contrast tech employment in the bay area was more than 370000 as of 2014 the most recent figure in the fed analysis
the gap is hardly surprising given silicon valleys decades long head start and singular focus technology innovation and entrepreneurship   thats our business in the valley said steve blank an entrepreneur who lectures on technology and innovation at stanford columbia and new york university
in new york mr blank said tech start ups have been layered on top of the citys existing industries including advertising media and finance
but new york is increasingly a place for the deeper computer science for which silicon valley is known facebook for example has a large artificial intelligence lab in new york headed by yann lecun who is also a professor at nyu and there are now ai start ups in new york including clarifai and geometric intelligence
columbia and nyu have also strengthened their engineering departments and added programs in new fields like data science and machine learning and are increasingly working with start ups and nurturing spinoff ventures cornell tech founded in manhattan in 2012 is dedicated to tech entrepreneurship
and tech giants like facebook google and ibm have been aggressively hiring engineering talent for their new york outposts
nathan richardson chief executive of trade it a financial technology start up in new york has worked in the bay area and in new york until recently new york was regarded in silicon valley as a place to find business advertising and web design talent
but you didnt recruit engineers in new york mr richardson said thats changed dramatically
for some new york tech start ups the proximity to the industries they serve is essential sprinklr for example provides cloud software that allows major brands like nike and mcdonalds to monitor their reputations and marketing on social networks like facebook instagram and twitter
sprinklr works closely with the new york advertising and marketing community were an ideal company to be here said ragy thomas its founder and chief executive his start up has raised 125 million in venture funding and is valued at 1 billion
after charles phillips took over as chief executive at infor a business software company he decided to move the headquarters to new york infor had been based in atlanta mainly because of the previous management team
so infor was destined to relocate and since it had hundreds of developers in the bay area the board assumed the move would be there they thought i was crazy choosing new york but they went along with it recalled mr phillips once a senior executive at oracle
new york he figured was closer to many of its corporate customers making in person meetings more convenient and because infors software was being overhauled for ease of use he has hired software developers from new york advertising companies and fashion houses as well as the parsons school of design and the fashion institute of technology
weve picked up some great programmers who understand design mr phillips said and i wanted my engineers to be around people who werent all engineers


london   the underdog story to cap them all leicester city winning the english league remains on hold
a 1 1 draw at manchester uniteds famed old trafford stadium inches the foxes closer to the first title in their history but it now means that leicester and seemingly most of the world that has embraced its story must wait
maybe the championship will be leicesters on monday night if tottenham hotspur fails to beat one of its own archrivals chelsea the spurs are the only team that could catch leicester but to do that tottenham has to win all three of its remaining games and leicester has to win neither of its last two
and frankly who believed that cockerels could survive a run in against foxes
whatever else needs saying about the contest in manchester it was a thrilling pulsating typically english game on a sunday afternoon full of foreigners guided by foreign managers yet from start to finish full of running and heart and spirit
we believe leicesters italian manager claudio ranieri had told his players before the start show it
some eight minutes into the game that belief was shaken anthony martial a player whose 50 million euro or about 57 million transfer fee from monaco amounted to the sum total of what it cost to put leicesters lineup together scored for the home side
antonio valencia created the opportunity with a curled pass off the outside of his foot and martial strangely unmarked in a leicester penalty box that is usually locked fast struck his shot through the legs of goalkeeper kasper schmeichel
schmeichel the son of a famous manchester united keeper was later to make save after save but on this occasion he was beaten on his near post where goalkeepers dread to be beaten
no matter slowly slowly as manager ranieri often says the foxes found their survival instinct they ran hard at the back line of uniteds defense and in less than 10 minutes leicester was back on level terms
a free kick 40 yards out was guided by danny drinkwater into the united penalty area and there outmuscling marcos rojo and rising above him leicesters skipper wes morgan produced a powerful downward header
the scores tied the battle engaged and even though manchester itself desperately needed a win to try to qualify for next seasons champions league there was no quarter left unchallenged
some of it was rugged and rough there was a moment that will have repercussions when leicester defender robert huth tangled with marouane fellaini huth grabbed a handful of fellainis jimi hendrix style mane of hair fellaini reacted with his hand into huths face
the referee saw neither aggression fellaini will most likely be banned for three games when the soccer association reviews video of the incident and as so often in these cases the instigator of the malevolence huth will escape punishment
however the lawmaker on the field the referee michael oliver had his own hands full trying to spot the fouls in such a fast moving attritional match he missed a nailed on penalty for leicester when riyad mahrez was brought down by rojo and missed another one when drinkwater hauled down memphis depay late on
the drinkwater grappling began outside the penalty box but carried on into it drinkwater at one time a trainee on manchester uniteds staff actually received a yellow card for the offense which coupled with an earlier caution meant he was sent off with four minutes remaining
by that time manchester had regained the ascendancy with which it started the game in between for an hour leicester was the equal at least and often in terms of teamwork and desire the more likely of the two sides to score again
in front of a crowd of 75275 and at a stadium where the leicester players were taking photographs of themselves before the start this equality was another manifestation of the journey city has taken this season
from survival in the league one year ago to catch us if you can top dogs this season ranieris players have captured the worlds imagination from a 5000 to 1 outsider to now odds on champion sometime soon these players are living what the manager calls our once in a lifetime chance
mr ranieri the silver fox himself says he is sorry that he cannot watch mondays game between chelsea and tottenham during which his team might claim the title i would like he said on television immediately after sundays game but i have to go home and when the tottenham match is on i will be in the airplane flying back to work
he laughed as ranieri has taught his players to laugh at their improbable tilt at fame all season long leicester is billed as the fairy story of sports in fact it is a truly grounded story of a team showing tenacity and character from beginning to end
its not ours until weve got both hands on the trophy said the captain morgan well be watching and waiting tomorrow night
the party is on hold the world awaits but no one has run the foxes to ground


sochi russia   the idea of luck either good or bad in car racing is one that few drivers or their engineers like to admit they win thanks to skill or they lose because they did not perform as well as they could   or should   compared with the competition
but the question of luck permeated the russian grand prix weekend from friday to sunday this was not only for the mercedes drivers nico rosberg and lewis hamilton who finished first and second respectively but especially for sebastian vettel the ferrari driver who was jousted off the track on the first lap by the same driver who had destroyed his previous race in china two weeks ago
but if hamilton who had yet more technical problems on his mercedes refused to attribute anything to bad luck it was rosberg who could be excused for feeling that luck was on his side as he drove to his fourth victory of the season in the first four races this was his seventh victory in a row as he won the last three races last year as well
he joins alberto ascari in a winning streak from 1952 to 1953 and michael schumacher in 2004 as the only drivers in the series to win seven races in a row vettel holds the record of nine victories in a row in 2013
its been an awesome weekend the car has been fantastic rosberg said i was feeling really comfortable today
it was the 18th victory of his career and his first in sochi where hamilton won the previous two races for their mercedes team in 2014 and 2015
last year it was rosberg who had most of the problems on his car through the season including a throttle problem at the start in sochi that cost him the victory while hamilton took his second drivers title in a row with mercedes this year the bad luck has come to hamiltons car along with most of the mechanics who worked on rosbergs car last year
hamilton has had problems in all four races this year including the same engine problem during qualifying in both the chinese grand prix and in sochi
my side of the garage the mechanics are definitely having a really hard time hamilton said after the race a majority of them were on nicos car last year and nicos got my guys   from since when i joined the team   and all of a sudden were having all these issues
hamilton denied his problems had anything to do with the mechanics or with bad luck and he also made mistakes in his starts at the previous races
still after his engine problem in qualifying and having finally made an excellent start in sochi climbing from 10th on the grid to second by lap 16 and after climbing from more than 13 seconds behind his teammate to just 75 seconds by lap 36 his engineer told him that he had a water pressure problem on his car
there wasnt a doubt in my mind that i could win it hamilton said of how he felt just before he learned of the problem i had the pace but then i had the problem with the engine and so i had to back off
for vettel having qualified in second position but then being pushed back to seventh on the grid because of a penalty for changing his gearbox it was a sense of deja vu two times over in china vettels race was destroyed after daniil kvyat the russian driver at the red bull team collided with him at the start in what vettel called a suicidal move though vettel finished that race in second position he had made a pit stop for repairs to his damaged car that cost him any hope of victory
on sunday at kvyats home race with president vladimir v putin as a spectator the russian driver again ran into the rear of vettels car at the start of the race not just once but twice
somebody hit me in the rear in turn two and then somebody hit me again in turn three vettel yelled over his car radio to his engineer what are we doing here
he spun off the track and out of the race before learning that it was kvyat both times   bringing the total to three vettel spoke to the red bull team director christian horner during the race to ask him to have a word with kvyat
the race stewards handed kvyat a 10 second penalty and also added penalty points to his racing license kvyat finished the race in 15th position
there was a lot going on at the start and i didnt expect to slow down as much kvyat said i locked the rear wheels and the car was a bit out of control which caused the contact with sebastian on turn three i couldnt see what was happening ahead sebastian seemed to slow down and unfortunately i didnt have time to react and this caused the second contact
it doesnt feel great he added this is probably the messiest first lap of my career
kimi raikkonen finished the race in third place for ferrari after starting third giving his ferrari team its 700th podium finish since it started in the series in 1950
rosberg leads the series with a perfect score of 100 points while hamilton is in second with 57 raikkonen is third with 43 daniel ricciardo in the other red bull is in fourth with 36 while vettel the series favorite behind the mercedes drivers is in fifth with 33 points


london   the hardest league title race to call in europe right now is in spain a single point separates barcelona atletico madrid and real madrid with two games each left to play and like the plot of a decent detective thriller this one is going all the way to the wire
the suspense is compounded by the fact that the two madrid teams have knife edge semifinal second legs in the champions league this week and barcelona still has the copa del rey final to come
everyone should enjoy the drama except for vicente del bosque the spanish team national coach because every extra game every extra effort put on heart and mind and sinew will affect the players he needs to defend the european championship in june
the weekends la liga games were rolled out like consecutive chapters on saturday gareth bale rose to head the winning goal in reals 1 0 victory at real sociedad in the early afternoon antoine griezmann came off the bench to strike atleticos goal also for 1 0 against rayo vallecano in madrid
and then in the late evening but still in 77 degree heat at kickoff barcelona wore down real betis in seville before ivan rakitic and luis suarez scored to make it 2 0 to barca
if they carry on like this barcelona will win the title it has the same points total as atletico but in spanish soccer the first tiebreaker is the head to head between two teams and barcelona beat atletico home and away earlier this season losing out to atletico in the champions league doesnt count
real madrid is that one point behind we fought we suffered we worked hard until the end reals coach zinedine zidane said after his match im happy weve picked up three points in my head i wanted cristiano ronaldo and karim benzema in the team but im happy for bale that he scored
bales injuries seem behind him benzema has struggled for some time to finish games and ronaldo has reportedly been having stem cell treatment for a thigh muscle injury that kept him out of the champions league semifinal first leg match against manchester city last week
zidane can doubtless remember his own trials and tribulations with injuries not the least when he attempted to play in the 2002 world cup in south korea too soon after tearing a thigh muscle
the prizes are out there and the athletes try to reach them regardless of what the body is telling them
of the three spanish clubs competing for the league trophy atletico looks perhaps the freshest and the fittest at this moment the coach diego simeone despite being banned from the field and ordered to the stands for the final three games of la liga called the shots
his ban follows a game against malaga the previous week when simeone appeared to tell a ball boy to throw a ball onto the field to disrupt a dangerous attack against his team he pleaded innocence but the worldly wise coach simeone still took the rap of a three game sideline ban and a 3000 fine
instead of whipping up the players and the crowd the way that simeone normally does he sat impassively high in the stands impassive but not idle from up there he says he can see the play more clearly
he made the call to rest seven normal starters ahead of saturdays game against vallecano and he without anyones seeing him do so decided the time to make match winning substitutions
in the 54th minute atletico brought on its two main strikers antoine griezmann and fernando torres less than a minute after that with his first touch on the ball griezmann scored the only goal of the game
whatever else simeone can be called he is a remarkable coach he galvanizes a work ethic in every single player he persuades each and every one to go to his limit and with griezmann the improvement since he joined atletico from real sociedad in 2014 has been to make him consistently the teams most reliable goal scorer
just 40 seconds after taking the field he struck with his first touch it was a shot on the run the body immaculately poised the left foot driven through the ball from 20 yards the result unstoppable
what was important was winning griezmann told reporters we have to rest because there is a nice match on tuesday
the nice match is in munich against bayern in the champions league
but the wins by the two madrid teams put the heat on barcelona in seville for 50 minutes barca toiled and betis defended stubbornly on a bone dry field that the players said inhibited their flow
there was a lack of pace of movement of invention   even from lionel messi but one betis defender in particular effectively handed the points to barcelona
heiko westermann is an imposing experienced german central defender only he can explain his rush of blood when he clattered into rakitic and messi with such obvious fouls that earned two yellow cards within seven minutes and he was sent off before halftime
barcelona with messi pulling the strings from midfield took full advantage an angled cross by messi let to the first goal by rakitic after the other central defender german pezzella and the goalkeeper antonio adan got in one anothers way going for the same ball
then the coup de grace messi rolled an inch perfect through pass for suarez to score his 55th goal in 52 games of the season leaving barcelona atletico and real in that order atop la liga




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1 donald trump and hillary clinton hope to win the indiana presidential primaries on tuesday all but cementing their nominations trade experts warn that mr trumps ideas on international commerce like imposing heavy tariffs on china could prompt retaliation and deepen us economic troubles

2 mrs clinton raised 264 million in april giving her 30 million in hand and bringing her total in primary funds to 2135 million compared with 210 million for bernie sanders she made a longtime clinton insider minyon moore a senior adviser in her campaign above mrs clinton with steelworkers in kentucky after indiana the next heavyweight primary is californias on june 7

3 this australian computer programmer craig steven wright claimed to be satoshi nakamoto the pseudonymous creator of the online currency bitcoin but many technical experts say he offered insufficient proof it would take the real satoshi about five minutes to provide conclusive proof to the entire bitcoin community if the real satoshi wanted to do that one said the price of bitcoin fell about 10 to just over 445

4 fair warning for air travelers do not cut it close for your next flight a loss of screeners to budget cuts new procedures and more passengers are creating epic security lines across the us   even before the peak travel season this is going to be a rough summer an official with the transportation security administration said

5 the party of the year the oscars of the east coast an atm for the met whatever you call it the metropolitan museum of art hosted its annual costume institute gala under the eye of anna wintour tickets this year were 30000 apiece and ms wintour has final say over every invitation and attendee here are photos from the red carpet

6 a teacher sickout closed nearly all detroits public schools affecting almost 46000 children the cash starved school district said that if the state did not kick in more money summer school would be canceled and teachers would not be paid for july and august

7 protests and threats of violence against abortion providers have pushed some to try to keep their work quiet but one gynecologist accuses her hospital in washington dc of going too far dr diane horvath cosper filed a federal civil rights complaint saying the institution had violated the law and personal rights by forbidding her to speak publicly about abortion

8 the hulu streaming service is working toward offering a skinny bundle of broadcast and cable channels probably for about 40 a month according to insiders the service would cater to the individualized expectations of younger viewers while allowing advertisers to target particular audiences
us stocks rose recovering from some of last weeks steep declines battered technology stocks like amazon and microsoft posted gains but apple remained down

9 the biggest loser has become part of the science of dieting researchers tracked competitors as they regained most or all of the weight they lost and discovered how hard the body fights to undo weight loss two key factors slowed metabolic rates and hormonal changes that create incessant hunger it is frightening and amazing an obesity expert said

10 negotiations are underway to bring a cease fire back into effect in the syrian city of aleppo the cessation of hostilities has been put to the test and it has frayed in certain areas and it has fallen completely in a few areas secretary of state john kerry said in geneva

11 our tv and movie experts offer highlights and how tos on replays and streaming in a new feature watching netflix has hitchcocks to catch a thief with cary grant and grace kelly hbo is showing the classic grapes of wrath and of course theres the season finale of the good wife on sunday 9 pm eastern on cbs

12 finally cubans celebrated the arrival of the carnival lines adonia the first us cruise ship to cuba in nearly 40 years this is history one said

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it didnt take long for brooke garber neidich the daughter of the legendary chicago jeweler sidney garber to make a name for herself after she began to design jewelry for her fathers eponymous boutique her versatile just conceptual enough pieces   in particular her signature chain bracelet a stretchy length of articulated gold   made fast fans of powerful women like the olsen twins when her father died she inherited the business and in 2014 she opened a second shop in new york now shes expanding her horizons further by introducing a collaboration with the nigerian born clothing designer duro olowu to hear the pair tell it the idea was hatched casually over dinner and carried out almost effortlessly indeed the resulting capsule collection is an easy seamless blend of two aesthetics upper east side meets citizen of the world we really have the same taste says olowu whose drapey printed dresses have their own passionate fan base they agreed that lapis   a relatively humble deceptively lightweight blue stone that olowu describes as luminous and seasonless   should anchor the collection which includes a chunky ring sinuous lariats and a bold studded cuff all set in gleaming gold and available at neidichs madison avenue store


the american west has captivated david hockney for decades the 78 year old painter printmaker and photographer has depicted the west in diverse forms from sun splashed swimming pools and portraits from 1960s and 70s los angeles to a sprawling 60 canvas oil painting of the grand canyon hockney who maintains a studio and home in the hollywood hills continues to experiment with new media   from photocopiers and fax machines to the iphone app brushes and digital films and a new exhibition at pace gallery presents the yosemite suite a group of more than 20 works that hockney made on his ipad during visits to northern californias yosemite national park in 2010 and 2011
drawing the landscapes as he experienced them the artist relished the immediacy of the ipad as a tool you can set up a palette very very quickly indeed   quicker than any other medium hockney says its also an endless sheet of paper and the color is literally at your fingertip the result is a series of vibrant textural drawings which the artist reproduced as large format prints meticulously transposed according to a scale that he feels captures yosemites splendor
the series includes iconic vistas and landmarks as well as intimate glimpses into hockneys excursions into the landscape itself in untitled no 1 above left the blue shadow of a mountain looms behind a stone facade with the bright abstractions of tourists occupying the foreground in untitled no 2 right a redwood lined road stretches with no apparent endpoint   a meditative view of a travelers solitary journey through nature hockneys birds eye view gazes down upon the yosemite valley in untitled no 21 center a dizzying perspective that includes coniferous trees and dense forests as well as the sharp purposeful lines of half domes granite face in the distance its clear that the views are entirely hockneys own rather than exact reproductions they are drawn landscapes hockey explains photographs are very theatrical   they need lighting my eyes can see more
others in the series play with light a spidery sun glints through tall trees their shadows long and purple on the forest floor and movement both man made and natural in untitled no 13 a waterfall streams down a green wash of mountain that recalls a watercolor painting while kinetic lines swirl at the base   perhaps evidence of the sketched figures and their cars parked nearby
with the yosemite suite hockney joins a host of artists who have been captivated by the parks allure since its founding in 1890 before ansel adamss lens the painter albert bierstadts dramatic landscapes gained important early publicity for yosemite and drew the first crowds from around the united states in the late 19th century now as the national park service celebrates its centennial the presentation at pace seems to echo the tradition of landscape artists as champions of wild spaces the coming year is also significant for hockney an exhibition of recent work from his los angeles studio opens in july at the royal academy london and a traveling retrospective at the tate britain the centre pompidou and the metropolitan museum of art begins in february
hockneys eye for subtle details and temporal changes in the environments he captures continues to influence the way we see the world around us i think landscape is a spatial thrill he says


by 1960 al held had the new york art scene sitting upright his taxi cab series riots of impasto geometry were an unequivocal feh to the fashionable ideas of the new york school and the first inkling of what would become his signature hard lined concrete style   something that caught favor with people like frank stella and ellsworth kelly and which held eventually developed into rigorous near trigonometric excursions into space and perspective
given the direction his work would end up going the elegant calligraphic brush stroke drawings held did that year on view at van doren waxter next week might seem like diversions or maybe quick studies the equivalent of some light stretching but this is held were talking about an artist who took what he considered the mealy ambiguity of abstract expressionism and effectively threw it through a plate glass window so these works   which evoke a noguchi paris abstraction and chinese calligraphy   are more than an enigmatic stopover on the way to more meaningful work
while helds name perhaps hasnt aged as well as new york school nabobs like pollock or de kooning he remains a crucial part of its history and of the city itself born in brooklyn to jewish emigres from eastern europe he grew up poor in the east bronx a product of the citys public schools and the art students league on 57th street it would be fair to say held contained multitudes he was a burly outer borough new yorker who studied at the academie de la grande chaumiere in paris he worked construction on the freeways of the bay area and taught at yale he was the founder of both the brata gallery on 10th street in new york and a moving company as the critic barbara rose has suggested he was a true dialectic all by himself
the 29 rarely seen drawings on view at van doren waxter confirm that theyre spare each just one or two brush strokes of black india ink on waxed butcher paper   yet they have a raw liberated energy a gestural undertow at work its easy to wade into their inky pools before being swept out completely
like his mammoth alphabet abstractions in which he levitates hulking letterforms like mylar balloons or lets them swallow his canvases whole the forms here dilate toward the edges before spilling over and just as the alphabet series would riff on advertisings assaultive screaming billboards that became a default visual signifier of the american landscape helds brush strokes can seem to anticipate graffitis fervent squiggles and ecstatic physicality that he worked on both within a year is more or less standard for his rapidly evolving explorations
undoubtedly helds most seen work the undulating glass mosaic passing though at the lexington avenue 53rd street subway station is a joyously fractal expression of new yorks unyielding thrum it was the last artwork held completed before he died in 2005 yet its not hard to pluck out the forms present in the brush stroke drawings done 45 years earlier   a sinuous line a swooping plane a tangled curve its as though held swam in the same forms all that time perpetually finding new ways they could breathe as he once said were not going to get rid of chaos and complexity but we can find a way to live with them


welcome to social capital a series devoted to analyzing the social media presences of celebrities
goldie hawn relaxes near a canyon trailhead she wears snakeskin print leggings a tie dyed tank top oversize sunglasses sneakers and a gold medallion around her neck her blond hair blown out she tips a bottle of water to her lips then lifts it higher and higher chugging it now until her head suddenly jerks back and the water explodes out of her mouth i couldnt swallow it fast enough she whines to herself then she looks into the distance raises her arm in the air and calls to an off screen handler for help cheyenne
as an actress goldie hawn perfected the ditsy blonde but in playing the part so expertly she proved herself to be smarter than she looked in her latest role   on instagram in photographs and 15 second video skits   hawn pulls off a similarly impressive trick her performance is a refreshing delight alternately winking at the lunacy of the fitness and mindfulness lifestyle and embracing it in her own way she ends up imparting a kind of soothing release to those who scroll through her world
part of the lightness of hawns feed comes with her apparent acceptance of the fact that she no longer possesses the aspirational hollywood body stay fit you bet but why filter hawn is 70 and many of her instagram videos play like goofy audition tapes for americas next top retiree in her instagram debut hawn bounced on a teensy indoor trampoline arms flapping in and out of jumping jack position mouth agape in a kind of splendored focus on fitness she flails and pants as she lopes down a canyon running trail she wears a mammoth turquoise ring and chugs a green tonic straight from the juicer she raises a pair of dumbbells above her head while her little dog settles onto her chest she crouches low next to her swimming pool bottom raised toward the camera as she tries to sneak up to welcome the ducks in my pool theyre caught in the photograph blurred and flapping away she waits out los angeles traffic feet on the dash tapping her foot to sade in a recent post she dances erratically on a golf course in capri leggings and a sun visor pumps her club over her head then swings her videographer dutifully follows the arc of the ball
hawns foray into instagram appears to have been prompted by her daughter kate hudson who has had glittering social media success hawn occasionally popped up on hudsons instagram to the delight of hudsons followers but now hawns account functions as a bit of a rebuttal to hudsons brand of digital celebrity as hudsons film career has waned hudson is all of 37 making her practically dead by romantic comedy standards she has remade herself as a social media queen her instagram feed also features goofy relatable images but theyre staged with the slickness and extreme self awareness of a sophisticated branding exercise in one snap of hudson executing a situp ostensibly shared because her dog has hilariously come to rest on her tummy her expression is poised just so lips pursed cheekbones contoured eyes cast down to emphasize the full curve of her lush eyelashes in another shot shes wearing a bikini on a boat back contorted into a tummy slimming curve arm casually lifted above her head in a way that just happens to mimic a time tested pinup pose in the background is hawn knotty knees exposed to the sun face turned from the camera as she rummages through a beach bag
hawn sometimes borrows pictures from her daughters feed and posts them on her own and the contrast between their approaches to the source material is revealing consider the dual presentation of one shared image posted in honor of hudsons april birthday in the photograph hudson and hawn lie in a circle of women on a chocolate colored area rug staged with votive candles ikat throw pillows and two massive amethyst geodes with pairs of bare feet mingling toward the middle and hands interlocked at their sides their bodies are arranged to form a kind of socialite star fruit
on hudsons feed the image has been run through a filter that imparts an orange airbrushed glow to the participants skin the caption   birthday meditation went just as planned intentions set tears shed laughter achieved and then some and enough love in one circle to last many lifetimes lovemygirlfriends lovemymama callingonangels   is weighted with mystical jargon emotional appeals and what i can only assume is a tiesto reference hawns version is naturally lit and the caption is light too afternoon birthday meditation with kate and besties she manages to commemorate the occasion without sounding like ad copy for a protein bar
if hudsons social media empire represents a slightly desperate act ii to a flagging acting career hawns instagram is an act iii a hopeful rumbling comeback for an older woman in hollywood who hasnt appeared on film in 14 years hawns last movie the banger sisters was released in 2002 hawns instagram represents a return to acting if only on a very small screen maybe its just a warm up shortly after her instagram debut hawn revealed that she was plotting a big screen comeback playing amy schumers mother in an action comedy film
hawns snaps draw a squiggly line between slapstick and sincerity in the comedies that made her a star she succeeded in stretching the dumb blonde trope partly because she seemed so comfortable inhabiting the stereotype her dizzy go go dancing hostess on rowan  martins laugh in was inspired by her own transcendently flubbed audition in which she giggled throughout the proceedings she made fun of herself but that didnt mean she was ashamed of herself on instagram hawn cheeses up her videos for the camera but theyre based on genuine documents of her lifestyle when shes not playing up the earthy hollywood diva role hawn sprinkles her feed with chipper philosophizing a cat sleeping on a sleeping dog if they can get along ... just think of our potential hawn kissing a chimp on the lips love has no boundaries
most of hawns instagram images arent selfies so cheyenne isnt just a construction she really does need a celebrity handler to tag along as she prances around golf courses and hiking trails hawns instagram proves that she is really truly into this stuff but shes also capable of stepping outside herself for 15 seconds and recognizing when her hollywood hobbies might be just silly enough to make some people laugh you can have a serious commitment to health and fitness she seems to be saying but you dont have to be a serious person


welcome to watching the new york timess what to watch guide we comb through releases big and small famous and esoteric to email readers twice a week with our timely recommendations our most recent suggestions also appear below to receive our guide straight to your inbox sign up here
its finally may which means may sweeps when networks pull out all the stops for a spring ratings push were about to be inundated with character deaths cliffhangers weddings and probably a baby or two i cant wait in the meantime im loving the new season of the last alaskans thinking a lot about how great marsai martin is as diane the youngest daughter on black ish and obsessing over every update from this wombat rescue i started following on instagram whats your most improved show for the season id love to hear which series you think has turned things around or went from good to truly great email us at watchingnytimescom see you on friday oh and remember   mothers day is sunday
when mom made its debut in 2013 it fumbled around for a bit not quite sure what to do with the mother daughter duo of bonnie allison janney and christy anna faris who are both sober and active in aa multicamera comedies can seem mawkish and tacky and the show had too many characters and too many settings now in its third season mom has found its focus and rhythm namely by giving more screen time and punch lines to janney   by far the shows stand out   and by allowing itself to play serious even tragic moments
we are not in a golden age of multicamera comedies we are in the opposite   a garbage age   even as single camera comedies and particularly dramedies grow in new and fascinating directions mom has the brashness that made executive producer chuck lorre a jillionaire but its also willing to have a teenage character relapse and fatally overdose and treat that story arc with some gravity sure mom doesnt have the depth or emotional integrity of transparent but dont lump it in with the spiritually bankrupt 2 broke girls either
mom is broad enough that you can pick up any given episode and get the gist and this weeks is a good place to start thanks to a brief but enchanting fantasy sequence in which bonnie imagines a career in politics   which then becomes a winking homage to west wing thursday 9 pm cbs watch the last five episodes for free at cbscom purchase at itunes and amazon
game of thrones something big happened on sunday night were not going to say because this is not a space for spoilers but if you havent seen the episode yet you should probably get on that also a reminder ramsay bolton is the absolute worst
outlander after three episodes that have introduced new players and their various alliances this weeks hour is overloaded with plot twists writes angelica jade bastien
veep only in washington   or possibly some corners of manhattans financial district   would the term banking task force be used as a euphemism for sex writes jen chaney
silicon valley of the shows first two episodes this year scott tobias writes in short order the existential threat of failure in seasons 1 and 2 of silicon valley has morphed into the nightmare of success
fear the walking dead this weeks episode finally sheds some light upon the mysterious victor strand and his story is genuinely surprising writes ea hanks
if youve ever wondered how tv pilots get to air read this blog post from preston beckman aka the masked scheduler beckman helped engineer nbcs must see tv block in the 90s and foxs american idol success and his recent piece explains some ways networks use or dont use pilot screenings when planning their fall schedules
in todays science section a study of the biggest loser season 8s contestants has yielded surprising new discoveries about the physiology of obesity that help explain why so many people struggle unsuccessfully to keep off the weight they lose writes gina kolata
the good wife series finale airs next sunday night at 9 pm on cbs its too late to catch up   there are 155 other episodes you snost and lost on this one   but if you used to watch its probably worth catching the last two in preparation for the finale
houdini and doyle foxs new wunza cop show   as in ones a this thing ones a another thing   premieres monday at 9 pm its about harry houdini and arthur conan doyle teaming up to solve crimes and it is not good
season premieres the final season of person of interest tuesday 10 pm cbs real worldroad rules challenge wednesday 10 pm mtv grace and frankie friday netflix
season finales project runway all stars thursday 9 pm lifetime blue bloods friday 10 pm cbs
every month a slew of new movies hit the major streaming services   amazon prime netflix hulu hbo etc many of them are not particularly good well highlight just a few of the more worthy
great expectations artist rejected by childhood sweetheart radical pop overhaul of dickens starring ethan hawke and gwyneth paltrow directed by alfonso cuaron now an oscar winner watch on netflix
to catch a thief cat burglar and rich americans hitchcocks riviera cocktail swank and swell starring cary grant and grace kelly watch on netflix
the grapes of wrath steinbecks depression era okies via director john ford the american screen at its peak starring henry fonda watch on hbo
when harry met sally rob reiners take on romantically bruised new yorkers starring billy crystal and meg ryan watch on amazon prime
goldfinger its weird how the james bond movies can seem like unwanted children getting kicked off various streaming services one month added back the next in addition to goldfinger titles including die another day diamonds are forever live and let die the living daylights and the spy who loved me are back on both amazon prime and hulu watch goldfinger on hulu


sam sifton emails readers of cooking five days a week to talk about food and suggest recipes that email also appears here to receive it in your inbox register here
good morning lets start with some housekeeping many of you have been asking for the ability to search within your recipe box on cooking so you dont have to scroll through all your holdings to find that favorite recipe for three cup chicken or french lentils with garlic and thyme so now you can do that using the search box weve placed in the top left corner of the recipe box screen thanks for the tip please keep them coming
now how about some new recipes were in love with melissa clarks recipe for green garlic tabbouleh which you could make with scallions if you cant find the new season stuff at the market its terrific were totally mesmerized by david taniss idea of pairing wild salmon with savory whipped cream lets cook that very soon
and would you like a cocktail this time of year were all about rosie schaaps elegant recipe for gin and juice you know the soundtrack bottoms up
for sure well be making asparagus for dinner this week we cant get enough of it maybe steam some or grill some or roast some heres how to do all that and more and pair the spears with julia moskins foolproof recipe for lemon garlic mayonnaise that would make a nice springtime dinner on its own though big eaters may wish to serve it alongside julias incredible recipe for pan roasted fish
need a dessert for that sure you do how about lemon gelato or a strawberry sour cream streusel cake mark bittmans recipe for rice pudding is nonpareil
you can find other recipes to cook all over cooking take a dive into the endless scroll and see what you can find you can rate the recipes you cook on a scale of one to five stars and you can leave notes on them as well - either for yourself or for the benefit of our growing community of home cooks and partisans of the delicious you can share recipes with friends and colleagues via email you can post them to social media accounts as we do on facebook twitter instagram and pinterest make them your own
but if you run into problems please reach out for help were at cookingcarenytimescom standing by like these guys
finally lets watch and listen as the tee tones cover miley cyruss we cant stop we cant stop have a great week


jeremy mcalpine is constantly looking for underwear   and the older it is the better the founder and ceo of the two year old brand blackyoto has dealers in paris london and all over the alpine region of europe who call when theyve found something good late 19th  and early 20th century undergarments   bloomers petticoats nightdresses and slips   make up the core of our womens collection he says he visits flea markets around europe and works with vintage dealers to collect these garments but before going to out to luxury clothing retailers around the world each garment is dyed black
mcalpine who previously developed the global launch strategy for y 3 adidass partnership with the japanese fashion designer yohji yamamoto fell in love with japan on his extensive travels in 2013 he experienced garment dyeing firsthand when he visited kyoto montsuki a century old company dedicated to the process the depth of the black they were able to achieve in clothing amazed him i wanted to bring together the incredible craftsmanship of vintage garments with the artistry of japanese dyeing mcalpine says
so began blackyoto a line of mens wear and womens wear consisting entirely of pieces that mcalpine and his team have collected all over europe and sent to be dyed at kyoto montsuki we were able to convince them to apply a process meant for kimonos to vintage clothing mcalpine says this form of upcycling allows us to revitalize and reposition older pieces once dyed 100 year old hand sewn dresses and embroidered blouses look surprisingly modern people ask will your clothes always be black mcalpine says the answer is yes but the black isnt just any old black
kyoto montsuki uses their signature shinkuro process an environmentally sound black oxide dyeing method theyve perfected over decades what makes black blacker is reducing the reflection of light mcalpine explains each garment is dyed at least twice in extremely high temperatures the dye composition doesnt just coat the fabric in black but wraps each individual fiber the clothing is then dried on the companys roof wrapped in paper and then sent back to munich a second dyeing house banba dyes blackyotos delicate silks not only do the clothes come back softer from kyoto thanks to the use of naturally derived plant matter rather than harsh chemicals they take on a whole sensibility the culottes we have with open siding and lace detailing would have been worn by farmers wives beneath their clothing 100 years ago says mcalpine now theyre very popular in los angeles but they really dont look like a period piece the black dye gives them new life
this july pieces rescued from a german castle will become available exclusively at dover street market in new york london and ginza louis in antwerp maxfield in la and leclaireur herold in paris the castle was sold to kuwaiti developers with plans to turn it into a luxury hotel mcalpine says but the gowns that date back to between 1860 and 1930 pieces that had simply been hanging in armoires for decades were saved aside from fixing minor rips and adding a missing button the garments are unaltered
for men blackyoto sources vintage military surplus pieces including swiss field jackets with 16 pockets each and snow jackets once used by italian paratroopers in the alps one of the first batches ever sent to kyoto included tees from the 50s woven in an airtex fabric for british military deployment in warmer climates we got the last of a stock of these pieces and they were bloodstained dirty and pretty scary looking mcalpine says but one month after sending them to kyoto a box arrived in munich ill remember opening that box for the rest of my days mcalpine says it was the most exhilarating experience to see how the process worked
since getting its start blackyoto has begun to experiment a bit with the older pieces of clothing everything including the thread is 100 percent cotton mcalpine says vintage pieces that are more contemporary might have a nonnatural thread which doesnt fully take the dye so you get this incredible contrast this fall theyll release a collection of classic british raincoats that have a small percentage of polyester meaning theyll be dark but not as deeply black as other pieces
blackyoto has also started dyeing traditional japanese work wear which european and us distributors eagerly snap up japanese distributors by contrast are particularly interested the western vintage clothing and military gear dyeing everything black is an expression of the ultimate minimalism while thats a major restraint its an exciting one mcalpine says plus we collect a very diverse assortment of clothing just the other day i got a call about a lot of vintage butchers aprons theyll go to kyoto soon


its not the nerd prom anymore
thanks to the unfortunate accident of its being held only a few days before monday evenings met gala the ultimate red carpet runway the white house correspondents association dinner or at least its image has always suffered by comparison but a makeover of sorts has been going on and this years event the last of barack obamas presidency was a pretty clear acknowledgment that appearance officially matters in washington and no one is apologizing or hiding that fact any more
from helen mirren in purple dolce  gabbana accessorized with a purple prince temporary tattoo to kerry washington in knee length ruffled victoria beckham and madeleine albright in a black dress slit to the knee it was a night of big brands and elegant sometimes even edgy dresses
this is partly because of a raised celebrity presence kendall jenner neither a famed political activist nor one who plays one on tv attended this years dinner but also and possibly more important the michelle obama effect mrs obama has been a canny user of fashion since her family entered the white house leveraging her position and her profile to promote local industry and emerging designers engage in some subtle cross border diplomacy and even challenge some classic assumptions about american first ladies having to wear only american designers
she has been gradually raising the glamour stakes at the correspondents dinner over the years   going from a simple hot pink michael kors sheath in 2009 and a red prabal gurung with a draped neck in 2010 to strapless naeem khan in 2012 embroidered off the shoulder marchesa in 2014 and platinum beaded zac posen in 2015
this year however she wore a beige silk spaghetti strap dress with lace and crystal embroidery and a tulle cape on top sprinkled with swarovski crystals by givenchy haute couture thats about as elite and elaborate as fashion gets its very very french its very very 1 percent it took the old rules and tossed them out the window and dared everyone to get upset
and no one blinked
indeed the internet mostly applauded the choice using words like full glam fashionista stuns the huffington post and glistens e online to describe the effect personally i found the cape oddly matronly but the choice and the reaction especially its lack of skepticism about either the origin of the dress or its cost was notable after eight years mrs obama has changed expectations completely about what a first lady should wear and it has apparently changed the tenor of what everyone around her wears too
as a result an adult woman looking for inspiration for a black tie event could do worse than look to the correspondents dinner for ideas itself an idea that would have been unimaginable at the turn of the millennium though black was the predominant color on not just mesdames washington and albright but also christy turlington burns who seemed to be channeling madame x in marc jacobs rachel mcadams a strapless column and jaimie alexander who went full fishtail in christian siriano white also made a striking appearance on karlie kloss in derek lam and sela ward   both of whom like ms mirren demonstrated that impact can be achieved without too much exposure ditto emma watson whose black cigarette pantsstrapless white poppy print osman dress combination was both cool and practical without being cloying
there were some missteps to be sure especially the over the top ness of a few ball gowns with trains but that is to be expected when an event goes from frumpy to relatively fabulous
now the question is whether this sartorial improvement trend is a permanent change in the way washington does dressing or an administration specific moment well have to wait till next year to find out but its hard to put the genie back in the bottle especially when it has cast such a radical spell


the day i arrived in beirut i was collected at my hotel by huda baroudi a cheerful woman who had offered to show me around it was a lazy sunday grim and gray and i was jet lagged but her eyes were shining and she was eager to take me to the bechara el khoury mansion a 19th century villa that long ago   before it had been abandoned pillaged and finally shelled during the civil war   was one of beiruts grand residences
as i settled into the passenger seat of her suv ms baroudi an influential designer of textiles and furniture propelled us at high speed toward what looked like a four way stop beiruts streets are narrow potholed and anything but straight a car was approaching rapidly from the opposite direction but ms baroudi seemed unconcerned
at the last moment the other driver swerved to let us pass i was unable to speak but ms baroudi laughed sweetly i looked into his eyes she explained with a smile and a shrug and i could see that he would yield the right of way
somehow i was not comforted this is how we do it in beirut she continued all the road signs are in peoples eyes
that turned out to be true not just literally but figuratively there is something singular about beirut it has one foot planted in the middle east and the other in europe but it doesnt quite belong in either place nothing seems permanent there it is a perpetual transit point generations have passed through its borders in search of fun or out of desperation and for both reasons they continue to come
perhaps alone among great cities beirut has earned and manages to maintain reputations both for wanton licentiousness and for utter terror there it stands with a toss of curls and a flounce of skirts a carmen among the cities jan morris wrote in her great love letter to what she described as the impossible city it is the last of the middle eastern fleshpots
that essay was written in 1956 soon after beirut hosted the world water ski championships in saint georges bay like all cliches the image of the city as the paris of the middle east was at least in part a fact from the time france reluctantly ended its mandate in 1943 and particularly in the decades between the close of world war ii and the disaster that tore lebanon apart in the 1970s beirut was more cosmopolitan more tolerant and perhaps above all more self indulgent than any arab city no other place could serve so effortlessly as a luxurious pit stop for rich europeans arab royalty and celebrities like richard burton and elizabeth taylor the cafes were filled with radical intellectuals oil sheikhs and every kind of huckster even the notorious have always felt at home in beirut kim philby the mi6 officer who became the 20th century standard bearer for treachery spent many an evening at the bar of the saint george hotel the city was a free port in the purest sense a place where bars and clubs often seemed at least as consequential as churches and mosques
even today beirut which is washed gently by the mediterranean sea and ringed by mountains remains unremittingly hedonistic the city has high end restaurants like le sushi bar and until very recently a skybar and a nightclub named after the 1972 porn classic behind the green door
beirut has uber and a farm to table movement there are prada and hermes outlets on the corniche the citys magnificent seaside promenade and a virgin megastore too in a single week i saw two lime green maseratis one at the dealership and another parked outside barbar a snack bar in hamra widely considered to make the best chicken shawarma in town
yet beirut is also the place where the car bomb and suicide vest emerged as the quotidian weapons of jihad it is the capital of a country that has been without a president for two years hezbollah based in beiruts southern precincts and the role model for many of the worlds terrorist groups is lebanons only truly powerful and unchallenged political organization today more than a million syrian refugees have swarmed into the region having fled the 10th century carnage little more than 100 miles away it is this constant tension that makes the city so hard to understand   and such a fascinating place to visit
in beirut precariousness is a form of identity said christine tohme a curator and director of ashkal alwan a research production and study space that emerged in the 1990s as a place for artists to reclaim a public identity we were having fair trade espresso at one of the citys many fine cafes nothing works here   from communism to socialism to the big free market to finding ways of being hipsters or becoming designers or artists or being in groups that are driven by social media
those words echoed often by people i met certainly sound bleak but tohme wasnt so much complaining as explaining this is common read a transcript of what people say and you can see despair running through every sentence but if you listen to them speak or better yet decipher their eyes that desperation often vanishes i asked if she ever considered leaving the city where she has spent the bulk of her life of course she said but i dont and i am pretty sure i never will this kind of turmoil this kind of volatility this kind of precariousness   she let the thought drift for a while i dont want to say that life in war zones forces us to be creative she continued i know that is banal but beirut is a demanding city and that makes it vital and alive and vitality produces greatness
beiruts great intellectual passion the search for identity is on display in almost every shop museum and gallery at bokja ms baroudi and her partner maria hibri create modernist furniture with lavishly embroidered textiles culled from dozens of regional sources at the recently renovated sursock museum i saw an exhibition that presented visions of the emerging city from 19th century orientalist fantasies to david hockneys arresting 1966 pen and ink rendering of the rivoli beiruts modernist cinema which was demolished following the civil war but the show that most poignantly captured the effects of arbitrary identity in beirut was at the sfeir semler gallery blazon took marwan rechmaoui years to produce it consists of 59 ornamental shields and more than 400 flags   all elaborately embroidered by workers at bokja   and arranged by the citys corresponding electrical districts
while i was in beirut i stayed at the villa clara an idiosyncratic hotel run by olivier gougeon a french chef and his wife marie helene moawad the hotel really a house from the 1920s has just seven guest rooms each decorated with antique furniture and paintings by local artists the floors are covered with boldly patterned artisanal lebanese tiles most of them more than a century old scooped up from houses also on the verge of destruction the public rooms are full of aesthetic non sequiturs there is an andree putman table hand painted wallpaper in the restaurant a sculptured pink flamingo and a set of chairs that had once occupied the french senate each guest room is lit by a hand blown damascene chandelier all purchased from the old souk of damascus
for people who prefer small hotels that require visitors to think about the city that surrounds them villa clara is a treat most mornings i woke to the sound of twin songbirds at my window then gazed across the quiet leafy street at a dilapidated villa a remnant of the civil war that somehow seemed more like a brutalist sculpture than a house the surrounding neighborhood mar mikhael has the feel of williamsburg in the 1970s before it became a hipster theme park when big rigs still rumbled through the streets at dawn for every stylish bar and boutique that sells copies of nylon magazine there is an industrial machine shop a tool warehouse or a company that wholesales lighting fixtures like many neighborhoods in beirut mar mikhael could be swallowed any day by the moneyed classes for the moment though aided no doubt by the difficult economy and a general reluctance to travel to the region while so much of it is at war young artists and writers can still afford to live and work there
the food at villa clara is exceptional particularly the breakfasts of homemade labneh the thick lebanese yogurt that has been strained to remove its whey the freshly baked levantine bread called manakish and the eggs from chickens raised in gardens that the couple rents from the maronite order in the nearby chouf mountains they cure their own ham in the cellars of the st jean maron monastery   which had been closed since the civil war the hotels french restaurant is reliably considered to be among beiruts best and most expensive gougeon an ex pastry chef at the grand vefour in paris arrived in beirut in 1999 to work as a cook at the french embassy he soon realized there would be no turning back here there is total anarchy he explained with a look of pleasure in his eyes chaos you have to fight on a daily basis for everything you get and like so many others i encountered he regarded that daily struggle as a benefit rather than an obstacle in france everything is regimented he said there are hours and rules and long vacations here there are no days off and very little rest but we have something they no longer have energy desire and complete freedom
it had been nearly 20 years since i last visited beirut by then the hostilities which ground on mercilessly from 1975 to 1990 had turned the very name of the city into a synonym for war zone more than a hundred thousand people died a far greater number were ripped from their homes infrastructure   the telephone networks the water system roadways   and most of the economy had all been crippled
by the 1990s politics war and hatred had run their course at least for a while it was the perfect moment for the emergence of rafik hariri the blustery businessman who had moved to saudi arabia at the age of 21 hariri entered the saudi construction industry advanced rapidly and was soon running his own firm becoming the personal contractor for prince fahd by the time he returned to lebanon in 1992 to become the countrys prime minister he was a billionaire
hariri set out at once to rebuild beiruts shattered urban center an affable man who liked things to be big and shiny and new he had little interest in sectarian fighting but perhaps even less in preserving the essence of what many people had long regarded as the middle easts most alluring city
hariri who was killed by a devastating truck bomb in 2005 loved yachts and planes and more than anything else enormous real estate projects which is what the center of beirut eventually became to remake the city he created a company called solidere which is a french acronym for the lebanese company for the development and reconstruction of beirut central district squatters were removed from the city center which was then essentially demolished in addition more than half a million square meters of land were reclaimed from the nearby sea
solideres stated goal was to attempt to revive the memory of the days before 1975 when beirut was pluralistic prosperous and throbbing with intensity the company did retain and restore some of the bullet riddled facades that had withstood the rampages of the various militias but the development also wiped away centuries of history and most of beiruts rich architectural heritage to get a sense of that one only has to wander over to the beirut souks which had functioned as a center of commerce at least since the time of the ancient phoenicians solidere rebuilt the souks along its historical grid plan which was supposed to assure continuity it didnt the souks today are filled with shiny objects and marble floors it is a great place to buy moisturizer a 10000 handbag or a patek philippe watch but the new souks have far more in common with the mall of america than with the many levantine bazaars that have dominated the arab marketplace for thousands of years
the most urgent question here is not how a collection of pizza huts safeways mcdonalds and body shops gathered together as a souk will recapture any lifestyle other than that of a shopping mall saree makdisi who is professor of english and comparative literature at ucla has written mr makdisi is of lebanese descent and often writes about the development and preservation in the arab world the point is not that this is a misnomer nor that a traditional souk is necessarily more genuine and authentic than a shopping mall but that something strange is happening to our sense of history when we can confuse a shopping mall with a souk
george arbid agrees a bearlike man with an oval face and a commanding beard arbid is director of the arab center for architecture and an associate professor at the american university of beirut late one afternoon he took me on a walk in the center of the city not far from his office too often he said the word heritage has been used solely to describe roman ruins and ancient times when i studied architecture   which he did both in beirut at the academie libanaise des beaux arts and at the harvard university graduate school of design   the only modern architecture you could find in books was in the west we were the ancient place but look around this is a modern society and you can see that in the buildings here and throughout the middle east
modernism is arbids passion and he recoils when people act as if the only choices for beirut are to become another faceless airport city or remain frozen in a long forgotten past he knew that i was staying near the headquarters of electricite du liban which was built in 1965 and asked me if i had noticed it it would have been impossible to miss electrical service in lebanon may not be something to brag about but the building itself is magnificent and yet there is no public access it survived the war he said why on earth wall it off now
i asked arbid about the hariri years and the solidere construction we were coming out of a ruinous war he said hariri was perceived as a savior a man of the free market who would help beirut rise from the ashes he did that for some people but the question is for whom not for the middle classes and certainly not for the poor the new beirut city center is a development project
the project and its aftermath have raised an issue that has been debated with great urgency in the past decade how do you prevent development from interfering with a civic discourse that has prevailed for centuries as we walked down the streets of ashrafieh toward the sea arbid showed me how space has gradually given way to a sort of anonymous vertical compound up to the 1970s modern architecture like that of the electricite du liban had reflected the local traditions of outdoor living buildings had arches and plenty of room for people to mingle pockets of green flourished that is the traditional lebanese construction he said open and inviting
then came the era of darkness literally now we have 40 story buildings that are put together with one thought in mind price per square foot he said i am not opposed to tall buildings in neighborhoods that can afford them but the terraces of lebanese tradition are gone and so are the shops and meeting places on the ground floor
he was right there are cleaners banks bakeries and restaurants threaded through the old residential blocks the newest towers many of which hover ominously above graceful old villas are nothing but giant walls of glass many terraces have been replaced with windows that cant even be opened every one of these places is a gated community a vertical gated community he said there are no shops no public space no place to chat
these days its hard to conjure a vision of beiruts permanent leisure class or the world in which they lived but it is still possible barely for those who spend some time with lady yvonne sursock cochrane the only daughter of alfred bey sursock and his italian wife donna maria theresa serra di cassano she lives in the sursock palace which is on the rue sursock just down the road from the newly renovated sursock museum in the neighborhood most commonly called sursock the palace miraculously untouched by 15 years of mortar fire was built in the 19th century soon after the egyptians dredged the harbor and turned beirut into a booming port
the sursocks are among the oldest and richest of the christian families in lebanon and at the age of 94 lady cochrane a sursock by birth may be the last great dame of the levant lucid and acerbic she seems like a cross between the dowager countess of grantham and one of the less savory mitford sisters we had tea late one afternoon in her library which because it is the coziest place in the house also serves as her sitting room this particular cozy room has 33 foot ceilings and mahogany walls and enormous 17th century paintings a collection of flemish tapestries lines the entrance vestibule and dining room
lady cochrane dressed crisply in a brown blouse silk salmon foulard and houndstooth skirt met me in the middle of the great hall which features a double flight of marble stairs at its center i asked the most obvious question first were you here during the civil war
always she replied as if my question was slightly insulting its where i live
even today it is hard to walk three blocks in beirut without seeing a building pockmarked with machine gun fire or mortar rounds and yet the sursock palace was pristine i wondered how that was possible
 i believe we were somehow respected she said matter of factly because one day i was in the middle of the hall where you came in a crowd of what she referred to as young ruffians walked into the house i knew that these people would go from house to house burgle and ruin them she said i wondered whether the words ruffian and burgle had ever before been used to describe the vengeful packs of murderers that held sway in beirut during the war
i was alone she said and i thought this is terrible there must have been 50 of them with big guns i thought they are just going to murder me they saw me at a distance and then they all went upstairs she said i tried to stay calm as best i could after a time they came down and i thought they must have just destroyed everything or stolen things she said this all with a kind of effortless serenity
but they did not pinch one single thing she continued shaking her head in amazement 30 years later except for an old poniard that had been hanging on the wall there were two of them with exquisite chinese handles very rare they stole one and left the other where it was i have always felt quite certain they didnt care about the handle probably threw it away they only wanted the dagger itself
lady cochrane explained that her staff had buried most of the valuables at the start of the hostilities and there were a lot of them to bury after it was over my own butler had trouble finding everything she said he hid it all so well
she is horrified by the city she now inhabits when i was a child beirut was the most beautiful city full of gardens then bad government got a hold of the place now after years of war and neglect it is nothing but a generalized slum
it was perhaps not the most nuanced analysis but i had to ask one more question what had happened
democracy young man she said democracy we never had a proper leader and eventually the place began to fall apart
my visit with lady cochrane left me in need of an infusion of hope and so i went to see marwa arsanios a 37 year old art professor at the american university who co founded an organization called 98 weeks and who has shown her own artwork throughout the world arsanios wanted to create a place where artists could focus on interdisciplinary collaboration and begin to address the questions that consume so many of them how do you build a community in a time when the traditional leadership is gone she said how do you establish something that lasts in a place that only changes
this is a really weird moment she continued nobody really knows what will happen here but everybody thinks something will happen like so many of her creative friends she stays in part because of the citys fragility beirut whatever else it is or may become still has possibilities like arsanios most of the elite   particularly the many wealthy members of the diaspora   could flee in an instant if they had to but again like arsanios many among them continue to see beirut as a special place and despite its surroundings exhilarating and alive although the euphoria of the arab spring has faded replaced for many with fear and confusion arsanios is hopeful when we started political life was frozen she said journalism was bad and universities were dead the art community became a refuge and it has given us strength
the following night i had drinks with arsanios and several of her colleagues from the american university they were cleareyed but not glum each was committed to the future of the city   as a place for art civic discourse and free inquiry but they all realized the path might not be simple i thought about what the economist recently described as the global empathy gap between sufferings of the west and those in beirut last november the shootings and bombs that killed 130 people in a series of attacks in paris set off an international wave of sympathy and regret the night before the same group isis devoted among so many other hatreds to war against hezbollah claimed responsibility for exploding bombs that killed 43 people in beirut the world seemed to shrug
nonetheless i walked back to my hotel alone and in silence   as i had every night since i arrived despite the fact that the crime rate in most of beirut is low nobody who lives according to the dictums of the state department would do that the lebanese government cannot guarantee the protection of us citizens in the country against sudden outbreaks of violence its travel alert warns public demonstrations occur with little warning and may become violent of course this is also true in many american cities but on the alert went us citizens traveling or residing in lebanon despite this travel warning should keep a low profile assess their personal security and vary times and routes for all required travel
i did none of those things   nor was any of it necessary there are parts of beirut that are clearly unsafe but tourists dont as a rule hang out in hezbollah controlled territory the city i visited was peaceful even serene and nobody i spoke to suggested it wasnt the loudest noise usually came from the most energetic nightclubs
but as i neared my hotel that night i suddenly heard the rapid fire of heavy machine guns and the harsh whistle of mortar rounds i was about to dive under the nearest car when i saw several old men standing on the street next to the giant warehouse that seemed to be under attack they were all laughing at me
what the hell is going on i screamed into the dark as i realized that none of those mortars had actually hit anything an old man who sold motor oil on the side of the road walked up to me he wrapped his arm around my shoulder its only a movie he said clearly delighted they are shooting it inside the warehouse the guns arent real


danny cahill stood slightly dazed in a blizzard of confetti as the audience screamed and his family ran on stage he had won season 8 of nbcs reality television show the biggest loser shedding more weight than anyone ever had on the program   an astonishing 239 pounds in seven months
when he got on the scale for all to see that evening dec 8 2009 he weighed just 191 pounds down from 430 dressed in a t shirt and knee length shorts he was lean athletic and as handsome as a model
ive got my life back he declared i mean i feel like a million bucks
mr cahill left the shows stage in hollywood and flew directly to new york to start a triumphal tour of the talk shows chatting with jay leno regis philbin and joy behar as he heard from fans all over the world his elation knew no bounds
but in the years since more than 100 pounds have crept back onto his 5 foot 11 frame despite his best efforts in fact most of that seasons 16 contestants have regained much if not all the weight they lost so arduously some are even heavier now
yet their experiences while a bitter personal disappointment have been a gift to science a study of season 8s contestants has yielded surprising new discoveries about the physiology of obesity that help explain why so many people struggle unsuccessfully to keep off the weight they lose
kevin hall a scientist at a federal research center who admits to a weakness for reality tv had the idea to follow the biggest loser contestants for six years after that victorious night the project was the first to measure what happened to people over as long as six years after they had lost large amounts of weight with intensive dieting and exercise
the results the researchers said were stunning they showed just how hard the body fights back against weight loss
it is frightening and amazing said dr hall an expert on metabolism at the national institute of diabetes and digestive and kidney diseases which is part of the national institutes of health i am just blown away
it has to do with resting metabolism which determines how many calories a person burns when at rest when the show began the contestants though hugely overweight had normal metabolisms for their size meaning they were burning a normal number of calories for people of their weight when it ended their metabolisms had slowed radically and their bodies were not burning enough calories to maintain their thinner sizes
researchers knew that just about anyone who deliberately loses weight   even if they start at a normal weight or even underweight   will have a slower metabolism when the diet ends so they were not surprised to see that the biggest loser contestants had slow metabolisms when the show ended
what shocked the researchers was what happened next as the years went by and the numbers on the scale climbed the contestants metabolisms did not recover they became even slower and the pounds kept piling on it was as if their bodies were intensifying their effort to pull the contestants back to their original weight
mr cahill was one of the worst off as he regained more than 100 pounds his metabolism slowed so much that just to maintain his current weight of 295 pounds he now has to eat 800 calories a day less than a typical man his size anything more turns to fat
the struggles the contestants went through help explain why it has been so hard to make headway against the nations obesity problem which afflicts more than a third of american adults despite spending billions of dollars on weight loss drugs and dieting programs even the most motivated are working against their own biology
their experience shows that the body will fight back for years and that said dr michael schwartz an obesity and diabetes researcher who is a professor of medicine at the university of washington is new and important
the key point is that you can be on tv you can lose enormous amounts of weight you can go on for six years but you cant get away from a basic biological reality said dr schwartz who was not involved in the study as long as you are below your initial weight your body is going to try to get you back
the shows doctor robert huizenga says he expected the contestants metabolic rates to fall just after the show but was hoping for a smaller drop he questioned though whether the measurements six years later were accurate but maintaining weight loss is difficult he said which is why he tells contestants that they should exercise at least nine hours a week and monitor their diets to keep the weight off
unfortunately many contestants are unable to find or afford adequate ongoing support with exercise doctors psychologists sleep specialists and trainers   and thats something we all need to work hard to change he said in an email
the studys findings to be published on monday in the journal obesity are part of a scientific push to answer some of the most fundamental questions about obesity researchers are figuring out why being fat makes so many people develop diabetes and other medical conditions and they are searching for new ways to block the poison in fat they are starting to unravel the reasons bariatric surgery allows most people to lose significant amounts of weight when dieting so often fails and they are looking afresh at medical care for obese people
the hope is that this work will eventually lead to new therapies that treat obesity as a chronic disease and can help keep weight under control for life
most people who have tried to lose weight know how hard it is to keep the weight off but many blame themselves when the pounds come back but what obesity research has consistently shown is that dieters are at the mercy of their own bodies which muster hormones and an altered metabolic rate to pull them back to their old weights whether that is hundreds of pounds more or that extra 10 or 15 that many people are trying to keep off
there is always a weight a persons body maintains without any effort and while it is not known why that weight can change over the years   it may be an effect of aging   at any point there is a weight that is easy to maintain and that is the weight the body fights to defend finding a way to thwart these mechanisms is the goal scientists are striving for first though they are trying to understand them in greater detail
dr david ludwig the director of the new balance foundation obesity prevention center at boston childrens hospital who was not involved in the research said the findings showed the need for new approaches to weight control he cautioned that the study was limited by its small size and the lack of a control group of obese people who did not lose weight but he added the findings made sense
this is a subset of the most successful dieters he said if they dont show a return to normal in metabolism what hope is there for the rest of us
still he added that shouldnt be interpreted to mean we are doomed to battle our biology or remain fat it means we need to explore other approaches
some scientists say weight maintenance has to be treated as an issue separate from weight loss only when that challenge is solved they say can progress truly be made against obesity
there is a lot of basic research we still need to do said dr margaret jackson who is directing a project at pfizer her group is testing a drug that in animals at least acts like leptin a hormone that controls hunger with weight loss leptin levels fall and people become hungry the idea is to trick the brains of people who have lost weight so they do not become ravenous for lack of leptin
while many of the contestants kept enough weight off to improve their health and became more physically active the low weights they strived to keep eluded all but one of them erinn egbert a full time caregiver for her mother in versailles ky and she struggles mightily to keep the pounds off because her metabolism burns 552 fewer calories a day than would be expected for someone her size
what people dont understand is that a treat is like a drug said ms egbert who went from 263 pounds to just under 176 on the show and now weighs between 152 and 157 two treats can turn into a binge over a three day period that is what i struggle with
six years after season 8 ended 14 of the 16 contestants went to the nih last fall for three days of testing the researchers were concerned that the contestants might try to frantically lose weight before coming in so they shipped equipment to them that would measure their physical activity and weight before their visit and had the information sent remotely to the nih
the contestants received their metabolic results last week they were shocked but on further reflection decided the numbers explained a lot
all my friends were drinking beer and not gaining massive amounts of weight mr cahill said the moment i started drinking beer there goes another 20 pounds i said this is not right something is wrong with my body
sean algaier 36 a pastor from charlotte nc feels cheated he went from 444 pounds to 289 as a contestant on the show now his weight is up to 450 again and he is burning 458 fewer calories a day than would be expected for a man his size
its kind of like hearing you have a life sentence he said
slower metabolisms were not the only reason the contestants regained weight though they constantly battled hunger cravings and binges the investigators found at least one reason plummeting levels of leptin the contestants started out with normal levels of leptin by the seasons finale they had almost no leptin at all which would have made them ravenous all the time as their weight returned their leptin levels drifted up again but only to about half of what they had been when the season began the researchers found thus helping to explain their urges to eat
leptin is just one of a cluster of hormones that control hunger and although dr hall and his colleagues did not measure the rest of them another group of researchers in a different project did in a one year study funded by australias national health and medical research council dr joseph proietto of the university of melbourne and his colleagues recruited 50 overweight people who agreed to consume just 550 calories a day for eight or nine weeks they lost an average of nearly 30 pounds but over the next year the pounds started coming back
dr proietto and his colleagues looked at leptin and four other hormones that satiate people levels of most of them fell in their study subjects they also looked at a hormone that makes people want to eat its level rose
what was surprising was what a coordinated effect it is dr proietto said the body puts multiple mechanisms in place to get you back to your weight the only way to maintain weight loss is to be hungry all the time we desperately need agents that will suppress hunger and that are safe with long term use
mr cahill 46 said his weight problem began when he was in the third grade he got fat then fatter he would starve himself and then eat a whole can of cake frosting with a spoon afterward he would cower in the pantry off the kitchen feeling overwhelmed with shame
over the years his insatiable urge to eat kept overcoming him and his weight climbed 370 pounds 400 460 485
i used to look at myself and think i am horrible i am a monster subhuman he said he began sleeping in a recliner because he was too heavy to sleep lying down walking hurt stairs were agony buying clothes with a 68 waist was humiliating
i remember sitting in a dressing room one day and nothing would fit i looked at the traffic outside on the street and thought i should just run out in front of a car
he eventually seized on the biggest loser as his best chance to lose enough weight to live a normal life he tried three times and was finally selected
before the show began the contestants underwent medical tests to be sure they could endure the rigorous schedule that lay ahead and rigorous it was sequestered on the biggest loser ranch with the other contestants mr cahill exercised seven hours a day burning 8000 to 9000 calories according to a calorie tracker the show gave him he took electrolyte tablets to help replace the salts he lost through sweating consuming many fewer calories than before
eventually he and the others were sent home for four months to try to keep losing weight on their own
mr cahill set a goal of a 3500 caloric deficit per day the idea was to lose a pound a day he quit his job as a land surveyor to do it
his routine went like this wake up at 5 am and run on a treadmill for 45 minutes have breakfast   typically one egg and two egg whites half a grapefruit and a piece of sprouted grain toast run on the treadmill for another 45 minutes rest for 40 minutes bike ride nine miles to a gym work out for two and a half hours shower ride home eat lunch   typically a grilled skinless chicken breast a cup of broccoli and 10 spears of asparagus rest for an hour drive to the gym for another round of exercise
if he had not burned enough calories to hit his goal he went back to the gym after dinner to work out some more at times he found himself running around his neighborhood in the dark until his calorie burn indicator reset to zero at midnight
on the day of the weigh in on the shows finale mr cahill and the others dressed carefully to hide the rolls of loose skin that remained to their surprise and horror after they had lost weight they wore compression undergarments to hold it in
mr cahill knew he could not maintain his finale weight of 191 pounds he was so mentally and physically exhausted he barely moved for two weeks after his publicity tour ended but he had started a new career giving motivational speeches as the biggest loser ever and for the next four years he managed to keep his weight below 255 pounds by exercising two to three hours a day but two years ago he went back to his job as a surveyor and the pounds started coming back
soon the scale hit 265 mr cahill started weighing and measuring his food again and stepped up his exercise he got back down to 235 to 240 pounds but his weight edged up again to 275 then 295
his slow metabolism is part of the problem and so are his food cravings he opens a bag of chips thinking he will have just a few id eat five bites then id black out and eat the whole bag of chips and say what did i do
dr lee kaplan an obesity researcher at harvard says the brain sets the number of calories we consume and it can be easy for people to miss that how much they eat matters less than the fact that their bodies want to hold on to more of those calories
dr michael rosenbaum an obesity researcher at columbia university who has collaborated with dr hall in previous studies said the bodys systems for regulating how many calories are consumed and how many are burned are tightly coupled when people are not strenuously trying to lose weight or to maintain a significant weight loss still pounds can insidiously creep on
we eat about 900000 to a million calories a year and burn them all except those annoying 3000 to 5000 calories that result in an average annual weight gain of about one to two pounds he said these very small differences between intake and output average out to only about 10 to 20 calories per day   less than one starburst candy   but the cumulative consequences over time can be devastating
it is not clear whether this small imbalance and the resultant weight gain that most of us experience as we age are the consequences of changes in lifestyle the environment or just the biology of aging dr rosenbaum added
the effects of small imbalances between calories eaten and calories burned are more pronounced when people deliberately lose weight dr hall said yes there are signals to regain weight but he wondered how many extra calories people were driven to eat he found a way to figure that out
he analyzed data from a clinical trial in which people took a diabetes drug canagliflozin that makes them spill 360 calories a day into their urine or took a placebo the drug has no known effect on the brain and the person does not realize those calories are being spilled those taking the drug gradually lost weight but for every five pounds they lost they were without realizing it eating an additional 200 calories a day
those extra calories dr hall said were a bigger driver of weight regained than the slowing of the metabolism and he added if people fought the urge to eat those calories they would be hungry unless they continue to fight it constantly they will regain the weight he said
all this does not mean that modest weight loss is hopeless experts say individuals respond differently to diet manipulations   low carbohydrate or low calorie diets for example   and to exercise and weight loss drugs among other interventions
but dr ludwig said that simply cutting calories was not the answer there are no doubt exceptional individuals who can ignore primal biological signals and maintain weight loss for the long term by restricting calories he said but he added that for most people the combination of incessant hunger and slowing metabolism is a recipe for weight regain   explaining why so few individuals can maintain weight loss for more than a few months
dr rosenbaum agreed the difficulty in keeping weight off reflects biology not a pathological lack of willpower affecting two thirds of the usa he said
mr cahill knows that now and with his report from dr halls group showing just how much his metabolism had slowed he stopped blaming himself for his weight gain
that shame that was on my shoulders went off he said


albany   new yorks attorney general has the authority to investigate the fatal police shooting of a man in the upstate city of troy last month according to an order issued on sunday by gov andrew m cuomo
the order amended a broader directive issued last year by mr cuomo that empowered the attorney general eric t schneiderman to investigate and prosecute in deadly encounters involving the police mr cuomo a democrat revised the earlier order to authorize mr schneiderman to explore possible unlawful acts or omissions related to the death in troy of edson thevenin
last week mr schneiderman sued district attorney joel abelove of rensselaer county over case files related to the death of mr thevenin who was fatally shot on april 17 by an officer who the authorities say mr thevenin had trapped between two cars after a chase
a grand jury convened by mr abelove less than a week after the killing of mr thevenin declined to indict the officer in his suit mr schneiderman said mr abelove had violated the attorney generals authority in such cases by presenting the case to a grand jury before the attorney generals office had determined whether it would intervene in the matter
a message left at mr abeloves office on sunday was not answered
mr schneidermans special investigations and prosecutions unit which handles episodes where civilians die in encounters with the police has examined several such cases since mr cuomo issued his executive order last year the unit has opened formal inquiries into four cases after determining that they involved civilians who were not armed and dangerous of those three are open and one has been closed


sports
an article on wednesday about the mets 4 3 victory over the cincinnati reds misidentified in some copies the position of wally pipp the yankee usurped by lou gehrig who was cited by mets manager terry collins when discussing catcher travis darnauds injury pipp was a first baseman not an outfielder

because of an editing error an associated press report in the nhl roundup last monday about the dallas stars 5 4 victory over the minnesota wild that ended their first round nhl playoff series misstated the year the stars last advanced to the second round it was 2008 not 1998
the arts
a music review on wednesday about the argento chamber ensemble at zankel hall in manhattan referred incorrectly to the composer beat furrers reciting of a poem in xenos iii an excerpt from his opera wustenbuch desert book he recited the text live his voice was not recorded
obituaries
because of an editing error an obituary on thursday about the longtime jets offensive lineman winston hill misstated the name of the all star pro football team to which he was named eight times it is the all pro team not the all star team
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an off duty new york city correction officer was arrested over the weekend after she pulled out a loaded gun during an argument over a parking spot in manhattan the police said
the officer robin mervin was arrested on charges of menacing and criminal possession of a weapon after the confrontation late on saturday the police said
officer mervin 29 blocked a driver from parking on a harlem street and then drew a weapon out of a holster and pointed it at the driver the police said at that point the police said the driver involved in the confrontation with officer mervin called 911
it was not clear whether the gun was officer mervins service weapon a spokeswoman for the correction department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the arrest
it was not clear if officer mervin had a lawyer


the first person to eulogize coca crystal   the writer cable television show host political agitator feminist mother and frequent smoker of marijuana on camera   at a memorial service in an east village poetry club on sunday was an actress playing ms crystal who died in march at 68
the actress danielle quisenberry wore a wig to evoke ms crystals mop of dark hair a jean jacket and an african print skirt that reached the ground channeling ms crystals loose limbed splashy stage presence ms quisenberry surveyed the crowd that had packed the club
the good news is were here she said the bad news is well never be here again this is our very last show live from the nuyorican cafe
ms crystals ashes sat nearby in a black box atop a bar stool on the stage
i want you to describe something that we did together in three words or less ms quisenberry said
fed a horse someone shouted
climbed a volcano
man from space
oh i want to talk about that later ms quisenberry said three words or less darlings
refused to vote
traveled across america
yes we did indeedy do
ms crystal was born jacqueline diamond in 1947 and grew up in mamaroneck ny her father jack owned j diamond furs
she was the black sheep daughter of a westchester furrier who dropped out and never bothered to drop back in according to a vintage news report shared at the memorial she died of respiratory failure after suffering from complications of lung cancer
in new york in the early 1970s she became a concierge writer and all around gatekeeper of the alternative newspaper the east village other later she wrote for publications like the ace using an orange typewriter she said she had grabbed during a riot at columbia university
she wrote about serenading a burglar and finding herself on a hijacked flight to cuba i was one of the only people who had a good time in 1977 she began hosting her own public access cable television show if i cant dance you can keep your revolution which ran until 1995 asked by a reporter what it was about ms crystal said about an hour
in a highlight reel shown at the service on sunday ms crystal could be seen on the programs bare bones set mugging in front of a droopy burlap sign and talking casually with guests including the singer and musical archivist herbert khaury known as tiny tim deborah harry and chris stein of the band blondie the singer tuli kupferberg of the fugs and abbie hoffman the yippie provocateur
coca crystal tv star as she often called herself would stretch out on the floor or sit cross legged in cowboy boots she once extracted a joint from a pot of daisies on her wednesday night show for all you know im smoking felt she told viewers and smudged her forehead with ashes from a pipe while declaring it hash wednesday she often offered her guests a toke
she was dismissive of television characters who glamorized the lifestyle of single young women like mary tyler moore theyre always walking around in 800 outfits she said i cant even go to a restaurant as for her place in the counterculture she said im an institution
at the service ex yippies hippies and beatniks filled the windowless room their hair long since gone gray poems were read folk songs sung t shirts and stickers bearing the name of the democratic presidential candidate bernie sanders were the only sign that it was 2016 the audience included leslie bacon once accused of plotting with the weathermen sylvia topp mr kupferbergs wife and bob fass of the radio station wbai
ed sanders a writer who was also in the fugs read a poem while playing a three string strumstick he talked about helping ms crystal write books about her life during her long battle with lung cancer
some knew ms crystal from the days of the emma goldman brigade a feminist group that staged protests including releasing rats at a banquet at the waldorf astoria honoring pat nixon the wife of president richard m nixon
jill seiden who said she was the one who had released the rats described meeting ms crystal during an organizing session for may day in 1971 she stood up and did a parody of everyone id like to propose an amendment to the motion to amend the amendment she recalled she was exuberant rebellious fun
others remembered ms crystal from her writing days charlie frick a photojournalist introduced himself as a boy reporter from the east village other i was still in high school i was pushing a broom he said she was the den mother he said that after she lost the ability to speak she was still writing in the hospital
one man sat in silence he had been a frequent guest on ms crystals show and perhaps the star of her life gustav che finkelstein or gus the son she adopted from her sister in 1975
mr sanders of the fugs said he had once praised ms crystal for giving up her career to take care of gus who is mentally and physically disabled he said she had softly rebuked him she felt it gave her a career   having a loving presence he said they say we were all looking for salvation in those days and that was her salvation
during the service gus now 45 stepped up and handed ms quisenberry a bouquet of orange flowers


boston   for more than three weeks the yankees had been searching for a breakout offensive performance the kind with hits and runs stacked up so high that the pitchers would not have to fret over their work and victory was virtually ensured
during that time dating back to april 9 the yankees never scored more than six runs and they reached that plateau only once most of the time they had to settle for two or three runs and their record reflected that pitiful production
sunday was different on sunday night through a steady rain and chilly winds the yankees offense finally materialized thanks mostly to alex rodriguez they scored seven runs a total greater than the sum of their runs in their four previous games and a confidence building win seemed within their grasp
but on a night when the yankees finally hit and scored in volume the pitching squandered it all nathan eovaldi the starter gave up two leads and six runs and dellin betances gave up a two run home run to christian vazquez in the seventh as boston won 8 7 to complete a three game sweep
manager joe girardi said this loss was harder to accept than previous losses because of how the offense had finally clicked into motion more pressing the loss dropped the yankees to 8 15 as they consolidated their position in last place in the american league east while the streaking red sox vaulted into first in the first game of may
while most in the yankees clubhouse continue to stress how early it is in the season some are starting to acknowledge a mounting urgency the red sox moved to five games over 500 for the first time since 2013 when the won they world series and the yankees are seven games under 500 for the first time in mark teixeiras eight year tenure with them
its small sample size right now but its getting bigger said teixeira who had a single and a run batted in we dont want to keep blaming it on bad luck or its just one month we need to start winning games
rodriguez spent time before the game discussing his theory that the yankees offense should strive to score five runs a game a tactical outlook he notes has served the team well over the years for example in 2009 the yankees averaged 564 runs per game in the regular season and they won the world series
i feel like our responsibility is to go out and try to score five runs he said anything over that is a bonus anything under it is just not good enough
about an hour later rodriguez was in the batters box trying to prove his theorem single handedly he hit a two run homer and a two run double both off red sox starter david price and scored a run on teixeiras single in the yankees three run fifth
that gave the yankees a 6 4 lead but in the bottom of the fifth eovaldi surrendered a two run homer to travis shaw and the score was even again eovaldi also gave up a 3 1 lead in the third
the most frustrating part for me is that we kept scoring tonight and i wasnt able to hold the lead eovaldi said
the score remained even until the seventh when betances grooved a 97 mile per hour fastball straight down the middle to catcher vazquez with a runner on base vazquez put a perfect swing on the ball and sent it screaming clear over the green monster and onto lansdowne street giving boston an 8 6 lead
the yankees scored a run in the top of the eighth when starlin castro doubled off koji uehara took third on a groundout and came home on a wild pitch but uehara struck out carlos beltran to end the eighth and craig kimbrel locked down the ninth for his eighth save
vazquezs blast was the second significant home run that betances gave up in this series on friday david ortizs two run homer off betances in the eighth inning decided the opening game of the series that one came on a breaking ball that hung up in the strike zone but the homer by vazquez was a fastball on a platter betances has now given up home runs in his last three outings
i pretty much lost two of these games betances said ill take responsibility on myself i know theres better days ahead
price who signed a seven year 217 million contract with the red sox in the off season did not have a particularly good outing in his 31st start against the yankees like eovaldi he surrendered six runs but he was the pitcher of record when vazquez homered so he improved to 4 0 with an unsightly 614 era
the yankees had been six games under 500 for the first time since girardi took over in 2008 the last times they were that far under 500 were in 2005 and 2007 under manager joe torre they were eight games under 500 in 2007 21 29 and as in 2005 they still made the playoffs under torre then in his last season with them
one of the things that joe torre always advocated in our clubhouse   and i think about this often   is think small and big things will happen rodriguez said thats i think where we are today
where they really are is last place


for weeks and months judge shira a scheindlin had been excoriated by new york citys highest public officials for her ruling in 2013 that the police departments stop and frisk policy had violated the rights of minorities at the time mayor michael r bloomberg said in essence that he hoped the ruling would not take effect while he was still in office because he did not want to be responsible for a lot of people dying
the attacks on judge scheindlin only intensified after a federal appeals panel stayed her ruling criticized her actions in the case and removed her from continuing to oversee it
but last week as judge scheindlin prepared to step down after nearly 22 years as a federal district judge in manhattan she offered her first extensive interviews about the case and her tenure with a particularly blunt response to the criticism
she would never forget she said seeing a front page photograph in a newspaper the day after she released her ruling showing mr bloomberg and police commissioner raymond w kelly as she put it looking like two angry white men
they seemed out of touch with the issues that the communities cared about judge scheindlin said they didnt seem to understand the impact of these policies on real people and real neighborhoods and real communities and the detrimental impact it was having even on policing and thats the point they didnt seem to get it it was all about fear   new york would blow up
judge scheindlin 69 who was appointed to her position in 1994 by president bill clinton spent last week packing boxes in her chambers putting the final touches on several opinions and orders and even going into court to hold a few last minute hearings
she has handled numerous high profile trials including that of francis x livoti a former police officer who was convicted in 1998 of violating the civil rights of a bronx man who died after a confrontation with the police and of viktor bout a russian arms dealer who was convicted in 2011 of conspiring to kill americans
her cases have also involved the first amendment terrorism solitary confinement in new york states prisons and in 2004 even professional football she struck down an age restriction for the national football league draft the ruling was reversed
like all federal judges she had enjoyed lifetime tenure on the bench now she said she plans to devote most of her time working as a mediator or perhaps a court appointed monitor focusing on police prison education housing and voting reform she also will become of counsel to the law firm stroock  stroock  lavan where she hopes to do pro bono and commercial work
what i hope to do judge scheindlin said are even more good works than i could accomplish here
in the interviews judge scheindlin defended her handling of the stop and frisk case and cited the drop in the number of recorded street stops to about 24000 last year from 685000 in 2011
think of the lives that that has changed the lives that that has touched she said the lives of people who were stopped for no good reason and how intrusive that is the policy had bred nothing but distrust she added
judge scheindlin said that in her view mr bloomberg was one of our best mayors but he really never appreciated what was wrong with stopping 700000 overwhelmingly innocent people as they went about their daily lives
in a statement to the new york times mr kelly said the fact that the judge was completely removed from the case by the appellate division on their own initiative for pretrial partiality and violation of the judicial code of conduct speaks for itself a spokesman for mr bloomberg declined to comment
judge scheindlin in the interviews also ruminated over a judges influence and the occasions when it goes only so far she revealed for example that she believed that the 25 year sentence she imposed in 2012 on mr bout was excessive and inappropriate
but because one count carried a mandatory 25 year minimum sentence she was unable to impose a lesser term
mr bout had been arrested in bangkok after an elaborate government sting operation that relied on informers who posed as representatives of a terrorist group who wanted to buy arms to kill american pilots stationed in colombia the evidence showed that mr bout had agreed to sell hundreds of surface to air missiles thousands of ak 47 machine guns and five tons of plastic explosives to the informants prosecutors had sought a life sentence but judge scheindlin recalled having reservations
there was no doubt mr bout had been an international arms dealer she said but by the time of his arrest he was pretty well retired
the question was was he still an international arms dealer and does that matter she continued
im not defending him she said but hes a businessman he was in the business of selling arms he was not she said a fighter or a terrorist from al qaeda who lives to blow up civilians in a supermarket
they reeled this guy in she said they offered him a lot of money she added i gave the lowest sentence i could possibly give
judge scheindlin who had been a federal prosecutor said that she agreed that sting operations were often necessary and effective tools for law enforcement
but she also had serious questions she said about the 2009 operation used to arrest four men in a plot to shoot missiles at military airplanes at a national guard base in newburgh ny and to blow up synagogues in the bronx
the case handled by a different judge spurred criticism about the governments reliance on a fbi informer who had posed as a pakistani terrorist and how the defendants had been lured into the plot judge scheindlin said her views were based only on what she had read and heard about the case
you entice them with real money and benefits she said and the men eventually do convict themselves with incriminating statements but she said you sort of feel if they were never approached and urged on they didnt have the brains or the wherewithal to pull this off
judge scheindlin pointed to a different case to illustrate a judges power a state inmate had complained that he had been placed in isolation for three years as punishment for a minor infraction the new york civil liberties union represented the man and the result was a class action settlement recently approved by judge scheindlin that will overhaul the way solitary confinement is used in new york states prisons
im not a person who was ever enamored of power judge scheindlin said but i like to exercise it in the public good
she also tried to do that in the stop and frisk case in her 195 page opinion she had concluded that the police had resorted to a policy of indirect racial profiling in minority communities and she ordered that sweeping reforms be developed including the appointment of a monitor
the appeals panel criticizing her after the city appealed said that she had compromised the appearance of impartiality by appearing to have steered the case to herself and in granting interviews to news organizations
a team of lawyers filed papers defending her handling of the case and objecting to her removal from it the panel soon issued another opinion which described judge scheindlin as a long serving and distinguished jurist and said it had made no findings of misconduct actual bias or actual partiality on her part although she would remain off the case
mayor bill de blasios administration later withdrew the appeal and the reforms are being developed under another judges supervision
the opinion survives intact in every way judge scheindlin said the remedies are today being implemented the number of stops sank enormously crime did not rise up despite the wild predictions about the city would burn
in his 2015 book vigilance mr kelly questioned the curious timing of judge scheindlins decision   a month before the democratic primary   saying that whatever her intention had been its release was a huge boost to the de blasio campaign which was focusing more and more on the police
judge scheindlin said she had not read the book told of his assertion she said that just shows that ray kelly didnt know my style as a judge
the timing was coincidental she said as her self imposed rule was to give litigants a prompt decision in all cases
the fact that it coincided with the mayoral election is not my problem she said the chips fall where they fall
judge scheindlin acknowledged that the stop and frisk decision would be her legacy the kind of case that might be inscribed on a judges tombstone she joked we judges talk about that   a tombstone case
im very proud of my work in the stop and frisk area she said adding i have no second thoughts


eurovision has finally made its way onto american television the popular european song contest now in its 61st season will air the seasons grand final live on logo on may 14
more than 200 million viewers tuned into the show last season making it the most watched live entertainment program in europe according to eurovision previously american fans were only able to watch the competitions final by live streaming it through the eurovision site the show recently revamped its voting system and has laid out plans to stage a similar contest in asia it also recently received criticism after it banned its audience from waving palestinian flags
the final will be held in stockholm at 3 pm eastern standard time and will be available in the united states on logotvcom and on logos mobile app


david backes gave st louis a big gift on his 32nd birthday with another overtime goal to send the blues home even with the dallas stars in their second round stanley cup playoff series
backes the blues captain got quite a serenade of happy birthday to you from his teammates after scoring off a rebound during a power play 10 minutes 58 seconds into overtime of game 2 on sunday for a 4 3 road victory
i want to know what they did with the money their parents gave them for voice lessons backes said with a smile
after blowing a two goal lead while being outshot by 13 2 in the third period the blues took advantage of their second power play chance in overtime backes followed up alexander steens shot 17 seconds after the stars antoine roussel was called for interference
the thing that impressed me more than anything was the way we played in the overtime   outstanding coach ken hitchcock said we went into attack mode and stayed on it the whole time i was really impressed
instead of heading to st louis trailing by two games to none the blues go home tied in the best of seven matchup between the top two teams in the western conference game 3 is tuesday night with game 4 also in st louis on thursday before the series returns to dallas for game 5 on saturday
roussel slammed his stick when exiting the penalty box after backes scored to end the game asked later if the penalty had been the right call roussel responded i dont know they have a tough job its not easy to be a ref out there
until backes scored antti niemi had stopped 19 consecutive shots after relieving kari lehtonen to start the second period
blues goalie brian elliott had 31 saves stopping big shots by jason spezza and the stars captain jamie benn about a minute apart in overtime
st louis had a quick extra man chance in overtime but niemi stopped three shots in that two minute span
sharks 3 predators 2 joe pavelski scored the tiebreaking goal with 240 left in regulation and martin jones stopped 36 shots to lead host san jose over nashville as the sharks took a two games to none lead in their second round series
logan couture added a power play goal and joe thornton scored an empty netter to put san jose in control with the series shifting to nashville for game 3 on tuesday night san jose won the most road games in the nhl this season and all three of its games in los angeles in eliminating the kings in the first round
the predators mattias ekholm tied the game earlier in the third and ryan johansen scored for nashville but the predators head home from california in much worse shape than they did in the first round when they won the first two games in anaheim on the way to beating the ducks in seven games
after ekholm erased san joses lead in the third the sharks top line delivered when it mattered most joe thornton slid a cross ice pass to matt nieto whose initial shot was stopped by pekka rinne but pavelski batted the rebound in for his sixth goal of the playoffs to give the sharks the lead
thorntons subsequent empty net goal proved crucial when johansen scored for nashville with 36 seconds left
rinne who made 21 saves had helped keep nashville in the game long enough to get the equalizer midway through the third with san jose leading by 1 0 rinne robbed nick spaling with a pad save on a two on one with san jose short handed
a few minutes later ekholm got the equalizer when his shot from the high slot got past a screened jones to make it 1 1
the sharks scored first after an odd penalty late in the second nashvilles roman josi tried to rush off the ice after a bad line change to avoid a penalty for too many players but jumped into the sharks bench because he could not reach his own in time the move shocked the san jose players but did not avoid the penalty


demar derozan scored 30 points jonas valanciunas had 15 rebounds and 10 points and the toronto raptors beat the visiting indiana pacers 89 84 on sunday night for a game 7 win that advanced them to the eastern conference semifinals
toronto will face the miami heat who advanced by routing the charlotte hornets in game 7 of their series game 1 will be tuesday night in toronto
the raptors rookie norman powell added 13 points and kyle lowry had 11 points and 9 assists as toronto won a seven game series for the first time in franchise history
the victory gave the raptors their first postseason series win since a five game triumph over the knicks in 2001   and ended the nbas longest active drought between playoff series wins
paul george led indiana with 26 points and 12 rebounds george hill scored 19 points and monta ellis had 15
the raptors led 83 67 with 7 minutes 31 seconds left in the fourth quarter but the pacers staged a furious rally to get back in the game
indiana scored 12 of the next 14 points cutting it to 85 79 with 323 remaining the pacers made it 85 82 on elliss 3 pointer with 237 left but lowry answered with a driving layup
george made two free throws with 52 seconds left to make it 87 84 but on the next possession he turned the ball over to derozan who was fouled and made both free throws with 65 seconds left
derozans 13 points in the first quarter were more than he had in either game 4 or game 6 when he scored 8 points he made just one of five field goal attempts in the second but powell came off the bench to score 10 points
toronto led by 58 46 after a 3 by carroll at 817 of the third but the pacers answered with a 7 0 run patterson made a 3 pointer at 437 torontos fourth of the quarter after three in the first half and derozan scored the next 5 points in an 8 0 surge that gave the raptors a 71 57 lead derozan scored 13 points in the third
heat 106 hornets 73 goran dragic scored 25 points gerald green added 16 and miami advanced to the second round of the eastern conference playoffs with an emphatic win over visiting charlotte
the heat who lost chris bosh at the all star break to a blood clot for a second consecutive year and watched the assistant coach keith smart deal with cancer treatment had trailed in the series three games to two before winning two straight while facing elimination
dwyane wade said that he had reflected on all the heat had been through before tipoff and had realized it made them stronger
im not a prophet or anything wade said but i knew we were winning this game
luol deng scored 15 wade finished with 12 and hassan whiteside had 10 points 12 rebounds and 5 blocks for the heat who have won their last four game 7s
frank kaminsky scored 12 for charlotte courtney lee added 11 and nic batum 10
the hornets two biggest stars kemba walker and al jefferson combined for 13 points on sunday
the hornets had a chance to close out the heat on their home floor in game 6 but wasted the opportunity in a 97 90 loss they never had a chance in game 7
miami led by 12 at halftime and stretched it to 24 by the midpoint of the third quarter
in the third quarter it got away from us hornets coach steve clifford said


spoilers for sundays episode of game of thrones are below naturally
it turns out the red woman isnt so feeble after all
a week after revealing herself to be perhaps centuries old as part of an extended pity party over her shattered visions she thought melisandre put an end to the essentially nonmysterious mystery over whether jon snow would stay dead he didnt jolting awake after some laying of hands a few prayers and roughly 68000 blog posts
at the moment viewers are nearly alone in this knowledge   all of the direct witnesses except ghost left before jon had his awakening this includes the red woman who apparently read none of those blog posts most of which surmised that the story placed her at castle black essentially to bring back snow she had to be talked into even trying by ser davos the most valuable player of the first fifth of season 6
in the end it was a mostly perfunctory resolution to a twist that surprised im guessing few viewers jon snows assassination was astonishing immediately when it happened but upon further consideration seemed destined to be overturned on magical appeal there were too many questions his parentage and teased confrontations the white walkers that would be left unresolved and the shows entire wall story line would be left with a bastard sized hole in the middle
the twist was perhaps most compelling as an offscreen object lesson about how drastically viewers relationships with beloved television shows have changed to the point that any show runners considering old tricks like big shocking deaths and cliffhangers might want to think twice certainly after jon snow and the glenn thing on the walking dead the is he or isnt he dead concept seems done
if david benioff and db weiss the shows creators had to do it over again i wonder if they would have handled the whole arc over a few weeks in the same season giving obsessives less time to pick apart the move and go nsa on the movements and haircuts of kit harington the actor who plays jon snow of course overheated publicity isnt exactly terrible for a tv show
the good news is that in dispensing relatively quickly with a question many viewers didnt see as much of a question at all   is jon snow coming back   the resurrection raises more of them that are arguably more interesting and certainly less cut and dried for one what sort of jon snow will he be now will he be another beric dondarrion who gets killed and returns seemingly whenever convenient seven times at last count seems doubtful though such a skill could come in handy against a zombie army if nothing else perhaps jons newly undead status will give him additional insight into his opponent
will he be somehow diminished a shell of the old jon snow dondarrion mentioned in season 3 that with each resurrection he is less of himself but would that even be a bad thing in jons case the guy could stand to tone down the emo quotient a bit though id expect a stint in the afterlife to have the opposite effect
more important will snows return be what finally unites the nights watch and wildlings now together at castle black after a wisely aborted confrontation if not what would if the show wants to take the christ parallels even farther it will have snow forgive his betrayers and strive to bring everyone together as one family against the forces of negation and darkness theyll have a pretty good warm up coming if ramsay bolton does lead an attack on castle black as mentioned would there be a more satisfying end for ramsay than for wun wun to get ahold of him as he did that feckless archer
but were getting ahead of ourselves lets allow him to get some electrolytes maybe pet his wolf and then we can start figuring out how hes going to save the world
though snows was the only literal rebirth on sunday he was one of several characters who took significant evolutionary steps toward the people they are ultimately meant to be for better and worse
for melisandre who had been spiraling and admitted to davos that she was something of a fraud this display of true supernatural ability would seem to establish her bona fides but to what end is she now linked to snow for more noble purposes he would need her around as his designated reviver a la thoros of myr if he planned on dying again or will it send her power mad in even darker directions after all this is a woman who was burning children roughly a few weeks ago in thrones time
bran stark came back for the first time since season 4 appearing mostly in a vision that thanks to his developing power took him and the three eyed raven scrooge like to a cheerful winterfell past bran witnessed his father and uncle as boys sparring and viewers got the first living look at lyanna stark the girl neds sister died before the game of thrones timeline but will likely have a significant role we also got the suggestion that brans visions are intoxicating to him which could be an issue going forward
hodor at the same time was reborn in our eyes his real name is wyllis and he used to say more things i may be more excited about the hodor origin story than i am about the race for the iron throne though the stable boy part offers a possible hint i guess
somewhere south of bran and his magical tree theon appears ready to return to the iron islands come what may over in braavos arya was finally enough of a nameless girl to get to go back inside after a few more whacks
and then theres ramsay who attained new levels of treachery killing first his father then his stepmother and infant half brother the first move accomplished what had to be ramsays plan all along   making him lord bolton though the timeline was perhaps accelerated by the new heir the second was the latest almost unbelievably cruel moment in a show thats had plenty of them i say almost because well they keep coming he did it by letting loose his dogs who were clearly unsated by the myranda value meal they had last week
look ramsays gonna ramsay though i could have done without the mauling sound effects deliver us from this long nightmare wun wun its unclear if those were the same hounds who as many commenters noted mysteriously went missing during briennes rescue of sansa and theon last week they didnt look like them
i am sorry to see the end of roose a sort of down market tywin lannister but with similar diction and parenting skills ramsay was going to get him at some point but roose certainly exacerbated things with his regular verbal jabs im less so about the other bad dad who bought it on sunday balon greyjoy mostly because we hardly knew him and what we did know wasnt pleasant
the demise of balon theons father and the king of the ironborn came via a new character his brother euron who im guessing will be returning soon to claim the throne yara thinks she deserves it however im not going to get too worked up about this subplot until i see where its headed but lets hope that the iron islands arent this years dorne
in another win for melisandre youll recall that balon was the last remaining living leech king from her season 3 liaison with gendry the other two were robb stark and joffrey baratheon so a big week for her
gendry of course is still rowing   in our hearts if nothing else
 tyrion took his first baby steps toward dragon husbandry unchaining the two beasts dany put in the cellar at the end of season 4 the move was effective if unnerving   the next time i have an idea like that punch me in the face tyrion told varys the masterful peter dinklage proved that he can bring it even opposite a random guy in a greensuit or whatever fills in for the dragons before cgi is involved
 speaking of bad drunken ideas you absolutely do not want to be besmirching cerseis honor in kings landing these days do we think jaime mountainstein and the kings guard would be enough to overthrow the sparrows
 so what say you were you satisfied by snows return can cersei mold tommen into something more than a cream puff what else would you like to see wun wun smash please fire away in the comments


gov alejandro garcia padilla of puerto rico said sunday that he had ordered a debt moratorium blocking a 422 million payment due on monday
the missed payment is the biggest yet in a continuing series of defaults by the struggling united states territory and a warning that puerto rico will probably default on even larger and more consequential payments due on july 1 unless congress enacts rescue legislation before then
on that date nearly 2 billion is due roughly 800 million of which consists of general obligation bonds that carry an explicit guarantee by the puerto rican constitution missing a major payment on such debt would not only set off a wave of creditor lawsuits but it could also cast a shadow over americas 37 trillion municipal bond market for decades an essential source of financing for public works
this was a painful decision the governor said in a televised speech on sunday in which he struck a nationalistic tone and said he had to invoke his emergency powers under puerto rican law because help from washington was not forthcoming
we would have preferred to have had a legal framework to restructure our debts in an orderly manner he said
federal law bars puerto rico from restructuring under chapter 9 the part of the bankruptcy code that insolvent cities and other local governments can use lawmakers in the house of representatives under the direction of speaker paul d ryan have been trying to draft a special law to give puerto rico legal powers to abrogate debt something normally available only in bankruptcy
but the bill is contentious and important provisions are still being negotiated
the governor said the process was too slow in his speech he blamed unnamed opponents of the people of puerto rico who he said have unleashed a brutal campaign of racial discrimination and lies against us convincing some members of congress that puerto rico needed austerity rather than debt relief
puerto rico needs speaker paul ryan to exercise his leadership and honor his word he said we cant wait longer we need this restructuring mechanism now
the governor also expressed skepticism about a core principle of the rescue legislation that to get extraordinary powers to reduce debt puerto rico must first come under federal oversight mr garcia padilla said he would welcome oversight that assisted the islands elected government but would strongly oppose any federal oversight board that could overrule the government on matters like taxation or on which creditors ought to be paid first
it could become a public embarrassment for the united states to admit before the international community that while it fights for democracy in foreign lands it denies democracy it in its own backyard he warned
the 422 million payment due on monday was owed by the islands powerful government development bank which for decades has raised money for various branches of government and performed other critical tasks its creditors include many local credit unions on the island which late last week agreed in effect to roll their debt forward for another year
but other creditors appeared late sunday to be holding out for cash until the moratorium was invoked the government development bank had until the close of business monday to pay because the due date may 1 fell on a sunday
early in april a group of hedge funds sued the bank arguing that it was insolvent and was using its scarce resources to prop up other parts of the government the hedge funds asked the federal court in san juan to freeze the banks assets other than those paid out to support the basic safety and well being of the islands residents
a few days later puerto ricos legislature gave the governor the power to do much the same thing to halt debt payments to save cash for essential public services
what we will never do is put the lives and safety of our people in danger said mr garcia padilla in his televised speech they are and will continue to be our priority


even when he is not at his best the left hander chris sale is usually good enough to carry the chicago white sox to victory
such was the case sunday when sale grinded through an up and down outing
sale took a shutout into the sixth inning brett lawrie homered for the third straight day and the white sox beat the host baltimore orioles 7 1 for a split of a four game series
off to the best start of his career at 6 0 sale allowed one run five hits and four walks over five and one third innings he is the first white sox pitcher to win his first six starts in a season since jon garland was 8 0 in 2005
dodgers 1 padres 0 clayton kershaw pitched a three hitter struck out 14 and singled home the games only run for host los angeles
kershaw ended the dodgers six game losing streak with his 13th shutout and his 22nd complete game in 248 career starts
kershaw a three time national league cy young award winner walked none and retired the first 14 batters
nationals 6 cardinals 1 max scherzer struck out nine and did not allow a runner past first base in seven innings and washington completed a three game sweep in st louis
clint robinson and danny espinosa hit back to back home runs providing the power for washington on a day when bryce harper the nl most valuable player struck out four times
tigers 6 twins 5 jarrod saltalamacchia doubled home the go ahead run in the eighth inning in minneapolis and nick castellanos hit a three run homer in detroits fifth straight victory
saltalamacchias drive to left field off reliever ryan pressly allowed justin upton to score from first twins shortstop eduardo escobar bobbled the ball on the relay throw
rockies 6 diamondbacks 3 nolan arenado hit his major league leading 11th home run as colorado completed a three game sweep in phoenix
arenado hit a two run shot in the sixth one inning after gerardo parra hit a solo drive
reds 6 pirates 5 scott schebler hit an rbi double in the 11th inning and visiting cincinnati ended a six game losing streak
eugenio suarez led off in the 11th with a triple past the diving left fielder starling marte and scored on scheblers hit off ryan vogelsong
braves 4 cubs 3 daniel castro singled and scored on nick markakiss sacrifice fly in the 10th inning as visiting atlanta won for just the sixth time in 24 games
brewers 14 marlins 5 chris carter went 3 for 5 with two homers to lead host milwaukees season high 18 hit barrage
royals 4 mariners 1 eric hosmer homered ian kennedy took a shutout into the sixth and visiting kansas city ended a 27 inning scoreless streak
phillies 2 indians 1 vince velasquez lowered his era to 144 with two hit ball over six scoreless innings and host philadelphia earned its sixth straight win
blue jays 5 rays 1 marcus stroman allowed one run in eight innings on his 25th birthday and troy tulowitzki hit a three run homer for visiting toronto
angels 9 rangers 6 kole calhoun got three hits and drove in two runs as los angeles avoided a series sweep and ended texas four game winning streak
astros 2 athletics 1 jose altuve homered leading off a game for the fourth time this season   one of just two hits by houston   as houston avoided a series sweep in oakland


a historic serbian orthodox church in manhattan that plays an important role in new yorks serbian community was gutted by flames on sunday just hours after parishioners had filled its pews for easter services
the new york fire department said it received the first report of the blaze at the serbian orthodox cathedral of st sava on west 25th street between fifth avenue and avenue of the americas in the flatiron district shortly before 7 pm it grew to a four alarm fire that took 168 department personnel to tame fire officials said
it was not clear if anyone was at the church when the fire started officials said the priest had left before the blaze began to go on a bicycle ride after an easter luncheon that stretched into the late afternoon and capped several busy days of religious celebrations officials said a caretaker who arrived after the fire started was treated for smoke inhalation but was not hospitalized they said
frank gribbon a department spokesman who was at the scene on sunday night said the blaze did not appear to be suspicious he said the department would investigate the cause but cautioned that the amount of damage could complicate that effort
there is so much damage you cant find the point of origin he said adding the whole roof is a wooden truss its gone
the blaze tore through the 19th century building quickly and within an hour onlookers were posting photos and videos on social media showing a column of smoke rising over manhattan and the flames engulfing the church
the fire department joined in sharing a video on twitter that showed flames climbing up the churchs pitched roof and fire and smoke pouring out of windows that had held ornate stained glass panes
herman tulp 60 a tourist from the netherlands who came upon the burning church before the firefighters arrived said he saw a man who was clearly distressed admonishing camera wielding people in the gathering crowd
there was a man who was hysterical because it was his church mr tulp said he was shouting this is my church this is my church why are you filming
less than two hours before the department received word of the blaze st sava staff members had posted pictures of the easter services on the churchs official facebook page the photos showed priests and well dressed parishioners smiling over baskets of colorfully dyed eggs
on sunday night distraught parishioners gathered near the smoldering ruins of the church where smoke and the acrid smell of ash hung for hours in the air dejan dex lipovic 24 wept as he recalled attending the services just hours before
it is hard to look at he said there were over a thousand people there it is a beautiful church
orthodox churches like st sava use the older julian calendar which is one reason why they often celebrate easter later than western churches which use the gregorian calendar the standard in much of the world
the church which has served for decades as the backbone of new yorks serbian orthodox community was previously known as trinity chapel an episcopal church that was sold to its current owners in 1943 attempts to reach church officials on sunday night were unsuccessful
the building was added to the national register of historic places in 1968 the same year that the citys landmarks preservation commission gave it landmark status at the time the commission wrote of the church that its special character historic significance and aesthetic interest and value of the development heritage and cultural characteristics of new york make it irreplaceable
jovana djurdjevic 22 another parishioner said the church was a vital institution in the life of many serbian american new yorkers
i basically grew up there she said i was baptized there ive seen every one of my friends get married there ive been to funerals i was there almost every sunday i went to sunday school and learned serbian there


new york city is crisscrossed with rivers and bounded by the sea facts easily forgotten when fighting the swift human currents of the city streets but the owners of a marina that opened on sunday off the banks of brooklyn heights in brooklyn bridge park are aiming to remind new yorkers of the water that plies this place and how to enjoy it
youre on an island and nobody thinks about the water except as something you need to get across or over or avoid somehow said estelle lau the deputy chief executive officer of the marina at pier 5 where joralemon street dead ends at the east river
the marina called onedeg15 brooklyn   a reference to the coordinates of a marina over 9500 miles away in singapore where the majority partner of the 27 million project is based   will be a private dock with 100 slips for skiffs yachts and the occasional hulking lightship it will also devote a portion of its proceeds to community groups that will use the marina for education programs
while there are marinas elsewhere in the city including in brooklyn and queens and along the west side of manhattan the marinas owners felt this one would be a new asset
the idea for the marina did not come to tim obrien the general manager and a partner in the project as much as it never left him mr obrien 37 grew up summering in cape cod in massachusetts teaching sailing at a marina where dues were little more than 10 when he moved to new york over a decade ago he managed a marina in lower manhattan until he took a grown up job he said in private wealth management but he spent his free time trying to figure out how to replicate the marina of his youth in new york
you go on a boat and immediately step into a different universe he said you still have that same feeling of being transported
in 2013 when brooklyn bridge park development corporation was seeking proposals for what to do with the site at pier 5 mr obrien saw an opportunity to realize his dream soon afterward he quit his job to work on the marina full time last week as the first ship a yacht named topaz docked in brooklyn bridge park he began to cry he said this is the project of a lifetime he said
on sunday shiny white sailboats belonging to the marinas sail club were nestled in slips the site includes a high tech buffer system manufactured in finland that was designed to withstand brutal waves from hurricanes and wakes from ferries that chop up the east river
a community dock where kayak lessons and other services will be offered to the public is yet to be completed the programs will be funded by the marina which will tithe 2 percent of its berthing revenue   boat parking in landlubber speak   to a nonprofit created in conjunction with the marina
i want to make sure that people know that this is not just another thing thats an amenity for the rich mr obrien said
but slip rentals are far from the low priced marina of mr obriens youth boat slips start at about 325 per foot and go up to 972 a foot for vessels over 150 feet sail club memberships range from 1000 a season to about 3000
during its first weekend the marina was largely empty but ships were already calling the cherry red nantucket lightship bobbed in the east river the decommissioned floating lighthouse owned by kristen and william b golden usually makes berth in newport ri but they sailed it to new york and took it brooklyn to show it off
this marina is a game changer for new york city mr golden 67 a former lobsterman and massachusetts state senator said


a lawsuit seeking to be certified as a class action has been filed on behalf of consumers in new york and california against the owner of quaker oats after testing found traces of the pesticide glyphosate in some oatmeal
while the level of glyphosate the active ingredient in the popular weed killer roundup detected in the oatmeal falls well below the limit set by federal regulators for human consumption the lawsuit accuses quaker of false advertising because it markets the oatmeal as 100 natural
quaker which is owned by pepsico says on its website that the oats used in its products are grown in an environmentally responsible way since oats require less herbicide spray than many other grains there is less risk of pollutants and groundwater contamination it says
the lawsuit filed in federal district courts in new york and california contends that such statements are false and misleading there is nothing unlawful about quaker oats growing and processing methods the suit says what is unlawful is quakers claim that quaker oats is something that it is not in order to capitalize on growing consumer demand for healthful natural products
in a statement the quaker oats company said that it did not add glyphosate during any part of the milling process but that it might be applied by farmers to certain grains before harvest
the company said it puts the oats it receives through a cleansing process any levels of glyphosate that may remain are trace amounts and significantly below any limits which have been set by the epa as safe for human consumption the company said
a test paid for by lawyers for the plaintiffs the richman law group found glyphosate at a level of 118 parts per million in a sample of quaker oats quick 1 minute this is roughly 4 percent of the 30 parts per million that the environmental protection agency allows in cereal grains
an independent lab in california did the testing using liquid chromatography mass spectrometry a technique widely used by medical and chemical labs and pharmaceutical research
although testing was done only on quick 1 minute the lawsuit also makes claims against quaker oats old fashioned and quaker steel cut oats
glyphosate is one of the most widely used pesticides around the world the monsanto company began selling the pesticide in the 1970s but it was the introduction of genetically engineered crops two decades later that fueled the sharp increase in the use of the pesticide those crops now account for most of the corn soy sugar beets and canola grown in the united states
glyphosate also is widely used in home gardens on golf courses and other places
last year the world health organization classified glyphosate as a probable carcinogen since then environmental and consumer groups have begun to focus their efforts on the pesticide and a growing number of reports on glyphosate in food have surfaced
earlier this year the food and drug administration said it planned to begin testing some foods for glyphosate
the biotech industry and food companies contend that the levels of glyphosate found in products fall well below limits set by government officials the european union sets the average daily level of intake for glyphosate at 03 milligrams per kilogram while the environmental protection agency sets it at 175 milligrams per kilogram daily
kim richman the lead lawyer of the firm representing the plaintiffs said the amount of glyphosate was not the issue the issue is that quaker advertises these products as 100 percent natural and glyphosate in any amount is not natural he said
oats are not a genetically engineered crop but glyphosate is increasingly being used as a dessicant to dry out crops to speed harvesting
the lawsuit was filed over the weekend in new york and california and mr richman said would be filed in other states this week
the plaintiffs are seeking refunds for purchasers they also are asking that pepsico either be required to reformulate the products or disclose the presence of glyphosate in them


talladega ala   two cars went airborne 35 were involved in accidents and danica patrick had the wind knocked out of her in a vicious crash into the wall
just another demolition derby on sunday at talladega superspeedway
brad keselowski won the crash fest which was dominated by wrecks that caused millions of dollars in damage it was keselowskis fourth career win at talladega and his second victory of the season and it ended joe gibbs racings streak of four consecutive victories
crazy day keselowski said somehow we managed to stay ahead of or out of all the chaos thats how talladega goes sometimes we run here and everybody kind of lines up against the wall and sometimes we come here and its crazy side by side wreck em up flip em
i think thats kind of the allure to coming here because you dont know what youre going to get
that is not entirely true of talladega which more times than not turns into a mess of wrecked race cars
keselowski said that was just part of restrictor plate racing at the 266 mile speedway
racing has always been that balance of daredevils and chess players he said this has always been more of a daredevil type track
chris bueschers car flipped three times in an early crash and matt kenseth was turned upside down in the waning laps in kenseths accident patrick went hard into an energy absorbing wall that that seemed to buckle on impact she appeared shaken after the hit and hustled out of her burning car
i have a pretty decent bruise on my arm and my foot and my head feels like i hit a wall at 200 patrick said my chest hurts when i breathe
there were 21  and 12 car accidents in the final 28 laps and as keselowski crossed the finish line another wreck in the back of the pack punctuated the sloppy day nascars box score showed that 35 of the 40 cars had been involved in accidents
only 21 of the 40 cars finished on the lead lap and 12 cars were ruled out of the race
kyle busch the second place finisher said he had looked in his rearview mirror at one point and had seen only four cars without some sort of damage
i hate it said busch the reigning sprint cup series champion id much rather be at home ive got a win i dont need to be here
austin dillon who finished third said he had enjoyed the race even though it was nerve racking dillon was in a horrific crash at daytona last july and said the style of racing at restrictor plate tracks created an atmosphere of danger
we all have to do it dillon said i dont know how many really love it i know our moms wives and girlfriends dont like it we dont like to be part of crashes if people are cheering for crashes man its not a good thing
the pace of sundays race was up a tick because of the possibility of rain which could have shortened the event from its scheduled 180 laps once the race hit the halfway point and was official drivers began their charge to the front
patrick was inside the top 10 when she was hit by another car and turned into kenseth who went airborne she said the possibility of rain had intensified the racing
we all raced to the halfway then we all raced to the rain that was coming then we all raced to the end she said it was like the whole race you spent it racing like it was the end there was no moments to relax at all im sure that kind of expanded peoples comfort zones at the end of the race because we were already so used to running close
some people took it over the edge


san antonio   in a state where everything is big the 23rd congressional district that hugs the border with mexico is a monster eight and a half hours by car across a stretch of land bigger than any state east of the mississippi in 2014 representative pete gallego logged more than 70000 miles there in his white chevy tahoe campaigning for re election to the house   and lost by a bare 2422 votes
so in his bid this year to retake the seat mr gallego a democrat has made a crucial adjustment to his strategy were asking people if they have a drivers license he said were having those basic conversations about ids at the front end right at our first meeting with voters
since their inception a decade ago voter identification laws have been the focus of fierce political and social debate proponents largely republican argue that the regulations are essential tools to combat election fraud while critics contend that they are mainly intended to suppress turnout of democratic leaning constituencies like minorities and students
as the general election nears   in which new or strengthened voter id laws will be in place in texas and 14 other states for the first time in a presidential election   recent academic research indicates that the requirements restrict turnout and disproportionately affect voting by minorities the laws are also as in the case of mr gallego reshaping how many campaigns are run   with candidates not only spending time to secure votes but also time to ensure those votes can be cast
thirty three states now have id laws at least 17 of them   including texas   requiring not just written proof of identity but requiring or requesting a photograph as well
most research suggests that the laws result in few people being turned away at the polls but a study of the texas id requirement by rice universitys baker institute for public policy released in august found that many more qualified voters confused or intimidated by the new rules have not tried to vote at all
what voters hear is that you need to have an id said mark p jones of the baker institute an author of the study but they dont get the second part that says if you have one of these types of ids youre ok
a second study by the university of california san diego concluded in february that the strictest voter id laws   those that require an identity card with a photograph   disproportionately affect minority voters
after mr gallegos narrow loss in 2014 researchers from the baker institute and the university of houstons hobby center for public policy polled 400 registered voters in the district who sat out the election all were asked why they did not vote rating on a scale of 1 to 5 from a list of seven explanations   being ill having transportation problems being too busy being out of town lacking interest disliking the candidates and lacking a required photo identification
nearly 26 percent said the main reason was that they were too busy at the other end 58 percent said the main reason was lacking a proper photo id with another 7 percent citing it as one reason most surprising however was what researchers found when they double checked that response the vast majority of those who claimed not to have voted because they lacked a proper id actually possessed one but did not know it
moreover dr jones of the baker institute said the confused voters said they would have voted overwhelmingly for gallego
whether such voters would have changed the outcome of the election is unknown but mr gallego said the issue goes far beyond how the laws affect individual races
its tremendously undemocratic in a democratic society when you deliberately disenfranchise thousands of people he said turnout is good for the system
while the numbers vary studies consistently indicate that a modest but significant share of adult americans   up to 136 percent   lack government issued photo id cards like drivers licenses and university ids and the studies consistently show that compared with whites the share of minorities without photo ids is far higher
in texas more than 600000 people are eligible to vote or are already registered but have no acceptable photo id according to an analysis admitted as evidence in 2014 in a federal lawsuit seeking to overturn the states law
most of the strict photo id laws have been enacted in the past decade by republican dominated legislatures over democratic objections many are in southern states whose election procedures had been under federal supervision for compliance with the 1965 voting rights act until the supreme court invalidated key provisions of the act in 2013
gov greg abbott of texas who defended the states voter id law against legal challenges when he served as attorney general from 2002 to 2015 says the laws id requirements have maintained election integrity and have not disenfranchised voters
as the supreme court has already held the voter id requirement is no more burdensome than other voting requirements including registering to vote ciara matthews a spokeswoman for mr abbott said in a statement that minimal burden is far outweighed by the states compelling interest in protecting elections and voter confidence in the outcome of those elections
texas officials say they are spending millions of dollars to help voters understand and meet the new id requirements including deploying mobile offices to help citizens apply for election ids we just havent seen any large scale problem said alicia pierce the communications director for the texas secretary of state
but in wisconsin todd allbaugh resigned as chief of staff to a leading republican state senator last year after attending a party caucus in which he said some legislators were literally giddy over the effect of the states voter id law on minorities and college students
i remember when republicans were the ones who helped johnson pass the civil rights bill in the 60s   not democrats mr allbaugh said in an interview last week i went down to the office and said im done i cant support this party any more 
in north carolina last week a federal judge upheld sweeping changes to election rules including a voter id provision that had been contested by the justice department and civil rights groups wisconsins voter id law will get its presidential election debut this year after first being rejected by the supreme court then rewritten by republican legislators
texas photo id law which took effect in 2013 remains in place despite being struck down three times in federal courts and faces another court test later this year
to enter a voting booth in texas one of the following is required a texas drivers license a texas election or personal id card a texas license to carry a handgun a military id a passport or a citizenship card people without the required identification can cast a provisional ballot but they must produce an approved id within six days or their ballot will be nullified
the laws critics say the list is notable for what government documents it does not include   a texas university student id a tribal identity card or a state employee id to cite three examples that could be more likely used by democratic voters than by republicans
mr abbott perhaps the laws most ardent backer has said that voter fraud abounds in texas a review of some 120 fraud charges in texas between 2000 and 2015 about eight cases a year turned up instances of buying votes and setting up fake residences to vote critics of the law note that no more than three or four infractions would have been prevented by the voter id law
nationally fraud that could be stopped by ids is almost nonexistent said lorraine c minnite author of the 2010 book the myth of voter fraud to sway an election she said it would require persuading perhaps thousands of people to commit felonies by misrepresenting themselves   and do it undetected
its ludicrous she said its not an effective way to try to corrupt an election
as attorney general mr abbott argued that the laws critics turn a blind eye to illegal voting and instead rail against voter id as discriminatory that is not so he wrote in 2012 states with voter id laws have seen minority vote participation increase not decrease
that is misleading said zoltan l hajnal a political science professor at the university of california san diego and an author of the study on photo id laws and minority turnout the relevant question he said is how minority turnout in states with photo id laws compares with that in states without such laws
his study which relied on a sample of more than 50000 verified voters collected annually since 2006 reached a stark conclusion were finding typically that strict voter id laws double or triple the gap in turnout between whites and nonwhites he said
the texas law also has a smaller but potentially significant consequence many voters who cast provisional ballots   because they either lack an id or forgot theirs on election day   never return with proper documents to make their votes count
for example in harris county which includes houston and is the states largest county only 27 of 389 provisional voters later produced proper ids in three elections in 2014 and 2015
finlay k mccracken 19 a history major at trinity university in san antonio was among those whose vote went uncounted in november 2014 on election day three months after moving there from virginia he presented an unexpired virginia drivers license and a voter registration card at his polling place and was told neither was acceptable
its a valid id he said texas has a lot of gall to deny me the right to vote when i have a drivers license from another state and a valid voter registration card


marijuana advocates are teaming up with madison avenue to try to make pot palatable to mainstream americans   and to the advertisers that want to reach them
high times the 42 year old must have magazine for the cannabis enthusiast has collaborated with sparks  honey an omnicom advertising agency on a report meant to prompt big picture thinking in the marijuana industry the paper rebranding marijuana was released april 20 the unofficial pot holiday
through the slow legal and regulatory processes the report noted marijuana is opening up opportunities across a variety of industries most of which have nothing to do with yesterdays stoner weed
the partnership is an unusual step for a mainstream ad agency which would usually focus on individual brands rather than an entire   and not uniformly legal   industry
we are definitely ahead of the curve here said sean mahoney sparks  honeys vice president and editorial director theres still kind of a taboo around it
but with the marijuana industry poised to produce billions in legal revenue a year if it is legalized throughout the country   a big if   mr mahoney and others are saying it is time to rethink that squeamishness recreational marijuana use is legal in four states and the district of columbia and about two dozen states allow medicinal use
larry linietsky chief operating officer at high times says it makes financial sense for prominent brands to advertise to cannabis users he listed the groups most attractive attributes according to market research predominantly male a range of ages passionate about the product social educated and healthy
the guy running the marathon next to you is also a stoner he said this is happening were asking the media world to watch this space closely
although big brands have been reluctant to target marijuana users some smaller mainstream brands have shown interest two san francisco area companies   the tech company tile and the lagunitas brewing company   have advertised in high times for example
but even supportive companies may be reluctant to publicize their marijuana connection tile declined to discuss the issue saying through a spokeswoman that the tile team isnt prepared to talk about their marketing practices just yet
lagunitas born in the pot friendly san francisco area takes the opposite approach the brewery sponsors the four twenty games   mainly 42 mile foot races   and makes the waldos special ale a beer named for the foursome who invented the 420 marijuana code
lagunitas which recently sold a 50 percent stake to heineken sees marijuana users more as kindred spirits than as a money source said karen hamilton a spokeswoman for the brewery
weve kind of been proponents of the whole thing so we have a different perspective she said weve been in northern california for 23 years what are you going to do
although ms hamilton said she suspected that other alcohol producers will be among the next major brands to enter the cannabis arena they and other companies are taking their time
the high times home page illustrates the challenge on a recent afternoon every ad was for marijuana related products and services   mostly vaporizers and tools for growing plants
still the mainstream advertising dam will burst at some point said gary wilcox an advertising professor at the university of texas at austin even if marijuana remains illegal in much of the country big brands are simply waiting and watching he said
this is the wild west he said if they can see an impact on their bottom line that would do it
high times and mr mahoney compared the cannabis issue to marriage equality although same sex marriage was not legal in every state some companies showed support early on and that resonated with consumers
everybody has a one  to two year timeline where they want to look around said matt stang the chief revenue officer at high times if youre going to play in this space in a year and a half why not play now and get ahead of it
sparks  honeys parent company omnicom was receptive to the marijuana research mr mahoney said among the agencys selling points is the concept of marijuana for the 1 percent rather than the cheech and chong stereotype
we sort of lean toward the stoner aesthetic but theres a high end to this mr mahoney said noting that affluent medicinal users want classier accouterments that do not make you feel like youre sneaking drugs into school
one section of the report is titled haute cannabis cuisine and refers to cannabis ceviche and seared wagyu new york strip steak with cannabis rub
a gourmet dinner is appealing on many different levels the report says it looks and tastes delicious and draws community around a shared passion and now it can make you high
mr mahoney said he would not be surprised to see cannabis infused food become the industrys first widely advertised products but it is hard to ignore the younger users who might be particularly receptive to say an advertisement for snack foods or fast food establishments it would make sense for those kinds of products to sponsor a marijuana event he said
brands are trying to reach this audience of millennials that are so hard to reach mr stang said we reach them every day


last month shelby bonnies ipad vanished from his carry on bag somewhere at fort lauderdale hollywood international airport after a red eye flight from san francisco he figured he would never see it again
but sometimes our devices arent ready to say goodbye
while mr bonnie an investment banker with allen  company continued on his way to the bahamas for a few days of relaxation his ipad began a strange odyssey of its own turning mr bonnie into a digital gumshoe and the narrator of a personal thriller that played out on facebook to the delight of his online friends
i said im definitely going to lose my ipad but im going to have some fun mr bonnie said in a phone interview
the reason the ipads story didnt end with its disappearance is a location tracking feature on apple devices called find my iphone which can be used to pinpoint any lost or stolen apple device including ipads and macs
others have used this capability to very publicly hunt down missing devices before including david pogue a former technology reviewer for the new york times who broadcast the hunt for his missing iphone in maryland to his twitter followers he eventually recovered the device with the help of the local police
when mr bonnie discovered the ipad was missing after he left the fort lauderdale airport he turned on find my iphone and saw that his tablet was at elvis presleys heartbreak hotel at graceland   in memphis the app represented the location of the device as a glowing green circle on an aerial map outside the hotel with its distinctive heart shaped pool
his best guess was that he had lost the ipad in the airport when he was stuffing a travel pillow back into his carry on bag and that the device was now in the company of another traveler who had picked it up
that person had apparently decided not to turn in the device to the lost and found department at the airport through find my iphone mr bonnie sent a message visible on the lock screen of the ipad telling whoever had the device to call his cellphone for a reward no one did
over the next few days mr bonnie began providing regular updates on the ipads whereabouts to his friends on facebook providing screen shots from find my iphone that showed the device headed to downtown memphis and at the links at riverside a golf course ipad is on the move one of his updates said
most of his posts got more than 100 likes on facebook and dozens of comments as mr bonnies online acquaintances became more engaged in the story
please keep your fans informed as to the results of the mystery one commenter said
by coincidence mr bonnie nearly bumped into his ipad on a short layover from the bahamas as he waited at concourse c at the fort lauderdale airport for a flight back to his home in san francisco he saw on find my iphone that his ipad was on an airplane approaching concourse c
he quickly located the gate for an allegiant air flight arriving from memphis and looked over the passengers disembarking from the plane
he remembered he could use find my iphone to trigger a distress signal on his ipad he activated the feature but heard no sound he told his facebook fans he was within 100 feet of the ipad
this is better than game of thrones one commented
he concluded that the ipad must have been inside checked luggage that never entered the terminal by the time he got to the correct baggage carousel the ipad had left the airport
at some point it became more about the storytelling and less about the ipad said mr bonnie a co founder of the technology news and reviews site cnet everybody loves a good story its more entertaining than getting the ipad back
mr bonnie saw an opportunity for mischief when the ipad finally seemed to stay put in a residential neighborhood in miami lakes a suburb of miami on a map it looked like a nice home with a swimming pool mr bonnie said
he boarded his plane to san francisco ordered in flight wi fi access and spent 50 to have five mylar balloons delivered to the house the next morning on the card he listed the occasion as thinking of you
friendly yet slightly creepy enough for them to want that ipad out of their house one of his facebook friends said
a voice mail message left by a reporter for the phone number associated with the miami lakes address was not returned
the balloons appeared to have an effect the next morning the ipad was on the move again   back to the fort lauderdale airport mr bonnie in san francisco was watching the device traveling on the map when it occurred to him that whoever had it might be taking it to the airports lost and found
he went to the airports website and began filling out a missing item claim form when his phone rang it was someone from lost and found
as described by lost and found when they called a second ago a fairly elderly woman came in a few minutes ago and said she had gotten the balloons and thought it would be a good idea to return the ipad to the airport mr bonnie wrote in a facebook post she said to thank me for the balloons but she didnt really want to call
better than serial a friend commented on facebook better than this american life better than everything
mr bonnie paid to have his ipad shipped home by ups he received it in san francisco on friday he hung a banner saying welcome home on his front door


lafayette ind   it almost resembled iowa if you squinted
senator ted cruz expressed gratitude for the common sense good judgment of midwesterners
his stump speech had scarcely changed from a favorite anecdote about a drawling west texas farmer to a running countdown of the time remaining before the primary fifty one hours he said sternly
he drew a crowd of several hundred at a faith based community center here whose cheers at times coaxed the texas senator to guttural shouts
one woman held a sign prayn for ted
the eyes of the entire country mr cruz said now rest on indiana
yet two days before what is widely viewed as a must win primary mr cruz strained to conceal a grim reality he is in serious trouble
an nbc newswall street journalmarist poll released on sunday showed donald j trump with a lead of 15 points among likely republican primary voters 49 percent to 34 percent
fifty eight percent of voters said they disapproved of the agreement struck by mr cruz and gov john kasich which called for mr kasich to abandon campaigning in indiana in exchange for mr cruzs withdrawal from oregon and new mexico thirty four percent approved
the mainstream media wants this race to be over mr cruz told voters in one of his feistiest stump speeches in memory lumping in new york power brokers and john boehner the former house speaker and frequent cruz foil with his usual list of opponents theyve all made their decision and they now expect the people of indiana to fall in line
mr cruz typically one of the most accessible candidates in the field did not take questions from reporters at his rally here
about a two hour drive away inside a packed theater in terre haute mr trump reveled in his electoral edge
if we win indiana its over ok he said  then we can focus on crooked hillary please lets focus on hillary
in another flourish mr trump called mr cruz and mr kasich two guys that are hanging by their fingernails
dont let me fall mr trump said mimicking a climber on the edge of a cliff dont let me fall
seeking to break through mr cruz has in recent days pursued several strategies tying mr trump to mrs clinton naming carly fiorina as a would be running mate and drawing attention to some of mr trumps more controversial supporters
the senator noted that he and mr trump had each received the endorsement of a well known mike in mr cruzs case it was gov mike pence of indiana who came aboard on friday
or do we stand instead with the convicted rapist mike tyson mr cruz asked supporters here thats a choice its a choice we can make
but mr pence who praised mr trump effusively before endorsing mr cruz has not embraced mr cruzs central message in the state that mr trump is essentially identical to mrs clinton on policy
the tap dance speaks to the dilemma facing many republicans who view mr trump as anathema to conservatism but fear alienating his voters even mr cruz has been reluctant to make his rejection of mr trump complete
in an interview on sunday on meet the press mr cruz grew defensive when pressed on whether he would support mr trump as the republican nominee
youre welcome to lobby for support for trump as much as possible mr cruz told the host chuck todd who tried more than a half dozen times to extract an answer in vain
mr trump has himself played down the significance of unifying the party at times suggesting he could win regardless
on sunday he urged indianans to turn out in two days to supply a really important mandate
its a mandate for change   but not obama change real change he said its a mandate for genius
though mr cruz has effectively staked his candidacy on indiana he has left himself wiggle room
on thursday mr cruz called indiana the one thing that stands between us and plunging over the cliff on sunday there was no such pronouncement
mr cruzs own polling has likewise shown him trailing mr trump compelling the campaign to look beyond the state if at least for a moment top surrogates have described the extended primary season as a product of divine will arguing the entire country deserves a chance to speak
god wants every state to be on record representative louie gohmert of texas told voters here
and on saturday mr cruz surrendered a full day of indiana politicking to speak at californias republican convention with an eye on the states june 7 election
california he said there a bit hopefully is going to decide this republican primary


los angeles   some will watch hell or high water at the cannes film festival in mid may and see diversity gil birmingham one of its stars is a native american of comanche ancestry
others will notice political currency a contemporary western set in texas and shot in new mexico the film finds brothers played by chris pine and ben foster settling scores with a bank and perhaps the 1 percent over a mothers reverse mortgage gone wrong
but cineastes may spot something else
that might be   depending on your critical sense and tolerance for west texas humor   one of the top diner or deli scenes in movie memory right up there with the chicken salad sandwich order in five easy pieces and meg ryans faked orgasm at a deli in when harry met sally
the scene stealer in hell or high water is a waitress played by margaret bowman who is 88 and appears to be just a little more grizzled than jeff bridges for the record mr bridges is pretty grizzled as a texas ranger near retirement trying to get a bite in the world famous t bone cafe set in coleman tex
howdy maam how are you today mr bridges opens innocently enough
hot and i dont mean the good kind ms bowman says getting down to business so what dont you want
to say more would get deep into spoiler territory suffice it to say mr bridgess character gets off easier than a guy from new york who once walked into the t bone and tried to order fish
previously titled comancheria hell or high water is based on a script by taylor sheridan mr sheridan also wrote sicario a story of the border drug wars and had a recurring role as deputy chief david hale in the television series sons of anarchy
cbs films is expected to release hell or high water in partnership with lionsgate in late summer but has not yet set a date
a bit unexpectedly the movie is directed by david mackenzie a scottish filmmaker who first gained notice with the 2003 film young adam a drama set in working class glasgow with ewan mcgregor tilda swinton and emily mortimer in its cast
the movie has a lot of themes that are running in the american election really guns oil banks mr mackenzie said speaking last week from his home in glasgow
west texas mr mackenzie said first captivated him during a stay with a friend in alpine as for ms bowman a texas native who began acting when she was 60 and had a small part in no country for old men mr mackenzie said he knew what he should do as soon as his casting staff had her read for the part
my job as a director was to put it in the right place and let it run he said


no one talks that much about black love
we often talk about how young black kids love basketball but rarely about the sustaining love that allowed some to escape the pathology of the ghetto to flee to predominantly white schools to the nba where they earn enough to leave the hood behind   physically mentally and emotionally for good
no one talks about the love that sustained the journey
baron davis has
in his documentary about the drew a summer basketball league in the heart of south central los angeles davis uses a basketball league to convey the compassion and the loyalty that allowed him to go from south central to an exclusive los angeles high school to ucla and the nba without leaving home
it is a hood story and its a positive hood story davis said in a recent interview theres good stuff in our neighborhood good people good leaders good mentors that was the beauty of the film we tried to bring out that community element
davis a two time nba all star has quietly pursued a second career as a filmmaker his film about the drew which he completed last year is his fourth as executive producer he signed a distribution deal with showtime which premiered the documentary on friday
daviss powerful story tells a tale familiar to so many players who have survived and overcome to reach the nba or some other level of professional basketball davis said the spark for the documentary came to him during the 2011 nba lockout the lockout began in july that year all of a sudden the drew became a magnet for college players who had just graduated but also for suddenly out of work nba players and pros who had been competing in overseas leagues
you look up 40 to 50 guys in college playing overseas in the nba and now theyre all at the drew davis recalled and its cool to be in the hood
i said we got to capture this moment 
founded in 1973 the drew   named because the games were played at charles drew middle school in compton   began as a six team league designed as a safe haven for young people in south central los angeles a place to learn through basketball
in 1985 dino smiley became the leagues second commissioner daviss documentary is as much about smiley who still runs the league as it is about the thousands of players who have come through over the years smiley emerges not just as the commissioner but also as a father and an authority figure an arbiter of justice a counselor and a community pillar
theres a dino in everybodys hood davis said theres a dino in every urban area in america who is opening up these gyms opening his house and helping kids change their lives for us as african americans in this country thats all we really have
davis who turned 37 last month lived seven blocks from drew but he said he only became aware of the tournament at 13 when he felt   or more likely some adult felt   that davis was ready to take the plunge into basketball adulthood
his first exposure was traumatic pretty much being cursed out by grown men he recalled when a player tried to stand up for davis reminding the teammate that davis was just a kid the teammate was having none of it what the hell is he doing here he screamed stop turning the ball over kid
stay and take it or go home and cry davis stayed and grew he would meet all the players he had heard about   high school stars playground legends college stars nba players byron scott michael cooper lester conner
for me these were my legends he said
davis has been connected to the drew ever since seeing its ups and downs not only as part of its nba fraternity but now through the prism of a filmmaker
and now the drew is being discovered by the mainstream
now its starting to get the cachet its starting to get the love from the outside community from the westside from people from orange county davis said youre seeing white people in watts enjoying the games this is going to be the tipping point for the drew
daviss chief rival in high school was kenny brunner who starred at dominguez high school while davis was at crossroads while davis selected ucla and flourished brunner chose georgetown traveled east and floundered he transferred to fresno state but was kicked off the team and made misstep after misstep eventually he served time in jail
during an emotional scene in the film smiley welcomes brunner back to the drew brunner cries as they hug
he was crying for so many reasons davis said not making the mcdonalds all american game not being able to stay at georgetown not going pro
this is the black love that often goes unseen on film and in life
a lot of times guys give up davis said we dont get a lot of opportunities so when we give up it doesnt just take you two steps back it knocks you all the way back down the ladder
id like to see more young african american athletes tell   and own   the multifaceted stories of their journeys from the comptons of the world to the pros while many people can tell that story black men and women are the only ones who truly know what its like to exist survive and prosper as black men and women in the united states
for davis the challenge of making a documentary about an event so close to his heart was how to bring the joys the frustrations the highs and lows to film but more important how to let the emotions speak for themselves
so there were scenes of trash talking of heated yet playful interactions between fans and players davis tells the story of the kevin l dandridge most inspirational player award named after a player who exemplified the spirit of the league but was killed in a shooting decades ago
but in producing a film about a world he knew a community in which he lived davis also wanted to get away from the typical black basketball story of desperation of players desperately trying to reach the pros rather davis wanted to present the portrait of his community of taking life as it comes of accepting the bitter with the sweet
how can we make a basketball documentary thats not really a basketball documentary he asked
the result is a unique approach to a summer basketball documentary fresh because no one talks that much about black love


last wednesday the cbs chairman leslie moonves ducked into that nights taping of stephen colberts late show and then joined mr colbert in his office above the ed sullivan theater
there mr moonves mr colbert and the shows new executive producer and showrunner chris licht broke out a bottle of vodka and toasted their new mission to get the late show on track after an uneven first eight months
it was the first time the three had met since mr moonves persuaded mr colbert to have mr licht join the show two weeks earlier arguing that mr colberts insistence on personally orchestrating details big and small   lighting script approval budgets   was diverting his focus from his own performance and that he needed the help
mr moonves says that his visit was a social call on a fledgling show in which he has great faith we each had a drink and it was nice he told me just three guys
but of course it was more than that it was about whether they could pull off one of the most intriguing experiments in late night television history whether mr colbert who became a leading voice in american political satire by playing a fictional character on his comedy central show   holding forth before a cable congregation of the converted   could succeed as himself in the big broad tent of network television whose commercial and corporate imperatives can be homogenizing
cbs and mr moonves have hundreds of millions of dollars riding on the result not to mention corporate pride mr colbert has something more personal on the line his reputation as a comedic actor who used his longtime perch at comedy central to show how integrity grace and wicked intelligence could inject something politically powerful   and powerfully funny   into the late night lineup of stupid pet tricks and vapid celebrity interviews
he shared that reputation with his friend jon stewart who left comedy centrals 11 pm daily show several months after mr colbert left his 1130 pm program the colbert report in their absence there has been a where is superman aspect to this years presidential campaign especially in left america centrist left america and yes media america
if ever there was an election cycle that called for the sharp satirical analysis that mr stewart and mr colbert once provided on a nightly basis it is this one their successors trevor noah the daily show and larry wilmore the nightly show provide their share of edgy satire but they are relatively new and just starting to build their followings just as samantha bee is on tbss full frontal
john oliver and bill maher have made their marks on hbo but their shows are not nightly and have not alleviated the sense that mr colbert and mr stewart are badly missed in the face of all the trumpmania thats why you see headlines such as calling jon stewart america needs you now more than ever the liberal website daily kos or declarations like the one made by the former variety editor peter bart who said that at the moment of truth   this election   mr colbert and mr stewart hid in their foxholes by leaving comedy central
its pretty odd when you think about it its like saying no one has replaced stephen colbert not even stephen colbert when in fact hes on television every weeknight just not as the jingoistic conservative talk show host alter ego he employed on comedy central
but i found myself feeling the same way a few months ago when donald j trump announced his plan for a total and complete ban on muslims entering the united states after the san bernardino terrorist attack i was curious to see what mr colbert would make of it
i was agog when he opened the show with three lingerie models from a cbs victorias secret special that was to air the next night wearing angels wings and eating hot wings even mr colbert appeared to blanch at what came off as an example of corporate synergy gone awry toward the end of the bit mr colbert looked at the camera noted that theres more stuff on the prompter said something along the lines of the heck with it   but in a way that required bleeping   and cut it short
mr colbert did go on to do a fairly serious soliloquy about the attack but it was hard to square with the hot wings
cbs officials say they didnt force the victorias secret tie in but it seemed to typify how a big broadcaster will grab whats special and cool on cable and try pressing it into the advertiser friendly safe for broad audiences mold
i sensed the same thing in february when mr colberts interview with the actor casey affleck there to promote the movie triple 9 turned into a snippy back and forth over mr afflecks wardrobe neither acted as if he wanted to be there for the too familiar promotional exercise
mr colbert has excelled in interviews with big political gets like vice president joseph biden and house speaker paul ryan and people who genuinely interest him like the energy secretary ernest moniz who lets face it is not the sort of a lister television executives want to see on their flagship late night shows but is typical of many guests on the colbert report
of course mr colbert knew what he signed up for when he took the job david letterman held for more than two decades he seemed sincere last august when he told gq he was eager to shed his colbert report character the great irony is that mr colbert is still learning how to be himself on television after nine years of pretending to be someone else
mr moonves noted that many late night hosts before mr colbert needed time to adjust to the 1130 time slot theres no way you dont have growing pains mr moonves said adding that he has patience for what he expects to be a long running show these things are generational he added to make some adjustments after eight months makes sense to me and to stephen
things could be worse mr colbert still places second in overall audience   behind jimmy fallon on nbc and ahead of jimmy kimmel on abc but mr kimmel has been beating mr colbert among the younger viewers advertisers covet and as verne gay of newsday wrote mr colbert is lagging in the new currency of viral videos shared through social media beyond that there is the growing consensus that things just arent clicking
mr moonves has asked mr licht to fix that mr lichts biggest challenge will be redirecting a tight and loyal team that came with mr colbert to cbs from comedy central and which is known for having an almost religious devotion to the star mr colbert signed off on mr lichts appointment only after an intense three hour meeting over drinks at the parker meridien hotel bar last month it was supposed to be secret but they were spotted by national political reporters staying there for the new york primary
mr lichts background is in news not comedy having come from cbs this morning which he gave a new identity and a ratings boost but he appears to be a colbert kind of guy   for instance he made a public pronouncement this year that he wouldnt allow mr trump to do this morning interviews by phone
mr licht has started by taking over some mechanics of the show that mr colbert was insisting on doing himself so mr colbert can concentrate on being himself
now its up to mr colbert to decide who that is   and for cbs to let him


hong kong   china is pouring hundreds of billions of dollars into its economy in a new effort to support growth some of it is going into roads and bridges and other big projects that will keep the economy humming
and some of it is going into eggs
chinas latest lending deluge has sent money sloshing into unexpected parts of the economy that includes a financial market in dalian where investors can place bets on the future productivity of the countrys hens
egg futures have surged by as much as one third since march the sort of move that would be justified if investors believed chinas chicken flocks were headed for an unfortunate fate
but the markets usual participants say the flocks are fine in fact the actual price of eggs in the countrys markets has fallen from a year ago according to government statistics
the reason for the unusual jump in egg futures they say is chinas tendency to experience investment bubbles when the government steps up spending and lending chinas previous efforts to bolster growth unexpectedly sent money into real estate and the stock market   markets that had unexplained rises followed by striking drops
many commodities prices have gone up crazily said du shaoxing a futures trader in guangzhou in southern china we surely hope for a more stabilized trend where futures can reflect economic fundamentals the way in which recent commodity prices went up is worrisome
chinas latest bubble illustrates the potential risks of its newest effort to spur growth the chinese economy is already burdened with too much debt economists say and sometimes stopgap measures to help the economy create long term problems
china is the worlds biggest producer of eggs but it is not clear whether the investment surge in eggs will have an impact on real world prices jumps in the futures prices on commodities markets can take months to trickle down to the real world and if the commodities surge subsides then the price of eggs in local markets may not budge
eggs are not the only commodity suddenly out of kilter domestic prices and trading volumes on steel garlic cotton iron ore and other items have all soared this despite the fact that chinas economic slowdown has hurt demand for many items officials at chinese commodities markets are now taking steps to cool speculative fervor to avoid crashes and prices have begun to ease
by mid april the frenzy made shanghai futures contracts in steel rebar the rods used in construction to reinforce concrete the most actively traded in the world   overtaking trading volumes of two major oil futures contracts west texas intermediate and brent crude that have helped set oil prices for decades analysts at citigroup said in a report last week
there is very little rational or fundamental basis for why prices have gotten as out of hand as they have or why volumes are so high other than just irrational exuberance said alex wolf an emerging markets economist at standard life investments in edinburgh who previously worked as an american diplomat based in beijing and taipei
economists blame beijings new efforts to shore up its economy government officials increased lending by state controlled banks and offered other support measures in the first few months of the year as economic growth slowed and longtime drivers like manufacturing and exports showed continued weakness
saad rahim the chief economist at trafigura one of the worlds biggest traders of metals and oil calculates that china added about 1 trillion in new liquidity in the first quarter of the year   an amount that would be roughly equal to the entire quarterly economic output of germany during the same period
this kind of scale is unprecedented and some of it will leak into speculative investments mr rahim said
in the short term the new lending may be good news for global growth if it works chinas first quarter growth came in at 67 percent about where economists had expected despite some indications that growth had weakened further
but in turning to its old playbook china risks adding to its already fast growing pile of debt which by some estimates is nearly 300 percent of gross domestic product
the problems are most acute when it comes to chinas corporate borrowers which have gorged on cheap credit in the years since the global financial crisis in a report released in april the international monetary fund found that nearly 600 companies had almost 400 billion of debt that was considered at risk accounting for 14 percent of total corporate borrowing in china
but the renewed push for credit fueled growth shows that policy makers concerns about chinas debt burden appear to have been set aside for now by delaying efforts to wean itself off cheap credit china may be setting itself up for some problems related to debt and industrial overcapacity
there are few places for chinas money to go the country has tightened already stringent limits on how much money its people can send or invest abroad its stock market is still recovering from a crash last year and its property market remains saddled with a glut of apartments in many cities
a property market bubble arose from the huge stimulus that beijing deployed after the 2008 financial crisis which set off a building boom
stocks overtook property in investor interest last year a raging bull market that was cheered on by official news outlets like peoples daily the communist partys newspaper skidded to a halt in june
as for eggs chen jie who works in the futures department at hubei shendan healthy food the biggest egg company in china said in a phone interview that there is definitely speculative capital in the market
her company supplies eggs to kfc and mcdonalds restaurants and sells them at more than 10000 supermarkets across china including those of chains like walmart carrefour and metro
hubei shendan uses the futures market to hedge its bets against swings in actual egg prices an abnormally volatile futures market makes that job more difficult
the reason we are in the egg futures market is because the big swings in egg prices will affect our profitability and a good futures market will help us in that regard ms chen said


boston   alex rodriguez has a theory about run production for a major league offense a theory based on his 22 years of pumping out hits and runs in the american league
it is a fairly simple notion which rodriguez admits is not backed up by any scientific analysis on his part nor are there any guidelines on how to make it happen
rodriguez said a team should strive to score five runs every game regardless of the pitching matchup the ballpark the weather conditions or the time of day
it is more a self imposed directive like an nfl team aiming for 28 points on a sunday
theres no computer or anything that says it rodriguez said before the yankees game against the boston red sox at fenway park on sunday night its just that generally when ive had conversations with my teammates regardless of what is going on with anything else as an offense i feel like our responsibility is to go out and try to score five runs anything over that is a bonus anything under it is just not good enough
for example the yankees won the world series in 2009 after averaging a healthy 564 runs per game in the regular season
this season the team scored 363 runs per game in the first 22 games one of the lower averages in the american league
and thats why the record is what it is rodriguez said
the yankees were 8 14 entering sunday they had not scored a run in 1313 consecutive innings and had scored two or fewer runs in their last four games 125 per game all losses and also in nine of their previous 14 games
trying to avoid a series sweep manager joe girardi tinkered with the lineup for sundays finale against the red sox carlos beltran was given the night off against boston starter david price a left hander as were two left handed hitters catcher brian mccann and shortstop didi gregorius they were replaced by austin romine and ronald torreyes
aaron hicks who took an 087 batting average into the game was in right field for beltran third baseman chase headley who was batting 150 before the game was moved up to the no 6 spot in the batting order because he was 8 for 19 against price including two doubles and a triple
rodriguezs five run theory does not specify a surefire way to score the runs the way the yankees have been playing they might have to be satisfied with four they have won the five games in which they have scored at least four runs
every team ive ever been on i just thought five runs was a great goal to have rodriguez said youre not going to reach it every night some nights youre going to go above but if that is your target every night it kind of keeps you focused in one direction
after saturdays game which the red sox won 8 0 yankees left fielder brett gardner said a key problem was that he and center fielder jacoby ellsbury had not done a good job of getting on base at the top of the order if the offense begins with them he said their lack of success is making it difficult for the rest of the lineup
the way out of it is not to try and do too much rodriguez said take the base hit hit the ball the other way think small and then do the little things if there is a guy on second get him to third if there is a guy on third with less than two outs try to bring him in those things add up after a while and put the pressure on
in the last three seasons that the yankees did not make the playoffs they averaged fewer than five runs per game in 2008 they averaged 487 in 2013 they averaged 401 and in 2014 it was down to 390
the last place yankees were six games under 500 for the first time since girardi took over in 2008 the last times they were that far under 500 were in 2005 and 2007 under manager joe torre and in both seasons they rallied to make the playoffs
one of the things that joe torre always advocated in our clubhouse   and i think about this often   is think small and big things will happen rodriguez said thats i think where we are today


noah syndergaard announced his presence on sunday by striking out denard span with a missile at 98 miles an hour that is the average fastball speed for syndergaard the mets hulking right hander who throws harder than any other starter in the major leagues
three innings later syndergaard threw another fastball at 98 the san francisco giants hunter pence drilled it over the right field fence for a homer helping to give syndergaard his first loss this season by 6 1 at citi field
syndergaard 23 knows plenty about the art of pitching as much as his fastball hums he throws his other stuff   changeups curveballs and those wicked new sliders   about half the time pitching coaches like frank viola and dan warthen have taught him well
but in madison bumgarner who blanked the mets for six innings on sunday syndergaard had a model to study a refined version of the pitcher he can be
both finished their rookie seasons by winning a game in the world series   bumgarner in 2010 syndergaard last fall   but the similarities end there bumgarner is left handed and his average fastball this season according to fangraphs is 905 mph that ranked 69th out of 99 pitchers who qualified for the era title
the mets neil walker said it seemed as if bumgarner really throws 94 or 95 because hitters never see an across the body arm angle quite like his but the single thing bumgarner does best is put his fastball exactly where he wants
i would say thats accurate yes said buster posey his catcher who could have added temperament to bumgarners list of virtues the demeanor of the ace with the 025 world series era   the lowest ever   stood out to syndergaard
the one thing i really took notice of is the amount of poise and calmness he has out there at all times syndergaard said hes just stone faced out there no emotion
syndergaard did not betray his emotions on sunday either though he was bothered by his failure to control the giants running game they exploited him over and over with three easy stolen bases
the giants had two already before posey ran on the pitch with one out and runners at the corners in the fourth brandon belt rolled a grounder to walker the second baseman who had no play at the plate   and no double play either a run scored then and two more came in when pence homered that was the difference in the game
i think my mechanics are good when im out there syndergaard said but when i go back and look at it im not really doing the exact job i should be doing thats the more frustrating part about it
syndergaard said he could easily fix the problem   a slow leg kick   and seemed not to think he needs a drastic overhaul he said that he was quick enough to the plate in his first start at kansas city and that he believed that if he finds those mechanics i dont see any point in having a slide step
essentially syndergaard wants to work around the issue without changing much he spoke with jacob degrom on saturday about holding the ball longer with a man on first base runners he said get uncomfortable staying in their lead after four seconds he tried to do that on sunday he said but it clearly was not working
years ago manager terry collins said power pitchers cared little about base stealers because strikeouts could thwart any rally but that was before the advent of the slide step he acknowledged and syndergaard should probably learn how to use it   not all the time but just enough for opponents to respect that he might keep them close
for now they do not syndergaard leads the majors in stolen bases allowed with 12 in 13 tries and the lone out coming at third base but might a true slide step diminish the prized fastball
thats always been the issue collins said anytime you have a guy out of the stretch and you take his leg kick away a lot of times youre looking at a different velocity but the one thing that concerns me more than anything is if we start to lose command we start to lose release point because were trying to hurry up the arm
collins added that syndergaards long levers   he is 6 feet 6   could cause him to lose command if he shortens his arm stroke to be quicker to the plate but bumgarner at 6 5 is nearly as tall and collins noted that he varies his approach from the stretch mixing slide steps and a high leg kick to keep runners honest
this too is part of what makes bumgarner so extraordinary and something syndergaard could emulate it did not come naturally the giants won a championship in 2012 and bumgarner did his usual shutout pitching in the world series but he also led all major league left handers in stolen bases allowed he said he was forced to develop a slide step which solved the problem
you just got to believe in your slide step bumgarner said thats just tough because you might not have as much on your ball unless you find a really good one that fits your delivery you got to do it thats the way i felt about it anyway its hard when youre giving guys free bases every time
syndergaard is already one of the best pitchers in baseball he could be even better at a slightly lower speed and a master showed how


washington   so much for president obamas fatherly advice on college
malia obama his older daughter and perhaps the nations most scrutinized and sought after college applicant has opted to attend harvard university beginning in the fall of 2017 apparently disregarding her parents counsel that she need not choose a school with a big name and reputation
the white house announced malias choice and her decision to take a gap year on sunday in a short statement from the first ladys office ending a season of speculation and surveillance on her college search process she will become the latest in a long line of presidential children to attend the highly ranked ivy league university
the president suggested that with his own daughter he had weighed into the national angst over the increasing difficulty of getting into prestigious colleges and said that he had made it clear there were other options for malia whom he has described as a capable conscientious student who is ready to make her way independently in the world
last fall the president said he had told his daughter not to stress too much about being accepted to a particular school adding just because its not some name brand famous fancy school doesnt mean that youre not going to get a great education there
but in the end malia 17 a daughter of two academic overachievers who both attended law school at harvard gravitated to an institution with not only a well known name but also plenty of experience hosting   and to some degree protecting   the children of some of the worlds most powerful people
the challenge of being a first child is to be normal within the context of all the scrutiny and the challenge of everybody around them is to pretend like theyre normal and nothings out of the ordinary which puts an enormous amount of stress on both the kid and the school said gil troy a presidential historian at mcgill university and the author of the age of clinton america in the 1990s the larger the institutional ego of the place the more comfortable you can feel about the ability to cope with that and still have as close to a normal experience as possible
harvard has long been a destination for the children of american and foreign leaders as well as those of celebrities and the ultrawealthy its police force even has a three person dignitary protection unit
by deferring her start date until 2017 malia may be maximizing her chances of having an ordinary freshman year removed from the kind of news media attention and social media chatter her parents have worked to fend off for their daughters throughout mr obamas time in office malia had a taste of what life outside the white house might be like during a college tour last fall when students posted photographs of her at a brown university party
the degree to which every presidential child is half a millisecond away or a snapshot away or an instagram away from scandal   its really kind of unfair mr troy said once the parent has left office he added the kids can get to at least some level of irrelevance that they absolutely cannot get when theyre still in the white house
the gap year will also allow the obamas to avoid the type of spectacle that heralded the arrival of chelsea clinton for her freshman year at stanford university in 1997 bill and hillary clinton arrived on campus to drop her off with more than 200 reporters in tow dozens of secret service agents swarmed the scene investigating parked vehicles and trying unsuccessfully to blend in
when it came time for president george w bushs twin daughters to attend college   barbara at yale university and jenna at the university of texas at austin   things were much more low key recalled anita mcbride a former chief of staff to laura bush
it was a different time and there was not this constant front and center focus on where these girls were and what they were doing ms mcbride said with malia she added weve watched her grow up to a certain degree in the public eye and people feel its their business to know
both the white house and the top tier colleges said to be malias favorites had been barraged with questions in recent days about where she would choose to go when she accompanied her father on a trip to california last month speculation raged about whether malia had tagged along to give stanford university a final look before committing to go there conjecture only grew after a photograph surfaced late saturday night of malia wearing a crimson harvard 2020 t shirt
harvard said little on sunday beyond confirming that malia had accepted an offer of admission and had deferred enrollment for a year but on campus where students were studying sunday for final exams the news was greeted by many with rivalrous pride
harvard accepted just 52 percent of applicants this year making it the second most selective college in the country after stanford it is also one of the most expensive costing more than 60000 a year for tuition room board and other fees
sidwell friends school the elite washington prep school where malia is a senior typically sends a handful of students to harvard each year
the list of presidential children who have attended harvard includes john quincy adams and his son john adams ii abraham lincolns son robert the sons of franklin delano roosevelt and theodore roosevelt caroline kennedy the daughter of john f kennedy and george w bush who went to business school there
malia will quickly be put in touch with that history when she arrives on campus freshmen typically live in harvard yard the universitys historic center and take their meals in annenberg hall a grand victorian cafeteria lined with portraits and busts of early american leaders
white house officials would not comment on sunday on how malia would spend the year until she enrolls she has spent parts of the past two summers working on television sets in new york and los angeles a path she could continue
first though is graduation which sidwell holds in early june mr obama has made it very clear that the speaker at the ceremony will not be him
malia is more than ready to leave but im not ready for her to leave he said on the ellen degeneres show in february and i was asked if i would speak at her graduation and i said absolutely not because im going to be sitting there with dark glasses sobbing


as a so called bathroom break girl at the advertising agency bbdo in 1985 susan credle took over for receptionists when they left their desks when she learned how to type quickly and accurately she was promoted to secretary in the decades since she has become one of the most accomplished women in the industry holding top executive positions at some of the most esteemed creative agencies she has been behind numerous memorable campaigns including the humanlike mms characters and allstates mayhem ads
but even today there are male leaders in the industry who do not acknowledge her at industry parties people assume they should be talking to her husband who is an architect she tries not to show her emotions at work because when she does she said i immediately am looked at as the crazy woman
i still to this day when i feel the blood boiling in me and i just want to let it all out i cut it by 90 percent because im a woman she said
women now make up almost 50 percent of those working in the advertising industry including a relatively small number like ms credle in top executive positions yet when a female employee of the j walter thompson agency filed a lawsuit in march accusing the companys chief executive of racist and sexist behavior the accusations brought to the surface what women in the industry had talked about for years that more than half a century after the mad men era gender bias while often unspoken or acknowledged continues to affect how they are treated at work whom they interact with and what positions they hold
advertising is far from the only industry that has struggled with issues of sexist behavior and gender bias through the years but in interviews with more than a dozen women mostly executives who work in advertising many said they found it hard to believe how much their particular business still remained a white mans world although some women said they had never personally experienced gender discrimination and referred to it as a thing of the past many said they repeatedly felt ignored or dismissed by male colleagues and left out socially they recalled times when they were the only woman in meetings with both co workers and clients some pointed to the ads themselves as examples of how the industrys sexism manifested itself beyond office walls
yes there is the rapey talk and the grabby hands but its that subtle stuff thats chronic and can be more damaging said jean batthany the executive creative director at ddb chicago
nancy hill a longtime advertising executive who is now president and chief executive of the 4as an industry trade group said that men called her young girl all the time though she has been working in the business for decades
they dont recognize thats demeaning she said
megan pagliuca the global chief executive of omnicoms accuen agency said sexism revealed itself in the prevalence of social events like golf outings and drinking events being used for business purposes a sentiment echoed by several other women interviewed women she said feel pressure to learn to play golf or to generally act more like their male counterparts or risk missing out on establishing important relationships
do you try to conform and be like them rather than being yourself or do you stay strong as who you are and know you are the best operator ms pagliuca said a challenge for women is making that choice
ms credle who has been an executive at the agencies bbdo and leo burnett and is now the global chief creative officer for the agency fcb said that the business meetings masquerading as social outings like when male colleagues go out for steak dinners or watch a sports game together from a box suite have at times made her feel like an outsider even as she has become one of the industrys most powerful creative executives
but even more damaging ms credle said is when men ignore her she recalled standing with two men while waiting to go onstage at an annual advertising conference in march when another man came off the stage that man who had just spoken about diversity in the industry acknowledged the two men with her but didnt bother to look at me she said i felt invisible
there are times when i experienced things that i dont think i would have experienced if i werent a woman she said at the same time however she emphasized that many men in the industry had helped her succeed and that for her the bad experiences had been rare
some women also said gender discrimination showed up when looking at the ads that agencies produce many ads portray stereotypical gender roles they said with mothers in the kitchen for instance and men driving cars several women noted that only 11 percent of creative directors are women a statistic from the 3 conference which supports female creative leadership at agencies
if all the advertising is being created through that dominant male lens and you look at what the result is theres a bias in that and theres only one perspective ms batthany of ddb said
there are also more blatant and aggressive expressions of sexism several women described frequent comments about their appearance
twenty five percent of women in advertising said they had personally experienced gender discrimination according to a survey by the 3 conference twenty three percent said they had personally experienced or witnessed sexual harassment
in the lawsuit filed in march against gustavo martinez the chief executive of j walter thompson the agencys chief communications officer erin johnson accused him of subjecting employees to an unending stream of racist and sexist comments as well as unwanted touching and other unlawful conduct she also contended that mr martinez who has since resigned made numerous comments about rape and on multiple occasions grabbed johnson by the throat and by the back of her neck mr martinez has denied the allegations against him
there is a lot of sex and drugs and rock n roll in the business   there certainly was in those days said rosemarie ryan a former co president of j walter thompson north america who now leads the agency cocollective referring to her early career in the 1980s and 1990s i think there are still some remnants of that
for years executives have talked about improving diversity and getting rid of gender bias in advertising but many say progress has been too slow
i think everybody thinks its everybody elses problem said bill koenigsberg founder and chief executive of horizon media
one reason some executives said is that there are currently other priorities in advertising given the pressing challenges that stem from a broad shift in how people consume media others said women might be reluctant to call out sexist behavior
several women said male executives became visibly uncomfortable and ended the conversation when the issue of gender and racial diversity was raised at the annual advertising conference in march maurice levy chief executive of the ad giant publicis said the accusations in the j walter thompson lawsuit were a one man mistake and not representative of what is happening in our industry the next day however martin sorrell chief of wpp which owns jwalter thompson said there is a problem and maurice has a habit of ignoring the facts mr levy tried to clarify his comments the following week in an internal memo calling the allegations in the lawsuit jaw dropping adding to such an extent that in my opinion they can only represent the unforgivable fault of one man as opposed to an industrywide evil
even some women acknowledged that it was difficult for them to address gender bias in the industry some of those interviewed declined to provide specifics about examples of gender bias they had seen or experienced because they wanted to protect relationships in the industry
wendy clark the chief executive of ddb north america said she had felt more subtle discrimination in her career but acknowledged that to rise through the ranks she has blocked much of it out
the truth is she said those of us who have made it through   you become impervious to it in some way


a high ranking official in the los angeles county sheriffs department resigned on sunday after it was revealed that he had shared a series of racist and sexist jokes from his work email account in a previous job with the burbank police department
sheriff jim mcdonnell of los angeles county said in a statement that the official tom angel his chief of staff had resigned on sunday his resignation came days after the los angeles times first reported on the emails which the newspaper said were obtained under the states open records act
this incident is one that i find deeply troubling chief mcdonnell said despite the sheriffs departments many recent efforts to fortify public trust and enhance internal and external accountability and transparency this incident reminds us that we and other law enforcement agencies still have work to do
last wednesday the times published 15 pages of email correspondence that contained jokes about muslims catholics latinos african americans and women
in one email mr angel asked a colleague how many virgins do muslims get in heaven
in another he forwarded a joke about a student who had done poorly on a biology exam i was asked to name two things commonly found in cells apparently blacks and mexicans were not the correct answers
the emails sent by mr angel also criticized political correctness and supported the racial profiling of muslims they were sent between 2012 and 2013 when he was the no 2 police official in burbank calif
chief mcdonnell said on sunday that the department would review its training curriculum and hold meetings with community groups to brainstorm ways to improve its understanding and appreciation of the racial ethnic and religious diversity of the area it serves he also said the department would begin conducting random checks of its employees email accounts
we are only as effective as the relationships credibility and trust we have with our community he said


miami   the large scale dredging of miamis port to accommodate the newest generation of freighters an undertaking that prompted a long running battle with environmentalists caused widespread damage to a portion of the areas fragile and already distressed coral reef according to a new report by the national oceanic and atmospheric administration
the report based on a december survey undertaken by scientists for the agencys national marine fisheries service found that as much as 81 percent of the reef near the dredging site was buried in sediment and an army corps of engineers contractor report from august shows up to 93 percent partial coral death because of sediment despite a plan by the corps to minimize the damage
the damage is particularly alarming because the world is rapidly losing its reefs partly because of global warming experts say
south florida has the only coral reef in the continental united states and 80 to 90 percent of it has died or been badly harmed over the years officials say the causes include ocean temperatures that have dipped too low or risen too high acidification sewage and pollution several cycles of white plague disease including one in 2014 that coincided with the dredge have also badly hurt south floridas reef white plague a virus that bleaches and kills coral has been destroying reefs around the world
this florida reef is as important to our country as the sequoias of california and we are losing it faster than we can figure out why said rachel silverstein the executive director of miami waterkeeper a nonprofit environmental organization that has sued the army corps of engineers over coral damage there are a lot of stressors that are impacting and killing coral reefs but this is a hyper local example of something we could easily have prevented
the agencys analysis obtained by the new york times contradicts a december report by the corps which primarily blamed white plague for the coral damage on reef sections near the dredge in the corpss report scientists said that white plague was responsible for 85 percent of the coral deaths in the upper and middle parts of the reef and in the control site and for 183 percent of the deaths of coral closer to shore the report failed to highlight that 93 percent of the corals closer to the dredge had partially died because of sediment compared with 7 percent at sites farther away ms silverstein said
scientists for the national oceanic and atmospheric administration disagreed with the corpss emphasis on white plague disease rather they concluded that the majority of the reef stretching beyond 3000 feet showed conclusive damage to corals by dredging sediment
the agencys survey of the extensive damage comes at a time when fort lauderdale is seeking final congressional approval for the dredging of its own port port everglades one of the largest in the country the dredging project to deepen the port cleared a crucial senate committee last week as part of a larger water bill and is headed for the senate floor coral reefs are critical to south florida because they help lessen the damage from hurricanes are important to marine biodiversity and lure tourists
environmentalists have warned congress and the state that the corpss plan to lessen the damage to corals in that area is flawed because it does not take into account new information much of it bolstered by state and county scientists about the extent of the coral damage from the port of miamis dredge expansion of port everglades is expected to begin next year
the corps is still working on a final assessment of the miami dredges effects on the coral said susan j jackson a spokeswoman for the agency scientists will conduct dives this summer and then analyze their findings in the fall she added
the results of the assessment will aid us in determining whether any additional mitigation may be needed she said as for port everglades ms jackson said in an email that lessons learned from all dredging projects are important and were taking them into consideration during this process
ms jackson added that the corpss plan to protect the coral near port everglades was already an improvement over the miami strategy the new plan includes planting 103000 new nursery raised corals across 18 acres of reef and relocating existing coral to another five acres
we are confident in the extensive work we have done ms jackson said
but environmentalists said the plan failed to take into account how much farther than anticipated the sediment spread from the dredge site in miami a crucial element the sediment suffocates coral they want to see the impact zone extended beyond about 3000 feet from the site the port everglades plan also relies on a six year old survey of staghorn coral which is listed as threatened under the endangered species act
the vast majority of staghorn near the miami dredge site was never relocated by the corps either it was missed in 2010 by contractors during the initial survey of the area or the staghorn reproduced later the corps ultimately agreed to rescue the remaining staghorn after a legal fight with miami waterkeeper and other groups
it also relocated 924 nonendangered corals in addition underwater monitors to measure the sediment failed to work so the corps relied solely on divers to keep tabs on the coral
this time around the waterkeeper group is trying to set up independent monitoring of the coral before dredging begins to keep close track of possible damage
the corps like to say they learned a lot of lessons and they promise they wont do this again in port everglades ms silverstein said we would like to see less aspirational talk and more mandatory language protecting these reefs


sai yok thailand   saira tahir a london lawyer waved a bamboo pole with a plastic bag affixed to the end high in the air a 200 pound tiger leapt and swatted it like a house cat batting a string toy
for her 140 premium admission ms tahir also bathed a tiger bottle fed a cub and posed for a photo with a tigers head in her lap
its a surreal experience being so close to them she said even with the tigers head in your lap you can feel the energy its not something you do every day
part buddhist monastery and part petting zoo the tiger temple in western thailand has long been the bane of conservationists and animal rights activists who accuse it of abuse and exploitation even as it offers tourists an edenesque wildlife fantasy
now after complaints of trafficking in endangered species the government is trying to shut down the attraction but there are two major obstacles the temple which has gone to court to block the closing and the tigers what do you do with nearly 150 carnivorous cats raised in captivity
the government began removing the tigers this year but was ordered to stop after the lawsuit was filed in february until the case is resolved the fate of the tigers is mired in a legal standoff that pits wildlife officials conservationists and thailands military government against a wealthy tourist enterprise backed by influential buddhist monks
the tiger temple in rural kanchanaburi province near the myanmar border started collecting animals 15 years ago with an act of charity villagers took an injured tiger cub to the local abbot who agreed to care for it word spread and soon there were six tigers
we built this temple to spread buddhism said supitpong pakdjarung a former police colonel who runs the temples business arm the tigers came by themselves
the tourists came next today the temple takes in 57 million a year from ticket sales wildlife officials say and receives millions more in donations a standard ticket about 17 entitles a visitor to walk a leashed tiger and pose with a chained tiger
the 15 or so monks who live on the grounds have little to do with the tigers beyond occasionally posing with them for tourists but a buddhist atmosphere is part of the pitch the temple promotes itself as a place where tigers betray their wild nature to coexist with humans in buddhist harmony
we can live together peacefully because of kindness mr supitpong said
some monks and staff members believe that certain tigers are reincarnated monks or relatives mr supitpong said that through meditation monks had come up with dietary solutions to repair genetic defects from inbreeding
it is a spiritual connection he said
the buddhist imprimatur also makes the temple a powerful adversary in its legal battle with the government in thailand the moral authority of monks rivals the secular authority of the law
they have the power to say right or wrong in terms of morality said surapot taweesak a scholar in philosophy and religion at suan dusit rajabhat university in bangkok this makes people listen and not dare to argue or debate with monks for fear of being sinful
the government has ordered the temple to stop breeding tigers charging fees to tourists and letting visitors feed tigers officials say but the temple has refused
the monks have the attitude i am over the law  said teunchai noochdumrong the director of thailands wildlife conservation office they say because they are monks they have the right to take care of all the animals in that area
the abbot phra vissuthisaradhera is not a monk ms teunchai said hes a criminal
mr vissuthisaradhera who was attacked and clawed on the face last year by his favorite tiger declined to be interviewed
for years the temple has faced allegations of misconduct recently a handler was caught on video punching a tiger in the head
mr supitpong acknowledges that staff members sometimes have to strike the tigers to distract them from focusing on tourists as prey we have to hit them so we can change the tigers mood at the moment he said
charges of tiger smuggling date to at least 2008 when the british group care for the wild said the temple was illegally trading tigers with a farm in neighboring laos
last year the temples veterinarian resigned and reported that three tigers had vanished from the temple he handed over three microchips that he said had been removed from the tigers such chips are used to track endangered animals
an australian organization cee4life claims that 281 tigers have been born at the temple over the years and that natural deaths alone could not account for todays population which stands at 138 not counting the 10 already removed by the government the organization also presented evidence that some of the temples first tigers had been caught in the wild and that others had been brought later from laos
the temples business success has inspired dozens of other operators of unlicensed zoos to offer tourists close contact with rare animals said edwin wiek the founder of the wildlife friends foundation thailand
the animals they breed are unwanted once they mature mr wiek said contributing to thailands role as a global hub for illegal trafficking in endangered animals
tiger parts are in high demand in asia particularly china for use in traditional medicine tiger bone can fetch as much as 168 a pound and tiger penis soup goes for as much as 320 a bowl
at the tiger temple only tigers under age 4   there are 16 of them now   are brought out for tourists larger tigers which can be careless about the rules of interspecies harmony are retired to cages
after the veterinarians accusations the government revoked the temples permission to keep tigers the temple lacks documents proving ownership so wildlife officials contend that the tigers belong to the government
temple officials deny abusing the tigers or trading in tigers or tiger parts they lack ownership papers they say because most of the tigers were born at the temple
mr supitpong said that the three tigers suspected to be missing were still on the premises and that he had no knowledge of any microchips being removed
during a raid last year government officials also found eight hornbills and six asian black bears also protected species the temple said it was the legitimate owner of those animals too but lacked the documents proving it ms teunchai said
when wildlife officials tried to seize the animals last year protesting monks and temple supporters blocked the main road to the temple officials circumvented the protest by driving a crane to the side of the temple and hoisting the bears over a 12 foot wall
mr supitpong says the temple earns 3 million a year in ticket revenue about half what the government says most of the donations go toward the construction of a 29 million temple that is expected to be completed in 2022 the next year of the tiger the temple will be one of thailands largest
we have received all the funds by the tigers virtue mr supitpong said in the past we called it monks feed tigers but now its tigers feed monks 
there are about 2000 captive tigers in thailand but most are a mix of bengal tigers a type that is native to the indian subcontinent and indochinese tigers only an estimated 189 indochinese tigers   the subspecies native to the region   remain in thailands forests
the crossbred tigers are of no value in protecting the species as a whole conservationists say
while the temple tigers are not domesticated   their behavior can be unpredictable and there have been several attacks on tourists and staff members   they are not wild either having been raised in captivity and unafraid of people if the tiger temple is shut down the tigers cannot simply be set free in the jungle
the 10 tigers removed by the government were taken by truck to a government center the khao prathap chang wildlife breeding center in neighboring ratchaburi province where each has a 430 square foot cage equipped with a concrete pool the size of a large bathtub the cages unlike those at the temple have no access to an enclosure with grass and trees
temple officials insist that tigers are better off at the temple
in thailand this is the best place for them said tanya erzinclioglu a volunteer coordinator
but banpot maleehuan the government centers director said ending the tigers close contact with people had already been good for them
they have been here two months now and they are becoming real tigers he said a tiger is a tiger not a pet they have to live their nature


for a year and a half halliburton and baker hughes two big oil field services companies had been focused on their 35 billion merger that distraction even as commodity prices deteriorated and their peers cut costs to survive is finally over
the two companies announced in a statement on sunday that they had decided to terminate their merger the news came after an excruciatingly long regulatory review process that culminated in a lawsuit last month by the justice department to block the deal on antitrust grounds
while both companies expected the proposed merger to result in compelling benefits to shareholders customers and other stakeholders challenges in obtaining remaining regulatory approvals and general industry conditions that severely damaged deal economics led to the conclusion that termination is the best course of action said dave lesar chairman and chief executive of halliburton in sundays statement
the deal was one that raised eyebrows from the start on whether it would get past regulators the two companies were seeking to band together to compete with the likes of schlumberger and in the meantime to erase billions in costs related to operations and research and development things changed drastically soon after the deal was signed in november 2014 oil prices sank to their lowest levels in years a burden that has affected the entire industry
sales of assets which were necessary to appease regulators concerns that the combination was just too big suddenly became more challenged would be buyers turned inward to manage their own business during the downturn and private equity stayed on the sidelines
with the companies inability to shrink the justice department sued in april to block the deal saying it would eliminate vital competition skew energy markets and harm american consumers that left the companies with little will to fight
what halliburton may have miscalculated here is the severity of the downturn and certainly the appetite of the department of justice to flex its muscles in a large corporate merger said matt marietta an analyst at stephens inc
as compensation for the breakup halliburton agreed to pay baker hughes 35 billion by may 4 according to sundays statement it is a lofty price especially when cash flow is tight in the energy industry
that high fee was necessary because the deal almost did not happen two years ago the two companies struggled initially in the fall of 2014 to find a suitable price and breakup fee but then halliburton threatened to turn over baker hughess board to restart discussions the plan worked with halliburton raising its bid and agreeing to a larger than average fee if the deal were to fail to win regulatory approval at the time the fee was a symbolic commitment from halliburton to do whatever it took to make sure the deal cleared the justice department
as stand alone companies though analysts say both halliburton and baker hughes should be able to survive halliburton has about 10 billion of cash on its balance sheet that it could use toward the breakup fee or potentially other transactions according to data by sp capital iq
i dont see a risk of either of the companies being bankruptcy risks mr marietta said i think both companies are well positioned to manage through the downturn
shares of both companies have surged about 20 percent each since the justice departments lawsuit was disclosed on april 6 for many investors the lawsuit was a way of dissipating the cloud of uncertainty that had covered the deal for 18 months
the move by the justice department was the latest tough stance from an administration that has been seen as taking more aggressive actions against large deals the previous one was pfizers attempted 152 billion merger with allergan which was terminated after the treasury department came out with new tax related rules that eliminated many of the benefits of the deal
the european commission the european unions executive body also raised concerns about the halliburton baker hughes deal
the transaction raised competition concerns on a very large number of markets related to oil field services provided to oil and gas exploration and production companies in europe margrethe vestager the european union competition commissioner said in a statement
she said that a number of customers contacted us to raise issues with the proposed transaction
the date by which halliburton and baker hughes would have to decide whether to continue on their path of regulatory approval or terminate their merger agreement was extended to april 30 as a result halliburton postponed its earnings call to tuesday which many analysts assumed was done to discuss the deal
since the downturn started at the end of 2014 halliburton has reduced its head count by about a third the company said in its april 22 earnings statement the company also said it would reduce the infrastructure that it had kept in anticipation of a deal with baker hughes both companies have experienced significant slumps in revenue and reduced rig counts over the year


leicester england   soccer crazed working class leicester is verging on one of those ridiculous seasons an unimaginable championship that was given worse betting odds at the start than finding elvis alive
this is rags to riches rocky and the impossible dream for an unglamorous city in the middle of england best known for having buried richard iii now it is getting the kind of recognition that will live on for decades in the fervent tribal world of english soccer
the leicester city foxes were nearly dropped from the premier league a year ago but with a middling payroll and few stars the team could now embarrass celebrity rivals including chelsea arsenal liverpool and manchester united
before this no one knew who we were said kimberley rayner 21 hoarse from screaming at the televisions in the hugely overcrowded counting house pub here on sunday a frenetic heaving mass of supporters saw the foxes come back to tie mighty manchester united 1 1 which felt like a victory especially without their unlikely star jamie vardy who was sitting out a suspension
you cant put words to it ms rayner said asserting that she has been a supporter since her birth which was exactly at kickoff of a match its not about the money   our whole team gets paid what some of these stars get   but passion and dreams
karen fox 56 said she had attended her first leicester city game at 10 when it cost 25 pence to get in and 5 pence for a program now she happily pays more than 415 in british pounds or about 605 a year for season tickets
its the victory of the underdog isnt it her spouse jenny fox said thats what everyone loves that anything can happen leicesters season she said was almost better than britains law permitting them to marry after many years together
chris marquis 32 came here from toronto after being recruited to leicester law school i didnt know anything about leicester but a friend told me on facebook that they dont have a very good soccer team he said managing a pint of lager in one hand and a toddler in the other i just went back and sent him a note you were saying 
leicesters winning the premier league he said would be like a canadian football league team winning the nfl
leicester 100 miles north of london is one of englands oldest cities founded 2000 years ago and is among its most diverse with more than 50 percent of its 330000 inhabitants estimated now to be nonwhite twenty percent of the population is muslim and almost 20 percent is hindu or sikh
but the people here rub together with more asian supporters for soccer than in most english cities   the team is owned by a thai vichai srivaddhanaprabha who made millions from duty free shopping   and a significant reputation for tolerance
in fact leicester which is pronounced here as less tah is better known for rugby
but a soccer team has played here since 1894 and its highest finish previously was in 1929   second place in division one the predecessor to the premier league now if tottenham loses to chelsea on monday night leicester will be champion and can win the league regardless at home against everton on saturday
the team is made up of players who were mostly dumped from richer more star studded teams even its italian coach claudio ranieri 64 is considered a dull journeyman known as the tinkerman for constantly fiddling with his lineup when he left chelsea in 2004 his successor the star coach jose mourinho said he had been hired because the team wanted to win
mr mourinho who won it all last year for chelsea was fired in december and chelsea now sits 10th in the league while mr ranieri is hailed as a patient genius at least until next season when the bigger richer teams could play closer to their potential and the fairy dust on leicester could blow away
for now it all seems magical even divine at leicester cathedral the statue of richard iii   whose remains found in a parking lot were buried in the cathedral with great ceremony last year after a squabble with york   wore a leicester city scarf
the rev peter hobson said the attention was wonderful for the city and created enormous good feeling after a week when memories of the disaster in 1989 at hillsborough stadium when 96 soccer fans were crushed through police incompetence filled the headlines with the findings of a new inquest
hillsborough is the tragedy of football and leicester city is the opposite mr hobson said for some people who say football isnt a matter of life and death its more important this has been powerful
of course he added the tragedy in syria matters more than football but even if football doesnt mean as much its still important
mr hobson then cited a common feeling of mystery here that as soon as richard iii was buried the fortunes of leicester city flirting with relegation took their extraordinary turn while the york city football club he said with a benevolent smile is right down at the bottom of the second league
leicester is basking in recognition he said weve always been what we are and now people recognize us for it
i think this is once in a lifetime mr hobson said who knows about next year
for now no one here cares


washington   there is a sequence in the movie beverly hills cop in which three men carry a protesting eddie murphy across the lobby of a building and fling him through a window glass scatters everywhere and within seconds a police car pulls up
when the officers tell him to stand and put his hands on the hood an incredulous murphy asks what he is being charged with
disturbing the peace he is told
that scene came to mind 4 minutes 13 seconds into the first period saturday night at verizon center where whatever sliver of peace that existed during the washington capitals playoff series with the pittsburgh penguins vanished
after penguins defenseman olli maatta released a shot on goal washington defenseman brooks orpik leveled him with a late shoulder to the head causing him to fall backward two teammates helped maatta up and off the ice and he wobbled down a tunnel not to be seen for the rest of pittsburghs 2 1 series evening victory and perhaps even longer
as for orpik he skated over to an official apparently dubious of any transgression and then to the penalty box
two minutes
for interference
by the letter of the nhl rule book orpik did interfere with maatta   with his cognitive functions the immediate punishment evoked murphys response as police officers shoved him in the back seat if he had been pushed out of a moving car what would he be charged with then jaywalking
it was the type of hit reckless and indefensible that warranted a five minute match penalty it was the type of hit that ratchets up the nastiness quotient beyond the standard hostility that develops between rivals during the course of a series
i thought it was a target to his head said pittsburgh coach mike sullivan who though teammates suggested maatta had sustained a concussion did not offer any updates on his condition except to say that he was not optimistic that he would play monday its the type of hit that everyone in hockey is trying to remove from the game
it was the type of hit particularly in this age of increased concussion awareness that merits swift action from the league whose department of player safety reacted on sunday by suspending orpik for three games beginning with game 3 monday night in pittsburgh
in a video explaining its ruling the nhl said that maatta should not have been expecting to be hit and that orpik entirely in control on the play administered a blow that was unacceptably high and excessively late
it looked bad   i mean you could word it however you want said the penguins star center sidney crosby who missed parts of two seasons because of concussion symptoms he added to see your teammate in that bad situation and see him stumbling you know its not good i dont think you ever get used to seeing that
but more than anything it was also the type of hit that orpik should be sensitive about on april 18 orpik was rammed into the glass by a hard   but legal   check from philadelphia center ryan white and crumpled to his knees dazed
as ugly as his hit on maatta seemed it was orpiks reaction   his lack of responsiveness his distant stare while being helped up   that looked worse and scarier
orpik missed the final three games against philadelphia and sat out for 10 days cleared a few hours before game 1 against the penguins on thursday night he will miss time again now because of his own doing
the capitals declined requests to make orpik available to the news media on saturday night but his coach barry trotz after speaking with him relayed an explanation mired in half truths
even if as trotz said orpik thought maatta might emerge from his crouch and even if orpik did not intend to hit him that high there is no possible reason based on the angle of the shot for thinking the puck would carom back to where maatta was
if you know anything about brooks he plays hard he plays clean hes not a dirty player trotz said the pittsburgh people know that
across his 13 year career orpik has fashioned a reputation as rugged and reliable beloved by teammates but a nuisance to everyone else he spent the first 11 seasons in pittsburgh where he mentored maatta now 21 who also has a history of concussions so does kris letang whom orpik punched in the head in the second period no penalty was called
if theyre going to let that go its fine letang said its going to be equal for every team
orpiks was the third suspension levied this postseason for excessive force all have involved washington the flyers received the first two suspensions and they were well deserved for pierre edouard bellemares brutal hit from behind on dmitry orlov and brayden schenns charging t j oshie
philadelphia was the aggressor in that series compensating for its comparative lack of skill and depth by striving to agitate the capitals who for whatever reason have adopted a similar approach against pittsburgh if washingtons intent has been to goad the penguins into taking retaliatory penalties or adjusting their style to reflect the increase in physicality it has failed so far
a lot of teams try to slow us down or try to be extra physical against us and we know if we get sucked into that then were getting away from our game and were not productive that way crosby said i think its pretty clear that we know if we get caught up in that we put ourselves in a bad position
even before saturday the penguins were furious with washington whose professional pest tom wilson was fined   though not suspended   for delivering a knee to knee hit against the rookie conor sheary in game 1
wilson called it accidental saying that their legs got tangled and sheary did not comment much other than calling it a hockey play
there were plenty of appealing hockey plays in game 2 from matt murrays gorgeous save of a nicklas backstrom one timer to the former capital eric fehrs fending off orpik to score the winning goal with 428 left but the lasting image is of a player on his knees unable to stand an absent look in his eyes a head injury sustained and needlessly at that


this is what to expect from the week ahead
economy
tuesday morning the european commission will announce its spring economic forecast for growth and employment across the 28 member states of the european union the forecast may also shed light on whether the long awaited recovery in the eurozone may finally be consolidating and on the effects of falling prices and the economic slowdown in china the commission which makes the forecasts three times a year may update its estimates about the costs and benefits of the ongoing large scale migrations to european nations james kanter
on friday at 830 am the labor department is scheduled to release its report on the nations hiring and unemployment for april with 73 months of uninterrupted job growth in the private sector the american economy has already broken a record in the march report there were other encouraging gains aside from the impressive addition of 215000 jobs average hourly wages increased by 03 percent while the proportion of americans in the labor force   which had been on the decline   hit a two year high at 63 percent while the economys overall growth rate has been sluggish the job market has remained a bright spot wall street estimates that employers hired about 200000 workers last month and that wages will continue their forward momentum patricia cohen
autos
automakers on tuesday are scheduled to report sales of new vehicles in the united states in april and analysts expect the industry to report an increase over the same month a year ago the research firm kelley blue book has forecast a 4 percent improvement and a seasonally adjusted annual sales rate for the month of about 175 million vehicles while trucks and sport utility vehicles continue to propel the overall growth of the market passenger cars made by honda and nissan are also selling well analysts will be watching which auto companies are increasing discounts and other incentives to improve their sales and whether volkswagen can halt its steady decline in the united states since admitting last year that it cheated on diesel emissions tests bill vlasic
the electric carmaker tesla motors is expected to report its first quarter earnings on wednesday and will probably release more details on how much money it raised by taking 1000 reservations for its forthcoming model 3 vehicle the company has said it received deposits for more than 325000 of its newest electric car which will not be available for sales until the end of the next year at the earliest tesla is preparing to expand its manufacturing operations in california and planning to build a battery plant in nevada bill vlasic
banks
it will be another busy week for bank earnings as several of europes largest institutions report their first quarter results the british bank hsbc the swiss lender ubs and the french banks bnp paribas and societe generale are all expected to provide updates to their investors the first quarter has been a difficult one for lenders as uncertainty in the financial markets has weighed on banking results in europe and the united states the challenging environment comes as several of europes biggest lenders are in the midst of reshaping their businesses chad bray
technology
alibaba will look to build on the momentum of its strong earnings at the end of last year when it announces results for the first quarter on thursday the chinese e commerce giant has struggled to live up to the huge hype ahead of its listing in 2014 and has been working to become more efficient even as it expands operations to rural parts of china many analysts will be watching the companys performance as an indication of the broader confidence of the chinese consumer as the worlds second largest economy continues to experience slower economic growth paul mozur
commodities
arcelormittal the worlds largest steel company is planning to report first quarter earnings on friday investors will study the results to see whether the beleaguered steel industry is beginning to turn around arcelormittal which lost nearly 8 billion in 2015 and other steel makers are having success in persuading the united states and the european union to impose protective tariffs on chinese steel exports that the companies say are undercutting their products but analysts expect the luxembourg based company to report lower profits than in the first quarter of 2015 stanley reed
media
for the last five months the ailing media mogul sumner m redstone has been the subject of a salacious legal battle over his mental capacity on friday a public trial is scheduled to begin the suit was filed in november by manuela herzer a former companion to mr redstone ms herzer claims that mr redstone 92 was not mentally competent in october when he removed her from a directive that would have given her supervision over his health decisions on the same day mr redstone removed ms herzer from his personal estate in which he had planned to leave her 50 million and his los angeles mansion valued at 20 million
ms herzer has said that she has fought the legal battle out of love for mr redstone and that she is concerned for his well being lawyers for mr redstone have called the suit meritless and have said that she is after his money
while the courtroom drama concerns mr redstones personal life it could have broad implications for viacom and cbs the two media companies he continues to control emily steel


dhaka bangladesh   the police detained three men early sunday in connection with the killing of a hindu tailor the latest in a series of hacking deaths in the country islamist militants are believed to be responsible for most of the killings
the police in the tangail district where the tailor was killed around noon on saturday also recovered a bloodstained shirt that they believe one of the killers removed as he fled mohammad aslam khan a senior police official in the district said in a telephone interview the police in tangail in central bangladesh have no idea who committed the attack mr khan said
the tailor nikhil chandra joarder 52 died after three people attacked him with sharp objects outside his shop in gopalpur an area in tangail the police said
mr khan said the detained men were rafiqul islam badsha 50 the secretary of the local affiliate of jamaat e islami an opposition party and the countrys largest islamist party jhontu mia a local activist with the bangladesh nationalist party another opposition party which has held power in the past and moulana aminul islam the principal of the local madrasa
both parties have been accused of criminal activity in the past including torching vehicles and killing people mr khan said
mr islam filed a case in 2012 accusing the tailor of making derogatory remarks about the prophet muhammad mr khan said mr joarder was briefly jailed for blasphemy before the charges were withdrawn
islamic state militants have claimed responsibility for mr joarders killing citing the tailors blasphemy according to site intelligence group which monitors jihadist websites over the past two years intellectuals secular writers members of religious minorities and activists who have published views critical of islam have been killed by extremists in bangladesh
prime minister sheikh hasina of the awami league party has denied the presence of the islamic state or other international terror groups in bangladesh last week she blamed opposition parties for the recent killings saying the parties aim to destabilize the country
killings by hacking have accelerated in the past month mr joarder was the fifth person killed over the past 10 days
the three men in custody could not be reached sunday for comment but habibur rahman the chief of jamaat e islamis gopalpur unit said in a telephone interview that the arrest of mr badsha the local party secretary was totally false
no jamaat leader was involved at all with this killing incident mr rahman said he accused the police of falsely detaining mr badsha merely to show the public that they have made progress into the investigation
saying he personally knew mr islam the principal mr rahman added i believe he cannot be involved with such type of killing incident
mr khan said the police had reason to be suspicious of the three men because of their past activities we will interrogate them and if we get any significant information from them regarding nikhils murder then this will help to make headway into the investigation he said


london   steven woolfe a british member of the european parliament concedes that he should have checked his facts before setting off a social media campaign against one of britains leading supermarket chains
but when mr woolfe who wants britain to leave the european union last year mistakenly accused the chain sainsburys of bankrolling those who want to remain in the bloc   using the hashtag shameonyousainsburys   the company quickly sprang into action
within hours it had contacted his office insisting that it was not funding either side in the debate stating that it had no plans to do so and requesting that he correct his message
mr woolfe a member of the uk independence party did just that but also drew a lesson   one that could have a big impact ahead of a british referendum on june 23 on whether to leave the bloc polls suggest the vote could be close
i think that was a wonderful piece of true consumer democracy he said recalling the episode he added that companies must appreciate that they face a backlash if they speak out on the issue of british membership of the union
many already seem to have gotten his point
concerns about taking sides on this divisive issue are prompting a significant number of high profile companies to lie low they worry that expressing any opinion about staying in the bloc or leaving could lead to backlash from customers or shareholders who hold the opposing view or even split their own boardrooms
that reticence is creating a challenge for the government of prime minister david cameron and other groups campaigning to keep britain inside the bloc they had hoped that unambiguous support from businesses would highlight the economic risks to britain of breaking away from the european union and help persuade wavering voters to oppose withdrawal
many british companies have a direct interest in staying particularly if they import from or export to the blocs single market of around 500 million people to which britain currently has automatic access multinational businesses that have made britain an important hub for their european and global operations are similarly concerned other companies fret that a vote to leave would destabilize financial markets
yet so far the voice of business has been less full throated than many analysts expected
business does seem strangely muted on this said simon tilford the deputy director of the center for european reform a research institute in london it has been surprising that so few internationally active businesses are prepared to speak out
in february more than a third of the companies in the ftse 100 an index of the largest of the nations public companies signed a letter declaring that britain was better in the european union it was a sizable number but not the overwhelming majority that some had expected
meanwhile the campaign in favor of leaving has produced a list of around 250 business supporters including some well known figures though no current ftse 100 chief executives or chairmen
senior players in londons big international financial companies   including goldman sachs international citigroup and j p morgan   have made it clear that they want to stay but several of britains retail banks have been much more cautious aware that they risk annoying a large number of customers regardless of what they say
there are legal constraints too electoral law prevents companies from spending more than 10000 pounds   the equivalent of about 15000   to influence the result during a referendum campaign unless they formally register as advocates
mr tilford said many companies still either thought that there was relatively little prospect of britains voting for withdrawal or believed   in his view over optimistically   that little would change in the event of a british departure he expects more corporations to speak out closer to the referendum particularly if opinion polls continue to predict a close result
in the meantime with surveys showing voters to be deeply divided companies appear to be worried about annoying consumers mr tilford said the feeling he added is there is no point putting your head above the parapet for something that isnt going to happen
that is good news for those campaigning for britain to leave the bloc who want to show that companies that speak out against that view may pay a price with disgruntled customers
mr woolfe said he hoped to organize social media campaigns challenging high profile companies that have warned against british withdrawal   undeterred by last years confusion of sainsburys which arose after reports that a former chairman lord david sainsbury would support the campaign to keep britain in the european union
in mr woolfes sights now are two airlines easyjet and ryanair carolyn mccall the chief executive of easyjet a discount airline suggested in february that a vote to leave could herald a return to the days when flying was reserved for the elite ryanairs chief executive michael oleary an irish rather than a british citizen has promised to bore everybody to death by repeating a pro european union message
mr woolfe also highlighted the virgin group whose founder richard branson has warned that leaving the union would be the worst decision the british public ever made and the german automaker bmw which warned its british workers that leaving the bloc would drive up costs and prices and could affect employment
for me thats an important consideration said mr woolfe who speaks for the uk independence party on migration and financial issues do i buy a japanese car whove said they are going to stay and have their plant in the north of england and not interfering in the eu referendum or do i go and buy a bmw who have said they might move their jobs away if we leave the eu
there is a comparison here to scotland which held a referendum on independence in 2014 the parallel is not precise because with the scottish government leading the campaign to break away from the united kingdom businesses that argued publicly for the status quo were risking their relationship with the government in edinburgh by contrast in the current european debate the british government supports remaining in the bloc as do the scottish government and britains opposition labour party
but consumer power was a factor in scotland too when bill munro the founder of the tourism company barrhead travel warned employees about possible economic effects of independence critics targeted the company on social media
mr munro declined to comment for this article but gavin hewitt a former british diplomat who helped organize a letter from scottish businesses opposed to independence said there were some similarities between the two plebiscites
the atmosphere is very different from the scottish referendum because the lineups are very different and the government policy is to remain in the eu mr hewitt said but company boards are not wanting to alienate their consumers on an issue where they feel they dont need to pronounce
among the companies unlikely to break their silence is the supermarket chain mistakenly targeted by mr woolfe last year
sainsburys is a nonpolitical organization the company said in a statement and we believe its for the british people to decide whether we remain in the eu


oakland calif   in a brave attempt to catch up with the rest of the nbas western conference powerhouses the portland trail blazers overhauled themselves after last season when they won 51 games but were quickly vanquished from the playoffs through trades and free agency they purged six of their seven top scorers including the all star lamarcus aldridge now with the san antonio spurs
rebuilt around the young guards damian lillard 251 points per game this season and c j mccollum 208 the blazers created a quick deep shooting team in a loose image of the golden state warriors led by stephen curry 301 points per game and klay thompson 221
what might be a second round playoff series featuring two of the more entertaining backcourts began sunday without curry out indefinitely with a knee sprain still game 1 was one sided as thompson single handedly outplayed lillard and mccollum thompson scored early and often as the warriors raced out to a quick lead and ultimately a 118 106 win at oracle arena
for much of the first quarter lillard and mccollum were just as effective as curry but he was watching from the bench dressed in a blazer while they were combining to miss their first seven shots
thompson assigned to guard lillard had 12 of his game high 37 points in the first six minutes as the warriors took an 18 4 lead
not many guys in the league could chase damian lillard around for 37 minutes and score 37 points too golden state coach steve kerr said klay is a tremendous two way player
after lillard finally scored and was fouled on a driving layup with about 30 seconds left in the first quarter the blazers still trailed 34 17
thompson immediately responded with his fourth 3 pointer it gave him 18 points and gave the warriors a 20 point lead
thompson was quick to share credit with his teammates and a pregame focus on defense
it feels like he runs off about a hundred ball screens a game thompson said of lillard so youve got to trust your big guys back there and they made it tough for him at the rim at the 3 point line and thats what weve got to do all series
lillard finished with 30 points 18 in an inconsequential fourth quarter mccollum had 12 together they shot 13 of 43
we score a lot of points for the team said lillard his voice raspy from a chest cold that gives us our best chance to win games especially against a team that can fill it up like them
the warriors remain unsure how long curry will be out with a sprained medial collateral ligament in his right knee he is not expected to play game 2 on tuesday but game 3 in portland does not come until saturday curry has done some standstill shooting kerr said but it may not be before midweek that he gets into any game type simulation
well just monitor him and see how it all goes and hopefully get him back at some point kerr said
the blazers did not surrender without spunk they cut the 20 point lead in half quickly in the second quarter sending occasional ripples of unease through the crowd and carved it into single digits with about two minutes left before intermission
but the warriors who score in unpredictable and entertaining splashes pushed the lead to 65 51 at halftime early in the third quarter the gap was above 20 again
it was a disappointing result for lillard who grew up in oakland and attended his grandfathers 80th birthday party on saturday the rudest part of the homecoming might have come in the second quarter when draymond green blocked lillards layup attempt lillard fell the crowd rose and green shouted down to his opponent
i didnt say too much of nothing green said later grinning
it was green who provided the intangible difference between the warriors and their opponent as he often does the teams do everything heart he had a triple double 23 points 13 rebounds and 11 assists but he also led the warriors in attitude after a steal off mason plumlee he turned upcourt shouted at the blazers bench then drove to the basket and into plumlee drawing a foul
hes probably the best all around player in the league at this point golden state center andrew bogut said thompson sitting nearby nodded
the script to a postseason championship was supposed to head this way for the warriors historys best regular season team a cruise through the first round and momentum entering may after beating houston in the first round the warriors 73 9 in the regular season were expected to be tested first by the rival los angeles clippers in the second round then by either the san antonio spurs or oklahoma city thunder
but as with a book turned into a movie plot twists were added for effect the curry injury was the biggest rewrite then the clippers were battered and dispatched in six games by the blazers   after portland lost game 1 in a blowout similar to sundays as coach terry stotts reminded his players
the results left the warriors with a somewhat unexpected and dangerous second round opponent
in the regular season the warriors were 3 1 against the blazers with three of those games after the all star break on feb 19 lillard scored a career high 51 points in a 137 105 portland victory the most lopsided of golden states losses on march 11 the teams combined to make 37 3 pointers a league record curry had seven lillard nine
the thought of facing the blazers especially without curry might have been nerve racking   and might still prove to be but if thompson can outproduce portlands backcourt by himself and if curry can get healthy while he watches it happen from the sideline the blazers will be little more than bit players in a golden state season moving toward june


as the prosecutions witnesses testify in a gang assault case against nine rikers island correction officers a band of their colleagues keeps watch in the bronx county hall of justice where the case is being tried
jurors have heard from a doctor who treated the inmate jahmal lightfoot investigators who looked into the use of force against him a prisoner who said he heard mr lightfoot groaning during the july 2012 attack that left him with orbital bone fractures and mr lightfoot himself
the nine current and former officers are on trial in the beating of mr lightfoot and an attempted cover up at new york citys jail complex the most serious charge is attempted gang assault in the first degree which carries a prison sentence of up to 15 years other charges include attempted assault tampering with physical evidence falsifying business records and official misconduct
along with the jury up to three dozen current or retired correction officers and union representatives have been reviewing the evidence and scrutinizing sometimes audibly each ruling made by the judge steven barrett
the officers go to state supreme court to support the defendants but they may also see their own fates hanging in the balance of what justice barrett described as a simple almost one fact case that could rest on whether mr lightfoot had a weapon or whether officers thought he did
one former officer victor rodman regularly sits in the back row of the courtroom he is trying to raise money to appeal a conviction of his own mr rodman was sentenced in january to 90 days in jail for punching an inmate who then lost the sight in one eye
its similar he said of the current trial
since colleagues helped him get through his ordeal mr rodman said he wanted to show his solidarity
he and others following the case share a widespread belief among officers that their profession has been targeted by the city and unfairly demonized by the public
despite the staunch support from some patrick ferraiuolo president of the correction captains association said he was disappointed by the small number that turned out in support from the defendants ranks
he noted the seven officers a chief and the two captains   including one who is being tried separately   who have been charged and you dont have a packed courthouse mr ferraiuolo said most people who come to sit and watch he said are retired and that is a sin and im not going to sugarcoat that
even though the unions sent reminders to members to attend to show support mr ferraiuolo said some officers were unaware of the trial including some who work on rikers island
of those who have shown up some have expressed skepticism that the officers would be treated fairly
mr rodman who is already upset with the court over his conviction said the judge was derided in some circles as ada barrett as in assistant district attorney for his tendency to side with the prosecution
justice barrett seems firm with a sense of humor about order in the courtroom at one point he admonished defense lawyers for theatrics before the jury and at another time instructed supporters in the courtroom to try not to make any outbursts or grunts with the jury present the judge also chastised a prosecutor for arriving late
during the trial events unfolding outside the courtroom have crept in
since the trial began in march news has surfaced of a corruption inquiry by the federal bureau of investigation into norman seabrook the head of the union that represents the citys correction officers who was in the courtroom for the first day of testimony
mr ferraiuolo was called away from the trial last month when a correction officer was arrested in the assault of a prisoner inside a holding cell at the courthouse mr ferraiuolo had just detailed in an interview six cases of urine being thrown at other correction officers in one week in march   the same provocation the officer said caused him to beat an inmate with his radio
as news of assault charges against that officer broke judge barrett at the request of defense lawyers instructed jurors to ignore news media reports of cases similar to the one before the court
for a group of officers already feeling scrutinized even their camaraderie can seem like a liability
defense lawyers have called for mistrials once recently because of the prosecutions handling of sandy arkhurst an officer who was in the area working overtime when the beating took place but who says he heard nothing
pishoy yacoub an assistant district attorney asked questions about his relationship with each defendant eliciting responses about officers having each others backs 100 percent
even on the stand right mr yacoub asked


beijing   sunshine and playtime are not the hallmarks of cao wenxuans stories for children instead there are mass starvation and displacement flooding plagues of locusts and mental and physical disabilities
yet mr cao 62 is among the most beloved writers in china last month he became the first chinese author to receive the hans christian andersen award regarded as the most distinguished international honor for childrens literature he shared the prize handed out every other year with the german illustrator rotraut susanne berner
cao wenxuans books dont lie about the human condition the international board on books for young people said in announcing the award they acknowledge that life can often be tragic and that children can suffer
at the core of mr caos stories are his experiences growing up in the eastern coastal province of jiangsu in the 1950s and 60s an era of social upheaval and political tumult throughout china
one recent morning in his spacious book lined apartment in the haidian district here he said his memories of those experiences continued to be his greatest asset
china has given us so many heartbreaking stories he said how can you avoid writing about them i cant sacrifice my life experience in order to make children happy
in his own childhood he said there was not much homegrown childrens literature in china then the concept of literature for children was relatively new dating to the early 20th century when translated stories by foreign childrens authors began to appear along with vernacular childrens works like the fairy tale the scarecrow by ye shengtao and letters to young readers by bingxin
through his father an elementary school principal mr cao said he read some of those stories as well as soviet childrens literature and chinese modern literature he says lu xun a leading writer and social critic had the greatest influence on him
as mr cao approached adolescence political tensions in china were escalating culminating in the cultural revolution of 1966 76 schools were closed for several years
the young mr cao traveled the country as part of the dachuanlian a movement in which young activists were encouraged to meet and spread the message of revolution but as the student groups known as the red guards rampaged wreaking havoc on the lives of intellectuals officials and others mr cao said he was one of many students who held back
i was only 12 or 13 at the time so we didnt do much he said we werent violent
all we did was wear red armbands and write dazibao he added referring to the big character posters that spread political messages during the period
before long though mr cao returned to jiangsu and resumed his classes as part of the larger upheaval some of the top chinese language and literature teachers in nearby suzhou and wuxi had been sent to work at his rural school
as a result he said the cultural revolution years were the best education i received
later as the movement was winding down he enrolled at peking university where he is now a professor of chinese language and literature he published his first short story for children in the late 1970s and has not stopped writing since by his own count his publications number more than 100 works novels academic texts short stories essay collections and picture books
the chaotic years of the cultural revolution form the backdrop for many of his stories his 2005 book bronze and sunflower for example concerns the friendship of a girl sunflower who follows her father from the city to the countryside where he has been sent to do hard labor and bronze a boy unable to speak whose parents are impoverished villagers
the children went to school as usual and read their books as usual but the beautiful rise and fall of their voices as they read out loud got weaker and weaker until they were no longer capable of reading aloud reads one passage in the english translation by helen wang people were worried they were sweating with anxiety when the hunger was at its worst they thought about gnawing on stones
mr cao insists that the cultural revolution is merely a setting not the main subject of his books still some say his straightforward descriptions of life then are needed now more than ever in schools today children are taught only officially approved versions of what for many of their parents and grandparents was an intensely formative and frequently traumatic time
so much history from that period has been distorted which is why its important for children to know about the past said wu qing a retired professor in beijing who was a jury member selecting the andersen award cao writes about this period with humanity and he doesnt include any political slogans he writes from his own experience
today childrens literature is a large and extremely profitable industry in china mr cao and other prominent childrens authors like yang hongying and shen shixi have benefited from the rapid expansion of the middle class and a growing obsession with childrens education
mr caos novel the grass house for example is estimated to have sold over 10 million copies in china four of the top 10 richest chinese authors last year wrote literature for children or young people according to the newspaper china daily
although mr cao has won several important prizes at home his work has not been without controversy among other things he has been criticized for promoting outdated gender stereotypes boys in his stories are often bigger and stronger and girls are weaker and more prone to tears
mr cao was quick to dismiss the criticism its the same in western childrens literature he said
but as he has grown older and more experienced he said he has become firmer in his belief that above all childrens literature should provide a good foundation for humanity and a correct and accurate moral outlook
that is why he said he will continue to write about growing up in china during the mao years even if that time feels far away to many children
the world is always changing he said fashion trends change from day to day but the fact of people wearing clothes doesnt change
thats what im interested in the continuity he added it doesnt matter what the setting is universal values and humanity always show through


rick dipietro is delighted to say that his 15 month old son milo often greets the day with a mini hockey stick and ball which he uses to score lots of goals
the only regret is that i wish i had him when i was playing dipietro said recently hes obsessed with hockey
although he said he has not filed retirement papers dipietro 34 has not played a competitive game since nearly two and a half years ago when he told the charlotte checkers of the american hockey league that he was abandoning a comeback attempt after five games
its probably safe to say no return is coming soon he said
dipietro a goaltender who was the no 1 overall choice in the 2000 entry draft was so prone to injury during his 10 year 318 game nhl career all with the islanders that he adopted as his twitter handle hdumpty39 as in the humpty dumpty who had a great fall
he is now on the daily sports talk show hahn and humpty on espn radio in new york he is partnered with alan hahn who used to cover dipietro and the islanders for newsday a television highlight version of the show is to run on msg network this summer
hes a natural just like his days as an athlete said hahn who is also an analyst on knicks telecasts on msg in fact he treats this job much like he does a sport he has great passion puts in great preparation and is a quick study you rarely see that when a pro athlete moves into this side of the business
three years ago the islanders bought dipietro out of a then record 15 year 675 million contract that he had signed in 2006 he is to receive 15 million annually through 2029
id rather be playing he said im more disappointed than anything that i wasnt able to prove to everyone that i was worth the deal
his new career has taken an interesting turn in addition to the radio show dipietro was hired by msg to serve as a commentator before during and after islanders telecasts nbc has taken over for the stanley cup playoffs but dipietro is working a postgame show on msg
weve all been impressed with ricks ability to connect and engage with fans with his fresh bold and insightful analysis andrea greenberg president and chief executive of msg networks wrote in an email rick has taken broadcasting very seriously and were happy to have him as part of our esteemed talent team
but dipietro is still very much an islander when john tavares scored in the second overtime against the panthers last week to lift the islanders to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 1993   nearly eight years before dipietros first nhl game   he was at barclays center in brooklyn watching the game
he remembers jumping into the arms of a security guard after the goal tavares the islanders no 1 overall draft choice in 2009 could well have been a teammate the 15 year contract dipietro signed in 2006 would have had several years remaining
in a perfect world id be playing for the team but that didnt work out dipietro said
he said he still considered himself to be an unabashed islanders fan but he added im just trying to be objective
its something i try to do regardless of the sport he said
of the radio show he said the rangers fans tell me all the time we hated you when you were playing for the islanders but we love you on the radio 
dipietro grew up in winthrop mass near logan international airport and went to boston university after playing at st sebastians school in needham he was at bu for one season compiling an 18 5 5 record before the islanders drafted him
hours earlier they traded goaltender roberto luongo to florida in a four player deal luongo 37 a first round pick of the islanders in 1997 has played in nearly 1000 games in his nhl career   the most recent in a twist being the panthers playoff loss to the islanders and tavares
dipietros playing career was shattered by injuries especially after he signed the long term contract when the islanders made a gallant last week run to the playoffs in 2007 a journeyman goaltender wade dubielewicz led the team to a postseason berth
i always thought i would get into coaching said dipietro who played 175 games after signing the contract
when hahn started filling in on a sports talk show on espn radio two summers ago dipietro often called in hahn asked dipietro to come into the studio the two clicked
i like to talk dipietro said theres something in my personality that really enjoys talking
for both his radio and television gigs dipietro is articulate but he is also sincere and thoughtful saying when youre doing a radio show three hours a day five days a week you cant fake it
along the way dipietro has gained a new audience before the decisive islanders panthers game in the first round he wore a jacket with a camouflage pattern to emphasize that the islanders had to battle to move to the next round
when he signed the 15 year contract he hoped to lead the islanders to their first stanley cup since 1983 now tavares 25 drives the team dipietro has a much smaller role
youre really trying to capture what its like for the people who casually follow the sport and are just tuning in dipietro said you teach people the sport


madrid   after an uncharacteristic skid last year rafael nadal has regained his traction on the slippery clay that he had once dominated adding intrigue to this weeks madrid open
novak djokovic who has won the past three grand slam events remains the favorite to win his first french open this month but nadal a nine time champion at roland garros who last year had his least successful clay season in more than a decade has led the pack in the early part of the clay season winning the monte carlo masters and the barcelona open
though he was hoisting the trophy for the ninth time at each event the victories were nonetheless reaffirming nadal did not win a title as last years french open approached his first such drought in 10 years and then lost decisively to djokovic in the quarterfinals in paris his first loss at the tournament since 2009
djokovic has remained the tours top player and he has beaten nadal four other times since including twice this year but after djokovic lost his first match in monte carlo last month nadal capitalized by running through a difficult draw of stan wawrinka andy murray and gael monfils to claim his first masters title in nearly two years
in his pretournament news conference sunday at the madrid open djokovic said nadal would prove the toughest competition on clay and not only for himself
i think rafa is everybodys main rival on clay courts djokovic said because of his history on this surface and the results that he had throughout his career that deservedly put him as always i think one of the top or probably the top favorites on any clay court event as a matter of fact
he continued of course he did not have a 2015 clay court season the way we used to see him play on a very high level it was not up to his standard this year hes showing already a much higher quality of tennis and performance he really played terrific both in monte carlo and barcelona im sure hes very motivated to do well here in madrid and continue to do well on his favorite surface
nadal rarely one to boast   even when at his most dominating   expressed satisfaction with his recent play
im happy im good and im competing every single week with what i have nadal said sunday sometimes what i have is a lot and other times i dont have so much during the last weeks i think i have a lot ive been competing against the players and won matches against some of the best players of the world and competed pretty well against all of them
murray who beat nadal in last years madrid final traveled to majorca nadals base to train with him last week he said he had jumped at the opportunity to practice with nadal whom he called probably the best clay court player of all time
hes obviously feeling much better about his game murray said sunday i think it makes things more interesting   for you guys   over this period when hes playing at the level hes been playing the last few weeks
nadal has also asserted himself off the court following through on his earlier vow to sue roselyne bachelot the former french minister of sport for defamation nadal who filed the lawsuit in a paris court last monday had been angered by comments bachelot made on a french television program in march in those remarks bachelot confidently declared that nadal had served a secret ban as a result of a doping violation during the seven months he missed on the tour in 2012 and 2013 nadal and the international tennis federation have denied that any ban or positive drug test occurred
nadal who has asked the itf to release documentation of his testing history has said that he would donate to an unspecified french foundation any damages won in the lawsuit
i feel happy that i dont need money nadal said of the lawsuit so its something that is about image is something about that people are not free to say any stupid thing anytime what they think in any moment without knowledge about the things
djokovic expressed support for how nadal had handled a very tricky position
i think he has done the right thing to protect himself and the integrity of his own brand and the achievements he had in all these years of work and the results that he put in djokovic said and the sport itself because rafa is definitely one of the best players in the history of the game one of the most important players we have


noah syndergaard seldom looks uncomfortable on the field he is a 6 foot 6 stone faced intimidator who threw his first pitch in the 2015 world series toward an opponents head
but even the most tyrannical pitchers have weaknesses last monday the cincinnati reds took note of syndergaards dawdling delivery with runners on base and stole five bases uncovering a soft spot in what was previously perceived as an ironclad makeup
on sunday the san francisco giants took the few opportunities afforded them to exploit the same deficiency and went on to end the mets eight game winning streak with a 6 1 victory in a cold windy and wet affair at citi field
a light but steady rain kept many fans in the announced crowd of 39077 under cover inside the stadium or snug at home add in the subpar outing by syndergaard and his eagerly awaited duel with the giants ace madison bumgarner played out on a somber note
the last two starts i havent felt very comfortable on the mound mechanically just allowing base runners to get better jumps on me and ive been slower toward home plate syndergaard said its a slight mechanical issue im still trying to work on
the giants were aware of syndergaards leisurely delivery matt duffy said before the game that they scouted charts of how long it took syndergaard to throw the ball to home plate
in the fourth inning duffy turned his studies into action after hitting a one out single with buster posey batting duffy attempted his first stolen base of the year successfully taking second posey then singled moving him to third
with runners now on first and third the giants continued to toy with syndergaards composure posey and duffy got advantageous jumps on brandon belts ground ball to second base instead of trying to turn an inning ending double play neil walker made the only feasible play throwing to first while duffy crossed the plate with the games first run
its big duffy said of his effort to understand syndergaards pace anytime youre facing a top end arm like that youve got to try to take advantage of any opportunities hes going to give you
hunter pence followed belts rbi with a two run homer
for syndergaard it was his first loss of the season after two victories he was outdueled by bumgarner who pitched six scoreless innings striking out seven bumgarner 3 2 is 4 0 in four career starts at citi field allowing two earned runs in 29 innings
mets manager terry collins had scheduled david wrights day off for saturday to make sure he could face bumgarner walker described the two pitchers with a variety of compliments calling them aces horses and studs
for all of syndergaards talent and his emergence as one of the top pitchers in april bumgarners resume is incomparable particularly in the postseason he was the most valuable player of the 2014 world series and he owns a 4 0 record with a 025 earned run average during three world series championship runs with the giants
bumgarner was also vastly more successful stranding base runners on sunday the mets left nine on base against him their best scoring chance came in the sixth when they loaded the bases with two outs but asdrubal cabrera pinch hitting for hansel robles who had replaced syndergaard struck out looking on a fastball pristinely placed on the inside corner
over all the giants were 3 for 3 on stolen base attempts against syndergaard brandon crawford also stole his first base of the season in the third inning
twelve of 13 base runners have been successful stealing against syndergaard this season including all nine at second base in the sixth duffy again picked up a one out single stole second and scored on pences third rbi a single to right field
syndergaard allowed four runs in five and two thirds innings he struck out six batters the first time in eight consecutive starts that he did not strike out at least eight
after the game collins suggested that syndergaard might need to use a slide step when pitching from the stretch
you cant be that slow to the plate collins said youve got to change the pace give the runner something different to look at we got to get better at it
syndergaard seemed reluctant to fully embrace adding the move to his repertory collins did not believe it would take long to incorporate and thought bumgarner presented a prime example of how it can work effectively
you saw bumgarner today   hes slide stepping and slide stepping and all of a sudden hed give you a big leg kick the slow delivery collins said if you disrupt the timing of the base runner thats the difference its not something he has to use every pitch its just something that the base runner has to know he has and that he will use and it will slow them down a little bit
talking about his mechanics syndergaard later explained
it just all reflects off my leg kick too slow with that causing me to drag a little bit something easily fixable
three years ago bumgarner a pitcher whom syndergaard is often compared to thought it was a necessity to learn a slide step when he felt he was allowing too many stolen bases
youve got to do it i think bumgarner said its no fun when youre giving guys 90 feet


in a sense this is a back to the future presidential campaign with candidates revisiting a specific time in the past to explain   and often lament   where the country is today that period is often the 1990s during bill clintons white house watch it was when stricter anti crime measures and looser financial regulations came into being policies now attacked almost daily by contenders offering voters their visions and revisions
one back to the future issue from the 90s has received relatively scant attention but the next president may have a hard time avoiding it for it affects millions of americans it involves the welfare system overhauled in 1996 by a republican congress and a democratic president mr clinton who had pledged to end welfare as we know it he made good on that promise welfare as we knew it went away
but poverty as we know it never ended a stark reality shaping the latest video documentary from retro report which examines major news events of the past and their reverberations
in 1996 the political stars aligned to undo a welfare structure created in 1935 as part of the new deal under that system known in its final incarnation as aid to families with dependent children government cash was an entitlement that the poor could claim with no limits on the amount of available money or on how long payments would continue but in the anti welfare backlash that eventually developed entitlement became a dirty word certainly among conservative republicans but also among many centrist democrats americans on welfare hardly a powerful political force found themselves routinely characterized as loafers and cheats
the 1996 law signed by president clinton threw out that new deal remnant and replaced it with temporary assistance for needy families or tanf the new program created work rules and time limits poor people could still receive government cash but for no more than two consecutive years and for no more than a total of five years instead of receiving an unrestricted dollar flow from washington states were now given block grants fixed sums totaling 165 billion a year the states had plenty of leeway on how to spend the money they could also tighten the five year limit some chose to let the clock run out on the poor after only a couple of years
to conservatives the changes qualified as virtually a spiritual rebirth faith in the power of work and not in what they viewed as a debilitating culture of dependence to liberals though the new arrangement presaged misfortune a leading liberal democrat senator edward m kennedy of massachusetts denounced the new law as legislative child abuse
for a while the jeremiahs seemed to be losing the argument welfare rolls shrank and then shrank some more having once approached 14 million the number of people benefiting from tanfs federal money and related state funds shriveled year by year hovering around four million in 2015 in the first few years of tanf hundreds of thousands of welfare mothers found jobs poverty rates declined so did hunger among children one year after signing the 1996 legislation mr clinton confidently told an audience that its fair to say the debate is over   we now know that welfare reform works
but did it
things went swimmingly at first principally because the american economy was humming in the late 90s the long haul told a different story an economic slump at the start of the 21st century cost many of those newly employed mothers their jobs times got much rougher in the severe recession of 2007 and 2008 the safety net that tanf was supposed to provide began to look highly porous
national poverty rates remain stubbornly high staying in recent years at 15 percent while initially effective in getting people off welfare the system proved far less nimble at making them financially sound even when they found jobs the wages tended to nudge them barely above the poverty line and all too often they had a hard time staying employed when the economy soured the poorest are usually ill prepared to flourish in a world where the technology and service industries are increasingly dominant
those federal block grants did not bring salvation either for starters the annual total 165 billion has remained frozen for 20 years meaning they are worth one third less than they were in 1996 states may use the money as they wish even if it means straying far from the original intent instead of becoming cash subsidies to destitute families or underwriting job training programs the grants are commonly used to finance college scholarships or child care arrangements   or simply to plug holes in state budgets
retro report examines arizona where one in four children lives in poverty one of the highest rates in the country arizona is also one of 14 states to have dispensed with the lifetime five year eligibility limit in july it will be reduced to one year
for arizona officials the temptation to divert federal dollars to purposes other than welfare proved just too great said jodi liggett a vice president of planned parenthood arizona and a former senior policy adviser in the governors office there is this big fat bag of money with tanf written on the outside of it ms liggett told retro report
clarence h carter a former director of arizonas department of economic security defended the diversion of funds they were used to support another important function of the safety net and thats strengthening families said mr carter who resigned last year amid controversy over how his agency had handled child abuse cases so the moneys were not hijacked
nationwide the census bureau counts 467 million americans as living in poverty which for a family of three typically a mother and two children means annual earnings of less than 20160 about 20 million people live in deep poverty with earnings below 10000 a year for a family of three in 2014 the last year with full census figures the poverty rate among children   people under 18   was 21 percent
plainly government cash payments are not what they used to be in 1996 they went to 68 percent of families with children that qualified as impoverished according to the center on budget and policy priorities a liberal research group in washington now they go to 23 percent in some states the figure is minuscule 8 percent in arizona 5 percent in texas 4 percent in louisiana
other federal policies like the earned income tax credit and the child tax credit offer some help nonetheless millions of americans get by on nothing besides disability payments or food stamps formally called the supplemental nutrition assistance program the social scientists kathryn j edin and h luke shaefer have calculated that 15 million american households subsist on no more than 2 per person a day
now some conservative lawmakers want to give control over food stamps to the states just as was done with welfare this time they probably cannot count on an ally in mr clinton who acknowledges that ending welfare as we knew it was hardly synonymous with ending poverty as we knew it
it did far more good than harm mr clinton said of the 1996 law in a speech two years ago but now given the changed climate and the aftermath of the crash the poorest welfare families about 15 percent of the total are worse off and we should do something for them and we ought to   all of us who supported it should   admit that
what that something might be is a back to the future issue for the next president and congress to work out


baghdad   after a day of sleeping praying and even swimming in the green zone the government citadel historically off limits to ordinary iraqis protesters began leaving sunday evening on orders from the man who had sent them moktada al sadr the influential shiite cleric
in a statement issued from the holy city of najaf in southern iraq mr sadr directed his followers to leave the green zone in an orderly fashion to chant for iraq and not a sect and to help clean the space they had occupied
a day earlier hundreds of protesters demanding an end to corruption stormed the fortified green zone in dramatic scenes that hinted at revolution but by sunday evening the episode had become something less an affirmation of mr sadrs sway over the street but one aimed at pressuring the government to enact promised reforms rather than bringing it down
the question in the days ahead is whether prime minister haider al abadi who is shiite and the rest of iraqs ruling elite can come together to form a new cabinet of capable ministers and not loyalists to a party or sect something that mr sadr has demanded and mr abadi has promised
since announcing last summer a set of measures to improve governance mr abadi has been thwarted repeatedly by parties and politicians who have long depended on iraqs system of patronage they include the previous prime minister nuri kamal al maliki
the protests which had been percolating for weeks and culminated on saturday with the breaching of the green zone walls were organized as a show of support for the promised changes on sunday mr abadis office distributed photographs of him surveying the hall of parliament surrounded by broken glass and damaged furniture a statement also said the prime minister had ordered the arrests of those who had attacked lawmakers or damaged property
later mr abadi met with president fuad masum and salim al jubouri the speaker of parliament in a joint statement the leaders said they condemned the storming of parliament and promised to continue meeting over the next days to assure progress in reforming the political process
in his statement mr sadr demanded that parliament meet soon and approve a new cabinet if not he said he will push for the disbanding of the government and call for early elections
mr sadr said the departure of his followers from the green zone had been done out of respect for a shiite pilgrimage underway and he vowed that they would return to the streets on friday typically the day of protest in iraq
inside the green zone on sunday protesters who had spent the night in an area called celebration square once a parade ground for saddam hussein seemed to luxuriate in having reached a space long forbidden to them for many it is a place that has symbolized corruption and dysfunction
i used to hear about the green zone and used to ask myself and my friends what does the green zone mean  said ali mustafa 21 a college student entering the green zone was like a dream for me
diyab abdullah 74 who described himself as a member of the communist party which decades ago had a foothold in iraqi politics said he had walked four hours on saturday to participate in the protest i did not get tired because my goal is to take part in kicking out this failed government he said
many of the demonstrators who had gathered near the american embassy said they hoped to galvanize a movement that would lead to the dismantling of the political system and its sectarian quotas which they blamed the united states for establishing more than a decade ago they railed at their leaders many in power since the earliest days of the american occupation
talib mohammed an amputee who said he had lost his leg in a battle against the united states last decade said he was demanding his rights from the americans and all who stole from the people and became millionaires
he added we are here to change all of the faces that have been brought by the americans
the united states embassy issued a statement on sunday that expressed concern about the sit in but said all iraqis should work to move the political and economic reform process forward while combating the other threat to the country the islamic state
while recognizing the right to peaceful protest the embassy said it joined others in urging restraint and respect for constitutional institutions and respect for the rights of others
though the crisis seemed to be defused for the moment iraqs political system is in disarray lawmakers some of them caught up in the occupation expressed pessimism
haitham al jibouri a shiite member of parliament said this crisis will break the country instead of fixing it he called for mr abadis resignation and said a new government must be formed
he blamed mr abadi for saturdays chaos and noted the ease with which protesters entered the green zone despite tight security there were numerous reports that security forces had allowed the protesters in as part of a deal with mr sadr and his militia the prime ministers office denied news reports on saturday that mr abadi had ordered forces to accommodate the protesters
i believe abadi allowed them to enter mr jibouri said this is a mysterious scenario aimed at putting pressure on the political blocs
the political crisis has diverted attention from the fight against the islamic state the united states has lately stepped up its military support to iraq and vice president joseph r biden jr made a surprise visit to baghdad on thursday to show support to mr abadi
even as the attention on sunday remained on the situation in baghdad the islamic state carried out two devastating suicide bombings in the southern iraqi city of samawa the attacks killed at least 37 people and wounded nearly 90 according to police officials and the provincial governors office
also on sunday the united nations released monthly casualty statistics reporting that 741 iraqis were killed in terrorist acts and in fighting against the islamic state in april the figures were a decline from march when 1119 iraqis were killed but the united nations office in baghdad said difficulties in compiling the data suggested that the april totals were the absolute minimum


washington   it was midafternoon on saturday and larry wilmore was doing a sound check in the empty international ballroom of the washington hilton where he was to be the featured comedian of that nights annual white house correspondents association dinner
the ballroom a forbiddingly cavernous space can be a comedy slaughterhouse bombing there means hearing a sad symphony of the hvac system and clinking silverware or maybe seeing henry kissinger nodding off at table 27 i saw it happen during rich littles set in 2007 in the middle of mr littles nixon impersonation no less
but the correspondents night gig can also give a topical comedian like mr wilmore a chance to stitch his name into the political cultural fabric of america before an audience that includes the president and some 2700 powerful people in government media politics and show business
stephens was the bravest mr wilmore told me as he looked out from the stage at the ballroom he was referring to the seminal performance that stephen colbert gave in 2006 playing his now retired comedy central character an egotistic conservative talk show host mr colbert mockingly defended the iraq war and the washington press corps coverage of it
the act typical of his show wilted inside the hall but it was a hit out in the world because it tapped the growing perception that a too cozy relationship between journalists and government officials produced credulous reporting that helped start a war under false pretenses it was the perfect pairing of a comedian and the moment
mr wilmore whose nightly show occupies mr colberts old 1130 time slot on comedy central knew he was part of a similar pairing one of those accidents of timing he said yes he was a leading black comedian performing at the last correspondents dinner for the nations first black president but his appearance was also coming during a national conversation about race and law enforcement race and the news media   including at the new york times   and race and economic injustice mr wilmore has branded this years political campaign the un blackening of the white house
and now here he was getting ready to address an overwhelmingly white crowd of reporters   a sign of how far journalism has to go in achieving meaningful diversity   in the middle of a party weekend that can give official washington the same sense of remove that the decadent capital city has in the hunger games movies i asked him if there would be any white house correspondents dinner so white jokes
no he said he hinted at an inner tension between going for a big political statement and going for laughs thats why i say stephen did the bravest thing ive ever seen you know he told me because you want to go and have a good time get laughs and have everybody say yeah you killed
before the dinner mr wilmores hotel suite was a show business version of a grooms room before a wedding pacing around the living area were his manager his agent his publicist one of his writers robin thede friends like kenya barris who created the tv sitcom black ish and his parents betty and larry wilmore the whole group was to meet the president and first lady before heading into the hall
mr wilmore was in his tuxedo   he is a necktie man not a bow tie man   and staying quiet getting into the zone
ive always been proud of him betty wilmore told me as we all headed to the elevator mr wilmore seemed to cringe a little   as a son would   when she remembered showing up as the sole cheering section for his high school basketball team in california why do i have to remember this mr wilmore said
mr wilmore said he was ready but he and his producer had one fear that president obama who would go first would step on mr wilmores act thats what he did to seth meyers at the 2011 dinner by releasing his birth certificate that afternoon thanks for the timing on that mr meyers had said then holding up pages of birth certificate jokes
but mr obamas typically commanding performance on saturday left mr wilmores jokes more or less unscathed and mr wilmore came forward with a routine that gave his audience some uncomfortable moments that clearly came through on c span which is how i watched it because the new york times stopped going to the dinner starting in 2008
calling the dinner negro night mr wilmore said fox news would cover the speech from him and mr obama as two thugs disrupt elegant dinner in dc he joked that msnbc now stood for missing a significant number of black correspondents a reference to its cancellation of a show hosted by melissa harris perry some of our finest black journalists are here tonight he said and then added don lemon is here too a reference to the black journalist on cnn mr lemon responded with a one finger salute
his high notes included telling the president to butt out of comedy seeing as how mr wilmore doesnt go around signing executive orders pardoning turkeys not closing guantanamo
but sometimes the crowd groaned or fell silent prompting him at one point to say you guys are tough man
but at the end he got serious speaking about how proud he was that mr obama had proved a black man can lead the entire free world and ended by saying yo barry you did it and referring to mr obama with an affectionate twist on the n word they embraced
as mr wilmore made his way through a light rain to the vanity fair and bloomberg news after party at the french ambassadors residence   where vice president joseph r biden jr mingled with stars like the actresses helen mirren and rachel mcadams   the reviews started trickling in
brian lowrys synopsis on cnn money carried the headline larry wilmore gets groans and grimaces wilmore underwhelms the hollywood reporter reported
but then the counternarrative emerged suggesting that his routine played better outside the bubble a daily beast review likened his act to mr colberts and the drudge report gave him a screaming headline comedian eats the press
leaning against a doorjamb at the party mr wilmore told me the whole experience was surreal the motto of his show is keep it 100 as in keep it real and he said if im going to keep it 100 i gotta do the jokes
reality can be in short supply every year during this weekend the correspondents association deserves credit for having a comic like mr wilmore at its dinner and regardless of whether you liked mr wilmores act you cant say he didnt keep it 100 bad things happen in washington when people dont


a couple of years ago paul gatling a retired landscaper in virginia happened to see an article in a local newspaper about the brooklyn district attorneys efforts to identify wrongful convictions
mr gatling then 79 had himself been wrongfully convicted in 1964 of murdering an artist in the crown heights neighborhood of brooklyn he spent nine years in prison for the crime until with the help of the legal aid society his sentence was commuted by nelson a rockefeller new yorks governor at the time even with the reduction in his sentence and his eventual parole mr gatling remained officially a convicted murderer
intrigued by the possibility that he might finally be able to clear his name mr gatling called the lawyer who had handled his commutation and was some 40 years later still working for legal aid the lawyer suggested that he write to the district attorneys office to ask if its new conviction review unit would re examine his case mr gatling did and his request began an inquiry that led investigators into a tale of legal malfeasance one that is to culminate on monday in mr gatlings formal exoneration
i wanted to be done with all of this mr gatling now 81 said in a telephone interview last week i was still angry about having to spend that time for something i didnt do
mr gatlings exoneration will be the 20th time in the last two years that the conviction review unit has helped to clear defendants found guilty in brooklyn of crimes they did not commit charles j hynes began a similar effort as the district attorney in 2011 but when his successor ken thompson took office in 2014 he renamed the unit and put his support squarely behind it the review unit initially focused on cases connected to one detective louis scarcella whose alleged misconduct has called into question nearly 50 murder cases but as news of the units work has spread its reach has widened to include cases like mr gatlings
mr gatlings ordeal began on oct 15 1963 when a man armed with a shotgun burst into the home of lawrence rothbort an artist who lived on bedford avenue with his wife marlene and their two children a 6 year old boy and an infant daughter according to police reports and later testimony at trial the man demanded money from mr rothbort when the artist refused the gunman shot him in the chest
during the investigation suspicion first fell on mr gatling when one of the rothborts neighbors a felon named grady reaves informed the police that he had seen mr gatling in the area just minutes after the shooting when mr gatling was interviewed by detectives in the 80th precinct which was later absorbed by another precinct he told them that he had been paying his rent at the time   a fact that his landlord eventually confirmed a few hours into the interview mr gatlings lawyer called the station house but the detectives told him that he could not see his client until the questioning was complete court papers say
that same evening mr gatling who was 6 foot 1 was placed in a lineup with three notably shorter men mrs rothbort was called in to identify him but did not pick him out even though court papers say the detectives directed her to focus on the tall one
a few nights later mrs rothbort went back to the station house as mr gatling was again being interviewed this time after seeing him facing questions she told detectives that he was the man who had killed her husband
largely on the basis of this identification mr gatlings lawyers persuaded him to plead guilty   in the middle of his trial after all he faced the possibility of being sent to the electric chair so mr gatling pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison
within a week however he had asked the judge to withdraw his plea but the petition was denied over the next few years there were more petitions all of them turned down finally in 1973 malvina nathanson a young legal aid lawyer sent a report on mr gatlings case to governor rockefeller the next year he commuted mr gatlings sentence he was eventually released on parole
forty years later when the conviction review unit plunged into the gatling case most of the witnesses were dead investigators had to dig up case files from the city archives and track down copies of police reports on microfiche at 1 police plaza
they found that mr gatling had been denied many of the legal protections that defendants take for granted these days   the presence of a lawyer during questioning for example perhaps more important they also found an alternate theory of the case that the jury never heard
it turned out that one of the rothborts neighbors had told the police that their marriage was not a healthy situation and that the couple often argued   sometimes violently in the middle of the night mrs rothbort moreover told detectives that she was having an affair with a musician who was living as a boarder in their home when the boarder leon tolbert was interviewed he explained to the police that he had recently heard mrs rothbort tell her husband that she would kill him if he ever hit her again
much of this information was not provided to the defense and that was cause enough for the district attorneys office to request a reversal of mr gatlings conviction on monday he is expected to appear in court for the reversal with among others ms nathanson his lawyer
its restored my enthusiasm ms nathanson said last week she added struggling for words its been a lot of years


bran stark missing in action since the end of season 4 of game of thrones makes his return to the story on sunday night
the eldest remaining stark son played by isaac hempstead wright spent all of season 5 offscreen training in a cave under a tree with the three eyed raven a mystical guru played in season 6 by max von sydow there bran has been developing and refining metaphysical powers that will play a significant role in the story including abilities to warg into the psyches of animals and to have visions of the past the future and of distant events a gift known as greensight in the thrones world
when we meet him in season 6 hes no master yet but he can do some really cool things with his power mr hempstead wright said in luke skywalker terms he added bran has gone to dagobah
the actor 17 spent the year off on his schooling im still maintaining a fairly normal existence he said but he allowed that his more active role in season 6 kind of clinched the notion that hed like to keep acting even after his time on game of thrones is over
previously i was always like im no actor he said but now ive thought no i do really enjoy this
mr hempstead wright recently discussed returning to game of thrones brans role in the story and hodor jokes these are edited excerpts from the conversation
whats in store for bran this season
this destiny of his has been calling ever since the very first season there have been hints of what these powers he possesses might be and what they might be able to do but theyve been always kind of vague windows into it for a brief few seconds so bran has never had a chance to do his thing every character has their particular strength and bran has been trying to get to his for the past five seasons so when he gets there finally its an opportunity for him to completely immerse himself in this new kind of character hes got his own calling and his own sense of self and his own very important place in the world of westeros
what is brans role in the story as a whole
that kind of gets explored this season i dont think hes necessarily going to be the king and hes not a vengeful character either i feel like hell be an enabler hell be the kind of person who can sit around with this kind of zen mother nature type control over the whole kingdom and keep everything in order and in balance thats what his place is i feel like hes kind of the key unlocking the world really and freeing it of all the tension and warring
is there anything that was surprising about this season
the way its all tying up this year game of thrones has always been this vast sprawling network of story lines that maybe cross for one second and then shoot off but this season theyre all starting to look like theyre coming back toward a central focal point and pave the way for epic epic things
after taking a year off from the show as an actor were you able to pick up where you left off
there was definitely a period of readjustment i felt like it in that year game of thrones grew more vast and phenomenal coming back onto it was like wow has it changed will anyone remember me am i still a part of this id also forgotten how to act pretty much it was like right now i remember theres the cameras got it
what it was like to work with max von sydow
it was really quite extraordinary hes such a gentleman hes quite old and frail now   hes 87 but his presence on set is astounding a kind of hush descends upon the room and everyone is just kind of watching him create magic with his voice and his words and the character
in brans visions he can walk was that nice for a change
oh it was really nice to walk although after a day or two of walking around on a set it was like actually you know what can i get back in the cave and lie down for a bit i actually fell asleep
does hodor still carry you around
well were just sitting around luckily he doesnt have to pick me up because it would look really silly my legs would be dragging across the ground
hodor jokes have probably gotten old by now but do you guys still make them on the set
oh yeah every now and again someone will kick off a hodor and then it will kind of bounce around the entire set hodor hodor hodor


this fall the jewish museum will present what its billing as the first united states exhibition devoted to the work of pierre chareau a french modernist who for decades fell out of the mainstream history of art and architecture
the show pierre chareau modern architecture and design is scheduled for nov 4 through march 26 2017 and is the third exhibition in the museums design trifecta which began in march with isaac mizrahi an unruly history and continues on may 6 with the opening of roberto burle marx brazilian modernist
chareau 1883 1950 was a prolific designer and art collector in france and best known for his maison de verre glass house a landmark building in paris created in 1928 in collaboration with the dutch architect bernard bijvoet and the metalworker louis dalbet
he also owned works by artists like picasso mondrian and modigliani   but sold them when he fled nazi persecution and moved to new york where he worked in exile in the 1940s in 1950 chareau proposed a solo show of his work at the museum of modern art and was turned down he died that same year
chareaus work with the exception of the maison de verre has remained in obscurity since his death said esther da costa meyer a professor of modern architectural history at princeton and the curator of this jewish museum exhibition
through chareaus furniture light fixtures and interiors dr da costa meyer said she hopes to present him for the first time to american audiences the show will also include examples of the artworks he collected as well as designs for the maison de verre
the exhibition design by diller scofidio  renfro   the architecture firm behind the high line and lincoln center renovation   will in some ways aim to evoke the maison de verre we want to make the house come alive dr da costa meyer said
and given the shows venue pierre chareau modern architecture and design will also include dr da costa meyers recent scholarship about chareaus jewish identity which she said has never been explored before


manila   ten sailors from indonesia who had been held hostage in the philippines for more than a month were released on sunday officials from both countries said
president joko widodo of indonesia said during a televised address in his country on sunday night that the sailors were in good condition and would be flown to jakarta immediately
the 10 men were kidnapped on march 26 from a tugboat that was passing through the pirate infested waters of the southwestern philippines indonesian officials said shortly afterward that ransom had been demanded from the sailors company but there was no confirmation from either country on sunday that money had changed hands
the men were abducted by abu sayyaf a militant organization that has functioned as a kidnap for ransom gang in the southern philippines for more than two decades
the philippine military has sporadically fought the group for years and was ordered last year by president benigno s aquino iii to intensify operations
last week after abu sayyaf beheaded a canadian hostage mr aquino vowed again to kill or capture all members of the group
we believe this is the result of continuing focused military operations we have been conducting restituto padilla a military spokesman said of the sailors release in order to move freely they needed to let go of some of the hostages
abu sayyaf also abducted four malaysian sailors passing near that area less than a week after kidnapping the 10 men from indonesia the malaysian sailors were still being held as were several other foreigners abducted separately including a canadian and a norwegian kidnapped by the group from a beach resort
mr joko said in his statement that his government was working to release four other indonesian sailors held in the philippines he said representatives of the two countries would meet on thursday to discuss how to increase maritime security cooperation


brasilia   they were idealists united in the struggle against brazils military dictators
as democracy flourished so did their careers one of them paulo ziulkoski became the leader of an association of brazilian cities the other dilma rousseff rose even higher becoming the president of latin americas largest country
but their friendship soon fell apart during a contentious meeting with the nations mayors in 2012 ms rousseff rejected pleas for a share of brazils soaring oil revenues after the room erupted in jeers mr ziulkoski said she stormed up to him poked a finger in his face and humiliated him with a string of expletives
i never imagined a president could utter such words mr ziulkoski said noting that dozens of mayors have abandoned ms rousseff and her party to mr ziulkoski the public dressing down was the kind of rupture that symbolized the beginning of the end for her administration
as ms rousseff wages a last ditch battle to stave off impeachment and save her presidency she has accused her rivals in congress of creating turmoil saying they are orchestrating a coup detat to oust her
more than two thirds of brazils lower house voted last month to approve an impeachment measure on charges that she illegally borrowed from state banks to plug budget holes she is not accused of stealing for personal enrichment many experts say the next step a trial in the senate that could begin in the coming weeks will probably end in her removal
i will struggle with all my might until the coup mongers are defeated ms rousseff said in an interview
but many political analysts say ms rousseffs slow motion downfall can also be tied to an autocratic persona and a go it alone work style that has driven away scores of political allies former staff members and cabinet ministers many of whom have endured searing episodes of public humiliation
shes alienated so many politicians and squandered the good will of so many people in part because of her terrible political skills but also because of her arrogance said edson sardinha the editor of congresso em foco a magazine that focuses on government corruption in her hour of need very few people are willing to run to her defense
the upheaval goes far beyond ms rousseffs leadership style brazil is enduring its worst economic crisis in decades with millions of people falling out of the middle class into poverty inflaming their rage political elites of every stripe have engorged themselves in a multibillion dollar graft scheme involving the national oil company
ms rousseff who has been politically battered by the scandal said she was the victim of a naked power grab and sexist assumptions of how a woman should lead she also said she was a convenient scapegoat for something she cannot control the global plunge in commodity prices that has sent the economy into a tailspin
but her vow to bring millions of brazilians into the streets in her defense has produced little popular support siding with her opponents are scores of onetime allies including five former ministers in her administration the nations vice president and six justices on the supreme court who were appointed by ms rousseff or her most powerful defender former president luiz inacio lula da silva
in more than five years in office ms rousseff has largely refused to meet with members of congress both opponents and allies eroding the majority support she once enjoyed in the lower house the aggrieved include eduardo suplicy a former senator and beloved figure in ms rousseffs workers party who said she had turned down multiple requests for a meeting
in politics either you talk or you die said alfredo nascimento a former transportation minister in april he voted for her impeachment
i cant support a president who is incapable of governing he said
in brasilia the capital most everyone can recount stories about ms rousseffs intolerance for dissent and her short fuse the anecdotes include the time she smashed an office computer in anger her refusal to meet with indigenous leaders or gay rights activists and the castigation of aides for the smallest of infractions
she is also finding little sympathy from the brazilian news media which has long viewed her as cold and condescending   a marked contrast to the charismatic backslapping approach of mr da silva
some agree that ms rousseff is being judged by a double standard that has unfairly tarnished powerful women around the world would she be considered so obstinate and uncooperative if she were a man or would she simply be called a strong decisive leader
the president is enduring all the stereotypes and prejudices of brazils highly patriarchal and oligarchic society said rosana schwartz a historian and sociologist at mackenzie presbyterian university in sao paulo ive even heard people say we will never again vote for a woman 
but antonia melo a former workers party member said ms rousseffs gruff manner had alienated many of the party faithful ms melo described a meeting when ms rousseff was minister of energy during which activists hoped to make their case against a contentious dam project in the amazon
ms melo said she had barely finished her first sentence when ms rousseff cut her off pounded on the table and vowed to press forward with the dams construction then she turned around and left the room
we stood there looking at each other in silence perplexed ms melo said we felt so disrespected and discarded
the episode was stinging given the origin of the workers party and ms rousseffs pedigree as a champion of the disenfranchised the partys founders were marxist guerrillas who rose to power through a coalition of trade unionists landless farmers indigenous activists and leftist intellectuals who helped pave the way for the re establishment of democracy in 1985
but that coalition is in tatters ms rousseff is battling accusations that she hid the depths of brazils economic troubles to enhance her re election prospects many bedrock supporters are disillusioned by widespread corruption in the national oil company petrobras and by what many describe as ms rousseffs about face after her re election in 2014 on several campaign promises to preserve generous government spending
in recent weeks at least 135 mayors aligned with the workers party have changed their party affiliations   about a fifth of the nations mayors who had been elected on the partys ticket among them are joao paulo ribeiro 31 the mayor of a small city who said he had grown weary of the attacks by residents and even friends who questioned his association with ms rousseffs party
i have to listen to the people said mr ribeiro who changed parties last month hoping to improve his chances for re election in october
it is not as if the political figures lining up to oust ms rousseff are viewed as saviors many of them are battling serious accusations of corruption and they were in positions of great power as the countrys once enviable economy ran aground
rising unemployment and the broad unrest over brazils economy only added to the strains between ms rousseff and congress had the economy been ascendant   as it was in 2005 when her predecessor mr da silva became embroiled in a vote buying scandal   she might have emerged unscathed
the end of brazils bonanza complicated the patronage used to navigate the fractious legislature in which more than two dozen parties fight for government funding
we have a political system based on extracting money from the economy and transferring it to political parties to finance elections said rubens ricupero who served as minister of finance in the mid 1990s
many brazilian economists and policy makers contend that the economic crisis was largely a product of ms rousseffs own making she increased the governments footprint in the economy spending large amounts on favored industries and corporations to build up national champions
that not only produced an array of big unfinished projects and bad debt which now hobbles the state owned banks but also opened the door to large scale corruption
brazil insisted in carrying out an industrial policy devoid of logic said arminio fraga a former governor of the central bank of brazil when the government offers companies all sorts of advantages through protection subsidies and contracts it creates enormous space for this sort of thing
friends and associates say ms rousseffs worldview and personality were partly shaped by the three years she was imprisoned by the military a trauma that included torture like beatings and shocks with an electric baton
as president ms rousseff has refused to seek vengeance against her torturers and she was widely praised for backing a national truth commission that exposed the abuses of the era but did not mete out punishments to the accused in 2014 she wept on television after receiving the commissions final report
an economist and career bureaucrat ms rousseff 68 had not held elected office until mr da silva who was barred under the constitution from seeking a third consecutive term picked her to run for president on the workers party ticket mr da silva has said he was impressed by her grasp of complex data and her no nonsense managerial style
idelber avelar an early member of the workers party said mr da silva also viewed ms rousseff as a compliant soldier who would continue his policies and keep the economy humming until he could run again
clearly he thought dilma was somebody he could easily control a technocrat who would run the machine which is pretty ironic given that shes proven to be a disastrous administrator said mr avelar who now teaches at tulane university in new orleans the root of all her problems is a profound aversion to politics
at least 86 cabinet ministers have come and gone since she took office and only three remain from her first term many were forced to resign after being accused of corruption
nearly two thirds of the 594 members in congress face serious charges like bribery electoral fraud kidnapping and homicide among them eduardo cunha the speaker of the lower house leading the impeachment effort he has been accused of stashing 40 million in bribes
ms rousseff has not been accused of graft though many people question her innocence given her role as chairwoman of the national oil company at a time when the epic kickback scheme was being hatched
in an interview ms rousseff brushed off suggestions that her disdain for retail politics and the horse trading required to pass legislation had contributed to her woes she defended her decision to ignore members of congress
there were certain types of blackmail negotiations i would not engage in she said
for a time the brazilian public viewed her steely resolve positively during her first year in office ms rousseffs popularity stood at 77 percent among the highest percentages in recent history these days that figure is in the single digits
many brazilians still admire ms rousseffs ethics but after two years of economic turmoil her televised speeches prompt a cacophony on the streets as thousands bang on pots and pans to drown out her voice
few give ms rousseff credit for big achievements including a landmark freedom of information law and measures that gave federal police and prosecutors new tools to tackle corruption
in some ways analysts said ms rousseff has become a victim of those laws which paved the way for the investigations that have claimed scores of the political and business elite exposing the depths of brazils political rot
this is one of the greatest paradoxes of her fall because she put in place the machinery that ensnared the politicians who mattered the most said gregory michener a professor at fundacao getulio vargas a research institute in rio de janeiro dilma did a lot for good government and i think she ultimately wanted good government but in the end she wasnt a good politician because in brazils rent seeking party system she was unwilling to give her allies their fill


as in any national election without an incumbent president the candidates are painting a not so pretty picture of america the country is going to hell bluntly asserts the republican front runner donald j trump
the democratic challenger senator bernie sanders isnt much kinder and even hillary clinton is starting to focus more on challenges than successes
to many voters the message is the economy is terrible the social fabric is disintegrating and america is losing respect around the world
certainly problems abound the recovery from the 2008 9 recession has been uneven and is characterized by widening income inequality wages for the average working family have stagnated for decades racial tensions in some places have worsened suicide rates are up terrorism is on the rise russia and china are threatening and the political system is dysfunctional
but that is hardly the whole or even the dominant story politics aside there is more good news than bad
for all the inequities no western economy has recovered from the recession as well as the united states the unemployment rate has been cut in half with 14 million jobs added over the past six years
most other indexes are encouraging consumer confidence has risen and the housing market has basically recovered budget deficits have plummeted there is less reliance on foreign oil than any time in almost three decades and the health care overhaul has had more positive consequences than negative ones
still wages are only starting to creep up while the federal government is frozen more than one third of states have increased their minimum wage
wages should be a focus of the presidential campaign though vows such as breaking up the banks or slapping big tariffs on chinese imports are distractions
there is progress on cultural and social fronts too bitter divides remain but americans have become more tolerant although some politicians still pander to racial prejudices young people are more open
the same is true of sexual orientation ten years ago same sex marriage was an explosive issue today there is wide and growing acceptance
there are encouraging developments on issues emphasized by conservatives
there are only about half as many abortions as 30 years ago teenage pregnancies have plummeted the centers for disease control and prevention reported last week that the birthrate among american teenagers had fallen to a historic low this continues a quarter century of improvement especially important to experts is that the sharpest drops have been among hispanic and black teenagers
and there is good news on crime both the murder rate and overall violent crime rate have been cut almost in half since the 1980s theres bipartisan consensus to try to do something about the outrageously high incarceration levels particularly for blacks there is a chance that even this congress might pass measures
the world is a dangerous place but its not as threatening to the united states as it was 10 years ago when two wars raged there is slow progress in the fight against the islamic state though future terrorist acts are inevitable and the danger will remain for years
critics claim that president vladimir v putin of russia has consistently outmaneuvered president obama yet russia is more isolated today and subject to economic sanctions and mr putins syrian involvement could become a quagmire china is more important and has been more aggressive in asia but its internal political and economic problems dwarf those of the united states
to be sure many of the problems articulated in the campaign are real the next president faces a host of economic national security and social challenges
but pessimists still should answer two questions if the goal is to make america great again what era should we aspire to return to and is there any country whose hand you would rather have


the jungle book sold more tickets in its third weekend in north american theaters than three new wide release films   keanu mothers day and ratchet  clank   managed to sell combined in their first
now ranking no 1 for three weeks running the jungle book disney collected an estimated 424 million for a new domestic total of 252 million according to comscore which compiles box office data disney also had a blockbuster weekend overseas where the jungle book took in 571 million for a foreign total of 4327 million and captain america civil war which starts screening in the united states thursday night began to roll out collecting 2002 million
keanu a well reviewed comedy starring jordan peele and keegan michael key a pair who have been a hit on tv but have never before appeared in a movie together failed to break out it took in about 94 million below what warner bros and its new line unit had hoped for before release some analysts had anticipated up to 15 million in initial ticket sales keanu cost about 15 million to make
mothers day open road with a cast that included jennifer aniston kate hudson and a badly bewigged julia roberts took in a humdrum 83 million mothers day cost at least 25 million to make and the animated ratchet  clank released by focus features on its gramercy label flopped with 48 million in ticket sales becoming the latest example of a popular video game that failed to translate on the big screen


leicester city missed its first chance to clinch the premier league title drawing 1 1 at manchester united on sunday to move to within 2 points of the most unlikely championship in english soccer
second place tottenham which is 8 points behind leicester must beat chelsea on the road monday to stay alive in the title race
leicester fought back after falling behind on anthony martials eighth minute goal when its captain wes morgan headed in a free kick to tie the game in the 17th minute
a win would have sealed the title for leicester a modest team from central england that narrowly escaped relegation last season and entered bankruptcy protection only seven years ago while in the third tier leicesters remaining games are home against everton and at chelsea
uniteds failure to win kept the team in fifth place and dented its ambitions of qualifying for the champions league but this game was all about leicester and whether claudio ranieris team   a 5000 to 1 long shot with british bookmakers before the season   could achieve the seemingly impossible a feat that would rank among the biggest underdog stories in sports
it would be the most implausible top flight title since brian cloughs nottingham forest won in 1978
the foxes are still heavy favorites   their vocal flag waving traveling contingent chanted were going to win the league over and over after the final whistle   but spurs still have hope ahead of their match at stamford bridge
united took the early lead when antonio valencia cut inside from the right and sent a cross to the feet of martial who scored powerfully past kasper schmeichel at the far post
ranieris team which has been confounding the doubters all season hit back with its first genuine chance of the game
morgan was just too strong for marcos rojo as he barged his way into the six yard box to meet midfielder danny drinkwaters free kick with a header past goalkeeper david de gea
we had to dig in and be resilient morgan said its a point and its a step in the right direction
united was lucky to finish the first half with 11 men after the referee missed marouane fellaini lashing out at robert huth first with his forearm and then with his elbow fellaini could get a retrospective ban which might rule him out for the rest of the season
in the second half leicester looked more dangerous on the counterattack and from open play but de gea wasnt seriously tested aside from long range efforts and united came closest to scoring when chris smalling glanced a header against the post
drinkwater was sent off in the 86th for a second yellow card pulling back memphis depay as he raced toward the penalty area
manchester city falls manchester city dropped to fourth place by losing 4 2 at southampton as manager manuel pellegrinis risk of fielding a weakened team backfired
key players like sergio aguero kevin de bruyne and vincent kompany were rested ahead of the second leg of the champions league semifinal against real madrid on wednesday
sadio mane scored a hat trick for seventh place southampton while kelechi iheanacho scored both of citys goals
swansea guaranteed premier league football for another season by beating liverpool 3 1 with two goals by andre ayew
villarreal clinches berth villarreal warmed up for thursdays decisive europa league semifinal at liverpool by clinching a berth in europes top competition
villarreals 2 0 win at its regional rival valencia guaranteed it will finish in fourth place in the spanish league giving the club a champions league playoff spot next season
roberto soldado set up goals by samuel garcia in the 14th minute and adrian lopez in the 33rd
juventus stays sharp juventus celebrated its fifth consecutive serie a title which was clinched last week with a 2 0 victory over carpi in turin
hernanes scored his first goal for the club before the substitute simone zaza added another juventus has won 25 of its last 26 matches


even as donald j trump trounced him from new hampshire to florida to arizona senator ted cruz could reassure himself with one crucial advantage he was beating mr trump in the obscure internecine delegate fights that could end up deciding the republican nomination for president
this is how elections are won in america mr cruz gloated after walking away with the most delegates in wyoming last month
now as he faces a potentially candidacy threatening contest on tuesday in indiana   where a new nbc newswall street journalmarist poll released sunday morning showed him trailing mr trump by 15 percentage points   mr cruz can take little solace from his vaunted delegate wrangling operation even if he prevails there
it turns out that delegates   like ordinary voters   are susceptible to shifts in public opinion and as the gravitational pull of mr trumps recent primary landslides draws more republicans toward him mr cruzs support among the partys 2472 convention delegates is softening threatening his hopes of preventing mr trumps nomination by overtaking him in a floor fight
with each delegate mr trump claims he gets closer to the 1237 he needs to clinch the nomination outright and mr cruzs chances of stopping him   even with an upset victory in indiana   shrink
before mr trumps crushing victory in pennsylvania last week mr cruzs campaign boasted that it had 69 people devoted to acquiring as many as possible of the states 54 unbound delegates   who are free to vote as they please on the first ballot making them potentially decisive players in a contested convention
mr cruz won only three
in north dakota where the cruz campaign declared victory after the state republican convention on april 3 and declared that it had won a vast majority of the states 28 unbound delegates mr cruzs support appears to be weakening in interviews delegates said he really had only about a dozen firm commitments to begin with and some of them appear to be wavering as he falls farther behind mr trump
and in states across the south which was supposed to be mr cruzs bulwark some delegates are now echoing a growing sentiment inside the republican party a sense of resignation to the idea that mr trump will be their standard bearer
honestly we didnt think he could get this far and he did jonathan barnett the republican national committeeman for arkansas said of mr trump mr barnett who supported former gov mike huckabees failed campaign said his focus had shifted to winning in november even if that meant unhappily falling in behind mr trump
the changes of heart have little to do with any epiphany about mr trumps electability or his campaigns recent efforts to cast him in a more serious light instead delegates and party officials said they are ready to move on and unite behind someone so that republicans are not hopelessly divided heading into the general election
and many delegates cite concerns about whether mr cruz is really a better choice theres just as many people that would question whether they could get behind cruz mr barnett said
this gradual acquiescence points up a larger flaw with mr cruzs strategy of being the last non trump candidate standing in a field that began at 17 it was never as much about him as about republicans grasping for a more palatable alternative to mr trump
but the never in the never trump movement is beginning to look more like a reluctantly
im not in the anybody but trump campaign said jim poolman a delegate from north dakota im in the anybody but hillary campaign mr poolman said he still planned to vote for mr cruz on the first ballot which he told the campaign he would do but he said his decision was not set in stone im trying to hold on to my commitment but still be pragmatic he said theres a lot of stuff that could happen before cleveland and i know that makes me sound squishy but i dont mean it that way
delegates like mr poolman are emblematic of the cruz campaigns larger problems holding on to votes at a contested convention
mr poolman initially favored senator marco rubio of florida who withdrew from the race in march while mr poolman was looking for another candidate he said local cruz volunteers asked if they could add his name to the list of delegate candidates supporting mr cruz at the state convention he said mr cruzs wife heidi called him and gave him her cellphone number saying he would always have a direct line to the campaign and he was elected a delegate
but now mr poolman said he worries about party disunity and what it could mean for republicans in november my goal personally he said is to not let our convention become a circus
the chairman of the north dakota republican party kelly armstrong said mr cruzs appeal remained strong there but put his support among the states 28 unbound delegates at at least 10   not quite the vast majority the cruz campaign had claimed
mr armstrong who has not taken sides said delegates also had to consider how denying the nomination to mr trump might look to his supporters we cant have a bunch of people really really upset about the process and then think were going to be able to gain their support in november he said
the results in pennsylvania were most troubling for mr cruz he had dominated the delegate fights in colorado and wyoming contests that were influenced by the kinds of party activists mr cruz tends to attract yet mr trump appeared to win at least 40 of pennsylvanias 54 unbound delegates theres not going to be a second ballot said ash khare who was elected last tuesday as an unbound pennsylvania delegate mr khare declined to support any candidate before the election though mr cruz mr trump and gov john kasich of ohio all came calling he said i was promised a photo a private meeting forget about it mr khare said adding that he only ever intended to vote for the candidate who won in his district
that would be mr trump mr khare said he was not especially drawn to anything about mr trump or his ideas whether he will succeed or not i dont know he said but he said he could not deny the will of so many voters there is a revolution going on here he added
voters may be starting to share mr trumps reasoning that he would deserve the nomination even if he fell short of 1237 delegates a recent nbc newswall street journal poll found that more than six in 10 republicans believe the nominee should be the candidate with the most votes even if he does not have the support of the majority of delegates still mr trumps campaign is moving to nail down the delegate commitments he would need to get a majority
with the indiana primary potentially a make or break moment for stopping mr trump mr cruz can only hope the campaign once again takes an unexpected turn trump is very popular in our state said alec l poitevint ii a longtime republican leader in georgia and previously a rubio supporter but now uncommitted he will be a bound delegate on the first ballot but he has not yet been assigned to a presidential candidate and if he is required to vote for mr trump who won georgia with 39 percent of the vote
fine with me he said


john beltran found his muse in a graffiti covered new york city that was broke dirty and dangerous he used to tag along as his father a numbers runner and loan shark made his rounds in el barrio and the south bronx in the 1970s the streets were a revelation to him a child who spent his days drawing pictures from the encyclopaedia britannica suddenly what he saw in books couldnt compete with what he found on walls
decades later mr beltran   now known as sinxero   is a mixed media artist painting abstract works whose textures reflect the crumbling buildings of his childhood and whose colors draw upon the rich palette of aerosol art picasso had guernica i had the bronx mr beltran 46 said what happened in guernica affected picasso and he painted that why cant the socioeconomic situation i grew up in   the economic collapse of the bronx   be part of what surfaces in my painting
that realization has fueled not only his personal work but also his determination to convert drab walls on commercial strips and side streets into alfresco galleries over the last three years he has enlisted street artists from new york and beyond to brighten the urban landscape last week the graffiti artist chris ellis who is known as daze painted a wall on westchester avenue in the bronx that was made famous by the artists seen and duster in the 1983 graffiti documentary style wars
to mr beltran this urge to create is not so different from what he saw as a child when young graffiti artists had few outlets apart from walls and subway trains he didnt go to museums growing up and even though he attended the high school of art and design his stay was short lived because of frequent fights and the threat of the decepticons a fearsome gang that preyed on teenagers in the 1980s
after some detours he went on to college studying literature and learning photography and graphic design he had a roster of clients for his design work as well as a full time job as a medical office supervisor on park avenue in manhattan but after growing tired of helping other people achieve their dreams he decided about two years ago to become a full time artist after being laid off from an office job
with the support of his wife myra he turned the garage behind their bronx home into a studio where he paints canvases that are sold in two manhattan galleries he is serious and earnest about his artistic goals especially when it comes to wanting to transform dreary spaces using large scale murals made under the auspices of tag public arts project a nonprofit he founded to encourage street art
the murals he has sponsored adorn westchester avenue and feature artists like damien mitchell marthalicia mattarita and luis zimad lamboy among others the pieces can be colorful and playful often combining different media several landlords along the strip have embraced the project saying the murals not only liven up the stretch under the elevated train tracks but also deter vandals from scrawling their tags
they really are amazing said robert bieder the owner of a plumbing supply business who has recommended mr beltran to other landlords weve seen people from all over the world coming to admire this work i had no idea there was such a great following for this kind of artwork
mr beltrans next goal is a second story alcove above mr bieders shop the roof already features several pieces including one by mr beltran honoring christopher lee a graffiti writer known as shadow who died in 2013 and was an early supporter of his work the pieces occupy a prime spot easily visible from the elevated trains that rumble past
while his list of walls is growing he is stumped why some landlords wont entertain his ideas yet continue to allow their walls to be covered with random tags that reappear almost as soon as they are painted over
how long have these businesses been making money in our community mr beltran asked pointing to one building along bruckner boulevard whose owner he said refuses to allow a mural every day they make money off our community and theyre not even maintaining their property we are offering a free service and a couple of artists to make it look good
mr beltran emphasizes that he is not a graffiti removal service even if his murals keep vandals at bay if anything he said he understands the need that some young people feel to find a creative outlet if no other opportunity is offered that is why he feels a sense of gratitude when he sees young people coming by to watch him and other artists paint their murals
you never know he said its like the same way i imagined myself to be an artist how art was the one constant in my life how do we not know that some kid looks at a mural being painted today and says he wants to be an artist and starts painting and drawing he could be tomorrows next big thing you never know when you are going to inspire someone


washington   malia obama the older daughter of president obama plans to attend harvard university beginning in the fall of 2017 the white house announced on sunday waiting until her father leaves office to begin her college career
malias much speculated upon decision announced in a news release after months of official silence from the white house about her college search process will make her the latest in a long line of presidential children to attend the elite university in cambridge mass both of her parents attended law school there
the president and mrs obama announced today that their daughter malia will attend harvard university in the fall of 2017 as a member of the class of 2021 malia will take a gap year before beginning school the white house said in a statement
in deferring her start date until 2017 malia 17 is availing herself of the opportunity to take a gap year a popular option for high school seniors who are seeking experiences outside the classroom   some in far flung parts of the world   before they begin pursuing a degree harvard actively encourages admitted students to do so
it may also yield a less scrutinized freshman year experience for malia whose parents have worked vigilantly to keep her out of the public eye during her years in the white house and hope to shield her from such attention as a college student
when youre a presidential has been the rest of your life youre famous youre a target youre in a security bubble but its not the same said gil troy a presidential historian at mcgill university and the author of the age of clinton america in the 1990s the kids can get to at least some level of irrelevance that they absolutely cannot get when theyre still in the white house
malia visited harvard and a handful of other ivy league and liberal arts schools last march on the east coast setting off speculation about where she might go but the white house has steadfastly refused to comment on her college deliberations even last month when she accompanied mr obama on a trip to california prompting whispers that she was giving stanford university a final look before committing herself there
harvard accepted 52 percent of applicants this year making this admissions cycle the most selective in its nearly four century history
when she arrives at harvard malia will join a long list of presidential children who have attended including john quincy adams and his son john adams ii abraham lincolns son robert the sons of franklin delano roosevelt and theodore roosevelt caroline kennedy the daughter of john f kennedy and george w bush who went to business school there
the university has also long been a popular destination for the children of foreign leaders
malia who turns 18 in july is a senior at the prestigious sidwell friends school here the school sends a handful of students to harvard most years


indianapolis   as the presidential race came to indiana candidates of both parties seized on a fresh example in this industrial state of factory jobs being shipped abroad
is anyone here from carrier donald j trump called out in evansville ind last week referring to the carrier corporations closing of factories that make heating and air conditioning units they let go of 1400 people to move to mexico mr trump said and you know what they have to pay a consequence
at a union rally the next day at the state capitol senator bernie sanders of vermont thundered a message to the chief executive of united technologies carriers parent company stop the greed he shouted stop destroying the middle class in america respect your workers
the picture of manufacturing decline and middle class retreat has become a driving narrative of the presidential race spawning economic populism on both the left and the right
yet indiana which holds its primary on tuesday defies an easy picture of rust belt decline by many measures the state is humming economically offering a contrarian reality to the gloomy scenario that the presidential candidates are presenting to motivate voters
with nearly one in five jobs in manufacturing the highest share of any state indianas gross domestic product is accelerating faster than any of its great lakes neighbors according to the latest figures from the commerce department
unemployment at the end of last year was 44 percent below the national average of about 5 percent even though the figure has ticked up in 2016 economists attribute the increase to the large number of people returning to the work force including job seekers moving to indiana
factories in heavily industrial elkhart county a center of recreational vehicle manufacturing where unemployment has been significantly reduced have resorted to calling a homeless shelter to look for workers
the indianapolis region is growing faster than chicago cleveland or detroit and personal income statewide rose 36 percent last year faster than the national average
the economy here in terms of the data is as good as its been in a generation said michael j hicks director of the center for business and economic research at ball state university in muncie ind
mr hicks said that if measured by the value of goods produced manufacturing has never been stronger in indiana the boom in the auto industry has played a big role in this because of the many parts factories in the state
factory jobs have declined he added but not because of trade deals with other countries as mr trump and mr sanders assert but because indiana factories are increasingly efficient and fewer workers are needed
manufacturing employment peaked in 1973 he said adding that since then the productivity of indiana factory workers has climbed 250 percent we need far fewer workers and a very different type of worker too
in warsaw ind for example a global center for manufacturing orthopedic devices the workers are highly specialized
despite increases in productivity wages have stagnated in step with national trends feeding widespread anxiety about the future candidates in both parties have channeled these fears at targets ranging from immigration to trade deals to the government
and indiana economists point to pockets of weakness within the state like other midwestern states indianas rural counties are emptying of the states 92 counties 54 lost population in 2015 according to the business research center at indiana university
connersville in fayette county which was once called little detroit they had close to 2000 manufacturing jobs and now are down to about 400 said timothy slaper an economist at indiana universitys kelley school of business
patti and richard schwalm owners of a machine shop in rural henry county an hours drive east of indianapolis said they had to cut their staff to three employees in recent years they blamed president obama for hurting the manufacturers that are their clients
the schwalms plan to vote for senator ted cruz of texas in the republican primary pressed for details about obama administration policies that hurt manufacturing ms schwalm acknowledged the problems we have are 50 years in the making
todd witte who works in a factory in fort wayne ind plans to vote on tuesday for mr sanders because of the senators opposition to trade deals and his history of walking union picket lines if mr sanders is not the democratic nominee mr witte said he will probably vote for mr trump if he is nominated i like his views on the second amendment he said in our local theyre either bernie sanders or trump supporters
mr witte was in attendance on friday when mr sanders addressed members of his union the united steelworkers who were protesting the carrier layoffs
even as mr sanders delivered a stem winding speech about the cost of trade deals many union members in the crowd who did not work for carrier said they were personally doing fine
mr wittes plant owned by dana holding corporation plans to grow to 900 hourly workers from 535 in the next few years according to tom herendeen president of the united steelworkers local 903 who also attended the rally were doing great he said we have a lot of new business coming in
carriers decision to lay off 2100 workers at two factories gained national attention in february when a video of an executive icily delivering the news to workers generated more 35 million views
mr trump took to criticizing the company and threatening high tariffs that he promised would force carrier to reverse itself theyre going to call me and say mr president carrier has decided to stay in indiana he told the crowd
his protectionist policies which go against decades of republican orthodoxy have brought the issue of trade and its potential costs to workers to the fore of the presidential race hillary clinton has backed off her earlier support of the trans pacific partnership deal and during a visit here she vowed to take on china for dumping steel
because the loss of manufacturing jobs has many factors and predates the latest international trade deals and the rise of china economists say that steep new tariffs such as those promised by mr trump will not restore jobs
mr hicks the ball state economist predicted that indiana will have 125000 new openings in manufacturing jobs in part because of retirements each year in the next decade by way of comparison he wrote in a blog post we will only have 70000 high school graduates per year


washington   a few songs into the fifth international jazz day all star global concert on the south lawn of the white house on friday night a pointedly multicultural coalition took the stage chucho valdes on piano and paquito drivera on clarinet formed an eminent cuban contingent india had an ambassador in the tabla master zakir hussain west africa was represented by the beninese guitarist lionel loueke while australias envoy was the trumpeter james morrison on bass was ben williams from the michigan park neighborhood here
they played con poco coco a descarga recorded in the early 1950s by mr valdess father bebo beyond that this virtuoso assembly embodied a central ideal behind the concert an edited version of which was broadcast on abc on saturday night and will be streaming on jazzdaycom for the rest of this month as the centerpiece of international jazz day   presented by unesco the united nations educational scientific and cultural organization   the event was a show of musical kinship across every kind of border
at the same time it was a gala jazz concert at the white house only the third of its kind for precedent you would have to look back to the administrations of jimmy carter in 1978 and bill clinton in 1993 and it had all due pageantry and production value befitting the official stature of a music that president obama characterized in his welcoming remarks as driven by an unmistakably american spirit
he added it is in so many ways the story of our nations progress born out of the struggle of african americans yearning for freedom forged in a crucible of cultures   a product of the diversity that would forever define our nations greatness he put no particular emphasis on the word diversity but it rang through the program which featured not only a preponderance of jazz artists but also aretha franklin buddy guy and sting
herbie hancock   the pianist unesco good will ambassador and chairman of the thelonious monk institute of jazz the lead organization behind the event   cropped up a handful of times in the show typically as an accompanist or a catalyst the musical director was john beasley the producer was michelle day mr hancock was part of the blue chip accompaniment for sting who brought sinewy composure to his jazz influenced song sister moon later mr hancock led an impromptu feeling memorial tribute to prince a medley that briefly featured the rapper rapsody and culminated stirringly in ms franklins leading a singalong of purple rain
the presumed taste of a network television audience could have played some role in the heavy quotient of vocalists ms franklin opened the concert in magisterial yet low key form giving leon russells a song for you the flickering rubato and somber purpose of an offertory by you she seemed to mean president obama and the first lady michelle obama i will be sad to see you go she declared before starting into the song
the jazz singers mostly tackled standards from their working repertory delivering quick distillations of their personae regal and exhortative for dianne reeves cool yet come hither for diana krall jittery but suave for jamie cullum and wily and pliable for al jarreau kurt elling and dee dee bridgewater who share a crackling brand of showmanship traded verses on the bedrock blues st james infirmary in a version that began with a fanfare by the united states army herald trumpets and included a smartly blaring solo by trombone shorty
despite the crush of singers it was possible for an instrumentalist to make a potent impression the trumpeter terence blanchard was slashingly fierce on straight up and down a vintage postbop churner by the pianist chick corea who led a rhythm team with christian mcbride on bass and brian blade on drums the guitarist pat metheny sounded at once relaxed and expeditionary on his fluttering anthem minuano delivered with an assist from ms reeves
another guitarist john mclaughlin delivered a ripping solo on spanish key from miles daviss bitches brew which felt stifled by time constraints but had all the right firepower mr hussain on tabla mr blanchard on trumpet mr corea on synthesizer marcus miller on bass and wayne shorter on soprano saxophone
mr shorter also took part in a chamber deconstruction of his impressionistic standard footprints with esperanza spalding on bass and joey alexander on piano it flowed like water along a creek bed burbling with inquisitive interplay   a transporting experience in just four minutes and the most purely musical exchange of the concert mr alexander is 12 which is usually the first thing to know about him he made that fact a distant afterthought
a few moments seemed conceived with the president and first lady in mind mr guy one of a handful of artists who had already made at least one indelible appearance at the white house hungrily tore apart meet me in chicago as if to hint not only at the obama familys past but also its possible future and hugh masekela the south african fluegelhorn player performed bring him back home nelson mandela a defiant exuberant cry of protest for one of the presidents acknowledged heroes the power of that gesture in this setting hasnt ebbed
but mr masekela also underscored the concerts conviction   articulated at one point by irina bokova unescos director general   that jazz is now a global art its a departure from the rhetoric that typically surrounds any mingling of jazz and state a parable of democracy and american exceptionalism despite its nods to the past and concessions to popular taste this was a concert less concerned with the conditions that made jazz possible and more interested in what jazzs influence and example might yet make possible today
highlights from international jazz day
the first international jazz day concert took place four years ago at the united nations in new york this year after stops in istanbul paris and osaka it came here to the nations capital but while the all star concert on the white house lawn was a shining centerpiece it was one of hundreds of jazz day events around the world
washington a city with a deep jazz culture that still endures amid recent hardships was the epicenter all day saturday a citywide swarm of performances panels workshops and film screenings in spaces grand and unassuming below are some highlights
duke ellington school of the arts jazz band dupont circle in an outdoor opening ceremony the best moment belonged to this local high school band when herbie hancock sat in on watermelon man he shared the keyboard bench with a student sequoia snyder who watched his hands intently before playing her own startlingly poised solo
dianne reeves thrive dcfor her appearance at thrive dc a homeless services organization for women ms reeves was magnificent and on point i sing no victims song she boomed in endangered species continuing i am a woman i am an artist and i know where my voice belongs she then prefaced a luxurious version of misty with a childhood memory of jazzing up a bach aria in her choir
dormeshia sumbry edwards kennedy center ms sumbry edwards is a tap dancer with a gift both kinetic and musical and on a version of in a sentimental mood featuring the thelonious monk institute of jazz performance ensemble she engaged in agile repartee with the pianist carmen staaf both parties listening and responding deeply
donvonte mccoy 18th street lounge i spent the final moments of international jazz day at a gig with no formal connection to the event but mr mccoy an assured young trumpeter brought taut purpose to his playing surmounting a shaky rhythm section some in the crowd were dancing others were listening or talking but the spirit was strong and right


times insider delivers behind the scenes insights into how news features and opinion come together at the new york times in this piece times reporter nr kleinfield provides background on his work covering a woman living with alzheimers
the disease crouches everywhere but i didnt have much interest in writing about it after all alzheimers was famous everyone knew its brute outlines knew how drip by drip it transformed someone into someone else
look around and there it was your mother had it or your father your grandparent your aunt your golf buddy the upstairs neighbor with the poodle the man who made sandwiches at the deli
my mother
my sister dawn and i found out relatively late it is often that way our mother lived alone in new jersey like most older people she had memory lapses a neighbor called me she said my mother was not acting right better look in on her
she was a little askew but appeared to be functioning well a few errands needed to be done i did them for a while she had intermittent bad days but generally seemed all right a friend visited her a couple of times a week
a few months later the friend called us and said she was deteriorating we went over and found opened food containers scattered throughout the kitchen the house disorderly mail stacked up bills unpaid she was in bed thin and had not been eating
we took her to the emergency room the disease worked fast soon she was in a nursing home soon she no longer knew us no longer had the right answers the sunshine withdrew from her life after a couple of more years she died
yes i knew alzheimers who didnt
michael luo the editor i work with has established a little routine to settle on new projects we each compile a list of about 10 ideas then we sit down compare them and see if any light up there were good ideas and bad ideas and middling ideas
one of michaels was to follow a person who had just received a diagnosis of alzheimers
well sure good luck how would you do that learn you have alzheimers then invite a reporter to tail you really
it is a wicked diagnosis people retreat from it it carries an unfortunate stigma encouraging people to mask their condition until it is impossible to conceal it any longer they do not want to be cast off seen as broken
yet the idea had value most of the personal stories i had read about the disease dwelled mainly on its concluding stage of course there would be back story but the core of most stories was the period when a person had surrendered independence was reliant on constant home care or was already settled in a nursing home and tuned out from the passing world
the most important stage of alzheimers however is the initial one   the period after diagnosis when people still largely control their lives then considered decisions can be made something approximating normality can exist albeit full of asterisks but one is also waiting for what comes next alzheimers is nothing if not a cruel waiting game
the pace of the disease is unpredictable but the first stage can last years i thought it would be illuminating to write a story that in its entirety examined the particularities of that introductory stretch when you meet the disease decide how to accept it and learn how to work with its evilness perhaps it would suggest a road map for others
i broached the idea with what was then the new york chapter of the alzheimers association now called caringkind officials liked the idea they said they would ask around but cautioned that it might take a long time to find anyone willing and able to cooperate
a month later they invited me to meet geri and jim taylor what struck me most was how upbeat they were ms taylor who had the disease recognized the jolt to her life but she was without bitterness or self pity jim was very supportive
i told them the lengthy amount of time i wanted to spend with them they were excited they both hated the stigma encasing the disease they hoped they might help shape a new identity for alzheimers
one challenge of writing about alzheimers in its first stage is its invisibility its effect is vivid near the end not in the beginning its internal one of the frustrations that ms taylor and others have is that when they reveal their condition to people they are told you dont seem like theres anything wrong as if they were playing a prank
i needed someone introspective who could distill what was happening inside the brain ms taylor was ideal both bright and reflective she was not reluctant to talk generously about what the disease was doing to her in fact she enjoyed doing so her insights enabled me to comprehend the movement of alzheimers through her mind
alzheimers is far from a cheerful illness it eats at ones soul when i began with ms taylor some two years ago i did not know what the journey would be like only her prediction
at the conclusion of that first meeting when we agreed that we wanted to proceed she wrapped up the conversation by looking at me with her gentle eyes flashing her smile and saying well you better be prepared to have fun
did we ever


alzheimers disease can seem frightening mysterious and daunting there are still a lot of unknowns about the disease which afflicts more than five million americans here are answers to some common questions
just because you forgot an item on your grocery list doesnt mean you are developing dementia most people have occasional memory lapses which increase with age the memory problems that characterize warning signs of alzheimers are usually more frequent and they begin to interfere with safe or competent daily functioning forgetting to turn off the stove leaving home without being properly dressed or forgetting important appointments beyond that the disease usually involves a decline in other cognitive abilities planning a schedule following multistep directions carrying out familiar logistical tasks like balancing a checkbook or cooking a meal it can also involve mood changes agitation social withdrawal and feelings of confusion and can even affect or slow a persons gait
diagnosing alzheimers usually involves a series of assessments including memory and cognitive tests clinicians will also do a thorough medical work up to determine whether the thinking and memory problems can be explained by other diagnoses such as another type of dementia a physical illness or side effects from a medication brain scans and spinal taps may also be conducted to check for corroborating evidence like the accumulation of amyloid the hallmark protein of alzheimers in the brain or spinal fluid
the cause is unknown for most cases fewer than 5 percent of cases are linked to specific rare gene mutations those are usually early onset cases that develop in middle age in the vast majority of cases alzheimers disease makes its presence known after age 65 and the older one gets the greater the risk aside from age which is the single biggest risk factor there are health issues that can increase the chances of developing alzheimers heart and vascular problems including stroke diabetes and high blood pressure appear to increase the risk of alzheimers and other dementias depression has also been associated with increased risk
people with one copy of the apoe4 gene variant have two to four times as much risk of developing alzheimers as people without the variant and people with two copies of apoe4 have about 10 times the risk that risk appears to be larger in women carriers of apoe4 also have a greater chance of developing symptoms at a younger age about 25 percent of people have one copy of apoe4 about 3 percent have two copies
many researchers have been trying to figure this out so far there is no clear answer there are hints that behaviors that keep us healthy and engaged   exercise healthy diet social activities educational activities   may keep dementia at bay for some time probably because those behaviors promote overall brain and body health as well as emotional well being education may promote what is called cognitive reserve essentially the idea that the more we learn and stimulate our brains the more brain cells we have that can temporarily compensate for some memory and thinking problems but no vitamin supplement or brain game has been found to be a magic wand
before developing symptoms of alzheimers some people but not all experience a condition called mild cognitive impairment one type of mci affects memory another type affects perception or decision making skills both types involve a slight decline in these abilities but it does not prevent the person from functioning independently people with mci have a greater risk of developing alzheimers but it is not inevitable
recently scientists have begun to recognize an even earlier state that can precede dementia called subjective cognitive decline this occurs when people notice lapses in their memory or thinking that worry them even if those around them are not really aware of the lapses dementia experts have found that sometimes people recognize these issues before they reach the threshold of a clinical diagnosis and that those people may be more likely to eventually develop alzheimers
alzheimers itself typically involves mild moderate and severe stages mild and especially moderate stages can last years and there is often no way to predict a persons pace and path of decline
there are five drugs approved to treat alzheimers sold under the names aricept exelon namenda namzaric and razadyne these drugs either slow the breakdown of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine or block the overproduction of glutamate in the brain but none have been shown to work very well for very long
the search for more effective medications has been met with years of failure one theory behind that failure is that many drugs have been tested on patients too far along in the disease their brains may have been too damaged for the drugs to have an effect on their symptoms many of the drugs developed so far target the amyloid protein that forms plaques in the brains of alzheimers patients because many scientists believe that amyloid buildup is a cause of alzheimers
recent research has found that amyloid begins accumulating 20 years or more before symptoms of dementia occur and advancements in scans that can detect amyloid are making it possible to identify people in earlier stages including some who have no symptoms of dementia yet several clinical trials are underway including large trials testing anti amyloid drugs at these early stages it will be several years before solid results are known


malibu and the areas surrounding it are home to a handful of renowned but challenging weight loss retreats where guests hike for several hours a day and stick to a low calorie vegetarian diet aja malibu opening june 20 wants to offer health seekers a less aggressive way to achieve their goals nestled on a 23 acre knoll in the santa monica mountains the property accommodates just seven people at a time
guests begin their day with a smoothie and a 90 minute hike and throughout the day they take part in nutrition workshops classes on healthy cooking using produce and herbs grown in the expansive gardens meditation sessions and treatments in a spa adorned with healing crystals they can also use a sound healing room and a swimming pool filled with filtered chlorine free water the meals shakes and snacks are all plant based and gluten  and dairy free but the portions are generous and there is no calorie counting we believe that transformation including weight loss can happen with our holistic approach said airrion copeland the general manager prices from 10000 for seven nights all inclusive
shivani vora
until now choosing a tour operator has been the hardest part of traveling to bhutan a country where independent travel isnt possible and a 200 to 250 daily minimum tour package is required after receiving an official endorsement from prince jigyel ugyen wangchuck mybhutan mybhutancom a new one stop travel portal hopes to help usher the country into an era of tech savvy efficiency mybhutan will allow you to create your own intimate experience in bhutan said the founder matthew desantis
the site features 350 registered local agencies videos of 150 guides and hundreds of accommodations restaurants and new activities like rafting the dangme chhu visitors to the site can create their own wish list then pick guides and associated operators the site also plans to add a rating system and exclusive tours some of the proceeds will fund the tarayana foundation a local organization that assists vulnerable communities by creating an avenue for tourism to support traditional industries we preserve culture mr desantis said
erin levi


clare reid barnett and marcos huerta were married april 30 in washington the rev virginia brown nolan an episcopal priest performed the ceremony at all souls memorial episcopal church
mrs huerta 30 is a program specialist in the united states department of health and human services in washington where she oversees legal services for people with disabilities she graduated from the university of north carolina and received a law degree from duke
she is a daughter of patricia m reid and edwin b barnett jr who live and work in raleigh nc the brides father is the editorial page editor of the news  observer and her mother has a pet sitting service
dr huerta 37 is a senior adviser to the director of the office of science at the united states department of energy in washington he graduated from the university of texas and received a phd in astrophysics from rice university
he is a son of maria g huerta and juan m huerta of san antonio the grooms mother retired as a second grade teacher for maverick elementary school in san antonio his father retired as a chemist in freeport tex for dow chemical
the couple were introduced in february 2014 through okcupid


dorothy ann johnson shaw and jeffrey bryant ellis were married april 30 suanne bonan a universal life minister officiated at frankies spuntino a restaurant in brooklyn
the bride 30 who will take the name shaw ellis is the accessories director of vanity fair magazine in manhattan where she chooses items like jewelry or handbags to feature in the publication she graduated from boston university
the bride who goes by daisy is the daughter of ann johnson shaw of hutchinson minn and christopher j shaw of london and the stepdaughter of marcia a shaw the brides father is the chief executive and chairman of the shaw corporation a real estate company in london her mother who is retired was the admission registrar at south hampstead high school also in london
the groom 31 is a vice president in the investment banking division of goldman sachs in manhattan where he helps health care organizations with financing and mergers and acquisitions he graduated cum laude from northwestern
he is the son of crystal a ellis and dr howard d ellis of leawood kan the grooms mother who is retired taught kindergarten at briarwood elementary school in prairie village kan his father a retired obstetrician and gynecologist is the founder and managing partner of meddevelopment in overland park kan a real estate company specializing in health care related properties
the couple met when mutual friends invited her to his greenwich village apartment the day he moved in in may 2010


diana margaret kirkland the daughter of anne a kirkland and j david kirkland jr of houston was married there april 30 to dallas william hansen the son of caroline m hansen and dirk w hansen of hunter nd the very rev barkley s thompson an episcopal priest performed the ceremony at christ church cathedral where he is the dean
the couple met at yale from which they graduated
the bride 28 writes about patient education for guides published by uhlig a publishing company in overland park kan until july 2015 she was an editorial assistant at penguin random house in new york
her father is a senior partner in the houston law firm baker botts
the groom also 28 works in kansas city mo as a commodities trader for the louis dreyfus company an international commodities trading processing and shipping company in rotterdam the netherlands
his mother is a registered nurse at the good samaritan society a senior living facility in arthur nd his father owns a grain farm in hunter


nadia marie gaya and timothy mckenna martin were married april 30 by the rev ryan c fleenor an episcopal priest who performed the ceremony at st james episcopal church in manhattan
the bride 33 works in manhattan as a senior consultant at deloitte where she focuses on tax accounting for insurance companies she graduated from the university of chicago received a law degree from loyola university of chicago and a masters of laws in taxation from nyu her previous marriage ended in divorce
she is the daughter of marie l brate of rochester and sikander a gaya of greenwich conn and the stepdaughter of dr richard e bolt and of kathleen milne
the groom 34 is the assistant comptroller for public finance in the new york city comptrollers office he graduated from rutgers
he is a son of christina m martin of bordentown nj and edward m martin of mount holly nj
the couple met in may 2013 after mr martin went to look at an apartment in brooklyn across the hall from where ms gaya lived
i went to get lunch and hit the button on my elevator and out walked tim ms gaya said i said to myself thats the hottest guy ive ever seen
after a quick introduction from the woman showing mr martin the apartment ms gaya nervous and disoriented entered the elevator and immediately regretted not getting the mystery mans last name something happened in that moment she said but i figured thats it its done im never going to see him again
but they met at the elevator a second time in early july when ms gaya fresh from the gym crossed paths with mr martin as the elevator opened to her floor
i was sweaty and he was wearing a suit and tie on his way to work she said mr martin told her he had taken the apartment he had visited earlier she was in apartment 3h he in 3b
the next evening mr martin wandered to the roof of the building and found ms gaya having a fourth of july weekend barbecue she invited him to join and the two stayed on the roof long after the party ended the next day he asked her out on a date
at the outset i was nervous about dating the girl across the hall mr martin said its like the first thing you learn in college dont date someone on your floor
those reservations eased over the next eight months as the couple settled into a routine of treating the two apartments as one they cooked in one apartment then took the food across the hall where the air conditioning had perfectly cooled the room they watched tv in mr martins apartment since she didnt have one and treated her apartment as a guesthouse when visitors came to town
he got lucky she says he moved in and got the girl too
she came with the apartment i suppose he says


sam sifton emails readers of cooking five days a week to talk about food and suggest recipes that email also appears here to receive it in your inbox register here
good morning happy may day this is billy bragg which side are you on live in germany in 1985 to the kitchen barricades
were cooking melissa clarks recipe for tandoori style chicken this morning so we can eat it at room temperature tonight to go with mark bittmans recipe for baingan bharta a kind of south asian baba ghanouj and a tall stack of the british food writer meera sodhas crackly soft naan maybe we could make some basmati rice and a bowl of fiery mango chutney to boot wont you join us
dont just cook for today though sundays if you plan them right can lead to incredible meals later in the week you can for instance make pizza dough so that you can have a pizza night on tuesday those with sourdough starters in the fridge or on the sideboard can use some to make sourdough pizza dough instead
you may assemble regina schramblings ace recipe for lasagna and serve it on monday night those eschewing meat can use david taniss recipe for a broccoli rabe lasagna
set some rice to steaming today slide it warm into a freezer safe plastic bag when its done and youll be in clover come wednesday when you use it to make my endlessly adaptable recipe for fried rice
and as long as youre beavering away in the kitchen why not set yourself up with a full order of mark bittmans mcbitty bean burgers as well for a thursday night veggie burger feast serve with all the usual fixings and maybe a big platter of oven baked french fries as well cover the potatoes with a few ladles of bulgogi sloppy joe meat melty cheese and scallion salsa for a kind of cross cultural disco fries situation on the side
all this advance preparation will free you up to buy some salmon on friday after work and greet the weekend with a cool recipe pete wells got the chef eric ripert to devise off a 40 budget and free rein in a jacks 99 cent store for baked salmon with coconut tomato sauce and creamy jasmine rice its awesome
you can find other recipes to cook in coming days on cooking if we can find some rhubarb to go with the beautiful strawberries were starting to see we may make molly oneills recipe for a strawberry rhubarb upside down cake which has been a proud resident of our database since 1994 browse our collections and save the recipes that pique your interest then make them were all in this together
now is this kickstarter for a cat cafe in st louis genius or super upsetting likewise this mesmerizing puppy massage were thrilling to amanda hesss profile of warsan shire the young poet who gave many words to beyonces lemonade and to end near where we began have you read emersons may day lately soft a sultry morning breaks - thats our desire above all for the week to come see you tomorrow were at cookingcarenytimescom if you need us


here are the weeks top stories and a look ahead
1 the latest primaries pushed donald trump and hillary clinton closer to their parties nominations   and added pressure on mr trump to tone down his message most polls show both front runners ahead in indiana which holds its primary on tuesday ted cruz above in california on saturday sought an edge by choosing carly fiorina as his running mate many leading republicans have recoiled from the idea of sharing a ticket with mr trump

2 the defense department gave its first full account of a us airstrike last year on a hospital in afghanistan its 3000 page report described a chain of human errors and equipment and procedural failures that led a gunship to repeatedly fire on the hospital which was run by doctors without borders killing 42 people sixteen us personnel were punished but doctors without borders and other groups insist that the episode should be handled as a war crime

3 our cairo bureau chief declan walsh was able to enter the war ravaged syrian city of aleppo where all out fighting resumed after weeks of relative calm death he writes can fall from the sky in any corner of the city at any time here are some of the photos from his instagram feed

4 a few market markers us stocks finished down for the week but facebook shares soared after the company reported profits triple those of a year ago and proposed a new stock class to maintain mark zuckerbergs control apples stock dropped after it revealed falling iphone sales in china and disappointing earnings and twitters price fell as well after it again fell short of revenue projections two of our top tech writers discuss the developments here

5 puerto rico appears likely to default on a 422 million debt payment on monday congress rived by partisan dissension is still haggling over the terms of a rescue bill urgency is growing because a 2 billion debt payment comes due july 1 above the capitol in san juan

6 its the best thing because youre getting a piece of this thing you helped build that was a longtime employee of chobani the greek yogurt maker after his boss surprised 2000 workers by making them co owners stock packages prorated by tenure will collectively be worth up to 10 percent of the companys worth when it goes public or is sold neither appears imminent

7 for a special report a new yorker named geri taylor allowed a reporter to share the ups and downs of her life as she faces alzheimers with grace fortitude and humor she told friends recently that she and her husband live in the present theres none of that where you postpone saying something because hes in a bad mood or something she said right now i cant remember to postpone something

8 leicester city   pronounced less ter   is viewed as soccers version of cinderella the teams unexpected success this year has it on the verge of an english premier league title but its coronation was delayed on sunday after it was held to a 1 1 tie with manchester united there are also two final games today in round 1 of the nba playoffs the charlotte hornets were taken down by the the miami heat in the first the indiana pacers face the toronto raptors tonight 8 pm eastern tnt

9 the biggest surprises of the nfl draft a video featuring smoke and a strange bong cost laremy tunsil the offensive lineman above millions of dollars he dropped from potential top pick to 13th and the admired linebacker myles jack wasnt picked till day 2 as teams worried about problems with his right knee

10 for us nonprofessional athletes a new study offers a time crunched alternative to lengthy workouts ten minutes on a stationary bike with just one minute of intense exertion researchers found offers the same physiological benefits as 45 minutes of moderate exertion this was how they did it two minutes of warm up three 20 second all out bursts separated by two minutes of slow pedaling and a three minute cool down

11 finally two of horse racings most intense minutes come next saturday the 142nd running of the kentucky derby you have plenty of time to get a big hat learn the first verse of my old kentucky home and practice making mint juleps our favorite recipe pour the best bourbon you can afford into a glass with an ice cube separately muddle spearmint and fine sugar now ignore it drink the bourbon
have a great week

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san antonio   lamarcus aldridge had 38 points saturday night as the san antonio spurs dismantled the oklahoma city thunder 124 92 never trailing in game 1 of the teams second round series
kawhi leonard added 25 points 5 rebounds and 5 assists in 22 minutes for san antonio the spurs led by as many as 43 points and sat their starters in the fourth quarter to rest them for game 2 on monday night
aldridge broke out for his finest performance of the season after memphis held him to 145 points per game in the first round nearly 7 points below his regular season average aldridge shot 18 for 23 including his first 3 pointer of the season he even banked in a left handed scoop shot while falling in the lane
san antonio matched a postseason franchise record for points in a quarter with 43 in the opening period by halftime leonard and aldridge had combined for 45 points outscoring oklahoma city by 4
serge ibaka led oklahoma city with 19 points but was limited to two rebounds kevin durant had 16 points and russell westbrook added 14 but they were harassed into 11 for 34 shooting
san antonio shot 82 percent in the opening quarter including 3 for 4 on 3 pointers while taking a 23 point lead the spurs also blocked six shots collapsing and surrounding the thunder with multiple defenders whenever they drove into the lane
the spurs only scare occurred when leonard grabbed the back of his left leg after landing awkwardly on a powerful one handed dunk on the games opening possession leonard did not say anything when on the ensuing possession san antonio coach gregg popovich asked are you ok but his dynamic efforts on both ends of the court answered popovichs concerns


charlotte davis johnson the daughter of eileen davis johnson and andrew b johnson iii of pelham manor ny was married april 30 to christopher nelson jones a son of diane h jones and gordon w jones of fairfield conn the rev douglas s phillips an uncle of the bride who is a presbyterian minister and a chaplain at westchester medical center in valhalla ny officiated at the hillsboro club a reception space in hillsboro beach fla
the bride 31 who will continue to use her name professionally works in chicago for ibm as a manager of its corporate citizenship division she oversees grant programs in illinois michigan and wisconsin she graduated cum laude from skidmore college
her father is owner and manager of blue dog wines  spirits a shop in pelham ny her mother is a special education teacher at william b ward elementary school in new rochelle ny
the bride is a descendant of the mayflower passengers john howland and elizabeth tilley
the groom 32 works in chicago as a sales executive with a unit of the nasdaq stock exchange that sells a subscription based communications software to public relations professionals he graduated from endicott college in beverly mass
his mother is the chief executive of the connecticut chapter of the american institute of architects his father is a director of valbridge property advisors a firm in hartford that advises on real estate investment valuations
the groom is a descendant of daniel webster the former senator and secretary of state
the couple was introduced by a mutual friend in chicago in june 2012


jessica lauren haber and matthew seth podell are to be married may 1 at blue hill at stone barns in pocantico hills ny rabbi abbi sharofsky is to officiate
ms haber 35 will be keeping her name she is the assistant vice president for institutional assessment and planning at mercy college in dobbs ferry ny she is also a trustee of the metropolitan lighthouse charter school in the bronx she graduated from northwestern and received a law degree cum laude from brooklyn law school
she is the daughter of michele ingrassia haber and bruce j haber of roslyn estates ny the brides father is the chairman and chief executive of a real estate management company bearing his name in new rochelle ny he is also the chairman of the board of trustees of mercy college her mother who retired as a features reporter for the new york daily news is a member of the board of literacy nassau in freeport ny where she is an english as second language tutor
mr podell 41 is the general counsel for xpresspa an international chain of airport spa concessions based in manhattan he graduated from cornell and received a law degree from boston college
he is a son of michele s podell and dr paul n podell of scarsdale ny the grooms mother is a docent at sunnyside the historic home of washington irving in tarrytown ny his father is a retired psychiatrist who had practices in manhattan and scarsdale he was also an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at the mount sinai school of medicine
the couple were introduced through okcupid in january 2013


freddy galvis homered and hit a go ahead single in the seventh inning saturday night to lead the host philadelphia phillies to their fifth straight win 4 3 over the cleveland indians
the phillies have won eight of nine and are four games over 500 for the first time since they finished the 2011 season 102 60
jeanmar gomez had phillies fans on edge in the ninth before he earned his eighth save with runners on second and third and two outs jason kipnis lined a shot to right that forced peter bourjos to leap and snag the ball for the final out
white sox 8 orioles 7 jose abreu hit a tiebreaking rbi single in the ninth inning off reliever vance worley leading chicago past baltimore on the road
after todd frazier hit a two run homer off darren oday in the eighth to give chicago a 7 5 lead chris davis tied the game in the bottom half of the inning with a two run double off zach duke
nationals 6 cardinals 1 jayson werths three run home run capped a four run first inning and joe ross delivered another stingy outing for washington in st louis
ross allowed one run on six hits in six innings raising his era to 079
he has given up only two runs in 2223 innings
rockies 5 diamondbacks 2 trevor storys two run triple in the top of the ninth inning broke a tie and colorado beat arizona in phoenix
story who had hurt the diamondbacks with home runs in the four previous meetings between the two teams this season doubled tripled and drove in three runs for the rockies who have won four of five against arizona this year
carlos gonzalez had three of the rockies 13 hitstigers 4 twins 1 jordan zimmermann won his fifth straight start in his first season with detroit justin upton hit a three run homer in the first inning and the tigers beat minnesota in minneapolis
zimmermann gave up one run on six hits with seven strikeouts and no walks in seven innings
victor martinez doubled twice for detroit
rays 4 blue jays 3 curt casali drove in the winning run with a single in the ninth inning and tampa bay edged toronto in st petersburg fla
brad miller led off the ninth with a pinch hit single off brett cecil kevin kiermaier followed with a double before casalis single the first game ending hit of his career
rangers 7 angels 2 rougned odor matched a texas record with three doubles mitch moreland hit a three run homer and the rangers trounced los angeles in arlington
odors second double was part of the rangers six run third inning
pirates 5 reds 1 francisco liriano won for the first time since opening day john jaso homered to open the bottom of the first and host pittsburgh defeated cincinnati for its sixth straight win and the reds sixth consecutive loss
liriano allowed one run in six and two thirds innings for his first win since april 3 when he pitched six scoreless innings against st louis
athletics 2 astros 0 jesse hahn pitched into the seventh inning in his return to the majors and combined with two relievers on a four hitter as host oakland shut out houston
hahn was called up from class aaa nashville before the game and pitched as well as he did for most of 2015 before missing the final three months with a right forearm strain which also delayed his debut in spring training
marlins 7 brewers 5 adeiny hechavarria had four hits including one of four miami solo home runs and the marlins won in milwaukee
giancarlo stanton derek dietrich and marcell ozuna also homered as miami won its seventh consecutive game it is the teams longest winning streak since 2012
cubs braves rained out saturdays game in chicago against atlanta was postponed because of rain
the game was called about two hours before the scheduled first pitch at 120 pm no makeup date was announced


robert richard martiniello and james southgate rizzolo were married april 29 at abc kitchen a restaurant in new york the rev nigel emmett a minister of the american fellowship church officiated
mr martiniello left 32 is the senior director of global merchandising in new york for michael kors the fashion designer he graduated from loyola university maryland
he is the son of linda g vinci and the stepson of frank vinci of freehold nj
his mother is the payroll and benefits manager for greater media newspapers in manalapan nj his father is a certified public accountant and a partner in vinci  king an accounting firm also in freehold
mr rizzolo 33 is the manager of business affairs in new york for strategy prconsulting he graduated from boston college
he is a son of linda f rizzolo and richard a rizzolo of west orange nj his mother is a guidance secretary at west orange high school his father retired as the business manager in bayonne nj for the law office of fitzpatrick  merritt
the couple met in 2013 at the big apple recreational sports bowling league in new york


dr natasha nikhil desai a daughter of varsha n desai and nikhil v desai of diamond bar calif was married april 30 to sameer singh the son of kamla mona singh and jay j singh both of anaheim hills calif raj m desai a cousin of the bride who became a minister for the occasion of american marriage ministries officiated at the mandarin oriental hotel in las vegas
the bride 33 is a sports medicine and emergency medicine physician at newyork presbyteriancolumbia hospital in new york she graduated from ucla and received a medical degree from george washington
her father an electrical engineer works at the santa ana calif office of general electrics aviation division where he works with parts suppliers on meeting quality requirements her mother is an ultrasound technician at kaiser permanente south bay medical center in harbor city calif
the groom 34 is a senior associate in new york with kpmg the international accounting and consulting firm where he advises pharmaceutical companies about regulatory and health care compliance he graduated from the new school in new york and received a law degree from seton hall
his mother a chemical engineer is president and owner of quality control plating a company that does electrofinishing plating of parts like screws and fasteners in ontario calif his father is an industrial engineer in the commercial aircraft division at the long beach calif offices of boeing
the couple met through mutual friends in 2010 when ms desai moved to new york for her medical residency


elizabeth claire chan and brian howard knabenshue were married april 30 at vintage ranch an event space in paso robles calif michelle kenyon an ordained minister of the universal life church officiated
the bride 30 is a director of grape and wine business management at treasury wine estates in napa calif she graduated from the university of california davis she is a daughter of allan l chan and lynn m cerini of pleasanton calif
the groom 36 is an engineering program manager working on touch and sensor products at apple in cupertino calif he graduated from california polytechnic state university where he also received a masters degree in aerospace engineering he is a son of bonnie m knabenshue and bruce f knabenshue of redding calif
the couple met in april 2009 while working on a missile defense program at lockheed martin space systems in sunnyvale calif


laura elizabeth thompson the daughter of liza a thompson and dr william r thompson iii of baltimore was married april 30 to sean reed love the son of susan j siravo of providence ri and martin e love of chapel hill nc the rev charles benz an episcopal priest officiated at the carolina inn a hotel in chapel hill
the bride 28 and the groom 30 met at the university of north carolina from which they graduated
the bride who is taking her husbands name is an associate director at year up in boston where she helps employers hire and train low income young adults her father is an associate professor of pediatric cardiology at johns hopkins university in baltimore her mother is a consultant in baltimore advising students applying to medical school
she is a great granddaughter of franklin pierce adams a newspaper columnist who was a member of the writers group in the 1920s known as the algonquin round table
the groom is a fourth year medical student at brown his mother is a florist at belmont market in wakefield ri his father retired as a freelance writer in new york
the groom is a grandson of the late james spencer love the founder of burlington industries the textile company


dr jason lawrence freedman and neil shailesh patel were married on april 30 at the national museum of american jewish history in philadelphia lois kramer perez who is a cousin of dr freedman and a universal life minister officiated
the couple met in 2010 at the childrens hospital of philadelphia where dr freedman is a pediatric oncologist and dr patel is an oncology clinical pharmacist and ambulatory pharmacy manager
dr freedman left 35 is also an assistant professor of clinical pediatrics at the university of pennsylvania from which he has a masters in clinical epidemiology he graduated with distinction from cornell and received a medical degree magna cum laude from the suny upstate medical university in syracuse
he is a son of amy j freedman and mitchel freedman of queens until 2014 his mother was a mathematics tutor in bayside his father works in manhattan for lendlease a construction company based in sydney australia he is a senior project accountant for residential projects in the new york area
dr patel 30 graduated summa cum laude from rutgers from which he received a doctor of pharmacy
he is the son of prafullata s patel and shailesh n patel of voorhees nj dr patels mother is a pharmacy technician in franklin lakes nj with express scripts the mail order pharmacy his father owns liquor mart a convenience store in bellmawr nj


alyssa beth hjemdahl monsen a daughter of dr lisa h hjemdahl monsen and dr craig e hjemdahl monsen of bedford ny was married april 30 to john thomas mckee a son of barbara a mckee of austin tex and brian r mckee of winnsboro tex the rev mark giller a sanctuary of the beloved minister officiated at the lotte new york palace hotel
the bride 33 is taking her husbands name she is an associate in the new york office of the chicago based law firm sidley austin she graduated from princeton and received a law degree from georgetown
her father is an interventional cardiologist who practices with columbia doctors medical group in hawthorne ny and is an assistant professor of clinical medicine with the columbia university college of physicians and surgeons in new york her mother an internist and cardiologist is an independent medical consultant whose projects have included aiding oncology patients interested in drug trials with pharmaceutical companies
the groom 31 is an associate at the quinn emanuel urquhart  sullivan law firm in new york he graduated from the university of texas and received a law degree from boston college
his mother who is retired from ibm worked in its austin offices on technical strategy for software his father who is also retired was a statistician at the federal reserve bank of dallas
the couple met in september 2011 as associates at another new york law firm


hope starr yates and manu ganesh nathan were married april 30 in the rainbow room in new york sidharth nathan the grooms brother who became a universal life minister for the event officiated
the couple both 34 met at brooklyn law school from which they received law degrees but did not begin dating until years later
ms yates who is keeping her name is the director of external affairs for the department of obstetrics and gynecology at newyork presbyteriancolumbia hospital in new york she is also a founding member of maven an online service that helps women connect by video with health care and wellness practitioners she graduated from boston college and received a masters degree in public health from columbia
she is the daughter of l randall yates of new york and the late hope lloyd yates the brides father who is retired from pfizer worked in morris plains nj as the vice president for research and development in its consumer health care unit her mother was an assistant teacher at the brick church school a private nursery school in new york
mr nathan is an associate counsel at wme img an entertainment and sports management company in new york and los angeles he is also on the board of the new york city chapter of the leukemia  lymphoma society he graduated from vanderbilt
he is a son of dr pramila nathan and dr viswa nathan of woodbridge conn the grooms mother is a child psychiatrist in milford conn and is a founding member of the hindu cultural center in stratford conn his father is a cardiothoracic surgeon at yale new haven hospital


dunja simunovic and victor ross dupont were married april 30 at cherry hill in central park in manhattan jerrod lakoff who is the grooms godfather and a universal life minister officiated
the bride 31 and the groom 33 met at the university of pennsylvania where she received a masters degree in architecture and he received an mba
the bride is the chief operating officer in brooklyn for new lab a space that allows companies in robotics and other high tech fields to share resources and improve methods of manufacturing she graduated from emerson college she is the daughter of josip simunovic and nada simunovic of raleigh nc
the groom 33 is an analyst at arena investors a hedge fund in manhattan where he focuses on investing in debt and credit opportunities like distressed commercial and industrial loans he graduated from the university of chicago he is a son of mary k dupont of west chester pa and yves rr dupont of heuvelton ny


allison jill siegel a daughter of marjorie k slater of nyack ny and david a siegel of tarrytown ny is to be married may 1 to michael thomas mccullick the son of david a mccullick of santa rosa calif cantor beth hancock is to officiate at perona farms in andover nj
the bride 28 works in manhattan as a human resources analyst for medidata solutions a company that provides software for clinical trials she graduated from binghamton university
her father is a telecommunications consultant in tarrytown specializing in selling toll free services her mother is an executive search consultant in nyack helping businesses find candidates for senior positions
the groom 26 is a petty officer first class in the navy reserves in the bronx he was on active duty from 2008 14 and was deployed to the baltic region and south america for narcotics and counterterrorism missions he is also a student at new york institute of technology in manhattan
his father a former petty officer third class in the navy is now general manager of magnolia wellness a medical marijuana dispensary in oakland calif he also teaches cannabis business classes at oaksterdam university a trade school in oakland
the couple met in 2011 at a bar in manhattans financial district during fleet week when navy and coast guard ships are docked around the city
i saw him walk by our table a few times ms siegel said i said to my friend oh that sailor is so cute
the sailors were used to the attention people come up to us and ask to take pictures mr mccullick said
she caught his eye too her smile is absurd he said it drives me absolutely wild she is a big ball of sunshine when she walks in the room
the couple talked until mr mccullick had to return to his ship before the midnight curfew they exchanged numbers hoping to meet again during his last few days ashore but it didnt work out
over the next few months they communicated almost every day texting emailing and by phone and when mr mccullick learned his ship would dock in jacksonville fla he persuaded her to fly there
we had our first kiss in the airport she said we spent the weekend together and fell in love
they continued dating long distance for three and a half years through two deployments for mr mccullick and back and forth weekends from manhattan to norfolk where he was stationed
sailors belong on ships and ships belong at sea and the ship i was on was always out at sea he said
ms siegel was wary about dating a sailor i was supposed to find a lawyer or doctor but i wasnt taking it seriously she said but i realized i needed to go for this guy and give it everything
when it came time for mr mccullick to re enlist he decided to move to manhattan to live with ms siegel instead
people said it would be different with him living here ms siegel said but it doesnt feel different it feels like what its supposed to be


stefania distefano the daughter of nicolanna distefano and luigi distefano of wallingford conn was married april 30 to daniel simonetti son of marie j simonetti and james m simonetti of manchester conn msgr donald sakano a roman catholic priest performed the ceremony at st patricks old cathedral in new york
the couple met during their final semester at eastern connecticut state university from which they graduated and began dating on their graduation night in may 2008
mrs simonetti 29 is an associate at mercer a human resources consulting firm in new york where she advises businesses on their employee benefits and health care strategy
mr simonetti also 29 is a director at alvarez  marsal a consulting firm in new york where he advises clients on merger and acquisition deals


meric murvet gulum the daughter of gulzade k gulum and dr ali g gulum of plainview ny was married april 30 to justin james weinkle the son of dr susan h weinkle and dr dana j weinkle of bradenton fla rabbi roger ross officiated at gurneys a resort and spa in montauk ny the rev farida ali an interfaith minister ordained by the new seminary in new york led a part of the ceremony that involved turkish muslim wedding traditions
the bride 27 teaches third grade at public school 41 the greenwich village school in manhattan she graduated from nyu and received a masters in literacy education from columbia
her father is a dentist in fresh meadows queens her mother is an administrative assistant for the plainview old bethpage school district in plainview
the groom 30 is the director of strategic planning and analysis at dynasty financial partners a manhattan based financial services firm he graduated from princeton and received an mba from emory
his mother is a dermatologist in bradenton and a former president of the american society for dermatologic surgery she was also president of the womens dermatologic society his father is an ophthalmologist in bradenton and sarasota fla
the couple met in new york through mutual friends in 2008


carolyn linnea treasure a daughter of lisa k treasure and dr charles b treasure of knoxville tenn was married april 30 to kenneth gregory barshop a son of beverly barshop and ronald c barshop of san antonio the rev john sweeney an american fellowship church minister officiated at the glen manor house in portsmouth ri
the couple both 26 met at the university of north carolina from which they graduated
the bride and groom are fourth year medical students she at harvard and he at the university of chicago in june the couple are to begin internships in internal medicine at brigham and womens hospital in boston
the brides father is a cardiologist at east tennessee heart consultants in knoxville her mother is the director of cardiovascular research of knoxville a clinical trials laboratory
the grooms mother is a commercial real estate broker at rfm commercial a real estate management firm in san antonio his father owns beacon clinics an allergy testing company in houston


katherine reece phillips a daughter of lisa c phillips and dr thomas h phillips of charlotte nc was married april 30 to eric huttenlocher bent a son of dr anna huttenlocher and andrew f bent of madison wis the rev cathy seggel performed the ceremony at the first unitarian church of providence ri
the bride and groom both 28 graduated from brown where they met as freshmen
the bride who is keeping her name is working to complete a doctorate in chemistry at harvard her father a urologist is the president of urology specialists of the carolinas in matthews nc
the groom is studying for a medical degree at harvard and a doctoral degree in cancer biology at mit through a joint program of the two universities
the grooms parents work at the university of wisconsin in madison where his mother a pediatrician is professor of pediatrics and medical microbiology and of immunology and his father is a professor of plant pathology


julia connors lorenzet the daughter of lisa c connors and donald j lorenzet of rye nh was married april 30 to jacob alexander oher a son of susan l oher and james m oher of new york jarrod gaither who was ordained by the american fellowship church officiated at the university club of chicago
the couple met at lake forest college in lake forest ill from which the bride graduated the groom transferred after his sophomore year to depaul from which he graduated
mrs oher 27 is a brand strategist in chicago for havas worldwide an advertising agency with headquarters in paris
her father is a senior vice president group account director at mullenlowe an advertising agency in boston her mother retired as a senior regional coordinator for the jones group the new york apparel and footwear company
mr oher 28 is an executive director in chicago for community counseling service a fund raising consulting and management firm
his mother is a new york based management consultant to nonprofit agencies which she helps create and organize events his father owns a business management consulting firm in new york he is also a principal at the boswell group a management consultancy in new york


frances karen eaton a daughter of nancy m eaton of macon ga and thomas e eaton jr of bethesda md was married april 30 to jack andrew menendez mayer a son of nancy menendez and andrew j mayer jr of morris township nj the rev kevin gillespie performed the ceremony at holy trinity roman catholic church in washington
the bride 28 is a senior sales executive at direct match a financial technology start up in new york she graduated from the university of georgia
her father is the vice president for international sales and a member of the executive committee at telesat a satellite communications company her mother retired as a fourth grade teacher at the blessed sacrament school in washington
the groom 29 is a vice president in the wealth management unit of morgan stanley in new york he graduated from william  mary
the grooms father is the principal of lwp advisors a financial consulting firm in morris township nj and a trustee of morris catholic high school in denville nj
the couple was introduced in july 2010 through a childhood friend of the bride


alice sophie shepherd the daughter of bernadette k shepherd and nicholas p shepherd of dallas was married april 30 to alexander lodge randall the son of sally a lodge of wellesley mass and donn a randall of boston the rev donald j ours a roman catholic priest performed the ceremony at holy trinity catholic church in dallas
until april 20 the bride 28 was a senior account executive in boston for pan communications a public relations agency on may 16 she is to become the communications manager for edx a nonprofit organization in cambridge mass founded by harvard and mit that provides online educational courses she graduated from notre dame
her father retired as the chief executive of tgi fridays in dallas
the groom 32 works in boston as an assistant vice president in the united states securities unit of hsbc where he provides equity research information and trading to institutional investors he graduated from trinity college in hartford
his mother is a contributing editor for publishers weekly the publishing industry trade magazine his father is a partner in the boston office of the law firm bulkley richardson and gelinas his stepmother pamela j norley of boston is an executive vice president of fidelity investments in boston
the couple met through a mutual friend whom they were visiting on marthas vineyard in august 2011


lauren kirchner and evan simko bednarski were married under the pennsylvania self uniting statute on april 30 at the farm at eagles ridge in lancaster pa
the bride 35 is a senior reporting fellow in manhattan for propublica a nonprofit investigative news organization she graduated from wesleyan and received a masters degree in journalism from columbia
she is the daughter of diane c kirchner and robert e kirchner of williamsburg va the brides father who is retired was a senior vice president at intellisys technology corporation in fairfax va an information technology solutions company until 2015 her mother was a part time tax reviewer at newport news va for pbmares an accounting firm
until last month the groom 31 was a reporter covering education at the stamford advocate the connecticut daily he also graduated from wesleyan and has a masters in journalism from columbia
he is a son of ellen simko and michael a bednarski of bayonne nj the grooms mother is a registered nurse at jersey city medical center in jersey city his father is a psychologist in manhattan
they were introduced through mutual friends at a party in brooklyn in 2008


alicia lynn aemisegger a daughter of gaynor l morrison and john a aemisegger of oreland pa was married april 30 to patrick matthew biggs a son of cheryl d biggs and peter g biggs sr of wellesley mass the rev thomas summers a presbyterian minister officiated at the downtown club of philadelphia
the bride 28 and the groom 27 work at morgan stanley in new york where she is an associate who works in sales and he is a founding partner in a wealth management team at the firm called the rbk group the couple both graduated from princeton where they met on the varsity swim team
the bride also received a masters degree in public administration from the university of pennsylvania


boston   a few minutes after his teams latest defeat yankees manager joe girardi sat rigid in the visiting managers office at fenway park once again trying to explain the teams anemic offensive production
the pitching has not been perfect as saturdays 8 0 defeat at the hands of the surging red sox would indicate but the offense has been the real culprit the yankees have produced 74 runs the fewest in the major leagues they have scored two or fewer runs in five of their last six games have been held scoreless over their last 13 13 innings and have lost four games in a row people are starting to demand explanations
in baseball however clear explanations for teamwide batting slumps are often elusive girardi said after fridays loss that it was too early to panic but as the calendar turns to may it is fair to ask exactly when that time might be
after all panic is probably preferable to apathy
at some point youve got to turn it around girardi said you dont want to get too far down so i mean enough is enough
the yankees have had slow starts before and ended up making the playoffs and there are still five months to get back on course
but for now the yankees are just not a good team in april they were 8 14 which puts them in last place in the american league east and on pace to lose more than 100 games that would be catastrophic for a team with a payroll in excess of 200 million
it is the first time in girardis nine seasons as manager that the team has been six games under 500
saturday was another example of the futility the yankees managed just five hits while the red sox had no problem churning out 13 hits and eight runs to cruise to victory
red sox center fielder jackie bradley jr had a double and two triples in consecutive at bats with three runs batted in he also had a key two run double on friday
and for the second night in a row designated hitter david ortiz bashed a long home run sending a johnny barbato pitch several rows into the bleachers it was his fifth home run of the season and the 49th of his career against the yankees
before fridays game ortiz promised a 6 year old boy with a heart ailment that he would hit a home run for him and he produced a two run tiebreaking shot in the eighth inning to propel the red sox to a win
on saturday rick porcello the revived red sox starting pitcher whom girardi watched on video before bedtime following the yankees loss on friday improved to 5 0 with seven shutout innings but at the moment most pitchers are doing well against the yankees
were playing from behind it seems like almost every game recently yankees left fielder brett gardner said thats not the fault of our pitchers thats the fault of our offense
although gardner is not the sole culprit he accepted much of the responsibility for not doing enough at the top of the batting order he went 0 for 4 saturday and is batting 254 jacoby ellsbury the leadoff batter also went 0 for 4 and is batting 235 with a 278 on base percentage
obviously up at the top of the lineup jacoby and i havent done a good job of setting the table recently gardner said it all starts with us and weve got to do a better job
another person who may start to sense the weight of responsibility is the batting instructor alan cockrell
yankees general manager brian cashman is loath to fire coaches in the middle of a season which may help keep the pressure off cockrell
we still have quite a few games left cockrell said its still relatively early
cockrell added that the best approach with proven veteran hitters was to allow them time to find their groove rather than to undertake an overhaul of their swings
we have an accomplished group cockrell said before the game were not going to try and reinvent the wheel with these guys theyve been through times where it trends down a little bit were not going to change what theyre doing just get a good ball to hit and hit it hard and do what the situation asks for i saw that the last three or four days and thats all you can do
girardi also had some thoughts before the game when he was asked if he was finding it difficult to shake off the disappointment and frustration of each successive loss at the end of the nights
that led him to describe in some detail his nightly routine
i brush my teeth i put my retainer in i take my contacts out and i start to prepare for the next day girardi said adding that that means watching film of the opposing teams next starting pitcher
perhaps that is too much information for fans simply wanting to know why hits and runs are so elusive for the yankees
you just say tomorrow is the day you turn it around girardi said after the game you come in with the right attitude and you do your work and you say its got to stop lets go 


washington   president obama poked fun at hillary clintons lack of appeal among young people saturday night joking at the annual white house press corps dinner that mrs clinton was like an aging relative who cannot figure out how to use facebook
did you get my poke is it on my wall he said imagining mrs clinton trying to use the popular social media site im not sure im using this right love aunt hillary
mr obama also needled mrs clinton for paid speeches she gave for goldman sachs he noted that if his comedy routine during his final appearance at the white house correspondents association dinner was successful he could earn serious tubmans   a nod to harriet tubman the american abolitionist whose image will be printed on future 20 bills
he referred to senator bernie sanders who was in the audience as comrade a reference to his political status as a democratic socialist
but the president reserved his most biting commentary for the republicans running for president repeatedly turning to the partys chaotic nominating contest for comedic fodder
mr obama mocked senator ted cruz for calling a basketball hoop a basketball ring while campaigning in indiana
what else is in his lexicon mr obama asked working hard to contain a broad smile baseball sticks football hats
he paused then added but sure im the foreign one
the president showed a picture of gov john kasich of ohio eating pancakes as he noted that some candidates arent polling high enough to qualify for their own joke tonight and he tweaked republicans in the audience for their search for an alternative candidate noting that the options for dinner were steak or fish
a whole bunch of you wrote in paul ryan he said you may not like steak or fish but thats your choice
and then there was donald trump mr obama riffed at length about mr trump the billionaire turned front runner who was not in attendance the president wondered aloud why mr trump had chosen not to be there
youve got a room full of reporters celebrities cameras and he said no mr obama said is this dinner too tacky for the donald
he joked that mr trump had some foreign policy experience because he has spent years meeting with leaders from around the world miss sweden miss argentina miss azerbaijan
and he noted that mr trump may be the best person to succeed in closing the prison at guantanamo bay cuba
trump knows a thing or two about running waterfront properties into the ground mr obama said
the president delivered his remarks with deft comic timing in a lengthy monologue that was both ironic and introspective
members of the news media did not escape the presidents acerbic sense of humor he joked that the movie spotlight about the boston globes investigation into sexual abuse by catholic priests and holding the powerful accountable was the best fantasy film since star wars and he tweaked the news media for giving mr trump the appropriate amount of coverage befitting the seriousness of his candidacy
mr obamas most personal jab at a journalist was aimed at jake tapper the host of the lede on cnn he noted that several journalists had left the white house beat in recent years and then added jake tapper left journalism to join cnn prompting mr tapper to raise a wine glass
as has been his habit mr obama made fun of himself he joked about his age   and the common maladies that afflict men over 50   suggesting that he felt far older than he did when he became president
hillary once questioned whether id be ready for a 3 am phone call he recalled now im awake anyway because ive got to go to the bathroom
he also noted that he had spent two days in london recently having lunch with queen elizabeth ii playing golf with prime minister david cameron and seeing a shakespeare performance at the globe theater
just in case anyone is debating whether im black enough that should settle the debate he said
perhaps the most surprising moment of the presidents appearance came in a video produced by the white house showing mr obama considering how to spend his time after leaving office
in the video mr obama first turns to vice president joseph r biden jr for advice but then the president decides to call someone else for help   former house speaker john a boehner a republican who was once a fierce adversary
the video shows the president and mr boehner sitting in the white house movie theater watching the ending of toy story mr boehner notes that he finally got the grand bargain that had eluded the two leaders during budget talks
on a sweet chevy tahoe mr boehner says pulling out a pack of cigarettes and offering one to mr obama who has spent his presidency chewing nicotine gum to try to kick his smoking habit the presidents eyes go wide
mr obama closed his appearance on a serious note saluting jason rezaian the washington post reporter who had been held in an iranian prison and who attended the dinner saturday night he promised that his administration would continue to fight for journalists held against their will
and he praised the washington press corps for trying to resist the commercial pressures to dumb down journalism saying that there are so many of you who are pushing against those trends
he then offered just two words obama out he dropped his microphone and turned from the podium


on friday evening nov 13 maya vidon white like many parisians was dining with friends but the moment she learned that kalashnikov wielding terrorists were attacking the bataclan concert hall she grabbed her camera hopped on her scooter and sped to the scene
ms vidon white 48 a french war photographer who has spent more than a decade covering conflicts in israel indonesia and africa instinctively began to look for victims as the wounded began to pile up at a makeshift emergency center at a square near the concert hall she recalled she spotted a man lying on the pavement
the man cedric gomet 30 an employee of the french television channel tv5monde was an avid guitarist with a fondness for tattoos and had been attending the concert when he was shot in the head he was lying on his side in his underwear his face caked with blood in an agonizing pose she aimed her camera when a nearby fire engine opened its doors and he was momentarily bathed in light she clicked
now ms vidon white has unwittingly found herself at the center of a court case in france that has pitted press freedom and the journalistic imperative to document an important news event against the moral and legal prerogative to protect the dignity and privacy of terrorism victims
her photograph of mr gomet who died in the 24 hours after the attacks was published in vsd a glossy weekly magazine known for its lurid celebrity stories one month after she took it ms vidon white who was working as a freelancer for the washington based united press international news agency was informed by the paris prosecutors office that she had broken the law
the case stands as a vivid example of how in this age of islamic state terrorism journalists across the world are grappling with ethical questions of how to cover attacks they are balancing the requirements of covering breaking news and conveying reality however disturbing with the desire to avoid sensationalism and respect the boundaries of victims survivors and their families
it also shows the complex legal pitfalls and contradictions in an age of global communication images zoom across the borders of states and societies with widely varying laws and sensibilities regarding privacy potentially opening journalists to prosecution in ways they can hardly anticipate
american law does not have nearly as broad a conception of dignity as a protected legal interest as europe does it does allow lawsuits for invasion of privacy but that is generally defined as public disclosure of private facts offensive to a reasonable person that are not newsworthy
in germany which has a strong right to privacy culture distributing or broadcasting the photographs of victims with their faces visible is illegal without their permission or if the victims are dead without the permission of their families
but exceptions can be made if a photograph is deemed to be in the public interest comparatively looser media codes in britain and spain also call for journalists to get consent from those they are photographing with the caveat that the public interest can trump the right to privacy
the laws regarding privacy are particularly strict in france
prosecutors have accused ms vidon white and vsd of breaching the guigou law named for former justice minister elisabeth guigou it forbids the publication of photographs of survivors of violent crimes including terrorist attacks without their permission on the ground that to do so seriously infringes their right to human dignity
ms vidon white is also named in a lawsuit against vsd mr gomets family and partner are demanding 43592 euros or more than 49000 in damages including legal fees
lawyers for ms vidon white who is the sister in law of a staff editor for the international new york times in paris and vsd counter that the case should be dismissed under the guigou law only the survivor of a crime can file a criminal complaint they say and mr gomet was dead when the article was published
in april vincent toledano ms vidon whites lawyer asked the paris criminal court to throw out the case and the court will issue its decision on may 20
the prosecutor is trying to turn the court into a cathartic forum for victims to grieve mr toledano said but that is the realm of psychology or the hospital not a court of law
whats more ms vidon white and her lawyer noted she had not published the photo herself or had any contractual link to vsd or received any payment from vsd
they argue that ms vidon white did not know that the agency had sold her photograph to the french photo agency maxppp which then sold it to vsd which published it on nov 17 in a full page spread with the headline a rock concert rocked by a veritable blood bath
the magazine did not name mr gomet but juxtaposed his photograph with the harrowing account of a bataclan massacre survivor also named cedric who described the sound of screams as he escaped from the hall ms vidon white did not know mr gomets name when she filed the photograph so her photograph did not identify him
associated reporters abroad a berlin based freelance group that ms vidon white was working for at the time of the attacks said french prosecutors were overzealously trying to show to the grieving public   and the family of the victim   that they were taking action after the terror attacks and twisting french law to do so
jabeen bhatti the managing editor of associated reporters abroad said the prosecution against ms vidon white was a slippery slope that threatened press freedom whats next prosecuting reporters for interviewing victims she asked
but jean sannier a lawyer for mr gomets family countered that their despair was magnified by the publication of a photograph that he said was voyeuristic and jarringly graphic cruelly showing mr gomets suffering he accused ms vidon white of eroticizing a dying terrorism victim barely clothed and lying on the street
the photograph is vulgar and indecent and it would have been more powerful if you couldnt see the face he said cedrics parents were forced to see their son in agony the impact of the bullet his face covered in blood almost alone it is simply terrible
moreover he said it was deeply irresponsible that vsd had implied that mr gomet was alive when he was in fact dead
he called for the government to tighten the guigou law so that it would protect the dead
a dead victim deserves the right to dignity and privacy as much as one who was alive he said cedric did not have the time to file a complaint but does that mean he should be victimized twice
the guigou law was passed in 2000 to help buttress victims rights it was given impetus after two survivors of a bomb explosion on a train at the st michel metro station in paris in 1995 sued the magazine paris match after being photographed   one partly clothed the other visibly shaken   saying their privacy had been breached
in 1997 a paris appeals court threw out that case citing press freedom under the european convention on human rights the guigou law legal experts say is an attempt to rebalance media freedom with privacy rights
ms vidon white said she had just been doing her job
my job is to show reality and it doesnt always please people she said i wanted to convey the impact of the attacks and how france has been hurt she added i live here too


eric fehr scored the tiebreaking goal against his former team with 4 minutes 28 seconds to go and the visiting pittsburgh penguins beat the washington capitals 2 1 tying their second round eastern conference playoff series at one game apiece
fehr redirected a pass out of the corner from evgeni malkin sending the puck off the right post and past washington goaltender braden holtby
fehr had played parts of nine seasons during two stints in washington before leaving as a free agent last summer to join pittsburgh
carl hagelin had put pittsburgh ahead in the second period before marcus johansson pulled washington even on a power play with about 16 minutes to go in the third
the series shifts to pittsburgh for game 3 on monday night the penguins improved to 43 0 this season including the playoffs when leading after two periods they have not lost two consecutive games since overtime losses to carolina and tampa bay on jan 12 and 14
the penguins rookie goalie matt murray made 23 saves holtby had 33 stops for washington
the scrappy tone of the game was established early on when washingtons brooks orpik leveled olli maatta with a high hit the penguins defenseman fell backward and his helmet slammed to the ice maatta was helped off and did not return
twelve of the games first 13 shots on goal were taken by pittsburgh the penguins did not generate many truly dangerous chances however and the capitals began to look more active at the offensive end in the closing minutes when murray blocked a backhand by t j oshie   who had a hat trick in game 1   from the top of the crease during a power play
hagelin put pittsburgh ahead at 708 of the second period after a pretty behind the net feed from nick bonino
washington appeared to have tied the game late in the second when defenseman nate schmidt sent a shot in over a prone murray but capitals center evgeny kuznetsov was called for goalie interference and the goal was waved off
leafs win lottery the toronto maple leafs rebuilding project got a big lift on saturday when they won the nhl draft lottery putting them in a position to take the american center auston matthews with the first pick
with a 20 percent chance of winning the lottery on saturday night the maple leafs became the first last place team to keep the top position in the draft order since the edmonton oilers in 2010
we earned this the hard way said brendan shanahan the maple leafs president it wasnt a whole lot of fun this year when you have an opportunity to pick first over all its an important moment for the toronto maple leafs its an important moment for our fans and our ownership group who have given us the support to do this build the right way
the maple leafs have had the first pick just once in 1985 when they selected wendel clark shanahan would not provide any hints about which player the leafs might select
listed at 6 feet 2 inches and 194 pounds matthews is an arizona born forward who is rated by nhl central scouting as the drafts top prospect after spending three seasons playing for various usa hockey developmental teams matthews elected to play for zurich in switzerlands professional league he had 24 goals and 22 assists for 46 points in 36 regular season games but managed just three assists in four playoff games before zurich was eliminated
matthews has not played since march but he will have an opportunity to showcase his talents by representing the united states at the world hockey championship tournament in russia next month
the winnipeg jets will have the second selection when the draft is held in buffalo on june 24 and 25 the jets made the largest jump in the lottery moving from the sixth to the second selection
the finnish born forwards patrik laine and jesse puljujarvi who helped their nation win the world junior championship tournament in january are ranked behind matthews laine may be gaining momentum after he was named the most valuable player in the finnish leagues playoffs in which he scored 10 goals and five assists as tappara won the championship
the columbus blue jackets moved up one spot and will pick third the oilers dropped two spots and will pick fourth after owning the first pick in four of the last six drafts having won the lottery three times the vancouver canucks slipped from third to fifth the calgary flames dropped one spot and will pick sixth
the nhls last place team has won the lottery in just six of the 21 times it has been held the oilers in 2010 were the last last place team to win the lottery which led to their selection of taylor hall
byng finalists set floridas aleksander barkov bostons loui eriksson and los angeless anze kopitar were named finalists for the lady byng memorial trophy as the nhl player who exhibited sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability
barkov had 28 goals and 31 assists with just eight penalty minutes in 66 games eriksson had 30 goals 33 assists and 12 penalty minutes in 82 games kopitar had 25 goals 49 assists and 16 penalty minutes in 81 games
members of the professional hockey writers association submitted their ballots at the end of the regular season the winner will be announced june 22


more than five million americans are believed to have alzheimers a majority of whom are 65 and older the wicked disease slowly robs individuals of their memories as family members and friends try desperately to understand their loved ones behavior and emotions
that journey and shared experience was repeated in readers comments to a new york times article about geri taylor a 72 year old woman with alzheimers who is learning to adjust to her worsening condition ms taylor opened up to the timess n r kleinfield over a span of 20 months about her frustrations as well as moments of joy living with alzheimers
most readers who responded to the article about ms taylor shared their personal connections with the debilitating disease there were those who provided caregiving tips and others who demanded that more research be conducted about alzheimers and that more attention be given to it
a selection of the comments
i notice that i lose names sometimes names that i have mentioned in conversation just moments ago and it isnt so much the loss i can usually come up with a suitable pronoun but it is the discouraging feeling that the name lies just on the far side of a tiny membrane but could be deep in space in terms of its availability it sometimes comes back to me within seconds sometimes minutes occasionally hours but so far always on the other hand i can always tell you that i lost a spelling bee to juanita meyers in the fifth grade the word was necessary i misspelled it with two cs
  john david burgener 68 trenton
one day i asked my mother if she ever wondered why i called her mom she hadnt called me anything except you during those five years she looked at me with the kindness in her eyes that alzheimers never robbed her of and said well i didnt want to say anything to hurt your feelings so i just go along with it thinking you are confused or lonely but youre a very nice girl i was 54 years old funny in that heartbreaking way it still makes me smile and cry at the same time nearly a decade after her passing
  janice vallely 63 austin tex
my very intelligent aunt realized that she was in early stage alzheimers at around age 80 and said i wont remember one word of this conversation but i love talking to you so we talked as long as she was able she lived to be 100 years old and i think she had wonderful communication in a world we do not see and understand hope so
  nancy gleason 66 des moines
my husband had alzheimers he died two years ago one of his first symptoms was not being able to find things people with alzheimers no longer have short term memory they are not able to retrace their steps when he would lose something i would think when did i last see him with it when did he last use it then i would retrace his steps and find it he would say how did you do that
  marcie martelli 74 the villages fla
the taylors are lucky to have supportive family and friends and the financial resources to live out this disease with so much grace i wish them the best my working class parents were definitely not as fortunate this disease ravaged their golden years the sadness and helplessness i continue to feel are almost unbearable
  jeanette mcvicker 56 fredonia ny
i moved my mother into a high rise apartment a few blocks away from where i lived and arranged 24 hour day care for her one day one of her caretakers called and said she had a sudden emergency and had to leave by the time i got to my mothers apartment 10 minutes later she had set the fire alarm off and the firemen were already pulling hoses off their trucks the firemen pretended not to notice when i started crying
  roy stanton 75 dallas
be compassionate be patient dont yell yelling does not help
  peter melzer 61 charlottesville va
if your loved one is suffering from this terrible disease do everything you can to spend more time with him or her one sees an improving effect on the sufferer with greater proximity to family members and their interactions
  michael j keegan 56 hammond ind
the thought that i or a family member could someday be diagnosed with alzheimers fills me with infinitely more dread than the idea that a terrorist may blow up the plane i am traveling in this is the war on terror that the federal government should be pouring billions and billions of dollars into
  richard surwilo 63 tulsa okla
my mother was recently diagnosed with alzheimers she is in her late 50s her mother died of dementia in her early 80s like cancer you just dont get it until your personal life is shattered by the diagnosis for the love of god we as a nation must spend the money to find the cure for this before its too late there are no excuses
  eric gilmore 22 boston


a few weeks ago the start of the nfl draft looked as if it would be filled with linemen and defensive players two huge trades and one jerry jones pick later two quarterbacks and a running back had been taken within the first four picks the first round alone featured eight players who are likely to be drafted this year by fantasy owners here is a look at the newest members of the nfl who are relevant to fantasy drafts
quarterbacks
jared goff california los angeles rams
carson wentz north dakota state philadelphia eagles
any discussion of the first round has to start with the two signal callers who will forever be linked even though they do not share many similarities outside their draft spots goff a four star recruit had his choice of division i programs while wentz started his college career as a backup at the football championship subdivision powerhouse north dakota state from a fantasy angle wentz is unlikely to start in week 1 for the eagles while goff is the prohibitive favorite to open for the rams wentz though is more of a dual threat he rushed for more than 1000 yards in his bison career while goff graduated with minus 114 rushing yards the ncaa counts sacks as rushing yards lost the nfl does not since 2006 six quarterbacks with negative career rushing yards have been drafted in the top 60 matt leinart brandon weeden jimmy clausen chad henne goff and christian hackenberg   who was sacked on practically every snap despite their draft status neither goff nor wentz should have much impact in standard fantasy leagues as rookies   wentz because of a lack of opportunity and goff because of a lack of weapons at wide receiver
paxton lynch memphis denver broncos
given the situations that the quarterbacks drafted in the first round will face paxton lynch has the best chance to finish the season as a top 10 fantasy quarterback for starters he will be throwing to emmanuel sanders and demaryius thomas who are two of the most talented wideouts in the league lynch also has the ability to use his legs as a fantasy asset he rushed for 13 touchdowns as a redshirt sophomore however the training wheels will not come off right away and we expect this to be a run first offense at this point lynch is certainly not more than a qb2 or a bye week replacement
christian hackenberg penn state jets
jacoby brissett north carolina state new england patriots
cody kessler southern california cleveland browns
to many observers the most polarizing player in the draft is the former penn state quarterback christian hackenberg his raw arm talent and his ability to read defenses provide an upside but just about everything else needs major work he will need time if anybody in this group throws in regular season games this year something will have gone terribly wrong
running backs
ezekiel elliott ohio state dallas cowboys
entering the draft it was clear that elliott would very likely be the top fantasy prospect with the cowboys he will be able to run behind a great offensive line that helped darren mcfadden and joseph randle combine for 1402 rushing yards and seven touchdowns last season many fantasy owners also remember demarco murray rushing for 1845 yards in 2014 even with alfred morris and mcfadden still around elliott will become the featured back behind one of the best lines in football making him a top 10 option with the kind of star potential to be a frequent first round pick
derrick henry alabama tennessee titans
kenyan drake alabama miami dolphins
the reigning heisman trophy winner henry will team up with the 2014 winner quarterback marcus mariota but it is henrys former college teammate kenyan drake who should end up having more fantasy value this season henry has no value in the passing game and does not seem like an ideal fit next to mariota in the backfield he will most likely take some goal line touchdowns from murray but he will not have many carries if murray stays healthy fantasy owners who recognize henrys name will very likely overdraft him
savvy fantasy owners should target the more explosive drake he enters a miami backfield with little stability behind the current starter jay ajayi who has massive injury concerns and rushed for 187 yards last season betting against ajayi as a three down back for 16 weeks seems like a wise gamble drake will have immediate value as a point per reception option with the upside for a lot more if or when he is able to take the starting role
c j prosise notre dame seattle seahawks
one of the most explosive players in the draft prosise spent his early years at notre dame as a safety and only switched to offense last season he rushed for more than 10 yards on 24 percent of his carries at notre dame and he will immediately step into the third down role that the seahawks have struggled to fill while thomas rawls will be the starter he is recovering from a broken ankle prosises talent should make him a high upside pick as fantasy owners fill out their benches
wide receivers
corey coleman baylor cleveland browns
amari cooper was the sole stud in last years class of receivers this year offers a deeper group but do not expect star level statistics from their rookie seasons coleman is the top option because of his talent and the opportunity he will have in cleveland the browns are not counting on josh gordon to return and whether he does or not coleman should be one of quarterback robert griffin iiis top targets flashing the skills that resulted in 20 touchdowns for baylor last season and led to coleman being the first receiver picked
josh doctson tcu washington redskins
one of the best vertical and red zone threats in the draft doctsons fantasy value will be tied to kirk cousinss ability to build upon his breakout 2015 season with desean jackson pierre garcon and jordan reed there will not be quite as many of the opportunities doctson would need to be a fantasy option every week but he has the tools to become a key member of the redskins pass heavy offense in a dynasty format doctson would be our top wide receiver
sterling shepard oklahoma giants
not just a slot receiver shepard was a star at oklahoma and has been called the best route runner in the draft class by many scouts he is a great fit with the giants and will have many opportunities for targets in another nfc east pass heavy offense shepard should fill the role rueben randle left open in the giants offense but he is far more talented playing both in the slot and outside he should be a decent flex option and a good upside pick in ppr leagues
will fuller notre dame houston texans
braxton miller ohio state houston texans
the texans completely revitalized their offense in the off season moving on from arian foster and opting for a young speedy offensive core around quarterback brock osweiler fuller ran a 432 40 yard dash at the combine the fastest of any receiver prospect unfortunately he does not have the hands to match the star potential his speed gives him he tallied 21 drops over his last two seasons for the irish he and miller a quarterback turned receiver should make some great plays as rookies but not with the reliability necessary to be great fantasy options fuller is worth a late round flier while miller should be left undrafted
laquon treadwell mississippi minnesota vikings
tyler boyd pittsburgh cincinnati bengals
michael thomas ohio state new orleans saints
leonte carroo rutgers miami dolphins
this final group of receivers taken on days 1 and 2 offers a mixed bag of potential and opportunity treadwell is the highest drafted and most physically talented but he lands in an offense that has been terrible for receivers under quarterback teddy bridgewater who has 14 touchdown passes in each of the last two seasons boyd should be a steady deep league option but he is unlikely to have many red zone looks with tyler eifert and a j green around thomas will play in another prolific passing offense but most likely will be inconsistent unless he can win the no 2 receiver role carroo is an extremely talented and sure handed receiver but landing in miami leaves much to be desired all four of these players could be late round options or undrafted in most standard fantasy drafts but they should be monitored as the season progresses
as for the other fantasy positions no rookie tight end is very likely to have much fantasy relevance in 2016 in an absolutely shocking turn of events kicker roberto aguayo was drafted in the second round and is likely to be fantasy relevant however we cannot recommend drafting a kicker before the final round if only the buccaneers felt the same


while the jets will certainly profess happiness with their draft class it seems pockmarked by their fruitless attempts to trade up for the top talents they truly preferred
general manager mike maccagnan was reportedly unable to climb up in hope of landing one of the two premier quarterbacks in the class or in his thursday night scramble to land offensive tackle laremy tunsil to replace the retired dbrickashaw ferguson
it was an interesting first round maccagnan said later
instead the jets fortified their defense darron lee a linebacker who ran the 40 yard dash in 447 seconds and has the sleek versatility to adapt to all downs was chosen 20th over all he will be joined in the linebacking corps by jordan jenkins the jets third round pick
but with the jets still seeking a franchise quarterback they took a risk by taking christian hackenberg of penn state in the second round hackenberg was once a top flight prospect but his stock tumbled in his last two years in college
the jets however were smitten his was the only quarterback workout maccagnan took in and he was joined by coach todd bowles and the teams offensive coaching staff
with every player you take you take the potential and ability but you also look at if you think theyre going to fulfill that potential maccagnan said and we felt very very strongly about a lot of qualities he had we thought would translate well to the nfl
ultimately this draft may be judged more on hackenbergs success than anything else
darron lee

linebacker ohio state
the jets were busy monitoring the trade possibilities for this first round selection but settled on a speedy linebacker lee weighs just 232 pounds and is expected to initially play inside linebacker in the jets 3 4 defense but he will probably be used in several ways as the jets try to combat the proliferation of spread offenses around the nfl in todays game youre getting a lot more spread offenses and empty sets and the fullback is almost nonexistent right now bowles said so you need a little more speed here and there
christian hackenberg

quarterback penn state
this pick the 51st over all was certainly the teams most controversial hackenberg despite his pedigree developed an uneven reputation as his production diminished as he aged but with the incumbent starter ryan fitzpatrick still unsigned hackenberg may face scrutiny sooner than expected theres a lot of upside and potential with him maccagnan said we vetted him very thoroughly
jordan jenkins

outside linebacker georgia
in the third round the jets continued to try to get younger at linebacker and infuse speed into their defense he played a little bit of defensive end and outside linebacker in college maccagnan said were projecting him as an outside linebacker for us in our 3 4 defense jenkins the 83rd selection in the draft could start opposite lorenzo mauldin
juston burris

cornerback north carolina state
with antonio cromartie a free agent and the former first round pick dee milliner frequently injured and failing to meet expectations the jets chose burris in the fourth round to help their undermanned secondary the 6 foot 1 burris a starter for each of the last three years has the kind of size that has become more typical at cornerback he could find playing time in his rookie season on the outside where he mostly played in college opposite darrelle revis
brandon shell

offensive tackle south carolina
the jets must try to fill the gap opened by the retirement of ferguson their stalwart left tackle they traded for ryan clady this off season and traded up in the fifth round for shell giving up a fourth round pick in 2017 to washington he is the great nephew of art shell the former raiders coach and hall of fame tackle brandon shell has prototypical size for an offensive tackle at 6 feet 5 inches and 324 pounds we felt potentially he had the chance to be a starting caliber player maccagnan said
lachlan edwards

punter sam houston state
with no other punter on the roster edwards will probably become the starter by default and the jets need a makeover after last year they finished last in the nfl in net punting average and have a new special teams coordinator brant boyer edwards taken in the seventh round was the third punter selected on saturday
charone peake

wide receiver clemson
the jets are certainly top heavy at receiver with brandon marshall and eric decker but do not have many reliable options behind them the 6 2 peake has speed   he ran a 437 40 yard dash   but he did not show much at clemson until his senior year but there is little risk associated with the 241st overall pick


compared with the rest of the mets in the middle of the lineup michael conforto is a physical anomaly the fourth and fifth hitters yoenis cespedes and lucas duda are enormous disruptive presences in the batters box pure power
conforto who two weeks ago was moved into the third slot is not a traditional slugger instead of loud cracks his bat produces smooth innovative jazz notes
on saturday conforto continued to display his talent going 3 for 4 with three rbi as the mets won their eighth game in a row topping the san francisco giants 6 5 at citi field the mets have won 13 of their last 15 games
theres not much were not doing manager terry collins said of the streak were playing good baseball
in the second inning after scoring one of two first inning runs conforto exhibited the kind of plate discipline that collins has praised giants starter matt cain lacked command already hitting two batters in the inning with two outs conforto worked the count full then waited for his pitch when cain delivered a two seam fastball conforto pushed the ball the other way to left field for a double that bounced off the top of the wall and drove in two runs
with rene rivera in scoring position on second base conforto wasnt thinking about the long ball
i think the pitch was off the plate but a spot where i could extend my hands and put the barrel on it conforto said getting the pitches that i know i can hit and not missing them is how all this has been going down
conforto the mets first round draft pick in 2014 has doubled in six straight games tying a franchise record set by joe christopher in 1964
for an encore conforto took the first pitch he saw in the fifth inning a hanging changeup by cain and golfed it high toward the right field stands where it dropped in for a solo home run stirring the announced capacity crowd of 44466 the largest for a regular season game in citi field history
conforto who turned 23 in march finished april with 10 multihit games he is hitting 365 with 18 rbi
on april 15 collins gambled by moving conforto higher in the lineup conforto was not intimidated
there are some guys who are just outstanding players and i dont care what level you put them at   they adjust and they adjust fast collins said of conforto who was called up last july directly from class aa binghamton this kid has done that
to complement confortos production mets pitcher jacob degrom who was making his first start at citi field since the home opener on april 8 lasted six innings striking out five the giants scored three unearned runs during a two out rally in the third that was prolonged by wilmer floress throwing error at third base
degrom walked four after walking none in his first two starts after the three run third he regrouped and retired the giants in order in the fourth fifth and sixth innings
the thing i was most disappointed about today was not being able to pick up flo degrom said of flores who was starting at third to give david wright a rest errors happen in the game those are times when youve got to make the pitches and pick your teammate up
flores responded in his own way with a solo home run in the sixth his first of the season for a 6 3 lead
it felt great said flores whose homer was the teams 33rd in april tying a franchise record i ran the bases like it was a walk off
flores the starting shortstop for much of 2015 has struggled this season in a reserve role
the home run was very very big for him collins said hes really scuffling and its tearing him up
the home run the mets sixth run proved necessary with degrom out of the game the giants began to chip away at the deficit after leaving two runners on in the seventh inning they loaded the bases to begin the eighth hansel robles relieved addison reed and was able to limit the damage to two runs on sacrifice flies by hunter pence and brandon crawford that came perilously close to going over the fence with runners on first and second jerry blevins entered the game and got gregor blanco to ground out to end the inning
last season the mets also tore through april putting together an 11 game winning streak but they became truly dominant only later after conforto and yoenis cespedes joined the lineup and led them to the world series
i was only there for a couple months last year but it does feel similar conforto said this is where we want to be and want to be playing like the rest of the year


east rutherford nj   after years of building a roster around their interior focusing on the offensive and defensive lines and spending the commensurate draft capital the giants used the 2016 draft to shore up their perimeter and primarily to try to fix their faulty pass defense which was worse than any other nfl teams last season so for the first time the giants did not select an offensive or defensive lineman in the draft
but in selecting eli apple 10th over all they obtained another talented cornerback after having invested nearly 100 million in the free agents dominique rodgers cromartie and janoris jenkins since 2014 apple has 44 second speed in the 40 yard dash and starred at ohio state the premier talent factory for this years draft
what he does on the field how he played   hes a big time player big time program giants general manager jerry reese said hes 20 hes got a huge upside he was the highest player on our board its a need pick
the giants hope darian thompson their third round selection will add a ball hawking safety to the secondary and with b j goodson their fourth round choice they try to find a reliable player to plug in at linebacker an asset that has eluded them for several years
eli apple

cornerback ohio state
the giants made an unexpected decision in the first round in need of an offensive lineman and with laremy tunsil still available they took a cornerback who was not seen as the best one remaining but apple a voorhees nj native will have the benefit of fitting into a secondary that could ask him to play in the slot initially and not carry the burden of being the primary cover man
sterling shepard
wide receiver oklahoma
the 5 foot 10 shepard selected in the second round 40th over all has earned a reputation for playing beyond his size he will be a complement to odell beckham jr and could replace victor cruz sooner rather than later you like them 6 5 and 200 and run 44 and all that but this guy overcomes his lack of height with his other skills said marc ross the giants vice president for player evaluation hes got a catch radius where he can go up and catch the ball short receivers who play small are a concern short receivers who play big are not a concern
darian thompson
free safety boise state
thompson who was chosen 71st over all represents the giants latest attempt to establish continuity and reliability at safety they have now chosen four safeties over their last three draft classes and are still waiting to see the return they are hoping for hes very instinctive coach ben mcadoo said of thompson he has tremendous ball skills but the instincts and the twitch make it happen for him
b j goodson

middle linebacker clemson
goodson selected in the fourth round 109th over all represents a promising combination of strength and speed for the giants who need talent at linebacker at the scouting combine he topped all linebackers with 30 repetitions in the bench press and posted the fourth fastest three cone drill after helping clemson to the national title game and being one of five tigers drafted this year goodson will try to make himself part of what the giants hope will be a revamped defense in 2016 hes a tackling machine reese said
paul perkins

running back ucla
the giants had quantity but not necessarily quality in their backfield last year in the fifth round 149th over all they added another body to the collection the elusive perkins led the pacific 12 in rushing in 2014 and added 1343 yards last season rashad jennings led the giants in carries last season so perkins will join andre williams shane vereen and bobby rainey on the depth chart
jerell adams

tight end south carolina
the giants might have been tempted to look for a tight end earlier in the draft if there had been better options instead they waited until the sixth round 184th pick to snag adams who ran the fastest 40 yard dash of any player at his position in this draft he has a unique skill set for the position that we like mcadoo said despite his athleticism adams did not catch more than 28 passes in any college season


down the hall came inmate no 78764 053 a fist of a man diminished by the loss of the 2500 suit and the 800 shoes he had just been forced to exchange for a jumpsuit following a guard to his cell
first night in federal prison and he was already headed to solitary confinement his case too notorious for him to mingle safely with the others he remembers the cell being clammy and dark it made him think of rikers island where his father had been held after being arrested when pedro was 11 but this was a few grades higher the metropolitan detention center in sunset park brooklyn a windowless cage looming over new york bay
from the next cell came a voice pricking him out of his numbness
hey espada hang in there youre the senator right the voice said my mother voted for you
senator he was pedro espada jr once the third most powerful man in new york state and senator he remains   even today three years into a five year sentence for stealing money from a nonprofit
there are a lot of senators in americas federal prisons these days in may three more corrupt new york state lawmakers are expected to join the jumpsuited ranks three more cautionary tales from a state legislature with no apparent shortage of them
there is sheldon silver a democrat and former assembly speaker who was convicted of abusing his office in return for nearly 4 million in kickbacks there is dean g skelos a republican and former senate majority leader who was found guilty of selling official favors for payments and jobs for his son convicted last fall in overlapping trials that sent albany into upheaval the two men are to be sentenced within 10 days of each other in may with mr silvers sentencing scheduled first on tuesday
and then there is john l sampson all but eclipsed by the convictions of mr silver and mr skelos who led the senate democrats for three and a half years mr sampson was convicted last year of trying to thwart an investigation into allegations that he had embezzled state funds he is to be sentenced on may 19
like many of those convicted before them mr silver mr skelos and mr sampson have asked for minimal or no prison time prosecutors sentencing guidelines and recent history suggest they should not expect any leniency
if interviews with four former lawmakers   two currently incarcerated and two who have been released   are a guide the three men are in for a prolonged humbling their former colleagues tell of spiritual awakenings physical survival and mental toughening but what figures largest in these personal narratives   what they say has sustained them throughout   is the belief that they were wrongly prosecuted
contrition what for
outside their names are synonymous with scandal inside they command a measure of respect
i have a title for life said efrain gonzalez jr a democrat and former state senator from the bronx who was convicted in 2009 and spent almost six years at the federal correctional institution in fort dix nj before being released in february i introduced myself as efrain but they called me senator
with the expected arrivals of mr skelos mr silver and mr sampson there will be at least nine former members of the new york state legislature in the federal prison system nine more were released over the last few years one facing terminal cancer is under house arrest another died in prison
i laugh at all those who turned up their nose at me said shirley l huntley a former state senator from queens who spent 10 months in federal prison in danbury conn   the institution on which the womens prison in orange is the new black is based   after pleading guilty in 2013 to stealing more than 87000 in taxpayer money through a nonprofit she ran now look where theyre at theyre in worse shape
puffing on an e cigarette in her living room in queens the same room where she once secretly recorded seven of her colleagues for the authorities she went down the list friends enemies allies idiots
then came the kiss off bile tempered with a laugh
you can tell all the other crooks i say hey
mr espada prefers a new honorific prison abolitionist
some facts before going further before all this happened he had run for office about a dozen times losing more often than he won he had shaken a swarm of investigations and one indictment before succumbing to a second he had risen from poverty to become the highest ranking latino in new york state government   and briefly and under bizarre circumstances the third most powerful man in the state   but only after single handedly bringing the senate to a standstill and making albany a national laughingstock in the process he once tried to hide from a television reporter by putting on an orange ski cap and using a baby to shield his face
on a recent morning at the metropolitan detention center sitting in a plastic chair in an airless glassed in booth in what resembled a large hospital waiting room   minus the televisions the pastel watercolor paintings the magazines and the windows   mr espada seemed shorn of the grandiloquence that those in albany had come to know so well over the two decades of his singularly unruly political career
no more ego he promised   or not as much anyway no more referring to himself without irony as hurricane espada he said he was devoting his life to reforming americas prisons
he had seen he said how prison devastates lives and families instead of rehabilitating inmates he had seen prisoners released only to return within months unable to cope in a society that no longer wanted much to do with them
he had been studying the mass incarceration literature michelle alexanders the new jim crow harvey a silverglates three felonies a day and mr smith goes to prison by jeff smith a former missouri state legislator mr espada said that only violent offenders people like murderers and rapists should be in prison and that others should be forced to serve their communities of mr skelos and mr silver mr espada said anybody that would want to put them in jail for 10 or 15 years should spend a weekend in here and think whether thats necessary it wouldnt pay back the people they harmed
he avoided addressing the victims of his own crimes mr espada a democrat was convicted in 2012 of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from the nonprofit health care clinics he ran in his bronx district when he was a state senator he spent the spoils on sushi parties spa treatments and a bentley then he got caught
in the years since there have been 16 months of no daylight and no fresh air and before that nearly a year of not seeing his family and before that a 10 week stint in solitary confinement after he stepped over the property line at the federal correctional institution in schuylkill pa one of three prisons where he has spent the past three years all in all a thorough humiliation
i know that i was too consumed with the search for personal power he said i know that i was too consumed with materialistic things he gestured at his khaki jumpsuit his shiny white sneakers now i dont miss any of that he said im used to living on 300 a month
his time at schuylkill overlapped briefly with that of larry b seabrook a former city councilman from the bronx who is serving five years for corruption but neither felt much like talking shop
this is our new existence mr espada said were thinking about how to fit in
at fort dix his third stop he said he learned how the other inmates made prison hooch out of sugar and candy distilled in the bathroom each six ounce bottle going for 40 and where they bought cellphones and drugs once back at the detention center in brooklyn he learned to get his protein from canned tuna eggs and peanut butter bought at the commissary and to relish microwave meals of commissary mackerel chicken pork sausage and rice once a professional brawler he learned to avoid confrontation there have been a few close calls even so
he learned to sleep through the noise of 100 other men snoring and going to the bathroom and working out and watching television so he can wake up at 430 am to lift weights to survive solitary confinement by running in place until he was exhausted to love god about whom he had not thought all that much for many years to keep busy with bible study and a biweekly book club to cherish every visit with his wife who has visited him each weekend even though touching is restricted and they have had to sit side by side knees facing forward rationing their two kisses and hugs
he learned about small satisfactions like when eight of the students in the ged class he teaches every afternoon recently passed their test they call him professor
professor espada takes pride in teaching nearly illiterate men to read in counseling younger inmates and in helping others work through their cases in the library
senator espada sits here unchastened boasting of the political revolution he once led   same as bernie sanders he said senator espada is the one planning to tear down a bad system from the inside out the one insisting he was framed
if they have one thing in common these albany alumni it is this they refuse to be expunged from the rolls of the innocent
it doesnt weigh on me that theres this opinion of me because its not true said william f boyland jr a democrat who represented brownsville in the assembly he is serving a 14 year sentence at the federal correctional institution in loretto pa a five hour drive out to the western part of the state after being convicted of bribery in 2014
it is a recurring theme
i dont have that thing where im a criminal so im smiling said mr gonzalez who spent much of a four hour interview at his bronx apartment outlining in baroque detail all the ways he said he had been railroaded by prosecutors the judge and even his own lawyer before he left prison he said his fellow inmates told him youre safer here with the homies the billionaires will put out a contract on you they dont like you cause you tell it like it is
i did not steal money from soundview or from anybody said mr espada referring to the health care network he ran he had not received a fair trial he said he would have continued to contest the charges had he not run out of resources and the will to subject his family to what he described as further pain
maybe i didnt spend the money right but i didnt steal the money said ms huntley who suggested that she had been the victim of a conspiracy orchestrated by old enemies in albany besides she added as if this would mitigate things the actions in question had occurred before she entered the senate
in a more reflective moment ms huntley said she could not bring herself to move on
some people say let it go she said i dont know how to let stuff go i dont want to die being known as whats the word all the newspapers used disgraced senator
she said she wanted to be treated just as a person just use my name im not saying youve got to make me sound like im great you all call me disgraced but in my mind im not disgraced
in this season of high profile corruption cases few phrases have dominated discourse in the state capitol like ethics reform yet mr boyland mr espada mr gonzalez and ms huntley had little to say on the subject if anything they suggested they and their colleagues had been punished simply for doing things the albany way
i wouldnt say they were crooks everybody does all that mr gonzalez said of mr skelos and mr silver its i help you you help me so what is that politics
mr boyland was asked if he would endorse any of the reforms his former colleagues have discussed this session including closing a campaign finance loophole and banning outside income for legislators
he smiled
i cant endorse anything now he said
a day begins at federal correctional institution in loretto a former monastery on a hilltop it would resemble a high school campus were it not for the rings of concertina wire that surround it
mr boyland is awake at 630 to meditate before going to work on the facilities team mr gonzalez too was initially assigned a job assisting a plumber but by his own account was deemed more of a burden than a help mr boyland runs around the track he lifts weights without the constant nag of his cellphone without the late indulgent albany dinners he is he said the healthiest and most focused he has ever been
to other inmates he introduces himself as will but he lives with men from new york even some familiar with his old district there is a boyland street in brownsville named for his uncle who once held the same assembly seat
you the same guy the inmates ask
amid the chaos of this years presidential campaign mr boyland said he is in demand as a political analyst all the time he said flashing a smile
some of the queries have a more local bent whats going on with cuomo and de blasio he has been asked referring to gov andrew m cuomo and mayor bill de blasio of new york combatants in a never ending intrastate quarrel theyre both democrats so whats the beef about
he passes the rest of the day with religious services bible study work on his legal appeal and reading he is taking classes in spanish because of the spanish speaking constituents in his old district small business skills just in case and crocheting hats mostly
he has almost finished james redfields the celestine prophecy which he described as a science fiction novel about the spiritual journey of a wrongly imprisoned man he said he could relate
from afar he tries to raise his 13 year old son who is back in brooklyn he was the hardest thing to leave behind
albany he does not miss it was serving his constituents he said that he loved
i wasnt used to being on this side of the table he said indicating the round visitors room table where he sat across from a reporter i was the one visiting to bring help im usually on that side of the table
they watch the evening news and read the new york city papers eavesdropping on a world that has tried to delete them from its memory
even so what lies beyond the prison walls has begun to seem abstract   fuzzy around the edges
when mr espada was in solitary confinement at schuylkill he was allowed one hour a day to go outside shackled and cuffed he always went no matter the weather
an opportunity to experience daylight sunlight rain hitting your head   its as basic as that he said his voice softening i said to myself i would never complain about the elements again because i loved it when the rain hit my head when it was cold
then the man who was once the third most powerful in new york state gathered himself pivoting back to the pitch he was the better for surviving this he said not that it was about him it was about those far less fortunate than him who would carry this scarlet letter the rest of their lives he had promised them he would fight for them for reform and he would
he would never give up there was a reason they still called him the senator


michael r bloomberg the former mayor of new york denounced what he called the demagoguery in the republican and democratic parties in a commencement speech delivered on saturday at the university of michigan
in this years presidential election weve seen more demagoguery from both parties than i can remember in my lifetime he said according a transcript of his remarks posted online
while mr bloomberg did not denounce any candidates by name his remarks which faulted the demonizing of immigrants and the wealthy and criticized washington gridlock appeared directed at donald j trump and senators ted cruz and bernie sanders mr bloomberg compared the leading contenders from both parties as a group to a list of divisive figures from the 20th century including patrick j buchanan senator joseph r mccarthy and gov george c wallace
like those demagogues of years past he said candidates in both political parties focus on blaming easy targets who breed resentment for the countrys problems instead of offering workable solutions
for republicans its mexicans here illegally and muslims he said and for democrats its the wealthy and wall street the truth is we cannot solve the problems we face by blaming anyone
every generation has had to confront its own demagogues and every generation has stood up and kept them away from the white house at least so far he told the graduates and their guests at the ceremony in ann arbor mich now its your turn
mr bloomberg a political independent who was new yorks mayor from 2002 to 2013 and flirted with a white house bid this year lamented what he called a disturbing change in the nature of american politics a rise in extreme partisanship and intolerance for other views
neither party has a monopoly on good ideas each demonizes the other unfairly and dishonestly he said he called for rewarding those who reach across the aisle in search of compromise
mr bloomberg attributed the chronic divisiveness of american politics in part to the rise of social media and the partisan splintering of television news
he said politicians who took controversial stands were subjected to millions of angry tweets and facebook posts denouncing them in the harshest possible terms sent by citizens whose media landscape had been polluted by partisanship or outright lies
if we want to stop demagogues we have to start governing again mr bloomberg said and that requires us to be more civil to support politicians who have the courage to take risks and to reward those who reach across the aisle in search of compromise


tampa fla   the islanders found themselves reliving recent history on saturday afternoon losing to the tampa bay lightning 4 1 and preparing to return home with the series tied at a game apiece   just as in their first round series against the florida panthers they had taken the opening game before falling in game 2
its always disappointing when you get the first one that you cant go out and do it again but coming here we would have taken it coming home 1 1 islanders center frans nielsen said going home to our building will be a different story
if the lightning were a bit rusty at the outset of game 1 on wednesday after a five day layoff there was no evidence of a repeat early in game 2 instead it was the islanders who had a sluggish start and the lightning took advantage to grab a 2 0 lead in the opening 12 minutes
a turnover by islanders defenseman nick leddy in the lightning zone compounded by an open ice collision with his teammate cal clutterbuck led to a two on one opportunity that tyler johnson converted off a pass from ondrej palat at 6 minutes 3 seconds less than six minutes later the speedy forward jonathan drouin slid a soft backhand past islanders goaltender thomas greiss after a defensive zone turnover to ignite the raucous amalie arena crowd
he is a good player plays with energy and speed   theyve got a lot of guys like that islanders defenseman thomas hickey said of drouin theyre a different team than florida theyre fast but weve got some speed too weve just got to play to our strengths
the islanders were able to slowly assert some control nikolay kulemin cut the deficit in half during a power play with a deflection off a drive from the point by thomas hickey with just under five minutes left in the first period the islanders outshot the lightning 12 5 keeping the pressure on goaltender ben bishop who had been pulled early in game 1 after allowing four goals but bishop a finalist for the vezina trophy was steady and confident in the net
at the end of the day hes a great goaltender islanders coach jack capuano said of bishop we had a lot of chances in the first period and he made some big saves when he had to but youre not going to win many games when you score one goal
the lightnings speed was a factor throughout the game tampa bay coach jon cooper dressed 11 forwards and seven defensemen but largely relied on his top three lines
the top line of johnson palat and nikita kucherov which had been broken up for stretches of the season caused the islanders problems in the neutral zone with johnson contributing two goals and an assist
the mercurial drouin a supremely talented forward who had spent much of the season in the minors was a forceful presence contributing a goal and an assist
lightning defenseman victor hedman supplied a crucial power play goal 12 minutes into the second period on a blast from the point that caromed off defenseman calvin de haan and past greiss the goal inspired the lightning who peppered greiss with 14 shots in the period
it was much of the same in the third period as the lightning kept the islanders bottled up in their own zone for long stretches limiting them to just three shots and few second chance opportunities in the final two periods the lightning outshot the islanders by 26 8
this was one we absolutely needed cooper said i would think they came down here probably saying if we could split its all good for us now theres pressure on us to go up there and win one
the series heads to brooklyn for game 3 on tuesday night when the islanders hope an enthusiastic barclays center crowd will provide a lift
as the games go on the intensity picks up the more you battle each other the blood starts to boil islanders center john tavares said our crowd has always been a big boost for us so were looking to feed off them play with some controlled emotion and come out hard with energy


sankhu nepal   as the anniversary of nepals devastating earthquake came and went last week tilakmananda bajracharya peered up at the mountainside temple his family has tended for 13 generations wondering how long it would remain upright
the temple walls which shook violently for more than a minute during the earthquake are now split by fat snaking cracks rescue workers braced the buildings sides with wooden planks last year said mr bajracharya the temples priest but they will snap as soon as the next large earthquake hits
nothing will remain he said we will live with the consequences
seeing the face of a foreigner last week the priest brightened many people here pin their hopes on promises of foreign aid after the disaster images of collapsed temples and stoic villagers in a sea of rubble were beamed around the world and donors came forward with pledges of 41 billion in foreign grants and soft loans
but those promises so far have not done much to speed the progress of nepals reconstruction effort outside kathmandu the capital many towns and villages remain choked with rubble as if the earthquake had happened yesterday the government hampered by red tape and political turmoil has only begun to approve projects nearly all of the pledged funds remain in the hands of the donors unused
the delay is misery for the 770000 households awaiting a promised subsidy to rebuild their homes because a yearly stretch of bad weather begins in june large scale rebuilding is unlikely to begin before early 2017 consigning families to a second monsoon season and a second winter in leaky shelters made of zinc sheeting
veterans of immense relief efforts in haiti and after the 2004 indian ocean tsunami say it is normal for spending to remain low for the first year after a disaster then ramp up gradually after detailed surveys and construction standards are in place and since the earthquake which killed almost 9000 people other problems have besieged nepal including violent protests over the passage of a new constitution and a blockade of fuel imports from india that lasted four and a half months
still some visitors who came here to assess the reconstruction expressed shock at how little had been done in march a german lawmaker dagmar wohrl publicly warned nepals leaders that private donations to foundations and nongovernmental organizations would no longer be available if nepal did not use the aid soon she said it was the first time in her seven years as the head of parliaments economic development committee that she had given such a warning
i had the feeling that someone has to raise a voice and give an input from outside because time is running out ms wohrl said in an interview it does not help a single nepalese if there are millions of dollars of donation money on charity accounts the money has to be invested now
others urged patience saying the effort had shown signs of picking up steam
compared to where we were six months ago said renaud meyer country director for the united nations development program weve moved at thunderstorm lightning speed
sites like the ancient battered town of sankhu were a major reason foreign donors came forward so readily just before noon on april 25 the earthquake with a magnitude of 78 sent century old brick buildings crashing into the streets crushing 45 people and destroying 1200 homes centuries old temples sacred to hindus and buddhists tumbled down the hillsides
mr bajracharya the priest recalled struggling to stay on his feet as the ground beneath the bajrayogini temple lurched violently and then scrambling out of the complex to get clear of a storm of falling bricks
i myself surrendered he said i concluded that i was not going to live
relief efforts kept pace during the weeks after the disaster when half a million homeless families received about 140 in emergency aid the good will reached sankhu by summertime a foreign country had promised 570000 to rebuild bajrayogini and surrounding structures said christian manhart who represents unesco the united nations cultural heritage agency in nepal
that early progress then halted leaders swung their attention to the fast track adoption of the countrys first constitution and its division of power infuriated ethnic communities in the south bloody clashes between protesters and the police ensued and indian border crossings shut down leading to acute shortages of fuel and building supplies parliament did not pass a law creating the national reconstruction authority until december
by then friction had begun mounting between the government which preferred foreign grants to be deposited directly into its budget and donors who complained of excessive red tape and often preferred to work through nongovernmental organizations until april the government refused to allow international organizations to use their funds to begin building permanent housing saying it wanted to control the standards
we are always dancing a little bit on the volcano mr manhart said of international donors we have the feeling we should assist the government in doing the reconstruction in a better way but on the other side is inherited sensitivity not to intervene too much
in january mr manhart said the country that had promised to rebuild the bajrayogini temple informed unesco that the grant had been withdrawn because of budget cuts he would not identify the country he said that unesco had found a new benefactor but that the slow pace of work had clearly tempered donors enthusiasm
the nepali authorities say they must maintain control over the actions of nongovernmental organizations and foreign donors bhishma k bhusal an under secretary of the reconstruction authority said some nongovernmental organizations had used relief funds to distribute bibles and qurans and the gita when the people needed food and shelter other donors he said sent costly but unnecessary aid like sniffer dogs and unusable helicopters
we didnt want to make nepal like haiti where more than 14 billion has been spent but still people are living in tents he said
mr bhusal acknowledged that the reconstruction agency remained weak with more than half of its 208 positions unfilled because civil servants were refusing to accept transfers to an overloaded much criticized division the agency is struggling to spend its own largely foreign funded budget before the end of the fiscal year and the office has a ghostly feeling with rows of empty cubicles and some swivel chairs still wrapped in plastic
we dont sleep more than four hours a night he said
reconstruction spending was set to increase steeply mr bhusal said as 329000 homeless families   promised a sum of 200000 rupees or about 2000 for rebuilding   receive a first payment of about a quarter of that sum
word of this has not reached the residents of sankhu many of whom remain crowded in metal sided enclosures
it has been a horrible year said anju shrestha 36 whose shed stands on a site that once held a three story brick house
a neighbor kanchhi shrestha guessed her age at about 75 based on a major earthquake that occurred two years before she was born she pulled her skirt up to show feet splotchy with raw sores
i will die in this shelter if they do not give me money she said i have nothing to eat
however she added it would be inappropriate for a person like her to demand assistance from nepals government
we cannot scold the government she said if the government provides we will fold our hands and tell them you are god 


nairobi kenya   at least 10 people have died after an apartment building collapsed in heavy rains here in the capital kenyan officials said on saturday
it is the rainy season in nairobi and rain has soaked the city for much of the past week the building crumbled during a torrential downpour on friday night and emergency workers continued to dig through the rubble on saturday evening searching for survivors
cheers erupted as rescue crews pulled from the rubble dazed people who were covered in the gray powder of cheaply made concrete blocks a common building material here one rescued man said more people were trapped inside the building bystanders said they could hear childrens cries several dozen people are still missing
red cross officials said the buildings location in a crowded lower income area made it difficult to use bulldozers or other heavy equipment to remove debris leaving the task to security officers and volunteers using light power tools and their hands
kenyan officials said the building which was at least six stories tall and contained several dozen apartments was built illegally too close to a river
the owner of the building the architect and the engineers who were involved in the construction will have to be arrested and charged said kenyas interior minister joseph ole nkaissery according to the website capital fm they must be brought to book
many buildings in kenya are built illegally without proper permits or permission from the local authorities and during the rainy season when water sluices through poor neighborhoods many shoddily constructed buildings have collapsed because of erosion
some residents of the building that collapsed on friday said they felt it shake violently before it went down
also on friday in another area of nairobi four people were killed after a large wall broke apart in the heavy rains


nairobi kenya   what do you do when you have more than 100 million worth of ivory sitting around just collecting dust
you burn it of course
that is what kenya did on saturday when president uhuru kenyatta lit a huge pyre of elephant tusks as a way to show the world that kenya is serious about ending the illegal ivory trade which is threatening to push wild elephants to extinction
no one and i repeat no one has any business in trading in ivory for this trade means death   the death of our elephants and the death of our natural heritage mr kenyatta said
in the past few years heavily armed poachers using military tactics have wiped out tens of thousands of elephants across africa many of the tusks enter an underground pipeline to asia especially china where ivory is used to make eyeglass frames combs statuettes and other trinkets
wildlife experts say the street price of a kilogram of ivory is around 1000 on saturday kenya set alight 105 metric tons of ivory   its stockpile of confiscated and recovered tusks it was the most ivory ever destroyed at one time representing 6000 to 7000 dead elephants
at current prices and without including the rhino horns also burned that is a 105 million bonfire
richard leakey one of kenyas leading conservationists said he was humbled sad and encouraged
we shouldnt have to burn 105 tons of ivory and 15 tons of rhino horn he said it is a disgraceful shame this continues
this was not the first time that truckloads of tusks had been burned mr leakey presided over a large ivory bonfire in kenya in 1989 since then many other countries have done the same to make the statement that ivory is worthless   unless it is on an elephant
for the first time in days a pale blue sky stretched over nairobi heavy rains had soaked the city in the past week causing deadly floods
but the mountains of ivory even though they had been sitting out in the rain went up fast minutes after mr kenyatta stuck a flaming torch inside one of the pyramids of tusks columns of gray smoke curled out wafting up toward the evening sky


nyunzu democratic republic of congo   deep in the forest miles from any major city lies an abandoned cotton factory full of the dispossessed
there is no police force guarding it no electricity or running water inside no sense of urgency or deep concern by the national authorities to do much about it
instead as the days pass hundreds of displaced people make cooking fires or sit quietly on the concrete factory floor dressed in rags they stare into space next to huge rusted iron machinery that has not turned for decades they are members of the bambote a marginalized group of forest dwellers who are victims of one of the obscure little wars that this country seems to have a talent for producing
its like we dont exist said kalunga etienne a bambote elder
this is what the democratic republic of congo the biggest country in sub saharan africa and one that has stymied just about all efforts to right it has become a tangle of miniwars
more than 60 armed groups are operating in north kivu and south kivu provinces including a growing islamist insurgency whose fighters have hacked hundreds of people to death beyond that there are remnants in the uele area of the lords resistance army a rebel group that specializes in abducting children and turning them into killers predatory rebels in ituri bakata separatists in katanga armed factions in maniema fighters in the nyunzu area and youth militias in the capital kinshasa
few nations in africa if not the world are home to as many armed groups even after billions of dollars in aid one of the largest peacekeeping missions in united nations history and substantial international attention over two decades congos government is incapable of providing the most elemental service security
fragmentation factionalization decay ungoverned space ungovernable space these are the terms used by aid workers and academics to describe congo today and it is likely to get worse
in the coming months congos president joseph kabila is constitutionally required to step down but he has shown no intention of doing so
mr kabila is vastly unpopular partly because of the miniwars but also because of the widespread belief that he has enriched himself and his family while ignoring the millions of desperately poor congolese there have been deadly protests against his attempts to sidestep term limits and extend his rule raucous demonstrations erupted on april 20 in lubumbashi one of congos biggest cities
though mr kabilas forces scored an important victory against one large rebel group the m23 in 2013 many other armed groups have splintered into dangerous pieces and new ones have recently sprung up like the militias in the nyunzu area that have killed hundreds
there are many reasons for this but the most widely cited are a pattern of impunity and increased local tensions over land and other resources other factors may be the governments poor record of integrating former rebels into the national army and its failure to establish control in areas where larger rebel groups used to operate which has created opportunities for new armed factions to take over
the worry is that the growing number of local conflicts will only intensify if there is an election related crisis which most analysts believe could happen
with that electoral gamble ahead we may see lots of things both in the kivus and elsewhere said christoph vogel a researcher at the university of zurich who specializes in congo
nyunzu a territory in the southeast a bone crushing days drive from lake tanganyika used to be safe many of the people who live here are members of the bambote one of several forest dwelling hunter gatherer groups in congo widely known as pygmies for their short stature the term pygmy is often used in congo and in other parts of africa although the forest dwellers tend to refer to themselves by the names of their groups
this is our first war lumbu baruani a bambote elder said with a sad shake of his head if it were up to him he said he would be in the forest hunting antelope or catching grasshoppers for a snack
according to several analysts it says a lot about congos state of affairs when a local war draws in members of a traditional hunter gatherer group
their existence is so dependent on cooperation said barry s hewlett an anthropologist who has spent decades researching hunter gatherer communities in central africa sharing and giving is essential to their way of life if there is a conflict even in the camp one of the individuals just moves
the war started the bambote say in 2014 what set it off was an extramarital affair
the elders in nyunzu said a man from another ethnic group the luba had impregnated a bambote woman this caused a scandal not least because the woman was married and inflamed tensions between the groups
for generations some men from the luba group have chosen brides from communities such as the bambote many elders complained that luba men had not shown enough respect to the womens parents
scientists believe that the few remaining hunter gatherers living in central africas vast rain forest were its original inhabitants their adherence to tradition has kept them far behind other groups in education and wealth at the same time they have maintained an unusual degree of harmony among themselves and with their environment
when the bambote elders confronted the luba adulterer he did not apologize instead the elders said he killed the womans husband setting off a wave of killings between the two communities
deeper problems were clearly driving the feud analysts point to long simmering conflicts between the bambote and the luba over issues like land rights and labor practices the local authorities in nyunzu said it had been customary for the forest dwellers to work for the luba as field hands for as little as 50 cents a day sometimes they were even paid in salt or cassava scraps
historically they have been exploited said pierre mukamba kaseya the head of nyunzus local administration all of a sudden it was as if they woke up and saw the light
for the first time anyone could remember the bambote banded together in militias and began attacking luba villages with torches and poisoned arrows the luba fought back
a wave of anger and violence rippled across the green hills this area is spectacularly beautiful the congo often imagined by outsiders   sharp hills surging rivers towering forests and lush paths that snake off the road into other worlds
but soon it was a gruesome killing field
some victims genitals were cut off other victims were skinned according to a human rights watch report one survivor heard members of a luba militia cry out we will exterminate you all this year
hundreds if not thousands of homes were burned so were many schools people fled in all directions
few if any guns were used   axes and arrows were the weapons on hand   but the government presence here is light to nonexistent hundreds were killed before the army arrived to intervene   which happens often in congo
the violence eventually cooled with the help of local officials showing that even if congos government is somewhat dysfunctional it is better than nothing
but thousands of people remain displaced it is hard to imagine a more fitting symbol for this country than a cavernous abandoned cotton factory built decades ago when there was working infrastructure now full of seized up machinery and hopeless people who have no other place to hide
we might be stuck here for years said mr kalunga the elder its a rotten life


supporters of president hassan rouhani of iran have won more seats in parliamentary runoff elections the iranian state news media reported saturday but they failed to win enough of the 68 contested seats to secure a majority limiting their ability to carry out significant political and social changes
the gains made by the moderates and reformists were not enough to decisively alter the balance of power in iran the presidents supporters acknowledged they added that political clashes between their lawmakers and conservative hard liners were bound to increase
expect a parliament with a slightly friendlier tone but also many political crises said farshad ghorbanpour a political analyst close to the government
after fridays runoff elections for races that were not decided in the first round of voting in february the reformists and moderate supporters of mr rouhani hold 122 seats in the 290 member parliament and the conservative hard liners have 84 the state media reported
independents   who are likely to side with irans conservative clerical leaders particularly the countrys supreme leader ayatollah ali khamenei on crucial issues   have 82 seats according to the results announced by the state media results in the contests for two seats were not available late saturday
because there is no party system in iran   all factions have to support the ideology of the islamic republic   candidates for parliament run as individuals that means alliances can shift because those who are elected are not bound by the constraints of party affiliation when they vote
mr rouhani had some disagreements with the departing parliament but they were minor compared with the open battles between his predecessor mahmoud ahmadinejad and lawmakers who impeached many of his ministers
reformists and moderates are hoping that their increased influence will help mr rouhani enact the modest political changes he has proposed including fewer restraints on internet use and more personal freedoms since he took office in 2013 he has faced resistance in parliament but even more opposition from unelected watchdog councils and the judiciary which is dominated by conservatives
the judiciary and the police recently ordered 7000 undercover police officers to patrol the streets and enforce morality standards regarding the way many urban iranians dress which conservatives say is not islamic enough mr rouhani complained about the move but he lacks the legal authority to oppose it his supporters say
conservatives expect that many of the independent candidates will vote with them one political analyst said with no group controlling a majority many decisions will be hotly contested
there will be many and intense discussions said hamidreza taraghi a political analyst close to irans conservative leaders making decisions will be more complicated


the nashville predators captain shea weber has a granite grip while his defense partner roman josi lends an elegant touch with just a hint of firmness two very different styles in the postgame handshake line one very big problem for opponents on the ice
defenseman cam fowler who locked hands with weber josi and the rest of the predators after they eliminated his anaheim ducks in seven games on wednesday had this to say about the challenges of facing the tandem josi plays hard and he competes but hes more positional using his stick and his skating webers the big body the bruiser the guy that can make you pay
josi and weber put their contrasting but complementary styles on display again friday in game 1 of their western conference semifinal series against the san jose sharks a 5 2 loss in the first round against anaheim weber tied for the team lead in points josi finished right behind him and both players continued to lead the predators in ice time they fell just short of becoming the third pair of defensemen in nhl history to finish first and second on their team in scoring during the regular season
they have everything ducks forward andrew cogliano said during the series they play good defense they can rush the puck up ice they have big shots from the blue line theyre as good as it gets theyre probably the best pairing in the league
fowler concurred if you were to separate both of them theyre superstars he said then you put them together   the chemistry they have is a pretty tough thing to handle
josi and weber skate together at even strength where they make plays consistently all over the ice on the penalty kill where webers strength and josis range are on full display and on the power play where josis mobility creates space for webers booming slap shot almost unanimously considered the hardest in the nhl
they are pretty much our backbone said nashville goalie pekka rinne who is second to weber in seniority on the roster they eat up a lot of minutes and they do a great job both ways offensively and defensively the last two years roman really made a name for himself this year he had 60 points shea has been an all star in this league for years now
in their 17 year history the predators had won just two playoff series in 2011 and 2012 before eliminating the ducks
weve been here for a long time and we havent gone too far in the playoffs rinne said after his teams 2 1 victory on wednesday its a great feeling and it was the first time for both of us going to game 7
the marriage of weber and josi on the blue line was forged from a bit of calamity the predators and general manager david poile were troubled by the departure of ryan suter webers longtime defensive partner who signed as a free agent with the minnesota wild in 2012 they experimented with different fits for weber an initial trial with josi lasted just five games
he was playing with suts for a lot of years so to play with a new partner takes some time josi said it was my second year in the league there were still a lot of things i could learn and do better
their reunion proved fruitful for the predators who this season saw the pair combine for 112 points a league best for an actual tandem they finished behind only san joses brent burns and marc edouard vlasic whose 114 points were tops for two defensemen on the same team
josi a stylish swiss player who conducts postgame interviews in multiple languages said that weber a rough and tumble western canadian had become not only a mentor to him at the rink but also one of his good friends away from it he lauded webers leadership by example in terms of his preparation attention to detail and consistent performance
weber said josi brought a unique dimension as a partner who could carve out room for him while providing a scoring threat of his own he also said it was a pleasure to see josi develop over time and that their personal relationship strengthened the chemistry between them
its a nice thing to have weber said you get to know each other out there and you know what each other are doing beforehand
their complementary games have raised the predators sights under coach peter laviolette he took over before last season after nashville parted ways with barry trotz who had been the only coach in franchise history weber and josi were both in the top 10 in average time on ice this season the predators play by play announcer willie daunic also noted on nhlcom that the quality of the opponents they matched up with was near the top of the league that they were frequently deployed on defensive zone face offs and that they often played behind defensive minded bottom six forwards
they are always drawing a heavy assignment out there laviolette said its never an easy job they feed off of each other
facing game 2 on sunday the predators now look to advance to the conference finals for the first time forward colin wilson had a redemptive series tying weber with 5 points after a disappointing regular season wing james neal provided a threat on offense as did the midseason acquisition ryan johansen whom the predators received in exchange for the promising young defenseman seth jones still they scored 14 goals in seven games including an empty netter meaning they had to lean heavily on rinne and a deep defensive corps
every time theyre out on the ice theyre difference makers making an impact each and every shift johansen said between the two of them they have so many different assets if were successful theyre going to be two of the guys we look at to carry a lot of the load


connor cook won more games than any other quarterback in michigan state history andrew billings was coming off a dominant season on baylors defensive line
it did not mean much in the nfl draft
cook watched as six quarterbacks were taken off the board before he was selected by oakland with the second pick of the fourth round on saturday in chicago and billings went to cincinnati at no 122 after it had looked as if he could be a first round pick
anytime you see another quarterback get drafted in front of you it hurts cook said im a competitor
oakland has derek carr who threw for 32 touchdowns last season but it traded up to take cook in front of dallas out of fear that the cowboys might be looking for a potential successor to tony romo dallas then selected a quarterback later in the round when it took mississippi states dak prescott at no 135
the 6 foot 4 cook set team records with 9194 yards passing and 71 touchdown passes for the spartans but questions about his 575 percent completion rate and his leadership skills pushed him down the board
billings a little over 6 feet and 300 plus pounds was another top name on the board coming into the day he led the bears with 15 tackles for loss
minnesota chose one of the drafts biggest wild cards when it took wide receiver moritz boehringer in the sixth round boehringer played in the german football league last season according to the nfl boehringer is the first player from europe drafted without having played in college
southern mississippi safety kalan reed is the new mr irrelevant going to tennessee with the last pick
long before reed and the titans closed out the proceedings the impressive showing for ohio state continued on the drafts third day linebacker joshua perry went to san diego at no 102 and quarterback cardale jones was drafted by buffalo with the last pick of the fourth
jones helped ohio state win the national championship in 2014 and perry made 105 tackles during his senior year with the buckeyes who had 10 players selected in the first three rounds a record for the modern era of the draft since 1967
after jones went to the bills the next quarterback off the board was stanfords kevin hogan to kansas city at no 162 baltimore drafted the navy star keenan reynolds in the sixth round but he is expected to transition to wide receiver after rushing for a division i record 88 touchdowns with the midshipmen
jacksonville continued its defensive focus when it selected notre dame tackle sheldon day at no 103 day had four sacks and two forced fumbles for the irish this season
the jaguars also selected three defensive players in the first three rounds including florida state cornerback jalen ramsey at no 5 over all and ucla linebacker myles jack in the second
baltimore used three of its five fourth round picks on offensive players kenneth dixon a running back from louisiana tech could be an immediate contributor after he rushed for 1141 yards and caught 34 passes for 467 yards as a senior
among the other noteworthy picks were some players with family ties to the nfl
wisconsin fullback derek watt the brother of the texans star defensive end j j watt was drafted by san diego at no 198 florida running back kelvin taylor the son of the former jacksonville standout fred taylor was selected by san francisco in the sixth round illinois guard ted karras who has numerous family connections to the league went to new england at no 221
the cowboys took the baylor basketball player rico gathers late in the sixth round gathers will try to make it in the nfl as a tight end
colts talking with luck jim irsay the indianapolis owner said that negotiations on andrew lucks contract extension were getting serious and that a deal could be reached before training camp
the obstacle does not seem to be money irsay has said he planned to pay market value for luck his franchise quarterback
falcons seeking free agents atlanta began recruiting undrafted free agents before the final round of the draft the falcons are emphasizing the recent success of undrafted free agents in making the roster and even starting


newcastle moved out of the english premier leagues relegation zone after a superb free kick in the second half by midfielder andros townsend gave the magpies a 1 0 win at home over crystal palace on saturday
townsends strike flew into the top corner from over 25 yards out giving his team an important win as it bids for survival
karl darlow saved a penalty by the former newcastle player yohan cabaye after a handball from papiss cisse
newcastle is now in 17th place which places the team provisionally out of the relegation zone
the team was 1 point above sunderland and 2 points above norwich after the three teams finished their matches on saturday
crystal palace remained 16th
a win by norwich would have bumped newcastle back into the relegation zone but a second half goal by the arsenal substitute danny welbeck kept norwich in 19th place and arsenal won at home 1 0 on a day of protest and division among the home fans
welbeck scored in the 59th minute after olivier giroud headed a cross for him in the center of the area
before that norwich had the clearest chances in the match with midfielder nathan redmond missing three first half opportunities
several hundred arsenal fans held up signs in protest in the 12th minute to signify anger and disappointment that it had been 12 years since the london club won a league title
arsenal provisionally moved into third
earlier a jermain defoe penalty at the end of extra time rescued a valuable point for visiting sunderland in a 1 1 draw with stoke
in birmingham west ham kept its top four hopes alive by downing west bromwich albion 3 0 west ham moved provisionally into fifth place ahead of manchester united west brom was 14th
aston villa was condemned to a club record 11th consecutive loss when watford scored two late goals to win 3 2 at home
everton ends drought leighton bainess first goal in nearly two years gave everton manager roberto martinez a much needed home victory as the toffees beat bournemouth 2 1 before an emotional crowd at goodison park in liverpool
martinez was under pressure after a run of seven games without a win in the league was followed by a loss to manchester united in an fa cup semifinal last weekend agence france presse
barcelona closes in barcelona scored two second half goals to defeat 10 man real betis 2 0 on the road and move closer to the spanish league title
the victory put barcelona back in first place after earlier victories by real madrid and atletico madrid
real madrid defeated real sociedad 1 0 on the road with a late winner by gareth bale and host atletico topped rayo vallecano by the same score with a goal by the french striker antoine griezmann
wins against espanyol and granada in the final two rounds of league play would secure barcelonas second consecutive title ap
around the bundesliga bayern munich was held to a 1 1 draw at home by borussia monchengladbach as borussia dortmund kept the bundesliga title race alive with a 5 1 rout of wolfsburg
bayern the defending champion would have claimed its 26th german title with a win
the team got off to a great start when thomas muller scored in the sixth minute but it paid for a lackluster performance when andre hahn tied the match in the 72nd ap


when david price chose to sign with the boston red sox he secured 217 million in future earnings and at least a few seasons of intense scrutiny from the boston news media he also ensured that he would continue to face the yankees so often that at some point he might start to feel like the star of the movie groundhog day
regular work against the yankees is nothing new for price 3 0 who has been a starter only since 2009 but has already managed 30 career starts against the yankees which is the second highest total among active players on sunday night he is scheduled to make his 31st start which would tie him for the top spot with james shields according to baseball referencecom if he were to remain in boston or at least in the american league east for the remainder of his career it is very likely he could catch frank tanana another lanky left hander for the most starts against the yankees in the divisional era
the notion of a rival players starting against one team over and over seems antiquated in the era of rapid turnover and interleague play but price who has played for the rays the tigers and the blue jays has made 186 of his 218 career starts for teams in the american league east no wonder he is so familiar with the yankees and to them
alex rodriguez acknowledged how much of a known entity the left handed price was to the yankees after he looked sharp against them in a start during spring training
same old david price rodriguez told reporters hes always tough hes always fun to face very predictable comes right at you every time
the comment was probably intended as a compliment but the mention of predictability seems relevant given that the results of all that familiarity have been a bit mixed while prices teams have won 19 of his 30 starts against the yankees with price getting the win in 13 of 20 decisions he has not been at his best
he has a 406 era against them well below his 302 era in his 188 starts against other teams he has managed 10 strikeouts in a start against the yankees just once and he has never thrown a complete game twice during the year he spent with detroit he gave up eight earned runs to the yankees in a start that lasted less than three innings
for the red sox who always seem to measure themselves against the yankees regardless of how well either team is doing against the rest of the league results like that are not exactly what they want from the ace of their staff but if the red sox win nearly two thirds of his starts it is hard to imagine even bostons fickle beat writers having an issue with his performance
to catch tananas record 52 starts against the yankees since divisional play began in 1969 would be hard but not impossible price has had as many as five starts a season against the yankees four times so if he stays relatively healthy over the course of his seven year contract an average of just over three starts a season against a division rival is achievable
illustrating how much statistics have changed as the game evolved however price would be hard pressed to set the record for starts against the yankees since the team was renamed from the highlanders in 1913
that mark belongs to early wynn who started 100 games against them during his 23 year career for the washington senators the cleveland indians and the chicago white sox wynn a hall of famer very likely did not have fond recollections about all of those starts however as his record against the yankees was 32 56


portland ore   the story of the los angeles clippers could be told through the misshapen face of austin rivers and through the hobbled gait of deandre jordan who punctuated his playoff experience with x rays on his right ankle more injuries more frustration it was the only way the clippers season could have ended
this one hurts rivers said friday night at moda center the left side of his face the color and consistency of an overripe plum
the clippers a perennial pick to surmount the misfortune of their sad sack and sometimes salacious past are out of the nba playoffs again knocked out this time by the overachieving portland trail blazers who needed six games to advance through the first round and into the western conference semifinals against the golden state warriors
perhaps the trail blazers can make things tough on the warriors who are still without stephen curry his sprained right knee another indication of the postseasons rigors but it was supposed to be the clippers   a team with the same core group of stars and the same expectations as in recent seasons and now coping with the same disappointment
you have to be willing to get your heart broken to be a champion coach doc rivers said and you have to do it over and over again
the clippers are getting good at that for the third straight year they made a hasty exit from the playoffs in 2014 amid the noise of the donald sterling fiasco and with an opportunity to take control of their conference semifinal series against the oklahoma city thunder the clippers lost a 7 point lead in the final 49 seconds of game 5 they bowed out one game later
last season the clippers took a three games to one lead against the houston rockets in the conference semifinals   and then lost the next three games
so perhaps nothing about the teams latest postseason fizzle should have been surprising except that the clippers truly did seem capable of doing some damage blake griffin was back after breaking his hand punching an assistant equipment manager outside a toronto restaurant chris paul was playing exceptionally well at point guard
sure enough the clippers won their first two games against the trail blazers but after losing game 3 the clippers absorbed back to back blows in game 4 when in a matter of minutes paul broke his hand and griffin reinjured his quadriceps with both stars gone from the lineup the clippers had little chance of getting past the trail blazers
before game 6 the players talked among themselves about returning to los angeles for game 7 as if trying to convince themselves that it was possible
we really had high hopes austin rivers said you see your leader go down and then you see your second leader go down   its tough
considering the circumstances the remaining players who were healthy enough to make the trip to portland for fridays game had reason to feel proud of themselves one late game lineup featured austin rivers jamal crawford paul pierce jeff green and cole aldrich who was summoned from the bench after jordan twisted his ankle
rivers meanwhile had returned in the second quarter after taking an accidental elbow to the face he finished the game with 21 points and 11 stitches as the clippers fell short 106 103 nobody on the team had been subject to more scrutiny than rivers the coachs son and he had trouble keeping his composure at his postgame news conference
a lot of people doubted me when i came to la a year ago he said his voice cracking people thought i was just getting a chance because of my father jamal was the one who   jamal believed in me man weve come a long way
in defeat and without their usual cast of stars the clippers somehow became more appealing to a broader audience of basketball fans widely known fairly or not for whining at officials and crumbling in critical moments these clippers played with resolve and uncommon toughness by the end of the game rivers could hardly see out of his left eye
it looked like he was in a boxing match crawford said
he was bleeding every timeout doc rivers said
i dont know what happened austin rivers said
it was also another reminder of just how difficult it is to win a title when the warriors were looking to wrap up their first round series against the houston rockets last week coach steve kerr pointed to the clippers bad luck as an example for his own team make the most of your opportunities kerr recalled telling his players because obstacles are unavoidable
the clippers face an uncertain summer while paul griffin and jordan remain under contract for next season crawford green and luc mbah a moute are among the players who are set to become free agents austin rivers has a player option crawford said he would prefer to remain with the team and doc rivers said he would like to keep the group intact
i like our team said rivers who is also the teams president of basketball operations the problem is we have a lot of free agents on our team and i think a lot of them are going to be attractive so we have to fight for our own first and then try to build from that point but were going to have a difficult time its going to be tough
if nothing else the clippers are familiar with tough situations few teams in the league have dealt with more they can only hope they continue to get better at navigating them


on april 19 2011 the los angeles kings and the san jose sharks were tied at 5 5 in game 3 of their first round nhl playoff series when the espn broadcaster john buccigross posted on twitter i got doughty and pavelski for my ot winners
with that act he started a tradition that now engages thousands of hockey fans as soon as a game heads to overtime
buccigross said it was a little game he used to play with barry melrose and ray ferraro when they were on nhl 2nite
our show didnt start until the last game finished and when theyd go to overtime wed throw a dollar on the table and pick a guy from each team and if your guy scored you got the extra two bucks and if none of our guys scored wed take our dollar back put it in our pocket and start the show
the show has been off the air since 2004 when he sent that message out on twitter he simply wanted to play the game again
it was like an instant scratch ticket buccigross said it was easy it heightened the experience of watching the game it gave you something to root for and it was a way to gamble without losing any money
but that first night he got enough responses from his legion of followers that he kept doing it as more playoff games went into overtime he randomly picked a few winners among the correct guesses the game winner was scored by devin setoguchi for the sharks
at the time he offered only retweets as a prize for being right
i noticed there was real currency in being retweeted and people used to get real mad at me when theyd guess right but i didnt pick them as one of the random winners   im talking real mad   but then they started getting really creative and including funny gifs with their disappointment tweet so i started retweeting some of those too buccigross said
twelve days later when alex ovechkin scored with 68 seconds left in regulation to tie game 3 against the tampa bay lightning and force the extra session buccigross gave the game a name and started using the hashtag bucciovertimechallenge tampa bay won the game on vincent lecavaliers overtime goal
now bucciovertimechallenge becomes an instant trending topic across north america anytime a playoff game or even a regular season game goes into overtime
most of the stuff i do happens by accident buccigross said im not that smart so if i come up with a good idea theres a very good chance i didnt even mean to do it i had no intention of creating a brand i just wanted to see if it could trend so it threw it out there
it caught on and thousands participated by the time the boston bruins won the stanley cup that year
buccigross thought maybe next year ill do t shirts he put the idea to his followers and decided to go for it
he figured he would just send them to the winners but as soon as he released the picture of a simple white t shirt with the hashtag across the chest he started getting messages asking how to buy them
demand was strong enough that he decided to sell them with all profits to be donated to hockey related charities at the end of the year that first year he had no website for his business so buyers would send cash or checks with their orders in the mail he raised enough money to donate 17000 to charities like defending the blueline the mario lemieux foundation you can play the travis roy foundation and hockey in harlem
in its five years the hashtag bucciovertimechallenge has been used nearly two million times according to twitter with the introduction of a website and an expanded product line that now includes hats and tank tops buccigross has been able to donate nearly 150000 and expects to add at least 50000 to that total this july
he has generated enough interest that bauer a hockey equipment manufacturer and tiqiq a ticket sales website offer prizes for the winners
buccigrosss social media enterprises have grown beyond the overtime challenge in 2013 he started using another hashtag cawlidgehawkey   inspired by the movie miracle   when he did the play by play of the ncaa tournament for the first time he added this to his apparel line with a t shirt and hats in various school colors
this year he introduced a shirt with the thinmints hashtag after the popular girl scout cookies that resemble hockey pucks a reference he often uses on sportscenter when calling highlights
buccigross stores his apparel in a room above his garage where he personally packages each order and prints the shipping label before taking it to the post office on an average day he will get up to 10 orders but there are days such as when he launches a new product when he will get more than 100 orders he will spend a whole day getting them out the door
with more than 300000 twitter followers he knows his reach is large but he also knows that he is reaching only a small slice of hockey fans
still there were more than 18000 tweets with the hashtag last sunday after game 6 of the series between the islanders and the panthers went into overtime in a first buccigross announced a winner on sportscenter that night buccigross said he happened to be working when it happened and thought it would be fun to introduce that twist because john tavaress goal in the second overtime was a series clincher
i love that people enjoy playing the game but the real hysterical part for me is when its trending he said with a laugh
its just a silly little game he added but as a hockey community weve been able to do some really great things because of it im just really so shocked by what its become


the mets surged late last season by mercilessly beating bad teams down the stretch they have done it again this season sweeping the lowly atlanta braves and the cincinnati reds heading into the weekend they will play the braves again this week at citi field and then head for san diego to meet the padres another last place team
the padres have had an unusual season they were shut out in each of their first three games and they have since been blanked three more times when they broke loose for nine runs on thursday they gave up 13 and lost to the giants who completed a three game sweep
in andy green at least the padres have a manager who should help them grow the padres who have not reached the playoffs in a decade gave green his first major league managing job last october
he is a star said tony la russa the arizona diamondbacks chief baseball officer who would know la russa a hall of fame manager noticed greens acumen while touring the arizona farm system in 2014 green   who like la russa had a brief major league playing career as an infielder   knew his bosss meager batting statistics
the first time i met him he asked me to introduce him to my team in double a green said recently and im like you really think you need an introduction hes got like all three world series rings   hes tony la russa
so i said to the guys if he needs an introduction you dont deserve the jersey thats on your back hes got more world series rings on his fingers than im guessing all of you have ever seen but theres really only one thing all of you need to know hes a career 199 hitter im a career 200 hitter so in this clubhouse you know who you need to be listening to 
green laughed as he told the story he played parts of three seasons with the diamondbacks hitting 199 from 2004 to 2006 he went 1 for 4 in four games for the mets in 2009 freezing his average at 200
after one more season as a minor league player green spent four years climbing the managerial ranks for the diamondbacks who promoted him to chip hales staff as the third base and infield coach last season
he knows how to communicate with people he knows how to develop relationships which then creates a trust factor where he can start to teach the game said diamondbacks shortstop nick ahmed who played for green in the minors hes very intelligent about the game he studies it he cares about it theres no arrogance about him he just wants to learn and get better
the padres have plenty of room to get better after a series of costly moves for veterans before last season the padres staggered to a 74 88 record two of the new stars   craig kimbrel and justin upton   did not return and while others like wil myers and matt kemp have been productive the padres entered the weekend with the national leagues second worst slugging percentage they also lost their no 2 starter tyson ross to a shoulder injury after one start
green cannot control all that but he said that he hoped he could at least influence the padres style of play
i want to be opportunistic he said every team has a weakness on the field and we should be able to take advantage of it we should play intelligent aggressive baseball thats why the fine details matter to me because thats how i want my teams to be defined
a road back to baseball
by the end jeremy sowerss body was screaming the message to him he needed to find a new line of work sowers chosen sixth over all by cleveland in the 2004 draft had lost one season to rotator cuff surgery and another to a torn achilles tendon he was accepted to business school at the university of north carolina in 2013 but he wanted to pitch just a bit more in an independent league to show that two years of rehabilitation had paid off
after about 50 innings my arm hated me sowers said it was everything imaginable just to get ready to pitch
sowers who was 18 30 in four major league seasons got on with his life after business school he went to work in a finance and strategy program at the walmart headquarters in arkansas the job offered a stable lifestyle but it was not for him
i started realizing i actually care a lot about this game sowers said when you do play the game you think this is normal because youre around it every day and these are your friends you grow up with these guys you spend tons of time in the clubhouse you have to treat it like its everyday life   but its far from it every now and then you need to take a step away and re remind yourself of how significant and privileged you are to get to play this game
playing was no longer an option but working was armed with a resume on the field and in the classroom   he also has an undergraduate degree in political science from vanderbilt   sowers landed a baseball operations internship with the baltimore orioles last season that led to a full time job as a major league operations assistant for the tampa bay rays
sowers spends the games in tampa bays video replay room and he was ready in the first week of the season when the rays won a game on a replay reversal torontos jose bautista was ruled to have slid illegally to break up a double play the first prominent application of baseballs new slide rules
the first meeting i went to they were basically coming in and saying ok new slide rule lets talk about this  sowers said any baseball person knew it was going to get interesting how this gets interpreted
sowers joked that in one game he was more valuable to the rays than he had been to the indians for whom he compiled 15 wins above replacement as calculated by the baseball reference website the rays manager kevin cash said he was happy to have him on staff
jeremys got a calmness about him cash said in that position theres a lot going on in the game theres an urgency to get a call right the umpires are waiting were waiting youve got to have that calm presence about you and jeremy definitely has that hes as smart as anybody in the room obviously and having played the game it helps
knowing when to stop playing   and how to stand out when he wanted back in   may have been sowerss smartest move of all
near miss for a catcher
last monday afternoon the chicago white sox posted their lineup for that nights game against the toronto blue jays a new catcher kevan smith would be batting ninth and making his major league debut
its awesome smith told reporters before the game and its going to be a great experience
before batting practice though his experience turned sour smith felt back spasms while the white sox stretched and he was scratched from the game smith was placed on the disabled list and has still not officially appeared in a major league game
smith had been hitting well at class aaa charlotte with a 345 average and two homers in eight games so he would seem to have hope of coming back but returning to the majors after coming so close is no guarantee smith 27 will hope to avoid the fate of larry yount
the houston astros called on yount to pitch the top of the ninth inning against atlanta on sept 15 1971 yount who had not thrown for a week while fulfilling a military obligation felt elbow pain while warming up because he was announced yount was officially listed as having played in the game but he was removed before ever throwing a pitch and never returned to the majors
a few years later though younts brother robin did play in the majors for the milwaukee brewers he ended up staying for 20 seasons collecting 3142 career hits and earning a spot in the hall of fame


jakarta indonesia   the densely packed houses along yogyakartas kali code river went from drab to a riot of reds blues yellows and whites
residents did not know who had paid for the elaborate painting job last year the yogyakarta press speculated that an unknown company had painted the houses so they would resemble the colorful favelas of rio de janeiro
it turns out the villages benefactor was philip morris international and its show your colors advertising campaign on the side of the gondolayu bridge that overlooks the settlements sits a giant picture frame with tag lines hung above it reading create your own story and go ahead
the village had been transformed into a giant advertisement for a brand owned by the tobacco company
the ads were another aggressive marketing attempt by an international tobacco company to gain market share in indonesia the country is the second largest cigarette market in asia after china and had the highest male smoking rate in the world   67 percent according to a 2011 survey   thanks in part to the popularity of pungent clove cigarettes
over the last decade it has become a last eden for tobacco companies facing declining smoking rates at home as late as 2004 international tobacco companies had a marginal presence in the indonesian market today led by philip morris international they control around 45 percent
yet that push has been met by an increasingly potent coalition of mayors health officials and antismoking groups that has scored some important victories
in one prominent example huge cigarette billboards that dominated the highways of jakarta the capital were taken down in 2015 as part of a move to ban outdoor tobacco advertisements by mayors around the country
many of the lobbying efforts that led to local regulations including in jakarta were substantially financed by the bloomberg initiative to reduce tobacco use the 600 million fund founded by michael r bloomberg the former new york mayor
the bloomberg initiative has designated indonesia one of its five priority countries and has donated more than 10 million since 2007 the initiative is largely focused on establishing local and regional tobacco control laws in a nation with a highly decentralized government structure
its a battle   like a war yayi prabandari a professor of public health at gadjah mada university in yogyakarta said of the clash between tobacco companies and tobacco control organizations
before the bloomberg initiative became active in the country nearly 10 years ago fewer than 10 cities had laws that restricted smoking in public areas according to the campaign for tobacco free kids which jointly administers the bloomberg initiatives grant programs in indonesia since then the group says more than 170 cities have passed laws heavily restricting smoking in public spaces
yet tobacco growing has deep roots here indonesia is one of the few countries in asia that has not signed the world health organizations framework convention on tobacco control which mandates strict limits on tobacco advertising and sponsorship
the bloomberg initiative has also created a backlash from smokers rights groups who portray mr bloomberg as a foreign oligarch determined to stamp out indonesias proud tobacco tradition
people who smoke today are stigmatized   were discriminated against said alfa gumilang the chain smoking secretary general of komunitas kretek a smokers rights group that accepts funds from the tobacco industry
the indonesian government relies on the tobacco industry for around 10 percent of state tax revenue although tobacco is not nationalized the government issues growth targets in 2015 the industry ministry released a road map for the industry calling for expanded cigarette production
in october president joko widodo visited the united states to promote american investment in indonesia while he was there philip morris announced a 19 billion expansion of its tobacco factories in the country   the second largest investment that mr joko secured from an american corporation during his visit
philip morriss success   it controls 35 percent of indonesias tobacco market through its local subsidiary sampoerna   ushered in a new age of foreign expansion in 2009 british american tobacco purchased bentoel a local tobacco company that is now indonesias fourth largest with around 75 percent market share
according to health ministry officials indonesias fragmented government ministries often work at cross purposes when tackling the issue
because of the difficulty of making sweeping changes to tobacco control laws nationally indonesia tobacco control advocates are increasingly pushing for changes at the local and regional levels where money from the bloomberg initiative comes in handy
dr theresia sandra a specialist in chronic lung disease at the health ministry credits the bloomberg initiative with helping local governments counter the influence of big tobacco the group builds organizations to balance against the strength of industry and opens local governments to the necessity of protecting their communities dr sandra said
in one national success the indonesian government with help from the bloomberg initiative passed a law in 2014 requiring manufacturers to put warning labels on cigarette packaging
the tobacco fight in indonesia the worlds most populous muslim nation even extends to the countrys most powerful muslim organizations and shows just how central the issue is for society and the economy
muhammadiyah indonesias second largest muslim organization became the first major muslim group in the country to issue an edict declaring that smoking is forbidden in all circumstances citing smokings devastating consequences to public health
the 2010 decision was significant muhammadiyah operates thousands of schools universities and hospitals around the country almost overnight those places became smoke free zones
but the indonesian media quickly pounced on a funding detail posted on the bloomberg initiatives website was a 393000 grant to muhammadiyah in 2009 according to bloombergs website at the time the grant sought the issuance and dissemination of religious advice on the dangers of tobacco use among muhammadiyahislamic institutions
critics accused muhammadiyah of seeking to unite muslim opinion against tobacco in return for the grant money
dr sudibyo markus who led muhammadiyahs health department at the time said there had never been any quid pro quo
meanwhile religious leaders affiliated with nahdlatul ulama muhammadiyahs main rival criticized muhammadiyah for supposedly bowing to bloombergs money but nahdlatul ulama which does not view smoking as forbidden in most circumstances receives funding from the foundation wing of djarum indonesias third largest tobacco company
the groups vice chairman maksum mahfudh said there was no relationship whatsoever between the funding and its decision that it would not forbid smoking he added that moving drastically against tobacco would impoverish the farmers and sellers who are grass roots people of nu
for now the two sides appear to have fought to a draw after steadily rising for a decade the smoking rate has plateaued according to the indonesian family life survey funded by the united states national institutes of health that was released in april
still philip morris international remains optimistic about indonesia in a february conference call with investors andre calantzopoulos the chief executive officer said indonesia remained a good bet
we remain optimistic about the profit growth opportunities in this key market thanks to its growing adult population and rising income levels he told them


mexico city   it has been a tumultuous final week for the five foreign legal and human rights experts who have spent more than a year examining the case of 43 missing college students
it began last sunday when the independent panel issued its second voluminous report on the case which raised further questions about the governments handling of the matter and challenged the authorities conclusions what followed were a series of dueling news conferences by the panelists and by government officials each accusing the other of playing with the truth and bringing the relationship between the government and the experts to a low ebb
but by friday with the panels mandate about to end and the experts preparing to leave the country the tone had shifted again now that we leave it seems like everybody likes us said francisco cox a chilean lawyer and panel member they express gratefulness
he added perhaps mindful of the frustrations accompanying the panels work in recent months we have to see if thats real
many in mexico question the sincerity of the governments gratitude and they fear that with the panels departure the country is losing its best chance of finding out the truth about the students disappearance
the 43 students undergraduates from a teachers college in ayotzinapa in the violent pacific coast state of guerrero disappeared one night in september 2014 amid violent confrontations with mexican security forces in the city of iguala the remains of only one student have been found
the mexican government under pressure from the students relatives invited the foreign experts to examine the case the panel   five lawyers and human rights experts from chile colombia guatemala and spain   began its work in march 2015
the relationship between the panel and the government which started well became more complicated and tense in september when the investigators issued their first report which found significant problems with the governments investigation
but the relationship took a bitter turn last week
the dispute focused on the events that unfolded on oct 28 and 29 2014 along the banks of the san juan river near the town of cocula the government has maintained that the students were murdered and incinerated by a drug gang and that their remains were dumped in the river but the foreign experts have said the available evidence does not support those conclusions
in the panels second report and in an accompanying news conference last sunday the experts questioned the propriety of a visit by investigators to the riverbank in october 2014 saying they apparently violated international investigative protocols
the experts screened video clips at the news conference showing tomas zeron the chief of criminal investigations for mexicos attorney general accompanying a detained suspect to the scene on oct 28 2014 the videos showed an investigator handling a bone fragment that was discarded after officials determined it was from a bird
the videos also showed plastic bags that resembled one recovered from the river the next day by investigators and contained incinerated bones including one that provided the only known dna link to one of the missing students
yet none of that days investigative activities were recorded in the case file the foreign panelists said suggesting at best poor detective work and at worst the manipulation or planting of evidence
the news conference seemed to be the experts parting shot before their mandate expired on saturday and it might well have been had mr zeron not held his own news conference on wednesday night to say his riverside visit was legal and transparent conducted in view of journalists and representatives of the united nations human rights office he did not explain however why the visit had not been recorded in the case file
the angered experts responded with another news conference on thursday morning they called mr zerons assertions a distortion of reality and said his actions on oct 28 violated minimum international standards they also said no united nations representatives had accompanied mr zeron to the riverbank that day
the week looked as if it might get even stormier but by thursday evening the attorney generals office had issued a statement saying it had opened an internal affairs inquiry into the actions of the government investigators
on friday the expert panel formally presented its second report to mexicos attorney general arely gomez gonzalez
ms gomez told the panel that the case was still open and that she would take into consideration each and every one of the panels recommendations mr cox said
even though the experts will be gone by the end of the weekend mr cox added they will keep an eye on the investigation
were going to call it as we see it he said


bubba wells waited until dennis rodman had jogged across the center circle before grabbing him near his shoulders rodman tried to wriggle free as play continued around them and the players grappled for a few seconds before a referee noticed and whistled a foul
wells walked away chewing gum smiling sheepishly
it was dec 29 1997 and the dallas mavericks had traveled to play the chicago bulls before the game don nelson the mavericks coach asked wells then a 23 year old rookie if he would be willing to help execute a curious new game plan nelson wanted to foul rodman repeatedly whether he had the ball or not to send him to the free throw line where he was shooting just 386 percent
it wasnt no big thing wells said last week
but in the years since it has become one nelson was pleased with his experiment that night   even though rodman made 9 of his 12 attempts from the line and the mavericks lost their 12th straight game nelson used the tactic often with shaquille oneal becoming his most famous target and it caught on around the league after all this time though it may finally have crossed a line
the tactic has become controversial for the way it seems to subvert the point of the game nba commissioner adam silver has called the tactic hack a somebody   a nod to its original name hack a shaq kiki vandeweghe the leagues vice president for basketball operations calls the plays off ball deliberate fouls whatever the fouls are called silver said last month that he hoped the leagues owners could come to an agreement over the coming weeks about how to outlaw the tactic before the 2016 17 season
as the league sees it things have gotten out of hand there were 420 deliberate fouls away from the ball in the regular season up from 179 in the 2014 15 season and 115 the season before that the league is officially tired of it
its not unanimous but theres clearly an emerging consensus both from the members of the competition committee and the owners who we made a presentation to at last weeks meetings that we need to address the situation silver said exactly what the new rule should be is still open for debate im hoping that between now and when the owners next meet in july we can create and form a consensus as to what the change in the rule should be
in 1997 though it was a newfangled tool that caused some bewilderment and delight and the local chicago television commentators calling the game between the mavericks and bulls did not seem to know what to make of it intentional fouling of shooters and ballhandlers had been part of the game for years but not this sort of persistent fouling of players away from the ball
thats holding on the defense the play by play announcer wayne larrivee said to his partner johnny kerr after puzzling over wellss initial foul thats 15 yards john
after wells fouled rodman a second time the two players chuckled about it after the third bulls coach phil jackson put his head down and laughed
does anybody understand whats going on here kerr said on the broadcast
rodmans patience eventually wore thin after getting fouled a fourth time he sank a free throw and stared right at nelson who smiled and offered him an apologetic shrug the crowd was restless too
everyone was astonished to see what was going on said tommy nunez a referee that night we understood the strategy as refs and so we dont care but it wasnt pretty it certainly wasnt pretty
as wells lined up to commit a fifth foul rodman tried to hide behind the baseline after inbounding the ball when rodman accepted his fate wells patted him on his backside you could tell he was getting a little bothered by it wells said of rodman he looked at it like a slap in the face what nelly was doing
after the game rodman said of nelson i respect him but that was a crazy crazy game plan
but to nelson   and the scores of coaches who have used it since   the plan was perfectly rational he said in an interview that he devised the move to use against teams we didnt have any business beating the bulls that season eventually won 62 games the mavericks lost 62
chicago that season averaged 108 points per possession on offense so if rodman missed one shot each time nelson put him on the foul line it seemed it would be a good deal for the mavericks on top of that it would keep the ball out of the hands of players like michael jordan and scottie pippen disrupting their overall rhythm and flow
that it backfired somewhat on the first night was all right with nelson i think it got his competitive juices flowing nelson said of rodman he ended up making them and spoiling the strategy but it was a good strategy
nelson was not discouraged he drew glares from many players over the years and seemed to relish them the tactic next garnered widespread attention in the 1999 2000 season on nov 7 that season against the lakers in los angeles nelson had his players foul oneal repeatedly whether or not he had the ball oneal finished 10 of 23 from the foul line jackson who had moved on to coach the lakers joked about nelson after the game the guys on the rules committee and he finds more ways to bend the rules than richard nixon did as president
the teams as it happened met again two nights later in dallas and nelson used the tactic again oneal shot 14 free throws and missed 11 the lakers who went on to win the title that year won both games but oneals irritation was plain
shaq was so upset he grabbed the tv in the visiting locker room and threw it in the shower nelson said which i thought was pretty funny
the issue has provoked heated debate over the last few seasons on one side are those who feel players and teams should not be pardoned for their horrid free throw shooting on the other are those who cannot stand to watch as a game comes to a halting stop when a player gets fouled over and over
even as the tactics proud creator nelson seemed to acknowledge that he had created something of a monster
i think as a fan if you weigh everything the rule should be changed nelson said it makes the game way too long
the league found this season that games that featured three or more off ball deliberate fouls took 11 minutes longer to play on average silver said it was important to the nba to respect the two and a half hour window that broadcasters set aside for games
from an aesthetic standpoint it can make the leagues entertainment product unattractive consider the sight on jan 20 when the houston rockets deliberately fouled detroit pistons center andre drummond over and over drummond a career 38 percent free throw shooter finished 13 for 36 from the foul line setting an individual record for missed free throws in a game
the league has expressed a philosophical objection too it goes against the spirit of the rule book vandeweghe said free throws are to compensate and deter fouls not to encourage them
the league would need to decide how exactly to discourage the move nelson like many suggested that teams subjected to an off ball deliberate foul should get to choose a player to take one shot and retain possession
wells now an assistant at southern illinois university edwardsville said he thought that the move should continue to be allowed that coaches should be allowed to strategize and scheme and for wells who played one season in the nba it provided a chance to play against one of the best teams of all time
so it was worth it even if he set a record that stands today fouling out of the game in only three minutes of play
you just want to get in the game wells said i played i had one shot scored it was a thing i could tell my kids about


dennis webb 22 is a forestry technician at big creek lumber in davenport calif
q you work in the family business what is that like for you
a my grandfather and his brother and their father and uncle started this company 70 years ago and i like the sense of continuity my family takes a lot of pride in working here besides this company my father owns a cattle farm at one point i wanted to be a cattle farmer
what is your background for this job
i studied forestry at california polytechnic state university and was a logger here during the summers i joined full time last june after graduating i want to become a registered professional forester but i need three years work experience i also need to pass a test on forest practices and rules in california
what will you be able to do when youre registered
ill be able to plan entire projects instead of working on pieces we work on our own timberlands and those that others own ill be able to plan where to build roads and how to protect streams and wildlife right now i do a lot of the legwork like marking trees to be cut drawing maps and helping to flag areas where we need to leave all the trees
what kind of trees do you harvest
california redwood and douglas fir which are often used in decks and outdoor furniture we selectively harvest our forests this means we thin each forest by cutting about a third of the bigger trees every 15 to 20 years leaving the others to grow redwoods actually sprout so when you cut one and leave the trunk more trees will grow from it you also want to select those that will help trees around it grow
what have you learned from working in the woods
if you pay attention you can learn something new every day its really remarkable certain plants will thrive in some environments and not others for example as trees grow they create more shade so shade tolerant plants will grow and others wont sometimes plants compete with each other too for water light and soil nutrients
whats a recent project you worked on
one we called the helicopter logging project we wanted to manage a remote area that has no roads into it we had to hike in to mark the trees to cut and then the loggers hiked in to cut them the only way we could remove the logs was to have a helicopter do it


miami   the military judge presiding over the sept 11 war crimes proceedings at guantanamo bay has said in a ruling that he will eventually lift his order prohibiting female guards from having physical contact with the five defendants while transporting them around the american base in cuba
but the judge col james pohl of the army also said he would keep the ban in place for six more months according to the order which was disclosed to the associated press on friday that is because of what he termed inappropriate public criticism of his ban by defense secretary ashton b carter and gen joseph f dunford jr chairman of the joint chiefs of staff during an october appearance before congress
colonel pohl said in his 39 page ruling that the disparaging comments by mr carter and general dunford could be viewed as creating the appearance that they were trying to influence the death penalty military commission for the five men accused of planning and aiding the sept 11 2001 terrorist attacks
these comments were entirely inappropriate the judge said they crossed the line senior military leaders should know better than to make these kinds of comments in a public forum during an ongoing trial
mr carter called the ban on women having contact with the defendants an outrage and counter to the way we treat service members in testimony to the senate armed services committee general dunford called the ban outrageous
colonel pohl said in his ruling that the extension of the ban by six months was meant to deter such comments and that he would consider ending it earlier if the senior officials took appropriate action the court does not take this action lightly he said
the judges ruling was issued thursday but has not yet been released defense lawyers disclosed its contents to the associated press a pentagon spokesman cmdr gary ross declined to discuss the order saying that it would be inappropriate to comment on a document not released to the public
lawyers for the prisoners said that contact with women unrelated to the defendants offended their muslim beliefs the judge acknowledged those beliefs but said the military had a superseding interest in being able to run gender neutral guard operations and to ensure adequate prison staffing he imposed the ban as an interim order in january 2015
the ruling applies only to the defendants in the sept 11 case they are held in a top secret section of guantanamo known as camp 7 and are moved throughout the prison by special escort teams most of the 75 other detainees are held under less restrictive conditions and have little physical interaction with guards
lawyers for the sept 11 defendants had argued that the issue was about more than religion they said in a hearing at guantanamo that the use of female guards to move them was traumatic for men who were subjected to extreme treatment at times of a sexualized nature that amounted to torture while in cia custody
walter ruiz the lawyer for defendant mustafa ahmed al hawsawi said he was disappointed that the judge intended to reverse his earlier decision he said some defendants would refuse to meet with attorneys or attend court sessions to avoid contact with unrelated women
this issue is not about women this issue is about legitimate religious and cultural sensitivities he said
the five defendants face charges that include nearly 3000 counts of murder in violation of the law of war and terrorism the dispute over the use of female guards is one of many issues that have delayed the case pretrial hearings are expected to resume next month


tens of millions of dollars siphoned from the federal reserve bank of new york a shadowy set of casinos in the philippines a large bank in bangladesh with creaky technology an unknown   and perhaps uncatchable   group of anonymous thieves with sophisticated hacking skills
what unites this curious cast of characters and enabled one of the most brazen digital bank heists ever is a ubiquitous and highly trusted international bank messaging system called swift
swift   the society for worldwide interbank financial telecommunication   is billed as a supersecure system that banks use to authorize payments from one account to another the rolls royce of payments networks one financial analyst said
but last week for the first time since hackers captured 81 million from bangladeshs central bank in february swift acknowledged that the thieves have tried to carry out similar heists at other banks on its network by sneaking into the beating heart of the global banking system
there are many banks out there right now saying there but for the grace of god go us said gareth lodge a payments analyst at celent a financial consulting firm
the admission that the attack was not a one time event in a developing country but perhaps part of a broader threat has thrust swift into a spotlight raising questions about how securely money is being moved around the world some financial security experts point out the swift system is only as safe as its weakest link
the attack also reflects a growing sophistication among digital criminals who for years have been breaching personal bank accounts and stealing credit card credentials the thieves in bangladesh may have spent months lurking inside the central banks computers studying how to steal the necessary credentials to gain access to swift
it is the digital version of the heist depicted in the movie oceans eleven said adrian nish head of the cyberthreat intelligence team at bae systems a defense and security company
the trend is moving from opportunistic crime to hollywood scale attacks said mr nish whose firm has analyzed the malware believed to have been used in the bangladesh breach
in the united states most banks take special precautions with their swift computers building multiple firewalls to isolate the system from the banks other networks and keeping the machines physically isolated in a separate locked room
but elsewhere some banks take far fewer precautions and security experts who have analyzed the swift breach said they had concluded that the bangladesh bank may have been particularly vulnerable to an attack
swift is a great organization said chris larsen the founder of ripple a financial technology company that aims to speed up global money transmissions but the system is fractured and antiquated the way it is set up you cannot totally isolate problems in a place like bangladesh from the whole network
in some ways swift is a testament to how technology has helped all countries   including poorer ones   gain access to the financial system but that broader access has a downside
the central bank in bangladesh by some accounts employed fewer protections against cyberattacks than many other large banks the bank for example used 10 routers and no firewalls according to news reports
the server software that the bangladesh bank employed was a swift product called alliance access which connects banks to the central messaging system in a sign of how seriously swift regards the breach of alliance access the group issued a mandatory software update last week to help its members identify possible irregularities
these hackers figured out this was a weak point on the periphery and they went for it said jeffrey kutler editor in chief at the global association of risk professionals a trade group but they were not able to compromise the core
swifts core is built on technology that has been evolving for decades what began in 1973 as a relatively small network of 240 banks in europe and north america is now a sprawling network of 11000 users that includes both banks and large corporations at first swift could be used to authorize payments across national borders but it is now also used to transmit messages related to domestic payments securities settlements and other transactions
swifts growth in recent years   it set a record for messages in march   reflects the increasingly global and interconnected nature of finance but it also shows the risk of so many financial instructions running through a single system made up of a patchwork of banks and companies with varying levels of online protection
each bank on the swift network is identified by a set of codes and it was the codes assigned to the bank of bangladesh that were recognized   correctly   by the federal reserve bank of new york when it transferred 81 million of the bangladesh banks money to the philippines not knowing that someone somewhere had stolen the credentials of the bangladesh bank and installed malware to cover his or her tracks
initially the thieves requested the transfer of 951 million into a handful of bank accounts in sri lanka and the philippines   a number that prompted the new york fed to ask the bangladesh bank to reconfirm that it indeed wanted to move the money
in the end the fed processed only five of the 35 fraudulent payment requests after it could not reconfirm with officials in bangladesh
the hackers seemed to time the attack perfectly when officials from the fed tried to reach out to bangladesh it was a weekend there and no one was working by the time central bankers in bangladesh discovered the fraud it was the weekend in new york and the fed offices were closed
to conceal the crime the malware disabled a printer in the bangladesh bank to prevent officials from reviewing a log of the fraudulent transfers
the money was transferred to accounts in the philippines and then into the philippine casino system which is exempt from many of the countrys anti money laundering requirements
the new york fed has been criticized for letting the 81 million slip out representative carolyn b maloney a new york democrat and member of the financial services committee has called for an investigation warning that the breach threatens to undermine the confidence that foreign central banks have in the federal reserve and in the safety and soundness of international monetary transactions
the new york fed said in a statement that there is no evidence that any fed systems were compromised and that the transfer of the money had been fully authenticated by swift
swift which prides itself on its secrecy and low public profile also put out a statement about the attacks but its executives declined to speak on the record about the episodes which are still under investigation the groups chairman yawar shah who is a senior executive at citigroup also declined to comment
in its statement swift emphasized that the hackers had been able to breach only some of the banks that communicate over swift not the network itself
the commonality in what we have seen is that internal or external attackers have successfully compromised banks own environments swift said
even if officials at the bangladesh bank had employed the highest of security measures the thieves displayed a level of skill cunning and determination that may have been able to penetrate a far more secure system
if you have an attacker who really wants to get in and knows there is a big prize mr nish said keeping them out over the long term is really difficult


philadelphia   a former philadelphia police sergeant has spent seven months in solitary confinement after being held in contempt for failing to unlock his computers in a child pornography investigation
computer privacy advocates argue that the authorities have no right to force the former officer francis rawls to unlock the encrypted files and potentially incriminate himself mr rawls has appealed the contempt finding to a federal appeals court
when can the government force you the device owner to help them put you in jail asked perry de marco jr the lawyer who initially represented mr rawls in the case
but federal prosecutors who have a search warrant believe the hard drives contain very graphic images of children engaged in sex acts
the case began when mr rawls caught the attention of a suburban philadelphia police department investigating online pornography the authorities seized his computer in march 2015 but could not unlock it months later mr rawls spent hours in a police forensics laboratory trying out different passwords before saying he could not recall a correct one
mr de marco won a contempt hearing in state court on self incrimination grounds but the authorities moved the case to federal court where prosecutors argued that a foregone conclusion exception lets them compel someone to surrender evidence when the authorities know it exists
a federal judge agreed with them and ordered mr rawls into custody for contempt in october
for many if not most americans our computers phones and other electronic devices contain a catalogue of information as diverse as the thoughts in our mind these devices and the information they contain define our familial political professional religious and sexual associations  kit walsh a staff lawyer with the electronic frontier foundation wrote in a supporting brief quoting a ruling by justice sonia sotomayor
ms walsh wrote that the authorities were forcing a cruel choice between self incrimination perjury or contempt   that the fifth amendment was designed to protect against only one other appeals court has had to tackle the issue she said
as a former police officer mr rawls is being housed alone for his own protection in the federal detention center in philadelphia the city where he rose up the ranks during his 17 year police career judges have refused to release him while the appeal proceeds
what is the length of time thats appropriate to keep someone in jail for that are there secrets on a computer that carry a year in jail or life imprisonment mr de marco asked
in a somewhat tangential issue mr rawlss sister contacted the police at one point to say she had seen him with pornography on a device mr rawls unlocked an iphone for the police who found adult pornography and did not file any charges
mr de marco said mr rawlss sister now estranged from him was angry that he had stopped supporting her
mr rawls has never been charged with a crime he was fired from the philadelphia police department last year
federal prosecutors have until may 16 to file their brief with the third district federal circuit court of appeals they declined to comment on the case friday
but in court papers they said they believed mr rawlss hard drives contain hundreds of very graphic images and video of unequivocal child pornography many of the children were toddler age
mr de marco said he had not seen evidence of that i would want some kind of proof of what was on the machine before i took a mans liberty for this length of time he said


fayetteville ark   harrison heffley played nearly every sport that caught his interest during junior high and high school from his dominant trade of baseball to basketball football and even golf
over the years heffley a senior from nearby rogers ark has seen and felt pressure from coaches for athletes to take part in year round single sport training just to earn playing time at the varsity level he has watched friends and opponents train outside school and hit the road with their travel teams chewing up weekends for months at a time
a hard throwing left handed pitcher heffley wasnt immune to this kind of effort either scheduling baseball workouts each week while playing other sports and often throwing late into the night at his schools indoor facility
luckily for heffley the message he received from his father has always been to have fun and play as many sports as he could
doing this and not doing the 50 games a summer thing as a kid definitely helped me not burn out said heffley who has signed to play baseball at arkansas i can tell when i play with some other people that my love for the sport is fresh and still growing
heffley is an anomaly in a world obsessed with sports specialization where academies charge tens of thousands of dollars in annual tuition to help children get better at football basketball soccer and more that gives athletes a better shot at a college scholarship the thinking goes and most agree that the multisport high school athlete is becoming a thing of the past
it is a trend that has come under particular scrutiny over the last year
notable figures including the ohio state football coach urban meyer the golfer jordan spieth members of the united states womens national soccer team and the baseball hall of famer john smoltz are among those who have publicly criticized year round specialization primarily for its suspected role in injuries but for other reasons too including pressure and burnout
after working at a high school with 600 students in las vegas larry chavez was taken aback when he became the athletic director at 2400 student cleveland high in rio rancho nm there he saw volleyball teams with 12 to 14 freshmen and as few as three seniors and soccer players so tired of the year round approach that they decided as seniors to try something else
to curb the trend toward specialization chavez enacted an incentive based program for multisport athletes beginning in 2014 freshmen and sophomores who participated in multiple sports received t shirts marking their achievement juniors earned a multisport patch for their letter jackets while seniors received a watch
the program cost the school 3000 to 4000 and chavez said it had been met with enthusiastic support from students
i just feel that with kids they only have one chance in high school they only have three or four years of high school experience chavez said and by them being forced by either high school coaches parents or club coaches to specialize so early i think its hindering their development and i think thats why theres such a high rate of burnout for our kids
despite the programs success this years multiple sport participants at cleveland high give a glimpse of what many believe is a national trend while 85 freshmen are enrolled in the multisport program the number dips to 62 sophomores 45 juniors and only 27 seniors
the michigan high school athletic association has created a task force to come up with practical methods of increasing multisport participation jack roberts the executive director said he hoped the task force showed that the issue of specialization was a public health crisis
if thats the case then we have to adopt policies and procedures that intend to reduce those pressures and protect young people roberts said aiming to do so by distinguishing the goals of school sports from those of their club sport cousins
we have to define what success means in school sports he said it might be different in all other levels by all other sponsors and weve got to keep beating that drum to at least try to neutralize all those other messages that parents and kids and coaches are getting
the notion that specialization is a health crisis has drawn the biggest headlines last summer smoltz became the first pitcher who had had tommy john surgery to enter the baseball hall of fame in his speech he said children were maxing out too hard too early and should simply be athletic and play other sports
research assessing whether sports specialization leads to more injuries is not common but this year timothy mcguine and colleagues at the university of wisconsin department of orthopedics and rehabilitation published research suggesting there is a link
according to the preliminary findings highly specialized athletes were more likely to report a history of knee or hip injuries blamed on overuse participating in a single sport for more than eight months per year appeared to be an important factor in increased injury risk
the study tracked the participation patterns of and injuries to more than 1000 athletes at 27 high schools across wisconsin including club and school sports the early results found the greatest instances of specialization in soccer volleyball and basketball and found that female athletes 39 percent were more likely to specialize than male athletes 25 percent
but it was the injury data that surprised mcguine with 49 percent of specialized athletes sustaining an injury compared with only 23 percent of multisport athletes
the numbers did not differ much for athletes who specialized but tried to reduce their risk by limiting the number of games they played in those low volume kids as mcguine called them 46 percent of the specialized athletes sustained injuries compared with 20 percent of multisport athletes
even the high volume multisport athletes some who played more than 100 games per year reported 15 percent fewer injuries than their low volume specialized counterparts
specialization is the biggest predictor of a previous lower extremity injury in these high school kids said mcguine who presented his findings in january at a meeting of the pediatric research in sports medicine society with members of the national federation of state high school associations in attendance
the specialization study is not the only one being followed by mcguine who is also tracking the effectiveness of headgear in reducing concussions among high school soccer players
however it is one he hopes to expand in the future giving parents coaches and athletes a better frame of reference when deciding whether to specialize at a young age mcguine knows the issue well having watched his three children each choose to take part in multiple sports throughout high school where things have become hyper competitive
specialization is not about getting a college scholarship anymore he said adding its about just getting playing time at their high school with their peers now thats the way weve made it and its a real shame


tempe ariz   doctors told jeff okrepkie and stephanie ottolini not to expect children though her cervical cancer had been in remission since 2012 the odds of conception were minuscule
so when ottolini became pregnant the couple wanted a special name for what they considered a miracle baby
girls names came quickly quinn arabella and olivia
boys names sparked tension with one suggesting a name and the other quickly vetoing it
during one contentious round of name swapping ottolini became irritated and suggested in jest to her fiance that they name him sparky after arizona states mascot
if thats the case we could name him patrick tillman okrepkie he responded
ottolini instantly scoffed at the idea then paused she did like the name tillman
okrepkie went to arizona state watched pat tillman play football from the student section and attended a memorial for him at sun devil stadium after his death ottolini was the daughter of an army sergeant so she had strong military ties
a nephew was already named after her father so tillman seemed like the perfect fit
it was kind of a serendipitous thing said okrepkie a commercial insurance agent in santa rosa calif it was a special birth and kind of inspired by strong personality by sacrifice
tillman bruce okrepkie was born nov 10 2015   11 years to the day after ottolinis father michael was killed in iraq
pat tillman lived his life with gusto attacking every aspect with a do it great or not at all passion
he was a fan favorite at arizona state and with the arizona cardinals an underdog morphed into a star by a relentless work ethic
tillman a linebacker turned safety became a hero to many when he walked away from a lucrative nfl contract and a new bride to join the army after the sept 11 2001 terrorist attacks tillmans death in the mountains of afghanistan in 2004   later revealed to be by friendly fire   struck even more of a chord
some parents became so inspired that they named their children after tillman many as a first name others as a middle name
theres such a connection to him here that if youve got a little dude and you want a different name that guy is the kind of guy you want to name your son to be like said the arizona state media relations director doug tammaro who remained friends with tillman after his graduation in 1997
many had ties to arizona state hearing tillmans story was enough for others
debra cummings was six months pregnant when tillman died not long after that her husband jack told her the babys name would be tillman there was no debate tillman was the name
debra cummings agreed to the name though she was concerned by the gravity of it
she said thats kind of a big name for a little kid  said jack cummings a real estate agent from manhattan beach calif
jack cummings had no ties to arizona state and was not a cardinals fan yet he felt a connection to tillman
his father was a colonel in the air force and cummings followed tillmans story   from the time he left the nfl to his funeral   he came to admire the unflinching way tillman lived his life
just the fact of what he was willing to give up what he was willing to leave behind to do something he believed in that was something i had never seen in my life before to that level cummings said
debra cummingss fathers name is jackson so they made a compromise their son could go by t j if the weight of his name was too much
tillman jackson cummings was born on july 24 2004 he prefers to be called tillman
alabama is full of bears and bryants named after the former crimson tide coach bear bryant texas is loaded with landrys after the former dallas cowboys coach tom landry
in arizona   at least outside tucson home to the rival university of arizona   tillman is a favorite
the united states census bureau does not have information on the number of people named tillman and it is impossible to know how many patricks were inspired by him
the pat tillman foundation which helps service members and their families earn degrees or complete certificate programs often gets word of people named tillman
the biggest collection of tillmans comes at the annual pats run the foundations main fund raiser
children who were named right after tillmans death are now old enough to participate in the full 42 mile run and their names have shown up more frequently as they have crossed the finish line the past few years
kids are getting to the age of 11 12 13 where people would have named them right away said tammaro who helps announce finishers at the race sometimes its a middle name but its not like jim or john or bob if youre named tillman and you live in this area you probably got named for him
the decision to name a child after tillman comes with an inherent responsibility
okrepkie and ottolini who will marry next april cannot tell their infant son that he is a namesake just yet but they will when the time is right
the cummingses began explaining for whom their son was named when tillman was 6 and started piecing it together as he talked to an army ranger who was a friend of his fathers now tillman cummings tells people he will be either a pro football player or an army ranger when he grows up
tillman cunningham has already embraced the legacy of his name
his father scott began attending sun devils games when he was 8 and once was taught by tillman at a football camp he admired the way tillman carried himself his dedication and sacrifice and he attended the sun devil stadium memorial after tillmans death
when it came time to name their son cunningham figured his wife jessica might take some convincing she was all in as long as they could use her fathers name with it
tillman james cunningham was born oct 3 2006
ive heard a lot about him like how he joined the army with his brother and all the stuff hes done tillman cunningham said its pretty cool to be named after such an american hero


our top heavy economy has come to this one man can move out of new jersey and put the entire state budget at risk other states are facing similar situations as a greater share of income   and tax revenue   becomes concentrated in the hands of a few
last month during a routine review of new jerseys finances one could sense the alarm the states wealthiest resident had reportedly shifted his personal and business domicile to another state frank w haines iii new jerseys legislative budget and finance officer told a state senate committee if the news were true new jersey would lose so much in tax revenue that we may be facing an unusual degree of income tax forecast risk mr haines said
the new jersey resident unnamed by mr haines is the hedge fund billionaire david tepper in december mr tepper declared himself a resident of florida after living for over 20 years in new jersey he later moved the official headquarters of his hedge fund appaloosa management to miami
new jersey wont say exactly how much mr tepper paid in taxes but according to institutional investors alpha he earned more than 6 billion from 2012 to 2015 tax experts say his move to florida could cost new jersey   which has a top tax rate of 897 percent   hundreds of millions of dollars in lost payments
mr tepper 58 declined to comment on his move he does have family   his mother and sister   who live in florida but several new jersey lawmakers cited his relocation as proof that the states tax rates up from 637 percent in 1996 are chasing away the rich florida has no personal income tax
if youre making hundreds of millions of dollars and youre paying close to 10 percent to the state of new jersey you do the math said jon bramnick the republican leader in the new jersey assembly you can save millions a year by moving to florida how can you blame him
beyond the debate on taxing the rich mr teppers move is a case study in how tax collections are affected when income becomes very highly concentrated with the top tenth of 1 percent of the population reaping the largest income gains states with the highest tax rates on the rich are growing increasingly dependent on a smaller group of superearners for tax revenue
in new york california connecticut maryland and new jersey the top 1 percent pay a third or more of total income taxes now a handful of billionaires or even a single individual like mr tepper can have a noticeable impact on state revenues and budgets
california had to account for a facebook effect in 2012 and 2013 after that companys 2012 initial public offering of stock the offering generated more than 1 billion in revenue   much of that from the chief executive mark zuckerberg and a small group of company shareholders washington dc had an unexpected 50 million gain in its 2012 fiscal year   which helped create a budget surplus   after the death of a local billionaire increased its estate tax receipts
some academic research shows that high taxes are chasing the rich to lower tax states and anecdotes of tax fleeing billionaires abound but other studies say there is little evidence showing that the rich move solely for tax purposes millionaires and billionaires who move from the high tax states in the northeast to florida for instance may be drawn by the sunshine lifestyle and retirement culture in addition to lower taxes
while some high earners may be moving for tax reasons new jersey new york california and other states are replacing rich people faster than they are losing them new jersey had 237000 millionaires in 2015 compared with 207200 in 2006 according to phoenix marketing international a research firm new york added 69500 millionaires from 2006 to 2015 to 437900 while california added over 100000 millionaires to 772600
the best solution to the mega taxpayer dilemma some tax experts say is for states to do a better job of tracking and forecasting the incomes of their top earners since the rich are the most mobile and are able to manage their investments just as easily in miami as in manhattan states are devising new ways to monitor their top taxpayers and keep them from leaving
in a time of rising inequality im not sure the right answer is lowering taxes or making them less progressive said kim s rueben senior fellow of the urban brookings tax policy center at the urban institute its more about keeping an eye on people seeing where they are and enforcing the tax rules
connecticut home to several hedge fund billionaires now tracks the quarterly estimated payments of 100 of its top earners kevin b sullivan commissioner of the connecticut department of revenue services said about five or six of the highest earners could have a measurable impact on the revenue stream
mr sullivan said that when one of the states rich hedge fund executives planned to move his family and company to a lower tax state state officials met with him and persuaded him to leave some of his work force in connecticut
we knew we were going to lose him mr sullivan said but we wanted to keep some of the higher paying jobs he said the state worked out a deal to keep the jobs in exchange for an agreement about the owners regular visits to family and friends in connecticut homeowners who spend more than 183 days in the state are considered residents for tax purposes he said the state was holding discussions with other top earners in hopes of keeping them
im not saying were sending fruit baskets and get well cards said mr sullivan a former democratic legislator but were trying to send a more welcoming message to the high earners as a group
new york is now more closely monitoring wealthy taxpayers who have homes in new york but claim florida as their tax residence and new jersey is collecting data on all of the taxpayers who make more than 1 million to forecast their tax payments more accurately
in california 5745 taxpayers earning 5 million or more generated more than 10 billion of income taxes in 2013 or about 19 percent of the states total according to state officials
any state that depends on income taxes is going to get sick whenever one of these guys gets a cold mr sullivan said
hence new jerseys concern over mr teppers departure whatever the reasons for his move he is leaving for florida at an especially opportune time for tax savings many hedge fund managers have for years used a tax loophole that allowed them to defer taxes on fees they earned through the use of offshore funds a 2008 federal tax rule however requires them to declare those fees by the end of 2017 and pay any necessary federal state and local taxes
for some hedge fund managers the amounts declared will probably be in the billions of dollars accountants say a spokesman for mr tepper declined to comment on his overseas income by moving to florida mr tepper could avoid paying state income taxes on any such funds
if hes bringing money back youre talking about a big possible gain mr bramnick said so its a good time to move to florida
mr tepper regularly topped state wealth rankings as new jerseys richest resident he also has homes in miami beach and the hamptons in 2012 and 2013 he also topped alphas list of the highest earning hedge fund managers with estimated earnings of 22 billion in 2012 and 35 billion in 2013 his earnings fell to 400 million in 2014
mr tepper never publicly announced his move to florida but it became public on april 5 when mr haines citing a bloomberg report mentioned mr teppers move in his remarks to the state senate budget and appropriations committee in discussing the move mr haines said even a 1 percent forecasting error in the income tax estimate is worth 140 million
mr teppers payments may have even been higher if mr tepper earned 35 billion in 2013 his state tax bill could have been over 300 million according to new jersey accountants granted his actual payments were probably far lower because of deferred income charitable deductions and other accounting treatments yet mr hainess comments are believed to be the first time a state official has warned of a budget risk because of one residents relocation
weve had states mention risks from high income groups but never from a single taxpayer ms rueben of the tax policy center said


aleppo syria   on the edge of aleppos ancient citadel zahra and her family squatted in a once grand apartment now facing rebel lines plastic sheets covered its tall windows to shield the space from a snipers view shelling boomed in the distance
zahra 25 who gave just one name flicked between two photos on her phone the first showed her husband a syrian army soldier and the father of her unborn child seven months she said touching her belly
in the second her husband was splayed on the ground blood trickling from his nose two other fallen soldiers lay beside him he died two weeks ago
may the men who did this also die she said with quiet determination
four years of war has hardened hearts in aleppo a divided city and for the past week the scene of merciless fighting
a fragile truce brokered by the united states and russia has crumbled in syria leading to the worst violence in months russian fighter jets roar through the sky pounding targets in rebel held areas the rebels send barrages of mortar rounds and homemade missiles that land in crowded neighborhoods the war has stoked sectarian tensions and become a proxy battle for regional and global interests
most fatalities are civilians   at least 202 in the past week about two thirds in rebel controlled eastern areas and the remainder in the government held west side according to groups that monitor casualties the violence shows a monstrous disregard for civilian lives the united nations human rights chief zeid raad al hussein said friday
one of the worlds oldest inhabited cities aleppo has for centuries been known as the crossroads of empires with ottoman armenian jewish and french influences today the only way in on the government side is via a lonely road that cuts through hostile territory a bumpy tarmac strip lined with deserted villages and isolated government outposts
i was traveling with my translator and a syrian government minder traffic moved at a brisk pace syrian rebels held territory to the east of the road and islamic state militants held it to the west
our first sight of aleppo was its ravaged southern neighborhoods   a vista of devastation that has become a familiar image of syrias multiyear conflict
like many war zones other parts bustled with a semblance of normalcy traffic officers directed vehicles laughing children poured out of schools and shoppers crowded in stores that sold food and artisanal perfumes people seemed strangely immune to the background beat of explosions   thuds crashes and bangs   that provide a deadly metronome to their daily existence
that phlegmatic attitude though is little more than a form of war weary roulette whistling death in the form of mortar rounds and rockets can fall from the sky in any corner of the city at any time during our first dinner in an upmarket restaurant we were jolted by the whoosh of a departing rocket its engine thrumming for seconds before it launched apparently from a nearby park
the old citys sprawling medieval souk considered one of the arab worlds finest   and a unesco world heritage site   is now a wasteland down a deserted street a woman in fatigues sat in a bunker boasting of how she once cared for tigers for a living at the aleppo zoo the woman who goes by a nom de guerre rose abu jaffer produced photos of herself being nuzzled by a lion holding a python around her neck standing beside a bear and allowing a tiger cub to press two paws against her head
thats sweetie she said pointing to the cub my baby
her nine year career as a zookeeper was cut short when the rebels occupied the zoo four years ago prompting her to join the fight she said now she is a frontline fighter
the nearest rebel position was about 100 feet away she said   quiet for now but unlikely to last they only dare come out at night she said they are like bats cowardly bats
a shell crashed into a nearby building with a deafening bang a vehicle careered down the street driven by another soldier ms jaffer did not flinch but advised my translator and me to move on
although syrias revolt started as a protest against the authoritarian government of president bashar al assad whose family has ruled syria for 46 years it has stirred sectarian tensions and century old historical grievances most of the citys armenian population known for its goldsmiths has fled to europe or canada many of those who remain are staunch supporters of mr assad whom they see as their only hope against islamist fighters who would never let them live in peace
the rev iskander assad a greek orthodox priest lives in maidan a frontline neighborhood that is now half deserted a day earlier a mortar round slammed into his home punching a hole in the roof his wife had been crying all night he said but he was not interested in sympathy
sorry is no good he said we need a solution sorry solves nothing
father assad led the way up five flights of stairs to his top floor apartment the truce was a mistake he said referring to the crumbling cease fire as he surveyed a room strewn with dust and broken masonry
what have we gotten out of it he asked the terrorists have now come in bigger groups with more sophisticated weapons these people are mercenaries it gave them time to regroup and now it is we who are suffering   not them
neither side has a monopoly on suffering or blame in syrias grinding war
mr assad the president faced new accusations of war crimes after airstrikes hit al quds hospital on the rebel side of aleppo on wednesday night by friday rescuers said they had pulled 55 bodies from the rubble including 29 children and women some of whom had been in labor according to one aid group doctors without borders which had been supporting the hospital denounced the bombing as outrageous
residents in government controlled areas have learned to fear the hell cannon an improvised form of rocket fashioned from modified propane gas cylinders and packed with explosives and metal objects that is used by some insurgent groups including those that receive american assistance
both sides have been ravaged by bombardments although only the government has fighter jets and helicopters at its disposal which have reduced broad swaths of rebel territory to rubble
disregard for civilian life is universal on thursday after the hospital attack rebel rockets rained on virtually every district of government controlled aleppo in a fierce barrage that claimed dozens of casualties taxis and ambulances screeched to a halt outside the citys al razi hospital as desperate relatives rushed bloodied and dust covered people many of them children into the emergency ward
the next day government forces hit three medical facilities in the east of the city
some residents on the government side accuse the united states and its allies of selective outrage turning a blind eye to the excesses of allies like qatar saudi arabia and turkey
the security council has double standards said the rev ibrahim nsier a presbyterian pastor they dont see our victims they ask for democracy in syria and they dont see dictatorship in saudi arabia and qatar
no one is quite sure how many of aleppos prewar population of over two million people are left many have already fled to europe lebanon or other parts of syria those who remain scrape by on makeshift systems for electricity and water any escalation in fighting brings the potential for a humanitarian disaster warned valter gros who heads the international committee of the red cross in aleppo
its very heavy these days he said everyone feels it in different ways
mr gros who is originally from bosnia said he could relate to the apparently calm demeanor of aleppans in the streets
its bizarre to hear mortars in the distance when there are kids playing basketball outside the window of my office he said but people try to be normal to be alive when your coping mechanism is swamped it makes you insensitive to things that people in the west would look on with horror they get used to it   and thats the scary thing
our interview ended when a mortar round crashed into a nearby street rattling the windows of mr gross office he moved us and his staff members into a safe area in the center of the building   the old turkish consulate   where we waited for 10 minutes but as soon as we ventured out another explosion rang out
some aleppans are determined to press on with life hours later about 100 young men gathered at a restaurant for a raucous wedding party the evening sun streamed through the glass walls as the partygoers many dressed in lounge suits ate from fruit platters smoked water pipes and danced the dabke a traditional folk dance   unable to hear over the music the occasional boom of explosions outside
there is war and then there is life said omar hretani 21 a business student and the best man we have two hearts in this country   one for sorrow and one for happiness everything has its own story
the restaurant is called matryoshka after the russian nesting dolls in a nod to the citys long trading ties with russia after four years of war aleppans had learned to get on with life said the manager nadim bsata 27 who had himself become engaged the night before
an hour later though there was a reminder of the perils of mr assads hardfisted rule a squad of black clad military intelligence men pulled up outside the restaurant grabbed mr bsata by the shirt and remonstrated with him for allowing his customers to sing and dance on a day that had brought so much violence
the conversation moved to a table on the terrace where mr bsata assured the commanding officer that he fully supported the soldiers i dont want to let terrorists destroy the city he said you must kill them and let us live
apparently satisfied with the answer the commanding officer kissed mr bsata on both cheeks and left upstairs the wedding party resumed and continued into the night   even as bombs continued to drop into the streets some quite near matryoskha


as hillary clinton begins to look past senator bernie sanders to a possible general election campaign a new ad she began running this past week pays mr sanders a high compliment
it is unmistakably an homage to mr sanderss america ad which featured the music of simon and garfunkel mrs clintons commercial called love and kindness showcases the rich harmony of andra day a singer nominated for a grammy for her single rise up urging listeners to spread a little hope and love now
notably many of the glimpses we get of mrs clinton are from behind or over her shoulder keeping the focus on the people she is engaging with   as if to say her campaign is about them not about her
as ms day croons the camera follows a smiling mrs clinton from backstage to the forefront of several joyful campaign events which flicker by in and out of focus she doles out high fives exchanges hugs and never stops grinning broad platitudes in big block letters urge voters to break down barriers so we can all rise together
as ms day sings well walk it out together now the commercial shows a number of victims of gun violence and racial attacks who are supporting mrs clinton representative john lewis democrat of georgia who was famously beaten in the 1965 selma to montgomery march geneva reed veal the mother of sandra bland who was found hanged in a texas jail cell after being arrested during a traffic stop last year and gabrielle giffords the former arizona congresswoman who was shot in the head in 2011 and has become a powerful advocate for expanded gun control
the ad closes with warm images of mrs clinton one on one with avid supporters and beaming in front of a big crowd as a concluding message fills the screen lets stand together
mrs clintons campaign like mr sanderss has long alternated between emotional ads that engage in identity politics and policy driven commercials on issues like equal pay health care and money in politics this ad may be her first   and certainly is the most effective   to touch on the love and kindness theme that she has been sounding on the campaign trail for months
like a salve after an unexpectedly injurious democratic primary the hope and love message looks beyond indiana california and other remaining primaries ms days lyric   well walk it out together now   and the ads appeal to support each other are consistent with mrs clintons need to persuade sanders supporters to heal their differences with mrs clinton and unite behind her if and when she seals up the democratic nomination
changing channels ...
the trump campaign newly focused on advertising and spending about 1 million in indiana alone released an ad leveling numerous attacks against senator ted cruz all which could be rated half true it accuses mr cruz of supporting amnesty for immigrants in the country illegally on which his stance has shifted of supporting president obamas trade bill which he actually opposed once it was drafted and of favoring the admission of syrian refugees which mr cruz did in 2014 but has adamantly opposed since late last year
great america a super pac supporting donald j trump is continuing the time honored tradition of hard selling pitchmen shouting to call now the cheaply produced commercial implores viewers to join the movement by calling a number to pledge your support to mr trump doing so prompts a telemarketer to solicit donations to the super pac
31 million amount spent on television ads in indiana by republican presidential candidates
100000 amount spent by the clinton campaign in indiana


mexico city   more than two dozen police commanders in honduras have been fired as part of an effort to clean up a force that has long been infiltrated by organized crime
the civilian commission in charge of reforming the police force announced the firings on friday 10 days after five top police generals including two former police chiefs were dismissed
the shake up followed news coverage of police files showing that top police officials ordered the killings of a honduran antidrug czar julian aristides gonzalez irias in 2009 and his top adviser two years later
according to the documents the police in those killings acted under the orders of a drug cartel leader winter blanco at the center of both plots according to the files was a police chief ricardo ramirez del cid who was among those fired in april
accusations of extrajudicial killings and suspicions of drug ties have dogged the national police for decades but repeated efforts to remake the institution have faltered this time has been different
the purge complements an effort by president juan orlando hernandez to bypass the national police in favor of a militarized force
honduras has one of the worlds highest murder rates driven by street gangs and drug traffickers but police experts warn that soldiers are not trained to carry out police tasks and that a militarized force will lead to abuses
the commission in charge of the police cleanup said friday that 27 commanders had been suspended four more had accepted voluntary retirement and 16 had been ratified in their positions
one of the suspended commanders said that there was no proof that he had committed any wrongdoing and that the purge was designed to protect certain officers
we are the people most interested in the purge being carried out the commander henry osorto told reporters after meeting the minister of security but it should be the criminals who are going it should be those who collaborated with organized crime


one day in march 1950 a batting cage at the brooklyn dodgers spring training camp in vero beach fla became the setting for an event that looked as if it came out of the future strikes being called not by a man in a mask peaked cap and chest protector but by a machine
this was really high tech stuff said pitcher carl erskine recalling the sight of the device during a telephone interview from his indiana home
the so called cross eyed electronic umpire introduced that day used mirrors lenses and photoelectric cells beneath home plate that would after detecting a strike through three slots around the plate emit electric impulses that illuminated what the brooklyn eagle called a saucy red eye in a nearby cabinet
popular science declared heres an umpire even a dodger cant talk back to
the noted british journalist alistair cooke then a foreign correspondent for the manchester guardian weighed in wryly with the alarming news that the dodgers would try out an electronic umpire in the hope that he will call a decision even the yankees will not be able to challenge
it was the atomic age but sports were not known for being technologically advanced still the coming decades saw much more instant replay slow motion the virtual first down line real time score boxes in the corner of television screens the glowing puck tennis ball trackers video review and baseballs pitch fx and statcast systems
chris marinak major league baseballs senior vice president for league economics and strategy said that sharp advances in camera and computer technology had accelerated innovation statcast for instance uses radar and ultra high resolution cameras to track what would have been unimaginable in 1950 pitch velocity spin rate the exit velocity of home runs and the time between a ball being contacted by a bat and the fielders first step toward it
mike jakob the president of sportvision a leader in developing sports technology said the electronic umpire would have been ahead of its time
it was definitely a novel use of existing technology using a photoelectric cell to size the strike zone he said but he added it couldnt be used for night games
the machine was championed by branch rickey the dodgers president and part owner and built during the previous year by a general electric company engineering team in syracuse led by richard shea a 1924 graduate of the massachusetts institute of technology shea specialized in semiconductors did the initial circuit design work for the companys first transistors and also worked at knolls atomic power laboratory
one account of the genesis of the electronic umpire was that charles lare a dodgers farmhand who spent the 1948 and 1949 seasons with the class aaa montreal royals suggested a machine that could record strikes
throughout his baseball career rickey was an innovator while running the st louis cardinals he developed a chain of minor league teams that became the modern farm system he also pioneered a variety of teaching tools including a set of strings to define the strike zone
most important of course his signing of jackie robinson ended segregation in the majors in 1947
lee lowenfish the author of branch rickey baseballs ferocious gentleman was unaware of the electronic umpire as a part of rickeys resume
anything about innovation i can believe about rickey he said in an email he made the batting helmets mandatory in pittsburgh he innovated the batting cages and pitching strings before world war i while coaching at the university of michigan
the dodgers went to vero beach after a 1949 season in which they won 97 games but lost to the yankees in the world series in addition to testing the electronic umpire they were using somewhat more practical tools like batting tees and mechanical pitching machines
i feel that if i can make all our dodger pitchers stand up there at the pitching machines by the hour i will make better bunters out of them rickey told the sporting news that could win or lose the pennant
and rickey   who was pushed out of the dodgers after the 1950 season   said he had no intention of replacing human umpires with the electronic version he saw it only as a teaching tool
im greatly interested in it he was quoted as saying in an article in the washington post because im sure it will be of great aid in making both young hitters and pitchers more conscious of the strike zone
pee wee reese the dodgers shortstop was the first to test the electronic umpire
facing him from across home plate were rickey robinson duke snider manager burt shotton the umpire bill stewart who wore a dodgers uniform that day and shea fans watched from behind a fence the slots along the width of the plate that allowed the system to see a strike were clearly visible
but reese was not impressed with the judgment of the machine according to the post indeed the article said he was on the verge of indignation when the gadget called a strike on a pitch that passed over the plate several inches below his knees
stewart said i guess you can see that were not so bad all the time
erskine now 89 recalled that a main purpose of the electronic umpire was to help snider his roommate
duke had trouble with the high fastball   he couldnt lay off it and he couldnt hit it erskine said so mr rickey would have duke get in the batting cage and not swing at pitches and let the machine register them and duke actually began to learn the strike zone and he began to hit the high pitches better and lay off the ones he couldnt hit
erskine does not remember the electronic umpire lasting long at vero beach i think it was a very brief experience he said
the concept of the electronic umpire was revisited last july during two games between the independent san rafael pacifics and the vallejo admirals as part of a fund raiser organized by eric byrnes a former major league outfielder
instead of the home plate umpire calling balls and strikes sportvisions pitch fx system did the work
it captured the balls and strikes consistently jakob said we had a system in the press box that registered the balls and strikes and byrnes called them out
branch rickey would have enjoyed that


dhaka bangladesh   a hindu tailor who had been briefly jailed several years ago over accusations that he made an unfavorable comment about the prophet muhammad was hacked to death on saturday near his shop in central bangladesh the police said
islamic state militants claimed responsibility for the killing citing the accusations of blasphemy against the tailor according to the site intelligence group which monitors jihadist websites
mohammad abdul jalil the officer in charge of the gopalpur police station in the tangail district a central region where the attack occurred said in a telephone interview that it was too early to determine the motivation of the assailants or whether they were islamist militants
similar attacks claimed by the militants seem to be accelerating with five people hacked to death in the past nine days
the latest victim nikhil chandra joarder 52 was jailed in 2012 after being accused of making a negative comment about the prophet he was also involved in disputes with members of his family and some local muslims over land mr jalil said
mr joarder who lived in the dubail bazar area in the jurisdiction of the gopalpur police station owned a tailoring shop nearby mr jalil said he had stepped outside his shop and around noon two or three men arrived on motorcycles and cut him on his head his neck his face and a hand said mohammad aslam khan a police official in the tangail district
mr joarder died on the spot mr jalil said and mr khan said the assailants had left a bag containing two machetes and four bombs
the 2012 case against mr joarder was filed by a local madrasa teacher who accused him of making derogatory remarks about the prophet mr khan said mr joarder was jailed for 14 days before the claims were withdrawn
over the past two years intellectuals writers members of religious minorities and activists who have published views critical of islam have been killed by extremists in bangladesh
a bangladeshi gay rights activist and his friend were hacked to death on monday in what the police said they suspected was an attack by islamist militants a militant group affiliated with al qaeda ansar al islam said it was behind those two killings
days earlier a professor of english was hacked to death in northwestern bangladesh and the police said they suspected that it was also a targeted killing the islamic state claimed responsibility for the attack according to a message posted on twitter by the site intelligence group
responsibility for a number of recent attacks in bangladesh has been claimed via social media accounts linked to the islamic state the government and the police deny that the group has a presence in the country


its a time honored tradition for politicians to deny any interest in the vice presidency but this year with the possibility of donald j trump as the republican nominee they really mean it
never said chris schrimpf a spokesman for gov john kasich of ohio who is still running against mr trump no chance
hahahahahahahahaha wrote sally bradshaw a senior adviser to jeb bush when asked if he would consider it
scott walker has a visceral negative reaction to trumps character said ed goeas a longtime adviser to the wisconsin governor
or as senator lindsey graham put it thats like buying a ticket on the titanic
a remarkable range of leading republicans including gov nikki haley of south carolina and senator jeff flake of arizona have been emphatic publicly or with their advisers and allies that they do not want to be considered as mr trumps running mate the recoiling amounts to a rare rebuke for a front runner politicians usually signal that they are not interested politely through back channels or submit to the selection process if only to burnish their national profiles
but mr trump has a singular track record of picking fights with obvious potential running mates like senator marco rubio of florida who has indicated a lack of interest in the vice presidency generally and has yet to reconcile with mr trump publicly ms haley and another potential pick gov susana martinez of new mexico have sharply criticized mr trump at recent party gatherings and do not want to be associated with his sometimes angry tone according to advisers and close associates who have spoken with these republicans
several republican consultants said their clients were concerned that mr trumps unusually high unfavorable ratings with all voters and his unpopularity among women and hispanics could doom him as a general election candidate and damage their own future political prospects if they were on his ticket
still elected officials do have a way of coming around to the vice presidency and mr trump said in an interview on saturday that he was in the early stages of mending fences and building deeper relationships with leading republicans and in a sign of growing acceptance that mr trump is their likely nominee several republicans made it clear that they would join him on the ticket because they think he can win or because they regard the call to serve as their duty
newt gingrich the former house speaker as well as senator jeff sessions of alabama and the retired neurosurgeon ben carson said in interviews that they would consider joining the ticket if mr trump offered two governors chris christie of new jersey and mary fallin of oklahoma have also told allies that they were open to being mr trumps running mate
if a potential president says i need you it would be very hard for a patriotic citizen to say no mr gingrich said people can criticize a nominee but ultimately there are very few examples of people turning down the vice presidency
mr trump who could well become the presumptive republican nominee on tuesday by winning the indiana primary is just starting to mull vice presidential prospects and has no favorite in mind he said in the interview mr trump said he wanted someone with a strong political background who was well respected on the hill who can help me with legislation and who could be a great president
he declined to discuss potential picks in any detail but he briefly praised three governors as possible contenders   mr kasich mr christie and rick scott of florida   and said he would also consider candidates who were women black or hispanic a spokeswoman for mr scott said he was focused on being governor
asked if he was surprised about the array of republicans who are uncomfortable being his running mate mr trump said i dont care whether people support or endorse me or not it makes zero influence on the voters historically people dont vote based on who is vice president i want someone who can help me govern
a cross section of leading republicans agree that his most sensible choice would be an experienced female governor or senator given that he would most likely face hillary clinton in november and need support from a majority of white women to offset her strong support among blacks and hispanics yet mrs clinton is currently ahead of mr trump with white women by double digit percentages according to a recent cbs poll
the pool of republican women in major offices is relatively small and mr trump has already alienated some of them governor haley denounced him for not quickly disavowing support from the former ku klux klan leader david duke and governor martinez has criticized his remarks about hispanics
both governors endorsed senator rubio for president a martinez spokesman said she isnt interested in serving as vice president while a haley spokesman declined to comment
there are some republicans who wouldve said yes to running with romney or mccain or bush but would say no to trump said curt anderson a republican strategist referring to the partys last three presidential nominees the issue is no one knows what were dealing with here is it possible that trump faces a historic landslide loss sure is it possible he beats the hell out of clinton sure no one knows   no one has predicted trump right for a long time
even governor fallin of oklahoma who has not ruled out running with mr trump has expressed uncertainty about what he would be like as a leader according to close associates who have spoken to her ms fallin in a brief statement would not discuss mr trump but said the nations challenges were too great for business as usual political solutions any discussion of other service i might be asked to offer to my country is flattering but premature she said
david winston a veteran republican pollster said mr trumps first challenge in finding a running mate was lowering his unfavorability ratings of 60 percent or more because prominent politicians would not want to join his ticket if he cannot turn those figures around mr winston dismissed the notion   put forward by some trump advisers   that the candidate could improve his ratings by picking a woman a hispanic or other figure with demographic appeal
he simply wont be able to convince any top tier candidate to run with him if he cant get those unfavorable numbers down mr winston said
mr trumps best hope may be republican enmity for mrs clinton some republicans strategists said they predicted that mr trump would ultimately have more options than his skeptics might assume because republicans will ultimately unify in june and july with a deep and shared determination to beat her and the traditional thrill of being considered for vice president could then kick in
i think he may have more choices than many people would suspect because a lot of people will be flattered to be asked said russ schriefer a republican adviser to the romney campaign in 2012 and to mr christie during his 2016 presidential bid
mr schriefer emphasized that he had not talked to mr christie about the vice presidency but other christie confidants said that he supported mr trump strongly and would be willing to consider the no 2 spot a christie spokesman asked about the governors willingness pointed to mr christies response about the vice presidency at a recent news conference where he said he would evaluate the offer for any position in government
as a political novice mr trump will be widely judged on whom he chooses   and how and why he chooses the person   because voters and other republican leaders will look to his pick to evaluate his priorities for the kind of advisers he would want as president
this is a big deal because its the first major decision hell be making as the nominee and its important that the american public see his decision making process and how he goes through making such a big decision said scott w reed the us chamber of commerces senior strategist
other than elected officials mr trump also said he was open to people with deep national security experience   which some republicans think should be his top criterion
what donald trump needs is the most experienced most qualified foreign policy mind in washington and somebody that would immediately bring calm to the choppy political waters that always seem to be around him said joe scarborough a former republican congressman from florida who now hosts morning joe on msnbc he suggested robert m gates the former defense secretary but was more circumspect when asked if he was willing to be mr trumps running mate himself
i definitely have a lot of strong opinions about who it should be not me wrote mr scarborough who served on the house armed services committee and who has a good relationship with mr trump
other republicans were more open about joining mr trump on the ticket senator sessions who is advising mr trump on foreign policy said he would send his personal tax information to the trump campaign if it wanted to vet him mr carson who was a republican presidential candidate and battled with mr trump before dropping out and endorsing him said he would prefer to remain an outside adviser to mr trump but added that he was willing to join the ticket if he would bring something that other people wouldnt bring
for others the singular experience of being vice president in a trump administration is still hard to imagine buttonholed on capitol hill last week two prominent republican senators tim scott of south carolina and susan collins of maine almost giggled when asked if they would be mr trumps running mate
im not waiting by my phone ms collins said
mr scott whose appeal as a black republican could be an advantage for mr trump repeatedly sidestepped whether he would be willing to run with mr trump finally asked if he would not rule himself out he replied im not ruling myself in


on a recent morning over avocado toast and world renowned new york city tap water grace jeon expounded on the virtues of public drinking water considering that the company she runs makes its money selling bottled water her enthusiasm might have seemed a little strange and in fact she follows a decidedly odd business model
ms jeon held up one of her companys bright blue opaque bottles which are made mostly of paper not plastic i would never advocate drinking this over tap ms jeon said but the reality is that more consumers are moving to bottled water as they cut down on drinking sugary beverages she said her company has positioned its bottled water called just water as the next best thing to tap
despite serious problems in places like flint mich and in the schools of newark nj and other cities most tap water in the united states is safe to drink according to environmental groups and the government but many consumers prefer the convenience of bottled water and are willing to pay for it
as ms jeon sees it she is making the best of a bad situation the paper used for her bottles is sourced from trees that have been certified by the forest stewardship council the bottles which are fully recyclable are made of 53 percent paper the rest of the bottle is made of plastic and a small amount of aluminum last month just water released a new bottle with the top portion made of plant based plastic derived from sugar cane all told she said her product is less harmful to the environment and creates fewer carbon emissions than energy intensive plastic
in the process she is also helping the struggling city of glens falls ny about 20 miles from saratoga springs
in 1944 glens falls was named hometown usa by look magazine which featured photographs of the citys bustling downtown like many once thriving industrial towns though glens falls has experienced a decline in population and manufacturing a city that was once home to about 20000 people during the 1950s now has 14000 residents empty storefronts and houses dot the town
what the city does have is water   four reservoirs and over 5000 acres of watershed property just water has an arrangement with the city to purchase water for at least six times the residential rate some of the money from the water purchase goes back to the community to address its aging water infrastructure which is over 100 years old
just water does not obtain its water from that infrastructure rather it uses a well on the citys watershed property it packages the water in a converted catholic church that stood empty for years the company employs 11 local residents
tetra pak a food packaging and processing company creates the just water packaging and ships the containers flat to glens falls where they are shaped and filled
when just water first asked the mayor jack diamond about sourcing and bottling water in his city he initially thought the offer was too good to be true when he has been approached by companies in the past in general its not so much what theyre going to do for us but what can we do for them he said the roles were reversed with this company
just water might be a boon to glens falls but if environmental groups like ban the bottle had their way people would take reusable water bottles with them everywhere and bottled water would be unnecessary in most situations
that fight however has remained a losing battle in 2014 annual bottled water consumption in the united states reached a peak of 34 gallons a person said a report from the beverage marketing corporation
its a completely ridiculous product but its also a wildly popular product said charles fishman a journalist and author of the big thirst the secret life and turbulent future of water the reason is and i think this is often overlooked people arent buying water   theyre buying convenience and with the branding to some degree theyre also buying image
the reason for bottled water has nothing to do with the availability of good clean appealing water in the country it has to do with how we live mr fishman said it has to do with the disappearance of good water fountains   with the failure frankly of water fountain companies to innovate cool interesting appealing water fountains
just water went on sale last fall in whole foods stores across the country and cibo express airport markets the company recently started selling bottles at albertsons safeway kroger sprouts farmers markets and other stores
the bottles retail for 99 cents for 169 fluid ounces that compares with about 150 for a comparable bottle of fiji water ms jeon was previously fijis senior vice president for business development
fiji is positioned as a luxury product referred to in company news releases as a natural artesian water bottled at the source in viti levu fiji islands and known for its soft mouth feel and iconic square bottle loved by discerning consumers well known celebrities and quality conscious chefs
does water from different areas taste different some consumers swear that it does others like mr fishman are skeptical there is no distinction no matter what the people at all these places will tell you
ms jeon said she thought she had left the bottled water industry for good when drew fitzgerald the founder of just water approached her with his idea to make everyday packaged items more environmentally friendly starting with bottled water he has an eclectic resume he worked as the creative director for universal records has worked with the will and jada smith family foundation and is an adviser to prime an organization that helps foundations and wealthy families finance technologies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and as it turns out mr fitzgeralds hometown is glens falls
its true that water from upstate new york may not be considered as glamorous as water from fiji but new yorks requires less transportation   another environmental selling point for just water
there are bigger issues to bottled water than just what the package is made out of said mae wu a staff lawyer for the natural resources defense council these include the environmental costs of shipping water the effects of removing water from communities and water bottle waste
of course water bottles can be recycled all bottled water containers are 100 percent recyclable and many bottled water companies are already using recycled plastic in their bottles said chris hogan a spokesman for the international bottled water association in an email some are making 100 percent recycled bottles he added as an industry we are always looking for ways to strengthen existing programs and help to expand recycling efforts ever further he wrote
but although bottles and cartons may be made of recyclable packaging this does not ensure that the product will be recycled recycling rates have risen recently but in 2013 the most recent year for which data is available just over 31 percent of plastic jars and water bottles were recycled according to government data
just water isnt the only company offering an alternative to traditional bottled water boxed water packages its water in a gable top paper box much like a milk carton fred water delivers water in hard plastic flasks and encourages drinkers to reuse the bottles green sheep offers consumers water in aluminum bottles which is more readily recycled than plastic
like just water many of these companies say they are committed to improving the environment we recognized that although reusable bottles are the best choice from an environmental standpoint the reality is that people keep buying bottled water nicole doucet the co founder and chief executive of green sheep said in an email there was already a perfect solution out there but we needed a pragmatic one
traditional beverage companies such as nestle waters north america are offering alternatives too in 2007 nestle introduced its lightweight eco shape bottle which uses less plastic a few years later the company began incorporating recycled plastic into its bottles nestle which includes brands such as arrowhead deer park and poland springs made up 23 percent of water bottle sales last year according to euromonitor international a consumer research company
beverage trends have changed dramatically over the last 10 to 12 years nelson a switzer nestle waters north americas vice president and chief sustainability officer wrote in an email water   bottled and tap   has become the beverage of choice
just water and its competitors make up a much smaller percentage of the market i think that we will continue to see bottled water in more environmentally friendly packaging said virginia lee senior beverages analyst at euromonitor however i see this for the next five years as still being very niche she cites cost and consumers familiarity with traditional bottled water as factors
the alternatives may be able to succeed as the economy improves she said as people have more money in their pocket it stands that theyd be more willing to pay a little extra for water or something else that claimed to have environmental or other benefits
but a better water bottle is still a water bottle said ms wu of the natural resources defense council i recognize that there is a role for bottled water especially in emergencies like the one occurring in flint she said but most tap water in the united states is safe
some consumers have switched to reusable water bottles many of which have become status symbols like the stainless steel insulated bottles made by swell and the glass bottles in colorful silicon sleeves sold by bkr
still there are no signs that shoppers will be sipping less bottled water anytime soon sales have increased steadily over the last decade the water bottle industry took in 198 billion in retail sales last year in the united states according to euromonitor
ms jeon claimed she would rather see the tide go in the opposite direction its not about getting more people to drink bottled water she said but if youre going to drink bottled water she said consider a better option than the current choice


flint mich   health care workers are scrambling to help the people here cope with what many fear will be chronic consequences of the citys water contamination crisis profound stress worry depression and guilt
uncertainty about their own health and the health of their children the open ended nature of the crisis and raw anger over governments role in both causing the lead contamination and trying to remedy it are all taking their toll on flints residents
the first thing i noticed when i got to flint quite honestly was the level of fear and anxiety and distress said dr nicole lurie an assistant secretary at the department of health and human services who has been coordinating the federal recovery effort here since january on wednesday president obama will pay his first visit to the city since the lead contamination was revealed
a team of behavioral health specialists from the united states public health service began addressing the mental health problem in february by providing psychological first aid training for people interested in helping others cope with the water emergency
genesee health system a local mental health agency also created the flint community resilience group whose members are focusing on the long term psychological consequences of the water crisis and how to address them
with a 500000 emergency grant from the state the group is offering free crisis counseling at churches and the public library and has held two community meetings on stress management social workers and social work students from around the state are helping with the counseling on a volunteer basis
but the need probably extends far beyond the 400 people who have been helped since the counseling started in february
diane breckenridge genesee healths liaison to local hospitals said she had seen people come into the hospitals directly related to breakdowns nervous breakdowns if you will
most of its been depression or suicidal ideation directly linked to whats going on with their children she added they just feel like they cant even let their children take a bath
children too are traumatized said dexter clarke a supervisor at genesee health not least because they constantly hear frightening things on television about the lead crisis including breathless advertisements by personal injury lawyers seeking clients
i teach a fifth grade class of little girls every wednesday and theyre from flint ms breckenridge said and i just get all kinds of questions because theyre terrified
a bill in the united states house of representatives would provide 5 million for mental health needs in flint as part of a broader aid package but has not gotten traction a separate aid package in the senate appears to have more momentum but does not include money for mental health
the state meanwhile is planning to send mobile crisis teams into flint neighborhoods and to provide help to local pediatricians through a child psychiatric teleprogram
michigans earlier decision to expand medicaid under the affordable care act will help more low income residents get psychological help although officials at genesee health system worry about not having enough licensed social workers to meet the eventual demand about 15000 additional children and pregnant women here will be eligible for medicaid possibly starting this month under a temporary program that government and local officials are rushing to put together
one challenge is convincing people to seek mental health care the rev rigel j dawson pastor of the north central church of christ and a member of the flint community resilience group said his focus was on persuading religious minded residents of the majority black city to pursue psychological help if they need it
theres a history especially in the african american church of im strong enough spiritually to deal with it mr dawson said you see the signs of stress and what its doing to the community but were conditioned to put on our church face and act like its ok
danis russell the chief executive of genesee health system said that while the potential for stigma had kept many here from seeking mental health services in the past the water crisis might make them more willing
now theres an acceptable reason he said people may say this isnt my fault somebody did this to us and everybodys getting help so i should too
still mr russell added what the demand will look like going forward i dont think anyone knows
five flint residents recently shared their accounts of the psychological impact of the crisis
janice berryman spends solitary days in a home scattered with pink pillows and angel figurines following every twist of flints water crisis on television and trying to keep her anger at bay
her tap water was found to have extremely high lead levels as recently as february she said family members have stopped visiting including a niece in arkansas whose twin toddlers ms berryman 71 is aching to meet sometimes her loneliness brings her to tears she said
for a while she found it helped to attend protests and she even took a bus to lansing in january to march outside the capitol during gov rick snyders state of the state address but with heart disease diabetes and other ailments i just said ive got to back down
she began sleeping a lot   too much her relatives told her
if you go to sleep it feels like its all going to go away she said but it dont
her doctor has persuaded her to try the crisis counseling at the public library
he said i think you need to jan just to get your feelings out she said but if i dont feel its working adios if they try to start pushing pills on me ill be gone i dont need a bunch of pills to drug me up
two of ms berrymans siblings died young experiences that she said had forced her to learn endurance
i think thats why i handle this a little better than others she said no matter what your anger level is god sees you through
bob and johanna atwood brown thought they were doing everything right
when reports of lead in the water supply surfaced last summer they installed a filter on their faucet which removes lead up to 150 parts per billion they used bottled water for drinking but relied on their filtered tap water for cooking coffee or to make their 10 year old son and his friends kool aid on hot summer days
but when they had their water tested in january they learned that it contained lead at 200 parts per billion   more than their filter was designed to handle and far more than the federal safety threshold of 15 parts per billion
ms brown said she was haunted by thoughts of her son and his friends drinking the lemonade and kool aid she had made them
the guilt is unreal she said i poisoned other peoples children
mr brown said he felt as if he had failed as a father and protector of his family
you beat yourself up he said why didnt we do something earlier why didnt we test earlier
their son received a diagnosis of bipolar disorder and attention deficit disorder before the water crisis and the browns said they feared that the lead could exacerbate those problems   or produce others
he has special needs as it is so its hard to tell if theres a behavioral component ms brown said things are not clear
she added are we going to get cancer from this im terrified
as an outlet ms brown has started a blog and uses facebook she was already seeing a therapist she said but now the stress and guilt associated with her homes water contamination dominate her sessions
mr brown said he did not talk about it much but as the associate director in flint for michigan state universitys center for economic and community development he finds it therapeutic to share his story when he speaks at events and meetings
it never leaves you mr brown said at some point you just want to jump up and down and yell and scream and then you just try to move forward because what are you going to say
too often now nicole lewis cannot sleep
im up until midnight some nights because i cant shut down she said just thinking about my life in general   like really did i deserve this did my kids deserve this
ms lewis a 29 year old accountant and single mother of two boys said she had also been experiencing chest pains when they come she lies down and drinks bottled water
yet ive been told that this bottled water could have lead too she said voicing a common concern here
to help her nerves she recently installed a home water filtration system paying 4250 a month for the service on her main water supply line she also bought a blender to make her sons smoothies with lead leaching vegetables like spinach and kale
but still her mind races especially late at night her 7 year old was just found to have attention deficit disorder she said her 2 year old is already showing athletic promise but she wonders whether lead exposure will affect his ability to play sports
she also worries that living in flint will brand her as damaged goods if she ever tries to find a job elsewhere
when they see my resume will they say oh wait shes from flint   she might be a huge liability for us she said
she has no time for a therapist she said but regularly talks to her mother in houston
i just vent a lot of stuff out to her she said shes a listening ear
as if there were not enough putting maelores collins on edge her dog will not stop barking she suspects flints water is to blame
i think hes hallucinating she said as wally a yorkshire terrier yapped from a cage near the back door we need to get him tested
the barking adds to a sense of disorder that has agitated ms collins 48 for months she is tired of the water bottles cluttering her house and of eating only microwaved food because she fears cooking with even filtered tap water small kindnesses like her sister bringing over potpies from kentucky fried chicken keep her going
ms collins blames the water for a problem that deeply troubles her her hair has broken off over the past six months
her self prescribed therapy consists of cruising the aisles of walmart or playing bid whist a card game with friends a few months ago her doctor also prescribed xanax a tranquilizer which she takes to get up in the morning she said
im depressed im angry my anxiety is running high said ms collins a former construction worker who has asthma and is on permanent disability
worse off she said is her 12 year old grandson who refuses to drink even bottled water and will eat only off paper plates the family jumped several hurdles to secure a psychiatric appointment for him in early may
hes freaking out   hes like were all going to die from the water ms collins said i said youre young you aint going nowhere but i cant convince this boy
ms collins called the situation crazy
lose your hair your family tripping about different things your kids leaving water bottles all over the house she said
she laughed sharply wally continued his frantic barking and she cast a withering glance his way
this thing she said will never be over


london   the son of a london bus driver sadiq khan has had a remarkable rise into the upper echelons of british politics he grew up with seven siblings in a three bedroom home in public housing and attended state schools before becoming a human rights lawyer and then a senior government minister
now mr khan 45 a lawmaker and former transport minister for the opposition labour party is the favorite in the battle to become the next mayor of london he would succeed boris johnson the extroverted conservative who has held the post since 2008 and is a leading figure in the campaign for britains departure from the european union
a victory on thursday would make mr khan the first muslim to lead the city where one in eight residents adheres to that faith and when britain is struggling to integrate minorities and combat radicalization
londoners have elected their mayor directly only since 2000 and just two politicians have held the post mr johnson and ken livingstone who ran as an independent in 2000 and then for labour in 2004
mr khans election would be a boost for the labour party at a time when prime minister david camerons conservatives are deeply divided on europe it would also probably strengthen the position of labours left wing leader jeremy corbyn who is at odds with many of his own lawmakers and whose leadership has been embroiled in a dispute about anti semitism in party ranks
but the main policy battles being fought on the streets of london relate to the problems confronting a city that has an acute shortage of affordable housing and a creaking and overcrowded mass transit network mr khans closest rival is zac goldsmith the conservative candidate who says he wants to make london the greenest city in the world
the two have battled over issues like transportation and how to build more homes to relieve londons sky high real estate and rental costs mr khan points to the fact that the average rent in london is equivalent to 55 pounds or about 80 a night   the price of a decent hotel in many european capitals and mr goldsmith has said the overcrowded conditions endured by london commuters would be illegal for chickens pigs and cattle
appropriately perhaps for a globalized city that accommodates the extremes of wealth mr khan and mr goldsmith are living examples of londons diversity
mr goldsmith 41 a son of the tycoon sir james goldsmith inherited a fortune and was educated at eton college britains most exclusive school he edited the magazine the ecologist founded by his uncle and was elected to parliament in 2010
the fight between the two main contenders has not been pretty bringing delicate issues of ethnicity and religion into a mayoral election in a way never seen here before
mr goldsmith has described mr khan as dangerous and without principle and said it was his job to do everything he could to prevent london falling into the wrong hands
mr khan has suggested that mr goldsmith has run a desperate and divisive campaign has targeted voters on religious or ethnic lines and has no track record suggesting he could perform as london mayor
mr goldsmith has also accused mr khan of giving tacit support to extremists by speaking on the same platform in the past as those who espoused radical views or who had been accused of supporting terrorists when he was a human rights lawyer and campaigner
when mr cameron repeated the claims in parliament he was met with cries of racist and accused by one opponent of dog whistle politics
part of mr khans pitch to londoners is that as an observant muslim he does not drink he has a plan to tackle extremism and that like many people in london he has multiple identities
im a londoner im european im british im english im of islamic faith of asian origin of pakistani heritage a dad a husband mr khan said in an interview recently in a cafe before accusing his main opponent of seeking to divide communities
mr khan routinely highlights his humble origins but he has been careful not to attack mr goldsmith over his wealth
i dont hold his background against him mr khan said none of us are responsible for who our parents are   our families   thats not fair my point is what experience does he have to be mayor of london what is his vision what are his values
mr goldsmith says his privileged upbringing is irrelevant
i dont have to be in a wheelchair to know that it is not just that people in wheelchairs cant use our public transport system he said in an interview describing efforts he has made to improve access to the subway system you either care about issues or you dont and if you do you solve them and i have done that
mr goldsmith has also attacked mr khan over policy shifts   including his newfound opposition to the expansion of heathrow airport near london   and what he criticizes as opportunism because mr khan who nominated mr corbyn in last years labour party leadership contest did not vote for him and has since distanced himself from his party leader
on heathrow mr khan said that as a government minister and then as opposition spokesman he had accepted a collective position favoring expansion but that he had changed his mind because of new evidence about air pollution
the personalization of the campaign underlines the lack of deep policy differences confronting londoners analysts said
neither candidate has challenged londons existing model of openness to immigration and investment allied to rapid economic growth said tony travers the director of a research group on london at the london school of economics and political science
in policy terms it is hard to argue that they are radically different from each other he said


baghdad   hundreds of protesters stormed baghdads heavily fortified green zone on saturday and entered the parliament building waving iraqi flags snapping photographs breaking furniture and demanding an end to corruption the episode deepened a political crisis that has paralyzed iraqs government for weeks
as the chaos unfolded in the afternoon   one lawmaker was attacked and protesters damaged several vehicles near parliament   the baghdad operations command announced a state of emergency deploying additional forces around the capital city checkpoints at city entrances were closed even as the protests remained largely nonviolent
the scenes of protest circulated in photos and videos on social media sites were potent illustrations of the anger that has grown during months of protests by iraqis demanding that prime minister haider al abadi carry out measures to end sectarian quotas in politics and fight corruption
the protesters were mostly supporters of the powerful shiite cleric moktada al sadr rather than pushing for the ouster of mr abadi they have largely supported the prime minister as he has sought to make good on promises still unfulfilled to improve how the government works
the ease with which they penetrated the rim of the green zone suggested that security forces   and perhaps mr abadi himself as some hinted   were supportive of the protesters there were no reports of shots fired and mr sadrs own militiamen were said to have taken charge of security near parliament later in the evening security officers fired tear gas and warning shots to prevent more people from entering the enclave
by nightfall the protesters were leaving parliament and gathering in another section of the green zone celebration square an area with a famous statue of giant crossed swords that was once a parade ground for saddam hussein the protesters seemed to be settling in there for the night and mr abadi said the security situation in baghdad is under control
it will soon become clearer whether the aim of mr sadr and his followers is to nudge politicians who have opposed mr abadis efforts   their stated goal   or to bring down the government itself
just before protesters entered the green zone mr sadr gave a speech from najaf in southern iraq saying im waiting for the great popular uprising and the great revolution to stop the march of corrupted officials
for many protesters jubilant at having breached the blast walls and razor wire that ring it the green zone was a place they had never been
one protester inside parliament speaking to the kurdish news channel rudaw pointed to chocolates on the desks of lawmakers and said people have nothing to eat the lawmakers are sitting here eating chocolates and mocking our pain
to iraqis who have lived through the hussein reign the american occupation and the current turmoil the green zone has long symbolized tyranny occupation and corruption above all it has been a sign of the separation between the people and a ruling elite unresponsive to the aspirations of iraqs citizens
the mere presence of protesters in the halls of government adds a new element to iraqs paralysis as the country struggles to keep up the fight against the islamic state and faces a collapse in oil prices that has sharply reduced government revenue
sajad jiyad an adviser to mr abadi said saturday that the prime minister was at a military compound inside the green zone and was confident that the situation would calm down
mr abadi he said had ordered special forces soldiers to seal off the area around parliament and to organize a peaceful withdrawal of the demonstrators
the american embassy in baghdad said saturday on twitter that rumors that iraqi officials had sought safety in the embassy compound were not true as were reports that the embassy was evacuating personnel
the united nations office in baghdad said that it was gravely concerned by todays developments in baghdad but that it was still working from its headquarters in the green zone
the united nations called for all political leaders to engage in dialogue and carry out the changes necessary to draw iraq out of its political economic and security crisis
parliament was stormed after a session that had been scheduled for saturday was postponed for lack of a quorum mr abadi had been expected to introduce several new ministers as part of a promise to overhaul his cabinet and fill it with technocrats instead of politicians beholden to a party or sect
the political crisis that has gripped iraq in recent weeks came as the obama administration announced moves to deepen the american military role in iraq in the fight against the islamic state including deploying more soldiers closer to the front lines to assist iraqi forces and introducing apache helicopters gunships into the fight
iraqi forces backed by american airstrikes have made progress against the islamic state also known as isis or isil in western anbar province in recent months
american advisers have been pressing the iraqis to speed up their planning for an offensive to retake mosul iraqs second largest city which fell to the islamic state in 2014
but as the united states has sought to keep the focus on the war against the islamic state iraqs dysfunctional politics   with shiite and sunni arabs and kurds struggling to manage the countrys affairs   has overshadowed the war
in recent weeks defense secretary ashton b carter secretary of state john kerry and vice president joseph r biden jr all rushed to baghdad to show support for mr abadi and try to refocus attention on the war against the islamic state
on tuesday mr abadi gained approval for some of the new ministers but only after a revolt from opposition lawmakers who had called for his ouster and tossed water bottles at him
mr abadi a shiite rose to the office of prime minister in 2014 just after the islamic state seized control of the city of mosul
he replaced nuri kamal al maliki another shiite the united states and others blamed mr malikis sectarian policies for marginalizing the minority sunnis and allowing the rise of isis
last summer during a heat wave protests erupted in response to electricity shortages and quickly grew into widespread demonstrations against corruption and patronage
they were backed by grand ayatollah ali al sistani who is the countrys most powerful cleric and mr abadi responded by announcing an ambitious package of measures to fight corruption trim government and install technocrats in important positions
but he has failed to carry out his promises as politicians dependent on patronage and government perquisites stand in his way chief among his opponents has been mr maliki the former prime minister who many say is working behind the scenes to undermine mr abadi in an attempt to return to power
this year mr sadr entered the fray ostensibly to lend his support and that of his millions of shiite followers to mr abadis efforts to push through changes in his government but many analysts say mr sadr who in recent years has curtailed his political activities is trying to reinsert himself into iraqs political mix
in his speech on saturday mr sadr said the main political blocs in this country want a partisan government of sectarian quotas so they can keep their gains and keep stealing
mr sadr who controls dozens of seats in parliament said he would boycott the government seeming to suggest that he will allow the crisis at least for the time being to play out in the streets


valerie rose villarreal and cesar diaz were married april 30 at the old mission santa barbara in santa barbara calif the rev mark martinez a roman catholic priest performed the ceremony with the rev larry gosselin also a catholic priest taking part
the bride 30 is a vice president for product marketing and strategy in los angeles for ticketmaster a division of live nation entertainment she graduated from stanford from which she also received an mba she is the daughter of demetrio villarreal of las vegas and the late diane d villarreal the brides father is a truck driver for anderson dairy a dairy farm in las vegas her mother was a receptionist in whittier calif for sanford photography studios
the groom 34 is a director of planning for new urban west a real estate development firm in santa monica calif he graduated from ucla from which he also received a masters degree in urban planning he is a son of maria luz diaz and sergio e diaz of mar vista calif the grooms parents retired as the owner of fratellos a restaurant in los angeles
the couple met in november 2013 while waiting in line for bagels at a weekend religious retreat for young adults at st monica catholic church in santa monica where they are both parish members
she was a burst of energy mr diaz said she was so bubbly and had such nice eyes and great hair i was like wow who is this girl
they began making small talk and learned that they had both sprouted from mexican american roots and graduated from catholic high schools but that they did not share similar tastes in music
she told me that the night before she had gone to an avicii concert at the hollywood bowl mr diaz said laughing i was like you know there probably arent too many girls on this religious retreat who were up all night partying to electronic dance music
they parted ways without exchanging contact information but crossed paths the next month at a church celebration   this time while waiting in line for tamales   where they resumed their initial conversation
i found him to be a very cool guy with a calm demeanor but yet he was very confident ms villarreal said i was very impressed with his character he just seemed like the kind of person you could count on and trust
this time they exchanged phone numbers but two weeks later the supposedly confident mr diaz   who said he found ms villarreal to be sweet and super intelligent but very down to earth   was sent reeling when she turned down his invitation to go ice skating
i was like oh great she just blew me off he said
ms villarreal who liked mr diaz but had declined his invitation because she had not been not feeling well waited for another call that never came
i thought to myself i guess he isnt a very proactive guy she said
in january 2014 ms villarreal attended the birthday party of a mutual friend at a hollywood bar hoping to bump into mr diaz but he was not there at about midnight she decided to head home but when she opened the door to leave she was greeted by a familiar face who was just arriving
it was cesar said ms villarreal her voice still laced with excitement i was so thrilled to see him and i knew that my night had just gotten a whole lot better indeed they danced and chatted until the bar closed before heading out for breakfast at a 1950s style diner in hollywood their impromptu first date ending with an impromptu first kiss
the next day i went out with my mom and i was bragging about cesar ms villarreal said my mom told me that since i had been blessed with so many friends finding someone who i thought was different than the rest of them must mean that i had found a real angel someone who was very special and worth pursuing
ms villarreal took her mothers advice and began dating mr diaz but two weeks later she was dealt a crushing blow when her mother who had begun feeling ill was told she had advanced stage ovarian cancer cesar hadnt even met my mom yet ms villarreal said it was devastating
in march mr diaz did get to meet ms villarreals mother several times in fact during hospital visits on what turned out to be his last visit mr diaz leaned over the hospital bed and whispered to ms villarreals mother dont worry ill take care of val
that night ms villarreals mother died
my mom knew right then and there that she was right ms villarreal said i had found my angel


obligatory access
my lease grants my landlord the right to two open houses a week during the 60 days before the end of my lease each open house is to be at least two hours long and i am required to be present the times of the open houses are not specified and 16 open houses seems ridiculous what is reasonable and what are my options besides trying to negotiate with my landlord
brooklyn heights brooklyn
rents might be slowly drifting down in the general direction of earth but not at such a rate that it should take 16 open houses to rent out an apartment in brooklyn heights at the most an apartment is on the market for like a month said carey larsen an agent at citi habitats
your landlord is entitled to reasonable access to your apartment which means that if you are not renewing your lease you must make it available for prospective tenants to view it usually brokers will call with 24 hours notice requesting access but open houses are not common among rentals   and certainly not ones where the tenant must be present
it is not reasonable for the landlord to demand that you sit through more than a dozen two hour public events said susan crumiller a manhattan lawyer who represents tenants but it is doubtful this scenario will come to pass most likely the place will get rented out during one of the first open houses ms crumiller said so it might totally be a moot point
despite your reluctance to negotiate with your landlord you might be closer to an amicable agreement than you think an open house at a set time is substantially less intrusive than a string of endless unexpected calls from brokers there have been times when ive shown an apartment 60 times so 16 is a gift said aaron seawood an associate broker at compass
still the demands on your personal time are intrusive tell your landlord you are willing to make time for the open houses but you do not want to chaperone them if you remove your valuables and tidy the space there should be no reason for you to be there does the landlord really want a disgruntled tenant hanging around prospective tenants in all likelihood he will see the wisdom in your offer and acquiesce
you also have leverage if he refuses to negotiate and you simply ditch the open houses what option does he have sure he could try to evict you but as ms crumiller pointed out that is an idle threat since the tenants going to be moving out soon anyway

sauna on the roof
i own a condo with a large unfinished roof deck would it violate any new york city building codes to install a sauna there
greenpoint brooklyn
step onto the rooftop of a large apartment building and its hard not to imagine the potential cabanas outdoor televisions swimming pools   all have become commonplace in the luxury housing market why not add a sauna to your roof but just because you have the space doesnt mean your rooftop also has the muscle to support a steamy addition
before you start picking out sauna benches determine if the underlying roof structure can handle the additional load said michael larkin a senior structural engineer at rand engineering and architecture hire a structural engineer or an architect to evaluate the roof deck
assuming the project is possible you would likely need to amend the certificate of occupancy to include the new recreational use a process that requires approval from the citys buildings department said paul grissett the head of rands code and zoning compliance team the roof would have to comply with the fire code and other building codes and if the building is designated a landmark or in a historic district you would also need approval from the citys landmarks preservation commission
you will probably need board approval as well assuming the governing documents allow for such a structure to win the boards approval expect to hire an architect and to show that the project is legal and would comply with all permitting requirements said maxwell breed a manhattan real estate lawyer

a delinquent tenant
my husband and i own a three unit market rate rental building in july 2015 we signed a lease with a tenant whose security deposit bounced rendering the lease null and void after a second check cleared we told him he could stay on a month to month basis in march his rent was 18 days late he was argumentative and not at all apologetic he is now current on the rent but our relationship is strained he no longer says hello when we pass on the street even though we live just two doors away and see him daily this is the first time in 15 years that we have had a problem with a tenant we would like him to move but dont have any idea how to make that happen
long island city queens
you are fortunate to have had a good rapport with your tenants all these years particularly because landlord tenant relationships are not always warm and fuzzy but no matter how friendly you are an eviction notice will not be well received
before you take steps to evict a tenant make sure that you actually can read the lease again to confirm that a bounced security deposit voided it said sherwin belkin a manhattan lawyer who represents landlords if the lease is still valid you most likely will have to wait until it expires to get him out at that time do not offer a renewal
if the lease is no longer valid you can serve him with a 30 day notice terminating the month to month tenancy at the end of the month if he does not vacate the premises within 30 days do not accept rent from him and begin an eviction proceeding in housing court
conflict between landlords and tenants is sometimes unavoidable for you this is a loss of income but for your tenant it is the loss of his home he might feel angry resentful and anxious about an unexpected move which will likely be expensive and time consuming
try to take the high road keep your tone civil professional and not personal if you can use your lawyer as an intermediary
nothing can stop the angry looks or curses mumbled under the breath mr belkin said but if tensions flare simply tell the tenant talk to my lawyer 


each saturday farhad manjoo and mike isaac technology reporters at the new york times review the weeks news offering analysis and maybe a joke or two about the most important developments in the tech industry
farhad hello mike ive got to tell you im getting really tired of saying that weve already chatted on facebook live this week we keep up a regular banter on slack and twitter and then theres this newsletter week in and week out youre a nice guy but ... dont you think were just too involved
mike is this you trying to break up with me dont ever leave me farhad im too fragile
farhad er lets just talk about tech news it was another big week for corporate earnings lets summarize apple made 105 billion in three months which would be a record for just about any other company on the planet but for apple it was an embarrassing comedown from its year ago peak now people are wondering whether apples best days are in its past hey whose arent am i right
mike my mom says my best days are ahead of me but she also said i was the coolest kid in school which uh turned out to be a slight exaggeration
farhad twitter also disappointed investors the company added some new users but it fell short of revenue projections sending people on twitter into a panic amazon meanwhile crushed it the companys sales grew 28 percent and it posted a profit of 513 million a record for amazon for those keeping score at home thats about what apple makes every four days amazons stock went predictably nuts
mike man what if your job was looking at how much companies profit margins grew or shrank every day just thinking of being surrounded by excel spreadsheets and punching in figures makes me want to cry
farhad while were on the boring subject of earnings lets note some recent boardroom shuffles so yahoo   remember them used to be kind of famous   gave in to one of its fiercest tormentors this week the hedge fund starboard value often described as an activist investor yahoo allowed starboard to have four seats on its board a way to ease some tensions in advance of a potential sale of yahoos core bus  oh my god im bored already anyway thats the yahoo update
mike holy moly i am bored out of my mind i need a place to sleep now
farhad funny you should say that arianna huffington the founder of the huffington post and the author of a new book about sleep has joined the board of uber also the huffington post recently killed a story critical of uber coincidence im sure
mike maybe she can tell me the best way to sleep in an uber shes willing to join us on rides apparently
farhad maybe we should chat about facebook mark zuckerbergs social behemoth announced huge growth and profits this week beating out even the most optimistic of analysts expectations zuck also announced his intention to become a kind of world historic deity creating a new stock structure that would allow him to give away his money so that he can do things like   i kid you not this is a real goal written down on paper and everything   cure all diseases by the end of this century
so you cover facebook tell me why are they doing so well more important can anything stop them
mike i think we talked a little bit about this in our facebook live discussion this week tune in every week its an important thing to highlight so lets dive in again
for one we cannot stress enough just how well facebook handled the broad consumer shift from using a desktop computer to get to the web to now using smartphones as our gateways to pretty much everything on the internet the entire industry was caught off guard by the success of iphone and android and absolutely no one was prepared for how to make money on the phone
that killed   or at least deeply wounded   quite a few successful companies remember zynga that place was raking in the cash from farmville loving moms on the desktop suddenly everyone is playing candy crush saga on the iphone and all those cash crops are lying fallow zynga still hasnt recovered or found a viable way out
anyway facebook nailed mobile ads in the news feed and now 82 percent of the companys ad revenue comes from people viewing those ads on smartphones thats a shift in just a few years and its insane
farhad its all the more remarkable considering how unlikely the transition looked a few years ago just after the companys ipo in 2012 investors were almost universally convinced that facebook couldnt get people hooked on its app the way it had seduced us on desktops and analysts were constantly sounding an alarm that facebook was just a fad   teenagers leaving facebook became an evergreen tech headline   and everyone was constantly on the lookout for the next great social network
facebook endured i think because it understood that its appeal was primal and wasnt dependent on format people wanted to see what was going on with their friends and frenemies from whatever device they used kind of like how you and i cant stop chatting no matter what machine were on
mike yes isnt it great now facebook gets to make all these huge bets on the future to figure out where the next enormous platform for consumers will be and really try to dominate that long before its backed into a corner and forced to
no one puts zuck in the corner ever again
that means huge gambles on acquiring start ups like oculus the virtual reality company and whatsapp the messaging app for billions upon billions of dollars
im nervous to give facebook too much in the way of props only because its already a lovefest with analysts and what goes up must eventually come down i think isaac newton said that or gordon gekko
farhad yeah i dont think we should go overboard their bets on the future still face huge questions can whatsapp ever make money will facebook messenger really become a place for commerce and services will virtual reality become entrenched in society or could it end up as the next 3 d tv and then theres the biggest vulnerability will the new farhad and mike facebook live show convince people to delete facebook forever
mike ive got people unfriending me after that show already   99 percent of the comments were insults
anyway for now facebook is still the company to beat i guess they get to keep taking victory laps
farhad not for long friend were doing another facebook video next week thatll show them see you then


donald trump thinks hillary clinton is playing the womens card but evidence suggests that if anything is making gender a potent issue in this campaign its mr trumps words not mrs clintons
how do we know new data on the emotional engagement and effectiveness of different campaign messages suggests that its far easier to drive down support for mr trump by highlighting the derogatory things he has said about women than it is to drive up support for mrs clinton by talking about her as a strong woman
over the last few weeks and every week between now and election day john geer a vanderbilt university political scientist and i are running spotcheck an experiment testing the effectiveness of campaign ads each week we randomly assign 1000 people to see one of two campaign ads both ads or an ad for an insurance company that is not political using tools provided by yougov g2 analytics and sageengage people rate the ads in real time revealing the moments they like and dislike you can see the results from the weekly experiments here
a few weeks ago we tested two ads about gender after mr trump made comments suggesting women should be punished if they got an illegal abortion we tested the same two ads again the results picked up a difference in the importance of gender   both ads gained in effectiveness after his comments though its also true that one was far more effective than the other in both periods tested
the first ad in the experiment was called quotes by our principles pac it showed women reading statements made by mr trump about women its an attack ad and it packs a punch in it women read comments like fat pig and that must be a pretty picture you dropping to your knees
more people reacted to this ad emotionally than to most of the other ads we have tested and most did not like the statements they heard many who saw this ad said it made them angry 83 percent and worried 73 percent it increased mr trumps unfavorable ratings by nearly 10 points to 64 percent relative to those who saw the ad for insurance and it lowered his favorable rating by 12 points over all the decrease in favorability and increase in unfavorable views results in a 22 point shift in opinions about mr trump
we paired quotes with an ad from the clinton campaign called real life it features shonda rhimes the writer and producer of scandal and other tv hits and three actresses who have played formidable protagonists viola davis ellen pompeo and kerry washington talking about the attributes of their tv characters and comparing them to mrs clinton every day i wake up and play a brilliant complex overqualified get it done woman the actresses take turns saying the ad goes on to say that we all can be strong but flawed and human but extraordinary the turning point is mid ad our characters are on television but the real world has hillary clinton
this ad also got a lot of emotional reactions but the reviews were mixed compared with the ad attacking mr trump the moment where this ad seems to go wrong is when the dialogue turns to mrs clinton at that moment roughly half the people watching indicated they disliked what they were hearing hardly anyone said they liked it the ad lowered mrs clintons unfavorable ratings by about 10 points relative to the control group but raised her favorable ratings by only one point fewer than half of the people who saw the ad thought it was truthful
heres another way gender plays out the effectiveness of the ads varied depending on whether men or women were viewing the ads this was especially true of the ad with the strong female characters women on average rated the quality of real life at 58 on a scale ranging from zero to 100 men rated it at 50 women also liked quotes more than men giving it an average of 57 relative to mens 49
the attack on mr trump was also more effective with women than it was with men when we compare the ratings with a similar group that did not see these ads mr trumps unfavorable ratings among women who saw the attack ad went up by 19 points relative to those who did not see it   to a high of 70 percent unfavorable among men this shift was 1 point both groups lowered their favorable ratings of mr trump too   women by 15 points and men by 9
mrs clintons promotional ad did not exhibit such remarkable gender differences among both men and women who saw the ad favorability ratings of her increased by a point compared with those who did not see the ad her unfavorable numbers decreased by only single digits across both genders
over all real life didnt do much to help mrs clinton out while quotes did a lot to drive down opinions of mr trump
when men and women react differently to messages about the candidates the candidate paying the price appears to be mr trump it seems the costs are coming from his own comments on women not anything mrs clinton may have said or done to play the womens card


in this episode the haggler takes a second and longer look at the american truck group the company in gulfport miss that has been the focus of dozens of complaints from truckers in a rent to own program
why dive back into the same subject quite simply the haggler has never encountered a company that has elicited more rage and sadness in a series of conversations with ex customers the haggler heard time and again variations of they ruined my life or i have not been the same since how this occurred should concern everyone who cares about consumer fairness
to recap american trucks rent to own program is for truckers who lack the credit rating to get a bank loan for a down payment 4000 to 10000 and then a year or so of weekly payments 500 to 1000 a driver can become a self employed trucker known as an owner operator at the end of the year the driver has an option to buy the truck outright for an additional lump sum
this is a fine idea in theory but a few dozen american truck customers have told the better business bureau that they spent thousands on a down payment and on rental fees   in some cases a total of 50000 or more   only to have the truck repossessed before they had the chance to buy it some contend that the companys business model is to milk as much as possible from renters grab the truck then rent it out again
rent grab repeat
a manager at atg said in our previous episode that it had always acted within its rights under a contract signed with drivers the haggler has no evidence to the contrary but it could be that the truck company abides by the law and still fails its customers
hoping to get a view from inside the company the haggler spoke on the phone with two former atg employees one of them is charlie claburn a former manager who left the company in 2013 after deciding that he could not abide his employers tactics
the whole thing is a setup said mr claburn who is now a trucker i was flat out told the goal is not to let them complete the program the goal is to get the truck back
the biggest problem mr claburn said comes from unexpected out of pocket expenses atgs fleet is made up entirely of used trucks and they tend to break down that is hardly unusual atgs service agreement covers 100 percent of towing costs as long the truck is within 250 miles of one of its dealerships in addition to gulfport the company has locations near atlanta and in phoenix
as for repairs half the cost is covered if theyre performed at atg dealerships or in other shops as long the company assists in choosing the location but even inside that 250 miles atg renters say the company has told them that it will take a few days for their tow to arrive truckers cant afford to wait so they often spend their own money
the last six weeks i drove that truck it broke down every week said david robbins a former american truck customer who said he spent 97000 renting and repairing a truck that he was ultimately forced to surrender when he couldnt keep current on payments i was spending my last dollars
many atg renters hover close to the brink of destitution so once they start spending a few thousand dollars on towing and repairs they begin to miss payments and when that happens the company has the right to take back the vehicle
this can happen just about anywhere in 2013 willie herringshaw was awakened in his truck at a service plaza in albany on the new york state thruway he said it was about 2 am and a pair of men were standing outside his vehicle their pickup truck blocking him in he was one payment in arrears he said
mr herringshaw said he was able to talk the men into delivering the 44000 pounds of steel he was hauling to a destination a few miles away others are not that lucky in some cases according to mr claburn the repo agents just unhitch the trailer where they find it and drive away
how does the company know where these vehicles are it installs two gps tracking devices in its trucks mr claburn explained
when a driver falls behind on payments he might get a call that says we know youre in new york he said now the driver realizes there is gps on board if he finds it and disables it theres another its hidden under the dashboard
the haggler heard american trucks side of this story in an interview with louis j normand jr its owner and founder mr normand said it wasnt true that the company rents trucks intending to repossess them in part because that makes no economic sense   it costs about 4500 a retrieval   and because it goes against his foremost goal
i want to be part of the solution for truckers not part of the problem he said id rather a driver stay in his truck and build a relationship
as for those gps devices mr normand said those were pretty much standard industry practice the company and its financial backers need to know where their property is
the haggler asked how many customers had successfully segued from renter to owner about 100 mr normand said this seemed like a pretty small number given that the company opened in 2000 and says it rents dozens of trucks a month then again its more than zero
so the haggler asked to speak to someone who had managed to buy a rented atg truck the next day a publicist for the company emailed three names
one of them was rolando venereo his story is not exactly a tale of triumph a trucker since 2006 he made a deal with american truck in 2013 renting a volvo 780 for a down payment of 3900 and weekly payments of 625 at the end of the year he bought the truck outright for 23900 its fair market value at the time the company told mr venereo   according to mr venereo this is a matter of contention
i am angry i am sorry and i am sad mr venereo said what bothers him most he continued is that the 3900 down payment he made at the outset didnt count toward the final purchase price as an atg salesman had led him to believe
the haggler asked why mr venereo didnt walk away rather than give the company an additional 23900 the reason he said is that by then he had made enough repairs to the truck to know he could drive it for a while without it breaking down again
surviving that year of renting required some financial assistance from his father he said asked if he would sign the same deal with the company again given what he knows now he didnt hesitate of course not i have a family sir
american trucks publicist john david offered a different version of events he said mr venereo did get credit for his down payment it was put toward the final purchase price which was just shy of 28000 mr david said
in a follow up call mr venereo said he had no idea where the company had gotten that figure
as it turns out american trucks reputation precedes it some trucking firms will not work with drivers who have rented from atg one of the firms is bruce oakley inc of north little rock ark which has deals with about 700 owner operators atgs lease agreement said jeremy kellett bruce oakleys director of recruiting sets a guy up for failure
what we have here may be one of the great lessons in buyer beware time and again the haggler heard former atg customers say that they were left with one impression while they were being sold the rent to own program and a very different impression once they started driving this just underscores a reality its all about what you sign not what you hear
then again what a salesman says ought to matter and it would if buyers were to make an audio recording of their negotiations now that everyone has a smartphone and every smartphone has a voice recorder this is pretty easy to pull off the haggler isnt suggesting that anyone do this surreptitiously put your smartphone where it can be seen and announce that you are recording to minimize misunderstandings
if any of the heartbroken and now impoverished former american truck group customers had done that their stories might have different endings


st clairsville ohio   the rolling hills of eastern ohio show few signs of the frenzied activity unfolding hundreds of feet underground inside the powhatan no 6 mine a machine the size of a city bus is slowly slicing the earth scraping out coal and sending it on a 40 minute ride to the surface
it will see the light of day for the first time in 200 million years says robert e murray the 76 year old chairman of the murray energy corporation rolling toward the coalface where the coal is cut out of the rock in an electric cart
the digging occurs at the distant end of a forbidding maze of tunnels stretching more than 16 miles into the earth the walls are coated with rock dust or pulverized limestone which acts as a fire retardant and gives the place a chalky ethereal appearance it is mostly silent but for the occasional whoosh of air venting from above
this is a special place for mr murray who likes to tell the story of how he sold his childrens toys and mortgaged his home to acquire this mine   his first   nearly 30 years ago he went on to build the nations largest independent coal producer by pioneering efficient new technologies like longwall mining where the cavern ultimately collapses in on itself after yielding considerably more coal than traditional underground mining methods
mr murray is also the architect of the most serious challenge to the obama administrations environmental goals particularly its policy on climate change he has filed more than a half dozen lawsuits against the administration including several challenging its landmark policy to curb greenhouse gas emissions from coal fired power plants in february he scored a big victory when the supreme court temporarily blocked the administrations plan until an appeals court can consider an expedited challenge this summer
the expansion of its mining business at a time of deep industry disillusionment coupled with an activist agenda has made murray energy one of the leading forces combating environmental regulations and it has made mr murray a galvanizing champion of a once dominant industry fallen on hard times
for him any attempt to regulate pollution from power plants is a plot not only to destroy coal producers in the united states but also to take control of the nations electrical supply he blames regulators in washington intent on accumulating power and handpicking winners and losers what it is is a political power grab of americas power grid to change our country in a diabolical if not evil way he says thank you obama
as the nation struggles to come to terms with greenhouse gas emissions climate change and minings environmental toll mr murray stands at the center of the economic social and political debate his life goal is to see that coal production in america remains vibrant   even as his critics say he is waging a doomed rear guard battle against inevitability
electricity from fossil fuels including coal remains the single biggest contributor to global carbon emissions which scientists blame for rising temperatures
the business faces challenges from not only toughening environmental standards but also cheap natural gas resulting from the practice of hydraulic fracturing or fracking   breaking up the bedrock to extract more oil and gas this year for the first time natural gas is expected to pass coal as the main source of fuel for power plants
if mr murray helped remake the modern american coal industry then coal made the man he started mining at age 16 a few years after a mining accident left his father paralyzed his own neck has been broken three times over the years his technological expertise has helped keep mines working that might otherwise have been shuttered long ago
and he says he vehemently believes that humans are not responsible for global warming last year he said pope francis was totally wrong for calling climate change an urgent issue
on this day mr murray descended into the powhatan no 6 mine for what would probably be his last visit the mine will close in november when it comes to the end of its productive life after nearly a half century in operation most of the 431 miners are likely to be laid off
this is a human issue for me mr murray says it kills me lives are being destroyed deliberately by some and by the ignorance of most
moving deeper into the mine he passes a pair of men drilling into the ceiling we appreciate your work he tells them
despite the obstacles mr murray is doubling down in 2013 his company acquired the coal business of consol energy for 3 billion nearly doubling its mines with the addition of five more last year it bought a stake in foresight energy in a 137 billion transaction murray energy now has the capacity to produce about 10 percent of the nations coal
the coal industry is being destroyed he says and its scary to me because electricity is a staple of life   like potatoes were to the irish and obama has largely destroyed reliable low cost affordable electricity in america
the day was taking its toll on mr murray who had been up since 5 am and had flown by helicopter to a meeting in akron with one of his biggest customers the firstenergy corporation that meeting which lasted six and a half hours had not gone well the sides could not agree on a new price for coal with the power utility demanding more concessions from its supplier
the walls of murray energys corporate offices are lined with mementos and pictures and his own office is decked with small military plane models nearby stands a recent christmas gift from a customer a life size statue of mr murray wearing a scottish kilt in the clan murray tartan
coal mining runs in the family mr murray is a fourth generation miner and his three sons all work for the company his father was paralyzed from the neck down after falling in a stairway in 1948 when mr murray was 9 years old
those were tough days he says chicken dinner once a week we never bought fish he says too expensive
he spent 16 years working underground earning a degree in mining engineering along the way and rising through the ranks of the north american coal corporation he helped develop new mines in ohio and north dakota among other places and broke his neck in mining accidents in 1963 and 1969 and in a car accident in 1987 by 1983 had become the companys chief executive
he was fired in 1987 over a disagreement with the board on dissolving and reincorporating the company in delaware mr murray says the move was designed to shed employee benefits and he refused to go along
within a year with the backing of a local utility the cleveland electric illuminating company now called the firstenergy corporation he secured financing to buy the powhatan no 6 mine he knew it was not being used to its full potential and he had some ideas for fixing that
one of the biggest expenses in mining aside from getting the coal out of the ground is transportation here mr murray took a novel approach
on a map he drew circles around power plants located near rivers   cheap transportation   then went shopping for mines nearby despite new environmental regulations on the horizon he knew that even low quality high sulfur coal could still be mined provided that plants were equipped with scrubbers he snapped up mines for a song
then his masterstroke longwall mining which he helped perfect
in traditional mining individual rooms are cut into a coal seam and then supported by pillars to prevent a collapse the result is that a lot of coal is left behind in the walls between the various rooms
longwall mining on the other hand extracts almost every last bit of coal
it works like this first miners cut two parallel tunnels often miles long along either edge of the coal seam after that the longwall machine   a 350 million articulated piece of equipment equipped with a giant power drill   simply moves back and forth between the two tunnels cutting off the coal face in three foot slivers like a giant salami slicer
as the machine completes a pass the excavated parts of the mine collapse its more efficient and mr murray argues safer
the longwall machine can produce about 25000 tons daily a significant improvement on traditional underground methods which typically produce up to 2000 tons of coal a day in a section today murray operates 17 of the 40 longwall mines in the nation
hes been pretty darn successful at it says bob hodge a coal expert at ihs energy a consulting firm and he answers only to bob murray
the fact is coals century long dominance is ending as recently as 2008 it accounted for more than 50 percent of electric power but last year that slipped to about 33 percent and natural gas is expected to overtake coal as the single largest fuel for electricity production for the first time this year according to the energy information administration
one reason is fracking which has pushed down gas prices the other major coal killer is the adoption by the obama administration of more stringent standards to regulate carbon emissions and other pollutants that contribute to climate change or are harmful to human health
these regulations have prompted utilities in recent years to shut more than 400 coal fired plants that could not comply with the new rules or would be too costly to upgrade with pollution controls coal plants retired last year equaled the entire coal capacity of britain according to the sierra club
the impact on mining has been swift coal production in the united states peaked in 2008 at 117 billion tons it has since fallen 24 percent to its lowest level in 30 years
a november study by the consulting firm mckinsey  company refers to the coal business as a slow motion train wreck and estimates that the industry is about 45 billion short to cover all its debts and liabilities those would include pensions and employee retirement benefits as well as the cleanup cost of shuttered mines
more than 40 producers have filed for bankruptcy protection in recent years including some of the biggest the situation for coal in the united states is about as bad as it has ever been in modern history and maybe even beyond that says mark levin an analyst with bbt capital markets i dont think were done
this is taking a toll on mine workers whose numbers have shrunk by 19 percent in the last three years to about 75000 a typical miner earns 83700 a year according to the national mining association for a laid off worker with only a high school diploma if that that kind of pay is nearly impossible to find
were getting shelled says ryan murray the youngest of mr murrays three sons and the companys director of operations we have to fight back out of necessity
the company has opposed the obama administration over a variety of new regulations
one known as the stream protection rule was proposed to limit surface mining near waterways mr murray argues that it would effectively condemn longwall operations as well by prohibiting underground mining under vast tracts of land the company filed 14000 pages of comments opposing the rule which is still under consideration
another is the mercury and air toxics standards which set limits on air pollutants like mercury arsenic and metals murray energy sued the environmental protection agency and won a major victory last year after the supreme court struck down the rule
but the celebration was short lived for coal producers while the case was wending through the courts utilities did not wait for a legal resolution those most affected shut plants that wouldnt meet the regulations
a bigger battle still is taking place over the clean power plan a cornerstone of the obama administrations international commitment to cut carbon emissions the plan would by the year 2030 reduce carbon emission from power plants by 32 percent from 2005 levels it was a major part of the administrations pledge to reduce carbon emissions made at the international paris climate conference in december
the power plant rule leaves it up to each state to find ways to reduce emissions by shifting away from coal to cleaner energy sources including renewable energy and natural gas murray filed an early challenge to the draft rules and 29 mostly republican led states and other coal producers eventually joined
their challenge argues that the epa does not have the power under the clean air act to regulate carbon emissions and that the rules violate state sovereignty and state power to regulate local utilities
in february the supreme court temporarily blocked the administrations initiative dealing an early blow to the policy though it did not rule on the merits of the case also the ruling was issued by a court divided along ideological lines
the united states court of appeals for the district of columbia circuit is expected to hear oral arguments on the legality of the regulation in june ultimately both sides are expected to appeal to the supreme court if they lose this time the parties could face a court evenly split between its left leaning and right leaning factions since the death of the conservative justice antonin scalia
the day after his coal mine visit mr murray delivered a lecture at west liberty university a small public college in nearby west virginia there about 150 students packed a hall to earn extra credit for their business class
mr murray came with a five page speech titled the ongoing destruction of a major american industry which among other things described the regal outlaw obama administration but once he reached the lectern the speech was forgotten instead mr murray spoke extemporaneously
he warned the students about government bureaucrats they are rejects compared with people in the private sector about bernie sanders the problem with socialists is that they eventually run out of other peoples money paraphrasing margaret thatcher about the leading republican presidential candidate im not sure about donald trump and about ivy league schools these schools are lousy
he announced that he was organizing a fund raiser for ted cruz though he pointed out that he was not endorsing him
and finally he shared his views on what he described as the obama administrations lies about global warming it doesnt concern mr murray that his climate views run counter to the scientific consensus which has found that warming is unequivocal according to the latest report from the intergovernmental panel on climate change
this global warming hoax mr murray told the students its a movement that is destroying america


monday is what for many in the fashion hollywood business celebrity nexus is considered the highlight of the social season the metropolitan museum of arts costume institute gala before guests like sarah jessica parker and johnny depp run the flashbulb gantlet to get to their champagne and canapes however they will have to air kiss the co hosts anna wintour miuccia prada taylor swift nicolas ghesquiere idris elba and jonathan ive and at least pretend to pay attention to the nominal reason they are there the opening of manus x machina the mets annual fashion blockbuster exhibition
a meditation on the assumptions we all make about what constitutes value in clothing the show features 150 garments made between the 1880s and last february by names like chanel iris van herpen lanvin and hussein chalayan and is meant to draw attention to the increasingly meaningless standoff between hand and machine why do we believe a dress that took one seamstress thousands of hours to embroider is worth more than a dress that took thousands of hours to 3d print can you even tell the difference
technology is eroding the difference between haute couture and ready to wear said andrew bolton chief curator of the costume institute who wants the show to convince viewers that we need a new paradigm for thinking about creativity not to mention he added to raise the question of what wearables really means
the implication being that despite the fact that apple maker of the apple watch aka the poster object for wearables is a sponsor of the show the answer is not necessarily a gadget you strap on your body
rather it may have something to do with what is going on a few miles to the south of the museum across the east river in a cavernous old industrial building in sunset park brooklyn
that is the headquarters of manufacture new york a fashion incubator factory and research facility housed in a landmark building that was once storehouse no 2 of the united states navy fleet supply base so noted on a plaque by the entrance and is now the wearables epicenter of a brooklyn waterfront reinvention that has been taking place over the last few years
forget silicon valley and silicon beach welcome to the land of the silicon schmatte
incubator hubs in former factories have begun to dot the rivers edge and the uplands like pearls on a string aside from manufacture ny there is the greenpoint design and manufacturing center a complex of old brick buildings originally built for the textile industry and new lab in the brooklyn navy yard which concentrates on prototyping and structures to name just a few then there is the brooklyn army terminal just a few blocks down from manufacture nys home and a million plus square foot center for advanced manufacturing including biotech in the words of maria torres springer president of the new york economic development corporation which will manage the space
thanks to an unexpected collision of circumstances   a borough with a surfeit of unused industrial spaces city planning the realization on the part of the development corporation among other agencies that there is enormous economic opportunity in encouraging this identity according to scott cohen one of the founders of new lab the rise of the maker movement with its emphasis on small businesses thinking in a local and custom way and the citys legacy as a fashion capital   new york especially brooklyn has become the natural home of the greater wearables movement said francis bitonti a designer who runs a namesake studio and whose primary tools are algorithms and 3d printers
the west coast has a lot of software talent but not really a strong fashion culture said mr bitonti who has collaborated on dresses for dita von teese and chromat and shoes for united nude they take a very engineering led bottom line approach to their start ups
manufacture ny has a somewhat different approach
manufacture ny was founded in 2012 by bob bland 33 a redhead with stints at polo ralph lauren and tommy hilfiger on her resume who was inspired to create the 21st century garment district after struggling to run her own label brooklyn royalty and source production locally now the group aims to focus on the points where design intersects with technology and how together they can alter the supply chain
to this end the 10 person executive team includes a chief technology officer named amanda parkes a 41 year old computer scientist and mechanical engineer with long blond hair who talks at warp speed has a thing for biofabrication and tends to pepper her sentences with words like density mapping voxel and hacking interfaces together she and ms bland are the sharp point of the wearables spear they function a bit like charlies angels if the angels had thrown off the patriarchy and gone out on their own
we want to create a whole new genre of company that will have the instincts and design skills of fashion and the back end of research and ip ms parkes said pointing out that current fashion start ups exist in one sphere and tech start ups in another and generally never the twain do meet
but ms parkes said if you are making a clothing line you need research facilities for the hydrophobic nanotechnology thats going to make it special and you need to know what it takes to create a private label so you can actually bring it to market if you are dan steingart an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at princeton and an energy specialist who is researching how to make fabric into a battery you need to know who can actually scale the fabric you make or who can actually make clothes out of it who can design them
you need to be in the same ecosystem
or at least on the same floor   all 160000 square feet of it with washed concrete floors giant mullioned windows and curving pillars nearing completion manufacture ny is in a temporary home on a lower floor there will be space for 30 or 40 companies a denim lab digital printing laser cutting 3d knitting weaving chemistry and biology labs and a working sample room at the moment 15 are in the temporary site with another 50 or so linked into their network not all of them are product centric but all of them embody to varying extents this new kind of thinking and function somewhat as a circuit unto themselves
dropel for example was co founded by simardev gulati scion of a textile factory owning family in india who studied international trade and finance at oxford he and the co founder bradley feinstein a former consultant have patented a nanotechnology process that bonds hydrophobic polymers with natural fibers on the molecular level to make them water  and stain repellent a process that can be licensed by clothing brands translated it means that a linen or cotton or denim shirt looks and feels exactly like linen or cotton or denim but if you spill cranberry juice or soy sauce or wine on it the liquid beads right off
recently they were in the office hanging out near jae rhim lee an artist and ted fellow who first became known for her burial shroud an art project she created at mit that combined biological material mushrooms with textiles to help achieve perfect physical decomposition after death but im not a designer so it didnt look that attractive she said
ms parkes introduced ms lee to daniel silverstein a fashion institute of technology graduate who had interned at carolina herrera before going out on his own and who has a space in manufacture ny denoted by a gold velvet vintage chaise a silver bowl of apples and two rails of clothing mr silverstein redesigned the funeral shroud into a neatly tailored funeral suit and now ms lee plans to sell it for 1500
mr silverstein meanwhile spends most of his time creating sweatshirt like tops for his label zwd zero waste daniel that are painstakingly and personally collaged from scrap fabric left on the cutting room floor at local factories so that within its basic contours no one garment is the same his goal is to connect with a company using visual algorithms that allow robots to identify and manipulate the scraps which would allow him to automate the process and produce at scale and use up ever more textile ends that would otherwise end up as landfill
if you put designers and engineers really close to the manufacturing process what happens is they realize they do things the way they do because they are working with machines that were made a long time ago said mr cohen of new lab suddenly they say why not just make a new machine and it transforms the process
indeed process is the key word in the language of the new wearables as it reflects the idea of technology used to improve the creation of an object as opposed to technology that is the object in itself
such was the genesis of thesis couture a manufacture ny start up shoe line founded by dolly singh the former head of talent at elon musks spacex who in 2013 enlisted a rocket scientist an orthopedic surgeon a mechanical engineer a shoe designer and an italian shoemaker in her goal of re engineering the stiletto
it essentially hasnt changed since it was invented in 1950 said ms singh who has spent the last two years trying to build a better shoe now she says they have done it
the result which is in prototype and they hope will be available to order next month is a limited edition of 1500 pairs each pair selling for 900 on first view the shoe looks like a black leather high heeled gladiator sandal very much in the jimmy choochristian louboutinmanolo blahnik vein except it is made of ballistic grade thermal plastic polyurethane the pieces of which snap together there are no internal steel shanks as is traditional the trademarked system is known as structural interlocking architecture and will make a four inch stiletto feel like a wedge ms singh said
thesis coutures website already has a list of almost 11000 interested consumers who are waiting to be notified when the shoe goes live as well as another 2100 who have registered to place orders ms singh plans to do a series a fund raising next year at which point she intends to bring out a 21 piece collection each style balanced on a towering spike and named after a high achieving woman the sally ride a black ankle boot with a curve of gold beads the maya angelou an open toe gladiator style with a contrasting color heel the malala yousafzai a hot pink sandal with a gold ankle strap and so on
the fact is technology has been a part of fashion forever mr bitonti said fashion has always used tools whether they are sewing machines or knitting needles
back at the met mr bolton called this silent technology   the tech you cant see like the ultrasonic welding used by nicolas ghesquiere in a floral dress for louis vuitton   and said that for him it and the collaboration it represents is the future of fashion
not to mention brooklyn


the dvf awards hosted by diane von furstenberg three weeks ago was filled with botox blondes crowding the bar in black cocktail dresses towering above them in stiletto heels and snugly fitting snow white lace that matched her bobbed hair was maye musk escorted by marina arsenijevic a serbian concert pianist
isnt it nice to see a real woman said ms arsenijevic pointing to her friend ms musk laughed her blue gray eyes twinkling
ms von furstenbergs team had dressed her that afternoon tina brown walked by absorbed in her smartphone they both invited me ms musk whispered of ms brown and ms von furstenberg i hope i get to meet them tonight
after dinner ms von furstenberg was indeed walked over by an organizer to ms musk you look so beautiful said the designer clasping her guests hands ms brown came over too as did the tony award winning director julie taymor and all four women posed together for photographers
ms musk 68 is the mother of elon musk the billionaire entrepreneur whose tesla line of electric cars interest in space exploration and two rocky marriages have intrigued even the most jaded of new york society now she is seizing her own moment in the moonlight
i was famous until elon became famous ms musk said half joking over oatmeal at cafe luxembourg the day before
she has appeared in a beyonce video in revlon ads and in 1996 was featured on boxes of special k cereal and at a moment when marketers are looking for authentic representations of women at all ages her modeling career is getting renewed life
last september ms musk wore a shimmering white gown by the designer malan breton in her first new york fashion week runway show in december she attended a party for the italian artist francesco vezzoli at art basel miami beach more recently she was a guest at ms browns women in the world conference and on monday ms musk will accompany elon to the met gala
we are at a point where people are demanding diversity and inclusion said ivan bart president of img models which has begun representing ms musk he added people want to see age and size because that is who their friends are
but his clients motivation is simpler i just want to work she said
she was born in regina saskatchewan in 1948 a twin and one of five children and moved with her family to pretoria south africa in 1950 her parents joshua and wyn haldeman had a thriving chiropractic practice and a thirst for adventure in 1952 the couple flew 22000 miles around the world in a plane mr haldeman brought in pieces from canada
every june or july for nearly a decade the family haldeman roamed the kalahari desert in search of its fabled lost city retracing the steps of william leonard hunt also known as guillermo farini a canadian explorer ms musk said she and her siblings slept outside either in the back of the truck or on the ground with the tops of their sleeping bags over their heads so the hyenas wouldnt eat our faces
her mother prepared maps and slide shows of the trips which she shared with ladies groups and other travelers my parents were very famous but they were never snobs ms musk said
interested in science maye also grew into a striking young woman a finalist in the 1969 miss south africa beauty competition she modeled on weekends including runway shows and catalog shoots
in 1970 she married errol musk an engineer she had met in high school and a year later elon was born followed by another son kimbal and a daughter tosca ms musk earned a masters degree in dietetics from the university of the orange free state in south africa and later another in nutritional sciences from the university of toronto
she worked at home counseling nutrition clients while modeling for extra money the marriage though lasted barely nine years and ms musk left pretoria for durban a coastal town i think its tougher being in an unhappy marriage she said than being a single mother
in his teens elon moved to pretoria to live with his father followed by kimbal i think at the end of the day she was very hurt said tosca 41 who stayed with her mother ms musk would say only that it was sad and that their relationship is now good kimbal and elon were not made available for interviews but in statements kimbal called his mother amazing and dynamic elon chose awesome
with south africa in upheaval over its apartheid policy elon wanted to pursue his interest in technology in canada where ms musks relatives lived and where she was still a citizen to pay for his trip to toronto ms musk said she sold stock she gave elon when he was born i got a collect call she recalled he said im at the airport what do i do now their canadian relatives werent home i told him to go to the ymca
she moved with tosca to a rent controlled apartment in toronto a year later we were not wildly rich people people forget that said tosca now a filmmaker living in los angeles kimbal a restaurateur and investor joined his siblings soon after
the children knew they wouldnt have a future in south africa said julia perry ms musks longtime stylist
elon and kimbal asked their mother to move to san francisco in 1996 where they started zip2 a software company i was lonely there she said her children threw her a 50th birthday party at the home of an investor julia flew into san francisco and said we have to get you a nice dress recalled ms musk adding she told her i cant afford this
ms perry had a dress made for ms musk she said a gift she believed was from her children they gave me a tiny wooden house and wooden car she said they said someday we will buy you a house and a car she now drives a tesla and owned an apartment in new york for 13 years before moving to los angeles in 2013 after visiting tosca who had just had twins on her own
now the musk family gets together for regular dinners often at home because elon is interrupted when they go out ms musk says she gets at least 100 requests a month from people who want to meet her son
its all about a pitch she said i had a new york photographer facebook messenger me yesterday and said lets get together for coffee she hadnt seen him in six years and asked why he said i have a project i want to run by you and i know what that means she said hes got a project he wants elon to finance ms musk politely deferred the request
but being elons mother also has its perks last september ms musk and nell rebowe another model attended the banana republic presentation during new york fashion week there charlotte mckinney the curvaceous gq cover girl and carls jr pitchwoman walked in with a friend zachary scott a 26 year old technology entrepreneur
nell ms musk said she told her friend we have to get a photo with her because it will increase our instagram followers i thought oh gosh i am really going to drop elons name how else are we going to get a photo
ms musk was introduced to mr scott do you know elon musk she asked adding hes my son mr scott shouted to ms mckinney this is elon musks mother
ms musk got her photograph   and more mr scott was also ms mckinneys business manager the two exchanged email addresses and in the following month discussed her modeling career
i saw she had 15 agencies in markets all over the world mr scott said so i sent her an email and said are you happy with your agencies they are all small and i think you could have better representation
modeling in los angeles is tough fewer fashion shoots more actresses increasing the competition she knew i was obsessed with elon mr scott said but then she said she was having to go to casting calls and sit in a lawn chair and i thought this is crazy youre maye musk how could they treat you that way
he agreed to be her business manager teaming with marlon stoltzman a fashion agent from south africa who manages candice swanepoel mr scott said he renegotiated ms musks outstanding contracts and began searching for a new home
mr bart of img models started getting calls from agents and others about ms musk last december and met with her soon after at chateau marmont in west hollywood calif
she was vocal about wanting to elevate her brand he said but though ms musk is interested in promoting fitness and health she said she would not take a modeling job that would embarrass her 10 grandchildren they dont want to see grandma naked she said
she is the sort of person that it does not matter if it is vogue or catalog work mr bart said she loves to be in the studio and that is what we are going to do
on a recent monday ms musk met with ms perry at the design office of yuna yang who is creating ms musks outfit for the met gala with the evenings theme technological ms yang had constructed an electric blue pantsuit and cape embellished with brocade lace and airy ostrich feathers to be worn with nude ferragamo heels ms musk ducked behind a rack of dresses to slip into the outfit which ms yang and an assistant adjusted to fit her shape
they debated whether she should wear a one piece undergarment ive done the jumpsuit thing ms musk said it takes a half hour to take it off and then people think you got lost
she held up her finger she smiled and shifted her hip she pouted like a schoolgirl
this is my party she said and beamed


seen any good movies lately seen any movies chances are you have   but maybe not in an actual theater americans used to adore going out to the movies but that love has been on the rocks for decades once the rival was television maybe it still is given that so much more of whats produced specifically for the small screen seems so much more worthwhile or at least watchable than it once did but the threat to movies appears more existential now because the very digital revolution that has changed how movies are made has also changed how many of us watch them
movies are no longer only in theaters or living rooms but also on our devices streaming at us wherever and whenever we want them   that is if the connection is good and you have access both to the internet and to devices less than half of lower income households in the united states have internet service at home but like every other digital advance the on demand era brings loss and anxiety in its wake including whether movies   one of the defining mass arts of the 20th century   can continue to provide a communal experience the chief film critics for the times manohla dargis and a o scott consider the state of moviegoing in an era of omnipresent screens
manohla dargis one of the big possibly bad movie stories of the last few months has been sean parker and prem akkarajus proposed new venture screening room which would bring first run movies into living rooms for 50 a pop for 48 hours though customers would also have to pony up 150 for the device to stream these titles a lot of the news stories on screening room have focused on the industry theater owners have given it the thumbs down because it will cut into their business as have those lovers of big screen spectacle christopher nolan and james cameron those who support it include steven spielberg and surprisingly martin scorsese
right now screening room sounds like a hustlers dream suitable mostly for agoraphobics and childrens birthday parties but it is worrisome for what it suggests for cinema and its future that may sound apocalyptic but its not given how fast movies zip from theaters to video on demand its no wonder that the scholar david bordwell has called the screening room idea weaponized vod or that the arthouse convergence   a group representing more than 600 art house cinemas and businesses   wrote an open letter that forcefully takes issue with this venture arguing that it would devalue the in theater experience and increase piracy put another way it could destroy an entire segment of the industry   exhibition   and moviegoing itself
a o scott its been 20 years since susan sontag wrote that no amount of mourning will revive the vanished rituals   erotic ruminative   of the darkened theater even then before the arrival of the netflix queue moviegoing had at least in the eyes of some cinephiles lost its essential sacred luster for others though digital home viewing had the potential to usher in a new golden age a decade after sontags elegy roger ebert hailed the dvds incalculable value to those who love films it delivered prints of such quality that the film can breathe before our eyes instead of merely surviving there
how quaint it all sounds eberts words testify to the lingering power of the old   digitally stored and projected motion pictures are technically neither prints nor films   and also to the speed with which the new passes into obsolescence for the studios dvds were a boon to the bottom line and to consumers they were collectible tokens of movie love in any case they didnt last long and are now increasingly niche items rather than commodities for mass consumption why clutter your shelves with special editions of last years blockbusters when a whole mobile cinematheque is a few clicks and swipes away
the deeper question though is whether the widespread at your fingertips availability of movies is a blessing or a catastrophe or a little of both without wanting to play the devils advocate   or sean parkers   im not entirely sure that streaming is necessarily an existential threat to moviegoing recent market research from the motion picture association of america suggests that frequent moviegoers defined as people who see a movie in a theater at least once a month are more likely than their more casual counterparts to own gadgets like tablets or smartphones and also not to be completely heretical whats so sacred about the darkened cinema anyway
its often idealized as a space of collective reverence and aesthetic bliss where photochemical alchemy unfolds in room full of worshipers but how often does that really happen most of the time arent we just eating unhealthy snacks and watching a digital file in obnoxious company couldnt we just do that at home
dargis its nice that we can pay five bucks to stream a crummy studio movie that looked too awful to leave the house for i suppose but i had superior more interesting choices at my local video stores than i do with netflix streaming no douglas sirk or even amazon if you want to stream nonindustrial product you often need to do time consuming digging online and even if you do you will never find the online equivalent of a kims video   the extraordinary new york home video emporium that closed in 2014   because part of what made it great was being in that store with other people
the key word here is people after all what makes movies a mass art is that they are made on a mass scale for a mass audience which is true even for work thats largely exhibited on the festival and art cinema circuit what happens to that art when we begin to remove well people from part of the equation what happens to its democratic promise which may be a fantasy at best a lie at worst but remains nonetheless when i think about mr parkers screening room i flash on the image of howard hughes in mr scorseses film the aviator watching films all alone in his private theater safely isolated from the contamination known as other human beings
for some part of the allure of screening room clearly is that it would allow them to see first run titles in hughes like isolation there seems to be a high level of dissatisfaction with moviegoing much of it focused on other peoples behavior including texting this brings to mind the days of early cinema when theaters issued audiences dos and donts like take off your hats dont spit dont talk d w griffith even made a film mocking womens haberdashery those awful hats
but theaters arent monasteries and while some movies are better watched in shared relative quiet others are better suited to the call and response of the volubly engaged audience and quiet doesnt mean dead theres something unsettling about the fetish of silence that certain moviegoers insist on its partly symptomatic of a kind of art film preciousness   shh were watching art here   but also of people habituated to viewing images at home where you can view in silence or while in full yammer at home we have control not so in movie theaters where our individual wants and needs must accommodate those of other people
scott like the movies themselves moviegoing has changed dramatically from one decade to the next the nickelodeons of the earliest days gave way to movie palaces which were supplemented by humbler main street bijoux and roxys in the 30s the major home entertainment platforms were radio and the upright piano in the parlor and movies offered a cheap accessible and climate controlled escape and millions of people went often less out of reverence than out of habit returning every week to take in double features shorts and serials newsreels and cartoons cinema in its classical age was also destination television
in the postwar years the rise of car culture and the growth of the suburbs planted drive ins in wide open spaces while grindhouses art houses and campus film societies flourished in the cities and college towns moviegoing has never been just one thing
and people are still doing it the mpaa notes that theater attendance increased by around 4 percent in north america in 2015 after wobbling and dipping in the previous few years the highly scientific explanation for this as you and i have discussed is that the studios released a lot of movies that people were eager to leave the house to see including jurassic world trainwreck straight outta compton and inside out
on a recent saturday in lower manhattan i bought a ticket to see a 35 millimeter print of an old movie the big clock at a brand new theater the metrograph staffed by eager youngsters sporting vintage threads and fresh tattoos the popcorn was organically grown the milk duds ethically sourced there was a degree of self conscious retro ness to the experience that i found bittersweet because it was inspired by someone elses nostalgia for something i knew firsthand at the other extreme a few months back i attended a premiere of a virtual reality film at which people were seated in rows with goggles pressed to their eyes each one nodding and twisting in a private reverie sometimes i feel whipsawed between the future and the past i like going to the movies i like reading books on paper and listening to music on vinyl i also enjoy the modern world and im always curious as well as worried about where its headed
dargis one doesnt need to be an alarmist or a nostalgist to know that theres much about the contemporary art and industry to be concerned about the major players have forced the industry to shift from film to digital and now courtesy of screening room they are flirting with an idea that could irreparably damage theaters and perhaps endanger the theatrical experience and the art both i dont think that will happen   as we know from the metrograph and theaters like the cinefamily in los angeles   there is an audience and a young one willing to leave the house to watch movies
still the notion that moviegoing could become a specialized pursuit for certain knowing audiences   like going to a jazz club   is bleak many more people watch movies than listen to jazz and always will but its also true that a lot of what we watch including in movie theaters is television some of this is good television much of it is mediocre but it is television in that it has been produced big yakking heads and all to be viewed on small home screens this isnt about movies versus television and whether one is superior to the other the mediums have long influenced each other its about larger more difficult questions what happens to movies if they are made to be watched only at home isnt that television what then is the cinematic because in some important ways including experientially television is closer kin to radio than to cinema
scott interesting that you bring up radio a medium that like the movies is believed to be wobbling toward extinction undone by streaming services and podcasting movies and radio are the twin progenitors of the modernity we inhabit radio got the world hooked on recorded music and the sounds of strangers voices in our private spaces movies begat our addiction to screens and both seem to be in danger of being devoured by their offspring by the power of the appetites they unleashed
were increasingly able to bring the movies home and also to bring the comforts of home with us wherever we go moviegoing is not what it used to be for sure but i suspect it will flourish as long as it answers to the primal human urge to get out of the house


we asked stars and directors of this summers films about their own favorite summer films heres what they said the answers have been edited and condensed
three summers ago they showed it at tanglewood the boston symphony orchestras summer home with david newman conducting the orchestra synced to the film it was absolutely exhilarating tanglewood was a place where the films composer leonard bernstein spent so many summers and seeing the film on the grounds with musicians who probably played under him and hearing it in the shed alongside 5000 people was incredibly moving as for jaws i love those two notes i can play them in a number of different ways always slightly varying speeds
  yo yo ma cellist and star of the music of strangers june 10
top secret i saw it when i was 11 or 12 and i remember thinking that i couldnt believe adults were allowed to be that stupid and wonderful when youre 14 thats the prime of liking things correctly before you learn how to judge them or adjust the way that you laugh at comedy and that is what i would like to retain for my life theres nothing as pure as that
  jorma taccone co director and star popstar never stop never stopping june 3
it was something new and different you had all these women who were being funny i dont think i laughed harder at a movie in my whole life and there arent a lot of movies where everybody is collectively laughing and walks away talking about moments and feels like theyve seen something that hasnt been done before
  olivia munn star x men apocalypse may 27
you kind of cant go wrong because its summery and its inspiring and its two badass women driving off a cliff i first saw thelma  louise quite late on i was a teenager and watched it with my best friend a boy and afterward i was determined to go out and make waves you know those movies that light a fire under you thats what thelma  louise did
  emilia clarke star me before you june 3
that will always be the one to top we went to opening day the very first show at 10 or 11 in the morning and just got completely blown away when hes in the cave and that boulder comes rolling down   now its an image weve seen a million times   but ive never in my life heard an audience go as crazy as that people leapt out of their seats screaming and clapping that was the first time i went maybe i want to be the guy behind the camera
  paul feig director ghostbusters july 15
as a child i used to go to drive ins with my parents we didnt have any money so theyd sneak me and my mom in underneath a blanket in the back seat of the car to save the buck fifty the adventure of seeing thunderball and of not being caught ourselves was really a living adventure on my island in the bahamas ive set up daves drive in which magically appears on the beach its an illusion you sit on the beach with your feet in the sand watching this drive in movie theater in honor of my parents and what they gave me as a child
  david copperfield co producer now you see me 2 june 10
i loved wet hot american summer although i havent seen the netflix series so i feel like a filthy casual fan the first time i watched it i was like its cute its funny and my friends in high school were like no were going to watch it 50 more times and its going to be your favorite movie to be honest i would usually go over to the house of this one boy i liked and we ended up making out the second half of the movie so maybe it was one of those movies that was more fun to quote than to watch after a while
  anna kendrick star mike and dave need wedding dates july 8
i saw it in paris the year i went to film school in 1977 and i immediately went back and saw it again   the only time i ever did that it was a movie i could totally buy into because it was not some superhero it was just normal people confronted with an extraordinary thing and this movie deeply influenced me because my movies are also like normal people who live through extraordinary adventures
  roland emmerich director independence day resurgence june 24
when i was a kid i would go to camp and you didnt get to see the summer movies always i remember waiting all summer for independence day i was probably 14 or 15 and it blew my mind i was a huge will smith and fresh prince of bel air fan its a pure popcorn summer movie the scope the unprecedented destruction and bill pullmans speech at the end is one of the greatest speeches in movie history   although its written very bizarrely and hard to memorize i know because ive tried
  seth rogen star neighbors 2 sorority rising may 20
i think of it as a summer movie that didnt fit any prototype of a typical summer movie it represents science fiction at its best when it can mystify us like a dream the central character becomes more human by becoming less human the social segregations of district 9 become filters when we leave the theater that allow us to see our own world in sharper focus
  bill pullman star independence day resurgence june 24
when i was little i would watch grease maybe every day for all of july or august i was perhaps 12 and loved musicals i was studying dance and i knew all the dialogue and all the numbers i didnt have a movie theater nearby but i would rent movies almost every day if i love a movie i never watch it just once there are so many things you discover every time you watch
  penelope cruz star ma ma may 27


there was a moment in eli paperboy reeds gospel quartet class recently at the end of blind willie johnsons plaintive let your light shine on me when asher bethune a reserved 19 year old hit a note so low so unexpectedly that the other students jumped and shouted no one had heard mr bethune sing like that before
luke waldron 17 declared the presence of the supernatural
hes in this room he shouted
mr reed the teacher beamed and shook his head quartet singing will do that to a person he knew it had done things to him
mr reeds journey to the harlem townhouse where the group meets includes some familiar chapters of americas musical narrative a start in the juke joints around clarksdale miss where he got the nickname paperboy because of a cap he wore then up north to chicago where he played piano and sang in a church on the south side then east to new york but some twists along the way are distinctly mr reeds a reform jewish upbringing and bar mitzvah in brookline mass studies at the university of chicago a couple of nike and toyota commercials and the divine intervention of a free market think tank
in the classroom mr reed 32 exhorted the students to cut loose i want you to get out of your comfort zone on this he said growling a line to demonstrate
i want a sense of urgency if you can fake it you can do it for real
the words could serve as a motto for his own sojourn
in 2013 mr reed whose real name is eli husock received a call from his father howard husock about a free after school program called gospel for teens held inside a renovated brownstone on west 126th street like his son howard husock has had a varied career journey writing about blues and soul music for the boston phoenix and creem magazine in the 1970s then becoming a vice president at the manhattan institute for policy research which promotes free market capitalist principles the institute was considering gospel for teens for a social entrepreneurship award did eli want to join his father for a visit
at the time mr reeds career seemed about to take off he had finished recording an album of pop soul songs for warner bros records even before release songs were being licensed for use in commercials for nike and toyota as well as in movie and television soundtracks of course he wanted to join his father he said
his timing was fortuitous said vy higginsen executive director of the mama foundation for the arts which runs the gospel for teens program
we needed something special for the young men she said we thought young black men were in danger and we wanted to give them some extra attention
mr reed had a proposition how about a class in gospel quartet singing the music that produced stars like wilson pickett and sam cooke the school had strong choir programs but quartet singing is something different   flashier and looser with more male sex appeal i said ill do it ill be around lets make it happen mr reed said so now its three years
as mr husock remembered the meeting his son sat at the piano and belted out an old alex bradford song ive seen him in a lot of black churches and the reaction is always the same mr husock 65 said first people are dumbfounded then theyre blown away by his voice in that instant he formed a bond with vy higginsen
mr reed placed the students   just a few that first year gradually growing to eight   on the front stoop and on street corners to sing songs from a tradition their parents may be too young to remember
luke waldron now in his third year said he was kind of skeptical the first time he met mr reed i stayed quiet and shy he said i had to feel him out but our relationship over time has become extremely close hes increased my confidence
in contrast to the choir teachers who expected luke to hit the notes as written mr reed encouraged him to use his full range and bend the song to his emotions
he will take risks luke said of his teacher he says in quartet music theres no reason for holding back have confidence in your voices dont be afraid of messing up
mr reed did not anticipate what happened next turnover at warner bros left his album orphaned the label dropped him the weekly gospel quartet class which he had expected to squeeze between tours   and for which he refused compensation ms higginsen said   was suddenly his only musical outlet
i was really down he said id be at home not touring not recording not really writing and then on fridays i would come here and i would leave just completely energized by the kids and the music we were making i would definitely think man i dont want to go all the way up there it takes me an hour and a half to get there from brooklyn then id say no im gonna do it these kids are depending on me and by the end of it i was just so stoked about all of it and stoked about music
if he was discouraged he did not show the students said stephen pedley 17 he had this swagger about him stephen said from the first class hes the same eli
last year mr reed started writing songs again this time in an explicitly gospel vein and recorded them using his own money for an album my way home scheduled to come out in june
for mr reed the evolution has felt natural
i dont think you have to necessarily embrace every particular word of the song or the scripture to enjoy the beauty and joy that the music creates he said in the other churches ive played in and the gospel groups ive been in people have been very accepting of me it hasnt been an issue i find that the black church is one of the most open and accepting places that ive ever encountered in my whole life
one of his mentors the gospel and soul singer roscoe robinson 87 said he was not surprised by the overtly christian messages in mr reeds new songs i think hes a christian person mr robinson said from his home in birmingham ala i really think he knows the lord
in the weeks after asher bethune hit his low note he was still marveling at the sound that had come from his body for asher a freshman at concordia college in bronxville the religious content was the heart of the music something bigger than him must have guided that note he said
i was taught that we should let the spirit lead you when youre singing asher said when i hit that note that came from my soul and my heart i didnt know it was there
ms higginsen said she hears the same spirit in mr reeds music and tutelage the common thread is the dedication and joy in good music she said and to serve as real role models and say ok we understand that making music is more than making a record or making money that somehow the music is therapeutic
its an end to itself mr reed said
so whether you decide to pursue a music career or be a veterinarian it really doesnt matter ms higginsen said when you take the music with you youre taking your own therapy with you
the class finished with a slinky gospel song called dont let the devil ride with mr reed taking lead on the last verse pushing it as hard as he could until the students raced through the final vamp class was over needs had been met
mr reed packed up his guitar and headed home spirits high


name emily kinney
age 30
hometown north bend neb
now lives in a small one bedroom apartment near lincoln center and in a cozy rental in west hollywood calif
claim to fame a television actress and indie rock singer ms kinney starred as the tenacious beth in four seasons of the zombie tv drama the walking dead she has also appeared in the tv series the knick and masters of sex a longtime singer songwriter she has released two albums of gentle country inflected pop rock
big break in 2007 after attending nebraska wesleyan university and new york university ms kinney auditioned on broadway eventually earning a leading role in the in the hip broadway musical spring awakening when the play closed the next year she jumped back into broadway auditions and joined the cast of august osage county for over 300 performances before getting her part which was modest at the time on the the walking dead i was happy and excited to get the job but i had no idea it would be my life for the next five years she said i thought i was just doing a short recurring role its hard for me to watch the show though because i dont like that much violence
latest project since ms kinneys character met her grisly end on the walking dead she has focused on her music career her second album this is war was released in october its an album thats about standing up for myself rather than being sad that some relationships have ended like before she said in january one song from the album weapons was used in love on the sidelines a hallmark channel romantic comedy that ms kinney starred in
next thing she is writing her next album thematically im looking more at identity this time she said she is also performing concerts as part of the food charity whyhungers artists against hunger  poverty program
ready for battle though she is no longer on the walking dead reminders of her tenure still fill her manhattan apartment the space is my guitars and zombie things everywhere because people still send them to me she said i have survival kits everywhere


early in the evening of april 19 a few hours after a brooklyn judge ruled that the former police officer peter liangs shooting of akai gurley in 2014 was essentially an accident for which a prison sentence was not deemed necessary constance malcolm received a call in her bronx apartment on the other end of the line was valerie bell the mother of sean bell who was killed by the police a decade ago outside a queens nightclub where he had been celebrating at his bachelor party four years ago ms malcolms son ramarley graham was shot and killed by a police officer richard haste in the company of several others a few feet from where she was now standing her mother and her younger son chinnor campbell then 6 were at home when it happened
tragedy has a habit of compelling its survivors toward a kind of obliterating inertia or relentless activism mr grahams mother mr bells mother eric garners mother and others who have lost children to the violence born of police prejudice or misjudgment have devoted themselves to calling for accountability and justice ms malcolm would say her own efforts had been largely fruitless despite the rallies news conferences and petitions   ms malcolm has appeared in front of city hall three times in the past two months   officer haste remains on the force on modified duty he another officer and a sergeant face internal disciplinary charges pending an investigation but ms malcolm has not been able to find out what the charges against officer hastes colleagues are nor what will become of other officers who were on hand at the time of her sons death some of whom have not been publicly identified
when i posed these questions to the new york police department a spokesman lt john grimpel responded in an irritated tone that he didnt have to tell me
in terms of transparency and accountability the administration of mayor bill de blasio ms malcolm remarked to me is just as bad as giulianis and bloombergs the requests she has made to meet with mr de blasio since he took office have been denied the mayor did however meet with the retired tennis star james blake only days after mr blake was thrown to the ground by a plainclothes officer who had mistaken him for someone else
after her son was killed ms malcolm who works in a nursing home in westchester remained largely out of commission for a year i couldnt function she said in the aftermath of the shooting her son chinnor who was seated next to her when i visited had difficulty sleeping and trouble in school the teacher was calling all the time ms malcolm said chinnor kept running out of the classroom eventually he transferred to a new school for two years she wouldnt let him play outside the prospect worried her too much i tried to watch tv and get out of my mind chinnor told me after a while ms malcolm got him a dog her daughter who had originally planned to go the police academy decided against it instead she started making caps with the image of two hands up that read dont shoot
as mr de blasio a democrat begins his bid for re election next year he will almost certainly be challenged on his record of police reform as long as a culture in which obfuscation is regarded as an entitlement continues to dominate the department he is vulnerable to the accusation that little has changed when the legal aid society sued new york city for access to records pertaining to officer daniel pantaleo who put eric garner in the illegal chokehold that killed him and a judge ruled in the organizations favor the city did not graciously turn over the keys to the file cabinet but instead appealed
what effect will all of this have on the mayors base of support last year councilman andy king a bronx democrat who represents the district where mr graham was killed spoke favorably of the mayor in an interview with the new york observer in february at a rally outside city hall at which ms malcolm urged the mayor to have officer haste fired mr king led a chant of no hope no vote implying that the electorate should cast its votes elsewhere if mr de blasio failed to act
at the same time activists particularly those who are part of the police reform organizing project hold regular rallies in protest of what they view as the status quo problems of broken windows policing despite the drastic declines in the use of stop and frisk tactics under the de blasio administration the group argues that bias reigns a report that the group released in march said that in 1880 cases recorded in criminal courts in manhattan the bronx brooklyn and queens from june 3 2014 to march 18 2016 91 percent of the defendants were minorities
add to this the widely circulated video of a black postal worker glen grays handcuffed and carted away while he was working in brooklyn for no apparent reason and the marketing of successful police reform becomes an even greater political challenge within a month after the grays episode the queens district attorneys office announced it was indicting two detectives accused of assaulting another uniformed postal service employee many voters are unlikely to pay much attention to the complicated and arguably politically motivated fund raising scandals currently plaguing city hall but images of abuse and rank unfairness they get


five years ago the photographer cassandra giraldo fell into step with some teenagers on their way to the mall at atlantic terminal in brooklyn she spent the next several months documenting two of the girls april and desire until their graduation from the eighth grade
they opened their whole worlds to me said ms giraldo 26 who was enrolled in the international center of photography at the time they both came from single mother households she said they had to help their moms take care of the other kids they had this added maturity that already marks the new york city teenager
that experience became the seed for the after school project ms giraldos continuing instagram series documenting how students mostly in brooklyn all in public schools spend the interlude between school and home her parameters for the project which was a finalist for the inaugural getty images instagram grant last year were loose
im trying to capture these kids at their most authentic time she said theyre not being watched by their teachers and parents she photographed them playing sports or just hanging out ive experienced after school time as this lighthearted time she said its great to run into the same kids time and time again i see how the girlfriend or boyfriend from about a week ago is no longer the girlfriend or boyfriend
now studying education reporting at the columbia graduate school of journalism ms giraldo has learned more about the institutions teenagers navigate she plans to turn the project into a website for students and educators   and to check in with her former subjects april and desire who are about to graduate from high school they taught me how to be a photographer to be honest how to capture intimacy to spend time to slow down to be thoughtful ms giraldo said they also made me a permateen


pleated skirts started showing up last autumn but were quickly hidden under winter coats they are back now in multiple colors fabrics and lengths they are not a major trend more like a caprice of fashion that women clearly love wearing so does the artist timothy john who creates his own sophisticated combinations
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it used to be that if you wanted to practice fire arts in the city you had to do it in secret but all that changed late last year when the fire department granted a special permit for the first time to the floasis where anyone with an appetite for heat can spin fire
on the front door of a tan brick building on 1342a dekalb avenue in bushwick brooklyn a poster advertises fire dance inside several japanese screens enclose a sewing studio where tara mcmanus one of the owners of the floasis designs her line of flame resistant clothing which is also on sale there
props for fire arts are displayed on a far wall   hoops staves fans and a whip that could be lit on fire several cats roam the space in the backyard reached through a door with a stern sign warning of fuel and fire there is a large black silicone rubber mat designated for fire spinning practice a yellow metal cabinet with three types of petroleum sits a safe distance away and next to that an essential tool   a fire extinguisher
we have a culture here ms mcmanus said recalling how she persuaded the fire departments explosives unit to grant the floasis official approval when i explained to them that fire arts changes peoples lives   it gives them confidence and a community   i could see their attitude changing the fdny instituted a licensing system for individual fire performers in january
ms mcmanus helped found the floasis as an artist collective in 2011 after quitting her job as a costume designer already a skilled fire spinner she learned her craft from classes held in the shadows on rooftops she needed a space for her new clothing company 3rd earth fireproof she began hosting fire spinning get togethers or spin jams and she taught off the books classes at what became a hub for all things fire arts
nowadays you find a mix of pros hobbyists and newcomers every week theres somebody who spins fire for the first time here she said
there are regular classes taught by an array of teachers both outdoors and in the basement dance studio no fire covering all manner of props fire eating and breathing conditioning and fire safety
on a recent evening at a fire eating class ms mcmanus was demonstrating a technique called candling to several students she tilted her head back and put a bite size flaming torch in her mouth when she removed it a candle like flame was coming out of her mouth then the students tried
that was a candle said neal sherman who succeeded after several tries i saw it a 69 year old retired science teacher who lives in kew gardens queens mr sherman started going a few months ago out of curiosity he said and gets a thrill from the momentary brush with danger
another evening after a rehearsal for a coming show alexandra furillo was in the backyard spinning fire tracing circular and crisscrossing streaks of light with two torches that whooshed loudly as they cut through the air
ms furillo a 27 year old manicurist who lives nearby in bedford stuyvesant discovered the floasis three years ago a baton twirler who had always wanted to twirl fire and who had recently moved to new york city from pennsylvania she was broke and felt adrift going to the floasis changed everything she said
and after learning fire eating from ms mcmanus who pushed her to perform to get over her stage fright ms furillo landed a gig as a resident fire eater at the coney island circus sideshow under the stage name nola star she is still a regular at the weekly spin jams
this is my church she said some people pray to jesus i light up my fire torches


the brief nudity nah its not a problem
shaving the head the hair is already gone
nothing the actress elizabeth lande said was a barrier when auditioning to play a professor dying of cancer in the pulitzer prize winning wit currently at playhouse on park in west hartford when you have the opportunity for a role like this she said its not much of a sacrifice
the moving and often funny play by margaret edson chronicles the thoughts and experiences of the imperial vivian bearing an exacting scholar of john donnes poetry who at 50 has stage iv ovarian cancer before cancer she was a taskmaster pushing her students into a deeper dissection of the text now undergoing rounds of chemotherapy as part of a research project she herself is the text her symptoms dissected in unemotional protocols by doctors and in the meantime shes dying
the role has a lineage of strong women   kathleen chalfant emma thompson   cast as bearing a tough cookie as the yale trained new york based ms lande described her by phone but that wasnt the roles primary appeal she said what you want is to play these amazing human beings more amazing than you are
sean harris an artistic director at playhouse on park said the character a cold stern disaffected scholar had to be played with emotional vulnerability as well a lot of people who auditioned had that strength mr harris said but i didnt want to go on the journey with them ms lande he said broke our heart
now shorn of what mr harris called her gorgeous red hair ms lande is grappling nightly with the plays emotional challenges
this is not someone whos supersweet and nice to everybody ms lande said shes cocky shes witty shes intelligent but shes not a cupcake as they say in the play
yet the same off putting character has to accept losing control in the hospital which she resists with anger and dry humor before eventually an emotional breakthrough what makes the play so wonderful is that she does have to let go of that power and she doesnt want to ms lande said
facing death is not the time to worry about being right she said quoting the play now is the time for kindness that i think is the most beautiful line
mr harris said that a shift like that was a reason ms lande was so right for the role she has an incredible balance between frailty and strength he said
her commitment to the physical experience of cancer and chemotherapy is a particular strength of her performance she turned to a family connection   jane elizabeth lande a beloved aunt lost to cancer   for inspiration
she was a beautiful beautiful person ms lande said she loved art she was curious she was adventurous she always chose to look at the world in a positive light
when her aunt faced her death ms lande said she reluctantly accepted it
she said something to me right before she passed away the actress recalled she said when im gone that just killed me we dont think of things that way when im gone
death be not proud a donne poem discussed in the play has a closing line that bearing was taught should have simply a comma a breath separating life death and life everlasting
i said that my aunt jane had said when im gone ms lande said thats the equivalent of saying its just a pause its not a big dramatic thing its just a slipping away
tuesdays with morrie also at the playhouse on park this season has a climactic deathbed scene as well and passing strange another season choice turns on the death of the narrators mother the choices were coincidental mr harris said but theres a thread that drew us all to them he noted that each has a brechtian feel beginning with characters speaking to the audience and each deals with the emotions of death in surprising ways
ms lande is encountering her own surprises some when audience members speak to her after the play about their experiences with cancer or death some when audiences find the plays humor to get them laughing at certain points is wonderful she said
and shes had her own epiphanies of a sort in playing the role leading her to consider her lifes work before her own time comes and whats left perhaps its a gift that we can add something to other peoples lives ms lande said but who knows


the filmmaker gayle kirschenbaum whose documentary look at us now mother will have a one week run on long island starting may 6 grew up thinking she had been born into the wrong family and she wasnt thrilled about growing up in long islands five towns either
her family moved to woodmere when gayle was 5 my parents were very conscious of appearances but exceedingly frugal she said the family relocated to lawrence during her high school years as time went by and her workaholic father did well financially the kirschenbaums got rid of their pontiac and bought a cadillac gayles mother mildred offered her adolescent daughter a nose job
gayle a budding artist who hung around with an earthy crunchy high school crowd wasnt interested i had no problem with my nose she says im probably the least vain person youll meet but in the looks department i think god has been good to me
mildred now 92 begs to differ her face has been lifted and her eyelids tattooed with liner so she never has to go without makeup and her relentless campaign to persuade gayle to get a nose job has lasted half a century and is still going strong
look at us now mother takes the viewer along on a brave mother daughter journey in an effort to understand emotional abuse and whether it can ultimately be forgiven during the film home movies show mildred not only badgering gayle about her nose but also telling her daughter she isnt thin enough her breasts arent big enough her thick curly hair is too big as if this werent enough mildred is also disappointed that gayle isnt gary the third son she had been expecting i was the target in my family for a lot of anger gayle says
an emmy award winning producer of television shows for tlc and discovery health gayle first turned the camera back on her own life in 2001 with a film about her shih tzu chelsea called a dogs life a dogamentary her next autobiographical project my nose was a 13 minute tragicomedy that you guessed it tackled mildreds obsession with gayle getting a nose job the arrangement was this gayle would go for a consultation with a plastic surgeon if mildred would come along and gayle could make a documentary about it mildred agreed
the outpouring of empathy from audiences who shared stories of their own suffering at the hands of their highly critical parents gave gayle the idea of expanding her short into a full length documentry which would chronicle gayle and her mother as they attended therapy together
think what you will about a mother who says to her daughter on camera speak without a jewish accent and look how washed out your eyes look not only did mildred agree to be in the film she has also spent the past year traveling the film festival circuit with gayle speaking with audiences about their much improved relationship
no matter how narcissistic and emotionally abusive mildred was what gayle wanted was to understand why i used to wonder what happened to my mother when she was little she said i know today that if you want to know about why someone is the way they are you have to go back to their childhood
look at us now mother delves into mildreds difficult past a suicidal father a baby sister who stopped breathing while in her stroller on coney islands boardwalk financial struggles and a mother who persevered and never talked about her grief the result is a heart wrenching   and ultimately heartwarming   story of acceptance and forgiveness
the process was so painful for gayle that she felt physically ill at times and developed a skin condition both of her brothers and her mother she said were glad to see her finished product and are emotionally supportive of her now her father died during the making of the film
after a screening in delray beach fla mildred told the crowd when you know youre going to give birth you go out and get furniture for the nursery and you get instructions on how to put the crib together gayle did not come with instructions i told gayle i did the best i know how
a man in the audience said mildred hadnt changed and that it was clear she was a narcissist
this film was gayles interpretation mildred said not mine
shes completely unaware of what she did gayle said to the man never expect anybody whos done wrong by you like a parent to ever say they are sorry because they are clueless you do the work you get yourself to the place where you forgive them


there may be no better spot to consider how place names come and go than the avenue of the americas in the west 20s and 30s
since the 19th century parts of the area have been known as new yorks tenderloin tin pan alley and most recently the flower district for all the roses and ranunculus plants sold there but the neighborhood has gradually shed that name too with help from the real estate industry naturally
now some blocks are branded nomad for north of madison square park and buildings like the noma a new 55 unit condominium from alchemy properties seem to have embraced the trendy moniker even if others arent so easily won over
nomad is still new   give it another 20 years said michael nikolis an owner of bills flower market which has been in the same four story brick tenement style building on avenue of the americas at west 28th street since it opened in 1936
but much has changed since the areas 1960s heyday when there were about 100 flower and plant shops said mr nikolis a fourth generation dealer today there are fewer than two dozen floral businesses mr nikolis estimates and they are often hemmed in by high rises
the 24 story noma is being developed at 50 west 30th street on a corner lot that held mostly jewelry shops
but in a way the 100 million development channels the areas history its 1700 square foot landscaped terrace will be studded with large planters filled with flowers and trees accessible from a wood floored library and adjacent to a fitness center the terrace will also feature a dining table a grill and benches
though the neighborhood near herald square can still feel more commercial than homey the terrace and other amenity areas are set back and also sit five stories above the street to help ensure quiet said kenneth s horn alchemys president
you will probably still hear some noise mr horn said but i think it will still be a nice little oasis
otherwise the building which offers mostly one  and two bedroom apartments starting at 696 square feet seems to embrace its location in midtown which is sometimes used as a catchall for the area taking advantage of an unusual angled lot line the noma promises that all units on the eastern side of the building will have direct views of the empire state building from their living rooms
that peculiar angle which appears to be the remnant of a long ago boundary of a farm said daniel kaplan the projects architect also means residents of those units wont have to stare into the windows of the massive virgin hotel that is under construction next door
in terms of its appearance the gray brick noma is betwixt and between the older garment buildings that populate the heart of nomad along broadway and the glassier high rises that have cropped up along the avenue of the americas north of 23rd street since the 1990s mr kaplan said
you really have two different corridors he added
mr kaplan a senior partner at fxfowle architects said he took a best of both worlds approach giving the building lots of windows as in contemporary condominiums but with extra segments like those found in nearby factories
apartments at the noma are priced at about 2200 per square foot or starting at 14 million for a one bedroom sales began in march and the building is scheduled to open by 2018
prices are considerably less than the average of more than 3000 per square foot for new condos in nomad said holly parker an associate broker with douglas elliman real estate who lived in the neighborhood for around nine years and who frequently works there
but the rate is in line with older apartments now being resold like a two bedroom two bath ms parker was listing at 225 fifth avenue a limestone showroom to condo conversion that opened in 2007
ms parker takes issue with the popular definition of nomad that has it running from 25th street to 30th streets and from the avenue of the americas to lexington avenue she would put the western boundary at broadway beyond that the vibe is much grittier she said


one of shakespeares wildest yarns pericles receives an extremely imaginative production that delivers plenty of freewheeling entertainment at two river theater in red bank
the jacobean stage equivalent of a road movie pericles propels its princely title figure on journeys all over the eastern mediterranean for more than 15 years escaping assassination enduring storms at sea gallantly jousting to win the love of his life tragically losing his wife thaisa and experiencing other woes and adventures
a similarly improbable secondary plot involving marina pericless brilliant daughter is by turns perilous droll and finally affecting with its happy conclusion of reunions that is if not completely miraculous at least divinely inspired
thought to be a partial collaboration with another writer and first performed around 1608 pericles is said to have been hugely popular in its day because of its appeal unauthorized versions were published by the time pericles was added to a collected edition of shakespeares works in 1664 the original manuscript had been lost and only the so called corrupt texts had survived ever since scholars and makers of theater have cobbled together different versions
what might be among the most radical incarnations of pericles so far now brightens the two river stage where rinde eckert a songwriter and performer and david schweizer a director long known for staging offbeat works have reshaped shakespeares episodic odyssey into an enjoyable romp with music they have sharply edited the play added more than 20 songs and maximized the talents of a seven member cast most of whom portray multiple characters
a note in the program describes the shows present day location as a dive bar at the end of the world caleb wertenbaker the scenic designer aptly furnishes a rundown saloon with whimsical bric a brac and peeling walls lounging upon a little bandstand a couple musicians listlessly noodle a tune sitting among the scattered tables half a dozen drinkers gaze into nothingness
into these bleary environs strides the imposing figure of mr eckert in the person of gower the shaggy poet who narrates pericles strumming a banjo ukulele mr eckert launches into a rhythmic musical invocation which galvanizes the others into joining him to perform this tale of lust and love
as the action kicks off under mr schweizers confident direction a scruffy customer assumes the noble bearing of pericles even as the neighboring barflies morph into other characters alongside him
throughout the performance everyday objects and extraneous bits of clothing are smartly used in the transformative process the stringy head of a mop turns a busboy into an incestuous princess plastic lobster bibs and badminton rackets deck out the neglectful rulers of a starving nation sheets of aluminum foil transmogrify into armor and so it goes for a little more than two swiftly paced hours even as the actors expertly lend different voices accents and physical qualities to the characters they portray
philippe bowgen earnestly depicts the young pericles who falls in love with nikki massouds dreamy thaisa a sweet moment of intimacy arises when they each blow into a white balloon that symbolizes thaisas pregnancy midway through the saga ms massoud reappears as the forthright marina the couples intrepid daughter whose blazing virtue melts down a bordello
with her clarion voice and keen comedic sense mary testa is an especially vivid member of the troupe which also features kevin mambo j clint allen and ellen harvey all of whom capably act and sing
mr eckert who plays pericles in his later years provides a percussive and agreeably bluesy score that throbs with emotion and grows cacophonous during the storm scenes but more often than not swings easily as when a wacky trio of rhyme challenged pirates relieves an implausible plot point with wit
a motley array of costumes designed by gabriel berry and christopher akerlinds sharply cued lighting design enhance the playful charm of the music staging and performances some characters and scenes have been shortened to accommodate the songs but they will scarcely be missed slimmed down and tuned up this pericles is shakespeare freshly served with a twist a perfect tonic for a modern audience


click on the slide show to see this weeks featured properties in the new york region
 in fairfield conn a five bedroom three and a half bath renovated 1914 house next to brooklawn country club with an attached three car garage on 070 acre
 in yonkers ny a seven bedroom three and a half bath victorian built in 1892 on 038 acre in the ludlow park section with original details including stained glass windows tiled gas fireplaces and inlaid wood floors


rebecca millers new movie maggies plan is a screwball comedy set in new york about a young woman greta gerwig whose ditziness takes the form of hyper rationality she thinks she can plan everything until she runs into a married couple ethan hawke and julianne moore who are professors of something called ficto critical anthropology   a real academic discipline that in the movie anyway is every bit as nutty as it sounds ms moore playing a dane speaks in an accent even furrier than the one she used in the big lebowski
some people who have seen the movie have likened it to the work of noah baumbach a comparison probably inevitable since ms gerwig is mr baumbachs girlfriend and appeared so memorably in his frances ha 2012 but a more obvious debt is to the movies of woody allen and even to classic comedies like the philadelphia story and bringing up baby in other words maggies plan which opens may 20 is almost the last thing you would expect from a director who is arthur millers daughter and also a literary novelist and whose previous films especially angela 1995 and the ballad of jack and rose 2005 though highly regarded had about them a whiff and sometimes more than a whiff of art house loftiness they were the kinds of movies that ficto critical anthropologists might lecture about
but people who know ms miller 53 insist that besides being brainy she has always been very very funny and in person she is direct and disarming in a recent interview at her west village office she was wearing argyle socks with a bell bottom denim pantsuit that might or might not have been a parody of old fashioned western wear despite its genre she said the new movie is actually very personal
its not personal in terms of plot she explained but the tone is personal the gait of the film the way it walks through the world its confusion its pace the spirit of frothiness   that all feels personal she added i injected a lot of myself into maggie a kind of goofiness that goes with a certain kind of intelligence   i guess you could call it stupidity   is definitely one of my traits
the movie was partly inspired by her move five years ago back to new york from ireland where she had been living with her husband the actor daniel day lewis and their children i fell in love with the city all over again   just being here she said and i wanted to make something that reflected that excitement
the movies premise   a young woman who wants to arrange her own pregnancy with minimal male involvement   came from an as yet unpublished book by her friend karen rinaldi a novelist and book editor that touched on some issues she had already been thinking about life is very complicated now she said the rule book has been thrown out the window women can have babies in all sorts of ways   they dont necessarily have to have a male partner and when life is made of choices one has to ask the question what are we to each other what does marriage mean what does coupling mean
it was the story that determined the genre she went on and not the other way around it quickly became clear what kind of movie it wanted to become i started with that fast pace like the screwball comedies where the dialogue waits for no man she added that she then found a shooting style that went with it what i wanted to create was a world thats like our world but very slightly lifted off the ground a little bit heightened so we can enjoy the magic
despite her literary background ms miller came to filmmaking not through writing but in a roundabout way starting with painting and even a brief stint as an actor she studied art at yale and tried to make a living as a painter before concluding that she really needed to meet people and have some kind of life on the outside as well as the inside her earliest films though shot with a bolex were what we would now call video installations they were continuous loops and depicted things like a double headed construction crane dunking two naked women into tubs of milk
the notion that you could make movies with sound and that people could watch in a theater came to her later and her earliest efforts were financed in part with money she made during a brief acting career it started as a lark she explained when she tried out for the mike nichols movie regarding henry 1991 and wound up getting a part i ended up having this strange trajectory of a five year acting career where i worked with all these wonderful directors and really learned my trade from them she said mike nichols and carroll ballard and paul mazursky and peter brook and al pakula i worked with giants on some of their worst films she laughed but i learned a huge amount
even with her connections though breaking into movies   real movies with beginnings middles and ends   was a struggle i got no support she said of her experience with agents and studio executives a young woman comes along and says id like to be a director and they hear a sort of squeaking eeeh eeeh eeeh but she added the kinds of movies i was making quite frankly whether i was male or female it would have been hard i wasnt trying to cater to an audience i was making films with the spirit of a poet i was making what i wanted to make in a spirit of just naivete and bloody mindedness
rachel horovitz who produced maggies plan said recently that she and ms miller developed the script together and that as far as she knew this was the first time ms miller had worked this way i remember when we first sat down in 2012 she recalled and i said i wanted to make a rebecca miller film for a wider audience i knew she had it in her   her eye her comedic style of writing
the easiest part of making maggies plan was the casting ms moore is an old friend and had worked with ms miller on her last movie the private lives of pippa lee 2009 maya rudolph who has a smaller part is also a pal of ms millers ida rohatyn a 3 year old scene stealer is the daughter of the films composer michael rohatyn bill hader who didnt know ms miller jumped in just for the chance to work with her as did ms gerwig and mr hawke
rebecca is at once incredibly flexible and very decisive   a rare combination ms moore said shell let you play around and try things but shes also very confident and sure of what she wants
ms miller said that in her final draft she will often alter a screenplay to suit the actors to a degree i like actors to be advocates for their characters i actually altered the ending slightly because of something ethan said its not so much that they have writing solutions but they often have questions that lead to writing solutions
ms gerwig said sometimes working on a project you experience a kind of mind meld saying the same thing at the exact same time i had that with rebecca she also has a real point of view which is something i always look for   something that only that person can express rebecca has that in spades
ms miller who got into novel writing in part because of her frustration at not being able to make the films she wanted finished one jacobs folly published in 2013 just before beginning to think about maggies plan and said the experience had left her spent by contrast the movie felt liberating   a sort of screwball move on her own part
not that its easy to write a screenplay she said but a screenplay is a blueprint signs for an actor youre going to work with in a novel every sentence is only that a sentence you have to be very complete of mind if i was only a novelist and went from one novel to another i think id be crazy im not kidding films have their own insanity but its a different kind of insanity and the fact that you share it with other people makes it bearable


pete seeger was a giant in politically progressive music circles and when he died in january 2014 the impact was felt around the world   nowhere more perhaps than in a lower level hall of the memorial united methodist church in white plains that is where a group called the walkabout clearwater coffeehouse which the folk singer established had blossomed into a community of like minded people who gather to hear music and promote their social causes
for its members the community remains a vibrant one but as it ages it has undergone a slow attrition finding it difficult to bring new young people into the fold mr seeger had warned of the problem and spurred by his death its leaders have stepped up their efforts to draw in new audiences judiciously scheduling younger and more diverse acts even as they remain true to the folk mainstays
we have more consciously decided we have a job to do said steve siegelbaum 72 a walkabout coordinator and one of the early members of the chorus
at the april coffeehouse gathering the 40 member chorus founded by mr seeger in 1984 as a vehicle for taking his progressive message to rallies and the like was holed up in a room rehearsing their songs of protest and hope among them were holly nears skeptical i aint afraid and mr siegelbaums ironic theres no need for this song the chorus became the resident performing group when the coffeehouse was formed in 1989
while the chorus rehearsed the featured act of the evening the trio brother sun conducted a sound check in the churchs asbury hall running through bits and pieces of an eclectic songbook of traditional and original tunes which drew on appalachian airs and their irish antecedents the music of the church and the blues
after those preliminaries the singers lined up for a home cooked meal served by the communitys unheralded stalwarts the self described galley wenches then the show went on eliciting a strong reaction from the more than 200 people in attendance
but the aging of the crowd soon came into focus as aaron rosin the youngest chorus member stepped forward and hands reaching toward the sky let loose with aint gonna let nobody turn me around the title line from a spiritual decrying racism aaron 6 was one of the few people in the room without gray hair
its heavily skewed to us older folks mr siegelbaum said
the difficulty of engaging millennials was underlined by alayna bierley 15 one of the few people of high school or college age at the coffeehouse ms bierley who was spending time with a cousin in a hallway away from the action in the auditorium expressed little interest in joining the chorus
i just come because my grandparents are in it she said
jean havens the coordinator of the coffeehouse gatherings drove home the point we have a student price she said we dont use it very often thats a comment right there
the issue of attracting younger people has taken on a fresh urgency this season for the first time hudson river sloop clearwater the environmental organization mr seeger founded in the 1960s   and the one to which proceeds of the coffeehouses go   has decided not to hold its great hudson river revival one of the nations oldest and largest music festivals to benefit the environment the event which dates to 1978 will be replaced by a benefit on june 18 at the tarrytown music hall
the decision not to hold the festival ms havens said reflected a need to spend clearwaters money on refurbishing the sloop itself which plies the hudson river and is the organizations symbolic heart it didnt help she said that attendance at last years festival had fallen short a perfect storm that she attributed to bad weather though visits to the festival in recent years have revealed a distinctly aging crowd
mr siegelbaum said in an email that clearwater intends to revive the festival in 2017 but at the coffeehouse he is countering the drift now among the younger and more diverse acts booked this season have been the peace poets a hip hop group from the bronx kristen graves a troubadour from connecticut and the singing chapin sisters the daughters of tom chapin a fixture at the coffeehouse
we thought things would continue on a downward trend he said but weve been having better audiences than we expected
the seasons next and last coffeehouse on may 14 will face competition if unintended
walkabout has slated the singer songwriter vance gilbert one of the few black performers working the coffeehouse circuit and a popular draw but common ground coffeehouse in nearby hastings on hudson has also scheduled a show featuring the idiosyncratic erin mckeown known for her funky take on folk idioms
the concurrence of the coffeehouses was a fluke that occurred because ms mckeown had to reschedule said carter smith who founded common ground in 2001 the two coffeehouses relationship is not competitive its a community he said adding that the walkabout chorus has performed at common ground
whatever impact the simultaneous scheduling has on attendance audience size is only one measure of its success the quality of the information exchanged is another but age recently took its toll at walkabout the person responsible for managing the table at which literature about social causes is distributed died before the april coffeehouse ms havens said the table lay empty
nonetheless the choruss message echoed in brother suns close harmonies and trenchant lyrics elicited an enthusiastic response while no one soon expects to see the kind of excitement generated at the coffeehouses 20th anniversary celebration in 2009 when mr seegers appearance prompted organizers to move the event to the 900 seat auditorium at white plains high school he continues to set an example
petes absence is felt said joe jencks of brother sun but there are a lot of people who continue this work and that was part of what was unique about pete he was absolutely sure that it was not about him that it was about the work


despite the sunshine and balmy breezes movies released in the summer are often no vacation from on the waterfront in 1954 to rosemarys baby 1968 to the first hangover in 2009 some of the greatest cinematic struggles and calamities the mob a co op full of conspirators mike tysons stray tiger have occurred in films released between memorial day and labor day maybe its primal do moviegoers secretly crave to be reminded each easeful season that life can be a hard scrape lest we become defenseless creatures of leisure here are a few films that give the lie to the lyric summertime and the livin is easy
the tribulation a 25 foot three ton rogue white shark attacking bathers off amity island mass
the solution not the local bureaucrats dependent on the tourist dollar for their survival and reluctant to close off the beaches and amazingly not entirely the red faced mr quint whos got kill notches on his belt and makes his own liquor but rather the reluctant new police chief roy scheider the hippie oceanographer richard dreyfuss some compressed air a rifle and a toothsome smile
summer bummer mourning and clad in black a mother confronts the chief slap my boy is dead she sobs
fun fact amity as you know means friendship so explains the sleazy mayor
the tribulation a chicago orphanage faces closure unless the nuns can pay 5000 to the cook county assessors office
the proposed solution former denizens of the orphanage joliet jake and elwood blues john belushi and dan aykroyd want to help by stealing the sorely needed money but the penguin the sister who raised them wont allow that
the real solution god
what like a mission from god yes specifically one that requires putting the band back together and raising the money by performing
summer bummer the soul queen aretha franklin playing a waitress serves up a rendition of her 68 classic think but it isnt enough to keep her man matt guitar murphy from rejoining the band the blues brothers they still owe you money fool
the tribulation on a sweltering labor day weekend the insurance company workers larry and rich andrew mccarthy and jonathan silverman are unaware that their chief executive bernie lomax terry kiser has lured them to the hamptons and arranged for them to be killed to cover up his crimes when bernie is killed instead our boys have a corpse on their hands
the solution then again nobody but our boys realizes hes a corpse and theyre in the hamptons figuring hell still be dead tuesday morning they party on
summer bummer bernie deceased and his mistress have the best sex of her life
want to turn away its natural but do so and miss both the fact that bernie remains the toast of the beach and the stinging commentary on yuppie solipsism
gut it out and you will be treated to top notch physical comedy hes dead he waves and smokes
fun fact rigor mortis can occur less than an hour after the moment of death or you know ... not
the tribulation a terrorist dennis hopper has strapped a public bus with enough explosives to put a hole in the world if its velocity dips below 50 mph since this is 1990s los angeles the bus drivers been shot by a gunman not in on the hijacking and is unable to drive
close ups of the speedometer many
how about the fuel gauge its low dude
the solution enter the young officer keanu reeves shorn and buff and ready to redeem the lapd add the adorable sandra bullock playing a can do passenger whose license has been suspended for   wait for it   speeding violations she takes the wheel and follows the mad bombers fairly basic instructions hoppers plan is perfect except for one glitch   but if we told you how they save everyone it wouldnt be worth watching and it absolutely is did we mention sandra bullock is seriously adorable
summer bummer i wish i had some loftier purpose but im afraid in the end its just the money hoppers villain says poor people are crazy jack im eccentric
summer bummer the downer comes early when marlin the voice of albert brooks loses his wife coral and all their eggs but one the future nemo did we mention hes a clownfish i promise i will never let anything happen to you he vows when the egg hatches and nemo arrives
the tribulation fish olescence the maturing boys desire for independence leads him to challenge the old man and stray from the fold ending up in a dentists crowded tank in sydney australia destined to be a gift for his fish killing niece
the solution marlin and his new buddy dory ellen degeneres encounter 12 stepping sharks a whale and stoner turtles as they ride the current in search of the young fish meanwhile nemo joins the fraternal bond of tankhood and indulges escape plans of his own
fun fact clownfish are no funnier than other fish


mark green who was the citys first public advocate more or less admits that by 2009 the last time he sought elective office new yorkers were suffering from green fatigue
ive lost to enough major figures   michael bloomberg chuck schumer andrew cuomo and bill de blasio   that i began to think that someone couldnt rise in new york politics unless they got by me first mr green 71 writes in his reflective frank if sometimes defensive autobiography bright infinite future a generational memoir on the progressive rise st martins press 2699
the title refers to the professional arc mr green once envisioned for himself and to his vision and prescriptions for liberal politicians today the book is breezy anecdotal score settling mr green revels in what he considers the occasional hypocrisy of governor cuomo and mayor de blasio his rivals and fellow democrats and introspective although the author generally hews to the definition of gaffe as when you tell not a lie but the truth
he made his share among them unwittingly invoking an ethnic aspersion by alluding to former gov mario m cuomo as an organ grinder infuriating mr cuomo a choleric italian american who once when described as lashing out at a fellow elected official countered you wouldnt say that about a swede and agreeing during the 2001 mayoral campaign to let rudolph w giuliani extend his term after the sept 11 attacks then saying he would have done even better as mayor himself
he admits to being too clever by half lacking the gene for self doubt and coming off as arrogant its anyones guess whether he is being ironic when he says that he played tennis with john mcenroe and i let him win
while acknowledging a lack of listening skills mr green remains worth a hearing after all he played an outsize role nationally   as an original member of naders raiders as an operative and advocate for a liberal agenda and in appointed and elected positions as an innovative public servant
when the new headquarters of the new york herald the flamboyant publisher james gordon bennett jrs monument to the gilded age opened on herald square in 1895 a colleague warned bennett that it was perhaps imprudent to lease the land for the building for only 30 years to which bennett replied thirty years from now the herald will be in harlem and i shall be in hell
for once he was not guilty of hyperbole within three decades the herald offices had been demolished the newspaper had been acquired by its smaller rival the tribune and bennett was dead his legacy endures in two bronze owls that flank the statue of minerva and regularly blink their green eyes over herald square
in gordon bennett and the first yacht race across the atlantic adlard colesbloomsbury 27 sam jefferson tacks across post civil war history to report on the sailing competition among three spendthrift new yorkers   bennett pierre lorillard and george osgood   goaded by leonard jerome a financier best known as a grandfather of winston churchill
in 1866 when the race was held bennett was 25 the son of the crusty scottish born herald publisher who tartly concluded that new york society consists of people who dont invite me to their parties if there was anything socially redeeming about bennett sr it was that his son was worse
in the decade when bennett raced to europe in 13 days the atlantic cable and the transcontinental railroad also shrank the world mr jefferson reminds readers making this book timely as the americas cup competition returns to new york next weekend for the first time since 1920


a full floor penthouse at one riverside park the extell development companys glassy tower overlooking the hudson sold for 20063525 and was the most expensive closed transaction of the week according to city records
the unit ph4a at 50 riverside boulevard near west 62nd street was purchased by michael p krensavage a hedge fund manager specializing in health care and his wife mary krensavage they were represented by deanna kory of the corcoran group
the monthly carrying costs are a relatively modest 7304 thanks to a 20 year tax abatement obtained by the sponsor
the 12 room condominium reached by way of a private elevator landing has 6168 square feet that includes six bedrooms eight and a half baths a media room with a wet bar and a fireplace and a windowed chefs kitchen with a breakfast room a two sided fireplace divides the spacious living and dining rooms
the corner master suite has a sitting room walk in closets and dual bathrooms
the new owners will have stunning river and city skyline views from four exposures along with access to amenities that include a health club and spa a 75 foot indoor pool a private screening room a rock climbing wall and a bowling alley
most of the 219 units in the 33 story one riverside park completed in 2015 have sold the complex also has a rental component and received criticism from some city officials and affordable housing advocates for having a so called poor door that separates the condominium owners from renters of its 55 affordable units
one riverside park was designed by goldstein hill  west architects with interiors by shamir shah design and landscaping by mathews nielsen landscape architects the corcoran sunshine marketing group is handling sales for the building
the weeks runner up at 1542873750 is a sprawling duplex on the 11th floor at 155 east 79th street near lexington avenue a pet friendly boutique condominium developed by anbau the monthly carrying costs for the sponsor unit called duplex 11 is 12842
the 4292 square foot apartment has five bedrooms five full baths and a powder room the main level which holds the entertaining spaces as well as a guest bedroom includes a living room with a wood burning fireplace a chefs kitchen and a juliet balcony
the master suite features a dressing room that connects to the bathroom there is also a laundry room on the upper level
shelley okeefe of the corcoran sunshine marketing group represented the developer russell k miller of brown harris stevens brought the buyer identified as the rollen family revocable trust
big ticket includes closed sales from the previous week ending wednesday


muskrats are equally at home in freshwater ponds or brackish bays swimming their way through at least four of new york citys five boroughs though i have never seen one in manhattan id be surprised if a muskrat hadnt shown up in inwood or perhaps even central park
muskrats are frequently mistaken for beavers and although both are rodents they are not closely related they share a preference for wetland habitats and their swimming styles are similar but muskrats are considerably smaller when a muskrat climbs out of the water to reveal its tapering almost hairless tail the confusion devolves into yet another mistaken identity stories about enormous water rats abound wherever the lives of the citys humans and its muskrats intersect
muskrats ondatra zibethicus are actually more closely related to voles and lemmings than to either beavers or the norway rats that haunt the alleys and subways of new york they feed primarily on wetland vegetation such as cattails and water lilies and are also enthusiastic nibblers of newly emerging stems of phragmites the tall plumed grasses that often invade the citys wetlands muskrats will also feed on small fish snails and the occasional bird egg
in turn they are the targets of many predators minks though smaller than muskrats prey upon even healthy adults harassing them tirelessly until they are weakened enough to kill red foxes and snapping turtles hunt for muskrats in ponds and woodland edges but within the city busy roadways are undoubtedly the greatest threats to inexperienced young animals
the muskrats fur is not as luxuriant as that of the beaver or the otter but it is warm and waterproof and tales of local trappers harvesting muskrat pelts   even into the 1970s   are still told in the outer reaches of queens and staten island nowadays muskrats are generally left to forage unbothered
wetlands in staten island queens and southern brooklyn are likely places to search for this gentle urban mammal the animals are primarily active at dawn or dusk but in spring they can be observed foraging in broad daylight check the edges of phragmites or cattail marshes or where other favored foods are growing locally the animals are fond of fallen mulberries and the bright orange hips produced by beach roses later in summer
look for muskrat signs when the animals themselves are not obvious muskrats often carve shallow canals that mark entrances to undercut banks and burrows these canals become more evident as water levels drop in summer and are frequently interwoven with delicate footprints and the tail drag marks that make muskrat tracks unmistakable
muskrats can raise as many as three large broods a year and whether or not their prodigious reproductive rate was the inspiration for the 1970s hit song muskrat love it is a pretty good guarantee that the animals will remain part of the new york city landscape for the foreseeable future


if you are andrew bolton the curator in charge of the costume institute at the metropolitan museum of art or the fashion designer thom browne what do you wear on a leisurely sunday thom still gets dressed in his usual uniform mr bolton 49 said the other day during the final preparations for an exhibition called manus x machina fashion in an age of technology which opens on may 5 after a fund raising gala on may 2 i tend to be more casual i just wear jeans and sneakers and a shirt or sweater his usual uniform is literally a suit so hell wear his gray suit and a tie and a tiepin what they do not wear are little stickers bearing the mets new logo its very polarizing mr bolton said did that mean he had met anyone who liked it no he said the couple who have been together for five years live on central park west with a miniature wire haired dachshund named hector who dominates their lives were obsessive mr bolton said
creature comforts on sundays i wake up between 7 and 9 the very first thing i do is take hector for a walk in the park he barks at everything he barks at his own shadow hes at that stage where its still adorable but im sure thats going to change
steep we have tea in our robes watching the news then every sunday we go and get doughnuts from nougatine we walk hector to lincoln square and sit on a bench opposite the small pond with henry moore sculptures and then we take hector for a longer walk in the park
the light in the park central park is my favorite place in new york im from lancashire in england and as a foreigner to new york the park was always so iconic to me and i just love the light in manhattan you rarely get such a broad expanse of sky
words to live by if we have lunch before the gym theres no champagne if we have lunch after the gym there is champagne
relay team we used to go to the gym together pre hector our life is pre hector and post hector pre hector we went together post hector one of us stays behind and looks after hector were a relay team now
pampered pup hes very pampered i dont think hes ever been left on his own since we got him a year ago luckily thom has his own design company so he takes hector to work with him every day hes very much become the thom browne dog he designed a bag called the hector bag that looks just like hector both in leather and in beaver hes become thoms muse
recline im a great afternoon napper thom refuses to do that i love napping in the afternoon so i tend to come back either read a book or work and then have a nap
page turner at the moment im reading a little life its one of those books you cant put down but at the same time youre nervous because youre worried about whats going to happen next its a real roller coaster of emotions
bubbly things morph into each other and before we know it its 6 oclock and drinks time we have drinks on the terrace at 6 champagne always sundays are one of those precious days that we tend to just be on our own
dinner for three after we got hector we tended to go places that allow dogs to sit outside we tend to just walk over to lincoln and have dinner or if we have a dog sitter for hector well go to waverly or we order dumplings from shun lee and then chicken or meatballs from morandi
low low after dinner we tend to watch a movie were very high low actually very low low we watch anything i love watching movies and i have no snobbism about movies whatsoever im dying to watch the boss with melissa mccarthy
fade out wake up often i nod off watching a movie i very rarely get to the end of it then straight to bed about midnight that tends to be our witching hour i fall asleep very easily but then i tend to be a terrible insomniac hector is up with me as well were both insomniacs hector and i


new york city is bursting with tours of landmarks and neighborhoods and less predictable destinations historical or gastronomical or criminal
then there is timothy levitchs tour of the great living landmark that shows up five days a week
this would be rush hour at grand central terminal as described by mr levitch 45 who has attracted a cult following over the years for his beat poetry style of leading tours
bebop tourism he calls it his solos are free flowing verbal improvisations built on standards of manhattan history and architecture
these days mr levitch widely known as speed increasingly riffs on the humanity of the city itself often in angular funny soliloquies that use his command of the citys history as mere guideposts
mr levitch spent his teenage years in new york infiltrating landmark buildings he got his nickname back then from a friend he said after scampering up to the terminals roof on a night of urban exploration during which he also scrambled across the windowed corridors high above the terminal
wearing a double breasted jacket and a loud tie on monday night he met five customers for his midtown rush hour tour at the information island in the middle of the terminals main concourse
the whole thing is a love flirtation between time and space he said
looking out over the crush of commuters crisscrossing in the race to their trains mr levitch declared them to be in the throes of the great rush and defined the commuter as someone who believes that every single godforsaken human being currently on this planet is in my way
he told those on the tour that their role for the next 70 minutes would be to serve as a greek chorus observing and communicating with the rush hour but not committing to the rush
this is speeds style an experiential approach to tours that he calls cruising
its an active appreciation of the beauty of your immediate surroundings he said youre embracing the beautiful creative possibilities in every moment
he does fall back on filler material names and dates and all the historical details one can now find easily online but his style is to deliver long spoken word stream of consciousness using history only as a way to go further into the now
mr levitch said he grew up in riverdale and in ossining ny and attended the horace mann school and then new york university where he studied to be a playwright
i figured id be a tour guide until i got a toehold in the theater he said but then the tours became my theater
in the 1990s mr levitch narrated tours from a trolley in central park and on double decker buses throughout manhattan for apple tours and the grey line eventually he began to give his own tours
in grand central he cited moses as the king of tour guides having spent 40 years wandering the desert with a group without one customer asking for a refund
he was clearly kind of like an early charlie parker in the history of bebop tourism said mr levitch who touched upon the architecture and history of the terminal and other nearby spots but seemed more intent on redefining rush hour as something other than an unpleasant march
theyre only trying to work you into the dance he said of any possible collisions with commuters
walking backward as he led the group mr levitch bumped into a scowling commuter who did not brighten even when he said cheerily i like your style of commute
he is only a tour guide he said new york itself is the great teacher that uses traffic to teach patience and uses buildings and neighborhoods as parables
outside on 42nd street mr levitch told the group to massage the skin of the city teacher   the concrete sidewalk beneath their feet
yellow cabs are really emblazoned love chariots he said just before one honked as he led the group across 42nd street he told his followers to take notice of the sound
connoisseur that honk he said that kind of staccato chord   thats the sound of misguided animosity
mr levitch has lived for several years in kansas city mo where his mother now lives lately he has been splitting his time staying in new york to offer tours by appointment
he offered the rush hour tours regularly on weekdays in the fall and hopes to start them up again on a regular weekday schedule slots on the tours go for as much as 60 with discounts for students and groups
at the end of the tour on monday mr levitch reminded the group that rush hour was a vital part of the combustible engine that is midtown manhattan where he said it might seem as if we are all commuters with our own destinations and our own arrivals
but he added   delivering the line with a dramatic uppercut followed by a series of bows   were all running for the same train


the fits
in anna rose holmers tense debut feature the fits june 3 toni is a quiet observant girl caught between worlds at a cincinnati rec center every day she works out with her older brother and the tough boys in the boxing gym throwing punches and picking up towels as she does she watches the flashy girls on a dance squad with a mixture of fear and envy desperate to be part of their team but afraid of failure
shes always questioning herself said the 11 year old actress royalty hightower she doesnt know what she wants to be and its like a roller coaster because she wants to dance but she also wants to box and she doesnt know what one to pick
for the dance troupe ms holmer cast the q kidz dance team from the west end of cincinnati and that close knit ensemble gives her film a persuasive sense of family yet the director knew shed found her star after just eight girls auditioned and she met ms hightower
it felt like she had this amazing capacity to listen and absorb not just from me but from her teammates and thats a big part of tonis role ms holmer said my only concern was that she was just 9 and i was putting the weight of the film on her shoulders since shes in almost every frame of the film it was her first film and my first film too   and we were taking a leap of faith together
for ms hightower   a cincinnati native and experienced dancer whose acting mainly had been limited to recreating scenes from the chucky horror films hes fun and hes so scary she said i like scary   the hardest part of the film was pretending to be a bad dancer after youve been a dancer for so long its hard to act like you dont know how to dance she said
in the film which also stars alexis neblett her charming more bubbly stepsister dancers begin suffering inexplicable fits full body spasms that leave them writhing on the floor is it the water a contagion a mass psychosis as the audience tries to figure it out so does toni and so did ms hightower
the thoughtful young actress said she still cant explain what caused the events of the film i dont know what it is she said it was scary even though i know it wasnt real
little men
in little men directed by ira sachs 14 year old michael barbieri plays tony a big city kid with a huge personality and even bigger dreams
tonys very similar to me actually mr barbieri said confidently in a new york italian accent so thick it sounds the way home cooked lasagna smells his goal is to get into laguardia high school for the performing arts and that was my goal too and i got in
in this acutely naturalistic indie opening july 15 mr barbieris tony is a brooklyn kid whose friendship with his new buddy jake is imperiled when jakes parents as new landlords threaten to triple his mothers rent jake played by the wide eyed theo taplitz is a sensitive artist tony is a charismatic fast talker determined to become a star in real life mr barbieri who will attend laguardia next year grew up downtown and fell for acting after playing the grinch in a play at our lady of pompeii school in manhattan
ive been told that i was a bit of a brat and the grinch was not the nicest person he said so it was really fun to get laughs from the crowd and the teachers i wont never forget it
soon after he decided to trade baseball practices for acting lessons i searched on google for acting classes he said and i found the lee strasberg institute in union square
on the website of the method acting school he read course descriptions he didnt entirely understand at the time and saw the faces of some of his favorite actors robert de niro and al pacino now he goes to acting classes on the weekend
the first thing you see is a bunch of movie posters scarface raging bull godfather he said my favorite movie is a classic goodfellas joe pesci and de niro and ray liotta the acting is amazing
mr sachs discovered mr barbieri through the school and clearly sensed that he had found not only a talented young actor but also a character mr sachs even wrote in a scene of mr barbieri and his instructor in which they scream at each other in an ever escalating acting exercise
southside with you
in the summer of 1989 the 28 year old legal intern barack obama had the audacity to hope that his senior colleague michelle robinson would say yes we can to a first date though the future first lady would later debate the technical precision of the word date she did elect to meet this bold young man on a saturday afternoon that meeting turned into an all day ramble through chicago from the art institute to a screening of do the right thing and now it has been turned into an improbably moving movie
he always had a bit of swagger said parker sawyers who plays the president to be opposite tika sumpters charming michelle in the writer director richard tannes southside with you aug 26 a nerdy swagger but a bit of swagger
in opening scenes his obama has little of the presidents gravitas and all of his confidence he drives a rusty datsun cranks janet jacksons miss you much on its radio and blows cigarette smoke out the window somehow mr sawyers inhabits the man without settling for mere mannerisms
it started with a full on impersonation like playing basketball and working on michael jordans fadeaway mr sawyers explained noting that he began with the present day obama once i had a mean fadeaway i worked backward to figure out his qualities to whittle it back down and figure out why he does ... the things ... he does ... like pauses
in the actors savvy interpretation the pauses are the signs of a multitasking mind at work i think hes actually thinking about so many things at once and trying to whittle it down in those pauses mr sawyers said i wanted to be thinking about something else and making myself focus when i was talking to michelle
mr sawyerss ease with the part might relate to his upbringing born in indiana he was raised by his mother indianapoliss first female deputy mayor and father an educator who died in 2006 parker sawyers later worked for the prosecutor in marion county he began acting in 2011 in films like zero dark thirty besides appearing in oliver stones coming snowden he is filming a pilot mirandas rights a kind of a law version of greys anatomy
despite the films lack of overt political content mr sawyers knows his warm portrait of president obama might invite controversy if people want to hate watch it i dont mind he said go buy the ticket
indignation
when sarah gadon was in her early 20s she would read scripts that simply did not speak to her the roles for girls in their early 20s are the manic pixie dream girl or the ingenue or the bubbly girlfriend and i was just in a place where that didnt resonate with me or what i liked about films she said i was drawn to darker roles roles that were against type
raised in toronto ms gadon a star of indignation opening july 29 began acting at the age of 10 but her parents refused to let her take a regular role on a television series and insisted that she finish school so as ms gadon began to act she also attended performing arts schools and completed a college degree in cinema studies i really fell in love with auteur filmmaking she said i was lucky that my first major roles were with david cronenberg and denis villeneuve and i was able to really focus on films with strong directors
with mr cronenberg as something of a mentor ms gadon now 29 has carved out unusual roles for herself as an actress of restrained sometimes eerie precision and intensity in films like mr cronenbergs cosmopolis and maps to the stars as well as antiviral by his son brandon cronenberg and mr villeneuves enemy most recently she appeared in the hulu series 112263 opposite james franco
in indignation which james schamus adapted from philip roths novel ms gadon plays olivia a beautiful blond student who becomes more than just the object of a young jewish mans affection once again she plays against expectations with a performance that the hollywood reporter wrote plants quiet traces of chaos beneath olivias dreamy poise
shes a deeply troubled girl and shes a smart girl ms gadon said shes kind of trapped in the ideology of the time and shes trying to fight it and trying to express herself in all of these misguided ways which is something we all struggle with
the actress and her director had frank discussions about the fact that mr roths novels are not exactly celebrated for their depictions of women mr schamus the oscar nominated producer and screenwriter here making his debut as a director urged her to reread sylvia plath since theres some evidence that the sexually forward darkly comic yet tormented olivia was inspired by the poet
it was an interesting way to approach this character in a philip roth piece whos so often criticized for being anti feminist said ms gadon who was surprised by the humor and fun of plaths journals it made her so much more than just a troubled girl she has a million moods a minute


nine new books recommended by the editors of the new york times book review this week
black hole blues and other songs from outer space by janna levin knopf 2695 levins chronicle of the decades long development of a machine that detects gravitational waves astutely profiles brilliant scientists at work
seven brief lessons on physics by carlo rovelli translated by simon carnell and erica segre riverhead 18 a whirlwind tour of some of the biggest ideas in physics in clear elegant prose
alice  oliver by charles bock random house 28 a couple with a new baby struggle against the wifes leukemia in this autobiographical novel by the author of beautiful children
hystopia by david means farrar straus  giroux 26 in meanss stunning novel within a novel   presented as the work of a vietnam veteran shortly before his suicide   a program to erase the memories of war has unintended results
old age a beginners guide by michael kinsley tim duggan 18 a wryly realistic look at the boomer generations looming fate informed by kinsleys experience with parkinsons disease
dodgers by bill beverly crown 26 several los angeles teenage boys ordered by a drug dealer to murder a witness embark on a life changing cross country drive in this splendid crime novel
will do magic for small change by andrea hairston aqueduct paper 21 a girl seeks her identity amid griots and ghosts a warrior queen and a shape shifting alien in this complex tale
all the poems of stevie smith edited by will may new directions 3995 the most complete collection of the great poets startling oeuvre
blue laws selected and uncollected poems 1995 2015 by kevin young knopf 30 young celebrates black cultural traditions with swagger


click on the slide show to see this weeks featured properties in new york city
 on the upper west side a renovated three bedroom two bath with a washerdryer a wine refrigerator and contemporary finishes in a prewar elevator building with a part time doorman
 in chelsea a two bedroom one bath with an eat in kitchen in a prewar elevator building
 in crown heights brooklyn a two bedroom one bath co op in a 1928 pet friendly building with a live in super and a common laundry


jeff daniels adjusted his reading glasses and bent close to peer at a framed baseball card from 1909 featuring honus wagner a legendary shortstop for the pittsburgh pirates
its so small he said of the card on display at the metropolitan museum of art
the emmy winning actor for hbos the newsroom shook his head in bemusement aware that wagner cards have sold for 1 million and higher you imagine a kid with the wagner in 1909 using it to put his gum in and then throwing it away he said
mr daniels 61 and warily amiable is a lifelong baseball fan how passionate is he he wrote and recorded a jokey lament about his beloved detroit tigers called tiger fan blues he waxed rhapsodic about opening day in a promotional video for major league baseball
and years ago he piled his wife kathleen treado and their three young children into a 28 foot rv which he drove from their home in tiny chelsea mich population 5000 to cooperstown ny to visit the baseball hall of fame
his love of the game is why looking rumpled in jeans and a short sleeved plaid shirt he dragged himself on a recent friday afternoon across central park to view this vest pocket size exhibition of vintage baseball cards at the met
its a rare break for mr daniels who is starring on broadway in blackbird an intense drama he first performed off broadway in 2007 his role as a child abuser confronted by his victim now an adult played by michelle williams is difficult and exhausting most days when not at the theater he stays close to his apartment on the upper west side
tired i am he said but it means that were doing it right theres only one way to do this show and thats all in its got to hurt every time
at the met he spotted a card featuring babe ruth and lou gehrig you wonder if they knew the people watching at the time he asked are we able to recognize greatness when were looking right at it
a few cards down mr danielss face lit up al kaline thats my guy mr kaline a hall of famer played for the tigers for 22 seasons before retiring in 1974 he was the only guy i ever saw who could make the ball come to him said mr daniels stretching an arm and bending low to mime mr kaline scooping up a grounder
mr daniels included that line in the vast difference one of 16 plays he has written he and mr kaline became friends after his hero attended a performance of vast at the purple rose theater company in chelsea a 168 seat theater devoted to new works that the actor founded in 1991 and continues to oversee
mr daniels grew up in chelsea which is an hours drive west of detroit after his junior year at central michigan university he moved to new york to become an actor
he found a refuge from professional anxieties at yankee stadium you could kill a whole night he said for a young actor who wasnt getting work youd sit in the upper deck drinking a beer and watching batting practice and then the game and just escape
such escape wasnt necessary for long he soon found success on stage and in films like terms of endearment and the purple rose of cairo along the way in 1979 he wed ms treado a hometown girl he began dating while he was a struggling actor in new york in 1986 the couple moved back to chelsea to raise their growing family
after touring the exhibition mr daniels sat at one of the mets cafes for a chat he mentioned that he has a wee baseball memorabilia exhibition of his own at his manhattan apartment balls signed by mr kaline roger maris and mickey mantle mr daniels talked about playing first base in high school he earned letters in basketball and football too and in the broadway show league a softball theater league in his 20s
in the broadway league if youre at all coordinated youre gold he said the theater scene is not exactly known for people who excelled at high school sports
now he mostly watches as soon as blackbird finishes its run on june 11 mr daniels is heading home to chelsea where he has tigers season tickets waiting
i have four seats 11 rows behind the tiger dugout he said adding proudly that he has occupied the same seats for nearly 30 years im never getting rid of them ever


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in the new york times book review beverly gage reviews thomas franks listen liberal and steve frasers the limousine liberal gage writes
on this weeks podcast frank talks about listen liberal lydia millet discusses her new novel sweet lamb of heaven and parul sehgal and gregory cowles talk about what people are reading pamela paul is the host
archive inside the new york times book review podcast


the coming week is a bonanza for lovers of opera rarities on sunday may 1 at the rose theater the dependable company opera lafayette offers staged scenes from a three operas on classical subjects that had their premieres during the french revolution martinis sapho cherubinis medee and sacchinis oedipe a colone 8 pm 60th street and broadway 212 721 6500 jalcorg
the action moves to renaissance italy on wednesday when the opera orchestra of new york presents donizettis parisina deste at the rose theater with that companys venerable founder eve queler conducting the soprano angela meade in the title role in the 1970s ms queler led the opera here with montserrat caballe as parisina and some memories surely go back that far on friday at zankel hall the early music maestro nicholas mcgegan and his intrepid ensemble philharmonia baroque reintroduce scarlattis long forgotten opera la gloria di primavera first performed in 1716 with a cast that includes diana moore douglas williams and nicholas phan 730 pm 212 247 7800 carnegiehallorg


in a 2010 piece called make ryan a dancer the multidisciplinary artist ryan mcnamara submitted himself over a period of months under public scrutiny to the invigorating but daunting task of learning to dance it must have been a good experience because movement remains a serious muse a few years later his meem a story ballet about the internet was a hit on the art festival circuit and this week the guggenheim museums works  process series presents his battleground which the institution commissioned mr mcnamara impishly calls the work a cosplay battle ballet referring to the performance art of costume play often associated with anime and manga with sci fi and fantasy in mind he turns the museums intimate peter b lewis theater into the titular battleground dividing it into three war zones and musters nine dancers to serve in competing armies the audience sits in the line of fire true to the series chatty nature mr mcnamara will discuss the genesis of the work as well monday may 2 through wednesday may 4 at 730 pm 212 423 3587 guggenheimorg


a film series called fifteen by otto preminger pretty much has to open with laura the 1944 hit that made this director a hollywood player thats just what the museum of modern art does on wednesday may 4 when it devotes its modern matinees program to mr preminger whose films include the moon is blue exodus advise and consent and bunny lake is missing all of which are also part of the series
he was a relative unknown when he took on laura a murder mystery starring gene tierney as producer he ended up directing the film as well and it became what today would be called a sleeper hit landing him an oscar nomination for best director it also earned him grudging respect from darryl f zanuck the 20th century fox executive with whom he butted heads on the project the first week of the moma series also includes a royal scandal 1945 and daisy kenyon 1947 through june 30 momaorg


economists are good at measuring the past but inconsistent at forecasting future events particularly recessions thats because recessions arent caused merely by concrete changes in the markets beliefs and stories passed on by thousands of individuals are important factors maybe even the main ones in determining big shifts in the economy
that is likely to be the case again whenever we next endure a global recession worries that a big downturn might be imminent seem to have abated but they still abound in april for example the international monetary fund reported in its world economic outlook that while very modest growth is likely this year the world economy was in a fragile conjuncture
it is therefore worth asking what actually sets off a real global recession most discussions focus on leading indicators   statistics about economic variables that have preceded recessions while these kinds of correlations can sometimes be useful in forecasting they provide little understanding of why major changes are taking place leading indicators dont usually address ultimate causes nor do econometric models that try to predict events
in fact its instructive to remember that global recessions have usually begun suddenly and been a real surprise to most people as i have argued in this column and with george a akerlof in animal spirits princeton 2009 such events can largely be ascribed ultimately to contagious stories of wide significance basically global recessions tend to begin when newly popular narratives reduce individuals motivation to spend money psychology matters a great deal
the biggest recession of all the great depression began suddenly with the stock market crash of october 1929 as christina romer the former chairwoman of president obamas council of economic advisers pointed out in a famous paper even before 1929 was over she found department store sales and automobile registrations had declined indicating that consumer spending had already dropped sharply but why
economists were alarmed by the crash she found and their warnings helped make consumers wary but lets not overestimate the importance of these economic forecasts most people never actually read them they received their information from other channels
back then immediately after the market crash church sermons were a powerful influence congregations were told that many businesspeople had behaved like gamblers and hucksters through these sermons and other word of mouth sources moralizing about the stock market crash spread affecting mass psychology frederick lewis allen in the epilogue to his 1931 best seller only yesterday an informal history of the 1920s wrote that cultural values changed after the crash people began to dress more modestly adopting a new formality and religiosity reviving victorian sexual taboos it is reasonable to assume that many of these changes had an economic impact mainly by discouraging spending
similarly in more recent downturns broad cultural and social changes had big effects too since world war ii there have been four global recessions according to the international monetary fund which defines such an event very specifically as negative global per capita economic growth over at least one year in each case these recessions lasted only one year though relatively slow economic growth rates were also an issue in periods surrounding them the recessions ended in 1975 1982 1991 and 2009
as they had with the great depression economists have cited concrete causes for these events oil has been named as a fundamental factor in each case with price spikes blamed on the yom kippur war of 1973 the iran iraq war beginning in 1980 the 1990 91 persian gulf war and rising energy demand in china and other emerging countries in 2008
broader social narratives are sometimes ignored but they matter too consider the recession of 1975 along with oil prices common ways of understanding and describing daily life also changed the oil crisis was widely said to signal the end of an era of abundance lower highway speed limits were imposed to conserve fuel and cars grew smaller americans were told to lower their home thermostats to 68 degrees in large numbers people began wearing sweatsuits flannel leg warmers thermal underwear and long johns among all this austerity the economist e f schumachers 1973 best seller small is beautiful became a global morality lesson
lets jump to the most recent global recession the one of 2009 oil prices subprime mortgages and the freezing up of the financial system after the collapse of lehman brothers were all important factors but why did we have a global recession the transformation of distinct events into a broad global slowdown occurred through a variety of mechanisms reports about financial misdoings the possible collapse of venerable institutions rising unemployment caused by advanced technology   all of these affected the psychology of spending
where does this leave us now no single narrative seems to have enough compelling force at the moment to engender a downturn as big as the last one many people have been borrowing from older narratives of risk and vulnerability while trying to understand the current economy oil prices have been slumping not soaring but there are significant worries about outsourcing downsizing and globalization along with deep concerns about rising inequality refugee and immigrant flows and what has been called secular stagnation of the economy political candidates on both the left and the right have been spinning charged and sometimes disruptive narratives about these issues
we dont know whether any specific event   say an unexpected spike in oil prices or a decline in the stock market   will help transform any of the current social stories into a truly virulent economic disruption we dont know what is coming or when but history does tell us that human imagination can spontaneously transform discrete events into world shaking narratives of unexpected color and force


the rain fell hard on kevin mchale as he slogged through the empty cobblestone streets of his washington neighborhood on a cold october night in 2011
mr mchale then a mathematician at the united states department of defense still had no answer to what happened to him two weeks earlier when joanna wollersheim a colleague whom he had been happily dating for more than five months suddenly called it quits
i was completely blindsided and walking around in a daze said mr mchale who is now 35 and writes software programs used for statistical analysis at the washington office of the premise data corporation a san francisco based technology company
we were driving to a friends birthday party when joanna just turned to me and said she wanted to break up he said there was a lot of confusion and a lot of tears
ms wollersheim 34 a researcher at the defense department said the breakup was the result of dealing with personal challenges and immaturities
i was young and feeling smothered she said the idea of being in a relationship while i was still trying to find my inner self became overwhelming
they had met in june 2010 amid more sweat than tears at an exercise boot camp held two nights a week in what ms wollersheim described as the dimly lit basement of a us defense department building
there were all of these muscular drill sergeant types in our faces just barking out exercise orders she said it was grueling but it was a nice change of pace from sitting behind a computer all day
it wasnt long before mr mchale noticed ms wollersheim
she was the fastest and most fit person there he said she had this real exotic look about her with olive skin and short hair and she always dressed in a neat funky way she was absolutely beautiful
though mr mchale did not introduce himself during their intense workouts i didnt want to risk even more punishment from our instructors for talking during class he said laughing he managed to catch up with ms wollersheim two weeks later at a going away party for a mutual friend held at a bar in washington
they began talking and found out that they lived a half mile from each other on the north end of capitol hill ms wollersheim who was unattached at the time was instantly taken with him
he was so attractive i couldnt believe i hadnt noticed him in boot camp she said i was so impressed with the fact that he had this real sense of genius about him but wasnt at all pretentious and had no ulterior motives unlike most people in washington who go out of their way to show you how well rounded they are and size you up for whatever connections they can make through you
she suggested they car pool from their evening workouts to their respective apartments the next day they were on the road to discovering each other a half mile at a time
she learned that he had grown up in woodhaven queens and was 13 when his father michael mchale a retired captain in the new york city transit police department moved the family to boca raton fla
the younger mr mchale graduated from the university of florida then traveled west to the california institute of technology in pasadena where he received a phd in bioengineering
while in graduate school he designed and built a laser scanning microscope used to study the motions of individual molecules of dna developed solely as a research instrument it is still used for that purpose at stanford where mr mchale later did some postdoctoral work
i was blown away by his intelligence ms wollersheim said he could talk about anything but he never came across like he was bragging he was always humble and very unassuming
mr mchale learned that ms wollersheim had grown up in the small town of appleton wis and graduated from the university of wisconsin madison before embarking on a journey that didnt quite seem to match the dna of a small town conservative girl
in 2004 she traveled to egypt where she received a masters certificate in arabic and middle eastern studies from the american university in cairo as an international fulbright scholar she spent three years in cairo during which she taught english to egyptian children and rowed on the universitys crew team she left egypt for syria in 2007 where she spent the next year studying the arabic language at damascus university
i was fascinated by her experiences mr mchale said
along the way they found they each had a common love of working out taking long bike rides reading hemingway and trying new restaurants
i was beginning to feel a great sense of comfortability around him ms wollersheim said
but that feeling evaporated she said the moment mr mchale mentioned in passing about two weeks in to their conversations that he had a girlfriend though he maintains he had mentioned it a lot sooner than that
i was heartbroken ms wollersheim said i remember getting so upset and going home and just sitting on the couch and feeling terrible about the whole situation i was very depressed and disappointed but it was a reality i had to accept
by august boot camp had ended and with it their car pooling arrangement ms wollersheim said that she and mr mchale kind of remained friends and talked on occasion
in february 2011 the defense department began relocating certain offices mr mchale was sent to another building and the following month ms wollersheims office was relocated to the same building they were soon bumping into each other and conversing with greater frequency before long they were car pooling again
i still had a crush on him ms wollersheim said but at that point i had learned to guard my heart from wanting something that wasnt available to me
in april 2011 mr mchale mentioned in an email to her that he and his girlfriend had split up
i was in disbelief ms wollersheim said i knew this was about his life so i wasnt sure that meant anything for me i really had no idea where things might go from there
the following month she received a text from mr mchale inviting her up to his rooftop one early morning to watch the sun rise i was really excited she said but i wasnt quite sure if i was going on a first date
neither was he
i hoped that she would consider it a date because i really liked her mr mchale said i figured that she couldnt possibly think this is something that two friends do before they drive to work in the morning
up on the roof they snuggled under a blanket in the chill of the predawn and as the sun began to rise over the nations capital they shared their first kiss
they began dating steadily and seemed to be sailing along until that october day when ms wollersheim abruptly ended their relationship
all of a sudden he blurts out i love you ms wollersheim said we had never spoken those words before
nevertheless they parted ways and had not seen nor heard from each other for two weeks until mr mchale confused and hurt took that lonely walk in the rain wandering around that night he spotted a figure walking toward him in the dark
it was joanna he said i couldnt believe it
neither could she
i remembered thinking at that moment that it had to be god who dropped us off on yet another path where we were headed for each other ms wollersheim said i truly felt it was a sign that we still had something very special together
they retreated beneath an awning and began a two hour conversation that left them feeling as though they would make it through the storm together
we discussed what we had been going through emotionally during the breakup she said i realized that i had been putting up a lot of walls and that i needed to trust that moving forward kevin would be a supporting force in my life
in the time since the brides father jerry wollersheim said he saw how his daughter a strong willed girl and mr mchale a problem solver by nature grew in their relationship they have come to appreciate each others talents and shortcomings he said and its that kind of love and respect that has allowed them to them work through any problems
the couple were married april 24 at st francis hall adjacent to the franciscan monastery in the serene brookland neighborhood of northeast washington stephen norberg a friend of the couple and a minister of the international church of the foursquare gospel officiated before 143 guests
as the ceremony began in the medieval looking hall here comes the bride played over the speakers as the guests applauded and fixed their collective gaze at large french doors in the back of the hall from which ms wollersheim would surely emerge but the guests began stirring after a near minute had ticked by and the bride had not yet appeared
nobody worry i know exactly what to do the groom announced into a microphone as a sneaky grin ran across his face he hopped off the stage and scooted down the aisle until he reached his friend matt fouse
after a brief exchange mr fouse pulled a trumpet he had stored in a backpack and hidden under his chair put it to his lips and looked up toward the cartwheel chandeliers and a window on a second level of the hall above the french doors
the bride appeared in the window wearing a blush  and rose hued wedding gown by bhldn from anthropologie with a cherry blossom colored lace ribbon braided into her hair that fell off her shoulder
how did you find your way to my bedroom the bride asked in a shakespearean tone treating the amused guests to a more modern more colloquial version of a scene from romeo and juliet
it was but love that led me here said the groom who then went off script and i dont think ill be able to say much more without laughing or crying he said
as more laughter filled the theatrical space the bride shouted ill be right down
before reciting their vows the couple took turns sitting on the stage to talk about relationships in particular their own and what they had learned about love since entering each others lives
what our relationship taught me is that love requires an enduring heart ms wollersheim said love is not a hollywood movie where prince and princess meet its a lifetime journey filled with many challenges
by walking together she said we have the strength it takes to make that journey through any kind of weather


rooms from 210 euros about 237 including breakfast
theres new gloss in the plaka athenss historic center as of last spring anemi hotels which also owns a luxurious resort on the cycladic island of folegandros spent two years revamping a former apartment building into the stylish athenswas boutique hotel in an enviable location in the shadow of the acropolis the result of their efforts 21 ultramodern rooms that stand in contrast to the citys ancient sites making for a contemporary urban oasis after a long day of sightseeing
it doesnt get much more central than this athenswas presides over a prime stretch of dionysiou areopagitou the major pedestrian artery that leads right to the acropolis meaning youre just a few minutes stroll from some of the citys main attractions its also an easy walk to second century hadrians arch the 1896 olympic stadium the greek parliament at syntagma and the flea market at monastiraki square as well as ermou athenss main shopping promenade
when i entered my room i immediately saw why athenswas bills itself as a design hotel the third floor residence suite was carpeted in a bold swirly pattern and had sleek jacob jensen phones pendant lamps that turn on and off with a sweep of the hand a marble and walnut clad wet bar leather le corbusier armchairs and wooden venus chairs by the german designer konstantin grcic all of which gave the room a funky contemporary look courtesy of the greek design studio stage design practice there is a large terrace overlooking dionysiou areopagitou but three layers of curtains guarantee a full blackout framed sepia tinted photographs of greek busts and statues on the walls add a sense of place
the bathroom done up in greek marble and wood has opaque colored glass panels that let in light from the bedroom adding a subtle glowing effect its a spacious room with plenty of shelves for storage but the rain shower is encased in a surprisingly snug cubicle in a corner local korres toiletries come in refreshing aloe and citrus scents
in the basement youll find a small gym and a business center that doubles as a conference room there are no irons in the rooms so try to arrive crumple free during my visit i would have had to pay from 7 to 10 euros more for dresses and other items to have my shirt lightly ironed by the hotels laundry service wi fi is free in the guest rooms and public areas
there is no generic buffet here breakfast is served at the sleek modern restaurant abutting the lobby where made to order options include an overly generous greek breakfast im not sure how plate after plate of omelets yogurt and honey pastries spanakopita fruits and pudding were designed to feed just one person you could order room service which comes from the same kitchen and includes the full restaurant menu but i opted to have a late dinner at the popular rooftop bar instead   it has what must be one of the best views of the parthenon aglow high above the city
it would be hard to find a better base for a quick jaunt to the ancient city   the stylish and comfortable rooms are just a bonus


apart from a couple of brass weather vanes there is no art on the walls of rijks the principal restaurant at the rijksmuseum the cultural institution in amsterdam that reopened in 2013 after a decade long renovation perhaps thats for the best after long hours of scrutinizing rembrandts and vermeers its relaxing to enter an old master free zone for lunch dinner or a midafternoon pause
that said the gnarl of driftwood and foliage set on our table before the beginning of our meal rose almost to the level of art the leaves however turned out to be a snack crisp tempura fried spinach dusted with a tart seasoning mix the driftwood was whisked away before we could hazard a taste with our first glass of wine   dutch wine no less
the restaurant offers a tempting six course tasting but we chose our own meal a la carte with enthusiastic and well informed advice from a waiter the menu by the executive chef joris bijdendijk is almost equally divided among seafood meat and vegetables ingredients are excellent local and seasonal and the cooking is precise and imaginative in both flavor and technique yielding delicious satisfying sometimes intriguing dishes
when we visited earlier this year a good example was spit roasted celeriac which was fetched from the kitchen on a board and carved and sauced at the table the consistency was creamy and the flavor intense but there were layers to this dish the celeriac was steamed then studded with dutch cured smoked pork lardo and slowly roasted and basted for hours it was served with a smoked oyster emulsion and a rich veal gravy and topped with red sorrel leaves all those elements were there to support the vegetable which remained the center of attention
tender rare hare was served with a puree of blood sausage an appealing variant on blood based sauces traditional in game cooking it came with outstanding cabbage stuffed cabbage the filling finely shredded and buttery a vegetarian dish of carrots and eggplant included a savory miso cream and a vegetable broth whose clarity belied its intensity our caramel dessert benefited from a similar consomme as a foil to denser ingredients clear to the eye but full of cacao flavor
the restaurant is open far later than the museum and has its own entrance for those who for some reason are steering clear of the fine arts


the percussionist and singer roman diaz opens his spirited recent album lo da fun bata motema with a vocal invocation to elegua the yoruban lord of the crossroads for mr diaz its an elegant way of flying his colors as one of the leading stewards of the afro cuban tradition in new york on some level it also sets a tone for a concert and film series like the source project running during the first week of may at symphony space
the series proposes a celebration of african influence in western culture starting with a focus on cuba mr diazs rumba ensemble opens the festivities at 11 am on sunday may 1 with a street party on broadway between 93rd and 94th streets subsequent performances will feature the singer xiomara laugart monday the tenor saxophonist and percussionist yosvany terry thursday and the percussionist pedrito martinez drawing from his new album habana dreams with a featured appearance by the great sonero issac delgado may 8 symphonyspaceorg


the sculptor ken prices celebrated oozy abstract pieces in glazed or painted clay can bring to mind kurt vonneguts description of little green aliens the creatures were friendly and they could see in four dimensions they pitied earthlings for being able to see only three
ken price drawings an exhibition opening thursday may 5 at the matthew marks gallery reveals an often unseen aspect of mr prices career his opulent sometimes darkly comic work in two dimensions the show brings together more than 40 drawings never before exhibited from his studio in taos nm
dating from the beginning of his career in 1960 through 2011 he died in 2012 they include working drawings of his sculptures along with quietly cockeyed views of the world like a candy colored idyllic scene of a car plunging from a seaside cliff toward a busy freeway below may 4 through june 25 matthewmarkscom


fans who gorge on tv coverage of the national football league draft can turn to the smithsonian channel for a digestif on sunday may 1 a football themed episode of a new series called sports detectives each installment tries to track down or determine the authenticity of sports memorabilia and here the objects in question are the 1964 championship ring that belonged to the cleveland browns running back jim brown and the football that ricocheted into the arms of the pittsburgh steelers franco harris in the 1972 play known as the immaculate reception the findings by the detectives   lauren gardner a sports reporter and kevin barrows a private investigator   arent always definitive but the fun is in the revisiting of these moments the series premiere on april 24 concerned the flag that draped the goalie jim craig after the united states hockey teams gold medal victory at the lake placid olympics in 1980 and especially in the segment on the ring a story that involves a divorce and a possible burglary the quests provide a window into the sometimes murky sports memorabilia world


the interior designer samuel amoia lives in manhattan but these days his thoughts often stray to the beach thats because one of his largest projects is itzana a resort and residential development in belize opening later this year
the design is a mix of spanish and british colonial styles and a beach vibe that celebrates indoor outdoor living said mr amoia 33 who worked for the hotelier andre balazs and the designer stephen sills before founding his own company in 2012 every room has an outdoor chaise sofa and dining table
but when it comes to relaxing outside he added its the chaise longue that matters most
mr amoia isnt doing much relaxing himself these days in addition to his work in belize he just introduced a collection of furniture at delorenzo gallery in new york and will receive a rising talent award at maisonobjet americas the design fair running from may 10 to 13 in miami beach but for those who do have time to relax mr amoia offered a few tips on choosing an outdoor chaise longue
 think about how youll use your outdoor space if it will be both a social gathering space and a place for sunbathing you need a chaise that offers an upright sitting position and can also function as a bench when flat
 do you plan to move the chaise around if so weight is a consideration   and wheels are desirable
 how much maintenance are you willing to do some chaise longues need more cleaning and upkeep than others and some also require covers when not in use
portside lounger  549 at west elm 888 922 4119 or westelmcom
the wire brushed weathered gray finish of this model mr amoia said is simply beautiful and with its spare muscular shape he added it could be used just about anywhere it has a nice urban feel to it but could easily work in the country or at the beach
522 toyko chaise longue  from 5795 at cassina 212 228 8186 or cassinacom
this piece was designed by charlotte perriand in 1940 but she was way ahead of her time mr amoia said theres something very contemporary or futuristic about it even though it also has a heritage look and having stood the test of time he said its a really good investment
grid chaise  3363 at design within reach 800 944 2233 or dwrcom
mr amoia admires this chaise longue by henrik pedersen for its mix of materials an amalgam of contrasting elements that makes it seem on trend this strong dark fabric with the teak wood and wheels and a metal frame is very now he said i also love the integrated table for your drink
reeded armless chaise  from 5200 at sutherland 212 871 9717 or sutherlandfurniturecom
this teak chaise by john hutton has clean timeless lines and can be easily adjusted to suit different uses mr amoia noted you could use it flat as a little sofa or daybed with lots of pillows and then pop it up to get a suntan
ave chaise  from 18000 at todd merrill 212 673 0531 or toddmerrillstudiocom
this is not something youd lie in to relax for a long time mr amoia said but as a sculptural element it would add excitement to a backyard it would be great in a garden designed by soraya osorio it is suitable for outdoor use in aluminum or with a powder coated finish


noah masterson a web marketing manager in austin tex is like the marie kondo of twitter he keeps it tidy i just unfollowed about 20 people to get down to an even 400 he said it felt really good
for mr masterson 43 the value of social media is that it brings together all sorts of voices and opinions that he may not otherwise hear but if he decides one voice is too shrill too self promotional or too dull he will declutter its a party and i get to select the guests he said i can just eject someone if theyre not being a good guest
maggie cassidy works at a nonprofit in chicago and is similarly inclined to vote with her fingers
unfollowing is the best said ms cassidy 31 i think that social media is so pervasive in our everyday life that it can be easy to forget that it is entirely optional you can get into a cycle of being irritated and not remember that you dont have to participate
she recently unfollowed a political journalist on twitter not because she objected to his tweets but because she didnt like the vitriolic debates those tweets sometimes incited it got a little ugly over there she said and i didnt have to participate anyone who seems to be using their twitter handle to pick fights im not interested
in any political season but lets be honest in this one especially there is a certain agony in listening to or reading or having your eyeballs assaulted with other peoples certainty their rightness their righteousness their links the current pull to unfollow and unfriend may be stronger than ever
but there are so many awkward dynamics that can arise because rarely is the severing of these social ties a stealth act those who have landed on your cutting room floor can learn of the shunning in any number of ways thats why the subtler function of muting someone offered by facebook and twitter is popular mutees have no way of knowing theyve been tuned out the posters keep posting and posting having no idea that they are trees falling in the forest without anyone there to hear the thud
not surprisingly there are dozens of apps and digital products that can help you keep track of who your real friends are i plugged into the unfollow for twitter app which according to its creator andrew saubert of hamburg germany has logged some 30 million user sessions the app informed me who among those i follow on twitter doesnt follow me back the purpose of this service is to let me know whom i should unfollow out of spite
can you believe that grown ups with presumably all the worries stresses and responsibilities of adult life could allow themselves to be bothered for even one second by the notion that someone most likely a virtual stranger if not a literal one would opt to avoid their tweets
people are so ridiculous
peter kafka a senior editor at recode unfollowed me on twitter more than two years ago and im really starting to feel much better about it
peter and i have socialized in large groups and are digitally friendly though not necessarily in real life friends when i happened to notice that he was no longer following me on twitter i sent a public message across the tweety transom to ask him why
he replied i get all the photos of your kids and yoga that i need on instagram
id argue that there could never be enough of that but thats not the point
the point is that i now think twice before unfollowing and unfriending people because i am concerned about hurting the feelings of people i dont know and who may actually just be bots
not so roberto a ferdman 28 a reporter who covers food culture and economics in wonkblog for the washington post this political season he is muting and unfriending without guilt or remorse
certain people seem to pop up on my newsfeed more than others even though im not close to them he said and in the election season its particularly frustrating especially galling is the stridency espoused by random high school and college classmates whose opinions are no more informed than anyone else reading   thanks to social media   the same articles as everyone else and the repetition bernie sanders is a very inspirational person he said its not a matter of my liking or disliking or wanting to vote for him or not its just that i could really do with less bernie sanders in my face
katie notopoulos a senior editor for buzzfeed has given this unfollowing business a lot of thought a few years ago she decided to comb out of her twitter feed every man she was following and then to further her social experiment she suggested to readers that they unfollowaman her goal was less about shutting out all the men though in certain instances that was a nice side effect and more about testing the social dynamics
you feel like youre breaking this fake friendship and that can be really awkward because on twitter especially people really do become friendly ms notopoulos said a social contract develops kind of like if someone invites you to their wedding you have to invite them to yours even if you dont like them that much its easy to start wondering am i being a jerk for unfollowing them in those cases i find the mute button a godsend
speaking of god a few weeks ago i encountered a new conundrum is it ever ok to unfollow the pope i became an e disciple of pope francis on twitter handle pontifex about a year ago though i dont follow the pope religiously im jewish i do so electronically i find his tweets inspiring and hopeful a voice of peace in a nasty cyberworld so as soon as i heard that the pope had joined instagram in march i began to follow him there as well handle franciscus but the photographs posted on the popes account are not as compelling to me as his tweeted word also   and i am quite likely to be stricken by lightning for writing this   i feel a bit like the pope overposts on instagram yet i havent unfollowed him because hes the pope
in the papal spirit of the reconciliation and understanding i called peter kafka recently to let him know that i wanted to forgive him for unfollowing me on twitter and to learn more about his general philosophies i cant remember what specifically prompted me to unfollow you he said usually its youre incredibly boring or the conference youre at is incredibly boring or youre overtweeting
i tried to interrupt but mr kafka was on a roll there is the i cant stand you or your success or the stupid things you say unfollow or the there is something about you that just really really annoys me unfollow he said to assuage my feelings he told me that had the mute function been available twitter rolled out the feature in may 2014 he would have used it i love muting he said
mr kafka is a funny guy but dont take my word for it follow him


the filmmaker whit stillmans 1990 debut metropolitan about a group of young upper class new yorkers immediately established a tonal kinship between the writer director and jane austen in the times vincent canby called the movie a comedy of manners of a very high order and wrote like jane austen mr stillman severely restricts his characters field of action which is sometimes combat
stillman has now forged the connection to austen on a more explicit level with a film and a novel   both called love and friendship   based on austens lady susan an early epistolary novella published years after the authors death
curtis sittenfelds eligible a retelling of pride and prejudice set in modern day cincinnati is reviewed by sarah lyall this week eligible is part of a series in which contemporary authors reimagine austens books but stillman hasnt reimagined her work he has tried to embody it his novel set in the 19th century is full of sentences like this one to commit one sin or indiscretion is not to commit every sin or indiscretion   yet many speak as if it were and characters say things to each other like please reginald dont be severe   i cant support reproaches   
earlier this year stillman told vanity fair that his first exposure to austen was reading northanger abbey during his sophomore year of college i didnt like it at all he said i didnt get it and i would loudly tell people that she was overrated and bad for a long time until after college my sister said you better read pride and prejudice  i did and it changed me
quotable
its like if you were building custom yurts and then somebody commissioned a mansion id say i cant do that well actually you could if you can conceptualize a mansion as a series of interconnected yurts   george saunders on the process of writing his first novel due out in 2017 in an interview with vulture
a visit from bernie
kate dalozs new book we are as gods is about back to the land radicalism in 1970s america focusing most closely on a commune in vermont close to where daloz spent part of her childhood the book recently received a flurry of attention from an unlikely source right wing blogs the paragraphs that grabbed the attention of the washington free beacon and other outlets involve bernie sanders who visited the commune as a newspaper reporter a man named craig one of the groups leaders was sympathetic to sanderss views but was bothered by his penchant for sitting around and talking about ideas when there was so much work to be done    even though he agreed with almost everything bernie had to say he resented feeling like he had to pull others out of bernies orbit if any work was going to get accomplished that day


when a deeply troubled company replaces its chief executive it makes sense to expect the new ceo to bring a fresh take to its operations a clean sweep so to speak
but if shareholders in valeant pharmaceuticals international envisage a vastly different approach by joseph c papa the companys incoming chief executive they may be disappointed thats because in the almost 10 years that mr papa headed perrigo a maker and distributor of over the counter and generic prescription drugs the company pursued a series of strategies that were very valeant esque
they include a merger with a foreign company that allowed perrigo to slash its tax rate a tendency to pay up for acquisitions and an assiduous use of fantasy accounting that excludes real business costs
maybe its too much to ask valeant to bring in a chief executive who has done none of the above after all the similarities between perrigo and valeant are to some degree the result of practices that prevail across the drug industry pharmaceutical company managers are aggressive deal makers and love tax inversions they are also big on presenting financial results that are calculated using their preferred arithmetic not generally accepted accounting principles
still given that valeants business model has been so thoroughly discredited it would have been nice to see the company hire a manager who has eschewed such practices
i asked to speak to mr papa about how he planned to right the ss valeant but through a spokeswoman he declined to be interviewed thats understandable the ship he is skippering is listing severely
of course there is one crucial difference between the management styles of mr papa and j michael pearson perrigo does not have valeants reputation for buying old drugs and jacking up their prices to generate plush profits thats a good thing
valeant investors are also surely hoping that mr papa has a moral core something mr pearson apparently lacked while he was running the company now that mr pearson is on his way out he has begun to express regret over the companys drug pricing practices he started wearing this hair shirt when he testified before congress on wednesday
in recent investor filings valeant conceded that under mr pearson the tone at the top of the organization and the performance based environment had contributed to its woes this theme continued with the announcement on monday of mr papas hiring
fostering an ethical culture and creating opportunities for professional development have always been high priorities for joe said robert ingram valeants chairman in a statement about the hire for his part mr papa said he was excited to help the company chart a new course a major board shake up at valeant is also in progress
a new course is obviously whats needed at valeant yet the commonalities between it and perrigo are disconcerting
both perrigo and valeant have reduced their tax bills by merging with foreign entities in 2013 perrigo acquired the elan corporation a biotechnology company and moved its headquarters to ireland as a result of this move perrigos tax rate dropped recently the company said its anticipated tax rate for 2016 was 14 percent
another parallel between the companies is a predilection for paying up for acquisitions a hallmark of mr pearsons years at valeant during the companys heyday its costly deals were no problem but now that valeant must dispose of some assets to help pay down its 31 billion in debt the premiums it paid are likely to hurt the companys attempts to shore up its balance sheet
a recent acquisition by perrigo also appears to have been overpriced in march 2015 perrigo paid 45 billion for omega pharma invest a marketer of over the counter health care products based in belgium the company has already written down the acquisition by 185 million but on monday perrigo said it had identified additional indicators of impairment among certain intangible assets acquired in the deal
the size of the impairment is not yet known but charges associated with it could be material and have a significant impact on the companys financial results perrigo said
perhaps the most significant similarity between the companies is their use of fantasy accounting
a recent study by the analysts accounting observer noted that perrigo topped the list of 30 companies in the standard  poors 500 stock index with the largest gulf between net income as calculated under standard accounting rules and profits reported by the companies excluding certain costs last year perrigo reported a loss of 328 million under generally accepted accounting practices or gaap but showed a profit of 11 billion doing the math its own way
as the incoming chief executive at valeant mr papa is in for a heavy lift said irina koffler an equity analyst at mizuho securities who has 10 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry one things for sure he is being well paid for his efforts on wednesday the company said mr papa would earn salary target bonus and stock grants worth about 67 million
ms koffler said that because valeants practice was to buy older drugs that were soon to go off patent the companys portfolio is chock full of products whose profits are headed for the cliff they need either an internally developed pipeline that will take the place of those things or they need to buy assets she said but valeant cant buy assets because they are underwater with their debt
so whats in the companys pipeline ms koffler pointed to a glaucoma drug that has promise and a psoriasis treatment but said that other than that they dont have a lot
even worse ms koffler noted recent assurances made by company representatives about changing valeants reviled drug pricing testifying before congress on wednesday william a ackman the head of pershing square capital management a hedge fund with a huge stake in valeant and a strong presence on its board said he would recommend that the company cut prices on some of its high cost drugs while patients will appreciate such an action it will not do much for the companys financial health
which is perhaps the point for years valeant was beloved by investors for its laser focus on so called shareholder value now that it is being forced to add social values to its dna its anybodys guess where this company will end up


last week an ape sat eating his bacon and eggs at a dumbo cafe an extremely polite ape an ape who asked if he could please leave the tip
this ape is a recent creation of the actor ben foster for each of his roles   a murderous outlaw in 310 to yuma an injured soldier in the messenger a crystal meth addict in alpha dog and beyond   he has taken an immersive approach to character that transforms his body his mind his very self
in the revival of tennessee williamss a streetcar named desire which opens on sunday may 1 at st anns warehouse he plays the wounded wounding stanley kowalski while preparing for the role he took to heart blanche duboiss words here spoken by the x files actress gillian anderson that there is something apelike about him like one of those pictures ive seen in   anthropological studies
mr foster made his own studies he examined pictures of francis bacons baboons he screened youtube videos of silverbacks encountering mirrors in the jungle watching how they live in their bodies was very important to me he said
with the help of a trainer he bulked up his arms and chest giving himself a deliberately hulking top heavy physique i dont want to have some beach body abs and stuff he explained as he drank his coffee stanleys an ape see grab take
to demonstrate he raised and arched his shoulders thrust his chin out slightly hooded his eyes suddenly a gorilla hunched   wary dangerous and judging by the untouched fried potatoes and toast apparently avoiding carbs
mr foster 35 has worked as an actor since his early teens born in boston he moved at the age of 4 with his family to fairfield iowa where he attended the maharishi school of the age of enlightenment after dropping out in 10th grade he landed a role in the disney series flash forward and the family relocated to los angeles
he described hollywood as a crazy making place that doesnt have a great track record for most peoples development he credits his survival in the industry and his relatively smooth transition to adult roles to the grounding that my parents provided and a lot of good luck
transcendental meditation which he still practices daily may also have helped though he said it imposes little order on his personal life its a big stew he said with a laugh declining to elaborate though mr foster has mostly managed to keep his relationships out of the spotlight his engagement to the house of cards star robin wright which ended last summer was widely reported
over breakfast once he had dropped the ape act he was unfailingly friendly though also strongly focused answering thoughtfully and asking nearly as many questions as he responded to his face with its frosty blue eyes and pointed chin rarely relaxes and there seems to be little that he says or does offhandedly
professionally he has developed a reputation for intensity and rigor oren moverman who directed him in the messenger and rampart described mr foster as someone who goes so deep into the research that its almost like his chromosomes change
no one likes to take risks as much as ben in his work mr moverman said in a telephone interview
mr foster relishes giving himself over to a character i dont think im particularly shy he said i just dont like being front and center as myself his ways of creating a role can border on the extreme he said he took performance enhancing drugs to play the disgraced cyclist lance armstrong in the program he spent several urine soaked days on skid row while preparing a small role as a homeless man in rampart he ate handfuls of dirt as a member of a navy seal team on a botched assignment in lone survivor
chris pine who has starred with him in two films the recently released the finest hours and the forthcoming hell or high water described watching him prepare for a part he loves to build mr pine wrote in an email he loves the juju of it all and it is intensely fun and self smartening to watch him figure it all out throw it away and then wrestle it all back together again
its method acting sure but is it madness too
mr foster doesnt think so im not just going out there like a wild man he said besides hes never found a way to approach a role casually i recognize how lucky i am within this industry to be able to work to have the luxury of considering these ideas as a job i dont know how not to care
as woody harrelson who starred with mr foster in the messenger and rampart said when hes working on a project hes all the way in but even mr harrelson who visited mr foster recently in new york said he was surprised by the physical transformation he had wrought for streetcar
i really thought wow thats not really ben thats stanley kowalski
working steadily in television and film mr foster who enjoyed stage acting as a kid had steered away from the theater for 20 years but in 2013 when shia labeouf was let go from the broadway revival of lyle kesslers orphans he stepped into the role of treat a petty thief tender and brutal who cares for his younger brother it was a difficult process he said likening it to arriving at summer camp two weeks late when everyone is friends or not friends and all the bunks are taken
though reviews for the show were mixed his interest in theater persisted when the australian director benedict andrews approached him about playing stanley in this production which originated at londons young vic he agreed
mr andrews in a telephone interview said he was particular interested in stanleys identity as an ex serviceman and that mr fosters role in the messenger had resonated with that he sensed in mr foster a desire to work on something raw and physical he said casting an actor with so little stage experience was dicey a leap in the dark mr andrews called it but a leap both he and mr foster willingly took
stanley is one of the great male roles of midcentury american drama and one of the most difficult a former soldier now working as a factory parts salesman he is living in new orleans with his wife stella here played by vanessa kirby when his sister in law blanche ms anderson comes to stay a guys guy   he loves beer poker bowling   he is also powerfully attracted and attractive to women with what williams called an animal joy in his being
as he and blanche struggle for dominance in the household stanley appears as a thug and an innocent an aggressor and a victim he is on the one hand a wife beater and a rapist on the other a troubled possibly traumatized man who wails like a child when his wife flees from him the part is made more difficult by the legacy of marlon brando who originated the role and whose anguished cries of stella still echo
but in reviewing the london production in 2014 for the new york times matt wolf remarked that mr foster was the first stage actor to erase memories of brando by making the role less about the characters pectorals and more about his battered pride
at a recent rehearsal mr foster certainly cut a drastically different figure instead of the leonine presence of brando you have mr fosters more lumbering hominid gait the sense of a man who has never quite made peace with the postwar world or his domestic environment on mr andrewss revolving set mr fosters stanley hulks around explosive and combative yet somehow achingly displaced and vulnerable
his hands seem naked without a bayonet to wield or a ball to bowl his casual clothes hang awkwardly on him another deliberate choice mr foster recalled taking a trip to old navy and asking himself an animal whos trying to pass as a man how does he dress what would an ape or a warrior wear as camouflage polo shirts and cargo pants he decided the tattoos stanley sports which include an octopus missing a few tentacles and a skull with coyote written underneath are mr fosters own
he doesnt at all condone stanleys actions you cant hit a woman   period mr foster said you cant rape but he still brings his sympathies to stanley hes a man whos served his country he explained who loves his wife more than life itself who is about to have a baby and when blanche arrives with her scents and furs and graces he feels his position threatened and his animal lust stirred
the play only works mr andrews said if the actors convey a spark of really volatile sexual attraction a mix of sexual attraction and violence in rehearsal that was visible too in the ways that mr foster and ms anderson circled and attacked each other ms anderson in a telephone interview said she enjoys the ways in which the all american heartiness of mr fosters stanley contrasts with the brutality he layers in just underneath you feel the danger there she said
mr foster described ms anderson as one of the most elegant and savage performers ive worked with when theyre onstage together thats a total battle he said were boxing each other off the stage every night with love for mr foster this isnt so much a drama of truth and illusion or magic and reality as it is a war play
at each performance his stanley however strong however apelike suffers a pain that mr foster feels keenly before he steps out onto the set he knows that the arc of the play will hurt him psychically if not physically and each time he tries to experience it anew dont anticipate the blade he tells himself lean in


this interview with vivian s lee ceo of university of utah health care was conducted and condensed by adam bryant
q tell me about your early years
a i grew up in norman okla i was mostly very carefree as a child i was the exact opposite of the overprogrammed child of today my parents let me do whatever i felt like doing and they never pushed me i never really excelled in anything i did a lot of different things but nothing very well and i was often getting in trouble
what flavor of trouble
my parents tell stories of me doing things early on like sticking car keys in the electrical outlet at the post office dropping my dads watch in the toilet and trying to shave one day
and then in school   im embarrassed to admit it now   i used to get in trouble and have to go to the principals office i was just doing goofy things i remember in seventh grade my best friend decided to take our oklahoma history book and pretend to read it upside down in class i could not stop laughing and the teacher finally sent me to the principals office
tell me about your parents
my parents are both university professors my mother is a statistician and epidemiologist who became the dean of the university of oklahoma college of public health my father is an electrical engineer and a serial inventor
we used to come up with all these ideas for crazy inventions when i retire one thing im going to work on is reinventing the umbrella you walk down the street on a rainy day and the trash bins are filled with broken umbrellas
how have your parents influenced your leadership style
they are immigrants very successful but when they came to this country they didnt really know anybody they had no guidance and there were language barriers so i have a much deeper appreciation and empathy for the wide range of backgrounds that people may be coming from
my parents didnt understand a lot about american culture early on including the politics of the academic world you think you can learn english but there are all the subtleties and implications of how people choose their words and they struggled with that early on
from an early age i had some insights as to what they were doing right and maybe what they werent doing right they would sometimes talk over dinner about an encounter they had at the office that actually gave me early insights into the dynamics between people and how important those dynamics are for managing and leading people understanding what they want and getting that alignment between their interests and the organizations
what were some early management lessons for you
one of the things i learned was that i had my own style and it was ok for me to use my own style as a leader i was not the norm and i was criticized early on
how so
my style is very consultative everybody needs to have a chance to express their views which is why its very important to have very diverse perspectives around the table i like to internalize those different views synthesize them and then flavored by my own perspectives come up with a decision
early on after i was running a meeting a senior person pulled me aside and said in a very mentoring kind of moment vivian you need to be a leader you cant be asking people what they think you need to be telling them
and at that point i thought to myself i dont think so it was a very difficult moment because he was saying that he doubted my ability to lead clearly his mind set was that i had to lead a certain way or i was not a leader thats when i knew that what he thought about me was irrelevant i knew i was right i need to get to the right decisions in the way that i know best i think that telling people what to do is really a flawed approach
how has your leadership style evolved
im a lot more comfortable with a team of people who are very different intellectually i always knew it was a good idea but it was just not as comfortable over time i have developed a broader appreciation for just how much that diversity brings to the table
ive always been a pretty good listener but im even better now than i used to be partly because the self consciousness and worrying how people might judge me as the ceo have really died down and that enables me to listen better
how do you hire
i put a lot of weight on references and track record in the interview im looking for the differentiator between good and excellent thats difficult to really judge in the interview but i try
im very interested in a persons internal drive they should have a real track record of not just excellence but exceeding expectations and so i tend to ask about their greatest challenge and the project or success that made them most proud
ill also ask what their greatest disappointment or failure has been i really like to see the ability to learn from mistakes and humility to recognize their own mistakes instead of blaming other people
what is your best career and life advice for new college grads
just live in the moment pour your heart into whatever it is youre doing and get the most out of that experience i think people are often so worried about the next step and the next step after that that theyre not focused on where they are now
whatever your environment is know that you can really extract a lot of value out of it the people who are most successful draw on all their life experiences and those experiences inform everything they do


recently i was waiting for a flight from boston to san francisco when i realized that a man seated nearby was loudly interviewing someone on his mobile phone for a technology job at least five or six people could hear this as well as a subsequent call he made to his supervisor telling him or her that he was passing on the candidate in part because the requested salary 180000 was too high
one of the questions the interviewer asked was are you single he was such a jerk that one of my fellow passengers said this is the kind of person who is ruining san francisco
my question is it legal to conduct a job interview in a public place nk berkeley calif
the workologist checked with several lawyers and while your fellow travelers behavior may have been obnoxious and absurd it is evidently legal the usual caveats apply   theres a lot we dont know about the specifics here and its always possible that some detail of the episode runs counter to a particular state or local regulation   so lets just consider the matter broadly
there would typically be no restriction on someone conducting a job interview in a public setting said joseph seiner a professor at the university of south carolina school of law whose focus includes employment law and the workplace that is the legal answer mr seiner said
but as a human resources expert he promptly added i would strongly advise against this type of public interview
this is the real heart of the matter while apparently on the right side of the law this interviewer was on the wrong side of everything else   including common sense he could easily be revealing confidential company information about salary matters for instance said lori adelson a lawyer whose firm adelson law  mediation in fort lauderdale fla specializes in employment law if she were his boss she said id be extremely displeased
perhaps it was crucial for all concerned to get this interview squared away before a long flight and its plausible that the candidate agreed to the airport call or at least deduced it from all those background announcements for the 337 flight to nashville or whatever
but as ms adelson and mr seiner said it should have been easy enough to find a more discreet place in the airport   or at least to have proceeded at a lower volume the workologist can only add that if you find yourself being interviewed in this manner give some thought to what such sloppy and self important behavior might suggest about the operations and culture of the potential employer
its also worth noting here   again with the caveat that state laws vary   that asking a candidate about marital status does not by itself violate federal law however its a line of questioning that can prove to be relevant in claims of gender discrimination particularly when it is asked only of women so id suggest that interviewers avoid it
addressing the public interview question in general mr seiner agrees that many people might assume that such behavior is forbidden because it doesnt feel right interviewers ought to embrace that sentiment theres the law and theres the best practice he continues there are things that arent going to get you in trouble legally but you just shouldnt do them
regarding your recent column on what to do when a plum job turns sour i had a very similar work experience about five years agoi was directed to take the lead on a new line of business totally unrelated to my previous work after some silent head scratching i embraced the challenge i essentially grew this business from nothing learning a tremendous amount
my boss recognized and acknowledged the skills that enabled me to do the new job well curiosity perseverance resourcefulness professionalism the ability to infer and draw conclusions recently i parlayed this experience with support from my boss into a new and quite gainful position with another firm
so i wish your response would have prompted the writer to see the predicament from a more positive angle and to think through potential possibilities   in other words to make lemonade out of what seem to be lemons jt new york
this may indeed be a very helpful line of thought for many workers who find themselves pushed into new responsibilities that feel like a career detour
but the person who made the original inquiry was a year and a half deep into the unwelcome new gig which seems like enough time to decide this isnt for me so maybe the attitude suggested here cant work for everyone
but particularly for early career workers the workologist agrees that its a great idea to remain open minded about picking up new skills you never know what might come in handy later in your work life   or what you might discover you enjoy and perhaps given the volatile nature of the current labor market this is truer than ever for workers at any career stage
the most useful thing about this advice is the way its framed here focusing less on the specific new duties and more on the deeper qualities perseverance curiosity etc an employee might develop or demonstrate sure the resulting lemonade may not ultimately be to your taste but perhaps its worth giving it an honest taste before you decide


elizabeth gilbert has written several best selling books of fiction and nonfiction but she is best known for eat pray love her 2006 memoir of travel and personal discovery in italy indonesia and india to celebrate the books 10th anniversary riverhead books has published eat pray love made me do it a collection of 47 essays written by people inspired by the book following are edited excerpts from a conversation with ms gilbert
q which elements of travel seem to resonate most with people you encounter
a the theme i see again and again when people talk about their travels or travel dreams is that unless its just a holiday it is a combination of the desire to run away matched with a yearning to discover something out there like a running toward im fascinated by which impulses drive people
one writer in eat pray love made me do it realized a teenage dream to visit dublin after a broken engagement the travel version of seeking out a youthful romance is this a good idea
sometimes that more innocent and true version of yourself gets pushed aside in adulthood and travel can be an important way to revisit that part of yourself you left behind it could even be the best part of yourself
several essay writers described how adventure can come in many forms and doesnt necessarily take money or even much time do you agree
absolutely my favorite moment in the book is where a newly divorced mother with children for whom travel is impossible starts to take better care of herself she wrote the gym was my italy a weekend away with girlfriends was my indonesia and spending quiet time reading or running or just going for a coffee was my india that is the epitome of finding answers to the questions
another writer started traveling at age 50 and now celebrates every year with a road trip do you meet people who start traveling later in life
my mother for one she was 55 and finally had the freedom and the means and she woke up to the reality that my dads not a traveler now she and her sister in law do a trip every year theyve been to chile turkey thailand up the amazon river theyre really adventurous fifty is the age women start to become invisible but the flip side of that is invisibility is a super power   it makes them safer to travel
what are some of your recent travels
my husbands older than me and he has grandkids in australia we took the family of four to tasmania and also spent two months in australia and new zealand ive also started this ritual where i take my mom traveling every year weve been to greece and london and this year were doing a walking trip through wales although my dad isnt a traveler he does hike and i took him hiking in the dolomites
you and your husband sold your import shop two buttons in frenchtown nj last year what are your plans now
we want to travel more and enjoy the fact that we can my husbands been traveling his whole life and i have too but there are just huge parts of the world we havent seen yet ive never been to japan iceland south africa and other places that it would be a pity to come to this earth and miss im getting more comfortable with the idea of not necessarily living anywhere i do need to sit in one place with a book and my plan for this autumn is to do that with a novel im working on
you wrote an essay in conde nast traveler in march encouraging people to travel especially in light of world events saying i am not afraid of the world but i am afraid of people who are afraid of the world
generally speaking i feel like i want to encourage people to have the most expanded version of their life they can possibly have in every way   spiritually creatively and geographically thats the bell i keep ringing to live a bigger and broader life the smaller your world gets the smaller your mind gets and the more your fear grows and the worse your decisions get


putting our 3 year old son to bed isnt a task my wife and i undertake lightly on a typical night there will be actual physical struggles and a great deal of bitter haggling over the particulars   over whether it will be she or i who keeps vigil as he bravely contends against his own fatigue over how many stories will be read to him and which ones there will also typically be a series of increasingly hostile demands for glasses of water and at least one trip to the toilet that will eventually be exposed as a cynical diversionary tactic one night his claim that he needed to go was revealed as spurious and i let him know that i was onto his hustle im not a fool i said
you are a fool dada he countered smoothly staring up at me from his unused potty
in recent weeks though these nightly torments have been relieved by a book called the rabbit who wants to fall asleep   a book whose powerfully soporific effects my son is helpless to resist and which as a result has had a transformative effect on the style and substance of his bedtime routine
i have noticed that stories aimed at his demographic tend to operate as cultural propaganda on behalf of unconsciousness your typical work of toddler focused fiction tends to converge on a climax in which the protagonist mischievous child curious animal anthropomorphic steam engine succumbs to a pleasurable exhaustion after the adventures of the preceding pages and drifts off into peaceful slumber its a nicely suggestive trajectory certainly but this sort of subtlety has no real purchase at least not on my son the beautiful if slightly sinister thing about the rabbit who wants to fall asleep is that it functions less as cultural propaganda than as authoritarian diktat its explicit aim is to bring about in your child   through the sedative effects of repetition through extreme dullness through strategically staged yawns   a state of narrative induced anesthesia
the book is the work of a swedish writer named carl johan forssen ehrlin whose author bio lists a miscellany of modish occupations behavioral scientist communications teacher life coach leadership trainer in an instructions to the reader section he tells us that passages in bold text should be emphasized while italicized passages should be read in a particularly slow and calm voice used injudiciously he writes the book may cause drowsiness or an unintended catnap and we are further cautioned never to read it aloud close to someone driving any type of vehicle or engaged in any other activity that requires wakefulness this does seem a little alarmist though i wouldnt necessarily want to test it out on the open road
the narrative proper concerns a young rabbit called roger   a name that can we are advised be read as rooo geeer with two yawns   who is having great difficulty in getting to sleep to alleviate this situation his mother takes him on a voyage to the other side of the meadow where there lives a kindly wizard named uncle yawn who specializes in helping rabbits and children get to sleep using spells and magic powders along the way there are encounters with somnolence themed animals sleepy snail heavy eyed owl whose pulverizingly dull soliloquies on the topic of tiredness serve to prepare roger and thus your child for the final somniferous encounter with uncle yawn
at the wizards house we hear more discussion on such diverse topics as sleepiness going to sleep and being asleep before you yourself are eventually directed in one of the books frequent square bracketed interpolations to symbolically sprinkle the invisible sleeping powder over and around the child now more and more tired with every step roger is escorted back across the meadow by his mother before arriving home once more there to finally and unambiguously lose consciousness at this point in the plot my son is invariably   beautifully blessedly   one step ahead of the rabbit
over successive nights the story has a cumulatively calming effect its repetitive prose at times weirdly reminiscent of gertrude steins is almost literally enchanting as is the manner in which the sentences wander free of standard syntax and even meaning as if the text itself were drifting into a liminal territory between consciousness and dreams a typical passage describes our drowsy rabbit lying there thinking about falling asleep now he was lying there thinking about all the things that can make him tired now all those things that usually would make him tired and sleepy so tired and sleepy
i wont deny that my wife and i experienced some squeamishness early on about effectively hypnotizing our son to sleep but we came quickly to the conclusion that the book merely makes explicit   and renders effective   intentions that were already implicit in many of the stories and lullabies that had for so long failed to get us anywhere there was also ill admit some initial unease surrounding the figure of uncle yawn who with his powerful magical and invisible sleeping powder seemed the sort of man youd never take your child across a meadow to visit in real life but we realized that we were projecting our adult fears and neuroses onto a blank cipher whose only real work as a character was to act as an agent of our own parental will and i for one am at peace with this i cant speak directly for my son but he seems to be at peace with it too he is at any rate at time of writing asleep


i was never among the whos who in durban the beautiful city on the indian ocean coast of south africa where i live but a few years ago after some success as a writer i became a person to invite i loved it make no mistake the parties with the intellectual set the politicians and anti apartheid heroes the serious journalists and entertainers it seemed i had arrived
but having arrived with little grasp of the rules i blundered a bit durban has a contradictory quality about it that makes you feel as if youve just walked into someones extramarital affair the social scene is dominated by people like me of indian heritage the descendants of sugar cane cutters indentured to south africa in the 1800s the indian diaspora of durban is the largest in the world now the tacit rule here if youre an indian who happens to fall in with the shiny crowd of country clubbers and private school soccer mums is to deny who you really are buying clothes at flea markets is best done in secret darling lest you face immediate sanctions i hadnt quite perfected the fine art of hiding my cheap shoes
even so there was one party i looked forward to immensely because i so admired the honored guest the thought of spending an evening in her company as well as with the high achievers of indian descent was enough to make me go out and buy a new dress i cringed though when i pondered the buffet i spent most of my partygoing ravenously hungry because those tiny trending packages of carbohydrate free one bites never quite managed to satisfy large white plates with minuscule towers of grilled organic vegetables drizzled with macerated herbs were works of art but i bemoaned my lingering hunger
it turned out to be an evening of tottering around eating fashionable nibbles while holding forth on serious subjects the conversation was great but oh i suffered at some point in the evening i had enough and loudly confessed to a group of academics and socialites what i was craving bunny chow
durbans claim to fame is hot curry a spicier punchier version of the north indian original but its true incarnation is called bunny chow the name is strange it doesnt contain any rabbit but rather a quarter loaf of unsliced white bread hollowed out and filled to bursting with steaming curried beans or spicy mutton this substantial meal dates to the times of the indian sugar cane cutters the legend goes that because they lacked decent meal breaks a cook started putting their daily curry into the bread to be eaten fast and hot
there is no better taste than soft and yeasty white bread soaked through with thick curried gravy and it is best eaten with your fingers most bunny chow joints dont even supply you with cutlery they simply point you in the general direction of a water tap
is this a gorgeous dish most definitely is this fashionable fare most definitely not just mentioning it at my high class party turned pouts into sneering guffaws the upturned noses suggested that i had lost my place on the invitation lists for a long time to come
these elite partygoers said bunny chows were crass not to mention terribly unhealthful because of all that bread one guest began to expound on how south african indians need to remove themselves from the cane field mentality i had heard this before culinary tastes now said so much about you how fashionable you were how far you had evolved from your beginnings
thats when i began to feel that being invited to join the intelligentsia and literati of durban was a curse rather than a boon why would i seek the favor of people who thumb their noses at their very lineage i imagined them hiding away old photographs of grannies in unironed saris or grandfathers in muddy fields when they visited one another for cocktails
it was easy for me to walk away that night and head to one of the oldest bunny chow places in town a dive of a hotel where it is said that in apartheid times nonwhites received their bunnies wrapped in newspaper at the back door and there surrounded by loud music and singing and raucous people i was truly happy
while washing all that gravy off my fingers out of the corner of my eye i saw a gentleman fingers deep into his crass bunny chow expensive tweed sleeves rolled up high he didnt see me at first but i remembered him from the party joining in all the criticism about the meal he was now eating oh the look on his face was priceless now my belly was full


you dont want the baby to fall on the floor says dr paulo alves a medical director for medaire which provides 136 airlines with medical training logistics and a telephone service that connects flight attendants all over the world to emergency room doctors in phoenix if a woman goes into labor somewhere far from a hospital   37000 feet above the pacific ocean say   ask if anyone in the vicinity has medical training if not help her into a comfortable place on a plane thats usually a reclining first class seat or the galley floor make sure blankets support her body so that when the baby arrives it lands gently babies are slippery when theyre born alves warns
dont try any improvised exams or procedures dont do what youre not trained to do alves says time the womans contractions intense contractions at short intervals signal impending birth wash your hands and gather clean towels or blankets maintain outward calm distress tends to spread between people dont tell the woman when to push or what to do trust her instincts and impulses
let the process flow alves says
when the baby begins to emerge do not try to pull on the body or the umbilical cord do not push on the mothers abdomen position yourself with a blanket to help catch the baby wipe or suction its nose and mouth to ensure clear airways to cut the umbilical cord place two clamps or tie two strings an inch apart a little more than an inch out from the babys navel slice between the two with sterilized scissors if possible place the baby on the mothers chest wait for the mother to expel the placenta and monitor her for bleeding get medical attention as soon as possible
remember birth is dramatic but ordinary worldwide more than 250 women give birth every minute airborne deliveries are rare ill advised and alves says not medically recommended of the 192000 in flight calls medaire received last year just three cases resulted in in flight babies twelve more cases involved women going into labor but those planes landed before delivery the sky is a suspended city alves says anything that can happen in a city can happen in flight


re minecraft
clive thompson wrote about the vast and expanding world of the popular computer game that is teaching millions of children to master the digital world
while pointing out the admirable similarities between block play and minecraft each of which provides opportunities for creative problem solving computational thinking and the development of civic literacy clive thompson does not acknowledge the major and undesirable differences a computer game can never capture the sensations of working with real materials in this case the weight texture grain and smell of wood even the online human interactions are often one step removed from actual people and address a limited range of social and emotional issues
technology has its place but as a developmental psychologist i believe that the disproportionate amount of time that children today spend in front of screens deprives them of direct experience with the rest of the physical and interpersonal world leading a meaningful life and benefiting society require more than a generation of adept coders i wish the article presented a more balanced perspective ann s epstein ann arbor mich
for an adult the only thing more boring and baffling than minecraft is listening to your kid talk about minecraft my kids are 8 and 4
which is why i enjoyed the minecraft article because it made me rethink   grudgingly yes but miraculously considering the depth of my loathing   my attitude toward minecrack its no longer an awful ugly pointless time suck of a game with no objective and no reward now its an awful ugly computer programming game with social elements and logic puzzles which will help set my daughter and son up for successful futures right yes im going to go with that from now on lydia markoff san jose calif
re donald trump
jeff sharlet considered donald trump as a preacher of the prosperity gospel whose success is based largely on the power to persuade people that his story can be theirs
jeff sharlets article is unfair to the writings of norman vincent peale and his book the power of positive thinking sharlet implies that peales book deals in the kind of anger bitterness and financial and personal entitlement that the writer believes characterizes trumps campaign but peales book does not extol greed does not support any form of hatred and is not about superficial magical thinking it merely gives suggestions on how you can make an unpredictable and often deeply painful life on earth more successful comfortable and joyful there are no shallow guarantees in it no self indulgent pronouncements of personal power the book is straightforward unpretentious and smart compassionate contemporary and useful it is better than the articles assessment of it and yes better than trump it is worth rereading or reading for the first time scott klavan the bronx
highly influenced by norman vincent peales 1952 best seller the power of positive thinking donald trump jeff sharlet wrote doesnt reject faith instead he returns it to the roots of christian business conservatism
the lust for success and wealth however directly contradicts the christian new testament which favors the weak and the poor and condemns the wealthy and the pursuit of wealth actually many of trumps followers dont even think in terms of great wealth but rather yearn for just a decent job their sense of powerlessness is palpable trump himself gave them a clue concerning the real problem the political class which the republicans love to attack he declared is actually a mere puppet to the wealthy however trumps followers ignore the implications the reality of class domination   and instead focus on a magnetic messianic personality theyll need a lot of luck roger carasso santa fe nm


some people say that bringing an animal to your wedding is as inadvisable as inviting an ex lover with a drinking problem   trouble if not injury seems inevitable
weddings are zones of perfection organization cleanliness and control many animals prefer rolling in dirt they howl when they dont get their way and jump on people to show their love even if those people are wearing long white gowns
nevertheless pets   especially dogs   are becoming more and more commonplace at weddings looking through wedding blogs like style me pretty and a practical wedding you can find dogs serving as the best man ring bearer flower girl and bridesmaid theyre wearing signs with messages like i loved her first floral wreaths bow ties tutus bandannas and pearl collars
i bet you 50 percent of the weddings im going to do this summer are going to have some dog involvement said jeff woodward a photographer in vermont
including a pet in your wedding is a leap of faith in addition to the one you are already making
its a wild card you dont know whats going to happen said alyssa guilmette 33 she married brad guilmette 36 in a public park in lexington mass on oct 26 2014
they said their vows while standing on an rug placed between two trees with their rescued mutt rusty sitting nearby in a black and white houndstooth bow tie
it did not go smoothly my uncle is trying to start the ceremony and theres rusty whimpering and whining and howling a mix of all three really ms guilmette said then he just plopped down and started chewing the fringe of the oriental rug
we understood it was beyond our control and whatever happens happens it will add to the untraditional uniqueness of our wedding and our relationship
at allie dorsky and john pollacks wedding last june their french bulldog george also protested loudly we were standing five feet away ms dorsky said she cried the whole time in this very human whine like why am i here and you are over there
many couples say the presence of a pet takes away the pressure of having a perfect wedding because that is probably impossible even with a well trained animal around
emily layden 27 and brian woods 30 who live in menlo park calif brought their border collie mix canfield to their wedding in lake placid ny having canfield at the wedding lowered the stakes rather than raised them she said i was saying im going to walk my dog around in six inch heels in a floor length wedding dress and hope for the best
dogs were part of anne surman and tom seidenbergs love story from the beginning both live in exeter nh where he teaches math at phillips exeter academy and she is a member of the towns board of selectmen
on their first date   a blind one   he picked her up in a snowstorm when almost everyone in town had lost power i run out and put my head in the car window and the first thing i see is this big head of sydney his standard poodle said ms surman 56 he was bringing sydney on the date because he didnt want to leave him alone in the dark house
since that first date their crew of creatures has grown to four dogs and two cats their wedding invitation was worded as if from their pets it read sydney seidenberg kady clipper joey bogart and bacall surman request the honor of your presence at the marriage of their humans
they were married march 12 in st johnsbury vt at the dog mountain chapel many churches and synagogues do not welcome animals but this chapel has stained glass windows and hand carved wooden pews featuring images of dogs
the couples wedding party included two humans and seven large beautifully groomed dog attendants   four belonging to the couple and three to friends the moment they walked in i thought my family is here ms surman said
in comparison to dogs cats can make finicky moody often self centered wedding guests allia zobel nolan the author of women who still love cats too much said cats are really more interested in their own comfort if you had a dog and the dog was going to carry the rings in a basket you could train the dog to do that it would take a very long time and a very patient person to train a cat to do that and you never know he might be walking up the aisle and hed see a mouse and hed be off
nevertheless when allison moore 33 and dakota smith 36 married in austin tex their cat meatwad was in attendance we just put a bow tie on him and let him go as he pleased ms moore said hes a very social cat and he loves parties their dogs roxy and sprinkles are less well behaved so they were left at home
tracey buyce a wedding photographer and animal lover based in saratoga springs ny has photographed weddings that included cows horses sheep an owl and a chicken our culture has made it more acceptable to truly have an animal be part of your family she said animals make people smile well most people
the degree to which some people treat animals as family varies widely carol bryant 47 and her wife darlene bryant 59 do not view their cocker spaniel dexter as a pet hes my son said carol firmly
in their hometown forty fort pa darlene surprised carol in june 2014 with a proposal immediately followed by a prearranged ceremony that included a minister two human guests and dexter
i would have been devastated if dexter wasnt there said carol who is the social media manager for blogpawscom a community of pet bloggers she has a tattoo that reads my heart beats dog hes my heartbeat she said
linnea sanderson 32 thinks of her mellow terrier penny as a sister this year ms sanderson married robert davidson 42 in a pair of wedding ceremonies in gloucester mass penny attended both for the first she wore a collar of bells and lace snowflakes and for the second a magenta leash i like to go everywhere with her on a walk in the morning and on a walk down the aisle ms sanderson said
leah fielding 30 and whit boucher 29 who live in aspen colo are almost always with bromley a mutt named after the ski area in vermont where mr boucher grew up skiing on the save the date cards for their coming wedding bromley is front and center and wearing a sign that reads my mom  dad are finally gettin hitched 91616
ms fielding said we do very little without him by our side so getting married without him there would be a strange thing for us
before leslee wieseneck 33 started dating a fellow google employee noah wieseneck 34 she lived alone in manhattan with cooper a large german shepherd mix she adopted i was single and he was my best friend and the love of my life she said my friends joked that i was never going to find anyone to date because all i did was hang out with my dog
when they started dating mr wieseneck was somewhat taken aback by cooper when noah and i hugged or kissed cooper would get upset and cry and jump she said he was doing the screening for me if you will like is this guy going to work for us
last summer the couple were married in saratoga springs where mr wieseneck walked down the aisle with cooper who wore a corsage of white and coral colored flowers
cooper leapt onto mrs wieseneck at the end of the ceremony just as the three were about to walk back down the aisle together i didnt care she said i was so happy it was such a special moment i wouldnt have cared if he ripped my dress
sometimes if a pet is not likely to be happy at a wedding full of noise and strangers brides and grooms will include it in other ways there was one couple who knew they couldnt have their cat attend because of the cats demeanor so they made all these buttons with their cats face and passed them out said zachary hunt a wedding photographer based in austin
if there is an animal at a wedding the photographs will probably be more amusing when viewed years later when hilary cooper and chris crowley were married 23 years ago in old lyme conn angus their weimaraner stood loyally by their sides mr crowley said a dog helps relieve the tension in getting married they change the ambience he said a dog tells you hey look were all mammals here take it easy chill
during the reception however angus was bitten on the nose by a wolfhound belonging to a guest theres a picture of all the groomsmen with angus with a bloody nose ms cooper said we called the vet and the vet said is this a show dog we said no so he said deal with the scar and have a nice wedding


prof justus rosenberg pulled a tattered marked up copy of voltaires candide out of a mushroom brown soft zippered pouch emblazoned with the old channel 13 logo we have an existential problem he said waving the paperback at a seminar of 10 students at bard college the concept of the el dorado what does it mean the el dorado
a young woman with a bernie 2016 sticker on her macbook offered an interpretation dr rosenberg repeated her answer in his hard to place european accent the city of god on earth the perfect world he nodded approvingly and then continued to teach without pause for 120 minutes
officially dr rosenberg who turned 95 in january retired from teaching 20 years ago retirement didnt suit him
his breadth of historical knowledge is evident in every class said amelia maggio 20 as her classmates packed up their things
the students know that he lived through world war ii that he speaks several languages and yet he has left that history a bit vague he has talked about his experience in the war in paris and how he had to flee but he doesnt really get into the full details said vikramaditya joshi 19 who pressed dr rosenberg to come further out of retirement and be his adviser
the details are worth knowing justus pronounced yoo stice rosenberg is thought to be the last remaining member of an extralegal team assembled by the journalist varian fry in 1940 to provide safe passage out of vichy france to anti fascist intellectuals and cultural figures fleeing the nazis mr fry was something of a raoul wallenberg for artists two thousand men and women including hannah arendt marc chagall and andre breton were shepherded to safety by mr frys network
when he fell in with mr fry mr rosenberg was 19 and looked 14 blond and blue eyed with flawless french enabling him to fly under the radar of the vichy authorities he was quickly entrusted with scouting border crossings ferrying to refugees crucial   often doctored   documents and running errands from menial to dangerous he went on to serve with the french resistance and then the united states army
in a war when all survival especially by eastern european jews like him was unlikely his experience was particularly remarkable
i think of my life dr rosenberg mused on a frigid february afternoon in the kitchen of his rhinebeck ny home as what the french call concours de circonstances   a confluence of circumstances seventy years after the series of improbable events that enabled his survival he remains cheerfully amazed at his good fortune i was very lovable in those days he said with an impish laugh
he has spent the last seven decades teaching american students including 50 years divided between the new school in manhattan and bard college in annandale on hudson where he arrived to teach french german and russian literature in 1962 he bears witness to history and to intellectual tradition said leon botstein president of bard i think he has been an inspiration to students
born in the free city of danzig now gdansk poland in 1921 justus rosenberg had a younger sister and parents who prospered in an import export business he attended secular schools jewish life was limited to rosh hashana and yom kippur
after the nazis rose to power anti semitism grew in danzig in 1937 his parents suggested he continue studying in england or france he chose paris you can imagine the wonderful thoughts in my mind dr rosenberg said with a chuckle i was dreaming of beautiful french girls i was 16 lets not kid ourselves he boarded at a prestigious school and quickly became fluent in french that would save my life he said that and that i looked very young
when the nazis invaded poland in september 1939 he lost contact with his family suddenly penniless he took odd jobs   first selling vegetables then as an extra in a french theater he had a single line in the jules verne play around the world in 80 days liverpool bound but war loomed he set out from paris just days before the nazis arrived he took a metro to the end of the line and continued by foot and by bicycle first for bayonne where he had been told erroneously that he might be able to board a ship he turned and headed for toulouse
i was supposed to take an exam at the sorbonne before the invasion of the germans he said and they said we cannot have the exams here   the university will withdraw to toulouse get to toulouse and you can take your exam there except by then france had fallen
he was not alone the roads were clogged with families their worldly possessions in wheelbarrows toulouse was overrun dr rosenberg recalled people slept on benches the hotels were overcrowded they said there was a former movie house called cinema pax and there they allowed people to stay overnight they ripped the chairs out and put straw bags on the floor he knew no one in the city
he happened to be assigned to a spot on the floor next to someone who was visited by a young american student named miriam davenport who took a liking to mr rosenberg she said he reminded her of her younger brother and suggested that justus whose name she americanized to gussie follow her to marseille
he did by then ms davenport had connected with two other americans a young heiress named mary jayne gold and the american journalist varian fry mr fry then 33 had been sent by the hastily constructed emergency rescue committee   a group of new york intellectuals eager to cast a lifeline to their european counterparts the committee was formed during an emotional luncheon held in june 1940 in manhattan at the commodore hotel at 42nd street and lexington avenue they needed money visas and an on the ground contact in europe mr fry arrived in marseille with 3000 strapped to his calf a passport valid for six months a list of about 200 names and the blessing of eleanor roosevelt the plan was to stay one month
the armistice france had made with germany that month included a grim proviso the surrender on demand of all anti fascist refugees desperate migrants immediately appeared at mr frys door working with the american consul hiram bingham iv who had already begun a quiet rescue operation of his own mr fry set up an office first in the hotel splendide and then in an old leather goods shop which he later named the centre americain de secours american relief center it quickly became apparent that 200 was an arbitrary and low number more names were added to his lists and many more documents were needed like passports and exit visas with official stamps mr fry and his team of expats locals and refugees including a skilled forger would supply them all
also needed was a courier to deliver messages to refugees and scout out safe passage especially the overland route through spain miriam davenport suggested the young aryan looking french speaking mr rosenberg
we have an office boy who can never get enough to eat dr rosenberg read aloud at his kitchen table scanning a letter that mr fry had sent to his wife one of countless mementos that dr rosenberg has preserved in binders and boxes documentation of his extraordinary journey
in her out of print memoir crossroads marseilles 1940 mary jayne gold who provided crucial additional money for mr fry as did the heiress and art collector peggy guggenheim described dr rosenberg as a young man the boys face picked up the light from everywhere even in my dim little room his cheeks were pink and high and his hair was a ruddy blond ... there was a rather pointed nose running down the middle in fact he looked like a fox a nice little fox ... the boy was young and curious
as the year progressed life in marseille became increasingly dangerous and the refugee crisis increasingly dire both the vichy government and the united states department of state were losing patience with mr fry and in august 1941 mr fry was forced to leave france
miriam tried to get varian to help get gussie out said pierre sauvage a filmmaker who interviewed ms davenport extensively for his coming documentary on mr fry and crown thy good
varian said nice kid but not much i can do he added there were probably tens of thousands seeking his help
however according to a letter sent to ms davenport that had been in the archives at the holocaust memorial museum in washington mr rosenberg was very much in mr frys thoughts
you also ask about gussie he wrote in the summer of 1941 he was born in dantzig and the dantzig quota is closed it was now too late anyway he wrote because the new regulations forbade the consulates from issuing visas to anyone with near relatives in germany or occupied countries those refugees were now denied passage
with mr fry gone mr rosenbergs protection evaporated he tried to cross the border to spain anyway he was promptly arrested and jailed next time the sentencing judge said try harder he was released after two weeks
he returned to marseille and contacted jean gemahling a resistance fighter and member of mr frys network on his advice mr rosenberg went to grenoble there in august 1942 he was rounded up with several hundred other jews most of them foreign born he was taken by bus to a transit camp venissieux outside the city of lyon it was blisteringly hot he slept on the ground outside the barracks on his first night he was shaken awake by a soldier who told him the camp inmates would soon be sent to a labor camp in poland
in the morning he ran into a fellow internee a medical student who was the sister of a friend he asked her what illness might help him avoid the transport she suggested peritonitis and told him the symptoms he fell to the ground   his acting skills in use   and began writhing and moaning in the camp infirmary he rubbed a thermometer until it registered a dangerous fever the ruse worked he was rushed to a nearby hospital and given ether when i woke up i really had pain in my side i touched it and it had a big bandage his appendix had been removed
when he next woke a young french nurse sat beside him she told him that patients from the camp would be sent on the next transport i said can you do me a favor he asked for paper and pen and implored her to mail a note
have i mentioned it to you yet asked dr rosenberg picking up the narrative the next day as he drove from bards campus to his home in rhinebeck it is clear he relishes this story within days he said a priest connected to the resistance arrived the plan was a simple one he continued recounting how the letter found its way to the network of abbe alexandre glasberg a priest who had converted from judaism father glasberg ran an operation of christians committed to rescuing jews from the dragnet
keep in mind they had taken my clothes away dr rosenberg said a sympathetic priest would arrange for a parcel to be hidden in the hospital toilet containing a shirt a pair of shorts and sandals below the window there would be a bicycle he still recalls the priests parting words good luck may god bless you dr rosenberg quoted
barely healed he set off from the hospital by bicycle making his way to a safe house where he could recuperate there he received a new identity jean paul guiton   a fine french name   whose father was dead and whose mother was alsatian to account for his accent his birthplace he said was now saint malo a city whose town hall and birth records had been destroyed
as he recovered he memorized german insignia to prepare for the resistance cell he was now working with they wanted me to travel to towns go to cafes and try to recognize the units of the people who were there dr rosenberg said he was then assigned to an outfit tasked with rescuing contraband arms parachuted onto farms later he was assigned to a real guerrilla group and learned to throw grenades at german convoys dr rosenberg mimed the action grinning describing a vision of a young tanned resistance fighter with a magazine of bullets strapped across his chest
mr rosenberg lived as jean paul guiton until the summer of 1944 when three soldiers in unfamiliar uniforms wandered into his sight lines americans he went out to meet them   and soon found himself attached to the reconnaissance company of the 636th tank destroyer battalion as a scout guide and translator he assumed a position in the jeep up front always next to the driver
telling the story dr rosenberg slid an overstuffed binder across the table in it was a paper stamped war department official detailing that assignment next he showed a letter from lt col peter rodgers to my very dear friend gus   now dr justus rosenberg   who i hold in the highest esteem a brave intrepid soldier ... and then one in french a certificate of his service to the resistance september 1942 to august 1944
mr rosenberg spent a year with the 636th one day the men played a joke on him driving away while he spoke to a farmer he ran and jumped into the jeeps back his regular seat taken the car then hit a land mine killing the man in the passenger seat and tearing the legs off the driver mr rosenberg escaped with cuts and bruises the confluence of circumstances again
after the war mr rosenberg returned to his studies at the sorbonne and became a supply officer for the united nations relief and rehabilitation administration his parents and sister had also survived the illegal ship they were on was intercepted by the british the family was interned on the island of mauritius for several years dr rosenberg would not see them again until 1952
back in paris he applied for a visa to the united states he was told to return in six years army pals pulled strings for a preferential visa mr rosenberg was soon teaching french and german language and literature and finishing his doctorate in ohio
some years later as a young professor at swarthmore college dr rosenberg accompanied students on a trip to meet fidel castro in havana just after the revolution but his excitement in this country came mostly from his relationships with writers in 1959 he joined the new school teaching political and cultural history once a week   a position he held until 2013 in 1962 he joined the bard faculty where he has worked with luminaries like isaac bashevis singer and chinua achebe two years ago he and his wife of 20 years karin started the justus and karin rosenberg foundation to fund efforts fighting hate and anti semitism
in 1952 dr rosenberg tracked down miriam davenport he thanked her for her role in his survival ms davenport replied immediately writing that she had simply shrieked with joy to receive his note you were a symbol of sorts to me in those days she wrote everyone was moving heaven and earth to save famous men anti fascist intellectuals etc
and there you were she added a nice intelligent youngster with no family no money no influence no hope no fascinating past


with new york city real estate prices soaring the only way for some city dwellers to achieve the american dream of owning property is to become landlords and these days many landlords are their tenants contemporaries   learning on the fly how to manage property and relying on youtube for how to tutorials on home repairs still others are filling their homes with friends turned tenants
members of the new guard of landlords are just as likely to come in for an after work beer as they are to stop by at midnight to fix a clogged sink
when frances largeman roth a nutritionist and her husband jon roth a director at alexander interactive both 42 found out they were expecting their third child they decided to sell their two bedroom apartment in windsor terrace brooklyn and buy a home that would fit their growing family it soon became apparent that this would mean taking on tenants
their two bedroom apartment sold for 750000 and in july 2014 they bought a two family home in windsor terrace for 11 million
there were places we looked at that were a little bit cheaper that didnt have a rental property attached but knowing how much work wed have to put into fixing them up the math just didnt work said mrs largeman roth the author of eating in color delicious healthy recipes for you and your family this was the only way and so i really hopped on it my brain was really working overtime can we all fit yes 
with a newborn in tow mrs largeman roth struggled to get the rental apartment ready for tenants i remember so much running up and down   its a big flight of stairs   with the baby she said always trying to find someplace to breast feed where the workers were not it was really pretty crazy
calvin gladen a salesman at corcoran real estate helped place thom fuell 30 a litigation analyst at debevoise  plimpton and alodie larson 33 an editor at oxford university press in the second floor apartment the couple who recently became engaged were specifically looking for a rental with the owners on the premises
i feel like if something really bad happened i could run downstairs and be like help  ms larson said
the setup has worked smoothly on a recent visit to their upstairs tenants the roth children started an impromptu dance party as mr fuell played norwegian wood on his guitar while ms larson harmonized
i think were super lucky that they are who they are mrs largeman roth said of her conscientious tenants the 2000 a month in rent that comes into the family coffers allows the couples three children   willa 7 leo 4 and phoebe who is almost 2   to enjoy having their own backyard
and although there have been plumbing problems to deal with the couple feel that being landlords has actually given them more freedom
we never wanted to buy a place where all your life decisions have to get made around a big fat mortgage mr roth said
young people are exploring the idea of becoming landlords as a way to have more control over their own destiny as investors said darin shaw an associate broker at douglas elliman real estate a sense of security comes when you invest in brick and mortar as opposed to the uncontrollable ups and downs of the stock market any area of the city can suddenly become the next housing hot spot and young people have always been the pioneers because often they cant afford anywhere else
in 2011 sydney blumstein an associate broker at corcoran helped her friend kyla kohler buy a two family house in the bushwick section of brooklyn for 569000 ms kohler 34 now lives in the downstairs apartment with her husband will van breda 30 a former travel agent turned stay at home father and their two young sons both parents are from sydney australia
as for tenants the upstairs part of the house seems like the cast of mtvs real world - theres noah gardenswartz 32 a comedian gary hidalgo rodriguez 32 a property manager and the resident cook justine lee mills 32 a saleswoman for corcoran and for now lea benacerraf 21 a french airbnb guest doing a semester abroad at pace university
outsiders are initially skeptical about the setup which involves adults sharing a kitchen and other common areas a lot of people call it a youth hostel ms lee mills said they think its weird but they love to come over here
ms blumstein said after the sale to ms kohler she sold a house to friends who repeated the model
i think that young people understand how to leverage an asset by doing it in a fun and community building way she said describing bushwick as a beautiful park filled neighborhood where you could buy townhouses for 500000 and young people could basically live for free offsetting expenses by renting rooms to friends while sharing common areas backyards and experiences
on a recent sunday afternoon the housemates gathered around the center island in the upstairs kitchen for platefuls of mr rodriguezs homemade arroz con palmito   rice with heart of palm   free flowing wine and one anothers company when mr van breda arrived with his and ms kohlers sons felix 2 and frankie 9 months the housemates greeted them as if they were the boys favorite aunts and uncles and in a way they are very much a big extended family
noah drove us to the hospital when kylas water broke mr van breda said
i was the only one home said mr gardenswartz the comedian ive definitely gotten some jokes out of the situation
mr van breda has learned on the job how to fix most things that need repair in the house
ive learned all about heating systems he said we dont have boilers in sydney with a lot of things its just about opening it up and seeing how it works and hoping the problem is obvious
the housemates appreciate mr van bredas handyman rules to live by if it moves and it shouldnt you use duct tape if it doesnt move and it should you use wd 40
since becoming the owner of the house ms kohler has started her own business total package bushwick property management for which she oversees about 30 homes in the area
mr rodriguez who came to the united states from costa rica rents the largest room with an en suite bathroom for 1000 a month   the smaller bedrooms go for around 800 he said he preferred house sharing with others to having his own apartment they are my family he said
for the landlords the house offers much more than just financial security the setup provides us with a lot of support mr van breda said theres often someone upstairs that can help in an emergency or even just for moral support like when justine comes down to take felix for an hour if we were somewhere by ourselves it would be very different
when matthew trebek 25 decided to open oso a restaurant serving mexican street food to debut soon in harlem he immediately began searching for a home in the neighborhood initially he and his agents jason hernandez a salesman at douglas elliman real estate and lesley steiner an associate broker there looked for one bedroom apartments but their explorations took them to townhouses where mr trebek could have more room as well as steady rental income he wound up with a five story townhouse with an owners triplex for 1915000 and began a new adventure as a landlord
his father alex trebek the host of jeopardy lent a helping hand making updates and repairs
oh yeah my dad is handy matthew trebek said hes 75 now but he is one of the hardest working people its get out of bed were going to home depot he traveled here from la with power tools
mr trebeks tenants include friends   the contractor for the restaurant mike rockhill 40 a project manager for new world design builders and his wife kate rockhill 34 a front office manager at midtown integrative health and wellness were immediately on board to rent the top floor mr hernandez placed the 82 year old mother of a neighbor on the floor below an apartment on the parlor floor went to osos chef cassandra rhoades 26 mr trebeks apartment includes part of the parlor floor the garden level and the finished basement
the rents on the apartments range from 1000 to 2400 a month
with a contractor as a tenant mr trebek doesnt have to worry about most repairs mr rockhill said he had no hesitation about moving into the house of a friend if youve ever looked for an apartment in manhattan   ive had people asking me for six months security up front it worked out well because i didnt have to do that
mr trebek created an intergenerational home that brings together people from the neighborhood with newer transplants hes also found a new hobby   furniture making he and mr rockhill recently made a coffee table in the backyard mr rockhill called the project an excuse for my wife to let me buy a 450 saw
we enjoy doing the work mr trebek said mike and kate will be here for dinner well go off on tangents about home renovations and kate will be like im going to go the conversations go on forever
mr trebek said that being a landlord has required him to roll with the punches
he was not keen on babies or pets mike told me three weeks after he moved in were pregnant and cassie was like i have a dog
a small dog he asked
yeah   its a 45 pound pit bull mr trebek said recently so now im a godparent and i have a dog you dont really know what to expect going into something like this but its great i couldnt be happier
some people see themselves as accidental landlords cecily horner 37 a dance and fitness teacher bought a two bedroom condominium in harlem for 390000 in 2013
i thought it was going to be me and the dog in this apartment she said
she hired designers who suggested a hand painted golden wall for the living room ms horner and her broker bridget harvey an associate broker at douglas elliman immediately dubbed the condo the pretty princess palace
plans changed when eharmony introduced ms horner to eric kaplan 42 a technology manager at the fashion institute of technology who lived in queens with his daughter now 9 the couple moved to a two bedroom rental in forest hills and married and ms horner became mrs kaplan and she rented out the pretty princess palace and became a landlord
mrs kaplan had few problems when she lived in the condo but quickly found out that when it came to managing the property from afar murphys law applied
within two months a leak sprung in the kitchen the bathroom door broke and the electrical outlet in the bathroom stopped working she said then a radiator pipe leaked into the bedroom the golden wall warped
mr kaplan took on the role of troubleshooter and used angies list to find a reliable handyman whom he now has on speed dial
the kaplans use an application from the website cozyco to automatically collect the 2600 a month rent which is split by two roommates corey de groot 26 an art director at publicis an advertising agency and michael trapani 29 a senior grant writer at win a nonprofit both men like having a person for a landlord rather than a management company
every other place ive lived its been a company you had to deal with mr de groot said calls placed to faceless numbers often went unanswered   or resulted in an early morning unannounced visitor at one place the super came in   he didnt even knock   and said oh youre here 
now if theres an issue a simple text message gets immediate results as i type i see the three dots on the phone as eric is responding to me mr trapani said
the rental income the kaplans receive will cover the mortgage on the three bedroom apartment they recently purchased for 495000 for themselves back in manhattan in morningside heights
mrs kaplans harlem two bedroom turned out to be a great investment   the condo is now valued between 550000 and 600000
we qualified for a bigger mortgage because we have this rental income she said
now nine months pregnant mrs kaplan is glad she was able to give her family a security blanket who knows whats going to happen in life owning this place makes me feel secure as a woman she said ill never have to move back to my parents house im never going to be homeless


rob and i broke up on a monday it was the first warm day after an impossibly long winter which made the whole thing feel that much more cruel i was in line at starbucks when i got a text that read hey you around i think we need to talk
just two short sentences but they had the destructive force of a sudden summer storm
as i walked home panic settled in my stomach like a swallowed stone i went into my bedroom and closed the door even though i live alone our conversation was brief or so it seemed i had no concept of time
i refrained from asking him why and therefore seeming desperate a perception of collectedness that came at the expense of my gaining any real answers or closure
what i did manage to gather made me realize that as i had been floating along on a river of bliss he had been mentally cataloging evidence of my flaws
earlier that week we had talked about stopping by the tompkins square dog run we didnt have a dog but we loved to sneak in   always one at a time to give the impression we had arranged to meet each other there wed give the dogs funny voices accents back stories or maybe that was just me
i went to work early tuesday to remove the pictures of us from my cubicle wall redistributing the others in hopes that co workers wouldnt notice and ask i put the thumbtacks back in their little box tucked the photos into a folder in the bottom of a drawer and went to the bathroom where i cried in ugly shallow breaths
you have to go back to normal my friends advised in the too gentle voice one might use when speaking to a child or the mentally unstable it will help you feel better
i showed up at work the rest of the week eyes rimmed with worn mascara and sleeplessness i sat through meetings turning my head when my name was called but requiring a moment to understand why
when the weekend finally came i looked forward to the sweet reprieve of solitude and planned to stay inside with the blinds shut against the oppressive joy of late april i picked up sushi in clothes unfit for public display hurried home and turned on netflix to embark on all 57 episodes of portlandia
and there it was my recently watched list representing the entire history of our relationship
there was mad men which we watched again from the beginning during a snowstorm my legs across his lap the cat asleep on my stomach peggy olson still vulnerable and meek
while making dinner later i was humming along to a billie holiday song at the stove when he came up behind me wrapped his arms around my waist and belted the chorus in a low vibrato
i collapsed into laughter into him
this is everything i want he said suddenly serious
tacos i joked but my throat tightened with a mixture of fear and hope
there was the bill burr comedy special we had barely started when he pulled me onto his lap and began kissing me he tried to carry me to his bed but his socks slipped a little on the wood floor and we laughed mouths still together the moment made sweeter
we finished the show half clothed a picnic spread out on the bed it was the first time in my life i had felt nostalgic for the exact moment i was in
there was the documentary about creatures from the ocean depths with david attenborough explaining how cuttlefish mate as we talked about the career change i was contemplating
just go for it he said look how happy it makes you just talking about the possibility
and for one clear moment i saw myself as he saw me after he fell asleep i listened to his deep and steady breathing as a giant squid died while protecting her eggs
earlier that night a friend had taken a picture of us sitting at a counter facing each other his hands extended to me and mine over my mouth our eyes disappearing into our smiles neither of us had noticed the camera pointed our way or the crowd swelling around us or midtown carrying on just outside
before i could think about it i hit play on mad men on some subconscious level i must have been hoping that by replaying the episodes i could replay the memories too and surrender completely to grief
i was tired of treading water of trying to use errands and routine to will away the sadness that demanded to be felt on screen don draper struggled for the right lucky strike pitch while i let myself wallow in the hows and whys of heartbreak
my friends came over on saturday night and forced me to shower and put on a bra they took me out propped me up on a barstool and tried to talk to me through my thousand yard stare
those guys over there are looking at you my friend hannah yelled in my ear i think you should smile at them
i tried but the synapses between brain and face muscles were dulled from underuse and instead my mouth did a sort of bared teeth grimace
the next night my friends tried again this time at home with red wine we even wore tiaras because who can be sad in a tiara
me apparently i was present for the conversation and occasionally participated but my mind was so far removed that my contributions mostly involved uttering some non sequitur about a topic they already had moved on from
after the conversation shifted from talk of the new ice cream shop to the merits of visiting the public library i added i wonder if they have dairy free stuff
they forgave my lapses the way people may forgive an old flatulent dog
by the end of the weekend my friends let me crawl back into my cave i turned on the tv and was surprised to see something new in my queue jiro dreams of sushi
i stood up mouth agape
it was communication from the void like a song you love coming in over the radio with surprising clarity as you drive through rural towns i thought of him watching it on the couch that his legs were too long for feet hanging over the armrest and something in my chest crumpled like a paper lily
i wanted to be angry that he was still using my login   that he could still take from me after leaving me with nothing but i couldnt this was my only connection to him and changing my password would sever the last artery of this bleeding limb
i also thought maybe if he sees the same titles that i see he too will replay the highlight reel of our happy memories and be warmed by them and who knows that might lead him back to me
i turned it on watched jiro slice fish methodically and soon fell into a deep dreamless sleep for the first time in a week
the next day after work i was watching a bowl of leftovers rotate in the microwave when a message buzzed on my phone
hey... how are you
my face flushed with love and rage and longing and indignity
i opened a new message so he wouldnt see the typing bubbles appear disappear and then reappear with indecision i started and deleted messages as the microwave beeped from what seemed like miles away finally i typed im good   everything okay cool collected a bit detached
yeah of course just wanted to say hi ... make sure you were doing okay
suddenly the lobe of my brain that held all my pain plunged into darkness and the lobe that held my anger blazed with light did he expect me to be sitting at home in a stained tank top eating leftovers i mean i was but   was the thought of me being fine without him so improbable that he felt the need to check on my stability
another buzz from my phone have you seen jiro dreams of sushi i think youd like it because you love quirky old people
i sat down with my dinner and thought of several responses some gentle some fiery and profane eventually i decided to say nothing instead i changed my netflix password
i worried that i may never again feel as completely safe and at ease as i did making funny voices for a french bulldog with him by my side but you cant control how someone else feels better in the end to focus on those few things you can control
like his netflix access


being a landlord is about far more than banking the rent checks here are some tips
be ms or mr fix it
sometimes just making sure things are plugged in or turned on can save you hundreds a clogged toilet give it a shot anything to do with gas or electricity leave to the professionals
have help on speed dial
keep a running list of trusted plumbers electricians and handymen for repairs that are out of your realm
sit down with potential tenants
a face to face meeting can reveal a lot about a tenants character
follow the money
if a potential tenant has massive debt choose someone else
find a tenant with a different schedule
a small dwelling can feel less cramped when timetables vary
get it in writing
friends as well as strangers should sign a lease that spells out such things as when the rent is due
use an online property management service
eliminate awkward requests for late rent by having it withdrawn from the tenants bank accounts automatically on the same day of each month
go with the flow
tenants have children couples break up and trees drop branches   if you expect the unexpected youll never be too upset
get to know your neighbors
having familiar faces on either side of you can be a big asset when you need a helping hand or a watchful eye
keep good tenants
quick responses to texts or phone calls and small rent increases should do the trick


stop what youre doing
well keep reading just stop everything else that youre doing
mute your music turn off your television put down your sandwich and ignore that text message while youre at it put your phone away entirely unless youre reading this on your phone in which case dont but the other rules still apply
just read
you are now monotasking
maybe this doesnt feel like a big deal doing one thing at a time isnt a new idea
indeed multitasking that bulwark of anemic resumes everywhere has come under fire in recent years a 2014 study in the journal of experimental psychology found that interruptions as brief as two to three seconds   which is to say less than the amount of time it would take you to toggle from this article to your email and back again   were enough to double the number of errors participants made in an assigned task
earlier research out of stanford revealed that self identified high media multitaskers are actually more easily distracted than those who limit their time toggling
so in laymans terms by doing more youre getting less done
but monotasking also referred to as single tasking or unitasking isnt just about getting things done
not the same as mindfulness which focuses on emotional awareness monotasking is a 21st century term for what your high school english teacher probably just called paying attention
its a digital literacy skill said manoush zomorodi the host and managing editor of wnyc studios note to self podcast which recently offered a weeklong interactive series called infomagical addressing the effects of information overload our gadgets and all the things we look at on them are designed to not let us single task we werent talking about this before because we simply werent as distracted
ms zomorodi prefers the term single tasking  monotasking seemed boring to me it sounds like monotonous 
kelly mcgonigal a psychologist lecturer at stanford and the author of the willpower instinct believes that monotasking is something that needs to be practiced she said its an important ability and a form of self awareness as opposed to a cognitive limitation
this is great news for the self identified monotaskers out there
jon pack a 42 year old photographer in brooklyn was happy to hear that his single minded manner might be undergoing a rebrand when i was looking for jobs and interviewing theyd always want me to say im a great multitasker  he said and i wouldnt my inability to multitask was seen as a negative now i can just say i am a monotasker i am someone who works best when i focus on one thing at a time 
and the way we work can have effects that kick in long after we clock out
as much as people would like to believe otherwise humans have finite neural resources that are depleted every time we switch between tasks which especially for those who work online ms zomorodi said can happen upward of 400 times a day according to a 2016 university of california irvine study thats why you feel tired at the end of the day she said youve used them all up
the term brain dead suddenly takes on a whole new meaning
a good sign youve task switched yourself into a stupor mindlessly scrolling facebook at the end of the night or as in ms zomorodis case looking at couches on pinterest i just stuff my brain full of them because i cant manage to do anything else she said the sad thing is that i dont get any closer to deciding which one i like
but monotasking can also make work itself more enjoyable
i can multitask   and do of course its kind of essential   but i prefer to do one thing at a time hayley phelan a 28 year old writer wrote in an email if i keep looking at my phone or my inbox or various websites working feels a lot more tortuous when im focused and making progress work is actually pleasurable
ms phelan isnt imagining things almost any experience is improved by paying full attention to it ms mcgonigal said attention is one way your brain decides is this interesting is this worthwhile is this fun 
its the reason television shows we tweet through feel tiresome and books we pick up and put down and pick up again never seem to end the more we allow ourselves to be distracted from a particular activity the more we feel the need to be distracted paying attention pays dividends
this is why according to ms mcgonigal the ability to monotask might be most valuable in social situations research shows that just having a phone on the table is sufficiently distracting to reduce empathy and rapport between two people who are in conversation she said
twenty five thousand people participated in ms zomorodis infomagical project which started the week with a single tasking challenge upon completion respondents agreed overwhelmingly that single tasking was the no 1 thing they wanted to carry into their post infomagical lives but they also said it was really really hard ms zomorodi said
parents of young children found it difficult for obvious reasons as did people with jobs that permit them less control over their time in those cases try monotasking in areas where you can conversations with your children reading a book in bed before they go to sleep dinner or drinks with friends after all monotasking is a good skill to incorporate into all aspects of your life not just work
even those with more flexibility can find themselves going to great lengths for a little bit of focus nick pandolfi who works in partnerships at google once traveled to northern sweden in what he described as an extreme effort to monotask
i had to write my business school application essays and i was having no luck spending an hour here and there after work and on the weekends mr pandolfi said i just wasnt inspired after spending a few days hiking in the arctic by myself i was able to get all of them done in just a few days
transcontinental trips aside ms zomorodi stressed that it was important to find ways to practice start by giving yourself just one morning a week to check in and remind yourself what it feels like to do one thing at a time she said
mr pandolfi and ms phelan use exercise to aid them albeit in different ways if i need to get through a big project and dont want to get distracted by my inbox and the minutiae of the web i hop on the treadmill desk mr pandolfi said ms phelan makes a point of running outside weekly without listening to music or anything else
monotasking can also be as simple as having a conversation
practice how you listen to people ms mcgonigal said put down anything thats in your hands and turn all of your attentional channels to the person who is talking you should be looking at them listening to them and your body should be turned to them if you want to see a benefit from monotasking if you want to have any kind of social rapport or influence on someone thats the place to start thats where youll see the biggest payoff
so is monotasking a movement its not there yet ms zomorodi said but i think it will be
if enough people pay attention to it that is


for casual soccer fans it may be difficult to fully understand the absurdity of leicester city winning englands premier league title to say it is an upset or a shock or a stunner seems wholly inadequate particularly when one considers that those words are so often used to describe one time results the united states over the soviet union in the 1980 olympic hockey tournament for example as opposed to the feat of endurance that is required for a relative minnow like leicester to dominate the sharks of english soccer for a nine month season
one way to view leicester citys unlikely title is through gambling odds before this season began british bookmakers listed leicester   pronounced less ter   as a 5000 to 1 shot to emerge as the premier league champion by comparison the so called miracle mets of 1969 were a 100 to 1 choice and buster douglas was just a 42 to 1 underdog when he upset mike tyson in 1990 to win the heavyweight championship
being 5000 to 1 really put leicester city more in line with the odds one might see in the novelty category often offered by british bookies   bets on things that are so outlandish and unlikely as to be unimaginable   but even there leicester city was a long shot the odds that simon cowell the acid tongued producer of american idol would become the next british prime minister were only 500 to 1 for example while those that hugh hefner who founded playboy magazine would reveal that he was a virgin were set at 1000 to 1
the difference with leicester of course is that bettors backing the team got paid but while one british bookmaker william hill has said it is on the hook for about 2 million pounds about 29 million in payouts some leicester backers will not get a full return on their wagers as the season went along many oddsmakers offered buyout options for leicester bettors who did not want to risk the possibility that the foxes would not finish the job one bettor for example cashed out in march for PS72000   a tidy sum to be sure but less than a third of what he could have earned if he had let his PS50 bet ride
for a different context consider this since the premier league was founded in 1992 only five teams have been crowned champions four are financial juggernauts manchester united arsenal chelsea and manchester city and the fifth blackburn rovers claimed its only title more than 20 years ago in the premier leagues third season but in every instance the title winning team had finished no worse than third the year before leicester on the other hand has a middling payroll roughly a quarter of chelseas when it won the 2014 15 title and finished 14th last season an escape from relegation that is a story and a soccer miracle all its own
for that reason it is also the perfect place to begin here is the path that leicester city took to what many are calling the most remarkable championship in professional soccer history
april 4 2015 when the foxes sit in last place with nine games to go it seems certain that they will be relegated to the second tier of competition yet a week after king richard iiis remains are reinterred in leicester the team defeats west ham united on a goal by a player named king andy in this case it is a harbinger fans now say as leicester goes on to win seven of its final nine games and ensure its return to the premier league
july 13 2015 claudio ranieri is appointed as the manager of leicester city ranieri an italian journeyman who had most recently been fired by greeces national team after a loss to the tiny faeroe islands is a surprise choice by his new clubs thai ownership group leicester city is ranieris 16th coaching job in soccer and shortly after being hired he states that his goal for the club is to reach 40 points which is generally regarded as the minimum total needed to avoid relegation
a good start
aug 8 2015 in the first game of the new season leicester beats sunderland 4 2 with two goals from riyad mahrez who signed with the foxes in 2014 when the club was in the second division and one from jamie vardy who was playing in the fifth division as recently as 2012 in hindsight it is a performance   by those two players and by the team   emblematic of what is to come
oct 24 2015 the foxes have enjoyed a strong start to the season only one loss through the first nine games but have shown inconsistent defense looking to motivate his players ranieri promises that if they can hold an opponent scoreless he will buy them all pizza when leicester at last produces its first shutout in its 10th game   a 1 0 win over crystal palace   ranieri makes good to the players glee he extends the proposition to cover future shutouts as well
a difficult stretch looms
nov 28 2015 vardy scores in his 11th straight premier league game setting a record but leicester ties 1 1 with manchester united and now sits in second place in the league with games against chelsea liverpool and manchester city approaching many observers wonder whether leicesters joy ride will be over by new years day
dec 29 2015 after a win over chelsea and a loss to liverpool there is another pizza party after leicester holds manchester city to a 0 0 tie a year earlier the foxes were in last place as 2015 closed they find themselves level on points with arsenal at the top of the premier league
jan 20 2016 a 2 0 loss might not seem like a significant moment in a title run but this defeat against tottenham hotspur comes in the fa cup and ends leicesters involvement in any competition other than the premier league while its closest pursuers juggle league games with cup matches and two game series in the champions league or europa league leicester will have a singular focus   and more important plenty of rest   down the stretch fans begin to openly embrace the dream they once thought impossible
feb 6 2016 several thousand leicester fans clearly emboldened sing were going to win the league after the foxes beat manchester city on the road 3 1 to build a 5 point lead atop the standings some had speculated that ranieri might play conservatively in this match hoping for a tie instead leicester scores inside three minutes and never looks back
april 3 2016 despite looking slightly nervous leicester still gets a result   1 0 over southampton   to move to 7 points ahead of spurs with only six games to go pizza has become a regular menu item too as foxes goalkeeper kasper schmeichel and his teammates record their fifth shutout in six games a week later leicester makes it six clean sheets in seven matches with a 2 0 win at sunderland
april 17 2016 leicester fans go from incensed at the referee jon moss to wholly relieved the official first sends off vardy early in the second half but then he awards leicester a stoppage time penalty kick that allows the foxes to salvage a 2 2 tie with west ham vardy later receives an additional one game suspension on top of the automatic one game ban for his tirade aimed at moss who ruled vardy guilty of diving
april 24 2016 playing without vardy the foxes blast visiting swansea city 4 0 and then move to within a single victory of the title when tottenham hotspur can only tie west bromwich albion a day later vardy will miss the potential clincher as he serves his suspension but he   and all of leicesters fans   will watch with expectation on sunday as the trophy can at last be assured with a victory over manchester united at old trafford
may 2 2016 leicester city missed a chance to clinch the title outright when it tied 1 1 at manchester united on may 1 but when chelsea fought back to tie tottenham 2 2 just over 24 hours later the deal was done leicester led spurs in the standings by 7 points with two matches to go meaning the foxes could not be caught needless to say leicester city players and fans celebrated vigorously


i have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and was prescribed adderall which has some side effects including loss of appetite my college roommate who is one of my best friends has made numerous comments about how lucky i am to be taking it because i dont feel hungry and eat less i know these comments come from insecurity they started right before spring break when she was wishing for a better body still i have had a long struggle with adhd and these comments hurt what should i do
mary
if we are really lucky at some point during college or thereabouts we will say something breathtakingly ignorant because were trying to be funny or havent thought through a sensitive topic thats when a good friend like you mary steps forward and says in the words of the delightful unbreakable kimmy schmidt hold up kimstagram and explains our thoughtlessness to us were all fools sometimes but good friends can help
being called out can also teach us to think before we speak dont ask me why but somehow witnessing stupidity is rarely as preventive as being the boob who actually says the stupid thing do your friend a solid take her aside and say do you know how painful it was to be called dumb in middle school thanks to adhd do you think id wish for that just to lose a few pounds please think about me before you make your next lucky to be on adderall crack ok
most people who care about you will take your point and apologize asap some may need 24 hours because their pride makes them defensive and sadly a few will stubbornly refuse to acknowledge your feelings stick with the first two crowds and run like a track star from the third
i am the mother of an 8 month old baby often people say to me i have a nephew to set her up with or she and my son would make a cute couple they mean well but i find their suggestions off putting sexualizing a baby and presuming to know her future desires i am tempted to say something sarcastic but just nod my head i dont want to condone this behavior anymore how should i respond
haley oakland
im glad you wrote haley because frankly your interpretation would never have crossed my mind or i suspect those of the folks suggesting dates between preverbal lumps of baby fat that doesnt mean youre wrong and i wouldnt want to hurt your feelings even if you were but it gives weight to something my savvy grandfather often said we take people as we find them we are responsible for the hurt we cause no matter how thin skinned we think others may be
say why dont you get back to us in 20 years that way annie can decide for herself you make your point about speculating on her future romantic life and spare yourself an awkward lecture on infant sexual politics and on a mostly unrelated note is everyone watching call the midwife on pbs its pablum i know but i still love it
i work in an office with a nice woman who talks incessantly   mostly about her personal life she does not pick up on nonverbal cues or statements that i need to get back to work when i walk away she follows me and continues talking the boss has no interest in addressing her constant chatter i dont want to be rude or mean but i need help
km new jersey
this is a hard one that i suspect most of us have encountered and tried to duck heres a direct approach invite the nice woman for coffee one afternoon privately in an office or conference room say i really like working with you jane but i have an issue that i want to address when were chatting you keep talking even after i tell you i have to get back to work i dont multitask well so it makes me feel trapped can you try to listen better it may be briefly awkward for both of you but many effective fixes are
a close friend has developed a sensitivity to my singing voice although we have known each other for 15 years during the last two she holds her ears in pain when i sing it has made me uncomfortable being around her and seems like a mean response to some lighthearted vocalizing should i voice my concern
harold delaware
i would love to sing like stevie wonder and slice a backhand like roger federer but these are dreams harold not reality when pharrell doesnt hit his red button home we must go there are other coaches on the voice i know but really its all about pharrell right your friend has rendered her verdict why not leave her in peace and confine your performances to those who appreciate them or your bathroom where the acoustics are probably better


new haven   after a decade of planning eight years of renovation and a 16 month closure the yale center for british art   one of the half dozen or so masterpieces designed by the philadelphia architect louis kahn during the last 15 years of his life   reopens to the public on may 11 and for those who have loved this award winning museum since it first opened in 1977 showcasing paul mellons superb collection of british art the good news is that you can barely see the difference
much of the woodwork has been refinished to give it renewed warmth the aging fabric that covered the exhibition walls has been exchanged for new white belgian linen nearly invisible sprinkler lines have been applied to the crossbeams of the roof and synthetic carpeting added during an earlier remodel has been replaced by undyed wool carpets in the color and texture specified by kahn
the masters voice also remains audible in other ways in converting the long gallery on the fourth floor from a series of blocked off units to a single gorgeous stretch of salon style exhibition space the renovating architects were following one of kahns original working drawings and when it came time to remodel the pogos   those movable walls inside the galleries   the architects found a drawing from february 1974 just a month before kahn died where it was clear he intended the pogos to be lifted off the ground so they appeared to float
if youre not an idiot and you just look the building tells you what to do with it said jock reynolds director of the yale university art gallery a 1953 kahn building across the street that went through its own renovation process about a decade ago
george knight the architect hired by the yale center to oversee its conservation project put it slightly differently its sort of a whisper that you hear mr knight said theres a phenomenal understated quality to this building its always   he drops his voice   are you sure you want to do that
mr knight was aided by a 200 page road guide drawn up by peter inskip and stephen gee two british preservation architects who unearthed historical details and supplied broad policy recommendations one of the essential principles was that there could be no cheating on kahns materials we could have stained all the wood to match the original and it would have been indetectable mr knight said about the refurbished white oak but he really would not have done that and so we have situations where old wood and new wood are right next to each other and we just had to be kind of brave about it and recognize that in time they will become closer together
this meshing of the original designer and his collaborators among whom he would have counted materials as well as people had been part of the process from 1969 when kahn first met with his patron to understand the collection as mellon himself saw it then he worked closely for years with jules prown the first director of the yale center who helped shape kahns design in ways that even the architect acknowledged were useful
by the time kahn was awarded the contract he was famous within his profession these days he is perhaps best known through his son nathaniel kahns acclaimed 2003 film my architect despite his terrible business habits he was to die half a million dollars in debt and his modest up from the neighborhood manner kahns small philadelphia firm had become known as the place where architectural history was being made
he had not yet won his lifetime gold medal from the american institute of architects   that came in 1971   but several of his designs including the recently completed salk institute had already garnered enormous praise and the museum of modern art had devoted a whole exhibition to his richards medical research laboratory the first structure ever to be honored individually in this way kahn was hard at work on a number of other late masterpieces including the phillips exeter library in new hampshire the kimbell art museum in fort worth the indian institute of management in ahmedabad and the bangladesh parliament building in dhaka
in spite of these distractions the yale project remained a priority especially given his long term connection to the university where he had begun his teaching career in 1947
but in march 1974 kahn a vigorous 73 year old died of a heart attack in new yorks penn station leaving unfinished the yale center along with the bangladesh project and the franklin d roosevelt four freedoms park on roosevelt island in new york
these three major projects managed to reach completion only through the strenuous help of his colleagues and friends
marshall meyers   a former kahn employee whose firm pellecchia  meyers finished the yale center over the subsequent three years   compared the difficulty of the assignment to restoring a building that hadnt been built yet he added sometimes there was a document or drawing lou had done that showed his intent in other cases one could only rely on recent precedent describing their gentle collaboration mr meyers who died in 2001 said in a 1983 interview that kahn never worked alone he couldnt he needed to talk to someone he needed a dialogue
as it emerged from its final design the yale center looked unlike any previous kahn building from the street it could almost be an expensive office complex with its alternating panels of matte gray steel and shiny glass
you enter the four story structure from the corner through a dark and somewhat forbidding external foyer but once inside you are rewarded with a beautifully proportioned atrium where light floods down from above the materials that make up this interior have a smoother sleeker look than anything in kahns other buildings its not just the dark hued steel a new addition to his palette even the oak travertine and concrete though similar to what kahn employed elsewhere seem more elegantly finished the galleries as they rise floor upon floor are perfectly tailored to their purposes a light filled space for special exhibits a darkened level for drawings and prints and finally a grandly coffered upper gallery where glorious natural light pours in on glorious turners the whole place has the feel of an english gentlemans club that has been hijacked for artistic purposes
nowhere does this come through more clearly than in the long high second floor library court with its paneled walls its muffled skylights its comfortable leather sofas and its large persian rug the room invites one to sit and rest on the walls hang paul mellons largest and in some cases most treasured british paintings that kahn envisioned this arrangement from the start is demonstrated in an early sketch of his that shows stubbss gigantic lion attacking a horse on exactly the wall where it ended up this room is the pinnacle of gentlemans club perfection
and yet kahn allowed a primeval intruder to venture into this sanctuary at one end of the long court visible from every point within and around it stands a massive concrete cylinder that seems to have flown in from another universe entirely this wide gray column which houses a staircase leading up to the higher galleries is like a piece of the ancient world plunked down in an upscale london interior the curved windowless facade that it presents to the room textured as only kahns concrete can be textured is implacable indomitable unforgiving of the niceties of club behavior it is the memorable thing about the room and its gesture toward the harshly archaic gives it a strength that the merely beautiful lacks
when you look out into the great court said amy meyers the yale centers director since 2002 and the motivating force behind the conservation project you see this extraordinary free standing object and it draws your eye successively up floor by floor through those parts of the building that display works of art and it stands in conversation with those works as a great modern work of art and it reminds you that the building itself is a work of art in its own right


scene after learning that alicia julianna margulies is having an affair with will josh charles the other name partner in her law firm diane confronts him on the roof of their office building in this season 3 episode and orders him to break it off
i think it was the quintessence of diane who could wield authority with a kind of centeredness and strength and integrity in that scene you really see her lock eyes with him and really let him have it its not condescending its as equals but she levels him and the argument is on her side i thought it represented the best of who diane was and why i loved playing that character so much because i dont think we see those kinds of women represented in television or movies
scene in a season 3 guest appearance as a lawyer who shamelessly uses his neurological condition to advance his clients interests louis appears to be sincerely helping alicia find her missing daughter but alicia soon questions those apparent good intentions
at one point he went through her purse and got some texts that were positive for his case and negative for hers and he was completely calm when he explained to her that all is fair in love and war hell do anything and hell justify it what i loved about him was he kills with a smile fairness has nothing to do with it the blindfold belongs on the statue it doesnt belong on the lawyer
scene at the beginning of season 6 cary finds himself behind bars accused of conspiring to transport heroin as the authorities try to get him to turn on one of his and alicias clients
in this scene cary is in jail and he gets his hand sliced by an inmate as a test of loyalty to carys client lemond bishop whos the biggest drug dealer in chicago its the ultimate test of courage and strength and heart for cary at a time when he is most vulnerable in the entire series not too long before this scene takes place cary was a thriving confident lawyer and yet in an instant his life is drastically and violently altered as hes wrongly accused and arrested and sent to prison in this scene i was trying to capture carys fear and confusion and physical pain while at the same time trying to show that although he may bend in this moment his spirit will never break
scene eli the machiavellian political adviser to peter florrick alicias politician husband comes clean with alicia in season 7 that six years earlier he had erased a voice mail from will professing his love and willingness to give up everything for her
the pivotal moments for me have always been a little more than just elis shtick which is great fun and everybody loves it you know this tightly wound ruthless profane uptight jew but you also see some humanity this scene was part of the longer arc of eli this season softening up a little bit   falling in love being betrayed he realized he had had the potential to give what he hadnt got to alicia and he withheld it
scene expecting that he is about to be arrested again on corruption charges in season 7 peter   now the governor of illinois   says hell give alicia the divorce shes demanding if shell consent to one more request
the last episodes put a period on the continuing disintegration of a marriage that was wavering from the first episode they seemed held together by emotional scar tissue the final negotiation in the kitchen where he agrees to the divorce if she will stand with him when he resigns no longer seemed like the end   it was the end a certain relief for them both im sure


potential
the vocal samples on potential domino the new album from james hinton who records as the range were unearthed from low view count youtube videos of relative unknowns and framed within house music trip hop electronic soul and more mr hintons tastes tend toward club influenced music   especially that of the british persuasion   in which the vocals appear to be floating somewhere above the production think the streets whose melancholy amble rapping practically obviated the need for a beat or james blake whose ghostlike singing is like a full immersion in a cloud on this lovely elegiac album mr hintons production is lush and precise but what hes most effective at is a sort of abstraction filter   these slow burn songs serve as a way to feel deeply and get lost all at the same time
cold wave
rely on oprime39 and superbad solace   the brothers who make up the queens duo timeless truth   for preservation of old school new york rap values burly formalism gut punch assonance beats that sound as if theyve been dragged under a subway line cold wave different worlds their best release to date moves with slow majesty and hard muscle they have a keen ear for production   distressed drowsy horns on 4 the real 1s the mottled texture of early wu tang clan on pop champagne a staggeringly swaggering bass loop on 40 below produced by el rtnc one of the sonic architects of vintage new york rap revivalism as rappers timeless truth are true to their influences solace is a surly bruiser and oprime39 is a raspy voiced smooth talker on gods in the details he nails a particularly 1993 esque blend of tough talk and moralism
the very last day
parker millsap scrapes up his guitar strings like theyve done him wrong   hits them hard and draws a big broad melancholy sound out of them his second album the very last day okrahomathirty tigers begins with hades pleads a flamboyant hard country song that sounds like a bar fight spilling over into church by the third song morning blues hes settled in a bit pulling his strings until they make melancholy teardrops mr millsap sings with spiritual fervor verging on rage   his voice ecstatic and volcanic all at once even his most tender songs like jealous sum feel as if they might shatter under the tension but no matter how much mr millsap tries to contain his urges inside a lovely melody hes almost always hitting those guitar strings as if encouraging them to feel something even close to what he is
struggle love
for a decade and a half jaheim has been the adult in the room for an rb world thats increasingly juvenile and even though the music on his latest album struggle love primary wave bmg label services is grown up full of ornate keyboard sparkle and lite jazz horns he remains committedly frisky using his luscious honeyed voice to deceptively naughty ends he is a soother and a seducer   and hes not shy at times his songs are so literal that they verge on the comic side piece about the complexity of sexual adventure craziest place about the locations of sexual adventure songs to have sex to about the soundtrack to sexual adventure
im a piece of 
regret is perhaps a strong word for what the atlanta rapper father is engaged in on his pleasantly wobbly new album im a piece of  awful but its close for the past couple of years hes been in an off kilter haze   a wry happily narcotized comedian a la steven wright here his flow is as meandering as ever buffeted by a few intrusions of free verse from ilovemakonnen and one very sharp guest appearance by tommy genesis on 2 girl fantasy 2 but instead of rambling from one debaucherous occasion to the next doubt is creeping in to fathers calculations when im not around do you even long for mewhen im coming down feel like you dont belong to me he raps the drugs and the sex made father blissfully catatonic but the existential grappling causes an even sweeter haze


believe it or not jason bateman at 47 has been on our screens for 35 years starting out on tv shows like silver spoons he became the rare child star to forge a successful adult career hes perhaps best known as michael bluth on arrested development but he has also starred in films like horrible bosses and juno and directed movies too the dark spelling bee comedy bad words
now in the family fang his second directorial effort mr bateman and nicole kidman play siblings the adult children of a quirky performance artist couple christopher walken and maryann plunkett who enlisted their young children in their strange and sometimes shocking work like executing a fake bank robbery and shooting in an interview during the tribeca film festival where the movie screened before its friday april 29 opening mr bateman talked about pulp fiction his upbringing and arrested development these are edited excerpts from the conversation
how did this movie come to you
nicole liked bad words and she had optioned the book and had a pre existing relationship with the screenwriter david lindsay abaire from doing rabbit hole so once they had their script they asked me to consider it i said yes almost before i started reading it
what was it like to direct oscar winners like ms kidman and mr walken
it was simple because they dont need their hands held
whats your favorite walken role
none of them suck thats for sure something he and i talked about as a reference was the monologue he has in pulp fiction where he presents the watch to the kid the way in which he spoke to that kid was so unapologetic he was so convinced that what he was doing was a really nice thing he didnt hear anything inappropriate about the story he was relaying its that kind of tone deafness that was important for his character in this film to have
how much did you know much about performance art before making this
zero it didnt really matter to me what they did for a living was really secondary to how they see what they do in comparison to their responsibilities as a parent
if you did performance art would you be chris burden crawling through broken glass or marina abramovic staring into peoples eyes
i think im actually much too shy to do any performance art i admire the big swings those guys take but im not a one man band
you and your sister justine were child performers does that echo in the film
the upbringing that justine and i had was in no way as traumatic as what goes on in this movie thats why no script has been written about our life and never will but theres certainly thematically some things i could relate to like how what annie and baxter are going through is at times dramatic and at times comedic i could relate to the confusion of that traditional parent child relationship sometimes getting wobbly
will arrested development ever return
there are no plans to do any more at the moment i havent heard about anything solid i do know theres a willingness to do more from all parties regardless i hold no power over that being a reality but speaking purely creatively it was the best thing ive ever done as far as having fun and what it did for my career
what are you directing next
a series at netflix called ozark i play a guy whos laundering money for a drug cartel im going to direct roughly half of these 10 episodes im executive producing it so ill be able to have my hands on just about every part of process that i would as a director in feature films its probably going to be the hardest work ive ever done and thats good


when she tired of her rented five story walk up in manhattan ava volandes spent two years hunting for a one bedroom co op to buy in 2002 she bought a one bedroom in a postwar tower on east 17th street near gramercy park for around 350000
a few years later she met alex tavantzis an actor who primarily uses his stage name alex tavis she knew his second cousin they married in 2008
mr tavis moved into her place he then rented out his alcove studio in a co op building on west 34th street which he and his parents had bought in 2004 for 210000 before selling it two and a half years ago for 393000
the couple now in their 40s had two sons they gave the children the bedroom and created a makeshift bedroom for themselves in the living room
for years they discussed with their next door neighbor the idea of buying his one bedroom to combine with theirs the neighbor who had grandchildren who visited was willing to sell if he could buy a larger unit elsewhere in the building
meanwhile the couple also watched for two bedrooms there one became available on a low floor facing the noisy third avenue side of the building we are a family that likes to open up our windows a lot said ms volandes tavantzis who works in the nonprofit field
they kept their eye on a family with three children of course theyre going to move she said they stayed put
the couple hoped to stay put too because they knew and loved the building the neighbors and the neighborhood but when nothing suitable arose they set a budget of around 12 million and went apartment shopping hunting on the upper east and west sides for a pet friendly building with a doorman and an elevator they found only low floors and air shaft views
we were all over the map because we were looking for a place that didnt particularly exist ms volandes tavantzis said if we had unlimited resources sure we could get a three bedroom but in the neighborhoods they preferred 12 million didnt go far enough
a two family house with rental income seemed like a reasonable idea so they checked out a two family detached house in ditmas park brooklyn for almost 17 million
they visited on a hot summer day the air grew cooler as they climbed the stairs which they feared meant an enormous cooling bill it probably would the seller said heating and cooling the two units cost him 6000 a year but even with the prospect of rental income they couldnt afford the place the house sold for 1455 million
later in flatbush they visited a well maintained brick single family rowhouse on bedford avenue it was on ms volandes tavantzis old turf just three blocks from her alma mater midwood high school the asking price was 745000
it was a super sleepy neighborhood that hadnt changed since i was there she said there were no supermarkets around they made an offer but the house went to someone with a better financial situation for 785500
still hoping to remain in their gramercy neighborhood the couple looked at a postwar building where friends had converted a big two bedroom into a three bedroom but two bedrooms there were too expensive one bedrooms with around 850 square feet were too small to convert
during the hunt mr tavis checked the real estate website brick underground daily last summer he read a post that mentioned concord village a seven building complex constructed about 1950 in downtown brooklyn a 900 square foot two bedroom there was listed for 675000
any place that big and for that price somethings wrong ms volandes tavantzis declared
but mr tavis went to see it and reported back the apartments in their own little pocket across from the on off ramps to the brooklyn bridge were spacious the two units he saw   one already in contract and one in bad shape   werent feasible but prices there did indeed seem reasonable across the board
along came another listing for a concord village apartment for 789000 with monthly maintenance of just under 1100 i saw two humongous bedrooms ms volandes tavantzis said
their attempt to buy their neighbors place was going nowhere instead they sold their manhattan place for 685000 to the neighbor who himself wished to combine the units he waited us out ms volandes tavantzis said
the couple closed on the concord village place in late fall paying the asking price during the walk through she was worried what am i doing she asked herself i opened up the window waiting to hear the worst traffic in the world and it was white noise
the couple spent around 45000 on renovations turning the galley kitchen into an open one refinishing the floors redoing the bathroom and upgrading the electricity
the children have space to run around indoors and the family can now entertain more than a handful of people visitors assume that their dining table is new because it seems small but its just that it seemed enormous in their old place
if you look inside the apartment you think you are in soho but if you look outside you know you are in concord village mr tavis said some common areas are a little dingy he said but they are working on that
the building less polished than their old one is also less formal the other day ms volandes tavantzis said the doorman took her younger son a toddler by the hand and walked him down the stairs there is a community kind of feel here that just blew me away she said


after an acclaimed seven year run the good wife comes to an end on sunday may 8 and as the television shows creators the husband and wife team of robert and michelle king and its star julianna margulies gathered at a soho hotel for an interview in mid april just three days after filming the 156th and final episode of the cbs drama it was clear they hadnt quite decompressed yet
someone said you must feel great you wrapped ms margulies said and i said i feel like im in a dream im not quite there yet
 the cast of the good wife on favorite moments from the show 
the good wife   initially inspired by the spectacle of stand by your man news conferences like those involving silda wall spitzer married to the disgraced governor of new york   traced the professional and personal re education of alicia florrick ms margulies the wife of a discredited politician forced to resume her legal career to support her family
with wryly literate writing complicated characters and timely explorations of issues like abortion gun rights gay marriage and government surveillance the hourlong drama was an outlier among the procedurals and nighttime soap operas of the broadcast networks and shows of its kind   serialized dramas stretching nearly two dozen episodes each season   may well be a vanishing breed as actors and writers tire of the grueling july april filming schedules preferring the shorter seasons of prestige cable and limited network series the kings next tv endeavor is the 13 episode braindead on cbs this summer a satirical mash up of sci fi horror and washington politics
during a nearly two hour interview ms margulies and the kings often finished one anothers sentences and joked about working together again   on a one woman show about a female stalin in these edited excerpts they chatted about their goals for the finale the changes in alicia and the challenges of shooting sex scenes for broadcast television
earlier this year there were rumblings that the good wife might return for an eighth season even though the kings were leaving how did the decision to end the show come about
julianna margulies i felt like i was put between a rock and a hard place i was getting messages from all over the place that if you want to keep doing the show cbs will do it and in the beginning of the year michelle and robert came to me and said were writing the show as if it were ending because were out so suddenly i felt like i was put in this very precarious position if i say yes im screwing them over because they had a vision for the show and its their baby and if i say no the networks going to be angry and so is the cast and the crew
but then cbs made that decision for me and i didnt have to do a thing david stapf who is the head of cbs studios called me and he said the last thing that i would want of the show that has been a feather in cbss cap for seven years is for the eighth year without the kings to be the one where critics start saying they should have ended when the kings did and hes right i think they were honoring the kings intentions
robert king plus we were sabotaging things we kept starting trash fires in the writers room everyone laughs
finales can be tricky endeavors given how viewers chime in on social media what was your vision for the ending of the good wife
michelle king the only thing ill say is that the show has always been all about alicia so the finale just had to honor the end of alicias journey
robert king one of the things we wanted to do is show how much that character had changed not just a flipped switch change but progressively over seven seasons thats why there are some memories in some of the shows weve done this year
what were the biggest changes for alicia
margulies i think her biggest change was not caring what people thought which enabled her to forge ahead she stopped worrying about being the good girl even though deep down inside thats who shell always be inherently and as alicia started to become better at her job she managed to change who she was in her private life
michelle king i do think shes a different person thematically for the series its all about what are the consequences of even unfortunate things in your life alicia started with something horrible when she was publicly humiliated her husband cheated on her with prostitutes but thats what pushed her to have this new and interesting life is bad news always bad news i think youll see that question raised all over
how else did the show change during its seven seasons
michelle king in season 1 it was more 50 50 in terms of closed ended cases versus serialized stories and then the show became more serialized and its tricky to do theres a reason that serialized shows live more on cable and streaming than they do on network because its really hard to top yourself 22 times and not get to melodrama scandal embraces it and good for them they dont try to live in reality but if you try to live in reality like the good wife does thats a difficult thing to do
robert king you couldnt keep throwing the bombs that we could throw in the fifth season when we knew josh charles who played will gardner alicias erstwhile boss and love interest was leaving and that we could break up alicia and will knowing we were going to kill him in the 15th episode but we couldnt kill someone every episode
thats why networks like hospital shows there can be blood on the floor in every episode
for shows that arent formulaic procedurals like the ncis clan or a nighttime soap like scandal does the departure of the good wife herald an end of an era
michelle king if it is an end of an era and i dont know if it is its because of the actors the actors rightly dont want to work that many episodes if theres an option to do 13 or 15 episodes and have a life and do your best work i think a lot of stars are now saying thats where id like to live please
robert king one of the reasons why networks struggle with it is because its hard to maintain a voice with 22 episodes so maybe it is the last only because its really insanely hard work
michelle king it could be that stand alone stories remain on networks because thats what they do really well and i think they can be a lot of fun these strictly procedural closed ended shows that dont live and die on the quality of the acting part of it is a puzzle element or a mystery
julianna what would it take for you to commit to another network show with 22 episodes a year
margulies theres no amount of money in the world
robert king is that true even if you like the part
margulies even if i like the part
robert king so you wont do network again but youd do cable
margulies in a heartbeat i would do cable for sure because its four months its like doing a movie
if a network would do 11 episodes and then have a two month break and then do 11 more i could do it because its not just a commitment of time on set id come home at the end of a 14 hour day i have a family to tend to and then i have nine pages of dialogue to learn so it just never ends
what characters or plot lines saw their arcs changed or dialed back over the course of the show
robert king christine baranskis character diane lockhart at the very start of the show was supposed to be kind of the bitchy boss to alicia it was playing off of one premise which is the mentor who comes to sabotage her mentee if anybodys met christine baranski though you can only go so far with that before you embrace just how wonderful she is she had this incredibly good funny laugh that we would hear in the dailies between the takes why are we sending her off in this kind of direction lets have other people be villains
one we cut short was because he got another job that was jason omara who played damian boyle he was more of a gang lawyer a little shady what was supposed to happen was that when will died he was someone who really stepped up then he got a job on complications
michelle king that happened a lot didnt it if youre trying to do a serialized story with actors who are not your regular cast you have to be a bit nimble
margulies they had a whole idea for oliver platt but then he got a series
michelle king he was a very smart very conservative businessman and it really allowed us to play with issues with the diane character being such a liberal and yet to be able to see them as intellectual equals and be very respectful of one another even when they had different opinions that was really interesting to explore so it was a great pity when we couldnt have access to that
robert king one of the things we wanted to pursue on the show more and more is theres a real left leaning bias on tv which ive heard about everyone laughs you watch tv and if theres a priest you know hes going to be a child molester theres a predictability its not even trying to be propaganda for the right its just that there should be an honest discussion that shows that for people on the other side of abortion or on the other side of gay marriage theres an intellectual argument there
what was it like having to hew to broadcast network standards and practices
robert king there is a problem standards and practices has with thrusting
margulies did you just say thrusting
robert king the thrusting issue and we would have to delicately go around problems of thrusting in pretend sex that anybody would have wed even have to morph images because we wouldnt get a take that was clean of thrusting
but it was kind of amazing how much cbs let us do the first episode of the second season was about oral sex
what did the departure of josh charles allow you to do differently
robert king the loss of josh seemed like it would be catastrophic to us but i thought it gave us a new lease on who alicia was with the underpinning of mourning how does a series show the fact of someone dying as opposed to a lot of these shows that kill off someone every week
is there any merit to the rumblings of a feud between julianna and archie panjabi who played the private investigator kalinda sharma that they didnt film their scenes together toward the end of her run on the show
margulies its all silly gossip and i dont want to go there
if the show were to continue what are some of the issues that you would want to deal with
robert king trump and populism how american democracy is veering a little more toward european populism both on the left and on the right the right wing is tending to be anti immigrant and the left is looking toward socialism
michelle king i was just stumbling over the fact that there are certain companies that have manifestoes online about how proud they are for the number of people they fire and i just thought oh thats an episode and yet there are no more to write
and if there were one more plotline for alicia what would it be
margulies one of the things i found interesting this year was what eli the political adviser to peter florrick kept saying that alicias the star because alicia doesnt see herself that way at all so even though there was this jilted run for states attorney that she got thrown under the bus for i would love to see how far that could go especially in the environment of hillary clinton right now i think that would be really interesting


hello dolly
oliver
oklahoma
those titles dont look quite right do they theyre missing a certain...something theyre talking when they should be shouting or exclaiming or...
thats it
for decades broadway musicals used exclamation points in their titles liberally and unironically everyone from irving berlin to george gershwin had them sometimes multiple times in the same show jerome kern wrote the 1918 show oh lady lady a title that raises a whole other question about the use of commas the exclamation points promised fizz excitement laughs the difference between drat the cat and drat the cat is enormous enormous see
even before oklahoma acquired a title song   and a new name to go with it   it was called away we go but then broadway got serious and away the exclamation points went at least for a while
the musical theater historian laurence maslon charts the waning of the exclamation point to the style of serious musical theater exemplified by the director harold prince and the composer stephen sondheim
by the late 1960s mr maslon said such effusive punctuation became shorthand for a title promising a sort of excitement that the material itself didnt provide
as weightier works took over the broadway landscape in the 1970s and 1980s pop culture rushed in to fill the void in the form of fake titles usually with a healthy dose of snark new musicals ending with the once obligatory punctuation mark could be found not in playbills but in the simpsons oh streetcar and friends freud f scott fitzgeralds famous admonition   an exclamation point is like laughing at your own joke  rang more and more true
at this point i cant imagine any straight faced musical using one said mr maslon either its intentionally self referential and not meant to be seriously or its coming from a more jejune sensibility and doesnt care in the first four years of the 2010s only a single musical out of more than three dozen   baby its you   had one and that played less than six months
but wait
in just the last year that number has tripled with on your feet and disaster joining something rotten on broadway not to be outdone nbc has taken old titles and added exclamation points on its broadcasts of the sound of music live and peter pan live
for some creators who grew up during those exclamatory lean years the shift has come with some trepidation
we felt using it was as they would say in england a bit naff said karey kirkpatrick who helped kick off this resurgence in march 2015 with something rotten about two elizabethan playwrights trying to do william shakespeare one better and stage a musical but kevin was absolutely adamant that it had to be there
he was referring to the something rotten producer kevin mccollum who consistently lobbied for the exclamation point even when the show had the more innocuous title the bottom brothers
something rotten with a period could be an editorial statement and not a positive one said mr mccollum who implored audiences to embrace the exclamation point in print advertisements last spring with an exclamation mark it becomes fun and what better way to treat a show about making the worlds first musical comedy
he had some corroboration from the medieval scribes who were copying away a few centuries before the elizabethan shenanigans in something rotten it is believed that these copyists put the latin word io or hurray at the end of some sentences to convey delight eventually the theory goes the o ended up underneath the i and in shrunken form
seth rudetsky the co creator as well as co star of the campy 1970s spoof disaster has taken a similarly enthusiastic approach to the title a recent show brochure had nearly a dozen exclamation points including after the names of each principal cast member roger bart kerry butler
i dont think disaster works without it mr rudetsky said it has to be heightened
however he takes pains to distance himself from the elbow to the ribs mentality that the exclamation point has come to symbolize disaster is a very silly show but not in that way which says broadway in quotes which i cant stand he said roger bart has sharks living on his arms by the end of the show but he plays it like its real sort of
even with their barrage of insider musical theater gags in something rotten the creative team stresses that their goals are not to mock but to praise
ours is not winking mr mccollum said this is not part of the letterman ization of entertainment
of these three shows by far the least ironic is on your feet which follows the joint careers of the singer songwriters gloria and emilio estefan the title while based on one of ms estefans hit singles takes liberties on both ends the song was actually called get on your feet with no exclamation point
and when the estefans began to develop a musical for las vegas about a decade ago the planned title was an unadorned on your feet finally though they opted to turn it into less of a suggestion and more of a command
these are our marching orders ms estefan said with a laugh hey i grew up in a military family
in this era of emoji laden texts and tweets of course exclamation points are the coin of the realm both mr rudetsky and ms estefan said they struggle to keep their usage under control in their day to day life
and as mr kirkpatrick pointed out something rotten may have set a trend well beyond times square the first time i saw jeb bushs campaign logo we said hey they stole our exclamation point


according to experts the most difficult string quartet ever written is ben johnstons quartet no 7 it was composed in 1984 but went unperformed for decades musicians who knew the score with the ingenious palindromic structure of one movement and variations teeming with over a thousand microscopically distinct pitches considered it well nigh unplayable
now the work is available on a cd that the kepler quartet released hard on the heels of the composers 90th birthday in march the album which also contains mr johnstons sixth and eighth quartets and a short piece for voice and strings called quietness marks the completion of one of the most ambitious and single minded recording projects in american music the kepler players   the violinists sharan leventhal and eric segnitz the violist brek renzelman and the cellist karl lavine   dedicated the better part of the past 14 years to learning and recording all of mr johnstons 10 quartets the sixth alone took them a year and a half to master
the three disc survey reveals a musical landscape which though thorny for the players produces music of disarming charm strange beauty and sometimes dreamlike familiarity i dont even think of it as a cycle mr segnitz said of the quartets in a telephone interview its an edifice
at the same time the quartets raise questions of the practicality and cost associated with such an uncompromising compositional voice like the preposterously difficult rhythms conlon nancarrow developed in his studies for player piano the microtonal intricacies of mr johnstons quartets can seem like exercises designed to measure the gap between human imagination and ability
other ensembles have collaborated with mr johnston among them the la salle concord and kronos quartets but as mr segnitz said the complexity of mr johnstons tuning system and the amount of rehearsal time it requires have proved impractical for groups with busy touring schedules
they have to keep their careers going and cant be derailed by something thats almost impossible he said the kepler quartet he added was founded with the sole purpose of playing johnston we carved out a niche in our lives to do it
the nature of his writing has created a mystical aura around mr johnston that has been further enhanced by his physical distance from the centers of american music making after spending much of his career teaching at the university of illinois he now lives on an isolated farm on the outskirts of madison wis as his failing health made travel increasingly difficult the kepler players moved closer to him rehearsing in a church close to the farm   literally in the midst of a cornfield in the middle of a cemetery in mr segnitzs description   that over time became a focus of pilgrimage for musicologists curious to hear the realization of one of the most esoteric bodies of work in the chamber music literature
in a skype interview from his home mr johnston was reluctant to talk about his music in other than mathematical terms even as he conceded that the system of multiplication and division that is at the base of his tuning system doesnt sound terribly exciting still he continued it opens the doors to new sounds because i think of mathematics as a means to an end its not a means that a lot of people admire because it seems too schoolish so classroomish
if his music resonates with listeners who praise it for its clarity he said its because the tuning system he devised is a kind of order that im presenting and its interrelated with the emotional meaning but i dont tell people what it is its like abstract expressionist painting
mr johnston traces his interest in tuning back to his childhood in macon ga where he quizzed family members on the physics of tuning a piano and peppered his music teacher with questions about the organization of sound i became interested in the sounds in a fairly abstract way he said soon he challenged the system of equal temperament that has dominated western music for centuries in equal temperament the octave   the space between one note and the next highest iteration of that same note   is divided into 12 half steps spaced equally apart allowing for harmonic modulation and easy communication among different instruments but in creating an orderly horizontal sequence of pitches certain intervals   the vertical harmonic relationships between two notes played simultaneously   are distorted so they no longer ring true
mr johnstons tuning system is built on the pure ratios of the overtone series of a note a given note when sounded contains a rainbow of overtones with the first widely spaced out and successive tones crowded together ever more closely in basing his tuning on the physical properties of the natural overtone series mr johnston follows in the footsteps of composers like harry partch with whom he studied lou harrison and la monte young
but he goes further in two ways by using higher partials from the harmonic series   the 11th the 13th and even the 31st   he requires players to listen for and perform ever more narrow pitch differences some just a few cents apart a cent equals one hundredth the distance between a half tone in the regular scale and while some other composers limit their microtonal adventures to slow moving works with relatively few and gradual harmonic changes mr johnstons string quartets include fast passages made up of dazzling hyperkinetic streams of notes
the effect on an ear accustomed to standard tuning can be invigorating the simplest of mr johnstons quartets incorporate folk music set in clear harmonies that gain a rosy cheeked innocence from the meticulously tuned intervals the melody of amazing grace makes an appearance in the fourth quartet perhaps the most instantly lovable of mr johnstons works
another good point of entry to mr johnstons sound world is the tenth quartet which bursts out of the gate with a jaunty romp the microtonal warp of the harmonies adds a tangy twist in a way that seems novel and natural at once   much in the way audiences accustomed to the pointed toes of classical ballet might have adjusted to the reappearance of flexed ankles and knocked knees of modern dance
the emphasis on clean intervals throws other parameters off kilter within one instruments melody a given note may be tuned up or down depending on what function it plays within the ensembles larger harmonic structure in a telephone interview ms leventhal the keplers first violinist compared this attention shift to a zen like focus on the present you are not dealing with absolutes like an a is an a she said its an open infinite spiral a kind of harmonic questing and adventuring that is based on natural phenomena and on pitches generated one from the next theres a lot of beauty in the structure
the resulting work often reflects the fertile chaos of the natural world in liner notes to the latest recording mr johnston describes the opening movement of the seventh quartet as the most involved microtonal writing ive ever done adding that it just crawls all over the place in the myriad intervals tiny and irregularly sized which govern the chromatic surge of the music here mr johnston seems to be taking a microscope to a flamboyantly vital world of sound that thrives in between the cracks of conventional music


pop quiz the new york city ballet principal robert fairchild is dancing to the sounds of gershwin in choreography by christopher wheeldon the title of the work contains the word american where are we
an american in paris thats mr wheeldons tony award winning musical which has starred mr fairchild in the storied gene kelly role since it opened on broadway last march
a reasonable assumption but no
the scene was a new york city ballet rehearsal room where mr fairchild was absorbing a correction from kathleen tracey the rehearsal director for american rhapsody mr wheeldons new ballet set to gershwins rhapsody in blue the dance will have its premiere at the new york city ballets gala performance on wednesday alongside mothership a new piece by nicolas blanc and alexei ratmanskys 2008 concerto dsch
mr fairchild listened intently to ms tracey explain that he should use his arms in a more complex way while swirling across the room i dont know whether that is going to happen mr fairchild said because i cant not because i dont want to
until this march when mr fairchild left an american in paris and his role as the gi jerry mulligan to rejoin city ballet full time he was performing on broadway up to eight times a week the role earned him a tony nomination the musical received 12 and won in four categories and several other awards for outstanding actor in a musical and he became accustomed to being stopped in the street for his autograph and greeted at the stage doors by gaggles of screaming fans
while american rhapsody repeats the winning gershwin wheeldon fairchild combination and its city ballet performances will be conducted by rob fisher the music director of an american in paris it was not conceived as a way to capitalize on the broadway success said peter martins the companys ballet master in chief it was mr wheeldon who had suggested rhapsody in blue he said when asked if city ballet had thought this could be a way to attract audiences who might not otherwise attend the ballet i didnt think about that at all mr martins said although that would be nice
in a telephone conversation from stockholm mr wheeldon who was city ballets resident choreographer from 2001 to 2008 said i was really just having a love affair with gershwins music i dont think i was ready to let go
its not entirely unknown for ballet makers to cross over to broadway george balanchine and jerome robbins are the most illustrious examples in his biography of balanchine bernard taper notes that it was balanchine who asked for the playbill credit to read choreography by rather than dances by
still mr wheeldon pointed out the fortunes of choreography had been variable on broadway of course there was a wonderful era of dance he said but it sort of went away when the megamusicals like les miserables miss saigon and phantom of the opera came in twyla tharp was the only trailblazer in between but now shows like american in paris and on the town have shown there is a real appetite for serious dance
he added it would be lovely to think that audiences of american in paris have come away with their eyes open a little bit about ballet they would be flabbergasted if they spent a couple of nights at city ballet
in an email karen girty city ballets senior director of marketing and media wrote in our experience broadway audiences at large do not cross over into ballet but that the company was making an effort to reach that demographic through social media and publicity
asked why he had chosen such a well known piece as rhapsody in blue mr wheeldon said that he was drawn to its grandness of scale and unconventional structure the themes dont really resolve they just keep on coming which makes choreographic structure quite challenging
the ballet which he described as a pure response to the music has two principal couples mr fairchild and his wife the principal dancer tiler peck and amar ramasar and unity phelan and a corps de ballet of 16 it is quite classical although there are a few jazz inflected movements he said its hard actually quite virtuosic and particularly demanding on robbie
mr fairchild who has appeared sporadically at city ballet over the last year said he was finding the full time return to ballet physically difficult
there is nothing like being faced with yourself in the studio to remind you lets get real mr fairchild said good humoredly after the rehearsal on broadway he said he was performing the same dance steps every day as well as acting and singing you are at peak fitness to deliver in a particular way but that is not the same way as being a dancer in a ballet company doing so many different ballets all with different vocabularies and styles at the moment i have much less stamina for what we do here
he continued to do a ballet barre   the first part of the daily class that is an essential element of a dancers life   every day while performing in american in paris as well as some other physical conditioning but mr fairchild acknowledged he had not maintained the full training routine that he would have at city ballet
i discovered that it was much harder to sing when i did a full ballet class with all the turning and jumping he explained your muscles do a certain thing for ballet there has to be a certain tension and readiness in the body to spring to jump to turn but singing needs the opposite room and relaxation in the upper body so that the lungs can expand and a vibration can happen
working to regain his stamina and full technique for city ballet had been tough but interesting he said how can i have two completely different techniques of body awareness and bleed the lines a little
mr wheeldon said he felt mr fairchild had grown as an artist through his broadway experience he walks into the studio every day and there is much more of a sense of a leading man he said he is in command the other dancers look up to him
asked whether he was conscious of choreographing for a ballet audience rather than a broadway audience mr wheeldon said it was a question of practicalities rather than expectations you are serving a story having to think singing acting and a lot of scene changes and you have to work out what can be reproduced night after night for months or years on end how far you can physically push the dancers there was more freedom in working purely with movement he added but also more fear that blank canvas can feel very blank and very large he said
both men said they would like to work on broadway again mr fairchild will have another stab at his role when an american in paris opens in london in 2017 but both also spoke of their pleasure in returning to pure dance
both worlds are amazing mr fairchild said and i love the crossover thing that has happened when someone came to me and said they had seen american in paris eight times and had just bought their first ticket to city ballet i was so thrilled he grinned pressure id better live up to that


it is 8 oclock on a chilly tuesday evening at the whitney museum where the italian fashion powerhouse max mara is staging an intimate dinner for 74 to celebrate the first anniversary of the museums building as well as that of the max mara whitney bag designed by renzo piano building workshop and people are talking
what are they talking about cornelia guest the one time socialite and entrepreneur is telling linda wells the former editor of the beauty bible allure about a group of abandoned equines she recently rescued at a new jersey livestock auction from their almost certain fate as dog food
there are two mini horses i named daisy and petal a pony named snooks and a donkey named elvis who is a real stud though not for long ms guest is saying making a scissor gesture with her fingers
when i got them home to the farm i gave them bubble baths adds ms guest a vegan author and animal rights activist who at 52 remains as striking as when she was named deb of the year over three decades ago ever the beauty professional ms wells is chiming in with a probing question what product did you use
away in another part of a room   converted for the evening with fuchsia peonies and anemones and pale candles from the museums eighth floor cafe into an intimate dining hall   the actress sally field is deep in conversation with the museums director adam weinberg and tommy tune the performer for whom the adjective ageless might as well have been coined is chatting with deeda blair whose significance as a figure on the neurobiological research scene is sometimes overshadowed by her perennially elegant appearance on the new york social one
and maria giulia prezioso maramotti the american retail director for max mara the firm founded by her grandfather is causing her mothers eyebrows to arch in consternation as she shows a new acquaintance the tattoo inside her left wrist and explains its significance
im obsessed with the blues says ms maramotti whose company sponsored the evening and   unusually for an italian company at a time when industrialists in italy are under intense pressure to support their own cultural heritage   provides significant underwriting to this museum of american art
written in blue cursive ms maramottis new tattoo is the single word crossroads a reference to the mississippi intersection where according to legend the bluesman robert johnson sold the devil his soul well we all make our own deals
darting about the room clutching a glass of franciacorta cadel bosco is the artist k8 hardy whose yellow dyed hair has a streak of bright red at the center part lending her some resemblance to a fertilized egg and the theater designer william ivey long is regaling a small group that includes the vanity fair correspondent amy fine collins with tales of his latest project a fox revival of the rocky horror picture show for which the casting of tim curry had just been confirmed though not in his original indelible role as dr frank n furter of course at 70 mr curry may be a bit mature for a bustier and the artist deborah kass is explaining to someone how when she was offered a max mara dress to wear for the evening as were many of the special guests ms field blythe danner and amy adams among them she demurred in favor of a max mara dress she already owned
meantime stefano tonchi the w editor is running down a list of asian cities on the grueling itinerary of his husband the art dealer david maupin one of those people for whom it is nothing to fly to seoul for a day and jessica diehl the vanity fair stylist best known for rendering caitlyn jenner as a smoldering 1950s style bombshell is interrupting a conversation with bellamy young the scandal actress to explain to this reporter that the most challenging part of dressing the worlds most famous transgender person for her debut as a woman was finding a pair of size 14 shoes that did not make ms jenner look as though it were pole dancing for which she won a medal at the 1976 olympics
and mr weinberg is remarking to a dinner neighbor that he had recently returned from his first trip to africa where he visited his 25 year old daughter zoe an international banker involved in microcredit lending nairobi is not an easy city mr weinberg is saying but i was so excited by the energy i want to go back and flora irving great great granddaughter of gertrude vanderbilt whitney the museums founder is explaining to a dinner partner that her ethereal appearance this evening notwithstanding she is not a particularly girlie girl
i really like not carrying a purse and just putting things in my pocket and heading out she is saying and as if to prove her point a friend drops by the table and opens up her own purse inside which ms irving has stashed her all important eyelash curler
i always have to take it when i go out she is saying otherwise ill droop


arianna huffington was sitting like a very relaxed queen in her soho bedroom on a thronelike bergere chair covered in brocade fortuny fabric it was time to wind down 8 pm behind her an embroidered throw pillow announced sleep your way to the top
the phrase recalls a ted talk she gave in 2010 and it isnt about sex thank you it is about sleeping i was making a speech about sleep as a performance enhancer she said as opposed to being lazy or not engaged with life
one wouldnt think that about one of the most powerful women in the world the author of 15 books and a founder of a news site that sold to aol for 315 million in 2011 but of all the things on her agenda which would exhaust most mortals sleep is at the top
her new book the sleep revolution transforming your life one night at a time harmony is a call to bed it is also inspiring a turbocharged national tour that involves sleep fairs at colleges and an educational takeover of a jetblue flight during which she gave out books and answered questions
i want to rekindle our romance with sleep said ms huffington 65 in a lullaby voice as soothing as her floral perfume its a central part of life and a gateway to our dreams
if sleep is a gateway to her dreams then her bedroom is the mother ship it is one of four in a vast apartment she transformed a few years ago with the help of the designer steven gambrel
it was a minimalist loft she said but i wanted something that felt more lived in and european
to achieve that she hired mr gambrel to add walls to break up the space for which he also designed much of the furniture peter mucek the decorative painter plastered the walls to emulate a golden venetian glow michael s smith who redecorated some rooms in the obama white house and is a friend suggested that she treat the lofts concrete columns with metallic brown paint to give them an ancient bronze feel mr smith also designed some leather chairs and an ottoman her home now has a regal and romantic ambience that seems in perfect keeping with ms huffingtons personality
everything in the decidedly low tech bedroom is as carefully considered as a business move on a bed surrounded with fortuny curtains in a restful light blue she sleeps on organic cotton sheets from a collection called huffington the huffington line carried by coco mat a nearby bedding shop was designed by her daughter isabella huffington 25 an artist who shares her home her pillows are stuffed with soporific hops and barley across the room are two gordon parks photographs including the bucolic boy with june bug over her night stand is a photograph of her other daughter christina now 27 at isabellas christening
i call it a joy trigger ms huffington said and i like having it right by my bed
her night stand functions as a kind of altar to morpheus the greek god of dreams the books are inspirational including works by rumi the 13th century persian poet and marcus aurelius whom ms huffington admires because he was a multitasking roman emperor and not easily ruffled there is a simple alarm clock from pottery barn without any of the pesky digital lights she bans from her bedroom and from her hotel rooms she packs masking tape to obscure their blinking
roses and peonies rest in a vase by a journal with a black cover decorated by isabella next to it is a pen light so if i wake up in the middle of the night i can write down my dreams without turning on the light she said dreams of course are welcome business ideas not so much
on a desk and dresser across the room which she cant reach from her bed ms huffington has several china herend rothschild bird bowls to hold such workaday items as post its and manuscript clips and a lacquered box for her packed appointment book i hide the whole mess to forget about it she said lifting and setting down lids like a cook
at bedtime her phone and electronic devices are relegated to the foyer outside the bedroom to recharge under a wall of family photographs withdrawing from her machines she said is part of a half hour transition to sleep ritual that includes writing down the many things she is grateful for dimming the lights taking a warm bath in epsom salts by flickering candlelight and changing into a silk nightgown to greet sleep with respect
i used to sleep in the same thing i wore during the day said ms huffington whose call to rest came in 2007 when she fell down from exhaustion and broke her cheekbone its better to have special clothes for sleeping
it also helps to have soundproofed windows which required a complicated and expensive installation process that made her renovated home as quiet as a church indeed her cellphone rings with the sound of cathedral chimes
i love church bells dont you she asked in a seductive purr
it was time for a tour of the rest of the apartment it is one of her two homes and very different from the one she has in california
my other house is from the 1920s in brentwood in la she said as she swept into her living room when i step out the door there its into a garden of entirely white flowers where all i smell is gardenias and it feels like being in the country here its children dogs and people from all over the world on my street when i walk out and my favorite shops and restaurants
her spacious living area   with a custom bookcase a gilded louis xv desk gilded bronze and cobalt 18th century candelabra and a 19th century italian mirror above the fireplace   has the feeling of something between a papal chamber and the oval office
isnt this beautiful she asks gesturing to a hand painted screen by mr mucek that hides a small white kitchen area where she doesnt concern herself with cooking just the same ms huffington loves to hold the many dinners that she doesnt prepare at a hand painted faux marble dining table
i know how to make a really great cheese plate she said she makes tea too
near the front door is a portrait of a woman by francoise gilot which ms gilot who spent 10 years with picasso gave ms huffington around the time ms huffington was writing picasso creator and destroyer published in 1988 the portrait of her daughters is by nelson shanks who also painted bill clinton pope john paul ii and diana princess of wales
but what i love most of all are the works of my daughter isabella she said
as if on cue isabella emerged from an art studio next to her bedroom christina has her own place the two put their arms around each other the daughter as it turns out also respects a good nights sleep
even in college id get nine hours of sleep a night said isabella who is as tall and graceful as her mother and whose pretty collages have a dark political edge remember when youd visit and my friends were pulling all nighters and youd lecture them about it
her mother laughed no need for that at home it was 10 oclock and with a television appearance scheduled for early the next day time to dim the lights and take the moment seriously
my sleep ritual is about to begin ms huffington said with a beatific smile she looked to the double doors leading to her bedroom my gateway calls
the church bells on her phone were ringing she ignored them


when somerset maugham staggered from the bangkok train station one steaming day in 1923 he knew exactly where to head the chao phraya   the river of kings   whose fresh breezes and open skies were even then a relief from the intensity of the thai capital feeling the onset of malaria maugham checked into the oriental hotel where verandas overlooked the busy waterfront as his temperature climbed to 105 degrees the writer soaked in sweat and addled by hallucinations overheard the orientals owner telling his doctor that it would be bad for business if the author should die on the premises
maughams verdict on bangkok would make a brutal tripadvisor review today in his travel memoir the gentleman in the parlor he reviled the citys dense traffic its ceaseless din its insipid cuisine and sordid houses the thais he declared petulantly are not a comely race
but once he recovered maugham experienced a rush of euphoria at the waterside setting he watched the parade of barges sampans and tramp steamers pass by with a thrill of emotion and conceded that the wats the gilded and glittering temple complexes rising along the river made him laugh out loud with delight to think that anything so fantastic could exist on this sombre earth
i had a taste of maughams extreme reactions as i sat in bangkoks nefarious traffic trying to get to the river on the first morning of a recent trip although i was addled by nothing more dangerous than jet lag from the epic 21 hour flight from new york
laden with literary reference the oriental   now the mandarin oriental although nobody calls it that   is still the obvious introduction to the chao phraya which has in recent years returned to its status as an escape from the citys urban chaos the colonial era edifice where maugham stayed is now called the authors wing although overshadowed by a 1970s addition its exterior looks much as it did when it opened in 1887 and astonished the city with its luxurious imported carpets parisian wallpaper and electrified chandeliers and the setting has not lost its soothing effect
i pulled up a chair feet away from the liver coloured water swirling by as another famous guest noel coward put it a parade of ferries barges and steamboats still battles the surging currents while islands of vegetation float past washed downriver from the jungles of the northern provinces it was a step back into a leisurely past worlds away from the explosive neon energy of the central city
its no secret that despite recent political disorder bangkok has emerged as the unofficial capital of southeast asia everyone from swedish aid workers to vietnamese it specialists prefers to live there and commute around the region to less dynamic cities
the most alluring consequence for travelers has been the revival of the chao phraya which was once the heart and soul of bangkok it was by its shores that the sumptuous royal district was built in the 18th century and although thailand is one of the few asian countries never to be colonized where european powers erected their legations and warehouses in the 19th
it was along the river that bangkoks first road was built an elephant track that became known as the new road and where a raucous chinatown sprang up the river was then so alluring that bangkok was affectionately called the venice of the east a serene warren of canals floating markets and stilt houses
but after world war ii the focus of bangkok moved north and east the river districts fell into decay their waters polluted travelers mostly stayed away and visited the waterfront as part of a day trip to the famous wats it is only over the last two or three years that the river has been rediscovered by bohemian thais and intrepid expats creating a mix of decay and contemporary chic that evokes an eastern new orleans
the chao phraya is a lifeline of history culture and spirituality said david robinson director of bangkok river partners founded in 2013 to help coordinate the revival its changing but keeping its traditions there are roast duck and congee shops there that are 100 years old the novelist lawrence osborne who moved here from new york three years ago agreed the modern city was thrown up over the last 40 years in gimcrack style it looks like it might collapse any moment you dont feel that at all by the river   theres a real sense of continuity
the parallels to new yorks adventures in urban renewal are not lost on thai preservationists last year bangkok river partners invited joshua david the co founder of the high line to speak at a conference he became fascinated by the chao phraya the river allows you to experience bangkok in a completely different way said mr david now president of the world monument fund an amazing variety of watercraft is still used by local communities and will take you to places you would never imagine existed
to me the river also made bangkok seem manageable over years of travel in asia i had somehow failed to venture outside its airport in part because i was daunted by the prospect of navigating a megalopolis of over 85 million people that can seem like an alternate set from blade runner but the idea of exploring by water made bangkok more human scale i decided to spend my time entirely on the river to reimagine its golden age
my inspiration would be less the jaundiced maugham than jozef konrad korzeniowski a polish sailor soon to be renowned as the author joseph conrad who found himself in 1888 frequenting the oriental hotel saloon for a little over two weeks chatting with the barflies as was his wont of wrecks of short rations and of heroism
conrad had taken over command of an australian ship the otago but was stuck in bangkok waiting for his crew to recover from tropical illnesses   an experience that is reworked in his novel lord jim and the shorter works the shadow line falk and the secret sharer although he had his life savings of 32 pounds stolen by his chinese steward who thoughtfully brushed and folded his clothes before disappearing conrad still felt fondly toward bangkok and never forgot its gorgeous and dilapidated temples or the citys vertical sunlight tremendous overpowering almost palpable which seemed to enter ones breast with the breath of ones nostrils and soak into ones limbs through every pore of ones skin
as conrad would surely agree if the river traffic was hypnotic to watch it was more satisfying to join the variety of watercraft churning between the bobbing jetties was bewildering ranging from high speed long tail boats to private vessels and public ferries i found the ferries definitely the most exotic if not always the most comfortable in peak hours crowds squeezed into the sweltering below decks like sardines with yellow robed monks and dapper businessmen alike jostling for elbow room while harangued by boat workers with megaphones who bellowed go down go down go down
there are no continuous walkways along the river so i made surgical strikes from the piers on foot ducking in and out of laneways to the lapping waves all along the right bank stood poetic ruins the splendid 1887 offices of the east asiatic company sat vacant and awaiting rescue while the stately old customs house had become a fire station sprouting greenery from gaping cracks catholic cathedrals and european embassies staggered on in crumbling glory while the iron pins used to moor steamers that conrad may have used quietly rusted
one crooked lane led to the river temple where albino elephants were cremated another to the sacred slab upon which thai royals could be executed it was forbidden for royal blood to be spilled so a bag was placed over the victims head and he was cudgeled to death   a considerate gesture
and yet around every corner ventures of startling modernity were sprouting boutique hotels restaurants and bars often housed in small antique buildings alongside a pioneering art gallery called speedy grandma or a bespoke furniture store like p tendercool a new creative district is even being marked out by the city on both sides of the river to promote local talent
its marquee site is the jam factory a renovated warehouse complex set around a grassy courtyard with a high end restaurant called the never ending summer all designed to appeal to natives first tourists second our real ambition is to get bangkokians back to the river said mr robinson of river partners travelers will follow people want authenticity
to get a sense of the potential for the grandiose historic structures i headed a few minutes away to sathorn road on the back of a motorbike taxi a century ago this was the fifth avenue of bangkok lined with the palatial mansions of thai sea merchants today a lonely vestige from 1896 the house on sathorn is dwarfed on three sides by glassy skyscrapers originally the residence of a rice baron it survived the demolition blitz that has ravaged bangkok since the 1960s because it housed the russian embassy the landmark reopened last year after a multimillion dollar renovation as a glamorous restaurant and event space and has become a symbol of a new spirit of preservation
it has been an epic journey said christine mcginnis then the director of the bangkok office of the united states design company avroko which has overseen the project since 2008 if this house was a child it would be speaking and in school by now construction problems included dealing with the ghost of the first owners mistress who regularly spooked workers by overturning paintings she didnt like during the night its thailand there is always a story ms mcginnis said laughing
working with the citys fine arts department the designers had to maintain the buildings historic integrity while making it commercially viable its corinthian columns have elephant motifs carved into their wooden pediments the color scheme is drawn from the royal thai costume but the tapestries and artworks are all by contemporary local artists
afterward we strolled back to the nearby pier to catch ferries in different directions everyone is getting back to the river ms mcginnis said everyone is getting inspired
there is definitely a new interest in preserving thai history said dan fraser a canadian expat who qualifies as a walking atlas to forgotten bangkok as we plunged by foot along the dark waterfront of the talat noi small market neighborhood here the streets were built only broad enough to allow two rickshaws to pass while shoulder width alleys snake to the docks wealthy thais are coming back from trips to europe looking around and asking what have we done why are there so many 7 elevens  mr fraser said for the first time people are openly admitting that unchecked development has all but destroyed bangkok
even a year ago the conventional wisdom was that the river is thriving by day but dead after dark all that has changed   if you know where to look at least that was what i had been assured by mr fraser who has one of the most colorful resumes in the thai expat world he first arrived 15 years ago to tutor the children of the royal family in english and tennis and he later achieved minor celebrity status as the star of thai language tv shows exploring local culture and food through the eyes of a foreigner
the riverfront at night is his ideal stamping ground this used to be the real core of the city he said as we zigzagged from the old portuguese district toward chinatown but since the 1960s people have wanted to get away from here so development has bypassed this area altogether which is perfect for me its maintained its old world charm
in talat noi the alleys were dark and deserted but concealed secret worlds behind one screen door lay a bar with a broad wooden porch opening directly onto the river and decorated with mismatched retro furniture as if for a backyard barbecue on the edge of chinatown a carved portal marked teens of thailand turned out to be the entrance to a bar by that name with a dozen rickety seats and erotic photographs hanging on distressed concrete walls
bangkok had no gin bar said niks anuman rajadhon the bars co owner who sported a black t shirt and a pompadour elvis would have envied as he concocted a batch of martinis with fresh pomegranates every city has to have one so i thought lets do it we got about 30 gins together   including bangkoks own iron balls   and started experimenting
before long the night began to feel like the premise for the hangover part iv i had not the slightest idea where we were   even if wed used a ball of twine i doubt we could retrace our steps mr fraser said happily   when we heard the haunting strains of traditional thai music coming from what seemed to be a dilapidated merchants mansion
shouldering open the door we found an establishment called tep bar whose interior was lined with century old worn teak and crowded with arty thais the ambience lay somewhere between a speakeasy and an opium den the bars co owner kong lertkangwarnklai was so excited that a pair of farang foreign explorers had arrived by accident that he insisted we sample an array of ya dong ancient whiskey infused he said with 20 exotic herbs
a half dozen shot glasses materialized on a sumptuous golden tray adorned with mango pieces and pickled grapes technically ya dong is medicine mr kong said pushing the potent spirits forward as i knocked the first glass back i had a sudden vision of myself waking up in an alley with my memory of the night erased perhaps with a tattoo across my forehead and a monkey on my shoulder
dressed in jeans and a white t shirt and sporting the suggestion of a goatee mr kong seemed an unlikely cultural revolutionary but he said that he had given up a successful career in advertising for this attempt to keep thai history alive   which starts with the bars name a nod toward the thai title for the city krungthep roughly city of angels
everyone in bangkok is trying to be someone else he said but what about our roots why are we throwing everything away at first the retro impulse behind the bar which mr kong opened last year felt like a quixotic gamble he recalled nobody believed in us they thought the location the concept everything would fail they didnt think thai people would come to such a place the bar was packed with a crowd that seemed spellbound by the music enhanced no doubt by the ya dong
it was about 3 am when i wandered back to a lonely pier staring out at the inky waters reflecting the lights of passing barges a decade from now mr robinson of the bangkok river partners predicted the chao phraya would be transformed but still be recognizable our vision is of a cleaner river with more walkable areas enriched with creative industries and renovated warehouses and clusters of art galleries you can visit without sitting all day in a taxi he said but at the same time all the old roast duck shops and congee stores will still be there theyll just be 10 years older
even somerset maugham would have to approve
an excellent resource for finding out the latest on the ever changing waterfront is the website of the bangkok river partners bangkokrivercom
the grande dame of bangkok hotels the mandarin oriental is celebrating its 140th anniversary this year with a major renovation even if you cant afford to stay there a meal on the veranda high tea in the authors lounge or a cocktail in the bamboo bar are rites of passage 48 oriental avenue mandarinorientalcombangkok rooms from 340
the most theatrical recent addition to the waterfront is the siam an over the top resort owned by the family of the thai rock star and actor krissada sukosol clapp and filled with antiques from their collection many of which are like enigmatic objets dart   rusted musical instruments from the jazz age stuffed crocodiles dancing on their hind legs 32 thanon khao vachirapayabal dusit thesiamhotelcom rooms from 393
among newer boutique hotels by the river the sala rattanakosin is a standout for its proximity to wats or temple complexes and outdoor restaurant views of the wat arun temple of dawn 39 maharat road rattanakosin island salaresortscomrattanakosin rooms from 84
to savor the lesser known corners of the riverfront track down the teens of thailand cocktail lounge 76 soi nana facebookcomteensofthailand the tep bar 69 71 soi nana and samsara cafe and meal which can be best be located via a map link on its facebook page


more than 30 years ago five years or so into a world shaped by aids i had two friends one of them dean was coming to new york city for a job interview he didnt know anyone in the city and was planning on being there for a few days near christmas he was 24 smart and ambitious the other man bill was the last lover of a man named colin who was my first love colin didnt tell bill that he was hiv positive when bill became positive colin discovered he was too colin had died by the time dean was visiting new york
bill called me to ask if i wanted to go to lincoln center i couldnt but i mentioned that my friend dean was coming to town and that they worked in related fields they talked they went to lincoln center i felt i was doing the correct thing in not revealing bills status to dean you can guess where this is going they had sex dated briefly broke up didnt talk years passed bill died one night i had dinner with dean and told him the colinbill story deans reaction made it clear that he hadnt known bills status dean looked at me and our friendship which had cooled for other reasons by this time stopped dean died a year or so later of aids was it my fault dave location withheld
no the primary responsibility for avoiding sexually transmitted diseases lies with the people having sex by the time youre talking about it was known that aids was caused by a virus that it could be sexually transmitted and that the probability of sexual transmission could be significantly reduced by various safe sex practices bill and dean presumably were aware of all this and in any case people shouldnt rely on third parties to inform them of a partners status they have a right to be told directly by their partners
at the same time medical privacy is an important value in emergencies it may be necessary to reveal a persons health status to protect others but youre talking about a situation in which there were easily available steps your visiting friend could have taken to protect himself nor did you have reason to think that bill was going to endanger his date   or that his date was going to endanger himself
maybe bill acted blamelessly we cant be sure that dean got the virus from him one baleful stare doesnt settle the matter if bill failed to mention that he was hiv positive though dean had no grounds to infer that he wasnt and if bill falsely claimed to be negative even in the early years of testing medical authorities made it plain that a negative result was consistent with a persons having been infected but not yet seroconverted if someone was having unsafe sex a negative test result wouldnt have meant that he was uninfected sex and rationality are of course not the steadiest of companions thats why it has been important to promulgate safe sex as a practice   a habit make it a default and you dont need to be especially rational to stick to it
ive said that youre not morally responsible for what happened to your two friends and that you were right to have respected bills medical privacy still with a visitor who was not a new yorker you could have reinforced the importance of safe sex in this epicenter of the disease whatever a sex partners avowed status and done so without revealing what you knew about bill second while duties of confidentiality are less demanding when the person youre talking about is dead it might not have been a great idea to reveal what you knew about colin and bill my father was fond of the latin proverb de mortuis nil nisi bonum speak only good of the dead it has limited applicability i grant but over the dinner table its a decent enough rule of thumb
i am the president of a community garden in a large city the city was among several that applied for grants for gardens and green spaces the awards totaled nearly 200000 we won one of the four awards i excitedly shared the news with my garden members we have several large projects that we could complete with these funds the impact on our garden and the community would be significant but a number of gardeners argued that we should refuse the funds it turns out that the company funding the grant is partnered with an international agricultural giant monsanto well known for its use of gmos pesticides herbicides and other practices that are perceived by some members as contrary to the values of our small garden is it wrong to accept these funds if we do are we condoning those practices if we refuse should we do it quietly or take the opportunity to make a big show of our opposition to monsanto name withheld
heres another latin adage pecunia non olet   money doesnt stink the idea of course is that money is not tainted by its origins the roman emperor vespasian is often mentioned in this connection because when his son titus complained about his infamous urine tax he held a gold coin near the boys nose and asked if it smelled when the boy conceded that it didnt vespasian said yet it comes from urine
the adage leaves many people unpersuaded they regard money acquired by sketchy means as itself sketchy thats a backward looking impulse if the money was made through an immoral process you can try to repair the wrong or punish the guilty but neither of those results is achieved by letting the money go to someone else who doesnt know or doesnt care how it was made
there are forward looking reasons for socially responsible investing to be sure you encourage companies to act ethically by making a pool of money available for the ones that do i prefer these forward looking arguments though im not against punishing companies that have behaved wrongly   in part for the forward looking reason that it discourages further wrongdoing but the situation is different when youre accepting money rather than providing it and not taking someones money is an odd form of punishment
i understand your concern about the symbolism of accepting funds from a business with values that are contrary to those of your association yet have you satisfied yourself that practices you avoid in your garden are in fact morally objectionable in industrial agriculture conventional agriculture requires reform you know its problems well but could we keep feeding the earths population of seven billion if we simply eliminated pesticides herbicides synthetic fertilizers and genetically modified crops rice cultivation emits as much as a hundred million tons of methane each year should we one day consider genetically modified strains that would reduce emissions while increasing productivity how such benefits net out against the potential environmental hazards of these practices is a complex empirical question but feeding the hungry surely counts for something
we need to be better stewards of our fragile environment spurning this gift however will deprive you and your excellent cause of a benefit without making any difference to the corporations behavior surely effective action toward a better future   one that will include small scale agriculture   is more important than the satisfaction of having clean hands and if your hands get dirty well isnt that part of gardening


your top 5 favorite sandwiches in order please go this is a game i play in the car with my children as if we were characters in a nick hornby novel its a diversion to make long travel more bearable we play it all the time the children rush to judgment and as is true for most of us their answers change along with their tastes but of late grilled cheese on white with tomato soup the blt from a store in maine near their uncles house on thick country bread ham and brie with mustard on baguette a meatball sub from a local deli and   does a hamburger count it does not
dads turn i count in reverse order that blt yes perhaps with avocado turkey with swiss coleslaw and russian dressing on a kaiser roll peanut butter and gochujang the korean hot pepper paste on sesame toast a reuben on rye of course with pastrami swiss sauerkraut more of that russian i know a guy who makes those as if he were building violins for pinchas zukerman i pause before the no 1 slot as if reflecting i enjoy giving this answer my most favorite sandwich is fried eggplant mozzarella and roast beef on an italian hero with hot peppers and a slash of mayonnaise
you can find that sandwich at defontes sandwich shop on columbia street in brooklyn near the exit to the hugh carey tunnel that leads from red hook to the battery in manhattan it is a beautiful torpedo of food   crunchy silken sweet and spicy all at once but be careful it is huge and outrageously rich if you consume it all at once it can be the sort of sandwich to lay out the afternoon in stages of grief often i omit the roast beef from my order and tell myself ill eat only half i always eat the whole thing and hate myself through my untouched dinner later in the day
recently in a fit of ambition i set out to make the thing at home re engineering both the fried eggplant and the ratio of the ingredients to make it a human size sandwich the sort of meal that offers satisfaction without hurting anyone that delivers deliciousness at a lower cost to the body that consumes it it is still a colossal feed it is still the best sandwich
to start fry the eggplant you can do this up to a day or two ahead of time i use small italian eggplants eight to 10 inches in length with dark shiny skins firm to the touch you can leave the skins on or you can peel them as do some masters of the fried eggplant game including the franks castronovo and falcinelli of the frankies spuntinos restaurants in brooklyn and manhattan then i cut the eggplants into thin planks and salt them awhile not so much because theyre bitter but because the salt draws moisture from the flesh collapsing its cell structure and reducing the amount of oil the eggplant picks up when it cooks blot them well with paper towels to remove the liquid and the excess salt and you will be good to go
the frying is serial a first run through hot olive oil cooks the eggplant and lightly browns it a second after the cooked eggplant has been dipped in a wash of egg and parmesan cheese gives it a slightly puffed crust browned in spots salty and oily in the best possible way some old recipes for roman style fried eggplant call for a dip in bread crumbs following the egg but i think this is overkill let the twice fried eggplant drain a little and the planks will keep lightly covered for a few hours on the countertop or for a few days in the fridge theyre best at room temperature
the rest of the sandwich is shopping italian hero rolls or loaves of italian bread as well as fresh whole milk mozzarella though ive had good results even with the plastic y stuff from the supermarket just be sure to allow it to come to room temperature before assembling your meal and while you can certainly make the roast beef yourself lets not overcomplicate things youve already fried eggplant vegetarians can avoid the roast beef lastly youll need pickled italian hot cherry peppers which you can slice into rounds and apply as desired the mayonnaise is my preference i know some people hate it
in sandwich making form always follows function so wherever you come down on the question of mayonnaise follow your decision with a small stack of fried eggplant on the sandwichs bottom followed by another of sliced mozzarella and another of roast beef then top the whole with the cherry peppers the eggplant protects the bottom of the sandwich from the moisture of the cheese while the top absorbs the acidity and fire of the peppers fold the mass together and youve got the best sandwich there is for today at least
recipe the best fried eggplant sandwich


mark writes my 11 year old son and i enjoy playing yahtzee in a recent three game match i won the first game he won the second and i took the third we then added our total scores and he came out on top 733 654 he then declared himself the winner i contend that by winning two out of three games i should be allowed to claim that title
i hate to rule against a child especially after three close contests but yahtzee like politics is a machine designed to grind the idealistic dreams of youth to dust though he played admirably each game of yahtzee is a winner take all contest there is no proportional point allocation nor superpoints he can hope to court in this brokered contest i name the winner dad and it has nothing to do with my discomfort with your childs racism and tiny tiny hands


youve been hosting a hip hop radio show for about two decades it seems that other music genres dont have the same relationship to radio that hip hop does do you think theres a reason for that difference people who are fans of hip hop are fans of the overall culture its the clothing its the lifestyle its the music its the tv shows we watch its really a full culture as opposed to just the music radio can deliver all the parts of that as well
in your memoirs my voice you write a little bit about the deadly east coastwest coast feud of the 90s a few times you attribute it to youth was there no older generation of rap stars to look up to there were older rappers but i dont think anyone had experienced this type of conflict on a national level when youre a grown up you learn ways how to cope you evolve into a person who can deal with conflict better when youre young it can go bad fast
radio used to be the singular place to find new music but with the democratization brought on by the internet you guys arent the only tastemakers any more so how do you find new music today through anybody and everybody you have to just find somebody who speaks to you i can get it from my uber driver
have you actually gotten a good recommendation from an uber driver let me see cause im in an uber right now hes listening to future but im already up on future the driver says he wants me to listen to more bachata
in the book you write a bit about a boyfriend who felt threatened by your success yeah i need to call him and let him know that i wrote that
but you dont really talk explicitly about sexism or gender in your career i was a tomboy so i was used to being around a lot of boys when i got into the music business and hip hop i didnt really give it much attention i really just kept going and kept working it was almost like blinders but now i do see it i was 19 making sure i had baggy clothes on trying to blend in trying to make sure i knew all my stuff to be sitting at a table full of guys talking about hip hop i wasnt consciously thinking cause im a woman i have to know more but i wanted to know more i wanted to sit at the table with them
you had a very short lived gig on american idol four shows is that correct it might have been three
one reason you left is you said you didnt like crushing the hopes of the people who auditioned were you able to watch that show at all i love that show but i wasnt a singer i didnt feel secure enough to be able to take an opportunity away from somebody
but you released two albums yourself which gives you some credibility why havent you done any more i can hear some of the songs and be like oh its kind of good but i think any artist even probably a seasoned artist probably looks back on the first couple of things that they did and is like oh i could have done better than that its like looking at a high school photo
one thing you did with your show was that you offered a sympathetic ear to people who may not be getting sympathy in other places you gave a pretty friendly interview to chris brown in 2009 i treated him like a human being who made a mistake   not a monster
so lets say donald trump wanted to come on your show yeesh the difference is that chris was still pretty much a kid at that point with trump i think he knows what hes doing contrary to what a lot of people say he is not a dumb guy i keep hoping that maybe its a like some big facade and maybe he doesnt believe some of the things hes saying hes just trying to get in the position and once hes there hell do the right thing
you really do try to see the best in people i try thats a really hard one though


for pet owners a clever or useful item for their cat or dog could be more welcome as a wedding gift than a place setting of china a duvet cover or yet another toaster oven and for mothers who have a dog or cat such an accessory would make for a talked about present on their day may 8 too
active types who track their fitness levels can now work out with their dogs and see how many steps their four legs have taken for homeowners a weather vane can be hand carved with a likeness of their dog
a set of stemless wineglasses is etched with the saying home is where the dog is or with the pets name for couples with minimalist home decor a pet bed by a designer of modern furniture blends right in
and for those folks without pets a charitable contribution is always a good alternative to a gift
the prismatic dog leash is dyed by hand and made of marine grade rope and solid brass hardware the leash produced by a brooklyn company whose owners are committed to spreading the word about animal adoption comes in small medium or large and in a choice of many colors 64 from foundmyanimalcom 718 384 6203
the meow cat cave is handmade by a womens craft collective in nepal of a blend of new zealand and nepalese wool it offers just the right hiding place for a kitten 75 from uncommon goods uncommongoodscom 888 365 0056
luke wong a chicago furniture designer created the zz bed to fit into a modern minimalist interior made in chicago the beds are covered in gray upholstery grade polyester fabric the covers zip off for washing in small medium and large 169 to 289 from docapet docapetcomno phone
fitbark is for dog owners who wish to track their animals fitness and activities along with their own 6995 in a choice of many colors from fitbarkcom or amazoncom
ceramic food and water bowls have lead free glazes and are made to order in four sizes 60 to 90 from etsycomshopjumiemade
stemless wineglasses for a dogs peeps by rita bean are laser etched with the saying home is where the dog is a set of four is 6999 from puplife puplifecom 877 489 9322
hand carved weather vanes depicting nearly any dog breed are made of basswood and hand painted 575 to 695 from anythingdogscom 877 298 0638
the snoozepal cat hammock is a fleece lined sling available in a choice of fabrics it is in a cardboard box that holds up to a 20 pound cat 39 from catabovecom 910 796 1116


the postman left the cardboard box marked warning live birds in the backyard fortunately the warning was right inside were three rhode island red pullets six weeks old peeping and blinking
they had survived an extra day in transit   the postal services one day shipping guarantee turns out not to apply to animals   from a hatchery in ohio 400 miles from brooklyn as the chicken would fly if it had the wings
the gawky rust colored birds were installed in a small brown plywood coop and so on the last day of march in ditmas park brooklyn another new york household joined the ever growing ranks of the chickened
as spring erupts across the citys backyards and community gardens new recruits report to a galline army that now numbers in the thousands supplying hen warm eggs a few chicken dinners and a taste of the wonders and worries of farm life
on the north shore of staten island kathy venezia rushed home from work on april 21 to greet the 20 three day old fuzzballs that had just been delivered lifes little pleasures she said in jamaica estates queens david xu is building an extra enclosure to protect his four new chicks from the violent attentions of a year old hen
there are no reliable statistics on the citys chicken population but one vendor alone mypetchickencom says it has shipped more than 3000 birds to new york city in the last three years and 34 community gardens   including the one i belong to in park slope brooklyn   now keep flocks
at imani community garden in crown heights brooklyn a dozen people crowded around a picnic table on april 14 to hear a lecture on egg production presented by the city chicken meetup current membership 873 and to discuss their poultry aspirations
its been my dream to have chickens for a long time miriam cohen of brooklyn told the group the meetup is run by just food a nonprofit that supports urban agriculture
mr xu 50 a semi retired importer from fujian china related the bittersweet tale of his recent road trip to ohio to pick up six baby chicks two of them died he said i dont know why maybe i didnt give them enough feed maybe the hotel room wasnt warm enough
lydia ahonen who runs the city chicken workshops clucked sympathetically
its very easy to lose chicks she said they are quite a project what often happens aside from them getting cold is theyll overheat and then die of heatstroke
at every stage of life ms ahonen said pitfalls await novice hens can lay eggs without shells   it looks like someones trying to cook an egg in the nest she said hatchlings can come out shrink wrapped the membrane of the egg sticks to them and they suffocate or cemented the fluid in the egg sticks to them and they cant move laying hens get eggbound when the egg is stuck inside and sometimes has to be dislodged manually
even healthy chickens can require a surprising amount of maintenance as anyone who has ever crouched in a coop in a minus 20 windchill massaging vaseline into the comb of a squirming hen to prevent frostbite can attest only hens can kept in new york city   roosters are illegal because they make too much noise
but its all worth it said ms ahonen 36 who is tending three new chicks this spring at imani garden one april day at the age of 3 weeks they were looking a little pterodactylish as they entered the brief stage where chickens are proficient fliers
when they get a little bigger you can watch them hunt squirrels ms ahonen said you say oh they really did come from dinosaurs they really were raptors they put their heads down and flatten their bodies out and just shoot off zoom
the new backyard pullets on east 15th street in ditmas park now over two months old are taking their time learning the ropes of chickenhood one recent day two sparrows flew through the chain link fence and began to peck at the pullets organic soy free grower feed there were no objections
youd think theyd have some sort of instinct to protect their food said a woman who uses the name shaolida and is an owner of the house and the designer of the chicken coop
a sparrow returned a few minutes later and one of the pullets trotted over and chased it off good chicks good shaolida 28 called out
saturdays are my familys day to tend the hens at the warren st marks community garden last weekend someone had let the hens out black and white dominique stood sentry in the low crotch of a pine tree others foraged for worms in the compost pile
as i made the rounds the eight hens gathered around me cooing soft encouragement until i fetched a container of cracked corn from the shed and led them back to the coop then i opened the nest box door and folded my hand around the smooth cool shell of an easter egger hens blue green egg it was delicious


edie brickell and steve martin put that opening number into bright star just before their musical began performances on broadway in march
at first carmen cusack the shows star couldnt sing it without crying
i understand it ms cusack said in a recent interview i had something similar happen to me
her mother was 16 and her father 15 when they had her in a small town near denver ms cusack spent the early years with her grandparents in fountain fla until she was returned to the primary care of her mother in alabama who promptly had three more daughters
i became a live in nanny ms cusack said we had to grow up very fast there never was a day when there wasnt shouting about the bills
throughout her life ms cusack has hustled to earn a living   she couldnt afford to finish her degree at the university of north texas   whether as a singing waitress near a fort worth freeway on a cruise ship crooning burt bacharach songs or as a jazz chanteuse in an underground wine bar for 40 a night
sitting in her cramped dressing room at the cort theater the other day ms cusack didnt seem bitter instead   wearing star studded cowboy boots   she exuded a combination of the grit and grace that makes her seem so suited to the character she plays alice murphy a spunky backwoods teenager in the 1920s who evolves into a buttoned up book editor in the 1940s
its been a long road to broadway where ms cusack has caught the attention of critics like charles isherwood of the new york times who pronounced her debut simply gorgeous and chris jones of the chicago tribune who said the role looks likely to change her life
up until now she has stepped into roles as a replacement albeit for major parts like christine in phantom of the opera fantine in les miserables and nellie forbush in south pacific
originating something is what every actor waits for she said usually those opportunities are offered to people who already have a name
having been with bright star from its first reading in 2013 ms cusack   who declined to give her age since she moves between 17 and 37 in the show   always assumed she would be replaced with a big name if the production ever made it to broadway
the musical also calls for someone who can be credible both as a once lighthearted teenager whose baby is taken away and as a self restrained professional woman who has buried the past
the bright star creators felt ms cusack was up to the task it seemed hard to step away from her said walter bobbie the shows director
over time ms cusacks performance has informed the book and score carmen has gone through every transformation that the play has gone through mr martin said ultimately scenes and songs were written knowing that she could handle them
one of those songs is the rousing 11 oclock number at long last in which alice rejoices in a long awaited release
when i heard what she can do ms brickell said i was inspired to sit at the piano and write songs that would allow her voice to soar
growing up with gospel music ms cusack had the shows soulful bluegrass sound in her bones
she also had a well of sadness to draw from having felt emotionally unsupported by both parents
when ms cusack came home from school with a trophy for performing in a christmas carol she recalled her mother debra parker produced her own middle school clippings for sorry wrong number
even at the opening night of bright star arguably the biggest moment in ms cusacks career her mothers support was indirect she said the people around her were saying nice things ms cusack said its hard for some parents to give their children compliments
ms parker a school bus driver acknowledged that she hasnt been great about conveying her approval i think thats just something that runs in my family she said by telephone i never heard any praise
i never realized i was very cold as a mother   i thought i was an affectionate mother she added i do always push my girls to excel i guess i never gave enough love and i never realized it because i was working so hard myself
rejected by her own father a seventh day adventist   who told her when she got pregnant as a teenager youve ruined your life   ms parker said much of bright star hit her hard i cried through the first half she said it reminded me of too many things
of her daughters performance she said i think shes wonderful im very proud of her
ms cusack moved to london at age 20 after marrying a jazz pianist from manchester england the marriage only lasted two years but ms cusack stayed for 14 working steadily she eventually married paul telfer a scottish film and television actor with whom she now shares homes in new york and los angeles
carmen would often sing for her money said sarah pelosi a london friend who regularly met ms cusack at the kings head pub for lager and live music wed sort of sit and put the world to right and look at the future and build each other up with a good laugh
the two met while doing a concert performance of les miserables in ireland and ms pelosi said it was immediately clear that ms cusack was bound for bigger things this voice came out of her and i just thought bloody hell ms pelosi said i knew once she got a job out there people would be like where have you been
although ms cusack had done national tours of big musicals she was little known in new york   a discovered yet undiscovered talent mr martin said like finding someone full blown whos ready to go who is theatrically and musically experienced yet had never been on broadway
she auditioned for bright star by vhs tape mr bobbie called bartlett sher who had directed her in the national tour of south pacific
he said shes the real thing mr bobbie recalled
in an interview mr sher described ms cusack as a fearless performer who can embody a complicated character and carry a show
she can be that severe closed down damaged person who opens up to something he said and she can play youthful and open as well
asked if they knew how much their musical personally resonates for their lead actress the creators said they had no idea but they said ms cusack brings a sentient clarity and depth to the material
you can certainly sense that shes gone through a lot and can put her pain and her joy into this part ms brickell said you can feel it when somebody has that in them


west hollywood calif   margot robbie came racing into the tucked away bungalow she was renting here she had returned from recording the voice of a talking dingo for a dreamworks animated movie and on an april afternoon was doing her best to clean up strewn clothes from overstuffed suitcases   evidence that an intended one week visit to los angeles had stretched into a month
im sorry its so manic said this 25 year old actress who was born in gold coast australia and lives in london yet had not seen either city in a very long time
im always like no it will calm down next week she said in a more relaxed moment stretched across a patio couch next to a faded pillow that said god save the queen
and then the following week ends up being crazier
ms robbie was on the latest leg of the globe trotting journey that has consumed her since 2013 it began at roughly the moment that a worldwide audience discovered her in martin scorseses the wolf of wall street playing the no nonsense lover turned wife of an unscrupulous broker played by leonardo dicaprio
after three years of relentless film work she is poised for two of her most prominent roles this summer in franchise movies whose success could transform her from a wannabe to a deserves to be star
first shell be seen as a self reliant and decidedly un dainty jane in the legend of tarzan a new adventure of that jungle hero opening july 1 then on aug 5 she stars in suicide squad based on the dc comics series as harley quinn a cracked up criminal psychologist who wields a baseball bat and a brooklyn accent with equal ferocity
these prospects would sound like an actors dreams come true yet they have prompted ms robbie to wonder if they are indeed the fulfillment of her aspirations
while taking care not to sound ungrateful she is openly wrestling with what it means to be so visible and whether this was quite what she envisioned doing at this stage of her career
its always a hustle she said i thought it would be a mountain where you get to the top and then its like wheeee its so easy after this
instead ms robbie said any time i get near the top im like theres another mountain the hustle continues
the third of four siblings raised by a single mother ms robbie has been in almost perpetual motion since the end of 2010 when her contract ended on neighbours an australian soap opera on which she played a free spirited bisexual woman in search of her biological father
within days she was on a plane to los angeles seeking representation and auditions for american tv pilots she was quickly cast in the abc period drama pan am
its so much more fun for people to describe it as winning the lottery and the overnight sensation she said but it was all very strategic these are the steps that need to be accomplished
the cancellation of pan am after just 14 episodes was actually a lucky break allowing her to take roles in richard curtiss romantic comedy about time and then the wolf of wall street
her formidable performance and noo yawk dialect in the wolf of wall street became her calling card but it also required her to appear in several nude scenes including one in which she entices mr dicaprios character wearing only a pair of stockings and high heels
ms robbie said she struggled with that provocative sequence recalling her thoughts at the time she said the sacrifice i have to make is that i have to do this nudity thing that i dont really want to do but i get to work with scorsese which i really want to do ok what outweighs what
though the director told her she could play the scene in a robe or underwear ms robbie said that once she got invested in the character i was like she wouldnt do that no way she would be fully naked
since then ms robbie has starred in suite francaise adapted from irene nemirovskys fiction and the comic con artist thriller focus with will smith
but it is the wolf of wall street that filmmakers keep coming back to and casting her from
david yates the director of the legend of tarzan said that seeing ms robbie in that film made her look glamorous and exciting but also caused him to wonder is she going to be a flavor of the month thing
the director whose credits include four harry potter films as well as the coming fantastic beasts and where to find them said that for his tarzan he consciously avoided creating a jane that felt too vulnerable that needed rescuing
meeting ms robbie mr yates said revealed a woman who was right for the part but different from what he expected
shes very pragmatic he said shes quite insightful despite the fact that she looks wonderful and shes quite ambitious in a good way she has her feet on the ground
for ms robbie tarzan called for a lot of time in front of green screens in london pretending to run from animal stampedes or endure a monsoon
in the midst of filming she celebrated her 24th birthday with a 24 hour long party so many people were like margot im tired she said im like were not done yet
she faced a different kind of endurance contest preparing for suicide squad whose cast also includes mr smith and jared leto and in which ms robbie is one miscreant on a team of mismatched villains turned heroes
from his first skype conversation with ms robbie the films writer director david ayer end of watch fury said she was a very analytical and serious person he added but once she feels comfortable she really opens up
that was the actor mr ayer said he wanted for the unhinged harley quinn who could bring to life the characters gear shifts the wild forays and suddenly can be real and heartbreaking
as harley quinn ms robbie once again had to put much of her body on display the character almost always wears tiny shorts and is seen in one trailer changing into a tight t shirt ms robbie said she could justify the wardrobe her character is wearing hot pants because theyre sparkly and fun she said not because she wanted guys to look at her ass
but she added as margot no i dont like wearing that im eating burgers at lunchtime and then you go do a scene where youre hosed down and soaking wet in a white t shirt its so clingy and youre self conscious about it
mr ayer said that i didnt think denim overalls would be appropriate for that character and that ms robbie understood thats part of the iconography
ms robbie said that when she is playing characters who are confident about their appearance   say a self assured war correspondent in the tina fey comedy whiskey tango foxtrot or a satirical version of herself explaining subprime mortgages from a bubble bath in the big short   she is not necessarily feeling that way
you need to act like you think youre really gorgeous she said and you need to be completely convinced with that because everyone else will believe it too
ms robbie said she can do that when im really sure its not me
should there be a suicide squad sequel she said half jokingly and half not im not wearing hot pants next time
her suicide squad co stars described ms robbie as a performer whose tenacity gets overlooked in a superficial glance
you might be fooled into thinking shes such an easygoing person but shes very very serious about what she does said jai courtney a fellow australian who plays captain boomerang
her pursuit for it has been carried out doggedly he said she deserves it shes worked for it but shes also not resting on any laurels or gifts or physical attributes
already ms robbie has helped create a new production company luckychap entertainment to develop projects she could potentially star in like a planned film about tonya harding the disgraced olympic figure skater
getting into producing she acknowledged was also a way to leverage her fame willingly before others can exploit it
it took a little while to get my head around the fact that oh youre a commodity now and theres a value placed on your head she said someones always going to be using your name milking that and taking advantage of it so you might as well let your friends do it
asked if she felt she had achieved what she hoped for when she first came to hollywood ms robbie thought for a moment before answering no she couldnt quite say what she wanted then but described a flight of fancy that had lately crossed her mind
often im like i shouldve been a stuntwoman she said i love doing stunts and being on set but then you wouldnt have to be famous
but then she said you cant really turn back the clock


with only 100 days to go the olympic fashion unveil is picking up steam first australia revealed its opening ceremony looks at the end of last month   a green and white seersucker blazer and white shorts or skort canada followed suit a few wees ago with a maple leaf bedecked blazer a few weeks ago and on wednesday just hours after team great britain showed off its stella mccartney competition gear and team usa debuted its polo ralph lauren closing ceremony style france stepped up to the podium
the designer in their spotlight is felipe oliveira baptista creative director of lacoste who was in charge of the opening ceremony podium and olympic village outfits for the french team and paralympic team and they are ... 
minimal in the colors of the french flag blue red and white though in practice this means largely navy and white with red accents which is a good thing the opening ceremony look consists of a thigh length navy macintosh and skinny white trousers with a windbreaker and sweatpants in white or navy for awards the cut is narrow and close to the body the lacoste crocodile comes rendered in the stripes of the french flag and there are further stripes placed selectively on one arm or just above the hip of a shirt the styles are on the whole   and this is an unusual word to use to for an olympic uniform   pretty chic
my one quibble is the presence of a somewhat ornate rooster on the polo and mac just across from the crocodile its the french olympic mascot so it probably had to be in there somewhere but that makes for a lot of animal life on one garment
you have to find a balance between a look that makes a statement that is visual enough to read in a stadium and on tv and one that is not very complicated mr oliveira said by phone from paris you dont want athletes to feel disguised you want them to be comfortable
he should know he also created lacostes nontechnical outfits for the french team in the 2014 sochi olympics which featured a gray flannel puffa blazer and wrap jacket over khakis and were generally considered among the more successful styles showcased during those games
youd think that the olympics the apogee of physical achievement and pure competition might be the one area exempt from fashions reach these days but then you would be wrong the opening ceremony has turned into something of a catwalk and everyone has an opinion on whether their countrys look is the right one this is especially true if part of your countrys identity is wrapped up in being the home of fashion
its a lot of pressure mr oliveira said
indeed certain countries have gotten in some trouble in the past for opening ceremony outfits that seemed too souvenir shop kitschy ralph laurens 2014 sochi opening ceremony look a patchwork grandfather cardigan and beanie hat that combined stars stripes and olympic rings was criticized in the words of new york magazine as a hullabaloo of knitwear perfect for inaugurating your first annual olympic themed ugly sweater party perhaps as a result their new closing ceremony uniform for rio is significantly simpler and classically preppy a red white or blue polo button down shirt over a striped tee with white chino shorts and boat shoes
the australian outfits for rio which have a whiff of the yacht club about them have likewise been met with some raised eyebrows though the canadian kit which was designed by dean and dan caten of dsquared2 and which features skinny black pants a red blazer with a maple leaf on the back and a white shirt that dips down like a tailcoat in the back has been generally applauded as cool
indeed increasingly designers are being enlisted in the service of their country or other countries for that matter giorgio armani prada hermes stella mccartney and the above mentioned ralph lauren are some of the labels whose work has appeared in the last two olympic games either in action or during the formal ceremonies not that this is a fail safe approach just ask ms mccartney who was criticized on social media for the competition uniforms for the 2012 london olympics which featured a deconstructed union jack minus a lot of the red they were it seemed a little too fashion for many folks   unlike the new kit which showcases a new coat of arms plus the union jack and has been widely applauded ms mccartney is also designing the team gb opening ceremony looks for rio but they wont be shown until july
the fact is while simply doing a few looks for men and women for a big sporting event watched by millions may seem like a relatively easy side project it is said mr oliveira who ultimately made 77 different pieces for the french team nothing of the kind you have to create a style that will work on a variety of shapes and sizes on men as well as women you have to somehow encapsulate a countrys ethos in a single look and you have to have it approved by the olympic committee which involves mr oliviera said a lot of restrictions he had been working on his french team looks since november 2014
the olympic season is the longest season in fashion he said
perhaps it is unavoidable thus that the olympic collection had a knock on effect on his own lacoste spring line which was based on a similar color palette peppered by shades from the flags of other nations such as italy as well as the same stripes albeit even more fractured oversize and abstracted consumers can choose which version they like best as a selection of the olympic looks is being sold now alongside the main line
or they can wait and see what country and which designer does the olympic reveal next


a letter that falls into the wrong hands and is misinterpreted drives the intricate plot of dear evan hansen a musical about unhappy teenhood and its consequences good and bad opening at second stage theater
the show which i first saw and enjoyed at arena stage in washington arrives in new york with much of its original cast intact most significantly ben platt a star of the pitch perfect movies who plays the title role with wonderful sympathy and intelligence evan is an awkward friendless teenager who is encouraged by his therapist to write daily pep notes to himself when one of these is snatched by a fellow outcast evan finds his life and his status as an eternal outsider completely upended
the accomplished pop rock score is by benj pasek and justin paul dogfight broadways a christmas story and the book is by steven levenson the language of trees the veteran michael greif directs opens sunday may 1 second stage theater 212 246 4422 2stcom


something strange in the neighborhood ever since 1984 when a giant stay puft marshmallow man menaced new yorkers in the sci fi comedy hit ghostbusters moviegoers have known who to call though there was a sequel in 1989 and there were animated tv spinoffs all involving a new york city riddled with paranormal activity and those who battle it fan anticipation soared when this summers reboot due july 15 was announced the biggest update   the female comedians melissa mccarthy kristen wiig leslie jones and kate mckinnon taking over from the original male stars bill murray dan aykroyd harold ramis and ernie hudson   has been dissected so much on social media that the new filmmakers wanted to be careful how they executed any other changes from the original they knew that certain elements of the ghostbusters world like proton packs and the ecto 1 were essential to keep for the fans but they also wanted to add their own spin the films director and co writer paul feig and the production designer jefferson sage explain their thinking behind the updated packs and other ghostbusting gear
mr feig a self proclaimed hardware geek and mr sage consulted a particle physicist from the massachusetts institute of technology about ideas for the pack which helps contain and capture ghosts even though everything were doing is sort of pseudoscience i wanted it to be based on real science mr feig said the design of the packs is actually part of the new films story line the engineer jillian holtzmann kate mckinnon comes up with a prototype that is so large it has to be pushed around on wheels in the end they wind up with packs that are smaller than the ones bill murray and company used   now 17 pounds compared with 50 pounds in the original i didnt want my cast to be dwarfed by these enormous things he said but one aspect remains the same the packs have a very garage band feel a look that says these tools have been pieced together with very little cash
in the original film the ghostbusters worked out of a disused firehouse in manhattan now the place where they develop their technology shifts the first work space is in the basement of a forgotten institute in the bronx it is dense with equipment and found objects they dont have the money to go and get the finest materials mr sage explained so something that was true in all of their labs was that they find things on the street and they realize they can use them over the course of the story they lose the basement lab make off with some equipment and are able to put together another one in an unexpected spot the closed upstairs banquet room of a chinese restaurant the old buffet for the restaurant becomes one of their lab tables and they have meetings in an old booth for dining mr sage said theyve just moved in and gone to work
big ghost fighting hardware needs transportation with plenty of storage that was the idea behind the first ecto 1 the roomy 1959 cadillac ambulance that took the men wherever duty called for the women the filmmakers ran through a number of ideas for a new ecto 1 first aiming to change it in a major way at one time we thought the ecto would take the shape of some kind of altered minivan or a tricked out surplus military vehicle mr sage said but ultimately we thought you know the other one worked so well were going to stay with that mr feig wanted to update the year and style of the car however and made it a hearse the minute i saw this mid 80s cadillac fleetwood hearse i thought thats it i love the straight lines of those cars he said to him the vehicle looked cool and modern while still old
the ghostbusters plain but functional jumpsuits became a visual stamp of the original so the filmmakers didnt want the updates to stray too far in that spirit the costume designer jeffrey kurland drew up uniforms with reflective stripes on them much like the reflective gear worn by a transit worker   which is what one of the new ghostbusters patty tolan leslie jones happens to be we wanted it to be stuff they had found or was given to them mr feig said adding that he liked the orange stripe as a motif i also thought it was a flattering design that gave a nice graphic difference to ours from the original he said the jumpsuits can be worn open or closed allowing the characters to personalize their outfits the costume staff also built in extra pockets and rings to hang and store the different gear theyll need at the height of battle


hieronymus bosch is a kind of populist superstar among the old master painters his fans relish his surreal inventive images of the afterlife but particularly his vivid visions of hell sinners straddling giant knife blades egg shaped machines churning miscreants into their bellies cruel hybrid frog devils and dog faced lizard birds
five hundred years since the death of the dutch artist in 1516 its believed that only a tiny fraction of boschs output survives   about two dozen paintings and some 20 drawings   but the fascination with his oeuvre hasnt abated in all that time aficionados have asked the same question how did he come up with his amazing imagery where did he get the inspiration for these strange little monsters
very little is known about bosch the man we have no letters or diaries and written information in archives tends to be about transactions who bought what and when i wondered what i could discover about his mind and his artistry by going back to the place where he was born lived and worked
i headed to the city of s hertogenbosch known locally as den bosch whose name the artist eventually took as his own this year the city celebrates the 500th anniversary of the death of its legendary son in an attempt to forever link bosch to den bosch as i was told by lian duif program manager of the jheronimus bosch 500 foundation a nonprofit organization that has been planning the quincentennial celebration since 2008
den bosch an hour south of amsterdam by train is a picturesque medieval city thats not on a typical tourist itinerary though it boasts the countrys largest cathedral and an underground network of natural waterways
although only a handful of landmark buildings from before the 16th century survive the city is still laid out almost exactly as it was in the late middle ages and early renaissance   boschs time   because all the new structures have been built on plots that were established in the 15th century and the skyline has barely changed
as a result one can still get a pretty good sense of how it felt to live in the old city in 1516 but until about 10 years ago there was little to link den bosch directly to its most famous son
we thought theres something more than the paintings ms duif said theres this intangible heritage another aspect of bosch his time his city the market square his studio thats all holy ground
the foundation supports a host of activities related to bosch which will go on throughout the year including the sold out blockbuster exhibition hieronymus bosch visions of genius the largest ever retrospective of his works until may 8 its opening was marked by a parade of boschian puppets on feb 12 attended by tens of thousands of visitors including the dutch king willem alexander
activities throughout the year include exhibitions of contemporary art related to bosch an evening light show bosch by night a program of concerts more parades in june a theater festival in august and a bosch circus in the fall
the city has also collaborated with the netherlandss leading theme park efteling a fairy tale and folklore based amusement park to develop the bosch experience discovery tour an app guided walking tour and heaven and hell cruise which passes by life size figurines modeled on boschs little monsters and demons from his most famous work the garden of earthly delights and ends with a fire and brimstone 3 d light show inside a dark canal tunnel called the hell gate
exploring boschs life on ones own isnt terribly complicated either the key physical landmarks of his life are positioned along a single red brick street the hinthamerstraat so that you can follow his life along a straight and narrow path what an apt metaphor for this devout catholic whose paintings often centered on the figure of the wayfarer a traveler torn between the righteous and the perditious paths
walking the whole distance would be an easy stroll of about 10 minutes without stopping but there are about seven historic locations linked to boschs life that are worth exploring along the way so the whole tour can take about two hours
i planned my bosch excursion with the art historian gary schwartz who was born in brooklyn but moved to the netherlands more than 40 years ago his new biography jheronimus the road to heaven and hell was published in february
we met at whats known as a brown cafe a kind of living room pub with a spacious terrace under umbrellas in the heart of the market square called in de kleine werelt at markt 10
mr schwartz ordered us each a pastry known as a bossche bol the citys signature treat a kind of doughnut filled with whipped cream and smothered in chocolate and told me about boschs early life we could see the verdigris bronze statue of bosch in the city square and two of the three houses where he once lived
the house where the artist was born around 1450 no official date is known to a family of painters as jheronimus van aken was also on this square but it most likely burned down during a devastating fire in 1463 which razed much of the medieval city the fire itself many historians suggest may have been an inspiration for boschs vivid depictions of hellfire since it might have made a strong impression on him as a teenager
we know from city records that from about the age of 12 until 30 bosch lived at no 29 which is now de kleine winst a modest wooden souvenir shop painted forest green it bears a brass plaque reading jeroen bosch 1450 1516 jeroen is the middle dutch equivalent of the english jerome
for many years this three story building served as the bosch family home workshop and studio where his family ran a very active art operation his grandfather jan van aken from the town of aachen germany was a painter and four of his own sons took up the profession this is also where the young hieronymus learned to paint and probably where he adopted his artistic pseudonym bosch taking the name of his own city as a kind of calling card
around age 30 bosch married aleid van de meerveen who had inherited land houses and income from her parents and grandparents all of whom had died in quick succession including her home at 61 markt which is now a shoe shop he moved in with her and while the couple had no children they took in aleids orphaned nephew they lived in this house from 1483 until boschs death
during boschs lifetime den bosch was the northernmost city of the duchy of brabant a part of the holy roman empire and a monastic city according to mr schwartz one of every 20 inhabitants was either a monk or a nun because the town was a home to prestigious monasteries
bosch himself became the first artist to be accepted into the illustrious brotherhood of our dear lady a fraternal order devoted to worshiping the madonna that received its charter in the 14th century
this order had a certain religious glamour and there were more people who wanted to be part of it so they started taking members who werent clergy   dues paying members mr schwartz said but at the core they were sworn brothers   they were made men   and they belonged to the church hierarchy
to become a sworn brother bosch would have had to qualify as one of the four grades of minor orders which were doorkeeper reader acolyte and exorcist mr schwartz suspects that bosch may have qualified as an exorcist   which naturally made me wonder could he have seen the demons he depicted
it didnt mean that he was allowed by the church to exorcise demons in people that was only done by full priests mr schwartz explained just being called an exorcist for an artist who dealt so heavily in demons is something that mustve meant a lot to him
leaving the crowded noisy markt and heading east along the hinthamerstraat we soon came to het heilige geefhuis at no 72 or the holy spirit house now the citys library a venerable building that stands on the site of the former tafel van de heilige geest table of the holy spirit   a kind of medieval soup kitchen for the citys poor dating to the 13th century
a few yards down at no 94 is the home of the illustrious brotherhood with a mustard yellow facade and gothic looking spires
across the narrow street and through the cobblestone plaza is the immense gothic sint janskathedraal cathedral of st john built in the 13th century originally as a parish church and now the largest cathedral in the netherlands
just inside the front door of the cathedral to the left is the brotherhood chapel where all the members of boschs order would gather for their more exclusive services and rites once this church was full of artworks by bosch mr schwartz said commissioned by his friends and brothers in the clergy even the churchs main altar was a bosch work which apparently remained in place until 1629 when the city fell to the protestant army of the reformed dutch republic in the eighty years war this is also where on aug 9 1516 boschs funeral mass was held
we continued on to the end of the hinthamerstraat where we stopped before the chapel of st anthony and what was once an asylum for the insane which mr schwartz told me was established in the middle ages to treat those suffering from st anthonys fire today known as ergotism or erysipelas which causes fever chills convulsions loss of limbs hallucinations and ultimately death
one of boschs favorite subjects was st anthony who was tempted by demons and whom he depicted as a dour faced abbot hunched over in a heavy brown monks robe i always assumed that bosch chose this theme because it gave him a chance to paint his beloved little monsters but learning about st anthonys fire puts a new spin on it could it be that bosch was also depicting the hallucinatory terrors of the diseases sufferers perhaps described to him
as dark clouds started to loom in the ever changing dutch horizon we headed toward the last stop on our walking tour the jheronimus bosch art center where i said farewell to mr schwartz this former church was renovated in 2006 to create a permanent destination for bosch aficionados to explore his works inside the display includes all of boschs known works presented in large format poster reproduction in frames that you can open and close to see his triptychs for example up close and from all sides this is a great place to visit if you miss the exhibition of original bosch works at the noordbrabants museum
for the final leg of my trip after lunch i took a boat tour offered by kring vrienden van s hertogenbosch my guide was hugo groeneveld a retired coastal engineer who narrated a bit of city history as he motored our small skiff through the winding watery tunnels underneath the city some parts travel through the open air which was bucolic and lovely while the passages through the tunnels at times were dank and eerie
along the way we encountered various figures on the banks and popping out from walls of the tunnels from boschs garden of earthy delights these figures are part of the bosch experience but i would have been just as content without them
just being underneath the city in the boat with the quiet ripple of the waves and the soothing purr of the skiffs motor suggested a different element of boschs universe the more positive side the sense of peace one gets so close to the water   and yet so close to the city   seems to me a kind of paradise
the tunnel walls multiplied ahead of us suggesting a kind of circular infinity i gazed through the darkness until there was a hint of daylight indicating the way forward when our captain shut off the boats lights and we floated onward in the dark i was reminded of another bosch picture the ascent of the blessed from the doges palace in venice
in that image the lucky souls who have followed the righteous path and have been delivered from purgatory into salvation float upward into a circle of light there in the center is a faint figure barely distinguishable by the suggestion of a pair of white wings offering them welcome its nice to think that bosch so famous for his visions of hell surely enjoyed this bit of heaven on earth
bosch experience s hertogenbosch a discovery tour of boschs city created in conjunction with efteling theme park using a free bosch experience app and route booklet in dutch and english follow boschs life on a tour through the medieval city center to the top of st johns cathedral and onto a canal cruise under the old city
hieronymus bosch visions of genius the noordbrabants museum billed as the largest ever retrospective of bosch works this exhibition brings together about 17 paintings by bosch and 19 drawings along with works by members of his workshop and followers
jan fabre tribute to hieronymus bosch in congothe noordbrabants museum among several exhibitions related to bosch this one is by the belgian artist jan fabre
bosch grand tour seven dutch museums in four cities in the province of brabant present exhibitions of contemporary art that relate to bosch


a renovated villa in northern portugal
164 million 145 million euros
this home originally built in 1939 on the coast of northern portugal was renovated to create contemporary interiors and expanded into a 6800 square foot compound in 2007 with walls of granite and brick and a terra cotta tile roof the three story villa is on 316 acres and has views of the atlantic ocean from the upper floors there are a total of 13 bedrooms and 11 bathrooms in three sections the main house a wing that is reached only from the outside and a separate building
the property about 50 miles from the city of porto has a 1076 square foot swimming pool an outside bathroom a tennis court and a small lake about a half acre of the property is landscaped
the main entrance to the villa opens to a foyer leading to the dining room which has a rustic white painted wooden ceiling a granite wall and hardwood floors to the left is the eat in kitchen which has ceramic floors butcher block countertops white wooden cabinets and high end appliances said ricardo alves da costa a real estate broker with luximos christies international real estate which has the listing for the property it can be found in english at the prestige property group furniture is not included in the homes asking price but is negotiable
stairs off the villas foyer lead to the second story which has a living room with an ivy covered veranda and ocean views next to the master bedroom which has an adjacent bathroom a terrace and sea views three other bedrooms on this level share a bathroom stairs lead to a small tower with another bedroom
the homes dining room opens to a patio with two covered outdoor dining areas and an ornamental pool stairs from that patio lead down to another large patio that is covered in vines
enclosing the second patio is a wing reachable only from the outside with a second living room four bedrooms with en suite bathrooms three additional bathrooms and a set of rooms for storage the living room has a vaulted wooden ceiling and an immense window looking out over the property as well as a fireplace
a nearby detached building has four bedrooms and two bathrooms another structure has a laundry and a mechanicals room
the villa is in areosa a parish of about 5000 residents in the city of viana do castelo with a population of about 90000 there are plenty of shops for groceries and essentials in the city within walking distance mr da costa said the atlantic ocean beach is a two minute drive from the house and a peninsular area nearby is known among wind surfers for its strong steady winds
the villa is about 45 minutes by car from the international airport in porto the second largest city in portugal with about 148 million residents in the urban area
market overview
home prices in northern portugal fell by as much as 35 percent after the global real estate crisis of 2008 but in the last three or four years prices have held steady and the number of sales has been growing said andre borges a broker with the porto office of portugal sothebys international realty
in some areas of porto weve even seen a little spike in the prices so theres a tendency to have higher prices now than a year ago especially in downtown porto and an area we call foz thats by the sea and the douro river he said
the global real estate crisis mostly affected lower  and midpriced homes while sales of higher end homes   those over 500000 euros or 565000   slowed but prices were largely stable mr da costa said
portugal is currently experiencing very high tourism levels which often translate into home sales to foreigners said greg boegner the founder of a lifestyle website portugalconfidentialcom
porto in particular has been attracting many foreigners including americans drawn by its culture and lifestyle as has the wine producing douro valley to the east mr boegner said
the vibe in porto is very hip artistic and cool he said
foreign home buyers tend to focus on porto though if they are seeking large estates vineyards or farms to convert to hotels they will look at other parts of northern portugal mr borges said those seeking villas apartments or condos within porto generally look in foz or downtown which has been undergoing a renaissance he said
an area of porto called the golden triangle bounded by avenida do brasil avenida da boavista and avenida do marechal gomes da costa is upscale and attracts both wealthy foreign and portuguese home buyers mr borges said
prices for the homes in northern portugal that typically attract foreign buyers generally range from about 3000 euros to 5000 euros per square meter or about 315 to 525 per square foot mr da costa said the best homes in porto with ocean views can cost as much as 6000 euros a square meter or about 630 per square foot he said
who buys in northern portugal
a tax program for part time residents that enables those from countries with high income taxes to pay much less tax in portugal instead has been enticing home buyers to northern portugal from such countries as france and belgium mr da costa said other buyers are coming from brazil england and spain americans are discovering portugal as well mr da costa said
mr borges said he also works with buyers from germany denmark and finland as well as occasional clients from the middle east and from african countries including angola and south africa
a program called the golden visa has also been fueling the housing market with middle eastern chinese and some brazilian buyers taking advantage of it agents said the program offers residence permits to noncitizens of the european union who buy a property costing more than 500000 euros or one costing more than 350000 euros that is more than 30 years old or in an area of urban renovation
buying basics
there are no restrictions on foreign home buyers in portugal brokers typically recommend that home buyers budget about 7 percent for transaction fees including stamp duty transfer tax and notary costs on homes over 550836 euros or about 622445
a lawyer is not necessary as long as buyers work with a reputable real estate agency mr da costa said the notary does everything for 700 euros or about 791 he said
lawyers typically charge about 1 percent of the propertys purchase price though the fee is negotiable mr boegner said typically the home seller pays the real estate agents fee of 4 percent to 6 percent brokers said
portuguese banks offer competitive mortgages to nonresidents but will usually lend only about 50 percent to 60 percent of the propertys value mr da costa said
web sites
visit porto site visitportoandnorthtravel
municipality of porto travel site visitportotravel
areosa parish website paroquia areosapt
viana do castelo website cmviana castelopt
language and currency
portuguese euro 1 euro  113
taxes and fees
the annual property tax on this home is about 2500 euros or about 2825 mr costa said
contact
ricardo alves da costa luximos christies international real estate 011 351 961 696 319  luximospt
mike braunholtz prestige property group 011 44 1935 817188 prestigepropertycouk


newport ri
what a federal house with four bedrooms and three bathrooms
how much 1395000
size 3000 square feet
price per square foot 465
setting this house is on a narrow residential street a few blocks inland from newport harbor at the edge of a neighborhood called the hill it is within walking distance of downtown in a national historic landmark district covering the citys oldest buildings including modest seamens cottages handsome merchants houses wood frame churches and storefronts some dating to the mid 17th century restaurants and shops are within a few blocks a summer resort since the early 19th century the city is about 70 miles from boston and 180 miles from new york
indoors the three story clapboard house was built in 1811 and underwent a major renovation in 2014 the renovation was done by the architect john k grosvenor a principal of northeast collaborative architects and cheryl hackett the author of a book on shingle style architecture in rhode island
much of the original interior had been buried under drywall and linoleum recovered during renovations were wide plank hardwood floors molding mantels and plaster walls elsewhere salvaged materials were used including slate fireplace surrounds made of blackboards from a 19th century school in newport lighting is a mix of new led fixtures and antiques including the slag glass pendant in the foyer and crystal sconces in one of two first floor sitting rooms
the kitchen and dining area are housed in a bright open addition with a pitched 22 foot beadboard ceiling tall enough to accommodate three rows of windows appliances are stainless steel including two dishwashers and a verona gas range the central island seats four and is organized around a crushed granite sink the kitchen and an adjoining sitting room open to a teak deck
one bedroom part of a suite is on the first floor the other three including the master are upstairs the windows in the master include an eight foot wide clerestory window salvaged from an estate in providence the dressing area has a pair of antique chinoiserie dressers built in the third floor formerly an attic is now an office with built in bookcases a window seat and extra storage under the eaves
outdoor space the lot is bit more than a 10th of an acre fenced and landscaped with a small yard and a perennial garden theres also a fire pit walkways were made using bricks salvaged from the original chimney there is a one car detached garage an old stone wall runs along one end of the property
taxes 6670 a year
contact michelle drum gustave white sothebys international realty 401 848 6720 gustavewhitecom

glen ellen calif
what a shingled house with two bedrooms and two bathrooms
how much 1359000
size approximately 1469 square feet
price per square foot 925
setting this house is within a mile of downtown glen ellen a community of about 800 people in the sonoma valley 50 miles from san francisco upscale but understated the area is home to a handful of vineyards and restaurants there are large tracts of parkland including the 202 acre sonoma valley regional park and the 535 acre bouverie preserve where riparian woodlands meet grasslands and evergreen forest
also in glen ellen is jack london state historic park where the author had a ranch and wrote the valley of the moon
indoors the two story house was built in 1920 and renovated over the last 20 years on a sloping wooded and secluded property it has views of the treetops and hills with a series of interconnected patios and decks to facilitate indooroutdoor living
the interior is cozy and bright with original fir floors wood beam ceilings and walls of glass common areas are on an open floor plan off a skylit entryway many of the renovations including the slate fireplace surround and slate bench seat in the living room as well as the kitchen cabinets were designed and built by one of the current owners steven froman an artist woodworker and furniture maker the french doors in the living and dining area open to a deck built around a large old oak tree with views of sonoma mountain
the kitchen has a vaulted ceiling and is separated from an informal dining area by a prep island appliances are stainless steel countertops are black stone floors are ceramic tile french doors open to a patio with a brick pizza oven built into a tall stone wall
one bedroom is part of a suite on the main floor the second the master is downstairs on a lower level that follows the grade of the land the master bedroom has walls of windows while the adjoining bathroom has a walk in glass shower with a rain shower head alongside a carved wood vanity and ceramic sink the lower level also has a tv room also on the property is a two story workshop with inside parking for one car
outdoor space the house is on 361 acres a stone path on one side of the house leads to the patio with the pizza oven then curves around to a large patio and a swimming pool from there stone steps lead to a hot tub and fountain while most of the property is wooded there is a cleared garden space next to the workshop
taxes approximately 16990 a year
contact tina shone sothebys international realty wine country brokerage 707 799 7556 tinashonecom

river forest ill
what a prairie style house with four bedrooms and four bathrooms
how much 1375000
size approximately 6000 square feet
price per square foot 229
setting river forest is about 10 miles from downtown chicago much of the village is in a district on the national register of historic places with architecture including italian renaissance style mansions queen annes midcentury moderns and several houses by frank lloyd wright who also designed throughout neighboring oak park this property started life as the river forest womens club and was converted to a residence about 10 years ago it sits on a tree lined residential street across from a catholic school a chicago transit authority train stops eight blocks away in oak park the ride downtown takes about a half hour
indoors the club built in 1913 was designed by the architect william eugene drummond a draftsman for wright who worked throughout the chicago area with a focus on river forest where he lived landmarks illinois cited the current owners for the sensitivity and thoroughness of their renovation
a prairie style structure with a flat roof and ribbed board and batten siding the exterior is marked by four tower like corner sections with tall vertical windows
much of the entry levels square footage is taken up by what was once the clubs two story auditorium now used as a living room original details include dark pine paneled walls and two rows of windows the topmost cut in a saw toothed design a small plaque next to the raised stage commemorates soldiers who died in world war i
two bedrooms once reading rooms are on this floor with new walls made of the original accordion pine doors the master suite is in a loft over the auditorium it has two bathrooms renovated in marble as well as closets with pebble glass doors and built in dressers
downstairs theres an open plan living and dining area with light colored concrete floors and floor to ceiling windows opening to the back courtyard the unusually large kitchen has commercial grade stainless steel appliances as well as stainless steel surfaces and subway tile walls the fourth bedroom is on this level floors in most of the house have radiant geothermal heating part of a system that also includes solar water heaters on the roof
outdoor space the lot is 036 acre fenced with raised flower beds
taxes approximately 18940 a year
contact lauren miller properties 312 883 0082 atpropertiescom


i am perched on a slippery roof ridge at the buffalo peaks ranch in the rain feet sliding on ancient asphalt shingles atop rotting plywood decking tethered only by a rope for fun
with me on the roof are five other volunteers who are donating their time and brawn to create a live in rural library in colorado helping the booksellers jeff lee and ann martin realize their dream
in the course of their 20 years at the independent denver bookstore tattered cover mr lee and ms martin have accumulated more than 32000 volumes on the american west my first novel stations west is among them seeking to share the books and their love of colorado the pair who are married have leased the buffalo peaks ranch about two hours from denver to house their collection
but before the property which they are calling the rocky mountain land library can become a haven for lovers of the west and western literature it must be restored a working ranch from 1862 until the mid 1980s the buildings at buffalo peaks have fallen into disrepair enter historicorps a service organization dedicated to historical preservation
various funding sources and grants supply materials and professional help but volunteers like me make up the bulk of the work force last summer in addition to buffalo peaks ranch historicorps volunteers worked on preserving former slave quarters in virginia an archaeology museum and field school in michigan and a mining town in colorado among other projects
the ranch currently consists of four dilapidated and waterlogged residential buildings and two enormous sun dappled barns for horses cattle and sheep now the residences of birds and rodents there are two tasks at hand   we historicorps volunteers are to strip the bunkhouse of its asphalt shingles shore up the roof and reshingle it we are also to reshingle the much steeper and higher cookhouse with historically accurate cedar shingles
the first morning i arrive in my brand new work pants expecting a gaggle of aging hippies but my fellow volunteers are 20  and 30 somethings as new to construction as i am my previous building experience consists of a semi failed attempt to put together a futon with an allen wrench and i once wielded a hammer to hang a photo
our patient project supervisor an expert in historical preservation is steve harris whose addiction to movement and work is both inspirational and exhausting his historicorps partner for the summer is megan potter a preternaturally cheerful crew leader and camp cook who seems impervious to the unpleasantries and inconveniences of the field
rounding out our crew are two emerging journalistswriters an adventurer from england and a phd candidate interning with the group for all three weeks of the project
one of our rank 78 year old bill yett holds the historicorps record for the number of volunteer hours having worked on about 15 projects i should probably count them he is also the owner of the most amazingly appointed pop up camper i have ever seen i have seen one a hot shower a sofa a full size bed a sink a dvd player a refrigerator used to the fumblings of city folk dabbling in historical preservation bill has boundless patience though he laughs every time i bang my hard hatted head on scaffolding which is to say about once an hour
after the first mornings extended safety briefing the expected warnings against sunburn dehydration and back injuries and also the odder cautions against feral pigs and hantavirus we begin by constructing scaffolding steve is an excellent engineer and teacher and by the end of the day we have a lattice of metal poles ready for us to climb and to hit our heads on
that night after a camp dinner of stir fry i retire to my bed and breakfast in thenearby town of fairplay everyone else is camping on site but i am camping intolerant situated on the high plains elevation 10000 feet in the middle of colorado in the south park national heritage area yes that south park fairplay serves as a cheaper alternative to ski lodging in breckenridge in the winter and an anglershikersgold panners paradise in the summer with a requisitely quaint main street of knickknack shops art galleries and souvenir stores
the hand hotel has 11 themed rooms i am in rancher with lariat and rocking chair run down but comfortable and friendly exhausted i can barely manage a shower before i fall asleep the next morning i am treated to the hotels ample continental breakfast served in a sunroom overlooking fairplay beach on the south platte river
mornings at historicorps projects start with a safety circle where we stretch get to know one another and share a safety concern all five days i reiterate how important it is to wear a hard hat what with the attacking scaffolding and all the dings as my hard hat hits the metal provide a percussion punctuation to the day everyone else seems to heed their safety concerns   there are no strained backs or falls from the roof
the next two days on the job site are spent tethered to safety ropes prying shingles off the roof an amazingly satisfying activity when thunder and lightning bring us down from the roof we explore the old cattle barn it still holds its original scale and chutes as well as one scattered cow skeleton its hayloft will eventually house the bulk of the book collection but at the moment it just seems a likely location for hantavirus carrying feral pigs so i poke my head in and come back down the ladder in one of the stalls which will be turned someday into artists studios a sparrow learns to fly cheeped on by its mother
its cold in the rain in the 50s and i nap curled up in a towel on a lawn chair in the mess tent while others play cards until the storm moves past when the sun comes out we roast as the temperature climbs into the high 80s a merciless high altitude sun accompanied by swarms of hitchcockian mosquitoes
one can see for miles on a clear day summer days in central colorado are mostly clear with a predictable afternoon shower the weather warns you of its approach politely on the horizon cresting the peaks of the fourteeners 14000 foot mountains on the mosquito range there are few trees just short grass and wide sloping prairie land ideal for ranching from most vantage points the landscape seems unchanged from the previous century or even from its prehistoric origins
over the next two days our work crew replaces rotten boards on the roof and lays down sheathing in preparation for the shingles steve demonstrates proper shingling technique but we have to wait for the inspector so we move over to the cedar roof
cedar shingling requires greater creativity as the shingles are not standard and the chooser must paw through the pile to find one that is the perfect width to overlap its neighbors they smell lovely like a winter closet and with the sun shining this is the most pleasant part of the work crew swinging a hammer the two nail guns are otherwise occupied as the new roof begins to take shape
there is a constant dance of equipment sharing and locating of putting everything away in anticipation of rain though we work unless theres thunder and lightning and taking it out again meal times are sacrosanct and i devour megans pancakes burritos chili sandwich fixings salads burgers and other camp favorites an easy camaraderie develops among us as we chat during our work   fondness turns to light teasing we develop inside jokes we start to get to know one anothers likes and dislikes become attuned to the rhythms of our work
the week passes quickly especially because i get nightly showers and a bed though everyone else seems content to camp in the field by the worksite in their tents jeff and ann visit on thursday to prepare the ranch for a weekend tour and they share a bit of their vision for the land library thanking us for our help almost daily someone stops by having heard about the ranch from the new york times article that inspired many of us to come here and we put down our tools and play tour guide for a minute or two proud of our affiliation
jeff and anns passion for literature about the american west is based on the exceptional nature of this region which looms so large in the american imagination like the valley in which it sits the land library funnels together individuals enthusiastic about preserving what is in danger of extinction   books and historic places we are students jeff says even before were able to put our first books on the shelf the land library at buffalo peaks ranch is all about learning and gaining new skills
a travel experience in which you preserve and contribute rather than consume is invigorating and sustaining it is no surprise that after we leave three participants start garo an arts and writing blog inspired by the ranch and the library
the land library may be several years and several million dollars away from completion but ive played my own small role in bringing it closer to fruition i return to civilization sore and exhausted but with a renewed energy for my own writing as a result of spending time helping jeff and ann pursue their dream of creating a home for books and those who love them thanks to them and to historicorps i am now a competent cedar and asphalt roofer an emerging preservationist a fan of service vacations and a hard hat evangelizer
the hand hotel has rooms from 64 531 front street fairplay handhotelcom
at fairplays north end is the picturesque courthouse along with the south park city museum also worth a visit in the southern end of town is the burial plaque dedicated to prunes the burro faithful companion of rupe sherwood who is buried next to him information about fairplay can be found at fairplaycous and at coloradocomcities and townsfairplay
more than 40 historical buildings including blacksmiths dry good stores and barbershops have been restored and moved to the south park city museum open may 15 to oct 15 hours vary fairy ampcomspcmuseumsouthparkcitymainhtml
visitors can tour or attend a workshop at buffalo peaks ranchrocky mountain land library be sure to admire the new roofs landlibrarywordpresscomabout
south park steakhouse a high country steakhouse 456 front street fairplay
south park saloon has burgers wings and ribs all solid and the beers on tap are varied everyone sings along to classic rock 24 north main street alma six miles north of fairplay southparksalooncom
historicorps is a national volunteer organization dedicated to saving americas special places a list of volunteer opportunities can be found at historicorpsorg


we tend to fetishize labor anybody whos drooled over a sexy firemen calendar knows that blue collar dudes are hot its a cliche but the third episode of the 10 part brooklyn bar web series horace and pete turns the cliche into a four alarm tragedy a middle aged woman named sarah laurie metcalf sits at a table confessing to something that mortifies her she is deeply turned on by her father in law his name is roger and hes an 84 year old ex navy man who drives a pickup truck and used to farm he comes over to make repairs on sarahs country cottage and as he does his thing   shirtless indifferent to her   she just you know watches him
what arouses sarah is not roger himself its rogers work its as if she hasnt seen a man wield a tape measure or tighten table legs in so long that she has pornographized it
i get it sister ive been watching tv were out of rogers what few we even had in 2007 television underwent a great expansion   beyond the major broadcast networks beyond televisions and into all kinds of genres   just at the moment the economy shrank and a fantasy emerged as real people became poorer and lost their jobs the ones on tv got richer and their jobs seemed more beside the point all that space to tell new stories ended up dedicated to a limited set of jobs and an increasingly homogeneous notion of what work even means
these days there are only a handful of workplace taxonomies in scripted television weve got police precincts crime and forensics teams and legal medical beltway dramas nbcs chicago med chicago fire and chicago pd are a virtual sexy calendar night these shows might know what a blue collar is but theyre class unconscious their characters dont usually work for the explicit maintenance of their livelihoods they work for comedy for suspense for sport for the most part tv cops lawyers bureaucrats and doctors inhabit the same kinds of toothsome residences and wear the same exquisitely tailored clothes all showing off how fabulously art directors and costume designers earn a paycheck sometimes we see more of their work than that done by the people who inhabit it now on tv no matter your actual job almost everybody belongs to the same generic vaguely upper class class
to the extent that tv has always been an advertisement for something it was often an advertisement for the middle class a job a family a home products to put in it but early sitcoms engaged with matters of aspiration and failure and they were tied to work if employment didnt define a character from episode to episode it sustained him and it was usually a him some like jackie gleasons brooklyn bus driver ralph kramden the human caldron of the honeymooners 1955 56 had jobs some like dick van dykes rob petrie the klutzy tv writer on the dick van dyke show 1961 66 had careers work or the lack of it slotted you into a clear socioeconomic class kramdens dissatisfaction   he devoted a lot of time to hatching get rich quick schemes   became the tacit sadness of the the honeymooners it was the first rueful sitcom petrie had a suburban new york living room that kramden would have killed for
by the 1960s prime time television was barely two decades old and it was already a little nostalgic and class neutral broadcasting shows safely ensconced in either the suburbs or the distant past but the decades relentless turmoil civil rights vietnam political assassinations watergate feminism demanded discourse on tv that conversation happened in the living rooms of the working class middle class and working poor on all in the family maude and good times each a creation of norman lear each a demonstrable emblem of its characters social station archie bunker all in the family was a white foreman in queens florida evans good times was a sporadically unemployed black housekeeper in chicagos near north side projects bunkers armchair racism sexism and all the rest wouldnt seem to have anything to do with evanss prideful despair but the two shows dramatized their opposing dissatisfaction class was the perch from which to see who you were and were not and from which members of the television audience could see who they were too
the discontent on those shows ran like a fuse through the 1970s into the late 1980s the end of the reagan era and start of the first bush administration coincided with the arrival of married  with children and roseanne a pair of long running sitcoms about the white lower middle class and working poor   the bundys and conners respectively the first was more bitterly toxic my mother got a whiff of its vulgarity and forbade it than the second but each show descended from lears righteous class consciousness and each felt like a rebuke of the vertiginous affluence and physical beauty of soaps like dallas and dynasty and a rejoinder to the upper middle class comfort of the cosby show
writers and producers from the cosby show   matt williams marcy carsey and tom werner   also helped create roseanne which was set in lanford ill a fictional factory town whose homes had a corresponding lived in averageness the show made work and money matter a dollar had to stretch and food had to last for a family of five through its early seasons neither roseanne nor dan conner could keep a full time job fundamentally the shows preoccupations were as typical as those on the cosby show how for instance do we raise these kids but some werent are we going to stay married
at the time the country welcomed the duality of brooklyns prosperous black huxtables and the penniless white conners rather than sink to the bottom of the ratings roseanne hovered at or near the top often alongside cosby for most of its run some weeks more than 20 million people watched them both
in latter season roseanne something crucial changed roseanne became an owner of a loose meat sandwich spot her financial worries didnt abate until of course a final season hail mary had the conners hit the lottery but steady employment changed the nature of the show gradually everybody spent more time at the restaurant hanging out the change now feels like both a socioeconomic triumph and a creative capitulation the show was just following where other sitcoms were already headed characters went from hanging out at work the mary tyler moore show wkrp in cincinnati taxi to hanging out instead of working
cheers which ran for 11 seasons on nbc starting in 1982 was the first great hangout show neutralizing the depiction of class and removing the pressures of work life is hard enough cheers said lets just make tv ever since television started taking it easier on us bill clinton was in the white house and the economy had improved on seinfeld living single friends ellen its like you know sex and the city girlfriends and much later happy endings and new girl the commingling childless men and women might have had jobs but almost none had consequential careers how many jobs did elaine and george have on seinfeld and in how many fields and kramer   how was he paying to live across the hall from jerry hangout shows placed friendship above family obviating the typical economic ecosystem belonging to a family of friends probably means you only have to support yourself
tv became   and still is   a medium struggling to understand average ordinary normal when the economy began to tank in 2007 television was barely equipped to reflect the collapse in part because the people who make shows were largely immune they were well compensated creatures of the entertainment industry mostly unaffected by a shrinking economy that disconnection sanitized tv against the complexities of race and class many sitcoms now are set in the places their creators know best soundstages and writers rooms
there is currently a diet version of the huxtable conner dichotomy recurring on abc it pairs the middle about getting by in the heartland with black ish which asks whether prosperity dilutes blackness but the networks marquee show modern family a masterful machine that makes highly polished sitcommery has so little to do with most modern families that its claim of modernity often feels like a joke
people working for minimum wage or doing manual labor became the province of reality television shows like dirty jobs and undercover boss which has company executives pretend to be employees more than once the revelations and class disjunction that emerge from the ruse have made me cry were still some distance from the king of queens which was set at a ups like facility
watching modern family two broke girls and girls i often find myself asking what it even means to work the characters on these shows especially girls exist in an alternative realm   a kind of whatever class neurosis there is a condition of identity not of social station the work you do is on yourself but after five seasons on hbo even girls suspects a problem the show has always been a stealthily shrewd satire of millennial life its characters relationship to work has ranged from nonexistent to insultingly indulgent the triumph of the most recent seasons final episode is the glee it takes in thumbing its nose at gentrification in our neighborhoods and on tv flighty shoshanna converts conscientious rays empty cafe into a anti hipster coffee shop as the original owner hermie goes on a tirade while pouring free coffee around the shop you can see the place is busy with cops and nurses the average looking and the elderly the solidly middle class
its a joke   if youre not working youre not real   that doubles as a critique of both girls itself and the cultural ravages of the hangout show especially television is losing what work is and knows it sarahs arousal by that old working man on horace and pete is a recognition that something primal has gone the making the doing that prove that we exist we built this we manufactured that those jobs are disappearing the factories and mills and laundries are now lofts and cafes where characters sit around and talk   where all they do is hang out


the house existed in my mind as an idea almost a dream before i ever discovered the actual place bumpas house the home of my fathers grandfather it represented in the telling of my father and other older relatives the kind of place youd get to live in if you worked hard it was huge on a hill with a big yard and every christmas it was filled with toys bicycles and skis and basketballs my dad jack now 79 recalled and a croquet set
on zillow these days its value is estimated at just over 200000 which happens to be almost exactly the median price for an existing house in the united states this seems fitting for my fathers family the dreams fulfilled by this house had meant a climb from bare subsistence to the middle this house was the middle worcester where the house still stands was the middle the life that bumpa and narny built here was the middle and that to them and to their children and grandchildren was a triumph the goal of a good life
having studied the american economy for years ive often reflected on how much my fathers family perfectly models the middle class story   how closely the details of their lives illustrate the bigger economic forces around them the way i read economic history the middle class was a driving force in the american economy for about a century starting in the second half of the 1800s its growth created a virtuous circle the more people moved into the middle the more money they made and spent and the richer the country became which made more room for more people to move into the middle too
but in learning about my familys economic history ive also come to understand how deeply their story is embedded in the history of a place of one particular city created by and for the middle class when i mention worcester to people from new england they often give a knowing nod or laugh   this unlovely down on its luck city of dead industry and collapsing buildings but worcester was an engine for betterment until the middle of the 20th century a magical place that transformed lost and impoverished lives
a few weeks ago i called my dad to relate what i had learned about his grandparents george and mildred bestick he told me he knew almost nothing about them before they got to worcester where they had settled by 1917 bumpa and narny existed as if they had no history as a child all my dad knew was that the bestick name was irish and that narny born mildred bailey came from an old proud new england family with mayflower ancestry they were respectable clearly just look at the massive house and bumpas three piece suits and narnys quiet devotion to her baptist church
only recently i learned that this respectability was actually self reinvention built on top of origins in poverty and chaos my great grandparents economic journey was one thats harder to make today in part because there are fewer middle cities now even during the middle class heyday of the 20th century they couldnt have done it without worcester
there is no single technical definition of the middle class   or even consensus on what middle refers to many use it in the context of income distribution to designate the range in which people live at or near the median income but i believe that definition misses a crucial historical role played by what we call the middle class today in its earlier incarnations the members of the middle class were situated between a tiny powerful elite and much larger numbers of landless laborers and subsistence farmers who struggled to feed their families most people typically did not buy anything manufactured or delivered from afar their food came from what they or their neighbors grew they made their own homes and clothes they operated largely outside of a money economy
for nearly as far back as we have economic records we can see evidence of a third sometimes very small group these middlemen were crucial they filled an essential intermediary role turning raw materials into finished goods some were craftspeople making pottery textiles processed foods or other luxuries others were traders transporting raw materials and finished goods over long distances the middle classes varied by country and era but they shared certain characteristics perhaps the most profound was a unique sort of control over their destinies in premodern life the middle people werent so poor as to be stuck permanently in misery but neither were they bound by the social codes and strictures of nobility that tended to accompany wealth they were often more exposed to market forces their livelihoods to a great degree depended on an ability to spot opportunity and sell the right things to the right people at the right price
we often attribute the industrial revolution to a handful of brilliant inventors who created the steam engine the power loom and other transformative technologies but many economic historians point out that these developments required a broader middle class characterized by education a feeling of opportunity and a lack of deep commitment to the existing socioeconomic order the industrial revolution could just as easily be called the middle class revolution those intermediaries who converted raw materials into usable consumer goods took over the economy we know that story mass production global trade faster innovation ensues its possible to have an endless chicken and egg debate over whether the middle classes created or were created by the industrial revolution but the answer plainly is both and for well over a century we lived in a world defined by the middle class
by the early 1900s   as the people who would become my family were establishing themselves in worcester   the virtuous circle had begun to take hold nationwide factories were growing quickly offering long term decent paying jobs to former farmers day laborers and immigrants as workers earned more money they bought more goods which meant the factories got more orders and needed to hire more people as factories became more sophisticated they needed a better educated work force and indeed the public school revolution began ensuring that the children of the new factory workers would be better educated and better able to make even more money by the 1930s the middle class was not just an aspirational destination it had become a bedrock of the country
worcester wasnt anybodys first choice at least not in my family the first to arrive were solomon and leah davidson jews from kaunus lithuania both were born in 1862 and left their homeland sometime in the 1890s as part of the first big wave of jewish emigrants fleeing anti semitism and poverty they wandered awhile they were in england until 1898 but i found no records of what they did there they appear in new york then head for boston finally they end up in worcester in time for the 1900 federal census now responsible for seven children solomons occupation is pedlar   rags sic rhonda mcclure who specializes in immigration papers at the new england historic genealogical society told me that solomon davidson my great great grandfather was one of the poorest least connected immigrants she had ever come across he arrived in america heading a family of eight with 18 to his name a pittance even then a mark on his immigration papers suggests that he was taken aside for additional questioning something mcclure says was unusual immigration officers probably feared he would be a destitute beggar once settled in worcester he applied for citizenship and presented two witnesses to attest to his decency one was a liquor salesman the other a grocer each said he had met solomon recently and done business with him   presumably sold him some liquor and groceries or bought some rags   and he hadnt cheated them mcclure says shes never seen a naturalization document with such tenuous claims applicants usually enlist family members or at least a religious figure to serve as character references for them
solomon struggled in worcester the 1910 census identifies him as a fruit vendor a notch   but hardly a leap   up the socioeconomic scale because fruit requires at least some meager capital to invest by 1923 he was selling tonics or sketchy medicines on the street yet the family was somehow able to buy one of worcesters three decker buildings which must have felt like a miraculous accomplishment for folks who arrived with nothing a few years earlier and soon enough his children were thriving my great aunt ethel once described how she and my great grandfather jacob would pretend to go to sleep and then sneak out the window to go to the dance halls solomons children began working in late adolescence but not as street peddlers his daughters became stenographers and bookkeepers a son worked in a shoe store jacob opened his own tannery the next generations the ones that came of age after the 1930s produced the familiar complement of jewish immigrant children successes   among them lawyers and accountants and ceos and a high level executive at cbs
jacobs eventual wife and my great grandmother annabelle lewis was another sort of worcester immigrant she grew up in a remote corner of maine descended from yankee sailors her father was a saloonkeeper the census says he couldnt read or write what stories i remember about him are brutal he was a violent drunk a horrible father according to family accounts she fled early and ended up in worcester with little education no money no prospects she worked in a dance hall dancing with men for money in december 1916 she and jacob made a hurried trip to vermont to be married by a justice of the peace three months later my grandfather stanley was born one of jacobs sisters told me that their father upon hearing his son married a non jew ripped his clothes and proclaimed him dead to the family jacob and annabelle moved to rhode island for a time but returned to worcester a few years later to open the tannery they were beginning to repair relationships with the family when jacob became sick with tuberculosis he died in 1924 when my grandfather stanley was 7 a few years later stanley met a young girl at school helen bestick she wrote in her diary i met a jew today
helens family had its own story of worcesters redemptive powers her father george the man my dad called bumpa as a toddler grew up poor in braintree another small industrial city in massachusetts eventually he became an office manager in a razor factory which given his background would have counted as an impressively skilled sit down job at 33 he seemed to be stuck at home caring for aging parents his two siblings had long ago found spouses and moved away then he married a 30 year old widow mildred who had survived a tough life as well she was born in plymouth mass where her ancestors passengers on the mayflower had settled centuries before but by early adulthood she was with her parents in braintree with a failing marriage a baby and a job as a stitcher in a shoe factory before long her husband and baby both died whenever it was she met bumpa she would have been considered a spinster with a questionable past whatever the distinction conferred by her heritage
their history makes me love worcester these two trapped poor broken people somehow met and managed to put all that pain behind and create a new life in what still felt like the fresh quickly growing frontier of central massachusetts bumpa following a tip from a minister who had moved to worcester seems to have arrived in the city with an office job in hand at the heald machine company where he worked until his retirement decades later a combination of historical luck a fast growing economy and his own hard work enabled him to carve out a good life that must have seemed unattainable when he was younger
my grandparents stanley and helen had their own hurried wedding in 1936 followed too soon by the birth of a son my father jack before long they had three more children by then their families were able to help out bumpa george got stanley a job at heald it was a great job for a young man with a new family in the midst of the depression he did well there and rose to factory foreman by the time he retired after 54 years at the company stanley owned three homes and vacationed in europe in the summer needless to say few people dealing with pregnancy in high school today could expect to attain such a good life
the virtuous circle collapsed by the 1980s technological innovations changed factory work its incorrect to say that america doesnt make anything anymore us manufacturing has grown steadily for the past several decades todays factories however are filled with very few   albeit highly skilled   employees and lots and lots of machines the expansion of global trade meant that low skilled american workers were competing with low skilled workers abroad and many of the countrys rules like union friendly laws and other protections for workers were weakened or disappeared
the forces that would eventually afflict the american middle class came early to worcester the development of the interstate highway system beginning in the 1950s and containerized shipping a few years later meant that factories much farther away could afford to ship to east coast ports manufacturing became more consolidated   heald machine for example was bought by cincinnati milacron which brought some of its workers including my grandfather stanley to ohio there are still factories in worcester   for example norton one of worcesters biggest and oldest plants which was bought by the french conglomerate saint gobain in 1990 but long gone are the days when worcesters plants offered a decent job to just about anybody willing to put in a hard days work new employees looking to join the middle class must have not just a high school diploma but an associate degree if not a bachelors degree
for all its decline in the second half of the 20th century worcester did enjoy one bit of good fortune in the 1960s the university of massachusetts placed its medical school in the city the school which continued to grow brought several generations worth of high paying medical jobs and a fair number of lower paying support positions similarly worcesters position close to the center of new england has been good for the transportation business many of my relatives who stayed in town have worked either in the medical center as nurses or in the transportation field as truck drivers dispatchers rail yard inspectors these are solid stable jobs but they dont enable the kind of jump up in socioeconomic status that my family experienced many decades ago
if you drive around worcester now its easy to imagine there is no rising middle class no aspiration at all in reality its just much harder to tell worcesters story simply a century ago you could have picked any three decker and immediately grasped the basic life story of all its tenants where in the world they came from which factory they worked in what their hopes and fears were for their children today things are not so clear deborah martin a professor of geography at clark university in worcester has spent years leading students through the city and researching its social dynamics she knows a fair bit where the ghanaians live how the latino immigrants are differentiated by country of origin but she often finds herself noticing newly renovated three deckers and wondering who is that what are they doing
worcester reflects whats going on throughout the united states there are a healthy number of higher paying jobs the worcester area has a disproportionately large community of well paid medical professionals from nurses and midwives to physicians and microbiologists it has a huge number of educators for its population a result of having nearly a dozen colleges in one medium size city but it also has more than the average number of lower skilled jobs at or near the minimum wage   food service workers personal care aides and a host of other medical care assistants
john c brown is a professor of economics at clark and a visiting scholar at the federal reserve bank of boston he told me that worcester is right in the middle when it comes to the current circumstances of once flourishing manufacturing centers in new england brown says one quick way to assess a citys fortunes over time is to look at its population many urban areas in massachusetts experienced a population collapse in the 1970s and 1980s but worcester and some others have had slow and steady growth over the past few decades worcester he notes cant credit its success to any one industry it doesnt have say bostons robotics or the tourism of salem and lowell worcester instead benefits from a whole bunch of things hospitals universities and a bit of manufacturing still nothing screams at recent immigrants or people struggling in other parts of new england to rush to worcester to fulfill their dreams the citys economy is a more complicated tale
one day recently i went to see the shuttered heald machine factory on the northeast side of town as i drove past the factory gates the first shop i noticed right across the street had some arabic writing in the window i stopped the car and entered a tiny tailors shop i met the proprietor ahmed yusef he grew up in mosul iraq where he worked with his father also a tailor his father had specialized in custom made mens suits but after the american invasion mosul became a front line in the battle between american and iraqi forces and al qaeda nobody wanted mens suits so ahmeds father took a contract making uniforms for the iraqi army this landed him on a hit list and in 2005 the family fled first to syria then to egypt worrying all the while that their temporary visa would not be renewed and that they would be sent back to iraq in 2012 the family received word that its refugee application to the united states had been approved and they were offered a chance to resettle in arizona ahmed thrilled called the one person he knew in america an old client who lived in worcester dont go to arizona he was told its too hot there and there are no jobs move to worcester where housing is cheap and opportunities are plenty
ahmed soon found work as a tailor   hes been at brooks brothers for three years now one day walking with his parents in worcesters green hill park his mother pointed out a young iraqi woman now theyre married and they have a newborn daughter and plans for more kids ahmed opened his own business though he still works several shifts a week at brooks brothers he envisions that one day hell have many children that some of them will even work with him in the tailor shop
he told me that he has been to new york and miami they were beautiful like a dream he said but he was always happy to get back to worcester those other cities are too expensive too busy too much he said i said you like worcester he said no not like love i love it i have a future new york is for dreams worcester is for working


on april 12 last year hillary clinton formally announced her run for the presidency by posting a two minute video on youtube for the first minute and a half clinton was nowhere to be seen instead the video showed a montage of a dozen or so clinton supporters a middle aged white woman tending to her garden two hispanic brothers starting a business a pregnant young black woman and her husband unpacking boxes in a sun dappled suburban living room a burly bullet headed white man surveying an american flag draped warehouse
it was a carefully constructed portrait of the american middle class or the parts of it that tend to vote democratic   like the patchwork of carhartt and ann taylor that barack obama gathered around himself for a speech in cincinnati early in the 2012 campaign when he proclaimed himself a warrior for the middle class american politicians genuflect toward the middle class so reflexively that failing to do so in a speech or a statement about the economy seems almost heretical   which it turned out was the most remarkable thing about clintons video
when the candidate materialized she instead said this everyday americans need a champion   and i want to be that champion her omission of middle class was intentional amy chozick of the new york times wrote that the campaign planned to shy away from the characterization middle class   because her advisers say the term no longer connotes a stable life   and instead use the term everyday americans 
joel benenson clintons chief strategist and obamas lead pollster has thought a great deal about issues of class in 2011 he embarked on an extensive project in which researchers conducted repeated interviews with about 100 middle income middle aged swing voters in the suburbs of columbus ohio denver and orlando fla its been valuable he told me recently because its important to know what kind of conventional assumptions about the middle class hold up and which dont theres no question that there was a massive recalibration after the financial crash people felt very strongly that the foundations   what they had believed they would achieve by working hard doing things right   were not the same as they had been before public opinion surveys too show that something has shifted sharply in the american self definition last spring a gallup poll found that the percentage of respondents who identified as middle class or upper middle class dropped 12 percent since the 2008 financial crisis nearly half of those polled identified themselves as either working or lower class
but clintons use of everyday americans proved to be short lived perhaps because of its undeniably leaden ring has anyone but sly stone ever self identified as everyday by september clinton had dropped the phrase entirely campaign officials conceded to the times that it was confusing and maybe a bit too close to walmarts everyday low prices
the whole episode revealed a fundamental tension underlying this years anomalous presidential contest americas self image as a middle class nation is so deeply ingrained in the countrys politics that we dont often stop to think what precisely that means whether it defines a concrete socioeconomic identity   a country where most people are neither very rich nor very poor   or an aspiration the notion that if you work hard and play by the rules as clinton put it the first time she ran for president youre entitled to at least a modest prosperity everyday americans was an attempt to acknowledge that the gap between these two ideas has widened to the point that ignoring it seems out of touch yet in its reversal the campaign inadvertently revealed just how ill equipped american politics is for a post middle class nation   how deeply the way the country speaks of itself is tied up with these aspirations even as more and more of its citizens come to see them as out of reach
during donald trumps ascent in the polls last fall the most confounding question in politics was who exactly his supporters were a couple of weeks before the new hampshire primary in february byron york a journalist well sourced among republican operatives crisscrossed the state asking party grandees do you know anyone who supports donald trump in more cases than not he wrote in the washington examiner actually in nearly all the cases the answer was no
as the first election results and exit polls came in trumps voters seemed to be mostly high school educated white men mostly making less than 50000 a year perhaps more surprising this description also fits with some tailoring the voters who have propelled the candidacy of bernie sanders in mostly white new hampshire sanders beat clinton among voters making less than 50000 a year by a staggering 33 percentage points   twice as big as his margin with voters who made more than that   and by 36 percentage points among voters without college degrees in michigan whose suburban voters are one of the most watched barometers in american politics the margins were narrower but still notable sanders won white voters without a college degree by 15 percentage points and voters making less than 50000 by 3 percentage points
these insurgent candidates are capturing one of the two demographic groups that converged in the great middle class experiment that began seven decades ago when people spoke of the middle class in the years immediately after world war ii they were typically talking about the group identified by the sociologist cwright mills in his 1951 book white collar the usually college educated deskbound employees of a newly technocratic corporate economy it was only a few years later that the definition was generally extended to include skilled blue collar workers who were now earning solid incomes on account of a booming postwar industrial economy and of unions that made sure their members got an equitable piece of it
the confluence of these two groups   a vision of insurance salesmen and machine operators mowing the lawns of adjoining split level ranches and talking about sundays game   felt extraordinary even in its own time seemingly incontrovertible proof that american capitalism worked the fact is that americas booming new middle income class consists to a startling extent of groups hitherto identified as proletarians fortune reported in 1954 instead of overthrowing the bourgeoisie the proletariat had joined it
the new middle class utopia did of course exclude most nonwhite americans although average incomes for nonwhites increased at about the same rate as incomes for whites in the postwar years in 1959 the black poverty rate was still 56 percent and blacks on average earned 53 percent what whites did what could be said for the midcentury middle class though is that it generally worked astonishingly well for those who were lucky enough to be part of it   particularly for blue collar workers probably no one in american history has achieved prosperity with the velocity of the men who grew up destitute in the depression and by their 30s had factory jobs that paid in 2016 dollars upward of 50000 a year
the white  and blue collar middle classes each tended to vote democratic which made sense the new middle classs good fortune was the combined product of the new deal postwar keynesian economic policy the gi bill organized labor and government backed mortgages but in retrospect the democrats hold on the white middle class was balanced precariously on the racial status quo   which by the mid 1960s was breaking apart george wallace the segregationist democratic governor of alabama who ran for president in 1964 in protest of lyndon b johnsons turn toward civil rights performed well not just in the south but also in white blue collar enclaves in the few northern states where he was on the primary ballot when he ran again as an independent in 1968 the members of the united auto workers union local at the general motors plant in flint mich voted to endorse him
by 1984 the extent of the damage to the democrats postwar coalition had become clear that spring ronald reagans campaign aired its morning in america ad a vaseline lensed montage of overwhelmingly white suburban prosperity walter mondale   the son of a small town minnesota minister whose politics radiated an austere scandinavian morality   spent the last days of his campaign unfurling increasingly dire pictures of urban and rural poverty and beseeching people to vote for an america of fairness speaking bitterly of reagans commercial he told a crowd at a church in cleveland its all picket fences and puppy dogs no ones hurting no ones alone no ones hungry no ones unemployed no one gets old everybodys happy but americans liked the picket fences and puppy dogs reagan swept every state in the country save minnesota and the district of columbia
not long afterward stanley greenberg a 40 year old yale political scientist who moonlighted as a political pollster was contacted by a group of democratic party and union officials in michigan they asked him to help explain what had happened that november in macomb county outside detroit in 1960 macomb voted for john f kennedy by a larger margin than any suburban county in the country in 1984 it voted for reagan by a margin of 33 percentage points the sense was that if we could figure out what happened in macomb county democrats would go a long way toward righting the ship rick wiener the chairman of the michigan democratic party at the time told me recently
in one sense what had happened was obvious the postwar suburbs in general had been a racial fortress their homogeneity enforced by a web of government policies and unofficial restrictions making it difficult for nonwhites to own property in them and few more so than detroits the white ex democrats whom greenbergs team interviewed he later wrote expressed a profound distaste for black americans a sentiment that pervaded almost everything they thought about government and politics blacks constituted the explanation for their vulnerability and for almost everything that had gone wrong in their lives not being black was what constituted being middle class
still greenberg noted macomb voters had not defected en masse from the democratic party until after years of worsening economic circumstances   and until they perceived the democrats as not only having taken up the banner of the urban poor and nonwhites but also having abandoned the white middle class these voters wondered why they werent the central drama of the democratic party greenberg wrote greenberg suggested that democrats offer a kind of grand bargain to the white middle class voters he called reagan democrats the democrats would reinstate the middle class as the gravitational center of the partys economic policy if those voters accepted an expanded definition of who was included in the middle class
among the democrats who took greenbergs advice was gov bill clinton of arkansas who used the macomb study as the playbook for his 1992 presidential campaign which he built around the theme of the forgotten middle class speaking to voters in macomb county in march 1992 he offered a near verbatim recitation of greenbergs proposal the one thing that its going to take to bring this country together is somebodys got to come back to the so called reagan democratic area and say look ill give you your values back ill restore the economic leadership ill help you build the middle class back but youve got to say ok lets do it with everybody in this country 
you can see in clintons 1992 campaign the basic architecture of how politicians and many americans talk about the middle class today   not just the more diverse picture of american prosperity that politicians of both parties must at least pay lip service to but also a more expansive economic definition of what the middle class is in the first year of his presidency clinton created a new top income tax bracket starting at 250000 nearly 420000 in todays dollars this is as close as we have to a concrete upper bound for what counts in political discourse as the middle class the middle class tax policies of obama hillary clinton and bernie sanders all apply to earners with incomes of 250000 or less
bill clinton was acknowledging presciently a skewing of the american economy that has only worsened since his presidency the steady pulling away of the superrich from everyone else   the division between the 99 percent and the 1 percent but the more politically meaningful divergence may be one happening further down the economic spectrum richard v reeves a scholar at the brookings institution argues that the most significant dividing line in recent american experience isnt between the 99 percent and the 1 percent but between the 80 percent and the 20 percent   a group that includes not just the very rich but also people most americans would identify as upper middle class this is where you draw the line if youre interested not in absolute wealth but in the trajectory of wealth   not whether you have a yacht docked in st barts but whether youre doing better than you were five years ago
if the phrase everyday americans tried to preserve a sense of common identity while acknowledging the fragmented economic realities of the 21st century middle class it also demonstrated just how difficult that is to do consider the different experiences of two groups that sit mostly within what the democrats tax policies at least define as the middle class the top 20 percent saw its average real household income rise to 185000 in 2013 from about 109000 a year in 1967 the middle 40 percent saw their real incomes rise too but to only 68000 from 52000   the equivalent of a 348 a year raise the top 20 percent is also more likely than the middle 40 percent to believe that hard work gets you ahead in life
fissures have also deepened between the two halves of the postwar middle class between college educated mostly white collar workers and high school educated mostly blue collar workers according to a brookings study released last year men and women with bachelors degrees earned a median of 7 percent and 16 percent more in 2013 than they did in 1990 women who either didnt attend college or attended but didnt graduate made just 3 percent more   up to a meager 29500   and those men made 13 percent less a median of 40700 a year down from 47100 a year
the aspirational idea of the middle class spoke to the notion that even if americans were in various stages of prosperity they were all understood to be heading in the same general direction but what happens when thats no longer true on one end of the middle class spectrum is a dream inexorably receding from view on the other is a pair of socioeconomic blinders obscuring the harsher economic realities of those further down the scale the upper middle class are surprised by the rise of trump reeves told me the actual middle class are surprised were surprised


on a muggy afternoon in april angelina iles 65 folded herself into my passenger seat and took me on a tour of her beloved pineville la a sleepy town smack in the middle of the low wet state we drove past spaced out low slung houses and boarded up businesses   shuttered restaurants a decrepit gas station   as iles an african american retired lunchroom worker and community activist guided me toward the muddy banks of the red river near there stands the locked up art deco shell of the huey p long hospital which once served the poorest of the poor in rapides parish   and employed more than 300 workers
when employers leave towns like pineville they often do it with a deaf ear to the pleading of state and local governments but in the case of huey p long the employer was the government itself its demise began arguably in 2008 when bobby jindal was swept into the louisiana governors mansion on a small government and ethics platform promising to modernize the state and unleash the power of american private industry along the gulf coast at the time louisiana was flush with federal funds for hurricane katrina reconstruction and running a budget surplus jindal and the state legislature slashed income taxes and started privatizing and cutting this was a source of great pride for jindal during his failed bid for the presidency last year he boasted that bureaucrats are now an endangered species in louisiana ive laid off more of them than trump has fired people he said and ive cut my states budget by more than hes worth
he laid off more than just bureaucrats jindal cut appropriations for higher education shifting the cost burden onto students themselves state spending per student was down more than 40 percent between 2008 and 2014 just one state arizona cut more and he shuttered or privatized nine charity hospitals that served the states uninsured and indigent they were outdated and costly jindal argued and private management would improve access care and the bottom line huey p long was one of those hospitals
iles along with dozens of other workers and activists helped organize a protest against the cuts she told me they held a vigil on the hospitals front lawn iles even helped produce an anti jindal documentary called bad medicine that was broadcast on local television but it was all for naught the good governor did not want to listen to us iles said checking her constantly buzzing phone in the car the hospital closed its doors in 2014 and its patients were redirected to other local medical centers and clinics all of the hospitals workers lost their jobs
driving around pineville iles and i dropped in on a friend of hers from church theresa jardoin 68 who worked in the hospital for 41 years most recently as an ekg supervisor out of work she spends most of her days at home taking care of her family earlier iles had introduced me to another friend linette richard whose story was similar she had been working as an ultrasound technician when the hospital closed she lost much of what she had been expecting for her retirement because she had not been there long enough nobodys jumping to hire a 58 year old especially in my field richard said you can get a low paying job like mcdonalds or burger king but higher up we dont have positions available thats the way it is
thats the way it is across much of louisiana the state has added 80000 new jobs since the great recession officially ended in 2009 but at the same time jobs have been shrinking at every level of government with local offices losing 10600 workers the state government 31900 and the federal government 1600 louisiana is an exaggerated case but the pattern persists when you look at the country as a whole since the recession hit private employers have added five million jobs and the government has lost 323000 the country has recovered from the recession but public employment has not
the public sector has long been home to the sorts of jobs that lift people into the middle class and keep them there these are jobs that have predictable hours stable pay and protection from arbitrary layoffs particularly for those without college or graduate degrees theyre also more likely to be unionized less than 7 percent of private sector workers are represented by a union while more than a third of those in the public sector are in other words they look like the blue collar jobs our middle class was built on during the postwar years
the public sectors slow decimation is one of the unheralded reasons that the middle class has shrunk as the ranks of the poor and the rich have swollen in the post recession years this is certainly true in louisiana where five of the 10 biggest employers are public institutions or health centers that in no small part rely on public funds in rapides parish which includes pineville the biggest employer is the school district
across the country when public sector workers lose their jobs the burden disproportionately falls on black workers and particularly women   people like theresa jardoin and linette richard
we felt middle class richard told me now we feel kind of lower
in the middle of the last century a series of legal and legislative decisions   fueled by and fueling the civil rights movement   increased the number of black workers in government employment fdr ended official discrimination in the federal government and in companies engaged in the war effort truman desegregated the armed forces kennedy established the committee on equal employment opportunity and johnson signed an executive order banning discrimination by federal contractors as a result black workers gained more than a quarter of new federal jobs created between 1961 and 1965 and the share of government jobs held by women climbed 70 percent between 1964 and 1974 and nearly another 30 percent by the early 1980s
through the middle of the century the wage gap between white and black workers narrowed as social forces and political pressure compelled private businesses to open up better jobs to black workers public sector work has been a backbone of the black middle class for many reasons says mary pattillo a sociologist at northwestern who studies race and class affirmative action helped bring marginalized groups into the public work force there they benefited from more public scrutiny of employment practices the inability to fire people in a willy nilly fashion has likely protected african americans who are perhaps likely to be fired in a willy nilly fashion she says as of 2007 black workers were 30 percent more likely than workers of other races to be employed in the public sector
for any number of reasons the great recession unraveled much of the progress made by the black middle class leading up to the mortgage crisis black families tended to have a higher proportion of their wealth tied up in their homes and regardless of their income black families were much more likely to be rejected for conventional mortgages and pushed into high cost subprime loans all of this meant that when housing prices turned down the black white wealth gap yawned as of 2013 white households were on average 13 times wealthier than black households the biggest gap since 1989 according to pew research center data
declining tax revenue led to tightened state budgets which led to tens of thousands of layoffs for public sector employees and during the recovery public workers became easy political targets precisely because of their labor protections collective bargaining rights pension funds and mandatory raises look like unnecessary drains on state coffers to a work force increasingly unfamiliar with such benefits and when the layoffs came black americans experienced a disproportionate share of the ill effects a graduate student of sociology at the university of washington jennifer laird wrote a widely cited dissertation examining the effects of public sector layoffs on different races she found that the government worker unemployment rate climbed more for black men than for white men   and much more for black women than for white women with the gap between the two groups soaring from less than a percentage point in 2008 to 55 percentage points in 2011 it may be that black workers are more likely to be laid off when the layoffs are triggered by a sudden and significant reduction in funding she wrote when the number of layoff decisions increases managers have more opportunities to discriminate worse once unemployed black women were the least likely to find private sector employment and the most likely to make a full exit from the labor force as a result of all these economic punishments a recession that set america back half a decade may have set black families back a whole generation if not longer
and because the public sector provides so many essential services cuts to it have a cascading effect hospitals close and people have to drive farther away for medical care teachers aides lose their positions and local kids no longer have the same degree of special education attention angelina iles the retiree i met in pineville cited the loss of dental mental health and emergency medical services as being a particularly profound problem for her community
other states and towns are electing to have smaller public work forces wisconsin for instance has thinned its ranks of government workers by some 5000 since its republican governor scott walker led a push to abrogate public workers organizing rights   a political choice with profound economic and racial ramifications they try to say that collective bargaining is a drain on the economy when it provides the ability and opportunity for folks to have a seat at the table lee saunders the president of the american federation of state county and municipal employees told me and the economic evidence does show that a higher concentration of unionized workers increases intergenerational mobility and raises wages for all workers public and private
with time government jobs should come back that pathway to the middle class should grow again government jobs are always slower to come back after a recession says roderick harrison a former howard university demographer it takes time for private businesses to rehire workers it takes time for tax revenue to rise to a level at which cities and states feel comfortable adding public workers back onto their payrolls that means that the portion of the black middle class that was dependent on government jobs   police schools emergency workers and so on   is going to take longer to recoup and regain whatever positions they had he says
for pineville that recovery might come too late for many of its workers especially those who were looking toward retirement because linette richard cant find suitable work she and her husband get by on what he makes as a car salesman she has given up trying to find work again around pineville so has theresa jardoin who has resigned herself to a tougher retirement than she thought she would enjoy
all of a sudden theres nothing she said sitting in an easy chair in her living room just blocks from huey p long playing with her granddaughters hair you cant enjoy retirement in this situation
you didnt even get a pocket watch did you iles asked
no jardoin said with a resigned laugh just aches and pains


brooklyn or soho the choice was a complete no brainer said tali livni who grabbed a one bedroom co op apartment in 2014 for 475000 on thompson street in soho though it was a sixth floor walk up she had been renting in brooklyn and was looking for apartments there despite a long commute to work in the financial district because she believed it would be easier to find a home within her budget
then she took a peek at listings in lower manhattan and this came up it is close to every amenity said ms livni 36 who is now about a 15 minute subway ride away from her job as a product designer
she knew that soho is a mostly high priced area that draws hordes of tourists and other visitors to the stores that line many of its streets she said but once you get to know the shop owners and neighbors it has a real community feel its like a village the owners of a french restaurant in her building know her by name and workers at a local pet store know her dog lexi
ms livni is also intrigued by quirky older shops she has seen i feel ive only begun to scratch the surface of the quirk she said
but soho isnt nearly as eccentric as it used to be said lynne kanter who has lived in a fifth floor walk up studio there since 1973 in the era when artists and others had just started moving into former industrial buildings some of them on cobblestone streets and transforming them into loft spaces for working and living
there were dancers on fire escapes and performances in the street she said along with myriad gallery openings and late nights at bars its been changing for years from that early rough around the edges time said ms kanter 70 who first rented her apartment for 288 a month then bought it for about 36000 when her building became a co op in 1989 she has worked in many fields she said including photography acting magazine editing and real estate
her street is not as frenetic as shopping meccas like broadway or west broadway she said but im glad i have a place in the country for the warmer months in 2000 she bought a cabin in bethel ny where she retreats on summer weekends when the crowds on nearby streets can get crazy she said
leaving town on weekends is also a priority for peri wolfman a designer who owns a house in southampton ny as well as a loft in soho with her husband charles gold a photographer and real estate manager they opened one of the first chic stores in the area wolfman gold and good company which sold home furnishings and accessories in the 1980s and 1990s until ms wolfman now 76 became a vice president of williams sonoma they didnt move to soho until 1990 she said after all four of their sons had left for college because in those days she said she felt the area was not conducive to raising children they bought their loft on greene street for well under a million dollars she said
i fell in love with soho   the architecture the arched doorways and windows she said the building on prince street that is now an apple store was still a post office and dean  deluca which had opened in 1977 was the only supermarket nearby
ms wolfman said her surroundings are still peaceful and friendly on weekdays you live in a bubble she said the old buildings have thick walls theres no crime and no problems its a lovely place to live really
what youll find
soho extends from houston street on the north to canal street on the south and roughly from lafayette street on the east to avenue of the americas on the west though its eastern and western boundaries are sometimes defined differently
robin goldberg an agent with halstead property who has long worked in the area said that besides the beautiful huge lofts for which the neighborhood is known there are lower priced areas particularly west of west broadway on streets like thompson sullivan and macdougal outside the soho cast iron historic district designated in 1973 and extended in 2010
broadway west broadway prince and spring are among the major shopping streets and they are being overdeveloped according to sean sweeney the director of the soho alliance a civic association we dont want to turn into herald square he said
even in the historic district new buildings go up said mark dicus the executive director of the soho broadway initiative which includes all buildings that touch on broadway between canal and houston streets a new nike store is being built at 529 broadway replacing two buildings that were not contextual with the area he said
what youll pay
on april 25 the 83 properties on the market ranged from a studio offered at 389000 to a penthouse listed at 225 million according to information provided by ms goldberg of halstead
she said median sales prices have generally gone up during the last five years based on data from the companys chief economist gregory heym the median loft price rose to 2924359 in 2015 a 34 percent increase over 2011 for one bedrooms the median was 755000 a 22 percent rise fortwo bedrooms 29 million up 43 percent for three bedrooms 5305 million a 28 percent increase because there were fewer studio sales ms goldberg said the numbers are less reliable studios dipped about 2 percent to 422000
as for rentals ms goldberg said studios and one bedrooms in older buildings average about 2100 to 2600 a month she said while in a new building with amenities youd be lucky to get a one bedroom for 3500
what to do
shopping opportunities range from prada and chanel boutiques and bloomingdales to the nonprofit housing works bookstore cafewhich sells donated books and music
dining spots include balthazar the popular french bistro the hip crosby street hotel has a bar and restaurant   where afternoon tea is served all day   on the ground level including a sunken terrace
vesuvio playground has a basketballhandball court a playground and a 3 foot deep childrens pool
the judd foundation runs a museum 101 spring street in the former home and studio of donald judd one of the areas pioneering artists other museums include the drawing center and the center for italian modern art
the year old soho arts network encompassing 16 nonprofit enterprises collaborates with the soho memory project an exhibition that has been traveling among network members evoking the era from 1960 to 1980 with artifacts and photographs
the schools
students who live east of mercer street are zoned for public school 130 hernando de soto which has prekindergarten through grade 5 in 2014 15 59 percent met state standards in english compared with 30 percent citywide and 80 percent did so in math versus 39 percent citywide students west of mercer are zoned for ps 003 charrette school which has prekindergarten through fifth grade in the quality snapshot 61 percent met state english standards and 74 percent met math standards
for middle school the boundary is broadway east of broadway is zoned for middle school 131 serving pupils in grades 6 through 8 in the 2014 15 quality snapshot 28 percent met state standards in english and 51 percent in math compared with 30 percent and 31 percent citywide west of broadway is zoned for junior high school 104 which covers grades 6 through 8 53 percent of students met state english students and 61 percent met math standards
the commute
subway lines with stops in soho include the c d e a f n r and 6 making for quick trips to midtown or the financial district
the history
in the 1600s the soho cast iron district was the site of the first free black settlement in manhattan though children of its residents were subject to being enslaved according to the districts designation report the area retained a black population for more than 200 years until the middle of the 19th century when it changed from residential to commercial use


in bookends two writers take on questions about the world of books this week adam kirsch and zoe heller discuss whether books can be judged by their politics
what could be more cruel than dantes inferno with its sadistic vision of divine justice
good books with bad politics are not a new problem on the contrary the subject is one of the oldest in western thought going all the way back to platos republic for the ancient greeks the iliad was the ultimate good book playing a formative role similar to that of the bible in later times greek ideas about what it meant to be heroic or divine were shaped by homer yet in platos dialogue socrates observes that very often homer represents heroes and gods doing base cowardly and unworthy things to provide the guardians of the perfect city with good role models socrates argues homer would have to be censored
no one can deny that in real life people are often wicked and that the wicked prosper while the good suffer but art in platos eyes is such a powerful tool with so much influence over human behavior that it cannot be allowed to depict such unedifying truths it must serve the approved moral values of its society as socrates insists we shall have to say that about men poets and storytellers are guilty of making the gravest misstatements when they tell us that wicked men are often happy and the good miserable and that injustice is profitable when undetected but that justice is a mans own loss and anothers gain   these things we shall forbid them to utter and command them to sing and say the opposite
if such statements strike us as illiberal and censorious even dangerous it is partly because we no longer believe so strongly in the formative power of art nor do we share platos particular morality his emphasis on austerity and the warlike virtues is foreign to our commercial democracy and so we dont particularly care whether writers praise or disparage the virtue of self control plato would never have allowed a character like shakespeares falstaff   coward braggart deserter   on the stage but for us falstaffs love of peace and instinct for self preservation accord quite nicely with the virtues demanded of capitalist society and so he is a beloved character   far more sympathetic than prince hal who dutifully rejects him in order to become king
clearly our ideas about goodness change more rapidly than our judgments about art plato distrusted homer because his heroes werent heroic enough in the 20th century simone weil distrusted homer because they were too violent and the whole epic was what she called a poem of force but the iliad survived their critiques because it so vividly realizes one of the imaginative possibilities of human nature and art will always exceed ethics including political ethics in the same way that the possible exceeds the desirable ethics is the art of limitation of rejecting parts of our nature that we find morally intolerable for past generations that meant rejecting greed lust or sloth for us it usually means rejecting cruelty and bigotry which are pre eminently political vices
but what could be more cruel than dantes inferno with its sadistic vision of divine justice what more plangently bigoted than the merchant of venice which uses the assumption of jewish vice to create its radiant picture of christian virtue societies made in the image of these works   indeed the societies in whose image the works themselves were made   would be utterly unacceptable to us today but perhaps that makes the works themselves even more important as reminders that what now appalls at one time appealed art tells us what we are politics what we should be and our ability to live with the contradiction is one measure of our freedom
adam kirsch is a columnist for tablet he is the author of two collections of poetry and several other books including most recently why trilling matters in 2010 he won the roger shattuck prize for criticism
* * *
by zoe heller
the kreutzer sonata is a bad book though not because it is the work of a nutty christian ascetic
most of the literature produced over the last 2000 years has something in it to offend the convictions of a modern liberal reader if we couldnt find anything to delight or instruct us in the works of sexists racists anti semites and people who believe in the divine right of kings our literary canon would barely fill a medium size handbag
in his essay politics vs literature george orwell tries to explain why it is that he dislikes the misanthropic and reactionary message of gullivers travels but loves the book the answer he decides is that although jonathan swifts ideas are false they are not so completely false as to prohibit the readers sympathy the book speaks to that part of a readers mind that at least intermittently stands aghast at the horror of existence a great work of art may be written from any ideological viewpoint orwell concludes so long as the viewpoint is compatible with sanity in the medical sense and with the power of continuous thought
this strikes me as a bad argument   not least because it assumes that the ultimate meaning or value of a book resides in what can be summed up cliffsnotes style as its worldview orwell is not much interested in how swift chooses to convey his satirical message he pays fleeting homage to swifts native gift for using words but for him the book is essentially a delivery system for swifts moral philosophy and it succeeds because it enlists our partial agreement with that philosophy id argue more or less the contrary its everything in gullivers travels that is in excess of and often at odds with swifts nihilistic point   its inventiveness its originality and wit its sheer weirdness   that accounts for its lasting appeal it succeeds because its imaginative energies continually overflow its rather narrow political purpose
when politics   of the good or the bad kind   mess with our enjoyment of a book its usually because the authors proselytizing impulse has muted whatever is interesting or particular about his way of seeing tolstoys novella the kreutzer sonata is a bad book i think not because it is the work of a nutty christian ascetic but because its nutty christian asceticism has stamped out everything generous and curious and noticing in tolstoys imagination
an artists mission tolstoy wrote in 1865 must not be to produce an irrefutable solution to a problem but to compel us to love life in all its countless and inexhaustible manifestations by the time he wrote the kreutzer sonata in the late 1880s his idea of the artists mission had radically changed the novella offers itself as nothing less than an irrefutable solution to the problem of sex its a thinly veiled tract   a piece of fictionalized propaganda in which the protagonist pozdnyshev a confessed wife killer ventriloquizes tolstoys ideas about the moral necessity of sexual abstinence joy in lifes countless manifestations has vanished pozdnyshevs prophetic mission   and tolstoys   is to let us know that there are no happy families and every unhappy family is unhappy in precisely the same way to make sure that the reader does not mistake his didactic intent tolstoy writes an afterword in which he boils the storys meaning down still further to a set of dictums even a reader who shared tolstoys ideas about the vileness of human sexuality would have to judge the kreutzer sonata a failure its not his worldview that spoils the book but his renunciation of art
zoe heller is the author of three novels everything you know notes on a scandal which was shortlisted for the man booker prize and adapted for film and the believers she has written feature articles and criticism for a wide range of publications including the new yorker the new republic and the new york review of books


before the bootlegged gin of the jazz age and wasted days in paris before the great gatsby lavish parties in manhattan hotels and long island houses failure in hollywood and his death of a heart attack at 44 f scott fitzgerald was a kid in the midwest although you catch only glimpses and mentions of it in his stories and novels   usually as the part of the world many of his characters leave for more luxurious destinations   all you have to do is see the cathedral hill neighborhood of st paul where he grew up to begin to understand fitzgerald
like amory blaine in this side of paradise nick carraway in gatsby and a handful of the writers most recognizable characters fitzgerald grew up less well off than his neighbors in a wealthy part of town the difference in economic backgrounds was noticeable and walking around his section of st paul as i did on a recent visit you can see where some of the writers ideas about class and comfort came from but also his place in the world
while some hear fitzgeralds name and automatically think of some wealthy long island village by the water or drinks with ernest hemingway and other american expats in france after world war i his time in his half of the twin cities formed him and informed him he was born in st paul moved back there at age 8 after his father lost his job in upstate new york had his first story published in a magazine as a teenager attending st paul academy in st paul and finished his first novel after once again going back to the city to try to dry out at 22 he stayed there until finally in 1922 scott zelda and their daughter scottie left for good the big cities called and his hometown was just a memory yet he kept going back there for his stories even if he didnt set them there fitzgerald left st paul many times but st paul never left him
by no means modest the st paul homes that bear plaques stating that the citys favorite son once lived there would make any passer by stop and look there are the two different laurel avenue rowhouses   481 where he was born and 294 his grandparents home where scott and his family lived after returning from buffalo   but the f scott fitzgerald house a national historic landmark at 599 summit avenue is the real gem the new york style brownstone where fitzgerald wrote his first novel looks as if it is a small part of a larger castle but compared with most of the other homes up and down summit avenue it seems tiny and almost quaint as the barista at the downtown starbucks said to me i think its the longest stretch of victorian mansions in the whole country he is right and in those houses lived people who owned paper and lumber companies as well as other big shots of the gilded age
those ideas and feelings are manifest in the superb short story winter dreams which serves not only as a proto gatsby   a semi autobiographical tale of a st paul boy who grows into a man obsessed with the rich and beautiful judy jones   but also is the closest we get to understanding fitzgeralds relationship with his hometown through his fiction this story is not biography remember the narrator tells us toward the end but concedes although things creep into it which have nothing to do with those dreams he had when he was young other odes to the region are sprinkled throughout fitzgeralds work most notably carraways famous paragraph in gatsby where he talks about his middle west but reading winter dreams one can sense that just like its protagonist fitzgerald was going to leave st paul behind but that he would probably never be happier anywhere else
elsewhere on summit avenue is the university club called the u club by locals where scott and zelda would drink and dance with the moneyed residents after fitzgeralds success with his first novel this side of paradise still a members only club it was designed by reed  stem one of the two firms behind grand central terminal in new york and sits above a bluff with a panoramic view of st paul around the high bridge over the mississippi but doesnt really use its fitzgerald past as a huge selling point there are no large pictures of him on the walls or f scott fitzgerald drank here signs though the club does play a role in winter dreams where its protagonist and his obsession run into each other before he announces his engagement to another woman a few other establishments on the other hand love to let you know youre standing where the great writer once stood and perhaps slept or even wrote one of his books
have you heard the story about the time he came back for winter break from college and got kicked out of the church up the street the bartender at the commodore asked me as she prepared for another big night at the recently reopened bar i guess he was a little drunk and they had to ask him to leave she was working fast because the staff was down a bartender so as she readied her station anthony davis the assistant general manager jumped in to slice lemons and limes
he worked fast making eye contact as he sliced he told me about the history of the building once a hotel where scott and zelda lived until the birth of their daughter in 1921 the newly renovated bar sits below what are now apartment units but the bar itself a former speakeasy when the fitzgeralds lived there during prohibition is the centerpiece when you walk up to the building even the signs asking you not to let your dog use the grass as a bathroom are in the same art deco font that you see on the famous gatsby cover by francis cugat the drinks on the menu featuring cocktails made before and during the nationwide ban on alcohol are almost 85 to 90 percent made with spirits from within a bootleggers distance mr davis said
a time tested classic that somehow survived a 1978 natural gas explosion that destroyed almost everything in the space and injured dozens the bar itself lacks stools but has an old brass rail across the front for patrons loaded on gin and tonics to hold on to mr davis kicked the bar see that he said its got all that weathering he mentions that besides the fitzgeralds hemingway drank there although he couldnt confirm if it was with his friend and rival fitzgerald as did al capone ma barker and nearly every other gangster who has entered american folklore a jazz age hot spot in a city not exactly known for its jazz or wild parties the bar stayed open after prohibition was repealed in 1933 but fell out of fashion along with the entire neighborhood the great houses emptied out as people moved to the suburbs today the newly remodeled commodore is a tribute to a former glory that seems to be returning to the neighborhood
the splendor the area once had while not the bright lights and tall buildings of manhattan or the movable feast of paris must have been attractive to fitzgerald there was still danger and undesirables bootleggers coming down from canada and hiding their barrels st paul had a pulse and he was familiar with it and his parents still lived there
that coffee shop across the street said matt sutton the senior manager at w a frost and company a bar and restaurant a few blocks away from the commodore that looks as if it hasnt been changed much since the late 1970s in the best way possible that used to be a brothel when fitzgerald lived here the tunnels went under there to under here to the church to the river providing a route for bootleggers the tunnels are mostly sealed off now although the basement of the bar was part of the tunnels i made my way down the stairs and found a cozy chilly dimly lit and somewhat spooky space where one can drink wine or whiskey legally now around a fireplace
coincidentally the building w a frost and company occupies is where the pharmacy of william a frost was located at the turn of the century and will probably get a mention from any local fitzgerald tours if you pass by its where fitzgerald used to get his cigarettes the bartender told me
the citizens of st paul are aware of fitzgeralds presence and celebrate him in ways a city might any native cultural celebrity there is the fitzgerald theater with a huge picture of the writer staring down from a sign above its marquee and a statue of him in rice park with a plaque that reads in honor of a young man who became a writer in this city but you dont see fitzgerald knickknacks being sold everywhere and the stores dont sell bobblehead dolls or shot glasses perhaps thats because he ran away from home and tried not to look back associating himself with big cities to the east or in europe his characters from the middle of the country have either escaped or are in the process of doing so
driving around just looking at the summit hill area houses i wonder what finally drove fitzgerald to leave considering he did some of his best work in and around st paul he wrote the beautiful and damned in the yellow victorian home with the wide porch on goodrich avenue and took strolls along white bear lake about 10 miles to the north in his mid 20s newly married and having just published his first book   it was the place where he was inspired to set and write winter dreams minnesota it seemed was good to him
even the grief he could have borne was left behind in the country of illusion of youth of the richness of life where his winter dreams had flourished fitzgerald writes toward the end of winter dreams as somebody who also left his own middle west i often find myself thinking about that sentence and what i left behind you get the sense fitzgerald always knew that he was leaving that he was going to put his half of the twin cities behind him st paul was where fitzgerald was young where he saw some of his own dreams flourish but he thought maybe foolishly that those dreams would be better served somewhere else than the place that made him
f scott fitzgerald started in st paul but moved around a lot here are some of the places he is most associated with
princeton is in the flat midlands of new jersey rising a green phoenix out of the ugliest country in the world fitzgerald wrote of his alma mater the same university amory blaine in this side of paradise attended
the leafy chicago suburb shows up in the great gatsby and fitzgerald wrote to his daughter scottie that he thought the city was the most glamorous place in the world he visited once before he found literary fame tosee his first love and inspiration for daisy buchanan ginevra king
nick carraway observed in the great gatsby that new york city offered all the mystery and the beauty in the world and fitzgerald believed much the same the author lived for a short time in a one bedroom apartment just north of columbia university and also at the plaza with his wife and daughter in 1922 before moving to the cheaper and quieter part of long island that would inspire his most famous book
the place that inspired west egg in the great gatsby there are still some gilded age country housesalong long islands north shore including the seven bedroom house that the fitzgeralds rented for 300 a month at 6 gateway drive that have ties to fitzgerald others like lands end said to be the place fitzgerald envisioned his famous characters lost love living in gatsby were lost to the wrecking ball
there are few times and places like paris after world war i gertrude stein hart crane anais nin picasso duchamp and of course fitzgerald and his friend and rival ernest hemingway were all there and creating some of their most famous art many of the places connected with fitzgerald like the dingo bar where he and hemingway are reported to have first met in 1924 are no longer around but its still paris
where else would a great writer go to try to catch his second shot at fame sadly fitzgerald never had his happy ending and died at 44 leaving many to wonder what could have been with the hollywood novel he was working on when he dropped dead from a heart attack the love of the last tycoon


when planning an ideal buddy comedy you presumably want two leads who are either perfectly matched or perfectly mismatched central intelligence which opens on june 17 gives audiences a bit of both its stars kevin hart and dwayne johnson are separated by about a foot in height and oh lets say more than 200 pounds in weight directed by rawson marshall thurber were the millers dodgeball a true underdog story the movie emphasizes their differences by casting the actors as former high school classmates brought together in unusual circumstances around their 20th reunion mr hart president of his senior class and a star athlete is now an unhappy accountant at a white collar firm while mr johnson a bullied student has become a lethal but likable cia officer
for all their obvious differences mr hart said he and mr johnson share a dedication to their fans and a disciplined work ethic even so there are few comic performers right now who can measure up to mr hart whose box office draw continues to surge ride along 2 get hard while he still attracts crowds upward of 50000 at his stand up shows
mr hart spoke recently in a telephone interview about his own high school days his seemingly boundless professional ambitions and the remaining goals he is very certain he will someday fulfill these are edited excerpts from the conversation
who had the idea to put you and dwayne johnson together in this movie
d j started it off when my name was thrown in the hat i just jumped at it to work with a guy that i admire im not going to take it for granted
is d j what dwayne johnson asked you to call him
its a nickname i gave him he doesnt get a choice i just give nicknames i dont like saying his whole name dwayne takes way too long so i just go with deej
were there any opportunities to make sure that the two of you had chemistry before you went before the cameras
we had conversations where we saw that we gel we both give 120 percent to our days and we both looked at this movie as something that was different for both of us we were the same individual
do people often confuse the two of you
no weve never gotten mistaken for each other i have been mistaken for being bigger than him though they say my arms are much bigger
we see in the movie what your characters were like in high school and how different their lives are as adults what were you like in high school
youre looking at a class clown youre looking at a guy who was always the life of the party i was always big on laughs giving and receiving it wasnt necessarily good for my teachers of course theres times where you go too far my mom had to tell me boy if i have to come down to this school one more time youre gonna get it she meant it
did you win any honors for athletics or academics
oh definitely not i would love to lie to you and say yep
have you gone to any of your high school reunions
no man i was part of a great class   george washington high school in philadelphia class of 97 i had a great time and those are relationships that ill never forget but my schedule has been kind of crazy and i havent been able to do so
you wouldnt want to go just to show off what youve done with your life
it wouldnt be about look at me now it would be from a place of its good to see you not in an un humble manner im not that guy i dont have that in me
i assume some digital effects were used to make you look like a high school student
oh of course yes high school kevin didnt have that much hair that was a lot of hair
before you turned to comedy did you work in any soul crushing office jobs
i had my share of jobs in my younger days i was a lifeguard i was a shoe salesman ive never been in that office cubicle setting now in this part of my career i am in an office but its a different job   its my company
have you ever had a crisis of confidence like your character experiences
no when i got into the business of entertainment i did it for a reason i didnt do it to not be successful i did it to be successful and to hopefully get to the highest level that i possibly could thus far im achieving those goals that doesnt make you stop that doesnt make you complacent it makes you want to do more i want to reach the status of becoming a mogul and the only way you get there is by work
in your recent movies youve been part of double acts you and dwayne johnson you and will ferrell you and ice cube would you like to star in a solo vehicle
that definitely is coming in my future you just have to be patient with these things you cant do it all in one day youve got to work it and tool it and when the time is right it explodes and it takes off the way it should
are we talking more like kevin hart in die hard or kevin hart in hamlet
laughs it would be die hard
for all of your successes in hollywood have you experienced any limitations or obstacles because youre not white
for me not really because i dont look at obstacles as obstacles i look at them as things that were put there for a reason you can approach these things negatively or positively i think those that approach it with a negative mind set only get a negative outcome when obstacles have been put in front of me i just get around them and move past them and laugh at them
even less blatant forms of racism like a studio telling you it doesnt think your movie will open overseas
i have in my past you go kevin you dont have international success ok well let me go get some and ill be right back then theres no excuses and nothing can be said youve got to put yourself in positions to take away what can be said
you said at cinemacon in april that you were thinking about ending your stand up comedy tours is that still your plan
when i said it i meant at this magnitude im not going to stop touring i dont know if im ever going to do a stadium again but am i going to continue to write material and come up with new hours of course are those hours going to be as good as the last thats where i put an unlimited amount of pressure on myself
do you want to achieve other comedy milestones like hosting the academy awards for example
i definitely see it coming sooner than later im patient and ill wait for it but theres not a doubt in my mind that itll happen
theres another big production youre involved in this summer   
my wedding its coming along good im really excited about it
it sounds like you dont want to say too much about this
i cant my future wife will kill me shes got it on the hush because she doesnt want it to be heavily publicized i have to be as quiet as i can about it a happy wife is a happy life


back in the days before the sharing economy if you wanted to be pampered or primped you slipped on terry cloth slippers and shuffled off to the hotel spa
today home swapping is commonplace and vacation rentals are a 24 billion market in the united states alone according to phocuswright a market research company one can still pop into a hotel or local spa for a massage or manicure but the rise of on demand beauty and wellness apps and websites doesnt mean you have to forgo the convenience of on site beauty and fitness treatments if youre staying in a vacation rental rather the spray tanner and the zumba instructor will come to you
such services arent widespread yet but if youre vacationing in a major city like new york or los angeles or any of the others mentioned below you can lounge around your airbnb rental and order a pedicure as fast as an uber
take for instance priv an app for ios and android users in new york los angeles austin and london with a few taps of its lavender interface a new yorker can book massages 150 for an hour session with a table provided by the therapist spray tans 60 makeup applications starting at 75 even mink lash extensions and makeup lessons manicures 35 womens haircuts 100 including a blow dry blowouts 50 mens grooming 50 for haircuts 35 for beard trims and styling and personal training starting at 80 an hour including yoga pilates kickboxing zumba and beach body boot camp in some cases you can book a service for multiple people manicure for 3 or custom airbrush tan for 2
after choosing a service users can then see photos of the professionals read about them and check out their star ratings from other clients as well as their next available appointment time the app includes tax and tip so you know exactly what youre spending a plus for those on a tight budget theres no charge if you cancel within the five minute grace period after receiving your appointment confirmation or if you cancel more than an hour before your appointment if you cancel within less than an hour of your appointment you pay 50 percent of the fee thats one of the more generous cancellation policies of such sites
if all you want is a massage soothe an app and a website offers swedish deep tissue sports prenatal and couples massages from licensed therapists practically around the clock seven days a week from 8 am to midnight including holidays the pricing is simple 129 for an hour 179 for 90 minutes 219 for two hours gratuity is included
you cant choose your therapist though if you like someone youve used before you can request him or her again and you can cancel or reschedule up to an hour before the appointment with no penalty if a therapist has been assigned to you and you cancel with less than an hours notice its 50 if you cancel with less than 30 minutes before the appointment you pay in full fees are lower for rescheduling soothe is not only available in popular destinations like miami and new york but also in places other wellness apps have yet to reach like atlanta houston indianapolis las vegas minneapolis orlando phoenix portland san diego seattle and vancouver bc
zeel a massage on demand competitor with an app and a delightfully minimalist website offers appointments from licensed therapists every day of the year holidays too in more than a dozen cities including new york and on long island and in westchester county los angeles miami chicago and washington clients can choose from swedish deep tissue prenatal and sports massages as well as couples massages and back to back massages massages for two or more people one after the other
a recent search found an hourlong deep tissue massage in the lincoln park neighborhood of chicago for 99 plus 18 percent tip for a total of 11682 tip and sales tax are shown and added to the bill so again you know precisely how much youre spending theres a 10 minute grace period for cancellations after booking if you cancel a confirmed massage between four hours and 24 hours from your appointment time you pay 50 if you cancel less than four hours from your appointment you pay in full
glamsquad an app that offers makeup nail and hair services is not as far reaching its only for iphone users if you dont have an iphone you can request an appointment online in new york city where one can also get manicures and pedicures los angeles and miami appointments are available on demand or up to 30 days in advance a boon for planners in new york blowouts are 50 makeup applications are 75 manicures are 35 and pedicures are 50 a 20 percent tip and a service tax are added to those fees unlike priv however you cant read about or choose your stylist the cancellation policy is also tougher if you cancel within an hour of your appointment time youre charged in full for whatever you reserved if you can cancel within four hours of your appointment but at least an hour before your appointment youre charged 50 percent of the price
a similar service called stylebee is also an app for iphone with offerings such as makeup application 85 blowouts 50 and hair styling 85 for updos from licensed professionals in a handful of major cities like los angeles san francisco and new york if you dont have an iphone you can request an appointment through the companys website as with other beauty on demand companies gratuity is included 20 percent but unlike the other sites stylebee notes additional tips are appreciated that could add up if you feel obligated you cannot choose or read about your stylist the grace time for cancellations is within 10 minutes after booking though if you cancel within four hours from the appointment time youre charged in full
some colleagues and i were looking forward to trying a service known as manicube which offers 15 minute manicures pedicures and barbering services from licensed professionals at your office in cities including new york boston chicago and san francisco it sounded like just the thing for business travelers short on time
alas manicube offers only standing appointments arranged through your companys human resources manager we hardly have time to broker that but it serves as a reminder that sites like priv and stylebee will come not only to your rental but also to your office and hotel room after all it might be more affordable to bring a masseuse to your hotel than to use the hotels masseuse especially if you were to pay for an in room massage


in denvers union station the great hall a grand public foyer is unlike most bench filled waiting rooms on a recent visit clusters of friends shared cocktails after work mobile office workers tapped at computers from a library table backpackers lounged on sofas diners grabbed upscale burgers and one homeless man enjoyed the comfort of a wingback chair
the 1914 vintage downtown landmark underwent a 54 million renovation completed in 2014 that filled the sprawling blocklong station with a roster of restaurants and bars by some of denvers top chefs branches of local shops and a stylish 112 room boutique hotel all while preserving its use as an amtrak station
as of april 22 the station took on a new role as the citys transportation heart when the electric commuter rail line from denver international airport 228 miles east began making the 37 minute trip into the city
the station is the focal point of a 500 million project to reorder denvers transit system creating a hub for amtrak additional light rail lines throughout the city three are expected to open this year and local and national bus services currently an estimated 30000 commuters and visitors use union station daily with the introduction of the new airport train named the university of colorado a line management expects traffic will climb to 104000 people daily by years end
rail built this town back in the day and its fun to see its sustaining it again said nate currey spokesman for denvers regional transportation district which is overseeing the transportation plan
since the airport opened in 1995 officials have been working to link it via rail and union station down to about two trains a day at its slowest and virtually abandoned was a natural end point
we were dreaming in the 90s of the possibility of turning union station into a hotel but we realized it needed to be more than a hotel rather a community hub for people who lived worked in and visited denver to come together said walter isenberg chief executive of sage hospitality which manages the stations new hotel the crawford and is a member of the union station alliance which refurbished the building early on we said the great hall needs to become denvers living room
that central 12000 square foot lobby with impressive beaux arts reproduction chandeliers hung from 65 foot high ceilings was already bustling before the beginning of the airport train service the hall multitasks as the lobby of the hotel amtraks waiting room and a dining destination a series of eating spots edge it including terminal bar serving colorado made craft beer from the stations original ticket windows other choices all locally owned businesses include acme burger  brat corporation acmeburgerscom pigtrain coffee pigtraincoffeecom and milkbox ice creamery milkboxicecreamcom
on either side of the central hall two long wings house shops and restaurants the shops include a branch of denvers beloved tattered cover book store tatteredcovercom and the gift shop 5 green boxes 5greenboxescom
restaurants represent a collection of denver favorites such as the popular breakfast spot snooze an am eatery as well as some of the citys hottest chefs run by the chef alex seidel mercantile dining  provision mercantiledenvercom combines an all day market specializing in artisanal products like pickled vegetables and fine cheeses and a dinner only farm to table restaurant
in the opposite wing of the building the chef jennifer jasinski runs stoic  genuine stoicandgenuinecom focusing on seafood and featuring a raw bar
upstairs spread over three levels lies the crawford hotel thecrawfordhotelcom with 112 rooms ranging from narrow pullman rooms named after the historic train cars overlooking the tracks to more elaborate loftlike suites with exposed beams and freestanding bathtubs the crawford which offers tours of the station on most fridays also runs the stations most elegant bar the cooper lounge located on the mezzanine level and overlooking the stations great hall beneath striking arched windows
the hotel pays homage to dana crawford denvers seminal preservationist who is credited with saving much of the area known as lower downtown or lodo beginning in 1965 with nearby larimer square she has led the fight to protect many of the four  and five story western victorian buildings established shortly after denver was founded in 1858 and thrived as a shipping center and gateway to the west
the train to the airport from union station runs every 15 minutes from 430 am to 630 pm daily and provides a convenient alternative to renting cars or paying expensive taxi fares from the spacious plaza in front of the station riders are surrounded by former warehouses and mercantile buildings now hosting shops restaurants breweries and residences
one of the fun things about the station is it has a big neon sign that says travel by train  ms crawford said its come a full cycle


the photographs were polaroids taken between the 1970s and the 2000s zun lee bought them at flea markets at garage sales or on ebay most of them depicted african americans people wearing stylish clothes relaxing in the yard celebrating birthdays a few depicted people in prison uniforms all the photographs had somehow been separated from their original owners and had become what lee calls orphaned polaroids
found photographs have long been important to artists like lee photos taken by amateurs can sometimes acquire new value on account of their uniqueness their age or simply the knowledge that they were once meaningful to a stranger as part of a group they can evoke a collectors sensibility or tell us something about a historical period in a way professional photographs might not for lee collecting found photographs of african americans   a project he called fade resistance   had an additional and deeply personal meaning
lee was raised in germany by korean parents in his 30s his mother told him that the man who raised him was not his biological father but because her relationship with that man who was black had been fleeting she refused to tell her son more about him this revelation at once momentous and limited changed lees life to make sense of his personal loss and to explore his connectedness to black america he took up photography i became friends with lee around the time he began making pictures of black fathers and their children in the bronx and elsewhere that project led to a book father figure for which i wrote a preface later lee began to collect the polaroids   thousands of them   that ended up in fade resistance
who took these photos who do they depict the basic contextual details we would usually expect from snapshots are missing here the absence of this information is bittersweet we are bewildered but we are also ferried over from imagery into imagination in lees case the story of his orphaned polaroids took a surprising turn when he uploaded some of them to facebook the social networks facial recognition technology immediately began to match them with real people lee was not sure who was doing the tagging intrigued and wary he sent a message to one individual who was tagged in several of the pictures there was no response then several weeks later he got a message from the same man a curt request that he take the pictures down
i too collect found photographs but my collection is in the dozens not in the thousands i buy not with any idea that i might show them to anyone but because i like the way certain pictures look a few years ago i bought a cache of photographs from a thrift store in brooklyn 35 or so pictures that i selected out of a pile of hundreds there was a photo of a group of well dressed asians in a restaurant with westerners in military uniforms there were pictures of babies and pictures of blurred landscapes
twenty two of the pictures i bought that day featured the same woman at different stages in her life she was sometimes alone and sometimes with family but there she was in picture after picture from as far back as the late 1930s until at least 1980 she was dark haired was she italian and had an unmistakable toothy smile and cheeks that rose high on her face a few of these photos had inscriptions in pencil or pen on the back or along the white border on the front rock of gibralter sic   margaret kate  myself lake huntington may 1939 i felt i was somehow rescuing these pictures from the anonymity of the pile i named the woman mrs x
i didnt put my images of mrs x online in part because i didnt want anyone to recognize her i also felt a little guilty my images of mrs x i had the sense that my possession of these pictures was not their ideal posterity they should be in the keeping of people who knew this woman who cared about her imagine your own most precious family photos permanently in the hands of a complete stranger and yet despite my doubts i was also happy to have the pictures here she is in 1939 in her bathing suit here she is with her husband  her son  here she is abroad we have color pictures now then shes noticeably older and the husband  is no longer there but there are friends  and relatives  i looked at each of the photographs through a mesh of question marks sustained by mrs xs absolutely distinctive smile from time to time returning to the pictures i am aware that i am touching a photograph that mrs x also touched is this woman still alive its possible but i doubt it
the photos zun lee collected digitally scanned and put out in public have had a different life from the photos in my collection he wrote back to the man who was tagged in some of them and suggested meeting after all he did not consider himself the owner of the photos only their custodian perhaps lee offered he might fly to los angeles and hand the photos over in person the man said no lee was disappointed but sympathetic he said hed already been thinking about how databases and tags are not neutral how they can wind up being hostile toward communities of color i completely understood lee told me this man was saying we are not willing participants the black body is used as a commodity as something that is surveilled the man was telling me no youre not welcome this is not art get the hell out of our lives and i understood it
people have a right to be skeptical about the encounter between the analog experience of life and the futuristic algorithms that often prioritize what is possible over what it desirable already there are reports of churches scanning worshipers faces to determine who attends regularly the better to know whom to ask for donations shops match your face to a database so that they can greet you by name   or identify you as a potential shoplifter black people in particular against the historical backdrop of surveillance and state hostility and corporate disregard have a right to doubt these technologies there was a recent report of googles photo app automatically tagging a photo of two black people as gorillas   another instance of machines replicating the nastier prejudices of their human teachers
lees pleasure in the polaroids he bought was also shadowed by questions why had so many families lost their things to secondhand dealers and estate sales behind these photos of bell bottoms afros birthday parties and interiors rich with period detail lay the invisible stories of evictions dispossessions or separations the polaroids were evidence of joy but the fate of the photographs themselves was unhappy lee acceded to his interlocutors request and took the tagged photos down
in my collection there is a picture from the late 19th or early 20th century an image i think about as much as the entire series of mrs x pictures this seated woman wears a long dark skirt dark stockings and polished dark shoes her hair is a neatly parted mass of black almost an afro she wears a pale jacket and is seated outside next to a door and a brick wall she looks off to her right below not on the white border of the photograph but directly on the photograph itself someone has written in ink the single word nigger
i doubt that the person responsible for this vandalism knew this woman personally perhaps it was written decades later the word after all has been with us a long time as has the spitefulness with which it is deployed but whenever the defacement occurred i feel it has something in common with both a contemporary form of aggression and a very old one black americans for most of their time in this country were named traded and collected against their will they were branded   physically tagged   both to hurt and to control them the woman in my photograph has been tagged too semantically the written slur is like a brand
lee sent me a screen shot of his facebook page as it looked while he was uploading a batch of polaroids several of the images are of men in prison there are white rectangles framing the faces and there is an instruction above each picture click anywhere to tag that mild directive   an automated instruction from facebook   suddenly seems sinister what if these people dont wish to be tagged what are their rights these doubts have led lee to focus more on an offline display of these images i faced the more immediate conundrum of illustrating this column and decided not to show the faces of the people in my collection
american history has long struggled to believe the joys and intimacies of black american life social media fortunately makes those human realities visible to a much larger swath of the population than ever before but theres also a paradox to make intimacy public is often to render it less intimate for all of us but especially for those in communities of color being digitally tracked does not solve the conundrums of inequality whatever else the machines learn theyll have to learn about our sense of privacy too the human necessity of leaving some things untagged and undeclared


last month bruce springsteen canceled a concert in greensboro nc to protest a new state law that among other things requires people to use the bathrooms of the biological sex reflected on their birth certificates springsteen released a statement saying he wanted to show solidarity with those waging a fight against prejudice and bigotry against trans people in response united states representative mark walker a republican who supports the bill told the hollywood reporter that springsteens boycott was a bully tactic thereby joining a growing chorus of people who seem to have mixed up their davids and goliaths
a few days later a white north charleston sc police chief refused to attend a community meeting on the one year anniversary of the death of walter scott because of what he called the bullying tactics of its black members at previous meetings last september kylie jenner a reality star worth millions claimed that she was being cyberbullied by commenters on socialmedia in 2009 the blogger heather armstrong tweeted that no one should buy a maytag washer because of what she called the companys inadequate response to her broken appliance and onlookers on twitter accused her of bullying whirlpool the companys 19 billion parent corporation
in the old days bullies were tough guys who picked on wimpy guys a predictable archetypal clash that inevitably led to a heroic outcome picture the brute kicking sand in the face of the scrawny wimp in the charles atlas comic book ads inspiring our hero to pump up his muscles and seek revenge picture bluto popeyes hulking nemesis imperiling olive oyl time and again so our favorite sailor man could eat his spinach and save the day for decades western culture treated bullying as an expected rite of passage that tested a mans mettle an unpleasant but surmountable obstacle on the path to glory
as a result bullying has long been a rich source of comedy with even its insults and injuries mined for laughs all the better to set up that final triumphant scene in which the bully gets his comeuppance the 1989 cult hit heathers took this final act of vengeance to an extreme a merciless group of high school girls harasses their peers until the characters played by winona ryder and christian slater murder them one by one then blow up the entire school
that dark scene foreshadowed the radical transformation of our view of bullying that came 11 years later when eric harris and dylan klebold two seniors at columbine high school in littleton colo armed with pipe bombs and a small arsenal of firearms killed 13 people and then themselves the media painted a dramatic portrait of bullying culture gone wild at the high school with an imagined trench coat mafia of angry alienated geeks seeking their revenge against popular jocks whod tormented them for years but in the 2009 book columbine dave cullen who reported from the scene that day and studied the event for the next 10 years asserted that the trench coat mafia was marginal and harris and klebold had nothing to do with it according to cullen harris the lead perpetrator had many friends was popular with girls and was rarely bullied he was just a psychopath
a fundamental misunderstanding of the event remains in place 17 years later but this misreading nonetheless helped to incite a seismic   but necessary   shift in the common wisdom on bullying it came to be acknowledged as a serious threat to the emotional and physical health of its victims and then with the advent of social media came the rise of cyberbullying harassment that felt at once private and public ephemeral yet deeply personal
the roots of the word bully never foretold such a gloomy outcome in the 16th century bully was originally a term of endearment arising from the dutch word boel or lover and broeder or brother the word evolved into a greeting for a male friend and from there into a term meaning worthy or jolly this positive connotation lived on into 19th century congratulatory slang   bully for you   but back in the mid 17th century an alternate usage meaning harasser of the weak had already caught on
today this meaning is utterly dominant and antibullying slogans campaigns and organizations make up a fundamental piece of education culture my 9 year old daughter is currently serving as an antibullying ambassador at her school one of a gaggle of fourth graders charged with gently confronting their peers on any and all bullying behavior according to my daughter such offenses range from being mean and hurting someones feelings to teasing the linguistic creep evident here has often struck me as troubling especially as a relatively laughable bully archetype has been supplanted by the specter of mass murder and suicide
but as the word spreads beyond its original childhood boundaries it also loses much of its power increasingly feeling bullied is used broadly by the powerful and the powerless alike to describe feeling insulted by a peer feeling unfairly criticized by a professional critic feeling diminished by commenters or merely feeling exposed to potential profit losses ego injuries or points of view that run counter to your own
this frequent misapplication of the term reflects a larger sea change in the way we view our social positions on an emotional level these days we tend to see power less as the rightful inheritance of the worlds winners us and more as the end product of a disgraceful cycle of opportunists oppressing their way to the top of the human heap
even historys traditional bullies are feeling bullied these days the presidential campaign has evolved into an all against all dog pile in which bullies claim that they are powerless to represent themselves against this new bullying mob that bullies bullies everyone from jeb bush to ted cruz to hillary clinton has called donald trump a bully time magazine put the word next to trumps face on its cover trump who in the art of the deal boasts about giving his second grade music teacher a black eye memorably jeered at bush in true bully style in a december debate oh youre a tough guy jeb i know real tough yet trump now casts himself as the victim of the rncs corrupt nominating rules and threatens to disrupt the july convention if he doesnt win the nomination but isnt that the nature of bullies to see bullying wherever they turn the only person who ever called me a bully was an ex boyfriend who was bigger and stronger than i was and lost his temper when things didnt go his way in couples therapy he described a recurring sense that if he allowed me to speak he would be destroyed forever
this twisted perspective has a certain logic in a digital world where thanks to the distribution of technologies across the populace everyone has power that they didnt have just a few years ago this new order has a way of making us feel more powerful than ever and more powerless than ever in rapid succession likewise our antagonists seem to toggle between invincible superpowered bullies who could easily crush us and laughably archaic relics of the past locating the real bully means deciding who has more power banks or government celebrities or their huge fandoms corporations or customers teachers or parents sovereign nations or terrorist organizations a staff blogger or a public figure she covers with so many voices crying out no wonder so many of us cant seem to tell if were the bullied or the bullies


culver city calif   because of the political moment in which its landing the new movie money monster   about a cheesy tv financial guru and the viewer who takes him hostage   will almost surely be seen as a parable of income inequality and a rigged economy which in large part it is
but to its director jodie foster it covers terrain more intimate than that and more personal its a meditation on failure how keenly people fear it what they do when confronted with it its two main characters captor and captive inhabit the same purgatory theyre coming to terms with their own inadequacy
failure is a big one for me   people in spiritual crisis in a moment in life of total self hatred ms foster told me recently explaining how the movie to be released may 13 connects to her
does she often think of herself as a failure
oh yeah she said oh my god yeah if mother teresa is propelled to do good works because she believes in god i am propelled to do good works because of how bad i feel about myself its the first place i go oh what did i do wrong
this is not the direction in which you expect a conversation with a two time oscar winner to turn but as guarded as so many decades in the spotlight have made ms foster theres also something naked about her a soul searching too fervent to stay hidden
you see it in her best performances you saw it at the golden globes in 2013 when she accepted an honorary award with a raw rambling speech that set the internet ablaze had she just come out of the closet had she even been in the closet
she was asking at once to be understood and to be left alone still searching all these years later for a resolution to the contradiction of celebrity and her remarks were so messy in their way that i was stunned when she told me that shed scripted them carefully in advance
every word she said adding that she even had them put on a teleprompter i didnt want to get it wrong
but what precisely was she trying to get right the world was fixated on her allusions to her private life she was focused on an announcement about her professional one on the far side of 50 she was pivoting toward less glamorous work behind the scenes
she hasnt taken a new acting assignment since instead concentrating on directing money monster is her fourth big screen effort along those lines after little man tate 1991 home for the holidays 1995 and the beaver 2011 and its by far the most ambitious a new york city thriller with swat teams explosives george clooney and julia roberts
mr clooney is the financial guru who loosely evokes jim cramer the host of the cnbc cable show mad money ms roberts is his producer whos in his ear throughout the hostage crisis talking him through it as steady as he is spastic the captor is played by jack oconnell
one striking aspect of the movie is how large ms robertss character looms and i asked ms foster if that would have been the case in a male directors hands she said that she hadnt thought about that but in fact many of the screenplay revisions that she requested involved fleshing out that role
strong women are her trademark as a performer the thread running through the accused her first oscar for best actress the silence of the lambs her second panic room flightplan the brave one and more
but not just strong women women who dont turn to a man in the clutch women whose strength is inseparable from the walls theyve built around themselves theyre solitary characters who dont have mothers and fathers and boyfriends she told me and they demonstrate her desire when acting to have an experience thats all mine and i dont really want to share it
yet im totally desperate to communicate it to you she said its a really weird dichotomy and i think thats me in life
she sat on a couch legs curled under her and shoes kicked off in an office here on the lot of sony pictures which is distributing money monster id last seen her in downtown manhattan months earlier when she was shooting a crucial scene and when she described within minutes of our meeting how powerfully the clooney part spoke to her
hes just a guy on tv but hes imbued with this sense of power she said adding that hes forced to ask questions that she has asked herself am i real am i a sellout is all of this real
she meant the adulation that comes with fame which she achieved early the year she turned 14 she had five movies released including freaky friday bugsy malone and taxi driver in which her precocious turn as an underage prostitute earned her an academy award nomination for best supporting actress
during her time at yale university she acted in another five movies juggling them with her studies including a thesis on african american literature henry louis gates jr then teaching there was one of her advisers she babysat for his two young children and he recalled arranging an interview for her with toni morrison and telling the novelist only that his student alicia foster   thats jodies real name   was en route
when she walked in i think toni almost had a heart attack professor gates now at harvard told me
he and ms foster remain friends and he said that he still marvels at the poise that allowed her to get through a crisis that probably would have been crushing to most of us he was referring to john hinckley jrs shooting of president reagan which mr hinckley who had stalked ms foster said he did to impress her she was in her freshman year at yale
not long after she graduated she considered ditching movies altogether and doing graduate work with professor gates the accused was about to be released and she was convinced that the movie and her performance were no good
her mother evelyn worried that the silence of the lambs would be a mistake and as ms foster remembers it said to her the good part is hannibal lecter why are you taking the dull part
the two have always been extraordinarily close   her mother was a single mom and carefully steered her career early on   so it pained the actress when they had a much bigger tussle over nell in which ms foster played a wild woman literally who spoke a gibberish of her own invention evelyn foster channeled her broader apprehensions about the movie into her daughters specific decision to darken her hair for the role
she was relentless and she wouldnt get off it ms foster said she was yelling at me why did i have to dye my hair she was just like youre ruining your image or whatever it was and i remember sending her this really long letter and the letter was i really love you but im not going to talk to you for four and a half months until the movie wraps
she totally got it   she sent me flowers ms foster added and then i talked to her four months later that was one of the movies where if i thought for one minute that i was making a fool of myself i would not be able to perform
she made clear to me that she was sharing that story only because it couldnt embarrass her mother who has advanced dementia
ms foster is mindful of the privacy of family members including her two sons the oldest of whom will leave for college in the fall and her wife the photographer alexandra hedison the couple began their relationship soon after that golden globes speech and were wed in early 2014 ms foster deflected questions about that
i never will talk about marriage and friends she said there are only so many steps i can take to protect people i love theres only so much i can do to keep them safe its kind of a horrible feeling to know that if somebodys close to you you put them in danger of being hurt of being sullied   trivialized   just by virtue of knowing you
in the globes speech she fleetingly acknowledged a previous relationship to cydney bernard describing her as my heroic co parent my ex partner in love but righteous soul sister in life
did she intend that as the kind of declaration about her sexual orientation that some gay rights advocates had long pressed for
everything i have to say on that subject i said that night she told me acknowledging that some people remained puzzled i can be vague vague is moving to me
in recent years she has directed episodes of orange is the new black and house of cards picking up emmy and directors guild of america nominations but her chance to helm movies came earlier even though that opportunity still eludes many women
she was spared such resistance because so many male executives knew me as the 8 year old who showed up on time and they didnt see it as a risk she said they looked at me as if i was a daughter theyd seen me grow up they knew my professionalism
so did the money monster producers talk to anyone who has worked with her said one of them lara alameddine theyll tell you the same thing she is the most prepared person shes the first one there and the last one to leave
mel gibson who starred in the beaver said that the way she directs films the way she does anything   its just very smart she attacks it and deals with it and delivers
the two formed a deep friendship after making maverick more than two decades ago though their bond baffles outsiders
its not my job to adjudicate his behavior she said hes certainly not sexist and certainly not racist i know the guy i know somebody whos really emotional who i can have long long conversations with whos trustworthy who shows up for me
mr gibson said i just love her thats all you meet people like that sometimes you just instantly fall in love and thats it and its the purest kind of thing we call each other up all the time and just say hey i love you
ms fosters current emphasis on directing over acting partly recognizes that at 53 she wont find as many great roles as she once did but it also reflects her ceaseless process of self examination and self discovery
everybody in my life said to me when you stop acting youre going to be lost she said meaning that directors dont quite have the visibility and currency of actual movie stars what are you going to do when people dont take your phone call or when you cant get a reservation in a restaurant
i looked for some sign that she was being falsely modest or pulling my leg amazingly she wasnt
maybe ill lose my identity she said but i guess i need to find out and im willing to take that chance


founders day in the middle of a weird primary season one secondary weirdness has surfaced on the nonfiction lists   after a flurry last fall the usual campaign books are nowhere in sight thats not to say political books arent selling but instead of history in the making readers are opting for history already made this week lin manuel mirandas hamilton the revolution   written with jeremy mccarter its a look at mirandas hit musical about alexander hamilton   enters the hardcover nonfiction list at no 1 at the same time ron chernows 2004 biography alexander hamilton which inspired the musical is no 2 in its 27th week on the paperback list and a new biography of thomas jefferson  most blessed of the patriarchs  by annette gordon reed and peter s onuf enters the hardcover list at no 16 are readers turning to these books for context as a reprieve or for some other reason entirely i asked gordon reed what she thought peter and i have talked a lot about the strangeness of this political season she replied so many of the bizarre things that have happened raise questions about the fundamental nature of democracy in the united states could this have been our destination all along maybe people are now even more than usual feeling the need to look at how it all got started and are seeking out books that may give them a clue the cliche about not being able to know where youre going until you know where youve been may be in operation here in the face of uncertainty about the future people are looking to the past
drunken spa girls nora roberts tops the hardcover fiction list with a new romantic suspense novel the obsession for all of her hard work   roberts has written some 200 romances under her own name and is also prolific as the crime novelist j d robb   she still finds time to play it began of course with packing she wrote on her blog recently a couple cases of champagne a big bag o fabulous prizes a scoreboard books and many other necessary goodies for a week of fun with girls    this is drunken spa girls week every spring roberts and her friends gather for a week of massages charades video games and lots of adult beverages i treasure my circle of women their humor their wisdom their eccentricities she wrote my fabulous prizes from this week are as always the memories and the moments we made and shared
copy that dominic smiths art novel the last painting of sara de vos about a forged dutch masterpiece is new on the hardcover fiction list at no 16 the presence of forgeries probably dates back to the earliest forms of art smith said in an email the fake keeps us fascinated i think because of its power to entice and deceive to discover that a beloved painting or sculpture is a fraud is to realize that one has fallen in love with an impostor


sochi russia   just two years after introducing a radical new technical formula with downsized hybrid engines grand prix racing is planning another new set of regulations that will completely change the appearance and concept of its cars next season
but as teams prepare for the russian grand prix in sochi this weekend doubts are growing within the series as to whether the changes   designed to end the dominance of a single team reduce costs and improve the show   will actually achieve any of those things
worse they may give the mercedes team   or another top team   another chance to dominate
and yet not even this seasons leader of the series the mercedes driver nico rosberg is happy about the new rules
our opinion was that its not the right direction to go and we were hoping that they would definitely re look into it and just make sure from a technical point of view to double check rosberg said on thursday in sochi this is the way it is so now all we can do is accept it and make the most of it and hope that there are going to be some surprises
in fact the series stakeholders have had such a difficult time agreeing on the new regulations that ratification was first delayed from the end of february to the end of april and with saturday as the final deadline the team directors managed to make their final agreement on friday in sochi
the new rules are intended to make the cars look more dynamic with wider bodies wider wings and wider tires the wings will give them more aerodynamic downforce and the tires more grip and the engines will provide more power as a result the cars will go up to five seconds faster per lap to provide more spectacular closer racing
another part of the changes is supposed to be a rethinking of the philosophy behind the engines making the power unit more affordable to give lower budget teams a better chance to compete
but after the series embarrassingly failed to spice up the qualifying format with new sporting rules this year there has been concern that the new rules will also fail to achieve their goal
while he agreed with the changes to wider cars and tires to increase the mechanical grip of the cars esteban gutierrez a driver for the haas team expressed some doubts what im not fully convinced about is the increase in downforce which will naturally make overtaking more difficult   or lets say following a car more difficult
some have noted that any overhaul of the regulations gives an advantage to the bigger teams since a big rich team can spend more money and devote more resources to exploiting a new set of rules than a small lower budget team felipe nasr a driver at the financially struggling sauber team said on thursday that a new batch of regulations only added to the problems for his team
while the decision to change the formula came last year when mercedes was untouchable this season the trailing teams have been catching up and competition has been tight with exciting racing in the first three races this year
and while in early 2014 the new six cylinder 16 liter hybrid turbo engines   which entirely changed the way drivers and teams approached car design and racing   were several seconds slower than the cars propelled by the previous 24 liter engines the cars have now not only caught up but they have gotten faster during qualifying on april 2 at the bahrain grand prix lewis hamilton the reigning world champion driver at mercedes set the tracks lap record
even so the cars remain less physically difficult to drive than cars in any previous period in the series history and many people   including the drivers   are seeking more challenging spectacular machines
i think that from a drivers point of view the mechanical grip will be such a good thing for us drivers to have it back nasr said but i agree with the others what they are saying about the downforce is it exactly what is going to improve the show
and yet it was the engine part of the new rules that proved to be the most important sticking point in negotiations as the series promoter bernie ecclestone and its rule making body the international automobile federation pushed for the engine manufacturers to reduce costs by nearly half to 12 million euros or about 137 million for an engine while bringing engine performance closer together from one manufacturer to another
the fia and ecclestone also negotiated to force the four engine manufacturers   mercedes ferrari renault and honda   to agree to provide any team that may be without an engine with one to avoid the kind of crisis the red bull team found itself in at the russian grand prix last year when it had no deal yet for an engine provider this year
finally ecclestone also fought to ensure that something be done to make the engines louder since 2014 the hybrid cars reduced the ear shattering scream of the v8 engines of the past to a purr not much louder than that of a road car
eric bouillier the sporting director of the mclaren team whose honda engine manufacturer has just started to come to grips with the new hybrid engine formula after a disastrous first year last year fears that changing the formula so soon could hurt hondas ability to improve the engine rather than help it
as far as we are concerned on the engine we are seeking some stability he said referring to the regulations which would be the key to develop and have a better convergence in the future


here are the top 10 comments of the week on our digital platforms as selected by our readers and the journalists who moderate nearly every comment
1 as a male i feel ashamed watching this video guilty by association i guess i weep with the men who were asked to read a litany of vitriolic texts tweets and emails sent to these   no all   women i ask myself how can i be part of the solution
  abbadaniel in houston reacting to a column about the vitriol aimed at female sports journalists by their male readers on social media
2 i used to write a comedy show the letters i got were pretty awful   sexist violent rude some of them i still remember word for word i wrote back to every person and responded very nicely i asked them if they wanted to write an episode and i said i would be really happy if they did and i would work with them
it was amazing how my putting a human face on the correspondence changed the tenor of it many responded to me some apologized all were sheepish
  sas in newton mass
3 dont underestimate the value of fiorina to cruz as a short term strategy in indiana hes trying to pull in more republican women and excite evangelicals to show up for him she is very appealing to religious conservatives and republican women professionals
in california she lost her senate bid but she did win the republican primary nomination first this enabled her senate run in the first place california republicans are used to voting for her they did it before and cruz is betting she can do it again
  andy w in chicago reacting to an article about senator ted cruz choosing carly fiorina as his running mate
4 i was right behind a car that flipped over and bounced around on the highway i had to pull over with two to three other people and approach the upside down smashed car
i never felt such dread in my life and then we all saw a baby carseat it took guts to peek inside that car   not sure i would have been brave enough to do it in the first place luckily there was no baby and the driver was alive and bloody but largely unharmed
she had just grabbed her phone for a sec to text her mom that she would be there soon i got back in my car and cried my eyes out
please people youre driving several tons of metal at high speed dont text and drive
  jn in brooklyn reacting to an article about technology that could allow the police responding to a traffic accident to determine if the driver at fault had been texting at the time of the crash
this comment received more than 380 reader recommendations
5 more republican lawmakers have been caught doing immoral things in the bathroom than transgenders
  alexander roehl on the timess facebook page responding to an article about target stores allowing their employees and customers to choose the restroom that aligns with their gender identities
6 i think its the in your face proles mentality that i really resent and the diminution of the experience for those who are unable to pay premium prices accompanied by a mentality that the rich just arent like the rest of us and that our experiences comfort or dignity just doesnt matter
  minmin in new york reacting to an article about companies employing marketing strategies designed to divide wealthy and average consumers
this comment received over 1240 reader recommendations
7 when trump said if hillary clinton were a man i dont think shed get 5 percent of the vote my first thought was and if you werent a man this conversation would be over
  j burkett in austin tex reacting to an op ed column by gail collins about donald j trumps criticism of hillary clinton
this comment received over 1100 reader recommendations
8 what i dont get is how some who would seem to support quite liberal ideas though admittedly some seem to be there only for the excitement or because change is all they care about would say that they wont vote for hillary
if too many of them do that we will have president trump or cruz do bernie supporters really care so little about the content of the change
is any change ok with them as long as its something really different is that very liberal seeming crowd really ok with overturning roe v wade outlawing gay marriage and carpet bombing the middle east
  anne marie hislop in chicago reacting to an op ed column by frank bruni that called senator bernie sanders and senator ted cruz sore losers over their reluctance to end their presidential campaigns
this comment received over 2000 reader recommendations and 96 responses from readers
9 ill never eat another yogurt only chobani for me yogurt for the people by the people
  jupiter in new york reacting to an article about the founder of the yogurt company chobani offering his employees shares worth up to 10 percent of the company when it goes public or is sold
10 physicians are seriously baffled as to what could be responsible for the increase in demand for this surgery among teens
i find it rather baffling that not once is the word pornography mentioned in this entire article
for all those who argue porn is a harmless pastime this article should shock us all wide awake
  lili b in new york reacting to an article about a growing number of teenage girls seeking surgery to alter the shape of their vulvas


portland ore   the game was only minutes old when austin rivers of the los angeles clippers lunged for a loose ball but all he caught was an accidental elbow from al farouq aminu a forward from the portland trail blazers during the subsequent stoppage in play rivers left the court and disappeared to the locker room as a trainer held a white towel over riverss face
rivers returned in the second quarter after receiving 11 stitches and his face looked as if he had gone 12 rounds yet he played on his determined effort helping to carry the undermanned clippers who were running on fumes against the trail blazers on friday night in game 6 of their first round playoff series
determination makes a difference in the playoffs but so do healthy bodies the clippers finally exhausted their supply of them against the trail blazers whose 106 103 victory on friday night clinched their first round playoff series at moda center
the trail blazers mason plumlee made two free throws with 147 seconds left to break a late game tie after the clippers jamal crawford misfired on a runner in the closing seconds plumlee added another free throw to seal the win
after losing the first two games of the series portland won the final four to advance to face the golden state warriors in the western conference semifinals game 1 is scheduled for sunday in oakland calif
damian lillard scored 28 points to lead the trail blazers and cj mccollum added 20
crawford scored 32 points and rivers 21 for the clippers who played the final two games of the series without the injured chris paul and blake griffin
still the trail blazers were never supposed to be in this position not after losing four starters including lamarcus aldridge and wesley matthews to free agency and off season moves last summer not with one of the youngest rosters in the league not with lillard shouldering so much of the offensive load
but under coach terry stotts portland went 44 38 in the regular season when most prognosticators had predicted that the team would miss the playoffs instead lillard excelled and found an outstanding backcourt partner in mccollum whose minutes tripled along with his production funny how that works
the clippers sustained a seismic blow monday in game 4 when they lost paul to a broken hand griffin to a quadriceps injury and then finally the game the trail blazers proceeded to roll past the clippers on wednesday in los angeles to send the series back to portland for an opportunity to clinch a berth in the conference semifinals at home
with paul out indefinitely after surgery and blake done for the season neither made the trip to portland for game 6 coach doc rivers said it did not make sense for either of them to travel after their medical procedures the clippers needed epic efforts from players like crawford and rivers
they nearly delivered despite a rough start jj redick and luc mbah a moute picked up two fouls each in the games opening minutes rivers filling in for paul at point guard took an elbow to the head and left for the locker room
as if to pile on the pro golfer peter jacobsen walked onto the court during an early timeout and knocked down three straight free throws to win everyone in the arena free fruit smoothies
so it was something of a surprise that the clippers given their all consuming troubles tied the game at 24 24 entering the second quarter against all odds they had some hope
it was not the finest display of basketball execution at one end the clippers deandre jordan air balled a free throw at the other end the trail blazers used one possession to throw two of the worst lobs of the postseason   lobs that were only vaguely in the general vicinity of plumlee he could not get his mitts on either of them
the clippers stuck around crawford came off the bench to score 22 points in the first half and redick connected on a 3 pointer early in the third quarter to give the clippers a 58 53 lead
the trail blazers sank seven 3 pointers in the third quarter and mccollum sank another midway through the fourth for a 7 point lead
rivers called a timeout and surveyed his bench searching for solutions the clippers continued to fight   redick scored on a layup and crawford made two free throws to tie the game in the final minute   but they fell just short


los angeles   luke walton is coming home to rebuild the los angeles lakers
the lakers reached an agreement friday night with walton an assistant with the golden state warriors to become their coach dramatically choosing a leader for their new era after kobe bryant
the lakers grabbed walton just five days after they fired byron scott who led the 16 time nba champions to the two worst seasons in franchise history
walton spent nine seasons with the lakers winning two championship rings as a smart steady contributor three years after his retirement walton a 36 year old southern california native is back to become the 26th head coach in franchise history
were excited to bring luke back to los angeles where we feel hes going to start an outstanding coaching career lakers general manager mitch kupchak said hes one of the brightest young coaching minds in the game and we feel fortunate that hell be leading the on court future of our team
walton seemed to be the ideal candidate for the lakers from the start given his equal fluency in the lakers history and the warriors cutting edge brand of beautiful basketball hell have the chance to mold the lakers on court approach in any way he chooses with the franchise ripe for reinvention after the 20 year career of bryant
walton who got a multiyear contract will join the lakers after the warriors playoff run that could take several weeks because golden state is headed for the second round with designs on a second straight championship
walton became a top candidate for coaching jobs earlier this season when he led golden state to a 39 4 record as the interim head coach while steve kerr was sidelined by a back injury walton coolly stepped in and coaching the warriors to an nba record 24 0 start before ceding the job back to kerr
walton even finished eighth in the voting for the nbas coach of the year award which went to kerr
im incredibly happy for luke kerr said as we witnessed earlier this season he has all of the intangibles necessary to be an outstanding head coach in this league including a terrific understanding of the game the ability to communicate with a wide range of people hes certainly ready for this opportunity and im confident hell do a great job with the lakers once our season is complete
walton will not have nearly the same level of talent in los angeles which is rebuilding after the retirement of bryant waltons longtime teammate
after walton stepped away from the court in 2013 he worked briefly for the lakers television network as a broadcaster and for their d league team as a player development coach he became an assistant in golden state and earned promotion to the job of kerrs lead assistant this season after alvin gentry left


radek faksa scored the tiebreaking goal on a rebound with less than five minutes left in the game helping the stars open the second round of the western conference playoffs with a 2 1 victory at home over the st louis blues on friday night
as antoine roussel had on a second period goal on which faksa had an assist faksa started the rush that led to his winner
blues defenseman kevin shattenkirk tied the score at 1 1 in the third period with a shot from the top of the left circle after dallas failed to clear the puck out of the zone
game 2 is sunday in the best of seven series matching the western conferences top two teams from the regular season
after faksa pushed the puck up the ice brian elliott stopped but did not secure ales hemskys initial shot faksa was there to score his second goal of the playoffs
along with the western conferences top two teams this is a matchup of the stars lindy ruff and st louiss ken hitchcock coaches who became friends after being assistants for team canada when it won gold medals in the last two winter olympics
hitchcock was coach of the stars when the franchise won its only stanley cup in 1999 complete with a disputed clinching goal in triple overtime of game 6 against ruffs buffalo sabres they also went head to head in the 2006 playoffs in which the sabres beat hitchcocks philadelphia flyers
kari lehtonen stopped 31 shots withstanding a final surge when the blues pulled elliott out of the net and had an extra skater for the final 1 minute 40 seconds
elliott who has played all eight playoffs games for the blues had 40 saves
dallas took the lead midway through the second period when roussel started a rush down the right side and then had a cross ice pass to john klingberg before faksas wrist shot from the left slot roussel was there to knock in the rebound
it was roussels second goal of the playoffs but the first in which he got a stick on the puck
roussel scored from behind the net in game 2 of the first round series against minnesota a puck ricocheted off a teammates skate and then hit roussels popping over the net and into the back of the goalies head before falling to the ice the strange goal was initially waived off before being overturned following a lengthy review
sharks 5 predators 2 joel ward scored the tiebreaking goal against his former team with 811 remaining in regulation to help host san jose rally past nashville in game 1 of their second round series
ward also set up tomas hertls power play goal that tied the game earlier in the period before scoring one of his own to help san jose win its first playoff game when trailing after two periods since 2011
logan couture added a power play goal and an empty netter before tommy wingels sealed it with another empty net goal as the sharks showed some rust after having six days off since beating los angeles in five games in the first round
ducks dismiss coach the anaheim ducks fired coach bruce boudreau on friday two days after their first round exit from the playoffs
while announcing the move ducks general manager bob murray expressed much more anger at his players than at boudreau who has not been able to pair postseason success with steady excellence in his two nhl jobs in anaheim and washington boudreau has won 409 regular season games and eight division titles but just five playoff rounds in his coaching career
the ducks four time pacific division champions have lost a game 7 on home ice in four consecutive playoff years culminating in wednesdays 2 1 loss to nashville in the first round
i just think the last four years the way theyve ended all very similar that i didnt think it would be a good situation to go forward in murray said in no way shape or form is this pointing a gun at bruces head lets make that perfectly clear but youve got to start somewhere
boudreau had spectacular regular season success with the ducks leading them to four consecutive division titles while going 208 104 40 in nearly five seasons in charge he had similar success in his first nhl coaching job in washington going 201 88 40 and winning four southeast division titles in parts of five seasons
but the ducks last four seasons have ended in much the same disappointment as experienced by the capitals who won just two playoff rounds in four postseasons under boudreau the coach is an inexplicable 1 7 in game 7s in his career including six consecutive losses in the decisive game since 2009
compounding the pain the ducks also blew a 3 2 series lead in each of the past four postseasons missing two opportunities to eliminate their opponents
murray acknowledged no complaints about boudreaus job performance while firing him essentially acknowledging it was easier to fire the coach than the players
regular season success is ok murray said making the playoffs is the most important thing
anaheim lost the first two games against nashville at home but won the next three before losing the series the ducks outshot the predators by 28 10 over the final two periods of game 7 but could not overcome two early goals in a gut wrenching loss


the federal investigation into one of gov andrew m cuomos signature upstate economic development programs has come to focus on one of his former top aides several people familiar with the matter said on friday
the inquiry the people said is also focused on several other men and a company linked to the program called the buffalo billion
federal prosecutors in manhattan and the federal bureau of investigation are looking into whether the former senior aide joseph percoco and his wife failed to properly disclose thousands of dollars in income they had received from a company or companies doing business with the state two of the people briefed on the matter said
the inquiry strikes particularly close to mr cuomo who once described mr percoco as my fathers third son mr percoco began his political career working for mario m cuomo when he was governor and eventually worked for his son in several capacities
the other people whose conduct is under examination in the investigation two of the people said include alain e kaloyeros the president of the state university of new york polytechnic institute who was a central player in the buffalo billion todd howe a lobbyist and longtime associate of the governor and his father louis p ciminelli a developer in buffalo and a company called competitive power ventures
two of the people said the governors office was served in recent days with a federal grand jury subpoena for documents related to these issues one of the people said no individual official in the office had received a subpoena
after the scrutiny of mr percoco and the others was reported friday in the daily news the governors counsel alphonso david issued a statement acknowledging the investigation the statement said that the inquiry had recently raised questions of improper lobbying and undisclosed conflicts of interest by some individuals which may have deceived state employees involved in the respective programs and may have defrauded the state
authorities are investigating whether mr percoco and his wife had received tens of thousands of dollars in income from a design and engineering company that worked on the project and failed to properly declare it two of the people said the company according to a person familiar with the development program worked on one of the main projects a solar panel factory for solarcity whose chairman is elon musk the chief executive of tesla motors
in january mr percoco left the cuomo administration where he made an annual salary of 169000 as executive deputy secretary to become a senior vice president at madison square garden a lawyer for mr percoco barry a bohrer said his client was a dedicated and effective public servant who is proud of the service that he rendered to the people of the state of new york
daniel c oliverio a lawyer for mr ciminelli who is a financial supporter of mr cuomos said his client was not involved in wrongdoing
mr oliverio also represents mr ciminellis company lpciminelli which is building the solarcity factory mr oliverio said the company had not heard from prosecutors since it received one subpoena in june
its unfortunate that some of this stuff was going on and we were the major contractor on the project he said but we have not been identified as a target or a subject and we have provided the documents we were asked to provide
mr howe could not be reached for comment a lawyer for mr kaloyeros richard m strassberg declined to comment
mr david said in his statement that the governor had ordered a full review of the development program which has been under scrutiny by federal prosecutors for more than a year the review will be conducted the statement said by bart m schwartz a former senior federal prosecutor


paul george had 21 points and 11 rebounds and the indiana pacers had a big fourth quarter beating the visiting toronto raptors 101 83 on friday night and sending their first round series to a deciding seventh game
myles turner had 15 points and monta ellis added 14 for the pacers
indiana scored 18 straight points in the second half pulling away from the second seeded raptors who have not won a postseason series since the first round in 2001
demarre carroll and cory joseph led the raptors with 15 points each the raptors demar derozan was held to 8 points on just 3 of 13 shooting
game 7 will be sunday at toronto
heat 97 hornets 90 dwyane wade scored 10 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter and miami forced the first round series to a seventh game with a victory at charlotte
luol deng was 9 of 14 from the field and finished with 21 points while goran dragic added 14 points and 7 rebounds for the heat who will host game 7 on sunday
the heat overcame a playoff career high 37 points from kemba walker and handed the hornets only their 11th loss of the season at home al jefferson had 18 points and 9 rebounds and cody zeller had 12 points off the bench for charlotte
with miami leading by 2 wade hit his first 3 pointer of 2016 with 46 seconds left and added an 18 foot turnaround jump shot over courtney lee helping seal the win
curry pushes recovery stephen curry said he was optimistic about returning earlier than the two week estimate that golden state officials had given for his recovery from a sprained knee
curry the nbas reigning most valuable player said that he was getting treatment daily in an effort to get back on the floor
when the body says its time then well push that button he said
curry said he expected to begin shooting in the coming days
curry said he considered himself fortunate that he had not seriously damaged the knee when he slipped during sundays game 4 win at houston the warriors eliminated the rockets on wednesday
if curry were to be out two weeks he would miss at least the first three games of the second round


boston   in new england where professional sports are woven into the fabric of the culture as tightly as the seams on a baseball the fortunes of the local teams are always monitored carefully
but most of those clubs have not fared well in recent days the boston bruins did not even make the playoffs and on thursday the celtics were eliminated by the atlanta hawks
fans of the new england patriots were harboring anger toward the nfl for taking away their first round pick in the annual draft a steep penalty for possibly tampering with footballs two years before and for the reinstatement of tom bradys four game suspension
so on friday night all eyes turned to the red sox and the yankees at fenway park where a fading rivalry was re energized for another night
alex rodriguez and david ortiz two 40 year old sluggers with nearly 1200 home runs between them reached back to hit long powerful homers in a game that evoked memories of their battles from earlier this century especially the ones the red sox won
it has happened more often than not since ortiz came to boston changing the balance of power in the rivalry his home run was the decisive one the memorable one the winner
ortiz redirected a dellin betances breaking ball into the seats above the green monster with one out in the eighth inning to break a tie and propel the red sox to a 4 2 win over the struggling yankees
it was ortizs first hit off betances and his 48th home run against the yankees   the 14th that gave the red sox the lead that does not include his five against the yankees in the playoffs the most memorable of which came in the 2004 american league championship series
the intensity of the rivalry has plummeted since then but on a chilly night with the stands full ortiz gave a refresher course on his knack for crushing the yankees spirits especially at fenway park
when youre playing at home you know the adrenaline is flying all over the place when you are playing against the yankees ortiz said whenever something like this happens you really enjoy it
before the game the video board showed a montage of some of the more volatile moments in the passionate history between the clubs and some of the nastier ones including fights between thurman munson and carlton fisk rodriguez and jason varitek pedro martinez and don zimmer
those days of baseball armageddon seem very far away and rodriguez and ortiz are the only two players who were in uniform then and now
the rivalry may be at a low ebb owing to the misfortunes of these teams over the past two seasons but two things have not changed at fenway park since the peak of the competition between 1999 and 2005 they still sing along to sweet caroline in the eighth inning and they still boo rodriguez
the defeat was especially difficult for the yankees who lost their third straight game and their seventh in their last 10 but manager joe girardi said it is too early to panic
now is not the time he said i really believe we are going to bust out of this we havent yet and i know i keep saying it but i really believe in my heart that these guys are going to hit and we are going to score a lot of runs
the red sox do not have that worry now at least not with ortiz who announced before the season that this would be his final one he does not look like a fading star he is batting 307 and the home run was his fourth
im going to try to enjoy my retirement he said if i get bored ill just tell the red sox to activate me again
masahiro tanaka pitched very well through six innings for the yankees but in the seventh he surrendered the lead the yankees had held since rodriguezs home run jackie bradley jr hit a two run double off the green monster and the red sox drew even 2 2
betances replaced tanaka and induced a fly ball from mookie betts to end the seventh inning and prevent boston from taking the lead there
but in the eighth betances gave up a single to xander bogaerts and then ortizs 507th home run rodriguez has hit 691
in the ninth rodriguez grounded out to bogaerts for the second out in a 1 2 3 inning and boston could finally cheer again
those games between us and the yankees everyone is on their toes ortiz said its enjoyable next year im going to become a fan and probably going to be feeling the same way watching the game


the mets had been cruising through inferior competition but on friday they had to jump up in weight class when the san francisco giants arrived at citi field
by capturing last years national league pennant the mets seized the title formerly owned by the giants who won world series in 2010 2012 and 2014
the teams opened the game like nervous prizefighters with both feeling each other out   no crushing blows were landed but after the first time through the order the mets spotted a weakness and bludgeoned the giants in the third inning
by the time yoenis cespedess grand slam cleared the left field fence the mets had landed their knockout punch scoring a franchise record 12 runs in one inning on the way to a 13 1 romp over the giants
when the teams met at citi field for their first game of last season on june 9 chris heston threw a no hitter
cespedess laser shot over the left field wall marked several milestones aside from the single inning run total cespedes helped set franchise records for most rbi in an inning six and consecutive games with an extra base hit nine
im very happy honored to have achieved this cespedes said through a translator
the mets previous one inning run record was 11 set in the sixth inning against the chicago cubs at wrigley field on july 16 2006
when we signed him it was a huge huge move for us manager terry collins said of cespedes he puts that legitimate big time bat in the middle of our lineup that every good team needs to have for me what he does is he just takes the load off so many guys
despite a persistent light rain giants starter jake peavy coasted through the first two innings allowing only one hit a bunt single by neil walker but he also had two walks and the mets later took advantage of his lack of control to begin their romp
leading off the third curtis granderson and david wright walked before michael conforto doubled into the left center field gap for the first run with wright on third and conforto on second cespedes picked up his first hit of the inning lining a single to center field and bringing home both runners
what happened today that was the last thing on my mind cespedes said of breaking the team record for rbi in an inning
after lucas duda walked walker hit a towering double that faded right like a hooking tee shot the fans stood and craned their necks looking to see if it would land inside the right field foul pole but it dropped just short at the base of the wall good enough to score cespedes the giants pulled peavy after only 70 pitches he was charged with 6 of the 12 runs
reliever mike broadway entered and immediately gave up a double to asdrubal cabrera scoring duda and walker kevin plawecki walked and steven matz the ninth batter of the inning recorded the first out after missing a bunt attempt with two strikes
back at the top of the order granderson aired a deep fly ball to right field forcing hunter pence to backpedal as pence contorted his body in an attempt to make the catch the ball popped out of his glove granderson was credited with a single and cabrera crossed the plate wright followed with a single to load the bases
conforto added another rbi a single to score plawecki setting up cespedes to drive in the most runs in an inning for a met since butch huskey had five rbi in an inning may 26 1998
the mets sent 15 batters to the plate when walker grounded to second for the third out the crowd stood and gave a rousing ovation
steven matz pitched six scoreless innings although the giants picked up seven hits and three walks off him matz while picking up four strikeouts was able to provide the mets important length as they begin a stretch of 17 games without a day off
before friday the mets slate of april games against national league teams had not been sated with clubs expected to play past the first weekend in october before the game collins was fully aware of this imbalance and at first tried to puff up the credentials of teams like the miami marlins and philadelphia phillies before acknowledging the giants residency in a different class
this is going to be a great test for us this weekend collins said
with one record shattering inning the mets passed the first part of that test


east rutherford nj   as the giants scouts and front office personnel surveyed the wide receivers available in the nfl draft a familiar name rang out when they assessed oklahomas sterling shepard
at 5 feet 10 inches and with the playmaking skills that enabled him catch 86 passes last season shepard drew comparisons to victor cruz their own star
on friday with the 40th overall selection and the ninth of the second round the giants selected shepard giving eli manning another target
shepard could ultimately replace cruz if cruz is unable to regain his health he sat out the 2015 season after tearing the patellar tendon in his right knee in 2014 general manager jerry reese went so far as to call him young victor cruz
marc ross the giants vice president for player evaluation said that shepards stature quickness and make you miss skills were very similar to cruzs adding but i never like to say a guy is the next somebody or compare him like that but i can definitely see why the comparisons are made
the selection however was a surprise for shepard who had 86 receptions for 1288 yards and 11 touchdowns last season and finished his career with 233 receptions for 3482 yards and 26 touchdowns
though the giants made themselves intimately familiar with his resume watching nearly every one of his snaps they did not make their interest known in the months leading up to the draft shepard did not interview with the team during the week before the senior bowl or during the scouting combine
though his slight size drew speculation that he would play only in the slot the giants said he could play any wide receiver position coach bob mcadoo tried to play down the similarity to cruz saying that shepards frame belied his aggressive and physical playing style and reminded him of packers receiver randall cobb whom he coached while with green bay
its basketball on grass ross said guys throw the ball you need athletes you need space you still need to block and you got to protect but the more athletes you have out there   its not ground and pound anymore we throw the ball and thats our system and a lot of teams do that
but with cruz at a pivotal point in his career it is not hard to think that the giants have drafted his replacement cruz burst into stardom in 2011 but has not reached those heights since he has not even played in a game since week 6 of the 2014 season
in the third round the giants took boise state free safety darian thompson who set a mountain west conference record with 19 interceptions further shoring up a pass defense that allowed the most passing yards in the nfl last season he will join landon collins the safety the giants traded up for in the second round last spring


florham park nj   the jets whose starting quarterback remains unsigned continued their annual tradition of restocking the position on friday when they selected christian hackenberg of penn state in the second round of the nfl draft
it was the fourth year in a row the jets have drafted a quarterback they took bryce petty from baylor in the fourth round last year tajh boyd from clemson in the sixth round in 2014 and geno smith from west virginia in the second round in 2013
im extremely grateful for the opportunity said hackenberg who had one year of eligibility remaining a lot of hours have gone into this
ryan fitzpatrick was acquired from the houston texans last year and led the jets to a surprising 10 6 record in todd bowless first year as head coach although the jets have said they want to re sign fitzpatrick he remains a free agent
so the jets who still have petty and smith used the no 51 overall pick to add hackenberg a 6 foot 4 228 pound native of palmyra va he started strongly under bill obrien but obrien left to coach the texans and hackenberg scuffled under james franklin
jets general manager mike maccagnan and coach todd bowles said the team selected hackenberg because of his potential work ethic and character and because he was the highest player rated on the board at the time
it doesnt change anything with our approach to ryan maccagnan said
bowles said of fitzpatrick as a starter its going to be hard to take it from him
as a freshman hackenberg passed for 2955 yards with 20 touchdowns but his statistics last season dwindled to 2525 yards with 16 touchdowns he was sacked 82 times in his last two seasons at penn state though he threw only six interceptions last year compared with 15 in 2014
penn state lost its last four games last season to finish with a 7 6 record hackenberg ended his collegiate career by being knocked out with a sprained shoulder in the second quarter of a taxslayer bowl loss to georgia he passed for only 103 yards and was sacked 10 times in an opening game loss to temple the owls first victory over the nittany lions since 1941
its a new opportunity its a new environment hackenberg said of joining the jets
jordan jenkins a 6 foot 2 259 pound outside linebacker from georgia was selected with their third round pick no 83 over all jenkins had 204 tackles in four years with the bulldogs but he had only 19 sacks just four in 11 games last season when he was hampered by a groin injury
i bring a lot of physicality jenkins said


harrison nj   lloyd sam scored on a set play in the 37th minute friday night and the red bulls added three goals in the second half to beat mls leading fc dallas 4 0
the red bulls 3 6 0 scored on a coordinated play off sacha kljestans free kick kljestan floated it over the defense where sal zizzo was wide open to head it back across the 6 yard box and sam finished from close range
sams long distance chip shot in the 52nd minute crashed high off the crossbar and caught goalkeeper jesse gonzalez out of position and kljestan raced in to head home the rebound
mike grella made the score 3 0 with a header in the 71st minute and felipes strike from the top of the penalty arc capped the scoring in the 83rd minute
the red bulls won their second straight after losing four in a row
fc dallas fell to 5 3 2


the de blasio administration will give the owners of 17 enormous office towers in lower manhattan a chance to fill in the public arcades along their buildings ground floors and turn a shadowy windswept realm into moneymaking retail space
the arcades were constructed from the 1960s through the 1980s under an abandoned and discredited zoning theory that imagined water street near the southern tip of manhattan island benefiting from covered pedestrian walkways like those on the rue de rivoli in paris
in exchange for providing open air arcades around their buildings developers were permitted to construct more office area than zoning rules would have ordinarily allowed that added to their revenue in perpetuity the public was supposed to benefit in perpetuity too but it did not
a few arcades create inviting vistas or make it easier to navigate downtowns erratic street grid some have cafes they are handy for escaping a downpour or blazing summer sun but many are used as outdoor smoking lounges pedestrians prefer sidewalks to the gloomy moribund spaces
the idea of the arcades here turned out to be a failure frankly said carl weisbrod the chairman of the city planning commission which approved the proposal on monday with the support of the alliance for downtown new york and the citys economic development corporation mr weisbrod was president of the alliance from 1994 to 2005
this effort is to reclaim and make this into an active lively corridor mr weisbrod said about water street that may attract more residential uses but for me the importance is in retaining it as a lower cost office district that will keep businesses in the city and in lower manhattan
the proposal known as a text amendment was modified by the commission to allow the local community board 45 days to review retail conversion plans as they come forward the proposal will next be considered by the new york city council
along water street public arcades and public plazas together yielded more than 25 million square feet of bonus floor area under the proposal an owner seeking to convert an arcade must also improve any plaza on the same lot for instance by adding trees or seating
its important that those improvements be made at the same time and delivered said catherine mcvay hughes the chairwoman of community board 1 which approved the text amendment by a 19 to 11 vote the open space we have needs to be top notch its very precious
it appears to some that water street landlords are being invited to double dip since they will receive a benefit from new retail space   conceivably worth hundreds of dollars a square foot annually   on top of the revenue they already get from the bonus office space
alice blank a downtown architect who is a critic of the proposal said the text amendment violates the deal made with the citizens of new york when developers got prime additional real estate in exchange for their unqualified promise to preserve this public space
but mr weisbrod said the developers had abided by the rules that existed at the time and current owners along water street he said had borne enormous costs in recovering from hurricane sandy and hurricane irene
this is designed to benefit the public he said about the zoning proposal not to provide a windfall to developers
jerold s kayden the founder and president of the advocates for privately owned public space acknowledged that many of the water street arcades are of marginal quality
the big issue he added is how we can improve the remaining 515 or so privately owned public spaces in the city so that they can truly invite public use


the united nations security council on friday renewed its peacekeeping mission in the disputed western sahara region for a year with a resolution that placed only mild pressure on morocco which in a diplomatic flare up last month expelled many of the staff members of the mission crippling its ability to function
the resolution expressed the urgent need for a full restoration of the mission known by its acronym minurso and called on the united nations secretary general ban ki moon to report in three months whether it had been returned to full functionality
the measure did not order the moroccans to rescind the expulsions it also did not specify what further steps might be taken to resolve the missions severe limitations which have raised fears of a return to armed conflict in western sahara a mineral rich region long claimed by morocco
the security councils handling of the expulsions was under scrutiny by other nations where peacekeeping missions have been deployed
minurso has operated in western sahara for a quarter century helping to monitor a cease fire between moroccan forces and the polisario front a pro independence movement
the effort to find a political solution has been foundering for years a crisis erupted last month after mr ban visited a camp for displaced western saharans and described their region as occupied infuriating the moroccans who said mr ban had abandoned neutrality on the issue mr ban and his aides denied the accusation but moroccos government still ordered dozens of civilian staff members of minurso to leave
the resolution adopted on friday one day before minursos mandate expired reflected a willingness to compromise despite divisions within the 15 member council ten members approved the resolution including the united states which drafted it venezuela and uruguay opposed it and russia angola and new zealand abstained
some dissenting diplomats said the resolution should have been worded much more sternly and morocco given a short deadline to allow the mission to resume full operations the polisario fronts representative at the united nations ahmed boukhari also criticized the measure for that reason
this resolution has dealt with the crisis in a soft manner mr boukhari said in a phone interview why this accommodation with morocco
morocco welcomed the resolution the moroccan american center for policy a group of organizations that represent the views of the moroccan government said in a statement that the resolutions language had reiterated the need for negotiations between morocco and the polisario front based on realism and a spirit of compromise
samantha power the united states ambassador to the united nations acknowledged in remarks after the vote that the renewal of the minurso mandate this year had been challenging and contentious   that is an understatement
ms power hinted that the absence of forceful language in the resolution was deemed necessary to help create an atmosphere that would lead to minursos restoration
it is important that morocco and the united nations have a constructive relationship she said in fact it is absolutely necessary if the un led process which we all support is to bring about a peaceful sustainable and mutually agreed solution to the conflict in western sahara
it was not clear how soon the resolution might help diminish any lingering frictions between mr bans office and the moroccan government mr bans spokesman stephane dujarric told reporters at the united nations were pleased that the resolution has passed


if you were selecting mascots to help draw tourists to a city the first choice might not be a group of street fighting reptiles who live in the sewer with a rat
that as it happens is just whom the officials who make such decisions in new york have chosen
the teenage mutant ninja turtles   donatello leonardo michelangelo and raphael   will be this years family ambassadors the citys tourism agency announced this week and their images will be everywhere
youre going to see them in the airport said fred dixon president and chief executive of the agency nyc  company youre going to see them in the back of the taxi youre going to see them in museums theyll literally be your tour guides
the turtles for those who may not know their origin story first appeared in a 1984 comic book by kevin eastman and peter laird in which new york was a dirty dangerous crime ridden city they assumed human size after a canister fell down a storm drain sliming them with a growth inducing chemical they took refuge in the sewers with the rat master splinter who had also been doused with the chemical in the comic book the turtles sneered behind masks and shouted expletives as they leapt between rooftops swinging weapons like nunchucks and battling crime
asked if there had been any hesitation about employing weapon wielding inhabitants of a grittier new york as poster children of todays spiffier city mr dixon said no the turtles like all of us have evolved he said
for his part mayor bill de blasio called the ninja turtles an excellent choice for a marketing campaign
nyc  company began the family ambassador effort in 2009 to help the city compete with family oriented destinations like orlando fla since then with the help of characters like dora the explorer the agency said family tourism has risen 326 percent families will make up about a third of the 597 million tourists expected to visit this year the agency said
whats in it for the ninja turtles in a word publicity just as taylor swifts turn as a spokeswoman for the city in 2014 and 2015 dovetailed with the release of her album 1989 the turtles role coincides with the release of teenage mutant ninja turtles out of the shadows a sequel to the characters 2014 film the new movie was shot in the city and is to be released in june
pam kaufman chief marketing executive and president of consumer products at nickelodeon which bought the rights to the ninja turtles franchise and proposed the idea to the city said having them serve as family ambassadors was a no brainer
they are new york city natives ms kaufman said they are characters that love the city and know it inside and out people recognize them
as for their less than auspicious origins she said there was zero discussion around that
that may be another sign of how much the city has changed or how secure it is with its cleaned up image   though it is true that the turtles have undergone many mutations since their earliest comic book incarnation over time they have been child friendly teens who yelled only cowabunga action figures and after a dark and brooding movie debut in 1990 goofy pals in subsequent movie and television iterations
as part of the tourism campaign each character is associated with a different type of new york attraction that fits his personality donatello who loves science and gadgets promotes museums and cultural attractions michelangelo an optimist obsessed with pizza is the gourmand of the group raphael the rebel without a cause touts the citys parks and zoos leonardo the leader of the pack is a booster for the citys monuments and institutions places like the statue of liberty the empire state building and the united nations
asked if there would be costumed turtle characters in new york ms kaufman of nickelodeon said thankfully no they may however appear for photos at events outside the city
interviewed around times square this week visitors from australia the dominican republic greece and the netherlands all said they were familiar with the turtles the whole world knows them adults and kids jose luciano 22 of santo domingo said in spanish in the end it is a good image because theyre helping to protect the city and thats how new york is everyone is living on top of each other wherever they can unless youre rich
not everyone approved of the choice it should be something not violent for the kids they should be making happy things like sponge bob said john gunner a hotel manager originally from malaysia who was visiting from australia his 6 year old daughter danica said she would have preferred characters from frozen
the turtles may actually convey a quintessentially new york experience said richard rosenbaum author of raise some shell a cultural history of the characters their personalities he said reflect a melting pot of pop culture and new york references in one of their films from the 1990s raphael had a new york accent and the turtles would eat at roys pizza a variation on rays pizza
they exemplify the experience of many new yorkers said mr rosenbaum a fan since elementary school theyre being raised by an immigrant father who came from japan they love their city they defend their city but theyre often not recognized he added theyre marginalized but in fact theyre heroes
and like the city itself he said i think theyre seen as a lot less threatening than they use to be
mr laird one of the creators said in an email in an era in which we have seen the development of all kinds of different   but totally legitimate   family structures it seems quite appropriate to use the turtles
as for their being tough   yes that is true he added but being tough doesnt have to mean being nasty or brutish and the turtles certainly exemplify that
and after all the turtles are not the citys first edgy icons we cashed in on sex and the city and now were doing it with this said chris heywood a spokesman for the tourism agency and just as fans of sex and the city identified with carrie samantha charlotte and miranda everyone seems to see themselves in one of the turtles ms kaufman of nickelodeon said of course im leo leader of the pack
mr dixon of nyc  company had a different choice donatello hes the one i can relate to he said but im an inner michelangelo i have a terrible sense of humor and i like to eat


several top ocean racers are ready for the transat the worlds oldest solo trans atlantic race from plymouth england to new york
loick peyron who will sail pen duick ii a previous winning boat and sebastien josse in the edmond de rothschild are among the top skippers in the fleet of 24 boats consisting of four classes
i wanted to experience crossing the atlantic the way that i did the first time with a sextant paper charts and a self steering system   the old way peyron said when you have an ambition like that its nice to have a good reason
the fleet is scheduled to leave plymouth breakwater on monday the race will end in brooklyn where the transat first finished 56 years ago
competitors will face towering waves fog ferocious winds and the danger of ice drifting down from the arctic the fleet will spend between eight and 18 days at sea depending on the boat with boats racing upwind for a majority of the race the transat will be a hard slog for the skippers
the transat is the mother of all trans atlantic races the race director gilles chiorri said it launched the trend for solo sailing the transat is the most challenging trans atlantic to win the race will be characterized by the low pressures and stormy conditions associated with heavy swell sometimes within the vicinity of icebergs
organizers anticipate one of the fastest crossings ever
the transat was established in 1960 by sir francis chichester and blondie hasler haslers vision for the race is still as relevant today as it was then   the transat is about one man one boat one ocean
it is sponsored by the french company bakerly


the united states on friday rejected iranian accusations that it had broken international law with a supreme court ruling that allows the use of seized assets from irans central bank to compensate american victims of terrorist attacks
the iranian accusations which hinted that retaliation was possible were contained in an angry letter by foreign minister mohammad javad zarif sent on thursday to secretary general ban ki moon of the united nations
the letter which irans united nations mission distributed to the news media asked for mr bans help in stopping the united states from carrying out the april 20 court ruling
under the ruling nearly 2 billion in impounded assets from irans central bank may be disbursed to more than 1000 americans   survivors and relatives of victims killed in terrorist attacks that the united states has attributed to iranian agents iran which has denied any responsibility for the attacks has described the ruling as an outrageous robbery
mr zarifs letter also asked mr ban to help ensure that the united states carries out its commitments under the joint comprehensive plan of action the official name of the nuclear agreement between iran and major powers that took effect in january mr zarif reiterated complaints that the americans were interfering with irans ability to conduct financial transactions permitted by that agreement
mark toner a state department spokesman said in a statement on friday that american officials were aware of mr zarifs letter to mr ban but that the united states rejected the complaint about the supreme court ruling we believe the us laws and the application of those laws by the courts of the united states comport with international law mr toner said
regarding mr zarifs other complaint mr toner reiterated assertions made last week by secretary of state john kerry that the united states was committed to doing our part in the nuclear deal
the united states is not standing in the way and will not stand in the way of business that is permitted with iran since the nuclear deal took effect mr toner said
mr bans spokesman stephane dujarric confirmed on friday that mr ban had received mr zarifs letter but declined to comment further


a federal judge sentenced a navy commander to 78 months in prison for providing classified ship schedules in exchange for the services of a prostitute theater tickets and other gifts from a malaysian contractor who overbilled the navy more than 34 million the commander capt select michael misiewicz 48 was sentenced friday in san diego on one count of conspiracy and one count of bribery his sentence is the longest one in the bribery scandal he pleaded guilty to providing classified information to leonard glenn francis whose singapore based glenn defense marine asia used it to beat out competitors and overbill the navy by submitting fake tariffs and port fees ap
houstons efforts to use local clean air laws to regulate pollution by the nations largest petrochemical complex were halted friday by a texas supreme court ruling in favor of energy and chemical companies that claimed the city had overreached exxonmobil and other companies with nearby refineries and plants had sued the city in 2008 after it passed ordinances that required businesses to pay registration fees based on the number and type of pollution sources on each site the ordinances also made it unlawful to operate a facility inside houston unless it was registered with the city houston argued the ordinances were a local expression of state laws regulating pollution that they did not make an end run around state regulations but the states all republican supreme court ruled 8 to 1 that the ordinances were inconsistent with the legislatures intent that favored statewide consistency in enforcement ap
a judge on friday sentenced dynel lane 36 of longmont to 100 years in prison for cutting a nearly 8 month old fetus from a strangers womb she was convicted of attempting to kill michelle wilkins whom she lured with an ad for maternity clothes she also was convicted of assault and unlawful termination of a pregnancy prosecutors said they were unable to charge her with murder because a coroner found no evidence the fetus lived outside the womb ap


charleston sc   with a series of subdued yes your honors joseph c meek jr pleaded guilty in united states district court on friday to lying to federal officials and withholding his knowledge of the involvement of his friend dylann s roof in the massacre of nine black parishioners during a bible study at the emanuel african methodist episcopal church here last june
mr meek a 21 year old air conditioning repairman faces up to eight years in prison and a half million dollars in fines for the charges misprision of a felony which means withholding knowledge of details of a crime and making false statements to the federal bureau of investigation he agreed to testify against mr roof and to take a polygraph if so requested
if he cooperates and the government deems he provided substantial assistance during the trial the government will take that into account during sentencing said judge richard m gergel
mr meeks cooperation is expected to help the prosecutions case against mr roof 22 who faces 33 counts connected to the june 17 attack the charges include hate crimes and killing people while obstructing religious freedom   a charge that could result in the death penalty
mr meek took the stand in a dark gray suit he was clean shaven and appeared to have lost a considerable amount of weight since the days after the slayings when he appeared on television in a camouflage hat and a red sleeveless t shirt none of his family members appeared to be in the courtroom he averted his eyes from the roughly 15 friends and family members of slain churchgoers who sat behind him
during dramatic and blunt questioning from the judge mr meek said that he only completed 10th grade and had in the past been treated for mental illness he revealed the depth of his attempt to conceal his knowledge of mr roofs alleged crimes
mr roof he said had specifically described scouting out emanuel church for six months before the attack and said that he would carry out the shootings on a wednesday night during a bible study with a 45 caliber glock pistol in the hopes of starting a race war
he also told mr meek that he would carry ammunition in a fanny pack he said he had extra clips mr meek said
mr meek has said that at first he did not take mr roofs comments seriously but later took them seriously enough to hide mr roofs handgun eventually at the urging of his girlfriend mr meek returned the gun because he was on probation and wanted to stay out of trouble himself
on the day after the shooting mr meek told several friends he had strong suspicions that mr roof committed the crime but asked them not to contact the authorities one friend however contacted the fbi on june 19 mr meek spoke to the fbi the next day mr meek admitted to lying during his earlier questioning
after mr meeks statements gary washington the deaf son of a slain parishioner ethel lance 70 took the stand through a sign language interpreter mr washington gestured forcefully and tearfully recounting his mothers last day and his lingering loss
she was always with me he said i met her that day and hugged her and told her to be careful i got off work at 2 am i arrive home and turn on the news and then ran to the church i was so shocked
i want you to know how we feel he continued addressing mr meek im deaf it was always me and my mom im miserable and ive continued to suffer this has made a mess in my family
outside of the courtroom mr meeks attorney debbie barbier said that a sentencing date has not been set and that she did know whether or not mr meek would actually testify in the pending trial she read a statement from mr meek
he is truly sorry for his actions she said he has asked god for forgiveness he would like nothing better than for the families to forgive him but he certainly does not expect their forgiveness


it is not surprising that the victim of a brutal beating by a group of men is now the main witness against them in their trial
but in this case the supposed victim was an inmate at the rikers island jail complex who nearly two years before his assault at the hands of correction officers committed his own act of violence
in september 2010 jahmal lightfoot ran up behind a woman on a sidewalk in the morris park neighborhood of the bronx according to court records the woman told the authorities that when she turned around he held what appeared to be a gun grabbed her purse and told her to shut up as she fell to the ground holding her purse he yanked it from her hands and ran down the street she said
you were waiting for an unsuspecting victim renee hill a defense lawyer said during her recent cross examination of mr lightfoot in state supreme court in the bronx
mr lightfoot 31 is the star witness in the criminal trial of nine current and former correction officers who have been charged in connection with what bronx prosecutors describe as an orchestrated beating of mr lightfoot to teach him a lesson and a subsequent effort to cover up their actions
but now it is mr lightfoot who has come under scrutiny in the courtroom as defense lawyers have sought to undermine his credibility   and likability   with the judge and jury they have depicted him as a career criminal who swung a weapon at the officers during a search was injured while being restrained and now hopes to cash in with a pending lawsuit against the city
the case highlights the risks of relying on witnesses with checkered pasts and points to the hurdles ahead for prosecutors and others trying to change what many have portrayed as a culture of violence and abuse at rikers and in the new york state prison system by their nature investigations of brutality at prisons   whether among inmates or between inmates and correction officers   have a limited pool of witnesses to draw from
court cases against mobsters gang members and drug dealers are frequently built on the testimonies of criminals out of sheer necessity said daniel c richman a columbia law school professor and a former federal prosecutor for the southern district of new york those are often our star witnesses he said it is often someone who was very deep in the bad activity
in one of the most notable cases he pointed out salvatore gravano a former underboss of the gambino crime family turned fbi informer helped bring down his boss john a gotti as a prosecutor himself mr richman recalled that he would put major drug dealers on the stand telling juries i wish i could get this testimony from a priest a rabbi or mother teresa but sad to say they dont have knowledge of this case
still mr richman added you weigh the need for the testimony with the baggage that comes with it
in the rikers trial mr lightfoots harrowing first person testimony has been the linchpin of the prosecutions case in describing the beating he said that it was open season for the officers and that they mercilessly punched kicked and stomped on him with boots that felt like a brick
while there is no doubt that mr lightfoot had been injured   medical records showed fractures on both his eye sockets   the beating took place inside a cell that did not have a camera and was covered by a sheet mr lightfoot has repeatedly denied that he had a weapon or that he had failed to comply with orders from the officers
the most serious charge against the officers is attempted gang assault in the first degree which carries a sentence of up to 15 years in prison other charges include attempted assault tampering with physical evidence falsifying business records and official misconduct
prosecutors defense lawyers and a lawyer for mr lightfoot have all declined to comment on the case they have cited a gag order that was issued at the request of one defense lawyer by justice steven barrett who is presiding over the trial mr lightfoot has also declined to comment
during jury selection in march lawrence piergrossi a prosecutor asked potential jurors if an inmate could be a victim of a crime because the crime happened in a jail he told them he would have to call inmates as witnesses can you give them a fair shot and listen to what they have to say he asked the potential jurors had answered yes
but murray richman a longtime defense lawyer who has no relation to daniel richman said that in his experience jurors tended to be more skeptical of witnesses with a long criminal history mr richman who is a mentor to ms hill a lawyer for one of the correction officers said jurors might question mr lightfoots motive for testifying
does he suddenly become a good guy because hes testifying against these officers mr richman said does he have a noble purpose in mind you have to judge a person by what hes done
mr lightfoot has acknowledged in court that he once ran with the bloods street gang and had numerous arrests for possession of marijuana and crack cocaine criminal trespass and other minor offenses before he snatched the womans purse
ms hill in her cross examination of mr lightfoot pointed out that he singled out a woman in her early 40s who was much smaller than him the woman who was wearing flip flops ran after mr lightfoot but he got away
he was caught a month later and sent to rikers to await his trial after pleading guilty to robbery he was sentenced to four years in prison and released on parole in 2014 he said he has a 7 month old daughter whom he takes care of while looking for work in construction
defense lawyers have hammered mr lightfoot for his infractions at rikers and his involvement with the bloods and have also raised questions about his mental state while in jail in court this week mr lightfoot admitted that he had recently been arrested and issued tickets for loitering and disorderly conduct
at one point when the jury was not in the courtroom justice barrett told defense lawyers that low level noncriminal charges were not important factors in evaluating mr lightfoots credibility or character you cant simply throw mud and see if it sticks he said
mr lightfoots mother margaret burton said she was furious that her sons criminal history had become a subject in a case where he was the victim they beat on him and then they bring up all this mess because they have nothing else to work with ms burton said
but louis c la pietra a defense lawyer who has represented police officers in criminal and disciplinary proceedings said it was unavoidable in a case like this the credibility of a witness is everything because it comes down to the proverbial your word or mine he said
and mr la pietra believes the correction officers have the advantage
if were going to give anyone the benefit of the doubt he said lets give it to the guardians of the worst of the worst


burlingame calif   donald j trump got a taste on friday of what his next month of campaigning in california could be like he was forced to exit his motorcade and walk through a field climbing an embankment with secret service agents helping him to avoid angry demonstrators on the street
we went under a fence and through a fence and oh boy it felt like i was crossing the border actually mr trump said when he finally made it to a ballroom to speak at californias republican party convention
for the next 25 minutes though mr trump spoke little of california or its june 7 primary rather he wrestled with whether he wanted to begin healing the fractured party he was seeking to lead mr trump the republican front runner in the presidential race mocked his conservative critics and his current and former rivals as dumb disgusting and losers he claimed at least twice that he could win even if the party did not come together and with some conservatives still uneasy about his beliefs he breezily dismissed questions about his principles
folks im a conservative but at this point who cares we got to straighten out the country he said at a subdued luncheon of party activists who seemed more curious about seeing a celebrity than enthusiastic about their potential presidential nominee
during the same speech though he called for party unity to defeat hillary clinton the likely democratic standard bearer
mr trumps remarks offered a vivid illustration of the current state of his campaign as he edges closer to the nomination he is under pressure to curb his hard edged language and exude a more statesmanlike demeanor but the continuing attacks from other republicans plainly rankle him and he appears to have little appetite to make peace with his critics
ideally were going to be together he said but then he said i think were going to win even if were not together there are some people i honestly dont want their endorsement
at another point he said there should be and there has to be unity before adding would i win can i win without it i think so
mr trump singled out senator ted cruz his most formidable remaining rival in the primary campaign and jeb bush a onetime foe who emerged this week to again assail mr trump for harsh criticism
does he want to endorse me mr trump said of mr bush i dont care its not going to have any impact on whether we beat hillary clinton
he also mocked mr cruzs newly named potential running mate carly fiorina for her presidential bid   i like carly but when she left she had no votes   and gov john kasich of ohio whose fading campaign and penchant for eating on camera were subjects of ridicule mr trump drew laughter when he said his 10 year old son had deemed mr kasichs eating habits disgusting
mr trump likened the insistence of his two remaining republican opponents to stay in the race to the attitude of children who do not get their way i dont care mom im staying here im not leaving he said imitating a pouting child
mr trumps insults have been a staple of his campaign and the approach he said again on friday served him well in the course of knocking out a series of republican governors and senators who had once been seen as stiff competition
yet as he closes in on the nomination traditional party leaders are growing nervous that he cannot seem to resist the temptation to lash out at his remaining republican critics even as he professes a desire for unity
i didnt think that was particularly helpful marty wilson a longtime republican strategist and california chamber of commerce official said after the speech
but at least for the primary mr trump may not need the support of the sort of activists who filled the ballroom of a hotel just south of san francisco he has shown a capacity to win with little help from traditional republican leaders
in contrast with his address to the party on friday mr trump used a rally that drew a few thousand supporters in orange county on thursday night to offer a sharp attack on illegal immigrants he suggested that the influx of illegal immigrants from mexico had been responsible for the recent crime spike in los angeles
he also attracted hundreds of protesters there and the demonstrations resulted in 17 arrests and at least one injury
the protesters who gathered here on friday appeared to be smaller in number but equally animated about mr trump some waved signs using expletives to denounce him a group chanted in spanish while waving mexican flags and others burned an american flag there was also a contingent of topless men and women who repeated make love not a wall we want equal rights for all
several protesters sat on the pavement forming a chain that stretched across a street by the hotel at one point a group of protesters rushed toward the hotel entrance police officers with riot helmets and nightsticks hurried to corral them and restore order
it was enough to prompt the authorities to bring the suit wearing mr trump through some grass and dirt into the building a scene that was caught by television news helicopters
before he had finished his speech mr trump was already thinking of his exit plan
theyre going to take me under a fence through a field he said at the end of his remarks you have no idea the route they have planned to get me out of here


matt szczur hit his first career grand slam during a five run eighth inning and the cubs broke away from the atlanta braves 6 1 on friday in chicago
jon lester struck out 10 over seven innings as the cubs improved to 17 5 their top 22 game start since the 1907 team went 18 4
it was 1 1 in the eighth when the cubs loaded the bases on two hits and a walk against jim johnson 0 3 eric oflaherty relieved and gave up anthony rizzos go ahead single with one out
szczur followed by launching a pitch from chris withrow over the left field wall
freddie freemans solo shot in the fourth was only the braves fifth home run of the season
pirates 4 reds 1 juan nicasio struck out eight in seven scoreless innings josh harrison hit his first home run in nearly a year and matt joyce connected as a pinch hitter to lead the pittsburgh to a victory over visiting cincinnati extending a winning streak to five games
nicasio 3 2 allowed three hits and one walk in sending the reds to their fifth straight loss
orioles 6 white sox 3 nolan reimold hit a tiebreaking three run homer in the seventh inning leading host baltimore to a victory over chicago
the white sox entered the series riding a six game winning streak but have lost back to back games to the orioles whose 9 1 mark at camden yards is the best home record in the majors
brad brach 3 0 earned the win in relief of mike wright
phillies 4 indians 3 ryan howard led off the 11th inning with a home run leading host philadelphia to a victory over cleveland
howards homer was his fifth of the season and his sixth career game ending shot
rangers 4 angels 2 ian desmond continued his batting surge with two hits including the go ahead double in a three run sixth inning and texas beat visiting los angeles


san francisco   yahoos chief executive marissa mayer will walk away with a 55 million severance package if the companys auction of its internet operations culminates in a sale that ousts her from her job
the payout which was disclosed in a regulatory filing on friday with the securities and exchange commission would consist of cash stock awards and other benefits if she is forced out within a year after a sale
although yahoos board is still evaluating takeover offers many investors are betting that the company will decide to sell its well known brand and internet businesses including an email service and news sections focused on sports and finance
ms mayer a former google executive has been largely unsuccessful in her efforts to turn around yahoos fortunes the companys long running slump has deepened during her reign making her compensation   and whether she remains after a possible sale   a topic of great interest
i dont think this management team has done anything to merit a huge payout said eric jackson managing director of springowl asset management a yahoo shareholder that has been critical of ms mayers leadership
yahoo declined to comment beyond its filing the documents do not explain the rationale for severance deals covering ms mayer and other yahoo executives although such agreements are common at many publicly held companies
last year ms mayer received a compensation package that was valued at nearly 36 million under the secs rules in the filing yahoos board said it was more like 14 million
the chances of a sale happening at yahoo increased earlier this week when the company reached a truce with the activist investor starboard value an outspoken critic of ms mayers that has been pushing her to sell starboards chief jeffrey c smith is now one of three yahoo directors on a special committee assessing the bids for the internet business


the jacksonville jaguars have selected ucla linebacker myles jack with the 36th overall pick in the nfl draft landing a speedy player with huge upside who is recovering from a serious knee injury
if jack returns to form the jaguars could have the steal of the draft
jacksonville traded up two spots to get jack who had been widely projected to go early in the first round the jaguars traded the 38th and 146th fifth round overall picks to baltimore to grab jack
jack tore the meniscus in his right knee on sept 23 and missed the remainder of the season he left college in early october to rehab in phoenix
jack said this week that he might need microfracture surgery down the road the jaguars examined his knee and worked him out a few weeks before the draft and clearly did not have enough concerns to pass on him
in other second round moves the cleveland browns selected oklahoma state defensive end emmanuel ogbah with the first pick of the second round
the 6 foot 4 ogbah who is from nigeria had 28 sacks during his time with the cowboys
the tennessee titans used their first two of three selections in the second round on defense taking clemson linebacker kevin dodd at no 33 and penn state defensive tackle austin johnson at no 43
the dallas cowboys took notre dame linebacker jaylon smith with the 34th overall pick
the kansas city chiefs chose the versatile defensive tackle chris jones from mississippi state with the 37th overall pick
san diego took arkansas tight end hunter henry a consensus first team all american and winner of the john mackey award as the top division i tight end
tampa bay selected eastern kentucky defensive end noah spence hoping he had put behind him the off field issues that kept him from being a first rounder the buccaneers also traded up 15 spots from the third round to late in the second to pick florida state kicker roberto aguayo
baltimore used the 42nd overall pick to take boise state linebacker kamalei correa
the oakland raiders selected illinois defensive end jihad ward with the 44th overall pick
alabama floods 2nd round only one member of the national champion crimson tide center ryan kelly went in the first round and none was selected through nine spots in the second round
then three all americans heard their names called
linebacker reggie ragland went to buffalo which had traded up to the 41st spot with chicago at no 45 tennessee took the heisman trophy winning running back derrick henry and on the very next pick defensive tackle ashawn robinson was selected by detroit
defensive tackle jarran reed then went 49th to seattle and cornerback cyrus jones went to new england with the 60th pick
super bowl ticket lawsuit a lawsuit against the nfl is going forward in which the league is accused of having violated new jersey consumer protection laws when it made only about 1 percent of tickets to the 2014 super bowl available to the public


albany   todd kaminsky a democrat has emerged as the winner of a state senate race on long island although his republican opponent has still not conceded
election officials finished counting absentee ballots on friday and determined that mr kaminsky had won just over 50 percent of the vote and defeated the republican chris mcgrath by some 862 votes the vote must be certified before it is official
the special election was held on april 19 to fill the seat left vacant after dean g skelos a republican and the former senate majority leader was convicted on federal corruption charges
the results are as clear today as they were on election night todd kaminsky was elected to a historic victory by the people of the south shore said evan thies a spokesman for mr kaminsky
mr kaminsky declared victory immediately after the special election showed him ahead of mr mcgrath by fewer than 800 votes but mr mcgrath declined to concede until some 3000 absentee ballots could be counted he also asked for election officials to recheck electronic voting machines
e obrien murray a spokesman for mr mcgrath issued a statement on friday seeking to tie mr kaminsky to an investigation into campaign donations in key senate races by groups linked to new york citys mayor bill de blasio
given the seriousness of the campaign finance issues and the potential criminality that has arisen regarding todd kaminskys campaign we are continuing to review all options mr murray said in the statement
potential next steps could include a petition for a full recount
a victory for mr kaminsky would give democrats a one seat senate majority but republicans will probably retain control thanks to support from six democrats who broke with their party to support them


columbus ohio   thursday night was good for ohio state not only for five of its former players who soon will be rich but also for its coaches who are trying to sell the program to elite recruits
ohio state tied a previous program record with a quintet of players selected in the first round the buckeyes also had five players chosen in the opening round of the 2006 draft miami has the record with six no 1 picks in 2004
defensive end joey bosa was the no 3 overall pick thursday in chicago going to the san diego chargers running back ezekiel elliott went no 4 to the dallas cowboys cornerback eli apple no 10 to the giants offensive tackle taylor decker no 16 to the detroit lions and linebacker darron lee no 20 to the jets
forbes estimated that initial earnings for the five buckeyes first rounders could be 87 million
all but decker were part of coach urban meyers 2013 recruiting class that went on to help win the first college football playoff national championship after the 2014 season meyer knows how much it speaks to the respect of the program and how valuable it is for recruits to watch those marquee players have their names called in the first round
the message come to ohio state and well get you to the nfl
were going to track guys on social media and absolutely were going to use that for recruiting meyer said before the draft he was seen often during the espn broadcast thursday high fiving and congratulating his players after they were picked
thats been a major selling point about this program the ohio state receivers coach zach smith said
if you choose to come to ohio state and you buy into the culture and the program as it is presented here said kerry coombs who coaches cornerbacks and special teams youre going to be in a position to do two things win championships and play at a very high level at the next level
i think we have clear evidence of that its not philosophy or theory its testimony
an additional eight to 10 buckeyes were seen as possible selections in rounds 2 through 7 including quarterback turned receiver braxton miller and quarterback cardale jones a program record nine osu players including jones and bosa left early after last season to enter the draft
this is why we came to ohio state to play at the next level said bosa the highest buckeye pick since the rams selected offensive tackle orlando pace first over all in 1997
pace who played 13 seasons in the nfl will be inducted into the pro football hall of fame this summer


florham park nj   when darron lee the jets no 1 pick showed up in a purplish suit for his first news conference on friday his mother candice wearing glasses and with her hair pulled back after a sleepless night quietly took a spot in the back of the room behind the cameras
that was a bit of a change for candice lee who is a weekend anchor for wcmh tv the nbc affiliate in columbus ohio   not far from the ohio state campus where her son became a top linebacker
hes used to it candice lee said of her son being on television but for this process i took a step back because i wanted to enjoy it
its hard to enjoy something when youre working
when darron lee decided to leave ohio state after two full seasons to prepare for the nfl combine in february by attending a training center in phoenix his mother tagged along filing a series of reports for her station about what he was doing to get ready
she said she would not be doing any reports this weekend from new jersey but she did say that she was thinking about leaving the station to be closer to her son darron lee would really like his mother not to work at all because he thinks she has earned a break
just seeing the approach to how she works   her work ethic is unbelievable he said friday you dont see work ethics like that shes very respected in the newsroom you can see the work she produces shes always trying to do a great job
she taught me all those things growing up   to be accountable to have pride in your work having pride in your work is nothing to be ashamed of
her son has come a long way since showing up at ohio state three years ago he was a quarterback and defensive back at new albany high school about 20 miles northeast of columbus he was 197 pounds when he got to ohio state he said he now weighs 237
but his mother told him to ask questions when he did not know the answers she told him to listen closely to study the intricacies of linebacker a position he had not played since before he had arrived in columbus
i said if you do that and if you stay focused and you stay out of trouble youll have success at anything you do in your life  candice lee said
she smiled when she added he has always had a little swagger some of that is me saying be proud of who you are youre a good kid 
after a redshirt season lee compiled impressive statistics at ohio state   147 tackles 12 sacks and three interceptions   and the buckeyes won the national championship in his first season as a starter
he was used more in pass coverage last season than as a run stuffer and he will have to make another transition with the jets moving from a 4 3 defense to a 3 4 but the jets told him they had drafted him primarily for his speed and he is eager to contribute
its been one heck of a ride he said i came a long way but personally i feel im just getting started i personally feel that im only going to keep getting better im raw at the position but im a very very fast learner thats why i got on the field pretty quickly at ohio state so i feel that the sky is the limit for me
one of his ohio state teammates the wide receiver devin smith was drafted by the jets in the second round last year and another teammate the cornerback eli apple was drafted 10th over all by the giants
he laughed when he said he and apple had joked about not touching each others belongings in the locker room   the giants and the jets have different locker rooms anyway   and candice lee said she might ask apples mother to check up on both of them if she cannot
but candice lee is confident that her son is on his way   and so is he even after eating 5000 calories a day in arizona he is still generally considered to be too light to play inside in the nfl
all ive got to say to that is click on the wisconsin tape lee said smiling thats all i can say to that
lee was talking about the 2014 big ten championship game which the buckeyes won 59 0 he believes he showed that i can take on bigger guys and take on fullbacks and play at the point of attack and that im not afraid of contact i think thats a common misconception of me
after the news conference was over and lee holding a green jersey with no 1 had posed for a few photos in front of the marquee at the jets training complex he was hustled to meetings with team executives and coaches
candice lee the mother not the news anchor said i said to him dont let anybody tell you differently   youre a confident person if someone says youre arrogant thats their problem not your problem 


san francisco   police chief gregory p suhr on friday announced that all officers on the san francisco force would be required to complete anti bias training as he released nine pages of racist text messages between three officers that further tarnished the image of a department under federal investigation
we have nothing to hide said chief suhr these are the actions of a few
but the citys public defender and experts on criminal justice said the texts appeared to reveal a deep culture of bias in the 2000 member force that contradicts the citys image of tolerance and liberalism
these texts evidence a deep culture of racial hatred and animus against blacks latinos gays and even south asians jeff adachi the public defender said in an interview it can no longer be said to be an isolated problem
a number of police departments including those in miami and los angeles have had problems with racist messages sent by their officers experts in criminal justice have debated how to address bias both conscious and unconscious
the text messages released friday use crude and strongly disparaging language against blacks and other minorities and were discovered as part of an investigation into a rape charge against one of the officers
they come a year after a scandal involving 14 officers who also exchanged racist messages an attempt to fire some of the 14 was rejected by a superior court judge who said the statute of limitation had expired most of those officers remain on the force of the three officers whose messages were released friday one has retired and two have resigned
some of the messages released friday had been previously made public by the public defenders office which is reopening the files on 207 cases that were handled by the three officers who sent the messages
mr adachi said the messages were highly consequential
these are people who have the power to arrest and the power to kill somebody he said if youre thinking this is a wild animal or this is a crazed black man whos going to hurt me thats when you might pull the trigger thats where it becomes scary
chief suhr also announced measures on friday that would re evaluate the use of force by officers two men wielding knives an african american and a latino have been fatally shot by the police since december in what critics say was unnecessary use of force
among other things the chief said the department would now require officers to document any time they point their weapons at someone he also announced measures requiring officers to carry helmets long batons and gloves in their vehicles to create time and distance from a person with a weapon short of a firearm
eugene odonnell a former new york city police officer who is now a professor at the john jay college of criminal justice said that racist texts in san francisco were a marker of more complex and multicultural times two of the three officers are asian americans
the traditional blackwhite narrative is changing he said
mr odonnell said that firing racist officers is the easy part but that changing the mentality of officers is much harder he is skeptical that lectures on diversity and tolerance are effective
lecturing officers is not going to work he said if you tell the cops dont tell us what you really think that fuels a backlash
the text messages released friday had names and dates redacted but in what appears to be a measure of the seriousness of the problem within the police force the texts were sent last year just as the scandal of the 14 officers exchanging racist messages was raging
one text message released on friday featured the image of a badly burned turkey and the words is that a ferguson turkey an apparent reference to the st louis suburb where michael brown a black teenager was killed by a white police officer
the los angeles times on wednesday published emails mocking blacks latinos and muslims that were sent by tom angel now the chief of staff for the sheriff of los angeles county the emails were sent when mr angel was an officer in burbank
the texting scandal in san francisco comes as the federal government is conducting an overall review of the police department after the fatal shooting in december of an african american man mario woods
after video of the shooting was posted online prompting an outcry mayor edwin m lee requested the federal investigation which is being carried out by the justice department


valeant pharmaceuticals resolved its default on some of its 30 billion in debt by finally filing on friday its long overdue united states financial report for 2015 the badly tarnished canadian drug maker also announced a number of mostly new nominees for elections to its board in june
the moves briefly nudged up valeants battered shares but they closed down more than 5 percent in a broader market sell off
the report did not reveal new problems with valeants accounting practices but the new board and executives will still face many problems said les funtleyder health care portfolio manager at e squared asset management
theyre being investigated by everybody under the sun mr funtleyder said thats going to distract the company for a year at least thats assuming they dont find anything
agreements with its creditors required valeant to file its annual financial report in march when it did not some debt holders declared valeant in default and wrung higher interest rates out of the company
valeant is dealing with three federal investigations into its accounting and business practices a huge plunge in its stock price and rising demands for bigger discounts from its inflated drug prices
the activist investor william a ackman and his pershing square capital management one of valeants largest shareholders is trying a turnaround the fund recently took over two positions on valeants board which is replacing j michael pearson the chief executive behind valeants run of serial acquisitions and staggering drug price increases
on friday the company announced 11 nominees to valeants board including mr ackman and the incoming chief joseph c papa the chairman and chief executive of the drug maker perrigo mr papa takes over in early may and board elections are set for an annual meeting on june 14
valeant disclosed months ago that it improperly reported about 58 million in revenue late in 2014 by recording sales when medicines were delivered to its former partner the now defunct mail order pharmacy philidor rather than when patients received those medicines valeant cut ties with philidor last fall
valeants corrected 2015 financial report states that it had a net loss of 2917 million versus net income of 8807 million in 2014 revenue totaled 1045 billion up 27 percent from a restated 821 billion in 2014
the documents included restatements involving two of valeants key brand name drugs in the fourth quarter of 2015
valeant reduced by 16 million sales of addyi the first pill for enhancing female libido and will now record addyi revenue when the drug is sold to patients rather than delivered to wholesalers it also reduced by about 5 million sales of the antibiotic xifaxan because of estimated returns by wholesalers


the mets reversal of fortune last season   from years of losing at citi field to playing the kansas city royals in the world series   provided a significant lift to the ballparks finances that is not surprising given that attendance rose 195 percent to 31725 a game
and with a 14 7 start this season including a current seven game winning streak the mets would seem likely to benefit even more from additional attendance and greater spending on concessions and parking but through nine games average attendance is down to 31386
the team offered a glimpse of its improved 2015 finances in an annual filing that details some of citi fields financial operations but it is an incomplete picture because the report excludes revenue from gate receipts from about 30000 seats and local and national media along with expenses like player payroll the broader picture of the teams finances which would indicate whether it is profitable or not is not available publicly
the ballparks finances showed enormous improvement in three areas according to the report filed by queens ballpark company a mets subsidiary that leases citi field from the new york city industrial agency which issued the stadiums tax exempt bonds
ticket receipts from the most expensive 10635 seats rose 35 percent to 544 million concession revenue rose 70 percent to 183 million and postseason revenue which had been nonexistent at citi field until last year was 99 million luxury suite revenue rose to 95 million from almost 86 million over all revenue rose 296 percent to 1517 million and net income more than doubled to 611 million


unlike pharoah fever a year ago nyquist mania has not yet struck in the days leading to the kentucky derby it might by next saturday night if the undefeated colt ends up in the winners circle at churchill downs
american pharoah came into the derby off rousing wins in two races in arkansas then won the derby as the favorite and went on to become racings first triple crown winner in 37 years
nyquist will attempt to become just the eighth 3 year old to win the derby with an unbeaten record big brown in 2008 was the most recent nyquist has won all seven of his races including a showdown against mohaymen in the florida derby
the son of uncle mo has done everything right up to now winning the breeders cup juvenile to clinch 2 year old champion honors trained by doug oneill nyquist won the san vicente in his 3 year old debut before being shipped to gulfstream park for the florida derby
and with that nyquist completes a wire to wire run through the prep season at no 1 in the final associated press run to the roses top 10 last year dortmund wired the ap top 10 as well with six wins in six starts in 2015 before running third in the derby to his stablemate american pharoah
of course oneill said of added pressure in having the clear cut derby favorite but you might say its good pressure id rather be the derby favorite than a horse that snuck in
nyquist seems settled in at keeneland and is expected to arrive at churchill downs as derby week begins he worked five furlongs in 1 minute 18 seconds last saturday under his regular exercise rider jonny garcia
hes fit and ready oneill said
the newly elected hall of famer steve asmussen has two shots at winning his first derby with no 2 gun runner and no 9 creator gun runner took the louisiana derby on march 26 in his last start and creator stormed from last to first to win the arkansas derby on april 16
im extremely proud of the shape that both of these horses are in going into the derby asmussen said after both colts had workouts at churchill downs earlier in the week
also with two horses in the final top 10 is todd pletcher who trains no 7 outwork and no 8 destin


lexington ky   while the path to the kentucky derby has wound through florida new york california and other places some hopefuls have found a quiet little stopover down the road from churchill downs at keeneland
no matter what happens in the 142nd kentucky derby on may 7 some trainers have found a comfort zone for preparation at the track which is small and picturesque
keeneland has stabled four of 20 derby qualifiers for various periods this month and even more filly hopefuls for the oaks on may 6 the blue grass stakes produced a possible derby contender the winner brodys cause who has another grade i victory along with a third in last falls breeders cup juvenile here
a peaceful setting including lush rolling meadows might explain the trainer dale romanss love of the track
its laid out for horses said romans who quickly moved brodys cause and cherry wine who finished third in the blue grass to churchill its big and nice almost like a park environment i think the horses enjoy being there
many have returned this spring
keeneland welcomed 45 horses who competed in the breeders cup last october including four winners who raced during the spring meet which concludes friday
the blue grass runner up my man sam also trained at keeneland before moving to churchill a couple of weeks ago
one notable breeders cup champion at keeneland has been the juvenile winner nyquist who has trained here since winning the florida derby on april 2 nyquist an unbeaten colt drew a sizable pre race crowd for fridays final workout in company with the grade i winner ralis as the two horses had the main track to themselves
the trainer doug oneill also has an oaks hopeful land over sea here and has been pleased with all of his horses workouts and temperament he credits being at keeneland for providing a friendly training atmosphere and allowing him to schedule midday workouts as opposed to the usual early morning runs
its calming to know that you and the other horse are the only two on the track a pleased oneill said after nyquist ran a mile in 1 minute 41 seconds
bad weather has not been a deterrent thanks to a training track with a synthetic surface the main track switched to dirt nearly two years ago the view is pretty good too
its the best of both worlds here oneill added if every racetrack had enough real estate to add a synthetic track as a training track its really gold it has a big barn area a full barn area yet its spread out its a place where horses are happy
though nyquist did not race at keeneland oneill praised track officials for making him and his horses welcome and comfortable during their extended visit that hospitality did not surprise him or romans who added that horsemen had always received first class treatment there
whether nyquists comfort level helps him earn the garland of roses in eight days remains to be seen oneill certainly believes being here trumped the logistics of trying to ship the horse back to his california base
w b rogers beasley keenelands vice president for racing said creating that option was part of the plan the goal was bringing the track in line with the industry in hopes of attracting top flight competitors trainers and events such as the breeders cup
keenelands plan came to fruition with the tracks first breeders cup and paid off with the presence of the triple crown champion american pharoah who capped his stellar career by dominating the breeders cup classic the subsequent return of past competitors and derby contenders suggests that good feelings remain
having all those horses come and run here especially for a lot of people from california who would not come in very often i think it was a big boost for us beasley said that tells you several things how much they liked racing here and how much they liked the services
beasley is hopeful that horsemen will spread the word and help lure others to keeneland in prepping for the first jewel in racings triple crown for now it is just a matter of whether training here produces the tracks first derby champion since animal kingdom in 2011
romans feels good about the prospects for brodys cause
its by far the best choice ive had there he said i like prepping at keeneland and doing all my work in kentucky


nissan is recalling about 35 million vehicles including almost 32 million in the united states because the front passenger airbag might not work properly in a crash according to reports from the automaker posted friday on the website of the national highway traffic safety administration
the action ends a two year effort by federal regulators to get the automaker to fix widespread problems with the occupant sensing system which is supposed to detect whether the passenger seat is empty or occupied by a child or adult it began with a recall in 2014 of about 990000 vehicles
the recall includes about 622000 2013 16 sentras in which a malfunction could cause the airbag to deploy in a crash when it is not supposed to as when a child is seated there according to a report the automaker provided federal regulators
nissan is aware of at least three crashes in which the airbag system did not deploy properly resulting in moderate injuries a nissan spokesman steve yaeger said in an email he did not immediately respond when asked whether any of those injured were children
the problem with the rest of vehicles in the recall is that airbags may not deploy when they are supposed to because the sensing system fails to register that a passenger is sitting there it includes some of the automakers most popular models 2013 16 altima 2014 17 rogue 2016 17 maxima 2015 16 murano 2013 17 pathfinder 2013 16 leaf and the 2014 16 infiniti q50 and qx60
last august the agency opened an investigation into whether nissan had fixed the problem that investigation was prompted by 124 complaints from owners
one california owner told the agency in august 2013 that the airbag warning light came on after the repair it was taken back to the dealer he said and they advised me they were able to replicate the problem but they didnt know now to fix it and would contract the engineers to make the repair


the dole food company one of the largest processors of fresh produce knew it had a listeria problem in one of its salad plants more than a year before it closed in january according to a food and drug administration report
the report obtained by food safety news and the food poisoning bulletin through the freedom of information act shows that products in the plant tested positive for listeria nine times before fda inspectors showed up to do a test in january at a plant in springfield ohio
four people have died after becoming ill so far in the outbreak and 33 more across the united states and canada have become so sick they have spent time in a hospital dole said the justice department was investigating
theyd been having positive tests for listeria for some time said bill marler a prominent food safety lawyer who represents one of the victims in a lawsuit against dole if the government inspectors hadnt showed up who knows when or if they were going to tell anyone
william goldfield a spokesman for dole said in an email that the company had corrected the issues at the plant which recently reopened
we understand these recent news reports may raise questions among our consumers and customers mr goldfield said they should be assured however that we have worked in conjunction with the fda to address those observations and ensure that dole products are safe
lauren sucher a spokeswoman at the fda said that companies must notify the agency when they find a food has a reasonable probability of causing serious adverse health consequences
but ms sucher said not all strains of listeria cause disease when listeria is found in the manufacturing environment rather than on the food itself it is not uncommon for a company to immediately take corrective action rather than test further to see if the strain of listeria poses a threat she wrote in an email
food companies that find listeria during periodic testing are not required to run further tests to determine whether the pathogen is of a toxic variety
in doles case it was swabbing various locations in its plant in springfield ohio not necessarily testing the finished products according to the fda inspection rather canadian public health officials investigating an outbreak of listeriosis dating to summer 2015 tested bagged dole salads and found four varieties that were contaminated
other companies also have been aware of contamination in their facilities and not reported it
blue bell creameries knew it had a listeria problem in one of its plants about two years before it moved to close it and never said anything ten people got sick and three died from eating contaminated ice cream before the factory was closed
chipotle mexican grill was aware of a norovirus outbreak among people who had eaten in one of its restaurants in simi valley calif but did not tell public health officials there until after it had closed and cleaned the restaurant more than 200 people got sick from eating there
the justice department also has criminal investigations in those cases
listeriosis the disease caused by toxic listeria produces diarrhea and other gastrointestinal symptoms followed by fever muscle aches and sometimes convulsions it affects children pregnant women and the older people the worst
mr marler said his client a 77 year old woman became ill after eating a salad her daughter had prepared using a dole product he said the woman was in a coma for three weeks developed meningitis and was still in rehabilitation
dole appears to have first detected listeria in its springfield plant in july 2014 but the company kept processing salads and shipping them to locations in the united states and canada
the company found listeria in the plant at least five more times in 2014 and three times in 2015 according to the fda report but the factory kept on churning out bagged salads until jan 21 five days after fda inspectors showed up dole initiated a recall a week later
public health officials in the united states and canada had been trying to find the source of the outbreak since fall 2015 according to food safety news they put the genetic fingerprints of the listeria obtained from victims into pathogen databases and found a close match in a bagged salad that ohio inspectors had randomly collected and tested
federal officials had identified problems in doles ohio plant as early as march 2014
among the concerns they raised were the companys failure to maintain food contact surfaces in a way that would protect products from contamination food residue remaining on equipment after it was sanitized and a failure to adequately protect the plant from incursions by pests


when juwan stallings visited the brooklyn museum last weekend he wanted more information about the subject of an oil portrait by henri fantin latour in the museums newly refurbished european galleries
mr stallings 19 looked intently snapped a photo and then typed rapidly on his phone within seconds he had an answer in the form of a text message
hi there thats madame leon maitre it read continuing i love comparing her to some of the other portraits of women on that wall   the others really confront the visitor while madame leon maitre looks demure and quiet
mr stallings wasnt texting with a friend the answer came from a museum employee two floors down one of six full time staff members dedicated to engaging with visitors through the museums smartphone app ask brooklyn museum
first released for iphone last year with an android version made available this month ask is startlingly different from most museum apps there is no audio guide no map and no store you cant search the collection nor can you use it to share your experience on social media
what you can do with it is chat with a member of the ask staff which is trained to help visitors engage more deeply and make personal connections with whats on display its like having a curator in your pocket when you send a question or a comment a team member can immediately see where in the museum you are and what artworks are nearby after providing an answer the staff member often follows up with a personal observation or a question to prompt closer examination
asked if he visited the museum often mr stallings said he had not in the past but now im starting to because the questions that i have can be answered he said
visitors may be tentative at first but once they try it they tend to keep going the average user sends 13 messages during a visit said shelley bernstein the museums vice director for digital engagement and technology and theres more going on behind the scenes
the hidden power of it she said is in the other stuff thats happening
all of the user chats are retained for future conversations in the app and as a resource for curators this month the museum reopened three of its permanent collection galleries after reinstalling them one of the first visible shifts since anne pasternak became the museums director last year curators consulted ask data before making their changes
they realized for example that visitors to the egyptian galleries were asking a lot of questions about an image of the ancient zodiac that was painted on the ceiling as a decorative element in 2003 the painting was removed during the reinstallation to shift the focus toward the museums rich collection of artifacts like the ancient head from a female sphinx
this emphasis on studying visitors reactions reflects a significant philosophical shift
curators 35 years ago were not interested in what the public needed   they were interested in what the curators thought the public should have said kevin stayton deputy director of the museum and former chief curator he added having this conversation with the visitor was something that we really didnt think about
each member of the audience engagement team has a major and a minor specialty area and a rich library of reference material at hand they are encouraged to use a casual tone and to share their own opinions freely
personalized communication is important for younger visitors said matthew fisher a principal at night kitchen interactive a philadelphia firm that has designed apps and interactive elements for dozens of museums but was not involved with ask digital natives are more interested in actively synthesizing than in passively receiving information he said
the ask app is free and does not require any registration or login it works only inside the museum which does not collect personal data from users although the ask team can gain access to a users previous chats
that approach is unusual among museum apps which are often larded with images and text
mr fisher contends that providing those things might not be helpful when were in a museum surrounded by objects labels and wall texts he said we already have plenty of information
when ask was in the early stages of development in 2013 it became clear that visitors craved personalized information ms bernstein said they wanted to talk about what they saw but were reluctant to approach docents or ask employees who were assigned to the galleries
after deciding to build a chat app staff members first experimented with having mr stayton then still the chief curator answer questions he was assisted by two typists the response was positive but also revealing it didnt matter to them that i was the chief curator mr stayton said it was the conversation that was important
the messaging interface mimics familiar chatting applications and is simple by design
but a significant hurdle remains in the first year of iphone only testing about 10000 people downloaded it but only 1 percent of museum visitors were using it
the museum hopes to raise that figure to 5 to 7 percent through its new android phone capability with a brand new desk for the ask team in a high traffic area right off the lobby and by stationing employees in the lobby to talk up the app
the project is supported by funding from bloomberg connects which has pledged more than 80 million to 15 cultural institutions to improve the visitor experience through technology among the other grantees are the guggenheim museum the museum of modern art and the tate modern in london
the chats invite users to share their own opinions some people viewing judy chicagos pioneering feminist art installation the dinner party 1974 79 on the museums third floor have criticized the works exclusion of women who are transgender members of ethnic minorities responding was tricky curators and the ask team worked together to develop answers that would respect visitors opinions but also offer the works larger context those replies are now visible in the museums online page for the work turning something that began as a personal conversation into part of the museums public face
for a museum with origins deep in the late 19th century its a major turnaround
recently ms bernstein said someone asked her how the app had evolved i said the app hasnt changed in the year that its been on the floor the institution has changed around it


a puerto rican man died from complications of the zika virus earlier this year the first reported death attributed to the disease in the united states
the victim a man in his 70s died in february from internal bleeding as a result of a rare immune reaction to an earlier zika infection according to the centers for disease control and prevention
puerto rico now has 683 confirmed zika infections in its outbreak which began in december 89 are in pregnant women according to dr ana rius the territorys health secretary fourteen of those women have given birth and all their babies are healthy she said
seventeen patients have been hospitalized for zika related causes in puerto rico of those seven had guillain barre syndrome a rare form of paralysis that strikes about two weeks after an infection and although frightening is usually temporary
the man who died was a resident of the san juan area who fell ill with fever rash and other typical zika symptoms early this year said tyler m sharp a cdc epidemiologist working in puerto rico
that illness resolved dr sharp said but very soon after he had bleeding manifestations
he was hospitalized and died within 24 hours
the condition that killed him immune thrombocytopenic purpura is similar to guillain barre in that the zika infection triggered his immune system to produce antibodies that attacked his own cells in guillain barre they attack nerve cells while in this case they attacked the platelets which cause the blood to clot
the death was not described earlier because it took time to be sure zika was the cause we had to check with family members his personal physician and the doctors who managed him to be sure he didnt have something else going on dr sharp said
such deaths are rare but not unknown he said there have been three in colombias zika outbreak none that dr sharp knew of were recorded in brazil but the symptoms he said are easily misdiagnosed as dengue hemorrhagic fever which is much more common
deaths from zika are normally very rare in adults and the illness is usually mild with the rash lasting only a week but the world health organization declared a global health emergency in february once it was suspected that zika had caused a wave of microcephaly in brazil there are now almost 1200 confirmed cases of microcephaly in brazil the agency said last week
in the 50 united states there have been 426 cases of zika all in returning travelers or in a few cases in sexual partners they passed it to but the cdc expects clusters of mosquito transmitted cases in florida the gulf coast and possibly hawaii when the summer heats up
the first commercial test for the zika virus will become available to physicians as early as next week which may speed diagnoses
quest diagnostics based in new jersey said on thursday that the food and drug administration issued an emergency use authorization to allow the test to be used as long as the health crisis continues
at first it will be available only at a laboratory in san juan capistrano calif where it was developed but the fda authorization could allow select labs throughout the united states including puerto rico to perform the test
it expands the possibilities of more patients around the country and puerto rico getting the testing thats needed dr rick l pesano the companys vice president for research and development said in a phone interview on friday
currently to detect the virus quickly a doctor must send blood taken during the first week of infection to the cdc or a handful of other authorized laboratories two types of antibody tests for infections older than that are less accurate and can take weeks to perform
dr pesano said quest would also do tests at a facility in chantilly va but its timetable was uncertain and more of its laboratories could start doing it later
this week the united states senate moved closer to approving 11 billion in emergency funds to fight the virus but hard line conservatives in the house are hesitant to approve new spending


a new york city police officer was convicted on friday of misdemeanor assault for stomping on the head of a suspect as he lay prone on a brooklyn street while being arrested
the officer joel edouard was one of several who arrested the suspect jahmi el cuffee on marijuana charges in july 2014 outside of a restaurant in bedford stuyvesant a cellphone video of the arrest introduced at mr edouards trial this week showed him walking away from his partners as they tried to subdue mr cuffee then returning and with no apparent provocation bringing his foot down hard on mr cuffees head
officer edouard opted to have a judge not a jury decide the case and justice alan d marrus of state supreme court in brooklyn said on friday that officer edouard had let down his fellow officers in a difficult situation
during the trial marc fliedner an assistant district attorney argued that officer edouard 38 had lost his cool during the episode the scene unfolded only days after eric garner died during an arrest by the police on staten island officer edouard who at one point before the stomping began pointed his gun at mr cuffees head as he lay on the ground had acted out in vengeance and in anger and sadly in that moment he was acting like a criminal mr fliedner said
officer edouards lawyer anthony ricco contended at the trial that mr cuffee 33 had reached behind his back while he was still on his feet as if going for a weapon though mr cuffee was in fact unarmed the movement made officer edouard fear for his life mr ricco said
the video of the encounter was captured by gary dormer an employee of the restaurant who testified at the trial that an aggressive officer   officer edouard   had at one point grabbed mr cuffee and tried to take him into custody but mr dormer also said on the stand that mr cuffee had appeared to be resisting the arrest
officer edouard was charged in february 2015 with official misconduct as well as with assault but four months later a judge dropped the misconduct charges
the police department declined to comment on the conviction but a spokesman said officer edouard was suspended as soon as the verdict was rendered he faces up to a year in jail at his sentencing now scheduled for june 10


it will be a big night for canadian hockey on saturday with seven teams competing for a huge prize
unfortunately it is not the stanley cup
for the first time since 1970 every canadian team missed the playoffs instead the seven canadian franchises will vie with seven american teams for position in the nhl draft lottery with the top spots in junes draft up for grabs
after some half steps over the years the nhl has gone to a more comprehensive draft lottery this season
the nhl draft lottery was introduced in 1995 and was a halfhearted affair in which the one team drawn was allowed to move up a maximum of four positions starting in 2013 all 14 nonplayoff teams were given a shot at the first pick this season for the first time the top three picks will be on the line
although the nbas lottery system is fairly complex and not necessarily beloved the nhl has decided to adopt a similar system as in the nba 14 balls will be placed in a hopper and four drawn out each of the 1001 possible four ball combinations is assigned to a team the first combination pulled will determine which team picks first at the draft on june 24 in buffalo
numbers will then be drawn again to determine which clubs will select second and third the worse a teams record the better its chance of a high pick the 11 unlucky teams not selected will be slotted into positions 4 through 14 in reverse order of their records
last season when only the top pick was chosen in the lottery there was much talk of teams losing on purpose late in the season to gain a better shot at connor mcdavid a player believed to have once in a generation potential the edmonton oilers though only the third worst team won the lottery and mcdavid
he missed about half the season with an injury but still managed to finish fourth in rookie scoring he played well but the oilers did not edmonton which has not made the playoffs since 2006 has picked first in four of the last six drafts and has a good chance to do so again after posting the leagues second worst record
this year the player expected to go no 1 is auston matthews an 18 year old center from arizona who just completed a season in the top swiss league where he scored 24 goals in 36 games he would be the first american taken with the top choice since patrick kane in 2007
the best shot at matthews belongs to the toronto maple leafs who have not had the no 1 pick since 1985 when they selected wendel clark he would later captain the team and earn the nickname captain crunch for his hard hitting style
the leafs have a 20 percent chance at the top pick the nbas worst team gets a 25 percent chance at no 1 next up is edmonton at 135 percent and the list goes down to the 14th worst team the boston bruins at 1 percent matthewss hometown team the arizona coyotes has a 65 percent chance at the no 1 pick
canadian teams rank first second third fifth and sixth among the teams most likely to win the matthews sweepstakes as a country canada has a 685 percent chance of landing the top pick


berlin   a 94 year old former ss guard on friday told a german court that he was sincerely sorry for failing to do anything to prevent the suffering and deaths of tens of thousands of prisoners at the auschwitz death camp breaking his silence after weeks of sitting motionless in the face of pleas by survivors for him to speak
in a statement read into a microphone from his wheelchair the defendant reinhold hanning said he deeply regretted having belonged to a criminal organization that was responsible for the deaths of many innocent people and the destruction and suffering of countless victims and their families
i am ashamed that i witnessed injustice and allowed it to continue without taking any actions against it mr hanning told the court in the north rhine westphalia city of detmold wdr a public broadcaster reported i am sincerely sorry
mr hanning is charged with being an accessory to the murder of at least 170000 people who perished at the concentration camp in poland which was occupied by the germans during world war ii the charges pertain to his role as part of the nazi killing machine at auschwitz during his service as a guard at the camp from january 1942 to june 1944
before mr hanning read his statement his lawyer read from a 22 page summary of mr hannings youth and how he came to be at auschwitz he said that mr hanning had joined the waffen ss at the urging of his stepmother but that he had never wanted to serve anywhere but on the front lines but he was transferred to noncombat service as a guard at auschwitz after suffering an injury fighting on the eastern front
when he first arrived at auschwitz he was not aware of what was taking place at the camp mr hanning said in the statement read by his lawyer johannes salmen
nobody talked to us about it in the first days there but if someone like me was there for a long time then one learned what was going on the statement said according to the associated press people were shot gassed and burned i could see how corpses were taken back and forth or moved out i could smell the burning bodies i knew corpses were being burned
that information is important because mr hanning is one of dozens of former auschwitz guards charged with accessory to murder in the wake of the 2011 conviction of john demjanjuk which set a precedent in german law the judge in the demjanjuk trial found that it was impossible for anyone who served at a death camp to not to be considered a part of the nazis machinery of mass murder leading prosecutors to pursue charges against dozens of former guards including mr hanning
given their advanced age many of the former guards have been ruled too frail to stand trial some like the 93 year old defendant who was to go on trial in hanau this month have died before the proceedings could open last july a court convicted oskar groning a former soldier at auschwitz and sentenced him to four years in prison
throughout mr hannings trial survivors of the death camp who have taken the witness stand have called on mr hanning to break his silence about 40 survivors have joined the trial as co plaintiffs as allowed under german law
until friday mr hanning had largely kept his head bowed and his mouth drawn in a firm line even when faced with appeals like those from angela orosz who survived auschwitz as an infant
people like you mr hanning made the hell of auschwitz possible ms orosz 71 testified in february shortly after the trial opened people who looked on and took part without asking any questions
although mr hanning said in his statement that he also served as a guard in a tower where he was under orders to shoot prisoners trying to escape he gave no details about whether he ever shot anyone or was involved in specific killings at auschwitz where nearly a million jews and tens of thousands of others perished
such omissions left leon schwarzbaum who survived auschwitz but lost his family at the death camp feeling dissatisfied
he should say more mr schwarzbaum told reporters not because it would affect his punishment   god will punish him he said   but because survivors and their descendants deserved an explanation


burlingame calif   furious protests erupted outside the california republican party convention on friday as donald j trump was set to address conservative activists in one of the most progressive regions of the country
the rowdy scene followed violence outside a rally that mr trump held in costa mesa on thursday evening when protesters bloodied several of mr trumps supporters the eruptions were the worst since last month when mr trump canceled an event in chicago after protesters flooded the streets with the latest round coming as he closes in on securing the republican partys presidential nomination
in burlingame just outside san francisco a diverse crowd of protesters gathered outside the hyatt regency the site of the state convention to brandish signs and chant slogans like racist sexist dump the trump a large contingent of law enforcement officials wielding batons and wearing helmets with face shields stood guard
a number of protesters sat on the pavement and formed a human chain to stretch across the street by the hotel barricades were set up to keep the crowds back at one point a group of protesters rushed the hotel entrance the police hurried to corral them and restore order
mr trump the leading republican presidential candidate was to deliver an address at the convention on friday he arrived late as his caravan circumvented the protesters and he was spotted by aerial television cameras entering the hotel through a side entrance with his staff
mr trump made light of the detour after he finally took the stage
that was not the easiest entrance ive ever made he said as at the beginning of his remarks we went under a fence and through a fence and oh boy it felt like i was crossing the border actually
the protests reflect the provocative nature of mr trumps candidacy and come as he has sought to re establish himself as someone who can unite the party and ultimately the country despite those stated goals mr trump has continued to inflame the passions of his opponents by using heated language that has offended immigrants and minorities at his event on thursday night he brought the families of people who had been killed by undocumented immigrants onto the stage
mr trump was criticized for provoking protesters earlier this year and he has beefed up his security after his podium was rushed at an event in ohio the crowds have generally been calmer since then but mr trump continues to draw throngs of demonstrators when his campaign visits urban areas with larger populations of democrats
several activist groups including the anti police terror project black lives matter bay area black youth project 100 bay area and the blackout collective had been awaiting mr trumps arrival all week and were busy organizing the protests on social media
donald trump represents the vile underbelly of american democracy by where black people are both disenfranchised and disregarded said robbie clark an organizer with black lives matter bay area
while mr trump is currently leading in recent polls of california republican voters the demonstrators made clear that their state was not friendly territory for him
angelica foreman 32 a stay at home mother held a sign that said no haters allowed in the bay
i told myself if trump made his way out here that i was definitely going to go out of my way to show that i absolutely do not appreciate his presence here she said because his racist rhetoric is not at all what im about or what the bay area is about
we are a very tolerant community and very accepting she added and so his views are not welcome here


washington   the federal government is ready to set off a huge land grab for valuable spectrum the last of its kind for the foreseeable future
the federal communications commission on friday said it reached its greatest hopes for the amount of spectrum it would be able to offer to wireless carriers in an auction scheduled to begin in late may television stations flocked to provide the spectrum promising to sell enough of the valuable airwaves they use for broadcast programming to reach the agencys maximum target for the auction the airwaves will be reconfigured for the next generation of wireless services for mobile phones cars and other devices that will connect to the internet
the auction is drawing attention because of the kind of spectrum that is becoming available low band spectrum that is valuable for its robust qualities and capacity to penetrate thick walls and travel far distances the sale of such choice spectrum is rare the last auction in this band category was in 2008 and there are no plans for similar offerings in the near future
todays announcement reflects the voluntary decision by many broadcasters that this auction truly is a once in a lifetime opportunity tom wheeler the fcc chairman said in a statement
the auction will be a multistep process aimed for completion in the late fall some analysts put the potential proceeds from the auction at tens of billions of dollars but the final amount wont be disclosed   nor will the sellers and buyers   until the auction is complete all proceeds beyond what is given back to television stations will go to the treasury
the announcement was significant because there had been doubts as to whether television stations would want to provide enough spectrum for the auction the great interest to cash out highlights the pressure on broadcasters which face competition from the internet a dwindling advertisement market in nonelection years and aging audiences
as a consequence of the auction some television stations may close howard university for example has applied to sell airwaves used by its television station though it has not said whether it will close its station if it does the move will dismay public interest advocates who fear the decline of diverse programming on television
stations do not necessarily have to shut down if they sell airwaves they may agree to stay open in their markets by channel sharing with other local stations
carriers are set to use the airwaves to build fifth generation or 5g wireless networks that will bring internet surfing speeds that rival the fast download speeds available through fixed wired cable services to the home
the auction may also bring fresh competition to the wireless industry which has been dominated by four national carriers att verizon t mobile and sprint att and verizon together control more than 65 percent of the wireless market surprising new entrants may emerge with comcast and the venture capital firm social capital which have expressed their intent to bid
meredith baker president of the wireless trade group ctia said the organization was encouraged to see so much interest in the fccs incentive auction which will play a critical role in making spectrum available for next generation wireless networks


its not so fun working on wall street these days the hours are long the pay is not nearly what it once was though it is still very good all things considered and the publics animosity toward the industry has become all too familiar even worse than working at an investment bank however is investing in one
for starters there are few public companies that are less shareholder friendly than a wall street one they seem to exist primarily for the benefit of the people who work at them not the people who own them generally speaking 40 percent to 50 percent of every dollar of revenue generated by these companies goes to employee compensation which leaves far less net income for shareholders
wall streets profitability is a shadow of what it once was in the first quarter goldman sachss return on equity was 65 percent and morgan stanleys was 64 percent for comparison in the years before goldman went public in 1999 its return on equity was often around 70 percent as a result of this shift wall street companies trade at a fraction of their book values
despite all this j daniel plants a former mergers banker at goldman sachs and jpmorgan chase smells opportunity mr plants is the founder of voce capital management a small hedge fund based in san francisco that occasionally engages in shareholder activism disclosure mr plants and i used to work together at jpmorgan more than 15 years ago
voce has started a proxy fight at an arlington va investment bank that used to be called friedman billings ramsey in the last year or so voce has built up a 53 percent stake in what is now called fbr  company the proxy battle aims to oust three of its directors and install mr plants jarl berntzen another former goldman sachs banker and michael j mcconnell a former managing director at shamrock capital advisors 1 billion activist fund and a former banker at kidder peabody fbrs annual meeting while not yet scheduled has traditionally been in late may
fbr was once a big success but its glory days seemed to have faded with the departure over time of its three founders the company has a market value of around 140 million but it also has cash on its balance sheet of 70 million plus private equity and hedge fund investments that it values at another 90 million or so leading mr plants to conclude that the market is valuing the companys banking business at close to zero in a 67 page presentation he says the company is worth less today than when the current management team took over in january 2009
voce is fbrs third largest investor behind nwq investment management and the robeco groups boston partners management owns about 15 percent of fbr on a fully diluted basis mr plants has met with the company more than 10 times in the last year to try to understand its strategy but after months of trying to persuade fbrs management to return to the companys highly profitable roots as the leading underwriter of arcane privately placed securities that big institutional investors can trade among themselves mr plants has gotten nowhere
this month he decided to take his campaign public with some hyperbole mr plants says fbr is a tiffany brand that has lost its way but can still be saved
a spokesman for fbr declined to comment
mr plants directs much of his frustration as a shareholder toward richard j hendrix fbrs chief executive mr plants says that from the outset of mr hendrixs tenure he has not been content with running a boutique investment bank instead he has tried to mimic other investment banks like the former donaldson lufkin  jenrette which was bought by credit suisse in 2000 or jefferies a subsidiary of the leucadia national corporation mr plants says
the companys gone on a massive hiring and acquisition spree to try to become the next dlj or jefferies mr plants tells me even though theres no possible way that will ever succeed he says he thinks fbr has made a big mistake taking on high end office real estate such as 299 park avenue in manhattan 1 international place in boston and 1 embarcadero center in san francisco he is especially critical of mr hendrixs compensation which has added up to more than 21 million since he became chief executive in 2009 mr plants says despite negative shareholder returns
mr plants argues that fbr should return to its roots in underwriting private placement securities and focus on its traditional strengths advising companies in the real estate and financial services industries it should abandon its efforts he says in the consumer media telecom technology and health care industries where the competition from bigger banks is fierce
he says he also thinks fbrs compensation is out of control in 2015 77 million or 64 percent of fbrs net revenue of 120 million was paid out in compensation and benefits contrast that with fbrs seeming failures as a mergers and acquisitions adviser in 2015 the company generated a mere 95 million in advisory fees
you raise a billion dollars for some company and you cant get hired to do ma for them he says they are just leaving money on the table by not mining their relationships
it is unclear how mr plantss assault on fbr will play out of course - he has lost around 15 million on his investment so far   but at a time when so many people are making assertions about the future of wall street it is refreshing to see one activist investor put forward a blueprint to return one wayward company to the roots of its former glory


beirut lebanon   as syria convulsed from the bloodiest week there in months the united states and russia declared on friday that they had won agreement for a new partial truce in several strategic areas but that it would not immediately include aleppo the divided city where recent attacks killed more than 200 people
state department officials insisted that aleppo would eventually be included and that they would be working with russia to ensure that the truces geographic reach would extend to the city fighting in aleppo over the past week shattered a respite created by the cease fire that had prevailed for the past two months
but it was hard to escape the conclusion that russia which is supporting the syrian government had not agreed to include aleppo in what the united states called a reaffirmation of the original truce
official russian and syrian government news media announced that those countries had reached an agreement with the united states which backs some opposition groups on a truce covering the coastal province of latakia and the damascus suburbs
they made no mention of aleppo where they say their intensifying airstrikes are aimed at terrorists and where they have signaled in recent weeks that they are planning a major new offensive
the russians and syrians argue that they are mainly fighting the nusra front the affiliate of al qaeda in syria opposition groups and their international allies as well as civil society organizations say that while the nusra front has a small presence in aleppo it is a minor force compared to other insurgent groups
both russia and syria denied that their warplanes were behind the airstrikes that demolished a hospital on the insurgent held side of town on wednesday night their air forces are the only ones that regularly operate in the area
the death toll in that attack rose on friday to more than 60 as rescue workers toiled through a day and night to retrieve bodies from the wreckage of the hospital and an adjacent building
one small child was found alive after having been buried for 24 hours according to the western supported white helmets civil defense organization whose volunteers conducted the search
syrian state news media reported that insurgent shelling had struck a mosque on the government held side of the city killing 15 people
both sides have carried out indiscriminate attacks in the renewal of fighting in aleppo once syrias commercial center health workers say most of the dead are civilians
residents interviewed on both sides say they yearn for a return to the truce that while imperfect   with occasional violations by both sides   allowed them to go about daily life with less fear of death or injury from bombings and explosions


fontana calif   in the days after the december terrorist attack in san bernardino calif when pictures of the hijab wearing suspect filled television screens and newspapers zarifeh shalabis mother and aunts stayed at home
with their home just a few miles from the scene of the attack that left 14 dead they worried about an anti muslim backlash when they went shopping zarifeh 17 said other mothers pulled their children away when they saw the women wearing head scarves
we were more afraid that someone was going to hurt us zarifeh said
but this month zarifeh received the ultimate symbol of teenage acceptance she was crowned prom queen after her non muslim friends campaigned for her by wearing hijabs in solidarity
we saw it as a chance to do something good to represent something good said a friend sarahi sanchez who like zarifeh is one of a few dozen peer mentors at summit high school this was a way to prove we dont have problems with bullying or racism
zarifeh said her win proved that not all muslims are something to worry about
they dont see me as a threat she said they see me as their friend
merely making it to the prom was a challenge for zarifeh the daughter of observant muslims she has always been expected to stay close to home and to limit her socializing with boys all through high school she turned down invitations to parties and sleepovers and had never been allowed to attend a school dance
when the high school senior found out that she had been nominated for prom queen she was more worried about getting permission to attend than wondering about winning
prom queens she reasoned are usually the most popular girls in school the cheerleaders the student government officials the kids who go to the parties
but her friends were determined to get her the crown
they each wore a hijab to show their support for zarifeh who has covered her hair throughout her high school years on the morning of the school vote they huddled together to pass out dozens of colorful scarves a few held balloons printed with dont be a baddie vote for the hijabi among the more than 2000 students at the school just four girls typically wear the head covering
before her friends told her about the nomination zarifeh had fantasized about making it to her senior prom imagining herself in a flowing beaded dress she had once spied in the closet of a family friend a traditional muslim gown usually reserved for weddings
weeks before the dance she pressed her mother by showing her a flier with school rules no dirty dancing no strapless dresses transportation by bus her mother still not convinced spoke with aunts uncles and friends from the local mosque before finally giving in
she was begging me but we are very old style her mother manal haifa said ive never given in to something like this
i had no idea how much she is really respected and loved at the school her mother said
ms haifa suggested they go to the local department store to find a dress zarifeh said no
i knew if i went and bought a dress it would be tight or i would have to change things she said standing in a local park one recent afternoon wearing her prom dress   the beaded one she saw in the closet she raised her arms to show off the flowing sleeves of the white floor length dress this was perfect like a butterfly
then came the next fashion question what hijab nothing she found felt special enough so she asked her grandmother if she could look through her collection
when she spotted a gold scarf with strings of beads it was too glamorous to ignore
on the night of the prom zarifeh and a large group of female friends rode a school bus to the dorothy chandler pavilion in los angeles where they danced through the night
while zarifeh stood on stage with the rest of the prom court her younger sister checked snapchat to see the latest updates a few minutes later she saw the news her sister was summit highs prom queen
everyone was screaming and i was just shocked zarifeh said
with the flowing fabric of her hijab the crown would not stay put and zarifeh spent much of the night letting her friends wear it
we all felt like we had won said savanna smith who called herself zarifehs campaign manager it was so exciting because she is so covered up and she doesnt show what every girl at prom shows and she still won it was like she can still go out there and represent a fine elegant woman
her friend sarahi said i feel like we have something to teach the rest of the country it makes me really proud
while her friends went to a nearby diner zarifeh knew her mother was expecting her home the next morning she celebrated with friends at the ar rahman mosque where she teaches children each week
people there were proud too   it was something exciting something different she said im not what someone thinks of when they think of prom queen


the white house recently issued an executive order supported by a report from the council of economic advisers discovering that monopoly is on the rise and directing federal agencies to look for ways to bolster competition and control specific anti competitive abuses
the announcement invited an appreciative post in the new york times by paul krugman and has prompted some days of debate among economists and antitrust lawyers it no doubt reflected the growing frustration of voters increasing evidence of serious problems in domestic competition and the increasingly substantiated possibility that the lack of it contributes to americas alarming income inequality
things are bad enough that calls for tougher competition are heard from such unlikely sources as the economist and reportedly establishment presidential candidates
the order however is all rather frustrating to those toiling in the regrettably dusty precincts of antitrust policy especially coming from a president who so raised our hopes in his first presidential campaign mr obama promised to direct his administration to reinvigorate antitrust enforcement since antitrust is the american way to make capitalism work for consumers
it would be frustrating enough that the initiative seems certain of fairly complete failure for reasons backed by a hundred years of history and evidence it is directed to sector specific federal agencies which by and large have no antitrust enforcement power and have almost always used their powers to keep competition at bay
moreover initiatives under the order will probably be piecemeal small and easily evaded consider what apparently is the sole initiative the government has planned so far a call on the federal communications commission to regulate cable tv boxes a request to be made by that stalwart champion of the consumer interest the commerce department those boxes may be overpriced but will controlling that one little thing really keep cable companies from making it up somewhere else
but the real reason this effort is so stinging is that it comes as an all but explicit admission of the administrations failure to enforce the antitrust laws which have been on the books for 130 years
by taking steps like approving an airline merger that on one estimate will cause consumer injury of a 1 billion or more a year an estimate i extrapolate from table 7 of this remarkable report by no less than a former obama antitrust official who was not involved in approval of the deal and has called it a mistake administrations of both parties for some decades have painted us into a corner
markets are now so concentrated and ripe for abuse and the political will for enforcement so lacking that our antitrust laws seem increasingly hopeless so we resort instead to some small regulatory interventions to tame a beast we could have kept from creating by just enforcing antitrust in the first place
perhaps worst is that this new step breaks with what was a proudly liberal tradition however much republicans may congratulate themselves for deregulation the movement to displace our onetime system of rate and entry regulation and replace it with antitrust was an affair dominated by liberal heroes ralph nader senator howard metzenbaum senator ted kennedy the economist and airline regulator alfred kahn jimmy carters antitrust chief john h shenefield and above all president carter himself see this nice historical snapshot
to the administrations credit the council of economic advisers report itself was a welcome document it collects recent evidence of rising market power and it contains several muted but unmistakable calls for greater antitrust enforcement and in fairness the administration can hardly be blamed alone for the death of antitrust it cant really be blamed for not bringing cases it could not win and the law has been made much much harder to enforce by our now quite conservative federal judiciary
but neither the report nor the order is any real sign that the government means now seven years into the presidents administration and at a time when most presidents issue slugs of pardons and other last minute chores to change much of anything the justice department just recently approved another very big merger charter communications acquisitions of time warner cable and bright house networks in a very concentrated and troubled industry it was a move opposed by a whole coalition of consumer groups because it creates a national duopoly controlling 90 percent of high speed broadband
in the end this move keeps alive an old criticism of american competition policy we all   across the political spectrum   are quite certain we want to have an antitrust law and to speak of it with due reverence the one thing most of us really dont want to do is actually use it
politically it would have been better for the presidents legacy just to have continued quietly doing nothing than to come out and admit it


cyclists who long to ride amid the mountain air of new england this spring and summer will soon have an easy way to get there
beginning may 1 amtrak will offer carry on bike service allowing passengers to ride in designated cars outfitted with bike racks on its vermonter line which operates each day between washington dc and st albans vt with stops in cities including philadelphia new york hartford conn springfield mass and essex junction vt
we look forward to measuring the success of this service with an eye to expansion to additional routes across our national network deborah stone wulf amtraks vice president of sales and customer service said in a statement
cyclists who wish to use the service must arrive at their station a half hour before boarding time train cars with bike service will have bike friendly stickers on them and there will be instructions in the rack area about how to load the bikes the front wheel of each bike must be removed to fit it into the space and extras like panniers and saddle bags must be removed as well before you add the bike to the rack an amtrak crew member will be on hand to help
you cant just stroll onboard with your bike though reservations are required and you must have a ticket for your bike bicycle reservation fees are 20 between washington dc and new haven conn and 10 between new haven and st albans vt these reservation fees are in addition to the ticket price
reservations can be made on amtrakcom select add bike when bookingby phone 800 872 7245 or at staffed ticket office
the only thing greener than the train ride the bike ride youll take when you arrive


declan walsh our bureau chief in cairo is in a government controlled area of aleppo syria covering the civil war as bombs fall on the city he is talking to civilians witnessing the wounded and interviewing soldiers who have been at war for years on saturday we will publish his in depth look at the besieged city but here is a first look from his point of view follow him on instagram
the reaction to the sound of shellfire varies dramatically in aleppo depending on which neighborhood or even street you happen to be standing in in some places people dont even flinch and continue as if nothing has happened in others like midan where civilians have died from mortar fire in recent days they quicken their step and move to safety
this road   a narrow strip of undulating asphalt lined by the ruins of bombed villages   is the lifeline of aleppo syrias most populous city opposition forces lie to the left islamic state to the right trucks speed along the road pressing toward aleppo nobody stops if they can help it
a heavy barrage of shells fired from rebel held areas fell on aleppo on thursday morning the emergency room at al razi hospital was inundated with the wounded this man arrived unconscious with a gash in his head and was quickly wheeled off to an operating room
trying to comfort a soldier at al razi hospital on friday this soldier grieving for a comrade who had died at the hospital writhed on the ground shouting and kicking
passing though homs en route to aleppo we caught a glimpse of the destroyed ancient city residents go about their business but look weary


washington   this could have been the start of a fruitful time in a capital barren of major policy accomplishments over the last few years
president obama his days in office waning should be closing in on legacy items democrats and republicans   locked in a cage match over control of the senate   are motivated to help him end his term with the kind of bipartisan deals that often reflect a divided government and help members on each side win re election
at the same time republicans should be light of heart with prospects of winning the white house and their nemesis in chief heading to his final ride on marine one
but these are not normal times
republicans rather than rallying with joy around a nominee on the rise settled into a bit of a hate dance this week with donald j trump in a bizarre bunny hop of new endorsements feeble acceptance and continued denial and rage
distrust between congress and mr obama   at times involving even the presidents party   and a republican allergy to almost any increase in federal spending have combined into a contentious brew that led this week to the unraveling of a basic appropriations bill an unsettled fight over funding to combat the zika virus and a dim horizon for once promising items like an overhaul of criminal justice laws
other bills that departed committees on a wave of bipartisan bliss have been parked outside the house and senate floors and many judicial nominations are stalled
republicans say it is mr obamas fault accusing him of being too far from them on every policy issue and using executive orders and regulations over legislative wooing to achieve his ends
this is my third president ive served with speaker paul d ryan said on thursday id say this is the most ideological president ive ever served with hes very dogmatic in pursuit of his ideology and therefore i dont see a bridging of the gap because of the nature of this presidency
democrats blame the far right of the republican party which they say has dictated the terms of congressional action and more often inaction for years that in turn pushes democrats further from compromise mode
the forces in our politics are pushing things to the extreme said senator chuck schumer democrat of new york who stood with several of his colleagues on thursday to deride republicans over their own to do list of legislation and confirmations left waiting the old forces that once brought things together are now pulling them apart on both sides but much more on their side
it has not always been this way president harry s trumans national security act of 1947 was forged with a republican led congress before the brutal campaign of 1948 ronald reagan achieved major social security amendments and a rewrite of the tax code in 1986 bill clinton reached a landmark agreement with a republican led congress to dismantle the new deal era federal welfare program in 1996 his re election year
there was partisanship but always more possibilities for deals since factions in each party had incentives for working across the aisle said julian e zelizer a professor of history and public affairs at princeton that has changed
he added the entire political process in the current age   especially with the 24 hour media   in my mind makes legislative negotiation almost impossible deals are reported before legislators even know about them which gives activists and interest groups time to mobilize and kill them
it may not help that the last end of a term spark of bipartisanship under george w bush during a financial crisis produced the troubled asset relief program or tarp the wall street bank bailout that proved to be a political disaster and helped beget the tea party and the deepening partisan divide
some things are simply more complicated than they appear or than partisan talking points capture
for instance democrats this week twice filibustered a basic energy and water appropriations bill   one that was chosen because it seemed so easy to pass   because of an amendment offered by senator tom cotton republican of arkansas that would bar the united states from purchasing water used in producing nuclear energy and nuclear weapons from iran democrats argued that the amendment was a poison pill that would trigger a white house veto
true but they did not say that the reason it would have triggered that veto was that the bill most likely would have passed with the help of democrats wary of iran
republicans say they will not offer an additional 19 billion to fight the zika virus because the white house has not explained how it will spend the money explaining though is open to interpretation since the administration provided a lengthy memo on just that
what republicans are not saying is that they fully intend to release the money just not as the appropriations process begins because they do not wish to further inflame spending issues with their colleagues in the house who have their own internal struggles with passing a budget and appropriations measures
the bright side is that even with a truncated legislative calendar there is still time senator lamar alexander republican of tennessee sees a real chance for accord on a bill that would pave the way for medical advances and address mr obamas desire to attack cancer a version of the bill the 21st century cures act has been passed by the house
i think it will be the most important bill we pass in congress mr alexander said the president hopes to leave the architecture behind for advancements in precision medicine and his cancer moonshot and so do we
it helps that an 88 billion increase for the national institutes of health is included in the package money that everyone can agree to spend tends to grease all legislative wheels even in these times


it looks as if shuffle along will have to face hamilton after all
the committee of broadway insiders that decides which productions will be eligible for which tony awards declared on friday that the show with a full title of shuffle along or the making of the musical sensation of 1921 and all that followed is a new musical despite efforts by its producers to have it called a revival
that means that shuffle along will compete for a nomination in a crowded category that includes the smash hit hamilton which is expected to win the best new musical prize when the tonys are held on june 12 tony awards especially in that marquee category help sell tickets
the question of how to think about shuffle along which on thursday night became the last show to open during the 2015 16 broadway season had become a hot topic in the industry largely because its lead producer scott rudin is a prolific and powerful theater producer of the moment
categorizing the show posed a challenge for the tony awards administration committee most of the songs are from the original 1921 production of shuffle along but the book is entirely new in 1921 the show was loosely about a race for mayor in a fictional town the production that opened this week replete with tap dancing is about the evolution of the original show and the lives of its creative team and star
mr rudin argued in a letter to the committee that shuffle along was akin to recent productions of flower drum song and cinderella that were deemed to be revivals despite substantially revised books but a majority of committee members thought it was more analogous to shows like crazy for you or even jersey boys which paired classic songs with new books and were deemed to be new musicals and earlier this week the drama desk awards which are given by theater critics declared shuffle along to be a new musical for the purposes of that contest
shuffle along is a passion project for george c wolfe a tony winning director who wrote the new book for the show and directed it the show which pays homage to one of the first all black musicals on broadway stars audra mcdonald who has won six tony awards also in the cast are brian stokes mitchell billy porter brandon victor dixon and joshua henry all of whom were deemed by the committee to be featured actors despite mr rudins request that mr mitchell be considered a leading actor
the jazzy score featuring music from the original by eubie blake and lyrics by noble sissle will not be eligible for a tony award
in a statement mr rudin accepted the committees decisions george and i are grateful to the committee for their careful consideration he said the process is and always has been a fair one and were flattered to be considered a new musical youd be hard pressed to find two people who love new musicals more than george and me
shuffle along which was capitalized at up to 12 million has been doing well at the box office it had four sold out weeks in a row before attendance dipped slightly last week when ms mcdonald fell ill and missed three performances the show grossed 809033 over eight preview performances last week
on thursday mr rudin told the ensemble that he would share revenues with performers who had helped develop the project the issue of revenue  or profit sharing has become a much discussed concern among actors prompted by the success of hamilton the producers of hamilton agreed recently to share profits with actors involved in its development mr rudin had previously shared revenue with performers involved in the development of the book of mormon
it felt like the fair thing to do he said in a statement this company of artists has been working on shuffle along for nearly two years they made the show with us the show is about collaboration theyre our collaborators
the tony awards process now begins in earnest on monday a committee of up to 50 nominators is to meet to choose the nominees by secret ballot and on tuesday the nominees are to be announced eleven new musicals and five musical revivals are eligible for nominations
there are 846 theater professionals who can vote in this years tony awards and they must file their ballots by june 10 the votes are then tallied and the winners are to be announced at the awards ceremony on june 12


chicago   jake arrieta lost this weeks shot at a no hitter on just his fifth pitch of the game thursday
five innings later on a dank spring afternoon the milwaukee brewers ended arrietas home field scoreless streak at 5223 innings the second longest such streak of zeros since the turn of the century before the last one and the cubs manager yanked him from the game
arrieta sat afterward in the cubs interview room his piercing eyes erect posture and thick black beard calling to mind a fierce mennonite hurler i kind of backed myself into a corner he said of his performance it just wasnt good from start to finish
before we panic lets keep in mind that this slacker arrieta gave up all of three hits and a single run and struck out six men the cubs won 7 2 his worst outing of the year pushed his era from 077 to 100 per game
oh and arrieta tossed a no hitter in his previous start he is   with apologies to parochial devotees of the blond tressed noah syndergaard   the best pitcher in baseball with no peer
hes 5 0 noted his catcher david ross i think hell be ok
arrietas modest attack of mortality thursday might have a beneficial side effect in that it might tamp down rumblings that his epic pitching run must be fed by steroids epo human growth hormone or some chemistry combinations too obscure to name such rumblings come accompanied by not a shred of evidence not an iota nada that arrieta has used anything artificial
arrieta says the accusations are laughable he says he favors suspending for life players who are found guilty of using performance enhancing drugs
a shortage of fact was no bar for televisions hot air balloons stephen a smith and skip bayless the moe and larry of espn engaged in a one plus one equals five exercise this week im not going to accuuuse you of using performance enhancing supplements drugs smith said of arrieta who was not on that show but you shouldnt just be laughing at those who are looking at you and saying excuse me what the hell is going on here
bayless nodded gravely i have no sympathy for him
let me back up ours is a suspicious age and not without reason we clap too hard for great athletes and we risk playing the fool the path through the past decades is littered with writers who disabled their frontal lobes and defended the popeye bodies and improbable accomplishments of barry bonds rafael palmeiro mark mcgwire roger clemens alex rodriguez and the cyclist lance armstrong not to mention hundreds of professional football players sprinters marathon runners and racewalkers
just friday the national leagues reigning batting champ dee gordon of the miami marlins was suspended for 80 games for using steroids
that said lets return to the case at hand no one has said arrieta is anything other than a brilliant artisan of a pitcher who mows lineups like a farmer wielding a scythe on tall grasses
many suggest that arrieta came from nowhere a no account shuffler become tom seaver that oversimplifies arrieta was a top college pitcher and his first team the baltimore orioles considered him a potential ace with a smoker of a fastball and a heartbreaking curveball
his control however was miserable and his pitches ran when they should have cut his era scaled unsightly peaks by 2014 the sharp eyed crowd at baseball prospectus had all but given up running arrieta out every fifth day is just setting him up to fail the prospectus opined the cubs would be wise to find out if his stuff will play up in the bullpen
as it happened in 2015 arrieta mastered his pitches and soared into the baseball troposphere he won 22 games with a 177 era he did this not by throwing five miles per hour faster according to a fangraphs analysis his fastball this year is six tenths of a mile per hour faster than it was in his last year in baltimore syndergaard of the mets throws quite a bit faster than arrieta
he returned to his old pitching motion in which he uses his left shoulder to hide his pitch i used to bat against him in baltimore ross the catcher said hes a different pitcher his confidence is incredible
joe maddon the cub manager and a beatnik of a baseball lifer walked into the pregame conference wearing a t shirt that read do simple better after the game he wore a new t shirt try not to suck
if arrieta were on the opposing team i asked maddon how would you instruct your hitters he wagged his head with the sympathy reserved for the soon to be executed honestly i have lots of thoughts but im not sure if any of the thoughts would work he said
the previous evening i put that question to ryan braun the star outfielder for the brewers he rolled his eyes the wind is blowing in its raining and 45 degrees he said there are no circumstances under which i want to face arrieta im praying for a rainout
the gods cooperated although the weather was little better the next afternoon the cubs claimed 32734 attended that game which was accurate only if ten thousand fans were hiding beneath the seats in this ancient stadium
the brewers more or less surrendered their pitchers walked 11 men their fumble fingered fielders dropped pickoff attempts and double play balls the cubs pounced like a lion on a lame antelope
ross a graying 39 year old journeyman took a mighty swing and sent the ball bouncing into the streets beyond the bleachers i was thinking if that one doesnt go out thats a sign ive got to retire he said in the bottom of the first inning ben zobrist once a kansas city royal and now a cub stepped to the plate with the bases loaded
at this point i invoke my privilege as a mets fan who witnessed this man break the spirits of friends and family last autumn zobrist had a deeply annoying royals like at bat in which he fouled off many pitches before slapping a deeply annoying bleeder of a single to right field knocking in two runs
even with a mortal arrieta on the mound that was that we are in a spot arrieta noted where we feel pretty good
even a few wild accusations arent going to change that


exxon mobil has reached the bottom of the oil barrel
the american energy giant reported a 63 percent fall in its first quarter profit on friday its rivals chevron and conocophillips were hurting too as crude fell below 30 in january before investment cuts helped ease the excess supply and push up the price of oil recovery will be slow and patchy but the worst is probably past
cost cuts helped exxon surprise wall street but the companys 18 billion in net earnings was its lowest quarterly sum since 1999 chevron meanwhile reported its second consecutive loss as crude prices averaged about 34 a barrel from the start of the year through the end of march and conocos net loss of 15 billion was twice as big as chevrons
there are reasons to start thinking the only direction from here is up brent crude oil has already recovered from its january nadir to 48 a barrel whats more unlike last years brief surge back above 60 this latest uptick has a better chance of sticking
saudi arabia keeps pumping but two years of less spending on exploration across the industry is taking its toll united states crude production this month slipped below nine million barrels a day for the first time since late 2014 thats a notable drop from the weekly high of more than 95 million barrels in july
big producers have also adjusted their business models to withstand low prices even as smaller producers with weaker balance sheets struggle to survive along with cutting capital spending by more than a quarter since 2014 with further reductions likely this year the industry has killed projects dropped buybacks and fired workers in conocos case even the sacred dividend was slashed
investors have been anticipating a rebound before the friday earnings reports exxon shares had gained 20 percent and chevron 30 percent from their january lows conocos are up 50 percent since mid february
the rally may not be sustainable irans return to the global crude market and a potential recovery in shale production - if prices continue to rise steadily - could yet prove to be impediments for big oil however the barrel is at least now only half empty


washington   the chinese government on thursday denied a navy flotilla access to the port in hong kong pentagon officials said friday the latest sign of escalating tension between the united states and china
the rare refusal to allow the aircraft carrier john c stennis and several other vessels accompanying it to visit the port comes two weeks after the stennis hosted the defense secretary ashton b carter on a visit to the south china sea where the united states is challenging what it sees as excessive maritime claims by china
during the trip mr carter criticized the chinese and said the united states would work with its allies in the region
americas policy continues to be one valued on principles of peaceful resolutions of disputes lawful settlement of things like territorial disputes like the south china sea or anywhere else freedom of navigation freedom of commerce mr carter said at the time
the denial was the first time the chinese government had refused to allow an american aircraft carrier into the port in hong kong since august 2014 according to pentagon officials the navy had asked the chinese to let the stennis and accompanying vessels visit the port next week the officials said
there is currently a united states navy ship in port in hong kong the blue ridge kristin haworth a spokeswoman for the american consulate in hong kong said by telephone the blue ridge is the command ship of the united states seventh fleet
we have a long track record of successful visits to hong kong including the uss blue ridge and we expect that to continue she said
american naval vessels are frequent visitors to hong kong regarded as one of the most desirable ports of call because of its night life and shopping before the 1997 return of hong kong to chinese rule entry was never a problem because the city was governed by britain
since the transfer the navy has continued to make port calls in hong kong but the chinese government has on occasion rejected american requests in 2007 china denied access to another aircraft carrier the kitty hawk as well as two minesweepers in 2002 a guided missile destroyer the curtis wilbur was also denied entry
the families of crew members from the stennis and other vessels had been told that the ships planned to make a port stop and many had already bought tickets to visit the sailors while they were there


washington   president obama will use the power of his office to try to jump start long stalled smart gun technology that could eventually allow only the owner of a firearm to use it the white house announced friday
over the opposition of gun rights groups he also vowed to push ahead with a new federal policy giving the fbi access to more mental health records of some social security recipients to better flag people who might be banned from buying a gun
the dual moves expand on a series of steps that a tearful mr obama pledged to take in january to confront gun violence with or without congress which has offered stiff opposition to broader gun control measures
but the steps announced friday generated objections not only from usual opponents like the national rifle association but also from some police groups which raised safety concerns about officers using untested smart guns in real life situations
the administration stopped short of mandating the use of smart guns by federal agencies but said it saw promise in committing more federal money and attention to a technology that has evolved in fits and starts over more than two decades
the idea behind the smart gun technology is to limit the use of a firearm to its owner through personalized identifiers like a biometric sensor on the gun grip a ring sensor worn by the owner or a digital pass code entered on a wristband
advocates see the technology as a way of stopping criminals from using stolen guns   or children from accidentally shooting themselves or others just this month the nation saw nine accidental shootings in one week involving children as young as 2 years old
but despite millions of dollars in federal grant money awarded to gun manufacturers and researchers no commercially viable smart gun has emerged officials said
in new jersey lawmakers passed a 2002 law requiring that guns be smart once they have been available on the market for three years that three year countdown has never been started in part because of pressure from gun rights activists on manufacturers not to develop the technology earlier this year gov chris christie vetoed a new smart gun measure
the latest push was introduced on the white house website friday along with a report from the administrations law enforcement agencies on the viability and effectiveness of smart gun technology it concluded that the federal government could do more   by making it cheaper for gun manufacturers to bring smart guns to the market and by using the federal governments enormous purchasing power to encourage development
to that end the justice and homeland security departments will develop criteria for gun manufacturers that want to sell smart guns to federal state and local law enforcement agencies
the administration will also offer millions more in cash awards and grants to gun manufacturers to encourage development of the technology
in a post on his facebook page mr obama wrote that as long as weve got the technology to prevent a criminal from stealing and using your smartphone then we should be able to prevent the wrong person from pulling a trigger on a gun
james o pasco jr executive director of the national fraternal order of police which has more than 330000 members said in a telephone interview that he was glad to see that the plan announced by the white house did not mandate the testing of smart gun technology by law enforcement agencies
but he said he remained concerned by a renewed push
theyve been talking about smart guns for 25 years he said but we dont want unproven technology to be tried out on law enforcement officers who are most likely to be in the line of fire when they need their weapons to work this is fine if the concept works but we dont want people going helter skelter to embrace the latest shiny object
the obama administration also posted online friday a proposed regulation from the social security administration that officials believe could help keep guns out of the hands of people who are not allowed to own a firearm because of mental illness
a summary of the draft proposal said the social security administration would identify people who receive disability payments because of mental impairment or because they are not competent to handle their own affairs and would provide information on them to the justice department four times a year to include in the fbis gun purchase review system the social security administration would also notify those people   thought to total about 75000   that they are banned from buying or possessing a firearm under federal law
advocates for the mentally ill say that those with mental illnesses would be unfairly stigmatized even though they account for only about 4 percent of all incidents of gun violence
the national rifle association meanwhile said that both the social security plan and the push for smart gun technology were unwarranted distractions by an administration intent on imposing more restrictions on gun ownership
president obamas obsession with gun control knows no bounds said jennifer baker a spokeswoman for the nras lobbying arm
mr obama signaled that he would take steps on the smart gun technology and firearms purchases by social security recipients in january when he announced a series of executive actions that also expanded background checks for some gun purchases and improved the tracking of stolen weapons
the president said he was forced to act on his own authority out of frustration after congress stymied him in trying to enact broader gun control measures in 2013 he failed to convince congress to pass a universal background check requirement even after the massacre at sandy hook elementary school in newtown conn and other mass shootings


halhoul west bank   sharing a cell inside an israeli prison the palestinian girls would toss baskets and play a game they called shuffle ball there were academic classes in the afternoon and sometimes an arab israeli prisoner known as auntie lina would braid their hair
in the evenings dima al wawi a 12 year old arrested in february with a knife at the entrance to an israeli settlement in the occupied west bank would sing palestinian nationalist anthems with istabraq noor 14 who was accused of trying to sneak into a different settlement to attack jewish residents in october
mom i didnt even cry once dima boasted upon being released on sunday after serving about half of her four and a half month sentence
not even for us asked her mother sabha 47
only under the covers she replied at night
there were a dozen such girls with similar cases in israeli custody before dimas release up from one in september   part of a surge in palestinian minors incarcerated during a wave of violence that has killed about 30 israelis in the last seven months assaf liberati a spokesman for the prison service said the number of palestinian prisoners under 18 more than doubled to 430 from 170 before the stabbings shootings and vehicular attacks began on oct 1 of them 103 were 16 or younger up from 32
its the biggest number that we know mr liberati said
the increase reflects a broad israeli crackdown on young palestinians who throw stones or otherwise confront soldiers and civilians amid an outbreak of attacks in which nearly half the suspects are teenagers it has renewed a debate over how israels military justice system which prosecutes palestinians from the west bank differs from the courts that cover israeli citizens and palestinian residents of jerusalem and especially how it handles very young offenders
nobody doubts what she did sarit michaeli of the israeli human rights group btselem said of dima but if she was an israeli child it would be impossible under israeli law to sentence a child this young for an actual jail term
they dont see a small girl ms michaeli added they think of them as terrorists
israel has enacted some changes since a 2013 unicef report described abuses in the military court system as widespread systematic and institutionalized the age at which suspects can be prosecuted as adults was raised to 18 from 16 a separate youth court was created and the amount of time minors can be detained without appearing before a judge was cut from 96 hours to 48 hours for 15 year olds and 24 hours for those 14 and under
palestinian lawyers have had some success persuading judges to send young detainees to homes for troubled youths a recourse that was offered to dima but rejected by her parents at least three have been sent to homes dimas lawyers said
how could my daughter who is just 12 go to a place like that ms wawi asked in an interview it was a hard decision but we said ok put her in jail at least we know how she will come out 
the changes brought israels two justice systems more in line with each other but differences remain as illustrated by the case of two cousins arrested on april 14 in jerusalems old city
mohammad shadeh 12 who was found with a meat cleaver and two knives in his school bag   along with a piggy bank containing the equivalent of 11 and a note in misspelled arabic saying he wanted to kill a soldier   has been jailed since his arrest mohammad ramzi who is also 12 and lives in east jerusalem is under house arrest   an option not available to west bank residents like his cousin
defense for children international palestine an advocacy group that has tracked the issue for years said in an april report that most west bank suspects were still interrogated alone had faced some form of physical abuse and were not informed of their rights
the israeli authorities say 37 percent of the palestinians who perpetrated or attempted attacks between oct 1 and feb 10 were 16 to 20 years old and 10 percent were 15 or younger
the spokesman for israels foreign ministry emmanuel nahshon said that the severity of the crimes and their often ideologically motivated nature creates a unique set of demands from the criminal justice system
the question is why are so many palestinian children being dispatched to murder israelis he asked the answer is they are being brainwashed by their leaders
president mahmoud abbas of the palestinian authority said in a recent interview on israeli television that his government was trying to tamp down the violence with security forces going into schools to search for weapons in one school we found 70 boys and girls who were carrying knives mr abbas said adding that the officers told the students this is a mistake we do not want you to kill and be killed we want you to live and for the other side to live as well 
but mr abbass fatah party was out in force to welcome dima home as a hero as was its rival hamas which openly encourages violence
dimas lawyer abeer baker mainly blamed the israeli occupation for the attacks but said that many of the minors involved had other problems arguing that they need rehabilitation not punishment
take salwa taqatqa one of dimas prison pals who is 13 and tried to stab an israeli with a seven inch blade on march 23 her mother amna said salwa was a troubled tomboy who was repeating fifth grade was scared of the dark and still wet her bed
dima who turned 12 in november was hyperactive and having trouble at school but her mother said that the family rejected a counselors advice that she see a psychiatrist worried that neighbors would think she was crazy
the girl grew obsessed with the palestinian attackers she saw on al aqsa television which is run by the militant islamist group hamas memorizing how and when they were killed by israeli forces more than 200 palestinians have been shot dead since oct 1 most during attacks attempted attacks or suspected attacks
on feb 9 dima skipped school stuffed a knife from the family kitchen under her long school shirt and walked from her home in the village of halhoul to the nearby karmi tzur settlement she said she stopped at the entrance hoping a guard would search her so she could stab him from up close the guard ordered her to sit down
a resident of the settlement armed with a pistol made dima remove the bulge from her shirt according to court documents provided by btselem which closely followed the case she tossed the knife away and was taken to an israeli police station
dima said that several men and women interrogated her before the police called her parents later in the afternoon during the questioning she felt her pants begin to fill with blood and began to panic
her father ismail said he was not allowed to see his daughter at the station and was interrogated himself then taken to the side by an officer and told about the bleeding dimas mother said she fretted for days unsure whether it was caused by some trauma during the arrest or as it turned out the girls first menstruation
her parents should have been there with her ms wawi said she should have been in the house when that happened not an israeli prison
during six military court hearings dima and her parents said the girls legs were shackled and she was not allowed to touch her parents dima recalled one kind police officer a woman named ziva who used to roll down my pants and put the shackles above them so it wouldnt hurt me
on feb 18 she pleaded guilty to attempted manslaughter and was sentenced to four and a half months in prison she was released early because of her extremely young age according to the israeli prison spokesman
ms wawi had to apply for permits to enter israel to visit her daughter and then communicate with her only through a plastic barrier using telephones in one consequence of her arrest her father lost his permit to work in israel
now the girl has become a local celebrity she was welcomed home on sunday with a ceremony at the governors office in the west bank city of tulkarm at her home in halhoul men from fatah hoisted banners and those from hamas released balloons in their trademark green while a convoy of beeping cars usually reserved for weddings drove around town waving flags of their preferred party
on the way dima holding an ipad flipped through photographs of herself posted on social media sites when she told a reporter she had gone to the settlement to kill jews because i wanted to be a martyr her mother interjected noting you said you wanted to be an agricultural engineer
mom dima groaned i changed my mind


in her most recent show cara josephine the frenetic british comic josie long interrupted one of her many bursts of enthusiasm to criticize stand up comedy with stand up theres a lot of manufactured anger she said pivoting to a spoof of a comic i hate airplane food no you dont
comedy clubs have long been packed with head shakers airing grievances and heatedly picking apart nonsense but ms long is part of a new breed of young performers more likely to begin a joke with affection than annoyance and to end with ridiculousness not ridicule this sunnier stand up is in part a function of the times when social media keeps count of likes and favorites and late night television is a chummy safe space for celebrities but the hopefulness is also a refreshing artistic change of pace a backlash against generations of smug finger pointing and knowing raised eyebrows
when irritation becomes so common good cheer can be novel if not downright irreverent
ms long 34 is one of those disarmingly eloquent verbally dexterous comics who seem to regularly emerge from england but whereas british comedy has a reputation for being bleaker and more cynical than our own a comparison of each countrys version of the office is the most famous example ms long delivers her windy monologues without a drop of bile shes a relentless optimist alert to the pleasures of life her solo shows which have a cult following in london and edinburgh have names like kindness and exuberance and be honorable and her detour filled bits are about how shes too earnest to pull off pranks or compare her love of social justice to a fans passion for nicki minaj
on her bbc radio series romance and adventure which finished a four episode run last week she plays a newcomer to glasgow who finds nothing but delight in cultural difference when she meets a handsome american she lavishes attention on the glee of having a crush while only briefly dealing with the sadness of it not working out her political material is wry and pointed and her personal jokes can achieve the poignancy of a slice of life scene from one of alan bennetts delicately observed plays
cara josephine an introspective hit show at the edinburgh festival fringe that ran at soho playhouse last fall was an unexpectedly hopeful examination of a breakup while countless comics traffic in jokes about sex and dating she has the rare stand up show to find laughs not only in heartbreak but also in love
pete holmes and ron funches are skilled comics from the west coast whose jokes share ms longs childlike exuberance a quality that is even more common in alt comedy the most distinctive experimentalist in new york right now is jo firestone who brings a radiant big hearted spirit to deeply committed stunts like hosting an inner beauty pageant but sweet tempered stand up has increasingly been popping up in unlikely places like the traditional new york club home base for scabrous humor
one of the most reliably funny regulars at the comedy cellar is ryan hamilton an observational comic who often riffs on the absurdity of his own wholesomeness im from idaho and um i look like where im from he said monday
mr hamilton a comic in his mid 30s whose cadences evoke jerry seinfeld has a wide smile but when he goes onstage he emphasizes it broadening his mouth into a preposterously toothy grin i look this happy all the time he said in one joke i look more like a comedy club logo than a comedian
comedians have always done their dirtiest material in clubs and taken out the curses and sex jokes for television yet times have changed mr hamiltons clean act might be a better fit for theaters on the road where family friendly comics like jim gaffigan and brian regan are big draws than for a show on comedy central
mr hamilton uses his persona as a foil for his material but the cheerful sensibility of josh gondelman 31 runs deeper mr gondelman is a writer for last week tonight with john oliver but his endearing stand up is nothing like the scathing jeremiads of that weekly show he is cerebral and soft spoken and his jokes dont forcefully build momentum so much as gracefully waltz from setup to punch line each move subtle and carefully designed a short bespectacled comic with a nasal snap in his voice he gesticulates little and smiles warmly when he performed at the club stand up new york last week he wore a cardigan and told affectionate jokes about his grandmother it surprised no one in the room when he said that he worked as a preschool teacher
mr gondelman who recently got engaged to the writer maris kreizman often builds material out of defending things that are the butt of jokes like mothers in law i am excited to have relatives who respect me as a man he said earnestly im getting a new mom who has never walked in on me masturbating
in a scene filled with guys who swagger or rant or flamboyantly display their anxiety mr gondelman is the model of niceness and sanity its just crazy enough to work
it might be easy to dismiss him as a safe comic less provocative than those who court gasps with material on race sex and gender but when transgression is the norm it loses some of its comic punch if you listen closely to mr gondelmans intricate jokes what becomes clear is that he uses his benign affect as a cover for some combative ideas
on his new album physical whisper mr gondelman satirizes the critique of children ruined by their parents obsession with self esteem if i seem cocky or confident onstage he said with no swagger its only because of all the participation trophies i won as a child
the first laugh this joke gets is from the incongruity between his mild mannered persona and the description of his own confidence but as the bit emerges its aim expands mr gondelman is pushing back on the caricature of the millennial generation as coddled narcissists   besides defending participation trophies he also stands up for selfies   while lampooning those who suggest that the problem with the way we raise kids is an abundance of sensitivity and generosity hes killing with kindness


the united states court of appeals for the district of columbia circuit has shut down a nascent but necessary effort by trial judges to supervise deferred prosecution agreements
prosecutors increasingly rely on the agreements which usually impose monitoring and compliance obligations on businesses accused of financial crimes or corruption as an alternative to trying to convict the defendant
under a deferred prosecution agreement if the problem was say sanctions evasion by a bank a team of compliance officers in and outside the bank would spend a few years to make sure that business with the wrong sort of countries is not missed if it was bribery corporate compliance officers would set up a plan to track corporate expenditures better
this minibureaucracy is administered by the prosecutors office and it often includes a special monitor to oversee the day to day work of the project the defendants own compliance officers are the front line of the enterprise committing themselves and their company to better oversight and reporting to the prosecutors or the monitor on their efforts if the business fails to eliminate the bad conduct then it is back to court for a criminal prosecution
it all looks a little bit like the minibureaucracies formed under consent decrees in institutional reform litigation in those cases prisons school districts and other government institutions would agree to reform themselves and would agree to permit those aggrieved by failures in their reform efforts to go to court to enforce compliance with the decree
think of school desegregation orders that required busing or funding requirements to turn prisons that looked like plantations into prisons that looked more like well prisons brandon l garrett a professor at the university of virginia law school has explicitly analogized deferred prosecution agreements to these sorts of reform arrangements - he calls the phenomenon structural reform prosecution
but for institutional reform cases courts approved consent decrees and supervised their fulfillment so far they have had no role over the approval or the supervision of deferred prosecution agreements
two district court judges have tried to change this script judge john gleeson in brooklyn approved a deferred prosecution agreement in the case of charges of money laundering by hsbc the judge declared that he was not a potted plant and that he would maintain supervisory power over the implementation of the agreement he directed the government to file quarterly reports on hsbcs compliance
judge richard j leon in washington dc evinced repeated skepticism about the laxity of a deferred prosecution agreement imposing penalties on a dutch air services company for evading sanctions laws judge leon declared that he was entitled to inspect the agreement to protect the integrity of the judicial process because the parties are in essence requesting the court to lend its judicial imprimatur to their dpa he rejected the agreement for prosecuting so anemically the defendant
the new era of supervision however is in trouble earlier this month the appeals court in the district of columbia reversed judge leon the court reasoned that rejecting a deferred prosecution agreement was improper because the decision to prosecute a case or to wait before prosecuting the case lay in the discretion of the prosecutor indeed it found that a different interpretation would impinge upon the executives constitutionally rooted primacy over criminal charging decisions
judge gleesons supervisory effort is also now on appeal
i think the appellate court has gotten it wrong judicial supervision of regulation - and that is precisely what a deferred prosecution agreement is a small bore effort at regulation - is consistent with some of the most fundamental principles of administrative law
the government has a tolerable argument courts do not reach into prosecutors offices to review when and who they decide to charge that is the job of the prosecutor and ultimately the attorney general
nonetheless something must change in the world of deferred prosecution agreements they are increasing in number every year the threat of punishment for noncompliance with a deferred prosecution agreement is a court order professors who have looked at the way prosecutors supervise deferred prosecution agreements do not like what they see prosecutors moreover have little experience with the oversight of a bureaucratic effort even a little one
it is no way to run an oversight process if the government is going to set up compliance programs with the specter of a court order looming at the end then it should not expect that courts will stay out of the process from the beginning that is how regulation works in this country and if prosecutors are going to fashion themselves as regulators then they are going to have to take the bitter with the sweet
there is a good argument for judicial supervision of a deferred prosecution agreement too the case remains on the courts docket pursuant to written agreement with the defendant with the approval of the court for the purpose of allowing the defendant to demonstrate his good conduct as the speedy trial act puts it if matters like these remain on a courts to do list judges should be expected to do something with them


washington   the supreme court on friday left in place a strict voter identification law in texas while leaving open the possibility that it would intercede if the appeals court considering a challenge to the law did not act promptly
the court recognizes the time constraints the parties confront in light of the scheduled elections in november 2016 the supreme courts brief unsigned order said adding that an aggrieved party may seek interim relief from this court by filing an appropriate application if the appeals court did not act by july 20
the texas law enacted in 2011 requires voters seeking to cast their ballots at the polls to present photo identification like a texas drivers or gun license a military id or a passport in a 2014 dissent justice ruth bader ginsburg said the law replaced the previously existing voter identification requirements with the strictest regime in the country
federal courts have repeatedly ruled that the law is racially discriminatory
but the united states court of appeals for the fifth circuit in new orleans has never lifted a 2014 stay of a trial court ruling striking down the law the stay remained in place after a unanimous three judge panel of the court last year ruled against the law though on narrower grounds than the trial court ruling
in march the full fifth circuit agreed to rehear the case and it scheduled arguments for may the court indicated that it would consider whether to lift the stay at the same time it considered the other issues in the case
the supreme court had considered the stay once before in october 2014 leaving it in place in an unsigned opinion that gave no reasons in dissent justice ginsburg suggested that the majority had been swayed by a desire not to upset a states electoral apparatus close to an election
in their new supreme court application in the case veasey v abbott no 15a999 voters and civil rights groups challenging the law asked the justices not to wait for the full appeals court to act even a prompt appellate decision in their favor they said would come too close to the presidential election in november
there is an entire election administration apparatus that must be prepared prior to any election including the training of approximately 25000 poll workers the challengers said by june they said it may be too late for texas officials to change course
in response attorney general ken paxton of texas told the justices that the voter identification law was needed to safeguard the integrity of elections deter and detect voting fraud and promote public confidence in the voting process
the state and counties within the state have invested time and money to train election officials create election materials and educate the public mr paxton said
any court ordered change in election procedures that later proves unwarranted he added imposes an irreparable injury on the state
justice ginsburg who stayed up most of the night finishing her 2014 dissent said then that the stay risks denying the right to vote to hundreds of thousands of eligible voters she was joined by justices sonia sotomayor and elena kagan
the law justice ginsburg wrote may prevent more than 600000 registered texas voters about 45 percent of all registered voters from voting in person for lack of compliant identification
a sharply disproportionate percentage of those voters are african american or hispanic she added adding that racial discrimination in elections in texas is no mere historical artifact
texans who lack a required form of identification cannot easily obtain it justice ginsburg wrote more than 400000 eligible voters face round trip travel times of three hours or more to the nearest government office issuing ids she wrote and they must generally present a certified birth certificate
birth certificates ordinarily cost 22 the state offers ones costing 2 to 3 for election purposes justice ginsburg wrote but it had not publicized that option on the relevant website or on forms for requesting birth certificates
even at 2 the toll is at odds with this courts precedent she wrote citing a 1966 decision striking down virginias poll tax
the texas law was at first blocked under section 5 of the federal voting rights act which required some states and localities with a history of discrimination to obtain federal permission before changing voting procedure after the supreme court in 2013 effectively struck down section 5 in shelby county v holder an alabama case texas officials announced that they would start enforcing the id law
after a two week trial in 2014 judge nelva gonzales ramos of federal district court in corpus christi struck down the law on oct 9 in a 147 page opinion she said it had been adopted with an unconstitutional discriminatory purpose created an unconstitutional burden on the right to vote and amounted to a poll tax
a three judge panel of the fifth circuit promptly stayed judge ramoss injunction it said a change in voting rules so close to an election would cause confusion among voters and poll workers


a decorated united states army sergeant who hit an american backed afghan commander for raping a boy will be allowed to remain in the military a spokesman said friday
sgt first class charles martland a member of the special forces had helped to beat up the afghan militia commander abdul rahman in 2011 after he abducted a boy and kept him chained to his bed as a sex slave sergeant martland later told army officials that he and a special forces captain dan quinn felt that morally we could no longer stand by and allow the afghan local police to commit atrocities
after the episode captain quinn was relieved of his command he withdrew from afghanistan and later left the military but sergeant martland was put under an army wide review program that trims the number of its noncommissioned officers when their military records show performance or conduct that is inconsistent with standards
an initial decision to forcibly discharge him by nov 1 2015 was delayed in march 2016 the army said it had postponed the discharge decision again until may 1 to allow time for sergeant martland to appeal
the delays were denounced by lawmakers who called on the pentagon to fully reinstate sergeant martland who had been on his second deployment with the green berets in afghanistan and had received a bronze star for his actions during a taliban ambush
in a statement on friday lt col jerry pionk an army spokesman said the army board for correction of military records had modified a part of sergeant martlands evaluation reports and had removed him from the review programs list the move will allow him to remain in the army colonel pionk said
the beating and its effect on the two mens army careers brought scrutiny to a policy of instructing american soldiers and marines not to intervene in cases of child sex abuse by their afghan allies
in an article in the new york times last year the spokesman for the american command in afghanistan col brian tribus said of the united states military policy generally allegations of child sexual abuse by afghan military or police personnel would be a matter of domestic afghan criminal law
he added that there would be no express requirement that us military personnel in afghanistan report it an exception he said is when rape is being used as a weapon of war


san francisco   inside the newly expanded san francisco museum of modern art one of the most startling sights is the absence of works on the towering walls flanking the main zigzagging staircase
the blank walls are awaiting the arrival of a pair of paintings next year by julie mehretu the ethiopian born new york based artist shes working on the commission said gary garrels a senior curator climbing stairs with the ease of someone who has given many museum tours the paintings are so large that she has to use an old church in harlem as her studio
when the museum officially reopens on may 14 after a three year closing a 305 million addition by the architecture firm snohetta and a campaign that elicited some 3000 works of art from donors it will have bragging rights on many fronts
spanning a full city block at its widest with a dynamic white structure that resembles a cruise ship the museum will be the largest in the bay area it will have more exhibition space dedicated to photography than the getty in los angeles and more gallery space than the current museum of modern art in manhattan
it will also have extraordinary concentrations of 20th century art calder mobiles warhol silk screens richter paintings and lewitt wall drawings across three floors thanks to a 100 year loan by the gap founders don and doris fisher that necessitated the expansion
but curators at the museum who dont want it to be seen as the fisher museum of modern art are already working hard behind the scenes to bring the museum into the 21st century with major commissions like ms mehretus as well as lesser known discoveries they are seeking to bring a visual and cultural diversity to the museum that the fisher collection rooted in blue chip work of the white male art world of 1960s america and germany is lacking
sf moma has always had a commitment to the emerging the experimental and the new but that has waxed and waned over the decades mr garrels said its more important than ever that we strongly commit to being engaged with contemporary art in its global dynamics
global contemporary is a buzz phrase heard in museum board rooms throughout the country it will be interesting to see whats going to set them apart from every other museum in every other city that has contemporary ambitions said ian berry who runs the tang museum in saratoga springs ny and was an early visitor to the snohetta building he called it a great achievement
among the contemporary initiatives underway are film programs community driven projects and residencies for performance artists the museums director neal benezra plans to hire a curator this fall to focus solely on contemporary art across all collecting categories shaking up departments long organized by medium photography media arts architecture and design and   mr garrelss area   painting and sculpture
mr benezra has earmarked one large lobby for new art once the fishers 214 ton richard serra sculpture is removed in a couple of years it will be like our version of turbine hall he said referring to the tate moderns vast and enormously flexible space
elsewhere in the building signs of the museums commitment to the hyper contemporary and geopolitically diverse are already visible a project room on the fourth floor has a new bauhaus inspired installation by the berlin based portuguese artist leonor antunes while the seventh floor the top floor for visitors has a survey of recent donations major pieces by ai weiwei mark bradford and mark grotjahn as well as some less predictable choices
one surprise is brad kahlhamers 2014 hanging wire sculpture super catcher which looks like dream catchers caught in an archaic fishermans net studded with small bells the rattling makes me think of native dance rituals said mr garrels who placed the work in a new gallery exploring issues of cultural identity
another standout is a vibrantly patterned and painted collage by the nigerian born njideka akunyili crosby that depicts her own cross cultural wedding she kneels in traditional african dress and offers her american husband who wears jeans the ritualistic palm wine we bought it straight from her show at the studio museum before she even had a gallery mr garrels said
katie paige a trustee at the san francisco museum of modern art and whose father charles schwab is board chairman has started a contemporary art support group to organize studio visits with artists trips to biennials and fairs its meant for new collectors including the silicon valley entrepreneurs and investors whom everyone in cultural philanthropy seems to be chasing with little success
the guests at the first event a march conversation between mr garrels and the artist carol bove at ms paiges home included the instagram co founder mike krieger his wife kaitlyn trigger and the venture capitalist anthony schiller who works with the longtime museum patron dick kramlich
maybe we cant compete with la or new york in terms of the depth of museums or galleries or community of artists ms paige said but we certainly compete very strongly on the collectors end and this group is a way for the museum to reach a new generation a younger donor base
a long running group affiliated with the museum supports bay area emerging artists this newer one has a more global focus in line with the curators expanding interests
i think their big challenge said mr berry the tang museum director is to be attentive to their local audience and community of artists while simultaneously finding the time and resources and energy to get out and see as much as they can in the larger world of art making


paris   the french choreographer maguy marin whose work les applaudissements ne se mange pas is being performed by the paris opera ballet is a contentious figure in contemporary dance part of a fecund generation that emerged in france in the 1980s ms marin has never had an identifiable style and aesthetic her work which first came to notice with the brilliant may b in 1981 is difficult austere relentless and occasionally charming and funny
but it has constantly evolved and over the past decade has often precluded anything that might conventionally be called dance
in umwelt  2004 dancers perform random tasks between upright mirrors occasionally stepping through them to peer at the audience in ha ha her dancers laugh to a score for an hour while bricks smash down onto seated mannequins in turba 2008 they move in a dreamlike landscape of flower strewn tables donning and discarding costumes and wigs while reciting texts from on the nature of things by lucretius
although ms marin won an international reputation for a cinderella that she created for the lyon opera ballet in 1985 her work has rarely migrated into the repertories of companies abroad on thursday it was announced that she had won the golden lion for lifetime achievement in dance awarded by the venice biennale
it had not even migrated into the repertory of the paris opera ballet apart from a 1987 commission from rudolf nureyev lecons de tenebres the company had not performed ms marins work until les applaudissements ne se mange pas opened at the palais garnier on monday
its a surprising omission given the paris opera ballets focus on contemporary work under brigitte lefevre who directed the company from 1995 to 2014 and brought in important choreographers like pina bausch angelin preljocaj jerome bel robyn orlin and sasha waltz
that has been rectified by benjamin millepied who succeeded ms lefevre last year and shocked the dance world by announcing in february that he would leave at the end of this season after just 15 months he will be succeeded by aurelie dupont a former etoile mr millepieds focus during his short tenure has been largely on new ballet but he spoke at his first news conference about the importance of ms marins work and his belief that the opera dancers should perform it
he was right wednesdays performance of the hourlong les applaudissements ne se mange pas you cant eat applause which runs till may 3 is tough and brilliant an unflinching portrait of human beings surviving one another  or not
the work was created for the lyon dance biennial in 2002 which had a latin american theme and it evokes a world in which people are victims and oppressors the hunted and the hunters the dead and the living
the title comes from writings by edouardo galeano whose book the open veins of latin america is cited in the program by ms marin as the direct inspiration for the work but there is nothing literal or specific shown on stage where only brightly striped curtains hung on its three sides might suggest a latino exuberance
to a humming grinding electronic score by denis mariotte ms marins regular musical collaborator the performers dressed in street clothes repeatedly enter through these curtains which prove to be strips of colored plastic sometimes these encounters are one on one sometimes in groups always they stare warily cautiously at one another eventually dropping their gazes fear leaks in bodies are dragged through the curtains evoking those who have disappeared and an unknown darkness beyond
ordinary movements   walking running standing falling   are interwoven with sweeping movements that resemble martial arts as the dancers circle their arms around one another or fall in unison to the floor
ms marin manages to make everything feel equally naturalistic and deceptively simple images of execution paralyzing fear group obedience and numb acceptance come and go a brief embrace is startlingly moving the only evocation of human warmth in the hourlong work
as the piece progresses ms marin suggests a growing tension and fear without any obvious tricks mr mariottes score builds and drops in volume and density the lights dim and brighten sequences are repeated and the patterns become recognizable the ineluctable and inescapable games of power the fear and the hope of those caught up in a world beyond their control
all the dancers   myriam kamionka camille de bellefon lucie fenwick sofia rosolini aurelien houette alexandre carniato takeru coste and antonin monie   are superbly rigorous there is no emoting no acting in les applaudissements
not everyone likes this several audience members on wednesday were visibly irritated one man booed loudly at the end nonetheless ms marin dares to show us her uncompromising truth


elizabethtown pa   as a high school student james spearman excelled in math and science and for a hobby at home he assembled insulation pipes into a model roller coaster looping from floor to ceiling and back so it was not surprising that he chose engineering as his major when he enrolled here at elizabethtown college
then mr spearman ended up in his second choice for a first semester seminar a class titled big theological questions that was taught by the college chaplain indeed mr spearman had already been asking himself questions since drifting from his baptist upbringing toward atheism and trying out meditation
the clincher came a few weeks into the term when he heard a guest speaker on campus address the importance of interfaith relations in this age of deep divides not only among religions but also between believers and nonbelievers mr spearman put aside engineering and changed his major to interfaith leadership studies a degree that he believes can help him become a political organizer
mr spearmans decision reflected a combination of serendipity personal curiosity and institutional direction for elizabethtown college had just begun offering a degree and core courses in interfaith studies this unassuming dot on the intellectual landscape   1800 students on 200 acres in the pennsylvania dutch heartland   had become the nations beta tester in the emerging academic discipline
while elizabethtown is the only college to confer a bachelors degree in the field 16 others around the nation have started minors certificate programs or course sequences in interfaith or interreligious studies according to interfaith youth core a national group promoting the trend for undergraduates the potential career paths range from social justice nonprofit organizations to international business in addition many theological seminaries offer masters degrees involving interfaith ministry or chaplaincy
eight elizabethtown students signed up for the major in the first year and 750 students have taken at least one related to on the subject for mr spearman who had lived entirely within one faith tradition classes have been augmented by excursions to a passover seder a catholic mass on easter and the friday prayer service at a mosque
id always been to one church and all of a sudden im experiencing all these religions said mr spearman 18 who is from stafford va id never really understood the concept of religious pluralism i didnt seriously understand how you can appreciate other religions at the same time
for faculty and administrators the program extends far beyond mutual tolerance and the appreciation of difference the stakes were definitely raised after 911 said the rev tracy w sadd the college chaplain and lead instructor in the interfaith major whats called for now is interfaith peacemaking every single one of us who is an american citizen has an obligation to do what we can in the place where we are theres no technique   political military or otherwise   thats going to fix this we need leadership to help people with the deep work and we all need to be part of it
admirable as such sentiments are the place of interfaith study in higher education remains contested many professors of religious studies bridle at the new fields orientation toward real world application rather than pure scholarship there is also concern among some members of the american academy of religion that professors of interfaith studies hold a positive view of religion in society rather than approaching it with critical skeptical detachment
these questions have long bedeviled our field said gregory b johnson a professor of religious studies at the university of colorado in boulder what is our identity vis a vis the academy and our own faith traditions do we operate from within or without so i find this kind of development worrisome
partly because of elizabethtowns character the college was well prepared to surmount such concerns as a college rather than a research university elizabethtown operates under a motto of education for service founded by the church of the brethren one of the so called peace churches for its pacifist theology elizabethtown has long offered courses in what might be called practical idealism including a major in peace studies
a faculty member jon rudy holds the title here of peacemaker in residence it even says so on his business card dr sadd grew up in a rural community near elizabethtown that for all its white christian insularity made a point of accepting and embracing vietnamese buddhist refugees
a lot of institutions have seen interfaith studies as a way not to have religious studies ghettoized the college president carl j strikwerda said it keeps our sense of ecumenical diversity it puts religious diversity right into the heart of what were trying to do and it makes a statement about what a well educated person in the 21st century should know
even so elizabethtown might not have become the early adopter without a coincidental meeting in early 2012 dr strikwerda bumped into eboo patel the founder and president of interfaith youth core at a convention of independent colleges already familiar with mr patels work in creating interreligious dialogue on campuses dr strikwerda invited the group to elizabethtown to map the religious demography of the student body
that survey revealed some immediate holes to be filled the faculty in religious studies needed experts in islam and african american christianity secular students at elizabethtown felt marginalized dr strikwerda recalled his overarching realization it was not enough to espouse interfaith engagement as a worthy value it had to be made part of the colleges curriculum in a meaningful way
in early 2013 mr patel took his advocacy for interfaith studies to an especially influential pulpit delivering a lecture at yale bridges dont fall from the sky or rise from the ground he said then people have to build them and the people who are the vanguard of such work we call leaders
the teagle foundation which supports innovation in liberal arts education put seed money into mr patels vision in 2014 the foundation invited college and universities to compete for 10000 grants to start developing interfaith studies programs elizabethtown won one of the grants and used existing funds to make new hires in religious studies and to put more of dr sadds time into classroom teaching
the major in interfaith leadership studies has six required courses and five electives spanning the major religions as well as history social science theology conflict dynamics and even conservation biology each student also must design and complete a semester long practical interfaith project in dr sadds introductory course the students identified themselves as catholic lutheran presbyterian jewish muslim atheist unaffiliated shinto and fallen away eastern orthodox
as a third year student pareesa zaman was already heading for pre med when the interfaith major was started an observant muslim she began choosing classes to qualify for the degree taking courses in comparative theology social psychology and dharma traditions   meaning hindu buddhist jain and sikh
my goal in life is to be in doctors without borders said ms zaman 20 so of course passing the mcat is the first thing but interfaith leadership studies is also a step toward it in doctors without borders youre going to encounter patients with all these different religions different cultures so having this major im at least going to know what questions to ask


houston   the two mightiest american oil companies dont look so mighty any more
with oil and natural gas prices at record lows and refining profit margins weakening exxon mobil on friday posted its smallest profit for any quarter since 1999 while chevron reported a large first quarter loss of 725 million in contrast to a gain of 26 billion in the period a year earlier
weak results were expected given that oil prices plunged to below 30 a barrel during the first quarter   a 13 year low   while natural gas prices fell to their lowest level in nearly 17 years investors were mixed on the results exxon mobil shares closed about 04 percent higher and chevrons fell 02 percent
the oil and gas industry has weathered its most severe crisis since the price collapse in the 1980s there have been at least 62 oil and gas company bankruptcies over the last year or so and roughly 120000 american oil and gas workers   nearly one out of four nationwide   have lost their jobs
worldwide oil companies have debts surpassing half a trillion dollars which energy experts say will force many to sell assets to meet interest payments
neither exxon mobil nor chevron is going out of business soon and their large refinery businesses which benefit from low oil and gas prices have helped both survive the downturn better than most of their competitors
nevertheless standard  poors this week slashed exxon mobils coveted aaa rating to aa citing the near tripling of the companys debt to almost 20 billion last year from 2013 as it struggled to replace reserves the move came after wholesale ratings cuts to virtually the entire oil and gas industry showing its confidence in its future however exxon mobil raised its dividend slightly the next day
wall street analysts said that exxon mobils results for the first quarter were actually better than expected exxon which is based in texas and is the biggest american oil company reported a quarterly profit of 18 billion down from 49 billion in the first quarter of 2015 revenue in the 2016 quarter dropped 28 percent although strong results from its chemical production helped keep the company in the black the company said it cut its capital spending by a third to protect its balance sheet
it was a good quarter for exxon mobil said brian youngberg senior energy analyst at edward jones while noting that us production lost money as expected due to higher cost oil shale and low natural gas prices he added the company has reduced capital spending to more closely live within its cash flow
as for chevron mr youngberg said it was a disappointing quarter cost cutting efforts will need to be ramped up even more he said
chevrons losses were somewhat larger than expected its revenue fell more than 30 percent to nearly 236 billion in large part because of losses in its exploration and production operations in the united states the company announced it would cut 1000 more jobs this year bringing total cuts to 8000 employees
earnings for exxon mobil chevron and other oil companies are expected to improve in the second quarter because oil prices have rebounded sharply after collapsing to under 30 a barrel during the early months of the year
the american benchmark price rose above 45 a barrel this week for the first time since november nevertheless few wells can be economically drilled when prices are below 50 a barrel according to oil company executives
global oil and natural gas inventories remain at near record levels russian output rose in recent months and iran increased its production by several hundred thousand barrels a day after the easing of nuclear sanctions in the united states crude supplies rose two million barrels to 5406 million last week the most since 1929 according to the energy department
but experts view the glut as temporary because of expected declines in production by several major producers including kazakhstan china mexico and colombia and growing instability in venezuela
global oil supplies dropped by nearly 300000 barrels a day in march to 961 million barrels a day according to the international energy agency in paris
the biggest driver in the glut has been the united states with the rise in shale oil but now american production is dropping fast by more than 600000 barrels a day over the last year to 89 million barrels a day
experts project that production will drop by an additional 600000 barrels a day in the coming months with 77 percent of the rigs in the united states decommissioned over the last two years there is a natural decline in domestic production of oil and natural gas over all the international rig count has fallen roughly 32 percent according to a recent report by citi research a division of citigroup global markets
exxon mobil and chevron executives put the best face on their results and expressed optimism about the future
our capital spending is coming down said john watson chevrons chief executive we continue to lower our cost structure with better pricing work flow efficiencies and matching our organizational size to expected future activity levels
jeff woodbury exxon mobils vice president for investor relations said in a conference call these results demonstrate the durability of our integrated business enhanced by our relentless focus on managing those factors we can control including effective cost management
worldwide oil executives estimate that industry investment will total roughly 400 billion this year a decline of nearly half from the 700 billion invested in 2014 when oil prices climbed to over 100 a barrel before tumbling at the end of the year
by the end of the year we could see a rebalancing of the market patrick pouyanne chief executive of the french oil company total told a columbia university energy conference this week noting the sharp cuts in investments for exploration by oil companies around the world he suggested that a sharp price rebound was probably just a matter of time the consequence in three or four years will be a lack of supply he added
earnings for major oil and gas companies in the first quarter were poor across the board conocophillips reported a loss of 147 billion contrasted with a gain of 272 million during the first quarter the year before hess reported a first quarter loss of 509 million compared with a loss of 389 million the year before


so long angelina hello alicia
alicia vikander will play lara croft in a coming film version of tomb raider based on the video game series about a grave and ruin roving archaeologist who faces down foes around the world
angelina jolie starred in two movies based on the games the first was released in 2001 the second in 2003
the hollywood reporter first reported the news of ms vikanders role a publicist for ms vikander confirmed the casting in an email friday
ms vikander who is 27 and from sweden had a breakout year last year starring in ex machina the man from uncle and the danish girl for which she won the oscar for best supporting actress


just a week after the metropolitan museum of art announced that it was seeking to reduce its staff the museum of modern art is quietly doing the same
the museum has offered voluntary buyouts to employees 55 or older with at least nine years of service as of july 31 moma said the move was the result of its coming expansion and renovation which will curtail the museums activities
the museum is in a transitional stage in terms of the scope of its operations which are at a reduced level during the renovation period it said in a statement the program is entirely voluntary and is intended to benefit staff who are considering retirement this year
the buyouts come even as moma has just received 100 million from the entertainment mogul david geffen toward its building project


washington   dispatched to eliminate a compound swarming with taliban fighters the ac 130 gunship circled above the afghan city its crew struggling to figure out where exactly to direct the aircrafts frightening array of weaponry missile fire had forced it off course and now the gunships targeting systems were pointing it to an empty field not an enemy base
about 1000 feet to the southwest however the crew spotted a collection of buildings that roughly matched the description of the taliban compound provided by american and afghan forces on the ground nine men could be spotted walking between the buildings
the gunships navigator called an american special forces air controller on the ground seeking guidance the response was immediate and unequivocal
compound is currently under control of the tb so those nine pax are hostile the air controller said using common military shorthand for taliban and people
the air controller was wrong his mistake was one link in a chain of human errors and equipment and procedural failures that led to the devastating attack on a doctors without borders hospital in afghanistan last year that killed 42 people the defense department said friday in its first extensive account of what happened in the city of kunduz early on the morning of oct 3
in a heavily redacted report which runs more than 3000 pages military investigators described a mission that went wrong from start to finish even after doctors without borders informed american commanders that a gunship was attacking a hospital the airstrike was not immediately called off because it appears the americans could not confirm themselves that the hospital was actually free of taliban
immediately calling for a cease fire for a situation we have no sa   situational awareness that is   could put the ground force at risk an american commander whose name and rank were redacted was quoted as saying in the report
sixteen american military personnel including a general officer have been punished for their roles in the strike said gen joseph l votel the new top officer of the militarys central command who presented the results of the investigation during a pentagon news conference
the punishments for the attack will be administrative actions only and none of those being disciplined will face criminal charges because the attack was determined to be unintentional general votel said and neither the gunship crew members nor the special forces on the ground who were directing the strike knew they were striking a medical facility the punishments include suspension removal from command and letters of reprimand which can seriously damage or end a career
but general votel was clear on one point the hospital was a protected facility that was at no time being used by active taliban fighters though some wounded insurgents had been treated there his statement directly contradicted the claim by many senior afghan officials that taliban fighters were in the hospital and therefore a legitimate target
still the release of the investigations findings and the announcement of the disciplinary measures were unlikely to satisfy doctors without borders and other human rights groups which on friday reiterated their calls for an independent criminal investigation some also directly disputed general votels declaration that the airstrike did not constitute a war crime because it was the unintentional result of mistakes and equipment failures not a deliberate attack
the failure to bring any criminal charges was simply put inexplicable said john sifton the asia policy director of human rights watch
there are legal precedents for war crimes prosecutions based on acts that were committed with recklessness he added and recklessness or negligence does not necessarily absolve someone of criminal responsibility under the united states military code
the broad outlines of what took place on oct 3 in the northern city of kunduz which had been overrun by taliban fighters were established in the weeks and months after the attack the gunship responding to a call for support from afghan commandos who said they were under fire mistook the hospital for the intended target   a building in the city being used as a base by the taliban   and unleashed sustained and repeated barrages from its heavy guns on the medical facility despite frantic calls from doctors without borders to military commanders
the report released on friday provided new details of what general votel called a tragic incident in which american service members failed to comply with the rules of engagement in the law of armed conflict
for the american special forces on the ground who called in the attack the days leading up to the strike had proved extremely taxing the fall of kunduz to the taliban on sept 28 was swift and surprising and two special forces teams were hastily sent to reinforce one that was based at the citys airfield
two days later the americans along with afghan forces fought their way into the city establishing a forward position at the headquarters of the police for kunduz province the americans expected to spend 24 hours there instead they spent the next two days fighting off repeated taliban assaults they were running low on ammunition batteries for their equipment and food they had barely slept in days
that night the special forces informed their superiors that afghan troops were planning to assault the local headquarters of afghanistans main spy agency the national directorate of security which the taliban were using as a base the spy agency compound was about 1600 feet from the american troops who could not directly see it from their position
hundreds of miles away at bagram airfield a sprawling base north of kabul the ac 130 crew was preparing to spend the night in the skies above kunduz supporting the american and afghan troops who were fighting to retake the city
but an unrelated emergency call for air support forced the aircraft to take off 69 minutes ahead of schedule the report said there was no time to fully brief the crew members and a database that would have allowed them to properly identify the hospital as a protected building had not been uploaded to the aircrafts computers
a satellite radio on board failed soon after the ac 130 climbed over the wide plain on which bagram sits and headed across the hindu kush mountains toward kunduz the radio was the aircrafts data link without it the crew could not upload the database or send and receive any other vital emails or information
the next surprise came after the ac 130 took up position over kunduz when insurgents fired what general votel said was a surface to air missile at the aircraft the threat of more missiles forced the ac 130 to retreat to a safe position miles from the spy agency headquarters it would soon be called on to strike
this was no simple evasive maneuver for the gunship the ac 130 moves slowly and it is designed to circle above its target in one  to two mile loops so it can bring to bear the weaponry mounted on one side of the aircraft including a 105 millimeter howitzer
the targeting instruments aboard the gunship are typically calibrated to pinpoint targets at relatively short distances the report said that the need to briefly move miles out to avoid ground fire resulted in the crews being unable to find the target after it returned to its original position and prepared to commence its attack
when the crew entered the coordinates of the target provided by afghan forces   which were correct   the gunships systems instead directed the aircraft to an empty field the report said the field was obviously not the target the crew members only option was to rely on their own eyes
the description provided by the american special forces on the ground was vague the compound had an outer perimeter wall with multiple buildings inside of it the aircrew was told in a radio transmission also on the main gate i dont know if you will be able to pick this up but its also an arch shaped gate
the description could have applied to many compounds in almost any afghan city it also matched the layout of the hospital which was about 400 meters or 1300 feet from the correct target the report said
the aircrew appeared to be confused by the directions from the americans on the ground in the minutes leading up to the attack at one point the crew was told it would need to hit a second target after the strike it was about to commence and we will also be doing the same thing of softening the target for partner forces that is afghans
so he wants us to shoot one crew member asked the others aboard the ac 130
yeah im not positive what softening means the navigator replied
ask him the pilot added
the crew did and was told the intent is to destroy targets of all opportunity
at one point a crew member identified in the report as the tv sensor operator spotted the correct target and said it fit the description that was relayed by afghan forces but after several attempts to clarify which building should be struck the aircraft was directed to the hospital
still the crew members appeared to have doubts they were even unclear on what exactly was meant by targets of opportunity i feel like lets get on the same page for what target of opportunity means the navigator told his fellow crew members
when im hearing targets of opportunity like that another crew member said im thinking youre going out you find bad things and you shoot them
the conversations among the crew and the clarifications with the special forces on the ground continued until just after 2 am when the ac 130 was given clearance to fire
at 208 am the attack commenced and the navigator radioed rounds away rounds away rounds away
the first round hit the courtyard north of the main building in the hospital compound   the area where men were spotted walking the second round tore through the roof of the hospital building by the time the attack was over the ac 130 had fired 209 more rounds of ammunition from all of its guns including the howitzer
it took doctors without borders only about 11 to 12 minutes to reach american officials and raise the alarm about what was unfolding it continued to make calls and send text messages to american commanders in afghanistan the pentagon in washington and the afghan interior ministry throughout the bombardment imploring them to stop the attack
confusion appears to have quickly set in among american commanders in kabul and troops on the ground in kunduz at 252 am more than 40 minutes after the ac 130 fired its first shot doctors without borders in kabul received a text message reply from someone at the headquarters of the american led coalition in kabul that said im sorry to hear that i still do not know what happened
the report said the american special forces commander called off the attack at 238 am but a timeline of the calls made by doctors without borders that was also included with the report recorded one at 256 from the group demanding the attack be stopped
at 313 am doctors without borders sent a message saying the attack had stopped five minutes later officials at the groups new york office sent a message to a pentagon official the message said the group had confirmed that one of its staff members was dead and many were unaccounted for


in the goldfinch donna tartts 2013 pulitzer prize winning novel the antique dealer narrator theo decker reflects on the taste of affluent widows in new york back in the 1970s he notes they had bought new smoked glass and chromed steel furniture through their decorators for the price of good queen anne unfortunately it did not hold its value says mr decker who has the task of telling them reluctantly that it could not be resold at even half what theyd bought it for
in fact those widows might have made a smarter choice than mr decker thought queen anne along with most all antique english furniture has proved to be a less lucrative investment than 20th century design
sales of modern and contemporary furnishings at phillips which holds the biggest grossing regular auctions in this sector rose to 331 million in 2015 more than double the 164 million from equivalent sales in 2010 the company said this past week
by contrast british auction houses are scaling back or radically rebranding their sales of antique furniture once a staple of connoisseurial collecting
at least three senior specialists have left or are in the process of leaving the furniture department at bonhams which now has only two annual sales of pre 20th century furniture at its headquarters on bond street in london this year the company announced it would hold a dozen cross category home and interiors sales at its more downscale knightsbridge salesroom featuring a mix of furniture and objects from a range of periods
its widely understood that selling fine furniture at auction   or indeed in any other way   has become progressively more challenging during the past few years bonhams said on tuesday in an emailed statement
prices of english antique furniture have fallen for eight successive years according to the annual furniture index published in february by the antique collectors club the index based on prices from dealers and auction houses is down almost 30 percent since 2008
the drop has been sharpest at the lower end
the market for run of the mill antique furniture has totally died said william rouse managing director of chiswick auctions a salesroom in west london
on tuesday at chiswicks monthly general sale a paneled oak coffer from the early 18th century   about the time of queen annes reign   sold for just 48 pounds with fees about 70 there were no takers for a georgian mahogany pembroke table with a low estimate of PS80
these are good pieces of furniture that have been around for hundreds of years and now theyre on the scrap heap mr rouse said young people see antique furniture as something granny had twentieth century design is a far easier seller
at what is left of the upper end of the english furniture market decorative appeal has become more valuable than originality said david humphrey a partner in humphrey carrasco a dealer on pimlico road in london that has been selling english period furniture to collectors for more than 20 years
mr humphrey has in stock an early 18th century mahogany linen press complete with original brass fittings and even more unusually original oil and wax patina priced at PS20000 it has been in his shop for four years
signature pieces is what the market is all about at the moment mr humphrey said people want the look its all about show not necessarily quality
sothebys which held a regular antique furniture sale in london last fall has also adapted to shifting tastes with its collections and collectors and of royal and noble descent auctions each held twice a year in the companys bond street salesroom as at bonhams antiques are mixed with contemporary pieces sothebys marketing goes a step further with some pieces photographed off site in opulent period interiors
its the minimalist approach to georgian antiques said thomas williams who runs the collections and collectors series with clients being more discerning we have to be more creative to entice them into the salesroom
on thursday the latest collections auction with 411 lots fresh from private sources raised a low estimate PS2 million with fees   an amount that is routinely achieved by just one lot at a contemporary art sale
a showy if less than original william and mary red japanned center table was typical of the new format estimated at PS10000 to PS15000 it did not find a buyer but a circa 1825 mahogany table did at PS43750 more than four times the low estimate
but the prices of even the best english antique furniture are being dwarfed by those paid for the top names of 20th century design
on wednesday at phillipss biannual evening sale of modern and contemporary design in london a circa 1925 brass inlaid rosewood gondole sofa by marcel coard was bought by one of three telephone bidders for PS974500 against an estimate of PS200000 to PS300000
recently discovered in a house in the netherlands the piece was a hitherto unknown variant by coard of a celebrated art deco sofa that was commissioned by jacques doucet the parisian couturier and collector who was the first owner of picassos les demoiselles davignon
still the presence of fewer than 30 people in the salesroom underlined that design remains a more rarefied collecting field than modern and contemporary art nonetheless prices from this 42 lot phillips auction which raised PS49 million with fees against a low estimate of PS36 million with 74 percent of the pieces sold suggested that 20th century design remains a solid enough investment
a circa 1925 black lacquer brick screen by eileen gray for example sold to another telephone bidder for a top price PS15 million having been bought at auction in 1989 for 373000
there were no pieces from the 1970s in this phillips sale but the period is being reassessed by collectors and traders with the upscale new york dealership demisch danant making it a specialty
michel boyer yonel lebovici gabriella crespi and maria pergay are among the decades names to watch two circa 1970 stainless steel wave benches by ms pergay sold in february one for 14000 euros and the other 14500 euros without the buyers premium or about 20000 each with fees at leclere maison de ventes in marseille france a similarly dated table lamp in the same material by ms crespi sold for EUR15456 in april at the paris auctioneers piasa according to the auction price database artnet
one example illustrates the fate of many pieces of fine english furniture in 1982 eugene and vilhelmina gedgaudas a couple from north oaks minn paid PS18000 then about 32000 for a handsome george ii mahogany low chest of drawers from a london dealer more than 30 years later it reappeared among a group of antiques entered for sale by gedgaudass widow at the chicago auctioneers leslie hindman on april 20 and 21 the chest was bought by another london dealer for 23750
not much of a return but good considering the market said corbin horn the head of fine furniture and decorative arts at leslie hindman mr horn said that he was having to have some frank conversations with american owners of 18th century english furniture i advise them that they should expect a third or a quarter of the prices they paid 15 to 20 years ago
life appears to be imitating art but not quite in the way that the narrator of the goldfinch envisaged it


chicago   an assistant for jimmy sexton the most powerful agent in football stood face to face with a client laremy tunsil the 6 foot 5 310 pound offensive lineman from the university of mississippi in a crowded media room in the auditorium theatre at roosevelt university on thursday night
tunsil had just been selected by the miami dolphins with the 13th pick in the first round of the nfl draft but he was also suddenly at the center of one of the biggest calamities in draft history sextons assistant amy milam prepped tunsil for the onslaught he was about to experience sweat was pouring off his brow as soon as reporters began lobbing questions
after a couple of minutes of questioning milam maybe a foot shorter than tunsil quickly barged forward declared the interview over and pushed him to the door
the nfl draft the leagues glitziest showpiece after the super bowl has long produced cringe worthy drama when highly regarded players arepassed over the farther someones stock falls on draft night with millions of tv viewers watching the greater the spectacle
but what happened on thursday night was an are you watching this misadventure for the league akin to janet jacksons wardrobe malfunction in the 2004 super bowl halftime show   but in the social media age
and this time the wardrobe involved a bong attached to a gas mask
minutes before the draft began a video of tunsil had been posted on his twitter account showing him wearing the gas mask and seemingly smoking marijuana through the bong the draft turned dark and chaotic when tunsil the most coveted offensive lineman in the country was deemed persona non grata by several teams
the video and tunsils twitter account kingtunsil78 were quickly deleted later the account was restored and tunsil posted an apology several other twitter users managed to grab the video before it was taken down
his account had been hacked tunsil said but by the time he had the chance to explain he had fallen very far very fast the no 3 pick in the draft   where many experts expected tunsil to be be chosen   is projected to receive a four year contract worth more than 25 million the deal for a no 13 pick will be about 12 million
its one of the worst things one of the worst lessons to learn robert nkemdiche a college teammate of tunsils said in a tv interview after he was drafted 29th by the arizona cardinals thats just the way the world is now
brian mccarthy an nfl spokesman declined to comment on the video and other revelations about tunsil that surfaced on thursday nightthough he said players could be referred to the leagues substance abuse programs to give the player the best opportunity to succeed in the league
the draft often serves as a demonstration of sextons formidable status in the sport as his clients are paraded across the podium to greet the leagues commissioner roger goodell and to hold up their new teams jersey on thursday those celebratory images were overtaken by a player in a gas mask
sexton has a stable of college and pro clients including alabama coach nick saban florida state coach jimbo fisher the former jets quarterback ryan fitzpatrick and dolphins defensive tackle ndamukong suh
his ties to the dolphins are particularly deep he helped arrange sabans abrupt departure from the dolphins to the crimson tide in 2007 and herepresents the former executives bill parcells and jeff ireland as well as the former coach tony sparano and the dolphins current coach adam gase who was hired in january
the teams executive vice president of football operations mike tannenbaum has a strong relationship with sexton he considers parcells a mentor and as the general manager of the jets endorsed the hiring of rex ryan another sexton client
after tunsil was drafted the situation quickly became an exercise in crisis management
tunsil wearing gold and black studded shoes and a snazzier bow tie somehow looked small as he sat hunched over and alone at a table on the podium ready to answer questions after he had been picked by the dolphins he responded to a series of questions with platitudes like im just blessed to be in this position tunsil said that he did not know how his account had been breached and that only he knew his password
he was also asked about a text message conversation that was published on his instagram account at about the time that he was selected by the dolphins in the exchange seemingly between tunsil and an athletics official at mississippi tunsil asked for help paying bills if he had received such help it would be a violation of ncaa rules when pressed about whether he had received money from his college coach he mumbled id have to say yeah
milam sextons assistant declared the session over thanks guys she said as she hustled tunsil offstage
milam wanted to keep tunsil away from reporters but an nfl employee told her that it would look bad so tunsil was ushered into a nearby room trailed by more reporters to answer more questions
milam eventually stepped in to interrupt that session as well whisking tunsil away for good when questions about payments from his college coach surfaced again
the drama continued friday when tunsil did not initially appear for his introductory news conference in miami tannenbaum blamed an allergic reaction and tunsil eventually spoke to reporters without answering questions about his time at mississippi
even if tunsils social media accounts were hacked his legal hurdles for restitution are high several experts said he could file a civil suit seeking compensation for lost income and damage to his reputation but that assumes he can find the person who is responsible even if he can prove thatharm was done there is no guarantee that he can collect damages from the hacker
its very challenging with these computer crimes because people can hide their tracks said bradley shear a lawyer who specializes in media cases even if you find the person who hacked can you even collect on the judgment
tunsil could file criminal charges which can carry penalties including jail time a federal prosecutor could take the case as a way to prove that hacking does not pay but the police are under no obligation to pursue the charges and tunsil would presumably have to cooperate in the investigation which could unearth other unflattering information that could further damage his reputation
given that slippery slope tunsil might decide to move on with his life
he might be the first public hack victim but i doubt he will be the last said robert boland a former nfl agent who teaches sports law at ohio university the better part of valor might be to back down
tunsils high school coaches remember him as a supremely talented player and a respectful teenager when tunsil was a sophomore at columbia high school in lake city fla the new football coach brian allen turned to a few members of his staff during spring practice and offered a prediction tunsil would be a top five pick in the nfl draft
tunsil reminded allen of the hall of fame offensive tackle walter jones who was starring at florida state when allen joined the seminoles his ability and athleticism was different from anybody you see in high school allen said about tunsil in a telephone interview friday he could run like a defensive end but he was built like a left tackle
that huge frame   6 feet 5 inches and by the time he graduated in 2013 nearly 300 pounds   belied a reserved and humble personality
hes one of the best kids ive ever been around doug peeler tunsils offensive line coach for three years at columbia said in a telephone interview
whenever an nfl team would call allen to pump him for information he would say the same thing tunsil was loyal and likable and above all had an aptitude for reading people
if you screw it up with him hes done with you allen said if you do something wrong to him or someone he cares about thats it
not once allen said did tunsil get in trouble during their time together even though he was the best player on the field tunsil did not boast about his ability tunsils mother desiree who worked as a nurse while he was at columbia dropped him off at school on her way to work sometimes allen would drive him home
allen said that tunsils mother was a strong presence in her sons life and that the two were very close
shes his world allen said
allen acknowledged the missteps that tunsil made in college   an ncaa investigation revealed he had received impermissible benefits including the use of three loaner cars which resulted in a seven game suspension
theres wrongdoing thats there allen said all of my kids who come through my program understand when youre wrong you own it hell learn from it and hell be better because of it
tunsil was once considered a potential no 1 overall pick but in the days leading up to the draft the rams and the eagles traded into the top two spots to be in position to select quarterbacks jared goff and carson wentz
then more teams passed on tunsil
ozzie newsome the general manager of the baltimore ravens told a reporter he had chosen another offensive tackle ronnie stanley instead of tunsil in part because of information the teams scouts had acquired about tunsil
the scouting reports on tunsil might have included an admission by nkemdiche who said that tunsil had been in the room when he fell out of a fourth story hotel window in atlanta in december the police later found marijuana there and arrested nkemdiche
tunsil was also arrested last summer after an altercation with his stepfather
dolphins general manager chris grier said the team had been aware of the videos existence well before the draft and said it was two years old
in a radio interview friday morning goodell said its all part of what makes the draft so exciting referring to the teams decisions he added sometimes they take risks sometimes they do the right thing and sometimes they dont and well see


the intercontinental new york barclay   or the barclay as any new yorker would call the hotel   is to reopen friday in the grand central area of midtown manhattan after a 20 month renovation it is not one of the most famous hotels in the city but to judge from readers responses to a building blocks column about the renovation it is among the most fondly regarded
our family used to stay at the barclay during trips to new york and there was a singing elevator lady who wore white gloves to ride us up and down
maria christina rago lincoln mass her father henry rago was the editor of poetry magazine
i stayed there several times in my youth with my parents   for me that means the early to mid 1950s i recall the large bird cage that anchored the center of the lobby with real birds singing and chirping i also remember leblangs theater ticket agency at a window across the rear of the lobby from the reception desk
bill donnell new york
i so loved the barclay i had my interview for smith there when i was in my 20s i used to go to sunday brunch there they had a buffet omelet station and the best was the music a string quartet or strolling violinist i think
wendy kassel new york
my only hotel stay was at this hotel when i was a 6 year old in 1961 my grandparents brought me to the city while they attended some political function republican the bird cage is still the only thing i can remember about the place it made a big impression on me
paul mathewson stratford conn
chopping a hole in the second floor to expand the lobby space was essential the old place was oppressively low ceilinged   just as is the old park central at seventh avenue between 55th and 56th streets of the same vintage as the barclay my office is a block away on third avenue so i know the barclay well what i really miss is caswell massey which used to be in the shop at the southeast corner of the building the new skylight is pathetic when compared to the original
andrew alpern new york he is most recently the author of the dakota a history of the worlds best known apartment building
i remember the demise of the barclays near twin the park lane which was on the park avenue side of the block the cornell club of new york had space in the west wing of the barclay with its own entrance since 1999 i have sometimes splurged on suits made in london this meant going to a suite in the barclay to pick fabrics and be measured and fitted during the renovation the london men have been staying in a suite at the palace the views are spectacular but i missed the homeyness of the barclay i am glad it has survived unlike the park lane biltmore ritz new weston savoy plaza and others from the early 20th century
jason r gettinger new york


for a decade dweezil zappa a son of the rock star frank zappa and a noted guitarist in his own right has been paying tribute to his fathers music under the name zappa plays zappa the project which features exacting performances of frank zappas famously complex music has toured the world and won a grammy
but when dweezil zappa takes the project on the road this summer it will be with a far less catchy name dweezil zappa plays frank zappa
it doesnt exactly roll off the tongue he said in an interview but this is being done under duress
the name change is the most visible sign of a rift that has grown within one of the rock worlds most famous families since the death last year of gail zappa the widow of frank zappa who had managed her husbands musical legacy with a firm hand since his death in 1993
this month the zappa family trust which owns the rights to mr zappas music informed dweezil that he did not have permission to tour as zappa plays zappa   the name is a trademark owned by the trust   and that he risked copyright infringement damages of 150000 each time he played a song without proper permission
my last name is zappa my father was frank zappa dweezil said but i am not allowed to use the name on its own im not allowed to use a picture of him im not allowed to use my own connection with him without some sort of deal to be struck
business disputes are familiar territory among celebrity siblings and members of groups like the doors and creedence clearwater revival have also fought over the use of a valuable band name as the 1960s rock generation ages these types of disputes may become more common music lawyers say
after gail zappas death control of the trust passed to two of the four zappa children ahmet a son who controls the day to day operations of the business and diva a daughter dweezil and his sister moon are not trustees but all four children are beneficiaries and tensions have flared between the two sides over the zappa plays zappa tours and a recent kickstarter campaign for a documentary film
dweezil and ahmet who were once so close that they recorded two albums together and made regular appearances on late night tv now seem to communicate primarily through lawyers with disputes over trademarks and music licensing
in addition to changing the name of his tribute project dweezil zappa said that he would not carry any of the trusts official merchandise or use any images of his father   whose likeness is also controlled by the trust   in promoting the tour he will however play the same songs from his fathers catalog that he always has
in an interview ahmet zappa said he was not feuding with his brother but rather maintaining the integrity of the estate and preserving zappa plays zappa as a family enterprise available to any of the four children
i am not standing in the way of dweezil playing the music ahmet said he would just have to be in accordance with the family trust
dweezil zappa said that changing the name of his tour would emancipate him from dealing with the family trust his complaints in some ways resemble those of a disgruntled artist warring with a record company lack of communication inexplicable delays disagreements over payments from merchandise sales the dispute also spills over into the division of estate property like a set of guitars that dweezil said were given to him by his father but he says were repossessed by his mother
but the most contentious part of the dispute is over the minutiae of music licensing an area in which the zappa estate has long taken controversial stances the family trust argues that for a show consisting largely of frank zappas music performers cannot rely on the standard performing rights licenses that music venues typically get from agencies like ascap or bmi but instead need special permission from the estate for grand rights a term that usually applies to theatrical presentations
gail zappa and ascap pursued a number of bands under this theory with mixed success projectobject a well known zappa tribute group had some of its shows canceled by clubs that had received legal letters but andre cholmondeley a member of the band said that the group was advised by a lawyer that it did not need a special license and so has never gotten one we simply adhered to usa law mr cholmondeley said in an email
what makes a piece of music dramatic is not clearly stated in copyright law but conrad m rippy a lawyer who has worked in both theater and music said that it generally needed to meet several criteria
is it performed in a place where you generally would perform a theatrical work are people wearing costumes does it advance a narrative story line mr rippy said the closer you get to answer those questions yes the more it looks like thats a grand right a tribute band playing a frank zappa song in a club meets none of those tests
dweezil zappa said that while his mother charged him an exorbitant fee to use the name zappa plays zappa he has never paid for a grand rights license
for the zappas the dispute seems to have divided a once tight knit family whose children were very much a part of their fathers musical career moon the eldest child sang as a teenager on frank zappas only top 40 single valley girl in 1982
ahmet said he was perplexed by the claims by his brother whom he praised as a supremely talented guitarist and the funniest dude he added maybe hes grieving for all of us its been superemotional dweezils answer there is obvious deceit in my brothers response his actions speak louder than words
the dweezil zappa plays frank zappa tour will begin in july with what dweezil said would be a crew of highly skilled musicians performing his fathers music faithfully
dweezil said he was eager to be free of the demands of the estate but he was concerned that the name change might confuse fans or erode the good will he has built up with his audience over a decade of zappa plays zappa shows
i just hope people will understand he said that the only thing im changing is the name


medivation which makes drugs for prostate cancer has a message for the french drug company sanofi the 93 billion cash takeover offer was not good enough
on friday david hung the founder president and chief executive of medivation called sanofis proposal opportunistically timed the board of medivation a biotechnology company based in san francisco determined that the offer substantially undervalues medivation and was not in the best interests of the company and its stockholders the board unanimously rejected it
on thursday sanofi went public with the offer it had made several weeks ago to medivation apparently wanting to apply pressure to the company to accept it medivation had not responded to the letter other than to acknowledge its receipt so sanofi hoped to appeal to medivations shareholders under the terms sanofi would pay 5250 a share in cash which was a 50 percent premium over medivations two month volume weighted average sanofi said
medivations shares were falling earlier this year reaching about 27 in february almost half of where they traded a year earlier the lower value presented an opportunity for sanofi which sought to acquire biotechnology companies that could strengthen its portfolio sanofi first discussed a possible takeover in a call with mr hung on march 25 and again on april 3 although medivation was not interested in discussing a transaction sanofi sent its offer letter on april 15 and it received no definitive answer until friday recently medivation has been trading around 56
despite the rejection sanofi is not walking away
while to date medivation has chosen not to enter into discussions regarding this value creating transaction sanofi remains committed to the combination and looks forward to engaging directly with medivation shareholders with regard to our proposal sanofi said in a statement
medivation produces xtandi a prostate cancer drug that has generated billions of dollars in sales since it was approved four years ago the treatment is protected by a patent that extends for another decade and the company is expecting even greater adoption by urologists this year
the company has an additional treatment in the pipeline that could treat breast cancer ovarian cancer prostate cancer and small cell lung cancer
this set of facts led the board to determine that sanofis offer undervalued medivation investors did not appear surprised by medivations decision and shares were trading flat on friday


in 1858 when walt whitman sat down to write a manifesto on healthy living he came up with advice that might not seem out of place in an infomercial today
let the main part of the diet be meat to the exclusion of all else whitman wrote sounding more than a little paleo
as for the feet he recommended that the comfortable shoes now specially worn by base ball players   sneakers if you will   be introduced for general use and he offered warnings about the dangers of inactivity that could have been issued from a 19th century standing desk
to you clerk literary man sedentary person man of fortune idler the same advice he declared up
whitmans words part of a nearly 47000 word journalistic series called manly health and training were lost for more than 150 years buried in an obscure newspaper that survived only in a handful of libraries the series was uncovered last summer by a graduate student who came across a fleeting reference to it in a digitized newspaper database and then tracked down the full text on microfilm
now whitmans self help guide meets democratic manifesto is being published online in its entirety by a scholarly journal in what some experts are calling the biggest new whitman discovery in decades
this is really a complete new work by whitman said david s reynolds the author of walt whitmans america and a professor of english at the graduate center of the city university of new york who was not involved with the find
the series with its disquisitions on bodily humors and the great american evil   indigestion shows whitmans long known immersion in the health science   or pseudoscience   of his era wackier aspects aside scholars say the series also sheds fresh light on the poet in the crucial period of the late 1850s when he was preparing the landmark 1860 third edition of leaves of grass and probably working on the poems of homoerotic love that are central to the whitman we know today
these are the most interesting and mysterious years in whitmans biography and now we have this major journalistic series right in the middle of it said ed folsom the editor of the walt whitman quarterly review the online journal that is publishing the series in its spring issue
one of whitmans core beliefs was that the body was the basis of democracy mr folsom a professor of english at the university of iowa continued the series is a hymn to the male body as well as a guide to taking care of what he saw as the most vital unit of democratic living
the series was discovered last summer by zachary turpin a graduate student in english at the university of houston who was browsing in digitized databases of 19th century newspapers entering various pseudonyms that whitman a prolific journalist was known to have used
its kind of a sickness i have in off hours mr turpin said in an interview
during one search up popped a brief reference in the new york daily tribune on sept 11 1858 to a series on manly health by mose velsor one of whitmans favorite pen names which was about to appear in another paper the new york atlas while his notebooks have long been known to contain a handwritten draft of an advertisement for a series on manly health scholars have never known whether whitman   much of whose voluminous journalism has been lost   had ever actually written such a series
when mr turpin ordered microfilm of the relevant issues of the atlas which survive in only a few libraries and have not been digitized he was stunned to find 13 installments
it took about 24 hours for it to sink in he said
manly health and training was published in weekly installments starting in september 1858 a time when whitman then 39 was licking his wounds over the flop of the first two editions of leaves of grass and churning out hundreds of words a day as a journalist
he had also begun an intense relationship with fred vaughan a stage driver and most likely begun work on the series of poems known as calamus later included in the 1860 leaves of grass whose evocations of homoerotic love are echoed in manly health mr folsom said
manly health with its references to inspiration and respiration and the importance of electricity through the frame also echoes the language of earlier poems like song of myself and i sing the body electric recasting their themes in the more concrete spirit of a self improvement manual
theres a kind of health nut thing about leaves of grass already mr reynolds said this series sort of codifies it and expands on it giving us a real regimen
whitmans first installment strikes a vatic exclamatory note manly health is there not a kind of charm   a fascinating magic in the words he writes before outlining the path to a perfect body a perfect blood
that torrent of advice that follows touches on sex war climate bathing gymnastics baseball footwear depression alcohol shaving and the perils of too much brain action and fretting in sometimes rambling prose that draws freely mr turpin notes in an introductory essay from whitmans reading in publications like water cure journal and the american phrenological journal
its sort of an insane document mr turpin said
while the exhortations are mainly sunny some installments have disturbing undertones mr turpin noted in one whitman   who would go on to abhor the bloodshed of the civil war   extols the virtues of bare knuckle boxing then illegal on the grounds that it would help america become a hardy robust and combative nation imbued with the love of fight
whitman emphasizes that men of all physiques can benefit from training but he includes a racially tinged discussion of the advantages of our teutonic ancestors and other people of the northern climes
while whitman doesnt state openly that a great america is a white america he does suggest these other races will fall away mr turpin said
mr reynolds said he agreed that the text shows hints of whitmans later turn toward ethnographic pseudoscience a kind of pre eugenics mr reynolds said a topic that has received substantial attention from scholars in recent years
but the most striking thing mr reynolds said is its emphasis on moderation and a holistic vision of the relationship between mental and physical health in contrast to the radical temperance advocates water cure partisans and dietary reformers who sprang up across mid 19th century america
whitman who lived to a ripe 72 is really advocating getting up early having a walk getting the benefit of fresh air and lots of moderate exercise mr reynolds said one could do worse than follow his advice


hong kong   a famous sportswear brand worn by the likes of the new england patriots quarterback tom brady and his wife the model gisele bundchen has a savvy new competitor in one of its hottest markets china
under armour say hello to ... uncle martian
the logos are almost identical a stylized letter u with an inverted u directly beneath it but unlike in under armours famous brand the letters do not intersect an a never gets formed that leaves a u and what might pass for a humble lowercase n
still the obvious resemblance has caused a sensation online in china where the brands flashy rollout this week has been met with skepticism by increasingly savvy consumers who appear to be tired of their countrys being associated with cheap copycat products
china is where only a few years ago some enterprising people in one provincial city set up a fake apple store complete with the iconic logo it is the home of the fast food chain yonghe king whose logo once bore a striking resemblance to a certain colonel who hailed from the state of kentucky
the state news media identified the company behind uncle martian as an apparel manufacturer in fujian province in southeastern china called tingfei long sporting goods no one at the 25 year old company answered a phone number used in an annual report it had filed with the government
uncle martians first foray into the athletic wear market is shoes
one of its executives huang canlong said at a recent ceremony that the brand was going to be associated with comfort excellence and innovation according to a report published thursday on the website shoesnetcn mr huang said his aim was to create a high profile brand with high standards
chinese consumers do not appear to be buying it as incomes have risen consumer tastes have changed people want   and many can afford   the real thing under armour based in baltimore has been on a roll in china with sales nearly tripling in the first three months of this year compared with a year earlier according to bloomberg news
the online criticism has been biting
one person who uses the handle diving watcher on weibo chinas twitter like social media platform was particularly scathing how come you cant even design a logo all you do is plagiarize dont you feel its disgusting
another weibo user zhang gemeng pointed out that such blatant copying went against the national policy of trying to encourage homegrown creativity
the chinese have lost face and dont blame people when they say they look down upon domestic brands a user with the handle luren mjc wrote
under armour is also not amused
uncle martians uses of under armours famous logo name and other intellectual property are a serious concern and blatant infringement diane pelkey a spokeswoman for under armour said in an emailed statement under armour will vigorously pursue all business and legal courses of action
what did appear a bit creative at least was the name uncle martian some speculated it might be trying to appeal to the popularity in china of the movie the martian starring matt damon but thats only the name in english in chinese it is a mere transliteration of uncle martian   an ke ma ting the characters mean roughly encore ma sandbar
that does not appear to be a name conceived on madison avenue


a south sudan immigrant and standout basketball player at a catholic high school in canada has been arrested after it was revealed that his true age is not 17 but closer to 29 the authorities said
the student jonathan nicola who is 6 foot 9 and wears size 16 shoes had been attending catholic central high school in windsor ontario as an 11th grader for the past six months after arriving on a student visa the windsor star reported he was so good that his coach was promoting him as a prospect to play in the nba
but the canada border services agency has accused mr nicola of misrepresenting material facts on his application for a study permit he was arrested after the authorities showed up at the principals office at the end of a school day this month and asked him how old he was he admitted he wasnt 17 immigration officials said
in an interview with the star mr nicola described the difficulties of gaining a visa from his home country which has been thrown into chaos by war and terrorism he said it took him six months and he left south sudan in november 2015 for a better life arriving in windsor ontario three days before what he said was his 17th birthday
i really am happy that i am here happy with the nice people who support me he told the star
he had received a study permit and an athletic scholarship to catholic central high reports said mr nicola lived with the basketball teams head coach pete cusumano through a program called canada homestay which finds homes for foreign students but his rising star began to fall in mid april
the trouble started when the border agency took a closer look at mr nicolas application for the study permit an agency spokeswoman julie campbell said he had listed a birth date of nov 25 1998
that would make him 17
but information emerged that he had also unsuccessfully applied for an american visitor visa and had given a birth date of nov 1 1986 ms campbell said
that would make him 30 in november
the authorities matched his fingerprints with those of a person who had applied to enter the united states using the 1986 birth date the match was confirmed on april 15 and he was arrested the same day ms campbell said
mr nicola was being held at the south west detention center reports say and has had two reviews before the immigration and refugee board of canada another hearing is scheduled for next month
stephen fields a spokesman for the windsor essex catholic district school board said in an email thursday that he could not comment on the case because of canadian privacy laws but in general he wrote the school board had a rigorous system that required all international students to present valid government documentation before they enrolled
there is still a lot more unclear about mr nicola such as the true spelling of his name some news outlets spelled it jonathon and how he was able to pose as a teenager coach cusumano told ctv news windsor that mr nicola was a kindhearted young man and added at some point im going to forgive him
at one hearing via video conference according to the globe and mail mr nicola told the immigration and refugee board i am not a liar person i did not come here to harm any people or do something bad
when canadian officials visited him in the principals office he told them he wasnt really sure how old he was a government lawyer told a hearing the lawyer said mr nicola had been born in saudi arabia where his father works as a mechanical engineer and his mother lives mr nicola also told the hearing that he had moved around a lot in south sudan and that his mother told him he was different ages
the arrest prompted an outpouring on social media one twitter user omersulimann wrote in part so youre telling me this whole time i was playing hard defense on a man that could basically be my dad 


london   two men living in birmingham england appeared on friday in court after being charged with supplying money to mohamed abrini the man in the hat who confessed to having accompanied two suicide bombers to brussels airport last month
the accusations if confirmed would represent the first time the authorities have established a connection between britain and the planners of the recent attacks in brussels and paris by islamic state extremists
the two men mohammed ali ahmed 26 a british citizen and zakaria boufassil 26 a belgian are accused under british antiterrorism laws of meeting mr abrini and handing him 3000 pounds or about 4370 in cash in a park in birmingham in july according to prosecutors
according to london court documents the money was withdrawn by mr ahmed from a british bank account belonging to anwar haddouchi a belgian associate who prosecutors say is fighting in syria for the islamic state
in addition to his apparent involvement in the brussels attacks mr abrini is suspected of providing logistical help for the men who carried out the nov 13 attacks in and around paris which killed 130 people
he is thought to have driven at least one of the attackers salah abdeslam to paris two days before the assault mr abdeslam is believed to be the sole surviving participant involved in the attacks and he is in custody in france after being extradited from belgium this week
mr ahmed and mr boufassil were arrested with three other people in britain two weeks ago with the cooperation of the belgian and french authorities
soumaya boufassil 29 mr boufassils sister and a mother of two young children also appeared in court in london on friday she is accused of raising money for a terrorist organization and of trying to travel to syria to join her husband who is fighting with islamic state militants
the two others who were arrested with them on april 15 have been freed on bail
mr ahmed and mr boufassil are also suspected of speaking by telephone with abdelhamid abaaoud who is believed to have organized the paris attacks and was killed five days later in a shootout with the police
according to details of the prosecutions case citing an interview with the belgian police mr abaaoud asked mr abrini in raqqa syria an islamic state stronghold to travel to birmingham to collect money
mr abrini then changed the money into an unspecified currency the prosecution said and flew to paris from birmingham
he was arrested this month in brussels after a nearly five month manhunt and he was charged with participation in the activities of a terrorist group and terrorist murder
while in custody there he confessed to investigators that he was the third suspect involved in the attacks at brussels airport which killed 15 people and the two bombers
the latest revelations highlight what appears to be an extensive network of islamic state operatives in europe mr abaaoud the coordinator of the attacks had managed to travel to england despite being named in an international arrest warrant in connection with a foiled plot in belgium in early 2015
mr ahmed mr boufassil and ms boufassil will remain in custody at least until they appear at the central criminal court in london on may 13


what you do when waiting for the bus or avoiding work goes a long way to explaining a tectonic shift in business and media
in such moments you are most likely checking facebook more of you will be doing that than tweeting searching on google checking stock prices on yahoo or reading articles like this and that constant lure a fix you can easily satisfy both on a phone and a desktop computer explains why facebook is pulling ahead of every other large technology company right now
your addiction is making facebook astonishingly profitable put a little more kindly your emotional and intellectual interactions on the social network are creating a great place for companies to advertise
what this means in dollars and cents for facebook can be seen in numbers contained in its first quarter financial results released on wednesday for the united states and canada facebook pulled in 1186 in advertising revenue per user in the first quarter thats what advertisers are willing to pay to catch your attention as you argue with your friends and relatives over donald trump or coo over baby pictures or both
facebooks revenue was up over 50 percent from a year earlier while its net income soared nearly 200 percent its stock leapt on thursday as the wider market fell facebooks blowout financial performance stood out because apple twitter and alphabet googles parent company all reported disappointing first quarter numbers
facebook is doing well because it occupies a huge sweet spot in the connected world perhaps an even bigger one than google owns
google bests facebook on certain numbers it gets more visitors some 323 billion in march against 295 billion for facebook according to similarweb google also has far more revenue some 78 billion in the 12 months through the end of march which dwarfs facebooks 20 billion for that period both companies get most of their revenue from advertising
but people apparently hang around on facebook far longer according to similarweb users spent just over 17 minutes on the social network on average in march well ahead of the nine minutes for google these figures dont accurately reflect how active people are on the sites but you can still see the difference
google has long enjoyed a big advantage in the battle for online advertising revenue because users are more likely to click on an ad for something they are searching for but even though facebook users are not usually on the network to buy something the sticky way in which they engage once there makes it an attractive place to advertise
another advantage for facebook is that its costs are lower than googles which helps it make more money out of every dollar of revenue in the 12 months through march facebooks operating profit was equivalent to 37 percent of its revenue at google it was 26 percent facebook is in the enviable position of spending less to bring in revenue that is growing more quickly than googles
pundits made a big deal this week about how facebook excelled as apple stumbled but there was a warning for facebook in apples results apple has relied heavily on one product   the iphone   for much of its revenue so when sales of the device slowed there was little apple could do to keep growing facebook is even more reliant on a single element advertising revenue if people spend markedly less time on facebook   because an enticing new network comes along for example   the companys revenue growth could slow
there is no such threat on the horizon until one develops we will be on our phones helping mark zuckerberg make even more money


dee gordon the reigning national league batting champion and an all star second baseman for the miami marlins was suspended for 80 games early friday because he tested positive for performance enhancing drugs major league baseball announced the suspension after the marlins victory in los angeles saying that gordon had tested positive for exogenous testosterone and clostebol
the suspension was the second in eight days for a player coming off the best season of his career on april 22 chris colabello an undrafted former independent leaguer who hit 321 for the toronto blue jays last season was also suspended for 80 games
gordon has a different pedigree his father tom was a longtime major league pitcher and he was a heralded prospect who had already made an all star team with the dodgers before the marlins traded for him in december 2014
last season though gordon hit 333   61 points above his career average as a dodger   and also led the league in stolen bases and hits while winning a gold glove the marlins rewarded him with a five year 50 million contract in january although he was to make just 3 million this season he will not be paid during the suspension
gordon who dropped his appeal after thursdays game   in which he drove in the tying run as the marlins completed a four game sweep of the dodgers   issued a statement through the players association friday morning he denied using banned drugs on purpose
though i did not do so knowingly i have been informed that test results showed i ingested something that contained prohibited substances the statement said the hardest part about this is feeling that i have let down my teammates the organization and the fans i have been careful to avoid products that could contain something banned by mlb and the 20 tests that i have taken and passed throughout my career prove this i made a mistake and i accept the consequences
colabello had also said that he did not know how he could have tested positive and had asked fans to take a look at the man that i am before judging him gordon too had a previously spotless reputation he is humble polite and well liked and the marlins owner jeffrey loria praised his character when announcing the contract in january
its truly incredible and historic what he did in his first season with our ball club loria said in a statement then
after the positive test of course it is fair to question just how gordon achieved that incredible season after thursdays game miamis team president david samson told reporters in los angeles that the marlins would welcome gordon back but he did not sound sympathetic to him
the marlins completely support the major league baseball drug prevention program in every way samson said adding that the marlins were informed on thursday that said it is a huge disappointment and a huge loss for our team we love dee gordon but we do not like what he did
marlins manager don mattingly who also managed gordon with the dodgers said he was shocked and surprised at the news which deflated a team that should have been celebrating its sweep
as a team you would expect our guys to be in there all excited then we get this news   not quite the feeling mattingly said but from there well support dee these guys love dee i feel like hes one of my kids to be honest with you ive known him so long were going to love him and were going to move forward
colabello was told on march 13 that he had tested positive for dehydrochlormethyltestosterone but he was not suspended until april 22 after his appeal was denied gordon had also played for an unspecified period of time after his positive test and before he dropped his appeal
that angered at least one prominent player the detroit tigers justin verlander who said on twitter that news of performance enhancing drugs was killing me
if u test positive u need to not play he continued you shouldnt be allowed to effect games while appealing
gordon is hitting 266 and though he has a low 289 on base percentage he was tied for the team lead in runs scored with 13 and led the marlins in steals with six


oslo   a helicopter carrying 13 people from an oil field in the north sea to the city of bergen crashed on friday off the norwegian coast and there were no signs of survivors
eleven passengers and two pilots   identified as 11 norwegians one briton and one italian   were en route from the gullfaks b oil platform of the norwegian energy company statoil the company and norwegian authorities said the cause of the crash was unclear
a search on land and at sea recovered 11 bodies according to the norwegian joint rescue coordination center which was conducting the rescue operation with assistance from statoil the center said on twitter that the two other passengers were also presumed dead and that the rescue operation had been halted
television footage showed thick smoke rising from the island of turoy northwest of bergen on norways southwest coast a rescue boat and other small vessels could also be seen
george langeland who lives in turoy said he saw the helicopter explode and fall from the sky from the terrace of his home it was a large explosion he said by telephone from the island i dont know better how to describe it
mr langeland added that he saw the rotor break off the helicopter
part of the helicopters hull was under water about 65 feet from the shore with debris scattered around it according to members of the rescue team
rescue coordinators told journalists that a flight ban including for drones had been imposed for three nautical miles around the site of the crash and a statoil spokesman said the company had grounded all helicopters like the one that crashed   a eurocopter ec225 known as the super puma statoil also said in a statement that production aboard the gullfaks b platform had been temporarily halted
later friday the norwegian aviation authority issued a temporary flight ban for all super puma helicopters in its jurisdiction the same type of helicopter crashed in norway in 1997 killing 12 people the last fatal crash the countrys oil industry suffered according to henrik fjeldsbo a union officer and adviser to the department for health and security in the energy industry a trade union for offshore oil workers
mr fjeldsbo said in a telephone interview friday that the union would call for an investigation into the crash and that all super puma helicopters should be grounded until its cause is determined
in 2013 a helicopter of the same make carrying workers for total from another north sea oil platform and also operated by chc crashed short of the runway in the shetland islands in scotland killing four people
relatives of people onboard the helicopter that crashed on friday were told to contact statoil or the local authorities


stocks fell friday as health care and technology companies continued to report weak first quarter results but late buying allowed them to avoid major losses
stocks opened lower and fell further throughout the morning extending a downturn from the day before that followed a rout in european indexes
late in the day bond prices rose again sending yields lower and pushing investors to buy utility and phone company stocks
dan suzuki senior united states equities strategist at bank of america said investors did not like what they were seeing in the results from technology companies he said investors were turning to bondlike stocks like phone and utility companies and small  and midcap stocks which struggled in 2015
everything that was working through last year has been an underperformer this year and vice versa he said
the standard  poors 500 stock index fell 1051 points or 05 percent to 206530 the nasdaq composite index lost 2993 points or 06 percent to 477536 in its seventh consecutive decline
the dow jones industrial average declined by 5712 points or 03 percent to 1777364 it was down as much as 178 points earlier in the day
health care companies had the biggest losses after several weak earnings reports the biotech drug maker gilead sciences said its results were hurt by big discounts and rebates on its costly hepatitis c medicines and its stock lost 879 or 91 percent to 8821 the biotech giant amgen reported relatively solid results but its shares fell 226 or 14 percent to 15830
the health insurer molina healthcare slashed its full year guidance because of higher medical costs in ohio and texas expenses related to recent acquisitions and pharmacy costs especially in puerto rico it plunged 1246 or 194 percent to 5176
cepheid a molecular diagnostics company lost 686 or 194 percent to 2854 as analysts were disappointed with its revenue projections for the second quarter
tech stocks continued to slide after its profit fell short of estimates the electronic storage company seagate technology lost 513 or 191 percent to 2177 western digital a hard drive maker dropped 519 or 113 percent to 4087 apple which is in a deep two week slide fell a further 109 or 12 percent to 9375 like the nasdaq apple has fallen for seven consecutive days
the yield on the 10 year treasury note rose to 184 percent from 182 percent utility companies made the biggest gains as nextera energy added 111 or 1 percent to 11758
while earnings hurt technology and health care companies better results at consumer companies sent those stocks higher amazon said its revenue jumped 28 percent in the first quarter and the company turned a far bigger profit than analysts had expected the cloud based amazon web services performed well amazon shares rose 5759 or 96 percent to 65659
the consumer products maker newell brands gave a strong outlook for the year after its reported solid results in the first quarter and its stock rose 212 or 49 percent to 4554
expedia an online travel company reported a bigger adjusted profit and greater sales than expected and its stock added 886 or 83 percent to 11577
rovi a digital television listing company said it would buy the digital video recording company tivo for about 11 billion in cash and stock tivo gained shares 56 cents or 59 percent to 998 and rovi rose 27 cents or 16 percent to 1762
stocks in europe took big losses official data showed the eurozone economy rose by a surprising 06 percent in the first quarter but investors were concerned that inflation slipped in april frances cac 40 fell 28 percent and germanys dax lost 27 percent britains ftse 100 shed 13 percent
the yen continued to gain strength as it has done over the last few months it jumped thursday after the bank of japan held off on any new economic stimulus measures on friday the dollar fell to 10637 yen from 10801 yen japanese markets were closed for a holiday friday in hong kong the hang seng index fell 15 percent and seouls kospi gave up 03 percent
metals prices continued to rise gold advanced 2410 or 19 percent to 129050 an ounce and silver rose 23 cents or 13 percent to 1782 an ounce gold is trading at 15 month highs copper picked up 5 cents or 23 percent to 228 a pound
benchmark united states crude lost 11 cents to 4592 a barrel in new york brent crude used to price international oils fell 1 cent to 4813 a barrel in london
in other energy trading wholesale gasoline lost 1 cent to 158 a gallon heating oil fell 3 cents or 19 percent to 138 a gallon natural gas rose 10 cents or 48 percent to 218 per 1000 cubic feet
the euro rose to 11448 from 11354


paris   there are denunciations of speciesism of multinational corporations capitalism gmos the police and nuclear power there are pleas for julian assange and african workers there are drumming guitar playing free soup and 20 somethings swigging beer
a jolly ragged man unsteady on his feet takes the microphone to denounce words words words another announces mysteriously weve got to be on the side of the dominated
this is frances newest political movement open every night to the public on a main square in paris the place de la republique which has been transformed into a giant outdoor sit in recalling the demonstrations of may 1968 in multicultural form
the plaza has been packed with young people every night for nearly a month venting their anger   at just about everything the news media here cannot seem to get enough of the movement which calls itself nuit debout   or night standing up   a phrase some in the movement say is inspired by the 16th century writer etienne de la boeties line they are only tall because we are on our knees others say it comes from the internationale the hymn of the 19th century revolutionary left
but the movement is more than just a freewheeling free for all of inchoate frustration
on thursday night the protest at the place de republique took a violent turn as police arrested several dozen demonstrators when they refused to disperse at midnight some of the protesters threw blocks of concrete and glass bottles at the police who responded with tear gas at other protests across france 24 police officers were injured three seriously
at a moment when disgust with mainstream parties is high the movement is also being observed warily by the countrys politicians who recall how such citizen protests led to potent political parties in spain and italy
the french movement was born in anger at the governments attempt to overhaul frances ponderous labor code in hopes of making it easier for employers to hire and provide jobs for just the kinds of young people who have now occupied the square but the governments proposals also made it easier to fire
to say that the plan backfired is an understatement the answer from the younger generation trying to elbow its way into the work force was simple we dont want what you are offering we want what our parents have and then some
all through march students and unions took to the streets to demonstrate the protests spread to the provinces the government quickly backed down gutting its own plan
our youth feel neglected by society prime minister manuel valls mused carefully in an interview with the newspaper liberation nuit debout is expressing this in its own way
the concessions were quick in coming fearful of an unbudging 25 percent youth unemployment and a permanent mobilization in the streets the government two weeks ago called in student union leaders and agreed to spend upward of 400 million euros about 450 million in subsidies taxes and allowances aimed at helping young people find work
high school graduates looking for work will now get government help for four months temporary work contracts   the bane of new entrants to the job market since they represent most hires   will be taxed to encourage more employers to hire people permanently the effect so far has been the opposite employer associations are infuriated
dissatisfaction with the government a hit film with a french super boss as its target that was inspired by the american documentary maker michael moore and the capitals floating cast of permanent protest organizers helped congeal the new movement
nuit debouts organizers say they are not organizers and the man anointed its master thinker in the french news media   frederic lordon a left leaning economist at frances national center for scientific research   scoffs at the idea
it would be claiming a position of authority and thats ridiculous he said in an interview they dont need a master thinker they are producing ideas in every direction they dont have a leader or a spokesman nuit debout he added was practicing horizontal democracy
among the rank and file that sentiment is shared andrea 27 who was working in the logistics tent at the place de la republique refused to give her last name   in the style of nuit debouts organizers   because she said she did not want to be singled out as a leader
but she described the evolution of the movement after one of the demonstrations we said lets not go home  she explained
starting as a reaction against the labor code overhaul the protest organizers pondered the question how can we make them scared said andrea who said she was also on nuit debouts legal team
not everyone is pleased of course
a luminary of the right wing opposition brice hortefeux is furious that pariss mayor allows the continuing mass protest when france is still under a state of emergency after the terrorist attacks in november night standing up government standing down he fumed
the right leaning newspaper le figaro commented that its the calix of humiliation that the prime minister must drink right down to the dregs brussels is already critical of france for failing to stem its public finances the government ignored brussels
the governments grasp indeed appears to be slipping a headline in le figaro on thursday read government paralyzed in the face of nuit debout
its economy minister emmanuel macron a former banker despised by frances left for being too pro capitalist announced he was forming his own political movement as his colleagues in the government grumbled about him anonymously in the press
president francois hollande facing near certain defeat in elections next year told television interviewers that things are getting better which only provoked derision in the news media and on the streets
the presidents soothing words were not enough to clear the place de la republique nor has a sometimes heavy police presence hovering in the background
for now the movements daily twists and turns are chronicled anxiously on the left and the right as if it were a pop star nuit debout thinks about its future was the front page headline in liberation last weekend
that followed headlines the movement made when it expelled to jeers and spittle the right leaning philosopher alain finkielkraut or appeared to have too many bearded leftist teachers and not enough workers or was not appealing enough to people in the beleaguered suburbs
while they try to make up their minds or decide their next moves the participants seem to be having too good a time to leave just yet
its an agreeable movement it shows were still living in a democracy said emmanuel colas 22 a computer software expert watching the action recently on the side its what makes me love france there are loads of people here its not going to change things radically but all these people are showing they love liberty
on a rare temperate evening the appeal seemed obvious they are attempting another way of doing politics said florent chappel an engineer at the housing ministry its stimulating its a taking hold of conscience a sort of vitality a will to re enchant the world


by 1990 the oil services company rafael cruz had founded with his wife had collapsed their properties had been foreclosed on they declared bankruptcy
we assumed the downturn was temporary and struggled through the lean times hoping for a change that never came he wrote in a memoir a time for action released in january of this year we lost everything including our home
mr cruzs inspirational tale of fleeing cuba and making it in america through faith and hard work has stirred crowds across the country as he campaigns on behalf of his son senator ted cruz of texas
but missing from the elder cruzs speeches and his otherwise detailed memoir is how he made ends meet after his financial undoing by working with mannatech a religiously inspired dietary supplement company whose history of questionable health claims has already popped up in the republican presidential race
mr cruz became a top salesman for mannatech according to interviews and court records for several years he also was a consultant to mannatechs founder a role that landed him in a federal lawsuit brought by investors over the companys sales practices allegations against mr cruz were ultimately dropped from the suit
according to the lawsuit mr cruz was the companys mexican director and was trying to get individuals in mexico or who traveled to mexico to agree to accept large shipments of mannatech products which the recipients were then supposed to resell to customers in mexico
at the time mannatech did not have permission to sell in mexico
this was a way around the rules against mannatech selling directly in mexico the lawsuit said
asked about rafael cruzs work for mannatech the cruz campaign said that he had been a salesman and consultant for the company but that he had never tried to sell its products in mexico it said the allegation in the lawsuit was not an accurate representation of what happened without elaborating rafael cruz did not respond to written questions submitted to the campaign
mr cruzs memoir makes only brief reference to what he did after his own business which analyzed seismic data for oil companies dried up we were in dire need of income so i began working for a company that required extensive travel mr cruz wrote monday through friday i worked in mexico opening an office and then i flew home for the weekend
the cruz campaign said he had never traveled to mexico for mannatech but it did not say what company he was working for at the time
mannatechs rocky legal history   it was also sued by the texas attorney general   came up in a republican debate in october when ben carson the retired neurosurgeon who was still running at the time was asked by a moderator about why he had been involved with the company
mr carson who had made several paid speeches for mannatech responded that he had spoken for other companies too adding that he personally took mannatech products and thought they were good
i didnt have an involvement with them mr carson said at the debate that is total propaganda
the depth of mr cruzs involvement in the company is somewhat unclear mannatech said mr cruz served as an independent sales associate from 2003 to 2009 and as a consultant from 2003 to 2006 but linda caster the wife of mannatechs founder sam caster said she recalled mr cruz working with the company as early as its founding in 1993
now a global company that reported 180 million in sales last year mannatech markets supplements made from naturally extracted sugars through hundreds of thousands of sales associates who earn commissions by recruiting customers and other sales associates
like mr cruz who was ordained a pastor in 2004 the casters are devoted christians the name mannatech stems from the biblical manna food provided by god to the israelites in the desert and mrs caster wrote a book undeniable destiny in which she described herself mr caster and the company as instruments of divine will
through his wife mr caster declined to speak about mr cruz but mrs caster said she recalled mr cruz being a successful sales associate who translated mannatech literature into spanish and served as an interpreter during business trips to mexico she crossed paths with mr cruz on occasion in the 1990s in the mannatech office in a dallas suburb and on two incentive cruises where top selling associates were rewarded
he was very friendly very outgoing really a nice person easy to talk to mrs caster said being a christian there are people who are up there who dont have integrity who dont represent well i felt he was not like that that he was a sincere person and engaging
mr cruz was never personally sued or charged with violating any laws the allegations about attempts to sell products in mexico appeared in a lawsuit filed by shareholders in which mannatech was accused of inflating its value through improper sales tactics
according to the lawsuit first filed in 2005 in united states district court in new mexico the company had allowed a sales associate to place large orders for mannatech products and then distribute them to customers in australia and new zealand without approval from those countries that allowed the company plausible deniability because it would appear that the associate was acting alone the lawsuit said
mannatech intended to do the same thing to gain a foothold in mexico according to the lawsuit
this claim was attributed to an unnamed former project manager who served as a confidential witness in the case and went on to describe an encounter with mr cruz the project manager had relatives in mexico and was asked by mr cruz whether those relatives were interested in taking in mannatech products and redistributing them to potential customers in mexico according to the lawsuit
the project manager who later left the company knew this was not legal in mexico and to avoid getting those relatives in trouble declined the offer
it was not until 2011 that mannatech reported making its first legal sale in mexico after securing approval from the appropriate government agencies there
jose francisco pena quintana head of food beverage and other services and analytical control in mexico citys health ministry said in an interview that any sales of mannatech products in mexico before that government approval would have been illegal but it does not appear that mr cruz or the company were ever accused of breaking any laws there
jack crowley who served as president of international operations for mannatech from 2001 to 2005 said he recalled seeing mr cruz occasionally around the office and remembered him working with mr caster on ways to expand the company into mexico
mr crowley said he would never have approved moving mannatech products into mexico before the company received approval from that countrys government but he added that mr caster had a reputation for pushing legal boundaries such as having priests in foreign countries not yet approved for mannatech business try to recruit customers and sales associates from their congregations
rafael was purely an extension of the founders interest in the viability of going into mexico said mr crowley who said he left the company for a better job in california
the company declined to discuss the allegations involving mr cruz which were dropped from the lawsuit as it became more narrowly focused on charges that mannatech permitted sales associates to make false health claims such as promising that its products could treat and cure medical conditions like autism and cancer the case was settled in 2007 for 1125 million
in 2009 mannatech struck a separate settlement with the texas attorney general who had accused the company of illegal marketing schemes that preyed upon the sick and unsuspecting to resolve that lawsuit which did not involve or mention mr cruz mannatech agreed to pay 6 million heighten oversight of its sales associates and prohibit conduct that implied its products cured treated mitigated or prevented any disease mr caster agreed to pay 1 million and was barred from working as a mannatech employee for five years neither he nor the company admitted wrongdoing
when the case was brought ted cruz was working as the texas solicitor general in a division of the attorney generals office that was separate from the one that sued mannatech
since the 2009 settlement mannatech said in a statement it has become a wholly different company with a new culture and new leadership team that has adopted one of the strictest regulatory compliance programs in the supplements industry
as for rafael cruz the company said he was a valued adviser and we appreciated his service
mrs caster said she and her husband had not seen mr cruz for years when they attended one of his public appearances for his son at a restaurant in the dallas area last year
at the end of the event mr cruz came up to say hello to the casters and other old acquaintances from mannatech who had come by
he did come over and talk to a group of us from back in those days mrs caster said


its not rocket science what shoots up quickly usually comes back to earth
but a lot of people who hold leases to drill for oil on their land forgot that clarke and sally keeshan whose income from leases on their texas ranches fell by 60 percent in the last two years are an exception
so is john baen a college professor who moonlights as a negotiator of drilling leases when oil prices were at their peak he said the 150 wells that were on his land or land where he had negotiated the prices were bringing in about 100000 a month now he said the amount has fallen by 80 to 90 percent
but both the keeshans and mr baen said they had learned lessons from previous oil and gas cycles they treated the money they were receiving from leases on wells on their land almost like found money
after 33 years in the oil and gas industry im somewhat familiar with the up and down cycles mr keeshan said weve always had other means of income those leases have been secondary we always planned for the day when this was coming
but the low price of oil   around 45 a barrel up from the 30 range a few months ago but far from its 100 plus price two years ago   and what it has done financially to people associated with the oil and gas industry serves as a reminder to the rest of us some planning and a bit of pessimism can go a long way in any career with inherent uncertainty which is most of them
before the advent of fracking the drilling rights on many pieces of land   including the permian basin in west texas marcellus shale in pennsylvania and the bakken shale in north dakota   were worthless
but the same technology that led to booms in these areas and large lease payments for the people who owned the mineral rights on the land contributed to the glut of oil worldwide and todays low prices that in turn means less drilling
oil is too easy to get out of the ground and too easy to find said paul midkiff national director of the oil gas and mineral management group at wells fargo private bank i truly believe it wont go back up to 100 a barrel
mr midkiff said there was too much oversupply which would be used up only if the global economy kicks it into high gear
yet a great reduction in cash flow for leaseholders has given them an opportunity for estate planning even if the opportunity is not as great as in past busts
mr keeshan said his family had set up a family partnership to own its land and mineral holdings these partnerships allow the people setting them up to get discounts on the assets they are putting in in the belief that family members would struggle to sell shares in the partnership at full value to outsiders
yet he said he recently had some of the familys 10000 acres of ranch land valued and it did not reflect the drop in oil prices
the value is up on the land even though were not removing any oil he said at some point the commodity will come back to the point where it will be economical to remove it again
and that has been a challenge for estate planners the existence of fracking has reduced the ability of appraisers to justify a greatly discounted price for the land and the mineral rights
the drilling success for wildcat drilling was one in 10 wells mr midkiff said when youre talking about shale drilling youre not going to find dry holes any more youre going to find it and frack it out and have success nine out of 10 times thats changed how we value these things
the lower cash flow though has scared off some people from estate planning for fear that if they put the leases into irrevocable trusts which require them to give up the cash flow they will not have enough money to live on that could be shortsighted
allison elliott senior wealth planning strategist for wells fargo private bank said she worked with a couple in their 50s who were set to do extensive estate planning at the peak of the oil boom but as oil prices fell and their lease income with it they went from wanting to use both estate tax exemptions which were worth over 10 million to using one to not returning her calls
by the end of 2015 their net worth was about a third she said their cash flow was also cut back by two thirds but theyre still well above the estate tax limits
now she said they are looking to put 35 million worth of leases into trust for their heirs they got to that point by realizing that even if prices stayed low they would have enough to live on
as the money kept rolling in they started buying things but they had a safety net first she said that was where we showed them that their safety net was going to work even if they didnt get more cash flow
dane e crunk managing director of syntal capital partners said that the people in the production and oil service industries best poised to make it through this downturn were the ones with the lowest debt and low debt is usually sensible advice for anyone but that was more difficult to do in this boom where production companies asked servicing firms to quickly add employees and equipment he said
even some of our more savvy service business owners were forced to take on more debt and grow more quickly than they would have done he said its a really sore subject right now this idea of partnership
for oil and gas executives the drop has been a mixed bag jonathan a blumenthal managing director at united capital in dallas said he had clients who retired after working 35 years at companies like exxon mobil and their retirement packages were good he said that because interest rates were so low the sizes of lump sum pension payouts were as high as they had ever been
but executives at other oil companies like chevron and bp which have not been doing as well and are laying off people before they have fully funded their pensions may find themselves struggling
those defined benefit plans look like a hockey stick he said you miss those last five years and its impactful
for people who thought seemingly rationally that they could retire early and the lease income would replace their salaries the shock has been mighty in some cases given their careers in the oil industry these retirees had other money invested in oil producers and pipeline companies that have lost value
mr blumenthal said the clients who managed the decline in oil prices best were the ones who could imagine other sectors like rental real estate where the cash flow dried up when those properties were no longer rented
you have to show them what it looks like if they dont have that income he said our process is to show you how the decisions in your life impact the process you have to make decisions based on the things you can control
yet the best attitude with fluctuating wealth in a cyclical business is to look at it as money to be saved first and spent slowly
we never expected to receive this mrs keeshan said even when things are bad were blessed weve always had good jobs we were lucky we had a family member who left this to my mother and my aunt we never get ahead of ourselves


rindge nh   amber jackson remembers the moment she learned that both her majors   dance and math   had been cut from the program at franklin pierce university she immediately called her mother whose reaction was they can do that
they could
after years of financial crisis franklin pierce like dozens of other small colleges nationwide is struggling to survive it faces huge debt a junk bond credit rating and an uncertain future it has even resorted to creative image buffing like hanging a banner on a derelict building here saying future home of the franklin pierce science center though there is no money for a science center yet
this year there is a glimmer of hope applications were up 79 percent an unlikely side effect of the universitys decision to revive a political polling operation in a hot election year but as andrew h card jr who took over as university president about 15 months ago said one year does not a trend make
still he said i breathed a sigh of relief
in the last few years small liberal arts colleges have been under financial siege forced to re examine their missions and justify their existence even several established and respected ones   bard college yeshiva university mills college and morehouse college among others   have received negative financial ratings
not that long ago colleges across the country enjoyed a seemingly endless supply of candidates and were pouring money into expansion plans some added costly luxury amenities like rock climbing walls to seem more attractive some increased tuition on the theory that high tuition connotes prestige but then cut their cash flow by giving out generous scholarships and grants to lure students despite their price at franklin pierce not a single student pays the sticker price
now as times change the colleges are fighting over a dwindling pool of applicants in parts of the country the number of high school graduates is dropping at the same time students and parents have started to question the choice of expensive private schools that leave them with high debt and no clear job prospects taking a second look at public universities and the reduction in demand is making it harder to pay for some of the overbuilding
smaller colleges are especially hard hit many of the endangered ones are in rural areas and have traditionally drawn from regional markets but have lost market share as students become more willing to travel beyond their home territory often they have not been able to keep up with the demand for expensive science and technology courses
some are womens colleges historically black colleges or religiously affiliated   appealing to a smaller audience
they also tend to be less selective with anemic or highly restricted endowments that make them overly dependent on tuition their alumni do not provide as much support as those of elite small colleges like amherst swarthmore or grinnell which have powerhouse endowments
everybodys competing for the best and the brightest said karen kedem vice president and senior credit officer for higher education at moodys investors service whose ratings can influence fund raising and accreditation it makes it harder when you go down the food chain
among institutions that have closed in the last two years sojourner douglass college in baltimore a predominantly black college that is waging a court fight to reopen marian court college a 50 year old catholic commuter college 15 miles from boston that had been squeezed by the crowded new england market lexington college a chicago womens college specializing in hotel management and mid continent university a baptist institution in western kentucky now in bankruptcy
moodys estimated last fall that the number of four year nonprofit public and private colleges going out of business could triple to 15 from five a year over the next few years the merger rate would more than double from the current two or three
yet despite their problems many colleges prove to be surprisingly resilient probably the most famous recent example is sweet briar college a century old womens institution in sweet briar va which was saved from extinction last year by legal action and the last minute efforts of alumnae
antioch college a crucible of 1960s radical protest in yellow springs ohio closed in 2008 only to pull off the rare feat of reviving in 2011
but for every college that has pulled off a rescue there is one in trouble moodys has criticized bard 100 miles north of manhattan for having little cash and relying on a few rich benefactors we operate under a different model leon botstein bards president said in an email weve never operated under a deficit and have raised over a billion dollars over the last 40 years
yeshiva university was forced to transfer financial responsibility for its medical school to its teaching hospital system last fall it has been hampered by competition from lower priced public colleges and by its heavy dependence on a niche undergraduate market of orthodox jews according to moodys
a yeshiva spokesman paul oestreicher said that after making some adjustments the university was on a pathway to responsibly achieve financial stability while assuring operational and educational excellence
franklin pierce has about 1400 undergraduates on its tiny rural campus tucked here between the choppy waters of pearly pond and mount monadnock a popular hiking spot memorialized by ralph waldo emerson with an endowment of 52 million and debt of 39 million it depends on student fees to pay more than 95 percent of its operating costs yet to keep students it must heavily discount its 46000 a year tuition room and board
at its nadir in the fall of 2014 it hired a new marketing director james wolken who had worked at the massachusetts institute of technology and the rhode island school of design he sat in his office recently surrounded by mock ups for a fall marketing campaign   be frank be who you want to be at franklin pierce   and recalled how he had pushed to revive the colleges political polling operation abandoned during the 2008 recession
mr wolken argued that the poll would build on the colleges marlin fitzwater center for communications and give the franklin pierce name new visibility the trustees argued that presidential elections come around only once every four years and that the university needed a more permanent boost
but mr card a chief of staff in the last bush administration and new to his job here liked the idea
last spring the university formed a partnership with the boston herald and a private pollster the unexpected intensity of the election season attracted attention to the operation for 11 months before the new hampshire primary mr card leveraged his white house credentials to offer political commentary and in august worldwide news media picked up a franklin pierce universityboston herald poll showing senator bernie sanders of vermont leading hillary clinton in new hampshire
the name recognition was phenomenal cnn fox regional tv he always got our name plug there mr wolken said of mr card
in september standard  poors raised franklin pierces rating from a gentlemans ccc to ccc mr card recalled
this year undergraduate applications soared to more than 6400 from 3600 more than 500 students have put down deposits up from 370 at the same time last year officials say their goal is a class of 540
like the college amber jackson has survived she will graduate this spring a major in math because declared majors were allowed to continue and a minor in dance
that was a really hard thing that i had to go through ms jackson said i had to fix not just one but two majors still she said over all i had a really good experience


in recent years the first day of the nfl draft has turned into something of a fashion moment with players and their families posing on the red carpet often in tailored suiting and best and worst of the nfl draft fashion lists circulating online
so it was little wonder that just before everything kicked off in chicago on thursday the designer philipp plein a runway king of bling with big plans for the american market announced that he had signed braxton miller a wide receiver for ohio state to be a brand ambassador and that mr miller would wear philipp plein to the draft
unfortunately for mr plein mr miller did not get selected on day 1 so his plein outfit was not displayed onstage instead it was ezekiel elliott of ohio state chosen by the dallas cowboys with the fourth pick who made the most fashion waves
mr elliott made his entrance in a custom pantheon limited powder blue tux jacket with white lapels white trousers white pocket square white bow tie   and a checked button down crop top the better to display some perfectly toned abs
twitter promptly got so overexcited that mr elliotts look became its own twitter moment
according to ian rapoport of the nfl network the shirt was not an attempt to promote a male version of gigi hadid and kendall jenners favorite look   nor one that rihanna has been pushing via her fenty x puma line   but instead a political statement a veiled reference to the ncaas decision in 2015 to bar college players from wearing crop top jerseys which are actually jerseys that have been rolled up and folded under the pads during games it was a look that was popular in the 1970s and again in the 1990s courtesy of the 1995 heisman trophy winner eddie george who also played for ohio state and one that mr elliott helped revive
apparently the rolled up jerseys had the dual advantages of giving opponents less fabric to grab when attempting a tackle and of providing the player with some extra ventilation and you cannot ignore the personal branding possibilities
mr elliott certainly did not he was such a proponent of the style that last year he applied to trademark the phrases hero in a half shirt and in crop top we trust his twitter profile contains the identification line the hero in a half shirt and his red carpet tweet on draft day carried the hashtag savethehalfshirt
he is clearly thinking ahead to the creation of brand zeke pursuing a strategy in which fashion increasingly plays a part when it comes to athletes of all sports see david beckham lebron james
in any case mr elliott was not the only one who was dismayed by the ncaa decision last year a petition created at the time on the website changeorg received 11809 signatures this suggests that if mr elliott decided to take what he has identified as his signature garment to the next level there might be a built in consumer base
whether any man other than an athlete with extraordinary abs should wear a crop top on the red carpet or off is of course another question one that if the look continues to trend we may all have to answer


beijing   american leaders and interest groups have sharply criticized a new law in china aimed at controlling and limiting the work of foreign nongovernmental organizations in the country saying it will lead to the deterioration of ties between the chinese and people from abroad
the statements critical of the law which was passed on thursday reflected disappointment that china did not make more changes to previously released drafts despite the outcry from foreign groups and governments that harsh wording in those versions provoked more than 7000 foreign nongovernmental groups operate in china according to the state news media
the united states is deeply concerned that chinas new law on the management of foreign ngo activities will further narrow space for civil society in china and constrain contact between individuals and organizations in the united states and china the white house said in a statement on thursday
recognizing that a vibrant civil society is a cornerstone of stability and prosperity the administration has expressed strong support at every level for the role of civil society in china it added we urge china to respect the rights and freedoms of human rights defenders journalists business groups development professionals and all others who make up civil society including by protecting the ability of foreign ngos to operate in china
john kerry the united states secretary of state issued his own statement saying that he was deeply concerned that the law would negatively impact important people to people ties between our two countries and the development of civil society in china
mr kerry said that he had been regularly raising concerns about the law to chinese officials since an early draft was released last year
the final version of the new law contains certain improvements from the original draft he said adding that it also creates a highly uncertain and potentially hostile environment for foreign nonprofit nongovernmental organizations and their chinese partners that will no doubt discourage activities and initiatives
the most burdensome requirements of the law are that foreign groups must find official chinese partners and that the groups must register with the police who will be permitted to examine every aspect of their operations including their finances at any time
leaders of foreign groups in china say that many local organizations will out of aversion to risk avoid taking responsibility for foreigners and their activities
the law says that academic groups and hospitals should abide by relevant national laws prompting the question of whether the new law would apply to them however xinhua the state run news agency mistranslated the phrase in an english language article saying the law stated that those kinds of groups need only abide by existing regulations this was among the eased restrictions compared with those in earlier drafts it said
the american chamber of commerce in china also expressed disappointment with the law saying that it would harm a huge number of ngos and companies with which they collaborate according to reuters
treating foreign ngos as primarily a security threat undermines not just the ability of those organizations to benefit china but also the ability of companies to do business here james zimmerman the chairman of the chamber was quoted as saying
foreign nongovernmental groups run programs across the spectrum of chinese society on issues including gender equality environmental protection and legal assistance the police are especially wary of some initiatives like those that support an independent judicial system or press freedoms
the new law is to go into effect on jan 1 it will also apply to groups from hong kong macau and taiwan many foreign groups have already begun asking how the police will carry out and enforce the law and have started looking for official chinese sponsors though the law does not specify who will qualify as a sponsor
hua chunying a spokeswoman for the ministry of foreign affairs dismissed criticism of the legislation during a regularly scheduled news conference in beijing on friday arguing that it would strengthen the rule of law
ms hua also suggested that compromises had been made
china fully solicited opinions and suggestions from all sides at home and abroad and made changes to relevant articles she said we hope that relevant countries respect chinas legislative sovereignty


as television moves to the cloud two companies are coming together to try to find the silver lining
tivo known for its devices that can record and stream television agreed to be acquired by the rovi corporation which makes the guides that allow users to scroll and click to watch shows the 11 billion deal announced on friday is a turning point for two companies that have fought ferociously to maintain their places in a rapidly changing industry
more and more television viewers are migrating to youtube or netflix creating a vulnerability for companies like tivo and rovi whose business models rely on traditional tv viewing habits adding tivos 10 million households to rovis 18 million as well as its research and development team and patent trove arms the combined company to compete analysts said
there are real questions around durability of what these guys have created so theyre coming together to fight the good fight said barton crockett an analyst at fbr capital markets by phone theyre in a place of tremendously large question marks right now
the deal may not happened without recent decisions by two men
the first is glenn w welling an activist investor at engaged capital who successfully claimed two seats on rovis board last year and pushed the company to consider a merger with tivo people briefed on those discussions said last month
the second thomas s rogers led tivo as chief executive for more than a decade until he announced in november that he was stepping down he stayed on as chairman as naveen chopra tivos chief financial officer stepped up as interim chief executive the management shuffle gave rovi a chance to make its move
the combined company will take the tivo name and be led by thomas carson the chief executive of rovi
by working together rovi and tivo will revolutionize how consumers experience media and entertainment and at the same time build value for our stockholders mr carson said in a statement on friday
the tivo of today is not merely the device that rose to popularity in the early 2000s by giving tv watchers the ability to fast forward through commercials tivo technology has gained traction with cable operators around the world because it can also stream video from sites like netflix in their own boxes many of the larger cable providers however have opted to create their own versions of tivo rather than work with the company
under the terms of the deal rovi will pay about 1070 per share in cash and stock tivo shareholders will receive 275 per share in cash and the remaining 795 will be paid in common stock of the combined company
the stock component of the transaction includes an option that will give tivo shareholders fewer shares if rovis stock price goes up to a certain average price and more shares if rovis stock price falls to a certain threshold
the deal is expected to increase rovis earnings within the first 12 months after closing something its shareholders applauded on friday rovis stock price gained 16 percent to close at 1762 tivos shares gained almost 6 percent to 998
we had a higher valuation for tivo than was the takeout price said thomas eagan an analyst with telsey advisory group llc i see tivo as a product company that has some patents and rovi is a patent company searching for a product and thats why this isnt a bad match
a combined company would generate about 800 million in revenue this year on a pro forma basis according to the companies estimate the two also said they could save about 100 million in annual costs
in addition to announcing the deal rovi reported a slump in revenue and wider net losses in the first quarter compared with a year ago and it sued comcast over intellectual property during the quarter after the cable provider neglected to renew their contract
the combined company will have more than 6000 patents and pending applications both have been able to generate billions of dollars from intellectual property licensing and awards from patent related lawsuits
a very big part of the value in tivo and rovi is tied to patents and their willingness to file and litigate around their patents said mr crockett
the transaction is subject to approvals by both sets of shareholders as well as regulators the companies said they expected to close the transaction by the third quarter of this year
evercore provided financial advice to rovi and liontree advisors worked with tivo the law firm cooley was rovis legal adviser and tivo received legal advice from skadden arps slate meagher  flom


should you trust your hard earned retirement dollars to a robot
these robots of course arent like those you see in the movies but they are capable of providing investment advice usually delivered by a human adviser sitting behind a desk   and for a lot less money
so called robo advisers   which assemble investment portfolios after customers answer a series of questions online   have been widely praised for their easy low cost approach to investing the automated services which include start ups like betterment and wealthfront along with offshoots from established players like schwab have quickly amassed 53 billion under management in just a handful of years according to estimates by aite group
but in recent months critics have raised questions about their limitations
the flow of funds into robo adviser accounts is expected to accelerate because of new federal regulations which require all financial professionals to put their customers interests first at least when providing advice on their tax advantaged retirement accounts the rules issued by the labor department are expected to push more customers into lower cost investments
aite predicts that robo advisers will collect nearly 285 billion by 2017 still a small portion of the 20 trillion in retail investors assets held at brokerage firms and registered investment advisory firms
robo advisers were already required to follow the highest standards of consumer protection   on every dollar they manage not just retirement money   because most of them are registered investment advisers that means they are required to act as fiduciaries the legal term meaning they must put customers ahead of all else and its a banner the robo advisers wave proudly
given their status the labor department which oversees retirement accounts has essentially given the robo advisers its blessing since many firms avoid the conflicts of interest embedded in the way the brokerage industry and its armies of representatives conduct their businesses
but at the same time other regulators have raised concerns about whether robo advisers are thorough enough when gathering information about investors a robo adviser does not ask about money held outside of its service for example which can provide a distorted picture of a customers financial standing others argue the robo advisers try to wiggle out of too much responsibility in their customer agreements
the massachusetts securities division recently put investors and the state registered investment advisers it oversees   or those with less than 100 million in assets   on notice in a paper issued this month it bluntly stated that it did not believe an algorithm alone was capable of serving as a fiduciary at least not the way robo advisers are structured now
i am not sure that many investors in many cases can be adequately taken care of by answering questions said william f galvin massachusetts secretary of the commonwealth who likened the services to driverless cars you need a human that is responding to them
arthur laby a professor at rutgers law school said investment advisers as fiduciaries can limit the breadth of their relationship with clients still he does not view robo advisers as fiduciaries in the traditional sense because of their inability to address subtleties that may arise in conversation
they are not able to provide the kind of personalized advice that a customer can get from a human on the phone or sitting across the desk where the customer can say oh i have a new wrinkle i might be inheriting assets in the next 12 months he said or i may need to care for a sick parent how will that impact the cash i need
many robo advisers say that they make their limits clear noting that they are not in the business of providing full scale financial planning but often that kind of information is buried in the fine print
being a fiduciary is not about the types of service you offer its about the quality of service said adam nash chief executive of wealthfront a robo adviser managing more than 3 billion there are financial planners helping you figure out what type of house you should buy its not required that everyone do that
the massachusetts regulator and other industry critics argue that robo advisers should go further evaluating assets held elsewhere before investing customers money wealthfront and betterment already have technology in place that lets customers connect as many accounts to their services as they would like giving the firms a birds eye view of a clients assets but for now they do not factor that into their investment analysis
so exactly how deep are robo advisers required to go the law and legal precedents that govern investment advisers and that shaped fiduciary duty do not specifically spell that out but several legal experts seem to agree that advising on a portion of an investors financial life is perfectly fine
it is not unusual for clients to expressly or secretly withhold information from their advisers about other assets said mercer e bullard a professor at the university of mississippi school of law for example if a 35 year old says im not going to tell you what other assets i own and i want you to invest 100000 for my retirement you can do that with disclosure that the allocation might be different if you knew all of their assets
kara m stein a commissioner at the securities and exchange commission recently said the idea of a robot that generates advice certainly bumps up against the traditional view of a fiduciary which is based on a human relationship
we should be asking whether these new robo advisers can be neatly placed within our existing laws she said in a november speech or do we need certain tweaks and revisions
mary jo white chairwoman of the sec said in a march speech that as part of the commissions effort to monitor emerging automated investment models staff members from its exam program were looking into robo advisers through these inspections she said we deepen our knowledge of the range of services provided as well as the challenges associated with different automated models
and last may the sec and the financial industry regulatory authority or finra jointly issued an investor alert on automated investment services that highlighted their risks and limitations for example these services may suggest a certain mix of investments the regulators said but not realize that the investor needs some of the money in a few years to buy a new home
there is also a hybrid breed of robo adviser with human advisers who rely heavily on computer driven portfolios these include personal capital and vanguard personal advisor services
finra issued a report just last month providing guidance for investors and advisers using such automated services the report suggested that investors evaluate whether a firm is gathering enough information to understand their needs and stomach for risk
the report said cerulli associates a research firm had compared the stock to bond mix across seven digital advice providers based on a 27 year old investing for retirement the suggested stock allocations ranged from as high as 90 percent to as low as 51 percent
melanie l fein a lawyer formerly with the federal reserve who now represents financial institutions has written two papers critical of the robo advisers the first was commissioned by federated investors an investment management firm
her biggest concern echoes that of the massachusetts regulator robo advisers do not take a customers entire portfolio into account before making recommendations she also argues that some providers are not free of conflicts and that their agreements put the onus on a customer to determine whether an investment strategy is right for that person
the robo advisers do seem to skirt the edges of fiduciary law she said it seemed they were putting a lot of responsibility on the investor which is fine but it is a question of how they present themselves
for investors contemplating using robo advisers perhaps the most important point is to fully understand their limits
consumers have to be aware of what they do and what they dont do ms fein said and then make their decision


yale morgan stanley private equity
james zhang has collected plenty of prestigious stamps on his resume in the nine years since he graduated from high school and pursued a career in high finance but hes also an immigrant the grandson of an illiterate rice farmer who did not have indoor plumbing until the late 1990s
so perhaps he was the most likely person to find and then shame the many state pension funds and university endowments that invest through private equity in the payday lending industry it is an industry that has millions of struggling americans paying sky high interest rates for what are supposed to be small loans
thanks to his efforts new jersey rid itself of a stake in the industry earlier this year and starting friday through a new guide on the website nerdwallet where he now works mr zhang hopes to redirect as many people as possible who are seeking these loans
nerdwallet is a natural home for these efforts for one reason in particular the people who work there are search engine ninjas the company posts content and guides aimed at attracting people looking for say a new credit card search for best rewards credit cards on google and youll find the company right away in spots below the ads on the first page of results that would cost piles of money if nerdwallet had to pay for them the company makes money through referral fees when people sign up for new credit cards and other financial services through its site
mr zhang said he hoped to put the companys anti payday lending efforts in top search engine spots too though he landed at nerdwallet almost entirely by chance his parents both chemists brought him to the united states from china when he 2 years old after a professor at northwestern university invited them to work and study there
the family eventually moved to connecticut where they entered the middle class and then the upper middle class mr zhang said his father had known as a boy what it meant to go hungry but his parents frugality kept him from ever having to go without still he worked as a babysitter and a busboy while still achieving enough in the classroom to earn acceptance to yale
after college mr zhang spent two years at morgan stanley on a team that analyzed the firms own strategy and transactions he followed that up with two years in private equity where firms use money from high net worth individuals and others to invest in companies eventually it would try to sell those companies at a profit and put money back in the pockets of the now higher net worth individuals
in early 2015 he got a linkedin message from a recruiter at nerdwallet the first time hed heard of the company but when he learned more about it the move made perfect sense to him i spent two years helping the bank make more money and two years helping high net worth people make more he said for the foreseeable future i could help everyday consumers think smarter about their money
he was hired to help think through the companys approach to student and personal loans the site already had some information about the perils of payday loans a representative from the naacp in alabama had noted nerdwallets interest in the topic and invited mr zhang to speak at a conference
speaking there and meeting people who were up to their ears in such loans radicalized him it also got him thinking somebody had to be investing money in these lenders given how large they had become but who were they i had lived in that world and was familiar with how deals get done he said some insecure overachiever tries to find a deal writes a memo builds a model and then a vice president or partner goes and pitches it
his instincts were right a private equity firm called jll partners had put money into ace cash express a payday lender that had just paid 10 million in refunds and penalties in the wake of a consumer financial protection bureau enforcement action and who was investing in jll university endowments and state pension funds including the one in new jersey where payday lending is illegal
while the investments themselves didnt violate any rules mr zhang said he didnt think the financial aid recipients who benefit from endowment earnings and retired state workers would feel good about it so he and his colleagues passed their findings on to various media organizations
beverly brown ruggia an organizer with new jersey citizen action first read about it in fortune i was incredulous she said her organization and several other policy advocacy and faith based groups banded together and helped persuade the state to get out of the investment
next mr zhang turned to figuring out how to keep more consumers away from the aces of the world he and his colleagues knew from a pew charitable trusts report on payday lending that about one third of borrowers got their loans online and tended to pay more when they did so nerdwallet set about trying to attract them to its site first
a small early experiment intended to draw borrowers to the site drew hundreds of clicks from google each day from people looking for cheap payday loans lenders approached nerdwallet with an offer to pay it 60 in commission on a 200 loan knowing that many borrowers end up repeatedly rolling their loans over into new loans and paying effective annual interest rates well into the three figures
i asked them whether they would take the 60 and give that discount to the borrower but they wouldnt mr zhang said their business model is based on repeat customers so if someone repays their loan they dont make money
eventually nerdwallet settled on a pro bono effort whereby it would earn no commission and send consumers only to nonprofit lenders with lower interest rates or to governmental organizations that offer short term assistance it began on friday with links to 44 entities in california and texas the company plans to add more over time
while nerdwallet will make no money in the short term from its payday lending redirection it is well aware that people in financial trouble now could be customers next year if we do this well we can rehabilitate people in a tough spot mr zhang said in six months when she needs a credit card or wants to start investing shell come back thats the best type of bet that we can make
about those credit cards theres something pretty rich about a company like nerdwallet which earns commissions from credit card issuers that charge double digit interest rates channeling those commissions toward keeping other customers away from the triple digit effective interest rates that the payday lenders charge but hey at least nerdwallet isnt using that money to push more credit cards
mr zhang understands how this looks we wrestle with it every day he said to him the benefits of credit cards outweigh the problems they cause for the many millions of people who use them without getting into years of debt
thats not something however that he can say about lending operations that target people who are down on their luck there is no instance he said where id ever encourage people to get a payday loan


ten years ago last march amazon started the era of renting data storage and computing over the internet what is now known as cloud computing on thursday amazon showed how critical it is to the retailers future
as nick wingfield writes the seattle based internet retailer reported net income of 513 million a great showing for a company with thin profit margins that often reports losses
the star of the show was amazon web services or aws that cloud business amazon breaks out that sector from the rest of its business and it makes for impressive reading operating income as a percentage of sales for amazons retail business was 3 percent for aws it was 24 percent
aws is still a relatively small part of the companys total business but that outsize profitability is reshaping amazon over all the companys operating income is 36 percent of revenue but that is up from 11 percent a year ago a big reason is that aws has doubled its profitability
the effect of new cloud based businesses is everywhere in tech this earnings season from intel cutting 12000 jobs as it reorients itself from personal computers to the cloud to microsoft reporting lower profits but investors buying the stock on word of growth in its cloud business which is similar to aws
cloud computing makes a lot of money in part by automating things a large data center supplying potentially thousands of customers may be run by just a half dozen people the people engineering these systems have become very clever about running them efficiently too devising special semiconductors and software
google and facebook are also cloud based companies though for now they get most of their money from advertising
as we near the end of the tech earnings season it is useful to look at net income earned per employee at the company microsoft had profits of about 32200 per person in the quarter a healthy performance considering how many employees it still has in older businesses it came in just ahead of goldman sachs on a profit per employee basis
google was twice that however at 65600 per employee facebook which had a great quarter came in tops at 115000
there are two more both largely sellers of retail products to consumers apple which had its first quarter with lower earnings in 13 years still managed to make 105000 per person at the other end of the spectrum was amazon earning just 2092
there are two lessons from that if you do sell retail products it helps to sell highly profitable fetish objects like iphones   which not incidentally have a lot of value because of the cloud based apps running on them
and if you are selling bargain retail its a very good idea to be in the cloud computing business too


the united states navy is loosening its rules governing tattoos effective saturday in response to their growing popularity among young people and to remove a potential barrier for desired recruits
under the new rules there will be no limit to the size or number of tattoos sailors can have below the elbow and the knee previous rules restricted the sizes of tattoos on arms and legs and for the first time sailors can have a neck tattoo although it cannot be longer than an inch in any direction
we just got to the point where we realized we needed to be honest with ourselves and put something in place that was going to reflect the realities of our country and the needs of our navy mike d stevens master chief petty officer of the navy told the navy times we need to make sure that were not missing any opportunities to recruit and retain the best and the brightest because of our policies
a harris poll conducted last fall found that three in 10 americans have at least one tattoo up from about two in 10 four years earlier tattoos are especially popular among younger americans with 47 percent of millennials and 36 percent of members of generation x saying they had at least one harris reported
those demographics represent an important pool of potential sailors for the navy the united states naval institute reported that the average age of recruits in all the armed services is 20 but that the 17 to 24 age group is a shrinking population further as the economy has improved fewer young people are interested in enlisting
tattoos have long been entwined with american seafaring culture which developed a repertory over time of anchors dragons and pinup girls among other symbols
jeff phillips 42 of jacksonville fla said that during his navy service in the early 1990s it was seen as odd if you were enlisted and did not have a tattoo
it was a rite of passage said mr phillips who got a tattoo of bugs bunny near his left biceps  you dont have a tattoo yet whats wrong with you 
john henry doucette 42 of virginia beach va who served from 1991 to 1996 said he got a tremendously bad version of hemingway on his upper right arm two years after enlisting
told about the relaxed tattoo rules he said it doesnt sound like the navy i served in
but mr doucette said if it helps attract young smart recruits all the better adding that it does not matter what sailors look like or how many tattoos they have what does matter he said is do your work be good to each other have a good ship
at all out tattoo in norfolk va jason sumners a tattoo artist of 22 years said he expects the new navy rules to mean little to business even if the city is home to naval station norfolk the largest naval complex in the world
mr sumners who is known as hero said newly enlisted personnel are the most conscientious about the rules but sailors who have served even a few months disregard them and get what they want
as soon as they get in and figure it out they dont care he said sailors are seldom seriously punished for infractions he said
mr sumners said that although he knew of the military regulations he would be the last one to enforce them why would i let money walk out the door he asked
but he added if you get something on your face youre an idiot


london   the international airlines group the parent company of british airways said on friday that it would trim its growth plans this year to adjust for weaker demand in the second quarter as fewer people flew after last months attacks in brussels
willie walsh the chief executive of international airlines said that the group whose portfolio also includes iberia vueling and aer lingus would cut its plans for capacity growth in 2016 to 49 percent from 52 percent
the brussels attacks of march 22 which included explosions in the departure hall of brussels airport have curbed appetite for travel the group said
the trends going into the third quarter however appear to be back to normal mr walsh told reporters on a call on friday saying he expected that quarter to be strong
that is when international airlines tends to make its biggest share of annual profit as many europeans go on vacation
the group maintained its forecast for 2016 profit however saying that a plan to cut costs excluding fuel by about 1 percent this year would help it reach its target
for the three months ended march 31 international airlines posted underlying operating profit of 155 million euros or 176 million beating an average forecast of EUR145 million and helped by lower fuel prices and cost cuts
mr walsh said the brussels attacks appeared to be having a more pronounced and more extended impact on travel demand than past shocks in part because they happened so soon after the paris attacks in november
shares in international airlines were down 45 percent to 525 pence in morning trading in london continuing a dismal run since the beginning of the year
the stock has lost 13 percent since january underperforming britains benchmark stock index which is flat
some analysts have blamed the risks associated with britains vote on european union membership scheduled for june 23 for the stocks performance the shares remain under the pall of the uks eu referendum said damian brewer an analyst at rbc capital markets in london


outraged activists and prosecutors in oklahoma called for changes to a state law on forced oral sex after a court rejected the prosecution of a teenage boy in tulsa because his 16 year old accuser had been intoxicated to the point of unconsciousness
forcible sodomy cannot occur where a victim is so intoxicated as to be completely unconscious at the time of the sexual act of oral copulation the court of criminal appeals ruled in the case
we will not in order to justify prosecution of a person for an offense enlarge a statute beyond the fair meaning of its language it said
advocates for rape victims said the decision by the appeals court was not all that surprising given the patchwork inconsistency of state by state sexual assault laws that leave legal gray areas but other experts said the ruling should jolt other states into examining their own laws
kristen houser a spokeswoman for the national sexual violence resource center based in pennsylvania said each state does have a unique set of laws and you do find unfortunately sometimes that things you thought were covered arent
kansas for example has a rape law that clearly states what oklahomas does not it includes a line for when the victim is incapable of giving consent because of the effect of any alcoholic liquor narcotic drug or other substance
the case centered on a 17 year old boy who was accused of rape after he and a group of high school students gathered in a tulsa park to drink and smoke marijuana in the early morning hours of june 1 2014 according to oklahoma watch a local news site which reported on the court ruling witnesses said the girl had been drifting in and out of unconsciousness and had been unable to walk the defendant took the girl to his car and later to a relatives house to sleep according to court documents
the boy said the ensuing oral sex was consensual but the girl told the police she did not remember anything else after being at the park according to oklahoma watch tests later showed she had a blood alcohol level of 0341 more than four times the states legal limit for driving the boys dna was found on the girls body and around her mouth according to court documents
the boy was initially charged with first degree rape and forcible oral sodomy but both charges were dismissed at trial the district attorneys office appealed the case and the appeals courts ruling march 24 set off a furor
the prosecutor in the case benjamin fu said he was flabbergasted by the decision he rejected the idea that it was simply a case of a blind spot in the state legislation the court had the ability but opted not to apply the meaning of the law to a case the legislature had not anticipated he said
this does not reflect our laws the temperament of our legislature or the values or beliefs of oklahoma mr fu said
he said he was working with legislators to change the states sexual assault laws including the addition of language to address the issue of consent more directly
scott biggs an oklahoma state representative criticized the courts grave error and said on thursday that he would amend legislation to include unconscious victims in the definition of forcible sodomy
unfortunately legal minds often get stuck on questions of semantics when it is clear to most of us what the intent of the law is he said in a statement
the boys lawyer did not return a telephone call thursday seeking comment
rebecca oconnor the vice president for public policy of the rape abuse and incest national network in washington said the case underscored the need for legislatures to be as clear about their intent as possible instead of leaving judges to decide
its not surprising although unfortunate that this is how it came down she said its also not unique to oklahoma this sort of gray area of law can lead to unfortunate consequences


indianapolis   as senator ted cruz of texas seeks every possible edge to stop donald j trump he has seized on a once obscure issue with a proven power to inflame conservatives letting transgender women use womens bathrooms
mr cruz mentions it constantly in indiana a state with many social conservatives that is all but a last stand for him in his fight to deprive mr trump of the republican presidential nomination
with polls showing a narrower lead for mr trump in indiana than in the five eastern states that he swept on tuesday the cruz campaigns private polling indicates that the bathroom issue has the power to help close the gap moreover it is fresh in indiana voters minds because of high profile battles in the state in recent years over gay rights
donald trump and hillary clinton both agree that grown men should be allowed to use the little girls restroom mr cruz said on tuesday night as a crowd in knightstown ind booed heartily he made the remarks after coming before the crowd with his two daughters 7 and 5 who wore matching pink dresses
mr cruz has alternated between mockery and outrage nearly every day in highlighting mr trumps stance seizing on it after mr trump said last week that people should be free to use the bathroom they feel is appropriate mr trump was responding to the furor over a north carolina law that stripped legal protections from gay and transgender people
in leveraging the issue mr cruz has raised the specter of sexual predators in womens restrooms which conservatives around the country have effectively invoked to defeat anti discrimination laws   and which gay rights advocates denounce as a myth
the topic could surface in july at the republican convention where a fight is already brewing in the platform committee to overturn the partys historical objection to same sex marriage in a little noticed move this winter the republican national committee called on states to pass laws limiting access to school bathrooms and locker rooms based on students anatomical sex
the potency of the issue was demonstrated in indiana this winter when a republican sponsored bill in the general assembly to protect lesbian gay bisexual and transgender residents was scaled back under pressure to remove the protections for transgender people
some folks went off the deep end on the whole bathroom issue said state senator travis holdman the republican author of the bill it just became so toxic   i realized i couldnt get it done with the t there in our caucus he was referring to transgender people in the abbreviation lgbt
even with the transgender protections deleted the bill died
social conservatives in indiana have been on high alert since last year when gov mike pence and fellow republican lawmakers amended a religious exceptions law bending to a national outcry that the legislation would let businesses refuse service to gay men and lesbians
one social conservative leader who objected to what he called watering down the law micah clark executive director of the american family association of indiana campaigned this week with mr cruz
he said mr cruzs attack on mr trump was meant to show that mr trump is a liberal who supports the right of transgender people to choose the bathroom that aligns with their identity that day
though mr clark said bathroom access was not at the top of voters concerns he predicted that indiana republicans would reject mr trump on the matter because hoosiers have common sense
in houston mr cruzs hometown voters repealed a broad anti discrimination ordinance last year after opponents said it would allow sexual predators to enter womens restrooms
but it was north carolina that thrust the issue into the nations consciousness last month after state lawmakers passed a law prohibiting transgender people from using a public restroom that does not correspond to the gender on their birth certificate
the law led to a boycott of the state by celebrities like bruce springsteen and businesses such as paypal which canceled a plan to expand in north carolina dividing two traditional republican constituencies big business and social conservatives
mr trump waded into the debate in a television interview last week saying there had been very few problems with transgender people using public bathrooms and advising north carolina to leave it the way it is
he said he would be fine with caitlyn jenner the former olympic gold medalist in the mens decathlon and a reality television star using any bathroom she wanted to at trump tower
later mr trump amended his stance saying it was up to cities and states to decide on their own
that did not stop mr cruz from saying the country had gone stark raving nuts
he attacked mr trump for political correctness and yoked him to mrs clinton as a liberal if donald trump dresses as hillary clinton he still cant use the little girls restroom he said in south bend ind and i apologize for putting that image in your mind
earlier mr cruz said if the law says that any man if he chooses can enter a womens restroom a little girls restroom and stay there and he cannot be removed because he simply says at that moment he feels like a woman youre opening the door for predators
a coalition of groups that fight sexual assault and domestic violence issued a statement last week saying that in the 18 states that protect transgender peoples right to use any restroom there has been no increase in sexual violence
people have been in public restrooms with transgender people for many years and didnt know it said tracey horth krueger interim director of the indiana coalition to end sexual assault its never been a big deal
she added that 85 to 90 percent of sexual assault victims know their attackers pay attention read the news get an understanding she said this whole argument about going to the bathroom is just ridiculous
mr cruz hopes to use the issue to turn out social conservatives in indiana and interviews with voters at his rallies there showed a lack of acceptance of or much knowledge about transgender people
the bible says he created them male and female so therefore thats what its supposed to be said mike haley a retiree from greenfield who supports mr cruz
his granddaughter emily haley who works at an adoption agency and also plans to vote for mr cruz said it was disgusting to allow transgender women in womens restrooms youre asking for the rape rate to go up she said
gerri nottingham a nurse from indianapolis recalled mr trumps saying it would be too expensive to build separate restrooms and she agreed if youve got that issue just go home she advised you just have to plan
ms nottingham too plans to vote for mr cruz she said she found it hard to accept that a person born one sex would identify as another i work in labor and delivery she said they come out one gender


when was america greatest how about 1491
yes the year before christopher columbus landed in the new world was an answer we got from at least five readers when we asked them to pinpoint the american golden age things went downhill pretty rapidly after that said jda a commenter from california
donald trump has made make america great again his campaign slogan so we wanted to know just when his supporters   and all americans for that matter   thought their country was at its greatest a survey from the digital media and polling company morning consult asked a sample of americans for their take on the greatest year
our article on the results generated many thoughtful and a few silly ruminations on americas high points   and how greatness should be measured some big dates from our countrys early history got a nod and so did some milestones from our readers own lives   including birthdays   and years that favorite sports teams won championships one reader voted for whichever year preceded the invention of facebook
the survey found that across all demographic groups the year 2000 was the most popular choice for the greatest republicans tended to pick years in the 1950s and 1980s democrats tended to pick years in the 1990s or close to today
here are a few of the responses that were posted on our website and on facebook we edited them lightly
1996 i still had all my hair
west coast best coast
1908 chicago cubs win world series
lane mason palo alto ca
for me it was the mid 90s i was in my 20s had a fun job with a lot of flexibility and local travel 87 gas and good friends i was single and carefree my grandparents and my dad were still alive and mostly well and my friends and i could head down to new orleans on a whim and often did i was blissfully clueless about politics i had a fun car a great figure and fabulous hair i also drank and smoked too much and showed terrible judgment regarding men and money but man i sure had fun  so my vote is for 1994
bluedot redstate mississippi gulf coast
for those choosing the 50s or 60s remember no cellphones one screen at the movie theater supermarkets half the size am radio only three maybe four television choices no internet houses about half as big as today corded tools only help wanted ads said no women pat boone tops the hit parade yeah those are the days i want to go back to
rick starr knoxville
id have to say now any year before two years ago i would be just another unknown trans woman making it through a life of dealing with slurs and hatred fast forward to today and paypal is boycotting north carolina for their recent discrimination laws against me using the bathroom i can get health insurance that actually helps me transition i can get married to who i want and i am much more accepted and supported by the wider community maybe the 50s were great for white men but they were horrible for every other group lgbt people could be thrown in jail just for being who they were in the 50s women slaved all day housewifing to support their master mr man indeed that sounds like an orwellian nightmare to me
jacqueline colorado
the american dream was built on optimism   that we would move forward to build a more perfect union that our children and their children would have a progressively better future americas greatest year   thats in the future   its that optimism and idealism coupled with hard work and a willingness to address our flaws and overcome our challenges that has and will continue to make america great
mc new jersey
on one hand it is a silly question what does great mean to most people in this context i dont know most powerful strongest economically militarily mighty diverse equal and free so many americans are happy to settle for part of the promise and potential of the us and that is just sad there are so many problems we have yet to confront much less solve but i still believe our best year is 2016 with 2017 holding the same potential to make us a better version of ourselves
paula callaghan pennsylvania
a democracy in which about half of the adult population has no real voice in government is a farce therefore i think 1920 was americas greatest year because thats when ratification of the nineteenth amendment made it illegal throughout the entire country to prohibit women from voting
bob cincinnati
the last year before the amendment on the income tax 1912 which was used to finance the countrys past century of bloated military spending and foreign interventions the world was largely at peace neither communism nor fascism was a force yet and the countrys possibilities seemed limitless
roger new jersey
its the winter of 1944 1945 and the 101st airborne is taking on multiple ss panzer divisions in the ardennes america has come through four years of war and with its allies has almost defeated the axis powers in europe and the pacific america is united by a cause not divided and polarized as it is now
peter litton london
it is hardly a surprise that 2000 garners the most votes of any year the cold war was a fading memory around 22 million jobs had been created in the past eight years the stock market was up by some 6000 points in the past six years inflation was low the federal government had a budget surplus and terrorism seemed like a distant problem it was undoubtedly a wonderful time
jeg new york city
americans neil armstrong buzz aldrin and michael collins went from cape kennedy fla to the moon aboard apollo 11 and for the first time in the history of humankind people from the earth stepped out onto another celestial body 1969 america america god shed his grace on thee
getreal colorado
there are way too many factors involved maybe the best were those a few years after the war of 1812 it was known as the era of good feelings and the biggest smudge on the landscape was slavery the brief era from 1964 to 1966 created the end of de jure segregation and the birth of the great society vietnam killed the latter and the southern strategy finished civil rights if not in name in practice over all my bet is for the first four years of theodore roosevelts presidency
stephen
1933 the end of prohibition
hr maine


a protest outside a campaign rally for donald j trump in costa mesa calif turned violent late thursday night as the crowd smashed a police car the authorities closed nearby streets and officers arrested about 20 people
the unrest erupted outside an amphitheater where mr trump the favorite in the race for the republican presidential nomination was addressing several thousand supporters according to the orange county sheriffs department
there were no major injuries and the sheriffs department reported on twitter that the protest was over and that the crowds had dispersed around 11 pm after officers on horseback pushed people away from the amphitheater at the oc fair  event center
video from los angeles area television stations and photographs from the los angeles times captured the mayhem including efforts by some of the mostly young protesters to turn over a patrol car
at least one confrontation with a trump supporter turned bloody and other protesters threw rocks and beer bottles while chanting anti trump slogans
many of the protesters said they had come to express their opposition to mr trumps proposal to build a wall along the united states mexico border and his comments about immigrants from mexico in general
i knew this was going to happen daniel lujan 19 told the los angeles times it was going to be a riot he deserves what he gets
hundreds of protesters began gathering outside the trump rally hours before it began sometimes facing off with supporters who could not get inside after all the tickets were given away law enforcement officials stationed themselves between the two groups
im against trumps nativist and nationalistic agenda which divides people and is very hateful of the other rojelio banuelos 26 told cnn
some people in the crowd temporarily blocked a highway entrance and used benches from a hotel to block traffic the los angeles times reported
concerns about violence have shadowed trump rallies across the country most notably in chicago in march when the candidate canceled an appearance as supporters and opponents clashed inside the auditorium before he was scheduled to speak
in other cities mr trumps security has tried to identify and exclude potential demonstrators before they enter his events but in one event near dayton ohio secret service agents briefly encircled the candidate after a man leapt over a security barrier and rushed toward the stage in kansas city mo the police used pepper spray during standoffs with crowds
on thursday night in costa mesa mr trump did not back down from his promise to build a border wall and he maintained his strident tone about immigration from mexico his guests included members of a group leading a campaign that purports to remember victims killed by illegal aliens
the candidate spent the day before the rally at the trump national golf club los angeles
i would have stayed there the los angeles times quoted him as telling supporters but i had to come talk to you people


by one measure the economic crisis that has long ravaged europe is finally over
on friday the european union released data showing that the overall economy of the 19 countries that use the euro advanced 06 percent over the first three months of the year compared with the previous quarter
that gain equivalent to an annual rate of 22 percent brought the eurozones gross domestic product for the period   the total value of goods and services produced   to slightly above the previous peak reached in the early months of 2008 before the crisis emerged and europes core economy descended into a pair of crippling recessions
the long awaited recovery may finally be consolidating said iain begg a research fellow at the european institute of the london school of economics
yet as milestones go europes return to precrisis levels of economic activity came with so many qualifiers that any celebration seemed premature at best and at worst like a mockery for the tens of millions of ordinary europeans who have far from recovered new unemployment data on friday showed that the eurozone jobless rate while edging down slightly remained above 10 percent   more than twice the level in the united states
its almost a lost decade said joseph stiglitz the nobel laureate economist and a professor at columbia university its a remarkable testimony to the economic failure of the euro and the eurozone
the strongest economies in the eurozone   major exporters like germany and the netherlands   have recovered more handily but in the worst hit countries   cyprus greece ireland and italy   ordinary people continue to grapple with the consequences of deep job losses and wage cuts which have slashed incomes
in italy disposable income for the average household   essentially take home pay   shrank 4 percent from 2008 to 2014 according to european union data over those years greek households lost 24 percent of their disposable income and cyprus suffered declines of 22 percent at the same time german households gained more than 15 percent
so much time has passed with overall european fortunes frozen or even sliding backward that doubts pervade about the ability of the continent to ever again achieve sustained robust growth in a place that is home to some of the worlds wealthiest countries   founts of precise german engineering italian luxury goods and french gastronomical excess   children have been born and raised to primary school age while commercial life around them has achieved practically no gains
and there are few signs that things will improve soon major banks across the continent remain reluctant to lend starving even healthy businesses of capital needed to expand and hire concerns about the global economy   especially the slowdown in china   threaten to crimp europes export growth which has been at the center of the recovery
to be sure fridays preliminary data   a new early stage snapshot of growth released by the european union   showed the eurozone advancing during the first quarter at a stronger pace than the united states economy which managed only a 05 percent annualized rate in the same period
but clouding the eurozone growth data was another new figure on friday indicating that consumer prices in the currency union were down 02 percent in april low inflation or even periodic falling prices in the eurozone has been a persistent problem a sign of economic stagnation that continues to resist efforts by the european central bank to raise inflation spending and borrowing to healthier levels
many economists now discuss europes prospects with the grim vernacular long used to describe japan there a real estate bubble in the 1980s gave way to a calamitous bust that left banks reeling decades of half measures aimed at finessing the economy to better days kept the ship of state afloat but left it in the doldrums
europe is just sort of hanging on said kenneth rogoff a former chief economist at the international monetary fund who is a professor at harvard its very much like japan where japan chose not to grab the bulls by the horns its still a very rich country its stable but its in decline
even hanging on may amount to an aspiration the terrorist attacks in paris and brussels have left europe on knifes edge with policy makers and investors cognizant that people with lethal intentions are no doubt plotting more refugees and migrants continue to stream toward the continent propelled by terrible conflicts in libya syria and elsewhere this has thrown another fraught and complex problem at european governments that have shown little mastery of coordinated action
in britain voters face a june 23 ballot to decide whether their country ought to remain part of the european union if they opt for a so called brexit   and polls have shown the numbers are close   that will initiate a two year period in which leaders in london and brussels will need to negotiate a divorce
no one really knows what will happen then but a host of research institutions have issued reports warning of economic costs should a split ensue an exit vote would also most likely reinvigorate separatist movements in scotland and elsewhere threatening the european union with fragmentation in the meantime uncertainty reigns
the united states engineered a faster and more vigorous recovery from the great recession via a burst of government spending and tax cuts combined with aggressive central bank action by late 2011 less than four years after the downturn began gdp was back to its precrisis level reaching 15 trillion
the eurozone which generated EUR248 trillion in economic activity during the first quarter is only now on track to surpass its 2008 full year gross domestic product of just below EUR10 trillion or about 113 trillion
it has been hobbled by the basic afflictions of its peculiar setup the euro currency is a shared enterprise yet the 19 national governments that now use it operate their own budgets while having to abide by limits on borrowing
in other countries economic weakness generally pushes down the value of the currency making goods cheaper on world markets relative to competitors and lifting exports but in the eurozone all the countries are stuck with the same value for their currency regardless of their individual troubles
the crisis began in the united states yet the rigidities associated with the euro meant that it was the eurozone that wound up the big loser mr stiglitz said its worth noting that over that period japan the rest of europe and the united states all performed better this is a euro disease
germany which plays the dominant role in setting eurozone economic policy has been unwilling to allow national governments to run larger deficits to stimulate their economies while demanding that they enact policies that make it easier for employers to hire and fire the result has been continentwide austerity marinated in acrimony
the french and italians have been shouting at the germans you should expand and then well all be better off mr begg said the germans have been shouting back no you should sort out your mess and then well all grow together
the eurozone economy has made progress since the crisis hit even if its size is roughly the same eight years ago finance and construction made up a greater share of the economy than today a reminder of the overbuilding that left banks tallying disastrous lending losses now exports are more pronounced a trend enhanced by the decline of the euro which has surrendered 28 percent of its value against the dollar since the summer of 2008 this has made european goods cheaper on world markets
but the ability of european businesses to continue to rack up export growth faces challenges china the european unions second largest trading partner behind the united states absorbed roughly 10 percent of europes exported wares last year according to the blocs data as china slows that will most likely diminish its appetite for europes products
there isnt much help for the eurozone in the broader global economy said jacob kirkegaard a senior fellow at the peterson institute for international economics in washington
beyond the worries of the moment a rapidly aging population appears very likely to constrain europes fortunes while europes high levels of productivity should continue to support a comfortable standard of living and a strong social safety net for much of its population fewer people working means fewer goods being produced and services rendered
the potential growth rate in europe is probably 1 percent mr kirkegaard added we shouldnt therefore expect growth to be much greater than it is today this is quite frankly as good as it gets


moscow   they have stripped and sexually abused a woman severely burned a toddler by firebombing a house and broken a womans pinkie as a warning gang members bandits mobsters not exactly these are debt collectors a peculiarly russian variety that is flourishing amid the countrys economic turmoil
as a punishing recession stretches into a second year people struggling to make ends meet are resorting in growing numbers to borrowing at astronomical interest rates that many cannot possibly afford
with unpaid debts mushrooming collection has turned into something of a blood sport reminiscent of the shocking gang violence of the 1990s with threats and violence by debt collectors spreading across the sprawling russian hinterland largely unrestrained by public authorities
as a rule small sums are involved in these cases and it is easier to recover them by physical force said danila s mikhalishchev a debt collector turned consumer advocate it is easier to frighten people than to sue them
in 2015 the amount of unpaid debt surged by almost 50 percent to 15 billion or about 13 percent of all personal debt according to alexander a akhlomov of the united credit bureau a private organization that tracks credit ratings a borrower making no payments for three months is considered to be in default just since march of last year the number of russians in that category has leapt to 75 million from six million he said
it is not hard to see why in 2015 real wages declined 10 percent in the face of a steep drop in the global price of oil a weak ruble and western economic sanctions imposed over russias military intervention in ukraine this march for the first time since 2008 russians spent more than half their income on food beverages and cigarettes according to government statistics
to make matters worse banks have tightened credit so the growing ranks of russians living paycheck to paycheck have fewer options what changed with the crisis is that banks became much stricter about issuing new loans mr akhlomov said before if people did not have the money to pay off a loan they could go to another bank that does not work anymore
generally banks seeking loan payments are not in the business of thrashing their customers physically the worst abuses are rooted in the so called microfinance industry which extends small loans to tide borrowers over until their next paycheck
those loans average 125 according to united credit bureau statistics the interest rate is usually 2 percent a day or 730 percent a year that adds up fast
take natalya gorbunova 38 a house painter in iskitim a small city of 60000 about 2100 miles east of moscow she usually earns some 400 a month but hit a rough patch in september 2014 while her husband a security guard was hospitalized with an ulcer
she borrowed 75 from the small blue and green kiosk of a microfinance company called instant money near a bus stop in iskitim figuring she could repay it within a month
she could not however and that was when the abusive telephone calls started collectors threatened to kill her if she did not pay angry ms gorbunova decided not to repay a kopeck she said in newspaper and television interviews she did not go to the police she said because everyone told us that no one would deal with it
by the time four debt collectors wearing black balaclavas smashed into her small wooden shack on march 30 that debt had bloated to more than 3600 the men put bags over her head and those of her husband and 17 year old son beating and kicking them while demanding repayment
they pushed ms gorbunova facedown on a couch stripped off her pajamas and began poking her with some kind of wooden object she said
i was shocked but the only thing i thought about was that i did not want them to hurt my son she said on a television talk show
the police called it sexual assault and an appalled public called it rape representatives of the collection industry either accused her of lying or suggested that a few black collectors were soiling the entire industry no one has been arrested and the credit company denied any involvement
the grass roots level of the collection industry is unregulated thinly separated from organized crime and peopled mainly by cashiered police officers former secret police agents and prison or security guards about 40 percent of all unpaid debt ends up in the hands of collection agencies said mr akhlomov of the united credit bureau
short of violence collectors use all manner of psychological pressure they telephone constantly sometimes as many as 150 times a day they hound not just the debtors but their families friends and business associates demanding that they help pay
the police in the southern city of stavropol opened a case against one collection agency that blocked phone service to the local childrens hospital by robocalling every hospital number in pursuit of a debtor
collectors spray paint apartment doors with the word dolg or debt they ruin locks with super glue and break windows
they distribute fliers using the pictures and phone numbers of debtors and advertising for sexual services they threaten death or the loss of a limb some debtors have been driven to suicide
when they call or send text messages the collectors often use names from chechnya or the southern caucasus whose residents have a reputation for fearsome violence
when they call they use some invented name like ahmed islamovich which immediately exerts psychological pressure on any russian said anton babin 29 a psychologist who accuses the collectors of provoking a fatal heart attack in his 55 year old mother by hounding her
children are frequent targets of coercion several kindergartens have been evacuated because collectors threatened to blow them up
victims are generally poor and uneducated have little faith in the government and do not know that most courts will wipe out the ballooning interest
the level of violence horrifies russians who believed that the most vicious al capone like excesses of the chaotic 1990s had been left behind given the stern guidance and prosperity of past years under president vladimir v putin the outcry finally prompted the government to act albeit haltingly
yuri y chaika russias prosecutor general publicly urged law enforcement agencies to be less lethargic out of 21000 complaints in recent years only a handful of cases were pursued he said calling the legal response a failure given the magnitude of the problem
this month parliament began debating a law to ban collection agencies they should be handcuffed so they wont beat anyone wont rape anyone or wont burn anyone said vladimir zhirinovsky a populist politician waving handcuffs as he delivered a parliament speech that was broadcast nationally
critics say that an outright ban would just drive the process underground and that a regulatory framework is what is really needed
in the meantime people are trying to figure out how to defend themselves
evgeny o sharov 26 a singing teacher in the southern city of tolyatti joined a forum called stop collector after he and his relatives were harassed
im now aware that when a call comes from those collectors i shouldnt show them that im afraid he said in a telephone interview the faster you show them that youre afraid of something the more dogged they become


apartments for billionaires were all the rage in manhattan three years ago when the developer joseph chetrit paid 11 billion for the granite sheathed sony building at 550 madison avenue
mr chetrit hired the star architect robert a m stern to convert the building a 37 story office tower between 55th and 56th streets that was most recently inhabited by sony to apartments an international hotel group said it would build a five star hotel on eight floors and mr chetrit filed plans to create a triplex penthouse with a marble staircase and a record 150 million price tag
now in the latest example of the slowdown at real estates highest end mr chetrit signed a deal this week to sell the tower for 14 billion to the olayan group which is controlled by a saudi family and chelsfield which manages its properties the companies said the building would become yes an office building
mr chetrit and his partner david bistricer were under pressure to pay off short term loans on the property totaling 925 million they also had trouble obtaining a construction loan as lenders became wary of projects promising oversize prices and profits
mr bistricer said he and mr chetrit were prohibited from talking about the deal until the sale closed at the end of may
it was providential said nancy packes a consultant for luxury residential projects that mr chetrit was able to find a cash rich buyer for the building over the past three years she said the market for billionaire apartment buyers has gone from mush to ice
even breaking even is a win added ms packes who was not working on the 550 madison project
it was unclear how much money the partners made estimated interest payments for the building totaled 180 million over three years and property taxes for that period came to nearly 45 million according to public records some of those costs were covered by the rent sony paid to continue to occupy the building the company recently moved
the partners also presumably had to pay millions of dollars for lawyers architectural plans and the marketing firm for the project
the tower designed by philip johnson was built in the 1980s as the headquarters for att sony bought the building from att in 2002 for about 236 million
but in 2013 when sony put the office tower on the auction block the residential market was white hot mr chetrit outbid commercial developers with a 11 billion offer sony leased the space for another three years as it looked for a new home while mr chetrit and mr bistricer began making their plans
in 2015 they said that they would build 96 apartments on floors 14 through 35 designed by mr stern the units started at 11 million and went up to 150 million for the 21500 square foot penthouse which had served as a corporate boardroom the oetker collection which includes hotels like le bristol in paris was brought in to create the eight floor 170 room hotel which would have also been designed by mr stern
mr chetrit is not the only developer who has been affected by the recent disappearance of buyers willing to pay 100 million for an apartment
this year there were about three dozen buildings in manhattan offering apartments priced around 5000 a square foot but sales have slowed drastically even at one57 and 432 park two of the most luxurious new buildings that sit along a stretch of 57th street known as billionaires row
one developer has scrapped plans to build a superluxury tower on the site of the park lane hotel on central park south another developer who wanted to build a high end tower near sutton place is in bankruptcy court and now mr chetrits plans have fizzled
the appetite of that group of investors has dimmed ms packes said
still there are three superluxury towers under construction on 57th street alone
and new york is still regarded as a relatively safe haven for the worlds superrich but the richest apartment hunters have largely retreated from buying very expensive apartments as investments brokers said because of the collapse of oil prices weaknesses in the chinese and russian economies and crises in africa and the middle east
but mr bistricer while not addressing 550 madison directly said the situation was not so dire contrary to most developers and real estate executives there is no shortage of money for big projects he said you put together the right sponsors the right banks youll find financing


in december house speaker paul d ryan instructed lawmakers to find a responsible solution to puerto ricos debt crisis in the first three months of this year giving the island plenty of time to prepare for a may 1 deadline on a 422 million debt payment
so much for that
that deadline is imminent but republicans in the house and democrats in the administration are still haggling over the terms of a bill to rescue puerto rico missing the payment risks further destabilizing its shrunken economy and there are concerns that the passage of any legislation could be delayed until the island nears the tipping point of its debt woes a 2 billion debt payment due on july 1
the may 1 payment consists mainly of principal and interest due from puerto ricos government development bank a uniquely powerful institution that has played a leading role in the islands borrowing and financial affairs for decades its activities are so numerous and critical that analysts have worried for months that the banks failure would have untold ripple effects across the island puerto ricos governor alejandro garcia padilla who has warned about defaults for months has expressed frustration with washingtons inability to act quickly
on monday there will be a default he said on wednesday the bank has until the close of business on monday since the may 1 due date falls on a sunday
but the bigger issue may be that second larger debt bill due in july roughly 800 million of which is constitutionally guaranteed giving the payment of it legal priority even over the funding of essential public services such as police patrols ambulances or drinking water investors who hold the guaranteed debt say they are prepared to fight to enforce their legal rights no matter how much it may shock and anger the islands residents
theres too much discord said matt fabian a managing director at municipal market analytics referring to the rancor over the rescue bill this was supposed to be a very controlled process and it just got out of hand
when mr ryan ordered debt relief for puerto rico he may not have known just how intractable the differences were going to be   not only between democrats and republicans but also among certain classes of creditors some of whom are intent on avoiding the sort of losses that detroit bondholders were forced to bear after that city went bankrupt in 2013
in addition to lobbying congress some of the bondholders are sponsoring television ads that depict the rescue of puerto rico as an odious taxpayer bailout and some other creditors are in quiet talks with representatives of the puerto rican government testing the waters for a sweeping negotiated debt reduction that might obviate congressional action
despite the power and importance of the government development bank its debts are not backed by any taxing power or constitutional guarantee if it defaults on the looming 422 million payment its creditors have little legal recourse and much of the banks debt in the form of municipal bonds is held by more than 100 credit unions on the island   financial institutions that tend to serve mom and pop savers in puerto ricos poor and remote communities
the islands credit unions represent the nest egg of nearly 1000000 puerto rican families one of every four puerto ricans that trust their livelihood and savings in these financial institutions said the credit unions primary regulator in a statement released last year when the sector held government development bank debt with a face value of slightly more than 500 million according to regulatory records the regulators spokesman did not answer messages thursday
historically the credit unions were required to invest only in very safe assets but in 2009 their regulators made an exception allowing them to buy and hold riskier bonds as long as the bonds were issued by some branch of the puerto rican government the change gave the government development bank a new way to raise money by selling its bonds to the credit unions
as a result those institutions wound up with outsize exposure to the bank which itself was found insolvent last year by puerto ricos commissioner of financial institutions officials on the island have been seeking a way to protect the credit unions from the banks expected default but it is not clear what the mechanism would be or whether it could even be put in place in time
a payment default by the government development bank would add to the list of extreme measures that puerto rico has undertaken to stretch its dwindling cash while waiting for congress to enact its rescue package it has already removed assets from its workers compensation pool and public pension system to pay bills taken cash from low priority bonds to make payments due on high priority bonds and extended a highway privatization giving up future toll revenue in exchange for upfront payments of 115 million
on monday holders of roughly 9 billion of bonds issued by the islands electric power authority are scheduled to buy 111 million more in bonds as part of a complicated agreement to keep the power company liquid and preserve a consensual restructuring deal those investors must decide by monday whether handing over 111 million is worth it under the current confused and deteriorating circumstances but puerto rico has warned that if the new money does not materialize it may sue the creditors
this group of bondholders mainly mutual funds and other financial institutions has emerged as one of four main creditor groups with a stake in the rescue legislation
another major group consists of bond insurers known as monolines which have insured about one fifth of puerto ricos total 72 billion of outstanding bonds their backing promised to make the affected investors whole every time puerto rico defaulted on an insured bond along with the first group the monolines are deeply concerned about the methods the rescue legislation would use to ensure that different types of creditors are treated fairly
a third creditor group consists of financial institutions that bought roughly 35 billion of general obligation bonds that puerto rico sold in 2014 its last borrowing before losing virtually all market access after ratings agencies downgraded it to junk status the 2014 bonds were purchased eagerly by hedge funds because they promised a high yield and because general obligation bonds are explicitly guaranteed by puerto ricos constitution
holders of this block now argue that congress should not interfere with puerto ricos constitutional promises the treasury department has argued that none of puerto ricos bonds should be exempt from the bills restructuring framework
the fourth major creditor group consists of investors who hold so called cofina bonds which were sold from 2006 onward backed by a dedicated sales tax these bonds were advertised as virtually default proof but as puerto ricos troubles have mounted over the last year the cofina investors have grown worried that the island may decide to divert their sales tax revenue to pay some other creditor group such as the general obligation bondholders who say the constitution gives them first calling rights on all the islands resources
the cofina bondholders secret weapon is an agreement that the bonds will accelerate in the event of a payment default meaning that instead of waiting for a 30 year maturity the holders would immediately be entitled their full present value this feature makes the cofina bondholders the only group that would actually benefit from a default on their holdings   and a wild card in the deck that congress keeps shuffling


an iranian refugee who set fire to himself to protest australias policies toward people who try to reach its shores by sea died on friday
the man who was 23 was airlifted from the small island nation of nauru to a hospital in brisbane australia where he tragically died today from his injuries australias department of immigration and border protection said in a statement
the mans name was not released but australian news reports have referred to him as omid
australia bound migrants who are intercepted at sea are detained in nauru or papua new guinea often for extended periods under agreements australia has with those countries on wednesday officials from the united nations refugee agency were visiting nauru where 450 men women and children were being held when the man set himself on fire there
this is how tired we are the man said before igniting the fire according to witnesses quoted in news reports this action will prove how exhausted we are i cannot take it anymore
his self immolation along with a court ruling on tuesday in papua new guinea that declared the detention agreement unconstitutional and forced the closing of a detention center there has renewed criticism of australias policy toward boat migrants whom the government refuses to allow to settle in australia
the policy appears likely to become a point of contention for prime minister malcolm turnbulls conservative coalition government in the next general election mr turnbull told lawmakers on april 20 that he intended to hold the election on july 2
mr turnbull defended the refugee policy on thursday saying that australians cannot be misty eyed about this and have to be very clear and determined in our national purpose the australian associated press reported
but on friday a senator from the opposition greens party sarah hanson young wrote on twitter omid the refugee who set himself on fire has died and yes prime minister i am misty eyed as i can only imagine his loved ones are too
the australian government and the largest opposition party labor are in general agreement that migrants who try to reach australia illegally by boat should not be allowed to settle in the country even those who are officially recognized as refugees are processed offshore and offered resettlement in other countries not australia
australian leaders say their tough stand has sharply decreased the number of attempted arrivals by boat which in the past sometimes ended in shipwrecks and drownings
but the death of omid has prompted increased public calls in australia for a more compassionate treatment of refugees a candlelight vigil was held for the man in brisbane on thursday night and protests are planned in sydney and other cities over the weekend
critics say the policy of holding asylum seekers and refugees indefinitely on pacific islands is inhumane
this is another senseless and tragic death as a direct result of australias inhumane refugee policies said elaine pearson the australia director of human rights watch refugees who have fled persecution in their homelands dont deserve a life in limbo in a detention center or effectively imprisoned on a tiny remote island
dr barri phatarfod of the charity doctors for refugees said that a hospital on nauru had trouble treating omid who was badly burned and suffered complications from a lack of oxygen making the airlift to brisbane necessary hospital staff struggled with maintaining an adequate airway and had difficulties accessing an intravenous line dr phatarfod said in a statement these are quite difficult to do in a severe burns victim and need a specialized team immediately
she added this tragic outcome once again demonstrates the complete impracticality of accommodating these highly vulnerable people so far from australia
it was still unclear on friday what would be done with the more than 800 men detained at the manus island center in papua new guinea which the countrys prime minister peter oneill said would be closed because of the court decision mr oneill called on australia to make alternative arrangements for the asylum seekers but australian officials have not said what they plan to do other than insisting that the men will not be allowed into australia
peter dutton the australian immigration minister told sky news that one possibility was to send them all to nauru another would be to address the courts concerns by keeping the men in papua new guinea but no longer restricting them to manus island
last year nauru began allowing asylum seekers to come and go freely from the detention center there but nauru is just eight square miles less than half the size of manhattan and advocates of refugee rights say that conditions there are difficult with a lack of services for mental health care and other needs
new zealand has said it can take 150 refugees a year but australian officials have declined that offer saying it will only encourage more people to try dangerous sea crossings mr turnbull repeated that position this week saying that the chance of being resettled in new zealand would be used by the people smugglers as a marketing opportunity according to news reports


london   anheuser busch inbev said on friday that it had offered to sell the central and eastern european operations of sabmiller in order to win approval from european regulators for their more than 100 billion merger
the combination of sabmiller and anheuser busch would create a beer industry giant that would account for about 30 percent of global beer sales anheuser busch has entered into a number of agreements to sell a variety of assets from the combined company as it seeks to ease regulatory concerns about the deal
this month it accepted an offer by asahi group holdings of japan to buy the beer brands grolsch meantime and peroni as well as some of sabmillers european operations for 255 billion euros or about 29 billion
on friday anheuser busch said that it had offered to sell sabmillers assets in the czech republic hungary poland romania and slovakia as part of a package of divestments as it seeks approval from the european commission
anheuser busch hopes to close the deal for sabmiller in the second half of this year
sabmillers central and eastern european businesses have been a core part of our growth story since we first embarked on our international expansion strategy over 20 years ago alan clark sabmillers chief executive said in a news release
we are very proud of these businesses their brands and the people that have made them the successes they are today and we will continue to grow and support them throughout this process he added
in november anheuser busch agreed to sell sabmillers 59 percent stake in millercoors in the united states to sabmillers partner in a joint venture molson coors brewing for about 12 billion that deal includes the global rights to the miller brand and would make molson coors the second largest brewer in the united states behind anheuser busch
in march china resources beer a state owned brewer agreed to buy sabmillers 49 percent stake in the maker of snow the worlds best selling beer the deal would value sabmillers stake in cr snow around 16 billion
the divestments are all contingent on the anheuser busch sabmiller merger closing


london   the royal bank of scotland said on friday that its losses widened in the first quarter compared with a year earlier after it made a payment of 119 billion pounds or about 17 billion to the british government to fulfill a condition of its bailout package
in march the bank which is based in edinburgh made a final payment to end the so called dividend access program which gave the government priority for dividend payments the government still owns about 73 percent of the bank
by ending the program rbs moved a step closer to being able to resume dividend payments to its shareholders the lender which received a PS45 billion bailout during the financial crisis has not paid a dividend since 2008
rbs is in the middle of a large restructuring as it shifts away from being a lender with global ambitions to focus on retail and corporate banking in britain and ireland it announced plans last year to dismantle its global investment bank and to reduce the number of countries in which it operates
for the three months ended march 31 rbs reported a loss of PS968 million compared with a loss of PS459 million in the first quarter of 2015
this is another year of heavy lifting and there will continue to be a lot of noise in our results ross mcewan the rbs chief executive said on a conference call with journalists but underneath that noise youll see were on track and delivering on our plan
on an operating basis rbs said that it posted a pretax profit of PS421 million in the first quarter
net interest income the measure of what a bank earns on its lending after deducting what it pays out on deposits and other liabilities declined 2 percent to PS216 billion in the quarter from PS22 billion in the first quarter of 2015
over all revenue fell 13 percent to PS306 billion in the first quarter from PS352 billion in the same period a year earlier
operating expenses were down 33 percent to PS242 billion in the quarter from PS361 billion in the first quarter of 2015
the lender recorded restructuring charges of PS238 million in the first quarter from PS447 million in the same period a year earlier
on thursday rbs said that there was significant risk that it might not meet a deadline set by european regulators to spin off its williams  glyn branch network by the end of 2017
the bulk of its restructuring costs in the first quarter related to the separation of williams  glyn rbs also incurred PS630 million in costs last year related to the separation of the business
rbs said on thursday that it was exploring alternative means to achieve separation and divestment of the business the bank declined to say on friday what form the divestment might take
during the quarter rbs took PS31 million in costs for potential settlements and fines in the first quarter


seoul south korea   an american who has been held in north korea since october was sentenced to 10 years of hard labor on friday for spying and other offenses news agencies reported from pyongyang the north korean capital
the man kim dong chul is the latest united states citizen to receive a harsh sentence in north korea which has often used americans held there as leverage in dealing with washington his sentencing came a month and a half after north korea sentenced an american college student otto f warmbier to 15 years of hard labor for trying to steal a political banner from his hotel in pyongyang
mr kims sentence was handed down by north koreas supreme court meaning that it is final and cannot be appealed the verdict was reported by chinas state run xinhua news agency and the japanese news service kyodo
the state department has not explicitly confirmed mr kims detention in north korea saying that discussing such cases publicly does not help its efforts to free americans held in the north but the north has released a copy of mr kims american passport and officials in south korea said mr kim was a korean born american citizen
in march mr kim appeared at a government arranged news conference in pyongyang and apologized for trying to steal military secrets in collusion with south koreans the south korean spy agency has denied any involvement in such a plan
mr kims predicament was not known until january when the north korean government allowed cnn to interview him in pyongyang at that time mr kim identified himself as a 62 year old naturalized american citizen from fairfax va he said he used to run a trading and hotel services company in rason a special economic zone that north korea operates near its borders with china and russia
he said he was arrested in october while meeting with a former north korean soldier to receive classified data
over the years north korea has detained several americans on accusations of illegal entry or spying and other so called anti state crimes it has often given them lengthy prison terms before eventually freeing them sometimes after visits by high profile americans like former presidents jimmy carter and bill clinton


washington   the white house on friday moved to bar federal agencies from asking applicants for tens of thousands of government jobs about their criminal histories until the very end of the process
while checks of criminal histories have become routine in the public and private sectors a regulation proposed by the obama administration would remove a barrier that discourages many freed prisoners from applying for jobs the rule would prevent supervisors interviewing applicants for about half of all federal positions from asking about a job seekers criminal or credit history until a conditional offer is made
the ban is part of a broader effort by the obama administration to ease the path back to society for some 600000 people released from prison each year and promote what it says are fairer and more effective criminal justice policies the administration announced related steps earlier in the week including a push for states to issue identification to newly freed prisoners
valerie jarrett a top adviser to president obama told reporters that in its effort to help inmates thrive as productive law abiding citizens after their release the administration had secured pledges from 112 companies and groups to also follow its policy known as ban the box those companies and groups employ 15 million people
this is a big step and one that will truly make a difference ms jarrett said
officials said that policies requiring applicants to check a box if they have a criminal history discourage many freed prisoners from applying for jobs even though they may still be eligible
mr obama directed officials in november to develop details for the new regulation it was published online on friday and the public will have 60 days to submit comments before a final rule is issued
the federal government i believe should not use criminal history to screen out applicants before we even look at their qualifications mr obama said in a speech at rutgers university we cant dismiss people out of hand simply because of a mistake that they made in the past
if a final rule is enacted congress will still have a chance to reverse it under a legislative mechanism that kicks in during the closing months of an administration though it is unclear whether republican leaders will seek to do so
the initiative has attracted no significant opposition on capitol hill many democrats have supported the idea   calling on the administration to impose it on contractors and federal agencies alike   and even some conservative groups have voiced support for it
but the new policy will not go as far as some employee rights groups had hoped federal contractors will be encouraged but not required to follow the ban officials said and that will leave thousands of federal contracting jobs exempt from the change
beth f cobert the acting director of the office of personnel management said she expected that the ban would apply to about half of some 200000 government positions that were filled last year
some classes of federal jobs would be exempt from the policy and a criminal history would remain an automatic disqualifier for some positions in law enforcement and other areas
attorney general loretta e lynch highlighted the new policy at an appearance on friday at the federal prison in talladega ala the administration held dozens of public events this week to bring attention to the difficulties faced by inmates   many of them low risk drug offenders officials say   as they return to society
several workers rights groups and liberal organizations praised the administrations efforts
christine owens the executive director of the national employment law project an advocacy group based in new york said that the effort to help released inmates work and resume their lives was one of the key civil rights issues of our time and that mr obamas action reflected the role of the federal government as a model employer
she said that the estimated 70 million people with criminal records in the united states should be able to contribute their diverse talents and skills to the federal work force without unreasonable and discriminatory barriers


new delhi   three months before he left india with 14 billion in unpaid bills hanging over his head the man who called himself the king of good times gave a party for himself
vijay mallya a beer and airline magnate who publishes a swimsuit calendar and cavorts with celebrities invited the pop singer enrique iglesias the bollywood star sonu nigam and some top indian business figures to his villa in the coastal indian state of goa to celebrate his 60th birthday
my biggest assets are my friends he told the revelers according to a local media report and they are all here tonight
the party   for mr mallya and for the rest of corporate india   is now over banks in india and elsewhere are pressing mr mallya to get their money back authorities accuse him of money laundering bribing bank officials defaulting on loans and other misdeeds
last weekend indian authorities canceled mr mallyas passport nearly a week after a court in mumbai issued a warrant for his arrest on thursday indias foreign ministry said it would ask britain   where authorities believe he is staying   to deport him
mr mallya is now widely pilloried by the news media and by some politicians in india as one of the worst examples from a corporate borrowing binge that has mired the country in bad debt economists and government officials say heavy corporate debt and bad bank loans are holding back growth and harming prime minister narendra modis ambitious economic agenda
we hide the sickness and ultimately its the poor who suffer said k c chakrabarty a former deputy governor of indias central bank we are addressing vijay mallya hes not the problem hes the symptom of the problem
mr mallya who left india last month disputes accusations by indian lawmakers and lenders that he fled the country to avoid bad debts i am an international businessman he said on twitter i travel to and from india frequently i did not flee from india and neither am i an absconder rubbish
even in a time when china europe and other places grapple with bad debt the depths of indias once hidden problems are notable pressed by the central bank in september to come clean about their debt woes indias banks are reporting billions of dollars worth of loans that most likely will not be repaid
credit suisse estimated that bad loans in the final months of last year totaled nearly 128 billion making up more than 11 percent of outstanding loans and said indias banking system had still more unrecognized stress
the pain has rippled outside the country standard chartered a british bank said in february that its india unit lost nearly 1 billion last year the bank says it is selling problem loans
diageo the british spirits maker has also been hit after guaranteeing a 135 million loan last year from standard chartered to a company affiliated with mr mallya diageo says it is pursuing the matter
the sour loans are raising questions about whether indias financial system could deal with the sort of debt crisis that hit the united states and europe in 2008 were coming so late into the too big to fail issue said susan thomas assistant professor at the indira gandhi institute for development research in mumbai and a member of the countrys bankruptcy law reform committee
as in china which is dealing with its own corporate debt hangover indias troubles stem from its efforts to spur growth after the 2008 global financial crisis regulators loosened fiscal and monetary policies and allowed many industries to restructure loans rather than let them go sour it also allowed a moratorium on interest payments lenders responded and over the next four years bank lending to nonfinancial companies roughly doubled
but people inside and outside the country increasingly worried about rising defaults and banks ability to meet new global financial stability requirements in september raghuram rajan indias top central banker ordered lenders to provide a full accounting
mr mallya   who in india is often compared to richard branson the british entrepreneur   is one of indias most famous names his company the united breweries group makes kingfisher beer and sells everything from alcohol to chemicals and fertilizer he has a personal stake in indias only formula one team he is a regular presence on the party circuit and made headlines 10 years ago when he held a lavish birthday party at which the singer lionel richie was the star performer
i work hard and i play hard too he once said there is nothing wrong with that
when the post 2008 lending binge hit mr mallya saw a chance to help one of his newer businesses airlines his kingfisher airlines was initially modeled on the low cost american carrier jetblue with an all economy configuration that included seat back tvs unheard of on indian domestic flights
mr mallya quickly added a lavish business class to kingfisher roomy seats came with champagne glasses filled with cider since india forbids alcohol on domestic flights the airline was a pet project of mr mallyas he examined the in flight napkins and interviewed some of the prospective flight attendants himself
but kingfisher airlines suffered from an inefficient mix of planes and tough competition which increased when it started flying internationally capitalizing on the looser lending practices the airline persuaded its lenders to restructure its debt two years later in 2012 kingfisher stopped flying in the face of high fuel prices and a global slowdown
kingfisher owed at least 14 billion in loans much of it to state controlled banks as well as back pay to former employees and other bills because mr mallya and his united breweries holdings backed some of the loans creditors began pressing them for repayment the dispute began to wind its way through the courts banks tried to seize mr mallyas assets including his estate in goa
late last year authorities raided mr mallyas homes and offices in mumbai bangalore and goa as his lavish lifestyle came under scrutiny he began to speak less publicly once a media witch hunt starts it escalates into a raging fire where truth and facts are burnt to ashes he said in march on twitter
by early march banks had asked indias highest court to seize mr mallyas passport by then he had already left setting off criticism how did he run away from the country asked rahul gandhi vice president of indias main opposition party the congress party how did you allow him to escape
finance minister arun jaitley said in parliament that the countrys banks were seeking to recover every penny from mr mallya
indian officials have continued to warn about the impact of debt on the economy
debt is very much like a dynamite said mr rajan the central banker in december it is an instrument which is very useful in right places and explosive in others


scottsdale ariz   the scorpions that scurry around this desert region emerged from their winter slumber early this year
usually dormant until late march the creatures came out in february as temperatures soared making a month that is generally pretty pleasant the second warmest february on record
that got ben hollands phone ringing callers were finding scorpions on their beds in their showers on walls in and outside their homes and all over their yards mr holland   a vice president for digital marketing by day a scorpion exterminator by night   assembled his band of hunters young men in or just out of college and put them to work
our approach is population control said mr holland 32 who started scorpion sweepers in 2006 putting to use his experience collecting scorpions for a laboratory while in college and his once ignored biology degree we dont poison the scorpions we dont smash them we pick them up one by one
they use a forceps which looks like the tweezers one might use to pluck eyebrows only bigger success requires speed and dexterity skills that are learned on the job on his second season toby riley 24 whose other career is in graphic design demonstrated it as best as he could to zach wilson a scorpion hunting rookie three weeks shy of graduation from arizona state university major digital marketing
pinch the scorpions tail and turn your wrist like this mr riley said moving his lower arm as if hurriedly scooping beans from a pot
pest extermination is big business in these parts and specialties vary   from african bee catchers to termite killers and roof rat snatchers mr holland and his sweepers go after scorpions only and they work only after dark
last week mr riley and mr wilson were zigzagging along manicured grass and river rocks here on a moonlit night   one acre out front one acre out back the homeowner a lawyer named john schill told them water trickled from a three tiered fountain dogs barked inside a palm tree leaned above the pool its trunk twisted into a sideways s
mr riley and mr wilson buttoned their shirt collars snug against their necks to keep bugs from falling in slipped on thick neoprene gloves laced up their snake proof boots and turned on the big black lights they each carried
scorpions glow under black lights the glow comes from a substance found inside a hard and thin coating on the scorpions exoskeleton scientists are not sure what purpose it serves some say it is to confuse prey others believe it is to protect scorpions from sunlight
there are 1800 types of scorpions in every place on the planet except for the arctic and more than 50 species in the sonoran desert which covers much of the state at no more than three inches long bark scorpions are the smallest most common and most dangerous   the only one of them considered to be life threatening said keith boesen director of the arizona poison and drug information center housed at the university of arizona college of pharmacy in tucson
on average the center and its counterpart in phoenix log 12000 reports of scorpion stings each year though many more go unreported because people treat them at home children older adults and those who are infirm are particularly vulnerable and should seek immediate help if they get stung dr boesen said deaths are rare   there was one in 2013 and another some 10 years earlier he said
still pain and discomfort from a scorpions sting are inevitable and the reactions can range from scary to bizarre
israel leinbach a biologist for the united states department of agriculture in hawaii who spent years in phoenix researching bark scorpions described the pain as the feeling of being stabbed with a hot knife it may last anywhere from a few hours to several days and resist all efforts to make it go away quicker cold compresses over the counter pain medication antihistamine
ones face and tongue might feel numb but there is no treatment for numbness dr boesen said and it could get worse because venom is a neurotoxin nerves could fire uncontrollably muscles may spasm lips might twitch sometimes eyes will roll around in opposite directions
it almost looks like youre possessed dr boesen said
unlike rattlesnakes scorpions have no warning system and bark scorpions in very light shades of brown can be particularly hard to see like rattlesnakes though scorpions will sting only if they feel threatened   and a threat can amount to as much as a foot sliding inside a shoe a scorpions favorite hiding spot
others are the crevices on stucco walls a staple of homes built in these parts mr leinbach calls them scorpion hotels
scorpions are ultimate survivors having evolved during their estimated 400 million years on this planet to withstand inhospitable conditions such as those they find in the desert
until they find a home at somebodys home that is
mr schills had plenty of moisture on the ground as sprinklers wet his grass and 149 palm trees every night the moisture attracts bugs   food for the scorpions the palm trees flaky bark provided perfect hideaways mr riley plucked five scorpions from a single one of those 107 scorpions after 90 minutes of crouching and leaning forward to snag the critters scorpions that are not distributed to research labs are killed in the most humane way possible mr holland said freezing them is an option
many of them scurried away slipping under river rocks and the ceramic tiles on the roof
im not worried mr riley said holding a plastic box filled with his loot for the night this was their first visit cost 200 to 250 depending on the property size and location he knew that to bring the infestation under control there would have to be more visits
scorpions are territorial he added ill know exactly where to look for them next time we come back


i am not sure i ever have heard brahmss requiem   strictly as a member of an audience the incomparable california born choral conductor robert shaw wrote in 1997 at this moment i can recall only performances in which i was a participant   the first of course as a singer for his many good efforts brahmsian and otherwise shaw who died two years later presumably now occupies some lofty angelic perch where he can simply sit back and take in the performance of a german requiem that robert spano will conduct with the atlanta symphony orchestra and chorus at carnegie hall on saturday shaws 100th birthday
shaw who was working on an english translation of the german requiem at his death loved the work brahms writing after the deaths of his mother and his surrogate father robert schumann bypassed the standard liturgical meditations on death and judgment   no dies irae to scare the bejesus out of listeners   and set biblical texts of his own choosing intended to console those left behind
like brahms shaw founded an intense spirituality on humanism rather than religiosity stemming from a line of evangelical ministers and seemingly destined to become one himself he evolved instead into a fervent secular moralist deeply flawed in personal character but immensely charismatic and inspiring in his musical evangelism
shaw conducted the german requiem perhaps as many as 90 times if keith c burriss deep river the life and music of robert shaw gia publications 2013 is to be believed but a caveat this sprawling numbingly repetitive book is not to be trusted on any number of other counts
one of shaws most memorable outings with the german requiem was by all accounts the 1990 performance at carnegie hall with the orchestra of st lukes capping a weeklong workshop for choral professionals i could not attend that concert but i heard shaw lead a stunning performance of the work with the same orchestra and the atlanta symphony chorus at carnegie in 1997 on the 100th anniversary of brahmss death
the 1990 choral workshop was the first of eight such events directed by shaw at carnegie they ran annually from 1992 to 1998 allowing shaw to propagate widely the innovative rehearsal techniques that he had developed and that are still in use by his many acolytes
essentially self taught shaw devised methods to drill the various aspects of a choral performance   rhythm melody enunciation   in partial isolation you might find it mechanistic hearing a shaw chorus count singing a melody replacing the text with a syllable on every beat one and two and tee and four and tee because the longer three would distort the regularity to nail down the rhythm but you could hardly gainsay the results
shaw was himself music director of the atlanta symphony orchestra from 1967 to 1988 an often stormy tenure given his persistent advocacy of new music and unusual repertory in 1970 he founded the orchestras chorus which is still directed by norman mackenzie his onetime assistant and remains perhaps the finest large amateur chorus in the country
the concert on saturday will include a work jointly commissioned by the atlanta symphony and carnegie hall for the shaw centenary zohar an oratorio by jonathan leshnoff a composer increasingly familiar to atlantans mr leshnoff knowing that his work would be paired with the brahms at its premiere used the same forces chorus orchestra and soprano and baritone soloists here jessica rivera and nmon ford
but rather than focusing on death mr leshnoff conceived an ecstatic embrace of life he said recently his musical style too departs radically from brahmss right down to some bernsteinian touches of jazz so the two works together pose a stiff challenge to the flexibility of even the finest chorus and to its stamina
i dont think shaw ever put a work in front of the german requiem mr mackenzie said last week it is 70 minutes of brutal nonstop singing and now here is another 25 minute piece 90 percent sung by the chorus
the shaw centenary is also being commemorated by a documentary film robert shaw man of many voices produced by kiki wilson a longtime member of the atlanta symphony chorus though an obvious labor of love it remains admirably cleareyed in its warts and all perspective
and warts there were only gradually and with difficulty did shaw tame his demons as a young man his drinking and womanizing were renowned he often seemed to find a greater sense of family with the singers in his various choruses than with at least his first wife of 34 years and their children
but shaw the film recalls could also be a tremendous force for good and not only in music he achieved diplomatic coups abroad during the soviet era and successfully urged   sometimes forced   the integration of musical institutions and public spaces in the south the documentary which is to be screened on thursday at the new york public library for the performing arts at lincoln center is poignant and compelling and sure to be more so in the wake of saturdays concert


london   there are similarities between the way that leicester city has stormed through the premier league and how atletico madrid has won its last two games in the champions league against barcelona and bayern munich
both leicester and atletico are upstarts they have less to spend than the mighty clubs in their leagues but excel when it comes to hard work detailed planning and absolute solidarity in their ranks
riyad mahrez has provided magical moments from the right wing of leicester and so too did saul niguez on wednesday when he scored a goal for atletico that possibly transcended any other in the champions league this season
mahrez cost leicester less than half a million dollars because nobody else saw his potential when he was playing in the lower divisions of french soccer saul a 21 year old from elche in eastern spain has been developed by atletico ever since he was allowed to drop out of real madrids academy when he was 12
his potential has never been a secret scouts from arsenal chelsea and manchester united made regular treks to madrid to check on saul as he progressed through every rank of the spanish national youth teams
he must be very close to his first cap with the senior team as the television cameras swept over the 52000 in the stands wednesday at vicente calderon stadium they focused on the smile of one person   vicente del bosque the coach of the spanish national team
the fans had witnessed a very special goal advancing from the right of midfield but using predominantly his left foot saul wove between five bayern opponents as if they were flagpoles on a slalom course
the tackles of thiago alcantara xabi alonso and juan bernat all spaniards playing for a german club were feeble hesitancy by arturo vidal and david alaba meant they made no challenge on saul whatsoever
they were beaten by the persistence balance and single mindedness of a young spaniard who dashed 45 yards with the ball finally came the shot curled low and precise beyond the reach of the worlds leading goalkeeper manuel neuer and into the net off the base of the far post
some compared sauls masterpiece to the solo goals of lionel messi but he is not messi not at all messi is just over 5 ft 6 and blessed with a low center of gravity that enables those high speed weaving runs
like mahrez saul is closer to 6 feet tall and combines speed and balance and movement both were overlooked in their youth and both are players who are allowed moments of inspiration in a highly regimented team
basking in the afterglow of a victory over bayern atleticos hard driving argentine coach diego simeone told reporters saul still has a lot to improve on of course
people now want to pin medals on him but everything that is happening to him is deserved because he has never stopped working and believing in his own ability
as if he or any atletico player would ever be allowed to relax while simeone is in charge ditto for the leicester players for all that leicester manager claudio ranieri comes across as an avuncular man there is the same relentlessness from him as there is with simeone and the same reminders that no player is above the team
the hard work required by this team first ethic is not universally popular but leicester and atletico have to be admired they have thrown down the gauntlet to much wealthier clubs
though obduracy is basic to atleticos game plans they are nowhere close to the famed catenaccio defending of inter milan in the 1960s catenaccio bolting the door was thoroughly defensive the way that atletico throttled the supposedly greater attacking talents of bayern this week was done on the front foot as it pressed munich back deep in its own half
later with the goal in the bag atletico did revert to blanket defending in front of its own penalty area the same way that it had drawn the sting out of barcelona in the quarterfinals
on paper bayern still has the talents and the home record to overturn this loss in munich on tuesday but that has been said of the big guns in england against leicester all season long and there is another similarity between the two clubs   the fact that both the english league leader and atletico line up in a 4 4 2 formation that was viewed as outmoded in the modern era
somehow they make it work the reality should dawn that it isnt the formation that drives the success but the tenacity in how these two high riding upstarts get into the lead and persevere until they break the will of their opponents
one thunderous riposte by bayern   a whiplash 30 yard shot by alaba that rattled atleticos crossbar in the second half   suggested that the wall of defense could be breached but then back came atletico and fernando torres probably should have doubled the lead but instead shot against the inside of a post when he had broken through cleanly on goal
small mysteries   such as why bayern coach pep guardiola left thomas muller and franck ribery on the bench until late in the game   were left unanswered but atletico knows that the task is only half done and bayern in the allianz arena is a much different proposition than playing them in madrid
were really happy concluded atletico defender filipe luis but we know nothing is done yet


rome   the adage that real estate is about location location location has never been more true than in the case of the villino giulia in rome the villino   a diminutive of villa   edges the spanish steps one of the most prized landmarks in one of the worlds most beloved cities the villino can be entered from the top of the steps down a little passageway across from the trinita dei monti church and the hotel hassler from this vantage point the villino presents only two of its six floors to the public and appears to be a tidy little residence
six floors and 735 square meters or 7910 square feet down at the foot of the spanish steps is another entrance squeezed between shops and near the keats shelley house on the piazza di spagna a 320 square meter garden climbs through all levels creating a privacy buffer between the villino and the fenced off steps and offering a tinkling fountain and several terraces for enjoying a morning espresso or a sunset prosecco
inside an elegantly curved staircase and an elevator connect all floors save for a rooftop terrace with 360 degree views of the city a splendid scramble of red tiled roofs umbrella pines and the dome of st peters
the villino which is for sale for an asking price of 20 million euros or 224 million has had a lively past built in the 1920s its most famous resident was renato angiolillo a roman senator and the founder of the newspaper il tempo after he died in 1973 his widow maria who lived for another 36 years threw the kinds of parties written about in books and society columns
a scandal occurred recently when two sides of the family feuded over who had the rights to mrs angiolillos pink diamond and sued christies for selling it for 40 million in 2013
mrs angiolillo was known as the queen of roman salons fellini zefferelli agnelli berlusconi   people for whom one name suffices   mingled with royalty enjoying their hostesss insistence on french cuisine and wine walking through a low doorway the housekeeper who was mrs angiolillos personal maid and who has lived in and looked after the property since her death in 2009 warned a visitor to duck qadaffis son didnt she said shaking her head
that low passage leads to the caves for storage and a wine cellar other levels have high ceilings and expansive windows that let in the abundant roman sunshine there are three bedrooms four bathrooms and two half bathrooms as well as kitchenettes on three floors installed perhaps at the request of mrs angiolillo for her parties they need complete renovation the interiors sparkle with marble floors marble columns and marble surrounds on doorways one marble mantel still adorns one of the three fireplaces the other mantelpieces have been sold doors are painted with floral designs and delicate plasterwork decorates the walls and ceilings where chandeliers once glowed
even though italy is a country which is very rich in very high end properties even amongst them there are particular exceptions rare pearls said dimitri corti founder of lionard real estate which is handling the sale and an expert on historic italian properties a good example is the villino giulia in piazza di spagna an entire palazzo for sale in one of the worlds most famous piazzas a palazzo which has never been divided into apartments truly hard to find


cemagi bali   it was the maoist insurgents who drove chino and elizabeth roncoroni to bali they had become experts on nepali and tibetan art after living in kathmandu for the better part of four decades and made a very comfortable living dealing in artifacts and antiques but as nepal modernized they tired of the political instability pollution and crime
they had arrived in asia on the hippie trail in the late 60s now in a new century and with the freedom to move anywhere they considered their former vacation haunt as the location for their new home
we decided now kathmandu is over mr roncoroni said it was difficult to live so we said why dont we go and live in bali and we just shifted they moved in 2009
they designed an expansive seaside home the konaditya estate on balis west coast the villa is a 20 minute drive north of seminyak balis most fashionable neighborhood thronged with ex models and the idle rich in high season konaditya by contrast lies down a country lane that drifts through quiet villages and between emerald rice paddies before arriving at the estates unmarked turn
mr roncoroni grew up in locarno and it was in that swiss border town that he began dealing antiques at age 17 he traded cheap items into italy and germany and then moved to the spanish island of ibiza in the balearics where he met elizabeth who was born in paris they grew fascinated by the carpets and silks that jet setters would bring onto ibiza from india
the couple eventually tired of the tourism in ibiza so in 1969 they headed to germany bought a volkswagen camper and spent two months driving to india
captivated by a performance of indian classical music they found a tutor to teach mr roncoroni the tabla while mrs roncoroni learned the sitar they spent a decade mastering the instruments split between the holiest city in india   varanasi   and kathmandu eventually they settled in the nepalese capital and lived there for 35 years
when the roncoronis began looking for land in bali a contact took them to see a promising property they arranged to sign the deal the next morning only to discover that the seller no longer owned the land another agent in town said he had a suitable location so they went to visit that property too it was the exact same lot they settled that evening with the legitimate owner
the one hectare site required extensive landscaping since it had a two meter gradient sloping down from the sea the first steps were to build a retaining wall a bridge over a small stream and an access road then level out the land a process that lasted a year
construction of the home took 17 months and the couple occupied the house in mid 2010 including the decking the roofed area covers slightly more than 18000 square feet their two adult daughters also eventually settled in bali and have their own quarters that they use on weekends
the younger daughter is married to a french architect who runs a practice in bali
the family has now developed several other properties on the island
the couple knew immediately what style they wanted for the konaditya estate which is arranged around a boardwalk across the lotus ponds of a central courtyard they absorbed and deployed the logic that they had observed over the course of many stays in aman resorts properties and other luxury hotels
its only one floor so its not a big deal mr roncoroni said the big deal is can you have a good balance of proportion can you have different areas of gravity
the six bedrooms are all en suite and form their own discrete apartments even when full the home has enough separate areas so that one group can be entertaining while another person works undisturbed in a different corner of the property after five years now we know it worked mr roncoroni said
the aged teak comes from old houses that had been dismantled railway sleepers from the kalimantan region on borneo got a second lease on life as the ironwood for the decks the pitched roofs use the wood shingle common throughout bali the cream colored stone on the floors and trim around the courtyard is palimanan from a village of that name on java
we tried to keep this local mrs roncoroni said there are several temples on the property to balinese gods including one in a banyan tree that houses the spirit of the home its such a peaceful place
there is no trace of their nepalese past in the architecture mr roncoroni is now an avid collector of balinese art and has about 40 works   many of them displayed in the home   from the painter and sculptor i gusti nyoman lempad one of the islands best known prewar artists mr roncoroni has backed the recent publication of a monograph lempad of bali the illuminating line very nearly a catalogue raisonne providing a comprehensive account of lempads works and influences
konaditya is high maintenance and runs through the efforts of a staff of 27 its sea exposure leaves the home exposed to ocean breezes that blow into the main living area its like being in a boat mr roncoroni said at 6 oclock we have to go over everything with a cloth
the couple spend three quarters of the year in bali decamping to paris for much of the remainder guests can rent the konaditya estate for 5500 per night in the off season and 9000 in balis high season the dry months of july and august so far it has attracted mainly europeans
mr roncoroni continues to visit nepal three times a year to hunt for both art and supplies he also gets salt that is carried by yaks from a himalayan lake in tibet and he prizes the wheat in nepal so he takes 40 kilograms of stone ground flour to make bread and pizzas back in konadityas wood fire oven the cooks also make jam and ice cream on the property and grow the bulk of the vegetables that the couple eat
you cook something and it is not organic what is the point mr roncoroni asked you learn to live with nature we can do it here
rice comes from the fields behind the house that green zone land was recently rezoned for residential use not wanting to have neighbors nearby mr roncoroni bought two acres of farmland and leased four more he plans to build an art studio and yoga pavilion on some of the lush rice paddy
eventually he says he may build as many as three homes there each with six bedrooms over one floor its a wonderful area mr roncoroni said why not keep it a nice space


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1 the defense department described why a us gunship attacked a hospital run by doctors without borders in afghanistan last year killing 42 people the crew had just come under attack received the wrong coordinates for the source and mistook the hospital for a taliban site sixteen personnel were disciplined but none face criminal charges angering those who see the attack as a war crime heres an explainer that details what officials say happened

2 donald trump and hillary clinton now far ahead of their rivals are gearing up for a one on one race mr trump has already begun attacking mrs clinton in ways many women find sexist questioning her strength and objecting to her shouting another tactic criticizing her past support for a womanizing bill clinton above mr trump speaking at the california republican party convention near san francisco

3 the nfl draft goes to rounds 2 and 3 7 pm eastern espnespn2 nfl network but theres unlikely to be anything near the drama of round 1 the sudden fall of laremy tunsil a coveted offensive lineman a video that appeared to show him smoking marijuana via a gas mask was posted just before round 1 started thursday

4 a graduate student searching 19th century newspapers found walt whitmans lost treatise on manly health written under a pseudonym around the same time as some of whitmans best known poems of homoerotic love the 47000 word series recommends meat eating bare knuckled boxing comfortable footwear and avoiding too much brain action and fretting

5 new figures show that countries in the eurozone have finally returned to gdp levels of eight years ago before the global economic downturn but entrenched problems remain evident in high unemployment low inflation and uneven recovery for incomes europe is just sort of hanging on one expert said

6 palestinian children have joined in the surge of attacks on israelis and israels crackdown in response has swept many minors into its justice system the 12 year old girl above was released from prison after serving months for being found with a knife near a west bank settlement entrance if she was an israeli child it would be impossible under israeli law to sentence a child this young for an actual jail term a rights advocate said

7 vice president joe biden visited the vatican for a conference on regenerative medicine speaking of his faith and the urgent need to find a cure for cancer mr biden who lost a son to cancer last year thanked pope francis for meeting with the biden family during his us tour i wish every grieving parent brother sister mother father would have the benefit of his words his prayers his presence mr biden said

8 from the obituary desk the canadian entrepreneur philip kives 87 not ringing a bell wait theres more he founded k tel the company whose endless ads for compilation albums 20 great truck drivin songs and conveniences like the veg o matic helped define the small screen in the 60s and 70s

9 a new analysis of reading and math scores from 11000 us school districts shows just how much race and class matter children outpace grade averages as wealth rises and fall behind as poverty grows with far more white students among the first group and far more minorities among the second racial gaps persist even when socioeconomic backgrounds are similar search your own school district in our interactive

10 look for music everywhere on saturday international jazz day and abc will be broadcasting the star filled concert that president and michelle obama are hosting saturday night at the white house featuring aretha franklin herbie hancock al jarreau sting dee dee bridgewater chick corea pat metheny and more saturday 8 pm eastern

11 finally for fans of underdogs and soccer theres a historic match coming sunday leicester city   pronounced less ter   started the season as a 5000 to 1 shot but could win englands premier league title with just one more improbable victory over a heavyweight rival this time manchester united 9 am eastern telemundo and nbcsn
have a great weekend

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we are just one third of the way through 2016 and we have already been so overwhelmed by the loss of musical heroes that it feels impossible to make room for more grief but les waas who died on april 19 at age 94 deserves a page in our book of lamentations you may not have heard of waas but youve heard his music he was the philadelphia adman and prolific composer of jingles who in 1960 came up with the theme song for mister softee   that deceptively gentle singsong melody rendered in tinkling music box bells that has blasted from the roof mounted pa systems of mister softee ice cream trucks for decades the song was originally a jingle music and words written for radio and television spots with a lyric celebrating the deliciousness of mister softees desserts and the convenience of a mobile ice cream parlor
as poetry it aint much the chiming tune though is irrefutable a chorus a bridge another chorus and a brief coda   waass jingle hews to the form of a pop song which of course it is the music is indelibly associated with new york city where mister softee runs its largest fleet but the companys trucks have spread the song far and wide to 15 other states and to china where mister softee began operating in 2007 its a global hit
its an unusual kind of hit too its a creation of the crassest commercial intent an advertisement but the melody which steps through a string of sprightly notes as if guided by some faultless celestial logic gives the song the feel of a folk artifact a thing thats as old as the hills consider the soundtrack of mister softees ice cream truck competitors a repertoire of nursery rhyme ditties public domain classics 19th  and early 20th century standards pop goes the weasel do your ears hang low home on the range turkey in the straw camptown races the entertainer when waas sat down to write a jingle more than half a century ago did he know that he was going toe to toe with stephen foster and scott joplin and some of the most beloved tunes in the anglo american songbook and that he would beat them all
for centuries city life has been defined by hubbub   town criers and curbside hawkers and mischief making callithumpian marching bands these days though much of that noise has been hushed up legislated and gentrified away technology has made music more ubiquitous than ever but our listening has been privatized boomboxes have given way to pocket size devices whose playlists we absorb through noise canceling headphones ice cream trucks are vestiges of the lost louder city a throwback to new yorks early days when a town run on boisterous commerce was just revving up you can hear an echo of mister softees ancestors by paging through cries of new york 1808 an anthology of the shouted sales pitches of street vendors fruit peddlers knife grinders chimney sweeps sand merchants heres white sandchoice sandhere your lily white s a n dheres your rock a way beach s a n d
today the loudest sound we hear in new york is traffic a permanent background roar punctuated by the screams of police fire and ambulance sirens the mister softee jingle is different kind of siren a siren call   a beckoning faraway tune getting closer by the second telling us that a white boat on wheels will soon hove into view bringing refreshing delights supreme in 2004 mayor michael bloomberg tried to ban the mister softee song part of his effort to turn the city into a more tranquil yuppie idyll but the effort was shouted down new yorkers didnt want to let go of this reminder of an older wilder more raffish town
or maybe thats sentimental nonsense maybe people just really like soft ice cream in any case rip les waas pour one out and make it a vanilla malted milkshake remember waas this summer when his famous song ding a lings down the street and when you hear the beat we add to his melody   the patter of feet falling on pavement running toward the music


the process by which the artist dustin yellin creates his signature works   methodically collaging tens of thousands of tiny cutout images on multiple glass slabs then stacking those layers to create intricate three dimensional sculptures   doesnt require much technological intervention im pretty analog he admitted earlier this week when i stopped by his studio in red hook which is next door to his influential interdisciplinary arts space pioneer works
then again theres another way to look at yellins pieces as in his words analog polaroids of vr much of the pleasure of looking at them relies on space and depth and on the way the artist constructs 3d worlds so when google sought several artist collaborators for the launch of tilt brush   its just released technology that allows users to paint employing two hand held controllers and a vr headset in virtual reality 3d   yellin was a natural choice he received early access to the technology jeff koons did too and has been working with it for about a month during which time hes spent many hours in the virtual studio creating and exploring awesomely complicated virtual works hes also he said made many requests of and suggestions to the developers
for me it was such a perfect thing yellin said i work in space and through space so in a way this was cool because it kind of put me inside one of my works with the headset on in his studio it really did feel that way   wandering around one of the pieces hed created experiencing it from within and without was almost as much fun as painting my own its such a totally different kind of practice he said compared to the cutting pasting and assembling that go into his usual work but as this evolves and i might be able to scan pieces of collage and maybe video and things like that this is going to get bananas but even now what a way for me to make a sketch or practice an idea that im thinking about or test space
by this point yellin is more or less synonymous with pioneer works and the tilt brush collaboration involves the center too the headset and software yellin has been using will live in its tech lab so that artists in residency there can create new virtual work and at sunday nights pioneer works village fete its annual spring fund raiser one of the galleries in the space will be equipped with three vr stations giving guests the opportunity both to explore the works yellin has created and to try their hand at creating their own
i actually care less about people seeing what i did and more about getting to experience it for themselves yellin said of the event though playing with vr is an essentially solitary event its not out of keeping with his well documented community minded ethos i like vr because its accessible he said i like certain art forms and music forms that are accessible spaces that are accessible ideas that are accessible   because i think if you can make something that resonates to everyone then you can create a glue


at its best punk rock relies on an admixture of velocity attitude and volume   which is exactly what made last nights deaf club event a smash success the show held at the knockdown center in maspeth queens a former door factory turned interdisciplinary arts space was curated by the los angeles based artist alison odaniel who herself is hard of hearing the event was a live extension of odaniels the tuba thieves currently a part of her room tone exhibition   a film that explores the events surrounding an unlikely series of tuba thefts in los angeles schools
one portion however also recreates a performance in the deaf club a now defunct social club for san franciscos deaf community that hosted punk shows in 1979 as the story goes robert hanrahan the manager for the punk band the offs was walking by it saw a sign reading the deaf club and thought it was a cool unexpected name for a concert venue after realizing his mistake he asked if his band could play   a message he originally wrote on a napkin im not a punk historian said odaniel my interest comes more from the deaf community its the meeting of two totally disenfranchised communities   its really beautiful eventually bands including dead kennedys and pink section would record albums at the venue forever sanctifying it in punk lore a core irony of the story and also fittingly punk was that the shows eventually came to a halt because of noise complaints
but the goal of last nights event wasnt an attempt to dispel hearing peoples outmoded assumption that the deaf world doesnt or cant appreciate music   though that notion seemed ready to explode along with the tower of amps   but rather to create an environment where people of all ages and backgrounds could revel in the power of punk and performance art among the performers many of whom helped with the making of odaniels film were three bands and four american sign language storytellers each of whom approached the night with their own interpretation of the deaf club theme wall a brooklyn four piece brought no wave clamor and cutting politics to the stage while future punx arrived with fog machines and new wave synths in tow also appearing was a band with a name unpublishable in this publication   which only serves to solidify its street cred the frontman paddy mulloy played an mc in odaniels film
between the sets performers told stories of identity   comedic anecdotes personal hardships and the deaf worlds relationship with music maleni chaitoo drew a through line between the alienation of punk in the 70s and the underserved deaf community while opal gordon who closed out the show traced black history through the lens of music using a combination of asl and interpretive dance to spin a tale that moved from the slave trade to the her own story of embracing pop music as a deaf african american woman its not true that deaf people cant enjoy music said gordon music is strong they can feel the vibrations punk is perfect because its loud its heavy its in your face


in case you missed them we rounded up some of the months most interesting pieces and videos
for decades it seemed as though eileen myles and her unflinching depictions of new york misfits and creatives would forever be relegated to the margins of the american canon and then last year happened
sebastien meyer and arnaud vaillant the new creative team behind the 55 year old brand visited the houses original factory in pau   which was designed in 1972 by andre courreges himself
alessandro michele of gucci and demna gvasalia of balenciaga and vetements are making clothes that capture the zeitgeist t brought them together for the first time to have a little chat
hanya yanagihara the author of a little life on the importance of custom pieces
in this new column t brings together two people for the very first time   to see what happens
the bimonthly french magazine fou de patisserie recently opened a new storefront where every sweet treat is delivered daily from chefs around the city
what happened when ts online managing editor gave in to the wellness trend that new yorkers   especially millennials and young entrepreneurs   cant seem to get enough of
once an artist holed up in her paint spattered loft and created in solitude these days the idea of where an artist makes her work has changed   and so too the very nature of art itself
after years of short and boyish manicures women are growing their nails to make a fine point
the longtime friends ed moses larry bell and ed bereal gathered for dinner   and some reminiscing   in hollywood
some of the late musician singer songwriter and actors most influential outrageous   and unforgettable   looks


times insider delivers behind the scenes insights into how news features and opinion come together at the new york times in this piece julie bosman a national correspondent in the chicago bureau describes the timess coverage of the sentencing of j dennis hastert
the chicago bureau of the new york times covers 11 states a vast region that includes the remote american indian reservations of south dakota the ozarks of missouri and the picturesque lakes of northern minnesota
on wednesday all three of our reporters   myself included   were focused on a single place the federal district court in downtown chicago
this was the day of reckoning for j dennis hastert the illinois native and former speaker of the house who was set to be sentenced for the obscure federal crime of illegal bank structuring the case however sprawled far beyond structuring   mr hastert was accused of molesting boys that he had coached on the high school wrestling team in yorkville a small town in farm country west of chicago the cash withdrawals that got him into trouble with the fbi were hush money intended for one of his victims
we had prepared with what felt like military precision to triple team the hearing i arrived at the courthouse and waited in a single file line of anxious impatient reporters in a hallway outside the 14th floor courtroom hoping for a seat that would give me a clear view of mr hastert monica davey the chicago bureau chief was at the helm in an overflow courtroom where an audio and video feed would give her a glimpse into the proceedings mitch smith another reporter was outside the courthouse by 7 am to witness mr hastert arrive in a wheelchair surrounded by a phalanx of cameras and reporters
federal courthouses can be tricky nerve racking places to report from wi fi is nonexistent and cell service can disappear entirely dont even think about photographing or streaming video which will get you kicked out judges sometimes ban the use of electronics in the courtroom altogether forcing reporters to rely on their own scribbles on a notepad
i was armed with a backpack full of the usual 21st century reporting tools an iphone a laptop and a mifi so that i could create and use my own wi fi signal inside the room i wanted to live tweet the hearing given the intense interest in mr hasterts fate and to keep in touch with my editors and fellow reporters over email but who knew whether i would be able to
just before 10 am minutes before the hearing was scheduled to begin a stern looking bailiff said that we could enter the courtroom
the room was small with only a half dozen wooden rows for spectators my heart sank when the bailiff ordered me to sit in the back row a good 20 feet from where mr hastert would be seated longtime members of the chicago news media   whom the bailiff greeted warmly by their first names   were ushered into the cushy seats in the jury box newcomers like me have to earn those spots
i improvised a better seat by folding up my long bulky coat it was still quasi winter in chicago and sitting on it which probably made me look slightly ridiculous but gave me a crystal clear view of mr hastert and to my immense relief the bailiff announced that we were allowed to use phones and ipads during the hearing and my mifi signal transmitted perfectly
the next two hours were painful and riveting mr hastert who is 74 was confronted by a sexual abuse victim a man now in his 50s and the sister of another victim who died in 1995 rising out of his wheelchair with difficulty the man who was once second in line to the presidency stood before a federal judge and admitted molesting his former students the judge who spent most of the hearing eviscerating mr hastert sentenced him to 15 months in prison well above the federal guidelines for his financial crime
twitter became my notebook i ended up posting more than 60 tweets full of quotes and color while monica wrote and updated the online story from the other courtroom seconds after court adjourned i was concentrating on my laptop so intently that i didnt realize the bailiff was standing over me frowning
miss he said time to go now


i sat in the passenger seat of a station wagon with my friend brian an american who is living and raising a family in osaka   his cute toddler was snoozing in the back   as he explained local rivalries we were driving down midosuji boulevard the main thoroughfare in central osaka conflicts between the kansai region where osaka sits and the kanto region which tokyo calls home can get intense he said people stand on opposite sides of the escalator in the two cities make fun of how the other speaks and instant ramen companies flavor their udon broths differently depending on the region putting a small e or w on the packaging to denote east kantotokyo or west kansaiosaka brian grew up in texas you know how texas sort of thinks its its own country and plays by its own rules he asked thats osaka
one thing both tokyo and osaka have in common theyre both famously expensive cities i had already spent time in tokyo on a modest budget more on that next week and decided to see if osaka and its individualism would prove as accessible
particularly when it came to food osaka has a fantastic high end dining scene from places that serve pricey kobe beef kobe is just 40 minutes away by car to the menu at fujiya 1935 a spanish restaurant with three michelin stars and a spot on the worlds 50 best restaurants list where it really shines though is in its casual comfort food and street food   inexpensive bites that got me excited to explore the city id also heard osaka was the ideal place to try pufferfish   the sea creature with lethally poisonous organs
but before potentially deadly fish there were lodgings to arrange even that had toxic potential i managed to inadvertently book a room at a short stay hotel   which is a nice way of saying a love hotel
the concept of a love hotel is as old as time itself obviously but the actual name love hotel originated according to some in the 1960s with an old osakan concrete building called hotel love the modern japanese love hotel caters to those seeking discretion in their affairs payable typically in hours long increments it also allows for tourists and regular guests too however something i didnt realize when i booked the 89 per night room on hotelscom
i should have been tipped off when i walked into the completely empty lobby a woman eventually peeked out from behind a sliding panel on the near wall and greeted me the check in process at an overseas hotel usually takes at least five or 10 minutes photocopies of passports are made credit card deposits are taken this took about 10 seconds the woman wordlessly showed me a piece of paper with a bunch of names on it i noticed my name and pointed to it she gave me a room key and slid the panel shut that was it i didnt even have to show id
the room though was decent enough the bathroom had a slight mildew smell but the room was the most spacious i had during the 10 days i spent in japan the queen bed was also the largest there was a large control panel on the headboard that allowed me to control the air conditioning stereo and every light in the room all without getting out of the bed and there was a karaoke machine and a very large bathtub did i mention the name of the hotel its called public jam
it was all just bizarre enough to encourage me to get out and about fortunately i was close to dotonbori the main night life and restaurant area in osaka focused around an east west canal in namba district in the center of town dotonbori is a tightly woven lattice of streets filled with various restaurants bars shops and gigantic signage with space at a premium vendors had to compete for eyeballs which led to the creation of the glico man for instance or the giant mechanical crab atop kani doraku a seafood restaurant chain
i walked along the canal one evening dodging tourist and locals alike past hosts and hostesses of different nightclubs trying to entice clients through their doors i knew i wanted to try kushikatsu skewers of deep fried meat and veggies accompanied by a sweet tangy sauce and takoyaki battered balls that are typically filled with small pieces of octopus and covered in various toppings i knew i had run into my first destination when i almost tripped over a giant extremely ornery looking fiberglass man holding what looked like two corn dogs on sticks i was at daruma a chain famous for its kushikatsu
the place was packed but i took advantage of being a solo traveler wedging myself in between two people at the counter and placing my order 1400 yen about 13 for a nine piece combo of assorted meats and vegetables covered in a panko based batter   panko is a crunchy light breadcrumb   and deep fried a chopsticks holder and a large communal container of dipping sauce lay on the counter before me on the sauce container was a warning please only dip once brian had warned me earlier theyll get really mad if you double dip
my food arrived quickly and i scarfed down my servings of beef asparagus shrimp rice cake and fish sausage among other things pulled hot out of the fryer just seconds earlier still dripping with fat did i always know what kind of skewer i was eating no and it didnt particularly matter the primary texture was a fine airy crunch and the main flavor was the thick communal sauce that tasted of worcestershire
osakans love their sauces   especially their brown sauces takoyaki sauce is not unlike the kushikatsu sauce but it struck me as being slightly lighter and maybe a little fruitier i ate a lot of takoyaki during my stay in osaka but my favorite was probably from takoyaki ebisu outside of the dotonbori area near the nippombashi train station i paid 450 yen for 12 pieces within dotonbori expect to pay a premium   i bought takoyaki there that cost 500 yen for eight pieces the golf ball sized spheres were fresh and scalding hot the wheat based batter was goopy and filling and the dozen balls came topped with shaved bonito flakes pickled ginger and the sweet sticky brown sauce
its worth noting that these dishes are available all over the city shinsekai in particular is known for being the birthplace of kushikatsu shinsekai in the southern part of osaka is a neighborhood known for being slightly seedy i found it perfectly pleasant and safe though it does gives the impression of a part of town that time and economic progress forgot an enormous aging 100 meter high structure modeled after the eiffel tower called tsutenkaku serves as the focal point of the area some modest shops and restaurants line the streets   foot traffic usually so heavy in major japanese cities shopping areas is light in shinsekai i passed a woman running a carnival style air rifle game in a shopping arcade the prizes for winning were pringles and ritz crackers
i couldnt leave shinsekai without trying kushikatsu so i went to kushikatsu zanzan where according to brian they served scorpion skewers sadly they were sold out i had a five skewer vegetable sampler though and paid around 650 yen the best cheap eat i found though was a tiny shop near tennoji park where i picked up two beautiful pieces of onigiri rice balls wrapped in nori with pickled ginger and a bowl of soup for only 100 yen
i may have missed the scorpion but i still had pufferfish ahead of me zuboraya is a chain known for serving the poisonous fugu as its called in japanese now why wouldnt you want to eat this little guy because the tetrodotoxin found within can be highly poisonous as these five men found out last year when they asked to eat the pufferfish liver tip dont ever ever do that
many consume the fish without incident however when its properly prepared i ordered a pufferfish sashimi lunch at zuboraya said some mental prayers and ate the thin pallid slices off of the plate in front of me
what did it taste like not a whole lot the dainty slices had a correspondingly light flavor and the texture was slightly chewy after the initial piece i started dipping them in the accompanying shoyu to give them some   any   kind of flavor and to my relief i didnt become ill or die afterward but for 950 yen i suppose it was worth the very slight thrill of knowing i was living on the edge of the culinary knife
the best eating experience i had as frequently happens came purely accidentally at another lunch i found myself smack dab in the middle of a place called shin umeda shokudogai i saw a queue of people waiting outside a door with a small yellow sign that read kiji in hiragana characters it means green pheasant the national bird of japan according to my internet research i often found that a good foreign country mealtime strategy is find a place with a long line of locals
so i joined having quite literally no idea what to expect at 1130 am the door opened and a small group of us were whisked inside up a narrow winding staircase into a cramped restaurant with a few tables and a modest open kitchen there were some stools set up directly on the large flat top grill that dominated the room we sat as the chef slowly began working ladling a chunky mixture onto the grill like a thick pancake okonomiyaki the quintessential osakan dish it derives its name from okonomi meaning what you like in this case you can take that to mean anything and everything after ladling the battered mixture of flour dashi egg and cabbage onto the hot grill the chef dressed the pancakes with pork belly seafood onions shiso leaf and other assorted vegetables
when your pancake is done it isnt served to you on a plate the chef merely slides it over and you eat off the grill the woman next to me was eating something else i pointed and asked what it was as it looked fantastic modanyaki she said it was a huge portion of yakisoba   fried wheat noodles mixed with bits of pork cabbage and other vegetables   that had been whisked with an egg mixture and poured onto the grill like a giant omelet she saw me staring at her food and i embarrassedly looked away while her english was limited and my japanese nonexistent she apparently could read minds she cut off a small portion of her dish and slid it over to me i did the same with my okonomiyaki
my dish 680 yen was heavier heartier deeply filling her dish though i liked even better crunchy cabbage and crispy fried noodles joined together with the fluffy egg mixture we ate mostly in silence as did the rest of the patrons my new friend and i didnt speak but it wasnt necessary we both felt how lucky we were to be there at that moment enjoying the finest lunch the city had to offer


times insider delivers behind the scenes insights from the new york times below are highlights from television and radio interviews featuring times staffers
tyler hicks a staff photographer for the new york times joined pbs newshour to discuss his recent pulitzer prize for breaking news photography for capturing the resolve of refugees the perils of their journeys and the struggle of host countries to take them in
elisabeth bumiller the timess washington bureau chief joined msnbcs morning joe to discuss hillary clintons foreign policy stances as depicted in the new york times magazine cover story how hillary clinton became a hawk
stephanie strom a reporter for the times joined wrko radios financial exchange to discuss the news that chobani the yogurt maker will be giving its employees shares worth up to 10 percent of the company when it goes public or is sold
ashley parker a political correspondent for the times joined fox news channels shepard smith reporting to discuss donald j trumps message to voters shifting toward a general election tone


welcome to watching the new york timess what to watch guide we comb through releases big and small famous and esoteric to email readers twice a week with our timely recommendations our most recent suggestions also appear below to receive our guide straight to your inbox sign up here
i saw so many people in shorts and sandals in new york city this week   its warmer friends but its not sandals warm just yet but i get the impulse cant it just be summer already i want fewer responsibilities more hours of daylight and whoevers going to die on the season finale of greys anatomy to get busy dying im in the mood for bold interesting shows that still feel fun   the tv equivalent of getting tipsy with a funky philosophy professor
if you like this email or if you think there are things we can do to improve it please take our brief survey and let us know how you feel it should take you less than five minutes have a terrific weekend even if you have to keep those birkenstocks in the closet a little longer see you on monday
for this weekend im recommending two series that hit that sweet spot of being thoughtful and focused while also being juicy and delightfully addictive
unreal burst on the scene last summer as a salty workplace drama set within a bachelor esque reality show but this lifetime series turned into much more   anyone can call the bachelor contrived but it takes a gutsy kind of cynicism to turn that same skepticism on romantic love in general shiri appleby stars as rachel a reality tv producer fresh off a mental health breakdown who reluctantly slinks back to the job that destroyed her sense of self in the first place
bets being mary jane starring gabrielle union as a cable news anchor had a slightly bumpier start but over the course of its first season the show settled into itself   and then in seasons 2 and 3 it blossomed into a vampy drama with more to say about race politics sex loyalty and family than just about anything else on tv
both shows use their behind the scenes settings to tease out ideas of authenticity and artificiality particularly the ways women are asked to perform certain versions of themselves storylines involve stolen sperm illicit affairs slapping suicides various scams and some substantial bed hopping but unlike the prime time soaps of yore unreal and being mary jane use these extreme stories to illuminate real ideas rather than just to scandalize or titillate
unreal returns june 6 being mary jane later this year no firm date yet in the meantime watch all of unreal on hulu and watch seasons 1 and 2 of being mary jane on netflix and buy season 3 on itunes if youve already watched unreal lifetime just released a web series called the faith diaries starring the shows farm girl faith who moves to los angeles its incredibly scanty   10 episodes most around three minutes long   but still a lot of fun
for the past few years ive taken on a long show in the summer last summer i consumed lost and scrubs the summer before that summer is now fast approaching i was considering the x files but ive heard mixed opinions do you have any suggestions for a show to fill my summer that is worth the hefty time commitment   josh
if you found that lost was worth the commitment then the x files is as well are there crummy disappointing parts to the x files of course i loathe the shows final arcs but that does not at all negate how much elation earlier seasons brought me this isnt the kind of pain that makes us bitter its the kind of pain that makes us wise
but if you want a show that will never let you down you seek cheers and if you want to just drown yourself in tv this summer you seek cheers followed by frasier frasier dips a tiny bit toward the end but you only notice that if youve been gobbling up the previous 10 seasons the way an evil witch sucks the joy out of a peaceful kingdom see margaret of two years ago watch it like a human being and youll be fine
there are 275 episodes of cheers or 271 depending on how you want to count hourlong episodes and specials these episodes clock in around 24 minutes unlike todays half hour comedies which are much closer to 20 that is so much cheers then there are 264 episodes of frasier which is technically a spinoff though the shows are utterly different thats more than 200 glorious hours of tv for you josh   probably enough to carry you through until the fall watch cheers on netflix or hulu watch frasier on netflix or hulu
election high school political campaign smart acerbic satire starring reese witherspoon and directed by alexander payne expires from netflix on sunday
blow out movie sound effects man and murder tough effective but contrived thriller starring john travolta and directed by brian de palma expires from amazon prime on saturday
in the heat of the night black yankee sleuth on southern murder case strong stinging psychological tug of war starring sidney poitier and rod steiger directed by norman jewison expires from hbo on saturday
annie hall manhattan comedy writer in and out of love a best picture oscar winner buoyant and probing starring woody allen and diane keaton directed by allen expires from hbo on saturday
blood simple texas adultery and murder the coen brothers overtouted first but catch it once starring frances mcdormand expires from amazon prime on saturday
showtimes campy victorian era set thriller penny dreadful returns for its third season sunday give it a go if you like ...
 horror that takes itself just seriously enough
 eva green
 eva green out acting everyone and everything especially josh hartnett sorry josh
buy episodes on amazon or itunes for 299 each watch on hulu or amazon with a supplemental showtime subscription


sam sifton emails readers of cooking five days a week to talk about food and suggest recipes that email also appears here to receive it in your inbox register here
good morning i wrote a column for the times magazine this week about my current favorite sandwich fried eggplant with roast beef mozzarella and hot cherry peppers on a hero roll it would be nice if we could all make a few of those this weekend - heres the recipe - and then talk about our work in the comments on the article and in the notes feature attached to the recipe because heres the thing it is an awesome sandwich in truth i sometimes omit the roast beef i never leave out the mayonnaise discuss
other things to make this weekend mark bittmans recipe for grilled lamb with lemongrass and ginger a key lime poundcake have you tried nigella lawsons recipe for spareribs with pineapple and molasses its delicious with steamed rice and a platter of sauteed baby bok choy
in keeping with our philosophy of market cuisine how about a dinner of fettuccine with asparagus or asparagus soup with ricotta crostini or asparagus with walnuts parmesan and brown butter we like that with roasted chicken provencal
its the weekend we can cook up a storm
but we can also start some spring cleaning it pains us here at cooking to be badgers but the fact is that winter is tough on a kitchen this would be a good weekend to set things right by clearing out the refrigerator and giving it a deep clean then doing the same with your spice collection and maybe your collection of pots and pans as well assignment ditch what you dont need soundtrack alabama shakes be mine live in sydney
or dont you may want to just sit on the couch all weekend binge watching the swedish original series the bridge on hulu and waiting for this nordic recipe for lamb in a coffee braise to roast into intensity you could read j bradford hippss debut novel the adventurist and cook an omelet for dinner heres a recipe for a ramp omelet if youre the sort of cat who thrills to ramps or you could browse the photographs in the metropolitan museum of arts exhibition on crime stories then make ramen we dont judge here
you can find other recipes to cook this weekend on cooking if you need to reach us you can find us posting status updates to facebook and twitter and posting pretty pictures on pinterest and instagram where we use and monitor the hashtag nytcooking or you can write us directly at cookingcarenytimescom
now whos up for a bear fight at the bar after work have a great weekend


for his bookshop and website one grand books the editor aaron hicklin asked people to name the 10 books theyd take with them if they were marooned on a desert island the next in the series is the actor director and writer alan cumming who shares his list exclusively with t from may 1 22 one grand will host a pop up shop at industry city in sunset park brooklyn
the trick is to keep breathing janice galloway
this is like a scottish catcher in the rye you actually feel youre inside this womans head it is that visceral and having experienced a downward spiral myself i so admire her accuracy in every detail
the passion jeanette winterson
again its all about the visceral she understands yearning like no one else and also i love a good historic european romp
the blind assassin margaret atwood
margaret atwood is so clever and brilliant just reading her book and keeping up with it made me feel like a genius but to engage a reader emotionally over so many different story lines is awe inspiring
christopher and his kind christopher isherwood
this is the unedited and unadulterated version of the stories that made up isherwoods books goodbye to berlin and mr norris changes trains which were the source material for the play i am a camera and later the musical cabaret i find it fascinating that isherwood still writes about himself in the third person an interesting literary device yet it feels like a smokescreen and leaves you wondering how much more there is to tell
lanark a life in four books alasdair gray
this is an epic modern scottish classic gray is a renowned artist as well as author and here he paints a dystopian glasgow that is mesmerizing and terrifying in equal measures
close up john fraser
this is a beautifully written memoir that is completely frank and fascinating about life in the 60s as an up and coming matinee idol who just happens to be gay
maggie and me damian barr
margaret thatcher loomed over my youth and so she did with damian barrs though more pointedly and intricately woven in his this is harrowing family saga but written with an abundance of wit and tenderness
the beautiful room is empty edmund white
i found this book so educational in terms of what it must have been like to grow up in america discovering you need to harbor a secret and the yearning in these pages is so palpable
five on a treasure island enid blyton
i grew up reading the famous five books and recently i reread the first one and was shocked to realize it contains the first trans person i ever encountered and also how much its almost fetishistic description of food had everything to do with the rationing that britain was ensuring at the time lashings and lashings of ginger beer
after leaving mr mackenzie jean rhys
this is the story of a woman who has been discarded and who will not go down gently if ever there was an unsung heroine of feminist literature it is the amazing jean rhys


what crafted these crisscrossing lines in the caspian sea
its a question that had norman kuring scratching his head earlier this month when he first saw this satellite image of the shallow waters surrounding the tyuleniy archipelago
mr kuring an oceanographer for nasa often examines images taken by the agencys landsat 8 satellite which orbits some 440 miles above earth but he had never before seen what looks like underwater scars stretching for miles across the green and blue seafloor
i had no idea what they were he said i thought maybe they were marks of trawlers which sometimes disturb the bottom
he and his colleagues posted the peculiar picture to twitter and asked for help
others were also befuddled some suggested it might be marks left by a motorboat propeller but after a few tweets they found a more likely suspect ice
the ice in the northern part of the caspian sea is thin only about a foot and a half but the water by the islands is also shallow about 10 feet deep
the theory was that large frozen chunks had been blown across the sea until they piled on top of each other like ice cubes in a pitcher the stacked ice might have been deep enough to gouge the seafloor as the winds blew the ice was dragged across the bottom plowing the sea grass and algae
with his new hunch mr kuring turned back to the landsat 8 images and rewound them to january when winter still grasped the region the photos showed that the area was covered in ice at the exact spots where the marks were found
it was even clearer at that point that most of the marks were caused by ice blown around by the wind mr kuring said its like a big rake across the bottom
mr kuring and his colleaguess suspicion was confirmed by stanislav ogorodov a researcher at lomonosov moscow state university who had previously observed the sea scars known as scour marks according to nasa after dr ogorodov looked at the images he said the scratches were undoubtedly ice scour marks melting away the mystery


front page
an article on tuesday about the inability of the united states and iran to work together to promote unity in iraq even though both want to defeat the islamic state there misidentified the country that backs the badr organization which resists calls to let humanitarian aid into falluja an isis held city under siege by the iraqi army that country is iran not iraq a picture caption with the article misidentified the weapon being fired by shiite fighters outside falluja it is a recoilless rifle not a rocket
new york
an article on wednesday about the sentencing of alhassane ould mohamed who pleaded guilty last month to murdering william bultemeier a defense department attache assigned to the united states embassy in niger in 2000 referred incorrectly to danni bultemeier who addressed the court she is the second youngest daughter of mr bultemeier not as stated in court the youngest
business day
an article on wednesday about the freeing from jail of andre esteves former chief of btg pactual misstated his history with the bank in some copies as chief executive he built the bank into a giant but he did not found it

a correction in this space on wednesday for an article about a donation to the university of california san francisco from the former citigroup chairman sanford i weill and his wife misstated her given name as the article correctly noted she is joan not jane
the arts
a theater review on thursday about long days journey into night at the american airlines theater in manhattan misidentified the character who has a climactic drunk scene he is jamie not edmund the review also misstated the name of the maid played by colby minifie she is cathleen not bridget and the review misstated the year jessica lange played mary tyrone in london it was 2000 not 2012

an article on wednesday about upheaval at the pennsylvania ballet referred incorrectly to the dancers sterling baca and nayara lopes who are joining the company they are not married
obituaries
an obituary on wednesday about the actress madeleine sherwood misstated the day she died it was saturday april 23   not last friday april 22 the obituary also misidentified the type of headgear worn by sally field on the television show the flying nun on which ms sherwood was a co star it was a cornet a kind of headdress worn by nuns   not a coronet a kind of crown

because of an editing error an obituary on thursday about horace ward georgias first black federal judge misstated the year he graduated from law school it was 1959   not 1979 the year he was appointed to the federal bench
the times welcomes comments and suggestions or complaints about errors that warrant correction messages on news coverage can be e mailed to nytnewsnytimescom or left toll free at 1 844 nyt news 1 844 698 6397 comments on editorials may be e mailed to lettersnytimescom or faxed to 212 556 3622
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washington   t j oshie completed a hat trick in overtime to give the capitals a 4 3 home victory over the pittsburgh penguins on thursday night in a classic start to a highly anticipated second round playoff series featuring alex ovechkin and sidney crosby
oshies wraparound goal 9 minutes 33 seconds into overtime of game 1 of the best of seven series stood up after a video review showed that the puck had clearly crossed the goal line
the vezina trophy finalist braden holtby made 42 saves and andre burakovsky also scored for the capitals
pittsburghs matt murray stopped 43 shots ben lovejoy evgeni malkin and nick bonino scored for the penguins who will try to even the series in game 2 on saturday night in washington
ovechkin the 2004 no 1 pick assisted on oshies second goal while crosby the top pick in 2005 was on the ice for three goals against this is the first playoff meeting between the two eastern conference stars since 2009
after days of hype the penguins jumped out to a fast start chris kunitz fired a shot off the post in the first minute and pittsburgh had five of the games first six shots
a tripping penalty on pittsburghs matt cullen did not lead to a power play goal but it turned the tide the game was played almost entirely in the penguins defensive end as washington had 10 straight shots on goal
the ninth and 10th in that sequence came off the rush 1013 in and made the score 1 0 for washington with john carlson and jason chimera on a three on two advantage burakovsky fed chimera and scored on the rebound off murrays left pad
burakovskys goal was his first point of the playoffs it was just the start of the scoring
at 1040 of the second period the penguins got their own rebound goal off the rush bonino blew past the capitals third defensive pair nate schmidt and dmitry orlov turning them inside out and giving lovejoy a putback off holtbys right pad
just 57 seconds later malkin stepped off the bench and took a pass from kunitz malkin strode toward the net and lifted a backhander over holtby to give the penguins the lead


florham park nj   the jets draft philosophy as explained by general manager mike maccagnan is not to let decisions be swayed by needs if he were to factor them into his evaluations it could skew the process and so maccagnan has said he adheres to his board and does not deviate
as a chaotic first round unfolded thursday night careening toward the jets selection at no 20 and maccagnan surveyed the players available it would have been difficult for him not to address a deficiency given his pick of positions maccagnan went with a versatile linebacker selecting darron lee from ohio state
the jets could have chosen an offensive lineman a quarterback or a cornerback and it would have seemed reasonable as it was they bypassed two intriguing options   quarterback paxton lynch of memphis and linebacker myles jack of ucla   to snag lee who coach todd bowles said will play inside but has the potential to move outside as well
bowles said that lees emergence as a three down linebacker appealed to the jets and that his strengths   speed athleticism agility   would be critical in a league featuring so many spread offenses
the jets linebacking corps has absorbed several departures this off season including demario davis cleveland and calvin pace unsigned and has an aging stalwart david harris up the middle it also lacks an obvious choice to play outside linebacker opposite lorenzo mauldin the teams third round pick last season
lee is expected to slot in behind erin henderson but if he develops as the jets hope he will help the defense transition from harris
lee 20 who is 6 feet 2 inches and according to bowles 232 pounds recorded 12 sacks across his two seasons with the buckeyes and 27  1/2  tackles for loss
lee continues a trend that has spanned coaches and regimes he is the seventh consecutive defensive player the jets have taken with their first overall pick a streak that began in 2010 the year after they traded up to choose mark sanchez
they could still take a quarterback perhaps as early as friday in the second or third round among the possibilities then will be connor cook of michigan state christian hackenberg of penn state jacoby brissett of north carolina state and dak prescott of mississippi state


paul millsap had 17 points and 8 rebounds and the atlanta hawks beat the boston celtics 104 92 on thursday night to advance to the second round of the nba playoffs
the hawks open the second round on monday at cleveland
al horford and kent bazemore each added 15 points for the hawks who earned their first playoff series win over boston since the st louis hawks beat the celtics in the 1958 nba finals
coming off a 27 point win in game 5 the hawks took advantage of poor shooting by boston to build a lead that reached as many as 28 points atlanta shot 74 percent from the field during a 39 point third quarter
the celtics made a final charge to cut atlantas lead to 10 points but the hawks were able to hold them off
isaiah thomas had 25 points and 10 assists for the celtics whose last three playoff appearances have ended in first round exits
no call upheld dwyane wade was not fouled on miamis final offensive play of a loss to charlotte in game 5 of their eastern conference first round series the nba determined
wade thought he had been fouled with 26 seconds left as he tried to tie wednesdays game no call came and the heat lost 90 88
the hornets lead the series three games to two game 6 will be at charlotte on friday
cavs lue backs ex coach cavaliers coach tyronn lue would like to see the man he replaced david blatt find another nba job
he definitely deserves another chance lue said i thought coach blatt did a great and phenomenal job here
blatt was fired in january despite a 30 11 record lue then guided cleveland to the top seed in the eastern conference


jake arrietas bid for a second straight no hitter was dashed on his fifth pitch his wrigley field scoreless streak ended at 52 23 innings
oh and he won his 16th consecutive decision the longest streak in the major leagues in more than a decade
i was a little flat today arrieta said thursday after leading the cubs over the milwaukee brewers 7 2 in chicago
chicago improved to 16 5 its best 21 game start since opening at 17 4 in 1907
arrieta 5 0 gave up one run three hits and four walks in five innings   the first run he had allowed at home since july 25 alex presleys fifth inning rbi double ended arrietas home scoreless streak four outs shy of ray herberts major league record set with the chicago white sox in 1962 and 1963
arrietas streak of consecutive winning decisions is the longest since jose contreras of the white sox won 17 in a row from august 2005 to july 2006 according to the research firm stats
chicago has won in arrietas last 18 starts a team record arrietas streak of consecutive quality starts ended at 24 two shy of bob gibsons record from 1967 to 1968
i saw 92 pitches cubs manager joe maddon said i saw the cubs trying to win a world series i saw the next five years of his career all that stuff mattered much more than breaking gibsons record
cubs left fielder kris bryant left in the fifth after rolling his right ankle while running the bases two innings earlier the team called it a mild sprain but said bryant was to undergo a magnetic resonance imaging exam
ben zobrist hit a two run single in the first off taylor jungmann 0 4 who gave up five runs six hits and three walks in three and two thirds innings as his era rose to 915 he also hit bryant with two pitches
ross hit a solo home run onto waveland avenue in the second and anthony rizzo and tommy la stella added rbi doubles in the third for a 5 0 lead
tigers 7 athletics 3 anthony gose doubled and homered anibal sanchez pitched through a wild outing and detroit beat oakland to take three of four in the series against the visiting athletics gose who entered the game with a 170 batting average had not gotten an extra base hit since homering on opening day
sanchez 3 2 scraped through five and two thirds innings while still searching for his proper mechanics sanchez allowed two runs and three hits while striking out nine but walked seven   one shy of his major league high he allowed three runners to steal without a throw
sanchez was the first tigers starter to walk seven and strike out nine in the same start since jack morris did so against texas on april 14 1988
chris bassitt 0 2 gave up seven runs 10 hits and three walks in three and two thirds innings he is 0 2 with a 1350 era in his last two outings allowing 24 runners in eight and two thirds innings
orioles 10 white sox 2 manny machado had a grand slam and a career high five rbi leading baltimore over the visiting white sox and stopping chicagos six game winning streak
chris davis and mark trumbo hit consecutive third inning homers for the orioles who are 8 1 at camden yards and have the best home record in the major leagues
machado stopped an 0 for 17 slide with a run scoring double in a four run third inning against john danks 0 4 and homered in the sixth off jake petricka machado is batting 333 with a team high seven homers
braves 5 red sox 3 atlanta ended an eight game losing streak beating host boston as nick markakis had three singles a double and three rbi
mallex smith doubled twice and had a run scoring single for the braves a big league worst 5 17 atlanta won for the first time since april 19
jhoulys chachin 1 1 gave up two runs and six hits in five plus innings to win for the first time since signing with the braves as a free agent in december five pitchers combined for four hit relief with arodys vizcaino getting three outs for his second save
phillies 3 nationals 0 cameron rupp hit a tiebreaking two run double off jonathan papelbon in a three run ninth inning and philadelphia beat host washington to complete a three game sweep
aaron nola dalier hinojosa elvis araujo 1 0 and jeanmar gomez combined on a four hitter and extended washingtons scoreless streak to 22 innings
philadelphia has won six of seven and at 12 10 has moved two games over 500 the phillies swept a series in washington for the first time since may 2009


east rutherford nj   nearly every nfl team ceaselessly plans for the first night of the leagues draft trying to anticipate every possible outcome of the teams picking before them teams also assess any conceivable off the field issue besmirching a top prospects worthiness just in case that player is available when it is their turn to make a first round selection
the giants did all of those things this year but they still could not have predicted what happened in the roughly 90 minutes between the start of the draft and their first round pick the 10th which they used to select eli apple a cornerback from ohio state
minutes before they were to pick perhaps the two highest ranked players they had hoped would be available   georgia linebacker leonard floyd and michigan state offensive tackle jack conklin   were snatched away by other teams both of whom had made trades to leapfrog over the giants not only were floyd and conklin prized selections they would have bolstered parts of the giants roster viewed as weaknesses
the surprising series of events however did leave the giants the option of taking the highly regarded mississippi tackle laremy tunsil who like conklin would have filled a glaring need on the giants offensive line
but the draft appeal of tunsil once viewed as a top five pick plummeted thursday night minutes before the draft began according to tunsil someone hacked into his twitter account and posted a video that appeared to show tunsil inhaling marijuana through a bong that was attached to a gas mask
tunsils twitter account was deleted along with the video shortly thereafter tunsil later reinstated his account with an apology
the giants stayed away from tunsil despite their zeal for a new right tackle tunsil instead went to miami with the 13th pick
afterward jerry reese the giants general manager insisted that apple had been the teams highest ranked player when it was their time to make a selection
reese quickly added however beyond the guys with issues
asked if tunsil had been taken off the list of potential draft picks before or after the release of the video reese answered im not talking about whos on our board or who isnt
reese also praised apple as a selection who filled a need
the giants have two quality starting cornerbacks in dominique rodgers cromartie and the newly acquired janoris jenkins but they sorely need a third cornerback to play the nickel position in passing situations
reese indicated that he expected apple to play immediately
we think he has starter tools and can play anywhere he said
the nights intrigue did not seem to wear on reese who said with a smile every year during the draft something funny happens its no different this year
but even apple who was raised in voorhees nj admitted he was surprised he said the giants had talked to him only once at the nfl combine
in fact when apples cellphone rang around 930 last night and he saw that the call had a new jersey area code he thought it was a friend pranking him apple answered to discover that coach ben mcadoo was on the line
apple 20 is 6 feet 1 inch and 200 pounds he was the most valuable defensive player of the 2016 fiesta bowl and intercepted four passes in two seasons at ohio state in 28 games he made 86 tackles
apples relatively small number of interceptions did not discourage the giants brain trust marc ross the teams vice president of player evaluation said apples production was more so shutting people down as opposed to getting interceptions
conklin went to the tennessee titans who had made a trade to acquire him with the eighth pick the giants woes continued when the chicago bears traded to acquire the ninth pick and selected floyd who had been widely viewed as the player whom the giants had ranked no 1 among those they reasonably expected to be available by the 10th pick
they were off by one selection
mcadoo in his first year as coach did not lament the turn of events when asked how he reacted to those crazy first nine picks mcadoo answered i think you trust your board and we got exactly what we wanted where we wanted


washington   for most journalists who cover the white house regularly the chance to question president obama comes rarely and the opportunity for a one on one interview with him almost never
not so for a group of college journalists visiting the white house on thursday who were treated to a surprise presidential news conference in the white house briefing room one of them even scored a tentative date to interview mr obama on his campus next month
i heard there were some hotshot journalists here mr obama told the students striding to the podium to interrupt a scheduled question and answer session by his press secretary josh earnest josh was speaking for me and i wanted to make sure he was getting it right
the president proceeded over the next 40 minutes to take a wide range of questions from the students who were attending the first white house college reporter day on issues like immigration the water crisis in flint mich syrian refugees civic engagement and his proudest achievements
in between mr obama managed to sneak in some fatherly advice   just never admit that youre nervous just pretend like its routine he told one anxious questioner   and some teasing as he made pitches for an expanded student loan initiative and the confirmation of his supreme court nominee merrick b garland
hey ay mr obama said playfully cocking his head at a young woman who prefaced her question with a hey
she asked mr obama whether he planned to take additional executive actions on immigration while the supreme court decides the fate of his program to allow millions of undocumented immigrants to live and work legally in the united states
our hands are a little bit tied on major changes mr obama said adding that a future president could undo his executive orders and that he was not optimistic that congress would come through with legislation before he left office
facing a roomful of students with politely raised hands mr obama modified some of his standard lines for a younger audience asked about his proudest achievements as president he cited the 2010 affordable care act which has resulted in health coverage for 20 million americans but also mentioned his family
mainly as the assistant to michelle obama ive raised two daughters who are amazing and im really really proud of them mr obama said adding that doing so while also focusing on his job was something that i work hard on
answering a student who said the presidents chances of reaching his goal of admitting 10000 syrian refugees by the end of the year appeared iffy mr obama said were going to keep on pushing
dan corey editor in chief of the daily targum at rutgers university where mr obama is scheduled to be the commencement speaker next month seemed to catch the president off guard when he asked point blank for an interview when the president comes to his new brunswick campus
thats a good use of your time right there mr obama said he added that he usually vets interview requests with his press advisers but i am favorably disposed towards giving you a little bit of time
a journalist who asked for a picture with him after the news conference was not as lucky mr obama said that if he obliged there will be a long line
but it was a student who asked about how to restore americans faith in democracy who provoked the most animated response from the president a former community organizer who campaigned on hope and change and has recently lamented his inability to change politics for the better
after a long discourse on what is broken in politics   gerrymandered districts a flood of undisclosed campaign contributions and negative advertisements   mr obama cited the low turnout numbers in american elections especially by young people
you cant just complain youve got to vote mr obama said dont let people tell you that what you do doesnt matter dont give away your power
you got me started the president added i went on a rant didnt i


the 2015 baseball season began amid speculation that the mets would actually outperform the yankees which is not something that happens that often
those predictions turned out to be accurate but it took awhile to pan out at the conclusion of the july 31 trading deadline for instance the yankees were a solid 58 44 and six games up in the american league east the mets they were barely above 500 at 53 50 and were fortunate to be just two games back of an underachieving washington club in the national league east
things changed in august with yoenis cespedes added to their lineup the mets took off by sept 1 they were 73 59 and had roared right past the nationals the yankees meanwhile flattened out their 73 58 record was barely better than it had been a month before and they were now a second place club trailing toronto
the contrasting trends continued through the remainder of the season the fading yankees finished at 87 75 a wild card club that lasted all of nine innings in the postseason
the surging mets finished at 90 72 division winners who made it all the way to the world series
now 20 games into the 2016 season nothing has changed the yankees who have an intimidating late game bullpen inconsistent starting pitching and a creaky middle of the batting order are floundering with an 8 12 mark the mets with a capable looking lineup and a standout rotation that is coming together after a bumpy start are an impressive 13 7
that is a five game gap that could mean something or nothing at all since it is still so early in the season but it does sort of hint at the notion that the mets are now in one of those rare periods where they might be the better new york team for a while
the last time it happened was in the mid  to late 1980s when the yankees were usually pretty decent but not as good as the mets who twice won 100 games in the regular season and in 1986 prevailed in the world series
this seasons gap is easily grasped from a handful of team statistics the mets with a surprising 30 home runs ranked fourth in that category in the majors going into thursdays games the yankees with 21 homers ranked 15th the mets were 13th in team batting average 251 and runs scored 88 in those two categories the yankees were a woeful 23rd 237 and 27th 72
on the pitching side the mets ranked fourth in team era at 291 the yankees with a 442 era ranked 23rd
both teams have intriguing weekends ahead of them the yankees will be in fenway park for their first meeting this season with a boston team trying to rebound from consecutive last place finishes in the al east the red sox are 12 10 with better hitting than pitching however the yankees are scheduled to face bostons expensive new ace david price who is 3 0 this season with a shaky 576 era and on sunday night will be making the 31st start of his career against the yankees
set to oppose him is nathan eovaldi who carried a no hitter into the seventh inning when he faced texas on monday
as is often the case when the yankees play the red sox the sunday game will get prime time treatment from espn but in a reflection of the shifting terrain in new york that game may be overshadowed by sunday afternoons marquee matchup at citi field with san franciscos madison bumgarner scheduled to go up against the mets noah syndergaard
bumgarner who has three world series rings and was voted the most valuable player of the 2014 series is 2 2 this season with a 364 era he has not pitched that well but he did hit the 12th home run of his career this month and his second off clayton kershaw as for syndergaard he is 2 0 this season with a 169 era and has been making the radar gun go berserk
then again syndergaard doesnt throw any harder than the yankees aroldis chapman who when he returns from his suspension will combine with dellin betances and andrew miller to create a potential nightmare for opposing teams in the late innings of close games
perhaps that threesome will even come to rival the popular appeal of the mets starting pitchers   syndergaard and jacob degrom and matt harvey and steven matz but not yet for now at least the mets continue to be no 1


colorado springs colo   robert l dear jr thought the feds had been after him for 20 years cutting holes in his clothes and planting a listening device in his pickup truck he believed president obama was the antichrist and that the planned parenthood center he admitted firing on in november was the most evil place in the world
those delusions and mr dears mental state were detailed in a courtroom here on thursday as lawyers heard testimony about whether mr dear was mentally competent to stand trial for killing three people and wounding nine two state psychologists who examined him this winter testified that they believed he was not
the decision rests with the district judge overseeing the case gilbert martinez he did not make a ruling on thursday and after a day of testimony carried the hearing over until may 10
jackie grimmett one of two state psychologists who examined mr dear this winter said he suffered from widespread and long running delusions that shaped his view of reality he believed the fbi had been pursuing him for years and believed that the judge and his defense lawyers were part of a conspiracy to silence him
the judge ordered a competency evaluation of mr dear after he demanded to fire his public defenders and be allowed to act as his own lawyer he has been charged with 179 counts including first degree murder and attempted murder and could face the death penalty
while he has not formally entered a plea at his first appearance in court mr dear declared im guilty theres no trial im a warrior for the babies he has said he believes he is mentally competent to stand trial because he went to college and was intelligent and he opposes any defense strategy based on mental illness or insanity
he made it very clear that he was competent dr grimmett testified i dont believe he regards himself as mentally ill
mr dear sitting disheveled and shackled next to his defense lawyers called out correct
as the hearing unfolded on thursday mr dear piped up repeatedly to interject his opinions about the testimony
im going to represent myself he called out its my constitutional right its my life on the line
a colorado springs police detective who interviewed mr dear for more than seven hours after the nov 27 shooting rampage said mr dear did not want an insanity defense because he feared it would dampen his anti abortion message mr dear idolized a gunman who killed a florida abortion provider in 1994 and said that abortion was a satanic sacrifice
detective jerry schiffelbein said that mr dear did not want the focus of the trial to shift onto his mental health because it diminishes his message it diminishes his cause
mr dears lawyers have questioned whether he is mentally able to understand the court proceedings against him and help participate in his defense dr grimmett testified that while mr dear knows what day it is and can follow the facts of the proceedings his understanding is fractured by his delusions
b thomas gray a state psychologist who examined mr dear along with dr grimmett also concluded he was not mentally fit to stand trial
if the judge agrees with them the legal process will be delayed and mr dear would be sent to the state mental hospital for treatment until he is restored to competency


a white powder that was discovered at the campaign office of donald j trump at the trump tower in midtown manhattan on thursday night was not a threat the authorities said
the police department said it was called around 730 pm to the fifth floor of the tower at fifth avenue and 56th street for a report of an envelope containing white powder mr trumps home is also in the building
the envelope had been mailed to mr trumps campaign office where a staff member opened it and immediately called the police the associated press reported
the police said early on friday morning that the powder was deemed to be safe though investigators were still determining what exactly it was the situation was declared under control around 1110 pm the fire department said
the police said four people including a police officer had been evaluated the authorities had previously reported that six people were being evaluated
a spokeswoman for mr trump the front runner for the republican presidential nomination referred inquiries to the united states secret service a press officer at the agency was not immediately available to comment on thursday night
mr trump was campaigning in california that night
in march the authorities investigated a letter containing a nonhazardous white powder that was sent to the manhattan apartment of one of mr trumps sons eric


it was the bong hit that sent nfl teams running
minutes before the nfl draft was scheduled to begin thursday night a video was posted on the twitter account of a highly touted offensive lineman from the university of mississippi who was projected to be one of the top picks the video appeared to show the player laremy tunsil inhaling what might have been marijuana through a bong that was attached to a gas mask
it was unclear when the video was recorded no matter the damage was swift and highly visible for tunsil he was in a draft free fall passed over by each of the first 12 teams finally with the 13th pick in the first round tunsil was selected by the miami dolphins dolphins general manager chris grier said the team had been aware of the videos existence well before the draft and said it was two years old
the video probably cost tunsil millions of dollars the no 1 pick in this draft is projected to receive a contract worth more than 25 million the deal for a no 13 pick will be about 12 million
the video and tunsils twitter account kingtunsil78 were quickly deleted later the account was restored and tunsil posted an apology several other twitter users managed to grab the video before it was deleted
mississippi coach hugh freeze at the draft with tunsil said tunsil was at the center of some unfortunate events but i assure you thats not who he is
yet around the time tunsil was selected by the dolphins two sets of text messages were posted to his instagram account they showed what appeared to be exchanges between tunsil and an athletics official at mississippi in which tunsil asked for help paying bills
asked about it by reporters after being selected tunsil seemed to confirm taking money from a coach id have to say yeah he said
tunsil a 6 foot 5 310 pound offensive lineman who left college after his junior season was widely considered the best offensive tackle in the draft but two players at his position went ahead of him   ronnie stanley at no 6 and jack conklin at no 8
after being selected tunsil told espn its a blessing just to be a part of the nfl you go through adversity in life its what you overcome
asked about the video he said i just know i got hacked were going to try to find out who did it
almost every year a high profile player or two is drafted lower than expected often because of perceived character issues wide receiver randy moss fell to no 21 in the 1998 draft then went on to become a star in the league quarterback johnny manziel dropped to no 22 in 2014 he flopped with the browns
tunsil was sued this week by his stepfather who alleged domestic violence and defamation the two have had other legal battles tunsil also missed seven games last year after being suspended by the ncaa over receiving impermissible benefits
off field issues do not always hurt players stock last year jameis winston who had faced accusations of rape and theft while in college at florida state was taken with the no 1 overall pick by the tampa bay buccaneers winston emphatically denied the rape accusations


willie l williams the first african american to lead the police forces in philadelphia and los angeles cities in which hostilities between the police and black citizens had recently flared into violence died on tuesday at his home in fayetteville ga he was 72
the cause was pancreatic cancer said his sister in law patricia odoms
mr williams was a 28 year veteran of the philadelphia force when he was named commissioner in 1988 three years after a house owned by a black militant group known as move was bombed by the police resulting in 11 deaths and leaving the neighborhood in ruins the police force there had been known for corruption scandals and a history of brutality
mr williamss tenure of three and a half years in philadelphia was marked by relative peace embracing the concept of community policing he was credited with hiring and promoting more women and minority group members and with restructuring the police department to add mini stations and foot patrols
a man of measured temperament he was held in general esteem in philadelphia neighborhoods where there was history of mutual disrespect among residents and the police but he was lured away to los angeles   at more than twice his philadelphia salary   in april 1992
there he replaced the combative chief daryl f gates who had presided over what many considered an arrogant physically aggressive force that had been hostile to minority neighborhoods in march 1991 los angeles officers were videotaped beating a motorist rodney g king as they arrested him and two passengers after a high speed chase four of the officers were charged by the state with assault and use of excessive force under color of authority
mr williams was named the new chief the next spring just as the trial was being held less than two weeks later before he officially assumed his new post the four officers were acquitted on just about all counts on one excessive force count against one officer the jury was hung the city erupted in six days of racial violence and mr gates and his force were widely criticized as being ineffective in their response
mr williams managed to calm the antagonism between the city especially its black residents and its police force it helped that in a subsequent trial in federal court two officers in the king case were convicted of violating mr kings civil rights and they served time in prison
mr williams addressed sexual harassment and discrimination on the force he named the first female commander in department history and was an advocate for reforms in police training and discipline laid out by a 1991 commission appointed by mayor tom bradley after the king episode
but over all mr williams had a rocky time of it in los angeles brought in as the anti gates he was held in suspicion by many gates loyalists in the department who distrusted him as an outsider and as some have charged because he was black many thought he was insufficiently supportive of the department during the investigation of the 1994 murders of nicole simpson and ronald goldman and the subsequent trial of o j simpson
mr williams also ran afoul of some los angeles business and political leaders who found his management of the department slack and he was frustrated by what he saw as the competing agendas of the city council the citys police commission a citizens board that oversees the department and the mayor richard riordan who succeeded mr bradley in 1993 and who clashed with mr williams on expansion of the police force among other issues
two years into mr wiliamss tenure his leadership came under harsh criticism which was exacerbated when a retired deputy chief raised questions about rumors of unethical actions the police commission began an investigation into allegations that mr williams and his family had used city cars drivers and cellphones for private purposes and that he had improperly accepted free rooms at casino hotels in las vegas
he denied any wrongdoing but the commission members reprimanded him saying he had been dishonest when he was asked if he had received free rooms at caesars palace he left office in 1997 after serving a five year term and was replaced by bernard c parks
willie lawrence williams jr was born in philadelphia on oct 1 1943 the oldest of seven children of willie sr who worked in a meatpacking plant and the former helen stansbery he attended local public schools and earned an associate degree in business administration from the philadelphia college of textiles and science he joined the philadelphia police force when he was 20
he married evelina edwards ms odomss sister in 1966 in addition to his wife he is survived by his mother two brothers roger and david two sisters catherine walker and christine nutt three children willie iii and the twins eric and lisa and five grandchildren
as his time in los angeles came to an end mr williams reflected on his tenure there in an interview with the los angeles times
politics has greatly intruded for the right or the wrong reasons into the day to day management activities of the los angeles police department said mr williams whom the times described as sometimes contemplative sometimes bitter
he spoke about the fractiousness that characterized much of his time in los angeles let me tell you something he said when youre a chief of police when youre a leader you have to do what you think is right
he added willie williams would not be able to look in the mirror look at his family look at his children look at his friends and neighbors look at people in this department if i just packed up my bags and went away when someone says chief we dont like what youre doing get out of town i didnt walk into los angeles to be tossed out of town and i wasnt going to be tossed out without expressing my concerns


washington   a representative from new jersey called on thursday for a congressional investigation into the federal emergency management agencys flood insurance program alleging that wrongdoing by the agency had prevented thousands of victims of hurricane sandy from receiving the payouts they were entitled to in order to rebuild
the representative tom macarthur shared new revelations from whistle blowers that the agencys process to re examine insurance claims from the devastating storm   after allegations of fraud arose last year   had itself been plagued by fraud
representative macarthur a republican serving the third congressional district said he had been provided three affidavits outlining accusations of impropriety from several whistle blowers who had worked on a review process set up by fema last year to take a renewed look at flood insurance claims after revelations that engineers assessing damage had altered their reports
joined by about two dozen people whose homes or businesses had been damaged or destroyed by the hurricane mr macarthur criticized what he said was a lack of internal controls at fema that had permitted an environment in which adjusters were told to deny claims and hide damage leading to reduced insurance payouts
i have seen doctored engineering reports with my own eyes he said i have seen doctored adjusters reports with my own eyes where an adjuster wrote something was caused by flood and somebody else inserted the word not caused by flood
one of the whistle blowers jeff coolidge an experienced insurance claims adjuster said he reviewed approximately 1000 flood claims while working as a contractor for fema last fall   almost all of which he said he was required to deny or underpay
i left the sandy review process because it is a sham mr coolidge said i was literally losing sleep because i didnt want to be a part of that fraud anymore
about 142000 homeowners filed claims with fema after hurricane sandy ravaged the new york region in 2012 reports of wrongdoing were documented by the new york times and 60 minutes along with other news organizations last year prompting an outcry from many new york and new jersey lawmakers in an acknowledgment that its handling of claims made to femas national flood insurance program may have been flawed the agency said policyholders could seek a new review a criminal inquiry opened last year by the new york state attorney general eric t schneiderman a democrat is continuing
i called for the resignation of the fema director and i call for it again today not because i want a scalp but because there has to be accountability said mr macarthur whose district includes parts of burlington and ocean counties there has to be somebody has to answer for this
rafael lemaitre a spokesman for fema said it had absolutely no incentive to shortchange policyholders he said the agency was working to make things right and overhaul the program
the bottom line is that these survivors have been through too much already and the last thing they need more than three years after sandy is to deal with being underpaid by their insurance company he said in a statement survivors always come first and that is why weve set up an unprecedented process to review these claims and pay out every penny owed to policyholders under their policies
over 50 million had gone to policyholders he added and were working as quickly as possible   literally in shifts   to continue to make things right
the house financial services committee held a hearing last june on the oversight of hurricane sandy flood insurance claims mr macarthur said members of the committee he had spoken with were open to the possibility of new hearings
gert sofman 59 of highlands nj who was among the victims at the news conference on thursday said she had been largely denied government assistance rebuilding the organic snack shop she ran with her daughter on the grounds that her business had not made enough money to meet their requirements because it had been open for only three months
on top of that ms sofman said she also lost her house leaving behind an empty lot   which she had to continue to pay thousands of dollars to insure
since sandy i have paid over eight grand in flood insurance on a house that they would not pay on she said so where does that eight grand go im homeless
senator chuck schumer democrat of new york said he would be in favor of a house or even senate investigation into what he called very serious allegations of fraud and criminal activity
i think fema has an obligation to get to the bottom of them quickly and take strong action mr schumer said on thursday
the senator said the national flood insurance program needed to be reformed to prevent the problems after hurricane sandy from happening again a change he said should lead to removing private insurance companies from the program who are in cahoots with assessors
theyre still on the job in these places he said and thats a disgrace


oakland calif   jason terry had learned enough from 114 career playoff games and had seen enough in 17 nba seasons to know that his teammates could use a motivational boost against the golden state warriors more than anything he realized that he and his teammates had nothing to lose   nothing that is except another game
and so with the rockets dysfunctional season teetering on a cliff before wednesdays game 5 in their first round playoff series against the warriors terry broke the emergency glass and guaranteed that the rockets would win to prolong the series if only for a couple of days they were just words of course but terry could only hope that they resonated
instead like so much else for the rockets whose season bore more than a vague resemblance to a late night telenovela terrys guarantee had as much life and lift as an anvil it was not going to make a difference not with this collection of misfits and certainly not against a team as cohesive as the warriors
im the super motivator terry said wednesday night thats been my mo throughout my career it just didnt hit home with this group
the gulf between these two teams was almost alarming just one season removed from the western conference finals the rockets floundered for months it was merely more of the same against the warriors whose 114 81 victory clinched a lopsided series and perhaps just as important ended their opponents suffering
afterward in a quiet visiting locker room at oracle arena james harden alluded to the rockets having had too many distractions dwight howard mumbled something about ups and downs terry on the other hand cut straight through the static and pointed to the frayed partnership between harden and howard who had most likely played his final game with the rockets
they just couldnt coexist to have success this year terry said chemistry was a big issue for us all year long we just didnt have it
chemistry can be a nebulous over cited concept in pro sports but terry is a believer and he could see the difference between the rockets and the warriors especially given how the warriors had compensated for the absence of the best player on the planet nothing changed they looked like the same team that had won 73 games during the regular season
that team over there is truly an example of team terry said they all play well together someones down someone else steps up
the warriors played terrific basketball without stephen curry in the seriess final two games in fact after curry sprained his right knee at the end of the first half of sundays game 4 the warriors went on to outscore the rockets by 60 points for the remainder of the series on wednesday the warriors led by 17 points after the first quarter it was never close
this should all come with a huge caveat of course the warriors were playing the rockets whose mere presence in the playoffs seemed to defy both logic and good taste and golden state needs curry as it moves forward perhaps not so much against the overachieving portland trail blazers or the injury ravaged los angeles clippers who are still vying to advance out of the first round for the right to face the warriors in the conference semifinals but the oklahoma city thunder and the san antonio spurs loom on the same side of the bracket
we do feel confident that we can win games without him warriors coach steve kerr said of curry but we dont really want to have to so hopefully steph will be back soon
kerr added we just dont have the fireworks that steph provides so weve got to make sure were more solid which we have been the last couple games in particular but its good for our guys confidence i think what pleases me the most is literally every single guy on our roster contributed during this series
one of those key contributors was shaun livingston an unflappable point guard who scored 16 points in each of his three starts in currys absence   first when curry missed two games in the middle of the series with an ankle sprain and later when curry hurt his knee livingston is almost serene on the court little affects him and it is a luxury for the warriors to have someone who can so capably help fill the void the warriors announced monday that curry would be re evaluated in two weeks
we are blessed kerr said we are really lucky you lose your point guard you lose the mvp and to be able to put shaun livingston out there hes a fantastic basketball player
at about the same time not far from where kerr was speaking terry was circling back to the notion that it helps when teammates actually like each other that there needs to be a tightknit bond for players to achieve something special that was clearly the case for the warriors last season when they won the championship and it appears to be happening again
consider their willingness to share a grade school concept that still applies to millionaires in the nba in five games against the rockets the warriors assisted on 706 percent of their field goals the rockets by comparison assisted on 545 percent of their field goals
move the ball the warriors draymond green said because it just creates rhythm even if you dont shoot just touching it and moving it on creates rhythm for everyone
without their top player for now if not forever the warriors are continuing to play the only way they know how together it might just be enough


a spate of deals on thursday showed that health care companies are convinced regardless of tax benefits that bigger is not only better it is necessary
the whole industry seems to be reading from the same playbook pair up with a company that makes the same product to become a leading provider and thus gain more clout to negotiate business with hospitals and health insurers
that explains some of the impetus behind the more than 40 billion of deals announced on thursday some of the deal activity can also be explained by the desire to acquire growing biotech firms and product lines to make up for older products whose sales are in decline
to get bigger in the cardiovascular device world abbott agreed to purchase st jude medical for 25 billion to double down on treatments for prostate cancer sanofi made an offer to buy medivation for about 93 billion and as part of a bigger push into oncology treatments abbvie signed a 58 billion deal for stemcentrx
it is all part of an evolution in health care where companies are responding to new regulation new methods of payment and record consolidation regardless of the failed transaction between pfizer and allergan earlier this month health care deal activity has been reinvigorated as company executives see no choice but to scale up
imagine its a swim meet and abbott has their toe in the water said danielle antalffy an analyst at leerink you cant win unless you jump in the pool
why so many companies chose to merge on thursday is more a coincidence than anything but it has made for a strikingly busy week deals worth almost 60 billion were announced in the sector over the last four days making it the busiest period since mid june last year according to data compiled by thomson reuters
that excludes pfizer and allergans 150 billion merger which was announced in november and broke apart after the government issued new rules to discourage so called inversions in which american companies seek acquisitions to move their headquarters overseas for a lower tax bill
as one set of new regulations caused a health care deal to break apart another rule has in some cases encouraged other companies to come together
the new rule involves bundling to create a single payment for all the costs associated with a patients condition that means if someone requires care for a certain ailment the doctor the hospital stay the devices used and the drugs administered would be offered as a package deal this month the centers for medicare and medicaid services mandated bundled payments for knee and hip replacements in certain cities analysts and experts say that it is only a matter of time before treatments for cancer and cardiovascular disease also move to bundling
the goal is to make health care cheaper and more efficient especially when the government is doing the reimbursing companies that position themselves as the leading providers of a product or service are at an advantage when it comes to getting in on those bundled deals where smaller firms might not be considered providers of choice
if you can get enough critical mass as part of these acquisitions theyll need you and then youll have a place in the new world said david friend a managing director of bdos center for healthcare excellence and innovation if youre too small or too limited youll just become irrelevant and bypassed
in addition to policies instituted by medicare and medicaid the affordable care act has been putting pressure on health care providers to deliver quality care more efficiently
while bulking up through acquisitions may make strategic sense for many health care companies these deals often do not come cheap investors did not reward these big merger announcements on thursday
shares of abbott declined 78 percent after the acquisition of st jude medical was announced the cash and stock deal would give st jude medical shareholders about 85 a share a 37 percent premium based on wednesdays closing price
the french drug company sanofi said it had made a nonbinding offer to acquire medivation a biotech company based in san francisco sanofi said medivation had not responded to its offer letter sent two weeks ago that proposal comes at a premium of more than 50 percent over medivations two month volume weighted average share price sanofi said
in acquiring stemcentrx abbvie paid 16 percent more than the 5 billion the start up fetched in its latest fund raising round abbvies shares gained less than 1 percent on thursday
there are still more billion dollar deals to be done in the health care world analysts and experts say so long as antitrust regulators continue to allow them
do i think there will be a fair share of deals that have a b in them absolutely said thad kresho lead partner in pwcs health care deals practice referring to transactions worth more than a billion dollars from an activity perspective and number of transactions well continue to be fairly strong


the combination of low gasoline prices and record auto sales in the united states is making for good times in the auto industry and nowhere is that more evident than at ford motor
ford the no 2 american carmaker on thursday reported a record 25 billion in net income for the first three months of the year an increase of 113 percent and more profit than in any other quarter in its 112 year history
in north america fords operating profit doubled to 31 billion it produced fewer vehicles on the continent than general motors but made about 800 million more in profit than its crosstown rival
the first quarter was an absolutely terrific start to the year for us fords chief executive mark fields said in a conference call
leading the way for ford was the recently redesigned aluminum bodied f 150 pickup which had strong sales like those of other trucks and sport utility vehicles as gas sold for less than 2 a gallon in many parts of the country
a year ago ford was just starting production of the aluminum model working out hitches in the new manufacturing process but now its f 150 lines are humming
they cant make enough of them said david kudla chief executive of the investment firm mainstay capital management
also helping ford is a turnaround in europe where it made more money in the first three months of 2016 than it did in all of last year
in recent weeks the auto businesss six year expansion streak has shown signs of losing momentum since hitting a high of 174 million cars and light trucks sold in 2015 to keep growth going automakers have offered more incentives pushed leasing to record levels and sold more cars into rental fleets
ford said it sold 17 million vehicles in the first quarter an increase of about 10 percent
and mr fields said ford was in a good position even if the market is at its peak and sales plateau or tail off slightly
besides the f 150 ford has recently released updated versions of its explorer and edge suvs and is working on four more new models as people increasingly favor light trucks over sedans and compacts
we have reached an inflection point mr fields said of the shift in the first three months of this year trucks and suvs made up 70 percent of fords sales in the united states up from 64 percent in the same period four years ago
because they tend to be higher priced than cars trucks and suvs usually generate more revenue and profit
the bottom line is we expect 2016 to be another strong year mr fields said forecasting continued strength into 2017
like ford gm and fiat chrysler are also gaining from rising truck sales gm and fiat chrysler each recently reported strong earnings increases for the first quarter
but not all automakers are benefiting as much luxury carmakers like bmw and mercedes benz typically sell more cars than suvs so the shift away from cars is not helping them in the united states they have maintained sales but have had to offer more incentives
trucks are not the only bright spot for ford the company also benefited from an improving economy and the increased sales of more expensive models
it did not hurt that volkswagen a major competitor has been hobbled by its emissions cheating scandal in the first quarter european profits leapt to 434 million in the same period a year ago ford lost 42 million
china despite concerns about its economy is also generating significant returns ford was once a laggard there but it has built a series of plants and is now building up market share its share of profits from its chinese joint ventures in the first quarter was 443 million   83 million more than a year ago
over all ford reported first quarter revenue of 377 billion 38 billion more than in the same period in 2015
shares of ford closed up more than 3 percent


with the nation on the verge of a presidential election between the first woman to lead a major party and an opponent accused of misogyny hillary clinton and donald j trump are digging in for a fight in which he is likely to attack her precisely because she is a woman
mr trump the republican favorite has already proved willing to attack mrs clinton in ways that many women find sexist and that her supporters consider out of bounds
this week alone he accused her of playing the womans card to get where she is saying if hillary clinton were a man i dont think shed get 5 percent of the vote he questioned her strength and stamina and he mocked her for shouting also this year he attacked mrs clinton as the enabling political spouse of a former president who mr trump said had abused women
mrs clintons advisers say they are confident that such comments will galvanize democrats   and infuriate nearly any woman who has ever had to work harder than a man but they also recognize that mr trump has proved adept at reading the electorate and at dominating news coverage   and that mrs clinton must parry his attacks without overplaying her hand or further eroding her standing with male voters whom she has struggled to win over in the democratic primary
mr trumps advisers meanwhile say that the womans card attack serves to undermine mrs clinton by sowing doubts about her qualifications   not just with men but with white women who have supported the republican nominee in every election since 1996 and are vital to mr trumps chances in november
hes going to have to deconstruct hillary clinton if hes going to run against her said roger j stone jr a longtime trump confidant he cant let her be the august secretary of state and former senator
democrats say the strategy is an exercise in delusion given mr trumps weakness among women they are solidly in mrs clintons corner against mr trump so far in the polls fifty percent of white women said they would support her to 39 percent for him according to a cbs news poll in april
it seems like a real strategic misstep for him considering he has unprecedented problems with women in his own party said jess mcintosh vice president of communications at emilys list which works to elect democrats who support abortion rights and is backing mrs clinton
some republicans similarly cringed when people rally around her are when people bring things up about her husbands infidelities and when it appears as though shes being attacked by the boys club said katie packer who runs an anti trump group and co founded a consulting firm that helps republicans communicate to women
but even some republican political operatives fiercely opposed to mr trump say he is pursuing what could be a sound strategy by turning mrs clintons chance to make history against her while deflecting scrutiny of his own weakness among female voters
by taking gender head on trump refuses to cede women voters and so called womens issues to hillary just because she is a woman said kellyanne conway a republican pollster who heads a super pac supporting senator ted cruz
he is swiftboating her by throwing shade on what should be a strength ms conway said in an email referring to the 2004 attacks on john kerrys war record which turned a strength into a weakness and diverted attention from president george w bushs own vulnerabilities
ms conway added that mr trump could sully mrs clintons record of advocacy on issues like pay inequity by saying she has accomplished too little on them next hell say ladies she shares your gender and nothing else  ms conway said  it takes you years to earn what wall street paid her for a single 25 minute speech that wasnt even that interesting 
with the democratic primary winding down mrs clintons advisers say they have been analyzing why mr trumps attacks were so damaging to republican rivals like jeb bush and senator marco rubio to determine how mrs clinton can avoid the same pitfalls
since her victories on tuesday mrs clinton has met with advisers at her home in chappaqua ny to discuss taking on mr trump a playbook is beginning to come together
on the debate stage mrs clinton will not respond in kind to personal attacks no jokes about mr trumps hair or the size of his hands when mr trumps comments dominate the news her campaign plans to stick to its message even if it means being momentarily eclipsed and when mr trump accuses mrs clinton of playing the womans card mrs clinton will pivot to issues like equal pay for women paid family and medical leave and raising the minimum wage
this cant be a tit for tat on comedic insults said hilary rosen a democratic strategist but she added without the right pushback mr trumps attacks could have a corrosive impact and thats what the campaign is thinking hard about
still pushing back against mr trump is unlikely to go unanswered in january after mrs clinton accused him of being sexist he warned that bill clintons sexual indiscretions would be fair game accused mrs clinton of impugning the reputations of women who accused her husband of sexual indiscretions then boasted that mrs clinton had been intimidated into dropping the subject
aides to mr trump three of whom insisted on anonymity to discuss the campaigns internal deliberations suggested he would likely return to that line of attack as his campaign prepares for a fall contest with mrs clinton
mrs clintons advisers said she would not directly respond to such attacks or allow them to stop her from calling mr trump sexist rather they said her campaign would rely on surrogates and television ads paid for by a super pac to rebut them and to highlight mr trumps record with women
in a sign of how closely mrs clintons aides are watching mr trumps every step after his advisers signaled last week that mr trump would start behaving more presidentially the clinton campaign released an online ad called extremist makeover replaying some of his most controversial utterances about muslims immigrants and women when someone shows you who they are believe them mrs clinton said in the ad quoting maya angelou
but by tuesday night after mr trump had appeared to shift course again clinton aides adjusted in her victory speech in philadelphia mrs clintons prepared remarks included a line meant to rev up female voters at mr trumps expense if fighting for womens health care and paid family leave and equal pay is playing the woman card then deal me in she said
on a private flight after mrs clintons victory speech her aides could hardly believe their luck when they learned that mr trump speaking about an hour later had used the term womans card in his own victory speech
a video that spliced mr trumps comments with mrs clintons line was quickly sent out to her supporters without any further commentary
allies of both mrs clinton and mr trump viewed the exchange on tuesday night as an opening round in what will probably unfold in the months ahead im surprised they arent selling decks of cards yet said tracy sefl a democratic strategist who is supporting mrs clinton they should just go nuts with it
that may yet come on thursday mrs clintons campaign appealed for donations by offering supporters their very own official hillary for america woman card   a hot pink credit card with the words congratulations youre in the majority


core media group the company behind the television shows american idol and so you think you can dance filed for bankruptcy protection on thursday
core based in west hollywood calif estimated its liabilities at 512 million and assets at 73 million according to court records
american idol concluded its 14 year run last month with its final show drawing 133 million viewers at its height 10 years ago it routinely attracted 30 million viewers per episode however as the shows ratings began to wane so did its financial fortunes
the decline in overall economics and the announced cancellation of the 2017 season of american idol on fox negatively impacted the revenues and profits of the debtors business the court papers said
additional negative ripple effects included among other things a decline in re broadcast fees due to reduced broadcast hours the loss of both coca cola and att as main sponsors of american idol and the closure of the american idol experience theme park attraction at walt disney world the company reported
the bankruptcy filing was reported by the hollywood reporter
in 2014 earnings from american idol decreased by 15 million compared with the previous year court papers said
core said total revenue declined by 356 million in the first half of 2015 compared with the first half of 2014
simon fuller the companys former chief executive who had been retained as a consultant was listed as being owed 33 million making him the largest unsecured creditor


two women filed a federal lawsuit on thursday against the new york times its chief executive and its chief revenue officer saying that the company has been engaging in deplorable discrimination
in the lawsuit ernestine grant and marjorie walker both black women in their 60s employed in the advertising department at the times contend that the workplace under mark thompson the chief executive has become an environment rife with discrimination based on age race and gender
a spokeswoman for the times called the suit entirely without merit and said we intend to fight it vigorously in court
the women are seeking class action status for the lawsuit ms grant has been employed at the times for 16 years and ms walker for eight years both are listed in the company directory as account managers
unbeknownst to the world at large not only does the times have an ideal customer young white wealthy but also an ideal staffer young white unencumbered with a family to draw that purported ideal customer the lawsuit says
the suit also contends that the plaintiffs have experienced discrimination and were retaliated against when they complained about such discrimination
in the suit which was filed in federal district court in manhattan the women say that when she joined the times in 2013 meredith levien now the companys executive vice president and chief revenue officer made it very clear that she was looking for a very particular work force one that was filled with fresh faces ie younger employees without families and who were white the suit also contends that ms levien made references to the need for employees to be people who look like the people we are selling to and even going so far as to say this isnt what our sales team should look like
in a statement eileen murphy the timess spokeswoman said this lawsuit contains a series of recycled scurrilous and unjustified attacks on both mark thompson and meredith levien it also completely distorts the realities of the work environment at the new york times we strongly disagree with any claim that the times mr thompson or ms levien have discriminated against any individual or group of employees
douglas h wigdor a lawyer for the women said in a statement it is astonishing that a news organization that regularly promotes liberal social viewpoints could have a double standard when it comes to blatantly discriminating and retaliating against its own hard working and dedicated employees


washington   john a boehner never minced words as house speaker but he usually leveled his insults behind closed doors now a private citizen mr boehner is going public and the results can be spectacular
on wednesday the former speaker gleefully unloaded on senator ted cruz before a crowd at stanford university colorfully describing the republican presidential contender from texas as lucifer in the flesh
i have never worked with a more miserable son of a bitch in my life said mr boehner who has made previous disparaging remarks about mr cruz in both public and private though without comparing him directly to satan
an affronted mr cruz fighting in indiana to keep his presidential bid alive responded that he barely knew mr boehner
if i have said 50 words in my life to john boehner id be surprised and every one of them has consisted of pleasantries mr cruz told reporters noting that he had never really worked with mr boehner
and therein lies the problem mr boehner who suffered as mr cruz wooed rebellious house conservatives into a punishing government shutdown in 2013 saw mr cruz as a self aggrandizer who put himself above the institution of congress and even the good of his party to an institutionalist like mr boehner there is no greater offense
mr cruz on the other hand saw mr boehner as a handy symbol of washington deal making and the standard bearer for what mr cruz deplores as the washington cartel a much more ominous way of describing the political establishment it was destined to be a nonrelationship forged where lucifer resides
while mr boehner no doubt enjoyed the attention accorded his biting remark on mr cruz it worked out for mr cruz as well he got the opportunity to again burnish his anti washington credentials and position himself as a warrior against mr boehner and donald j trump who mr boehner said in the stanford talk was a texting buddy mr boehner said that they had golfed together and that he would vote for mr trump if it came to that but not for mr cruz
to anyone who knew mr boehner in washington the comments first reported by the stanford daily were no surprise with a glass of wine in one hand and a cigarette in the other mr boehner would often hold forth offering his rather spirited views of individuals and ideas though not always for publication and when he was in exile from the leadership from 1998 to 2006 he was a go to quote for commentary on the poor conduct of those who were in charge
but when he took over as speaker mr boehner clammed up a bit so the surprise is how freely flowing the comments are these days
earlier this year mr boehner who favored jeb bush in the presidential race and later endorsed his home state governor john kasich essentially single handedly touched off the paul ryan for republican nominee boomlet while speaking to a trade association in march
if we dont have a nominee who can win on the first ballot im for none of the above mr boehner said they all had a chance to win none of them won so im for none of the above im for paul ryan to be our nominee
mr ryan mr boehners successor as speaker has been trying to dial back that talk ever since another victim of john boehner unplugged
to his aides this is all just boehner being boehner
you know he generally says what he thinks anyway and being out of office has certainly not made him any less inclined to be that way said david schnittger a spokesman for the former speaker
the stanford speech was a good example encouraged to be candid he was downright loquacious in offering his views on everything from hillary clinton   oh im a woman vote for me   to senator bernie sanderss being a good guy to the possibility of vice president joseph r biden jr emerging as a last minute presidential nominee
he pronounced the conservative republicans in the freedom caucus who bedeviled him on capitol hill as knuckleheads and goofballs a sentiment he has also expressed on prior occasions
mr boehner had little patience for conservatives he believed did not understand how the house worked and how compromise was a necessity not a sin with a democrat in the white house and democrats empowered in the senate
mr ryan by contrast has been more willing to reach out to the same conservatives and while the results may be similar   a continuing budget standoff for instance   the conservatives do not have their sights set on mr ryan as they did mr boehner at least not yet
mr boehner seems eminently comfortable in retirement buying a new car after years of being driven around by a security team and traveling the country without the trappings of his congressional position
i think my proudest accomplishment is walking out of there the same jackass i was 25 years before mr boehner said according to the stanford newspaper
now that he is out of office the speaker speaks


bill de blasio currently in the pigpen phase of his mayoralty with clouds hovering everywhere he goes did not lay the pipes that carry unlimited cash to candidates for the state legislature
those pipes   party committees that can accept far more money than individual candidates and then freely pass along the money to the campaigns   have been used in virtually every competitive legislative race this century
nevertheless a recently appointed state election official has called on prosecutors to investigate mr de blasio and his allies in the 2014 legislative campaigns for availing themselves of the pipes the official risa s sugarman the chief enforcement counsel for the board of elections asserted in a report that she had found willful and flagrant violations of laws limiting campaign money for candidates
the de blasio group solicited money for democratic candidates they thought had a chance of winning election to the state senate in 2014 the candidates could accept donations of as much as 10300 but party committees in their counties and at the state level could receive about 10 times that
this is a widespread practice that republicans and democrats county and state committees take advantage of said susan lerner the executive director of common cause new york
the committee pipeline has become even more important as the republican majority in the state senate has dwindled
in 2008 when michael r bloomberg was mayor he gave 12 million to the tiny independence party which used the money to help the campaigns of two republican senators in queens frank padavan and serphin r maltese in many ways we are the party of bloomberg frank mackay the leader of the independence party told tom robbins of the village voice he said he had coordinated his efforts for the two senators with a bloomberg aide
mr bloomberg also gave 500000 to the republicans senate campaign committee which supported mr padavan and mr maltese in their races the mayor had promised his backing mr padavan told the new york times in 2008
hes made it very clear he wants me to stay in the senate mr padavan said
in the same 2014 election that drew the scrutiny of ms sugarman a republican senator running in erie county mark grisanti was in a tight race at the direction of the republican partys leader dean g skelos the real estate company glenwood sent 100000 to the erie county republican committee which transferred 78000 a few days later to mr grisantis campaign
in ms sugarmans report she pointed to large contributions organized by the de blasio group to county committees that everyone involved   donors county committee and candidates   knew were going to support the democratic candidates
the documents established a pattern of coordination between team de blasio the candidates and county and state political committees ms sugarman wrote
her memo does not make clear why such coordination violates the law rather than being a matter of everyone does it there appears to be nothing in the state election law that says it cannot be done
apparently ms sugarmans understanding of the law is that the county and state committees can spend the virtually unlimited money that comes their way on individual candidates as long as there is no joint plan to get and spend it
thats like a regulation that permits sex only if all parties to the process keep their eyes closed no such rules exist for sex or for campaign donations
the lawlessness of the states campaign finance structure has long been a target of government watchdog groups and people seeking reform
the political parties have housekeeping accounts that the law explicitly states are not subject to regulation those accounts can take any amount of money from anyone which can then be used for anything
contributions to those accounts have increased by 50 percent since 1999 according to research by prudence katze and kyle gorman of common cause
common cause and others groups have lobbied for reform of the states campaign finance laws but it has never survived the annual negotiations
the big problem with new york states campaign finance laws is that theres relatively little guidance almost no enforcement and every campaign and committee figures out the best they can ms lerner said its a systemic problem that requires a systemic solution that doesnt just involve enforcement against this campaign or that campaign
the democrats promise that if they win control of both houses of the legislature they will fix it meanwhile they are running millions of dollars through the pipelines they promise to dismantle


around six years ago hyundai figured a 10 year warranty was not enough to attract shoppers and conjured up daring design for more attention sonata was the first to get the fluidic sculpture makeover but the fifth generation elantra ended up being the swoopiest of the fleet hyundais newest gamble toning down those curves
the south korean brand is after a more sophisticated and   ahem   mature look alas sonata simply became more conservative the 2017 elantras new wrapper is also less emotional but more successful the departing hot wheels flame motif yields to a more refined appearance and everything beneath the shape delivers on that promise
the previous elantra had three problems the steering hero worshiped novocain occupants grew hoarse from shouting over road noise and large potholes betrayed a lack of structure the tires now offer the fingertips some feedback through the steering wheel acoustical tricks quell the roar and the chassis gets twice as much high strength steel as it is welded nearly 400 feet of adhesive is applied for additional structural strength
a 147 horsepower 2 liter 4 cylinder engine makes it go the eco model runs with a 14 liter turbo connecting it to the front wheels is a 6 speed automatic gearbox with a manual mode although there are no steering wheel paddles drive modes allow steering weight and throttle response adjustment
getting from 0 to 60 takes about eight seconds on the leisurely side of brisk unlike in most modern cars the gearbox shifts down smartly with a throttle stab elantra is for the masses   quiet comfortable controlled and predictable driving enthusiasts should wait for the expected sport model or buy a mazda 3 officially the government rates fuel economy at 28 miles per gallon in the city 37 highway i saw 32
intelligent people always cross shop that means browsing sedans like the chevrolet cruze ford focus and nissan sentra as with the elantra many compacts like the toyota corolla and honda civic have grown up the environmental protection agency classifies their cabin volumes as midsize about as roomy as a bmw 3 series check them out for size before pulling the trigger on a honda accord toyota camry chevy malibu or hyundai sonata
materials look and feel good in comparison with other models in its class but dont expect soft touch materials throughout the interior storage cubbies are plentiful and the sun visors get extra adjustability laugh at that detail now   you wont when the sun is blinding you at 75 miles an hour on a curve a backup camera comes standard on limited models cough cough bmw and mercedes
the back seat is plenty spacious for two adults and doors open wide to help with the child seat shuffle heated cushions are available in back but a power port and pocket on the back of the drivers chair are not the large trunk complete with split seat backs is ample for airport shuttle runs something your mooching friends dont need to know
elantra begins its price climb at 17985 with a 6 speed manual transmission as tested the loaded limited model tops out at 27710 when stuffed with blind spot warning adaptive cruise control a well executed lane keep assist system and auto braking with pedestrian detection that is technology found only in luxury cars 10 years ago when elantras auto opening trunk and available android auto and apple carplay did not even exist
while the previous elantra had visual appeal the new one is far better in motion talk about throwing competitors a curve


washington   for years students and faculty at george mason university paid little attention as charles g koch and other conservatives helped transform their once sleepy commuter school in the suburbs of the nations capital into a leading producer of free market scholarship the effort after all was focused on a few specific departments like economics and law and attracted little attention outside conservative circles
but the announcement last month that george mason would rename its law school in honor of justice antonin scalia the longtime voice of the supreme courts conservative wing who died in february abruptly ended that indifference
the name change   and that it was tied to a 30 million combined gift from the charles koch foundation and an anonymous conservative donor   focused attention for the first time in a serious way on whether the administration and trustees at george mason had allowed virginias largest public university to become an ideological outpost
the university administration insists that the answer is no but a drumbeat of public letters social media posts and campus debates expressing concerns about the gift suggests a vocal group of faculty students and state legislators are not convinced
many of us have been watching this happening for a long time said bethany letiecq a professor of human development and family science but this just renews interest in the bigger picture which is the kochs influence in higher education and the decreasing influence of the faculty over decision making
on wednesday the universitys faculty senate passed a resolution urging the board of visitors and administration to address concerns about the renaming a more pointed resolution to delay the name change will be revisited next week faculty members said
university administrators say that naming the law school after justice scalia was meant to honor a highly influential figure in american public life and that the gift behind it will allow the school to expand suggestions otherwise they say including that the university has ceded academic control to a donors interests amount to little more than politics
you need to really cut to the chase and ask is the naming of the scalia law school a signal to students that you have to have a particular viewpoint to attend said david k rehr the law schools senior associate dean i think emphatically and overwhelmingly the answer is no
but the debate has raised questions about how as the universitys growth has outpaced the state of virginias support for it conservative donors have become increasingly important
public universities are just desperate for money and if its not coming from the state it has to come from some place said david a kravitz a professor of management who sits on the faculty senate whats left is people like the koch brothers and others and quite often they provide money that goes toward things that support their interests
over the course of nearly three decades mr koch the billionaire industrialist who has pumped millions into conservative causes and foundations affiliated with him have put a distinct imprint on key segments of the university those foundations have given more than 50 million over the past decade most of it funneled to pet initiatives affiliated with the university like the mercatus center an economic think tank that churns out libertarian policy research and the institute for humane studies which promotes libertarian philosophy mr koch sits on the boards of both
mr kochs foundation has also given generously to the law and economics center the law schools flagship program which emphasizes the economic impact of the law the schools dean henry n butler used to run the center and has had close ties to the family for decades
but until the march gift longtime faculty members said the conservative influence seemed to stop there now they worry the university has publicly linked itself to a justice whose views on affirmative action reproductive rights and same sex marriage are inappropriate for a university that educates more than 30000 students from diverse backgrounds
to name the school after scalia is so egregious said craig willse a cultural studies professor at george mason who has helped lead the opposition to the change he was racist and homophobic what does it mean for us to associate ourselves with a figure like that   especially when his views on education run counter to a public university
even at the law school where the facultys ideology and curriculum are widely known some said the renaming had gone too far
i think its a really important distinction to make that having conservative faculty and learning about antonin scalia and his opinions is an important part of the education here said rebecca bucchieri a 2015 graduate of the law school but branding the entire school and student body with his views is another thing
ms bucchieri who works for a reproductive rights nonprofit helped organize a letter from more than 275 law students and alumni opposing the change
grant agreements released by the faculty senate show that in addition to the renaming and the creation of scholarships trumpeted by the university the gift from the koch foundation is contingent upon the school hiring 12 new faculty members and creating two new centers that will expand on its law and economics focus
the gift which will be paid out over several years based on the university carrying out the agreement also requires that the school retain focus on law and economics and stipulates that the foundation be notified immediately should mr butler step down
those provisions have led to concerns from some faculty members that big donors like mr koch are slowly encroaching on the universitys academic independence
in their view they have good reason to be wary the charles koch foundation usually insists on some say in how its money is used going as far as asking for the right to have a committee it appointed sign off on hires to a new economics program it funded in 2011 at florida state university
david l kuebrich an english professor who is preparing a faculty senate task force report on private donor influence on campus said there is no need for that kind of explicit direction at george mason
both the funders and the faculty and staff at these centers share the same libertarian outlook and goals so they work together well said mr kuebrich who stressed he was not speaking for the task force detailed agreements are likely unnecessary
the foundation maintains that its gifts do not encroach on academic independence john hardin the foundations director of university relations said that it makes grants based on specific proposals from schools like george mason as long as the school is carrying out the agreed upon vision the foundation largely stands back he said
we want to ensure that the school retains all authority in determining who the faculty are going to be what questions they are pursuing what conclusions they arrive at mr hardin said
with the universitys leadership unlikely to reverse course and virginias governor terry mcauliffe unwilling to intervene according to a spokesman opponents of the change have rested their hopes on the state council of higher education for virginia a board appointed by the governor that must approve the renaming
the staff of the board which has not blocked a name change of this sort in recent memory is reviewing george masons proposal


citing progress in moving homeless people off the street and into shelters mayor bill de blasio announced on thursday that an annual survey had found a 12 percent drop in the number of people living without shelter in new york city compared with 2015
on feb 9 hundreds of volunteers and officials including mr de blasio and julian castro secretary of the federal department of housing and urban development fanned out across the city to count the number of people living on the street in encampments and in the subway as part of the survey which is required by the federal government the count estimated that 2794 people were living without shelter a significant drop from 2005 when the surveys estimate was 4395 according to data the mayors office released on thursday
while mr de blasio and some city council members and shelter providers praised the announcement advocates for homeless people have long questioned the credibility of the survey because of several variables including the fact that the count takes place during the winter when people are more likely to seek shelter
the survey also does not include young homeless people who are more likely to be transient drifting from couch to couch or turning all hours coffee shops into de facto shelters
mary brosnahan president and chief executive of the coalition for the homeless who is a longtime critic of the count and its methodology said anyone who believes that street homelessness has declined in new york city over the past year   let alone declined by double digits   should make sure their windows are closed and locked because theyll also be seeing dozens of pigs in flight later this afternoon
mr de blasio who spent much of last summer grappling with the growing number of people in shelters and the increased visibility of people panhandling on sidewalks and on the subway said the city would begin conducting quarterly street homeless counts in may


detroit   it was the car that symbolized chryslers comeback from bankruptcy and the star of its iconic super bowl ad five years ago that played up vehicles imported from detroit
and when sergio marchionne the chief executive of fiat chrysler automobiles announced in 2011 that the company was paying back its lifesaving loans from the federal government he did it in front of hundreds of cheering workers who made the chrysler 200 sedan
but despite its early promise as a competitor to top selling models like the toyota camry and the honda accord the 200 has floundered in the marketplace   and exposed fiat chryslers limitations in the midsize car segment
in the first three months of this year sales of the 200 in the united states dropped 63 percent from the same period in 2015 by contrast the companys overall sales have increased 9 percent
now the plant that builds the 200 just outside detroit in sterling heights mich is idle and its 3200 workers have been laid off nearly every week since january
in a red hot market for new vehicles it stands out as one of the few auto plants in the country that is running well below full capacity
about 1300 of those workers will go on indefinite layoff in july as the sterling heights plant downsizes to a single shift and prepares to wind down production of the 200
mr marchionne confirmed this week that the plant would be converted to produce ram pickups   fiat chryslers top selling vehicles in the process he delivered a harsh assessment of the weak performance by the chrysler 200 as well as the companys compact dodge dart model
we sort of abandoned the notion of being able to withstand mediocre performance in some segments he told industry analysts tuesday during a conference call on first quarter results
it is rare for auto executives to label their products as mediocre and even more so when referring to a car like the 200 that was a cornerstone of fiat chryslers efforts to expand its share of the passenger car market in the united states
despite a huge marketing push that included the super bowl commercial featuring the detroit rapper eminem the 200 lagged badly in the brutally competitive midsize car segment that toyota and honda have dominated for years low gas prices also helped shift consumers away from cars like the 200 to sport utility vehicles and trucks
the marketing was stellar but the product didnt live up to the hype said jack r nerad an analyst with the auto research company kelley blue book
mr nerad said the car had engine and transmission problems when it was introduced and its quality paled in comparison with that of vehicles produced by toyota and other rivals in addition its anonymous sounding name and conventional styling never clicked with consumers
you cant make a first impression a second time he said and when the 200 came out people found it lacking whether it was the transmission or the rear seat room or just the quality baggage attached to chrysler cars
instead of force feeding the car on the market with higher incentives fiat chrysler has slashed production to a minimum the next step is exiting the segment entirely although mr marchionne has suggested the company may contract with another automaker to supply it with a replacement
either way the fall of the 200 represents a rare defeat for fiat chrysler the companys sales in recent years have consistently outpaced the growth of the overall domestic market and its pickups and jeep sport utility vehicles are among the industrys fastest selling vehicles
in the industrial city of sterling heights the 200 was viewed as a savior for the local assembly plant and a sign that the domestic auto industry had weathered the last recession
the 200 hasnt performed as well as it was hoped said mayor michael c taylor no doubt about it   its disappointing
the companys decision to cut back to one shift this summer will have an economic ripple effect on the city you dont want to see headlines that it is losing a shift mr taylor said but we can get through it
hourly employees at the plant have worked a total of four weeks since january according to jodi tinson a spokeswoman for fiat chrysler the rest of the time they have been laid off and collecting unemployment checks and union benefits that total about 75 percent of their normal paychecks
once production is officially cut to one shift in july about 1900 workers will remain active and the other 1300 will move to indefinite layoff status it is one of the few instances in the industry in recent years in which workers have been indefinitely laid off because of poor sales
workers at the plant have ridden a roller coaster of emotions dating to chryslers bankruptcy in 2009 when the factory was a candidate to be closed permanently
chryslers merger with fiat and the introduction of the 200 saved the plant from extinction then but the recent layoffs and production shutdowns put its future in doubt
we had people worried about their jobs said ivan garrett a 23 year veteran worker at the plant we didnt know what was going to come next
because of his seniority mr garrett will not face an indefinite layoff this summer he said he was hopeful that the conversion to pickup truck production would bring all the employees back to work eventually
and although it appears that fiat chryslers ambitions to expand its car business have stalled the company is eager to continue its shift toward manufacturing more pickups and sport utility vehicles
in 2018 the sterling heights plant will build the next generation of the ram the factory that currently builds the truck in the nearby city of warren will get a new jeep product to replace it
the whole purpose of the realignment is not to lose any production of jeeps and rams said richard palmer fiat chryslers chief financial officer
as mr marchionne remarked to analysts replacing the 200 with more pickup trucks is a step toward focusing on the relevant portion of our activities   meaning more trucks and fewer cars
its refreshingly honest that he admits that making cars doesnt make a lot of economic sense and trucks do mr nerad said you have to follow the money


washington   president obama has proposed granting israel the largest package of military aid ever provided by the united states to another nation but he and prime minister benjamin netanyahu remain deeply at odds over a figure for the assistance despite months of negotiations
american officials have balked as their israeli counterparts insisted on more generous terms for a new 10 year military aid package that could top 40 billion the divide which could have broad national security implications for both the united states and israel is exacerbated by the pent up animosity between mr obama and mr netanyahu which has been stoked by their radically divergent views of the nuclear deal with iran
theres a unique place of pique for the israelis in certain places in the administration and i think that hovers around this negotiation said robert satloff the executive director of the washington institute for near east policy its one of the reasons its taken so long to reach a decision
powerful political forces are also at work while mr obama would like to burnish his legacy with an unprecedented military aid pact with israel some observers in the united states and israel believe that mr netanyahu is calculating that he can reach a more advantageous deal with a future president
at the end of the day its a numbers question and a political bet about whether the israelis can get something better from the next administration which i think would not be a wise gamble said ilan goldenberg the director of the middle east security program at the center for a new american security i do think the longer this drags on the less likely they are to get a deal
israeli officials strongly deny that they are holding out for a sweeter agreement under a new president one israeli official speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment publicly on the confidential talks said the israeli government hoped a deal could be reached soon with the obama administration
at the height of the split over the iran agreement last year mr netanyahu refused to negotiate with mr obama over the terms of a package to replace the roughly 3 billion a year military aid deal that expires in 2018 now both sides say they want a deal even as the talks approach a fifth month
what the united states has committed to do is to ramp up the assistance that we provide to israel in a way that would allow israel to be the recipient of more national security aid than any other country has ever received from the united states josh earnest the white house press secretary said wednesday
that is an indication of the depth of this country and this administrations commitment to israels security he added working out the details though is complicated
mr earnest said he could not put a time frame on a resolution
it has long been united states policy to ensure that israel preserves a qualitative military edge over neighboring countries on the theory that because it is much smaller than its potential adversaries it needs better technology and training to counter threats israel has been the largest cumulative recipient of american foreign aid since world war ii
wary of an impasse in the talks 81 republicans and democrats in the senate signed a letter to mr obama this week urging him to conclude a robust new mou or memorandum of understanding that increases aid while retaining the current terms of our existing aid program
they cited the likelihood that iran will resume its quest for nuclear weapons
aid to israel needs to be increased given the security challenges in the region said senator chris coons democrat of delaware who was a principal force behind the letter along with senator lindsey graham republican of south carolina
its an important legacy item to leave the us israel security relationship on a strong and robust footing mr coons said in an interview it would provide stability security and predictability for the israeli people and for americas allies in the region to conclude this sooner rather than later
technical discussions about the agreement are being conducted in strict secrecy by military officials of both governments and neither side would detail specific funding levels but the disputes over money are grounded in more profound rifts over policy politics and national security strategy
while the president views the iran agreement as having bolstered israels security   along with that of the united states and the rest of the world   by restraining tehrans ability to develop a nuclear weapon the israelis believe that the lifting of sanctions on iran has only emboldened a government that directly threatens them
the administration doesnt want to lose the iran battle after theyve already won it by rewarding israel with an over the top increase in aid said aaron david miller vice president of the woodrow wilson international center for scholars
at the same time there are powerful incentives for both sides to seek a swift agreement for mr obama the deal would cement his claim to have done more than any other president to support israels security while mr netanyahu would come away with assurance that the countries relationship has survived an extraordinarily tumultuous and partisan period
the president and the white house would like to end his term putting the capstone on his persona as the most supportive of israels security said mr satloff of the washington institute for near east policy the israelis are very eager to complete this deal precisely because he is a progressive president and having a progressive president endorse this is important for the bipartisan nature of the relationship
some observers also believe that signing a generous military aid package would insulate mr obama against accusations of being too tough on israel should he decide later this year to pressure it to accept a peace deal with the palestinians that embraces a two state solution the white house has debated whether mr obama should do so in an effort to preserve for a successor the possibility of a two state solution
if the administration takes that approach mr miller said they need to have laid the predicate that theyve got israels back on the security piece


washington   earnings for gilead science tumbled 17 percent in the first quarter as steeper discounts and rebates on its blockbuster hepatitis c drugs cut into sales
gilead maker of harvoni the first once daily single pill regimen for hepatitis c said on thursday that sales of the best selling drug fell 15 percent to 3 billion in the quarter with the steepest drop off in the united states and japan
the drug maker attributed the decline to discounts given to private insurers and higher rebates for patients in government controlled health plans like medicaid harvonis decline was offset in part by higher sales for an older hepatitis c drug sovaldi which grew to 128 billion
gilead based in foster city calif has grown into one of the worlds biggest drug makers because of its breakthrough treatments for hepatitis c a liver destroying virus estimated to affect about 185 million people worldwide
however use of the drug has been slowing in the united states where many of the patients who are eligible and able to afford the drugs have already received them additionally many private insurance plans and government health programs have been limiting which patients they will cover often waiting until the patients have suffered significant liver damage
but gilead has also become an unwilling symbol of soaring drug prices because of the high list prices for the hepatitis drugs about 94000 for harvoni and 84000 for sovaldi insurers in the united states have demanded steep discounts   as much as 45 percent   to cover the two drugs but even so the prices strain health care budgets
for the period that ended march 31 the drug maker posted revenue of 779 billion profit slipped to 253 a share compared with 276 in the year earlier period adjusted for one time costs and adjustments the company would have earned 303 a share
gilead sells the top selling hiv treatments truvada viread and stribild and others sales of those drugs continued to climb the company reported 150 million for a single tablet hiv combination called genvoya which was released in november
the companys shares have fallen 3 percent since the beginning of the year the stock closed regular trading at 97 and shed more than 5 percent in after hours trading


chicago   the los angeles rams chose quarterback jared goff of california with the first overall pick in the nfl draft the latest move by a team trying to re establish itself in southern california after two decades in st louis
eager to make a splash in their new home and revive their fading fortunes the rams traded a passel of draft picks to acquire the top overall selection from the tennessee titans without a strong quarterback on their roster the rams opted for goff widely considered one of the top prospects at that position in the draft
the rams have not had a winning season since 2003 and they are eager to begin their second tenure in southern california where they played from 1946 to 1994 by becoming competitive in the nfc west one of the toughest divisions in the nfl
the rams are betting that goff one of 96 underclassmen to enter the draft this year can make the jump to the nfl he threw for 4719 yards 43 touchdowns and 13 interceptions last year in the competitive pacific 12 conference his strong arm and quick release should help him reach the rams collection of middling receivers
im going to prove them right let them know they made the right decision goff said
many of the picks in the first round were not surprises although ohio state dominated with five of its players taken in the first 20 picks
goffs selection continues a trend toward teams focusing more on their passing game with their top picks he was the 14th quarterback chosen first over all in the past 19 years goff was also the latest underclassman to be chosen first over all following the likes of matthew stafford 2009 sam bradford 2010 andrew luck 2012 and jadeveon clowney 2014
last season quarterbacks jameis winston and marcus mariota were chosen first and second over all in the draft
in some ways the rams mortgaged the future for goff who will begin his career playing in the los angeles memorial coliseum for three seasons until the owner e stanley kroenke completes a nearly 3 billion stadium and retail complex in nearby inglewood
the titans sent their picks from the first fourth and sixth rounds this year to the rams in return they received the rams first round pick their two second round picks and a third round pick this year and their first  and third round picks next year
by selecting goff the rams cleared the way for the philadelphia eagles who engineered their own blockbuster trade to pick a top quarterback of their own
last week the eagles acquired the second overall pick from the cleveland browns as well as the browns fourth round pick next year in exchange for their picks in the first third and fourth rounds this year their first round pick next year and their second round pick in 2018
the eagles selected carson wentz who led north dakota state to an fcs championship big and quick wentz played a pro style offense in college and philadelphia is betting that he can make the jump from division i a football to the nfl
i block out all the noise play ball wentz said of the high expectations im confident in myself that it will all work out as its supposed to
despite the selection of wentz the eagles said sam bradford would remain the teams starting quarterback and would not be traded last month bradford signed a two year contract worth 36 million 22 million of which is guaranteed
the san diego chargers picked third and took joey bosa the highly rated defensive end from ohio state to improve a team that had among the fewest sacks last season bosas college teammate running back ezekiel elliott was taken next by the dallas cowboys the jacksonville jaguars which had the 29th ranked pass defense last season then took jaylen ramsey a defensive back from florida state
teams continued to plug holes the baltimore ravens took offensive lineman ronnie stanley to help protect quarterback joe flacco
the tennessee titans acquired the eighth pick in a trade with the cleveland browns and took jack conklin an offensive tackle from michigan state tampa bay buccaneers then traded the ninth pick to the hometown chicago bears who chose linebacker leonard floyd of georgia
the giants who have not made the playoffs since 2011 chose defensive back eli apple the third ohio state player chosen in the top 10 tampa then took vernon hargreaves a cornerback from florida the jets whose playoff drought is a year longer that the giants chose darron lee a linebacker from ohio state with the 20th pick
this years event lacked some of the buzz of past years like in 2012 when robert griffin iii and luck were taken but minutes before the start of the draft a bizarre video was posted on the verified twitter account of the top rated offensive tackle in the draft mississippis laremy tunsil showing a person smoking from a mask equipped with a bong the approximately 30 second video was posted to the account before being deleted the account was deactivated about 30 minutes later
after plummeting tunsil was selected with the 13th pick by the miami dolphins tunsil said later that the account was hacked and added that all of his drug tests came back negative in college
another big story was what did not happen the patriots did not select a player in the first round
the patriots lost that pick and a fourth round pick next year after the league determined that quarterback tom brady was generally aware of a plot to deflate balls used in the afc championship game in 2015
the penalties led to a very public fight between the patriots brady and the league as the draft began thursday the patriots posted a photo of tom brady on their instagram account
the patriots though have 11 picks in the remaining six rounds of the draft which finishes saturday considering that players drafted early do not always provide the most value per dollar stockpiling picks in the later rounds could be prudent brady after all was chosen in the sixth round
kansas city chiefs fans might take notice the team lost its third round draft pick this year and its sixth round choice next year for violating the leagues tampering policy commissioner roger goodell who was loudly jeered by the crowd in chicago rejected the teams appeal of the penalties


iran escalated its invective against the united states on thursday over the court ordered use of nearly 2 billion in seized iranian central bank assets to compensate american victims of terrorist attacks overseas calling the action an outrageous robbery and threatening unspecified retaliation
the criticism of the united states in a letter by irans foreign minister to the secretary general of the united nations was among the most strident yet in a steadily increasing display of anger from iran over american use of the assets validated in an april 20 decision by the supreme court
the decision concerned compensation claims by more than 1000 americans   survivors and relatives of people killed in attacks that the american authorities have attributed to iranian operatives   despite irans denials of responsibility the attacks include the 1983 truck bombing of a marine base in beirut lebanon and a 1996 truck bombing in khobar saudi arabia
iran had previously called the supreme court decision a form of theft and had suggested it might sue the united states in the international court of justice to block the ruling from taking effect but thursday appeared to be the first time iran suggested it might be planning a reciprocal response
the entire court proceedings which led to the recent ruling has been fake and phony and a travesty of justice in every sense of law jurisdiction merit fact and process the foreign minister mohammad javad zarif wrote in the letter to secretary general ban ki moon which was released by irans united nations mission
the islamic republic of iran holds the united states government responsible for this outrageous robbery disguised under a court order and is determined to take every lawful measure to restore the stolen property and the interest accrued to it from the date it was blocked by the united states mr zarif wrote
the letter denounced what mr zarif described as a history of united states arrogance toward iran and other sovereign states through the use of american courts to seek collection of civil judgments from them he called it a dangerous practice of defying international law
he recounted irans grievances with the united states beginning with what he called the cia supported overthrow of the government in 1953 american support for the former shahs secret police american backing for saddam hussein in the iran iraq war and the shooting down of an iranian jetliner in 1988 by american naval forces in the persian gulf
it is in fact the united states that must pay long overdue reparations to the iranian people for its persistent hostile policies mr zarif wrote
the islamic republic of iran reserves the right to take appropriate lawful action including necessary and proportionate countermeasures to restore and protect the rights of the iranian people against such persistent unlawful conduct by the united states he wrote
mr zarif asked for mr bans help to induce the us government to adhere to its international obligations by releasing irans assets and asked that mr ban circulate the letter as a document in the general assembly and security council there was no immediate comment from mr bans office or the state department
authorship of the letter in mr zarifs name was significant in part because he has been among the staunchest defenders of seeking improved relations with the united states
mr zarif and secretary of state john kerry were among the lead architects of the landmark agreement reached in july that curtailed irans nuclear activities in exchange for eased economic sanctions both sides expressed hope that it could lead to improved diplomatic ties
on wednesday president hassan rouhani of iran elected in 2013 partly on promises of achieving that nuclear deal castigated the united states over the supreme court decision calling it a flagrant theft and legal disgrace


the longtime girlfriend of the boston gangster james whitey bulger was sentenced on thursday to an additional 21 months in prison for refusing to testify before a grand jury investigating whether other people had helped him while he was a fugitive the woman catherine greig 65 was already serving an eight year sentence for helping mr bulger while he was a fugitive she spent 16 years on the run with him before they were captured in santa monica calif in 2011 prosecutors said ms greig refused to answer questions before the grand jury even after she was given immunity and was ordered to testify mr bulger 86 is serving a life sentence after being convicted in 2013 for playing a role in 11 murders ap
one day after a man publicly revealed that he was victimized by dennis hastert a judge ruled thursday that another victim did not have to reveal his name in a lawsuit that contends the former house speaker has not paid all the money promised in exchange for his silence but kendall county judge robert pilmer did not rule out requiring the man known in federal court documents as individual a to be identified in the future judge pilmer also wants the lawsuit refiled under seal with the mans name on it mr hastert received a 15 month prison term wednesday in the hush money case ap
the state house voted 83 to 0 on thursday to prohibit a commonly used second trimester abortion procedure called dilation and evacuation the procedure would be allowed only if necessary to prevent serious health risk to the mother similar laws have been passed in four other states with anti abortion activists describing the procedures as dismemberment abortions state courts have blocked laws in kansas and oklahoma supporters of the ban describe the abortion method as torturous and barbaric opponents say that description is not medically accurate they say the bill would criminalize the safest method of second trimester abortion the senate considers it next ap


it was april 30 1939 a sunny sunday and new yorkers were out in force for two history making occasions
the first was obvious
it was opening day of the new york worlds fair president roosevelt who left his country home at hyde park by special train at 9 am arrived at the fair grounds at 1245 pm the new york times reported in a front page article he had switched to an 18 car motorcade for the ride to queens and was driven through bronx streets lined with cheering crowds and heavily guarded by police
that night the national cash register company gave 601484 as the attendance the article reported
back up in the bronx a considerably smaller crowd   23712   was taking its weekend leisure at yankee stadium those people too were witnesses to history but they didnt know it it was lou gehrigs last game the yankees lost 3 2 to the senators gehrig was hitless in four at bats in the account of the game by the times his name appears only in the box score
it was two days later in detroit at the yankees next game that the bombshell dropped gehrig voluntarily ends streak at 2130 straight games the timess headline read in its account
the mighty iron man who at his peak had hit forty nine home runs in a single season five years ago took himself out of action before the yanks marched on briggs stadium for their first game against the tigers this year
gehrig had told the manager joe mccarthy privately and later spoke publicly gehrig visibly affected explained his decision quite frankly the times reported i decided last sunday night on this move said lou i havent been a bit of good to the team since the season started it would not be fair to the boys to joe or to the baseball public for me to try going on in fact it would not be fair to myself and im the last consideration
its tough to see your mates on base have a chance to win a ball game and not be able to do anything about it mccarthy has been swell about it all the time hed let me go until the cows came home he is that considerate of my feelings but i knew in sundays game that i should get out of there and so he did


an internationally renowned soprano is about to make her operatic debut at lincoln center but a determined enemy of artistic excellence wants to destroy her voice he would render her singing so awful that youd probably rather listen to gilbert gottfried
is this a problem for the new york police department no but its definitely a case for the eyes of the fountain
dozens of children will join this detective agency on saturday when lincoln center presents the first installment of meet me at the fountain a series of immersive theatrical experiences for families
we came up with this concept of what if there were this underground organization that protects lincoln center said jonathan shmidt chapman the associate director of programming and production for lincoln center education a branch that develops school and community events engaging children would be perfect he explained because no one would suspect that kids on our campus would be helping us foil a diabolical plot
no one that is who hasnt seen one of the various scooby doo tv series scooby doo the hardy boys film noir and old radio serials all influenced the conceit which mr chapman developed with drew petersen associate artistic director of trusty sidekick theater company mr chapman is its artistic director
in episode 1 the canary flies at midnight the villain oscar quinnsworth plans to introduce his flattener into the halls sound system this dastardly invention will make the diva   code name the canary   sound flat intending the experience for ages 7 through 11 the men deliberately focused on silly sabotage rather than terrorism
the half hour adventure will be offered 10 times daily on saturday and in may for up to 14 people per session five actors take part including mr petersen the shows director while the action follows his script improvisation inevitably occurs youre not sure where the play world stops and the real world begins he said
the agents use a detector the triller   actually a light sensitive theremin   with which the children chase the flattener all over including underground the centers tunnel network has a noir kind of dark detective story feel and we just loved it mr petersen said
lincoln center of course is also plotting the series is part of lc kids a year old initiative to lure more families dropped in throughout are these sprinkles of cultural literacy mr petersen said like references to balanchine martha graham and opera the idea is that the eyes of the fountain agency is really passionate about art if the program succeeds its young detectives will become passionate too
saturday and may 21 and 22 the rose building 165 west 65th street schedule and tickets 212 721 6500 kidslincolncenterorg


the police on thursday shot and wounded a costumed 25 year old man after a standoff at a baltimore television station where the man said that he was carrying a bomb and demanded that a message be broadcast the police opened fire on the man officials said because he refused to comply with the instructions of officers
a baltimore police spokesman t j smith said that investigators ultimately concluded that the man had not possessed a bomb instead they said he had been carrying a mock device that included a motherboard and candy bars that were connected by wires and wrapped in foil
the appearance of it was to be an actual explosive type device mr smith said at an evening news conference
the police did not immediately identify the man who was being treated at a hospital and was believed to be from howard county md near baltimore mr smith said the mans condition was serious but stable and that he was expected to survive
the police shot the man at about 3 pm after he left the building and according to mr smith defied repeated orders to remove his hands from the pockets of what he described as a panda outfit onesie
the man did not receive immediate medical treatment officials said because of the uncertainty about whether he had a dangerous explosive
a security guard at the fox affiliated station told reporters that the man had presented him with a flash drive loaded with information about astronomy and that he had just wanted to say that the governments wrong in thinking about the way they do about anything in space
he walked in opened up his hedgehog outfit that he had on and he pretty much said that he had a bomb on him and that he had a message that he needed to be heard the security guard jourael apostolides said
mr smith said a vehicle had also been set on fire outside the station and that it was connected to the man who was shot
the episode came eight months after a former employee killed a reporter and photojournalist in virginia


modernism has a substantial tradition of small abstract paintings   paintings that normal people those lacking private museums or vast real estate acreage   can live with this tradition includes many artists among them paul klee wassily kandinsky late alice trumbull mason and myron stout the painter bill jensen revived it in new york in the early 1970s as did it seems the belgian raoul de keyser in europe some current practitioners include tomma abts ann pibal ej hauser and etel adnan
now the field has a brilliant newcomer ryan nord kitchen 28 born in minnesota educated in iowa and baltimore and making his new york solo debut at nicelle beauchene with winter paintings a show of 25 works measuring either 15 inches by 12 inches or 24 inches by 21 inches as ive said before art you can take home in a taxi dissents from the big scale and site specificity that regardless of medium are so highly favored if not fetishized by the current system of huge spaces museum commissions and sprawling international exhibitions
mr kitchen works fast and loose on tablet size canvases reducing paintings proclivity for grand gesture to a series of intimate scribbles lines dots notional marks and hints of initials and artists signatures as well as landscape studies and textile design they have wonderful palettes and exude an effortless tossed off charm that is easy to underestimate
seeing them in a group however emphasizes a careful system that accommodates a startling amount of variety
first of all no more than three or four colors per canvas are used and in noticeably different quantities with the background color almost always being the most plentiful in garden view for example a red field touched with bits of orange is alive with lines and scribbles of dark green contains less frequent purple marks and has just four incidents of yellow including a sphere that resembles the sun and a scattering of dots
winter night 2 is black with mostly red marks a few pink ones minor touches of burnt umber and four additions of white
second the colors and strokes rarely overlap creating a kind of democratic transparency whether in the background or foreground nearly every brush stroke or scumble reads as an independent entity often against bits of the raw linen   the ground behind the background color   that always glimmers through and by some method many marks are negative almost nothing but silhouettes of bare linen ghosts of gestures defined by the surrounding hues altogether we sense painting as a performance an act of personal inscription like poetry and a system
we also sense it as history there for the taking a past with plenty to offer the present for mr kitchen that past includes not just the artists mentioned above but also pierre bonnard the french painters vegetal lushness jackson pollock his mark by mark etchings and even late monet that would be mr kitchens early memory which features a series of red lines suggestive of a japanese footbridge surrounded by nature mr kitchen also evokes the larger pictorial history beyond painting and beyond the west including wallpaper design and calligraphy
the variety of formal effects raise the possibility that the hand and mind can devise endless interactions of colors and materials paint is numerous degrees of thick thin or barely there the numerous ways the linen shows through the background colors attest to a wide ranging understanding of touch
usually the marks background color and raw linen balance one another especially in winter where white accommodates black and green and bits of blue and the linen suggests the sleeping land sometimes the linen vies for dominance warm memory 2 sometimes the marks jump out like the red ones against the aqua blue of nature walk
when the titles references to landscape prevail the marks imply trees hills paths undergrowth mountains and even birds indicating attention to american modernists like john marin marsden hartley charles burchfield and the eccentric and undersung abraham walkowitz and in the end we interpret these colors suspended in another color however we want to as an act of seeing performing writing or conceptualizing
the works in this quietly stunning show have a kind of perfection that can make you wonder where mr kitchen will go next yet he also asserts that there is plenty of unexplored land in those familiar modernist territories of the monochrome all over composition painting as process and figure ground relationships in part by playing them against one another in part by coaxing them to team up anew


for three decades the burlesque performance expert jo weldon has studied why people wear clothes made of leopard patterns she has concluded that in the last few centuries spotted cat motifs have been used to attract attention and exude power ferocity independence sophistication sensuality and sometimes outright debauchery
the underlying message is she said i will be seen and i am not prey
ms weldon will discuss her research in a lecture on may 17 at the morbid anatomy museum in brooklyn where an exhibition featuring selections from her collection of leopard print objects will be on view from may 17 to 30 she blogs at historyofleopardprintcom and is finishing a book on the subject
at moments in her scholarly pursuit she said shes gone way too far and found herself practically unable to tear herself away from pinning down particular facts
one might even consider her well dogged
she has learned to identify leopard patterns which are often confused with those of ocelots jaguars and cheetahs she has interviewed people wearing the patterns sometimes she said they had not understood their feelings of empowerment until they heard about the history and significance of their clothes she has studied how leopard skins and printed versions of the pelts have appealed to egyptian queens jacqueline kennedy the pinup model bettie page and the performers eartha kitt carmen miranda ann margret and dolores del rio
famous men have been drawn to the patterns too including the fashion designers oleg cassini and christian dior and the underwear innovator frederick mellinger who founded fredericks of hollywood
napoleons troops trimmed their helmets and saddle covers in leopard skin mobutu sese seko the longtime dictator of zaire now the democratic republic of congo had a signature leopard skin hat circus strongmen and actors playing tarzan or cave dwellers have typically sported skimpy leopard garments for her portrayal of mrs robinson in the graduate anne bancroft wore leopard print lingerie as she seduced her daughters boyfriend
the movies recurring use of the pattern ms weldon said came to emblemize the bad sexualized mother
she attributes her own interest in the subject partly to her zodiac sign leo the year of her birth 1962 a year of the tiger and the pumas native to her home state colorado as a child she was fascinated with ms kitt playing catwoman and ms weldons teenage years were spent among punk rockers with tastes for leopard clothing for her book and exhibition she has acquired vintage outfits images of people wearing leopard patterns and advertisements and sewing patterns for the clothes
she also owns a circular fragment of an actual leopard pelt cut from a coat designed by pauline trigere at one point she was told the piece was destined to cover a bar stool cushion ms weldon brings it to lectures she said so that audience members can pay their respects to a noble predator probably killed so that a human could be wrapped in its pelt she suggests that they support foundations like panthera which protect wildcats and their habitats
the manhattan physician robert abbe spent his vacations in the 1920s setting up the museum of stone age antiquities near his sprawling shingled summer home in bar harbor me he died in 1928 just before his displays opened at the building a tile roofed octagonal structure along a hiking trail in nearby acadia national park the abbe museum as it is now known has expanded his collection of stone and bone tools and pottery shards with artifacts from the regions american indian tribes collectively known as the wabanaki on sunday a survey of wabanaki implements household goods clothing and art forms opens at the museums main building now in bar harbor in time for the centennial of acadia national park where dr abbes original octagon has been preserved
the new exhibition people of the first light will include birch bark boxes and canoes beaded epaulets and moccasins silver coin brooches birch root clubs rawhide snowshoes stone adzes and sweetgrass baskets one display case will be devoted to early 20th century photographs postcards and other ephemera from lucy nicolar a maine native and penobscot tribe member who was a singer vaudeville star and civil rights activist
part of the museums collection came from the boston shipping heiress mary cabot wheelwright she also had a home near santa fe nm and founded what is now the wheelwright museum of the american indian there the abbe museum is also showing pieces that the linguist frank t siebert acquired from tribe members in maine mr siebert who died in 1998 labored for decades to create a dictionary of the penobscot language which scholars are completing under the auspices of the maine folklife center and the penobscot nation cultural and historic preservation department
in 2011 mr sieberts heirs dispersed much of his collection which had been on view at institutions including the abbe museum through skinner auction house in boston maine museums acquired some of the lots a beaded pointy cap which sold for 35550 is now at the maine state museum in augusta along with mr sieberts wampum necklace which had belonged to a penobscot basket maker named sylvia stanislaus the abbe museums purchases included a medal in the shape of maines outline in 1936 the states governor gave it to mrs stanislaus to celebrate her centennial
a new book creating acadia national park the biography of george bucknam dorr by the historian ronald h epp explains how dr abbe collaborated with the parks founder the boston textile heir george dorr to create the trailside museum dr abbe had been inspired after seeing american indian stone tools in a bar harbor storefront window i was filled with a desire to possess and study them he later recalled the philanthropic effort briefly revitalized his health mr epp writes dr abbe who died of bone marrow failure had been an early advocate of radiation treatments for cancer and was most likely overexposed to radioactive toxins


the museum of modern art is changing things yet again after reinstalling the fourth floor permanent collection   devoted to works from 1940 to 1980   moma beginning in june will radically rework its second floor contemporary galleries by dividing them into three distinct spaces each with a major installation from the collection focused on a single artist
moma is going through this very public experimentation in thinking about its collection galleries said rajendra roy the museums chief film curator were all looking at new models and exploring what that can feel like and look like
where the museum annually used to present works from the collection made since 1980 a team of curators in addition to mr roy they are klaus biesenbach stuart comer cara manes lucy gallun and erica papernik shimizu is presenting nan goldins the ballad of sexual dependency 1979 2004 teiji furuhashis lovers 1994 and tony ourslers imponderable 2015 16
its a look at how artists use technology to be biographical said mr biesenbach momas chief curator at large and the director of moma ps1
in lovers a multimedia installation life size images of mr furuhashi and other members of his kyoto based artist collective are projected onto the walls of a darkened room moving like specters around the perimeter
mr ourslers work employs peppers ghost   an illusion technique used in haunted houses   to track the development of the virtual image which overlaps with the artists own family history
ms goldins ballad is a visual diary of her relationships with lovers and friends in downtown manhattan told through some 700 slides from the late 1970s through the 80s it will be shown in its original 35 millimeter format along with photographs from the slide show in the museums collection
she keeps updating it   its a living work mr biesenbach said and were trying to create more of a living museum to allow a dialogue while establishing a chronology
benjamin genocchio isnt wasting any time
three months after leaving artnet news to become the executive director of the 2016 armory show hes announcing a new vision for the 2017 edition that aims to give the fair more focus and substance as many complain that it has become unwieldy and amorphous
in a way i think it grew too much mr genocchio said the idea is to go back to a tighter smarter fair we also understand where we are which is new york as an incubator
to reflect the increasing dominance of contemporary art both piers 92 and 94 will include work from that period and modern art will no longer be the sole focus of pier 92
if youre able to put a curatorial eye to the presentations its going to make the fair more flexible and responsive mr genocchio said but on the other hand more visually coherent and less overwhelming
the focus section rather than being organized by geographical area will now include presentations of new or rarely seen work by a single artist and the presents section will expand as a platform for emerging galleries to showcase new artwork
whats so great about portrait medals
explaining that will be up to the frick collection now that the museum is receiving 450 of them as a promised gift from stephen k and janie woo scher
many people dont know what they are so our job is to make them interested and possibly fall in love with them said ian wardropper the fricks director
given that each generally portrays an individual or a significant scene from someones life the medals also coincide with the fricks strength in portraiture mr wardropper said adding theyre kind of miniature lessons in history
tracing the development of portrait medals from the 15th century through the 19th century the collection also complements the fricks concentration on european art from the renaissance through the 1800s
its commonly acknowledged to be the finest private collection of medals mr wardropper said a perfect fit for the frick
the medals will ultimately reside in a dedicated gallery in the meantime the museum is planning an exhibition and catalog for may 2017
their small size demands intimacy mr wardropper said which is also what we offer
francis bacon and lucian freud were among those who preferred not to be lumped together as the school of london a phrase coined by r b kitaj for a group of artists that also included leon kossoff michael andrews and frank auerbach
a lot of them dont like the designation said julian brooks curator of drawings at the getty museum in los angeles bacon worked from photographs freud insisted on a living sitter every single time so theyre very different even though they were friends
still in the 1940s through the 1980s this london cohort did collectively amount to a significant movement toward a new approach to figuration that resisted the prevailing trend toward abstraction minimalism and conceptualism
starting july 26 the getty will present london calling a show of 80 paintings drawings and prints that it says is the first major american museum exhibition to explore the leaders of this school
if one thinks back to that period figurative art was seen to be old hat mr brooks said these artists very much took figurative art to the next step


washington   potentially giving congressional republicans new ammunition in their crusade against the internal revenue service the agency on thursday said that annual unpaid taxes had increased to nearly half a trillion dollars
in its latest analysis of what is commonly called the tax gap the irs said there were average unpaid annual taxes of 458 billion for 2008 to 2010 a slight increase from 450 billion in 2006 the last year for which an analysis was conducted
the agency said the increase resulted largely from new more precise estimates and represented no significant change in the amount of the tax gap or the rate of compliance
still the irs has been under pressure from congressional republicans who have simultaneously cut its budget and excoriated the agency for operational deficiencies but while republicans could criticize the lack of any reduction in the tax gap they also could face questions about their own aggressive efforts to slash the agencys budget and staff
senator orrin g hatch republican of utah and chairman of the finance committee said the best solution to reducing the tax gap would be a sweeping overhaul of the tax code but he also called on the irs to do a better job
this recent data further underscores the need for the irs to get smarter about guaranteeing tax compliance and restore trust and faith in the agency mr hatch said in a statement
in announcing its findings the irs said that enforcement efforts had recovered about 52 billion of the unpaid taxes
democrats had their own criticism saying that the agencys efforts were not good enough with some calling for tougher enforcement particularly on corporations
it is absolutely unacceptable that the country has lost more than 400 billion over the past 10 years from corporations dodging their tax payments said senator ron wyden of oregon the senior democrat on the finance committee this is money that could be put to good use shoring up critical programs such as medicare its time the irs put an effective tracking and auditing system in place to locate this lost money
the tax gap results from returns that are not filed underreporting and underpayment and the irs said those categories accounted for 32 billion 387 billion and 39 billion in potential revenue for the federal government
a high level of tax compliance remains critical to help ensure taxpayer faith and fairness in the tax system the agency said in a statement those who dont pay what they owe ultimately shift the tax burden to those who properly meet their tax obligations


two brawny construction workers perch on a plank dangerously suspended hundreds of feet off the ground in men of steel a print that hangs in an exhibition at new york universitys grey art gallery the men are heroic figures intent on their task   bolting a horizontal beam to a column
in a nearby display case there is a greeting card illustrated with a snowy woodland scene called peaceful valley depicting deer standing stock still between gnarled trees
both etchings are by samuel l margolies who is best known for his new york cityscapes from the 1930s and looking at them together   one a dynamic composition with pointed political undertones done by the artist at the peak of his powers the other static unconvincing and entirely tame   might be puzzling for some
for me its almost painful
im the artists granddaughter i didnt know my grandfather well   he was estranged from the family and died in 1974 when i was 16   but ive spent a good part of the last two years piecing together his life and in the process trying to understand how an artist whose work hung in the whitney museum of american art alongside edward hoppers could also have been capable of such well schlock
this fascinating traveling show art for every home associated american artists 1934 2000 provides a clue
associated american artists a private company established during the depression sought to promote artists and their work and at the same time convince everyday americans that fine art had a place in their homes in 1934 associateds founder reeves lewenthal held a meeting with artists including thomas hart benton grant wood and john steuart curry   the companys heavy hitters in the words of elizabeth seaton one of the exhibitions curators mr lewenthal proposed that they produce etchings and lithographs that he would print in editions of 250 and sell to the public for five bucks apiece what only 5 for a signed original by thomas benton the great american artist one of the companys ads blared yes incredible but true
although associated would branch into artist designed home and fashion goods during its 66 year history   there are arresting stoneware platters and cotton fabrics in art for every home   it started with prints and they remained the foundation of the company
at first associated sold them through department stores it also opened galleries including one on fifth avenue but mr lewenthals marketing breakthrough was mail order every year associated american artists sent out catalogs that listed new works and profiled the artists gail windisch a retired los angeles lawyer whose research on the company was the basis for the show said in a telephone interview the idea was that people would be more likely to buy prints if they felt invested in the people who made them
for the artists themselves   many of whom barely survived the 1930s when their work was deemed a luxury by those who had difficulty putting food on the table   the company was salvation most received 200 for each work   the equivalent of more than 3500 today it was manna from heaven ms windisch said
it surely would have been for my grandfather born in 1897 on the lower east side to jewish immigrants who had fled czarist russia samuel margolies studied at cooper union the art students league and the national academy first painting and doing bronze sculptures before discovering etching
he worked from the 25th and top floor of the worlds tower building on west 40th street in manhattan from his studios quatrefoil windows the artist looked out over bryant park and the new york public library and more important the skyscrapers that workers were building all around him supplying the subject matter for his art
despite a strong exhibition record blue ribbons from art fairs and praise in the press my grandfather struggled to make a living even after joining the works progress administrations federal art project for which he produced prints that ended up everywhere from evander childs high school in the bronx to the library of congress in washington he grew increasingly cranky when the public paid scant attention to shows he helped organize for the queensboro society of allied arts  crafts   he lived with his family for a time in hollis queens   he published a tirade in its newsletter which he produced under the headline is there something wrong with the people of queens he was ousted shortly thereafter my grandmother ultimately gave up on him moving out with their two children my father and aunt and opening up the chasm between the artist and the rest of the family
his relationship with associated began in 1941 when two years after the drypoint men of steel was exhibited at the new york worlds fair he sold the company the copper plate the same year it bought his mezzotint reflections a scene of boaters in central park with the buildings of fifth avenue in the background during the next nine years associated acquired 18 more plates some hed etched years before some he made expressly for the company
heres the rub associateds goal certainly wasnt to foster mediocrity but mr lewenthal would only buy works he believed would appeal to the general public   the average housewife looking for something to hang on a wall though art for every home and its catalog feature many of the companys most potent images   see currys fiery portrait of the abolitionist john brown   a number of artists my grandfather included found they had better luck if they stuck to innocuous fare
which meant that not only did fine works like men of steel go out into the world in large numbers but so did snowy rural landscapes that my grandfather created under seemingly interchangeable names winter symphony winter wonderland winter solitude none of the above in the exhibition thankfully these snow scenes as he dismissively referred to them typically involved some combination of white blanketed trees distant farmhouses meandering streams and sometimes deer which he rendered with far less success than he had the new york skyscrapers one called white fantasy practically makes me cringe
but customers gobbled them up while it took two years for associated american artists to sell out its inventory of men of steel prints the snow scenes sold out quickly   in some cases immediately during the patriotic war years when the company placed eagles on its catalog covers artwork that played up the wholesomeness of the countryside appealed to many americans ms windisch said the art said this is the peace and beauty we are fighting for
then too my grandfather who went to work at a general motors plant outside new york city that built carrier based bombers for the navy might simply have been too busy to attempt anything artistically ambitious he implied as much in a note he dashed off to associated in 1944 although i cant spend a minute away from my war job ill not sleep a wink until ive etched a new plate ill deliver it to headquarters within 10 days
in time associated american artists under mr lewenthals successor sylvan cole embraced nonrepresentational art and it was the first american publisher of david hockney prints the company folded in 2000
a half century before my grandfather sold his last plates to associated one was the aquatint builders of babylon like men of steel its a new york scene of two construction workers high above the city   though this picture has a dreamy vaporous quality as if the stylized almost mythic figures are evanescing into thin air the 1950 company catalog called it his newest work but he almost certainly created it in the 1930s
men of steel and builders of babylon are in the collections of the metropolitan museum of art which has well over 100 prints and drawings by samuel margolies and many other museums and institutions they are also coveted by private collectors
ive tried to buy both works at auction but have had to drop out of the bidding as prices for prints that originally cost 5 climbed to several thousands of dollars
meanwhile the snow scenes flood ebay


podcasts have become fixtures of commutes and working hours but theyre entering museums too nate dimeo creator of the podcast the memory palace will be the 2016 17 artist in residence at the metropolitan museum of art
announcing a new season of its metlivearts series on thursday the met moved ever further from its traditional helpings of standard repertory concerts and podium lectures instead it is looking to engage audience members who might resist being tied to a particular performance time or space and would prefer to listen at leisure to mr dimeo who will work with the mets curators and conservators on 10 podcasts about objects in the american wing
the quartet in residence will be publiquartet which incorporates improvisation and contemporary compositions into its performances of the canon new and recent works including john luther adamss canticles of the holy wind and mohammed fairouzs al quds jerusalem are a feature of the season which was organized by limor tomer the mets general manager of concerts and lectures
in honor of the 90th anniversary of the birth of morton feldman who died in 1987 the calder quartet will play his six hour string quartet no 2 in the fuentiduena chapel at the cloisters handel and haydn society a boston orchestra under harry christophers will perform monteverdis vespers of 1610 in the temple of dendur
alan cumming will give the premiere of max and alan a musical work inspired by the mets max beckmann in new york exhibition this fall and judy collins will have a two night stand of songs by sondheim
more information is at metmuseumorgtickets


london   for travelers returning to london from distant places struggling for bare bones survival the portals of passport control sometimes resemble what a british writer likened to the looking glass in lewis carrolls fable of alice
out there   in the middle east africa and elsewhere   wars rage drought crisps the land democracy strains against despotism
and in consequence of such upheaval a procession unparalleled in modern times of war zone refugees and other migrants seeking new homes in europe challenges a political and social order that traces its roots to 17th century notions of governance and sovereignty
here though it seems as if the sole prism through which issues are squeezed is a referendum on june 23 on british membership in the european union   a yes no decision thrown into even starker relief by president obama whose visit to london last week was centered on support for prime minister david camerons commitment to remaining in the bloc
in recent days too   with huzzahs gun salutes and the lighting of beacons to fete the 90th birthday of queen elizabeth ii celebrations in honor of the 400th anniversary of shakespeares death and commemorations of st george the patron saint of england   the debate has inspired fretful musings about the nature of britains identity
whatever else the ballot will bookend a long running and visceral argument confronting britons with what many depict as an existential choice that has sown division beyond political factions to sunder friends and relatives
even the family of george osborne the pro european chancellor of the exchequer has been reported to be squabbling over brexit as the campaign to leave the european union is known given the depth of the fissures the wounds seem likely to fester for years
much of the debate hinges on the unknown   the fear of it for some the thrill of it for others
released from the shackles of membership in the bloc pro brexit campaigners argue britain will embark on a golden age built on its long and doughty history as a trading nation
not so their adversaries say outside the european union britain will confront falling living standards deeper insecurity and rising uncertainties
beyond that though the arguments pit head against heart a vote either way is a leap of faith indeed the church of england has raised a cautious banner with a newly minted prayer for honesty and openness generosity and discernment in the deliberations
the fact that mr obama spoke out determinedly for britain to remain in the european union was perhaps the biggest omen for britons that their international stature may be in jeopardy
outside the bloc mr obama said britain would be at the back of the queue of those seeking trade agreements with the united states
his intervention stirred passions of its own
americans are rebelling against the emergence of an imperial presidency the columnist tim montgomerie wrote in the spectator asserting that as mr obama lectures the british on their place in the world voters here might feel somewhat resentful too
some suspected that mr obamas support was a maneuver as part of murkier negotiations on a contentious trans atlantic trade pact
britain has long sought to assure itself that it has a special relationship with the united states built on shared history values language and culture
but the presidents remarks said the columnist jonathan freedland in the guardian signaled that america has no intention of forming some new closer relationship with brexited britain
for those arguing that a brighter non european future beckons mr freedland said obama burst that bubble
what makes the debate so passionate and all absorbing is that life for britain outside the european union   much as life beyond the looking glass   is terra incognita
and as alice discovers the answers rarely match up with the questions
the more this debate has continued nick clegg a former deputy prime minister said during a public debate the more i have the feeling this debate is about who we are who great britain is
this is not just about what you think of brussels its also what we think of ourselves


when the new york philharmonic awarded the first marie josee kravis prize for new music to henri dutilleux in 2011 it became a gift that would keep on giving dutilleux who was then 95 and died in 2013 decided to share the 200000 proceeds with worthy younger composers of his choosing in effect commissioning them to write for the philharmonic
that led to anthony cheungs orpheus themed lyra performed in 2014 and peter eotvoss opera senza sangue performed in 2015 and on wednesday evening alan gilbert and the philharmonic added the last of those works apres after by franck krawczyk who was born near paris in 1969
mr krawczyk   who according to the program notes abandoned a career as a concert pianist in midperformance leaving a stage in the middle of beethovens pathetique sonata   draws heavily on music of the past writing after bach mozart beethoven and the like he briefly alludes to beethoven in this work in three movements each dedicated to a model dutilleux being the last
though the homages and allusions are not obvious the 18 minute work starting with elegiac strings and ending with braying brasses has a pleasing contour and gives the orchestra a good and imaginative workout at one point all the players become percussionists banging implements on their music stands
carter brey the philharmonics stellar principal cellist was an excellent soloist in schumanns cello concerto this work mostly holds its bravura moments in abeyance until the finale and mr brey rose to them admirably
but he was at least as impressive in the lyrical first two movements it was especially touching to hear his mellow duets with his fellow cellist eileen moon sitting in as principal in the slow middle movement
talent and artistry run deep among the philharmonic cellists on monday night nathan vickery 25 a section cellist and at the moment the youngest member of the orchestra gave a fresh and appealing account of dvoraks cello concerto with the music and medicine orchestra of the weill cornell medical college at the kaye playhouse
and the orchestras wonderful low strings with mr brey back as principal cello sounded truly luscious at the start of brahmss second symphony which ended the program mr gilbert led a basically attractive performance if not a particularly revelatory one


jeff van gundy was speaking in his characteristically outspoken role as a television commentator not as a reported candidate for the remaining nba head coaching vacancies excluding the one in new york he was in no way endorsing phil jackson as an accomplished knicks president or carmelo anthony as a championship level franchise player
he was merely explaining why jackson and anthony need each other more than people think and why those   perhaps anthony and jackson   wishing for the philosophically rickety partnership to conclude might want to consider the potential consequences
first of all the problem with step by step analysis is that it obscures the bigger picture van gundy said in a telephone interview so i dont care that much what you say about phils decisions to trade for jose calderon or sign arron afflalo   so far he got the biggest one right
he referred to jacksons drafting of kristaps porzingis   the kid has the mental makeup to be a huge star van gundy raved   when jackson might have succumbed to external pressure to trade down in the draft to secure a veteran player along with a lower pick last june
with the focus on jacksons coaching plans   the choice is seemingly down to the holdover interim coach kurt rambis or the recently interviewed and more preferable well get to why david blatt   van gundy contended that the most pressing issue for the knicks was how to best develop porzingis the skilled 7 foot 3 skyscraper the most exciting homegrown foundational talent since patrick ewing
for a fan base and a news media divided or dithering on continuing with anthony van gundy   fondly remembered from his coaching days in new york during the ewing era   makes a compelling case for why the knicks should not necessarily oblige their best player even if he decides to waive his no trade clause
starting over going for a total rebuilding around porzingis with the hope of attracting another star in the summer of 2017 or beyond has sounded tempting for those me included fatigued by the yammering about anthonys window to win as he approaches his 32nd birthday in may
what exactly is the realistic view from that window within two years the fourth or fifth playoff seeding in the eastern conference barring an unlikely 2016 superstar free agent signing while assuming some roster upgrade with available salary cap space a spot in the lower playoff echelon or a rise to its contending fringe would be the most realistic knicks objective for next season
but here is where van gundy maintained that anthonys continued presence would be invaluable for that modest ambition
one never knows what might happen   blake griffin could soon be on the trade market after another los angeles clippers playoff disaster but with limited locations available based on anthonys leverage trading him might not land anything close to a commensurate return especially factoring in two season salary cap hits of about 29 million and 31 million including a 9 million trade kicker the new team would be responsible for
worse perhaps would be the environment anthony would leave behind the crux of van gundys case
you talk about starting over developing a young team around porzingis but one of the things thats always overlooked about player development is playing meaningful games van gundy said even if you dont make the playoffs whats essential for guys like porzingis is to be playing in games that count instead of just playing out a season like they did this year
exhibit a   although a worst case scenario   would be jahlil okafors rookie misadventures in philadelphia this season without a veteran performer to lean on anthony was a surprisingly soft pillar and one the amiable porzingis seemed to genuinely enjoy playing with
whatever you think about the triangle it is a pass first offense and carmelo i think influenced porzingis well van gundy said i also think that porzingis because of the unselfish way he plays influenced carmelo well
when asking why anthony would stay if jackson fares comparably in the coming free agent market to how he did last summer   and with no real assurance of high stakes postseason games anytime soon   you always begin with anthonys obvious delight at being the brand name basketball star at madison square garden
then there is porzingis who of course could plateau for a season or two before reaching the threshold of stardom but with anthony embracing a more versatile approach as his body lectures him on its limits porzingis could also become an exception to developmental rule and emerge as anthonys co star by next season
given his attachment to the garden anthony should also consider the last knicks franchise player who lobbied his way out that was ewing in 2000 though he was much older 37 and had had a far longer 15 years and more successful run than anthony has had
van gundy lived through that ordeal as coach and said everyone involved had come to regret ewings departure to seattle
i was just talking to patrick in charlotte about it and he admits he never should have gone van gundy said i know we would have wanted a do over he would have been a free agent the next season freeing up cap space and then we never did replace the character patrick brought every night
the upshot for ewing other than having his jersey retired he never did find his way back to the franchise to which he had given so much
so lets assume for the moment that anthony remains tethered to porzingis and jackson manages to upgrade the knicks backcourt and overall athleticism making them playoff contenders
wouldnt blatt a winner wherever in the world he has coached including cleveland be a more prudent choice than run of the mill rambis
speculation abounds that jackson met with blatt as a smoke screen while still being all in on his buddy rambis but the internationally accomplished blatt might actually appeal to jacksons longtime deference to being you know different
going with blatt would dispel the belief that jackson is too insular trapped in his own inner triangle it would add a defensive minded coach to the mix while presumptively retaining rambis as the associate and experienced chieftain of the offense
finally it would be something of a new york centered public relations coup   an american born israel relocated jewish head coach who played college ball at princeton with knicks general manager steve mills there would be at least a front office partnership in place if jackson exercised his option to leave after next season
anthony probably would not get a hearty endorsement of blatt from his good friend lebron james or some others in cleveland where blatts reluctance to play the grateful rookie head coach did not serve him well
too bad anthony has a hammer in his no trade clause the knicks have leverage in not having to accommodate him anthony may want to remember that there are very few places to maximize his championship ring chances   and how many of those teams would need or want him
ultimately anthonys new york loving heart may be more prudent than his head and if porzingis needs anthony so do the knicks that at least is the argument from van gundy commentator and former coach in the convoluted world of the knicks we never object to a little clarity


he arrived through a back entrance heading to the fourth floor for a prearranged event   on time it might have been noted
but for mayor bill de blasio matters of punctuality seem almost trivial now with a swirling series of investigations by state and federal prosecutors being conducted into his fund raising efforts
the inquiries have turned even the most routine appearances on his schedule into a dramatic event on thursday the democratic mayor briefly took part in a call in for those with immigration questions at a city university of new york building in midtown manhattan
as mr de blasio answered the phones he sat behind a huge banner bearing the logo of the events main sponsor the daily news whose front pages have for days been dominated by unfavorable headlines for his administration crime time for blaz one read
shortly after he emerged from a narrow lobby onto the sidewalk and into a crush of microphones and cameras before walking to his car trailed by reporters
the bizarre moment for new yorks mayor   a scene more common to celebrity appearances or on courtroom steps   was the latest chapter in a story of investigations but as yet no criminal charges that has hounded mr de blasio for weeks and has threatened to consume his administrations third year
it obscured on thursday a bit of good news about homelessness one of the mayors biggest challenges of the past year an annual federally mandated count conducted in february found a 12 percent drop in the number of men and women living on the street to 2794 but rather than hold a news conference to promote the reduction his office announced the development via email
after the midtown event reporters told to wait for mr de blasio outside the building peppered him for 1 minute 4 seconds   the time it took the mayor to deliver a brief statement and then walk to his car
mr mayor anything you can say about the subpoenas one reporter asked referring to those received by his top aides and advisers from federal prosecutors and the manhattan district attorney
sure mr de blasio said stepping into the unwieldy scrum and seeking to project a calm demeanor
as ive said before   hey guys dont knock each other over   guys as ive said many times we hold ourselves to the highest standard of integrity he said everything weve done from the beginning is legal and appropriate he added that because the investigation was continuing he could not comment further on the details
we look forward to the speedy conclusion of it but well fully cooperate he said before turning to make the short walk east along bryant park to his car
as he walked he responded to questions how did he feel about receiving the subpoenas
i feel fine he said i feel fine because everything weve done is legal and appropriate
was he personally subpoenaed mr de blasio said he was not he did not say whether he had seen the subpoenas which were received by a top political aide emma wolfe as well as his campaign finance director ross a offinger and his outside consulting firm berlinrosen according to several people familiar with the cases
a spokeswoman karen hinton said afterward that she too did not know the details about the subpoenas our attorneys have asked us not to get into the details of the investigation ms hinton said this is not a distraction in terms of getting the work done that we need to do she added
do you think the appearance of these investigations the mayor was asked a few steps later will be bad for your political future
i feel comfortable that everything weve done is legal and appropriate and were going to fully cooperate he said
what are the investigators looking for what did they specifically ask for
mr de blasio at that point reached his waiting car he took off his jacket sat in the front seat and closed the door


los angeles   two years of waiting for redemption came down to one moment for the san jose sharks
they blew a three games to none series lead to the los angeles kings in the nhl playoffs in 2014 losing in seven games last friday leading the kings in a first round series by three games to one san jose blew a 3 0 lead in the second period of game 5
as the sharks awaited the third period suddenly tied at 3 3 an unlikely voice emerged in the locker room of a team known for struggling to win big games
just get the next one boys
the words came from martin jones a goaltender relishing his chance to shine with the sharks after five years of climbing the kings organizational ranks
since being acquired by san jose last summer in a trade the soft spoken jones had hardly said a word between periods all season
joner usually doesnt say much forward logan couture said you knew that he was going to shut the door to have that sense of confidence in your goalie is big
about four minutes into the third couture set up joonas donskois goal to give the sharks a 4 3 lead they went on to win 6 3 and eliminate the kings who had won the stanley cup in two of the past four seasons san jose will face the nashville predators in the second round beginning friday
by helping eliminate the kings his former team jones 26 officially arrived as a no 1 goaltender
his road to the nhl playoffs has been plenty long
an undrafted free agent out of the western hockey league jones was signed by the kings in 2010 and reported to their american hockey league affiliate the manchester monarchs from the moment he arrived he was thrust into the nhls most competitive goaltending logjam
the kings already had the emerging franchise goaltender jonathan quick and jonathan bernier a former first round draft pick jones competed for ahl playing time with other young goaltenders like jeff zatkoff who had inherited the starters role after backing up bernier in manchester the previous season and jean francois berube a 2009 draft pick also being watched closely by the kings
the best jones could hope for would be to earn playing time in the ahl and if he was lucky one day back up quick in los angeles
its kind of expected with goaltenders jones said you tend to play a few years in the minors i thought it was good for my development those years getting to play in the american league i think i handled it pretty well
quicks value was cemented when he won the conn smythe trophy as the playoffs most valuable player in 2012 after which he signed a 10 year contract extension
riding the ahl rails jones simply waited he split the crease for two seasons before taking over after zatkoff signed a contract with the pittsburgh penguins in 2012
with jones following on the heels of quick and bernier mark morris the manchester coach at that time said i guess i got spoiled
quick jones zatkoff and berube were all on playoff rosters this spring zatkoff started two games for the penguins against the rangers while berube served as the islanders backup goalie
morris saw something special in jones
he has the potential to be as good or better than anybody that preceded him morris said
when bernier was traded to the toronto maple leafs in 2013 it appeared an nhl roster spot might finally open for jones but the trade brought the kings another goaltender ben scrivens who shined as quicks backup after quick sustained an early season injury in 2013 14 scrivens responded with four straight wins including two shutouts
but as he had learned to do much of his career jones made the most of opportunities when they came
its not really something i can worry about he said all i can do is play well when i get the net the rest is out of my control
given a chance to start in december 2013 jones tied an nhl record by winning his first eight starts
scrivens proven expendable was traded to the edmonton oilers shortly after quick had returned to the lineup jones made just 10 regular season and playoff appearances the rest of the season although the kings won the 2014 stanley cup at least one person felt jones was capable of more
its hard to justify pulling quick out of the net morris said but now that hes got the net himself you can see the results
jones appeared headed for another backup job when the kings traded him to the boston bruins during the draft last summer but the bruins traded jones four days later to the sharks one of the kings biggest rivals
finally an undisputed starter jones set personal bests this season with 65 games and 37 wins which ranked third in the nhl
yet he remained a quiet figure
its just kind of the way i am he said
in a sport of emotional highs and lows particularly in the playoffs its kind of important you stay even he said
when the series against the kings appeared to be turning in game 5 a franchise plagued by bitter disappointment found an anchor in its goalie
i think if you spend any time with martin jones you realize that nothing rattles this guy sharks coach peter deboer said
he was composed at the right time for us and made the big saves at the right time


since the office of the mayor of new york was established in 1665 many of the 109 men who have served in that post have attracted their share of scrutiny from commissions constables and prosecutors
but historians have been hard pressed to find a mayor who along with his administration and inner circle was ever the subject of as many simultaneous investigations   conducted by as many different agencies   as mayor bill de blasio now faces
i cant recall any other sort of perfect storm like this coming from all those different angles said daniel czitrom a professor of history at mount holyoke college and the author of new york exposed the gilded age police scandal that launched the progressive era
in recent weeks no fewer than five separate inquiries   involving at least six different federal state and local law enforcement and regulatory agencies   have come to light four of these investigations are focused on possible violations of criminal law
at the heart of each of the five inquiries is money   in most cases fund raising linked to the mayor his election campaign or a nonprofit group connected with him
mr de blasio a democrat elected in 2013 has made no secret of his attempts to raise significant sums to bolster his agenda through that group the campaign for one new york and through an effort in 2014 to wrest control of the state senate from the republicans by supporting several democratic candidates donors to the mayors political endeavors include major unions and real estate developers and many of them have business before the city
it is not clear how direct a role if any the mayor played in some of these matters the inquiries that seem closest to him focus on two issues the effort to help senate democrats and the relationship he had with nyclass an animal rights group that spent heavily in the 2013 mayoral race against mr de blasios chief rival christine c quinn
two of the main backers of that effort steven nislick and wendy neu have contributed to mr de blasios nonprofit ms neu has given at least 75000 and mr nislick 50000
nyclass has been the main backer of a proposal to remove horses from city streets an idea that mr de blasio has so far failed to achieve despite promises that he would tackle the issue on the first day of his administration
cyrus r vance jr the manhattan district attorney in conjunction with federal authorities is investigating whether mr de blasio or those acting with him violated state election law in an effort to raise money to buttress three democrats running for the state senate in 2014
in that case investigators are examining whether donations to the candidates were funneled through county party committees to evade contribution limits a violation of state law and a possible felony
but the biggest scandal thus far has centered on gifts and trips that senior police officials may have received from two men who raised money for the mayor jona s rechnitz a real estate developer and jeremiah reichberg a businessman and police enthusiast in borough park brooklyn who hosted a fund raiser at his home for mr de blasio in 2014
the possible crime that is being investigated by preet bharara the united states attorney for the southern district of new york is whether political contributions by those two men were given in exchange for some unknown municipal benefit so far the authorities have not signaled what favorable city action if any was secured by the donations
two peripheral figures in the sprawling investigations have been arrested hamlet peralta a harlem restaurateur accused of operating a ponzi scheme and misappropriating more than 12 million from investors who included mr rechnitz and mr reichberg and alex lichtenstein a borough park man accused of offering bribes to police officials in exchange for handgun permits
both arrests were linked to the federal inquiry
some senior police officials have been transferred or put on modified duty as a result of the investigation of mr rechnitz and mr reichberg but so far no members of the de blasio administration or his fund raising apparatus have been charged with or accused of a crime in connection with the inquiries
in march the mayor announced that the campaign for one new york had stopped raising and spending money and would be shutting down he said that the action was not connected to any inquiry and that the groups work is done
mr de blasios efforts to get democrats elected to the state senate also backfired republicans resented his effort to oust them and it hurt his ability to promote his programs in the legislature   notably last summer when he was given only a one year extension to mayoral control of city schools
with nyclass investigators are looking for any favorable municipal treatment granted in exchange for the spending the principals of nyclass beyond being animal rights activists also have ties to real estate ms neu is the chairwoman and chief executive of a real estate and electronics recycling company hugo neu mr nislick a parking garage magnate became the chief financial officer of ms neus company in 2014
separately several city and state agencies are examining a deal by the city to lift protections on a nursing home in manhattan that paved the way for its sale to luxury condominium developers the city sold its protection   a restrictive covenant   for 16 million to a company that then resold the property for a profit of roughly 72 million
investigators are looking at whether the for profit nursing home company may have misled city and state agencies they are also examining the role of the citys top lobbyist james f capalino in advocating the deed removal in 2014 on behalf of the original nonprofit owner he later represented the ultimate purchaser of the property on other matters
the state joint commission on public ethics is also examining whether the campaign for one new york violated lobbying rules by not registering as a lobbyist last year according to multiple people familiar with the inquiry
mr de blasio has vigorously defended himself his administration and his fund raising apparatus saying unequivocally that he had not violated any campaign finance laws during the 2014 senate races he has also denied any criminal conduct related to mr rechnitz and mr reichberg or to fund raising more broadly
i hold myself and my administration to the highest standard of integrity mr de blasio said
he has denied any involvement or even prior knowledge of the lifting of deed restrictions of the former nursing home indeed the mayor has not been tied to that deal
the mayor has also rejected suggestions that his unwavering pledge to remove carriage horses from city streets was being driven by nyclass
time will tell before the investigations came to light mr de blasio enjoyed rising popularity in polls with no prominent democrat emerging as a serious rival to his 2017 re election effort but the inquiries have cast a shadow on his administration and he has to repeatedly address questions about political favors and subpoenas
subpoenas have been issued in the inquiries on nyclass the nursing home and more broadly his fund raising activities the ones looking into the fund raising get particularly close to mr de blasio focusing on one of his top aides emma wolfe and to ross a offinger his campaign finance director several people familiar with the cases said
even if no criminal charges emerge against the mayor or any of his top aides he has been forced back on his heels at a time when he would rather press forward with his agenda and his bid for a second term


seattle   amazon delivered a blowout quarter on thursday joining facebook as one of the rare bright spots in a technology sector that has recently produced a string of disappointing earnings reports
helped by its fast growing amazon web services business the company jumped to the most profitable quarter in its nearly 22 year history
amazon often flip flops between showing profits and losses depending on how aggressively it decides to plow money into big new business bets investors have granted the company much wider leeway to do so than other technology companies of its size often receive because of its history of delivering outsize growth
for the first quarter which ended march 31 amazon reported net income of 513 million or 107 a share up from a loss of 57 million or 12 cents a share in the same period a year ago
revenue at the company rose to 2913 billion from 2272 billion a year ago
amazons share price jumped more than 12 percent in after hours trading after the results were released investors were happy to see the company show profits after the disappointing run of reports from apple google microsoft and intel
the fact that theyre profitable is a big deal said christian magoon chief executive of amplify investments a fund manager that counts amazon as a top holding its more of a big deal after some of the disappointing numbers from apple and others
the results were well above the average estimates of analysts surveyed by thomson reuters for earnings of 58 cents a share and revenue of 2798 billion
i saw the number and i thought ok did i read this wrong mr magoon added the beat was big on the income side it was fantastic
for the last four quarters amazon has run in the black even if it is still not quite as profitable as some technology companies facebook by contrast reported that its net income for the first three months of the year tripled to 15 billion from a year earlier
the biggest source of the companys profits is amazon web services the cloud computing business that started just over a decade ago and is now on track to bring in more than 10 billion a year in revenue aws as the business is known is the most popular cloud service for start ups and for a growing number of big companies that want to rent computing capacity rather than run their own hardware and software
cloud computing is also much more profitable than amazons north american retail business which runs on thinner margins and its international retail business which runs at a loss the operating income for aws more than tripled in the quarter to 604 million
the profits from aws represented 56 percent of amazons total operating income even though the 257 billion in revenue from aws   up 64 percent from a year earlier   amounted to less than 9 percent of total revenue
on a conference call brian olsavsky amazons chief financial officer said the company continued to make hefty long term investments in initiatives singling out original content for its prime video service
in a statement announcing the earnings jeffrey p bezos amazons chief executive highlighted the performance of another growing area of investment   hardware devices   though with the lack of detail that has often characterized amazon disclosures he said customers bought twice as many fire tablets during the first quarter as they did a year earlier and he said the company could not keep its echo intelligent speaker in stock
last year amazon reached 100 billion in annual sales investors believe that even at that size the company can become a lot bigger because online commerce still represents a relatively small portion of total retail sales online sales in 2016 are expected to reach about 385 billion in the united states or 8 percent of total retail sales according to emarketer a technology research firm
amazon is the rare technology company of its size to still deliver double digit revenue growth the companys retail sales in north america jumped 27 percent to almost 17 billion for the quarter while its international retail sales rose 24 percent to 957 billion
amazon said revenue in the current quarter is expected to be between 28 billion and 305 billion with operating income between 375 million and 975 million


the story of a mathematical partnership is told in the film the man who knew infinity written and directed by matthew brown it looks at the early 20th century collaboration between srinivasa ramanujan mr patel a shipping clerk who was in truth a mathematical genius and g h hardy a lecturer at trinity college at cambridge university
in this scene mr ramanujan who lives in india and has been invited to cambridge by mr hardy is discussing his proofs with the professor who says they have not been up to par during an interview in new york mr brown discussed the scene and his film here are excerpts from that conversation
q what is at the core of this scene and the film
a this is a story of two very different men ramanujan believed that for him an equation had no meaning unless it expressed a thought of god for g h hardy he was an atheist who was all about rigor and proof whats fascinating to me about this scene is that its the moment where these two confront one another about their philosophical differences
what was exciting for you shooting this scene
we had so many interior scenes behind desks and in classrooms this is one of the few scenes we got outside and we were able to incorporate some steadicam and movement to what is some heavy serious dialogue trinity college allowed us to shoot on their campus which is the first time theyve allowed that to happen
why is mr hardy carrying an umbrella on a sunny day
in his mind if he holds up an umbrella its definitely not going to rain because god is going to spite him its a funny thing but its difficult as a filmmaker when you have one hour to shoot the scene and you need it to be sunny in rainy england
what made you want to do a film about mathematicians
the math was always a subtext for me it was always the background to a human story i was blown away by the story between these two people and what it means for us to be open in society and for people to get past themselves to be able to connect because i think thats the only way that we are able to recognize outliers and encourage talent
what was the biggest challenge making the movie
well it took 12 years at a certain point we were offered an opportunity to make the film if we would only make ramanujan fall in love with a white nurse at trinity and we said absolutely not it was incredibly frustrating on that level when we finally did get to make the movie we had the constraints of an independent film trying to make a broader sweeping epic if there were more commercial factors going on here it would have been easier
and how authentic were you with the math
i worked with ken ono one of the top mathematicians in the world every single page of the notebooks is reproduced whenever ramanujan points at a formula its the right formula we went to great lengths so that the actors could feel confident in all the dialogue as well ive seen the rewards in some of the screenings mathematicians have said its the first time they feel that people of their profession are played authentically


london   it was one of the most celebrated twitter posts in british political memory one that has been retweeted tens of thousands of times spawned an unofficial national holiday and inspired tributes in everything from verse to baked goods
ed balls was a member of parliament and a leader of the opposition labour party five years ago on april 28 2011 and as many busy people do he was multitasking checking the internet on his blackberry while shopping for groceries at the suggestion of an aide he tried to look up a recent article about himself without realizing that in typing his name into a search field he had somehow put ed balls into the body of a tweet
and then apparently when he put the blackberry back in his pocket that message went out to the world a two word non sequitur and twitter fail for the ages
needless to say the message swiftly went viral as people started sharing it and genially mocking the politician for tweeting his own name it went so viral in fact that for britons april 28 has become ed balls day
fast forward five years and that single post has now been retweeted more than 72000 times through thursday afternoon edballsday was a trending topic on thursday with celebrants rushing to wish each other happy ed balls day
it is probably not how he ever expected to be remembered born in norwich england in 1967 edward michael balls grew up in nottingham studied economics and philosophy at oxford attended the john f kennedy school of government at harvard and rose to the top ranks of the labour party from 2011 to 2015 he was the shadow chancellor the oppositions spokesman on financial and economic issues he lost his seat in parliament in the election last year but that has not dimmed his internet fame a bit
celebrated primarily in britain and mostly on twitter the annual ed balls day fun now gets started well before april 28 with people counting down the days as if it were christmas when it finally comes users repost his original tweet with hashtags like neverforget and google searches for ed balls shoot up this year by 2500 percent
other politicians have been known to get into the act although his wife yvette cooper who is also a lawmaker almost forgot last year this time around she wrote on twitter she insisted that the man himself bake a cake
mr balls and ms cooper have three children asked in an interview on thursday how they mark the day he said they roll their eyes at me regularly this is just another reason to roll their eyes at me
companies like dominos pizza and the betting parlor coral play along as well   dominos posted an image of twisted dough balls emblazoned with mr ballss face the poet brian bilston posted a poem written for the occasion and a labour district councilor in yorkshire rory bickerton showed off an autographed printout of the original twitter post now handsomely framed for display
these days mr balls is a senior fellow at the kennedy school which he joined in june and he is philosophical about the non holiday holiday that bears his twitter handle
its as incomprehensible as the internet and social media can get but people enjoy it he said by telephone on thursday i shrug my shoulders


listening to music may make the daily commute tolerable but streaming a story through the headphones can make it disappear you were home now youre at your desk what happened
storytelling happened and now scientists have mapped the experience of listening to podcasts specifically the moth radio hour using a scanner to track brain activity in a paper published wednesday by the journal nature a research team from the university of california berkeley laid out a detailed map of the brain as it absorbed and responded to a story widely dispersed sensory emotional and memory networks were humming across both hemispheres of the brain no story was contained in any one part of the brain as some textbooks have suggested
the team led by alexander huth a postdoctoral researcher in neuroscience and jack gallant a professor of psychology had seven volunteers listen to episodes of the moth   first person stories of love loss betrayal flight from an abusive husband and more   while recording brain activity with an mri machine
using novel computational methods the group broke down the stories into units of meaning social elements for example like friends and parties as well as locations and emotions  they found that these concepts fell into 12 categories that tended to cause activation in the same parts of peoples brains at the same points throughout the stories
they then retested that model by seeing how it predicted mri activity while the volunteers listened to another moth story would related words like mother and father or times dates and numbers trigger the same parts of peoples brains the answer was yes
consider the case of just the word dog dr gallant said hearing that is going to make you think about how a dog looks how it smells how the fur feels the dog you had as a kid a dog that bit you on your paper route its going to activate the entire network for dog
and so it goes for each word and concept as it is added to the narrative flow as the brain adds and alters layers of networks a living internal reality takes over the brain that kaleidoscope of activation certainly feels intuitively right to anyone whos been utterly lost listening to a good yarn it also helps explain the proliferation of ear budded zombies walking the streets riding buses and subways fixing the world with their blank stares


carl c icahn has sold his 458 million apple shares since the start of the year telling cnbc on thursday that he was concerned about chinas policies regarding the technology giant while still calling the stock cheap
mr icahn the activist investor known for making splashy headlines and rattling corporate boards said during a telephone interview broadcast around midday that he was concerned the chinese government could make it difficult for apple to do business in that country
it is about china he said china could be a shadow for it and we have to look at that he added that he thought timothy d cook apples chief executive was doing a great job
shares of apple were down 3 percent in afternoon trading on thursday
two days earlier mr cook said sales of apple products in china fell 11 percent in its second fiscal quarter ending in march compared with the same period a year ago
mr icahn had already been paring his apple holdings selling seven million shares in the fourth quarter according to his february regulatory filing another hedge fund tiger global management acquired a new 106 million share stake in the fourth quarter according to the research service standard  poors capital iq
mr icahns stake of 458 million shares as of the end of the year was valued at 477 billion as of wednesdays closing share price according to capital iq that was down from 482 billion reported in the filing he said that he had made 2 billion on apple shares after first investing in them about three years ago


in the nfl draft on thursday night the top two players are expected to be quarterbacks jared goff of california and carson wentz of north dakota state
as a result they are likely to always be paired in fans minds if one is a bust and the other a star the team choosing incorrectly will face a torrent of criticism that could last for decades
the pressure is magnified this year as the teams choosing first and second traded to land those picks the los angeles rams gave up six draft picks including two first rounders as part of a deal to get the no 1 choice and philadelphia traded five picks including two firsts in their deal to get no 2
though the quarterback is the most important position on the field   maybe the most important in team sports   only a handful of times have quarterbacks gone 1 2 in the draft
in some years both teams walked away happy other times only one did when los angeles and philadelphia select on thursday the mood will be celebratory it is only in the years to come that their choices will be viewed as the beginning of something great or as a franchise exploding disaster
browns bobby garrett stanford cardinals lamar mchan arkansas
the draft and the nfl were a lot different in 1954 scouting was rudimentary or nonexistent and mistakes were common
still the browns had to assume they were getting a quality player in bobby garrett a second team all american who led stanford to a spot in the top 20 on draft day the new york times described him as the outstanding college passer of the 1953 season
but garrett was traded to the packers before he played a game in cleveland and he played only nine games there
many reports blame garretts stutter though it had not seemed to hurt him at stanford it caused trouble with calling plays in the pros garretts son bill told stanfords alumni magazine that conflict with clevelands hard nosed coach paul brown was more to blame
in any case garrett wound up working at sears
the second pick lamar mchan fashioned a decent career with mostly bad teams the chicago cardinals were 2 10 in his first season he later played for the packers the colts and the 49ers and finished with a career record of 24 47 2
patriots jim plunkett stanford archie manning mississippi
it took 17 years for the nfl to have the courage to take quarterbacks at nos 1 and 2 again but this time it did better
jim plunkett played five years for the patriots then two in san francisco before hitting his stride late in his career with the raiders leading them to two super bowl victories
archie manning also had a long career though nearly always with terrible teams most notably the saints from 1971 to 1981 during which time their best record was 8 8
the 1971 draft was one of two years that the third pick was also a quarterback dan pastorini helped turn a bad oilers team into a playoff team oddly enough it was pastorinis injury in 1980 with the raiders that gave plunkett his chance to become the teams starter
patriots drew bledsoe washington state seahawks rick mirer notre dame
another 22 years passed before two quarterbacks were back on top drew bledsoe started performing well quickly for new england leading the league in several categories and earning three pro bowl selections in his first five years culminating in a super bowl trip in 1997
though he tailed off after that he was good enough to keep earning starts in the league until 2006 he still ranks 10th in career passing yards
it did not work out quite as well for rick mirer after four mediocre seasons seattle gave up on him and there was no late career renaissance at several other stops
colts peyton manning tennessee chargers ryan leaf washington state
the headline in the times on the day after the draft read colts agonize to the end then pick manning the team did not decide until draft day that manning was its man
so how did their choice work out
manning vs leaf
games started 265 vs 21
wins 186 vs 4
yards passing 71940 vs 3666
touchdowns 539 vs 14
pro bowl selections 14 vs 0
super bowl titles 2 vs 0
good choice guys
browns tim couch kentucky eagles donovan mcnabb syracuse
one year later the newly reformed cleveland browns had to decide among several promising quarterbacks their choice was not as good
browns officials according to the times spoke of how much tim couch reminded them of joe montana and said they expected him to lead their franchise for 10 years
couch made it halfway starting for five years but never played especially well he eventually lost his job to kelly holcomb
donovan mcnabb though not universally loved by the tough philly fans did have a 13 year career including several seasons in which he was among the games best quarterbacks he also led the eagles to one of their two trips to the super bowl a trip for which the browns are still waiting
once again quarterbacks were chosen in the top three spots going no 3 to the bengals was akili smith of oregon whose strong arm has reminded scouts of a young john elway the times said at the time the selection made the couch choice look good smith started just 17 games in a four year career finishing with a record of 3 14
colts andrew luck stanford redskins robert griffin iii baylor
another close call for nos 1 and 2 luck is considered a bit more nfl ready because of the pro style offense stanford runs and the fact that he called many plays from the line of scrimmage but both are considered as safe as draft picks can be the times reported
andrew luck starred from the beginning leading the colts to three consecutive 11 5 seasons before missing half of last year with an injury while robert griffin iiis running has electrified fans he tailed off after a good rookie season the redskins gave up on him after year 3 the browns swooped in to sign him as a free agent so his story is not over yet
buccaneers jameis winston florida state titans marcus mariota oregon
another choice that was considered close on draft day the final judgment on this one will have to wait
in their rookie season jameis winston earned a pro bowl selection and amassed more yards but marcus mariota led in adjusted yards per pass attempt and quarterback rating
both have more touchdowns than ryan leaf


one tough brooklyn priest was the subject of the days mass the rev brian jordan said as he started his homily in the chapel of st francis college in downtown brooklyn where he is the chaplain
while the term could also be applied to father jordan himself the tough brooklyn priest being honored on a recent weekday was the rev william b farrell who was the pastor of a williamsburg church a century ago when his battle with new york city officials over reforming the citys welfare system led to hearings and headlines that exposed a widespread pattern of wiretapping by the new york police department dating back to at least 1895
here we have an example of muscular christianity said father jordan who compared father farrell to the apostle paul a strong evangelist who put his word into social action
he told congregants about father farrells public war with city leaders at a time when they were seeking to diminish catholic charities role in caring for widows and orphans and how it led to a police department wiretapping scandal
after father farrell bristled publicly at the citys actions he was questioned by city officials at a government hearing and charged with libel the police department had a sergeant tap the priests phones and testify against him the sergeant a catholic tried to kill himself after testifying
and so the burning issue of social service reform   it would ultimately result in the citys taking over orphan care from private agencies and the beginnings of the modern foster home system   helped lead to statewide judicial reform and the requirement of a court order to wiretap phones
but at the time a tough stance by a local pastor did not sit well with city officials father jordan said
they said who is this rebellious priest this feisty priest said father jordan who became curious about father farrell last summer when he visited ss peter and paul parish in williamsburg to retrieve a copy of the marriage certificate for his maternal grandparents paul murphy and catherine farrell they were married there in 1915 and the marriage document listed the officiating priest as the church pastor w b farrell
with some help from the roman catholic diocese of brooklyns archive father jordan found that father farrell saw a threat when city and state officials started examining the use of public funds by christian charity groups to run programs for orphans and widows
father farrell said the citys investigations were an effort to discredit catholic oversight of charities he called city officials corrupt blasted the investigations and hearings as anti catholic and criticized the citys attempt to put children into a baby farming system of foster care
in 1916 father farrell began writing a series of scathing screeds against city leaders in pamphlets distributed at sunday mass in every parish in the city father jordan said
city officials fired back with their own pamphlets and subpoenaed father farrell to be questioned by a state commission investigating public funding for private charity groups
in march 1916 the police department conducted wiretaps to eavesdrop on father farrell and other catholic leaders according to various news accounts from those days the authorities claimed that father farrell called a witness set to testify in the hearings and offered him money to leave town in the end the libel and other charges against father farrell were dropped after the wiretap testimony proved flawed
sgt john kennel who conducted the wiretaps by listening in and writing out the conversations in longhand admitted that he transcribed them imperfectly he was also vilified by fellow catholic officers for obeying the order to tap a priests phone in the first place
sergeant kennel was so distraught that he shot himself in the chest with his service revolver inside the office at 50 church street where he had tapped the calls
the officials who ordered the tapping were indicted but charges were later dropped
the new york times article on the episode appeared under the headline shunned wire spy tries to end life
its got to be the first time the nypd eavesdropped on the phone conversations of a priest said father jordan who counsels police officers in his role as a clergy liaison at the midtown south precinct in manhattan im pro nypd but i know they have to follow orders
ive talked to a number of cops who told me we wouldnt have done it he said i dont think any catholic cop in good conscience would have done this
father jordan a franciscan friar grew up in cypress hills brooklyn where he said you became either a policeman priest or perpetrator after the terrorist attack on sept 11 2001 he spent months at ground zero and became the unofficial guardian of the large cross shaped steel beam salvaged from the ruins
he is a runner who has completed 61 marathons because he said as a catholic priest you cant marry so you run marathons take three cold showers a day and say 10 hail marys
he is also known as the hard hat priest for his ministry to construction workers and on thursday he celebrated an annual mass for their fallen at st patricks cathedral in manhattan
father jordan was fascinated to find that father farrell intervened as a peacemaker when union employees became engaged in violent labor riots at the american sugar company plant blocks from his williamsburg church
for the recent mass father jordan had laid out copies of a new york times article from april 16 1916   says police tapped phones of priests   which described police powers to tap phones the limits of which have not been determined
father jordan noted that the case gave a historical perspective to contemporary controversies arising from the police departments surveillance of political protesters and muslim new yorkers the case resulted in further inquiries into the departments wiretapping squad and ultimately to a state law requiring court orders for wiretaps
as part of the inquiries new york telephone company admitted that police wiretapping in the city dated back to at least 1895 providing a list of about 350 police department wiretaps over a two year period phone company officials said that all the company required in order to agree to tap a phone line was a signed request from the police commissioner
thomas reppetto an author and expert on police history said the department had been using wiretaps since the device was invented to carry them out and that wiretaps had been especially effective over the decades in fighting organized crime
bo dietl a former new york city detective who now owns a private investigation firm said modern day police wiretapping was relatively rare partly because it is a big deal to gather enough evidence to justify a court order
at the mass for father farrell father jordan finished his story of the tough priest who died of a heart attack in 1930
he was a role model he said for many good priests who have intestinal fortitude


d alexandra dyer felt as though her face were on fire
she put her car into drive but got only a couple of hundred feet before she had to pull over in searing pain and squeeze her eyes shut
rescuers arrived as the caustic drain cleaner turned her face purple and dissolved her skin as recounted later by her lawyer she then screamed four words that they could not possibly comprehend
kim williams did this
ms dyer had just left work on that hot evening last august in long island city queens as she approached her car parked on a deserted stretch of skillman avenue a man she had never seen before was waiting for her
can i ask you a question he said before she could answer he flung a cup of drain cleaner in her face and fled
it was the terrifying climax of a three year drama with accusations of embezzlement a cover up and collusion at the last place one might expect it a charity that brings musical performances and arts programs to new york citys hospitalized disabled elderly and poor
three people have been arrested ms dyer 60 who had recently been hired as executive director of the charity healing arts initiative has undergone multiple operations to rebuild her face
among those charged is ms williams 47 the charitys payroll manager who is accused of stealing more than 750000 and orchestrating the attack after ms dyer questioned her about bookkeeping lapses the defendants including ms williams have proclaimed their innocence through their lawyers
the account of the attack and the tense months leading up to it were described by ms dyers lawyer ronald g russo because prosecutors have instructed ms dyer not to speak publicly since she is a witness in the case
the fallout continues this month ms dyer filed a lawsuit against the board of healing arts initiative on behalf of the charity itself saying board members let the thefts happen on their watch the suit seeks their removal mr russo a former federal prosecutor is ms dyers lawyer in the suit
a lawyer for healing arts david g samuels declined to comment on thursday because of the continuing suit
ms dyer a seasoned nonprofit executive had taken the helm of healing arts in july joining one of the citys better established arts charities it was started as hospital audiences inc in 1969 by a pianist named michael jon spencer after he played a recital to a rapt audience at the manhattan state psychiatric center
over the years healing arts grew to a 5 million a year operation that serves 350000 people annually through workshops and live performances it provides handicapped seating at shakespeare in the park presents concerts by alvin ailey dancers and runs a gallery for artists with mental illnesses
but some staff members had noticed a surge of fiscal irregularities in the past couple of years mr russo said checks were bouncing the credit cards that healing arts used to buy blocks of discount tickets for its clients were being refused
the organizations debt had ballooned from under 100000 to over 22 million from 2012 to 2015 even as the executive director at the time j david sweeny cut the staff to 14 employees from 28 and reduced the rent by moving the charitys offices from soho to queens
at the heart of healing arts fiscal operation was ms williams she had been hired in 2011 through an agency called professionals for nonprofits as a payroll clerk under mr sweeny she enjoyed wide latitude especially after he got rid of the chief financial officer and did not replace her mr russo said
soon she was effectively running the fiscal operations and had several other accounting employees reporting to her
ms williams who had an apartment in the kingsbridge section of the bronx seemed to live fairly well for someone who had started out at a yearly salary of 43000 and had worked her way up to 60000 she drove a late model mercedes had a second home in florida and posted about her shopping sprees on facebook
some of her income may have come from a side business she owned and ran from her office computer called virago inc which sold sex toys and offered online sex seminars
but the real secret to ms williamss lifestyle prosecutors and the police say was that she stole prodigiously from healing arts cutting checks to dozens of phantom employees and direct depositing them into accounts controlled by her and her best friend pia louallen
thats how the whole financial thing got to us lt alexander fagiolo commanding officer of the 108th precinct detectives said at a news conference this month
from november 2012 through august 2015 according to prosecutors ms williams embezzled at least 750000   an average of more than 1000 per workday she kept 600000 and gave the rest to ms louallen prosecutors said
one longtime board member kitty lunn said that while she did not suspect that ms williams was raiding the till she was concerned about the declined credit cards and the checks that did not clear she urged fellow board members to investigate
in january 2015 the board hired a forensic accountant his finding after several days of reviewing the books according to mr russo no improper transactions
ms lunn a paraplegic dancer who has headed her own nonprofit was incredulous in may 2015 she quit in frustration i said to the board theres something funny going on with the money and all of you are going to be responsible she recalled
by this time healing arts was looking for a new executive director   mr sweeny had left for another charity though he remains on the healing arts board he declined to comment referring all calls to the board president d leslie winter who did not respond to voice mail messages
enter ms dyer with an mba from columbia and decades of experience managing nonprofits she also holds a masters degree in divinity was ordained a roman catholic priest by a group called roman catholic womenpriests and is co leader of a congregation in greenwich village
concerned when her new colleagues told her about the money shortfalls and climbing debt ms dyer began digging around mr russo said when she asked ms williams for access to the accounting system he said ms williams repeatedly stonewalled her
on aug 17 ms dyer introduced ms williams to a new chief financial officer she planned to hire his name was frank williams no relation to ms williams and ms dyer told her he was an expert fraud sniffer who would decipher healing arts imbalanced books
ms williams suddenly came down with a toothache mr russo said and left the office later that day the police said she bought drain cleaner at a supermarket in queens with her credit card
she was absent the next day aug 18 claiming that she had to go for a dental procedure surveillance video revealed that she had come to the office at 6 am and left with boxes of files mr russo said
ms williams never returned to work and stopped communicating with healing arts
the day after that on aug 19 ms dyer was attacked
she spent the next two months at the burn unit of newyork presbyterian hospitalweill cornell medical center but she continued to run healing arts from her second day in the hospital mr russo said meeting with forensic accountants even though her eyelids were sewn shut and fielding calls from colleagues
more troubles surfaced mr russo said healing arts it turned out was paying workers compensation premiums based on a payroll of 55 million more than the charitys entire budget a company ledger showed a discrepancy of 480000 that was noted simply as a payment adjustment
while ms dyer mended the police and the queens district attorneys office labored to piece together the criminal case and tracked ms williams who was spending time in florida
in december ms dyer viewed a photo lineup and identified jerry mohammed a 32 year old from troy ny with a record of drug dealing convictions as her assailant surveillance video taken the day of the attack shows him getting into a mercedes belonging to ms louallen the police said
on april 4 mr mohammed and ms louallen were arrested
ms williams fled prosecutors said but at 857 pm she was arrested behind the wheel of a white 2010 mercedes e350 at a rest area on the new jersey turnpike she was charged with two counts of first degree assault two counts of conspiracy two counts of grand larceny weapons possession falsifying business records and 48 counts of identity theft she is being held without bail and faces up to 25 years in prison
mr mohammed is charged with assault conspiracy and weapons possession and also faces up to 25 years ms louallen is charged with grand larceny and conspiracy and faces up to 15 years
mr mohammeds lawyer michael d siff said on wednesday that ms dyer had picked someone other than his client at an in person lineup in queens on april 12 the district attorneys office declined to comment
today ms dyers face is a pinkened map of scar tissue one eye is red rimmed and runs continuously the other opens only partially beneath an imperfectly restored eyelid but she is back at work
and healing arts continues its mission to bring cultural medicine to the sick and the injured ms dyer knows something of this firsthand
last september as ms dyer lay in her hospital bed a folk singer named kathy lord one of healing artss contractors entered the room
ive seen a lot of things over the years and that was probably just about as bad as it gets said ms lord who runs a nonprofit called music that heals
i said alexandra here i am music that heals ms lord recalled knowing of ms dyers faith she sang the country gospel song one day at a time
one day at a time sweet jesus it goes thats all im asking from you  just give me the strength  to do every day  what i have to do
tears ran down ms dyers ravaged face


london   a dispute over accusations of anti semitism within the ranks of britains labour party escalated on thursday as the party suspended ken livingstone a former mayor of london over remarks suggesting that hitler had at one point supported zionism
mr livingstone is an ideological ally of the labour leader jeremy corbyn who on wednesday took action against one of his lawmakers naseem shah in a separate dispute over comments on facebook about israel
a well known personality who has often defended mr corbyn mr livingstone is not a member of parliament but leads the international policy commission of labours national executive committee its governing body his suspension comes as a blow to mr corbyn who has been accused of failing to root out anti semitism within the party the left wing of the labour party to which both mr corbyn and mr livingstone belong has long been critical of israeli policy toward the palestinians   something its members argue should not be confused with anti semitism
the latest dispute occurred in the aftermath of wednesdays decision to suspend ms shah pending an investigation after it emerged that in 2014 before entering parliament she had endorsed a facebook post displaying a graphic that showed israels outline superimposed on a map of the united states the map was under the headline solution for israel palestine conflict   relocate israel into united states with the comment problem solved
ms shah added a note suggesting the plan might save them some pocket money
though ms shah has apologized mr livingstone inflamed the situation when he was asked in a bbc interview about her suspension on thursday
lets remember when hitler won his election in 1932 his policy then was that jews should be moved to israel mr livingstone said he was supporting zionism before he went mad and ended up killing six million jews
mr livingstone also said that there had been an attempt to smear jeremy corbyn and his associates as anti semitic from the moment he became leader
later on thursday mr livingstone was confronted by john mann a labour lawmaker who in a series of angry exchanges filmed outside a television studio described him as a disgusting nazi apologist and accused him of rewriting history
worries about the stance of the partys leadership had already led to criticism from one labour donor david abrahams who told the british newspaper jewish news that he had been appalled by the growth of anti semitism in the party describing it as a plague that has to be stamped out
moshe kantor president of the european jewish congress appealed to mr corbyn to institute a zero tolerance policy toward anti semitism
corbyn has to answer why there are special criteria for anti semitism as if it is somehow considered a more acceptable form of racism discrimination and bigotry he said in a statement
mr livingstone is no stranger to controversy and has been one of the most acerbic figures on the left wing of the labour party for several decades when he was not selected by labour to run for the london mayoral elections in 2000 he entered as an independent and won   though when he was re elected in 2004 it was as the official labour party candidate
in 2005 mr livingstone was investigated for likening a jewish reporter to a nazi concentration camp guard last year he provoked criticism when he said that a labour lawmaker kevan jones who has depression might need some psychiatric help   though he eventually apologized for the comment
among those who had called for disciplinary action against mr livingstone over his latest remarks was sadiq khan a former labour government minister who hopes next week to be the first muslim to be elected mayor of london
in a statement the labour party said that mr livingstone had been suspended pending an investigation for bringing the party into disrepute it also added that mr mann   the lawmaker who confronted mr livingstone   had been summoned by the chief whip who is responsible for parliamentary discipline to discuss his conduct
mr corbyn also told reporters that the labour party was not tolerating anti semitism in any form whatsoever in our party
yet the recent episodes may weaken mr corbyn who is at odds with many of his own lawmakers a clear majority of them did not want him to be their leader despite his winning an overwhelming mandate from party members and supporters last year
mr livingstone is one of relatively few experienced political figures upon whom mr corbyn can rely for support on issues that put him at odds with many of his lawmakers such as his opposition to nuclear weapons
the rift also exposed political divisions within the opposition ranks as one of mr corbyns critics attacked him for taking action against mr mann as well as mr livingstone
michael dugher who was fired this year by mr corbyn as labours spokesman for culture media and sport supported mr mann on twitter saying what on earth has happened to the labour party


los angeles   the investigation into the san bernardino massacre produced criminal charges on thursday against the brother of one of the attackers and two other people   not for contributing to the mass shooting but for their roles in a sham marriage designed to skirt immigration laws
on dec 2 syed rizwan farook and his wife tashfeen malik who had pledged allegiance to the islamic state armed themselves with assault rifles and pipe bombs and carried out one of the worst terror attacks on american soil killing 14 people and wounding more than 20 others at a social services center in san bernardino calif the couple then died in a shootout with the police
the only person arrested in connection with the massacre has been enrique marquez jr a longtime friend of mr farooks charged with providing material support to terrorists making a straw purchase of a gun for mr farook and other crimes
federal officials have said that mr marquez also admitted that in exchange for money and as a favor to the farooks he entered into a fraudulent marriage with a russian immigrant mariya chernykh so she could gain legal residence in the united states
on thursday federal prosecutors in los angeles announced felony charges against ms chernykh 26 her sister tatiana farook 31 and ms farooks husband syed raheel farook 31 the brother of the san bernardino gunman all pleaded not guilty and will be released on bond a trial is set for june 21 law enforcement officials stressed they did not believe that any of the three had advance knowledge of the december attack or took steps to conceal evidence afterward but that major investigations often lead to the discovery of unrelated offenses
the fbi continues to comb through the backgrounds of the san bernardino attackers looking for motives and possible accomplices and until recently the bureau was engaged in a very public legal battle with apple over syed rizwan farooks cellphone the company refused to help the fbi unlock the phone to search his contacts and messages but the bureau dropped the matter after cracking the phones security with help from an unknown outside group that was apparently paid at least 13 million
the indictment announced thursday represents an unusually tough stance for the government in a marriage fraud case five criminal charges are leveled at ms chernykh including fraudulent use of immigration documents and lying to federal agents with combined maximum prison terms of up to 30 years syed raheel farook a us navy veteran who worked as a computer technician aboard an aircraft carrier and his wife are also charged in one of those counts conspiracy to make false statements under oath on government documents and face a maximum sentence of five years
ordinarily the authorities do not pursue criminal charges for a sham marriage just an admission by the us citizen and deportation of the immigrant said carl shusterman an immigration lawyer in los angeles who has formerly handled immigration cases for the government
ive never seen anything like these kinds of charges in a sham marriage case he said i think it has to be related to the fact that theres a link to the shooting
on immigration forms ms chernykh and mr marquez stated that they lived with the farooks in their townhouse in corona calif federal agents who had searched the home this year did so again thursday and also searched a residence in ontario calif that was identified as ms chernykhs
in fact the indictment says neither mr marquez nor ms chernykh lived with the farooks and she resided with her child and an adult male other than enrique marquez jr in ontario
the would be couple had wedding pictures taken and opened a joint bank account but the indictment shows that they were far from expert at creating a false front at one point tatiana farook told her sister to stop posting pictures of herself posing with her real boyfriend to her social media page the indictment says and another time ms farook told mr marquez that he needed to change the address on his drivers license to match the one on the immigration forms
they also left a considerable electronic trail particularly as mr marquez and ms chernykh prepared last fall for an interview with immigration agents who would try to determine if their marriage was genuine last november they exchanged messages that discussed their mutual anxiety for their upcoming immigration interview due to the lack of contact with each other and he told her he was afraid of going to prison for immigration fraud the indictment says
at about the same time someone using mr marquezs facebook page indicated that he might be in trouble writing involved in terrorist plots drugs antisocial behavior marriage might go to prison for fraud etc
but the planning to hide the sham marriage continued the day before the shooting the indictment says ms farook sent an electronic message to her husband asking him to create a backdated lease agreement to make it appear that mr marquez and her sister lived with them the indictment said that the farooks helped the pair open their joint account and buy a wedding band and served as witnesses on their marriage license
on thursday the farooks neighbor brittani adams said she had maintained a friendly relationship with the couple after the december attack
it is rough they are good people just twisted in family stuff she said if the coupled feared arrest she said they kept it bottled up real well
the farook brothers were born in the united states to parents who immigrated from pakistan ms malik was born in pakistan and spent much of her life in saudi arabia before marrying syed rizwan farook and moving to the united states in 2014
officials have said they have no indication that the couple had any connection to a terrorist group or mentor but instead it appears they self radicalized they seemed unlikely candidates for it mr farook worked for several years as an inspector for the san bernardino county department of public health where he reportedly had no conflicts with co workers ms malik had a college degree in pharmacology and the couple had a baby daughter


kesha   the pop singer whose career has stalled amid a drawn out contract dispute with her longtime producer dr luke that has rattled the industry with its claims of rape and abuse   will release her first song in years on friday and its dr luke approved
in the midst of an ugly continuing legal battle between the singer and the producer kesha will be featured on true colors a rerecorded version of the title track from the dj and electronic producer zedds 2015 album a representative for dr lukes label kemosabe said the song would be a joint release between zedds label interscope along with rca and kemosabe both subsidiaries of sony music to which kesha remains signed
in february a new york judge denied keshas request for a preliminary injunction against dr luke and her record labels in which she argued her career would effectively end if she could not release new music without dr luke during the case sony said at the time that it was ready willing and able to approve a producer with whom kesha can work other than dr luke though he would retain rights to her recordings through the existing contracts
kesha claimed in a 2014 lawsuit that dr luke whose real name is lukasz sebastian gottwald subjected her to years of emotional and sexual abuse including rape and unfair business arrangements dr luke has denied the accusations and is suing kesha for defamation and breach of contract
in legal filings keshas lawyers have likened her recording contract to slavery and a freekesha campaign has thrived online
before announcing the new collaboration zedd tweeted music can be freedom he added later just to clarify we didnt use any loopholes kemosaberca gave us permission to release this song
dr luke responded on twitter thanks for the clarification zedd ...
kesha had teased her return to the studio on social media writing of zedd its a miracle when someone gives you a chance at finding your voice again on april 16 she appeared unannounced with zedd at the coachella music festival and performed true colors live her last official release was a guest spot on the 2013 song timber by pitbull which was produced by dr luke
the release of true colors comes as litigation between kesha and dr luke continues in three states keshas initial lawsuit in california has been stayed in favor of dr lukes new york suit a new york judge rejected keshas counterclaims of infliction of emotional distress gender based hate crimes and employment discrimination earlier this month
in tennessee dr luke is suing keshas mother pebe sebert on claims of defamation and tortious interference on tuesday ms sebert voluntarily dismissed her counterclaims of intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress
alex little a lawyer for ms sebert said in a statement the litigation with dr luke has been a nightmare for mrs sebert and her family she has decided to move on and find peace and forgiveness in her heart rather than dwelling in the cancerous past of an ongoing lawsuit with no end in sight
christine lepera a lawyer for dr luke said his suit against ms sebert would continue calling ms seberts withdrawal her acknowledgment that her claims are meritless
keshas legal team which has been led by mark geragos is also undergoing changes mr little of tennessee has filed to represent kesha in new york along with daniel petrocelli a high profile lawyer known for his work on the civil suit against o j simpson and his current representation of donald trump in the california cases against the now defunct trump university


horses snooze in their stalls fish take their 40 winks floating in place dogs can doze anywhere anytime and even the lowly worm nods off now and then
all animals most scientists agree engage in some form of sleep
but the stages of sleep that characterize human slumber had until now been documented only in mammals and birds
a team of researchers in germany announced in a report published on thursday however that they had found evidence of similar sleep stages in a lizard specifically the bearded dragon or pogona vitticeps a reptile native to australia and popular with pet owners
recordings from electrodes implanted in the lizards brains showed patterns of electrical activity that resembled what is known as slow wave sleep and another pattern resembling rapid eye movement or rem sleep a stage of deep slumber associated with brain activity similar to that of waking
some researchers had argued that these stages were of relatively recent origin in evolutionary terms because they had not been found in more primitive animals like amphibians fish reptiles other than birds and other creatures with backbones
but the new finding said gilles laurent director of the department of neural systems at the max planck institute for brain research and the principal author of the study increases the probability that sleep evolved in all these animals from a common ancestor
he added that it also raised the possibility that staged sleep evolved even earlier and that some version of it might exist in animals like amphibians or fish the report appeared in thursdays issue of the journal science
other researchers said the study could help scientists understand more about the purpose and mechanisms of sleep but the finding they added is bound to generate more controversy about whether the resting state of primitive animals is really the same as sleep and whether the brain activity seen in a lizard can be compared to that in mammals
like any good science it raises more questions than it answers said matthew wilson a professor of neuroscience at mit who has studied sleep and learning
daniel margoliash a professor of organismal biology and anatomy at the university of chicago said the study provided extremely strong evidence that the patterns of structure of sleep that weve seen in a broad range of species is reflective of something that evolved very early in vertebrate evolution and is shared across many   perhaps all   vertebrates
he added it forces us to think about the earliest evolution of these phenomenon when did these aspects of sleep start and what were they for
dr margoliash said he found especially intriguing the idea that in the lizard sleep might play a role in the consolidation of learning and memory as studies have suggested it does in mammals
the research team studying the bearded dragon described its sleep patterns as a simpler stripped down version of mammalian sleep
the entire sleep cycle was completed in about 80 seconds and the proportion of rem stayed the same throughout in contrast human sleep cycles take an hour or more to complete and the percentage of rem increases over the course of a night
the scientists also found bursts of brain activity during the lizards slow wave sleep that they proposed were the equivalent of what are known as sharp wave ripples in mammalian sleep patterns
the ripples   which in mammalian sleep have been observed in a brain area called the hippocampus   have been associated in rats with the replaying of recent tasks while the animals were awake and scientists have theorized that they represent the transfer of information from the hippocampus to other areas of the brain like the cortex
in the lizards the sharp wave ripples came from a different brain area called the dorsal ventricular ridge not the reptilian equivalent of the hippocampus
dr wilson said it was possible in an evolutionary sense that there might be a deep common mode of off line processing that got elaborated and refined in these other vertebrate systems like mammals expanding into the hippocampus
but gyorgy buzsaki a professor of neural sciences at new york university said the study presented convincing evidence of an earlier evolutionary timeline for staged sleep its a wonderful study he said but he questioned whether the bursts of activity seen by the researchers were sharp wave ripples or simply part of the lizards slow wave sleep
this rhythmic pattern reminds me very much of the up and down shifts that are the hallmarks of slow wave sleep he said
dr laurent said that his team had stumbled on the sleep stages by accident their research was intended to look at cortical function in the lizards more generally
it was totally unanticipated he said
asked if the presence of staged sleep in lizards meant that reptiles dreamed dr laurent noted that dreaming was a subjective experience and that if consciousness were assumed to be required for it the answer was probably no
but if dreams are defined as bits of neuronal playback in certain brain areas during sleep he said ill bet that lizards dream


capt kristen griest was among the first women to ever graduate from the armys elite ranger school and after thursday she will become the first woman able to lead an infantry unit into combat
her graduation from the maneuver captains career course at fort benning ga qualifies her for duty as an infantry officer after being approved for infantry duty earlier this week she is joining a branch of the army that had long been considered the last bastion of traditionally male combat roles and with the move the army has crossed another barrier in its promise to consider women for all roles without exception
shes going to go on and serve the rest of her career however long it may be as an infantry officer lt col jerry pionk an army spokesman said on thursday her road is far from done it is just more in line with what she feels her aspirations are
unofficially women had served on the deadly front line for years but they were barred from direct combat in roles such as tank or infantry officer until december 2015 when defense secretary ashton b carter announced that the pentagon would allow women in all military roles with no exceptions opening up about 220000 military jobs
theyll be allowed to drive tanks fire mortars and lead infantry soldiers into combat mr carter said theyll be able to serve as army rangers and green berets navy seals marine corps infantry air force parajumpers and everything else that was previously open only to men
colonel pionk stressed that the army was being deliberate and methodical during a major cultural shift in opening roles to women and that captain griest was evaluated by the same standards as a male officer requesting a transfer
this isnt really about putting women into infantry and armor branches he said we are at a time and a place in the world where we need to have the best leaders from everywhere and that includes women
still the option for captain griest to move into her current role was not available as recently as last summer when she made history along with first lt shaye haver by graduating from the grueling ranger school both women said that they had not received any special treatment
i do hope that with our performance in ranger school weve been able to inform that decision as to what they can expect from women in the military captain griest told reporters after her graduation we can handle things physically and mentally on the same level as men
as captain griest moves forward in her career the army is creating a path forward for younger female cadets who want to be trained to lead in branches that were previously unavailable this spring 13 female cadets were approved to enter armor and nine were approved for infantry colonel pionk said
were at the point where were now starting to branch women who want to go he added


more than 151 million americans count themselves employed a number that has risen sharply in the last few years the question is this what are they doing all day
because whatever it is it barely seems to be registering in economic output the number of hours americans worked rose 19 percent in the year ended in march new data released thursday showed that gross domestic product in the first quarter was up 19 percent over the previous year despite constant advances in software equipment and management practices to try to make corporate america more efficient actual economic output is merely moving in lock step with the number of hours people put in rather than rising as it has throughout modern history
we could chalk that up to a statistical blip if it were a single year productivity data are notoriously volatile but this has been going on for some time from 2011 through 2015 the governments official labor productivity measure shows only 04 percent annual growth in output per hour of work thats the lowest for a five year span since the 1977 to 1982 period and far below the 23 percent average since the 1950s
productivity is one of the most important yet least understood areas of economics over long periods it is the only pathway toward higher levels of prosperity the reason an american worker makes much more today than a century ago is that each hour of labor produces much more in goods and services put bluntly if the kind of productivity growth implied by the new data published thursday were to persist indefinitely your grandchildren would be no richer than you
but it is also really hard to measure particularly for service firms how productive were employees at facebook or your local bank last quarter have fun trying to figure it out
and even with years of hindsight economists are never quite sure why productivity rises or falls during the 2008 recession labor productivity soared was this because employers laid off their least productive workers first because everybody worked harder fearful for their jobs or was it a measurement problem as government statistics takers struggled to capture fast moving changes in the economy we dont know for sure heres one analysis that emphasizes the first explanation
that is a long way of saying we dont know for sure what is going on right now or how long it will last but the possible answers range from utterly depressing to downright optimistic
the productivity slowdown is real and its not going away earlier waves of innovation in technology a computer on every office workers desk for example and management strategies like outsourcing noncore functions have been fully put into place across corporate america and so are no longer increasing productivity
add to that a slowdown in capital spending by businesses since the 2008 recession which means workers arent getting better equipment or software that might help them do their jobs more efficiently moreover if you believe the theory mentioned above about low productivity workers being more likely to lose their jobs during the recession the people returning to the labor force now may be less effective at boosting economic output for each hour they put in
in the depressing scenario americans standards of living are just going to grow more slowly in the future and theres not much we can do about it fortunately this isnt the only possible one
maybe we just arent counting things right   or to use the economists preferred term there is measurement error
after all entire industries are being transformed in ways hard to account for in data on gross domestic product particularly in technology and services having a high powered computer in our pockets and social networks that let us stay in touch with friends may make us better off than the narrow math of gross domestic product   which counts only what we pay for   would suggest
still its not clear why these nonmarket gains in quality of life would be so different now than they were in earlier generations when for example videocassette recorders became widespread or the air became cleaner thanks to environmental regulation
the issue is not whether theres bias wrote the economists david m byrne john g fernald and marshall b reinsdorf in a paper on measurement issues in productivity at the brookings papers on economic activity this spring the question is whether its larger than it used to be
their conclusion after examining tech and other measurement issues is that it isnt that said the tools that statistics keepers use to measure the economy are never perfect so there could be problems not yet understood that are creating a false impression of a productivity drought
think about a business that is investing for the future it hires a bunch of people and opens new offices and builds new factories but while it is doing all that stuff its actual productivity is quite low it has a lot of people working a lot of hours but very low economic output until its operations are fully up to speed
maybe just maybe that is happening with the united states economy writ large businesses are adding workers in preparation for the future but it will take time for their investments to pay off in terms of gross domestic product
theres a recent precedent for that pattern in the late 1990s the stock market was booming and companies were making huge investments in staff equipment and information technology but reported productivity growth was actually below the long term trend   only about 17 percent a year from 1993 to 1998 for example then it began soaring in the years that followed particularly in the early 2000s
but heres one piece of evidence that the pattern of the 1990s is not what is afoot today business investment spending on equipment intellectual property and structures is low relative to the size of the economy youd expect those numbers to be higher if this was just a productivity lull as the economy waits for big investments in the future to pay off
still there could be enough going on below the surface of those overall numbers that the optimistic case remains plausible to use one example engineers at several companies are hard at work trying to perfect driverless cars at present they are a sap on productivity   they put in many thousands of hours of work with no economic output to show for it but if successful their work could radically increase the nations productivity in the decades ahead
apply the same across a wide range of fields   industrial goods pharmaceuticals and medicine financial technology firms   and optimism becomes more plausible thats the scenario we should all hope is occurring slow productivity growth now is just a down payment on a much brighter future


a 70000 pound whale just washed up dead on the beach what do you do
that is the question confronting the authorities in southern california this week after the 43 foot carcass of a gray whale came ashore in san clemente on a cramped stretch of beach that is also one of the states most popular spot for surfers
figuring out how to remove it has been complicated
spectators have gathered to gawk at the animals hulking body since it made landfall on sunday afternoon in an area of san onofre state beach called the lower trestles said kevin pearsall a public safety superintendent for the orange coast district of the california state parks department interest from the news media has been high too
you would think it was the first whale that ever washed up on the beach he said
officials have labored to find a quick effective way to remove the animal but there are many factors to consider
officials must find a method that will not upset spectators some have become emotionally invested in the dead whale
its sensitive because its such a majestic creature and people have very fond ideas about whales and their beauty so for people to see one dead on the beach its a very nostalgic moment mr pearsall said
one onlooker cynthia stern told the associated press she had driven 75 miles to lay an orchid by the whale and to rub its rotting flesh with homeopathic balms
you could start to feel the positive energy as you walked down the beach she said even though its a carcass its profoundly positive   and anyone who went there is blessed
two of the go to methods for disposing of a whale carcass are hauling it back out to the ocean and leaving it to the elements or burying it right there on the beach where it landed mr pearsall said the latter method was quicker safer and a little bit more polite to the animal
but neither of those options is possible at the lower trestles ocean currents and high winds raise the risk that it could wash back ashore plus the beach is simply too small and the whale too big to be buried beneath its sand
the fisheries division of the national oceanic and atmospheric administration must authorize the removal because all body parts alive or dead are protected by the marine mammal protection act said regina asmutis silvia the executive director of whale and dolphin conservation north america
they dont want anyone killing animals saying they found them dead and then selling their teeth or bones she said
on wednesday mr pearsall said the authorities had decided to partner with an outside group to cut the whale into appropriate efficient pieces and haul them to a landfill that process will begin by thursday morning he said
we are trying to encourage people not to come look at the procedure he said it does sound gross if you think of all the whale blubber and now that its deceased i dont know what kind of fluid its got it does not sound like it would be a pretty experience to cut it open
one thing the authorities never considered was blowing up the whale mr pearsall said that was done in 1970 after a 45 foot eight ton gray whale washed ashore in florence ore
the explosion launched dangerous chunks of whale flesh in all directions one of which crushed the passenger compartment of a car parked a quarter of a mile away video of a news report from the time has been viewed more than 15 million times on youtube
ive been sent that youtube video three times mr pearsall said its been overwhelming how many people have had ideas about this who have called or emailed and said well i think you should do this or do that
between 10 and 20 dead whales wash ashore each year in california a reflection of the large population of humpback and gray whales whose migration routes are along the coast said justin viezbicke the california stranding network coordinator for noaa fisheries which conducted a partial necropsy on the whale carcass
so how did this whale die mr viezbicke said that would probably never be known
the carcass was pretty rotten when it came to shore   it had been floating for a number of days   and with really far gone carcasses its hard for us to get information he said
the large number of people who use the lower trestles and who had gathered in recent days to see the whale were factors too
we would have to open it up to do a full necrosis and there are concerns about doing that because of the high human use of the area he said any time you take apart a 43 foot long whale it tends to get a little messy


with tens of thousands of protesters marching in the streets of baghdad to demand changes in government iraqs shiite prime minister haider al abadi appeared before parliament this week hoping to speed the process by introducing a slate of new ministers he was greeted by lawmakers who tossed water bottles at him banged on tables and chanted for his ouster
this session is illegal one of them shouted
leaving his squabbling opponents behind mr abadi moved to another meeting room where supportive lawmakers declared a quorum and approved several new ministers   technocrats not party apparatchiks   as a step to end sectarian politics and the corruption and patronage that support it
but like so much else in the iraqi government the effort fell short with only a handful of new ministers installed and several major ministries including oil foreign and finance remaining in limbo a new session of parliament on thursday was canceled
almost two years after the islamic state swept through northern iraq forcing the obama administration to re engage in a conflict it had celebrated as complete iraqs political system is barely functioning as the chaotic scenes in parliament this week demonstrated
with the surprise visit to baghdad on thursday of vice president joseph r biden jr   who as a senator called in a 2006 essay for the partition of iraq into sunni shiite and kurdish zones   it seems fair to ask a question that has bedeviled foreign powers for almost a century is iraq ever going to have a functioning state at peace with itself
i generally believe it is ungovernable under the current construct said ali khedery an american former official in iraq who served as an aide to several ambassadors and generals
mr khedery said that a confederacy or a partition of iraq might be the only remedy for the countrys troubles he called it an imperfect solution for an imperfect world
mr khedery is now a sharp critic of american policy in iraq saying it has consistently ignored the realities of the countrys underlying political problems iraq he said is a violent dysfunctional marriage and we keep pouring american lives and dollars into it hoping for a miracle we should instead seek to broker an amicable separation or divorce that results in self determination for iraqs fractious communities
writing last year in foreign affairs mr khedery said washington should abandon its fixation with artificial borders   a reference to the map of the middle east drawn by the british and the french after the collapse of the ottoman empire at the end of world war i   and allow iraq to break up
with the islamic state in control of territory in iraq and syria expanding into libya afghanistan and elsewhere and having carried out attacks in paris and brussels it is perhaps easy to forget that the group rose in the first place as a consequence of the failure of politics in iraq   in that case the sectarian policies of mr abadis predecessor as prime minister nuri kamal al maliki also a shiite
american officials have said that maintaining iraqs unity is still their policy but united nations officials in baghdad have quietly begun studying how the international community might manage a breakup of the country
the political problems of iraq have been made worse by the collapse in the price of oil the countrys lifeblood the grinding war against the islamic state and more recently fighting between shiite militias and kurds in the north that analysts worry could foreshadow a new violent struggle in the country
iraq it seems is stuck in a cycle of history that endlessly repeats
mr biden has worked to promote iraqi unity despite his proposal a decade ago to divide iraq into thirds but in comments on thursday to american diplomatic and military personnel in baghdad he harked back to that proposal
think of all the places we are today trying to keep the peace he said all the places weve sent you guys and women theyre places where because of history weve drawn artificial lines creating artificial states made up of totally distinct ethnic religious cultural groups and said have at it live together 
almost 100 years ago gertrude bell the british official and spy who is credited with drawing the borders of modern iraq after world war i fretted about the project in creating a new nation she wrote we rushed into this business with our usual disregard for a comprehensive political scheme a coming documentary letters from baghdad explores the life and legacy of ms bell demonstrating how little has changed in iraq over a century
even today her legacy is felt this week mr abadi put forward sharif ali bin hussein a descendant of king faisal who was chosen by ms bell in 1921 to rule iraq as foreign minister but lawmakers rejected him as a reminder of iraqs failed monarchy
much of what troubles iraq today is the legacy of saddam husseins brutality shiites and kurds oppressed under mr husseins sunni dominated administration have been unable to overcome their grievances sunni arabs say their entire community has been unfairly marginalized for the crimes of mr hussein
iraq it seems has a long memory but is short on vision kate gilmore a human rights official at the united nations said this week in unusually descriptive language after visiting iraq it is like a vehicle traveling over rocky terrain with a large rearview mirror but only a keyhole for a windscreen despite a vicious contest for the wheel the dominant narrative among many of iraqs leaders is of my communitys grievance failing to acknowledge the widespread nature of iraqis suffering and failing to chart a course for an inclusive future
mr maliki in an interview this year with the new york times acknowledged that he had been unable while in office to overcome this history
the kurds want compensation for the past said mr maliki who seems determined these days to undermine mr abadi at every turn the shia too sunnis still fear from the majority and fear being called in to account for what saddam did
divisions within the shiite leadership   with mr maliki and others pushing back against mr abadis efforts at restructuring   are also at the core of the current political crisis
mr maliki whose grandfather participated in an armed uprising against the british in the 1920s became one of iraqs three vice presidents after he lost the prime ministers post in 2014 one of the first changes proposed by mr abadi last summer when he faced protests was to eliminate the offices of vice president but two of the occupants refused to leave even though their salaries were cut off
one of those was mr maliki who still occupies his palace and insists he is still a vice president of iraq
still he said he had no ambition to return to office even though many iraqi officials and western diplomats believe he has been scheming to do so
i dont miss it he said and i dont want to return to it
hadi al ameri a shiite rival to mr abadi who runs a powerful militia that is supported by iran is seen by many as harboring ambitions to replace him
even so mr ameri said only if i were crazy would i accept the job of prime minister
we dont have democracy in iraq he said here everyone wants to drive the car the winner and the loser
he added as a way of defending mr abadis failures in uniting the iraqi state even if a prophet came to rule iraq he wouldnt be able to satisfy all sides


nearly a dozen retired nfl players have asked the entire united states court of appeals for the third circuit to consider hearing their arguments against the settlement between the league and thousands of former players who said the nfl hid the dangers of concussions
last week a three judge panel in the third circuit resoundingly affirmed the approval of the settlement which provides up to 5 million to individual players with severe neurological diseases
some of the players who objected to the settlement are now asking the larger panel of appeals court judges to hear their plea which focuses primarily on how chronic traumatic encephalopathy a degenerative brain disease is treated in the settlement in the deal only the heirs of players who died from 2006 to april 2015 and were found to have had the disease can receive cash payments of up to 4 million
no money will be paid out until all appeals are exhausted
christopher seeger a lead lawyer for the main group of players urged the court not to hear the appeal because it would further delay getting payments to players in need
this meritless appeal carries devastating consequences for the thousands of retired nfl players suffering from neurocognitive injuries and those concerned about their future he said in a statement as they will be forced to wait even longer for the immediate care and support they need and deserve
the nfl declined to comment on the petition
legal experts consider the appeal for a hearing by the full appeals court a long shot because the three judge panel overwhelmingly affirmed the original district court opinion
raiders consider las vegas mark davis the owner of the oakland raiders said thursday that he wanted to move the team to las vegas and was willing to spend 500 million   with 200 million of that coming from an nfl loan   as part of a deal for a new stadium in the city
he appeared alongside the billionaire casino owner sheldon adelson before a committee studying the idea of a 14 billion stadium adelson owner of las vegas sands is spearheading the construction of a 65000 seat stadium just off the las vegas strip to host a variety of events including college football soccer matches and major concerts
but it is the inclusion of the raiders that is pushing the stadium forward the nfl has long shunned las vegas refusing its television ads and telling players not to make appearances at casinos ap
indictment in saints death cardell hayes a business owner and semiprofessional football player was indicted on a second degree murder charge in the shooting death of the retired new orleans saints defensive end will smith after an april 9 car crash
hayes was also indicted on a charge of attempted second degree murder in the nonfatal shooting of smiths wife ap


in a persistent and thus far fruitless effort to hobble giant american technology companies the european union has again taken aim at alphabets google search engine
last week european antitrust regulators claimed that google had abused its dominant position because google search is preinstalled on most mobile devices which harms consumers by stifling competition and restricting innovation
at first blush it might seem the europeans are onto something if device manufacturers want to preinstall the google play app they must agree to install google search and its chrome browser as well   and make google the default search engine
with some manufacturers google pays to have its search function preinstalled as the default option   an estimated 1 billion a year to apple according to a court filing last year
if these claims seem a little like deja vu thats because anyone over the age of 20 has seen this before microsoft embedded its internet explorer browser in its windows desktop operating system a so called tying arrangement in the late 1990s the justice department and european union regulators accused microsoft of illegally trying to extend its dominant position in operating systems to internet browsers and search microsoft ultimately settled the cases
but the rapid rise of mobile and tablet devices has pretty much rendered all that irrelevant the latest version of internet explorer still has the largest market share for desktop internet browsers but it has only a negligible share for fast growing mobile and tablet devices where google chrome is far ahead
technological change has also undermined the superficial similarities between the old microsoft case and the new android one back then consumers who wanted a rival browser like netscape to run on their windows operating system rather than the free explorer had to go to a store pay for a disk with a rival program and then install it
today a free rival browser is a tap away when i checked into google play this week there were more browser choices than i knew what to do with including some id never heard of maxthon but im satisfied with googles offering and have no interest in further cluttering my phones display screen
its so easy to substitute or add apps that its not even clear googles agreements with manufacturers would be deemed tying arrangements i dont think they meet the requirement said herbert hovenkamp an antitrust expert at the university of iowa college of law theres almost no limit to your ability to add additional apps or to delete the google app and substitute a different one
of course theres obviously an advantage to being the default app or else google wouldnt be paying apple such a large sum on the other hand anyone can change if theyre unhappy professor hovenkamp said
nor do manufacturers have to preinstall any google apps on devices using android which is an open source system available free amazons fire was an android mobile device with a built in amazon shopping app but it didnt come with google play or search preinstalled fire was deemed a flop in part because it lacked popular google apps like gmail and maps
even if google is found to be using a tying arrangement thats not necessarily illegal or bad for consumers scott hemphill an antitrust professor at new york university school of law said tying arrangements are common across a wide array of products and industries no one complains because they dont have a choice of transmission manufacturers in their cars professor hemphill said
these same issues were raised last year in a class action suit in a federal district court in california
the two named plaintiffs both bought android phones one in louisville ky the other in des moines iowa and complained that they hadnt realized they came with google search already installed judge beth labson freeman of federal district court struggled to find any evidence that either had suffered any harm
she found that googles conduct had no impact on the price of the phones since both android and the rival apps are free and their broad accusation that googles behavior threatened harm to innovation and consumer choice   almost the same words adopted by the european union   was entirely too conclusory and speculative she ruled there was no evidence googles behavior prevented consumers from freely choosing among search products or prevented competitors from innovating she dismissed the suit
so who exactly is being hurt by googles behavior its not apparently consumers in whose name this battle is being fought googles search engine is even more popular in europe where it has a more than 90 percent market share according to the european union than it is in the united states
the driving force pushing the european action was a consortium of googles corporate rivals   foremost among them ironically microsoft which once complained loudly about european overreaching it has backed a lobbying group called fairsearch which hailed the european action against google as a crucial step to end abusive business practices
microsoft and google said this week that they were burying the hatchet and would withdraw regulatory complaints about each other around the globe microsoft has said it will no longer back fairsearch
if microsoft really wants to compete with googles search engine in europe it has the wherewithal to outbid google and pay manufacturers to make bing their default search engine
the russian internet company yandex has been the most vocal in urging european action against apple which is even more ironic considering that russia is not a member of the european union and has been sanctioned over its annexation of crimea yandex has dominated internet search in russia but has recently been losing ground there to google it filed   and no surprise won   similar claims in russia google is appealing that outcome
even if competitors like yandex would stand to benefit the purpose of antitrust law at least in the us is to protect consumers not competitors professor hemphill said
professor hovenkamp echoed that thought europe is moving pretty far into left field with this case he said it seems like over regulation for the benefit of competitors that wont end up doing consumers any good


st jude is the patron saint of lost causes investors seem to be taking abbott laboratories 25 billion deal to buy st jude medical in that spirit abbotts market capitalization tumbled over 5 billion on thursday after it announced the purchase of the medical devices company the companys problem is that the transaction looks to be destroying value
abbott is paying a 65 billion premium about 37 percent above st judes closing share price on wednesday it forecasts cost savings of 500 million a year by 2020 say about three quarters of those come from cost cuts and ignore the remaining unreliable revenue enhancements taxed at abbotts effective tax rate of about 20 percent and capitalized on a multiple of 10 those would be worth 3 billion but that figure has to be marked down since they wont all materialize until 2020
the deal announcement promotes the fact that the transaction will add to earnings per share but thats no guarantee it makes financial sense over all it requires hefty borrowing and abbott has another acquisition in the pipeline too
the combination does make some strategic sense if antitrust authorities allow it abbott is a big maker of coronary stents and heart valves while st jude makes pacemakers and other devices for failing hearts hospitals have been consolidating and using fewer suppliers a bigger abbott should give it more heft and negotiating power
abbott executives hinted during thursdays call with investors that they expected the acquisition to earn a double digit return within five years thats a while to wait for the kind of payback needed to justify a transaction and it requires the combined companys management to make a success of the consolidation strategy investors skeptical reaction suggests they believe divine intervention may be needed to turn this deal into a winner


rome   back in 2004 elio ciampanella was evicted from his apartment of three decades he found housing as a live in caregiver to a disabled child but still wanted a place of his own so he applied for an apartment in romes public housing and he waited
more than a decade passed
then in february an apartment in the testaccio neighborhood finally became available in fact mr ciampanella 75 unexpectedly had his choice of several apartments his tale might be considered one of patience rewarded but there was a twist it turned out romes municipal government never really had a shortage of properties
instead the government actually owned so many thousands of apartments and buildings that no one was quite certain how many there were who lived in them or where they were that was until staff members for romes new interim administrator francesco paolo tronca discovered nine boxes containing roughly 1200 case files left languishing by past mayors
what quickly became clear was that most of the apartments had been rented for years   in some cases decades   for as little as 10 euros per month
some of the sweetheart deals were for charities sports centers or embassies other apartments were supposed to go to low income tenants but had been doled out by past administrations in a political spoils system that rewarded voting blocs of city workers union members or just cronies
you know italians mr ciampanella joked as he gave a tour of his apartment recently if there is a law they will try to find ways to go around it
rome is the eternal city suffused in a perfect light overflowing with heartbreaking beauty so stipulated but as far as civic governance goes it has long been regarded as an unruly mess the continuing mafia capitale case revealed how organized crime has infiltrated everything from city garbage contracts to shelters for migrants
unrelated to that scandal the center left mayor ignazio marino an italian born american trained surgeon who won election in 2013 on an outsider campaign resigned in october amid public anger over laggard services and irregularities in his expense account
prime minister matteo renzi appointed an administrator to run the city until voters elect a new mayor in june in a pointed jab at the roman political class mr renzi found his man in milan the italian business capital known for its better governance
enter mr tronca a taciturn sicilian who is one of the people credited with the smooth operation of the expo world fair last year in milan
in rome mr tronca inherited the mayors elegant office with a balcony overlooking the ruins of the roman forum but he was presumed to be a placeholder figure given his short term tenure
instead he shook things up after the housing files were discovered a cross departmental technical team began trying to figure out under which contracts the city rented the buildings who was using them and how much they were paying
eventually mr troncas staff concluded that the city owned more than 500 apartments and buildings in the historic center that needed to be scrutinized citywide the figure was presumed to be in the thousands
the rental scandal hit the local news media in february and mr troncas team began evicting egregious violators one man earning 700000 euros a year about 790000 was discovered to be living in an apartment intended for low income tenants like mr ciampanella evictions will continue though the longer term question is what will happen after the june elections when mr tronca is gone
im aware that i can only do a small part of the work that should have been done mr tronca said in a recent interview adding that he was trying to build an effective asset management system that the next mayor could use to complete the journey that we began and not stop
marco damilano an author and political commentator in rome said the rental scandal reflected a patronage system rooted in roman political culture for centuries
the roman political class has never managed or directed the city for the common good mr damilano said it has always responded to the interests of unions lobbyists and parties
some say it is unfair to make blanket condemnations
the sovereign order of malta a charitable group has enjoyed seemingly the cushiest deal renting an ancient building overlooking trajans forum for a mere one euro per month
mauro casinghini director of the groups italian relief corps which helps rescue migrants said the municipal government had signed a contract for that amount after world war ii he said that benito mussolinis fascists had seized the property in the 1930s and that the rental deal was a recognition that the property rightfully belonged to the charitable order
they decided to give it back to us mr casinghini said noting that annual maintenance costs could reach 25000 euros or about 28000
stefano guidoni a photographer lives with his wife child and widowed mother in a small apartment near the colosseum that his father received nearly 40 years ago his father was a mechanic who worked on vehicles at city hall and the apartment was part of his compensation today the family pays about 140 euros a month
the problem is not the people who live here mr guidoni said the problem is the administration they give you an apartment and they forget about you then they wake up and make a fuss about it
one of the most embarrassing fusses has involved a local branch of the democratic party the center left party of the prime minister
the partys two room office in central rome on via dei giubbonari was a political clubhouse for the fascists until it was turned over to italys communist party after world war ii as leftist parties rose fell and combined over the years the building eventually went to the democratic party
in 1986 romes mayor raised the rent to the equivalent today of 1200 euros a month outraged and arguing that the commercial value of the location was far less the party instead paid 120 euros per month for 30 years italian newspapers have calculated that it may owe 180000 euros in unpaid rent
in 30 years we have always tried to have a discussion with the city to negotiate the increase or even understand the legal terms said giulia urso secretary of the local branch but there was like a wall regardless of the cabinet or the mayor
ms urso added it was not just us it was a whole system that no one wanted to uncover
at least one person is quite happy that the system has been uncovered mr ciampanella said his new neighborhood was a hotbed of fans of romes professional soccer team he said he did not even need to watch the match because every time the team scored a goal he could hear the cheers ringing across the streets
when rome scores a goal even if you are asleep youll know he said and he added that is fine by him he is very pleased with his new home a lot of suffering paid off in the end he said


the royal bank of scotland said on thursday that there was significant risk that it might not meet a deadline set by european regulators to spin off its williams  glyn branch network by the end of next year
the bank which is based in edinburgh is required to spin off or sell williams  glyn by the end of 2017 as a condition of the government bailout of 45 billion pounds or about 66 billion that it received during the financial crisis
the announcement came a day before rbs was set to report its first quarter results its shares fell more than 2 percent in afternoon trading in london on thursday
on thursday the royal bank of scotland said the complexity of the companys customer and product mix made it very challenging to create a cloned information technology system for the new bank and the timetable to achieve separation is uncertain
rbs is exploring alternative means to achieve separation and divestment the company said in a news release the overall financial impact on rbs is now likely to be significantly greater than previously estimated
the company incurred PS630 million in costs last year related to the separation of the williams  glyn business
the royal bank of scotland hoped to spin off the business in the first quarter of 2017 but warned in february that a separation would not occur until after that date
williams  glyn had PS25 billion in deposits at the end of the fourth quarter and about 16 million retail customers
the royal bank of scotland is in the middle of a large restructuring as it shifts away from being a lender with global ambitions to focus on retail and corporate banking in britain and ireland the lender announced plans last year to dismantle its global investment bank and to reduce the number of countries in which it operates
in march it made a final payment of PS119 billion to the british government fulfilling a condition of its bailout package that gave the government priority for dividend payments
the government which owns about 73 percent of the bank hopes to reduce its holdings in the bank in the near future the government raised about PS21 billion in its first sale of shares it held in rbs in august


a young woman was viciously stabbed to death her body found in 1969 not far from the notorious murders by charles mansons band of followers for decades the circumstances led people to wonder about the woman known only as jane doe 59 was she another victim of the cultlike group
the los angeles police this week revealed her identity as reet jurvetson a 19 year old from montreal while leaving open if only narrowly the possibility that mr manson played a part in her death
ms jurvetson had recently moved to los angeles when her body was found by a passer by in the brush off mulholland drive near laurel canyon on nov 16 1969 she had been stabbed more than 150 times
the style of the killing along with the timing and location of the discovery   about five miles down the road from the mansion where actress sharon tate and four others met their end at the hands of the manson family a few months before   led to speculation that the cases were connected
in the 1974 book helter skelter the true story of the manson murders the authors recounted a widely circulated theory that jane doe 59 was present during the killing of a manson follower and was murdered so she could not discuss it
the los angeles police department said in a statement on wednesday that detectives had interrogated mr manson who is in corcoran state prison in california but had gleaned nothing of relevance to the jurvetson case
no new leads were learned detective luis rivera said in an interview with people magazine but he added investigators could not rule out the possibility that followers of mr manson were involved
researchers of the group said there was no known evidence to support a link
its always easy to think that manson or the manson family had to be involved in any kind of suspicious disappearance or murder in that era particularly where stabbing was involved said jeff guinn who wrote the biography manson
mr mansons brainwashed cohorts were small in number and talked among themselves about their deeds mr guinn noted but he said no member or associate of the group professed any knowledge of jane doe 59 during interviews with him for his book
that is not to completely discount a possible role in ms jurvetsons killing he said but its a convenient thing since they were obviously so capable of any disgusting violent act to link them with murders that havent been solved he added
kristian gravenor a writer from montreal reported the identity of jane doe 59 on his blog tuesday night after interviewing a childhood friend of ms jurvetson
ms jurvetson was the youngest of three children in a family that settled in montreal in the 1950s after fleeing estonia during world war ii according to relatives
reet was a lovely free spirited and happy girl her sister anne jurvetson said in a statement she was deeply loved by both family and friends
her relatives recalled a young woman who had dreamed of going to california as a teenager and eventually saved up enough money to fly there in the fall of 1969
in los angeles she lived with a boyfriend identified only as jean reported mr gravenor who said he had spoken with a friend of ms jurvetson ilmi siimann
then she disappeared
ms jurvetsons parents never reported their daughter missing to the police her sister said
as months and then years passed we imagined that she was making a new life for herself she said we were always hoping that she would re establish contact with friends and family
eventually anne jurvetson said she knew her sister was probably dead never though did she suspect a violent end it is devastating she said
the break in the case came last summer after ms siimann and anne jurvetson saw a post mortem photo of jane doe 59 that had been discovered online through a mutual friend
the los angeles police were notified a dna comparison was made with her sister and reet jurvetsons identity was finally established
the authorities said the investigation into the killing remained open and detectives were especially interested in finding the man named jean or john with whom ms jurvetson had a relationship
on aug 9 1969 the gruesome killings at the home of a pregnant ms tate and her husband the film director roman polanski stunned the nation and sent a wave of terror through los angeles mr manson and his followers were later convicted
manson experts have long suspected that the group was behind more killings
ms jurvetsons brother tonu held out hope until the very end that he would one day reunite with the gregarious green eyed girl who disappeared so many decades ago his widow tiiu jurvetson said he died in 2014
she was exceptionally bright a straight a student she said in an interview on wednesday she was the kind of person who had great potential to do something wonderful


for the last month or so donald trumps path to 1237 delegates has been clear win indiana and california
but after his strong showings in the northeast indiana no longer seems to be a must win state to capture the republican nomination
sure winning the state would be very helpful toward gaining a majority of delegates without indiana he would struggle to get the 1237 bound delegates needed to wrap up the nomination heading into the convention but theres now a credible path to winning on the first ballot without it
the main reason is mr trumps success on tuesday among pennsylvanias 54 unpledged delegates even though none of them are officially bound to a candidate 31 of the 54 spots went to delegates preferred by mr trump and before the election others had said they would vote for the winner of their district mr trump won all of the states districts my colleague jeremy w peters reported that mr trump appeared to have won about 40 of pennsylvanias 54 unbound delegates
if this holds the delegate math is a little different than what you might have read last week here or elsewhere thats because my analysis and that of others included only pledged delegates the 54 unpledged delegates were held out of mr trumps path to 1237
if he has indeed moved many of those delegates off the sideline and into his territory it obviates the necessity for him to win indiana which is worth 57 delegates 30 delegates to the statewide winner and three delegates to the winner of each of nine congressional districts he would still need a comfortable victory in california   enough to win about 130 of the states 172 delegates in the event of a loss in indiana he could bring that figure as low as 115 with good outcomes in west virginia oregon washington and new mexico or with a few additional districts in indiana
the 130 delegate target in california is achievable the state awards its delegates on a winner take all basis statewide and by congressional district so mr trump would need an overall victory 13 delegates and wins in about 40 of the states 53 congressional districts to pull it off even a modest popular vote victory could do the trick in 2008 john mccain won 48 of californias 53 congressional districts with a 75 point margin of victory in the popular vote and mr trump won every congressional district tuesday night in the northeast
mr trump leads in all of the most recent california polls he had an eye popping 49 percent of the vote in the most recent fox news and cbs newsyougov surveys
of course he would prefer to win most of indianas delegates without them he would probably face some drama on the first ballot at the republican convention the pennsylvania unbound delegates remain free agents allowed to vote for whomever they want and the same is true for other unbound delegates that mr trump would try to woo
a win in indiana would allow him to win with even a narrow victory in california
but the old analysis based solely on pledged delegates no longer holds winning in indiana doesnt seem necessary for him to win the nomination


london   every year on april 28 twitter users mostly in britain revel in what has come to be known as ed balls day when a joke about a politicians tweet is celebrated in a frenzy on social media here is some background on the famous post the parodies that surface every april and what ed balls is up to now
it all started in 2011 when ed balls then the finance chief for the opposition labour party posted something unusual on twitter it was simply his name ed balls
on that day one of mr ballss aides had encouraged him to search for his name on twitter instead it went out as a tweet people immediately started sharing the post endearingly mocking the politician for tweeting his own name since then every april 28 is what britons refers to as ed balls day fast forward five years and that single post has been retweeted over 66000 times and edballsday was a trending topic on thursday
born in norwich england in 1967 edward michael balls grew up in nottingham before attending oxford to study economics and philosophy he also attended the john f kennedy school of government at harvard from 2011 to 2015 he was shadow chancellor the oppositions spokesman on financial and economic issues during that time he was also a member of parliament but he lost his seat in last years election
celebrated primarily in britain and mostly on twitter it often starts even before april 28 with people on twitter counting the number of days until ed balls day as if it were christmas when the day finally comes users repost his original tweet adding happy ed balls day or hashtags like neverforget
other politicians have been known to celebrate ed balls day although his wife yvette cooper who is also a lawmaker almost forgot to do so last year
mr balls and ms cooper have three children asked if his family celebrates the day he said they roll their eyes at me regularly this is just another reason to roll their eyes at me
even companies like dominos pizza or the betting shop coral now take part
on thursday as twitter users started celebrating mr balls google said that british searches for ed balls had risen over 2500 percent
yes he does especially last year during the election campaign he tweeted his famous post with the words here we go again and a picture of himself and members of his campaign staff holding signs with his name over all he tends to respond cheerfully to the pseudoholiday sometimes with another joke about his name
today mr balls is a senior fellow at the harvard kennedy school which he joined in june
its as incomprehensible as the internet and social media can get but people enjoy it he said by telephone on thursday i shrug my shoulders


united states stocks took their biggest loss in three weeks on thursday after a late sell off
apple which is in a slump fell to its lowest price in about two months and dragged the tech sector sharply lower
tech stocks which rose early on earnings gains from facebook and paypal slumped after carl c icahn the billionaire investor disclosed that he had sold his stake in apple mr icahn was not a major shareholder in the tech giant but his moves are closely watched by many investors
the tech focused nasdaq composite closed lower for the sixth day in a row losing 5785 points or 12 percent to 480529 that index has struggled in part because apple the most valuable public company in the world has fallen 15 percent in two weeks
the dow jones industrial average lost 21079 points or 12 percent to 1783076 the standard  poors 500 stock index fell 1934 points or 09 percent to 207581
earlier in the day indexes had wavered between small gains and losses investors appeared to be surprised that the bank of japan decided not to take further action to stimulate that nations economy and the yen continued to get stronger against the dollar
a handful of stocks moved on deal news most of them in health care in the largest the medical device maker abbott laboratories said it would buy st jude medical combining abbotts heart devices heart valve products and infant formula business with st judes heart failure and heart rhythm device products
st jude rocketed 1584 or 256 percent to 7779 while abbott fell 341 or 78 percent to 4042
companies are on the hunt for ways to increase their profitability said scott wren global equity strategist at wells fargo one way to do that is to buy somebody else
that task is made easier he added by low interest rates on loans and the fact that companies have been slashing their expenses for years
the french drug maker sanofi went public with an offer to buy the cancer drug maker medivation for 93 billion or 5250 per share medivation the maker of the prostate cancer medication xtandi added 412 or 79 percent to 5617
the drug maker abbvie said it would buy the privately held stemcentrx for 58 billion stemcentrx is developing a drug that uses stem cells to treat small cell lung cancer abbvie stock rose 50 cents to 6120
comcasts nbcuniversal unit will buy dreamworks animation the movie studio behind the kung fu panda and how to train your dragon franchises for 355 billion the deal values dreamworks at 41 a share and the stock which jumped 19 percent wednesday in anticipation of the deal rose another 775 or 241 percent to 3996
hanesbrands a maker of underwear t shirts and socks said it would buy the biggest maker of underwear in australia the company said its offer valued pacific brands at 800 million hanesbrands has also made a series of deals to give it more control of the champion brand overseas the stock jumped 174 or 63 percent to 2953
apple fell 299 or 31 percent to 9483 after mr icahns announcement on cnbc on wednesday apple sank 6 percent after reporting its first revenue decline in over a decade as iphone sales fell
apples loss canceled out a gain for facebook which reached a nominal high the social networks first quarter profit nearly tripled while its revenue was also better than expected the stock climbed 784 or 72 percent to 11673
bond prices continued to rise after a big gain on wednesday the yield on the 10 year united states treasury note fell to 183 percent from 185 percent
consumer stocks also struggled harman international which makes automotive electronics and audio equipment reported first quarter results that did not meet analysts projections the company also cut its forecasts for the rest of the year harman said revenue from a unit that serves restaurants sports arenas and other businesses fell its stock dropped 1183 or 133 percent to 7707
european stock indexes were mixed the dax in germany was 02 percent higher while the cac 40 in france and the ftse 100 index in britain were little changed asian stocks mostly fell after the bank of japans decision
the nikkei 225 japans main stock index tumbled 36 percent the dollar sank to 10801 yen from 11156 yen the euro rose to 11354 from 11310
benchmark united states crude oil which is at its highest prices in almost six months rose 70 cents or 15 percent to 4603 a barrel in new york brent crude the international standard picked up 96 cents or 2 percent to 4814 a barrel in london
in other energy trading wholesale gasoline rose 2 cents to 160 a gallon heating oil rose 3 cents to 141 a gallon natural gas fell 4 cents to 2 per 1000 cubic feet
gold gained 16 or 13 percent to 126640 an ounce silver jumped 26 cents or 15 percent to 1755 an ounce copper rose 1 cent to 222 a pound


ottawa   the canadian plane maker bombardier said on thursday that delta air lines had agreed to buy 75 of its new cseries airliners a deal that could bring stability to bombardiers attempts to challenge boeing and airbus directly
based on list price bombardier said the delta order for the cs100 aircraft was worth about 56 billion like automobile buyers however airlines generally do not pay the posted price and delta is known as a canny negotiator delta has taken options for an additional 50 aircraft beyond the 75
stumbles within bombardier combined with particularly aggressive competition from its larger rivals had led many analysts to question bombardiers decision to try leveraging its success in the market for small regional jets by building an airplane that could compete directly with the boeing 737 and the airbus a320
the support from a major airline after a recent letter of intent from air canada to buy 45 of the cseries planes may begin to dispel speculation that bombardier may have to abandon the project the development of the cseries has created a financial drain for the company which struggled to find buyers
this is a real big deal for us alain bellemare the president and chief executive of bombardier said at a news conference at the factory northwest of montreal were the planes are assembled its a turning moment
bombardier also said on thursday that it had lost 138 million on sales of 39 billion during its first quarter for the comparable period a year ago the company posted a 100 million profit with the delta deal bombardier will hold 325 firm orders when the cseries will enter service this year 25 more than the companys target
the cseries which can carry 100 to 150 passengers was intended to be the first airliner using a new engine technology from pratt  whitney a unit of united technologies the engine is said to be unusually quiet and according to the companies it requires up to 20 percent less fuel
but the cseries project is more than two years behind schedule and vastly over budget delta will receive its first deliveries of cs100 planes in early 2018
although analysts have praised the cseries as technically innovative the delays have allowed boeing and airbus to introduce versions of their existing planes with engines said to offer similar innovations although those slightly larger airplanes are not as modern or fuel efficient as bombardiers offering the two industry giants are able to offer them at attractive prices
ed bastian who will take over as delta chief executive on monday said at the news conference that his companys purchase brings bombardier in as the third competitor into the mainline aircraft marketplace with boeing and airbus
he added and we are thrilled to be able to have that choice in the marketplace
while the announcement is expected to help create momentum for further sales of the cseries it will not immediately resolve bombardiers financial problems
evan mann an analyst with gimme credit an independent debt research firm called the delta order a step in the right direction but maintained bombardiers underperform rating
the company is still burning through cash and the timing as to when the cseries program turns profitable and becomes free cash flow positive is still sometime away mr mann wrote
as the project drained bombardier of cash the company was forced to seek 1 billion in aid from the province of quebec which is now a shareholder in the cseries
the company is seeking a similar bailout from the government of canada led by prime minister justin trudeau negotiations for that investment however appear to have bogged down on a number of questions including the special voting shares that give members of the founding families of bombardier a one time snowmobile maker control of the company
during a conference call with analysts on thursday mr bellemare said that talks with the government remained underway but suggested that federal money was no longer necessary to keep the company operating later he told reporters that any federal money would further strengthen our ability to continue investing in aerospace right here in canada


los angeles   for the past decade jeffrey katzenbergs identity has been indistinguishable from the dreamworks animation brand a relentless advocate for his little studio he became famous for making 40 phone calls and conducting three breakfast meetings before 10 am he always orders the same thing diet coke
mr katzenbergs campaign to keep dreamworks animation afloat even as a changing film business made that increasingly difficult came down to one desire he wanted to be his generations lew wasserman the mca chief who was hollywoods big everything   biggest political power biggest cultural force biggest business mogul
on thursday part of that dream ended
dreamworks animation essentially the sole remaining piece of a splashy conglomerate founded in 1994 by mr katzenberg steven spielberg and david geffen said it would sell itself to comcasts sprawling nbcuniversal for 38 billion in return for a personal payout estimated at 420 million mr katzenberg 65 will reluctantly step aside having never quite managed to become that kingpin
the deal will provide nbcuniversal with family film franchises like how to train your dragon shrek and kung fu panda that it can use in its quest to compete with disney in the global theme park consumer products and childrens television businesses
but hollywood was really only interested in one thing why did the intense and bespectacled mr katzenberg a die hard animation enthusiast finally call it a day
for more than two decades mr katzenberg has been a fixture among hollywoods elite sitting courtside at los angeles lakers games with the likes of leonardo dicaprio and rihanna and reigning over an annual oscar fund raiser that draws every mogul in town in 2012 he made white house officials blanch by insisting president obama spend extended time chatting with donors at george clooneys mansion he got his way
but as mr geffen has graduated to philanthropy donating hundreds of millions of dollars and seeing his name go up on the walls of some of the countrys top cultural institutions when hes not sailing the world on his mega yacht and mr spielberg has continued to make oscar nominated films mr katzenberg has had to mostly focus on the grinding task of keeping dreamworks animation going
with that chapter closed mr katzenberg must now decide what to do
stephen b burke nbcuniversals chief executive and senior vice president of comcast suggested in a phone interview that mr katzenberg could find a next act in digital media perhaps following the example of barry diller the former hollywood executive who built iacinteractivecorp mr katzenberg started his career at paramount pictures as mr dillers assistant others wondered if mr katzenberg was positioning himself for an ambassadorship should hillary clinton win the presidency after supporting president obama in 2008 he has recently been one of mrs clintons top fund raisers
there is also the possibility that mr katzenberg could follow mr geffens example and turn to philanthropy
mr katzenberg seemed unsure how to handle the questions about his future he initially agreed to speak to a reporter but that pledge was ultimately reversed with a spokesman saying that mr katzenberg instead wished the spotlight to shine on comcast
at a 10 am meeting on thursday for dreamworks animations 1500 employees held near a monumental fountain on the studios tuscan style campus in glendale calif mr katzenberg struck an upbeat tone according to attendees
i rest easy in knowing that the house of dreams that weve spent the last two decades building together   the stories the characters the joy and the laughter   has found the best possible home he said standing near two senior universal executives
he added this is not a deal that we needed to do but its the deal id always hoped would come along
the reality is that mr katzenberg finds himself as both a winner and loser
after years of failed efforts to escape a boom and bust cycle driven by sporadic film releases he finally found a rich solution for his company comcast paid more than many people thought dreamworks animation was worth comcast overpays read the headline of a blog post written by rich greenfield a btig research analyst dreamworks animation shareholders will receive 41 a share in cash
i think we can take their existing ip and do more with it mr burke said
the price puts dreamworks animation on par with lucasfilm the star wars studio that disney bought in 2012 for about 4 billion
and mr katzenberg will retain a business platform albeit a tiny one comcast said he would serve as chairman of a new entity dreamworks new media which will be made up of awesomenesstv an online studio and distributor of content aimed at teenage girls and nova a fledgling unit that uses 3 d animation technology to assist companies like nike and burberry with marketing campaigns
contrary to reports nbcuniversal has not decided what to do with awesomenesstv which is partly owned by verizon a comcast rival you could imagine a situation where awesomenesstv doesnt stay as part of the company forever but it could easily be the other way mr burke said we dont know
even so thursday was a day of loss for mr katzenberg people close to him said he struggled with the decision in previous sale and merger attempts   notably one with softbank in 2014 followed by one with hasbro   mr katzenberg intended to come along for the ride by continuing to run the studio
but comcast made it clear that it was only willing to pay such a high price if it could create synergies by folding dreamworks animation into its universal pictures unit and that could happen only if mr katzenberg ceded control nbcuniversal wanted its own animation chief christopher meledandri the executive responsible for the despicable me franchise to oversee all operations
mr burke acknowledged that the sale was not an easy thing for jeff to grapple with adding it is his baby
the deal came together rapidly two weeks ago mr burke said he received a call from his boss brian l roberts comcasts chief executive they had heard a whisper that mr katzenberg was considering a maneuver possibly with a chinese backer to take his studio private they thought that mr katzenberg might instead sell to them
mr roberts placed a call to mr katzenberg who immediately picked up the phone mr katzenberg told mr roberts that depending on comcasts price he would love to talk mr roberts called mr burke with the news and the two men along with a few other comcast executives flew to los angeles on april 15
the next morning at 7 am the comcast executives met mr katzenberg and his top lieutenant ann daly at a downtown law office the deal making quickly grew fast and furious to use a term associated with a universal movie franchise
the end of dreamworks as a stand alone company   mr spielberg in december folded what remained of the companys live action film label into his amblin partners   reflects a changing hollywood where the collapse of the dvd market overwhelmed many independent studios but the various dreamworks enterprises also never quite gelled perhaps because the aims of the companys founders despite their personal ties almost always diverged
mr spielberg a prolific producer and director was drawn to his own projects and seemed often to make the most lucrative among them for companies other than dreamworks mr geffen a financial godfather to his partners long ago lost interest in movies and in 2008 withdrew from active involvement in the companies
mr katzenberg meanwhile poured himself into dreamworks animation which seemed forever trapped in a creative chase behind its rival pixar which often bested it at the box office and on the oscar circuit mr katzenberg also got bogged down in an endless fight for positive quarterly earnings news and fresh capital
dreamworks was founded shortly after mr katzenberg left a senior disney job amid deteriorating relations with then its chief executive michael eisner
times change the marketplace changes the original reason the company was founded ceased to exist said terry press a former dreamworks executive who is now president of cbs films
the one thing that never changes she added is jeffreys iron will to succeed


san francisco   in silicon valley being a unicorn is no guarantee of financial success but an eight year old drug maker focused on novel cancer treatments has landed itself and its investors a windfall by selling itself to a bigger competitor
abbvie said on thursday that it would buy stemcentrx for 58 billion in cash and stock thats up about 16 percent from the 5 billion valuation that the start up fetched during its last fund raising round it also appears to be one of the highest prices ever paid for a privately held biotechnology company if not the highest
at a time when another once vaunted medical start up theranos faces serious questions about its core technology and its 9 billion valuation stemcentrx appears to have validated the hopes of its backers including venture capitalists not normally known for investing in biotechnology companies
under the terms of the deal abbvie will pay about 2 billion in cash and finance the remaining amount with newly issued shares stemcentrxs backers could receive up to 4 billion in additional cash if the business hits certain performance milestones
such is the size of the payoff that one of stemcentrxs staunchest investors the venture capital firm founders fund appears able to return its entire 625 million fourth fund and more than half of its 1 billion fifth fund
another big winner is artis ventures which invested early in stemcentrx in 2011 when it had a valuation of only about 100 million artis is known more for investing in youtube than in life sciences
behind abbvies willingness to pay up is the drug makers big push into cancer treatment in part because it is an attractive area of the pharmaceutical business and because its blockbuster autoimmune disease drug humira will face competition from cheaper related versions known as biosimilars in the coming years though just when will depend on how patent litigation plays out
abbvie acquired pharmacyclics last year for a huge price of 21 billion to obtain the cancer drug imbruvica
abbvie is committed to continued innovation in oncology a critical component of our long term growth and an area of significant need to millions of patients worldwide said richard a gonzalez abbvies chairman and chief executive in a statement we believe the acquisition of stemcentrx will strengthen and accelerate our ability to deliver innovative therapies that will have a remarkable impact on patients lives
stemcentrx is developing drugs aimed at killing cancer stem cells which some scientists believe give rise to cancers under this theory merely killing most cancer cells is not sufficient because if the stem cells survive they can give rise to the cancer again so drugs are needed specifically to kill the root stem cells which are thought to account for only 2 percent of all the cancer cells and might be resistant to conventional chemotherapy
stemcentrxs main offering so far is rovalpituzumab tesirine known as rova t a drug in late stage testing for treatment of small cell lung cancer the disease accounts for about 15 percent of all lung cancers and is very hard to treat with a poor prognosis
in an early clinical trial tumors shrank significantly in 44 percent of patients whose tumors made a particular protein that the drug latches onto however if the idea is to kill the tiny cadre of stem cells then merely saying that the drug shrank tumors presumably by killing the nonstem cell masses doesnt indicate that much
but abbvie said in slides it provided to investors that compelling data about how long people taking the drug live will be presented at a cancer conference soon it said rova t could reach the market in 2018 and eventually achieve sales of billions of dollars a year justifying the price abbvie paid
stemcentrx has four other drugs in earlier stage clinical trials including treatments for breast ovarian and other types of lung cancers
we are thrilled to be joining the abbvie team and believe that together we can bring much needed therapies to cancer patients said brian slingerland stemcentrxs founder and chief executive in a statement we have worked for eight years exploring the origins of cancer and drivers of its recurrence and have discovered novel therapeutic targets to attack the most difficult to treat tumors
but the theory of cancer stem cells is not universally accepted and there are no assurances this approach will work other companies are developing drugs aimed at killing cancer stem cells and have suffered setbacks in clinical trials one of them oncomed pharmaceuticals has a market value of less than 400 million another verastem has a market capitalization of around 60 million
the deal for the eight year old stemcentrx which is based in south san francisco represents a windfall for the companys backers who have invested close to 500 million those investors include founders fund which was co founded by the billionaire peter thiel sequoia capital silicon valley bank and the mutual fund giant fidelity investments
for founders fund the investment was a validation of the firms belief in the start up despite not being a specialist investor in biotechnology according to brian singerman the partner who oversaw the investment
mr singerman said that founders fund first began investing in stemcentrx in 2012 intrigued by the novel approach to fighting cancer as the start up continued to grow the venture capitalists continued to double down eventually investing roughly 300 million in the drug maker
once we see a company performing and exceeding even our lofty expectations we go big he said in an interview
when stemcentrx unveiled new performance data at an industry conference last year the company had gained plenty of interest from potential buyers mr singerman said at the same time the start up was ready to find a partner to begin commercializing its products
mr singerman declined to comment on the firms return from the abbvie transaction
the stemcentrx deal is expected to dilute abbvies earnings this year by about 20 cents a share and will begin adding to them in about four years


can amazon buck the gloomy tech earnings season
for the last week and a half many tech companies   including apple and microsoft   have reported quarterly financial results that have been weaker than expected only a few of the giant tech firms have emerged unscathed with facebook the prime example
on wednesday the social network said it had tripled profit from a year earlier writes mike isaac facebook also accompanied the results with a proposal for a third class of shares to cement the control of its founder and chief executive mark zuckerberg
now it is amazons turn the giant online retailer is scheduled to post earnings on thursday investors are set to examine amazons thriving cloud computing business as well as the companys profit or lack thereof as it spends heavily on new initiatives in a shareholder letter earlier this month amazons chief executive jeff bezos vowed to keep swinging for the fences and to keep inventing
big winners pay for so many experiments mr bezos wrote


baghdad   in an unannounced visit shrouded in secrecy vice president joseph r biden jr came to iraq on thursday for the first time in almost five years hoping to help a weak prime minister and bolster the military campaign against the islamic state
the intense security and clandestine nature of the trip reflected the challenges iraq still faces 13 years after the united states led invasion mr biden arrived for the visit which was under discussion for months at a moment when the countrys political leadership is mired in yet another crisis
mr biden planned to urge the iraqis to put the good of their nation above sectarian regional or personal interests as the country confronts a constellation of threats militarily from the extremists of the islamic state economically from low oil prices and politically from the stalemate between prime minister haider al abadi and parliament over mr abadis efforts to reconstitute his cabinet
after arriving at the american embassy by helicopter mr biden was driven to the nearby government palace to meet mr abadi
defense secretary ashton b carter and secretary of state john kerry have also made unannounced visits to iraq this month and in saudi arabia last week president obama said american officials had been telling their iraqi counterparts that they have to take the long view and think about the well being of the country at a time when theyre still fighting the islamic state
now is not the time for government gridlock or bickering he said
mr biden last visited iraq in november 2011 just weeks before the last american troops in iraq were scheduled to leave in a solemn ceremony mr biden saluted iraqi troops trained and equipped with billions of dollars from the united states saying he hoped they would safeguard the country
three years later those forces disintegrated in the face of an onslaught from islamic state fighters and the inability of a corrupt central government to support and supply them
the united states has added back nearly 5000 troops in iraq and it is using airstrikes and logistical support to bolster the countrys slow campaign against the islamic state which still occupies large stretches of territory
while the military campaign is showing signs of progress american officials fear that renewed political turmoil in the country could hinder it in one example enormous street protests led by moktada al sadr a radical shiite cleric prompted mr abadi to withdraw troops from the fight against the islamic state to bolster security in baghdad the protests turned out to be peaceful and the troops were returned to the front lines afterward but american officials said the episode showed how political turmoil could be a troubling distraction
mr biden then flew from baghdad to erbil to speak in person with masoud barzani president of the iraqi kurdistan region mr barzani has spoken openly about holding an independence referendum something obama administration officials have told him needs to be delayed mr barzani is a crucial player in the military campaign to retake mosul from the islamic state
mr biden gave a speech last year at the national defense university hailing iraqs political class for rallying from defeats to create a strong and united government iraqi leaders cant afford to lose that sense of political urgency that brought them to this point mr biden said
but since then the political situation in iraq has become so fluid that mr bidens team has sometimes been unsure whether officials he planned to meet with would still be in office when he arrived
the united states has always put a bandage on the politics while concentrating on security not realizing that the politics is the source of much of the worry on the security front said ramzy mardini of the atlantic council a washington based research institution
dealing with iraqs political woes has been a never ending balancing act for the united states two years ago american officials supported the ouster of prime minister nuri kamal al maliki who was viewed as too powerful authoritarian and sectarian now they are trying to shore up mr abadi who is seen as too weak
the recent battlefield gains have done little to resolve iraqs deep seated problems hundreds of thousands of civilians displaced from the recaptured territory have been unable to return and the deadly sectarian and tribal rivalries that fed the conflict in those areas largely persist
iraq will need billions of dollars in aid to reconstruct parts of the country shattered by warfare american officials worry that the aid will not be forthcoming until donor countries see signs that iraqs politics are more settled
as the military campaign approaches mosul a multiethnic and multisectarian city delicate negotiations will be needed between the central governments forces and those of the kurdish forces in the semiautonomous north to determine who will do what american officials said
retaking mosul is a goal of mr obamas although in a recent interview he did not say when he expected that to happen my expectation is that by the end of the year we will have created the conditions whereby mosul will eventually fall he told charlie rose of cbs
in his talks with officials mr biden is expected to urge all sides in iraq to unite behind a single plan to retake mosul


in the live music business the most visible kind of competition is over who books the big stars but behind the scenes there is a never ending contest over ticketing with promoters venues and technology companies making deals for the sales as well as the customer data that comes with them
last year pandora media paid 450 million for ticketfly an online ticketing service that competes with ticketmaster to sign up clubs and theaters and has deals with 1200 clients including promoters and venues now ticketfly has reached a deal to be the exclusive ticketing provider for the bowery ballroom and the mercury lounge two of the most beloved clubs in new york both organizations which were longtime ticketmaster clients announced on thursday that they would switch to ticketfly on sunday
the deal is partly of symbolic importance for ticketfly the bowery ballroom   which rolling stone has called the best club in the country   has an estimated annual attendance of only about 130000 and the mercury lounge just 80000 according to a marketing document from the bowery presents a promoter that is affiliated with the clubs but does not own them
the deal also extends the reach of ticketfly in new york among the other venues it works with in the city are central park summerstage forest hills stadium brooklyn bowl output and birdland the bowery ballroom and mercury lounge agreement comes as the bowery presents is in talks to be acquired by the giant concert company aeg live but the ticketfly deal is not expected to affect that transaction
since it was founded in 2008 ticketfly has been favored by many smaller promoters and venues for its technology and marketing abilities since ticketfly was bought by pandora the wider music industry has been awaiting the integration of those two companies which both said would allow much more extensive kinds of online marketing than had been available to promoters before


forget the friendly skies welcome to the fashion skies the industry is getting its first official airline
etihad airways the national airline of the united arab emirates has signed on to sponsor 17 of the wmeimg fashion events around the world including fashion weeks in new york london milan and berlin starting with sydney fashion week on may 15
it makes sense after all the fashion sector spends a lot of time aloft when you think about it its hard not to wonder why it took an airline so long to realize the opportunity
just flying the basic fashion circuit during the ready to wear womens collections means country jumping four times twice a year throw in mens wear and couture and maybe a trip to havana and rio for cruise   and thats even before you count jaunts to exotic locales for glossy magazine shoots store openings or red carpet premieres and so on   and the trips add up
with editors models designers hair and makeup people photographers producers sound engineers and the like all getting aboard well you do the math according to img about 100000 travelers head to new york for fashion week alone and speaking from experience most of the people involved dread getting on a plane if you can change even a small fraction of that the possible halo effect could be huge as etihad has realized
now the airline wants to be the default option when all those people going to all those fashion weeks need to book a flight   kind of like how peter marino has become the default option when a luxury brand wants to reimagine a flagship store and how christian louboutin has become the default option for a high heeled shoe and it wants to attract everyone who wants a piece of that world which if you go by the instagram followings of say gigi hadid or olivier rousteing is quite a lot
all of which sounds pretty good except that etihad as it is well aware has not traditionally been the fashion fliers go to airline those tend to be the usual suspects like air france british airways and delta and some travelers were partial to the concorde before it was retired if you listen to patrick pierce etihads vice president of sponsorshipand mark shapiro imgs chief content officer the airline has a lot of ideas about how to change all that
a special fashion flight with special fashion perks on the big travel days between new york and london or london and milan why not amenities bags by a new york or mumbai fashion week designer sure presumably flight attendant outfits too the img fashion channel m2m offered as part of the entertainment system definitely also on the system maybe live streaming of runway shows so if you missed them during the week you could catch up with them on the flight home premieres of fashion films and possibly   someday because why not you can dream   the ability to watch a show from your seat order a dress off the runway and have it at home when you land
it helps that abu dhabi is a hub between east and west etihad also has code share agreements with airlines such as alitalia all of which will be pulled into the fashion week deal and it has cargo planes so if a paris based designer needs to ship a collection to say japan for a special event the airline can do that to oil the relationship wheels and to demonstrate what the airline can bring to the catwalk it is co  sponsoring the debut oscar de la renta show at australian fashion week next month
beyond the obvious however that etihad has seen the potential of fashion week involvement the move reflects a trend in the middle east toward investing not in fashion products but in actual fashion brands this month alabbar enterprises the dubai based owner of emaar properties took a stake of 100 million euros or 113 million in the yoox net a porter group the qatar based mayhoola for investments owns valentino pal zileri and a stake in anya hindmarch and the bahrain based investcorp owns georg jensen
in any case etihad is going all in it has signed a multiyear contract with wmeimg the airline would not specify the cost but mr pierce did say it was among their biggest financial commitments so the two businesses have a while to see if their plan works air travel has been getting progressively less glamorous it will be interesting to see if this deal can spur a broader course correction


miami   crazy in love beyonces first solo no 1 single remains even 13 years after its release a signature   an exuberant sparring session of jubilant horns and percussive vocals overlaid with singing thats somehow both acrobatic and sauntering
when she started to perform that song at marlins park here on wednesday night though it was something else altogether slurry gothic desiccated she and several dancers had just arrived onstage in adjacent wooden boxes from afar they looked like a row of coffins
but after a couple of minutes of stretching crazy in love like taffy beyonce reset there were the erupting horns there was the familiar voice over introduction by her husband jay z there was the megawatt smile and the cocky stroll
after a quick detour past a disruptive fun house mirror beyonce had set everything right again
that transition was a microcosm of this whole concert   the opening night of her 41 date formation world tour   which began at something like a funeral and ended very surely at baptism an arc that was already familiar from lemonade the rather staggering tale of disappointment and perseverance that beyonce had released just days earlier as a stunning hourlong hbo special and a straightforward album
on lemonade   and perhaps in real life though no ones telling   beyonce is a love racked naif newly woken to the failed state that is her marriage the first half of the album is pure vengeance beyonce has always been a fanatic about technique and structure and sheen but on the record for the first time shes a zealot about vulnerability
she performed many of the best songs from the album here sorry during which her backup dancers extended two indignant middle fingers dont hurt yourself during which she was backed onscreen by unforgiving flames daddy lessons where she sang about her pain as a sort of cross generational inheritance
even more vividly this show refracted her old catalog through the prism of lemonade and its revelations take the anxiety of me myself and i from her solo debut album dangerously in love released in 2003 the year after she and jay z began dating or the grown folks problems captured on mine from her self titled 2013 album suddenly an alternate history of beyonce is available one that de emphasizes her exceptional voice and ruthless perfectionism and underscores her persistent unease with love
the stages centerpiece was a giant rotating tower that served as a jumbo screen simulcasting the action to the cheap seats a video interlude delivery device midshow the large screen went purple as the sound system blared princes purple rain and an interactive movement partner splitting in the middle to reveal dancers suspended in air
at either side of the stage were smallish pens that held several dozen of beyonces loudest fans from time to time she would give one of them a long glance share a laugh or offer the microphone for a shared song
but for someone who excels at spectacle and who conducts and executes grand scale group activity with military precision beyonce made the striking decision to spend large parts of this show alone unvarnished under the night sky
in these poignant moments she seemed not particularly preoccupied with the pyrotechnics that ordinarily are used to fill stadiums though later there were actual fireworks clearly she felt that a meditative approach to her anguish was sufficient and indeed in the shadow of such an overpowering emotional manifesto some of her breezier material felt misplaced here as did bits and pieces of songs that werent hers   a quick dance routine to o t genasiss cut it a needless bit of eurythmicss sweet dreams are made of this pasted into her own sweet dreams
this was mild clutter though especially for a pop star who is a fiery dancer and can keep up with her backing troupe at peak speed and complexity several times they all strutted down a long catwalk that led to a platform in the middle of the field holding court and striking poses along the way
at the end of the show that platform was covered in water and beyonce and her dancers stomped and kicked and splashed in a deeply visceral display of earthy power as on lemonade the shows final act served as a resolution and salve   fury giving way to release
that stretch of songs was the nights most provocative the new freedom with its screaming guitars the martial survivor newly relevant the twitchy love song end of time and the temperate ballad halo which she dedicated to my beautiful husband adding i love you so much
it felt warm but incomplete lacking the earned resolution she achieved on lemonade thanks to conciliatory songs like sandcastles and forward neither of which she performed here
lemonade was first made available on tidal jay zs streaming service and if youre inclined to believe the sort of people who give anonymous quotes to entertainment reporters then theres this from e news he knew the lyrics he knew the implications he had to approve the songs before release
which is to say that the act of enjoying this phase of beyonces career demands a tacit forgiveness of her husband and apparent antagonist before the nights final segment the screen showed videos of her jay z and blue ivy their daughter in scenes meant to reaffirm the certitude of their familial bliss some people did boo though when jay z appeared onscreen
when beyonce shifts moods on lemonade away from indignation and toward healing jay z shifts from a shadowy figure to a near collaborator even though his voice is nowhere to be heard though this show followed a similar path jay z remained an abstraction throughout   this wasnt his stage even if he was nearby watching
during flawless remix beyonce sat at the edge of the stage surrounded by her dancers and sang about the 2014 episode in which her sister solange assaulted jay z in an elevator the event that was the first high profile public rupture in the outwardly perfect beyonce jay z union
after that line though beyonce laughed said goddamn goddamn goddamn then segued into feeling myself a giggly song about how no one is better suited to loving you than yourself


abbott agreed on thursday to acquire st jude medical for 25 billion bringing together two manufacturers of devices for cardiovascular disease
in combining the two abbott and st jude medical will capture a larger position across the market for cardiovascular devices the two midwestern companies said in a news release they expect sales in that market to be about 87 billion if the transaction is completed
the deal shows abbotts appetite for acquisitions after agreeing to acquire alere about three months ago for 58 billion since then the transaction has gotten somewhat messy with alere delaying its annual filing and announcing a department of justice investigation for operations in foreign markets when asked on the earnings call last week whether abbott was committed to completing the deal miles d white abbotts chairman and chief executive declined to comment
as was the case with alere abbott is offering a premium for st jude medical under the agreement st jude medical shareholders will get 4675 in cash and 08708 shares of abbott amounting to about 85 a share that represents a 37 percent gain from st jude medicals closing stock price on wednesday in the alere deal the premium was more than 50 percent
abbott said it had received a commitment letter from bank of america merrill lynch to finance the full cash portion of both transactions abbott also announced that it would issue about 3 billion of common stock to adjust its capital structure
st judes acquisition is expected to be accretive to abbotts adjusted earnings per share in the first year after the deal closes which should be during the fourth quarter the statement said the companies are expecting about 21 cents of accretion in 2017 and 29 cents in 2018
the combination would allow the two companies to cut about 500 million in costs both on the sales and operational sides abbott also plans to assume or refinance st jude medicals 57 billion in net debt
the transaction is subject to the approval of st jude medical shareholders and regulators
evercore advised abbott as did bank of america in addition to providing financing guggenheim securities served as the financial adviser to st jude medical wachtell lipton rosen  katz provided legal counsel to abbott and gibson dunn  crutcher worked with st jude medical


the nations gross domestic product advanced at a mere 05 percent annual growth rate during the first quarter after a mediocre increase for the final quarter of 2015 the commerce department reported on thursday suggesting that the economy is stalled
but the job market according to labor department figures released in recent months appears to be at its healthiest point since the boom of the late 1990s
which picture is right
on one side of the equation hiring and wages   of particular importance to the 95 percent of the labor force that already has a job   are moving firmly in the right direction on the other the economys expansion continues to be lackluster the pace of growth in the first quarter was the slowest in two years
both yardsticks contain a measure of truth and the explanation is the apparent lack of improvement in productivity   the output of individual workers   despite dazzling advances in silicon valley americas technological frontier and a continuing economic recovery that is nearing its seventh anniversary
for now at least many businesses are finding it more advantageous to hire more workers than to invest in new technology or equipment to increase output and meet growing demand
in the short term this could be seen as a positive especially with millions of americans just now coming back into the job market after being sidelined during and after the great recession
but in the long term this phenomenon threatens to undermine the nations prosperity said michael gapen chief united states economist at barclays
economists view productivity growth and technological change as driving improvements in standards of living over time mr gapen said a permanent slowdown in productivity growth would suggest that living standards rise more slowly
he noted that productivity had been increasing at an annual rate of about half a percentage point over the last five years that is well below the internet driven 25 percent gains recorded annually in the second half of the 1990s and below the more typical 15 percent rate of productivity gains in previous decades
we can tell stories about why its so weak but nobody really knows mr gapen said i think productivity growth can rebound but the fear is that it wont
whatever the answer its clear that businesses have grown much more wary of new investments recently and the clearest evidence of that has emerged in the last two quarters
much of the recent downturn in business spending is a result of much lower prices for oil metals and other commodities and fears of a slowdown in china and elsewhere around the world that are putting a crimp on investment opportunities
it doesnt look like theres any danger of recession but the global economy and commodities are weak said kevin logan chief united states economist at hsbc the global commodity shock has affected growth in the us in a way that was unexpected especially in terms of the energy industry
still mr logan said the consumer is fundamentally sound as is the housing market
he added things are ok domestically with growth in sectors like leisure health care and technology and spending is moving along steadily
in a separate report on thursday the labor department said initial claims for unemployment benefits last week rose by 9000 to 257000 despite the increase the number was slightly smaller than expected and new jobless claims remained very close to lows last seen in the early 1970s
the first quarter results reinforced what has become something of an annual economic rite in recent years   a weak first quarter followed by optimistic predictions that a rebound is just around the corner the gross domestic product report on thursday is the first of three estimates subsequent revisions could move the number significantly higher or lower
in 2015 the economy barely grew early on recovered its footing in the spring and summer but finished the year with a mediocre growth rate of 14 percent in the fourth quarter
the optimists may be right that growth will pick up for the rest of 2016 as it did last year but the trajectory of the economic recovery remains frustratingly uneven and over all the growth in the united states has been lackluster ever since the nation pulled out of recession in 2009
after a shaky start to this year the stock market has rebounded and energy prices have stabilized providing some comfort to the oil industry which has undergone big cuts in hiring and investment in texas oklahoma and other oil patch areas
recession fears which dominated the headlines and fixated traders on wall street three months ago have largely faded volatility in europe and asian markets has also eased
in the united states after years of stagnation wages are perking up
new research released earlier this month by adp which compiles payroll data from hundreds of thousands of corporate clients showed wages rising at an annual rate of 46 percent last quarter for full time employees who have been working for at least one year in the last quarter of 2015 wages for this group rose 41 percent
while adps figures show a bigger increase than similar government metrics for the entire working population the basic message from the data is the same as labor markets tighten american workers are finally getting a raise
we have good momentum in terms of the job market said ahu yildirmaz adps head of research
on wednesday federal reserve policy makers put off any move to raise interest rates in part because of the persistent weakness in growth but in a statement after the meeting they acknowledged crosscurrents in the economy
labor market conditions have improved further even as growth in economic activity appears to have slowed the fed concluded adding that household income consumer sentiment and the housing sector all looked reasonably healthy
despite the overall improvement there is plenty of pain in some corners of the economy
factories shed nearly 50000 jobs in february and march wiping out all of the gains recorded last year the proportion of americans in the active labor force remains depressed by historical standards and more than six million workers say they are in part time positions because they cannot find full time work
but for the winners in the american economy be they individuals or companies there is a lot less to complain about these days
since we launched four years ago our business has been growing like a rocket ship said bayard winthrop chief executive of american giant which makes sweatshirts t shirts and other types of activewear at mills in north carolina
american giant is focused on casual comfortable clothes and eschews stores in favor of direct sales through its website made in usa really appeals to people mr winthrop said
his company has more than 300 employees and we are hiring sewers as fast as we can mr winthrop said growth has not been our problem


beirut lebanon   syrias divided city of aleppo plunged back into the kind of all out war not seen in months on thursday witnesses and health workers said as they reeled from government airstrikes that demolished a hospital in the insurgent held side and from retaliatory mortar assaults by rebels on the government held side
at least 27 people including three children and six staff members were reported killed in the strike on the hospital which turned it into a smoking pile of rubble on wednesday night and 20 were reported killed in airstrikes on thursday at least 14 people mostly civilians were killed in the mortar attacks on government controlled areas said officials at a hospital where casualties were streaming in throughout the day on thursday
the deadly destruction in aleppo punctuated a drastic escalation in fighting over the past week that has shattered a partial truce in a war that has consumed syria for more than five years
the escalation also threatened to derail renewed attempts at peace talks in geneva by the united nations and could disrupt or stop humanitarian aid to besieged parts of the country affecting millions of people relief officials said
i could not in any way express how high the stakes are for the next hours and days jan egeland the united nations special adviser on syria aid said on thursday in geneva as the scope of the destruction in aleppo became clearer
once syrias commercial center aleppo has been an intermittent combat zone for much of the war split into insurgent and government halves it had enjoyed somewhat of a respite because of the partial cease fire   until now
the scream of jet fighters and thud of shelling could be heard everywhere from wednesday night into thursday residents and aid workers said panic and anguish were visible on both sides of the city
there was no indication that the syrian government forces of president bashar al assad and their russian allies were any closer to retaking the entire city but it had become apparent in recent days that the truce was unraveling in the surrounding area with more airstrikes by the government and increased shelling by rebels
about 200 people most of them civilians have been killed according to tallies by local news media and activists on both sides
the location of al quds hospital the destroyed facility on the rebel side of the city was well known and the hospital was assisted by the international charity doctors without borders this devastating attack has destroyed a vital hospital in aleppo and the main referral center for pediatric care in the area the head of the charitys syria mission muskilda zancada said in a statement where is the outrage among those with the power and obligation to stop this carnage
russias military denied it was responsible
two hospitals in the town of maarat al noaman to the east including one working with doctors without borders were hit on the same day earlier this year each by multiple strikes groups such as physicians for human rights have tracked what they call a pattern of deliberate targeting of health services by government forces
witnesses contended that the same appeared to be true in the strike on al quds hospital in the neighborhood of sukkari
those were multiple airstrikes targeting the same area with less than two minute gaps adnan hadad an opposition journalist said shortly after returning from the scene
the international committee of the red cross called on all parties to stop indiscriminate attacks and to avoid harming civilians or aleppo would face what it called a new humanitarian disaster
wherever you are you hear explosions of mortars shelling and planes flying over said valter gros who heads the red crosss aleppo office everyone here fears for their lives and nobody knows what is coming next
by thursday afternoon outlets on both sides were reporting deadly new government airstrikes on the rebel held neighborhoods of bustan al qasr and kalaseh
videos showed concrete apartment blocks with their facades sheared off in bustan al qasr where three children were reported killed one man carried away a boy with the top of his head missing as another man embraced a 12 year old girl found alive videos from the government held side showed a street scene of damaged buildings and a motionless boy in an ambulance
by nightfall there was no sign that the attacks had stopped mr hadad on the rebel held side reported one of the new strikes had hit a bakery and on the government held side shelling and gunfire could be heard in the distance
in government territory casualties from rebel shelling streamed into al razi hospital as the wail of ambulance sirens mixed with the thud of explosions in the city streets most of the wounded were civilians including at least three children who were killed but some were members of the military
a wounded soldier writhed on the ground kicking and yelling as a commander comforted him a man walked down a corridor carrying his limping son we will kill them today he shouted to a reporter
hassan anees the hospitals executive director said violence had been rising steadily through the week
mr anees said the rebels appeared to have started using more powerful munitions since the cease fire crumbled in the city over a week ago first it was mortars then it was gas canister bombs and now it is missiles he said
as he spoke the rattle of gunfire drifted through his office window a reminder that the nearest front line was about half a mile from the hospital
on the insurgent held side much of the quds hospital building had collapsed and in videos and photographs after the attack bodies could be seen pinned under rubble and what looked like the metal frames of beds
a man rushed from the scene carrying the limp body of a small girl in pink clothing her skin gray with the dust of pulverized concrete another girl in pink her eyes glassy with tears clung to the shoulder of a man in a red tank top who howled in grief those are my family i lost my family
the hospital was hit when it was already full of victims from government shelling hadi abdullah an opposition journalist reported in a video from the scene in which a medical worker said that three of his colleagues had been killed
one of them was mohammad wassim moaz known by his nickname abu abdulrahman the only pediatrician in the area a dentist ahmad abulyaman was also killed
im crying louay barakat a journalist and photographer said by phone after visiting the scene my babys doctor died about 11 nurses and hospital staff died most of them are my friends
the hospital was the main referral center for pediatrics with eight doctors 28 nurses an emergency room intensive care unit and operating room all now destroyed
in another area a small boy was captured on video crying over the body of his brother calling him the love of my father
stroking his body he said i wish it was me not you


york pa   senator patrick j toomey republican of pennsylvania has never met charles kress but he desperately needs him
mr kress 62 will vote for a democrat this november for the white house he said no matter what he is also planning to vote for mr toomeys re election sometimes you have to keep in office the ones who make the deals mr kress said as he watered the flowers in front of yorks unitarian church
republican senators like mr toomey who are running in swing states   about six and enough to tip the balance of power in the senate   need voters who would reject donald j trump to nonetheless pull the levers for the partys other candidates in november in some districts house republicans will need them too
mr trumps convincing sweep of the primaries in connecticut delaware maryland pennsylvania and rhode island on tuesday did little to assuage concerns about his standing with swing voters in november his victory speech included a bracing broadside against hillary clintons playing the woman card and he continues to trail his opponents senator ted cruz of texas and gov john kasich of ohio among republican women
but ticket splitting voters in federal races have become increasingly rare over the last two decades hitting a low in 2012 when only 10 percent of them divided their votes between parties that was down sharply from 1972 the ranks of straight ticket voters have expanded along with the rise in partisanship and its attendant rancor in congress
there is no doubt that over all the era of polarization and hyper partisanship above and beyond idiosyncratic factors   that has to lead to a drop in ticket splitting said richard born a professor of political science at vassar college and an expert on congressional elections
democrats and republicans alike as part of the polarization phenomenon are more consistently liberal or conservative across issues mr born said as are the candidates themselves meaning less likelihood of ticket splitting
even in pennsylvania a state that has elected a senator from a different party than the presidential candidate it chose seven times since world war ii ticket splitting has decreased drastically in recent elections
that is probably toomeys worst problem said g terry madonna the director of the center for politics and public affairs at franklin and marshall college it is also a problem for the republican senators kelly ayotte of new hampshire ron johnson of wisconsin mark s kirk of illinois and rob portman of ohio
republicans in washington are increasingly worried for them senator mitch mcconnell of kentucky the majority leader and other republicans are openly urging elected officials in their party to focus largely on local issues and their role in bipartisan legislation and to refrain from tying themselves to the top of the ticket should the nominee be mr trump
i think we have to go out and make a case said representative scott perry a republican who represents the york area people dont split their tickets because they dont have a choice its because they do i think those people are going to need to be convinced
while a polarizing presidential candidate is considered very difficult for republican senators to overcome in swing states there may be a silver lining for them
some republican donors are quietly plotting to dismiss mr trump and instead pour their money into senate races where they believe republicans can be saved as a check and balance to a democrat sitting in the white house for the next four years
the prospect of trump at the top of the ticket could create an exodus of donors away from the presidential and toward senate and house races said kevin madden a republican strategist the potential is there for a concentration of effort and resources geared toward senate races that chuck schumer and his senate democrats may not have been counting on
mr schumer a new yorker who is poised to become the next leader of the senate democrats says good luck with that if there was ever a national election this is it he said they can run from their nominee but they cant hide
ticket splitting over the last five decades has occurred most often among moderate democrats who have supported a republican for president but voted for democrats for congress some voters have viewed this as a recipe for compromise and balance while others have been repelled by the democratic candidates running for the top job
the three strongest years of ticket splitting between presidential and house voting in the last five decades according to american national election studies survey data were 1972 when 30 percent of voters did it 1980 28 percent and 1984 26 percent similar studies show the same trend for senate races
in all three of those elections a republican won the white house by a landslide at a time when registered democrats significantly outnumbered republicans in the overall population and when considerably more incumbent house members were democrats
the 1928 election provides a history lesson in what can happen when a candidate rather than the political mood drives ticket splitting that year al smith the governor of new york became the democratic nominee it was not extreme rhetoric like mr trump engages in which has repelled some republicans that held mr smith back with voters mr smith was a roman catholic opposed prohibition and was a symbol of modern urbanism and that combination drove off rural and moderate southern democrats who outnumbered republicans significantly contributing to his loss to the republican herbert hoover
while republicans made a net gain of eight seats in the senate that year demonstrating that ticket splitting does not help all senators attached to the party of a wildly unpopular candidate many democrats still voted along party lines for the house and senate
in 1996 when it was clear that bill clinton would trounce bob dole republicans encouraged voters to stick with their party in the down ballot and newt gingrich then speaker of the house cautioned his members to distance themselves from mr dole mr gingrich came up with a parallel house agenda much as speaker paul d ryan is now doing and he told members to run on it it saved the house and the senate for them said mr born the vassar professor trying to localize the campaigns paid off
but republican ticket splitters may make an alternative choice that is equally damaging to mr toomeys prospects
i might just skip the whole thing said kristi peyton 46 a toomey fan who offered her views of mr trump   disaster bully and unattractive   over crabs at captain bobs in railroad a small town near york
where republicans can really get hurt is not so much that people vote democrat for congress but that they dont show up at all mr born said this is where the republicans are scared to death


viacom isnt out of the woods yet
viacom the media group that includes the mtv comedy central and nickelodeon cable television networks and the paramount pictures film and television studio reported a 3 percent drop in revenue during the latest fiscal quarter dragged down by continued declines in both its television and film businesses
adjusted profit declined 35 percent to 303 million for the three months that ended on march 31 the companys second fiscal quarter compared with the same period last year viacom reported on thursday the results were adjusted to account for a 784 million charge the company took during the same period last year for underperforming programming and job cuts
most concerning analysts said was the companys slowdown in domestic advertising sales during the quarter despite past promises from executives for improvement in that area the deceleration was particularly stark given that there was an improved advertising market across the rest of the tv industry
there are a lot of moving pieces in that company right now said michael nathanson a media analyst with moffettnathanson research everyone is just waiting to get to a place where we can start looking at things on a more normalized basis if there is ever a time
the earnings provide a glimpse into the state of the media business during a rocky period for the company viacom has faced questions about its management in recent months after struggling with persistent ratings declines weak advertising sales and a lackluster film slate   reporting quarter after quarter of weak earnings
we are responding to industry consumption shifts with innovative thoughtful and long term strategic solutions and are generating meaningful results in many important areas including content creation data based audience measurement and distribution innovation philippe p dauman viacoms chief executive said in a statement
there is much more work to be done but we see the path to growth ahead and are very optimistic about our future he said
at the same time a legal battle is underway in los angeles over the mental capacity of sumner m redstone who controls about 80 percent of the voting stock in viacom and cbs while the lawsuit brought by a former companion of mr redstone concerns his personal life it could have implications for the future of the two companies a trial is scheduled for may 6
viacoms share price has plunged nearly 40 percent in the last year since the start of 2016 though viacom stock is up about 4 percent that is in large part because of the multiyear agreement viacom signed with the satellite provider dish network last week to continue to carry viacoms bundle of television networks
as part of the deal dish will include some viacom programming in its sling tv streaming services which offer a slimmer bundle of networks starting at 20 a month mr dauman said during a conference call on thursday that viacoms childrens television network nickelodeon would not be included on the sling service
during the most recent quarter total revenue was 3 billion
sales in viacoms media networks segment which includes its tv networks declined 3 percent to about 24 billion because of declines in both advertising and affiliate sales
domestic advertising sales declined 5 percent with ratings declines at some networks offsetting price increases the results represent a sequential decline from the previous quarter when domestic advertising sales declined 4 percent mr dauman has said that the company expected continued improvement in that area this year
domestic affiliate sales declined 2 percent which the company attributed to a modest decline in subscribers as well as a rate adjustment with a major distributor
filmed entertainment revenue dipped 1 percent to 655 million in the quarter mr dauman called the results disappointing
films released during the quarter included whiskey tango foxtrot zoolander 2 and 10 cloverfield lane
mr dauman has said that paramounts output would increase to a 15 film slate in the current fiscal year he said the company was looking forward to the release of teenage mutant ninja turtles out of the shadows and star trek beyond this summer
viacom is in the midst of shopping a minority stake in paramount mr dauman said that the company continues to expect to enter into an agreement by the end of june


denver   for years voters in this swing state have rejected tax increases and efforts to expand government but now they are flirting with a radical transformation whether to abandon president obamas health care policy and instead create a new taxpayer financed public health system that guarantees coverage for everyone
the estimated 38 billion a year proposal which will go before colorado voters in november will test whether people have an appetite for a new system that goes further than the affordable care act that question is also in play in the democratic presidential primaries
the state level effort which supporters here call the coloradocare plan would do away with deductibles it would allow patients to choose doctors and specialists without distinguishing between those in network and those out of network it would largely be paid for with a tax increase on workers and businesses and cover everyone in the state supporters say most people would end up saving money
insurance groups chambers of commerce and conservatives have already lined up in opposition they say the plans details are vague its size and cost galling the proposed health system would have a budget bigger than that of colorados entire state government a new 10 percent tax on payroll and incomes to pay for the system would push colorados tax rates to some of the highest in the nation
the proposals chance of success is dubious colorado has a mixed record when it comes to ballot measures though it has passed some notable ones over the years including marijuana legalization and the taxpayer bill of rights an anti tax anti spending constitutional amendment
but the proposal had enough support to garner 100000 signatures which put it on the ballot it has also worried insurers and some in the medical community and the business community enough for them to organize in opposition even enlisting a democratic former governor to help in their campaign
in this season of political discontent the notion of dismantling the health insurance system has tapped an aquifer of frustration from voters people say that even after the affordable care act they still pay too much in premiums plus thousands in deductibles and still have to worry about being bankrupted by a disabling car crash or an extended hospital stay
i think insurance is one of the biggest jokes and crooks said brandon barta 38 of denver he said his father dixon who worked at a gas station never received aggressive enough treatment for his prostate cancer he died last may at the age of 64
he was overlooked mr barta said
mr barta said he was intrigued by the idea of a universal health plan that covered maternity care checkups emergency room visits and hospital stays all the way through end of life care like millions of americans he has health insurance tied to his work his coverage lapsed recently when he switched jobs to start working for a golf entertainment complex and he is still waiting for his new plan to kick in
still he has questions about how universal coverage would work and how much it would cost taxpayers like him
the answers if a majority of voters say yes the system would start running in 2019 and essentially be a start up health cooperative bigger than companies like nike and american express according to the colorado health institute an independent policy group a 21 person elected board would set the benefits and budgets the system would be financed by payroll taxes of 33 percent for workers and 67 percent for employers it would impose a 10 percent tax on investment income people who are self employed and some small business income
in the contest for the democratic presidential nomination hillary clinton echoing many moderate democratic leaders here has said that she wants to keep and improve the affordable care act mr obamas signature legislative legacy but her opponent senator bernie sanders who won colorados democratic caucuses last month by nearly 20 points has advocated abandoning the health law for a medicare for all approach his proposal is similar to the coloradocare plan
the campaign over the colorado initiative has had the unusual effect of putting conservative critics in the position of defending mr obamas health plan against an assault from the left at the same time it is energizing progressives who say the affordable care act was a giveaway to the insurance industry that even with an estimated 20 million people newly insured has left too many others without coverage
no matter how long we hang in there with the affordable care act we will never cover everybody said jeanne nicholson a former democratic state senator and nurse who is a leading supporter of universal care here we dont understand why we should compromise and say some people can have bronze coverage some can have silver and some can have gold why cant we all have platinum plus
nathan wilkes 42 who lives in the denver suburbs said that years of trying to get care for his son who has hemophilia had worn his family thin and made him an advocate for universal coverage he said the family had spent thousands of dollars and destroyed its credit because of insufficient coverage the affordable care act offered some benefits he said but its gaps were still too big and not sustainable
unlike its conservative neighbors colorado jumped to get on board with the affordable care act it set up its own insurance marketplace and expanded medicaid coverage for poorer residents but there have been stumbles people in mountain towns with few providers faced eye popping premiums for coverage colorados biggest health cooperative colorado healthop shut down in october forcing more than 80000 people to find new plans
colorados plan would replace many private workplace plans but it would sit alongside medicare and federal health coverage for veterans and private insurers could still sell coverage to people who wanted more
the colorado health institute an independent policy group said the plans passage would be the most far reaching health care reform in any state since the affordable care act
its replacing a system that i think has become really dysfunctional said irene aguilar a democratic state senator and physician who is leading the effort the game has been rigged by the for profit corporations to ensure they win
opponents say that it could wreck the states humming economy and drive away doctors and businesses and that its costs could spiral out of control
if it passes coloradocare would become part of the state constitution and become virtually impossible to significantly alter without a statewide vote it would also fall outside the reach of the taxpayer bill of rights a 1992 amendment to the colorado constitution that put strict limits on spending and new taxes
it would be a disastrous economic impact on the state said walker stapleton colorados treasurer and a co chairman of the opposition campaign if you think legalized pot brought a lot of people to colorado you should try free health care
like many other republicans here mr stapleton opposed the affordable care act and continues to criticize how it has been put in place but to defeat the new initiative he now finds himself defending the federal health law
sean duffy a republican and a spokesman for the opposition campaign said many of his neighbors in the conservative denver suburb of highlands ranch had eagerly signed the petition to put the question on the november ballot because they saw it as a way to get rid of obamacare
some democratic officials also oppose the states universal care effort they include gov john hickenlooper who said during his 2014 re election fight that he was no big fan of the affordable care act
colorados previous democratic governor bill ritter also opposes it
michelle lucero general counsel at childrens hospital colorado is among the health care officials lining up against the measure the hospital itself also opposes it she worries that it could threaten research dollars or drive away doctors
theyre going to choose to go to a state thats not hamstrung by this she said


in what is being called the largest lion airlift ever 33 circus lions   together weighing more than 10000 pounds   will begin the long trip from south america to south africa on friday
the journey is being coordinated by animal defenders international an animal rights group which negotiated their release and is raising money to pay for their flight they will be taken to johannesburg from lima peru before reaching their final destination the emoya big cat sanctuary in limpopo south africa
these lions have endured hell on earth and now they are heading home to paradise jan creamer the president of the rights group said in a statement this is the world for which nature intended these animals for
twenty four of the lions are from peru they were rescued in raids on local circuses mostly over the past two years by the animal rights organization the other nine from colombia were surrendered by a circus there in 2014
one of the lions in peru   smith   gained a measure of notoriety while in captivity for attacking a teacher in 2014 he was handed over to the organization soon afterward
colombias congress passed a bill prohibiting circuses from using wild animals in 2013 but allowed a two year reprieve before enforcing the law peru banned circuses from including wild animals in performances in 2011
the lions   22 males and 11 females   will be taken on pallets and most will be kept in a single cage in a cargo jet according to christina scaringe animal defenders internationals general counsel they will be organized by family groups and will be placed so they face others with whom they get along to ensure that they stay calm for the trip
the lions will be taken care of during the trip by a team from animal defenders international which will provide them water and meat
ms scaringe said the flight would take 14 to 15 hours with a brief stop in brazil to refuel the plane and change flight crews
as of wednesday afternoon a significant portion of the 362500 flight costs remained to be raised but the organization planned to carry out the operation no matter what ms scaringe said that amount includes the loading and transport costs and fees
colleen kinzley the director of animal care conservation and research at the oakland zoo which donated over 10000 to the effort described the plight of lions that are used for entertainment
often what it takes to manage these animals in a way that allows people to share space with them is that theyre physically abused disciplined with whips bars and prods she said and i know that in the case of these animals many of them have had their claws and teeth removed in order for people to be able to work around them without being killed or maimed
the lions will not be released into the wild once they land because many have suffered injuries that would prevent them from hunting
its not a good idea to place captive lions from another continent into a wild population because you might introduce disease ms scaringe said besides they were born in captivity and most of the studies show that predators like these cant be reintroduced to the wild
animal defenders international flew 25 lions to sanctuary in the united states in 2011 ms scaringe said that she knew of no other rescue that had flown 33 lions in one plane
in february the united states fish and wildlife service approved the transfer of 18 african elephants from swaziland to zoos in texas kansas and omaha saying the animals were threatened by habitat destruction and drought animal rights groups criticized that move saying the relocation had no conservation value


washington   it seemed like a chummy reunion between friends chris wallace the fox news anchor was chatting amiably in his studio here on sunday with paul j manafort donald j trumps new campaign chief reminiscing about ronald reagan as the seconds ticked down to airtime
then the cameras switched on mr wallaces tone sharpened as he pressed mr manafort about his lobbying work for a filipino dictator and his description of mr trump as playing a part one halting answer was dismissed with a sly wallace riposte forgive me it does seem a little bit like spin
by the time mr manafort removed his microphone tweets were swirling about his uneven performance mr wallace who compares interviews to cross examinations shot a glance at his producer success
as fox news grapples with how to cover mr trump   who has tested the networks influence and battled its anchors even as he stokes its ratings   mr wallace has stood out as foxs moderate occasionally contrarian voice irritating mr trump with tough questions and on occasion tweaking his opinionated colleagues too
when mr trump pledged in an interview to act more presidential mr wallace parried when are you going to start then there was the time he ticked off roger ailes foxs powerful chairman after chastising the hosts of the networks morning show fox and friends for their carping coverage of senator barack obama in 2008
they were very unhappy mr wallace recalled i had called them out on the air he added theres a phrase that we all talk about which is you do not fire inside the tent thats the ultimate transgression in roger ailess mind
over eggs and tea here on sunday mr wallace whose fox news sunday is experiencing its highest ratings since starting 20 years ago this week did not hesitate to take his industry and even his network to task saying that mr trump has been granted too much exposure on cable news
if we put donald trump on for a rally now and its going to spike our audience its pretty hard if youre a news executive to say no he said did everybody do it too much yes
mr wallace singled out cnn as a notable offender would he include fox in that group absolutely he replied
and asked if foxs right leaning commentators who often support the republican nominee in presidential years would rally around a trump candidacy mr wallace laughed thatll test it wont it he said i dont know itll be interesting to see
mr wallace 68 is a registered democrat   in order to vote in local washington elections he explains   and he spent decades as a correspondent on nbc and abc before joining fox in 2003 the move to fox prompted him to review what he calls his unexamined assumptions about traditional network news
if theres a story on same sex marriage its like this is a celebration of a new civil right mr wallace said im not saying i disagree with that what im saying is there are two sides to the story and i dont think generally speaking the broadcast networks will portray both sides evenly
wry and punchy on air mr wallace has long had a rebellious streak bill clinton accused him in an interview of having a little smirk on your face newt gingrich goaded a crowd into mocking him at a 2011 debate president obamas refusal to appear on his show prompted mr wallace to describe his administration as crybabies mr obama ended his drought this month in an interview that lured millions of viewers
in the fox studio in washington on sunday mr wallace could not resist making mischief after grilling debbie wasserman schultz the democratic national committee chairwoman mr wallace reassured her during a commercial break that the segment had gone fine
it was clear you think donald trump sucks mr wallace said earning a laugh from ms schultz
last summer mr trump lashed out at mr wallace for asking about his bankruptcies during the first republican debate the son is only a tiny fraction of mike believe me mr trump said afterward
that would be mr wallaces father mike wallace the famous correspondent whose legacy has been a complicated backdrop to his sons career for years the men were not close chris wallace still considers his stepfather bill leonard a former president of cbs news as more of a father than my father was mike wallace once stole an interview with the comedian chris rock away from his son the two did not speak for several months
chris wallace said there was a time when mr trumps remark might have bothered him adding it doesnt anymore
at some point i realized i was never going to be mike wallace but neither was anybody else he said
he and his father who died in 2012 bonded later in life mr wallace has also borrowed bits of his fathers interviewing style prefacing tough questions with a polite forgive me and occasionally placing a deferential arm across his chest
hes a dignified smart fairly quiet guy who came up under a legend mr ailes said in an interview hes now pretty much achieved what his old man did
so what does mr ailes make of mr wallaces contention that news networks including fox have over covered mr trump
did he get too much coverage yes mr ailes said after a pause on the other hand its not just cable news but all news
the broadcast networks are just as guilty mr ailes added noting that mr trump in addition to being the republican front runner has been more accessible to the news media than his opponents when you go try to drag another candidate to talk about another serious issue that day hes not available mr ailes said
andrew heyward a former president of cbs news praised mr wallace for his tough interviews and for refusing to allow mr trump to phone in to his sunday show an accommodation made by some other networks he noted that mr wallaces journalistic reputation provided another benefit to fox
part of the brilliance of ailes is he has a few people like that he can point to and say what do you mean we are the official spokesman of the republican party thats ridiculous mr heyward said
hes his own man mr heyward said of mr wallace and that works for roger too mr ailes said in response its amusing to me to hear that one person i picked has made this all work
over lunch mr wallace said that some of mr trumps behavior had taken politics to new depths and i think its sad
i understand the need to entertain but i think it would suit him and serve democracy if it was conducted on a higher plane he said
that hasnt stopped mr wallace from displaying a make america great again cap signed by mr trump among the mementos in his office also on display his fathers old rolodex
its a great hat he said urging a reporter to try it on his brow arched he said he likes to wear it while visiting one of his daughters a raving liberal in new york
why i knew it would really tick her off


seoul south korea   north korea failed to launch two intermediate range ballistic missiles on thursday the south korean defense ministry said adding to a string of unsuccessful weapons tests in the past two weeks
in the first attempted launch the powerful musudan missile crashed into the sea seconds after ignition hours after that attempt north korea fired another missile of the same type but that test also failed the ministry said
thursdays attempts bring the total failures in launching the musudan   one of the norths most powerful missiles deployed or under development   to three in the past two weeks according to south korean officials
the successive failures are a potential embarrassment for north koreas leader kim jong un just days before a rare congress of his ruling workers party the norths biggest political meeting in decades
outside analysts had expected a dramatic gesture like a musudan launch or possibly the countrys fifth nuclear test in an attempt to burnish mr kims image before the congress which begins on may 6 and is widely seen as a platform for the young leader to bolster his grip on power
on thursday president park geun hye of south korea said there were signs that another nuclear test by north korea might be imminent such a test would provoke more sanctions and leave the north with no future she warned
north korea first launched a musudan on april 15 a test that ended in what officials in seoul and washington called a spectacular failure as the projectile exploded shortly after liftoff
after that test the united nations security council issued a statement warning increased sanctions if the norths provocations continued north korea is banned by the security council from testing ballistic missiles
north korea flouted that warning on thursday by firing the two musudan missiles from sites near wonsan a port on north koreas east coast the south korean defense ministry said in a statement south korean and american officials are investigating the cause of the failure it said
the musudan missile has a range of 1860 to 2180 miles long enough to reach united states military bases in guam south korean military officials say the musudan a modified version of a submarine launched missile from the soviet military was designed to carry nuclear warheads but it remains unclear whether the north is capable of making nuclear weapons small and sophisticated enough to be mounted on such a missile
in march mr kim ordered his military to conduct more tests of ballistic missiles capable of delivering such warheads
north korea has tested many of its short range scud and medium range rodong missiles but not much is known about the musudan which was unveiled in 2010 during a military parade in pyongyang
north korea has repeatedly threatened nuclear strikes against the united states in recent months but it has never flight tested a long range missile officials and analysts in the region doubt it has built a reliable intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching the american mainland in recent weeks however pyongyang has claimed a series of successes in testing technologies needed to make an intercontinental ballistic missile


london   the european tourism company tui group said on thursday that it had agreed to sell hotelbeds group to the private equity firm cinven and the canada pension plan investment board for 119 billion euros or about 13 billion
hotelbeds tuis wholesale hotel room booking business was not considered part of its core business and had been operated separately it provides hotel bookings to travel agencies and tour operators in more than 120 countries
in the fiscal year ended sept 30 hotelbeds had revenue of EUR106 billion
this is a very successful transaction   a good deal for the future of hotelbeds and for tui group shareholders as well as our continued growth in our core tourism business friedrich joussen the tui chief executive said in a news release
tui said that it would use the proceeds from the sale for growth opportunities in its core business and to strengthen its balance sheet
tuis business includes tour operators travel agencies airlines hotels and cruise lines the company employs about 76000 people
the transaction is subject to regulatory approval and it is expected to be completed by the end of september
bank of america merrill lynch and deutsche bank and the law firm allen  overy advised tui on the transaction


london   the british bank barclays said on thursday that it had agreed to sell its barclaycard credit card business in portugal and spain to the spanish online bank bancopopular e
the sale is the latest in a series of exits by barclays from continental europe as the bank seeks to improve its prospects by accelerating the sale of businesses it does not consider core operations
barclays has agreed to sell its retail banking businesses in italy portugal and spain and it said on wednesday that it was in discussions with the private equity firm anacap financial partners about the potential sale of its retail operations in france
as part of a revamp under the new chief executive james e staley barclays is focusing its strategy around two divisions the british consumer bank and the corporate and investment bank
i am delighted by the speed with which we are continuing to reduce our noncore exposure and costs mr staley said in a news release on thursday our credit card operation in spain and portugal is a very good business with a highly talented and dedicated work force but no longer fits with our strategic ambitions
barclays said the business consists of about 1 billion pounds or about 146 billion in assets
the sale to bancopopular e which is owned by the investment firm varde partners and banco popular espanol is subject to regulatory approval and it is expected to be completed by the end of the year


beijing   china took a major step on thursday in president xi jinpings drive to impose greater control and limit western influences on chinese society as it passed a new law restricting the work of foreign organizations and their local partners mainly through police supervision
more than 7000 foreign nongovernment groups will be affected according to state news reports
foreign groups working across chinese civil society   on issues including the environment philanthropy and cultural exchanges and possibly even in education and business   will now have to find an official chinese sponsor and must register with the police this also applies to groups from taiwan hong kong and macau
those organizations that do not receive official approval will be forced to stop operating in the country many groups will probably curtail or eliminate programs deemed politically sensitive such as training lawyers in order to remain
groups that may have a hard time getting approval include those promoting workers rights ethnic equality and religious freedoms
the new law is the latest in a series of actions taken by mr xi against the kind of western influences and ideas that he and other leaders view as a threat to the survival of the communist party such as an independent judiciary and media
mr xi makes loud pronouncements about ideology and is expected to enact other sweeping security laws he has departed sharply from the direction of several of his predecessors who for decades guided china in seeking out foreign expertise to modernize society he did though send his own daughter to harvard
this latest move is also part of a wider global trend in which powerful nations including russia and india are cracking down on nongovernment organizations and consolidating power in the state
the prospect of the new law caused considerable anxiety among foreign and chinese nongovernment organizations here after an early draft began circulating last year
countries including the united states began campaigning for beijing to scrap or drastically change the proposed law universities also weighed in since vague wording in early drafts indicated that educational institutions could be affected business associations raised objections as well
on thursday afternoon the standing committee of the national peoples congress which puts an official stamp on the policies of the chinese communist party said the law had passed after a review of the third draft that began on monday it goes into effect jan 1 2017
the most draconian aspect of the earlier drafts remained despite widespread outcry from foreign groups and governments it requires that foreign nongovernment organizations register with the ministry of public security and allow the police to scrutinize all aspects of their operations including finances at any time
in china where the domestic security apparatus has enormous power the police could do that anyway but foreign groups fear that the police will monitor their activities with much greater vigor given this newly formalized authority the law states that any employee of such a group can be interrogated at any time
in addition such groups must find an official chinese partner organization the law does not define what kinds of chinese groups will be approved partners and it is unclear how that determination will be made and by whom foreign groups fear that chinese organizations will not want to take the risk
i think more important than the law itself will be its implementation and i think overseas ngos now need to turn their focus to how they can be involved in the implementation process which will be long and drawn out said shawn shieh a deputy director at the china labor bulletin in hong kong who closely tracks the work of nongovernment groups in china
the public security ministry will need to hire staff members and take other steps to enact the law he said and overseas ngos will need to communicate frequently with public security educate them and maybe even provide services such as workshops trainings and advice on how to manage ngos and their projects and activities in china
some officials in beijing have characterized foreign nongovernment groups as black hands working to undermine one party rule in the country those suspicions have grown under mr xi
officials have accused such groups of instigating the pro democracy umbrella movement in hong kong and protests in tibet as well as trying to quietly usher chinese society toward western ways via what mao zedong called a peaceful evolution
the foreign ngo management law is like many other xi era initiatives yet another tool to legalize human rights abuses said sophie richardson the china director at human rights watch
xinhua the state news agency said this week that the third draft of the law included a new phrase that broadly defined the groups affected by the law   groups such as foundations social groups or think tanks
the draft also said that academic and research groups and hospitals would be beholden to relevant provisions of national law
xinhua interpreted that to mean that those organizations might not fall under the new law since foreigners had expressed concern over the potential harm to academic programs
but jeremy l daum a senior researcher at the china center of yale law school noted on the china law translate blog that the language was vague and somewhat confusing
china has not had regulations allowing for the registration of foreign nongovernment organizations so almost all such groups have been operating here in a legal gray area
foreign legal experts say china should have a law that approves the work of such groups but from a civil society perspective they say it makes no sense for the ministry of public security rather than the civil affairs ministry to be the regulator
a few foreign nongovernment groups including the bill  melinda gates foundation do operate with official sanction in china now but they will still need to comply with the mandatory police registration
certain types of nongovernment organizations   like groups that work with chinese human rights activists or lawyers   will have little chance of finding an official partner or registering with the police
one example is the chinese urgent action working group which a chinese lawyer and a swedish resident of beijing founded seven years ago and registered as a business in hong kong
the group offered legal training and assistance programs supporting activist lawyers and grass roots lawsuits against officials in recent months the police dismantled the group by arresting members the swede peter dahlin was detained in january and forced to make a televised confession of so called crimes before being deported
beijing is already suspicious of foreign and chinese nongovernment organizations that receive funding from outside sources deemed politically suspect like the national endowment for democracy and the open society foundations both based in the united states groups that operate here with any financing from those sources will be even more vulnerable under the new law
the passage of the law also raises questions of whether more mainstream foreign nongovernment organizations will independently decide to cut certain programs like initiatives promoting government transparency or self censor to secure a chinese partner and register with the police
there has been a heated debate this month over whether the american bar association withdrew an offer to publish a proposed book by teng biao a chinese human rights lawyer to avoid any potential fallout from the chinese government
the bar association has a small office in beijing that runs a rule of law program although the headquarters said in a statement on monday that its employees in china had no say in the decision


wolfsburg germany   the chief executive of volkswagen said on thursday that he personally apologized to president obama this week for cheating on vehicle emissions tests speaking up for its work force as the german carmaker negotiates penalties with united states officials
volkswagen is in talks with american authorities about the fines it must pay for programming engines to cheat on emissions tests the company said on thursday that it had set aside 7 billion euros or 79 billion for legal costs worldwide even though in theory it faces fines of 18 billion in the united states alone plus compensation to owners
matthias muller the chief executive of volkswagen had what he described as a two minute conversation with mr obama during the presidents visit this week to hanover not far from volkswagen headquarters in wolfsburg the encounter took place on sunday at a dinner hosted by chancellor angela merkel for mr obama and representatives of german industry
i used the opportunity to personally apologize to him for our behavior mr muller said during a news conference in wolfsburg on thursday i thanked him for the constructive cooperation with his officials of course i also expressed the hope that i will be able to continue to fulfill my responsibility to 600000 employees and their families as well as suppliers and dealers
mr mullers mention of volkswagen workers and their families may have reflected concern that the punishment the company faces could harm those who had nothing to do with any wrongdoing lawyers in the case expect the environmental protection agency and the justice department to demand penalties that are painful for volkswagen but not so severe that they destroy the company
thousands of jobs in the united states depend on volkswagen the company has a factory in chattanooga tenn that is preparing to produce a new version of the tiguan compact suv as well as an extensive dealer network in the country
mr muller said on thursday that mr obama appeared receptive to his remarks the volkswagen chief said he felt encouraged about a solution that would ensure the company a future in the united states
the white house declined to comment on mr mullers account of the event
the german carmaker said last week that it had set aside EUR162 billion to cover costs related to its admission that it had programmed diesel vehicles to evade clean air regulations on thursday it said that within that figure was EUR7 billion for legal costs which includes proceedings in other countries like france or south korea
most of the rest of the EUR162 billion will be used to repair diesel vehicles that are polluting more than allowed or to buy back ones that cannot be fixed
the EUR7 billion figure disclosed on thursday indicates that the company is confident that its legal costs in the united states will be much lower than the maximum
volkswagen has admitted manipulating software in 11 million cars worldwide including about 600000 in the united states so that emissions equipment operated at full capacity only when the vehicles were being tested at other times the cars polluted much more than allowed
the EUR7 billion would also cover compensation to the owners of volkswagen vehicles who have filed class action lawsuits
on thursday volkswagen also provided details on the loss it reported last week the company said it had lost EUR15 billion worldwide during the year compared with a profit of EUR11 billion in 2014 volkswagen ag a subset of volkswagen group that includes core operations such as the volkswagen brand but that excludes the audi unit as well as some foreign holdings reported a loss of EUR55 billion
though audi has belonged to volkswagen since the 1960s it continues to have a small number of outside shareholders and holds its own annual meeting
volkswagen which owns brands including porsche and skoda as well as manufacturers of trucks and commercial vehicles sold 10 million vehicles in 2015 down from 102 million in 2014 sales rose 54 percent to EUR213 billion
company executives said they still saw the united states as a growth market for volkswagen despite the enormous damage to the carmakers image
we do see a lot of potential though of course not in the short term herbert diess the executive in charge of volkswagen brand cars said during the news conference we are starting from zero


hong kong   chinas national bureau of statistics quarterly reports on the countrys gross domestic product are viewed with such skepticism that even the countrys premier li keqiang developed an alternate way of gauging economic growth when he was a provincial official in january the director of the bureau wang baoan was felled in a corruption investigation
now a report released wednesday on the website of the communist partys anticorruption watchdog found that employees at the bureau were using their positions to make extra money on the side collecting service fees for providing statistics and conducting research
the communist party cadres in the bureau were caught up in moneymaking activities that amounted to 323 million renminbi or about 500000 the report said it did not give a period over which these fees were collected nor did it specify what statistics were being sold only stating that the people involved are being investigated
that figure may understate the extent of the moneymaking as chinas statistics agency has long taken an entrepreneurial approach to disseminating its information as early as 2001 foreign financial news agencies in beijing had to pay a company affiliated with the statistics bureau a fee to receive faxed copies of monthly figures like industrial production and retail sales
the lengthy report   it exceeded 14000 chinese characters   was steeped in the almost indecipherable language used by communist party officials and filled with paeans to the important guidance of xi jinping the countrys president and head of the communist party it also included an exhortation to study a work of chairman mao zedong called the working methods of party committees mao who died in 1976 was the first leader of the peoples republic of china
the investigation of the statistics bureau took place from late october to december last year and mr wang was removed from his post shortly thereafter party cadres in the bureau had to undergo criticism sessions   a tried and true method of enforcing discipline in the party   with the goal of making them red faced and sweating the report said
the report also found that 19 people in the bureau were improperly promoted and that some people misused government vehicles and office space


just past sunset on saturday a man standing atop an aircraft carrier along the brooklyn waterfront waved a long bamboo pole with a black garbage bag attached to it and hundreds of tiny lights shot up like sparks spat from a fire
as the man whooped and hollered and raked the trash bag flag like a giant windshield wiper the lights climbed into the darkening sky veering and banking making and unmaking chaotic patterns spreading and swirling until they filled half the heavens
the lights were attached to the legs of trained pigeons the man with the black flag was the artist duke riley impersonating a divebombing hawk as he prepared his winged charges for a mass performance piece called fly by night
for six weekends beginning on thursday at the brooklyn navy yard more than 2000 pigeons will put on an avian powered light show mr rileys valentine to the city its historic shoreline its oft maligned spirit animal and the vanishing world of rooftop pigeon fanciers
the birds have been staying in an 80 foot long complex of coops   waterfront luxury lofts mr riley calls them   that he and his helpers erected on the deck of the baylander a decommissioned vietnam era navy ship the coops rear windows look out onto wallabout bay where there used to be an artificial island called cob dock that housed the navys first messenger pigeon fleet
saturdays practice flight with a cast of only 700 birds   by turns vertiginous majestic and faintly terrifying   evoked a series of alternate universes
what if giant fireflies flew in clusters of hundreds what if constellations moved really fast what if fireworks could change direction at will
what if the lights of the new york skyline suddenly took to the air
mr riley a rugged looking 43 year old boston transplant has used pigeons to carry his message before for his 2013 piece trading with the enemy he dispatched a small flock from havana to key west half of the birds smuggled back cuban cigars attached like bomber payloads to their undersides while the other half were outfitted with cameras to document the crime
fly by night mr riley explained while sitting in the pilot house of the baylander with a white winged assistant named tofu perched on his shoulder is a different sort of adventure
mr rileys work has tended toward the cheekily transgressive before the cuban cigar caper there were the submarine that got too close to the queen mary 2 and the naval battle on the worlds fair grounds in queens that went up in literal flames and the speakeasy in his tattoo parlor in greenpoint brooklyn and the other speakeasy under the belt parkway mr rileys installations often involve the opportunity to drink
a lot of the projects i do he said are ones where i ask for forgiveness rather than permission
but there is nothing cheeky or as far as mr riley knows illegal about fly by night try this for sincerity
id been living in new york for about 20 years he said and i wanted to create this beautiful visual experience to share with people here in the way of my general appreciation that the city has given me so much
this prankster cringed at his own words i sound like a politician saying that but its true
the inspiration for fly by night came during the gestation of trading with the enemy when a friend gave mr riley an old military manual on training pigeons for night missions i put a light on one of the birds and it make me think about what it would be like to see more of them mr riley said it was almost like this shooting star going across the skyline of brooklyn
realizing his vision took more than a year and the help of creative time the nonprofit that mounts ambitious site specific works like kara walkers great sugar sphinx at the old domino factory in brooklyn and the twin beamed tribute in light presented annually at ground zero
creative time found the baylander and secured the site at the navy yard
mr riley spent about six months assembling the performers a task he found in some ways dishearteningly easy given its magnitude
probably close to two thirds of the birds here are in a sense rescues he said from people i knew in the pigeon community in new york who were forced to give up their birds development pressure landlord problems and pigeon unfriendly neighbors are squeezing out pigeon keepers all over the city one pigeon chronicler colin jerolmack estimates that fewer than 200 people now raise pigeons in the city down from thousands in the 1960s
a few of the birds in fly by night are veterans of trading with the enemy others are on loan from friends
the birds come in a dazzling array of breeds and colors and patterns   russian highfliers with distinguished silver heads damascenes white with black racing stripes brown collared acrobatic rollers red beaked new york flights ice pigeons with delicate black wing tracings
when the piece is finished mr riley said many of the birds will go to this guy gil who lost his pigeons in a fire a few weeks ago in bushwick
the next step was to build suitable quarters for his troops 13 coops varying in size and occupancy that nod at coop designs from the middle east europe and the united states while emerging harmoniously from the boxy gray structure of the ship
i was trying to make it look like various kinds of pigeon coop architecture mr riley said but i also wanted to make it look like all the birds walked into the recruiting station drunk and woke up with a hangover and a buzz cut
the lights three lumen leds were a headache unto themselves said katie hollander creative times executive director we had to be able to turn them on remotely   off the shelf led bulbs work manually   and then have the batteries last long enough for three performances
the led lights were designed by a team led by 10xbeta based at the navy yard a technician in china designed a special radio frequency identification pigeon light circuit and an american manufacturer made casings for the equipment that were snapped into standard bird bands by volunteers at the ship
all the birds have their light bands taken off twice a week so that they can bathe pigeons notwithstanding their reputations are fastidiously clean mr riley said we put a little kiddie pool on the roof
the cost of the entire project remains undisclosed that we try not to really talk too much about ms hollander said
the performances of fly by night are free but seats must be reserved online and theres a waiting list
the illuminated birds may be visible from other nearby vantage points like the williamsburg bridge or the farragut public housing complex in fort greene but not in any predictable way this was made apparent on saturday when one cluster of pigeons headed for downtown brooklyn
keep an eye on that piece mr riley called out from the baylander i want to make sure they come back here and dont end up going to somebody elses coop
the pigeons are trained only to return eventually to the ship not to fly specific patterns their choreography is entirely their own
after about half an hour mr riley laid down his flag the lights went on inside the coops and as the lilting dancehall reggae song pigeon rock by sister nancy played over loudspeakers the birds returned home though a few stragglers tarried forming points of light on nearby rooftops
soon there was a silhouette in every coop window and mr riley declared the practice a success the birds seemed to fly pretty well he said usually people want their birds to fly in tight bundles some guys dont like it when one bird will fly off by itself but i like that   some pigeons doing their own thing acting of their own free will


indianapolis   senator ted cruz looked out on the hardwood on the precipice of defeat claiming the mantle of an underdog squad from the fictional indiana town of hickory
there is nothing that hoosiers cannot do he told a crowd on tuesday packed into the faux high school gym where the movie hoosiers was filmed there was still time he suggested for a cinematic comeback
one night later donald j trump offered his rebuttal in the state where basketball is king an endorsement from bobby knight the former indiana university coach whose brash persona is matched only by his reputation as a consummate winner
mr trump who is loath to accept second billing at his own rallies made an exception to introduce mr knight then he offered a prediction if we win indiana mr trump told the thousands gathered at an arena on the state fairgrounds here its over its over
after a monthslong reckoning with mr trumps possible nomination most of the republican party seems to agree there is time left on the clock in the primary season but not much
the margin is not entirely prohibitive but close to it and in a fevered scramble to deny mr trump a majority of delegates before the republican convention in july mr cruz has let no page of the campaign playbook go to waste
he has tried teamwork setting off on a fragile alliance with gov john r kasich of ohio who agreed not to contest indiana if mr cruz steered clear of oregon and new mexico
he has recycled successful strategies from contests past deploying his father rafael cruz a pastor across the state as an envoy to religious conservatives and housing out of state volunteers at a camp cruz as the campaign did before victories in iowa and wisconsin
most audaciously the texas senator has elevated carly fiorina as his would be running mate a desperate heave intended to energize supporters and impress the undecided at a time when he continues to trail mr trump in the polls here
so how about carly he asked hundreds of supporters on thursday coyly coaxing cheers in the fort wayne convention hall where she had just introduced him
mr cruz acknowledged that some had questioned why he would choose a prospective vice president so early and despite a sizable delegate deficit
because shes awesome a fan shouted
hours later at a rally in south bend mr cruz spoke almost apocalyptically about the stakes of this primary
it is the common sense and good judgment of the hoosier state he said that is the one thing that stands between us and plunging over the cliff
if mr cruz is acting as though indiana may represent his last chance many here believe it is
randy head a republican state senator running for attorney general said that if mr cruz cannot deliver after the deal with mr kasich it may be too late to recover
indiana republicans have not enjoyed a crucial role or really any role in a presidential nominating contest in decades and their late primary has made them an afterthought in recent races
indiana is a critical state for the first time in my lifetime mr head said
but for all the attention   mr cruz naming his choice for running mate on wednesday afternoon mr trump bringing out mr knight in the evening   there is widespread uncertainty about how the race will play out
mr trump is also making an aggressive push to win the state he planned to appear at least one more time with mr knight this time in evansville the largest city in southern indiana and he is deploying additional staff members here his top aides told a small group of indiana republicans at the republican national committee meeting last week that mr trump already had 20 campaign workers on the ground in the state and planned to bring in 20 more
i am here for three days then coming back for three more mr trump said wednesday evening before staying overnight at a holiday inn express according to a message posted hours later on twitter im not playing games with indiana
unlike in wisconsin the last state where he and mr cruz made such an aggressive push republican leaders here have yet to rally around one of the candidates gov mike pence his predecessor mitch daniels and senator dan coats have all stayed out of the race some of indianas establishment aligned republicans drifted to mr kasich but his semi withdrawal from the state has even further complicated the situation for mainstream conservatives
i have no idea if ill vote for a presidential candidate now said jim merritt a state senator from the indianapolis area who had been inclined to back the ohio governor i am very disappointed
perhaps the most consequential question looming over the race now that mr kasich has pulled back is whether his voters will support mr cruz to stop mr trump it is especially pivotal in the indianapolis area the most voter rich and affluent part of the state if mr cruz can make a strong showing here it could offset mr trumps expected strength in the industrial areas of northern indiana and the more working class precincts of the states south
now the question is is it a 3 percent movement or an 8 percent movement curt smith an indiana social conservative leader and political veteran said of the possible shift in support from mr kasich to mr cruz
if the energy and size of mr cruzs crowds have not quite measured up to those in some earlier states there have been encouraging signs nonetheless
mr cruz recognizing what is on the line has taken to barnstorming the state iowa style stopping in both cities and smaller towns he is crisscrossing the state in a way ive rarely seen at any level said brandt hershman an indiana state senator and former congressional aide there are enough voters out there for cruz to win but time is short
hundreds filled a pavilion at the fairgrounds in franklin ind on monday night where two decades of grand champion steers and supreme champion heifers are honored with a tally on the wall
donald is very fond of telling us how big and tough and strong he is mr cruz told voters during a particularly spirited appearance at times shouting his stump speech come to indiana lets have a debate in indiana
mr cruz has spoken of carrier the air conditioning behemoth which announced plans this year to move its manufacturing operation from indianapolis to mexico and he has taken pains to tie mr trumps policy prescriptions to those of hillary clinton
on wednesday morning mr cruz strolled through a diner here taking a seat at patrons tables filming a congratulatory video for the graduating seniors of ball state university in muncie and grilling the residents on their breakfasts of choice
do you like coffee he asked 4 year old genevieve hess smiling beside her father no thats silly four year olds dont like coffee
at a campaign office here dozens of volunteers worked the phones around 3 pm on tuesday straining to reach a daily goal of 20000 calls   posted on the wall a short distance from at least four dont tread on me flags
matthew cronin a volunteer from durham nc invoked a latin saying from the roman republic   carthago delenda est carthage must be destroyed   to explain his motivations
why am i here he asked trumpo delenda est
megan kerr 17 a volunteer from fishers ind said that mr trumps nickname for mr cruz lyin ted seemed to be sticking with some voters she called
more recently though mr trump has added a taunt more narrowly tailored to his latest audience
during mr cruzs event in the hoosiers gym on tuesday he referred to the rim as a basketball ring earning a measure of local ridicule on wednesday night mr trump did not let him   or indianas hoops obsessed voters   forget it
last night he called the rim a ring mr trump said after mr knight took the stage in his signature hoosier red sweater so he doesnt know too much about basketball


the hatred that arrives rapid fire into their social media accounts is so personal and acidic that it could sear through even the thickest skin
messages from men who said they wanted them dead or raped or beaten by their boyfriends
so julie dicaro and sarah spain   these two friends and chicago based sports journalists who receive these notes on nearly a daily basis   decided to address it publicly they agreed to be featured in a video highlighting some of the meanest cruelest messages theyve received on twitter
in the video produced by just not sports and posted tuesday men sat across from dicaro a radio host and reporter for the cauldron and spain an espnw reporter and espn radio host these men were not the ones who had sent the tweets they were just friends of the producers asked to read selected ones sent to the women sight unseen and it was kind of like jimmy kimmels mean tweets comedy bit except the comedy part the tweets they had to read included you need to be hit in the head with a hockey puck and killed and hopefully this skank julie dicaro is bill cosbys next victim
when i watched the video which spread at light speed across the internet i wasnt shocked or even surprised female sportswriters get these notes in many forums twitter reddit facebook email
within our small sorority we female sports journalists dont talk about these written assaults much we all know that they exist and that theyll just keep coming as if its part of the job description
men get mean comments too but i think the context of it is quite different for women spain said its not just like youre an idiot and im mad at you for your opinion its i hate you because you are in a space that i dont want you in i come to sports to get away from women why dont you take your top off and just make me lunch 
it used to take at least a few days for disturbed readers to get their cruel points across   that slap in the face via snail mail
when i first became a sportswriter nearly two decades ago a reader sent me a letter with no return address on the envelope week after week on a single white sheet of paper the reader pasted a photo of me that ran with my newspaper column below that were comments about my face hairstyle and figure and how as a woman i should be cooking and having babies instead of invading mens territory to write about sports how i needed to quit my job and get out of town or else
creepy but i just filed the letters away kept my head down and moved on
i had heard the stories of the women who came before me and what they had to go through to cover sports journalists like lisa olson who had been with the boston herald in 1990 she said she had been harassed in the locker room while covering the new england patriots what followed her accusations was brutal death threats slashed tires naked blow up lisa dolls tossed around the stands at games her apartment was burglarized in the end she had to move to australia to get away from the abuse
so the notes i received from creepy readers didnt seem so bad at all this i thought was the deal for women in sports i had been an athlete you had to be tough to make it i could take it
men got mean notes too i was told but as far as i can tell none of the notes my male colleagues have ever received are laced with sexual connotations
im pretty sure that any man who wrote about the rape accusations against the former florida state quarterback jameis winston didnt receive reader emails saying he would be raped because of his opinion as i did he probably didnt get an email from a man who said he wanted to line him and other men like him against a wall so he could shoot them all in the head
emails like that arrived in my work inbox one morning it was christmas
cant i just ignore all of it thats not easy to do now that news organizations expect reporters to build a presence on social media and engage with readers especially on twitter in the sports community twitter is the social hub of choice for athletes fans and journalists   a giant water cooler in the cloud where people share opinions and ideas
it can be a great place to network it can also be a hostile place harassers can hide in anonymity and strike in a millisecond
dicaro a former family law and criminal lawyer said a man once sent her avalanches of troublesome messages on social media for hours a day as he stalked her another man after dicaro began writing about the rape accusations against chicago blackhawks forward patrick kane sent dicaro a series of tweets talking about her being killed and raped he said she would be in trouble the next time he was in chicago
dicaro said she never went to the police because she had been told there was nothing that law enforcement could do to stop the messages
you just cant get away from being harassed dicaro said back in the day there just wasnt as much volume of these messages as there is on twitter
dicaro said she recorded the video of the mean tweets with the hope that it would change some peoples minds about harassing others on social media she has two teenage sons and she wants them and the younger generation to know whats acceptable   and whats not
how does this abuse end dicaro said there needed to be more diversity in sports media she lamented that sports was still a mans world and would be at least for the near future leaving the few women in it as targets for some men who dont want them in their boys club
its sort of like separating a weak antelope from the pack she said i think guys recognize that
dicaro and spain say 90 percent of the response on twitter to their video has been positive but the remaining 10 percent the sad and sorry 10 percent didnt get the point
one person on twitter told spain please kill yourself i will provide the bleach
so much hate and for what


london   the british lender lloyds banking group said on thursday that its first quarter profit declined 44 percent from a year earlier as the redemption of bonds it issued during the financial crisis and other charges cut into its results
the bank which is 9 percent owned by the british government after a bailout during the financial crisis said it had recorded a charge of 790 million pounds or about 12 billion related to the buyback of so called enhanced capital notes
those bonds paid a high rate of interest and redeeming them early will free up capital at lloyds in the next few years the lender which issued the bonds during the financial crisis to bolster its reserves also believes the bonds no longer count toward its capital buffer after regulators put in place new rules
the lender said that it also recorded PS161 million in restructuring costs in the quarter as well as PS115 million in provisions for litigation and conduct costs
for the three months ended march 31 lloyds reported a profit of PS531 million compared with PS944 million in the first quarter of 2015
we have delivered a robust financial performance in a challenging operating environment while making good progress in our strategic initiatives and continuing to help britain prosper antonio horta osorio the lloyds chief executive said in a news release
on an underlying basis the bank reported a profit of PS205 billion in the first quarter down 6 percent from PS218 billion in the same period a year earlier
net interest income or what a bank earns on its lending after deducting what it pays out on deposits and other liabilities rose 3 percent to PS291 billion in the quarter from PS283 billion in the first quarter of 2015
the british government had hoped to terminate its holdings in lloyds with an offering to retail investors this spring but it delayed the sale in january because of turmoil in the financial markets
it was the second time in two years that the government had delayed a retail offering of its lloyds stake
the government owned more than 40 percent of lloyds after the lender received a PS17 billion bailout but it has reduced its holdings since september 2013 as the banks prospects have improved
since the government announced plans in october for a retail offering the lloyds share price has fallen 13 percent and the stock is trading below the average of 736 pence a share that the british government paid for its original holding
shares of lloyds fell about 3 percent to 669 pence in early trading in london on thursday


the french drug company sanofi said on thursday that it had made a nonbinding offer to acquire the prostate cancer drug maker medivation for about 93 billion in cash
sanofi based in paris publicly announced the offer on thursday after it said that medivation a san francisco biotechnology company had not responded to a letter sanofi sent nearly two weeks ago offering to acquire the company sanofi which has been suffering from declines in sales of its main diabetes drugs has said it is interested in making medium size acquisitions analysts describe the companys existing portfolio as weak
under the terms of its offer sanofi said on thursday that it was willing to pay 5250 a share for medivation the maker of the prostate cancer therapy xtandi that would represent a premium of more than 50 percent over medivations two month volume weighted average share price before takeover rumors sanofi said
shares of medivation closed on wednesday at 5205
last november sanofi outlined our midterm strategy which includes rebuilding our position in oncology one of the largest and fastest growing therapeutic areas in the biopharmaceutical sector olivier brandicourt the sanofi chief executive said in a news release
with medivations best in class offerings in prostate cancer we believe a combination would benefit patients and at the same time generate value for shareholders of both companies he added
in a separate letter to medivation on thursday sanofi said that it first discussed a possible takeover in a phone call with david t hung medivations chief executive on march 25 and in a subsequent conversation on april 3
medivation expressed no interest in discussing a transaction at the time and sanofi sent a letter on april 15 offering to pay 5250 a share for the company sanofi said
medivation has not responded other than to acknowledge the letters receipt sanofi said
we do not understand the delay in responding to our letter mr brandicourt said on thursday the price we put forth represents a very substantial premium and it would be all cash without any financing condition in these circumstances we believe it is appropriate to make this letter public which we are doing today
medivation said on thursday that its board began an evaluation of the sanofi proposal with its independent financial and legal advisers when it was contacted by sanofi on april 15
the company said that it expected the board to complete the review at a meeting on thursday and it would provide an update promptly thereafter
there are no assurances that a transaction will be reached or on what terms medivation said in a news release medivation stockholders are advised to take no action at this time
mr brandicourt who took over as chief executive last year after christopher a viehbacher was abruptly ousted has said that sanofi is interested in medium size acquisitions and that cancer treatment is an area of interest
sanofi already sells two drugs to treat prostate cancer taxotere also known as docetaxel which now faces competition from generics and the newer jevtana but both are considered chemotherapy with the attendant side effects and many men with the disease prefer other drugs
over all sanofis portfolio of marketed cancer drugs is weak and populated by undifferentiated also rans timothy anderson an analyst at sanford c bernstein wrote in a note on thursday
xtandi is among the fairly new so called targeted drugs that are not considered chemotherapy and that have been shown in clinical trials to extend the lives of men with advanced prostate cancer the drug marketed by the japanese company astellas pharma had global sales last year of 19 billion with medivations share at 943 million
sales could grow if the company succeeds in winning approval for the drugs use in earlier stages of prostate cancer but it faces competition from zytiga made by johnson  johnson and possibly from agents under development
xtandi has already provided a windfall for the university of california los angeles as the development of the drug was based on discoveries by campus researchers in march ucla sold its rights to future royalties from the drug to the investment firm royalty pharma for 114 billion in cash and potential additional payments based on xtandi sales ucla will retain 520 million of that the rest will go to the researchers and to the howard hughes medical institute which financially supported the research
xtandi however has also become one of the latest symbols of the controversy over high drug prices two activist groups have asked the federal government to essentially pre empt medivations exclusive patent rights and allow other companies to manufacture the product to lower prices some members of congress including senator bernie sanders of vermont are also pressing the obama administration to consider this
the federal government has so called march in rights because taxpayers helped pay for the drugs development in this case through research funding from the national institutes of health and the department of defense under federal law the government can exercise its rights to patents if the benefits of a federally funded invention are not made available to the public on reasonable terms
the activist groups knowledge ecology international and the union for affordable cancer treatment say that xtandi meets this criterion because of its high price the drug has a wholesale list price in the united states of about 88 a capsule or 129000 for a year of treatment the groups say two to four times the price in other high income countries
in the past however the national institutes of health has declined to exercise such march in rights merely because a drug is expensive saying that they were not an appropriate means of controlling prices


london   deutsche bank said on thursday that its profit fell 58 percent in the first quarter compared with a year earlier because of challenging conditions in the financial markets at the beginning of the year and its decision to exit some businesses
the bank which is germanys largest is in the midst of an overhaul john cryan who joined the lender as co chief executive in july seeks to simplify the company and improve its returns
in october mr cryan announced plans to eliminate as many as 35000 jobs through internal cuts shutter its operations in 10 countries and cut the number of its investment banking customers in half
for the three months ended march 31 deutsche bank reported a profit of 236 million euros or about 268 million compared with a profit of EUR559 million or 634 million in the first quarter of 2015
financial markets were challenging during the first quarter largely reflecting concerns about the outlook for the global economy mr cryan said in a news release
this uncertainty led to a decline in client activity in the capital markets and our revenues fell from the prior year most notably in our trading and corporate finance businesses he added our results reflect these challenging conditions as well as the impact of our strategic decisions to exit or reduce significantly selected businesses
revenue declined 22 percent to EUR807 billion or about 9 billion in the first quarter from EUR104 billion or about 118 billion in the same period a year earlier
the bank fell to a huge annual loss in 2015 as it took about EUR52 billion or about 59 billion in charges last year in legal costs for past wrongdoing the many lawsuits and financial settlements involving the bank related to a number of issues accusations that it colluded with other banks to fix benchmark interest rates that it violated international sanctions against countries like iran and that it duped clients in its currency trading operations
deutsche bank said on thursday that it took only EUR187 million or 212 million in litigation charges in the first quarter down from EUR154 billion or 17 billion in the first quarter of last year
deutsche bank set aside EUR304 million or 344 million for credit losses in the quarter reflecting provisions in its corporate and investment bank for its leveraged finance and emerging markets portfolios the bank had credit loss provisions of EUR218 million or 247 million in the first quarter of 2015
in its sales and trading business deutsche bank reported a pretax profit of EUR380 million or 431 million in the first quarter from a pretax loss of EUR16 million or 18 million in the same period a year earlier noninterest expenses in the business declined by 34 percent in the quarter primarily reflecting lower litigation charges
in its corporate and investment bank deutsche bank reported a pretax profit of EUR316 million or 358 million in the quarter down from EUR722 million or 819 million in the first quarter of 2015


beijing   when the doctor strange screenwriter c robert cargill offered an explanation for why marvel studios had cast the british actress tilda swinton as an important tibetan character from the original comic book series he started a new controversy surrounding the film
in an interview last week on the pop culture show double toasted mr cargill had tried to quell a growing uproar from critics accusing marvel of racism in casting a white actress in a role that they said should have gone to an asian actor the trailer released this month showed ms swinton playing the ancient one who in the comics is a tibetan mentor to dr stephen strange the protagonist
on double toasted mr cargill said that filmmakers had decided to scrub the ancient one of his tibetan origins and that was he said largely because they feared any depiction of tibetans and tibet could anger the chinese government and the chinese people putting the studio at risk of losing access to the second biggest film market in the world
asked to respond marvel said in a statement that the ancient one was celtic in the film but did not address the china related issues that mr cargill had raised
in recent days commenters on social media have continued to criticize marvel   some for the casting of ms swinton in what they said should have been a prominent role for an asian actor and others for what they called the studios sycophantic attitude toward the chinese communist party the anger was especially pronounced among tibetans opposed to chinese rule and their supporters
jigme ugen the president of the tibetan national congress wrote on twitter
on wednesday night mr cargill said in an email that his remarks on double toasted did not represent marvel he wrote
mr cargill sent the email from austin tex where he lives and has worked as a film critic austin has a tightknit film community and mr cargill wrote about movies for aint it cool news an influential website started by harry knowles another film fan in the city he became a successful commercial screenwriter after his script for sinister was made into a hit horror movie the director and co writer of that film was his friend scott derrickson who directed doctor strange
here are twitter posts by mr cargill on monday which aimed to clarify his comments about the ancient one posting under massawyrm the handle he used on aint it cool news mr cargill wrote for the record no one at marvel or with the film ever talked to me about china so contrary to headlines i didnt confirm anything


san francisco   the chancellor of the university of california davis was removed from her post and put on administrative leave on wednesday pending an independent investigation into a number of possible violations including using university funds to scrub negative references to the university on social media
the chancellor linda pb katehi had been the target of student protests and criticism by california lawmakers in addition to the controversy over paying to improve the universitys online profile she had been criticized for receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars in compensation from a publisher of student textbooks and a for profit education company which critics said were conflicts of interest
a statement released late on wednesday by janet napolitano the president of the university of california system said investigations would include questions about the campuss employment and compensation of some of the chancellors immediate family members the veracity of the chancellors accounts of her involvement in contracts related to managing both the campuss and her personal reputation on social media and the potential improper use of student fees
the president with the support of the leadership of the board of regents has determined it is in the best interest of uc davis that chancellor katehi be placed on investigatory administrative leave from her position as chancellor pending the outcome of this investigation ms napolitano said in the statement
the universitys provost ralph hexter will become chancellor on an interim basis the statement said
the sacramento bee reported in april that the university paid more than 175000 to two public relations firms to try to remove from the internet negative search results related to the davis campus and ms katehi specifically one goal of the public relations effort was to play down search results related to a november 2011 incident when a police officer pepper sprayed students who were sitting in the quad during a protest images of which were widely circulated online
the university of california system is under severe financial strain and has come under criticism for a string of sexual harassment cases at the berkeley campus


four days after the elaborate release of lemonade an intensely personal album about infidelity self worth and forgiveness beyonce debuted many of her new songs live on wednesday at marlins park in miami the concert was the opening night of her 41 date formation world tour which runs until august
beyonce drew largely from her most recent albums for the two hour set mixing the hurt and anger of songs from lemonade   sorry hold up dont hurt yourself   with more euphoric numbers from her 2013 self titled release deeper throwback numbers included baby boy naughty girl and from destinys child bits of survivor and bootylicious
the show also featured a partial singalong to purple rain by prince who died last week at 57 and wove in musical cues from the catalog of beyonces husband jay z whose role in lemonade has been a source of speculation and gossip since its release the album was initially available exclusively on tidal the streaming service he owns
i want to dedicate this song to my beautiful husband beyonce said before closing the show with halo a ballad from 2008 i love you so much jay z while present at the show did not appear onstage she added prince thank you for your beautiful music
lemonade beyonces sixth solo album was released without much warning on saturday night after the premiere of an hourlong hbo special based on the music building on the tactics used in her last surprise release in december 2013 in a review jon pareles of the new york times wrote marital strife smolders explodes and uneasily subsides on the album which probes betrayal jealousy revenge and rage before dutifully willing itself toward reconciliation at the end
at the show beyonce called the hopeful all night her favorite song from lemonade urging fans to echo its opening lines found the truth beneath the liesand true love never has to hide
although the concert mostly avoided the explicitly political content of her black panthers inspired super bowl appearance this year the tour merchandise included t shirts that read boycott beyonce an allusion to the backlash she received from a miami police union after the release of the single formation in february anyone who perceives my message as anti police is completely mistaken beyonce told elle in a rare interview i am against police brutality and injustice those are two separate things
dj khaled the local miami producer and snapchat personality opened the show with an array of special guests including rick ross lil wayne 2 chainz future and trick daddy
a full review will follow


london   while zinedine zidane will always be associated with being one of the most majestic players of real madrids long and beautiful history he has now demonstrated that as a coach he is prepared to organize pragmatic defenses to stay in the game
and because he is zidane he might not lose his job as a consequence of that negative method of play
playing without cristiano ronaldo who was out with a thigh injury and with karim benzema fit for only half the game real madrid shut up shop and played out a 0 0 tie at manchester city on tuesday this was only the ninth goalless game involving madrid in european competition since it won the initial european cup now the champions league 60 years ago
goalless but not guileless the game was governed by fear on both sides fear of conceding a goal and fear of committing players into forward positions to score
it takes two sides to contrive a stalemate that borders on soulless disregard for spectacle zidane declared himself happy with the result so did manuel pellegrini a former real madrid coach now attempting to take manchester all the way to the final before he relinquishes his job to the next city manager pep guardiola
the players complied we have to be smart madrids other star attacker gareth bale had said on the eve of the contest we must not go for the kill straightaway
the kill no player on either side attempted anything so rash in the 90 minutes   or 93 minutes given that citys one shot on target came in the third and final minute of time added on for stoppages at the end
what bale meant and what zidane and his coaching team drummed into the players was that madrid must not dare to presume that it could get away with the same offensive approach that it attempted in germany in its quarterfinal against wolfsburg madrid lost that game 2 0 and it took a ronaldo hat trick one of his best to turn the situation around in the second leg
on the eve of the game in manchester ronaldo had practiced and zidane had described him as ready for action cristiano felt something after that last training session zidane said following tuesdays game we didnt want to gamble with his fitness
and perhaps though it was never spelled out madrid felt more comfortable going for a negative result in which every man on the team was prepared to defend like a soldier on guard duty the player madrid feared sergio aguero was barely given an inch of space the whole night and was crowded out by means both fair and foul
both pepe and sergio ramos went to the extreme with their kicks around the ankles of aguero and kevin de bruyne but city adopted no less physical methods and it was particularly fortunate that cuneyt cakir the otherwise excellent referee failed to give a penalty and a red card to manchesters captain vincent kompany when he hauled down bale late in the game
by that time madrid was in the ascendancy its game plan which subdued city and quieted the crowd was to score if it could an away goal
madrid came close twice off corner kicks but both times joe hart the manchester city goalkeeper got his body in the way of what looked like certain goals that would let madrid steal a victory the second of those when pepe had the goal seemingly at his mercy from barely four yards out was saved by harts chest
in truth it was goalkeepers head and heart that denied the chance as hart was determined to smother the opportunity and block pepes scuffed shot at point blank range
weve set it up for a good old fashioned rumble in the bernabeu reals stadium in madrid hart said on television
his captain back in the defense after a season ruined by recurring calf injuries went further nil nil is a very dangerous score kompany insisted from the moment we score in madrid it will be a different game its too close to call
contentment it seems is mutual zidane the great showman of skilled attacking play took pride in the pragmatic way that his men had blanked city pellegrini now a professor of the beautiful game though he once was a defensive player sounded similarly pleased
the game of two legs has been reduced to one game manchester city believes its form has been better away than at home during european play but after losing playmaker david silva to another hamstring injury during the first half it will need to find creativity from somewhere or someone
madrid pins its hopes as always on ronaldo playing at home manchester will work on the fitness of yaya toure the giant midfield player who missed the game tuesday
at some stage one or both teams has to let go of the safety rail and go for the win unless they are content with their chance to win on penalty kicks
this is not the real madrid style and certainly was not zidanes in the past it was 50 50 before the start zidane concluded tuesday its 50 50 now so im happy with that


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1 president obama has offered israel the largest package of military aid the us has ever proposed to any nation but the israelis have asked for a more generous plan the package possibly more than 40 billion over 10 years is meant to replace the current 3 billion a year which expires in 2018 israel says the iran nuclear deal has intensified its security challenges

2 lucifer in the flesh i have never worked with a more miserable son of a bitch in my life that was the former house speaker john boehner revealing the depth of his antipathy for the republican presidential candidate ted cruz mr cruz responded that mr boehner had allowed his inner trump to come out he said the comments validated his own standing as a maverick in washington

3 donald trumps sweep of five primaries this week added so significantly to his delegate count that he may not even need to win indiana next week he is estimated to have won 110 of the 118 pledged delegates at stake on tuesday and appears to have claimed about 40 of pennsylvanias unpledged delegates check out the numbers in our updated delegate counter

4 one of our best read articles today looks deeply at president obamas handling of the economy in a series of conversations with one of our top business reporters mr obama reveals frustration with republican criticism that ignores gains including the longest period of sustained job growth on record when people hear that things are terrible all the time mr obama said then people will start absorbing that

5 round 1 of the nfl draft started tonight at 8 pm eastern espn and nfl network chicago plays host for the second straight year the los angeles rams led off by picking the quarterback jared goff of california and the new england patriots wont get to pick till friday as part of their deflategate punishment our live coverage is here

6 two female journalists have jolted the sports world with a four minute video revealing the kind of messages they regularly receive   read aloud by male friends staggered by the viciousness examples you need to be hit in the head with a hockey puck and killed and i hope you get raped again our columnist who has received many similar messages asks so much hate and for what

7 mayor bill de blasio of new york is under scrutiny in five investigations by federal state and local agencies most involve fund raising linked to the mayor his election campaign or a nonprofit group connected with him i cant recall any other sort of perfect storm like this coming from all those different angles a historian said of the welter of inquiries

8 china became the latest country to sharply restrict the operations of nongovernmental groups fearing their power to undermine authoritarian rule a new law requires some 7000 such groups to find an official sponsor and register with the police   serious obstacles for those that promote workers rights ethnic equality or religious freedom

9 thats it for dreamworks animation maker of kung fu panda how to train your dragon and shrek hollywoods smallest publicly traded studio ended 12 years of turbulent independence with a deal to sell itself to comcasts giant nbcuniversal jeffrey katzenberg the founding chief executive is expected to pocket nearly 400 million of the 38 billion deal
us stocks fell apple logged a second day of losses helping drag down tech stocks and energy stocks tumbled despite a gain in the price of oil

10 syrias partial truce shattered as the northern city of aleppo plunged back into all out war government airstrikes destroyed a hospital and rebels counterattacked with mortars vice president joe biden traveled to neighboring iraq hoping to pull that countrys political leadership out of its latest crisis and strengthen the fight against the islamic state

11 one of the first women to graduate from the armys elite ranger school is now qualified to lead troops into combat capt kristen griest above right finished a final course breaking another barrier to full service we are at a time and a place in the world where we need to have the best leaders from everywhere an army spokesman said and that includes women

12 finally happy ed balls day britain has been celebrating its twitter joke for five years ever since a political official named ed balls inadvertently posted his name on the platform mr balls pictured above in a typically good natured moment last year has taken the joke in stride its as incomprehensible as the internet and social media can get but people enjoy it he said i shrug my shoulders

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times insider delivers behind the scenes insights into how news features and opinion come together at the new york times in this piece susanne craig a metro reporter describes a series of phone calls she had with donald j trump concerning her recent coverage of his aircraft
the whirring blades on donald j trumps helicopter were drowning out our conversation but there was one comment that was hard to miss
i am going to make america great again he said adding that he would make it great again just for me
it was the first call that day in a series of conversations that ultimately spun out of control
mr trump was en route to a campaign rally in waterbury conn and he promised to call again in about 30 minutes i was filing a story on mr trumps aircraft and was up against a tight deadline
mr trumps fleet   two airplanes and three helicopters   is an integral part of the billionaire image mr trump projects and the aircraft are an effective prop on the campaign trail they are also one of his campaigns largest expenses so far a company owned by mr trump has been paid roughly 37 million by his campaign for costs associated with flying him to events
the story i was working on took a close look at the aircraft   which i was surprised to learn were aging four were more than 20 years old having covered wall street for years i knew this was an anomaly among the super wealthy who tend to buy newer aircraft or lease or charter planes mr trump had written in his book the art of the deal that older planes are good value others say he buys them because he really isnt worth the 11 billion he claims to be
presidential candidates frequently field reporter questions but usually in gaggles one on one interviews tend to be strategically planned and candid moments are rare reporters do not typically travel with the candidate and do not get close to them at rallies
mr trump though is no ordinary candidate and he often calls and calls out reporters who are writing about him alternately charming and bullying them my experience suggests mr trump makes a calculated game time decision on each call if he thinks he will benefit from a given conversation he engages stories that talk about his wealth or question the size of it seem to be of particular interest
i had hoped mr trump would call to discuss his aircraft and id put in a request for an interview with hope hicks his campaign spokeswoman
i knew it was a long shot mr trump was unhappy with a story that id written with my colleague david chen in february it had challenged his business prowess in new york the headline read donald trump in new york deep roots but little influence
you are very dishonest reporters he said in an email that was sent to mr chen and me via ms hicks your last story was a disgrace to journalism
another front page article we had written   on how he weighed a run for governor in 2014 measuring whether a stop in albany was a necessary steppingstone to the white house   was seemingly well received by his supporters still he opted not to participate
as part of my story on his aircraft i had discovered that the registration on his 1997 cessna 750 citation x had expired the call i made to the federal aviation authority resulted in the jet being grounded
mr trump switched to alternate transportation meanwhile readers flooded my inbox with emails some accusing me of picking on him the most common comment though was about my curly occasionally out of control hair in this respect i know how mr trump must feel
have you considered firing the persons responsible for your hair wrote one reader
so i was a bit surprised when ms hicks emailed me to say mr trump would speak to me about his aircraft
i was out of town for the weekend and after a number of false starts i was told he would call me saturday an hour before deadline my internet and phone lines were down so early that morning i scouted out a spot with decent cell reception a lonely corner of a friends deck i had three bars on my iphone and was ready when it rang
that first call was too short to be of any real use but mr trump could not have been nicer after he promised to make america great again just for me he talked briefly about his airplanes it was as if he had forgotten about the article hed recently called a disgrace to journalism
though he promised to call when he landed in waterbury my phone didnt ring the deadline for the papers first edition came and went
he surfaced after the campaign rally i dont know if you got to see it but we had a good time he said
during this second call he waxed on about his aircraft explaining that he buys older planes because he gets better deals on them he said he does not think of his planes as marketing tools but knows people think of them that way
i asked him whether his cessna was cleared to fly yet it was he told me still no hint that he harbored any ill will toward me
i was almost out of questions he said he had to go then to my surprise he said he wanted to continue the conversation and would call again when he landed at his next campaign event in bridgeport conn
while he was in the air i filed mr trumps comments into my story
as i was finishing he called for the third time the boeing 757 has always been considered a masterpiece he said he could not stop talking about that plane
but as my questions grew more pointed so did his observations of me
hope said dont call back because she is only going to write bad things that is all she knows how to do then you will write bad and i will tweet badly about the times that they are inaccurate and dont know what they are doing he said and that is what we do we play the game
he was not surprisingly irked about the story that said his footprint in new york had greatly diminished over years he twice called it the most false article he has ever read about himself
you write things like i dont do anything in new york he said noting he owns a number of great properties in the state you didnt say that internationally i am one of the biggest not that it matters who cares what you say but you didnt say that
we went back and forth i defended our reporting mr trump admitted that he hadnt read the front page story on how he had weighed a run for the governors office the article i thought he might have enjoyed
i will go back and read it he promised i offered to get him a subscription to the new york times
the call ended on a cordial note he asked me to treat him fairly he said that if he didnt like the article he would not let me know
i never heard from him on sunday the day my latest story ran he played his part and attacked the times on twitter
i am happy to hear how badly the nytimes is doing his tweet read it is a seriously failing paper with readership which is way down becoming irrelevant


every commission by the new york based nonprofit creative time is in some sense fleeting since its inception in 1973 the organization has funded site specific works for spaces around the city often on a blockbuster scale   its much talked about projects have included doug aitkens sleepwalkers projections at moma in 2007 and kara walkers a subtlety at domino sugar factory two summers ago   whose limited time only nature was part of their draw but this spring duke rileys project fly by night is fleeting in a rather more literal sense on weekend evenings from may 7 through june 12 riley will release a giant flock of pigeons numbering in the thousands and outfitted with tiny led lit leg bands to circle the east river in graceful formation and create a kind of undulating constellation
riley whos been an enthusiast or fancier in pigeon parlance since rescuing one as a child has spent months working with the birds who have been roosting in specially designed coops atop the baylander a historic vietnam era naval vessel thats now docked at the brooklyn navy yards riley created the coops with kristen becker of the nature minded seattle based design firm olson kundig   and the pair also collaborated on a limited edition birdhouse that will be available for purchase starting at tonights creative time spring gala which mimics the silhouette of the baylander i wanted the coops to have the same naval feel as the baylander does riley explains and include both the nest box and aviary section as we have for the pigeons so the birdhouses would feel the same way as the coops of fly by night more functional than the average art gala souvenir the birdhouses may also have the effect of encouraging partygoers to try their hand at pigeon keeping   a onetime widespread city practice to which riley hopes to draw attention with the project i think people will also be struck with how delicate beautiful and diverse these birds are he says we have so many different types of pigeons and people are always struck by the variety


on march 15 2004 george harrison was posthumously inducted into the rock and roll hall of fame as part of the ceremony an all star band performed while my guitar gently weeps mr harrisons best known beatles song the group featured tom petty and two other members of the heartbreakers as well as jeff lynne steve winwood dhani harrison georges son and prince himself an inductee that year marc mann a guitarist with mr lynnes band played eric claptons memorable solo from the album version of the song but prince who essentially stood in the dark for most of the performance burned the stage to the ground at the songs end
his three minute guitar solo is a prince milestone a chance to see him outside of the purple tinted for once he is dressed in red context of his own meticulous studio craft this was prince the lead guitarist   those chops apparent on songs like why you wanna treat me so bad electric chair and when doves cry were given free range to roam and when he tossed his instrument into the air at the very end of the song it never appeared to land it was almost as if mr harrison had grabbed it himself in midair to signal thats enough of that
several people who were onstage or at the ceremony that night recalled princes involvement and performance these are edited excerpts from the conversations
joel gallen producer and director of the rock and roll hall of fame ceremony my dream right from the start was imagine if i can get everybody up onstage at the end of the night to do while my guitar gently weeps and prince comes out and does the guitar solos i wrote basically a personal letter to prince care of his lawyer
i got a call from one of princes guys a week or two later saying that prince was in la and he wanted to have a meeting with me he said you know i got your letter i liked the idea im going to listen to the song a few times and ill get back to you
a couple weeks later his security guy called me again and said prince would like to meet with you again he said he definitely wants to do the song hes definitely going to do it both in the initial meeting and the second meeting he did talk a lot about what were going to do with the music whos going to own the music   he was concerned like if he does this whos going to own the performance he wanted to make sure that his performance was not exploited without his knowledge
tom petty shared lead vocals with jeff lynne on while my guitar gently weeps olivia harrison georges widow asked me if i would come along and induct george i was told well prince is going to play too and i was like wow thats fantastic
look we got prince here willing to play lead guitar why should we give him an eight bar solo over a solo that   the beatles solo everyone knows it by heart and would be disappointed if you didnt play that particular solo there and prince was a great fan of georges and the beatles in general but i think he particularly admired george i think george would have liked it a lot
craig inciardi curator at the rock and roll hall of fame museum ive seen every induction performance from 92 to the present so thats like 24 shows on a purely musical level a technical level as far as musicianship that performance seems like the most impressive one
gallen we get to the rehearsal the night before the show at the waldorf astoria princes rehearsal was actually earlier   he rehearsed his big 10  12 minute medley that opened the show he was having all kinds of audio problems i remember he had his own monitor engineer that his camp had hired and i think prince fired him during the rehearsal because he couldnt get the sound right after that he went back to his hotel and i said youre going to come back at 10 oclock tonight thats when were going to rehearse the finale and he says ill see laughs he didnt give me any guarantees he just said ill see
the petty rehearsal was later that night and at the time id asked him to come back there was prince hed shown up on the side of the stage with his guitar he says hello to tom and jeff and the band when we get to the middle solo where prince is supposed to do it jeff lynnes guitar player just starts playing the solo note for note like clapton and prince just stops and lets him do it and plays the rhythm strums along and we get to the big end solo and prince again steps forward to go into the solo and this guy starts playing that solo too prince doesnt say anything just starts strumming plays a few leads here and there but for the most part nothing memorable
steve ferrone drummer for tom petty and the heartbreakers who played at the 2004 ceremony i had no idea that prince was going to be there steve winwood said hey prince is over there and i said i guess hes playing with us
so i said to winwood im going to go over and say hello to him i wandered across the stage and i went up to him and i said hi prince its nice to meet you   steve ferrone and he said oh i know who you are maybe because id played on chaka khans i feel for you which is a song that he wrote i went back over and i sat down behind the drum kit and winwood was like whats he like whatd he say
then i was sitting there and i heard somebody playing a guitar riff from a song that i wrote with average white band and i looked over and prince was looking right at me and playing that song and i thought yeah you actually do know who i am
gallen they finish and i go up to jeff and tom and i sort of huddle up with these guys and im like this cannot be happening i dont even know if were going to get another rehearsal with him prince but this guy cannot be playing the solos throughout the song so i talk to prince about it i sort of pull him aside and had a private conversation with him and he was like look let this guy do what he does and ill just step in at the end for the end solo forget the middle solo and he goes dont worry about it and then he leaves they never rehearsed it really never really showed us what he was going to do and he left basically telling me the producer of the show not to worry and the rest is history it became one of the most satisfying musical moments in my history of watching and producing live music
inciardi you hear all this sort of harmonics and finger tapping sort of like what youd hear eddie van halen do he runs through all these different sort of guitar techniques that are sort of astonishing you hear what sounds like someone cocking a shotgun theres all these strumming power chords that really really connected then he plays his version of the eric clapton solo he evokes erics solo in very sort of truncated fashion as he ends the song he plays this flourishing thing that sort of ends up sounding a little bit like spinal tap but in a good way
petty you see me nodding at him to say go on go on i remember i leaned out at him at one point and gave him a this is going great kind of look he just burned it up you could feel the electricity of something really bigs going down here
ferrone tom sort of went over to him and said just cut loose and dont feel sort of inhibited to copy anything that we have just play your thing just have a good time it was a hell of a guitar solo and a hell of a show he actually put on for the band when he fell back into the audience everybody in the band freaked out like oh my god hes falling off the stage and then that whole thing with the guitar going up in the air i didnt even see who caught it i just saw it go up and i was astonished that it didnt come back down again everybody wonders where that guitar went and i gotta tell you i was on the stage and i wonder where it went too
gallen i still feel like people dont realize what an amazing guitar player he was as a rock guitar player he can go toe to toe with anybody
petty its funny because just a few days ago he was in mind all afternoon i was thinking about him and i had just been talking with susanna hoffs of the bangles   he wrote their manic monday song she was telling me the story of that of how she came to have that song and meet prince and i was thinking about him a lot that day and i almost told myself i was going to call him and just see how he was im starting to think you should just act on those things all the time


we live in a society that is increasingly yelpish   if that can be used as an adjective says the artist alexandre singh my current hobby is to read the yelp reviews of well anything he mentions a recent deep dive into the online assessments of nyc area hospitals   the ratings are either one star and joined by anecdotes like i waited for hours and was bleeding the whole time or five star paeans that read we just had a baby it was an amazing experience the nurses were so wonderful yelpcom is the perfect case study of our world of real extremes singh continues we only care to comment on things that we feel strongly about and our act of commenting or judging or giving one to five stars prevents people from engaging with what theyre looking at art included
of course this isnt some breakthrough in the analysis of human behavior the process is just more immediate today thanks to social media and apps it all certainly weighed on the mind of moliere who in response to his much talked about 1662 play the school for wives penned the school for wives criticized the following year   and its upon the latter that singhs the school for objects criticized ae is loosely based the one act play set on the bowery in the present day was written in 2010 for a group show at the new museum versions were later restaged at pariss palais de tokyo   and starting tomorrow at spruth magers berlin though the recorded dialogue remains the same the actual installation changes depending on the space for spruth magers berlin singh built a window that overlooks a three dimensional rendering of manhattan
action wise the school for objects criticized ae portrays a conversation between an opinionated group of miscellany theres daphne spring a childrens slinky toy and seductive realist penny powder an emotionally malleable unformed sculpture the pseudo intellectuals lucian samasota and osmin moses both tape players sergei skoffavitch a neo post marxist bottle of bleach the feminist despina hall an electric toaster and the doorman a taxidermic skunk a spotlight shines on each object mounted on a pedestal while it speaks and the dialogue spans a variety of topics such as ready mades   and singh well that was a nice little discussion says osmin in the penultimate scene lamenting that the group didnt make a recording to send to this mr singh despina replies oh please thats exactly the kind of self reflexive tautological garbage these young artists are all up to these days it all seems very clever a work of art about itself everyone claps and nobody thinks very deeply about it its simply an overly elaborate and smug way to say absolutely nothing at all
singh doesnt exactly contest her point the play circles around lots of ideas by the end the characters have touched upon so many different topics that whilst they may not have really arrived anywhere theyve gotten there via everywhere else he says at its heart there are a few serious moments in the story when the characters talk about their own mortality   they seem to touch on the idea of intelligent design which is rather absurd because they obviously were designed he bills the work as a mocking way to think about the human condition but resists labeling it art or theater and settles on theatrical when pressed in the play there is the idea that something important is out there and that we should be making art about it but its hard to say what that is singh remarks you only know what it isnt


its not every day that san antonio shoemakers a pre eminent maker of handcrafted comfort shoes gets a call from a young entrepreneur but in early 2014 nancy richardson the ceo of the 40 year old brand referred to as sas was contacted by eree kim a 38 year old designer who wanted surprisingly to collaborate kim proposed that she work with sas to manufacture a line of comfortable   and stylish   footwear
thus began a partnership that has led to hopp which translates to bounce in swedish a brand of shoes and bags that kim launched this week i have always been known as the comfort shoe girl she says laughing for years kim would order pairs from several purveyors of orthopedic shoes   and always want to make one or two adjustments this gave her the idea to create a shoe that was both easy to walk in and cool so she designed a single style with a sleek shape and sourced the soles from italy sas manufactured the shoe with its comfortable padded insoles linings and arch supports
the first collection features a lace up style in black white ocean blue and light gray to fill out her initial offering kim   a former denim and knitwear designer at opening ceremony   added perfectly circular tote bags in leather and suede which she is producing in queens in the same color palette whenever ive worn uncomfortable shoes im just miserable for the whole day she says i just want shoes for women that exist that are comfortable i dont understand why there have to be shoes that have to look good but cant be comfortable at the same time


no amount of gloss can hide the heartbreak caused by the closing of our editorial and production operations in paris
and it isnt the first time
in 1967 the money losing international edition of the new york times   edited produced and printed at 25 rue daboukir   was folded into the international herald tribune with it went 116 jobs
the move was a striking display of independence by arthur ochs sulzberger still relatively new as the timess publisher from the legacy of his father arthur hays sulzberger who had laid the foundation of the international edition in 1943
during world war ii in a meeting with maj gen donald h connolly at the persian gulf service command headquarters in tehran the senior mr sulzberger learned that morale was plummeting among the soldiers who supplied allied troops theirs was a vital but monotonous job
to keep the troops engaged mr sulzberger said the times would at its own expense furnish an eight page tabloid to the armed forces it must have crossed the publishers mind that he would be inculcating a times habit among thousands of grateful gis
called the overseas weekly it was a pint size version of the news of the week in review type was set in new york from which plastic molds were made and flown to iran to be turned into printing plates the first issue pdf came out in late summer
at the end of the war the overseas weekly was being printed at 16 sites in europe and asia in 1948 the times received a terrific response for its united nations edition airlifted every day from new york to paris while the general assembly met there
the international air edition began dec 11 1948 it was a trimmed down daily paper with most of the foreign and national reports but little metro or sports news copies were flown to britain and continental europe for distribution in amsterdam basel brussels copenhagen frankfurt geneva london paris rome stockholm and vienna
mr sulzberger allowed that the project would involve a substantial loss but said it would help europes recovery and americas business and political interests it is hoped that in time the venture will become self sustaining he added   a bit too optimistically
to beat the cost of shipping entire newspaper bundles across the atlantic the times took a big technological step in june 1949 it began making cardboard molds of pages for the international edition these molds were flown to paris where they were used to cast printing plates allowing the paper to be published and sold in europe only a day after it had hit newsstands in new york
we left paris the first time in 1952 printing was shifted to amsterdam because it offered superior printing facilities close to the citys international airport the times said
something like the modern age dawned on oct 20 1960 when the international edition began being produced simultaneously in europe this was when the action returned to paris this time at the imprimeries lamartine
new york times now printing on 2 continents at same time a page 1 headline said this remarkable advance was made possible by teletypesetting
in new york a printer would transcribe edited copy on a perforator keyboard that turned each character into a series of holes punched into paper tape the tape was fed into a device that translated the coded patterns into electric impulses which were transmitted to paris on one of three cable circuits or three wireless circuits
in paris the electric impulses punched a duplicate set of paper tapes that could be fed into specially adapted intertype linecasting machines not unlike a player piano the tapes coded in new york were now driving typesetters 3600 miles away
as production of the paris edition grew less dependent on headquarters editorial direction was also weaned from direct control by the editors in times square
thomas a daffron jr an assistant news editor was named managing editor of the international edition in 1964 and given full responsibility for its news content according to times talk the newspapers house organ it continued
the ie no longer attempts to follow the makeup or play of stories in the new york edition copy is edited on the spot and set manually in the paris composing room rather than transmitted from new york by coded tape staff members in paris were also starting to do their own reporting
by 1966 arthur ochs sulzberger had succeeded his father as publisher that year he appointed sydney gruson a close friend and a distinguished former foreign correspondent as the editor and chief executive officer of the international edition only six months earlier the edition had moved into its own space in a new eight story building on the rue daboukir owned by an affiliate of le figaro
under mr gruson circulation grew 17 percent and advertising grew 20 percent
it must have seemed that the paris edition had become a planet of its own rather than an orbiting moon
but there was a problem a big problem
the editions improved reach of 47000 was still far behind the new york herald tribune the washington post international published by the whitney and graham families which had a circulation of 60000 worse yet even improved ad revenues had not brought our paris edition close to the self sustaining goal of the late 40s
instead since its inauguration the edition had lost about 10 million more than 70 million today
editors assumed mr sulzberger would keep the edition afloat out of a sentimental commitment to his father and because of its prestigious promotional value
their lack of insight into the young publisher became quickly apparent in the spring of 1967 when he announced that he was folding the international edition gay talese wrote in the kingdom and the power
not just folding it but merging it into its chief competitor in a three way partnership with john hay whitney and katharine graham the combined paper was renamed the international herald tribune at least it wasnt called the new york herald tribune the washington post the new york times international
the post and the times bought out whitcom successor to the whitney interests in 1991 forming a 50 50 partnership that lasted until 2002 when the times bought out the post the publication was renamed the international new york times in 2013
about the 1967 closing of 25 rue daboukir times talk said
when the final edition of the ie went to press at 1130 on friday evening may 19 visitors wandered into the newsroom   wives staffers from other departments printers from the composing room someone broke out the brandy the bourbon the scotch suddenly there was lusty lovely harmony french songs led by the gallic printers it wasnt exactly a celebration but it wasnt a wake either is the way one man put it it was more like til we meet again
given the state of journalism however this time may feel less like au revoir than adieu


times insider shares insights into how we work at the new york times today andrew rosenthal the editorial page editor responds to recent news the good the bad and that which makes him mad
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what is mr rosenthal mad about this week voting rights or the lack thereof in the american south he said who criticizes laws in north carolina that restrict turnout why the effect of these laws is racist he said
the worst recent news according to mr rosenthal donald trump just kicking butt all over the place
last the good news and there is lots of it
first mr rosenthal said the country is getting rid of the genocidal maniac   andrew jackson   from the 20 bill and is replacing him with harriet tubman second the world recognized the genius of prince
then there was beyonce creating the biggest cultural sensation of the year
susan lehman is host


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the quarterback is 6 feet 5 inches 237 pounds with reddish blond hair confident eyes and large hands in college he played prominent roles for two national championship teams he was terrific at the senior bowl and the nfl scouting combine and is described by all accounts as humble religious and hardworking
given those credentials it is little surprise that the quarterback carson wentz is a potential no 1 overall pick in the nfl draft which begins thursday in chicago he is expected to go first to the los angeles rams or second to the philadelphia eagles in the event that the rams select the former california quarterback jared goff at no 1
bill polian the super bowl winning general manager for three nfl teams who is now with espn praised wentz as an excellent prospect he added in scout talk hes got prototypical size much better than average speed great arm the ball jumps out of his hand hes a winner hes an accurate thrower intermediate and short reads the field very well
but there is one thing missing from wentzs otherwise marquee ready resume a prestigious college program wentz did not play for notre dame or southern california michigan or alabama texas or any of the other brand name teams that fill up the schedules of the top 25 on autumn saturdays
in fact wentz did not play in the top tier of college football but rather at north dakota state which competes in the missouri valley football conference of the football championship subdivision   the level that used to be known as division i aa a step below the 10 conferences that define college football to the average fan
all that raises a multimillion dollar question as wentz waits to hear his name called thursday how exactly did a potential no 1 pick fall through the cracks of the college football recruiting industrial complex
the answer according to some has to do with the wide gap between the way football is played on saturdays and the way it is played on sundays
some of the best programs whose goal is only secondarily to develop nfl prospects follow the lead of the top albeit unseasoned athletes they recruit and craft offenses that do not resemble the way professional teams play a result in many cases has been quarterbacks who dominate at the top college level only to find their skills ill suited to the nfl
in the case of wentz it also might mean a quarterback who flew under the college radar but is ready to shine in the pros
with so many major colleges running spread option offenses that dont always translate perfectly to the pro game its possible for a gem like wentz to slip through said robert boland a sports administration executive in residence at ohio university
according to ron wingenbach wentzs coach at century high school in bismarck nd wentz was recruited mainly by fcs programs the only major program to show interest he said was south carolina which inquired about wentz during the summer after his senior year by which time he had packed his bags for north dakota state
he wasnt on the radar of colleges let alone recruiting services said brandon huffman scoutcoms national recruiting director
that so many major programs missed on wentz despite his possessing top of the draft level ability is extremely rare joe flacco the baltimore ravens starting quarterback was drafted 18th over all in 2008 out of delaware though he had transferred from pittsburgh steve mcnair was drafted third in 1995 out of alcorn state phil simms was the no 7 pick in 1979 out of morehead state
various flukes in high school played a role in wentzs trajectory he was only 5 10 entering his junior season   right when quarterback recruiting heats up   according to wingenbach he played varsity for two years missing out on quarterback for most of his junior year because of a hand injury he did not attend many colleges summer camps and even the mightiest football powers the ones with a dozen recruiting staff members and private jets to ferry them wherever they need to go rarely make their way to the second most populous city of the 47th most populous state
but wentzs steep rise in the esteem of the football establishment also reflects the new realities of the college and professional games and how they affect the sports most vital position blessed perhaps by not having to compete against the countrys top athletes north dakota state is able to thrive to the tune of five consecutive national titles while running a traditional pro style scheme
the style of offense we play in   were a huddle west coast offense coach chris klieman said were going to go under center let the quarterback change protections audible to run
he continued all those things are a little lost in college football because a lot of guys go no huddle and look to the sideline to see what the coordinators going to run
at the top level of college football many teams run so called spread offenses to take advantage of certain quirks in the college game   the wider hash marks for example   but also to level the playing field with the blue chip programs
for example at texas tech and baylor the coaches mike leach and art briles inevitably working with less talent than conference rivals like oklahoma or texas installed wide open offenses that most likely would never fly at the professional level where pass rushers are too quick and defensive backs too experienced leach now runs that offense known as the air raid at washington state
while leach and briles achieved great success in the big 12 the most prominent quarterback either produced was robert griffin iii   a heisman trophy winner under briles who was drafted second over all and won the nfls rookie of the year award before his career faltered badly
the really good up tempo programs have said look well recruit great athletes well work off of a run first throw second option  boland said referring to three very successful college quarterbacks with more varied success as pros he added sometimes that guy will be marcus mariota or alex smith and sometimes that guy will be tim tebow
tebow of course won the heisman trophy at florida under urban meyer who helped initiate the spread when he was at utah and had one season of success with the denver broncos before eventually washing out of the nfl
some of the most successful quarterbacks drafted in recent years   andrew luck russell wilson kirk cousins jameis winston   played for some of the few top teams that run pro style systems the exception has been cam newton who won the heisman in auburns up tempo offense and later adapted his game to the nfl
in the end klieman said talent will win out if youre good enough he said theyll find you
besides he added it hardly matters whether a quarterback competed in the missouri valley football conference the pacific 12 the big sky or the southeastern conference because the nfl is a different story
its going to be a jump up for everybody he said


international
a map on march 1 with the cape town journal article about the post apartheid gentrification of the historically muslim bo kaap neighborhood of cape town located the neighborhood incorrectly it is closer to the shoreline of cape town than shown the map was corrected online shortly after the error was pointed out but editors failed to follow through on this print correction
new york
an article in some editions on tuesday about mayor bill de blasios budget proposal for new york citys health  hospitals using information from the mayors office described incorrectly the increase in the amount of money in the proposed budget for the citys public health system the mayors proposed budget which would bring total city funding for health  hospitals to 2 billion annually by fiscal year 2020 would be a 700 million increase in the annual allocation compared with the amount of city funding when mr de blasio took office in 2014 it does not represent a 700 million increase over fiscal year 2016

an article on monday about a festival in manhattan celebrating the 100 year anniversary of the easter rising rebellion in ireland misstated the relationship between patrick rooney who attended the event and sean connolly who may have fired the first shot in the rebellion mr connolly was his great uncle not his grandfather
business day
an article on friday about start ups offering improved menstrual products omitted two people who helped found thinx an underwear company besides miki agrawal the founders include radha agrawal and antonia saint dunbar
sports
an article in some editions on friday about the rangers 5 0 loss in game 4 of their nhl playoff series against the pittsburgh penguins misstated the position of the penguins ben lovejoy he is a defenseman not a forward
the arts
an article on wednesday about upheaval at the pennsylvania ballet misstated the circumstances of the departure of the principal dancer lauren fadeley one of at least 17 dancers who will not be returning next season she quit she was not let go

a report in the arts briefly column on tuesday about broadway box office grosses misstated the opening date of cirque du soleils paramour which took in just over 1 million last week during previews it is scheduled to open may 25 not may 26
science times
because of an editing error a report in the observatory column on tuesday about methuselah a very old tree in california misstated in some editions the surname of a spokeswoman for inyo national forest she is debra schweizer not schweitzer

picture captions on tuesday with an article about police departments around the country that are turning to crisis intervention training to deal with people with mental illness referred incorrectly to the credentials of two officers from portland ore officers michael hastings and brad yakots have received crisis intervention training they are not members of the police forces behavioral health unit
styles
a picture caption last thursday with the browsing column about new jackets for the workplace misidentified one of the jackets it was by joseph not zara
obituaries
an obituary on saturday about the guitarist and singer lonnie mack misidentified the magazine for which the music historian richard t pinnell wrote about mr macks record memphis in 1979 it is guitar player not guitar world the obituary also misstated mr macks contribution to the doors recording of the song roadhouse blues while he did play bass guitar on that song he did not also play lead guitar
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oakland calif   when the golden state warriors gathered for practice on tuesday morning coach steve kerr addressed the one topic that was impossible for everyone to ignore stephen currys injured right knee more specifically the steps his team would need to take during currys indefinite absence
kerr began by offering some perspective few teams in the playoffs are immune from injuries not the los angeles clippers who lost chris paul and blake griffin this week not the boston celtics who are without the services of avery bradley and not the warriors who are suddenly dealing with a significant void in their backcourt
we have to just keep moving kerr said for now we just have to play without him weve proven we can do pretty well were not the same team but we can still win games
on wednesday the warriors won another demolishing the houston rockets 114 81 to close out their first round series in five games it was a curry free clinic put on by the warriors who took the best of seven series four games to one and showed once again that they are greater than one man even if that one man is a star of currys caliber
klay thompson so often overshadowed by curry during the regular season scored 27 points and went 7 of 11 from 3 point range to lead the warriors who will face the los angeles clippers or the portland trail blazers in the western conference semifinals draymond green collected 15 points 9 rebounds and 8 assists and the warriors had 30 assists on 45 field goals
everybody they think steph goes down and the entire series changes green told the associated press after the game but we thought otherwise
james harden scored 35 points for the rockets his teammates combined to shoot 26 percent
fans at oracle arena wore matching gold t shirts that read strength in numbers across the front that has been one of kerrs mantras since he took the job before the start of last season and it probably resonates with his players now more than ever
the warriors lost curry for at least two weeks when he slipped on a wet spot and injured his knee in sundays game 4 victory on wednesday curry was a presence on the bench albeit while wearing a beige blazer instead of a uniform he walked with a slight limp kerr said he was optimistic that curry would eventually rejoin the team in its hunt for a second straight title
weve won a lot of games the last couple years with various people out kerr said before the game and weve just got to keep doing it theres no secret formula its just everybody being ready to play and ready to compete
before wednesdays game the rockets jason terry made a guarantee of sorts pledging that the warriors would have a long flight back to houston for a potential game 6 many of the warriors seemed mildly amused by terrys words others disregarded them all together
i dont care andrew bogut said
good for him thompson said
sure enough things got away from the rockets in a hurry thompson and green opened the game with back to back 3 pointers and rockets coach j b bickerstaff took all of 74 seconds to call his first timeout it did little good shaun livingston who replaced curry in the starting lineup sank his first six shots the warriors led by as many as 19 in the first quarter
rockets not named james harden shot 5 of 34 in the first half by the third quarter with the warriors lead continuing to grow the rockets yielded to the sad reality of a long off season ahead of them   and most likely an overhaul of their roster
the season from the beginning wasnt going our way harden told the ap just had too many distractions its just been like a bumpy road this entire season


anaheim calif   pekka rinne and the nashville predators clung to a small lead for two full periods scrambling and dodging and stopping everything the anaheim ducks could throw at them
they hung on until the final horn emerging triumphant from their first game 7 and opening a new chapter in smashville hockey
the ducks were left with the same strange story to tell for another long summer
colin wilson and paul gaustad scored in the first period and the predators hung on to advance to the second round of the stanley cup playoffs with a 2 1 victory over the ducks on wednesday night
rinne made 36 saves for the wild card predators who rallied from a three games to two series deficit and ousted the pacific division champion ducks with a workmanlike road victory with a few big saves by rinne and just enough fortunate bounces nashville earned just the third playoff series win in team history   the first since 2012 and the second over anaheim
it means a lot and it shows a lot of character rinne said we can learn from this series its a really good team we played against and theres a lot of good things we can take moving forward i think were a better team already
nashville will travel up the california coast to face the san jose sharks on friday night
its a big step said coach peter laviolette who improved to 5 1 in game 7s if you cant take this one step you cant take any more steps
the predators handled the pressure splendidly despite the franchises total inexperience with the winner take all game only six predators had even appeared in a seventh game with other teams but they all ended up celebrating a breakthrough for music city hockey at honda center
its nice to get to the second round wilson said i think our fans have been waiting for it and we want to keep moving on
for the fourth consecutive season the ducks blew a three games to two series lead and lost a game 7 at home
frederik andersen made 18 saves and ryan kesler scored a power play goal early in the third period for the ducks they had several late chances to tie the game while largely dominating the final two periods outshooting nashville 28 10 but a redirected shot clanked off rinnes post in the third and nothing went in during a frantic final minute leaving the ducks with a mountain of frustration
i thought we dominated them throughout the game ducks forward andrew cogliano said i dont think they had any really good looks and we hit a couple of posts this was probably one of our best games in the series but wasnt meant to be i cant explain it cant get a bounce it seems like to start out these games and they end up killing us
anaheim was a popular stanley cup pick after its incredible second half surge but the ducks couldnt break their cycle of game 7 collapses over the past four seasons they have been outscored by a combined 16 8 in seventh games since 2013 and 9 1 in the first periods of those games after nashville took its 2 0 lead
although just four players remain from the 2013 loss to detroit in game 7 anaheim has not even led in a seventh game since 2006   also the year of the clubs last victory in a winner take all playoff game
this seasons playoff collapse included three losses on home ice bruce boudreau dropped to 1 7 in seventh games in his nhl coaching career including six consecutive losses in anaheim and washington
boudreau was asked if it was the toughest game 7 loss of his tenure with the ducks
with the way the score was and the way we were pushing id say yes boudreau said adding that that was especially the case because of how hard we had to push from november on just to get to where we were
we did everything the hard way he said
corey perry did not score a goal in the seven game series and the former nhl most valuable player missed an open net for a tying goal in the third period
the ducks did not score an even strength goal in the final two games
the ducks recent game 7 failures followed similar scripts that had all started with an early goal by the visitors detroit los angeles and chicago all scored in the opening four and a half minutes
the predators waited just a bit longer than that getting on the board 6 minutes 19 seconds in when wilson got the puck away from simon despres an ominous quiet settled over honda center when gaustad doubled nashvilles lead with a high deflection of shea webers shot for his first goal of the postseason
kesler broke up rinnes shutout with 1815 left in the third on tic tac toe passes from hampus lindholm and jakob silfverberg


los angeles   c j mccollum scored 27 points damian lillard added 16 of his 22 in the fourth quarter as portland pulled away and the trail blazers capitalized on the absence of the injured chris paul and blake griffin to beat the los angeles clippers 108 98 on wednesday night in game 5 their first round series
the blazers are up by three games to two and could close out the best of seven series on friday in portland if game 7 is needed it would be on saturday back at staples center
maurice harkless added 19 points and 10 rebounds and mason plumlee had 10 points and 15 rebounds for portland the blazers made six 3 pointers in the fourth with lillard hitting five of his six as they outscored the clippers 37 27
j j redick led the clippers with 19 points jamal crawford the sixth man of the year added 17 points starting in pauls place jeff green also had 17 off the bench and deandre jordan had 16 points and 17 rebounds
try as they might the clippers could not overcome the double whammy of losing their two biggest stars paul is out indefinitely after breaking his right hand on a freak play in game 4 in the same game griffin aggravated a left quadriceps injury that had kept him out for three months during the season he will not be back in the postseason
lillard who had 6 points through the first three quarters led the blazers in the fourth he opened with a 3 pointer hit another one and then dunked off his steal from pablo prigioni the blazers ran off 7 straight points capped by allen crabbes 3 pointer to go up by 90 77 for their first double digit lead of the game
ive always been able to put the first three quarters behind me and come up big when my team has needed it lillard said it wasnt even so much missing the shots that were bothering me it was just that i couldnt get any attempts because they were so aggressive but i stayed with it kept my mind right and i saw one go in that was it
they were not done
lillard and mccollum the leagues most improved player combined for an 8 0 run with both hitting 3 pointers that extended portlands lead to 102 86
mccollum scored 10 points in the third as the blazers took a 71 62 lead the clippers answered with a 9 0 run getting a dunk and 3 pointer from green to tie it at 71 71 going into the fourth
weve got a unique opportunity to play an elimination game at home and now we want to make sure we take full advantage of it mccollum said
the clippers controlled the second quarter leading by 50 45 at the half with six players scoring without paul to control the offense they kept the ball in motion they rallied for an 18 18 tie to end the first quarter on austin riverss dunk
we just made some simple mental mistakes and with blake and chris out we cannot really afford to make mistakes rivers said we played pretty good defense over all i just think we need to be better offensively


geneva   the united nations special envoy for syria closed two weeks of talks with warring parties on thursday without setting a date for the next round and he urged russia and the united states to revitalize a collapsing cease fire
after briefing the united nations security council by video link from geneva late wednesday night the envoy staffan de mistura told reporters that he hoped to reconvene the indirect negotiations he has been mediating in geneva sometime in may but he made it clear that global powers first needed to revive the cessation of hostilities they negotiated at the end of february
the truce sharply reduced hostilities in march and allowed aid groups to deliver humanitarian supplies to starving civilians in besieged areas but united nations officials say the syrian government has stalled aid deliveries in recent weeks and mr de mistura acknowledged that an escalation in fighting had left the truce barely alive
much the same could be said of the indirect talks he conducted in an effort to broker a political solution to syrias five year old civil war mr de mistura opened a third round of discussions with government and opposition negotiators two weeks ago stating his intention to focus on the terms of a political transition
the syrian oppositions negotiations committee submitted a series of papers laying out proposals for a transitional government that would exclude president bashar al assad but opposition members walked out of formal talks last week to protest mounting cease fire violations in syria and stalled aid deliveries
government negotiators stayed on in geneva and continued what they described as useful and productive meetings with mr de mistura until wednesday but they showed no sign of engaging in substantive talks about a political transition
the discussions limping on in geneva this week have been overshadowed by reports of airstrikes rocket attacks and artillery exchanges that have caused a steadily rising number of civilian casualties around the northern city of aleppo
how can you have substantial talks when you have only news about bombing and shelling mr de mistura said thursday
there was no reason russia and the united states could not revitalize the cease fire and the peace process in which they had invested so much political capital mr de mistura said after briefing the security council he urged them to convene a meeting of the international syria support group which they lead
high level contacts between washington and moscow over the past week have yet to produce a date for that meeting or any sign of convergence on ways to reinvigorate the peace process
russia has defended attacks by syrian government forces around aleppo as a response to provocations by rebel groups that are not party to the cease fire and on wednesday it called on the united nations to blacklist as terrorists two groups that are partners in the main opposition coalition


at a time when many have questioned whether the los angeles county museum of art would ever be able to raise 600 million for its building project the museum announced on wednesday that it had received 75 million from two of its loyal supporters
elaine wynn a co founder of wynn resorts and a co chairwoman of the museums board pledged 50 million to start the next phase for the peter zumthor designed permanent collection building
in addition a jerrold perenchio a los angeles billionaire who helped build univision added a 25 million pledge to his original commitment of 47 paintings worth more than 500 million
there has been quite a bit of work to get the project to this point michael govan the museums director and chief executive said in a telephone interview these two gifts together are the largest single pledge to a cultural institution in la
the pledges are contingent on the progress of the building project which will be subject to environmental review and public approvals this summer
the pledges bring the total amount committed for the building so far to 275 million including a 125 million contribution and future financing from the los angeles county board of supervisors to be matched by 475 million in private support
the project which will replace four of seven current buildings to present the permanent collection is on track to begin construction in mid to late 2018 and to open in 2023


patrick vieira may not have known precisely what to expect in his first season as new york city fcs coach but he most assuredly did not expect this
vieira has been without the persistently injured midfielder frank lampard who has yet to play a minute all season vieiras reconfigured defense remains prone to errors and he has already dropped two of his stars andrea pirlo and mix diskerud from the starting lineup   in diskeruds case more than once   in order to choose the best team to win football matches
so far he has not done as much winning as he would like either
wednesday nights 1 1 tie with the montreal impact at yankee stadium was in some ways more of the usual for vieira nycfc threatened to begin reversing its early season story line with a well crafted goal after halftime but then surrendered a tying goal in injury time to spoil a solid effort and toss away a vital 2 points in the standings
there were hints of normalcy as pirlo returned to the lineup   diskerud started on the bench for the second game in a row   but the heavy lifting was again done by the teams grinders instead of its best paid players
wednesdays first goal was conjured by three of them with right back r j allen starting a rush out of midfield in the 51st minute allen fed the ball up the wing to forward khiry shelton who rewarded a slashing run into the center by tommy mcnamara with a scorching cross that mcnamara deftly stabbed back into the path of allen who had never stopped running allen capped the three pass drive by slotting mcnamaras dropback past goalkeeper evan bush
it was a rare offensive flourish for nycfc which had managed only three goals in its previous five games and while the hard running david villa nearly chipped a shot over bush to double the lead a few minutes later it seemed through most of the second half that allens goal would decide the sometimes listless match
montreals didier drogba whose talent had surely worried vieira and his still maturing back line got little service and rarely threatened when he switched jerseys in the second half to one with no name or number on the back he became even more anonymous   until his free kick a minute into stoppage time found the substitute dominic oduro at the near post for the tying goal
the result hopeful and then frustrating did not fix everything for nycfc although pirlo returned to the starting lineup he was a phantom in the midfield creating little before he was replaced by diskerud in the 77th minute and the tie extended the teams winless streak to seven games with a tough road stretch coming
still for vieira who after last weekends loss at philadelphia had said that we are frustrated and disappointed and theres a lot of anger avoiding a loss counted as a temporary step forward
the only way to turn the season around is to keep doing what we are doing he said


madrid   an early goal by the youngster saul niguez gave atletico madrid a 1 0 victory over bayern munich in the first leg of their champions league semifinal on wednesday
niguez a 21 year old midfielder cleared three defenders before entering the area and hitting a low well placed shot into the far corner in the 11th minute at vicente calderon stadium
a draw next week in germany would be enough for coach diego simeone and atletico to reach the final for the second time in the last three seasons
coach pep guardiolas bayern trying to reach the final for the first time since winning the title in 2013 came close to equalizing with a long range shot by david alaba in the 54th minute but the ball struck the crossbar with atletico goalkeeper jan oblak already beaten
striker fernando torres could have increased atleticos advantage in the 75th minute but he also struck the bar after a breakaway
it was a fantastic night and im happy for all atletico supporters torres said weve got what we wanted which was to get the scoreline in our favor ahead of the second leg
real madrid and manchester city drew 0 0 in their first leg match in england on tuesday
wednesdays draw ended an 11 game bayern winning streak and kept the german team winless in its last eight knockout games away from home
we had a slow start guardiola said we have to play at a different pace in the second leg their goal was brilliant but it came from our mistake   we kept standing off him im not happy with how we played if we let them run and win fouls it will be hard its not a good result
bayern in the semifinals for a fifth straight year has been eliminated by spanish clubs at this stage of the champions league the last two seasons real madrid in 2014 and barcelona in 2015 it was the teams ninth loss in 13 trips to spain
guardiolas team controlled possession but was not able to break through the tight defense set up by simeone
bayern was able to threaten more in the second half and created some clear scoring chances but could not capitalize on any of them in addition to alabas shot onto the crossbar bayern came close to scoring with a header by javi martinez in the 56th and a powerful shot by arturo vidal in the 73rd
both attempts required difficult saves by oblak who has kept a clean sheet in five straight games
we did very well in the second half alaba said we created a lot of chances but in the end it wasnt enough
atletico had also not created much when niguez scored to ignite the crowd of more than 50000 fans he left three defenders behind before moving into the box and clearing one more and then calmly fired a left foot shot past goalkeeper manuel neuer the ball struck the far post before going in
it was definitely the most important goal of my career niguez said and probably the most beautiful one as well


dustin pedroia had a grand slam and a solo home run david ortiz passed two hall of fame red sox on the extra base hitting list and host boston beat the atlanta braves 9 4 on wednesday night
ortiz had three doubles giving him 1119 extra base hits and passing ted williams and jimmie foxx on the career list he is now tied with the hall of famer george brett for 16th
freddie freeman homered to end atlantas 15 game home run drought
orioles 3 rays 1 joey rickard hit a three run home run and chris tillman gave up two hits in six and two thirds innings to help baltimore break a three game losing streak with a win at tampa bay
rickards homer was only the third in eight games for the orioles tillman 2 1 tied a career high with nine strikeouts
phillies 3 nationals 0 jeremy hellickson allowed two hits over seven innings and philadelphia won at washington
hellickson 2 1 struck out eight and lowered his era from 521 to 381 he gave up a ground rule double in the second inning to daniel murphy the nl batting leader and danny espinosas 500th career hit on a bunt single in the fifth
white sox 4 blue jays 0 dioner navarro hit a go ahead triple in the seventh inning and visiting chicago beat toronto for its sixth straight win
jose quintana 3 1 struck out a season high 10 for chicago and lowered his era to 147
giants 13 padres 9 brandon belt was a homer short of the cycle and drove in five runs and san francisco completed a three game sweep of visiting san diego
jeff samardzija 3 1 pitched five and two thirds innings and broke a tie with a two run single for the giants who won their fifth in six games
tigers 9 athletics 4 justin verlander pitched impressively into the seventh inning and host detroit beat oakland
detroits j d martinez hit a three run homer in the second inning and victor martinez added a three run homer of his own in the sixth
verlander 2 2 allowed three runs and five hits in six and a third innings his third straight quality start since april 11
nintendo cedes control nintendo of america plans to sell its controlling stake in the seattle mariners the team chairman howard lincoln said nintendo will sell to a group of minority owners led by john stanton
the sale is subject to league approval


after matt harvey completed his warm up throws he nodded toward catcher kevin plawecki signaling that he was ready to go
harvey had won his most recent start on friday at atlanta for his first victory of the season but his outings have been less than stellar   he sported a 524 era and had not lasted more than six innings in any of his four starts
the players the cincinnati reds trotted out on wednesday presented a prime opportunity for harvey to regain his form but against the first batter of the game zack cozart harvey gave up a home run next up ivan de jesus jr lined a single off harveys backside
harvey escaped the first inning without further damage by striking out the next three batters setting the cadence for his night
like a ship wading through rough waters harvey encountered his share of whitecaps but he finished in good condition striking out seven in six innings while allowing two runs and seven hits as the mets defeated the reds 5 2 at citi field
this is the best i think hes thrown all year manager terry collins said i think hes making strides
neil walker drove in two runs to support harvey with one of the rbi coming in the third on his ninth home run which tied him for the franchise record for april last season with the pittsburgh pirates walker did not hit his ninth homer until july 26
michael conforto left six runners on base in his first three at bats but compensated with a two run double in the sixth inning
during the game the mets bench coach dick scott told collins that conforto was learning from each and every at bat
collins said later i dont think hes overwhelmed by what were asking him to do right now
yoenis cespedes did not start for the fifth straight game but said he expected to be back in the lineup friday against the san francisco giants without cespedes the mets have leaned heavily on conforto and walker to produce runs
right now he and michael are driving in the big runs for us collins said of walker with ces out of the lineup we need those guys to do that its great to have him do it i hope he continues i hope he ends up with 50 homers right now hes been a huge part of our offense
the mets promptly gave harvey a lead after cozarts homer scoring two unearned runs in the first with help from walker
with two outs lucas duda hit a fly ball that hit off the side of the glove of left fielder scott schebler allowing alejandro de aza to scurry home from second base walker then drove in duda with a hard hit single to right field
harvey pitched a clean second striking out two before loading the bases in the third with only one out harvey struck out eugenio suarez though and evaded more damage when walker dived up the middle to snag a soft liner off the bat of devin mesoraco
after harvey gave up another run in the fifth mesoraco grounded into a double play to end the inning
i still didnt feel great all the time the entire outing but over all i was able to stay in my mechanics a little bit better and kind of attack the hitters like i normally would and want to harvey said mentioning the importance of his preparation with the pitching coach dan warthen dan and i have been working so hard the past couple of weeks to figure out whats going on and were moving in the right direction
harvey pitched one more inning after striking out jordan pacheco on a 97 mile per hour fastball his 102nd pitch of the evening harvey 2 3 walked to the dugout where collins greeted him with a proud hearty handshake
all around obviously getting over five innings is big harvey said ive kind of struggled doing that creeping over the five inning mark is definitely a big plus for me for me to go out and finish that off and come out of a fresh inning was definitely big
after harvey departed the mets bullpen retired all nine batters it faced with five strikeouts since jeurys familia had pitched in the last three games addison reed pitched the ninth inning for the save
the outing was arguably harveys best of the season despite his missing the dominating control that has defined much of his career
when accurate harvey mixed an array of breaking pitches and was able to cruise through the reds lineup like a clipper ship
the mets committed two errors with harvey on the mound in a sloppy game featuring a combined five errors before the end of the fourth inning from then on the mets played solidly enough on defense to pick up their 11th win in 13 games and their sixth consecutive victory


the office of mayor bill de blasio has received subpoenas from federal and state prosecutors in connection with a series of overlapping investigations into his fund raising activities the counsel to the mayor said on wednesday
the subpoenas came from preet bharara the united states attorney for the southern district of new york and from the manhattan district attorneys office
city hall has been subpoenaed the counsel maya wiley said in a statement we are fully cooperating with the investigation the mayor has not been personally served
the subpoenas went to at least one of mr de blasios top aides emma wolfe according to a person familiar with the matter and to ross a offinger his campaign finance director according to another person familiar with the matter it was not clear when they were received
the precise nature of the information sought in the subpoenas was not immediately clear but the origin of the subpoenas and their targets suggested that the authorities were delving deeper into aspects of mr de blasios fund raising on behalf of state senate democrats in 2014 both ms wolfe and mr offinger were directly involved in discussions with potential donors including at a meeting in september 2014 at which the mayor also spoke
a lawyer for mr offinger harlan a levy said his client had committed no crimes mr offinger did nothing wrong mr levy said he is a highly respected fund raiser who was simply doing his job
karen hinton the mayors top spokeswoman declined to comment on details of the investigation but said all involved followed the letter of the law she added that ms wolfe is a highly regarded public servant whose integrity should not be questioned
mr de blasio made electing fellow democrats to the state senate a priority in late 2014 and actively worked to direct contributions to state and county party committees those committees then financed several candidates in difficult races mr de blasios lawyers have said the entire process was routine and legal
but the transactions came under criminal scrutiny after complaints from republicans to the state board of elections prompted an investigation by the boards enforcement counsel risa s sugarman her report recommending a criminal inquiry by prosecutors was leaked late last week prompting strong criticism from mr de blasio and his lawyers who suggested there had been political motivations behind the investigation and the leak
the subpoenas suggest however that prosecutors are looking seriously at whether the fund raising activities went over the line in the case of the 2014 election they are looking to see whether donations to candidates were funneled through county party committees to evade contribution limits a violation of state law and a possible felony
a subpoena also went to berlinrosen a public affairs consulting firm that has provided political advice and press officers for mr de blasios campaign efforts according to one of the people familiar with the matter
those efforts included the nonprofit campaign for one new york which the mayor created to advocate his agenda and which collected contributions from those with business before the city federal investigators are also looking at the nonprofit several contributors also gave money to the senate campaign
were proud of the work we do for our clients said jonathan rosen a principal at berlinrosen as well as a close friend and adviser of the mayor we have acted appropriately and in accordance with the law at all times


tampa fla   shane prince scored twice in a three goal first period and john tavares had a goal and an assist as the islanders defeated the tampa bay lightning 5 3 on wednesday night in game 1 of their second round stanley cup playoff series
taking up where he left off in helping the islanders advance beyond the first round for the first time in 23 years tavares the teams captain assisted on a travis hamonic goal to erase an early deficit
tavares also scored his sixth goal of the postseason on a blistering shot from the left circle that gave the islanders a 4 1 lead midway through the second period
the islanders needed overtime to take three of their four victories over the florida panthers in the opening round this one though was never seriously in doubt after the islanders wiped out the 1 0 lead that tampa bay took on an ondrej palat goal just over three minutes into the game
i think our groups got a great mind set a lot of confidence obviously tavares said were all very familiar with one another and just want to keep rolling
tampa bay closed the gap to 4 3 on third period goals by nikita kucherov and valtteri filppula before cal clutterbuck scored an empty netter in the final minute to seal the victory
thomas greiss who won one game in overtime and two in double overtime against florida finished with 33 saves for the islanders who were outshot 28 10 over the last two periods
game 2 is saturday at amalie arena
lightning goalie ben bishop   who was superb against detroit in the opening round allowing no more than two goals in any of the five games   yielded four goals on 13 shots by the islanders before being replaced by andrei vasilevskiy
hed probably like to have one back but at the end of the day hes going to bounce back islanders coach jack capuano said of bishop hes a great goaltender its a long series
its just one game but whatever guys in there weve just got to continue to do what we need to do and get pucks and bodies to the net some of our shots had eyes again you need some puck luck in this game if youre going to win and we had that tonight
tampa bay entered the series following a six day layoff but the benefit of the extended rest was debatable after the islanders overcame the early deficit to take a two goal lead into the first intermission
prince scored twice in the final 2 minutes 32 seconds of the opening period
first he camped out alone in front of the net to deflect a pass from ryan strome past bishop a vezina trophy finalist then prince beat bishop again with a wrist shot from the right circle with 21 seconds left in the period
the islanders built a 3 1 lead despite failing to capitalize on their first two power play opportunities given a third chance with a man advantage the islanders struck with tavaress goal making the score 4 1 and ending bishops night
one of those nights where nothing goes your way bishop said you just have to move on from it its not about the last game its about the next one so i need to focus on that
the islanders three goal opening period ended a streak by bishop who had allowed two or fewer goals in eight straight playoff games dating to last year
capuano took a puck to the face in the third period but returned to the bench before the end of the game
islanders center josh bailey did not play after leaving the teams first round clinching victory with an upper body injury the lightning were without their captain steven stamkos defensemen anton stralman and right wing j t brown


courtney lee was steaming after missing a layup that would have given charlotte the lead heading into the final minute
his anger did not last long
miamis will last for a while
lees 3 pointer with 252 seconds left put the hornets ahead to stay and charlotte beat the heat 90 88 in miami in game 5 of their eastern conference first round series wednesday night
the hornets have won three straight games in the series and will take a three games to two lead into a potential game 6 clincher on friday night
marvin williams led the hornets with 17 points while al jefferson and kemba walker each had 14 for charlotte which got its first road playoff win in 14 years jeremy lin added 11
dwyane wade scored 25 for miami while luol deng scored 15 joe johnson added 13 and hassan whiteside finished with 11 points and 12 rebounds
miami thought wade had been fouled with 26 seconds left then thought they had fouled cody zeller in an effort to send him to the line as time was running out neither call came and the heat are a game from elimination
lee missed a layup with about a minute left insisting he had been fouled by wade but the heat came up empty on the ensuing possession and lee got an offensive rebound and eventually scored on charlottes next trip down the floor
that capped the scoring as miami left stunned
miami started the game by running out to a 14 6 lead before the hornets answered with a 14 0 run   featuring four 3 pointers each from a different player the hornets finished with five 3s in the first quarter for a 28 25 lead and led by 40 28 midway through the second
that was when wade got going
he scored 10 of his 14 first half points in the final 5 minutes 49 seconds before intermission setting off a 17 7 miami burst to narrow the gap to 49 47 everything in his bag of tricks was working in that stretch alone he hit a short bank shot a midrange jumper a layup a finger roll off a eurostep move and a dunk in traffic that brought the capacity crowd to its feet
jackson and blatt said to meet phil jackson the president of the knicks met with david blatt on monday to discuss the teams coaching vacancy according to a person briefed on their discussion
blatt who coached cleveland to the finals a year ago was fired in january with the cavaliers in first place in the eastern conference cleveland general manager david griffin said at the time that the team was still underperforming and he cited a lack of connectiveness in the locker room
blatt a successful coach overseas before he joined the cavaliers before the start of the 2014 15 season coached cleveland to an 83 40 overall regular season record kurt rambis who took over as the knicks interim coach after jackson fired derek fisher in february is still believed to be the front runner for the job blatt did not immediately return an email seeking comment jacksons meeting with blatt who played at princeton with knicks general manager steve mills was first reported by the vertical scott cacciola


an african american man in troy ny shot to death by a police officer after an early morning traffic stop a grand jury declining to indict a district attorney determining that the shooting was justified
a year ago the case might have ended there but as questions have mounted in troy about whether the man was armed gov andrew m cuomos executive order last summer giving the new york attorney general broad powers to investigate and prosecute in deadly encounters between police officers and unarmed civilians has scrambled the case setting up a collision between state and local authorities over an issue that has grown in national prominence with every death of an african american at the hands of a police officer
on wednesday the attorney general eric t schneiderman sued the rensselaer county district attorneys office over its handling of the shooting mr schneiderman said the local prosecutor had violated mr cuomos executive order by claiming jurisdiction over the investigation and convening a grand jury before mr schneidermans office had determined whether the shooting fell under the attorney generals mandate though local prosecutors have been leery of ceding their powers the shooting in troy is the first case since the order was issued in which a district attorney has openly challenged mr schneidermans authority as special prosecutor
less than a week after the shooting the district attorney joel abelove impaneled a grand jury which declined to press charges against the officer
mr abeloves conduct flew in the face of the public concerns about potential conflicts of interest that arise when local district attorneys investigate local police officers   concerns that led to the executive order the complaint says mr abeloves attempted five day end run around executive order 147 reinforces and exacerbates these public concerns the complaint says
through a spokesman mr abelove declined to comment on wednesday
mr schneidermans special investigations and prosecutions unit which he assigned to handle episodes in which civilians die in encounters with the police has looked into several such cases since the executive order was issued said eric soufer a spokesman for the attorney general who added that the local authorities have generally been cooperative only four cases were determined to involve civilians who were not armed and dangerous prompting mr schneiderman to intervene of those three are still open investigations   one in yonkers one in putnam county and one in the bronx   and one has been closed the closed case examined the death of raynette turner a woman who died while in the custody of the mount vernon police mr schneidermans office found in march that the police were not responsible for her death
according to the authorities the shooting in troy unfolded in the early hours of april 17 when sgt randy french pulled over edson thevenin 37 on suspicion of driving while intoxicated mr thevenin fled in his vehicle leading to a brief chase the authorities said that when two police cruisers caught up to mr thevenin his car struck and pinned sergeant french against his cruiser prompting sergeant french to open fire he fired eight times the police have declined to say how many times mr thevenin was shot sergeant french was treated for minor leg injuries
jurisdictional questions were murky almost from the start mr schneidermans office sent investigators to the scene but they were rebuffed by the local authorities mr soufer said the next day mr abelove announced that one of mr schneidermans investigators had told him the attorney general would not be investigating only to be contradicted by the attorney generals office which said it would review whether to take over the case mr schneidermans office followed up a day later with a letter to mr abelove requesting the case files
the lawsuit filed in new york state supreme court in albany says the attorney generals office told mr abelove at least three times that mr schneiderman was interested in the case
by the end of the week however mr abelove had already acted announcing on friday that a grand jury had declined to indict sergeant french after finding that his use of deadly force was justifiable under the law
the lawsuit addresses only what the attorney general says is mr abeloves improper assertion of jurisdiction mr schneidermans office has not yet decided whether it will ultimately intervene in the case


a former volunteer deputy for a sheriffs office in tulsa okla who fatally shot a suspect by accidentally firing his handgun instead of a taser was convicted on wednesday of second degree manslaughter the volunteers defense lawyer said
the volunteer robert c bates 74 was a reserve deputy with the tulsa county sheriffs office when the shooting happened on april 2 2015 during an illegal gun sales sting he faces up to four years in prison
the shooting was captured on video by a body camera worn by another deputy it showed the suspect eric c harris 44 who had fled from deputies being knocked to the ground and ordered to roll on his stomach as officers struggled to subdue him
a voice on the video could be heard saying taser taser a moment later there was a single gunshot and a voice saying oh i shot him im sorry
mr harris who was black was unarmed mr bates is white
the defense called mr harriss death an excusable homicide and argued that methamphetamine in his system and his cardiac health caused his death the associated press reported
mr batess lawyer clark o brewster said an appeal would be filed
the shooting prompted several investigations which revealed that mr bates a close friend of sheriff stanley glanz and a volunteer reserve deputy since 2008 had donated thousands of dollars in cash vehicles and equipment also discovered was a 2009 memo that questioned mr batess qualifications
sheriff glanz defended the program he told the tulsa world that mr bates was an old friend who made an error
a grand jury recommended that sheriff glanz be removed from office he was charged with two misdemeanors for refusing to release the 2009 report and for false expense reimbursements he resigned on nov 1 vic regalado who was sworn in as the new sheriff on april 11 has outlined plans to reform and restore the reserve deputy program


arlington tex   the yankees did not take batting practice wednesday which is to say they spent only slightly less time hitting baseballs than they have in many games this season
manager joe girardi said the move had been intended to give his team of older players a break after nine consecutive days of games and was not designed to shake them out of their offensive doldrums the idea of doing something whimsical like pulling his batting order out of a hat   as some managers occasionally do when their hitters are mired in a funk   did not appeal to his sensibilities
im too math oriented to do that said girardi who majored in engineering at northwestern
the math for the yankees is beginning to add up this season and the bottom line is that an offense meant to carry them by pounding baseballs off the walls and over them is not doing much of either
it was more of the same wednesday night when the yankees were muzzled by the texas rangers 3 2 they concluded the series having scored a total of six runs and have scored more than four runs only once since april 9
it was their 10th loss in 14 games and kept them in last place in the american league east as they head to boston for a three game series this weekend
we know that we can be more productive than were doing right now right fielder carlos beltran said its just not working my man i cannot point a finger on what it is or how or the reasons i just think right now were approaching every day with the right attitude and a great mentality   its just not working
if there was a kernel of optimism it was the return of alex rodriguez who had not played since leaving sundays game after tweaking an oblique with a warm up swing it was unclear how much rodriguez might help considering he was batting just 145 this season but he hit a solo home run doubled singled and walked figuring in both of the yankees runs
im just trying to find the cadence that i had last year rodriguez said the last week has been a little better
rodriguezs single came with one out in the ninth inning but after he was replaced by pinch runner aaron hicks rangers closer shawn tolleson got brian mccann to ground out and retired starlin castro on a sharp grounder to end the game
girardi said earlier that he was hopeful that rodriguezs return to the lineup would coincide with a return to the form he carried most of last season he said rodriguez had used the last couple of days to tinker with his swing
rodriguezs return to form is important he added because he is a middle of the order hitter if you get a couple guys going in the middle of the order you can really score a lot of runs he said
but other than rodriguez the yankees did little to dent the left hander martin perez who was pummeled in a 21 5 loss in july the last time he faced the yankees
besides rodriguezs home run double and single the yankees managed four other singles which was the continuation of a troubling pattern their slugging percentage is 370 second worst in the al last year it was 421 second best in baseball
the yankees are a team that is built around their sluggers aging as they are and an indomitable bullpen everything else   the starting pitchers the defense a few table setters   is in service to those strengths so when the yankees do not slug they typically do not win they are 3 12 this season in games in which they do not score more than three runs and in half their games this season they have not scored more than two
its frustrating but its going to turn and when it turns its going to turn big said girardi who was buoyed that the yankees hit several balls hard for outs you cant lose perspective its 20 games thats one eighth of the season
the yankees got a better than expected performance from pitcher c c sabathia who gamely prevented big innings early before settling into a groove and retiring nine straight hitters to carry himself into the sixth inning for only the second time this season the rangers first run came when ryan rua scored from third on a grounder that sabathia fielded and threw to first reminiscent of mad dash home by the royals eric hosmer in the clinching game of the world series
but after sabathia surrendered a two out walk to rougned odor in the sixth elvis andrus drove a triple into the spacious right center field gap that put the rangers ahead 3 2 it was not until odor walked that johnny barbato began to stretch and loosen in the yankees bullpen a courtesy that might have been extended to sabathia when he was the unquestioned ace of the staff not an innings eating fifth starter
the decision to let sabathia face andrus who had previously doubled in a run and had entered the night hitting 481 13 for 27 against sabathia was even more curious considering that girardi had said beforehand that he was ready to lean on his bullpen with an off day looming thursday
i liked the way he was throwing the baseball girardi said in explaining his decision i think he deserved to be out there at that point it was his game


gov bill haslam signed a bill wednesday that allows mental health counselors to refuse to treat patients based on the therapists religious or personal beliefs the american counseling association called the legislation an unprecedented attack on the counseling profession and said tennessee was the only state to ever pass such a law opponents say the legislation is part of a wave of bills around the nation that legalizes discrimination against gay lesbian bisexual and transgender people supporters say it protects the rights of therapists the bill does not allow counselors to turn away people who are in imminent danger of harming themselves or others it requires them to refer patients to other therapists if they decline to treat them ap
a measure to amend the state constitution to give legal protections to people who refuse service to same sex couples because of sincere religious belief was defeated in a house committee on wednesday making it unlikely that lawmakers will take up the bill before the end of their session in mid may three republicans joined three democrats to vote against the bill resulting in a split vote that effectively killed it the measure would still have required approval by the house before it would have been placed on the ballot for a statewide referendum in november opponents and legal scholars said it was overly broad and would effectively make prosecuting hate crimes impossible todd richardson the house speaker said in a statement that he was disappointed by the vote but that he remained committed to fighting for the religious freedoms of all missourians julie bosman
justice david prosser of the state supreme court announced wednesday that he planned to retire this summer after nearly 18 years on the court he did not give a reason justice prosser 73 one of five conservative leaning justices who control the court made headlines in 2011 when he placed his hands around the throat of a liberal leaning justice ann walsh bradley during an argument over the timing of the release of a divided supreme court decision upholding gov scott walkers signature law restricting public workers collective bargaining rights mr walker a republican has the power to appoint a successor to finish the justices term which ends in 2021 ap
an environmental effort in seattle to stop residents from tossing food scraps and other compost into the trash was ruled unconstitutional on wednesday by a judge who said sanitation workers collectors poking through peoples garbage violates privacy rights judge beth m andrus of king county superior court voided enforcement of the city ordinance the rule went into effect early last year and it required trash collectors to tag garbage cans that contain more than 10 percent compostable material with education information lawyers for a group of homeowners who sued the city said it made garbage collectors snoop through trash like police detectives judge andrus wrote that trash collectors search of garbage is a disturbance of peoples private affairs ap


reeling from their losses in tuesdays democratic and republican primaries senator bernie sanders of vermont and senator ted cruz of texas abruptly reordered their campaigns on wednesday aiming to preserve some small hope that the race might yet turn in their favor
mr cruz named a running mate carly fiorina to help bring down donald j trump the republican favorite and both spoke of mr trump in the language of relentless opposition casting him as a sinister figure who must not be allowed to become president
on the democratic side mr sanders said he would scale back his upstart bid for the white house and lay off hundreds of campaign workers a measure seemingly intended to extend the life of his candidacy but not to prepare for a general election
in an interview mr sanders acknowledged in the strongest terms yet that hillary clintons delegate lead might have closed off his path to the nomination and he was less combative toward his partys front runner in his moment of apparent defeat taking a tone of cold realism if not quite resignation
stymied in his efforts this week to challenge mrs clintons dominance in the urban northeast mr sanders said he would now refocus his efforts chiefly on the june 7 primary in california a state laden with both delegates and political symbolism by winning there he said he hoped to strengthen his hand ahead of the democratic convention in philadelphia where he would push his core priorities into the party platform
if we can win the largest state in this country that will send a real message to the american people mr sanders said and to the delegates that this is a campaign that is moving in the direction it should
the sanders campaign said late wednesday that it would continue to maintain a staff of more than 300 as the race moved toward california the campaign had roughly 1000 workers during the initial nominating contests
mr sanders did not rule out a comeback before the end of primary voting in june but he has appeared to tone down his antagonism of mrs clinton in recent days abandoning his brief attacks on her qualifications for the presidency and instead focusing on her policy stances and ties to wall street
if mr sanders seemed on wednesday to bow to political reality on the democratic side   and to mrs clintons apparent inevitability as the partys nominee   mr cruz took a far more defiant line in the republican race
walloped by mr trump in the last six primaries and lagging behind him in polls before next weeks contest in indiana mr cruz made a daring but somewhat desperate announcement that in the event of his nomination mrs fiorina the former hewlett packard executive would be his vice presidential running mate
appearing alongside mrs fiorina in indianapolis mr cruz delivered a stemwinder of a speech castigating mr trump as an untrustworthy narcissist he and mrs fiorina jointly criticized the news media for rushing to treat mr trumps victory in the nomination fight as a foregone conclusion
the republican race mrs fiorina said was a struggle for the soul of our party and the future of our nation
by rushing out a vice presidential pick before the indiana vote which is becoming make or break for his candidacy mr cruz opted to tear open his partys divisions even more widely rather than to stand down in view of mr trumps growing strength
mr cruzs criteria for a pick in his telling seemed to be aimed squarely at mr trump do they think through decisions in a rash and impulsive way he asked do they pop off the handle at whatever strikes them at any given moment he held up mrs fiorina as someone who knows where jobs come from
mr cruzs selection of mrs fiorina may present a perilous challenge for mr trump who is grappling with mounting criticism of his derisive remarks about women including his repeated claims that mrs clintons sole political asset is the womans card
mindful of the gender gap often evident in mr trumps polling cruz allies hope that mrs fiorina will prove a capable foil to him as she did while besting him in a series of debate exchanges during her own candidacy since endorsing mr cruz last month mrs fiorina has proved to be an eager surrogate attacking mr trump and mrs clinton with zeal
mr trump viewed unfavorably by most women in general election polls has clashed savagely with mrs fiorina in the past he has mocked her business record her voice and even her looks look at that face mr trump said in an interview with rolling stone magazine last summer would anyone vote for that
another slashing comment directed at mrs fiorinas appearance or gender could have grave consequences for mr trump especially with female voters he would need to win over to compete in the fall
mr trump responded to the surprise announcement with a degree of restraint referring to the new relationship between cruz and carly mr trump shook his head and raised his eyebrows as he dismissed the move
he has set a record mr trump said of his opponent he is the first presidential candidate in the history of this country whos mathematically eliminated from becoming president who chose a vice presidential candidate
mr cruzs gambit was received chiefly as an act of beleaguered improvisation   the political equivalent of a student pulling a fire alarm to avoid an exam
in the short term mr cruz may have succeeded in shifting the focus away from mr trumps success in the last two rounds of voting and from his own wheezing alliance with gov john kasich of ohio who agreed to clear out of indiana if mr cruz withdrew from competition in oregon and new mexico
yet his partnership with mrs fiorina may prove of limited value if mr trump clobbers them both in indiana where 57 delegates are at stake mr trump already leads mr cruz by more than 400 delegates and has gathered more than three quarters of the delegates he needs to clinch the republican nomination
mr cruz acknowledged in his speech on wednesday that he no longer had a chance of winning the 1237 delegates required to become the nominee but said he still planned to challenge mr trump in an open convention
with his announcement mr cruz becomes the first candidate in 40 years   since ronald reagan in 1976   to name a running mate before capturing his partys nomination
far more conventional is mr sanderss shift toward a strategy of dogged and benign persistence rather than aggressive confrontation with mrs clinton candidates for president routinely scale back their campaigns but forge ahead because they hope to advance a specific policy agenda or out of a sense of obligation to their supporters
mrs clinton for one insisted on fighting the 2008 democratic race all the way through the last day of primary voting even after barack obama had gained a permanent upper hand in the competition for delegates
yet few losing candidates in recent memory have generated the kind of electric energy within the democratic base that mr sanders has in the 2016 election democratic leaders are especially sensitive to his following among young people who have voted for him by staggering margins and whose support mrs clinton may rely on against mr trump in the november election
even if mr sanders shies away from direct conflict with mrs clinton he could still be an irksome presence in the race he is likely to win several primaries in may and a large scale effort in california could pressure mrs clinton to spend time and money there to forestall an embarrassing upset
but unlike mr trump who appears determined to batter mr cruz and mr kasich into submission mrs clinton and her allies have taken a gingerly approach to mr sanders in what seem to be the waning days of his campaign
they have urged mr sanders to sand down the sharpest edges of his arguments against mrs clinton and begin to prepare the party for a moment of coming together in philadelphia
gov jack markell of delaware a clinton supporter said democrats hoped for a somewhat rapid conclusion to the primaries but viewed withdrawing from the presidential race as a personal decision for mr sanders
obviously as you get to this point you want to see all democrats focused on the republicans and not focused on each other mr markell said mr sanders he added certainly believes that electing one of these republicans as president would be a real nightmare for the country


remember steven l rattners return to investment banking never mind
the former financier who in 2010 was barred from the business for two years and sought re entry in 2013 withdrew his long stalled request for reinstatement according to an april 8 letter informing regulators of the decision
the withdrawal occurred within weeks of the securities and exchange commissions order that cleared his path to affiliate with the advisory firm guggenheim securities
representatives of mr rattner said wednesday that the secs march 14 order approving his application to affiliate with guggenheim had been stayed while the agencys commissioners reviewed the work of the trading and markets division staff which had approved the march order
because guggenheim and mr rattner withdrew the application that review never took place the representatives said the wall street journal reported on tuesday that the sec was planning to reverse its earlier decision a spokeswoman for the sec said the agency declined to comment
davidson goldin a spokesman for mr rattner disputed the wall street journals report and issued a statement wednesday there was no reversal by the sec it said the commissioners decided to review the staff decision to approve steves application which automatically put a temporary stay on the staff approval order pending review
steve severinghaus a spokesman for the wall street journal said in a statement we stand by our story and nothing in the statement released by mr rattners reps contradicts our reporting
since 2010 mr rattners day job has been managing the family fortune and philanthropic assets of michael r bloomberg the former mayor of new york at willett advisors where he intends to continue working mr goldin said in the statement wednesday steve no longer has any interest in what he first applied for more than three years ago
the secs order clearing his return surprised many possibly because it had been so long since the scandal that ensnared the prominent media banker he was barred from certain wall street jobs for two years after settling civil claims stemming from an investigation in 2010 into kickbacks involving the new york state common retirement fund while he was an executive at quadrangle group a private equity firm he founded he did not admit or deny wrongdoing
in march when the sec issued its approval for mr rattners return to the securities business mr goldin said should he choose in the future this enables steve to engage in investment banking activities but he added that mr rattner anticipates remaining fully committed to his position as chairman of willett advisors
in being able to affiliate with guggenheim securities the investment banking arm of guggenheim partners mr rattner had a way back into the business if he decided to go there the new york firm is led by mark r walter who is also the managing partner of guggenheim baseball management one of the owners of the los angeles dodgers and alan schwartz the former head of bear stearns
a spokesman for guggenheim securities declined to comment on wednesday
the reinstatement application was actually made by guggenheim securities which filed it with the financial industry regulatory authority in april 2013 the decision to withdraw it was a joint one according to an april 8 letter to the financial industry regulatory authority and the staff of the secs division of trading and markets
mr rattner is now fully engaged with his responsibilities as chairman of willett advisors llc and intends to remain so for the foreseeable future the letter said accordingly guggenheim and mr rattner together decided that withdrawal of the application was therefore appropriate
mr rattner led the obama administrations auto industry overhaul until his regulatory troubles he was viewed as a star banker to powerful media and communications companies at morgan stanley lazard freres  company and lehman brothers he began his career as a reporter for the new york times and now contributes to its opinion pages
he went on to found quadrangle a private equity firm which is now led by michael huber


a plainclothes police officer shot and wounded a 13 year old boy who was seen carrying a replica handgun as he walked down a baltimore street on wednesday the citys police commissioner said
two plainclothes officers from the departments intelligence division spotted the boy while they were driving in an unmarked police car kevin davis the police commissioner said at a news conference after the officers stopped and identified themselves as the police the boy ran with the replica handgun still in his hand the commissioner said
the officers pursued the boy for about 150 yards rounding a corner before one of them opened fire he said the chief did not say where the boy had been shot but said he was expected to live
the commissioner said that he did not believe the officer who fired acted inappropriately and that he did not know if the boy had threatened the officers or given them reason to believe their lives were in danger
commissioner davis said he had seen the boys replica gun and could not tell the difference between it and a real firearm he described it as a dead on ringer for a beretta 92 fs semiautomatic pistol
he said the boy and his mother who was taken in for questioning were responsible for making a series of decisions that led to the police chase and shooting the mom knew that her young son a 13 year old young man left their home with what the mom describes as a bb gun in his hand he told reporters
the shooting occurred on the first anniversary of the funeral of freddie gray a young man who died after being injured in police custody and whose funeral was followed by a riot that shook the city
today is an important day the commissioner said its not lost on me what april 27 means to this city and what it means to this police department and what it means to me personally
he told reporters that the shooting took place in the context of rising gun violence in the city where he said gun related arrests had risen an astounding 60 percent this year he also said there had been a significant spate of gun violence in the city over the previous 48 hours


a new policy over bathroom choice has thrust the retailer target into the center of a nationwide debate over gender identity civil rights and privacy
last week target announced on its website that it would allow transgender employees and customers to choose the restroom and fitting room that corresponded with their gender identities about a month earlier north carolina passed a law restricting bathroom access to transgender people a bill that set off a national debate that has even extended to the presidential campaign
the companys announcement   the most prominent position taken by a national retailer   was greeted by cheers from supporters of transgender rights it has since also made target the intense focus of conservative activists lawmakers and consumers who oppose the companys stance highlighting the potential risks when a company takes a position on a hotly debated social issue
some groups have used targets announcement as a rallying cry arguing that targets policy threatens the publics safety an online petition started by one group the american family association calling for a boycott of target stores has been signed by more than 900000 people on tuesday the city council in oxford ala passed an ordinance forbidding people to use a bathroom that does not match the gender assigned to them at birth target has a store in the city
i will no longer be shopping at your store and neither will any of my family members and friends one person commented on targets facebook page you have all lost your minds
equipped with a growing arsenal of digital tools to organize boycotts spread poor reviews and otherwise negatively impact sales consumers are increasingly putting pressure on companies to address their concerns policies on gender and sexuality have repeatedly become points of contention putting some businesses on the front lines of battles over social issues
last year for example a number of companies vocally opposed so called religious freedom laws intended to give businesses legal cover to deny services to gays and lesbians walmart the nations largest retailer was among the most prominent voices and its influence was widely credited with pushing the governor in its home state of arkansas to sign an amended version of the states religious freedom bill
and the head of chick fil a the restaurant chain took a position against gay marriage in 2012 only to back off two years later and say that he had not meant to alienate customers
generally speaking as you saw in the gay marriage debate the big corporations tend to be out in front of congress and most of the states in implementing anti discrimination policies said william eskridge a professor at yale law school and a co author of sexuality gender and the law
the policies generally do not cost the corporations anything or very much and they create some degree of good will he said
the ordinance in oxford would make it a misdemeanor for people to use bathrooms that do not correspond to the gender on their birth certificates targets liability in such a situation is unclear
a company spokeswoman molly snyder said target would comply with all local laws but she also said our belief in and commitment to inclusivity has not changed
ms snyder said the companys policy had applied to employees for years though it had not been as widely distributed she referred to the original announcement which said that target regularly assesses issues that could affect business guests and employees and given the specific questions raised by recent legislative proposals we felt it was important to state our position
target may be betting on a more progressive shift in national attitudes on gender and sexuality many states have updated their statutes barring employers from discriminating based on sexual identity to include gender identity too
making these progressive value statements is a new form of advertising said jonah berger an associate professor of marketing at the wharton school of the university of pennsylvania
there may also be more practical benefits than just netting good will the equal employment opportunity commission the federal agency that enforces workplace anti discrimination laws has made it clear that blocking workers from using bathrooms that correspond to their gender identities violates federal law
any employer that has a rule to the contrary is going to find itself in very hot water said jillian t weiss a professor of law and society at ramapo college who has worked on a number of cases involving transgender workplace issues companies have got to be aware that federal law essentially prohibits them from having rules like the one passed in alabama
other companies including barnes  noble and hudsons bay company also have policies explicitly allowing transgender people to use a bathroom that does not correspond to their birth certificate gender
were hoping that other corporations will see that there is a price to pay potentially at least for pushing this lgbt agenda too far said tim wildmon the president of the american family association we just think this is a bridge too far


the billionaire investor william a ackman has become the unofficial leader of a thundering herd that has lost billions of dollars betting on valeant pharmaceuticals over the past year
the 49 year old founder of pershing square capital management the 125 billion hedge fund found himself going to bat again for valeant on wednesday when he testified before congress about valeants controversial drug pricing policies which have included inflating the prices of vital heart medicines right before learning that generic equivalents were coming to the market
mr ackmans firm has lost billions of dollars on valeant shares of the canadian drug maker have plummeted 85 percent since he first pitched the company as one of his best investment ideas at a hedge fund charity event last year
not coincidentally big names like paulson  company viking global investors and brahman capital have also lost billions collectively by betting on valeant   underscoring a growing phenomenon of hedge fund groupthink it is a reflection of big dollar investors chasing too few ideas and getting tripped up when things turn poorly for a company they have set big markers on
the bottom line is hedge fund herding is not going away anytime soon said andrew karolyi a professor of finance at cornell university if anything we are now seeing the early signs that this type of hedge fund herding is spilling over into herding of large institutional investors to the extent that that spillover grows and expands then we will be concerned
hedge funds piled into valeant as the stock soared more than 200 a share last year even as warning signs about the companys leadership and business practices began to appear the stock is now trading around 36 a share as valeant prepares to install a new chief executive and races to meet a deadline to file a delayed financial report
big hedge funds employ teams of analysts to conduct research on companies and they also spend tens of millions of dollars on outside research but managers are also influenced by the big bets of their counterparts so called best ideas get exchanged at charitable events and exclusive industry dinners attended by traders and managers
why do people believe it asked david maris an analyst at wells fargo they follow valeant because they want to follow it they want to believe they have found a new way to make money in pharmaceuticals without investing in new drugs   it sounds like a magic money box
the crowding of hedge funds into valeant was not an isolated event
sunedison a renewable energy company was once a hedge fund darling big investors included omega advisors glenview capital management and greenlight capital management david einhorn the founder of greenlight and one of the industrys most closely followed investors emerged as sunedisons head cheerleader when he gave a presentation promoting it in october 2014 at a manhattan charity event he called his presentation here comes the sun e playing of sunedisons stock ticker name
mr einhorn 47 whose fund at its peak owned 68 percent of the companys shares remained bullish on sunedisons prospects even as the stock which was trading at about 31 a share last summer plunged during the remainder of the year in early january as sunedison shares were trading at 3 mr einhorn got a representative appointed to the companys board
then on april 21 the company filed for bankruptcy shares now trade for around 24 cents
calculating specific losses for a hedge fund is difficult without knowing the prices which a firm purchased its shares but valeants and sunedisons plunging share prices have caused considerable carnage
it is a time of turbulence for the hedge fund industry where some of the biggest names have reported double digit losses last year firms fell deeply into the red after wide swings in certain so called hedge fund hotel stocks leading what daniel s loeb of third point management called a hedge fund killing field in a recent investor letter
the total value of hedge fund positions in sunedison which once accounted for 66 percent of the companys shares is now worth just 15 million after its bankruptcy filing according to factset the financial research firm before hedge funds began selling their sunedison shares last year the value of all of those firms holdings was 35 billion
the losses are worse with valeant at the beginning of 2015 hedge funds owned about 23 percent of the companys shares today the market value of the industrys holdings in valeant have fallen by 73 billion even as hedge funds bought more according to factset
firms have until mid may to disclose whether they sold or bought shares in the fourth quarter
that so many hedge funds remained bullish on valeant despite months of turmoil   as questions were raised repeatedly about its accounting practices   reflects the difficulty managers sometimes have with changing course
we all get lazy and when an idea seems to be working   inertia tends to take over and you stop paying attention said james chanos the founder of kynikos associates and one of wall streets best known bearish investors thats on full evidence with valeant and sunedison too he added
mr chanoss firm began researching valeant in late 2013 the company was a classic corporate roll up that was growing because of serial acquisitions piling on the debt at the same time his short thesis focused on the fact that wall street was giving the company too much credit for future growth that would continue only as long as valeant could keep acquiring bigger companies
in february 2014 mr chanos presented valeant as a stock to short at his annual bears in hibernation retreat in miami which some three dozen of his friends and like minded bearish investors in the hedge fund industry routinely attend
mr ackman reached out to mr chanos a month later to learn about his short bet and mr chanos offered to share his research mr ackman appeared not to be persuaded and by february of the next year he began to build what is today a 9 percent stake in valeant
now as a recently appointed member of valeants board mr ackman is not only one of the biggest investors in the company but has also positioned himself as an architect of its potential comeback as well his most recent investor letter on april 26 emphasizes his role in stepping in to stabilize the company earlier this year gaining two seats on the board
but much work remains valeant still has a debt pile of 31 billion to manage it continues to wrestle with the fallout from a now shuttered mail order drug distribution company philidor rx services which led to an internal review of its accounting for revenue from that channel it may have to restate earlier earnings
mr ackman in his opening statement on wednesday to the senate special committee on aging tried to strike a conciliatory tone when it came to the uproar over valeants history of increasing prices on drugs it acquired through acquisitions he said valeant will institute a process to ensure it considers all appropriate factors and patient access in particular when setting prices for its drugs
scolded by one senator for not looking closely enough into valeants drug pricing a somewhat flustered mr ackman said i regret that we didnt do more due diligence
for mr einhorn and sunedison the path forward is more uncertain normally equity holders get little to nothing in a bankruptcy reorganization mr einhorns greenlight firm cut its stake in the company nearly in half a few days before the bankruptcy filing but by then the damage was done
mr einhorn has not said anything since the bankruptcy filing and has said little to his investors this year about his bet on sunedison
but in a letter to investors in january mr einhorn quoted david bowie in what now seems like a prescient statement i dont know where im going from here but i promise it wont be boring


the confession came in bits and pieces over two and a half hours the suspect had been interrogated most of the night now a prosecutor and two detectives were asking him questions again with a video camera rolling
at first the suspect conrado juarez said he had helped his sister only dispose of the little girl folding her tiny body into a cooler and leaving it in a manhattan park he said he had found the child lying lifeless in his sisters hallway later he admitted he had molested the girl but said the abuse had happened days before she died
the prosecutor melissa mourges challenged mr juarez how had anjelica castillo the toddler known as baby hope died we just want to find out what happened so angie can rest and we can answer the mystery ms mourges said we know the sex and the death happened close together
a few minutes later two hours into his videotaped statement and 16 hours after he was taken into custody mr juarez said he had suffocated the girl covering her mouth with a pillow while trying to have sex with her on a bed in a spare room at his sisters apartment in queens
she was suffocated with a pillow mr juarez said speaking in spanish as he did throughout
how did you do it he was asked by a spanish speaking detective who served as an interpreter
i covered her mouth he replied
the videotaped confession was recorded on oct 12 2013 at the cold case squads office in brooklyn it was played publicly for the first time on wednesday at a hearing in state supreme court in manhattan to determine whether the statements could be admitted as evidence at mr juarezs trial
mr juarezs arrest ended a 22 year search for the killer of a girl no one reported missing and whose identity had been a mystery for two decades she was found in july 1991 stuffed in a cooler left in some woods near the dyckman street exit of the henry hudson parkway investigators named her baby hope
mr juarez 55 a restaurant worker was taken into custody and charged with murder a few days after the police acting on a tip identified the dead girl as anjelica castillo and began interviewing her family members mr juarez was a cousin of anjelicas who was 4 and lived with mr juarezs two sisters in queens
the prosecutions case against him rests entirely on statements mr juarez made to the police and prosecutors there is no scientific evidence tying him to the crime prosecutors have said
mr juarezs lawyer michael j croce has argued his confession was coerced and should not be allowed into evidence detectives took him into custody around 430 pm on oct 11 2013 near the restaurant where he worked in the west village and interviewed him until just before 5 am the next day that interview was not recorded and the only accounting of it was a memorandum prepared by the detectives based on their notes days later mr croce said
that memorandum was read in court on tuesday by a detective evelin gutierrez it said mr juarez denied killing anjelica and blamed his sister balvina juarez ramirez who is now dead but at the time was the girls guardian mr juarez told detectives he had helped his sister dispose of the body he also admitted he had had sexual intercourse with the girl but said he did not know how she had died detective gutierrez said
two hours later ms mourges the prosecutor arrived and began a new interview of mr juarez along with the lead investigator detective robert dewhurst and detective carlos vazquez who acted as a spanish interpreter
at times mr juarez seemed confused he initially said he did not want to talk but when he was shown the waiver to his right to silence that he had signed earlier in the morning he agreed to answer questions
he said he was living in the bronx in 1991 but would sometimes stay at his sisters apartment in queens on the weekends because it was closer to his job at the time one night he said he got in late after work while the house slept and encountered anjelica as she was coming out of the bathroom he was drunk he said
mr juarez said he led the girl to a spare bedroom and molested her but denied he had intercourse with her told his story was unbelievable he said he had smothered her with a throw pillow you had the pillow in your hand and pushed it to her face ms mourges asked in my hand yes he answered
then he said he woke his sister and asked for help it was her idea he said to put the childs body in a cooler and leave it in a distant park he described folding anjelica in half putting her in a garbage bag and tying it with a cord he said they put cans of sodas on top of her then they took a cab to upper manhattan carried the cooler into some woods off the henry hudson parkway and left it he said
i went home and i felt very sad he said
mr juarez said the police discovered the cooler about two weeks later other members of his family knew the dead child was anjelica as soon as they saw police sketches on television but said nothing to the authorities the family told people that anjelica had been sent to live with relatives in mexico
when the interview ended mr juarez thanked the prosecutor when you keep things inside and then you release them it makes a big difference he said
mr croce his lawyer said the confession was false mr juarez told the prosecutor what he thought she wanted to hear after detectives leaned on him through the night to say he had killed anjelica mr croce said when he realizes hes not giving them what they want he added he tries to give them what they are looking for


berlin   chancellor angela merkel on wednesday replaced the chief of germanys foreign intelligence service the move caught many by surprise as europe faces growing pressure from islamist terrorism and as the chancellor looks ahead to a general election next year
peter altmaier ms merkels chief of staff said the decision to replace the spy chief gerhard schindler was a response to the challenges the intelligence agency faced including new security threats and reforms being considered by a parliamentary oversight committee
the committee was formed after revelations by edward j snowden a former contractor for the national security agency that washington had tapped the chancellors personal cellphone in 2013 last year agents in mr schindlers agency told the committee that they had carried out searches at the behest of the national security agency without questioning whether they were in compliance with german law
it also came to light last year that german agents had spied on domestic and european companies further fueling outrage among germans
germany and the united states have clashed repeatedly over spying but mr schindler had managed to weather the uproar set off by each revelation
wednesdays announcement thus came as a surprise to many even within ms merkels party
i am shocked stephan mayer a member of the chancellors christian democrats told ard a public broadcaster
ms merkel has sought to mend her countrys differences with washington over intelligence gathering but many germans still believe that she has not done enough lawmakers have been debating a bill that would overhaul the foreign intelligence agency giving parliament more control over its actions and requiring increased transparency
mr schindler 63 who was to retire in two years will be replaced on july 1 by bruno kahl an official from the finance ministry
opposition lawmakers voiced concern that the change could endanger the push to enact changes at the agency


nuremberg germany   if the urgent challenge for germany last year was sheltering the hundreds of thousands of people who descended on the country almost at once seeking asylum then this years task is to integrate them
but before that can happen there is sifting to do lots of it
more than a million migrants have arrived in germany but the government emphasizes that far fewer will stay so far only 660000 have permission to remain officials said and the federal government has urged germanys 16 states to double last years total of almost 60000 deportations
to whittle down the numbers the authorities are halting family reunifications for two years and rejecting tens of thousands of applicants from the balkans algeria and morocco arguing that these countries are not at war
the task of deciding who will stay and who will go has fallen to officials like frank jurgen weise 64 who has led germanys sprawling federal employment agency based here in nuremberg since 2004
as the backlog of asylum applications surged to 300000 last year mr weise a colonel in the military reserves was also tapped to lead the federal agency for migration conveniently headquartered in this same bavarian city
he has called the huge backlog an embarrassment for germany and said the impression arose that germany has no plan as to what to do with the refugees
the energetic mr weise has engaged thousands of officials and begun a digital centralization of records to speed the processing of asylum applications and keep tabs on newcomers
open battles have erupted with entrenched officials who argue that new hurriedly trained recruits lack the experience to judge asylum applicants the security forces want to keep out would be terrorists and islamic extremists and to steer new arrivals to specific places of residence to prevent new migrant ghettos from forming in cities
mr weise shares those concerns but argues for faster handling to get migrants into german language lessons and integration courses and then into the labor market the government announced this month that it intends to subsidize up to 100000 jobs for unskilled workers
but the difficulty of allaying security concerns and speeding integration quickly emerges when observing the individual asylum hearings mandated by law and international agreement
even a straightforward case of a syrian man interviewed this month near nuremberg consumed well over an hour with translation for each question and answer
the interviewing official then had to do the same for the mans wife at this pace officials are lucky to handle four cases in a day even working the 50 hour weeks mr weise has requested
but as mr weise sees it this is the only way to fulfill chancellor angela merkels mantra well manage this
i cant say well try  he said
so it is that the fates of eight mostly young men from algeria and morocco gathered in a makeshift meeting room in cologne now rest in the hands of officials like him
with a map of germany and handwritten conjugations of german verbs taped to the walls these migrants most of whom arrived late last year said that all they wanted to do was learn german get out of this refugee facility for some 600 people work pay taxes and build the future denied them at home
we are praying for the people to accept us and not to discriminate said younis 23 from algiers not every dark haired person is a criminal we want to be treated as people we are all equal
but after an outpouring of welcome last fall attitudes have toughened particularly in the wake of hundreds of sexual assaults by young men in cologne on new years eve   a night that has become a symbol of troubled integration and a clash of cultural values
of the 153 suspects identified in more than 1500 cases of robbery and sexual assault 103 are from algeria and morocco according to the authorities the cologne police chief jurgen mathies said in an interview that most of the suspects had arrived in the recent influx of migrants
almost all of the 130 people charged so far are between the ages of 18 and 25 said a court spokesman wolfgang schorn
faced with these facts and punished by voters who supported a rising anti immigrant party in three state elections a wary german government is strengthening law enforcement and antiterrorism efforts and trying to speed integration
even migrants who are eventually deported should be occupied somehow while here ms merkel has said and they can take home any skills acquired
otherwise president joachim gauck said we risk that frustration and boredom turn into violence and crime or that political and religious extremism flourish
in cologne security fears are doubly acute after the new years eve assaults and the terrorist attacks in paris and brussels cologne is close to the borders with both belgium and france tension is palpable
the citys new police chief mr mathies has sharply increased police patrols particularly around the station and cathedral where the new years assaults took place he said this was needed to restore public trust in the security forces
by contrast younis and his friends all talked resentfully of greater police presence in cafes and on the streets the muslim assailants in paris and belgium were born and educated in europe they noted
the european leaders must differentiate between them and the people who came to secure their future and improve their economic situation said abdul rahim a 27 year old algerian he insisted that newcomers do not commit the kind of acts you saw here on new years eve
the group was bitter that official language and integration lessons are open only to syrians and others likely to win permission to stay
but officials now warn that even with special courses and attention many of those staying will lack suitable labor skills   a shift from initial buoyant predictions from industry which needs workers
most of the migrants come from countries where schooling lasts years less than in germany said karl brenke a labor and migration expert at the german institute for economic research qualifications are difficult to compare already there are 14 people competing for a basic unskilled job mr brenke said
he provided figures showing that the number of employable people who are jobless and living on welfare had swelled to 280000 in december from 116000 in early 2011 half are syrians
mr brenke said he saw a danger that migrants could remain unemployed for years even mr weise admits that employment could prove tough seventy percent of asylum applicants in 2015 he said were under 30 ten percent could find work within a year and 50 percent within five years
even without accommodating the north africans he said it is already clear that the refugees are not the work force that the german economy needs


the army corps of engineers has cleared the way for the creation of a 24 acre park on a pier in the hudson river with construction planned to begin as soon as this summer officials said on wednesday
the project which is expected to cost 130 million has been led and is being financed in large part by the billionaire barry diller it would replace a deteriorating pier at west 13th street in hudson river park the plans call for a pier over the water that has enough room for a park with performance spaces and wooded walking paths with rolling hills
the project was announced almost two years ago but it had to be approved by multiple agencies including the corps of engineers which had to modify an existing permit for the reconstruction of the pier and the new york state department of environmental conservation which issued its permit last month the city club of new york a civic organization sued to block the project until a new environmental review had been conducted and the legislature had approved the project but a judge in manhattan dismissed its lawsuit earlier this month
hudson river park runs along the west side of manhattan from 59th street to battery place on wednesday in a statement announcing the corps decision madelyn wils the president and chief executive of the trust that runs the park said that the group was excited to be in a position to start construction
still the projects critics have not given up saying they will appeal the judges decision and challenge the permits richard d emery a lawyer representing the city club said there were very serious defects in the approvals of this project particularly the evaluation of its environmental effects
we cannot allow them without a fight to drive piles into the sediment and thereby irreparably change the bottom of the hudson or that area of the hudson mr emery said


a robbery suspect apparently under the false impression that law enforcement officers rounding up suspected gang members in the bronx were actually looking for him fell from the sixth floor of a building to his death on wednesday as he tried to hide the police said
the man geovanni martin 21 plunged from a window at 693 east 236th street in the wakefield neighborhood at an apartment building where new york city police officers and united states marshals had executed an arrest warrant for someone else moments earlier according to the police mr martin was pronounced dead at jacobi medical center
the police said mr martin who was visiting the building was standing on a front fire escape when the officers and marshals were leaving the building with the suspect around 545 am they ordered mr martin to go inside and he complied according to the police but when the officers went back upstairs the police said they found him hanging from a different window ledge at the back of the building apparently trying to hide unable to support himself he lost his grip and fell to the ground the police said
mr martin was not the subject of the warrant but the police said he was a suspect in five robberies dating back to august in the bronx on monterey avenue clinton avenue and east 183rd street the victims were all women who ranged in age from 43 to 62 and were robbed mostly of jewelry and money the police said
mr martin was the youngest of three brothers who immigrated from jamaica and grew up in the bronx his father desmond martin said he liked soccer and a friend said he had dreams of opening a restaurant but he dropped out of high school and two years ago he moved out of his fathers place desmond martin said
im in a dark place mr martin said right now im thinking about how to get some money to bury him what can i do
the police whose raid focused on rival street gangs accused of several killings and drug trafficking had come to the wakefield building looking for dequan reid who according to mr reids sister tenisha monroe was good friends with mr martin she said her brother had surrendered that morning at the top floor apartment where they live
as the officers escorted mr reid to a waiting patrol car ms reid said a person yelled that someone was on the fire escape she said she heard officers behind the building shouting hes hanging hes hanging get off of there get off of there then a big thud


just past the midway point of a scoreless game 4 on april 20 florida panthers forward jonathan huberdeau took a long pass from jaromir jagr and rushed toward the islanders net defenseman ryan pulock in hot pursuit
the play ended with huberdeau splayed before islanders goaltender thomas greiss and the puck in the net huberdeau had crashed into greiss moments before his skate drove the puck into the net
but the chaos on the ice was marginal compared to the confusion surrounding whether the play was a goal
it turned into the latest strange moment in the era of the coachs challenge which seems to be finding balance as the stanley cup playoffs roll along
about a week into the postseason huberdeaus play was called no goal on the ice and appeared to be a perfect example after weeks of heated discussion over the challenge system which was introduced this season
the referees no goal decision was upheld twice first by the situation room in toronto and then again after florida coach gerard gallant challenged the call of goalie interference
that bizarre moment marked a turning point for the coachs challenge though there is still plenty of playoff hockey left nhl coaches have grown gun shy since the opening week of the playoffs since the night of huberdeaus no goal only one coachs challenge has been issued in 17 games compared with 13 challenges in the first 30 postseason games the initial surge in the postseason was a marked increase from the regular season in which there were 266 challenges in 1230 games or slightly more than one every fifth game
coaches give up their only timeout by requesting video reviews for calls of offside or goalie interference the addition in the postseason of extra cameras at the blue lines and in the crossbars of nets added an extra layer of sophistication to the review process
the coachs challenge i think is working well nhl commissioner gary bettman said last week its doing exactly what we expected this was to give our officials an opportunity to see on what was a judgment call could they make a better call and thats what weve called it the better call
for the time being coaches appear to have abandoned cries of goalie interference in an effort to overturn a goal of the eight challenges citing goalie interference entering play wednesday none of the goals were overturned
coaches claiming that a goal followed a missed offside call had greater success with four of six challenges overturning a goal those victorious challenges proved consequential as three of the four teams that won their challenges went on to win the game
with the exception of the huberdeau play and a st louis blues goal by vladimir tarasenko that was overturned because jori lehtera was ruled barely offside in game 2 against the chicago blackhawks the challenge has not been a major source of dispute during the postseason about three minutes after tarasenkos goal was waived off andrew shaw scored to give the blackhawks a 2 1 lead   a goal that was upheld after the blues challenged over goalie interference chicago won the game but st louis took the series in seven games
when a coach says hes challenging something its a close call sometimes and sometimes its a hard call to make bettman said our guys are doing the best that they can to get it right
he added were constantly trying to move forward on what technology is available to us but as you see from other sports implementing video replay its not easy
that gallant would challenge a play after it had already been rendered moot by an official replay is hardly surprising the panthers issued 13 challenges during the regular season ranking third in the nhl behind the san jose sharks and toronto maple leafs
but entering game 7 of their series wednesday night the anaheim ducks and the nashville predators had not used a single challenge then again anaheims three challenges during the regular season ranked second lowest in the nhl behind the islanders two
islanders coach jack capuano has become more aggressive in the playoffs matching his 82 game challenge total from the regular season during the islanders six game series win over the panthers
one of capuanos challenges resulted in an overturned goal by florida defenseman aaron ekblad in game 3 which reviews found had been preceded by a missed offside call the goal would have given the panthers a 3 0 lead in a game they eventually lost 4 3 in overtime
the nhl wants to get it right capuano said the day after the game 3 win i listen to all these controversies about whether its right or wrong at the end of the day you want to make the call right weve been on the other side of it to me if thats the integrity of the game that we want to make sure is in place thats fine with me


st louis   in a search for reasons the st louis blues were able to break through and win a playoff series for the first time since 2012 it is easy to start at goaltender
brian elliott was among the nhls best in the regular season and although the blues have a second starting caliber goalie in jake allen coach ken hitchcock never had reason even to consider a change during the teams first round triumph over the defending stanley cup champions the chicago blackhawks
elliott set the tone with a shutout in overtime in game 1 and was on top of his game throughout the series now elliott 31 who was passed over in previous postseasons in favor of jaroslav halak ryan miller and allen has his first series win
i think you soak it in through osmosis elliott said wednesday its not the kind of stuff you can write down its those feelings its those rising to the occasions
but he is far from the only reason the blues advanced
defenseman alex pietrangelo set the tone on the back line and often led the rush too he had a goal and five assists and averaged 30 minutes 43 seconds of ice time among the highest figures in the league
you realize the level you need to be at to have success pietrangelo said i think you look at guys who have been here through the failures in the past   we didnt want to go through that again
two rookies the strapping defenseman colton parayko and the speedy robby fabbri proved playoff ready too parayko scored his second goal of the series in game 7 and a fabbri pass set up troy brouwers series deciding goal
at the beginning of the year i definitely didnt envision playing in game 7 and scoring parayko said so thats a pretty cool moment and its exciting
fabbri had a goal and four assists and hitchcock was not afraid to use him in any situation
hitchcock who is fourth on the career regular season list for wins said that over the years the learning curve had gotten much shorter for young players parayko described this season as a whirlwind but seemed pretty calm keeping the puck safe
im shocked and surprised at it but every team seems to have it hitchcock said theyll be just as good or better in the next series because theres no fear in young players anymore
the blues were still basking in the afterglow two days after ending a frustrating three year stretch of top shelf regular seasons followed by first round exits after discussing practice plans heading into the second round against the stars a series that starts friday in dallas hitchcock gave the team a second day off to heal from a bruising series
hitchcock said that blackhawks coach joel quenneville had told him to go win a cup
when you beat a champion out youve earned the right to try and go for it hitchcock said were down to eight teams after tonight nothing but tough games
the former blues mainstay t j oshie   now playing for the washington capitals the top overall seed after an off season deal for brouwer   also relayed congratulations oshie said game 7 might have been the first time he had watched an nhl game on tv from start to finish
extremely happy for them oshie said its been frustrating i know for them it was for me when we were there when we felt like we put in so much effort and didnt get much out of it
now hitchcock faces the team he won a stanley cup for in 1999 and will match wits with lindy ruff on the opposite bench they have coached together on two olympic teams for canada
we became good friends hitchcock said being roommates with a guy for two and a half weeks you get to know a lot about a guy


despite decades of fervent student protests that reached a peak last fall the president of yale announced on wednesday that the university would keep the name of a residential college honoring the 19th century politician and white supremacist john c calhoun
the president peter salovey also said the university would name its two new residential colleges for anna pauline murray and benjamin franklin the selection of ms murray a legal scholar and civil rights activist who graduated from yale law school in 1965 represents the first time the school has honored either an african american or a woman with the naming of a college
many students were perplexed by the selection of franklin who received an honorary degree from yale franklin like many other founding fathers was once a slaveholder himself before he became involved in the abolitionist movement mr salovey explained that franklin was a personal hero and role model of charles b johnson a businessman and yale alumnus who donated 250 million to pay for the new buildings   the largest gift in the schools history   and who suggested the honor
in a conference call with reporters on wednesday mr salovey said that while mr johnsons gift was not contingent upon naming the college after franklin i really want you to remember this is the largest single gift ever given to yale
in addition the faculty leaders of all yale residential colleges will shed their long held title of master they will now be called heads of college acknowledging the discomfort many students and faculty members felt toward a title that conjures the countrys history of slavery
as part of the resolution yale will start a historical study examining the lesser known people events and narratives behind the familiar facades seen on campus beginning with an appraisal of mr calhouns legacy
the various decisions came in consultation with the yale corporation the universitys governing body
on wednesday night the black student alliance at yale issued a statement calling the naming of murray college and the abandonment of the master title long overdue first steps towards creating a better and more inclusive yale retaining the name calhoun they said is a regression
mr salovey defended the calhoun decision as the best possible way for the university to confront its history
universities have to be the places where tough conversations happen he said i dont think that is advanced by hiding our past
similar heated discussions about historic ties between universities and their racist pasts have inflamed campuses across the country princetons board of trustees decided this month that the name woodrow wilson would remain on its buildings and school despite vociferous student objections mr wilson was an admirer of the ku klux klan and reinstated segregation in the federal government
yale has long grappled with the legacy of mr calhoun who advocated slavery as a positive good but the issue found footing last fall after an online petition demanding that the colleges name be changed garnered around 1500 supporting signatures
the dispute over calhoun college founded in 1933 that ensued soon revealed deeper discontent among students and professors over more substantive issues regarding race in particular what many saw as the universitys lack of commitment to faculty diversity and the alienation experienced by many minority students
a group of student activists   operating under the name next yale   handed mr salovey a list of demands last year that included increasing the number and tenure of diverse faculty members increasing the budgets for ethnic and racial cultural centers abolishing the title of master and naming the two new residential colleges after minorities
those demands were met in part but students have largely remained skeptical in november the university announced that it was committing 50 million to a faculty diversity initiative an effort to address the fact that less than 3 percent of its faculty of arts and sciences is black among yales roughly 5400 undergraduates 11 percent identify themselves as black or african american
karleh wilson a senior from louisiana who has helped organize the next yale protests said she felt the university did not go far enough to meet student demands there are more than enough alumni of color who the naming committee could have drawn from ms wilson 22 said
crystal feimster a professor of african american studies agreed saying she was deeply disappointed with the decision not to rename calhoun and found the selection of franklin a missed opportunity still she lauded the choice of ms murray whom she called a relentless advocate for racial equality and womens rights
jonathan holloway the colleges first black dean of students called this year a moment of reckoning that he hoped would strengthen the university
were trying to reconcile our current values and aspirations with these names he said we will have failed if we do not do that work going forward


detroit   in an unusual alliance between a traditional automaker and a technology company ford motor and google on wednesday joined to lead a coalition of companies that advocate federal approval of driverless cars in the near future
by teaming up to promote regulations that favor fully autonomous vehicles ford and google may be moving toward closer cooperation on the actual development of driverless models
fords chief executive mark fields has said in recent months that his company is evaluating potential partnerships with other firms on autonomous vehicles but has not made any formal moves in that direction
still by forming a public policy coalition that includes google ford is aligning with silicon valleys most prominent supporter of cars that can operate without a driver
the group which calls itself the self driving coalition for safer streets presented testimony on wednesday at a hearing on autonomous vehicles held by the national highway traffic safety administration
the hearing was the second conducted by the federal agency as it tries to develop national guidelines for the use of autonomous cars on american roadways
in january the obama administration said it hoped to expedite regulatory guidelines for autonomous vehicles and to invest in research to help bring them to market
while google has been at the forefront in testing driverless models many mainstream automakers like ford are also accelerating development of a wide range of autonomous vehicles
at wednesdays hearing at stanford university in california the nations top auto safety regulator mark rosekind said the federal government was hopeful that driverless technology could help reduce the annual death toll from traffic accidents in 2014 the last year for which data was available 32675 people died in auto accidents
mr rosekind said that more than 90 percent of vehicle accidents every year were the result of decisions made by drivers at the wheel   and self driving technology had the potential to prevent at least some of those accidents
we are focused on promoting safety innovation that can do the most to save lives he said
automakers are already putting some self driving features like automatic braking and steering in current models but the coalition led by ford and google is urging swift passage of regulations that allow for totally autonomous vehicles
in addition to ford and google the coalition includes the swedish carmaker volvo and the ride sharing firms lyft and uber the spokesman for the group is david strickland a predecessor of mr rosekinds as the head of the safety agency
there are policy issues and inconsistencies in the regulatory environment today that could greatly delay deployment or possibly deny full self driving from many that could benefit from its promise mr strickland said at the hearing
a ford spokeswoman christin baker said fords involvement with google was not an indication that the two companies were working together on a driverless car
the five founding members of the coalition are focused on public policy issues ms baker said thats the mission of the group
other carmakers including general motors and toyota testified separately at the hearing a toyota official in particular suggested that regulators hold off on setting requirements for self driving technology until it was introduced in the market
other groups that expressed support for self driving cars included those speaking for disabled persons who cannot operate a vehicle and mothers against drunk driving which noted that driverless cars could reduce the number of accidents that involve alcohol consumption
at an earlier hearing some consumer groups warned that driverless cars had not been perfected in testing environments one group consumer watchdog said that future regulations should require that a licensed driver was present and able to take control of a vehicle if autonomous technology failed to operate safely


taking a stance sharply at odds with most american public health officials a major british medical organization urged smokers to switch to electronic cigarettes saying they are the best hope in generations for people addicted to tobacco cigarettes to quit
the recommendation laid out in a report published thursday by the royal college of physicians summarizes the growing body of science on e cigarettes and finds that their benefits far outweigh the potential harms it concludes resoundingly that at least so far the devices are helping people more than harming them and that the worries about them   including that using them will lead young people to eventually start smoking traditional cigarettes   have not come to pass
this is the first genuinely new way of helping people stop smoking that has come along in decades said john britton director of the uk center for tobacco and alcohol studies at the university of nottingham who led the committee that produced the report e cigarettes he said have the potential to help half or more of all smokers get off cigarettes thats a huge health benefit bigger than just about any medical intervention
that conclusion is likely to be controversial in the united states where arguments about e cigarettes have jolted the traditionally low key public health community
e cigarettes deliver nicotine without the harmful tar and chemicals that cause cancer some public health experts see e cigarettes as the first real chance in years for 40 million addicted americans to quit but others including the federal centers for disease control and prevention have focused on the potential dangers of e cigarettes for example that they could extend smoking habits that they could be a gateway to traditional cigarettes for children or that their vapor could to turn out to have long term health effects
these guys in my view are going off a cliff said stanton a glantz a professor of medicine at the university of california who has been outspoken in his criticism of e cigarettes they are taking england into a series of policies that five years from now they all will really regret they are turning england into this giant experiment on behalf of the tobacco industry
but some american public health experts applauded the report saying the emphasis on policies that reduce harm such as recommending that smokers try e cigarettes or giving clean needles to drug users would probably save more lives
this is two countries taking pretty much diametrically opposed positions said kenneth e warner a professor of public health at the university of michigan school of public health one is focused exclusively on the hypothetical risks none of which have been established the other is focusing on potential benefits
he added the british are saying lets see how we can help the main smokers today who by the way are largely poor and less educated and lets not focus so much on kids who may or may not be sickened by this 40 years down the line 
smoking is still the largest cause of preventable death in the united states with more than 480000 people a year dying of smoking related illnesses in past decades smoking was spread throughout society but today in britain and the united states smokers tend to be poor less educated or mentally ill
e cigarettes now a multibillion dollar market have gained popularity faster than the federal government has managed to regulate them the food and drug administration has not yet published final rules that would subject them to federal oversight
a spokesman for the cdc said the agency would not comment on any report other than its own he reiterated the cdc position on e cigarettes there is currently no conclusive scientific evidence supporting the use of e cigarettes as a safe and effective cessation tool at the population level the science thus far indicates most e cigarette users continue to smoke conventional cigarettes
but the report cites evidence from britain that e cigarettes have helped with quitting robert west director of tobacco studies at university college london analyzed monthly household survey data going back to 2009 in england and concluded that use of an e cigarette during an attempt to quit was associated with a 50 percent increase in the chances of success compared with using no aid or using a product such as nicotine patches without any professional counseling he estimated that around 20000 smokers in england quit smoking in 2014 because of e cigarettes
professor glantz cited his recent analysis as evidence that e cigarettes in fact reduce the chances someone will quit smoking
the royal college of physicians is a respected doctors group that helps set medical standards in britain it issued a groundbreaking report on the dangers of smoking in 1962 that was seen as the precursor of the american surgeon generals report of 1964 that linked smoking with cancer the organizations last major report on reducing harm from tobacco use came out in 2007 before e cigarettes became mainstream and its authors said the new one was an attempt to evaluate their benefits and harms
the report walks through a decade of science listing studies that find in favor of e cigarettes as well as studies that do not it asserts that e cigarettes are only 5 percent as harmful as traditional cigarettes a conclusion that some american experts say has been lost in the united states in the rush to condemn e cigarettes it states bluntly that long term effects of nicotine are likely to be minimal
the emergence of e cigarettes has generated a massive opportunity for a consumer as well as a health care led revolution in the way that nicotine is used in society the report said as the technology of e cigarettes improves so the vision of a society that is free from tobacco smoking and the harm that smoking causes becomes more realistic


seoul south korea   when capt john ellerbe introduced himself to his new students last year he said one of them seemed unable to believe her eyes
she said she had never seen a us soldier before captain ellerbe said of the woman who was taken aback by his friendly demeanor in north korea they taught that we were like baby killers and we were basically out to get them
the army captains students were defectors from north korea now living in the south and doing what countless young south koreans do for a leg up in life studying english and in meeting captain ellerbe and other volunteer tutors from the main american military base in seoul they were getting an additional lesson
when i heard that i had to learn english from the american soldiers i was so afraid of and difficult to receive the fact a defector ms oh 23 said in imperfect english during a recent class reading a short speech she had written because i had learned that the american is very bad enemy to north people when i lived in north korea
ms oh was putting it mildly she asked that her full name be withheld to protect relatives still in the north where the government often punishes defectors families
from kindergarten onward north koreans are steeped in government propaganda much of it intended to stoke fear and hatred of americans   especially soldiers from the united states north korean troops conduct live fire drills using mock american soldiers as targets defectors from the north more than a thousand of whom settle in the south each year have said that a common school activity is for children to beat effigies of american soldiers with sticks
such indoctrination is countered for two hours every saturday at the english classes in southern seoul where americans like captain ellerbe along with english speaking soldiers from the south tutor 20 or so defectors ranging in age from their teens to their 50s the program is supported by the korea hana foundation an organization funded by the south korean government that helps defectors adjust to life here
this is a way of strengthening our alliance with south koreans said col maria eoff commander of the yongsan united states army garrison in central seoul where captain ellerbe and the other american tutors are stationed
choi hyun joon who came to south korea in 2008 and now leads a defectors organization unification future solidarity said he had the idea for the classes after he met with united states soldiers to discuss his experiences in the ministry of state security the north korean secret police
the ministrys responsibilities included keeping foreign influence like american movies and english language publications from reaching ordinary north koreans now mr choi is doing the opposite his organization provides the office space for the classes he said the news that defectors were learning english from american soldiers had reached the north by way of students talking to relatives and friends back home
they just wouldnt believe it mr choi said
north koreas government uses the specter of a constant american threat in its domestic propaganda to justify its authoritarian rule according to experts on the isolated country the propaganda draws heavily on memories of the korean war of 1950 53 when american bombers devastated much of the north and it accuses united states soldiers of grotesque acts of violence against civilians during the conflict
in 2014 north koreas leader kim jong un called united states soldiers cannibals during a visit to the sinchon museum of american atrocities south of pyongyang the capital which depicts what the government claims was the killing of tens of thousands of civilians by american soldiers and their south korean running dogs there the museum has been renovated to present even more graphic renditions of violence that the north accuses american imperialist wolves of committing in late 1950 historians say that most of the killings in and around the town of sinchon were carried out by anti communist korean militias and that pro communist forces also perpetrated atrocities that go unmentioned in the propaganda
as visitors move between scenes each complemented by screaming sound effects their senses are assaulted by what i can only describe as a pornography of violence a recent visitor to the museum wrote on the website 38northorg women having spikes nailed into their heads breasts being cut off children being torn from mothers arms mothers and children burned alive buried alive and tossed from a bridge men being blown up by dynamite inside caverns   the horrors are unrelenting in number and variety
decades of such propaganda left defectors like kim kwang ok 31 a student unprepared for the congeniality of the american soldiers in civilian garb who have been teaching her english in seoul
but i am embarrassed to admit that when i talk about them in korean i still inadvertently call them miguknom  ms kim said using the korean word for american scoundrels that was the only way we referred to them in the north
in north korea when you put yourself in a situation where everyone else criticizes you you jokingly say i am an american jerk  said park nam il 37 the secretary general of unification future solidarity
ironically one of the most common desires of defectors who settle in the south is to learn english the language of their homelands sworn enemy over seven decades of separation the two koreas versions of korean have diverged considerably with the southern version acquiring many english words lipstick brakes cafe and americano are all new to defectors when they play soccer with south koreans linguistic chaos ensues
in north korea schools offer english chinese and russian as foreign language options starting in fourth grade but there was no desire to learn a foreign language we would never use said chung kyong hee 53
in a recent class for beginners english ms chung and several other middle aged north korean women painstakingly copied words like airport luggage and bus stop onto their notepads they chuckled when they came upon an english word they all knew money how much is this they repeated after cpl seo young wook a south korean soldier based at yongnam
the classes are also an education for the american tutors giving them a chance to see what ordinary people in north korea   the country they are trained to be ready to fight   are like
its also good because we get to relearn english as its supposed to be spoken as opposed to all the slang we usually use captain ellerbe said


rio de janeiro   andre esteves has rejoined the investment bank btg pactual as an adviser a significant step toward a full return to finance after he was arrested and jailed less than six months ago as part of a corruption scandal that has shaken brazils political and business elite
btg pactual based in sao paulo which mr esteves helped build and led as chief executive until december said in a statement on wednesday that he would take on a role as a senior partner focused on partnership matters advise it on strategy and support the development of its activities and operations
for now mr esteves is not taking on any executive role btg pactual said that it was maintaining its current management and shareholder structures marcelo kalim and roberto sallouti will continue to serve as co chief executives and persio arida will remain chairman of the board
the group of seven partners who swapped shares with mr esteves in december to take control of the bank in an effort to save it will remain its controlling shareholders
the return of mr esteves became possible only after a ruling on monday by justice teori zavascki justice on brazils high court justice zavascki lifted orders that had placed mr esteves under house arrest and barred him from work his lawyer antonio carlos de almeida castro said in a telephone interview on tuesday
the financier was accused of obstructing justice in a broad corruption investigation surrounding petrobras the state owned oil giant the investigation has been examining allegations that members of the leftist workers party of brazils president dilma rousseff conspired with top petrobras executives and outside contractors in an elaborate money laundering and bribery ring
mr esteves a billionaire who turned btg pactual into a banking powerhouse is under suspicion of conspiring with a leader of the senate delcidio do amaral to interfere with testimony regarding the kickbacks at petrobras he was accused of financing the silence of a major witness and former petrobras executive
brazils highest court ordered in december that mr esteves be released from jail but placed under house arrest at that time he was barred from taking any management roles
justice zavasckis ruling on monday lifted multiple injunctions restricting mr estevess movement and activity it is not final but it allowed him to return to work immediately his lawyer said
the broader investigation brought on by brazils attorney general that accuses mr esteves of obstruction of justice is still underway and the full high court has yet to rule on whether to accept charges against mr esteves


interventions
northern spy
the music of horse lords can partly be explained as a result of musical information leveling itself out over the last 20 years through scholarship and internet power so that nothing is much less accessible than anything else
in a certain light on interventions the baltimore quartets invigorating third album this is an instrumental dance band   guitar bass drums alto saxophone   with a lining of post punk energy but its also borrowing sounds and techniques from mauritanian guitar music free jazz classical minimalism and other places on a track called intervention i theres a passage of electronic beeps that sound like pure tones from audiology tests
horse lords is also way into hocketing where the individual notes of a continuous melody are played in quick sequence by different instruments historically its either a widespread or a specialized interest you hear it in medieval music in various sub saharan african traditions in some of wynton marsaliss ambitious jazz compositions and in dirty projectors records in general musicians are individually playing only part of a rhythmic cycle or a melodic line on interventions fast repeated riffs become collaborative acts over drones and strong skeletal grooves that stress the upbeat and the whole thing is held together by concentration timing and willpower
its that tensile feeling of daring   can they pull this off   that lifts interventions above what it might look like on paper a hypothetical combination of traditions or styles
this music feels very live shivering with energy its best tracks run from five to nine minutes   long enough to feel gradual developments   and are full of imprecisions sometimes tempos speed up or slow down slightly owen gardner the guitarist has altered the frets on his guitar and on max eilbachers bass to accommodate the ancient just intonation tuning system the result is some warp and dissonance in his hammered fast picking patterns andrew bernstein the saxophonist uses circular breathing to create continuous tones and patterns in encounter ii  intervention ii recorded in a deep echo space with the microphone far away from the horn he works harmonics key clicking and weird timbres into a sustained improvisation which leads without pause into the guitar tone that begins time slip
underneath all this is a kind of dance guarantee mr eilbacher and the drummer sam haberman holding it down playing for lack of a better word funk


in this era of oscarssowhite the tonys are looking pretty good
on tuesday morning this years tony award nominees are to be announced and it seems clear based on the diversity of the broadway season and the acclaim for its performers that the slate will be far more diverse than the list of oscar nominees put forward this year by the movie industry
but what does that mean is broadway fundamentally more diverse in casting employment and programming than hollywood or did the theater industry just get lucky that broadway was having its most diverse season ever while hollywood was having a meltdown
the answers are up for debate but two things are obvious the season now ending reflects a series of coinciding bets by multiple producers unaffiliated with one another that a diverse array of stories and performers can succeed artistically or commercially and the system of choosing tony nominees is far different from the oscars in ways that seem to affect the mix of honorees
the 2015 16 broadway season which ends next month and features 36 new plays and musicals has been dominated by a single smash hit hamilton in which diversity is a central theme intended to suggest connections between todays america politically and demographically with that of the revolutionary era the show written by lin manuel miranda whose parents were born in puerto rico uses hispanic and black actors to portray the founding fathers and pointedly a white actor to portray the oppressive king george iii
our cast looks like america looks now mr miranda said last summer thats certainly intentional
the season has also featured a much praised revival of the color purple adapted from the pulitzer prize winning novel about black women in early 20th century georgia shuffle along or the making of the musical sensation of 1921 and all that followed a new exploration of a long forgotten all black jazz musical eclipsed about captive women in liberia on your feet about the rise of the cuban american pop stars gloria and emilio estefan spring awakening a revival using deaf actors as well as an actress in a wheelchair allegiance about the internment of japanese americans in the united states during world war ii and amazing grace about a british slave trader turned abolitionist
black actors won major dramatic roles previously played by white performers in revivals of three classic american plays the gin game james earl jones and cicely tyson hughie forest whitaker and the crucible sophie okonedo
a lot of broadway producers are realizing that the more diverse your show is the more diverse your audience is going to be   at least thats the hope said pun bandhu a spokesman for the asian american performers action coalition and hamilton has proven that audiences are willing to pay top dollar for a show driven by minorities and thats fantastic
but mr bandhu said broadway still tended to underrepresent hispanic and asian performers and he said economic concerns limit progress broadway like hollywood is a commercial endeavor and its very star driven and when you have so few actors of color who are stars youre not going to get a particularly diverse season he said
theater industry leaders have been watching the controversy in the film industry with a mixture of relief and trepidation   proud about the theater season now ending but also aware that next season is not shaping up to be anywhere near as diverse and that while diverse casting has become increasingly common the theater business has changed much less offstage and some of the shows have struggled to find audiences   eclipsed in particular has been hurting at the box office despite positive reviews presumably because of its difficult subject matter
there was an understandable moment of good on us and certainly this is the kind of season that we want to continue to support and learn from but i dont think we can pat ourselves on the back and say our work here is done said jordan roth the president of jujamcyn theaters which owns five of the 40 broadway houses we still have a lot of work to do in terms of the diversity of our creative teams and id like to see more diversity among our producing community
the members of broadways lone all black producing team stephen c byrd and alia jones harvey eclipsed said they see progress and challenges mr byrd said that the industry is dominated by a very small group of people who are very circumspect and wary of newcomers he added that he believes the industry is more open than hollywood where he said you can die of hope
ms jones harvey said that the industry has been working for some time to diversify its ranks but added we hope in the long run were not the only black producers on broadway theres room for other perspectives
andrew shade the founder and editorial director of broadwayblackcom an online community celebrating the work of black theater artists noted that particularly among creative teams diversity has been hard to come by it almost doesnt register that one could be a black lighting designer in the theater world and i still get surprised when i see a black woman doing wig fittings he said people of color have not seen themselves succeed in those areas nearly as often
theater unions have become increasingly vocal about diversity just this month the stage directors and choreographers society released a statement declaring we believe that despite good intentions there are biases in place that sometimes inhibit the hiring of qualified directors and choreographers from underrepresented groups and actors equity has begun a series of conversations with its nonwhite members about diversity were trying to expand our listening to actors and stage managers who are underemployed and disenfranchised to figure out what we can do said the unions executive director mary mccoll
this years slate of tony nominees is expected to reflect not only the diversity of the season but also the priorities of the nominators who differ significantly from those who nominate actors for oscars in hollywood more than 1000 actors choose oscar acting nominees on broadway tony nominees in all categories are chosen by an elite panel of fewer than 50 theater professionals many of them drawn from the nonprofit arts and academic worlds to avoid financial conflicts of interest with the tony eligible productions the pool of voters who in june will pick winners from among the nominees includes 846 people many with financial interests in the awards process
the tony nominators who also include performers writers directors and designers do not discuss their options before voting and they cast their ballots in secret they will meet monday to make their choices but many work in organizations where diversity is a topic of conversation and the nominators are keenly aware of how a lack of nominee diversity affected the film industry
next season on broadway is unlikely to be as diverse as this one thus far the only show scheduled with a predominantly nonwhite cast is a limited run return appearance of motown nonwhite actors have also won leading roles in a few of next seasons most anticipated shows including natasha pierre and the great comet of 1812 and the spongebob musical
broadway is having a good year but weve got to look at more than one year to really talk about has change happened said leslie odom jr who plays aaron burr in hamilton
i dont think there are five or six musicals behind hamilton that look like this show or that need this many actors of color he said the kids being inspired now   theyre going to start writing now and well see their work in six or seven years


name ariana rockefeller
age 33
hometown cambridge mass
now lives in a one bedroom apartment in a landmark building on the upper east side an avid equestrian however she spends as much time as possible riding and showing her four horses in wellington fla
claim to fame the surname says it all her father is david rockefeller jr the prominent fourth generation member of the rockefeller family but ms rockefeller is distinguishing herself with her namesake fashion label the contemporary clothing line features lots of opera coats tweed jackets and three quarter sleeve dresses and is inspired by her preppy lifestyle
big break after marrying matthew bucklin an entrepreneur in 2010 ms rockefeller decided to pursue her lifelong dream of starting a fashion line i was influenced by my grandmother peggy mcgrath rockefeller she said she was so stylish and always put together in a way that seemed effortless whether at the stables or a black tie wardrobe her first collection was inspired by the picasso painting femme et chien sous un arbre which hung in her childhood home in 2014 she opened a 1000 square foot pop up shop in soho having a successful brick and mortar space was a great litmus test for the brands traction with consumers she said designing and wearing my gown for the 2015 met gala was a momentous occasion too
latest project when reed krakoff shuttered operations last fall and his lead handbag designer bassam ali became available ms rockefeller jumped at the opportunity her first handbag collection available in september includes the oxer satchel 1125 which is finished with brass hardware inspired by a horses bridle
next thing she is tight lipped about her labels future but insisted that there were no plans to become a lifestyle brand people might think my company is some endorsement or licensing deal and its not she said ive been perfectly happy building my brand piece by piece
family ties ms rockefeller is actually the third clothing designer in the family the other two started the brand porter grey now defunct but she is the first to invoke her familys surname on the label it certainly makes people take a look but it kind of stops there she said the clothes ultimately need to stand on their own


when the credits roll on beyonces new visual album lemonade which had its premiere on saturday on hbo one of the first names to flash on screen doesnt belong to a director producer or songwriter it belongs to a poet warsan shire a rising 27 year old writer who was born in kenya to somali parents and raised in london
ms shires verse forms the backbone of beyonces album and its exploration of family infidelity and the black female body
i dont know when love became elusive what i know is no one i know has it beyonce says in a voice over in the film lines derived from ms shires previously published poem the unbearable weight of staying   the end of the relationship
she continues my fathers arms around my mothers neck fruit too ripe to eat i think of lovers as trees ... growing to and from one another searching for the same light
lemonade which credits ms shire with film adaptation and poetry may catapult her to a new level of pop culture fame but she is already known to many as a compelling voice on black womanhood and the african diaspora   one particularly resonant in the digital age and her international following captivated by her quiet charisma and compulsively shareable lines may be as devoted as the beyhive
ms shire has published chapbooks of poetry   including teaching my mother how to give birth in 2011 and her blue body in 2015   but much of her reputation was built online by publishing on tumblr and using twitter like an open notebook in 2014 she was appointed the first young poet laureate of london her first full poetry collection extreme girlhood is expected in the next year or so
in the days after her work was proclaimed by one of the worlds most influential black female artists ms shire laid low she did not promote lemonade or even tease its existence on social media on tuesday night she finally published a tweet with a link to lemonade and the note yosra i hope youre proud of us yosra el essawy a friend of ms shires and beyonces official tour photographer had served as an early link between the worlds of the young british poet and queen bey she died of cancer in 2014
through her agent ms shire declined to be interviewed for this article
for ms shires friends colleagues and fans lemonade was a pleasant surprise london poets have been bowled over by warsans collaboration with such a huge star which of course was a big secret so we had no idea this was happening said bernardine evaristo a british writer and professor of creative writing at brunel university london
nii parkes a founder of flipped eye ms shires publisher helped handle permissions for ms shires poetry to be featured in lemonade and kept the collaboration secret for several months   even from jacob sam la rose ms shires primary editor
it was a shock to me mr sam la rose said warsan can be sneaky i did not know what was going to happen or have any idea how it happened
even people with toes in both worlds were surprised dream hampton a filmmaker and journalist collaborated with jay z on his memoir decoded and profiled beyonce in the magazine giant she had also discovered ms shire on myspace in 2009 and befriended her over twitter and later in london over tea she said that when ms shire invited her to a private lemonade screening in los angeles she knew something was up but i was totally surprised about the scope she said i assumed thered be a poem instead there was an opus
ms shire stepped into the poetry world when she was a teenager more than a decade ago mr sam la rose the poetry editor of flipped eye put on a student poetry workshop at a northwest london community center and ms shire was the first to show up
her work was stunning mr sam la rose said a few years later the two began working together while ms shire was studying creative writing at london metropolitan university
ms shire graduated in 2010 and released her first chapbook with flipped eye the next year
the editing process was amazing and at times infuriating mr sam la rose said ms shire would hand in a manuscript and by the time mr sam la rose could finish his notes she would turn in another batch of poems for review
in elite london poetry circles the initial reception was underwhelming mr parkes said but online readers were enthralled they pulled out lines and posted them on their own blogs one of her most quoted prose poems is difficult names give your daughters difficult names give your daughters names that command the full use of tongue my name makes you want to tell me the truth my name doesnt allow me to trust anyone that cannot pronounce it right
early on ms shire experimented with form in 2012 she recorded the spoken word album warsan versus melancholy the seven stages of being lonely and posted it on bandcamp fan art circulated too christine mehr a san francisco digital content creator shot an impressionistic short film featuring ms shire reading her poem for women who are difficult to love
to many readers ms shires clear voice in the online cacophony felt transformative
there was a consumer pull mr parkes said people were saying her name all over the place thats when other publishers started to get interested in her work when the bookstores started calling
her physical presence too drew audiences in she has a quiet voice mr parkes said at a lot of readings if thats the case people will start to chatter but because shes so centered theyll grow quiet
last fall when ms shire headed to johannesburg to give a reading with a feminist collective she found the seats and aisles filled with women and a few men many standing at the back and crouching at the lip of the stage to hear her speak
she reads like how nina simone sounds said milisuthando bongela a south african culture writer who helped arrange the gathering everyone in the audience started reciting with her as she read as if we were fans at a music concert singing along to our favorite songs she added it was church
in addition to being named young poet laureate ms shire won the bunel university african poetry prize in 2013 a judge the poet kwame dawes said of the decision this was actually easy for me in 2014 she lived in australia for a six week stint as queenslands poet in residence her work has been featured in the anthologies the salt book of younger poets and long journeys african migrants on the road
her new fame poses challenges my frustration and my fear is that people will reduce her to a pop phenomenon mr parkes said as the work is cut and pasted and passed around you can lose the context the line endings the tensions theres a great deal of craft in her work and im keen for people to remember that
in lemonade ms shires work was tailored for beyonce the adaptation switches up pronouns you becomes i cuts lines expands metaphors and swaps an allah for an oh my god but within hours of the release of lemonade amazoncom had sold out of paperback copies of teaching my mother how to give birth and the salt book of younger poets
mr parkes had expected that demand but because he could not disclose the project ahead of time was unable to advise booksellers to fortify their stock now mr parkes said flipped eye is currently in talks with american publishers to print extreme girlhood in the united states
for now ms shires focus is on that book shes not interested in being the writer of the moment said nick makoha a british poet who has worked with ms shire this is what shell be doing into her 90s


press freedom suffered throughout the world in 2015 declining to its weakest level in 12 years because of attacks and intimidation by political criminal and militant forces that sought to mute or control the news media a prominent democracy advocacy group said in an annual report published wednesday
the report by the group freedom house supports statistical and anecdotal evidence showing that assaults on members of the news media are spreading beyond chronically dangerous areas for journalists like parts of the middle east north africa south asia and latin america
media freedom declined not just in repressive societies but also in europe jennifer dunham the director of research for the groups freedom of the press report said in announcing the release on the groups website
journalists in much of europe had to contend with new threats from terrorists as well as new surveillance and security laws that could hamper their work ms dunham said political leaders in poland serbia and other countries sought greater control over national media
in china she said where the news media is already heavily restricted censorship increased over information about the financial system and pollution the press intimidation extended to hong kong a former british colony that was guaranteed a continuation of its freewheeling system for 50 years after its transfer to china in 1997
professional journalists from established news outlets   as well as hong kong based booksellers   were detained imprisoned and forced to give televised confessions representing a disturbing new pattern of repression ms dunham said
while democracy is widespread in latin america news organizations there faced increased threats both from criminal gangs and the authorities in mexico ms dunham said journalists who sought to cover organized crime and corruption faced extreme levels of violence and the government has proven completely unable or unwilling to address the problem
freedom house which has offices in washington and new york has been measuring press freedom around the world since 1980 based on a complex scoring system derived from research about the ability of print broadcast and digital media organizations to operate freely and without threat of repercussion
numerical scores from 0 to 100 are given to 199 countries and territories the lower the score the freer the news media
the global average score for 2015 was 489 the worst since 2003 when the average was 4553
the countries that suffered the largest declines in press freedom included bangladesh turkey burundi france serbia yemen egypt macedonia and zimbabwe the countries or territories ranked as the worst included belarus crimea cuba equatorial guinea eritrea iran north korea syria turkmenistan and uzbekistan
repression was deadliest in the middle east and north africa where journalists were under increased pressure to display fealty to political leaders and risked violent attacks by extremist groups like the islamic state
the freedom house report coincided with the release of an annual appraisal of news media freedom by another press advocacy organization the committee to protect journalists which focused on sexualized violence and gender based discrimination against journalists
the appraisal a collection of essays about abuse and harassment experienced mainly by female gay and transgender journalists did not include statistical data on trends but joel simon the executive director of the organization said in the introduction that more victims were speaking out by doing so they are helping reduce the stigma he said and will make the organization better able to document the violations


though the prohibition inspired speakeasy trend has cooled in recent years the desire to drink underground hasnt take le boudoir a gilded cocktail den that opened this winter under chez moi a casual french bistro
the owners the husband and wife pair tarek debira and patricia ageheim modeled the subterranean chambers after marie antoinettes boudoir in versailles it drips with gold leaf frames red velvet couches and other louche touches the glass tabletops are held by nude nymph statuettes odalisque paintings hang on the wall the space itself is reached through a bookshelf stocked with scarlet spined books
the place
on a quiet corner of atlantic avenue and henry street where the sidewalk is well worn with strollers and where gentlemen prefer sweaters the entrance is along the left wall as you walk into chez moi down a flight of candle lined stairs theres a small marble bar with a bronze bust of marie antoinette which serves as a tap the action is in the cuddle friendly booths and divans as well as in a cavelike room in the back
the crowd
not your average brooklyn heights group on a recent saturday night three raucous 30 something librarians in thick glasses and cherry red lipstick swapped tales of conventions gone wild a couple in their early 20s in matching his and hers fedoras canoodled on stools pulled close together at a nearby table a bored looking 23 year old surreptitiously checked tinder while her date picked at frog legs
playlist
on mondays small combos of jazz musicians often french perform otherwise the soundtrack includes the chansons of yves montand the classics of serge gainsbourg and the mm tss house music one hears on st barts
getting in
theres no doorman but there is a hostess with a haughty attitude who tartly leads the way to the bookshelf reservations are not accepted or needed though on weekends the 55 seat room becomes crowded
drinks
the cocktails are served in ornate silver coupes and cristal darques longchamp glasses and have cheeky names like guillotine mezcal scotch banana and honey 12 and 1793 toasted sunflower seed infused rye oloroso sherry and demerara 13


like many orchestras the utah symphony struggled during the great recession but as it returns to carnegie hall on friday for the first time in decades it is an ensemble on the upswing with rising ticket sales new players and an energetic music director thierry fischer
among the many factors that allowed the orchestra to rebound was something that while common elsewhere in the world is unusual among american groups significant state and local aid
the utah symphony received more than 4 million in government support in the year ended aug 31 2015 according to its financial statements making up over 18 percent of its unrestricted operating revenue of 22 million that is the highest level of public support among the 21 biggest orchestras in the nation which average 27 percent the year before according to the league of american orchestras
its tremendous patricia a richards the orchestras interim president and chief executive said in an interview along with extra private support the public aid helped the orchestra balance its budget after weathering a rocky past decade in which its precarious finances were further undone by the economic downturn forcing it like other ensembles to make cuts and seek concessions from its union musicians
while the orchestra has a dedicated core of donors and board members who support it with private philanthropy and it has seen both ticket sales and more unusually these days subscription sales rise recently the government aid has played an important role to some extent public support is in its dna the orchestra which is celebrating its 75th anniversary was founded during the great depression as a works progress administration endeavor it was initially called the utah state symphony orchestra
these days local aid comes from salt lake countys zoo arts and parks tax a sales tax of a penny on every 10 spent which supports a variety of cultural and recreational organizations   and which was renewed by county residents in 2014 with 77 percent of the vote
its a very popular program ms richards said we feel very good about it because we know the public wants us to do these things
state education aid pays for an intensive outreach program that offers concerts for students at abravanel hall the orchestras home in salt lake city and elsewhere and sends smaller groups of musicians to visit every school district in the state every few years the longstanding program allows the orchestra which merged with the utah opera in 2002 to provide year round employment for its musicians mr fischer said that the educational activities accounted for roughly a third of their time at work
other orchestras which act in their cities as important civic institutions and provide educational services receive significant public support too after utah the league of american orchestras said the ensembles getting the largest portions of their budgets in public aid were the baltimore symphony orchestra 10 percent and the pittsburgh symphony orchestra 67 percent in europe government funds can account for between a quarter and in some places three quarters of orchestras revenues though aid in many places has been frozen or cut since the economic downturn
the utah symphony has been rebuilding under mr fischer who was appointed music director in 2009 he has hired more than 30 musicians a change that has not been without tensions and recently named a new concertmaster madeline adkins the ensemble is wrapping up a mahler cycle and released a recording of that composers first symphony last year following it a few weeks ago with an album of works it commissioned by augusta read thomas andrew norman and nico muhly fridays concert at carnegie includes the new york premiere of mr normans percussion concerto switch
more and more i feel that people come to the concert almost whatever we program mr fischer said because they know and they trust that its going to excite them
the orchestra has also expanded its horizons geographically in 2014 it went on what it called the mighty 5 tour giving free outdoor concerts in utahs national parks ms richards recalled a concert near capitol reef national park in wayne county which has a population of about 2700 people there were 1100 people at the concert she said it was wonderful
now ms richards said the orchestra is looking forward to reaching a different audience at carnegie we would like people outside utah to see what weve been doing she said


no one can know for sure what was in the mind of the person who fired the shot that killed a woman as she drove through milwaukee on tuesday the shooter was 2 years old
the woman who died on state highway 175 was patrice price 26 the milwaukee county sheriffs office said wednesday and the gun was in the hands of her own toddler
the weapon which investigators found on the floor of the back seat was a 40 caliber pistol used by ms prices boyfriend a security guard his gun belt and tactical vest were also in the car the sheriffs office said the local news media reported that the blue dodge sedan ms price was driving belonged to the boyfriend
the sheriffs office which would not name the boyfriend said in a statement that the 2 year old who was not in a car seat retrieved a firearm that slid out from under the drivers seat and shot through the seat striking the driver
ms price managed to stop the car but by the time rescue personnel reached her she was not breathing she was pronounced dead at the scene
the sheriffs office did not say whether anyone would face criminal charges
in tales of gun violence accidents involving curious children and weapons seem especially tragic but they are not especially unusual most often they involve guns left unsecured by the childs parents
in the seven days that ended tuesday in addition to the death of ms price a 3 year old in georgia a 3 year old in louisiana a 2 year old in missouri and a 2 year old in indiana fatally shot themselves a 4 year old in texas shot and wounded a family member a 16 year old in california killed a 14 year old friend in a shooting that officials called accidental a 15 year old in texas accidentally shot and wounded a 16 year old friend and a 13 year old in indiana accidentally shot and wounded herself
in an episode with striking parallels to the milwaukee shooting last month a mother driving in florida was shot and wounded by her 4 year old son who was in the back seat law enforcement officials said that in that case too the gun had been stashed under the drivers seat and then slid backward the woman jamie gilt had operated a pro gun facebook page on which she said her children knew how to shoot and even my 4 year old gets jacked up to target shoot the 22
everytown for gun safety the gun control group says that since the start of 2015 at least 342 people in the united states have been accidentally shot by people under age 18
when ms price a mother of three was fatally shot in milwaukee her mother and her 1 year old child were also in the car
now i dont have her no more her father andre price told wisn a local television station i got a knot in my chest


on saturday from 1 to 6 pm bergdorf goodman will host crafted a shopping event celebrating collections made by skilled artisans you can meet the designer albertus swanepoel and choose a custom band to trim your hat 280 or select from vintage fabrics brought over from the e marinella archives in naples italy and have a tailor hand sew your tie 280
the new stand the hipster version of a traditional newsstand will open sunday in turnstyle the new subterranean market at the columbus circle subway station in addition to snacks and drinks expect items like cheeky ashkahn greeting cards 6 and retro kikkerland pens 6 purveyed on a sushi style conveyor belt at 1000 58th street suite 325
on sunday morning athleta will offer a free body conceptions dance fitness class at 10 am followed by a discussion with randi zinn of beyond mom on the power of female relationships bring sneakers water and a mother sister or friend at 126 fifth avenue register at eventbritecom
stella mccartney is celebrating her new fragrance pop with a capsule collection of classic designs like the chain hardware falabella bag 845 and elyse lace up platform shoes 1100 in vivid pink tones at 112 greene street
just in time for mothers day the brooklyn based jeweler lady grey is offering custom gold  and silver plated brooches filled with fresh blooms including gloriosa lilies chinch and oncidium orchids by the floral design studio fox fodder farm 150 at ladygreyjewelrycom
on friday and saturday the jonathan adler annual warehouse sale   in an actual warehouse   promises discounts up to 70 percent on hundreds of whimsical pieces of furniture lighting decorative accessories bedding and rugs including a lacquer console 300 originally 995 and a reversible letter pillow 25 originally 145 at 885 east 138th street the bronx
the sandro and maje sale offering up to 80 percent off spring styles like a sandro multicolor wrap skirt 85 originally 355 and a maje dot print open back dress 105 originally 480 starts tuesday at 260 fifth avenue
the pas de calais sale with discounts up to 80 percent on fall merchandise from the past season like a mud dye dress 200 originally 690 starts may 4 at 482 broome street


indio calif   it was just after 1 am and jeremy scott the forever young fashion designer held court in a wooden dj booth above a synthetic grass dance floor his annual party timed to the coachella valley music and arts festival was just starting
over the next few hours kylie jenner jared leto and diplo would come through but at that moment mr scott beamed and bounced as if on a tiny trampoline hugging friends and scanning the crowd for standout looks he snapped a photo of katy perry who wore a baby blue guitar dress from his fall 2016 collection
i just wanted to have this feeling of when i am on the fields and the mix of clothes said mr scott 40 who wore a studded leather suit of his own design sometimes there are things that are a little more flamboyant and things that are a little more utilitarian it 100 percent translated directly to a whole collection
unlike fashion brands that have glommed on to coachella as a marketing opportunity mr scott the creative director of moschino comes to the festival to see sketch and get inspired
the coachella look as anyone who has recently scrolled through instagram knows revolves around crop tops see through slips of fabric and fringe galore all of which mr scott has reinterpreted with flower power colors cartoonish prints and a cheeky sense of humor
im very organic in nature with my creativity he said it just kind of wraps around me or its a moment i have a click of inspiration its never calculated
and while hes at it hes also having a good time give it a little bit because itll get wild by 3 am he said shouting over thumping music how long did he plan to stay forever till its no more fun
mr scotts immersion into coachella began with bjork i had just moved to la and she was like come to this music festival im performing he said the day before his party lounging in a house in rancho mirage calif that he had rented i had no idea it was also still in its infancy
bjork was also responsible for mr scotts treating coachella as a fashion incubator in 2007 when she headlined again mr scott dressed her in a hair fringed corset dress printed with pictures of bones with the clothes i design i think about my friends how id want them to dress what id want them to wear he said
he has created looks for other coachella performers as well in 2010 beth ditto wore a black shift dress of his with stained glass like accents in 2014 rihanna wore leopard print sneakers he designed for adidas and last year madonna strutted on stage with drake in a moschino dress printed with cartoonish jewels
inspiration flows the other way too mr scott said his spring 2015 collection a riot of baby doll dresses in psychedelic swirls was a homage to coachella a candy colored headpiece which miley cyrus helped design evoked the flower crowns once favored by young women at coachella brimmed hats were more abundant this year likewise festivalgoers inspired the daisy duke style gold hot pants and a multicolored plaid shirt tied above the navel that he sent down the runway
men also served as muses one male model wore gold pants orange combat boots and a yellow sweatshirt tied around his waist a look ripped straight from the desert fields i just love the mix of the way things are worn mr scott said pointing to the plaid shirt tied around his midsection
mr scott is not the only fashion designer to find inspiration at coachella alexander wang frequently attends as does hedi slimane the former saint laurent creative director but mr scotts status as coachellas reigning designer was solidified in 2008 when he started his own party on the first saturday night of the festival
what began as a gathering of up to 100 friends at a rented estate in palm springs calif one that once belonged to frank sinatra has grown into one of the festivals hottest tickets this year mr scott moved the invitation only party to the corona yacht club a 20 acre tree shaded estate in coachella the town while it doesnt have any boats it does have a two acre lagoon   and no neighbors who might complain
we can be later and louder mr scott said its nicer than having to try to damper the party at two in the morning
his was not the only party of the night in recent years the number of fashion brands holding events at coachella has ballooned this year hm was an official sponsor of the festival calvin klein hosted a brand experience event that featured top tier djs at a warehouse plastered with its logo
mr scott brushed off these efforts as inauthentic i think its funny because a lot of them dont have an organic connection to it so its kind of an odd fit he said i dont really care because ive owned the saturday night slot now since like a decade its my party night and everyone knows that
when mr scott isnt at a party he relaxes and tries to channel his ideas into sketches this year he and 10 friends took over a 6300 square foot rancho mirage house once owned by former president gerald r ford and his wife betty
on the friday afternoon before his party mr scott could be found padding over the silk shag carpeting in faux denim pants a cutoff batman t shirt and a plaid shirt tied around his waist out by the pool four well toned young people splashed around in swimwear made by their host beneath an umbrella a buff man smeared sunscreen on the areas not covered by black and gold moschino bathing trunks
isnt it so beautiful out here mr scott asked just the quality of the light sometimes when im just really relaxed thats also a creative time for me because thats when my mind is more open because im not worried or thinking or being very analytical
there was no sketching at that moment but when youre feeling at ease and relaxed a lot of ideas flow he said
let the other fashion brands have their hashtagged events and millennial outreach in general i just kind of live he said his voice drifting off as he watched his friends frolicking in the pool ive become a little bit more of a lounger here its coa chill a


photos of gillian anderson occupied a special place on gabriela hearsts spring fashion mood board she was my muse ms hearst said so sexy so strong the image of intelligent beauty
so when ms anderson turned up in the flesh at the hearsts west village townhouse last week wearing a breezy striped dress of ms hearsts design the moment seemed surreal conversation up to then a lively mash up about breeding polo ponies and cloning men came to a brief but pregnant halt all eyes fixed on the actress whose open faced candor seemed at odds with her signature roles
ms anderson 47 has after all honed her craft portraying weirdly troubled heroines the special agent dana scully in the x files lily bart in the house of mirth the police superintendent stella gibson in the fall and most recently blanche dubois in a revival of a streetcar named desire first staged in london and set to open sunday in brooklyn at st anns warehouse
she slipped out of character at the hearsts where she encountered a cozy scene gabriela dandling her 10 month old jack while friends and family gathered around   among them the designer and actor waris ahluwalia lauren hutton and ms hearsts husband the film producer austin hearst
ooh can i take you home ms anderson said cooing as she leaned over jack who was gingerly toying with ms huttons straw hat oh its fine let him play ms hutton said murmuring to no one in particular never mind any havoc that the baby might wreak
recovering their balance over cocktails and canapes the guests besieged ms anderson when is the fall 3 coming out ms hearst wanted to know were all obsessed when would previews of streetcar begin what makes blanche such a coveted role
i dont think i necessarily knew that it was coveted but id wanted to play her for years ms anderson said when i started working on the lines i realized i already knew one of the monologues by heart
blanche is one of the most complex characters i have ever played so innocent desperate grief filled sad and funny so many layers there all at once
with that ms hutton leaned forward my mother was blanche she said a bit sourly minnie hutton an aristocratic southern belle once characterized by her daughter as a lethal beauty was deeply downwardly mobile ms hutton lamented
ms anderson nodded in empathy blanche lives in fantasy she said thats the only way she can survive
an actress she knows has a similarly precarious shelf life ms anderson who was brought up in the united states but spent much of her childhood in england toggles nimbly between crisp americanese and a plummy british accent
i consider myself american but in america i was only one thing she said of her nine years investigating the paranormal in the x files a role that she recently reprised
by contrast in england i was embraced as a holistic actor she said and was promptly offered classic dickens parts among them the society beauty lady dedlock in bleak house and the eerie miss havisham in great expectations
if her perceived englishness has given her an edge among new yorkers and a bump in ticket sales ms anderson claims not to have noticed her success she said has little to do with an accent
but as guests were being rounded up across the hall for a dinner of risotto and lamb mr ahluwalia begged to differ were a nation of anglophiles he noted grinning broadly adding that hed recently come across a t shirt stamped with the image of queen elizabeth the union jack and beneath them the legend make america great ... britain again
under the watchful gaze of a rotund botero nude ms anderson dismissed that notion accidents of birth and breeding eclipsed in her view by the more formidable challenge of getting down the part
she thoroughly excavates each role a task she describes as a forensic investigation parsing the lines   every comma dash and sentence break when you play the punctuation right everybody finally gets it she said you go ah ... 
a self professed perfectionist she confessed that she suffered occasional bouts of near crippling stage fright ive had panic attacks right on stage
still she copes you just keep going no matter what ms anderson said and somehow your mouth just keeps moving


its really not so much the floral prints as the floaty lightweight garments that make warm weather dressing so enjoyable who needs button closures and form fitting trousers when you can look just as good when youre ... well unrestricted here are three new new york designers who are doing those shapes in a good way
off season a line from abra boero and judi rosen is pleasingly undone with gauzy cotton caftans and one pieces that are down to earth ms boero has a store of the same name in the rockaways in queens people are day tripping more she said and new york has a strong growing beach culture that we wanted to speak toat offseasonnyccom in mid may
svilu an environmentally conscious label founded by britt cosgrove and marina polo who met while working for peter som specializes in organic cotton sundresses and refined everyday shapes their spring collection draws on traditional indian styles as in a rabari jacket above right reimagined in embroidered linen at svilucom
tosia was founded by sara hankin who cut her teeth at ralph lauren and j crew her spring collection includes chic cutout tees open shoulder cotton tops and an off the shoulder jumpsuit with frayed trim that margot robbie just wore on the late show with stephen colbert my dream is to create that 20 percent of your closet you find yourself wearing 90 percent of the time ms hankin saidat tosianyccom
to inject some springtime fun into your look if hot pink jeans are not for you a bit of rainbow colored ornamentation is an approachable way to go karlie kloss gave her neutral coachella look a pop with a multihued roxanne assoulin choker which is now back ordered for at least six weeks yes a little goes a long way so do it with a rainbow bright necklace earrings or a hair comb that will brighten any drab hair day
from left clockwise shebee rainbow topaz drops 950 at shebeecom dsquared perspex origami flower necklace 675 at luisaviaromacom colette malouf crystal embellished wire comb 135 at colettemaloufcom
slipping on a pair of shoes wrapped with a giant bow cant help but put you in a childlike good mood sweet as can be but clearly modern they will add just the right amount of flair to your streamlined basics
from top left clockwise joshua sanders denim slip ons with an oversize bow 450 at saks fifth avenue sakscom delpozo flatform slingbacks with an origami bow 1000 at modaoperandicom brother vellies leather slides with a hand woven madras cotton bow 285 at brother vellies brothervelliescom orderll leather bow sandals 375 at pas mal pasmalnyccom


by mavis gallant
376 pages new york review books 1695
this reissue features two short novels by the canadian author mavis gallant best known for her short stories ms gallant who died in 2014 never published a third novel both involve expatriates and mothers who inflict untold damage upon their daughters to think that when you were on the way i believed you were a tumor writes margaret in a bizarre letter to her daughter shirley in 1970s a fairly good time she signs off your affectionate mother shirley is unsure whether her husband has abandoned her and gets no comfort from margaret green water green sky published in 1959 chronicles the mental collapse of a young woman florence and its toll on her husband and her vain domineering mother bonnie page after page sentence after sentence these novels remind us why ms gallant stands as a master of 20th century fiction
by chitra banerjee divakaruni
210 pages simon  schuster 25
three generations of women living in bengal india houston and elsewhere are chronicled in this affecting novel in failing health a 67 year old widow sabitri writes a lengthy letter   a mix of autobiography life advice and confession   to tara the granddaughter she has never met as well as tracing sabitris past the novel reveals the private sorrows and regrets of her daughter bela who abandoned her mother by eloping and running away to the united states from india belas own daughter the wayward tara cant hold down a job each woman is estranged from the others among the traumas they endure are infidelity unrequited love and the loss of a child pain makes us crazy tara says and in a revelatory scene she reconciles with her weeping mother and embraces her its an odd sensation like a torn ligament knitting itself back lumpy and imperfect usable as long as we know not to push it too hard
by max frisch translated from the german by geoffrey skelton
229 pages tin house books 1595
an acclaimed swiss author max frisch   melancholy twice divorced   travels to new york for a book tour he has a fling with the publicist assigned to him a woman half his age and they spend a weekend on long island for him the casual uncomplicated affair offers relief he does not even know yet in what area lynn is vulnerable and what would lead to their first quarrel toggling between first and third person present and past and expressing dialogue in capitalized letters this inventive roman a clef reissued for the first time since its original 1975 release recalls the authors own new york visit in 1974 yet max is hardly consumed by lust in the presence of his lover his mind wanders as he ruminates on his failed marriages broken friendships fear of death and compulsive habit of exploiting experiences even as they occur for literary material
by dominic smith
290 pages sarah crichton booksfarrar straus and giroux 26
for centuries a landmark 17th century painting at the edge of a wood has been in the family of marty de groot an unhappily married manhattan lawyer stolen from his triplex in 1957 and replaced with a fake the painting is said to be the only surviving work by the fictional dutch artist sara de vos the mystery involves not a master forger but a young australian art historian ellie shipley duped into the crime and obsessed by her project the puzzle of how to build and age a copy was a house with many hallways some passages were well lit and others impossibly dark thanks to a private investigator hired by de groot the act will come back to haunt her decades later this intriguing suspenseful novel examines the technical aspects of art making and the anguish that drives it
by marie ndiaye translated from the french by jordan stump
276 pages alfred a knopf 2695
on the first tuesday of every month a middle aged frenchwoman clarisse riviere boards a train to bordeaux to visit her mother ladivine sylla the trips are a secret her husband richard and her daughter also called ladivine believe that clarisses parents are dead they know nothing of her former life her real name is malinka and she is the daughter of a west african single mother who worked as a cleaning woman she ran away and reinvented herself as clarisse hiding her new identity from the mother she regards with pity and contempt she had deep inexhaustible reserves of coldness inside her clarisse says of herself when clarisse dies under violent circumstances messy truths begin to unravel in this disturbing multilayered novel with its cast of damaged characters cruelty is rampant and empathy is hard to come by theres not much solace for readers either
by jane hamilton
273 pages grand central publishing 26
jane hamiltons latest novel is set on a farm where apart from the usual chores and routines not much happens but for the delightful young heroine frankie lombard theres plenty going on she grows up on her familys 400 acre wisconsin farm in the early 1990s devoted to helping her father jim tend their apple orchard and following around the brother she idolizes william in this bucolic almost mythic setting   a compound with sheep pastures apple trees woods and fields   the lombard siblings feel protected and proud to be heirs to a historical property and a noble business but as they learn their future may be threatened either through interfamilial disputes or encroaching developers ms hamilton has written whats known as a quiet novel yet this beautiful coming of age story offers a more trenchant narrative on the sustainability of family farming


the man accused of fatally shooting his wealthy father in 2015 made a rare appearance in a manhattan courtroom on wednesday as his lawyer requested another psychological exam
the man thomas s gilbert jr a 31 year old princeton graduate faced ahead during the proceeding not once turning to look at his mother shelley gilbert who sat in the second row   the closest she was allowed ms gilbert has not missed a court date since her son was arrested in the death of her husband thomas s gilbert sr 70 a hedge fund founder who was shot in the head
alex spiro mr gilberts lawyer said his client had unsuccessfully tried to reach the president of cablevision and believed he was being radioactively poisoned by a battery mr spiro asked that his client be retested for competency
but the prosecution objected i think a little bit of perspective is in order said craig ortner an assistant district attorney adding that the request could lead to an endless cycle of competency tests and hearings
judge melissa jackson granted the request and ordered two new psychiatrists to examine mr gilbert she cited mr spiros trouble communicating with his client as well as a letter this week from a psychiatrist which said mr gilbert was having trouble communicating with him
mr gilbert typically refuses to enter the courtroom however he frequently writes to the judge
the new psychological evaluation typically takes about six weeks judge jackson said court will convene again on june 14 to review the report


a year ago comcast was licking its wounds
the media giant had suffered an embarrassing blow when its 45 billion takeover of its rival time warner cable collapsed under regulatory scrutiny
since then the company has been relatively quiet as the rest of the media business was engulfed in turmoil over the fate of television in a digital world comcast continued to deliver strong consistent results across its cable television and film businesses some analysts said they expected comcast to shift gears and pursue a new megadeal to expand its global footprint or enter the wireless business but no significant deal materialized
until now
news emerged late tuesday that comcast was in talks to buy dreamworks animation the boutique studio run by jeffrey katzenberg the potential deal which still could fall apart values dreamworks animation at about 3 billion according to people with knowledge of the talks who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss them
if completed the deal would underscore the constant balancing act required of comcast on one side is its cable and broadband business which controls the pipes that deliver content to peoples homes and which faces increased regulatory scrutiny on the other is the nbcuniversal entertainment business which spans broadcast and cable television film and theme parks
the acquisition of dreamworks animation would fit squarely into the entertainment strategy allowing comcast to build on an already successful part of the company
it has been very clear that they cant do many deals within cable so their focus is on organic growth and operational excellence said amy yong an analyst with the macquarie group
she noted that the company had made a series of deals on the entertainment side acquiring a majority ownership stake of the universal studios japan theme park and investments in the digital outlets vox and buzzfeed
dreamworks would be big in the context of the studio business ms yong said
during a conference call wednesday morning comcast executives declined to comment on the speculated deal activity in response to a question about the relative values of the distribution and content businesses brian l roberts the chairman and chief executive of comcast said that the company was stronger because of its position in both
these things go up and down and the relationship between the two in terms of carriage disputes and other things he said at any one time one part of the ecosystem could be doing better than the other part of the ecosystem but in the end were bringing great experiences to consumers in either content in innovative distribution technologies and thats how were running our company
he spoke as comcast reported first quarter results once again beating expectations with net income up 36 percent to 21 billion total revenues increased 53 percent to 188 billion fueled by growth in the cable and entertainment businesses
comcasts cable business reported revenue growth of 67 percent for the quarter adding 53000 video customers and 438000 high speed internet customers
revenues increased 39 percent in the nbcuniversal group driven by an uptick in revenues in its cable television and theme park businesses
in some ways dreamworks animation is a why not acquisition for comcast the price would be small to put it in perspective a deal for dreamworks animation would be about one fifteenth the size of comcasts failed bid for time warner cable and about a tenth the size of its 30 billion acquisition of the entertainment group nbcuniversal which closed five years ago
also very few content companies particularly in family entertainment are available to purchase
dreamworks animation would give comcasts entertainment business an immediate lift with its established animation studio and a growing television business it also has a grasp on the elusive millennial market with its part ownership of awesomenesstv the producer and distributor of programming aimed primarily at teenage girls
at the same time it would give comcast a gateway to international growth dreamworks animation has aggressively courted chinese regulators and audiences building an animation studio in shanghai called oriental dreamworks
dreamworks animation is perhaps most valuable to comcast as a way to compete with the walt disney company in the theme park business since buying nbcuniversal comcast has poured billions into its universal resorts
but universal does not own many family movie franchises the kind that can be turned into popular theme park rides and fill hotel rooms and has instead had to pay steep fees to rent characters including its most popular draw harry potter which belongs to warner bros
dreamworks animation would provide comcast with the rights to shrek kung fu panda and madagascar comcast is also building a 33 billion theme park in beijing unfettered access to kung fu panda could assist that effort analysts said
during the conference call on wednesday stephen b burke nbcuniversals chief executive and senior vice president of comcast said that focusing on building film franchises had been an explicit strategy for the company he noted that comcast had only one franchise five years ago in the fast and the furious action films and it now has eight and is trying to build more he said the company reviewed its five year plan for the film group on tuesday and spent half the time talking about how to take care of franchises
a comcast takeover of dreamworks animation is not without challenges a deal would put comcast in business with some of its fiercest rivals dreamworks animation is a big supplier of television cartoons to netflix which offers a low cost alternative to paying for traditional television and was a vocal opponent of comcasts time warner cable deal and awesomenesstv is part owned by verizon which sells competing television and internet services
the deal would require that comcast executives return to washington to once again lobby for approval
it probably doesnt present as big of a regulatory issue ms yong said but it could present a conflict of interest because of dreamworks agreement with netflix and the ownership of awesomenesstv


brian eno had no master plan when he started what became his new album the ship warp in fact he wasnt even thinking about an album just sound in space he said in a telephone interview you set out to do one thing and you find that youve actually done something else completely different he said with a laugh then he explained the labyrinthine path to making the record which will be released on friday
mr eno who turns 68 on may 15 has had a prolific and influential career as a producer songwriter musician visual artist and thinker along with his own solo albums of songs and instrumentals he has produced landmark rock albums with talking heads u2 and david bowie and collaborated extensively lately with dance music figures like karl hyde from underworld and the producer jon hopkins his catalog has something for every attention span he composed the evocative six second start up sound for windows 95 he is also a pioneer of sustained nearly motionless ambient music and of computerized video art like 77 million paintings a title that undercounts the number of slowly evolving images it can eventually display
as usual mr eno has multiple projects in the works recordings lectures an art gallery show in london and an app that will create what he calls a truly generative piece of music it will play differently each time you listen to it it relates to time of day and season as well he said its a piece that changes its color according to the time
the ship pulls together for the first time two persistent threads in mr enos music it meshes ambient music and songs with words in tracks that move amid meditation disquiet desolation and uplift its cornerstones are two lengthy tracks far removed from pop songs   the ship which runs 21 minutes and the 18 minute opening section of a suite called fickle sun
the albums lyrics arrive in melodies like ritual incantations and they reflect on journeys and wars in the ship mr eno intones a slave to hopes of destinyillusion of control hes alluding he said to the combination of hubris and a complete indifference to the fate of human beings that led to the sinking of the titanic and world war i a century ago and to this centurys war in iraq and financial crisis he traced them all to the idea of too big to fail
the way the titanic was the ship that could never sink and the way the first world war was the war that we couldnt possibly lose   this mentality suffused powerful men he said they get this idea that were unstoppable so therefore well go ahead and do it we can so we will and they cant
the albums political ruminations grew out of abstract sound the ship started with a commission from a leading swedish multimedia arts organization fylkingen they said weve got lots of speakers and lots of amps mr eno recalled so i immediately started thinking of some kind of multichannel installation
he worked up an ambient instrumental full of hovering tones in the key of c that he placed around the room then one day he noticed that he could sing a low c he hadnt reached before the note led him he said to try and make a song over an ambient piece a song that isnt linked in the normal way to the music that isnt falling on beats or off beats that doesnt have beats that doesnt have a chord progression of any kind
when i started singing with that very low c note i kept singing o sounds so it became the word rolled and because of the way id set the sound up it felt to me like i was in a turbulent ocean of sounds i had this feeling of being in rolling waves when i was singing and then i thought its like im in a ship but the solemnity of the setting made me think that i was on a ship that wasnt bound anywhere good
for the sound installation mr eno assembled the speakers into columns which look like gravestones from some culture that you havent quite heard of yet he said a mausoleum of some kind or a cemetery because the music is very morbid
the music of the ship is tolling and elegiac while fickle sun with lyrics about the dismal work of a soldiers life is in constant metamorphosis electronic sounds melt into orchestral upheavals and guitar distortion voices natural and synthetic loom from all directions its a rare eno piece that revolves around contrast rather than homogeneity i liked the fact that things happened which you werent expecting and they jutted out at you he said
the piece ends unresolved followed by an actors reciting a poem generated by a computer program over sparse piano notes and as a soft landing mr enos tranquil richly harmonized remake of im set free the velvet underground song with a sweetly barbed chorus im set free to find another illusion
time and mortality haunt the ship in recent years mr eno has lost friends like mr bowie as well as colleagues and family members his father in law   a very happy man a very good man   who worked as a doctor for the world health organization once said something that stuck with him all men die in disappointment
ive thought about that a lot mr eno said is that a male trait that we constantly construct goals that we cant achieve or were disappointed with what we did no matter how objectively good it might seem subjectively we think it could have been better i didnt do much with my life and all this kind of thing which of course im prone to doing as everybody else is
even with his catalog
im very pleased with some of it he said im sort of disappointed as well i always think bloody hell ive wasted so much time i could have done so much more if id only been a little bit more attentive or worked a little bit harder or something i dont walk around in a state of depression about it but if ever i think about it i think i didnt push it quite hard enough well i am working quite hard now though
he laughed at the age of 67 ive finally hit my stride


on saturday night beyonce released her new album lemonade and in an hbo special gave the premiere of an hourlong conceptual short film based on its music in our popcast jon caramanica a pop music critic for the new york times wesley morris the timess critic at large and jenna wortham and nikole hannah jones both staff writers for the new york times magazine discussed the albums sound they also talked about the personal nature of the film and the tracks which focus on marital strife and eventually reconciliation and the ways beyonce is developing into an increasingly political artist here are edited excerpts from their conversation
jon caramanica i think from a musical perspective the most interesting transition on this album is that beyonce is no longer a genre artist when she was at her conventional pop peak   not her fame peak which i would say is probably now   but her pop peak in terms of chart success which is five years ago maybe you could say shes a pop leaning rb artist shes a genre artist but this is a beyonce album this is its own stand alone thing it has country it has funk it has new orleans jazz she has elevated beyond genre boxes and i think thats part of why the narrative feels so much more specific this time around even if you were trying to dig out clues on the last album you would say these are stories within a genre framework and now i feel like this arrives number one without a genre framework and number two with the receipts
wesley morris for me the thing thats fascinating about this project is that she is thinking beyond herself she is connecting her pain to the pain of millions of other women
nikole hannah jones now lets be specific black women this was a very specific particular type of femininity and type of struggle with love and she makes it very clear you look at every woman who is in the video you look at the african influences when she shows the mothers of young black men who have been killed by police   theyre all wearing african adornment every last one of them the malcolm x quote she includes talks about black women being the most disrespected unprotected women this is a very particular type of womanhood and a very particular experience it makes me think of when zora neale hurston said black women are the mules of the world shes showing that the very backbone of the community is the one that is being most hurt and disrespected which i thought was amazing and that the expectation of loss that you will find loss and betrayal at the hands of your father at the hands of your husband at the hands of the police   everywhere that you look as a black woman that there is going to be that loss and that the redemption does come from love but it really comes from the sisterhood of other women   of all classes because class is also a huge dynamic in the video   that that is where your sisterhood and your redemption will come from
morris people are asking what is the thing that has brought her to this point like whats her turning point i mean the same thing thats got everybody else turned injustice and badness and the things that have been with us for all of these centuries the conflation that she makes in this video of 300 years ago and right now and the close up of that woman whos got the scar on her forehead and the tattoo that says big dreams and that dress oh my eyes just welled up looking at that one face that face and that dress with that scar and that tattoo america
jenna wortham i think that awakening and the vocalization of that awareness of what it means to be black in america is something were seeing across the board will you get to the point where you can no longer not say something and i think thats whats happened for her i know thats happened for me i feel like thats happened for a lot of people i think collectively shes reflecting what everyone else is already talking about and she knows theres an audience for it
hannah jones beyonce got into this business very young and shes also developed politically   i mean i didnt understand race and activism the way that i do now when i was 20 years old i think part of it has been her maturity and part of it is where we are now we do have a new civil rights movement we do have people who are really examining race in a serious way that we never had in our generation if were honest
caramanica when you think of what makes for the vitality of a contemporary pop star i think what it really involves is not just putting out great records or having a great show but its really how aware are you of the multiple narratives that are happening around you at the same time are you aware of your role in american race relations american gender relations are you aware of how youre looked at on the internet are you the author and the subject beyonce is as good as anybody if not better than everybody in balancing all of those things and using one to feed another   understanding her role as sort of the queen of the internet but then saying well ok if thats where im at im going to feed this nourishing information into that system and use it as my distribution system
wortham theres also something incredibly powerful about telling your own story in 2016 that is not something that most celebrities get to do its either going to be in us weekly its going to be in the shade room its in the comments and this is her saying im telling my story this is my narrative and thats the ultimate act of agency
caramanica if you think of jay z and beyonce as the royal couple and even when there are whispers and hints the sort of placid royalness of them has really never been perturbed but here shes sort of saying yes love is important but love is not this placid thing love is actually disruptive emotionally violent challenging and ultimately damaging
hannah jones destructive right when you think of the opening scenes where theres fire and this is when i realized that the hot sauce in her bag is actually a bat which is pretty amazing that gives it whole new meaning
morris can i say another thing about formation that occurred to me before were done
caramanica wait i wonder if its the same thing i thought of
morris and caramanica in unison ok ladies now lets get information
caramanica shes saying you have to dox your man   you have to check his phone you have to watch his every move she laid it all out there for us two months ago and were only just seeing it now


when you sell a used video game console to the retailer gamestop it goes on a long journey before winding up in the pre owned section inside a store
the product travels to one of gamestops repair facilities like its enormous refurbishment operations center in grapevine tex where it undergoes a litany of tests a used playstation for example would be checked for every component from the disc loading tray to the laser that reads the games any malfunctioning component would be replaced and with the console inspected cleared of personal data and cleaned it becomes offered for sale
we have to somewhat be like a doctor and ask a lot of questions said bruce kulp gamestops senior vice president for supply chain and refurbishment the worst thing in our world is to have something go out thats been pre owned and a consumer has an issue with it
gamestops refurbishment of video game consoles underlines how a used electronic sold by a reputable brand can often be as good as buying new while a used product may lack the original packaging or there might be some scuffs on it the quality of many of the devices remains high and people who buy the gadgets do the world a favor by putting more use into the energy metals plastics and human labor invested in creating the product said carole mars the senior research lead for the sustainability consortium which studies the sustainability of consumer goods
those who buy used gadgets are also part of a trend of anti consumerism which includes maintaining electronics to get more use out of them for a longer period rather than discarding and constantly upgrading to the latest products
there are no firm numbers indicating how many americans buy used electronics about 25 percent of gamestops revenue last year consisted of sales of used products which was flat compared with the previous year amazon said that more customers are shopping in its used products store though it declined to provide numbers many organizations dealing with used electronics sell to those that cannot easily afford technology like public schools or economically disadvantaged countries
yet used electronics often face a bad rap   people may lack trust in a pre owned product because it has been used by someone other than themselves to see whether such stigma is warranted i compared the pre owned products programs of three retailers amazon gamestop and gazelle my takeaway is that you can buy pre owned products from reputable brands with as much confidence as you might buy a used car from a certified dealer
amazons in house program for pre owned products is called warehouse deals the giant online retailer sells used products in 25 categories including televisions cameras computers kitchen gadgets and cellphones many of the items come from customers who opened the packaging or used the goods and returned them to amazon
glenn ramsdell director of amazons warehouse deals said every item was checked by hand for its physical and functional condition a wireless speaker for example would be tested for its connectivity features and checked for included accessories repairs are made if necessary
then the items get a grade like new means it was probably untouched and in perfect condition very good describes an item that was well cared for and lightly used a good item might show signs of wear and tear but works perfectly and acceptable would be something that has cosmetic issues like scratches and dents but otherwise works
the discounts vary in warehouse deals but with a bit of time people can scout out some good deals an amazon 6 inch kindle sells for 60 brand new but in good condition it sells for about 4350 a discount of almost 28 percent
gazelle offers cash for consumers pre owned smartphones apple laptops and ipads before the products are listed for sale they go through a rigorous testing program similar to gamestops the items are shipped to a processing center in louisville ky and undergo what gazelle calls a 30 point inspection testing everything from a phones camera lens to its wireless connections smartphone batteries need to have at least 80 percent of their capacity remaining otherwise they are replaced with new ones the company said
dave maquera the president of gazelle said that similar to the inspection programs used by certified pre owned car dealers gazelles process creates a new level of confidence in buying used phones and computers though he declined to provide specific numbers he noted that sales of used devices to consumers had jumped a double digit percentage compared to last year
at gamestop the product testing gets intense mr kulp the supply chain executive said the company takes up to 100 game consoles a month refurbishes them and puts them through stress tests running them for thousands of hours to see if its repairs are long lasting these test units are never sold to consumers
its just like the way a car company would do a crash test he said
as for used video games the company buffs out any light scratches from the discs but if the game is so deeply scratched that it becomes unplayable it heads to the shredder
the trade offs for buying used games at gamestop are fairly obvious for one after a new game releases you will have to wait awhile to buy it used in other words you will be a late adopter for another the product will probably lack its original packaging and there might be light cosmetic wear but for the average consumer all that matters is that your gaming experience will be exactly the same as if you had bought the product new
what if something goes wrong amazon and gamestop give customers 30 days to return used products the same amount of time they allow for returns of new products gazelle offers a free 30 day warranty for each device and the option to buy an extended warranty
consumers should always consider checking out the used section of retailers for most electronics including smartphones laptops and desktop computers said dr mars of the sustainability consortium in my personal experience buying used video games computers and even home gadgets like vacuum cleaners from gamestop gazelle and amazon i have never regretted buying used items
but dr mars said to beware of buying used televisions and computer monitors since a lot more can go wrong with larger screens than with computer equipment the jury is also still out on buying used wearable devices like fitbit trackers because they make up a fairly new category she added
even if you choose not to buy used the best thing you can do is sell your gadget as soon as you stop using it so that someone else can give it some love i tested several trade in and recycling services last year and found all of them to be headache free if you procrastinate the product can get too old meaning the retailers wont be able to resell it so it may end up in a shredder dr mars said
turn over that old device so that somebody can get a second life out of it she said theres no reason for it to go into a drawer


san francisco   mark zuckerberg nurtured facebook from a dorm room idea into the worlds biggest social network now the company is taking steps to ensure its founder remains in charge
facebook on wednesday proposed a new class of stock known as c shares in a move meant to allow mr zuckerberg to maintain control of the silicon valley company the creation of the new class of shares allows the chief executive to preserve his voting power at facebook even as he begins an effort to give away the majority of his stock for charitable purposes
facebook said the move was not a traditional governance model but it added that facebook was not built to be a traditional company
the proposal speaks to a very silicon valley ethos where company founders often reign supreme   and where corporate structures have shifted to accommodate that philosophy over the past decade more tech companies have adopted two classes of stock so that their founders can cement their voting power at the firms in 2012 google announced that it was creating a third class of shares to prevent its founders voting power from diminishing
mr zuckerberg on wednesday cited the silicon valley mantra of founders in explaining the new class of stock calling facebook a founder led company in a conference call he added facebook has been built on a series of bold moves when i look out on the future i see more bold moves ahead of us not behind us
the social network on wednesday also reported robust first quarter earnings that show the results of mr zuckerbergs leadership facebook said sales rose 52 percent to 53 billion from a year ago while profit increased to 15 billion tripling from 512 million a year earlier excluding certain items profit was 77 cents a share far surpassing wall street expectations of 62 cents a share
facebooks shares which are up more than 33 percent over the past year soared 9 percent in after hours trading
facebook said it began considering a third class of stock last august when a committee of three directors   erskine bowles susan desmond hellmann and marc andreessen   started evaluating the companys capital structure in december mr zuckerberg and his wife dr priscilla chan announced the creation of a limited liability company to which they would give 99 percent of their facebook shares during their lifetimes for charitable purposes
mr zuckerbergs philanthropic plan posed an issue for his long term control of facebook mr zuckerberg who is chief executive owns almost 4 million facebook class a shares and 468 million or 85 percent of its class b shares giving him overall voting power of 60 percent but if he were to give away 99 percent of his facebook stock over time his voting power at the company would decline to less than 50 percent
the new c shares effectively allow mr zuckerberg to maintain 60 percent of voting power while still giving away large amounts of stock under the proposal all holders of facebook stock will get two c shares for each a or b share that they own importantly the c shares come with no voting power holders of a shares are entitled to one vote per share while holder of b shares have 10 votes a share
that means mr zuckerberg as the majority owner of facebook shares will obtain a large amount c shares that he can then donate without diluting his voting power in the company
it is a rational if somewhat eyebrow raising way for founders to distribute wealth without giving up operating control of the company said lise buyer founder of the class v group which advises start ups on initial public offerings this structure will continue to allow facebook to make decisions that may not always look great in the short term but may pay off for investors over time
facebooks c shares may trade at a slight discount to a shares which would still have one vote most investors currently hold a shares which only have about a quarter of the overall shareholders voting power so they may not be forgoing much if they choose to sell their a shares versus their c shares
its almost like voting republican in massachusetts   you can do it but it wont affect the outcome said rick kline a partner in the technology and capital markets practice of law firm goodwin procter
investors getting new c shares will not gain economically because the same proportion of new stock will be given to all holders
mr zuckerberg might have a more difficult time convincing shareholders to accept the new class of shares were his company not doing so well facebooks financial results on wednesday were a far cry from the disappointing numbers posted in the past 10 days by peers like twitter whose advertising business showed signs of stumbling on tuesday or alphabet the parent company of google which missed analysts estimates for revenue last week
facebook in contrast has figured out how to wring billions of dollars from its members on mobile devices and other platforms making the companys revenue generation machine unstoppable
the company said 82 percent of its advertising revenue came from mobile devices in the first quarter in addition facebook is starting to spin up revenues in instagram the photo sharing application and is testing advertising on facebook messenger the messaging service for which the company recently introduced automated customer service bots
and while growth in new users on facebook has slowed in recent years the total is still getting larger facebook said 165 billion people visited the site on a monthly basis in the first quarter up from 144 billion a year earlier more than 15 billion people are monthly mobile only users up from 125 billion a year ago
facebooks other big bets like whatsapp the messaging service and oculus its virtual reality play have yet to pay off with immense new revenue streams but facebook is comfortable gathering a critical mass of users   nearly a billion in whatsapps case   and then introducing advertising later on when it makes more sense
to me this is like google 10 years ago said mark mahaney an internet analyst at rbc capital they really had such momentum and theyre proving how valuable they are to both advertisers and consumers


at the time 100 gala tuesday night mia farrow and aziz ansari chatted about not comedy or darfur but a nicki minaj performance in which the rapper wore an outfit that left little to the imagination
padma lakshmi and jenna lyons danced together grinding up on ms minaj as she made her way from the stage into the audience
and melissa mccarthy toasted kathy niakan a developmental biologist mapping the human genome
the annual gala like the magazines issue is nothing if not a series of incongruous pairings
the proceedings held at the time warner center at columbus circle began around 7 pm reporters lined up to query the years honorees who included the formula one driver lewis hamilton the muslim female fencing champion ibtihaj muhammad and the supermodel karlie kloss who was surprised to be named among the 100 most influential people
i thought they made a mistake said ms kloss standing beside her boyfriend joshua kushner in a cocktail area in a slinky violet dress
to her left was trevor noah in his black suit to her right matt lauer but of course it was the prospect of one honorees arrival   donald j trump   that created the biggest stir
metal detectors and security agents were all around and guests swapped stories about their encounters with mr trump over the years back before they had considered the possibility of his presidential run
one time i went to the oscars and i thought i have a really good seat because he was three rows behind me the artist marina abramovic said
i met him with uma said andre balazs referring to uma thurman as he went on to recall how mr trump eyed her up and down squeezed mr balazss hand and said good job good job
better that than youre fired ms abramovic said
a little after 8 honorees past and present headed into a large atrium for dinner and the evenings program which also included performances by ariana grande
that was around the time mr trump entered the room with his wife melania just as news broke that he had won primary contests in pennsylvania maryland connecticut delaware and rhode island
it was mayhem throngs of people approached his corner table for selfies and hellos including gayle king and wendi deng get in emily mr trump said to the page six editor emily smith
he was clearly pleased with the primary results it certainly feels good mr trump said i hear its a big victory well into the 60s   67 or 68 bigger than the polls suggested
but he couldnt stay long he had another campaign stop to make more reporters to talk to and a victory speech to give so after saying hello to martha stewart mr trump left
he also missed a toast by caitlyn jenner who actually thanked mr trump for allowing her to use the ladies room in one of his buildings recently dont ask


west lafayette ind   battered by four defeats in tuesday nights primaries bernie sanders is planning to lay off hundreds of campaign staffers across the country and focus much of his remaining effort on winning the june 7 california primary
the vermont senator revealed the changes a day after hillary clintons victories widened her delegate lead and left her all but certain to win the democratic presidential nomination
despite the changes mr sanders said he would remain in the race through the partys summer convention and stressed that he hoped to bring staff members back on board if his political fortunes improved but political experts say the layoffs signal mr sanders is beginning to accept that he will not be the democratic nominee and is now focused on pulling the party toward a more progressive agenda
we want to win as many delegates as we can so we do not need workers now in states around the country mr sanders said in an interview we dont need people right now in connecticut that election is over we dont need them in maryland so what we are going to do is allocate our resources to the 14 contests that remain and that means that we are going to be cutting back on staff
when asked how many people would be let go mr sanders did not give an exact number but did say it will be hundreds of staff members
we have had a very large staff which was designed to deal with 50 states in this country 40 of the states are now behind us he said so we have had a great staff great people
the development came a day after tad devine mr sanderss senior campaign strategist said in an interview that the senator would reassess his candidacy looking into issues of staffing and messaging
the remarks set off something of a backlash within the sanders campaign as officials disputed mr devines comments saying that no such reassessment would take place mr sanderss campaign manager told nbc news that there would be no big pow wow
when asked about mr devines remarks the senators wife jane sanders pushed back in a msnbc interview no no we assess on an everyday basis ms sanders said even if he had a string of wins like eight in a row or hes won states by landslide victories nobody in the media and certainly not the new york times has ever said he has a chance to win
stu loeser who owns a media strategy firm and was a longtime spokesman for mayor michael r bloomberg of new york said he had seen this sort of back and forth in campaigns involving mr devine before during vice president al gores presidential campaign mr devine had a reputation as a strategist who would be upfront with the candidate
every elected official needs two kinds of loyalists close to them one kind are the people who are with them no matter what agree with them no matter what and help them execute their vision mr loeser said and the other is an adviser who is able to stand up and tell the candidate what he or she needs to hear regardless of whether the candidate wants to hear it tad devine had that role with gore in 2000
mr sanders has started to talk more openly about the possibility of not winning the democratic contest during a rally in indiana he talked not just of his path to victory but discussed what he might do if he lost
he stressed he was in the race to win and become the democratic nominee but he also said if he did not succeed he would try to get as many delegates as possible and put together the strongest progressive agenda any political party has ever seen
michael briggs a spokesman for mr sanders said in a statement that the campaign would keep on staff more than 300 workers focused on the remaining contests
mr loeser said mr sanderss comments showed that he was beginning to pivot his message perhaps because people within the sanders campaign are realizing that the senator would not be able to beat mrs clinton
by the math its been impossible for senator sanders to catch up for quite some time mr loeser said now it looks like hes finally looked down realized there is no ground underneath him and is starting his descent


this is a transcript of donald j trumps foreign policy remarks as transcribed by the federal news service
thank you for the opportunity to speak to you and thank you to the center for national interest for honoring me with this invitation it truly is a great honor id like to talk today about how to develop a new foreign policy direction for our country one that replaces randomness with purpose ideology with strategy and chaos with peace
its time to shake the rust off americas foreign policy its time to invite new voices and new visions into the fold something we have to do the direction i will outline today will also return us to a timeless principle my foreign policy will always put the interests of the american people and american security above all else it has to be first has to be
that will be the foundation of every single decision that i will make
america first will be the major and overriding theme of my administration but to chart our path forward we must first briefly take a look back we have a lot to be proud of
in the 1940s we saved the world the greatest generation beat back the nazis and japanese imperialists then we saved the world again this time from totalitarianism and communism the cold war lasted for decades but guess what we won and we won big democrats and republicans working together got mr gorbachev to heed the words of president reagan our great president when he said tear down this wall
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history will not forget what he did a very special man and president unfortunately after the cold war our foreign policy veered badly off course we failed to develop a new vision for a new time in fact as time went on our foreign policy began to make less and less sense logic was replaced with foolishness and arrogance which led to one foreign policy disaster after another
they just kept coming and coming we went from mistakes in iraq to egypt to libya to president obamas line in the sand in syria each of these actions have helped to throw the region into chaos and gave isis the space it needs to grow and prosper very bad it all began with a dangerous idea that we could make western democracies out of countries that had no experience or interests in becoming a western democracy
we tore up what institutions they had and then were surprised at what we unleashed civil war religious fanaticism thousands of americans and just killed be lives lives lives wasted horribly wasted many trillions of dollars were lost as a result the vacuum was created that isis would fill iran too would rush in and fill that void much to their really unjust enrichment
they have benefited so much so sadly for us our foreign policy is a complete and total disaster no vision no purpose no direction no strategy today i want to identify five main weaknesses in our foreign policy
first our resources are totally over extended president obama has weakened our military by weakening our economy hes crippled us with wasteful spending massive debt low growth a huge trade deficit and open borders our manufacturing trade deficit with the world is now approaching 1 trillion a year
were rebuilding other countries while weakening our own ending the theft of american jobs will give us resources we need to rebuild our military which has to happen and regain our financial independence and strength i am the only person running for the presidency who understands this and this is a serious problem
im the only one   believe me i know them all im the only one who knows how to fix it
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secondly our allies are not paying their fair share and ive been talking about this recently a lot our allies must contribute toward their financial political and human costs have to do it of our tremendous security burden but many of them are simply not doing so
they look at the united states as weak and forgiving and feel no obligation to honor their agreements with us in nato for instance only 4 of 28 other member countries besides america are spending the minimum required 2 percent of gdp on defense we have spent trillions of dollars over time on planes missiles ships equipment building up our military to provide a strong defense for europe and asia
the countries we are defending must pay for the cost of this defense and if not the us must be prepared to let these countries defend themselves we have no choice
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the whole world will be safer if our allies do their part to support our common defense and security a trump administration will lead a free world that is properly armed and funded and funded beautifully
thirdly our friends are beginning to think they cant depend on us weve had a president who dislikes our friends and bows to our enemies something that weve never seen before in the history of our country he negotiated a disastrous deal with iran and then we watched them ignore its terms even before the ink was dry iran cannot be allowed to have a nuclear weapon cannot be allowed remember that cannot be allowed to have a nuclear weapon
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and under a trump administration will never ever be allowed to have that nuclear weapon
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all of this without even mentioning the humiliation of the united states with irans treatment of our ten captured sailors   so vividly i remember that day in negotiation you must be willing to walk the iran deal like so many of our worst agreements is the result of not being willing to leave the table
when the other side knows youre not going to walk it becomes absolutely impossible to win   you just cant win at the same time your friends need to know that you will stick by the agreements that you have with them youve made that agreement you have to stand by it and the world will be a better place president obama gutted our missile defense program and then abandoned our missile defense plans with poland and the czech republic he supported the ouster of a friendly regime in egypt that had a longstanding peace treaty with israel and then helped bring the muslim brotherhood to power in its place
israel our great friend and the one true democracy in the middle east has been snubbed and criticized by an administration that lacks moral clarity just a few days ago vice president biden again criticized israel a force for justice and peace for acting as an impatient peace area in the region
president obama has not been a friend to israel he has treated iran with tender love and care and made it a great power iran has indeed become a great great power in just a very short period of time because of what weve done all of the expense and all at the expense of israel our allies in the region and very importantly the united states itself
weve picked fights with our oldest friends and now theyre starting to look elsewhere for help remember that not good
fourth our rivals no longer respect us in fact theyre just as confused as our allies but in an even bigger problem is they dont take us seriously anymore the truth is they dont respect us when president obama landed in cuba on air force one no leader was there nobody to greet him
perhaps an incident without precedent in the long and prestigious history of air force one then amazingly the same thing happened in saudi arabia its called no respect absolutely no respect
do you remember when the president made a long and expensive trip to copenhagen denmark to get the olympics for our country and after this unprecedented effort it was announced that the united states came in fourth   fourth place the president of the united states making this trip   unprecedented   comes in fourth place he should have known the result before making such an embarrassing commitment we were laughed at all over the world as we have been many many times
the list of humiliations go on and on and on president obama watches helplessly as north korea increases its aggression and expands further and further with its nuclear reach our president has allowed china to continue its economic assault on american jobs and wealth refusing to enforce trade deals and apply leverage on china necessary to rein in north korea we have the leverage we have the power over china economic power and people dont understand it and with that economic power we can rein in and we can get them to do what they have to do with north korea which is totally out of control
he has even allowed china to steal government secrets with cyber attacks and engaged in industrial espionage against the united states and its companies weve let our rivals and challengers think they can get away with anything and they do they do at will it always happens if president obamas goal had been to weaken america he could not have done a better job
finally america no longer has a clear understanding of our foreign policy goals since the end of the cold war and the breakup of the soviet union weve lacked a coherent foreign policy one day were bombing libya and getting rid of a dictator to foster democracy for civilians the next day were watching the same civilians suffer while that country falls and absolutely falls apart lives lost massive moneys lost the world is a different place
were a humanitarian nation but the legacy of the obama clinton interventions will be weakness confusion and disarray a mess weve made the middle east more unstable and chaotic than ever before we left christians subject to intense persecution and even genocide
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we have done nothing to help the christians nothing and we should always be ashamed for that for that lack of action our actions in iraq libya and syria have helped unleash isis and were in a war against radical islam but president obama wont even name the enemy and unless you name the enemy you will never ever solve the problem
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hillary clinton also refuses to say the words radical islam even as she pushes for a massive increase in refugees coming into our country after secretary clintons failed intervention in libya islamic terrorists in benghazi took down our consulate and killed our ambassador and three brave americans then instead of taking charge that night hillary clinton decided to go home and sleep incredible
clinton blames it all on a video an excuse that was a total lie proven to be absolutely a total lie our ambassador was murdered and our secretary of state misled the nation and by the way she was not awake to take that call at 3 oclock in the morning and now isis is making millions and millions of dollars a week selling libya oil and you know what we dont blockade we dont bomb we dont do anything about it its almost as if our country doesnt even know whats happening which could be a fact and could be true this will all change when i become president
to our friends and allies i say america is going to be strong again america is going to be reliable again its going to be a great and reliable ally again its going to be a friend again were going to finally have a coherent foreign policy based upon american interests and the shared interests of our allies
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were getting out of the nation building business and instead focusing on creating stability in the world our moments of greatest strength came when politics ended at the waters edge we need a new rational american foreign policy informed by the best minds and supported by both parties and it will be by both parties   democrats republicans independents everybody as well as by our close allies
this is how we won the cold war and its how we will win our new future struggles which may be many which may be complex but we will win if i become president
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first we need a long term plan to halt the spread and reach of radical islam containing the spread of radical islam must be a major foreign policy goal of the united states and indeed the world events may require the use of military force but its also a philosophical struggle like our long struggle in the cold war
in this were going to be working very closely with our allies in the muslim world all of which are at risk from radical islamic violence attacks and everything else it is a dangerous world more dangerous now than it has ever been
we should work   thank you
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we should work together with any nation in the region that is threatened by the rise of radical islam but this has to be a two way street they must also be good to us remember that they have to be good to us no longer one way its now two way and remember us and all were doing they have to appreciate what weve done to them were going to help but they have to appreciate what weve done for them the struggle against radical islam also takes place in our homeland there are scores of recent migrants inside our borders charged with terrorism for every case known to the public there are dozens and dozens more we must stop importing extremism through senseless immigration policies we have no idea where these people are coming from theres no documentation theres no paperwork theres nothing we have to be smart we have to be vigilant
a pause for reassessment will help us to prevent the next san bernardino or frankly much worse all you have to do is look at the world trade center and september 11th one of the great catastrophes in my opinion the single greatest military catastrophe in the history of our country worse than pearl harbor because you take a look at whats happened and citizens were attacked as opposed to the military being attacked   one of the true great catastrophes
and then theres isis i have a simple message for them their days are numbered i wont tell them where and i wont tell them how we must
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 we must as a nation be more unpredictable we are totally predictable we tell everything were sending troops we tell them were sending something else we have a news conference we have to be unpredictable and we have to be unpredictable starting now
but theyre going to be gone isis will be gone if im elected president and theyll be gone quickly they will be gone very very quickly
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secondly we have to rebuild our military and our economy the russians and chinese have rapidly expanded their military capability but look at whats happened to us our nuclear weapons arsenal our ultimate deterrent has been allowed to atrophy and is desperately in need of modernization and renewal and it has to happen immediately our active duty armed forces have shrunk from 2 million in 1991 to about 13 million today the navy has shrunk from over 500 ships to 272 ships during this same period of time the air force is about one third smaller than 1991 pilots flying b 52s in combat missions today these planes are older than virtually everybody in this room
and what are we doing about this president obama has proposed a 2017 defense budget that in real dollars cuts nearly 25 percent from what we were spending in 2011 our military is depleted and were asking our generals and military leaders to worry about global warming
we will spend what we need to rebuild our military it is the cheapest single investment we can make we will develop build and purchase the best equipment known to mankind our military dominance must be unquestioned and i mean unquestioned by anybody and everybody
but we will look for savings and spend our money wisely in this time of mounting debt right now we have so much debt that nobody even knows how to address the problem but i do no one dollar can be wasted not one single dollar can we waste were also going to have to change our trade immigration and economic policies to make our economy strong again and to put americans first again
this will ensure that our own workers right here in america get the jobs and higher pay that will grow our tax revenues increase our economic might as a nation make us strong financially again so so important we need to think smart about areas where our technological superiority and nobody comes close gives us an edge
this includes 3d printing artificial intelligence and cyber warfare a great country also takes care of its warriors our commitment to them is absolute and i mean absolute a trump administration will give our servicemen and women the best equipment and support in the world when they serve and where they serve and the best care in the world when they return as veterans and they come back home to civilian life our veterans
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our veterans have not been treated fairly or justly these are our great people and we must treat them fairly we must even treat them really really well and that will happen under the trump administration
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finally we must develop a foreign policy based on american interests businesses do not succeed when they lose sight of their core interests and neither do countries look at what happened in the 1990s our embassies in kenya and tanzania   and this was a horrible time for us   were attacked and 17 brave sailors were killed on the uss cole
and what did we do it seemed we put more effort into adding china into the world trade organization which has been a total disaster for the united states frankly we spent more time on that than we did in stopping al qaeda we even had an opportunity to take out osama bin laden and we didnt do it
and then we got hit at the world trade center and the pentagon again the worst attack on our country in its history our foreign policy goals must be based on americas core national security interests and the following will be my priorities
in the middle east our goals must be and i mean must be to defeat terrorists and promote regional stability not radical change we need to be clearsighted about the groups that will never be anything other than enemies and believe me we have groups that no matter what you do they will be the enemy we have to be smart enough to recognize who those groups are who those people are and not help them and we must only be generous to those that prove they are indeed our friends
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we desire to live peacefully and in friendship with russia and china we have serious differences with these two nations and must regard them with open eyes but we are not bound to be adversaries we should seek common ground based on shared interests
russia for instance has also seen the horror of islamic terrorism i believe an easing of tensions and improved relations with russia from a position of strength only is possible absolutely possible common sense says this cycle this horrible cycle of hostility must end and ideally will end soon good for both countries
some say the russians wont be reasonable i intend to find out if we cant make a deal under my administration a deal thats great   not good great   for america but also good for russia then we will quickly walk from the table its as simple as that were going to find out
fixing our relations with china is another important step   and really toward creating an even more prosperous period of time china respects strength and by letting them take advantage of us economically which they are doing like never before we have lost all of their respect
we have a massive trade deficit with china a deficit that we have to find a way quickly and i mean quickly to balance a strong and smart america is an america that will find a better friend in china better than we have right now look at what china is doing in the south china sea theyre not supposed to be doing it
no respect for this country or this president we can both benefit or we can both go our separate ways if need be thats whats going to have to happen
after im elected president i will also call for a summit with our nato allies and a separate summit with our asian allies in these summits we will not only discuss a rebalancing of financial commitments but take a fresh look at how we can adopt new strategies for tackling our common challenges for instance we will discuss how we can upgrade natos outdated mission and structure grown out of the cold war to confront our shared challenges including migration and islamic terrorism
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i will not hesitate to deploy military force when there is no alternative but if america fights it must only fight to win
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i will never sent our finest into battle unless necessary and i mean absolutely necessary and will only do so if we have a plan for victory with a capital v
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our goal is peace and prosperity not war and destruction the best way to achieve those goals is through a disciplined deliberate and consistent foreign policy with president obama and secretary clinton weve had the exact opposite   a reckless rudderless and aimless foreign policy one that has blazed the path of destruction in its wake
after losing thousands of lives and spending trillions of dollars we are in far worst shape in the middle east than ever ever before i challenge anyone to explain the strategic foreign policy vision of obamaclinton it has been a complete and total disaster
i will also be prepared to deploy americas economic resources financial leverage and sanctions can be very very persuasive but we need to use them selectively and with total determination our power will be used if others do not play by the rules in other words if they do not treat us fairly our friends and enemies must know that if i draw a line in the sand i will enforce that line in the sand believe me
applause
however unlike other candidates for the presidency war and aggression will not be my first instinct you cannot have a foreign policy without diplomacy a superpower understands that caution and restraint are really truly signs of strength although not in government service i was totally against the war in iraq very proudly saying for many years that it would destabilize the middle east sadly i was correct and the biggest beneficiary has been has been iran who is systematically taking over iraq and gaining access to their very rich oil reserves something it has wanted to do for decades
and now to top it off we have isis my goal is to establish a foreign policy that will endure for several generations thats why i also look and have to look for talented experts with approaches and practical ideas rather than surrounding myself with those who have perfect resumes but very little to brag about except responsibility for a long history of failed policies and continued losses at war we have to look to new people
applause
we have to look to new people because many of the old people frankly dont know what theyre doing even though they may look awfully good writing in the new york times or being watched on television
finally i will work with our allies to reinvigorate western values and institutions instead of trying to spread universal values that not everybody shares or wants we should understand that strengthening and promoting western civilization and its accomplishments will do more to inspire positive reforms around the world than military interventions
applause
these are my goals as president i will seek a foreign policy that all americans whatever their party can support so important and which our friends and allies will respect and totally welcome the world must know that we do not go abroad in search of enemies that we are always happy when old enemies become friends and when old friends become allies thats what we want we want them to be our allies
we want the world to be   we want to bring peace to the world too much destruction out there too many destructive weapons the power of weaponry is the single biggest problem that we have today in the world
to achieve these goals americans must have confidence in their country and its leadership again many americans must wonder why we our politicians seem more interested in defending the borders of foreign countries than in defending their own americans
applause
americans must know that were putting the american people first again on trade
applause
so true on trade on immigration on foreign policy the jobs incomes and security of the american worker will always be my first priority
applause
no country has ever prospered that failed to put its own interests first both our friends and our enemies put their countries above ours and we while being fair to them must start doing the same we will no longer surrender this country or its people to the false song of globalism the nation state remains the true foundation for happiness and harmony i am skeptical of international unions that tie us up and bring america down and will never enter
applause
and under my administration we will never enter america into any agreement that reduces our ability to control our own affairs
applause
nafta as an example has been a total disaster for the united states and has emptied our states   literally emptied our states of our manufacturing and our jobs and ive just gotten to see it ive toured pennsylvania ive toured new york ive toured so many of the states they have been cleaned out their manufacturing is gone
never again only the reverse   and i have to say this strongly   never again only the reverse will happen we will keep our jobs and bring in new ones there will be consequences for the companies that leave the united states only to exploit it later they fire the people they take advantage of the united states there will be consequences for those companies never again
under a trump administration no american citizen will ever again feel that their needs come second to the citizens of a foreign country
applause
i will view as president the world through the clear lens of american interests i will be americas greatest defender and most loyal champion we will not apologize for becoming successful again but will instead embrace the unique heritage that makes us who we are
the world is most peaceful and most prosperous when america is strongest america will continue and continue forever to play the role of peacemaker we will always help save lives and indeed humanity itself but to play the role we must make america strong again
applause
and always   always always we must make and we have to look at it from every angle and we have no choice we must make america respected again we must make america truly wealthy again and we must   we have to and we will make america great again and if we do that   and if we do that perhaps this century can be the most peaceful and prosperous the world has ever ever known thank you very much everybody i appreciate it thank you
applause
thank you very much
applause
thank you
end


washington   the two labels we affix to dusty baker say more about baseball than they do about him
the thing that really bothers me is how every time they mention my name im either 66 years old or im an african american manager baker said before batting practice tuesday on a bench in the washington nationals dugout why is either one so important you know what i mean
this is how baker talks verbal volleys back and forth not so much a challenge but a checkpoint to make sure you understand him to see if you have something to add why should baseball have just one older manager the mets terry collins and just one other african american the los angeles dodgers dave roberts in that role experience and diversity ought to count for more
baker is often asked to ponder these questions but he would rather not his job is to get the most from the nationals a team with immense talent but little to show for it two division titles in four years without advancing in the playoffs now they are 14 5 leading the national league east showing none of the dysfunction baker had heard about a team stalked by expectations appears free of pressure
if you think that having funs exhausting try being miserable baker said thats a nightmare am i right oh boy theres nothing worse than being miserable where you work
the nationals lost to philadelphia on tuesday 4 3 and starter max scherzer did not pitch well he struggled to command his fastball and needed nearly 100 pitches to wade through five innings yet with the nationals trailing by two runs and the pitchers spot due up baker let scherzer hit for himself
that fired me up scherzer said i wanted to go up and get a knock go out there for the sixth and try to pitch my best   and it worked
scherzer singled to start a game tying rally then powered through a scoreless sixth baker believed in him proved it with his decision and scherzer   the 210 million ace of the staff   left the ballpark feeling better about himself
managers can say whatever they want scherzer said but when they do something thats when everybody feels it
scherzer who has played for four managers in the last four seasons said baker reminded him of the retired jim leyland another skilled communicator who was almost disarmingly honest and direct
of course leyland was also heralded for his in game strategy a skill for which baker often gets less credit only one active manager the san francisco giants bruce bochy has more victories than baker who is 17th on the career list with 1685 through wednesday bochy has 1714
we know how he handles the clubhouse and how the players love playing for him   we all heard that said general manager mike rizzo who hired baker last fall to replace matt williams who had not connected well with players and had been too rigid with game management
but what i have seen is this guy knows the xs and os of this game as good as any manager ive ever been around rizzo said his preparation for a ballgame is unbelievable
baker prepared for 19 years as a player without even realizing it he would pepper his managers with questions born of curiosity not ambition he was 37 when the 1987 season began without him and a seismic baseball moment that april changed his life
al campanis the dodgers general manager who had played with jackie robinson said on nightline that blacks might lack the necessities to be managers or general managers the remarks which led to campaniss resignation had highlighted the institutional mind set behind baseballs poor hiring record for those roles
i was surprised because he was one of the best ones there baker said i was like damn if he feels like that hows everybody else feel al was probably one of the most fair guys there
baker had always been viewed as a leader in the marines and in baseball after campaniss remarks he said opportunities started to arise for him and a few others when the san francisco giants offered baker a coaching job after the 1987 season he did not ignore the sign this was a calling baker believed and by 1993 he was managing the team
he was the nl manager of the year three times and reached the 2002 world series but that is as far as baker has gotten he led the chicago cubs and the cincinnati reds to the playoffs but was fired by the reds after losing a wild card game in 2013
baker spent the last two years at home near sacramento where he ran a vineyard gardened watched his teenage son play baseball and wrote a book kiss the sky about his weekend at the monterey pop festival in 1967 he also analyzed the playoffs for tbs
i still watched baseball because i love baseball but you dont let yourself get lonely or unhappy baker said i was going to have a good time no matter what anyway im happy to be here but i wasnt unhappy not to be here
as opportunities go his new job is hard to match
the nationals have the reigning nl most valuable player bryce harper who appears poised for an encore their staff under the new pitching coach mike maddux has been dominant the team is using more defensive shifts blunting the notion that baker would be resistant to data driven strategy
bill walsh the hall of fame football coach of the san francisco 49ers would tell baker to keep evolving to constantly seek what is new it helps to have a 36 year old daughter and a 17 year old son baker said because their ages bookend the ages on his roster
you walk into his office hes listening to hip hop music   todays hip hop music said outfielder chris heisey who had also played for baker in cincinnati and then an old school song will come on and he knows that too so hes well versed in a lot of different areas of life and hes got something in common with everybody hell tell you too he knows a lot about a lot
baker knows enough not to be easily defined he cares less now about outside critics he said and does not frame his job here by the pursuit of an elusive championship ring
one wouldnt satisfy me baker said i always said if i win one id want to win two and then who knows id want to win three i aint limiting myself
for johnnie b baker jr there will always be more frontiers to explore


next stop mars
in december space exploration technologies corporation of hawthorne calif better known as spacex landed a rocket on earth flying a booster stage of one of its falcon 9 rockets back to cape canaveral this month the company repeated the feat even more impressively setting the booster down on a floating platform in the atlantic
now spacex elon musks rocket company has its sights set farther away it aims to land one of its capsules on the surface of mars in may 2018 the company announced in a twitter message on wednesday
mr musk has said that spacexs long term goal is to colonize mars and he has talked of an ambitious schedule to get people there in the mid 2020s
but before that happens mr musk not to mention any would be colonists have to make sure that the technology for getting to mars in one piece actually works
in an announcement on wednesday spacex said it planned to send an unmanned dragon capsule to mars in 2018 and land it on the surface about six months later mars and earth line up only once every 26 months
nasa also plans to send people to mars although not as quickly aiming for the mid 2030s on wednesday afternoon a couple of hours after the spacex twitter message dava j newman nasas deputy administrator wrote we are closer than ever before to sending american astronauts to mars than anyone anywhere at any time has ever been a new consensus is emerging around nasas plan and timetable for sending astronauts to the red planet in the 2030s
nasa has emphasized that   unlike the apollo missions to the moon   it is not working alone but is enlisting the help of other countries and endeavors almost in passing dr newman mentioned the spacex mars effort
among the many exciting things were doing with american businesses were particularly excited about an upcoming spacex project that would build upon a current no exchange of funds agreement we have with the company she wrote
in exchange for martian entry descent and landing data from spacex she continued nasa will offer technical support for the firms plan to attempt to land an uncrewed dragon 2 spacecraft on mars
landing on mars is tricky the atmosphere is thick enough that the energy of the arriving spacecraft slamming into the air molecules heats its outside to thousands of degrees but it is too thin for parachutes to provide a gentle landing
nasa has turned to innovative devices like airbags used to cushion the landings of the spirit and opportunity rovers in 2004 and a rube goldberg esque sky crane system to set down the larger and heavier curiosity rover in 2012
a team at nasas ames research center in california proposed spacexs dragon capsule as a cheaper way to land on mars using rocket engines spacex liked the idea enough to start working on it as well signing an agreement to tap into nasa expertise
the dragon capsule would be launched on spacexs larger falcon heavy rocket which has yet to have its first flight these missions will help demonstrate the technologies needed to land large payloads propulsively on mars said philip larson a spacex spokesman
but even with spacexs recent technological tours de force getting to mars in 2018 would be a huge quick leap for a company that has yet to leave earths neighborhood


as donald trump turns his attention to hillary clinton hes trying out new attack lines in his victory speech tuesday evening it was that the only card she has is the womens card he said that if hillary clinton were a man i dont think she would get 5 percent of the vote
in his telling the womens card confers an enormous advantage indeed current head to head polls between mrs clinton and mr trump have her with 55 percent of the two party vote suggesting that he believes the womens card is worth 50 points thats nearly enough to assure any female candidate of victory
yet this appears to be inconsistent with available data over the past decade women have been elected to 175 percent of house seats meaning that theyre outnumbered by men by roughly five to one
in fact the womens card appears to be particularly unhelpful in the united states womens success in politics   at least as measured by the proportion of seats they hold in the house compared with equivalent lower chambers in other nations   ranks below that of nearly every other rich country the united states is positioned between greece and bangladesh
of course mr trump might object that hes not talking about house seats but rather the presidency even there the womens card appears quite unhelpful as the upshots extensive search through united states data failed to locate a single woman who had ever been president


the next time you want to hug a dog consider this you could be making the pooch miserable an expert says
to the average dog lover the animals floppy ears and pudgy paws are simply cute but there is actual science behind their design they are cursorial animals which means that they have adapted to run as their first line of defense said stanley coren a psychology professor emeritus at the university of british columbia and a dog training expert
so when a human however well meaning or needy moves in for a full body embrace it immobilizes the dog and increases the animals stress level he wrote in a psychology today blog post this month
dr corens recommendation save your hugs for your two footed family members and lovers it is clearly better from the dogs point of view if you express your fondness for your pet with a pat a kind word and maybe a treat
to be sure the post is not a peer reviewed scientific study but only his expert observation but his advice ricocheted across social media and dog lovers howled their reaction on twitter
dr coren looked at 250 images on google and flickr that show people hugging dogs about 81 percent of the photos showed dogs giving off at least one sign of discomfort stress or anxiety he said the rest of the photographs showed dogs that appeared comfortable with their hugs or exhibiting neutral or ambiguous responses
since dogs and humans cannot talk to each other   not in the traditional way at least   dr coren offered pointers on the canine body language to look out for gleaned from his own observations
 bared teeth is one key signal of anxiety dr coren wrote
 turning its head away from whatever is worrisome sometimes closing its eyes at least partly dogs will often show what is called a half moon eye or whale eye where the white portion of the eyes at the corner or the rim is visible he said
 licking yawning or raising a paw the dog may also lower its ears or slick them back against the side of its head
corey cohen a companion animal behavior therapist at a new leash on life in pennsylvania was unequivocal
my dogs love being hugged he said
mr cohen said he believed dogs might look anxious in the hugging photos because they didnt like having their pictures taken or because a person was trying to pose them or get their attention but mr cohen who also does canine massages said he thought dogs could be comfortable with a hug when there was familiarity and trust
how does he know his dog loves to cuddle he said he could feel tension being released in certain muscle areas of the animal the breathing slowed down and the gaze softened in some dogs he said the edges of their mouths tilt up like a smile
i can definitely tell mr cohen said their facial expression changes oh give me more 
the trust bond also leads him to dismiss a common notion that people should not stare at dogs   that doing so is considered confrontational
the truth is if you have a decent relationship with your dog it releases oxytocin he said referring to the so called love hormone i dont think there is any other creature on earth that will do this
but erica lieberman a dog trainer and behavior consultant with pawsibilities pets in new york city said that in general dogs should not be hugged   just to be on the safe side
for example people who adopt a rescue dog may not know the animals socialization history it could have painful association with say a child giving it crushing or unintentionally painful hugs
ms lieberman said dogs understand facial expressions and learn that hugging makes people happy therefore they may be putting up with something they do not really like
so i like the message she said referring to the no hugs credo i believe people should err on the side of caution
she said people should always look for cutoff signals in addition to those dr coren noted ms lieberman said dogs might shake off in displeasure after a hug similar to what they do after a bath to rid themselves of excess water
if you dont see any of that there are plenty of dogs who not only dont mind but they get that it is what makes it a humans companion she said
ms lieberman who has also worked as a therapy dog evaluator said another misconception is that its ok to extend your hands into a dogs face as introduction
that is incorrect because you are getting into a dogs face she said keep your hands at your side and see if the dog approaches you you have allowed it to be the dogs decision
ms lieberman said there are alternatives to hugs like scratching or belly rubs but for the dog loving humans who cant live without their canine cuddles ms lieberman said you could always try counter conditioning until you are sure the dog is fine with it
that is hug your dog briefly and then give it a treat repeat as needed


washington   donald j trump exuding confidence after his resounding primary victories in the east promised a foreign policy on wednesday that he said would put america first he castigated president obama and hillary clinton a former secretary of state and a possible opponent in the general election for what he described as a string of missteps that have disillusioned the nations allies and emboldened its rivals
mr trump the front runner for the republican presidential nomination pledged a major buildup of the military the swift destruction of the islamic state and the rejection of trade deals that he said tied the nations hands but he also pointedly rejected the nation building of the george w bush administration reminding his audience that he had opposed the iraq war
america is going to be strong again america is going to be great again its going to be a friend again mr trump said were going to finally have a coherent foreign policy based on american interests and the shared interests of our allies
the world must know that we do not go abroad in search of enemies that we are always happy when old enemies become friends and when old friends become allies he added thats what we want we want to bring peace to the world
for mr trump whose campaign appearances are often a gleeful exercise in showmanship and off the cuff wisecracks the speech had all the trappings of a serious address standing beneath a twinkling chandelier in a washington hotel ballroom backed by american flags and facing a sedate largely gray haired audience a measured mr trump read his remarks from a teleprompter staying almost completely on script
but if mr trump adopted establishment trappings his speech still had an insurgent tone he criticized allies in europe and asia for not bearing the burden of their own defense he said he would try to mend fences with russia and he assailed his opponents for being overly aggressive in foreign affairs mr trump said he had no plans to take advice from the foreign policy elite and his agenda reflected that   a melange of ideas that defied republican and democratic orthodoxy
there were paradoxes throughout mr trumps speech he called for a return to the coherence of americas foreign policy during the cold war yet he was openly suspicious of the institutions that undergirded that era he promised to eradicate the islamic state but said the campaign against extremism   or as he called it radical islam   was as much a philosophical struggle as a military one
our friends and enemies must know that if i draw a line in the sand i will enforce that line in the sand   believe me mr trump said however unlike other candidates for the presidency foreign aggression will not be my first instinct he did not mention anyone by name though his strongest republican opponent senator ted cruz of texas has threatened to carpet bomb the islamic state until the desert sand glows
mr trumps speech drew negative reaction across the political spectrum senator lindsey graham republican of south carolina posted on twitter that ronald reagan must be rolling over in his grave lanhee chen a fellow at the hoover institution who advised mitt romney the 2012 republican nominee said there was clearly an isolationist strain to the speech but that runs into the reality of the world that we live in
r nicholas burns a former senior state department official under mr bush who now advises mrs clinton said hes casting these thunderbolts and threats at our allies and yet there was almost a kid glove treatment of russia and china
even mr trumps embrace of the slogan america first raised eyebrows with critics noting that it was popularized in the 1930s by the aviator charles a lindbergh and other isolationists who opposed the united states entering world war ii to fly the banner of america first shows that he has historical amnesia or just doesnt understand history mr burns said
in one of his few concrete proposals mr trump said he would convene summit meetings in europe and asia to overhaul nato and rebalance nuclear security arrangements with japan and south korea he did not repeat a statement he made to the new york times that those countries should consider acquiring their own nuclear weapons
mr trump was scathing about the obama administrations intervention in libya lashing mrs clinton to the policy which he said had left a security vacuum filled by the islamic state he also faulted mr obama for his failure to enforce the red line he laid down in syria yet mr trump made clear he would use military force only as a last resort
were getting out of the nation building business and instead focusing on creating stability on the world mr trump said
on pressing issues like counterterrorism mr trump broke little new ground he declined for example to give any details on how he planned to destroy the islamic state to avoid tipping the militarys hand beyond vowing that they will be gone quickly
mr trump repeated his desire to seek improved relations with russia and its president vladimir v putin   a strategy that carried echoes of mr obamas attempt to reset relations with russia after its invasion of georgia in 2008 but he said his skills as a deal maker would make him more successful at it
i see improved relations with russia from a position of strength as possible mr trump said some say the russians wont be reasonable i intend to find out
in another echo of mr obama mr trump said he would seek advice from outside the foreign policy establishment he said he would choose the best minds with practical solutions rather than people with perfect resumes and records of failure around the world he did not mention any names
mr trump promised to make the united states more dependable in the eye of its friends and allies and more respected by its enemies yet just moments earlier he also advocated increased unpredictability we have to be unpredictable he said and we have to be unpredictable starting now
the relatively small invitation only crowd consisted of journalists seated in the back and seven rows of guests   a largely inside the beltway crowd that included senator jeff sessions of alabama a senior policy adviser to the campaign a handful of house members and grover norquist the president of americans for tax reform
mr trump recently overhauled his campaign team bringing in new advisers who have begun to impose discipline and organization to what was often a chaotic campaign the candidate himself has taken steps toward more presidential behavior as he calls it
mr trump who delights in mocking scripted candidates who use teleprompters delivered his speech with the help of two teleprompters and aides said he had practiced with them over the weekend the new york billionaire worked on his foreign policy speech for more than a week according to an aide with the help of some advisers his campaign would not identify
the speech is his words and his thoughts said paul manafort mr trumps newly installed campaign chief
mr trump was introduced by zalmay khalilzad an afghan born diplomat who was mr bushs ambassador to afghanistan and iraq and is closely identified with the american wars in those countries mr khalilzad said afterward that he was not advising mr trump formally or informally and that the two men met for the first time in a holding room adjacent to where he delivered his speech


givatayim israel   during a boisterous passover seder with her extended family sabiha ziluf 75 paused and said softly that she could still see the baghdad streets of her childhood i would love to visit bab al sharji she said referring to an old neighborhood near where her aunt lived
ms ziluf whose first name translates roughly to morning in arabic is one of countless iraqi jews in israel taking fresh interest in a heritage once considered unseemly even shameful facebook pages with tens of thousands of followers debate the fine points of iraqi jewish dialect music and cuisine a babylonian heritage center near tel aviv has drawn daily crowds of more than 1300 people during passover and its number of yearly visitors has increased by more than 50 percent since 2011
among those viewing the centers reconstructions of the shops and crooked alleys of baghdads old jewish quarter were swarms of children generations removed from those who experienced babylons allure firsthand they are heroes liel ovadya 13 said of the jews of baghdad who included his grandmother oshrat berko who immigrated to israel at 15 as of 2014 there were 227900 jews of iraqi descent living in israel according to government data
families with ties to iraq are among several communities of israelis from arabic and north african countries newly embracing their origins after struggling to be accepted by the ashkenazi jews of europe who founded israel and for decades dominated its political military and academic elites the resurgent interest comes as the number of jews in iraq has dwindled to nearly none and as the islamic state and other hostile groups are sowing chaos in the streets shrines and graveyards where jews lived died and celebrated their faith for nearly three millenniums
in recent interviews many israelis pointed to two unlikely cultural icons   dudu tassa a 39 year old rock star and eli amir a 78 year old novelist   as forces that have accelerated iraqi jews efforts to preserve their past before it vanishes forever
the dove flyer a novel by mr amir and the 2014 film based on it culminate in the 1951 israeli airlift that brought nearly 110000 jews to israel from iraq with little more than the clothes on their backs arriving shortly after the 1948 arab israeli war the newcomers largely suppressed their culture mr amir said in an interview because their language was the enemy language and their music was the music of the enemy
this was a kind of a terrible wound that each and every one of us tried to handle differently mr amir said his work he said was meant to put my visiting card on the table of every ashkenazi to let them know we didnt come from the desert and caves and trees   that we came from a civilized country
mr tassa who was born in tel aviv began an artistic journey that fused rock and traditional arab music after discovering that his grandfather daoud al kuwaiti had been one of the most important composers in the arab world a 2011 film chronicling that journey had a catchy title iraq n roll
iraqs jewish history dates about 4000 years to the birth of the biblical patriarch abraham in ur where there is a shrine and archaeological digs long after abraham left for what was then called canaan generations of jews were sent to exile in babylon between the tigris and euphrates rivers in what is now iraq
an ottoman census in 1917 counted 80000 jews in baghdad out of 202000 residents a community that nissim rejwan the author of the jews of iraq 3000 years of history and culture described as perhaps the wealthiest and certainly the best educated in that era
ali adeeb who once worked for the new york times in baghdad and who now teaches at new york university said that in the first half of the 20th century jews were not only major forces in iraqs financial institutions but also produced the nations most renowned historian most famous singer and most influential composers   including mr tassas grandfather and great uncle
iraqi jews had always been the targets of sporadic attacks but the danger soared with the rise of the nazis influence in the 1930s as well as unhappiness around the arab world with zionisms push for a jewish state a pogrom in june 1941 the farhud killed nearly 200 jews in baghdad
sammy smooha 74 a sociology professor at haifa university said his father was stabbed repeatedly during the pogrom but survived by pretending to be dead stirring only after he had been loaded onto a truck with other bodies
this is the point where they realized there is no future in iraq said lily shor a guide and events manager at the babylonian jewry heritage center in or yehuda outside tel aviv
still as mr amir describes in his work there was disagreement among jews on whether to take the airlift to israel in 1951 thousands remained behind for those who left a new challenge awaited said dina zvi riklis 66 a tel aviv filmmaker starting over with nothing as a mizrahi   the israeli term for jews from the middle east and north africa   in a young country dominated by ashkenazis from eastern europe
i told my mother not to speak to me in arabic ms riklis said i denied that i came from iraq she recalls her father being ridiculed by israelis who called his traditional arabic dishdasha or a full length garment pajamas
many more jews including ms shor 59 slipped out of iraq by the 1970s in 2008 the new york times reported that fewer than 10 jews remained in baghdad emad levy 51 who came to israel in 2010 after a threat to his life said he knew of just five jews in the city they are well he said protected by muslim friends but dealing with endless violence and an absence of any civic activity
with jewish life all but extinguished in baghdad ronit azouri the general manager of the heritage center said the institution was the only place you can see what it was like for jews in iraq
one of the centers exhibits shows the iraqi version of charoset a staple of the passover seder plate using date honey and nuts and a haggadah the text guide to the seder itself in iraqi jewish dialect   largely drawn from arabic but written in hebrew letters
professor smooha who came to israel on the airlift when he was 9 said some rapprochement between iraqi jews and their heritage had been occurring for more than a decade but he said he saw new changes in december israel began offering a stipend of about 950 a year as well as assistance with prescription medication to those who were affected by the farhud along with those from algeria and morocco who suffered under the vichy government
as for mr tassa he said that in merging his grandfathers work with his own he was forced to confront not only technical challenges but also his very identity at concerts he said he has been surprised to see three generations of audience adding the grandparents the parents and the children all related to the show


new delhi   the current political leader of tibets exiled government lobsang sangay won re election by a decisive majority the election commission announced wednesday and he pledged to push harder for a dialogue with china to resolve the future of tibet
my principal objective will be to resolve the issue of tibet through the middle way approach mr sangay said in a telephone interview
the middle way approach was set in motion by the dalai lama the spiritual and political leader of the tibetan people nearly 30 years ago in which he softened his demand for independence for the approximately six million tibetans living in china instead seeking self government for them within china
the dalai lama 80 gave up his political role five years ago in favor of elections to choose a sikyong a role similar to prime minister mr sangay was chosen in the first election in 2011
both candidates for the sikyong of the central tibetan administration as the exiled government is known favored the middle way approach even though a vocal minority believe in fighting for full independence for tibet mr sangay 48 won 33876 votes while penpa tsering the speaker of the exiled parliament secured 24846 votes sonam choephel shosur the election commissioner said at a news conference
the tibetan exile community spread around the world but mostly living in india elects a sikyong and parliament every five years about 90377 people are registered to vote the election was held in march and it took a month to gather and count the ballots
mr sangay in the interview said that while the chinese government had thus far refused to engage in a dialogue with him he would use international forums to pressure china to speak with representatives of the dalai lama as it has in the past
in addition he said he would continue his focus on improving educational opportunities for tibetan exiles and improving their economic opportunities
the dalai lama after fleeing china in 1959 built a government in exile in the northern indian town of dharamsala over the years


suzanne amador kane a physicist at haverford college in pennsylvania was thinking about visual signals by animals   mostly come ons and warnings
she was viewing various courtship videos online when she found some impressive high speed recordings of the bird that defines showiness   the peacock
they not only fan out those spectacular tail feathers   called a train   to tempt pea hens but they also shake them in a behavior called train rattling dr kane noticed that the feathers were resonating like cantilevers during the rattling
a cantilever is commonly defined as a beam or girder fixed at one end but in physics it could also be a feather or a stalk of dried hay or a pickup stick fixed at one end
dr kane wrote to the person who had made the videos roslyn dakin now a postdoctoral researcher at the university of british columbia dr dakin a biologist had been studying the color of peacock feathers she and other researchers had found that the most successful males had the most iridescent blue green color in the tail eye spots
she was interested in how females perceive the eye spots and dr kane was interested in how the motion of the feathers related to the visual abilities of the intended audience pea hens
dr dakin invited dr kane to california where they began their collaboration on the study of peacocks that roam the grounds of the los angeles county arboretum and botanical garden the goal was to develop a basic understanding of the shaking motion these motions are a key part of courtship dr dakin said they have a visual component and a sound
they videotaped the peacocks during their natural courtship behavior they display their feathers often but said dr dakin they dont vibrate when females are not around
dr kane also conducted laboratory research she and owen mccrossan an undergraduate at drexel university made an artificial train with peacock feathers and shook it we had to rent a shaker she said
they and several colleagues including mr mccrossan published a detailed account of their findings wednesday in the journal plos one giving a full picture of the physics of train rattling
among the highlights
  the tail feathers vibrate at their natural resonating frequency   like a guitar string
  the iridescent eyes stay fairly still while other parts of the tail move because of the structure of the feathers
  males with longer heavier feathers dont shake them more slowly as might be expected but faster
they plan to use their analysis as a foundation for future research now that they understand how train rattling works they could change some aspects of it to see what effect that has on females and what that says about the visual system of pea fowl
as for the noise they know that pea hens hear it but they are still not sure how important it is


istanbul   a female suicide bomber blew herself up near a historic mosque in the northwestern turkish city of bursa on wednesday wounding at least 13 people officials said
the explosion rocked the 14th century ulu camii or grand mosque a popular tourist destination in a historic district of the city television reports showed shattered glass and debris from shops and restaurants close to the mosque the police cordoned off the area as ambulances sped to the scene
the turkish health minister mehmet muezzinoglu said in a statement that none of the 13 people who were hospitalized were in critical condition
the attack took place a few hours after the united states embassy in ankara issued a security advisory to american citizens warning of credible threats against tourist destinations throughout turkey
the bombing is the latest in a series of terrorist attacks in metropolitan areas across the country this year after the renewal of a bloody conflict between the turkish state and kurdish insurgents and the expansion of turkeys cooperation with the american led coalition fighting the islamic state in syria
last month a car filled with explosives blew up in a public square in the heart of ankara killing at least 35 people kurdish militants claimed responsibility more recently a suicide bomber struck istanbuls busiest street killing at least four people including two americans no group claimed responsibility but the turkish government said the islamic state was to blame


in the days since prince died at paisley park many of his collaborators have reflected on his remarkable talents onstage and in the studio and come to the same conclusion the artists legacy is much greater than the public realizes
beyond princes own powers as a live performer his flair stagecraft and stamina and a studio artist his curiosity productivity and virtuosic command over nearly every instrument few artists have championed and mentored other musicians so consistently he assembled groups like the time and vanity 6 and remained engaged with up and comers   particularly groups featuring women songwriters   asking acts including janelle monae and king to open at his shows we talked to several collaborators from across his career about what they learned from working with prince
sheila e first played with prince when both musicians were barely 20 jamming next to the water bed in her parents oakland basement she soon joined him in the studio and had to adjust to a loose process unlike anything she had previously encountered when she began to engineer some of their sessions prince forced her to rethink the conventional way of recording
three years later keyboardist morris hayes arrived at paisley park as a production assistant under princes tutelage he eventually became not just a member of the new power generation but the bands most senior member
mr hayess bandmate cassandra oneal said that prince helped her grow into a more daring player
in 2011 prince became so enamored with the rb trio king that he invited them to open one of his concerts at the forum in los angeles   their first ever show singer paris strothers recalled that when they expressed their doubts he refused to listen
jazz vocalist cassandra wilson who also opened for prince at the forum said that freedom was a word he used often when discussing the exploitation of musicians for her princes challenge to the labels was nearly as important as his music


the world trade center transportation hubs recently opened oculus will host performances for the first time as part of this years river to river festival which runs june 16 through 26 at various locations around lower manhattan and governors island
according to the lower manhattan cultural council which puts on the festival the performances at the oculus will be pop ups with details released shortly before they take place via social media like the organizations twitter facebook or instagram accounts
other highlights from river to river include dance music and theater as well as art exhibitions and open studios the interdisciplinary artist saya woolfalks chimatek chimacloud control center june 16 21 and 23 opens the festival with an array of live performances at fulton center other performances include dances by dance heginbotham june 17 19 eiko june 19 21 22 and will rawls june 20 22
on june 22 olga bell who sang and played keyboards with the band dirty projectors brings her song cycle krai to 28 liberty plaza the performance will be a revival of a 12 person arrangement ms bell wrote for a sold out premiere at walker art center in minneapolis in 2014
the full lineup will be at lmccnetprogramriver to river


indianapolis   senator ted cruz of texas desperate to alter the course of a presidential primary fight in which donald j trump is closing in on victory announced wednesday that carly fiorina would be his running mate if he won the republican nomination
the move a day after mr trump scored unexpectedly wide victory margins in sweeping five east coast states amounted to the grandest diversionary tactic a presidential candidate can stage   or at least the grandest one available to a candidate trailing by about 400 delegates who failed to win more than 25 percent of the vote in any state on tuesday
taking the stage after 4 pm before a modest but spirited crowd in a cavernous pavilion here mr cruz described mrs fiorina the former presidential candidate and hewlett packard chief executive as brilliant and capable and deeply principled and praised her for having shattered glass ceilings
mr cruzs criteria for a pick in his telling seemed to be aimed squarely at mr trump do they think through decisions in a rash and impulsive way he asked do they pop off the handle at whatever strikes them at any given moment he held up mrs fiorina as someone who knows where jobs come from
born in texas he added grinning the very first thing i liked about her
mr cruzs decision to rush out a vice presidential pick before next weeks primary in indiana which is becoming make or break for his candidacy was the political equivalent of a student pulling a fire alarm to avoid an exam it was certain to draw attention and carried the possibility of meeting its immediate goal but seemed unlikely to forestall the eventual reckoning
still for mr cruz it could serve to shift the focus away from mr trumps success and from his own wheezing alliance with gov john kasich of ohio who agreed to clear out of indiana if mr cruz withdrew from competition in oregon and new mexico and since endorsing mr cruz last month mrs fiorina has proved to be an eager surrogate attacking both mr trump and hillary clinton with zeal
on wednesday mrs fiorina quickly seized on the role of faithful sidekick singing a song to mr cruzs daughters from the stage appraising the senator as a lot of fun and repeatedly hammering home the cruz campaign argument that mr trump and mrs clinton are essentially indistinguishable on policy
theyre not going to challenge the system she said they are the system
mr cruzs announcement was prompted by the same countervailing forces that pushed him to strike the nonaggression pact with mr kasich on sunday mr cruzs polling in indiana showed him down double digits in indiana last week according to two republicans familiar with the findings he has edged closer to mr trump in nightly surveys this week but remains behind
if the election were held today wed lose but not get crushed said a republican familiar with mr cruzs polling
what is striking though is that mr cruz decided to tap mrs fiorina even after his own surveys indicated she would offer only a modest boost in indiana and subsequent states mr cruzs campaign tested the impact if mr cruz named mrs fiorina as his running mate and found it was only worth a couple of points said a republican briefed on the polling results voters like her they dont love her said this republican who insisted on anonymity to discuss the decision making
yet mr cruzs gambit may present a perilous challenge for mr trump who faces mounting criticism for his derisive remarks about women including his repeated claims that mrs clintons sole political asset is the womans card
already viewed unfavorably by a majority of women in general election polls mr trump has clashed savagely with mrs fiorina in the past he has mocked her business record her voice and even her looks look at that face mr trump said in an interview with rolling stone magazine last summer would anyone vote for that
another slashing comment directed at mrs fiorinas appearance or gender could have grave consequences for mr trump especially with female voters he would need to win over to compete in the fall
current and former advisers to mr trump said he has long found mrs fiorina an agitating presence and described her in public and private as an unworthy opponent with dubious business credentials and mr trump has repeatedly disregarded advisers who urged him steer clear of conflict with a comparatively obscure rival no matter how fervent his distaste for her
sam nunberg a former trump aide who was dismissed from the campaign last summer said mr trumps advisers warned him that his treatment of mrs fiorina would be perceived as a test of his discipline for the general election
we had already anticipated that there would be attacks of sexism that there would be attacks that you dont respect women said mr nunberg who now opposes mr trump paraphrasing the trump campaigns counsel to the candidate this was a major test to show you can compete as a presidential candidate
mr nunberg added unfortunately donald failed that test miserably
for mr cruz the drawbacks to naming mrs fiorina are many a pick designed to change momentum in a primary could prove less than optimal for a general election voters might find it presumptuous for a candidate to name his prospective running mate while trailing by several hundred delegates
then there are the taunts from mr trump hes wasting his time the front runner told reporters tuesday night when asked about mr cruzs preparations for a possible selection
on wednesday mr trump responded dismissively to reports of a cruz fiorina ticket on twitter he posted a clip of mrs fiorina on television earlier in the campaign calling mr cruz a politician who says whatever he needs to say to get elected a super pac supporting mr kasich circulated a memo listing mrs fiorinas past criticisms of mr cruz in greater detail
for those inclined to cast mr cruzs hard charging senate tenure as a triumph of principle the selection and its unusual timing could register as the kind of unconventional move of a republican who has made a career of bucking the partys establishment
but among republicans in washington where skirmishes with mr cruz have focused more often on tactics than policy substance the maneuver appeared likely to reinforce the perception among his detractors that he is cynical and calculating
either way in mrs fiorina mr cruz has turned to a credible outsider and an expert attack dog who has sparred often with the senators rivals in both parties
she will surely be deployed in california where the june 7 primary could determine whether mr trump captures the delegates needed to clinch the nomination before the convention mrs fiorina has statewide political experience there having been the republican nominee against senator barbara boxer in 2010 her connections with the sort of party activists likely to vote in the primary there could give mr cruz a valuable surrogate in the weeks leading up to it
she did however lose her one california campaign by 10 points and has since left the state to live in the virginia suburbs of washington
mindful of the gender gap often evident in mr trumps polling cruz allies hope that mrs fiorina will prove a capable foil to him as she did while besting him in a series of debate exchanges during her own candidacy
in recent weeks she has again relished the role disparaging mr trump in interviews and urging him to man up and debate mr cruz head to head she has also shown a habit of answering questions addressed to mr cruz at news conferences interjecting to sing his praises or defend his actions
in the past though mrs fiorina has chafed at being described as vice presidential material last year she called it sexist that she was often asked whether she was running for president in the hopes of being chosen as someones running mate
more recently she had hedged when asked about her interest as mrs fiorina sat beside mr cruz for a fox news interview last month the texas senator was asked whether he would consider mrs fiorina for the role a live audience cheered and mrs fiorina answered before mr cruz could
lets win the nomination first she said
mr cruzs selection of mrs fiorina was also reminiscent of a candidate whom he revered in his 1976 primary against president gerald r ford ronald reagan   lagging and needing to change the subject   announced his choice of a running mate before the republican convention
the gamble paid off in the short term his selection of senator richard s schweiker of pennsylvania led the evening news slowed the news medias rush to declare ford the presumptive nominee and allowed reagan to continue wooing delegates
but reagans announcement came after the primaries had ended not with 10 states remaining and he was closer behind ford in the delegate count than mr cruz is today to mr trump mr schweiker carried the promise of winning over a clear constituency the pennsylvania delegation while it is unclear which voters mrs fiorina could deliver
and reagan still lost to ford


london   in the face of mounting criticism over inaction on episodes of anti semitism in the labour party jeremy corbyn reversed himself on wednesday and suspended a party lawmaker for endorsing anti israel posts on social media before she became a member of parliament
the legislator naseem shah 42 also known as naz was elected last year in bradford west unseating george galloway a sharp critic of israel who has himself been accused of anti semitism
ms shah emerged from a tough childhood in bradford that included a forced marriage and has been considered a rising star in the labour party as the scandal built she resigned on tuesday as parliamentary private secretary to john mcdonnell the partys spokesman on the economy
mr corbyn has been accused of not doing enough to combat anti semitism from labours far left he met earlier on wednesday with ms shah who he said had issued a full apology for comments that caused upset and hurt to the jewish community
but another labour legislator lisa nandy called on the party to suspend ms shah pending an investigation there is a real problem for the labour party if we dont look like we are taking these things seriously she told the bbc but this is not just about the impact on the labour party there is also the question here about what is the right thing to do
in parliament later in the day prime minister david cameron said it was extraordinary that ms shah was still a full member of labours parliamentary party and also urged suspension anti semitism is effectively racism and we should call it out and fight it whenever we see it he said
labour said later that a suspension was agreed upon mutually by mr corbyn and ms shah while the partys national executive committee investigates
in 2014 before being elected ms shah endorsed a facebook post displaying a graphic that showed israels outline superimposed on a map of the united states the map was under the headline solution for israel palestine conflict   relocate israel into united states with the comment problem solved
the post suggested the united states had plenty of land to accommodate israel as a 51st state allowing palestinians to get their life and their land back it said israelis would be welcome and safe in america while the transportation cost would be less than three years worth of washingtons support for israeli defense spending
ms shah added a note suggesting the plan might save them some pocket money
the post was uncovered by the guido fawkes website which also highlighted another post in which ms shah compared israeli policies to those of hitler
in a statement ms shah said i made these posts at the height of the gaza conflict in 2014 when emotions were running high around the middle east conflict but that is no excuse for the offense i have given for which i unreservedly apologize
she set out a more detailed apology in an article for jewish news the language i used was wrong she wrote it is hurtful whats important is the impact these posts have had on other people i understand that referring to israel and hitler as i did is deeply offensive to jewish people for which i apologize


washington   the federal reserve determined to move cautiously said on wednesday that the american economy still was not ready for higher interest rates
the fed said that the labor market continued to get stronger yet it made the widely expected decision not to raise its benchmark interest rate which remains close to zero and it offered no suggestion that a rate increase was imminent
in a statement after a two day meeting of its policy making committee the fed painted a mixed picture of the american economy labor market conditions have improved further even as growth in economic activity appears to have slowed the federal open market committee said it noted similarly that incomes had climbed while household spending had slowed
the case against higher rates is basically that it makes sense to err on the side of stimulus by holding borrowing costs at low levels fed officials say it will be relatively easy to respond to stronger inflation by doing less to encourage spending and borrowing if the fed raises rates prematurely however it will have little room to correct the error by doing more
the central bank left itself room to maneuver though and the feds two handed assessment of economic conditions appeared to confuse financial markets
investors initially bid up yields on the benchmark 10 year treasury suggesting they expected interest rates to rise more quickly than anticipated before the meeting but then they reversed course and drove yields sharply lower the 10 year yield ended the trading day down 4 percent at 185 percent
some analysts still think the fed may raise rates at its next meeting in june particularly if other economic indicators show the same strength as job growth others however said they did not expect a rate increase until later in the year
over all investors are betting against june putting the chance of an increase around 20 percent and the fed on wednesday made little effort to change minds
there was a distinct absence of teeing up a hike in june economists at bnp paribas wrote in an analysis indeed it is difficult to see how a hike could be delivered despite reduced external risks until the economy takes on a more positive tone
td securities which had predicted an increase in june said it now expected none until september
relax and enjoy your summer said craig bishop lead strategist for the fixed income group at rbc wealth management writing off a rate increase until november
the fed already had backed away from its december projection that it would raise rates four times this year officials in march predicted just two rate increases but janet l yellen the fed chairwoman said this month that she did not regard the december increase as a mistake and she and other officials have continued to suggest that more moves are likely this year
i said at the time and continue to feel that the economy had made very substantial progress ms yellen said at an event in new york
other officials too have cautioned against assuming too much caution
i do not see that the risks are so elevated nor the outlook so pessimistic as to justify the exceptionally shallow interest rate path currently reflected in financial futures markets eric s rosengren president of the federal reserve bank of boston said in new britain conn last week
while the feds latest statement acknowledged the weakness of some recent economic data it also noted a number of reasons that growth could gain strength
much of the weakness in economic activity that manifested in recent data appears to have been downplayed in the statement and is in any case largely in the rear view as far as the committee is concerned said michael dolega a senior economist at td bank
for example there is a divide in the recent rounds of government data between the reported strength of job growth and the reported weakness of overall economic activity the early estimates of job growth are historically more accurate and the feds choice of language suggested fed officials think the reported economic weakness may be overstated the statement described job growth as improved but said economic growth appears to have slowed
the commerce department is scheduled to report its initial estimate of first quarter growth in economic activity on thursday the number is expected to be modest perhaps little more than a 1 percent annual pace
the statement also suggested that the feds concerns about global economic weakness had diminished the feds last statement in march described global conditions as a headwind for domestic growth the april statement said merely that the fed continued to monitor global economic and financial developments
the change may reflect better news from china but the fed still appears to be unusually attentive to global developments one looming risk is the british referendum in late june on continued membership in the european union
on inflation too the fed appears to be waiting for expected improvement
since the financial crisis the economy has consistently fallen short of the feds annual inflation target of 2 percent and some officials have expressed concern that recent declines in measures of inflation expectations may reflect a loss of confidence the fed will hit the target in future years
some measures of expectations have shown signs of rebounding one such measure compares two kinds of treasuries one of which increases in value to compensate investors for inflation this comparison shows investors are demanding compensation for annual inflation of about 174 percent in five years up from just 147 percent in late february
when government data showed faster inflation at the beginning of 2016 fed officials raised doubts about the accuracy of the data they said the numbers reflected temporary distortions rather than a stronger trend there is some evidence they were right the most recent government data through february showed weaker inflation than the previous report
another batch of data through march is scheduled for publication on friday it is expected to show continued weakness yet the statement on wednesday repeated the feds view that inflation will rebound as the effects of low oil prices and a stronger dollar gradually fade
the problem facing the fed however is the same one it has been facing for some time it continues to predict better times tomorrow and tomorrow never seems to come


over the last seven years most states have banned texting by drivers and public service campaigns have tried an array of tactics   it can wait among them   to persuade people to put down their phones when they are behind the wheel
yet the problem by just about any measure appears to be getting worse americans confess in surveys that they are still texting while driving as well as using facebook and snapchat and taking selfies road fatalities which had fallen for years are now rising sharply up roughly 8 percent in 2015 over the previous year according to preliminary estimates
that is partly because people are driving more but mark rosekind the chief of the national highway traffic safety administration said distracted driving was only increasing unfortunately
radical change requires radical ideas he said in a speech last month referring broadly to the need to improve road safety
so to try to change a distinctly modern behavior legislators and public health experts are reaching back to an old strategy they want to treat distracted driving like drunken driving
harvards school of public health for example is developing a new push based on the effective designated driver campaign it orchestrated in the united states beginning in the late 1980s candace lightner the founder of mothers against drunk driving has helped found a new group this year partnership for distraction free driving which is circulating a petition to pressure social media companies like facebook and twitter to discourage multitasking by drivers in the same way that ms lightner pushed beer and liquor companies to discourage drunken driving
the most provocative idea from lawmakers in new york is to give police officers a new device that is the digital equivalent of the breathalyzer   a roadside test called the textalyzer
it would work like this an officer arriving at the scene of a crash could ask for the phones of any drivers involved and use the textalyzer to tap into the operating system to check for recent activity
the technology could determine whether a driver had used the phone to text email or do anything else that is forbidden under new yorks hands free driving laws which prohibit drivers from holding phones to their ear failure to hand over a phone could lead to the suspension of a drivers license similar to the consequences for refusing a breathalyzer
the proposed legislation faces hurdles to becoming a law including privacy concerns but felix w ortiz a democratic assemblyman who was a sponsor of the bipartisan textalyzer bill said it would not give the police access to the contents of any emails or texts it would simply give them a way to catch multitasking drivers he said
we need something on the books where peoples behavior can change said mr ortiz who pushed for the states 2001 ban on hand held devices by drivers if the textalyzer bill becomes law he said people are going to be more afraid to put their hands on the cellphone
if it were to pass in new york the first state to propose such an idea it could well spread in the same way that the hands free rules did after new york adopted them
ms lightner said the intensifying efforts around distracted driving are the equivalent of the early 80s in drunken driving when pressure led to tougher laws and campaigns emphasizing corporate responsibility
distracted driving is not being treated as seriously as drunk driving and it needs to be she said
its dangerous devastating crippling and its a killer and still socially acceptable she added
the safety administration plans to release the final fatality numbers as early as thursday but previously announced that the numbers appeared to be up sharply
jay winsten an associate dean and the director of the center for health communication at harvards school of public health said were losing the battle against distracted driving
dr winsten is developing a distracted driving campaign based on designated driver efforts that were ultimately backed by major television networks and promoted by presidents sports leagues and corporations
he said the new campaign would urge drivers to be more attentive rather than scold them for multitasking and would encourage parents to set a better example for their children
the campaign though still in development has already garnered support from youtube which has agreed to recruit stars on the website to create original content involving the message dr winsten said he had also been in talks with att nascar a major automaker and potential hollywood partners
dr winsten said the new campaign could be a kind of carrot to encourage better behavior by drivers but he added that a stick was also needed
while the textalyzer raises potential privacy concerns it might help enforce texting bans that have so far proved ineffective he said
right now we have a reed not a stick dr winsten said adding that the textalyzer would make enforcement that much more credible
now the police can obtain a warrant for cellphone records but the process takes time and resources limiting the likelihood of investigation mr ortiz said but those protections are there for good reason according to privacy advocates who oppose the new york bill
it really invites police to seize phones without justification or warrant said donna lieberman the executive director of the new york chapter of the american civil liberties union
a unanimous decision by the supreme court in 2014 ruled that the police could not search a cellphone without a warrant even after an arrest suggesting an uphill fight on the new york legislation
but the bills authors say they have based the textalyzer concept on the same implied consent legal theory that allows the police to use the breathalyzer when drivers obtain a license they are consenting in advance to a breathalyzer or else they will risk the suspension of their license
matt slater the chief of staff for state senator terrence murphy of new york a republican and a sponsor of the bill said the constitutional concerns could and should be solved its monumental if we can get this done he said
mr slater said he hoped it could happen this session which ends in june but he added it may take several tries and may require broader public support
were facing the same hurdles we faced with drunk driving he said were trying to make sure safety and civil liberties are equally protected
fourteen states prohibit the use of hand held devices by drivers and 46 ban texting with penalties ranging from a 25 fine in south carolina to 200 fines elsewhere and even points assessed against the drivers license
a handful of states have strengthened their original bans including new york which in 2014 adopted tougher sanctions that include a 120 day suspension of a permit or a license suspension for drivers under 21 while a second offense calls for a full year suspension
deborah hersman the president of the nonprofit national safety council and a former chairwoman of the national transportation safety board said she liked the textalyzer idea because it would give the police an important tool and would help gather statistics on the number of crashes caused by distraction
she said the textalyzer breathalyzer comparison was apt because looking at and using a phone can be as dangerous as driving drunk
why are we making a distinction between a substance you consume and one that consumes you ms hersman said
the textalyzer legislation has been called evans law for evan lieberman who was asleep in the back of a car on june 16 2011 when the vehicle driven by a friend lost control
mr lieberman 19 died from his injuries and his father ben lieberman spent months trying to gain access to phone records which ultimately showed that the driver had been texting
ben lieberman became an advocate for driving safety and in december looking to develop the textalyzer concept he approached the mobile forensics company cellebrite which was involved in helping the government find a way into a locked iphone and which works with police departments around the country
jim grady the chief executive of cellebrite usa said that the textalyzer software had not been fully built because it was not clear what a final law might require but that it would not be too technologically challenging
i hope it will have the same effect as the breathalyzer he said


san francisco   starboard value is an activist investor on a roll
starboard a new york hedge fund claimed two victories on wednesday alone settlements in its long contentious battle with the internet giant yahoo and in a short lived campaign at the chip maker marvell technologies
starboards newly won board seats are the latest achievements for a hedge fund that has become one of the most prominent practitioners of shareholder activism in which investors prod company management to change corporate strategies
it is a field that already includes such well known names as carl c icahn daniel s loeb and william a ackman but in recent years starboard and its chief executive jeffrey smith have risen in prominence
starboard which was spun off from the financial firm ramius five years ago built up its successes gradually in 2011 it sought to pressure the internet company aol demanding that it shut down its patch local news arm and sell off its trove of patents
while starboard did not gain board seats in that campaign aol eventually sold off patch and sold its patents to microsoft for more than 1 billion
in 2014 starboard succeeded in ousting the entire board of darden restaurants the owner of the olive garden chain   a rare achievement by any activist that came after a campaign marked memorably by a nearly 300 page presentation that castigated the company for a host of sins including not salting the water in which it cooked pasta and profligate breadstick distribution
mr smith of starboard stepped down as chairman of darden this month having presided over a nearly 60 percent rise in the companys share price the restaurant operator however still does not salt its pasta water
the hedge fund also pressed staples and office depot the two office supply giants to merge the companies agreed to the move last year though they contend that such a deal was in the works before starboard raised the issue the deal is in limbo after the federal trade commission sued in december to block it on anti competitive grounds
early this year starboard publicly urged the department store chain macys to pursue deals for its real estate bringing in partners to generate cash from its valuable holdings such as the flagship herald square location in manhattan
and three weeks ago the hedge fund began a fight at depomed a specialty pharmaceutical concern calling the company unfriendly to shareholders mr smith cited depomeds efforts to fend off an unwanted takeover bid with a so called poison pill strategy and a plan to relocate its incorporation to delaware from california to limit the ability of investors to call special meetings
depomed later dropped the delaware move though starboard said it wasnt satisfied
wednesdays achievements are notable in their own ways combined with the two directors yahoo added earlier this year the four new directors gained by starboard mean that more than half of the technology companys board seats have changed over in 2016 moreover mr smith will gain a valuable seat on the special board committee that is reviewing yahoos efforts to sell itself
in addition starboard has gained four seats on the board of marvell a chip maker that has been besieged with problems including an internal inquiry into the companys accounting this month the company ousted its founders as chief executive and president
starboard has not always been successful the hedge fund sought to block the 47 billion sale of smithfield foods to a chinese meat processor in 2013 but it failed to put together a rival offer
a representative for starboard declined to comment


olivier rousteing the 30 year old creative director of the french luxury house balmain commands fashion social media and knows how to make a moment an event he calls the celebrities in his orbit the balmain army but hes always close by when the close cut dresses are on
for kanye wests yeezy season 3 show in february mr rousteing dressed the entire kardashian jenner west clan even north in ripped knit dresses and feathery coats during the show kanye gave him a shout out for dressing the fam an unprecedented nod for a designer to give at his own show
mr rousteing is now a celebrity in his own right in march voguecom posted a beauty article entitled getting olivier rousteing-worthy cheekbones is easier than you think he has admitted that he sucks in cheeks for photos he concedes that the thread of images he shares a body a suite a face a party a party a face a suite a body are a hyper reality
and thats part of his work the label has three million instagram followers it seems as if its everywhere and yet balmain just opened its first store in the united states on wooster street in soho
the balmain army knows the drill full attention to the camera and then because so many instagrams from behind the scenes are followed with more candid behind the behind the scenes photos the fierce looks break into smiles or at least less suctioned pouts
we see kendalls fringed arm draped over mr rousteings shoulder kylie in white silk leaning softly into his chest kanyes gold embroidered sleeve grazing his hand kim in lace up heels steadied by the designers tuxedoed arm kriss face in close moments after a whisper each overstated piece and tender pose is custom made for the occasion
the clothes seem to live only on these famous bodies even on the app kim kardashian hollywood for which mr rousteing designed dresses and accessories that players can buy with real money or the games currency k stars the clothes come precurved according to womens wear daily balmains presence on the app drove more than two million visitors to the labels website the opening of the soho store this month was quieter
we didnt make a big deal out of it a salesclerk told locals popping in for the first time we unlocked the doors thats it balmain will celebrate the opening by hosting an after party for the met ball on may 2 but inside the actual space is without even a suggestion of balmains accumulated attention and exposure on social media
the store is beige if it were my hotel room i wouldnt instagram it but i would definitely put on kanye wests waves let me crash here for the momenti dont need to own it and enter the bed via leap
when i walk in a byredo candle called bibliotheque is burning i was expecting discotheque the closest thing to an image of a body in the store is an armless noseless 19th century replica of a greek statue enduring and imperfect that stands against the back wall between the dressing rooms theres a clear dichotomy between shopping and following
im told the space designed by studio ko is meant to evoke villa balmain pierre balmains vacation home on the island of elba in the tyrrhenian sea somewhere remote a restorative pre internet place its irregular tiles look like a polished stone floor a velour couch is the color of a freshly sliced blood orange you almost expect to see juice on one of the marble tabletops
instead there are belts with mirrored buckles the size of paperbacks 1980 and iphone cases to house digital balmain wardrobes embossed with the labels logo a pair of midcentury chairs have open weave backs but of course theres no breeze to feel through them the store is still
can a brand be anxious the store feels like a retreat from the churn of itself the photos the likes the currency of proximity
i almost expect inflatable bodies to be floating inside the clothes most balmain followers cannot afford them even a t shirt that says join the army 365 i try a ruffled viscose bodysuit 2385 which looks like silky batwings strung across my chest
once it is on i prepare to leave the dressing room to step out on instagram this is how a celebrity photographed on the street is captioned she steps out in a balmain dress these clothes are honest they hold you my designer friend tells me that the fabric embrace comes from technically advanced four way stretch theres pull and lift theres no darting or corseting its just extremely special fabric
i try on a floor length black dress with sheer windows at the waist and hips and though my blue underwear shows through like a little patch of sky the sensation and line of the dress is exquisite its almost too perfect when i learn that a form of viscose is sometimes used to make sausage and hot dog casing
the salesclerks bring in more pieces just to see like a tiger stripe gold and black sequin minidress 5600 that the model alessandra ambrosio stepped out in for her birthday
i had entered the store wearing a pair of silk boxers fluffed out under a green denim jumpsuit the top of which i folded down tying the sleeves around my hips if you cant picture this thats because its not simple its a lot its cover now my bodylines are visible i suck in my cheeks the sequins feel heavy but soothing like a weighted thunder vest for dogs nervous in storms
through the door salesclerks offer coffee and ask to snap pictures of me its the first time theyve seen these clothes on a body off the runway
for all the mannequin pouting on the labels instagram page the shopkeepers are alive and have warm full smiles they still look nice in the clothes when they slouch one young man gives a shoulder shimmy when he asks me what do you think of the store
i feel relaxed in this beige room with all of the most seen clothing in the world still and beautiful like breezeless windsocks in fabric that hugs me four ways im reminded that my phone is not a body part
online we can inflate ourselves feel extremely visible but here in my body wearing these clothes feels like a secret experience what im looking at has been seen by all but felt only by me ive stepped in


philadelphia   mary ann meloy one of the 54 republican delegates elected in pennsylvania on tuesday as free agents to the republican national convention said she would find it very hard to vote for donald j trump
ms meloy had a sister with cerebral palsy and mr trumps disparaging treatment of people with disabilities she said made me want to jump through the television screen
because of the unusual latitude the pennsylvania republican party gives to the delegates like ms meloy who are not required to support any candidate mr trumps crushing victory in the state on tuesday is more complicated than it may appear
the bottom line is that being an uncommitted delegate gives you the ability to take all the facts into consideration said ms meloy who lives in harmar township outside pittsburgh and got her start in politics volunteering for richard m nixon in 1968 certainly the will of the people in your district   theres a lot to be said for that
but she continued we have a representative form of government not a democracy a representative democracy
mr trump won pennsylvania with nearly 57 percent of the vote he carried every county including ms meloys and even won large urban ones with diverse and highly educated populations like philadelphia the kind of territory that he has often found inhospitable to his rancorous brand of politics
yet in the trench warfare fight for the republican presidential nomination   the smaller less understood delegate races that could prove far more pivotal to mr trumps campaign   the situation remains fluid
he appeared to have won about 40 of pennsylvanias 54 unbound delegates along with another 17 awarded to him outright as the statewide winner the remaining 14 delegates have either expressed no preference or said they would not vote for mr trump
should mr trump fall short of receiving a majority of the delegates he needs to secure the nomination before the convention   an outcome that seems less likely after tuesday but still looms as a possible spoiler   a small number of unbound delegates could make all the difference
from a former congressman turned lobbyist in erie to a gastroenterologist in philadelphia the uncommitted unbound delegates chosen in pennsylvanias 18 congressional districts to represent the state at the national convention in july were examples of just how unpredictable and counterintuitive the nominating process can be
completely untethered from the public opinion the delegates who are unbound under state party rules could find themselves grappling with a number of concerns in a contested convention both political and personal many of which have nothing to do with the preferences of the voters who elected them
together pennsylvanias 54 unbound delegates will form the largest group of free agents when republicans meet in cleveland in july and if the vote is close the nominee could rise or fall on the pennsylvania republican partys experiment with political free will
many newly elected trump delegates find this maddening how do you justify not voting for him at the convention what rationale could people possibly have asked lynne ryan who lives in new castle in the states northwest corner along the ohio border but people will find a reason trust me
ms ryan a topsoil farmer and flight attendant campaigned as a committed trump supporter but at least one of the other delegates elected from her area phil english a former congressman has been wary of mr trump
in few states are the quirks of the american party system as evident as in pennsylvania which delivered only 17 of its 71 delegates outright to the winner of its primary mr trump the remaining 54 delegates were elected blindly by voters in each of the states 18 congressional districts
the only way voters knew if they were voting for a delegate who supported their favored presidential candidate was if they went to the trouble of educating themselves that information was not printed on the ballot and in some cases it was not knowable at all because many delegate candidates ran saying they would not commit to any candidate now
the campaign is fluid said bob bozzuto executive director of the pennsylvania republican party recounting his conversations with delegate candidates recently who have said they wanted to leave themselves some flexibility
we talk to some who have been recruited by a campaign and say im going to vote for the candidate im signed up to vote for he said you have some others he added who say the time between april 26 and july 18 might cause me to have some conversations and ill see what happens
determining how many pennsylvania delegates are solidly for mr trump senator ted cruz of texas or gov john kasich of ohio is complicated given that personal preferences can shift so quickly the new york times interviewed delegates analyzed lists of the campaigns preferred delegate candidates and relied on media reports to arrive at its totals
but mr trump hopes to prevail on the unbound delegates by sheer force he has been making an impassioned case that he deserves the nomination because he has a wide leads in the popular vote and should not be denied the nomination if he falls just short of a majority at the convention his underperformance in some states to mr cruz has left him short of that majority and on tuesday the texas senator appeared to pick up only a few delegates in pennsylvania the timess analysis counted only three
by framing his possible loss as a denial of popular will and a power grab by the establishment mr trump has frustrated efforts by republicans who have tried to hold him back and push the convention into multiple rounds of balloting an outcome that could very well result in the nomination of someone more palatable to party loyalists
but the overwhelming margin of mr trumps win in pennsylvania shows that delegates buck the results at their own peril some were slowly coming to this realization
i want to do the right thing said mr english a former congressman who was elected as a delegate on tuesday representing the northwestern corner of the state he said he has reservations about mr trumps ability to unite the party and wants to spend more time thinking about his decision but he said he ultimately could not foreclose voting for mr trump given how well he did in his district the expectation had been that trump would be staying below 50 percent that clearly is not the dynamic thats out there he said adding thats loomed very large in my thought process
in pennsylvania long relegated to the role of political footnote in the nominating process because it holds its primary so late in the cycle a victory has not been important to republicans since 1980 when george bushs victory in the state revived his campaign against ronald reagan
but this year pennsylvania republicans could find themselves the center of a contested convention much as they were in 1976 when mr reagan made an 11th hour bid to overcome president gerald r ford by naming richard schweiker a pennsylvania senator as his running mate the move did not however impress pennsylvania delegates or many other delegates for that matter mr reagan lost on the first ballot
these delegates are all trying to dance said representative charlie dent a republican who represents the lehigh valley on the one hand they say they want to support the district but they all have their own preferences and they will come under tremendous pressure from all the candidates and not just the candidates but party leaders and elected officials
seth kaufer a philadelphia gastroenterologist elected as a delegate on tuesday said he has already met personally with mr cruz and carly fiorina who worked on the texas senators delegate outreach team before becoming his running mate on wednesday he also met mr kasich the one candidate he has not met is mr trump for now dr kaufer said he is waiting to decide which one to support at the convention in cleveland
hearing from mr trumps team   or their highly motivated supporters   now seems all but certain whether dr kaufer welcomes it or not mr trump carried philadelphia county with almost 60 percent of the vote


entrepreneurs face many obstacles in starting a new business but the founders of slyde handboards face a particularly daunting one how to create a market for a product most people have never heard of and for a sport they know nothing about
yet over the course of five years slyde handboards has grown into a robust company through the use of creative marketing tactics that tap into a world where gopro videos celebrate unusual sports and start ups can harness social media   and their fans   to spread the word
the idea for slyde was born on a beach in durban south africa where steve watts spent his childhood surfing and swimming he and his friends especially liked to bodysurf the coastline known for its challenging surf with the help of flat wave riding objects like flip flops frisbees and even fast food trays
when their surfboards became too worn and waterlogged to use they broke them apart took off the fiberglass and shaped the foam inside into five or six different hand held boards these handboards allowed users to move faster and have more control in the water
by the time he was 16 mr watts wanted to create his own line of bodysurfing handboards
there was no brand associated with them back then he said you had to make your own if you wanted one
after studying product design in london and san francisco mr watts eventually made his way to los angeles in 2010 he won the green card lottery
the same week he signed the paperwork for united states residency he also introduced slyde and was soon helped by a surfing student of his russell ellers mr ellers had become a close friend and lent mr watts both 130000 and his venice beach garage to start the company that investment converted to equity and mr ellers is now a co founder and 30 percent owner
slyde released its first handboard the wedge in 2011 a far more sophisticated version of the boards mr watts now 39 made as a teenager from the foam inside old surfboards
the companys third co founder angela ferendo who is now mr wattss wife joined the company in 2013 ms watts had worked for two other start ups one a food delivery service and the other a tech company and understands the inherent challenges in introducing a new product to a market
but at slyde there was the added burden of inventing a market for a product and popularizing a sport
few people know about handboarding because it has been a niche within surfing since the early 1990s said sean smith executive director of the surf industry manufacturers association a nonprofit trade association and bodysurfing as a sport tends to be very cliquish and hard core mr smith said its considered one of the purest forms of surfing
new products in the surfing market generally must be perceived as cool to succeed although they are still a very small part of that market in the last two years mr smith has noticed increasing interest in bodysurfing handboards were seeing them sold in mainstream surf shops now he said
the wattses also wanted to distance slydes products from the aura of exclusivity that often surrounds surfing in order to draw in participants of varying ages and experience levels
they did not set out to appeal to just the die hard surfer with the long beard and the vw bus ms watts said slydes handboards gave customers a surfing experience no matter what skill level or age and the brand behind it makes you feel cool
like other start up founders the wattses had very little money for marketing so have turned to low cost ways of marketing their products and building brand loyalty they rely heavily on google adwords as well as facebook and instagram and personally answer every email and phone call in addition each order includes a handwritten thank you note
slydes website features verified reviews from customers and mr watts does off the cuff guerilla style marketing he said among those include posting a photo of a one of a kind handboard on instagram with the note if you want this email us and the first person gets it
those boards sell within 10 minutes he said but its the companys ambassador program that has been its most effective strategy ms watts said this special category of customer combines the idea of a brand ambassador with a loyalty rewards program ambassadors are customers so passionate about the companys handboards   and so active on social media   that they gain access to a special facebook group and a 30 percent discount on boards which range in price from 119 to 199
the ambassadors of which there are now about 50 are considered part of the slyde team ms watts said we invite them around for brainstorm sessions and they are our first focus group they post their videos and photos on social media and send them to us too slyde also has an employee dedicated to managing social media and staying connected to customers
another big break for the company came after its appearance on the television show shark tank in mid april there too the firm faced skeptical questions about its ability to break into the mainstream surf market
during the episode the investor robert herjavec stressed the difficulties faced by a similar company in which he is invested called hamboards that firm which makes longboard skateboards and street stand up paddleboards for landsurfing spent a lot of time trying to get its products into independent surf shops which is one way to sell to a broader audience while still maintaining a products edge
were going to be old and gray by the time we make any real money doing this said mr herjavec and he cautioned the couple not to go too wide too soon youve got to build with the right stores youve got to be authentic he said
but as a result of their pitch the celebrity investor mark cuban and the actor ashton kutcher invested a combined 200000 with each taking an 11 percent ownership in return
mr cuban said slyde could gain exposure through tower paddle boards the stand up paddle board company in which he is an investor youd walk right into a huge customer base he told the couple on the episode mr kutcher who is also a co founder of the los angeles venture capital firms a grade investments and sound ventures suggested that he could build out a facebook marketing strategy for their online retailing operations
in 2011 when slydes first board hit the market revenue was 20000 and mr watts was hand shaping each board in mr ellerss venice beach garage
today it has two other full time employees and projects 2016 revenue will be about 1 million in large part as a result of its success on shark tank without the exposure and investment ms watts estimated revenue would be closer to 295000 the boards are made in a family run factory in taiwan and slyde has moved to san clemente calif last year revenue was 180000
mr kutcher said in an interview that slyde was not his typical investment he tends to focus on consumer software and some of his previous investments include skype uber airbnb and spotify
but he was impressed that the couple put off their wedding and used the money to build their company instead they put their personal needs aside for the business and that showed me they have an absolute passion and drive for what they are building mr kutcher said and i think at its core every big company is built by founders that have that kind of passion


washington   the first appropriations bill taken up this year by the senate   in what was supposed to a be a new spirit of bipartisan cooperation on financing the government   crashed and burned on wednesday because of a dispute over an amendment that democrats and white house officials said would undermine president obamas nuclear accord with iran
the amendment offered by senator tom cotton republican of arkansas would bar the united states from purchasing heavy water   which is used in producing nuclear energy and nuclear weapons   from iran under mr obamas nuclear accord iran must reduce its supplies of heavy water
the united states and russia are the worlds largest purchasers
mr cotton in a floor speech on wednesday said the united states should not be subsidizing the iranian governments nuclear program and noted that nothing in the agreement requires the united states to buy heavy water from iran
mr cotton said that he had such great confidence in the merits of his amendment that he had encouraged democrats to subject it to a 60 vote threshold for approval even though it could have passed with a simple majority vote
i have offered to put it at a 60 vote threshold because there are 60 senators who do not believe that the united states should be subsidizing irans heavy water industry mr cotton said on the floor
he added i want to pass this bill i want to move on to the next appropriations bill
senator harry reid of nevada the democratic leader accused republicans of sabotaging the energy and water appropriations bill by unveiling mr cottons amendment at the last minute
the energy and water appropriations measure which also covers many national security related programs including the nations nuclear arsenal was brought to the floor first this year in part because it was expected to win passage with little rancor
as a result of the democrats opposition a procedural vote needed to move the bill toward final passage failed on wednesday morning the vote was 50 to 46 with 60 votes needed under senate rules for the bill to move forward
senate republican leaders said mr cottons amendment was never pending for consideration and accused democrats of creating a pretense for scuttling the bill
democrats said mr cottons amendment could have been called up for a vote after the procedural step at a point when democrats would have been unable to stop the overall bill
they also noted the white house had warned that mr obama would veto the bill if mr cottons amendment was attached to it
appearing uncharacteristically livid the senate majority leader mitch mcconnell republican of kentucky took to the floor to assail democrats
i think we have come up with yet another definition of obstruction today mr mcconnell said he accused democrats of finding a new way to blow up the appropriations process and added our democratic colleagues were great at dysfunction when they were in the majority and they are pretty good at it in the minority
this is a ridiculous place for the senate to be mr mcconnell said ridiculous
democrats also irritated said it was mr mcconnells responsibility to prevent members of his republican conference from introducing amendments that would sabotage legislation that otherwise enjoyed bipartisan support
they have an onus to fix it said senator chuck schumer democrat of new york
democrats insisted that mr cotton was trying to undermine the nuclear accord and his efforts set off a war of words with the white house
josh earnest the white house press secretary accused mr cotton of putting forward an ideologically motivated policy rider
senator cotton is certainly no expert when it comes to heavy water mr earnest added im confident that he couldnt differentiate heavy water from sparkling water his focus is on undermining the effective implementation of this agreement that prevents iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon
mr cotton a graduate of harvard university and harvard law school who joined the army after the sept 11 terror attacks and did combat tours in iraq and afghanistan took to twitter in his own defense
as for you presssec he wrote addressing mr earnest youre right i dont know much about sparkling water it isnt served in army unlike in your ritzy west wing
congressional republicans have been under pressure on fiscal matters because of their inability to pass a budget resolution in the house where hard line conservatives oppose a bipartisan agreement reached last fall on modest increases in federal spending
speaker paul d ryan republican of wisconsin who made his name as his partys most prominent budget architect has insisted that despite the failure to draft a budget republicans would work to adopt annual appropriations bills in the senate mr mcconnell has similarly set a goal of passing all of the regular appropriations bills and mr reid had previously pledged cooperation
mr mcconnells aides accused mr reid of breaking that pledge by leading democrats in blocking the energy and water measure


brussels   prime minister alexis tsipras of greece asked on wednesday for a summit meeting of eurozone leaders that would allow him to make his case for easier terms on sorely needed aid to help his country avoid bankruptcy
without new rescue money by july greece could default on its debts and throw the 19 member eurozone into another period of chaos there could also be a domestic upheaval in greece similar to last summer when the country had a referendum on the terms accompanying its third bailout followed by snap general elections
mr tsiprass latest plea is similar to one he used a year ago when he won plaudits at home for negotiating one on one with chancellor angela merkel of germany
however at a summit meeting in july the left wing mr tsipras ended up accepting a third bailout in five years on even worse terms than if he had settled the matter earlier and european leaders are in no mood to engage in yet another round of brinkmanship with greece while facing an array of other challenges including the prospect of britains leaving the european union and pressure from an assertive russia
olga gerovasili a government spokeswoman said that mr tsipras spoke on wednesday with donald tusk the president of the european council which represents the european unions 28 national leaders and asked him to hold a special summit meeting on greece involving eurozone leaders if a meeting of eurozone finance ministers was not held
a government official who spoke on the customary condition of anonymity told reporters that mr tsipras wanted to ensure that the terms of the bailout of 86 billion euros or about 97 billion were being maintained crucially for greece those terms included plans for some easing of repayments of its colossal debt which is equivalent to about 177 percent of its gross domestic product
mr tusk however sought on wednesday to keep the talks for now among eurozone finance ministers collectively referred to as the eurogroup he confirmed in a statement that he had spoken to mr tsipras and posted on his twitter account that such a meeting should be held in days not weeks
he added that the region needed to avoid a situation of renewed uncertainty for greece
eurozone finance ministers had been tentatively scheduled to meet on thursday to decide whether new measures passed by greece were sufficient to obtain funds that would allow it to make a repayment of EUR23 billion by july 20 on bonds held by the european central bank but plans for that meeting were scrapped because of a lack of progress in talks between greek officials and lenders
a deal is also needed at this point to allow the international monetary fund to make a financial contribution to the bailout and for the lenders   mainly the european central bank as well as countries in the eurozone like germany   to start negotiations on ways to ease greeces debt burden
the imf is in an awkward position in the debt talks it wants lenders like germany to ease greeces repayment burden as a condition for helping to fund the bailout a request that berlin has said may not be necessary the imfs goal is to make the prospect of greece paying back its loans more realistic so it has also been pushing for tough austerity measures and for assurances that athens will carry out changes
even so greece does have some leverage as an important player in europes migration crisis which has been concentrated in the aegean sea between turkey and greece
turkey and the european union have reached a deal to return most of the migrants who cross the aegean sea and greek participation is crucial for that arrangement to continue
mr tsipras is also reluctant to cave in to lenders demands at a time of opposition to further austerity from a radical faction inside his syriza party the country has also been roiled by rolling strikes to protest threats to pensions the faction within syriza says it would prefer to fall heroically than yield to foreign demands for more belt tightening
there were signs of progress at a meeting last week in amsterdam where the eurozone and the imf agreed to hold greece to a supplementary set of reforms in case the country deviates from its current fiscal targets
but greece has refused to put those measures into law saying they go beyond the july agreement and are against domestic law it offered instead to set up a mechanism that would automatically cut state spending if targets were not met


jennifer lopez has done it so have rihanna khloe kardashian reese witherspoon cara delevingne hugh jackman and josh groban   some of them to hilarious effect
each of these celebrities has used the app dubsmash which lets people make short selfie videos on their smartphones where they lip sync to a soundtrack taken from a popular movie television show song or online meme the videos can then be shared on instagram facebook or other social media
the app has become a cultural phenomenon with more than 75 million downloads around the world and a crowd of celebrity users including athletes like the nba star stephen curry dubsmash taps into the trends of sharing personal moments publicly and using more than just text to chat with friends in private messages it plays to the same sense of lightheartedness and social media powered fun that has popularized tv shows like lip sync battle
dubsmashs success so far has surprised even the apps makers the celebrity thing is actually completely organic said suchit dash president of dubsmash which is based in berlin weve done zero outreach
the app free on ios and android was introduced by roland grenke jonas druppel and daniel taschik in november 2014 and quickly caught on last august the company announced it had raised 55 million in funding from venture capitalists
mr dash says people have probably gravitated to dubsmash because of the apps combination of audio and video as well as a host of features that make it less daunting   and thus more enticing   to record a video
for one dubsmash provides prerecorded audio which means people dont have to hear their own voice on a video   a feature that might appeal to those who would otherwise shy away from sharing a selfie video online and the brief self contained soundtracks on dubsmash give each newly recorded video a built in beginning middle and end
putting a camera in somebodys face and recording a permanent video is really hard to do mr dash said the apps various features are aimed at getting people over the hump to use video which is a much richer way of communicating
today the dubsmash platform creates about 35 videos a second   about double the rate of youtube mr dash said
but for most users using dubsmash is not about posting videos for anyone and everyone to see about 90 percent of the videos are shared privately mr dash said its really people looking for a richer way to express what they actually feel at the moment
it also flows into the growing number of other visual tools that people can use to express themselves including gifs emojis live streaming video short recorded video and stickers
people are even integrating dubsmash videos into their everyday conversations two of my friends recently used a funny dubsmash video exchange to get out of a difficult argument that they had been having on facebook and ended up laughing at each others efforts instead of fighting raquel laranjo a special effects makeup artist uses dubsmash to showcase her celebrity likenesses posting on instagram recreations of stars including michael jackson freddie mercury and most recently prince
mr dash says his favorite dubsmash videos come from a father in minneapolis eric bruce who has been called dubsmash dad the dubsmash videos he made with his infant son jack were intended to amuse and reassure his wife that everything was ok at home while she was at work the videos went viral
a short video of jack and i might just make my wife homesick but a dubsmash of us singing together could make her happy and maybe relieve some of that stress of returning to work or being away mr bruce said we never video messaged before dubsmash it didnt really make sense to
mr bruce wasnt really a celebrity but it was really showing the power of the app mr dash said
mr dash added that dubsmash has not done like much to change the world or anything like that what it has done he said is enable people to be funny really fast
blogo is an app for bloggers and other online writers who need to publish their work on the go the app lets you write offline to perfect your article and then publish the final work when youre ready making the most of the apps tools for editing text images and so on it is new and free on ios


baltimore   catherine e pugh had her breakout moment on the tense streets of west baltimore last spring two nights after riots broke out here with angry protesters violating a 10 pm curfew ms pugh the democratic leader of the maryland senate stared down geraldo rivera the fox news anchor and berated him on national television for inciting people
on wednesday   precisely one year after the unrest   baltimore woke up to the news that ms pugh was its presumptive next mayor she won a narrow victory tuesday night in a crowded field to become the democratic nominee which in heavily democratic baltimore is tantamount to winning in november
nobody gave this campaign a chance ms pugh told a racially mixed crowd of supporters at her victory party tuesday night calling the win a milestone for herself and for the city
but the challenges she faces in a majority african american city torn by the wrenching national debate over race and policing were immediately clear
on wednesday afternoon as demonstrators were remembering freddie gray the 25 year old black man whose death after a fatal spinal cord injury in police custody set off last years violence the police here shot and injured a 13 year old boy who was carrying a toy gun the boys injuries were not considered life threatening
in a city where many longed for a fresh face in the mayors office ms pugh 66 who has been in politics here for nearly two decades is certainly not that
arrayed on stage behind her at tuesdays victory party were some of the citys biggest establishment figures including representative elijah e cummings a powerful democrat and billy murphy the lawyer for the family of mr gray yet ms pugh was also joined by some not so establishment figures among them kwame rose a 21 year old hip hop artist writer and activist who voted for the first time escorted to the polls by ms pugh on tuesday
i think its easier to have the conversations about race and race relations ms pugh said in an interview tuesday summing up what she views as the changes in the city over the last year its easier to have the conversations about being more inclusive its easier to have the conversations about how important it is to lift the least of us while we lift all of us
now ms pugh and baltimore are going to have a different conversation about how to move the city forward after a painful tumultuous year asked her top priority she had three words get baltimore working
whether ms pugh can bring baltimore together remains to be seen her closest opponent sheila dixon a former mayor who was forced out of office amid a corruption scandal remains hugely popular in some of the citys poorest african american neighborhoods
in west baltimore on wednesday demonstrators marked the anniversary of the unrest with speeches and song at an all day rally in front of the cvs pharmacy that was looted and burned last year many were not pugh backers their despair was palpable
a lot of people dont trust politicians we vote for politicians promising us stuff and they never keep their word said dante bradley a 26 year old chef cradling his 4 year old daughter he has been reading malcolm x and other black writers he did not vote on tuesday he said but if he had he would have cast his ballot for another candidate city councilman carl stokes
people in baltimore have no illusions about the hard work ahead the city has deep systemic problems that fueled last springs unrest   and that predate it by decades unemployment particularly among young black men is high crime has spiraled out of control last year baltimore with roughly 623000 people had about as many murders as new york with a population of 84 million there were three murders in baltimore last weekend alone thousands of abandoned and dilapidated rowhouses line city streets
to assume that whomever you elect mayor is going to wave a magic wand and change that dynamic   thats not going to happen said courtney billups 47 a lawyer who recently moved here from marylands eastern shore where he spent four years in public office as a county commissioner elected as a democrat
ms pugh says she understands that she called herself a person of best practices and said she had been combing through research conducted by the baltimore neighborhood indicators alliance a branch of the university of baltimore
i know the neighborhoods where unemployment is the highest she said i understand that we have 77000 people unemployed in this city
if she wins in november as expected ms pugh will succeed mayor stephanie rawlings blake once a rising star among national democrats who fell out of favor at home after the unrest over the freddie gray case ms pugh 20 years her senior lost the democratic nomination for mayor to ms rawlings blake in 2011 the city then had odd year elections coming in second in a five way race ms pugh is in her third term in the maryland senate where she is the majority leader
a public relations executive and childrens book author who helped found the baltimore marathon and an african american newspaper ms pugh a native of pennsylvania has a masters degree in business administration from morgan state university here in annapolis this year she won plaudits for leading a push   with some success   for broad changes in the way police officers are trained and suspected police misconduct is investigated
her campaign fliers bore the slogan honest trustworthy unquestioned integrity but some of ms pughs opponents attacked her for soliciting campaign contributions from lobbyists appearing before her on legislative business the baltimore sun which endorsed her editorialized that the move may follow the letter of marylands campaign finance law but not its spirit
asked about that ms pugh grew testy saying of her rivals they threw dirt because they wanted to win a race
she also flashed some sharp elbows when jayne miller a television reporter with wbal here asked ms pugh if there would be room for ms dixon in city hall she replied tartly not in my administration adding im going to be looking for the best and the brightest
beyond her professional resume and her on air clash with mr rivera one thing ms pugh is known for in baltimore is her impeccable attire
at a recent campaign forum where candidates told stories of their first jobs she regaled the crowd with her tale of working as a stock girl at bonwit teller she looked so sharp that a clothes buyer pulled her out of the back room and insisted the young ms pugh model her fashion line instead
she said her love of fashion came from her mother my mother always used to say to us that we should dress as though were in charge


washington   the fbi closed the door wednesday to the possibility of giving apple the technical solution that the government bought to unlock the iphone used by one of the attackers in the mass shooting in san bernardino calif
the decision leaves apple in the dark about the technical details of how the fbi   with help from an unknown outside group that was apparently paid at least 13 million   managed to bypass the companys vaunted encryption
after two months of tense sparring over the san bernardino iphone the governments decision was a clear rebuke to apple its chief executive timothy d cook has declared publicly that the company should not have to develop new software so the fbi can unlock its phones the fbi on wednesday appeared eager to return the favor by refusing to divulge how it finally broke in
the decision upset some technology industry executives who said it appeared to run counter to the obama administrations promises to promote security and transparency in the nations technology operations
apple declined to comment on wednesday
fbi officials maintained that what they bought from the outside company amounted only to a tool for getting into the phone and not a blueprint exposing the actual security flaws in the device
as a result fbi officials decided not to send the issue on to a special white house panel that reviews the question of whether software vulnerabilities discovered by american intelligence officials should be shared with the software designer to enhance security
that review panel could have determined that the technical fix bought by the fbi should be shared with apple
the fbi purchased the method from an outside party so that we could unlock the san bernardino device said amy s hess executive assistant director for science and technology
we did not however purchase the rights to technical details about how the method functions or the nature and extent of any vulnerability upon which the method may rely in order to operate as a result currently we do not have enough technical information about any vulnerability that would permit any meaningful review by the white house examiners she said
soon after the government said that a third party had successfully gotten data from the phone after giving the fbi a demonstration of its method in february many security professionals were hopeful that the method would be made public
its the position of obama administration that security flaws should be disclosed to the parties that can fix them said denelle dixon thayer chief legal and business officer at mozilla she added that the fact that the fbi did not take the necessary steps to understand how the outside group opened the phone shows that the review process over all needs to be more transparent
the governments decision simply to hire the locksmith and ignore how that lock was opened creates a gap in the review process that is not transparent and has not been set in legislation she said
the fbis carefully worded statement reveals that law enforcement authorities have found a loophole in the vulnerability review process created by the administration  hire the hacker to extract the data but be careful to not know how he got the job done
the fbi is intentionally exploiting a known vulnerability and enabling people to profit off of it said alex rice the chief technology officer at hackerone a security company in san francisco that helps coordinate vulnerability disclosure for corporations the collateral damage done by this lack of transparency and the possible ongoing existence of the flaw is serious
the governments claim that it does not have enough details to provide any information to the review process is not unusual over the last 10 years as cellphones became more important to criminal investigations law enforcement would hire digital forensics teams would extract data for investigators without necessarily buying the capability to do it themselves said ben johnson the co founder of the security start up carbon black
the fbi decided not to send the issue to the white house to review under a classified and little known system known as the vulnerabilities equities process
there are often legitimate pros and cons in deciding whether a flaw should be disclosed to the designer a senior official said in a 2014 white house blog post   one of the few times the review process has been publicly discussed
because the government relies on internet security wrote michael daniel special assistant to the president on cybersecurity disclosing vulnerabilities usually makes sense we need these systems to be secure as much as if not more so than anyone else
but mr daniel acknowledged that the united states government could sometimes exploit the security flaws itself if it does not disclose them
disclosing a vulnerability can mean that we forgo an opportunity to collect crucial intelligence that could thwart a terrorist attack stop the theft of our nations intellectual property or even discover more dangerous vulnerabilities that are being used by hackers or other adversaries to exploit our networks he said


washington   the chief executive of valeant pharmaceuticals international which has been harshly criticized for its practice of raising prices on old drugs said during a tense hearing on capitol hill on wednesday that the company had made mistakes while lawmakers accused him and others connected to valeant of favoring profits over patients needs
let me state plainly that it was a mistake to pursue and in hindsight i regret pursuing transactions where a central premise was a planned increase in the prices of the medicines j michael pearson the chief executive said at the hearing
the senate special committee on aging which held the hearing has been investigating companies that have raised prices on old drugs to exorbitant heights mr pearson who will soon step down as chief executive appeared subdued and sometimes slumped in his seat as he answered questions
some of the senators appeared unmoved by mr pearsons expression of regret senator claire mccaskill of missouri the ranking democrat on the committee said the companys policy was using patients as hostages its immoral it hurts real people and it makes americans very very angry
valeants story   once a wall street darling now a scorned outcast whose stock is in shambles   has functioned as a riveting soap opera for the rest of the pharmaceutical industry but the companys troubles have also heightened scrutiny for how the industry prices its products the senate committee is one of two congressional inquiries into drug pricing and presidential candidates have also seized on the topic as a campaign issue
the roster of speakers on wednesday seemed tailored to serve up drama and it largely delivered in addition to mr pearson the mastermind of valeants now condemned business strategy the panel also featured william a ackman the hedge fund mogul whose all in bet on valeant has cost him and his investors billions mr ackman recently joined valeants board and is widely viewed as having used his influence to push out mr pearson who is departing as chief executive
howard schiller the former chief financial officer also spoke valeant has accused him of improper conduct and he has refused the companys request to resign from the board
senators directed many of their questions toward mr ackman whose firm pershing square capital management is valeants third largest investor he sought to distance himself from the companys practices telling the committee that he was a passive investor until news reports drove down valeants stock and that he had joined the companys board of directors only in march
he acknowledged that he did not adequately research valeants policy of buying old drugs and sharply raising their prices i regret we didnt do more due diligence on pricing at valeant he said for sure
but again the senators appeared unpersuaded its been their business model from day 1 ms mccaskill said its a little hard for me to swallow that you were not aware that their model was one of price increases
valeant is facing multiple federal investigations for its practice of buying companies slashing costs and raising prices as well as its relationship to a mail order pharmacy philidor it has since cut ties with philidor
the companys stock has lost 90 percent of its value since last summer and it is facing 30 billion in debt valeant could face default on some of its bonds if it does not file its annual report by the end of may the company has said it plans to file the report by the end of this week
much of the hearing focused on a handful of older drugs whose prices have risen sharply including nitropress and isuprel which valeant acquired in 2015 from marathon pharmaceuticals mr pearson said he raised the prices because the company learned that the drugs would soon face competition from cheaper generic versions and he followed the industry practice of raising prices before generics enter the market
in retrospect i believe our acquisition of these products was a mistake he said
he also said he regretted the companys pricing of cuprimine which treats a rare genetic disorder called wilsons disease last summer valeant quadrupled the price of cuprimine which has been around for 55 years
mr pearson said the company no longer planned to pursue its previous drug pricing strategy and that it was offering discounts to hospitals that use nitropress and isuprel
but senators and a doctor who had testified earlier in the day challenged those claims ms mccaskill said she surveyed several hospitals in her state and none of them were offered or had received such discounts
dr richard i fogel chief clinical officer of st vincent a health system in indiana that is a member of ascension the nations largest nonprofit catholic health system testified that ascension had also not received any such discounts despite efforts to reach valeant the emails went unanswered the phone calls went unanswered he said
other witnesses highlighted the real world repercussions of valeants policies one doctor dr fred askari who said he treats about 400 patients with wilsons disease at the university of michigan said he had to hire two full time employees to handle the red tape associated with valeants price increases on cuprimine and syprine another related drug that the company owns
were not just talking about costs here dr askari said noting that some patients who do not get these drugs can die were talking about human lives if they dont get access to the drugs
mr ackman said he planned to meet with the board of directors on thursday to discuss the companys pricing policy including whether to lower the price of some drugs i totally get it he told the committee were going to come up with an appropriate price based on an appropriate rationale
mr ackman also noted that since taking a seat on the board he has exerted his influence in several ways including the departure of mr pearson mr ackman said the new chief executive joseph c papa would take over on monday
these enormous and unwarranted price hikes have had far ranging and severe impacts on patients hospitals and our health care system senator susan m collins republican of maine and the chairwoman of the committee said in opening remarks valeants monopoly model operates at the expense of real people


moscow   with president vladimir v putin looking on russias space agency was forced to postpone the inaugural launch of a rocket from the vostochny cosmodrome in the far east on wednesday citing an unspecified last minute technical glitch
but by thursday morning technicians had apparently resolved the problem and the unmanned soyuz rocket carrying three satellites blasted off from the launching pad according to the russian space agency and the kremlin
the new launch site which is near the border with china has been plagued by scandals over embezzlement unpaid wages and construction delays
mr putin had flown to the space center to watch the liftoff and planned to stay an extra day
russia remains a leader in the number of launches it is a fact this is good mr putin said wednesday at a meeting with space officials broadcast on state television but we encounter a large number of mishaps this is bad and there should be a professional and prompt reaction
this was not the first time that russias space program had suffered a technical problem with mr putin serving as a prominent spectator in june 2014 the launching of a new rocket was aborted while the event was being broadcast live on television with mr putin watching
the kremlin built the new vostochny site to reduce russias dependence on the soviet era baikonur cosmodrome which is in kazakhstan


when it comes to the nfl draft the smell of money is stronger than ever
college football players who risk injury for no pay are rushing to be drafted at near record rates as they try to grab a piece of the nfls ever expanding revenue and who can blame them the league pulls in 13 billion annually so much money that the owners could afford to pay commissioner roger goodell 34 million in 2014 the pool for player salaries has risen so high that next season rookies will make at least 450000 putting them within striking distance of the top 1 percent nationwide based on income
with eye popping financial possibilities like that college football players are lining up to get into the nfl this year 96 underclassmen entered the draft before exhausting their college eligibility the second highest total after the 98 players who left early in 2014 another 11 players finished their degrees but still had eligibility remaining and are entering the draft which begins thursday in chicago
the number of underclassmen entering the draft has been rising steadily since 1990 the first year the nfl lifted a ban on players with college eligibility remaining and the calculus for leaving has not changed much playing college football any longer than necessary the logic goes means risking injury and damaging ones chances of signing a big nfl contract by entering the draft early players start their paying careers earlier and also move one year closer to a second presumably larger contract
joey bosa has made that calculation a defensive end from ohio state bosa is widely expected to be chosen in the top 10 picks of the first round on thursday bosa a junior who will not turn 21 until july said he had been talking with his parents and coaches about leaving school since his sophomore year
his performance last year his third at ohio state was strong enough that sticking around for his senior year would probably not have increased his value in the draft so in his mind there was no upside to staying in college
not every 20 year old has the opportunity to do something they love bosa said in a telephone interview anything can happen i could go on the field and hurt myself the first play my senior year
even before the draft bosa has made the most of his newfound freedom to earn some money off the field too he signed a multiyear sponsorship deal with met rx a sports nutrition company
bosa said he understood why some players would want to finish their college degrees but he said he felt that leaving college was the best way to solidify his future as a reminder of the risks of playing for no money he pointed to his younger brother nick who is also a defensive end and was one of the top recruits in the country last fall nick bosa tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee near the end of his high school career damaging his chances of starting his college career at ohio state on time
of course not every underclassman entering the draft is drafted or scores a seven figure payday last year 19 percent of the 74 underclassmen who entered the draft were not selected though seven were taken in the top 10 in most years since 1990 60 to 80 percent of underclassmen were drafted with five or fewer taken in the top 10
in many years the no 1 overall pick is likely to be an underclassman with quarterbacks among the most coveted success though is not a given since 1990 16 underclassmen have been chosen first over all starting with jeff george in 1990 other quarterbacks taken are a mixed bag of franchise players and abject busts drew bledsoe 1993 tim couch 1999 michael vick 2001 jamarcus russell 2007 matthew stafford 2009 sam bradford 2010 andrew luck 2012 and jameis winston 2015
the trend toward taking quarterbacks first over all would seem to bode well for carson wentz of north dakota state a senior as well as jared goff of california and paxton lynch of memphis who are both underclassmen the los angeles rams and the philadelphia eagles who are both looking for quarterbacks made bold trades in recent weeks to obtain the first and second picks on thursday
the only way to make this trade is to be comfortable with both of the quarterbacks at the top of the draft howie roseman the eagles executive vice president for football operations said last week at a news conference
the trend of more underclassmen entering the draft is unlikely to slow players entering the draft are better prepared physically and mentally for the nfl because of more advanced college football programs and training facilities teams also have more information about college players than ever before and college players have watched other underclassmen succeed in the nfl
you have the sophistication of the college game athletes have benefited from workout regimens that have made them bigger and faster and stronger and the pro style offense has been adopted even in high school said leigh steinberg the longtime agent who is representing lynch and other players this year in the early days of allowing underclassmen to participate in the draft it was primarily players at the top of the first round and the rationale was economic today virtually every player who can comes out at an early stage


comcasts chief executive brian l roberts is not one to sit idly by his company is in talks to acquire dreamworks animation for 3 billion according to reports
adding animated movie franchises like shrek and kung fu panda to its mix will only strengthen comcast in its competition with the walt disney company which it tried to buy in 2004 the transaction could also ease the pain of losing out on time warner cable
comcasts failed 45 billion bid for time warner cable may have spurred mr roberts to get back in the deal making game the possible offer for dreamworks is small in comparison but is a significant step in comcasts efforts to bolster its family friendly offerings
since the companys 54 billion hostile offer for disney fell short more than a decade ago comcast has essentially tried to copy the magic kingdoms strategy it snapped up nbc universal a direct competitor to disneys abc networks it also expanded its theme park business including park attractions based on the harry potter movies which is in the backyard of disney world in orlando fla
dreamworks is no pixar the studio behind the movie cars which disney bought for 74 billion in 2006 dreamworks animation a spinoff from dreamworks skg the entertainment company founded by jeffrey katzenberg steven spielberg and david geffen has been in search of a buyer for some time mr katzenberg cut about 19 percent of the studios staff last year
comcast reported on wednesday that it added 53000 pay tv subscribers in the first quarter defying the trend of consumers dropping their cable subscriptions that cord cutting is hurting disney and its lucrative sports network espn
mr robertss strategy of doubling down on content and distribution seems to be working comcast is trading at about 17 times forward earnings a bit behind disneys 18 times according to thomson reuters data
there are significant differences between the companies of course disney does not have a cable division for example a business that accounted for 65 percent of comcasts 18 billion in first quarter revenue and for three quarters of its 64 billion in quarterly operating cash flow
still the performance suggests that mr roberts is beginning to benefit from a little magic kingdom style wizardry


curious about what the life of the national security agency whistle blower edward j snowden looks like joseph gordon levitt and the director oliver stone turn it into a wild ride in the new trailer for snowden mr gordon levitt dropping the french accent he used to play the high wire artist philippe petit now meets another vocal challenge lowering his voice and tempering his cadence to mimic mr snowdens speech
the trailer gives some quick back story and offers a long look at the films increasingly heightened narrative we first see mr snowden training in the army reserves and hear him being discharged because of an injury next in an interview he is asked why he wants to be a part of the central intelligence agency his response id like to help my country make a difference in the world
we see him revered for his technical skills tell his girlfriend played by shailene woodley about his new job at the national security agency and then see his discovery of just how much information the government can access about the public in one shot he smuggles out secret data in a rubiks cube and as the score and edits get more intense he realizes just how risky his decisions are as the trailer puts it run hide live to tell the truth
in two and a half minutes mr snowdens story turned into a life or death thriller but would mr stone have it any other way snowden is set for release on sept 16


washington   the supreme court on wednesday seemed ready to side with bob mcdonnell the former governor of virginia who was convicted of public corruption and faces two years in prison justices across the ideological spectrum said the laws under which he had been convicted gave prosecutors too much power to say that routine political favors amounted to corruption
it puts at risk behavior that is common said justice stephen g breyer that is a recipe for giving the justice department and prosecutors enormous power over elected officials
mr mcdonnell a republican was prosecuted on charges that he had used his office to help a businessman jonnie r williams sr who had showered the governor and his wife with luxury products loans and vacations worth more than 175000 the gifts themselves were legal and the question in the case was whether they were part of a corrupt bargain in which mr mcdonnell reciprocated by using the power of his office to help mr williams
mr mcdonnell who attended the argument on wednesday arranged meetings for and attended events with his benefactor but mr williams whose company made a diet supplement did not have any real success in obtaining support for his product from the state a jury found that mr mcdonnells actions amounted to corruption and a federal appeals court upheld the conviction
noel j francisco a lawyer for mr mcdonnell said his client should not have been convicted as he did not make a government decision or urge someone else to do so the corruption laws he added were not meant to be comprehensive codes of ethical conduct
michael r dreeben a lawyer for the federal government said such a narrow definition was a recipe for corruption that would send a terrible message to citizens
justice breyer responded that im not in the business of sending messages in a case like this adding im in the business of trying to figure out the structure of the government
justice anthony m kennedy also sounded frustrated saying that the government has given us no workable standard to distinguish political favors from criminal acts
mr dreeben took a hard line saying that a vacation or an expensive lunch traded for arranging a meeting could be sufficient but he added that it was hard to prove criminal intent
justice kennedy reacted with sarcasm youre going to tell the senators the officials with the lunches that dont worry the jury has to be convinced beyond a reasonable doubt he said
some justices said that even the standard urged by mr mcdonnells lawyer converted too much ordinary conduct into a crime
the word influence is too broad justice breyer said because every day of the week politicians write on behalf of constituents letters to different parts of the government saying will you please look at the case of mrs so and so who was evicted last week
justice kennedy said he would limit the definition of unlawful corruption to the exercise of governmental power to require citizens to do or not to do something or to shape the law that governs their conduct asking another official to have a meeting with a donor he suggested was not enough
justice ruth bader ginsburg who seemed sympathetic to the government probed the implications of such a standard asking mr francisco whether it would be lawful to charge 1000 for a meeting
if theres no indicia that youre actually trying to influence the outcome and it really is just a meeting yes mr francisco said
chief justice john g roberts jr said it might matter who was arranging the meeting if its the president who calls and says i want you to look at this matter for my constituent that might exercise considerably more influence he said
but chief justice roberts was considerably more animated and skeptical in questioning mr dreeben the governments lawyer the chief justice quoted from a supporting brief filed by several former white house counsels of both parties who warned that if the decision were upheld it would cripple the ability of elected officials to fulfill their role in our representative democracy
i think its extraordinary that those people agree on anything chief justice roberts said
last year the supreme court allowed mr mcdonnell to stay out of prison while the court considered whether to hear his case mcdonnell v united states no 15 474 that unusual order was a powerful hint that the court might be inclined to rule in his favor
in their supreme court briefs mr mcdonnells lawyers relied on the citizens united decision in 2010 in which the supreme court said that ingratiation and access were not corruption that year the court ruled in favor of a former enron executive jeffrey k skilling saying that a federal anticorruption law governing honest services applied only to bribes and kickbacks
on wednesday chief justice roberts noted that three members of the court   justices kennedy clarence thomas and antonin scalia who died in february   would have gone further in the skilling case and ruled that the law was unconstitutionally vague maybe the experience weve had here the chief justice said and the difficulty of coming up with clear enough instructions suggests that the caution the court showed at that point   in construing the law narrowly rather than striking it down   was ill advised
mr francisco who had a good day stumbled near the end of his presentation referring to justice ginsburg as justice oconnor
that hasnt happened in quite some time justice ginsburg said justice sandra day oconnor the first woman to serve on the supreme court retired in 2006
mr dreebens outing was rockier but it ended in a tribute from chief justice roberts who congratulated him on presenting his 100th supreme court argument a rare achievement
while a majority of the justices seemed inclined to vote in mr mcdonnells favor it was not clear that they would agree on a rationale as justice breyer put it mr mcdonnells case presented as knotty and complicated and difficult and basic a problem as i can think of


after a 17 year wait to mate expect a lot of noise from the next brood of cicadas which will start to emerge next month in parts of five states
western maryland eastern ohio southwestern pennsylvania northwestern virginia and most of west virginia are expected to see the ascension of the so called brood v
there are six species of periodical cicada three with a 17 year cycle and three with a 13 year cycle periodical cicada populations   called broods   are identified by roman numerals
we think of them as the methuselah of the insect world said gregory hoover an ornamental entomologist at pennsylvania state university
this particular generation of insects last emerged in 1999 a year filled with anxiety about a different kind of bug the computer based y2k
the periodical cicada is native to north america and exists nowhere else in the world mr hoover said researchers have been tracking the broods for more than 100 years in the late 1800s american entomologists created the first good maps of the insects ranges relying on a form of crowdsourcing they sent circulars to postmasters in the eastern united states each year and recorded their responses
the insects are about one and a half inches long with red eyes and orange veins in their wings they are smaller than the dog day cicadas which are usually heard in late summer
the periodical cicadas   the males in particular   will be the noisiest individually a cicadas song sounds like a tiny maraca shaken at high speed that then fades into a noise resembling an electric buzz
in a swarm the cicadas high pitch hum can reach 85 decibels or slightly louder than a passing diesel train males begin their singing shortly after they emerge while the females are mostly silent mr hoover said
the sound comes from their tymbals the corrugated exoskeleton on their torso that they contract and release
the insects cover their own hearing organs to avoid doing damage as the website cicada mania noted a cicada applied directly to the ear do not do that gets in the range of a loud rock concert and ambulance siren which will cause hearing damage again do not put cicadas in or around your ears and avoid seeing metallica live in concert
there are many broods of periodical cicadas with different geographic ranges and life cycles in 2013 the arrival of brood ii was most evident in places like staten island and parts of the hudson valley
brood vs population will number in the billions but the distinction of big brood goes to brood x which saw cicadas in more than a dozen states in 2004 mr hoover said
in general development in forested areas that remove trees which are the habitat for periodical cicadas has drastically reduced their populations he said
although adult cicadas are harmless to people they can cause some damage to shade and fruit trees mr hoover said they can also cause a mess and discomfort for humans
in addition to the eerie noise cicadas emit they leave behind casings that can coat decks and patios prompting some homeowners in the past to get power washers to remove them if you have a phobia about insects this will be a time of high anxiety dog owners have discovered the undigested remnants of the insects from the upset stomachs of their pets
but for some other animals such as birds and fish the emergence of the periodical cicada means a bumper crop of food trout bass and carp will literally gorge themselves on the adult insects mr hoover said
the lead up to cicadas emergence is a prolonged low key process cicada nymphs spend 17 years underground where they await an undetermined signal for emergence mr hoover said
a combination of soil temperatures reaching 64 degrees and light rain seems to trigger their ascension he said the nymphs climb trees and within an hour they shed their skins and become adults
ten days later the mating begins each female lays up to 400 eggs in the twigs of more than 75 species of trees
nymphs hatch in six to eight weeks and then drop to the soil for a period longer than four presidential administrations before they re emerge and the cycle continues


rio de janeiro   brazils president is facing impeachment the countrys economy is in sharp decline bodies of water that will be used for olympic competitions are polluted and global public health officials are trying to tamp down the zika virus epidemic
with less than 100 days before the olympic games come to south america for the first time rio de janeiro faces more than the usual challenges that bedevil host cities like delayed stadium construction and transportation concerns rio has those too
the mood here however is hardly one of panic officials in charge of executing the summer games say they feel insulated from brazils turmoil at this late stage the olympics after all tend to exist in their own bubble elaborately coordinated to ensure that the multibillion dollar operation goes off smoothly
the machine is in place and its relatively stable ricardo leyser brazils sports minister said in an interview this week my biggest concern isnt any individual issue its the small demands that all come at once
local organizers are beginning to lay colorful comforters   patterned with the silhouettes of cartoon cyclists fencers and swimmers   on the twin beds in the athletes village they are monitoring the growth of 14 month old grass that will be transplanted to maracana the storied soccer stadium that will also be used for the opening and closing ceremonies they are pulling trash from guanabara bay where the games sailing events will be held mopping up standing water to minimize mosquito breeding and ramping up a round the clock security operation   all while publicly expressing little worry about the unrest encircling them
on wednesday with the handoff of the olympic flame in greece and the start of a journey that in little more than a week will bring it to brazil the official countdown to the aug 5 opening ceremony began
in rio the race to be ready is intensifying with construction workers here still laboring on mass transit projects that were key promises seven years ago in the citys bid to host the games costing several billion dollars those projects include a new subway line and express bus lanes that connect the olympic park in barra da tijuca to the rest of the city which is expected to swell with more than half a million visitors
as the value of the brazilian real has drastically declined over the last year some have expressed doubt that the transit projects will materialize beyond the sleek modernist weather shelters that have been built at various stations at a news conference wednesday the citys secretary of transportation said the new routes would be ready in time but did not specify when
to the vast majority of people watching the games on television however such infrastructure may not matter
the permanent venues for competitions here are mostly complete   all but those for tennis and track cycling   and athletes from around the world have competed in dozens of test events in rio in recent months its about the filling of the cake mr leyser said its not about the stadiums its about the scoreboards
as of the latest counts 62 percent of the 57 million tickets on the market had been sold   roughly half of the total tickets for the olympics   and 24 percent of tickets available for the paralympics had been sold but compared with past olympics the buyers of those tickets may be disproportionately international said andrew parsons the president of the brazilian paralympic committee
for some brazilians the countrys political and economic crises have cast a shadow on the celebration president dilma rousseffs ouster looks increasingly likely amid a sweeping graft scandal and those in line to succeed her have their own controversies hanging over them
questions of corruption have extended to olympics planning particularly after a businessman who worked on many olympic projects in rio was convicted of corruption and money laundering related to separate contracts mr leyser said that the questions centered on irregularities at the deodoro event site and that no public official had been accused of wrongdoing
its more an administrative issue than a corruption scheme he said its basically a question of the numbers
mr leyser called the devaluation of brazils currency an opportunity because it increases the buying power of foreign money coming into brazil for the games
but not everyone sees the event as a boon to the country shirlei alves who lives in the santa marta favela of rio criticized the government for spending on the olympics in the face of brazils problems
the world is just getting worse here ms alves said noting that she was without medication and electricity the government is making a mistake id like if theyd take a better look at the poor people and not help people who are already rich
eduardo paes the mayor of rio said wednesday that the city had a comfortable financial situation and had spent on stadium construction 1 percent of what it spent on health education
i know people are skeptical mr paes said citing the huge deliverables for the olympics of course the situation here has been difficult but there is a commitment of the brazilian state to deliver the olympics
perhaps the most vexing issue for local organizers   the one that may stir anxiety among athletes and spectators   is the mosquito borne zika virus which has been linked to birth defects and temporary paralysis zika is of greater concern outside rio in the far north part of brazil but the world health organization has declared the virus a global public health emergency and has advised pregnant women not to travel anywhere in brazil
the olympics is a pretty effective way of taking whatever disease is local and making it global said ashish k jha director of the global health institute at harvard
some scientists have suggested that by the time the olympics start in august   wintertime in brazil when mosquitoes are less numerous   the virus might be more prevalent in the southern united states
zikas been spreading effectively on its own but theres very good reason to think the olympics will accelerate the spread dr jha said
but the virus poses a unique problem because it is so far beyond the control of local organizing officials and so many questions about it remain unanswered few athletes have publicly expressed concern but it is unclear how many might withdraw as the games draw closer
at this point you just keep going david wallechinsky an olympics historian said you have to continue as if everythings going to be fine these are real concerns   zika the water quality but even if dilma is forced out of office its not going to stop the olympics


in its debut over the weekend the new beyonce visual album mixed lemonade with a little dust the film daughters of the dust written and directed by julie dash about a family of gullah women living on the sea islands and their decision to migrate to the american mainland in the early 1900s looked to be inspiration for some of the lyrical historical imagery in beyonces latest project lemonade now the film which is on dvd only in an out of print version will get new life on the big screen
the cohen film collection which maintains a library of classic films announced on wednesday that it has completed a digital restoration of daughters of the dust and plans to release that version theatrically this fall as part of the reopening of the new york art house venue the quad cinema a national rollout and a new blu ray version of the film will follow
in his praise of daughters of the dust during its initial theatrical release the new york times critic stephen holden called it a film of spellbinding visual beauty this restoration aims to bring more of that beauty to the forefront tim lanza the archivist for cohen film collection acquired the original film print which had been rescued from a lab by the university of california los angeles film and television archive
the film had not been properly color graded when it was originally released mr lanza said in a phone interview we worked with the cinematographer aj   that is arthur jafa   to approve the color grade we had done he continued the big issue for julie and aj was capturing the variety of african american skin tones that was not something presented in the first version available
mr lanza and his team worked to ensure a color richness stabilized the image cleaned it up digitally and enhanced the sound
the restored version is set to screen at the cannes film market an industry event that runs alongside the festival in may and will probably appear at film festivals later in the year


robert a durst the real estate scion charged with shooting a confidante in the back of the head in her los angeles home 16 years ago is headed to the same federal prison that once held the crime boss al capone the former harvard professor and lsd advocate timothy leary and the mass murderer charles manson
mr durst 73 who has been held in new orleans on unrelated gun charges for more than a year will be transferred to the minimum security federal prison at terminal island outside los angeles where he will await formal arraignment by aug 18 on murder charges in the killing of his confidante susan berman
prosecutors in los angeles contend that mr durst killed ms berman shortly before christmas 2000 so that she would not reveal what she knew about his role in the sudden disappearance of his first wife kathleen 18 years earlier at the time the authorities in new york had reopened the investigation into ms dursts disappearance prompting mr durst to flee new york
during a 16 minute hearing on wednesday in united states district court in new orleans mr durst appearing frail and shrunken in an orange jump suit told judge kirk d engelhardt that he had been wanting to get to los angeles for almost a year to enter my not guilty plea
judge engelhardt approved a defense motion that mr durst be sent to terminal island the judge also approved a prior plea bargain arrangement in which mr durst was sentenced to 85 months in prison for illegally possessing a 38 caliber revolver mr durst was assessed a 5000 fine
mr dursts lawyer dick deguerin said terminal island has the facilities to take care of a 73 year old man with various health issues
he didnt kill susan berman said mr deguerin the lead lawyer in what has become a formidable defense team of lawyers from houston las vegas and los angeles
for more than two years john lewin a deputy district attorney in los angeles county has been building a circumstantial case against mr durst that ties together ms bermans unsolved murder and ms dursts disappearance
after the arraignment in august mr durst will for the first time get a look at the prosecutions case through discovery that will almost certainly lead to a protracted period of wrangling over the evidence which includes handwriting analysis filmed interviews with mr durst and testimony from friends and relatives
mr durst had been active in new york in the family real estate business until 1994 when his father and his uncle turned the reins of the empire over to his younger brother douglas durst
in 2003 robert durst who had moved to houston was acquitted of murder charges in galveston tex in spite of admitting in court that he had carved up the body of a neighbor and threw the body parts into galveston bay
mr durst has been fodder for books television specials and dramatic and documentary movies including the hbo documentary mini series the jinx the life and deaths of robert durst he has even been parodied on comedy shows the actor fred armisen who first played mr durst in a saturday night live sketch is reprising the role in the netflix series the unbreakable kimmy schmidt where he appears as an old flame of one of the characters


hong kong   since 2010 yu kai has followed the ritual every year when a new apple iphone comes out he gets rid of his old one and heads to a store in beijing to buy the latest model
this year however he held back
instead of buying the iphone 6s he has been waiting to see what the next iphone looks like and he said he might even switch to a model by a different maker
in china where apple has been a signifier of wealth and fashion and where many chinese update their smartphones each year mr yu is not an outlier
apples second quarter earnings report on tuesday showed how hard it can be to keep the attention of chinas fickle and increasingly hard to impress consumers timothy d cook the companys chief executive said in an earnings call that sales in mainland china had fallen 11 percent compared with the same period a year earlier
mr cook noted that sales had dropped from a high level in the first quarter of 2015 sales were 80 percent higher than in the same period in 2014 but the decline announced on tuesday is a setback for one of the most beloved brands in china
chinas young middle class consumers are increasingly willing analysts say to try phones from the many competitors   including huawei meizu and xiaomi   that seek to compete with apple on technical specifications and aesthetics but that offer their models at a few hundred dollars cheaper
many customers like mr yu who is 29 and self employed consider the phone they use part of their personal identity leading them to look at a broad range of available models that being the case apple will have to fight to maintain its dominance of the high end of the market
apple also faces other obstacles in china last week the companys ibooks store and itunes movies services were shut down by a chinese regulator just six months after they started operating the rare about face by china suggests that apple could face further pressure as the chinese government increases its scrutiny of american companies operations within its borders
in the past four years with strong demand in china for its products apple increased the number of retail stores in the country to 35 from just a handful and mr cook said on tuesday that there would be 40 by the end of june the company has also been able to tap into the enormous customer base of chinas largest wireless carrier china mobile after years of talks resulted in an agreement in 2013 that brought the iphone to the carrier the deal contributed to chinese consumers spending 59 billion on apple products in the latest fiscal year
but one challenge for apples sales this year is that its most recent models do not represent a big leap from the previous generation
everyone bought a 6 series steven c pelayo a technology analyst at hsbc in hong kong said by email referring to models introduced in late 2014 they were less inclined to upgrade to a 6s which only had very minor changes he added
qu dewei who has been selling smartphones for four years in a technology mall in eastern beijing said it had been tough to sell iphones since september when the iphone 6s came out
its been bad since then its been really bad mr qu said as he leaned on the counter at his stall on wednesday afternoon the mall where he works was largely empty
none of the brands do really great he said but while i might sell one or two huawei phones in 10 days i may not even sell one iphone 6s
for years smugglers have done a brisk business taking iphones to mainland china from hong kong where they cost less but even the illegal sellers are feeling the pressure in interviews four smugglers who did well a year ago said they had now quit the trade
the iphones weaker sales also reflect the broader slowdown in growth in chinas enormous smartphone market jason low an analyst in shanghai with the research group canalys said he expected the chinese smartphone market to grow only 47 percent in 2016 as recently as 2013 it was growing 50 percent annually
if you look at the entire market apple cannot fight off so many competitors like samsung and local brands like huawei and oppo he said theyre all trying to raise the average selling price and that will bleed into apples sales flow
despite the pressure mr cook said in the earnings call on tuesday that apple was optimistic about china even if it was losing ground there is even a precedent for an apple recovery in 2012 and 2013 the companys sales growth in china slowed as competitors like samsung offered phones with larger screens which are very popular in china when apple finally released a phone with a similar screen size in 2014 its market share roared back
in many ways the company is in a similar position today samsungs edge phones stand out with screens that have rounded edges on one side and many in china say the camera on huaweis flagship model is better than apples camera that puts more pressure on apple to pack new features into the next iphone which is expected to come out this autumn
for mo chen a 26 year old public relations professional who owns an iphone 5 the next apple smartphone will have to do much more than her current model for her to be tempted
she was blunt in her criticism the iphone 6 and 6s are really ugly
many of ms mos co workers and former classmates use android phones she said and she is considering switching to a device by the south korean company or to a chinese phone made by zte or one plus
i like apple a lot she said i use an apple computer but in recent years especially after i tried my friends android phones i realized that the brand has lost a bit of its charm


beijing   the american bar association has rejected a potentially incendiary book that is being written by the chinese human rights lawyer teng biao but others are exploring the possibility of publishing it
now some publishers in the united states are contacting me and saying they are interested in publishing my book mr teng said in a telephone interview i have not signed a deal yet
with the working title darkness before dawn the book is at the center of a public brawl between mr teng and the american bar association which is primarily a professional organization for lawyers in the united states but also has an office in beijing that aims to help build up the legal system in china
the dispute has raised questions as to whether foreign nongovernmental organizations working in china engage in self censorship that is an issue that will become more acute if china passes a proposed law putting more than 7000 such foreign groups under police oversight the law could be passed this week
like some other human rights lawyers in china mr teng has been jailed and beaten in recent years and in 2014 he fled to the united states he lives in new jersey and has been a visiting fellow at harvard law school and new york universitys us asia law institute
his dispute with the bar association became public this month when foreign policy magazine reported that last year the bar association had rescinded an offer to publish mr tengs book which would be an account of his struggles in human rights law and an analysis of the political and legal situation in china
the notice came in the form of an email sent by a bar association employee to mr teng in january 2015 one month after that same employee representing the publisher had sent mr teng an email with a formal offer to publish the book
in the january email which mr teng gave to foreign policy and later to the new york times the employee said the bar association had reversed its decision after the publisher had received some concerns from other staff members here
apparently there is concern that we run the risk of upsetting the chinese government by publishing your book and because we have aba commissions working in china there is fear that we would put them and their work at risk the employee wrote it pains me greatly to have to tell you this but i can only do what my publisher tells me to do
i think this has the potential to be an amazing book and i wish you all the best in placing it with another publisher the employee added
mr teng allowed the times to read the email exchanges on the condition that the employees name not be printed
the employee gave no details in the email as to who had expressed fears over the commissions working in china and what exactly those commissions were
robert t rupp associate executive director of the bar associations business unit which oversees publishing gave a statement to foreign policy that said the decision not to publish mr tengs book was made for economic reasons based on market research and sales forecasting
mr teng said he did not believe that what the bar association had done he said was emblematic of a larger problem in china many ngos self censor in order not to make the chinese government angry so they can continue their work in china he said
the bar association came under criticism last year by some china experts and legal scholars for not taking a stronger stand against a harsh crackdown by the chinese authorities on hundreds of human rights lawyers and their associates
the accusations by mr teng have inspired an even greater outcry the wall street journal published an editorial with the headline american self censorship association the co chairmen of the congressional executive commission on china representative christopher h smith of new jersey and senator marco rubio of florida wrote a letter to the bar association demanding that it tell them whether it had rescinded the book offer because of perceived or real threats to its china programs
on monday the bar associations two top officers sent a letter in response reiterating that the final decision on mr tengs book was unrelated to any bar association programs in china and that the employees of the groups rule of law initiative in china did not weigh in on any decision
the letter posted online also said the employees emails about the offer to publish mr tengs book and about the reversal were misguided as well as erroneous
mr teng said he was now exploring options with publishers that have contacted him since the dispute became public
he said international groups need to think bigger when it comes to china though the proposed law to control foreign nongovernmental organizations if passed may discourage that foreign ngos will be more conservative he said but i dont think its correct to be more conservative


stocks rose on wednesday after the federal reserve as investors expected left its key interest rate unchanged
energy companies climbed again as the price of oil came close to a six month high and technology stocks were battered after apple and twitter posted weak results
stocks opened mostly low in early trading but they moved higher after the fed released its decision on interest rates bond yields fell and investors bought high dividend phone and utility companies instead
the nasdaq composite index fell for the fifth day in a row reflecting losses for tech stocks
the standard  poors 500 stock index rose 345 points or 02 percent to 209515 the nasdaq composite index dropped 2514 points or 05 percent to 486314
the dow jones industrial average picked up 5123 points or 03 percent to 1804155
bond prices were rising before the feds announcement and rose even higher after its statement was released higher prices mean lower yields and the yield on the 10 year treasury note fell to 185 percent from 193 percent
lower bond yields made telecommunications and utility stocks more appealing to investors verizon communications gained 125 or 25 percent to 5169 nrg energy added 44 cents or 31 percent to 15
the price of crude oil started with big gains turned lower and then bounced back it wound up at its highest price since early december benchmark united states crude rose 129 or 29 percent to close at 4533 a barrel in new york brent crude the international standard added 143 or 31 percent to 4717 a barrel in london
among energy stocks anadarko petroleum added 242 or 46 percent to 5478 and diamond offshore drilling gained 98 cents or 41 percent to 2463
tech stocks fell after apple said iphone sales declined in the first quarter that hadnt happened since iphones went on sale in 2007 apple also reported its first decline in quarterly revenue since 2003 and forecast similar results in the current quarter its stock skidded 653 or 63 percent to 9782
twitter dropped 289 or 163 percent to 1486 after its first quarter revenue fell short of expectations its stock has fallen 71 percent in the last year
earnings reports were responsible for much of the days action the aerospace giant boeing was the biggest gainer on the dow average the company reported mixed first quarter results with weaker than expected earnings but strong sales the stock rose 382 or 29 percent to 13706
the medical device maker boston scientific climbed to its highest price in 10 years after it swung to a profit in the first quarter and reported earnings and sales that were better than expected it also raised its projections for the year the stock gained 220 or 112 percent to 2189
buffalo wild wings tumbled 1562 or 108 percent to 129 after the chains sales fell short of analyst projections
chipotle mexican grill fell 2879 or 65 percent to 41701 chipotle posted its first loss as a public company because of plunging sales after an e coli outbreak and norovirus scare
the tax preparer hr block slumped 323 or 136 percent to 2059 after the company said it handled fewer returns this year than it did in 2015 and announced a series of executive changes
dreamworks animation rocketed 508 or 187 percent to 3220 on reports the company behind the shrek and kung fu panda franchises might be acquired by comcast comcast stock rose 2 cents to 6130
yahoo will add four directors backed by the activist investment firm starboard value to its board that ends a potential proxy fight between yahoo and starboard yahoo stock lost 16 cents to 3695
the national association of realtors said on wednesday that its seasonally adjusted pending home sales index rose 14 percent to 1105 the highest level since may 2015
the price of gold rose 7 to 125040 an ounce silver gained 18 cents or 1 percent to 1729 an ounce copper fell 3 cents or 11 percent to 222 a pound
in other energy trading wholesale gasoline edged up a penny to 158 a gallon heating oil jumped 5 cents or 35 percent to 138 a gallon natural gas fell 4 cents or 18 percent to 2 per 1000 cubic feet
the cac 40 in france finished 06 percent higher and the ftse 100 in britain was also up 06 percent in germany the dax rose 04 percent japans benchmark index the nikkei 225 dipped 04 percent lower in hong kong the hang seng fell 02 percent
the dollar gained to 11156 yen from 11142 yen the euro rose to 1131 from 1129


tehran   anger is building among even irans staunchest defenders of the historic nuclear agreement with the united states after a recent decision by the american supreme court allowing relatives of victims of a 1983 bombing to sue tehran for 2 billion in compensation from frozen iranian funds
on wednesday president hassan rouhani widely seen as the executor of the nuclear agreement lashed out against the united states calling the ruling a continuation of hostilities against iran and a flagrant theft and a legal disgrace the semiofficial iranian student news agency reported
the court ruled last week that the united states congress did not exceed its constitutional role by enacting a law in 2012 making it easier for families of those killed in terrorist attacks to obtain compensation the decision opens a path for more than a thousand american relatives of marines killed in the 1983 bombing of their barracks in beirut lebanon an attack that iran has been held responsible for
iranian officials have repeatedly denied responsibility however and they accuse the united states of using the pretext of an attack to steal money that is rightfully theirs
mr rouhani one of the few iranian leaders openly committed to restoring relations with the united states called the americans thieves adding that they imagine what they have pillaged belongs to themselves
the bickering over the beirut bombing is the latest chapter in a series of disagreements and misunderstandings that have led to hard feelings since the euphoric days last summer after the signing of the nuclear deal between iran and the major powers
iran was expecting a bonanza in unfrozen funds and new business opportunities after sanctions that had been imposed because of the nuclear program were lifted but the continued presence of nonnuclear sanctions has slowed the process to a crawl and foreign banks have been afraid to lend to iranian companies because of potential penalties imposed by the united states
so even though iran has received a steady parade of business delegations from europe and asia it has been unable to sign the big deals that might help revive its battered economy last week secretary of state john kerry told a jewish lobbying group in washington that iran to date had managed to retrieve only 3 billion of its frozen funds from a total estimated at 55 billion to 100 billion
irans supreme leader ayatollah ali khamenei added to the chorus on wednesday repeating his contention that the united states was deceitful and not to be trusted while he had supported the nuclear deal he always insisted that the united states would try to double cross iran
the continuing financial restrictions are evidence of this ayatollah khamenei hinted in a speech on his website khameneiir
america engages in tricks and practices deceit he said they write on paper that banks can cooperate with iran but in practice they promote iranophobia so that no one trades with iran
american officials say that sanctions are still in place so that foreign investors get scared and do not come ayatollah khamenei said
on monday irans foreign minister mohammad javad zarif who negotiated the nuclear deal also strongly criticized the supreme court decision we hold the us administration responsible for preservation of iranian funds and if they are plundered we will lodge a complaint with the icj for reparation he said referring to the international court of justice


one of the persistent tragedies of android googles globe conquering mobile operating system is that it continues to be better in theory than in reality
the search company has spent more than a decade perfecting its software and in the abstract android is now just as pristinely well conceived as apples ios but almost nobody buys googles idealized version of android instead most people buy a version that has been chewed up and predigested through the phone maker carrier supply chain an intestinal pathway that never fails to transform good software into heaps of steaming code for android phones this usually means loads of terrible unnecessary apps installed by carriers and by the phone manufacturer itself
thats why i was puzzled last week when the european union opened a strange new front in its antitrust inquiry against google contrary to what you might have concluded from looking at your phone the regulators argue that androids problem isnt too many preloaded apps   its too few and its all googles fault
based on our investigation thus far we believe that googles behavior denies consumers a wider choice of mobile apps and services and stands in the way of innovation by other players in breach of eu antitrust rules margrethe vestager the european commissioner for competition said in a statement
the charges make sense in the abstract google makes the worlds most popular mobile operating system and some of its licenses do compel phone makers to include several google apps even if they just want to include the google play app store on paper that may constitute unfair bundling one of the sins that did in microsoft at its apex in the late 1990s
yet the european charges miss the messy reality of life on android which is clear to anyone who studies the mobile software business android phones come teeming with non google apps often to the point of frustration for users the search company appears powerless to keep many of them off peoples devices even when doing so might help its business
theres no better evidence for this than the meteoric rise of facebook googles archrival which announced another blowout earnings report on wednesday   with much of its revenue coming from ads on android phones facebooks numbers show the primary weakness in the european unions case if googles grand plan really is to keep rivals off android phones it sure is doing a poor job of it
representatives for the european commission and for google declined to comment for this column citing the current regulatory process in a statement last week responding to the eus statement of objections kent walker googles general counsel said the company would aim to show regulators that android has been good for competition and for consumers the federal trade commission is also looking into android
harry first a law professor at new york university who studies antitrust issues says the key difficulty for regulators in this case is that the tech world has changed radically since the microsoft antitrust case back then microsoft managed to outflank rivals like netscape by bundling its internet explorer browser with its windows operating system and by using licenses and payments to prevent computer makers from installing competing browsers
in the microsoft era people were unfamiliar with downloading and nothing was as effective as getting the browser installed by the oems he said using the abbreviation for original equipment makers or computer manufacturers
but now id be surprised if people arent fully at ease with downloading things from app stores and people are familiar with having more than one app on their phone that does the same thing he said the eu has to tell an exclusion story but its hard for me to see the exclusion story here
consider for instance the market for messaging apps google runs a messaging service called hangouts that comes bundled with many android phones if you scoured the globe im sure youd find people who regularly use and love hangouts just like you could find people who regularly listen to nickelback
but hangouts is clearly no messaging juggernaut in much of the world that title belongs to two apps owned by facebook   messenger which has 800 million active users a month and whatsapp which has more than a billion google has never disclosed the hangouts user base analysts i spoke to estimated that its share of the messaging market was in the single digits
then theres the popularity of the main facebook app as its chief executive mark zuckerberg has acknowledged the company was late to realize the importance of mobile phones for years its smartphone app was a slow kludgy mess and until just a few years ago it had no mobile revenue to speak of google meanwhile bundled its own social network google plus with android phones
so if you were looking at the market a few years ago through the eyes of an eu antitrust regulator you might have anticipated some trouble for facebook on android phones and you might even have ventured that google plus would become a hit after all here was a small late moving upstart pitted against a bundle friendly giant that owned the operating system
of course thats not how things turned out google plus is now all but dead and facebook did not just survive the shift to mobile phones it became the unstoppable force in the industry
facebook now derives the vast majority of its revenue from mobile ads its sales are growing at a breathtaking clip people now spend more time on the facebook app than doing anything else on their phones facebooks embedded web browser   which opens if you click a web link from within the facebook app   is now used to access nearly as many web pages as the included web browsers on android and ios according to a report by the research firm scientiamobile
how did facebook get so popular on phones on the whole it happened the old fashioned way people loved facebook they had no trouble finding it in mobile app stores and they began to download and use it in other words unlike in the desktop era ruled by microsoft googles platform dominance on mobile phones does not appear to have posed any hindrance to a competitors rise
the same appears to be happening with other google rivals google bundles its cloud storage system drive with android but that hasnt stopped dropbox from gaining 500 million downloads on android phones google bundles its music service with android but with 30 million paying subscribers it is spotify not google that is the dominant force in streaming music google has not disclosed its subscriber numbers
the eus objections go beyond the supposed restrictions that google places on androids app ecosystem another key charge involves googles dominance in web search regulators say google ensures that it remains androids dominant search engine both by requiring phone makers to install the chrome browser on their phones and in some instances by paying manufacturers to position the google search app on the phones home screen
mr first the law professor said the search issue isnt as clear cut as the question of whether google has restricted rival apps but he noted that the general flexibility of android   the fact that in general google makes it pretty easy for device makers and users to tinker with the software   cuts in googles favor
i have this new samsung galaxy s5 that i havent used before so i thought lets see what happens if i try to install duckduckgo he said referring to the privacy focused search engine so i downloaded it that was easy to do and the first time that i searched for something i got a prompt that said which one do you want to use   and do you want to use it just once or always
mr first said the interaction was noteworthy android easily let him download a rival to googles offering and it even asked him if he wanted to set the rival as a default
its hard to see how the commission could do better than that he said


its up to facebook to bring some light to what has been a dark and stormy tech earnings season
the worlds biggest social network is scheduled to report quarterly results on wednesday and it is projected to post strong revenue growth and continued additions to its user base fueled by its robust financial performance facebook has huge ambitions mark zuckerberg the companys chief executive recently laid out more of his vision for connecting the world including a bigger emphasis on messaging services like facebook messenger
a strong display of financial might from facebook would stand in stark contrast to what has been a dismal series of earnings reports from the tech industrys largest companies over the last 10 days ibm intel microsoft and alphabet the parent company of google all posted weaker than expected results because of a variety of factors some of the companies were struggling with the shift away from pcs to mobile while others were grappling with outsize expectations
just how poor this tech earnings season has been was crystallized on tuesday thats when apple the worlds most valuable public company announced its first ever year over year decline of iphone sales as well as its first year over year revenue drop since 2003 vindu goel writes
twitter added to the carnage with an earnings report showing that not only had its user growth remained modest but revenue growth was also not as robust as wall street had hoped mike isaac writes apple and twitters stocks both plummeted in after hours trading


doel belgium   denis malcorps a 27 year old auditor has been living in this 700 year old flemish village since he was 5 he has fond memories of a quiet haven with river views on the edge of farmland where everyone knew one another
it was actually a really special village something you dont see very often in flanders because it was really small but it had so much in the village so many shops four big restaurants lots of cafes he recalled recently there was a special kind of vibe among the people who lived here
today he and a handful of other holdouts are all that prevent the destruction of the once quaint village for 15 years they have been davids to the goliath of a plan to level it to make way for an expansion of the port of antwerp
they have repeatedly won decisions in belgiums high court to maintain doel as a habitation zone and to protect local citizens rights to stay the most recent decision in their favor came in november
but even as they win the right to live in doel there is less and less left to live in all but a few houses are covered in graffiti most of the homes windows have been shattered their doors busted in their interiors looted by scavengers
on a recent sunday afternoon a white sports car fishtailed down the middle of a main street here and the young men inside cheered a black car followed close behind screeching around the corner with more cheers
thats the kind of thing thats happening all the time here mr malcorps said shaking his head these people come here just to act out because they think its a ghost town that nobody lives here
the town about five streets wide and deep was officially established in the early 17th century but its origins are medieval said benjamin vergauwen an archaeologist who lives in ouden doel a nearby hamlet also scheduled for destruction where he operates a small museum of local history
he shares photographs of a 14th century shipwrecked cog discovered in a silted creek it is one of hundreds of objects he displays including a flute that he said dates to the 15th century and two mayoral chairs from the now dismantled town hall
on one wall is a large color photograph of doel from a birds eye view this was just in 2004 he said before anything was torn down you can see that it was really a beautiful town
port officials however consider it just a matter of time before the area is evacuated and a five year construction project begins on a 745 million tidal dock that they say could expand shipping capacity by 51 million standard containers create 1300 jobs and generate benefits worth up to an estimated 5 billion
the plans are very concrete and were moving forward as we speak a spokeswoman for the port of antwerp annik dirkx said in a telephone interview
for part one of our expansion plans we have now a problem because we cannot move forward doel has officially become a village again she added but the flemish government is responsible for making sure that these plans move forward
jan hemelaer the process manager for the development of the antwerp port region for the flemish government said he saw the high courts latest decision as a temporary measure
in the last few months he added all but one of the property owners in doel have sold their homes to the government and the last one is in negotiations
its really coming to an end mr hemelaer said the people are really setting up their minds to leave
jan creve the leader of and spokesman for doel 2020 an organization of residents founded in 1998 to save the area brought the first court case against the government in 2000 and won the right to stay
yet he said the flemish government seemed to have no respect for the authority of the courts and the rights of residents who have fought for years to save their community
doel is on the zoning map as a village designed for habitation said mr creve a historian who has lived for 30 years on a picturesque farm in kieldrecht one of the hamlets scheduled for destruction and raised six children there
but when you see the houses here you can see whats happening he said the government has organized the dismantling the destruction of the town
the government has sued mr creve several times he said because it wants him to leave his home but he doesnt want to sell
its getting very hard to keep on going in that way he said because youre not only in confrontation with the government youre not only in court but every day you have to deal with people who are vandalizing the village and the houses and the government doesnt do anything anymore
residents say the police rarely patrol the area and when they respond to calls for help it is usually too late because they are coming from beveren a 25 minute drive away
we do the best we can to guarantee the safety of the inhabitants boudewijn vlegels third alderman for the municipality of beveren said in an email of course there will always be visitors with bad intentions he added
mr malcorpss family moved here in 1993 as part of an incentive plan to revive doel which had previously been scheduled for demolition after two nuclear power plants were built just north of the town
when his parents were offered a government buyout they refused my father was one of the people most adamant to stay he said
his father later died of cancer and he and his mother and brother stay on mr malcorps is also a spokesman for heritage community doel and polder an association to preserve the area
several times strangers have broken in to loot their house   while they were at home ultimately he said his mother sold their house but they stay as renters and resisters
i stay for moral ideological reasons mr malcorps said sitting down at de doolen a cafe in the center of town that serves as a meeting point for the residents determined to stay
i do not want it to be a right choice to sacrifice a nice city like doel for container docks that just bring containers in and out he said doel has a lot of heritage value and it has a lot of other values that are important too
on a recent sunday a group of young men dressed in riot gear costumes carrying toy uzi submachine guns were using the town as a backdrop for a post apocalyptic video and about 20 adults in white coveralls had gathered for a paintball battle
mr malcorps observed it all with a sigh it has been so difficult to stay here and deal with all this he said if you are still here its not because it was easy to stay it was the hard choice to stay


for the last 10 years life in the northern bronx has largely been defined by wanton violence perpetuated by the growing reach and competing interests of rival street gangs
drugs were openly sold near elementary schools playgrounds were used as hiding places for weapons disputes were settled with knives or guns and the casualties often teenagers were left to die in the streets in one case a bystander a 92 year old woman was killed in her home by a stray bullet in 2009
on wednesday in what the authorities said they believed was the largest gang takedown ever in new york prosecutors announced charges against 120 people accused of being members of two gangs in the borough by the afternoon prosecutors said close to 90 of the defendants had been taken into federal custody 30 others were still being sought
court papers say the gangs were responsible for at least eight murders defendants were arrested and arraigned in federal district court in manhattan on counts including racketeering and narcotics conspiracies
the arrests were the latest effort to crack down on gang violence in the city where the spread of street crews has been an anomaly and a vexing challenge for law enforcement though crime especially murder has fallen over all in the last 25 years certain precincts especially in the bronx and brooklyn have experienced upticks in acts of violence
about half of the defendants charged are associated with the 2fly ygz street gang according to a federal indictment the rest a second indictment said were part of a rival gang big money bosses which was responsible for the death of sadie mitchell the 92 year old woman killed in 2009 as well as the fatal stabbing last year of a 15 year old boy near east gun hill road
the leaders of big money bosses the indictment said called themselves big suits while other gang members to signify their status were ranked by names like burberry suits gucci suits ferragamo suits and sean john suits
the two gangs used social media to promote protect and grow their ranks including posting videos on youtube bragging about their criminal endeavors preet bharara the united states attorney for the southern district of new york said at a news conference where the charges were announced
mr bharara said the investigation began in december 2014 as violence surged around the eastchester gardens public housing complex much of it was found to have been caused by the two gangs
during the investigation mr bharara said the government obtained warrants for more than 100 facebook twitter and instagram accounts linked to the gangs criminal activity an investigative technique the authorities are using more often against gangs
the monitoring of social media is just one way that prosecutors and the police have been trying to stem the growth of gangs state prosecutors in new york have begun using conspiracy statutes to charge those connected to crews with every crime that individual members are accused of even if only some were present during the offenses in question
but even as the authorities move against one gang others seem to fill the void
these gangs are the epitome of organized crime today angel m melendez who leads the new york office of homeland security investigations said at the news conference
nearly 700 police officers and federal agents swept through the city tuesday night and wednesday making arrests and conducting court authorized searches mr bharara said the arrests and charges he said would essentially dismantle the two gangs from top to bottom
eukeysha gregory 48 who lives on the first floor of an eight story brick building in the eastchester gardens complex said the thumping of a police helicopter woke her at 4 am wednesday looking out the peephole of her door she said she saw police officers in helmets and protective vests charge into the building with a battering ram over the next hour she watched the police arrest young people across the complex
im so glad i would kiss the captains feet she said im so excited now my child can actually play in the park
ms gregory said the sound of gunshots had become common in the six years since she moved into the apartment two bullets she said recently came through the window of a neighbor and last weekend she heard the sound of around a half dozen shots coming from between a playground in the center of the complex and her buildings front door
ms gregory said she had attended a community meeting with eastchester gardens residents and the police on tuesday night there was no mention that a raid was imminent
it was exciting she said of the raid while sitting on a bench outside her building wednesday with her 9 year old daughter jewel i was so glad
mr bhararas office said that the investigation was continuing and that in addition to the murders attributed to the gangs in the indictments several other killings were part of the inquiry
the officials at the news conference focused on what new yorks police commissioner william j bratton cited as the collateral damage caused by gang violence and mr melendez noted that 2fly ygz members had taken over a playground at eastchester gardens which it used as its base of operations for selling and hiding drugs and guns
mr bratton said that the arrests announced wednesday would go a very long way toward ending the historical violence that has plagued public housing projects in the area and that had also affected bronx neighborhoods like laconia wakefield and williamsbridge
mr bharara noted that the arrests came as his offices civil division has been conducting a separate investigation previously cited in news reports into environmental health and safety conditions in public housing projects he said that there were over 400000 public housing residents who according to federal regulations were entitled to housing that was decent safe sanitary and in good repair
and its clear he said that many are not getting that
near the modest single family house at 721 east 224th street where ms mitchell the 92 year old woman was killed in 2009 neighbors reacted with resigned satisfaction to news of the arrests
clean up the streets you dont want that happening to an old lady said mike william 30 who said he had known ms mitchell this is the ghetto and things happen in the streets but you dont want your kids getting hurt or an old lady getting hurt


after just about every primary night this year ive written something like donald j trump stayed on a narrow but clear path to the republican nomination
after tuesday night mr trump has never had a wider path to a majority of pledged delegates
he swept the northeastern corridor by a huge margin smashing any and all expectations based on primaries to date he won a majority of the vote nearly everywhere and even carried many of the places where he was expected to be weak   like montgomery county md or greenwich conn or lancaster pa
his huge victory makes a majority of delegates seem well within reach thats in part because he amassed more delegates than expected but also because his strength made wins in indiana and california seem more likely than before
he was expected to fare well but he beat the pre election polls everywhere he was at 48 percent in the final pennsylvania polls he won 57 percent he was at 49 percent in the maryland polls 43 percent excluding the generally dubious polls from arg he won 54 percent
similarly the upshots demographic based models systematically underestimated mr trumps performance
his best state as expected was rhode island but he won 64 percent of the vote not the 57 percent that the model anticipated mr trump was favored to win big at 50 and 51 percent in delaware and connecticut he won 61 and 58 percent
maryland and pennsylvania seemed more challenging for mr trump the model had him at 41 and 45 percent he easily outperformed those tallies winning 54 and 57 percent of the vote
mr trumps overperformance was broad   spanning nearly every kind of county across all of the states in play
that raises the possibility of a significant shift in mr trumps favor over the last month theres no way to be sure but national polls show something similar with mr trump creeping up into the mid 40s the state polls in indiana and california have also looked very good in recent weeks
perhaps he will return to more familiar levels of support once he leaves the northeast but even then hell still have a very credible shot to win a majority of delegates   and an easier shot because of the delegates he earned in the northeast
if theres any good news for mr trumps opponents its that his landslide didnt yield too many more pledged delegates than expected   most of the states awarded their delegates to the winner and mr trump was expected to win
but every delegate counts for mr trump at this stage and where he could squeeze out additional ones he did he won all of the delegates at stake in maryland and connecticut by clearing 50 percent of the vote and winning all of the congressional districts he even earned an unexpected additional delegate in rhode islands second congressional district where mr cruz failed to get the 10 percent needed for a delegate altogether mr trump will probably win 110 of the 118 pledged delegates at stake   a hair better than what seemed like his best case scenario
mr trump outperformed by even more in the pennsylvania loophole primary   the sort of contest that has tripped him up voters directly elected 54 unbound delegates to the republican convention but the ballot included no guidance on whom the delegates might support
nonetheless mr trumps preferred slate appears to lead in 31 of the 54 delegate slots and another 11 had told the news media that they would vote for the winner of their district mr trump may not ultimately win all of these delegates   theyre not bound to their statements   but they could provide him with a crucial cushion if he falls a bit short in the pledged delegate count
if you include mr trumps preferred delegates from the unpledged delegate slate in pennsylvania he is around 250 delegates short of the 1237 necessary to win the nomination he can cover about half of that amount with expected wins in west virginia and new jersey and with delegates from proportional states
that leaves two key states indiana and california
mr trump would easily win if he carried both states he might not even need indiana if he maintains the loyalty of the unbound delegates who said they would vote for the winner of their district in pennsylvania or simply if he wins big in california
and after tuesday night a big win in california looks quite possible


minneapolis   a transportation security administration manager here said he was instructed by his supervisor to provide the names of somali american leaders visiting the agencys local office so they could be screened against national security databases for terrorist ties a disclosure that quickly drew accusations of racial profiling
in a midyear performance evaluation david mcmahon the supervisor of andrew rhoades an assistant federal security director wrote that he had advised mr rhoades to check potential visitors to the agencys offices with the field intelligence officer to determine if we want them in our office space or meet elsewhere
mr mcmahon a deputy federal security director wrote that he reminded employee that with our current world affairs that we need to be mindful of those we interact with
mr rhoades who works with somalis in the twin cities area said he considered the remarks racial profiling and reported the incident to the tsas office of the chief counsel and the department of homeland securitys office for civil rights and civil liberties he has also contacted members of the minnesota congressional delegation and the office of special counsel an independent agency that protects federal employees from reprisal
i have never been asked to give the names of anyone else who visited the office to the intelligence officer mr rhoades said
the office for civil rights and civil liberties said tuesday that it had opened an investigation into the allegations
in a statement the tsa an agency in the department of homeland security said it did not tolerate racial profiling
we are reviewing this complaint and will take appropriate action if there is evidence that any tsa officer acted inappropriately the agency said however it would be unfair and irresponsible to infer or conclude that profiling is a common tsa practice based upon a single interaction between one employee and his supervisor
the disclosure by mr rhoades has prompted accusations of racial profiling from some members of the somali community who say they have a long history of mistreatment by tsa at the minneapolis st paul airport it also threatens to undermine efforts by the obama administration to fight against the recruitment of somali youth in the united states by the islamic state and other extremists groups
dozens of young men have left minnesota to join terrorist groups according to law enforcement officials several men who were accused of trying to leave the country to join the islamic state were indicted by a federal grand jury here in october
somali leaders acknowledge that the arrest of young men trying to join terrorist groups like the islamic state is a cause for alarm but they say that law enforcement agencies should not use that as an excuse to subject the entire community to additional scrutiny
minneapolis is one of several pilot cities for the obama administrations programs to counter violent extremism by providing money and training to help communities whose youth are targeted by terrorist groups
jeh johnson the secretary of homeland security visited the city in 2014 and met with somalis to discuss among other things the issue of racial profiling many shared stories of their experience while traveling through the minneapolis st paul airport
tsa officials here say they try to strike a balance between properly screening for security threats while at the same time avoiding the perception of racial profiling
officials said they have hosted somali elders at the airport to explain how the agency carries out its mission and attended community meetings to resolve grievances tsa officials say they have also recruited somalis as screeners and for other jobs and the agency has assigned people like mr rhoades to help address problems like people having trouble getting on a flight or those who feel they have been singled out for extra screening
somali leaders give the agency credit for its outreach but they say the instructions by a tsa manager to pass on the names of those seeking redress at the agencys offices to an intelligence officer is a setback
why would you want to check the terror watch list for people who are coming to your office to seek help said sheikh saad musse roble president of the world peace organization in minneapolis who has spoken at the white house and serves on several local law enforcement task forces to counter violent extremism including one led by the united states attorney for minnesota andrew m luger you are assuming that they have done something wrong
other leaders say the disclosure will only fuel the anger many somalis feel toward law enforcement agencies and they say it will create even more skepticism about the federal governments multimillion dollar community outreach programs to fight terrorist recruitment
its damaging said jaylani hussein a somali american who is executive director of the minnesota chapter of the council on american islamic relations they want somali leaders to be a part of task forces and have conversations about countering extremism but they treat everyone like a suspect
minnesotas growing somali american population has received increased attention from law enforcement and intelligence agencies in their counterpropaganda battles with the islamic state which has aggressively recruited young somalis
representative keith ellison democrat of minnesota the first muslim elected to congress said he found troubling the local tsas suggestion to potentially screen people who visit its office seeking help he has written a letter to mr johnson calling for an investigation
the somali american community and all minnesotans deserve to know if tsa officials are engaging in racial ethnic or religious profiling mr ellison said
the minneapolis episode is not the first time the tsa has been accused of racial profiling by employees in 2012 more than 30 federal officers at logan international airport in boston told officials that a behavioral detection program intended to spot potential terrorists by observing their mannerisms had relied on racial profiling targeting not only people from the middle east but also blacks hispanics and other members of minority groups
the latest accusations come as the tsa is under fire from congress for retaliating against whistle blowers at the agency who have spoken out about security lapses at a number of airports dozens of employees have been reassigned demoted investigated or fired for reporting lapses or misconduct by senior managers charges that were later upheld by whistle blower protection agencies records show
on wednesday the house oversight committee held a hearing to examine misconduct at the agency the committee has spoken with several former and current tsa staff members and has requested hundreds of documents mr rhoades was one of three tsa officials who testified
while most of the hearing covered security lapses long airport lines and alleged retaliations against whistle blowers several members of the committee including representative william lacy clay democrat of missouri raised the issue of racial profiling by tsa personnel
in minnesota mr rhoades is being praised by some somalis for making the exchange with his supervisor public
it is what many of us have long suspected said omar jamal a community activist now we have confirmation


paris   francois pinault the french luxury goods magnate and the owner of christies auction house announced plans on wednesday to create a private museum in paris to display his vast collection of contemporary art
mr pinault who turns 80 this summer said at a news conference at city hall in paris that the museum would be housed in a former commodities exchange building that dates to the 18th century near the newly built la canopee in les halles tadao ando the japanese architect who redesigned the palazzo grassi in venice into a museum that mr pinault opened in 2006 will oversee the renovations he said
mr pinault said it was his ambition to contribute to the brilliance of paris in an original and strong way
the announcement confirmed a report this month about the museum in les echos a french daily owned by lvmh moet hennessy louis vuitton the luxury goods conglomerate led by mr pinaults longtime business rival bernard arnault mr arnault and the louis vuitton foundation opened a private museum for contemporary art in 2014 in a soaring structure on the edge of paris designed by frank gehry
he said the museum which is still not named would be completed by the end of 2018
mayor anne hidalgo of paris said at the news conference that the city had negotiated an agreement to find a new location for the current occupants of the exchange the chamber of commerce and industry in 1949 the city gave the building which dates to 1767 and was originally a market for the storage and trade of wheat to the group for the symbolic price of one franc
with the announcement it appears that mr pinault will realize an ambition that was thwarted in 2005 when he abandoned plans to build a museum in a former renault plant on the ile seguin in the seine at the time he complained about the bureaucratic hurdles saying that eternity is for art not for projects designed to serve it
he ended up restoring two historic palazzos in venice to display parts of his collection which has more than 3000 works
the son of a farmer in western brittany and a high school dropout mr pinault built his fortune from a wood importing business sold it and invested in the luxury goods business that evolved into the holding company kering which now includes the gucci group saint laurent and balenciaga he did not visit a museum until he was an adult developing a taste for contemporary art and collecting over the last 40 years
since ceding control of the business in 2003 to his son francois henri pinault he has concentrated on expanding and editing his collection with a team of art advisers that includes jean jacques aillagon a former culture minister and former chairman of the pompidou center many of mr pinaults works were acquired directly from artists such as damien hirst and jeff koons and he has backed young up and coming artists such as danh vo
on wednesday mr pinaults son stood by him smiling as he announced plans for the museum the father said he hoped it would last for generations with his familys support
we are really proud of what he has accomplished francois henri pinault said and we are absolutely enthusiastic about this paris project
according to reports earlier in the french news media mr pinault had been exploring other historic sites in the city near the champs elysees and in the marais district


beijing   po the wisdom seeking hero of the kung fu panda films might recognize this temple in china where the worlds first robot monk dwells for pos jade palace there is longquan dragon spring temple a place of buddhist worship in the mountains northwest of beijing where gnarled gingko and cypress trees tower over red walled buildings underneath rocky phoenix ridge
for his hall of warriors there is the comic center deep inside the temple at the end of winding stone paths and steps past a flower shaped audio device that crackles sutras
as for po himself there is xianer the two foot tall advice dispensing robot whose full title is worthy stupid robot monk in the beijing dialect er or stupid is a term of affection
not so much kung fu panda 3 perhaps as robot monk 1
a childlike creature in an orange buddhist robe xianer is an object of fascination in china amid an increasingly urgent pursuit of spirituality and more recently artificial intelligence but xian fan the head of the comic center told national business daily that the temple did not plan to commercialize the robot and that its development was for the public welfare
and the monks do not seem to be planning a franchise there is only one robot monk for now xian fan told beijing news adding were not doing this for commerce but just because we want to use more modern ways to spread buddhist teachings
the robot was created last year by the temple in collaboration with about a dozen chinese technology culture and investment companies according to chinese news reports but the character of xianer was first designed by artists at the comic center for a 2014 buddhist comic book series whose first title was troubles are self made the series has sold well in chinese bookstores and an english language edition is due out soon
as a robot xianer has expanded his repertoire he has a touch pad on his chest that allows him to respond to supplicants questions and statements such as who are your parents im not happy and what is the meaning of life
on wednesday morning employees at the comic center declined to let visitors communicate directly with xianer saying he was   literally   recharging in order to meet a delegation of government officials from beijing later in the day they would not say who the officials were or give their own names saying they were not authorized to speak to the news media
no matter there was always weixin or wechat where xianer maintains an account readers can find him under Xian Er Ji Qi Seng 
clearly no sentimentalist his answers to the above queries were
* thats ridiculous how can robots have parents
* if youre not happy what can anyone else do about it
* my master says the meaning of life is to help more people finally leave behind bitterness and gain happiness
po might have approved
many visitors to longquan temple on wednesday however expressed doubt as to whether xianer could really help people with their problems though some said they expected technology to advance so quickly that future generations of robot monks might a second smarter xianer is already in development a center employee said
i havent seen it but ive heard of it zhang ping a middle aged woman who was visiting the temple said of the robot monk
it relies on permutations and combinations of words to solve problems but whether it can really deal with deep personal issues im not sure ms zhang said everyone is different for some those may be about family for others about work but look at how fast artificial intelligence is progressing in 20 years i think its completely possible it will be able to
another templegoer disagreed i dont think its possible for the intelligence of a robot to be advanced enough to understand human feelings said wang yiren 23 a buddhist and volunteer at the temple the robot doesnt really live up to my expectations but ive seen robots in other parts of the world that can communicate with human beings and thats pretty amazing
he haikun 33 a woman who was visiting the temple with a friend said if you have no one to talk to maybe it would help to talk to a robot
here are some other answers provided by xianer via wechat
q what is love
a love is your own obsessions not being satisfied the clashing of other peoples troubles with yours
q i dont want to work
a if you dont want to starve and have an ok job work hard
q i want to die
a dont assume youre the most pathetic person in the world
q who is xi jinping the president of china
a a robot doesnt know any people
and finally
q could there be another cultural revolution
a wait i will ask my master
po would have been envious of xianer for being able to pass a difficult question on to his master having been required in kung fu panda 3 to solve his communitys problems himself
the robotics companies canbot and turing robotic industries among the companies cited in chinese news reports as working with the temple to produce xianer agreed to answer questions about the project but had not responded as of wednesday evening at interjoy another company listed as one of the designers and others the phone rang unanswered


london   britains economy slowed in the first quarter buffeted by a weaker global economy and by uncertainty before the countrys referendum on membership in the european union
gross domestic product grew 04 percent in the first quarter in line with economists forecasts but down from a growth rate of 06 percent in the three months ended dec 31 the office for national statistics said on wednesday
analysts said the weak global economy and doubts about britains future in the 28 member european union had contributed to the slowdown
given that the next quarter is also likely to see some pre referendum jitters it looks likely that q2 will see a soft reading for gdp growth said martin beck of the forecasting group and consultancy ey item club referring to the second quarter
the organization for economic cooperation and development warned on wednesday that britains large current account deficit could become harder to finance and that the pound could weaken if the country decides to leave the european union
the preliminary reading of gross domestic product does not include measures like investment and trade that would better reflect uncertainty surrounding a possible exit from the bloc often referred to as brexit or a slowing global economy
output in the three months to march 31 was 21 percent higher than in the same period a year earlier matching its rate of growth in the fourth quarter and slightly stronger than economists had expected
the bank of england the central bank has warned that interpreting economic data in the prelude to the referendum is likely to be tricky but it has pointed to signs that uncertainty around the vote is weighing on investment
the soft outlook for the world economy combined with slowing wage growth in britain has prompted many economists to push their bets on when the bank of england will raise rates to next year
growth in the first quarter was driven by the services sector which expanded 06 percent compared with the fourth quarter by contrast industrial output fell 04 percent and construction output was down 09 percent
manufacturing and construction output had the steepest drops in annual terms since early 2013
while consumer demand   a pillar of british economic growth   has remained broadly solid retail sales dropped adding to signs of a slowdown


big ben the iconic clock in london that has kept time for 157 years withstood two world wars and become a symbol of the british capital will fall silent for several months as part of a much needed refurbishment program that is projected to last for three years the british government said on tuesday
the problems facing big ben are profound maintenance teams have identified problems with the clocks hands mechanism and pendulum that threaten its ability to function properly according to a parliament statement they also found leaks erosion severe rusting and cracked masonry in the tower itself which does not meet fire safety guidelines
the government also said an elevator would be installed to improve access in the tower and complement its 334 stone spiral steps
the project will cost an estimated 42 million
while big ben is used as a nickname for the clock strictly speaking it is the main bell inside the clock and it also often refers to elizabeth tower at the north end of the houses of parliament the clock as a whole is called the great clock and sits atop the tower
the keeper of the clock steve jaggs said in a statement that the project would balance value for money with parliaments custodial responsibility to the building as well as to those visiting and working in the elizabeth tower
this project will enable us to give one of britains most famous landmarks the tlc it so desperately needs and deserves he said
the repairs are scheduled to begin in early 2017 and that means the bells will not toll for a while the government did not specify at which point during the project they would stop chiming it also means that the tower will be sheathed in scaffolding for three years although the government has said that the clock will continue to keep time as long as it is running and that one of its four ornate faces will be visible at all times
what will not keep running though are popular tours of the tower which will be canceled for the full duration of the project
it is not the first time that the clock has silenced its mighty bong the bells stopped for roughly nine months in 1976 while repairs were made and again in 2007 for six weeks of maintenance the government said
the last extensive conservation work at the tower was done between 1983 and 1985
big ben is not alone in its disrepair a report released last year cataloged a long list of structural woes plaguing the parliament complex of which the clock tower is a part including leaky pipes dangerously out of date wiring asbestos and a rodent infestation
the price tag for those repairs was estimated at 62 billion they are projected to begin in the early 2020s the government said and are separate from the refurbishment of the clock tower
tom brake a member of parliament and a spokesman for the house of commons commission said in a statement that the clock tower a unesco world heritage site was a symbol of the uks democratic heritage
we have a duty to ensure that it is safeguarded for future generations to appreciate just as we owe it to our predecessors to restore their masterpiece to its former glory he said while these works are much needed in the short term they will also ensure the long term future and sustainability of big ben


london   banco santander of spain said on wednesday that its profit declined 5 percent in the first quarter as fluctuations in the british pound and other currencies as well as a deterioration in lending and fee income weighed on its results
for the three months ended march 31 santander reported a profit of 163 billion euros or about 184 billion which was above analysts expectations that was down from EUR172 billion in the first quarter of 2015
on a currency neutral basis profit rose 8 percent in the quarter santander said
net interest income or what a bank earns on its lending after deducting what it pays out on deposits and other liabilities fell 6 percent to EUR762 billion in the first quarter from EUR804 billion in the same period a year earlier
our q1 results are ahead of plan and we continue to deliver on all of our commitments ana patricia botin the santander chairwoman said in a news release
the profit in the banks british unit fell 4 percent to EUR453 million in the quarter from EUR471 million in the first quarter of 2015 on a currency neutral basis it was down less than 1 percent santander said
britain is an important market for santander one of europes largest banks during the first quarter the pound weakened against the euro amid uncertainty in britain which will hold a referendum on june 23 on whether to leave the european union
the pound has strengthened in recent days reaching a 10 week high against the dollar on tuesday but its value is expected to continue to fluctuate before the vote
weaker currencies in latin america also weighed on santanders results sending profit in its businesses there down 16 percent in the quarter on a currency neutral basis profit rose 8 percent in latin america
profit fell 25 percent in brazil to EUR359 million in the first quarter from EUR477 million in the same period a year earlier
over all provisions for delinquent and defaulted loans were down 6 percent to EUR241 billion in the quarter from EUR256 billion in the first quarter of 2015
operating expenses declined 4 percent to EUR516 billion in the first quarter from EUR538 billion in the same period a year earlier
santanders earnings in spain its home market fell 10 percent to EUR307 million in the quarter from EUR340 million in the first quarter of 2015


members of the revolution the music group that prince founded in 1979 and which disbanded in 1986 have announced on facebook that they planned to reunite for live performances after the pop stars death last week
we have decided after spending three or four days together now grieving over the loss of prince that we would like to come out and do some shows wendy melvoin who played guitar and sang with the band said in the video which was released on tuesday ms melvoin did not specify when or where the shows would take place simply saying it would be soon
the video posted on the facebook page of the bassist mark brown known as brownmark shows five people introducing themselves as ms melvoin lisa coleman bobby z brownmark and matt fink the band members on the purple rain album
but they were impostors the minneapolis star tribune said quickly replaced by the real musicians the kind of levity prince himself was known for behind the scenes
according to the newspaper the video was shot sunday night at the cosmos bar in the loews hotel in downtown minneapolis where almost 100 of princes close friends had gathered the revolution has reunited on other occasions including in 2003 and 2012 for benefit performances


an iranian refugee set fire to himself on wednesday on a remote pacific island where australia sends people who try to reach its shores by sea apparently to protest that policy and conditions on the island
the man 23 whose name was not released was listed in critical condition and officials on the island nation of nauru said they had requested his immediate evacuation to australia for treatment
nauru is one of two offshore locations where australia sends people who have tried to reach the country by boat that policy which australia says is meant to discourage migrants from attempting the dangerous voyage has been criticized by the united nations and by human rights groups
a detention center at the other site on manus island in papua new guinea will be closed that countrys prime minister peter oneill said on wednesday papua new guineas supreme court had declared the center illegal the day before
mr oneill said papua new guinea would immediately ask the australian government to make alternative arrangements for the asylum seekers but it was not clear what would happen to the more than 800 men now held on manus island australias immigration minister peter dutton said that none of them would be allowed to come to australia
i cant provide a definitive road map from here australias prime minister malcolm turnbull told reporters on wednesday the australian associated press reported
one possibility that has been raised for the papua new guinea detainees is to send them to nauru where more than 450 men women and children are now being held last year the detention center on nauru was turned into an open camp with refugees and asylum seekers free to move about the 8 square mile island
but conditions on nauru remain difficult the man who set himself on fire there wednesday did so during a visit by officials from the united nations refugee agency in an apparent effort to draw attention to the plight of asylum seekers on the island
catherine stubberfield spokeswoman for the united nations high commissioner for refugees regional representation in canberra the australian capital said by email that the agency remains seriously concerned about the grave mental health status of the asylum seekers and refugees
comprehensive measures are required as a matter of urgency to prevent further unnecessary suffering and address ongoing mental health deterioration she said
the nauru government said in a statement that it had invested considerable time and money into services to assist the refugee community and ensure peoples safety
unfortunately we have seen protests like this during high profile visits as some from within the refugee community try and influence the australian governments offshore processing policies the statement said
the self immolation was captured on video and still images showing a man in flames were published by australian news outlets this is how tired we are the man said before setting himself on fire the sydney morning herald reported this action will prove how exhausted we are i cannot take it anymore
refugee advocates say that conditions at both offshore detention centers maintained by australia are inhumane but australian leaders say the policy   including the refusal to let migrants settle in australia   has led to a sharp decline in asylum seekers attempting dangerous boat journeys which in past years have sometimes ended in mass drownings
efforts to resettle some of the detainees in third countries have seen little success just five were resettled in cambodia under a 29 million agreement of those five a man from myanmar and a couple from iran have returned home the guardian reported in march
papua new guinea has offered to allow the detainees to resettle there but thus far only a handful have accepted
it is up to the australian government to bear responsibility for these people given australia is the country that transferred people to papua new guinea in the first place said elaine pearson australia director for human rights watch it is clear after this human experiment has lasted three years that it is an abject failure out of 1000 men only six or seven have resettled in papua new guinea


paris   salah abdeslam thought to be the only direct participant in novembers paris attacks to have survived was handed over to france by belgium on wednesday prosecutors in both countries said
he was later charged in a french court with murder connected to terrorism participation in a terrorist conspiracy and possession of weapons and explosives the paris prosecutors office announced
mr abdeslam who is also believed to be connected to the attacks in brussels last month was the subject of a european arrest warrant which simplified the extradition between the two european union countries
within the framework of the paris attacks of the 13th of november 2015 salah abdeslam has been surrendered to the french authorities this morning the belgian federal prosecutors office said in a statement
the paris prosecutors office said mr abdeslam arrived in french territory at 905 am
frank berton mr abdeslams french lawyer said he had been brought to france under heavy escort by a helicopter from the high security prison where he was being detained in beveren belgium
the french justice minister jean jacques urvoas said after a cabinet meeting that mr abdeslam would be held in isolation in a prison in the paris region
mr abdeslam 26 is believed to have been part of a team of 10 islamic state operatives who carried out a series of shootings and suicide bombings in paris and in the northern suburb of st denis on the evening of nov 13 killing 130 people and wounding more than 400
a french citizen of moroccan ancestry who lived in belgium mr abdeslam fled paris for brussels in the early hours of nov 14 he was the target of a four month international manhunt before he was arrested on march 18 in the molenbeek neighborhood of brussels his hometown
mr abdeslam ran a bar there with his brother ibrahim who detonated a suicide vest in the comptoir voltaire cafe in central paris on nov 13
french and belgian investigators have found evidence suggesting that mr abdeslam was heavily involved in preparations for the paris attacks he rented cars and at least one safe house bought material used in explosives and drove across europe to pick up other suspects
but mr abdeslams exact role on the night of the attacks is still unclear experts have questioned how valuable he will be to investigators in france though the french authorities and families of the victims have expressed relief that a surviving participant in the attacks will stand trial
he is suspected of driving three suicide bombers to the stade de france soccer stadium in st denis and investigators are still trying to establish whether he had intended to carry out another attack
shortly after his arrest mr abdeslam told investigators that he had backed out of carrying out a suicide bombing against the stade de france
mr berton said tuesday said that mr abdeslam had to be judged for what he has done and not for what he represents because he is the last survivor and some would blame him for deeds and actions that are not his
in an interview with the french newspaper liberation sven mary mr abdeslams lawyer in belgium was more disparaging characterizing his client as a little jerk from molenbeek and as a petty criminal


on wednesday a federal judge will sentence j dennis hastert the former speaker of the house for avoiding federal banking requirements in what prosecutors say was an effort to cover up his sexual abuse of high school wrestlers decades ago when he was a coach he pleaded guilty in october to the banking violation which can carry as much as five years in prison mr hastert 74 suffered a stroke in november his lawyers are seeking probation there is a trail of documents leading to the sentencing hearing
under a plea agreement mr hastert reached with federal prosecutors in october prosecutors dropped one felony charge and mr hastert admitted to another   namely structuring financial transactions to evade bank reporting requirements
federal prosecutors filed this sentencing memo this month it gave the first details of the sexual abuse accusations against mr hastert the prosecutors say at least four wrestling team members described abuse including intentional touching of minors groin area and genitals or oral sex with a minor mr hastert is not charged with sexual abuse for which statutes of limitation would by now have run out
mr hasterts lawyers answered the prosecutions sentencing memo with this
in a sentencing memo from mr hasterts defense team filed this month his lawyers say he should get probation they note that he has apologized is overwhelmed by the guilt he feels and has in recent months contended with a series of medical problems a stroke a spinal infection and sepsis a bloodstream infection
more than 40 letters were submitted by mr hasterts lawyers to a federal judge who is to decide his sentence on wednesday the writers included his wife other relatives former politicians and political operatives in washington and illinois lawyers former law enforcement leaders former students and fellow wrestling coaches here are a few of them


geneva   a prominent uighur scholar who is serving a life sentence for separatism in a chinese prison was named on wednesday as a finalist for a prestigious human rights award for trying to promote dialogue in the troubled xinjiang region of china
the scholar ilham tohti was chosen by the martin ennals foundation based in switzerland as one of three candidates for its annual prize recognizing the work of human rights defenders the group which is named after the founder of amnesty international said in its citation that mr tohti an economist has worked tirelessly to foster dialogue and understanding between chinas uighur minority and the countrys dominant ethnic group the han despite an environment of religious cultural and political repression suffered by uighurs
the decision was all but certain to anger beijing in 2014 after the ennals foundation nominated another chinese dissident cao shunli for the prize chinese officials lobbied the swiss federal authorities and the foundations donors and partners to deny her the award according to the foundation ms cao died in detention before a winner was chosen
the two other finalists for the award this year are razan zaitouneh a missing human rights lawyer from syria and a group of rights advocates in ethiopia known as the zone 9 bloggers who have defied strict controls on the news media there the prize will be awarded in october
these three stood out as being particularly courageous persistent principled and innovative and at a very high level of risk said philip lynch director of the international service for human rights one of 10 rights organizations on the nominating jury
ms zaitouneh who set up the violations documentation center to track deaths and abuses in syrias jails went into hiding in 2012 and was abducted a year later along with her husband and two colleagues apparently seized by an armed rebel group she has not been seen since the zone 9 bloggers covered political and constitutional issues in ethiopia and the treatment of political detainees there some of them faced terrorism charges that were later dropped although prosecutors have appealed that decision three of the bloggers have fled the country
mr tohti a professor at minzu university in beijing was a blunt critic of chinas policies encouraging han settlement in the xinjiang region in chinas far west and he called for uighurs there to have access to the same economic benefits as han and to be allowed to preserve their turkic culture at the same time human rights groups say he argued against separatism and expressed concern about growing militancy among uighurs in the region mr tohti was repeatedly placed under house arrest and in 2013 he was prevented from leaving china to take up a post as a visiting scholar at indiana university
in january 2014 mr tohti was arrested at his home in beijing and sent to xinjiangs capital urumqi where that september he underwent a two day closed trial accused of leading a separatist group and of internationalizing the problems in the region his subsequent life sentence was condemned by the united states and other foreign governments and by rights groups
by giving him life they were sending an extreme message that there is simply no room even through peaceful means to criticize state policies in xinjiang sophie richardson the china director at human rights watch said by telephone we see his work as part of the solution to the situation in xinjiang not as part of the problem


i recently wrote about the canadian triathlete julie miller who was disqualified from the ironman canada race last summer and stripped of her first place finish in her age group officials said it would have been impossible for her to complete the course as quickly as she claimed
other athletes suspected her of cutting the course possibly by failing to complete one of the laps in the two lap marathon but no one could prove how she did it among other things miller finished the race without her timing chip meaning that there was no information about her split times   interim times reflecting an athletes progress along the course
miller emphatically denied the accusations i did not cheat in the whistler ironman competition she said in an email nor would i ever cheat or have i ever cheated in any competition
after the new york times published the article i was contacted by finisherpix a company that creates personal highlight videos for athletes competing in ironman races using video from cameras positioned along the course the company had six video cameras filming constantly along the marathon course at ironman canada   one at the start four at the finish and one at a point in the course that runners had to pass twice finisherpix shared its video with the times to help determine whether miller had completed the race fairly
the first camera was positioned at the start of the marathon after athletes had finished cycling and were embarking on the next phase of the race it shows miller beginning her run exactly eight minutes behind susanne davis a world class triathlete who went on to win their age group women ages 40 to 44 after miller was disqualified miller is identifiable by her bright knee length compression socks
the second camera was positioned 38 miles into the two lap course athletes were required to pass that point twice to complete the run but the camera recorded miller passing it only once   9 minutes 15 seconds before davis passed it on her second lap
so according to the video provided by finisherpix it appears that miller skipped the first lap of the marathon course we still have no way of knowing what she did during that time but under this possible sequence of events she re entered the race later positioning herself far enough in the lead in her age group that she could go on to cross the finish line about five minutes ahead of davis
i emailed miller to tell her about the video and ask her if she could explain why it shows her passing the second camera just once she did not respond


birds have come back to the barclay
the intercontinental new york barclay at lexington avenue and 48th street is to reopen on friday after a 20 month 180 million renovation the biggest new feature is not the eight brass warbler silhouettes perched on branches encircling the hotels central revolving door on 48th street
but it is the feature closest to my heart the barclay is among the very first new york city buildings i ever wrote about in a career largely given to writing about new york city buildings
in the middle of the lobby there is a cage of 9 song birds i reported to my fourth grade class at the francis w parker school in chicago on feb 24 1962 after returning from a visit to manhattan with my mother
though the cage was removed in 1995 the newly installed brass likenesses are intended as a homage herve houdre the general manager said
bird motifs can be found throughout the renovated hotel more important so can new windows in all 704 rooms and suites
in the city that never sleeps you never slept at the barclay mr houdre said acknowledging one of the most common complaints from guests street noise the new windows have double panes which eliminate the sound of all but the loudest passing sirens argon gas between the panes acts as a thermal insulator in both summer and winter
the biggest changes to the hotel are the additions of two new ballrooms on the second floor and a 4500 square foot suite and terrace on the roof above the 14th floor
zoning rules limit how much floor area a building can have to compensate for what was added the architects consolidated the hotels offices they also removed part of the floor slab between the first and second floors creating a two story space in which a grand staircase was built
among the losses during the renovation was a lovely domed laylight in the lobby ceiling it could no longer fit there because of all the added structural reinforcement needed to support the ballroom above
a new flat laylight has been installed in its place with translucent panels that are illuminated from behind by leds ornamental embellishments like the barclays recurring crossed arrow motif will be added later said les faulk the intercontinental companys design director
stonehill  taylor were the overall architects on the project working with hok and the in house ihg design studio
cross  cross were the original architects of the barclay which opened in 1926 largely as a residential hotel among its more dazzling denizens was perle mesta   the hostess with the mostest   who entertained at the barclay in its early days
the barclay was closely connected to grand central terminal and the new york central railroad there was once a ticket office in the lobby and there is still a spiral stairway running between the hotels ground floor and a train platform directly below who knows whether guests ever made use of those stairs to go to or from their trains
i can tell you that my mother and i did not for one thing we arrived at pennsylvania station i still have the timetable for our train the pennsylvania railroads broadway limited a zippy 15 hours 30 minutes from chicago to new york and the bill for our three night stay in room 1001
mr houdre allowed me a glimpse of that room
in the renovation its palette was changed from buttery gold to a silvery gray by squeezing the bedroom a bit the bathroom has grown from 35 square feet to about 40 square feet it still has a tub an amenity sought by japanese and other asian guests mr houdre said
depending on the season and on whether the united nations general assembly is in session room 1001 could cost anywhere from the high 300s to 700 a night he said
unfailingly gracious he invited me to spend reopening night in room 1001 i explained that the new york times prohibits its employees from accepting gifts that are more than nominal in value
i might have been in a different position 54 years ago room 1001 cost 2595 then


caldas colombia   melida was only 9 when guerrilla fighters lured her away with the promise of food as she played on the floor for the next seven years she was held hostage by the rebels forced to become a child soldier
her family thought she had died in battle then melida suddenly returned to her village at 16 carrying a pistol and a grenade only her grandfather recognized her   from a birthmark on her cheek
the very next day the military surrounded her house called by an informant seeking the bounty on her head
i found out my own father had turned me in she recalled
colombia is nearing a peace agreement with the rebels to end a half century of fighting one of the longest conflicts in the world
more than 220000 people have been killed leaving a country bitterly divided over what role if any former rebels should play in society once they drop their weapons for a new unarmed life outside the jungle
that includes thousands of rebel fighters who were raised since childhood to carry out armed struggle many of them know little else but war
there are times when i think about returning to the guerrillas because this life is hard here said melida now 20 who like other former child soldiers asked that her last name not be used because she fears reprisals over her links to the rebels
she is now caught between two worlds she says belonging to neither true we were children waiting for our deaths but im always thinking about returning
the rebels known as the revolutionary armed forces of colombia or farc say they dont recruit children yet during a recent visit to a farc camp by the new york times a half dozen soldiers as young as 15 said they had been recruited by the rebels only months earlier
in government rehabilitation centers throughout colombia minors told similar stories of being spirited away to camps by rebels now they face a future for which they are thoroughly unprepared
fabio said he was kidnapped by rebel fighters at the age of 9 by the time he was 13 he said his commanders began sending him on solo missions to slit the throats of government soldiers as they slept he said his own family did not look for him or inform the authorities of his abduction
they would have been killed said fabio who is now 19
freddy said he joined the farc at 14 to avenge the killing of a cousin by paramilitary forces he deserted at 16 with two dozen other soldiers but he said his aunt fearing reprisals from the guerrillas told him never to return to his village
finding a place for these former soldiers is vital to the success of any peace deal analysts say
if poor or botched reintegration programs fail to offer opportunities to former child combatants colombias powerful paramilitaries and trafficking groups may offer them a tempting alternative said adam isacson a senior analyst at the washington office on latin america a human rights group
at the rebel camp one farc commander who goes by the name teofilo panclasta defended the use of child soldiers saying that many joined to escape trouble at home
if a girl comes at 15 as a prostitute and wants to join us to stop being a whore what are we going to say he asked
melida said that when her captors came to her house along the river they drew her attention by saying they had soup in their canoe
the guerrillas brought her up the river until they reached a distant camp she woke up alongside several other children each around 10 or 11 their first lesson was hiding in trenches during bombings by the military
melidas father moises a traditional healer of the amazons cubeo group was away at the time and did not return to their village for another month he quickly left again to find the girl
moises went to the guerrilla camp near the village and asked to meet the commander a tall farc fighter in fatigues
i said i came for my daughter  moises recalled he said she wasnt there
in the camp melida had been renamed marisol and began her schooling a dutch woman who had joined the fighters and spoke broken spanish taught lessons on the history of communism the farc and darwins theory of evolution something melida had never learned in her indigenous village
melida was also learning to make land mines one looked like a fish and was triggered with a tripwire made of string she said another was called the quiebrapatas or the leg breaker because it maimed rather than killed its victim
i said i want to go home  she remembered saying but they told me once you enter a camp you cannot leave 
melida said she saw the fate of runaway fighters firsthand once a 20 year old and his 14 year old sister disappeared before dawn and soon found themselves trapped on the edge of a muddy river they had not learned to swim
melida joined the search for them when the pair were found they were shot dead first the brother then the sister melida recalled
she remembered feeling no remorse that day i said to myself yes   yes they should be killed  she was 12 years old
years after she was kidnapped farc rebels passed through her village and mentioned melida to her family
they said she had died in an attack her father recalled after that i just forgot about her i thought it was best to forget
in reality a commander in his 40s had taken an interest in her at first he followed her around the camp then one day when she was 15 he asked her to wash his clothes in his tent
give me a kiss she recalled him saying
i dont know how she said
then ill teach you the commander said
she was later given a birth control implant in her arm and the commander forced her into a relationship she said
imagine waking up next to someone who was that old when you are that young she said
at 16 she asked the commander if she could visit her family she was surprised when he agreed carrying the pistol and the grenade she made her way back home for what was meant to be a short reunion
the village was unrecognizable a warship was now stationed near the dock the home from which she had been abducted was abandoned
i told the first person i saw that i was mr moises daughter and they said i couldnt be because that daughter was dead she said
melida says she does not know why her father turned her in to the military the next day
he wanted me not to go back perhaps she said he wanted the best for me
but moises sitting in his daughters living room on a recent afternoon offered another explanation
i wanted to buy a motorcycle he said after a moment he added they never gave me the reward i was promised
the soldiers interrogated melida at one base after another she said what was her real name they asked who were her commanders where were the farc bases
after two weeks melida was taken to a government rehabilitation center for indigenous youth who had left the farc it was on a mountainside in an alien part of the country for melida who had never seen the andes before she was captured
the center was home to about 20 other former child soldiers daily classes and chores meant to adjust them to civilian life were new to her other requirements like another birth control implant reminded her of the farc
war was constantly on melidas mind when i would get up i would reach beside me to take my rifle and realize there wasnt one there she said
victor hugo ochoa the centers director said melida arrived angry and often threatened to run away it was hard to intervene he said she formed her own constellation of kids who turned on us
at night melida began sneaking out of the center with a man named javier whose mother was a cook there he was nine years older than melida but the two would go out drinking and partying in a nearby town
javier had a bad history with the rebels in 2004 his brother a soldier was killed by a farc sniper his family never forgave the guerrillas a tension at the heart of any peace deal
despite this melida and javier realized they were falling in love
why did it have to be her he said from the people who killed my brother
melida was forming another relationship   with her father who began visiting to get to know her again
after turning melida in moises now wanted a role in his daughters life but even communicating was a challenge melida had lost some of her fluency in cubeo the indigenous language they had spoken when she was a child
she was just some young lady i didnt know he said
the new ties were changing her mr ochoa said she was getting to know her two cousins maria and leila themselves former farc members who had left the center javiers mother dora was teaching melida to cook and clean taking on a mothers role
dora took melidas farc history in stride my daughter is married to a policeman another is with a soldier she said javier is with an ex guerrilla the only thing were missing in this family is a paramilitary
one day melidas birth control implant failed and she became pregnant
dora pulled melida aside i told her now you have something to fight for thats not the revolution 
her daughter celeste was born last year
the daily tasks of motherhood consumed melida for weeks but the anger remained
she told me she was raised for war not to care not to be a lover javier said she would tell me i love you but understand my life hasnt been easy 
one day javier returned to find that melida and the baby were gone
days before melida had mentioned returning to rebel territory to see her sister but now javier thought it was a ruse to return to the farc fold
it wasnt the case instead her bus had been stopped at a checkpoint by rebels who questioned each of the passengers
i thought they would catch me again said melida who realized then she did not want to go back at least not that day
melidas relationship with her father remains strained they rarely talk about her life in rebel hands
on a recent day melida was recovering from a blow to her face she started to argue with me and i hit her said moises looking at the ground
recently melidas cousin leila the former farc member committed suicide melida sometimes travels to visit the unmarked grave
dora says melida is too strong to take her own life but she worries melida might return to the guerrillas
she is a good mother and puts her daughter first dora said but she also tells me she is bored and doesnt like this life and i tell her if you want to leave then leave but think of the girl leave celeste with me 


donald j trump and hillary clinton were each looking for a convincing five state romp on tuesday that would quiet skeptics and marginalize stubborn rivals
he pulled it off she fell slightly short
but they both collected enough delegates to make an increasingly compelling case that their partys nomination is finally in reach the key takeaways from tuesdays east coast primaries
mr trumps past six victories have been veritable blowouts in which he has routinely collected a convincing majority of the vote despite a three candidate field
tuesday night represented a new high water mark for his candidacy and a dour milestone for his rivals mr trump won an average of 59 percent of the republican vote in the five states and his average margin of victory was 35 percentage points
with decisive wins like that senator ted cruz of texas and gov john r kasich of ohio will have a much harder time arguing that mr trump lacks the broad support of his party at this summers republican convention quite possibly their last chance to stop his march to the nomination
the anyone but trump brigade is failing miserably and predictably mr trumps commanding victories across five states lay bare an inconvenient but long held truth in politics it is far harder to organize against a candidate than it is to campaign for one voters want to believe in something and they want to vote for someone they are far less likely to coordinate en masse to stop something
the disorganization and slim budget of the anti trump movement is not helping the groups spent around 500000 to halt mr trumps momentum in tuesdays five state east coast primaries   a relative pittance they may be holding their fire until the contests in indiana nebraska and california but by then the republican race may be all but over
senator bernie sanders of vermont recently tried to portray his rivals success as a fleeting regional phenomenon mrs clinton he said during a democratic debate this month owned the comparatively conservative electorate of the deep south
tuesdays results proved him wrong mrs clinton swept some of the biggest electoral prizes in the east connecticut maryland and pennsylvania not to mention delaware
but her defeat in rhode island will sting somewhat because it feeds mr sanderss argument that so long as he is winning even small states he should remain in the democratic race
it is hard to win states you ignore
the senator from texas all but gave up on northeastern and mid atlantic states dipping his ostrich booted toe   briefly   into maryland and pennsylvania before fleeing to indiana the next heartland state to hold a primary
on tuesday he lost all five states delivering his concession speech well before polls had closed his dual message of conservative purity and religious faith was always an unnatural fit for the region and his fate seemed sealed a week ago when he finished a distant third in new york home to the values he has repeatedly maligned
his wounded campaign desperate to deprive mr trump of 1237 delegates is now banking on wins in indiana and nebraska   more favorable terrain as he called it tuesday night
mr sanders cannot crack the code in democratic controlled cities a longstanding vulnerability that haunted him on tuesday take pennsylvania where mrs clinton crushed him in philadelphia county 63 percent to 37 percent in allegheny county home to pittsburgh mrs clinton beat him 55 percent to 44 percent
why is mr sanders losing these urban centers because they are home to reliable clinton constituencies black and hispanic voters partisan democrats and older women all of whom would be essential to a successful general election candidacy
if mr kasich cannot win a reliably moderate blue blooded new england state like connecticut where exactly can he win
his inability to compete with mr trump in the very states whose demographic compositions centrist and political traditions polite match his message are undermining his rationale for staying in the race mr trump obliterated mr kasich in connecticut more than doubling his vote total
mr trumps schoolyard taunts can sound puerile we call him one for 41 he quips of mr kasichs losing record but the front runner has a point mr kasich has not won a primary since march 15 when he clinched his home state ohio mr kasich even lost pennsylvania where he was born and his brother still resides and he still has fewer delegates than senator marco rubio of florida who is no longer in the race
it is not clear when or if mr kasich will win a primary again this year why is he here mr trump asked wryly tuesday night


chicago   j dennis hastert once among the nations most powerful politicians was sentenced on wednesday to 15 months in prison for illegally structuring bank transactions in an effort to cover up his sexual abuse of young members of a wrestling team he coached decades ago
in a hearing that was by turns harrowing and revelatory mr hastert publicly admitted for the first time to abusing his athletes was confronted in emotional addresses by one of the former wrestlers and the sister of another and faced a long scathing rebuke from the judge
mr hastert 74 who made an unlikely rise from beloved small town wrestling coach in illinois to speaker of the house in washington sat slouched in a wheelchair in a federal courtroom here as a judge announced that he was rejecting pleas for probation from mr hasterts lawyers as well as prosecutors endorsement of a shorter prison stay
while the sentencing hearing was technically about a violation of banking rules and regulations the proceedings focused squarely on the underlying reason for mr hasterts puzzling bank withdrawals   his abuse of young wrestlers who had viewed him as a role model
the defendant is a serial child molester said judge thomas m durkin of federal district court as mr hastert sat impassively often staring downward hands crossed on his lap he added some actions can obliterate a lifetime of good works nothing is more stunning than having serial child molester and speaker of the house in the same sentence
mr hastert was not charged with sexual abuse because statutes of limitation for acts in the 1960s and 70s have run out the judge noted pointedly that punishment for such a conviction would have been far worse
illegally structuring bank transactions to keep such abuse secret   the felony count to which mr hastert pleaded guilty   carried a maximum sentence of five years in prison
mr hastert whose date to report to prison has yet to be set was ordered to pay 250000 in fines never to contact his victims and to receive sex offender treatment
if theres a public shaming of the defendant because of the conduct hes engaged in so be it judge durkin said
mr hastert has had a series of illnesses since last year including a stroke a blood stream infection and a spinal infection   factors his lawyers and family members argued should be taken into account in the sentencing they urged the judge to consider the entire arc of his life and career including his years of public service
as mr hastert prepared to address the judge he used a walker to rise to his feet but his voice was firm and clear
the thing i want to do today is say im sorry to those i hurt and misled said mr hastert whose grown sons were in the courtroom i want to apologize to the boys i mistreated when i was their coach what i did was wrong and i regret it
mr hasterts remarks followed a tearful halting statement from one of his victims scott cross a former wrestler who had never before spoken publicly about his abuse and who said that he had not even been sure whether he could bring himself to make his statement now
as a high school wrestler i looked up to coach hastert   he was a key figure in my life said mr cross now 53 and a businessman who works in financial services in the chicago area
from a podium just feet from mr hasterts wheelchair mr cross recalled abuse that occurred on a locker room training table when he was 17 i felt intense pain shame and guilt he said
he said that he had gone years without speaking of what had happened even to his parents and closest friends
ive always felt that what coach hastert had done to me was my darkest secret mr cross said
the revelation that mr cross was among mr hasterts victims caused a ripple through illinoiss republican party where mr hastert had gotten his political start and had been a political mentor to mr crosss brother tom cross a former state house republican leader judge durkin noted that mr hastert had recently unsuccessfully sought a letter of support from tom cross
judge durkin is the brother of another prominent lawmaker here jim durkin the republican leader in the state house and the judge had offered last year to recuse himself in the case
the sister of another victim stephen reinboldt spoke directly to mr hastert describing lonely isolated years mr reinboldt spent after repeated abuse by mr hastert in high school until his death of aids in 1995
you took his life mr hastert jolene burdge the sister said not because he died of aids but because you took his innocence and turned it against him
at one point the judge stared down at mr hastert from the bench and questioned him about the victims one by one
you said you mistreated athletes did you sexually abuse mr cross he asked
i dont remember doing that but i accept his statement mr hastert replied
did you sexually abuse victim b judge durkin asked referring to one of at least two other former wrestlers whose names have not been made public
mr hastert paused yes he said
how about mr reinboldt - did you sexually abuse him judge durkin asked
mr hastert said that was a different situation but eventually acknowledged the abuse
patrick collins a former federal prosecutor in chicago who has handled corruption cases including that of former gov george ryan a republican said that it was unusual for a judge to veer so far from the sentencing guidelines which recommended no prison time or up to six months
its extraordinary that the case was on its face a cut and dry financial structuring case with the conduct acknowledged but the sentencing was about everything essentially but the structuring mr collins said
mr hasterts fall from genial retired house speaker and hometown celebrity was sudden and steep for decades both in washington and in yorkville on the edge of chicagos western suburbs where mr hastert had coached the local high school wrestling team to state championship he had a reputation for appearing down to earth and steady
mr hastert who had served in the illinois legislature and was then elected to congress found himself catapulted to speaker in 1999 in part because he seemed to be a safe agreeable option after leaving congress he went on to become a lobbyist
he was charged last may with lying to the fbi and making cash withdrawals in a way devised to hide the fact that he was paying 35 million to a former wrestler for misconduct
the wrestler whose name has not been revealed and who is identified in documents only as individual a told of abuse in a motel room during a wrestling camp trip when he was 14
after the payments began around 2010 the federal authorities took notice of large unexplained withdrawals mr hastert was making from his bank when told that large withdrawals had to be reported mr hastert began drawing smaller sums prosecutors say to avoid notice
the wrestler sued mr hastert this week saying he still owed him 18 million of their agreed to settlement
before the hearing a long list of supporters   from mr hasterts wife jean to tom delay the former house majority leader   had sent letters to judge durkin he doesnt deserve what he is going through mr delay wrote
but for nearly 45 minutes on wednesday judge durkin held forth in a passionate often contemptuous tone with little interruption
he said that mr hastert had manipulated the fbi and the united states attorneys office diverted their investigation and knowingly tried to set up individual a actions that were intentional thought out and desperate
the judge spoke broadly about child sexual abuse and the lifelong damage it inflicts can you imagine the whispers the finger pointing the sideways glances if youre a 14 year old boy and you accuse the town hero of molesting you he said
he dismissed the defenses arguments that mr hastert was too old frail or ill to be properly taken care of in a federal prison
and he ended with a blunt synopsis this is a horrible case   a horrible set of circumstances horrible for the defendant horrible for the victims horrible for our country he said i hope i never have to see a case like this again court adjourned


london   the bidding war for darty the french electronics and appliance retailer appears to be over
conforama the french household goods unit of steinhoff international holdings said on wednesday that it had no plans to raise its offer for darty after groupe fnac made a final bid for the retailer on monday
fnac and conforama have been entwined in a frantic battle for darty with each offering escalating bids last week
on monday fnac said it was willing to pay 914 million pounds or about 13 billion in cash for the london listed retailer or 170 pence a share fnac also said at the time that it owned or had agreements in place for investors to support its offer equivalent to 4105 percent of darty shares
that exceeded conforamas highest   and apparently now final   offer of 160 pence a share or about PS860 million in cash
our independent board and management had a clear valuation in mind for the stand alone darty business conforama said in a news release on wednesday
conforama said that at a price of 160 pence a share the darty business would have been a good addition to the steinhoff group of businesses but at an increased price it would no longer create sufficient value for steinhoff shareholders employees and other stakeholders
the fight for darty began in march when steinhoff of south africa offered to buy the retailer at a price that exceeded the one in a previous merger agreement with fnac in november fnac had offered to pay PS558 million for darty
also in march steinhoff abandoned its pursuit of the home retail group as it faced a separate and potentially lengthy battle with j sainsbury one of britains largest grocery store chains
the bidding for darty heated up last week when a series of escalating offers by conforama and fnac on april 21 sent shares of darty up 23 percent in trading in london
darty shares fell less than 1 percent in morning trading in london on wednesday
the company operates about 400 stores in belgium france and the netherlands it reported revenue of more than 35 billion euros or about 39 billion in its 2014 15 fiscal year


london   barclays continues to pare back its operations as it accelerates a strategy shift announced last year while first  profit took a hit from the industry wide slowdown in investment banking and markets
james e staley who joined barclays as chief executive in december is seeking to turn around the bank by accelerating the sale of businesses it does not consider core operations and by focusing its strategy around two divisions the british consumer bank and the corporate and investment bank
the bank said on wednesday that it was in exclusive discussions with the private equity firm anacap financial partners about the potential sale of its retail operations in france including 74 branches a french life insurance business and wealth and investment management operations barclays said the discussions did not include its corporate and investment banking operations in france which it would continue to operate
a sale would complete barclays exit from retail banking in continental europe it has sold operations in italy portugal and spain in recent months
first quarter profit fell 7 percent to 433 million pounds or about 630 million compared with the same period last year barclays said wednesday 
pretax profit of PS793 million fell short of analysts expectations
this quarter we have made good early progress against the strategy update we announced on the 1st of march mr staley who is known as jes said in a news release the results showed a core business performing well in a challenging environment he said
operating income which is similar to revenue in the united states declined 13 percent to PS459 billion in the first quarter from PS526 billion in the same period a year earlier operating expenses were down 7 percent to PS383 billion in the quarter
barclays also said that it continued to explore opportunities to reduce its stake in barclays africa group after saying in march that it planned to shed its 623 percent interest in the business which has proved to be a regulatory drag on the bank the update came a day after the investment company atlas mara limiteda firm backed by the former barclays chief executive robert e diamond jr said it was in discussions with a group of investors exploring a bid for barclays business in africa
the african business was considered one of four pillars of barclays strategy alongside its credit card and its consumer and investment banking operations under antony jenkins who was ousted as chief executive in july
we are pleased with the level of indicative interest in what is a high quality business mr staley said on wednesday barclays africa is an important partner and we are working closely with local management including on the planning for the operational separation of the two businesses in a way that will preserve value for shareholders in both groups
in its corporate and investment bank barclays reported a pretax profit of PS701 million in the quarter from PS292 million in the first quarter of 2015
on an underlying basis pretax profit in the corporate and investment bank declined 31 percent in the quarter driven by a decline in income from its banking and markets businesses increased impairment charges and higher operating expenses barclays said
the underlying profit for the first quarter of 2015 did not include an additional legal provision of PS800 million the bank took related to currency market investigations in the united states
the performance of our corporate and investment bank was relatively resilient in a tough quarter but there is more we must do to improve returns and we are focused on management actions to do so mr staley said
in its british consumer bank barclays reported a pretax profit of PS704 million in the first quarter down from PS844 million in the same period a year earlier
barclays noncore businesses which it is trying to wind down or sell reported a loss of PS815 million in the quarter from PS310 million in the first quarter of 2015


seoul south korea   north korea said wednesday that it would open the seventh congress of its ruling workers party next week it will be the countrys biggest political convention in more than three decades and a likely platform for its leader kim jong un to cement his authority
the party faced a task of advancing the final victory of its revolution under the leadership of kim jong un its politburo said announcing that the congress the first since 1980 would begin next friday
mr kim already oversees the party as its first secretary in recent weeks towns and provinces in north korea have held party meetings to elect delegates to be sent to the congress in pyongyang the capital they all adopted a motion to uphold mr kim as the party leader
the congress is expected to last several days it will probably review or change party lines and elect new leaders said jeong joon hee a government spokesman for the south referring to the role of the congress as defined in the charter of the workers party
under the one party rule of north korea the congress is in theory the countrys highest decision making body the rare gathering allows mr kim to put his stamp on the party and formally usher in his era by filling its congress with handpicked loyalists south korean analysts said
mr kims grandfather president kim il sung founded the norths government after the korean peninsula was liberated from japanese colonial rule at the end of world war ii mr kim took over the dynastic rule after his father kim jong il died in 2011
during its last party congress in 1980 north korea elevated the status of mr kims father as heir apparent by showering him with crucial party posts
mr kim already holds top posts in the party and military he has also reshuffled the elites in his government with a series of purges and executions some analysts in the south said the congress would serve as more of an occasion to celebrate mr kims authority than to institute major changes in leadership
but one function of the congress is to elect a new central committee which could prompt changes in other important party organs like the politburo
in recent months the north korean military the workers party and the administration began a number of construction and other projects to be finished in time to celebrate the congress
mr kim has shown up frequently to watch missile tests and what his government has called the successful tests of technologies including a new rocket engine needed to make nuclear tipped long range missiles as a deterrent against invasion by the united states
under mr kim the workers party has been regaining some of the economic and other powers including the right to trade in minerals that it had ceded to the military under his father who championed a military first policy analysts and officials here said


the soaring cost of prescription drugs has generated outrage among politicians and patients some cancer drugs carry price tags of more than 100000 a year and health plans are increasingly asking people to shoulder a greater share of the cost
in surveys americans regularly cite drug prices as a top health care concern which may be why presidential candidates keep bringing them up congress has jumped into the debate holding a series of hearings on the issue
but there are no simple answers
much of the attention has focused on a handful of pharmaceutical companies that have snapped up old drugs and then aggressively raised prices sometimes by more than 1000 percent last fall martin shkreli the founder and former chief executive of turing pharmaceuticals ignited a fierce response on social media after it was reported that his company had raised the price of a little known drug to treat toxoplasmosis to 750 a tablet from 1350 and valeant pharmaceuticals international has received similar attention for raising the price of many of its drugs including two heart medications nitropress and isuprel
critics say these companies and others like them have unfairly favored profit over patients needs congress has held several hearings on these tactics and valeant and turing are under investigation by federal authorities presidential candidates have singled out these companies on the campaign trail
but even as the drug industry has sought to distance itself from companies it describes as bad actors insurers hospitals and other major health care players have raised alarms about the rising cost of new drugs including those that treat cancer hepatitis c and rare diseases some of those drugs can cost 300000 a year
higher drug prices threaten to raise insurance premiums and patients out of pocket expenses and can cost taxpayers more because of medicaid and other government programs but drug companies say the prices reflect the enormous investment of time and resources that go into bringing a drug to market and argue that many times their drugs can prevent more expensive medical interventions like surgery and hospitalization
the answer to this is more complicated than one might expect
manufacturers set list prices for their brand name drugs those are the eye popping figures that have sent congress and presidential candidates into fits of outrage
but almost no one actually pays those prices insurers and pharmacy benefit managers who manage drug plans for insurers negotiate discounts and rebates which lowers the effective cost of a drug and they have been getting better at doing this
that is why although list prices for drugs rose about 12 percent in 2015 net prices   what insurers and employers actually paid   grew only about 28 percent the lowest rate in years according to ims health a research firm
insurers and others say that lower figure obscures the larger price increases in specific areas like cancer treatment where less competition exists and it is more difficult to pit manufacturers against one another and drug makers do profit from raising their list prices because rebates and discounts are often based on a percentage of those prices
thats where the real angst in the marketplace is said steve miller chief medical officer of express scripts
a drugs path from the manufacturer to the patient is circuitous and many middlemen are paid along the way
the pharmaceutical company sends the drug to a distributor which takes a fee and then sells the drug to a pharmacy which pockets its own fee before dispensing the medication to a patient if a patient is insured a pharmacy benefit manager is paid for processing the transaction between the pharmacy and the insurer or employer the pharmacy benefit manager also handles the rebates that flow from the drug maker to the insurer or the employer
part of what makes the issue so frustrating is that visiting a pharmacy to pick up a prescription seems simple if you go into a retail pharmacy it looks like a retail transaction said adam j fein president of pembroke consulting a management advisory and business research company but it is not like buying a bottle of orange juice most patients do not choose which drug they are picking up nor are they paying for most of it he said its part of this crazy system
the good news first the vast majority of drugs dispensed in the united states   more than 80 percent   are generics which are low cost alternatives to brand name drugs if your doctor writes you a prescription there is a very good chance it will cost you 10 or less
but if you have a more serious illness or require a newer brand name drug insurers have been requiring that you pay an increasingly large share of the drugs cost
many people are covered by health plans with large deductibles that require them to pay the full price of their drugs until they hit their limit which can be thousands of dollars a year and more plans are requiring patients that need expensive specialty drugs to contribute a percentage of the list price drug companies often help cover patients out of pocket costs through assistance programs but not always
so patients who are the sickest and require the most expensive drugs are the most vulnerable to soaring drug prices
its sort of embedded in the health care system that the price is never the price unless youre a cash paying customer mr fein said and in that case we soak the poor


wiltshire england   sir james dyson the british designer and engineer sporting sneakers cobalt blue spectacles and a voluminous thatch of silvery hair stood in his vast glass office in the depths of the english countryside one recent tuesday afternoon he was clutching a device that he contends could change the monotony of bathroom routines forever
there has been zero innovation in this market for over 60 years said mr dyson 68 a billionaire who was knighted by queen elizabeth ii in 2006
millions of people use contraptions daily that are hideously inefficient waste their time and are causing them long term damage he said we realized that we could   and should   sort this situation out
he triumphantly held up what appeared to be a sleek black and pink plastic doughnut on a stick four years 100 odd patents and 600 prototypes later i think we might have found the answer
known as the dyson supersonic and unveiled in tokyo on wednesday the device is his response to a question many never thought to ask is it possible to make a better hair dryer
this may not seem like a big deal a few burned scalps and frizz issues aside people have been doing just fine with the standard hair dryer for decades but as dai fujiwara a japanese fashion designer who collaborated with mr dyson on an issey miyake runway presentation wrote in an email because everyday life is too common people rarely realize there is a problem
about 92 percent of british women regularly use a hair dryer according to the consultancy mintel while 755 percent of all women and 245 percent of men in the united states and 97 percent of women and 30 percent of men in japan use one according to dyson and most spend an average of 20 minutes on each session so changing even a small percentage of that behavior could have outsize repercussions
mr dyson britains best known living inventor is the steve jobs of domestic appliances he has built a fortune from making otherwise standard products seem aesthetically desirable in the process persuading untold numbers of consumers that they really really want cordless and bagless vacuum cleaners air purifiers bladeless fans and even household robots
his inventions are disruptive   beautifully so said terence conran the british restaurateur retailer and furniture designer who would have imagined that a bagless vacuum cleaner could become a highly covetable status symbol he has made other businesses think differently about how to use design creativity and innovation
mr dyson studied furniture design and architecture at the royal college of art in london he is currently provost there his advocacy for the discipline and for british manufacturing has had a profound influence on the british national psyche said dr paul thompson rector of the royal college now mr dyson is trying to extend that influence into hitherto unchartered territory the global beauty and grooming sector
dyson said there were 103 engineers involved in the creation of the supersonic which included the taming of over 1010 miles of human hair tresses and 7000 acoustic tests as teams tackled three core issues noise weight and speed
ground zero for the project was the dyson research facility a willy wonka like world deep in the rolling wiltshire hills with a harrier fighter jet and spliced mini car in the visitors parking lot
projects are kept firmly under lock and key from virtually all outsiders - as well as many within the walls itself which like those owned by roald dahls flamboyant fictional chocolate factory owner are often painted a lurid purple
matt kelly was one of many young engineers milling around the plant in near identikit uniforms of hoodies jeans and sneakers or battered brogues you can sit next to someone in the cafeteria here for years and not have the first idea what they are working on and they will have no clue what you do either mr kelly said discretion and an ability to keep secrets are essential traits if you want to work at dyson
especially when doing something so counterintuitive as moving from the practical question of what to use to clean carpets to the more touchy feely question of what to use to style a personal image
ed shelton a design manager for the supersonic said it was the hardest project ive ever worked on beyond having to crack the science of hair weve had to tackle a highly subjective user psychology
trust me when i say there are many more approaches and angles to blow drying than vacuuming in the world british women want volume japanese women want straightness no one wants hair damage and then we had to create a fleet of robots specifically to test that over and over again
the company says the key to the supersonic is its high speed 13 blade motor about the size of a quarter the motor is small enough to fit in the base of the hair dryer handle rather than in the conventional motor position at the top of the device a shift that creates its unorthodox streamlined aesthetic
the smaller motor allows for high velocity flow but not pressure the company says which is how temperatures shoot up on traditional hair dryers and users burn themselves if the dryer is too close to the head
the company says the positioning of the motor in the hand also limits the so called dumbbell effect of old guard models where top heavy weighting can cause arms to ache weighing just 370 grams the new structure allows for a longer silencer tube and smaller fan cutting down drastically on noise
coupled with the high motor speed the fusion of new technologies gives rise to dyson claims that the sound waves can operate at an ultrasonic level - in other words at frequencies higher than the upper audible limit for humans it also has magnetic heatproof nozzles and intelligent heat sensors to prevent hair burn
frankly im rather terrified mr dyson said we had to learn a great deal with the supersonic and there have been a lot of firsts on all fronts including the fact that i had to grow my hair especially for a launch
it hasnt been this long since my 60s student days when i wore flowered shirts and flares mr dyson said
despite his newly flowing locks both dyson the man and dyson the company are conscious that they may not come across as the most convincing of beauty gurus
consequently the company has enlisted the services of jen atkin a celebrity hairstylist with a client rolodex that includes kim kardashian jessica alba and katy perry and a social media following of millions her job is to decode the appliance and its styling power to viewers via online tutorials following the introduction ie shes a brand ambassador but her input was also instrumental in its creation
jake dyson the oldest son of mr dyson and heir apparent to the dyson helm said the company understood that personal care was a radically different market from the ones we are used to competing in cleaning floors is much less glamorous than styling hair
ms atkin who can see up to 30 clients a day said she had initially begun the relationship by giving her two cents to dyson engineers on the model and what it needed
that back heavy feeling that usually makes your arms ache completely disappears with this whether working on your own hair or blow drying someone else she said for me or any woman that is a game changer this is the break the internet dryer
as with any other dyson device research and development didnt come cheap the investment including a state of the art hair laboratory reached PS50 million about 72 million
as a result the supersonic will retail at 399 when it arrives in the united states at sephora stores in september a price at stark odds with the low priced high volume business model that has traditionally defined the competitive hair dryer market
currently hair dryers sold by amazon in the united states retail for 1299 to 21998
still dyson has a convincing track record in persuading fans to pay hundreds of dollars on domestic status symbols that spend most of their working lives in the cupboard under the stairs or next to the dog basket
but there have been expensive failures along the way like its washing machine which the company no longer makes more recently some of dysons boldest claims about advancing science in certain markets have also been called into question by critics like the university of westminster in london
this month the university released research suggesting that dyson airblade hand dryers spread 60 times more germs than standard air dryers and 1300 times more than standard paper towels although the assertion is one that the company emphatically and repeatedly rejects
so the hair dryer stakes are high and the market deeply fragmented not least by the popularity of newer hand held electrical appliances like straightening irons and curling tongs can dyson really pull off another product revolution
this all does feel a lot more personal than usual mr dyson said which i suppose makes me a little nervous but actually i have found everything we are learning with the supersonic very exciting its the start of a new push into this sector for us though i cant tell you more than that
what he can say is that the company is set to spend PS15 billion about 22 billion investing in future technology and recently announced the development of four new portfolio sectors while bullish he also knows that not all his 21st century inventions could be winners
i actually believe that success teaches you nothing failures teach you everything he said surrounded by sketches and prototypes in his meticulously cluttered office one hundred new products are in the pipeline in the next four years around the world he said the hair dryer is just the beginning
for decades people have just accepted a subpar experience because no one was offering them anything else said stephen courtney concepts director at dyson and a leader on the hair project the company wants to change that one locker room spa and beauty salon at a time


marni senofonte who oversaw the creation of outfits for beyonces lemonade visual album showcased a range of looks from known labels like the yeezy two piece that she paired with a hood by air fur in dont hurt yourself to lesser known ones like that of the kuwait designer yousef al jasmi who made the crystal bodysuit in sorry
ms senofonte got her start in fashion as norma kamalis assistant and started styling 19 years ago for celebrities like mary j blige jay z kim kardashian brandy monica and lauryn hill
she has worked with beyonce since 2007 first helping out on smaller projects like american express commercials and looks for the on the run tour in the last couple years she has styled the videos formation feeling myself and 711 in which she outfitted nicki minaj and beyonce in bodysuits and matching pink fur coats the interview has been edited and condensed
q this album is full of fashion labels walk me through the process of choosing the looks
a it was a huge mix of high fashion and low fashion ive done that a lot with beyonce like in the 711 video i mixed forever 21 leggings with a givenchy sweatshirt there was a heavy presence of gucci in the visual album as well because the gucci tapestries all kind of lent themselves to this victorian antebellum reformation vibe we were in
q new orleans played such an integral role in the album how did it influence the fashion
a if you look at the visual album you will see an african influence that touches on her heritage where she comes from there is that vibe and then we were talking about new orleans and the plantations in louisiana and whatnot beyonce told me that in new orleans   i dont know what the year was   black women were not allowed to show their hair so thats where those head wraps came from so you make these beautiful creations as kind of like ok you dont want us to show our hair watch what we are going to do
q where did the victorian influence come from
a we were thinking about being on those plantations at the time of her ancestors and what they would have worn at the time there was slavery so it wasnt about that it was about looking at these beautiful women that came from africa and accentuating this beautiful culture and beautiful people thats why i didnt want to do costume shop stuff because that doesnt look rich and regal i was focused on making sure that everybody looked well rich
q how do you work with beyonce
a shes pretty trusting we always start with inspiration boards and she comes with so much inspiration i dont know where she finds the time shes definitely heavily involved in all of her visuals
q what did beyonces inspiration boards look like for this album
a there was a lot of african print and gold royal regal african images there was a lot of white antebellum vibes and hats and collars vintage gaultier and mcqueen
q do you think this album will influence fashion
a it was funny because when we were down in new orleans in november and even december and january we were like this victorian vibe just feels right and then in february when we were starting to see the collections the balmain ... everything just started to look like what we were doing unbeknown to us it is already there so we were kind of on point
q that look she wore in the garage   the yeezy outfit and hood by air fur   was so great tell me about that look
a it was such a boss look it was so sexy as it is and the underboob was kind of awesome it was freezing in new orleans   record low temperatures   so when she put that fur harness on she became that it was just this look like she was running it very empowering and thats a part of beyonces personality dont let the country accent and the sweet smile fool you she is all about her business


when kim moffitt uses most eye creams they sting if she tries to layer sunscreen and moisturizer she breaks out traditional exfoliators like fruit enzymes or glycolic acid leave her looking as if she had sandpapered her face
the one time she tried an eyebrow wax it looked like i had rug burns around my eyebrows said ms moffitt an illustrator in portland ore who has hunted over the years for products for her sensitive skin
lately though the search has been easier companies large and small are racing to serve the growing number of adults in the united states with skin like ms moffitts   anywhere from 25 percent to 80 percent of the population depending on which survey you read people generally self diagnose sensitive skin its a marketing term not a medical one
roughly a quarter of product debuts in 2014 and 2015 were for sensitive skin according to the market research company mintel
why is the incidence of sensitive skin rising it may be because of pollution or a rise in allergies or too many samples one doctor called this the age of birchbox
but one reason is that like a complicated food intolerance a comparison a lot of dermatologists make sensitive skin is trendy even if for sufferers its no joke
people want to feel special said zoe diana draelos a dermatologist and the founder of dermatology consulting services a company working in association with the skin products industry which has tested dozens of products for sensitive skin
to screen potential volunteers all of whom said they had sensitive skin she applies water to one nasolabial skin fold aka a smile line and lactic acid to the other and asks if anything stings only about half identify correctly meaning they truly have what scientists call heightened neurosensory awareness
to make products suitable for so called reactive skin a lot of companies just mix in the anti inflammatories allantoin a comfrey plant extract or bisabolol a chamomile extract and call it a day these ingredients may help but it depends on what else is in the formulation dr draelos said
other companies are pouring millions of dollars into new ingredients the restorsea line is based on an ingredient derived from an enzyme young salmon release at birth to break down their eggshells
the companys founder patti pao a sensitive skin sufferer paid 25 million for 20 years of exclusive rights to the hydrolyzed salmon roe protein which she discovered in norway when she insisted on visiting a hatchery while trying to avoid a corporate bonding hike ms pao who has worked in product management at avon and guerlain immediately noticed how smooth and even textured the workers hands were compared with their weather beaten faces and set out to investigate
the enzyme she says can exfoliate sensitive skin without causing redness itchiness or flakiness because unlike traditional exfoliators it dissolves only dead skin cells it stops working when it encounters living tissue because the enzyme itself is living not to gross you out ms pao said its constantly working as if your aesthetician were constantly following you around sloughing off dead skin she said
a restorsea funded double blind study published in the journal of drugs in dermatology found that the line of products of which gwyneth paltrow is a fan worked as well as those containing either 4 percent glycolic acid or 8 percent glycolic acid plus 2 percent citric acid but with no stinging and burning
i was kind of skeptical so it was a big surprise to see this natural substance hold its own against glycolic acid something thats a gold standard of the cosmetic dermatology said anne chapas a dermatologist in manhattan one of four authors of the study
like ms pao amy wechsler a manhattan dermatologist has reactive skin   in her case so much so that she travels with her own soap when chanel skin care brought her on as a consultant five years ago she tentatively broached the subject of a product without fragrance a major source of irritation figuring that a house that makes some of the worlds best known perfumes wouldnt go for it
instead chanel spent four years testing 117 formulations of its fragrance free la solution 10 de chanel sensitive skin cream which was introduced last fall it features silver needle white tea which is especially high in antioxidants and can be harvested only one week a year in fujian province in china
if anyone in our test got so much as a pimple we started over dr wechsler said chanel also tested the cream in beijing to see if it would help skin handle the so called oxidative stress of pollution eighty percent of subjects felt soothed instantly according to company figures
the cream as its name suggests has just 10 ingredients compared with the usual 20 or 30 which plays to the myth that minimalism makes for gentler products
you can have just one ingredient and if its sodium lauryl sulfate thats an irritant said randy schueller a cosmetic chemist and a founder of thebeautybrainscom a website and podcast where scientists examine skin care ingredients and industry claims sodium lauryl sulfate a cleansing agent binds to the skin proteins and doesnt rinse off cleanly he said
a third company london based pai also has a product developer with sensitive skin its founder sarah brown over the years ms brown spent thousands of dollars on hypoallergenic and natural creams and serums to treat her skin without success i felt quite duped she said of promises most of them made hypoallergenic and natural are marketing terms not regulatory ones
her company which makes products exclusively for sensitive skin is certified organic by the british nonprofit soil association pai struggled for several years to formulate its perfect balance blemish serum which debuted last year
what made it tricky was that salicylic acid and most other spot treaters are harsh and drying and ms brown wanted a serum without alcohol which damages the skins barrier but is a skin care mvp for its ability to keep formulas stable and to thin out heavy products making them feel weightless
after rejecting dozens of plant based ingredients because it turned out they had been preserved using alcohol she found copaiba essential oil which is made from resin tapped from trees in the amazon jungle in the manner of maple syrup and has molecules that fight both infection and inflammation a company funded study showed a statistically significant reduction in blemishes over a nearly two month period
you dont have to believe the study in a nod to her history as a frustrated consumer ms brown allows buyers to return products within 30 days however much theyve used
i dont mean to be dramatic but you feel quite powerless when you have to keep buying more products to try ms brown said its liberating to take at least a bit of the control back
convinced you have sensitive skin you may be scrubbing too hard
remember that irish spring commercial clean as a whistle you actually dont want that dr wechsler said if your skin is squeaky clean youve removed the bad oils but youve also removed the good ones she recommends washing your face for no longer than 30 seconds using only your clean hands not a cloth or device
some other tips
you dont need to feel a tingle for a product to work people think thats a sign but i dont agree dr wechsler said
two mild products can sometimes make an irritant it can happen where youre using an exfoliant or something that by itself doesnt bother your skin but you strip off enough dead skin that the second product causes irritation said mr schueller
unscented isnt a synonym for fragrance free products that are the former can have fragrances to mask the smell having fragrance isnt the kiss of death mr schueller said but for people who have sensitive skin fragrances are the smoking gun


westgay a frisky gay dance party in the west village ended last summer when the building was sold to condominium developers
prettyugly a twink filled dance party at the diamond horseshoe in times square ended its run this year new owners new directions
jb saturdays a party in hells kitchen that drew about 1600 shirtless gay men every week for three years stopped in january
and in february escuelita a latin flavored gay dance club that throbbed for decades near the port authority bus terminal shuttered its doors because of declining attendance
seemingly overnight new york city has become a real life footloose   at least for dance happy gay men who feel as if they have nowhere to boogie these days while smaller gay bars abound there are at least 17 in hells kitchen alone by my count the number of large gay clubs and weekly dance parties has waned in recent years
its tragic said adam barta 36 a singer who lives in the bronx people used to have to show up to a dance club to have a social life in this digital age clubs have been usurped by the right swipe
night life veterans point to a variety of reasons including cultural shifts real estate pressures and technology
brandon voss 36 a club promoter and co producer of several gay parties including zoo which ended last year said that the demand for dance parties has declined the new generation just doesnt support large dance clubs said mr voss who no longer regularly hosts dance parties they spend money on special events i do like my rupauls drag race pride and halloween events but the days of the weekly dance party are over at least for now
mr voss also blames the advent of hookup apps like grindr as well as music streaming services like soundcloud and spotify for replacing djs as the way to learn about new music why pay an expensive cover charge and deal with rude bouncers when you can just swipe on your iphone he asked
susanne bartsch who in 2014 hosted four weekly gay friendly dance events and now has only one a summertime party at le bain at the standard agrees that technology has upended gay night life
social media changed the landscape of going out ms bartsch said one doesnt have to have dancing to be part of flirting and hooking up anymore
the reasons gay men flocked to the dance floor have changed too in the age of same sex marriage and transgender rights gays no longer rely on nightclubs as safe places to congregate indeed instead of all night dances mr voss now hosts a sunday brunch at senor frogs in times square and its been packed
who would have thought a drag queen brunch at a mexican restaurant would be easier than a saturday night dance party he asked
to be sure there are still opportunities for dancing there are monthly parties like brut a leather flavored bash at santos party house weekly dance parties include strut which takes place tuesdays on the cozy downstairs dance floor at acme and 1111 a raucous party hosted by the promoter ladyfag on fridays on east houston street
moreover the monster a longstanding gay bar in greenwich village has a dance floor as does icon an unpretentious club in astoria queens and every year in march the black party draws thousands of circuit queens to a cavernous space now in brooklyn
but this pales in comparison to the dance scene of the 1990s and early aughts when there were dance friendly parties nearly every night of the week including monday at sugar babies tuesday at beige wednesday at limelight thursday at boy bar friday at don hills saturday at the roxy and sunday at body and soul
promoters who are still in the game say that the economics of dance clubs have changed
brian rafferty who runs a medium size gay saturday night dance party called trade at undr a club in hells kitchen blames real estate for the dancing slowdown as condos go up clubs close down he said beige was closed after a condo was built next to it and filed noise complaints
besides bars have cheaper admission and drink prices sad and absolutely true said john blair a veteran night life promoter who drew throngs to the roxy splash and other discos for years
mr blair now does one monthly dance party at stage 48 but his primary site which opened last november is an intimate lounge on ninth avenue called rise bar its the type of place where professional gay men in button down shirts gather after work and generally sit still
everyone kept saying we were crazy doing another bar in hells kitchen he said but i really think for now that is all that can actually make money


on a cold april morning in manhattan ramona singer a cast member of the real housewives of new york city is teetering across a street in stilettos shedding her coat to expose a short taupe dress paired with pearls she had just left tipsy parson a bar and restaurant in chelsea and is making a beeline to a tour bus plastered with the casts faces
ms singer 59 the tiny blond entrepreneur whose outlandish personality unquenchable thirst for pinot grigio and nasty divorce have led to an eight year tenure on the show poses against the bus snipping at her handlers wheres my lipstick did you retweet my snapchat then she ducks into a chauffeured black car and is gone
ms singer may not have been the type to stick around for a three hour bus tour of 36 of the shows filming locations but i am im one of the millions who enjoy this spectacle of wealthy womanhood held up to a fun house mirror
why do i and so many other women enjoy something that plays on the worst female stereotypes what does this shows popularity say about us
we know americans are obsessed with wealth and for decades our tv diets have been infused with excess from lifestyles of the rich and famous to all my children to the reality show known as the race for the white house 2016 featuring a former first lady a billionaire a texan and an actual socialist among others
the housewives are just an extreme product of that culture you would not be alone in dismissing the franchise as trash president obama singled it out as one reason young americans risked falling behind in the world nonetheless the franchise also has high profile fans including supposedly the presidents wife
the real housewives which began 10 years ago in orange county calif has grown from a blip to a pop culture behemoth each episode purports to follow a group of friends through boozy feuds marital scandals and appallingly bad behavior at five star resorts around the world
the template is simple the women dressed in designer labels gather in a beautiful setting like palm springs morocco or miami someone inevitably brings up a touchy subject money illness addiction infidelity and awkward explosive arguments ensue for bravo this has been ratings gold
housewives can be found in gated communities in more than 10 cities in the united states the most popular show is the real housewives of atlanta which averages over 36 million viewers per episode according to nielsen data
the real housewives of potomac the 10th series had the largest premiere to date in january with 26 million viewers there are housewives abroad in england and australia and if andy cohen has his way this is just the beginning
mr cohen is the executive producer of the housewives franchise and the host of watch what happens live a talk show that features bravo cast members mingling with a listers a live broadcast is my ultimate destination today
joining me on the tour are dozens of fellow journalists and several attentive press handlers we outnumber the few ecstatic fans who won contests to be here people will eventually pay 49 to be schlepped around the city but without meeting any housewives chris and jojo davis teachers from washington state won a trip after re enacting a notorious real housewives fight on the today show
i think in normal towns we dont experience that says ms davis 44 so you can live vicariously through their craziness
another contest winner deanna mannion 29 of new york tells me we all have that one friend thats kind of a little crazy and sometimes youre that friend
at a rickys cosmetics store in soho kristen taekman a 39 year old model and a former new york cast member does a catfight imitation which i capture for snapchat as one does
waiting at spin a ping pong bar with 17 courts next to the flatiron building is carole radziwill 52 an emmy winning former broadcast journalist and the shows designated normal one her connections to the kennedy clan and her relationship with a much younger vegan chef appear to interest fans more than her journalism clad in black leather a miniskirt and boots she holds court in the middle of the bar
ms davis the teacher from washington cant take the distance any longer i know youre not a hugger but can i hug you anyway she asks rushing into ms radziwills arms
we will encounter six new york housewives on this tour ms radziwill is the only one i hear ask fans about themselves she also lets her mask slip when someone asks if this is where she and her boyfriend had a date she nods and says thats where we did our scene pause where we had our date
it is the tiniest crack in the reality tv veneer but it doesnt seem to matter to fans ms radziwill is a real life carrie bradshaw the heroine of sex and the city which also has a bus tour
im a little bit of a businesswoman ms radziwill told me earlier and in the end you know im a single girl with bills
we pass a nightclub that was the scene of a catfight its not open we trundle by a cb2 where one of the women had a breakdown great storefront the tour guide says in a deadpan
as we sit in traffic i pull out bravo swag a skinnygirl protein shake from the multimillion dollar company founded by the housewife bethenny frankel it tastes slightly chalky
the tour ends at 30 rock shari levine a bravo executive is waiting in the nbc gift shop some of these women dont even have husbands why call them housewives i think its reflective of the times said ms levine a senior vice president who has been casting the show since it started they often start married marriages change
frances berwick president of lifestyle networks at nbcuniversal explains the appeal this way it looks like they have fabulous lives that people want to have whether its their closets or their hamptons house or their wardrobes and then theyre dealing with all sorts of the regular stuff like i dont like your boyfriend
she adds and then you also can judge them without feeling bad about yourself
the noted feminist was a guest on mr cohens talk show in december it is a minstrel show for women she told him and i dont believe it i have to say i feel its manufactured but even ms steinem cant help but gawk its like watching a train wreck
along with mr cohen several housewives insisted that theyre just being themselves kenya moore a former miss usa and a member of the atlanta cast said when it comes to rumor or conversations those are all things that people naturally bring up when theyre together if its being talked about in the world why wouldnt we talk about it on our show and with the other ladies
that can get ugly like the time that a housewife aviva drescher yanked off her prosthetic leg and tossed it across a room
it was a great moment mr cohen said but he added viewers detected that she had staged the outburst and she is no longer on the show the lesson act crazy but keep it real
im with mr cohen in the tiny studio of watch what happens live he stepped away from his role as bravos head of development in 2013 but he said he cant let go of the housewives
originally from st louis mr cohen grew up watching soap operas and he brings that sensibility to his shows which he believes are often more substantive than the presidential campaign for example when donald j trump alluded to his genitalia in a republican debate mr cohen recalls thinking well now youve offended the housewives guy
he sees many possibilities for the future we will have the first daughter of a housewife housewife at some point he says there will be a lesbian housewife
i ask him can the word crazy ever be used as a compliment he prefers the term outrageous who pays for the womens elaborate trips to dubai or st barts it depends on the trip they throw these lavish parties that theyre paying for a lot of times thats part of the reason why they get so invested in them
his guest tonight is ms frankel who spends most of her airtime defending her decision to call cast members rude names after the show the handlers begin forming circles around the talent i am being cast out
around 11 pm i ride the elevator down into the real world which is just as i left it my love for the show has been strained by a day of abrasive personalities and aggressive product placement but my addiction runs deep the newest series the real housewives of dallas features a former cowboys cheerleader and a woman who was raised by carnies how can i resist


it has become an article of faith among many women i know to eliminate some foods during pregnancy out of concern that their children could become allergic to them shellfish dairy and most of all peanuts
after their babies arrive they continue to abstain from certain foods while breast feeding and they certainly keep their children from eating them
but research in the last few years has consistently shown that all this avoidance often does more harm than good in many cases we need to be doing the opposite
mothers didnt adopt this behavior out of nowhere in 2000 the american academy of pediatrics released guidelines on reducing a childs risk for developing allergies they recommended that mothers eliminate peanuts and tree nuts eg almonds walnuts etc and consider eliminating eggs cows milk fish and perhaps other foods from their diets while nursing
further they recommended that children at high risk for allergies be given no solid foods until six months of age no dairy products until 1 year old no eggs until age 2 and no peanuts nuts or fish until age 3
a debate has been raging in the health care system for decades on this topic i was part of a systematic review that examined the relationship between early solid food introduction and allergic disease in children we found no good evidence to support the idea that being exposed to solid foods earlier led to persistent food allergies
to its credit the aap changed its recommendations based on new research in 2008 updated guidelines reported that maternal restrictions in pregnancy or breast feeding no longer seemed like advice that should be widely recommended it also acknowledged that there didnt seem much reason to delay the introduction of allergy foods like peanuts after six months around the age babies move from milk or formula to a wider range of food
unfortunately this did little to change peoples behavior many had already internalized the advice it seemed logical to them that avoiding foods would give children less of a chance to develop allergies if it was still a good idea not to expose children until they were six months old why not keep going
a study published in the new england journal of medicine last year turned all of this on its head researchers enrolled 640 infants at high risk for allergies between 4 and 11 months of age in a trial and randomized them to one of two groups one of them was to avoid peanut protein the other was to eat at least six grams of peanut protein a week given in three or more meals all participants were followed until they were 5 years old
what was most surprising in this work was that 15 percent of the infants already had evidence of peanut sensitivity by allergy testing they were enrolled in the trial despite this and half of them were given peanut extract every week
the results were remarkable at the end of the study about 3 percent of those exposed to peanuts had developed a peanut allergy compared with more than 17 percent among those who avoided peanuts
more surprising if you looked just at the children who already had evidence of peanut sensitivity when they were babies fewer than 11 percent of those regularly exposed to peanuts developed an allergy but more than 35 percent of those who avoided peanuts developed an allergy
children who had proven sensitivity to peanuts but consumed them in their diet regularly were less likely to develop a peanut allergy than children without sensitivity who avoided them
recently follow up results were published after the trial ended researchers asked all the participants who had been regularly consuming peanuts to avoid them for the next 12 months
at the end of that period when the children were 6 there was no significant increase in new peanut allergies in that group avoidance at this point made no difference the critical need for exposure appears to be somewhere from infancy until age 5
these results were so convincing that once again experts are changing their recommendations in september 2015 the aap   along with others   argued that health care providers should recommend introducing peanut containing products into the diets of high risk infants early on in life
these changes dovetail nicely within what has become known as the hygiene hypothesis the gist of which is that as weve made our environment more and more sterile our immune systems develop differently than they used to without exposure to outside things to fight our defenses turn inward and toward more benign substances leading to increased levels of eczema asthma and allergies
of course many people used to die from infections that no longer threaten us because of advances so no one should take this as a call for living in filth nor should anyone take these recent findings as advice to feed babies and small children peanuts and other foods without concern all changes to an infants diet especially in children with allergies should be done in consultation with a health care professional
as with many things in health care however we went too far with our response to peanut and other food allergies avoidance is sometimes needed for those with severe reactions when we apply those same rules to everyone else however things can backfire


london   it was typical of riyad mahrez that after receiving the player of the year award in england he dedicated it to his leicester teammates because he said we are a real team of brothers
typical too that when he was told that he is the first african to win the accolade mahrez replied i didnt know that drogba never won it he paused for thought then added not the best but the first   so im very happy yeah
mahrez 25 is like that he is the individual most likely to come up with something off the cuff in a regimented leicester city team whose fighting spirit has carried it to within one win of the premier league title
leicester has willed itself to outrun the biggest clubs in this league this season mahrez who was born in france but represents algeria his parents homeland in international play has scored 17 and created 11 of leicesters 63 goals this season the third highest total in the premier league just behind manchester city 66 and tottenham 65
on sunday mahrez struck the first goal in leicesters 4 0 rout of swansea city after the game the team used five helicopters to fly to londons swanky grosvenor house hotel for the professional footballers association awards dinner
and less than 24 hours after that tottenham hotspur   the only remaining club that still has a chance to win the league besides leicester   was held to a 1 1 tie on its home turf by west bromwich albion three times spurs hit the frame of west broms goal the result left leicester seven points ahead with three games to play
leicester also known as the foxes have leaped from last place in the standings to first place in the span of 12 months they are a collection of triers   of brothers if you accept mahrezs word   from nine different nations playing in englands midlands for a club owned by a thai family and coached by an italian
you could not make it up claudio ranieri the 64 year old coach who has never won a domestic title and who was fired a dozen years ago by chelsea is a wily old fox using every trick in the book
he has words for every situation ranieri told his players up until christmas that their task was to avoid relegation he then told them that it was step by small step to see how far they might go finally just last weekend he told the players i believe in you go and win the championship
he told the media something else with jamie vardy leicesters leading striker suspended the coach had to come up with a fresh strategy riyad he told reporters is fantastic riyad is our light when he switches on leicester changes color that is the truth
maybe it is mahrez is slight but swift wonderfully balanced and full of trickery he works hard because no player of leicester gives less than his all every game
coach ranieri was prescient in sundays pregame prophesy because mahrez flicked the switch when he scored first against swansea
he came in off the wing seemed almost to sense a misdirected pass from a defender and then outfoxed the goalkeeper by guiding his shot inside the near post after feigning to shoot the other way
the darts feints and teases make mahrez the unpredictable element in the toil that leicester imposes on its opponents it is a club of relentless desire   for the most part the players are castoffs from other clubs   and that spirit is engrained in mahrez
he struggled as a boy growing up in sarcelles a largely immigrant community about 10 miles from the center of paris and only seven miles from where stade de france the national stadium now stands sarcelles population swelled in the 1960s with jewish and north african immigrants zinedine zidanes family settled in marseille while mahrezs settled further north but both brought a love of soccer from the same algerian source
it was there in the 1930s testified to in the writing by the french algerian philosopher albert camus the struggle to get it out of riyad mahrez was made harder by the death of his father from a heart condition when the son was 15 few outside of the local amateur club in sarcelles could foresee the small skinny and obsessed boy becoming a player in europes richest league
leicesters chief scout steve walsh happened upon mahrez in 2012 when he was in france to watch another player in a second division game walsh saw a raw mercurial and quick winger with an eye catching but erratic touch for the ball
but the scout sensed that leicester itself a second division team at the time could make something of that rawness and acquired him for less than half a million dollars mahrez became a cub on the foxes clearly gifted but ready and willing to undergo the initiation into leicesters team of rejects
some of the senior foxes were said to have kicked him in practice sessions as a way to toughen him up to the english style of play it worked   players from 100 clubs in england and wales voted him sunday as their player of the year
now married to a leicester woman with a daughter born there many see mahrez as destined to move on to one of the bigger clubs but dont be too sure of that
he was asked after leicester won 3 1 at manchester city in february to compare the two clubs for them winning the title is obligation he said for us its a dream


once mostly anonymous the producers who oversee top television series have sometimes become as well known as the actors who star in them on occasion the new york times will pose questions from readers and some of our own to notable showrunners
this week we hear from robert carlock the co showrunner with tina fey of unbreakable kimmy schmidt the frenetic comedy returned for its second season on netflix this month resuming kimmys plucky efforts to make a life in new york after years as a hostage in an underground bunker
its a classic story mr carlock said we used to describe it as elf meets silence of the lambs
ms fey and mr carlock met as writers on saturday night live teaming up on weekend update before mr carlock moved on to write for shows like friends and joey they reunited to create 30 rock the madcap backstage satire that won three consecutive emmys for best comedy
below mr carlock discusses big biscotti ellie kempers paradoxical gifts and the shows adventures in identity politics these are edited excerpts from the conversation
previously nahnatchka khan of fresh off the boat vince gilligan and peter gould of better call saul joe weisberg and joel fields of the americans and more
the show was originally developed for nbc but you knew season 2 would be on netflix did you approach it differently as a result
we knew netflix wanted the episodes to be longer   they like the shows to be around 26 minutes is what they told us as opposed to 2115 on network that meant that while this is still kimmys show we didnt always have to wait for our spots to start telling meatier stories with the other actors we could be following kimmys big journey into the world and her dealing with her demons but also at the same time let titus have a real relationship for example last year you couldnt have had an episode where both of those things were happening we ended up telling fuller richer stories for all of the characters which was a goal going into the year
how has binge watching affected the way you conceptualize a show like kimmy schmidt   allison
it does allow us to think of the 13 episodes as a whole it doesnt mean we dont do the broadcast thing of having story endings within episodes just because we find that more satisfying we realized we could play with time a bit more because people could catch up to a mystery we flashback three months in the first episode and then spent eight episodes catching up to that first scene   im not sure we wouldve done that in broadcast we werent super daring but we definitely did some small things including calling back jokes between episodes i think three times we had jokes about biscotti being inedible   traditionally all three of those jokes would have to be in one episode but three episodes after the first biscotti joke we found ourselves at an italian family dinner and thought lets take another shot lets take down big biscotti
is there more freedom to write a show for netflix   janice nashville
obviously content wise you could do almost anything but we had written a show about a woman who was in many ways childlike and inexperienced and it didnt make a ton of sense to change what was working or for that character to suddenly start swearing and having people take their pants off i think in one of the fake american songbook songs titus sings there is an s word i think that was the only time we said a word that you couldnt say on broadcast
one of the things you run up against in broadcast are not standards issues but sales issues we tend to write a lot of jokes   and we did on 30 rock as well   that reference brands and people in the real world and that can be a conflict in the broadcast business model its nice not to have to deal with that in streaming
were there any jokes you had to spike at 30 rock that you still regret
what i remember are the ones we got away with at one point we mentioned that jack donaghy and his ex wife co owned an arbys franchise and there was a little pushback on that then wed push back against these poor people who are just trying to protect their client relations its gotta be arbys it sounds funnier we wore them down
which are your favorite characters to write for   allison austin tex
i always get a lot of joy out of giving lots of jokes to a guest star   the manager of the theater or the doctor i like the feeling of oh these people arent just there to move the story along theyre their own weirdos thats partly what leads to these overstuffed five jokes a page things but i never like the traditional way when the person comes in gives the information and raises an eyebrow at your characters jokes i like these incidental characters that youve never seen before to live in a consistent world with your other characters
30 rock had that same fast paced silly sharp style of comedy where did that approach come from
tina and i once tried to answer that question for ourselves we determined that we like well intentioned people who think they have solutions to everything but are like most people wrong titus kimmy jacqueline and lillian all have different visions of what they think the world should be which are all centered around themselves so you get that conflict and when you have characters with strong points of view and strong beliefs these well intentioned dummies they talk a lot so we end up with these characters who are constantly jabbering at each other and you look at it and say this is boring   how do we make it funny and then it gets jam packed with jokes
in episode 3 this season titus does a geisha bit that becomes a source of protest and outrage was that explicitly a response to some of the criticism the show has received for things like the native american subplot
i dont know if it was explicitly that we like writing about those things a lot of our writers are in the middle of that conversation and tina and i for years have written about where we rub against each other   that sounded wrong i mean where people have friction in their opinions and that means writing about that stuff we think a comedy show can be part of the conversation in a variety of ways and our show did become part of that conversation   not always in the way that we wanted but perhaps that was worth writing about its in the air even beyond the show the ideas about appropriation and identity we find all that really interesting and i know its often hard to look at a comedy show talking about that stuff and not think the conversation itself is being diminished but thats not our intention
youve been in the business since the 1990s is it harder now to write comedy do heightened sensitivities in these areas make for more of a minefield when youre just trying to make a funny show
were certainly conscious of things we werent conscious of 20 years ago writing on snl i think all thats good its good that there are more voices its good that the trend is toward sensitivity and inclusiveness our belief is that inclusiveness includes being part of the joke
as opposed to being the butt of the joke
as opposed to being up on a pedestal you know if certain things cant be part of a comedy show then wheres the inclusiveness
thank you for this hilarious show how do you make sure that diversity in many forms is represented in a way that is reflective and respectful of the unique melting pot that is new york city   hannah
one of the many reasons we love living and working in new york is people are not in their bubble of car office home you run into many kinds of people and again thats where we think comedy comes from when different kinds of people are butting heads how conscious are we about it only in that we want this to look like new york and in part this is a show about people who are on the margins   the disenfranchised the striving the liminal and thats a diverse bunch of people now when youre at jacquelines gala it should be striking that the background does not look like new york you should be aware of that and thats intentional
how early in the development of the show did you bring in ellie kemper
we built this premise around her physically shes very funny and she communicates strength and at the same time shes got this great midwestern open face she plays these two paradoxical things on camera strength and naivete so we played around with a variety of ways to exploit that it called for a character who hasnt experienced the typical path through our information saturated age we ended up in an extreme place but that extreme place fed into many things that interest us in terms of the way women are treated and the way the media treats these kinds of stories theres no show without ellies ability to pull off that dichotomy of someone who is tempered steel on one hand and kind of open and sometimes clueless about the world on the other
were there other scenarios you considered
we talked about a woman coming out of a coma we talked about prison at one point but orange is the new black has that we talked about a nunnery we ended up in a dark place but we really like how that dark stuff kind of underlines a lot of things in the show


three decades of international reporting have provided nicholas kristof with his fair share of stories
theres the time he lost his 13 year old daughter at a shrine in iran   only to find her some 40 minutes later hidden from his view by her chador
theres the time he survived a plane crash as he entered congo   only to be forced to escape from a warlord as he exited the country
and then theres the time he purchased two teenage prostitutes in cambodia   to secure their freedom
mr kristof related all these stories and many more to a standing room only crowd at this months times insider event
throughout all the tales the two time pulitzer prize-winner also offered incisive commentary on instances of governmental censorship on his crusade for the empowerment of women and in particular on grappling with issues of journalistic ethics
in one such case mr kristof and his wife sheryl wudunn   both of whom were new york times correspondents covering the 1989 protests in tiananmen square at the time   had to decide whether to help a chinese protester flee the country
it was an agonizing decision pitting our professional obligations to the new york times   our obligations as journalists   against what we thought was the right thing to do he said and that comes up periodically in the course of journalism
in the end the couple decided to help   with as few fingerprints as possible
one of the problems with journalism generally is that we cover what happened today but we dont cover what happens every day mr kristof said responding to question about underreported crises and so what we tend systematically to under cover are the kids who die every day of malaria of diarrhea of measles   about 15000 kids will die on any given day that is something we just dont report and i wish we could figure out better ways of covering that globally and at home
stay tuned with times insider for video highlights from mr kristofs event
times insider events bring live programing to times insiders and their guests if you are not a times insider but would like to receive invitations to times insider events you can subscribe here


thirteen democrats appeared on the ballot tuesday in baltimores mayoral primary elections when the smoke cleared catherine pugh a 66 year old state senator had emerged as the winner with 368 percent of the vote given the overwhelming democratic vote in baltimore shes all but guaranteed to be the citys next mayor
a few weeks ago i wrote a story for the magazine about the race a pivotal moment for the future of baltimore in a city already suffering from rampant poverty failing schools hypersegregation and insufficient transportation the past year has been particularly bad last april a 25 year old black man named freddie gray died of spinal injuries sustained while in police custody his death sparked outrage property damaging protests and mayor stephanie rawlings blakes decision not to stand for re election with 344 murders 2015 was also the deadliest year per capita in the citys history the city is in such need of radical change that each mayoral candidate campaigned on being the only leader who could provide it its worth stating here then that pugh is almost certainly not that agent of change
pugh edged out her nearest competitor the former mayor sheila dixon by 23 points this happened in part because pugh is not the former mayor sheila dixon   who began her mayorship in 2007 as the first woman to hold the office and ended it in 2010 after being convicted of embezzling funds intended for the citys poor pugh lost the election that ensued to rawlings blake this year she spent 11 million over the course of her campaign picking up votes from those who had resolved not to give dixon a second chance she most likely picked up more over the past month as nick mosby dropped out of the race and endorsed her and a dozen baltimore lawmakers later endorsed her en masse and although pugh has been installed in the citys political class since 1999 many of baltimores young grass roots activists cast votes for her instead of for deray mckesson a 30 year old civil rights activist who has reached national fame over the last two years protesting police brutality mckesson has been the de facto face of the black lives matter movement but he has lived in the city only sporadically since leaving for nearby catonsville md in sixth grade and boasts no legislative experience he garnered 25 percent of the vote
pugh is firmly of the baltimore establishment and her platform was among the races least surprising but dixon already had her turn and so this was pughs in this election as in many local elections that was enough
my reporting focused on mckesson who despite accruing over 340000 twitter followers appearing on nightly talk shows and being featured in countless news stories around the globe didnt poll over 1 percent leading up to the election although he promised radical change and offered the most comprehensive platform it was unclear to local voters if or how he would implement that change in just 83 days he collected over 265000 from more donors than any other candidate and from every state in the nation he received maximum donations from tech tycoons election day well wishes from celebrities and an absolutely legendary endorsement from the baltimore filmmaker john waters but mckesson didnt have any connections inside city hall or in annapolis he was smart charming articulate energetic and young but his campaign looked and felt unserious from the start he entered the race minutes before the feb 3 deadline and lacked any urgency until it was desperately late
he lost as he was supposed to mckesson was offering hope potential and little more which is why he failed to catch on in baltimore despite electrifying nationwide support he was the idealistic candidate but idealism is largely a function of privilege expressed by people who can afford it the famous protester was ultimately little more than a protest candidate the mayoral hopeful of choice for people who didnt actually live in baltimore its possible that a real opportunity was squandered with pughs win but if nothing else at least she knows the governor
nearly a quarter of baltimores citizens live below the poverty line 7 percent are unemployed leading up to election day pughs campaign offered free food to people working her campaign it was denounced as a vote buying scheme   if not quite corruption then still something symptomatic of baltimores political problems on election day before the polls opened about 100 citizens gathered outside pughs campaign headquarters saying they had been promised work but were turned away by pughs campaign which said there were no jobs left furious some citizens slashed the tires and broke the windows of her campaign vans only then did pughs team pay them and put them to work the whole thing they said had been a misunderstanding


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good evening heres the latest
1 donald trump followed up tuesdays huge primary victories with his first foreign policy address he portrayed a us in need of more economic and military might and himself as a leader eager to wield both he forecast a strategy of using us missteps in the middle east to attack hillary clinton whose delegate count is now nearly as definitive

2 ted cruz beaten badly by mr trump in all five states that voted tuesday tried to grab a bit of wednesdays news cycle by announcing a cruz carly fiorina ticket if he is the republican nominee and bernie sanders who lost all but rhode island said he would lay off hundreds of campaign workers and focus on winning california

3 the thing i want to do today is say im sorry said j dennis hastert the former republican house speaker at a riveting court hearing he admitted to having molested young wrestlers he coached decades ago a chicago judge sentenced him to 15 months for illegal bank dealings related to a cover up fined him 250000 and said he would recommend a prison hospital for the ailing defendant

4 good news for the time constrained a new study shows short bursts of intense exercise do as much physiological good as much longer bouts of moderate exercise if you are someone like me who just wants to boost health and fitness and you dont have 45 minutes or an hour to work out the lead researcher said our data show that you can get big benefits from even a single minute of intense exercise

5 income inequality isnt just about the 1 percent one of our best read stories today examines the increasing likelihood that the top 20 percent of households by income self segregate both geographically and in education in an opinion piece the author said this trend could lead to the stratification of many kinds of opportunities and experiences   along with political leverage

6 in one of the largest gang takedowns in the history of new york city 120 people were charged in connection with two murderous drug gangs one 2fly ygz is a faction of the national group young gunnaz prosecutors said the second the big money bosses used special names to signify ranks big suits were leaders and the ranks were filled with burberry gucci ferragamo and sean john suits

7 the faltering internet giant yahoo caved to pressure from an activist hedge fund starboard value granting it four seats on the board to avert a proxy fight the move is likely to speed the sale of yahoos core business possibly to verizon communications
many us stocks rose after the federal reserve left its interest rates unchanged but tech stocks fell a day after apple announced its first down quarter in years facebook reporting after the bell said its profits had tripled from a year earlier rising to 15 billion this quarter

8 the only known surviving participant in the attacks in paris last november salah abdeslam was transferred to france from belgium and charged with murder and terrorism his lawyer in belgium disparaged mr abdeslam to a french newspaper saying he has the intelligence of an empty ashtray

9 the rio countdown begins south americas first olympic games begin in 100 days brazil is facing far more than the usual challenges for host cities a miserable economy a president nearing impeachment questions about construction failures poor ticket sales and the zika epidemic but officials do not seem anxious the machine is in place the sports minister said

10 highway officials say distracted driving is a major factor behind sharply rising road fatalities so public health experts are proposing an array of efforts to halt texting or taking selfies at the wheel the most provocative would give police officers the digital equivalent of the breathalyzer   a device that can identify what your smartphone has been doing

11 finally we remember the man responsible for love it or hate it one of the most iconic sounds of summer the mister softee jingle was created by lew waas a prolific adman and incorrigible prankster who died last week he was 94 the little known lyrics for the tinkling tune the cream i est dream i est soft ice cream  you get from mis ter sof tee  for a re fresh ing de light su preme  look for mis ter sof tee

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the world of obituary writing comes alive in vanessa goulds documentary obit which premiered at the tribeca film festival
the full length documentary takes an inside look at the times obituaries department and the way the staff puts together the last words on the famous and infamous
in this podcast the obituaries section editor and one of the movies stars william mcdonald talks about obit the movie and obits the job and supplies useful information to those who would like to get a times obit for a loved one send an email says mr mcdonald we dont dismiss anyone out of hand
susan lehman is host


in this weeks episode of modern love the podcast the comedian and actress sarah silverman reads angela balcitas 2006 essay beneath the modest alter ego i see my superhero about getting a kidney transplant from her boyfriend
you can also hear the episode on itunes and stitcher
afterward well catch up with ms balcita and christopher doyle the boyfriend who became her husband about life since the column
follow angela balcita on twitter and sarah silverman on facebook and on twitter
to read past modern love columns and hear past podcast episodes click here and follow modern love on facebook well continue to publish new columns on fridays


eric buterbaugh perhaps best known as the imaginative los angeles based florist of choice for celebrities like demi moore and gwyneth paltrow not to mention fashion labels from louis vuitton to dior is bringing his chic blooms to new york city with a one week pop up shop at bergdorf goodman and hell be offering his line of eight luxury flower inspired fragrances eb florals there too so many people have tried to get me to open a flower shop in new york over the years buterbaugh says so to be launching with bergdorfs is a dream come true open may 2 through mothers day the pop up shop will stock hand tied bouquets and in typical buterbaugh style there will be a larger than life floral installation over the stores fifth avenue entrance too this is the eric buterbaugh power invasion of new york he says its going to be flower city in the above slide show he teaches t how to expertly arrange flowers   for mothers day or anytime


the creative process can be as alluring as the final product   perhaps even more so and thanks in no small part to the standard set by google headquarters the work spaces carved out by creative types are becoming ever more imaginative and are as inspiring as they are inspired
in dublin the lifestyle brand roads has at its core a belief in the power of surrounding yourself with artistic thoughtfully crafted and curated objects   as evidenced by its products which include books and fragrances its minimally packaged and imaginatively named candles and perfumes   one scent is called i am dance another moon garden   are recently available at barneys and the newest book from roadss publishing imprint the creative workplace 40 available nationwide next month brings us into some of the most thoughtfully designed and appointed creative agencies and design studios around the world above is a sneak peek of some of its pages


the campfire comedy of wet hot american summer is far from extinguished on wednesday netflix said that it was ordering a new series in this surprisingly durable franchise about kids and counselors at a fictional 1980s summer camp   one that will take viewers a decade ahead in the lives of its characters
the new series called wet hot american summer ten years later will be a serialized sequel to the 2001 feature film wet hot american summer a cult hit that provided an early showcase for future stars like amy poehler elizabeth banks paul rudd and bradley cooper
last year netflix released wet hot american summer first day of camp an eight episode series set a few weeks before the events of the original film which reunited the many members of its now accomplished cast while adding new characters played by jon hamm kristen wiig michael cera and weird al yankovic among others ten years later another eight episode narrative that will fast forward to the era of beanie babies big haired boy bands and the persian gulf war will be written by david wain and michael showalter the creators of wet hot american summer and directed by mr wain netflix said the new series was planned for release next year


ask the times a times insider feature draws on times staff members expertise to answer questions about current events science sports culture and whatever else is making headlines
a reader asks scientific writing talks about dinosaurs as both smart and stupid so which is it and how smart is smart anyway in dinosaur terms
the new york times science reporter kenneth chang   whose recent article about tyrannosaurs evolving sophisticated brains before they became colossal apex predators spurred online comparisons with a certain larger than life presidential hopeful   considers the question
first remember that dinosaurs were a huge group of animals that lived over a huge span of time more than 150 million years its a gross oversimplification to label them all smart or stupid
obviously no one administered iq tests during the jurassic and cretaceous periods but scientists can make reasonable estimates based on the ratio of body size to brain size
bottom line they werent all that smart just this week paleontologists described a long necked dinosaur as big as two elephants with a brain the size of a lime
the smartest dinosaurs were about as smart as birds which after all are descendants of dinosaurs and the smartest dinosaurs then were not as smart as the smartest birds today such as crows
have a question for ask the times submit it using the form below


tag heuer has designs on soccer after signing on as the official timekeeper of major league soccer in the united states the german bundesliga and the chinese football association super league the high end watch brand announced its sponsorship on tuesday of the english premier league the richest and most watched national soccer competition which includes many of the sports most popular clubs like manchester united and arsenal
the three year partnership makes explicit tags intention to capitalize on   and dominate   the most powerful sports field in the world which draws fans of all socioeconomic backgrounds
starting next season the boards held up by the fourth official the man on the sidelines who signals substitutions and extra time will be shaped like the watch face of a tag heuer carrera and referees will receive specially designed smartwatches that will meet officials timing and training needs
this partnership will be our biggest sponsorship in sport ever with reach that will go beyond the scope of our other timekeeping collaborations said rob diver managing director of tag heuer uk adding that for the time being it would maintain its partnerships in other sports like formula 1 motor racing to be honest i cant believe we havent done this sooner
the premier league is in the final weeks of a sponsorship agreement of 40 million pounds or 58 million per season title with barclays bank but it recently changed its business model abandoning a single lead sponsor in favor of around half a dozen major partners although neither tag nor the league disclosed the exact value of the deal it is estimated to be around 73 million other brands to sign up include barclays nike and the video game giant electronic arts   making tag heuer the only luxury player
luxury watch brands and the world of sports have long been bedfellows so the news of this latest marketing marriage is unlikely to surprise many still it is notable for a few reasons
first tag decided to associate itself with a league rather than a particular individual or team there have been scandals in the private lives of big name players in the premier league like wayne rooney and ryan giggs and tag was among the first brands to cut ties with the tennis player maria sharapova in march after she acknowledged failing a drug test so the brands shift from explicit or individual endorsements is noteworthy
when you work at a brand it is your responsibility to maintain the integrity of that investment mr driver said your job is to protect it and hand it on to the next generation
second given that the brand is in the middle of one of the most challenging trading environments for the swiss watch industry the decision to embark on such an expensive foray into relatively new marketing territory might raise some eyebrows
but watches and jewelry proved a bright spot in the most recent set of earnings results provided by the owner of tag lvmh moet hennessy louis vuitton this month revenue grew 7 percent during the quarter and tag heuer was highlighted for its particularly strong performance
unlike some of our competitorstag heuer is not a brand that is hugely influenced by the ebbs and flows of the tourist market  mr driver said our focus tends to be local customers within regional markets so we dont make these kinds of decisions depending on the fluctuations of the macroeconomic climate we are interested in areas that have long term value in good times and bad
in attendance at the announcement in london was claudio ranieri manager of the leicester city club this small underdog team whose players cost less than a third of many richer and more glamorous rivals is poised to win the league as it has proved this season soccer still is a game where there can be plenty of surprises


front page
an obituary on friday about prince referred imprecisely to which elements of the character he played in the movie purple rain were autobiographical and which were fictional although the character known as the kid is biracial prince himself was not both his parents were african american
international
the kingston journal article on feb 19 about efforts by farmers in ontario to reopen a prison farm that the government closed in 2010 misstated the number of years that pat kincaid one of the inmates who worked on the farm spent in prison for various crimes he was behind bars for about 40 years not 47 while the error was promptly corrected online editors failed to follow through on this print correction
business day
an article on tuesday about a donation to the university of california san francisco from the former citigroup chairman sanford i weill and his wife jane misstated the portion of the universitys revenue that comes from state funds it is 3 percent not 97 percent

a picture caption on friday with an article about start ups that offer improved menstrual products described the material of the lola tampon incorrectly it is made of 100 percent cotton but not organic cotton
sports
an article in some editions last wednesday about the yankees 3 2 loss to the oakland athletics misstated in some copies the given name of the oakland player who drove in the winning run in the 11th inning he is mark canha not stephen the article also misstated in some copies the number of years canha has been in the major leagues he is a second year player not a rookie

because of an editing error an article last wednesday about the success of the islanders line of john tavares kyle okposo and frans nielsen during their playoff series against the florida panthers misstated in some copies the circumstances of nielsens goal in game 3 he scored late in the second period to tie the score 3 3   not two minutes after ryan pulocks power play goal made the score 2 1 early in the period
the arts
an article on monday about a new super pac run by artists misspelled the given name of one who is among those contributing works that will be displayed he is bayete ross smith not bayate

a picture credit on monday with a music review of a concert in the trinity wall street revolutionaries festival using information from a publicist misspelled the photographers surname the picture of the conductor julian wachner leading a performance is by saskia kahn not khan
weekend
a picture caption on friday with a report in the antiques column about 19th century ledger books which american indians used to record tribal history in picture form omitted a credit for the imprisoned cheyenne warrior who produced an image of ledger art in the 1870s he was bears heart

because of an editing error a picture credit on friday with a film review of the documentary keepers of the game omitted the photographers given name the photograph of a girls lacrosse team chronicled in the documentary was taken by peter eliot buntaine not eliot buntaine

a picture caption on friday with an article in the gallery guide about art galleries in the chelsea neighborhood of manhattan misstated the title of a series of works by anne collier on display at the anton kern gallery it is women crying not a woman crying
food
the good appetite column last wednesday about persian cuisine referred incorrectly to the location of a shop in los angeles where naz deravian an actor and food blogger bought fresh green almonds it is on westwood boulevard not westwood avenue
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the average performance of the nations high school seniors dropped in math from 2013 to 2015 but held steady in reading according to results of a biennial test released wednesday
the results from the national assessment of educational progress also showed a drop in the percentage of students in private and public schools who are considered prepared for college level work in reading and math in 2013 the last time the test was given 39 percent of students were estimated to be ready in math and 38 percent in reading in 2015 37 percent were judged prepared in each subject
in a survey attached to the test 42 percent of students said they had been accepted to a four year college suggesting that the need for remedial courses in college will remain stubborn
this trend of stagnating scores is worrisome said terry mazany the chairman of the governing board for the test mr mazany is also a former public schools superintendent in california michigan and illinois and is now the president of the chicago community trust a large foundation
a strong foundation in math and reading is essential to a student being prepared for college academics and for most careers he said
scores improved for students at the top percentile in reading but scores in both subjects dropped for students in the lowest percentiles and the number of students scoring below basic in both subjects increased from 2013
the tests are given to a representative sampling of about 30000 private and public school students nationwide every two years in grades 4 8 and 12 known as the nations report card the tests are administered by the federal government and are the largest national sampling of what american students know and can do in reading and math
the lower grade results were released last fall and they showed a similar decline in math
the math tests are scored from zero to 300 and in 12th grade the average dropped to 152 in 2015 from 153 in 2013 a statistically significant decline the 2015 average was two points higher than in 2005 the first year a comparable test was given
students who scored at the average were likely to be able to use proportions to calculate height but unable to use an algebraic model to predict cost using a calculator
on the reading test which is scored from zero to 500 the average score in 12th grade in 2015 was 287 down from 292 in 1992 the first year of a comparable test in that subject students were evaluated on how well they could comprehend literary and informational texts an average student was likely to be able to make an inference based on details in the text but was unable to recognize details that were related to the purpose of the text
the survey attached to the test indicated that those who scored better were the students who took advanced math courses like calculus and read more pages in and out of school higher scoring students also read for fun almost every day


when leonard riggio bought barnes  noble in 1971 it consisted of a single struggling store in manhattan over time with swagger and an unwavering belief in the value of physical bookstores he turned it into the countrys largest bookselling chain
on wednesday the company announced that mr riggio the founder and executive chairman of barnes  noble inc would retire in september
he initially planned to retire at 40 but got swept up in the excitement of building the company mr riggio now 75 said in an interview on tuesday
i had never planned to be a business person for life he said i had always wanted to do something different after id been in business for a while and made some money
during his tenure mr riggio steered the company through heady days of explosive growth in the 1980s and 1990s when barnes  noble expanded nationally and opened its first superstores
brash and sporting a sleek mustache mr riggio brought outsize ambition to the bookselling trade as he built his retail empire his biggest innovation   turning his bookstores into a destination where people could meet up and linger   helped transform bookselling from a genteel fusty calling into big business
in recent years he has also been the companys most stable and visible leader during a prolonged period of turmoil the company has closed 80 of its outlets around the country in the last six years leaving a base of 640 retail stores barnes  noble shares which traded above 45 in 2006 closed at 1242 on tuesday
its heavy investments in the nook e reader and its doomed effort to take on tech giants like amazon and apple in the digital book market proved financially disastrous last summer the company brought in a new leader ron boire who became barnes  nobles third chief executive in just six years
despite those setbacks mr riggio says he feels confident that the company he built will recover its footing as it continues to cut losses from the nook and experiments with a new store prototype the companys in a very good position he said well continue to be the best bookseller we can be
mr riggio who will keep a seat on the board said he has no plans to sell his stock he remains the companys largest individual shareholder with 175 percent
born in little italy mr riggio grew up in bensonhurst the son of a professional boxer turned cabdriver his career as a bookseller began in the early 1960s when he took a job at new york universitys college bookstore to help pay for his tuition he dropped out of college to open a rival bookstore sbx for student book exchange and started managing several other campus bookstores a few years later he bought barnes  noble a bookstore on fifth avenue with a 12 million loan
in the mid 1970s mr riggio began acquiring smaller chains in 1986 he bought the b dalton bookstore chain and took over its roughly 800 stores across the country
mr riggio took barnes  noble public and became the chief executive in 1993 he held the post until 2002
with its ubiquitous outlets   giant stores with comfy seats a cafe and bathrooms with changing tables   barnes  noble became a place to loiter as much as buy books some in the literary world scoffed at barnes  nobles deep discounts and its cookie cutter superstore formula but mr riggio saw the stores nationwide expansion and low prices as a democratization of the marketplace
our bookstores were designed to be welcoming as opposed to intimidating mr riggio said these werent elitist places you could go in get a cup of coffee sit down and read a book for as long as you like use the restroom these were innovations that we had that no one thought was possible
the strategy worked so well that for a time barnes  noble was vilified as a greedy monopolist that was crushing independent booksellers thousands of independent stores closed during the mid  to late 1990s as barnes  noble expanded it opened multifloor superstores with more than 100000 titles
mr riggio still bristles slightly at the criticism they would say youre homogenizing bookselling which was ridiculous because we were carrying 5000 to 10000 more titles than would be in a typical bookstore mr riggio said
but lately as independent bookstores have enjoyed a resurgence barnes  noble has itself become something of an underdog
the company waged a fierce battle for dominance in the e book marketplace and was badly beaten by amazon
were great booksellers we know how to do that mr riggio said we werent constituted to be a technology company
mr riggio said that once he retires he might write a book though not a conventional business memoir he wants to travel to south america and visit museums and galleries he is a passionate art collector
i dont want to run any more businesses he said i have a great idea for a sock store but im not going to do it im done making money


los angeles   after years of on and off flirtations comcast is in talks to buy dreamworks animation the boutique studio run by jeffrey katzenberg that has struggled to move past the boom and bust cycle driven by its sporadic film releases
the possible deal would value dreamworks animation at roughly 3 billion or about 30 percent more than its current market value according to two people with knowledge of the talks who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss them the negotiations were first reported by the wall street journal
if a deal goes through   still an if especially given dreamworks animations checkered history with potential sales and mergers   comcast would combine the company with its own animation division illumination entertainment according to these people
christopher meledandri the chief executive of illumination which has found success in low cost smash hits like despicable me would most likely run the operation
that would almost certainly mean the departure of mr katzenberg and layoffs at dreamworks animation which is based in glendale calif
a spokesman for dreamworks animation home to the shrek kung fu panda and madagascar movie series declined to comment representatives for comcast which owns nbcuniversal could not immediately be reached a spokeswoman for universal pictures declined to comment
dreamworks animation which was spun off from steven spielbergs privately held dreamworks studios in 2004 probably drew comcasts interest as an owner of intellectual property
along with its signature movie franchises some of which are dormant like shrek dreamworks animation owns a library of older cartoon characters like casper the friendly ghost though its dreamworks classics division
dreamworks animation also supplies television cartoons to buyers like netflix and is part owner of awesomenesstv a booming online producer and distributor of programming aimed primarily at teenage girls
in recent years as the film business has become more franchise oriented and as more nimble competitors notably illumination have emerged in the animation field mr katzenberg has pursued various strategies to put his studio on stronger footing
in 2014 there was a failed acquisition offer from softbank the telecommunications and internet giant a couple of months later hasbro and dreamworks animation explored a merger but that effort collapsed after hasbros stock price plummeted and a big hasbro client the walt disney company privately expressed displeasure
mr katzenberg who had over the years explored similar arrangements with various entertainment companies including with comcast then decided to go it alone
in january 2015 he laid off roughly 500 employees or 19 percent of his staff and renewed a personal focus on moviemaking
so far the results have been mixed
kung fu panda 3 released in january received positive reviews and took in 5044 million worldwide but analysts expected stronger ticket sales kung fu panda 2 took in 6657 million in 2011 dreamworks animation pays 20th century fox a fee to release its films
last week doug creutz an analyst at cowen and company wrote in a research note that he was concerned about forthcoming dreamworks animation movies including the boss baby which is scheduled for next year
we think that being the 4th  or 5th  or 6th best animated studio behind disney feature animation pixar illumination and arguably blue sky andor warner bros is not a good place to be mr creutz wrote


readers who chided me last week for having been too quick to dismiss jed were right of course theres a lot more to the arms dealer richard ropers american mistress than first meets the eye the night manager does a beautiful job this week of starting to unveil the characters various dimensions with a lingerie ad like opening sequence is it the drugs that make her put her red lipstick on before her white dress that ends abruptly with the nagging buzz of a phone call from home
mom   what do you want
suddenly there is no ethereal presence no breathy speech no mansion no mediterranean no shimmering wardrobe or flowered terraces just an unhappy young woman in her underwear suiting up for the ignoble job of entertaining a wealthy patron so that she can keep sending the checks back home
they say he doesnt even ask about you anymore her mother taunts her and the specter of a faraway billy brings tears to jeds carefully made up eyes
poor jed being an absentee mother and the mistress of roper the worst man in the world clearly isnt much fun even with high doses of what i presume are tranquilizers but there is one compensation the presence of ropers son danny an adorable and very well dressed little boy whom jed clearly adores
when he is faux kidnapped   the central drama of this somewhat maddeningly overloaded episode   theres no doubt that her screams of terror are very real
ropers concern on the other hand may or may not be manufactured he certainly knows how to keep his cool under pressure   but then thats not surprising for a psychopath but i did think roper had moments when he at least appeared to be genuinely afraid that his boys life might be in danger
but then how quickly he bounced back how suspiciously fast he was to identify jonathan whose face it seemed to me ought to have been bashed pretty well beyond recognition his lack of gratitude was striking in a man who had just nearly lost his only child unless that man had half suspected that the supposed kidnapping was a setup all along
ropers first words to jonathan   must have given them the fright of their lives   are ambiguous to say the least his anyone you want us to call girlfriend family still alone are we were faintly mocking and his were gonna take care of you offered no comfort at all
the most careful setups can go terribly wrong even when choreographed by as seasoned a spy actor as david harewood who played the cia chief david estes on homeland with a far better american accent jonathan takes pains to assure that things seem real   an effort for which hes rewarded with a big dose of verisimilitude that lands him in a private hospital our one roper says not the death trap on the main drag and ultimately in a bedroom in ropers kingly compound by the sea
there i fear things are going to get truly nasty next week corky frisky and tabby seem to be licking their paws in anticipation of roughing up their new catch for now its just a war of well turned phrases
i should like to go soon please jonathan says not yet quite inhabiting his intended new role as the second worst man in the world
im not so sure were quite as poorly as were making out corky purrs
i dont know about you but i am very very worried about jonathan in writing this ive all but skipped his devon chapter a meander through the english countryside that was supposed to give jonathan some street cred but left me a bit underwhelmed yes jonathan as jack lindon did break the heart of a lonely single mum and yes he did skip town without making his bed but really was he ever scary
jonathan menacing a local drug dealer i would advise a different business language from now on
or silencing a crowd what
and serving a cup of coffee
old habits die hard i suppose but still   im not sure that this particular variety of tough guy stuff will go very far in impressing roper and his band of surly kittens speaking of im so glad the langbournes were still around this week with dad all too believably cozying up to the cheery young au pair
as angela burr has nervously noted jonathan is far too perfect for his own good he needs to toughen up   to bulk up eat some more of the nasty biscuits she seems to like to carry around his pretty face has been marred but its quickly re emerging and his lithe body is not yet visibly bruised
how will he survive a fizzy drink treatment was his transition from the hotel of nonexistence to a life of evil thuggery too rapid
lets just hope they dont bring out the funnel


baltimore   two establishment democrats   representative chris van hollen of maryland and katie mcginty a former chief of staff to the governor of pennsylvania   won key senate primaries on tuesday ending a contentious primary season in both states
in baltimore the associated press declared another favorite of the party establishment state senator catherine e pugh the winner out of a crowded field of mayoral candidates with the victor in this heavily democratic city almost certain to prevail in november the vote came on the eve of wednesdays first anniversary of the unrest over the death of freddie gray a 25 year old black man fatally injured in police custody
in pennsylvania ms mcginty will face senator patrick j toomey a vulnerable republican in one of the races that could help determine control of the senate tuesdays vote was a test of the strength of the obama white house and senate democrats who threw their weight behind ms mcginty she lost the 2014 democratic primary to gov tom wolf but later served as his chief of staff and has received his endorsement
on tuesday the two campaigned together in downtown philadelphia where ms mcginty shook hands with pedestrians sekou davis 41 a street vendor selling umbrellas and roses said he voted for her because of her gender
i have two daughters a sister and a mother and i believe that the heart of our nation is really through the woman he said
vice president joseph r biden jr twice campaigned for ms mcginty and president obama narrated her closing advertisements on radio and television she also had the backing of emilys list the political action committee that helps elect democratic women who favor abortion rights
ms mcginty defeated former representative joe sestak a retired navy admiral who earned a phd in political economy from harvard and has cast himself as a maverick mr sestak had portrayed his lack of party support as payback in 2010 he infuriated democratic party leaders by refusing to step aside in a primary campaign against senator arlen specter a longtime republican who became a democrat to run in that race
mr sestak won that primary and was ultimately embraced by the white house but lost the general election to mr toomey by two points in an interview monday he said he had been asked to follow orders from party officials in exchange for support against ms mcginty
one of the senators said joe you have a reputation for independence were going to have to work on that mr sestak said
i dont think ive ever been forgiven for running against mr specter he added
mr sestak 64 had far greater name recognition and began the race with a big lead but ms mcginty 52 narrowed the gap in its waning days
ms mcginty a former chemist and lawyer who worked on environmental policy for president bill clinton and later ran environmental businesses rejected mr sestaks assertions that she was the establishment candidate in an interview on tuesday she said she had earned mr obamas support by helping shepherd his agenda in pennsylvania including the expansion of medicaid in her role as the governors chief of staff
the maryland senate primary race between mr van hollen a white man and representative donna edwards a black woman exposed deep fissures within the democratic coalition over race gender and class the two both progressive democrats and both lawyers were battling for the relatively safe democratic seat held by barbara a mikulski the longest serving female senator in the nations history like ms mcginty ms edwards had the backing of emilys list
polls before the primary showed a deep racial divide among voters yet that played out in sometimes surprising ways at a polling place in a racially mixed east baltimore neighborhood on tuesday tiffany powell 50 who is white said she voted for ms edwards because we dont need another white guy in the senate
but erik pihlgren 43 who is black voted for mr van hollen he said ms edwardss argument that the senate needed a black womans voice did not resonate with him i dont think thats a qualifier he said
democrats nearly always prevail in maryland especially in presidential years in 2014 maryland picked a republican larry hogan for governor ms mikulskis planned retirement also created hard fought democratic primaries to succeed mr van hollen and ms edwards
in baltimore a majority black city the legacy of freddie grays death hovered over tuesdays voting
some of the hundreds of poll workers who showed up for training on how to distribute pamphlets for ms pugh arrived late   or had not previously signed up   and were told they would not be paid the 100 they expected they grew unruly smashing a window and slashing tires on two pugh campaign vehicles
ms pugh stepped in to quell the violence said her spokesman anthony mccarthy and insisted that all workers be paid it was a very trying morning mr mccarthy said
kwame rose 21 a self described college dropout who was moved to activism by mr grays death voted for the first time on tuesday mr rose who had been organizing protests this past year was escorted to the polls by ms pugh whom he endorsed
it was phenomenal mr rose said it was far easier but a far greater power as an individual than i ever could imagine


arlington tex   if yankees manager joe girardi were instead the king of baseball able to change the game on a whim one of his edicts would be to outlaw defensive shifts
absolutely girardi said tuesday his liberal deployment of shifts notwithstanding i just think the field was built this way for a reason   its two on one side two on another
if girardi wielded such power in his current job he would get writers cramp from compiling a list of all the matters that need redress a faulty offense a growing list of injuries and the puzzling decline of luis severino
severino 22 showed poise when he was called up in august giving the rotation the kind of boost that most likely would have landed him a start to begin the yankees division series had they won the american league wild card game
severino has not looked like that pitcher this season especially on tuesday when the texas rangers broke out of their offensive funk by chasing him after only three innings on their way to a 10 1 win
severino   who gave up five runs in the third inning all with two outs   dropped to 0 3 while his era ballooned to 686 he has allowed 32 hits in 1923 innings
although severino has made just four starts and other yankees starters have struggled to find consistency girardi indicated that severinos spot in the rotation could be in jeopardy sooner than later
the mind is a big part of it   how youre adjusting to it mentally and are you starting to execute pitches as time goes on girardi said you watch younger players closer than you watch veterans who have a track record because you dont know how theyre going to react when they struggle
the rangers did their biggest damage in the third inning when six straight batters reached base all while hail and rain pelted the players the rangers treated relievers ivan nova and chasen shreve only slightly more kindly with ian desmond hitting a home run off nova and rougned odor blasting one off shreve
meanwhile the yankees have scored more than four runs just once since april 9 and with tuesdays loss they fell to 8 11
on tuesday it was a j griffins turn to stifle the yankees griffin scattered four hits all singles walked one and struck out five in eight innings the yankees only run came in the seventh when brett gardner walked took third on a carlos beltran single and scored on an infield hit by mark teixeira any thoughts of a big inning evaporated quickly as brian mccann hit into a double play and starlin castro took a called third strike
shortly after the public address announcer advised fans to leave the upper deck of the stadium with high winds hail and thunderstorms in the area many took the cue to head for the exits the yankees surely wishing they could join them


chris sale pitched eight innings and led the visiting chicago white sox past the toronto blue jays 10 1 tuesday night for their fifth straight win
sale 5 0 has won all his starts this season and leads the majors in victories sale a left handed ace has a 166 era
sale carried a one hitter into the seventh inning retiring 13 straight batters before edwin encarnacion homered sale gave up four hits in eight innings striking out six and walking two
dioner navarro hit a two run homer and avisail garcia and adam eaton added solo shots for chicago
the three home runs 10 runs and 15 hits were all season highs for the white sox
r a dickey 1 3 allowed six runs and eight hits in six innings dickey a knuckleballer is winless in his past four outings and dropped to 2 6 in 12 career games against chicago
phillies 4 nationals 3 andres blancos three hits included a two run homer and he scored the go ahead run on maikel francos seventh inning double helping visiting philadelphia edge washington
jeanmar gomez the phillies fourth pitcher got bryce harper to ground out to third with a man on first in the ninth to end the game and earn his fifth save
before the game philadelphia manager pete mackanin spoke of a theory on how to pitch to harper the reigning national league most valuable player who came in leading the nl in homers and rbi
philadelphia walked harper three times but he delivered a run scoring single off vincent velasquez in the fifth
red sox 11 braves 4 david price matched his career high with 14 strikeouts travis shaw homered and drove in five runs and boston crushed host atlanta as the braves home run drought reached 15 games
atlanta which opened the season with nine straight losses has now lost seven straight
the home run drought is the longest for the braves in their 51 years in atlanta it is the teams longest period without a homer since a 16 game streak in september 1946 when the braves were in boston atlanta is 1 12 at home
price allowed two runs on six hits in eight innings the left handed price struck out the side in the eighth to match his career high
shaw hit a three run homer off matt wisler in the first and added a two run double off ryan weber in the red sox five run ninth
rays 3 orioles 1 kevin kiermaier hit a two run homer and host tampa bay defeated baltimore
after steven souza jr had a two out single in the sixth kiermaier put the rays up 3 1 with his two run shot off ubaldo jimenez
the rays have won three in a row with 11 of their 13 runs in that stretch coming with two outs
reliever enny romero gave up a hit in one plus innings for the win alex colome got the final two outs to earn his fifth save
jimenez allowed three runs and six hits in six innings as the orioles lost for the eighth time in 12 games after beginning the season 7 0
athletics 5 tigers 1 rich hill allowed four hits in seven scoreless innings and oakland won in detroit
marcus semien homered for the as and hill had little trouble in breezing through a tigers lineup heavy on right handed hitters hill a left hander struck out eight and was not threatened after he escaped the first inning with two on
mike pelfrey allowed five runs and nine hits in six and two thirds innings and remained winless since signing with detroit this past off season he allowed three runs in the fourth inning then gave up semiens two run shot with two out in the seventh
twins 6 indians 5 miguel sano ended the game with a one out run scoring single in the ninth inning giving minnesota a win over cleveland in minneapolis
the twins rallied after mike napoli homered off kevin jepsen in the top of the ninth to tie the game 5 5 it was jepsens third blown save in five chances


donald j trump is essentially two key states from the nomination
by sweeping five states on tuesday he pulled only a few hundred republican delegates short of the 1237 he needs to win without a contested convention
he has long been favored in the polls in two of the remaining primary states new jersey and west virginia that leaves indiana and california as the crucial prizes that would put mr trump over the top   and while he was once thought to be vulnerable in both states polls have shown him with a modest lead
mr trump is by no means assured of holding his advantage but it explains why his beleaguered rivals are now urgently coordinating to stop him in places where they believe they can beat him
one big reason mr trumps math looks so good is something he has complained mightily about party rules in fact the delegate rules mostly favoring the winner as opposed to proportional allocation worked in his favor on tuesday and those rules allowed him to amass nearly half of the pledged delegates heading into the night despite 38 percent support in the popular vote before tuesday
mr trump won at least 105 of the 118 pledged delegates tuesday with the potential to win even more if the final count broke his way
mr trump even seemed likely to win unpledged delegates elected in pennsylvanias unusual loophole primary the type of contest   focusing on gaining the loyalty of individual delegates   that has tripped him up so far this cycle there 17 delegates go to the statewide winner but voters also directly elect 54 unpledged delegates to the republican convention and the pennsylvania ballot includes no guidance on how these delegates might vote
mr trumps preferred delegates led in 29 of the 54 slots he may ultimately win fewer unpledged delegates than he would have if the state had adopted more typical rules but he will not be shut out as he was in colorados delegate convention
mr trump could be as few as 270 delegates from the 1237 he needs when all of tuesdays delegates have been awarded
hes a safe bet in new jersey and west virginia though he might not win as many delegates as he hopes in west virginias delegate selection primary hes nonetheless likely to win at least 70 from those two contests and perhaps as many as 85
he could win a further 40 delegates or even more from three states that award delegates proportionally washington oregon and new mexico he is likely to garner a healthy share of delegates in those states whether he wins or not
he is an underdog in three winner take all states in the west and the plains montana south dakota and nebraska
that leaves indiana and california the most competitive remaining contests and also the ones with the most delegates at stake neither state is thought to be as strong for mr trump as the five states were on tuesday but mr trump has led in every poll conducted in the two states since march they have a combined 229 pledged delegates and theyre awarded winner take all statewide and by congressional district
if mr trump wins both states he will be favored to win the nomination a clear win in california but a loss in indiana would set up a contested convention where the unpledged pennsylvania delegates could be decisive
mr trumps opponents feel a particular urgency about defeating him in indiana which votes next tuesday many believed that ted cruz was well positioned in the state after his clear win in wisconsin but three recent polls show mr trump with a lead in the mid single digits
mr trumps position there explains the last ditch effort of his rivals to coordinate their opposition john kasich who is in third place in the state agreed to withdraw ads appearances and other resources from his indiana campaign effectively stepping aside the idea in theory was to give mr cruz a better chance of consolidating mr trumps opposition in the state in exchange mr cruz would withdraw his campaign resources from new mexico and oregon   two proportional states where mr trumps delegate haul would largely be unaffected by the deal
its hard to know whether the strategy will succeed the pact has already shown signs of strain with mr kasich saying on monday that voters in indiana ought to vote for me
whats clear is that there isnt much time for a cruz comeback his weak showing on tuesday might make it even less clear to republican voters that he is the principal anti trump option the vote in indiana is in just six days and early voting is already underway
if mr trump wins indiana a merely modest win in california could be enough to give him 1237 delegates
mr trump has led in all of the pre election polls in california sometimes by a double digit margin with around 40 percent of the vote a modest victory could allow him to win over 100 of the states 172 pledged delegates and perhaps far more
in a way the challenge in california by mr kasich and mr cruz is reminiscent of their challenge nationally mr trump has been thought to be beatable in california but neither mr kasich nor mr cruz seems poised to build a coalition broad enough to defeat him
mr kasich is strong in the bay area and parts of los angeles mr cruz is stronger in parts of southern california and the central valley
the competing strengths of mr trumps opponents in california will make it harder for the two campaigns to coordinate than in indiana its unlikely that mr kasichs campaign will agree to withdraw its effort in the state and with good reason mr kasichs strength in liberal areas could help block mr trump from winning congressional districts in los angeles and the bay area
instead the two campaigns are reportedly considering a deal to divvy up which of californias 53 congressional districts they will compete in there is little precedent for this kind of alliance and its hard to say whether it could be communicated well to voters who arent accustomed to sophisticated district by district tactical voting
theres not much time for mr kasich and mr cruz to come to a decision ballots for the california primary will be mailed out in just two weeks and nearly 80 percent of california voters cast ballots by mail


arlington tex   one end of the visitors clubhouse at globe life park here contains the cubicles of all 12 of the yankees pitchers the setup allows them to pore over scouting reports together make sure they do not forget about meetings and chat with like minded souls
what they dont do is talk about how their arms feel
arm injuries are plaguing the current generation of pitchers and the yankees are no exception they have already lost two pitchers in their system to tommy john surgery   relievers nick rumbelow and branden pinder who was to have his operation tuesday   and the top prospect james kaprielian was shut down indefinitely on monday with elbow inflammation
few of the pitchers in the clubhouse on tuesday had not endured an operation or a lengthy stay on the disabled list five had had tommy john surgery one had had reconstructive shoulder surgery two more had had bone chips or spurs removed from their elbows and one had needed six months of rest
only andrew miller chasen shreve and tuesdays starter luis severino had avoided serious injuries   and miller spent a month on the disabled list last season with a forearm strain
we never talk about it   its bad luck ivan nova who had tommy john surgery two years ago said before tuesdays game against the texas rangers whatever comes out of the mouth can make it real
when nick goody who had tommy john surgery in 2013 overheard a reporter asking reliever johnny barbato about the elbow strain that had caused him to miss half the 2014 season goody cringed and thought to himself oh man he said
although research is far from conclusive two factors seem to be contributing to the surge in arm injuries players pitching too much as adolescents when their arms are still developing and an increase in velocity
given the speed of the yankees pitches perhaps it is not surprising that the team has had so many arm injuries in the last two seasons according to fangraphs the yankees average fastball velocity this year 936 miles per hour entering tuesday leads the major leagues
at least nine yankees pitchers have had elbow surgery   six for the tommy john procedure   starting with nova who was injured on april 19 2014 last season the top five yankees starters all spent time on the disabled list
its just the nature of the business general manager brian cashman said in a telephone interview pitchers are going to get hurt throwing a baseball is not a natural motion so whether its major league talent a high end prospect or a no name guy its going to happen its just a matter of when
that kind of thinking has led the yankees to stockpile arms it is why cashman said the yankees traded justin wilson a valuable reliever to detroit in the off season   so they could acquire the class aaa starters luis cessa and chad green two being better than one
in the last amateur draft the yankees took pitchers with 24 of their first 37 picks although cashman said the team was simply choosing the best available player with each selection
the yankees monitor workloads and last season they limited the innings of severino and adam warren who had not experienced a regular major league workload as well as michael pineda who was in his first full season after returning from shoulder surgery the team also made sure that masahiro tanaka who missed time in 2014 with a small elbow ligament tear pitched on five days rest as frequently as possible
its every team now its not just us girardi said we have hard throwers its going to happen it just seems like its from overuse and a lot of the overuse comes from when theyre younger
the yankees broadcaster and former pitcher david cone said the prevalence of major league pitchers with previous arm injuries had probably provided a false sense of security
theyre glad its an elbow and not a shoulder cone said
but anytime you have to drill two holes in somebodys elbow as an anchor to attach a transplanted ligament theres a risk involved there he continued describing the tommy john process
goody who grew up in orlando fla said he played baseball year round while growing up although he did not become a pitcher exclusively until he was in college when he tore ligaments in his elbow he said it was a transformational experience
you go from everything in the palm of your hand to  he said letting the thought trail off
goody said that his faith grew and that he realized his body and mind could handle more than he might have thought
you dont get to play he said youre watching everybody do what youve wanted to do your whole life and youre on the table bending your elbow trying to get a range of motion were all competitors   we love to compete   so ill just say it was a really really tough year
barbato counts himself as fortunate not to have had surgery as a minor leaguer in san diegos system in june 2014 he threw a curveball felt his arm tingle and then threw two fastballs with a dramatic dip in velocity he went on to pitch one inning in the instructional league which was enough for the yankees to trade for him
nova recalled a similar story   with a different outcome he threw a slider at tampa bay felt a twinge in his elbow and subtly shook his arm but the coach tony pena noticed and alerted manager joe girardi a magnetic resonance imaging test confirmed that nova needed surgery
nova who will be a free agent after this season said his injury did not change the way he thought about the business of baseball he was philosophical a pitcher can get hurt anytime but so can position players and anyone else who plays sports
nova did however allow for one difference
when god created us nova said he didnt say i made you to pitch 


beirut lebanon   five rescue workers with a civil defense group were killed in aerial attacks on their headquarters in northern syria on tuesday as violence escalated in the critical battlegrounds of aleppo province where government and insurgent attacks have killed dozens in recent days
the rescuers died after four airstrikes and a surface to surface missile hit the headquarters in quick succession in atareb in western aleppo province according to the group the white helmets a civilian organization that responds to attacks in insurgent held territory and says it has helped save as many as 50000 people airstrikes in the area are being carried out by the government and its russian allies
a day earlier 19 civilians including several children were killed by insurgent shelling in the government held section of the divided city of aleppo according to the state run news media opposition groups and news outlets put the death toll from government airstrikes and shelling over the past week at well over 100
the rash of attacks was an indication that a partial truce that held for nearly two months had collapsed with dire results for syrians in both government held and rebel held territory areas held by the extremist islamic state group were not included in the truce
video from both sides of the divided city showed rescuers and dazed civilians fleeing amid yellowish clouds of dust there were accusations of war crimes and calls from both sides for more protection
we are being killed for saving lives said raed saleh head of the white helmets also known as syria civil defense accusing the syrian government and russia of deliberately targeting rescuers he called for enforcement of united nations resolutions calling for an end to bombing of civilian areas
a syrian state media reporter shadi halwi blamed rebels for indiscriminate attacks on the government held side he issued a plea on his personal facebook page for the government to take the city of aleppo from rebels much as it took palmyra from the islamic state to liberate it from those who are proudly killing civilians
video from white helmets rescuers showed what appeared to be the bodies of several children being pulled from wreckage of a government airstrike in rebel held aleppo on tuesday
across the line in a government hospital a doctor told her daughter abeer pamuk how a 9 year old boy had died as she tried to treat him his lungs were outside his chest she said according to an account posted by her daughter an aid worker on facebook he had a tennis ball in one pocket and 10 syrian pounds   about five cents   in the other
last week mr saleh was denied entry into the united states where he was to receive an award recognizing his contributions to humanitarian relief mr saleh had made several previous trips to the united states and the state department declined to say why he was denied entry last week


israels assertion last week that it will never give up the golan heights captured from syria in the 1967 war drew a terse response on tuesday from the united nations security council which said that a 35 year old resolution rejecting israeli sovereignty over the disputed land remains in effect
the security council president for april ambassador liu jieyi of china told reporters after a closed meeting that its 15 members had expressed their deep concern over recent israeli statements about the golan and stressed that the status of the golan remains unchanged
he emphasized that resolution 497 of december 1981 a response to israels annexation of the area that month had not been rescinded the resolution states that the israeli decision to impose its laws jurisdiction and administration in the occupied syrian golan heights is null and void and without international legal effect
mr lius statement came a week after prime minister benjamin netanyahu of israel led a highly publicized cabinet meeting in one of the jewish settlements in the golan heights and asserted that the territory had been an integral part of the land of israel since ancient times
mr netanyahu also said that the time has come for the international community to finally recognize that the golan heights will remain under israels sovereignty permanently
the timing of mr netanyahus declaration appeared partly to reflect israeli concerns over the future of syria when its civil war now in its sixth year is settled although no conclusion is yet in sight diplomatic discussions on how to end the war recently resumed in geneva with the backing of the united states and russia
israeli news media reported earlier in the month that mr netanyahu was worried that language in any negotiated settlement might specify that the golan heights belonged to syria
a day after mr netanyahu spoke the state department rejected his assertion
the us position on the status of the golan heights is longstanding and is unchanged the state department spokesman john kirby told reporters every administration on both sides of the aisle since 1967 has maintained that those territories are not part of israel
mr kirby said the return of the golan heights should be decided through negotiations between the respective parties but that the current situation in syria makes it difficult to continue those efforts at this time
israels ambassador to the united nations danny danon said after the security councils meeting on tuesday that it completely ignores the reality in the middle east
while thousands of people are being massacred in syria and millions of citizens have become refugees the security council has chosen to focus on israel   the only true democracy in the middle east he said in a statement


a big game by demar derozan and an even bigger raptors comeback gave toronto a three games to two lead in its first round eastern conference playoff series tuesday night
derozan scored 34 points in a 102 99 victory over the visiting indiana pacers who nearly sent the game into overtime but solomon hills 3 pointer was ruled to have come after the buzzer
its all about patience derozan added you cant get flustered you cant get frustrated youve got to stay the course thats what were going to continue to do
the raptors overcame 39 points from paul george and a 13 point deficit in the fourth quarter getting 14 points from kyle lowry bismack biyombo had 10 points and 16 rebounds for the second seeded raptors who can clinch the first seven game playoff series victory in franchise history by beating the pacers in indiana on friday night
if we dont come in with the mentality like we had in the fourth quarter its going to be a long game raptors coach dwane casey said
the pacers who led by as many as 17 and never trailed through the first three quarters before coming unglued in the fourth the pacers made 4 of 15 shots and scored just 9 points in the period
its awful to have had a chance to win on the road go up 3 2 and come back home george said once again we failed to live up to that moment
hawks 110 celtics 83 kent bazemore fueled a stunning turnaround with three straight 3 pointers in the second quarter and host atlanta reclaimed the upper hand in their playoff series against boston
the hawks are ahead by three games to two in the eastern conference series and positioned to close it out thursday in boston if game 7 is needed it will be saturday in atlanta
the game started out horribly for atlanta which could not make a shot and trailed by 29 19 midway through the second quarter then suddenly the hawks looked like a different team
atlanta went on a 28 8 run to take control before halftime and blew the game open with a 42 point third quarter that gave them an 89 62 lead
kerr is coach of year steve kerr who led the golden state warriors to the best regular season record in league history is the nbas coach of the year
kerr got 64 first place votes from the panel of 130 news media members who regularly cover the league portlands terry stotts was second in relatively close voting san antonios gregg popovich was third


the yogurt giant dannon looking to tap into the publics growing concern about the source of its food is establishing a direct pipeline to some farms that supply the company with milk part of an ambitious plan to influence farm practices right down to the dirt
under a new supply system that the company will announce on wednesday farmers in the program must adhere to dannon dictated animal welfare standards and work to improve and conserve soil on their farms among other things
engaging in this direct way with our milk suppliers allows us to join them in a journey to improve agricultural practices and reduce their footprint on the environment which in turn reduces dannons footprint on the environment said mariano lozano chief executive of the dannon company
the companys program plays into an array of consumer trends from the desire for better treatment of farm animals to a preference for the wares of small new food companies that promote the simplicity and purity of their products those upstarts represent stiff competition for dannon whose yogurts represent more than a third of those sold in america
many big food companies are responding to the pressure like dannon by chipping away at an industrial food system built for efficiency speed and low cost over the last year companies including nestle and general mills have pledged to use eggs only from hens living in cage free or aviary housing systems and unilever has promised to increase sustainability in its business by doing some of the same things dannon is trying to do with its new program
but few have made plans as far reaching to an ingredient as central to its business as milk is to dannon
for the last many decades weve had a system that encourages short term efficiencies at the expense of soil health animal welfare and biodiversity mr lozano said we want to play a part in changing that system
dannon the american arm of the giant french food company danone has faced stiff competition in its yogurt business in recent years from newcomers like chobani and noosa under the leadership of emmanuel faber its chief executive danone has cut costs reformulated products to reduce sugar and worked to improve sales of its baby formulas and nutritional supplements in overseas markets
its sales in the first quarter of this year grew 35 percent adjusted for swings in currency to 6 billion in part thanks to a recovery in its north american units sales
the steps dannon is now taking are aimed at fortifying it against further threats to its dominance
sourcing milk directly is a sharp departure from the way big dairy companies usually get their milk typically dairy farms load their milk into refrigerated trucks which take it to a plant where it is combined with milk from other farms and processed
that process used by dannons former milk supplier dairy farmers of america a large cooperative can make it difficult to figure out where the milk originated such information is increasingly important to improving food safety and addressing consumer demands for transparency
now all the milk in dannons yogurt will come directly from farms and two co ops whose members have agreed to the plan the suppliers have said they will follow the animal welfare standards set by validus a third party certification company these include providing cattle shades to reduce heat stress and prohibiting tail docking the farms and co op members have also agreed to take steps to change their farm management to deliver the environmental benefits dannon seeks
some 40 percent of dannons milk will come directly from seven family farms like mccarty family farms which has three dairy operations in kansas and one in nebraska
ken mccarty one of four brothers running those farms said the family had become frustrated with the existing model of milk sales and distribution
once it left our farm i couldnt tell you where our milk ended up said mr mccarty whose great grandfather began his farm in pennsylvania in 1914 we felt a great deal of frustration with the traditional co op model because we had no connection with the customer or the consumer
the mccartys agreed to be guinea pigs of a sort striking a deal with dannon in 2011 that served as a test of what the company was trying to do because of that deal their dairy herd has more than doubled to 8500 cows spread across four farms and producing roughly 76500 gallons of milk a day
the partnership with dannon allowed the mccartys to build a milk condensing plant that reclaims 20 million gallons of water a year which they use to water fields where they grow some of the feed for their herd and for other purposes
some of the changes dannon was looking for werent necessarily changes for us   we already had animal welfare initiatives going because cows are what pay our bills mr mccarty said what was nice was the validation we got for what we were doing
the mccartys and the six other farms shipping directly to dannon get a price guarantee to even out milks notoriously volatile prices were guaranteed a certain minimum level of profit which allows us to focus on the things were truly passionate about rather than worrying about a milk market we cant control mr mccarty said
those farms also have agreed to feed their cows feed without genetically modified ingredients which presents a big challenge for dannon other companies needing such feed have had to import it as soaring demand for organic milk and meat products has reduced domestic supplies
the mccartys produce about 20 percent of the feed they need on their farms and have begun growing conventional crops there they have also helped dannon persuade other farmers that supply them with feed to begin planting seeds that are not genetically modified organisms or gmos
cows supplying milk for the three brands currently included in the new program   dannon oikos and danimals   are expected to make the transition to non gmo feed by 2018
beginning this summer those brands which account for roughly half the companys sales in the united states also will begin eliminating gmo ingredients for example by replacing beet sugar with cane sugar
sometimes i wake up sweating and thinking what are we getting into mr lozano of dannon said we dont know how were going to do all this but im glad were aiming high it shows we have the right level of ambition


caracas venezuela   venezuelas electoral commission on tuesday released documents that would allow opposition politicians to collect signatures and formally begin a process aimed at removing president nicolas maduro from office
the decision by the commission   which is controlled by mr maduros socialist government and previously resisted handing over the papers   lifted hopes of the opposition politicians who control the national assembly and have vowed to oust the president by the end of the year
it made venezuela the second country in the region undergoing an effort to remove its leader this month brazils lower house of congress approved the impeachment of president dilma rousseff over accusations that she misused state money
on tuesday opposition politicians in venezuela said they would forge ahead to collect signatures to get the recall effort underway
today we are struggling for the future of the country and we will not rest said tomas guanipa a congressman and leader of the opposition party primero justicia we will defeat all of the obstacles the government and electoral commission put in our way
mr maduro has characterized the effort as a coup attempt they go around saying our hour has come he said of his opponents on television tuesday night your hour will never come
to hold a recall vote opposition activists must first collect the signatures of one percent of eligible voters in a second stage 20 percent of voters would have to agree to the recall for it to be held mr maduros opponents would then have to win the recall with more votes than he received in his initial election just under 51 percent
were mr maduro to be removed this year elections for a new president would be called
a coalition of opposition parties defeated mr maduros national socialist party in elections last december but mr maduro continues to control most of the levers of power
that the commission gave the opposition access to the paperwork at all came as a surprise to many in venezuela opposition leaders said that on previous attempts they had been ignored by the commission one encounter turned violent
luis pedro espana a sociologist and political scientist in venezuela said the government would probably try to delay the process until next year if it can mr maduro could still be recalled but his vice president would serve the remainder of the term
the government has no chance of winning an election and it knows it he said you see it in the polls in the results of the dec 6 election and the crisis conditions that the country is facing
mr maduro who became president in 2013 upon the death of the socialist movements founder hugo chavez has seen his popularity plummet as the country suffers through the worst economic crisis in a generation as well as soaring crime and chronic shortages of basic goods
oil prices which had financed mr chavez ambitious socialist agenda have collapsed and the international monetary fund is predicting triple digit inflation the country has ordered rolling blackouts as electricity runs low and the shortages have meant that people must stand in line for hours to buy basic items like eggs and milk
on tuesday the government declared wednesday and thursday holidays for government workers to save electricity adding them to friday which had already been declared a no work day the government also said children would not attend school on friday


a queens man was convicted on tuesday of extorting thousands of dollars from three small businesses in astoria in a protection racket he ran with the assistance of a new york city police officer
the man redinel dervishaj 40 was found guilty after a two and a half week trial in federal district court in brooklyn the jury heard evidence that in 2012 and 2013 he coerced money from the owners of several astoria restaurants and nightclubs
in one case prosecutors said mr dervishaj the brother of one of albanias most wanted fugitives told the owner of a restaurant that had just opened that it was going to cost him money to run a business in our neighborhood when the restaurateur went to a police officer besnik llaktura he was unaware that officer llaktura who told him to come up with the money was working with mr dervishaj these people run astoria officer llaktura told the man court papers say
in another case mr dervishaj and a third defendant denis nikolla threatened to beat one of their victims in front of his wife and children the papers said
officer llaktura who was formerly assigned to the 120th precinct on staten island pleaded guilty to extortion in december and has been suspended from his job pending sentencing mr nikolla who is of albanian heritage like the others is awaiting trial
mr dervishaj faces a maximum sentence of life in prison


the executive director of the civilian agency that oversees the new york police department on tuesday dropped her lawsuit accusing its former chairman of using sexist remarks
the lawsuit was brought by mina malik the executive director of the civilian complaint review board and her deputy robia charles the suit prompted the agencys chairman at the time richard d emery to resign on april 13 a day after it was filed
the women in a statement from their lawyer cited mayor bill de blasios swift and decisive action in accepting mr emerys resignation in their decision to voluntarily dismiss the case the lawyer douglas h wigdor said ms malik and ms charles were doing so without prejudice meaning they reserved the right to refile the lawsuit
we hope that the filing of this lawsuit sends a powerful message to all of those who silently suffer at the hands of discriminatory and retaliatory employers that the legal system can create positive change mr wigdor said by dismissing the case without prejudice my clients reserve the unfettered right to reinstitute the proceedings should they be mistreated or retaliated against in any way
ms malik who joined the agency in january 2015 had accused mr emery of retaliation after she reported what she said were sexist remarks to the citys law department and equal employment opportunity office
mr emery whom the mayor appointed in july 2014 said in a statement that he was not surprised that ms malik and ms charles had voluntarily dismissed the case which he called frivolous and a distraction
in an interview he acknowledged using strong language in a meeting in september where ms malik was not present but said he had not disparaged her
it had to do with the police department seeking a lower penalty in a case that was egregious mr emery said
his top position at the review board had been a source of tension for mr de blasio as the mayor sought to mend relations with rank and file officers when the women filed their lawsuit mr emery was already in the cross hairs of police union officials they had been calling for his removal over his law firms role in representing plaintiffs in federal lawsuits against officers and derogatory comments he is accused of making about the police
after mr emerys resignation the mayor appointed deborah n archer a member of the agencys board as acting chairwoman until a replacement is named


barbaralee diamonstein spielvogel an author preservationist and curator was appointed chairwoman of the new york state council on the arts this week
currently the councils vice president dr diamonstein spielvogel who holds a phd said in a telephone interview that one of her goals as chairwoman was to expand meaningful engagement with the more diverse communities of new york outside new york city where there are fewer resources
she said however that she did not intend to neglect the major institutions throughout the state she said she would begin her duties in the coming week with a meeting of the councils staff
dr diamonstein spielvogel has a history of having led city state and federal councils and commissions on the arts landmarks museums and other civic and cultural assets including serving as the first director of the new york city department of cultural affairs in 1966
barbaralee has dedicated her career to preserving and enriching cultural life across the state and across the nation gov andrew m cuomo said of her appointment in a statement on monday she is a leader whose knowledge wide experience and energy will help shape our vision for cultural development and advance the future of the arts in new york
the council awards about 1900 grants each year that range from 2500 to 135000 to nonprofit arts organizations in the state the recommendation for funding the agency in the next fiscal year is 469 million


bogota colombia   colombian health officials said on tuesday that they had confirmed two more cases of babies born with brain damage to mothers who had zika during pregnancy but said overall cases of the mosquito borne virus were decreasing in the country
we are absolutely certain that zika is on the decrease in colombia said fernando ruiz colombias vice minister of health during a briefing here
at the briefing officials said they had now confirmed a total of four cases of microcephaly a condition in which babies are born with unusally small heads and damaged brains and that they expect to see many more over the next three months as women who contracted zika during an outbreak this year begin to give birth they said they were studying 22 more newborns with microcephaly to determine if zika was the cause they also announced a total of 304 cases of guillain barre syndrome   a condition that can cause paralysis usually temporary   that are suspected to have been caused by zika
separately this week a new study published in the journal plos neglected tropical diseases reported that the zika virus has been circulating in haiti at least since 2014 and possibly since 2013 well before an outbreak in brazil raised the alarm of public health officials around the world
researchers at the university of florida found zika gene sequences in the blood of three children from different rural towns who had visited clinics in the gressier leogane region of haiti in december 2014 comparisons with zika dna from elsewhere suggested the virus could have been in haiti for months
the zika virus was confirmed in brazil only in may 2015 but the new finding does not mean that it arrived in haiti first instead the authors said the virus probably went from french polynesia to easter island then around the americas circulating for far longer than has been realized
in recent weeks according to various state health departments more than a dozen americans in five states have returned from missionary work in haiti with confirmed zika infections


a 48 year old man was arrested on tuesday on charges that he fatally stabbed another man last month during a fight in a subway station in harlem the authorities said
the suspect julio velazquez faces counts of second degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon in the march 16 dispute in which herbert burgess 53 was stabbed in the torso at the 116th street station on malcolm x boulevard the police said
the authorities gave this account
mr burgess selling metrocard swipes outside the turnstile took 1 from mr velazquezs daughter for a swipe they argued and she called her father who lives nearby he confronted mr burgess and stabbed him
mr burgess then stumbled onto a no 2 train police officers were called to the next station central park north where he was found with at least one stab wound the authorities said he was pronounced dead at a hospital
the next day the police identified mr velazquez as the suspect and released a booking photo of him from a 2013 arrest on charges of criminal possession of a weapon investigators found him in philadelphia the police said


philadelphia   after months of trying to sideline an unexpectedly deft and well financed liberal opponent hillary clinton on tuesday won a series of primaries that freed her to present herself as the de facto victor of the democratic nominating fight and gave her the impetus to shift focus decisively toward the november election
now all but certain to clinch her partys nomination mrs clinton will continue to face the criticism of her party rival senator bernie sanders of vermont but she is expected to move swiftly to claim an early advantage against the leading republican candidate donald j trump her advisers and allies say she will spend the coming weeks honing her message for the general election and stepping up fund raising that has lagged in the face of mr sanderss challenge
with your help were going to come back to philadelphia for the democratic national convention with the most votes and the most pledged delegates mrs clinton told a crowd of 1300 here after she took the stage to eye of the tiger and we will unify our party to win this election and build an america where we can all rise together
after a landslide win in new york last week mrs clinton had already begun to treat mr sanders as a greatly diminished threat concentrating her fire on mr trump and to a lesser degree senator ted cruz of texas her victories in pennsylvania maryland connecticut and delaware on tuesday will only accelerate that shift
in recent days she has sharpened her pitch about the general elections stakes heading off republican attacks on her record as secretary of state under president obama and delivering a more forceful message about the economy and the need to create jobs and lift wages
imagine a tomorrow where hard work is honored families are supported streets are safe and communities are strong and where love trumps hate mrs clinton said tuesday night drawing applause at her play on mr trumps name
mrs clinton is not expected to publicly pressure mr sanders to quit the race clinton advisers say any efforts to muscle him out could backfire angering his supporters and mr sanders both of which mrs clinton praised tuesday night for challenging us to get unaccountable money out of our politics
but a super pac supporting mrs clintons candidacy priorities usa action may start running general election ads even before the nominating contest ends
guy cecil the groups chief strategist said the group might run ads against mr trump or mr cruz depending on how the republican primary develops and whether they decide to launch attacks against hillary
in coming weeks mrs clinton will campaign in states with looming primaries but she will also recharge and spend time in new york plotting a general election strategy with advisers
she needs to be smart and calculated and prepare herself for a tough general election and knowing her she will be said thomas r nides a friend and adviser who worked for mrs clinton at the state department
after months of focus on the 2383 delegates needed for the democratic party nomination her campaign has begun to analyze the electoral college working out potential races against mr trump and mr cruz and the campaign will begin polling in traditional battleground states like ohio and florida
but it will also pore over data in traditionally republican states like arizona north carolina and georgia that could be in play particularly if mr trump is the nominee and focus on demographics beyond the democratic primary electorate
realistically the most important part in all of this are white working class women said geoff garin a pollster and strategist on mrs clintons 2008 campaign who is now advising priorities citing mrs clintons emphasis on issues like equal pay for women and an increase in the minimum wage
senator chris murphy of connecticut who campaigned alongside mrs clinton in his state said she must focus on how best to connect to a broader electorate that is in what he called a revolutionary mood alluding to how mr sanders has energized supporters you are not going to win this general election by proposing incremental changes mr murphy said adding that he hoped mrs clinton doesnt shy away from proposing some big ideas to try to reorder the country to the benefit of those that are hurting
mr sanderss campaign vowed tuesday to remain in the fight through the california primary on june 7 and perhaps until the partys convention in july as word of mrs clintons victories rolled in on tuesday night he gave a defiant speech in west virginia predicting he would win the state when it votes may 10
mrs clinton who doggedly remained in the 2008 primary contest against barack obama until june despite his insurmountable delegate lead and democratic calls for her to bow out has said she will not call on mr sanders to withdraw but she has bristled at the implication that he could overcome her big leads in both pledged delegates and the popular vote
mrs clintons aides and allies are pressuring mr sanders to run on issues rather than continuing to attack mrs clintons ties to wall street or her previous support for global trade deals   attacks that republicans are likely to use in the fall
if he tones down the rhetoric and continues to fight hell go out on a very high note with a lot of people including me thinking he did a great service to american democracy said edward g rendell a former pennsylvania governor who supports mrs clinton but if he keeps it up it could be brutal
mr sanders whose sole win on tuesday came in rhode island did not attack mrs clinton directly in his remarks on tuesday night but argued insistently that he would be a superior general election candidate as voters went to the polls earlier in the day the sanders campaign sent out a fund raising email with an image of mrs clinton and her husband bill clinton at mr trumps 2005 wedding and accused clinton allies of being traitors in their treatment of mr sanders
still tad devine a senior adviser to mr sanders on tuesday said that the campaign would not mislead voters about his chances at winning the nomination
if we are sitting here and theres no sort of mathematical way to do it we will be upfront about that he said
democrats supporting mrs clinton have pointed to senators harry reid of nevada elizabeth warren of massachusetts and chuck schumer of new york as potential peacemakers should the sanders campaign keep up its pointed attacks on mrs clinton
im going to be optimistic and say it wont be necessary but all of us are friends with bernie and wed pick up the phone and talk to him at any time said senator claire mccaskill a democrat from missouri who is supporting mrs clinton
but mrs clinton would do well to begin building bridges to mr sanders said david axelrod a former senior strategist for the obama campaign
it seems certain bernie will run through the last primaries which is inconvenient and costly he said still when youre the winner you can afford to be big and hillary should


madrid   king felipe vi of spain decided on tuesday that none of the countrys political parties had enough support to form a government setting the stage for an election in june six months after voters ended the nations traditional two party system
the king announced his decision after spending two days meeting with party leaders including those in charge of the conservative popular party the center left socialists the far left podemos party and the business friendly ciudadanos party
his decision means that no party will be able to assemble a minority or coalition government that would assume control of the 350 member lower house of parliament by may 2 and sets up a new election for june 26
spain has been politically paralyzed since its national election on dec 20 in which podemos and ciudadanos emerged as strong no 3 and no 4 parties after decades of alternating rule between the popular party and the socialists
the upstarts were voted in by spaniards angry about years of high unemployment seemingly endless corruption cases affecting the popular party and the socialists plus unpopular austerity cuts hitting cherished national health care and public education programs
polls suggest a repeat election   a first for spain since democracy was restored in 1978   is unlikely to break the stalemate and could mean a political impasse stretching into the summer possibly ending with yet another election
spain has never had a coalition government at the national level the socialists rejected a proposal by mariano rajoy the leader of the popular party for a grand coalition
analysts predict that the popular party will again take first place in the june election but will not receive the votes it needs to win back the parliamentary majority it enjoyed from 2011 to 2015
in the december election the socialists came in second podemos took third place ciudadanos was fourth and a handful of smaller parties also won seats in the lower house
the breakdown of legislative seats meant that the parties for the first time in spains history had to negotiate alliances for a coalition or form a minority government but they were incapable of doing so despite months of negotiations
at this stage polls suggest a very similar picture to the one that emerged after the 20 december elections with the pp dominating the vote and crucially an equally fragmented parliament said antonio barroso a london based analyst with the teneo intelligence political risk consultancy referring to the popular party


a police officer went to a home in queens because a resident had been the victim of a crime but no one answered and the door was open the authorities said inside the officer found a home crawling with cats and dogs
some had patches of fur missing and crusty eyes the floors were covered in waste and the ceiling was rotting
the brick house in the jackson heights section had 55 cats 12 dogs and two turtles the authorities said their caretaker elizabeth grant 48 was charged on tuesday with aggravated cruelty to animals and other counts for failing to care for the animals which prosecutors said were living in deplorable conditions
the smell of ammonia was so overwhelming animal rescue workers had to wear respirators to breathe as well as protective clothing when entering the premises said richard a brown the queens district attorney
the officer noticed the homes condition on jan 6 when looking for ms grants mother the police returned on jan 28 and retrieved animals with dental diseases ear mites respiratory infections and fur matted with feces and urine
one dog dorothy had chronic kidney and liver disease and was euthanized another dog bond was in pain with every movement prosecutors said only two cats had no serious issues
richard bruce rosenthal ms grants lawyer said that the animals were not deteriorating and that the authorities overstated the homes condition this is a situation where the grants started taking in sick and abandoned thrown away animals who were in horrible shape to begin with and started nursing them back to health he said


for the residents of st lawrence county a rural territory on the canadian border in northern new york the news out of the district attorneys office in recent years has more often resembled a dark comedy than a courtroom drama
there have been whispers of interoffice romances and questionable pay raises and reports about a federal inquiry into whether the office had used one inmate to improperly obtain jailhouse confessions from others
in recent weeks the trickle of unsettling news has turned into a torrent the latest episode involved a junior prosecutor who had not yet passed the bar but was allowed to try a felony assault case with a county court judge dismissing the case and suggesting that the office of the district attorney mary e rain had engaged in fraud the judge jerome j richards subsequently recused himself from all cases being handled by ms rain a republican elected in 2013
so it was on monday night that the countys board of legislators took the unusual step of passing a resolution expressing no confidence in ms rain listing a series of embarrassing revelations and accusations including a suggestion by a former assistant that ms rain planned to use grand juries to investigate people she disliked
in a special meeting the board voted 10 to 3 to ask gov andrew m cuomo a democrat to open an inquiry into ms rains conduct suggesting it was detrimental to the criminal justice system and the public welfare
the resolution which had bipartisan support cited allegations of sexual harassment in ms rains office the firings and resignations of several assistant district attorneys and the fraud accusation made by judge richards
judge richards had sent a letter outlining the district attorneys conduct to presiding justice karen k peters of the state supreme courts third department appellate division which includes st lawrence county he also filed a complaint with the committee on professional standards which reviews reports of misconduct by lawyers practicing in the third department
ms rain did not respond to requests for comment but several of the county legislators who voted in favor of the resolution expressed deep concerns about her performance
st lawrence county residents are just fed up with it said kevin acres a republican legislator and dairy farmer who cited a steady stream of unflattering reports about ms rain as the reason he supported the resolution the public reaction is enough is enough
the no confidence vote also prompted a letter from thomas p zugibe president of the district attorneys association of new york to the committee on professional standards in which he asked for an expedited investigation into the allegations against ms rain because of the crisis of confidence that has overtaken st lawrence countys criminal justice system
judge richards is being temporarily replaced in st lawrence county court by a judge from a nearby county though cases were canceled last week
in both his letter and a subsequent phone interview mr zugibe who is the district attorney in rockland county said he was not taking a position on whether ms rain had done anything improper but noted that the problems in st lawrence county required immediate attention
he said a no confidence vote by a county board was exceedingly rare though he wondered whether legislators were simply basing it on what theyve read in the newspapers
we take this very very seriously he said adding because this affects all of us
john burke the boards chairman and one of three republicans who voted against the resolution also struck a cautious tone saying he felt the board had made a leap to conclusions and adding that he was not in a position to determine if ms rain was doing a good job thats up to the judicial system mr burke said not up to me
the committee on professional standards declined to comment on or acknowledge any investigation into ms rains actions a spokesman for mr cuomo said the governor would review the resolution when he received it
ms rain was the countys public defender before resigning in 2011 after being stripped of her administrative duties two years later she was elected district attorney after pledging to bring new vigor to investigating the unsolved murder of garrett phillips a 12 year old boy who was strangled in his mothers apartment in potsdam in 2011
in 2014 ms rain sought and won an indictment of oral nicholas hillary a local soccer coach in the killing despite a seeming lack of hard evidence after several delays   including the cases being dismissed once by judge richards for prosecutorial misconduct   mr hillarys trial is now scheduled for august


the food and drug administration said tuesday that doctors should exercise caution in prescribing to pregnant women an oral drug for yeast infections because of new evidence suggesting a possible link to miscarriage
an estimated 10 percent of women get yeast infections in pregnancy a period during which they are especially susceptible symptoms include severe itchiness painful sex and abnormal vaginal discharge
the fda had previously warned that chronic high doses of the drug fluconazole brand name diflucan might be linked to a rare and distinct set of birth defects in infants whose mothers took it in the first trimester those doses ranged from 400 to 800 milligrams a day in several case reports
pregnant women in a recent danish study however mostly took one or two doses of fluconazole each just 150 milligrams a dose that the agency did not consider a problem until now the study conducted by researchers at the state serum institute in copenhagen was published in january in jama
the study a review of medical records included more than 14 million pregnancies over a 17 year span in denmark among the roughly 3300 women who took fluconazole seven to 22 weeks into pregnancy about 150 miscarried compared with roughly 560 of 13000 women matched for maternal age and gestational age
women who used the drug in the first 22 weeks of pregnancy had a significantly higher chance of miscarriage than those who did not there was no significant association between use of fluconazole and stillbirth defined in the danish study as fetal death after week 23
lyndsay meyer a spokeswoman for the fda said it was uncertain when the agency would issue further recommendations but until fdas review is complete and more is understood about this study and other available data we advise cautious prescribing of oral fluconazole in pregnancy she said in an email message
the centers for disease control and prevention recommends that only topical azole products be used to treat yeast infections in pregnancy even for recurrent infections despite this advice doctors still sometimes prescribe oral fluconazole for severe symptoms or repeat infections some patients prefer an oral remedy to vaginal creams
ditte molgaard nielsen the studys lead author and her colleagues also compared pregnancies of women who took fluconazole with those of women who used topical azole treatment for a yeast infection women who ingested the oral drug had a significantly increased risk of miscarriage the researchers found
rachel hooper a spokeswoman for pfizer the maker of fluconazole said in an email that the drug has a well established benefit risk profile supported by more than 25 years of patient experience


the office of the attorney general of new york announced on tuesday that it has reached settlements worth 276 million with six ticket brokers as part of its continuing investigation into the online ticket scalping market
the investigation by the attorney generals office was announced in january with a 41 page report that detailed the many ways   both legal and illegal   that ordinary fans of concerts broadway shows and sporting events are prevented from finding tickets online among them are brokers use of bots or automated software to quickly seize the best seats which are then frequently resold to consumers at inflated prices
new yorkers deserve a fairer ticket marketplace the attorney general eric t schneiderman said in a statement our office will continue to enforce new yorks ticket laws by investigating ticket brokers who are breaking our laws and making them pay for their illegal acts
six ticket brokers in five states were found to be selling tickets in new york since 2011 without a proper license as required by state law tickettoadcom of new jersey flying falco entertainment of california which operates under the name avery tickets charm city entertainment of florida all events utah and just in time tickets and a2z tix both of new york
the attorney general found that all of those companies except charm city entertainment also used bots to buy tickets which is prohibited by new york state law flying falco entertainment paid the largest settlement at 1125000 and charm city paid the least at 100000 counting two other settlements that were announced in january the attorney generals office has collected just over 29 million in settlements related to the investigation
the inquiry found that tickettoad had illegally bought 520 tickets to a beyonce concert at barclays center in august 2013 within three minutes and that avery tickets bought 522 tickets to a one direction show at jones beach in june 2013 within five minutes
the settlements require that the companies obtain proper licenses as ticket resellers and stop using bots
the attorney generals report in january also laid out ambitious plans for pressuring the bigger powers of the music industry saying that it had suggested reforms to the major ticketing vendors for dealing with the bot epidemic and asking concert promoters and other industry players to be more transparent about how tickets are released but the announcement on tuesday included no information about those plans


not long ago a group of aging elite distance runners got together and as they reminisced about old times a familiar topic arose no matter how much they train no matter how much they push themselves their best times are behind them
howard nippert broached it first he was running the other day he told his friends and feeling as if he was in the groove feeling great just flying along as he did in the old days then he made the mistake of looking at his watch it was telling him something a lot different than what he was feeling
i know exactly how you feel said his friend steve spence who is 53 both men are still great runners and had stellar running careers nippert who is 50 and a running coach in pearisburg va was a world class ultramarathoner and a former member of the united states track and field team spence who won a bronze medal in the marathon at the world championships in 1991 coaches runners at shippensburg university in pennsylvania and still runs a mile race every year in less than five minutes but he laments i used to be able to run a marathon at that pace
no one can point to exactly why performance starts to decline with age is it that muscles weaken but why would they when they are being used regularly in a sport is it that the heart can no longer pump as much blood but why does that happen whatever the reason the result is a trade off between speed and endurance if you want to go fast you cant keep up the pace the way you used to if you want to go far you cant do it fast says hirofumi tanaka director of the cardiovascular aging research laboratory at the university of texas at austin
the aging effect is inevitable and now runners can even track what to expect it is as if there was a time clock for aging and unlike nonrunners   who have only things like wrinkles and gray hair to go by   runners have an exact schedule that will predict how their performance will decline
that schedule is on the website of ray fair a professor in the economics department at yale who was inspired to find the patterns of slowdowns when his own running performance began to decline the result is a table you can put in your best time ever for an event say a 10 kilometer race and how old you were when you ran it the table then shows how fast you could have run it when you were younger and how fast you should be able to run it now and as you grow even older
some say the site changed their life fair said they know they will slow down as they grow older but as long as they slow down as much as the site says they will they are fine
as for fair hes not as happy
i am not on my line he said i am worse than i should be but i am trying to get back
but even being on the line means not being what you were before and that can be a hard adjustment for many former elite runners
i still run every day nippert said but its a tough transition to just being just an everyday runner
sometimes as with mary decker slaney and doriane coleman elite middle distance runners the end of a career starts insidiously with an injury from which their aging bodies just cannot recover
slaney who is 57 ruptured her posterior tibial tendon in 1997 she had surgery to have it reconstructed and then tried to train telling herself she could get back to the point where she had been
for a long time i thought there was still a way to get better slaney said but eventually you get to a point where you realize that is not happening i couldnt run i could only jog and to me that was disheartening but after about 10 years i decided ok i will jog because i cant do anything else
she was saved she said when she discovered a sort of combination of elliptical cross trainer and bicycle that she can use on the roads outside her home in eugene ore it is the closest thing to running without actually running she said i got on one for the first time and within 10 minutes i knew i had to have one i thought oh my god i havent felt that way in a long time
slaney still dreams of running and she often dreams she is back on the starting line her dreams even include training again there is nothing to replicate the feeling of running she said
her friend coleman a law professor at duke university understands all too well for her the career ending injury was a ruptured achilles tendon
for many years i didnt have a successful strategy to transition from being a runner where every run is a training run every run has a purpose and you are constantly aware of time passing and distance passing she said thats so ingrained
she kept trying to train she said but it was making me insane then she reasoned with herself i am 55 years old for gods sake she said she realized i dont need to go on training runs anymore
but old habits are hard to break sometimes coleman says when she is on a run feeling good my brain goes into its old track and i think i can still do it 
on those days she says i pick up the pace a little bit i kind of forget my age
but she also has a strategy that has changed her life she leaves her watch behind before she sets out on a run coleman looks at the clock when she gets back she glances at it again
then she tells herself ballpark


mayor bill de blasio unveiled his 822 billion executive budget for new york city on tuesday with a presentation focused on savings extracted from city agencies and a few new programs intended to address problems that arose over the past year from snarled snowplows in queens to voting woes in the presidential primary last week
the final budget like the preliminary proposal set forward by the mayor in january favored quality of life improvements that would be felt by many new yorkers instead of ambitious policy goals it included more money to pave roads the hiring of hundreds of seasonal parks department employees and a 50 million pool on staten island
similar to last year when a budget deal included the hiring of 1300 police officers the biggest surprise came via the police department the mayor announced that a fully staffed police precinct would be created in southeastern queens the 116th precinct paid for with 70 million in capital funds it would be the first new precinct in the city since 2013 and bring to 78 the number of precincts citywide a location for it had yet to be found
but as in january the message mr de blasio sought to deliver on tuesday was one of fiscal responsibility cognizant of potential downward economic trends in the city and beyond or as it was described in a summary document a blueprint for progressive honest responsible government
weve tried to be very balanced in our approach very careful very cautious mr de blasio a democrat said
the presentation was an opportunity for mr de blasio dogged in recent weeks by questions about investigations into his campaign fund raising activities and administration to stress his command of the intricacies of the citys agencies and his stewardship of its financial future
the mayor sniffling through his remarks highlighted major investments in the citys public hospitals whose finances a city commissioned report found were teetering on the edge of a financial cliff and in shoring up the citys bridges as well as a one time 183 credit paid out on the water bills of more than half a million homeowners
it is spring and you have allergies in spring mr de blasio said when asked if he had a cold
the administration also earmarked money for the citys board of elections which stumbled through the states presidential primary and for the sanitation department to buy smaller plows to deal with narrow streets in places like queens where 170 plow trucks became stuck during a blizzard in january and mr de blasio said he would spend 170 million to build a new correctional center for adolescents which would allow the city to remove the roughly 180 adolescents housed on rikers island from the troubled jail complex a site for that project has not been selected
he also said that he would immediately move to put parts of the citys third water tunnel into use in brooklyn and queens budgeting 21 million to disinfect those portions of the tunnel which he said would be filled with drinkable water as a backup to the existing system
officials had previously said the mayor had stripped the funding for that work and decided to delay it amid criticism he pledged to accelerate the project
over all the executive budget included an increase of 37 percent in city spending compared with the final budget approved last year the mayors current proposal must still be negotiated with and approved by the city council
one hurdle already cleared since january was the looming cuts in state contributions to the city university of new york and the citys medicaid costs proposed by gov andrew m cuomo a democrat but discarded in the final state budget deal
mr de blasio never invoked the name of the governor with whom he is locked in a bitter feud yet mr cuomo was a recurring presence the mayor repeatedly criticized the state for not making good on financial commitments or reducing the amount of financial support it gives the city mr de blasio referred to the states actions as alarming and a danger to the city
god forbid theres bad times he said at one point the state will be absolutely unaccountable to the people of new york city
mr de blasio highlighted the continued growth of the citys economy but raised concerns about a decline in tax revenues saying his administration had focused on finding savings at city agencies the budget includes roughly 1 billion in savings for the 2017 fiscal year from measures like reducing office space refinancing debt and at the environmental protection department switching to natural gas from diesel
after the presentation the city council speaker melissa mark viverito a democrat issued a lukewarm statement praising the buildup of reserve funds but criticizing the funding levels for programs aimed at young people and immigrants as well as the plan for the citys hospitals the plan she said to close the health and hospitals operating gap is contingent on substantial state and federal cooperation which has not yet been assured
carol kellermann president of the nonpartisan citizens budget commission said the mayor appeared to be sending mixed messages right now everything is great were going to build a swimming pool and animal shelters and a new police precinct she said but gee down the road we have to be worried


now bewilderingly mayor bill de blasio and his crew are said to be in an exotic pile of legal trouble faced by virtually no other politicians who have done just about the same thing
in 2014 the mayor and allies raised millions of dollars in hopes of giving control of the state senate to the democrats by law there was a limit of 10300 that an individual could give that year to a campaign but the same person could give about 100000 to larger political organizations like state and county party committees
those committees can spend away on behalf of the candidates but everyone has to pretend not to coordinate efforts to get around the limits
a scorching report by risa s sugarman chief enforcement officer for the state board of elections said the de blasio team had committed willful and flagrant violations of the laws by using those committees she sent it on to the manhattan district attorney
her document is remarkably assiduous in places and filled with flagrant or at least gaping holes in others
for instance ms sugarman managed not to notice that the state democratic committee received 766000 in 12 days in october 2014 much of it from organizations and people linked to mr de blasio and promptly spent it on a number of the same vendors and on behalf of the same candidates according to reports filed with the elections board not a word appears in her report about the money that passed through that committee as it happens that committee is effectively controlled by the governor andrew m cuomo who nominated her for her job
why was the state committee left out of such a meticulous report
i dont comment on confidential memos ms sugarman said
if we are going to criminalize politics why spare one committee from the opprobrium heaped on others
all my investigations and anything that goes on within my division is confidential ms sugarman said
for other committees she diagrams a web of money that moved from donors associated with mr de blasio into party committees in several counties and then was spent on or by the candidates campaigns
the report detects a level of coordination that in her view achieved its purpose to frustrate both disclosure requirements and contribution limits she cites an email from the campaign manager for a senate candidate in ulster county to the treasurer of the county democratic committee has the check for 60k cleared the campaign manager asked below is our banking info we need the 60 transferred over asap please
this email shows that they previously had discussions about this matter ms sugarman wrote adding this pattern of activity indicates that the committees already had committed to these expenditures prior to receiving the funds thus the everyday plaintive wails of political operatives trying to win elections   i need that check asap   was rendered as an act in a nearly sinister conspiracy
others might see this as tactical spending and fund raising to ms sugarman it amounts to an evasion forbidden by law it certainly has a long history mr de blasios predecessor as mayor michael r bloomberg sent 75000 to the new york state senate republican campaign committee during the last days before a special election on long island in 2007 the check was delivered on jan 26 for an election held 11 days later the money supported a single republican candidate in one campaign with a donation many times the limit mr bloomberg would have been permitted if he had given the money directly to the campaign
mr bloomberg spent heavily in similar fashion during his time as mayor to prop up the republican senate majority using his own money mr de blasio has spent heavily in hopes of attaining a democratic majority though he has taken the precaution of using other peoples money
if it seems strange that mr de blasio is now on the griddle when so many others could just as easily have provided fixings for the same meal its important to remember that the corrupting force of campaign money was part of the work of the moreland commission in 2013 and 2014
the city unlike the state has a reasonably strong and effective public financing law elsewhere money in politics finds its own level it is not a heartening sight said bill cunningham a former executive director of the state democratic committee
that level he said is somewhere between a bog and a swamp


the mets adjusted to irregular roles on tuesday one player michael conforto started even though the left hander brandon finnegan was on the mound for the cincinnati reds a majority of confortos success since he moved to third in the batting order april 15   a 378 average with 10 runs scored 3 home runs and 8 rbi   has come against right handed pitchers
more intriguing was the insertion of kevin plawecki as the starting catcher plawecki got an unexpected audition to stake a claim for extended time behind the plate when travis darnaud was put on the 15 day disabled list with a right rotator cuff strain
and then there was the curious case of yoenis cespedes a bruised right leg had sidelined cespedes since last friday but in the seventh inning with the mets trailing by 3 0 plawecki hit a key single that moved juan lagares to third base with one out
manager terry collins wanted cespedes to pinch hit but could not find him he asked lucas duda to stand in the on deck circle as cespedes bided his time
i said im not putting you in but go on deck  collins said so he went up and stood on deck he could have ordered a hamburger by that time
eventually cespedes stepped to the plate and smoked a three run homer on the first pitch he saw rallying the mets to a 4 3 win at citi field
all i kept hearing was hes coming hes coming hes coming collins said he finally got there
just as soon as cespedes made a cameo he vanished and did not speak to the news media after the game
cespedess personality has been enigmatic at times similar to the career of darnaud
during game 1 of last years national league championship series darnaud had quite a memorable home run himself taking jon lester deep and bruising citi fields red home run apple in center field the next day clever stadium workers placed a large white bandage over the spot where the ball landed
but lately darnaud in his fourth season with the mets has not been bruising anything but himself he is now on his third trip to the dl since the beginning of last season
various ailments have been an albatross on darnauds promising career for years darnaud 27 has been hailed as an above average offensive catcher and was a focal point in the trade the mets made with the toronto blue jays in december 2012 that sent off the reigning cy young award winner r a dickey that deal also brought back noah syndergaard
complicating darnauds future is the emerging presence of plawecki 25 who is recognized as a sound defensive backstop and who collins said would become the primary starting catcher in darnauds absence
in the fourth inning with the mets trailing 1 0 plawecki threw out adam duvall trying to steal second base
thats why he made the team because the history said theres going to be playing time here and at bats here collins said i think kevin does a good job i think he handles our pitching staff very well
even before the mets acquired darnaud his medical history included back and knee injuries in 2013 he began his tenure with the club with a fracture in his left foot
last april darnaud fractured his right pinkie finger two months later he sprained his left elbow and struggled at the plate in the second half of the season his postseason home run was a symbol of what the mets had always hoped for from him but those flashes have been too rare
collins was asked before the game if he was worried he might never see darnaud play at his peak he said that it had been tough to keep darnaud on the field but that he still believed in his potential are we going to get to see it collins said you can only hope the answer to that will be yes
but collins while not wavering in his faith in darnaud also declared that a prime opportunity now awaits plawecki
this is not the first time this has happened to travis collins said later adding i dont think he looks over his shoulder but neither did wally pipp referring to the yankee first baseman usurped by lou gehrig
he never looked over his shoulder either this is an opportunity for kevin to show people what he can do well see how it goes


washington   the justice department has issued new rules that give prosecutors in washington greater oversight and control over national security cases after the collapse of several high profile prosecutions led to allegations that chinese americans were being singled out as spies
the new rules are intended to prevent such missteps but without undermining a counterespionage mission that is a top priority for the obama administration
in december 2014 the justice department dropped charges against two former eli lilly scientists guoqing cao and shuyu li who had been accused of leaking proprietary information to a chinese drugmaker three months later prosecutors dropped a case against sherry chen a government hydrologist in ohio who had been charged with secretly downloading information about dams
then in september the justice department dismissed all charges against a temple university professor xiaoxing xi after leading physicists testified that prosecutors had entirely misunderstood the science underpinning their case
we cannot tolerate another case of asian americans being wrongfully suspected of espionage representative judy chu democrat of california said last fall the profiling must end
while those cases raised the specter of chinese espionage none explicitly charged the scientists as spies the cases involved routine criminal laws such as wire fraud so national security prosecutors in washington did not oversee the cases
in a letter last month to federal prosecutors nationwide deputy attorney general sally q yates said that would change all cases affecting national security even tangentially now require coordination and oversight in washington that had always been the intention of the rule but ms yates made it explicit
the term national security issue is meant to be a broad one she wrote
ms yates told federal prosecutors that consulting with experienced national security prosecutors in washington would help ensure prompt consistent and effective responses to national security cases
the letter which was not made public was provided to the new york times by a government official
john p carlin the justice departments top national security prosecutor reorganized his staff in washington in recent years to focus more aggressively on preventing theft of americas trade secrets the new rules mean that espionage experts will review cases like dr xis such cases shall be instituted and conducted under the supervision of mr carlin or other top officials the rules say
peter r zeidenberg a lawyer for the firm arent fox who represented dr xi and ms chen called the new rules a very positive step
its welcome and its overdue he said a bad reaction would be were not going to do anything everything is fine 
several of the cases fell apart when defense lawyers confronted prosecutors with new evidence or previewed the arguments they planned to make in court in traditional white collar criminal investigations those conversations between prosecutors and defense lawyers often happen before charges are filed in cases involving even a whiff of espionage however such conversations rarely happen authorities worry that suspects tipped off to the investigation will run or destroy evidence
the absence of those conversations makes it important then that such cases receive an extra layer of review defense lawyers said
ms yates did not mention the botched cases in her letter but at the justice department they were regarded as unfortunate   and perhaps preventable   black eyes that detracted from a string of successful espionage prosecutions the united states faces an onslaught of economic espionage and other spying from china last year chinese hackers stole a trove of government data   including social security numbers and fingerprints   on more than 21 million people
last month su bin a chinese businessman pleaded guilty to trying to hack into american defense contractors to steal information on the f 22 and f 35 fighter jets and boeings c 17 military cargo plane in january a chinese citizen pleaded guilty to trying to steal corn seeds from american companies and ship them to china to replicate their genetic properties
in the obama administrations most direct confrontation with china the justice department in 2014 charged five members of the chinese peoples liberation army with hacking into prominent american companies
mr zeidenberg and others have argued that rushed cases create suspicion and unfairly tarnish reputations in the case against the eli lilly scientists prosecutors were unsparing in their description
if the superseding indictment in this case could be wrapped up in one word that word would be traitor cynthia ridgeway an assistant united states attorney told a federal court in indiana last year according to the indianapolis business journal
the justice department gave no explanation for later dropping the case saying only that it was done in the interests of justice
prosecutors made a similar statement last year when dropping charges against dr xi the dismissal suggested investigators did not understand and did not do enough to learn the science before they brought charges prosecutors had accused dr xi chairman of temples physics department with sharing schematics for a piece of american made laboratory equipment a pocket heater with china after leading scientists   including the inventor of the pocket heater   testified that the schematics showed an entirely different type of heater the justice department dropped the case
though prosecutors dropped charges against ms chen the government has said it intends to fire her she is fighting that decision


the international cycling union imposed unusually severe sanctions tuesday against femke van den driessche the first rider found to be enhancing her performance through the use of electric motors rather than drugs
the disciplinary commission of the sports governing body fined van den driessche 20000 swiss francs about 20500 and ordered her to pay its legal costs and to return prize money dating to october 2015 van den driessche a once promising 19 year old was stripped of her title as the under 23 european champion and belgian national champion for the same age group
van den driessche has also been suspended for six years an unusually long period for a first cycling offense but that may have little significance shortly before the disciplinary hearing that led to the rulingvan den driessche said she would quit cycling and drop her claims that the doctored bike had belonged to a friend
by contrast in its most recent conventional doping conviction lloyd mondory a professional road racer from france was suspended for four years for epo use he was fined an undisclosed amount based on his salary which was redacted in the ruling
speculation had circulated for years of riders using small motors hidden in the frames or the wheels to provide short extra boosts of power during races in january officials from the cycling union with a newly developed magnetic resonance scanner attached to a tablet computer found an anomaly in a bike used by van den driessche at the world cyclocross championships in her native belgium
a subsequent physical inspection discovered a motor and battery hidden inside the frame of the bike
this new method of testing has proved in trials to be extremely effective in locating hidden motors or other forms of technological fraud as it quickly detects motors magnetic fields and solid objects concealed in a frame or components the cycling union said in a statement
the cycling union said that van den driessche operated the device by using a switch hidden under her handlebar tape which used a wireless bluetooth connection to the motor
during the cyclocross championship van den driessche was riding as a member of the belgian national team because she offered no defense it is not known who modified her bicycle or how the conversion was funded
cyclocross an ancestor of sorts of mountain biking mixes pavement with sections on dirt mud sand and grass and can require riders to run short distances during particularly muddy or sandy races riders will exchange their bicycles for clean ones at a service pit and will thus bring two or more bikes to events when she was still claiming innocence van den driessche said that a mechanic had mistakenly added the doctored bicycle to her equipment the doctored bike was discovered in the pit area


oakland calif   postseason life without stephen curry resumed for the golden state warriors on tuesday morning and it was impossible for them not to sense his absence
at the end of practice at the basket that curry usually occupies with the assistant coach bruce fraser anderson varejao filled the void by stepping in to take some jumpers of his own varejao a reserve center has had a fine career but somehow it was not quite the same
at an adjacent basket a player of greater significance to the teams postseason aspirations worked on his shooting mechanics shaun livingston one of the most steady handed backup point guards in the nba is expected to start for the warriors on wednesday night when they play the houston rockets in game 5 of their first round playoff series
it will not be a new experience for livingston who was pushed into a starting role when curry missed games 2 and 3 with an ankle injury but with curry probably sidelined at least two weeks with a sprained right knee livingston will shoulder even more responsibility as the warriors with a 3 1 series lead look to advance without their best player
weve got to cut harder weve got to play harder and we have to defend harder livingston said every little thing he covers a lot of mistakes a lot of holes
if nothing else the warriors have used the series to become more accustomed to playing without curry   and with some solid results there was no bigger confidence builder for the curry free warriors than the second half of sundays game 4 victory after curry went to the locker room the warriors broke open a tie game and won 121 94 at houston
i think this year weve gotten better at playing without steph the versatile forward draymond green said weve figured it out i think part of that is just knowing the offense better but when hes out everybodys got to be moving and everybodys got to be cutting we need to get those easy baskets
the warriors are not the only team to be hindered by injuries this postseason consider the plight of the los angeles clippers who announced tuesday that blake griffin left quadriceps would miss the remainder of the playoffs and that chris paul would be sidelined indefinitely paul broke a bone in his right hand on monday against the portland trail blazers
green said that coach steve kerr used the clippers bad luck as a teaching moment at tuesdays practice nothing is promised so take advantage of your opportunities
few players in the nba have a greater empathy for the injured than livingston whose promising career nearly unraveled in 2007 when he sustained cataclysmic damage to his left knee while playing for the clippers it took years for him to work his way back to being a productive player
with his own experiences in mind livingston said he was relieved to learn monday that curry had sustained only a grade 1 sprain   a mild injury all things considered
seeing what happened and how he fell it could have been real ugly livingston said i think he got the best possible news
in two seasons with the warriors livingston 30 has cemented himself as one of the teams most reliable players off the bench   no small feat given the teams depth during the regular season he averaged 63 points and 3 assists as an anchor of kerrs second unit and he shot 536 percent from the field he tends to make few mistakes
at 6 feet 7 livingston also has the length to create problems for opposing players his sweeping floater is virtually unblockable and he describes his midrange game as his bread and butter
in other words livingston and curry are completely different players curry creates space by operating along the 3 point line and searching for seams livingston often tries to initiate offense by finding his way to the post and exploiting mismatches against smaller defenders
its a different game playing inside out livingston said adding that with curry sidelined ive got to be more aggressive just because of the production thats out
livingston went on i dont expect to make all of that up   thats a guy who leads the league in scoring and hes the most valuable player but its really important to make sure we all remain aggressive and confident
kerr helped preserve livingston during the regular season by playing him just 195 minutes a game but livingston said he was prepared to push himself more in currys absence in games 2 and 3 livingston averaged 16 points and 45 assists while shooting 591 percent he played 29 minutes in game 2 and 30 in game 3
were trying to make a run for a few more weeks so i dont think he wants to overexpose me or my body to 40 minutes a night of something like that livingston said of kerr who was named the nbas coach of the year on tuesday but i feel good   trying to remain healthy
livingston said he was open to the idea of channeling his inner curry by trying an occasional 3 pointer which would be an unusual practice for him during the regular season he had just 12 3 point attempts compared with currys 886 but if shooting from long range helps extend defenses then livingston would be willing to mix it up
i think it just depends on the moment in the game he said
for now if not forever livingston will have more moments to weigh the possibilities that he could only have imagined just weeks ago


a malian man who killed an american diplomat during a carjacking in niger nearly 16 years ago and twice escaped police custody in west africa was sentenced on tuesday to 25 years in a united states prison
the malian man alhassane ould mohamed pleaded guilty last month in federal district court in brooklyn to murdering william bultemeier a defense department attache assigned to the united states embassy in mali under the terms of his agreement with federal prosecutors mr mohamed 46 will be sent to mali when he completes his prison term
on dec 23 2000 the day before he was scheduled to leave niger and return to his home in north carolina mr bultemeier 51 a former army staff sergeant and several other members of the embassy staff went out for dinner in niamey the capital of niger afterward mr bultemeier was getting into his toyota land cruiser when he was accosted by mr mohamed armed with a pistol and an unnamed accomplice who was carrying an ak 47
the gunmen demanded keys to the vehicle and when mr bultemeier did not immediately comply mr mohamed shot him court papers say another member of the dinner party a marine staff sergeant christopher mcneely ran to his friends aid and was shot several times by the accomplice shortly after mr mcneely was evacuated from niger and survived mr bultemeier died
at the sentencing in brooklyn on tuesday mr mcneely who lost full use of one of his arms in the attack told the court that he still thinks about that night how one moment he was enjoying the company of friends and the next one of those friends was dying in his arms though his own injuries were not life threatening he added they were life altering the events of that day he said will be with us for eternity
mr bultemeiers second youngest daughter danni bultemeier also addressed the court telling judge william f kuntz ii that she had waited more than 15 years for a resolution of her fathers murder she said that after his death she remembered picturing the bullets that struck him and thinking about the pain he must have felt addressing mr mohamed who appeared in court in a prison issue jump suit she asked i wonder how many other families you affected this way
it was a long legal journey from the shooting in niamey to the sentencing hearing in brooklyn a few days after the attack the malian police arrested mr mohamed after tracking down the stolen land cruiser but nine years later he escaped malian custody during a medical appointment the next year according to court papers he was involved in another assault   on a convoy of saudi officials in niger in which four people were killed
mr mohamed was recaptured in february 2010 and was extradited to niger where he was convicted in connection with that second attack and sentenced to 20 years in prison but in june 2013 he escaped again court papers say during an armed assault on his prison spearheaded by boko haram an islamist terrorist group based in northeast nigeria
he remained at large until november 2013 when french forces sent to mali on an antiterrorism mission apprehended him and turned him over to the federal bureau of investigation prosecutors contend that mr mohamed had ties to several terrorist groups   not only to boko haram but also to al qaeda in the islamic maghreb and the national movement for the liberation of azawad a separatist movement of mostly tuareg fighters based in northern mali
at the hearing mr mohamed was largely silent but at one point he rose and made a brief statement telling mr mcneely and mr bultemeiers family through an interpreter i would like to say im sorry
judge kuntz ended the hearing by saying that mr mohamed would be too old to have a meaningful career as a terrorist at the end of his sentence he will be 71


donald j trump and hillary clinton barreled toward a general election showdown on tuesday night as they dominated primaries in pennsylvania maryland and other eastern states piling up enough delegates to close in on their parties nominations
looking past their fading rivals the two even taunted each other in dueling election night events mrs clinton chided the republicans penchant for harsh language by saying that love trumps hate mr trump was more bluntly dismissive of mrs clinton saying her appeal boiled down to her gender
frankly if hillary clinton were a man i dont think she would get 5 percent of the vote mr trump said
mr trump had the more convincing performance on tuesday he swept all five primaries winning landslides of more than 30 percentage points over his rivals senator ted cruz of texas and gov john kasich of ohio his routs represented a breakthrough he received more than half the vote in every state after months of winning most primaries by only pluralities
the big night for mr trump and mrs clinton intensified the aura of inevitability around their nomination bids and created urgent new challenges for their rivals more significant it increased mr trumps chances of avoiding a fight on the floor of the republican convention in july and of claiming the nomination on the delegates first ballot
when the boxer knocks out the other boxer you dont have to wait around for a decision he said boastfully at an election night appearance before supporters at trump tower in new york he added as far as im concerned its over
mr cruz and mr kasich fared so poorly on tuesday that together they were likely to win just 10 of the 118 bound delegates up for grabs rhode island connecticut and delaware also went for mr trump who was on track to bring his total to about 950 of the 1237 needed to clinch the nomination outright
mr cruz is now under growing pressure to beat mr trump in indianas primary next week perhaps the last real chance the stop trump forces have to halt his march to the nomination he and mr kasich forged an alliance to thwart mr trump in indiana but it has yet to show signs of working
even before polls closed in the east on tuesday night mr cruz tried to pre empt the rush of coverage about mr trumps dominance
tonight this campaign moves back to more favorable terrain mr cruz told supporters in the knightstown ind gymnasium where the high school basketball movie hoosiers about underdogs who triumph over a big city rival was filmed
on the democratic side senator bernie sanders won only the primary in rhode island and fell further behind mrs clinton in their race to amass 2383 democratic delegates to clinch the nomination clinton advisers predicted late tuesday night that she was poised to net roughly 50 more pledged delegates than mr sanders out of 462 up for grabs adding to her lead of about 240 going into the primaries
clinton advisers said tuesdays final delegate tally would reveal not if but when mrs clinton would win the nomination either in early june if she continues at her current pace or as soon as the kentucky and oregon primaries on may 17 if she does better than expected in the coming weeks once her support from more than 500 superdelegates is included superdelegates could switch their votes at any point but mrs clintons are widely considered to be staunch supporters
mrs clinton predicted that she would return to philadelphia this summer for the democratic convention with the most votes and the most pledged delegates
she pledged to heal the partys wounds after a long nomination fight telling sanders supporters that there is much more that unites us than divides us but she also looked past mr sanders to take a swipe at mr trump and his campaign motto make america great again
despite what other candidates say we believe in the goodness of our people and the greatness of our nation mrs clinton said
mr sanders speaking tuesday night to an audience of 6500 people in west virginia which votes may 10 said emphatically that he would stay in the race he made an unusually pointed appeal to superdelegates arguing that he had won more votes from independents and from republicans than mrs clinton and would be a stronger general election candidate
after the rally however mr sanders issued a statement saying he would go to the democratic convention in july with as many delegates as possible to fight for a progressive party platform   a remark that some democrats interpreted as his first acknowledgment that he would not attend the convention as the nominee
still for all his fortitude mr sanders plans to reassess his candidacy on wednesday and decide whether to adjust his strategy if mrs clintons delegate lead appears all but insurmountable his senior strategist tad devine said the sanders team would discuss a range of issues including how to adjust messaging about the nominating process and what route if any there is to winning it mr devine said he could still see a mathematical path to securing the nomination but added that if it changed the campaign would have to adjust
if we are sitting here and theres no sort of mathematical way to do it we will be up front about that mr devine said tuesday
the broad support for mr trump spanned some of the dividing lines that have characterized the republican race until now he won among the affluent and college educated as well as with blue collar voters and those with no more than a high school education according to exit polls
but the unease about mr trumps candidacy in some quarters of the party persisted a potential warning sign if he emerges as the nominee about a quarter of republican primary voters in connecticut maryland and pennsylvania said they would not support him if he were the partys nominee the resistance to mr trump was greatest among mr kasichs supporters who are more moderate leaning six in 10 said they would not vote for mr trump in november
mrs clinton was lifted once again by strong backing from blacks and older voters but she also ran stronger with white voters than she has in many states in pennsylvania she narrowly won among whites her performance was even better in maryland where she carried white voters by 12 points
mr trumps advantage across all five states was so forbidding that mr cruz abandoned the northeast entirely on saturday and mr kasich was left to pick up stray delegates mrs clinton and mr sanders campaigned aggressively in pennsylvania and connecticut but they focused largely on policy issues like fracking gun control and wall street reform rather than sniping at each other as they did in a raucous televised debate in brooklyn
not only did mr trump have significant prospects for a substantial delegate haul tuesday a week after his dominating performance in new york he also had the opportunity to send a clear message to party leaders and other republicans that resistance to his nomination is futile
mr trumps path toward a delegate majority becomes far clearer if mr cruz is unable to defeat him in indiana that is why mr cruz left pennsylvania on saturday to head to indiana and he plans to campaign there as aggressively as he has anywhere since the iowa caucuses where he scored a surprise victory
the stakes for mr cruz are so high that within political circles speculation has been swirling this week that he would try to change the subject from his latest losses and announce his pick for vice president before the primary in indiana advisers to mr cruz were cagey about whether he would take such an extraordinary step in an effort to win indiana where polls last week put mr trump ahead but the advisers did not dismiss the possibility an indication that they were thinking about such a move wanted to keep the speculation alive or both
but mr trump has no intention of giving mr cruz the opening in indiana he so plainly needs he planned a rally wednesday night in indianapolis with a beloved figure in the state who has also been known to speak his mind and find controversy bobby knight the former indiana university mens basketball coach
the two democrats have also been eyeing indiana with mrs clinton campaigning there on tuesday
mrs clinton narrowly beat barack obama in the indiana primary in 2008 winning support from a sizable majority of white voters   who made up nearly 80 percent of the electorate in that primary   while mr obama won about 90 percent of the black vote in the 2016 primaries and caucuses mr sanders has often beaten mrs clinton among white voters especially white men and he also performs well with independents young people and college students all of whom were expected to be forces in indiana
while our area has lost a lot of good paying manufacturing jobs and senator sanders has a way of tapping into that i think democrats are ready to rally around mrs clinton and help her get ready to take on trump and the republicans said dennis tyler a clinton backer who is mayor of muncie ind in a county mrs clinton carried eight years ago
sanders advisers have been steadily optimistic about indiana but they also acknowledged that a victory there would not matter much if mr sanders fell even further behind mrs clinton in the race for delegates if we do said mr devine the senators strategist we may have to go back to the drawing board


washington   prosecutors have told an iraqi refugee who is accused of traveling to syria to help a terrorist organization that he faces evidence derived from the governments warrantless surveillance program a disclosure that elevates the significance of the case by making the constitutionality of that program a central dispute
with the rare notice this month the case joins a small number of others in which the constitutionality of the surveillance program and its legal basis   the fisa amendments act   are at issue among them is an ohio case in which three defendants accused of giving money to al qaedas yemen branch received similar notices in december
thomas a durkin a defense lawyer who represents the iraqi refugee aws mohammed younis al jayab who was arrested after returning to the united states and one of the ohio men yahya farooq mohammad said he would ask the judges in both cases to suppress the evidence
we intend to challenge it mr durkin said
a justice department spokesman declined to comment
the fisa amendments act which revised the foreign intelligence surveillance act permits the government on domestic soil and without a warrant to intercept international emails and phone calls of noncitizens abroad even when they communicate with americans for several years prosecutors concealed from defendants when they faced evidence derived from such surveillance preventing judicial review of the surveillance but in the fall of 2013 after an internal debate the justice department changed course and began providing notices
at least 10 defendants in eight cases   all terrorism related   have now received such a notice they include three cases in colorado oregon and brooklyn in which defendants have challenged the surveillance and lost at the district court level no appeals court has yet weighed in the defendants previously notified in three other cases did not contest the surveillance
beyond the question of whether the fisa amendments act is constitutional in the abstract privacy advocates also want the supreme court to address one of the two surveillance techniques the government employs as part of that authority
under the method at issue known as the upstream technique network providers like att and verizon apparently temporarily copy and sift all the internet data crossing certain network switches and turn over copies of any messages that contain a selector   like an email address   belonging to a foreign target
the privacy groups including the electronic frontier foundation and the american civil liberties union say that program violates the rights of the people whose unrelated message data is processed through it while the foreign intelligence surveillance court has approved the program they have been trying to persuade a regular court to scrutinize it
under the other method known as the prism system internet communications companies like google or yahoo turn over copies of the accounts of foreign users whom the government has targeted for surveillance
the government does not tell defendants which surveillance technique it used but it has told judges in the brooklyn case the judges declassified opinion disclosed that the defendants message was collected via prism so the constitutionality of upstream collection is not at issue here
the judges who rejected the other two challenges did not say which technique was involved
patrick toomey an aclu lawyer said the recent notifications provided two more opportunities for judges to see whether upstream collection was involved and if so to analyze it
the government has repeatedly blocked the courts from considering the constitutionality of this surveillance he said perhaps the provision of notice to these defendants will change that but the millions of others affected by the governments warrantless searches must have their day in court too


a new deal between yogi berras estate and steiner sports marketing raises a question often asked after a celebrity dies how potent will his name continue to be
thats a good question tim berra one of yogis three sons said by telephone tuesday were trying to see whats still there but he has some advantages hes a great yankee hes well known outside the athletic genre and hes beloved by everybody
berra who died last september at 90 was a 10 time world series champion with the yankees and a baseball hall of famer he endorsed products as varied as yoo hoo chocolate drink and aflac insurance and dispensed quotations imbued with a cockeyed sort of wisdom one of the last major links to the dynastic yankees era that stretched from the late 1940s to the mid 1960s he also assumed heroic stature for avoiding yankee stadium for 14 years after the team owner george steinbrenner sent an underling to fire him as manager in 1985
berras commercial appeal led his sons to form ltd enterprises about 20 years ago to oversee his autographing and sponsorship efforts
dad was naive and humble and he was taken advantage of by agents and people in his life signing baseballs for 15 each when guys like mantle and mays got 100 dale berra said
he added we created the company to protect him
in assessing the yogi business the berra sons looked to steiner to perpetuate the legacy of a man who could no longer appear at old timers day or write another book of sayings to maintain his profile
our main goal is to keep my dads name around tim berra said
the agreement announced monday gives steiner the exclusive rights to market berras name and likeness and the rights to sell remaining pieces of his collection of memorabilia including his 1953 world series championship ring and several of his player contracts
none of the personal memorabilia on display at the yogi berra museum and learning center in little falls nj   which as much as anything is part of his legacy   will be sold by steiner
steiners focus will be on licensing the berras name to products like apparel food posters and trading cards tim berra said the plan was to create events that would promote the berra name
extending a celebritys reputation and brand after his or her death is well worn ground a company like cmg worldwide represents and markets dozens of deceased stars in advertising and marketing deals including babe ruth lou gehrig ella fitzgerald and ingrid bergman and berra still registers well on the davie brown index which measures a celebritys influence on consumers his consumer awareness is equal to mia hamms and usain bolts
hes popular with yankee fans and nonsports fans and were going to match his name to the companies that make sense steiner said


the daffodils were in bloom which meant the garden had to be watered donald wolfe said he would walk there from his apartment on west 50th street in manhattan   38 steps to the elevator 54 steps through the lobby 75 steps down the block to the corner and 37 steps across eighth avenue
first he put the jug with the water on his wheelchair his oxygen tank was already in place on the back off he went pushing the wheelchair a transport device for the garden supplies if not at the moment the gardener he was not shuffling not shambling but not speedwalking either
were so dry right now said mr wolfe who is 69 and has emphysema
he paused halfway down the block breathing noticeably in a moment or two he would suck on a tube that functioned like a siphon to start the water flowing this man in a windbreaker who said he had only 18 percent of his lung capacity but he was not there yet
the garden in the distance stood out in a neighborhood aspiring to stylishness the little flower bed was a patch of land created a couple of years ago when a median was put in to separate bicycles from cars trucks and buses it was just there he said whenever i see an empty spot of dirt i think what could you grow in it
but this is not park avenue with its wide medians and tulips this is eighth avenue where mr wolfe was once cursed out by a woman who accused him of stealing the flowers she was not about to hear me trying to explain were planting them were not stealing them he said the we referred to him and his home health aide who had accompanied him that day
this is not fifth avenue with the conservatory garden and its imposing iron gate between 104th and 105th streets mr wolfes garden is surrounded by a nylon rope fence that he installed because somebody trampled on the flowers
and this is not the new york botanical garden in the bronx which covers 250 acres and has more than one million flowers mr wolfes garden covers 35 square feet   eight ten thousandths of an acre   and has perhaps 100 flowers and one tree all are daffodils except for a couple of hostas and the tree all were planted by him except for the tree which was planted by the city all are watered by him except when he does not have the strength to do it some days he cannot make it to the elevator
the plants dont get watered those days he said
and the stories do not get told on the bad days but on the good days there is time to tell stories to talk about life and memories like the night years ago when he went to a charity auction and got into a bidding war with donald j trumps brother robert over a gingerbread house mr wolfe said he proposed joining forces and pooling their money
he didnt go for it mr wolfe said of robert trump
or how he hauled peat moss to the garden in a taxi
or how he planted the daffodils last fall not because he has a special love of daffodils but because they were free
they came from new yorkers for parks a century old nonprofit that distributes a half million bulbs to community groups and gardeners like mr wolfe every year he plans to dig up park avenue tulip bulbs in a few weeks   every year the fund for park avenue which plants tulips from 54th to 80th streets announces a tulip dig after the tulips have bloomed theyre gorgeous tulip bulbs he said but being in a wheelchair on oxygen its not the easiest thing to get over to park avenue and dig
this is his third spring in the garden the first year everything he planted was trampled
last year he tried geraniums they did not do well this only gets a couple of hours of sun he said i shouldve known geraniums require direct sun full sun all day long he should have known he explained because when he was in his 30s he owned a garden store in syracuse
the garden is litter free at least by the time he leaves because he picks up cigarette butts and other debris with a contraption he made a trowel attached to a long metal arm it lets him reach from the wheelchair
finally he turned the jug upside down and emptied it around the tree then he sank into the wheelchair but not before he reached for the oxygen tank he turned the valve that increased the flow he said he was concerned about what people would make of his walks to the garden
people are going to say see the only thing hes using the wheelchair for is the water mr wolfe said well the reason for the wheelchair was i would have to stop and grab onto a building he would also have to wait until his breathing settled down and that brought up another reason for the wheelchair to carry the oxygen tank but the main reason was to have a place to sit when he becomes exhausted
its the hand i was dealt he said its my fault i smoked for 40 years


syosset ny   alan quine is such a newcomer to the islanders that he is still without a locker room cubicle at the teams practice rink a folding chair in the middle of the cramped room will have to suffice
that does not worry quine 23 who has burst on the playoff scene with a double overtime goal in game 5 and assists on game winners in games 1 and 6 against the florida panthers as the islanders won a playoff series for the first time since 1993
summoned from the sound tigers   the american hockey league team in bridgeport conn   for the last two games of the regular season after forward anders lee sustained a broken leg on april 7 quine has been an instant fit thanks to his speed and tenacity at both ends of the ice
as the islanders prepare to visit the tampa bay lightning on wednesday night for a second round opener quine is ready to continue his early magic while trying to absorb the sudden swirl of interest around him
im happy to be part of it and i just want to contribute any way i can said quine a soft spoken native of belleville ontario who had 19 goals for bridgeport this season after scoring 23 in 2014 15 whatever stage youre on hockey is hockey
quine was selected by the detroit red wings in the third round of the 2011 draft but after the red wings made no effort to sign him quine said he hardly paid attention to the draft two years later when the islanders selected him in the sixth round grateful for a team showing interest quine put in three seasons with bridgeport and even played seven games for the islanders former echl affiliate the stockton calif thunder during his first year with the organization
he scored in his nhl debut against the buffalo sabres on april 9 and against florida he centered a line between shane prince and ryan strome who scored the winning goal in a 5 4 victory in game 1
but when an underperforming strome was benched by islanders coach jack capuano for game 5 quine was suddenly skating on left wing with the captain john tavares at center and kyle okposo on the right quines sample size with the islanders may be small but tavares   who led the islanders with five goals and 9 points in the opening round   is impressed
its his composure and his ability to play his game at this stage shows a lot of potential said tavares whose double overtime winner in game 6 set off a frenzy at barclays center its amazing how a guy not around all year comes up and plays so well
quine also has an islanders pedigree in his life his grandfather gary craig known as stump is a longtime friend to brian kilrea an islanders assistant coach in the mid 1980s and quine has played golf with the hall of fame defenseman denis potvin an ottawa native who captained the islanders to four straight stanley cups from 1980 to 1983
i was really surprised and happy when the call came from the islanders quine said of his draft selection in 2013 after that i went to work
quines coach with bridgeport has been brent thompson a former assistant on capuanos staff who took over the sound tigers two years ago thompson strives to get players ready for the nhl grind and sharing an organizational philosophy with capuano is vital because players arrive ready thompson said he had no doubt quine would excel when the call came
alan has been working a lot on his game away from the puck his defensive awareness and wall battles thompson said his offensive instincts and awareness have always been there hes worked really hard
capuano has shuffled lines in recent weeks because of injuries and the subpar play of forwards josh bailey and brock nelson
quines play has been a welcome revelation his one timer on a pass from defenseman marek zidlicky to win game 5 in florida 16 minutes into the second overtime period ended the second longest game in islanders history quine cannot quite believe his name is already etched in the teams record books being part of the teams celebration still seems surreal
its a feeling i never had before he said there was a lot of happiness when it went in then seeing the guys come over
for capuano a relentless preacher of nose to the grindstone dedication and perseverance from his players the success of a fresh arrival like quine justifies his approach
he is finding a way to move his feet and get to those open areas and play to the strengths of his team capuano said of quine who has moved from his natural center position to play left wing he is a young player that is playing with confidence
the islanders hope the results will continue against the lightning who defeated the detroit red wings in five games tavares and okposo said the page would quickly have to turn beyond the emotional win over the panthers for the team to focus on the lightning who reached the stanley cup finals last spring falling to the chicago blackhawks
we just have to continue to play the way we can said okposo who had a goal and five assists against the panthers it definitely adds to your confidence knowing what it takes to win
this month quine was still skating with the sound tigers who have had to find a replacement for him in the opening round of the calder cup playoffs it is a challenge thompson is willing to accept
one guy leaves and another guy steps up he said thats much like the opportunity alan has that he can step up and do it in the nhl im very proud and happy for him i feel like we had a hand in it too


a longtime columnist for the las vegas review journal has resigned becoming the latest journalist to leave the newspaper since it was bought by sheldon adelson the billionaire casino magnate and republican donor late last year
the columnist john l smith said on tuesday in a letter several copies of which were distributed in the newsroom that recent events have convinced me that i can no longer remain employed at the las vegas review journal mr smith has been barred from writing about mr adelson and was recently told that he could not write about steve wynn another prominent casino owner either
mr smith filed for bankruptcy in 2007 while defending himself against a libel lawsuit brought by mr adelson who alleged that mr smiths book sharks in the desert the founding fathers and current kings of las vegas was defamatory mr adelson who was being represented by the prominent lawyer martin d singer eventually dropped the case in 2013 mr smith wrote on the daily beast website that mr adelson had sued me into bankruptcy over a brief passage in my 2005 book adding that it was an enormously stressful experience
mr smith resigned just days after he became the subject of discussion at a society of professional journalists meeting during the meeting on saturday a video of which was obtained by the new york times j keith moyer the newspapers editor said i personally think it was a conflict for john to write about sheldon
i think sometimes when you have that kind of deep animosity that it was problematic for john to be writing about sheldon adelson mr moyer said adding as long as im editor john wont write about sheldon adelson
mr moyer said in a telephone interview that the decision to prohibit mr smith from writing about mr adelson was made in late january before he became editor the decision was made before i was hired i just happened to agree with it he said people can disagree with me but it was a call i made he added that mr adelson had nothing to do with this decision
in his letter mr smith wrote if a las vegas columnist is considered conflicted because hes been unsuccessfully sued by two of the most powerful and outspoken players in the gaming industry then its time to move on if the strips thin skinned casino bosses arent grist for commentary who is
mr smith did not immediately respond to a request for comment
several journalists have left since mr adelson bought the newspaper for 140 million through a shell company including michael hengel the newspapers editor who quit less than two weeks after the purchase james wright a deputy editor has received a knight wallace journalism fellowship at the university of michigan his project title is how megadonors in us politics influence us foreign policy


greenburgh ny   henrik lundqvists pads had been propped up at his stall in the dressing room on tuesday as if he would get another chance to save the rangers
but he kept his leather jacket on when he showed up to talk to reporters about the season which ended unceremoniously even stunningly when the rangers were ousted in the first round of the stanley cup playoffs by the pittsburgh penguins in a mere five games
the rangers demise especially coming after a four year stretch in which they reached the eastern conference finals three times was so startling that lundqvist was asked if an eye injury he sustained in the series opener had prevented him from tracking pucks
i wish that was the case said lundqvist who was benched in the last two games after allowing 10 goals on 51 shots in 66 minutes it would have been easy to say that was the reason i didnt play better in games 4 and 5 but its not
lundqvist 34 signed for five more seasons said he would try to find better answers but he had made it clear that the penguins who play washington were a much better team
he injured his neck when defenseman ryan mcdonagh collided with him in a march 3 loss to pittsburgh defenseman marc staal poked him near his right eye in the first period of a game 1 loss to the penguins on april 13
thats extra tough when you play a really confident team a good team that really exposed you lundqvist said
alain vigneault the third year coach would not elaborate on exactly what the penguins exposed but he did say tuesday that his defensemens ability to move the puck really dropped and as a result affected a lot of parts of our game
mcdonagh the team captain said stonily other years you might be able to say we deserved better this year its tough to think like that the penguins he said made the rangers pay for their hesitation and incohesiveness
vigneault would not say if he would retain his entire coaching staff but it could be interpreted as a lack of confidence in ulf samuelsson the coach of a defensive corps that allowed 25 more goals than it did last season
i think were at the stage now where we need to look at some changes vigneault said of the team
rick nash coming off a regular season in which he scored 15 goals in 60 games and who has 11 goals in 61 playoff games since joining the rangers said its going to be an interesting summer
dan boyle will become a free agent and will turn 40 in july so he is all but certain to be swapped out for brady skjei 22 the former first round draft choice who appeared in all five playoff games even playing next to mcdonagh after seven nhl regular season games
dan girardi who turns 32 on friday appeared in only two playoff games after sustaining what he said tuesday was a concussion he played poorly this season and under contract for four more years and 19 million is a candidate to be bought out
keith yandle 29 becomes an unrestricted free agent   a tough decision moving forward vigneault said yandle had 20 power play assists and is highly regarded by vigneault as a creative playmaker and team leader not so much for his ability to shut down opponents
i can definitely see myself playing here yandle said
forwards dominic moore viktor stalberg and eric staal will be unrestricted free agents j t miller chris kreider and kevin hayes are restricted free agents vigneault sounded as if he wanted to keep hayes even though he was benched for the last two playoff games
theres so much potential vigneault said of hayes who dropped to 36 points from 45 last season but ive seen tons of guys who have potential and not all of them figure it out
vigneault said he and club executives would not do anything drastic quickly he also said there were some good pieces in place lundqvist said the rangers had to find ways to win games in different ways
this game is about determination and how much you want it lundqvist said you talk about age i want it as bad as i did 10 years ago maybe even more thats going to be my biggest motivation moving forward
before lundqvist entered the room the fan favorite mats zuccarello said the penguins were as responsible for winning the series as the rangers were for losing it it clearly still stung after 76 playoff games over four seasons the rangers had only five this year
zuccarello smiled weakly when he said were a team with guys who expect to be playing hockey when theres good weather outside


real madrid missing the injured cristiano ronaldo dominated late in the game but failed to capitalize with a goal as host manchester city held on for a 0 0 draw on tuesday in the first leg of a champions league semifinal
citys joe hart prevented madrid from taking an advantage before next weeks second leg in spain producing close range saves on shots from casemiro and pepe in the final 10 minutes
city may not get a better chance to beat madrid which played half the game without its two top attackers ronaldo had been nursing a thigh injury and felt something in a training session monday coach zinedine zidane said and karim benzema trying to play through a knee problem was replaced for the second half
city though managed just two shots on target   one of which came on a free kick from kevin de bruyne that was tipped over the bar in second half injury time and the team had its own injury problems already missing yaya toure because of a muscle problem it lost david silva with a hamstring injury late in the first half
zidane said he was unsure if ronaldo and benzema who have scored 74 goals between them this season would be ready for the second leg
team sought in detroit the owners tom gores of the detroit pistons and dan gilbert of the cleveland cavaliers are teaming up to try to put an mls team in downtown detroit they said in a joint statement
spurs player under scrutiny the english football association charged tottenham midfielder dele alli with violent conduct after he appeared to punch a west brom player monday
charges in croatia the croatian authorities filed tax evasion corruption and bribery charges against the former dinamo zagreb president zdravko mamic who is accused along with his brother zoran and two other people of embezzling the equivalent of 17 million of the clubs money since 2008 and not paying 18 million in state taxes
zdravko mamic is considered the most powerful person in croatian soccer zoran mamic is the current dinamo coach


mexico city   cardinal jaime ortega y alamino the longtime leader of the roman catholic church in cuba and a savvy political operator who aided the vaticans secret efforts to broker detente between washington and havana is stepping down closing an era in which the church became the only institution outside the government with any sway on the island
his successor as archbishop of havana will be juan de la caridad garcia rodriguez the archbishop of the central city of camaguey according to a statement from the cuban conference of catholic bishops released tuesday
cardinal ortega 79 will leave behind a cuban church whose reach is greater than at any point since fidel castro swept to power in 1959 far from the days when catholics were marginalized and the cardinal   as a young priest   spent time in a labor camp the church is building new places of worship tending to the poor offering courses for aspiring entrepreneurs and prodding the government to speed up economic reforms
his time as prelate which began in the early 1980s spanned three papal visits including one last september by pope francis as well as a historic meeting between the pope and patriarch kirill of the russian orthodox church
in mid 2014 he hand delivered letters from francis to president obama and president raul castro in which the pontiff urged them to reach an agreement that would end more than half a century of cold war acrimony
ortega will go into the cuban history books as a key player said carlos saladrigas a cuban businessman who grew up in miami but retains close ties to the cuban church he has pushed the boundaries very far
still some priests and political activists say that the cardinal could and should have pushed harder for greater religious and political freedoms some critics considered him aloof and said he showed apparent disdain for some of the castros opponents
archbishop garcia 67 the son of a railway worker was ordained in 1972 and took up his present position in 2002 in choosing him to succeed cardinal ortega pope francis extended his preference for church leaders who are humble and close to the people in the parishes mr saladrigas said
what was not clear was whether the pope expected the new archbishop to take up his predecessors political mantle
mr saladrigas said clearly everyone hopes that he will continue to push things along


nearly six months after a united states cargo ship sank off the coast of the bahamas during a hurricane the national transportation and safety board has found the vessels black box which investigators hope will provide evidence that will help them understand why the vessel sank the 790 foot vessel el faro sank oct 1 during hurricane joaquin on trip from jacksonville fla to san juan pr killing all 33 crew members a previous effort to find the ships voyage data recorder which records conversations and sounds on the navigation bridge had failed investigators and scientists using remotely operated undersea search equipment found the device early tuesday in 15000 feet of water about 41 miles northeast of acklins and crooked islands frances robles
republican leaders of the general assembly are calling on gov terry mcauliffe a democrat to convene a special legislative session to discuss his recent restoration of voting and other civil rights to more than 200000 convicted felons speaker william j howell of the house and the senate majority leader thomas k norment jr said the governors actions last week to restore certain civil rights to convicted felons was a matter of great consequence to virginians that deserves a thorough debate mr mcauliffe issued an order restoring the rights of 206000 felons to vote saying the move would help undo virginias long history of trying to suppress the black vote ap
seven of eight relatives who were found dead in their southern ohio homes last week had been shot multiple times including one who was shot nine times according to autopsy results released tuesday the hamilton county coroner said the victims   three women four men and a 16 year old boy   had wounds to their heads torso and other parts of the body six of the victims had three or more wounds attorney general mike dewine has called the deaths carefully planned slayings carried out at four locations in rural piketon he has also said there were marijuana growing operations at three of the locations the authorities have said members of the rhoden family were targeted in the slayings ap
a man who got into a fight with a boxer outside a philadelphia club went to the boxers home in the city later that night with friends and threw gasoline bombs at it igniting a fire that killed the boxer and four relatives police said tuesday in announcing an arrest in the 2003 case the man abdu rivera 32 was arrested monday on five counts of murder arson and related offenses capt james clark of the philadelphia police said the boxer john david santiago had gotten into a fight with mr rivera and others in the early evening mr rivera and his friends tracked down mr santiagos address and used accelerants to set fire to the home he said this is over a bar fight and pride captain clark said mr santiago 23 a four time pennsylvania golden gloves state champion was killed with four others captain clark said two detectives reopened the case in 2014 ap


49 million
269 purchase street between hillside road and blind brook lane
rye new york
a private investor has bought this 2012 mixed use three story building with ground floor retail spaces occupied by a builder photographer and skin care salon the upper floors have four two bedroom duplexes each about 1600 square feet with access to two elevators each duplex also has a built in one car garage the 8308 square foot property which also offers 13 outdoor parking spaces has a cap rate of about 5 percent
buyer thomas giannetti
seller purchase street holdings
brokers garry klein and michael rackenberg houlihan lawrence commercial real estate group
54sq ft
107460 approximate annual rent
411 fifth avenue at east 37th street
manhattan
a charity that helps provide free surgery to children in poor countries has signed a four year nine month lease for 1991 square feet of office space on the seventh floor of this 11 story murray hill building which was designed by whitney warren and charles d wetmore in 1915
tenant wonderwork
tenants broker jonathan anapol prime manhattan realty
landlord 411 fifth avenue associates
landlords broker david levy adams  company
1375 million
1493 1495 westchester avenue between evergreen and wheeler avenues
bronx river bronx
this 12100 square foot 1913 mixed use five story walk up offers eight two bedroom apartments   half are free market and vacant and half are rent stabilized and occupied three of the free market apartments are renovated a travel agency check cashing store and a nail and hair salon occupy the ground floor retail space the 40 foot wide building has been in the same family for 34 years and offers a cap rate of about 75 percent
ownerayala estate
brokermichael rothstein marcus  millichap


rio de janeiro   a justice on brazils high court has freed andre esteves the former chief executive of the brazilian investment bank btg pactual his lawyer said in an interview on tuesday
mr esteves is accused of obstructing justice in a broad corruption investigation of the state owned oil giant petrobras the investigation involves accusations that members of the leftist workers party of brazils president dilma rousseff conspired with top petrobras executives and outside contractors in an elaborate money laundering and bribery ring that involved bricks of cash rolex watches and expensive bottles of wine among other luxuries
the scandal has shaken brazils political and business establishment and sent many people to jail the fallout combined with the countrys prolonged recession has eroded ms rousseffs support so much that she faces impeachment proceedings brazils senate is expected to vote next month whether to begin an impeachment trial over allegations of fiscal crimes
mr esteves a billionaire who built btg pactual into a banking powerhouse is under suspicion of conspiring with a leader of the senate delcidio do amaral to interfere with testimony regarding the kickbacks at petrobras he was accused of financing the silence of a key witness and former petrobras executive mr do amaral   who was arrested on nov 25 the same day as mr esteves   was freed after he agreed to a plea deal in which he implicated both ms rousseff his former political ally and a former brazilian president luiz inacio lula da silva
in december brazils highest court ordered that mr esteves be released from jail but placed under house arrest and barred from taking any management roles
on monday justice teori zavascki lifted the orders that had placed mr esteves under house arrest and barred from work the lifting of multiple injunctions restricting his movement and activity is preliminary and requires upholding by other high court justices but it allows mr esteves to return to work immediately his lawyer antonio carlos de almeida castro said in the telephone interview tuesday
btg pactual declined a request for comment its shares rose by over 6 percent by early afternoon on tuesday on the sao paulo bourse after reports of justice zavasckis decision
the broader investigation brought on by brazils attorney general that accuses mr esteves of obstruction of justice is still underway but mr almeida castro said that he continued to work on clearing his clients name of all charges and that mondays decision gave him hope that could happen
yesterdays decision is recognition that andre did not have anything to do with this case what we have always argued mr almeida castro said in making that argument he cited testimony by mr do amaral who later said that he had lied about mr estevess role though his credibility has come under question
as to what comes next for mr esteves who faces other accusations his lawyer declined to comment he said that as a result of mondays ruling he could return to btg pactual if he wanted to but that was a decision for him and the banks current management to make
in december after his arrest and in a move to protect the bank mr esteves ceded control in a share swap with a group of seven partners around that time marcelo kalim and roberto sallouti were made co chief executives
a spokeswoman at the supreme federal tribunal brazils highest court declined to comment on tuesday saying that the ruling was under seal


to teach people how to notice details they might otherwise miss amy e herman an expert in visual perception likes to take them to museums and get them to look at the art recently she escorted a group of new york city police officers to the metropolitan museum of art and asked them to describe some of the things they saw
they did their best this seems to be a painting of some males with horses one officer said of rosa bonheurs mid 19th century work the horse fair a scene of semi chaos as horses are driven to market he tried to abide by ms hermans admonishment to avoid words like obviously it appears to be daytime and the horses appear to be traveling from left to right
another pair of officers tackled picassos 1905 at the lapin agile which depicts a wilted looking couple sitting at a french bar after what might have been a long night out they appear to have had an altercation one observed the other said the male and female look like theyre together but the male looks like hell be sleeping on the couch
the officers asked that their names not be used because they were not authorized to speak to reporters they said that they did not know much about art   their jobs allow little opportunity for recreational museumgoing   and ms herman said she preferred it that way
ive had people say i hate art and i say thats not relevant she said this is not a class about pollock versus picasso im not teaching you about art today im using art as a new set of data to help you clear the slate and use the skills you use on the job my goal when you walk out the door is that youre thinking differently about the job
a painting has many functions its a cultural artifact an aesthetic object an insight into a time and a place a piece of commerce to ms herman its also an invaluable repository of visual detail that can help shed light on say how to approach a murder scene its extremely evocative and perfect for critical inquiry she said in an interview what am i seeing here how do i attach a narrative to it
before unleashing the officers in the galleries she talked to them in a classroom in the mets basement she put up a slide of mrs john winthrop a 1773 portrait by john singleton copley the painting showing a woman sitting at a table holding little pieces of fruit is considered a masterpiece of fine detail   the intricacy of the lace trim on the ladys gown the rich decorations on her hat but theres a detail thats so obvious or maybe so seemingly irrelevant that most people fail to mention it in their description
everyone sees that this is a woman with fruit and 80 percent miss the mahogany table she said they also miss the womans reflection in the veneer
ms herman also displayed a pair of slides featuring reclining nudes goyas the nude maja 1797 1800 and lucian freuds 1995 benefits supervisor sleeping who is very fat ms herman asked the group to compare the pictures most cops when i ask this question say it shows someone before and after marriage she said
several officers raised their hands
uh the woman at the bottom is more generously proportioned one said
she is morbidly obese said another
right ms herman said dont make poor word choices think about every word in your communication
ms herman who has a new book out visual intelligence sharpen your perception change your life came to her vocation in a roundabout way she worked first as a lawyer did not like it took a job in the development office at the brooklyn museum and then moved to the frick collection earning a masters degree in art history at night at hunter college she eventually became head of the fricks education department
there inspired by a program in which yale medical students studied works of art to better observe their patients she helped devise a similar program for the frick eventually she moved beyond medicine she has been offering the courses full time as her own business since 2011 her clients include federal and local law enforcement agencies across the country as well as medical students and business executives
steve dye chief of police at the grand prairie police department in texas brought in ms herman recently to talk to a group of officers from the region he said her presentation was invaluable in showing the officers how to better observe and document their findings accurately and free from bias
some of the works of art she showed us we wouldnt notice the finer details he said and were supposed to be professional observers
when forced to deconstruct paintings in group settings people from different professions tend to respond differently
the law enforcement community is much more forthcoming ms herman said cops will outtalk you every time doctors and medical students are much more inhibited they dont want to be wrong and they never want to show that they are ignorant about anything
the new york police department is one of ms hermans most important clients she tailors her presentations to her audiences and they are on the regular training curriculum at the detective bureau and the training bureau at the police academy other divisions use her services from time to time in general her program is voluntary rather than mandatory
amy reminds officers to explore outside the box said police officer heather totoro who added that the program helped officers in training because of its uniqueness and power
she taps into officers unique sixth sense teaching them to tell her what they see not what they think
law enforcement officials tend to view the works through the lens of the job who has done what to whom where is the perp
sometimes theyll say we have an edp here   an emotionally disturbed person ms herman said once she showed some officers el grecos the purification of the temple which depicts jesus expelling the traders and money changers amid turmoil and mayhem
one cop said id collar the guy in pink   that would be jesus   because its clear that hes causing all the trouble
among the works she finds most interesting as a learning tool is vermeers exquisitely ambiguous mistress and maid a 1666 7 portrait of a lady seated at a table handing over or being handed a mysterious piece of paper there are so many different narratives she said the analysts come away asking more questions than answers   whos asking the question whos doing the talking whos listening the cops will say its a servant asking for the day off
she also likes house of fire a 1981 painting by james rosenquist that has three absurdist parts an upside down bag of groceries a bucket under a window shade and a group of aggressively thrusting lipsticks its really conducive to good dialogue she said how many times do officers have to make order out of chaos so many times in our work we come across things that dont have a coherent narrative
the officers in the class seemed impressed both by ms herman and by their grand surroundings
one officer said that she had learned how to sit down with colleagues and deal with the fact that you can perceive things so differently from each other it was her first trip to the met or indeed to any art museum
i didnt know what to expect she said its very thomas crown ish isnt it


mayor bill de blasio said on tuesday that he would earmark additional money for new york citys third water tunnel to ensure that clean drinking water could be delivered to brooklyn and queens within 48 hours of an emergency shutdown of city water tunnel no 2
previously officials said that it would take several months to make even nondrinkable water available which would have been crippling to the five million residents and the businesses in the area
the city will spend 21 million to disinfect and test the new section of city water tunnel no 3 to prepare it as a backup water source to tunnel no 2 by the end of 2017 tunnel no 2 is 80 years old has been in continuous use and has never been shut for inspection the mayor said the investment would provide critical redundancy in our system
most of the infrastructure for tunnel no 3 is in place except for two shafts that will connect parts of the tunnel in queens to the current distribution system and future parts of the system but the tunnel can deliver water without them and already carries water to parts of the bronx manhattan and queens
originally the plan had been to wait until the shafts were completed before disinfecting the tunnel a necessary step before it could carry drinking water emily lloyd the commissioner of the department of environmental protection said
but at the mayors insistence engineers began devising a way to prepare the tunnel ahead of that work which ms lloyd said would probably be completed in 2025
i wish we had thought of it sooner she said but i think its a really good way to go
even now in the event of an emergency with tunnel no 2 the city could deliver water to brooklyn and queens through tunnel no 3 but it would probably have to be boiled ms lloyd said
under the revised plan residents in those boroughs would have a backup supply of clean water at the ready within about two days ms lloyd said adding that the details were still being worked out
over the past decade the city has spent about 10 billion to build redundancy into a system that relies on three main tunnels to deliver about 11 billion gallons of water to the city every day
after reports that money had fallen out of the budget for the shafts for tunnel no 3 the mayor a democrat reasserted his commitment to complete the 657 million project
jim roberts who manages the citys water and sewage operations welcomed the announcement
its always good news when we have more flexibility and more redundancy available to us he said


a professor who gained notoriety by questioning whether the elementary school massacre in newtown conn and other bloody crimes were hoaxes perpetrated by the government has sued a florida university for firing him saying that he was targeted for exercising his right to free speech
the professor james tracy filed suit on monday in federal district court against florida atlantic university where he taught for 13 years and united faculty of florida the union that had represented him
the university a state institution based in boca raton dismissed mr tracy in january from his tenured position as an associate professor of communications for failing to submit forms documenting the work he did outside the university
it was that work writing for an alternative news site and for his blog that drew attention to mr tracy and led to pressure to oust him after the dec 14 2012 shooting at sandy hook elementary school in which 20 first graders and six adults were killed
he wrote one is left to inquire whether the sandy hook shooting ever took place   at least in the way law enforcement authorities and the nations news media have described
he asserted that evidence of multiple gunmen had been suppressed and that parents seen outside the school might have been trained actors working under the direction of state and federal authorities
in his suit mr tracy accused florida atlantic of violating his right to free speech and retaliating against him for exercising that right he also claimed that the union had colluded with the university to deny him due process the university said it could not comment and the union did not reply to messages
the suit contends that the universitys requirement to declare outside activities is unconstitutionally overbroad and vague and impermissibly restricts faculty expression and freedom of speech
mr tracys writings about newtown drew particular attention and scorn from around the country   and he contends bullying and harassment including by his fellow faculty members
but he has made similar allegations about events like the mass shooting in a movie theater in aurora colo in 2012 the washington navy yard shooting and the boston marathon bombing in 2013 and the massacre at a holiday meeting in december in san bernardino calif he suggested that the obama administration had staged them to promote its gun control agenda
florida atlantic disciplined mr tracy in 2013 saying that he had not taken enough care to distance those views from the university some academic and free speech groups came to his defense saying that he had a right to unorthodox or offensive views
the furor flared again in december when lenny and veronique pozner the parents of noah pozner who was 6 when he was killed at newtown wrote an opinion piece in the sun sentinel a florida newspaper in it they wrote that mr tracy had demanded that they prove that noah ever existed that they were his parents and that they owned the rights to photographs of him the professor they said personally sought to cause our family pain and anguish
last fall mr tracy a former president of the faculty union protested the universitys requirement that he fill out a form listing his outside work whether paid or unpaid
he said that the disclosure rule should not apply to unpaid work like his controversial writings and that they did not reflect on his scholarly work
the university gave him a deadline to file three years worth of disclosure forms and the union advised him to comply and then challenge the policy he filed the paperwork a day late
the university dismissed him in january citing the disclosure issue and saying that he had once again failed to fully separate his views from his role at florida atlantic


mumbai   bollywood has a long history of portraying gay characters with cliches or using them as an ostensibly comic sideshow often they are sexual predators whom the male leads epitomes of heterosexual masculinity must be wary of
but several recent movies have challenged those stereotypes suggesting that attitudes in indias movie industry or at least within an influential section of it may be changing
aligarh based on the true story of a gay professor who was hounded possibly to death opened nationwide in india in february to critical acclaim on may 14 the movie will be the closing offering at the new york indian film festival it features mainstream actors   with manoj bajpayee in the lead role   a casting approach without precedent in bollywood and unthinkable just a few years ago
aligarh was followed in march by kapoor  sons a multistar big budget bollywood movie in which one of the two male leads is revealed to be gay a tale of messy family relationships inspired by woody allens hannah and her sisters the film surpassed roughly 16 million in revenues the bollywood gold standard for commercial success
this progressive turn is simultaneously a product of and a response to the changing mores of the urban middle class which has developed a more tolerant view than other segments of society this contingent is numerically a minority but it is bollywoods most significant source of revenue hansal mehta the director of aligarh acknowledged that he would not have found a backer for his movie a decade ago
the audience is more evolved than we think shakun batra director of kapoor  sons said
the success of aligarh and kapoor  sons is likely to lead to more movies on this theme one of them dear dad woven around a road trip involving a father and son opens nationwide in india on may 6
the threshold a short feature about an adolescent boy struggling with his sexual identity had its premiere on april 8 in los angeles although it belongs to the world of alternative filmmaking that is largely confined to university campuses and the urban elite in india
timeout a high school drama about a relationship between brothers that grows strained when one comes out was released in september although it did not have much critical or commercial impact so far the films have been confined to the subject of male same sex relationships
this efflorescence of movies on the subject has not come about easily in a country where the struggle continues to legalize gay sex the movies have faced hurdles almost from their inception
aligarh was based on a 2010 case involving s r siras that made headlines in india mr siras a professor at aligarh muslim university in india was surreptitiously filmed while having sex with a male companion in his apartment and later suspended by the university on charges of sexual misconduct
the movie narrates his troubled last days an invasion of his privacy followed by public humiliation and a professional witch hunt that ends in his mysterious death considered by many to have been a suicide through the movie mr siras in a widely lauded performance by mr bajpayee is a socially troubled man under siege in a homophobic society
aligarh faced controversy even before filming began opposition arose within aligarh muslim university as news of the project spread mr mehta the director was preparing to travel to aligarh roughly two hours from new delhi for research when a call from the vice chancellors office warned him of trouble and told him not to come the hostility led mr mehta to move the filming to bareilly a town of similar size about 100 miles east of aligarh mr mehta and mr bajpayee never got to aligarh
indias censorship board gave the movies trailer an a rating equivalent to r in the united states even though it had no graphic or sexual content
the mayor of aligarh pressured local theaters to take it off the screens leading to an effective ban
mr mehta who was unaware of mr siras until a fan emailed him suggesting that his story had the makings of a movie said he was not surprised by the backlash a university that treats its faculty member in this manner is bound to be resistant he said a town that renders him homeless is bound to be resistant
kapoor  sons a film even more firmly in the universe of mainstream bollywood did not find itself the subject of a public storm instead it was confronted by a movie industry often fearful of change five actors turned down the part of the gay lead mr batra said and his search went on for a year until fawad khan a pakistani actor popular in india took on the role
mr batra and the movies producers aware that the films plotline could be commercially risky decided to avoid any mention of same sex relationships in the movies promotions a big part of our society is homophobic mr batra said and he did not want to alienate audiences by telling them straightaway that this is a coming out of the closet story and half of them dont even show up
mr batra said that it was high time mainstream bollywood portrayed gay lives in a dignified way the impulse came from watching so many bad bollywood movies that use homosexual characters as caricatures he said i was thinking why are we making these characters comical why are they only there for promiscuous jokes
the movies arrive at a delicate moment in the long battle for lesbian gay bisexual and transgender rights in india in february the supreme court of india agreed to review its widely condemned 2013 judgment that reinstated a ban on gay sex a law known as section 377 the decision once again raised the temperature of the long running battle between liberals and conservatives on the issue a conflict within indian society reflected by the reaction to aligarh and kapoor  sons
the embrace of these new movies may also make them something of a bellwether of the direction in which the discourse on lgbt rights in india is moving
section 377 will eventually be thrown out mr mehta said aligarh is part of that larger history that this country is going to experience


cambridge mass   when she was 15 the singer and songwriter julien baker had a suspicion maybe god made me gay on purpose and has chosen me for hell
it sounds like a precociously dark thought but at that age ms baker was already moving past years of drug abuse and struggling to find the deeply held faith that now lives alongside doubt and self laceration in her chiming biting songs
over the past few months ms baker now 20 has quickly built a sizable and devoted fan base her debut solo album sprained ankle initially self released was picked up by the independent label 6131 records critics took notice including jon caramanica of the new york times who named it one of the best albums of 2015 on wednesday night she performs at the bowery ballroom
growing up in memphis ms baker an only child attended church with her mother and father with whom shes still close her parents separated when she was in elementary school and the ritual fell away ms baker started spending more time with older kids smoking and drinking and eventually turning to hard drugs
she remembers hearing someone talking about the painkiller oxycontin and thinking thats gonna be the thing i do all the time eventually my older friends started being like maybe you should slow down 
ms baker was speaking at a dunkin donuts in cambridge mass on sunday afternoon hours before a performance her addictive tendencies have migrated to the chains coffee which she often playfully writes about on twitter mostly excited to be back in boston the holy land of dunkindonuts fans have started giving her dunkin gift cards as tokens of their affection
she walked through cambridge looking as close to 14 as to 20 wearing a canvas backpack that was nearly as big as she was to call ms baker tiny risks making her sound bigger than she is her black leather jacket featured a patch of a coffee mug with the phrase sleep when im dead
while in the grip of addiction in memphis ms baker would wander the streets at ridiculous times and members of a local church took an interest in her well being they didnt ask any questions about my eternal soul she said they fed her when she was hungry she explained and they just took care of my needs because they loved me and that was amazing
because of her experience at progressive churches ms baker is convinced that being gay and religious dont have to be mutually exclusive theres a lot of tolerance out there she said but even more than tolerance acceptance and support
in conversation ms baker animatedly talks about her large circle of musician friends and about her favorite writers and thinkers including rilke kierkegaard and c s lewis she recently made the decision to focus on music full time taking a break from her studies at middle tennessee state university in murfreesboro where she has nearly enough credits to graduate her thoughts on kierkegaard and company and on her own experiences are perhaps uncommonly articulate but not extraordinary in a smart earnest seeker of her age
whats atypical for any age is how she transubstantiates those thoughts into such potent songs she performs them with a haunting expertly modulated energy some like the title track of sprained ankle pass in a uniformly plaintive key others build to shrieking displays worthy of an exorcism
ms baker has roots in the punk and hardcore scene her band forrister which she started with a friend when she was 14 made a much denser louder noise than sprained ankle but if the melodrama of emo bands like dashboard confessional echoes in her solo music so does the soulful keening of jeff buckley and the hushed literate misery of elliott smith she contributes a cover of mr smiths ballad of big nothing to a forthcoming tribute album called say yes
sunday night at the sinclair a club just west of harvard square she performed in a gray t shirt that read sad songs make me feel better during the song everybody does the mostly reverent and quiet crowd loudly joined her as she sang i know myself better than anybody else the singer grinned and laughed her way through the rest of the dark lyrics looking giddy at the communal moment
at church it was always easy for me to kind of detach because its not about you ms baker said before the show its about everyones shared experience she fondly recalled playing her song rejoice for a crowd of about 10 kids in a church basement in detroit last year near that songs end she screams
despite such sentiments ms baker is leery of peddling inspirational messages to her fans i dont know how explicit to be with it gets better  she said i wouldnt say it gets better we just get better at dealing with it


houston   standard  poors stripped exxon mobil of its top credit rating on tuesday for the first time since the great depression signaling that even the mightiest oil company cannot escape the worst oil and gas slump since the 1980s
only two american companies now have an sp aaa rating   microsoft and johnson  johnson nearly every oil and gas company has been downgraded recently scores of mostly small ones have filed for bankruptcy protection
but investors shrugged off the downgrade to aa still a stellar rating and slightly bid up exxon mobils stock price on tuesday to close at 8763 standard  poors described the companys financial situation as stable the downgrade though will probably raise the companys borrowing costs and may lower somewhat its status among state oil companies as the premier partner to have for complex project development
most important the downgrade was another warning that the company was coming under pressure from persistently low oil and natural gas prices as it also faced investigations of several state attorneys general into accusations that the company tried to mislead the public about issues surrounding climate change
it also underscored a persistent problem exxon mobil and other large oil companies have tried to solve with only mixed success in recent years finding additional reserves to replace the oil and gas it pumps out of the ground every day unfortunately for the companies many of those new reserves can be found only in places that carry political risk or are so deep in the ocean or high in the arctic that they are prohibitively expensive to produce when commodity prices are low
it shows you low oil prices humble even the mighty said fadel gheit a senior oil analyst at oppenheimer they are off the gold standard
the ratings demotion did not come as a surprise sp put the company on notice in february shortly after oil prices had collapsed to below 30 a barrel vaulting much of the industry on the verge of bankruptcy pressures have eased somewhat since then as oil prices have bounced back by about 60 percent nevertheless few analysts project that oil prices will recover to their 2014 levels of over 100 a barrel   well over double the current price   any time before 2020 a glut of natural gas on domestic and international markets has also trimmed exxon mobils revenue
the company reported a 58 percent decline in profits in the fourth quarter it will report its first quarter results on friday
the companys saving grace has been its refinery and chemical industries which benefit from the low oil and gas input costs
analysts are divided about which way oil and natural gas prices will go in the coming months though most see a firming to more normal levels sometime next year crude and gas inventories are bulging around much of the world and irans oil exports continue to increase as it receives relief from nuclear sanctions few oil and natural gas wells are profitable to drill at todays prices
the ratings agency explained that it made its decision based on the companys cash flow and debt levels saying that the ratio between the two was inadequate to sustain the aaa rating
it noted that the companys debt level has more than doubled in recent years reflecting high capital spending on major projects in a high commodity price environment and dividends and share repurchases that substantially exceeded internally generated cash flow
in our view the companys greatest business challenge is replacing its ongoing production sp added
while it complimented exxon mobils traditional fiscal prudence the ratings agency warned that it could lower the companys rating further if it was incapable of adapting to a persistent period of low oil and natural gas prices
the ratings agency pointedly raised questions about the companys decision to spend 54 billion on stock buybacks since 2012 while its debt load was ballooning that cash could have been used to pay down debt critics have noted
sp also noted that while the company was currently reducing capital spending it will ultimately need to spend more to maintain levels of production and replace reserves from aging oil and gas fields
exxon mobil officers said the rating cut would make little difference to the company
nothing has changed in terms of the companys financial philosophy or prudent management of its balance sheet said scott j silvestri a spokesman exxon mobils access to financial markets on attractive terms remains strong and is a competitive advantage to industry peers
wall street analysts also did not react to the news with alarm saying the low oil and natural gas prices made the move inevitable
in the grand scheme of things i dont think it matters that much said philip h weiss chief investment analyst at baltimore washington financial advisors if exxon needs to raise some cash it might cost them a little bit more but its not going to keep them from getting the money


a monthslong conflict over a plan to send eight chimpanzees from a laboratory in the united states to a wildlife park in england intensified this week when animal welfare groups and primate sanctuaries went to court for the second time to stop the move
the new england anti vivisection society an animal rights group is leading the effort to block the united states fish and wildlife service from allowing the move after the society brought a similar lawsuit in november to stop the transfer the wildlife service pulled back from its initial decision to grant the permit and reopened public comment
the chimpanzees in question are longtime residents of the yerkes national primate research center at emory university in atlanta
yerkes is trying to reduce the number of its chimpanzees because of a change in research focus also medical experiments using chimpanzees have become almost impossible because of new regulations yerkes gave seven chimps to the chattanooga zoo in tennessee but still has more than 50 and arranged to donate eight to wingham wildlife park in kent england
on thursday the agency told yerkes and animal welfare groups that having finished the second comment period it had decided to grant a permit as soon as may 1 to allow yerkes to give eight chimps to the wildlife park on monday the antivivisection society and others responded with a new complaint in federal district court in washington that aims to get more information and stop the permit from being granted
at the heart of the issue are protections granted to captive chimps because of their endangered status the protections went into effect in september
any export of chimps must further the survival of the species according to the endangered species act theodora capaldo the president and executive director of the antivivisection society said this move offered no benefit to the species adding that five sanctuaries in the united states were ready to take the chimps she called the fish and wildlife decision a betrayal of the public trust
yerkes has contended all along that wingham would be a good location for the chimps and simply noted monday that it was aware of the legal complaint and would continue to move toward the goal of moving them to england
tim van norman in charge of international permits for the fish and wildlife service said he was confident that the move would enhance the survival in the wild of chimpanzees because of a donation that yerkes had agreed to make to the population and sustainability network an international nonprofit group
a long list of zoos sanctuaries and primatologists in the united states europe and africa objected to the move including richard w wrangham at harvard brian hare at duke and richard leakey in kenya
the wildlife park is not accredited by the european association of zoos and aquaria and the european endangered species program opposes the move because there is already a surplus of chimpanzees in europe
but jane goodall perhaps the person most identified with chimpanzees in the public mind filed a comment with the fish and wildlife service saying she supported the move after having visited wingham and seeing firsthand the wonderful extensive indoor and outdoor housing which has been purpose built to receive chimpanzees
when yerkes first applied for a permit it was going to donate money to a sanctuary in africa run by dr wrangham the sanctuary refused the donation and opposed the transfer
then yerkes with the assistance of the fish and wildlife service arranged to pledge 45000 a year to the population and sustainability network
the network agreed to create a project for chimpanzees modeled on a current program in uganda bringing health and livelihood interventions to people while protecting mountain gorillas
ms capaldo criticized the use of the donation as a way to promote species survival can people pay for an export permit she said
not all of the plaintiffs in the complaint are human georgia for instance is one of the eight chimpanzees at yerkes


another dwarf planet has a moon
astronomers announced on tuesday that they have spotted a small moon around makemake one of the icy worlds beyond the orbit of neptune
this distant region of the solar system known as the kuiper belt has been one of intriguing mysteries when the international astronomical union demoted pluto in 2006 it created a new category of celestial classification dwarf planets which are big enough to be round but not big enough to be the gravitational bullies of their orbits
in addition to pluto three other kuiper belt objects have been recognized as dwarf planets haumea makemake eris
pluto has five moons haumea has two moons eris has one moon it had seemed that makemake pronounced mah kay mah kay 890 miles wide and the largest kuiper belt object after pluto and eris had none
makemake was the odd one out said alex parker a research scientist at the southwest research institute in boulder colo makemake was the only one that didnt have a moon
michael e brown a professor of planetary astronomy at the california institute of technology who led the team that discovered haumea makemake and eris and the moons of haumea and eris had looked for moons around makemake too he did not find any but that was not necessarily the end of the story ive always been suspicious in the back of my mind he said
astronomers led by marc w buie of the southwest research institute decided to use the hubble space telescope to take a closer look and see what might have been missed they found a dot next to makemake   the moon which for now is designated s2015 136472 1 and nicknamed mk 2
when the moon turned up in the data it was not actually that faint said dr parker who performed the image analysis for the astronomers 11300th the brightness of makemake is considered not that faint
the moons orbit is almost edge on when seen from earth in the earlier observations the moon was by chance too close to makemake and obscured in the glare dr parker said
the astronomers estimate that mk 2 was about 13000 miles from makemake and orbits about once every 12 days more observations will enable them to precisely trace the orbit and that will give an accurate measure of the mass and density of makemake
the discovery should also help resolve one of makemakes mysteries temperature data has indicated that most of the surface is bright and cold but some of it is dark and comparatively warm
yet the brightness of makemake does not change as would be expected if the dark spots were rotating in and out of view
perhaps the dark warm signal emanates not from makemakes surface but from a moon covered with a charcoal dark material circling makemake a dark warm moon about 100 miles wide would largely agree with the observations dr parker said


raleigh nc   the protracted battle over north carolinas voting rules moved to a federal appeals court on tuesday one day after a judge upheld the republican backed overhaul and increased the likelihood that the changes would be in effect for this years presidential election
opponents of the changes here which include the introduction of a voter identification requirement and a shortening of the states early voting period submitted formal notices of appeals
that shifts the litigation to the united states court of appeals for the fourth circuit lawyers said they would ask the fourth circuit which sits in richmond va to expedite its consideration of the matter
we are evaluating the grounds for appeal said michael a glick a lawyer for critics who have described north carolinas changes as efforts to suppress the vote of democratic leaning constituencies like minorities and students we have identified grounds which is why we issued the notice this morning
plans for the appeals which the laws opponents had vowed to pursue after monday nights decision by judge thomas d schroeder of federal district court in winston salem did little to diminish the good mood of republicans who have argued that key modifications are safeguards against fraud in a state that is among the nations most contested in presidential elections democrats say the kind of misconduct the law targets is virtually nonexistent
in a statement on tuesday the chairmen of the general assemblys joint legislative elections oversight committee welcomed the ruling by judge schroeder who was appointed by president george w bush and made a pointed jab toward the federal government which joined the litigation against the state
we are glad the court recognized the law provides all voters an equal opportunity to vote and stopped this politically motivated overreach from the obama justice department said the chairmen state representative david r lewis and state senator bob rucho
a spokeswoman said monday that the justice department was disappointed in the ruling reviewing the decision carefully and evaluating our options
the changes to north carolinas elections procedures which the republican controlled legislature first approved in 2013 are sweeping beyond the identification requirement which state officials relaxed substantially amid the litigation lawmakers and gov pat mccrory a republican abolished same day voter registration and ended preregistration which had permitted some teenagers to sign up for the voting rolls before their 18th birthdays
after two trials and the development of a record of at least 23000 pages judge schroeder concluded that north carolina had provided legitimate state interests for its voter id requirement and electoral system
unless a higher court intervenes his ruling means the changes will be in effect when north carolina votes this autumn
although critics of judge schroeders opinion offered few details on tuesday about their planned arguments to the fourth circuit they began an assault about how the judge applied his factual findings which consumed more than 190 pages of the 485 page ruling
the judge seemed to really think that if its not impossible for someone to register to vote after this law then its acceptable said dale ho a lawyer for the american civil liberties union from our perspective thats not really the proper test
still the laws critics could encounter a significant obstacle at the fourth circuit because appellate judges generally accept the assessments of trial courts on matters of fact
republicans and democrats tend to view these facts through different lenses and judges are no different   not because they want to help their party but because they are predisposed to see facts in different ways richard l hasen an elections law expert at the university of california irvine wrote in an analysis of mondays ruling
even if democratic appointees form the majority of the panel that hears the case professor hasen wrote the judge made a number of factual findings adverse to the plaintiffs which are supposed to get great deference by the appellate courts


of pennsylvania ballets 43 dancers 17 will not return next season the companys artistic director angel corella confirmed on tuesday he said he chose not to renew 12 dancers contracts a decision based partly on the performers physiques technical abilities and versatility five others quit
mr corella has made no secret of his mission to revamp pennsylvania ballet of which he became artistic director in 2014 but these are his starkest changes yet
dancers are hired on annual contracts but because of union rules mr corella had to spend a full season with the company before he could act its always hard to do these things he said but we have to do whats best for the whole company not individuals
francis veyette a principal dancer who decided to retire when he learned that his contract would not be renewed said that while he was sad to leave mr corellas decisions were his prerogative mr veyettes wife lauren fadeley a principal who quit is joining miami city ballet
mr corella said that his time with pennsylvania ballet so far had been a good opportunity to see who was on board with his artistic vision in rehearsals he said he saw unhappy faces as well as petulant gestures like hands on hips and crossed arms sometimes you have to do things that are not your favorite he said there were ballets i didnt like doing but you do it because its your job
in the philadelphia inquirer evelyn kocak a soloist whose contract was not renewed described similar comments made by mr corella as unfair knowing how short a ballet career is and how difficult it is to get a job elsewhere everyone was professional about the changes she said in an interview
among mr corellas changes has been what departing dancers described as putting his own stamp on repertory works especially those by george balanchine whose protegee barbara weisberger founded pennsylvania ballet in 1963 brooke moore a principal who was let go said we were always called the sister balanchine ballet company and we worried that would dissipate
mr corella denied any move away from the companys legacy and pointed to the prevalence of balanchine works in repertory as well as having the balanchine dancers charles askegard and kyra nichols on staff as ballet masters
in the future he said each program will include a balanchine dance alongside works by living choreographers like christopher wheeldon the spaces left by departing dancers will be filled by new hires that so far include sterling baca of american ballet theater and nayara lopes of dance theater of harlem
mr corella said he hoped the changes would lead not only to a more vibrant company but also to higher ticket sales but whether or not hes successful ms moore said thats just not the company that barbara weisberger founded


health officials in tennessee have confirmed six cases of measles in the memphis area since thursday surpassing in one weekend the nationwide total for all of 2016
until the recent outbreak there had been four cases reported this year a steep decline from 2014 and 2015 but health officials say the frequency and intensity of outbreaks are unpredictable and they were racing to try to contain this one
dr tim jones the state epidemiologist for the tennessee department of health said in a telephone interview that none of the six patients had been immunized they included infants who were too young to be immunized and at least one adult who chose to forgo immunization all in shelby county
what concerns dr jones is that the six people were divided into three unrelated clusters in different parts of town and officials had been unable to piece together how their paths might have crossed
over the weekend health officials contacted susceptible individuals who might have visited health facilities near the same time as the patients to confirm that they had been vaccinated or to encourage them to get a shot now
since the first cases were identified the department has vaccinated more than 100 people and many more probably got doses at their private doctors dr jones said
those who have been immunized have little to worry about but he said the number of infections was likely to rise
i will be shocked if we dont have many more cases he said
until the recent outbreak the state had confirmed just nine cases since 2004
despite the outbreak there has been a significant decrease in measles patients so far this year in the united states
as of april 1 four people from three states   california georgia and texas   were reported to have measles according to the centers for disease control and prevention
by contrast 159 cases from 18 states and the district of columbia were reported in for the same time period in 2015 health officials were worried then because 70 percent of those cases were linked to an outbreak that started in december 2014 in disney theme parks in orange county calif
the infection flourished mostly among unvaccinated children and adults who did not know if they had been vaccinated thirty more cases were reported by the end of the year
in 2014 the united states had the record number of measles cases   667   since the disease was thought to have been eliminated in 2000 nearly 400 of them occurred in unvaccinated amish communities in ohio at the time the philippines was having a major outbreak and many of the cases in 2014 were imported from there
measles spreads through the air and is highly contagious not only does it pass through droplets in the air but it can also linger infected people can also spread measles before a telltale rash of flat red spots develops
the measles virus literally is like a tracking device said dr manisha patel a medical epidemiologist at the cdc it will find susceptible people
travelers bring the measles virus to the united states and transmit it to people who are unvaccinated but since 2000 it no longer originates here
most infants do not have their first measles mumps rubella shot known as mmr until 12 months leaving them vulnerable to infection if not enough people who are old enough to get vaccinated do measles can be serious in children younger than 5 sometimes causing pneumonia brain swelling and even death
the idea is that enough people in a population   or herd   must be vaccinated to protect the vulnerable who cannot be vaccinated because they are newborns or because they are being treated for cancer with radiation or drugs
after the disney outbreak a push ensued to get the mmr shot to unvaccinated children but some parents defended their right to raise their children without immunizations
in the 2014 15 school year the median rate of mmr adoption for kindergarten students in united states was 94 percent tennessee reported 951 percent
the cdc says that the vaccination is about 93 percent effective and that two doses are 97 percent effective it recommends children receive their second dose at ages 4 through 6 years
if you can get vaccinated you should get vaccinated dr patel said thats the best way to protect not only yourself but other people around you that cant get the vaccine and to protect these outbreaks from happening


for all the issues that twitter has grappled with over the last few years   the slowdown in user growth a revolving door of executives and confusion over how to use the social media service   it has had one constant pillar of strength a bulletproof advertising business
now add that business to twitters growing list of problems
on tuesday twitter reported revenue of 595 million for the first quarter   which was below wall street estimates   and said that marketers were not spending as quickly on ads on the service as it had anticipated that trend line may not reverse anytime soon the company based in san francisco is also projecting sales in the second quarter that are below analyst expectations
the numbers punctuated an earnings report that showed the depth of twitters challenges the number of people joining the service continues to be modest even after a battery of experiments by the company to lure new users and twitter remains unprofitable reporting a first quarter net loss of 80 million or 12 cents a diluted share though that was narrower than the 162 million loss from a year earlier
the results add to the obstacles facing jack dorsey a founder of the company who was reappointed chief executive last year and who vowed to turn it around to do so he restructured the board replacing longtime members with new additions he made sweeping changes in engineering and product appointing new leaders as some veteran executives departed in october he cut more than 300 jobs or roughly 8 percent of the work force
yet over the last year twitters stock has plunged about 65 percent after the earnings report on tuesday investors sent the companys shares down more than 12 percent in extended trading
brand advertisers have been twitters bread and butter for years said debra aho williamson an analyst for emarketer an industry research firm to hear the company say that its struggling to increase revenue from these types of companies is a concern
on tuesday mr dorsey was relatively quiet on an earnings call with analysts though he said he was intent on improving twitter so it was easier to use he also emphasized twitters focus on live events   particularly using its periscope streaming video application   to sell the power of the live nature of the network to its advertisers twitter reached a deal with the national football league to livestream 10 thursday night football games on twitter this season for example
other twitter executives did not shy away from the companys first quarter sales performance for the last five or six years twitters ad business has been a huge driver for the company growth rates regularly exceed 60 percent for the first quarter sales were up 36 percent from a year earlier they were estimated to rise as little as 17 percent in the second quarter
adam bain twitters chief operating officer said that video advertising was strong for the first quarter but added that the results were hurt because advertisers did not spend as much on older advertising products like promoted tweets as the company anticipated he said that negative press reports about twitter were not having an effect on advertisers
lets be perfectly clear on the reason   demand was weaker than we thought anthony noto twitters chief financial officer said in an interview referring to the companys revenue he added that the market for twitters older advertising products was still sizable though that could be threatened if the weak demand continued
twitter faces tough advertising competition from other social media companies like facebook which is expected to capture more than 31 percent of advertiser digital spending in the united states this year according to data from emarketer other companies like snapchat also compete with twitter for ads
twitters user growth which has been the companys prime area of concern since its 2013 initial public offering improved in the first quarter   though the growth remained modest the company said it had an average of 310 million monthly users in the first three months of the year up from 305 million users in the last three months of 2015
the 305 million figure excluded so called fast followers who use a text message version of the service the company no longer includes fast followers in its user numbers a year earlier twitter posted the total users at 302 million
the 310 million monthly visitors is more than some analysts had expected a boost that the company attributed to seasonal additions and an increase in marketing
but those figures come with a caveat most of that growth came from outside the united states and from markets that were less mature and therefore less financially lucrative for twitter
the domestic number   the one that everyone cares about   its not growing said rich greenfield a media and technology analyst at btig research an industry firm theyve just literally banged into a wall


skip bayless   like stephen a smith his partner on espn2s first take  is loved and loathed he takes sides he fulminates he says things he shouldnt
his daily face offs against smith are chronicled online as if they were 21st century lincoln douglas debates gone mad with a lot of tim tebow talk thrown in to drive us crazy
and now he is leaving heading almost certainly to the only network that wants and needs him fs1 which is trying to build its own debate show culture with bayless as its leading town crier
baylesss first take finale will be the day after the nba finals but he will leave espn when his contract expires at the end of august
this is the latest loss of big name talent at espn last year for various reasons keith olbermann bill simmons jason whitlock and colin cowherd left earlier this week mike tirico chose to say goodbye after a quarter century and move to nbc sports where it appears he may get a shot at replacing al michaels on sunday night football and bob costas as the olympics prime time host
i dont get the sense that bayless is leaving because of any concerns at espn about paying high priced talent while it is losing subscribers to cord cutting this is it seems bayless flush with nearly a decade of rising success at espn looking to receive greater riches and possibly more control at fox owned fs1
the deal with fs1 is not done yet but there is no reason to think it will unravel bayless turned down espns offer last friday and he is talking to fs1 executives chiefly jamie horowitz the former coordinating producer of first take who is the president of fox sports national networks he has worked with bayless and since going to fox coveted him now it appears he has him
horowitz cannot reunite bayless with smith who renewed his contract last year for over 3 million annually
espn is left with a major question who among its talking heads is capable of replacing bayless it may not be easy to find the right person chemistry is difficult to manufacture you need the right mix of intelligence and bloviating espn cant throw just anyone onto first take and expect him or her to match hardheaded wits against smith a verbal force who occasionally gets into trouble with his bosses his remarks about domestic violence during the ray rice scandal earned him a suspension espns former ombudsman robert lipsyte wrote in 2014 that the positives of a show like first take a growing audience and some thought provoking entertaining television also mean that espn has to live with   or at least take more responsibility   when that particular septic tank overflows
by the cold analysis of nielsen viewership the debates   septic or otherwise   bring in lots of viewers first take attracted 412000 viewers in the first three months of 2016 a record for the show during the first quarter the show hit its peak average viewership in the fourth quarter last year with an average of 483000 viewers
by comparison mike  mike the two man show that precedes first take saw its viewership rise 16 percent in the first quarter this year to 274000 maybe mike greenberg and mike golic should get red faced more often
i dont mean to be flippant about replacing skip easily said norby williamson espns executive vice president for production but i feel very confident that well continue to innovate the show and build on the success that the two of them had its not like we havent faced things like this before but weve been pretty adept at navigating successful change
espn will also have to replace tirico a likable versatile announcer who probably could have called monday night football for another 15 or 20 years but tiricos role is less personality driven than baylesss was those who watch first take tune in for smith vs bayless tirico sets up jon gruden he doesnt debate him which doesnt mean espn wont miss him
hes contributed a ridiculous level to virtually every platform we have   college football monday night football sportscenter   and he means a lot to the fabric of this place williamson said but this creates opportunities for other people not to minimize what hes contributed to us but im very confident we have people who can step up and build on his work


san francisco   from the ipod to the iphone to the ipad apple created more than a decades worth of new gadgets to fuel its historic growth
but the technology companys dazzling 13 year run of quarterly revenue growth ended on tuesday   a casualty of apples already immense size weakness in key global markets like china and the lack of another hot product to pry open the wallets of customers
apple the silicon valley giant that has spent much of the last five years as the worlds most valuable company said on tuesday that revenue for its second fiscal quarter which ended in march declined 13 percent to 506 billion as sales of its flagship product the iphone fell with little else to take its place
nearly half of the smartphones sold in the united states are iphones and apple may be reaching the saturation point among potential customers in other developed countries rival smartphone makers using googles android operating system continue to challenge the company with powerful less expensive devices
over all apple sold 16 percent fewer iphones in the quarter compared with the same quarter last year
theres no question that apples best days are behind it said toni sacconaghi an analyst at the bernstein brokerage firm the company grew at astronomical rates and its now so big that its ability to grow at those rates doesnt exist anymore
apples disappointing quarter is the latest in a string of bad reports from the biggest technology companies while the reasons vary   including the long slump in personal computer sales and slipping prices for online ads   a common theme has been that as these companies have grown into giants it has become harder and harder to keep up the momentum
apples chief executive timothy d cook described the decline as a pause not a fundamental change in the companys business
this too shall pass he said in a call with wall street analysts to discuss the results the future of apple is very bright
but investors were not so sure net income fell 22 percent to 105 billion or 190 a share apples results fell well short of wall street expectations and its shares were down as much as 8 percent in after hours trading that wiped out about 47 billion in stock market value
sales fell faster in greater china which includes hong kong and taiwan than in any other region down 26 percent compared with the previous year sales in mainland china apples second largest market after the united states fell 11 percent as the country struggled with a slowing economy apples prospects there remain uncertain since the government recently shut down apples e book and digital movie services without explanation
apples forecast for the current quarter did not make wall street more confident the company projected revenue of 41 billion to 43 billion that is much worse than wall street had been predicting
amit daryanani an analyst with rbc capital markets said that apple may be entering a period of slowing replacement sales similar to what happened in the personal computer market a decade ago
mr daryanani also noted that many companies had been hurt by the strong dollar which makes american products more expensive overseas its a common theme across technology companies he said
mr cook portrayed the slowdown as part of the normal two year product cycle of apples iphone the companys larger iphone 6 line introduced in 2014 led to a surge in sales last year as customers upgraded sending apples stock to a record high
if you look at our installed base of iphones today versus two years ago its increased 80 percent he said
apples newest phone the four inch iphone se went on sale march 31   too late to affect the second quarters results   and mr cook said that there was more demand for it than apple could currently fill
apple has high hopes for some of its consumer oriented services such as apple music and icloud as well as for its nascent watch accessory but those have yet to turn into giant businesses apple said first year sales of the watch exceeded first year sales of the original iphone but declined to provide specific figures
the ipad tablet once a powerful revenue generator for the company has had disappointing sales in recent years despite new larger professional versions but mr cook said ipad sales would improve in the current quarter
apple still generates tens of billions of dollars of cash every year and the company said tuesday that it would pass along more of that money to its shareholders apple said it would raise its quarterly dividend 10 percent to 57 cents a share and increase the amount of stock it buys back to 175 billion
apples services segment was one bright spot in the quarter with revenue up 20 percent the company ended the quarter with 233 billion in cash and marketable securities
when we look at the dynamics of the iphone business we feel very good luca maestri apples chief financial officer said in a telephone interview although unit sales were down 16 percent we continue to draw millions of people that are buying their first smartphone to iphone
denny fish a portfolio manager at the janus global technology fund said tuesday that the fund sold some of its position in apple in the first quarter citing the companys growth challenges and worries about its position in china
apple which is based in cupertino calif is expected to introduce other iphones this year which could give sales a jolt
the company has been embroiled in a well publicized battle with the federal government over unlocking encrypted iphones but mr maestri said it had not seen any impact on sales positive or negative from the controversy


frankfurt   a powerpoint presentation was prepared by a top technology executive at volkswagen in 2006 laying out in detail how the automaker could cheat on emissions tests in the united states
the presentation has been discovered as part of the continuing investigations into volkswagen according to two people who have seen the document and who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the legal action against the company it provides the most direct link yet to the genesis of the deception at volkswagen which admitted late last year that 11 million vehicles worldwide were equipped with software to cheat on tests that measured pollution in emissions
it is not known how widely the presentation was distributed at volkswagen but its existence and the proposal it made to install the software highlight a series of flawed decisions at the embattled carmaker surrounding the emissions problem
those decisions exposed the company to billions of dollars in fines as well as criminal investigations last friday volkswagen reported a record 62 billion loss after setting aside 18 billion to cover the costs of fines legal claims and recalls as a first step in a broader settlement under negotiation volkswagen agreed to fix or buy back 500000 diesel vehicles in the united states beginning with model year 2009
at various junctures over the last decade executives at volkswagen ignored or underplayed warning signs
as the powerpoint underscored people inside volkswagen were aware that its diesel engines were polluting significantly more than allowed yet company executives repeatedly rejected proposals to improve the emissions equipment according to two volkswagen employees present at meetings where the proposals were discussed
even when regulators started asking questions in 2014 volkswagen continued to install the cheating software for more than a year and the company further compounded its problems by underestimating the potential penalties and the risks to its reputation according to court documents obtained by the new york times
volkswagen declined to comment citing the continuing investigation the company has said that top management was not aware of the cheating software known as a defeat device ansgar rempp a partner at jones day the law firm heading volkswagens internal inquiry also declined to comment
what is now clear is that the current crisis at volkswagen traces back to the powerpoint presentation a decade ago
volkswagen engineers at the companys research and development complex in wolfsburg realized that the emissions equipment in their newest diesel engine would wear out too quickly if it were calibrated to meet american pollution standards the emissions rules in the united states are more stringent than those in europe
a technology expert at volkswagen offered a solution in the powerpoint presentation just a few pages long the 2006 presentation included a graph that explained the process for testing the amount of pollution spewing from a car in a laboratory regulators would try to replicate a variety of conditions on the road
the pattern of those tests the presentation said was entirely predictable and a piece of code embedded in the software that controlled the engine could recognize that pattern activating equipment to reduce emissions just for testing purposes
elements of the presentation were reported earlier by suddeutsche zeitung newspaper and several german broadcasters under german privacy law the executive cannot be named
the software evolved over the years it was later upgraded to detect other telltale signs of a regulatory test like a steering wheel that was not moving according to felix domke a computer expert and self described hacker who has analyzed the software
during regulators tests the engine software would turn up the pollution controls when it was on the road equipment designed to neutralize harmful nitrogen oxides would turned down resulting in emissions that were up to 40 times the legal limit
volkswagen had a growing awareness of that emissions discrepancy in recent years
in a court filing the company lawyers as part of a defense in a shareholder lawsuit suggest that the discrepancy was common knowledge within the industry the vehicles of all manufacturers exceed various emissions limits in normal street use volkswagen lawyers said in a court filing which was obtained by the times they further argued that the differences between road emissions and lab emissions were tolerated by regulators
the management board led by martin winterkorn the chief executive who resigned in september after the admission of cheating repeatedly rebuffed lower ranking employees who submitted technical proposals for upgrading the emissions controls according to the two people who attended meetings where the proposals were discussed the management board rejected the proposals because of cost the people said
lawyers for mr winterkorn did not respond to requests for comment
more effective emissions equipment would have made volkswagen vehicles hundreds of dollars more expensive without providing a benefit that customers could perceive in the united states even a modestly higher sticker price would have made it more difficult for volkswagen to compete with rivals like toyota and honda
but cleaner diesel would also have spared volkswagen a scandal that has already caused sales in the united states to plunge 13 percent from january through march and repairing diesels in the united states will cost additional hundreds of millions if not billions of dollars
court documents filed in germany by lawyers for volkswagen show how the company vastly underestimated the potential penalties
after american officials began asking questions about volkswagen emissions company executives including mr winterkorn thought they could deal with the problem quietly at a relatively low cost according to the court documents that were obtained by the times
an american law firm hired by volkswagen to examine regulatory issues kirkland  ellis told the carmaker in an august 2015 memo that the previous record penalty was 100 million the fine was imposed on hyundai kia in 2014 for violating the limits on greenhouse gas emissions involving 11 million vehicles or nearly twice as many cars as in volkswagens case
at that level the penalties could have easily been absorbed by volkswagen which had sales of 213 billion euros last year or around 240 billion but the potential fine for volkswagen is likely to dwarf the previous record based on what the company has already set aside
court documents filed by volkswagen indicate that the technicians thought the chances of being caught cheating were slim when the deception began in 2006 while technology to test cars under road conditions was available it was not widely used by regulators
the seemingly small danger of discovery may have been a factor in tempting the vw engineers to make the impermissible software alteration volkswagen lawyers said in the court documents
in recent years the chances of discovery increased it became easier to buy emissions testing equipment from suppliers and numerous environmental groups or independent laboratories did so to show that many carmakers were understating diesel emissions
signs of irregularities in volkswagen cars were discovered in 2014 by a nonprofit group the international council on clean transportation based on testing performed at west virginia university still volkswagen continued to install defeat devices in its cars including some audi and porsche models until last year
volkswagen also underplayed the potential threat of the diesel problems as well as the wrath of american regulators mr winterkorn and other top managers were used to deferential treatment by government officials in germany where it is one of the largest employers
after the american regulators started looking into the emissions issue in 2014 the company didnt give the problem much weight
mr winterkorn received a two page memo in november 2014 that summarized the technical problems with volkswagen vehicles in various locations plans to recall about 500000 diesel vehicles in the united states because of the emissions issue were granted a single terse paragraph at the bottom of the second page according to the memo which was obtained by the times
the emissions problem was not corrected with the recall and despite the regulators growing impatience volkswagen did not appear alarmed by the possible consequences
during a meeting in july 2015 of high ranking volkswagen managers to discuss regulatory issues around the world diesel engines in the united states was one item out of six on the agenda it was allocated 10 minutes in a meeting that was set to last 1 hour and 45 minutes according to a copy of the agenda obtained by the times
on sept 3 2015 volkswagen finally admitted to american regulators that diesel vehicles had a defeat device still executives were shocked at the response
stuart johnson a volkswagen executive responsible for relations with american regulators said in a memo in january that the environmental protection agency gave him half an hours notice before announcing on sept 18 that the carmaker had admitted installing defeat devices in diesels
although more than a year had passed since the epa first raised suspicions about volkswagen diesels mr johnson said in a jan 19 internal memo which was obtained by the times that he believed that volkswagen still had four months where we could discuss the issue privately
i was very disappointed by this turn of events mr johnson wrote he did not reply to a request for comment a spokeswoman for volkswagen in the united states declined to comment


washington   it has long been established that public workers as a general matter may not be fired or demoted for speaking out on political topics the supreme court on tuesday ruled on a case that involved a twist on that question what if the official doing the demoting misunderstood what the worker had done
the justices in a 6 to 2 decision said it was unconstitutional to demote a police officer based on the mistaken assumption that he had engaged in political activity
when an employer demotes an employee out of a desire to prevent the employee from engaging in political activity that the first amendment protects the employee is entitled to challenge that unlawful action justice stephen g breyer wrote for the majority even if as here the employer makes a factual mistake about the employees behavior
the case heffernan v paterson nj no 14 1280 concerned jeffrey j heffernan a police detective in paterson he was seen with a sign for a mayoral candidate lawrence spagnola leaving the impression that he supported the candidate in fact mr heffernans bedridden mother had asked him to pick up the sign for her mr heffernan had taken no position on the candidate
he was nonetheless demoted to patrol officer based on a supervisors understanding that he had been making a political statement
in this way they punished heffernan for what they thought was his overt involvement in spagnolas campaign justice breyer wrote of city officials in fact heffernan was not involved in the campaign but had picked up the sign simply to help his mother heffernans supervisors had made a factual mistake
mr heffernan sued and lost with the united states court of appeals for the third circuit in philadelphia ruling that his first amendment rights had not been violated because he had not exercised them
justice breyer disagreed saying it was the governments motive rather than the workers activities that mattered the government acted upon a constitutionally harmful policy whether heffernan did or did not in fact engage in political activity he wrote
the upshot is that a discharge or demotion based upon an employers belief that the employee has engaged in protected activity can cause the same kind and degree of constitutional harm whether that belief does or does not rest upon a factual mistake justice breyer wrote
chief justice john g roberts jr and justices anthony m kennedy ruth bader ginsburg sonia sotomayor and elena kagan joined the majority opinion which returned the case to the lower courts to explore whether the city might have demoted mr heffernan on other lawful grounds
in dissent justice clarence thomas said the majority had focused on the wrong factor the workers actions and not the governments motives mattered he said
demoting a dutiful son who aids his elderly bedridden mother may be callous but it is not unconstitutional justice thomas wrote in an opinion joined by justice samuel a alito jr
the majority surmises that an attempted violation of an employees first amendment rights can be just as harmful as a successful deprivation of first amendment rights justice thomas wrote
but harm alone is not enough it has to be the right kind of harm he added


the los angeles kings and the chicago blackhawks who accounted for the last four stanley cup championships departed in the first round of the nhl playoffs this year the st louis blues eliminated their archrival chicago exorcising some playoff demons which included three consecutive first round exits the san jose sharks also erased a sour postseason memory by putting away the kings in five games
the pittsburgh penguins are the only remaining team that has won the cup in the past decade and four teams in the second round have never won a championship full playoff schedules can be found here
dallas stars vs st louis blues
these two clubs finished first and second in the west jockeying for the top spot down the stretch each had a long unpredictable first round playoff series the stars had difficulty hanging on to leads they were ahead 4 0 in the third period of a clinching game 6 win against the minnesota wild which was a centimeter from going to overtime tied at 5 5
the blues held a 3 1 series lead against the defending champion chicago blackhawks but needed seven games and two strokes of puck luck   wing troy brouwer tapping in his own rebound as it sat on the goal line and chicago defenseman brent seabrooks shot clanging off two posts   to advance
despite their similar paths through the opening round the two teams possess contrasting identities the blues 49 24 9 are a stodgy defensive team with tremendous depth on the blue line led by defenseman alex pietrangelo they clog the neutral zone and coach ken hitchcock plays all of his players situationally that included their 40 goal scorer vladimir tarasenko who logged fewer minutes than his regular season average time on ice in all but one game which went to double overtime against the blackhawks
the stars 50 23 9 were the nhls highest scoring team during the regular season and they play an open freewheeling game defenseman john klingberg gambles aggressively on offense and their captain jamie benn leads the league in playoff points with 10 the offense has carried the club as coach lindy ruff has used two goalies kari lehtonen and antti niemi
the blues battled a multitude of injuries throughout the season but they head into this series with their personnel intact the stars have been without the star forward tyler seguin who is still pushing to return from an achilles injury he and benn were the highest scoring forwards duo in the league last season
san jose sharks vs nashville predators
these teams have deep lineups but their distribution of scoring and style of play are quite different playing in the airtight central division nashville 41 27 14 earned a wild card berth with a strong start and a solid finish and some meandering in between nashville led the nhl in scoring by defensemen anchored by the most productive duo in the league shea weber and roman josi like weber the predators rugged captain the forwards are pugnacious with scorers like right wing james neal and center mike ribeiro agitating opponents on a nightly basis
san jose 46 30 6 is a strong skating and highly skilled team forwards joe thornton and joe pavelski were the second highest scoring tandem behind the blackhawks wings patrick kane and artemi panarin on defense brent burns was second among nhl defensemen in points with 75 trailing only ottawas erik karlsson burns may not have even been the sharks all around top defenseman as marc edouard vlasic has performed brilliantly across roles and situations
the sharks speed and array of weapons proved too much for the kings but nashville vanquished a similarly deep ducks squad that had no shortage of scoring punch and was the best defensive team in the league this season goaltender pekka rinne a former vezina trophy finalist has had mixed results the past two seasons but was at his best late in the series against anaheim the predators will likely have to increase their offensive production to top san jose they scored just 14 goals in seven games against anaheim
the eastern conference semifinals feature three recent finalists for the leagues most valuable player in alex ovechkin sidney crosby and john tavares two of the nhls top goalies in braden holtby and ben bishop and four teams hoping to shake postseason disappointments
in their first season in brooklyn the islanders won their first playoff series in 23 years the league leading washington capitals have had tremendous regular season success before with ovechkin and his crew but the team has not advanced beyond the second round since 1998 the pittsburgh penguins captured the stanley cup in 2009 but that glory has faded after first round exits the past two seasons and a sweep by the boston bruins in 2013 in pittsburghs only recent trip to the conference finals the tampa bay lightning lost in the stanley cup finals last season
washington capitals vs pittsburgh penguins
there should be no shortage of animosity in a series featuring the penguins and the capitals who have met eight times in the playoffs since 1991 with pittsburgh winning seven series
the careers of ovechkin and crosby have been intertwined since they made their nhl debuts in 2005 but their teams have met only once in the postseason beginning thursday in washington the capitals and the penguins will face each other for the first time since the 2009 conference semifinals a thrilling series in which crosby and ovechkin scored dueling hat tricks in game 2 pittsburgh won the series in seven games on the way to capturing the stanley cup this season both teams have serious aspirations of hoisting the cup
the capitals 56 18 8 coasted to the presidents trophy this season as the leagues top team and were able to hit cruise control down the stretch the penguins 46 28 8 struggled early but reconfigured their team with a coaching change and some late season call ups they won 14 of their final 16 games and finished with the second best record in the east then defeated the rangers in five games in the first round
pittsburgh won three of the teams five regular season meetings including two late in the season washington may be without defenseman brooks orpik the former penguin who sustained a concussion in the first round series against the philadelphia flyers the penguins got center evgeni malkin back but remain without their no 1 goaltender marc andre fleury who sustained a concussion late in the regular season
the rookie matt murray was able to best henrik lundqvist in round 1 murray who started games 3 4 and 5 allowed only four goals after he returned from an injury sustained in the penguins final regular season game now murray will face braden holtby who gave up five goals in six first round games carrying over his dominance in net from the regular season
tampa bay lightning vs islanders
the islanders took two of three regular season meetings from the lightning and finished with a higher point total but qualified for the playoffs as a wild card so tampa bay has home ice advantage
the isles 45 27 10 played in the easts most thrilling first round series a six game triumph against the florida panthers that included three overtime victories their captain and leading scorer john tavares had five goals and four assists in the series including the dramatic tying and winning goals in the clinching game 6 they also got overtime winners from unlikely sources forward alan quine and defenseman thomas hickey
the islanders pieces seem to be locking into place at the right time they have defensive depth and a shutdown center in frans nielsen the isles have relied on their fourth line for big shifts after goals energy during lulls and help protecting leads goalie thomas greiss has also been outstanding posting a 944 save percentage in the playoffs greiss playing in place of the injured starter jaroslav halak logged 186 minutes in the final two games of the series which each went to double overtime and compiled a staggering 065 goals against average and a 978 save percentage in those two contests
beginning wednesday in tampa he will be opposed by ben bishop who anchored tampa bay all season and posted lean numbers in the first round at the detroit red wings his 950 save percentage and 161 goals against average were complemented by outstanding performances from right wing nikita kucherov five goals and three assists and center tyler johnson two goals and seven assists
the lightning 46 31 5 were missing their leading scorer and top center steven stamkos and defenseman anton stralman but they still dispatched detroit in five games stralman may be ready to return soon from a broken leg while stamkos remains sidelined after having surgery to remove a blood clot
the islanders and the lightning have met only once in the playoffs in 2004 when tampa eliminated the isles in the opening round and went on to win the cup


london   those who favor a british exit from the european union now fear that god or one of his representatives on earth is not on their side
on tuesday the church of england released a short prayer for the eu referendum campaign that it said was intended for use by churches and individuals ahead of the vote on june 23
the prayer urging honesty openness and generosity asks god to imbue voters with discernment so that our nation may prosper and that with all the peoples of europe we may work for peace and the common good
the prayer was seen by some as a sign that the church of england   whose supreme governor is queen elizabeth ii - was joining with president obama to side with those who want britain to remain a member of the european union
peter bone a conservative legislator who is strongly in favor of a british exit or brexit said it was outrageous for the church to seem to take a position
this is politics and should be nothing to do with the church he told the daily mail adding i would have thought that god was rather neutral on this issue
a spokesman for the church of england said in a telephone interview that the church was not taking sides in the debate and that the prayer was not intended to push voters one way or the other
the archbishop of canterbury justin welby last month said that the church would stay neutral he said that britons had a genuine fear about immigration and that it is really important that that fear is listened to and addressed
but as for the vote he said you cant say god says you must vote this way or that way 
according to christian today an online news agency adrian hilton of the group christians for britain said the church had cast the decision in the context of a greater european identity
this shifts the narrative of debate from the narrow one of eu membership to that of european identity dr hilton was quoted as saying you clearly dont have to be in the eu to work for peace and the common good of all europe
michael sadgrove of the group christians for europe said it is a prayer we can all pray with integrity as we seek the wisdom of god
the prayer in full reads
god of truth give us grace to debate the issues in this referendum with honesty and openness give generosity to those who seek to form opinion and discernment to those who vote that our nation may prosper and that with all the peoples of europe we may work for peace and the common good for the sake of jesus christ our lord amen


a rare and finely preserved skull unearthed in argentina belonged to a dinosaur with a drooping head far bigger eyes and keener hearing than some of its more evolved relatives providing new clues about this group of lumbering plant eaters
the discovery of the skull and part of the neck led paleontologists to announce on tuesday in the journal plos one the naming of a new dinosaur sarmientosaurus musacchioi
the fossil is from a dinosaur that was part of a group known as titanosaurs and is considered modest in size about 40 feet long and 10 tons in weight in contrast to some others in that grouping about two elephants worth estimated matthew c lamanna an assistant curator at the carnegie museum of natural history in pittsburgh
titanosaurs were plant eaters with long necks and long tails that could be as small as a cow or as big as a house while much is known about them researchers still do not know much about their brains because so few skulls have been found
this group to me theyre quite mysterious dr lamanna said by combining data from these different discoveries were gradually building up a picture as to what the biology of these animals was like in other words what makes the largest land animals of all time tick
meanwhile in a paper published last week in the journal science a second group of paleontologists described the remains of a baby titanosaur noting its quick growth in a couple of months to the size of a large dog its bones had the same proportions of an adult which suggests that young titanosaurs were quickly on their feet after hatching and fending for themselves
for almost all known titanosaurs paleontologists have fossils of parts of the body like leg bones that are taller than a person but no pieces of the skull which consisted of bones that were thinner more delicate and less likely to fossilize
for sarmientosaurus which lived about 95 million years ago scientists have the opposite almost all of the head which was about a foot and a half long and part of the neck but nothing from the rest of the body paleontologists including ruben d f martinez of the national university of patagonia in argentina found the skull in 1997 sarmientosaurus is named after the town of sarmiento close to where the skull was discovered musacchioi honors eduardo musacchio a paleontologist who died in 2011
for a while it was not clear what kind of dinosaur it was
with ct scans the scientists could study the skull in detail including some defining characteristics seen in the few other titanosaur skulls that have been found in other ways sarmientosaurus was unlike other titanosaurs with a broad snout and fatter teeth
it also had very large eye sockets suggesting better than average eyesight and an inner ear structure that appears tuned to low frequency sounds maybe to track predators said lawrence m witmer a professor of paleontology at ohio university and another of the authors of the plos one paper maybe to track the movement of its own herd
curiously from the scattered skull data the more evolved titanosaurs appeared to have worse eyesight and hearing dr witmer said
the orientation of the inner ear also suggests that sarmientosaurus typically held its head pointing downward at a 45 degree angle the scientists infer that it foraged on plants near the ground
the head of titanosaurs is totally key to understanding them as living animals dr lamanna said
sarmientosauruss brain was the size of a plum or a lime its pretty small dr witmer said you try not to judge him but its a pretty small brain
on the other hand perhaps brains are overrated titanosaurs survived for tens of millions of years and lived on every continent thriving in particular in the southern hemisphere the lime size brain of sarmientosaurus was adequate dr witmer said
in the science paper kristina a curry rogers a professor of geology and biology at macalester college in minnesota and her colleagues describe 17 bones that were excavated in madagascar in 1993 dr curry rogers came upon them in drawers at stony brook university in long island where they had been misidentified as crocodiles
her doctoral thesis research had been describing a madagascar titanosaur named rapetosaurus   rapeto is a mischievous giant in madagascar folklore   and these bones looked like miniature versions of what she had worked with years earlier i just happened to be the right person to be looking at them she said
titanosaur embryos had previously been found at a nesting site but baby dinosaurs are rare this is surely the smallest out of the egg sauropod dr curry rogers said
closer study confirmed this was a young rapetosaurus
slicing thin sections of the bones and looking at them under a microscope the scientists could see lines that indicated how big the dinosaur was at hatching   about 75 pounds when it died 39 to 77 days later it had grown to 14 inches tall and about 90 pounds the scientists estimated
comparing the bones with fossils of other rapetosauruses the scientists found that baby rapetosaurus looked like a miniature adult that suggests that the baby dinosaurs were not being fed by the parents but were already on their feet and foraging the microscopic structures of the leg bones also indicated that they were already bearing weight adding evidence to the argument
with a robust skeleton a baby rapetosaurus might have been able to jump trot and roll on the ground in ways that its parents would not have been able to
the bone structure also hints at the babys demise   starvation in a region prone to droughts
kenneth j lacovara a paleontologist at rowan university in new jersey who was not involved in either study said the research highlighted how much modern technology like ct scans have added to the study of dinosaurs
those are great examples of paleobiology said dr lacovara the discoverer of dreadnoughtus one of the leviathan titanosaurs now i think were getting to the point where were functioning more like biologists than geologists


from the campaign trail to the halls of congress drug makers have spent much of the last year enduring withering criticism over the rising cost of drugs
it doesnt seem to be working
in april alone johnson  johnson raised its prices on several top selling products including the leukemia drug imbruvica the diabetes treatment invokana and xarelto an anti clotting drug according to a research note published last week by an analyst for leerink an investment bank other major companies that have raised prices this year include amgen gilead and celgene the analyst reported
makers have raised prices on brand name drugs by double digit percentages since the start of the year according to interviews with executives at express scripts and cvs caremark two major drug benefit managers and a report last week by the research firm ims health found that in 2015 list prices for drugs increased more than 12 percent in line with the trend over the five previous years
it used to be the drug companies only took one price increase a year said dr steve miller chief medical officer at express scripts now what theyre doing is taking multiple price increases multiple times a year
that scrutiny on pricing is likely to continue on wednesday with the senate testimony of j michael pearson the chief of valeant pharmaceuticals international which has come to be viewed as an industry pariah after profiting for years on drastic price increases on old drugs mr pearson who is stepping down as chief next month has been subpoenaed to testify before the senate special committee on aging which is investigating the drug pricing issue
list prices do not tell the full picture much like the inflated room rates posted on the back of a hotel door drug list prices dont show the rebates and other discounts that insurers and pharmacy benefit managers demand from manufacturers who are increasingly being forced to compete with other drug makers and to offer better deals which lowers drugs effective cost
in fact the same report by ims health that found that list prices rose 12 percent last year also found that the net price growth   what insurers and employers actually pay for drugs   went up a far more modest 28 percent one of the lowest increases in years
but one of the cruelties of drug pricing is that the burden falls most heavily on those least able to pay it uninsured patients often must pay the list price of a drug and an increasingly large share of insured customers are being asked to pay a percentage of the list price
its sort of embedded in the health care system that the price is never the price unless youre a cash paying customer said adam j fein president of pembroke consulting a management advisory and business research company and in that case we soak the poor
some of the difference in prices is the result of actions taken by pharmacy benefit managers like cvs health which manage drug plans for insurers they have become more sophisticated in recent years leading to better discounts from drug companies they cite successes like the major discount that gilead the maker of an expensive new hepatitis c drug conceded after abbvie released a competing product and sales of expensive new cholesterol lowering drugs called pcsk9 inhibitors have been sluggish in part because insurers have placed numerous restrictions on their use
i think weve upped our game said dr troyen brennan chief medical officer of cvs health its much more dynamic and much more fast paced and i think that like us the other pbms are responding much more rapidly
so if drug makers list prices arent representative of the true cost of a drug why risk negative publicity by raising them many rebates and other discounts are tied to a percentage of the list price which means a higher list price still yields more profit and not every insurer and pharmacy benefit manager is as sophisticated as the top players so manufacturers can profit on the margins
the structure of the system is such that the only way they can get any increase in prices is to raise the list price by a very high percent said mr fein its kind of baked into the system and its so complicated you cant really unwind it without blowing up the entire health care system
some of the most recent price increases may also be happening because drug makers are hoping to profit while they can before congressional or other actions prevent them from doing so said geoffrey porges the author of the leerink analysis
when you see this type of very aggressive pricing action across many products then you start to scratch your head and say is this the industry preparing for a more challenging price environment he said theres just a general fear of the unknown
drug makers say that despite the intense focus on their industry drug costs account for only around 10 percent of health care spending an amount that has remained relatively steady over time
obviously theres a lot of variables that are used in determining what the appropriate prices are in any product said dominic caruso the chief financial officer of johnson  johnson we price our products very responsibly and in fact the list price increases that weve taken have been consistently below our competitive set over the last five years
even though insurers and pharmacy benefit managers are keeping drug prices in check in some areas they are losing the battle in others especially in areas like multiple sclerosis or cancer treatment where a host of new drugs have recently entered the market with little competition
thats where the real angst in the marketplace is said dr miller specialty drugs which are complex products that typically treat serious chronic illnesses now account for 33 percent of all drug spending even though they treat about 1 to 2 percent of all patients dr miller said
pharma is looking at these lower numbers and saying were not as bad as youre hearing in the marketplace dr miller said but he said actual drug costs were still rising the main point is this is still faster than your income is growing youre falling further and further behind and its not sustainable


the removal of 11 words in an amended ncaa complaint against the university of north carolina hints that the mens basketball team could receive comparatively lenient sentencing for its part in a nearly two decade scandal in which thousands of students who were disproportionately major sport athletes took fraudulent paper classes in some cases a university investigation acknowledged the athletes who took the fake classes were steered there by athletic department advisers
the 11 words which had pointed an accusatory finger at the universitys most prominent teams appeared in a notice of allegations sent by the ncaa to north carolina last year but are not in the new one which was released monday afternoon and which an ncaa spokeswoman confirmed has superseded the old one the words that were removed are particularly in the sports of football mens basketball and womens basketball
where the original notice of allegations said that the classes gave athletic department academic advisers ways to keep academically at risk students eligible especially in those sports the new notice of allegations implies that those sports did not benefit unusually the change potentially erases the justification for the kind of allegation of impermissible benefits in those sports that can lead to penalties like vacated titles and postseason bans
it is not yet clear how the ncaas understanding of events squares with the so called wainstein report the university commissioned investigation by the former federal prosecutor kenneth l wainstein released in 2014 the report found that more than 3000 undergraduates took more than 100 fraudulent classes in the african and afro american studies department and that nearly a quarter of those students   a strikingly disproportionate share   were football or basketball players
these paper classes were taken by students of all types but were especially popular among student athletes particularly those who played the revenue sports of football and mens basketball the report said
the classes had been the brainchild of deborah crowder a longtime university employee who was the african and afro american studies departments nonacademic administrator and was eventually abetted by the department chairman at the time julius nyangoro
several sources familiar with the north carolina scandal and the ncaa enforcement process cautioned that it was impossible to predict the outcome of the continuing investigation even after the changes to the notice of allegations there are still level 1 infractions charges   the most serious tier   leveled at the university
one of the remaining charges accusing north carolina of failing to possess institutional control leaves a back door open to penalties that could affect athletics across the board said tyrone thomas a lawyer at mintz levin who advises universities in ncaa cases
in a statement and subsequent conference call with reporters monday bubba cunningham north carolinas athletic director said it was premature to speculate on how the wording in the new notice of allegations which also significantly shortened the relevant time frame and seemed to place much of the blame on an academic adviser to the womens basketball team could affect future punishments
we are carefully reviewing the amended notice of allegations resulting from our joint investigation with the ncaa and will respond with facts and evidence that present a full picture of our case cunningham said the university takes these allegations extremely seriously
north carolina has 90 days to respond to the ncaa at some point it said it will release the factual information the ncaa provided to justify the allegations but the ncaa committee on infractions may not release its full findings along with any sanctions until next year
but on monday there was consensus that the new notice of allegations was good news for those who hoped the tar heels most prominent and lucrative teams would escape the harshest of punishments vacated wins and titles postseason bans severe scholarship and recruiting restrictions and action against the longtime mens basketball coach roy williams who led his team to the national title game three weeks ago
in particular the 2005 national mens basketball title appears safe that championship team featured several players who took the paper classes including rashad mccants who has maintained in interviews on espn that he and his teammates benefited from and knew about the phony classes williams has disputed this and the wainstein report found that all other players insisted that tutors input into their work was appropriate
if one tar heels team continues to seem a likely candidate for severe sanctions it is womens basketball a former academic counselor for that team jan boxill remains accused of providing extra benefits   writing papers for example and lobbying professors about grades   for members of the team from 2003 to 2010
the wainstein report made similar allegations against boxill but it also reserved strong words for academic advisers to the football team who according to the report grew dependent on the paper classes it also said that one mens basketball adviser steered players to the classes
the revelation that university personnel subverted the educations of hundreds of athletes at first seemed to be the equivalent of the bat signal for the ncaa whose core principle states that players are students first with sports forming a part of their larger educations arguably more than some of the eye popping fodder of recent college sports scandals   the rutgers football coach urging a professor to allow a struggling athlete to complete extra credit coursework to stay eligible a louisville mens basketball assistant accused of paying prostitutes to entertain recruits in university housing   the north carolina case appeared to strike at the heart of the ncaas fundamental mission
but after reopening its investigation in 2014 the ncaa has publicly questioned whether it ought to pass judgment on the merits of classes at individual member universities
asked about the ncaas responsibility for athletes educations the organizations president mark emmert told reporters last year its ultimately up to universities to determine whether or not the courses for which theyre giving credit the degrees for which theyre passing out diplomas live up to the academic standards of higher education
kirk schulz the chairman of the ncaa board of governors who will soon become president of washington state but at the time served the same role at kansas state added i have no desire at kansas state university to have the ncaa more involved in our academic enterprise


over the years broadway theaters have been home to the smell of the kill the sweet smell of success and the roar of the greasepaint   the smell of the crowd
this spring the brooks atkinson theater is home to the smell of apple pie
in an unusual step the producers of the new musical waitress which opened on sunday night have been trying to perfume the theater with the scent of baking adding an olfactory extension to the shows set which replicates a small town diner specializing in fresh pies
the shows title character played by jessie mueller dreams of using her pie making talents to finance an escape from her abusive marriage the score by sara bareilles features an oft sung refrain of ingredients sugar butter flour and the book by jessie nelson includes the frequent concoction of creatively named pies
i wanted that aroma and i wanted it desperately said one of the shows lead producers barry weissler its a wonderful intense surround for the show
the practice of scenting a space although not uncommon in retail and hospitality industries is unusual in theater mr weissler best known as the lead producer of chicago said he could not think of a precedent he said that he had experimented with artificial sprays but that they smelled like the things you dangle in a car and had tried installing a working oven in the fake kitchen onstage but there were logistical and safety concerns it just failed one attempt after another he said
finally the production hit upon a solution installing a convection oven in an entry passageway just outside the doors to the theaters orchestra seating before each performance the shows pie consultant stacy donnelly delivers an uncooked nine inch double crust apple pie 20 minutes before the doors open a theater staffer puts it in the oven allowing it to cook slowly through the show the odor wafts into the back of the orchestra whenever the doors are ajar particularly just before the first act and during intermission its intensity varies based on the air flow
ms donnelly a midtown manhattan baker often called upon to make cakes for opening night parties has been working on waitress for months she has created pies for photo shoots and promotional events and for the set made pies in jars for sale at the theater and tutored ms mueller in dough kneading and one handed egg cracking
but finding the right pie to scent the theater turned out to be tricky
ultimately ms donnelly wound up cutting out lemon juice a standard ingredient which she deduced was sealing in apple juices that she needed to leak out and spiking the pies with high doses of cinnamon and nutmeg which are especially fragrant the pies made with granny smith apples are cooked at about 325 to 350 degrees so they can continue to bake for about 90 minutes without burning
its not meant to be consumed ms donnelly said but the poor crew wants to eat it every time   they say it doesnt taste right but we cant stop


oliver sacks the neuroscientist and author who died of cancer last year will be honored in a tribute to open this years world science festival in new york
the festival which runs from june 1 to june 5 will feature various talks and other events in manhattan and brooklyn including a revival of light falls space time and an obsession of einstein a popular theatrical production from last year
the tribute awakening the mind a celebration of the life and work of oliver sacks june 1 at 8 pm will bring together dr sackss famously bizarre stories as well as those of his friends co workers and patients for a multimedia presentation to remember the doctor who used his patients disorders as starting points for eloquent meditations on consciousness and the human condition as gregory cowles wrote in the new york times
light falls   a collaboration among the festivals co founder the scientist brian greene the house of cards composer jeff beal and others   will be featured on june 3
on june 4 gravitational waves a new era of astronomy begins will build on recent news of scientists discovering and recording the sound of two black holes colliding   confirming a prediction of einstein about the existence of gravitational waves scientists from the project will speak in a panel discussion about what the discovery means for studying the universe
other programs include stargazing in brooklyn bridge park and a talk hosted by the actor and science literacy advocate alan alda
the full lineup will be available at worldsciencefestivalcom


amada for jose garces opening a restaurant in manhattan is something of a homecoming the chef whose parents came from ecuador spent his early years working in spain and new york before relocating to philadelphia with his mentor douglas rodriguez mr garces spacious wood toned restaurant hung with blue weavings has a patio in front and a separate cafe and wine bar called amadita i want to take people on a tour of andalusia he said referring to the sunny southern citrus scented province where he worked but also of spain in general the open kitchen led by justin bogle chef de cuisine turns out tapas traditional and inventive cheeses and charcuterie to be picked up with slender forks various ingredients seared on the plancha a couple of paellas and suckling pigs to order ahead and for carving tableside michael laiskonis consults on the sweets the all spanish wine list is rich with sherries and that spanish predilection gin and tonics 250 vesey street west street 212 542 8947 amadarestaurantcom
agern this grand central terminal restaurant with nordic roots the name means acorn in danish has the highest profile of the culinary entrepreneur claus meyers many projects in new york best known as a founder of the much lauded noma in copenhagen he already has bakery and cooking school outposts in brooklyn here in what was a mens room and barbershop he has installed undulating wood panels and chevron patterned tile designed by his wife christina meyer bengtsson the chef gunnar gislason who owns dill in reykjavik iceland seeks out local and seasonal ingredients like nettles wild mushrooms celeriac and rutabagas 89 east 42nd street 646 568 4018 agernrestaurantcom
bills new york city the restaurateur curt huegel has had his eye on the venerable bills gay nineties for many years he said that he missed out on the multistory townhouse when john delucies crown group took it over and now with it gone he grabbed it his makeover is subtle and the food emphasizes american classics like caesar salad lobster thermidor steaks roast chicken and layer cake wednesday 57 east 54th street 212 518 2727 bills54com
the butchers daughter west village a branch of the kenmare street vegan cafe offers additions like pizza from a wood burning oven and cold pressed cocktails sunday 581 hudson street bank street 917 388 2123 thebutchersdaughtercom
delaware  hudson tavern this adjunct to patti jacksons delaware  hudson has its own identity offering an a la carte menu the main restaurant is for tastings at dinner and a retail area for the chefs doughnuts pretzels and country style sweet and savory pies sunday 135 north fifth street bedford avenue williamsburg brooklyn 718 218 8191 delawareandhudsoncom
the gin parlour extensive renovations have included a redone lobby for the grand intercontinental new york barclay hotel with a free standing bar that features gin a number of hotels in the chain have spirits themed bars more than 80 gins from around the world will be poured straight and in cocktails and mixed drinks the chef willis loughhead serves bar bites with an emphasis on oysters friday 111 east 48th street 212 755 5900 intercontinentalnybarclaycom
grand banks this seasonal seafood restaurant on the sherman zwicker a historic wooden schooner moored on the hudson river is reopening with the chef kerry heffernan in charge of a raw bar and small plates menu it has added a dining room called the pilot house in the captains cabintuesday pier 25 hudson river park north moore street grandbanksorg
sanatorium the cocktail wizard albert trummer is back in town with this bar and lounge with a clinical theme the walls are the kind of green youd expect in a hospital there are surgical lights and crystal chandeliers and lots of stainless steel and the drinks incorporate herbal elixirs that mr trummer concocts saturday 14 avenue c east houston street 212 614 0300
sabbia this summer eatalys rooftop will be transported to the italian shore with an oyster bar featuring island creek varieties from duxbury mass and plates of seafood friday 200 fifth avenue 23rd street 212 937 8910 eatalycom
recette jesse schenkers west village tasting menu restaurant succumbed to a high rent and the chef now concentrates on his larger flatiron restaurant the gander where there are tasting menus and a la carte choices
teodora this northern italian restaurant will serve its final dinner on friday 141 east 57th street 212 826 7101 teodorarestaurantcom
mr curry the pop up dinner restaurant that caroline fidanza and rebecca collerton ran three nights a week out of saltie their sandwich shop in williamsburg brooklyn is no more ms collerton has left for personal reasons ms fidanza said adding that she does not plan another evening pop up but she is extending satlies hours to serve breakfast starting at 8 am saltienycom
arvid rosengren who has been the sommelier at charlie bird for a little over a year brought some prestige along with his corkscrew in 2010 he was named the best sommelier in sweden and in 2013 he was selected the best in europe last week in mendoza argentina he captured the title of best sommelier in the world in a contest run every three years by the association de la sommellerie internationale a nonprofit educational organization founded in 1969 it was a goal i had for the past six years and it has given me a great sense of achievement mr rosengren said it was about the hardest thing i have ever done nerve racking thousands of hours of study the most maddeningly esoteric stuff though he said that past winners usually went on to become consultants he plans to focus on his work at charlie bird robert bohr an owner of charlie bird and the new pasquale jones said he wanted mr rosengren to concentrate on practical wine service he has to be on the floor mr bohr said
burger  lobster a five year old london based chain with a branch in the flatiron district will add its menu of burgers lobsters and lobster rolls each for a flat 20 to the bryant park area it expects to open in the fall with a ground floor entrance and an upstairs dining room with 150 seats in the building that houses the stephen sondheim theater 123 west 43rd street


prince died without a will according to court documents filed by his sister on tuesday potentially causing big complications for that stars sprawling financial estate and musical legacy
in probate documents filed with the carver county district court in minnesota tyka nelson 55 princes sister said that her brother died without a spouse children or surviving parents and that i do not know of the existence of a will
ms nelsons petition also listed five half siblings as heirs and asked the court to appoint a special administrator for the estate because no personal representative has been appointed in minnesota or elsewhere minnesota law treats surviving half siblings the same as full siblings raising the possibility of a drawn out family battle
in the music business prince   who died on thursday at 57   was known as a mercurial star who cycled through lawyers and representatives frequently and who often preferred to deal personally with record companies concert promoters and even digital music services but that history of self sufficiency could have severe consequences if prince did not leave an orderly estate   a strong possibility if no will turns up several music industry lawyers and executives said
it could be a huge tragedy said howard e king a veteran entertainment lawyer in los angeles who represented prince in the past you could have a difference in valuation of hundreds of millions of dollars depending on whether the right people get in there to manage the legacy of prince
a lawyer for ms nelson did not respond to requests for comment
the probate court has not identified an executor and estimates of princes net worth and of the value of his estate have varied widely forbes magazine last estimated his earnings in 2005 when it said that he made 497 million before taxes that year
but princes worth could be much greater now particularly since two years ago he took control of his valuable publishing catalog   the copyrights for songwriting   and negotiated a favorable new deal with warner bros his former record company since his death prince has sold at least 650000 albums and 28 million tracks in the united states according to nielsen
beyond his music prince who was born prince rogers nelson owned extensive property in the minneapolis area its value is unclear but paisley park his studio complex in the suburb of chanhassen minn has been assessed at over 7 million according to carver county public records
since princes death music industry executives   including even those he dealt with closely   have been anxiously awaiting word about who controlled the estate which includes princes vault of unreleased recordings this voluminous collection has long been legendary among fans and collectors and prince stoked that interest i didnt always give the record companies the best song he once told rolling stone
but who now has the power to make the decisions about the music in that vault is unclear prince was known to be exacting in his dealings with record companies and fought hard to retain as much control as possible
ms nelsons petition which was first reported by tmz asked the court to name an affiliate of the bremer bank in st cloud minn as the special administrator saying that the bank had provided financial services to prince and had knowledge of his business affairs
a bank spokeswoman said it was not bank policy to reveal information about customers but added that our sympathies are with family and fans in mourning the loss of a talented musician and minnesotan
in addition to ms nelson the document lists as heirs three half brothers john nelson alfred jackson and omar baker and two half sisters norrine and sharon nelson
an autopsy was performed on prince but its results are not expected for several weeks a police investigation is continuing
as fans have swarmed paisley park and other musical sites around minneapolis the music industry has also been paying tribute to prince with executives hoping that the estate is sorted out quickly and managed well a frequent comparison has been to the estate of michael jackson who was badly in debt when he died in 2009 but had a will that estate has since earned hundreds of millions of dollars
prince was a major star and a cultural influencer but he was a human being said kenneth j abdo an entertainment lawyer in minneapolis it comes down to taking care of business if you dont take care of it youre leaving a mess to the family or the courts


the 60 billion implied valuation of the chinese financial technology group ant financial sounds like a case of disruption on steroids
that price tag implied by a funding round the company disclosed tuesday easily tops the 48 billion market capitalization of the united states payments giant paypal but look under a metaphorical microscope and its clear that these are different species the pumped up ant financial rests on uniquely chinese characteristics
ant financial is best known as the financial affiliate of the e commerce giant alibaba and the owner of chinas dominant online payment engine alipay a planned initial public offering of stock would therefore be a good way for investors to get their tentacles into a rapidly growing and slowly liberalizing market for consumer finance in china its 45 billion funding round suggests ant financial is already following a similar route as its former parent alibaba whose valuation rose as it edged toward an ipo in 2014
though the injection of funds into ant financial doesnt necessarily mean the whole is really worth 60 billion its possible to rationalize that kind of valuation paypal has fewer than half the users of alipay and it processed 282 billion of transactions in 2015 by 2018 credit suisse reckons ant financial will be handling 17 trillion
then again there are no public numbers to help understand exactly how alipay makes money or whether the rest of ant financial is a solid finance business or a collection of potentially bad chinese loans
one thing is clear though the groups fortunes look to be tied more closely to the vagaries of chinese state capitalism than to private sector disruption the backers in ant financials latest funding round are chinese state backed vehicles not silicon valley capitalists both ant financial and alibaba exist because beijing lets them
ultimately ant financials returns and value will depend on many things that outsiders cannot yet see like how its relationships with alibaba and the government pan out this ant is destined for bigger things but it would be unwise to confuse it with the standard variety tech industry unicorn


washington   senate negotiators on tuesday moved closer to an agreement to provide at least 11 billion in emergency financing to combat the rapidly spreading zika virus which public health officials warn poses an imminent threat in the united states but house republicans said they were still not ready to approve additional funds
the white house bluntly warned that republicans were not acting quickly enough and that the needed money might not arrive before mosquitoes carrying the disease which causes birth defects reach the united states
this is an emergency said josh earnest the white house press secretary the american people are counting on congress to act and instead weve gotten bureaucratic excuses
the administration first requested 19 billion in emergency financing to combat the zika virus in february but was rebuffed by congressional republican leaders who urged the administration to redirect 510 million previously allocated to fight ebola   a move that was made this month
senator roy blunt of missouri a republican who has led negotiations for his party said tuesday that his talks with senator patty murray of washington a democrat had produced the outlines of an agreement that would provide about 11 billion in additional financing
mr blunt said negotiators were still discussing details including how much money would need to be restored for work on ebola i think were close to a plan that we think would work he said but wed like a little more input id like a little more input from the administration
senator john cornyn of texas the no 2 senate republican said lawmakers understood the seriousness of the zika threat we made a down payment on the work on this virus based on the ebola funds he said and were going to do everything thats necessary in a responsible way to deal with this threat because we know its real
senate democratic leaders including ms murray insisted on tuesday that there was still no agreement accused republicans of stalling and said they were holding out for president obamas full request of 19 billion
there is no deal the senate democratic leader harry reid of nevada said at a news conference thumping his hand on the lectern i havent seen it i dont know who has seen it we have an outline of it but its not enough we want 19 billion thats what it takes
even if republicans were to agree to the larger number the senate majority leader mitch mcconnell of kentucky faces a challenge in figuring out how to package the deal so that it can win passage in the house where hard line conservatives have repeatedly balked at new government spending
nearly 400 american travelers have contracted the zika virus and public fears are rising as health officials warn that disease carrying mosquitoes will soon arrive some states particularly in the south are scrambling to be ready
this is an emergency said senator bill nelson of florida a democrat whose state expects to be among the first hit by the virus as for republicans mr nelson said they are not treating it like one
representative kevin mccarthy of california a republican and the majority leader maintained on tuesday that the best way to address the zika virus was through the regular appropriations process but he said republicans needed to know more about the obama administrations plans before they could move
we have a number of questions that the appropriators have asked for like what would the money be spent on this year what is the money you need for next year where are we on the vaccine he told reporters on tuesday none of these have been answered
mr earnest the white house press secretary dismissed such assertions
theres no excuse for them having those unanswered questions when you consider that weve already put forward a detailed legislative proposal more than two months ago now he said weve already participated in 48 hearings in which questions about zika have been raised there have been briefings that have been convened by senior administration officials for both the house and the senate to discuss this issue
so i guess what i would say to members of congress who say that they have questions about the administrations zika strategy that ignorance is not an excuse
congressional democrats said they were certain republicans would soon face public pressure amid rising fears about the virus democrats also noted that congress had provided 54 billion in emergency legislation to fight ebola in 2014 as well as more than 15 billion to fight flu epidemics in 2009 and 2005 and that in each case there was no requirement for offsets to reduce other federal spending
some senate republicans said they were prepared to act
more and more of us understand we need to do something to combat the virus said senator lindsey graham of south carolina a republican who is the chairman of the appropriations subcommittee on state and foreign operations which has some jurisdiction over the effort to fight zika internationally and could provide additional funds
mr graham predicted that a deal would be reached by the end of the week
with house republicans insisting that they were still waiting for the white house to answer questions about the presidents request house democrats on monday introduced their own bill which would grant the full 19 billion
democrats said republicans were stalling
while the house majority wastes time and resources with sham political investigations a public health crisis is spreading at home and abroad representative nita lowey of new york the senior democrat on the house appropriations committee said in a statement
mr reid in a floor speech urged swift action we have all seen the pictures of these babies with these small heads caused by a mosquito bite he said sadly the worst is on its way


steve kerr is the nbas coach of the year after leading to the golden state warriors to the best regular season record in league history
kerr received 64 first place votes from the panel of 130 news media members who regularly cover the league portlands terry stotts was second in relatively close voting san antonios gregg popovich was third
kerr missed the warriors first 43 games this season while recovering from back surgeries with the team being operated in his absence by an assistant luke walton voters took notice of waltons work as well he finished tied for eighth in the balloting
golden state finished 73 9 this season breaking the 1995 96 chicago bulls record of 72 10 for the best record in league history kerr played for that chicago team
coach of the year voting
steve kerr golden state 381
terry stottts portland 335
gregg popovich san antonio 166
steve clifford charlotte 98
dwane casey toronto 83
brad stevens boston 74
dave joerger memphis 11
doc rivers la clippers 5
x luke walton golden state 5
erik spoelstra miami 4
quin snyder utah 3
rick carlisle dallas 3
mike budenholzer atlanta 1
billy donovan oklahoma city 1
x interim


moscow   the supreme court in crimea on tuesday banned the legislature of the crimean tatar minority a body that the local authorities have harassed repeatedly for opposing the 2014 russian annexation of the peninsula
following a similar action by the russian justice ministry last week the presiding judge declared the legislature known as the mejlis an extremist organization and outlawed its activities on russian territory
natalya v poklonskaya the crimean prosecutor appointed by russia argued before the court that the mejlis is supported by international terrorist organizations and aims to destroy russias territorial integrity
today the honorable court we build a world in which every crimean will be safe and joyful where roses will blossom and grapes will grow ms poklonskaya was quoted as saying by novaya gazeta a russian newspaper the mejlis opposes this as much as it can so why do we need it
nariman dzhelalov the deputy head of the mejlis said the formal ban would not change much as the russian government has already done everything to obstruct the operations of the body
we will continue our work beyond the russian borders mr dzhelalov said we will appeal this decision with the european court of human rights and i will stay in crimea to work here as a civic activist
the mejlis was founded in 1991 to represent a turkic muslim minority with deep roots in crimea whose members began to return to their homeland after a brutal deportation in 1944 tens of thousands are believed to have died in siberian prisons and central asia making the survivors deeply distrustful of moscow about 10 percent of the peninsulas 23 million people are crimean tatar according to the most recent census
when russia was moving toward annexing the peninsula tatar activists provided the only opposition after annexation crimean tatars were systematically harassed and many activists were arrested or disappeared mr dzhelalov said
on friday the united states state department called on russia to reverse the decision to suspend the mejlis


fort worth   the billionaire developer ross perot jr describes data centers as the modern equivalent of americas giant factories in the early 20th century and here in the sprawling dallas fort worth region they seem to be spreading as fast as springtime wildflowers
at alliancetexas mr perots 18000 acre multiuse project in northern fort worth facebook is building what it says will be a premier data center with an investment expected to reach 1 billion about 50 miles east the dallas suburb of richardson is home to 20 data centers and expects at least four more over the next 18 to 24 months in neighboring garland ragingwire data centers based in sacramento is in the first phase of construction on a planned million square foot complex
texas has become one of the countrys leading destinations for data centers propelled by robust economic growth in recent years a business friendly tax climate abundant sources of water and dependable electricity
dallas fort worth the nations fourth most populous metropolitan region ranks among the nations top five data center locations in square footage for multitenant data centers it ranks fourth with 28 million square feet according to 451 research a firm based in new york that analyzes information technology trends
suburban northern virginia near washington is widely considered the nations top data center market and others high on the list include the greater new york new jersey region and the silicon valley san francisco area
so far impervious to the boom bust cycles in residential real estate data centers have been a reliable bright spot and analysts call for continued expansion in the foreseeable future both in the united states and in developing markets like latin america
in the grand scheme of real estate data centers are still a huge business said todd bateman of the cbre group a commercial real estate services company
as long as people are tethered to computers the internet and smartphones there will be an insatiable need for data centers
the data center market across north america had tremendous growth in 2015 according to a report by jll a global real estate services firm multitenant data centers in the united states earned 1153 billion in revenue last year a 61 percent increase from 2014
the boom seems to be playing out under the radar of the public in part because data centers prefer to keep a low profile largely for security reasons average citizens are most likely unaware that the large windowless buildings they pass on their morning commutes might be data centers housing equipment to facilitate their computer reliant lives
the general public today probably doesnt realize how they tap and touch and utilize the data center all throughout their day said bo bond a leader of jlls data center solutions team
state and local leaders across the country have increasingly made data centers a target of their community development strategies often by offering tax incentives and other inducements while data centers with relatively small staffs are not a big source of jobs they contain millions of dollars of components that provide a lucrative source of tax revenue even with abatements
large enterprises like facebook often maintain their own centers but many companies are shedding that costly and complex function to concentrate on their core business giving rise to a continuing increase in multitenant centers that offer security and expertise to a range of clients
across the 13 counties in the dallas fort worth region the governors office says there are at least 200 enterprise and multitenant data centers
richardson tex whose registered trademark is telecom corridor was one of the states first municipalities to actively pursue data centers said john jacobs executive vice president of the citys chamber of commerce
each one of these data centers is a little gold mine cranking out wealth for the city he said
its largest is digital realty which sits on a 69 acre campus that was once occupied by collins radio a military contractor in the early days of aerospace fortified by an eight foot spiked fence digital dallas as it is known locally is a corporate flagship with eight buildings four serve multiple tenants the others each serve large single tenants the still growing complex will ultimately encompass 10 or 11 buildings and total more than 11 million square feet said bryan marsh iii a vice president and portfolio manager for digital realty
in plano one of the areas growing data center markets aligned data centers a division of aligned energy has opened a center that offers a pay as you go program in power usage it enables clients to sharply curtail power costs by paying only for power they use instead of locking into costly arrangements upfront said aligned energys chief executive jakob carnemark
while much of the data center development in north texas has been clustered in the dallas corridor government and business leaders on the western side of the metropolitan region have been waging an aggressive effort to lure more data centers toward fort worth and its surrounding communities
at alliancetexas data centers have added another dimension to the development that mr perot the son of the computer magnate h ross perot started assembling more than 30 years ago in wheat fields and ranch land about 15 miles from downtown fort worth
developed by hillwood a company founded by the younger mr perot alliance encompasses an airport houses more than 425 companies and has a bustling town center and upscale homes facebooks will be its fifth and by far largest data center
mr perot 57 said the growth of data centers at alliance struck a nostalgic chord recalling how as a boy he used to collect old punch cards when his father was running electronic data systems in the 1960s im one of the few kids that grew up in data centers he said
now under construction the facebook center will consist of three 250000 square foot buildings work on the first facility is expected to be complete in june facebooks chief executive mark zuckerberg said in a facebook post that the complex would be one of the most advanced and energy efficient data centers in the world
fort worth leaders landed the facebook deal after a 220 city competition that stretched for more than a year fort worth and tarrant county provided a total of 1467 million in tax abatements for up to 20 years during that time the city county and an area school district will receive a total of 2285 million in additional property taxes the fort worth chamber of commerce said
the center will draw power from a 202 megawatt wind farm that the company is helping to build about 100 miles northwest of fort worth that move plays into a trend in the industry to be more sensitive to environmental concerns since the centers draw tremendous amounts of electricity
to appeal to facebook local officials promoted the availability of wind energy a strong labor pool in technology and access to airports and in addition to tax incentives they pointed out a texas law that spares larger data centers from sales taxes on equipment
fort worths mayor betsy price who was heavily involved in the facebook talks said city leaders across the region were scrambling to lure more data centers because they offer well paying jobs attract other high tech enterprises and do not require a large investment on infrastructure
we love those guys she said


jasper fla   when you are pushing art smiths red pickup truck out of the north florida mud during an excursion to find donkeys descended from a pair his father once gave his mother as an anniversary gift the impulse is to look around for a camera crew
as his venezuelan born husband the artist jesus salgueiro mutters about mr smiths driving skills and the four children the couple adopted a couple of years ago run through a field like free range chickens the only logical thought is that this must be reality television but it is in fact mr smiths new life
last august the chef who spent much of his career cooking for oprah winfrey and two florida governors before he started a small but lucrative collection of southern themed restaurants moved his family from a 5000 square foot chicago apartment to this tiny town he couldnt wait to leave as a child
mr smith 56 is a golden retriever of a man who drops names like napkins and who networks like a movie mogul skills he is bringing to bear on what seems an improbable quest reviving a town of about 4000 whose biggest employers are a phosphate plant and a nursing home
the plan is to open a commercial bakery a farm store a restaurant and a school for meteorology agriculture and cooking all with the help of walt disney world the heiress to the red stripe beer fortune some government officials and a lot of cake
from all appearances it is a wild ride down a country road that is either going to end in a spectacular crash or as one supporter described it turn into what dan barber did at blue hill but more country
honey is it crazy mr smith asked i dont care if we want to build a kinder country we need to bring some kind of change to these rural outlying areas
jasper the biggest town in one of the poorest counties in florida is a 15 minute drive from the georgia border and a short hop off interstate 75 carloads of families gun past the jasper exit to disney world which is three hours down the highway
disney is key to his plan early this summer mr smith is to open a 200 seat restaurant at the resort called homecoming florida kitchen and southern shine disney which is essentially his landlord promotes it as its first foray into farm to fork cuisine the design was inspired by turn of the century florida architecture the menu will have dishes like deviled eggs chicken and dumplings and kale salad with pecans and georgia cheese
the showpiece will be southern cakes he is planning 12 layer cakes key lime poundcakes and moonshine cakes homage to a grandfather who was a moonshiner and whose body is buried in a little family graveyard filled with thistles and grasshoppers a few miles from the former tobacco farm the smiths still own
if the plan comes together the cakes will be made by people who live in and around hamilton county mr smith pitched the idea of linking jasper jobs and the restaurant to disney executives in a meeting at which he served a hummingbird cake the southern cousin of carrot cake made with pecans pineapple and bananas
you know how we use cake for everything here he asked i told the mouse how would you like it if every slice of cake you serve helps save a small southern town it didnt hurt that during his undergraduate years at florida state university he interned in a disney world kitchen
the cakes will be baked inside what is now a shuttered 60000 square foot complex that once held a poker room and a 500 seat court for jai alai the basque sport that in its american heyday attracted thousands of fans and gamblers his dream is to expand it into a commercial bakery that sends out thousands of cakes and biscuits across the south
the hamilton county development authority has bought the complex for 15 million with the agreement that mr smith will work his magic he estimates it will cost 3 million to open the bakery and turn the rest into a country store selling organic produce a gallery featuring his husbands art and a restaurant on the 38 acres that surround the building there will be a farm and catfish ponds
much of the money is expected to come from a group of young california filmmakers who like to invest in economically challenged areas and who prefer to be anonymous
were going to make it look like a cracker barrel with better food honey mr smith said
the other piece of his grand scheme is the reunion florida garden and kitchen school which he plans to open this fall in a restored antebellum mansion he bought from the local community college in nearby madison for 450000 students can take online courses or train to work at the bakery
the philanthropist charles annenberg weingarten a supporter of mr smiths educational charity common threads is giving the school 250000 because he believes food is a way to restore dying communities rural small town america was the backbone of americana values he wrote in an email now these towns are closed run down and consist of one street with fast food
if it all seems too much to pull off remember that art smith is a man who has cooked for president obama and the british royal family whose children received formal baptismal blessings from the pope and who is friends with lady gaga and jeb bush
he is a force of nature and if anyone can make all of these pieces come together its him said adam putnam a former republican congressman who is now floridas commissioner of agriculture nobody is going to tell art no
indeed its easy to get caught up in mr smiths web
art is like the pied piper said susan levin turner a jasper native who owns the restaurant food glorious food in tallahassee and is one of the souths cake authorities she is serving as baking consultant and cheerleader for mr smith helping him focus that is a considerable task
everybody wants to jump on the bus she said but we need to make sure the bus is ready to go
margie geddes the millionaire heiress of red stripe the beer her husband pioneered in jamaica has already claimed her seat on the bus she first met mr smith in tuscany she began spending time in jasper after her daughter lisa st john a nature lover who wanted a quieter gentler place to raise her children bought a greek revival house around the corner from the victorian farmhouse where mr smith moved his family his mother addie mae lives a couple of blocks away in the house mr smith grew up in
ms geddes bought the abandoned soda fountain and other buildings in jasper with the intention of building a gym and maybe a juice bar as a way to help revitalize a town she said is at the bottom of the barrel
people are hungry for basics again she said in a phone interview from her home on grand cayman they want that village feeling the feeling of knowing your neighbors and life lived on front porches jasper takes you back to the front porch
a small southern town with conservative christian roots is not exactly the kind of place one may expect to embrace a man who once staged a mass gay wedding at the south beach wine  food festival married his own partner on the steps of the lincoln memorial in 2010 and then renewed his vows during a wedding for gay and lesbian couples on top chef
they just accept art for art said ina thompson a town commissioner in madison who owns an office supply and shipping store there the fact that he is gay doesnt matter even if it does bother them theyre not making it known
to be sure in both jasper and madison mr smith is greeted like a returning hero a gas station clerk applauded mr smiths significant weight loss which was prompted by a diabetes diagnosis and achieved with the help of his personal trainer noah sanderson who has moved to jasper mr smith hopes mr sanderson will help lead a fitness revival among residents
mr smith is the areas most famous resident since lillian smith the author whose best selling 1944 novel strange fruit touched on themes of racism and interracial romance his speeches at the local chamber of commerce sell out they still talk about the christmas cookie contest mr smith had at the mansion in madison and the party he gave when the girls high school basketball team won the state championship
everyone thinks were jesus come to save the town mr smith said its hard still the attention feeds him
he loves all that celebrity chef stuff but that man gives more than he receives believe me said his husband mr salgueiro i see so many people with more celebrity than him who dont give back nothing
that his restaurants arent always well regarded by critics and other chefs doesnt matter that much
my mission is to use the business to fund the good stuff i want to do he said at the end of the day do i want to be known for some award winning restaurant or that i turned a town around and helped make it sustainable thats better than any damn beard award
but the jasper project has deeper layers
my mother said at 4 years old i said i wanted to leave this place he said
mr smith recalls growing up with the kind of quiet suffering many gay and lesbian teenagers still endure in small southern towns
driving along a back road in his truck he shared a story from high school he played trombone one day two boys who suspected he was gay shoved him into a recital room and bullied him in awful ways the incident ended with the boys urinating in his trombone case
but as for many gay sons of the south home is home
you still love your home and you want to go back and improve it he said my best revenge is that i got successful
recipe key lime poundcake


hop on a fishing boat in toyama bay japan in the wee hours of the morning and you may feel as if youre in a spaceship navigating through the stars thats because each year between march and june millions of firefly squid transform the water into a galactic landscape lucky for you all you need is a reservation to come aboard your eyes and perhaps a really good camera
the firefly squid may bring to mind a lightning bug but the cephalopod is three inches long and flies through the sea not the sky and instead of a single light on its belly it has five around each eye three each on the tips of two of its arms and even more covering its body
the firefly squid creates light via a chemical reaction inside its body the same way a lightning bug does the process involves wrangling together the dynamic duo of bioluminescence two substances called luciferin and luciferase luciferin sits around waiting for luciferase an enzyme that triggers luciferin to do what it does best   make light
up close each squid looks like its own constellation of green and blue stars together they form a bright blue nebula of bioluminescence which is quite clear when the squid emerge from 1200 feet during the spring to spawn firefly squid only live for a year after making babies they die
why the firefly squid glows is not precisely known theories range from attracting mates to deterring predators but arent totally convincing they also appear to lack the ability to regulate their flashes in synchronous patterns like some fireflies katsunori teranishi who studies the squids bioluminescence at mie university in japan has found that the firefly squid constantly emits a weak light with no apparent advantage but sometimes the light shines stronger like a flashlight from the squids arms this might scare off nearby predators but it could also attract those further away
the light cannot actively attract a mate communicate with a mate and deter a predator dr teranishi said when pressed for his own hypothesis for why the squid emits light he suggested we ask the squids themselves
the best time to observe firefly squid is in april in toyama city namerikawa and uozu city said osamu inamura director of the uozu aquarium in uozu city where you can find firefly squid in captivity this year tour boats depart from the port of namerikawa every morning at 3 am from march 20 through may 8 you can catch the squid live at the only museum dedicated to them hotaruika museum also in namerikawa
if you happen to make it to toyama bay this year appreciate the fact that the firefly squid is the only squid thought to have color vision heres looking at you squid


on the night of april 26 1986 engineers at the chernobyl nuclear plant in what was then soviet ukraine performed a safety test at the plants no 4 reactor it did not go well
in a matter of seconds power inside the uranium and graphite core of the reactor surged out of control setting off a steam explosion that was followed by a fire that spewed radioactive particles into the atmosphere
by official soviet accounts several dozen plant workers and firefighters died in the immediate aftermath thousands more were sickened by radiation over the short and long term the surrounding countryside contaminated by radioactive fallout was declared off limits to anyone without a pass to get through security checkpoints
on the 30th anniversary of the accident access within the 18 mile exclusion zone which includes the abandoned city of pripyat is still restricted but at the plant itself things are looking up an arched shelter designed to enclose the radioactive remains of the destroyed reactor is nearing completion
the arch called the new safe confinement is being built   at a cost of at least 17 billion   to last 100 years inside the radioactivity levels will be so high that normal maintenance like painting will not be possible so inside and out the arch is covered in stainless steel and dehumidified air will be circulated around the structures steel trusses to prevent rust
it was built several hundred yards from the destroyed no 4 reactor and later this year will be slid in place over the reactor building that will eliminate one of the greatest risks that still exists at chernobyl a structural collapse that could raise a cloud of radioactive dust and spread more contamination across ukraine and into western europe
but it will also mark the start of a new phase in coping with what is generally considered the worlds worst nuclear power disaster inside the arch will be a heavy duty crane and other remote operated equipment to be used to start removing the crumbling radioactive fuel that remains in unit 4
it will not be an easy task there is a lot of fuel   195 tons by one estimate   along with tons of lead sand and other materials that were dropped on the reactor by helicopter in a desperate effort to extinguish the fire it all melted together into a lethal lava like substance that poured through pipes and holes in the structure and solidified
the government of ukraine will be responsible for the work and it is unclear where the money will come from to pay for it or for a repository that will be needed for the fuel and other highly radioactive waste it may take much more than another century before the mess started in a few seconds 30 years ago is fully cleaned up


half a century ago harvesting californias 22 million tons of tomatoes for ketchup required as many as 45000 workers in the 1960s though scientists and engineers at the university of california davis developed an oblong tomato that lent itself to being machine picked and an efficient mechanical harvester to do the job in one pass through a field
the battle to save jobs was on
how could a publicly funded university invest in research that cut farmworker jobs only to help large scale growers that was the question raised in a lawsuit filed by a farmworker advocacy group against uc davis in 1979
cesar chavezs united farm workers union made stopping mechanization its no 1 legislative priority in 1980 president jimmy carters agriculture secretary robert bergland declared that the federal government would no longer finance research that could lead to the replacing of an adequate and willing work force with machines
these days the battle to save american jobs has a different flavor it echoes in hillary clintons promise to win the global competition for manufacturing jobs and production it lives in donald trumps call to break nafta and impose a 45 percent tariff against chinese imports and in bernie sanderss rallying cry against trade agreements
its outcome however will probably be similar the freeze on research may have slowed the mechanization of californias harvests but by the year 2000 only 5000 harvest workers were employed in california to pick and sort what was by then a 12 million ton crop of tomatoes
in americas factories jobs are inevitably disappearing too but despite the political rhetoric the problem is not mainly globalization manufacturing jobs are on the decline in factories around the world
the observation is uncontroversial said joseph stiglitz the nobel winning economist at columbia university global employment in manufacturing is going down because productivity increases are exceeding increases in demand for manufactured products by a significant amount
the consequences of this dynamic are often misunderstood not least by politicians offering slogans to fix them
no matter how high the tariffs mr trump wants to raise to encircle the american economy he will not be able to produce a manufacturing renaissance at home neither would changing tax rules to limit corporate flight from the united states as mrs clinton proposes
the likelihood that we will get a manufacturing recovery is close to nil professor stiglitz said we are more likely to have a smaller share of a shrinking pie
look at it this way over the course of the 20th century farm employment in the united states dropped to 2 percent of the work force from 41 percent even as output soared since 1950 manufacturings share has shrunk to 85 percent of nonfarm jobs from 24 percent it still has a ways to go
the shrinking of manufacturing employment is global in other words strategies to restore manufacturing jobs in one country will amount to destroying them in another in a worldwide zero sum game
the loss of such jobs has created plenty of problems in the united states for the countless workers living in less developed reaches of the world though it adds up to a potential disaster
japans long stagnation can be read as a consequence of a decades long development strategy that left the nation overly dependent on manufacturing they are focused on a dead end business said bruce greenwald an expert on investment strategy at columbia business school they are not eliminating hours of work in manufacturing fast enough to keep pace with the reduction in work needed
the richest countries today started deindustrializing when they were already well off and benefited from fairly skilled and productive work forces that could make the transition into well paid service jobs as increasingly affluent consumers devoted less of their incomes to physical goods and more to leisure advanced health care and other services
poorer countries have more limited options if the demise of manufacturing jobs in the united states forced many workers into low paid retail jobs and the like imagine the challenge in a country like india where factory employment has already topped out yet income per person is only one twenty fifth of what it was in the united states at its peak
developing countries are suffering premature deindustrialization said dani rodrik a leading expert on the international economy who teaches at harvards kennedy school both employment and output deindustrialization is setting in at much lower levels of income
this is even happening in a manufacturing behemoth like china   which appears to have maxed out the industrial export strategy at a much lower income level than its successful asian predecessors like japan and taiwan
for poorer countries in asia africa and latin america the decline of manufacturing as a bountiful source of jobs puts an end to the prime path to riches that the modern world has followed
manufacturing professor rodrik points out has unique advantages for one thing it can quickly employ lots of unskilled workers setting up a factory to make toys puts you on a productivity escalator in a way that traditional agriculture and services didnt do he said
moreover production isnt constrained by a small domestic market exports of goods can easily flow around the world allowing industry room to grow and giving developing countries time to ride up the ladder of income skills and sophistication
the natural resources that dominate the exports of many poor countries dont have these features they employ few workers and offer little added value they do not encourage acquiring skills and they expose countries to violent swings in commodity prices
high end services such as finance and programming do pay well but these arent the service sectors most poor countries build a majority of service jobs in most poor countries are generally limited to housework mom and pop retail and the like since these sectors offer little productivity growth and are generally isolated from foreign competition they cannot pull a nation out of poverty
the first large transition from agriculture to industry in the early 20th century   well lubricated by public spending on world wars   liberated workers from their chains far more effectively than karl marxs revolution ever did
the current transition from manufacturing to services is more problematic in poor countries mr rodrik says workers may have to pare back their aspirations of development who knows how will political systems manage he asks
in the united states the political challenge is no less daunting low pay married to high profits in much of the service economy are contributing to a widening income chasm that is rending society in all sorts of ways used to the prosperity once delivered by manufacturing american workers are rebelling against the changing tide
note to mrs clinton mr sanders and mr trump a grab at the worlds manufacturing jobs is the wrong answer walls will damage prosperity not enhance it promises to recapture industrial era greatness ring hollow
the united states though does have options health care education and clean energy just to name a few they present big economic and political challenges of course   not least the enormous inefficiency of private american medicine and republicans blanket opposition to more public spending
yet just as the federal government once provided a critical push to move the economy from its agricultural past into its industrial future so too could it help build a postindustrial tomorrow


tehran   an iranian revolutionary court handed down long prison terms on tuesday to four journalists supportive of the government of president hassan rouhani iranian news media reported all were convicted on charges of having acted against national security
noting that mr rouhani has called for more press freedom in several speeches analysts said the prison sentences were a warning by irans conservative dominated judiciary that it would not accept any relaxation of the rules for journalists
a prominent reporter and actress afarin chitsaz was sentenced to 10 years the iranian students news agency reported last year she wrote an impassioned defense of the nuclear agreement between iran and major world powers in the daily iran an official government newspaper
all of the journalists worked for reformist newspapers they included the editor in chief of farhikhtegan eshan manzandarani who received a seven year sentence the other two were davood asadi who received five years and eshan safarzaiee who received seven years
the four were arrested in november by the intelligence unit of the islamic revolutionary guards corps on suspicion of assisting the united states in infiltrating the country ms chitsaz was also convicted of having connections with foreign governments her lawyer mahmoud alizadeh tabatabaei said in an interview i will appeal this decision he said
in addition to mr rouhani the four also supported ayatollah ali akbar hashemi rafsanjani an influential former president much despised by irans hard line conservatives
international press freedom groups denounced the punishments convicting journalists for acting against national security underlines the need to change the overbroad laws that lead to the harassment and jailing of the media the committee to protect journalists said in a statement iranian authorities must cease imprisoning journalists
over the last decade dozens of reformist newspapers have been closed by the iranian judiciary and hundreds of reporters have been imprisoned a campaign of intimidation that has forced many to tone down criticism or to seek other jobs the iranian news media remains divided along factional lines however with hard liners controlling state television and some important newspapers and the reformists shifting their attention to social media where they can talk more freely
the arrests partly reflected the rivalries between these political factions insiders said
these verdicts are all unfair said sayer mohammadi a former journalist who was ousted from the state run news media during the era of president mahmoud ahmadinejad mr rouhanis predecessor we have no job security every day something can happen to us
this month an iranian who also holds citizenship in the netherlands sabri hassanpour was arrested after visiting his family in iran mr hassanpour was a host for a small satellite channel that promotes the former iranian royal family
nazak afshar a dual citizen of iran and france was also arrested recently ms afshar who once worked in the french embassy in tehran left the country in 2009 after she was convicted of involvement in antigovernment protests she was arrested at the airport on a return visit to see her ailing mother iranian news media reported


for conventional presidential candidates the running mate selection ritual has grown familiar the media floats prospects prospects deny interest prospects accept the offer if it comes
but donald j trump is not conventional influential republicans have labeled him dishonest demagogic dangerous even racist so if he secures the nomination running as his partner brings unusually high risks
just about every vice presidential nominee rises in stature mr trumps running mate will have to weigh the traditional benefits against the potential costs to their future prospects
the ones you would want youre going to have to sell them a little bit said tom cole a congressman from oklahoma and a veteran republican strategist they have to think long and hard
mr cole has seen campaigns from every possible angle he won election to the oklahoma legislature before moving up to congress was chairman of the state republican party as well as the national campaign arm of congressional republicans and served as executive director of the republican national committee
he has neither endorsed a presidential candidate nor joined stop trump efforts a consummate loyalist mr cole vows to back any republican nominee he shrugs off predictions that mr trump will permanently damage the party cracking ive lived through the death of the republican party about five times
yet mr trumps emergence he says introduces an element of uncertainty into a process that normally requires little thought
a vice presidential nomination vaults a politician into the small circle with near universal familiarity if the ticket wins the vice president sits a heartbeat away from the oval office
recent presidents have conferred more power on their vice presidents than earlier in united states history should mr trump win the white house his lack of government experience and small inner circle would magnify the potential for vice presidential influence
theres not going to be near the competition for the new presidents ear mr cole observed
the hazards are just as obvious mr trump has alienated large swaths of the national electorate notably hispanics and women that instantly becomes political baggage for anyone joining his ticket
mr trump already trails hillary clinton in the polls some republicans fear he could lose badly enough in november to hand democrats control of congress
no politician profits by association with epic defeat william miller sargent shriver and geraldine ferraro vice presidential nominees on the wrong end of landslides in 1964 1972 and 1984 never won an election afterward
for younger republicans on the rise   including senator marco rubio of florida senator kelly ayotte of new hampshire and gov nikki r haley of south carolina   that represents a sobering track record
the consequences would be a smaller consideration for the likes of john kasich the twice elected ohio governor serving in the house and now on his second presidential run or chris christie whose wounds from two terms as new jersey governor hobbled his unsuccessful nomination bid this year
its easier to take risks at the end of your career than at the beginning or the peak mr cole said
one wild card in assessing that risk is whether mr trump could evolve into a different candidate with broader appeal this fall his new campaign strategist the experienced republican hand paul manafort suggests he will temper his rhetoric and tone
the candidate himself has sent mixed signals since the last 10 months represent mr trumps entire political track record potential partners can only guess
do you see him as a finished product or a work in progress mr cole asked how much risk are you willing to take
one subject of vice presidential speculation gov mike pence of indiana will have a chance to make his own assessment next week mr trump will be campaigning there hoping to take another step toward the nomination in indianas primary on tuesday


within the past two weeks nearly a million and a half people have watched a youtube video clip featuring an explanation of quantum computing such an esoteric subject may not generally attract intense interest but when canadas new prime minister justin trudeau is involved these things have a tendency to go viral
mr trudeau has become a digital star many times over since his election in october videos of the leader explaining his brand of feminism or hugging baby pandas have become a near weekly staple of social media feeds
the clip of mr trudeau 44 excitedly breaking down quantum computing during a visit to the perimeter institute for theoretical physics in waterloo ontario this month prompted admiring write ups from both canadian and american news media outlets
the toronto star the man who has been called canadas new heartthrob yoga hotshot feminist pm   apparently eager to show hes more than a now globally recognized pretty face   promptly showed he has computer geek talents previously little known
the washington post the internets love of justin trudeau knows no bounds and it grows greater still
writing in the canadian newsmagazine macleans last month the political analyst evan solomon called the prime minister our first viral pm creating political moments specifically so they become shareable
mr solomon also compared mr trudeaus political skills to those of donald j trump if trump has taught the world anything it is that celebrity is a political currency that is valued very highly trudeaus image isnt a two bit coin its political bullion
experts say that politicians like mr trudeau mr trump and president obama have been ahead of the curve in harnessing social medias paradigm changing power their ability to shine in bite size media is reminiscent of john f kennedys prowess compared with richard m nixons in the first televised presidential debate in 1960 and tools including facebook twitter and instagram have given these politicians a significant portion of control in disseminating their own messages
laura olin who ran social media strategy for the obama campaign in 2012 said that politicians most viral moments have become so easy to identify that at this point the digital media company machine has learned to do a lot of this work for social media campaigners
it is another way of showing that politicians who are able to act like normal human beings are the ones who are going to attract mass followings she added
mr trudeau and his liberal partys digital fluency during the election helped them attract the support of an unusually large group of young voters a study commissioned by a students association and released last week by the canadian public opinion firm abacus data found that voter turnout among 18  to 25 year olds likely increased by about 12 points in 2015 and that 66 percent of young canadians said they could relate to mr trudeau
abacuss chief executive david coletto said that the liberals understood social media and that mr trudeau understood it unlike any leader weve had in canada
mr trudeaus political opposition has not taken kindly to his online success criticizing the prime minister as superficial his answer on quantum computing was used as fodder for a conservative facebook video which claimed that he had staged the moment to avoid answering a question about fighting terrorism
sorry mr trudeau serious questions need serious answers the ad said
some digital outlets have also been critical of the quantum computing video gawker suggested in a headline that it was most likely staged the washington post quibbled that the explanation was actually not quite right
a spokesman for the prime minister cameron ahmad rejected any suggestion that occasions like the one on quantum computing were staged purely for the purposes of publicity he also pointed out that mr trudeau had returned to answer the reporters question about terrorism at length after tackling quantum computing
the prime minister has a tendency to make genuine comments that you wouldnt necessarily expect from most politicians and i think that gives canadians and people around the world the opportunity to see genuine reactions and statements from a political leader mr ahmad said
ms olin the social media strategist for the obama campaign said that social media tools might allow adept politicians in the future to paper over nuance or even obscure their beliefs instead favoring moments that would most likely take off on social media she said she did not believe that mr trudeau was such an example
i think thats definitely a danger she said im guessing that there will be someone who will come along who is both completely full of it and also good at hiding the fact that theyre completely full of it


anna netrebko one of operas leading sopranos has withdrawn from a production of bellinis norma scheduled to open the metropolitan operas 2017 18 season
a spokesman for ms netrebko said in an email on tuesday that she would not be adding the famously difficult title role to her repertory for the foreseeable future ms netrebko also announced that she would be dropping out of the norma production that will open the royal opera houses season in london this september
that production directed by alex olle was to be her debut in the role but in a statement she said i have come to the unfortunate conclusion my voice has evolved in a different direction
knowing that tickets will soon go on sale and not wanting to mislead anyone she added i feel i must now be honest with myself as an artist and make this very difficult decision
this is the second time that ms netrebko has withdrawn from a royal opera house debut two years ago she canceled performances as marguerite in gounods faust saying that she felt the role was not right for her
we are of course very frustrated that anna has felt it necessary to cancel a major role debut with us for the second time kasper holten the companys director of opera said in a statement we have done everything we can to avoid this situation
in 2014 after triumphing as lady macbeth in verdis macbeth at the met ms netrebko said in a new york times interview that she planned to sing more dramatic repertory including norma a daunting bel canto role that is most associated with maria callas its scary but what can you do she said at the time adding every soprano dreams to sing that in that interview she noted that her voice was changing and had grown bigger since she had a child in 2008
antonio pappano the music director of the royal opera house said that a new norma would be announced shortly i am of course saddened not to be doing this iconic opera with anna he said in a statement we had planned this project around her ambition to take it on some time ago but we all have to accept that things sometimes change
anna and i have some other plans for the future at covent garden he added in particular one of the major roles in which she has recently triumphed


new delhi   the foreign secretaries of india and pakistan on tuesday held a brief bilateral meeting on the sidelines of a regional gathering here a noteworthy development in its own right and later put out separate statements saying they had discussed several hot button issues
the two foreign secretaries exchanged ideas on taking the relationship forward and agreed to remain in touch said a statement from indias ministry of external affairs
officials gave no clear idea of when the countries will resume a bilateral peace dialogue that has been stalled since 2008 when militants from pakistan attacked two hotels and the main train station a hospital and a jewish center in mumbai indias financial capital killing more than 160 people
the nuclear armed neighbors have fought three wars since independence and partition in 1947 and tensions remain high with frequent border skirmishes
indias foreign secretary s jaishankar brought up his countrys concern over a terrorist attack in january on an indian air base in pathankot close to the pakistan border the ministry statement said india has said that militants based in pakistan were involved in that attack
the ministry statement said mr jaishankar had also drawn attention to indias concern about the slow progress in the pakistani trial of those accused of complicity in the mumbai attack india also expressed displeasure over the lack of consular access to a former indian navy officer arrested earlier this year and accused by pakistan of being a spy
manzoor ali memon the press minister for the pakistan high commission new delhi said in a series of messages on whatsapp that foreign secretary aizaz ahmad chaudhry had raised the issue of kashmir the northernmost state in india which the two countries have fought over sporadically since 1947
pakistan also discussed its capture of a former indian naval officer it accused of spying the press minister said adding that such acts undermine efforts to normalize relations between the two countries in addition pakistan said it remained concerned over the indian investigation of explosions on a train traveling between the countries several years ago in which 42 pakistani citizens were killed the press minister said
mr memon said mr chaudhry pressed his indian counterpart for restoring as soon as possible a sustained meaningful and comprehensive dialogue process
the surprise visit to lahore last year by indias prime minister narendra modi to meet prime minister nawaz sharif of pakistan raised expectations of improved relations but as has often happened those efforts were quickly marred by a violent episode in this case the attack on the pathankot air base
ashok malik senior fellow at the observer research foundation a new delhi policy organization said the statements reflected the different aspirations of the two nations
pakistan hopes to go back to a comprehensive dialogue including kashmir and economic issues mr malik said which is what was underway before the mumbai terrorist attacks
but mr malik said indias statements reflect the modi governments focus on militancy almost to the exclusion of other issues
still mr malik said the fact that the two sides sat down was significant some engagement is better than no engagement he said


paris   ten young muslim men bored by a mundane life in france and haunted by a feeling of uselessness as one put it were seduced by a leading islamic state recruiter in europe in 2013 within months they were in syria under the watchful eyes of hooded kalashnikov wielding militants doing push ups fiddling with weapons and imbibing the ideology
but the harsh regimen most have since told investigators was not to their liking and it was not long before they hastened back to their families in the strasbourg area where they were almost immediately picked up by the french authorities
what to do with hundreds perhaps thousands of such young men in europe is now among the biggest challenges facing governments and security services
after the paris and brussels terrorist attacks which were carried out in part by europeans who had spent time in syria with the islamic state france and other countries are grappling with how far to go in tightening laws to prosecute monitor and restrict the movements of returnees
at the heart of the debate is whether to take pre emptive legal action against people who have not committed terrorist acts or even been implicated in a plot but who have simply been to syria and possibly received training in islamic state camps
several urgent factors have propelled the debate the steeper risks of terrorist attacks the fact that monitoring the sheer numbers who have returned is overwhelming security services and the difficulty of building cases against suspects who may have been trained and indoctrinated in distant lands
at least 14 european countries have made receiving terrorism training a criminal offense nine have made travel to the war zones of syria and iraq an offense
in france more than 900 people have left the country to be jihadists making it europes biggest wellspring of foreign fighters the government is now debating whether to allow house arrest even if there are merely serious reasons for thinking someone has been in an overseas war zone
two trials involving french jihadist cells were held in paris this month with the defendants in one of them receiving sentences of up to 10 years on charges of criminal conspiracy with the aim of preparing acts of terrorism
setting policy for dealing with returning jihadists is just one example of how europe like the united states after the sept 11 attacks is being forced to weigh security concerns against civil liberties
even before the paris and brussels assaults cases like the one in strasbourg were highlighting the difficult choices posed by european citizens coming home from syria
at least 1300 european jihadists have returned to the continent and those are only the ones identified by the police three times as many europeans may have gone to syria some slipping back undetected with disastrous consequences
one member of the strasbourg group foued mohamed aggad returned after the others and was not detected by the authorities he ended up as one of the three killers at the bataclan concert hall in paris where 90 people were shot dead on nov 13
of the nine others from strasbourg known to have gone to syria two were killed there in january 2014 but seven returned were quickly arrested in may 2014 and now await trial
the record of their interrogations afterward is a dance of denial that they intended any harm in europe
this is a radical extremist islam which has nothing to do with basic islam and which i disavow foueds brother karim told investigators according to documents recounting the interrogations
there is no policy covering all of europe and in some instances the returning jihadists are not immediately locked up though they are almost always placed under some form of monitoring this puts a big strain on the police and intelligence services
fifteen to 20 officers per jihadist are required for constant surveillance said magnus ranstorp of the national defense college in sweden a country where about 80 have returned in belgium the biggest per capita furnisher of jihadists in the european union 50 to 120 have returned
but after the recent attacks and with the islamic state promising more terrorist strikes a period of relative laxity is over analysts said
they will be arrested and the evidence will be gathered said edwin bakker director of the center for terrorism and counterterrorism at leiden university in the netherlands
more prosecutions are being undertaken preventively even when there is little firm evidence of a plot as the french examples show
but the strasbourg cases illustrate the difficulties of building a prosecution
the strasbourg group all men in their mid  to late 20s had met in hookah bars and fast food joints they included a delivery driver a service station attendant a physical education instructor several who were unemployed and a petty criminal
their departure for syria in december 2013 had been well publicized so when they returned from february to april 2014 frances internal security agency the dgsi knew whom to look for and where
after their return the investigators listened and watched finally pouncing on may 13 2014 in the same working class neighborhood they had left
in the eyes of the authorities their crime was simple being enlisted by a well known french recruiter traveling to syria and islamic state safe houses or training centers training with kalashnikov rifles and other weapons and returning to france
yet in their interrogations none of the men admitted wrongdoing and several insisted that they had gone to syria for humanitarian reasons
the men now claim to reject islamic state ideology and tactics and profess regret for their stupidities as one put it under questioning
but investigators are well aware that islamic state training manuals urge recruits to practice the art of taquiya or concealment one suspect in strasbourg mohamed hattay went through five interrogation sessions before admitting he had even been to syria
as a result the authorities try to find evidence from mobile phones social media posts and other sources that shed light on motivations and true intentions
we know sometimes people try to suggest they are disillusioned but they are just hiding it said gilles de kerchove the european unions counterterrorism coordinator
when we intercept their communication we discover it is not true he said
the seven strasbourg suspects portray themselves as full of regret for having made the trip to syria
i wasnt brought up with that way of thinking and i am totally against it one of the men miloud maalmi told interrogators in 2014
when i was there they kept me isolated and they made me undergo truly abominable things mr maalmi said i want to turn the page
another of them radouane taher said once i got there i understood very quickly what a mess i had gotten myself into and that i had fallen in with a bunch of madmen
even escaping was a risk karim mohamed aggad said each one of us we had to play games in order to flee the country because our lives were in danger he said
yet investigators said they had found photographs on facebook phones and computers showing some of the men posing with the islamic state flag wearing military gear and holding rifles there were also photographs of decapitated corpses the investigators said
in addition all had been recruited in france by mourad fares who said in a 2014 interview with vice that he was the principal recruiter for jihadists in france
he met mr maalmi at a mcdonalds in kehl germany across the river from strasbourg all the jihadists the newspapers are talking about they passed through me mr fares told vice from syria
mr fares is now in jail in france
it is difficult to tell from the mostly bland answers in the transcripts how radicalized the suspects became though the investigators were able to catch them in inconsistencies and evasions
this interrogation contradicts the two preceding it there being no place in this part of the story for humanitarianism  the investigators noted in their summary of statements by ali hattay another suspect
liberal minded french jurists have criticized what they call the criminalizing of intentions but france remains under a state of emergency after the nov 13 attacks
the people that return now they will probably be hunted down said mr bakker of the center for terrorism and counterterrorism
the general approach is really to try to convict these people he added in the past there was the attitude let it go but weve really gone beyond that


donald j trump has managed to get his once grounded cessna jet back in the air by selling it   to himself
the private jet that mr trump has been using to get to and from many campaign events was grounded last week by the federal aviation administration after the new york times reported that its registration had expired on jan 31
the paperwork problem threatened to ground the 1997 cessna 750 citation x for weeks if not more but mr trump found a way around this
on friday the plane was registered to a new owner dt endeavor i according to records kept with the faa dt endeavor i is a limited liability company that was registered in delaware in early january and is controlled by mr trump
he then submitted a new registration from the new company a move that cleared the way for the cessna to fly almost immediately
i havent flown it but i can mr trump said in an interview on saturday he did not mention the sale of the cessna to the new company but did say the registration issue had been 100 percent cleared up
registering a plane as a new owner is a different process than re registering an aircraft and new owners are often given a temporary registration that would allow immediate flight
the wait mr trump avoided could have been lengthy the faas aircraft registry website says the agency is still processing documents it received in mid march
indeed a cessna used by a narcotics enforcement team of the san bernardino county sheriffs department in california had its registration expire like that of mr trumps cessna the department filed the paperwork to renew it in early january but the planes renewal came through on friday according to a spokeswoman for the sheriffs agency jodi miller
the legal maneuver by mr trump the front runner for the republican presidential nomination seems in character as he prides himself on his ability to work the system in a forbes article in 2011 he described his companies bankruptcies in a positive light basically ive used the laws of the country to my advantage
the cessna which was designed to seat eight people flew to rhode island and pennsylvania on monday afternoon before mr trumps rallies in warwick ri and west chester pa in advance of the primary elections in those states on tuesday until then the plane had not flown since returning to la guardia airport from mr trumps rally in buffalo on april 18 according to flight records archived on a flight data website and reviewed by the times
mr trump explained that the planes registration lapsed because djt operations cx the limited liability company that until friday owned the plane did not receive the faas original renewal notices they were instead sent to an incorrect address he said
the planes new registration expires on april 30 2019 and in case the faa might have cause to send out another renewal notice it should take note the planes new owner shares the same delaware address as the old owner


kelly ripa returned to her morning show on tuesday and declared with a smile that our long national nightmare is over
ms ripas return to live with kelly and michael ended a weeklong saga after she was said to have felt blindsided by abcs announcement that her co host michael strahan would leave the show for good morning america
the fallout from the last week will also hasten mr strahans departure an abc spokeswoman confirmed later on tuesday that he would leave live in two and a half weeks about four months ahead of schedule his final day on the show will be may 13
mr strahan will make appearances on good morning america throughout the summer and will formally join as co anchor in september the spokeswoman said
after it was announced that mr strahan would be leaving ms ripa did not appear on three episodes of the show last week that touched off speculation in the news media about when she would return and whether her relationship with mr strahan was actually as carefree as it appeared to be every weekday morning on television
ms ripa walked onto the live with kelly and michael stage on tuesday holding hands with mr strahan before walking off to a side of the stage by herself with the camera firmly fixed on her mr strahan was not shown
after an extended ovation ms ripa standing in a red sleeveless jumpsuit addressed the crowd
im going to be perfectly honest she said im fairly certain that there are trained professional snipers with tranquilizer darts in case i drift too far off message
the crowd laughed and ms ripa talked about what she described as this bizarre time
i needed a couple days to gather my thoughts she said after 26 years with this company i earned the right lets be honest i know half of you called in sick to be here so we get each other
last tuesday abc announced what seemed like a perfectly routine personnel move in september mr strahan would leave live for its corporate cousin good morning america
behind the scenes ms ripa was incensed she was angry that she was given next to no warning about the announcement and she was said to be frustrated that her show was being slighted
ms ripa has been host of the show since 2001 and was previously an actress on all my children a show produced by abc this year ms ripa celebrated her 15th anniversary as host on the show
after ms ripa skipped episodes of live last wednesday and thursday   fridays show was taped on thursday and she had a scheduled day off monday   she informed the staff late friday night that she would return for tuesdays show
ms ripa said that apologies have been made and that the brouhaha started a much greater conversation about communication and consideration and most importantly respect in the workplace
she then put something firmly and pointedly on the record executives at disney the owner of abc had told her that live was important to the company
the best thing to come out of this you guys is that our parent company has assured me that live is a priority she said with the muffled sound of mr strahan applauding in the background guys calm down they didnt say anything about christmas bonuses
ms ripa congratulated mr strahan who was still off camera and said twice that she was thrilled for him
after about five minutes ms ripa said this is entertainment its supposed to be entertaining so lets get back to what we do best and start the show oh wait incidentally i just want to say one more thing my dad was a bus driver for 30 years and he thinks were all crazy i think hes right i think hes right
ms ripa returned to the desk with mr strahan and they moved on with the show as they have for the last four years they spoke about ms ripas 20th wedding anniversary   which she celebrated while she was away from the show   snapchat tom bradys suspension prince and bedbugs
a series of co hosts will begin appearing on live with ms ripa after mr strahan departs after regis philbin retired from live in 2011 more than a dozen guest co hosts cycled through the show before mr strahan was chosen as his successor about 10 months later


stocks finished mostly higher on tuesday in another cautious day of trading energy companies climbed in tandem with the price of oil but technology companies fell
the market wavered between small gains and losses throughout the day chemical companies made the biggest gains led by dupont health care stocks fell on more regulatory scrutiny of drug pricing the nasdaq composite index dropped for the fourth day in a row
trading has been light this week julian emanuel united states equities and derivatives strategist for ubs said investors were waiting to see the results of federal reserve and bank of japan policy meetings in the next few days
people are very very wary of taking big positions he said the commentary is going to be very closely parsed
the standard  poors 500 stock index rose 391 points or 02 percent to 209170 the nasdaq fell 750 points or 02 percent to 488828
the dow jones industrial average added 1308 points or 01 percent at 1799032
the price of benchmark united states crude oil jumped 140 or 33 percent to 4404 per barrel in new york brent crude used to price international oils gained 126 or 28 percent to 4574 a barrel in london
that helped energy stocks and conocophillips rose 181 or 39 percent to 4808 while pioneer natural resources gained 1186 or 77 percent to 16536 the oil company bp rose 170 or 54 percent to 3349 after it posted a larger than expected profit and left its dividend unchanged even though oil prices and energy income have plunged
chemical companies and makers of mining and construction equipment reported solid quarterly results mr emanuel of ubs said that energy chemical and mining companies and heavy machinery makers were getting a hand from chinas economy which is doing better than investors expected a few months ago
dupont the chemicals giant picked up 158 or 24 percent to 6755 the company expects a larger profit for the year and says the strong dollar wont hurt its results as much as it had predicted dow chemical which is preparing to combine with dupont added 113 or 22 percent to 5367
the truck leasing company ryder system added 420 or 64 percent to 6945 the manufacturing company ingersoll rand rose 136 or 21 percent to 6539 the truck maker paccar gained 288 or 51 percent to 5893
elsewhere the specialty glass maker corning lost 175 or 84 percent to 1922 after its sales were weaker than expected whirlpool the appliance maker behind maytag kitchenaid and other brands reported disappointing profit and sales the company said its business was hurt by the strong dollar the stock lost 660 or 36 percent to 17943
the drug developer sarepta therapeutics plunged after a food and drug administration panel said its muscular dystrophy drug eteplirsen should not be approved the panelists said evidence did not show the drug to be effective the stock fell 393 or 263 percent to 1102
in other energy trading wholesale gasoline rose 5 cents or 35 percent to 157 a gallon heating oil added 4 cents or 33 percent to 133 a gallon natural gas fell 3 cents to 203 per 1000 cubic feet
the price of gold rose 320 to 124340 an ounce and silver edged up 10 cents to 1711 an ounce copper lost 1 cent to 224 a pound
in britain the ftse 100 rose 04 percent while the dax in germany and the cac 40 in france each lost 03 percent the nikkei 225 in japan fell 05 percent and the south korean kospi rose 03 percent the hang seng index in hong kong gained 05 percent
bond prices edged lower the yield on the 10 year united states treasury note rose to 193 percent from 192 percent a day earlier the dollar rose to 11142 yen from 11117 yen the euro rose to 11285 from 11257


jakarta indonesia   indonesias president has instructed his government to investigate one of the countrys darkest periods the bloody anti communist purges of the mid 1960s perhaps ending decades of official reluctance to confront the militarys killings of hundreds of thousands of people
one of president joko widodos most senior ministers luhut b pandjaitan said at a news conference monday night that the president had told him to begin gathering information about mass graves that are said to be scattered across the indonesian archipelago haris azhar the head of an indonesian research organization said on tuesday that the government had begun contacting his group and others about the data
the purges of 1965 66 in which hundreds of thousands of people are believed to have been killed by the indonesian military and others have remained an extremely delicate issue for senior government officials many of whom were generals
mr luhut a retired general who is now the coordinating minister for political legal and security affairs appeared to cast doubt on the need for an investigation into the mass graves the president asked me to find them if there are any he said in his remarks on monday night
during these decades we have always been told several hundred thousand people died yet until today we have not found one mass grave mr luhut told reporters at the presidential palace in jakarta the capital human rights organizations say there is clear evidence of such graves
the purges followed a failed uprising by members of the indonesian military in september 1965 as the cold war was escalating in southeast asia top commanders called it an attempted coup orchestrated by the then powerful indonesian communist party working with rogue military personnel
the killings that ensued were carried out by soldiers and military backed civilian paramilitary and religious groups half a million people or more are estimated to have been killed and hundreds of thousands of others were held in detention for years the victims included intellectuals ethnic chinese indonesians and countless others many of whom had no connection to communism
mr azhar the coordinator of the nongovernmental organization commission for missing persons and victims of violence said his organization alone had collected evidence of at least 16 mass graves containing as many as 40 bodies each mostly on the main indonesian island of java but also on bali and sulawesi
last week the government supported a symposium in jakarta on the purges the first time that a public discussion of the atrocities had received official endorsement some hoped it would be a first step toward an official reckoning but others worried that the government would use the forum as an excuse to consider the subject closed
mr haris said the government had begun canvassing groups like his for their research on the period but it was not clear what would be done with the information he said
this is the issue mr haris said how will the data be used
another crucial issue he said is whether people who come forward will be protected from potential reprisals many of the military political and religious groups implicated in the killings are part of indonesias political elite
survivors of the purges hope the beginning of an investigation will allow them to confront their former tormentors even if the new process does not lead to criminal prosecutions said bedjo untung the leader of a victims group known locally as ypkp 65
we want to make peace between the victims and the perpetrators said mr bedjo who was captured and tortured by the military on suspicion of being a communist in 1970 and spent nine years in prison we will accept reconciliation but hope for a judicial process he said
while indonesia has made progress in coming to terms with its past during its transition to democracy many gains have proved fleeting mr jokos rise to the presidency in 2014 raised hopes among many indonesians that longstanding human rights issues such as the silence over the purges would be addressed
but mr jokos government has not followed up on a 2012 report by the countrys independent national commission on human rights calling for criminal investigations into the purges at the symposium last week mr luhut ruled out a criminal investigation of the killings
i try to be optimistic mr haris said so many efforts have been ignored by the government before i have to be careful


the new york times company said on tuesday that it was planning to close its editing and prepress print production operations in paris a move that would result in the elimination or relocation of up to 70 jobs
the changes are part of a proposal to redesign the international print newspaper and simplify the editing and production process according to an internal memo sent to the staff of the international new york times
the times will concentrate editing and prepress print production in new york and hong kong according to the memo the paris news bureau and advertising department will not be affected by the proposal and a print edition of the international new york times will still be published and distributed in europe
only by moving ahead with this proposal can we assure our ability to maintain our international print presence for the coming years and do so in a way that will best serve our international readers stephen dunbar johnson the international president joe kahn an assistant masthead editor for international and dick stevenson the timess europe editor wrote in the memo
dean baquet the executive editor of the times said in an interview that the proposal is about changing the way were built so that were not just built for print
i think we need to free up resources to build a digital report and i think thats what it boils down to he said
echoing past statements he has made mr baquet said this meant the times newsroom would probably be smaller and configured differently in the future but he added there are no layoffs planned this year for the newsroom
do i think were going to have to figure out ways to cut things that are legacy print without hurting the print new york times yes he said do i think that the new york times will end up having a ginormous robust newsroom yes absolutely it will
like most print publications the times continues to wrestle with how to offset falling circulation and declining print advertising dollars in february the times announced it would conduct a sweeping examination of the newsroom to identify areas for cost cuts and determine a strategy that made sense for the digital age mr baquet said the paris proposal was separate from the newsroomwide strategy review
the proposal to close the editing and production operations in paris comes less than two weeks after the times announced it would invest more than 50 million over the next three years to support an ambitious plan to increase its global digital revenue and grow its international audience the times formed a new team called nyt global to lead the effort the nyt global plan which is going full steam ahead is about our news coverage and digital reach around the globe mr kahn said todays announcement is about making sure that print remains a vital and profitable part of a global presence for years to come
he emphasized that the plan was intended to extend the life of the international print product the cost structure of print wasnt viable he said we intend to produce print at a lower cost for many years
in a filing with the securities and exchange commission the times said it had initiated discussions with the relevant employee works council in paris regarding the proposed measures it also said it expected to incur costs related to the measures totalling roughly 15 million including about 13 million of relocation and severance related charges
france remains a vital market for us and we will maintain a robust news bureau in paris as well as a core international advertising office there arthur sulzberger jr the timess publisher mark thompson its chief executive and mr baquet wrote in a note to employees
we regret that the proposal includes the elimination of jobs in paris and we want to express our appreciation to colleagues   past and present   who through their hard work have contributed to maintaining a tradition of excellence in global journalism at the iht and inyt
the roots of the papers paris operation go back to 1887 when the european edition of the new york herald was established it has been published continuously since then except for the four years of the german occupation of paris in world war ii
after the demise of the parent paper which had become the new york herald tribune the paris based paper became in the mid 1960s the international herald tribune with the washington post company and the new york times company as part owners
the times took full control in 2003 and rebranded the publication as the international new york times in 2013


new berlin ny   the 2000 full time employees of the yogurt company chobani were handed quite the surprise on tuesday an ownership stake that could make some of them millionaires
hamdi ulukaya the turkish immigrant who founded chobani in 2005 told workers at the companys plant here in upstate new york that he would be giving them shares worth up to 10 percent of the company when it goes public or is sold
the goal he said is to pass along the wealth they have helped build in the decade since the company started chobani is now widely considered to be worth several billion dollars
ive built something i never thought would be such a success but i cannot think of chobani being built without all these people mr ulukaya said in an interview in his manhattan office that was granted on the condition that no details of the program would be disclosed before the announcement
now theyll be working to build the company even more and building their future at the same time he said
chobani employees received the news on tuesday morning each worker received a white packet inside was information about how many chobani shares they were given the number of shares given to each person is based on tenure so the longer an employee has been at the company the bigger the stake
two years ago when chobani received a loan from tpg capital a private equity firm the companys value was estimated at 3 billion to 5 billion at the 3 billion valuation the average employee payout would be 150000 the earliest employees though will most likely be given many more shares possibly worth over 1 million
rich lake lead project manager was one of the original group of five employees mr ulukaya hired for the plant in new berlin mr lake said on tuesday that he did not expect chobani shares to change his life much im not one for living outside my means he said
rather he said the shares are an acknowledgment of what he and the other employees have put into chobani
its better than a bonus or a raise mr lake said its the best thing because youre getting a piece of this thing you helped build
the transfer of money by mr ulukaya touches on a hot button economic issue the rapidly expanding gap in pay between executives and average workers the united states has one of the widest pay gaps and the topic has played a prominent role in this years presidential race particularly among the democrats
some other executives have also taken this issue on themselves a founder of gravity payments a seattle based credit card payment processing firm last year promised to pay a minimum wage of 70000 to his 120 person staff within three years
the shares given to chobani employees are coming directly from mr ulukaya the shares can be sold if the company goes public or is bought by another business neither of which seems imminent employees can hang onto the shares if they leave or retire or the company will buy them back
the unusual announcement comes before tpg capital whose 750 million loan helped bail out chobani can buy a stake in the company tension between mr ulukaya and tpg about the direction of the company emerged shortly after the loan deal
tpg has warrants to buy 20 percent or more of chobanis shares depending on targets set in the original deal it struck but that percentage would now be calculated from the 90 percent of the remaining shares after the 10 percent given to the employees essentially diluting tpgs potential stake
tpg declined to comment on tuesday
in addition a year ago mr ulukaya settled a lawsuit with his ex wife who had sought a stake in the company the terms of the settlement were not released
this sort of transfer of shares to employees is rare in the food industry in one of the few notable examples bob moore the founder of bobs red mill a grains and cereals company handed control of the company to its employees in 2010 with the creation of an employee stock ownership program
technology start ups often pay employees partly in shares to help recruit them or to compete in a companys early days for in demand workers early employees of google and facebook became overnight multimillionaires thanks to such compensation
but unlike many of those tech companies mr ulukaya is giving his employees a piece of the company after its value is firmly established
its very uncommon and rare especially in this industry for these kinds of programs to be rolled out said jessica kennedy a principal at mercer the large human resources consulting firm that worked with chobani on the new program
mr ulukaya has played a hands on role in the company since 2005 when he bought a defunct kraft yogurt plant here with an 800000 loan from the small business administration two years later he began selling greek yogurt setting off a heated competition in what had been one of the sleepier refrigerated cases in grocery stores
chobani pays employees above the minimum wage and offers full time employees health benefits and other benefits early on mr ulukaya established a 401k plan for employees and pushed them to participate
i preached and nagged and tried to force them to do it he said unfortunately not all did and ive continued to worry about them in retirement
a few years ago though the company ran into financial problems after spending almost half a billion dollars to build the largest yogurt processing plant in the world a one million square foot facility in idaho the new plant allowed the company to expand into new products like a childrens yogurt packed in a tube and tiny cups of dessert like yogurts
but the company struggled to get lines up and running smoothly and public health officials identified mold contamination in some products
it was a wake up call for us mr ulukaya said soberly it made me realize that i needed to get this right and so im glad it happened
the company had to close lines and invest in improving its food safety regimens it also took the loan from tpg capital to help build operations better suited to the billion dollar business chobani had become
in a presentation to investors though tpg boasted about how it had waited until the last minute to come to chobanis rescue with the loan thus allowing it to negotiate better terms in a deal that it estimated could increase the companys value to as much as 7 billion in addition rumors circulated that tpg wanted to replace mr ulukaya with a new chief executive which rankled him
but in the last year or so business has rebounded thanks in large part to new products made at the idaho plant
mr ulukaya will still own the vast majority of the company though his portion will be diluted as well he said that giving his employees a stake in the companys success was among the terms he demanded when the deal with tpg was struck
to me there are two kinds of people in this world he said on tuesday the people who work at chobani and the people who dont


beijing   the trailer for doctor strange from marvel studios has ignited outrage against what some people call another example of hollywoods racially insensitive casting it reveals that a tibetan character from the comic book the ancient one is played by tilda swinton a white british actress
it turns out that the filmmakers scrubbed the tibetan origins of the character from the comic book altogether in large part over fears of offending the chinese government and people   and of losing access to one of the worlds most lucrative film markets according to one insider account
in an interview last week c robert cargill a screenwriter offered that as an explanation for why the ancient one was no longer tibetan
the tibetan issue is one of the thorniest involving china and other nations the chinese communist party and its army occupied tibet in 1951 and chinese leaders are well aware that many non chinese believe that tibet should have independence or greater autonomy
marvel said in a statement that there was no problem with the casting of ms swinton as the ancient one since the character was written as a celt in the film and is not asian at all before mr cargills explanation circulated online some critics said studio executives and filmmakers must have assumed asian actors had little drawing power and so cast ms swinton
in an interview on the pop culture show double toasted mr cargill said the decision to rid the character of its tibetan roots was made by others working on the project including the director scott derrickson it came down to anxieties over losing the china market he said if the portrayal of the ancient one ended up stirring political sensitivities in china
in response to an angry viewers question about the casting of ms swinton mr cargill said the ancient one was a racist stereotype who comes from a region of the world that is in a very weird political place he originates from tibet so if you acknowledge that tibet is a place and that hes tibetan you risk alienating one billion people
he added that there was the risk of the chinese government going hey you know one of the biggest film watching countries in the world were not going to show your movie because you decided to get political 
earlier in the interview mr cargill had acknowledged that the origin story of dr strange in old marvel comics does involve tibet and that his mentor was tibetan he goes to a place in tibet the ancient one teaches him magic he becomes a sorcerer then later he becomes the sorcerer supreme mr cargill said
the chinese box office is the worlds second biggest behind the united states and hollywood executives often alter films to avoid offending chinese officials and to help their movies get shown in china the chinese government sets a strict limit on the number of foreign films shown in cinemas each year
mr cargills take on how chinese officials and moviegoers might react to a tibetan character was overly simplistic though the government and many chinese people do not deny the existence of the cultural idea of tibet or tibetans they just assert that china should rule the territory
mr cargill also said that because the original character of the ancient one was a racist stereotype the role would be hard to pull off with modern sensibilities he added that if a tibetan had been cast it would result in the stereotypical narrative of a white hero dr stephen strange played by benedict cumberbatch being indoctrinated into eastern mysticism
from the trailer the film appears to retain some of the origin storys tibetan buddhist flavor there are shots of temples in what seems to be the kathmandu valley of nepal at one point mr cumberbatchs hand turns tibetan prayer wheels ms swintons character though celtic appears to be training dr strange in nepal
mr cargill said some critics had suggested the filmmakers could have cast michelle yeoh as the ancient one ms yeoh is an ethnic chinese actress from malaysia who is a martial arts icon and starred in crouching tiger hidden dragon
if you are telling me you think its a good idea to cast a chinese actress as a tibetan character you are out of your damn fool mind mr cargill said
mr cargill also drew a parallel saying that the only thornier situation he could envision was if dr stranges origin story had involved him going to palestine in the 1930s and studying under a palestinian mentor
the ancient one was a character who had fallen into a weird place he said theres a really really ugly piece of history that we wish there was an easy solution to and there wasnt one
mr cargill said mr derrickson the director hoped that changing the gender would help offset bad choices that had to be made
mr derrickson he said reasoned that theres no real way to win this so lets use this as an opportunity to cast an amazing actress in a male role
and sure enough theres not a lot of talk about oh man they took away the job from a guy and gave it to a woman everybody kind of decides to pat us on the back for that and then decides to scold us for her not being tibetan
ms swinton in an interview with den of geek confirmed that the change to the character had been made early in the process
the script that i was presented with did not feature an asian man for me to play so that was never a question when i was being asked to do it she said
a marvel press officer defended the casting in a statement saying that marvel has a very strong record of diversity in its casting of films and regularly departs from stereotypes and source material
the ancient one is a title that is not exclusively held by any one character but rather a moniker passed down through time and in this particular film the embodiment is celtic the company said we are very proud to have the enormously talented tilda swinton portray this unique and complex character alongside our richly diverse cast
mr cargill had a more sober take in the interview on double toasted he likened the cultural issue involving the ancient one to the kobayashi maru a famous battle simulation game in the star trek universe that starfleet academy cadets must play during training the game had been programmed so that all choices would lead to a loss
i could tell you why every single decision that involves the ancient one is a bad one and just like the kobayashi maru it all comes down on which way youre willing to lose mr cargill said
he neglected to mention that james t kirk one of the main heroes of star trek did beat the game with an unorthodox gambit


rome   if an ancient legend is to be believed rome was established on the banks of the tiber river where the mythical founders of the city romulus and remus were rescued and suckled by a she wolf for centuries the waterway   once even deified as the god tiberinus   bolstered the citys greatness
more recently however the tibers fortunes have been something less than godlike
great stretches of the riverfront walkways that abut the high travertine embankments built after disastrous flooding in 1870 have been abandoned to the dubious artistic talents of graffiti taggers joggers and cyclists must dodge litter overgrown vegetation and improvised encampments of homeless people despite decades of promises by city officials to clean up the rivers banks
the rivers filthy waterfront and murky waters are a painful reflection of the more widespread neglect and degeneration that has been increasingly blemishing romes beauty the inattention a symptom of turbulent   at times corrupt   governance on the part of inadequate city administrations
faced with the citys inaction which it justifies by citing a lack of means and money several associations of do gooders have been taking matters into their own hands some of these groups have adopted the tiber as a neglected resource to promote develop and defend through a variety of initiatives
the most recent effort materialized this month along a 500 yard stretch of the embankment with an incongruous procession of historical characters depicting a series of triumphs and laments as the project is called of romes history
the figures were created using gigantic stencils and power washing to erase layers of smog soot and biological patina on the embankment   a process sometimes known as reverse graffiti   to produce beauty from grime
the ancient statesman cicero st peter and the aforementioned she wolf are among the dozens of figures drawn from iconic sculptures photographs and monuments along with berninis statue of st teresa in ecstasy
there are celebrities anita ekberg and marcello mastroianni from dolce vita days and then there are the unknown and anonymous three women who are the nameless widows of countless migrants who have drowned trying to cross the mediterranean into italy
theres no specific narrative except that everyones triumphs and glories is someone elses laments and shamefulness the projects creator the south african artist william kentridge explained one recent afternoon while strolling along the tiber with him was the italian culture minister dario franceschini who supported the work after many years of administrative opposition and bureaucratic hurdles
it was a real challenge getting contemporary art accepted in the heart of the ancient rome mr kentridge said even if the project was meant to entice romans to the neglected riverfront to give it new life
our mission is about reactivating a public space that we think has been forgotten taking an abandoned piece of infrastructure and using site specific contemporary art to make that space a place once again said tom rankin the director of tevereterno a nonprofit organization
tevereterno requisitioned this downtown section of the tiber more than a decade ago to create a dedicated public space for contemporary art called piazza tevere
today it wants arts projects   mr kentridges mural has been the most ambitious so far   to change the way romans think about the river acting as a catalyst for change along the rivers lengths mr rankin added
most capital cities with rivers he noted have cleaned up their act long since
it does not help that the tiber is a sort of administrative no mans land with more than a dozen public offices   the city the region the port authority regional environmental agencies and so on   sharing supervisory powers
when it comes to decorum its unclear who is directly responsible so no one does anything said giuseppe maria amendola the president of the consorzio tiberina an association that aims to promote the tiber
romes municipal garbage collection agency ama for example keeps the bike path clean but it does not touch the adjacent sidewalk
its not an obligation so they dont clean it mr amendola said its a paradox
that kind of thinking has fueled a recent surge of grass roots organizing by citizens willing to get their hands dirty
our idea of talking with institutions is different said rebecca spitzmiller a transplanted american and comparative law professor at roma tre university we say i am going to clean it not call the mayor to complain
she co founded one such group retake rome in 2009 since then ms spitzmiller and a small army of retakers as they call themselves have engaged in a collective quest to rid romes streets of mounds of litter layers of advertising stickers and graffiti scrawled on thousands of palazzos
their rallying cry has been wake up clean up speak up
today they stage weekly cleanups in neighborhood piazzas and streets as well as on stretches of the tiber riverbanks and count about 30000 members
but it remains a challenge to engage romes world weary residents   made cynical and suspicious after centuries of papal and political rule
people laugh at us for trying to change deeply rooted culture ms spitzmiller said proposing that there are some concepts that dont exist in the italian mentality like empowerment the notion that you dont have to ask for permission to do something
italians are used to being told what to do and what not to do and then breaking the rules in any case she said but that she added only leads to a dysfunctional system where lack of enforcement is ingrained
roman streets are lined with garbage and meaningless graffiti because taggers and litterers are almost never fined thats how filth becomes the new normal ms spitzmiller said
for the most part city hall has been supportive of retake rome and other like minded neighborhood associations
the citys garbage collection agency and its municipal decorum police squad known as pics often take part in larger cleanup projects like the retake action on a recent sunday of the left bank of the tiber opposite mr kentridges frieze
there thousands of spectators watched a theatrical performance on april 21   romes symbolic 2769th birthday   that inaugurated mr kentridges artwork
piazza tevere is a cornerstone for the revival of the river and aims to become the site of future international projects celebrating rome and the tiber said kristin jones a new york based artist who founded and is the artistic director of tevereterno the river is the spine of the city and it could become a magnificent park
as it is mr kentridges figures stand as a reminder of the sisyphean task that rome faces over time the images will gradually be covered by fresh layers of soot and smog produced by romes unruly traffic and will eventually disappear
theyll be at their best in two years and by six years theyll be ghostly mr kentridge predicted it depends on whether there will be a lot of graffiti and weeds


salerno italy   cruise ships regularly disgorge thousands of passengers to visit attractions beyond the docks but in the case of salerno this ancient and gracious italian city of 133000 people south of naples the first must see site may soon become the maritime terminal itself created by the architect zaha hadid and inaugurated monday
on the long approach from the sea the flowing horizontal silhouette of this all concrete structure bracketed fore and aft by leaning walls stands out from the heavyset classicized buildings along the waterfront promenade thinking of that distant view across water visualizing the possibilities ms hadid had scoped out the site from a police boat before finalizing the design that won a 2000 competition
prime minister matteo renzi visited the site on sunday calling it a masterpiece the absence of ms hadid 65 who died on march 31 without ever seeing the finished terminal was keenly felt both days in a valedictory tribute salerno has honored her with a portrait posted throughout the city and in a collegial tribute half of her 400 person office flew in from london to celebrate the work
in a country where regions and cities have developed strong identities over centuries vincenzo de luca   until recently the mayor of salerno and now the governor of the campania region   was looking for a functional building with a strong and singular presence that would also express the citys individuality as a matter of urban planning policy beauty mattered
the city commissioned the terminal to help alleviate congestion on its roads and encourage a sustainable way to explore the region port to port the futuristic design has precedent in italy since the 1920s officials intent on industrializing the country have commissioned progressive buildings in modernist styles first for train stations such as those in florence naples and rome and then highway rest stop structures
officials describe the maritime terminal as a key to the citys environmental and financial planning with aspirations for tourism once the harbor is deepened the expectation is that cruise liners will join ferries and hydrofoils already plying the fabled amalfi and the less traveled cilento coasts
as seen from the sea and from the waterfront promenade of the crescent bay that curves into the distance ms hadids rippling roof parallels the horizon line of the water and captures a sense of flow and movement both ends of the long building lean out like prows recalling ships and energizing the silhouette at night the brilliantly lighted building glows like a lantern
inside the building is an intricate gavotte of interlocked functions and juxtaposed ramps and balconies
we thought of the building as an oyster with a hard shell top and bottom and a softer liquid more organic interior said paola cattarin the project architect
ms hadids office has often designed museums and cultural centers building types that allow wide design latitude but a ship terminal functions more like an airport with fixed requirements such as departure and arrival areas as well as secondary routes for baggage and administrative offices and building services
after showing their passports and tickets departing travelers step onto gently sloping ramps that swoop through the cavernous entry hall connecting the upper level to the dock level below the paths are self guiding with slopes and sightlines cuing visitors rather then relying on signage ramps and walls relate to each other curves sweeping against curves in a spatially rich interplay entirely at home in a country that invented baroque space
the architects took advantage of salernos dependable winds to design natural ventilation for the interior which they warmed with blond woods
then came the on again off again construction process which lasted over a dozen years ms cattarin attributed delays to contractor bankruptcies extended bidding periods funding delays and a slow bureaucracy the process gave renewed understanding to why rome wasnt built in a day the timeline for hadids projects in china even larger and more complex than salernos is less than two years the firm says
too many laws too much bureaucracy mr de luca said the intervals were long here and also financing arrived very slowly the 50000 square foot building cost 15 million euros
the maritime terminal actually represents an older generation of work in the hadid office when the architects were still designing with physical models and hand drawings though computers were first being introduced
ms hadid had made her reputation with angular designs that appear to explode the shards and fragments propelled by forces coursing through energy fields the salerno terminal was designed in a transitional period as she abandoned fragmentation in favor of the flowing forms and space encouraged by the computer
ms hadid was awarded the competition in an unusual week of successes when she also won for a ski jump in austria and a science museum in germany buildings that would help form the basis for winning the pritzker prize for architecture in 2004
it was an intense moment for the office ms cattarin said we were still a small office of 15 or 20
ms hadid had spent more than a decade building very few projects and the week represented a moment when her thesis investigations research and visionary proposals were at last becoming real
the terminal though unique in its form and abstraction in this predominantly traditional city was designed contextually we studied how the water joined the landscape and we responded to the cultural context ms cattarin said
the aquatic topography of the roof was designed as a shell structure and engineered so that its creases depressions and curves support the wide column free spans the team of architects which included patrik schumacher who spoke for the office at mondays ceremony in a torrential downpour designed the interiors so that spaces would echo the way the old medieval city at the core of salerno climbs up and down its hillside with narrow lanes that open to piazzas and avenues near the water
we wanted to create the effect of contraction and expansion ms cattarin said
the construction of the terminal was something of a slow motion civic event as it was built citizens became curious and for some the construction site became part of evening stroll a crowd gathered before and after dinner to witness one all night push to pour the concrete for the roof
in this heartland of classicism settled by the ancient greeks this radically contemporary terminal could very well join the temples of paestum and even the roman ruins of pompeii as one of the areas monuments
with the death of ms hadid the inauguration also became a chance for grateful citizens to say farewell to an architect who had given their city a monument of unexpected beauty posters went up around the city featuring a picture of ms hadid with lines that read goodbye zaha hadid genius and modernity inspiration and transformation light that takes shape salerno will proudly care for and cherish the maritime terminal


the list of companies from which you can get broadband and cable is getting shorter
on monday the federal communications commission and department of justice moved to approve two big acquisitions from charter communications to buy time warner cable and bright house networks the development clears the way for the creation of a cable and broadband juggernaut at a time when the number of options that consumers have for those services is narrowing write cecilia kang and emily steel
consider the deals that have taken place in the last few years that have winnowed the number of broadband and cable providers   att and directv altice and cablevision among others for consumers the declining number of players could potentially lead to reduced competition and higher prices
to guard against such outcomes the regulators have put into place a number of restrictions with the charter deals that will extend internet connectivity and not make using broadband too expensive as conditions of approving the acquisitions charter had to promise that for seven years it would not impose data caps on broadband users who can run up big bills when watching online video charter also agreed to extend its internet footprint to two million more homes and to offer a cheaper broadband service to low income households


the los angeles clippers on monday night lost two stars and most likely any hope of a long playoff run
power forward blake griffin will miss the rest of the postseason after aggravating a leg injury according to a statement the clippers released on tuesday and point guard chris paul is out indefinitely after breaking a bone in his right hand paul had surgery on tuesday and will be re evaluated in four to six weeks the team said
both injuries occurred in the third quarter of monday nights game 4 loss to the portland trail blazers
clippers coach doc rivers speaking at a news conference tuesday looked shellshocked as he reflected on losing griffin and paul he said that while he was sure that other teams had lost their top two players i dont know when and i know it didnt happen in the same game   i can tell you that for a fact
without paul and griffin the clippers leading scorers and indisputable leaders los angeles will be at a severe disadvantage against portland the series is tied at 2 2 with game 5 to be played in los angeles on wednesday
weve won games before without key guys and i think we can win games in the future without key guys rivers told reporters
griffin missed more than three months of the regular season after injuring his leg in a december game against the los angeles lakers while he was recovering he punched an assistant equipment manager breaking his hand and drawing a four game suspension
entering monday night griffin had played in only eight games since he finally returned to the clippers lineup early this month he averaged 15 points 88 rebounds and 4 assists per game in the first round against portland
the clippers said in their statement that there was no structural damage to griffins leg and that he was expected to be ready for the start of training camp next season
paul who appeared to injure his hand while defending gerald henderson played 74 regular season games averaging 195 points and 10 assists and leading the clippers to a 30 15 record in the games griffin missed in line with his reputation paul had elevated his game for the playoffs averaging 238 points per game
the winner of the clippers blazers series will face either the golden state warriors or the houston rockets the warriors lead the series 3 1 but are playing without stephen curry who is expected to miss at least two weeks with a sprained knee
that injury seemed to put the clippers in position to advance past the second round of the postseason for the first time in franchise history now making it out of the first round might be a significant achievement
theres storms and with every storm its stopped raining at some point rivers told reporters weve just got to figure it out


juba south sudan   more than two years after south sudans civil war began its opposition leader landed in the capital juba on tuesday and was sworn in as vice president a vital first step in the effort to bring the country back together
south sudan the worlds youngest nation was born in 2011 to great international fanfare but shortly after independence it spiraled into a civil war that killed tens of thousands and displaced more than two million people
nearly two years of peace negotiations in ethiopias capital addis ababa yielded several cease fires and recommitments to cease fires that were broken almost immediately
now the return of the opposition leader riek machar puts him basically back where he had started as the official no 2 to his chief rival president salva kiir
still many analysts doubt that the two will work effectively together after so much blood has been spilled
as mr machar took his oath of office inside the presidential compound soldiers were on guard outside near the main gate a truck full of government troops sat a few feet away from a truck weighed down by opposition soldiers members of both groups looked glum sweating under the oppressive heat
even before mr machar landed officials on his side were voicing doubts
juba has not been demilitarized and aerial bombardment is still happening in some areas of the country said lt gen simon gatwech dual who flew to juba on monday so maybe the government is not serious about peace that could lead us back to war
the trouble began in the summer of 2013 after mr machar said he would contend for the leadership of south sudans governing party the sudan peoples liberation movement
he was dismissed by mr kiir in july and fighting erupted in juba that december quickly splitting the nation along ethnic lines mr kiir belongs to the dinka ethnic group the countrys largest while mr machar is a nuer believed to be the second largest
opposition leaders say that dinka soldiers hunted down and killed hundreds of nuer civilians in a few days clashes then spread across the country as troops vied for control of south sudans oil fields and regional capitals
fighters on both sides have been accused of mass atrocities including rape the wanton killing of civilians and the recruitment of child soldiers the clashes were further complicated by smaller scale divisions among the countrys ethnic groups leaving no clear battle lines in the conflict
in accordance with the negotiations the opposition leader mr machar who had been living in exile at eastern bases in south sudan and in neighboring ethiopia had refused to return without the presence of 1370 opposition soldiers in juba and the last of them arrived last week
but recent events brought more disruptions mr machar was scheduled to be sworn in last monday but postponed his flight to juba because of disagreements with the government over how many soldiers would accompany him and his chief of general staff general gatwech on wednesday the government agreed to allow 195 more opposition soldiers into the capital
the delays have been unfortunate mr machar said on tuesday as he waited to board a plane that would take him to juba i expected to be a little bit earlier but the organization was problematic now im going to juba and hopefully ill take the oath then we start forming the transitional government of national unity
despite the long awaited moment the mood in juba was subdued an idea to organize a public rally welcoming mr machar was discussed then discarded
at the swearing in ceremony mr kiir said a rally might take place in the future without specifying when he also apologized for the peace deals slow implementation and said the countrys leaders were responsible
we acknowledge that there are unresolved issues related to the agreement he said but i promise we will equally resolve those matters amicably
while stationed at a rebel base about three months after the war began mr machar said mr kiir had been discredited as a president i dont know what sort of compromise would be reached with him remaining in power he added
but the two sides signed an agreement in august that called for a transitional government in juba in february mr kiir announced that he would restore mr machar as vice president
an army spokesman lul ruai koang said thousands of government troops had been moved to bases outside the city in accordance with the peace plan
the army is ready to receive the vice president as shown by our compliance so far he said
while mr machars return to juba appeared to be a concrete step toward reconciliation serious questions remained
mr kiirs decision in december to divide south sudans 10 states into 28 and appoint new governors has disrupted the negotiations over power sharing analysts also warn that after years of bloodshed a peaceful reintegration of opposition and government soldiers in juba will be difficult
general gatwech said that while he intended to carry out the peace deal his troops had the right to defend themselves if necessary
at the united nations on tuesday secretary general ban ki moon welcomed the news of mr machars reinstatement and urged the immediate formation of the transitional government for the country where united nations peacekeepers have been sheltering tens of thousands of displaced civilians
mr ban also announced the appointment of a veteran nigerian diplomat abiodun oluremi bashua to lead an inquiry into an attack two months ago on the united nations peacekeeping base in the northern area of malakal that left at least 25 civilians dead and 144 wounded


tokyo   mitsubishi motors admitted on tuesday that it had used improper methods to test the fuel economy of cars sold in japan for 25 years drastically widening the scope of a mileage doctoring scandal gripping the company
the automaker said it still did not know exactly how many models had been given exaggerated fuel ratings but it said it now believed it had been using unapproved methods since 1991   a period that covers dozens of vehicle introductions and millions of cars and trucks
mitsubishi has been reviewing its tests since the revelations that it had cheated on ones for the mileage ratings of small engine microcars that it sells in japan and supplies to another japanese automaker nissan through a joint venture agreement nissan engineers discovered the discrepancy last year the company said
last week mitsubishi said its cheating on fuel economy tests had affected 620000 vehicles sold in the japanese market since 2013
mitsubishi gave no indication that it had cheated on tests of cars sold in other markets
im truly sorry that customers were led to buy vehicles based on incorrect fuel efficiency ratings mitsubishis president tetsuro aikawa said at a news conference on tuesday all i can do is apologize
mr aikawa said that mitsubishi was still investigating who ordered the cheating and he suggested that the company may not have initially been aware that it was breaking the rules
last week mr aikawa said mitsubishi employees had knowingly given the microcar line an exaggerated fuel rating by manipulating test conditions the companys share price has dropped by half since then including a nearly 10 percent decline on tuesday
mr aikawa was repeatedly pressed on tuesday to say how many vehicles mitsubishi now believes were affected he declined to do so saying the company was still investigating but the use of unapproved testing methods appears to have been long prevalent
we are examining every model he said
mitsubishi is already a much diminished brand especially in its home market where its market share has shriveled since a scandal in the 2000s that affair also involved admissions of long running malfeasance officials had been hiding reports of dangerous vehicle defects for decades
in the latest revelations mitsubishi says it cheated japanese regulators and car buyers by using an unapproved method to measure the effect of deceleration during fuel economy testing the method which tends to give a more flattering mileage rating is approved in the united states but not in japan
different countries require different methodologies when testing the fuel economy of vehicles intended for sale in their markets they may require tests that mimic their own particular driving conditions for instance more highway driving in the united states compared with more stop and start city driving in japan
mitsubishi said it had begun using the unapproved tests in 1991 and had later incorporated data based on such tests into mathematical simulations that are also used to estimate fuel economy
in 2007 japanese regulators notified carmakers that they were adjusting their fuel economy testing standards mitsubishi had new manuals printed but its development department ignored them the company said
in the case of the microcar line at least engineers appear to have actively gamed the tests during development in 2011 mitsubishi said it had initially given the vehicle the ek a fuel efficiency rating of 264 kilometers per liter or 60 miles to the gallon but between then and the cars release in 2013 the rating was repeatedly revised upward in internal company meetings until it ended up with a published standard fuel economy of 292 kilometers per liter


new delhi   a fire swept through the national museum of natural history in new delhi early tuesday spreading downward from the top floor and possibly destroying the 160 million year old bones of a dinosaur local news outlets reported
this is a real loss and we will assess the loss when the building is again handed over to us said prakash javadekar the minister of environment and forests mr javadekar said the ministry which oversees the museum would carry out a fire and energy audit of all 34 of its museums in the country
the building sustained major damage and most of the museums exhibits were destroyed said rajesh panwar the deputy chief fire officer in new delhi they consisted primarily of taxidermied specimens and models of forests and other ecosystems in the three story exhibition space
the authorities were investigating the cause of the fire it began around 2 am in the federation of indian chambers of commerce and industry building in central delhi which houses the museum and was doused by 5 am
mr panwar said that the safety mechanisms in the building including water pumps that would have allowed the firefighters to put out the flames sooner had not functioned properly
buildings in india have long been plagued by aging infrastructure and lax safety standards last month an overpass being built in kolkata collapsed killing at least 26 people and leading to a public outcry against the government for the lagging hazardous project this month a building in the state of kerala housing fireworks was hit by burning debris from a fireworks display at a local temple leading to explosions that killed at least 106 people
rajiv tyagi a communications officer at the federation of indian chambers of commerce and industry said that there was a reservoir under the building available for use during fires
he denied any responsibility for the failure of the water system saying that was the museum was supposed to look after its maintenance


a severe weather outbreak gearing up to hammer the countrys midsection on tuesday could spawn sustained muscular tornadoes as well as softball size hail showers say forecasters who also warned of additional rounds of storms to follow
the day is expected to start out warm if a bit windy for a large swath of the plains from southern texas up to nebraska by late afternoon though it could turn scary quickly and remain that way until after dark meteorologists say
several major cities   including dallas oklahoma city wichita kan and kansas city   lie in the storms potential path putting lives and property in danger
the storms could create long track tornadoes that travel several miles and pack ferocious winds said bill bunting chief of operations at the national oceanic and atmospheric administrations storm prediction center in norman okla
those typically are stronger tornadoes he said when we talk about strong and long track it typically implies higher intensity and more potential for damage
by that mr bunting added he means powerful enough to knock down homes so they should be taken seriously he said
emergency services personnel across the region were forming response plans for tuesday gathering supplies placing crews on standby and checking trailer homes
in oklahoma city nestled in the heart of so called tornado alley lara oleary of the emergency medical services authority noted that this would not be residents first brush with natures fury
our medics are well versed in disaster ms oleary said mother nature tends to pay particular attention to oklahoma if its not an earthquake its a tornado which brings flooding and all sorts of other calamities
at least two oklahoma school districts preemptively canceled classes for tuesday
the storms are expected to taper off after about four hours the national weather service said but that wont be the end of it
on wednesday the threat of severe storms will shift east to an area including parts of texas louisiana arkansas and missouri and later in the week forecast models show the plains states face yet another round
its too far out to be specific mr bunting said but this is going to be unfortunately an active week of severe storms across much of the us


provo utah   before she could move into a dormitory at brigham young university or sign up for freshman classes brooke had to sign the colleges honor code
part moral compass and part contract the honor code is a cornerstone of life for the nearly 30000 students at brigham young a mormon run university it points students faculty and staff members toward moral virtues encompassed in the gospel of jesus christ prizing chastity honesty and virtue it requires modest dress on campus discourages consensual sex outside marriage and among other things prohibits drinking drug use same sex intimacy and indecency as well as sexual misconduct
but after brooke 20 told the university that a fellow student had raped her at his apartment in february 2014 she said the honor code became a tool to punish her she had taken lsd that night and also told the university about an earlier sexual encounter with the same student that she said had been coerced four months after reporting the assault she received a letter from the associate dean of students
you are being suspended from brigham young university because of your violation of the honor code including continued illegal drug use and consensual sex effective immediately the letter read
in the past few weeks brooke and a handful of other female students have come forward first at a rape awareness conference and then in the salt lake tribune to say that after they made complaints of sexual abuse they had faced honor code investigations into whether they drank alcohol took drugs or had consensual sex
they treated me in such an un christlike way like i was some sinner said brooke who agreed to be identified by her first name there was no forgiveness and mercy
their accounts have brought a national debate over colleges disparate treatment of women who have reported sexual assaults crashing onto this faith driven campus where mormon students gather from around the globe skirts must fall to the knee and beards are outlawed the womens complaints have focused attention on how the university deals with such cases as it also seeks to uphold a moral code that lies at the heart of its identity
brigham youngs policy on sexual misconduct urges students to come forward even if they have broken university policies the university says that it investigates sexual assault complaints fully but that it also has an obligation to pursue misconduct under the honor code according to the sexual misconduct policy violations of its code discouraging consensual sex are not exempt from scrutiny
brigham young university cares deeply about the safety of our students carri jenkins a university spokeswoman wrote in an email when a student reports a sexual assault our primary focus is on the well being of the victim
sometimes though facts come to light that a victim has engaged in prior honor code violations she said
while the recent complaints about brigham young have come from female students the university says that all students are required to follow the honor code at all times whether on or off campus any potential violation that comes to the universitys attention could be investigated it said in the wake of the students complaints the university announced last week that it would review how it handled reports of sexual assaults
the university said it could not discuss specific cases citing federal privacy laws brooke said the university had told her that it was investigating her claim of sexual assault but she left the university after her suspension she said she had not pressed criminal charges though she had been interviewed by the police after fleeing the scene according to a police report
some experts in law and gender issues on college campuses said brigham youngs approach was troubling the cases set off a torrent of online criticism as well as a protest on campus this month
the experts said the fear of being investigated suspended or losing a scholarship could keep students from reporting sexual assaults to the university potentially letting perpetrators escape campus discipline
youre creating a systemic unwillingness or barrier for victims to come forward and access the resources of the university for fear that theyre going to be punished said brett a sokolow the executive director of the association of title ix administrators named for the federal law that prohibits sex discrimination in education
many other colleges secular and religious have amnesty clauses that protect victims who might worry about getting in trouble for infractions surrounding their attack like taking drugs or drinking in a dorm room last year maryland passed a law protecting students who report or witness sexual assaults from being cited for violating drug and alcohol rules
all schools including byu know that alcohol and drugs are often involved in sexual violence said adele p kimmel a senior lawyer at public justice a nonprofit that advocates social justice issues if youre a school that wants to send a message to students that youre serious about preventing sexual violence you should have an amnesty policy
madeline macdonald a sophomore at brigham young studying computer science did not hesitate to go to the university in december 2014 after what was supposed to be a date with someone she met on tinder turned into an assault she said ms macdonald who agreed to allow her full name to be published said the man   not a byu student   had driven her to a water tower off campus undressed groped her and masturbated against her after she told him no several times
the next day she said she went to the universitys title ix office which fields sexual assault reports and gave it a detailed account of what had happened she has learned that an investigation was opened by the universitys honor code office that same day
there was a good two weeks where i had no clue what was going on and no one would talk to me she said
ms macdonald said the university had eventually concluded that she had been sexually assaulted and offered support services separately she got a call telling her that she would face no discipline under the honor code
brigham young always seemed like the natural path for ms macdonald who grew up in seattle members of her family are alumni and they would wake her up singing the universitys fight song
she said she had decided to stay at brigham young despite her experience though she said this is a really awful policy
the federal education department urges colleges to make sure their discipline policies do not discourage students from coming forward to report sexual assaults the policies should also remind students that their drinking or drug use is never an invitation for sexual violence the agency says
madi barney said she was so worried about facing honor code sanctions at brigham young that she waited four days in september before she went to the provo police to report that she had been raped in her off campus apartment by a man she knew who was not a student
i just remember sobbing and telling the police officer i couldnt go forward because byu was going to kick me out said ms barney 20 who agreed to have her full name published
but ms barneys police report made its way into the universitys hands anyway after nasiru seidu the man charged with assaulting her gave it to an acquaintance who worked as a utah county sheriffs deputy according to court records the deputy edwin randolph passed it to the college
mr seidu and mr randolph were charged with witness retaliation the charges were later dropped mr seidu is still awaiting trial on the sexual assault allegations as of tuesday a trial had not yet been set
the university later contacted ms barney to say it wanted to meet with her to investigate other alleged honor code violations last month the universitys general counsel stephen craig emailed ms barneys lawyer to say that while byu had not sought the police report it was nevertheless under an obligation to itself and to its students to investigate credible reports of honor code violation
i understand that this is disappointing to you and to madison mr craig wrote to the lawyer the university nonetheless enforces its honor code all students when enrolling in the university agree to moral standards of conduct and agree that the standard is a condition for remaining at the university
the university asked her to cooperate with the honor code investigation ms barney however said she could not talk about the attack outside a courtroom while the criminal case was still open
on march 4 brigham youngs lawyer wrote to say that ms barney could finish the semester but that the university would block her from enrolling in any more classes until the honor code issues are resolved
ms barney took her final exam at brigham young this month and has decided she does not want to return


manila   after the militant group abu sayyaf kidnapped a group of foreign citizens and killed six soldiers in the southern philippines in late 2014 president benigno s aquino iii vowed to wipe the terrorists out
we have several battalions he said not only line infantry but some of our most elite forces those troops had been ordered into all of these mountain lairs and very heavily wooded jungle and dense areas to precisely deprive them of safe havens
instead abu sayyaf has kidnapped several more foreign citizens in the nearly year and a half since bringing the total to at least 19 and its heightened campaign of high profile abductions has attracted growing international attention
this month it killed 18 soldiers in a single battle on monday the head of one of its hostages john ridsdel a mining executive from canada was left in a plastic bag on a street in the southern town of jolo
abu sayyaf has conducted kidnappings bombings and battles with soldiers for more than 20 years in the southern philippines where many members of the impoverished local population regard it as an ally since 2002 the united states has periodically advised the philippine military on combating the group
with an estimated strength of fewer than 500 fighters the group was once linked to al qaeda but has more recently produced videos vowing allegiance to the islamic state there is little evidence beyond the videos however that it has received any substantive financial or technical assistance from the terrorist network
abu sayyafs stated goal is to establish an independent islamic state in the southern philippines but the military says it is at bottom a profit driven criminal organization
in march 10 sailors from indonesia were abducted by the group philippine military officials said less than a week later four sailors from malaysia were also abducted in the region where abu sayyaf operates the malaysian and indonesian authorities responded by calling for increased patrols of the area and indonesian officials have offered to send in their own special forces to help rescue their citizens
some analysts and political leaders have begun to question whether the armed forces are capable of carrying out mr aquinos order to defeat the group
considering how long this problem has been with us it appears that the government   not just under this administration but under past administrations as well   has failed miserably to put an end to the kidnapping for ransom operations of the abu sayyaf wrote ramon j farolan a former military official in a column for the philippine daily inquirer this month
vice president jejomar binay who is a presidential candidate in an election set for may 9 is among those who have called for more efforts to eliminate kidnap for ransom groups operating on the island of mindanao
these groups are bandits not rebels and should be dealt with immediately and decisively he said
though the military vastly outnumbers abu sayyaf and has better training and more sophisticated weaponry the soldiers face formidable obstacles fighting in the dense jungles where the group operates said col restituto padilla jr a spokesman for the armed forces of the philippines
at the tactical level the bandits have the edge on mastery of the terrain he said they have clearly mapped the whole area and know every nook and cranny
in the last two decades the group has kidnapped dozens of foreign citizens receiving millions of dollars in ransom money and some of that has been distributed to the local population colonel padilla said in addition many of the abu sayyaf fighters have relatives and traditional clan ties to residents all of which puts them at odds with government troops
they have become local robin hoods sought and revered by quite a lot of the locals the colonel said
matt williams country director in the philippines for pacific strategies and assessments a risk management and security company agreed with the militarys assessment of a hostile theater of operations
the area where the abu sayyaf operate is a nexus of crime clan rivalries and endemic corruption said mr williams who has been involved in hostage negotiations with the group ransoms paid for the release of foreign hostages pump millions of dollars into an underground economy that is shared by armed clans corrupt officials and intermediaries promising fast solutions to victims families
in the areas where the group operates nearly two thirds of the population lives below the national poverty line mr williams said there are also high levels of mistrust of the government and the military in those areas and many young men see collaboration with abu sayyaf as prestigious and lucrative he said
the philippine military has the technical capability to contain and erode the abu sayyafs operational capacity mr williams said what is lacking is the political will to resolve this growing security concern president aquinos government does not appear to have a workable military solution to eradicate the abu sayyaf


step 1 participate in the political process choose your future leaders live out your democratic right as an american that countless men and women have literally died for
step 2 selfie
to many theres no better celebration of democracy than a voting booth photograph its the moment political talk turns to political action one younger voters are especially eager to record and share with friends
but in several states the right of free speech has clashed with the question of whether allowing photographs in the voting booth a typically private space could compromise elections some states like pennsylvania have banned the practice last year a federal court in new hampshire overturned a ban on such photos a decision still being appealed
snapchat the social network of choice for many younger voters joined the fray on friday filing an amicus brief in new hampshire arguing against the ban it called ballot selfies the latest way that voters especially young voters engage with the political process
both supporters and detractors of the restrictions agree that there are significant freedoms at stake they just disagree on which freedoms to focus on
it depends on what state you live in
theres no federal law and each state is different the huffington post and the digital media law project have assembled state by state lists that you could check
theres quite a bit of variety in approaches some states like south carolina have few restrictions while others like pennsylvania and vermont allow for fines of up to 1000
those who want to keep cameras away from the voting booth say they are trying to preserve the secrecy of the ballot and stave off any attempts at buying votes
going back a long time in history there always have been attempts to take that secrecy away new hampshires secretary of state bill gardner said in a telephone interview monday
if voters are free to take photos outsiders could also compel voters to take photos mr gardner said corrupt forces that would seek to buy votes could demand evidence that the bought votes were actually cast by not allowing voters to record that proof he said no one would be foolish enough to try to manipulate anyone elses vote
in the past election fixers trying to eliminate voter privacy might have made people deposit their yes and no votes into different boxes or link ballots to an identity modern voting setups had effectively prevented such behavior for many years but the ability of smartphones to eliminate the privacy of the voting booth has created a new form of the old trick mr gardner said and politicians and their supporters have never been shy about trying to find new ways to win elections
whether an exchange of money or for having to live with someone or some other fear you dont want anyone to go into that booth and end up voting for someone they didnt really want to vote for but felt they didnt want to pay that price for whatever reason he said
those opposed to photography bans say concerns about vote buying are overblown
there isnt much evidence if any at all that this kind of activity is actually occurring said justin silverman the executive director of the new england first amendment coalition it was one of three organizations to file amicus briefs on friday along with snapchat and the reporters committee for freedom of the press
no one wants to see vote buying but in combating that murky threat officials have placed real restrictions on first amendment rights mr silverman said millennials and other active social media users use photos as a fundamental part of how they communicate and ought to be able to express their excitement at participating in democracy he said whether a selfie with a completed ballot or an artistic shot of the booth an instagram or snapchat post can be as much a part of expressing civic pride as an i voted sticker
mr silverman said the image of a goofy selfie with a ballot has obscured what he described as more serious benefits of allowing photography like serving as an alert system for confusing ballots
more importantly its about keeping the system honest and documenting the election process and quickly identifying flaws that might be on the ballot and being able to share them quickly and easily with other voters he said
in its court filing snapchat called ballot selfies and other photographs a key part of how the youngest generation of voters participates in the political process and said they would be a key driver of more participation
it is precisely because a ballot selfie proves how a voter has exercised her franchise that it is an unmatched expression of civic engagement it said there is simply put no substitute for this speech
snapchat also presented itself as a news gathering operation arguing that restricting its ability to gather user generated content infringes on its watchdog function limiting those rights cannot be justified when the state could not point to specific instances of vote buying snapchat argued
the flimsy speculation that the state has offered in support of its ballot selfie ban cannot survive first amendment scrutiny it wrote
snapchat said in a statement on monday whether its a campaign button or a selfie from the ballot box snapchat believes that expressing participation in the democratic process is an important part of free speech and civic engagement that the first amendment roundly protects


the supreme court of papua new guinea ruled on tuesday that the pacific island nations detention of people seeking asylum in australia was illegal but an australian official said the decision would not change his countrys tough stand on seaborne migrants
more than 800 men who tried to reach australia by boat in recent years are being held in an australian funded detention center on manus island in northern papua new guinea
in its ruling the five judge court ordered the governments of papua new guinea and australia to end those detentions the ruling gave no timetable for the release of the detainees and it was unclear what would happen to them
the court declared that because the asylum seekers had not entered papua new guinea of their own accord they were not guilty of immigration violations and that holding them ignored constitutional protections of personal liberty
peter dutton australias immigration minister said the ruling would not mean that the asylum seekers would be allowed to come to australia
it does not alter australias border protection policies   they remain unchanged he said in a statement no one who attempts to travel to australia illegally by boat will settle in australia
human rights advocates have criticized australias offshore detention of asylum seekers who seek to arrive by boat in 2014 an iranian detainee was killed during two days of rioting at the manus island center
opponents of the offshore detentions said that the ruling on tuesday suggested that the policy was unsustainable
time to bring those left there to australia to be cared for sarah hanson young a greens party senator for south australia wrote on twitter
it is well time to close these awful detention camps on manus  nauru and start treating people like human beings she added referring also to an australian backed processing center on another pacific island nation anything less is senseless
besides the detainees on manus 468 men women and children were being held in the processing center on nauru as of march 31
australian leaders have said the offshore detentions have led to a steady decrease in the number of attempted arrivals in their country by sea and those officials have shown few signs of wanting to change the policy
last year mr dutton announced that papua new guinea would begin resettling refugees held at the manus camp but papua new guinea officials cautioned that the movement of refugees to cities would have to be carefully controlled to prevent the new arrivals from competing with residents for jobs
so far the effort has had little success although about half of the manus detainees have been designated as refugees only eight have been resettled and at least three have tried to return to the detention center fairfax media in australia reported


adam moss the editor in chief of new york magazine was having dinner at sant ambroeus an upscale restaurant in the west village with pamela wasserstein and her two brothers when she mentioned that she was ready for a career change
it was the summer of 2014 the magazine had just gone from weekly to biweekly and mr moss recalled thinking at the time that it made sense to have the wasserstein heirs whose family trust owns the publication more involved with the day to day decision making
the next day mr moss called ms wasserstein then working for the company behind the tribeca film festival and floated an idea she should run the magazine
nearly two years later that plan is finally coming to fruition on monday ms wasserstein 38 will become chief executive of new york media the magazines parent company giving the family more direct control of the publication and making it something of a new york media dynasty
the move can be traced to 2004 when ms wassersteins father bruce wasserstein bought new york magazine for 55 million after mr wasserstein an investment banker who helped popularize the hostile takeover died unexpectedly in 2009 at 61 there was a short period of uncertainty about the publications future the economy had soured and some speculated that the family might sell
instead mr wassersteins children held on and proved to be devoted owners ms wasserstein and her two brothers scoop and ben a former editor at the magazine had monthly meetings with the management team and were part of discussions about the publications strategy and in november 2014 a few months after that phone call with mr moss ms wasserstein joined the magazine full time as co chairwoman and head of strategy scoop wasserstein is a film development executive and ben now works for a production company based at hbo
its all family every aspect of this place mr moss who has edited new york since 2004 said in an interview last week at the magazines headquarters in lower manhattan about ms wasserstein he added shes really been kind of one of us for a long time
ms wasserstein a graduate of harvard law school and former corporate lawyer who previously led corporate development for tribeca enterprises is taking the helm of a publication for the first time and many would not envy her position magazines in particular have struggled to offset decreasing print advertising revenue and falling circulation
newsweek was sold for 1 in 2010 and time inc whose publications include time and people was spun off from time warner in 2014 and saddled with debt popular science said recently that it would come out bimonthly instead of monthly
new york magazine with a circulation of about 400000 was down 12 percent in ad pages last year compared with the previous year but the publication has several things in its favor
on editorial grounds theyve been terrific since the wassersteins have owned them said nicholas lemann a professor and former dean at columbia universitys journalism school and a longtime staff writer for the new yorker when you find a benign owner like the wassersteins youre happy if you like magazines
digitally the magazine has become something of a force it has built up a collection of online brands including vulture the cut and daily intelligencer and its sites now have roughly 16 million unique online visitors a month up 19 percent in the last year according to comscore
ms wasserstein said she expected digital sales which grew 10 percent last year to make up 60 percent of the magazines advertising revenue this year digital ad revenues surpassed print ad revenues for the first time in 2015 partly because of the decision to go biweekly she said and mr moss a former editor of the new york times magazine is widely considered one of the best in the business
the magazine is privately owned so it does not disclose financial information but ms wasserstein said it was strongly positioned for growth
were happy with our strategy she said but were amplifying
to that end she outlined a plan for new york centered on increasing its online audience and its digital revenue the magazine is focusing on pumping up video offerings and building out a new branded content studio that it hopes will bolster ad revenue
and on wednesday the magazine will introduce a new technology and culture site called select all which was born out of following a pop up blog that covered social media max read the former editor of gawker will lead select all
there is certainly no shortage of technology focused sites but mr read said select all would be different by approaching technology from the culture side and focusing on the way we live our lives
separately the magazine is exploring a cable television deal and trying to build out its live events business lest the publication itself be forgotten ms wasserstein said she was still dedicated to the print product for us its a key part of our identity she said
if it seems like new york is trying a bit of everything it is not alone in the industry
any media company is a laboratory right now mr moss said there is no established way to do anything
however the magazine manages to navigate out of the industrys uncertainty installing ms wasserstein as its leader seems to indicate the family is willing to see it through she will replace anup bagaria a managing partner at the private equity firm wasserstein  company who has been chief executive of new york media since bruce wasserstein bought the magazine
we are committed and we see a bright future for the company ms wasserstein said i wouldnt have wanted to take this on if this wasnt a place that i felt we could build value and an opportunity that i was excited about and my family is excited about
but she added could circumstances change someday of course


london   more than a quarter century ago 96 liverpool soccer fans were crushed and trampled to death at an english soccer match a tragedy that convulsed britain and shocked the world even as police and safety officials blamed victims for causing their own deaths
on tuesday a jury found that the fans who died during the match at hillsborough stadium in sheffield england had been unlawfully killed and the victims of what proved to be fatal police mistakes a verdict that represented a long sought victory for family members who had fought for a full accounting
the jury answered yes to the crucial questions of whether there were errors or omissions by the police in planning and executing security for the match on april 15 1989 and it specifically cited the actions of commanding officers
the victims suffocated as they entered an fa cup semifinal between liverpool and nottingham forest after the police opened an exit gate in an effort to relieve congestion outside the stadium before the game in the chaos that ensued some victims were crushed against steel fencing others were trampled and more than 700 people were injured the victims were ages 10 to 67 and included 37 teenagers
the jury was given 14 yes or no questions in deciding how the 96 people died and it said no to only one whether the fans were responsible for the deaths
together the findings amounted to an unambiguous rejection of a narrative pushed for many years by the police and some in the news media that portrayed the fans as drunk and out of control
after the verdict was announced family members clasped hands outside the coroners court in warrington england east of liverpool and sang the rodgers and hammerstein song youll never walk alone the tune that liverpool fans belt out at every game some held photographs of their dead relatives others sobbed
an 11 page statement on behalf of the families of 22 victims said the verdict vindicated the long long journey of the 96 families who have striven tirelessly for 27 years to obtain the truth obtain justice and make those responsible for the hillsborough disaster accountable
the story of hillsborough the statement said is a story of human tragedy but it is also a story of deceit and lies of institutional defensiveness defeating truth and justice
senior police and safety officials had initially blamed the victims for causing their own deaths which an independent inquiry later called the most serious tragedy in uk sporting history
the events on that day changed how the game is watched standing only sections at stadiums that were vulnerable to overcrowding have been replaced by seating areas at most venues in britain and fences around the field were removed
i want them 96 to rest in peace now because they have suffered for these 27 years seeing the families suffer said margaret aspinall whose 18 year old son james died in the crush and who leads the hillsborough family support group
they done nothing wrong that day she told granada reports a regional news program for north west england they were the heroes
prime minister david cameron said the verdict had delivered justice that was long overdue
david duckenfield the south yorkshire police officer who was in charge of security for the game later falsely claimed that spectators had opened the gate
the inquest was not a criminal trial and it does not confer civil damages or penalties rather it is a finding of fact after the verdict however the crown prosecution service said it was evaluating whether to press charges in light of the findings and legal experts said that such a case would most likely focus on mr duckenfield
during the inquest mr duckenfield described how he froze during the vital moments when police officers responded to the overcrowding threat and did not foresee that his failure to close a tunnel leading to crowded pens after a large exit gate was opened would prove fatal
in the days after the deaths efforts by the police to assign responsibility to soccer fans culminated in a story in the british newspaper the sun under the headline the truth it blamed liverpool fans for bad behavior and said they had attacked rescue workers urinated on police officers and picked victims pockets
the suns editor at the time kelvin mackenzie apologized more than 23 years later
in 1996 a former spokesman for margaret thatcher who had been prime minister at the time of the stadium deaths wrote a letter to graham skinner a liverpool fan whose friend had died in the crush blaming the fans
i believe that there would have been no hillsborough disaster if tanked up yobs had not turned up in very large numbers to try to force their way into the ground wrote the spokesman bernard ingham
mr duckenfield who is now 71 left the police force at the age of 46 and retired to the south coast where according to the british news media he largely disappeared from public view
chief constable david crompton of the south yorkshire police told reporters on tuesday that he unequivocally accepted the verdict of unlawful killing he apologized to the families of the victims saying that the force had handled events at hillsborough catastrophically wrong
the verdict which capped the longest case heard by a jury in british legal history comes more than two years after the inquest began on april 1 2014
during the inquest the jurors   six women and three men   were asked to answer the 14 questions related to how and when the victims had died and they concluded that the fans behavior did not cause or contribute to the disaster
the jurors working through the questions had unanimously agreed on answers to all of them save for the matter of whether the victims were unlawfully killed the jury voted seven to two on that question
a new inquest into the disaster was ordered after an independent panel concluded in september 2012 that there had been a vast cover up in which senior police officers sought to dissemble blame by making scapegoats of victims and survivors
in december of that year a high court in london overturned the original inquest verdicts of accidental death
the independent panels report citing post mortem examinations said the coroner had assigned an arbitrary time of death for 41 victims even as their hearts and lungs continued to function some members of the victims families fainted when they read the report
when the 2012 report was published mr cameron issued a government apology to the families of the victims saying that they had suffered a double injustice
the injustice of the appalling events the failure of the state to protect their loved ones and the indefensible wait to get to the truth and the injustice of the denigration of the deceased   that they were somehow at fault for their own deaths
the hillsborough tragedy culminated a dark decade for english soccer fifty six people were killed when a fire raced through the stands during a bradford city soccer match on may 11 1985 less than three weeks later 39 people were crushed to death at heysel stadium in brussels before the start of the european cup final between liverpool and the italian club juventus


london   standard chartered an asia focused bank based in london said on tuesday that its pretax profit fell 59 percent as the lender continued to face challenging trading conditions in the first quarter
the bank said that its first quarter results reflected a trading environment that included depressed commodity prices volatility in the chinese markets and weak investor sentiment about emerging markets
despite the decline in profit investors reacted positively to the update on the banks progress shares of standard chartered rose more than 7 percent in midmorning trading in london on tuesday
slowing growth in asia bad loans and lower commodity prices have hurt the banks results in the past two years driving it to a large loss of 236 billion in 2015
standard chartered is revamping under william t winters who joined the bank as chief executive last year and is looking to turn around the lenders prospects as part of its overhaul the bank said in november that it would raise up to 51 billion in new capital shed 15000 jobs and cut costs
the bank took about 123 million in restructuring charges in the quarter after 18 billion in charges last year standard chartered expects its total restructuring charges to come to about 3 billion by the end of this year
we feel this is an important quarter for demonstrating the strategic objectives that we set out the operational objectives we set out are on track mr winters the former head of jpmorgan chases investment bank said on a conference call with reporters
its equally clear to all of us that we still remain in very difficult and volatile times he added we feel we are well prepared for that from a capital perspective a liquidity perspective
in a news release standard chartered reported a pretax profit of 589 million for the three months ended march 31 from a profit of 144 billion in the first quarter of 2015
the banks operating income which is similar to revenue in the united states declined 24 percent to 33 billion in the first quarter from 44 billion in the same period a year earlier operating expenses declined 10 percent to 22 billion in the quarter from 25 billion in the first quarter of 2015
impairments for loans and other credit risks declined about 1 percent to 471 million in the first quarter from 476 million in the same period a year earlier the bank said
standard chartered has faced increased regulatory scrutiny in the united states in recent years over its monitoring of suspicious transactions and it has paid hundreds of millions of dollars in fines
its regulatory costs rose 9 percent to 243 million in the quarter from 222 million in the first quarter of 2015 the bank said it would continue to invest in improvements in its compliance and control infrastructure in 2016
mr winters said the search for a successor to john w peace the standard chartered chairman was continuing mr peace is expected to leave the bank this year
were making good progress mr winters said as soon as we have something to report we most certainly will


tokyo   in a blow to japans arms export ambitions australia chose a french company on tuesday to supply a dozen attack submarines for its navy rejecting a bid from a japanese consortium that had been seen as the front runner
the deal worth 50 billion australian dollars or 385 billion is one of the biggest ever defense contracts in the asia pacific region and for a while conditions seemed to be lining up just right for the japanese who were looking to put their little known submarine industry on the global map
japan and australia both island nations rely on submarines for defense japan is adept at making the type of quiet running diesel powered vessels the australians sought and just two years ago japan lifted a self imposed ban on weapons exports that it had maintained since the end of world war ii
japanese and australian leaders meanwhile   mutually concerned about the growing military might of china   have been touting closer military ties in 2014 prime minister shinzo abe of japan and tony abbott then the prime minister of australia signed a defense cooperation agreement that many saw as paving the way for a submarine sale
so australias choice of the french company dcns over the japanese manufacturers mitsubishi heavy industries and kawasaki shipbuilding was more than a business setback for japan a win for mitsubishi and kawasaki would not just have secured the first export by japan of a major weapon system it would also have been a turning point for japans broader defense policy which has been mostly inward looking since its wartime defeat more than 70 years ago
the conservative mr abe has been trying to change that by loosening decades old legal restrictions that have prevented the japanese military from engaging in combat missions abroad as well as by lifting the ban on arms exports
the french offer represented the capabilities best able to meet australias unique needs malcolm turnbull the current australian prime minister said in announcing the decision in adelaide where the vessels will be built this is securing the future of australias navy over decades to come
the french designed submarines will eventually replace australias fleet of collins class submarines which were built in the early 1990s also in australia based on a swedish design the french vessels are expected to enter service in the early 2030s
in an accompanying written statement mr turnbull and defense minister marise payne said the french submarines offered superior sensor performance and stealth characteristics as well as range and endurance similar to the collins class submarine other considerations were schedule program execution through life support and australian industry involvement
a post mortem had already begun in japan over the failure of the joint mitsubishi kawasaki bid after leaks to the news media in australia in recent weeks suggesting the government in canberra was cooling on the soryu class submarine being offered by the two companies they were proposing to sell the australians an enlarged version of the 4200 ton soryu which is powered by a combination of advanced diesel engines and lithium ion batteries
mitsubishi and kawasaki have built eight of the submarines for the japanese navy the maritime self defense forces and have orders for 12 more but they have never orchestrated this sort of multinational building project with assembly taking place in a foreign shipyard   a requirement of the australian bid
gen nakatani the japanese defense minister said he was very disappointed and would seek a detailed explanation from australia for its choice he added that australia would remain a special strategic partner
the japanese companies have struggled to meet australian requests to modify the soryu to make it larger and give it longer range experts said and appeared less enthusiastic than the french to share technical secrets with the australian contractors who would help build the submarines
the french were very adroit in putting forward a bid that that was really an industry play as well as a technical proposal said peter jennings executive director of the australian strategic policy institute as for the japanese he added there really was a risk in asking japan to relocate an entire industrial capability for the first time in modern history
the successful french proposal involves swapping an advanced diesel engine for the nuclear power plant normally used in a dcns made barracuda class submarine a proven vessel that already has the size and range the australians were looking for
the french state owns about two thirds of dcns which is the countrys largest naval contractor while most of the rest is held by the defense and aerospace group thales jean yves le drian the french defense minister told europe 1 radio on tuesday that the deal was a great victory for the french naval industry that would provide as many as 4000 jobs in the cherbourg region where the companys shipyards have been struggling
under the administration of former president nicolas sarkozy france built two mistral class helicopter carriers for the russian navy but sanctions imposed by western countries after russia invaded crimea and ukraine scuttled that deal
thyssenkrupp marine systems of germany had also bid for the australian deal
given the importance of the submarine project to australia   mr turnbull called it a momentous national endeavor   the french bid ultimately looked like the least risky choice mr jennings said he added that australia might now look for other smaller defense contracts to open up to japan for instance in sonar systems missile defense or cybersecurity
walk first then run mr jennings said this is not something where we can afford to have any false starts


film buffs soon will have a new viewing option for contemporary and classic movies with the start of a streaming service called filmstruck this fall
developed by turner classic movies in partnership with criterion collection the new subscription based service will feature hundreds of films from independent and major hollywood studios those include seven samurai breaker morant blood simple and mad max
filmstruck also will be the exclusive streaming destination for criterion collection which specializes in licensing classic and contemporary films criterion will operate a channel on the service to spotlight more than 1000 films and other content such as commentary on films and filmmakers
the service will be advertising free specific pricing details are still being determined
filmstruck is a terrific example of our strategy to meet consumer demand for great content across all screens john martin chief executive of turner said in a statement its tailor made for the die hard movie enthusiast that crave a deep intimate experience with independent foreign and art house films and it takes advantage of tcms powerful curation capabilities as well as its proven track record of building a long term relationship with passionate film fans


the alibaba group of china has become a colossus in the global internet world with a market value of nearly 200 billion
now its online payment affiliate is aiming for a similarly lofty financial goal becoming one of the most valuable privately held technology companies in the world
the affiliate known as the ant financial services group said on tuesday that it had raised 45 billion from investors the private financing round suggests that the company is now valued at about 60 billion   or more than 10 billion over the market value of paypal holdings its closest analogue
ant financial may not be as well known in the west as silicon valley darlings like uber technologies which was most recently valued at about 625 billion but ant financial   whose controlling shareholder is alibabas billionaire founder jack ma   has become an online power in its own right it is one of the biggest electronic payment companies in the world by virtue of alipay a payment service that is commonly used in china
it is also one of the most prominent symbols of strength in chinas private sector particularly in the field of online payments slow moving state run banks and an initial absence of regulation have allowed privately run companies to weave themselves into everyday life
ant financial now encompasses not only online payments but also low risk money market funds and a wallet app that enables easy payment from smartphones around china
chinese consumers use alipay to shop online transfer money to one another hail taxis buy movie tickets and even invest their spare change a money market fund affiliated with ant financial was once one of the worlds largest according to the announcement on tuesday alipay has more than 450 million users or more than double the number paypal has
such is the power of the company that its latest financing was led by some of chinas biggest state controlled banks including arms of the china construction bank and china life insurance that indicates the level of government support that the company enjoys in a country where much of the economy is still state directed
ant financials previous fund raising round which was held last year included chinas national social security fund and an arm of the china development bank
in a move that could further endear the company to chinese officials mr ma has said he hopes to take ant financial public in china chinas markets have been turbulent in recent months and investors have experienced losses alibaba has not disclosed timing and the fund raising on tuesday suggests it could have enough money to take its time selling shares to the public
still if ant financial follows through on the plan it would be one of the biggest initial public offerings since that of alibaba itself which raised nearly 22 billion in 2014 in the biggest public offering on record
in its statement on tuesday ant financial said it would use the money it had raised to support its global expansion and would also continue its work to connect people in rural china with its payment loan and banking services
ant financial and alipay face intense competition from tencent holdings a chinese rival that owns the wechat mobile messaging system tencent has integrated e commerce and financial services into recent versions of wechat encouraging use by a wide range of businesses including department stores municipal water and electricity departments neighborhood bicycle repair shops and noodle stands
ant financial had a controversial birth alibaba separated out its financial arm in 2011 motivated it said by regulatory concerns that financial arm later became ant financial yahoo which then owned more than 40 percent of alibaba said it learned of the move only after it was completed
as a result investors did not get a share of that business in 2014 when alibaba listed its stock publicly in the united states at the time many pointed to ant financial as being in charge of some of the more innovative ideas that alibaba had recently developed


kabul afghanistan   womens sports programs in afghanistan long a favorite of western donors have all but collapsed
some consist of little more than a young woman with a business card and a desk as one insider described the womens version of cricket afghanistans most popular game others like womens soccer have managed to field a few teams for practices and training sessions but have not played an international match in years
even the relatively few encouraging stories like womens taekwondo one of the sports that may see an afghan woman sent to the 2016 olympics in rio de janeiro are at best qualified successes afghanistans strongest hope for a female taekwondo medalist somaya ghulami 23 actually lives in iran and commutes to practice sessions here she said she would never be able to compete if she had to live in her own country
it is a conspicuous failure for western efforts to improve the lives of afghan women with few exceptions the sports programs have become riddled with corruption and been undermined by conservative afghans who have never liked the idea of young women on sports fields
one of the main supporters of womens sports in afghanistan is the american government which spends 15 million a year on coeducational sports programs   not counting a 450000 cricket grant that officials took back when they realized no womens cricket was being played american officials however declined to discuss womens sports on the record
while all womens sports here are suffering none have failed quite as spectacularly as the womens national cycling team celebrated in documentaries and the subject of a 2014 book and a blizzard of news articles the team was recently nominated for this years nobel peace prize   thanks to the tireless promotion of its benefactor shannon galpin who financed the team through her colorado based charity mountain to mountain
however ms galpin announced on her web page last month that she would no longer support the afghan cycling federation because of what she described as out of control corruption by the teams longtime coach and the head of the federation haji abdul sediq seddiqi
ms galpin was upset that sponsors gifts including more than 40 bicycles and other racing gear valued at more than 100000 were stolen after being handed over by her organization to the team and mr seddiqi
mr seddiqi was recently dismissed from his post as both coach and head of the federation by the president of the afghanistan national olympic committee mohammad zaher aghbar who cited something besides corruption he claimed that mr seddiqi had successively married and divorced three of the young women on his team he has married three of them   three times   and the girls were all complaining about him mr aghbar said
in an interview mr seddiqi denied the corruption charges claimed ms galpins organization was still financing the cycling federation and called the accusations against him a lot of made up crap mr seddiqi 62 acknowledged that he had three prior divorces and was now married to a 25 year old woman but denied that his current or past wives were ever team members
one national cycling champion mr seddiqi also controlled the mens team hashmat barakzai who recently fled to germany to claim asylum said that seddiqi used the womens team as his personal piggy bank and love playground
mr seddiqis critics said training was almost nonexistent he would take them out to a roundabout on the highway and ride around in circles ms galpin said
under coach ms galpin said referring to mr seddiqi its zero female empowerment
corruption in other womens sports might not be quite as brazen but it remains a huge problem diana barakzai who played for afghanistans womens cricket team when it was actually functioning in 2009 said she was approached recently by the afghanistan cricket board about heading up a womens team
they told me they already made a deal with someone to pay them 180000 for the job but if youre willing to pay 200000 you can have it she said adding that she turned the offer down
ms barakzai who is not related to mr barakzai said she was surprised by the demand since she assumed there was no money to be made in womens cricket besides the national team had not competed   or even practiced   in at least three years
but it turned out that the united states embassy had awarded a grant of 450000 last summer to promote womens cricket and had sent it to lapis communications a private organization to administer those funds have now been returned to the american embassy said a lapis official sarah jean cunningham this program did not get the traction it needed to justify pushing forward she said
shafiq stanikzai the chief executive officer of the afghanistan cricket board denied ms barakzais accusations thats totally a false claim that she made and a very stupid one he said
mr stanikzai said that there was a national womens cricket program but that it was operating in secret we are not publicizing that due to certain limitations he said the national team is functioning but at a very basic level as they are not good enough to compete at an international level
but peter anderson an australian cricket coach who was brought to afghanistan several years ago to train its womens cricket team said the cricket board was so against women participating that it had dismantled what womens team there was he said he quit after being shunted to coaching the disabled team
tuba sangar is the current head of womens cricket   the person mr anderson described as a girl in an office with a business card when contacted she said she was not allowed to comment
robina jalali was on the first womens team to compete in 2004 in the olympics for afghanistan after the taliban were toppled a runner she was one of two at the 2004 games now the head of womens sports at the national olympic committee she says that even the foreign embassies are no longer paying much attention
the main problem is the growing insecurity we have secondly violence against women which is growing women are not feeling safe to train she said now we see the youth are just running away from the country which has changed the mentality of the embassies she continued they feel they cant give a girl a visa to compete because shes not going to come back
but the womens soccer team often held up as an example of success has not played internationally since 2014 there are plans to do so sometime this year yet neither the date nor the country where it will take place has been set said khatool shahzad an official with the soccer federation
shamila kohestani is a womens soccer success story going from captain of the womens team in 2007 to a scholarship at drew university in new jersey her dream had been to return here as a coach but after a recent visit to kabul she decided not to
ms kohestani thinks that afghan officials never really supported the idea of women in sports saying they only feigned interest because womens sports were such grant magnets they would say i would never let my daughter do that she said they treated us like sluts or something because were running around showing ourselves to men
the womens soccer team still exists mainly because the players are encouraged to participate by what for afghanistan are generous cash payments 100 a month for national team members and 50 for junior team members
despite that incentive only 10 national team members out of 22 the women play 11 a side soccer came out for a recent two hour practice their coach a man did not show up at all
the team captain forozan tajali 22 took over the training session she said security concerns family pressure and public harassment were not the only difficulties the soccer players faced the national team has lost more members to marriage than anything else she said because afghan women are considered too old to wed after their early 20s and their husbands typically refuse to allow them to play
taekwondo has been similarly hurt ms ghulami said during a recent training session here adding fortunately i have a liberal family that does support me   and we live in iran


hillary clinton and donald j trump have drawn closer to their parties nominations with almost every passing week the five elections on tuesday   in connecticut delaware maryland pennsylvania and rhode island   may offer them their best chance before june to gain a final decisive advantage over their opponents
but senator bernie sanders of vermont has been a tenacious opponent on the democratic side and could find precincts of strength even on a primary day that favors mrs clinton gov john kasich of ohio and senator ted cruz of texas face even more daunting terrain on the republican side for them this week is a battle for survival
some of the big questions we will be watching as the returns roll in
it would be almost impossible for mrs clinton to amass enough delegates on tuesday night to clinch the democratic nomination even including superdelegates but if she manages a commanding performance across the northeast after her strong victory in new york last week she could come close enough to declare the race all but finished
mrs clinton and her supporters have handled mr sanders cautiously even as she has gained a clear upper hand in the event that she sweeps the tuesday contests there may be growing public pressure on him from across the party to scale back his campaign   or wrap it up entirely   before the political calendar moves into a string of sanders friendly states in may
mrs clintons greatest strength in the primary has been her support from black and hispanic voters partisan democrats and older women of all backgrounds these groups are often most powerful in big cities and mrs clintons winning record has often correlated with the strength of the urban vote she won illinois thanks to chicago and nevada thanks to las vegas and took new york by 15 points thanks to new york city
if she keeps up that streak in baltimore bridgeport philadelphia and elsewhere on tuesday mr sanders could wind up getting crushed his best shot at avoiding a shutout might be rhode island with providence and its sizable student population as a lifeline
mr trump is expected to carry pennsylvania easily but the states quirky delegate rules mean winning isnt everything   or even the most important thing pennsylvania will award only 17 delegates to the winner of the popular vote statewide it will send an additional 54 unbound delegates to the convention in cleveland all of them free to vote for their own preferences
for mr trump those 54 delegates could be the difference between winning the republican nomination on the first ballot and falling agonizingly short the bigger his margin of victory is on tuesday the stronger his hand will be in coaxing and cajoling the whole contingent from pennsylvania into his camp
with mr trump favored to win all five states voting on tuesday the challenge for his two opponents is once again to hold down his margin of victory and snatch away whatever delegates they can that task is most urgent in connecticut maryland and rhode island three states that lean strongly to mr trump but where many delegates are awarded according to the vote in each congressional district
in theory that could give mr cruz and mr kasich the opportunity to peel off delegates from mr trump here and there even as mr trump wins easily over all but that game plan did not work in new york mr cruz and mr kasich split the anti trump vote and failed to make a real stand in any region of the state mr trump won in a rout
the republican front runner gave a sober victory speech   by his standards   in new york last week fueling speculation that he would shift his candidacy in a more conventional direction within days he was back to branding mr cruz as lyin ted and mocking his canadian birthplace on monday mr trump ridiculed mr kasich for the way he eats the governor mr trump claimed takes excessively large bites of food
for mr trump to sew up the nomination without a messy spectacle at the convention he has to do more than amass delegates he also has to convince his republican critics   or at least any of them who remain persuadable   that he is not some political wild man who will trash the party in the general election that means adopting a different tone on election night   and sustaining it this time


london   the investment company atlas mara limited backed by the former barclays chief executive robert e diamond jr confirmed on tuesday that it was in discussions with a group of investors exploring a bid for barclays business in africa
in march barclays said that it planned to sell down its 623 percent interest in barclays africa group over the next two to three years in a strategy shift by james e staley its new chief executive
on tuesday atlas mara said that the consortium of investors was exploring an acquisition of barclays stake in the african business to combine it with atlas mara which was formed in 2013 to invest in financial services companies in africa
the consortium includes atlas merchant capital a financial services investment company mr diamond founded with david schamis another participant is ashish j thakkar an entrepreneur whose mara group conglomerate has technology manufacturing and real estate interests in 19 african countries atlas mara said mr thakkar is one of atlas maras co founders
given the significant complexity and early stage of the discussions with the consortium there can be no assurance that the transactions discussed above including the potential combination will be completed atlas mara said in a news release on tuesday
sky news reported on sunday that the private equity giant carlyle group was teaming up with mr diamond on a potential bid the parties have declined to comment
the barclays african business is listed on the johannesburg stock exchange and holds majority stakes in banks in 10 countries with offices in two others the businesss biggest profit driver is south africa
the african business was formerly considered one of four pillars of barclays strategy alongside its credit card and its consumer and investment banking operations under antony jenkins who was ousted as chief executive in july
but it has proved a regulatory drag on the british bank and is no longer considered a core business under barclays new leadership
barclays which has operated in the region for more than a century wants to reduce its stake in the african business to below a controlling level or to sell the stake entirely the goal is to free barclays from regulatory and capital requirements that have dragged on its balance sheet
mr staley who joined barclays in december is seeking to turn around the bank by accelerating the sale of businesses it does not consider core operations and by focusing its strategy around two divisions the british consumer bank and the corporate and investment bank
for atlas mara   and mr diamond   it would be a major coup to acquire barclays africa group and would greatly expand its reach on the continent
mr diamond helped spearhead a period of growth at barclays as head of its investment bank and later its chief executive
but he was forced out as barclays chief executive in 2012 as the lender faced pressure from regulators over its admission that traders had conspired to manipulate a global benchmark interest rate known as the london interbank offered rate or libor
since its founding in 2013 atlas mara has made four acquisitions and has operations in seven countries in sub saharan africa


london   bp the first of the major oil companies to report earnings this week said on tuesday that it had lost 583 million in the first quarter of 2016 compared with a 26 billion profit in the same period last year
lower oil prices were behind the loss for bp whose results were nonetheless better than analysts had expected that and the fact that the company said it would keep its dividend at 10 cents a share helped buoy bps share price which was up more than 3 percent in midmorning trading in london
in the current environment analysts say an oil companys stock price is largely determined by the dividend sustaining it is the first priority within our financial framework bps chief financial officer brian gilvary told analysts in a conference call on tuesday
bp said it had lost 12 billion in its key oil and gas exploration and production unit which was a big money earner when prices were high oil prices for the quarter averaged 34 a barrel for brent crude more than a third lower than a year earlier
the entire industry is going to be loss making in the first quarter oswald clint an analyst at bernstein research in london wrote in an email
to maintain the dividend despite low prices bp has been cutting costs which were 46 billion lower for the last four quarters combined than in full year 2014 the company has not only been reducing its staff by thousands but also paring its sponsorship of the arts this year the company said it would end its support for the tate museums in britain
bps chief executive robert w dudley who has been more pessimistic about oil prices than some industry colleagues seemed to detect brightening prospects
market fundamentals continue to suggest that the combination of robust demand and weak supply growth will move global oil markets closer into balance by the end of the year mr dudley said in a news release on tuesday
exxon mobil and chevron the two largest american oil companies are expected to post their results on friday
since dropping below 30 a barrel in january oil prices have recovered to about 45 a barrel that was in part because of the possibility that major producers from the organization of the petroleum exporting countries and russia would cap production
those hopes were dashed this month at a meeting in doha qatar however when saudi arabia refused to go along with a production ceiling unless iran signed on as well
the fading of opec as a force in the markets presents a problem for large international oil companies like bp these companies have long benefited from opecs limiting oil supplies to keep prices high now that opec has lost cohesion the expensive projects that made sense during the 100 a barrel era often no longer add up economically analysts say
if opec is no longer effective neither is the old business model of the international oil companies paul stevens an oil analyst at the london based research institution chatham house wrote in a forthcoming article
this month bp shareholders dealt a symbolic rebuke to the company by voting against mr dudleys 196 million compensation package for 2015 investors were critical of giving him a 20 percent pay increase in a year when the company reported a 65 billion loss the vote was nonbinding but may influence bps treatment of future executive compensation the company said
the company also took a 917 million write off for damage claims from the 2010 gulf of mexico oil disaster bringing total provisions for liabilities from that accident to 564 billion


hong kong   the organizer of a party at a water park in taiwan last year that ended with a fiery explosion that killed 15 people and injured hundreds was sentenced to nearly five years in prison for negligence on tuesday
the so called color play party at the formosa fun coast park in new taipei city in june featured tons of colored powder that was thrown over participants as they listened to music and danced but the material was flammable and it ignited when it was blown over a hot electric light the shihlin district court said in its ruling
color play asia the company that organized the party had said the powder was a mixture of cornstarch and food coloring
lu chung chi the owner of color play asia was found guilty of negligence and sentenced to four years and 10 months in prison last year he apologized for the disaster
in addition to those killed all of whom initially survived but succumbed to injuries in the ensuing days 331 people sustained serious burns and injuries and 135 people had less severe injuries
most of these victims were young their beautiful lives just about to begin beautiful dreams yet to be achieved promising futures yet to be created the court said in a statement on the sentencing because of the explosion 15 lost their lives and the majority of the survivors are subject to enormous physical and mental pain and suffering
relatives of some of the victims protested outside the court on tuesday calling for justice in the case taiwans central news agency reported
the mother of liu chih wei 19 who died of severe burns denounced mr lu you can die 15 times and be burned 499 times over and still not understand our pain she said according to the news agency


asheville nc   this mountain city is rightly known for many things the biltmore estate spectacular leaf peeping and craft beer pizza though is not one of them
that may be about to change thanks to all souls pizza housed inside a long low slung building that used to be a greek diner it turns out pies with ingredients like smoked north carolina shrimp and fermented chile sauce but the star of the show is the crust chewy tangy with an intoxicating almost floral aroma
the man responsible for that crust is david bauer a self effacing 36 year old and a pioneer in the movement to use local freshly milled grains mr bauer commissions small regional farms to grow heirloom varieties of wheat and corn turkey red red fife and appalachian white wheats along with cateto and caribbean landrace corn for all souls polenta crust pizzas
all souls custom stone mill designed by the baker fulton forde shears the bran off into large pieces that can be sifted easily and rubs the germ oil into the starch in most flours oils are removed to increase shelf life the resulting flour has a texture thats almost creamy mr bauer calls it the flour equivalent of a well marbled steak
all souls really exemplifies ashevilles commitment to ingredient driven cooking said john fleer the chef of rhubarb and a veteran of blackberry farm what could be more on point than growing and milling your own flour it makes for the best pizza crust anywhere
fresh milling is all the rage these days bruno in new york etto in washington and nellcote in chicago all have their own mills mr bauer lets the flour dictate how his pizzas are cooked
unlike with a classic neapolitan pie which has a pale crust puffed and blistered black in an ultrahot oven all souls fires its pies cooler to bring out three colors black bubbles of char a deep gold that signals the sugars in the dough have caramelized and a soft white underbelly
mr bauer also fine tunes the blend of wheat to showcase the chef brendan reusings seasonal toppings in summer mr bauer adds more white wheat to complement greens and fresh cheeses in winter he mills the flour darker adding more red wheat and increasing the amount of bran for pies with richer red sauces and cured meats
so what do you call this kind of pizza i am dead set against making any style mr bauer said were starting with the grains and letting them lead us
all souls pizza 175 clingman avenue asheville nc 828 254 0169 allsoulspizzacom


a half century of whisking has left faint spirals inside the stainless steel mixing bowls the only etch of time visible in the architect katherine chias otherwise unscarred immaculately white kitchen
the bowls are vintage revere ware hard to find anywhere but on ebay now ms chias parents immigrants from taiwan bought them as newlyweds in 1965 the company that made them has roots that go back to paul revere the silversmith and midnight rider with his tricorn hatted silhouette on the bottom of each bowl   although ms chia said my mother used them so much the stamps are nearly gone
they nest inside one another in three ascending sizes the largest still small enough to be cupped with one hand they are almost weightless with high walls so flour doesnt fly out ms chia said and a ring at the rim for anchoring the thumb so they wont slip
her mother who died in 2003 taught her to scramble eggs with chopsticks and mash the ingredients for won tons with her hands the bowls have survived papier mache art projects first hers then her two childrens and endless reprises of chocolate chip cookies theyre almost an extension of who i am ms chia said
her parents born in china during world war ii fled with their families to taiwan when the communists came to power that kind of upheaval does something to you she said you have to abandon things
they came to the united states for graduate school unsure of their future at the time only 105 chinese immigrants were allowed into the country each year after restrictions were eased they stayed later settling in a house in bedford ny that had been designed by edgar tafel an apprentice of frank lloyd wright
growing up ms chia didnt realize that she was surrounded by icons of modern design a florence knoll sofa a braun mixer by dieter rams two bertoia chairs that now sit in her apartment near union square i was always sinking down in those chairs she said that was the sweet spot
she remembers seeing a radio in the museum of modern arts design collection and recognizing it from her fathers study but its not about whether its in the museum or not she said my parents were very practical people they picked things that were well designed and built to last
twenty years ago she and her husband and fellow architect arjun desai started their firm desai chia architecture from their living room their office is now a few blocks away at first ms chia made do with ikea cabinets and heavy industrial mixing bowls bought on the bowery
eventually she and mr desai rebuilt their kitchen out of corian a nonporous solid surface that they chose because it was luminous and sculptural but also indestructible their son deven had just turned 7 and their daughter lila 2 we used ourselves as guinea pigs she said
all storage is hidden under the counters leaving the wall a seamless expanse of light save for a long shelf with tiny holes for wooden spoons she stacks spices there when shes cooking and afterward just washes the corian down
something can be beautiful but it really has to be functional she said she tilted one of the mixing bowls the ring slipping easily around her thumb little nuances in design can make a huge impact


the coffee culture has given rise to some classy new coffee liqueurs from california theres firelit made by jeff kessinger using blue bottles method for cold brewing single origin coffee and blended with a california brandy each 1000 liter batch uses a different arabica coffee the latest result from nepalese beans has an earthy intensity and a dark chocolate aroma the french entry by merlet combines coffee brewed from brazilian arabica beans with cognac which definitely comes through on the palate it also has a touch of sweetness firelit coffee liqueur 3499 for 750 milliliters from kl wine merchants klwinescom merlet c2 cafe liqueur 1799 for 375 milliliters and 2699 for 750 milliliters from ambassador wines  spirits ambassadorwinescom


what macarons are to france alfajores ahl fa hoh rehs are to spain and south america especially argentina uruguay and peru the butter cookies usually sandwiched with dulce de leche are based on a moorish recipe that is said to have been introduced to southern spain in the eighth century now alvaro and joaquin ormeno brothers from peru have given them a new york spin with a black and white version as well as adhering to tradition by filling them with manjarblanco which is a kind of caramel or lucuma a peruvian fruit the brothers bake the cookies in new york using their grandmothers recipe 25 for 12 14 for 6 limanjarcom


at a new seasonal store in soho you can embellish your own ice cream pop dipped in your choice of chocolate then top it with any three of 20 ingredients like chopped nuts rose petals mint chips and sea salt and finish it with another drizzle of chocolate magnum ice cream has been rolling out custom dipping shops around the world but this is the first in the united states unilever which owns magnum is the worlds largest ice cream company owning brands like ben  jerrys fudgsicle and klondike last year in the united states alone it sold more than 100 million prepackaged magnum ice cream bars on a stick the ice cream is made with milk with no added hormones and the chocolate is barry callebaut from belgium custom ice cream bar 7 at magnum new york until mid august 134 prince street wooster street 646 395 7463 facebookcommagnum


chocolates are an easy choice for indulgence on mothers day may 8 french style mendiants stunning large disks scattered with dried berries or other fruits and nuts are from an artisanal french company 25 comptoir du cacao bergdorf goodman sold only in the store seventh floor 888 774 2424 bergdorfgoodmancom


maille the french mustard company with a boutique on the upper west side since late 2014 now has a bigger showcase like the first store its outfitted with taps for dispensing mustard in various flavors but here there is also vinegar on tap sauternes at first in a black refillable bottle this flagship store has a mustard tasting bar and an area for classes about mustard that will start next month including the opportunity to concoct a custom blend 59 with an array of ingredients under the tutelage of the companys mustard sommelier pierette huttner 927 broadway 21st street 929 335 6610 maillecom


the artist olafur eliasson may be best known in new york for creating four waterfalls in 2008 on the east river the most famous of which was off the brooklyn bridge now his studio has created no ordinary cookbook besides the mostly black and white photographs showing his dynamic headquarters in berlin and the communal cooking and dining events there the book includes vegetarian recipes to serve six or as happens in the studio 60 it started smaller but lunch was a time when we came together in the studio mr eliasson said in an interview in new york last month it was also cheaper better and healthier for us to cook alice waters who mr eliasson got to know at a davos conference also figures in the book home cooks may focus on the three cheese quiche a lemon pasta a sublime version of egg drop soup and the use of caramelized soy sauce the kitchen by studio olafur eliasson phaidon 4995


artichokes are not the most welcoming of vegetables armored in leathery petals and topped off with thorns they look more like medieval weaponry than something youd want to douse in butter and offer for dinner
but stripped down to their tender hearts and simmered until their flesh turns velvety soft they are a delicacy they are beloved wherever theyre grown in mediterranean type climates where the winters are mild
that means california where artichokes arrive in spring ready to ship those of us in the northern regions of this country have to wait until the height of summer for local artichokes
one classic method for cooking artichokes is to braise them in a mix of olive oil garlic chile white wine and herbs here ive taken that concept and added chicken
with their intense character artichokes can be hard to pair with other big personalities but bone in chicken pieces are amenable and go nicely with the everything else in the pan also adding chicken turns a side dish into a meal without much more work
this is an especially good thing when it comes to artichokes which do require some preparation before theyre ready for your pot
the first step is to declaw them cutting off any thorns then trim off the toughest petals and peel the stems finally the furry interior choke needs to go i like to use a serrated grapefruit spoon to attack the choke a few swipes make it disappear
be ruthless when trimming only about a third to half of any artichoke is edible get rid of all the fibrous unpleasant outer bits leaving only the pale hued sweet parts the heart the center of the stem and the thinnest most delicate interior leaves small baby artichokes have a higher percentage of edible flesh than larger globe artichokes but bigger artichokes have bigger hearts
while everything braises the artichokes melt the chicken turns silky and the sauce reduces into something savory thick and perfect for swiping with a crusty hunk of bread
the only downside to braising is that the browned chicken skin goes from crisp to soft to restore some crunch and to add color to the artichokes as a final step i sprinkle everything with grated parmesan and run the whole pan under the broiler
golden topped speckled with the cheese and highly aromatic with garlic and wine this dish turns a forbidding thistle into a welcoming dinner
recipe braised chicken with artichokes and olives


though its still only april the weather is fine and im ready to grill but i have little skewers on my mind not burgers or sausages or ribs
i became a fan of satay long before ever visiting southeast asia some years ago there was a popular thai restaurant in berkeley calif that served satay the place was delightfully dark and funky a sort of repurposed dive bar that had seen better days with a giant tropical fish tank and a sunken fireplace
the food was terrific wed have a few rounds of satay skewers as appetizers before moving on to more substantial and much spicier fare
indeed it was there i learned the rudiments of thai cuisine   from a diners point of view that is traditional green papaya salad pad thai larb fiery red curries and shellfish stews were mainstays of the menu but we always began with satay
it is nothing more than a bit of thinly sliced meat on a skewer but the marinade   a rich and flavorful one with ginger coconut milk and spices   is the key to good satay
for accompaniments thai style satay is nearly always served with a zesty peanut dipping sauce and a spoonful of refreshing cucumber relish satay is versatile it can be a savory snack with drinks or served with steamed rice for a light meal
need i say you dont have to go to a restaurant to get it satay at home is eminently doable slice the meat marinate it grill you can do the prep work hours ahead even a day in advance so the cooking is easy a giant grill is not necessary   a small hibachi type store bought or makeshift is the way to go for that matter a stovetop grill or broiler is fine too
take care when cutting the meat you want thin rectangular slices which when threaded on skewers lie flat this allows the satay to cook quickly just a few minutes per side it is especially important if using very lean meat like pork loin thicker pieces would simply dry out before they were done i prefer to use pork cuts that have some marbling like shoulder
satay is by no means purely thai it is popular throughout all of neighboring indonesia but if you ever find yourself in bangkok where it can be 95 degrees and steamy at midnight a cold beer and satay skewers straight from little charcoal grills can be found on any corner a great boon for a weary traveler
recipe pork satay with thai spices and peanut sauce
and to drink 
its not easy to pair wines with thai inflected dishes the pungent sweet sour spicy and salty flavors no matter how well balanced often overpower or neutralize the more delicate flavors in wine the exceptions are often wines with lively acidity especially if they have a touch of sweetness for this satay i would think first of german spatlese rieslings good alternatives may include pinot gris from alsace which ought to have the body to vie with the coconut milk and a bit of sweetness as well or you could try a dry provencal rose a dry herbal white like a gruner veltliner or a sauvignon blanc from the loire valley eric asimov


a prune reunion took place downtown on wednesday
how are you feeling asked the chef ned baldwin in the kitchen of his hudson square restaurant houseman as the afternoon pace sped up and a crew prepped for dinner
im doing ok answered mashama bailey the chef at the grey her acclaimed restaurant in savannah ga she was chopping celery sticks that would be used to scoop up mouthfuls of pimento cheese and offering guidance on how to form dumplings that would accompany a heap of clams she murmured ive got about 10 minutes and then im going to freak out
ms bailey and mr baldwin have long been attuned to each others ups and downs years before they set out to open their own places they worked shoulder to shoulder in the chef gabrielle hamiltons intimate and influential restaurant prune in the east village where the work space feels roughly the size of a ticket booth
as a tribute to their friendship and their shared culinary roots mr baldwin and ms bailey have instigated a swap on wednesday night ms bailey cooked 13 dishes of her own including pickled oysters braised endive with blue cheese and pecans roast chicken lamb roti an ice cream sundae at houseman
mr baldwin will be in georgia next wednesday to serve up specialties from houseman he seemed a tad anxious about that
people have been reading a lot about her food he said nobody in savannah knows who i am
ms bailey spent much of her childhood in queens she was born in the bronx returning to new york for a few spring days had energized her its a great time of year to come here she said its so bright and beautiful theres tons of people on the street and everybody looks great it makes me miss it
a few hours before customers poured into houseman mr baldwin remembered the day he hired ms bailey at prune where he was the chef de cuisine out front prune has long vertical windows that open up arriving for the meeting ms bailey walked in through a window instead of the front door
and then she laughed   a huge smile mr baldwin said i knew i was going to hire her immediately even before she had cooked anything he said ms bailey struck him as a settled soul whos human and positive and grown up
then she went to the stove and began working with focus and finesse she was rocking mr baldwin said
both chefs have achieved independent success in their 40s and their culinary approach reflects a mature no frills philosophy that they couldnt help but internalize during their time at prune ms bailey explained it this way for me its cook what you want to eat
of course cooking what you want to eat is just as hard as cooking its opposite she was nervous about that lamb roti which can get messy because of its reliance on melted butter and she didnt want to prepare it in front of prying eyes
all right ive got to go make roti she said ive got to disappear for a while she laughed and added i need a moment


few things are more important to wine drinkers than value but value can mean different things to different people
in march i wrote a profile of eli zabar the new york food merchant whose restaurant is offering great values on hard to find wines i cited some examples like a 2004 muscadet and a 2007 touraine red each for 60 as well as a 1995 castellin villa chianti classico riserva for 250 and a 1995 hubert de montille pommard 1er cru rugiens for 295
the social media firestorm began almost immediately
the wine prices are completely ridiculous one reader wrote 60 for a muscadet thats a 10 bottle in france as is any touraine red 250 for a chianti please tell me its a misprint no italian would ever believe it
some people are wed to a utilitarian notion of wine its liquid it has alcohol and the rest is marketing and gullibility
others may see a vast chasm between a mass produced bottle of muscadet from the latest vintage not even 10 and a great 12 year old bottle from a master craftsman the opportunity to appreciate its complexities and nuances might intrigue them enough to consider 60 well spent
but few places offer such an opportunity for value a wine lover willing to spend 300 to savor a well aged burgundy from a great producer will have to search long and hard though any number of restaurants would willingly sell him the chance for 700
value is not simply a synonym for inexpensive it ought to mean that the amount of pleasure is beyond the norm for the price you paid great value can be had at 5 or at 500 though either is rare
by far the greatest opportunity to find wine values is in the range of 15 to 25 here the qualities of conscientious agriculture cultural tradition craftsmanship distinctiveness and deliciousness converge at prices that make these bottles worth seeking out if you love them they are well worth it if you dont the exploration will have come at not too high a cost
here then are 20 bottles i bought in new york for 20 or less they are not the only examples by far i could have bought many different bottles nobody will be able to find all of these but if you have access to a good wine shop you will discover your own treasures
i chose these with a mind to the season they are generally light  to medium weight wines with an eye to freshness wines first duty is to refresh in the added dimensions lies the value
monastero suore cistercensi lazio bianco coenobium 2014 1999
this is a rare lazio white with great character a blend of trebbiano malvasia and verdicchio the grapes are grown by cistercian nuns just north of rome and made into wine under the supervision of giampiero bea of the great umbrian producer paolo bea its redolent of apples herbs citrus and volcanic soils and has just the slightest pleasant tannic rasp courtesy of longer than usual maceration with the grape skins rosenthal wine merchant new york
ronchi di cialla colli orientali del friuli ribolla gialla 2014 1999
ribolla gialla is one of the indigenous grapes of the friuli venezia giulia region in northeastern italy this is a straightforward version compared with some of the vanguard wines made in the region but its delicious with flavors of nuts flowers and tropical citrus fruits along with mineral undertones soilair selection new york
ravines finger lakes dry riesling 2014 1799
riesling has been a great success story in the finger lakes and though its not the only winner in the region its been by far the dominant grape there year in and year out raviness riesling has been one of my favorites its absolutely refreshing with earthy citrus and wet stone flavors if you like this try the ravines argetsinger vineyard riesling a firmer deeper single vineyard version
domaine michel bregeon par frederic lailler muscadet sevre et maine sur lie 2013 1799
muscadet is perennially a great value especially from bregeon an under the radar producer that always makes some of the more interesting wines in the region this is characteristically fresh and tangy with flavors of citrus herbs and chamomile and a grainy minerally depth that comes from aging on the lees the remnants of yeast after fermentation kermit lynch wine merchant berkeley calif
guimaro ribeira sacra blanco 2014 1999
ribeira sacra in the eastern galicia region of spain where the vineyards rise at harrowing angles from the rivers is best known for its reds made from the mencia grape but the whites like this one from guimaro made with godello can be superb this is refreshing harmonious and a touch exotic with flavors of citrus flowers herbs and stone fruits jose pastor selectionsvinos  gourmet richmond calif
jean jacques litaud domaine des vieilles pierres st veran les pommards 2014 1999
must one always have chardonnay absolutely if it is as good as this st veran often a source of exceptional values though it was aged in steel tanks it has the rich texture that usually comes from barrel aging with great depth and presence and lingering flavors of citrus yeast flowers and minerals jeanne marie de champsfruit of the vines long island city ny
ponce manchuela reto 2014 1999
ive written before about the 2012 ponce reto which was richer and juicier than the 2014 which is a bit subtler nonetheless it is a distinctive wine made entirely from the albillo grape which ive never seen outside the manchuela region of east central spain its fresh floral and herbal another option in the array of dry crisp whites t edward wines new york
edmunds st john el dorado county witters vineyard bone jolly rose gamay noir 2015 1999
the wine stores tell us its rose season though in my opinion its never not rose season here is an old favorite which year after year offers the vivacity characteristic of a good young rose its made entirely of gamay noir the grape of beaujolais hence the somewhat awkward name bone jolly and its exactly what you want on those first few days out on the deck the balcony or wherever you can grab space in the open air
bodega chacra patagonia mainque pinot noir rose 2015 1899
of course they make rose in argentina the mainque comes from bodega chacra in patagonia an up and coming producer of superb pinot noirs this is made of pinot noir too its fresh and crisp with a little more body than the bone jolly yet earthy tangy and succulent grand cru selections new york
carl loewen mosel riesling kabinett longuicher herrenberg 2014 1999
i yearn for kabinett rieslings in the springtime something about their lightly sweet delicate nature captures the newborn hope of the season this is a lovely example lively with acidity redolent of herbs and stone aromas deceptively substantial though nonetheless fine a terry theise estate selectionskurnik wines new york
kruger rumpf nahe riesling kabinett munsterer rheinberg 2014 1899
heres another kabinett option its fascinating to compare this kruger rumpf from nahe side by side with the loewen from the mosel its a little bigger boned a little weightier and slightly more obviously sweeter yet its still beautifully balanced with apple and stone flavors refreshing and great with river fish a terry theise estate selectionskurnik wines new york
jean marc burgaud morgon les charmes 2014 1999
with so many good wines and great values coming from the crus of beaujolais it would be a shame not to include at least one here this burgaud morgon was not in our recent wine panel tasting but it could easily have been included with its earthy stony focused red fruit flavors its almost as if you can taste the granite of the vineyard underlying the wine maximum wine englishtown nj
domaine zafeirakis tyrnavos limniona 2012 1899
this wine is a new one for me and am i glad i found it its made of limniona an indigenous greek grape that had nearly disappeared until it was resurrected virtually single handedly by christos zafeirakis in the last 15 years or so this one comes from tyrnavos in the thessaly region of central greece its fresh lively and absolutely delicious full of the spicy flavors of dark fruits it cries out for grilled meats dionysi grevenitis selectionsfrederick wildman  sons new york
rovellotti colline novaresi vespolina ronco al maso 2013 1999
the nebbiolo grape thrives throughout the langhe and alto piemonte regions of northwestern italy it is so successful that it overshadows a cast of supporting grapes that can be delicious on their own and great values like vespolina from colline novaresi it offers fresh flavors of raspberries and cranberries and like many of those supporting grapes carries a hint of nebbiolo in its darker slightly tarlike undertones rosenthal wine merchant new york
montinore estate willamette valley pinot noir 2014 1999
another perennial favorite and great value this pinot noir from montinore is grown biodynamically its dark earthy fruit flavors are interlaced with savory meaty herbal tones that make it versatile with many foods and give it a complexity that belies its modest price
frecciarossa uva rara igt 2012 1999
the uva rara grape comes from pavia in lombardy despite its name its relatively common in that area in the essential reference wine grapes its speculated that rara refers to the sparse number of grapes in a bunch whatever the derivation this wine is deeply fragrant smelling like candied flower petals on the palate its fresh with a sort of herbal bitterness thats actually quite appealing and sets you up for the next sip vignaioli selection new york
burlotto barbera dalba 2014 1999
this is how i remember barbera dalba back when i was becoming obsessed with wine in the early 1980s fresh fruity lively with acidity and with hardly any tannin many modern barberas are aged in new oak barrels and some are compelling in their own way but i have a sentimental attachment to the brisk direct older style especially when it comes from a careful traditional producer like burlotto bacchanal wine imports port chester ny
senorio de p pecina rioja crianza 2010 1999
this crianza rioja is a perfect example of the synergy that can be achieved between the tempranillo grape with a dash or two of graciano and garnacha and the spicy coconut flavors of american oak barrels the result particularly with a few years of age is this mellow yet complex wine with the earthy flavors of red raspberries vanilla coconut and tobacco just the thing for leg of lamb polaner selections mount kisco ny
bernabeleva vinos de madrid navaherreros garnacha 2013 1899
this is a powerful wine at 15 percent alcohol yet despite its size it is vividly fruity explosively floral spicy and beautifully balanced it is intense and concentrated yet is not heavy its the bigger stronger sibling of the bernabeleva camino de navaherreros which i wrote about last fall polaner selections mount kisco ny
francois chidaine vouvray brut petillant nv 1899
this sparkling vouvray is simply superb its made entirely of chenin blanc and wears its chenin personality of honey lemon flowers and yeast with all the finesse of a good champagne the french bureaucracy is making it difficult for producers in neighboring areas of vouvray to use the vouvray appellation even if the grapes are from vouvray because chidaine is based in montlouis this might be the last chidaine sparkler called vouvray until the silly ruling is resolved polaner selections mount kisco ny


stratford upon avon england   youre never far from shakespeare on the streets of stratford upon avon
from the hathaway tea rooms to the bards mistress health and beauty store not forgetting tudor world the falstaff experience and the shakespeare in love wedding boutique he erupts into everyday life that was never more true than last weekend when this town observed the 400th anniversary of the death of its most famous son who shuffled off his mortal coil on april 23 1616
noted thespians swept in to give public readings there were flags processions flowers the bbc decamped from london for a marathon of onsite broadcasts and although the spoken word was naturally the focus music featured too   with a commemorative concert in the church where shakespeare was baptized and buried based around two sprawling celebratory odes one old one new
involving ex cathedra   one of britains very best choirs based in nearby birmingham   with the actor sam west the city musick a period band and massed childrens voices it was an event created in the spirit of the grand outpourings of collective praise for great men that historically were common practice
the first half reconstructed one such tribute organized at stratford in the 18th century shakespeares reputation at that point had been equivocal his romance didnt suit the age of reason dr johnson recommended that macbeth and other plays dependent on the supernatural be banished to the nursery
but then the seventh cavalry arrived in the form of david garrick actor shakespeare champion and deviser of the first significant commemoration of the poets birthday in 1769   for which he wrote a long elaborate ode to be recited by himself with added choruses and songs by thomas arne composer of the tune to rule brittania
only fragments of the score for garricks ode survive but with some scholarly attention and new music for the choruses commissioned from the composer sally beamish it reappeared last weekend with viability   of a sort
arnes music turned out to be unremarkable largely in liltingskipping triple time with decorous but dreary 18th century utility and garricks words were comparably the product of their period tis he tis he that demi godwho avons flowery margin trod
but mr west looking not altogether happy in a powdered wig and period breeches gave the event first aid ex cathedra with successive solo singers and baroque musicians were superb and the new chorus music from ms beamish had a striking vibrancy auguring well for what would follow
the whole second half was given over to the premiere of ms beamishs a shakespeare masque which was the sort of entertainment garrick might have put his hand to had he lived today   and been a better poet
pageant like with choreography and costumes adult choirs and singing children its long text in praise of shakespeare mirrored garricks but where garricks ode was focused on himself this was a true community piece written after the example of the indestructible although meticulously fashioned massed voice scores that benjamin britten wrote for church performance in the 1950s
referencing the tuneful clarity of brittens st nicolas the boistrous vigor of noyes fludde and the mock tudor fantasy of gloriana his opera about elizabeth i it also had the brittenesque appeal of audience participation
but a spiky charm and wistful eloquence confirmed that there was a contemporary voice at work here perfectly attuned to texts by englands poet laureate carol ann duffy that played with scenes from shakespeares life in a contemporary manner   without garricks bluster and a lot more fun
the songs and choruses mused on the paradox of knowing everything and nothing about william shakespeare as ms duffy writes you vanish into poetryyou come and go
and there were haunting numbers in which shakespeare and anne hathaway addressed the audience directly hathaways a sonnet of surreal enchantment pondering her husbands infamous but probably misunderstood intentions when he left her in his will their second best bed best beds were for guests in tudor times it would have been the second best that witnessed matrimonial love if love it was the happiness of shakespeares marriage is much debated
that so many voices were accompanied by a modest consort of elizabethan string wind and percussion instruments should have generated balance problems and with the performers moving constantly around the church things could have been chaotic but they came together with unwarranted coherence thanks to ex cathedras genial conductor jeffrey skidmore whose idea this project was from the beginning and who calmly steered it through to realization
by definition this was an occasional piece and one that may not have a busy future life since major shakespeare anniversaries dont come around too often but it lives on in a film made by the bbc accessible for six months at bbccoukshakespearelives but it was a privilege to have experienced its birth beside the bards grave in these special circumstances


it was a relatively humble start for the first professional rugby league in the united states but one that organizers will gladly take
the opening two matches of the inaugural professional rugby organization better known as pro rugby were held april 17 in denver and sacramento calif denver beat ohio 16 13 in sudden death overtime after a foot of snow was cleared from the field before the game in california sacramento beat san francisco 37 25 in far warmer and sunnier conditions
first week attendance was estimated at 2300 in denver and 3400 in sacramento it may not sound like much compared with the nfl the nba or major league baseball but organizers viewed it as an important first step in building the sport in the united states where an estimated 12 million people play rugby according to thesports and fitness industry association a trade group
pro rugby is really just another layer and it was that layer that was always needed between club rugby and international rugby said the leagues director of rugby stephen lewis its not meant to replace club rugby its a complement we need a robust club competition for the game to thrive
pro rugby is the brainchild of doug schoninger who is bankrolling the five team league the fifth team san diego started its season saturday when it beat sacramento 37 24 the 12 game season will run through late july with most weekends featuring two matches and the league hopes to draw 3000 to 4000 fans a game while sacramento will play in bonney field a soccer stadium that can hold 11442 the other teams will play in smaller stadiums that can hold 3500 to 6000
the league is sanctioned by usa rugby and world rugby the sports global governing body which has allowed some rule changes to cater to the american audience sudden death overtime will ensure there are no ties while limited scrum resets will reduce delays in play
nigel melville the chief executive of usa rugby the national governing body for rugby union said he hopes that pro rugbys arrival will help slow the rate of players who drop the sport after college while at the same time attracting football players who could not make it in the nfl but who have the skills to play professional rugby
in america if you havent made it or youre not going pro in whatever sport when you leave college you go and get a job and give up playing he said
we were losing players after college and we also needed an opportunity for those players who do play football and dont make it in to the nfl who do require paying
schoninger has tapped into the already existing grass roots rugby communities for pro rugbys inaugural season but he hopes to develop the league further and increase rugbys footprint in america there are already plans to add teams next year
the league is only really sustainable if you break out into the wider american sporting consciousness lewis said weve got to get the game in front of people who are not used to rugby yet
to help with that matches are being shown free on aol they will also be shown on one world sports a cable network that specializes in global sports for now though the league is too small to attract major broadcasters or corporate sponsors
pro rugby is a single entity league so players coaches and other staff members have contracts with the league and are assigned to one of the five teams in an attempt to make them evenly matched and competitive of the 102 contracted players 54 have played international rugby either the 15 a side game or sevens including 36 from the eagles the american national team and six from the canadian national team
the foreign players include the former new zealand fullback mils muliaina who played 100 tests for the all blacks and will play for san francisco the former south africa flanker pedrie wannenburg denver and former italy back mirco bergamasco sacramento
while the top players in the french and english leagues can earn in the high six figures or more the wages in pro rugby will be far smaller with the top tier making about 35000 for the season it will be the first time that many of the players have been paid to play at all though
foreign players earn slightly more although lewis readily admits that they are not here for the coin they are here for the opportunity and adventure
in muliainas case he is ready to pass along his experience after he arrives for the final eight matches though the 2011 rugby world cup winner will do so carefully
what ive learned from these past few years in europe is that you cant really compare anything to new zealand you cant come in and say well this is how things work in new zealand  muliaina 35 said by telephone from parma italy where he plays for zebre a club in europes pro12 league while i have the experience going to the states with an open mind and being able to adapt to the way they do things is going to be crucial to making sure that things are successful in the transition
while the signings of high profile foreign players will help draw publicity pro rugby believes it will also benefit from rugbys return to the olympics this year sevens the shorter faster version of the sport will be played in rio de janeiro and the united states is considered a dark horse to win a medal
the olympics gives you instant credibility here in a way it doesnt elsewhere said lewis if the us medal all bets are off i think the sport takes off in this country
some parallels can be drawn with rugbys development and that of americas other foreign imported sport   soccer
major league soccer grew from relatively humble beginnings with 10 teams in 1996 by tapping into the interest generated when the united states hosted the 1994 world cup it bolstered its rosters with some high profile foreign players a practice that continues today and the league has grown to 20 teams with many having their own dedicated stadiums
while many top american soccer players may still look to play overseas in europe a few like clint dempsey and michael bradley have returned to the mls in recent years as the paychecks and quality have grown
while it is unlikely that pro rugby will be able to lure top american rugby players like chris wyles who plays for saracens in england the league does hope to emulate mlss growth
we are very much on the same trajectory as soccer melville said if people know what happened with soccer over the last 10 20 years you can see that happening in rugby
the pro league is going to build steadily it isnt super rugby overnight he said referring to the top league in the southern hemisphere which includes many of the worlds best players its going to be a steady grow and thats really what were trying to achieve if we can do that our players will start to improve and our coaching improves our refereeing improves and the level of play will just rise


the americas cup sailing races will be held in new york city for the first time since 1920 on saturday may 7 and sunday may 8 officially called the louis vuitton americas cup world series the event is a preliminary competition among the six countries   the united states britain france japan new zealand and sweden   competing in the 35th americas cup held every four years in bermuda next june the teams race on boats that are about 45 feet long and have a 70 foot high mast according to the americas cup commercial commissioner harvey schiller watching these vessels speed through the water is quite a spectacle he said
no tickets are necessary to view the races they take place rain or shine and will be held from 2 to 330 pm on both saturday and sunday on the hudson river spectators can take in most of the action in areas in and around battery park city
where to watch
on land
 the brookfield place waterfront plaza in downtown manhattan is the heart of the race festivities and an ideal vantage point
 on the new york city side of the hudson river the races will be viewable as far south as pier a and as far north as pier 25 both on manhattans west side spectators can watch from several waterfront areas along the river
 on the new jersey side the races can be seen from liberty state park up to the jersey city waterfront
 ellis island and the statue of liberty are also good viewing points according to mr schiller
 several large screens along the waterfront including a few in parks   the exact parks are still being determined   where families are encouraged to picnic while they watch will provide an up close view of the action
on water
racegoers can also watch from their own boats on the hudson river theres no fee to do so for more details and to register visit wwwamericascupcomenspectator boatshtml hundreds of boats have already registered to watch
event village
besides being an ideal location to see the races the brookfield place plaza will host a free outdoor event village on saturday and sunday from 11 am to 6 pm
highlights in the village include five stores selling team gear and sailing accessories a moet champagne bar a bar from the liquor brand goslings which is known for its rum and a booth from the bermuda tourism authority with a lounge area facing the river where the public can relax and watch the races
for those looking for a luxurious way to take in the americas cup the hospitality company quint events has packages ranging from day only insider access to two night stays at downtown hotels these all include unlimited food and open bar and a private viewing area near the racecourse from 599 for more information visit httpbitly1tmbwhm
what hotels are doing
some hotels in manhattan are getting into the sailing spirit with packages and themed drinks
the maritime hotel the nautical themed hotel in west chelsea has teamed with sperry the official footwear partner of americas cup on a promotion guests who book a two night stay at the hotel using the code sperrytime receive a rate of 355 a night as well as a sperry backpack bracelet and a gift card for 50 percent off footwear and apparel at sperrys store in the flatiron district available from may 5 to 10 to book call the hotel at 212 242 4300 or reserve online using the code sperrytime
the quin in midtown manhattan has secured availability for guests aboard the tall ship clipper city for viewing of the races from the water guests receive accommodations for a night limo transportation to and from north cove marina where the boat departs and a signed copy of the rizzoli book hinckley yachts an american icon by nick voulgaris iii price from 895 for two
w new york   downtown will offer a nautical cocktail menu may 5 to 8the drinks include the all hands on deck tequila cointreau aperol lime juice and simple syrup and the skipper sour bourbon lychee and simple syrups lemon juice and a basil leaf are priced from 13 to 15 and are available from 5 pm to closing
gansevoort meatpacking nyc has created the queens cup cocktail in celebration of the americas cup the drink named after the former race title in the 1800s includes rum orange juice lemon juice st germain and cristal champagne its available at a regal price tag of 190 a glass


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1 donald j trump swept the primary elections in five states   connecticut delaware maryland pennsylvania and rhode island   according to the associated press on the democratic side hillary clinton was poised to pick up a significant number of delegates in pennsylvania connecticut maryland and delaware dealing a blow to bernie sanders whose sole victory was in rhode island

2 apple reported its first down quarter in 13 years suggesting iphone saturation in some countries sales fell fastest in china which is grappling with an economic downturn but the company still generates tens of billions of dollars of cash every year and said it was increasing its dividend apples stock price fell in after hours trading
outside of tech us stocks finished slightly higher as benchmark crude oil rose to 4404 a barrel lifting energy companies the price of gold rose 320 to 124340 an ounce

3 the founder of chobani the yogurt maker that shook up the dairy case with its thick greek style recipe surprised his 2000 full time employees with shares worth up to 10 percent of the company ive built something i never thought would be such a success but i cannot think of chobani being built without all these people said hamdi ulukaya a turkish immigrant

4 the top us intelligence official james clapper warned this week that the islamic state is operating clandestine cells in britain germany and italy at the same time european security services are in a quandary over how to handle the hundreds possibly thousands of young men who have gone to syria to join isis but come back claiming to disavow the group

5 sorting out princes estate isnt going to be easy and not just because he kept such a tight grip on his business matters in newly filed court documents his sister said that he died without a spouse or children and that i do not know of the existence of a will the documents list five other interested parties three half brothers and two half sisters

6 the senate is near a deal for at least 11 billion to fight the zika virus but the measure faces resistance from house republicans kevin mccarthy the house majority leader said the obama administration had not answered relevant questions but democrats blamed partisan stalling all the hot air in the world does not deliver the vaccines diagnostics and mosquito control that is needed now representative nita lowey of new york said

7 kelly ripa got a long standing ovation as she returned to abcs live with kelly and michael she skipped a few episodes after her co host michael strahan unexpectedly announced that he would move to good morning america but she said apologies have been made and our long national nightmare is over above ms ripa in february

8 new research and fossil discoveries are building a clearer picture of the intriguing dinosaurs known as titanosaurs some of which were as the name suggests enormous the remains of a baby showed that it grew from a few pounds at hatching to the size of a large dog in just a couple of months with adult proportions suggesting rapid independence

9 a jury faulted the british police for the deaths of 96 soccer fans killed in a crushing stampede at hillsborough stadium 27 years ago officers opened a gate to try to relieve congestion leading to chaos that the police long blamed on fans a statement on behalf of some victims families called the debacle a story of human tragedy but also one of deceit and lies

10 today is the 30th anniversary of the chernobyl nuclear disaster generally considered the worst to date a huge arched shelter that will enclose the remains of the destroyed reactor above is nearing completion when the shelter is put into place remotely operated equipment will be used to start removing crumbling radioactive fuel

11 finally the makers of doctor strange have faced accusations of racism for casting tilda swinton as the ancient one a tibetan character a screenwriter said they simply wanted to avoid the characters origins to avoid offending the chinese government which could have blocked them from one of the worlds most lucrative film markets

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in case you missed them some of the seasons best tips trends and recipes so far
clemence von mueffling of beauty and well being on the virtues of lymphatic massage clean eating and natural deodorant
light fresh and slightly masculine the italian fruit invigorates these four new perfumes
on the road to rio the olympic runner sanya richards ross shares her beauty and fitness tips
this season eyes take the feminine ideal to bizarre and alluring extremes
an american in italy shares how to make her pre race pick rigatoni alla carbonara
christophe robin shares holistic at home recipes for lighter and healthier locks
a new crop of no rinse products promises to replenish the skin and make it easier to apply makeup
taryn toomey a beloved fitness and emotional coach teaches us how to keep it together
one baker two chefs a musician and a jewelry designer share their own concoctions to cure what ails you and start the day off right


five one of a kind boutique destinations that favor authentic highly localized design
accommodations in the arty high desert town of marfa tex include motels vintage trailers and teepeed campgrounds   and now the design savvy hotel saint george looking onto remote dusty cowboy country its 55 minimalist gray washed rooms are outfitted with soft australian sheepskin rugs and regional art by the texas based artist mark flood and in the lobby is the new outpost of the marfa book company which functions as a bookstore gift shop and performance space
with its new east nashville tenn address the second urban cowboy bed and breakfast is a western update of the brooklyn original the renovated victorian house has been outfitted with distressed leather turquoise and taxidermy and the eight suites showcase signature hipster design elements hand printed geometric wallpaper pendleton throws and signature claw foot tubs an on call masseuse offers body and energy work and in a few weeks a rustic luxe backyard cabin will open
in what was once a department store in downtown richmond vas arts district the quirk hotel retains much of the sites original glory grand limestone arches and vaulted ceilings the 74 rooms painted pink and hung with original artwork feature beds made from reclaimed virginia wood theres an on site gallery and artist in residence program   and this month local brews will be served atop the new rooftop lounge
located in new orleanss leafy garden district and named after its iconic crescent city architect this 1860s greek revival mansion was originally built for the two daughters of a steamship owner now its 18 rooms are filled with locally made iron beds and custom toile wallpaper featuring french quarter icons and motifs like louis armstrong   and alligators in mardi gras beads cocktails like the zingy lemon h with homemade lemonade and bourbon are served in the bright airy parlor and outside   where rattan rocking chairs line the front porch
this july in covington ky 114 plush guest rooms will open in a once fashionable department store in lieu of armoires vintage free standing clothing racks pay homage to the locations past the gastro pub coppins will source local and regional ingredients and feature southern classics including fried chicken country ham and black eyed peas and this summer the spacious patio will host pop up bars movie nights and sunday suppers


while pregnant with her first child in 2010 ariane goldmans maternity wardrobe consisted of vintage caftans and muumuus and her mothers hand me downs i was navigating the strangeness of a body and image change the designer remembers and i was still so excited about what was happening and wanted to invest in pieces for myself   but nothing spoke to me she soon started the clothing brand hatch a collection of loosefitting but carefully constructed garments for women to wear before during and after pregnancy now shes added to hatch an 11 piece beachwear line plage which launches today at abc home last august i was in marrakesh with my husband who was working and i was kind of roaming the streets goldman says and i went into this bodega packed with textiles and it blew me away she gravitated toward the breathable refined washed cottons and to the stores owner randall bachner hed been a fashion photographer in new york and he moved to morocco to begin this fabric business and he and i decided to work together she says
goldman designed a range of tasseled tops slouchy shorts and rompers and kilim striped dresses that merge moroccan detailing and hatchs sensibility bachner produced them in his loom studio theyre effortless pieces that allow a woman to grow and expand but to also be herself in without having an adjustable strap or something that screams temporary or disposable goldman says when i design im thinking about the belly so theres usually either a cocoon shape or a beautiful drape or a specific pleat or some sort of ruching that allows the wearer to feel special and then be out the door   there isnt time to dwell bachner also photographed the accompanying campaign in marrakesh landmarks including beldi country club and the nearby kasbah bab ourika a hotel above the ourika valley im pinching myself because i dont know when things will align like this again she says it was both a personal creative journey and about making an opportunity out of a curiosity and here we are


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leave it to beyonce to reinvigorate the idea of appointment television saturday night her lemonade special aired on hbo followed immediately by the release of lemonade the album on the streaming service tidal it is now available for purchase on itunes
for the second time she has as she once sang stopped the world in the moment and in the days that followed there was little room for non lemonade pop discourse
which is fine because lemonade is bracing in several ways reasserting the importance of focus in an internet economy that prizes evanescence placing the concerns of black women on the biggest pop stage and upending years of public silence on the nature and state of the relationship between beyonce and her husband jay z by seemingly eviscerating him for his   alleged   infidelities throughout the album before arriving at what feels like hard fought but still unsteady reconciliation
on monday afternoon i joined wesley morris critic at large for the new york times and jenna wortham and nikole hannah jones staff writers at the times magazine for a taping of the popcast broadcast live on the times facebook page we spoke about how beyonce has moved beyond genre and how shes newly navigating her public image after years of remaining quiet also what the world wants from beyonce but more important what beyonce wants from the world
related articles
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review beyonce makes lemonade out of marital strife
beyonce releases surprise album lemonade after hbo special


until two years ago the photographer eamonn doyle whose new work end goes on show at londons michael hoppen gallery this may was not known for his photographs after graduating art college in 1991 he founded a record label and a festival in his native dublin immersing himself in the local music scene for almost 20 years it was after the economic crash in 2008 that feeling burned out and in need of a change he bought a camera and began to photograph life on the streets around his home
doyle self published his first photo book i in 2014 and planned to spend the next few years selling the 750 copies on a whim he sent one to the british photographer martin parr i receive many books in the post   many good and some poor parr recalls now but from time to time a book stops you in your tracks when he received it he posted on a flickr forum for fans of street photography describing it as the best new street photo book i have seen in a decade i think it was sold out within a couple of weeks after that says doyle
that first book and doyles subsequent publications on in 2015 and now end the last in the trilogy have focused mainly on his own street in central dublin the neighborhood he says is heavily populated by immigrants from west africa china and eastern europe he finds it kind of raw vibrant but also weary and often sad his images capture glimpses of life shot in bright sunlight and from disorienting angles almost treating the figures as just purely abstract forms looking at the texture and shapes two little girls photographed from above appear to tumble around the corner of a street a man shot from ground level seems laden the more im photographing the more im realizing that its just sort of scratching the surface   even now after the three books says doyle
for end he has joined forces with two friends the graphic designer niall sweeney who has contributed drawings and the musician david donohoe who has produced a 7 inch vinyl record its being presented as a series of maybe short plays or events that have all been bound together in a slip case says doyle its not your traditional photo book
in addition to the michael hoppen show the work will also be exhibited at the photo london fair in may and the arles photography festival from july to september afterward doyle plans to seek a new subject   away from dublin the three books have come in quite quick succession to each other much quicker than i expected so the gallery are actually still trying to catch up with me he says id like to take a little bit longer for the next work and see what happens


donald trumps campaign slogan is make america great again his supporters it turns out disagree on when that was
the slogan evokes a time when america was stronger and more prosperous but mr trump doesnt specify whether hes expressing nostalgia for the 1950s   or 10 years ago that vagueness is reflected by his voters according to the results of a new survey conducted online by the digital media and polling company morning consult
when asked to select americas greatest year trump supporters offered a wide range of answers with no distinct pattern the most popular choice was the year 2000 but 1955 1960 1970 and 1985 were also popular more than 2 percent of trumps supporters picked 2015 when mr trumps campaign began
we asked the trump campaign to name americas greatest year but we havent heard back
other polls have asked americans whether they prefer the past to the present in march pew asked people whether life was better for people like them 50 years ago   and a majority of republicans answered yes trump supporters were the most emphatic with 75 percent saying things were better in the mid 1960s
democrats though were less enthusiastic about the past forty eight percent said life was better now than it was 50 years ago while 17 percent of democrats said it was the same and only 28 percent said it was worse political science research suggests that americans optimism can be influenced by whether their political party is in the white house so its perhaps not surprising that democrats feel better than republicans about current circumstances
in the morning consult survey 44 percent of people over all said americas greatest years were ahead of it while 36 percent said those years had already passed but in an election when americas past greatness has played such a starring role we wanted to see more details about just how voters saw the past and the future
so when was the greatest year
over all 2000 was the most popular choice a preference that cut across political party candidate preference gender and age the years popularity may partly reflect peoples fondness for round numbers but many voters explained their choice by referring to a greater sense of security the sept 11 attacks occurred the following year an election year also has something for all partisans to grab onto bill clinton was president that year but george w bush won the election to replace him
some people of course reached farther back into history the year the declaration of independence was signed 1776 got a few votes one person chose 1789 the year the constitution took effect one person chose 1800 one chose 1860 the year southern states began to secede from the union but most answers were of a more recent vintage
there were partisan patterns in views of americas greatness republicans over all recall the late 1950s and the mid 1980s most fondly sample explanations reagan economy was booming no wars life was simpler strong family values the distribution of trump supporters greatest years is somewhat similar to the republican trend but more widely dispersed over the last 70 years supporters of ted cruz picked best years that were similar to the partys trend over all the sample of john kasich supporters in the survey was too small to detect any patterns
as a group democrats seem to think americas greatest days were more recent they were more likely to pick a year in the 1990s or since 2000 after 2000 their second most popular answer was 2016 sample explanations were getting better improving social justice technology even 2008 a year of financial collapse was pretty popular perhaps because president obama was also elected that year the pattern for supporters of bernie sanders was a little different from that of hillary clinton supporters the main difference is that mr sanderss voters were more likely to pick a year from the 1960s and more of the clinton supporters chose best years in the 1990s when her husband was president
the morning consult survey was conducted with help of lucid a survey technology firm over two days last week the survey conducted online consisted of 2003 interviews with registered voters


international
an article on april 7 about a successful operation to separate conjoined pakistani twins at a hospital in riyadh saudi arabia   part of a saudi program that helps poor families of such twins around the world   misstated the age of dr abdullah al rabeeah the surgeon who leads the program he is 61 not 66
national
an article on thursday in which three times writers discussed the coming changes to united states currency and some aspects of bills now in circulation misidentified the scene shown on the back of the 2 bill it is a presentation of a draft of the declaration of independence not the signing of it

an article on saturday about the arrest of the los angeles art dealer perry rubenstein on embezzlement charges referred incorrectly to an artist who is among his creditors after his gallery filed for bankruptcy protection the artist zoe crosher is a woman and thus not mr crosher
business day
an article last tuesday about argentinas return to the bond market misstated the currencies in which bond sales were made in emerging markets the bonds were sold in several currencies not just the dollar the article also misstated the amount of mexicos bond sale in 1996 mexico sold 181 billion of bonds not 16 billion

an article on monday about the settlement between argentina and a group of disgruntled debt holders referred incorrectly to the returns received by hedge funds holding defaulted bonds they were in the hundreds of percentage points not hundreds of times their original investments
sports
the sports business column on april 16 about protective netting set up at target field in minneapolis referred incorrectly in some copies to the atlanta journal constitution columnist bill torpy who wrote that the braves gushed about the high speed fiber optic cable at their new ballpark the day after announcing they would use higher netting he writes for the metro section not for sports
the arts
a headline on monday with a music review of mozarts abduction from the seraglio conducted by james levine at the metropolitan opera referred incorrectly to mr levines tenure at the met while this run of performances will be his final appearances at the met as music director they are not scheduled to be his final appearances there he will continue to conduct some performances after this season as music director emeritus

a music review on saturday about a concert performance of verdis opera falstaff by the chicago symphony orchestra at orchestra hall in chicago misstated the number of operas that verdi adapted from shakespeare with the librettist arrigo boito it is two not three
weekend
because of an editing error a dance entry in the listings pages on friday about the boogie down dance series at the bronx academy of arts and dance included an outdated phone number for the academy it is now 718 918 2110
obituaries
an obituary last tuesday about bill campbell an adviser to executives in the technology industry misstated his history with the tablet computer company go corporation while he was a former chief executive of the company he did not help found it

an obituary on monday about elton spitzer who for many years ran the long island radio station wlir misspelled the surname of his stepdaughter who survives him she is beverly marchica not machica
opinion
because of an editing error a letter from sonoma state university in california on monday about georgetown universitys role in the slave trade referred imprecisely to the jesuit plantation project at georgetown although it is no longer available it has been replaced by a new website the georgetown slavery archive
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by this point in the season the elite soccer teams of europe often have their positions in their domestic leagues locked up allowing them to give the seasons biggest prize the champions league undivided attention
that is not the case this year three champions league semifinalists   atletico madrid real madrid and manchester city   will have one eye on other matters as they play the first legs of their semifinal matchups on tuesday and wednesday
the title race in spain which barcelona once had locked up is suddenly wide open atletico is tied for first and real is within a point of both teams with three games to play in england manchester city is hanging on to a top four place and the champions league spot it earns for next season but its rival manchester united is close behind
only bayern munich which has a comfortable lead as it bids for a fourth straight title in germany can devote 100 percent of its resources to the semifinals if bayern can leverage that advantage into a champions league title it will be a sweet farewell present for coach pep guardiola who is leaving the club this summer
manchester city vs real madrid
tuesday
manchester city has been a goliath in english soccer since being bought by middle eastern interests in 2008 but until this season the team had only two round of 16 appearances in the champions league now in the rarefied air of the last four city will be eager to deliver the title it has long sought especially given its disappointing finish in the premier league
manchester city will be missing the injured midfielder yaya toure but it has tremendous depth still it may be the longest shot of the four remaining teams given its history and it faces a tall order in real madrid which has reached the semifinals for the sixth year in a row and has won nine straight in the spanish league scoring 37 goals a game in those matches
real madrids cristiano ronaldo has 16 goals in the champions league this season double his nearest pursuer and one shy of the record ronaldo set two seasons ago ronaldo missed reals weekend league game with a thigh injury however and he remains doubtful for tuesdays first leg but with the likes of karim benzema gareth bale and james rodriguez available in attack real remains   justifiably   the favorite
atletico madrid vs bayern munich
wednesday
atletico the surprise 2014 spanish champion has roared back to the top this year jumping into the league race and eliminating barcelona in the champions league quarterfinals by overcoming a one goal deficit with a 2 0 victory in the second leg
both goals were scored by the french striker antoine griezmann who may not be ronaldo or benzema or luis suarez lionel messi or neymar for that matter but has more than held his own in league and european play this season
but while real and barcelona have each scored more than 100 goals in the league this season atletico has managed only 59 it has nevertheless limited opponents to a mind bogglingly low total of 16 in 35 games
still it is hard to see a spanish team other than real or barcelona as an interloper at this stage and bayern will be favored
the two men most charged with breaking down atleticos stern defense will be strikers robert lewandowski and thomas muller and they are more than capable of doing it ranking first and third in bundesliga scoring this season
coach pep guardiola concludes his three year stay in munich this spring he arrived just after the team won the 2013 champions league final and he will want to go out with a title of his own it is the one trophy bayern expected from him when it lured him away from barcelona and it is the only one he has yet failed to deliver


san francisco   over the last four decades sanford i weill has been known for his huge donations to east coast institutions including his alma mater cornell university
now mr weill the former citigroup chairman plans to step up his philanthropy on the west coast where he and his wife joan now spend much of their time
on tuesday the weills plan to announce that they have given 185 million to the university of california san francisco to finance a new center for neuroscience research
the school which specializes in health sciences is roughly 80 miles south of the tuscan style estate in sonoma calif that the couple bought in 2010 and where their working vineyard produces wine under the name weill a way
the gift to the ucsf the biggest ever to the school is also among the biggest ever by the weills who have sought over the years to make themselves known at least as much for their philanthropy as for mr weills business achievements
research on the brain which is the most complex part of the human body is far behind work done in other areas of medicine mr weill said in an interview in sonoma weve always liked to support the underdog
brain science has been enjoying fresh attention from philanthropists and investors particularly in light of the obama administrations announcement in 2013 of a 10 year effort to build a comprehensive map of the human brain in the hope of advancing the fight against diseases like parkinsons and alzheimers
with the newest donation the weills   who have signed the giving pledge the drive created by warren e buffett and bill gates for the worlds richest to donate most of their wealth to philanthropy   have now pledged more than 1 billion to charitable causes
the donation is also the biggest gift yet by the weills outside their longtime home in new york as they spend more time in the bay area they have donated to institutions in their new second home including 12 million to sonoma state university for a concert hall
donations to medical causes are nothing new to the couple among their most prominent causes is weill cornell medical college cornells medical school over the years the weills have given more than half a billion dollars to weill cornell where mr weill 83 effectively led the board for two decades only in late 2014 did he cede that role   to his daughter jessica bibliowicz
the target of their latest gift isnt lacking for donations roughly 3 percent of ucsfs revenue comes from state funds the bulk comes from grants by the national institutes of health or from private donors like marc benioff the founder of salesforcecom
to the weills backing research in neuroscience hits home mr weill said that his mother died of alzheimers disease and his father had symptoms of depression friends of the weills have been afflicted with other disorders including parkinsons disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or lou gehrigs disease
when people had a mental illness there was a stigma attached ms weill said adding that it was important that such disorders be treated as medical diseases
giving to ucsf one of the top ranked neuroscience research centers in the united states seems to have been part of a natural progression since last year mr weill has been the chairman of the schools executive council a group that has helped the institution think about its long term strategy
the money is intended to underpin an ambitious research effort their gift will help pay for a new 270000 square foot building at the universitys mission bay campus that will house the neuroscience initiative it is meant to emphasize what mr weill called bench to bedside work from laboratory research to patient care
it will remove the completely artificial boundaries that we in academia use sam hawgood ucsfs chancellor said of the donation it will transform and be a beacon for other programs in the country
yet giving to ucsf doesnt mean that mr weill plans to abandon his longstanding ties to weill cornell the two schools will begin an annual neuroscience symposium that will alternate between them


miguel cabrera hit two home runs jordan zimmermanns streak of scoreless innings ended after center fielder tyler collins appeared to direct an obscene gesture at fans and the host detroit tigers defeated the oakland athletics 7 3 on monday night
zimmermann gave up a run for the first time with the tigers after 24 1/3  scoreless innings and collins seemed to take the brunt of the blame from fans
collins responded by making the obscene gesture and appeared to yell an obscenity as he reacted to the booing crowd
he seemed to lose a fly ball hit by oaklands marcus semien in the lights and an error charged to left fielder justin upton allowed semien to reach third base semien scored after billy burns hit a single to end zimmermanns unblemished start
to be at home and to hear boos after that play hit a trigger inside of me and i lashed out completely inappropriately collins said
rays 2 orioles 0 chris archer struck out 10 over six and two thirds innings to end a 10 start winless streak and tampa bay beat kevin gausman and baltimore in st petersburg fla
archer allowed five hits to get his first win since defeating the orioles last august
twins 4 indians 3 oswaldo arcia led off the ninth inning with a home run off zach mcallister and minnesota edged visiting cleveland
brian dozier added a two run double for the twins
white sox 7 blue jays 5 todd frazier doubled home the go ahead run in a five run seventh inning and chicago won in toronto
frazier went 2 for 3 with three rbi
red sox 1 braves 0 rick porcello combined with three relievers on a four hitter jackie bradley jr hit his first home run of the season and visiting boston handed atlanta its sixth straight loss
porcello won his fourth straight start allowing only four hits with two walks


troy brouwer tapped in his own rebound to break a third period tie and the blues advanced to the second round of the playoffs for the first time in four seasons eliminating the defending stanley cup champion chicago blackhawks 3 2 in game 7 of their western conference quarterfinal series monday night in st louis
brouwer who played for the blackhawks cup winner in 2010 and was among the veteran additions to a team trying to break through swiped in a backhander the goal 8 minutes 31 seconds into the third was his first in 24 postseason games since 2013
chicago just missed a chance to tie the game when brent seabrooks shot went off both posts with about 330 left
the blues advanced past the first round for the first time since 2012 when they beat san jose in five games but then lost four straight to los angeles
jori lehtera scored his first career playoff goal and the rookie defenseman colton parayko also scored for the blues who avoided another inglorious finish they led by 2 0 early before the blackhawks tied it in the second
marian hossa scored his third goal of the series and andrew shaw got his fourth on a power play for the blackhawks patrick kane was dangerous all night but was scoreless
the blackhawks have won three of the last five cups   but when they do not win it all the postseason can be a short one with three first round eliminations the last six seasons
brouwer playing in his seventh career game 7 scored from close range off a feed from robby fabbri the first shot went off the right post and he nudged the second past corey crawford
st louis was coached by the blackhawks joel quenneville the last time it played in a game 7 a loss at vancouver in 2003
the game 7 win on monday was the franchises first since 1999
predators 3 ducks 1 james neal scored the winning goal late in the second period and nashville held on to beat visiting anaheim and force the first game 7 in franchise history
the predators had lost the previous five game 6s when needing a win to stay alive in the playoffs and they ended a three game skid against the ducks to force this series back to anaheim for the deciding game wednesday night
shea weber had an empty net goal with 10 seconds left off an assist by neal mattias ekholm also scored a goal and pekka rinne made 26 saves for the win
ryan kesler scored a power play goal for the ducks who now are 8 6 in game 6s they return to anaheim where they lost their last game 7 a year ago
rinne who had been struggling in this series came up big late he stopped corey perry on a point blank shot from in front with 640 left and turned away david perrons wrister with less than three minutes to go


russell westbrook had 36 points 12 rebounds and 9 assists and the oklahoma city thunder beat the dallas mavericks 118 104 on monday night to win the teams first round playoff series 4 1 and advance to the western conference semifinals
westbrook was 13 of 23 from the field and 7 of 8 on free throws kevin durant scored 33 points and steven adams added 15 points and 10 rebounds for the host thunder who will play the san antonio spurs in a series that begins saturday
oklahoma city shot 506 percent from the field and outrebounded the mavericks 42 35
dirk nowitzki scored 24 points for the mavericks who were hampered by injuries throughout the series
a 3 pointer by westbrook put the thunder ahead 93 79 and oklahoma city took a 93 83 lead into the fourth quarter
the mavericks trimmed it to 107 103 with 4 minutes 8 seconds left before the thunder pulled away
hornets 89 heat 85 kemba walker scored a playoff career high 34 points jeremy lin added 21 and charlotte beat visiting miami to even their first round series at 2 2
walker scored 11 straight charlotte points in the fourth quarter after miami had cut the lead to 2 with 607 left
courtney lee made two free throws with 46 seconds left after being fouled on an offensive rebound to seal the win
lee finished with 11 points and helped hold dwyane wade to 12 points on 4 of 11 shooting
joe johnson led miami with 16 points
lakers coaching search los angeles lakers general manager mitch kupchak does not think his search for a new coach will take a long time
kupchak told the teams official television network monday that he has a large list of candidates to be the lakers fourth full time coach since 2011 but expects to narrow the field quickly
i think its unlikely there will be anything done in the next week or two kupchak said on time warner cable sportsnet but certainly i dont anticipate this dragging into the summer wed like to get it done
the lakers fired byron scott on sunday night after the two worst seasons in the franchises history los angeles went 38 126 under scott including 17 65 in kobe bryants farewell year
kupchak did not name any candidates for the job but he is quite familiar with the golden state assistant coach luke walton already a popular candidate among lakers fans walton was a lakers forward for nine seasons before becoming an assistant in their organization and briefly a broadcaster on their network


mets general manager sandy alderson would not admit that he was surprised by the play of neil walker or that walkers seven home runs were unexpected entering mondays game against the cincinnati reds
i think were pleasantly alderson said before adding pleased
walker further ingrained himself in the mets good graces by bashing a two run homer in the seventh inning breaking a tie and sending the mets to a 5 3 win at citi field
when walker took the field in the eighth the crowd serenaded him with a roaring recital of his name
walkers eight home runs in april are the most he has hit in a calendar month after the game he could not recall when he had been able to hit with such power
my swing feels good im seeing the ball good walker said
after the mets acquired walker in the off season from the pittsburgh pirates for pitcher jon niese he replaced daniel murphy at second base providing the pop the mets were unsure that murphy could replicate from his memorable playoff run last season
hes just swinging the bat great manager terry collins said of walker
walkers compatriots in the middle of the lineup   michael conforto hitting third and lucas duda batting cleanup   combined for all five of the mets rbi three home runs and seven hits picking up noah syndergaard on a night when he gave up three runs a season high
through his first three starts syndergaard performed like one of the best pitchers in baseball flummoxing opponents with heaters that registered in triple digits on the radar gun and secondary off speed pitches that came in with more velocity than most pitchers have on their fastballs
collins was hypothetically asked how he would combat such ferocity if syndergaard did not wear blue pinstripes collins answered that he had conjured a few machinations but would not divulge them
regardless the reds had their own formula for combating syndergaard   countering the speed of his pitches with speed on the basepaths
syndergaard struck out nine batters in six and two thirds innings but the reds kept him off balance with five stolen bases syndergaard acknowledged that he had to improve in holding runners on
we still got to get better at it collins said theres no question
with the mets leading by 3 1 in the seventh syndergaard conscious of the reds swiftness tried to pick off tyler holt at first base but his throw was wild zack cozart singled with two outs to score holt chasing syndergaard from the game he was charged with one more run and wound up with a no decision despite not allowing a base hit past the infield until the sixth
one year ago the mets were unsure of what to make of syndergaard their 6 foot 6 power pitcher with the long golden locks the reputation of his blazing fastball preceded him but did he have the secondary pitches in game composure and personal maturity to succeed at the major league level
before the game some of the most prominent members of the mets organization   david wright collins and alderson   each validated syndergaards development
collins said syndergaard could not be intimidated wright called him as dominant a pitcher as he has seen in 13 seasons in the majors
while wright spoke syndergaard dressed across from him in the clubhouse he did not hear wrights compliments but the description of syndergaards maturation is significant
during spring training last season wright caught syndergaard   then a minor leaguer   eating lunch in the clubhouse during a game and told him he belonged on the field another veteran teammate threw syndergaards lunch into the garbage
i think what hes done in the last   if you go back just 12 months or even less   is pretty remarkable alderson said not just his performance on the mound but his growth as an individual his maturation his emergence as a personality
syndergaard fell short of his third win and his era crept up to 169 but he was there to congratulate walker after the go ahead home run in the seventh satisfied with the mets ninth win in 11 games
all that really matters is that the team got a win syndergaard said thats all im happy about
inside pitch
travis darnaud left the game before the eighth inning citing discomfort in his right throwing shoulder he will see a physician on tuesday  yoenis cespedes did not play after getting fluid drained from a bruise in his right leg


arlington tex   the yankees are the third organization that has been seduced by the right arm of nathan eovaldi whose whiplike pitching motion can hurl a baseball in excess of 100 miles per hour
as hard as eovaldi can throw and as much as his curve can dart and his splitter can dive he has bounced from the dodgers to the marlins to the yankees because of his inability to harness his pitches
but on monday everything coalesced for eovaldi an easygoing texan he pitched brilliantly carrying a no hitter into the seventh inning and leading the yankees to a 3 1 victory over the texas rangers
until nomar mazaras leadoff single in the seventh inning eovaldi 26 had allowed only a fourth inning walk to mazara and a lone hard hit ball adrian beltres drive to the warning track in left
you can tell how good a guy is and how good his stuff is by the reaction of the hitters said first baseman mark teixeira who recognized how many uneasy swings the rangers took theyre swinging at pitches in the dirt swinging at pitches over their head because its just an uncomfortable at bat
though eovaldi is from the same hometown alvin tex as nolan ryan they had not met until last season and unlike ryan who threw seven no hitters eovaldi has never thrown one   even in high school while eovaldi is also one of baseballs hardest throwers and wears the no 30 that ryan wore early in his career with the mets and angels he did not pattern himself after ryan
no he said i just wanted to play baseball really
the backup catcher austin romine quickly developed a rhythm with eovaldi who attacked the outer edge of the strike zone with his fastball against the aggressive rangers and on the few occasions that he did fall behind eovaldi was able to throw his breaking pitches for strikes
eovaldi allowed only one other hit a double that just eluded the reach of right fielder dustin ackley and he was pulled after beginning the eighth with a walk to mitch moreland the lone texas run came when brett nicholas homered off dellin betances in the eighth the first earned run he had allowed this season andrew miller pitched a perfect ninth for his fifth save
no hitters are not exactly common for yankees pitchers while the cubs jake arrieta has thrown two since aug 30 the yankees have not had one since david cones perfect game on july 18 1999 and they have none on the road since allie reynoldss 1 0 win at cleveland on july 12 1951
but last season his first with the yankees eovaldi tantalized with the possibility in august he retired the first 16 batters against minnesota and in his next start he pitched eight shutout innings in a 1 0 win over houston
but he made only two more starts before ending the season on the disabled list with an inflamed right elbow his three starts this season did little to portend mondays performance which lowered his era from 611 to 438
but once eovaldi got through the fifth inning he and others started to think about the possibilities
id be lying if i said i didnt know whats going on romine said but thats unchartered territory for me ive never caught one before
eovaldi said he was not superstitious and he interacted in the dugout with teammates as he would have in any other game when mazara hit the ground ball that would ruin his bid it went right where the shortstop would normally be stationed but didi gregorius had been stationed up the middle as part of the yankees defensive shift
when it was hit i thought it was an out eovaldi said i feel like they work most of the time
eovaldi whose parents were in attendance added once its over with its over with and try to go as deep in the game as i can
the yankees did not provide much support for eovaldi but solo home runs by jacoby ellsbury in the third and starlin castro in the sixth were enough teixeiras double in the third drove in the other run alex rodriguez did not play because of an oblique injury though it is not expected to keep him out beyond this series
this was all the yankees could manage against cesar ramos   a journeyman who was recalled to make the 11th start of his career replacing the ace cole hamels groin   but it was enough
hes got no 1 stuff teixeira said of eovaldi thats one thing that weve all seen a guy that throws 97 miles per hour with a good splitter a good curveball thats no 1 stuff and he showed it tonight


hanover germany   the speech that barack obama delivered to a sea of germans in berlin eight years ago underscored his impatience to change the world
this is the moment mr obama then a presidential candidate declared as he pledged to seek a new dawn in the middle east bring about a planet without nuclear weapons forge new trade deals move past a cold war mind set with russia and rout terrorist networks
and in a speech in cairo shortly after he took office he expressed hope for a new era in the middle east that would choose progress over a self defeating focus on the past
on monday at the conclusion of his trip to the middle east and europe mr obama delivered another address in germany this visit however was punctuated by little of the soaring eloquence that expressed mr obamas ambitious foreign policy aspirations instead the president recognizing the limitations in realizing those aspirations spoke in more measured tones as he gently urged allies to do more to defend themselves and solve their own problems
mr obama can certainly claim some foreign policy achievements he restored diplomatic relations with cuba after more than half a century and concluded a nuclear agreement with iran he also largely made good on his 2008 promises to get american troops out of iraq and afghanistan
yet as the trip demonstrated there are situations in which he has accepted a more incremental approach
in europe the president pressed for small victories where they could be found he lent his credibility to prime minister david camerons effort to keep britain in the european union and he campaigned for reaching an american european trade deal even as he conceded that possible ratification would take more time than he had left in his presidency
in saudi arabia the president sought to reassure an ally that was angered over the nuclear accord and feared an american tilt toward iran but he also said that the gulf countries should rely less on the united states for their security he suggested to king salman that saudi arabia should consider engaging diplomatically with iran
and in the speech on monday mr obama announced the latest move in his step by step approach in syria saying he would increase the number of military personnel including special forces to fight the islamic state in that country the president said he would add 250 military personnel in the hopes of cementing what he said was progress in pushing back the islamic state also known as isis or isil from territory that it had held
theyre not going to be leading the fight on the ground mr obama said before meeting with the leaders of france germany britain and italy to discuss the situation in syria but they will be essential in providing the training and assisting local forces
mr obama and his top aides concede that his incremental approach in syria is unlikely to rapidly destroy the islamic state   certainly not in the nine months that he has left in office they say it will take many years of steady concerted action by a coalition of nations to rid the world of the terror groups in syria and iraq
the point that the president made in the berlin speech is that when the world stands together in collective multilateral action we will be able to deal with the challenges that confront us said benjamin j rhodes the presidents deputy national security adviser and an architect of his approach
mr rhodes argued that the presidents reluctance to act alone had served him   and the world   well actions by coalitions of nations led by the united states have helped beat back ebola turn the global economy away from the brink of collapse and reach deals on climate change and irans nuclear program he said
after mr obamas nearly eight years in the oval office the 2008 speech in berlin can be seen as a kind of road map to the foreign policy he sought to put into practice as he marched toward claiming the white house he spoke of securing nuclear material bolstering european defenses reasserting diplomacy as a centerpiece of american power closing down unpopular wars and extending our hand to the people in the forgotten corners of this world
just months after he took office in 2009 that vision of a new kind of foreign policy led the norwegian nobel committee to award mr obama the nobel peace prize in its citation the committee said it had sought for 108 years to stimulate precisely that international policy and those attitudes for which obama is now the worlds leading spokesman
in his acceptance speech mr obama acknowledged being surprised by the honor because i am at the beginning and not the end of my labors on the world stage
yet even in the 2008 speech mr obama recognized that the road ahead will be long and since then he has increasingly borrowed from the rev dr martin luther king jr who said the arc of history bent toward justice to describe the kind of slow progress he wants to make abroad
in the speech on monday mr obama said europe was weakening because the international institutions in which he had expressed so much faith almost a decade ago were under siege   by migrants fleeing regional wars russian aggression in eastern europe a slow economic recovery and mistrust among allies
dangerous forces do threaten to pull the world backwards and our progress is not inevitable mr obama conceded on monday we are not immune from the forces of change around the world
mr obama spent much of the european part of his trip urging the british people to vote to remain in the european union when a referendum is held on june 23 he said repeatedly over the past week that a withdrawal would undercut britains influence and weaken the democratic alliance binding europe together
in the speech on monday mr obama went further telling the germans in the audience that they too must resist the temptation to go it alone in the fight against the islamic state the push for economic security and the need to confront huge new flows of migration
if we do not solve these problems you start seeing those who would try to exploit those fears and frustrations and channel them in a destructive way mr obama said
if a unified peaceful liberal pluralistic free market europe begins to doubt itself begins to question the progress thats been made over the last several decades mr obama said then we cant expect the progress that is just now taking hold in many places around the world will continue


the transactions usually took place in a car parked near west 166th street and st nicholas avenue in manhattan abdul davis would arrive from new jersey carrying guns in a bag the authorities said he sold them in batches of three or four revolvers semiautomatic pistols shotguns assault rifles
all told prosecutors said he unloaded 82 weapons over 13 months in exchange for about 94000 with the money wired to his bank account in advance what mr davis did not know was that his customer was an undercover police officer and that the manhattan district attorneys office had obtained a wiretap on his phone
on monday mr davis 52 and his girlfriend shelita funderberk 50 who is accused of helping him with the sales were arrested in linden nj where they live and await extradition they are charged with criminal sale of firearms conspiracy and other crimes cyrus r vance jr the manhattan district attorney said
mr davis and ms funderberk could not be reached for comment because they were in custody in union county nj and had yet to be arraigned or obtain legal counsel
three men in virginia and one in georgia were also arrested near their homes on conspiracy and gun selling charges mr vance said they served as straw purchasers for mr davis buying guns at shops and shows in those states mr davis negotiated sales with them over the phone wired them money and traveled to their homes to pick up the weapons according to a 119 count indictment
mr vance said that in an effort to slow the flow of weapons into new york city from jurisdictions with lax gun control he was taking the unusual step of prosecuting people from southern states
it was clear through the evidence they knew they were selling weapons to come to new york state he said robert k boyce the chief of detectives said there was evidence that mr davis who had a previous conviction for drug trafficking had been peddling guns in the city for at least 10 years the police discovered his business after an informant tipped them off and had the undercover officer pose as a street dealer he said among the weapons the officer bought were five assault rifles including a bushmaster firearms model that had been outfitted with a 100 round drum magazine court papers said
mr vance called on the new york state legislature to raise the penalty for gun traffickers who sell more than 20 firearms making it a top tier felony punishable by at least 15 years to life in prison rather than the present minimum sentence of five years we must enhance the penalties they face he said currently whether a defendant sells 10 firearms or 10000 the penalty is the same


aden yemen   yemeni government forces and allies from the united arab emirates took back control of yemens largest oil export terminal from al qaeda on monday security officials said a day after routing the militants from their nearby stronghold the southern port city of al mukalla
about 80 percent of yemens modest oil reserves were exported in peacetime from the terminal in ash shihr 42 miles east of al mukalla al qaeda in the arabian peninsula tried last year to export the two million barrels of oil stored there with the approval of yemens government which refused the terminal has been shut since al qaeda seized the area
local yemeni officials said on sunday that some 2000 yemeni and emirati troops had advanced into al mukalla taking control of its seaport and airport and setting up checkpoints throughout the city
al qaeda in the arabian peninsula which is widely considered the militant groups most dangerous affiliate was taking about 2 million a day in taxes from the port


the top intelligence official in the united states said on monday that a review to declassify 28 pages of material in a sept 11 report which families of victims and some lawmakers are demanding be made public could be completed by june
the official james r clapper jr the director of national intelligence suggested the timing of the release of the pages to reporters at a breakfast meeting in washington
amid speculation about a possible saudi role several members of the house and senate have joined the victims families in pressing for declassification of the pages which are part of government documents compiled on the sept 11 attacks
some officials say the material could reveal that saudi arabia backed the men who hijacked airplanes flying two into the world trade center in new york and another into the pentagon


somewhere in the middle of my nba tv stupor this past weekend   hawks versus celtics bleeding into watching the 7 foot andre drummond shoot free throws and wondering if hed be better off wearing a blindfold and then looking on blurry eyed as the spurs administered yet another beat down to the memphis grizzlies who had taken to playing the toddler children of their many injured players   this thought crept into my brain pan less is more in late april the nba playoff season has an event horizon out there at the edge of alpha centauri with too long series and too long games more on that last point in a minute
the nba truly is our beautiful game and it would gain a lot more with a lot less first round series should come capped at five games maximum the kid pistons are entertaining and promising but didnt their three losses to the lebrons establish that they are not yet ready for prime time now that the hawks and the celtics have exchanged haymakers and the series is tied at 2 2 lets bring on the coup de grace of a last game
for connoisseurs of sweaty palms we could return to the late 1970s when first round series were best two out of three cage fights i checked the better team still won all but a handful of those long ago showdowns
make the first round series two out of three and the second series three out of five when the best teams reach the conference finals and the championship round let it expand to seven games
much credit should flow to the nba as commissioner adam silver noted the other day the league is admirably willing to innovate and upend its verities unlike baseball where faithfulness to its history has become a cargo cult the nba breathes it put in a 3 point line widened the lane and instituted prohibitions that diminished the blood sport defensive muggings of the 1990s all good
on its best nights the nba offers a free jazz apex as good teams none of which are found within hundreds of miles of that basketball despond in new york city offer jukes and passes and shooting why let steph curry get injured in a meaningless match against an egocentric houston rockets team last year the cavaliers lost a key player kevin love in the first round of a meaningless romp over the celtics cavs guard kyrie irving went down a few weeks later with a knee injury the result was an nba finals clash less titanic than advertised
i called fran fraschilla who embodies the hoops lifer hes played coached yakked on espn and analyzed european basketball with a talmudic intensity we are in late april of a basketball playoff season that will stretch into summer why not shave a few games off the front end
fraschilla cleared his throat by noting that television networks and the league had monetary considerations which is to say lots of dough at stake but from a basketball perspective  it doesnt make sense to win 63 games and have to play a seven game series against an inferior team he said the better teams are pretty much blowing through the bottom four except for the celtics and the hawks
fraschilla did not endorse my proposal for two out of three that carries a too strong whiff of random death
i dont for the life of me get why baseball plays 162 games each year and lets some teams live and die with a single game playoff he said
lets continue on this reform jag the last few minutes of nba playoff games are an unsightly mess the nba allows games like rivers to snake and plunge toward the sea for the first three and a half quarters only to encase those waters in cement at the end
the nba has acquired a mortal fear of the analytics and computer perfection crowd and so instructed referees to halt games at their furious peak only to walk to the sidelines don ear phones and watch replays this can stretch minutes and with no discernible logic mistakes still are made because well pro basketball games are played by brilliant fast quick jumping human beings and even the best refs miss stuff
then there is the timeout which for coaches becomes a finishing school to prove their brilliance this is to get the game precisely wrong the best teams are well coached which is to say that when it comes to the crunch players often take what they know and intuit and create beauty the hawks offered their own point counterpoint on sunday on one play hawks coach mike budenholzer let point guard jeff teague freelance he came down in rhythm and hit a sweet 3 pointer
not many seconds later that same coach felt compelled to call a timeout and scratch out his brilliance for his players teague came out and dribbled and dribbled as teammates watched stolid as statues with a second to go teague jumped to shoot a long contested jump shot and the ball slipped out of his hands
for this we sat through brain numbing commercials
the path out of this cul de sac is found across the atlantic coaches given fewer timeouts per half cannot call one while the ball is in play the european game is also absent that malformed disaster known as the television timeout the game is much more free flowing fraschilla noted as a former coach i like the ability to coach my team so that they are prepared for game situations with the clock running
at its best the nba game is the count basie orchestra played in shorts and jerseys why not free the band to play its best music


ottawa   prime minister justin trudeau condemned the heinous killing in the philippines on monday of a canadian who had been held captive by islamic militants for seven months
mr trudeau confirmed that john ridsdel 68 a mining executive had been killed by the abu sayyaf group after a ransom deadline expired
this was an act of coldblooded murder and responsibility rests squarely with the terrorist group who took him hostage mr trudeau told reporters
on sept 21 members of abu sayyaf kidnapped mr ridsdel along with robert hall another canadian kjartan sekkingstad of norway and marites flor a woman from the philippines from a marina and resort on samal island several news reports indicated that the group was seeking about 64 million in ransom for each of the hostages
mr ridsdel appeared last month in a video posted on a facebook page associated with abu sayyaf in which he pleaded with mr trudeau to meet the kidnappers demands he appeared with two other hostages all were handcuffed and appeared gaunt
global affairs canada the countrys foreign ministry said that the government would not pay ransom
kidnap for ransom is a significant source of terrorist funding fueling violence and instability it said in a statement on monday
the ministry declined to comment on what military efforts if any had been underway to rescue the hostages when the kidnappers deadline approached
bob rae who was interim leader of the liberal party in canada before mr trudeau took over told the canadian broadcasting corporation that he had been working with mr ridsdels family in efforts to free the hostages
its hard its just very hard mr rae a friend of mr ridsdels since the 1960s told the broadcaster whether things could have been done differently its too soon for that to be said certainly the family did everything they could to try to reach a solution
reuters quoting a spokesman for the philippines military reported that a man on a motorcycle on monday dropped a plastic bag with a head in it in the center of town on jolo island the remote region where abu sayyaf is largely based the military added that tests were underway to confirm the identity of the victim
while the united states military has said that abu sayyaf has links with al qaeda and has received support from it many analysts characterize the group mainly as a ruthless criminal organization focused on profiting from kidnappings rather than ideology
the philippines armed forces have said the group is holding a number of other hostages in november the group decapitated a malaysian hostage when that countrys prime minister arrived in the philippines for an international summit meeting
the calgary herald reported that mr ridsdel had worked at the newspaper as a reporter during the 1970s and 1980s before becoming a spokesman and manager for petro canada a large oil company based in that city mr ridsdel later managed a mine in the philippines and worked part time as a mining consultant in recent years
the philippine military and police in a joint statement on tuesday expressed condolences to mr ridsdels family and vowed to press their efforts to neutralize these lawless elements and thwart further threats to peace and security


chicago state university which may have been battered more than any other illinois university by the states budget crisis will soon receive 20 million in funding after gov bruce rauner signed a bill on monday granting 600 million to state universities and community colleges chicago state which serves mostly poor and african american students lacks an endowment and an affluent alumni base it depends on 30 percent of its 105 million budget from the state lawmakers in springfield and mr rauner a republican have been unable to agree on a budget for the past 10 months leaving higher education unfunded officials from chicago state said in a statement that while they appreciate the emergency funding they will still have difficult cost cutting decisions soon including possible staff reductions the school has been operating without state funding since last summer and has feared extensive layoffs or shutdown it moved its commencement to april 28 and canceled spring break because of the funding shortage julie bosman
another minnesota man pleaded guilty monday to conspiring to provide material support to the islamic state group the man hamza naj ahmed 21 changed his plea in federal district court in minneapolis he had been scheduled to go on trial next month his plea came 11 days after another defendant adnan abdihamid farah accepted a plea deal mr ahmed pleaded guilty to conspiracy to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization and to financial aid fraud mr ahmed a college student was accused of using a 2700 school loan to try to join the islamic state prosecutors will move to dismiss the remaining charges including conspiracy to murder outside the united states at mr ahmeds sentencing he avoided a possible life sentence with his plea six defendants have now pleaded guilty and three are to go on trial may 9 a 10th man is at large believed to be in syria ap
the justice department on monday asked a federal court to appoint a third party to operate the new orleans jail saying new leadership is essential because the citys sheriff marlin gusman has failed after years of effort to improve conditions that endanger inmates the government also sought to place sheriff gusman in contempt over what it called his noncompliance with overhauls mandated in a settlement agreement involving the jail and the justice department and inmates the sheriff has said he is making progress in jail reforms and faulted the city for providing too little money ap
a sheriffs deputy was fired monday and charged with a felony after an investigation found she used pepper spray to punish a jail inmate who spit in her face while his hands and feet were in restraints the sheriff said sgt charlesetta hawkins was arrested on a charge of cruelty to an inmate her arrest came less than a month after chatham county sheriff john wilcher who promised during his campaign to rid the county jail of excessive force by deputies following the high profile death of a detainee last year won election the sheriff said the authorities plan to charge the inmate jonathan mahone with assault for spitting on the deputy ap
the state supreme court refused monday to take up the case of a suburban denver baker who would not make a wedding cake for a same sex couple letting stand a lower courts ruling that he cannot cite his christian beliefs in refusing service a lawyer for the baker jack phillips said they had not decided whether to pursue further legal steps ap


atlanta   joseph c meek jr a friend of dylann s roof the man charged with killing nine african american churchgoers in charleston sc has agreed to cooperate with the authorities and plead guilty in his own criminal case he is charged with lying to federal investigators and concealing information about the june 17 attack
the plea agreement which was filed in federal court monday in charleston states that mr meek has agreed to be fully truthful and forthright with federal state and local law enforcement agencies and provide full complete and truthful information about crimes he knows of he agreed to testify in court proceedings and submit to polygraph tests if requested by the government
if prosecutors determine that mr meeks cooperation is substantial the agreement says they will petition the court to be more lenient in sentencing him mr meek 21 faces a maximum of eight years in prison for the two charges misprision of a felony which means concealing knowledge of a crime and making a false statement
mr roof 22 who appeared to be enamored of white supremacist symbolism and ideology unleashed his attack on members of the historic emanuel african methodist episcopal church on june 17 after he had asked to join the weekly bible study class held in the fellowship hall of the church located in downtown charleston
j stephen schmutz a charleston lawyer who represents family members of three of the slain victims   cynthia hurd myra thompson and sharonda coleman singleton   said monday that the families were in total support of the plea deal and expected that it could produce valuable information about mr roof
hes a witness mr schmutz said he spent a lot of time with roof immediately before this happened
mr schmutz said it was likely that mr meek would be called to testify in mr roofs capital murder trial in state court which has been delayed until january
mr meeks cooperation with the federal authorities will probably also aid them in their separate case against mr roof in which he faces 33 counts including hate crime charges as well as charges of killing people while obstructing religious freedom that charge carries a possible death sentence though the federal government has not decided whether to seek it
the federal indictment against mr meek an air conditioning repairman states that the day after the massacre he made false statements to an fbi agent when he said that he did not know the specifics of dylann roofs plan to shoot individuals on a wednesday during bible study at an ame church in charleston sc
the indictment also alleges that mr meek committed a crime when he failed to share his knowledge of the actual commission of a felony with the authorities
the two young men had known each other since childhood the month before the shootings they spent time together in a trailer home in lexington county sc where mr meek lived with family members
the day after the shooting mr meek said that mr roof had spoken in favor of racial segregation and said that he wanted to hurt a whole bunch of people and was planning to do something crazy
mr meek said he did not take such comments seriously at first but eventually grew worried and hid mr roofs 45 caliber handgun later he said at the urging of his girlfriend mr meek returned the gun to mr roof because mr meek was on probation and did not want to get in trouble
mr meek was freed on bond in november


officials at the national september 11 memorial museum in manhattan said on monday that one of their security guards should not have stopped a north carolina middle school choir from singing the national anthem on the plaza last week
the guard did not respond appropriately kaylee skaar a museum spokeswoman said we are working with our security staff to ensure that this does not happen again with future student performances
about 50 students from waynesville middle school in western north carolina were at the memorial on wednesday and had just started singing the star spangled banner when a guard told them to stop
martha brown a teacher from the school said on monday that a different security guard had given permission for her students to sing but the second guard said you just cant do this youve got to stop now ms brown said so we very reverently and quietly stopped what we were doing and complied with his request and quietly exited the park
video posted afterward by an adult on the school field trip had prompted outrage and led to an invitation for the students to sing the anthem live on fox news ms brown and trevor putnam the schools principal joined the students for their performance at the school on monday
ms brown said her students learned from the experience we turned it into a teaching moment and taught them that even if you dont agree with it or understand it you must respect authority she said
mr putnam echoed the sentiment
the lesson learned here is always to respect authority the principal said in a telephone interview and im so proud of our kids for conducting themselves the way they did
crystal mulvey a parent who accompanied her daughter on the trip said she was shocked that the guard interrupted the national anthem because its kind of a sacred song to us but she added on the flip side i completely understand following rules
striking a balance between remembering those killed by terrorists and rebuilding a bustling commercial district has been a challenge since the attack in 2001 tourists paying their respects to the dead now share the memorial plaza with neighborhood residents and office workers from the new world trade center towers eating lunch under the trees
officials at the memorial said groups wishing to perform on the crowded plaza are supposed to pay 35 to apply for a permit and obey a list of rules that includes not using amplified sound and not interfering with the flow of traffic ms brown said she was not aware of the permit requirement


belgrade serbia   an official vote tally confirmed on monday that the pro european union party that governs serbia won a landslide victory in the countrys general election
the results presented by the state electoral commission also showed that pro russian nationalists will return to parliament
with about 96 percent of ballots counted the governing progressive party won 48 percent in sundays vote and its socialist coalition partner received 11 percent two right wing parties lagged far behind the radical party with 8 percent and dss dveri with 5 percent
three pro western opposition parties   the democrats the social democrats and the new reformist party dosta je bilo its enough   were each hovering slightly above the 5 percent threshold needed to win seats in parliament
the results mean that serbia will continue its membership bid for the european union but with strong pro russian opposition


just two years ago volkswagen was actively supporting the united auto workers in its push to organize the companys plant in chattanooga tenn
but in september the german automaker was plunged into turmoil over revelations that it had equipped almost 600000 diesel cars sold in the united states with software to cheat on tailpipe emissions tests
since then a large portion of volkswagens senior management has changed   and so has its approach to the union drive now rather than cooperating with the uaw volkswagen is trying to block the union
the change signals a retreat from volkswagens previous efforts to replicate in chattanooga a german model of labor relations in which workers have a strong voice influencing factory operations
the latest clash came on monday when volkswagen announced that it would go to federal court to appeal a recent victory by the uaw late last year a majority of the chattanooga plants 160 maintenance workers voted to accept representation by the union
the rest of the plants 1500 workers have not yet gone that far but this month the national labor relations board said volkswagen must begin bargaining with the uaw on behalf of the maintenance workers who tend to the plants machinery and robots
the company objects because it wants all of its hourly employees including the production line workers to decide whether to accept the uaw
volkswagen respects the right of all of our employees to decide the question of union representation the automaker said in a statement it added that it would continue efforts to allow everyone to vote as one group on the matter
in response to volkswagens plans to appeal the uaw accused the automaker of flouting american law
at a time when volkswagen already has run afoul of the federal and state governments in the emissions cheating scandal were disappointed that the company now is choosing to thumb its nose at the federal government over us labor law gary casteel the unions secretary treasurer and head of its organizing efforts in chattanooga said in a statement
the linking of volkswagens dealings with the union to the highly embarrassing and potentially costly diesel emissions matter reflects the bitterness that now exists between the union and the employer it once viewed as a partner said maury nicely a chattanooga lawyer who represents a group of volkswagen workers who oppose the uaw
clearly the gloves have come off mr nicely said
in 2013 volkswagen surprised many in american corporate circles when it began aiding the uaw in its efforts to organize the plant   a stark contrast to the bitter fights at other nonunionized auto plants in the south
to the ire of political leaders who opposed the union the company allowed german labor representatives to campaign for the uaw inside the factory signed a cooperation agreement with the american union and chose not to object to a bid to have workers vote on representation   measures rarely seen in american industry
it was part of a bid to re create an important element of german labor management relations   a works council which is a committee of employees who negotiate factory policies with managers
under american law a company can have a works council only if its workers are represented by a union
no question volkswagen was supporting the uaw for that said gary klotz a labor lawyer at the detroit office of butzel long
the chattanooga plant started producing the passat sedan in 2011 and was seen as a key element of a bid to greatly increase sales in the united states market volkswagen is now expanding the factory to make a mid size sport utility vehicle alongside the passat the suv is expected to start rolling off the assembly line by december
when a plantwide vote took place in february 2014 the union lost the union continued its effort though and set up a branch local 42 in chattanooga to carry on the cause it focused on winning representation of maintenance workers among whom it had clear support
but then came the emissions scandal in september the chief executive at the time martin winterkorn resigned he was replaced by matthias mueller who has replaced about a dozen top executives
by october the uaw was planning to have chattanooga maintenance workers vote on representation but the company opposed the move in december maintenance workers voted 108 48 for the union


washington   the islamic state is operating clandestine terrorist cells in britain germany and italy similar to the groups that carried out the attacks in paris and brussels the top ranking american intelligence official said on monday
when asked if the islamic state was engaging in secret activities in those nations the official james r clapper jr the director of national intelligence said yes they do that is a concern obviously of ours and our european allies he then added we continue to see evidence of plotting on the part of isil in the countries you named isil is another name for the islamic state
mr clapper speaking to reporters at a breakfast meeting organized by the christian science monitor became one of the most senior western officials to publicly acknowledge the islamic states extensive reach into europe which has set off growing fears among american and european spy services and policy makers the islamic state has vowed to conduct attacks in those three european countries
western experts however emphasize that it is impossible to know where the next attack might take place
spurred by the paris attacks in november and the assaults in brussels last month the united states has rushed to provide allies with intelligence from a variety of technical and human sources as well as to offer long term structural fixes to the europeans failure to share intelligence effectively and to tighten porous borders
two weeks ago mr clapper led a group of american intelligence officials who met in germany with their european counterparts in what he said was an effort to promote more sharing between and among the nations in europe
that right now is a major emphasis of ours he added
many european nations still refuse to share basic intelligence even within a government leading to blind spots across the continent that make it easier for terrorist groups to strike brussels has more than a dozen police forces and french intelligence police and judicial officials do not routinely share terrorism information american intelligence and counterterrorism officials said
like mr clapper counterterrorism officials in europe say they have indications from multiple sources that britain germany and italy and perhaps more countries are in the sights of the islamic states european networks
the information comes from the islamic state itself which often signals its intentions as well as from information gleaned from questioning suspects in plots that have been carried out or stopped and from intercepts of telephone and cybercommunications those communications however are hard to penetrate because the islamic state has proved capable of covering its virtual tracks according to european investigators
claude moniquet a former french intelligence officer who closely follows terrorism said the british and germans were especially concerned about the possibility of an islamic state strike
that would be true as well of the french and belgians whose intelligence services believe that both countries could be hit again one of the figures involved in the attacks in both brussels and paris mohammed abrini was reported to have told investigators that the islamic state was considering attacks during the european cup soccer tournament in june which will be played in 10 stadiums throughout france
while the islamic state says that it targets countries that are bombing its fighters in syria and iraq in reality its targets seem to be based on a number of factors one is pragmatic mr moniquet said how many operatives does it have on hand in a country
the european countries with the most residents either fighting in syria or iraq planning to go to fight or having returned from the fight are france with about 1800 to 1850 germany and britain each with roughly 750 to 800 and belgium with 450 according to estimates by those countries governments and counts by outside intelligence consultants such as the soufan group in new york
it is not clear how many of these fighters have returned to europe since many carry european passports and are free to come and go but intelligence officials estimate that 20 percent to 30 percent have returned
abdelhamid abaaoud the on the ground leader of the paris attacks told a relative that he had brought 90 fighters back from syria to fight on european soil while that may be an exaggeration at least 19 people played significant roles in either the paris or brussels attacks and most had fought in syria another 24 men have been charged with helping the main attackers and at least a couple of those with smaller roles also appear to have been to syria suggesting that mr abaaouds boast was not altogether false
italys appearance on the list of countries that the islamic state might plan to attack is harder to explain since it has fewer fighters in the middle east but it is very often mentioned as a potential target said nathalie goulet a member of the french senate who helped lead a committee studying european foreign fighters
ms goulet said that one hypothesis is that italy might be a target because it is the home of the pope the most visible christian leader she also noted that the pope had declared this a jubilee year dedicated to helping people in need
however the potential threat to britain is mentioned most often mr moniquet said he had found statements on the internet published in french the same day as the brussels attacks by the al wafaa foundation a media organization close to islamic state officials in which its writer promised that the islamic state would bring its violence to britain
i am addressing this article to david cameron the pig of the crossbearers he should not believe that the attacks aimed at brussels and at paris will not reach london the al wafaa writer said
soon the soldiers of the caliphate will besiege england said the writer adding even before america
british counterterrorism officials say that the authorities there have thwarted seven terrorist plots in the past 18 months or so
it is far from clear whether the islamic state would be able to pull off an attack in britain but investigators in the paris attacks have said that they found photographs of british sites on a phone belonging to mr abaaoud they have also said that one of the logistical planners for the paris and brussels attacks mohammed abrini was in britain last year


bernie sanders lost new yorks primary by a double digit margin polls suggest his delegate gap with hillary clinton is likely to widen after five states vote on tuesday and mrs clinton is increasingly turning her fire on donald j trump confident that she will soon lock down the democratic nomination
still mr sanderss supporters turn out eager to hear his message but increasingly cognizant that their candidates political chances are fading quickly by the day
i hate to say it but i feel like im putting my head in a bag and just crossing my fingers said jessie burnett 39 a mother of three who lives in tolland conn im throwing my full support behind him until he says he is out she said calling his chance of winning the democratic nomination terrible
the increasing frequency of questions about whether and when mr sanders might concede to mrs clinton   or at least tone down his attacks on her   frustrates not only the senator but also many of his fans as enthusiastic as ever mr sanders repeatedly tells packed crowds that they should encourage family and friends to cast votes for him and that his political revolution counts on their ability to get others involved
but a bleaker reality about the candidates prospects is beginning to settle in among even his most ardent supporters
david wacker 34 a verizon service technician currently on strike said that he planned to vote for mr sanders on tuesday in the pennsylvania primary but that he had already begun weighing what to do if the senator does not win the nomination
the odds are stacked against him mr wacker said frowning as he held a sign for his union at a rally in pittsburgh on monday i still believe he has an avenue to victory but im a realist i see that it is dwindling but he is still my candidate that im passionate about so im going to stay with him until the end
many of mr sanderss supporters say they hope he will find a way to cut into mrs clintons lead and persuade more superdelegates to back him but some of those same supporters are also already mulling over whether to support mrs clinton should she prevail and grappling with what his campaign might mean for progressive politics in the future
cynthia kral 38 of pittsburgh said she would never vote for mrs clinton i cannot trust her ms kral said adding that she planned to vote for a third party candidate or write in mr sanderss name in the general election i feel like she can be bought on anything and for her to be president   that kind of scares me
ms kral an education assistant at the university of pittsburgh medical center and another sanders supporter who lives in pittsburgh geoff sanderson 31 said they hoped that even if mr sanders loses the progressive movement he has ignited will continue past his candidacy
part of it feels crushing mr sanderson who manages a theater said of the race the other part of it feels hopeful that at least this started something and that this isnt the end of it
mrs clinton currently has 1446 delegates to mr sanderss 1202 with 2383 needed to capture the nomination but her lead in superdelegates leaves her only about 400 delegates short of that majority and polls show mr sanders down in at least four of the five states voting on tuesday with the senator trailing mrs clinton in pennsylvania connecticut rhode island and maryland
katherine duncan 30 of west hartford conn is holding out hope that mr sanders will win citing personal reasons a career coach she has more than 130000 in student debt after getting her bachelors in communications and her masters in public relations
its just so overwhelming i dont know where to start ms duncan said it makes me have trouble sleeping at night its changing the course of my life in some ways because i cant do things i want to do because i want to pay that debt off
determined to bolster the candidates chances she came to a sanders rally in hartford on monday to take pictures and post them on social media sites in an effort to excite her family and friends about his candidacy
i feel confident that hes giving it everything he has and so this is the least that i can do she said
her steadfast support is echoed in the crowds mr sanders continues to draw about 1800 people attended the rally in hartford on monday and another 800 showed up for one in pittsburgh his campaign said at each event supporters cheered as mr sanders laid out his plans to combat income inequality and tackle campaign finance reform
during the connecticut rally on monday mr sanders showed no signs of letting up as he repeatedly called on his supporters to cast ballots for him when we stand together and fight for an agenda that works for all of us fight for a government that represents all of the people and not just the one percent when we do that there is nothing we cannot accomplish he said
mr sanderss intensity is echoed by some of his highest profile backers senator jeff merkley of oregon who this month became the first united states senator to endorse mr sanders said he believed that mr sanderss attacks on mrs clintons ties to goldman sachs and wall street were valid criticisms and that the party was benefiting from a prolonged nominating contest
he should very much be in the race mr merkley said of mr sanders both candidates have motivated many people to be involved it has also prepared them to be better candidates in the general election
but interviews with some sanders supporters suggest that their loyalties may not long remain with the party
mr wacker the striking verizon technician was once an independent but switched his party affiliation recently to become a democrat so he could vote for mr sanders
he said that he did not trust mrs clinton because of her ties to wall street and that he believed she would make decisions from an ivory tower
even if she has good intentions her mind is not really geared toward people like me mr wacker said of mrs clinton its geared toward people who are going to help her out


when i reached ron katz on monday the first word out of his mouth was vindication
he was referring to tom brady the moral issues always remain the same said katz the chairman emeritus of the institute of sports law and ethics at santa clara university and now a distinguished careers institute fellow at stanford
its not what you can get away with he said youve got to rise above that
brady is one of the greatest quarterbacks ever to play the game and i would have him on my starting team each sunday but he has lost credibility that he may never regain
the brady case   his role in improperly deflated footballs   seemed silly at first but this molehill became a mountain that the nfl was willing to die on to protect its shield
the case has been a winding road to the truth since january 2015 after the patriots lopsided victory over indianapolis in the afc championship game
the most extraordinary evidence against brady was the wells report which suggested that brady did not always play by the rules when it came to using properly inflated footballs
based on the report commissioner roger goodell suspended brady for four regular season games the patriots were also fined 1 million and lost a couple of draft picks including this years no 1 brady argued that he was unfairly suspended
last july bradys suspension was upheld by goodell
last september judge richard m berman said goodell administered his own brand of industrial justice and overturned goodells ruling that decision allowed brady to play the entire season a season he used as a revenge tour and one that new england fans turned into a football holy war
mondays ruling by the united states court of appeals for the second circuit ripped apart every shred of bermans decision it reaffirmed goodells broad authority to administer discipline as he pleases and it affirmed his power this is power that the nfl players association willingly gave up during the last collective bargaining agreement
players who challenged goodells authority   adrian peterson and greg hardy   were emboldened by what they perceived as a crack in goodells armor they challenged his authority with lawsuits but mondays decision was loud and clear goodell has the hammer again and is willing to drop it
i am all for resisting and challenging authority but the deflation scandal was never a noble cause brady was caught cheating and was uncooperative having his phone destroyed around the time league investigators wanted access to it
i would say this goes beyond power i think its really about order katz said you cant have a league unless somebody has the authority to make decisions otherwise you have disorder you have chaos
its about order and bradys stature
celebrity may have gotten brady a favorable decision from berman but it was ultimately not enough to keep him from being suspended
if this case had been brought by a journeyman quarterback he would not have gotten beyond the 1 yard line katz said
he added the only reason it got as far as it did was because it was tom brady we have a celebrity driven society but when you get to court it doesnt matter if youre a celebrity
after two years of missteps goodell is on a roll earlier this month a court of appeals upheld a federal district court judges decision approving the nfl concussion settlement agreement
linda s greene the evjue bascom law professor at the university of wisconsin draws a sharp distinction between how goodell successfully handled the brady case and how he mishandled the ray rice investigation protecting a star player and his team in a clear case of domestic abuse
this is a win for the commissioner greene said but unlike in the ray rice case where the decision was the byproduct of a commissioner who looked the other way at rices egregious conduct the brady suspension was the product of a thorough investigation a lengthy hearing over which the commissioner presided
the union released a statement on monday it was disappointed by the ruling adding that it would carefully review the decision consider all of our options and continue to fight for players rights and for the integrity of the game
katz said they negotiated this agreement where the commissioner had this power and thats the way it should have proceeded
the union should stop the fight for brady bradys team of legal advisers should tell him to accept the decision
the courts 2 1 decision can be appealed to the full second circuit court of appeals and to the supreme court
i dont think the supreme court will have any interest in this whatsoever katz said its done
brady should take the sack and let the sport he has soiled have its vindication


new york citys public hospital system is on the edge of a financial cliff mayor bill de blasios administration is warning in a report to be released on tuesday as part of his budget which proposes a restructuring and an infusion of 2 billion in subsidies
along with a push for new revenue and new savings for the system health  hospitals the city subsidy   an increase of 700 million since mr de blasio took office in 2014   is intended to shrink a gap that is projected to balloon to 18 billion by 2020 from the current 600 million shortfall
like many health care initiatives nationwide the plan for health  hospitals encourages better primary care and less hospitalization the budget includes 100 million in capital investments meant to expand or upgrade the systems community based health centers and clinics and it proposes selling vacant land on hospital campuses to create affordable and supportive housing
the report says there will be no layoffs or closings of hospitals in the system which was known until last year as the health and hospitals corporation but it acknowledges that even with retraining and shifting existing hospital staff to community based health centers and clinics there is likely to be a net loss of hospital based jobs and some buildings will be repurposed to house social support and other community based services
unlike what has happened in other cities health  hospitals will remain a vibrant public system   it is not for sale and the city will not abandon it the report says promising that the unparalleled investment will help turn the 280 year old network into a community based model more focused on primary care that can better compete for patients
the 55 page report is not the first to point to the dire financial future facing the citys health care and hospital system which has maintained its mission of treating all patients regardless of their ability to pay or their immigration status but the new report reflects the impact of the affordable care act and points to trends that make adaptation daunting
as previously uninsured low income new yorkers have gained insurance they also have gained new health care options the city system has been losing those patients to other providers that are seen as more upscale or convenient to patients at the same time it remains the major source of care for nearly one million city residents who remain uninsured many of them unauthorized immigrants who are ineligible for public insurance
uninsured patients and those covered by medicaid the federal and state program for the poor now represent nearly 70 percent of health  hospitals total hospital stays compared with 40 percent for other hospitals in the city the report says yet federal and state funding that helps cover the cost of caring for the uninsured is projected to decline by almost 1 billion   from 22 billion in the 2016 fiscal year to 14 billion in the 2020 fiscal year
as other nonprofit hospitals consolidate they have begun to compete for the citys medicaid patients while other major systems saw a 5 percent increase in managed medicaid hospital stays health  hospitals experienced a 3 percent decline between 2012 and 2014 metroplus the city hospitals own managed care plan grew by 17 percent over a six year period to 500000 members but still lost out to private competitors as the market grew by 27 percent
over all hospital stays dropped more than 5 percent between 2012 and 2014 reflecting a citywide trend but while the busiest public hospitals including queens hospital center and kings county hospital center have few empty beds in some like north central bronx hospital about half of the beds are empty   which means less patient revenue covering the same fixed operating costs
the number of independent hospitals in the city has been nearly halved from 34 to 18 over the past 10 years a decline likely to continue the report says three out of every four hospital stays are now at hospitals affiliated with one of six major systems   systems that are increasingly competing with one another and with health  hospitals for a bigger share of a more diverse pool of patients not just the sickest
health  hospitals is quickly losing medicaid patients to other hospitals as this zero sum game unfolds the report says referring to sweeping changes in health care financing to a flat rate or a so called payment for value or pay for performance model rather than a payment for service one historically the city system has struggled to meet the goals of a pay for performance model in part because its patients are generally sicker and poorer and often lack adequate housing
each year health  hospitals serves more than 12 million new yorkers it is the largest publicly financed health system in the country with more than 40000 employees in 11 hospitals and nearly 5000 beds five long term care facilities with nearly 3000 beds and more than 70 community based health care centers
this transformation plan is not a plan to close hospitals lay off workers or impair quality or access to health  hospitals health care services the report says we cannot cut our way out of this problem in ways that destabilize quality and access in underserved communities


mexico city   in a drab white tent along reforma avenue here across from offices of the attorney general a small group gathers each day to maintain the vigil for the 43
the tent bears their black and white images forty three students from a teachers college seized by the police in the city of iguala in september 2014 and never heard from again literal and figurative reminders of their absence
the same street once teemed with hundreds of thousands of protesters whose collective anger helped turn the disappearances into a global indictment of the impunity gnawing at mexico and a symbol of the tens of thousands of people who have vanished during the nations drug war
yet that rage like the crowds themselves has dissipated raising fears that in spite of its handling of the case which was recently criticized by an international panel of experts the government will face few political consequences
just like any social movement the tide goes out said rodrigo gonzalez 22 a student in mexico city and one of the volunteers who has lived on and off in the tent for the last year people have jobs run out of money they get distracted the government bets on this exhaustion and the forgetting but what we are here for is to remind society that they should never forget
public pressure has been building in recent days as it became clear that the international panel brought in to uncover what happened to the missing students was unable to do so after a sustained campaign of government stonewalling including the refusal to hand over information or grant interviews with certain officials
the panels final report issued sunday detailed the failings of the governments investigation saying it was based on confessions obtained by torture the departure of the foreign investigators has left the families of the missing students devastated they had come to trust the panel as a credible interlocutor between them and the government
without the experts or an outpouring of popular outrage the families wonder if their cause is lost we have seen the support from society drop perhaps because many people do not think it important and others believe the government said bernabe abrajan gaspar the father of one of the students adan abrajan
other families interviewed monday expressed similar dismay and a belief that they will never know what happened to the young men
and though it will likely define the presidency of enrique pena nieto his political party the pri may not suffer in past elections the party has managed to outperform its rivals in the face of controversy and some in and outside of government say the discontent frustration and grief over the students will do little to dampen the partys status as the dominant political force in the nation
will that harm the pri im not convinced of that said pamela starr a professor at the university of southern california who specializes in mexico the pri still has a powerful base and the opposition is in complete disarray
it should hurt them and if it was the pri against two united opposition parties it might she added
mr pena nietos approval ratings plummeted after the disappearances and a political scandal that involved his wife but last year the party managed to win the midterm elections anyway and recent polling suggests that the party is expected to retain majority control in governors elections in june
the pri strategists understand very clearly that the levels of rejection and disapproval wont have an effect on electoral results said alfonso zarate a political analyst and consultant
still the government faces a renewed wave of international condemnation over its handling of the case even as mr pena nieto has been trying to project mexico as an emerging economic power as he flies across the world signing trade agreements and visiting dignitaries the case of the missing students and other domestic troubles have tarnished the image his government has cultivated from its arrival in 2012
they know they have lost the battle for international public opinion but they think they can win the domestic public opinion battle said jorge castaneda a political analyst and former foreign minister they may be right there may be no serious consequences domestically
commenting on the panels report the united states state department said in a statement monday that it trusted that the mexican authorities will carefully consider the reports recommendations evaluate suggested actions to address the issue of forced disappearances provide support to the victims families and continue their efforts to bring the perpetrators of this terrible crime to justice
in part the frustration stems from the governments insistence that its initial conclusion is correct that the students were abducted by the local police and handed over to gangs who killed them and incinerated the bodies in a dump in the city of cocula
despite experts who testified that such a fire could not have taken place where the bodies were said to have been burned the government has defended its inquiry and criticized the experts for not solving the case after a year officials cited a separate panel that indicated a fire might have occurred at the site
there are certain levels of the government that have the clumsy idea that if you talk about the economy and spend a lot on advertising it will all disappear mr zarate said but i think that their image depends on what they are doing and not what they say they are doing
if that is true the strategy is not playing well abroad the inter american commission on human rights recently issued a scathing report on the use of torture by the security forces in mexico and the united nations special envoy on torture in mexico juan e mendez made similar criticisms last year
mr mendez said that torture in mexico was generalized a finding that was disputed by the mexican government he said in an interview monday that such responses did not help the state
though these things happen in other countries it is more serious because mexico looms so large in the international arena and because mexican citizens have the right to expect better after decades of exclusion mr mendez said it is about time that a serious democracy starts delivering


it lasted about five minutes comprising seven questions in all and it was not one of mayor bill de blasios finest or most expansive moments
the queries about a series of investigations into his political fund raising came one after another on monday with the mayor sticking to a still evolving strategic defense he said unequivocally that no laws were broken that any suggestion that he sought to circumvent state campaign finance laws was outrageous and that the big question was what or who had prompted the inquiries
a spokeswoman for the mayor then abruptly ended the news conference and he headed to his car trailed by cameras and more shouted questions from reporters
his answers on monday seemed to follow a road map to his administrations strategy that was laid out in a fiery letter written over the weekend by a lawyer for his re election campaign
the letter which was sent to the state board of elections sought to rebuff the latest series of accusations against the administration that mr de blasios team in city hall had committed flagrant violations of campaign finance laws during the mayors unsuccessful push in 2014 to win a democratic majority in the state senate
the letter came in response to the leak on friday of a confidential report by the board that accused a team formed by mr de blasio of illegally funneling money to various candidates through county democratic party committees and a statewide party committee in order to evade limits on campaign contributions
mondays news conference held on a sunny street in bay ridge brooklyn showed how mr de blasio seems to be growing increasingly frustrated as the investigations divert attention from his agenda the mayor was in brooklyn to talk about a homeowner credit for water and sewer bills and while his administration struggles to find a way to respond the mayor remains unable to escape the growing cloud of investigations and questions
mr de blasio has consistently stated that his campaign and his administration did nothing wrong but he added a new element to his message on monday questioning whether some of the accusations against him and the leaks to the news media that have aired them are politically motivated
a lot of very good people are having their names dragged through the mud over these last few weeks a lot of people that i respect greatly and have worked with for years mr de blasio said im quite convinced that the facts will show that everything was done legally and appropriately
but when you see something done in this kind of fashion when you see an inappropriate leak when you see the law being misconstrued in such an obvious fashion of course it begs the question of motivation mr de blasio said but ill leave it to all of you to uncover those motivations
that statement echoed the letter written on sunday by laurence d laufer a lawyer for mr de blasios 2013 campaign and his re election campaign
mr laufers letter questioned the integrity of the reports author risa s sugarman the elections boards chief enforcement counsel and accused her of failing to understand state law he called her report a blatantly political document and suggested the leak was a politically motivated act
while the letter offers a full throated defense of mr de blasios actions it was notable that it did so without ever mentioning the mayor by name except in reference to the headline of a daily news article in which the boards allegations were reported
neither the letter nor mr de blasio said explicitly what potential political motivation they were referring to but the implication was that ms sugarman has ties to gov andrew m cuomo who is locked in a bitter feud with the mayor a fellow democrat mr cuomo nominated ms sugarman to her job at the elections board before that she held jobs in his administration most recently as a deputy commissioner in the department of taxation and finance and when he was attorney general
in his letter addressed to ms sugarman mr laufer made a request under the states freedom of information law for any emails or other documents that might show how the confidential report reached the hands of someone outside the elections board   and eventually wound up in the press
in the report ms sugarman recommended that the board refer the matter of the state senate financing to the manhattan district attorney cyrus r vance jr mr vance confirmed on monday that he had received the referral and had begun an investigation into the state boards allegations
mr laufers letter said that the fund raising for the state senate races was fully in compliance with state law but it failed to address or even mention the statute that ms sugarman said had been violated   a section of the law that classifies certain efforts to evade contribution limits as a felony
in response to a question about that omission on monday mr laufer said through a spokesman that the statute cited by ms sugarman has no bearing on the fund raising in the senate campaign
besides the investigation into the 2014 senate race mr de blasio faces a slate of other inquiries by state and federal authorities they have focused in part on the campaign for one new york a nonprofit that mr de blasio created to promote his mayoral agenda as well as two businessmen involved in raising funds for or donating them to that group or his mayoral campaign
william t cunningham who was head of communications for mayor michael r bloomberg said that mr laufers letter served only to briefly shift the focus of news coverage away from the mayor and onto the question of potential political motivation
he changed the narrative until of course the mayor then cut off the questions and left the press conference giving the press something else to write about mr cunningham said the mayor cant be seen to be running away from the press
thats not the image you want he added so you either have to take questions or you dont take questions
through it all mr de blasio has sought to press forward with his programs and policies the event on monday featured a giant blowup of a water bill showing the 183 credit that would go to hundreds of thousands of homeowners although mr de blasio referred to it more than once as a check that consumers would receive
the mayor then delivered what had to be an unintentional straight line a large check is a glorious thing dont you think


a pennsylvania appeals court on monday blocked bill cosbys effort to have criminal sexual assault charges against him thrown out opening the way for the case to proceed
court officials on tuesday scheduled a preliminary hearing in the criminal case for may 24th
though mr cosby has been sued in civil courts by several women the pennsylvania case is the only criminal case to arise from the many sexual assault accusations leveled against him in recent years
the case involves a former temple university staff member andrea constand who says the entertainer drugged and molested her at his suburban philadelphia home in 2004
mr cosby 78 has denied all wrongdoing andrew wyatt a spokesman for mr cosby could not immediately say whether mr cosby would appeal
kevin r steele the district attorney for montgomery county whose office is prosecuting the case said in a statement that the court agreed with him that mr cosby had no right to appeal at this stage and that he looked forward to putting forth his case at a preliminary hearing
the ruling by the superior court of pennsylvania came in response to a motion by mr steele to quash mr cosbys appeal the court also denied mr cosbys attempt to win an automatic right of appeal
since mr cosby was charged in december his legal team has been working to have the charges dismissed it has argued that one of mr steeles predecessors as district attorney had made a binding commitment in 2005 never to prosecute mr cosby in connection with his encounter with ms constand
the district attorney at the time of the initial investigation bruce l castor jr said in a february hearing that he had made a pledge not to prosecute mr cosby so that mr cosby would testify in ms constands subsequent civil suit without fear of prosecution based on what he said
mr cosby ultimately did testify and that suit ended in 2006 with his paying ms constand a financial settlement
but a judge who oversaw the february proceeding rejected mr cosbys petition which led to mr cosbys appeal
in denying the appeal monday the court did not release a written explanation nor did it indicate whether the decision had been made by a single judge or a panel of judges
mr steele said he was gratified by the courts decision we are ready for that hearing and look forward to the court setting a date so we can present our case he said
even if mr cosby did appeal his efforts would not necessarily stop a preliminary hearing from going ahead unless the higher court again suspended proceedings while mr cosby made his arguments
in addition to his criminal case mr cosby is involved in a number of separate civil cases brought by other women who say he assaulted them years ago
but those have been slowed with judges determining that further questioning of mr cosby in these cases should be delayed while the criminal case is outstanding in pennsylvania citing the potential conflict mr cosby might face if compelled to testify in the civil matters now


courtland ala   in this forlorn southern town whose once humming factories were battered in recent years by a flood of asian imports rhonda hughes 43 is a fervent supporter of donald trump her 72 year old mother is equally passionate about senator bernie sanders
disenchantment with the political mainstream is no surprise but research to be unveiled this week by four leading academic economists suggests that the damage to manufacturing jobs from a sharp acceleration in globalization since the turn of the century has contributed heavily to the nations bitter political divide
ms hughes avoids discussing the election with her mother but their neighbor benjamin green 83 knows just what washington needs itll take a junkyard dog to straighten this country out he said
cross referencing congressional voting records and district by district patterns of job losses and other economic trends between 2002 and 2010 the researchers found that areas hardest hit by trade shocks were much more likely to move to the far right or the far left politically
its not about incumbents changing their positions said david autor an influential scholar of labor economics and trade at the massachusetts institute of technology and one of the papers authors its about the replacement of moderates with more ideological successors
mr autor added in retrospect whether its trump or sanders we should have seen in it coming the china shock isnt the sole factor but it is something of a missing link
in addition to mr autor the research was conducted by david dorn of the university of zurich gordon hanson a professor at the university of california san diego and kaveh majlesi of lund university in sweden
exposure to import competition is bad for centrists mr hanson said weve known that political polarization and income inequality track each other but that pattern is simply a correlation weve now found a mechanism for how economic changes create further political divisions
parker griffith experienced the move away from the political middle firsthand
a so called blue dog democrat who represented courtland and the rest of alabamas fifth congressional district he switched to the republicans in 2009 and metamorphosed into a moderate republican but that wasnt enough to save his seat
dr griffith was beaten in the republican primary in 2010 by morris j brooks jr who has emerged as one of the most right wing members of congress
if youre under economic stress and you cant provide for your family the easiest answer is to find someone to blame said dr griffith mexicans illegal immigrants obama
representative brooks has said that he would consider anything short of shooting illegal immigrants to get them out of the country and that he favored imposing heavy tariffs on china to level the playing field and punish beijing for what he sees as currency manipulation
in the case of the fifth district which includes huntsville and its space  and defense related industries as well as more industrial florence along the tennessee river the move has been to the right
but mr autor and his colleagues found that in districts with heavy minority representation similar shocks can push more democratic districts in the opposite direction while whites hit hard by trade tend to move right nonwhite voters move left eroding support for moderates in both parties the study concluded
as the south industrialized in the second half of the 20th century poor alabamians who once toiled on farms were able to secure a toehold in the middle class in the shadow of tennessee valley authority dams that supplied cheap power thousands of workers sewed jeans and t shirts and could earn upward of 20 an hour in heavily unionized factories
but the collapse of the apparel industry here in the first decade of the 21st century following chinas entry into the world trade organization in 2001 reversed that process
nearly 10000 manufacturing jobs disappeared at 74 percent the regional unemployment rate is well below its peak of 128 percent in 2010 but remains far above the national average of 5 percent
the new paper underscores a broader rethinking among economists of the costs and benefits of policies aimed at encouraging industrial competition across borders
theres a deeper appreciation for the magnitude of the impact on workers who lose their jobs mr hanson said but the nature of globalization changed after the end of the cold war and it took a while for academics to catch up
until the nafta agreement with canada and mexico in 1994 and especially the entry of china into the wto trade deals were mostly multilateral and the rise in manufacturing imports to the united states came primarily from other advanced industrial nations like germany and japan
china and the wto represented a shock that was way larger mr autor said we hadnt seen shocks like this because we were trading with rich countries not highly productive developing countries with enormous labor reserves
to understand the connection between imports from china and political polarization the researchers focused on the fact that manufacturers tend to localize in a specific region
there are these concentrated pockets of hurt mr autor said and were seeing the political consequences of that
mr autor and mr hanson emphasize that trade is only one factor among many that have contributed to a polarizing congress income inequality is another as are attitudes toward immigrants but it has been an important one particularly over the last decade when chinese imports ramped up
this trade induced polarization has had a significant effect on the overall ideological makeup of congress
the authors found that voters in congressional districts hardest hit by chinese imports tended to choose more ideologically extreme lawmakers
between 2002 and 2010 districts in the top 5th percentile of trade exposure on average experienced a 19 percent greater drop in manufacturing employment relative to districts at the other end of the spectrum those hard hit districts became on average far more conservative the ideological equivalent of moving from marco rubio to ted cruz
some very conservative members of congress have been sympathetic to free trade arguments in the past but representative brooks who has welcomed support from the tea party doesnt mince words about where he stands
were going to have to do whatever is necessary to ensure that a foreign country isnt able to successfully attack and destroy significant parts of the economy he said i was in china two weeks ago and they are going to clean our plow if we dont act
mr autor like most economists is still persuaded of the long established benefits that global trade confers on the economy as a whole but he recognizes that angry voters have valid reasons to be frustrated
its a matter of diffuse benefits and concentrated costs but our political system hasnt addressed those costs he said
some staunch defenders of globalization like gary clyde hufbauer a senior fellow at the peter g peterson institute for international economics in washington also acknowledge that the federal government has failed to adequately address the needs of workers dislocated by lowered import barriers
but the benefit of free trade is 10 times the size of the losses he said free trade really helps working class people in terms of lower prices for products the benefits are skewed toward people with lower income because they spend a much larger fraction of their income on merchandise
perhaps but thats cold comfort to people in northern alabama where wages are stagnant and manufacturing jobs are still disappearing
in nearby decatur the big nucor steel plant is hanging on but it is under intense pressure from asian imports said the companys chief executive john j ferriola nucor has a no layoff policy but pay and bonuses have been cut at the companys five alabama facilities
does the steel industry in alabama have a future tell me whats going to happen with imports mr ferriola said
and in 2014 the giant international paper mill in courtland closed abruptly costing over 1000 people their jobs
thirty years ago it was booming ms hughes said pointing out where courtlands hardware store the pharmacy and the five and dime used to be but those days are never coming back


washington   as first vice president of afghanistan abdul rashid dostum is the second ranking official in a country that is almost wholly dependent on american military and financial might and he is eager to visit washington and discuss how best to overcome the taliban
the only problem is that mr dostum who has been accused of war crimes is not welcome in the united states
mr dostums ascent to the vice presidency of afghanistan despite his past exemplifies a central american failure in a war it is now fighting for the 15th year in its effort to defeat the taliban the united states has built and paid for a government that is filled with the kinds of warlords and power brokers whose predatory ways helped give rise to the insurgent movement in the 1990s and who american officials say pose as much of a threat to the stability of afghanistan as the insurgents themselves
and so this month american officials found themselves in the unusual position of threatening to deny a visa to the no 2 official in a government whose survival depends on the presence of nearly 10000 american troops and tens of billions of dollars a year in assistance
the message was passed to the afghan government days before mr dostum was to depart for a trip to new york and washington according to multiple afghan and american officials to avoid a humiliating public spectacle the afghan government quickly and quietly canceled mr dostums visit the officials said
the state department would not comment on monday saying it could not discuss individual visa cases for privacy reasons but for years there has been broad agreement among american officials about mr dostum who stands apart for his brutal past even when measured against the alleged crimes and misdeeds of many of the people the united states has relied on during the war in afghanistan
the state department has called him the quintessential warlord a former american ambassador to afghanistan karl w eikenberry warned in 2009 that mr dostums mere presence in the country would endanger much of the progress made in afghanistan
that same year ashraf ghani who is now afghanistans president called mr dostum a known killer but that was years before mr ghani decided that he needed mr dostum an ethnic uzbek to help secure votes among uzbeks one of afghanistans crucial minorities in the 2014 presidential election
asked about his aborted visit mr dostum said in an interview on saturday with voice of america radio that the tenuous security situation at home had required him to cancel the trip which was to include an address to a special session of the united nations general assembly on narcotics trafficking something mr dostum has been accused of profiting from
i personally intend to visit as soon as the situation here allows mr dostum said in the interview which was conducted and broadcast in dari
he assured listeners that he had many friends in washington   i am well acquainted with our pentagon friends and congressmen he said   and that he would tell them how things were in afghanistan
i want to discuss the situation with them he said they have to take this issue seriously otherwise it might get out of control
that discussion seems unlikely to happen anytime soon mr dostums inability to secure entry to the united states is in fact a longstanding issue
in 2013 representative dana rohrabacher a california republican who has known mr dostum for decades personally asked secretary of state john kerry to grant him a visa at the time mr rohrabacher said he was seeking to bring mr dostum to washington to discuss the war and the future of the afghan government
no visa was issued then and mr dostums election as vice president the following year has not changed the obama administrations view of him or its willingness to let him visit the united states said two senior american officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid antagonizing the afghan government american officials do not want to be seen with him one said
at the outset of the war mr dostum fought alongside central intelligence agency operatives and special operations forces to oust the taliban and he was initially very close to the united states military in the years immediately after the taliban fell he was known to show american guests at his compound in the northern city of shibarghan a pistol that he said had been given to him by gen tommy r franks who was then in charge of the united states central command
but mr dostum quickly fell out of favor with his american patrons over his open defiance of the new government in kabul in 2004 the united states even sent a b 1 bomber to fly mock bombing runs over his house after his militia seized control of a city in northern afghanistan from the government
president obama said in 2009 that his administration would investigate the allegations of war crimes against mr dostum which center on the killings of hundreds of taliban prisoners by mr dostums militia
the killings took place over three days in late 2001 when taliban prisoners were stuffed into shipping containers with no food or water many suffocated according to survivors and witnesses and others died when guards shot into the containers all are believed to have been buried in a mass grave in dasht i leili a stretch of desert just outside shibarghan the seat of mr dostums domain in northern afghanistan
the first detailed reports of the killings emerged in early 2002 but american officials and human rights groups have said that the administration of president george w bush discouraged efforts to investigate the deaths mr dostum was on the cia payroll at the time and the bush administration also feared that an investigation would undermine the afghan government in which mr dostum was by then a defense official
the obama administration initially appeared to have no such misgivings mr obama told cnn in 2009 the indications that this had not been properly investigated just recently was brought to my attention
so what ive asked my national security team to do is to collect the facts for me that are known and well probably make a decision in terms of how to approach it once we have all of the facts gathered up he said
what became of that investigation remains unclear the white house referred questions about the inquiry to the state department which said it would not discuss specific individuals
but said john kirby the state department spokesman the state department works every day through our embassies around the world as well as here in dc to assess and evaluate credible allegations of human rights abuses
the afghan government has never officially investigated the allegations of war crimes against mr dostum or a number of other powerful afghans who serve in or back the government in kabul


since its debut in 1983 trump tower has belonged for new yorkers to the same galaxy if not the same constellation as the plaza the united nations and donald j trump himself part of the urban firmament perhaps yet largely irrelevant to daily life
not many city residents had ever cared to venture inside the 68 story building at fifth avenue and 56th street unless to visit the in house starbucks
that was then
with the ascent of its owner and developer as the favorite for the republican presidential nomination trump tower has attained some of the trappings of a true city landmark drawing the same mix of scorn and reverence as its occupant in chief it has the tourists more eager than ever to see the celebrity candidate in his natural habitat it has won the fleeting semi grudging attention of new yorkers who now regularly pause outside the doors for selfies
and in a city that has never hesitated to unburden itself it has become a 664 foot magnet for a series of protests large and small the slightly more verbal equivalent of one long bronx cheer
it is an unlikely   and unruly   bit of urban theater for a block better known for audrey hepburns early morning window shopping just next door in breakfast at tiffanys
in september a protester dressed in a ku klux klan style hood and carrying a make america racist again sign scuffled with trump tower security guards in december roughly 200 more protesters marched there
in mid march on the day mr trump racked up victories in three state primaries demonstrators assembled a large sign on the sidewalk outside that asked mr trump to build kindness not walls the next day dozens of anti gun activists held a die in on the same spot to protest mr trumps assertion that he could stand in the middle of fifth avenue and shoot somebody and still accrue votes
the largest protest so far came a few days after that when hundreds marched from the trump international hotel and tower at columbus circle to its fifth avenue sibling
technically speaking the tower lobby is public space if privately owned   one of more than 500 privately owned public spaces that litter the city though the trump organization was recently forced to remove a trump kiosk on the main floor that the city said violated the zoning agreement that made the lobby public it is unclear whether the designation allows for protest owners are allowed to set their own rules for the spaces said jerold kayden a harvard urban planning professor who has written about them as long as they are reasonable
the police department did not respond to requests for comment on the protests at trump tower or the challenges of policing the building
on this super deluxe stretch of fifth avenue where bergdorf goodman harry winston henri bendel and other elders of retail olympus make their home mr trumps brand of bedazzlement particularly since the advent of trump 2016 can make for an alarming fit yet an unscientific survey of several bergdorfs saleswomen nearby security guards and a pedicab operator found that the campaign had not brought much disturbance to the avenue
but even in the absence of formal demonstrations the building often inspires spontaneous political discourse
weve been watching the news about him on tv here said karen latter 54 who with her husband and two daughters was visiting from leicester england where mr trump also tends to monopolize the airwaves to be honest it doesnt come across well
not at all agreed one of her daughters suzanne latter 24 we find his name funny actually
she explained that in their part of england trump is slang for passing gas
but trump tower receives its share of more respectful visitors including a registered democrat turned trump volunteer named al wilson who had enlisted an 18 year old friend of his granddaughter to hand out pro trump fliers on the sidewalk dont give it to the tourists he instructed his apprentice thus ruling out nearly everyone in the vicinity they cant vote
he was proud he said to claim the mogul for their shared hometown
i never met donald in person mr wilson said but i feel like i have because i grew up around him in new york
inside where starbucks sipping tourists leaned against the lush salmon pink marble walls there were few hints of mr trumps white house aspirations beyond the make america great again baseball caps for sale and a single campaign sign glimpsed in an open elevator
not that the building left any doubt as to the identity of its creator it is more discreet about its other residents who at one time included chuck blazer the former soccer official now entangled in the federal investigation into fifa soccers global governing body mr blazer the daily news reported kept two apartments at trump tower one for himself and one for his cats
double rows of golden t stickers gilded the doors a concierge stand bore two giant ts trump bar offered cocktails trump grill a 23 prix fixe menu glass cases displayed ivanka trumps jewelry line trump branded cuff links and a book trump tower that advertised itself as the sexiest novel of the decade
inside its like all mirrors observed kendall wright 19 a mercy college student who had not explored trump tower beyond the starbucks until last week
other appraisals have been mixed   more so since mr trumps ascendance in the delegate count yelp to take one measure gives trump tower a three star rating out of five there was however universal applause for the cleanliness of the public restrooms
this was definitely a tall building but much left to be desired upon entering rebecca w of baton rouge la wrote in january three stars
you really sense the wealth that dwells in its brass walls jason m of manhattan wrote in july 2014 five stars
money clearly cant buy you good hair terri s of carmel ind wrote in early april one star
in mr trumps absence some of the gawkers and the haters settled for john thomas doorman to trump tower for eight hours a day for the masses he is the next closest thing   bow tie striped waistcoat white gloves and all
he estimates that he is photographed in front of the brass edged glass doors roughly 100 times a day
ive had some people take pictures of me he said on a recent afternoon shortly after linking arms with two grinning young women for the cameras benefit and then they send me the picture back and im part of their christmas card


priscilla kelly delmaro sat for months in jail in rikers island last year but her fortunetelling parlor in times square did not stay empty for long
the small shop at 253 west 43rd street where ms delmaro first met a man who would eventually pay her more than 550000 to reunite him with a dead woman was up and running as if nothing had happened with ms delmaro replaced
on sunday the police returned to the parlor and led away another self proclaimed fortuneteller in handcuffs christine evans ms delmaros mother in law the allegations against ms evans do not come close to rivaling what her daughter in law had done nonetheless the arrest is a reminder that fortunetelling in new york and elsewhere is often a family affair with generations of mothers passing the tricks of the trade down to their daughters and in this case perhaps their sons wives
ms delmaro 27 was arrested in may and charged with taking money sometimes in increments as high as 100000 from a marketing executive from england temporarily working in new york the man niall rice 33 had met a woman in a drug rehabilitation facility in arizona months earlier and had fallen in love but she broke it off distraught he first visited a different psychic in manhattan then ms delmaro
when mr rice came to learn that the object of his affections had died of an overdose ms delmaro continued to promise a reunion with the woman who she said had been reincarnated into a new body   with the help of special crystals a time machine and an 80 mile bridge made of gold
mr rice eventually went to the police and pressed charges he told detectives he paid 713975 to the two psychics he said in an interview in november that he was depressed and desperate at the time and that he thought he would get his money back in the end
but during the course of their time together mr rice slept with ms delmaro once which legally may have put the criminal case into a gray area as she could have argued that the money was a gift
ms delmaro pleaded guilty to grand larceny in november and was released in january after having spent eight months in jail her husband bobby evans was also arrested in the case but charges were later dropped
her mother in law seems to have at some point stepped into her chair behind the crystal ball on april 9 around 10 pm a 23 year old woman from the upper west side whose name was not released entered the parlor drawn in by a flier promising answers to two questions for 10 according to a criminal complaint
ms evans did a tarot card reading and delivered bad news according to the complaint the womans mother had been cursed and had passed the curse on to the woman ms evans asked the woman to go to a nearby duane reade and buy a 300 visa gift card so she could get to work cleansing her spirit the complaint said the woman did
the next day the woman returned and ms evans told her she needed a tool for the cleansing said bob nygaard a private investigator who was later hired by the woman the tool was a decorative water fountain a 49 inch tall column of natural slate and copper over which water continuously flowed transforming a small section of garden or office into a relaxing getaway according to a website it cost 39939 including overnight shipping mr nygaard said the woman bought it
she also bought ms evans two 500 visa cards the complaint said ms evans asked for money to buy 23 candles one for each year of the womans life at a cost of 600 per candle the complaint said but the woman declined and by the end of that week sensing all was not right she demanded her money back and was refused mr nygaard said
the woman was not leaving empty handed the water fountain was in the parlor the woman hauled it outside and with the help of a passing stranger got it shipped back to the company and got most of her money back mr nygaard said
detectives from the midtown south precinct arrested ms evans on sunday at 645 pm outside of the parlor the police said she was charged with petty larceny fraud and fortunetelling she was released on her own recognizance after an arraignment on monday her lawyer jeffrey cylkowski said she denied the charges
she gave the police the address of an apartment on west 49th street as her residence on monday there was a neon sign in the front window of that apartment that read psychic readings a woman answered a reporters knock and asked do you want a reading
asked about ms evans the woman who said her name was tina said she never heard of her but she said she had only moved into the apartment a week ago


iran said on monday that it would seek to sue the united states at the international court of justice at the hague to prevent the distribution of nearly 2 billion in impounded assets from irans central bank to compensate american victims of overseas attacks
distribution of the impounded assets which the united states supreme court validated in a decision last week has enraged the iranians and threatened to damage the improvement in relations created by the deal reached last july on irans nuclear activities
the supreme court decision affected more than 1000 americans   survivors of and relatives of people killed in attacks that the american authorities have attributed to iranian operatives
the attacks include the 1983 truck bombing of a marine base in beirut and a truck bombing in khobar saudi arabia in 1996
the iranians have denied responsibility for these attacks and have accused the united states of using them as an excuse to steal their money through the supreme court decision
we hold the us administration responsible for preservation of iranian funds and if they are plundered we will lodge a complaint with the icj for reparation irans foreign minister mohammad javad zarif told reporters on monday in tehran he was referring to the international court of justice
but lawyers said it was unclear whether the courts jurisdiction would be accepted in such a case
the united states withdrew its general acceptance of the courts jurisdiction after losing a landmark case to nicaragua in 1986 over american intervention in that country
lawyers said the court might be able to hear some disputes between iran and the united states because of their 1955 treaty of amity economic relations and consular rights which provided for the court to have jurisdiction
others said iran might have already factored in a negative outcome over the supreme court ruling and would continue to protest but almost certainly would not let the ruling sabotage the far broader nuclear deal which unfroze billions of dollars worth of iranian money in other countries and terminated or eased a range of economic sanctions
the ruling will further chill iran us relations but tehran still wins a ton from the deal and isnt about to split said cliff kupchan chairman of the eurasia group a washington based political risk consulting firm


raleigh nc   a federal judge on monday upheld sweeping republican backed changes to election rules including a voter identification provision that civil rights groups say unfairly targeted african americans and other minorities the ruling could have serious political repercussions in a state that is closely contested in presidential elections
the opinion by judge thomas d schroeder of federal district court in winston salem upheld the repeal of a provision that allowed people to register and vote on the same day it also upheld a seven day reduction in the early voting period the end of preregistration which allowed some people to sign up before their 18th birthdays and the repeal of a provision that allowed for the counting of ballots cast outside voters home precinct
it also left intact north carolinas voter identification requirement which legislators softened last year to permit residents to cast ballots even if they lack the required documentation if they submit affidavits
the ruling could have significant repercussions in north carolina a state that barack obama barely won in 2008 and that the republican mitt romney barely won four years later
the united states court of appeals for the fourth circuit which sits in richmond va will be the first to consider an appeal which the laws opponents said they would pursue if the fourth circuit or the supreme court does not intervene the changes will be in force when voters go to the polls this autumn north carolina voters will also elect a governor in what is expected to be one of this years most competitive state races
the ruling is an early signal of how federal judges might regard changes and challenges to voting laws in the aftermath of a 2013 supreme court decision that effectively eliminated a portion of the voting rights act that had forced nine states mostly in the south to obtain advance federal approval before changing their election laws
north carolina has provided legitimate state interests for its voter id requirement and electoral system judge schroeder said near the end of his 485 page opinion the judge an appointee of president george w bush found that north carolinas system was not beyond the mainstream of other states
gov pat mccrory a republican who signed the bill scaling back the voter access provisions in august 2013 welcomed the decision he said in a statement that this ruling further affirms that requiring a photo id in order to vote is not only common sense its constitutional
but critics vowed to appeal the ruling and charged as they often have that the legislature sought to eliminate tools that made it easier for everyone but particularly minority voters to get to the polls
by meticulously targeting measures that were most used by people of color   in addition to imposing a restrictive photo id requirement   the legislature sought to disturb the levers of power in north carolina ensuring only a select few could participate in the democratic process penda d hair co director of the advancement project and a critic of the law said in a statement this fight is not over
in his ruling the judge suggested that past discrimination had abated there is significant shameful past discrimination he wrote in north carolinas recent history however certainly for the last quarter century there is little official discrimination to consider
the law which originally included a much stricter voter id provision was passed by the republican controlled legislature in summer 2013 shortly after the supreme courts 5 to 4 ruling in shelby county v holder
the ruling effectively eliminated what was known as the preclearance process in which certain states and local governments had to submit proposed voting changes to the justice department or to a federal court in washington
judge schroeders decision capped a trial court record that stretched more than 23000 pages and included weeks of testimony about the general assemblys revisions to the election laws here the voter identification standard which required voters to display one of six forms of documentation was central to an overhaul that supporters described as a bulwark against fraud
but opponents of the changes said they were intended to disenfranchise black and hispanic voters an assertion they repeated on monday
through widespread actions rallies marches and protests we have said all along that we would accept no less than unabridged access to the ballot for all eligible voters said the rev william j barber ii the president of the north carolina naacp just like those who carried on before us we will continue our movement challenging regressive and discriminatory voter suppression tactics on behalf of african americans latinos seniors students and all those for whom democracy has been denied
such comments surfaced occasionally on monday here in the state capital where mr barber led demonstrations against the states new law about gay and transgender rights and occasionally veered into other issues that have propelled his moral monday movement of activism
the naacp the league of women voters and the justice department were among the plaintiffs challenging the 2013 law a lawyer for the plaintiffs daniel t donovan said he expected a higher court to block the changes from being enforced this year
were disappointed in the ruling reviewing the decision carefully and evaluating our options said dena iverson a spokeswoman for the justice department
the plaintiffs may have reason to be optimistic about their chances at the fourth circuit in fall 2014 a three judge panel of the appellate court issued a preliminary injunction forcing the state to temporarily restore two ballot access provisions one that allows same day registration and another that allows for the counting of provisional ballots filed outside voters home precincts
the panel ruled that the elimination of those two provisions probably violated another section of the voting rights act that remains intact known as section 2 which prohibits racially discriminatory voting rules
judge james a wynn jr wrote at the time that there was undisputed evidence that those two provisions were enacted to increase voter participation that african american voters disproportionately used those electoral mechanisms and that house bill 589 restricted those mechanisms and thus disproportionately impacts african american voters


arlington tex   when the yankees fragile after alex rodriguezs injury scare and with a lineup that cant dent a sheet of tinfoil arrived for a three game series with the texas rangers the climate was noticeably different from their last visit
and only some of that has to do with the weather
there may be a hint of that sweet warm stickiness in the air that comes when spring begins to cede to summer here and perhaps a dash of rain during the yankees current visit but that will be nothing like late july last season when walking outside felt like entering a blast furnace manager joe girardi canceled batting practice twice and the players stayed sequestered indoors until the evening games began
it was 110 degrees said catcher brian mccann whose exaggeration was only slight
the first pitch temperatures for those four games were 97 98 99 and 101 in the finale after which that nights starting pitcher c c sabathia spent the night in the hospital being treated for dehydration despite having thrown just 80 pitches
if that series remains seared into the minds of the yankees for its mind melting heat it was also four days filled with quirks and drama   and in retrospect a pivot point for their season which headed in a downward direction they have yet to reverse
after winning the first two games of last years series including a bizarro 21 5 victory in the second game in which the rangers took a 5 0 lead and then were no hit over the final eight and one third innings by relievers diego moreno and adam warren the yankees looked like world series material
they were 57 42 at the end of that night july 28 with the second best record in baseball they owned a season high seven game lead in the american league east
but the yankees went 30 33 the rest of the season worse than all but three teams in the american league and their start to this season has been no better
if youd like to characterize that as why we didnt play well the rest of the season i think thats far too much of an oversimplification reliever andrew miller said when asked about 2015 and how quickly it went the wrong way after the 21 5 blowout
when the yankees arrived last july they were buoyant rodriguez with his two daughters present celebrated his 40th birthday by hitting his 24th home run of the season later that night rodriguez was joined by his teammates his family and his friends to celebrate his birthday
and after the first game here a 6 2 victory didi gregorius had something to celebrate too his first career home run off a left handed pitcher more affirmation that he had begun to find his feet as derek jeters replacement
still not all was well that night despite the win first baseman mark teixeira was irate when the third base coach joe espada told him easy easy as he rounded third on a single by chase headley only to get thrown out at the plate teixeira yelled at espada emptied a trash can in the dugout and sharply criticized espada to the news media afterward
the next night chris capuano getting what would be his last shot to stick in the rotation walked five rangers in the first inning before getting pulled moreno who had been recalled from the minors that day entered and threw five and one third hitless innings followed by warren who allowed no hits over the final three meanwhile the yankees scored 21 consecutive runs
the laugher meant that the yankees could tease chris young who homered and drove in five runs but also struck out looking against infielder adam rosales who pitched the final inning for texas young was reminded that he had also struck out against a pitching machine during a preseason scrimmage
the yankees were feeling so assured that when toronto swung a blockbuster deal that day trading jose reyes for troy tulowitzki they shrugged the blue jays were eight games back after all
with the trade deadline approaching general manager brian cashman kicked the tires on a few deals but he held firm in refusing to deal any of his top prospects in the end his only move was at the margin of the roster acquiring dustin ackley and releasing garrett jones
but reinforcements seemed unnecessary with outfielders carlos beltran and jacoby ellsbury returning from stints on the disabled list and the starting rotation intact the yankees were as healthy as they would be all season
and then they werent moreno after his inspiring performance developed elbow inflammation and did not pitch again in 2015 by the time the yankees left texas pitcher michael pineda was headed to the disabled list before the season was over sabathia nathan eovaldi teixeira and stephen drew were disabled by injuries
consider this too after the 21 5 victory gardner hit 196 until the end of the season rodriguez 202 mccann 204 ellsbury 227 and headley 239
meanwhile one day after that offensive onslaught the yankees were beaten 5 2 by an old nemesis colby lewis
on the final night of the series the yankees most infallible players   dellin betances and miller   could not prevent a 7 6 defeat betances blew a save and miller took the loss the only time that happened in the same game all season and before they took the field that night the yankees had learned that the blue jays had acquired david price
fast forward to this monday when the yankees arrived here they learned that another top left hander the rangers cole hamels would miss his scheduled turn monday night instead the yankees faced the journeyman cesar ramos
the yankees regained their footing   in their return to the place where they lost it a year ago   as nathan eovaldi pitched no hit ball for six innings leading the yankees over the rangers 3 1


pittsburgh   gov john kasich often speaks about mental health in his campaign for president he has defended his decision to expand medicaid in ohio by highlighting its benefits for mentally ill residents
he is probably the only republican candidate this year to ask a crowd do you know what its like for somebody to live with depression
the question posed at a rally in upstate new york recently threw a hush over a room of 1000 people mr kasich went on
there are people here who know exactly what im talking about
mr kasich is one who knows
his only brother richard 59 has struggled with depression disorders since college he was occasionally hospitalized and today receives disability benefits for mental illness
the kasich brothers have taken vastly different paths from their hometown mckees rocks pa an industrial suburb of pittsburgh
john kasich 63 began a political career at age 26 as the youngest person ever elected to the ohio senate rick kasich who once hoped to be a lawyer suffered a breakdown at penn state he said and ended up washing pots and pans at a wendys after leaving college
john kasich served 18 years in the house of representatives and is a two term ohio governor rick kasich   who says he learned he had manic depression an earlier name for bipolar disorder after a stay in a michigan hospital   worked for more than two decades loading mail trucks at a pittsburgh post office
for one of his town hall style events on monday the day before the pennsylvania primary john kasich returned to mckees rocks where he has become known for dispensing hugs and speaking of bringing people out of the shadows
his general sense of empathy on the campaign trail is part of his appeal to moderate republicans but people who have worked with mr kasich including aides political allies and mental health advocates say it is likely to have come in part from his personal experience   and as in millions of american families dealing with mental illness that experience has often been difficult
the brothers did not speak for 19 years though they have been reconciled for a decade their exchanges can be testy to hear rick kasich describe them
he doesnt have much to do with me and i dont have much to say about him rick kasich said in his first extended interview with a reporter
he said he had watched about five minutes of a republican debate before the ohio primary but has not paid close attention to his brothers campaign he had no plans to attend the event in mckees rocks
people who have worked closely with mr kasich are vaguely aware of his brother but the governor never discusses him on the campaign trail and declined to be interviewed about him
his campaign did send a statement on behalf of mr kasich and other relatives
we love rick deeply and have shared the struggles that his disease brings with it as families with a loved one living with mental illness know you take it one day at a time and some days are better than others
in the process we have all become sensitive to and supportive of the needs of those living with this disease among the ways we support him is by working hard to protect his privacy and we hope others respect that also
with gray hair falling below his shoulders and sunglasses that he rarely removes rick kasich spoke to a reporter outside a pittsburgh coffee shop last week dropping the butts of one pall mall after another into a cup of water he had agreed to be interviewed and he talked freely about his mental illness and his relationship with the governor as well as about his life and his decades in the area
a pittsburgh pirates hat sat on a table he said he had been to just one pirates game in his life it was years ago when the pirates were at three rivers stadium he said there were teenagers smoking pot on the ramp i said id never go to another game again
waving an arm to take in the neighborhood a gentrifying district where young people in sandals carry rolled yoga mats he said that everyone around here liked his brother
it was certainly a different kind of place from mckees rocks as john kasich tells almost every audience he grew up the son of a mailman in a blue collar town where if the wind blew the wrong way people found themselves out of work
the brothers family was stable if not well off his parents largest assets were united states savings bonds their house was valued at 56500 in 1987 at the time of their deaths in an automobile accident
former high school teachers have called young john one of their best students in decades excelling at public speaking rick kasich said he had never felt overshadowed by his brother who was off to college the year rick entered ninth grade
at penn state rick kasich recalled he took philosophy courses developing an interest in immanuel kant and he formed a lifelong love for bob dylan and crosby stills nash  young artists he listens to regularly today
i felt i had a breakdown in my freshman year in the spring of 1975 he said i knew i was not going to be a lawyer anymore
as a young man he became a born again christian and he spends early mornings taping music or evangelical preachers on the radio with a cassette player ive made 101 cassettes since the first of the year he said theyre all numbered and dated
the two kasichs they also have a younger sister donna resemble each other in gestures in their oval faces and in their sometimes brusque expressiveness
both also wear their faith on their sleeves rick kasich kept a pocket size copy of biblical verses on the table beside him its pages annotated with the dates he first read passages that struck him
my brother preached to the orthodox jews in new york rick kasich said referring to a recent appearance at a synagogue on long island which he said his brother had told him about i am very proud of him
repeatedly though he returned to the root of the animosity with his brother which in his mind began with the tragic death of their parents pulling out of a burger king across the ohio river from mckees rocks john and anne kasich both 67 were struck by a drunken driver
on the stump their son john mentions the accident frequently as a devastating chapter in his life that he survived through a reawakening of his christianity
for rick kasich it was something else his parents will put john in control of ricks share of their estate which totaled about 300000 apparently because the senior kasichs were worried about ricks mental stability
when john sold the family home which rick wanted to live in he was furious he said he had hired a lawyer to challenge the will and had succeeded in gaining his share of the estate he and his wife andrea used it to buy a two story brick house with leaded glass windows for 103000 not far from carnegie mellon university
my brother told me if you sue me i wont have anything to do with you  rick kasich said in his version of events for the next 19 years as john kasich rose in congress undertook a short lived presidential run in 1999 and entered the private sector as a banker they never spoke
although rick kasich drank heavily after his parents death he said he has been sober for several years
then in 2006 the year his wife died rick kasich said a lawyer told him to call his brother
i called him he said
ive been praying for you john kasich replied according to his brother
on the stump and in debates mr kasich is the only republican candidate who regularly invokes mental illness challenged at a debate about why he expanded medicaid under the affordable care act a decision that enraged conservatives mr kasich answered i had an opportunity to bring resources back to ohio to do what to treat the mentally ill ten thousand of them sit in our prisons
in upstate new york his mention of the prevalence of depression was in response to an audience question about controlling drug costs
drug makers have argued that their revenue pays for the development of new medications and mr kasich told the crowd that he would not want to do anything to shut down research the way its been described to me is its like waking up every single day stuck in tar he said of depression and for these people its really hard
rick kasich said a drug abilify was helpful in managing his current diagnosis schizoaffective disorder which he called a grab bag of symptoms of schizophrenia and depression he was quick to add that he was not schizophrenic
as he sipped coffee he said that he used to have panic attacks but that his current medication suppressed them he said embracing christianity also had a positive influence i got saved he said it seemed to help
one of his most recent contacts with his brother he recalled was on easter the exchange seemed to typify a relationship that is not always easy
he called and said he has risen  rick kasich said
the governors brother recalled his own brusque reply
i said i know that 


newport beach calif   sitting in the conference room of his empty office suite with its floor to ceiling wall of windows william h gross cannot help noticing the sleek office tower that the bond giant pimco moved into in early 2014
just a short walk up the road the 20 story building looms large in the southern california sun   a potent symbol of the riches and might that pimco came to represent during mr grosss long reign there as the bond king
although he was forced out nearly two years ago and has moved on to a rival janus capital group pimco remains very very close   both physically and it would appear psychologically
we were a family everything i did was for them mr gross said in his whispery high pitched voice that is the most disappointing thing   it just didnt make business sense
pimco would disagree even though 376 billion has walked out the door since it was decided in late 2014 that the firm would be better off without the man who was the public face of the franchise
the trouble for pimco does not stop there mr gross has filed a lawsuit asserting that he was wrongfully terminated and he is seeking 200 million   which he said he plans to donate to charity and as he is only too happy to point out his new vehicle the janus global unconstrained fund is handily beating its counterpart at pimco
in a world where a portfolio managers ability to outperform represents the truest measure of worth these results have invigorated mr gross
i am fixated on proving that they were wrong he said its like   no you shouldnt have done that and the numbers will prove it
pimco is no less fixated on him this month pimco filed a legal response to mr grosss suit rebutting his allegations
the turmoil was tied to the abrupt departure in 2014 of mohamed el erian who had been set to succeed mr gross
the accounts of mr grosss conduct were described by people who have worked with him at the firm but who spoke on the condition of anonymity
furious at the betrayal mr gross wanted to dock mr el erians pay and provoke him into suing pimco which he believed would hurt his chances of getting another job those people said pimco executives rejected the idea   as well as a demand that they lie to a newspaper reporter to present him in a better light they said
even with the punishing toll of that turmoil   outflows layoffs and a battered reputation   firm leaders say they have no regrets
still while they have strived to assure concerned clients that pimco is moving on mr grosss ability to remain squarely in the public eye via the legal fight and now a campaign to promote his superior performance is driving them to distraction
michael reid a spokesman said the entire 240 member portfolio management team competes in the financial markets every day with the goal of generating strong risk managed returns on behalf of our clients
patricia glaser mr grosss lawyer said the assertions were untrue pimco seems to have a problem getting their story straight it is now acknowledging they pushed bill out instead of their previous claim that bill walked away from the company
that the dispute has become a mind game of sorts does not seem to bother mr gross
unlike any other fund manager mr gross who majored in psychology at duke puts himself on the couch for the world to see in his investment letters he has revealed such intimacies as the erotic pleasure of a good sneeze his failure in college to get a girl into the back seat of his car and how sad he was when his cat died
convention bores him that is why he will stand on his head when the urge hits and wear a silk tie as a scarf draped loosely around his neck
so it is no revelation for him to own up to obsessive behavior in terms of how his 13 billion fund is faring against its pimco counterpart
mr gross 71 is not tethered to his phone so when bloomberg publishes the daily result of his fund at 3 pm california time he will drop his golf clubs and rush to the office to get the news
the first thing he says he does when arriving home after kissing his wife sue of course check the bloomberg at night he will wake up as many as three times to check on global markets he says
he is not above poking fun at himself though at a recent golf tournament he was paired   to his surprise   against michael gomez a young pimco executive known to be close to his nemesis mr el erian
i really wanted to win   but yeah they killed us he said laughing loudly
since mr gross officially took control of his fund on oct 6 2014 he is up 18 percent compared with pimco unconstrained which is down 164 percent according to morningstar
making it all the sweeter is the fact that daniel j ivascyn one of the executives who led the effort to oust him and then took over as chief investment officer is an executive of the fund mr ivascyn who manages the better performing pimco income fund is not a primary manager on the vehicle
my whole evening is dependent on whether i beat them mr gross said you see i have to prove it all over again every day
despite this favorable run money has not flooded in one of his larger investors george soros last year removed 490 million from his oversight
of the 13 billion in the fund about half is mr grosss own money
money is holding out said todd rosenbluth a mutual fund specialist at standard  poors global market intelligence i think there is legitimate market skepticism that he can do this on his own   without a pimco team supporting him
mr gross contends the main reason that his bond fund has been winning the day is that pimco has been making bold plays on emerging market bonds and inflation linked securities wagering that central bank activism will stimulate global growth
for some time now he has been arguing that with rates at zero or negative central banks have virtually no ability to spur growth
they are betting on reflation while i am skeptical of it he said
mr gross has in effect taken the opposite side of this wager by building a portfolio that pays off if there are no global market shocks like interest rate increases or a large country going bust
of course such a strategy carries dangers mr gross has made some big bets that brazil and mexico will not default by selling investors credit default swaps derivative instruments that would force him to disburse large sums if these countries go belly up
such derivative fueled bets on financial stability can backfire when markets go haywire last year his janus fund experienced several sharp drops in price which preceded mr soross decision to withdraw his funds
this is not a riskless strategy mr gross acknowledged
he is also under no illusion that his good run is permanent
so he is enjoying its fruits while they last and if he has become fanatical about beating the guys across the street so what he is convinced that fealty to the screen not to mention daily yoga stretches is what keeps him feeling youthful
in fact over the years mr gross has consistently asked one question of prospective employees what drives you
the twist is that they must pick one of three answers money power or fame
strangely to him no one has ever picked fame
it is the one thing i have always wanted he said when i was starting out at pimco in 1972 i told my mother and father that i was going to become the most famous bond manager in the world
that he did but then came the fall
when you write my obituary i dont want you to mention that i was fired by pimco he said i want you to write that i was a great investor   so maybe i am not over it


a recent history of mistakes slip ups and management blunders is woven into the fabric of tribune publishing the struggling publisher of the los angeles times and the chicago tribune
now the company may be about to add to the list
on monday gannett publisher of usa today disclosed an eye popping 815 million bid for what is left of the tribune publishing empire but instead of tribunes board popping champagne corks and shouting hallelujah it told gannett astonishingly in effect wait were not sure we want to do that and actually were not sure we even want to talk to you about it
two weeks ago and behind the scenes gannett made its bid valued at 1225 a share known to tribunes board in the form of a private letter thats 63 percent higher than fridays share price at most public companies that at least pretend to think about their shareholders a firm that gets an unsolicited offer hires bankers relatively quickly to sort out its options and perhaps it engages in a bit of back and forth with the suitor in hopes of feeling them out and maybe getting an even higher bid
not tribune
its board sat on the offer for nearly 10 days without retaining outside advisers then tribune wrote gannett a letter saying it was still working on hiring outside advisers but is in the midst of significant transformation and pointed out that the company will undergo some change after june 2 almost six weeks from now
while tribune said it would evaluate the bid the clear takeaway was that it wanted more time
you might ask whats magical about june 2 that is the day of tribunes annual meeting
more important it is the day that two of tribunes board members step down when that happens michael ferro an entrepreneur with next to no media experience who invested in the company earlier this year and became the companys nonexecutive chairman will have effectively mounted a coup of the board
heres how he did it in february mr ferros company invested 444 million in tribune in exchange mr ferro was given a seat on the board bringing the board to seven people
mr ferro then persuaded the board to fire tribunes chief executive jack griffin a media veteran who was also a director mr ferro replaced him with justin dearborn a former health care technology executive with zero experience in media so between him and mr dearborn he now controlled two seats on the board
he then pressed the board to expand to 10 people and added three people friendly to him   all again with no meaningful background in journalism they are carol crenshaw chief financial officer of the chicago community trust richard a reck founder and president of business strategy advisors and donald tang a former banker who now runs a boutique focused on united states china media deals
so now he has five friendly directors on a 10 person board but after june 2 when two previous directors step down he will have a majority   five of eight
tribune will tell you these directors are all independent thats true only insofar as they are not executives working at the company but they are certainly insiders relative to mr ferro
if mr ferro who said this year i wouldnt sell for 50 a share according to ken doctor on niemanlab can get past june 2 without a deal he will probably have the leeway to fully direct the process he could choose to negotiate or perhaps he could stonewall he could even try to take the company private himself who knows
whatever the case the idea that tribunes board has allowed this sort of behavior to take place is alarming given that tribune publishing was just spun off from tribune media and itself was a product of bankruptcy thanks to sam zells mismanagement of the company its hard to argue that this company deserves the benefit of the doubt
lance vitanza a media analyst at crt put it best tribune publishing has little history operating as an independent public company and may be unable to reach earnings targets he wrote in a note to investors recent management upheaval creates numerous risks with respect to strategy and execution going forward
if youre thinking to yourself well tribune is a journalism company and simply selling to the highest bidder shouldnt be the only consideration youre right tribune shouldnt consider only dollars and cents in this case gannett is offering tribune a lifeline with potential to create a modicum of stability
it is hard to believe that gannetts offer is its last or best a company that is willing to go public with a bid is usually willing to bid more of course theres a chance that tribune is engaging in an inscrutable courtship dance that will land a higher price well only know if tribune first picks up the phone


in 2010 when bill de blasio was the public advocate for new york city he started an investigation into how a primary election had gone so horribly wrong for voters
polling stations opened late many barely functioning with untrained workers struggling to cope with the chaos that resulted when voting machines malfunctioned
on monday mr de blasio now the mayor once again grappled with an election the presidential primary last week that seemed to have been bungled by a bureaucracy whose problems were well known frequently bemoaned and stubbornly beyond repair
although his office cannot mandate repairs to the voting system mr de blasio announced that the city would spend 20 million to improve the board of elections provided it would agree to a series of changes aimed at addressing the problems with last weeks primary
the board of elections is an outdated organization in dire need of modernization   and we need to make these changes now mr de blasio said in a statement
we cannot allow a single voter to be disenfranchised because of the board of elections outdated operations he said these common sense reforms will bring much needed transparency modernize practices and help ensure we do not experience an election day like last weeks again
among the problems in the april 19 primary contest more than 125000 democratic voters were dropped from the rolls in brooklyn without any explanation from election officials
in response the board suspended diane haslett rudiano the chief clerk at the brooklyn office and a republican appointee over concerns that she had failed to follow proper procedures in what was supposed to be a routine purging of voter registration lists
after the primary last week the city comptroller scott stringer announced his own audit of the elections board and the state attorney general eric t schneiderman said his office had received hundreds of complaints
but for all the public consternation voting day problems hardly come as a surprise
every election seems to raise some new concern that the ability of new york city residents to carry out their most basic civic duty has been impeded
three years ago an inquiry into the board by the citys investigation department found a wide range of problems including hiring practices marred by nepotism and political influence and a lack of voter privacy investigators found more than 15 instances during the 2013 general election where poll workers instructed voters to vote down the line on the ballot for candidates on a particular party line
problems in other elections have also been well chronicled in 2010 for instance it took one month for election officials to discover that some 200000 votes had been missed on election night
the dysfunction of the citys elections process has long been laid at the feet of the board which is made up of 10 commissioners appointed by the city council based upon recommendations from the political parties the boards budget in the 2016 fiscal year totals 1112 million including 46 million in personal services funding to support 355 positions and over 30000 poll workers
as part of the plan outlined by mr de blasio the board must agree to make the changes by june 1 before it is granted any additional funding once the agreement is signed the plan calls for a consultant to review the april election and draw up a plan to correct systemic problems the city would provide 15 million for this review and analysis
another 10 million would be spent on improving hiring practices bolstering pay and enhancing training for poll workers finally 85 million would be spent on other improvements including greater voter outreach and more effective logistical operations


leicester city moved one victory from the premier league title on monday when the only team able to catch the foxes in the championship race second place tottenham stumbled to a 1 1 tie against visiting west bromwich albion
leicester a team transformed since it narrowly avoided relegation from the premier league a year ago can now clinch the crown by beating manchester united on sunday but it will have to win at uniteds famed stadium old trafford without its star striker jamie vardy
vardy who missed leicesters last game while serving a red card suspension reportedly had his recent ban extended by a game on monday vardy who has 22 goals this season faced an extended suspension because he verbally abused the referee who had ejected him from a match against west ham on april 17
with a 7 point lead over tottenham with three games remaining leicester may not need him now it needs only 3 points   a single victory   from its final three matches to clinch the title
craig dawson helped leicesters cause on monday he denied tottenham a victory with a 73rd minute header after his own goal had given spurs the lead in the first half


chicago   a man who says j dennis hastert the former speaker of the house molested him decades ago when the man was 14 filed a lawsuit against mr hastert on monday saying he was owed 18 million of the money he had been promised as compensation for the abuse
the suit for breach of contract says that mr hastert promised to pay him 35 million for the pain and suffering that the abuse had caused but failed to pay the full amount after being charged last year with federal crimes
the name of the man was not made public in the lawsuit
the suit was filed in kendall county ill on the edge of chicagos suburbs where mr hastert worked as a high school wrestling coach in the 1960s 1970s and early 1980s and where at least four members of the wrestling team have said he sexually abused them
the suit adds to a mounting set of legal problems for mr hastert 74 who is expected to be sentenced on wednesday in federal court here after pleading guilty to a banking violation tied to the abuse
the man who sued on monday   known in his own lawsuit as james doe and in the federal case against mr hastert as individual a   was molested when mr hastert asked him to stay alone with him in a motel room during a wrestling camp trip his lawsuit says
for many years to follow plaintiff suffered severe panic attacks which led to periods of unemployment career changes bouts of depression hospitalization and long term psychiatric treatment the suit says noting that the plaintiffs family had known and trusted mr hastert for years
in 2008 the lawsuit says the plaintiff learned that mr hastert had abused someone else as well and met with mr hastert to confront him during their discussions hastert acknowledged the lifelong pain and suffering he caused plaintiff the lawsuit says
a lawyer for mr hastert declined to comment on the suit on monday
it was the large payments from mr hastert to individual a starting around 2010 that led the authorities to begin investigating mr hastert as they investigated the sums and whether they violated bank reporting requirements the claims of abuse emerged
at one point a lawyer for mr hastert told the authorities that his client was being extorted by individual a over a false claim of abuse a court filing by prosecutors says eventually after recording conversations between mr hastert and individual a the investigators dismissed the notion that it was a case of extortion or that it was a false claim
mr hastert was not charged with sexual abuse in the episodes for which the statutes of limitation have passed he pleaded guilty in october to illegally structuring bank withdrawals and prosecutors said he had been using the funds to pay hush money for misconduct from years past the lawsuit filed on monday said the plaintiff was still owed 18 million of the settlement agreement plus interest
individual a is not expected to testify at mr hasterts sentencing hearing on wednesday though another victim is expected to as is the sister of a man now deceased who told her he had been abused by mr hastert prosecutors have said they believe mr hastert should face as little as no prison time or as much as six months in prison as suggested under federal guidelines
defense lawyers have requested probation for mr hastert who has had a stroke and other medical problems in recent months dozens of people have sent letters to the court on behalf of mr hastert including his wife children and brother


four of south africas leading sports federations have been banned by the countrys sports minister from hosting or bidding for major international events for at least a year because of their failures to create enough opportunities for black players
fikile mbalula south africas minister for sports and recreation made the announcement monday after receiving a report on transformation in south africas five biggest sports rugby cricket soccer track and field and netball
more than two decades after the end of apartheid only soccer met the targets it had agreed upon with the government
i have therefore resolved to revoke the privilege of athletics south africa asa cricket south africa csa netball south africa nsa and south african rugby saru to host and bid for major and mega international tournaments mbalula said in a statement
the ban went into effect immediately mbalula said he would review his decision once he had received the results of the federations transformation efforts for 2016 17 that could be at the end of next year or possibly in early 2018
the south african government has been pushing for years for the countrys main sports   especially rugby and cricket   to create more opportunities for black players it has been 22 years since the end of the apartheid system of minority white rule and those sports are still generally dominated by whites despite the fact that blacks make up over 80 percent of south africas population
racially transforming south african sport was morally and strategically right mbalula said given the demographics of the country yet there is fierce debate in south africa over the fairness of transformation policies that demand that domestic rugby and cricket teams select a certain number of black players over others for every game
all five federations agreed on various transformation targets with the government in 2015 those agreements involved getting more black players involved at the school age group and club levels right up to the provincial and national levels
the sports ministry said that it also intended to agree on transformation targets with another 14 south african sports federations including in swimming where south africa has had success at the olympics
the south african rugby union said it acknowledged the findings of the report and the penalty imposed by mbalula
there is no question that we have more work to do and we could be moving faster but our sport has undergone a major overhaul in how we do business and how we measure ourselves in the past two or three years and we have definitely made great progress sarus chief executive jurie roux said in a statement
the ban will not affect regular tournaments in south africa like super rugby and the four nation rugby championship roux said however it complicates south africas intention to bid for the 2023 rugby world cup world rugby will release tender documents to interested countries in may and countries must formally confirm their intention to bid in june
south africa the host in 1995 has been trying to hold the rugby world cup again since 2011 but has failed in three successive bids under the decision announced by mbalula on monday saru would not be allowed to bid for 2023 saru said it hoped it might have its right to bid reinstated by mbalula following a meeting of the transformation reports authors in november it may then be able to bid for the world cup before the window closes next year it said
both the rugby and cricket federations said their officials   possibly shocked by mbalulas announcement   went into closed door meetings with sports ministry officials cricket south africa declined to comment immediately athletics south africa said it would need to study the pronouncement made by mbalula before commenting


fort worth   there have been ups and downs on the way to fort worth operas 70th anniversary season in 2007 grappling with financial challenges the company decided to concentrate its offerings in a festival format with three or four productions presented during a month or so in the spring
this years festival opened here on saturday with the premiere of jfk an ambitious opera by the composer david t little and the librettist royce vavrek sunday afternoon brought another adventurous offering a double bill of recent one act chamber operas the 475 seat w e scott theater at the fort worth community arts center proved an ideally intimate space for these modern day spins on two stories by edgar allan poe commissioned as part of american lyric theaters poe project
what would poe write if he were alive today thats the question these pieces explored the engrossing buried alive by the gifted young composer jeff myers and the librettist quincy long was inspired by poes the premature burial about a new york painter haunted by visions of death
at the start a gravedigger the chilling bass nathan stark ruminates about the angel throng covered in veils and drowned in tears that will surely attend the next funeral then we see victor a painter as a sheeted corpse lying on a steel table in the morgue his eyes open and he starts to sing wondering at the strength of whatever demonic force keeps pulling at him he calls to his wife the combination of the charismatic baritone christopher burchetts fit body which exuded life and his anguished world weary singing was poignant
a weirdly blase mortician anna laurenzo tells victor that at this moment his wife elena is deciding whether he should be buried or burned when elena maren weinberger a plush voiced soprano arrives victor is snapped back to reality he has had another dream elena explains to him victor has hit a wall with his art working on a painting of a bridge over water that somehow keeps drawing him in
before long victor again imagines himself lying on the slab in a mortuary as eerie embalmers fuss over him but he is actually in an emergency room as van gogh once did in a mad impulse to gain inspiration victor has poisoned himself by eating paint in the last scene the terrified victor again on that steel table has been buried alive as he cries out his wife and several mourners toss dry paint dust on his body
mr myerss impressive score draws from diverse contemporary styles there are stretches of hazy wayward chords spiked with unnerving clusters during tense episodes skittish orchestral lines flail wildly mr myers elicits a wide range of sounds and colors from a 13 piece orchestra conducted by tyson deaton sometimes fraught exchanges between singers are prodded along by stubbornly repetitive instrumental riffs other times thick chords cling insistently to every syllable of the sung words the starkly vivid production directed by lawrence edelson with sets by zane pihlstrom inventively employs rows of video screens that hover over the stage
embedded with music by patrick soluri and a libretto by deborah brevoort was inspired by poes the cask of amontillado directed by sam helfrich the opera focuses on a career crisis for sylvia the anchor of deadline a popular tv news program she is middle aged and she fears starting to look it victoria a younger colleague is providing competition including a scoop on a bomb threat in new york which she delivers with breathless animation
at home that night in new jersey sylvia drinks wine and wallows in self pity she is called by montresor the leader of an italian terrorist group who has sent her a gps device with directions to a meeting he offers to embed sylvia within his group and give her an exclusive interview putting aside journalistic qualms sylvia grabs the chance to make as she sings thrilling television
but its all a ploy sylvia becomes stuck in the holland tunnel and bombs go off setting off floods that will soon engulf her car using a video camera sylvia reports the disaster live even as she is dying confident that she will live forever in public memory as a heroic journalist in her prime
though the premise of embedded is promising the opera hovers uncertainly between satire unabashed melodrama and hyped up terror mr soluris skillfully scored music was energetically conducted by mr deaton but with its generically modernist passages and emotive stretches in a neo romantic vein it lacked a clear musical voice the bright voiced soprano caroline worra relished the challenging role of sylvia singing with fervor and intensity if sometimes indistinct diction mr stark was a menacing montresor
the only staple in fort worth operas festival this spring is rossinis the barber of seville this reinvented company is certainly doing its part for contemporary music


cirque du soleils first broadway venture paramour is off to an unusually strong start at the box office drawing large crowds to see this musical theater meets acrobatics spectacle at the cavernous lyric theater
the show about a love triangle set in hollywoods golden age grossed just over 1 million for six performances last week as it begins a long period of previews building toward a scheduled opening on may 25
at the same time a revival of the king and i took a financial tumble after the departure of its tony winning female lead kelli ohara the lincoln center theater musical revival which has been running for a year grossed 553790 for eight performances the week ending april 24 down from 1013157 the previous week according to figures released on monday by the broadway league ms oharas replacement marin mazzie will step into the role on may 3 analisa leaming is playing it now
the spring season is continuing to look grim for several new shows the musicals bright star which opened on march 24 and disaster which opened on march 8 are struggling at the box office as is the play eclipsed which stars lupita nyongo the strongest performers among spring musicals remain shuffle along which is to open on thursday and waitress which opened on sunday
overall the 37 shows now on broadway grossed 27 million last week the broadway season which ends next month is slightly ahead of last year grosses are up 06 percent and attendance is up 14 percent


washington   three years ago a thai student who had helped finance his american education by selling imported textbooks won a major supreme court victory persuading the justices that it is lawful to buy copyrighted books abroad and resell them in the united states the ruling which clarified an ambiguous phrase in the copyright act applied to all manner of products including books records art and software
the student supap kirtsaeng returned to the supreme court on monday seeking more than 2 million in legal fees from john wiley  sons the publisher that had sued him
the usual rule in american civil litigation is that each side pays its own lawyers regardless of who wins but the copyright act allows judges to award a reasonable attorneys fee to the prevailing party
federal appeals courts apply different standards in deciding when fee awards in copyright cases are warranted the judge in mr kirtsaengs case in new york awarded him nothing relying on a decision from the federal appeals court there that focused on whether the losing sides position had been objectively reasonable
the publisher easily met that standard the judge said as it had won a 600000 judgment against mr kirtsaeng won an appeal and lost in the supreme court by a 6 to 3 vote
e joshua rosenkranz a lawyer for mr kirtsaeng told the justices that there was more to the analysis than just trying to punish those who took unreasonable positions the copyright act he said also sought to ensure that people sued for copyright infringement did not fold at the outset
it wanted to encourage parties to advance important principles even where the other sides arguments are good indeed i would say especially where the other sides arguments are good he said when a defendant is trying to decide whether to fight for a principle the availability of attorneys fees can make all the difference in that decision and in turn can make all the difference in whether the publics rights are vindicated
several justices appeared unpersuaded by the argument justice ruth bader ginsburg asked whether mr kirtsaeng might just as easily have been dissuaded from mounting a defense for fear of having to pay the publishers legal fees
justice elena kagan agreed having won she said mr kirtsaeng had a great david versus goliath story to tell in general though she said she wondered whether making it easier for the side to recover legal fees is not going to harm the kirtsaengs of the world
paul m smith a lawyer for wiley made a similar point saying that making it easy for the winner to recover fees would suppress litigation
people simply arent going to keep fighting mr smith said theyre going to find a way to get out of the case
mr rosenkranz disagreed saying incentives were needed to ensure that difficult legal questions were resolved advancing the development of the law
justice stephen g breyer said it was often hard to tell when the law was moving forward and justice anthony m kennedy spoke up for stability
i can see the excitement about granting fees if theres some breakthrough something weve never thought about justice kennedy said on the other hand theres something thats commendable about applying the law consistently routinely in regular cases that advances the law
the case kirtsaeng v john wiley  sons no 15 375 opened a window on the cost of litigating a supreme court case mr kirtsaengs lawyers sought about 125000 for their work in the lower courts and 19 million for their work in the supreme court including according to a brief from wiley 53108525 for time spent soliciting and coordinating supporting briefs from sympathetic business groups
wiley said it had spent 300000 on its own supreme court case an amount mr kirtsaengs lawyers in their own brief called a flat bargain basement fee its law firm charged for the firms own business reasons
wileys brief also noted that mr kirtsaeng had no obligation whatsoever to pay the supreme court counsel who represented him even as they racked up millions of dollars in fees
chief justice john g roberts jr seemed put off by that argument
it seems to me thats quite an intrusion into the relationship between the party and counsel he said of inquiries into fee arrangements


hong kong   coal fired power plants have propelled much of chinas economic rise for decades helping make the nation the worlds biggest emitter of greenhouse gases even with economic growth slackening and other energy sources taking hold new coal plants have been added
now beijing is trying to slow things down
in guidelines released on monday china halted plans for new coal fired power stations in many parts of the country and construction of some approved plants will be postponed until at least 2018
the announcement by the national development and reform commission and the national energy administration means that about 200 planned coal fired power generators   those seeking approval and those approved but not yet under construction   may not be completed said lauri myllyvirta who analyzes chinas energy production for greenpeace
the total of 105 gigawatts of power those plants would have been able to produce is considerably more than the electricity generating capacity of britain from all sources
thats a big chunk of power said bob hodge a coal specialist with ihs energy a consulting firm its a lot of power its a heck of a lot of power
electricity generated from fossil fuels like coal is the biggest single contributor globally to the rise in carbon emissions which scientists say is causing the earths temperature to rise leaders from 175 countries including china gathered in new york on friday to sign the paris climate accord which aims to halt and eventually reverse the rise in carbon emissions keeping the increase in global temperatures below 2 degrees celsius or 36 degrees fahrenheit
china by far the worlds biggest emitter of greenhouse gasses is aiming to reach a peak in carbon emissions by 2030 a recent economic slowdown policies to discourage coal fired power plants near big cities and a huge investment in wind and solar energy capacity helped reduce coal use in china last year
but even as coal becomes unpopular in china the countrys biggest state owned electricity generators are adding new coal fired power plants at a pace not seen in a decade said mr myllyvirta of greenpeace which is acknowledged as an authoritative analyst of chinas energy production such plants add to existing overcapacity he said
the announcement does not stop projects already under construction which amount to about 190 gigawatts of new coal fired power generation he said
its definitely a positive step but its not even enough to prevent the overcapacity from getting worse mr myllyvirta said
while the curbs on new coal projects if rigorously enforced may help china meet its long term goals on climate change and air pollution the primary motivation for the move appears to be short term economic considerations
in the face of the slowest economic growth in a quarter century electricity demand has fallen so sharply in china that some coal burning power plants are operating only 40 or 50 percent of the time construction of wind turbines and solar panels has also eaten slightly into the market share of the coal plants
yet in chinas highly regulated power industry market signals are weak and planning and construction of new power plants had continued apace pushed forward by local governments eager for the construction jobs and expanded tax base with its new decrees the central government seems to be trying to halt the development of power plants that might well be underused if they were built
mr hodge the consultant at ihs energy said that as of two weeks ago there were 1200 new coal fired plants on the drawing boards in 59 countries mostly in asia and china was the single largest contributor
in my opinion if they needed the power they would build them he said of china i think if you are beijing and you dont need the power you can delay them until you might need them they are not scrapping them
the guidelines dated march 17 state that 13 provinces and regions including top coal producers like shanxi and inner mongolia as well as the southern economic powerhouse of guangdong should strictly control new capacity delaying the approval of new projects until after 2017 a slightly longer list of provinces   15 with considerable overlap   were told to put off construction of approved projects that had not yet broken ground
in both instances an exception has been made for projects aimed at the peoples livelihood a phrase that was not explained but may include measures like providing steam heat to homes in wintertime
the government announcement also calls for an acceleration of the closing of outdated coal fired plants that use older dirtier technology but china is adding about 1 gigawatt in coal fired capacity a week mr myllyvirta said as companies that have easy access to loans from state banks build new plants
that is in stark contrast to the united states the worlds second biggest carbon emitter where it has become increasingly difficult to build new coal fired plants under the obama administration
last year almost 14 gigawatts of coal fired capacity was retired in the united states according to the energy information administration in washington at the same time there are only six new coal fired plants on the drawing boards in the united states through at least the next five years with a total capacity of less than 2 gigawatts according to the agency
in china however as coal prices drop the big state owned electricity generators are benefiting because highly regulated electricity prices have not fallen in tandem
because of the political power of the coal industry and the falling price of coal larger percentages of wind  and solar generated electricity are not being put on the grid a phenomenon called curtailment to combat this the chinese government has recently issued a directive for operators of coal fired plants to pay operators of wind and solar plants whose electricity is not used the paulson institute a policy group focused on china and based in chicago that was founded by the former treasury secretary henry m paulson wrote last week


a truffle hound rooting through the concrete jungle is how the singer celia berk described her search for little known musical gems celebrating the glories of new york at the metropolitan room on sunday ms berk a native new yorker is a cabaret traditionalist whose taste runs to rodgers and hart and irving berlin standards although her new show manhattan serenade includes contemporary songs like the party upstairs ronny whyte and francesca blumenthals witty description of a noisy never ending bacchanal on the floor above they are carefully crafted numbers in a prerock format
ms berk has a strong steady mezzo soprano with perfect enunciation and a rich sensual lower register although she can belt her characteristic approach is conversational
she straddled the line between today and yesterday with rupert holmess brilliant the people that you never get to love which describes romantic daydreams in a city of strangers who never meet because they are all headed in different directions the lyrics include the zinger the saddest words that anyone has ever said are lord what might have been ms berk didnt camouflage the eerie bleakness of lonely house from the kurt weill langston hughes opera street scene
with the help of margaret whitings daughter debbi she recalled finding a truffle in a cache of trunk songs written by margaret whitings father richard with gus kahn and completed by tex arnold under the title every song sounds like a song about new york she sang an amusing seven part medley that included the phantom of the opera and ah sweet mystery of life
underneath the shows starry eyed cheeriness and sense of wonder ran a deep current of nostalgia ms berk made you feel about new york the same way a cole porter song makes you feel about paris the internet age may have revolutionized courtship etiquette but the awe and romantic possibility that the city evokes are boundless


in a confrontation between the hopes of desperate patients and clinical trial data advisers to the food and drug administration voted on monday not to recommend approval of what would become the first drug for duchenne muscular dystrophy
the negative votes came despite impassioned pleas from patients parents and doctors who insisted that the drug called eteplirsen was prolonging the ability of boys with the disease to walk well beyond when they would normally be in wheelchairs
the problem was that the drugs manufacturer sarepta therapeutics was trying to win approval based on a study involving only 12 patients without an adequate placebo control
the advisory panel voted 7 to 3 with three abstentions that the clinical data did not meet the fda requirements for well controlled studies necessary for approval however some of the panel members had trouble reconciling the often compelling patient testimony with the fda legal requirements
i was just basically torn between my mind and my heart said richard p hoffmann a pharmacist who was the consumer representative on the committee and who abstained
dr bruce i ovbiagele chairman of neurology at the medical university of south carolina voted against approval but said based on all i heard the drug definitely works but the question was framed differently
on another question of whether the drug could qualify for so called accelerated approval a lower hurdle the panel voted 7 to 6 against the drug
the fda which does not have to follow the advice of its advisory panels is scheduled to decide whether to approve eteplirsen by may 26
the controversy over eteplirsen is perhaps the most vivid example of how patients and patient advocates are playing a growing role in the fdas evaluation of drugs this can result in intense pressure on the agency to approve drugs
the muscular dystrophy community is particularly well organized and has lobbied the agency for years to approve the drug including getting members of congress to write letters to the agency
hundreds of patients and family members showed up for the meeting including more than 40 parents who came from britain and said they would move their families to the united states if eteplirsen was approved
so many people were expected that the fda had to change to a larger location a hotel ballroom in hyattsville md even that room was filled to capacity including with some boys in wheelchairs
the public testimony from patients parents and doctors took more than three hours much more than the one hour that is typical for advisory committee meetings
im not only not getting worse im getting better austin leclaire a teenager in a wheelchair said of the drug which has allowed him to raise his arm above his head and to feed himself more easily its time to listen to the real experts he said
the advocates said that since the drug appears to be safe there is no reason not to make it available to boys and young men who have little to lose
the worst thing you can do is deny access to a drug and then find out it works - too late after we have lost a generation of boys debra miller chief executive of the advocacy group cureduchenne told the panel
dr billy dunn the director of the fdas division of neurology products opened the meeting by saying that the agency was highly sensitive to the urgency of finding drugs for muscular dystrophy still he said the fda was bound by law to approve drugs only if there was substantial evidence of effectiveness
these words are not vague words to be defined according to whim or fashion he said anecdote and emotion do not change the data with which we are confronted no matter the attendance he added
about 9000 to 12000 americans virtually all boys are estimated to have duchenne muscular dystrophy because of genetic mutations people with the disease make little or no dystrophin a protein that acts as a shock absorber to protect muscles from deterioration boys with duchenne typically need wheelchairs by their teens and die by their late 20s
eteplirsen uses a novel technology called exon skipping which seeks to partially correct the genetic defect allowing muscle cells to produce a somewhat functional form of dystrophin if approved the drug would be applicable to only 13 percent of duchenne patients but other exon skipping drugs are being developed for patients with different mutations
one reason sareptas main clinical trial involved only 12 boys was apparently that the company lacked the ability to manufacture more when it started out
a competitor glaxosmithkline which was developing a similar drug did a randomized trial involving 186 boys one third of whom were given a placebo that drug now owned by biomarin pharmaceutical did not prove effective in that study and failed to win fda approval
the fda strongly urged sarepta to do a larger study with a placebo control to better determine whether the drug worked
but the company based in cambridge mass argued that it would be unethical and impractical to do so since early hints of effectiveness meant that parents would no longer enroll their sons in a trial where they might not get the drug
instead sarepta compared the data from the 12 boys treated with eteplirsen to historical data from patients in italy and belgium who were as closely matched as possible in disease characteristics
the main measure was how far the boys could walk in six minutes after four years of weekly infusions of eteplirsen the boys in sareptas study could walk on average 162 meters further   almost two football fields   than the boys in italy and belgium ten of the 12 boys on the drug were still able to walk after four years versus only three of 13 in the control group
fifteen year old boys like billy dont maintain ambulation by accident dr jerry mendell director of the center for gene therapy at nationwide childrens hospital in columbus and lead investigator in sareptas study told the committee after showing a video of one 15 year old on the drug
the fda staff however said that comparisons to historical data can be misleading there have been many cases it said in which drugs or medical devices looked good compared with historical data but were not effective in a randomized trial against a placebo
the fda staff said the walking ability of the boys treated with eteplirsen was within the range of natural variation for that disease and did not show the drug worked it also said that it was uncertain whether the drug led to increased dystrophin production but even if it did the boys still had only about 1 percent of normal levels an amount unlikely to be beneficial
trading in shares of sarepta was halted throughout the day
patients have long pressed for approval of drugs that the fda found only marginally effective if at all critics say that approving drugs that do not really work is offering false hope to patients and removing an incentive for drug companies to develop better products
but patient input has now been intensifying this is partly because of social media which makes it easier for patients to organize in addition the fda in response to a 2012 law has become more systematic in considering patient input it has been meeting with patients with different diseases and working to evaluate drugs partly based on outcomes that patients say are meaningful to them not just those specified by the drug company


two wooden chairs are just about the only props dotted lines formed by tiny white lights suggest a tunnel otherwise the stage for barrie koskys new production of verdis macbeth which runs through may 7 at the zurich opera house is shrouded in darkness though he is also listed as set designer klaus grunbergs lighting is what matters
mr kosky the artistic director of berlins komische oper and one of todays most insightful and imaginative opera directors puts the focus here squarely on the macbeths the lighting often lets us see only them the witches are heard but not seen instead there is a group of men and women in the shadows perhaps figments of the central couples imaginations
the angst guilt and capacity for evil of this scheming duo are laid bare as rarely before and fortunately in the baritone markus bruck and the soprano tatiana serjan mr kosky has performers capable of exploring the characters psyches despite lady macbeths three wonderful arias the plot is here more about macbeth present in both the first and final scenes initially seen covered by a mass of dead birds he goes on to seem to survive his own death and experience the unseen victory celebration of macduff and malcolm that concludes the opera both that scene from verdis 1865 revision and the aria for macbeth that ended the 1847 original are included
mr koskys stark achievement however comes at a price since so much of the operas scenic variety and its basic action is dispensed with fortunately he allowed the chorus to be onstage   its only time   for the scottish refugee scene allowing verdis point to be made about the devastation macbeth has caused his subjects
undertaking the first macbeth of his career mr bruck was superb often singing with quiet intensity but also stressing the characters volatility with sudden shifts to firm resonant full voice ms serjan threw herself into her role offering a particularly ferocious account of the aria la luce langue at times her soprano sounded raw and her intonation strayed but these were minor blemishes the tenor pavol breslik and the bass wenwei zhang distinguished themselves as macduff and banquo
drawing on his early music experience the conductor teodor currentzis encouraged vibrato free playing and an astringent sound his interpretation was full of drama but sometimes went too far in emphasizing an accompaniment figure or inserting a pregnant pause still he makes an integral contribution to a macbeth that will not soon be forgotten
alfredo casellas only opera la donna serpente the snake lady which had its final performance on sunday at the teatro regio in turin italy could hardly be more different casella has been championed by the conductor gianandrea noseda who was recently appointed the next music director of the national symphony orchestra in washington
first performed in rome in 1932 la donna serpente like puccinis turandot is based on a fantastical play by carlo gozzi but its musical style is very different casella befriended ravel as a fellow student at the paris conservatory during the late 1890s and later promoted mahler schoenberg and stravinsky for three years he even led the boston pops his cosmopolitan outlook is evident in la donna serpente with neo classicism at its center and the operas stylized marches recall the wit of prokofievs gozzi based love for three oranges
casella shows a sure theatrical instinct in this opera about a king altidor who falls in love with the fairy miranda her father cannot forbid their marriage but prescribes that if altidor curses miranda for anything she does no matter how heinous she will turn into a snake if the plot sounds familiar it may be because wagner based his first opera die feen on the same story
altidor restrains himself when miranda has seemingly killed their children but curses her after her apparent betrayal of his besieged people the close of act ii depicting the consequences is wrenching miranda her transformation underway slowly departs but engineers a reunion of the children   now motherless   with their father as the populace expresses sorrow in a hushed ensemble but thanks to a countervailing wizard mirandas human shape is restored for a happy ending
arturo cirillos brilliant production with sets in bright primary colors suits both the fantastical story and casellas dazzling score riccardo oliviers choreography is also an asset especially when a dancer mimics the movement of a snake during the poignant prelude to act iii a highlight of the score the fine tenor piero pretti dealt ably with the heroic demands casella imposes on altidor and the soprano carmela remigio brought both appealing delicacy and resolve to miranda under mr nosedas leadership the score unfolded with vitality and precision a tribute to how he has built the theaters orchestra into an outstanding ensemble


dhaka bangladesh   a bangladeshi gay rights activist and his friend were hacked to death monday in what the police believe is the latest in a series of targeted killings by islamist militants
the activist julhas mannan had attracted the attention of extremist groups by helping to organize a march for gay and transgender youths that had been scheduled for the bengali new year on april 14 the rainbow rally as it was called drew threats of violence and police canceled the march saying the event would offend religious sentiments
mr mannan who also edited bangladeshs only gay and transgender magazine roopbaan had received very vicious murderous threats from anonymous people who opposed the rally said sara hossain a friend the last few days were very frightening she said
mr mannan had been working for the united states agency for international development and had served as a protocol officer to two united states ambassadors the police said
marcia bernicat the current american ambassador to bangladesh said in a statement that she was devastated by the death of a man she called a dear friend
on monday a group of five or six young men posing as couriers approached security guards at mr mannans apartment building in the capital dhaka saying they were delivering a parcel according to mohammad iqbal the officer in charge at the local police station
the parcel contained machetes mr iqbal said
the group attacked a security guard and then entered mr mannans apartment where they killed him and a friend who had accompanied him home from work the assailants also armed with guns escaped the building through a narrow alley opening fire on a policeman when he tried to stop them mr iqbal said
ms hossain who had spoken frequently to mr mannan about the threats he received said she was certain he had been singled out for his activism on gay rights
in the last two years similar killings have taken place targeting intellectuals secular writers members of religious minority groups and activists who had published views critical of islam ms hossain said this was the first time extremists appeared to go after someone for his sexual identity
its a new shift a new turn she said this is something different now
monirul islam the head of the counterterrorism unit for the dhaka metropolitan police described the attack as a planned killing
on saturday a university professor rezaul karim siddiquee was hacked to death and nearly beheaded when he was attacked near his home in the northwest city of rajshai the islamic state group claimed responsibility for the attack on the professor according to a message posted on twitter by the site intelligence group which monitors jihadist websites
last year unidentified men used machetes to attack four activists who published views critical of sunni islam and two publishers who had published their works the attacks took place in broad daylight on crowded city streets or in the victims homes
since those attacks extremists appeared to broaden their list of targets to include new categories of minorities shiite muslims hindu priests and christian priests were attacked and two foreigners were shot apparently at random the killings resumed this month with the hacking death of a student activist in dhaka and the killing of the university professor
the death of mr mannan a cousin of a former foreign minister dipu moni of the ruling awami league party sent shudders through dhakas close knit diplomatic and government circles
associates described him as a godfather of the gay community and one of the few activists willing to identify himself openly in the news media and online an observant muslim mr mannan would celebrate the islamic holy month of ramadan by organizing traditional evening suppers for gay youths one friend said
homosexual acts are a crime under bangladeshs penal code
amnesty international the human rights organization released a statement calling on the bangladeshi authorities to provide better protection to activists who have been threatened and to push harder to prosecute the killers
there have been four deplorable killings so far this month alone the statement said it is shocking that no one has been held to account for these attacks the statement said that since the wave of killings began in 2015 no attacker has been prosecuted or sentenced


the cellphone video is nearly two minutes long and digitally altered to blur the identity of the children but what it shows is clear the children are taunting and pushing a boy on a street egging one another on with cries of get him and slam him
the video posted in march on youtube led to the arrests this month of up to 10 children in murfreesboro tenn who are accused of taking part but the roundup of such young children   all are under 12 and at least one was handcuffed a parent said   has shaken almost every sector of the city and state from the legislature to the churches and prompted an internal investigation by the new police chief
the school district has gone on the defensive saying that only the arrests not the fight happened on the grounds of hobgood elementary school in murfreesboro a city of about 100000 people that lies 35 miles south of nashville
the authority of the school is superseded when law enforcement or the department of children services become involved said lisa l trail a district spokeswoman
state lawmakers have called for a justice department inquiry there are no circumstances under which a child should be arrested especially when there is no rational safety justification or threat to public safety said representative john ray clemmons democrat of nashville
the police chief karl durr released a statement shortly after the arrests on april 15 saying that he had ordered an internal review of the departments policies and would correct any deficiencies in the way it handles juvenile cases
two days after the arrests local church leaders and parents gathered in a town hall style meeting at the citys first baptist church to urge the authorities to drop the charges described as criminally responsible for the conduct of another they questioned how children that age could be required by law to intervene to stop a fight the parents said some of the children were mere witnesses to the episode and had been swept up by the police
a police department spokesman sgt kyle evans said in response to several requests for comment that he was prohibited by state law from discussing any aspect of a juvenile case and was unable to provide details about the location of the brawl the number and ages of the pupils arrested the reports of their handcuffing and the current police procedure there was no information about the person who had digitally altered the video or about the person who recorded or posted it
but interviews with parents of three of the children and remarks from the american civil liberties union of tennessee which is investigating the episode raised questions about the conduct of the police and their handling of juvenile students
other high profile cases have recently occurred at schools in texas and in south carolina
it is wholly unacceptable to haul children away from school in handcuffs for a charge that does not actually exist hedy weinberg executive director of the aclu in tennessee said in an email the growing trend of criminalizing students   particularly students of color   within our educational system must stop
the aclu said the charge of criminal responsibility for the conduct of another could be used only when there was an accompanying criminal charge that a person is accused of facilitating
the aclu said it was aware of at least 10 children who were arrested in the murfreesboro case
zacchaeus and lavonia crawford who identified themselves as the parents of three of them said in interviews that a day before the arrests a police officer went to their home and asked whether they knew anything about the boy who was pushed and hit in the video and showed them a screen shot during the visit they said the officer also asked for their childrens names
they came across some evidence that he might have been harmed ms crawford said my being a mother i tried to tell her as well as my children tried to identify the boy she said she and her children provided their own names told the officer where they thought the boy lived and the officer left
the next day the crawfords were told by the principal and a police officer that their 10 year old daughter had been arrested and was being taken to the county juvenile center the officer said that a warrant had been signed and that their 9 year old son was also named on it
when the parents arrived at the center taking their son they discovered that their 11 year old daughter was there as well she had been taken out of class and handcuffed mr crawford said
we did not get the official reason of why they were being detained until we went to the juvenile detention location he said
the parents said they were not allowed in the room with their children during questioning after about three hours the three children were released with papers charging them with criminal responsibility for conduct of another they were told to appear in court on june 28
ms crawford said she learned at the community meeting that another girl had also been handcuffed
we have built our lives trying not to get in trouble mr crawford a verizon technician said we dont drink dont do drugs we have lived and tried to live as blase as possible never trying to do more than we need to do and we raise our kids to be model citizens so they dont get in trouble
it is disheartening to us that our kids have to go through this he said


unsafe abortions kill many tanzanian women according to a recent study but the deaths result from several factors and women in some regions die much more often than others
birth control is hard to get and public health clinics lack trained staff and vacuum aspiration kits used to perform abortions in addition the legality of abortion is ambiguous forcing many women to try to do it themselves or see illegal abortion providers of one million unintended pregnancies in 2013 the study found 39 percent ended in abortion
the study done by the guttmacher institute tanzanias national medical research institute and the countrys leading medical school and published in plos one was based on surveys of hospitals and clinics and interviews with tanzanian doctors
although tanzania ratified the african unions 2005 maputo protocol on womens rights   which endorsed abortion rights   and also recognizes colonial era british case law permitting abortion in some circumstances national law mandates 14 year sentences for anyone unlawfully performing an abortion and seven years for women who try to make themselves miscarry   but without defining unlawfully said sarah c keogh a guttmacher institute researcher and the studys lead author
women have been prosecuted under it she said
the notion that two doctors must approve an abortion to make it legal is just a rumor but widely believed dr keogh said as is the rumor that its just illegal full stop
tanzanias abortion rate   36 per 1000 women   is typical for east africa but abortions and related deaths are nearly five times higher for women in the north near lake victoria and in the southern highlands than for women living on the island of zanzibar zanzibar is 98 percent muslim polygamy is common and extramarital sex is taboo so unplanned pregnancies are rare dr keogh said
abortion laws she added are clearer in nearby countries like uganda kenya and rwanda


the temporary alliance between senator ted cruz and gov john kasich of ohio formed to deny donald j trump the republican presidential nomination was already fraying almost to the point of irrelevance on monday only hours after it was announced to great fanfare
with the pact the two candidates agreed to cede forthcoming primary contests to each other mr kasich would most crucially stand down in indianas primary on may 3 to give mr cruz a better chance to defeat mr trump there while mr cruz would leave oregon and new mexico to mr kasich it appeared to be a measure of last resort but initially it seemed like a breakthrough
mr cruz trumpeted what he called the big news in indiana a state that appears pivotal to stopping mr trump from winning a majority of delegates john kasich has decided to pull out of indiana to give us a head to head contest with donald trump he said
but at his own campaign stop in philadelphia on monday mr kasich tamped down mr cruzs triumphalism voters in indiana mr kasich said ought to vote for me even if he would not be campaigning publicly there he added i dont see this as any big deal
under the best of circumstances the arrangement between mr cruz and mr kasich would seem to be a long shot   more of an expedient to stop mr trump from taking a big step toward winning the nomination next week in indiana than a permanent joining of forces
far from forming any kind of unity ticket mr trumps surviving challengers have both vowed to triumph in an open convention in cleveland and they remain irreconcilable on key matters of policy their agreement dealt only with three states leaving an open question as to how directly they might compete with each other everywhere else
even in indiana emerging as the most important state the cruz kasich pact appeared something less than decisive while mr kasichs campaign canceled his public appearances in the state the governor was still slated to visit indianapolis on tuesday for a fund raising event at the columbia club and he still had meetings scheduled with a series of indiana republicans including gov mike pence according to a leading republican in the state
mr cruzs campaign privately advised supporters on sunday not to endorse tactical voting whereby his supporters might switch their allegiance to mr kasich in states where the ohio governor is running stronger against mr trump we never tell voters who to vote for read the suggested cruz talking point were simply letting folks know where we will be focusing our time and resources
mr trump who has taunted his opponents throughout the race for their keystone kops approach to undermining his campaign seemed to relish the continuing strain between his remaining rivals on twitter he mocked lyin ted cruz and 1 for 38 kasich referring to the latters dismal winning record in the republican race for being unable to beat him on their own
so they have to team up collusion in a two on one mr trump wrote shows weakness
at a campaign rally in rhode island mr trump boasted that his opponents were united against him and said he welcomed their collusion
actually i was happy he said because it shows how weak they are
allies of both mr cruz and mr kasich did not exactly disagree with that assessment and acknowledged that the prospect of imminent disaster in indiana had been the impetus to reach their deal such as it is
still aides to mr cruz and mr kasich seem acutely aware that they risk turning off voters who find the arrangement unseemly even before his rivals agreement mr trump had complained repeatedly that the nominating process was rigged against him
with mr trump expected to win all five of the east coast states that vote on tuesday the next opportunity to slow his campaign will come a week later in indiana republicans believe he must be stopped there if they are to deny him the nomination
indiana is a must win for ted cruz and its a must win for anybody who doesnt think donald trump should be the nominee said david mcintosh the president of the club for growth a conservative group opposed to mr trump and supportive of mr cruz the group is airing an ad in indiana urging voters to vote for mr cruz not mr kasich to stop mr trump and officials said they intended to keep it on the air despite the agreement
on monday trusted leadership pac a group supporting mr cruz said it also planned to keep a previously announced attack ad against mr kasich on the air in indiana the group added though that it had shelved advertising plans in new mexico and oregon
charles r black jr an adviser to mr kasich said it would be helpful to his candidate   and a big blow to trump   for mr cruz to win indiana the point of announcing the deal mr black said was to indicate to outside super pacs where the campaigns and candidates were marshaling their resources
mr black played down the degree to which voters would cast their ballots strategically switching allegiance between candidates to thwart mr trump either the guy gets to 1237 or he doesnt he said voters dont focus on this tactical inside baseball stuff
for months rivals of the republican front runner have claimed that he has succeeded only because the anti trump vote has been spread among so many alternative candidates that argument appeared to falter in new york last week when mr trump won 60 percent of the vote and captured nearly all of the states delegates
now that each of them has been granted a cleaner shot against mr trump   in different states and at different moments over the next few weeks   mr cruz and mr kasich will have no easy excuse if mr trump continues to prevail
while mr cruz faces the more immediate test in indiana mr kasich will have to make swift use of his free hand in oregon though the states primary date is may 17 the election there is conducted by mail and voters will begin to receive their ballots this week
ron saxton a prominent kasich supporter in oregon said the deal puts more pressure on mr kasich and mr cruz to perform strongly against mr trump but mr saxton a former republican candidate for governor said there was catching up to do in his state
none of the three gop campaigns have any real oregon visibility yet just the national press mr saxton wrote in an email since cruzs name remains on the ballot my guess is that hell get close to the same votes hed get if he hadnt withdrawn is he going to actively encourage his supporters to vote for kasich
on monday both candidates swatted away questions about whether the deal was something of an underhanded ploy
mr cruz said the agreement was aimed at empowering anti trump voters against the front runner denying that the effort to stop mr trump was subverting the will of the people this is entirely about the will of the people he said this is about winning the votes of the hoosier state
mr kasich in pennsylvania grew quickly agitated at the suggestion that his deal with mr cruz reflected desperation
me no im not desperate   are you he asked a reporter are you desperate


oakland calif   andy dolich a former president of the golden state warriors and a longtime pro sports executive paid a visit to his neighborhood starbucks on monday morning and before he could even order his coffee the barista hit him with an important question how long
and i knew exactly what he was talking about dolich said
how long would golden states high scoring star stephen curry be sidelined by his injured knee that was the question that loomed over the bay area like a toxic cloud from the moment curry slipped and fell sunday afternoon in a first round playoff game against the houston rockets until monday afternoon when he had a magnetic resonance imaging test
probably the most eagerly awaited mri in bay area sports history dolich said i couldnt believe how many people had become orthopedic surgeons in the last 14 hours
the team announced that curry perhaps the most dynamic player in the league would likely miss at least the next two weeks of the playoffs with a grade 1 sprain in his right knee
it was all things considered relatively good news for the warriors   and for many basketball fans here who had feared the worst but came away hopeful that curry would return in time to help the team chase a second straight nba championship
watching the warriors without steph curry sort of feels like youre looking at a beige ferrari said damon bruce a sports talk host for san franciscos kgmz fm popularly known as 957 the game you want it to be red but i think the warriors can survive this i think they can survive this and buy curry enough time
the warriors have a three games to one series lead over the rockets who will visit oracle arena for game 5 on wednesday night
but currys indefinite absence has left many around here taking on the delicate calculus of trying to predict when he might return late in the western conference semifinals by the start of the conference finals and a potential meeting with the san antonio spurs
this assumes of course that the warriors will waste little time closing out the rockets who came completely unglued in sundays game in houston even after curry left for the visiting locker room at the start of the second half without him and with shaun livingston capably filling in at point guard the warriors ran away with a 121 94 victory
i think fans are fueled by what they saw in the second half of that game which was a tremendous performance said brian murphy the co host of a sports talk show for knbr am in san francisco theres a big caveat to that however they were playing the rockets
yet curry could also benefit from the glacial pace of the postseason if the warriors do advance past the rockets their second round series against either the los angeles clippers or the portland trail blazers will not start until sunday at the earliest
on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being a disaster this rates as like a 65 pushing a 7 murphy said
murphy estimated that a solid 90 percent of his four hour show on monday morning revolved around curry with the remaining 10 percent centering on the san francisco giants   but only because of contractual obligations as the teams flagship radio station
joe montanas elbow in the early 90s murphy said referring to the former san francisco 49ers quarterback that was the last time a body part meant more to the bay area
by monday afternoon despair over curry had given way to cautious optimism a grade 1 knee sprain which typically involves microscopic ligament tears is the most mild type of sprain with grade 3 being the most severe said alexis c colvin an orthopedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine at the icahn school of medicine at mount sinai
id say its one of the best case scenarios because he does not need surgery and itll recover completely on its own said dr colvin who was speaking generally and without direct knowledge of currys case it depends on how quickly he feels hes up to speed but hes in good shape to begin with and its not a very severe injury
curry the leagues reigning most valuable player entered the playoffs after an almost superhuman regular season in which he averaged a league leading 301 points while sinking an nba record 402 3 pointers he also led the league in steals and free throw percentage as the warriors under coach steve kerr went 73 9 setting an nba record for victories in a season
curry also remained remarkably injury free   until game 1 against the rockets on april 16 when he hurt his right ankle pivoting to retreat on defense he missed games 2 and 3 before returning sunday for game 4 on the final play of the first half he slipped on a wet spot and tumbled injuring his knee
clearly we dont want to be here getting mris at this point in the season especially with someone of stephs stature general manager bob myers said monday afternoon at a news conference at the teams practice facility but mechanically the knees intact so thats good
its one of those things where we attempted to put a timetable on it which is two weeks were going to re evaluate it but well know a little more hopefully after the first week its how his body responds to rest treatment   things like that
injuries are a threat to teams with title aspirations consider the misfortune of the cleveland cavaliers who were without two of their top players kyrie irving and kevin love when they fell to the warriors in the finals last season now it is the warriors turn to deal with adversity
jeff goodby an advertising executive and season ticket holder cited the teams depth as an advantage
i think were all kind of whistling nervously and taking our lead from steve kerr strength in numbers baby goodby said in an email seriously my focus group of friends says we shouldnt play him until someone ties a series up with us wont happen with the rockets maybe not even with the clippers save him for the spurs
for now the wait begins for fans who can only hope that the warriors absent their best player continue to win


gambela ethiopia   after angry mobs began targeting his community simon thion 29 felt caught in the middle
mr simon an ethiopian who is part of the nuer ethnic group went to a hospital in the western town of gambela recently to visit his nephew who was injured when members of the murle ethnic group crossed into ethiopia from south sudan to steal cows and kill hundreds of nuer villagers
now he is afraid to leave the hospital in the regional capital where he lives he says nuer are targeted by other ethiopians if i leave this compound highlanders will come and kill me he said
highlanders is a term used to describe ethiopians who trace their heritage to the countrys central regions including the capital addis ababa
tensions between nuer and highlander ethiopians in the gambela region have been relatively low but that changed this month when a highlander a contracted driver for a nonprofit group was accused of a hit and run that killed two children in a predominantly nuer refugee camp near the town of gambela
fury over the deaths incited a surge of retaliatory violence in which nuer killed about 10 highlanders around the camp
several highlanders who saw the bodies at a hospital said the killings were gruesome and in recent days hundreds of them have joined with sympathetic members of the anuak ethnic group who say they are indigenous to gambela to demonstrate against nuer whom they consider intruders
in south sudan a civil war that began in december 2013 has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced more than two million more than 220000 south sudanese refugees and other asylum seekers the vast majority of them nuer have spilled into crowded camps in the gambela region of ethiopia since then tilting the demographic balance in an area where antagonisms between the nuer and anuak groups have long simmered
at least one nuer has been killed in the last few days and one wounded according to gatluak tut khot the regional president of gambela nuer in the area said the death toll was as high as 15
the clashes occurred days after many ethiopians united around the cause of rescuing an estimated 102 nuer children kidnapped on april 15 by murle raiders who killed an estimated 208 nuer ethiopians last week the government declared two days of mourning for those who were killed
melkamu assefa 20 a highlander in the town of gambela said he no longer sympathized with those victims he expressed anger about the deaths of the highlanders near the refugee camp and condoned the killings of nuer partly because he said the nuer would like the gambela region to be a part of south sudan
tensions are rising at a pivotal moment for a week riek machar south sudans opposition leader and a former vice president who is nuer has been engaged in tense negotiations with officials in the countrys capital juba mr machars aim is to fly there from gambela airport to be reinstated as a deputy to his rival president salva kiir as part of a peace deal
but the highlanders demonstrating against nuer in gambela want little to do with south sudanese politics the recent clashes are about ethiopian nationalism mr melkamu said in the nuer part of town they once burned an ethiopian flag and raised the south sudanese flag instead he said adding that he supported any efforts to drive all nuer   refugees or not   out of town
standing inside the hospital gates mr simon said they arent differentiating between nuer who are ethiopian citizens and those who are not
he added of course i am afraid


cairo   the security agents lurked in alleyways at metro stations and in armored cars looking for signs of trouble they wore white uniforms black riot gear or street clothes in a cursory effort to mix in with the crowds
president abdel fattah el sisi of egypt sent what seemed like all of his men onto the streets of cairo on monday in a show of force and anxiety aimed at preventing any protests against his rule and denying his growing chorus of critics any public space
the effort was successful in a way the demonstrations called to protest mr sisis recent decision to transfer two islands to saudi arabia never happened at several prearranged meeting spots after the authorities surrounded the areas with officers barricades and armored cars
we have been walking around for two hours now trying to find somewhere we can put a toe without getting shot or arrested said a 22 year old protester who refused to give her name for fear of government retribution
but the stifling security also felt like the fretful reaction of a leader unexpectedly confronting skepticism and negative scrutiny mr sisi a former general gained both power and public adoration by leading the military ouster of his predecessor mohamed morsi in 2013
as president mr sisi has recently faced questions over his handling of the economy and abuses by his security services as well as the transfer of the islands sanafir and tiran   even though the government has said that the islands originally belonged to saudi arabia
this month a demonstration in downtown cairo against the transfer of the islands turned into one of the largest protests against mr sisi punctuated by incendiary chants that called for the fall of the government and drew parallels to egypts 2011 uprising that ousted president hosni mubarak
when youth groups and opposition political movements called for a repeat of the protests on monday the authorities drew a line saying demonstrations would not be tolerated
i see people pushing us trying to compromise security and stability once more mr sisi warned sunday in a televised speech
dozens of antigovernment activists were arrested in the days before the protests on monday security men fanned out across the city in numbers that suggested preparations for a foreign invasion
they are scared of us and we are scared of them the 22 year old protester said they can lock down all the squares but we will still find some street some alleyway it is endless cat and mouse
as she spoke a space for protest briefly appeared in a square in the dokki neighborhood that the police had failed to secure seizing the moment dozens of young people gathered and chanted against the government in the shadow of apartment buildings and fast food restaurants
residents watched from balconies and one threw water onto the demonstration several times as if trying to extinguish it then police officers surged into the square scattering the protest just minutes after it had begun


he has held musical soirees at national sawdust in williamsburg brooklyn he led the new york philharmonic in messiaens boffo turangalila symphonie in march at david geffen hall where a week later alan gilbert conducted the new york premiere of his dada piece karawane now he is next door conducting strausss elektra at the metropolitan opera
no the stars did not align to make esa pekka salonen the finnish conductor and composer who brings a dash of cool to classical music the next music director of the new york philharmonic though he had topped the wish lists of many prominent critics but if he is the one who got away   he publicly expressed ambivalence about the job and the orchestra opted for the dutch maestro jaap van zweden   this year mr salonen feels a bit like the de facto music director of new york city through his high profile philharmonic and met gigs
his name has a way of popping up in the unlikeliest places including a recent press junket promoting the movie batman v superman dawn of justice when a finnish interviewer asked the actress holly hunter about what it was like to appear in such a blockbuster ms hunter steered the conversation in an unexpected direction esa pekka salonen ms hunter began apologizing for her digression i was longing for him to come to the new york philharmonic
during a recent interview over an iced green tea mr salonen appeared more than happy with the way things have worked out he likened his extended new york sojourn this year to the relationship he had formed with the los angeles philharmonic since stepping down as its music director in 2009 after 17 years to devote more time to composing other projects and his family now when i go back i guess it could be as a grandparent said mr salonen a youthful 57 you just see the kids have a good time   and then somebody else is in charge
new yorkers will have the chance to be spoiled by a visiting grandparent next season too on monday the metropolitan opera announced that mr salonen would conduct all of the met orchestras concerts at carnegie hall next spring replacing james levine who is stepping down as the companys music director at the end of this season because of health problems
and in one of the biggest musical events of the fall mr salonen will conduct the new york philharmonic in october at the park avenue armory in works by kaija saariaho whom he has known since he was a student and they were both members of ears open a finnish new music collective
the saariaho event is an example of the kind that the philharmonic has increasingly embraced under the tenure of mr gilbert who will step down as music director in 2017 after eight years mr salonen   who has long proselytized for new approaches to programming and new ways of appealing to younger artistically inclined people who do not often listen to classical music   spoke about the need for the music world to adapt
we should loosen up a bit and accept the fact that there are so many experiences available that loftiness doesnt get us anywhere he said self improvement is not a reason to buy a ticket which is not cheap it has to operate on a totally different level it has to be ok here is an experience you wont forget
when mr salonen who is finishing the first of three seasons as the new york philharmonics composer in residence led messiaens turangalila symphonie last month the guardian wrote in its five star review that the evening had taken on true event status
i have been at concerts where more than half the audience left mr salonen said of the piece noting how tastes change and now its like a hip cult piece
during his more intimate concert last month at national sawdust as part of the philharmonics contact series mr salonen explored messiaens influence on other composers
we have been so apologetic in this what we call classical music that we say you dont have to know anything you dont have to have any background you dont have to have any frame of reference just come with an open mind and youll love it he said at one point during the evening it doesnt quite work like that because if i go to an american football game not knowing anything about the rules   as i have to admit i dont   its totally meaningless
mr salonen occasionally escapes the lincoln center area to stay downtown in the apartment of his friend the architect frank gehry whom he collaborated with during the building of the walt disney concert hall in los angeles at the apartment he said he has managed to push forward a cello concerto he is composing for yo yo ma
conductors who compose have sometimes been plagued with self doubt was their composing tolerated because of their conducting work or perhaps vice versa i have encountered that sort of suspicion   that if you do two things one must be fake surely because nobody can do two things well mr salonen said its a strange statement to make because you go a hundred years back and every musician was also a composer
mr salonen said that classical music institutions should embrace the changes that are coming the thing that worries me is so called relevance he said because every day that goes by the distance between us and say beethoven gets one day longer and if you think of the music of the renaissance composers the distance is such that we can safely say that they have lost their relevance and by saying this i know there is a large group of people that will start screaming blue murder but if you think from the mainstream perspective this is so
i think classical music or western art music or whatever should be seen as some kind of an organism he said for beethoven to keep its relevance we need new growth so that the rubber band that connects us wouldnt be stretched but lengthened so that if things keep growing organically there will be new rings on the trunk of the tree and new growth in the spring some things die away and some things flourish and nothing is taken for granted but if we dont make sure that it grows then were done sooner or later were done
elektra which will be simulcast to cinemas around the world on saturday opened the night that the met announced that mr levine would be stepping down in an almost comically familiar moment for mr salonen who spent much of last year fending off questions about the top job at the philharmonic critics at both the new york times and the wall street journal were soon floating his name for the newly vacant position next door mr salonen once again found himself demurring
these august institutions should look for the next generation he wrote in a follow up email change that is inevitably going to shake our industry can best be met by young visionary fearless leaders status quo is the archenemy of living art


rafael nadal filed suit monday against a former french minister who accused him of doping saying he needs to defend his integrity and image as an athlete
nadal said his lawyers lodged the defamation suit in paris against the former minister roselyne bachelot because of her offensive remarks on french television last month
bachelot frances former minister for health and sport said on the tv show le grand 8 that nadals seven month injury hiatus in 2012 was probably due to a positive doping test
bachelot made the comments in the wake of maria sharapovas failed doping test
in a statement nadal said through this case i intend not only to defend my integrity and my image as an athlete but also the values i have defended all my career i also wish to avoid any public figure from making insulting or false allegations against an athlete using the media without any evidence or foundation and to go unpunished
he said that if he wins the case any compensation awarded by the judge will be paid to an nongovernmental organization or foundation in france
bachelots remarks upset nadal and outraged spaniards including many fellow athletes who quickly spoke up in his defense the spanish olympic committee and members of the spanish government also loudly criticized bachelot
nadals coach and uncle toni nadal called bachelot an imbecile according to spanish news media
a 14 time grand slam champion and the gold medalist at the 2008 olympics in beijing nadal is one of spains biggest sports idols
the president of spains olympic committee alejandro blanco said he would like nadal to be the countrys flag bearer at the rio de janeiro games in part to make a statement after bachelots accusations
blanco said nadal deserved the honor after how he has been treated by the former french minister nadal had been selected as spains flag bearer for the 2012 london olympics but missed the games because of an injury
nadal expressed his complete trust in the french justice system which will handle the lawsuit and said that he would not make any further statements about the case


washington   the billionaire environmentalist thomas f steyer and his political advocacy group nextgen climate will spend at least 25 million on a get out the vote campaign targeting young voters this year in seven mostly battleground states the group announced on monday
mr steyer the single biggest political donor of the 2014 midterm election cycle said the campaign would target at least 203 college and university campuses he called it the largest youth voter outreach program ever undertaken by a candidate or political campaign
mr steyer spent 74 million in the 2014 midterm elections including 67 million for nextgen climate to reward candidates who embraced climate change as a major issue that year democrats were clobbered losing control of the senate and falling deeper into the minority in the house of the seven candidates for senate or governor nextgen climate spent money on three won
undeterred mr steyer said on monday that the 25 million dedicated to voter outreach was a floor not a ceiling his group expects to press other efforts focused on electing climate friendly lawmakers
outreach to young voters will concentrate on the swing states of ohio pennsylvania iowa colorado nevada and new hampshire as well as illinois
and this year the impact of mr steyers largess could be amplified by the reluctance of conservative megadonors to spend charles g koch the billionaire bankroller of conservative causes suggested on sunday that hillary clinton could make a better president than the two republican front runners other republican donors such as the casino magnate sheldon adelson have been similarly reluctant to open their wallets
while polls show that younger people are more likely to support candidates with strong environmental policies they are also less likely to show up at the polls
as i traveled around the country in the 2014 election cycle i saw that young voters care deeply about climate change but what they havent been is as engaged in the electoral process as older americans mr steyer told reporters on a conference call
millennials are the biggest cohort in this election cycle he added when they do engage it can make a difference in these states this is about turnout and letting millennials voices be heard
in the 2014 election mr steyers group spent heavily on expensive television advertising this time taking a page from americans for prosperity the conservative group backed by mr koch and his brother david the effort will shift to person to person contact voter registration and a get out the vote ground game
the prospect of a democratic presidential candidate going against a republican who denies the existence of human caused climate change should increase passions on the issue
on climate change we have the starkest contrast ive ever seen between candidates in my life   and im fairly old mr steyer said
donald j trump and ted cruz the republican presidential front runners have vowed to reverse president obamas policies on climate change and withdraw the united states from the paris agreement which commits nearly every country to taking actions to reduce planet warming greenhouse gas emissions
in the democratic primary mrs clinton and senator bernie sanders of vermont have highlighted their environmental credentials and have vowed to uphold and strengthen mr obamas climate change policies
mr steyer said his group would not endorse presidential or senate candidates for now given that primary races are still underway


krakow poland   the front page of polands leading newspaper featured on monday an open letter from three former presidents warning that the new right wing governments actions were threatening the countrys democracy
lech walesa the 1983 nobel peace laureate whose solidarity movement led polands emergence from communism was joined by aleksander kwasniewski president from 1995 to 2005 and bronislaw komorowski president from 2010 until last year in calling on polish citizens to defend democracy in their letter published by gazeta wyborcza the three former presidents and seven opposition politicians and activists also warned the leaders of the ruling law and justice party that those guilty of violating the constitution shall bear responsibility
the right wing law and justice party has been embroiled in controversy almost from the moment it took power in october after a decisive win in parliamentary elections that ended eight years of rule by the center right civic platform much of the criticism has come over the new governments moves to weaken polands constitutional court which have earned rebukes from european leaders as the country is preparing to host the annual summit meeting of leaders from the north atlantic treaty organization in july
the european parliament voted this month on a resolution that accused polands government of undermining the countrys democracy passing the issue along to the european council for further action
since taking power the polish government has drawn criticism for a media law passed in january that gave it expanded control over state television and radio and for proposals from governing party officials to ban abortions in the country the open letter warned of additional draconian laws that the governing party plans to adopt
law and justice plans to continue their actions which destroy the constitutional order paralyze the proceedings of the constitutional tribunal and the entire judicial system the former presidents said in their letter
all three former presidents have been opponents of the current government and law and justices paramount leader jaroslaw kaczynski a point the government noted in dismissing the letter
it is absurd to claim that democracy is poland in under threat said the deputy prime minister piotr glinski in an interview on polish television instead he said the criticism was just the private opinion of a few individuals
prime minister beata szydlo simply pointed to the convincing victory in the october elections in which law and justice won a majority in parliament giving it the power to rule without the need to form a coalition with any lesser parties
the letter was published days after mr walesa called on polands current president andrzej duda to resign for the good of the country
mr walesahad come under attack by the government in february when discovered documents seemed to indicate that he had acted as a spy for the communists mr walesa denied having done so and said all but one of the documents were a complete forgery


when charles j shieldss biography of harper lee came out in 2006 it was hailed as the definitive study of the famously private author and her singular 1960 novel to kill a mockingbird
like so many journalists before him mr shields was rebuffed when he asked to interview ms lee and her closest relatives he found surprisingly little correspondence from her in library collections so to reconstruct her life he interviewed 80 people including friends former classmates and neighbors and parsed her novel for autobiographical clues the resulting biography was about as intimate a book as a scholar could write about an author who kept the world at a distance
but a lot changed over the next decade after mr shieldss biography was published ms lee filed lawsuits against her former literary agent and the museum in her hometown of monroeville ala in 2011 ms lee issued a statement through her lawyer denying that she had authorized another book about her the mockingbird next door by the journalist marja mills mr shields decided he needed to update his biography
he was already at work on the new edition in 2015 when ms lees publisher harpercollins announced that she would release a second novel go set a watchman which she wrote in the mid 1950s the novel which portrayed atticus finch the hero of mockingbird as a racist shocked readers and scholars
the new edition of mockingbird a portrait of harper lee out tuesday paints a more nuanced and in some ways perplexing portrait of ms lee who died in february at age 89 leaving many questions unanswered below are edited excerpts from a recent phone interview with mr shields
q in the decade since the book was first published harper lees career and legacy has changed dramatically how does your understanding of her now differ from how you saw her when you published the biography
a somehow she managed to pack a lot into the past 10 years when i first published the biography i saw harper lee as the sole author of the book as if it had sprung fully formed for her forehead after go set a watchman came out that became a touchstone against which to evaluate to kill a mockingbird without the benefit of having another book in hand i took to kill a mockingbird at face value now i see it in a different light i see the influence of her editor tay hohoff much more now go set a watchman is highly autobiographical i think she exposes more of herself than she really wants to
when i started looking at the amount of litigation in her life since 2006 it was depressing and very revealing that was of a piece with the entire third act of harper lees life which was endless he said she said and unresolved disputes
reviews of watchman were mixed but even people who found it to be vastly inferior to mockingbird agree that it sheds new light on her creative process and her thoughts on the civil rights movement and southern politics where do you come down on the watchman debate should it have been published in her lifetime
its an important cultural document but i would never hold it up to a class and say you must read this its a classic if anything its a good book about what not to do theres too much exposition and not enough dramatization
harper lee apparently was not a fan of your book about her and told friends not to read it did you ever learn what she objected to
the objections were kept very general i heard she and her sister alice were not happy with the biography i heard from a friend of hers that they did not like the portrayal of their mother they were very sensitive about that mrs lee was a manic depressive i tried to be as discreet as i could but since it plays into to kill a mockingbird i had to answer the question wheres the mother in to kill a mockingbird shes in her room not speaking to anyone or leaving the house without permission harper lee identified more with her father than her mother
you discovered a newspaper article that she wrote without a byline about the kansas murders that she helped truman capote research how did you come across it and what does it suggest about her role in shaping capotes in cold blood
i went back to look at newspapers in garden city kan and i stumbled across a little mention in a column that said our visitor harper lee will be writing about whats been happening on the case for the fbi magazine the grapevine then i contacted the grapevine they said yeah theres been a reference to that over the years but we cant find anything i told them to look in the spring of 1960 there indeed was an article than only harper lee could have written because it was so full of info that would later appear in in cold blood i speculate that there was no byline because she really didnt want to tread on truman capotes story its a long flattering article about the great work chief investigator alvin dewey is doing on the case and how truman is going to get to the bottom of it it was an unselfish act from a friend
she wrote letters to her agent about having a huge crush on the investigator
she uses the phrase drop dead handsome
since her death and even in the months leading up to it there have been batches of her private letters that have come up for sale at auctions do you worry that important documents that offer clues about her life and work might be slipping away into private collections rather than collected at a library where scholars can study them
i would like to see her estate make a genuine effort to round up some of these letters and put them together in an authoritative text it adds to the narrative of the life but if these continue to come out in dribs and drabs postcards from the gulf coast and christmas cards as a researcher who prides himself on being very organized i dislike the sense of things unraveling i would like to see them collected in a big fat book of letters
she stopped giving formal interviews for the most part in the 1960s what questions would you have most liked to ask her if you could
i would have liked to have asked her whether her father did indeed change his views on segregation at the end of his life because the gentleman was only alive for a short time after to kill a mockingbird came out id like to know if it was the book and daughter that changed his mind or did he see the direction things were going
i would like to know the answer to whether she was every deeply in love with someone shes obviously a woman of deep compassion shes a keen observer of human drama that empathy is at the core of to kill a mockingbird i would like to know if she had the blessing of ever being in love with someone freud said the two components of a contented life are love and work we know a lot about the work side of harper lee and not so much about the love side of harper lee


beirut lebanon   the ambitious young prince who oversees the economy of saudi arabia rolled out a grand vision for the future of the kingdom on monday that aspires to reduce its dependence on oil stimulate the private sector and reduce government subsidies   all while ensuring rising living standards for saudi citizens
the plan seeks to steer the arab worlds largest economy through the double onslaught of low oil prices which have undermined government revenues and youthful demographics which will add millions of job seekers in the coming years
the plans introduction which was exhaustively covered by the saudi owned news media also signaled a milestone in the meteoric rise of the prince mohammed bin salman who has gone from being a little known member of a sprawling royal family to the kingdoms most prominent official in just over a year
prince mohammed who is about 30 has been given a broad array of positions since his father king salman ascended to the saudi throne last year and has not hesitated to wield his influence as defense minister the prince has overseen a costly war in yemen and saudi efforts to push back iranian influence in syria and elsewhere he is also second in line to the throne and leads a powerful council that oversees the economy
saudi officialdom has been abuzz for months about a comprehensive national transformation plan though its release has been repeatedly delayed mondays announcement of the saudi vision 2030 was billed as an aspirational guide with details to be filled in later
in an extensive prerecorded interview with saudi owned al arabiya television broadcast in conjunction with the plans release prince mohammed painted an optimistic picture of the kingdoms future one in which declining oil revenues would be replaced by the returns from enormous government investments and a robust private sector
we have developed an oil addiction in the kingdom of saudi arabia among everyone prince mohammed said that is dangerous and that is what has hampered the development of many different sectors in recent years
he described steps the government would take to reduce that dependence like selling shares of the state oil giant saudi aramco injecting money into a public investment fund and privatizing sectors of the economy such as airports education and health care
i think that by 2020 if the oil stops well be able to live prince mohammed said
many energy reliant states have issued such proclamations in the past particularly when prices were plunging but carrying out the programs has always proved problematic at best saudi officials themselves foreign analysts and economists were quick to note have been speaking for decades about reducing the kingdoms reliance on oil and similar grand plans for economic transformation have been announced but not carried out
they also note the huge mismatch between the needs of the saudi job market and what the kingdoms education system produces both in skills and work ethic
broadly the direction is right but there are a lot of question marks about implementation and the size of what they are promising said steffen hertog an associate professor of comparative politics at the london school of economics who studies saudi arabia
privatizing large sectors like health care and education would require lots of government oversight and regulation that may be too much for the kingdoms bloated and often ineffective bureaucracy to handle mr hertog said
and it remains unlikely that the measures prince mohammed has announced will raise enough revenue to replace what the government gets from oil mr hertog said
they have to try but i think that by 2020 they wont be able to do enough he said even if they succeed in the long run it will be a long and painful process
john sfakianakis the riyadh based director of economics research at the gulf research center said the government faced a delicate balancing act of finding non oil income without inhibiting the growth that the economy needs
the new fees and taxes the government has announced on undeveloped land soft drinks and luxury items would bring in some revenue and while lifting subsidies on water and electricity makes sense it could raise operating costs for businesses while the government is trying to encourage private investment
we know the goal to rid the economy of oil mr sfakianakis said if it can accomplish that it would be among the few countries to do so in such a short period of time
the vision was approved by the saudi government on monday and king salman gave a televised statement praising it but the initiative was clearly led by prince mohammed who has emerged as the kingdoms most dynamic official
many saudi citizens and especially the 70 percent of the population that is under the age of 30 have celebrated the princes rise and took to social media to thank him for laying out an optimistic vision
while the plans focus was economic it also addressed some social issues such as calling for the development of historic and tourist sites the issuance for the first time of green cards for expatriates more athleticism among saudi citizens and more women in the workplace despite rampant speculation on social media before its release the plan did not call for saudi women to be permitted to drive
prince mohammeds vision for the future was clear in his interview with al arabiya where he described the kingdom as a global economic and cultural leader he said that a proposed bridge between saudi arabia and egypt could be the most important land crossing in the world he said arab culture had produced the best values and principles of any world civilization and he boasted that the saudi sovereign wealth fund would be an essential mover on planet earth
there will not be any investment or movement or growth in any region of the world without the voice of the saudi sovereign wealth fund he said
through such interviews with foreign news media and other appearances prince mohammeds public profile has surpassed that of the saudi crown prince mohammed bin nayef who runs the interior ministry and has close links with american officials
while the nature of the relationship between the two men is known only to a tight circle within the royal family it is clear that prince mohammed bin salman derives his power from his father who is 80 and has had health problems
but many saudis and some foreign diplomats say privately that if king salman dies soon prince mohammed bin nayef could remove the young prince and name his own successor ironically the precedent for such a move was created by king salman who removed the crown prince named by his own predecessor king abdullah
others have speculated that the young prince could seek to amass enough power to make himself indispensable while his father is still alive or even try to have himself named as his fathers successor


washington   federal regulators on monday moved to approve charter communications 655 billion acquisitions of time warner cable and bright house networks enabling the creation of a new cable giant as the industry focuses more on broadband as traditional tv declines
yet the orders to approve the deals were coupled with many restrictions that illustrate how regulators are increasingly using their power to further policy goals that are not covered by current regulations for the industry the federal communications commission and justice department imposed mandates on the acquisitions aimed at protecting streaming video companies and providing cheaper broadband services to low income families some of which go far beyond regulations for the entire cable and internet sectors
the conditions are meant to ensure competition in the nascent online video business and to spread internet connectivity given that broadband has been deemed a utility attaching the restrictions could blunt the power of the combined charter entity which becomes the countrys second largest broadband provider with 194 million users and the third largest cable television provider with 174 million customers
the cumulative impact of these conditions will be to provide additional protection for new forms of video programming services offered over the internet tom wheeler chairman of the fcc said in a statement he added that there would be an independent monitor to ensure compliance with the conditions
mr wheeler circulated his approval order to other fcc commissioners and was expected to get enough votes to close the deals the deals still await final approval from regulators in california
the move to approve charters acquisitions is the latest development in the fast consolidating cable industry over the last few years the industry has greatly shifted from a business controlled by hundreds of regional outfits to one controlled by three major players   comcast charter and altice the european company that recently made a deal for cablevision   that wield more heft over the countrys broadband and entertainment infrastructure that heft gives the companies more leverage in negotiations with tv companies over programming and distribution deals as well as more leverage over what crosses their broadband pipes and the future of online video
each player has a lot more scale to shape broadband and online video going forward said amy yong an analyst with macquarie about 80 to 90 percent of broadband homes are now in the homes of three players it is starting to look like a tri opoly
in the last year the fcc has also increasingly used conditions imposed on merger approvals to advance its regulatory goals in approving the merger between att and directv last year for instance regulators required a building out of more broadband services to millions of households and the offering of cheaper broadband option for low income homes
this time the fcc and justice department asked charter to agree to abstain from negotiations with programmers that would keep shows and movies off competing streaming services like netflix and amazon prime video
charter also promised that for seven years it would not impose data caps on broadband users who can run up big bills when watching online video and that it would not charge companies like netflix extra to connect to charter customers in addition charter agreed to expand its internet footprint to two million more homes and to offer a cheaper broadband service to low income households
justin venech a charter spokesman said in a statement that the conditions ensured the companys current consumer friendly and pro broadband business practices adding that the combined entity will be a leading competitor in the broadband and video markets
regulatory approval would be a major win for charter which had circled time warner cable for the last three years comcast stepped in with a rival bid for time warner cable that collapsed under regulatory pressure last year after that charter announced its pair of deals for time warner cable and bright house in may 2015
the approvals will have enormous implications on the telecommunications media and technology ecosystem with the combined company set to have greater influence over program pricing new technologies in broadband infrastructure and business models emerging in streaming video consumers have also come to rely on the internet as a utility but see prices increase with few options for providers
the prospect of so much combined power by a few companies has drawn protests from consumer groups and some tech companies most notably dish network which fears its sling tv streaming video services could be threatened by the charter mergers
on monday dish declined to comment on the regulators move to approve the charter deals dish is part of the stop mega cable coalition which was formed to raise awareness of the harms that could result from the deals and which on monday said in a statement that the conditions proposed by the fcc fell short of addressing all of the threats to competition and consumers posed by this transaction
the coalition said charter should be required to offer a stand alone broadband service
others criticized the fccs conditions of approval as overreaching at first blush it appears that the commission may have operated well outside the four corners of the merger application to pursue unrelated matters and policies michael orielly a republican commissioner for the agency said in a statement
some consumer advocates also opposed any approval of the deals fearing that a combined entity would eliminate competition and increase prices for customers
creating broadband monopoly markets raises consumer costs kills competition and points a gun at the heart of the news and information that democracy depends upon michael copps a former democratic member of the fcc and a special adviser to the common cause public interest group wrote in an email fcc approval of this unnecessary merger would be an abandonment of its public interest responsibilities
the fcc has the broad mandate of protecting the public interest which gives it the ability to create conditions that may seem unrelated to antitrust reviews but could make a deal good for consumers said gene kimmelman a former antitrust official at the justice department who is now president of public knowledge a nonprofit media advocacy group
offering to extend their broadband footprint and offer subsided broadband to some low income customers furthers existing fcc policy efforts and serves the public interest he said


berlin   the trans atlantic debate over digital privacy rights versus the surveillance needs of intelligence agencies was put under a spotlight on monday as president obama called for continued access by law enforcement officials to thwart terrorism while some european privacy advocates urged greater restraint
i want to say this to young people who value their privacy and spend a lot of time on their phones the threat of terrorism is real mr obama said speaking at a trade show in hanover germany
ive worked to reform our surveillance programs to ensure that theyre consistent with the rule of law and upholding our values like privacy   and by the way we include the privacy of people outside of the united states he added
mr obamas message comes at a sensitive time as cities like brussels and paris are still recovering from recent terrorist attacks but his words are unlikely to slow down european efforts to expand peoples control over their digital lives
europe is at the heart of a global debate over the way companies like google and facebook as well as national intelligence agencies handle peoples digital data some regulators in the 28 member bloc have called on companies and governments particularly that of the united states to comply with the regions tough privacy regulations
those who want to play in our backyard must play by our rules viviane reding a member of the european parliament from luxembourg and a former top european union official said on monday at a privacy conference in berlin protection of our personal data shouldnt have a national barrier
ms reding is an author of a european union privacy law that will go into force in 2018 it will be able to impose fines of up to 4 percent of a companys global revenue for the most serious breaches of european data protection rules those penalties would apply to any company   even if it has no physical presence in europe   that has customers within the european union
at issue are communications via cellphones as well as data generated in social media online searches and e commerce purchases
the protections pursued in the european union include the so called right to be forgotten detailed by the blocs highest court which requires search giants like google to remove links to online information in some cases
and europes national privacy regulators have vowed to take a tough line against a new pact between the united states and the european union that is intended to ensure the relatively unimpeded flow of personal data across the atlantic the national regulators are wary of the ability of american law enforcement and intelligence agencies to monitor data to fight crime or terrorism
but american agencies including the commerce department and the federal trade commission argue that they actively monitor companies access to individuals digital data they say that american privacy safeguards   including the united states constitution   often provide better protection than the rules in other jurisdictions including those in europe
we care about europeans privacy mr obama said in hanover not just americans privacy
many european officials acknowledge that the regions privacy laws share many similarities with those in the united states but they also highlight important differences including the lack of overarching federal privacy legislation the differences they say must be bridged if europe and the united states are to effectively supervise the way companies like facebook and google gain access to data worldwide
the digital world is globalized giovanni buttarelli the european unions data protection supervisor said at the berlin conference on monday so data protection should also be globalized


with the political rhetoric on both sides of the presidential contest reaching new levels of vitriol hillary clintons campaign has released a new ad ahead of tuesdays primaries seeking to sow a little hope and love now
the voice of andra day rises from a chorus without instrumental backing setting the tone for the 60 second spot spread a little hope and love now
scenes from the clinton campaign flicker in and out of focus the candidate doling out high fives striding toward a stage and supporters looking pensive at her events big block text with broad platitudes overlay the scenery calling to break down barriers
ms day continues with the second part of the chorus well walk it out together mrs clinton is shown with geneva reed veal the mother of sandra bland who was found hanged in a texas jail cell after a routine traffic stop last year and representative john lewis democrat of georgia
the scenes shift to mrs clinton practicing what ms day is preaching hugging high fiving embracing and smiling with supporters she warmly grasps the hand of gabrielle giffords a former congresswoman who was shot in the head in arizona in 2011 as she makes her way across the stage
halfway through the ad we hear from mrs clinton but not from the stump she is backstage arms around a small african american boy we need to make sure he gets the chance to do that she says to the other women with her
audible cheers slowly fade in after ms day reaches the crescendo of the song and mrs clinton stands smiling in front of the crowd as text on the screen closes the ad lets stand together
amid an increasingly negative campaign the ad borrows from a theme mrs clinton has been talking about for years more love and kindness the long extended and emotional call for unity wraps in the social and civil rights causes that have been central themes of mrs clintons campaign evidenced by ms reed veal and ms giffords and minorities are given prominence in a majority of the scenes
the ad makes no verifiable claims
it is running in pennsylvania maryland and connecticut media markets
the ad has the feel of a closing argument and while it lands just before five northeastern primary states go to vote the message looks beyond tuesday as mrs clintons call for unity is likely aimed at upporters of senator bernie sanders whom the campaign will need to bring under its umbrella as it tries to move past a rancorous nominating contest against him


the great newspaper roll up has commenced
the 815 million unsolicited offer by the gannett company to buy the tribune publishing company does not just make financial sense for the buyer it would also allow the targets shareholders to escape flatlining revenue at a headline grabbing 63 percent premium to its current market value
gannett has been on a buying spree since it was broken off from its american local broadcast division now known as tenga last june it snapped up the owner of the milwaukee journal sentinel for example for about 300 million this month the company disclosed on monday that it approached tribune the publisher of the los angeles times and the chicago tribune about a deal on april 12 gannetts chief executive bob dickey said that so far he had been disappointed by the response
its understandable that tribune publishing led by justin c dearborn might initially be shy of new owners yet again the company based in chicago has never fully recovered from the disastrous 13 billion sale to the real estate mogul sam zell almost a decade ago tribune publishing took on so much debt that the company went bankrupt a year later and did not emerge until 2012
the company has also just undergone yet another management change instigated after michael ferro became its largest shareholder in february but tribune publishings outlook is not rosy its own plans to buy rivals were squelched recently after trustbusters signaled they would fight its attempt to grab the publisher of the orange county register and revenue is likely to decline in each of the next three years according to thomson reuters estimates
gannett has better prospects as the largest chain in the united states it publishes in more than 100 markets that gives it greater ability to negotiate on newsprint prices and consolidate back office and news production functions tribune publishings big city papers in chicago baltimore and orlando can feed into the national usa today
gannett reckons it can cut 50 million of costs a year those are worth around 300 million to shareholders once taxed and capitalized and easily cover the 160 million premium it has put on the table if tribunes owners do not leap at the offer their papers could become tomorrows fish wrap


johnny manziel is expected to be indicted tuesday on allegations that he attacked his ex girlfriend in january a lawyer for the troubled former nfl quarterback said monday
robert hinton told the associated press that prosecutors had notified him that they expected a local grand jury to sign off on a misdemeanor assault charge for family violence for manziel the class a misdemeanor carries up to one year in jail and a 4000 fine
hinton a longtime dallas defense lawyer with ties to the district attorneys office said he expected a judge to set a bond soon after tuesdays indictment and that manziel would then present himself for booking he said there had not yet been any discussions about reaching a deal to end the case before a trial
brittany dunn a spokeswoman for the dallas county district attorneys office had previously declined to confirm media reports monday that manziel 23 had been indicted prosecutors announced last week that they had presented a misdemeanor assault case against manziel
an indictment would further imperil manziels chances of playing pro football he was cut by the cleveland browns dropped by two agents and no longer has endorsements
his indictment stems from accusations by his ex girlfriend colleen crowley who said that he accosted her at a dallas hotel and later struck her when they drove back to her apartment in fort worth crowley was granted a protective order that required manziel to not see her for two years stay at least 500 feet from her home and place of work and pay 12000 in legal fees
crowley said that she and manziel had a confrontation in the hotel room that eventually continued downstairs to the valet station she said that he had forced her into a car and that a valet had disregarded her pleas for help the two eventually drove to where her car was parked in front of a dallas bar she said in an affidavit she said manziel had gotten into the drivers seat and began to drive crowley said manziel had stopped when she tried to jump out of the car but then had dragged her back inside and hit her
she also said in the affidavit that manziel had threatened to kill himself as he drove her back to fort worth about 30 miles west of dallas where police were called
in the wake of the allegations manziels father said the family had made two recent unsuccessful attempts to get him into a rehab clinic manziel who entered the nfl with a reputation for partying and drinking spent 73 days last winter in a pennsylvania treatment center specializing in care for alcohol and drug dependency
a deal between manziels lawyers and prosecutors to avoid a trial could include an agreement that manziel seek anger management or domestic battery counseling or undergo some form of substance abuse rehab lawyers watching the case have said
lawyers have also noted that the case has been handled unusually rather than arrest manziel dallas police sent their case for referral to a grand jury


john tavares the islanders center and captain is still only 25 but he has a pretty good knack for tracking things   loose pucks in the crease for one and landmark victories for his star crossed hockey team for another
because tavares was able to steady a wobbly puck and wrap the rebound of a shot past florida panthers goaltender roberto luongo at 10 minutes 41 seconds of the second overtime sunday night the islanders won their first nhl playoff series since 1993
the islanders will now face tampa bay in the second round and they are likely to be viewed as underdogs even though the lightning do not have center steven stamkos or defenseman anton stralman and finished with fewer points in the regular season than the islanders the lightning lost in the stanley cup finals last year
as hard as it may be to believe tavares has been an islander for seven seasons but that is just a portion of the franchises 23 year wandering through the desert for playoff success he understands what the fans have endured and now he said it is time to move on
when he played hockey as a child in ontario he said he dreamed of winning the stanley cup not just one of four playoff rounds
we want to enjoy tonight but this isnt over tavares said sunday as he sat at his dressing room stall at barclays center in brooklyn we want to keep this thing going we have a special group we believe we can do something special
in two of the past three seasons tavares has been one of three finalists for the hart trophy awarded to the nhl player most valuable to his team pittsburghs sidney crosby and washingtons alex ovechkin who have each won the hart trophy multiple times in recent years have received much more attention in large part because their teams have been more successful
but look again tavares crosby and ovechkin are still in the running for the stanley cup and with the penguins facing the capitals in the second round no more than two will make the conference finals
the islanders have come far since tavares joined the team in 2009 as the no 1 overall draft pick in part because the core of the team has stayed together and it has learned a lot
last april 27 the islanders had a chance to advance to the second round of the playoffs they took all of 11 shots on goal   none by tavares   and lost to the washington capitals 2 1
two years earlier they split the first two games of a series against the top seeded penguins but they lost the final two games the second in overtime at home these experiences have served as building blocks
i think we put that to good use this year said center frans nielsen an islander since the 2006 7 season we knew what we had to do we knew it was going to be a long series and it was going to be a grind but we just kept going at it
and they went at it for as long as it took of the islanders four victories over the panthers the atlantic division champions three were in overtime and the final two were in double overtime
i think it gives a group confidence said jack capuano the islanders coach since november 2010 its just a matter of maturity for our young players and how they have grown as a group and thats what its about and what you want to see i just think its going to get us some confidence knowing that we can win at any type of hockey we play
through 53 minutes sunday tavares had no shots on goal and the islanders had no goals with 140 remaining in regulation capuano pulled goaltender thomas greiss for an extra attacker with 54 seconds left tavares pushed a rebound under luongos pads to tie the score
in the second overtime tavares caught up to the rebound of his own hard wrist shot made sure he had control of the puck as he zipped behind the net then beat a scrambling luongo with a backhand wraparound to end the game
once he was going around the net i knew it was over said kyle okposo tavaress longtime linemate
florida coach gerard gallant later said of tavares hes a star player in this league and he comes up big when he has to
but the islanders are not just tavares thomas hickey and alan quine won games in overtime in the series tavares finished with six shots sunday   of 51 for the islanders
it means a lot to do this with basically the same group as when we were young pups okposo said its fun to do it with this group
greiss a 30 year old german who spent most of his career as a backup was not thought to be evenly matched with luongo a 37 year old veteran but greiss outplayed him tavares helped by scoring five goals in six games
hes the leader greiss said of tavares he drives the engine
okposo nielsen and the veteran fourth liner matt martin become unrestricted free agents after the season so the group could begin to dissolve soon perhaps that is why tavares thinks these islanders are capable of a long run
we realize how hard it is to win a series tavares said this is hard its going to get harder but i know our group is ready for it so i look forward to the next challenge


the news that volkswagen increased its reserves to 18 billion to cover the cost of penalties legal claims and recalls in the united states and elsewhere related to diesel emissions cheating means that the company is at the beginning of the end of the scandal
the particulars of the agreements in principle with government agencies and owners still have to be worked out the main question that remains is whether any individuals inside the company will be prosecuted in the united states for installation of the defeat device designed to make certain diesel engines appear to comply with federal and state environmental laws when in fact they did not
paying out the money is probably the easiest part of the resolution for volkswagen because those costs can be spread out over the next year or two moreover it can deduct some of the payments from its taxes as a business expense as well cushioning the damage to its bottom line at least a little bit
how will the 18 billion be spent although the final total could rise here are some rough estimates of how this pool could be divided
the new york times reported that the cost of buying back the diesel cars with the affected engines has been pegged at approximately 7 billion citing an estimate by kelley blue book an automobile research firm
there could be additional compensation paid to owners for the loss of use of their vehicles plus volkswagen will have to pay for fixing cars in europe and other countries which will not be as costly because they do not have the same stringent environmental requirements as the united states add in another billion dollars for those expenses and it adds up to about 8 billion to get the diesel cars fixed and their owners compensated
the penalties that will have to be paid to the justice department and federal regulators along with attorneys general in the states and the california air resources board which helped uncover the cheating can be expected to run into the billions of dollars
general motors paid a 900 million penalty for problems related to faulty ignition switches while toyota paid 12 billion for misleading statements about defects in its cars those cases were resolved through deferred prosecution agreements with the justice department so the companies avoided a criminal conviction
federal prosecutors could take a harder line with volkswagen by demanding a guilty plea because of indications that it failed to report the emissions cheating and initially claimed that it was in compliance with the law either resolution means a criminal fine can be expected and it is likely to exceed the amount toyota paid
the environmental protection agency could impose penalties of as much as 18 billion for the use of the defeat devices the justice department has also been looking at possible civil violations of the financial institutions reform recovery and enforcement act known as firrea for possible fraud by the company affecting banks that purchased securities packaging loans to buyers of its cars the amount of any penalty under that provision could be the profits on the transactions which could exceed a billion dollars
the federal trade commission sued volkswagen over its advertisements promoting the environmental benefits of its diesel engines another front that could produce significant penalties add in the investigations by the states into whether their own consumer protection laws were broken and the total amount on the civil side is likely to exceed the criminal fine volkswagen has to pay
a rule of thumb in securities fraud settlements is that the penalty should match the harm caused to the victims in this case the owners of cars with the defeat device along with any environmental damage using that approach would indicate that the fines and civil penalties could total about 8 billion although if the company can convince the justice department that it has been cooperative then that figure may drop how the money will be divided among the various agencies is not of much interest to volkswagen as long as the payment makes the investigations disappear
that would leave roughly 2 billion available for the company to pay penalties to regulators in europe and other parts of the world in which cars equipped with its diesel engines were sold
add it all up and volkswagens 18 billion kitty should cover most of the costs it faces from the emissions scandal with the chance to save a billion or two if it can show it was cooperative with the investigations of course this assumes there are not any new revelations about using defeat devices or other environmental issues with its vehicles
that will not be the end of the cheating story for volkswagen however because there is also the issue of whether individuals will be accused of wrongdoing
in a statement issued on friday volkswagen said it would not provide an interim update on the status of the internal investigation because doing so would present unacceptable risks for volkswagen and therefore cannot take place now although the law firm retained to lead the review jones day has conducted over 450 interviews and looked at millions of documents there are still additional employees to speak with
the company expressed concern that revealing what it has learned to this point would be a problem because individuals who have yet to be questioned could align their statements with the contents of the interim report getting complete   and accurate   information is important because the company is hoping to receive credit from the justice department for its cooperation which could reduce the penalties it will have to pay
the price for being considered cooperative these days requires identifying individuals within the company who are responsible for the violations a memorandum issued by sally q yates the deputy attorney general in september states that to receive any consideration for cooperation a company under investigation must completely disclose to the department all relevant facts about individual misconduct
according to volkswagens statement disclosing the information gathered to this point could also jeopardize the credit that volkswagen may expect to receive in the event of its full cooperation with the department of justice
in other words it needs to keep digging to provide the names of everyone who was involved in the emissions cheating and tipping off who it has identified so far might make it difficult to pinpoint others who might be responsible
if the justice department thinks volkswagen has held back information or taken shortcuts in completing the investigation then the cost of any settlement will increase by compounding the perception that the company was less than forthcoming when the emissions issue first arose getting to the bottom of who was responsible and whether anyone in senior management was aware of   or even encouraged   the cheating will be the litmus test of how much cooperation credit volkswagen receives
references to obtaining information from individuals inside the company is a good indication that volkswagen is trying to comply with the requirement to aid the prosecution of its employees if the justice department plans to seek charges against individuals that raises the question of whether germany would be willing to extradite its citizens to the united states to face trial
the end may be in sight for volkswagen but there is still a long way to go for the company to the extent that it identifies those who it believes were responsible for the emissions cheating the case will continue as individuals are much more likely to fight charges than a company keeping the scandal in the news


this week on the music charts prince is no 1 and no 2 and no 6 and on and on
after prince died on thursday his fans rushed to listen to his music but since it is mostly unavailable for streaming   tidal is the only major streaming outlet that has princes full catalog   they did something that fewer and fewer people do anymore actually buy the music
the very best of prince a 2001 compilation chocked with classic hits like when doves cry and kiss shot to no 1 on billboards latest album chart with 100000 sales and 292000 streams in the united states according to data from nielsen purple rain the 1984 album that made prince a global superstar is no 2 with 63000 sales and 71000 streams and another collection the hits the b sides is no 6
in all prince has eight albums in the top 200 his sales are all the more remarkable since the music industrys standard accounting week ends at midnight thursday so the vast majority of these purchases were made in little more than 12 hours once news of princes death emerged around midday thursday
the sales have continued for thursday friday and saturday   a period that stretches across last weeks sales week as well as the one that just began   prince has sold 579000 albums which according to nielsen is up some 42000 percent from the previous three days when princes catalog sold only 1400 copies
also this week the country singer sturgill simpsons new album a sailors guide to earth atlantic opened at no 3 and santanas new santana iv santana ivthirty tigers started at no 5 rihannas anti roc nation is no 4 and last weeks top seller the lumineers cleopatra dualtone fell to no 9


new canaan conn   the offices of hobbs inc a third generation home builder here are lined with awards and framed articles for the firms decades of work 2008 best residential remodel over 3 million 2010 outstanding home over 12000 sq ft imus in the afternoon living very large
in his wood paneled office on thursday scott hobbs was going over what may be his most challenging project yet the millport apartments a 73 unit affordable housing complex in the center of new canaan in addition to being president of the family business mr hobbs is chairman of the housing authority for this town of 20000   a place more often associated with philip johnsons glass house and waveny the 300 acre estate of a founder of texaco not to mention custom built hobbs homes on half  to four acre lots
in fairfield county by many measures the most economically stratified county in perhaps the most economically stratified state in the country new canaan has recently become something of an affordable housing leader
not that the town had much choice in the matter a 1990 state law meant to reverse decades of housing discrimination requires all of connecticuts 169 municipalities to guarantee that at least 10 percent of their housing units are affordable in new canaan where the average home sells for 14 million that number stands at 27 percent
the problem is the state is using a bazooka mr hobbs a former tank commander said the housing program should fit in with the existing communities instead of just blowing up what everyone loves about them
all across southwestern connecticut some of the wealthiest communities in america are grappling with the mandate to make room for those who are not wealthy some towns like fairfield have implemented mandatory inclusionary housing programs similar to those in new york city darien after spending millions on blocking projects has started building its own while milford just a few inlets up the coast has faced down numerous lawsuits and politicians have turned this issue into a reliable get out the vote tactic
tim hollister a partner at the law firm of shipman  goodwin has fought more than 100 cases against towns under the state law about a quarter have been in fairfield county in the past decade i wont say the towns have embraced it but theyve learned to live with it mr hollister said and nobodys turned into downtown stamford
the law responsible for all this statute 8 30g is rather simple and straightforward every connecticut community must ensure that 10 percent of its domiciles are affordable to a family earning in most cases about 64000 a year or less if not developers effectively have the right to ignore zoning restrictions and build whatever housing they want so long as 30 percent of those units are set aside as affordable towns can get a four year reprieve however if they ensure a certain number of affordable units have been built
to borrow mr hobbss metaphor the law has created an affordable housing arms race and it was one of new canaans own who launched the first salvo
charles berman a resident and real estate executive experienced in wrangling with local ordinances started avalon properties later known as avalonbay in 1993 among the firms first projects was 104 apartments on a private parking lot next to the new canaan train station the proposal which overcame restrictions on multifamily housing by including 21 affordable units was resoundingly rejected by the local planning commission but repeatedly upheld in court after five years the town settled the dispute and swapped out the parking lot for a parcel a mile away though still near downtown
after that ordeal town officials decided to take matters into their own hands in 2007 over strong opposition a 1 percent surcharge was approved on building permits for all new or renovated homes in order to create an affordable housing fund the town has about 7500 households only 178 of which were affordable at the time so if new canaan could build roughly 45 to 55 new units every four years it could stave off outside projects through the 8 30g moratorium
it has to be done in harmony with the character and the atmosphere of the town said laszlo papp former chairman of the planning and zoning commission who came up with the surcharge right now were just limping along from four years to four years trying to do whatever we can
the most obvious site for new units was in place of the towns few old ones next to what became the avalon property new canaan in the 1950s had built a group of 16 bungalows for veterans coincidentally constructed by mr hobbss grandfather those were torn down and townhomes with 40 affordable units known as the mill apartments were built in their place with colorful vinyl siding and stainless steel appliances the complex opened in 2011 and does not look very different from avalons luxury homes next door
the 24 additional apartments were not enough to qualify for a moratorium so officials turned to a complex of 18 apartments built in 1983 as federal public housing these are now being redeveloped as the millport apartments which the town broke ground on last month with 73 units built by new yorks jonathan rose companies the expansion will not only cover the first four year moratorium but also go toward a second
ive worked in connecticut affordable housing for 12 years and ive never seen a wealthy suburban town as proactive about this as new canaan has been said david mccarthy a senior project manager at jonathan rose companies
but officials insist that after existing affordable housing has been upgraded   this includes one other potential parcel canaan parish which was privately developed in the 1970s   they will be out of viable land will the town spend millions buying large homes to demolish and replace with smaller ones which might fill schools and sewers without filling the tax coffers
if we had to build more housing that would mean we couldnt build a new school or firehouse which we would need precisely because of the new housing said chris hussey a real estate broker who helped build canaan parish
and yet the town managed to build 410 units of new housing between 2000 and 2010 according to the census only 43 of those were affordable and 25 more have been built since
the town has proved itself to be innovative if also inflexible a recent proposal to turn a former mill into 16 condominiums five of which would have been affordable   the rest would sell for as much as 22 million each   was fiercely opposed by neighbors ultimately the town agreed to 10 units none for low income families and instead the developer paid 200000 to the housing fund
the town is better off with a real mix of people ned truslow a 15 year resident said last week this housing is a good thing so long as its not ugly which is what really bothers people
many living at millport share their neighbors concerns
donna mills won the housing lottery literally and figuratively and moved in eight years ago she cannot wait for a new apartment with a dishwasher in the redevelopment but she is equally grateful for the apartment she has far from the drug dealing and violence of her old home in norwalk
there were a lot of people who would look at you funny when we first moved here ms mills said inside her tidy two bedroom duplex they could tell but now my boys about to graduate from college and thats all that matters
indeed both sides might be more allies than enemies when it comes to new development
i understand the argument but five or six stories is just too big said david ritch a mechanic from stamford with tattoos and a harley davidson who has lived here almost two years then youre packing people in like rats and it starts to look like new york city nobody wants that


two nba teams the cavaliers and the spurs have finished off their opening round playoff series with four game sweeps but the warriors the superteam that broke the regular season wins record have lost a playoff game to the rockets and so lead by only three games to one while dealing with an injury to their star stephen curry
a sweep can cheer fans and it often starts the hype machine but do first round sweeps over often weak opposition really herald postseason success in the nba not really
since the opening round expanded to a best of seven series in 2003 there had been 20 first round sweeps before this season
the teams that did the sweeping were mostly quite good 18 of the 20 were seeded higher than their opponents and the exceptions were fifth seeds beating fourth seeds of the 20 16 were no 1 or no 2 seeds these strong teams fared fairly well in the playoffs 16 of the 20 won their next series as well
but their records slip after that only nine of the 20 made the nba finals and surprisingly only two   the 2013 heat and the warriors last year   won the title indeed over this period it has been as likely for an eventual champion to go to seven games in the first round as to sweep
in 2014 the top seeded spurs needed seven games to outlast monta ellis and the mavericks then lost only four games the rest of the way to the title in 2008 joe johnson and the eighth seeded hawks who had a losing regular season record pushed the celtics to seven games boston needed seven six and six games in their subsequent series and won a hard fought title
this seasons two sweepers went about it differently the cavaliers won games by 5 points and 2 points and by an average of only 85 the second narrowest margin for a first round sweep since 2003
in contrast the spurs crushed the grizzlies winning by an average of 22 points the most dominant first round performance under the current format the record had been held by the spurs of 2013 who demolished the lakers by an average of 188 points on their way to the finals as a no 2 seed
in the 1990s the first round was a best of five series the team the warriors are often compared to michael jordans bulls swept all six first round series in their six title years in the first four of those years the average margin of victory ranged from 164 points to 23 in their last two title years the bulls swept by an average of only 6 points and 77
the warriors are spending a lot more time worrying about currys health than about losing a game to the rockets fans should probably also not fret and the spurs and the cavaliers may want to wait a round or two before expanding the trophy case


piscataway nj   to discuss the wage discrimination debate unfolding at the top level of soccer in the united states allow me to introduce cheyenne abigail and amaya
these three girls   two 11 year olds and a 10 year old from the jersey shore   put on their soccer jerseys hopped into a minivan and traveled about an hour with their moms on sunday afternoon to watch a womens professional soccer game sky blue fcs home opener here against the washington spirit
smart girls not even in middle school yet they realize that equality shouldnt be just for the elite but for everyone including athletes in the 10 team national womens soccer league
most of the 200 or so players in the league you see dont draw a salary from the united states womens national team which is why you didnt hear much chatter about them when carli lloyd hope solo becky sauerbrunn alex morgan and megan rapinoe filed a wage discrimination complaint against us soccer last month
yet you should have both issues are important
some of the players in the nwsl get paid so little that they have to have jobs on the side to support their families and thats not right said cheyenne payne who turned 11 on monday and who recited so many details about womens soccer that id swear she studied for my interview
abigail cole said it was just wrong that she had to watch nwsl games streamed on youtube because the games are rarely televised amaya dalton said it was just unfair that pay for the best men and women was so different
how different us soccer pays about 54000 per national player on top of national team pay to compete in the nwsl the other nwsl players earn salaries that range from 7200 to 39700 for a season that runs from april to october
where does that leave a player like raquel rodriguez a sky blue midfielder rodriguez was the college player of the year at penn state last season and represented her native costa rica in last summers world cup she said her countrys federation doesnt pay her and has yet to fork over the 2000 bonus she and her teammates were supposed to get from reaching the world cup with her federations former president embroiled in the fifa financial scandal she acknowledged she may never see that money
for the us national team players getting just a 2000 bonus would be an insult rodriguez said but for players like me who dont make money playing soccer for their country that 2000 is a huge help
her teammate ashley nick an american who isnt on the national team supplements her salary with modeling and babysitting jobs and she said other players work in coffee shops to make ends meet nick is not a stranger to pro sports four of her cousins casey clay jake and kevin matthews play or have played in the nfl
if were going to eat at chipotle together theyre going to pay for the extra guacamole if you get my drift nick said but were just hustling because we have to we realize that its very much the pioneer days of womens soccer
the pioneer days are advancing slowly the nwsl just starting its fourth season is the third league of its kind in the united states the previous two leagues folded after three seasons the main difference now is that us soccer and the canadian soccer association are helping to bankroll the nwsl as it tries to gain a foothold in addition to paying the salaries of their national team players us soccer and the csa cover the league offices costs a contribution us soccer pegged recently at about 10 million over the first three seasons
but there is far to go attendance in the nwsls first season in 2013 averaged 4271 a game last year   even with most of the leagues stars absent because of world cup duty   it rose to 5046 and while the portland thorns have set the bar for fan support and the expansion orlando pride broke the leagues single game record saturday with an announced 23403 fans in attendance for their first home game the nwsls future   its mere existence   isnt a sure thing
so yes its good to raise awareness about equal pay for equal work in international soccer but words alone wont help close the yawning gap between men and women the stars and the second stringers of the nwsl welcome your support on social media but what they could really use is your support at the ticket booth and in the stadium shop
better support from fans would help make the league viable for the long haul and that might allow it to wean itself from us soccers subsidies and if us soccer ever stops bankrolling the league there will be no justification to have different pay structures for its mens and womens national teams
the lifeblood of football worldwide is club football and professional leagues said moya dodd a member of fifas executive committee and for the womens game to grow these womens leagues need to develop it absolutely matters
so if you really want to help the cause of the womens players try helping the larger cause too crack open your wallet and go to an nwsl game any team any game just go
theres often plenty of room though its home games are played only about 40 miles outside new york city sky blue has been last in attendance since the league began the team which plays in rutgers universitys soccer stadium and lost to the spirit 2 1 in the home opener had only 2571 fans in the stands on sunday
a lot of people dont even know this league exists sky blue forward natasha kai said so somethings got to change we just want to play
ali krieger a defender for the spirit and the world cup winning national team suggested that the league ramp up its marketing efforts put fliers on bus shelters she said or in coffee shops or yell from the rooftops another option is for nwsl owners to join forces with mls teams as the clubs in portland houston and orlando have and sell soccer as a package deal
but its up to the public to make the real difference to do something more than vent on twitter and facebook in support of the cause of equal pay cheyenne payne wants to be a professional soccer player one day and she is going to need a league to do that
the world she said sunday just needs to wake up


minutes after beyonce released lemonade an album in which she touches on marital infidelity fans in the beyhive declared it a very bad evening for two people her husband jay z and the mystery woman the singer fleetingly mentions as a mistress lets call that poor soul becky
the lyric is embedded at the end of the song sorry and it goes like this he only want me when im not there he better call becky with the good hair
its unclear whether the mention of becky references an person or was used to illustrate something more symbolic but soon after watching beyonce swing a bat at cars and set her surroundings on fire in the televised album viewing event the beyhive carried out the virtual equivalent of a car smashing against the reputation of the designer rachel roy whose relationship with jay z had long been a matter of speculation
it did not help that ms roy alluded to her good hair in an instagram post on saturday night the night the album was unveiled good hair dont care she wrote that was all the evidence the beyhive needed to unleash its wrath
but then it got stranger the tv chef rachael ray was accidentally pulled into the fray   because of her similar name
this photo is a fairly accurate representation of what happened next
the beyhive largely reversed course after discovering that ms ray the food network fixture who prefers to go by rach was the victim of an unfortunate misspelling but her instagram page remains a smoldering wreckage of lemon and bee emojis ms roy was so inundated with comments that she set her own account to private
to be sure there are other things in lemonade that are more important than punishing becky such as beyonces use of powerful imagery and spoken word poetry to tell a story of the resilience of black womanhood and her elevation of black female voices through her work our critic wrote its a process black women are good at lemonade
but the rapturous dismantling of ms roys social media accounts briefly took center stage users harassed the designer on instagram and twitter and someone edited her wikipedia page died under a lemonade stand it appeared to read at one point ms roys daughters ava 16 and tallulah 7 also received an onslaught of abusive comments on their instagram pages
some of the backlash against ms roy was focused on the specific use of good hair a phrase that has been used as shorthand to describe hair texture associated with white light skinned or asian women
some commented that ms roys acknowledgment of her own good hair was essentially a racist act
after hours of being targeted ms roy commented on sunday   not on her use of good hair but on her respect of marriage
a couple of days later the dust seems to be clearing if youre reading this congratulations you survived the rapture and it looks as if jay z is going to be just fine lemonade is another high profile delivery to his music service tidal and his marriage appears to be intact
on monday ms ray hadnt addressed the brouhaha and instead used her twitter account to praise a musical this seems like a good internet rule of thumb when in doubt bring up hamilton when it comes to her the mob seems to have moved along
the same cant be said for the woman who was accused of being becky the internet abuse appears to have leaked into her professional life ms roy pulled out of a work engagement monday morning citing a personal emergency buzzfeed reported
then on tuesday she directly addressed the speculation she was becky in a statement to people magazine there is no validity to the idea that the song references me personally there is no truth to the rumors


raleigh nc   the north carolina general assembly already buffeted by weeks of bitter debate over a law about gay and transgender rights faced competing demonstrations and new pressure as lawmakers opened their annual session here on monday
the immediate fate of the law which limits bathroom access for transgender people in public buildings and broadly forbids discrimination claims in state courts was not in question after republican leaders and rank and file lawmakers said they anticipated leaving the measure intact yet supporters and critics alike used the general assemblys return as a rallying point about a law that set off an economic backlash and shoved the state into a rollicking national debate
we are using the tools available to us in democracy   petitions lobbying public protests civil disobedience   to say this law is wrong at its core and it must be immediately repealed said the rev jasmine beach ferrara the executive director of the campaign for southern equality
during public gatherings across the state government complex supporters of the law which many people refer to as house bill 2 outnumbered critics at one rally after church buses ferried supporters from places like thomasville and rural hall thousands of people many of them in lawn chairs heard speaker after speaker praise the measure
i suggest to the chagrin of many that believe otherwise to resist any appeal of hb 2 is to show love the rev mark h creech the executive director of the christian action league said at the rally which had the feel of a revival meeting it is a tough love nonetheless the struggle to support the measure is a proper application of loving the lord your god with all your heart your soul and your mind
the battle about the law approved during a one day special session last month is poised to ripple throughout the so called short session which often deals with the budget
democrats have moved to repeal the law with the repeal proposal widely expected to fail critics of the law argued monday that the existing statute is more far reaching than its supporters like to acknowledge in part because it blocks local governments from enforcing policies like anti discrimination and minimum wage ordinances
they want you to call this a bathroom bill said the rev william j barber ii the president of the north carolina naacp and a leader of mondays protests against the law its not a bathroom bill but theres a lot of stuff in here that ought to be thrown in the outhouse
gov pat mccrory a republican who is seeking re election this year urged legislators to change the part of the law limiting where discrimination claims can be filed it is unclear whether lawmakers will heed mr mccrorys recommendation
republican leaders have framed the laws preservation as a matter of public safety critics the governor and his supporters contend are political opportunists who have misconstrued the law
our values are not shaped by the nba or bruce springsteen or some opinion poll state representative phil shepard a republican and a baptist minister said referring to some of the bills critics were standing strong
another republican legislator state representative dan bishop described the outcry as a dishonest media fueled carpet bombing
but legislators were still left to reckon with a law that led companies including paypal and deutsche bank to abandon or pause plans to add jobs in north carolina and prompted the obama administration to weigh whether the state will remain eligible for billions of dollars in federal aid
many of the laws opponents fear that north carolinas reputation has already been tarnished perhaps irrevocably on friday in a development that did not go unnoticed here the law was even a subject during president obamas news conference with prime minister david cameron of britain
i cant get over the fact that the president and the prime minister were talking about us in an international news conference where they were talking about the fate of the european union and some other major issues said state representative darren g jackson a democrat and an architect of the repeal effort thats not what i want to project for the state of north carolina
and so critics renewed their vows for a long campaign of resistance to the law already the subject of a legal challenge in a broadening of the moral monday movement that has shadowed the republican dominated legislature in recent years
the religious right has always been there but it just seems were living in a context now in the national political discussion where hateful bigotry is allowed to stand loud and proud in public barbara zelter said while she considered whether she would stay long enough to be arrested at a sit in later monday when 54 protesters were arrested after chanting inside the general assemblys building
ms zelter 66 conceded that her display of outrage was unlikely to produce quick results
how social movements change things she said is by changing the wind changing the culture


carlsbad calif   in the late morning on a weekday the terminal at mcclellan palomar airport calls to mind a ghost town
the building is vacant the flight board blank six rocking chairs in the waiting area sit motionless
the only sign of life is the whirring of a small plug in fan operating in the mens restroom
but if ted vallas gets his way the cozy airfield that now serves only private flights will soon be bustling with passengers on commercial jets traveling up and down the west coast
mr vallas owns california pacific airlines known as cp air his latest venture in a peripatetic business career that has included stints in areas as varied as land development and other aviation related ventures
cp air has sat on a metaphorical runway for years   engines idling ready for takeoff   while awaiting certification by the federal aviation administration
mr vallass patience is wearing thin after all he is 95 and he regards the airline as a legacy an exclamation point to a colorful life
in a second floor office on airport grounds bedecked with models of planes and a black and white framed photo of his wife of 67 years mr vallas addresses why he does not abandon the quest
if i start something he says i like to finish it
if anything his quest shows how difficult starting an airline can be in an era of consolidation
conceived decades ago the airline was set to begin operating as early as 2010
his plan seemed straightforward enough serve the booming population north of san diego with routes to cities including oakland sacramento san jose las vegas and phoenix
by 2012 mr vallas was confident enough in his venture to hold a gala at the airport where he showed off his first purchased plane
but then there was that matter with the faa the agency has repeatedly denied applications a letter from 2013 one of several from the agency advised him that the applications contents were incomplete inaccurate and do not appear to have been reviewed for quality
complicating matters has been disagreement between mr vallas and the county which owns mcclellan palomar over whether the airport meets environmental standards
a news conference this month took a strange twist when an airport spokeswoman alex bell advised mr vallas that he needed another environmental assessment which could push back approval by two years
having distributed copies of the in flight magazine at the gathering mr vallas disagreed and insisted that the environmental hurdle had already been cleared
in an interview ms bell said the county supported a commercial presence at the airport and described its dealings with the airline as most cooperative
but she said the need for an environmental analysis should not have been a surprise
still mr vallas remains optimistic he points to the economic impact cp air could provide and says there is a need in the growing region known as north county that would be well served by his airline
we are supposed to be partners not adversaries he says they are overprotective now with these environmental studies
at the same time he concedes that the county and the faa must adhere to regulations adding i have no animosity toward them
john selvaggio the airlines former chief executive and a big proponent of the venture is less complimentary than his former boss about the support he received from local businesses and county officials
what has to change is the political climate in terms of support from the community the county and maybe the state he says
mr selvaggio who was recently named senior vice president and chief operating officer of mesa airlines found supporters who were passionate about cp air but they were not people with an economic interest he says that really was the problem
the government shutdown in 2013 and the faas staff reduction did not help matters the agency acknowledges
mr vallas was a victim of the circumstances said mr selvaggio who remains a proponent of the airline citing growth limitations at san diego international airport
he had the right game plan he said
the process of greenlighting a new airline has become more complicated since mr vallas sold a previous venture a charter service called air resorts in 1997
he acknowledges the vast increase in paperwork since that era but contends that the conditions for acceptance have been met
mr vallass airline is not the only one that has encountered bureaucratic headwinds other proposed airlines are in limbo for various reasons including baltia airlines created in 1989 to fly between new york city and russia which still lacks the authorities blessing
most of the funding for cp air has come from mr vallass pocket with an additional 2 million from family and friends and 3 million from a loan he says
some two decades after declaring personal bankruptcy following a breach of contract related to the purchase of planes from northwest airlines mr vallas places his net worth at 20 million
jumping into markets already serviced by established airlines can be difficult john heimlich vice president and chief economist of the trade organization airlines for america suggested that upstarts might be better off targeting small and midsize locales
there are definitely some untapped markets out there he said
despite the series of road bumps mr selvaggio said he would be surprised if his onetime colleague backed down
he is the eternal optimist mr selvaggio said he never seemed to let anything faze him he would take every setback in stride and move on to the next alternative he is hard to keep down
the only criticism i could say is that he is a little stubborn
his wife june has tried to nudge mr vallas into retirement after a congestive heart issue combined with a stroke while in the hospital sidelined him for a month
shes been very understanding he says acknowledging that the matter has generated tension as for his doctors they always tell you to slow down
mr vallas whose interest in aviation dates to his years in the navy may have downshifted but not much there is golf twice a week on two replaced knees plus other forms of exercise
and an airline to get off the ground as he approaches centenarian status mr vallas hears a clock ticking


baghdad   iraqi forces backed by american airstrikes and advised by american officers have been making strides in anbar province slowly taking back territory from the islamic state
but in falluja a city in sunni dominated anbar that has been in the hands of the islamic state longer than any other in iraq or syria civilians are starving as the iraqi army and militias lay siege to the city and elsewhere in the province shiite militias supported by iran are carrying out kidnappings and murders and restricting the movement of sunni arab civilians according to american and iraqi officials
for seasoned observers of the american military involvement in iraq   going back more than 25 years to the start of the persian gulf war   it is all part of a depressingly familiar pattern battlefield gains that do not bring stability in their wake
unfortunately as has been a trademark of american involvement with iraq at least since 2003 and arguably since 1991 military success is not being matched with the commensurate political economic efforts that will ultimately determine whether battlefield successes are translated into lasting achievements kenneth m pollack a senior fellow at the brookings institution and a longtime iraq analyst wrote recently in an online column
a growing number of critics are warning that american backed military victories need to be backed up with political reconciliation between sunni and shiite arabs something iran is working against and with determined efforts to rebuild cities so that civilians can return in anbar they note the situation is bleak shiite militias have worsened sectarian animosities and hundreds of thousands of civilians have been unable to return home
more broadly analysts and officials say it has become clear that though the united states and iran both want to defeat the islamic state in iraq they have been unable to work together to promote unity in the country   even after a deal was reached last year over irans nuclear program which many hoped would allow them to cooperate more closely
nowhere is this dynamic more pronounced than in anbar a vast desert area of western iraq that for years has been a homeland for the islamic state and its forerunner al qaeda in iraq and where hundreds of american soldiers and marines were killed after the american invasion of iraq in 2003
as the united states supports the iraqi army and some local tribal fighters in battling the islamic state iran has quietly pursued its objectives in the province officials say it wants to secure a land route to syria and its allies the government of president bashar al assad and hezbollah the lebanese shiite movement and to protect baghdad and the shiite dominated south of iraq
the situation in anbar has grown increasingly muddled as the obama administration has stepped up its military support to iraq announcing that it will deploy apache helicopters and position more troops closer to the front lines it has touted victories in anbar as an important step toward liberating the country from the islamic state also known as isis or isil and as a prelude to a campaign possibly this year to retake mosul iraqs second largest city
but irans proxies are undercutting efforts to unite the civilian population a necessity if iraq is to eventually extinguish extremism in the siege of falluja a sunni city the shiite militias have prevented civilians from leaving islamic state territory while resisting calls to allow humanitarian aid to reach the city sunni arab civilians in the province are increasingly reporting kidnappings and murders by the militias accounts that american and iraqi officials say are credible
in some cases after civilians have disappeared their families have received ransom demands abu abdulrahman a resident of amiriyat al falluja a city in anbar under the control of the government said three of his cousins vanished last year after being stopped at a militia checkpoint
we havent heard anything about them since then he said although a man approached the family and demanded a ransom of 8000 which was paid he disappeared with the money he said
conditions are so dire in falluja for the tens of thousands of civilians trapped there that dozens of people have starved to death civilians and activists say food prices have skyrocketed with a bag of flour that would cost 15 in baghdad going for 750 human rights watch has reported
the rights group recently warned that if aid does not reach falluja the results for civilians could be calamitous
we are profoundly worried about falluja lise grande the united nations humanitarian coordinator for iraq said in a recent statement there are reports of widespread food shortages and lack of medicines we dont have access to the city but we have to assume based on what we are hearing that people are in terrible trouble
hadi al ameri a prominent iraqi official who leads the badr organization a longstanding militia backed by iran said in an interview this year as the siege of falluja began that it was a military necessity to surround the city to cut off supply lines
when asked about the demand from the united nations and other groups to find a way to send food in he said using another acronym for the islamic state to give food to who   to daesh
inside falluja some civilians who say they initially supported the islamic state as preferable to the government in baghdad now say they would welcome liberation but they say they are caught between the islamic state which has become more brutal toward civilians as the siege has dragged on and the government and militias
the situation inside falluja is difficult because of the siege imposed by the security forces outside falluja and from the inside by isis who wont let us get out of the city said ahmed mohammed a falluja resident reached by telephone
cellphone reception is spotty and anyone seen talking on a cellphone is at risk of arrest it has become very difficult for us to use our mobile phones because isis expects that we may be talking with the government said qais al jumayli who was reached by phone last week therefore we are very cautious
he added we dont know our destiny or the destiny of our families


i talk to many people who have problems with spending sometimes its friends sometimes its co workers sometimes its neighbors and yes sometimes i talk to myself about my own struggles
what ive discovered over the years is that most of our problems do not come down to income instead we dont notice enough spending mindlessly without even thinking about it has become a national bad habit and we all know how hard it is to break habits so we make the same mistakes over and over again
oops i did it again another month another blown budget
we keep having this problem because we keep using the same tips and tricks while expecting a different result we tear up our credit cards and use only cash we may even wear a shock bracelet theres actually somebody who advocates that which you can use to zap yourself when you buy something
crazy right well its time for a new approach
solutions that focus on negative reinforcement are like hacking at the branches when what we really need is to focus on the roots what im proposing is really simple and its based on one central hypothesis the solution is not making spending more painful the solution is awareness
so i want you to try a little experiment ive created its called 30 days and three seconds
heres how it works for 30 days when you spend money i want you to take three seconds and simply notice what youre doing thats the program simple easy and doable it can be before during or after the purchase be consistent and make sure you do it for every purchase
for instance if youre buying lunch at whole foods when the cashier says that will be 867 after you pay stop for three seconds and say to yourself eight sixty seven for lunch isnt that interesting
and those are exactly the words i want you to use isnt that interesting not isnt that dumb not oh i should have...and certainly not not again i just want you to notice
the point of this is not to beat yourself up about your spending all of the emphasis for the next 30 days is on awareness   thats it
one way you can do this is by setting up your credit card or apple pay to send you an automatic message each time you make a purchase in the whole foods example you spend 867 on your card and almost immediately you will get a text message saying you spent 867 at whole foods
if you dont like that idea get a receipt for every purchase when you walk out the door look at the receipt read it and say isnt that interesting then throw the receipt in the trash and if you dont like that just say it to yourself each time the cashier tells you the total
thats all youre going to do
and then 30 days from now on may 25 send me an email about what you learned the experiences you had or what happened to you you can reach me at hellobehaviorgapcom im going to take some of those lessons and some of my own and write a follow up column that you can count on seeing two weeks after that on june 13
look i could tell you what the goals of this exercise are i could tell you other tricks and tips on how to achieve them but were not going to do any of that stuff no budget no list and no adding it up at the end of the month again the entire objective is awareness i dont want you to judge yourself or to change what youre doing just simply notice
thirty days three seconds
experiment with it see what you discover and then shoot me an email


septeto santiaguero a latin grammy winning group from cuba will make its united states debut as part of this years midsummer night swing lincoln centers annual outdoor dance party series
the season which runs from june 21 through july 9 also features an array of performers from different genres like salsa disco tango   and of course swing as in recent years there will also be late night silent discos
septeto santiaguero a favorite of the nightclub casa de la trova in cuba has its debut on june 28 with a blend of traditional and experimental music the performance like others throughout midsummer night swing will be preceded by an optional dance lesson to warm up attendees
other highlights from the season include the opening night concert by the swing and blues group catherine russell septet led by ms russell daughter of louis armstrongs longtime orchestra director luis russell and the bassist carline ray on june 25 the allen toussaint band pays tribute to its namesake the new orleans musician who died last year that program includes the singer irma thomas one of mr toussaints collaborators
the silent discos which have become a fixture of midsummer night swing in the past few years are scheduled for june 23 and july 2 the parties which begin at 10 pm feature a lineup of djs who perform live sets for wireless headphones
more information will be available at midsummernightswingorg


lin manuel miranda the creator and star of the broadway musical hamilton on sunday night took his concern about puerto ricos financial crisis to television performing a rapped plea for relief on last week tonight with john oliver
mr miranda whose parents are both from puerto rico has been deploying his newfound celebrity to urge congress to assist the island last month while in washington to visit the white house he spoke at a news conference and met with members of congress and he also wrote an op ed piece on the issue for the new york times
in his appearance on the hbo show at which he was accompanied by alex lacamoire the hamilton music director mr miranda outlined his concern for puerto rico and again asked congress to do more he joked referring to the speaker of the house paul ryan ill come sing hamilton at your house
here is the video of the john oliver segment on puerto rico - mr mirandas appearance begins at 19 minutes


roger goodell the most powerful man in professional football prevailed again monday in his 15 month battle with tom brady one of the games most celebrated quarterbacks and this time brady has virtually no chance of escaping a four game suspension
goodells victory came in a ruling by a three judge panel of the united states court of appeals for the second circuit that overturned a lower court decision and affirmed that goodell the nfl commissioner had broad discretion to suspend players according to the collective bargaining agreement with the players union
the panels decision can be appealed to the full second circuit or even the supreme court but the chance of a victory for brady is close to nil said michael leroy who teaches labor law at the university of illinois at urbana champaign assuming nothing changes brady could return to regular play as soon as oct 9
the nfls decision in the so called deflategate case   suspending one of its most popular players for being generally aware of a plot to deflate footballs in the 2015 afc championship game   captivated the nation like few football stories
over the years sports leagues have fought with some of their best players including cases in which major league baseball butted heads with barry bonds and alex rodriguez but never has a showdown between a league and a player centered on whether the player wanted to manipulate the air pressure in a ball
the case drew expert analysis from physicists and excoriation from fans   many in new england   who believed that the commissioners ruling was based on inadequate evidence
the saga raised fundamental questions about fairness on the field how teams look for an edge and whether the commissioner who views himself as a stern taskmaster had overstepped his bounds
the leagues decision to go after brady also pitted the commissioner against robert k kraft the owner of the patriots and long one of goodells staunchest allies at the super bowl in arizona shortly after the scandal broke kraft in a highly unusual move for an owner lambasted the league for its handling of the case during an impromptu news conference he also objected to the 1 million fine and loss of draft picks imposed on his team but eventually accepted the penalties
bradys lawyers had argued that he was unfairly suspended after he was accused of involvement in a scheme to deflate footballs used in a playoff game and last summer a federal district court judge agreed allowing brady to play the entire 2015 season
the nfl appealed that ruling to the second circuit which heard oral arguments in early march the judges were openly skeptical of many of the arguments made by bradys lawyer signaling that they sided with the nfls case that goodell had broad discretion to suspend players
in their decision the judges did not consider the underlying facts of the case including the science of football deflation but instead looked solely at whether goodell as arbitrator acted in the spirit of the collective bargaining agreement
we hold that the commissioner properly exercised this broad discretion under the collective bargaining agreement and that his procedural rulings were properly grounded in that agreement and did not deprive brady of fundamental fairness judges barrington daniels parker jr and denny chin wrote in their opinion accordingly we reverse the judgment of the district court and remand with instructions to confirm the award
in a dissent chief judge robert a katzmann said that goodell had overstepped his role as arbitrator by changing his reason for penalizing brady after he had heard the quarterbacks appeal initially goodell suspended brady for his role in the plot to deflate footballs then argued that brady had obstructed the leagues investigation of the incident by destroying his cellphone which might have contained messages between brady and members of the patriots staff
the second circuit made the right ruling that conforms to a very well established pattern in the labor law leroy said
the judges said that despite the protestations of kraft brady and the nfl players association goodell was merely acting on the powers to which the league and union had agreed in their labor deal the latest of which was signed in 2011 the judges acknowledged that the management union pact in which the person who penalizes players also listens to appeals of those penalties might be unconventional but they would not get in the way of a longstanding and transparent contract
in their collective bargaining agreement the players and the league mutually decided many years ago that the commissioner should investigate possible rule violations should impose appropriate sanctions and may preside at arbitrations challenging his discipline the judges wrote
the nfl hailed the decision we are pleased the united states court of appeals for the second circuit ruled today that the commissioner properly exercised his authority under the collective bargaining agreement to act in cases involving the integrity of the game it said in a statement that authority has been recognized by many courts and has been expressly incorporated into every collective bargaining agreement between the nfl and nflpa for the past 40 years
the players association said it was disappointed we fought roger goodells suspension of tom brady because we know he did not serve as a fair arbitrator and that players rights were violated under our collective bargaining agreement it said in a statement
if bradys suspension is not overturned by a higher court he will presumably sit out the first four games of the season he is allowed to play and practice with the team in the preseason the patriots play their opening game in glendale ariz against the cardinals and their next three games at home in foxborough mass against the miami dolphins the houston texans and the buffalo bills brady would then be eligible to return in week 5 when the patriots travel to cleveland to play the browns
the drama began on jan 18 2015 when the new england patriots hammered the indianapolis colts 45 7 to advance to the super bowl shortly after the game the nfl began investigating whether the patriots had used deflated footballs to gain an unfair advantage its ridiculous brady said at the time adding thats the last of my worries
the nfl released the results of its investigation last may which stated that two low level patriots employees had knowingly deflated balls below the legal limit and that it was more probable than not that brady was at least generally aware of the inappropriate activities
a few days after the release of the report the nfl suspended brady for four games without pay
by some measures the case has done nothing to dent bradys popularity or the countrys fascination with one of the sports biggest stars on monday the players association said that licensed merchandise with bradys name on it was the best selling among all players last season topping peyton manning russell wilson and other popular players
given the patriots success the past 15 years some fans are scrambling to adjust to the possibility that brady will sit out the first four weeks of the season bookmaker sportsbook is reassessing its predictions for the patriots season opener against the cardinals
jimmy garoppolo is certainly serviceable but hes not tom brady the company wrote about bradys backup and putting him under center on sunday night football in week 1 for his first career nfl start is asking quite a bit especially against an elite arizona secondary


scotland used to seem a long way from the world we felt we lived secret lives there informed by ancient sorrows and fresh delights and the city of glasgow where i was born seemed to us the manifestation of a true identity i suppose people might say a similar thing about new york or dublin but in glasgow the citizens common nature is made of stone our mothers would speak of a person being pure glasgow consisting of material you didnt get elsewhere a sort of sandstone or granite embedded in the soul i grew up believing not only that streets had character but that buildings had voices my grandmother once took me to buy rosary beads at a tiny shop on the high street just off the trongate near the candleriggs the shop carruths grotto was a place way out of time and its atmosphere could never have existed in italy or russia it was a tiny palace of sweet faced marys and red candles a glinting emporium of catholic medals but the building itself seemed to carry an indignant sense of faith as if a history of survival clung to its plasterboard walls and shone from the old glass counter
the city has always been a capital of style the people expect to be looked at they expect to be seen and they feel their appearance might convey their essence not every city has such an atmosphere in central london for example people expect to be invisible but glasgow is a place where style is believed to be an aspect of progress and the city has long had the knack of bringing the best of new international thinking and melding it with vernacular instinct thats how you end up with the renowned local architect charles rennie mackintosh part viennese modernism part glasgow quirkiness and heavy brickwork its how you end up with a group of painters the glasgow boys who brought impressionist colors to a celtic landscape and captured the serene moneyed interiors of a great industrial city
money poured into glasgow yet it has always been a working class city   humane political refusenik   and much of the postpunk energy of my teenage years came from the feeling that we lived in a conurbation of natural aesthetes hospitable to foreign ideas but playing second fiddle to no one roganos which is still considered glasgows most famous restaurant prides itself on a democratic instinct that is entirely native when harold wilsons government was in power it is said he found himself unexpectedly held over in the city unable to return to london that night one of his aides called roganos to book a table
were full up said the maitre d
but i have the prime minister said the aide
thats as may be but were still full up
the street that connects carruths grotto with roganos is called ingram street it runs the length of an area of central glasgow called the merchant city there are more famous streets in the world more famous streets in glasgow even but ingram street marries the old and the new in a way that makes it a glittering example of what a road should look like in the new global village its confidently glaswegian and instinctually international in recent years the street has become a meeting place of ornate style and fashion swagger lifting itself out of a few decades of dowdiness to become glasgows answer to the boulevard raspail ingram street was originally called back cow lane and became known as a place of banks tearooms and illicit debating houses the street was named for archibald ingram one of glasgows notorious tobacco lords who had commercial interests in virginia maryland and the west indies if you scrape the gilt off a fashionable street you dont only see grime you see origins and arguments as well as a continuing story ingram street first appears on the 1807 flemings map of the city of glasgow and suburbs and even in my youth when the street was down on its luck you had only to lift up your eyes to see the design the columns and the rows of windows that shone with light from another time
one evening recently on a return visit to the city i decided to walk the length of ingram street the boys and girls were out in force seeking complicated cocktails and the kind of lighting effects you used only to see in glasgow   in nearby george square   in the weeks running up to christmas facing onto ingram street at its western end is the gallery of modern art housed in the old stirling library the gallery opened in 1996 but it is somehow typical of glasgow in that the wild and wonderful artworks contained inside are forced to compete with an icon of local humor outside carlo marochettis 1844 equestrian statue of the duke of wellington which stands in front of the gallery the dukes head famously adorned with a traffic cone
no boutique in paris can compete with the best on ingram street not for size sheer scale or for generously baroque interiors where stone and light make little cathedral halls in which the rails of clothes appear almost meditative i walked into the jigsaw building and was immediately struck by the lamps   fountains of light   and windows that would not have disgraced a pugin church the ironwork alone was worth the visit as early glasgow darkness began to encroach on the lighted space and as dont go chasing waterfalls wafted up to a copper dome i bought a black t shirt and felt it must be a classic to have lived here it is perhaps difficult in the post lehman brothers world to imagine that banks were once palaces of hope but the jigsaw building once housed the glasgow savings bank for 100 years from 1870 the largest trustee savings bank in great britain regarded as a vehicle for local endeavor
i walked a few doors up to the corinthian club a giant bar and club housed in the old paisley union bank entering this ingram street fun house under crouching statues and classical columns i found myself in a defiant swarovski crystal universe of glaswegians dressed to the nines champagne all round said a young slick haired gentleman only the best for the likes of us standing at the bar talking to these tarted up patrons i wondered how much they would know of the old glasgow ways of self making perhaps their grandparents grandparents would still have talked of the infamous bank robbery that took place in this building in 1811 like all working class cities like chicago like manchester like naples or marseille glasgow loves the story of a major heist and the men who robbed this ingram street institution were respectively executed transported to australia with a third dying in prison as glasgow was becoming glasgow the trial of these men became a cautionary tale on the wiles of capitalism we may say with great truth wrote an anonymous pamphleteer in 1822 that no civil trial by jury in scotland ever excited so much interest nor was there ever a decision given which afforded more general satisfaction
ingram street is all about the ironies of self improvement for anyone interested in elegance and its discontents it is a place to be on your average evening the street swarms with the beautiful and the damned the boutiques lit with industrial lighting the bars offer cocktails that use kumquat and turkish bitters the restaurants hide under beautiful sandstone tenements on that recent evening walk after a few drinks i stopped at 213 ingram street looking into a fiery run of shops including agent provocateur stores tell their own stories about desire and denial and everything in between but once upon a time this was the exact spot of the ingram street tearooms designed by charles rennie mackintosh in 1900 with its high backed chairs and white wooden panels its art nouveau ironwork and stained glass the tearoom became famous as the street itself now is exemplifying the art of making everyday life more interesting than it might be the secret of the tearoom was the secret of glasgow   that ordinary people have a right to elegance   and the secret of every place where life can thrive on transformation when the original tearooms closed in 1954 city officials preserved the interior in a dark store
i remember being a child with my mother climbing those buildings in the cage of a lift on some of the floors they had warehouses where you could buy clothes paying for them with a special credit note that was then paid back in weekly installments one day we went to the top of a beautiful victorian brownstone on ingram street the lift was broken that day so we climbed the stairs and stopped on a landing   the stairs were marble and the walls were covered in green art deco tiles   and i recall my mother and me looking through a large window over the rooftops of the city i think i can see all the way to paris and new york i said
you can see george square she said and thats just as good
can i have some shoes i asked
yes she said lets go in you can be proud walking anywhere in the world wearing the shoes they sell up here


washington   the obama administration made a renewed push on monday to ease the path back to society for freed prisoners and stem a cycle in which hundreds of thousands return to prison not long after they leave
attorney general loretta e lynch in a speech in philadelphia said that too often americans who have paid their debt to society leave prison only to find that they continue to be punished for past mistakes with jobs housing voting rights and even such basics as a drivers license hard to find
she laid out steps to address the problem including a push for states to allow newly released federal inmates to trade their prisoner identifications for a state issued id
but the plan included little new funding with 175 million in federal grants spread among 18 housing and community service programs nationwide to help incarcerated juveniles find jobs and housing once they are released
when ms lynch addressed the recidivism problem last year she announced a much larger commitment of federal funding 53 million in second chance grants for groups working with freed inmates to prevent a return to prison
were doing what we can kevin s lewis the press secretary for the attorney general said of the new round of grants we could always use more but were using the resources we have and that congress has given us
the announcement was the latest in a yearslong campaign by president obama and his justice department to put in place what he says are fairer and more effective policies for lower level offenders typically those incarcerated on drug related offenses
the administration has taken a number of steps on its own like banning solitary confinement for juveniles in federal custody and granting early releases to thousands of drug offenders in congress efforts to ease criminal sentencing laws more broadly have run into roadblocks but advocates remain hopeful
in her visit to philadelphia ms lynch met with a group of men and women who told of the difficulties in trying to start over after leaving prison
their stories offered a powerful reminder that even for those who have long been on the right track a criminal history can make it enormously difficult to turn the page she said
recent studies show just how intractable a problem recidivism has been among the roughly 600000 state and federal inmates released each year
according to a study from the bureau of justice statistics tracking data for a five year period ending in 2010 about two thirds of all offenders incarcerated in state systems were arrested for a new crime within three years and more than three quarters were arrested within five years
for federal inmates the numbers were only moderately more encouraging nearly half of all the freed inmates were rearrested within eight years for a new crime or for violating conditions of their release according to a separate study last month by the united states sentencing commission
ms lynch a longtime prosecutor said the idea of allowing freed federal inmates to trade their prisoner identifications for state issued ids would carry a powerful practical and symbolic impact and she wrote to all 50 governors to ask them to work with the justice department to put the initiative in place
she said such a move would eliminate one of the most common   and most harmful   barriers to re entry across the united states
but even more important she added is the message that such a program would send to returning citizens that they are welcome back into society that their government is invested in their success and that they can now   quite literally   exchange their old identity as a federal inmate for a fresh start
in what she called a road map to re entry ms lynch also promised a new federal focus on job training and mental health and substance abuse programs to better prepare inmates for the outside world as well as closer monitoring of their transition through halfway houses and other supervised settings once they are released
she also announced steps to encourage inmates to interact with family members as a way of deterring a return to crime once they are released


it may have been tiny house nation that finally broke me last month this offbeat real estate show on the fyi network began its third season of cramming homeowners into trailers bungalows and other mini abodes
the homes are little the season premiere was not the running time was nearly 65 minutes uninterrupted   a full hour and a half with ads
theres been a lot of talk in the business about too much tv   the surfeit of hundreds of original scripted series every year but theres a corollary issue too big tv even as viewers time becomes more precious individual episodes are bloating television has come down with a case of gigantism
hbos music industry drama vinyl began with a two hour pilot directed by martin scorsese that vamped on like the coda to freebird the series premiere of fxs drama fargo ran around 97 minutes with ads fargo the coen brothers movie it was based on ran 98 episodes of netflixs romantic comedy love ambled up to 40 minutes
as a critic im used to championing greater options for artists were lucky to live in a time when tv creators have freedom from arbitrary constraints but more and more of my tv watching these days involves starting an episode looking at the number of minutes on the playback bar and silently cursing
historically network television was like a container ship the product had to fit standard boxes for ease of shipping networks needed predictable schedules and had to turn over specific time slots to affiliates
it was a process   15 minute episodes were a presence in the early days of television   but 30 minutes generally came to mean comedy and 60 drama episodes used to be longer in that commercial breaks were shorter but the journey from beginning to end stayed the same and networks occasionally tinkered with length nbc supersized its popular thursday night sitcoms in the early aughts fox inflated american idol like a macys parade balloon but those stunts were exceptions
todays great fattening like so many trends in tv now is in part the influence of streaming tv the only thing limiting the length of a netflix or amazon binge show is your ability to sit without cramping the menu is bigger and so are the portions
meanwhile basic cable channels realized that there was no reason their hourlong series needed to end on the hour if they pushed a 10 pm dramas end to say 1117 they could give their creators the kind of narrative real estate available on ad free hbo and showtime
the most dramatic early claimer of elbow room was fxs biker gang drama sons of anarchy which piled on plot and ended its plus size episodes with music montages now its common for cable hits to plump up the most recent season finale of the walking dead ran 90 minutes though i have rarely seen an episode of the walking dead that needed its full 60 like its zombies it could be hacked down by a third and shamble along just as well
at best extended episodes can make room for complexity but focus and showmanship still matter in a peak tv era being able to hook an audience is more important not less
the best examples of big tv make the most of each moment instead of padding them out take louis c ks self distributed barroom drama horace and pete whose first episode ran almost 68 minutes and played like live theater its third episode   essentially a long dramatic monologue about infidelity by laurie metcalf   is 43 minutes of regret and catharsis the camera holding tight to ms metcalfs face i did not look at my watch once
louis c k may have earned the right to go long by proving he could also go short his fx comedy louie included stories that would run only a few minutes if that was all they needed amcs better call saul a more conventional drama regularly overstays its one hour slot by a few minutes but it uses its time mindfully to suspend tension and let character moments play out
theres a certain be careful what you wish for aspect to longer episodes even with great shows when the sixth season of the sitcom community moved to yahoo from nbc it was finally free of time slot constraints   and something was off the pacing was sluggish the jokes were less crystalline maybe community   a product of the fractious network tv compromise between art and business   needed limits in order to transcend them
those time constraints and network scissors much as writers love to bash them can be the marie kondo method of comedy the first season of netflixs unbreakable kimmy schmidt was originally made for nbc and like its spiritual forebear 30 rock it was packed like a diamond the second season made for streaming is still funny but you can feel the drag in some of its 30 minutes plus episodes
tv was raised with rules the product of technology and business models that had little to do with art its shedding those strictures as it grows up which is good   thats given us anarchic comedies like broad city and low and slow dramas like rectify
but freedom also proves the values of the discipline you learn under restrictions i appreciate ambitious storytelling but i also appreciate getting a full nights sleep


beijing   a prominent democracy activist said on monday that he had been blocked from traveling to india to meet the dalai lama after the chinese government urged indian officials to rescind his visa
the activist dolkun isa had been scheduled to attend a conference this week in dharamsala the himalayan city that is home to the tibetan government in exile indian officials had initially approved his visa mr isa said but on saturday after china publicly denounced the decision the government said his visa had been canceled
i recognize and understand the difficult position that the indian government found itself and regret that my trip has generated such unwarranted controversy mr isa said in a statement
mr isa 48 is a leader of the world uyghur congress a munich based group that advocates self determination for xinjiang an expansive region in western china that is home to a large population of uighurs a mostly muslim ethnic minority he now lives in germany
china has labeled mr isa who fled the country in 1994 a terrorist accusing him of aiding violent separatists in xinjiang mr isa has denied the accusations
after news of mr isas planned trip to dharamsala emerged last week chinese diplomats were livid hua chunying a spokeswoman for the chinese ministry of foreign affairs said bringing him to justice is the due obligation of relevant countries
but commentators in india defended the decision to grant him a visa hailing it as a sign that new delhi was standing up to beijing some news organizations described the issuing of the visa as retaliation for chinas opposition to an india led effort to add maulana masood azhar a pakistani militant leader to a united nations list of terrorists
by saturday it appeared india had backed down in a terse email to mr isa officials said that they were denying the visa because of new factors that have come to our notice according to a copy of the message provided by mr isa
many people in india criticized the governments decision to cancel mr isas visa
what was all that chest thumping earlier omar abdullah a prominent indian politician wrote on twitter
officials at the indian ministry of external affairs in new delhi did not respond to a request for comment the indian embassy in beijing said it did not have any information
the episode appeared to be another indication of beijings growing clout abroad
sophie richardson china director for human rights watch said government leaders were increasingly acquiescing to chinas efforts to influence whom they met and whom they allowed into their countries
one cant help but wonder what other decisions do those governments cede to beijing and are they not fearful of the longer term consequences she wrote in an email


an 18 year old man fired a high powered rifle at students as they were leaving a small town high school prom in northern wisconsin late saturday injuring two young people before he was shot and killed by a police officer the authorities said
the police identified the suspect on sunday as jakob wagner a graduate of antigo high school officials said they believe mr wagner acted alone
it was unclear whether the two shooting victims were targeted one of them a female student was treated at a hospital and released the police said the other a male was doing well on monday after undergoing surgery for his injuries according to a statement released by his family who asked to remain anonymous
the burst of gun violence during a teenage rite of passage has shaken antigo a community of about 8000 people northwest of green bay where residents say everyone knows everyone
its a sobering experience said brandon irish a dj who was providing music for the event well heal but its going to be something that stays with us for a long time
the junior prom inside the high schools gym had been winding down saturday when a commotion erupted shortly after 11 pm
mr irish said he did not hear any gunshots but he was startled by the flash of red and blue police lights outside next he saw person lying on the ground and an officer running with a gun drawn
police officers happened to have been patrolling in the schools parking lot when they heard the gunfire the antigo police department said in a statement one of those officers was able to fire upon the shooter stopping the threat to additional attendees it said
students were held in a corner of the gym until about 130 am as police officers sought to determine whether any additional threat remained mr irish said
mr wagner the suspect was arrested and taken to a hospital where he was treated he died at about 1 am the police said investigators executed a search warrant at the teenagers residence on sunday
donald childs the antigo school districts interim administrator said the weaponry mr wagner was carrying suggested the toll could have been much worse especially if he had entered the gym
you dont really know his intent he said but i think we inferred that that was his intent given the size of the magazine and the high powered rifle
the shooting drew expressions of concern from community and political leaders across wisconsin and seemed likely to kindle debates in the coming days and weeks about gun control
gov scott walker on sunday praised the response of the antigo officers on twitter saying it undoubtedly saved lives
the parents of the injured boy on monday thanked the police and medical staff who helped their son and asked people to pray for all of the students affected by the shooting
please also pray for the family of jakob wagner they said in a statement as much as we are struggling through this event we cannot imagine the grief they are experiencing at this time
the unified school district of antigo said in a statement that it would have counselors on hand monday for the high schools roughly 750 students the authorities also planned to deploy a heightened police presence around the school for the next few days it said
we are thankful police and staff acted quickly together to prevent this incident from becoming a major tragedy the district said


in a soundproofed booth in minneapolis krista tippett listens one by one to american voices that struggle to speak to each other
she is the host of on being a radio inquiry into matters spiritual and secular through what she calls the human condition lens
her interest lies in whether people can talk across apparently unscalable walls in a new book becoming wise she mines her interviews on theology neuroscience and everything in between to reflect on the prospects for such wall scaling in a divided age
i called her to ask whether and how america might heal after a political season marked by unusually intense levels of fear and anger uncertainty and pain
a student of religion ms tippett calls the present era a new reformation in which we know the old forms arent working yet we cannot see what the new forms will be
so much feels up for grabs now the future of families of work of information of identity old truths grow pocked with doubts   including for americans this unrealistic certainty that everything would always get better
the problem with this moment in ms tippetts telling is that it is a bit of a milquetoast crisis
in a genuine crisis in moments of existential threat people rise to their best and it inspires nobility she said but the hallmark of this moment is uncertainty and uncertainty on a creaturely level makes human beings a little bit crazy
people feel disengaged and disinvited from politics she said instead of what she calls generative grappling with the unresolved questions of the era our common life is marked by debates between competing certainties each with the goal of annihilating the other position
many commentators have marveled at the levels of anger in present day american politics perhaps most manifest in the candidacy of donald j trump but to ms tippett that emotion is misleading
anger is often what pain looks like when it shows itself in public she said
it may be hard to feel connected to others on the basis of anger but the subjective experience of pain is more promising terrain for civic reweaving ms tippett says
i can disagree with your opinion it turns out she says but i cant disagree with your experience
how she asks can eros become civic   how can americans in other words fall back in love with one another as a people with a common fate
it may seem a strange question but ms tippett writes that is only because modern life has hemmed in the meaning of love
weve made it private contained it in family when its audacity is in its potential to cross tribal lines she writes
curiosity is for her an essential step toward such love eavesdropping on americas conversation this professional listener observes a citizenry that has stopped listening whose members think they know everything about one another especially their opponents
our debates she says are bereft of people who have some questions left
in the book ms tippett quoting a former radio guest lists questions that would transform political debates what is it in your own position that gives you trouble what is it in the position of the other that you are attracted to where do you have doubts
ms tippett has no illusions about such questions actually being asked in say a presidential debate what she seeks instead is a renewed civic culture built from the bottom up
she suggests as a starting point a question posed by elizabeth alexander a poet are we not of interest to each other
what has passed for listening is just about being quiet while you let the other person talk so you can talk ms tippett said
what she hopes is that the country will consider itself warned by the vitriol undammed by the campaign and then work to get to know itself again
it will she says require the creation of more spaces one picnic and brunch and parent teacher meeting at a time where people feel free and safe enough to be revealing   and on the listening end letting ourselves develop a willingness to be surprised


london   groupe fnac said on monday that it had increased its stake in its takeover target darty and made a final sweetened offer as a bidding war continued for the french electronics and appliance retailer
fnac and conforama the french household goods retail unit of steinhoff international holdings have been entwined in frantic battle for darty with each offering a series of escalating bids last week throughout the course of the day on monday fnac made several announcements that it had increased its holdings of darty
in its latest announcement fnac said that it owned 1893 percent of dartys shares and was now willing to pay 914 million pounds or about 13 billion in cash for the retailer or 170 pence per share fnac said that it owned or had agreements in place for investors to support its offer equivalent to 4105 percent of dartys shares
the offer which included an option for darty investors to accept fnac shares instead of cash trumped conforamas prior highest bid of 160 pence a share or about PS860 million in cash
conforama is currently considering its options and urges darty shareholders to take no further action at this time the company said in a news release on monday
the final offer by fnac came just days after conforama said that a steinhoff unit steinhoff finance holdings had acquired a further 481 million shares of darty and owned about 204 percent of the retailer
the fight for darty began in march when steinhoff of south africa swooped in and offered to buy the retailer at a price that exceeded the one in a previous merger agreement with fnac in november fnac had offered to pay PS558 million for darty
in march steinhoff abandoned its pursuit of the home retail group as it faced a separate and potentially lengthy battle with j sainsbury one of britains largest grocery store chains
the bidding heated up last week when a series of escalating offers by conforama and fnac on thursday sent shares of darty up 23 percent in trading in london
darty shares rose about 5 percent in afternoon trading in london on monday
darty operates about 400 stores in france belgium and the netherlands it reported revenue of more than 35 billion euros or about 39 billion in its 2014 15 fiscal year


beijing   china is moving closer this week to a new law that would strictly control thousands of foreign nongovernmental organizations in the country state run news agencies reported on monday
officials are expected to give rapid approval to what may be the final draft of the law the reports said
foreign governments and nongovernmental organizations denounced two earlier drafts saying their wording implied that the chinese government viewed such groups as potential criminal organizations critics said the proposed restrictions would lead to groups curtailing important work in china such as legal assistance and programs promoting the rule of law
the white house issued a statement in september saying there were concerns that the law would further narrow space for civil society in china american officials urged the chinese government to drop or make drastic revisions to the legislation as well as to other sweeping draft security laws that would limit or hobble foreign operations in china including businesses
the third and possibly final draft of the law has not been published for public review a report on monday by xinhua the state run news agency said the draft had just been submitted to a session of the standing committee of the national peoples congress a body set up to approve communist party policy the report said a committee had suggested that the law would be put up for a vote after two readings at the current session which ends on thursday
xinhua said some changes from the second draft meant there would be fewer restrictions for example it said the new draft would allow foreign nongovernmental organizations to have more than one office in china but the number and locations of branch offices would need approval by regulators
in addition the current draft as described by xinhua would require such groups to disclose how they spent all their funding and to publicly report all the activities they supported
starting with the first draft the most onerous proposed restriction has been a requirement that each foreign nongovernmental organization must register with the police or ministry of public security and must find an official partner group in china willing to take responsibility for all the actions of the nongovernmental organization
the language subjecting the foreign groups to oversight by the police is likely to remain in the final version according to a report by global times a state run newspaper that would affect more than 7000 groups operating in china
xinhua said one notable change in the new draft was a phrase giving examples of foreign groups that would be regulated by the law the new draft says the law would apply to groups such as foundations social groups or think tanks the news agency reported exchanges with academic groups schools and hospitals would be handled according to the relevant provisions of national law
critics of earlier drafts said those drafts were so broadly worded that any foreign university or educational group trying to work or hold activities in china would be subject to the new law and police oversight the xinhua report implied that might not be the case but the wording was vague
jeremy l daum a senior researcher at the china center at yale law school wrote on the china law translate blog on monday that the wording used by xinhua left foreign and domestic organizations guessing what activities might be covered
mr daum also said the new draft as outlined by xinhua would allow the police even more powers over foreign nongovernmental organizations beyond the earlier proposed abilities to search offices at any time limit incoming funds cancel activities and revoke registration according to xinhua the current draft says the police have the authority to summon representatives to give them a talking to security officers have long been able to do that but the law would make that authority explicit
china has not previously had rules allowing for official registration of foreign nongovernmental organizations forcing many to operate in a legal gray area here legal experts have said such rules should be put in place
but the same experts have also said it makes no sense for oversight and registration of such groups to be given to the ministry of public security the civil affairs ministry would be a more suitable institution they say


united states stocks slipped in quiet trading on monday as energy company shares dropped with the price of oil
company earnings remain weak and xerox and the drug maker perrigo tumbled after reporting disappointing results and cutting their forecasts for the year
stocks looked headed for big losses in the morning as the dow jones industrial average dropped as much as 148 points the market recovered most of the losses over the last hours of trading
investors traded less than usual as they looked through a weak group of company earnings and prepared for the federal reserve meeting which will conclude on wednesday
the dow jones industrial average fell 2651 points or 02 percent to 1797724 the standard  poors 500 stock index lost 379 points or 02 percent to 208779 the nasdaq composite index slid 1044 points or 02 percent to 489579
xerox cut its earnings estimate for the year after its first quarter profit plunged 85 percent the companys revenue fell and costs went up as it gets ready to split into two businesses the stock shed 149 or 133 percent to 968
the irish drug maker perrigo skidded after it cut its profit forecast the company said prices for over the counter products in europe were down and it might take an impairment charge for a business it bought just a year ago and the companys chairman and chief joseph c papa left the company to join valeant pharmaceuticals the stock lost 2195 or 181 percent to 9940
investors kept their powder dry as they waited to see what central banks in the united states and japan would do
the fed will meet tuesday and wednesday and while investors do not think it will raise interest rates this month they will review the feds comments about the state of the american and global economies bank of japan officials will meet later in the week and could take new actions to stimulate the japanese economy
benchmark united states crude fell 109 or 25 percent to 4264 a barrel in new york brent crude used to price international oils lost 63 cents or 14 percent to 4448 a barrel in london transocean stock lost 53 cents or 49 percent to 1026 and hess fell 151 or 24 percent to 6187
industrial and materials companies fell the railroad company union pacific gave up 202 or 23 percent to 8761 and the mining and construction equipment maker caterpillar declined 153 or 2 percent to 7679
consumer companies traded higher kroger the supermarket operator picked up 119 or 33 percent to 3677 and the spice retailer mccormick added 153 or 17 percent to 9329 tyson foods rose 101 or 16 percent to 6408
the government of saudi arabia said a small portion of its state oil company the worlds largest will go public saudi aramco has long been considered the most valuable company in the world and the kingdom has valued it at more than 2 trillion apple the most valuable publicly traded company has a market capitalization of about 583 billion
the prices of gold and silver ticked higher gold gained 1020 to 124020 an ounce and silver added 11 cents to 17 an ounce copper fell 1 cent to 225 a pound
in other energy trading wholesale gasoline fell 2 cents to 151 a gallon heating oil lost 2 cents to 129 a gallon natural gas fell 8 cents to 206 per 1000 cubic feet
in germany the dax fell 08 percent and the cac 40 in france slipped 05 percent the british ftse 100 lost 08 percent japans benchmark the nikkei 225 dipped 08 percent in south korea the kospi inched down 01 percent the hang seng in hong kong fell 08 percent
bond prices fell and the yield on the 10 year treasury note rose to 192 percent from 189 percent the euro rose to 11257 from 11220


beyonces new visual album lemonade released on hbo late on saturday and causing paroxysms of rapture across the internet ever since has been called many things among them an ode to female solidarity a portrait of southern gothic empowerment an emotional odyssey a love letter to black women and a series of fashion statements
which of these things is not like the others
if you guessed the last you are correct though fashion capital f has been trying to claim beyonce since well forever she is not its creature and this album proves it it is the anti coachella the opposite of a musical event leeched of meaning by branded commercial enterprises indeed it crushes branded commercial enterprises under its powerful feet
true its 12 videos are full of fashion names including peter dundas for roberto cavalli saint laurent the dress and shoes in denial hood by air and yeezy coat and top in dont hurt yourself rosie assoulin off the shoulder peach top and phelan worn by zendaya
but it is also full of names most people have never heard of the kuwait designer yousef al jasmi the crystal bodysuit in sorry the new york based zana bayne the leather cone bra worn a la nefertiti the lebanese designer nicolas jebran a high necked orange ball gown with jet embroidered geometry it is packed with historical references and vintage pieces white lots of white wedding dresses including her own and slip dresses and lace high necked victorian body suits a courtlike dress remade in african print jacquard and chopped short at the front a tulle shroud tribal markings   you get the idea
all together these create a world of intense visual richness and power that is unidentifiable by logo or look and all of it has the effect of elevating the whole out of a world ruled by designers and recognizable global names and into a personal aesthetic statement
recently it has become trendy once again for musicians to team up with brands for their tour wardrobes   this year adele is being outfitted by burberry florence welch by gucci   and it would not have been surprising if for a project such as lemonade beyonce had chosen to work with a single designer at the very least theres probably a compelling financial reason for such collaboration and it is more efficient
but if that had happened said designer would have been stamped with beyonces endorsement and her name would have been forever linked with that designer some of her influence would have rubbed off and some of the focus on her work would have too
many of the stories that appeared about the most recent coachella festival focused more on the fashion than on the music to the extent that the fashion messaging overwhelmed the music messaging and it began to feel a bit like an extended ad campaign
by contrast on lemonade the clothes support the point or points they are not the point which is as it should be   and is totally in line with beyonces past approach to fashion in their breadth and diversity and unpredictability the costumes emphasize the idea embedded in the lyrics as well as the albums narrative chapter structure intuition to denial to anger to ultimately hope and redemption that the power in this world belongs to beyonce and to her alone that includes the power to decide to declare her feelings and needs and pain to decide to go back on her promise to leave and to stay to   yes even this   choose what she wants to wear that expresses all of the above
ok maybe after some discussion with her stylist marni senofonte
the clothes serve the woman which in fact is what all fashion should do as a result although it did not take its cues from the catwalk it is possible the album may have a knock on effect on the catwalk   that next season we will suddenly see a lot of high necked shredded victoriana that likewise takes the uniform of hothouse fragility and inverts it so that it becomes a statement about strength
in the meantime however it is worth reminding ourselves of that truth every once in a while if we forget beyonce is here to remind us


chicago   the family of tamir rice the 12 year old boy whose fatal shooting by the cleveland police in 2014 prompted national outrage is set to receive 6 million from the city in a settlement announced monday in federal court records
the settlement which would be the latest in a series of seven figure payouts by major american cities to the families of african americans who died at the hands of officers spares cleveland the possibility of a federal civil rights trial that could have drawn new attention to tamirs death and to the citys troubled police force it also allows the city to avoid the possibility of an even larger judgment
cleveland officials said the settlement was the citys largest in a police related lawsuit though under the terms of the agreement the city does not admit wrongdoing the 6 million figure is in line with settlements in the deaths of eric garner in new york and freddie gray in baltimore
lawyers for the rice family had been meeting with cleveland officials to discuss a settlement since early last month the agreement must still be approved by a probate court
for the rice family which had called for criminal charges against the rookie officer who opened fire almost immediately after encountering tamir on nov 22 2014 the settlement means a significant payment and an end to civil proceedings but it does nothing to change the decision by a cuyahoga county grand jury last year to not indict the officer timothy loehmann lawyers for tamirs estate said monday that no amount of money can adequately compensate the boys relatives for their grief
in a situation like this theres no such thing as closure or justice the lawyers jonathan s abady and earl s ward said in a statement nothing will bring tamir back his unnecessary and premature death leaves a gaping hole for those who knew and loved him that can never be filled
the rice settlement provides another example of a city choosing to settle for millions of dollars rather than to contest a wrongful death lawsuit in court
this month chicago aldermen approved paying 495 million to the family of a man experiencing a mental health crisis who died after being dragged from his cell in handcuffs and shocked repeatedly with a taser they also approved 15 million to the estate of an asthmatic man who died after a police foot chase witnesses said he had been denied access to his inhaler
in september baltimore agreed to pay 64 million to the family of mr gray who died after sustaining injuries in police custody and last year new york city agreed to pay 59 million to the family of mr garner who died after being placed in a chokehold by an officer
mayor frank g jackson of cleveland said monday that the situation was not easy for me personally or the city in general but that the settlement protected the rights of the city and its taxpayers
at the end of the day a 12 year old child lost their life and that should not have happened in the city of cleveland he said it should not have happened
tamir had been carrying a real looking pellet gun near a recreation center when someone called 911 to report him the caller cautioned that tamir was probably a juvenile and that the weapon was probably fake but those qualifications were not relayed to the responding officers who were told only of a report of a male with a weapon
moments later as grainy surveillance video showed a squad car drove over a curb and through snow dotted grass before sliding to a halt within feet of tamir officer loehmann who said later that he had feared for his life and had seen tamir reaching for his waistband stepped out of the cruiser and quickly shot the boy
tamirs shooting which happened two days before a grand jury in missouri declined to charge the ferguson officer who fatally shot michael brown an african american 18 year old also occurred amid a wave of new attention on use of force by the police and set off protests in cleveland
from the outset activists the leader of the local police union and mr jackson agreed that tamirs death was tragic but the city was deeply divided on whether officer loehmann and his partner officer frank garmback who was driving the cruiser had committed crimes or had been justified given what they knew at the time
as the case made national headlines it was revealed that officer loehmann had resigned from another ohio police department after a dangerous loss of composure during weapons training many questioned his decision to fire quickly as well as the tactics of officer garmback who did not shoot but whose fast approach left his partner little time to assess the situation before acting
tensions escalated last year when cleveland filed a response to the lawsuit that seemed to blame tamir for his death prompting an apology from mr jackson and a revised filing then in february cleveland moved to sue the rice family for 500 to cover tamirs emergency medical treatment but quickly reversed course after a public backlash
the investigation of tamirs death stretched over 13 months and was handed from agency to agency frustrating activists who saw it as a clear cut case of police misconduct
finally in a hastily organized news conference during the week between christmas and new years day the county prosecutor timothy j mcginty announced that grand jurors had declined to charge the officers
by that point mr mcginty had been widely criticized for his approach to the case in what he said was an effort at transparency mr mcginty released investigative documents on a piecemeal basis before the grand jurys decision including reports from outside experts he had hired who found the shooting justified the rice family called for mr mcginty to recuse himself and hired its own experts who found the shooting unreasonable
the rice case figured prominently in mr mcgintys re election campaign and last month he lost the democratic primary
tamirs death also brought increased scrutiny to the cleveland police department which is operating under a consent decree with the justice department and has been involved in a series of high profile incidents involving black people
tanisha anderson a black woman said to be suffering from mental illness died in 2014 after being restrained by officers the medical examiner ruled her death a homicide and the case remains under investigation
in another case mr mcginty brought manslaughter charges against a cleveland officer michael brelo for his role in the 2012 deaths of malissa williams and timothy russell unarmed african americans who had led officers on a long car chase mr brelo was acquitted by a judge but has since been fired for violating department policies during the episode
in their statement on monday the rice familys lawyers from the new york firm of emery celli brinckerhoff and abady said tamirs death is not an isolated event
the problem of police violence especially in communities of color is a crisis plaguing our nation the lawyers mr abady and mr ward said in the statement it is the sincere hope of the rice family that tamirs death will stimulate a movement for genuine change in our society and our nations policing so that no family ever has to suffer a tragedy such as this again


madrid   belgium famously sealed a dubious notoriety five years ago when it spent 589 days without an elected government while spain is not quite belgium yet it is getting there
spain has started its fifth month without a government but it is very likely to spend six months or more in political limbo many analysts now predict as the spaniards give the flemings and walloons a run for their money in the political discord category
one word that seems to come up a lot these days when discussing politics is circo or circus
after an election in december produced no clear winner scattering votes among the four main parties those parties have failed to negotiate a governing coalition as the politicians squabble incessantly about the only consensus is that the country has entered uncharted waters
mariano rajoy the former prime minister is clinging to his office as acting prime minister after turning down an offer from the king to form a government his government ministers refuse to recognize the parliament that resulted from the election or even deal with its lawmakers the new parliament has taken the government to court for not recognizing its legitimacy while not recognizing the legitimacy of mr rajoy either
that is where things stand
it was not supposed to be this way a new generation of party leaders had promised that the december vote would usher in a period of change and constitutional reform
instead spain is verging on constitutional crisis the order of the day is institutional sclerosis a lot of posturing and generally a moment of great confusion said ruben amon a columnist for el pais a spanish newspaper
politicians have given a very bad image in which all party leaders have put their own personal survival ahead of the general interest mr amon said
it is not as if public perceptions of the politicians could sink much lower in a country where virtually every party has been caught up in corruption scandals in recent years but the nearly complete undermining of the publics faith in its political institutions may be about the only thing achieved since the start of the year
this months parliamentary debating was a case point the session on april 6 was supposed to give lawmakers an opportunity to challenge mr rajoy on why his government had backed a controversial european union agreement to have turkey take back unwanted refugees
but humanitarian considerations quickly gave way to far more personal tensions between the leaders of spains two emerging parties   albert rivera of ciudadanos or citizens and pablo iglesias of the far left podemos
the two men in their 30s have presented themselves as a new generation of spanish politician but the new generation looked every bit like the old one as they hurled accusations of cronyism
it was part of what luis maria anson a veteran journalist called a depressing show since the december election spanish politics he argued in a recent column in the newspaper el mundo has become a circus ring in which every day acrobatic leaders make ridiculous pirouettes to the stupefaction of citizens
manuel de la rocha vazquez an adviser to the socialist party suggested that the flamboyant sparring had become unavoidable in an era of round the clock news coverage
there is a lot of demand for information and statements and politics turns into a big theater with lots of news conferences and interviews but very little substance he said
but while most lawmakers have tried to hog the news medias attention mr rajoy and his acting government have been conspicuous in their absence a pattern of aloofness that began even before the election when the prime minister refused to debate most of his opponents
four of his ministers have refused to appear before parliamentary committees to defend recent decisions arguing that an acting government need answer only to the parliament that elected it not a new assembly whose survival prospects are dim
the last refusenik jose manuel soria in any case was forced to resign as industry minister days later after being linked to the panama papers and offshore business activities mr rajoy in turn has refused to discuss before lawmakers mr sorias demise
opposition politicians predictably have latched on to the governments lack of accountability
the acting government must more than ever be subject to parliamentary control because its legitimacy is diminished pedro sanchez the socialist leader told parliament recently an acting government isnt a government out of control
feeling shunned the lawmakers voted this month to take the government to the constitutional court of spain over its refusal to recognize them fully
the paralysis is not without consequence important challenges loom
the regional government in catalonia is forging ahead with a plan to secede from spain and brussels recently warned about spains deteriorating public finances after madrid missed its 2015 deficit target
the leadership vacuum has also translated into legal uncertainty as opposition politicians have pledged to scrap several proposals introduced by mr rajoy these include educational and labor legislation a new solar energy tax and a measure to restrict the right to stage public protests
this week king felipe vi will hold a final round of consultations to see whether the deadlock among party leaders can be broken if not a new election in june is inevitable
but the disenchantment is such that analysts predict many spaniards will not even bother to vote
francesc homs a catalan separatist lawmaker said he expected a 10 percent drop in turnout in october neighboring portugal also held an inconclusive election he noted but then formed a new government within two months
nobody has had to repeat elections like this mr homs said so im sure that if this happens it will trigger a higher level of concern around europe and internationally
clara alfaro a shoe designer in madrid said that if it came to a new election in june she would vote if only because this situation somehow has to be unblocked
if this was a country where politicians really cared about the functioning of spain there would have been an agreement by now she said
jose gomez an architecture student and activist with the podemos party described the recent coalition talks as just a joke
after the december election all the party leaders knew that they were too stuck in their ways to form any government he said so its just about organizing a circus until the next ones


portland ore   the 911 caller had reported a man with a samurai sword lunging at people on the waterfront
it was evening and when the police arrived they saw the man pacing the beach and called to him he responded by throwing a rock at the embankment where they stood
they shouted to him from a sheriffs boat he threw another rock they told him to drop the sword he said he would kill them he started to leave the beach and after warning him they shot him in the leg with a beanbag gun he turned back still carrying the four foot blade
in another city   or in portland itself not that long ago   the next step would almost certainly have been a direct confrontation and had the man not put down the weapon the use of lethal force
but the portland police bureau prodded in part by the 2012 findings of a justice department investigation has spent years putting in place an intensive training program and protocols for how officers deal with people with mental illness
at a time when police behavior is under intense scrutiny   a series of fatal shootings by police officers have focused national attention on issues of race and mental illness   portlands approach has served as a model for other law enforcement agencies around the country
and on that sunday last summer the police here chose a different course
at 230 am after spending hours trying to engage the man the officers decided to disengage and they withdrew leaving the man on the beach a search at daylight found no signs of him
people with mental illnesses are overrepresented among civilians involved in police shootings twenty five percent or more of people fatally shot by the police have had a mental disorder according to various analyses
in chicago for example police officers killed a 19 year old mentally ill man quintonio legrier in december after the police said he had come at them with a baseball bat in denver paul castaway 35 who had a history of mental illness was fatally shot by the police last year after they said he moved dangerously close to them holding a knife to his own throat similar encounters have occurred in albuquerque dallas indianapolis and other cities
in response to public outcry many police departments have like portland turned to more training for their officers in many cases adopting some version of a model pioneered in memphis almost three decades ago and known as crisis intervention team training or cit
studies have found that the training can alter the way officers view people with mental illness and the approach which teaches officers ways to defuse potentially violent encounters before force becomes necessary is useful for officers facing any volatile situation even if a mental health crisis is not involved law enforcement experts say
whether the training leads to less use of force by officers however is still an open question the findings of studies have been mixed although one study to be published later this year suggests that portlands program which is based on cit is having an effect and training alone is not enough experts say for the approach to be effective it needs the full backing of a police departments leadership continual checks on its effectiveness and collaboration with the mental health community
the training is great but its not magic said laura usher coordinator of crisis intervention team training for the national alliance on mental illness the thing that actually transforms the way the system works is when everyone gets together
the decision by the portland police to leave the sword wielding man on the beach was controversial within the department some officers argued that more should have been done what if the man had injured or killed someone
others countered that it was late and that the secluded area was deserted the man had committed no crime and a confrontation could easily have ended with him or the officers being harmed
but the discussion itself some officers said was a sign of change
ten years ago we would have been more proactive in dealing with him at the start said officer brad yakots a specialist in mental health issues who was called to the scene its a new way of looking at it
as in other cities change in portland began with a fatal encounter on sept 17 2006 james chasse jr 42 a singer in a local band who had schizophrenia died after a confrontation with police officers
mr chasses death outraged the public the police bureau in response revised policies and required all its officers to complete 40 hours of crisis intervention training
but after more troubling instances involving the mentally ill a justice department investigation concluded in 2012 that the police bureau had shown a pattern or practice of unnecessary or unreasonable force during interactions with people who have or are perceived to have mental illness
this time the police bureaus leadership responded far more aggressively in addition to the mandatory training for the entire force a group of about 100 patrol officers signed up for 40 extra hours of instruction to handle more complex calls involving mental illness or drug and alcohol addiction
teams of officers were paired with mental health clinicians to follow up on cases new protocols were put in place and the police connected with housing and mental health organizations to help further
its really about a culture shift said lt tashia hager who heads the unit that coordinates the departments mental health response
she noted that in cases like that of the man with the sword theres a potential negative outcome regardless of the decision we make
in the past she said officers were taught if you do this im going to do that now they are encouraged to question whether that is really necessary
officers need to be educated about mental illness many criminal justice experts say because cutbacks in financing for mental health services have put them on the front lines of dealing with many people who have psychiatric disorders
jails around the country have filled with mentally ill inmates who unable to obtain treatment in the community are arrested time and again for minor offenses like disorderly conduct and petty theft police officers have been forced to play dual roles as law enforcers and psychiatric social workers
we are working in the backdrop of a fractured mental health system that has gotten worse and worse said portlands police chief lawrence odea iii
yet many police officers know little about mental disorders and what they do know is often shaped by stigma bizarre behavior is often interpreted as a prelude to violence and routine police actions aimed at control   placing a hand on a persons shoulder for example   can backfire with someone with a severe mental illness
instead of being calming it can trigger them to either pull away or resist said matthew epperson an assistant professor of social work at the university of chicago the officers in turn can misinterpret such responses as resistance or an attempt to flee he added
in the crisis training officers learn about psychiatric medications role play various scenarios and have opportunities to interact with people who have a mental illness when they are not in crisis
the officers are told among other things to use distance and time to try to defuse potentially violent encounters
about 2700 law enforcement agencies around the country use some form of the approach said ms usher of the mental illness alliance and that number is growing as more departments have come under pressure to change police behavior
in january responding to a series of high profile shootings across the country a group of law enforcement leaders urged departments to adopt higher standards for the use of force than those set down by the supreme court and to adopt methods to defuse volatile situations and avoid violence
some departments require crisis training for all their officers but maj sam cochran who coordinated the first crisis intervention program in memphis and now consults with other departments said he believed the training worked best when departments trained a smaller group of volunteers who then took the lead on police calls involving mental health issues
theres all kinds of specialization in law enforcement major cochran said weve got bomb technicians narcotics robbery i want all the officers present at a scene to understand that this cit officer is the leader that represents clarity and responsibility brings about a level of accountability
in a draft report released this month outside monitors concluded that the police bureau in portland still had more to do including keeping better track of how many police contacts involved mental health issues
but the bureau the monitors said had made substantial progress in improving the way they dealt with the mentally ill
and the study of the portland police that is to be published later this year found that the use of force by officers had decreased by 654 percent from 2008 to 2014 as measured in quarterly reports the researchers attributed the drop in large part to increased training and oversight in recent years although the study did not specifically look at interactions with the mentally ill
police shootings the researchers found had also dropped averaging three a year from 2007 to 2014 compared with eight a year from 2002 to 2005
and allegations of excessive force by citizens declined by 742 percent from 2004 to 2014 a decrease that tim prenzler an adjunct professor of criminology at griffith university in australia and the lead author of the study called a remarkable achievement the research will appear in journal of criminological research policy and practice
officer yakots who has been on the force for nine years said he thought that the departments efforts to shift course had been largely successful but he added do things fall through the cracks yeah its not perfect a lot of times we have limited resources
it was a monday night in late february when he and his partner officer michael hastings were making the rounds of makeshift homeless camps and downtown street corners listening for radio calls that might require their presence
an adolescent girl was on an overpass threatening to jump a college student had called his mother in another city and told her he was going to kill himself a 38 year old woman was standing outside a mental health treatment center demanding to be taken to the hospital because she said i am suicidal and homicidal
officer hastings said that before the department changed its approach the attitude was enforce enforce enforce arrest arrest arrest
but taking people to an emergency room or putting them in jail did nothing these people theyre out within four hours most of the time he said
at least in portland officer hastings said most police officers had accepted that part of their job was now dealing with mental illness and helping to find longer term solutions
weve realized that it is what it is he said and were the ones that are going to be responding to that


last week brought multiple disappointments from tech companies in their earnings reports the question is whether it will get any better this week
some of techs largest companies will post financial results over the next few days including apple facebook and amazon some of their smaller brethren are also on deck including twitter ebay and linkedin
the good news is that many of the factors that hurt the results of tech companies that reported last week are not as strong in the earnings that will coming out this week of the companies that stumbled last week several   like ibm and intel   were navigating the tricky transition from selling hardware and software primarily around personal computers to a mobile computing and cloud era thats less an issue for companies like apple and amazon as they have led the way in mobile devices and cloud computing
that doesnt mean it will be all roses this week apple is grappling with a slowdown in the sales of its iphones and the aftermath of a bruising battle with the fbi over the privacy and security of its devices amazons cloud business has been thriving but the company faces scrutiny for its prolific spending and thin profits
and facebook remains a disrupter as quentin hardy and mike isaac explain in their most recent story the vision of facebooks chief executive mark zuckerberg of connecting the world will have plenty of ripple effects on other tech companies
thats because mr zuckerbergs vision will require a lot of equipment   and facebook will want that gear at a cheaper price so he has embraced open source concepts to drive down the costs of tech equipment which will inevitably ripple out to big hardware makers like cisco systems and nokia


high point nc   parrish clodfelter a 79 year old retiree who lives on a central north carolina farm professes opinions about transgender people that might get him fired if he worked for a multinational corporation though for many here they constitute simple country wisdom
a man wants to change to a woman hes got a mental problem mr clodfelter said on wednesday over lunch at spiros family restaurant where posters by the door advertised classes on carrying concealed weapons and a hillbilly sunday pentecostal church service
but mr clodfelter has a different kind of problem as a longtime republican he wants to support pat mccrory north carolinas republican governor in his re election bid at the same time he is worried about the boycotts and lost jobs resulting from the law the governor signed in march that limits transgender bathroom access and eliminates antidiscrimination protections for gay and transgender people
if the backlash continues mr clodfelter said he will consider voting for mr mccrorys democratic opponent roy cooper who supports the laws repeal
im afraid if they dont change it he said itll hurt the state
even before the law tapped into a national debate about transgender rights privacy and political correctness north carolina the rare southern state that is evenly split between liberals and conservatives was considered to be up for grabs in the november presidential race particularly if donald j trump tops the republican ticket
now the law and the backlash against it have introduced a different kind of volatile energy to state politics here roiling a governors race that could be the nations most competitive it is also affecting other crucial contests including that of senator richard burr who hopes to fend off a vigorous democratic challenge from deborah k ross a former state house member and former state director of the american civil liberties union
last week mr burr who has defended the law came under attack from democrats who have leapt at the chance to transform a cultural issue into an economic one as the state has suffered the retreat of protesting companies including paypal which canceled a plan to bring more than 400 jobs to charlotte on thursday the nba commissioner adam silver said the league would move its 2017 all star game from charlotte if the law were not changed
thus far the uproar may be doing the most harm to mr mccrory an affable former mayor of charlotte who has struggled since taking office in 2013 to maintain his reputation as a moderate in the face of a republican dominated legislature that is considerably more conservative than he is
an elon university poll conducted from april 10 to 15 showed mr cooper the states longtime attorney general leading mr mccrory 48 percent to 42 percent among registered voters it was mr coopers largest lead in the five polls that elon has conducted in the last year
but november is a long way off and social issues reverberate in complex ways in a state that has a reputation for moderation but also produced jesse helms the arch conservative united states senator carter wrenn a longtime political strategist who worked with mr helms said democrats had been winning arguments over the law of late but he said republicans would have time to make the case to voters that the law helps ensure privacy and security in public restrooms
were not sure how this is all going to turn out mr wrenn said
the issue is particularly troublesome for mr mccrory exit polls from 2012 show that he received the support of 49 percent of voters who described themselves as moderate and 19 percent of self described liberals
mr mccrory 59 last week could barely contain his irritation that the law had taken center stage in the election siphoning attention from his central message that he has been a wise steward of the economy who had engineered what he and his team have branded the carolina comeback
this hornets nest he argued was first kicked not by him but by the democratic city council in charlotte which passed a nondiscrimination ordinance in february allowing transgender people to use mens or womens bathrooms before it passed he said he emailed the council to warn it that if it changed basic restroom and locker room norms he would be forced to support a state law overriding them
on thursday he said he suspected that the entire matter had been orchestrated by democrats and the human rights campaign a national gay rights group to give democrats an advantage in a tight governors race
the backlash he said has allowed for no dialogue on a very complex issue dissenters to the left wing position he said were being intimidated mr mccrory used the word orwellian twice
youve got to be politically naive if you think this is not coordinated by a very effective   a very effective   group he said
mr mccrory preferred to talk about the improved state of the economy since he took over from gov beverly perdue a democrat she had declined to seek re election after a single term in which north carolina struggled through the recession and in which she clashed over tax policy with a legislature that republicans won full control of in 2010
the states comeback mr mccrory argues was bolstered by his ability to deliver 44 billion in tax relief including what his campaign literature describes as one of the largest income tax cuts in state history
i inherited a broken government and a broken economy he said so we were the fifth highest unemployment rate in the country when i came into office 94 percent unemployment and weve had one of the biggest rebounds in the united states of america unemployment in the state is now 55 percent
at a cafe in raleigh last week mr cooper who has served as attorney general since 2001 argued that the carolina comeback was a myth saying that there had been an overall improvement in the economy across the country
its not a carolina comeback for everyday working people he said most people are working longer and harder and for less money than they did before the recession
mr cooper 58 said his favorite north carolina governor was jim hunt the democrat who served two stints in office beginning in 1977 and represents to many liberals here a homegrown progressivism that struck a balance between corporate interests and investments in the public good especially public education
mr cooper has criticized mr mccrory for not expanding medicaid under the affordable care act
on thursday he criticized the flat rate income tax mr mccrory instituted in 2013 as disproportionately favoring the rich
the law on gender and restrooms mr cooper said is a discrimination issue and an economic issue and particularly you have governor mccrory trying a political ploy that blew up and is now hurting people and our economy


valeant pharmaceuticals international announced on monday that joseph c papa the head of the drug maker perrigo would take over as chief executive replacing the embattled j michael pearson
mr papa who will begin in may takes over at a time of turmoil for valeant which has seen its stock tumble from once dizzying heights after a series of investigations into its drug pricing and accounting practices valeant is also struggling under more than 30 billion in debt and is facing default from its bondholders after failing to file its annual report on time
the companys decision to appoint mr papa a seasoned pharmaceutical executive with more than 35 years of experience in the industry represents a marked departure from the leadership of mr pearson a former consultant for mckinsey who had no history of leading a drug company before he became valeants chief in 2008
mr pearson is regarded as the mastermind behind the companys once heralded business model of buying undervalued drugs slashing business costs and raising prices under his tenure the stock climbed as high as 263 last summer but tumbled last fall after a series of revelations about its business practices the company has said it is under investigation by congress two federal prosecutors and the securities and exchange commission
on wednesday mr pearson is scheduled to testify before the senate special committee on aging where he is expected to be asked pointed questions about valeants drug pricing practices the company has also said it plans to file its long delayed annual report before friday
in december mr pearson took a medical leave for what the company said was severe pneumonia he returned in february
robert ingram chairman of valeants board described mr papa as an ideal leader in a news release adding that he has a strong shareholder orientation a background in science and an unmatched track record of accomplishments
he also alluded to valeants recent legal troubles noting that fostering an ethical culture and creating opportunities for professional development have always been high priorities for joe
mr papa 60 has been chief executive of perrigo since 2006 and has a long career as a pharmaceutical executive with previous stints at novartis the generic drug company watson pharmaceuticals and cardinal health the drug distributor
when news of his potential appointment circulated friday after it was reported by the wall street journal some analysts welcomed his experience even as they noted that he was not known for his skills as a turnaround expert
vicki bryan an analyst at the credit research firm gimme credit said mr papa could be just what valeant needed mr papas management style evokes a dramatically more positive toneculture versus the toxic do it or else environment revealed as so pervasive at valeant she wrote in a note on friday
adam j fein president of pembroke consulting a management advisory and business research company based in philadelphia said mr papa may help valeant re establish trust with insurers and pharmacy benefit managers which is sorely needed top pharmacy benefit managers including express scripts and cvscaremark had recently said they were removing many of valeants products from their list of covered drugs
i think he has a lot more credibility with payers certainly than mr pearson does he said my sense is its a very solid pick
others found the news surprising considering that mr papa and perrigo have recently faced their own challenges since fending off a hostile takeover by mylan last year
david maris an analyst for wells fargo said valeant would probably need to sell off business units in the coming months to help get its debt under control he said mr papa did not appear to have much experience doing that we believe the new ceo has experience acquiring but not restructuring companies he said in a note on monday
shares of perrigo which specializes in store brand over the counter products and dermatological creams and ointments have fallen nearly 40 percent over the last year
perrigos biggest recent struggle has been to maintain sales of its branded over the counter medicines in europe which it sells through omega a subsidiary it acquired last year in a call with analysts in february mr papa acknowledged problems with the division saying its a personal disappointment but clearly its something we know we can fix
perrigos stock fell monday morning while valeants rose
frankly this seems out of character that he would leave without righting the ship  david steinberg an analyst for jefferies said in a note to investors on friday


in recent months tribune publishing company installed new executives overhauled its business strategy admitted accounting weaknesses and issued shares to fund an acquisition that was ultimately rejected by regulators
for the gannett company the owner of usa today all that turmoil looked like an opportunity
on monday gannett went public with an unsolicited bid to acquire tribune publishing an offer it had put forth in a letter on april 12 that was subsequently reviewed by the new york times after two weeks without a definitive answer from tribune publishing gannett decided to go straight to shareholders disclosing the bid and corresponding letter
with the challenges we face today waiting is not really an option bob dickey the chief executive and president of gannett said in a telephone interview we need to continue moving our company forward
tribune publishing which owns newspapers including the los angeles times and the chicago tribune has hired advisers to consider the bid which amounted to 815 million including debt and other liabilities the company said in a statement
the unsolicited bid is a rare move in the newspaper industry but it underscores the industrys rising desperation in the last several years publishers have rushed to consolidate as newspaper prices have fallen many see these moves as a way to cut costs and build scale as they struggle with declining circulation and dwindling print advertising revenue
the los angeles times is widely considered tribunes crown jewel but gannett has broader interests acquiring all of tribunes newspapers would expand gannetts portfolio to nearly 120 newspapers and give it a bigger presence in major metro markets like baltimore hartford and orlando fla
were very interested in the entire company mr dickey said their geographic footprint fits very very nicely for us if you look at where were currently situated across the united states
gannett could also cut costs by eliminating duplicate departments and management positions mr dickey said he estimated these savings at 50 million a number that some experts saw as a bit low gannetts expansion could help it appeal more to national advertisers as well
it was a pursuit that apparently could not wait days after gannett completed its acquisition of journal media group this month adding 15 daily newspapers to its repertoire the company started preparing a bid for tribune publishing gannett hired advisers and submitted a letter to tribune publishings management team with an offer of 1225 a share briefly the two sides had considered a grace period of several weeks so that tribune publishing could consult with its advisers about the offer according to people briefed on the proposal who spoke on the condition of anonymity in order to discuss private negotiations ultimately gannett was unwilling to wait and took its bid which represented a 63 percent premium to fridays closing price straight to tribunes shareholders
the recent upheaval at tribune publishing is the latest the company has faced soon after the real estate tycoon sam zell bought the companys predecessor tribune company for 82 billion in 2007 it filed for bankruptcy with 76 billion in assets against a debt of 13 billion the culture at the company had turned poisonous and tribune tower once a symbol of a great media company became a place where executives used sexual innuendo and profane invective
in august 2014 tribune publishing was spun off from tribune company now called tribune media and saddled with about 350 million in debt since then its stock has tumbled as its newspapers like many print publications have struggled to offset the decline in print with digital growth
in the last year the los angeles times has become a flash point for disagreement between the company and its california newspapers austin beutner the timess publisher was ousted last fall after only a year in the position in a further sign of discontent between tribune publishing and its california newspapers   in addition to the los angeles times the company also owns the san diego union tribune   the two entities have sparred over financial projections
a potential savior for tribune emerged in the form of michael ferro a chicago entrepreneur who in early february acquired a stake worth 44 million at the time in the company through his merrick ventures less than three weeks later jack griffin was replaced as chief executive by justin c dearborn a close associate of mr ferros and the former chief executive of merge healthcare soon after tribune publishing announced it was combining the role of editor and publisher across its newspapers a decision that raised questions about editorial independence some also wondered whether editors had the business acumen to manage their newspapers
recently tribune had sought to expand its reach in california by acquiring freedom communications which owns the orange county register and the press enterprise of riverside calif but that bid failed after the justice department objected
adding to tribunes woes the company admitted for the second year in a row in its annual filing with the securities and exchange commission that it had identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting not long after the company dismissed its accounting firm pricewaterhousecoopers
when asked about tribune publishings accounting improprieties mr dickey said were very confident that we can resolve whatever issues that are there
ultimately tribune shareholders may be hard pressed to find a more compelling offer a group including the billionaire philanthropist eli broad had been considering buying the los angeles times but there was no indication on monday that gannetts offer would spur competing bids
given the uncertainty of a turnaround in a secularly declining business we think tpub will eventually take the offer matthew brooks an analyst at macquarie securities said in an email it may also be hard for ferro to justify a higher price given he paid less than 10 a few months ago and is effectively controlling the company now
mr ferros merrick ventures oaktree capital management and primecap management company own more than 40 percent of the company combined
with michael ferro having taken over as chairman of the tribune board only three months ago board support becomes a complicated issue lance vitanza and brian denes analysts at crt capital said in a note what we do know is that hostile takeovers are virtually unheard of in the newspaper industry where cultural fit is paramount and regulatory concerns loom large


the easter rising lasted only five days yet the 1916 uprising by irish rebels garnered more than 50 articles in the new york times which kept the story on its front page for more than two weeks
the intense coverage of the rebellion that began 100 years ago this week reflected an important moment not just for ireland but for irish america and the times itself historians say
the rebels attempt to throw off several hundred years of british rule failed leaving more than 400 people dead and parts of dublin in ruins but it also helped inspire a broader movement that led to independence in 1922
the revolt broke out in the middle of world war i a conflict that imposed profound practical difficulties on reporters said robert schmuhl a professor at the university of notre dame
wartime censorship governed the news media in britain when the revolt in ireland began communication links were severed between dublin and london where most american reporters were based
the lack of reliable information was highlighted by a wire service dispatch published by the times on april 28 dublin is further from london today than peking is from new york so far as communication for the general public is concerned
american reporters and readers were not the only ones left in the dark
there was initially a lot of confusion over who was involved in the rising among the irish as well said fearghal mcgarry a historian at queens university in belfast there were a lot of rumors sweeping the country and there was a sense that germany might have been involved
the problems with access led the times to base most of its early reports which were written in london on government statements interviews with travelers who had recently returned from dublin and anti rebel irish politicians in britain
you have a situation where there is very little access to hard facts in dublin because communication lines had been cut and censorship was enforced   and yet the times is doing as best it can to keep readers apprised of an ongoing and unpredictable story dr schmuhl said
reports from london were supplemented by stories written in new york and drawn from interviews with irish american leaders who explained the islands politics to american readers
much of that discussion was included in a new york times magazine piece irelands sudden revolt published just days after the rising began
we talk about technology allowing us to do things so quickly in journalism today but here is a major story on an event that leads the sunday magazine of the paper the week that it occurred dr schmuhl said
it was a pretty amazing feat given the complexity of the conflict and the barriers to reporting on it he added
a sampling of times coverage from 1916 illustrates how its correspondents went all out to capture the story
the fog of war led to some reports that have not held up well over time the very first new york times dispatch published one day after the conflict began focused on the arrest of sir roger casement an irish british diplomat taken into custody after arriving in ireland aboard a german ship
historians now say that mr casement traveled to ireland in part to stop the rising before it started but british officials at the time saw him as a rebel leader entwined in a german plot to turn ireland into a new theater of war against britain dr schmuhl said newspapers reports from that period reflected the inaccurate official view he was hanged for treason by the british in august 1916
so why did the new york times devote so much coverage to a brief revolt in a small corner of europe
it may have been in part the timess determination to cement its standing as the newspaper of record in the united states dr schmuhl said two years after the rebellion its comprehensive reporting from europe won the first ever pulitzer prize for public service
irish america was also a factor a new documentary produced by notre dame 1916 the irish rebellion argues that the depth of coverage in the american news media reflected the growing clout of irish americans millions of whom lived and bought newspapers in cities like new york many were passionate supporters of irish independence
but the rising was not initially popular in ireland where many peoples struggle to make ends meet was disrupted there was a lot of hostility in the streets of dublin especially from working class people whose houses or family lives were destroyed said dr mcgarry
public opinion changed sharply however with britains crackdown after the rising it arrested thousands of rebel sympathizers and executed their leaders who became national heroes the times reported on the executions as they happened a few each day for nine days starting on may 4
i think its a classic case study of the way that journalism can shape public opinion over a relatively short period of time dr schmuhl said with the executions you see the rebels evolve from these somewhat adventurous combatants to people that are considered martyrs to the cause


heres an overlooked fact about the republican race right now all of the polls are consistent with a finish of 1237 or more pledged delegates for donald trump and an outright nomination victory without a contested convention
thats because mr trump leads by a comfortable margin in all of the polls in indiana and california which would give him the nomination when added to the delegates that everyone expects him to win
thats the context for the john kasich ted cruz deal that was announced on sunday night the agreement is straightforward mr kasich wont compete in indiana mr cruz wont compete in new mexico and oregon
when you consider the delegate rules of these states its an arrangement that could give the non trump candidates a much better chance of denying mr trump the nomination that is if the candidates were to actually stick to the deal which seems fragile to say the least
as i wrote recently the whole republican contest could come down to indiana the state has 57 pledged delegates and it awards those delegates on a winner take all basis statewide and by congressional district as a result the difference between a narrow win and a loss is huge for mr trump if he wins statewide   even by a point   it will be fairly easy for him to reach 1237 delegates with a victory in california which on paper is probably an easier state for him than indiana
the most recent polls show mr trump leading in indiana with around 40 percent of the vote thats a number low enough for him to be vulnerable but mr kasich has been at 19 percent in an average of the same surveys   giving mr cruz a very narrow path to victory
there isnt a lot of time for a cruz comeback there the vote in indiana is in eight days and mr cruz is most likely about to post another round of mediocre showings in the northeast this tuesday which would make it even less clear to republican voters that mr cruz is the principal anti trump option in indiana
the deal could give mr cruz a better chance of consolidating the anti trump vote in indiana the way he did in wisconsin   although mr kasich might have blunted the intended effect with his statement on monday that indiana voters should still support him
however if mr cruz can consolidate the non trump vote in indiana over the next week he has a real though by no means certain chance to squeeze past mr trump a cruz victory in indiana would be enough to make mr trump an underdog in the fight for 1237
in exchange for supposedly not trying in indiana mr kasich is to get new mexico and oregon in a way this is counterintuitive mr cruz has fared very well out west and he might have been favored to win either or both states over mr kasich and mr trump mr cruzs concession would seem to increase the chance that these states go to mr trump
but even if this happens its not a huge problem for the anti trump forces at least from a delegate perspective thats because new mexico and oregon award their delegates on a purely proportional basis   meaning they award their delegates in proportion to a candidates statewide share of the vote many proportional republican states award two delegates to the winner of each congressional district and one to the second place finisher theyre also two of the smallest contests remaining after tuesday
victories are nice but what matters for mr trump in new mexico and oregon is his share of the vote something that mr kasich and mr cruzs arrangement should do little to change


los angeles   kevin nealon appeared to be fighting back genuine tears as he delivered one of the biggest laugh lines at a memorial service sunday night for the comedian garry shandling
the sad irony of all this mr nealon said is that garry is reunited with his mother for all eternity
mr nealons quip came after other speakers in the packed wilshire ebell theater in los angeles had described mr shandlings mother muriel as smothering wounding and as the security consultant gavin de becker a longtime friend of mr shandlings put it awful
mr nealon was keeping it authentic   one of mr shandlings oft repeated entreaties   but he also understood the importance of landing that punch line
such was the balancing act at the program dedicated to mr shandling who died on march 24 at age 66 after a heart attack in his los angeles home the filmmaker judd apatow produced and hosted the memorial which ran more than two and a half hours
mr apatows career was catapulted when mr shandling hired him to write for a grammy awards telecast and later as a writer and consulting producer on the groundbreaking hbo comedy series the larry sanders show
garry was like a second father to me mr apatow said i think a lot of people felt that way
mr shandling had no children and never married but his friends discussed how he had created extended families through his weekly sunday basketball games and his work
blurring fiction and reality even more provocatively than mr shandlings fourth wall breaking sitcom its garry shandlings show the larry sanders show had mr shandling playing the late night talk show host larry sanders who interviewed actual celebrities in between backstage battles of ego insecurity and network politics
jeffrey tambor who played larrys indelibly thick sidekick hank kingsley and penny johnson jerald who had the role of larrys loyal assistant beverly reprised these characters to start the memorial but as the sketch ended   with beverly consoling a sobbing hank who declared he was irreplaceable   reality eclipsed the gag
sarah silverman who played a writer in larry sanders called him the giving tree before an audience that also included the sanders alumni bob odenkirk and rip torn as well as comedy figures like billy crystal conan obrien tim allen ray romano vince vaughn albert brooks norman lear robert wuhl henry winkler pauly shore and carrot top
from his seat george segal who appeared as himself in three larry sanders episodes called mr shandling the prince of comedians because he changed everything with the larry sanders show 
mr apatow drew laughs with that comparison saying that both mr shandling and prince were mysterious complicated sexually ambiguous and that  the larry sanders show was garrys purple rain 
 its garry shandlings show was his dirty mind  mr apatow added
jokes from mr shandling   some never before unveiled   were shared and devoured but time was devoted to less funny matters too his older brothers death from cystic fibrosis his 100 million lawsuit eventually settled against brad grey his former manager and the executive producer of larry sanders his testimony in the anthony pellicano wiretapping trial his recent health problems including diagnoses of hyperthyroidism and pancreatitis and major surgery and his immersion into zen buddhism
the truth is i think it was very hard to be garry mr nealon said he was complex at times neurotic persnickety high maintenance a perfectionist with the highest standards he could be a handful
linda doucett who had been engaged to mr shandling while playing hanks assistant darlene   and who sued mr shandling for sexual harassment and wrongful termination after they broke up and she was dismissed from the show   told the audience garry was the bravest man i have ever met later she called him the love of my life
stories abounded of mr shandlings generosity and mentorship whether to brooke shields when she was acting onstage or to many others whose projects he would nurture after he had largely faded from public view
he went past laughter to humanity mr tambor said
adam sandler closed the program with a rendition of george harrisons give me love give me peace on earth
many in the audience lingered at a cocktail party after the memorial exchanging hugs and tales mr obrien the comedian and television host chatted with senator al franken the actor david arquette showed off a marionette of mr shandling that he had made the comedian and actor demetri martin said he had been working with mr shandling on a new hbo series
it was wonderfully funny and reverent and beautiful at the same time mr crystal said of the memorial but the bottom line is the guys gone and youre just left with the sad
mr brooks the filmmaker and broadcast news actor said he had found one aspect of mr shandlings life particularly instructive for a guy who seemed to be very alone who didnt have children who you could think was lonely he said mr shandling had more close friends than ive ever seen


hanover germany   the united states will significantly increase the number of military personnel including special forces in syria to fight the islamic state president obama said on monday as he concluded a six day trip to the middle east britain and germany
mr obama whose comments came in a speech in which he pressed for european unity said that he would add 250 military personnel to the 50 already on the ground in the hopes of cementing what he said was progress in pushing back the islamic state also known as isis or isil from territory that it had held
theyre not going to be leading the fight on the ground mr obama said confirming a recent report in the new york times but they will be essential in providing the training and assisting local forces
in the 49 minute speech mr obama urged europeans to remain united in the face of growing economic and security threats saying that the dangers of inequality terrorism prejudice and injustice would drag down the united states and europe if countries on both sides of the atlantic do not continue to work together
mr obama told an audience of business leaders politicians and students that europe must not let itself be pulled apart by those who fear cooperation
dangerous forces do threaten to pull the world backwards and our progress is not inevitable mr obama said in one of his final trips to europe as president we are not immune from the forces of change around the world
mr obama has spent much of his visit to europe urging the british people to vote to remain in the european union in a referendum on june 23 he said repeatedly over the past week that leaving the 28 member bloc would undercut britains influence and weaken the democratic alliance that binds europe
in his speech on monday mr obama went further arguing to members of the predominantly german audience that they too must resist the temptation to go it alone in fighting the islamic state pushing for economic security and confronting the huge new flows of migrants
if we do not solve these problems you start seeing those who would try to exploit those fears and frustrations and channel them in a destructive way mr obama said in comments that appeared to refer at least in part to donald j trump the leading candidate for the republican presidential nomination
support for populist and nationalist movements has grown in europe in recent months with the most recent example coming on sunday in austria where a member of the far right freedom party finished on top in the first round of voting for the countrys largely ceremonial presidency
reflecting on the dangers to the political situation mr obama quoted the irish poet william butler yeats in saying that they lurk where the best lack all conviction while the worst are full of passionate intensity
that kind of destructive politics must not take root in europe mr obama said or there would be damaging consequences for the united states and many other nations around the world
if a unified peaceful liberal pluralistic free market europe begins to doubt itself begins to question the progress thats been made over the last several decades then we cant expect the progress that is just now taking hold in many places around the world will continue he said
mr obamas warnings against unilateral actions were clearly intended to steer europe away from nationalist or isolationist stands but in fact his close ally chancellor angela merkel of germany has found herself isolated in the european union for refusing to meet calls from other countries or from her conservative bloc to put an upper limit on the flow of migrants
ms merkel put together a deal between turkey and the european union in march that gave a veneer of unity to the continents very mixed response to arriving refugees and migrants that deal remains the subject of intense debate in light of turkeys current crackdown on the news media and on other freedoms
the accord has succeeded in sharply reducing the migrant flow but only in tandem with an earlier decision by austria and balkan states to close their land borders and shut off the route favored by approximately one million migrants last year
mr obama also gently chided the germans and other european nations for not always carrying a fair share of the financial and military burden as part of the nato alliance
those comments echoed remarks the president made recently in the atlantic where he referred to some european leaders as free riders who relied too heavily on the united states to pay for their military defense and to wage the fight against extremism
he said he would go to the nato meetings in europe this summer and would demand that every nation contribute 2 percent of its gross domestic product to the defense of the continent
we cant deal with these challenges by ourselves mr obama said
for much of the speech the american president lavished praise on europe citing what it has achieved he said that europeans should not take for granted the democratic societies they have built or the major wars they have avoided in the past several decades
perhaps you need an outsider somebody whos not a european to remind you of the magnitude of what youve achieved he said adding that the european union remains one of the greatest political and economic achievements of modern times
but he also cautioned that confronting the very real issue of economic inequality would require unity and more cooperation not the erection of new barriers
the answer to reform is not cutting ourselves off from each other he said


when game of thrones returned to hbo on sunday night many viewers probably had to rely on the map in the opening sequence to reorient themselves in the sprawling fantasy world whats the name of that sandy place in the south with the snakes oh right dorne
the opening title sequence plays the very practical role of providing viewers the only guide through the physical landscape not to mention the earworm so closely associated with the show its one of several title sequences in recent years designed to be a significant part of how you process and remember a program   in other words something you dont want to fast forward through
they can do things that the show itself isnt necessarily capable of doing said angus wall a co founder of the design studio elastic and the leader of the team that created the game of thrones opener they can sort of give you a broader sense of the world in which the show takes place
elastic is also the firm responsible for several of the most memorable opening sequences on tv including netflixs daredevil true detective on hbo and the man in the high castle on amazon in addition to game of thrones mr wall has created the openers for the leftovers deadwood and carnivale
while game of thrones offers exposition in its opening others in the current trend of slick highly produced openers are more intended to establish a mood said lola landekic the managing editor of art of the title a website focused on opening sequences think of the dripping red sludge of daredevil or the brooding landscapes of the first season of true detective theyre aiming to walk you through a gateway away from your normal life she said
theyre really preparing you and giving you the feeling and tonality you need to enter that world ms landekic said
mr wall said he believed the era of the elaborate opener was unlikely to continue indefinitely interest in title sequences tends to ebb and flow with surges in the 1960s and 1990s and a new one sparked largely by hbo and the sopranos
for game of thrones the map concept grew out of the shows original idea of having a crow fly from kings landing to winterfell two of the key locations
anticipating that viewers would have trouble keeping up with the action mr wall and his team designed interstitial scenes for the pilot that would move viewers from one location in westeros to the next much like the style of what ended up being the opening credits the idea was to help viewers place where each scene was happening in the big confusing world
it was awful and it ended up disrupting the narrative rhythm he said explaining why the scenes never made it to air
but that highlighted viewers need for some kind of legend to understand the layout of the world to remind them this wasnt happening on earth mr wall said in the books readers could always turn to an included map viewers had no such anchor
so a team of 25 to 30 people worked on creating the map for the first season it features a level of detail mr wall said most viewers would never notice with cogs and gears mostly under the surface that you can see only if youre looking in small gaps now a team of five or six people works on updating the map before each season he said


kabul afghanistan   after courting pakistan for more than a year president ashraf ghani of afghanistan changed course on monday and warned that he would lodge a complaint with the united nations security council if pakistan refuses to take military action against taliban leaders operating from its soil to wage an increasingly deadly insurgency across afghanistan
mr ghani has tried to persuade pakistans leadership particularly its powerful military to bring the insurgent leaders to the negotiating table but an increase in taliban violence including a brutal attack last week in the heart of kabul that killed at least 64 people and wounded more than 300 has forced the afghan president to effectively end the negotiations which have been a cornerstone effort of his troubled time in office
i want to make it clear that we do not expect pakistan to bring the taliban to talks mr ghani said monday in a rare joint session of the two houses of the afghan parliament if we do not see a change despite our hopes and efforts for regional cooperation we will be forced to turn to the un security council and launch serious diplomatic efforts
in quadrilateral talks over the past year that also involved the united states and china pakistan had pledged in writing to go after taliban leaders who refused to join the peace process mr ghani said
that is what mr ghani said he has asked pakistan to do take military action against those who have their centers in pakistan
despite promises from pakistan to bring taliban leaders to talks in the hopes of ending the long conflict the peace efforts seem to have gone nowhere the insurgency has begun another spring offensive which promises to be bloodier than in years past
in his address on monday mr ghani broke with the former administrations tactic of describing the taliban as discontented brothers in the hopes of urging them to talks mr ghani called the insurgents terrorists who take pleasure in the torn up bodies of our innocents and their leaders slavelike and involved in narcotics mafias he also declared the end of amnesty without cause for arrested taliban many of whom had in the past returned to the battlefield after release from prisons
the taliban were quick to respond a spokesman posted messages on twitter during mr ghanis address
the nation is not blind   it realizes who is a slave and who is a hireling said zabihullah mujahid the taliban spokesman posting a picture of senior government officials listening to the former commander of nato and united states forces in afghanistan gen john f campbell we will continue fighting until the occupation is ended
although the door for peace talks is not completely shut officials now say mr ghani under enormous pressure because of stagnation on every other front was forced to take a tougher stance as pakistan repeatedly failed to fulfill promises mr ghanis advisers are nevertheless encouraged that during the quadrilateral process pakistan has come out of a long held denial about taliban sanctuaries on its soil both in private discussions as well as in public
satraj aziz the adviser on foreign policy to pakistans prime minister said last month that his country had influence over the taliban but not control
we have some influence on them because their leadership is in pakistan and they get some medical facilities their families are here he said so we can use those levers to pressurize them to say come to the table
haroun mir a political analyst based in kabul said he did not see afghanistan capable of rallying the kind of international pressure to isolate pakistan which has displayed more skill at dealing with such pressures in the past
the fact that this process occurred in the presence of china and the united states at least these two nations will now know that afghanistan tried with honesty mr mir said whether the capacity is there to follow up   that is early to tell


before long someone is going to call this the hillary rally
as the chances of mrs clintons nomination have strengthened the dow jones industrial average has soared rising 2344 points or 15 percent from its recent low on feb 11
other factors could have helped drive stocks higher they had fallen a long way before the rally the outlook for company earnings has improved slightly and fears about the strength of the world economy have subsided a bit
it wouldnt be wise to also call it a trump rally though he is leading on the republican side during this period as mrs clintons grasp on the nomination tightened considerably the polls show her beating mr trump in november
but heres some advice for anyone in the clinton camp who might want to point to the markets jump as evidence that investors would be happy with her winning in november dont
time and time again political partisans have tried to recruit the stock market to their side most of the time it backfires
one of the most famous examples of this occurred in the months after barack obama was elected in 2008 the stock market still roiled by the financial crisis and a horrible global economy was plunging right wingers said investors were selling because they were fearful of the new presidents policies and called the rout the obama bear market
but in march 2009 days after the wall street journal opinion section published an article headlined obamas radicalism is killing the dow the stock market embarked on a bull market that has kept going to this day i do need to note that in 2012 a brief romney rally occurred
but left leaning pundits are not immune to using big moves in the markets to bolster their arguments for certain policies when concerns about china sent global stock markets lower at the start of this year larry summers a harvard professor and former secretary of the treasury wrote in the financial times that it would be wise to heed the fears of the financial markets
the article contained plenty of caveats about not slavishly reading too much into the markets but mr summers also contended that markets are like canaries in coal mines very valuable in giving warning when conditions change but the same markets are rising and appear to be signaling optimism were they right then but wrong now
in an email exchange mr summers said that the thesis of his column was that policy makers should have been more worried than they seemed to be at the time about the outlook for the global economy since then mr summers said the federal reserve has significantly modulated expectations of monetary tightening
as a result he contended the upswing in the markets was in significant part the result of policy doing what i urged   heeding market warnings 
more broadly he added think of markets as a mediocre but not hopeless weatherman making probabilistic forecasts his comments came after publication because i overlooked his initial response to my query
the news media can also be guilty of reading too much into the markets and by news media i mean me in january of this year i raised the possibility that it may be time to take swooning markets seriously because of what they said about the economy
the market does contain important signals that can tell a bigger story but its a job to separate them from the noise and pure speculation sometimes markets react to specific political events if mr trump were to start polling strongly against mrs clinton shortly before the presidential election while still pledging to introduce tough protectionist trade policies the stock market would most likely sell off on fears of what those policies might do to the economy
but you could reach the same economic conclusions without ever looking at the stock market most of what the markets appear to be saying can already be guessed at by looking at other sources
markets also misread whats going on in the wider world they dont have a special clairvoyance they also dont always say what we think they are saying the recent rally may indeed be a sign that investors would be ok with mrs clinton winning and the rally may even signal that she will win
but would her chances be any lower if the markets plunged for purely economic reasons they could be higher


some do it to get into heaven and some do it to get into medical school some do it because everyone else is doing it whatever the motivation the number of health care volunteers heading from developed to developing countries has soared in recent years with commentators straggling behind debating the merits of the stampede
the reasons to applaud are self evident all the old epidemics are compounded by all the new ones and the health related fallout of wars and natural disasters never ends if both skilled and unskilled labor can help then surely those who provide such labor should do good feel good and learn much
not necessarily critics say some would concur instead with an opinion published by a somali blogger in the guardian in 2013 and quoted by the sociologist judith lasker in hoping to help the promises and pitfalls of global health volunteering   the developing world has become a playground for the redemption of privileged souls looking to atone for global injustices by escaping the vacuity of modernity and globalization read an excerpt
and indeed as dr lasker watched groups of american and canadian volunteers in matching t shirts surging through the port au prince airport two years after haitis disastrous 2010 earthquake she was reminded of nothing so much as the weekly saturday turnover at american time share vacation resorts
many scholars have discussed the theory behind global aid and the various perils in its execution dr lasker a professor at lehigh university delivers instead a straightforward data driven review of a small health related fraction of the enterprise aiming to answer a few basic questions do volunteers help or hurt she asks in what ways
it turns out these questions cannot be answered at least not very precisely still anyone contemplating a volunteer stint is likely to be interested in dr laskers results which amount to a sort of de facto best practices manual
tens of thousands of religious and secular institutions now send hundreds of thousands of health volunteers from the united states out into the world generating close to an estimated 1 billion worth of unpaid labor volunteers include experienced medical professionals and individuals who can provide only elbow grease between these extremes of competence are the hordes of students in the health professions among whom global volunteering has become immensely popular
dr lasker presents data from a few hundred programs gleaned from several surveys dozens of interviews and some brief trips of her own she did not look at large organizations like doctors without borders  which are organized differently and generally do not use unpaid volunteers most of the programs she considers sponsor volunteer assignments that are quite short lasting weeks rather than months despite almost universal agreement among hosting communities that longer stays are much more helpful
the hosts generally have expectations that are simple enough volunteers should do as they are asked know enough about their destination not to violate local norms women in shorts grumbled one african social worker and understand that dirt dust and discomfort are part of the experience
but even well behaved and unremarkably clad volunteers may cause eddies of unintended disturbance
students may take advantage of the circumstances to attempt tasks well beyond their expertise seasoned professionals may cling to standards of practice that are irrelevant or impossible to sustain in poor countries unskilled volunteers who do not speak the language may monopolize local personnel with their interpreting needs without providing much of value in return
problems may lie with the structure of a program rather than the personnel volunteer projects may be choppy and discontinuous one set of volunteers not knowing what the previous group was up to and not able to leave suggestions for the next group medications may run out surgery may be performed with insufficient provisions for postoperative care
even well organized programs may undermine hosting communities in unanticipated ways for instance a good volunteer based clinic may sap confidence in local medical care and providing free services threaten to put local physicians out of business
with all this do objective evaluations find that volunteer activities actually help i did not expect how often the evaluation question seems to take people by surprise dr lasker writes
while the impact of surgical programs can be obvious and dramatic efforts at screening for disease and disease prevention are often far less so a representative of one program memorably told dr lasker that they just know their work makes a difference while a sizable minority of programs attempt no formal analysis of their achievements
but informal evaluations are inevitably suspect host communities may feel it is only polite to laud the results of such well meaning labor dr lasker writes and sometimes the cited benefits are quite ephemeral less suspicion of doctors in a community for instance more than one of dr laskers sources mused that the most beneficial aspect of the volunteer effort might be the cash infused into a community from the fees volunteers usually pay
the benefits to the volunteers themselves are equally difficult to pin down do they really learn the true meaning of charity are they really transformed into more educated global citizens a few studies on the long term effects of short term good works are ongoing in the meantime there is little evidence that short term volunteer trips produce the kinds of transformational changes that are often promised dr lasker finds
she winds up cautiously endorsing short term volunteer work provided the volunteer chooses carefully among programs and behaves responsibly while at work still she suggests that returning volunteers be humble when it comes to claiming they have made a difference either for others or for themselves


london   philips the dutch electronics giant said on monday that it was more likely that the company would pursue an initial public offering rather than a private sale of its lighting business
philips first announced plans in 2014 to spin off the lighting business as part of a reshaping of the company to focus on health care and technology since then the company has pursued a dual track effort to separate the lighting division through either a public offering or a private sale
as part of its first quarter results on monday philips said that improving markets had increased the possibility of its pursuing a public listing for the business
with equity markets sentiment improving compared to the first couple of months of the year an ipo increasingly appears a more likely outcome subject to further market developments and other relevant circumstances philips said in a news release however the company has not yet concluded on all proposals in the private sale process and continues to assess the attractiveness of this route compared to the ipo
philips said that it expected to update the market on its plans shortly
the lighting business includes divisions that produce traditional light bulbs and that design complete lighting systems the business had about 34000 employees and posted sales of 74 billion euros or about 83 billion in 2015
on monday philips also said that it was actively engaging with interested parties about the sale of its automotive and led components business lumileds
in january philips called off the sale of a controlling stake in that business to go scale capital an investment fund sponsored by gsr ventures of china and oak investment partners because of regulatory concerns raised in the united states
over all philips reported a profit of EUR37 million in the first quarter from EUR100 million in the first three months of 2015 the company had sales of EUR55 billion in the first quarter from EUR53 billion in the prior year period
the first quarter included charges of EUR52 million related to the separation of the lighting business philips said that it expected to record costs of EUR200 million to EUR225 million related to the separation of the lighting business this year


for senator bernie sanders there are not just two americas there are at least nine
that is there are currently nine versions of his america ad the emotional and soaring 60 second commercial set to simon and garfunkels 1968 song of the same name the campaign produced different versions for iowa new hampshire south carolina nevada rhode island east and west pennsylvania and new york along with a national version to run on cable reworking it with different footage that seems more rooted in each state
above weve collected six of the nine america ads as they exist now watching them together shows how they have been adapted to reach different audiences
it is a practice most presidential campaigns follow the ads that get new life with images tailored to a specific place   or a new call to action   are often the ones the campaigns believe to be most effective indeed one way to tell which advertisements the campaigns believe are moving voters are the ones that they recut revise and re air in each state
senator ted cruzs campaign has revised at least three of its ads from its 60 second washington deals ad that served as part of its closing argument in iowa to chance an ad criticizing donald j trumps shifting positions on abortion after the ad presented its charges against mr trump the narrator makes a statement specific to the state like arkansas cannot trust donald trump
with at least nine versions of america cut already a seemingly endless supply of cash from his small dollar donor base and a pledge to stay in the race for the time being theres a good chance the campaign will be counting the cars on the new jersey turnpike ahead of that states primary in june


london   ge money bank a unit of ge capital in the czech republic said on monday that its initial public offering could value the banking business at 391 billion czech korunas or about 16 billion
the initial public offering is the latest in a series of moves by general electric as it seeks to retreat from finance and focus on its industrial roots
general electric said last year that it planned to sell the bulk of ge capital within two years since then ge capital has entered into agreements for asset sales worth about 165 billion
the czech business which will be renamed moneta money bank said it planned to price its offering on the prague stock exchange at 68 korunas to 85 korunas a share that would value the bank at 391 billion korunas at the midpoint of the expected range ge capital will retain a minority stake in the czech bank
we are pleased to be launching our planned ipo today after a strong initial response from institutional investors tomas spurny the chief executive of ge money bank said in a news release
plans to pursue an initial public offering for the czech business were announced this month
the bank based in prague has 229 branches and 629 atms in the czech republic it serves 117 million retail and commercial customers in the country the company posted a profit of 45 million korunas in 2015
ge capital plans to sell 2606 million shares in moneta money bank in the offering or about 51 percent of the banks shares conditional trading of moneta money bank is expected to begin in prague on may 6
citigroup goldman sachs and jpmorgan chase are serving as joint global coordinators on the offering


london   ball corporation said on monday that it and rexam had agreed to sell a variety of assets in brazil europe and the united states to the packaging company ardagh group for 342 billion to satisfy regulatory concerns about balls takeover of rexam a british maker of aluminum cans
ball based in broomfield colo agreed in february 2015 to acquire rexam in a deal that would combine two of the worlds largest makers of cans for drinks and it has been trying to win regulatory approval for the deal the transaction would value rexam at 44 billion pounds or about 63 billion
under the divestiture agreement ardagh based in luxembourg would acquire eight rexam plants in the united states 10 ball plants and two rexam plants in europe and two ball plants in brazil it would also acquire innovation and support functions in brazil britain germany switzerland and the united states
the divested assets had revenue of about 3 billion in 2015 ball said
ardagh operates 89 glass and metal manufacturing production facilities in 21 countries it had 19000 employees and posted revenue of 52 billion euros or about 58 billion in 2015
the asset sale is subject to a number of conditions including regulators and shareholders signing off on the rexam acquisition ball expects to close its deal for rexam by the end of june
after the rexam acquisition ball would operate 75 metal beverage container manufacturing plants and joint ventures in asia europe and the americas the combined company would be based in broomfield
rexams biggest clients include pepsico the coca cola company anheuser busch inbev carlsberg group and heineken rexam employs about 8600 people and posted sales of PS393 billion in 2015
the companies said they anticipated to achieve more than 300 million in annual cost savings in the third year of their operations being combined the companies said they expected to incur about 280 million in nonrecurring integration costs during that period
ball makes cans for beverages foods aerosols and paint as well as materials for the aerospace industry it employs about 15000 people and had sales of 8 billion in 2015


a 16 year old boy has been arrested in australia on suspicion of plotting to carry out an attack during the countrys veterans commemorations on monday the police said
the boy whose name was not disclosed by the authorities was arrested on sunday in auburn a sydney suburb after he was said to have tried to obtain a firearm according to australian news reports he was charged with planning a terrorist act which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison
the boys lawyer said he would contest the charge and apply for bail in a hearing on tuesday the australian broadcasting corporation reported
the australian justice minister michael keenan said in a written statement that the plot was a truly chilling and disturbing scenario and a sad reflection of the current terror threat landscape in australia
last year the australian police arrested several people accused of plotting to attack police officers at a veterans parade a 15 year old british boy who was described as an organizer in that case was convicted and sentenced to at least five years in prison
april 25 is anzac day in australia and new zealand the national holiday which commemorates veterans corresponds with the anniversary of the australian and new zealand army corps 1915 landing at the gallipoli peninsula in turkey during world war i
the new south wales police commissioner andrew scipione said the arrest should not affect plans for anzac day in sydney we believe at this stage weve dealt with this particular threat he said on monday during a news conference this was one person by himself


london   as britain engages in fierce debates centered on national identity it is also confronting challenges to traditional norms of political discourse with issues of race and religion surfacing more overtly and provocatively
the looming referendum on whether to leave the european union the place of muslims in british society at a time when islamic terrorists have carried out attacks in europe the broader question of the island nations openness to immigration and the israeli palestinian conflict all have recently provoked heated commentary about discrimination and tolerance
like most european countries many of which are facing growing populist movements on the far right britain has always grappled with a strain of racial and religious bias but the political calendar and global events have combined to push the topic to center stage
president obama during his three day visit here that ended on sunday was the focus of an extraordinary squabble that centered on his kenyan father and attitudes toward british imperialism
boris johnson the conservative mayor of london and leader of the campaign against british membership in the european union responded to mr obamas robust call for britain to stay in the bloc with an opinion piece centering around mr obamas removal of a bust of winston churchill from the oval office
mr johnson suggested that mr obama might have been motivated by the part kenyan presidents ancestral dislike of the british empire of which churchill had been such a fervent defender
that comment provoked furious claims that mr johnson often mentioned as a potential successor to prime minister david cameron was making a smear based on mr obamas race in order to undermine his arguments in favor of britain remaining in the bloc
britains foreign secretary philip hammond told the telegraph icily about mr johnson people who aspire to hold offices of great responsibility do have to show that even under pressure they retain their cool and they dont step over any red lines
mr obama neatly parried the thrust without responding in kind saying that he thought even britons would understand that he might find it appropriate to have a bust of the rev dr martin luther king jr instead
but the dispute touched deeper chords here about whether britain can better control its borders and defend itself from terrorism from within or outside the european union
many of those who favor a british exit or brexit argue that only outside the european union can britain truly control its borders and limit immigration but behind the anxiety about immigration is not only fear of losing jobs to foreigners but of potential terrorist acts carried out by muslim extremists with european union citizenship who have gone to syria to embrace jihad and then have returned to europe and its freedom of travel
that freedom is limited by britains refusal to join the schengen passport free zone meaning that all foreigners who wish to enter britain can be checked but it is also true that one or more of the men responsible for the november terrorist attacks in paris reportedly including the apparent ringleader abdelhamid abaaoud were able to come to britain the previous summer without difficulty
all of those anxieties have surfaced in what has become a nasty campaign to succeed mr johnson as mayor of london in both the exit debate and the mayoral race it is the side that is thought to be losing that has ratcheted up the rhetoric at times verging on racism and islamophobia that has upset many britons
the labour party candidate for mayor sadiq khan has been attacked by his conservative opponent zac goldsmith for previous appearances alongside islamic extremists   criticism repeated by mr cameron in parliament
the contrast between mr khan 45 and mr goldsmith 41 is stark mr khan the son of muslim immigrants from pakistan was raised with seven siblings in a public housing unit with three bedrooms his father drove a london bus and his mother was a seamstress
mr goldsmith lived in an 18th century mansion attended eton where he was thrown out for smoking cannabis and inherited a fortune from his billionaire father the tycoon sir james goldsmith
were mr khan to succeed in the may 5 election he would be the first muslim to lead the city that dominates britains economic cultural and political life and where nearly one in eight residents is muslim
but his past as a human rights lawyer and activist has been highlighted by mr goldsmith who describes mr khan as a threat to london accusing him of appalling judgment mr goldsmith has suggested that by speaking on the same platform as those with radical views or who had been accused of supporting terrorists mr khan gave tacit support to extremism
in response mr khan has defended his commitment to human rights he claims that mr goldsmith wants to divide communities and accuses him of targeting voters especially indian voters along ethnic lines during a desperate negative campaign intended to inflame anxiety about muslims
mr cameron recently joined the argument telling parliament that mr khan had appeared publicly nine times with suliman gani an imam who mr cameron claimed supports is referring to the islamic state
mr khan has acknowledged contacts with mr gani a constituent but mr khan said that his support for plans to legalize same sex marriage prompted mr gani to campaign against him and that mr khan helped remove mr gani as an imam
mr gani called the allegation a smear on my good name and described the islamic state as a terrorist and inhumane organization he also released a photograph of himself alongside mr goldsmith
in an interview mr khan acknowledged that the accusations may have done him damage if i have given the impression somehow by being a human rights lawyer that somehow i have similar views to people i abhor that would be something that i would regret he said
part of the background to the khan debate is not about islam at all but elements of anti semitism in the labour party the partys leader jeremy corbyn has been criticized for not doing enough to stamp out anti semitic views in the party
the difficulty is defining the line between anti semitism and principled support for palestine opposition to israeli settlements in occupied territory and anti zionism
mr corbyn who has been a fierce critic of israel has spoken out against anti semitism in the party but critics say he has not taken tough enough action to expel those who evince it
the same issue has come up again recently with the election of malia bouattia 28 as the first black muslim woman to lead the national union of students
for her supporters her election is a victory for diversity and radical politics but jewish students groups are alarmed citing her criticism of the influence of zionist led media her description of her birmingham university as something of a zionist outpost because of its active jewish organizations and her talk at a meeting that was advertised with a poster featuring hassan nasrallah the leader of hezbollah
within a few hours of her victory students at cambridge called for a referendum on whether their union should quit the national body describing her election as a horrifying message to jewish students
ms bouattia has denied any anti semitism and has offered to meet with her critics


the grauers gorilla the worlds largest primate has been a source of continual worry for conservationists for more than two decades longstanding conflict in the deep jungles of the eastern democratic republic of congo left experts with no choice but to guess at how that gorilla subspecies may be faring
now with tensions abating somewhat researchers finally have an updated gorilla head count   one that confirms their fears according to findings compiled by an international team of conservationists grauers gorilla populations have plummeted 77 percent over the last 20 years with fewer than 3800 of the animals remaining
we suspected that the grauers gorilla had declined because of all the insecurity in the region but no one had an idea of how much theyd declined by said andrew plumptre director of the wildlife conservation societys albertine rift program in central and eastern africa it turns out that the rate of collapse pushes this subspecies to the verge of extinction
grauers gorillas   named after rudolf grauer an austrian explorer and zoologist who first recognized the apes as a separate subspecies   resemble their close relative the mountain gorilla save for their longer limbs and shorter hair although grauers and mountain gorilla populations were once connected years of isolation have left them genetically distinct enough to warrant separate designations as eastern gorilla subspecies
in 1994 the wildlife conservation society conducted surveys in and around kahuzi biega national park in what was then eastern zaire researchers estimated that 17000 grauers gorillas remained but the rwandan genocide that year led to the gorillas precipitous decline
an estimated 800000 rwandans were killed over a three month period while hundreds of thousands more fled to neighboring zaire some of those refugees formed militias such as the democratic forces for the liberation of rwanda and the forest served as their stronghold and hide out
instability soon spread leading to the overthrow of president mobutu sese seko and civil war in the newly formed democratic republic of congo from 1996 to 2003 that conflict cost the lives of an estimated five million people and also brought the formation of more armed groups 69 of which continue to operate in the eastern part of the country
bushmeat feeds many of them and gorillas which can weigh up to 400 pounds prove easy and worthwhile targets to finance their efforts many armed groups have also set up artisanal mining sites nearly all illegal
the international peace information service an independent research institute based in belgium has documented more than 1000 of these mines and the wildlife conservation society has counted at least 240 more within protected areas and proposed protected areas the mines attract untold numbers of outside workers who also need to eat
although the fighting has ebbed somewhat over the last five years the region today is by no means secure for people or for animals eastern congo is just tragic on every level imaginable said liz williamson a primatologist at the university of stirling in scotland people there have been living through hell for 20 years
those trying to protect the regions flora and fauna are equally at risk the wildlife conservation society estimates that 170 to 200 park rangers have been killed in eastern congo since 1996
the government has been trying to go into some areas to disarm all these groups but its not an easy job dr plumptre said in that large of a chunk of forest finding people is difficult
despite the danger over the last few years field teams of local residents park staff members and scientists have managed to undertake the most comprehensive survey of grauers gorillas ever covering 7450 miles of their range statistical analyses allowed dr plumptre and his colleagues to estimate a total remaining population of fewer than 3800
all told the researchers calculated a 77 percent decline in grauers gorilla populations since 1994 although some sites were hit harder than others in and around kahuzi biega national park for example there has been an 87 percent decline
additionally nearly 80 percent of the total losses took place over just one generation   a rate three times higher than what is normally needed to officially declare an animal on the brink of extinction should this trend continue most grauers gorillas will be gone within the next five to 10 years dr plumptre said
grauers gorillas are listed as endangered by the international union for conservation of nature but dr plumptre and his colleagues believe that their situation warrants immediate updating to critically endangered status dr williamson submitted evidence this month supporting that change and she expects approval by june
while killing gorillas is already illegal in the country declaring the subspecies as critically endangered would probably bring more funding and support for saving it protecting the entirety of the gorillas 7700 square mile territory would no doubt prove impossible but dr plumptre and his colleagues are talking with the government and community leaders about establishing two new protected areas that would encompass 60 percent of the remaining gorillas habitat
i think people felt like this was a lost cause and not much could be done dr williamson said but now wcs is really pushing to get boots on the ground and create these new national parks which would really make a difference
government commitment to saving the gorillas she added is essential
there is some evidence that heightened protection and investment could work in their surveys the researchers found that one gorilla population in the highland sector of kahuzi biega national park has increased to an estimated 200 from about 130 in 2000 that sector receives the most protection in the eastern national parks and even welcomes tourists
this shows that if you do invest in a site you can stop the decline dr plumptre said
the researchers also plan to set up microcredit schemes   small loans with minimal interest that are intended to help people living in poverty set up businesses   and employment opportunities for people from local communities who are involved in mining additionally they hope to establish a certification program for legitimate mining sites
some western companies like motorola nokia blackberry hp and intel already work with a group called solutions for hope to acquire conflict free minerals dr plumptre imagines updating the conflict free mineral listing to include a bushmeat free or conservation friendly validation
if people started lobbying for gorilla friendly cellphones and ipads it would force the government of drc to take this more seriously he said
radar nishuli the director of kahuzi biega national park agreed that more engagement from people outside the democratic republic of congo was needed all of the world needs to support our efforts to save whats still left of the gorillas and their forest habitat and to help the congo get out of this war situation dr nishuli said
i am optimistic that gorillas can still multiply to the delight of all he added if i wasnt i would have already given up this fight


dr caleb alexander knows how easily older people can fall into so called polypharmacy perhaps a patient like most seniors sees several specialists who write or renew prescriptions
a cardiologist puts someone on good evidence based medications for his heart said dr alexander co director of the johns hopkins center for drug safety and effectiveness an endocrinologist does the same for his bones
and lets say the patient like many older adults also uses an over the counter reflux drug and takes a daily aspirin or a zinc supplement and fish oil capsules
pretty soon you have an 82 year old man whos on 14 medications dr alexander said barely exaggerating
geriatricians and researchers have warned for years about the potential hazards of polypharmacy usually defined as taking five or more drugs concurrently yet it continues to rise in all age groups reaching disturbingly high levels among older adults
its as perennial as the grass dr alexander said the average senior is taking more medicines than ever before
tracking prescription drug use from 1999 to 2012 through a large national survey harvard researchers reported in november that 39 percent of those over age 65 now use five or more medications   a 70 percent increase in polypharmacy over 12 years
lots of factors probably contributed including the introduction of medicare part d drug coverage in 2006 and treatment guidelines that controversially call for greater use of statins
but older people dont take just prescription drugs an article published in jama internal medicine  using a longitudinal national survey of people 62 to 85 may have revealed the fuller picture
more than a third were taking at least five prescription medications and almost two thirds were using dietary supplements including herbs and vitamins nearly 40 percent took over the counter drugs
not all are imperiled by polypharmacy of course but some of those products even those that sound natural and are available at health food stores interact with others and can cause dangerous side effects
how often does that happen the researchers analyzing the drugs and supplements taken calculated that more than 8 percent of older adults in 2005 and 2006 were at risk for a major drug interaction five years later the proportion exceeded 15 percent
were not paying attention to the interactions and safety of multiple medications said dima qato the lead author of the jama internal medicine article dr alexander was a co author and a pharmacist and epidemiologist at the university of illinois at chicago this is a major public health problem
she was stunned to discover for instance that the use of omega 3 fish oil supplements had quadrupled over five years her research suggests that almost one in five older adults now takes them
users probably believe fish oil helps their hearts but dr qato pointed out fish oil capsules lacked regulation and evidence of effectiveness and can cause bleeding in patients taking blood thinners like warfarin brand name coumadin
though drug interactions can occur in any age group older people are more vulnerable said dr michael a steinman a geriatrician at the university of california san francisco who wrote an accompanying commentary
most have multiple chronic diseases so they take more drugs putting them at higher risk for threatening interactions
the consequences can also be more threatening say a drug makes older patients dizzy
theyre more prone to fall because they dont have the same reserves of balance and strength as the young or middle aged dr steinman said and if they do fall because theyre dizzy theyre more likely to get hurt
some common combinations that cropped up in the study and could spell trouble aspirin and the anti clotting drug clopidogrel plavix both blood thinners that together increase the risk of bleeding with long term use aspirin and naproxen aleve over the counter drugs that when combined can cause bleeding ulceration or perforation of the stomach lining
dr qato recalled reviewing the medications of a 67 year old man taking both the cholesterol drug simvastatin zocor and the blood pressure medication amlodipine norvasc   the most common combination of interacting drugs that emerged in her study
statins along with their cholesterol lowering properties can cause muscle pain and weakness norvasc heightens that risk a different blood pressure drug   there are many alternatives   would be a safer choice dr qato said yet almost 4 percent of the older adults in her study took both drugs
moreover though her patient wasnt experiencing problems he was also taking garlic and omega 3 supplements which can interact with prescription medications
did you tell your doctor you were on them dr qato recalled asking he said no why should i if it was important why didnt he ask me
a reasonable question a recent study in jama internal medicine however found that more than 42 percent of adults didnt tell their primary care doctors about their most commonly used complementary and alternative medicines including a quarter of those who relied most on herbs and supplements
usually that was because the physicians didnt ask and the patients didnt think they needed to know in a few cases doctors had previously discouraged alternative therapies or patients thought they would
and they might especially for older patients with complex regimens im not a big fan of supplements dr alexander tells patients taking lots of vitamins supplements and herbal remedies
i think the vast majority of evidence raises serious questions about their effectiveness or in some cases their safety theyre less well regulated than prescription medications i think youd be better off stopping them
patients often resist he said and theyre the captain of their own ship so he explains the risks and benefits and negotiations ensue
often though patients dont know that a daily aspirin prilosec otc or fish oil can interact with other drugs or theyre confused about what theyre actually taking
dr steinman recalled asking a patient to bring in every pill he took for a so called brown bag review he learned that the man had accumulated four or five bottles of the same drug without realizing it and was ingesting several times the recommended dose
ultimately the best way to reduce polypharmacy is to overhaul our fragmented approach to health care the system is not geared to look at a person as a whole to see how the patterns fit together dr steinman said
in the meantime though patients and families can ask their physicians for brown bag reviews including every supplement and discuss whether to continue or change their regimens pharmacists often underused as information sources can help coordinate medications and some patients qualify for medication reviews through medicare
we spend an awful lot of money and effort trying to figure out when to start medications dr alexander said and shockingly little on when to stop


hillary clinton and bernie sanders have a new issue to disagree about the wisdom of a soda tax
a tax on sugary soft drinks like the one proposed in philadelphia and endorsed by mrs clinton last week divides the left it can be seen as achieving an admirable public health goal of less sugar consumption or as a very regressive tax that falls more on the poor than the rich since the poor tend to drink more soda
while not the biggest issue the two candidates have tussled over it is one that may reverberate across the country in coming years as more cities and states use the tax to raise revenue or improve citizens health
last week mrs clinton became the first presidential candidate to explicitly endorse a tax on sugary drinks at a philadelphia event wednesday she said a proposal there to use a soda tax to fund universal prekindergarten was a good idea
it starts early with working with families working with kids building up community resources mrs clinton said according to a cnn report im very supportive of the mayors proposal to tax soda to get universal preschool for kids i mean we need universal preschool and if thats a way to do it thats how we should do it
mrs clintons framing of the issue as she campaigns in the pennsylvania primary echoes that of mayor jim kenney of philadelphia who has emphasized the soda tax as a way of funding education mr kenney talks about the tax not as a way to drive down soda drinking but as one to help fight poverty in his city in truth it would probably do some of both higher soda prices the likely result of such a tax would discourage people from buying as much soda public health reformers think such a function of the tax is desirable since soda consumption has been linked to obesity diabetes and tooth decay
but theres another way to view soda taxes as measures that hit the poor harder lower income philadelphians like other lower income americans tend to drink more soda than their richer neighbors that means that they may get stuck paying a disproportionate share of the bill
making sure that every family has high quality affordable preschool and child care is a vision that i strongly share mr sanders said in a written statement on the other hand i do not support paying for this proposal through a regressive tax on soda that will significantly increase taxes on low income and middle class americans at a time of massive income and wealth inequality it should be the people on top who see an increase in their taxes not low income and working people over the weekend mr sanders continued to express opposition to the tax at campaign events and on meet the press
the proposed philadelphia tax would be 3 cents for every ounce of sugary drink sold by distributors making it the highest soda tax proposed anywhere in the country that means a tax of 432 on a 12 pack of soda which typically costs between 3 and 6 at the grocery store it would come to 60 cents of tax on a 20 ounce bottle which usually retails for about 2 its not yet clear whether distributors will absorb some of that tax or simply pass all of it on to consumers but the city budget department expects big price increases in retail stores
mr sanders also says mrs clintons support violates her pledge not to raise taxes on those earning less than 250000
mr sanderss argument is in line with that of many soda tax opponents and theres most likely some truth to it tobacco taxes in many ways the model for soda taxes have tended to fall largely on low income people who remain more likely to smoke
but tobacco is highly addictive in mexico where a big national soda tax went into effect in 2014 soda drinking declined the fastest among the poor who felt the taxs effects in their budgets most acutely consumption among the poorest mexicans fell by 17 percent by the end of the year compared with 12 percent in the population nationwide as barry popkin a professor of nutrition at the university of north carolina puts it the rich paid the tax and the poor reduced their soda drinking if something like that happens in philadelphia the poor may suffer in the form of less choice or enjoyment but they may not bear the brunt of funding city preschool
republicans appear to be nearly united in their opposition to the measure both as a tax increase and a nanny state intrusion on personal choice several prominent republicans cheered mr sanderss anti tax stance including grover norquist the president of americans for tax reform and an influential anti tax advocate but conservative opposition to soda taxes is not true world over in britain the conservative government just proposed a hefty soda tax which is expected to become law


the channel islands off the coast of southern california are a natural laboratory for a particularly adorable experiment in evolution
a unique species called the island fox has lived there for several thousand years their bodies shrinking over the generations until now each is smaller than a house cat adult island foxes weigh as little as 235 pounds
now a team of scientists has discovered another way in which island foxes are extraordinary genetically they are nearly identical to one another in fact a fox community on one island has set a record for the least genetic variation in a sexually reproducing species
oliver a ryder the director of genetics at the san diego zoo institute for conservation research said the new research posed a biological puzzle
its an axiom of evolutionary biology that low levels of genetic variation put species at risk of extinction yet the delicate island foxes are still racing across meadows and bounding up trees
how can the island foxes get away with it dr ryder said
the new study published on thursday in current biology was led by robert k wayne a geneticist at the university of california los angeles dr wayne has been studying the dna of island foxes since the early 1990s hoping to understand their remarkable makeup
theyre like dodos dr wayne said in an interview they have no notion of human fear you can just put them in your lap
some scientists suspect that island foxes are fearless because of a long relationship with humans
native americans first settled the islands about 13000 years ago and they may have brought along gray foxes from the mainland previous studies indicate that island foxes share an ancestor with gray foxes that lived 9200 years ago
its unlikely the foxes made the trip on their own the islands are separated from the mainland by 12 to 70 miles of open ocean another clue pointing to human help native americans painted foxes on rocks and gave them ceremonial burials foxes may have had a spiritual importance to them
however the animals arrived on the channel islands they adapted quickly the oldest island fox fossils date back 7000 years and show that they were small even then the great shrinking required less than 2200 years it seems
dr wayne has focused on genetic variation among the island foxes he and his colleagues started off by examining a few genetic markers finding striking similarities among the animals but the scientists couldnt be sure just how similar the foxes were until technological advances made it possible to sequence their genomes
there are six subspecies each living on a separate channel island in their new study dr wayne sequenced the genome of one fox from each of five subspecies on the sixth island san nicolas they sequenced two genomes
like other animals island foxes carry two copies of each gene inheriting one copy from each parent in large populations with a lot of genetic variation there can be many versions of a given gene an animal may inherit two varying copies of a gene from its parents
but the scientists discovered virtually no differences in the dna the foxes had inherited we call it genetic flatlining dr wayne said
while each subspecies has very little diversity the foxes on san nicolas are almost like identical twins a record
low genetic variation can pose a serious threat to survival when a new threat appears   a new disease for instance   some individuals may have the genes to resist it and others lack them in a population with low genetic variation none of the animals may have the right genes to survive
inbred populations also often share mutations that are bad for health shortening life spans or reducing the number of offspring dr wayne and his colleagues found that island foxes have many more harmful mutations than gray foxes on the mainland
on the face of it the island foxes should have vanished long ago but that hasnt happened to them in thousands of years dr wayne said theyre an exception to the paradigm
dr wayne speculated that island foxes might enjoy some sort of special protection its possible for example that as top predators on a small island they didnt have to face the challenges that other inbred animals do or perhaps the people who lived on the islands helped them survive
or while the genes of island foxes may be almost entirely identical maybe they are activated in the animals in varying patterns experiences early in life can program genes to switch on and off a phenomenon called epigenetics
it might also be some combination of all of the above dr wayne said
other researchers suggest that island foxes have been protected in more familiar ways newly arrived foxes could have rejuvenated the channel island gene pool with some fresh variation
their study has not ruled out occasional immigrants reaching the islands said richard frankham a geneticist at macquarie university in australia
but dr wayne said his new study cast doubt on that possibility
each subspecies of island fox is genetically distinct showing no sign of newly introduced genes moving from island to island theres no evidence of gene flow dr wayne said
understanding the evolutionary history of the island foxes is important to ensuring they have a future a rapid population decline led to four subspecies of island foxes being declared endangered in 2004
its likely that several causes helped drive down their numbers
in recent decades golden eagles have arrived on the islands and begun killing off the foxes which have also faced new diseases introduced by raccoons and other invasive animals
some researchers are concerned that their genetic similarity could increase the risk if we care about the persistence of island foxes and other small populations we should be concerned about low genetic variation said w chris funk a biologist at colorado state university
writing in the journal molecular ecology last month dr funk and his colleagues suggested one way to help the foxes move animals among the islands if the subspecies mix genes by interbreeding they may be able to increase their variation
scientists have used this procedure known as genetic rescue to help other species in florida for example the resident panther population has had a difficult time producing new cubs researchers introduced panthers from texas and their new genes have helped the florida panther population grow
based on his new research dr wayne said he didnt think island foxes need genetic rescue at least until scientists find strong evidence that they are suffering because of low genetic variation
i would really hesitate to move foxes around dr wayne said each island is genetically distinct i would be loath to destroy that


london   the oldest cup competition of them all englands fa cup still can beguile audiences from across the world
the former brazilian star ronaldo was in the stands at wembley stadium on saturday an honored guest caught in the drama of a cup semifinal that was in doubt until the final seconds of stoppage time
that winning goal by anthony martial combined the same thrilling combination of quickness and decisive shooting that made ronaldo the worlds outstanding striker during his playing days
now 39 the brazilian witnessed a player half his age conjure up the final act in manchester uniteds 2 1 win against everton the manchester united legends bobby charlton 78 and alex ferguson 74 were also in the crowd looking animated by a full swing of emotions as their team reached yet another cup final
it is fantastic when you see the joy in the eyes of the players also the fans said louis van gaal the current united manager
standing just a few yards away roberto martinez the defeated manager of everton told reporters the feeling we share is that this is as cruel as football can be after the incredible tempo and intensity of our second half we deserved so much more the end of the story becomes heartbreaking
elation and heartbreak are basic to knockout soccer not only in the fa cup but also in world cups where brazils ronaldo and englands charlton have tasted the ultimate elixir of winning
what separates the cups from leagues was amply demonstrated over the past week barcelona has scored 14 goals and conceded none in two games during which luis suarez has scored four goals in back to back matches yet those count for nothing extra because points   not goals   determine league standings and both atletico and real madrid also won their games saturday to keep the liga race tight though in atleticos case it was a trademark 1 0 victory
so the cups and the element that anyone can win or lose on a given day really are different journalists looking for a different story grilled both managers at wembley asking as they ask every week whether van gaal expects or wants to keep his job and in effect telling martinez that evertons failure to win a trophy will inevitably result in him being replaced
van gaal shrugs off the insinuations that jose mourinho a former protege is a shoo in to replace him after this season rumors that have been prevalent ever since mourinho was fired by chelsea earlier this season martinez is at the stage of pleading to stay in his job saying that he is building with much fewer resources at everton
who really knows if boards of directors follow the media or make their own hire and fire agendas and after so thrilling and fluctuating a game that united and everton provided at wembley who really cares for the speculation
this from beginning to end was as open and as enthralling as any semifinal can be it was won in the end by the energy of youth in a final fling in the 93rd minute
martial 20 is burdened by having arrived in england as the worlds costliest teenager having cost 83 million to acquire from monaco once all the fees are added up
martial has that laissez faire attitude of the modern player who can do no more than his best with the ball at his feet but he has electrifying speed and knows how to use it in the first half it was martials burst of quickness and his knowing cutback from the left flank that created the first goal scored on the volley by marouane fellaini
the finish looked easy but fellaini a big angular and often awkward looking belgian mastered the technique of that finish with aplomb he kept to himself any emotional turmoil he might have felt in playing against everton his club for five seasons until he headed to manchester in 2013
fellaini hasnt always looked like a real united player but more like a willing soldier who has been pressed into duty on the whims of a manager who inherited but never chose to buy him
wayne rooney on the other hand is another former evertonian but these days is very much a red devil and is now the captain of united the thing about rooney is that he was a top class player for united from the beginning after manchester acquired him 12 years ago
play rooney anywhere on the team and he will give it his all he has 244 goals for the club in 514 games lining up in a variety of roles and now is only five behind charlton the clubs all time leader
on saturday rooney anchored the midfield creating for others with passes that were reminiscent at times of the retired paul scholes rooney 30 and recently returned from injury kept united level early on when he dashed back to head away a shot bound for the goal by evertons romelu lukaku
it was a shot that could have changed the final outcome as was a later penalty shot by lukaku that was saved by david de gea uniteds goalkeeper
everton threw impressive spirit into the second half and tied the score in a capricious manner when manchester defender chris smalling mis hit a low cross into his own goal
then approaching extra time martial twice passed the ball and twice ran forward demanding it back and when the second return pass came his extraordinary speed and cool finish stole victory from the stalemate
martinez sagged van gaal breathed relief and brazils ronaldo cheered like a fan


conscientious objection one of the few forms of activism i have time for is a fraught thing i really do try to stay away from corporations that have been problematic for my politics i dont ever step foot in a chick fil a restaurant because of the companys hostility toward lgbt causes though if im honest i dont really know where to find one in my neighborhood anyway i would never patronize hobby lobby because i believe in womens access to contraception but i also cant say that i have consumer needs that hobby lobby can fill either
then there are those purchases of real importance and the times when you have to make decisions about the cost of your convictions i am speaking of swimwear and more specifically the lands end slender tunic a hardworking piece of equipment that tricky as it may be to slither into can transform your body into something similar to what you sort of hoped it would look like if you blurred your eyes in a poorly lit room
if you allow it to this baby will level out your stomach as if it were an only slightly corrugated piece of cardboard it will turn some arbitrary midpoint of your torso back into a waist with its patented squeezing technology i knew all this for i own two of them a brown one whose material became inexplicably see through around the middle of my back within just a year and a red one whose color was too light to help promote the fiction i was trying to unleash on the world
after my first pregnancy i despaired of finding a suit that might cover the wreckage that childbearing had wrought i lived in california at the time so many of my friends told me to embrace my stretch marks as the stripes a tiger has from being fierce or some such my stomach which was now topographically comparable to a road in rural liberia was a badge of honor they said but those same women wore bikinis and there was no sign of stretching or aging on them it was only my friend janet who looked me up and down wide eyed and politely said have you been to the lands end website
i had never shopped at lands end i hadnt felt old enough or midwestern enough or suburban enough in a strange way i hadnt felt settled enough in adult life to go somewhere quite so utilitarian janet assured me that i was ready and not by a little and she sat me down in front of her computer she introduced me to a feature now defunct of lands end shopping it was called my virtual model and it was a figure you could modify with your own measurements and even your haircut so you could see how one of the sites rayon blend products would look hanging off your particular figure i made mine as i was at the time with thighs that touched hard and back fat and brown hair i dressed her in horrible a line dresses with surreptitious elastic waists and boat necks   so many boat necks on that website an ocean full of boat necks with a deeper breath i finally put her in a bathing suit that in front of my eyes reduced the lumps it covered and the uncanny valley version of myself smiled back
my virtual model was excised from the site a few years later   maybe she had taken a stand on the wage gap   but it no longer mattered once every year or so i simply clicked order and my bathing suit would arrive
now at the pool club we join every summer i see my childrens friends mothers wading in the shallow end we all look like newborn seals in our lands end bathing suits   colorless newly hairless after a long winter frightened and resentful we greet one another with a quick raise of the chin and we evaluate what the people you are asked to take seriously at pta meetings look like barely clothed knowing this cold truth that we do not look as bad as we could
but lands end couldnt leave well enough alone back in february lands end began an interview series called legends for its catalog and featured a lengthy interview with gloria steinem for no discernible reason not that steinem isnt a legend and not that every magazine shouldnt feature her   the more gloria steinem the better if you ask me but this is a clothing catalog and to say it seemed out of place is an understatement
how innocuous was the interview well one featured quote was this scorcher from steinem fashion is what someone else tells you to wear but style is about personal expression and freedom hardly bra burning stuff its only transgressive act was mentioning style in a lands end catalog
but a big market for lands end is school uniforms and soon after several schools that patronize the company threatened a boycott over the steinem interview in the name of the anti abortion movement bloggers blogged facebook statuses were updated tags included scores of middle class americans clutched their pearls through their striped three quarter sleeve casual popover blouses they rose up and announced that this interview with this woman would not stand that they needed a safe space to order midcalf dresses and paisley capri pants they took to a letter writing campaign that was immediately effective lands end pulled the interview and apologized
i read lands ends spineless reply some customers were troubled and concerned that we featured an interview with gloria steinem in a recent catalog lands end is committed to providing our loyal customers and their families with stylish affordable well made clothing we greatly respect and appreciate the passion people have for our brand it was never our intention to raise a divisive political or religious issue so when some of our customers saw the recent promotion that way we heard them we sincerely apologize for any offense i wrote on twitter lands end many sweatpants no balls and boy was that retweeted and i was pretty proud of my politics but now here i was two weeks later entering my 40s my body a fossil of young middle age and childbearing and i had no place to buy a bathing suit
what im saying is that its easy to get angry the problem is staying angry when your need for convenience outweighs the part of you that is allegiant to your convictions and as my finger hovers over that slender tunic which lands end is now selling in blackberry   a color that suits me very much   it is harder to find my self righteousness again a long time ago you could opt into news and never be exposed to someones really good argument on twitter that the only answer is a boycott you could be a person who wasnt awakened to the world around you these days you would have to be trying not to hear about the ways that the world doesnt align with your values and about the very simplest thing you could do to show your consent or your objection and the simple thing you can do is not to march on washington but to simply opt out of a certain businesss service
for a moment i grappled with the idea that i could order the bathing suit just this one last time and people could assume that it was an old one if they asked but we are what we do when were alone in a room we are what we do when we can get away with something i called janet to ask where i should buy my next bathing suit but janet is a republican and not sympathetic to my causes and so her response was lands end still you idiot implied i hung up with janet closed the lands end browser window and opened one for ll bean its sarong tanksuit comes with an actual pretend skirt wrapped around it and when you wear it its like youre not even wearing a bathing suit at all


times insider delivers behind the scenes insights from the new york times in this piece times reporter margalit fox explains how a feature length documentary about the timess obituaries desk came to be
it all started with origami
in the autumn of 2010 an editor in the obituary department of the times handed me what i thought would be a routine though immensely interesting assignment i could scarcely have imagined at the time that the resulting news article   the life story of a reclusive little known french paper artist named eric joisel   would be the catalyst for obit a documentary film about my colleagues and me that generated a good deal of buzz at the tribeca film festival
mr joisel who died at 53 was a master artisan of origami though the origami that sprang from his hands had nothing in common with the limp cranes and wobbly salt cellars you and i made as children his work   sculptural sometimes immense and rigorously engineered   was exhibited around the world including at the louvre he made intricately costumed commedia dellarte figures each one looking as though it were alive bands of musicians their veined careworn hands holding tiny instruments he made elegant seahorses graceful leaping fish and from a vast single sheet of paper a life size rhinoceros
my source for our obituary the times requires us to confirm a subjects death typically in the second paragraph of a news obit was a young brooklyn filmmaker named vanessa gould ms gould had won a peabody award for her 2008 documentary between the folds a meditative chronicle of the work of several remarkable origami artists mr joisel among them
after mr joisel died ms gould who in the course of filming had become his close friend sent a news release announcing his death to a dozen english language newspapers in europe and the united states the times she told me recently was the only one that replied
for us mr joisel was a natural though scarcely a household name he stood at the pinnacle of an arcane fascinating profession in scouring the world for our obituary subjects we often gravitate toward unsung heroes and heroines who have managed however quietly to put a wrinkle in the social fabric in mr joisel we found someone who had done literally that through the thousands of knife sharp creases that gave life to his remarkable art
i called ms gould and found her to be the ideal source to guide me through the details of mr joisels solitary life and the intricacies of his solitary art much of his lifes work was devoted to studying an expressiveness of human nature that you would never think could be elicited from a piece of paper she told me a quotation so apt that we included it in the finished story
but what i didnt know at the time was that ms gould was attending to my questions as intently as i was attending to her answers her concerns as a documentarian center on the life of the mind the making of art and the painstaking process by which the two can be combined as i later learned her participation in mr joisels obituary made her think for the first time about training her eye on those of us who make obituaries   perhaps the strangest calling in american journalism but also the very best   with its singular pleasures and perils
and so obit was born with ms gould securing the layers of permission from the times   first from the obituaries editor william mcdonald then from masthead level editors and members of our corporate communications department   that would allow her and her crew to film in the newsroom as they followed the making of a news obituary over the course of a single day mr mcdonald and many of our writers bruce weber william grimes douglas martin paul vitello and i were also interviewed in our homes our polymathic morgue custodian jeff roth who presides over tens of thousands of drawers of old photographs and yellowed crumbling clippings all the stock in trade of the obituary writers work was interviewed in situ
as my colleagues and i learned after comparing notes recently it transpired that each of us was concerned at the outset about whether our working lives were truly a fitting subject for a documentary - not because they are uninteresting but because as i told jezebelcom recently we feared that the inevitable result would be a bunch of middle aged people sitting in chairs talking on the phone and typing our work product alas entails no leaping fish and nary a rhinoceros to make the visuals sing
but ms gould was alert to this prospect from the start the finished film which runs about 90 minutes intercuts the interviews with rich archival footage often so obscure that it had to be unearthed tenderly from the basements throughout the country where it had languished for decades the resulting images capture not only our subjects in their prime but also the steady sometimes dubious progress of history and the slow accretion of memory   all topics of the utmost concern to obituary writers
and thus we have become film stars a far cry from the marginalized outcasts that our obit writing forebears in newsrooms across america so often were we have been to the films world premiere at tribeca this month we have done the red carpet we have been photographed we have tasted renown
and now we wait we wait for the phone to ring with the offers we know will pour in   for how we ask ourselves can hollywood possibly resist a bevy of articulate middle aged chair sitting typists such as we
we wait we wait and wait


taste makers is a documentary series exploring the challenges facing young people in america who aspire to careers as chefs farmers and food industry entrepreneurs the subjects are ambitious and driven but their futures are by no means clear or assured they stand alone and move forward on their dreams
for this episode we visit with adrienne cheatham 34 a trained dancer and former cook at le bernardin who at the time of our filming was working as the chef de cuisine at the celebrity chef marcus samuelssons red rooster restaurant in harlem
ms cheatham labors to explore her own identity as a chef while at the same time executing mr samuelssons hits in the restaurants kitchen six days a week usually for 12 to 16 hours a day in the background are her own desires to have her own restaurant to continue dancing to move forward with success she has since been promoted to executive chef
of course we asked her for a recipe she gave us a fine one for beer brined roast chicken


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1 signs of friction threatened to undercut a deal between ted cruz and john kasich to coordinate against donald trump mr trump is expected to dominate in tuesdays primaries in five northeastern states but his delegate count could fall short if he loses in indiana next week allowing the rivals to fight it out at the convention polls show bernie sanders gaining on hillary clinton in rhode island connecticut and indiana though she appears ahead in pennsylvania and maryland

2 president obama wrapping up a six day trip to europe said he would send 250 more us military personnel to syria to help local forces fight the islamic state addressing europes economic and migration problems he appeared to refer to mr trumps divisive politics mr obama said challenging conditions opened the door to those who would try to exploit those fears and frustrations and channel them in a destructive way

3 the family of tamir rice the 12 year old fatally shot by the cleveland police in 2014 is set to receive 6 million if a court approves its the latest in a series of seven figure settlements made by major cities over the deaths of african americans at the hands of the police

4 beyonces surprise album lemonade and an accompanying video focus on the harm men have done to black women insinuated that her husband jay z had an affair above the couple last year her admirers   the beyhive   took the other woman identified in song as becky with the good hair to be the designer rachel roy but oops some accidentally exacted their social media revenge on the food network star rachael ray also oops we spelled her name rachel earlier

5 tough news for the golden state warriors stephen curry is likely to be out for at least two weeks because of a sprained right knee the king of 3 pointers will miss at minimum the start of the second round of the nba playoffs he took a positive tone on twitter thanks 4 all the prayers  messages can feel all the positive energy god is great all things considered im gonna be alright

6 football made headlines off the field a us appeals court reinstated tom bradys four game suspension in the deflategate case agreeing that the nfl commissioner roger goodell had broad discretion to suspend players and johnny manziel the self destructing 23 year old quarterback pictured above in december was indicted on a misdemeanor assault charge commentary on his fall our reporter says exposes the underbelly of fandom

7 at north carolinas statehouse supporters and critics held battling protests over a law blocking protections for gay people and limiting transgender peoples bathroom access

8 attorney general loretta lynch announced a road map for re entry to help those leaving prison stay out the plan includes a federal focus on job training and substance abuse treatment before release and closer monitoring after and ms lynch urged states to allow the newly released to trade their prisoner ids for state issued ids above an auto repair training shop at the louisiana state penitentiary in angola

9 an international panels report on 43 missing mexican students reverberated through the government of president enrique pena nieto the students had been engaged in a night of confrontation with the police that turned unexpectedly violent before they disappeared the report said countering the official narrative that they fell victim to a drug gang

10 china halted plans for coal fired power stations in many parts of the country after signing the paris climate accord that means about planned 200 plants with a combined generating capacity of 105 gigawatts may not be built its a lot of power a coal specialist said its a heck of a lot of power

11 finally meet a few of the dwindling population of the worlds largest primate grauers gorilla conservationists say years of conflict in the jungles of the eastern democratic republic of congo have eased enabling them to make a head count that confirmed their fears with fewer than 3800 remaining extinction is possible

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taste makers is a documentary series exploring the challenges facing young people in america who aspire to careers as chefs farmers and food industry entrepreneurs the subjects are ambitious and driven but their futures are by no means clear or assured they stand alone and move forward on their dreams
eduardo rivera 33 moved to the united states from mexico at 10 he now runs an organic farm sin fronteras without borders in stillwater minn whose goal is to provide organic produce for low income latino communities
it is difficult work and not simply because farming is hard labor organics are expensive to grow and he wants to keep prices low a community supported agriculture program helps bring mr riveras peppers and tomatillos to market at an affordable rate but price fluctuations and weather provide great challenges
his recipe for a tomatillo pineapple salsa however does not


taste makers is a documentary series exploring the challenges facing young people in america who aspire to careers as chefs farmers and food industry entrepreneurs the subjects are ambitious and driven but their futures are by no means clear or assured they stand alone and move forward on their dreams
few dreams are larger or more complex than the one tunde wey has for nigerian food in america
the 32 year old immigrant who has operated restaurants in detroit and in pop ups across the country was running a food stall in the st roch market in new orleans at the time of filming calling himself a nigerian food dude rather than a chef and serving home style egusi and jollof rice to people looking for jambalaya and shrimp etouffee
im just going to wait until the world comes to me he said then gave us a fine healthy style recipe for jollof rice all the same


times insider is hosting an online book club with the times columnist frank bruni   and youre invited join the discussion on tuesday may 3 at noon eastern
anxious about college decisions anxious about your childs college decisions
the new york times columnist frank bruni the author of the best selling where you go is not who youll be an antidote to the college admissions mania offers comfort   and a promise
mr bruni argues that the intensified fixation on exclusive colleges has changed the way we think about and experience college
 every supreme court justice has an ivy league degree   and the last four presidents attended ivy league colleges or graduate schools isnt that proof that some schools matter more than others no says mr bruni
 do exclusive admissions correspond with better education or career opportunities again no says mr bruni
 if rankings and selectiveness arent good criteria for choosing colleges whats a better way to think about the process
mr bruni will be available online to talk about his work and answer your questions on tuesday may 3 at noon eastern you can start now by submitting comments and questions via the form below
have a look at the book get started with a quick excerpt   or by listening to mr brunis recent insider podcast join up to discuss on may 3


somewhere along the way a schools selectiveness   measured in large part by its acceptance rate   became synonymous with its worth acceptance rates are prominently featured in the profiles of schools that appear in various reference books and surveys including the raptly monitored one by us news  world report whose annual rankings of american colleges factor in those rates slightly colleges know that many prospective applicants equate a lower acceptance rate with a more coveted special and brag worthy experience and these colleges endeavor to bring their rates down by ratcheting up the number of young people who apply they bang the drums like never before from the organization that administers the sat they buy the names of students who have scored above a certain mark and are at least remotely plausible persuadable applicants then they send those students pamphlets and literature that grow glossier and more alluring   that leafy quadrangle those gleaming microscopes   by the year the college admissions office is no longer a mere screening committee its a ruthlessly efficient purveyor of ivory tower porn
colleges really go overboard ted oneill the dean of admissions at the university of chicago for several decades until 2009 told me explaining that a surfeit of applications became a way to promote your college and the admissions office became in effect a public relations arm of the university bruce poch a former dean of admissions at pomona college said that to an extent unheard of decades ago emissaries from colleges will fan out across the country extolling the magic of their schools and exhorting students to come aboard even as those very exhortations lengthen the odds against any one student getting in the emissaries are ginning up desire in order to frustrate it instilling hope only to quash it in other words their come on is successful if it sows more failure
and those come ons can be as breathless as any telemarketers pitch an email that rensselaer polytechnic institute sent unbidden to one high school senior invited him to apply with candidates choice status the boldface letters and the exclamation point are rensselaers not mine exclusively for select students the candidates choice application is unique to rensselaer and is available online now the email said after telling its recipient that a talented student like you deserves a college experience that is committed to developing the great minds of tomorrow
the marketing is unbelievable just unbelievable marveled kay rothman the director of college counseling at the nyc lab school in manhattan there are places like tulane that will send everyone a vip application she told me that she routinely has to disabuse impressionable students of the notion that theyve won some prized lottery or been given some inside track
colleges are actively saddling themselves with a whole group of applicants about whom they know little and who in turn know little about them lauren gersick the associate director of college counseling at the urban school of san francisco told me you have a whole bunch of people fumbling along and freaking out
excerpted from where you go is not who youll be an antidote to the college admissions mania by frank bruni grand central publishing 2016


waikiki has never exactly been thought of as cool but the neighborhood   the tourist epicenter of hawaiis most populous island   is getting a much needed dose of style when the surfjack hotel  swim club officially opens this month on lewers street a few blocks from famed waikiki beach
unlike its famous high end and much pricier neighbors like the halekulani and the royal hawaiian surfjacks appeal lies in its contemporary hyper local ethos when many people think of hawaii its still usually vague images left over from the 1950s   hula dancers mai tais luaus says the co owner sean williams a california native who grew up spending family vacations on the island but theres so much going on here in the worlds of art food and design we wanted to capture that modern sense of hawaii
to that end williams and his team enlisted the help of the honolulu based design firm the vanguard theory for the public spaces and the restaurant and las studio collective which designed the 112 guest rooms to infuse the interiors of the 1960s modernist building with elements from local designers and makers all pulled together with an appropriately beachy theme the local artist kris gotos surf prints hang on guest room walls alongside vintage postcards the honolulu photographer mark kushimis beach scenes are placed throughout the property and restored aloha fabrics of the same style used for those iconic aloha shirts from the oahu based fashion label tori richard are used for furnishings theres also an outpost of olive  oliver the combined concept shop of two of oahus hippest boutiques olive for womens wear and oliver for mens run by the husband and wife team parker and ali moosman
what gives surfjack the most cred though is the collaboration with one of hawaiis most respected homegrown chefs ed kenney the on site restaurant mahina  suns brings kenneys trademark hawaii sourced sustainable seafood and local fruits and veggies used in dishes like brown rice salad with macadamia nuts and pickled mushrooms and poke bowls made with fresh marlin and maui onions to waikiki along with a setting that he hopes will draw in more than just guests of the hotel


in a city full of fitness and wellness tribes it can be seemingly impossible to break into a new one   but not when it comes to joining the growing group of meditators last week a new york times article explored the mainstream business practice and a kind of industry in its own right that meditation has become and though inclusive   its hard not to feel welcome at a group meditation   the movement is quickly becoming associated with millennials and start up companies
of course mindfulness is not new in manhattan a certain set of new yorkers has been meditating their whole lives   or at least careers the michelin starred tribeca chef marc forgione for example has a native american spiritual guide and has brought in the buddhist author and meditation teacher lodro rinzler to teach his staff how to meditate   a handy tool surely in a bustling kitchen and in la where new age gatherings are as commonplace as happy hour a guy called gabriel heymann discovered a love for transcendental meditation   which led him to embrace a healthier lifestyle and ultimately brought him to new york where he recently launched smart beer the citys first organic brew he still practices meditation but meditation is no longer a behind the scenes part of a successful persons lifestyle   its at the forefront of many new brands
chef forgiones friend rinzler for one co founded mndfl a boutique meditation studio that opened late last year in greenwich village at mndfl and a handful of similar new studios like at any fitness class visitors pay in advance and book a spot   a meditation cushion   online for as little as 10 and because the world is small one of the studios instructors eric spiegel officiated the wedding of marissa vosper   whose cult underwear line negative underwear is as minimal and uncluttered as the regularly meditated mind when vosper who grew up meditating her parents are practicing buddhists invited a small group of friends and editors to her soho office earlier this month to a meditation led by mndfl it would be safe to say that no one thought twice about the invitation gathering in groups to get quiet is just what we do these days
at the time vospers event was one of very very many mindful oriented invitations in my inbox there were too many to choose from   discuss dharma with a buddhist monk find quietude in a sold out sound bath chill out with waris ahluwalias chai tea and an indian mystic   so i did them all
i first flexed my mind muscles at medi club founded by jesse israel its a safe haven for like minded modern meditators to gather monthly and meditate discuss whats new in their community and prepare for an event called the big quiet   mass meditations in central park and lincoln center when i arrived at the medi club meeting at and  and studios the very chic owners of calliopesub rosa lend the space i found what looked more like a frat party than a meditation event 20  and 30 somethings were queued up outside the front door and three young girls armed with iphones to check in guests guarded the entrance they had somehow lost my reservation but would accept a donation of 20   and can you please remove your shoes inside everyone seemed to know each other   or want to know each other i felt like i was at a singles event and overheard one girl asking another what brought her to medi club for the first time she read about it in a new york times article the meeting was ironically really loud for a club organized around quietude when israel began playing jeremihs birthday sex to shout out birthdays i knew i hadnt quite found the right place to quiet and harness my thoughts
the next day i sought the comfort of my favorite workday escape omfactory a crunchy yoga studio by new york standards that offers an afternoon flow  meditate community class   at half the price of medi clubs suggested donation the combination of yoga to wring out the bodys toxins and meditation to flood the mind with stillness felt infinitely more organic than israels gathering   the focus was actually on the body if youve never meditated the act of mindful meditation is very physical in nature in order to clear your mind of other thoughts you focus it on your breath each inhale and exhale and on your body the class calmed and prepared me for the adventure id embark on the next evening a weekend meditation retreat in rockaway beach
free and open to the public and led in part by a buddhist monk called bhante suddhaso the weekend was organized by the new nonprofit buddhist insights between rounds of meditation suddhaso discouraged idle chatter the resulting environment was drastically different from the clubby medi club and our group   which consisted mostly of neighborhood locals ranging from teenagers to grandparents   ate most of the home cooked organic meals together gratefully and in silence by an old wood burning stove
even on the retreat in the beachy neighborhood of queens it was impossible to ignore mindfulnesss enduring appeal to young entrepreneurs buddhist insights was founded in january by giovanna maselli a 30 something former fashion features editor at elle in milan to connect enlightened monastics with jaded new yorkers the retreats location the three year old rockaway retreat house is owned and operated by another 30 something masellis neighbor across the street jaime schultz who cooked all our meals led a guided meditation on the first night and separately has a full time job in real estate masellis and schultzs community of like minded and similarly aged friends and neighbors all pitched in for the weekend miriam kwietniewska provided sweet treats from her one year old paleo desserts company mud mindfulness using desserts and led a grounding workshop to help connect us to our bodies and the earth lena roca came in from her donation based yoga studio down the street to lead daily yoga classes michelle ladue the local doula acupuncturist and herbalist behind moonflower healing arts was a steady presence pitching in whenever needed during the retreat
on the retreat we all brought with us our biggest baggage   loneliness loss unrequited love   and left grappling with suddhasos buddhist belief that at the root of all of our unhappiness is desire because we want something to be different we are unhappy because id always rather be catching a big fish in virginia and drinking ice cold micheladas i am unhappy that i am actually sitting on a cold floor in rockaway not catching a fish killing living things i also learned from suddhaso isnt great you cant change the past so it doesnt matter forget it and you cant control the future it hasnt happened yet dont sweat it
at the standard east village hotel a few days later i sat in front of an indian yogi and mystic jaggi vasudev known as sadhguru for a talk called high on life the new sports and well being eyewear label district vision hosted the event where sadhguru shared his wisdom this is also where ahluwalia served his tea some of sadhgurus most memorable quotes on mindfulness from the evening include
everybody has their own drama going you are not special stop acting like it
we are trying to fix the world for our needs instead of trying to fix ourselves for this world you cant change what happens around you so just focus on yourself
people are just lost in the mud of their thought and emotion if you can control your mind and clear it you will be less burdened by unnecessary worries and feelings
and my favorite if you had a choice for yourself is it to be blissful or miserable hello hello
but i learned that actively dispelling thoughts especially notions of desire is hard its true what they say about achieving mindfulness that the mind is a muscle you have to flex in order to train it so my biggest disappointment in meditation was that it was not what i hoped an endless savasana the pose at the end of yoga where you lie on the ground in silence and sometimes even doze off
except that is exactly what i stumbled onto the following weekend at pure yoga since it can be hard to focus on our own bodies the use of lights and sound even a guides voice are sometimes used to help lead us and healing sound baths are the drug of choice these days to achieve both heightened awareness   and utter relaxation the notion has even gone mainstream and sound baths are an integral element of treatments at luxury spas like the mandarin oriental in new york each month jessica caplan hosts sonic saturday at pure yoga where she is also a yoga instructor at her april class she prefaced the meditative soundscape with a disclaimer about snoring its fine to do it even expected but you may feel a tap on the shoulder and a nudge to move onto your side so that you dont disrupt your neighbors finally the hourlong savasana of my dreams   set to the beautiful melodies of caplan and her guest sound healer on that day as we lay around the room on yoga mats the duo sang over and around us to the tune of exotic instruments they chanted and they chimed they transported us from the outside world   and ultimately in my case   into deep slumber my mind melted and i emerged from the experience as from a luxurious nap renewed and totally as they say in my body


sometimes the simplest things are the hardest to get right   thats the belief of the swimwear designer tuyen nguyen who spent nearly a year working on the fit fabrication and cut of her line of fuss free swimsuits before she launched her label called her in 2014
we were constantly calling models in to refit to try out new fabrics to ask what they thought says nguyen 28 who founded the brand with her partner in life and work michael lim after being unable to find an appropriate suit to pack for a trip the couple took to hong kong i wanted something for a city hotel something that wasnt fussy she says i couldnt find anything that i was happy to pay for   there was only the very expensive or the cheaply made
so nguyen conceived of a line of minimal swimwear made from high quality materials at a reasonable price point above all she says it had to be easy to wear with swim youre pretty much wearing nothing in public she says we all have different body shapes   so its about finding out what parts of the body can be accentuated what can be covered up or should come in a different silhouette so that women of all types can feel comfortable
to that end nguyen made sure to fit her designs on a variety of women calling in models with different body types   and even enlisting the help of her mother and two sisters wed get them to try the suits on and then ask them all sorts of different questions does this make you feel comfortable do you like the feel of this says nguyen she also sought out premium fabrics eventually settling on a quick dry uv 50 performance material from italy that helps suck you in   as well as a recycled lycra thats sustainable with no loss of quality
it was important to nguyen that her be produced in australia in the largely vietnamese manufacturing community she grew up in both of my parents are tailors here   theyve been making clothes since i was born says nguyen who remembers learning to sew in her parents studio back in the day when there was a lot of work and it got really demanding my mom would teach me   age 6 or 5   to sew on the little tags she recalled fondly i was always keen on sewing and as i got older i did more and more
producing nearby also allowed nguyen to keep a close eye on quality i feel like these days a lot of people dont really value what they buy because theres this assumption that everything is made offshore in who knows what kind of conditions she says by contrast nguyen and her partner meet with hers manufacturers constantly to check in on product and discuss improvements it allows us to give our customers that level of quality i felt was missing at this price point she says the partners decided to launch the brand with a direct to consumer model   selling only online   so that they could keep the cost relatively low most suits cost around 155 as nguyen puts it we put a lot of care and thought into it


the surgeons were almost three hours into their work on their extravagantly tattooed patient dustin e kirby when they started the first cut through his jaw guided by a plastic jig dr stephanie teng a resident at lenox hill hospital in manhattan pushed the reciprocating blade of a small electric hand saw through the bone the blade protested as it moved its pitch rising to a slight grinding whine until the bone parted
the first cut was done
almost 10 years after he was shot through the mouth kirby a veteran of the iraq war was having his face overhauled again the latest stop on what will be a lifelong tour of the damage a single bullet can do
in the hours leading up to this moment the surgical team led by dr david l hirsch the reconstruction director of maxillofacial surgery at the new york head and neck institute had removed the metal hardware that for years held kirbys previously shattered bones in place this was a tedious undertaking of backing out rows of titanium screws that fastened the old plates to his bullet wrecked jaw it was a job accomplished with metal mallets screwdrivers and a power drill   a process that resembled in living tissue and in miniature removing a sagging and overgrown front deck from an otherwise well loved house
the nurses dropped the outgoing metal into a plastic cup screw by bloody screw now came an afternoon of controlled trauma as the surgeons continued breaking the jaw with precision cuts and then realigned kirbys profile and bite by pulling the mandible forward up and to his right this they fixed in place with fresh screws and a long curved custom fitted titanium plate which hirsch had prefashioned through a computer assisted design process called virtual surgical planning with the follow up procedures and rows of dental implants to come the final results were intended to change how kirby eats talks smiles laughs kisses and looks   in short to change how a disfigured man experiences life
kirby is known as doc a reference to his former duties as a navy corpsman assigned to a marine corps infantry battalion in karma iraq a small but especially violent town in anbar province i first met him in the fall of 2006 with joao silva a new york times photographer one day on a raid we were present as he saved the life of a marine colin smith who had been shot through the skull kirbys own turn as a battlefield patient came on christmas day that year when he was 22 he was standing on a rooftop when a single shot found him the bullet entered through his left cheek and exited his right along the way it ripped out part of his tongue and seven teeth and shattered the right side of his jaw it also cracked part of his lower skull near the roof of his mouth and damaged his sinuses
doc knew none of this at the time what he knew was that he had been hit that his mouth was so full of blood and loose tissue that he could not talk and that if he did not act quickly and decisively he would die using his own knife he pushed a blade into the base of his neck   opening a makeshift airway that bypassed the sputtering mess behind his chin
the tracheotomy ensured his breathing would be maintained at least for a short while his wounds carried another set of immediate risks because of their location there was no way for a tourniquet to stop his bleeding by the time a helicopter had carried him to a military hospital he was struggling for consciousness as the doctors leaned over and the anesthetic fog carried him away he assumed that he was dead
the first medical team saved his life in the years that followed other teams undertook the tasks of rebuilding his face surgeons removed his right fibula and grafted a portion of it to the right side of his jaw they installed titanium plates to reinforce his hybrid mandible and give it shape he began speech therapy so he could relearn to talk and psychological counseling so he might unpack his experience of being wounded and its particular effects on him and adjust to a life different from what he had ever imagined
from a distance at a glance docs case could seem a success in most any other war most any other context the bullet that blew out the right side of his face would have taken with it his life instead doc took his place in the long scarred line of living exhibits showing how the american military was rushing gravely wounded troops from the battlefield and treating them with skills and confidence no american fighting force had known before in 2007 he was back in the states still in uniform helping to train new corpsmen for the combat lifesaving skills they would need in afghanistan and iraq all the while doctors kept working on his face
those who knew doc well understood that his recovery did not proceed as far as he hoped and that the neat stories of maimed but rebounding veterans a feel good genre of the period did not quite apply to him doc had dodged death to face a cascade of problems chronic pain migraines ptsd insomnia his rebuilt jaw did not line up with his teeth he retained enough of his tongue that he was able to compensate for speech but the altered shape of his oral cavity and the damage to his tongue made eating difficult sometimes he had to chew food on one side of his mouth then manipulate it toward his throat with his left index finger by 2008 his brief marriage had ended within a few years he racked up 32 operations he was jumpy brooding and self conscious to manage pain and sleeplessness and the loneliness he took to drinking sometimes to a restless stupor
when he was medically discharged from the navy in 2012 he was stripped of a sense of purpose and belonging when i visited him that spring he began drinking before we ate lunch new physical problems presented themselves in forms only a person who has suffered a devastating wound to the mouth can know - bits of teeth loosened and dropped out later followed by a chunk of bone and a screw doc gained weight added tattoos and grew a beard which partly hid the fact that his jaw his teeth and his mouth were getting worse
by last year he had dialed back his drinking was in a new relationship and had become a father but still he struggled to move forward and his confidence in the department of veterans affairs plummeted as his dental pain became unbearable he called for appointments the va offered him tooth extractions he and his mother said after a wait of several months tooth extractions were never going to be enough
doc sensed that his government funded facial reconstruction had crested and now was failing he had no plan last year he was 31 tormented by pain and backsliding we were at a point where there was not much more they could do he said
one night he pulled out an offending tooth with the pliers on his leatherman tool two nights later he removed another when his mother gail kirby understood what he had done she pleaded with him asking what he wanted what someone might do to help he said mama i want my face  she said
he had been lean and handsome before
his mother had an idea it was a long shot
in 2007 doc attended a benefit dinner honoring veterans at the waldorf astoria it was hosted by the marine corps law enforcement foundation a private organization that provides college scholarships to the children of marines and federal law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty he was the guest of jack doyle an investment portfolio manager and foundation donor whose brother in law dennis m edwards was killed in the terrorist attacks in 2001 on the world trade center there doc met a pair of brothers   a doctor and a dentist   who said that if he ever needed care they would help the dentist was a former marine doc had mentioned the meeting to his mother but in the ensuing years he thought little of their pledge he forgot their names i just thought that was nice of them to say he said
last september despondent his mother emailed doyle she warned that she was venting she apologized for rambling she said that if he did not want to read her long email she would understand and she told him about her sons ongoing pain and problems and asked whether he might connect her to the people he had met in new york in 2007 and who had offered help
twelve minutes later doyle wrote back
he signed it jd
ten days after that gail kirby received an email from dr spero j theodorou a plastic surgeon in manhattan and the doctor doc met at the gala at the waldorf he asked for docs medical file and then found dr hirsch who had pioneered virtual surgical planning and the use of precise three dimensional models of a patients current and reconstructed bone structure to design custom titanium plates   technology that was not available when doc was shot he and lenox hill hospital offered doc the operation and said they would follow up with dental implants giving him an aligned bite and mouth full of teeth
the price for all this work typically ran to about 300000 in docs case hirsch said the procedures and implants would be free more generosity followed a gofundmecom campaign to crowd source donations for the families travel expenses and grants from the semper fi fund which covers family costs for veterans as they recover from their wounds disclosure i donated 100 to the gofundme campaign
early on the evening of the operation teng and dr todd hanna a fellow in oral and maxillofacial surgery spent an hour suturing docs face the jaw reconstruction was over the first four dental implants were in place dr hanna unpeeled the tape over docs eyes which had protected them from the operations debris and the two surgeons rinsed the blood from docs beard they washed his face gently and prepared to slide him from the table to a rollaway bed on which he would be moved to a recovery room for a reunion with his family
hirsch leaned over and put his mouth near docs ear dusty were all done he said are you ok
doc stirred he was semiconscious with his left elbow on the operating table he lifted his big tattooed forearm formed a fist and slowly made a thumbs up sign he held it for a few long seconds then he clutched the surgeons hand


welcome to watching the new york timess what to watch guide we comb through releases big and small famous and esoteric to email readers twice a week with our timely recommendations our most recent suggestions also appear below to receive our guide straight to your inbox sign up here
let the spring tv breakups start sorry quantico i just dont think were gonna make it to the end of the season blindspot i really tried but every time you laboriously explained phony baloney technology i wanted to flee to the woods and lead a more deliberate life new girl i miss what we used to have im turning my tv eyes to steady joys this week instead and i hope you are too
a programming note if you are enjoying this email or if you think there are things we can do to improve please take our brief survey and let us know how you feel it should take you less than five minutes thanks for the help have a terrific week and happy watching
i recently learned that not everyone has yet watched this perfect series this is heartbreaking
if you are among those who have not enjoyed the reality contest show i encourage you to drop everything and do so right now unlike its crasser competitive cooking counterparts the great british baking show known in britain as the great british bake off is upbeat it lacks the sadism of chopped thank goodness and there arent those conniving top chef antics there is one baked alaska controversy i dont want to spoil it
season 1 is available on netflix and season 2 aired on pbs last year but six seasons have aired in britain england share your bounty with us netflix pbs available with a subscription if you are a member
oh hadnt you heard one of tvs biggest shows returned this weekend and so much happened as jeremy egner put it there were about 13000 subplots a rough estimate that got serviced in the season premiere a terrifically busy episode that at times with its quick glimpses of exposition and rapid cutting from scene to scene to scene reminded me a bit of the old batman show
some other good thrones pieces vox cleverly breaks down the episode into winners and losers naturally given the shows rough world there are many more losers and vanity fair goes deep into the question of how old melisandre actually is
lemonade of beyonces saturday night hourlong visual experience which preceded the release of a new album wesley morris writes i watched this thing in a state of exhilarated shock at first i thought how is this not a work of pretentious self pity how isnt this the mistake of the year
outlander angelica jade bastien thinks the increasingly sumptuous series is undercutting itself with its portrayal of the french every stereotype is indulged she writes theyre overtly sexual lecherous cunning frivolous and not much else
silicon valley the tech world comedy made its season 3 debut sunday night and scott tobias writes there are many reasons mike judges show found its groove in season 2 adding that the real secret sauce in the silicon valley formula is conflict
veep jen chaney writes of the washington satire if laughing at fictional political chaos makes it easier to cope with actual political chaos then this hbo series is the best therapy available to the primary season fatigued public
fear the walking dead the spinoff zombie series finally justified the flight 462 webisodes that spun out during season 1 ea hanks writes that its a further sign of hollywoods obsession with expanded universes
even amid the constant stream of new excellent television i still find myself going back to   and obsessing over   old favorites high atop that list is the west wing one of my all time most beloved shows thats why ive been so delighted listening to the new podcast the west wing weekly hosted by hrishikesh hirway and west wing cast member joshua malina the podcast is an episode by episode analysis with other west wing actors and writers sitting in and providing behind the scenes details
 watch all seven seasons of the west wing on netflix
dont write it off because its a teen centered show on freeform nee abc family the fosters is one of the most emotionally effective dramas on tv the first two and a half seasons are currently on netflix and the second half of season 3   which aired this winter   arrives wednesday issues tackled include maintaining a sexual identity while enduring cancer treatments the pitfalls of a for profit foster care model how restraining orders work and the challenges of writing ones own musical watch on netflix
the bachelorette 29 days may 23
ray donovan 63 days june 26
ballers 84 days july 17


sam sifton emails readers of cooking five days a week to talk about food and suggest recipes that email also appears here to receive it in your inbox register here
good morning its a good one to swoon over melissa clarks new recipe for chicken and artichokes  which would make for a terrific dinner one night this week and to think about david taniss new recipe for pork satay with cucumber relish as well passed hors doeuvres
we could see our way to making some vegan thai curry vegetables this week and an asparagus salad italian style for sure wed like to make bulgogi sloppy joes
cooking fills us with inspiration have you spent much time with julia moskins fine guide to cooking eggs its a revelation one thats in the process of transforming our evening cooking game scroll down and check out her microwave egg poaching technique it may change your life why well take what weve learned and make matzo brei
but thats not all thats on the menu this week were always game to make this old school recipe for broiled pork chops beneath a glaze of maple balsamic and cinnamon which we pair with polenta cut through with goat cheese and rosemary
we like steel cut oats in the morning adorned with fresh fruit - some may prefer salted butter crumbled bacon and a drizzle of scotch we love radish sandwiches for lunch at least when we can find good baguettes and a classic tuna sandwich always
for dinner sometime soon melissas recipe for baked fish and chips tabbouleh with apples walnuts and pomegranate seeds a nice fancy uncomplicated meatloaf maybe some roasted sweet potatoes like they do out at gjelina in los angeles dusted in red pepper with lime scented yogurt dotted over the top and absolutely melissas recipe for green goddess chicken because its just fantastic
you can find other recipes to cook this week on cooking you can rate them when youve cooked them or leave notes on them or tell us and others about them by reaching out on social media were on facebook and pinterest instagram and twitter where we use and monitor the hashtag nytcooking if you get jammed up with anything along the way either with our site or apps please reach out for help were at cookingcarenytimescom see you out there
now have you read neal gabler on the financial impotence of a great many middle class americans in the atlantic do so now and well see you on wednesday


times insider delivers behind the scenes insights into how news features and opinion come together at the new york times
carolyn ryan is a brave soul
for three hours last tuesday night a new video team at the times shadowed ms ryan our politics editor to find out how the times covers a major political event   in this case the new york presidential primary
the video shot on an iphone by a times video journalist turner cowles was livestreamed to facebook where viewers weighed in with questions and comments ranging from the earnest how did the times determine which colors would represent which candidates to the amusing why is there a taylor swift cutout behind her and everything in between
viewers guided by the times reporter louise story got a firsthand look as ms ryan held story discussions with reporters interviewed the comptroller of new york and spoke with bernie sanders chief strategist
heres a look at some of the fun moments with ms ryan from last tuesday night
the times is planning many more live segments you can find them each day on our facebook page


hyeres france   i cannot believe this has happened said wataru tominaga a 28 year old japanese mens wear designer after winning the premiere vision grand prize at the hyeres international festival of fashion and photography in france never even in my dreams did i think i was going to win
a visibly shaken mr tominaga a graduate of central saint martins in london added that he had applied at the last minute for europes oldest fashion prize for emerging talent now in its 31st year after the stress of presenting his final school collection he is living in britain but he is unsure where he will eventually be based as his student visa runs out this year
it is quite overwhelming to try and contemplate what might happen next to me now both professionally and personally he said i have met so many useful and kind people in the last few days in hyeres and so many talented peers i cant really put into words how i feel just know that i am so grateful
if the previous winners dizzying ascents on the fashion industry ladder are anything to go by mr tominagas victory spoils are likely to go far beyond his winnings sunday night a prize of 15000 euros or about 16830 and mentorship by experts at some chanel controlled ateliers
past winners include anthony vaccarello the italian belgian designer who this month succeeded hedi slimane as creative director at yves saint laurent the amsterdam based design pair viktor and rolf and julien dossena creative director at paco rabanne who was the jury president this year a decade after winning several awards at the competition
i feel incredibly proud to be able to come back here and see such intelligent insightful bodies of work on display mr dossena said it certainly brings back many memories of my own hyeres experiences
four japanese three finnish two french and one swiss entrant made up the 10 finalists whittled down from more than 300 entries in december although there are more and more prizes up for grabs for young designers including the lvmh moet hennessy louis vuitton competition in paris and the council of fashion designers of america prize in new york mr dossena said hyeres was unique in feel and format
this festival stands out because it is rooted around a sense of family and fun he continued yes it is getting more and more press as more winners go on to big things and more big brands start supporting its endeavors
but it is not glossy it is about being inspired and learning in a beautiful relaxed environment he said the energy has always been like this long before the media started speculating about the festivals ability to spot future stars
held over four days each april the bulk of the festival takes place at the villa noailles an art deco house turned cultural center high up in the hills of hyeres a pretty beach town on the cote dazur with cobbled streets old bistros and terra cotta homes with traditional pistachio hued shutters the center the brainchild of jean pierre blanc when he was just 20 is now host to dozens of exhibits in the house and gardens which are open to the public
this is not an elitist event   everyone is welcome said mr blanc its director and founder he was wearing shorts and a t shirt during an interview on his office terrace overlooking the lively mishmash of fashion industry insiders artists young students and tourists milling around in the sunshine
the fashion prize and the photography prize which takes place alongside it are at the center of events of course he said but in its orbit we do dozens of talks concerts film screenings and workshops by houses like chanel so people can truly understand the artistry that goes into that type of work
paco rabanne has also put on a spectacular display that will stay long after the festival is over mr blanc added really hyeres is about opening up access to the talent in creative fields to all and highlight what they are trying to tell us about the world we are living in today
the fashion prizes judging panel this year which also included the hermes footwear designer pierre hardy and the barneys new york senior fashion director tomoko ogura said it had been impressed by mr tominagas colorful mix of prints maximalist volumes and gender bending silhouettes finding form in pleated sleeves cotton shirting dyed corduroy and patterned trousers
mr tominaga said my starting point was an exploration of textures and the differences between men and womens fashion particularly when it comes to textiles ideas of what constitutes masculinity can become much more fluid
such ideas were also considered by the finnish pair hanne jurmu and anton vartiainen whose sustainably sourced flower power infused mens wear looks scooped the second prize EUR15000 from chloe another major partner of the festival
winning a prize like this today can mean everything to aspiring young designers today mr dossena said but the connections they can make are just as important an informal support system in helping them make the right choices for their careers can go on for years after a ceremony
for mr tominaga   as with many hyeres winners before him   a job at a major fashion house rather than immediately setting up his own label appears to be his dream
someday perhaps id like to set something up on my own but for now there is still so much i need to learn he said clutching his gold palm tree shaped award backstage after the show im not sure im ready to do this by myself
but who knows he said what tonight has given me is the chance to make the most of my options


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geureohdamyeon gongyeonjadeuleun reijeo pointeoe daehae eoddeohge saenggaghalgga
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migugeun reijeo pointeoyi sayongeul ganghage gyujehago issda junggugeseoneun gongyeonyesulyeonhabhoega reijeo sayonge daehan gaideuraineul maryeonhagineun haessjiman botongeun amureon gyuje eobsi sayongdoego issda buggyeongyi beonhwagaija bam munhwayi jungsimjiin ssanrituneul geoleul ddaemyeon nojeomsangdeuli palryeogo naenoheun reijeo pointeoeseo naoneun nogsaeg reijeo ddaemune ilsijeogeuro siyareul garil jeongdoro nuni busil ddaega jongjong issda
nune majasseul ddaeman munjega doebnida pensilbeniadae jeongigonghaggwayi gyosuyeossdeon reijeo jeonmunga samyuel m goldeuwaseoneun jeonhwa inteobyueseo ireohge malhaessda
yang bugugjangeun baro ireon jeom ddaemune annaeweondeuli gwangaegyi nuneul pihage hagi wihae gwangaegyi dwipyeoneseo reijeo pointeoreul ssodorog hunryeonsikindago malhaessda
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hanpyeon jinan 1weol beijingeseo isseossdeon junggugyi yumyeong pianiseuteu rangrangyi konseoteueseoceoreom gongyeon junge neomu manheun reijeoga ssoineun de bulmaneul neuggin ideuldo issda rangrangeul molrae jjigeuryeoneun ideuli neomuna manhassgi ddaemune geunaleun iddageum maci reijeo syoga rangrangi gammirobge yeonjuhan caikopeuseuki sagyethe seasons gongyeonyi ilbuin geosceoreom boil jeongdoyeossda
i ddaemune eoddeon timdeul yereul deuleo jinandal junggug tueoreul gajin wangrib syeigseupieo geugdaneun geugjang ceuge geudeulyi gongyeon junge reijeo pointeo sayongeul jajehae dalrago butaghagido handa
geureona geugjang gwanrijadeuleun reijeo pointeoyamalro geudeuli gongyeonmunhwareul wihae cajanaen coeseonyi bangcaegirago malhanda manheun ideuli junggugindeulyi deol munmyeonghwadoen haengdonguncivilised behavioreun ideuli jasindeulyi sujeusuzhi Su Zhi sojil god junggugeoro munhwajeog sujunina soyang ddoneun seryeondoemeul ddeushaneun i neungryeogeul hyangsangsikyeoyaman haegyeoldoel geosirago malhanda
eonjenganeun uriga reijeo pointeoreul deo isang jumeonieseo ggeonael pilyoga eobseul ddaega ogessjiyo sanghai geuraendeu geugjangyi wang cenyi malida geureon nali omyeon johgesseoyo


international
an article on april 12 about a study of handwriting on pottery dating to 600 bc that was found in arad israel   and could shed light on a long debate over when the main texts of the bible were composed   misidentified the alphabet used in the handwritten texts it was paleo hebrew not aramaic

because of an editing error a picture caption on feb 28 with an article about proposed legislation in italy that would lower the penalties for counterfeiting in the commercial olive oil business referred incorrectly to the bottles of olive oil shown at the colli etruschi cooperative in blera they were awaiting labeling not filling editors were alerted to the error immediately but failed to follow through on a correction the italian parliament approved the measure on march 1

an article on feb 27 about the sentencing of a protestant pastor in china to a long prison term on corruption charges   part of a campaign in zhejiang province meant to limit the influence of christian churches and groups   referred incorrectly to interactions between zhang kai a christian lawyer who has helped defend churches in zhejiang and gu yuese leader of the zhejiang christian council which opposes the provinces practice of removing crosses from churches the two did not discuss the possibility of suing local officials last year over the cross removals while the error was promptly corrected online editors failed to follow through on this print correction
new york
the about new york column on wednesday about the long history of corruption in new york city misstated in some copies the name of a manhattan hotel where a wholesaler testified in the 1920s that he had to pay 2000 to a bagman in order to secure the return of 56 cans of cream that had been seized it is the hotel pennsylvania not the pennsylvania hotel
business day
an article on thursday about european union antitrust charges against google misstated the process though which google receives revenue related to its android operating system google earns revenue from among other sources advertising generated from services like mobile search that are included in the software it does not receive fees from device makers

an article on thursday about rancor at abc over the move of the morning show host michael strahan to good morning america rendered the name of his current show incorrectly it is live with kelly and michael not live kelly and michael the error also appeared in an article on wednesday announcing the shift
the arts
a music review on april 14 about a program in the annual mata festival at scandinavia house in manhattan misstated the given name of the composer of a piece that was performed bubbles he is neil luck not nick
weekend
a critics notebook article on friday about an early clue to the new direction queer cinema before stonewall a series presented by the film society of lincoln center misstated the number of short films in the series which also has 23 feature films it is 25 not 28

an article on friday in the gallery guide about art galleries on the lower east side of manhattan including the james cohan gallery where a video from the collective the propeller group is being shown misidentified the city in vietnam where some members of the group are based it is ho chi minh city not hanoi
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senator ted cruz and gov john r kasich of ohio have agreed to coordinate in future primary contests in a last ditch effort to deny donald j trump the republican presidential nomination with each candidate standing aside in certain states amid growing concerns that mr trump cannot otherwise be stopped
in a statement late sunday night mr cruzs campaign manager jeff roe said that the campaign would focus its time and resources in indiana and in turn clear the path for governor kasich to compete in oregon and new mexico
minutes after mr roes statement the kasich campaign put out a similar message the ohio governors chief strategist john weaver said that his campaign would shift its resources to states in the west and give the cruz campaign a clear path in indiana
both campaigns said they expected allies and third party groups to follow their lead and a representative from the super pac supporting mr kasich confirmed late sunday that it would not advertise in indiana
the arrangement is a striking departure for mr cruz who has in the past rebuffed calls from some republican leaders   including members of the kasich campaign and mitt romney the 2012 republican nominee   to divvy up states in an effort to complicate mr trumps path
the move also signals a major shift in tone from the cruz campaign toward mr kasich whom cruz aides have long cast as a spoiler in the race mr cruz has openly questioned whether mr kasich was auditioning to be mr trumps vice president
but indiana which votes on may 3 is seen as critical to mr cruzs chances of keeping mr trump safely beneath the delegate count required for the nomination in a signal of indianas importance mr cruz has held several events in the state in recent days giving relatively little attention to the five states that vote on tuesday when he is expected to lose more delegates to mr trump
mr kasichs team had hoped to coordinate in this manner much sooner last month at a debate in miami mr weaver broached the possibility with mr roe of splitting the remaining states in an effort to minimize mr trumps delegate haul mr cruzs team rejected the overture in part because it would have meant ceding the spotlight in high profile contests such as new york in the northeast and mid atlantic states mr weaver and mr roe reached the accord this time and the two candidates did not discuss it according to an adviser to mr kasich
what changed between the talks last month and now according to mr cruzs advisers is that there are few states left on the calendar and mr cruz must stop mr trump in indiana
mr trumps landslide victory in new york last week and an expected win tuesday in a handful of eastern states has demoralized those republicans hoping to halt his candidacy they fear that if he wins indiana after his run of recent success the appetite and financing to block him in the remaining states will dissipate indiana is also one of the few remaining states before california votes on june 7 where there is much indecision the intervening states either clearly favor mr trump or mr cruz or they will scatter their delegates through some proportional approach
public polling in indiana shows mr cruz trailing mr trump in part because mr kasich is threatening to win a significant number of votes particularly in the indianapolis area which is filled with more affluent republicans indiana awards delegates based on congressional district results and the overall winner five of the states nine districts include or immediately border the county that is home to indianapolis
a fox news survey released last week showed mr trump taking 41 percent of the vote while mr cruz received 33 percent and mr kasich 16 percent but without mr kasich in the race mr trumps lead narrowed to two points
the timing was crucial too mr cruz now will have more than a week of campaigning in indiana unimpeded by mr kasich and with oregon starting its early voting this week the two camps had to come to an agreement at this late stage it is unclear how effective the effort might be at swaying voters especially if the campaigns do not give more explicit instructions unlike a similar gambit last month when senator marco rubio urged supporters in ohio to vote for mr kasich to slow mr trump there was no such request in the two statements on sunday
mr weaver said the campaign was very comfortable with our delegate position in indiana already a reference to success in lining up individual delegates from the state to the national convention these delegate will be bound to the results of next months primary on the first convention ballot but will be free agents should there be subsequent ballots as for why mr cruzs campaign showed a willingness to deal now mr kasichs advisers noted that he was in a stronger position when it rejected the overture that took place over a month ago
as of late sunday night a website listing scheduled events for the kasich campaign no longer included two rallies in indiana that had been planned for tuesday
the abrupt change placed some campaign allies in an awkward spot trusted leadership pac a super pac supporting mr cruz announced on friday that it planned to spend 16 million in indiana unveiling an attack ad against mr kasich he just said republicans have no ideas the group says of mr kasich hes right insofar as we have no idea why he is still running
mr roe said the campaign planned to compete vigorously to win in any other states not mentioned in the statement but mr cruzs advisers said he was willing to punt on oregon and new mexico which together account for 52 delegates because the campaign needed to offer states with approximately the same number of delegates as indianas 57 and oregon and new mexico are proportional states so they are not likely to hand either candidate a significant trove of delegates
an internal cruz campaign memo last month was bullish on new mexico where the campaign said it expected to earn a majority of delegates
for mr kasich who still trails mr rubio in delegates the agreement allows them a better chance at winning a handful more delegates going into the convention in proportional states where mr cruz will now not be much of a factor
ceding these delegates to mr kasich is of little concern to mr cruz now because the senator can no longer clinch the nomination before cleveland he is focused entirely on stopping mr trump from reaching 1237 delegates by the end of voting in june so whether he or mr kasich were the ones sharing the delegates with the front runner in new mexico and oregon mattered little
for mr trump who has argued repeatedly in recent days that republican leaders are conspiring to stop him as part of a rigged nominating system the new alliance against him could provide further evidence for his argument to his grass roots supporters
wow he wrote on twitter late sunday night just announced that lyin ted and kasich are going to collude in order to keep me from getting the republican nomination desperation


the waldorf astoria hotel in manhattan has long been a location for secret diplomacy but few meetings there would have seemed as unlikely as the one that took place one day in early december
in a hotel conference room a top argentine politician drank coffee with two hedge fund executives   a meeting that was nothing short of remarkable after more than a decade of bitter legal skirmishes between argentina and a group of disgruntled debt holders who at one point seized an argentine navy ship the previous buenos aires government reviled the hedge funds as vultures
that meeting on dec 7 between luis caputo who days later would be sworn in as argentinas finance secretary and jonathan pollock and jay newman from elliott management the 27 billion hedge fund founded by paul e singer was the start of a rapprochement leading to a momentous debt deal that has now allowed argentina to rejoin the global financial markets that it had been locked out of for 15 years
last week argentina successfully sold 165 billion in bonds to international investors a record amount for any developing country and on friday elliott and the other bondholders finally received their reward in the form of billions of dollars in repayment representing returns worth multiple times their original investments
today we have put a definitive close to this chapter alfonso prat gay argentinas economic minister told an argentine radio station on friday
the negotiations that led to the deal were set in motion by the election in november of president mauricio macri who ran on a promise to reignite argentinas flailing economy striking a deal with the countrys aggrieved bondholders was central to getting that done
how argentina and the hedge funds were able to break the long stalemate and reach a deal in a matter of weeks is a story of furious back channeling and clashes that nearly derailed an agreement details of those negotiations have emerged from interviews with eight people who were involved in those meetings as well as court filings and emails reviewed by the new york times many of those people spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly
there were moments when the talks nearly fell apart three days before a deal was signed with elliott mr caputo exasperated by a back and forth with bondholders over whether they would return government assets they had seized emailed the court appointed mediator this is a joke no deal
that mediator daniel pollack   who had not previously met mr pollock at elliott   was appointed by the court in june 2014 and played a central role in the final negotiations
indeed hours before his december assignation with the elliott executives mr caputo had been just a few blocks down park avenue at the offices of the mccarter  english law firm there he introduced himself to mr pollack a prominent trial lawyer best known for arguing two landmark mutual fund cases before the united states supreme court in 1979 and 1983
mediating in closed door negotiations mr pollack cajoled both sides at times resorting to theatrical moves like getting a court order to summon mr singer the founder of elliott to his office
mr pollacks rule of no pens and paper during crucial negotiations frustrated some with two hedge fund managers complaining privately that the mediator was an obstacle to the settlement process
others spoke highly of mr pollacks ability to get a deal in a matter of weeks
you have to give dan pollack immense credit for creating an environment where if they wanted to they could get together and have a discussion said michael straus a principal at montreux partners and one of the first in the group originally led by nml capital a unit of elliott to sign a deal
elliott executives also formed their own back channel forged with an influential argentine businessman marcos mindlin whom they met at the world economic forum in davos switzerland in january at times mr mindlin who is managing director of pampa energia one of argentinas biggest energy companies was used to communicate with argentinas negotiators
despite the groundwork that had been laid formal negotiations got off to a rocky start
at a news conference in davos president macri had insisted that argentinas proposal would be made public
so on feb 1 when argentine officials presented an informal agreement to a group of six hedge funds   elliotts nml capital unit aurelius capital management em ltd montreux partners bracebridge capital and davidson kempner   several people in the room loudly protested the public approach
but two of the firms montreux partners and em accepted argentinas proposal ems deal which was signed by its lawyer kenneth e johns had been written out on a piece of notepad paper
argentina struck another deal that same week to pay 135 billion to a group of italian investors who were holding defaulted bonds the other four main bondholders instead submitted a document outlining their terms and the conditions of any agreement
undeterred on feb 5 argentina publicly announced an offer to pay 65 billion to the holdout bondholders
after a 15 year legal battle were going to agree to a long form napkin mr pollock said in an interview referring to the deal with montreux partners and explaining the initial reluctance he added that he had a duty to his investors to negotiate something more secure
the core group of bondholders led by nml remained obstinate
in a recent interview mr pollack the mediator said that the bondholders had wanted to turn negotiations into a complex debt restructuring while he argued that a business transaction would be simpler the holdouts were deeply cynical he recalled
argentinas recent history was still fresh on their minds the populist administration of mr macris predecessor cristina fernandez de kirchner had an economy minister with marxist leanings who lectured bondholders that they would never get more than 30 cents for every dollar of their bonds
if you are at war long enough its very difficult to shift to a mode of peace mr pollack said
concerned that they would not be able to get a deal with the conditions they wanted one elliott executive met with mr mindlin on feb 17 in new york and expressed his concerns over dinner the following day mr mindlin spoke with mario quintana the secretary of the governments economic cabinet argentina representatives met with bondholders later that day
on feb 19 judge thomas p griesa of federal district court in manhattan who presided over the dispute in the courts dealt a blow to the remaining holdouts by agreeing to lift an injunction that prevented argentina from making any bond payments or raising new money
under his ruling judge griesa had set a deadline of feb 29 for any deal to be recognized while the economic terms of the deal with the holdouts had been agreed upon some of the smaller details were still in dispute
after several frantic meetings and heated discussions over conditions including that the hedge funds continue to have a say in argentinas future domestic market fund raising nml aurelius davidson kempner and bracebridge signed a deal on feb 28 in the agreement argentina agreed to pay 465 billion to the hedge funds which included bond principal interest and certain legal fees and expenses incurred
two days earlier mr pollack the mediator requested that judge griesa sign an order summoning mr pollock and mr singer of elliott to his offices
on friday argentina paid all of the holdout creditors who had agreed to deals   a total of 93 billion the economy ministry said elliott received 24 billion a 392 percent return on the original value of the bonds according to the ministry
writing to elliott employees hours later mr singer thanked them for persisting through this lengthy complicated and contentious process


the san antonio spurs swept their way into the western conference semifinals after an almost perfunctory yet very physical test against the memphis grizzlies perhaps the most injury depleted team ever in the nba playoffs
kawhi leonard scored 21 points as the spurs routed the grizzlies 116 95 on sunday in memphis sweeping the best of seven first round series
it wasnt a fair fight spurs coach gregg popovich said of playing a team that set an nba record with 28 grizzlies playing this season
whoever was available came out and played and they executed to the best of their ability they played with a lot of heart and a lot of fortitude
the spurs finished off their ninth sweep of a postseason series in franchise history their third against the grizzlies san antonio also swept memphis in the first round in 2004 and the 2013 western conference finals
they play very physical so its a good test for the next round spurs guard tony parker said
the only thing that delayed the spurs advancing was a power surge that knocked out the lights stopping the game for about 20 minutes in the second quarter
san antonio now awaits the winner of oklahoma city dallas a best of seven series that the thunder lead by three games to one
lamarcus aldridge scored 15 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for the spurs parker finished with 16 points david west had 11
lance stephenson scored 26 points off the bench for the grizzlies zach randolph and matt barnes each had 15 points and vince carter added 14
cavaliers 100 pistons 98 kyrie irving scored 20 of his 31 points in the second half and cleveland finished off a four game sweep of detroit
the cavaliers will play atlanta or boston in the second round
lebron james had 22 points for cleveland but it was irving who made the biggest shots all night his midcourt buzzer beater put the cavs up 81 78 after the third quarter and with cleveland clinging to a 1 point lead with 42 seconds remaining he calmly sank a 3 pointer from the right wing
detroit still had a chance at the end but reggie jacksons wild shot at the buzzer was off the mark
celtics 104 hawks 95 isaiah thomas scored 28 points hitting a corner 3 pointer with 30 seconds left in overtime and then adding two clinching free throws as host boston beat the hawks sending their first round playoff series back to atlanta tied at two games apiece
game 5 of the best of seven series is tuesday night
paul millsap scored 45 for the hawks   a career playoff high   and added 13 rebounds
marcus smart scored 20 points and jonas jerebko had 10 rebounds for boston
the celtics led by 4 with under a minute to play in regulation when jeff teague hit back to back 3 pointers to give atlanta the lead but thomas drove for a layup to tie it 92 92 with 15 seconds left
the hawks had a chance to win in regulation before teague dribbled out the clock without getting off a clean shot


albany   in a strongly worded response to a new york state board of elections report alleging illegal fund raising activities by a team of people with close ties to mayor bill de blasio a lawyer for several of the implicated parties has accused the board of a shocking lack of understanding or a complete disregard of the most fundamental aspects of the states election laws
the letter drafted by laurence d laufer a longtime campaign finance lawyer who also represents the mayors re election campaign came two days after accounts in the news media of a january report from risa s sugarman the boards chief enforcement counsel the report which was confidential found willful and flagrant violations of election law by a group of political operatives known as team de blasio which was formed in 2014 to try to retake the state senate for democrats who are in the minority in albanys upper chamber
according to ms sugarmans account team de blasio tried to evade contribution limits by channeling hundreds of thousands of dollars through county and state campaign committees which then disbursed money to three ultimately unsuccessful senate campaigns such committees can receive larger donations   up to 102300   than individual candidates who are limited to 11000 per donor during a general election for the state senate
the report was reviewed by the boards four commissioners and forwarded to cyrus r vance jr the manhattan district attorney prompting a criminal investigation that is being conducted with agents of the federal bureau of investigation who have been accompanying mr vances investigators as they serve subpoenas and conduct interviews
but in a seven page letter obtained by the new york times mr laufer said the activities described by ms sugarman in her report were unquestionably authorized by the existing law
i am at a loss to understand any proper purpose that could have been served by a criminal referral mr laufer wrote
mr laufer also denounced the unauthorized release of ms sugarmans report to the press on friday saying the boards inability to maintain confidentiality was a complete dereliction of duty if the leak came from the board he said it amounted to a highly prejudicial and perhaps politically motivated act
trying to bolster his assertion of a lack of confidentiality mr laufer cited past reports that ms sugarman had included a press aide to gov andrew m cuomo the mayors fellow democrat in a 2014 email she had sent to election officials
but on friday ms sugarman defended her work   my career was based on conducting investigations fairly and independently she said in an interview   but declined to discuss any aspect of the de blasio fund raising inquiry including the release of the report to the press because of the confidential nature of her offices investigations
likewise douglas kellner one of the boards four commissioners said on sunday that he could not comment on or acknowledge investigations or criminal referrals but he agreed with some of mr laufers concerns about the impact of the leak and about how prejudicial the public comments have been in its wake
mr kellner a democrat added that he and other commissioners had consistently criticized ms sugarman for what appears to be arbitrary selection of those who she determines to investigate
we have repeatedly expressed concerns that the independent enforcement counsel has not explained how she chooses which investigations to pursue he said
ms sugarman has denied any influence from mr cuomo   who nominated her to the board post and had previously employed her during his time as attorney general   or any other entity
the work that i do here has nothing to do with where i came from she said on friday adding it just makes me chuckle when people say those kinds of things
for mr cuomos part dani lever a spokeswoman for the governor said on sunday that the only things we know about the reported investigations by the us attorney district attorney and board of elections are what have been reported in the press
the inquiry by mr vance is just one of several parts of a broader inquiry that has cast a deep shadow in recent weeks over mr de blasios administration those inquiries include a federal investigation into the mayors campaign fund raising that partly focuses on two men   jona s rechnitz and jeremy reichberg   who have raised money for mr de blasio the investigation is looking into whether the men received favorable municipal action in exchange for their support the authorities were also examining allegations that they lavished gifts meals and free trips on senior officials at the police department several of whom have since been placed on modified duty or transferred to administrative duties
the two men and the police officials have not been charged with a crime and mr de blasio has said his administration will fully cooperate with investigators
in the case of the 2014 campaign mr laufer condemned ms sugarmans novel esoteric and chilling interpretation of the actions of team de blasio which included emma wolfe a senior aide to the mayor and ross offinger the treasurer for the campaign for one new york a nonprofit created by mr de blasio to support his agenda
according to ms sugarmans report during the late days of the 2014 campaign team de blasio arranged for large donations to be made   through putnam and ulster counties democratic committees and a state committee   for the sake of two incumbents locked in tight races cecilia f tkaczyk who was running in a district that included part of ulster and terry w gipson whose district included part of putnam the group also arranged for more than 300000 to be sent through the putnam committee which forwarded it to the campaign of justin wagner who was seeking a senate seat in the hudson valley all three democrats lost
investigators said similar patterns existed with candidates running in monroe and erie counties
mr kellner said the key to determining if a crime occurred was whether the act of transferring the money to the campaign committees of individual candidates was separate from the act of transferring the money to the individual candidates doing both transactions as part of a single transaction mr kellner said would be a violation of state election law and a felony if it was done knowingly and willfully arguing that mr laufer did not delve into that topic
it would have been perfectly legal to make the contribution to the party committee and for the party committee to spend the money in support of the candidate he said and it would have been perfectly legal for the party committee to transfer funds to the candidates campaign committee but if it was a single transaction then thats a violation


the islanders and their fans waited more than two decades for a night like sunday the team had not had a chance to clinch a playoff series at home since 1993 when its current captain john tavares was 2 years old that also was the last time the islanders won a playoff series
it appeared after more than 59 minutes of regulation time against the florida panthers at barclays center that nothing would change and that there would be a game 7 on tuesday in florida
but with goaltender thomas greiss pulled for an extra skater tavares somehow found a loose puck in the crease and slid it past panthers goaltender roberto luongo at 19 minutes 6 seconds of the third period to force overtime
and for the second consecutive game the teams battled into double overtime   and tavares scored again at 1041 of the second extra period to lift the islanders to a 2 1 victory and into the second round it was tavaress fifth goal of the series which the islanders clinched four games to two they will next face the tampa bay lightning
our fans were dying for this said tavares who was the first overall pick by the islanders in the 2009 draft they deserve it
the uproarious celebration inspired by their third overtime win of the series which was also the longest home game in franchise history gave the islanders a signature moment in their first year in brooklyn after 43 years on long island
its been a long road a lot of years of losing but this is incredible said frans nielsen 32 the longest tenured islander who first skated for the team during the 2006 7 season we had to work so hard for it it is really satisfying sitting here right now the way we did it
jonathan huberdeau had given the panthers a 1 0 lead at 1858 of the first   an advantage that seemed destined to stand as luongo continued to frustrate the islanders
coming off a double overtime road win in game 5 on a goal by the rookie alan quine in the second longest game in franchise history the islanders were poised to advance but knew they would need a solid effort to oust the panthers who finished first in the atlantic division this season
as the game began the capacity crowd gave the islanders the customary thunderous welcome and waved rally towels
late in the tight first period huberdeau fired a wrist shot while falling past greiss the fifth time in six games that the panthers scored first
the islanders had a power play in the first after jaromir jagr was whistled for hooking but they were not able to generate pressure on luongo jagr 44 was playing in his 208th career playoff game tying him with wayne gretzky
jagr won the stanley cup with the penguins in each of his first two seasons in pittsburgh and played in the seven game series they lost to the underdog islanders in 1993 somehow all these years later jagr is part of islanders history again
it was close   i thought we had it with one minute left and we were so close to scoring the empty netter said jagr the third leading scorer in league history who had two assists in this series i thought we had it in the bank and its going to be game 7
in the second the panthers made greiss work and they carried the play a power play opportunity emerged for the panthers midway through the second period when the islanders nikolay kulemin was called for hooking the man advantage had the crowd chanting defense
in the third the back and forth play continued and when tavares finally netted his fourth goal of the series to tie the game 1 1 the crowd erupted
the islanders carried the play in the first overtime period outshooting the panthers 15 8 the islanders had a 51 42 advantage in shots over all
the islanders had not won a series since the second round in 1993 against pittsburgh when david volek scored in overtime to upset jagr and the penguins the defending champions
the islanders were trying to close out a postseason series at home for the first time since the opening round also in 1993 when they outlasted the washington capitals and won game 6 at nassau coliseum
the islanders had forged the long awaited opportunity for another home clincher with overtime wins in games 3 and 5 and a 5 4 road victory in the opener
islanders coach jack capuano said after the double overtime game 5 victory in florida on friday that his team would have to play on home ice to advance the coach reiterated that stance earlier on sunday after his teams morning skate
we expect florida to play their best game of the series capuano said before the game our guys understand that and realize that its about desire and desperation
capuano became only the third coach in islanders history to win a playoff series the hall of famer al arbour won 29 series   including four stanley cups from 1980 to 1983   while terry simpson recorded a win in 1987
capuanos hard working squad ultimately proved its coach correct and will now face a second playoff opponent for first time in the careers of tavares and nielsen as well as those of the longtime islanders kyle okposo and travis hamonic
it was excitement joy happy the game was over hamonic said of the feeling of winning a playoff series in overtime at home you see someone like johnny put it in its fitting
slap shots
panthers center nick bjugstad was scratched after being injured when he was checked headfirst into the boards in game 5 on friday  the islanders played with the same lineup as game 5 using the veteran forward steve bernier over ryan strome and defenseman marek zidlicky in place of the injured rookie ryan pulock


harrison nj   bradley wright phillips scored two of his teams three goals in a 10 minute span as the red bulls rallied to beat orlando city 3 2 on sunday night ending a four game losing streak
wright phillips who was fifth in mls with 17 goals last season scored his first goal of the season in the 69th minute to put the red bulls up 2 1 he poked in a left footer about six minutes later off a perfect cross by lloyd sam to double the advantage
cyle larin tapped in a feed from rafael ramos to give orlando city 2 2 3 a 1 0 lead in the third minute
after sacha kljestan threaded a pass through the legs of orlando defender tommy redding mike grella tied it in the 65th
the red bulls karl ouimette headed in an own goal off a corner in the 84th minute to cap the scoring
the red bulls 2 6 0 came into the game with 3 points the fewest in mls


swiftly fly the years goes the poignant lyric in the song sunrise sunset from the enduring musical fiddler on the roof
swiftly have flown the 43 years since mrs levines students sang those words in their ambitious 1973 version of fiddler at shell bank junior high school in sheepshead bay brooklyn
their production featured a single piano accompanist a flimsy set and cobbled together costumes but to the adolescent students who starred in it it felt like a full fledged professional version
several members of the cast managed to find one another online in recent months and arranged to buy tickets to see the latest revival on broadway now more than four decades later here was the same cast in their mid 50s gathering in midtown manhattan on sunday afternoon for a reunion
they drove in from westchester county long island and upstate new york and flew in from toronto and tampa fla
even the now retired mrs levine drove into the city from her home in new hampshire and some of her former students discovered her first name was diana
most in the group had not seen one another since their school years in brooklyn there were hugs laughs and some tears as they did back then they called one another by their stage names from the show
im known among these folks as the fiddler said valerie schaer mirels who in the 1973 production played her student violin which she still owns and stood precariously on a ladder
even as many of them went on to sheepshead bay high school the show became this thing that tied us together said ms schaer mirels now a television executive who cut short a trip to toronto to make the reunion
the musical pushed her in the direction of a career in show business and the media she told mrs levine who beamed
the old neighborhood was mostly jewish but the fiddler cast was diverse including some italian americans and black students an african american student played the rabbi role former cast members recalled
it was an interracial family said nancy libow 55 who played yente the matchmaker apparently her theatrical experience did not translate to real life
you know how many couples ive set up in my life zero said ms libow who teaches english in yonkers
seth goldman said he did his best zero mostel imitation to win the part of tevye the dairyman mr mostel played memorably on broadway in the 1960s
in raising his daughters tevye struggles to keep his jewish traditions intact the girls seek to marry for love in pre revolution russia where the family farm is located
mr goldman said the musical raised similar questions for him including the time he was scolded by his rabbi after rehearsals caused him to miss studying for his bar mitzvah
he said to me whats more important fiddler on the roof or your bar mitzvah i said fiddler recalled mr goldman who would go on to enter the theater and restaurant industries
on sunday as the group gathered outside near the broadway theater mr goldman showed his fellow cast members the many photos of the old production that his family took and collected in an album
hey we were a brooklyn jewish family and i was playing tevye he said it doesnt get more important than that
michael pollack a marketing executive handed everyone press kits he said he made which included a copy of his old libretto signed by the cast and a description of this miracle of miracles
mr pollack who played perchik a radical student was the main organizer of the reunion he said reconnecting through the old play just blows the dust off the old relationships
the middle school production saw exactly one weekend of performances and a modest tour of local grammar schools and nursing homes but as the years passed it became a touchstone of their brooklyn childhoods and a memorable achievement during a formative and poignant time in their lives
many of the cast members came from eastern european families for whom certain themes in fiddler   anti semitism challenging tradition and defying ones parents for instance   were particularly resonant
even though it was middle school in sheepshead bay brooklyn its amazing how everyone related to the story said susan feiner who played shprintze
everyone went their own way and went against tradition said ms feiner of manhattan who was inspired to become a cabaret singer
for carol abenanti who played hodel the experience helped her overcome shyness especially when mr pollack as perchik initiated dancing with her onstage on sunday he did it again and she laughed
he made me realize i could get over myself and just do it said ms abenanti of washingtonville ny
the cast members laughed about how closely they retained aspects of the characters they played
as a girl meryl tenenbaum played chava the daughter who married a non jew in real life she went on to marry an irishman from long island and became meryl cassidy she became a social worker and the director of a crisis intervention service
i really took the role to heart she said with a laugh
outside the theater the group met another cast member ilene harrison who had flown in from tampa and they all filed into the theater and took their orchestra seats to experience their musical together again more than four decades later


it was intriguingly painful television as it is intended to be the first round of the 2014 nfl draft was underway and the dazzling college quarterback johnny manziel was in the green room stuck in prime time purgatory twenty one teams came and went each choosing someone other than manziel for nearly three hours he fidgeted in front of unblinking cameras he played with a bottle cap drank from a cup checked his phone and excused himself for the privacy of the restroom
someone started a beforemanzielgetsdrafted hashtag on twitter the nfl posted sadmanziel on its own twitter account those two tags shot to the top of twitters trending list everyone even the league was having fun at manziels expense he was 21
two years later manziel the highest profile member of the 2014 draft class chosen 22nd is out of the nfl without a team an agent or an endorsement he has addiction problems and a family that has worried all along whether manziel would survive literally the fame and fortune bestowed upon him he is expected to be indicted on tuesday on allegations that he attacked his ex girlfriend in january
while his name is invoked as a cautionary tale it is often used as a punch line and as tmz click bait he is the sports worlds lindsay lohan   a child star admonished for squandering all that talent all those chances all before growing up
in college manziel was a swashbuckling talent an undersized playmaker and a master of improvisation in an increasingly robotic position but despite having been voted the best player in the college game and awarded a heisman trophy manziel is very likely to join the lists of all time nfl draft busts that flood the web this time of year some compilations are not retrospective this years draft starts thursday but you can already find an nfl draft 2016 bust watch online usa today provided a list of five players most likely to disappoint the only thing more fun than guessing which players will succeed apparently is predicting which ones will fail
the nfl draft   our coverage of it and our appetite for it   is a cultural phenomenon but it also shows as much as any sporting event in this country does how fans and leagues   and even the players themselves in this age of social media   are willing to dehumanize the games they love turning people into products and lives into entertainment
the draft is the apex of footballs off season which used to be a time to watch basketball and baseball it is now a time to view future nfl players as livestock it starts with the nfl combine where players are stripped down literally measured for size and tested for speed and strength sometimes they are asked if they are gay this is how teams decide who is fit for the league
the results of those measurements along with those from various other tryouts are mixed with rumor and speculation to create mock drafts players are plotted over seven rounds of the coming draft as if it is important or possible for anyone to know whom the denver broncos might select with the 253rd pick
when the draft comes sometimes teams trade picks or players   one person might be worth two or three others it is widely watched by fans and nonfans alike among those chiming in in 2014 was donald j trump cleveland just made a very wise decision   congrats trump wrote on twitter after the browns drafted manziel
knowing what we know about things like concussions and addiction the possibility of chronic traumatic encephalopathy or cte and the likelihood of a shortened life expectancy you might think that we have moved past viewing football players as interchangeable parts to be haggled or numbers to be calculated
we have not instead we draft them again this time for our personal fantasy football teams
after the nfl draft if the players dare not meet the expectations heaped upon them by teams and fans when they were 21 or 22 years old they are destined to become the butt of a long running joke about busts the misguided hype is seen as a character flaw of the player rather than a misjudgment by teams analysts or fans   a broken promise in a one sided relationship
manziel is the latest example playing out in real time as another draft approaches to read online comments and social media posts about manziels troubles   arrests parties rehabilitation   is to explore the underbelly of fandom dismissive and cruel schadenfreude is the flip side of reverence and perhaps a stronger attraction
manziel has engendered these emotions from the start a cocksure quarterback nicknamed johnny football he won the heisman trophy as a freshman at texas am in 2012
but there were signs of trouble along the way he was arrested before his freshman year for involvement in a fight he was supposed to be a counselor at peyton mannings quarterbacks camp but was kicked out for oversleeping as a sophomore he was suspended for the first half of the season opener over questions about receiving money for autographs
he was a celebrity unlike any in college football maybe ever he was loved and loathed if there remained any line between sports and entertainment manziel was a human eraser
yeah it could come unraveled manziels father paul told espn the magazine in 2013 and when it does its gonna be bad real bad
manziel left for the nfl after a stellar sophomore season and was thrust into the livestock pen of potential draftees in 2014 he was considered a boom or bust pick because of his size his lack of experience in a pro style offense   whatever that means   and his deep history of taking hits as a renegade quarterback
but most prognosticators thought manziel would be selected quickly he was put into the green room as a viewer magnet team after team passed on him minutes then hours ticked by the dallas cowboys held the no 16 choice but surprisingly passed on manziel too fans booed an nfl network commentator laughed and cameras zoomed tight on manziel trying to look composed social media loved it
cleveland finally took him with the 22nd pick browns fans cheered and season ticket sales spiked many besides trump considered it a wonderful choice
we know how it turned out manziel won two games in two years he spent weeks in alcohol rehabilitation after his rookie year and was cut after his second season
i truly believe if they cant get him help he wont live to see his 24th birthday paul manziel told the dallas morning news in early february
his son has been spotted often at clubs and parties in los angeles in recent weeks meanwhile manziels lawyer said monday that prosecutors had informed him that a grand jury would indict manziel on tuesday on a misdemeanor assault charge for an episode involving a former girlfriend according to a report by the associated press nike and all other sponsors have walked away last week drew rosenhaus dropped manziel as a client the second agent to do that this off season
on wednesday manziel released a statement
im hoping to take care of the issues in front of me right now so i can focus on what i have to do if i want to play in 2016 manziel said i also continue to be thankful to those who really know me and support me
manziel is 23 he may never play in the nfl again maybe he did not have the temperament or motivation for it it might be some time before we know just how damaging all those hits were
all we really know now days away from another year of roster restocking and another group of young men stuck in the green room and another heaping of expectations placed upon the whole proceeding is that manziel is a bust in the vernacular of the nfl draft he is already teased for that and will be perhaps always remembered for that


nicklas backstrom scored braden holtby had 26 saves and the washington capitals beat the philadelphia flyers 1 0 on sunday to advance to the eastern conference semifinals with a win on the road in game 6
the capitals will play the pittsburgh penguins setting up a marquee matchup of alex ovechkin against sidney crosby
ovechkin had an assist on backstroms second period goal which was easily enough against the punchless flyers
michal neuvirth was again sensational in goal but the flyers could not cash in against holtby wasting nearly two minutes of a 5 on 3 power play in the second period
we sacrificed our body 5 on 3 ovechkin said we paid the price and we won
the reward keeping alive the pursuit of the first stanley cup title in franchise history
its a different group holtby said the past is a different regime we are trying to write our own history
holtby who had a 19 save shutout in game 1 was barely tested the last two games most of their shots sunday were from long range and the flyers never really attacked holtby
backstrom broke neuvirths shutout streak which stretched nearly 110 minutes when he scored on a one timer just below the circle with 8 minutes 59 seconds left in the second period
stars 5 wild 4 jason spezza scored his fourth goal of the series and added three assists and dallas needed every last one of them to hold off minnesota in st paul minn to win the first round series four games to two
jared spurgeon scored two of minnesotas four third period goals both on power plays and the wild came within a fraction of an inch of tying the game with 34 seconds remaining when nino niederreiter whacked at a loose puck in the crease
freeze frame replays showed it in the net but not quite fully across the goal line as it connected with goalie kari lehtonens right pad a close call that was upheld on review
john klingberg patrick sharp jamie benn and alex goligoski also scored for the stars
with 24 seconds remaining in a sleepy second period benn put the stars in front 4 0 with his top shelf shot but the wild were not ready to pack it in as they proved during 20 torrid minutes
the stars advanced in the playoffs for the first time since 2008 moving on to face the winner of the chicago st louis series which will go to game 7 on monday night
lecavalier ends career los angeles kings center vincent lecavalier who led the tampa bay lightning to a stanley cup championship in 2004 announced that he was retiring
lecavalier 36 accrued 949 career points in 17 seasons and was the leagues top goal scorer in 2007 with 52 goals in 82 games he was drafted first over all by the lightning in 1998


yordano ventura settled down after a shaky first inning eric hosmer homered to continue his hot streak and the kansas city royals crushed the visiting baltimore orioles 6 1 on sunday
alex gordon also hit a home run before the royals strung together a series of hits in a four run seventh inning that broke the game open hosmer finished 2 of 4 to push his on base streak to 26 games which leads the american league
ventura allowed his only run and two of his three hits in the first inning he went seven innings striking out four and improving to 11 1 since he returned from class aaa last july
hes matured the backup catcher drew butera said of ventura now hes the same game hes understanding himself hes more relaxed
nationals 6 twins 5 bryce harper tied the game with a pinch hit home run in the ninth inning pitcher oliver perez laid down a bunt in the 15th that kept it going and chris heisey homered in the 16th allowing host washington to edge minnesota
at 5 hours 56 minutes it was the longest regular season game in the nationals history
cubs 9 reds 0 anthony rizzo drove in four runs with his 10th career two homer game jason hammel pitched six scoreless innings and visiting chicago routed cincinnati to improve to 14 5 for the first time in 47 years
tommy la stella hit two doubles and his first homer of the season and jason heyward had four hits and three rbi for the cubs
white sox 4 rangers 1 mat latos pitched six solid innings for his fourth consecutive win and host chicago defeated texas
latos who signed a one year 3 million deal with the white sox in february gave up one run on seven hits
cardinals 8 padres 5 jedd gyorko homered tripled and singled the rookie aledmys diaz had a homer among his three hits and st louis rallied to beat san diego on the road
the padres bullpen imploded for the second straight game kevin quackenbush allowed consecutive homers to gyorko and diaz in the sixth to tie it and brandon maurer gave up three runs in the eighth
blue jays 6 athletics 3 jose bautista hit a two run homer ezequiel carrera added a solo shot and toronto earned a home win over oakland
josh donaldson scored twice for the blue jays toronto has scored at least five runs for a season best three games in a row
dodgers 12 rockies 10 chase utley drove in the go ahead run with a double in los angeless five run ninth and the dodgers rallied to top colorado in denver
trailing 10 7 in the ninth the dodgers got to rockies closer jake mcgee with trayce thompson scoring the tying run on a wild pitch utley followed with a run scoring double
pirates 12 diamondbacks 10 arizona pitcher shelby miller played left field and chased after sean rodriguezs go ahead double in the 13th inning before striking out to end the game and pittsburgh beat the diamondbacks in phoenix
miller had to play in the outfield after shortstop nick ahmed was ejected in the 12th for arguing balls and strikes
indians 6 tigers 3 francisco lindor got three hits and cleveland overcame an early injury to starter carlos carrasco to win in detroit completing a three game sweep
carrasco and tigers starter shane greene both left the game with injuries in a span of about 15 minutes carrasco hurt his right hamstring while greene opened a blister on his pitching hand
trevor bauer picked up the win
brewers 8 phillies 5 scooter gennett and alex presley homered in a six run sixth inning backing starter wily peralta in milwaukees home victory over philadelphia
the brewers also hit four doubles in the sixth when they chased phillies starter jerad eickhoff
mariners 9 angels 4 wade miley overcame a shaky first inning that included a home run by albert pujols to win in los angeles his first victory in a seattle uniform
kyle seager leonys martin and seth smith hit home runs for the mariners
miley allowed four runs and six hits in seven and a third innings
marlins 5 giants 4 j t realmuto matched his career high with four hits including a tiebreaking home run in the eighth inning and miami avoided a three game sweep in san francisco
giancarlo stanton also homered and reached base four times christian yelich drove in two runs and dee gordon and marcell ozuna had two hits apiece for the marlins


despite missing its top scorer jamie vardy because of a one game suspension leicester overpowered visiting swansea 4 0 on sunday to extend its unbeaten run to nine games and draw closer to collecting the premier league trophy
with the result the only team that has a chance of catching leicester is tottenham which is set to play west bromwich albion on monday but leicester a 5000 to 1 preseason long shot has its destiny in its hands
leicester which has an 8 point lead can clinch the top flight title for the first time in its 132 year history by collecting 5 points from its remaining three games regardless of what tottenham does in its last four
manchester city and arsenal can no longer catch leicester which last year was simply trying to avoid being relegated
leicesters win over swansea was its biggest in three months after riyad mahrez gave the team a lead in the 10th minute vardys replacement leonardo ulloa scored twice marc albrighton a second half substitute completed the rout in the 85th minute
those performances were surely reassuring for leicester as vardy who has scored 22 goals continued to wait to hear from the football association of england on whether his ban would be extended vardy was sent off with a second yellow card in last weekends draw against west ham and reacted angrily to the referee eventually drawing a charge of improper conduct from the football association
fourth place arsenal which has gone 12 years without winning the league was held to a 0 0 draw at sunderland in sundays other game
later on sunday mahrez of leicester was named english soccers player of the year in the professional footballers association awards mahrez 25 who was born in france and plays internationally for algeria is only the second winner of the award from outside england after the uruguayan luis suarez who won in 2014 while with liverpool
back in final finally twenty six years after its only appearance in the fa cup final crystal palace will have another chance having beaten watford 2 1 in a semifinal at wembley stadium in london as it did in 1990 palace will take on manchester united which beat everton on saturday
juventus closes in gianluigi buffon saved a late penalty kick and juventus took a big step toward a fifth consecutive serie a title in italy with a 2 1 win at fiorentina that left it 12 points ahead of napoli
if napoli fails to win at roma on monday juventus will secure the championship with three matches to spare if napoli wins juventus needs only 1 more point to clinch
the substitute alvaro morata scored the winner in the 83rd minute on sunday right after nikola kalinic had equalized for fiorentina buffon then stopped a spot kick from kalinic in the 90th


the image of the american factory floor is as classic as henry fords model t assembly line and just as enduring in the popular imagination for decades manufacturing jobs have been the ladder to the middle class for americans of modest means and education
so when made in nyc a group that promotes local manufacturing began an advertising campaign this spring its goal was more than just to draw attention to items produced in the city supporters of that group and others like it around the country are trying to redefine what american manufacturing means in the 21st century they hope to capitalize on a newfound embrace of artisanal and handcrafted goods and urge consumers accustomed to big box globalization to think of their shopping habits in the context of local economic investment
urban manufacturing creates opportunity said adam friedman director of the pratt center for community development which developed made in nyc were coming out of a recession which really drove home the point that you need a strong manufacturing base to create jobs
when made in nyc was conceived in the aftermath of the sept 11 2001 terrorist attacks this was a strategy to both encourage consumers to shop more locally and to get companies to buy from each other to strengthen local supply chains mr friedman said
growth was initially slow until four or five years ago something dramatic changed he said i think there was really a shift in consumer preferences it coincided with the whole locavore movement
seizing on this trend and with 750000 from the new york city council made in nyc introduced its recent campaign with dreams jobs and  and made here in nyc
were helping businesses learn how to market themselves a little more but also doing a public branding campaign said melissa mark viverito the city council speaker were raising that level of consciousness and awareness
this quest to revitalize urban manufacturing is not limited to new york city
founded in 2011 the urban manufacturing alliance is a grass roots effort to help small manufacturers led by the pratt center and an alliance of manufacturers in san francisco called sfmade it has members in 115 cities including cincinnati detroit and seattle this year it formed a committee to focus on local marketing strategies said lee wellington the groups founding executive director
within the economic development movement there isnt always a recognition that branding is a viable strategy ms wellington said urban manufacturers are realizing that along with issues like zoning regulations and land use rules marketing plays a role in advocacy   retaining industrial zoning in gentrifying neighborhoods for instance   as well as increasing sales
thats an important element to this whole movement ms wellington said it creates a stronger relationship between the consumer market in these cities and the maker movement
ms wellington predicted that the new york city campaign would attract attention from other members
were seeing a lot of interest in how this can be replicated she said
since modern urban factories are more high tech and nimble than their predecessors manufacturers today can create a wide array of products in smaller spaces and made in nyc wanted to communicate that in its campaign
our main objective was to highlight the diversity of things that are made here said t j mccormick partner and executive creative director at eyeball a strategic design and branding firm that is working with made in nyc
antonio reynoso a city councilman whose district includes the north brooklyn industrial business zone has supported the councils involvement in the campaign about 40 percent of my district that i represent is manufacturing he said we have chair makers we have belt makers we have food distributors and packagers
the challenge was portraying that diversity in a cohesive way in the new ads the blank representing the final word of dreams jobs and  is variously filled in with examples as diverse as guitars and gourmet food
similarly there was a deliberate choice to use the word made in the ads instead of manufactured
there are a lot of associations with it   that its just old school tooling and heavy machinery and stuff which is why we ultimately landed on the word made mr mccormick said it softens it a little bit makes it feel more broad
the campaign includes a social element which uses geography to focus ads and incorporates a quiz about locally made products said noreen oloughlin made in nycs program director the group is also investing in targeted digital advertising created by eyeball to increase its reach especially among young adults
to reach new yorkers while they are commuting or running errands the campaign uses billboards and advertisements on kiosks and subways in places like manhattans garment district and the lower east side along the long island expressway and in neighborhoods in brooklyn and queens we felt we needed to be on the street and in front of people mr mccormick said
educating that consumer base is i think what the made in nyc campaign is all about and so much of what were trying to do with our entire member base across the country ms wellington said its communicating the value of manufacturing


belgrade serbia   the pro european party that has led serbia since 2012 appeared headed for a big victory in a snap election on sunday even as right wing nationalists made gains
in the election serbias third in four years prime minister aleksandar vucics serbian progressive party had secured 49 percent of the vote with 82 percent of the ballots counted according to preliminary results released by the center for free elections and democracy an independent monitoring organization the serbian state broadcaster reported
mr vucics coalition partner the socialist party of serbia was projected to win 11 percent of the vote according to the initial results
a pro russian party led by vojislav seselj who was acquitted at the hague last month of war crimes and crimes against humanity over his role in the balkan wars of the 1990s was receiving 8 percent of the vote enough to secure representation in parliament four other parties or coalitions of parties also appeared to win enough votes to gain seats in parliament
voter turnout was about 55 percent but some members of the opposition raised concerns about voting irregularities
president tomislav nikolic called the early elections after mr vucic who has been prime minister since 2014 said he needed a new mandate to pursue an economic agenda that would lead to serbia becoming a member of the european union
mr seselj however has called for integration with russia and declared that all serbias traditional enemies are in the european union many serbs consider russia a fellow orthodox slavic country to be serbias most reliable ally
mr seseljs surprise acquittal on march 31 after a lengthy trial that included years in detention bolstered his party the serbian radical party which traditionally espoused a greater serbia including territory in neighboring countries like bosnia and croatia
as a young man mr vucic himself was an ardent nationalist and a minister in the government of the serbian strongman slobodan milosevic who faced war crimes charges at the time of his death in 2006 mr vucic has since assumed the mantle of a pro european reformer his endurance is a sign that serbs remain willing to pursue a path to the european union despite economic sacrifices and concessions in regional policy
in recent years serbia has also made progress in its relations with kosovo through european union brokered talks kosovo broke away from belgrades rule in 1999 with the help of a nato bombing campaign and declared independence in 2008 though serbia officially still considers it part of serbian territory
while more than 100 countries including the united states and most european countries recognize kosovos independence it remains unrecognized at the united nations thanks to a russian veto but improving relations with kosovos government is a prerequisite for serbias european union membership
vucic staying in office will not particularly affect the region given his cooperation with the eu said boban stojanovic a political scientist at the university of belgrade
opponents accuse mr vucic of using european union ambitions to mask traits that belong to the milosevic era centralizing power and enriching his inner circle the european union has particularly criticized constraints on media freedom
konstantin samofalov spokesman of the pro european social democratic party led by boris tadic serbias president from 2004 to 2012 accused the vucic government of erosion of media freedom destruction of democratic institutions and devastation of the serbian economy
but liberal opposition to mr vucic is fractious divided on personal rather than political grounds as the results showed
mr vucic has said he will use a new four year mandate to push the difficult reforms needed for union membership these include judicial economic and political changes that experience from other former communist countries in the region suggests will be complicated and often unpopular
his partys campaign focused on the message of four more years of stability to secure the nations future the liberal opposition was portrayed as yesterdays leaders and corrupt and the nationalists as reckless anti europeans who would put the country at risk
during the campaign the government said that postelection priorities would include privatizing state owned enterprises cutting the huge bill for public wages and attracting investors to serbia a strategically located country with low costs and favorable trade ties with the european union russia and the middle east many here doubt mr vucic will deliver those reforms but he continues to enjoy international support
as i see it the serbian government would be capable of concluding eu membership talks in the next four years with strong political will said liselott agerlid deputy head of mission at the swedish embassy in belgrade that wouldnt mean though that membership would follow immediately


al mukalla yemen   yemeni troops in armored vehicles and backed by airstrikes advanced toward this city of 500000 people on sunday intending to capture it from militants with al qaeda who had controlled the major stronghold for more than a year
thousands of qaeda fighters were said to be in the city and appeared ready for the battle against the attacking force which was backed by the united arab emirates in mosques the militants asked residents to support them as they confronted the invaders and they placed gas tankers in roads to use as defensive booby traps
but in the end hardly a shot was fired by nightfall the qaeda militants had withdrawn from al mukalla in an apparently tactical retreat residents said
the loss of the city was a blow to the ambitions of al qaedas yemeni branch which is widely considered the militant groups most dangerous worldwide affiliate with a particular focus on blowing up commercial airliners over the last year al qaeda had used al mukalla as a base as the militants stormed through southern yemen capitalizing on the power vacuum caused by the countrys 14 month civil war and seizing territory weapons and money
the militants had faced little resistance during the war between the yemeni government and the houthi rebels a saudi arabia led military coalition supporting the government with airstrikes rarely if ever attacked al qaeda
the militants expansion became the subject of more intense focus in regional and western capitals as yemens war reached a stalemate in a major shift the united arab emirates a member of the saudi led coalition turned its attention in the last few months from fighting the houthis to readying thousands of yemeni tribal fighters for the battle against al qaeda several yemeni military leaders said
in early february the top counterterrorism official in the obama administration lisa o monaco met for two and a half hours with sheikh mohammed bin zayed al nahyan the crown prince of abu dhabi and a senior emirati leader a large part of the discussion focused on how to address the threat from the growing qaeda strongholds in southern yemen two senior american officials said
american military and counterterrorism officials have said the yemeni affiliate al qaeda in the arabian peninsula poses the most imminent terrorist threat to the united states
if we do not deal with aqap it is only a matter of time before the group uses its expanded capabilities and safe haven to attempt another attack against the us gen joseph l votel the new leader of the militarys central command told the senate last month referring to al qaeda in the arabian peninsula the central commands area of responsibility includes the middle east
general votel added that such an attack could come with little to no warning
the united arab emirates have several hundred special operations troops in yemen helping to assist the saudi led campaign against the houthi rebels and security forces loyal to former president ali abdullah saleh of yemen
with that fighting ebbing for the moment and the warring parties meeting in kuwait to discuss a possible diplomatic solution the plan is to shift emirati troops to work with many of the 11000 yemeni tribal fighters and other yemeni forces they have trained in the past year to carry out an air and ground assault on qaeda positions in the south
senior american officials have been reluctant to increase the involvement of united states special operations forces in yemen beyond periodic airstrikes against qaeda targets an american airstrike last month killed more than 70 qaeda fighters at a training camp
american officials said they were surprised and impressed that the emirati military successfully carried out an amphibious assault against houthi fighters in aden in july even after the pentagon refused a request to provide naval landing craft that success seemed to leave open the possibility that the united states would provide more direct military assistance to the emiratis in an ambitious campaign against al qaeda a mutual foe
in the last few weeks yemeni commanders said they had started receiving orders from their emirati trainers for an imminent offensive against al qaeda columns of armored vehicles were spotted heading toward military installations within striking distance of qaeda controlled territory
last week yemeni forces attacked qaeda positions in lahj province west of al mukalla and drove the militants from huta the provincial capital in al mukalla early sunday warplanes started bombing military facilities and government buildings where qaeda fighters had gathered residents said
the militants had been expecting the attack for weeks and had decreased their visibility in the city patrolling on motorbikes instead of larger vehicles residents said the airstrikes killed at least two civilians local officials said
the militants still control cities in abyan and shabwa provinces which have long been qaeda strongholds residents of the southern port city of aden said sunday that hundreds of soldiers were traveling east from the city toward the two provinces
even if the campaign is successful one of the primary challenges will be preventing qaeda fighters from returning given the continuing security and political vacuum in yemen analysts said in huta for example local fighters were left to secure the city after the better trained emirati backed yemeni soldiers returned to their bases in aden said adel al halimi the chief of security for lahj province
it is possible that the uae and yemeni allies can push aqap out of areas they occupy said april longley alley a yemen analyst at the international crisis group but maintaining control she said will require a political strategy to address local grievances and provide for a minimally effective government none of which appears to be in place at this point


three marijuana growing operations were found on the premises of at least one of the homes where eight members of the same family were killed in a small town in southern ohio last week law enforcement officials said sunday
eight members of the rhoden family between the ages of 16 and 44 were killed in four different homes in piketon ohio in what attorney general mike dewine called a preplanned execution at a news conference on sunday
one of the victims a woman was killed while she slept as her 4 day old baby lay unharmed in the same room law enforcement officials said
dan tierney a spokesman for mr dewines office said that sheriffs deputies discovered the marijuana operations during a search of the four homes and nearby wooded areas video broadcast by wcpo a local television station showed investigators walking through woods and searching a ramshackle shed
mr tierney declined to specify if the three operations were found at three different addresses or if they constituted three separate clumps of marijuana plants located in the woods at the same address
mr dewine told reporters on sunday that the killings would be subject to a lengthy investigation
this was the preplanned execution of eight individuals he said it was a sophisticated operation and those who carried it out were trying to do everything that they could do to hinder the investigation and their prosecution
this is not your case where someone got mad at somebody else they shot them and theres a witness or two witnesses he added
the pike county sheriff charles reader told reporters the investigation was probably the largest that had ever taken place in the county a sparsely populated area east of cincinnati
we are working around the clock 24 hours a day working on every lead that comes in all the tips conducting the interviews he said
the attorney generals office identified the dead on saturday as hannah gilley 20 christopher rhoden sr 40 christopher rhoden jr 16 clarence rhoden 20 dana rhoden 37 gary rhoden 38 hanna rhoden 19 and kenneth rhoden 44
three of the four crime scenes are on the same street in piketon mr tierney said but the fourth is 15 or 20 minutes away


every modern presidential election is at least in part defined by the cool new media breakthrough of its moment in 2000 there was email and by golly was that a big change from the fax the campaigns could get their messages in front of print and cable news reporters   who could still dominate the campaign narrative   at will reducing what had been a 24 hour news cycle to an hourly one
the 2004 campaign was the year of the web log or blog when mainstream reporters and campaigns officially began losing any control they may have had over political news anyone with a computer could weigh in with commentary news and often searing criticism of mainstream reporters and politicians   media gatekeepers be damned
then 2008 facebook made it that much easier for campaigns to reach millions of people directly further reducing the influence of newspaper magazine and television journalists in 2012 twitter shrank the political news cycle to minutes if not seconds exponentially adding to the churn of campaign news
the question this year has been whether 2016 will be the snapchat election a reference to the popular and newish photo  and video sharing service that already has some 100 million daily users and has a campaign news team of seasoned pros
there is some debate about snapchats role this year its presence in the media ecosystem is undeniable snapchat says nearly twice as many 18 to 24 year olds watched the first republican debate on its app than saw it on television but its probably still too early in the campaign year to say how defining it will be
its not too early however to say that snapchat is a fitting symbol for 2016 and a powerful one its very existence represents a shift in the way news and information course through our overserved body politic and that could have an effect on the outcome of the campaign if it isnt having one already
for so long media advancements affected the speed of news but speed has more or less topped out with twitter whats faster than seconds please dont say we need to get it to nanoseconds snapchat represents a change to something else the longevity of news how durably it keeps in our brain cells and our servers
most of the stuff that is shared through the snapchat app   whether its a birds eye video of a mischievous cat a boisterous trump rally or a terrorist attack   goes away after 24 hours or much less just disappears
that is the opposite of the approach taken by the new york times and other traditional news organizations that are reporting history for the record snapchat is recording the here and the now playing for today tomorrow will bring something new that renders today obsolete its a digital tibetan sand painting made in the image of the millennial mind
snapchat executives say they set up the app this way because this is what their tens of millions of younger users want its how they live that makes sense given the way their generation exists online interfacing with a constant stream of bits and bytes they cant possibly have enough bandwidth to process all the incoming information and still dwell on what already was can they ok probably but stick with me as i play this through it leads somewhere
the older generations are getting there too as daily adult media consumption has expanded beyond television radio and newspapers to include all the innovations i mentioned above email websites facebook twitter text messaging instagram periscope and now snapchat
it was into this media hurricane that the presidential campaign caravan drove this year and many of its cars were blown off the road
experienced strategists and their candidates who could always work through their election plans methodically   promoting their candidacies one foot in front of the other adjusting here and there for the unexpected   suddenly found that they couldnt operate the way they always did
marco rubios campaign marched into the election season ready to fight the usual news cycle by news cycle skirmishes it was surprised to learn that lo and behold there was no news cycle   everything was one big fire hose alex conant a senior rubio strategist told me news was constantly breaking and at the end of the day hardly anything mattered things would happen 24 hours later everyone was talking about something else
then there was jeb bush expecting to press ahead by presenting what he saw as leading edge policy proposals that would set off a prolonged back and forth when mr bush rolled out a fairly sweeping plan to upend the college loan system the poor guy thought this was going to become a big thing jeb would say to me in the car this is radical stuff tim miller a senior aide in the bush campaign told me it drew only modest coverage and was quickly buried by the latest bit from donald trump
which brings me to the good news for presidential candidates in this hit refresh political culture damaging news does not have to stick around for long either the next development good or bad replaces it almost immediately this is arguably the best time in modern history to have a scandal note to ethically compromised pols if you have an embarrassing piece of video that is bound to get out give it exclusively to snapchat then destroy it at the very least it is the best time to be mr trump
ask mr miller he is now working for one of the most aggressive republican anti trump groups our principles pac mr miller knows his way around a pair of brass knuckles campaign style but once again the old combinations   dump damaging opposition research watch em drown in it   are proving far less potent than they were
mr miller pointed to a recent episode in which mr trump said a protester at a rally had ties to isis after that protester charged the stage no such ties existed he says isis is attacking me this was debunked in eight minutes by twitter mr miller said cable talked about it for three hours and it went away
hillary clinton said that she was under sniper fire in bosnia   she wasnt   and that has stuck with her for 20 years mr miller said
mr trump has mastered this era of short attention spans in politics by realizing that if youre the one regularly feeding the stream you can forever move past your latest trouble and hasten the mass amnesia
it was with this in mind that the washington post ran an editorial late last week reminding its readers of some of mr trumps more outlandish statements and policy positions on the eve of what a senior aide described as a coming personality change by mr trump to one more befitting a president
the post urged its readers to remember more than two dozen items from mr trumps record including that he promised to round up 11 million undocumented immigrants and deport them and lied about president obamas birth certificate
fred hiatt the posts editorial page editor told me in an email that given the constantly churning news cycle mr trumps trail of incendiary statements and proposals may seem like news from another era he added its important that they not be forgotten
when i ran all of this by the good people at snapchat they bristled at my choice of symbolism understandably peter hamby snapchats head of news said snapchat should not be an emblem for a lack of attention span in our politics
with a unique line to younger voters snapchat presents substantive stories on issues like the election and the flint water crisis in ways they can relate to mr hamby said snapchats reports are ephemeral he said because its about being in the moment with this young audience being in the flow of their lives
of course thats where that audience lives in the moment still as the media habits of the young drive everybody elses im reminded of that old saw about those who forget history now what was i saying


mexico city   since november 2014 the mexican authorities eager to close a dark chapter in the nations history have insisted that 43 students from ayotzinapa who disappeared two months earlier in the city of iguala were killed by a drug gang that incinerated their bodies in a garbage dump and disposed of the ashes in a river
but on sunday in the latest blow to the integrity of the governments case an international panel of experts who began examining the disappearances a year ago asserted that five suspects whose testimony underpinned the governments conclusions gave confessions under torture or cruel inhumane or degrading treatment forced confessions are not admissible in mexican courts
the findings not only undermined the governments case but also further eroded the credibility of the nations criminal justice system the system has been widely criticized for its handling of a matter that has come to represent the failures and corruption of the mexican state
the ayotzinapa case has put the country at a crossroads from which it has yet to emerge and for that it needs a strengthening of the rule of law and of the defense the guarantee and respect for human rights alejandro valencia a colombian lawyer and a member of the five person panel said at a news conference here on sunday
the governments response to the students disappearance in september 2014 has become a referendum on the administration of president enrique pena nieto who took office in 2012 promising to reduce violence the case set off months of street protests and demands that the government solve the mystery and end chronic corruption
the panel of experts who were invited by the mexican government to examine the case revealed its findings in the news conference and in a voluminous report   its second and last the mandate of the group which was appointed by the inter american commission on human rights and is made up of latin american lawyers and human rights activists expires next week and the mexican authorities have said they will not extend it
beginning with their first report in september the experts have systematically dismantled the governments conclusions questioning the authorities ability or commitment to thoroughly investigate the disappearances and raising doubts about the integrity of the judicial system
the panel has not a single piece of evidence to change its conclusion that the 43 students were not incinerated in the dump francisco cox a chilean lawyer and one of the experts said at the news conference
the government announced in january 2015 that it had solved the mystery after what jesus murillo karam then the attorney general called an exhaustive serious inquiry
mr murillo said the students who attended a teachers college in ayotzinapa in the pacific state of guerrero had traveled to iguala to commandeer buses for transportation to a protest in mexico city according to the governments version of events igualas mayor ordered the police to detain the students
the governments account which relied on the testimony of several members of a drug gang said the police had then turned the students over to the gang which killed them incinerated their bodies in a dump near cocula and threw the remains in a river
in recent months a team of experts on torture working with the international investigative panel examined evidence gathered by the mexican authorities using united nations guidelines for the documentation of torture the technicians determined that 17 of the governments suspects had been tortured including five gang members who claimed to have been involved in the killing and burning of the students
the findings supported testimony by some of the suspects that they had been tortured while in the custody of government security forces
the experts also raised urgent questions about the way the mexican authorities had gathered and handled evidence in the case especially a bone fragment found in october 2014 that was linked to one of the missing students
this is a serious problem that needs to be investigated said carlos beristain a spanish doctor and a panel member
among their other findings in their 608 page report the experts said they had uncovered new evidence that pointed to a greater role by federal security forces in the events of sept 26 27 2014 despite the mexican authorities insistence that the crimes committed that night were local in nature
the experts also lamented the lack of investigation into the possible culpability of all but low level officials
you must look for not only the direct authors of an action but also for those who led supported or ignored the signs of human rights violations the panel wrote
the panel also raised questions about why the governments investigation had failed to analyze phone records from that night which might have shed light on where the students had been taken
the experts reiterated their longstanding criticism that the mexican government had blocked their access to crucial witnesses including all military officials and did not allow them to reinterview scores of witnesses requests for certain documents and testimonies were ignored or rebuffed they said
eber omar betanzos the deputy attorney general for human rights responded to the experts report by rebutting many of their specific arguments and said the torture allegations were being investigated the government had given the experts full access to the information needed to develop their work and had answered 85 percent of their 941 requests he said adding that the remaining 15 percent were close to completion
the experts also criticized sclerotic bureaucracy they held up the matter of julio cesar mondragon one of the students who had gone to iguala he had become separated from his friends during the chaos of the night and his body turned up the next morning in iguala he had been so brutally tortured that he was not immediately identifiable
the first autopsy on the body was incomplete the experts said so they requested a second one even though they pushed the request the mexican authorities took three months to approve a second autopsy in their latest report the experts likened the agonizing wait by the students family to a new victimization that arises when bureaucracy or formal aspects are more important than the victims


mexico city   municipal police officers encircled the bus detonated tear gas punctured the tires and forced the college students who were onboard to get off
were going to kill all of you the officers warned according to the bus driver a policeman approached the driver and pointed a pistol at his chest you too the officer said
with a military intelligence official looking on and state and federal police officers in the immediate vicinity witnesses said the students were put into police vehicles and taken away they have not been seen since
they were among the 43 students who vanished in the city of iguala one night in september 2014 amid violent chaotic circumstances laid bare by an international panel of investigators who have been examining the matter for more than a year the reason for the students abduction remains a mystery
despite apparent stonewalling by the mexican government in recent months the panels two reports on the case the most recent of which was released on sunday provide the fullest accounting of the events surrounding the students disappearance which also left six other people dead including three students and scores wounded
the reports describe a night of confusion and terror for the students and city residents and a seemingly clinical coordinated harvest by mexican law enforcement officials and other gunmen operating in and around iguala in guerrero one of mexicos poorest and most violent states
the government said 123 people including 73 municipal police officials had been detained on organized crime charges in relation to the nights events and the mexican authorities have linked the iguala police force to a powerful drug gang
the 43 students were undergraduates at escuela normal rural raul isidro burgos a teachers college in ayotzinapa with a history of activism
they were among about 100 students who headed out on the evening of sept 26 2014 with a plan to steal some buses this was a tradition that students at the school had done for many years they would take the buses use them to transport their peers to an event and then return them when they were done the bus companies and the authorities mostly tolerated it
the plan for the outing that evening was to secure several buses to carry students to a march in mexico city several days later to commemorate a student massacre that had occurred in 1968
riding in two buses they had commandeered on earlier occasions they stationed themselves on a main road on the outskirts of iguala planning to intercept a few buses
all of us were happy having a blast relaxed happy with the drivers playing a student later testified according to the panels first report it relied on testimony from survivors government security officials and other witnesses as well as reports from an interagency government command center
but the regions security forces were already onto the students plans the federal police stepped up patrols near the buses and the command center linking local state and federal police forces as well as the military kept tabs on the students
at 815 pm the students made their first strike boarding a bus that had stopped in front of a restaurant the driver knew the drill bus companies generally instruct drivers that in the event of a student hijacking they should remain with the buses to ensure their safe return
the bus driver said he needed to make a pit stop at igualas central bus station at the station the driver surprised the students and locked them in the bus
around 915 pm the students in the two other buses arrived at the station and freed their classmates the group commandeered three more buses leaving behind one that had no driver the five buses then left for ayotzinapa three heading toward igualas northern beltway two toward the southern beltway
then the shooting began
several police cars pursuing the three northbound buses started firing warning shots into the air but the threat of violence did not deter the students
a group of them left the buses and started throwing rocks at a police car that had blocked their path until the car drove away at another point a student sneaked up behind a police officer and tried to disarm him as other police officers came to their colleagues aid the student ran away and a police bullet ricocheted and struck him lightly wounding him
as the convoy resumed its northward course through the city police bullets hit the buses the students threw themselves flat on the floor but ordered the drivers to keep going
near the beltway however the police had blocked the road with a vehicle several students got off the buses and tried to lift the cruiser out of the roadway but officers posted on the highway opened fire on the group forcing the students to seek cover behind the buses investigators later counted 30 bullet holes in one of the buses
as bullets flew and windows shattered one of the students aldo gutierrez was shot in the head the first call to an emergency dispatch number was received at 948 pm police officers shot at students who tried to rush to mr gutierrezs aid
another student was shot in a hand the bullet sheared off several fingers he sought shelter behind a truck where two police officers ran over to him and kicked and punched him a third student was struck in an arm by a bullet ambulance crews managed to retrieve the three wounded students and take them to a hospital along with a fourth student who suffered an asthma attack
they all felt confusion terror and helplessness wrote the panel five lawyers and human rights experts from around latin america
at one point the police made a group of students who were hiding in the third bus disembark and lie on the ground about 1050 pm they were taken away in six or seven patrol cars they are among the 43 students who disappeared
meanwhile the two buses that took the southerly route had also run into trouble about 940 pm just as the three bus convoy was intercepted near the northern beltway the police cut off one of the southbound buses shattered its windows with tree branches and shot tear gas inside to flush out the passengers
the passengers were pulled from the bus and taken away the rest of the 43 missing students
elsewhere in the city the police had stopped the other southbound bus the students on board who had received word by telephone of the other attacks got off the bus and fled into woods
in a measure of the violent pandemonium that overcame iguala that night another bus and several other civilian vehicles came under attack even though they had nothing to do with the students
los avispones a soccer team of high schoolers from the city of chilpancingo had played a match that night against a local team in iguala by 1115 pm the players were aboard their bus and heading home their route out of iguala took them through a state police roadblock where they were rerouted because of the confrontation between the students and the police witnesses said
about seven miles outside iguala gunmen fired on the bus killing a soccer player and the driver and wounding seven other passengers the attackers also fired at other passing cars killing a 40 year old woman who was riding in a taxi
witnesses said the gunmen had included police officers and ballistic tests found that some of the weapons used in the attack belonged to the iguala municipal police department
the most probable hypothesis is that the bus had been confused for one of those carrying the student teachers the investigators wrote
some soccer players including one who had been wounded in the eye and was bleeding profusely managed to drive to a nearby army battalion but were offered no help they indicated that they couldnt do anything because it wasnt in their jurisdiction a witness testified
elsewhere on routes leading from iguala to ayotzinapa at least two roadblocks were set up by unidentified gunmen and one by police officers from the city of huitzuco two civilians were wounded by gunfire at one of the roadblocks
the expert panel concluded that the joint action shows a coordinated modus operandi to stop the flight of the buses
meanwhile at the entrance to the northern beltway students who had survived the police fusillade against the three bus convoy began to emerge from their hiding places and regroup at the scene around 11 pm the police had left by then and the students sought to record the evidence of the attack while trying to communicate with their classmates in the other buses
journalists as well as some teachers began to show up and by midnight an impromptu news conference was taking shape in the middle of the road
about 1230 am a white sport utility vehicle and a black car drove by their occupants taking photos of the gathering some were wearing bulletproof vests and hoods some witnesses said they also had seen a police car in the area
fifteen minutes later the vehicles returned and three men jumped out and fired on the news conference from close range two young men were killed and other people including students and teachers were wounded
the survivors fled into the surrounding blocks a teacher and several students ran to a clinic to find help for the wounded no doctor was present but despite their appeals to emergency dispatchers and to military personnel who appeared at the clinic an ambulance did not arrive for more than an hour
as late as 3 am the bodies of the two young men still lay in the street uncovered in the pouring rain
by dawn the situation had calmed down and the surviving students who had been hiding across the city received word by telephone that it was safe to come out over the course of the morning they gathered at the local offices of the attorney general where they met with the authorities
that morning the authorities also found the body of another student julio cesar mondragon who had been at the news conference he had fled when the shooting began and had become separated from the group
his facial skin and muscles had been torn away from his head his skull was fractured in several places and his internal organs were ruptured his condition the investigators wrote shows the level of atrocities committed that night


london   the london marathon began from outer space sunday and nearly finished with an otherworldly performance
tim peake a british astronaut counted down the start from the international space station where he ran 262 miles while strapped into a special treadmill in the terrestrial race eliud kipchoge of kenya ran the second fastest marathon ever taking first place in 2 hours 3 minutes 5 seconds   only eight seconds off the world record   on a cold blustery morning
the womens race provided a scare when several miles from the finish jemima sumgong of kenya got tangled with two other runners at a water stop and fell she smacked her head on the pavement and sustained a cut over her right eye but climbed to her feet and prevailed in 22258 over tigist tufa of ethiopia 22303 and florence kiplagat of kenya 22339
it was very painful sumgong said but i tried my best to persevere
eventually peake finished his treadmill marathon in an estimated 33521 but the most stirring performance was provided on terra firma by kipchoge who has won six of the seven marathons he has entered and is perhaps the greatest ever at the distance
if kipchoge lacks one thing it is luck in setting a world record last september the insoles came out of his nike shoes as he won the berlin marathon on sunday he just missed the world record of 20257 set by his fellow kenyan dennis kimetto in berlin in 2014
at the finish kipchoge put his hands over his eyes in what appeared to be a twinge of disappointment but he pronounced himself satisfied in four months kipchoge is expected to be the gold medal favorite at the olympics in rio de janeiro
when you go up a tree when you cross one branch you go for the next one kipchoge 31 said
stanley biwott of kenya who won the new york city marathon in november persisted as the final challenger to kipchoge before drifting away in the final two miles and taking second in 20351
the revelation of the day was kenenisa bekele of ethiopia an 11 time world cross country champion and three time olympic champion on the track whose career has been disrupted by calf and achilles tendon injuries much of the last six years he had not raced in 15 months
on sunday bekele hung with the leaders for 17 miles before dropping back still he held on for third place in 20636 despite rustiness and what he said was a mix up with a pacesetter that caused bekele to miss his bottle of fluids at four or five water stops
ethiopian officials are expected to decide next weekend whether to place bekele the world record holder at 5000 and 10000 meters on the countrys olympic marathon team
if bekele is chosen said jos hermens the dutch manager for bekele and kipchoge he or eliud will win the gold medal
sundays race began with the temperature in the mid 40s and kipchoge made his intent known immediately running the first mile in a blistering 430 as a pack of nine runners settled in behind three pacemakers
when i am in the field i am the best one kipchoge said repeating the encouraging words of his coach patrick sang those who want to run fast should come with me
the lead pack went through 131 miles in 6124 at such searing speed it was clear that few challengers could hang on for the second half of the race
kipchoge hammered mile 15 in 432 and mile 16 in 437 wilson kipsang of kenya a former world record holder and a bronze medalist at the 2012 london olympics rejoined the leaders after an early fall but did not have enough in his legs to remain near the front
kimetto the world record holder also fell out of contention bekele lost contact with kipchoge and biwott recovered to make it a three man race after 17 miles then wafted away again it was left to kipchoge and biwott to sort out the victory and perhaps the world record
kipchoge removed his hat and gloves he motioned for biwott to take the lead and share the pace instead biwott hung just off kipchoges shoulder
as the two runners took each others measure mile 21 slowed slightly to 451 and mile 23 to 450 then kipchoge hit the accelerator again and covered mile 25 in 438 finally biwott succumbed to the brutal pace and kipchoge ran alone to the finish
the record can be for next time he said
sundays achievement however impressive is certain to be tempered by widespread doping scandals in distance running more than 40 kenyans have tested positive for banned substances since 2012 kenya has until may 2 to show that it is in compliance with the world anti doping agencys standards or risk missing the rio olympics
before the race kipchoge assured that kenya would stiffen its antidoping resolve and maintain its olympic eligibility and kipsang the former world record holder asked that not all kenyan runners be painted with the same broad brush of suspicion
its just like life kipsang said at a prerace news conference you find in society there are one or two criminals but it doesnt mean the whole society involves criminals


san francisco   mark zuckerberg facebooks co founder and chief executive is clear about his vision for his company he wants to triple the size of his social network which now has 16 billion members
but to reach that new audience he has to find a way to change telecommunications networks to make connecting to the internet more affordable since many of those would be facebook users live in developing countries
that could be bad news for the companies that make equipment for those networks whether they are silicon valley giants like cisco systems or little widget makers that produce the parts to tie different pieces of the network together
there is definitely going to be some pressure some consolidation for many tech equipment suppliers said akshay sharma research director at the technology advisory firm gartner if youre in hardware youre going to reduce head count from thousands to maybe 10 people a hundred at most
no doubt mr zuckerbergs grand   some would say grandiose   vision could take years to realize but if he manages to make the way people connect to the internet more affordable it would be just the latest instance of how the company has quietly upended the traditional economics of the technology industry
facebook has changed the way people interact with their friends on the internet but less understood outside tech circles is how the social network has come to be perhaps the most aggressive example of a growing number of companies that are unwilling to pay top dollar for products made by traditional technology suppliers
mr zuckerberg has embraced so called open source concepts which have helped him play catch up with the giant computer networks of companies like amazon and google
open source typically refers to freely shared code or even development plans that companies and people collectively create at a fraction of the price of traditional tech products bits of open source technology can be found in all sorts of things including googles android operating system and web browsers
companies like facebook often contribute to open source projects since they dont make money selling products   instead they have to buy products that help them offer their service keeping tech costs down helps the bottom line
this sort of enlightened self interest sounds simple but its impact has been dramatic in 2000 for example sun microsystems was worth 110 billion thanks to demand for its computer servers and workstations a decade later the company was sold for 74 billion sun fell to cheaper competition from linux the popular open source code that now runs many of facebooks servers
when facebook reveals the financial results for its most recent quarter on wednesday investors will no doubt scrutinize how much the company is spending particularly since mr zuckerberg has promised to invest more money in searching for new users one big key to keeping those costs down has been open source technology
increasingly facebook does its own work on planning the computer hardware and software that it uses to deliver its services it even released as open source the design of the racks where its servers operate
it should not be surprising then that mr zuckerberg is relying on open source to reduce the price of building and running the worlds telecommunications networks a business estimated to be worth about 150 billion a year
our rule is 10 times faster or 10 times cheaper or both said jay parikh facebooks vice president for engineering we want to get a full facebook experience to every end user whether that is video or eventually virtual reality
established telecommunications companies are moving fast to adjust nokia the finnish company joined facebook in february at the announcement of the telecom infra project or tip a facebook led group that is trying to reduce telecom costs cisco systems intends to start donating software to tip hoping to profit from heavy overall usage on the worlds big telecom systems
there is a new force in the system said dave ward ciscos chief architect wed rather be on the train than in front of it
in the future mr zuckerberg imagines that a physical thing like a tv will just be a 1 app inside virtual reality on facebook he recently told a conference of software developers building apps for facebook but that may be 10 years off by mr zuckerbergs own admission people who do not work at facebook might say it is a fantasy
facebook even appears willing to turn the price crushing model on itself to get virtual reality to every place in the world facebooks oculus vr headsets currently 600 may have to cost 5 said mike schroepfer the companys chief technology officer
is that another fantasy for facebook getting those costs down could mean controlling the next big communications platform since mr zuckerberg believes virtual reality may eventually supplant smartphones as a primary connection to the online world
the world is making enough phones its better for the world if there are fewer devices mr schroepfer said its not totally obvious how all this shakes out   whether well have lots of consumer products or it all disappears into a couple of vr headsets
how much profit this new audience will yield facebook is an open question but facebook would rather control a crucial technology than have to build on top of another companys products as it has had to do with pcs and smartphones
its more opportunity to show ads said danny sullivan founder of the technology website search engine land who is a close watcher of the industry its more opportunity to gather data on what we do or who we are connected with its more opportunity to build a new platform where facebook serves as the broker of connectivity
at the same facebook developers conference there were talks on the latest open source efforts including an urban wireless network that checks its performance 125000 times a second and a long range wireless system that facebook says can send a gigabit of data a second about 10 times the rate of todays good performing networks and enough for virtual reality
both technologies mr parikh said will be tested this year with an eye to releasing them as open source projects well be into all this stuff he said facebook does not want to own or sell the gear he added but plans to work with hundreds of local phone companies worldwide on cheaper high speed connections
facebook isnt alone in tackling the economics of connecting to the internet google is aiming its fiber service at radically cutting prices compared with what cable companies charge inside amazons cloud computing business is a company called twilio which supplies inexpensive phone and video services
but others dismiss some of facebooks efforts as hype we are connecting 700 million to 15 billion people a year via smartphones and tablets said ulf ewaldsson chief technical officer at ericsson one of the worlds largest makers of telecommunications hardware
they say they can do a 90 percent cost reduction but that is from phone bills for high cost customers he said poor people need to be covered and the industry is working on that


this is what to expect from the week ahead
oil industry
this week is likely to produce evidence of the impact falling oil prices are having on oil producing countries and businesses on monday deputy crown prince mohammed bin salman of saudi arabia is expected to reveal his plans for reducing his countrys dependence on petroleum a response to the fall in government revenues his economic reform proposal may include a partial stock market listing of saudi aramco the national oil company
several of the worlds largest oil companies are also scheduled to report first quarter earnings with bp leading off on tuesday exxon mobil and chevron the two largest american oil companies will follow on friday oil prices that averaged around a third lower for the quarter than they were in the same quarter last year are likely to translate into lower earnings stanley reed
technology
privacy regulators from the united states europe and around the globe will gather in berlin for a two day conference starting on monday to discuss how some of the worlds largest companies like google and facebook use peoples digital information the meeting comes as tension has been mounting over a new trans atlantic data transfer deal that some european regulators say does not give their citizens sufficient protection when information is moved to the united states mark scott
several of the best known technology companies   facebook amazon apple and twitter   will report earnings this week after a disappointing string of earnings reports from intel microsoft and alphabet the parent of google the tech sector could use some good news investors will be watching apples iphone business closely to see if the rate at which sales are falling has begun to slow amazons chief executive jeff bezos vowed recently to make bold investments which could come at the expense of profits investors would love to see growth in twitters user numbers while there is wide anticipation that facebook will continue to show strength as an internet advertising juggernaut nick wingfield
economy
why is this federal reserve meeting less important than most fed meetings because at this fed meeting on tuesday and wednesday in washington the central banks policy making committee is unlikely to raise interest rates and is unlikely to say much about its plans for future rate increases the fed has already signaled that it isnt planning a second step on the road to higher rates any earlier than june the fed will also not update its economic forecasts at this meeting and the feds chairwoman janet l yellen will not hold a news conference those who closely watch the fed will parse the post meeting statement for clues everyone else can safely pass over this one binyamin appelbaum
banking
it should be a busy week for earnings reports in europe as several of the regions biggest banks are expected to share their first quarter results barclays deutsche bank the british lenders royal bank of scotland and lloyds banking group and banco santander of spain are all expected to update investors on their results the first quarter hasnt been kind to banks this year as uncertainty in the financial markets and problems in the oil and gas industry have weighed on results at the biggest american banks including jpmorgan chase bank of america and goldman sachs europes largest lenders havent been spared the pain of their american counterparts and are expected to report similarly weak numbers chad bray
economy
on thursday at 830 am the commerce department will release its initial estimate of economic growth in the first quarter of 2016 wall street is looking for a growth rate of 06 percent well below the 14 percent annual rate of growth recorded in the fourth quarter of 2015 the likely slow pace of expansion comes despite healthy hiring and if the economy did indeed stumble early this year it would repeat the pattern of first quarter deceleration seen in 2014 and 2015 as was the case in those years most economists expect growth to quicken in the current second quarter nelson d schwartz
eurozone finance ministers could meet on thursday as part of efforts to prevent greece from returning to the brink of bankruptcy though greece agreed to a third bailout last year the country must still enact additional reforms to obtain funds to pay back debt that matures in july a deal is also needed to allow the international monetary fund to contribute to the bailout and for the lenders to start negotiations on ways to ease the countrys debt burden there were signs of progress at a meeting late last week in amsterdam where the eurozone and the imf agreed to hold greece to a supplementary set of reforms james kanter
auto industry
volkswagen will hold a news conference on thursday in wolfsburg germany to provide more details about the record loss it reported on friday the carmaker said it lost 62 billion after setting aside 18 billion to cover costs stemming from its admission last year that it programmed diesel cars to thwart emissions tests jack ewing
media
after battling a glum outlook for the past several months viacom has secured a bit of sunshine going into its earnings report on thursday the media company announced last week that it had struck a multiyear agreement for dish to continue to carry viacoms bundle of tv networks which include mtv nickelodeon and comedy central viacom stock which is down about 36 percent in the past year was up about 14 percent on the news last week yet the company still has much to prove to wall street it has reported persistently weak earnings in recent quarters and investors will watch for whether the tv and film company has been able to reverse its fortunes
wall street will also be watching earnings reports this week from charter communications and time warner cable for an update on their proposed merger emily steel


even as his chances of winning the democratic presidential nomination slip away senator bernie sanders and his allies are trying to use his popularity to expand his political influence setting up an ideological struggle for the soul of the democratic party in the post obama era
aides to mr sanders have been pressing party officials for a significant role in drafting the platform for the democratic convention in july aiming to lock in strong planks on issues like a 15 an hour federal minimum wage breaking up wall street banks and banning natural gas fracking
amid his unexpectedly strong showing in the democratic primaries mr sanders has tapped his two million person donor list to raise money for liberal congressional candidates in new york nevada and washington state and in the waning months of barack obamas presidency mr sanderss allies are testing their muscle against the white house mounting a public attack on the presidents housing secretary julian castro over his departments sales of delinquent mortgages to banks and private equity firms
there is a greater goal here said representative raul m grijalva of arizona a co chairman of the congressional progressive caucus who sent a letter to mr castro criticizing the mortgage sales the contribution of bernie that will be lasting for us is that we will coalesce around an agenda
the pressure from mr sanders and his allies is putting the party establishment which is closely aligned with hillary clinton in a delicate position democratic leaders are wary of steering the party too far left but do not want to alienate the sanders supporters whose votes mrs clinton needs in november or risk losing the vast new donor base mr sanders has created
the institutional bulwarks against mr sanders are significant hundreds of the partys superdelegates have endorsed mrs clinton a signal of her broad support among the partys power brokers the democratic national committee now relies on mrs clintons fund raising to provide a fifth of its monthly income an arrangement the sanders campaign has criticized
and mrs clinton is well positioned to block any proposals she would not want to defend in a general election in january the party chairwoman representative debbie wasserman schultz of florida appointed dozens of clinton supporters and advisers to the three standing committees of the democratic party convention of 45 potential members submitted by mr sanders she appointed just three according to mr sanderss campaign
gov dannel p malloy of connecticut a top clinton surrogate will be co chairman of the platform committee barney frank a former massachusetts congressman and fierce critic of mr sanders and his wall street proposals will be a co chairman of the rules committee which governs procedure on the convention floor mark longabaugh a senior adviser to mr sanders said he believed the campaign would ultimately be well represented on all the committees as more members are named but he questioned how ms wasserman schultz had chosen her discretionary appointments
not only are they supporting clinton but they have been extremely critical of bernie sanders mr longabaugh said that doesnt seem like the right way to go if we want to have a convention that is evenhanded
luis miranda a spokesman for the democratic national convention said the party was committed to an open inclusive and representative process to draft the platform
both of our campaigns will be represented on the drafting committee mr miranda said
some fissures within the democratic family may be inevitable for eight years mr obamas presidency has muted ideological disagreement within the party his moral authority as the countrys first black commander in chief his popularity with grass roots democratic voters and his political battles with congress have worked to squelch the kind of ideological battles that have divided the republican party
but the democrats liberal wing including lawmakers like senator elizabeth warren of massachusetts has become more restive in mr obamas second term liberal groups have pressured the president on recent appointments to the treasury department and his deportation policies at the same time a younger generation of activists is challenging presidential candidates in both parties on issues of criminal justice police violence and the rights of undocumented immigrants
a boldly populist people oriented type of platform is massively appealing to those who have come of age during the financial meltdown and the period afterward said kurt walters the campaign director at rootstrikers a group that favors limiting the influence of big donors in politics
the party is relatively unified on raising the minimum wage to 15 and mrs clinton recently voiced qualified support but there is a risk some democrats said that mr sanders   an independent who is not actually a member of the party   would push the party to embrace positions that could later hurt mrs clinton and other democratic candidates
mr sanders is almost certain to win a prime time speaking slot at the summer convention providing one of the biggest audiences yet for his views some democrats said they feared a left wing equivalent of pat buchanans searing speech at the 1992 republican convention when mr buchanan who had failed to win his partys nomination called for a cultural war against liberals and radicals
matt bennett a founder of the center left think tank third way said mrs clinton had so far avoided tacking too far left to compete effectively in a general election they need to be careful not to go so far as to hand the republicans something to beat them over the head with mr bennett said bans on anything tend to be politically problematic
the campaign against mr castros policies at the department of housing and urban development called dont sell our homes to wall street could foreshadow the kind of leverage progressives would like to exert after november mr castro one of the countrys most prominent young latino politicians is seen as a potential vice presidential pick for mrs clinton
but the pressure tactics are also likely to sow more of the bitterness that has come to dominate mr sanderss primary battle with mrs clinton
this month mr sanders asked his supporters to contribute money to lucy flores a former nevada assemblywoman running for congress
in his email mr sanders also suggested that emilys list a political action committee that is dedicated to electing women who support abortion rights and is close to mrs clinton had spurned ms flores in her race because she had endorsed mr sanders emilys list which has endorsed ms flores in past campaigns backed another democratic candidate
the claim drew a sharp response from emilys list one of the most powerful groups in mainstream democratic politics
we support several candidates who have endorsed him so he should stick to issues rather than disingenuous attacks said marcy stech a spokeswoman for emilys list
but in an interview ms flores said she believed there was a broader agenda at play in the groups decision
its just like with the presidential race ms flores said the democratic party and the establishment have their ideas about who they want to support


as the irish fiddles began to play on sunday afternoon fiona kells strapped on her dancing shoes at a festival in battery park in manhattan celebrating the 100 year anniversary of the easter rising a rebellion that started ireland on its path to independence the celebration highlighted the inspiration those revolutionaries found in american principles of liberty and their connection to the irish diaspora   like fiona and her family   in america
of her own accord the 9 year old girl stepped in front of the crowd she tossed her red hair and began to jig with passion i feel like i sort of belong here she said after the applause died down
sundays event began at the edge of the hudson river as dignitaries from ireland and america spoke of the connection between the two countries before a crowd dotted with flame colored hair and kelly green outfits pipers played as flowers were laid before an irish flag flown at half staff in honor of the members of the insurrection during easter week in 1916 who were killed in their attempt to free ireland from british rule and declare an independent nation
at the outset of the easter rising the rebels read a text called the proclamation of the irish republic modeled after the declaration of independence   and going further than that document in its assertion of universal suffrage on sunday that text was recited for the crowd sitting opposite the statue of liberty in wagner park near ground that had once been a landing berth for millions of immigrants irish included according to barbara jones the irish consul general
for all the irish culture on display there were some only in new york twists peter quinn a writer and historian took the stage and recited a phrase from the traditional passover song the four questions in hebrew why is this night different from all other nights linking it to the significance of april 24 in irish history
melissa mark viverito the new york city council speaker spoke of visiting the site of the rising the general post office in dublin with a delegation of council members and how it stirred thoughts of her puerto rican heritage and that islands quest for independence
also in attendance was george j mitchell the former us senator from maine who helped broker the good friday agreement the peace accord between ireland northern ireland and the united kingdom he posed for selfies with guests who were grateful for his role in taming the inflamed island two decades ago there is largely now peace there is more economic stability mr mitchell said after the ceremony but genuine reconciliation changing whats in peoples hearts and minds takes longer is more difficult but in the end its the most important thing
after the ceremony people went inside pier a harbor house to watch irish films and listen to music and lectures on the second floor patrick rooney 54 an electrician waited for a talk on the role of the irish mammy or mother in the rebellion with members of his extended family   a family related to the connolly clan a group of brothers and a sister who took part in the storming of dublin castle during the rising mr rooneys great uncle is believed to have fired the first shot in the rebellion a point of pride for the family for his part in irelands emancipation but sitting at the event the family was reluctant to brag about the connection expressing remorse that their ancestor had also wrought the battles first casualty
its the beginning of ireland mr rooney said they took on the empire


as bill schuette the attorney general of michigan announced criminal charges against three government workers in flints water crisis he pledged there would be more charges soon saying well go wherever the truth takes us   and in this case wherever the emails take us
thousands of email messages which were made public in the months since state authorities acknowledged lead contamination in the citys water last fall are at the center of the states case and more messages may yet come to light as prosecutors appear likely to weigh possible charges against higher level officials
but even with an array of written evidence legal experts and environmental lawyers say the 13 criminal charges announced last week in flint are extremely rare and some said prosecutors may face significant challenges proving them in court
the charges   which include accusations of conspiring to manipulate water monitoring reports tampering with reports on lead in the water and misleading local and federal authorities about the safety of the water   are highly unusual because they were filed not only against a city employee who worked at flints water plant but also against state water regulators who were assigned to keep track of what flint was doing
in 40 years of working in this field i cannot think of another time when a regulator was charged in this way   they are prosecuting the people who are supposed to be the watchdogs said jane f barrett a professor and director of the environmental law clinic at the university of maryland who has previously worked as a state and federal prosecutor on environmental cases
its one thing to say they were sloppy or negligent but in terms of proving the conspiracy count they have to have evidence that the defendants deliberately agreed to cover up the seriousness of the problems with the drinking water supply she said
some legal experts suggested that the charges may have an effect beyond flint or michigan raising a specter of criminal charges for regulators people are going to sit up straighter in their chairs said mark n templeton an associate clinical professor of law and director of the abrams environmental law clinic at the university of chicago law school they may need additional resources and training as well he added
some of the emails would appear to lay out a stark case they include assurances that the water in flint was being treated with an anti corrosion chemical when it was not the failure to add that chemical allowed lead to leach from the pipes resulting in dangerously high levels of lead in the water that led officials to finally advise residents to stop drinking it last fall
officials said unfiltered water was still not safe to drink and the long term effects of drinking the tainted water for more than a year remain a worry particularly for parents of small children
the only city worker charged so far in the flint crisis is michael glasgow the citys laboratory and water quality supervisor who is accused of tampering with evidence   lead testing reports   and willfully neglecting his duty
the arrest of mr glasgow 40 came as a surprise to some largely because he had cooperated with authorities and had personally sought water samples last year from a home that was reporting high levels of lead mr glasgow also had voiced early concerns about switching the citys drinking water away from detroits water system to a new source in 2014 the event that set off the crisis that left residents drinking odd smelling foul looking lead tainted water for months
robert harrison a lawyer for mr glasgow said he could not comment on the specific charges but described his client as an honest decent person who had spent years working for the city of flint and had worked his way up from the bottom
criminal charges against mike are difficult to understand given what mike did in this case mr harrison said not only was mike strongly and publicly opposed to the transfer of the water system away from the detroit system but mike voluntarily met with and spoke with numerous investigators from the attorney generals office and the genesee prosecutors office on several occasions
in an email mr glasgow sent to state regulators a little more than a week before flint was to switch from its water supply to a new source the flint river he expressed doubts about the monitoring of water safety and the training of workers at the flint water plant
days after mr glasgows 2014 warnings about switching sources the city went ahead with its plans and mr glasgow was quoted reassuring residents in a news release drafts of which were emailed around the city and state in the draft release michael prysby a state worker charged in the flint case promised that whatever doubts residents had about the river   seen among residents historically as a grimy dumping place for flint industries   the state had deemed its water safe to drink
mr prysby a water engineer with the michigan department of environmental quality has entered a not guilty plea in the case as has stephen busch a water supervisor with the state environmental quality department lawyers for both men did not return phone messages
charges against mr prysby 53 and mr busch 40 include misconduct in office accusing them of knowingly misleading federal and county officials about whether the water was safe as well as conspiring to tamper with evidence and tampering with reports on lead
the pair also are charged with failing to require the city of flint to add chemicals to its new water supply to prevent lead from leaching from service lines which is standard protocol for dealing with aged water systems with improperly manipulating water testing samples by directing residents to pre flush their taps which would decrease lead levels and with failing to collect enough samples from homes that were known to have lead service lines
records show that lead tests were sometimes conducted on homes that were described on reports as having lead service lines   the lines most vulnerable to contamination and the best test of a systems safety   but that actually had service lines made of materials other than lead such testing could have given other authorities and residents a false sense of security about lead levels
as residents and some authorities were voicing alarm about the water supply in early to mid 2015 emails from mr busch and mr prysby suggested they were assuring others that all was well
in february 2015 mr busch told a concerned environmental protection agency official who was asking about some high lead findings that flint was indeed using chemicals to prevent leaching from the pipes a process known as corrosion control though the state now acknowledges that no such controls were in place at the time
a day earlier mr prysby seemed to play down high levels found at one flint house which belongs to leeanne walters offering explanations for why the alarming results may not have reflected a broader flint wide problem and suggesting that ms walters flush her taps before retesting a move that would temporarily lessen lead levels


berlin   a right wing candidate emerged as the clear front runner in the first round of the presidential election in austria on sunday dealing a stinging blow to the countrys two mainstream parties which failed to garner enough votes to make it into a runoff next month
norbert hofer of the anti immigration freedom party emerged as the clear leader taking 35 percent of the votes cast on sunday according to preliminary tallies although official results will not be announced until monday after absentee ballots are counted mr hofer 45 seemed poised to face an independent candidate alexander van der bellen a former leader of the greens in the runoff on may 22
mr van der bellen 72 who was born in austria to immigrant parents received 21 percent of the vote on sunday another independent candidate irmgard griss 69 a former judge received 19 percent
the results reflected disillusionment with the countrys two establishment parties the center left social democratic party and the conservative peoples party those parties have dominated austrian politics for decades largely by governing together in a so called grand coalition
bickering between them over issues like taxes education and pension reform has eroded popular support over the past decade the arrival of tens of thousands of migrants last summer and the governments decision to open austrias borders as germany did accelerated the slide
although many migrants simply passed through austria an alpine nation of 84 million on their way to germany or sweden about 90000 decided to remain in the country and apply for asylum responding to fears that emerged last fall when local elections in vienna reflected a surge in popularity for the freedom party the government passed legislation in january to limit the number of people who could enter the country to 37500 refugees and took steps to tighten the borders
the move seemed to do little to reassure voters who appeared to respond to mr hofers call to strengthen the countrys borders and its army limit benefits for immigrants and favor austrians in the job market
sundays result was the best ever for the freedom party which briefly entered the government in 2000 setting off an international outcry and earning the country sanctions from the european union
an austrian president has limited authority the most powerful being to dismiss a government yet the outcome could determine the countrys direction in its next general election expected in 2018
mr van der bellen the son of an estonian mother and a russian father has pledged that if elected he would refuse to swear in a government led by a right wing party which could set a path for more political turmoil in the coming years in a country long ruled by consensus


dulong china   the narrow valley is one of the most remote and pristine in china monkeys asian black bears and the rare goatlike takin roam through rain soaked forests above a river the color of jade in spring hillsides are splashed with pink rhododendron blossoms until two years ago snowfall on a mountain pass blocked vehicle access for many months each year
now in this sliver of land on the eastern rim of the himalayas the government is building new roads expanding telecommunications and encouraging commercial ventures to alleviate poverty li yingchun who used to hike five days over a snowcapped mountain range from a village here to attend a boarding school said a new paved road that runs through a seven kilometer tunnel slicing into the mountains had made life easier
but he worries about the impact on both the environment and society from the explosion of activity already a state owned enterprise has built at least two hydropower stations along the dulong river hotels are springing up
where there is a road there are cars said mr li 29 an ecologist who earned a masters degree at a provincial university there is too much human activity
opened in 2014 the serpentine road has sheer drops dizzying turns and rubble from rockslides it has also cut travel time to the county seat   now a mere three hours rather than a full days rough drive along a 15 year old dirt road which was impassable in winter
the changes that have transformed so many parts of china are unfolding at warp speed in the dulong river valley it is home to almost all of the countrys 7000 ethnic dulong or drung one of the smallest of the 56 official national ethnic groups the lifeline of this northwest corner of yunnan province is the dulong river which begins on the tibetan plateau and flows through this valley into myanmar where it merges into the irrawaddy in yunnan the river runs 90 kilometers or 56 miles
the gaoligong mountain range has kept the dulong valley secluded separating it from the wider valley of the nu river where a mosaic of ethnic groups live
the ramparts of the gaoligong challenged world war ii pilots who flew over the hump transporting military goods from indian bases used by the united states and its allies to chinese forces battling the japanese planes crashed in the region   the remnants of one are in a museum to the south
those peaks no longer cut off this valley where the dulong have lived for centuries in hillside villages it is not just the new road and tunnel that now connect residents here to the outside world china mobile has set up 4g cellular data service across much of the valley and is not shy about advertising this on billboards one sign on the approach from the mountains to the main administrative village kongdang says take a photo of the beautiful scenery transmit it to the world
by the words are images of the jade river and of a local woman with intricate indigo tattoos on her face once a common sight here
the buildings in kongdang are concrete blocks and many were built or renovated a few years ago they are painted orange and have a silhouette of a horned cows head a dulong totem a cow statue sits at the town entrance
the changes have been tremendous said yang yi an ethnic han man living in the nu valley who has been driving a passenger minivan between the two valleys for a decade
transportation clothes daily life   it has all been transformed he said if you came here a decade ago you would recognize the dulong from their colorful clothes around three to five years ago they began wearing modern clothes
even president xi jinping noted the changes in january 2015 mr xi met with seven representatives of the dulong in kunming the provincial capital and spoke of getting rid of poverty and building a moderately well off society according to an official news report
the valley is still quiet except for occasional bursts of construction one paved road runs north from dulong town toward the tibetan border ending near mr lis hometown another goes to the border with myanmar and no farther in the last village is a red church some dulong are christians though most are animists
there is no frontier checkpoint along a dirt trail into myanmar the border is demarcated by nothing more than a small stone
with no paved roads leading out of the nearby villages in myanmars kachin state ethnic dulong there walk into this valley to sell herbs and vegetables
it is tourism that provincial and county officials want to sell to the outside world word of the valleys beauty is trickling out and international agencies have recognized the gaoligong mountains national nature reserve as a crucial biosphere the new road has made visiting easier even if the nearest airport is a long days drive away
one recent afternoon three ethnic han backpackers from central china sat in the last village by the myanmar border people from outside the valley many from other yunnan towns have come to work in restaurants and other service businesses that are counting on a tourist boom
in the village of pukawang just south of the government town a group of tourists from shanghai drove up to a boutique riverside hotel green cottage opened in october by a beijing entrepreneur   a poverty alleviation project supported by local officials
on a slope behind the hotel is the old village the few remaining residents there sit in wooden homes with fire pits sometimes drinking homemade corn whiskey
the hotel occupies half the new village the village homes and hotel villas were all designed and built together around 2012
officials gave families in pukawang two new homes one to live in and one to rent to the hotel company for use as guest villas to each family the hotel pays 5000 renminbi per year under 800 the hotel charges guests 25 to 75 per night for each of the 13 villas
living here is much better than where we were before kong mingqing 21 said as he stood by the porch of his new family home behind the hotel
few ethnic dulong have lived outside the valley but mr kong is an exception he left to study vehicle maintenance in hunan province he said but returned in 2013 because of financial problems
when i came back it had already been transformed he said i dont think too much about the changes coming of course there will be changes
in pukawang the hotel has tried to employ villagers   part of the official plan to help raise local incomes   but has found that hard to do said a manager yang yubiao an ethnic bai from the dali area
the villagers said they were tired of the work he said they left after two to three days
three of the hotels nine employees are ethnic dulong from elsewhere in the valley and the rest are outsiders mr yang said
has the poverty alleviation plan succeeded he asked weve raised the awareness of the dulong people here   how to communicate with outsiders how to make money how to live a better life
but mr yang also said he had heard that a couple of women in pukawang had committed suicide a few years ago by drinking pesticide he has a theory this was a primitive society he said now the leap is happening too fast some of them cannot adapt


its all up to elizabeth holmes
theranos a blood testing lab started and led by ms holmes that promised to revolutionize the industry is now under criminal investigation and faces increasing skepticism about whether its core technology works several federal agencies are looking into the companys operations ms holmes herself may have to answer to federal regulators about what she told investors
just last year theranos was a silicon valley favorite with a 9 billion valuation now depending on the outcome of the investigations including the threat of crippling sanctions by the centers for medicare and medicaid services the company could be forced out of business and ms holmes could lose her position as chief executive
the troubles have led to a cascade of questions about what changes theranos might make to rebuild its reputation and business prospects some have even said that ms holmes should step aside
after more than six months of intense questions though changes have been limited and whatever future moves the company makes are up to ms holmes she   not the investors and not even the board   controls the switches
ms holmes a 32 year old stanford university dropout owns a majority interest in theranos a privately held company she founded in 2003 she is also the companys chairwoman and chief executive what she wants done at her company she can demand
ms holmes declined to be interviewed but in an extended interview david boies a heavyweight lawyer who is one of three outside directors on the theranos board hinted that some management changes may be coming soon
the board is right now in the process and elizabeth holmes is in the process of adding significant talent to the company he said
but an adviser to the company richard kovacevich a former chief executive at wells fargo acknowledged the limited role played by anyone other than ms holmes she doesnt have to answer anything she doesnt want to he said
the situation at theranos offers a stark reminder of the perils of investing in silicon valley where it is common for founders to control a company leaving boards with little real power including over who should be chief executive
the examples are legion including huge success stories like google and facebook the upside for venture capitalists is that betting on an individual and getting in early can lead to riches but if trouble brews it is nearly impossible for a board or anyone but the founder to make any changes   a risk that for now at least investors remain willing to make
for every theranos theres a facebook said bryan roberts a partner at venrock a leading venture capital firm
even in a case like zenefits where its founder parker conrad stepped down as chief executive in february after regulatory problems emerged the decision to resign was ultimately his
theranoss board which in its early years included some of its large investors was later composed of an array of diplomatic military and political leaders including former secretaries of state george shultz and henry kissinger and former senator bill frist last year the company divided the directors into advisers and an actual governing board which includes mr boies whose law firm represents theranos
while critics have pointed to the boards lack of industry expertise and the advanced age of some advisers mr boies defended it as extraordinarily qualified
but legal experts say that while the directors are responsible for representing the interests of all investors ms holmes does not have to listen a founder with controlling interest can replace the board so directors are ultimately left with the choice of being fired or resigning if they strongly disagree with the executive
supervoting shares another common practice among start ups grant founders like ms holmes even more power
youre practically a paper tiger and have fiduciary responsibility said charles elson a corporate governance expert at the university of delaware
mr boies says ms holmes has the boards backing i think the board has complete confidence in elizabeth holmes as a founder of the company as a scientist and as an administrator he said
the board is represented by an independent law firm mr boies said which is answering queries from the united states attorneys office in san francisco and the securities and exchange commission as well as conducting an independent investigation into whether theranos made proper disclosures to investors no formal accusations have been made
while theranos is privately held its investors still have protections said joseph grundfest a law professor at stanford the federal securities laws have very strict anti fraud provisions and they apply to sophisticated investors not just unsophisticated ones
but mr kovacevich who is also an investor emphasized that theranos was not a publicly held company with the same responsibilities and that the shareholders understood this
not only is this a private company but it has also been stated to the world to the board and stockholders that she has no intentions of ever going public he said of ms holmes the intention and a strong intention is that this company is going to be private forever
the medicare investigation is the most pressing threat and mr boies is largely mum about what theranos is planning and how the board is reacting theranos has been the subject of scathing coverage in the wall street journal which has relentlessly questioned the reliability and safety of its blood tests and it is under intense regulatory scrutiny the exact focus of what needs to be done keeps changing mr boies said
medicare concerned about the companys california operations has said theranos could face severe sanctions if the company does not adequately address the deficiencies uncovered last year theranoss california lab certification could be revoked and ms holmes and the companys chief operating officer could be barred from the industry for two years
the lab and its procedures have been overhauled mr boies said ms holmes has hired new management to run the lab and because the people who ran it previously did not report directly to her he said he hoped the agency would not take punitive action against her the companys other lab in arizona which performs more traditional tests continues to draw customers he noted
but theranos still faces extraordinary skepticism about whether its main technology works especially given its history of secretiveness and mr boies said theranos was taking steps to address the doubts he pointed to plans to finally publish its results in peer reviewed journals and the addition of some well respected individuals to its scientific advisory board weve got to reveal much more about the proprietary technology than is desirable given the risk of companies and countries copying what theranos does mr boies said
the companys intellectual property is essentially its main asset and if the technology works some observers say the company could remain a viable business i dont think theyre beyond salvage beyond redemption said lakshman ramamurthy an industry consultant with extensive regulatory experience
but while he did not rule out a sale mr boies dismissed the idea of handing theranos over to the highest bidder this technology is not going to be sold to somebody who wants to just make more profits from it and charge what is charged today he said
and as mr kovacevich emphasized ms holmes will ultimately determine what happens next you have to ask ms holmes what the steps are he said


halhoul west bank   the israeli prison service on sunday released the youngest known palestinian inmate a 12 year old girl who had tried to stab a security guard at a jewish settlement
the girl dima al wawi was freed six weeks before her scheduled release said assaf librati an israeli prison service spokesman mr librati told the israeli news media earlier that the release was because of her age
dima was given a heros welcome sunday in halhoul her hometown large banners welcoming her were draped in front of her home music blared from loudspeakers and drivers in a convoy honked
while eagerly eating her first ice cream cone in months dima said she intended to kill the security guard on feb 9 but was quickly apprehended she said she had hoped that she would be killed
i was dreaming that i was going to be martyred she said she said she had been influenced by other young palestinians who stabbed or tried to stab israeli soldiers and civilians the wave of attacks now sputtering began last year
the surge of very young people trying to commit very violent crimes has posed a challenge for the israeli military authorities who for years had vowed to change their system of prosecuting and incarcerating palestinian minors in the west bank it is a far harsher system than the one used for dealing with young israeli offenders and palestinian residents of east jerusalem
after her detention dima was interrogated without her parents or a lawyer present she said she had been yelled at during her interrogation and attended six court sessions with her feet in shackles causing her to develop a limp prison itself she said was fine because she was allowed to play with other incarcerated girls
there were 422 palestinian minors in israeli jails in december according to defense of children international palestine which works to help incarcerated palestinian minors the group said that figure was the most recent one from israels prison service
about 100 of the minors were under 15 and most were boys the group reported by comparison 195 minors were incarcerated in december 2012 the group said
palestinians have killed 28 israelis and two americans in stabbings shootings and attacks with cars since october israeli forces killed 204 palestinians from october to march according to the palestinian ministry of health most of the palestinians were killed while committing or trying to commit an attack


the treasurys schedule of financing this week includes mondays auction of new three  and six month bills and an auction of four week bills on tuesday
at the close of the new york cash market on friday the rate on the outstanding three month bill was 024 percent the rate on the six month issue was 037 percent and the rate on the four week issue was 019 percent
the following tax exempt fixed income issues are scheduled for pricing this week
florida 24170 million of revenue bonds competitive
collier county fla water and sewer district 505 million of revenue bonds competitive
horry county sc school district 125 million of general obligation bonds competitive
regional transportation authority ill 150 million of revenue bonds competitive
sewanhaka central high school district ny 625 million of general obligation bonds competitive
virginia public school authority 977 million of revenue bonds competitive
rhode island 1128 million of general obligation bonds competitive
utah 567 million of revenue bonds competitive
arlington tex higher education finance corporation 546 million of education revenue bonds raymond james
ascension health mo 19 billion of revenue bonds morgan stanley
beaver pa 1152 million of general obligation bonds mt securities
california communities development authority 883 million of general obligation bonds and general obligation refinancing bonds bank of america merrill lynch
california 155 million of general obligation bonds piper jaffray
colorado health facilities authority 1091 million of hospital revenue bonds wells fargo securities
connecticut housing finance authority 149 million of housing mortgage finance debt securities j p morgan securities
denver 1423 million of general obligation refinancing bonds rbc capital markets
district of columbia 671 million of revenue refinancing bonds morgan stanley
harris county tex 140 million of college medical facilities mortgage revenue bonds bank of america merrill lynch
hudson county nj improvement authority 160 million of debt securities roosevelt  cross
kentucky bond development corporation 85 million of revenue refinancing bonds piper jaffray
minnesota 1838 million of health care revenue bonds j p morgan securities
mission economic development corporation tex 248 million of economic development revenue bonds citigroup global markets
new hanover county nc 543 million of general obligation bonds pnc capital markets
new jersey housing and mortgage agency 127 million of multifamily revenue bonds bank of america merrill lynch
new mexico finance authority 691 million of revolving fund revenue refinancing bonds rbc capital markets
ohio 567 million of capital facilities lease appropriation refinancing bonds raymond james
plano tex 931 million of general obligation refinancing and improvement bonds j p morgan securities
public power generation agency neb 136 million of revenue refinancing bonds bank of america merrill lynch
riverside calif unified school district 533 million of general obligation refinancing bonds piper jaffray
santa clara calif 148 million of general obligation bonds rbc capital markets
texas private activity bond surface transportation corporation 272 million of revenue bonds citigroup global markets
virginia housing development authority 838 million of rental housing bonds raymond james


vox media the ambitious online news start up that runs vox a politics site sb nation a network of sports sites and the verge a site about technology says its next new project will be reviving something old
first the new a new outlet called circuit breaker will begin publishing on monday primarily as a facebook page not a separate website a first for vox media
now the old circuit breaker will be in the words of the verges editor nilay patel a classic gadget blog one that publishes news and gossip about technology products at a frenetic pace
for years starting in the early 2000s such sites like engadget and gizmodo were irreverent in tone but deeply reverent in spirit they were written for and by gadget fans with an obsessive focus on televisions game consoles and most of all cellphones
as smartphones became ubiquitous however their focus broadened tech publications became culture publications and many culture sites incorporated writing about technology while both engadget and gizmodo remain they are far different than they were just a few years ago
circuit breaker will be edited by paul miller a former employee of the verge who is returning to the company mr miller said the new page would reach for a core audience of hard core gadget fans the verge offers some popular gadget coverage but mr miller said many of those gadget fans feel neglected when were talking about netflix and technologys role in the broader culture
the page will also steer clear of covering the business of tech leaving industry stories to the verge or recode the tech news site founded by kara swisher and walt mossberg that vox media acquired last year some articles and reviews from the verge where mr mossberg publishes a column will appear on circuit breaker
instead mr miller said he plans to focus on physical products that have yet to mature or might never he includes in this group virtual reality headsets drones home automation gear hoverboards and offbeat projects
circuit breakers stated mission is an acknowledgment of just how powerful the smartphone has become including for publications not only are people spending huge amounts of time on the devices the programs on the phones and social media apps like facebook in particular wield huge influence over peoples digital lives
in a way the gadget bloggers and their readers almost saw the future only to end up as surprised as everyone else they were the millions obsessed with their phones next came the billions obsessed less with the devices than with what was on them now this change has become impossible for media executives to ignore
we started out a few years ago building media brands on websites because thats where we thought the growth was and we were right about that said jim bankoff vox medias chief executive eventually he said people started concentrating around a few specific apps   facebook twitter snapchat instagram and youtube we invest based on where we see potential
if circuit breaker is an ode to a simpler time in consumer technology it also offers a clear audience to advertisers people who are explicitly interested in buying things
its a high demand category mr bankoff said
vox media will not be the first major media company to tailor a publication to a social platform vox the politics site alongside 19 other publishers operates a channel on snapchat with which it shares ad revenue buzzfeed has invested in facebook centric brands and countless news sites have dabbled with instagram accounts and youtube channels
but media companies are still charting their courses carefully advertising arrangements with platforms are in flux and major tech companies which operate at a different scale than most publications make for intimidating   and unpredictable   negotiators
circuit breaker will also exist in blog form in a section on the verges website but the primary focus of the editors is on facebook the page will be at facebookcomcircuitbreaker and visitors will find a dense feed of videos and news updates
the page mr patel said will also broadcast a lot of live video on facebook something the social network has pushed hard in recent months it will use facebooks instant articles which are hosted directly on the service negating the need for links to an external website
the editors said they do not expect people to frequently check circuit breakers facebook page for updates instead readers will experience the site primarily through their facebook news feeds where circuit breaker videos posts and broadcasts will appear alongside updates from friends family and the countless other organizations vying for attention on the platform
were going to be playing the news feed game like everyone else said helen havlak who oversees social media distribution for the verge and will work on the new site from a distribution perspective were probably going to be changing like every 48 hours


a group of documents from 1857 that set down some of the fundamental rules of baseball was acquired at auction sunday by an unidentified buyer for 326 million making it one of the highest priced pieces of sports memorabilia
laws of base ball was put up for online bidding this month by scp auctions the price paid was the most ever for a baseball document but below the 43 million paid in 2010 for james naismiths original 13 rules of basketball the most expensive piece of sports memorabilia is a babe ruth jersey from 1920 that sold for 44 million in 2012
laws which was written by daniel adams who was known as doc established rules such as nine men on a side 90 foot base paths and nine innings to a game adams played for the knickerbocker base ball club where he pioneered the shortstop position and later became its president as baseballs popularity increased he referred to batters as strikers balks as baulks and runs as aces
the laws were written when adams presided over a gathering of 14 new york area teams to revise the sports rules adamss draft was transferred to more than a dozen separate pages in flowing script by william h grenelle another knickerbocker club official grenelles version reads like a scorecard of the convention debates with pencil marks crossing out words and recording changes to adamss proposals laws was auctioned once before in 1999 by sothebys and sold for 12650


the founder of an orphanage in burundi who defied death threats and witnessed unspeakable violence as she saved thousands of children from ethnic slaughters in the 1990s is the winner of a new prize created in memory of the armenian genocide a century ago
the winner marguerite barankitse was one of four finalists considered for the prize which was announced on sunday at a ceremony in yerevan the capital of armenia
no one can stop love ms barankitse said in accepting the award from george clooney the activist actor who was a co chairman of the selection committee not armies not hate not persecution not famine nothing
vartan gregorian a prominent american philanthropist and scholar of armenian descent had helped lead deliberations over the choice of a winner since march when the finalists were chosen from nearly 200 submissions
ms barankitse was born in burundi a central african nation where a tumultuous ethnic conflict pit her people the tutsis against the hutus
in 1993 she sought to shelter a group of hutus at a catholic diocese where she worked and was forced to watch a tutsi mob dismember and burn two hutus she had tried to protect she paid the mob a ransom to spare 25 hutu children under her care
she later established maison shalom an organization that provided a haven for orphaned burundian children of all ethnic backgrounds forced to flee burundi under threat of death she now runs maison shalom from neighboring rwanda and has expanded its mission to care for children orphaned by aids in burundi rwanda and the democratic republic of congo
she has called herself a citizen of the world
the award known as the aurora prize for awakening humanity was structured so that the winner receives 100000 and designates organizations that were a source of inspiration to share 1 million
ms barankitse said she planned to donate the 1 million to three organizations that help child refugees and orphans and work to eradicate poverty the grand duke and the grand duchess foundation of luxembourg the jean francois peterbroeck foundation and the bridderlech deelen foundation of luxembourg
the prize creators including mr gregorian and two other prominent philanthropists of armenian descent noubar afeyan and ruben vardanyan announced the prize a year ago on the 100th anniversary of the armenian genocide as many as 15 million armenians died from the combination of forced exodus starvation and killings by ottoman turk soldiers and the police from 1915 to 1918
the prize founders named it after a survivor of the armenian genocide aurora mardiganian who told the story of what she had witnessed including the killing of members of her family and her sale into bondage in a book and film titled ravished armenia


miami   last september when the nets were beginning training camp for the 2015 16 season joe johnson was asked what he thought about point guard deron williamss decision to negotiate a buyout and leave the team during the off season
calling the move surprising johnson inadvertently coined a droll catchphrase that captured the asphyxiating ennui of the nets this season when he added its not that bad here
five months later johnson was gone too
in miami last week johnson reflected happily on his decision to negotiate his own buyout with the nets on feb 25 which required him to give up 3 million of his remaining salary with the team two days after he left brooklyn johnson signed with the heat and he said immediately felt reinvigorated by the intensity of his teammates there was urgency every game he relished that he was now in the playoffs after beginning the season in such an unfavorable environment
this is what i was looking forward to johnson said
the heat have been counting their blessings too chris bosh who had been averaging 191 points and 74 rebounds per game has been sidelined since the all star break because of a recurring blood clot problem
boshs absence created an enormous hole in the heats lineup and out of the blue appeared johnson a player whom the heat already admired erik spoelstra the teams coach said the coaching staff and front office had brainstormed ways to acquire johnson that he was available in their time of need seemed like a great stroke of luck
to be able to add somebody of his all star caliber that late in the year on a buyout you dont see that all the time spoelstra said a lot of times buyouts arent guys you plug in immediately and have him be a starter on a playoff team
with bosh out of the mix the heat were compelled to change their style of play shifting gears to a faster pace and spreading the floor such moves seemed to liberate forward luol deng and point guard goran dragic the teams scoring surged soon after his arrival in miami johnson joked that it had been almost a decade since he had run so much in games but still his skills fit the teams plans
miami leads the charlotte hornets 2 1 in their first round playoff series and the hornets have been wary of the threat johnson poses on offense charlotte coach steve clifford said johnsons range and his ability to post up were obvious dangers
hes also a much much better pick and roll player than people realize clifford said he has the size to look over the top and make passes both into the paint and to the weak side which is hard to do at the 3 spot
heat forward amare stoudemire agreed stoudemire was drafted by the phoenix suns in 2002 and quickly developed a bond with johnson then a second year player on the team johnson helped stoudemire become acclimated to the league and the two played one on one often
two months ago when johnson was still deciding where to sign stoudemire sent him a series of texts telling him how much he enjoyed playing in miami and how much the team could use him
joe has brought an offensive threat that we havent had stoudemire said his pick and roll offense is something thats hard to guard because hes great at keeping guys on his back and creating two on one type situations for us
johnson started 57 games for the nets this season averaging 125 points per 36 minutes and shooting 406 from the field the second lowest percentage of his career he shot 397 in his second year in the league
in the 24 regular season games he played for miami he averaged 150 points per 36 minutes and shot 518 from the field
its easy johnson said when asked about the stark difference in his shooting percentage after his move to miami the game isnt hard some teams some people have a tendency to make it hard but its not hard just move the basketball get the best available shot
referring to guard dwyane wade and then deng at power forward johnson went on here man its so easy because d wade draws a double team we got goran who lives in the paint kicking out for wide open shots then with lu being at the 4 it keeps the floor spaced its been pretty simple
johnsons demeanor has been a positive influence on the team too
hes definitely joe cool stoudemire said hes real quiet he understands the game he plays in control all the time but you can tell by his play you can see in his face hes competitive
in his 15th season in the league johnson has prioritized winning not too long ago he was embarking on a season that seemed lost before it began now he has a chance to make a deep run in the postseason with a team that has embraced him
hes been a true pro spoelstra said he feels like a heat guy


his style has evoked polarizing political figures like barry goldwater george wallace and edward i koch but as the presidential campaign moves through pennsylvania donald j trump is reviving memories of someone who stirred local passions like few others frank l rizzo of philadelphia
a former police officer who was nicknamed big bambino mr rizzo rose to power during the citys crime ridden 1960s and 70s cracking down on lawlessness with a legendary bellicosity
after becoming police commissioner he rounded up homosexuals late at night forced the black panthers to strip down in the streets and once appeared with a nightstick stuffed in the cummerbund of his tuxedo as mayor he threatened to break the heads of criminals and boasted that his police department was strong enough to invade cuba
while mr trump has yet to wield such power his tone as a candidate has been seen as similarly provocative stoking a comparable zeal among supporters and mr trump given his comments on immigrants and muslims has stirred similar unease over what he might do in office
for many in philadelphia who remember the rizzo era   some with horror others nostalgically   mr trump the leading republican candidate for president is a case of deja vu
frank was outspoken and trump is certainly outspoken said michael cibik a republican who ran for city council while mr rizzo was running for re election in the 1980s imagewise they are both a little bigger than life and they touched on hot button issues at the time
mr rizzo an imposing figure who was briefly in the navy served two terms as the citys mayor from 1972 to 1980 a blue collar democrat while in office he later became a republican and ran unsuccessfully two more times before dying of a heart attack in 1991 at age 70
while mr trump talks tough on terrorism and immigration mr rizzos core message was bringing order and security to unruly streets the news media has been a foil for both men with mr rizzo once calling a television reporter a crumb creep lush coward and threatening to beat him up along with his camera crew plain spoken populism simple messages and the occasional use of profanity on the stump also form a common thread
the way to treat criminals is spacco il capo mr rizzo once said using the italian for break their heads and according to his philadelphia inquirer obituary he used a gay slur to suggest during one of his campaigns that his toughness would make attila the hun seem like a weakling in comparison
despite mr rizzos harsh tone even those who clashed with him could not deny his natural political talent edward g rendell a former philadelphia mayor and pennsylvania governor said that mr rizzo like mr trump could be endearing when he wanted and was loyal to his allies
both are magnetic personalities could literally fill a room and had a great deal of personal charm said mr rendell who was running against mr rizzo at the time of mr rizzos death
that charm could not always carry mr rizzo as the citys electorate changed even with his efforts to soften his tone later in life w wilson goode who was philadelphias first black mayor and twice defeated mr rizzo   once in a democratic primary and once in the general election   recalled that while mr rizzo tended to have the most passionate supporters he struggled to broaden his base in the 1980s beyond white voters who wanted a crime fighting mayor
he did have a kind of passionate fringe of people that could be readily identified mr goode said of mr rizzo it was law and order folks people who were against crime people who were emotionally racist
he added white males were the people who supported frank rizzo
mr trumps campaign has also been buttressed by white male voters including many who feel disaffected by politics or left behind by a changing economy polls show mr trump poised to do well in pennsylvanias primary election on tuesday and the remnants of the rizzo coalition could back him in philadelphia
people call saying i want to register so i can vote for trump said joe defelice chairman of the philadelphia republican party who said he had recently seen many working class people come in to change their party affiliations he speaks his mind and doesnt care about the backlash that pretty much sums up a lot of rizzo
despite the similarities between the two men many who remembered mr rizzo mused that the parallels stopped at politics and some suggested that mr rizzos actions might have made even mr trump blush
timothy j lombardo a historian with a forthcoming book on mr rizzo noted that mr rizzo grew up in a hardscrabble part of south philadelphia and followed his father into law enforcement while mr trump was the son of a millionaire developer was raised in an upper class part of queens and attended the wharton school of the university of pennsylvania
the difference between rizzo and trump is that rizzo was the real deal mr lombardo said rizzo has the authenticity but trump is really good at playing that role


washington   senator mitch mcconnell has a ready comeback for democrats who keep chanting do your job in hopes of pressuring republicans to consider president obamas supreme court nominee it is simply we are
with a little guile and an agenda of limited ambition mr mcconnell of kentucky the senate majority leader can point to a number of legislative victories complete with democratic support and he is not shy about boasting
this week we have seen what can be accomplished on behalf of the american people with a senate thats back to work under the republican majority mr mcconnell declared in a floor speech on wednesday minutes before passage of a bipartisan energy bill and a day after the adoption of legislation to tighten aviation standards
we just passed two broad based bills aimed at protecting consumers and modernizing our energy policies respectively and both bills take important steps to bolster national security mr mcconnell said the republican led senate has made important strides to get the legislative process functioning again
on those issues and others like the opioid crisis democrats are actually helping him even if some are not happy about it last week mr mcconnell pushed through a bill to fight abuse of painkillers and heroin adding to his growing list of bipartisan achievements
given the senate rules under which 60 votes are needed to break filibusters mr mcconnell cannot win adoption of anything unless democrats refrain from his strategy when he was in the minority which was to block virtually everything democrats complain that mr mcconnell is passing versions of some of the same bills that he blocked when democrats were in control
still democrats are going along helping mr mcconnell create a new sense of productivity in the senate but they are also betting that republicans refusal to consider the nomination of judge merrick b garland to the supreme court will cement an image in voters minds of republicans as the party of no
some democrats say they would never want to share a reputation for obstruction others say democrats are almost genetically incapable of refusing to deal while a less kind analysis might say they cannot maintain the discipline in their ranks necessary to stop mr mcconnells initiatives
whatever the motivation in this hotly contested election year democrats are making a risky wager that it is better to share some credit for legislative progress an approach that could undermine their mantra on the campaign trail that senate republicans by refusing to consider the nominee for the court vacancy are not doing their jobs
senator chuck schumer of new york who is positioned to become the democratic leader next year said he believed no issue would matter more than the court all of these nice accomplishments will not get the republicans well because they will be dwarfed by their obstruction on the supreme court he said so its a futile attempt
republicans say that the better functioning senate is a testament to mr mcconnells leadership especially his willingness to give individual senators more freedom to offer amendments and to his focus on legislation that has a chance of winning passage
asked why more legislation seemed to be moving senator susan collins republican of maine did not break stride as she walked toward the internal subway system in the capitol basement
because the republicans are in charge ms collins said we have a true commitment to restoring the traditions of the senate of open debate amendments on bills
she also pointed to a major education bill negotiated last year by senator lamar alexander republican of tennessee and senator patty murray democrat of washington theres a huge difference ms collins said certainly there has been democratic cooperation and i want to acknowledge and emphasize that but it has been republican leadership
republicans however have struggled to pursue policies that strictly reflect their conservative priorities not only because of mr obamas veto power but also because of fierce internal disagreements that have forced republican leaders particularly in the house to rely on democratic votes house republicans have been unable to agree on a budget for instance because of opposition from hard line conservatives
still speaker paul d ryan of wisconsin was happy to turn the democrats arguments around in praise of the senate
theyre actually legislating mr ryan said on thursday at a news conference
senator charles e grassley republican of iowa and the chairman of the judiciary committee who has taken the brunt of criticism over the refusal to convene confirmation hearings on judge garland said the democrats were wrong to think that voters would focus only on the fight over the supreme court vacancy
the court is one issue and everything else is other issues mr grassley said in an interview if scalia hadnt died he said referring to justice antonin scalia wed still be doing the same thing were doing here
at the start of the current congress some democrats pushed to block all of the republicans legislative initiatives that strategy might have denied some vulnerable incumbents the upbeat advertising that inevitably flows from having laws adopted like the commercials in ohio now touting a measure by senator rob portman a republican to fight the opioid epidemic
mr schumer said such an approach would have been futile were democrats he said we cannot just block everything we believe in government
some centrist democrats like senator heidi heitkamp of north dakota whose policy goals are more likely to align with those of republicans have been among the biggest beneficiaries of the current atmosphere passing bills like a repeal of a 40 year old ban on crude oil exports
ms heitkamp however gave credit to the democrats we have become a much more effective minority because a lot of the stuff that is getting done is a product of compromise she said its a product of sitting down and moving the packages that need to be moved
its a much more effective minority than majority she added these are not the bills that would pass if republicans were solely in charge
senator maria cantwell of washington state a democrat who negotiated the recently adopted energy bill with senator lisa murkowski of alaska a republican said some of the recent accomplishments masked deeper dysfunction in some cases she said republicans were helping pass legislation they had previously blocked while on other issues republicans were still refusing to cooperate particularly on nominees
nominees or courts its pretty frustrating ms cantwell said they are over there holding up an appointee to the export import bank they wont reappoint somebody to the fcc you cant point to it and say its a good process and then not follow it in other areas
but mr mcconnell has been effective doing just that


hanover germany   it has been perhaps one of the most enduring mysteries of president obamas tenure what really happened to the bust of winston churchill that was once displayed in the oval office
with just months left in his term mr obamas first comments on the matter in europe last week may have finally cleared up the truth of a tale that has persisted for more than seven years
for conservatives in both america and britain the disappearance of the bust from its place of honor soon after the end of george w bushs presidency was evidence of a liberal snub by mr obama in their view he clearly did not fully appreciate the greatness of the british prime minister who served during and after world war ii the bust was replaced white house officials said at the time with one of abraham lincoln
the conservative columnist charles krauthammer the onetime republican presidential contender mike huckabee and senator ted cruz of texas a current republican presidential candidate are among those who have chastised mr obama over the years for returning the bust to the british less than a month after mr obamas first inauguration in 2009 a british newspaper bluntly accused him of sending sir winston churchill packing
not true the white house insisted at the time offering various explanations william allman the white house curator said in a 2010 interview with cbs news that the bust on loan to mr bush by tony blair the former british prime minister was already scheduled to go back before mr obama took office
the bust was returned as a matter of course by the new administration along with other art that had been on loan to mr bush for display during his term in office white house officials said dan pfeiffer the presidents communications director at the time blasted mr krauthammer calling his charge about the disappearing bust 100 percent false and saying that news outlets have debunked this claim time and again
in a blog post labeled a fact check on the white house website mr pfeiffer wrote the bust still in the white house in the residence outside the treaty room
mr pfeiffer later apologized to mr krauthammer after admitting that the bust outside the treaty room was in fact a different churchill bust given to president lyndon b johnson in the 1960s still mr pfeiffer insisted the return of the oval office bust was not something that president obama or his administration chose to do and was not a symbol of president obamas failure to appreciate the special relationship
but late last week boris johnson the mayor of london renewed the charge writing in a british tabloid that the oval office bust had been banished and suggesting that it could be a symbol of the part kenyan presidents ancestral dislike of the british empire   of which churchill had been such a fervent defender
countering such charges is typically left to a presidents aides but asked at a news conference friday about the mayors comments mr obama seemed to relish the chance to set everyone straight once and for all about the fate of the churchill bust
the president started by explaining that when it came to churchill i love the guy he offered as proof the churchill bust that sits outside the treaty room the presidents private office on the second floor of the white house residence not far from the first familys living quarters
i see it every day including on weekends when im going into that office to watch a basketball game he said the primary image i see is a bust of winston churchill its there voluntarily because i can do anything on the second floor i love winston churchill
but then mr obama went on to explain what had happened to the bust lent by mr blair the one that critics had accused him of summarily sending back to the british it was mr obama said his decision to return that churchill to his native land because he wanted to replace it with a bust of the rev dr martin luther king jr
there are only so many tables where you can put busts otherwise it starts looking a little cluttered the president explained and i thought it was appropriate and i suspect most people here in the united kingdom might agree that as the first african american president it might be appropriate to have a bust of dr martin luther king in my office
he added that the choice of dr king was to remind me of all the hard work of a lot of people who would somehow allow me to have the privilege of holding this office
that appears to contradict the longstanding denials by white house officials including mr pfeiffer that neither mr obama nor anyone else in his administration had chosen to dispatch churchills likeness in favor of someone elses by mr obamas admission he made the decision to replace the churchill bust with one of dr king
i think people should know my thinking there mr obama told the reporters in london
mystery solved
except for one thing the version of events in which lincoln had replaced churchill was mentioned in most stories about the issue including in this paper mr pfeiffer included news reports about it in his 2012 blog post attacking mr krauthammer
the ap reported that president obama replaced the oval office fixture with a bust of one of his american heroes president abraham lincoln  he wrote
mr pfeiffer no longer works for mr obama he is now vice president of communications and policy for gofundme a website that helps its users raise money for causes
current white house officials said the churchill bust had been replaced with one of dr king but the oval office still has a lincoln bust as well perhaps leading to the confusion
after all one white house official noted mr obama did say the oval office could get a little cluttered


houston   the first half of a ferocious game ended with bodies sprawled all over the place at one end of the floor andre iguodala of the golden state warriors rolled onto his stomach after a punishing fall so he could watch mayhem unfold at the other end players scrambling at the buzzer and then stephen curry emerging with a limp
game 4 of the warriors first round playoff series against the houston rockets on sunday afternoon was a basketball mudslide and curry got the worst of it in his well publicized return from a right ankle sprain curry injured his right knee on the final play of the first half appearing to have slipped on a wet spot while defending the rockets trevor ariza
the warriors played the rest of the game without him escaping from the muck with a 121 94 victory that gave them a three games to one lead in their best of seven series but currys latest injury cast a pall on the visiting locker room   and any lingering effects could make the warriors pursuit of another championship that much more challenging
the warriors assessed the injury as a sprain but coach steve kerr said curry would have a magnetic resonance imaging test monday game 5 is scheduled for wednesday night in oakland calif the warriors were subdued in the wake of sundays game they mulled the possibility of postseason life without curry the leagues reigning most valuable player
the one thing we all hate in life is uncertainty said draymond green who had 18 points and 8 rebounds whether thats in a relationship whether thats in school whether thats knowing whats being cooked   we hate uncertainty in life as humans so the uncertainty with him of not knowing whats going on   like obviously oh he sprained his knee but thats what we think thats not what we know until he gets it scanned tomorrow
curry struggled in 19 minutes of playing time collecting 6 points and 5 assists while shooting 2 of 9 from the field he also committed five turnovers his rhythm jagged after he had missed the previous two games with his ankle injury kerr had wanted to exercise great caution with curry
but in the closing seconds of the first half there was a confluence of bad events donatas motiejunas of the rockets tripped and fell leaving a slick spot on the court and curry had the misfortune of wading into it as he defended ariza currys right leg gave out and he tumbled he hobbled off the court with his teammates
curry briefly returned to the bench before the start of the second half he tried to assure kerr that he felt well enough to play kerr asked him to be honest
he just put his head down kerr said
before curry left again for the locker room green leaned in and said we got you
sure enough the warriors surged in currys absence breaking open a tie game by outscoring the rockets 41 20 in the third quarter the warriors went on to smash an nba playoff record by making 21 3 pointers in the game they also had 38 assists on 46 field goals klay thompson scored 23 points and iguodala added 22
it didnt surprise me one bit that we played so well in the second half kerr said our guys play for each other
curry did not address the news media after the game all day though he was the center of attention
at 1 pm about an hour and a half before the tip the doors to toyota center opened to fans and many congregated in a section of the lower bowl closest to the visiting locker room five minutes later curry walked across the court and laced up his sneakers he proceeded to go about his familiar pregame routine
five television cameras filmed his every move the dribbling drills the layups the running bank shots and the heaves from 35 feet everything looked smooth and effortless an ordinary afternoon at the office there was nothing to indicate that his ankle was giving him any trouble
after 21 minutes curry left the court and entered the locker room where he grabbed a foam roller and stretched his legs he sang a bit of the theme music to the abcespn basketball telecasts da da da dum his teammates laughed
at 150 pm the warriors made official what everyone already knew curry was available to play
until sunday fans had been limited to 20 minutes of the steph curry experience in the postseason all of them in game 1 before he injured his ankle attempting to change directions but they were 20 minutes chock full of his usual exploits 24 points on 8 of 13 shooting including 5 of 7 from 3 point range
on sunday curry got off to a halting start he missed his first three shots all 3 point attempts but he connected on his fourth shot a driving layup off a steal
it looked like his conditioning was fine kerr said he just couldnt get his rhythm and i thought he was trying to do too much
curry was also stuck with a most unpleasant companion the rockets patrick beverley made himself a nuisance   swatting at shots after the whistle barking at iguodala breathing on curry
but after beverley left the game in the second quarter with a strained right leg curry soon followed   his immediate future unknown
i just feel so bad for him kerr said


istanbul   ebru umar a dutch journalist wrote a column last week critical of turkeys president recep tayyip erdogan and his governments growing crackdown on freedom of expression she later took to twitter criticizing supporters of mr erdogan and using a profanity
on saturday night the police arrived at her summer home in turkey and took her in for questioning for insulting mr erdogan a crime in turkey ms umar was released from custody on sunday she said on twitter but was barred from leaving the country
she is the latest on a growing list of journalists academics cartoonists and others   nearly 2000 cases have been filed in turkish courts   who have faced the turkish justice system for insulting mr erdogan the crime carries a sentence of four years in prison ms umar was detained just as european leaders including angela merkel the german chancellor and donald tusk the president of the european council were wrapping up a visit to turkey to highlight progress in its pact with the european union over the migrant crisis
turkeys clampdown on the news media has increasingly become intertwined with europes attempts to cooperate with turkey on the migrant issue european leaders especially ms merkel are facing criticism that they are betraying european values in a bid to win over mr erdogan
turkey has seemed to extend its crackdown beyond its borders ms merkel for instance was highly criticized in her own country for allowing a case to proceed against a german comedian who read a profanity laced satirical poem about mr erdogan on television turkey filed a formal complaint under a rarely used german law that prohibits insulting foreign leaders
late friday ms merkel reacted for the first time to criticism of how she had handled the affair she defended her decision to allow further investigation by prosecutors but said she regretted saying she shared the view of the turkish authorities that the poem was offensive looking back that was a mistake she said the impression arose that freedom of opinion and freedom of the press were not important they are important to me and will remain so
in a further embarrassment to european leaders a turkish consular official in rotterdam in the netherlands asked turks in the country last week to report any insults directed at mr erdogan ms umar who has dual dutch and turkish citizenship wrote a column in the newspaper metro that took aim at that request in the column she called mr erdogan the most megalomaniac dictator since the foundation of the republic in 1923 she addressed the column to every dutch turk who supports this call by the consulate and thinks they can act as traitors by snitching on what dutch people say about sultan erdogan
prime minister mark rutte of the netherlands said on twitter on sunday that he had spoken with ms umar by phone and emphasized that the foreign ministry was working to assist her
turkey under the famously thin skinned mr erdogan has for years silenced domestic voices that have been critical of the government but lately has taken aim at foreign journalists as well the istanbul correspondent for the german publication der spiegel was effectively expelled from the country this year after his press accreditation was not renewed and last week a german television correspondent was denied entry to the country
it is one thing for europe to look past these issues now but as part of the agreement on containing the migrant crisis european leaders agreed to speed up turkeys lapsed negotiations to join the european union the fundamental disagreement over freedom of expression is likely to be central to those negotiations if they ever resume in earnest
a statement released sunday by the dutch foreign ministry said freedom of speech and freedom of the press is a fundamental right an eu candidate member state should honor such rights
on saturday evening after visiting a refugee camp near gaziantep a turkish city near the syrian border ms merkel and mr tusk joined the turkish prime minister ahmet davutoglu at a news conference
mr tusk a former prime minister of poland who was once imprisoned there before the fall of communism noted that mr erdogan too had once been jailed for his views in 1999 mr erdogan an islamist was jailed by turkeys secular government for reciting a religious poem
mr tusk in comments directed at mr erdogan said my idea on this is that i learned and accepted to be thick skinned as a politician


lets see last thing she remembered was their beautiful bodies grinding up in that club drunk   as she sang in 2013 of a gritty tryst with her husband   in love
oh well
on saturday night beyonce walked the streets of a soundstage with a baseball bat treating parked cars and police surveillance cameras like pinatas jealous and crazy but in an elaborate custard colored dress fit for fat tuesday it didnt feel any more disjunctive than seeing suzanne lenglen rush the net in a full length dress in say 1916 except the woman at this net also has a bone to pick with her spouse jay z
this was lemonade a visual album and array of salvos which tells the story of woman in a marriage she didnt know was bad until of course she knew beyonce and hbo were shrewd about keeping a lid on what this thing was going to be based on the only available image   someone in cornrows face disguised by a big fur coat   i assumed drag queen prison drama but it was bolder and deeper and more uncomfortable than anything i could have predicted
lemonade is less a dramatization than a daydream infused with black magic embracing   if only notionally   african tribalism science fiction menstruation and witchcraft the musics emotional odyssey is conjugal the song chapters are presented as stages   intuition denial forgiveness hope etc most of the corresponding images commune with the psyche and with history the deep south   new orleans mostly   occupies the landscape
throughout black women are standing sitting phalanxed on the porches of what feel like plantations and antiquated houses rich with pain the cameras get in close on beautiful faces that lack pigment that bear scars burns and sorrow the mothers of slain young men exude regal stoicism holding photographs of their sons visually lemonade invokes a lot   madonnas la isla bonita carrie beasts of the southern wild and the car smashing at the end of michael jacksons black or white but what its black female spiritualism calls to mind is daughters of the dust julie dashs landmark tone poem from 1991 loosely   very loosely   about three generations descended from slavery and their migration north in 1902
the juicy immediacy of lemonade is what this one man did to this one woman not far in beyonce looks tearfully into the camera and with her own song playing around her i pray you catch me she sings to a higher power lets herself fall from a roof the street below becomes a body of water it complements the submerged churning all over the soundtrack it has the effect of a leviathan astir
that interlude with a baseball bat begins with beyonce in that yellow dress throwing open the enormous doors of an old important looking building and a deluge pouring out are you cheating on me she asks in the running offscreen narration thats credited to the young somali british poet warsan shire its like something out of toni morrison the water on her rage just broke
ring the alarm beyonce once sang of being two timed before enumerating the stuff of hers this other woman would never touch on a different occasion she sang to the left to the left everything you own in the box to the left that all feels pedestrian now beyonces prized possessions here are her trust love and dignity
but shes daring to think beyond herself the heavy hangover of the piece involves what lots of men have done to lots of women black women in particular between songs we hear malcolm x intone that no one has had it rougher than they have think about what it takes to make lemonade you have to split open a lot of citrus remove the seeds strain for pulp and add a lot of sugar its a process black women are good at lemonade
i watched this thing in a state of exhilarated shock at first i thought how is this not a work of pretentious self pity how isnt this the mistake of the year this is a woman who in 2011 seemed incapable of gauging both the marketplace and what it wanted from her she couldnt choose a good single from her uniformly superb album 4
the surprise release of beyonce at the end of 2013 was a major course correction it cratered the internet in a way that seemed to unify a far flung pop universe carnal reflective almost platitude free it was the best and most creatively adventurous of her albums
the arrival of that record the debut of a video for formation last super bowl eve and the premiere of lemonade have put her atop the post mtv era attention industrial complex in a way that rivals madonna janet and michael jackson lemonade has all of the formal coherence that kept formation from being as good a video as it was a cultural bombshell
its seven credited directors   jonas akerlund kahlil joseph melina matsoukas dikayl rimmasch mark romanek todd tourso and beyonce   give this project texture mystery and life restraint too the only memorable dancing is by the worlds greatest living female athlete serena williams a tennis player and all of that opacity   the sense from her previous special that no matter how much beyonce talks she isnt telling you anything that doesnt exist here feelings gush like water the piece opens with beyonce kneeling on a stage a curtain behind her shes getting out in front of the drama
her so doing puts everybody in a compromising position beyonce and jay z have made room for a different third party us last week hbo showed confirmation which re enacted a different fight between a black woman and a black man in one corner anita hill in the other clarence thomas it was never a fair fight he manages to wrest all the power from her side of the story lemonade feels like a cultural rebuke on behalf of lots of aching women whether theyre standing on that plantation porch watching from their living rooms or running for president
the queasiest part of drunk in love comes when jay z raps eat the cake anna mae invoking a diner scene from whats love got to do with it when ike using tinas birth name shoves dessert in her face is lemonade a rebuke of that too why not any wife who outs her husband on an album and in an hourlong video as a cheater then makes him release that album on his streaming platform   exclusively   is having her cake and making him eat it too
that feels only partially triumphant since were left in a moral murk he might be paying for his sins but were still paying him


in hockey a sport whose arena sound systems blare saturday nights alright for fighting and no more mr nice guy a competitive edge may be found in a lullaby
like other major professional teams nhl franchises are paying closer attention to the quality and quantity of their players sleep across a grueling 82 game schedule it is particularly demanding for some western conference teams which can log upward of 50000 miles in the air each season
over all there is growing interest in sleep from teams across all the leagues as proper sleep is frequently sacrificed and overlooked said cheri mah a researcher at the university of california san francisco however it can have a significant impact on peak performance and overall health in my opinion it is one of the most untapped areas of sports performance
mah has worked closely with the san jose sharks who had the best road record in the nhl this season and the golden state warriors who followed a victory in the nba finals last year by winning a record 73 regular season games
shes been an amazing resource for us said mike potenza the strength and conditioning coach for the sharks who ousted the los angeles kings in the first round of the playoffs with a 6 3 victory on friday i still speak with cheri about different things we should be concerned about going through different time zones any pacific team has got to play in at least two out of three time zones on a road trip
potenza said mahs input led the sharks to change when they practiced how they trained and whether they had a morning skate
every night the sharks are encouraged to swallow chamomile lavender and tart cherry juice a melatonin producer that also combats inflammation augmenting players consumption of zinc magnesium and other nutrients has also helped the sharks get better more reliable sleep while diminishing their use of prescription drugs such as ambien in addition the sharks staff suggests that players control their sleep environment minimizing ultraviolet light and keeping their rooms quiet dark and cool
for an athlete the benefits of proper rest are manifold and the effects of sleep deprivation severe
a study mah did on the stanford mens basketball team as well as her later work with andre iguodala of the warriors showed that more sleep measurably improved speed explosiveness and shooting accuracy
dr charles czeisler of harvard gave the boston bruins sleep advice on the eve of game 7 of the 2011 stanley cup finals in vancouver british columbia a game the bruins won czeisler   who has also counseled other kinds of elite performers like mick jagger and nasa astronauts   said that apart from energy and stamina sleep or a lack of it could also affect quickness strength and testosterone levels
sleeping four hours a night for a week reduces testosterone levels by an equivalent of 11 years of aging czeisler said meaning a rookie called up from the american hockey league could quickly feel like a past his peak veteran
czeisler said inadequate sleep considerably slowed reaction time which in turn led not only to diminished performance but also a sharply elevated risk of injury
sleep is also essential to processing information and problem solving meaning that a lack of sleep can hinder an athletes judgment composure and ability to read a play as well as negate the information gleaned from practice and film study that looms especially large in a seven game playoff series against a single opponent
you actually gain insight during sleep you can solve things subconsciously czeisler said emphasizing the speed and effectiveness with which one integrates new and old memories during sleep
for the 2013 14 season the nhl moved to a division based playoff system in part to reduce the travel for western conference teams but that did not prevent an opening series this year between the anaheim ducks and the nashville predators whose arenas are separated by 2000 miles the road team won the first four games of the series which anaheim leads 3 2
players in that series said they tried to get on time zone immediately during trips
mah said each hour of time zone change would typically require one day for a player to get acclimated but she and czeisler also said there were instances in which it was better to remain in sync with ones home time zone czeisler suggested that to the bruins for their game in vancouver so they would maintain their circadian rhythm   the roughly 24 hour cycle that tells the body for instance when to sleep ducks center rickard rakell said his team stayed on pacific time during the western conference finals against chicago last year knowing a game 7 would be in anaheim
other nhl teams too are responding to science and shedding convention in favor of modern experiments the predators arrived in anaheim for the first two games of their current series two days early in order to adjust and nashville coach peter laviolette has long favored sleep and rest over traditions like the morning skate he did away with the ritual entirely when he coached the carolina hurricanes although he was fired early that season before the change had yielded any clear results with nashville as he did in a stint with philadelphia he has tended toward optional skates and practices whenever scheduling places tough demands on his players
even kings coach darryl sutter known for his gruff demeanor and farm grown work ethic said his teams decisions to skate or sleep were made by committee
theres a point where youre going to your leadership group and asking them should we be on the ice today should we be off the ice today should we be away from the rink today what should we do tonight  sutter said
ducks right wing corey perry has a routine typical among hockey players sleeping eight to nine and a half hours a night he said with a nap of an hour and some in the afternoon
czeisler is a proponent of napping as long as necessary to make up for sleep lost for example on an overnight flight mah suggests players take naps of only 20 to 30 minutes to avoid grogginess
having a wind down period with reading yoga or some other activity a half hour before bed is also important mah said
kings defenseman drew doughty as in most things related to hockey seemed to be a natural with his sleep habits
im a big sleeper he said i try to get as much as i can my naps are long i try to get to bed early and wake up as late as possible
the only exception
after a loss doughty said its hard to sleep


san francisco   from her apartment at the foot of the celebrated zigzags of lombard street judith calson has twice peered out her window as thieves smashed their way into cars and snatched whatever they could she has seen foreign tourists cry after cash and passports were stolen she shudders when she recounts the story of the thai tourist who was shot because he resisted thieves taking his camera
and that is her tally from the last year alone
i never thought of this area as a high crime neighborhood ms calson a retired photographer said of this leafy part of the city where tourists flock to view the steeply sloped crooked street adorned with flower beds
san francisco americas boom town is flooded with the cash of well paid technology workers and record numbers of tourists at the same time the city has seen a sharp jump in property crime up more than 60 percent since 2010 though the actual increase may be higher because many of the crimes go unreported
recent data from the fbi show that san francisco has the highest per capita property crime rate of the nations top 50 cities about half the cases here are thefts from vehicles smash and grabs that scatter glittering broken glass onto the sidewalks
the city known for a political tradition of empathy for the downtrodden is now divided over whether to respond with more muscular law enforcement or stick to its forgiving attitudes
the chamber of commerce and the tourist board are calling for harsher measures to improve what is euphemistically called the condition of the streets a term that encompasses the intractable homeless problem public intravenous drug use the large population of mentally ill people on the streets and aggressive panhandling the chamber recently released the results of an opinion poll that showed that homelessness and street behavior were the primary concerns of residents here
we are the wealthiest big city in the wealthiest state in the wealthiest country in the world and we have this situation on our streets said joe dalessandro the chief executive of san francisco travel a tourism organization
people believe that everyone has the right to be on the streets however i think there is a tolerance limit to bad behavior
visitors come to bask in the mediterranean climate stroll through the charming streets and marvel at the sweeping views of the bay and the pacific but alongside those views are tent encampments on sidewalks and rag covered homeless people in front of some of the most expensive real estate in america
the divided opinions on how to handle the problems are evident among members of the board of supervisors
scott wiener a supervisor and an advocate for more aggressive law enforcement said his constituents were urging him to act i cant tell you the number of times where i have received emails from moms saying my kids just asked me why that man has a syringe sticking out of his arm  he said
san francisco at times is a consequence free zone mr wiener said im not advocating extreme law and order but there has to be consequences sometimes people might need to spend six months in jail to think about what they did
in a bitterly contested 6 to 5 vote last year mr wiener led the passage of a measure adding several hundred officers to the citys police force the first increase since the 1980s when the population was over 10 percent smaller
on the other side is david campos a supervisor who opposes the increase in police officers and describes mr wieners views as a very knee jerk kind of punitive approach that is ineffective and inconsistent with the values of san francisco
mr campos and many others evoke the charitable spirit of the citys namesake st francis
we are not going to criminalize people for being poor he said that criminalization is only going to make it harder for them to get out of poverty
san franciscos liberal ethos mr campos said was changing as the city focused more on business and the needs of the tech industry
i think there has been a shift in the people who have come to san francisco mr campos said of the citys new arrivals a group that is well educated and well heeled he deplores what he describes as a growing sink or swim free market ideology that stands in contrast to the citys traditions
i dont know which san francisco will prevail he said
at tlc glass a repair shop on the edge of san franciscos business district the more prosaic consequences of the rise in car break ins are on display customers regularly file in to repair car windows that have been smashed by thieves
every day we are full the shops owner louie chen said one customer came in four times in six weeks
a customer who came to have a broken window fixed dan edmonds waters showed san franciscan forgiveness he said he felt sorry for whoever broke a window of his limited edition bmw twice stealing his gym bag both times
i have a lot of sympathy for folks who are in need in the city mr edmonds waters said this has become an extremely expensive city to live in the divide between those who have and those who dont is ridiculously ginormous
the people who commit the property crimes come from a variety of backgrounds said albie esparza a spokesman for the san francisco police department some are homeless some are in gangs some are freelancers up to no good he said
people are rarely caught the problem with auto break ins is that they happen so quickly just a few seconds mr esparza said before anyone can do anything about it they are long gone
violent crime has increased 18 percent since 2010 but the city has a low murder rate relative to other large american cities
police are barred by city ordinance from installing surveillance cameras that are commonly found in other cities a restriction that even mr wiener said he did not want changed
ms calson the retired photographer said she offered to let the police mount a surveillance camera outside her lombard street apartment the car break ins happen so quickly that she has not been able photograph the perpetrators
on wednesday another car was broken into below her window a woman who was dropping off her daughter at a day care center had parked for 10 minutes and returned to find her window smashed and her purse gone
its just insane ms calson said on and on and on it goes


an unusual new super pac run by artists has cropped up on the political landscape   and its one that says it wont support or oppose candidates or parties
the super pac for freedoms which registered as a political action committee in january is raising funds for national advertising much of it based on original artworks offering diverse views on issues such as campaign reform racism gender equality gun control reproductive rights and freedom of expression the artworks are planned to be shown in a gallery exhibition
founded by hank willis thomas a photographer and conceptual artist and eric gottesman a video artist and activist the super pac is named after franklin d roosevelts four freedoms wartime address in 1941   a call to safeguard the freedoms of speech and worship the freedom from want and the freedom from fear
contributing artists and photographers include carrie mae weems rashid johnson xaviera simmons alec soth bayete ross smith fred tomaselli and marilyn minter their works will be used for billboards building signs subway advertising internet memes social media and select print advertising potentially even yard signs and ultimately an art show at the jack shainman gallery in chelsea mr thomas 40 said in a telephone interview that the founders were also looking for media buys in the heartland where theyre cheapest
mr gottesman also 40 added we dont have koch brothers or priorities usa action money
super pacs typically raise unlimited sums from any donor and are inherently partisan they function to influence elections like advertising agencies mr gottesman said adding that for freedoms and its projects are intended to elevate and expand the dialogue that no longer exists in our sound bite culture its gotcha tactics or in its oversimplified conversations
as more artists join more divergent views will be seen there are not just two sides conservative or liberal black or white mr thomas said the country is increasingly confronting how one persons freedom may impinge on someone elses
mr smith for example who has taken over the super pacs instagram arm has made a series of photographs of gun owners extolling their favorite weapons the artist will steacy who describes himself as a former union laborer makes collages that reveal a stance closer to libertarianism
for freedoms has raised 5687 toward its 50000 goal through its website forfreedomsorg and an additional 15000 from art collectors and patrons such as barbara alfond john and sharon hoffman and damany weir its donors ideally are people interested in art and politics mr gottesman said
mr thomas said that he was intrigued by the influential series of magazine covers for the saturday evening post based on four paintings that roosevelts speech stirred norman rockwell to create for the for freedoms show he is finishing a series of four highly stylized staged photographs reinterpreting rockwells imagery
we want people to think deeper he said adding that the artists evoking rockwell hope to give voice to ordinary americans
in that vein for freedoms first outing began on april 10 when members of its partner group the postcards from america photography collaborative loosely affiliated with magnum photos left memphis for a road trip through the mississippi delta and along the gulf coast with the postcards co founder jim goldberg gilles peress mr soth and others
it is modeled through a contemporary lens on the farm security administration commission by its director roy stryker to a now legendary team of photographers during the depression to chronicle the myriad everyday facets of life across the country
christopher klatell a lawyer and contributing writer to the postcards project said in an email from the road the photographers are moving through the world and trying to make a certain sense of it were certainly not looking for pictures of poverty for instance mr klatell added one would have to put all ones effort into looking away not to see them at the moment were trying to be open not closed about what that work could look like and what it might invoke
the contributed works and postcards from america photographs will go on view at the shainman gallery on june 7 the last super tuesday of the presidential primary campaign when a for freedoms headquarters will open there as well donors who contribute between 10000 and 50000 will receive limited edition portfolios in an arrangement unusual in the commercial art world a percentage of the proceeds from all sales will be split among for freedoms its artists and the galleries or dealers that represent them


warwick ri   most years the presidential primary here is a drive by affair with candidates racing past the state like motorists taking the shortest route from boston to new york but this unpredictable election season has turned even rhode islands late primary and paltry pile of delegates into a valued prize putting this small state into the primary spotlight before its vote tuesday
for the first time in a very long time larry berman an aide to the states house speaker said merrily rhode islands primary actually matters
campaigns of yore would be forgiven for paying little attention to rhode island which has 33 democratic delegates and just 19 on the republican side charles bullock a professor of political science at the university of georgia said rhode island tended to play a significant role in the primary season only in close contests like the one in 1976 between ronald reagan and gerald ford or in 2008 when hillary clinton was trying to make up ground lost to barack obama
but professor bullock said with donald j trump trying to get to 1237 on the republican side then getting 19 may be important on the democratic side he said bernie sanders needs to get everything he possibly can
both mrs clinton and gov john kasich visited the state on saturday mr sanders held a rally in providence on sunday morning and mr trump scheduled an event for monday delighting the politically minded in a state accustomed to observer status in presidential politics and other things too
usually the die has been cast and its just really a formality said bob durant 51 a lawyer who was making phone calls at mr kasichs campaign headquarters here last week but this year with candidates still scrapping for delegates literally every vote will count mr durant said
a contested presidential primary in rhode island   a compact state that with about one million people has the population of a large city   is by necessity a cozy affair
the circle of leaders in rhode island is very small very active   and absolutely everyone knows everyone else said james a morone the director of the taubman center for american politics and policy at brown university its like a big italian family
the campaigns for all three remaining republican candidates for example are working out of the same shopping plaza a strip mall between an airport and a clotted main road here in working class warwick
one afternoon last week people were assembling signs in mr trumps campaign office decked out with a cardboard cutout of the candidate with a bald eagle several doors away volunteers for senator ted cruz were readying mailers and on another side of the plaza a handful of volunteers were making phone calls for mr kasich
jean hudson 65 stood in the parking lot in the middle of it all and said she was delighted that the uptick in political significance had finally gotten her home state coverage on fox news her cable news network of choice
i hear our name mentioned more than usual ms hudson said giddily even when we have hurricanes and storms they talk about mass and connecticut never rhode island its like we dont exist
the states democratic establishment has thrown its weight for the most part behind mrs clinton   and that too has come with a lil rhody touch
when bill clinton was campaigning last week also here in warwick the states speaker of the house nicholas a mattiello called ahead to a pizzeria in nearby cranston to make sure there would be vegan food for the former president now herbivore in chief
even mr morone has found himself fielding questions on the primary from strangers who recognize him from his television appearances it is not an entirely uncommon occurrence in such a small state although mr morone is more accustomed to being asked about local races than national ones
i walked into the train station this morning and i had someone come up to me and say whats going on whos going to win rhode island and i just usually dont get that kind of stuff mr morone said
the primary here could provide observers with valuable information about the dynamics of the race because mr morone said rhode island is demographically similar to massachusetts where mr trump pulled off a landslide victory in march
so tuesdays primary   one of five on the east coast   will be another test of his popularity in a state with a large portion of white independent or democratic leaning voters
its a very good measure of whats happened to the trump campaign as hes taken this kind of withering attack that hes been under mr morone said
the democratic partys candidate has won rhode island in nine of the past 10 presidential general elections ronald reagans 1984 re election victory being the exception
wendy schiller a political science professor at brown described rhode island as a union blue collar at its core democratic state   but one where mr trump could appeal to voters
if trump does really well here she said if hillary clinton loses here to bernie sanders it really does suggest a way in which the trump campaign can try to peel off a chunk of democratic voters in november
punditry aside some rhode islanders are simply trying to have some fun with their moment in the presidential spotlight
take denise rachiele who was surprised to see a presidential campaign office   mr trumps   pop up a few doors down from her pet store all about pets now her windows are decorated with fake campaign posters for her cat stump
he felt he was more qualified or at least as qualified as mr trump joked ms rachiele who said she had not decided whom she would support on tuesday


yankees manager joe girardi was bewildered after his team fell to the tampa bay rays 8 1 at yankee stadium on sunday a left handed starter had again neutralized his lineup and the nine strikeouts that girardis own starting pitcher michael pineda had registered were overshadowed by the 10 hits seven runs and four home runs he had allowed in his five innings
sometimes its hard to figure out girardi said you never think that a guy would have nine strikeouts in five innings and give up four homers
adding further stress was the condition of designated hitter alex rodriguez who was replaced in the sixth inning after feeling stiffness in his left oblique muscle in his abdomen
the yankees are still planning to rest the injured center fielder aaron hicks over the next few days and although no immediate roster move was planned the team might need to adjust as it tries to climb out of last place in the american league east
pineda began the afternoon with a three pitch strikeout fooling a swinging logan forsythe with a biting slider logan morrison then grounded out and pineda looked to be on a roll
with evan longoria at bat pineda was one strike from retiring the side in order but he threw a fastball that longoria stroked off the center field wall for a double on pinedas next pitch corey dickerson belted a two run homer over the right field fence
steve pearce followed with a single and brad miller drove him in with a double to left center steven souza jr then clocked a two run homer to left field
the next batter kevin kiermaier doubled too but he was stranded on second base when curt casali the ninth batter of the inning popped out to second baseman starlin castro
pineda remained in the game and pitched a scoreless second but pearce added a home run on the first pitch of the third for a 6 0 rays lead as pearce made contact pineda hunched over
souza later hit a second home run off pineda a solo blast in the fifth after that inning pineda flung off his hat and threw his glove against the bench he was replaced by kirby yates for the sixth
this is a bad day for me today pineda said after the game
the four home runs pineda allowed were his career high surpassing the three he had yielded in his first start of the season on april 6 against the visiting houston astros and in two other outings earlier in his career with sundays loss his era this season ballooned to 695
faced with a large deficit the yankees lineup continued to struggle against left handed starters drew smyly the fifth left hander to start against the yankees in six games allowed one run in seven innings
i got no idea outfielder carlos beltran said when asked why the yankees had struggled so much against left handers
the lone run came in the fourth inning when rodriguez legged out a double that scored brett gardner
girardi said that rodriguez was taking swings in a batting cage to prepare for his next at bat when he felt a pain rodriguez was not in the yankees clubhouse after the game but the results of a magnetic resonance imaging test were negative the team announced rodriguez will travel to texas where the yankees will begin a nine game trip on monday
anytime someone leaves with an oblique youre not really optimistic because they take a while depending on the severity of it girardi said before the test results were available i even think sometimes when players physically feel ready i still dont think they had the strength they had before
girardi said that it would be pretty hard to go on the road with only 23 healthy players   hicks is still dealing with a sore left shoulder after diving for a fly ball during fridays game   and a new youthful bat could inject necessary punch into the lineup rodriguez 40 is hitting 145 and regularly looked overmatched at the plate during the recent homestand during which the yankees went 3 6 and scored more than three runs in a game only twice
one option could be aaron judge a 6 foot 7 prospect who is hitting close to 300 at class aaa scrantonwilkes barre and has intrigued fans for years
while beltran did not offer a remedy for the yankees offensive woes he is well versed in oblique injuries last season he missed almost three weeks with a left oblique strain
you got to be careful with those he said
inside pitch
sandy acevedo 18 a dominican infielder whom the yankees signed as an international free agent in july died in a car accident saturday the team announced  reliever branden pinder who has a partial tear of an elbow ligament will visit dr james andrews this week for a second opinion joe girardi said though that he believed pinder was leaning toward having tommy john surgery


los angeles   at a time when his early work was attracting few believers the radical choreographer merce cunningham and his dance company made a triumphant three week tour of the west coast in 1955 just two years after the companys founding following their appearances in san francisco the cunningham dancer marianne preger wrote to her parents and do you know margot fonteyn did swan lake the same night and we got all the critics
so its fitting that the la dance project founded by benjamin millepied in 2012 has made cunningham choreography a recurrent part of its repertory cunningham is the only dead choreographer whose work this troupe includes hes also the greatest and its fair to say the most divisive choreographer it programs his winterbranch 1964 proved as abrasive in the los angeles companys 2012 opening program as it had been when new
this february through april as part of the hammer museums edition of the leap before you look exhibition of black mountain college avant garde art the los angeles troupe has been dancing anthologies culled from cunninghams 1950s choreography
the exhibitions performance space is small audience members have been turned away from several performances already dance and music were mutually independent in all the choreography performed here another radical aspect not on display here was the use of chance   throwing dice for example   to select and arrange aspects of dances and the dance style featuring extraordinary juxtapositions and oppositions is compelling and startling decades on thanks to the committed skill of these dance project performers the choreographys actions stay cool intense suspenseful
a duet from suite for five 1956 begins with a woman perched on a mans shoulder her legs are stretched back into the air behind her her torso arches up to present her face and shoulders to the front this is a heroic lift you can see in several ballets   but the resemblance stops beneath the waist the difference here is that the man is kneeling the effect is weird truncating fascinating
as that number develops you cant miss its complete independence from music or the exploratory drama it creates by setting its dancers forth on separate routes a trio from suite keeps changing in structure now its a duet and a solo now a tight woven trio now three separate solos in different paths and meters that nonetheless connect in overlapping orbits
the special element of these performances is a rarity a duet from springweather and people 1954 originally danced like the suite duet by cunningham and carolyn brown this duet was lost for decades until two years ago the researcher and filmmaker alla kovgan found a 1958 film of it part of it was danced again beautifully by boston conservatory students in the october january edition of this leap before you look exhibition at bostons institute of contemporary arts but its only now with these los angeles performers that the whole duet has returned to the stage and now we can feel the complex structure of it with its couplings and solos its intimacies and its distances
though some still use the word abstract to describe plotless choreography cunningham like the choreographer george balanchine before him and mark morris today observed that humans dancing cannot be abstract cunningham more than any other dance maker created works that operated on multiple levels sometimes theres nothing but this movement but the sheer physics of it make for drama with the suite excerpts thats continually true this remains extraordinarily fresh dancers switch angles and routes and present jumps and floor work as if we were in the laboratory with them
sometimes as often in the springweather duet we cant help seeing imagery character and narrative is this movement for its own sake or is it a window to meaning the ambiguity is essential to cunningham dance theater i love a moment in this dance where the woman in profile to us holds a formally pure arabesque the man approaching her from behind places a protective hand around her torso to support her hip she stretches her neck tenderly back toward him were close here to the narrative of swan lake but then still holding that arabesque she hops softly away the story changes
each of the performances i saw began with silas riener the former cunningham company member in the 1957 solo changeling another of the long lost cunningham dances this was among ms kovgans discoveries he gave his first performance of this in boston in october and on may 18 he will dance it at the baryshnikov arts center in new york its known that cunningham once told ms brown that he felt he must have been a changeling because he was so unlike his family in temperament and pursuits but he was also fond of puns and ambiguities in words as in movement and the title changeling surely is connected to the protean nature of this solo hes constantly changing shape and character
its striking to find how important a part dance plays in the leap before you look exhibition which surveys the years 1933 to 57 at black mountain college though cunningham was not the only choreographer and dance teacher to visit this home of avant garde experimentalism he was he was already noted as a great dancer admired by and in harmony with several of the most advanced artists in music and art of the day
black mountain became part of his history his dance company gave its first performances there in 1953 and the college brought him and his colleague john cage into contact with among others robert rauschenberg - who between 1954 and 1964 was the small troupes resident designer
this past weekend you could see the performers exploring different moods within the choreography this is an impressive company amid which the quiet tall elegance of morgan lugo makes an outstanding impression


atlanta   starter jacob degrom and the mets offense each demonstrated a capacity to adapt on sunday showing plucky sides that contrast with their emerging reputations for being overpowering
degrom who had missed two turns through the rotation because of a stiff back and a family medical emergency was not able to dominate the braves with his 93 mile per hour fastball but he still lasted five and two thirds innings and allowed just one run as if they were synchronized with their pitcher the mets became situational hitters instead of home run thumpers in a 3 2 victory over atlanta before 32085 at turner field
the mets 10 7 have won eight of 10 games and will begin a nine game homestand on monday against cincinnati
degrom 2 0 made his first start since april 8 he rejoined the team on saturday after a 12 day absence to be with his newborn son who had a breathing problem
the pitcher allowed eight scattered hits using his curveball a little more than usual and did not walk a batter he said his wife had sent him a picture of their son jaxon watching him pitch
getting back in the game was a little strange degrom said missing two turns and getting back out there there were a little extra nerves
degrom who struck out three had been pulled from his first and only start of the season with some pain in the latissimus muscle in his back he said he had no pain on sunday
degrom was on an 85 pitch limit manager terry collins said and he was efficient through four innings throwing 45 the braves were eager to jump on his fastball but degrom and catcher kevin plawecki mixed in some off speed pitches
i kind of went to the curveball a little more than i usually do degrom said i feel like thats my fourth best pitch plaw did a good job back there keeping them off balance we noticed some guys were hacking early so we wanted to flip up some breaking balls early and throw off their timing a little bit
degrom did not have to shake off any rust he commanded the curve plawecki said which allowed him to get ahead and use his full repertory all eight of the braves hits off degrom were singles
i didnt expect anything else   i knew he would be ready to go plawecki said of degrom hes been through a lot and he was anxious to get back out on the mound
degrom left with one out in the sixth after throwing 82 pitches he had a 3 1 lead thanks to another productive game from the leadoff hitter curtis granderson who reached base twice and scored two runs after going from first to third on singles
michael confortos sacrifice fly in the first scored granderson to make it 1 0 confortos fly was shallow and when left fielder jace peterson had to dive to make the catch granderson alertly raced home
conforto had a ground rule double in the sixth to score granderson again and lucas duda had a sacrifice fly in the sixth
the mets entered the game with 23 home runs in eight games the most in a span of that length in franchise history but it was situational hitting with runners on third with fewer than two outs that carried the offense on sunday
i think a lot has been said about us getting runs on home runs and i think we always expected to manufacture runs and be a team that can move guys and execute in those situations with a man on third and less than two outs conforto said i think we knew we were going to be able to do that we just didnt start off that way
granderson was on third and asdrubal cabrera was on first when conforto went to the plate with the game tied 1 1 in the top of the sixth inning braves starter aaron blair a highly regarded right hander making his major league debut threw conforto an off speed pitch which he lined to right field the ball bounced over the fence for a ground rule double and it was 2 1
conforto said he had been expecting the changeup blair threw him
he wanted to get the double play so he wanted me to roll over that changeup a little bit conforto said he left it up a little bit and when you have that anticipation its easier to stay back on
the mets got superb work from the bullpen in the three game sweep their relievers allowed just two runs in 11 innings
they stepped up when we needed them collins said they stepped up and got big outs against some good hitters
the mets led by 3 1 in the ninth and asked closer jeurys familia to finish off atlanta the braves got three singles and a run before daniel castro grounded out with the potential tying run on second
inside pitch
center fielder yoenis cespedes missed a second straight game after aggravating a leg bruise friday night terry collins said cespedes would be examined monday in new york


london   the united states has opened a new line of combat against the islamic state directing the militarys six year old cyber command for the first time to mount computer network attacks that are now being used alongside more traditional weapons
the effort reflects president obamas desire to bring many of the secret american cyberweapons that have been aimed elsewhere notably at iran into the fight against the islamic state   which has proved effective in using modern communications and encryption to recruit and carry out operations
the national security agency which specializes in electronic surveillance has for years listened intensely to the militants of the islamic state and those reports are often part of the presidents daily intelligence briefing but the nsas military counterpart cyber command was focused largely on russia china iran and north korea   where cyberattacks on the united states most frequently originate   and had run virtually no operations against what has become the most dangerous terrorist organization in the world
a review of what should be done to confront the islamic state is on mr obamas agenda on monday when he is scheduled to attend a conference in hanover germany with the leaders of britain france italy and germany of these efforts the cybercampaign is the newest it is also the one discussed in least detail by officials of many countries and its successes or failures are the most difficult to assess from the outside
the goal of the new campaign is to disrupt the ability of the islamic state to spread its message attract new adherents circulate orders from commanders and carry out day to day functions like paying its fighters a benefit of the administrations exceedingly rare public discussion of the campaign officials said is to rattle the islamic states commanders who have begun to realize that sophisticated hacking efforts are manipulating their data potential recruits may also be deterred if they come to worry about the security of their communications with the militant group
defense secretary ashton b carter is among those who have publicly discussed the new mission but only in broad terms and this month the deputy secretary of defense robert o work was more colorful in describing the effort
we are dropping cyberbombs mr work said we have never done that before
the campaign has been conducted by a small number of national mission teams newly created cyberunits loosely modeled on special operations forces
while officials declined to discuss the details of their operations interviews with more than a half dozen senior and midlevel officials indicate that the effort has begun with a series of implants in the militants networks to learn the online habits of commanders now the plan is to imitate them or to alter their messages with the aim of redirecting militants to areas more vulnerable to attack by american drones or local ground forces
in other cases officials said the united states may complement operations to bomb warehouses full of cash by using cyberattacks to interrupt electronic transfers and misdirect payments
the fact that the administration is beginning to talk of its use of the new weapons is a dramatic change as recently as four years ago it would not publicly admit to developing offensive cyberweapons or confirm its role in any attacks on computer networks
that is partly because cyberattacks inside another nation raise major questions over invasion of sovereignty but in the case of the islamic state officials say a decision was made that a bit of boasting might degrade the enemys trust in its communications jumbling and even deterring some actions
our cyberoperations are disrupting their command and control and communications mr obama said this month emerging from a meeting at the cia headquarters in langley va on countering the islamic state
gen joseph f dunford jr the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff offered broad outlines of the new campaign against the islamic state which is also known as isis or isil during a news conference in february
were trying to both physically and virtually isolate isil limit their ability to conduct command and control limit their ability to communicate with each other limit their ability to conduct operations locally and tactically he said
but ill be one of the first ones arguing that thats about all we should talk about general dunford said we want them to be surprised when we conduct cyberoperations and frankly theyre going to experience some friction thats associated with us and some friction thats just associated with the normal course of events in dealing in the information age
in an interview this month in colorado springs where she talked to air force academy cadets mr obamas national security adviser susan e rice said that the fight against the islamic state had to be thought of as a multifront war   and that computers were just another weapon in the arsenal
it should not be taken out of proportion   it is not the only tool she said when asked about mr works cyberbombs comment in fact some of mr works colleagues acknowledged that they had winced when he used the term because government lawyers have gone to extraordinary lengths to narrowly limit cyberattacks to highly precise operations with as little collateral damage as possible
but ms rice said the islamic state had uniquely utilized cyberspace to recruit to communicate over encrypted apps and to coordinate its operations from syria to europe
ms rice would not comment on reports from officials in the pentagon that mr obama had asked   quite pointedly   in the fall why the arsenal of cyberweapons that had been developed at a cost of hundreds of millions if not billions of dollars was not being used in the fight against the terrorist group
several officials said that mr carter had complained that cyber command was too focused on traditional adversaries and that he had set deadlines for a new array of operational cyberplans aimed at the islamic state those were ultimately delivered by adm michael s rogers the commander of cyber command and the director of the national security agency
but inside fort meade in maryland home to the nsa and cyber command initial demands from the white house generated some resistance according to officials involved in the debate
the nsa has spent years penetrating foreign networks   the chinese military russian submarine communications internet traffic and other targets   placing thousands of implants in those networks to allow it to listen in
but those implants can be used to manipulate data or to shut down a network that frequently leads to a battle between the nsa civilians   who know that to make use of an implant is to blow its cover   and the military operators who want to strike back nsa officials complained that once the implants were used to attack the islamic state militants would stop the use of a communications channel and perhaps start one that was harder to find penetrate or de encrypt
its a delicate balance ms rice said we still have to keep our eye on the russia china state sponsored activity but this was a new mission one where we have to balance the collection equities against the disruption equities
in britain the government communications headquarters the countrys equivalent to the nsa has been going through a similar debate it is a familiar one for the british according to an oft repeated legend from world war ii winston churchill decided to let the nazis bomb coventry at a cost of hundreds of lives rather than reveal that britain had used its enigma machine to crack german codes there is a historical dispute about whether churchill knew the city was to be targeted
lisa o monaco a deputy national security adviser and mr obamas top adviser for counterterrorism has led efforts examining how to disrupt the use of social media for recruiting she has met technology executives in silicon valley austin tex boston and washington to come up with a more integrated plan for both taking down social media posts and encouraging the development of a counternarrative
one effort has included amplifying the testimony of islamic state recruits who have escaped and now describe the groups brutality and question its adherence to the true tenets of islam facebook youtube and twitter are also growing more efficient at finding and removing islamic state posts   which they can take down without court orders because the posts are a violation of the companies terms of service executives say
but ms monaco suggested that the effort was just beginning we are not going to kill our way out of this conflict she said and we are not going to delete our way out of it either


when beyonces album lemonade was released late saturday night it was available only on tidal a big win for that subscription streaming service in which beyonce is a part owner
but tidals period of exclusivity appears to be quite short   just 24 hours as the album is expected to be released for sale on itunes at midnight on sunday according to two people briefed on the plans for the release who following the usual ironclad rules of secrecy surrounding beyonces projects were not authorized to discuss them apple declined to comment
a spokeswoman for beyonce did not immediately respond to a request for comment
late sunday afternoon tidal announced that in addition to its streaming version of lemonade it would be selling a version for download at 1799 a tidal spokesman said that the service would have the exclusive streaming version in perpetuity amazon also confirmed that it would soon begin selling both digital and physical versions of the album
the brief window of exclusivity for tidal reflects the growing complexity and fragmentation of the digital music market for beyonce whose every move is watched intensely by the music business releasing an album comes with seemingly irreconcilable pressures regarding on the one hand managing her business interests and on the other reaching as wide an audience as possible adele declined to stream her blockbuster album 25 on any service and taylor swift removed all her albums from spotify before the release of 1989 her latest album which is available on apple music the companys streaming service
as a partner in tidal   the service that her husband jay z bought just over a year ago for 56 million and reintroduced as an artist friendly alternative to spotify   beyonce faced a strong incentive to release the album exclusively through that outlet to draw attention to the service and attract subscribers to it
yet with tidal claiming just three million subscribers she would risk alienating the vast majority of the online market if she were to keep the album on that service alone for too long spotify has 30 million paying subscribers and apple music has 11 million and the extremely brief window for keeping lemonade   a so called video album whose one hour companion film had its premiere on hbo on saturday night   restricted to tidal shows how intense the pressure is for a star of beyonces stature to reach as many fans as she can
when tidal was reintroduced to the public last year by jay z a key part of its strategy was to offer exclusive content from a tag team of superstar acts whose fame and artistic power would draw new consumers tidal also offered higher quality audio than most streaming platforms as well as a rich video catalog and other benefits like splashy live events
after months of struggles including the troubled release of rihannas latest album anti which began as a tidal exclusive the strategy has seemed to be paying off well lately in february tidal released the life of pablo by kanye west another partner which the company said brought in 250 million streams in just 10 days and held on to its exclusive for nearly two months
and the last week has been a big one for tidal in addition to beyonces release the service was the only streaming outlet that had the complete catalog of prince who died unexpectedly on thursday those two stars alone are capable of driving an enormous amount of traffic and potential subscribers to tidal although the company has not released details on its streaming numbers for either act
for beyonce and for the business closely monitoring her moves the effect of lemonade was not immediately clear on sunday this friday a new album is expected by drake who has had a close relationship with apple and for much of the last year released most of his music through apple music first before releasing it more widely after about a week exclusivity it seems is as flexible as the music business and its biggest stars need it to be


seattle   some parents find peace of mind in the location tracking features in smartphones that let them keep tabs on their children there are also the dog owners who can rest easy knowing that hired dog walkers are doing their job and that the dogs are doing their business
and then there is the comfort of tracking your pizza delivery
when lora mastrangeli orders one from pizza hut every other week she does not just wait for it she stalks it
the moment her order leaves the nearest pizza hut about 30 minutes from her home in plano tex the restaurant sends ms mastrangeli an alert on her smartphone with a link to a map showing an image of a pizza delivery car driving toward her house since she knows her drivers location she knows precisely when to scoop her two small dogs up and sequester them in a back room to keep them from yapping at the driver
my husband and i absolutely love it said ms mastrangeli who works in sales for nordstrom were walking out the door when he pulls up
people were amazed six years ago when the ride hailing service uber let them track the location of their drivers on a real time map as they waited for a ride rather than accepting the vague assurances of taxi dispatchers other tech start ups followed with maps to pinpoint the location of all sorts of things from shoes to food and the dog walkers
and new services from comcast and time warner cable allow customers to see the exact location of the cable repairman on the way to the house
the question of course is whether maps offer a bit more information but do little to improve underlying problems cable companies for instance suffer from some of the lowest customer satisfaction levels of any business knowing exactly where your cable guy is does little to address complaints about escalating prices
im not sure thats the root of the problem said frances x frei a professor of service management at harvard business school and author of uncommon service a book about customer service
so does tracking your pizza on a map just make you feel better
its pure psychological effect said nicholas goubert head of project management at here a digital maps company that provides location data to amazon and other businesses your pizza is not going to come any sooner but its moving
soon ups the worlds largest package delivery company may also begin showing customers exactly where their stuff is ups is exploring giving location maps of its familiar brown trucks to customers and could begin a trial of the service within a few months according to a person briefed on the plan who asked for anonymity because it is still private
executives at big established companies concede that their moves are inspired by on demand businesses like uber which have changed what customers expect from all kinds of services
it brings that visibility and transparency that theyre starting to come to expect with the ubers and lyfts said baron concors global chief digital officer for pizza hut which began sharing the location of delivery drivers with customers in some markets about six months ago theres a new bar for experience when it comes to delivery and transportation that everyone is going to have to meet
the technology behind most of this is not terribly complicated the maps typically rely on the gps location provided by say a pizza delivery drivers smartphone and triangulate that with wi fi and cellphone tower signals to pinpoint a location companies like apple too have made helicopter parenting easier by letting mothers and fathers track the locations of children through their smartphones
in many cases companies that provide customers with live tracking information have a practical motivation the service is intended to eliminate situations when someone misses a knock on the door by stepping into the shower or backyard a missed delivery or service call is a logistical headache companies want to avoid
if they have to come back they lose money said bryan trussel chief executive of glympse a location tracking start up in seattle that is working with companies like pizza hut comcast and time warner
some companies are going to bizarre lengths to provide greater transparency to customers through maps last year wag a start up in los angeles introduced the mobile app that includes a live map that shows the pet owner the route of the wag walker and pooch
joshua viner chief executive of wag said the map allows pet owners to verify that their dog is getting the amount of exercise the owner is paying for
theres no way to cheat the system said julien lopresti who works in sales and operations for a technology company in new york and has used wag to find walkers for reptar his labrador mix it gives you extra confidence
in the next month wag will go even further by allowing walkers to commemorate where pets relieve themselves by tapping the screens on their smartphones corresponding emojis will materialize on the apps of pet owners
its all real time   its almost like youre part of the experience mr viner said
comcast was after a different experience when it began letting customers track the locations of technicians last year part of a much broader initiative to improve customer satisfaction
the company used to have four hour appointment windows when technicians could arrive at customers homes which confined the customers there for a good chunk of the day now comcast has cut the appointment windows to two hours
the overall premise is we should always be respecting customers time said charlie herrin executive vice president of customer experience at comcast
about 30 minutes before the two hour window comcast sends the customer a notification through the comcast mobile app giving a narrower half hour window when the technician expects to arrive about 15 minutes before the technician pulls up at the home comcast sends a link to a map that shows the vehicle en route
dr frei the harvard business school professor said customers would be happier if comcast were more precise with its appointment estimates from the start
what id like them to do is say we will be there at 3 pm and then what id like to have happen is theyre there at 3 pm she said i wouldnt need any transparency


leave the fairy tales to disney
that was one takeaway from the weekend box office which saw universals snow white prequel the huntsman winters war melt under terrible reviews and snarky social media chatter winters war which also seemed to borrow from frozen took in a dismal 201 million at north american cinemas or 64 percent less than its series predecessor snow white and the huntsman collected in 2012
that left winters war which cost universal and a chinese financing partner at least 115 million to make as a distant second to disneys jungle book remake which took in about 608 million in its second weekend for new domestic total of 1915 million the jungle book has taken in an additional 337 million overseas
winters war marked yet another box office misfire for chris hemsworth who played the title role the movie also starred charlize theron jessica chastain and emily blunt universal on sunday said it was proud to have provided a film into the marketplace featuring three strong female lead roles
also of note two independent films that have attracted critical raves the thriller green room a24 and the musical drama sing street the weinstein company played in limited release ahead of broader rollout next weekend green room collected 215000 from 30 theaters according to comscore which compiles box office data sing street had 132901 from 25 locations


the big reveal the fashion designer and high end furrier dennis basso announced one afternoon last week flinging open the doors leading to his latest redecorating project   a chapel
those are planters from france mr basso said in a gravelly voice that seems to know only one volume level booming the carved candleholders are from italy and the chapel   officially the leland eggleston cofer memorial chapel at newyork presbyterian hospitalweill cornell medical center on the upper east side of manhattan   still had that new carpet smell thanks to 93 square yards of the stuff customized for the project installed not long before
this is gods workroom he said you walk in here and feel like youre in the place of the lord no matter who your god is
mr basso has ideas about how rooms should look down to the details he has been known to place the name cards for his fashion show guests on their chairs himself one by one he said he and his husband michael cominotto underwrote the renovation because as a public space the chapel was not all that it could be like so many places in new york that are taken for granted that people go to once or twice and then forget about the room had the potential to be inspiring but was not
mr basso realized as much when he was a patient at newyork presbyterianweill cornell a couple of years ago a friend came to visit he said and we decided to go down to the chapel we looked at each other and we said this is the greatest hospital in world with the finest equipment but this chapel really needs some help as for why he was in the hospital he explained i needed some checkups and theres nothing like good news to make you feel generous
the chapel has been there for more than 60 years a quiet place for patients and their families it was named for a doctor who died in 1948   he and his wife luisita leland cofer had been boldface names in their day and she donated the chapel in 1952 mrs cofer died at st lukes hospital four years later her obituary said she contributed to the chapel there too
when mr basso discovered the weill cornell chapel which a plaque indicates was redone in the 1990s during his hospital stay it was perfectly nice and neat he said but it was undistinguished the chairs were mismatched he said the altar wasnt high enough it didnt have atmosphere it had track lighting
i thought as someone whos creative this needs to be changed mr basso said this should be beautiful no matter what your religion is you should walk in and feel like youre in a holy place
he met dr laura l forese weill cornells executive vice president and chief operating officer when he staged a fashion show to benefit the hospital last year he called her later and said he wanted to make a very specific donation i told her i dont want to do an x ray machine i dont want to do a waiting room he said i told her its great there are people who want to do that im a designer im creative i want to do this
then he and mr cominotto called kenneth alpert the interior designer who had done their apartment their house in the hamptons and mr bassos first store on madison avenue he said are you looking at a new apartment mr basso recalled i said were doing a chapel kenny he thought he didnt hear me right
from the beginning mr basso and mr cominotto had something particular in mind we didnt want the contemporary look we wanted to follow the bones of the room mr basso said we wanted to enhance the stained glass windows they dont even do stained glass work like this anymore the big one looks like it came out of notre dame it has a feeling
they installed chandeliers that echo arches on one wall that dr forese said are themselves echoes of elements in the palace of the popes in avignon france home to the bishops of rome in the 14th century and one of the largest gothic palaces in the world they also transformed the foyer where a window looked out on a courtyard that as mr basso described it wasnt the most beautiful
we had them frost the window he said
he and mr cominotto were married in 2011 in the first same sex ceremony to be held at the pierre hotel mr basso said he and mr cominotto were both practicing catholics we grew up in catholic homes mr basso said they dedicated the renovation to his late parents and mr cominottos late father as well as to his mother joan cominotto who attended a ceremony for the chapels reopening last week but the chapel is nondenominational when its open during the day theres really no visual religion   no crosses or other symbols he said
on sunday they do the catholic mass he said on friday night they do a jewish service we had to make all the chairs easily stackable so when the muslims come they take the prayer rugs out of the closet
the project was different from decorating an apartment or a boutique we had to follow the criteria of the hospital mr basso said and mr alpert added that the hospital had sent him a list of requirements for materials
this was followed by what dr forese called the carpet conversation
hospital officials prepared a presentation with a sample of carpet that met its standards for washability among other things
it wasnt beautiful she said it would have been fine
but mr basso who described it as utilitarian looking said it would not do
mr alpert came up with a carpet that was dyed to meet the hospitals specifications it is red though not the red of the red carpet at fashion shows and galas and it has a pattern what to call it
regal mr alpert said thats denniss middle name


the tribeca film festival wrapped up on sunday and announced its audience award winners here alone directed by rod blackhurst and the return directed by kelly duane de la vega and katie galloway
the winners were chosen through online audience voting here alone which won the narrative award depicts an apocalyptic civilization ravaged by a virus the return won the documentary award and focuses on the struggles of convicts re entering society each award came with a cash prize of 10000
the runners up were children of the mountain set in ghana about a mother facing adversity which was written and directed by priscilla anany and midsummer in newtown a documentary directed by lloyd kramer about a production of a midsummer nights dream starring local children in newtown conn


brussels   the offices of politico europe the brussels outpost of the american political news organization are less than a five minute walk from the maelbeek subway station where a suicide bomber killed more than a dozen people in the terrorist attacks here last month
the niche publication normally focuses on the inner workings and power dynamics of the european unions sprawling institutions so acts of islamic terrorism are not exactly its standard offering but to matthew kaminski politico europes executive editor it was an event that lent itself naturally to politicos brand of swift flood the zone news coverage
we have the biggest newsroom in this town mr kaminski said of the more than 40 journalists now under his command and this was a hit on our community
before the bombings sharp coverage in politico had already branded belgium a failed state after it was revealed that last novembers terrorist attacks on paris had also been organized in a neglected neighborhood of central brussels the sustained scrutiny in politico addressed to an international english speaking audience rankled many in belgiums famously parochial establishment   as the more deferential members of the countrys french  and dutch language media looked on just three days before the brussels attacks a spokesman for the prime minister dismissed politicos analysis on twitter as biased as always
we were on site pushing that button every day said ryan heath a senior correspondent who writes politicos widely read brussels playbook newsletter
it had a multiplier effect mr heath said and that did not go down well
the brussels attacks punctuated what had already been an unusually newsy first year for politicos european venture which was started last april in partnership with the german publishing group axel springer in addition to terrorism and security subjects like the migration crisis the ongoing war in ukraine grinding debt talks with greece and the prospect of a british exit from the 28 member european union not only kept the continent in the headlines but also served to remind europeans   and the rest of the world   of the importance of the often arcane policy debates taking place in brussels
much like the original politico which was founded in 2007 its european incarnation covers its beat like a village paper harnessing the immediacy of the internet to deliver breaking news at a brisk tempo to a core readership of political and civic insiders its granular coverage of everything from ministerial summit meetings to regulatory committee hearings is leavened with tidbits from errant emails and restaurant recommendations as well as revealing anecdotes about the biggest power brokers in brussels
we dont want to just write about politics but about why these different actors are doing the things they do said carrie budoff brown a former white house reporter for politico who is now the managing editor in brussels
as a digital first news outlet politico europe uses its website as a shop window politicoeu offers a mix of free news and analysis as well as a menu of premium politico pro subscription channels focused on topics such as energy health care and technology policy it is a hybrid of free and for pay offerings that has been copied from politicos successful american operation said sheherazade semsar de boisseson the managing director in brussels so far she said it has exceeded its shareholders expectations both for audience and revenue
we didnt really know how many readers inside the brussels bubble there would be said ms semsar de boisseson the former publisher of european voice a narrowly focused policy driven weekly that she sold in 2014 to axel springer and that was supplanted by politico europe
politico europe claims an audience of one million to 15 million unique monthly visitors to its free website 30000 readers of its weekly print newspaper and about 200 institutional subscribers to its pro products whose potential user base numbers in the tens of thousands ms semsar de boisseson said
compared with other english language publications with a reputation for in depth if not exclusive coverage of the european union   and that cater to a global audience   politico has a modest reach especially relative to the size of its newsroom the financial times with a staff of five in brussels claims to reach 21 million readers every day in print and online of whom close to 800000 are paying subscribers
politico europe says it is the quality not the size of the readership that matters most about 20 percent of its readers live and work in belgium its largest european market followed by about 11 percent in britain and 9 percent in germany
we produce a kind of news for insiders that gives them the juice that they can use said mr kaminski who came to politico from the wall street journal where he worked for more than a decade in paris and brussels
readers of politicos specialized pro services include officials and staff from all the major branches of the european union as well as senior members of governments corporations and consultancies pro subscriptions which can run into the tens of thousands of dollars a year generate 30 percent of politico europes revenues the rest comes from ads and branded conferences
brussels playbook is the european equivalent to the free morning email started by politicos departing star washington reporter mike allen and like its american forerunner it serves as the sites reportorial marquee compiled before dawn by mr heath and sent out to 50000 inboxes before the morning commute playbook is a briefing delivered in a jocular daily show style
everyone reads it conceded peter spiegel brussels bureau chief of the financial times it has really become the thing that starts the daily conversation here
it has also transformed mr heath an australian who is a former spokesman and speechwriter for the european commission into politicos de facto public face and a minor celebrity in brussels
it means youre spinning a lot of plates mr heath said one recent morning as he raced from the newsroom to deliver a live update for cnn on the bombing investigation
but beyond the general and widespread praise for playbook politicos european reception has been mixed its zest for short shelf life scoops and its frequent focus on personalities have led some to dismiss its coverage as incremental and shallow with little relevance to readers outside brussels
some of the coverage is a bit superficial and doesnt always get to the heart of the matter said jon worth a communications consultant in berlin and longtime blogger about european affairs
jean claude juncker the president of the european commission for example was upset by a politico article last year about his battle with kidney stones which he later derided as peep show journalism
jean quatremer who covers european politics for the french daily liberation said in an email politico is firing on all cylinders to get people talking about them and they are succeeding but he added its too sensationalistic too into hyping up small stories
tara palmeri a former writer for the new york posts gossip column page six who now covers the european commission for politico was quick to shrug off such criticism
we are making them famous were making them relevant even when we are being critical ms palmeri said of the leaders she covered we are telling the stories that make them human and even sort of interesting
mr kaminski said politico recognized the need to attract new european readers beyond brussels and to that end was already recruiting staff to reinforce the small bureaus it has in london paris and berlin two new playbook style newsletters were also recently started morning exchange which covers the european corporate and financial world and morgen europa a german language politics briefing
the news has been very helpful in making everyone see that europe is not done mr kaminski said and its not boring he added its a work in progress


washington   senator sherrod brown of ohio is a relatively accessible fellow but when asked for an interview on the subject of the schisms in his democratic party his schedule was full instead he sent a statement that the hillary clinton bernie sanders presidential primary battle was strengthening the party in contrast with the divisive republican fight
hes right about the republicans the personal invective and policy splits threaten to tear the party apart and produce an electoral cataclysm in november
yet that is obscuring serious problems on the democratic side deep divisions on policy and an almost certain nominee mrs clinton who if not for donald j trump would be the most unpopular presidential front runner in recent times
the differences between mrs clinton and mr sanders are more pronounced than those between barack obama and mrs clinton in 2008 then there were modest divergences on health care and national security highlighted by her support five years earlier for george w bushs decision to invade iraq mainly it was a difference of style and persona a new voice in an environment of change running against a candidate focused on recapturing the salad days of the last democratic administration
this time   on major economic issues taxes health care and regulating wall street   the gaps are much wider on national security too as mrs clinton hasnt much moderated her interventionist inclination she was a leading advocate for the 2011 military action in libya the aftermath of the invasion turned out disastrously and mr obama has expressed regrets she hasnt
party platforms are window dressing but they can be politically symbolic its hard to see how the clinton forces can accommodate mr sanderss demands for breaking up big banks free college tuition and staying out of syria
yet if she is the democratic nominee shell need mr sanderss followers in the autumn and would be taking a risk to rely on mr trumps unpopularity to carry her to the white house
in the latest wall street journalnbc news poll voters viewed mr trump unfavorably 65 percent to 24 percent the highest negatives for a national political figure that the pollster peter hart said he had ever seen but if it werent for mr trump the story would be about mrs clintons negatives in the same survey she was viewed unfavorably 56 percent to 32 percent she does poorly among some of mr sanderss core supporters such as young people and independents
if senator ted cruz becomes the republican nominee there will be a fierce ideological battle with both sides working to energize their base mr trump or mr cruz can be counted on to raise sensitive issues ignored by mr sanders such as potential problems involving the clinton foundation which has accepted huge donations from wealthy donors as well as big contributions from foreign interests mrs clinton has said that the clinton foundation would continue to operate if she is elected president
mrs clintons backers say she holds more cards than her opponents if for instance there is a foreign policy crisis during the fall campaign many voters give her good marks for knowledge and experience by contrast in the wall street journalnbc news survey last week voters by more than 3 to 1 said they lacked confidence in mr trumps ability to deal with an international crisis
she can send a message with her choice for vice president to be sure such chatter now is purely conjectural at this stage in previous elections sarah palin geraldine ferraro and dick cheney   all eventually tapped   werent even on the radar
but several people who talk to mrs clinton think she would be comfortable with senator tim kaine a mature moderate who was a successful governor of virginia a swing state she has been intrigued they say with the notion of picking another woman senator elizabeth warren of massachusetts would excite the base
there is little chemistry between them however and if she still wanted to play to the sanders folk a more palatable alternative might be the liberal senator brown which may help explain why he didnt want to talk last week


marital strife smolders explodes and uneasily subsides on lemonade parkwood entertainment the album beyonce flash released on saturday night you can taste the dishonestyits all over your breath are the first words she sings in pray you catch me and thats just the beginning of an album that probes betrayal jealousy revenge and rage before dutifully willing itself toward reconciliation at the end many of the accusations are aimed specifically and recognizably at her husband shawn carter the rapper jay z tonight i regret the night i put that ring on she talk sings in sorry a twitchy flippant song thats by no means an apology its a combative unglossy track on an album full of them
lemonade is the kind of album that a star like beyonce as well as lately rihanna can release in the streaming era because shes already guaranteed attention for her every utterance the album is not beholden to radio formats or presold by a single fans are likely to explore the whole album streaming every track and hearing how far afield   a brass band stomping blues rock ultraslow avant rb   beyonce is willing to go as she did with her 2013 album beyonce she has also paired the music with full length video that expands and deepens its impact
on their own the songs can be taken as one stars personal domestic dramas waiting to be mined by the tabloids but with the video they testify to situations and emotions countless women endure its not a divorce announcement the singer songwriter and director is credited as beyonce knowles carter
beyonce released lemonade online at 10 pm on april 23 immediately after the hbo showing of the hourlong visual album version its a quick cutting music video that intersperses the songs and broadens them with compelling poetry from the somali british writer warsan shire poems that often extend womens physicality toward the archetypal as beyonce recites them ms shires words radically reframe the songs so they are no longer one womans struggles but tribulations shared through generations of mothers and daughters the video is filled with images of female solidarity and of family southern and african roots women of all ages and roles and eras often beyonce is joined by african american women in white clothes enacting shared work gatherings of women or eerie communal rituals beyonce in multiple hairstyles and fashions is shown both alluring and unglamorous hard faced unhappy sweaty harshly lit for the last few songs she often appears in a puffy sleeved antebellum style dress remade with fabric patterns derived from african textiles a rich twist
the album title comes from a family gathering thats shown in the video and heard on a track the 90th birthday of hattie white jay zs grandmother who says i was served lemons but i made lemonade
lemonade is not necessarily the album listeners might have expected after formation the song beyonce performed at the super bowl with dancers in black panther style outfits and in a video clip using images of new orleans of african americans in a plantation mansion and of beyonce atop a police car sinking under a flood its the last song on lemonade almost a postscript its not in the extended video
one other song on lemonade mixes preaching and a prison song both collected by john and alan lomax a kendrick lamar rap and 1960s fuzz tone psychedelia sampling the collectors item puerto rican band kaleidoscope to call for freedom i break chains all by myselfwont let my freedom rot in hell beyonce vows
but most of lemonade arrives like a follow through to jealous on the 2013 beyonce a song that moans i hate you for your lies jealous is offset on beyonce by songs about ecstatic lust a topic largely absent on lemonade in most of the new songs beyonce has been taken for granted or pushed aside its a situation that she finds is both a wicked way to treat the girl that loves you and also flabbergasting given that she is after all beyonce beyonce the baddest woman in the game as she sings in hold up fact check she is
her reactions swing from sorrow to rage to determined loyalty and she reaches beyond the electronic rb of beyonce to embrace new influences and collaborators the yeah yeah yeahs father john misty vampire weekends ezra koenig animal collective and led zeppelin dont hurt yourself a collaboration with jack white is a funk bottomed blues rocker that has beyonce fighting back declaring you aint trying hard enoughyou aint loving hard enough working up to a scream pray you catch me is one of two collaborations with the british songwriter james blake slow motion ballads of suspicion and longing during forward the other blake collaboration the video has its most moving sequence family members stoically holding photographs of men who were killed by police its followed by a scene of a new orleans mardi gras indian in full feathered and beaded costume shaking a tambourine in posh dining rooms as if to exorcise them
yet eventually she makes peace with trying to hold on love drought with whispery vocals amid pillowy synthesizers points out that 10 times out of nine i know youre lying but strives to reconnect sandcastles a slow piano hymn that eventually gathers a choir recalls a dish smashing fight but turns a double negative into a positive i know i promised that i couldnt stay babyevery promise dont work out that way by the time beyonce reaches all night a gospelly ballad roughened with electric guitar she resolves to give you some time to prove i can trust you again
will it work out no one knows but in the meantime she sings wholeheartedly encapsulates deep dilemmas in terse singalong lines and touches on ideas and emotions that so many people feel she is a star whose world is vastly different from that of her listeners but in matters of the heart with their complications and paradoxes beyonce joins all of us


hong kong   the united steelworkers union has suspended indefinitely an unusual effort to push the united states government to restrict all aluminum imports after the campaign ran into opposition from aluminum companies the canadian government and even canadian members of the union
the union on friday withdrew its petition to an american trade panel which was filed the preceding monday after an aluminum industry group agreed to work with the union to address its main concern chinese aluminum production overcapacity and exports the aluminum association shares many of the concerns expressed by the united steelworkers regarding chinese aluminum overproduction the group said in a statement overcapacity must be addressed to maintain a vibrant and healthy north american aluminum industry
the statement provided no specifics saying only that the industry supports ongoing efforts by the us and chinese governments to address this critical issue
chinas aluminum exports have surged as the countrys economy slows those exports have displaced canadian exports in some international markets triggering an increase in canadian shipments to the united states where they now account for two thirds of all american imports of raw aluminum
at the same time american companies including alcoa have also been expanding in countries including canada iceland and saudi arabia while closing less efficient operations in the united states
the union tried to address the issue by invoking section 201 of the 1974 trade act   an obscure trade law not employed since 2001 when president george w bush used it to restrict steel imports that nearly set off a trade war with the european union in a section 201 case american industries or unions facing serious injury from imports may seek broad tariffs on imports from around the world rather than from a particular country
the unions petition triggered a strong reaction from government officials and workers in canada especially in the province of quebec that was awkward for the united steelworkers which represents workers across north america
although it withdrew the petition the union said on friday we believe the section 201 case would have resulted in immediate price increases that would have helped to maintain domestic production and employment as well as ensuring that producers in the united states and canada would be able to obtain a fairer price for their products
section 201 cases are handled initially by the united states international trade commission a bipartisan panel of trade experts in washington but the final decision is made by the president who decides whether to follow recommendations from the commission cases that involve substantial imports from canada or mexico are sometimes slightly harder for american industries and unions to win because they are covered by the north american free trade agreement


he sipped from a bottle of iced tea taking his position near a corner in the l shaped duane reade from there he could see the cold medicine in aisle 7a the deodorants in aisle 3 security videos on a screen above aisle 5 and most important near the entrance the beer cooler
the thieves love their beer
modelo heineken budweiser said the man derek exum 47 a security guard in plain clothes waiting like a hunter in a stand the 12 pack or the 24 pack
this is not a typical duane reade the new york based chain that began more than 50 years ago with a single store between the two downtown streets that make its name this is the duane reade embedded in the port authority bus terminal near times square and it is plagued by a steady assault of shoplifters and snatch and dash crooks who linger at the terminal inside and out
mr exum said he had stopped more than 70 shoplifters since his employer seb security placed him there three months ago he said they were mostly catch and release cases in which he confronted the thief presented him with a trespassing notice snapped a mug shot with a cellphone camera and sent him away
to dispel any doubt mr exum opened his phone to dozens of photos of sullen men whom he had stopped
in a city that prides itself on record low crime levels the duane reade is a reminder of the stubbornly old school grittiness of the bus terminal a hub for addicts and the homeless some down on their luck some bleary eyed and nodding others ranting the terminal can seem frozen in time as if it were inside a snow bubble marked new york city 1974
the store is in many ways an easy target besides the street entrance on eighth avenue there are two separate entryways that open to the terminal itself grabbing something and running out would not seem to be difficult it is the job of the guards   there are generally three on the floor in the afternoons with only one of them in uniform   to stop the thieves
they run countersurveillance they watch us said rudy alcide 41 also a guard at the store sometimes theyll send someone to get caught and while were over getting his information the others come in stealing
another guard christopher taylor 45 in plain clothes and avoiding eye contact with a reporter so as not to blow his cover described his rounds shaving aisle medicine aisle aisle 7 aisle 6 those are the hot spots he said speaking softly
beer body wash cosmetics food said michael james 29 another guard
condoms detergent mr exum added
and energy drinks whenever the door to the cooler containing energy drinks is opened a loud alarm shrieks alerting the guards this is what it has come to here every person who reaches for the energy drinks is assumed to be a thief and worth a closer look
few of the shoplifters face criminal charges there have been 18 arrests this year compared with 11 in the same time period last year deputy chief raymond bryan of the port authority police department said he acknowledged that most shoplifters caught   and released   by the duane reade guards were not reported to the police and that the guards performed their own investigations
the loss prevention guys do at times leave the store to follow the guys who have stolen property chief bryan said sometimes they notify papd and sometimes they dont
mr exum said he had ventured to the terminals upper floors in search of stolen goods and found men drinking beer in the warren of hallways between buses beer theft is a big enough problem that the police asked the management to move the cooler located near a door farther into the store
the store declined chief bryan said and now all the thieves had to do was stick their arm in the store and remove the item from the cooler he said the stores response to the request was that it wanted to remain uniform and alike with the rest of the stores in manhattan
phil caruso a spokesman for walgreens which owns duane reade declined to comment on how crime there compared with other stores while we do not disclose information on criminal activity in our stores mr caruso said the safety of our customers and employees is a top concern
on wednesday afternoon as mr exum described beer theft for a reporter in the store a tall disheveled man shuffled past him and pulled a large can of heineken from the cooler the man walked toward the cashiers then pivoted and headed for the door
he did not make it very far mr exum hurried over and stopped him took the beer and let him go with a warning he put the can back in the cooler
mr exum said he worked a circuit of duane reade stores in the course of a week and dressed with care ill dress bummy he said ill wear a shirt thats got paint on it or something i wont get a haircut
some days are dull but not here this is my favorite store he said
his son derek exum jr 27 works there too i had somebody take two bud cases and set them by the door and another guy took the beer he said he showed a photo in his phone of dozens of 5 hour energy drinks he said someone had tried to steal recently
theodore russell 40 also a guard there caught a thief on thursday afternoon stealing 11 sticks of deodorant   old spice and right guard he snatched the mans bag with the loot as the man ran away inside mr russell said he found 15 sandwiches from a 7 eleven
just a regular dude he said of the thief
jean dorelus 35 a guard working on thursday afternoon held an unopened bottle of orange juice as part of his disguise as a shopper he glanced toward the front of the store but was reluctant to stray from the rear
i have to keep my eyes on the beer he said


hanover germany   president obama said on sunday that he was confident the united states and the european union would succeed in negotiating a new trans atlantic trade deal by the end of the year saying the benefits of such an agreement were indisputable
mr obama said images of factories moving overseas and lost jobs created a narrative about trade agreements that drives understandably a lot of suspicion in places like the united states and germany but he added well designed trade deals can have greater benefits
it is indisputable that it has made our economy stronger he said it has made sure that our businesses are the most competitive in the world
mr obama spoke while standing next to chancellor angela merkel of germany at a news conference in hanover as they prepared to preside over the opening here of the worlds largest industrial trade fair
in the evening mr obama and ms merkel hosted a dinner for 29 chief executives of major american and german companies
the presidents visit to germany was intended to bolster negotiators seeking to wrap up a trade agreement between the united states and the european union an accord that ms merkel supports but that is highly unpopular in her country
ms merkel is among mr obamas most trusted counterparts and the president is eager to support her during difficult political times ms merkel has struggled in recent months to confront a surge of migrants and a weakening economy
on sunday she echoed mr obamas enthusiasm for the trans atlantic trade deal using bolder language than is her usual style
we should get a move on the chancellor said we all know the reproaches worries and fears and what difficulties remain
but if time is used wisely she said an agreement that will raise living standards can emerge so my request to those who are present she added looking around the audience of hundreds of business leaders and politicians is do it and then we can have a great success this year
the chancellor greeted the president at the schloss herrenhausen the former summer residence of the royal house of hanover they stood in front of a line of german troops in gray overcoats and green berets as the national anthems of the two nations played before the two leaders returned inside for a private meeting
mr obama said he hoped the trade negotiations could be completed before he left office
i dont anticipate that we will be able to complete ratification of a deal by the end of this year but i do anticipate that we will have completed the agreement he said once negotiations are finished he said people will be able to see exactly why this will be good for our two countries
yet even as he expressed confidence that a deal would be reached this year mr obama acknowledged that time is not on our side and he offered a thinly veiled warning that a deal could be doomed if politicians like hillary clinton who opposes the accord are elected this year
if we dont complete negotiations this year then upcoming political transitions in the united states and europe could mean this agreement wont be finished for quite some time mr obama said not mentioning mrs clinton his former secretary of state directly
earlier mr obamas commerce secretary penny pritzker told an audience of 350 business leaders we must ask ourselves what is the cost of delay
now is the time for us german leadership she said
yet germans often veer between admiration and scorn of the united states rarely was that more clear than in the contrasting ways that two groups prepared to greet mr obama here this weekend
undeterred by the scandal caused by volkswagens deceit about emissions from its diesel vehicles in the united states germanys export driven businesses showed off their wares in eager anticipation of the fairs opening on sunday and the first visit to this city by a sitting american president mr obama helped open the fair
mr obama kindled good will with an unusually glowing appraisal of ms merkel telling germanys best selling newspaper bild that he was proud to call her a friend in particular he praised ms merkels real political and moral leadership in welcoming more than a million migrants last year
none of that impressed the tens of thousands of protesters who gathered in hanovers opera square on saturday their goal as proclaimed in hundreds of banners and chants was to topple the trade deal the trans atlantic trade and investment partnership
germany depends on exports for its wealth and on the united states for its security yet many germans do not see the trade agreement as a good thing
monica orth 54 a therapist for teenagers who lives in bonn is one of many here who see the trade pact as a plot by big businesses   often american ones   to lower consumer standards bypass national justice systems and undermine europes way of life
i dont want monsanto and bayer to determine which seeds i eat ms orth said as two friends nodded in agreement she added democracy is a really valuable thing and i dont want big business to take that from me
at least a dozen other protesters who were interviewed echoed her words all accused corporations like monsanto   the american biotechnology corporation reviled by some for using genetically modified seeds that it says help battle disease   or the german pharmaceutical company bayer of trying to force on them products they do not want
in a way these germans should be a source of american pride fierce believers in the democratic creed that the western allies spread after the defeat of the nazis
yet popular sentiment in germany often turns against the united states which though admired for its liberty and technical prowess is also mistrusted by many for its commercial and military dominance
anti americanism plays a certain role in the opposition to the trade accord said christian bluth a researcher at bertelsmann stiftung a german research institute that recently commissioned a poll suggesting even stronger rejection of the deal than the latest survey by zdf a public service television broadcaster which found in mid february that at least half of germans opposed the proposed trade agreement
what i personally find very difficult to understand is why germans are so full of fears about trade and the future at a time when they have it good and unemployment is relatively low mr bluth said in an interview
anton hofreiter a leader of the greens party who observed the protest on saturday said anti american beliefs were not the guiding force of the campaign against the trade pact yet he noted that demonstrators were wary that mr obama had come to europe partly to make a quick trade deal
protesters who were asked why they so feared a pact likely to enhance germanys trade prospects or why they distrusted american regulators who uncovered the volkswagen scandal when european regulators did not insisted that they would be deceived describing the trade talks as secretive
as a leading commentator nico fried noted in the newspaper suddeutsche zeitung on saturday it sometimes seems easier to get the conflicting parties in syria to agree on peace than for the friendly trans atlantic partners to produce a trade agreement


the reaction has been swift
the singer bryan adams canceled his concert in mississippi in protest against what he called an anti lgbt law and the actress sharon stone decided not to film a movie there in north carolina bruce springsteen ringo starr pearl jam and ani difranco have canceled shows in response to a law regulating transgender bathroom access
while the celebrity response is drawing considerable attention the travel industry in each state is more concerned about lower profile visitors the everyday tourists who have already begun canceling trips or planning vacations elsewhere
both states have been hit by hotel cancellations from tourists who spend a combined tens of billions of dollars annually and though the effect is difficult to quantify so early on local hotels tourist boards industry associations and government officials fear that a boycott will continue to dampen business making matters tougher for the businesses the foreign office in britain has issued an advisory for lesbian gay bisexual and transgender travelers going to the two states based on the laws
the effect is already being felt in north carolina which last month passed a law that limits transgender people to using bathrooms that match the sex on their birth certificates tourism is a crucial driver of the economy in the state the sixth most visited in the country where domestic travelers spent a record 213 billion in 2014 according to visit north carolina the states tourist board
in charlotte which has a large convention center more than 20 conventions have either canceled or are no longer considering holding their event in the state resulting in a loss so far of around 25 million according to the charlotte regional visitors authority
the westin charlotte a starwood property next to the convention center is also seeing a dip over 55 percent of our business comes from groups and 11 groups have pulled us from consideration because of the law said david montgomery the propertys director of sales and marketing at the hotel which has hung a large banner that says always welcome on its exterior part of a campaign by the local tourism authority
dr barbara risman a sociology professor at the university of illinois at chicago and the former president of the southern sociological society a virginia based group dedicated to sociological research recently canceled the groups conference of 1200 attendees at the westin scheduled for 2019 because of the law we dont want to spend our money in a state that discriminates against the lgbt community she said and since our members often bring their families along to the conferences and stay in the destination for a few days after for fun were talking about tourist dollars from airfare hotel rooms and meals not going to charlotte
gov pat mccrory of north carolina though says a charlotte ordinance set in motion the law he signed last month mr mccrory whose office did not respond to requests for comment said on meet the press recently that the law was an attempt to counter a city ordinance banning discrimination against gays lesbians bisexual and transgender people
regardless of the locus of the political tensions the cancellations are being reported statewide marriott international with 134 properties across its portfolio of brands in north carolina and starwood hotels  resorts worldwide with 20 are also seeing canceled reservations in an email ken siegel starwoods chief administrative officer and general counsel said anecdotally we know that some guests have canceled bookings at our north carolina properties after the law passed to take their business outside of the state
thomas maloney the senior director of government affairs for marriott said its properties handful of cancellations may not have a big financial effect now but the brand was taking a longer view the biggest risk we are looking to measure is not cancellations right now but bookings that dont come in down the line he said
smaller companies are not being spared either weve had several guests who stated that they are not gay or transgender cancel their stay with us because of this issue said amanda sullivan the director of marketing and public relations at the old edwards inn and spa a relais  chateaux property in the blue ridge mountains
mississippi is facing its own backlash among tourists in response to a law that allows people to discriminate against gays lesbians bisexual and transgender people based on religious grounds like north carolina the state is highly dependent on its travel industry in 2015 travel and tourism total employment   direct indirect and induced   was 117685 or 105 percent of statewide employment according to visit mississippi
gov phil bryant of mississippi did not respond to requests for comment but said on twitter that hotel occupancy rates at non casino hotels had risen compared with those a year ago anecdotal evidence suggests that the trend may not hold
linda g hornsby the executive director of the mississippi hotel  lodging association a group of more than 300 hotels said that her organizations member hotels had reported some cancellations
one family who will not be coming had plans to visit delta blues attractions and bay st louis according to mike cashion the executive director of the mississippi hospitality  restaurant association who wrote a letter to the mississippi house of representatives relaying the immediate and worrisome effect on the travel industry because of the states bill that family is going to new orleans and galveston instead and they are not an isolated example he said
jay hughes a democratic member of the mississippi house of representatives for district 12 which includes the city of oxford famous for its rich literary culture also reported seeing several cancellations tourism is not a cottage industry for us it is a key economic driver and the economic toll of people not coming to visit our state because the law is unpredictable and definitely real he said
oxford in particular is a big tourist draw with a population of only around 20000 the visitor spending there in 2015 was 1348 million according to the local tourist council visit oxford
travel industry executives and officials in north carolina and in mississippi are attempting to counter the message that they say the legislation delivers mr hughes on april 12 introduced the mississippi economic tourism and recovery act to the house which would prevent businesses and individuals from discriminating against the lesbian gay bisexual and transgender community
marriott internationals president and chief executive arne sorenson is one of several heads of hospitality companies who have signed an open letter to mr mccrory of north carolina asking for the repeal of the bathroom law that letter was written by the human rights campaign the nations largest gay rights organization and equality north carolina the state organization working to secure equal rights for lesbian gay bisexual and transgender north carolinians
christopher j nassetta president and chief executive of hilton worldwide and tom mangas chief executive of starwood also signed the letter mr nassetta signed a similar letter the human rights campaign wrote to mr bryant of mississippi asking for the law to be repealed
local tourist organizations too are taking action on april 13 the charlotte regional visitors authority launched an always welcome campaign to convey the citys inclusive culture businesses around town are participating by posting banners and signs with the always welcome logo
the mississippi travel industry is also expressing a welcoming attitude in dealing with the effects of the bill that was passed there on march 30 linda g hornsby of the mississippi hotel and lodging association said the first thing we did after the bill was passed was to put up a banner on our website that says everyone is welcome here because thats how we feel this law is not what mississippi is about


online media companies are once again bracing for change now the prospect facing them is audiences that dont just start on social media platforms   they never have to leave them
facebook now hosts articles created by outside publishers as well as videos and live broadcasts snapchat with its discover product has created a sort of online media in miniature with tv newspaper and magazine companies angling to have a channel on the platform and of course media companies publish constantly to instagram and twitter amassing giant audiences
to publishers the rise of platforms has been disorienting at best as it threatens many of their business models to andrei hagiu a 38 year old associate professor at harvard business school the change has followed a familiar pattern mr hagiu is an economist who studies platforms and multisided marketplaces   like ebay and amazon or airbnb and uber   that have in similar ways transformed destroyed or expanded industries multisided marketplaces are businesses that enable interactions between different types of customers a credit card processor connects customers with merchants and collects fees airbnb connects renters with property owners and does the same in 2006 with david s evans and richard schmalensee he wrote invisible engines how software platforms drive innovation and transform industries a book on the subject
mr hagiu spoke at length with the new york times about what changes when a platform comes to town and what it might mean for online media the interview was condensed and edited for clarity
would you define a publication as a multisided marketplace
yes   we can say its a two sided platform if we count the two sides as being the readers on one side and the advertisers on the other now theres a separate question   we can talk about the third side which would be the writers
something like a tumblr or medium   a place where people can just post
yes where theres clearly a direct interaction and theres a lot more control by the two sides   its truly on the platform not a lot of control exerted by the publication as an aggregator
how would you then describe in similar terms what a company like facebook is   or a company like snapchat
facebook i always say its at least a four sided platform they have users they have advertisers they have third party application developers and then finally they have websites that use the facebook connect system   which is to say that you can log in with your facebook credentials
where does a company that is producing professional video or journalism for facebook   publishing those directly on facebook and getting some kind of revenue   fit in
so basically theyre adding one extra side which we can call premium content publishers broadly it makes sense and its very similar to the transformation that youtube has gone through they went from having pretty much one side   when they started off for the first few years everyone was a user as a user you could watch videos or post videos but everyone was the same sometimes i watch sometimes i post some people just watch some people just post but they are all the same users now theyve become a lot more sophisticated with advertising and revenue sharing and with professional video producers
if a publication style business becomes a participant in a marketplace like facebook what has changed for it
this has been an ongoing concern lets say youre an established company and now theres a multisided platform in your business what happens and say you have to play on that multisided platform because theyre big and everyone else is playing so you need to get on top of it the concern is always commoditization i think partly its true   what a platform does to some degree is introduce a lowest common denominator in particular they make the substitution or the switching cost between the different players a lot lower i think thats undeniable its much easier to switch between say the new york times and the wall street journal as a user and as an advertiser by the way if those are on top of facebook
one example that youve published on before is toys r us i know this will sound ridiculous to some people in the publishing industry to compare a toy retailers relationship with amazon to a publications relationship with a social platform but maybe it shouldnt
when amazon emerged as the pre eminent e commerce platform a lot of big companies said we need to find a way to play with them   it seems like theres a lot of e commerce going on there and we cant ignore it so we need to do something toys r us struck a deal that turned out later to be not very advantageous initially it was a good deal for toys r us and it gave them access to amazons customers but afterward what happened was amazon found ways to take advantage of toys r us using the relationship and its presence on their platform to start a toy category on amazon to figure out how to sell toys on amazon and then to invite a lot of competing companies on the same platform to compete with toys r us which made it a lot less attractive for them to be there
essentially they overlooked the possibility that amazon would just use them as a way to start a category of toys   they somehow assumed it would be exclusive without putting it in the contract and obviously if im a platform of course i dont want to be exclusive with anyone right i mean thats the point of a platform i want to have as much competition between whatever participants as possible
so if we grant some sort of comparison between a publishing partners relationship with a large distribution platform and a retailers relationship with amazon that might sound alarming
so with amazon just to make the comparison very clear   in the case of amazon with toys r us the first thing that happened that was bad for toys r us wasnt that amazon started selling its own toys in their own name it was that they invited third party smaller sellers of toys to compete with toys r us on amazons platform and that competition is very fierce in the case of snapchat what youre describing is pretty much the same thing   they may have tried and realized producing high quality and engaging content is not very easy and they probably said you know we dont really have to because we have all these users and if we get good at aggregating that or inviting other third party content publishers that works just as well
how do pre existing companies typically make the transition from being an independent participant in a particular category to being basically a platform constituent thats a broad question but   is there an industry that might have useful parallels to the media industry with something like a major social platform
i dont think its true that transitioning from independence to life on a platform necessarily has to make things worse one thing that i think a lot about   in conversations with venture capitalists and others   is the notion that platforms or marketplaces inherently commoditize i think more likely whats happening is the following i think platforms or marketplaces make it a lot easier for say the content providers or app developers that are very very good to rise to the top and pretty much commoditize everyone else so if youre average its definitely going to be very bad life is going to be worse on a platform because youre exposed to more competition if youre very good life on a platform is a lot better
among the luxuries that you have as a media company when you have your coherent audience is that you get to sort of self define a little bit a publisher might hear you say the best rise to the top or its good to be one of the best on a platform and say great thats us but i wonder if that fails to account for the redefinition of what your company does on a platform
its a little bit like if you ask drivers how they rate their driving ability you know 80 percent say theyre above average the important qualifier to what i said earlier about how the best rise to the top is that inherently the platforms force a lot more specialization than before previously in the independent world players were able to afford to be a little bit broader i think the problem is now you really have to think very deeply a lot more carefully   what exactly are the one or two things were really good at and focus on those so theres going to be a lot of forced specialization because on a platform competition will be vertical by vertical
in a case like facebook the content was largely there before   in the form of links
it makes perfect sense right to bring more of that content inside because they can increase engagement
things load faster its a better experience and posts and videos are created with facebook in mind which means they might feel better inside the platform
yes and they want to do as much as possible   ideally for them they want to get as much content as they can to increase readership theres probably a function between the well being of the platform and the quality of the content that they have
it seems like theres a great deal in common across the social platforms in terms of how theyre making money   ill include snapchat facebook twitter and instagram as examples   since theyre mostly advertising supported if they continue to become more dominant it seems like these similarities could express themselves in a more direct sort of competition perhaps for partners which celebrity chooses which which company works on which
this is harder   for video games right now the large game developers are nonexclusive they used to be more exclusive and i think this has decreased over time   its become very hard to convince say electronic arts to give up the xbox one market to work with the playstation so that has definitely played against the platforms game platforms always try to buy or produce their own games for differentiation but its very hard
a different example the other way is online video   netflix and amazon the problem there is very similar everyone has basically the same movies by now so this has pushed netflix and amazon to start producing their own content if im one of the original providers   studios i guess   then im not happy because now you have this high quality production from netflix and amazon who are stealing viewers from you
you take this down to the level of articles and shorter videos and you have different considerations no especially around exclusivity im trying to imagine any sort of leverage
well lets say the content in question requires a lot less investment first of all theres going to be a lot more competition its very hard to compete with the video game call of duty its a lot easier to come up with close substitutes for something that requires a lot less investment the substitution concern on a platform is a lot higher
the most profound piece of this   the trend that i find fascinating   is that every year people look at this and say these are the products and services that are right now being transacted on these multisided platforms but theres a limit theres always higher level higher value products and services that are extremely out of reach now were saying oh there are all these on demand economy platforms like taskrabbit but surely this is limited to low skill labor or things that very easily contractable the reality is there will be platforms for pretty much everything   pretty much any product or service that we can imagine its going to happen


in the wake of fathom cruise lines announcement that it will be the first american line to travel from miami to cuba the french line ponant has received approval to cruise around cuba its 64 passenger le ponant will begin seven  and eight night trips in january passengers will gather in miami and fly to havana to meet the ship making port calls in the wildlife rich cayo largo the french colonial town of cienfuegos and the unesco world heritage site city of trinidad and to santiago de cuba in a people to people program guests will meet cuban artists this is the first time the company will accommodate americans though it has been offering cruises to cuba for europeans eight night trips start at 8190 per person double occupancy including round trip airfare between miami and cuba
elaine glusac
the state of gujarat in western india   the birthplace of mohandas k gandhi and of the current prime minister narendra modi   has a rich culture and history that most tourists are not aware of a new trip from immersion journeys gives them a chance to discover the region
the 12 day gujarat the land of legends culture and crafts begins in ahmedabad to see hindu and jain temples the sabarmati ashram where gandhi once lived and the calico museum of textiles whose handiwork spans five centuries other highlights include palitana with 900 carved temples a safari in sasan gir national park home to 300 asiatic lions the fortified town of gondal bhuj city including a visit to the zenana mahal palace to see its wooden filigree work and a drive through the kutch desert region to visit tribes who have lived there for centuries prices from 5295 a person include accommodations some meals a driver and guide game drives and entrance fees


this interview contains spoilers for sundays episode of game of thrones
the beginning of season 5 of game of thrones was a time of great excitement for arya stark the fiery young woman played by maisie williams who is on a mission to right the many wrongs done to her and her tormented family after finally leaving the hostile westeros countryside behind she was on a boat to braavos exploring a new world with dreams of a vengeful exciting life as a highly trained assassin
sundays season 6 premiere illustrated how badly arya miscalculated her prospects after running afoul in last seasons finale of the rules of the faceless men the religious order training her she is now freshly blind and spent sundays episode begging in the streets when she wasnt being whacked with a stick by a girl called the waif faye marsay
 recap game of thrones season 6 premiere 
if she doesnt learn to fight without her eyes shes getting hit ms williams said recently the waif shes evil
ms williams discussed fighting blind impatient arya fans and what season 6 holds for the youngest stark daughter these are edited excerpts from the conversation
q where do things stand with arya now
a you cant comprehend being without your eyes and you have to put your faith and trust in the people around you who are also the ones who put you in that position she has no other choice so thats a really interesting position to see her in because shes never had to trust someone its a very vulnerable place for her to be at the beginning of the series but things will turn around
how does this fit into her overall evolution
because shes gonna use it all again   these are all skills that shes gonna take with her a lot of people found aryas season 5 really boring they were like why is she sweeping floors why is she getting hit on the hands but this is about a process that shes going through and its ultimately going to be the best weapon and when that day comes when she uses all of this everyones gonna be like wow thats so cool which is great but it wouldnt have been as cool if you hadnt seen her go through that process no one becomes a warrior overnight guys give her a break
is it hard to act blind
for a lot of the close ups i had contact lenses that were opaque so i couldnt see anything anyway for the fight scenes i had contact lenses i could see through but that was more of a health and safety thing because i was wielding a stick and poor faye didnt want to get hit in the face but she still did
did she really
not in the face we just clipped each other a couple of times
so that was you in the fight scene in the premiere not a stunt double
that one was all me theres stuff later on that we had girls help us with
theres a shot in the trailer of you taking a flying leap
yeah that gets a lot more technical there were two wonderful stunt doubles
how has aryas perspective changed since last season
arya was quite shallow im gonna be a sick killer and then have my list and im gonna go back and avenge my family it was such a childish way of thinking about it then she got there and realized this isnt a joke this isnt like a holiday camp your parents send you off to
i know you cant get into plot details...
im giving you really good hints laughs i feel like im selling this season really well
but can you speak more broadly about what season 6 is about for her
its her second chance shes learning to fight blind and at the beginning people are going to have that same opinion of god this is so boring why isnt arya the warrior she used to be ok lets take away your sight and see how you do without it there are episodes when its going to be really difficult to watch arya who weve always loved is getting pulled apart but she will ultimately use it to her advantage just as she always does she takes every negative and uses it as a positive and that happens in a big way this year


sam sifton emails readers of cooking five days a week to talk about food and suggest recipes that email also appears here to receive it in your inbox register here
good morning fellow travelers on the road to the delicious it is the 115th day of this year and the anniversary of the birth of the cajun chef and storyteller justin wilson who died in 2001 you may recall him for his catchphrase i gar on tee perhaps you could celebrate his legacy this evening with a big platter of cajun broiled shrimp along with a bowl of no fuss grits and another of slow cooked collard greens dressed in vinegar and red pepper flakes that would make a nice sunday night meal
then for the rest of the week you can take it easy weve put together a collection of practically magical three ingredient recipes designed to make your cooking life simpler and less stressful
try our recipe for creamy lemon pasta on monday night say and mark bittmans recipe for the simplest roast chicken on tuesday it pairs beautifully with melissa clarks recipe for simple roasted vegetables with marcella hazans recipe for tomato sauce you could return to pasta on wednesday night we like it paired with some good store bought ravioli then ramp up on thursday night to julia moskins recipe for a cast iron steak which goes very well indeed with the great jacques pepins recipe for a warm zucchini salad
friday night how about you cook some lettuce in accordance with tamar adlers column in the new york times magazine sunday and make her recipe for braised lettuce on anchovy toast perhaps follow it up with a mess of pork chops we dont want you to go hungry
simple fare simply made and the ambitious can use the time saved in dinner preparation to bake some sweets jonathan reynoldss recipe for pineapple upside down cake is classic project fare so is melissas recipe for a lemon angel food cake with get this preserved lemon curd and some chocolate pecan cookies might go well after the roast chicken - so take a look at that too
you can other recipes to cook this week on cooking please save them to your recipe box so you can find them later if you get jammed up please reach out for help were at cookingcarenytimescom
now check out this nice little vine which encapsulates a lot of our life at home these days take a look at boston magazines profile of the guy who brought us craisins now trying once again to save the cranberry industry
watch the official video for wonderful the singer and songwriter cate le bons forthcoming album crab day which ben ratliff recently called charming and somewhat startling thats about right and if youve never toured your way through the lucky peach website start with sean brocks recipe for fried chicken and gravy and move out from there
see you tomorrow


here are the weeks top stories and a look ahead
1 the presidential candidates are focused on tuesdays contests in the northeast and mid atlantic   in states that appear to favor the front runners hillary clinton and donald trump mr trump continues to assail the republican delegate system calling it rigged because some states have selected backers of senator ted cruz to represent mr trump at the convention mrs clintons campaign is starting to look beyond its race with senator bernie sanders and considering potential running mates

2 mr trump says he will resist attempts to alter his anti establishment persona while some strategists say hes depriving the party of valuable voter data by self funding his campaign one of mr trumps largest expenses is air travel but his luxury jets have helped market his brand as a successful businessman though the fleet itself is aging as for mrs clinton we look at how she has burnished an image as a foreign policy hawk an approach one aide says is rooted in her textbook view of american exceptionalism

3 president obama delivered a critique of the black lives matter movement during a town hall meeting in london on saturday saying that activists should be more willing to work with politicians a day earlier the president sidestepped criticism of his plea to britain to remain in the european union mr obama will be in germany on sunday and monday to press his case for last years trade deal with asian nations

4 talks aimed at ending the syrian civil war have broken down and secretary of state john kerry says that a fragile cease fire is being threatened by russias military buildup outside aleppo syrias economic center mr kerrys concerns come as russia expands its underwater patrols of european coastlines a move that has amplified tensions with the us and nato

5 music fans worldwide continue to pay tribute to prince after the artist died on thursday family and friends held a private funeral on saturday we examine the mysterious circumstances surrounding his death his unique sexual identity and his sense of style and though it may be a few centuries late the times has published an obituary for william shakespeare who died on april 23 1616

6 much of the talk about money last week centered on a new 20 bill that will feature the abolitionist hero harriet tubman among those whose bank accounts brim with the soon to be tubmans a velvet rope economy is blossoming by providing gilded age style separation of the upper and lower classes this is where companies are innovating and where there is demand an economics professor says

7 the olympic torch has begun its monthslong journey to brazil for this summers games but the host nation and its president remain mired in turmoil the deadly collapse of a bike path in rio has cast new doubts on the safety of the citys olympics related construction president dilma rousseff is fighting for her political life as she faces impeachment proceedings over a corruption scandal ms rousseff has denounced her opponents as coup mongers

8 nations signing the landmark climate deal are facing calls from the world bank and the international monetary fund to force polluters to pay for the carbon emissions they emit heres what steps the us china and europe have taken so far to curb pollution in honor of earth day we look at a closely guarded tree in a california park that is said to be more than 4800 years old

9 golden states quest to defend its nba title hit a speed bump last week as stephen curry missed two playoff games with an ankle injury curry returned to action in game 4 of his teams series with houston only to go down with a knee injury midway through the game the warriors won anyway 121 94 here are schedules for sundays nba and nhl playoff games

10 one of our most popular health stories this week was about ida keeling a 100 year old runner in new york who is a national champion the sport helped her cope with depression following a family tragedy ms keeling says she keeps a strict diet so she is not likely a part of the growing trend of americans who are embracing foods high in fat sugar and salt as definitions of what is healthy change

11 cuba has announced that it is easing its restrictions on sea travel starting next month carnival will begin offering cruises to the island if flying is your preferred method of travel avoiding the middle seat is about to get tougher

12 finally game of thrones returns for its sixth season on sunday weve got you covered in case youve forgotten what happened last season
have a great week
your weekend briefing is published sundays at 6 am eastern
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want to look back heres fridays evening briefing
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new york
an article last sunday about the coast guards rescue of seven fishermen aboard the carolina queen iii a scalloping boat that ran aground on rockaway beach on feb 25 amid gusting winds misstated in some copies the amount of ice that had been loaded onto the boat it was 20000 pounds not 20000 tons the article also misstated the name of the muscle in the scallop that is eaten it is the adductor not abductor and the article referred incorrectly to the helicopter that the fire department had planned to use during the operation it is owned and operated by the new york police department not by the fire department
sports
because of an editing error an article in some editions last sunday about the rangers 4 2 victory over the pittsburgh penguins in game 2 of their nhl playoff series misspelled in some copies the surname of the rangers player whose stick struck goaltender henrik lundqvist in the right eye in game 1 he is marc staal not stall the article also misspelled in some copies the surname of a rangers defenseman who missed the game with an injury he is dan girardi not giradri

a sports of the times column last sunday about the financing used to build yankee stadium misidentified the position in state government once held by richard brodsky who issued a report on the public subsidies for the stadium called the house that you built he is a former member of the new york state assembly not a former state senator
real estate
because of an editing error a caption this weekend for two pictures with a cover article about older apartment buildings in new york that are adding amenities to stay competitive omits the description of the top photograph it shows monica goel and her husband donal burke in the new bike room of the carlton regency a co op on east 36th street

a cover article last sunday about people who live in small spaces referred incorrectly to glenn coleman and vicki behm who live in a 350 square foot apartment in greenwich village they moved to new york in 1996 not 1986

two pictures with the residential sales around the region chart last sunday were reversed the picture of the tudor style house is in short hills nj and the two story stucco house is in greenwich conn
arts  leisure
an article last sunday about the artist kay walkingstick misidentified the location where she was raised it was in syracuse not new jersey
sunday styles
a picture caption last sunday with an article about the increasing number of celebrities who feature pictures of their young children on their social media accounts misidentified the woman and child shown in a photograph projected behind mark zuckerberg as he gave a speech at a facebook conference earlier this year they are not his wife and son

an article on april 10 about the rise of sororities on ivy league campuses misidentified the college affiliation of blair wilson one of the students interviewed she is a sophomore at columbia not barnard
sunday business
an article last sunday about the berggruen institute the think tank operated by the billionaire investor nicolas berggruen misstated using information from the institute the number of scholars it is currently funding there are six scholars not five
book review
an illustration caption on april 10 with a review of john quincy adams militant spirit by james traub misstated the number of candidates in the presidential election of 1824 there were four not three in addition to adams the candidates were andrew jackson william h crawford and henry clay
a credit with the illustration misstated the surname of the 19th century cartoonist who depicted the candidates in a foot race he was david claypoole johnston not johnson

a review last sunday about ghetto the invention of a place the history of an idea by mitchell duneier misidentified the michigan city that was the site of a debate between democratic presidential candidates in march it is flint not detroit
travel
the surfacing column last sunday about the central city neighborhood of new orleans misstated part of the name of an organization investing in the neighborhood it is the new orleans redevelopment authority not the new orleans redevelopment association
sunday review
an opinion article last sunday about the use of biotechnology to protect biodiversity described black footed ferrets incorrectly they are members of the order carnivora they are not rodents
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shriya paliwal the daughter of ila s paliwal and dinesh c paliwal of greenwich conn is to be married april 24 to dr gaurav mahindra the son of rainu mahindra and dr umesh mahindra of dix hills ny pandit devendra shukla a hindu priest is to officiate at the plaza in new york
the couple met at nyu from which they graduated and where the bride also received a masters in finance and accounting and the groom a doctor of dental surgery degree
the bride 28 will continue to use her name professionally she is a senior management consultant specializing in mergers and acquisitions at ernst  young in new york she also received an mba from columbia
her father is the chairman president and chief executive of harman international the audio and consumer electronics company in stamford conn her mother is a recording artist producer and vocalist trained in indian classical music whose latest album navaratna was released in 2015 the brides mother is also on the board of the america india foundation
the groom 31 is a dentist in new york having taken over the dental practice of his father who is now retired the grooms mother retired as a pharmacy manager at a cvs in new york


amy gamble dudley and kip forrest wainscott were married april 23 in washington senator tim kaine democrat of virginia who received temporary officiant status from the district of columbia officiated at the studio theater
the bride 32 will continue to use her name professionally she works in washington as the communications director for mr kaine in the senate she graduated cum laude from colgate university
she is the daughter of deborah a dudley and henry g dudley of austin tex
the groom 33 works at the white house as a senior director of cabinet affairs where he coordinates federal agency initiatives related to domestic policy in may he is also to become a senior policy adviser to the domestic policy council he graduated cum laude from george washington university from which he also received a law degree
he is a son of cynthia d wainscott and jon g wainscott of gardner kan
the couple met in march 2012 while working in chicago at the obama biden re election campaign headquarters


dr michelle sofia jamison a daughter of aster m jamison and charles w jamison of upland calif was married april 23 to dr edwin pierre smith a son of lydie l smith and dr pierre michel smith of miami the rev mark a bernthal a lutheran minister performed the ceremony at st armands key lutheran church in sarasota fla
the bride 29 and groom 27 met at columbia where she received a medical degree and he a doctor of dental surgery
the bride who is taking her husbands name is a pediatrician at pediatric associates in hollywood fla where she is also the outpatient director for residents at the joe dimaggio childrens hospital she graduated from washington university in st louis
her father who works in anaheim calif is a senior program manager at morphotrak a company based in alexandria va that creates fingerprint identification systems her mother retired as a registered nurse at lanterman developmental center a hospital in pomona calif that treated patients with developmental disabilities
the groom and his father are dentists in north miami beach fla the groom graduated from florida international university


justin allen joy a son of renee e drewry of powell ohio and dan a joy of massillon ohio was married april 23 to drew simon kovacs a son of gaye m kovacs and stephen kovacs of boca raton fla betsy leonidas a mutual friend who became a universal life minister for the occasion officiated at the bath club an event space in miami beach
mr joy left 33 works in new york at google marketing the website to advertising agencies and advertisers he graduated magna cum laude from boston university
his mother is the vice president for operations at charles penzone salons a chain of salons and spas based in columbus ohio his father is an executive vice president and general manager of davey tree a landscape business based in kent ohio mr joy is a stepson of lisa m joy and of fred d drewry who runs the landscape division of environment management a landscape design and maintenance business in plain city ohio
mr kovacs 35 is a co president and his father is the chairman of ibb their familys jewelry design and distribution company in sunrise fla he graduated magna cum laude from haverford college and received a law degree from nyu
mr joy and mr kovacs were introduced in 2008 by ms leonidas their officiant


dr jessica ruth walter a daughter of dr william j walter and kathryn r walter of kalamazoo mich was married april 23 to dr steve xu the son of yi xia and dr peter xu of diamond bar calif david hunter a universal life minister officiated at the 95th a restaurant and lounge on the 95th floor of the john hancock center in chicago
the bride 29 and the groom 28 met at harvard from which they received medical degrees and where the bride also was an undergraduate both are now second year residents at mcgaw medical center in chicago she in obstetrics and gynecology and he in dermatology
the brides father a retired pathologist was a partner in midwestern pathology in kalamazoo
the groom graduated from rice university and received a masters in health policy through a joint program between the london school of hygiene and tropical medicine and the london school of economics
his mother is a registered nurse in ontario calif with the ontario medical center of kaiser permanente the health maintenance organization his father helps commercialize medical equipment such as a vein detection device for zd medical a technology company in nanjing china


stefani leigh johnson and brett hunter myrick were married april 23 by the rev daniel j edwards at covenant presbyterian church in birmingham ala
the couple both 32 met at harvard from which they received law degrees
the bride who will be taking her husbands name is a litigation associate in the washington office of the new york law firm davis polk  wardwell she graduated magna cum laude from nyu
she is a daughter of dr maria l johnson and burney p johnson of homewood ala the brides father is the director of clinical services at hill crest behavioral health services a private behavioral health hospital in birmingham he is on the board of grace house ministries a group foster home for girls in fairfield ala her mother a pulmonologist works at eastern pulmonary sleep  allergy a group practice in birmingham
the groom is an attorney adviser at the interior department in washington he graduated summa cum laude from drake university
he is a son of annette m galluzzi of baldwin city kan and jeff myrick of hutchinson kan the grooms mother is a management development trainer in overland park kan for buy buy baby the retail chain based in union nj his father is a copy editor at the hutchinson news


ashley taylor corbitt the daughter of diane n corbitt and r ashley corbitt of atlanta was married april 23 to christopher michael sweeney the son of rebecca b sweeney and terrence m sweeney of indianapolis the rev hardy h kim a presbyterian minister officiated at the university club of chicago where the couple met in 2013
mrs sweeney 31 is a senior intellectual property associate at the chicago based law firm riley safer holmes  cancila she graduated from the university of virginia and received a law degree from depaul her father a financial analyst owns keystone financial consultants in atlanta
mr sweeney 28 is an associate analyst at william blair  co a chicago based investment bank and asset management firm he graduated from yale
his mother is a surgical nurse at the central indiana surgery center in indianapolis his father who also works in indianapolis is vice president for national account sales of mode transportation a transportation management company based in chicago
the brides first marriage ended in divorce


meredith julia sheldon and denison hurlbut hatch iii were married april 23 at greystone mansion in beverly hills calif the rev peter rood an episcopal priest officiated
mrs hatch 32 is a clinical social worker and the manager of therapeutic behavioral services at the child and family guidance center a nonprofit mental health agency in northridge calif she graduated from the university of southern california where she also received a masters degree in social work
she is the daughter of dr murray i sheldon of silver spring md and marianne p sheldon of piedmont calif the brides father is a heart surgeon and the associate director for technology and innovation at the federal food and drug administration in silver spring md her mother works at mills college in oakland calif as the dean of the division of social sciences and a history professor
mr hatch 31 is a writer in los angeles he graduated from cornell
he is the son of wendy as hatch and mr hatch jr of wilmington del the grooms mother is an artist whose work was the subject of show this year at the fit studio gallery in wilmington and is an adjunct professor of fine arts at widener university in chester pa his father retired as a partner in the law firm morris nichols arsht  tunnell in wilmington
the couple were introduced by a childhood friend of the groom in april 2011


dana ann kinker and keegan collier obrien were married april 23 the rev charles hergenroeder a roman catholic priest performed the ceremony at st marys church in annapolis md
mrs obrien 30 is a director for w2o group a san francisco based public relations agency she works with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies in new york she graduated from the university of maryland
she is a daughter of karen a kinker and jeffery r kinker of olney md
mr obrien 28 works in new york as the investment director for safo investment company which manages the finances of one family he graduated magna cum laude from tulane
he is son of suzanne f obrien and dr charles l obrien iii of winnetka ill
the couple was introduced at a greenwich village bar by a mutual friend in december 2010


anna marin steffens the daughter of zita ingham and ronald e steffens of bandon ore is to be married april 24 to katharine elizabeth uva a daughter of ken uva of forest hills queens and the late shelley uva shannon sun higginson a universal life minister and a friend of the couple is to officiate at the gil hodges community garden in brooklyn
ms steffens left 27 is the community school coordinator at east brooklyn community high school a public transfer high school in brooklyn she graduated from barnard college and received a masters degree in social work from hunter college
her father is an associate professor of communications at green mountain college in poultney vt he also works as a seasonal fire manager at grand teton national park in wyoming and is chairman of the editorial board of wildfire magazine her mother retired as an english professor at southwestern oregon community college in coos bay ore
ms uva 28 is studying for a phd in american history at the city university of new york graduate center she also works as an andrew w mellon foundation predoctoral history education fellow at the museum of the city of new york in manhattan she graduated from boston university
her father retired as a vice president and corporate counsel for ct corporation a legal services company in manhattan
the couple met in 2008 on okcupid


dr jyoti duggal a daughter of sangeeta duggal and surinder m duggal of staten island was married april 23 to kevin krishan kumar the son of deomattie kumar and sanjeev kumar of seaford ny pandit acharya arvind shukla officiated at the leela palace a hotel in new delhi
the couple met at cornell from which they both graduated the groom cum laude
the bride 28 who is taking her husbands name is starting a pathology residency at baylor college of medicine in houston in july she received a masters in biomedical sciences from rutgers and a medical degree from ross university in portsmouth on the island of dominica
the groom also 28 is a fourth year medical student at vanderbilt where he also completed a phd in neuroscience he is starting his residency in neurosurgery at stanford university medical center in june


andrea marie riccio and dustin james todd were married april 23 at st marys catholic church in ballston spa ny the very rev conan timoney a roman catholic priest and a great uncle of the bride performed the ceremony
the bride 29 works in washington as the deputy director of the house democratic policy and communications committee she graduated summa cum laude from the university of new hampshire
she is the daughter of catherine a gruyters of schenectady ny and the late michael l riccio the bride is the stepdaughter of sean p albert
the groom 31 works in washington as a director of government affairs and a registered lobbyist for the semiconductor industry association he graduated from the university of mississippi and received a masters in government summa cum laude from johns hopkins
he is a son of christy hale todd and james b todd of tupelo miss
the couple met in 2009 in washington while working for representative paul tonko democrat of new york


kathryn voorhees swain a daughter of dr mary early swain and jeffrey voorhees swain of tallahassee fla was married april 23 to daniel cole marrs a son of elizabeth gage koch marrs and bradley p marrs of richmond va the rev eric dudley an anglican priest officiated at the pierre in new york
the couple met at wake forest university from which they graduated
mrs marrs 26 is a senior account executive at young  rubicam advertising the advertising marketing and communications firm in new york
her father founded performance video a company in tallahassee that provides videography services her mother is a radiologist and partner in radiology associates of tallahassee
mr marrs also 26 works in new york as a small business consultant at paychex a rochester company that provides payroll and tax payment services
his mother is a fourth grade teacher in the gifted students program at greenfield elementary school in richmond his father is the founder and managing partner in marrs  henry a law firm also in richmond


katherine lynne pielemeier and wesley graham thompson were married april 23 at riverside on the potomac a wedding venue in leesburg va the rev robert maddox a minister of the united church of christ officiated
the bride 33 is a director on the leadership development team in the white house office of presidential personnel she graduated from the university of california berkeley and received a masters degree in public policy from carnegie mellon
she is the daughter of nancy r pielemeier and john d pielemeier of washington the brides father a former senior foreign service officer with the united states agency for international development is now an independent consultant on agricultural development her mother retired as a vice president of abt associates in bethesda md a consulting firm specializing in health social and environmental policy and international development
the groom 32 is the speechwriter for the bureau of political military affairs at the state department in washington he graduated from depaul university and received a law degree from the catholic university of america
he is the son of ann m thompson and kenneth r thompson of ogden dunes ind the grooms mother who is retired was an adjunct professor of marketing at indiana university south bend his father is a professor of management at depaul in chicago
the couple met in 2012 while working in ohio for president obamas re election campaign


tamima azeeza mohammed and ryan hamilton crosner were married april 23 at their home in redondo beach calif the officiant was shaun h crosner the grooms brother who became ordained through american marriage ministries for the event
the bride 30 and groom 31 met at the university of pennsylvania from which each received a law degree and where the groom also received a master of bioethics degree
the bride who is taking her husbands name is a benefits analyst at space exploration technologies corporation an aerospace manufacturer and space transport services company in hawthorne calif where she investigates and analyzes workers compensation claims she graduated with honors from stanford
she is the daughter of tahira mohammed and ronnie c mohammed of bakersfield calif the brides father is a senior mechanical engineer in research and development at the ice cream division of nestle in bakersfield her mother is a high school advanced placement and honors chemistry and biology teacher at stockdale high school also in bakersfield
the groom is an associate specializing in labor and employment law in the los angeles office of ogletree deakins nash smoak  stewart a law firm headquartered in greenville sc he graduated magna cum laude from the university of southern california from which he also received a masters degree in classical guitar performance
he is a son of joyce h crosner and albert l crosner of manhattan beach calif the grooms father is a lawyer in manhattan beach his mother retired as a substitute teacher for the los angeles unified school district
ms mohammed met mr crosner in september 2010 at the end of her desperate search for an upperclassman who could help her prepare for a torts final exam that she had been worrying about during her first year of law school
i was in a panic she said i was trying to find someone who had already been in the same professors class and could share their notes with me
through a mutual friend she found mr crosner the social chairman at the law school who arranged to meet her at a starbucks where he shared his notes and exchanged a few others with ms mohammed whom he learned was a fellow californian who had moved to bakersfield from trinidad  tobago when she was 10
she was sweet beautiful and very intelligent said mr crosner who grew up in manhattan beach she was definitely someone i wanted to get to know
ms mohammed who saw mr crosner as a mentor of sorts was soon looped into his social circle as she put it
we became pretty good friends she said he would always invite me to group dinners or out to bars or to any other events where he went with his circle of friends
in august 2011 just before ms mohammed was to leave california to begin her second year of law school in pennsylvania she received a dinner invitation from her mentor and friend
assuming it was another informal group gathering she arrived at the home of mr crosners family in manhattan beach wearing a t shirt and cutoff white shorts but found him there alone   holding a bottle of wine dressed to the nines and reeking of cologne
i was like hey where is everyone who else is coming she recalled ryan looked so nervous i had no idea what was going on
when she asked about the rest of the gang mr crosner quietly replied its just us tonight
i was like whoa i was completely blindsided she said here he was all dressed up and i had just come back from santa monica beach there was still sand on my feet
ms mohammed who had an outfit in the trunk of her car that she had picked up from the cleaners said she put it together with a random pair of shoes threw on some lipstick and said ok lets go
i respected ryan so much i wasnt about to hurt his feelings by not going to dinner with him she said
mr crosner who said he thought that ms mohammed had assumed it would just be the two of us laughed at what he described as a very awkward moment
but we got over it pretty quickly he said
that first date at a sushi restaurant in manhattan beach ended with a kiss they enjoyed a second date a week and a half later before ms mohammed returned to law school setting up the beginning of what she described as an insane four year long distance relationship that lasted long after she returned to california after finishing law school in may 2013 and mr crosner was in another part of the state
i have to admit there were many times when i just thought it would be easier to break up she said but ryan kept saying hang in there theres a finish line this will only be for a short while until we are together forever
the distance between them was eliminated in august 2015 when they bought their home in redondo beach
it was a long expensive crazy and emotionally draining long distance relationship she said but looking back i wouldnt have wanted to cross the finish line with anyone else


laura thoren a daughter of lisa e thoren and peter l thoren of darien conn was married april 23 to sebastian ariel podesta the son of adriana l podesta and dr augusto h podesta also of darien the rev david anderson an episcopal priest performed the ceremony at st lukes parish in darien
the bride 28 is a general assignment reporter in chicago for wls tv a station owned and operated by abc she graduated from carnegie mellon
the brides father works in new york as an executive vice president at access industries an industrial holding company where he manages a variety of philanthropic political and investment activities the brides mother is a painter and freelance graphic designer based in darien
the groom 30 is a director producer and editor for the united states soccer federation in chicago where he produces video content he graduated from nyu
his mother is an immigration lawyer in the stamford office of the international institute of connecticut a nonprofit serving immigrants and refugees the grooms father is a pathologist at stamford hospital
the bride and groom were introduced in the summer of 2010 by the brides mother who encouraged the two to talk at a tennis court in darien where both grew up playing


peter edward kukielski and jonathan drew hodges were married april 22 at city hall in portland me where teresa j bunn a records clerk officiated
mr kukielski left 50 is a horticulturalist and garden designer in portland he is also the author of roses without chemicals he served as the curator of the peggy rockefeller rose garden at the new york botanical garden in the bronx from 2006 to 2013 he graduated from young harris college in georgia
he is a son of the late elizabeth j kukielski and the late robert a kukielski who lived in tucker ga
mr hodges 53 is known as drew he is the founder of spotco advertising in manhattan he graduated from the school of visual arts in manhattan
he is a son of kathleen e hodges and a donald hodges of new bern nc
the couple met in february 2008 at an event held at the new york botanical garden


morgan ashley muir and michael ray callahan dudley were married april 23 at craneway pavilion an event space in richmond calif the rev j edwin bacon jr an episcopal priest officiated
the bride 31 is an associate specializing in health care in the san francisco office of the los angeles law firm nossaman she is also on the board of the san francisco playhouse she graduated from the university of chicago and received a law degree from the university of california hastings college of the law
she is a daughter of sharon sanner muir and samuel j muir of oakland calif the brides parents are trial lawyers in the oakland office of the law firm collins collins muir  stewart the brides father is a founding partner and her mother is a senior counsel at the firm
the groom 33 is a regulatory counsel for marin clean energy in san rafael calif a local governmental organization made up of counties and cities in and around the bay area he graduated from the university of california davis and received a law degree from the hastings college of the law
he is a son of catherine a callahan of santa barbara calif and john g dudley of carpinteria calif his mother retired as a senior environmental planner for the santa barbara county planning and development department his father a retired hydrogeologist worked in santa barbara for urs corporation which was an engineering design and construction firm in san francisco the grooms stepmother joyce e dudley is the santa barbara county district attorney
the couple met in october 2007 at a bar in san francisco


dr sylvana marcela hidalgo a daughter of sara c hidalgo and david j hidalgo of altadena calif was married on april 23 to david smith wheelock a son of candace s wheelock and peter wheelock of darien conn the rev john stoeger a roman catholic priest performed the ceremony at mary star of the sea catholic church in san diego
the couple met at yale from which they graduated they were introduced through their secret society fork and knife
the bride 28 is a second year pediatrics resident at morgan stanley childrens hospital which is part of newyork presbyteriancolumbia hospital in new york she received a medical degree from wake forest school of medicine
her father is the principal architect of david hidalgo architects in arcadia calif which specializes in commercial retail projects her mother is the firms chief financial officer
the groom 29 is an associate specializing in banking and finance at the new york law firm davis polk  wardwell he received a law degree magna cum laude from duke
his father who is retired was a managing director and senior vice president in the special assets and loan restructuring division of bank of america in new york his mother is the executive director of the obie harrington howes foundation a nonprofit organization based in darien conn that makes quality of life grants to individuals with spinal cord injuries


london   president obama will meet with western european leaders on sunday and monday amid a growing sense in his administration that europe is faltering in the face of multiple challenges undercutting the trans atlantic alliance at a critical time
even as mr obama has tried to focus united states foreign policy more on asia and chinas rising power administration aides say they have watched with concern as european unity has come under increased strain at a time of increased russian aggression slow economic growth a virulent terrorism threat and a huge influx of migrants from the middle east and beyond
in meeting in germany on sunday with chancellor angela merkel and on monday with ms merkel prime minister david cameron of britain president francois hollande of france and prime minister matteo renzi of italy mr obama intends to press his european counterparts on a number of issues aides said
they include a new trans atlantic trade pact the need for better intelligence sharing within europe about the terrorism threat holding firm against president vladimir v putin of russia and trying to find a solution to the civil war in syria
he is scheduled to give a speech monday in germany taking stock of europes challenges
this speech allows him to step back at a time when the united states and europe together are dealing with a range of challenges from counter isil and the threat of terrorism to the current refugee crisis said benjamin j rhodes the presidents deputy national security adviser
mr rhodes said part of the presidents address would focus on trade including efforts by europe and the united states to combat the headwinds in the global economy and promote sustainable growth
in an interview published in a german newspaper on the eve of his visit there mr obama said it was not my place to tell europe how to manage europe but he said it benefited the united states to have a strong united democratic europe and he said the serious challenges facing europe must be confronted boldly
the terrorist attacks in paris and brussels were not only strikes on two of the worlds great cities they were assaults on the values of openness and diversity that we cherish on both sides of the atlantic mr obama said in the german paper bild zeitung weve learned through painful experience that threats to europe ultimately become threats to the united states
his message was similar in tone to the one he delivered friday in london where he bluntly urged british voters to reject a proposal to leave the european union he said that britain was stronger inside the bloc and that a united europe was in the interests of the united states
european unity is under strain mr obama said friday as he stood by mr cameron at a news conference and offered full throated support for the prime ministers campaign to keep britain in the european union
at the same news conference mr obama asserted that the ties that bind europe together are ultimately much stronger than the forces that are trying to pull them apart but administration aides say they share the fears among european officials in brussels that a british vote to quit the european union could pull a vital brick out of an already shaky structure
weve seen some divisions and difficulties between the southern and the northern parts of europe mr obama said friday referring to the euro crisis and migration thats created some strains
but there are further tensions between eastern and western members of the european union and nato too over how to manage a more assertive revanchist russia which has torn up the post cold war order in ukraine and is trying to undermine confidence in natos principle of collective defense
the economy of the european union has been much slower to recover from the crash in 2008 making the challenge of mass migration from the middle east and north africa harder to handle the confusion and popular fear that matters are not under control have undermined public confidence in ms merkel and in other european leaders while promoting populism islamophobia and ultranationalism among a growing minority of voters
those same forces have also helped to stall negotiations toward a far reaching trade deal between the united states and the european union opponents particularly in germany argue that the agreement would inevitably favor the interests of large corporations and cause a shift of jobs to outsiders
thousands of people protesting the trade deal are expected in hanover germany on sunday when mr obama arrives to tour an industrial trade show with ms merkel
mr obama whose vision of a stronger more cohesive europe includes passage of the trade deal campaigned saturday on its behalf in london where he urged a roomful of young people to view it as a positive approach
part of the argument im making in the united states is that the answer to globalization and income inequality and lack of wage growth is not to pull up the drawbridge and shut off trade mr obama said
among the main concerns of mr obamas delegation is major consistent gaps in intelligence gathering and intelligence sharing within europe when the islamic state also known as isis or isil is targeting the continent and exploiting the ease of movement across borders
that vulnerability prompted mr obama to call together the meeting on monday with his counterparts from the four biggest western european nations to discuss counterterrorism strategies and intelligence sharing
they understand how indispensable us intelligence is for understanding who is in the country where they are moving around said heather conley a former state department official and now a scholar at the center for strategic and international studies this is completely weighing down europe
the five leaders are also likely to discuss the situations in syria and in libya where the islamic state has built a strong presence close to europe in the chaos that resulted from the western intervention to overthrow col muammar el qaddafi
the president will be back in europe for a nato summit meeting in early july when many of these same issues will be on the table including a pronounced political shift to the right in the host country poland
mr obama has already agreed to increase the number of american troops in europe announcing in march that he would deploy rotations of united states based armored brigade combat teams to eastern europe to create what officials call a continuous but not a permanent presence
but there are also concerns about an increasingly authoritarian presidential regime in turkey a nato member that is a front line state with syria turkey is also playing an important if controversial role in preventing migrants and asylum seekers from trying to reach europe by boat
in the interview in the german paper mr obama praised ms merkel as being courageous in handling of the surge of migrants into europe from syria the president said ms merkel had spoken of our moral obligation to people including families and children fleeing horrific conditions including the barbarity of the assad regime in syria and isil
the president also used the trip to buck up mr cameron with whom he played golf on saturday at the grove the site of the 2016 british masters tournament and one of englands most luxurious courses
but the presidents intervention in the british debate over the european union has been controversial with a significant number of commentators saying he was overstepping robin niblett however the director of chatham house a policy institute in london said the united states was right to try to intervene after having fought two wars in the last century to keep europe free
a british exit mr niblett said would potentially destabilize the eu at just the wrong time when a rearmed russia has rejected the rules based order created to sustain peace in europe after the cold war when continental eu governments are struggling to manage an unprecedented inflow of refugees and migrants and when populist parties are gaining in strength on the back of a still painful economic recession for many
and he continued it would leave just as the us is trying to strengthen the trans atlantic relationship in the face of a more economically and politically assertive china


of all the things connected to donald j trump few have given him more mileage than his fleet of aircraft
his boeing 757 jet often referred to as trump force one has received the full rich and famous lifestyle treatment the washington post even queried whether it was better than air force one
one of mr trumps helicopters has gotten similar coverage an interior renovation made cnbcs secret lives of the super rich in a segment entitled pimp my chopper
a close look at mr trumps two airplanes   the 757 and a smaller jet used on the campaign trail   and three helicopters however suggests that their value rests chiefly in their marketing potential with the trump stamp of status masking the fleets age
four of the five aircraft are more than 20 years old a rarity for most billionaires the exception is a 19 year old cessna 750 citation x   the only one of the five without the trump name painted on it in large letters the smaller plane was grounded last week after the new york times reported that its registration had expired in january it is now cleared to fly again according to the faa
most people who own aircraft do not have more than one or two even those who can afford to own planes often lease or charter them instead offering a layer of ease and anonymity but anonymity is not mr trumps style the boeing built in 1991 to seat roughly 200 people is mr trumps favorite flying toy he said in an interview on saturday the jet which once did duty with a commercial airline in mexico in the 1990s has been famously renovated it has a bedroom the fixtures are brushed with 24 karat gold and the toilet seats were reupholstered with edelman leather which also graces the eames chairs in ivanka trumps den
its like a new plane mr trump said in a documentary that showed off some of the renovations the plane is very much an extension of the trump brand
while the 757 might seem like an odd choice for a man who puts his net worth at 11 billion and records show does not use the plane much to travel abroad mr trump has cited it and his other planes as proof of how he gets good value for his money in the 1980s for example he paid 8 million to buy a 1968 boeing 727 from a financially troubled texas company diamond shamrock according to his book the art of the deal mr trump said a smaller gulfstream jet would have cost more than twice as much
it was a little more plane than i needed he wrote but i find it hard to resist a good deal when the opportunity presents itself
in the interview on saturday mr trump said he did not own the five aircraft to burnish his brand but agreed that the fleet had promotional value he added that he could get by without owning a boeing 757 but it was a great luxury to have
air travel is one of the largest expenses of mr trumps republican presidential campaign a company he owns has charged the campaign approximately 37 million in travel costs since he announced his candidacy in june 2015 using the 757 does not help keep costs down it guzzles fuel and costs thousands of dollars an hour to fly more than private planes being used to shuttle other presidential candidates still mr trump has used it to crisscross the country sometimes with just a small group of people aboard
the boeing also weighs more than 100000 pounds making it too heavy to land at many smaller airports including one at teterboro nj the airport of choice for wealthy new yorkers like mr trump instead it must fly in and out of la guardia airport in queens which mr trump and others have likened to what one might find in a third world country la guardia does offer a marketing perk the 757 can often be seen at the airport a billboard on wheels
mr trump said that he was aware of the boeings limitations and that he did not use it that much according to faa records the boeing has flown about 333 hours between mr trumps announcement of his intention to run for president last june and march 16 2016 during the same stretch faa records show the cessna has flown roughly 216 hours a review by the times shows most of the hours logged were for campaign travel
large jets are popular among professional sports teams and rock bands which have to move large groups and equipment still some individuals and companies do own such aircraft ronald w burkle a billionaire investor who owns stakes in a number of companies including whole foods market flies on a boeing 757 registered to his firm las vegas sands a casino operator run by the billionaire sheldon adelson has several larger planes that are used to transport company executives and sands customers
buying older planes has advantages in addition to being less expensive their depreciation costs are lower
mr trump said he liked older planes because they had been tested and had been around
for mr trump doing things bigger than most has been a guiding principle as reflected in his penchant for slapping his name on buildings and planes in june 1989 he launched the trump shuttle after paying 365 million to buy the old eastern airlines shuttle operations which connected new york city with boston and washington the deal is not counted among his more successful ventures in 1990 he defaulted on his loan and lost control of the airline to a group of lenders around the same time a helicopter shuttle service he ran also fizzled
as for mr trumps personal travel he prefers to fly private in 2009 he decided to sell his boeing 727 which was by then 41 years old he replaced it with another used aircraft the boeing 757
a company controlled by the billionaire paul allen a founder of microsoft had bought that plane in 1995 mr allen did a full renovation transforming it into a luxurious private jet he installed a master suite that included a bathroom and guest room he put a conference table overhead projector and bar in the center of the aircraft this room had two couches and 11 single seats according to faa records elsewhere on the plane mr allen installed 12 sleeper seats each with their own foldout monitors
he agreed to sell it to mr trump in 2010 records show the purchase price was not disclosed though it was widely reported that mr trump paid 100 million the aircraft was insured at a value of 35 million in 2011 records show and aviation experts say it is currently worth about 18 million boeing no longer makes 757s but a 2015 boeing business jet would sell for approximately 80 million and cost anywhere from 20 million to 40 million to outfit
after mr trump took possession of the 757 in 2011 he made a number of changes but did not fundamentally undo mr allens initial renovation records show for instance he kept the headboard in the master bedroom as well as most of the chairs couches and toilet seats mr allen had left choosing to reupholster them
greg raiff chief executive officer of private jet services an aviation consulting firm and private jet charter broker for corporations and individuals said the boeing was an unusual aircraft for a man of mr trumps wealth buying a 25 year old 757 is like buying a bag of cheetos its a lot of food for a low price he said
the cessna was previously owned by netjets an aircraft company that caters to the nations wealthiest people and has flown more than other planes its age records show it was worth 153 million new and has a current resale value of approximately 32 million according to an estimate by vref publishing a company that supplies information about aircraft values the times paid vref to value the plane based on publicly available information
mr trumps three other aircraft are helicopters two of those are 1989 sikorsky s 76bs one of which was used to give rides to children at the iowa state fair
mr trump took possession of the other 1989 in august 2014 it has logged only a handful of flights with the faa since he took possession records show though not all chopper flights are logged with the federal regulator one notable trip that it received clearance to make was on new years eve in 2015 when records show it was given authorization to fly to nassau in the bahamas from west palm beach fla both helicopters are worth approximately 875000 according to vref
the third helicopter a 1990 sikorsky s 76b was purchased in march 2012 and is currently worth roughly 940000 the trump organization has used pictures of it to help market its golf courses it was shipped to scotland in 2015 for the use of clients of trump turnberry resort in scotland
the skys the limit at trump turnberry with exclusive helicopter charter now available for guests for quick and seamless travel to destinations across scotland and beyond the resorts website reads


she did it again
beyonce who in 2013 changed the rules for how pop superstars deliver music with the surprise simultaneous release of a self titled album and corresponding videos has returned with a follow up in the same vein lemonade the singers sixth solo album arrived on saturday night after the hbo premiere of an hourlong conceptual short film based around the music
in a twist that played the personal off the professional the new album and its accompanying visuals   which describe in sometimes brutal detail the tribulations of beyonce as a scorned lover   were made available to stream saturday night exclusively on tidal the music streaming service owned by her husband jay z the album is not yet for sale as a download through any digital retailers
lemonade is based on every womans journey of self knowledge and healing tidal said in an announcement
the albums 12 tracks feature contributions from the weeknd james blake jack white and kendrick lamar the songs sample or draw on a varied slate of artists including led zeppelin the yeah yeah yeahs soulja boy and animal collective with production from just blaze diplo and ezra koenig of vampire weekend the hbo special which was shot primarily in new orleans featured cameos from serena williams and jay z with spoken word interludes from beyonce local residents and others the videos were directed by kahlil joseph melina matsoukas todd tourso dikayl rimmasch jonas akerlund mark romanek and beyonce
in one section malcolm x intones the most disrespected woman in america is the black woman the most unprotected person in america is the black woman the most neglected person in america is the black woman elsewhere the mothers of black men killed by police including michael brown and eric garner appear on screen holding photos of their loved ones
beyonce has spent most of 2016 so far dropping hints about the release instead of merely repeating the 2013 stunt of the surprise album the singer deftly exploited the expectation that she would do it again with cryptic hints on social media including photos of the singer with lemons
in february ahead of her second super bowl halftime appearance   she headlined the show in 2013 10 months before her first surprise album   beyonce released the single formation also on tidal raising fervent fan speculation about what might come next
after that performance in which she easily eclipsed coldplay the nominal headliners beyonce announced the formation world tour which is to begin april 27 in miami and will end on july 31 in belgium always one to maximize brand synergy beyonce also recently released a line of athleisure clothing ivy park a partnership with topshop
the 2013 album beyonce sold 365000 copies in the united states on its first day before debuting at no 1 on the billboard chart instead of slowly building momentum with advanced singles and promotional appearances as had been the tradition for pop stars artists like drake dangelo and j cole have followed beyonces lead by relying on the wave of social media excitement that comes with an unexpected release
beyonce has since noted her own industry influence in song changed the game with that digital dropknow where you was when that digital poppedi stopped the world she boasted on nicki minajs feeling myself
this time she upped the ante with a saturday night special on hbo which offered lemonade for free on a weekend that also features the season premiere of its signature show game of thrones
beyonce worked with the network previously on the documentary life is but a dream in 2013 and again the next year when hbo aired a concert special based on her on the run tour with jay z
the other big change since beyonces previous surprise album is in its delivery while beyonce appeared exclusively on itunes in 2013 lemonade comes hand in hand with tidal which has also hosted exclusives this year from like rihanna and kanye west both jay z affiliated part owners of the service
lemonade which features songs titled dont hurt yourself daddy lessons and love drought may also be beyonces most outwardly personal work to date the videos heavy on southern gothic imagery are broken up with title cards that play on the kubler ross model of grief   intuition denial anger apathy emptiness accountability reformation   as beyonce addresses years of tabloid speculation about her marriage head on
i tried to make a home out of you but doors lead to trap doors she says other times the references to infidelity are less abstract are you cheating on me beyonce asks big homie better grow up she adds at one point using a nickname used in the past by jay z
there is however a happy ending in addition to having made the album a tidal exclusive beyonce concludes the lemonade film with a love song featuring footage of the happy couple with their young daughter blue ivy my grandma said nothing real can be threatened beyonce says in a voice over true love brought salvation back into me with every tear came redemption and my torturer became my remedy so were gonna heal


eugenio suarez and adam duvall hit three run homers in the sixth inning as the reds finally broke through against the cubs dominant pitching beating chicago 13 5 in cincinnati on saturday
a victory would have given the cubs 13 5 their best start since 1907 the year they won the first of their back to back world series titles a four homer splurge ended chicagos domination of its national league central rival
suarezs homer off john lackey 3 1 put the reds up by 5 3 and started a seven run inning duvall connected off trevor cahill and scott schebler followed with a solo homer the reds had not hit three homers in an inning since 2012
joey votto later hit a two run shot on a night when the reds gave away votto superhero bobbleheads the four homers were a season high for cincinnati as were the 13 runs
nationals 2 twins 0 washington scored two runs in the first inning and its pitchers held minnesota at bay the rest of the game earning 18 strikeouts
pitcher tanner roark 2 2 had a career high 15 strikeouts and allowed two hits over seven innings three relievers followed and pitched every bit as effectively giving up no further hits
astros 8 red sox 3 colby rasmus hit a tiebreaking grand slam in the fifth inning to lead houston to a win at boston ending a four game skid
rasmus drove in a fifth run with a double in houstons three run eighth the most rbi he has had in a game since compiling six on june 2 2011
white sox 4 rangers 3 the slumping jose abreu hit a run scoring single with one out in the bottom of the 11th inning leading host chicago over texas
after texas tied the score in the ninth on a sacrifice fly by elvis andrus the white sox went on to win for the fourth time in five games
dodgers 4 rockies 1 kenta maeda held the rockies hitless into the sixth inning a j ellis lined a two run homer and los angeles won at colorado
maeda 3 0 a right hander from japan allowed three hits   all in the sixth   and no runs in six and a third innings he struck out eight and lowered his era to 036
orioles 8 royals 3 chris davis homered and had four hits manny machado extended his hitting streak to 16 games and visiting baltimore beat kansas city
davis who led the majors with 47 home runs last season hit his sixth homer in the second inning and had a run scoring single during the fourth tying a career high for hits
diamondbacks 7 pirates 1 chris herrmann drove in four runs with a home run and a double rubby de la rosa gave up three hits over six plus innings and arizona won at home against pittsburgh
herrmann a backup catcher who had batted 1 for 20 entering the game had a run scoring double in the second and hit a three run homer off a j schugel in arizonas five run eighth
indians 10 tigers 1 clevelands yan gomes homered and drove in five runs and pitcher corey kluber 1 3 happily accepted the offensive output to earn a win at detroit his first victory of the season he struck out 10 and gave up two hits in eight innings
kluber the 2014 american league cy young award winner went 9 16 last year the indians had backed him with a total of three runs in his first three starts this season
blue jays 9 athletics 3 troy tulowitzki hit two solo home runs josh donaldson added a three run blast and toronto beat visiting oakland ending the athletics six game winning streak
j a happ 3 0 a left hander allowed three runs and seven hits in seven innings to win his third straight start phillies 10 brewers 6 maikel franco hit his third homer in two days odubel herrera homered and reached base five times and philadelphia won at milwaukee


artem anisimov trevor van riemsdyk and dale weise scored during a dominant second period and the chicago blackhawks beat the visiting st louis blues 6 3 on saturday night to send their first round playoff series to game 7
chicagos andrew shaw who had been suspended one game for using an anti gay slur during the blackhawks game 4 loss added a goal in the third period
chicago trailed by three games to one in the series but stayed alive with a 4 3 double overtime victory in st louis on thursday on saturday the blackhawks the defending stanley cup champions trailed 3 1 after one period but clawed back to win a game 6 for the 15th time in their last 16 tries
game 7 will be monday night in st louis
brian elliot made 30 saves for the blues who have been eliminated in the first round in each of the last three seasons
trailing 3 1 the blackhawks roared back with perhaps their best period of the season
on a power play anisimov poked home a rebound for his third goal of the series that seemed to inspire the blackhawks and elliott needed two terrific stops to keep the blues in front
but chicago only turned up the pressure
a streaking jonathan toews slid the puck to van reimsdyk for the tying goal 12 minutes 21 seconds into the second
chicago went ahead to stay on weises one timer just under four minutes later it was weises first goal since he was acquired in a trade with montreal on feb 26
shaws third goal of the series came during a power play before marian hossa scored on an empty net
ducks 5 predators 2 ryan garbutt scored the go ahead goal in the second period and anaheim beat nashville for the first victory by a home team in their first round series
anaheim leads the best of seven series three games to two game 6 will be in nashville on monday
nashville had won the first two games in anaheim before the ducks tied it with two wins on the predators home ice
those first two games we lost at home were rock bottom for us garbutt said we definitely want to finish it off in six
the ducks david perron tied the game earlier in the second with his first playoff goal before providing an assist on garbutts goal along with ryan getzlaf
anaheim added three goals in the third period sami vatanen scored on a breakaway cam fowler had a power play goal and ryan kesler scored on an empty net in the closing minutes frederik andersen stopped 27 shots for the ducks
pekka rinne had 27 saves for the predators


russell westbrook had 25 points and 15 assists and the visiting oklahoma city thunder defeated the dallas mavericks 119 108 on saturday night taking a commanding 3 1 lead in their testy first round playoff series
enes kanter posted a playoff career high point total for the second straight game with 28 for the thunder who never trailed in two games in dallas the mavericks had evened the series with a 1 point win in oklahoma city after a 38 point loss in the opener
kevin durant scored 19 points before he was ejected in the final minute for a flagrant foul on dallass justin anderson it was the last of several tense moments and dallass security team had to make sure durant did not leave the court in front of the mavericks bench
dirk nowitzki had 27 points and 8 rebounds for dallas
game 5 is scheduled for monday night in oklahoma city
trail blazers 96 clippers 88 damian lillard scored 32 points and portland found its offense at home beating los angeles and narrowing its deficit to two games to one in the western conference first round series
c j mccollum the newly crowned most improved player added 27 points for portland which ended a five game losing streak to the clippers going back to the regular season
mason plumlee had 6 points 21 rebounds and 9 assists for portland which will host game 4 on monday night
chris paul finished with 26 points for the clippers who had held the blazers to an average of 88 points in the first two games   down from an average of 1051 in the regular season paul has scored 25 or more points in four straight playoff games dating to last season
pacers 100 raptors 83 george hill and ian mahinmi each scored 22 points paul george added 19 and indiana beat toronto in indianapolis to tie their first round series at two games each
jonas valanciunas led the raptors with 16 points
game 5 will be played tuesday night in toronto
hornets 96 heat 80 jeremy lin scored 18 points kemba walker had 17 and host charlotte thumped miami to end a 12 game playoff losing streak the hornets win was their first in the postseason in 14 years
luol deng scored 19 points for miami making five 3 pointers and dwyane wade had 17 points
the heat lead the series two games to one with game 4 set for monday night in charlotte


istanbul   the turkish government has seized the historic armenian surp giragos church a number of other churches and large swaths of property in the heavily damaged kurdish city of diyarbakir saying it wants to restore the area but alarming residents who fear the government is secretly aiming to drive them out
the city in the heart of turkeys predominantly kurdish southeast has been the scene of heavy fighting for nearly a year since the turkish military began a counterinsurgency campaign against militants from the kurdistan workers party which ended a two year cease fire in july many neighborhoods have been left in ruins and hundreds of thousands of people have been forced from their homes surp giragos one of the largest armenian churches in the middle east was damaged in the fighting and forced to shut its doors
both the armenians for whom surp giragos is an important cultural touchstone and the kurds have discerned a hidden agenda in the expropriations they say the government plans to replace the destroyed neighborhoods they shared with other minorities with luxury rentals and condominiums affordable only to a wealthier presumably nonminority class of residents
some analysts agree saying even some of the better off syrian refugees in turkey could end up there
solving ethnic and religious strife through demographic engineering is a policy of the turkish government that goes back well over a century said taner akcam a prominent turkish historian the latest developments in sur he added referring to the historic heart of diyarbakir need to be viewed through this framework
indeed under president recep tayyip erdogan turkeys governing justice and development party has displayed a predilection for sweeping projects it was a proposal to build a shopping mall in place of a razed central park in istanbul that set off mass antigovernment demonstrations in 2013
mr erdogan announced the governments urban renewal plans for diyarbakir in 2011 saying they would make the city into an international tourism destination
shortly after that speech the local housing administration started tearing down decrepit residential buildings in sur but opposition soon brought a halt to the demolition many of the buildings in sur are protected prohibiting big restoration projects mass construction can be carried out only if the government declares an urgent expropriation as it has done now
prime minister ahmet davutoglu said recently that the government would rebuild sur to look like the scenic spanish city of toledo everyone will want to come and appreciate its architectural texture he said
yet for the armenians and the kurds distrust of turkeys intentions runs deep armenians still have vivid memories of what historians now call the world war i genocide carried out by the ottoman turks in which 15 million of their countrymen died and the kurds have fought the turkish government on and off for generations
diyarbakir is a polyglot city that is home to small christian congregations of assyrians chaldeans and turkish converts as well as to armenians and kurds
surp giragos surp means saint in armenian which stands in sur closed in the 1960s for lack of parishioners but was renovated and reopened in 2011 part of a reconciliation process begun by the erdogan government that has returned dozens of properties that the ottoman turks confiscated during world war i
to many armenians in the area who lost touch with their family histories after the genocide and were often raised as muslims by kurdish families the church has served as an anchor as they rediscovered their identities
these hidden armenians emerged as turkey relaxed its restrictions on minorities but now they say they again feel threatened
that helps explain why the governments seizure of the church struck a particularly raw nerve with the armenian diaspora and rights groups who say the expropriation of religious properties and 6300 plots of land in diyarbakir is a blatant violation of international law
this is reminiscent of the events leading up to the start of the armenian genocide on april 24 1915 when properties were illegally confiscated and the population was displaced under the false guise of temporary relocation for its own protection said nora hovsepian the chairwoman of the western region of the armenian national committee of america
that temporary relocation she added turned out to be death marches and a permanent disenfranchisement of two million from their ancestral homeland
the turkish government denies that those killings amounted to genocide saying thousands of people   many of them turks   died as a result of civil war
the local governors office defended the decision to expropriate the property in diyarbakir saying in a written statement that the main aim was to bring surs potential as a historic quarter to light by restoring registered buildings and replacing irregular structures with new ones that fit the citys historical fabric local officials have said the properties will be returned once they are restored
but many communities in the area have lost trust in the government and official statements have been dismissed as insincere
the government wants to seize the heart of diyarbakir and singularize it ridding it of its rich multifaith and multicultural structure abdullah demirbas a former mayor of diyarbakir said in a telephone interview
a video distributed by the prime ministers office to illustrate the governments vision for the project has also been criticized for its focus on mosques and residential areas over other prominent religious establishments in the area
one line of narration in particular drew the attention of religious minorities the call to prayer that rises from diyarbakirs minarets will not be quieted down
the diyarbakir bar association has sued the government claiming that the project is a work of military and security reconstruction and that it will not benefit sur the surp giragos church is also preparing to take legal action against the order
the developments in sur have marred the steps taken by the turkish government in recent years toward reconciliation with the nations armenian population
last year a historic armenian orphanage built by dozens of descendants of people who survived the genocide was returned by the government to the gedikpasa armenian protestant church foundation after months of campaigning and the intervention of mr davutoglu
at the time armenians worldwide hailed the decision as an example of how activism by turkish armenians could bear fruit
but critics argued that the restitution of the land just before important elections was politically motivated and said they doubted that other confiscated properties would be returned in a timely fashion
how can we have any trust left when the government backtracks on every positive step taken asked anita acun a leader in the armenian community in istanbul but even so the situation in sur came as a surprise we never imagined history would repeat itself
that history and the traumas associated with those bloody events have been passed down through generations and continue to reverberate among armenians
we havent been able to go to the church for months and its devastating to hear that it has been damaged in the fighting said onur kayikci a kurdish resident of sur who recently became aware of his armenian ancestry for us its not just a building or a place of worship its where we would come to put together the pieces of our history and identity together


the world bank and international monetary fund are pressing governments to impose a price tag on planet warming carbon dioxide emissions using economic leverage and technical assistance that institutions like the united nations cannot muster
the campaign by two of the largest international lenders comes as world leaders have begun to sign the paris agreement on climate change the united nations accord that is supposed to commit nearly every country to take action to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases the document opened for signatures on friday and will remain open for a year
but the leaders of the world bank the imf and other major global institutions say cutting emissions enough to stave off the worst effects of climate change will not be possible unless all fossil fuel polluters are forced to pay for the carbon dioxide they emit
there is now an overwhelmingly obvious scientific consensus that the more carbon pollution we put into the air the more impact it has on warming the massive melting of the arctic the cycles of droughts and flooding the die offs of coral reefs the world banks president jim yong kim said in an interview and to our economists who have been studying this for quite some time there is an equally obvious consensus that putting a price on carbon pollution is by far the most powerful and efficient way to reduce emissions
he added we strongly urge people to prepare for the carbon pricing that is to come
the world banks central mission is to alleviate global poverty and in a twist on that mission bank leaders have identified climate change as a key driver of poverty a world bank report last year concluded that climate change could beggar 100 million more people by 2030
we cannot poison the planet and thrive mr kim said at the adoption of the paris agreement in december
to press that case the bank has created a carbon finance unit to give financial and technical assistance to countries that are creating a system to put a price on carbon this is usually set up as a tax on fossil fuels like coal and oil or as a cap and trade system that sets limits on overall carbon emissions then allows companies to buy and sell emission allotments sold by the government
the bank is already working with 18 countries with emerging economies including china which has received an 8 million grant to develop what is expected to be the worlds largest cap and trade program south africa and chile have received similar grants and world bank officials are meeting with the governments of ethiopia ivory coast and panama to help them create carbon pricing systems
under the paris agreement all countries submitted plans to reduce their carbon emissions and they are required to update and strengthen those plans over the coming years already about 90 countries have included some form of carbon pricing in their plans the world bank has reviewed those united nations plans hoping eventually to link the systems into a global carbon trading market
weve now got carbon pricing on the radar screen in a way it hasnt been before said john roome the senior director for climate change programs at the world bank group were moving from why to how
the imf often seen as the worlds lender of last resort is also consulting and advising countries on how best to introduce carbon pricing in part as a way for struggling nations to raise more revenue
we cant make a loan conditional on carbon pricing but for a country facing a large deficit we could recommend that they use carbon pricing as a way to simultaneously meet their pledges in paris and close their deficit said ian parry principal environmental fiscal policy expert at the imf
any policy that drives up the cost of fossil fuels can be expected to generate intense opposition in the united states voters   especially in the depleted middle class   are leery of the economic pain and political groups funded by the billionaire brothers charles g and david h koch stand in the way
its frustrating to watch unelected bureaucrats like the world bank and other institutions try to leverage their power to force elected leaders to take actions that harm their citizens said tim phillips the president of americans for prosperity a koch backed advocacy group
the point of a carbon price is to make fossil fuels more expensive charging for the toll they take on the environment and guiding markets toward cleaner energy sources such as wind and solar
about 40 countries including the 28 members of the european union along with 23 cities states and regions around the world have introduced carbon pricing policies they cover about 12 percent of the worlds carbon pollution
last week the world bank the imf the organization for economic cooperation and development and the leaders of canada chile ethiopia france germany and mexico released a statement calling for more carbon pricing their goal is to reach enough countries to cover 25 percent of the worlds carbon emissions by 2020 and 50 percent of emissions by 2030
our government has heard loud and clear that canadians care about standing up for our environment and our livelihoods prime minister justin trudeau of canada said
four of canadas 13 provinces and territories already have some form of carbon pricing and mr trudeau hopes to enact a national plan
christine lagarde the managing director of the imf called carbon pricing the crown jewel of efforts to mitigate climate change
absent from the statement was president obama whose own cap and trade bill died in the senate early in his first administration when the democrats controlled the chamber the bill had passed the house but many of its democratic supporters were voted out of office in the republican avalanche of 2010
among the 2016 presidential candidates only senator bernie sanders of vermont has publicly embraced carbon pricing calling for a national tax hillary clinton backs the paris agreement and has pledged to strengthen mr obamas climate change policies but she has stopped short of calling for a carbon price both donald j trump and senator ted cruz of texas who question the established science of human caused climate change have vowed to withdraw the united states from the paris accord
still carbon pricing is expanding at the state level california and nine northeast states have introduced cap and trade systems the oregon legislature is considering its own trading regime and a ballot initiative to create a carbon tax is expected to be on the washington state ballot in november
we started the momentum on carbon pricing and we hope to see it spread across the global economy said segolene royal the french ecology minister who helped negotiate the paris agreement
mr kim the world bank president acknowledged that carbon pricing would come with burdens including higher energy costs
these policy reforms may be difficult he said and it is difficult politically but we are an organization that is completely committed


minneapolis   family and friends of prince held a small private funeral on saturday after the music superstars body was cremated his publicist yvette noel schure said in a statement
a few hours ago prince was celebrated by a small group of his most beloved family friends and his musicians in a private beautiful ceremony to say a loving goodbye ms noel schure wrote in an email released on saturday evening princes remains have been cremated and their final storage will remain private
the pop and rock icon was found dead on thursday morning in an elevator in his suburban minneapolis compound shocking his broad sea of friends and fans just a week earlier the 57 year old prince had held two shows in atlanta and he appeared at a party at his estate paisley park in chanhassen on the saturday before his death gleefully unveiling a new purple piano and guitar
the carver county authorities are investigating the cause of death which may not be revealed for weeks as they await the results of toxicology scans taken during an autopsy done on friday sheriff jim olson of carver county said in a news conference on friday that they did not believe murder or suicide were at play
paisley park staff members found prince collapsed in an elevator on the first floor of the estate the authorities said medics tried to revive the musician but he was ultimately declared dead at the scene the authorities said
the investigation is expected to closely examine princes medical history including the circumstances surrounding an emergency landing that his private jet made on the way back from his performances in atlanta on april 14 about 48 minutes before reaching minneapolis the pilot asked air traffic controllers to allow them to make an emergency landing because of an unresponsive male on board and the flight was diverted to moline ill according to an airport official there
it remains unclear what caused prince to become unconscious but his publicist attributed the emergency to the flu
law enforcement officials said they would review local pharmaceutical records as part of their investigation but they would not comment on reports that prince may have been taking painkillers
the mystery has left the world wondering about the collapse and death of someone who seemed so energetic and healthy
if you saw him on saturday you wouldnt suspect anything was wrong with him said lars larson a former paisley security guard who attended the party on april 16 as a spectator
the grieving and celebration have been especially stark here in his hometown the famed dance club first avenue which was featured in the movie purple rain has held free parties in his honor since his death a state senator said she planned to introduce a bill on monday to make purple the official state color mayor betsy hodges called prince a child of the city
he was of us and we were of him she said and he never left us he stayed in the area


dakar senegal   the military campaign by nigeria and neighboring nations to combat the west african militant group boko haram has been hampered by a failure among those countries to share crucial intelligence   sometimes even within their own security services american and other western officials say
western partners have balked as well the pentagon and american intelligence services have struggled at times to provide information quickly about boko haram militants to the african countries   cameroon chad niger and nigeria   without violating restrictions on what can be shared from spy satellite imagery or electronic eavesdropping within rules for not disclosing sources and methods
until recently western officials and analysts said britain and the united states provided only sanitized intelligence reports to the nigerian military the countries feared that more detailed information might be misused by an army that human rights groups say has committed abuses against civilians as it battled boko haram which has pledged loyalty to the islamic state
and a new intelligence fusion center created in chad as part of a multinational task force has only recently overcome budget and staffing shortfalls as well as lingering mistrust among the participating countries to help coordinate operations
the big unanswered question right now is how much are all those five countries that are participating going to collaborate and work effectively col robert wilson who commands american special forces in north and west africa said in a recent interview here noting that boko haram moves easily across borders benin recently became the fifth country to join the coalition
even within the west african countries interior ministries often do not share information about terrorist threats with their military counterparts
in cameroon an elite special operations unit the rapid intervention brigade originally trained and equipped by israel now gets training and equipment from united states navy seals and intelligence not handed over to other branches and units of its security services western analysts said its a confused mess said j peter pham the director of the atlantic councils africa center in washington
american military and counterterrorism officials say intelligence sharing is a difficult issue particularly outside established alliances the united states confronted its own shortcomings after the sept 11 2001 terror attacks when it became clear that the fbi and cia each had information about the hijackers not shared with the other in the wake of the islamic state attacks in paris and brussels in the past year the authorities in france and belgium as well as throughout europe are seeking to fill glaring gaps in intelligence sharing
american intelligence and counterterrorism officials said it was a challenge to share sensitive intelligence with the west african allies fighting boko haram and other terrorist groups the united states has different rules for what intelligence it shares with each country and what one country can or cannot share with its neighbor   even though all are trying to fight a common regional enemy boko haram
because us policy in africa is for africans to take the lead a lot of the challenge is building trust among the partners themselves and not generating a dependence on what information we do have said alice hunt friend the pentagons former principal director for african affairs
american officials said progress was being made initially it took up to two weeks to release information such as an aerial surveillance photo now depending on the intelligence and the country that is down to as little as an hour american officials said to help speed the release of information american analysts are being encouraged to write to release   mostly meaning stripping information of sources and methods to ensure broader and faster distribution to partners without dumbing down the content drone photos provided by the united states recently helped the nigerian army avoid a major boko haram ambush
brig gen donald c bolduc the top united states special operations commander for africa said that since nigerias president muhammadu buhari instituted military reforms in recent months my guys are now coffee breath close to our partners in the lake chad basin
as a result general bolduc said in an interview last week we have developed relationships of trust
since taking office last year mr buhari has begun a major push to rid the country of boko haram which has assaulted northeastern nigeria for years in past months the group has spread across borders to terrorize the countrys neighbors too
the nations in the lake chad region that have become boko harams new stamping grounds   niger chad and cameroon   have long been distrustful of one another mr buhari met with their leaders one by one shoring up support for a campaign to join forces to fight the group
but mr buharis strategy of forging individual relationships did little to build trust among the nations themselves western diplomats say all are working together now but with a skeptical eye on one another and while the nigerian led effort has retaken a significant number of villages that were under boko haram control the authorities have been less successful sustaining security allowing fighters to continue to raid the very villages recaptured by government forces
military efforts have freed thousands of hostages of boko haram most of them women and children yet the effort to press them for information about fighters appears inconsistent in some instances the hostages some of whom have been raped are taken to camps where humanitarian groups spend time interviewing each about psychological problems that he or she may suffer but it appears that no one is asking about the tactics and locations of fighters alongside whom many have lived for months
in contrast in borno state in nigeria the military has been detaining and screening nearly everyone held hostage by boko haram in an effort to collect information and determine whether the individual formed an allegiance with the militants the detentions sometimes last months and include even children at the minawao refugee camp outside maroua cameroon near a part of the country where boko haram has launched numerous attacks residents said no one had inquired about the fighters
there are examples of success a young woman trained as a bomber near the border between cameroon and nigeria dropped her explosives and instead ran to the authorities in the village she had been sent to blow up her information led to a major operation that captured and killed numerous militants officials said
col didier badjeck a spokesman for the cameroon defense ministry praised the emerging cooperation among the nations one recent operation involved 500 soldiers from cameroon and nigeria and guidance from the multinational task force in chad
in particular he said intelligence from americans has been pivotal to carrying out operations theyve given us very good information and we can verify it he said and they also have given us information that we dont have colonel badjeck added its the first time americans have been this involved in west africa


chester pa   chris pontius and c j sapong scored in the first half and the philadelphia union beat new york city fc 2 0 on saturday for its team record fifth straight home victory
pontius opened the scoring in the 26th minute when he finished a short cross from tranquillo barnetta with a right footed shot from the top of the 6 yard box
sapong got his goal in the 41st minute redirecting a right footed blast from sebastien le toux with a well placed flick into the goals left corner
the union improved to 4 3 0 nycfc dropped to 1 2 4


wyoming del   by his own account toby lopez was a supremely ordinary guy he sold toyotas and lived with his mother in a tidy rancher here with a cherry tree out front he was proud that he could connect with customers   anyone from a superior court judge to as he put it redneck bill from down on the farm what passed for excitement was the time his young niece won a beauty contest and he chauffeured her in a red corvette in a local parade
then a high school friend was killed in afghanistan and the islamic state began beheading american journalists horrified mr lopez heard on cnn one day in the fall of 2014 that the islamic state was active on twitter and he went online to see what he could find i was intrigued said mr lopez 42 what could they possibly be saying on twitter
what followed was a radical break from his humdrum life he was pulled into the murky world of internet jihadists sparring with them from his office at the car dealership and late into the night at home before long he was talking for hours on skype with a man who claimed   falsely as it would turn out   to be a top isis military commander trying to negotiate the release of hostages mr lopez contacted the fbi and began a testy relationship with counterterrorism agents who came to believe he might pose a danger in the end he landed in federal prison where he was held for nearly 14 months without trial
the story of one mans deepening obsession with a terrorist group is a reminder of how the internet provides easy portals to distant sometimes dangerous worlds it shows the complications for law enforcement agents who confront an overeager amateur encroaching on their turf
but it also underscores how lost a person can feel inside the criminal justice system deprived of his freedom his sanity in question mr lopez found himself without a legal advocate he trusted or access to evidence he believed could free him
the hundreds of emails text messages and recorded skype calls that mr lopez saved show him growing more and more frantic when fbi agents did not see things his way believing american hostages lives were at stake he sent an agent 80 increasingly overheated messages in 10 days in one he declared just remember whatever ends up happening to you ... you deserved it and added an expletive on feb 11 2015 a dozen police and fbi cars surrounded the house with the cherry tree arrested mr lopez and charged him with transmitting a threat
he was shuttled among federal facilities in pennsylvania new york oklahoma and north carolina without access to his records prison psychologists assumed his tales of talking to islamic state members were fiction symptoms of a mental illness that made him incompetent to stand trial prosecutors sought a hearing to decide whether he should be forcibly medicated
the defense finally obtained a third mental health evaluation   the first one by a psychologist who had actually reviewed mr lopezs voluminous files it found him competent and he was released on bail late last month
without having the documents kirk heilbrun a drexel university psychologist wrote in his march 2 evaluation i would have concluded that his account of this entire series of events sounded both grandiose and delusional having reviewed these documents however i would not describe his account as delusional
on friday the united states attorneys office in delaware said it had taken the exceedingly rare step of dropping the charges we have not hesitated to do so when the facts and law support such a decision a statement said
in an interview last week mr lopezs voice broke as he described his prison ordeal nobody deserves to get dragged through what i got dragged through along with my family he said its sad that when someone does something with righteous intentions and gets treated by the government this way
by his own admission mr lopez knew almost nothing about the islamic state before 2014 athletic and fun loving he had managed an italian restaurant for years before becoming a car salesman he became addicted to painkillers for a while but he kicked the habit and has been off drugs for several years he said toby is your regular guy said mary roloff who is married to mr lopezs half brother edward
at first mr lopez said he started insulting people who praised the islamic state on twitter then he decided to learn more about his social media adversaries he picked up a few islamic terms online and began to engage the terrorist groups supporters even quoting the quran to counter them he found the anonymity of the internet intoxicating as he put it nobody knew he was little toby the car salesman from delaware
on google mr lopez discovered that one man who had engaged him on twitter calling himself shishaniomar seemed to be omar al shishani or omar the chechen the nom de guerre of the military commander of the islamic state soon the two were regularly chatting on skype by early november 2014 he had left his job agreeing with his boss that his online life had become a distraction
the man who claimed to be the islamic state commander regaled him with tales of battle grumbled about condescending arab bosses and called mr lopez brother the man confided that he did not believe that islam condoned the taking of women and children as slaves soon he asked mr lopez to raise ransom to free hundreds of members of the yazidi religious minority held hostage by the islamic state
when relatives gathered for thanksgiving in 2014 at the roloffs home near baltimore mr lopez showed them jihadist videos and text message exchanges with islamic state fans
we love csi ms roloff said we thought this is really cool but some of what he shared with us   like videos of kids hanging from a tree   started to scare me it was beyond our comprehension
mr lopez contacted the fbi and two agents visited his home and interviewed him he said through allan ripp a new york public relations specialist he found online mr lopez also contacted the new york times two reporters visited him in january 2015 and spent several hours reviewing his emails texts and audio recordings
but after checking with experts the reporters concluded that mr lopez was talking not to the real red bearded mr shishani but to an impostor the actual commander did not speak fluent english and the language overheard in the background of skype calls was not chechen as the impostor claimed but kurdish his multiple twitter accounts had an antic tone he once posted a simpsons cartoon about the islamic state
its definitely a fake joanna paraszczuk a british journalist and researcher who tracks the chechens fighting in syria said by email she said the same man had duped an australian radio station into interviewing him but later admitted that he was not the isis commander but a kurdish immigrant to scandinavia
the mans motive appeared to be money he asked mr lopez to bring the ransom to sweden supposedly to be forwarded to syria
when the times reporters told mr lopez they did not believe he was dealing with the real islamic state commander he grew angry he was hearing similar skepticism from the fbi according to email exchanges with jeffrey a reising a senior counterterrorism agent based in wilmington del
from the emails it appears that mr reising was exploring mr lopezs contacts even as he tried to persuade him to disengage from the online jihadist world but mr lopez connected with a second twitter user claiming to be an islamic state figure who could get american hostages released and mr lopez tried to contact several hostages families at least one of them complained to the fbi
convinced that he could save lives mr lopez brushed off mr reisings warnings he wrote dozens of emails to the fbi some proposing that he talk to the bureaus director or even to president obama he focused on the case of kayla mueller a 26 year old american aid worker being held by the islamic state his online contacts had suggested that she might be freed
despite his doubts about mr lopezs exploits mr reising appeared to believe he might have stumbled across useful information can you provide all contact information for the person on that chat he wrote to mr lopez on feb 4 2015 referring to an exchange with a purported islamic state representative
near midnight mr lopez excitedly emailed the fbi agent i want to bring her home alive he wrote i know i can do it and i will look the president in his eyes and tell him exactly that ... anything else your fooling yourself and your in denial good night
the weary fbi agent replied toby...seriously get some sleep
when ms mueller was reported killed two days later in an airstrike mr lopez was furious and blamed the fbi for not cooperating with him his messages to the bureau grew more defiant
any attempt to arrest me will be treated as a hostile act he wrote to mr reising by then agents had been informed by the delaware state police that mr lopezs mother joyce lopez had told them that her son had a shotgun and was in a poor mental state mrs lopez 78 said recently that she had simply asked whether the gun had to be registered
by feb 11 the fbi had had enough mrs lopez arrived home to find her house surrounded cars all over the place she recalled toby was standing there with his hands up i said whats wrong
the authorities had interpreted mr lopezs heated emails as a threat to injure mr reising a crime with a sentence of up to five years mr lopez said later that he had threatened only to expose what he considered government bungling to the news media he was locked up and federal prosecutors soon sought a court order for a mental health assessment
at an initial court hearing in wilmington family members urged mr lopezs public defender daniel i siegel to collect the records of his online contacts which they thought showed his intentions were good by their account mr siegel ignored their pleas he just said your brother is very sick and he needs help ms roloff recalled
mr lopez said mr siegel never came to see him in the year that followed as he cycled through the metropolitan correctional center in manhattan where he surprised a few terrorism defendants with arabic phrases a medical prison in butner nc where he played on the softball team and three other facilities
the first two psychological evaluations found that mr lopez was suffering from delusional disorder grandiose type to mr lopezs distress mr siegel did not contest the findings
a year into mr lopezs imprisonment after complaints from his family and reporters inquiries edson a bostic the chief federal public defender in delaware took over the case he quickly obtained from the family the files documenting mr lopezs online history and arranged for the third psychological assessment
dr heilbrun the drexel psychologist declared in his report that if mr lopez had not been talking with the real mr shishani who was killed last month then someone posing as the islamic state commander had pulled off a clever detailed and well constructed hoax
in a statement on friday mr bostic called the case a complex matter and praised mr siegels record of representing indigent clients but he said the complaints from mr lopez and his family would be investigated mr siegel did not respond to emails seeking comment
now that the charges have been dropped mr lopez who missed two family weddings while in prison is reconnecting with friends and relatives
all over you see those billboards that say see something say something said tana stevens mr lopezs sister he tried to do that and they basically kidnapped him for 14 months
mr lopez said he had consulted lawyers and was considering a lawsuit against the government officials responsible for his incarceration if i hadnt gotten another evaluation i might still be sitting down at butner with a needle in my arm he said this was the united states of america flexing its muscles on me


atlanta   jacob degrom returned to the mets clubhouse on saturday resuming the life of a major league pitcher with some typical worries such as his mechanics his command and his back muscles
degroms more serious concern   the health of his newborn son which had kept him away from the team for 12 days   appeared to be behind him degrom darted out of the turner field clubhouse around 4 pm with a big smile
the mets had even more to smile about a few hours later with starter steven matz dodging trouble over six and one third innings as the mets beat the atlanta braves 8 2 after starting the season 2 5 the mets have won seven of nine
matz gave up nine hits and two runs while striking out eight and walking none
the mets had 15 hits spread among eight starting players including back to back home runs in the ninth by second baseman neil walker and shortstop asdrubal cabrera
we started off a little slow the first week walker said and the second third week here weve really got the ball rolling from our offense to our starting pitchers to our relievers we have a very talented group here
walker added that over the last several games players arent putting that extra pressure on themselves to get the big hit
third baseman david wright who had two doubles and two rbi was one of six mets with two hits and that was all without center fielder yoenis cespedes who did not play because of a leg injury
were getting into the flow of what the baseball season is about manager terry collins said
degrom who will make his second start of the season on sunday clearly sounded relieved as he talked about the ordeal with his son jaxon anthony the baby was in a hospital in daytona beach fla hooked up to a battery of monitors for five days for what degrom said was sleep apnea a breathing problem
when all the tests came back and nothing was seriously wrong we were pretty relieved degrom said at first it was a scary time
degrom who left the team april 11 for the babys birth said his sons medical problem had resolved itself
that also appeared to be what had happened with the soreness in degroms right latissimus muscle in his back which had bothered him enough in his first start of the season on april 8 that he was removed in the sixth inning degrom said that he had not thrown for four or five days while the baby was hospitalized and that the rest seemed to have helped
i feel good the last few bullpen sessions have been good degrom said i threw five innings down in st lucie felt good there
we were working on some mechanical things too which i think kind of made the lat a little sore early on we noticed some things watching video that i was doing wrong and worked on that i think my mechanics are a lot better this time through
collins said friday that he hoped degrom could get to 85 pitches as he built endurance for the season
well watch him collins said
the mets have reason to be cautious about degroms muscle matz pitched with latissimus tightness last season and tore a muscle he did not pitch for the mets from july 5 to sept 6
on saturday night against the braves matz worked around trouble in three of his first six innings the braves had just one hit in six at bats with runners in scoring position in those six innings matz finished with 98 pitches 74 for strikes
with degroms return on sunday the mets will try to continue synchronizing their rotation after a fitful start to the season
matt harvey won for the first time this season friday night and matz had the decent start saturday now it will be degroms turn to continue the mets roll
in degroms only start this season a 7 2 victory over the phillies he threw 76 pitches and allowed one run and five hits in six innings
for some reason i was throwing against a stiff front leg versus last year degrom said we looked at the video and im really over my front side and this front leg stays bent in the video against philly in the home opener my leg was straight so i dont know if that put some extra stress on the lat too
inside pitch
yoenis cespedes was out of the lineup saturday because of significant swelling of a leg bruise terry collins said cespedes left in the eighth inning of fridays 6 3 victory over the braves after a fall in the outfield


garden city ny   mary crosson a housing activist remembers moving to long island from bayside queens in the 1990s and being struck by the sharp divisions that seemed to keep blacks and whites apart
i come from south carolina so i understand discrimination said mrs crosson 68 who is black and lives in the village of hempstead where nearly half the residents are african american in queens it was more of a mixed neighborhood i came out here and i felt like i went back to the south all over again
a federal appeals court found last month that such segregation was not an accident the court ruled that hempsteads next door neighbor garden city a wealthy village where 12 percent of the residents were black in 2010 had violated federal antidiscrimination law by rezoning land specifically to block multifamily housing   and the potential for minorities to move in
something was amiss here a three judge panel of the united states court of appeals for the second circuit wrote in its decision garden citys abrupt shift in zoning in the face of vocal opposition to changing the character of garden city represented acquiescence to race based animus
the ruling which affirmed a 2013 decision by a federal district court judge is a pivotal development in the long struggle to dismantle housing segregation as the federal government courts and advocacy groups shift the battle beyond cities to white suburban enclaves that have deliberately erected barriers to integration
the more aggressive posture reflects a growing impatience with the persistence of segregation a half century after the passage of the federal fair housing act and an effort to apply more pressure on communities to finally open themselves up to black and latino residents
its another signal that the tide is turning in terms of fair housing said prof robert m silverman of the school of architecture and planning at the state university of new york at buffalo who has written extensively on the subject of housing segregation theres a historic pattern of segregation that those places have experienced
in the case of garden city however the legal victory may have come too late the litigation dragged on for so long that a courthouse is now planned for the land at the center of the case and local officials advocates said claim there are few other parcels on which to build
the judges who ruled in the garden city case raised the possibility that discrimination went beyond one community directing the district court to determine whether officials in nassau county which includes garden city and hempstead had deliberately steered affordable housing to low income areas with largely minority populations
experts on fair housing say discrimination cases are flaring where the need for more affordable housing is greatest cities where housing costs are high and their suburbs in recent years legal challenges have been raised in westchester county ny marin county calif and the city of dallas among other places
the litigation in nassau county is entering its next phase as a new rule issued by the obama administration takes effect requiring communities that receive federal housing aid to detail how they plan to reduce racial inequality in housing the federal department of housing and urban development has given local governments data and mapping tools to help them address segregation
bryan greene the agencys general deputy assistant secretary for fair housing and equal opportunity said the requirement would help prevent what happened in westchester where some of the countrys most affluent communities sit next to hardscrabble towns and where a judge found officials had failed to consider race when they certified that the county had taken steps to promote fair housing
westchester which entered a sweeping desegregation agreement with the federal government in 2009 helped illustrate to many people nationwide that communities were getting millions and millions of dollars in block grant funding without evaluating the problem of racial segregation mr greene said
in the case of garden city local officials had not received federal housing money but the fair housing act applies to all housing transactions and policies even when federal money is not involved
the lawsuit that led to the appeals court ruling last month was filed against the village and nassau county in 2005 it accused the village of discrimination by catering to residents who had protested the board of trustees initial embrace of a zoning classification that would have allowed multifamily housing on a 25 acre parcel that the county owned and planned to sell to a private developer
while the classification did not specifically refer to affordable housing the appeals court said residents who opposed the move raised the specter of such housing being built and urged the trustees to play it safe by allowing only townhouses or single family homes on the property the trustees did just that
using what the appeals court called code words residents said that multifamily housing would change the flavor and character of the village and would lead to four or 10 people in an apartment and demanded a guarantee that the housing be upscale
the tenor of the discussion at public hearings the judges wrote and a flier that circulated in the village shows that citizen opposition though not overtly race based was directed at a potential influx of poor minority residents
garden city officials have yet to decide whether to appeal the trustees said in a statement that the village had already begun to apply remedies ordered by the district court judge arthur d spatt adopting a fair housing resolution and appointing a fair housing compliance officer
judge spatt also ordered garden city to require that 10 percent of new residential developments with five units or more be set aside for residents with household incomes of 80 percent or less of long islands median income
advocates doubt the village will create such housing anytime soon theyve been saying to us the whole time that they dont have enough land to build anything said diane goins chairwoman of the long island chapter of new york communities for change a plaintiff in the case
nonetheless ms goins who lives in hempstead called the ruling historic having grown up in african american communities on long island i always knew that we were locked into certain places she explained you could visit garden city but you could not stay
the lawyers for the plaintiffs said garden city and nassau county were not unusual there are many violations going on all across the country but unless someone catches them its of no moment one of the lawyers frederick k brewington said
the broader implications of the case and the appeals courts question about whether nassau had engaged in racial steering could be far reaching nassau is one of the most segregated counties in the country said stanley j brown another lawyer for the plaintiffs
in westchester the events that eventually produced a desegregation agreement started with a challenge by an advocacy group the anti discrimination center which accused the county of lying when it claimed to have followed fair housing requirements while applying for federal housing money
a federal judge agreed ruling that the county had utterly failed to meet its obligations the county said it would build 750 units of affordable housing in 31 overwhelmingly white communities the units   intended for working middle class families   were to be aggressively marketed to nonwhite residents
at the end of 2015 according to county officials financing was in place for 649 units 588 of which had building permits or certificates of occupancy
but a thornier element of the westchester settlement required the county to use all available means as appropriate to promote nondiscriminatory housing that included pressing local governments to change zoning rules that discouraged the construction of apartments
the federal housing agency has repeatedly accused rob astorino the westchester county executive of moving too slowly on the issue he in turn has accused the agency of trying to expand the agreements scope
in a recent opinion article in a local newspaper mr astorino a republican said the housing agency was trying to assault local zoning
the nassau and westchester cases have their roots in a much older housing discrimination battle near new york a seminal case in mount laurel nj
the mount laurel case began in the 1960s when a group of african americans found themselves priced out of the township a philadelphia suburb they sued in 1971 after local officials blocked an affordable housing project
the case reached new jerseys highest court which in two key rulings limited the use of exclusionary zoning to prevent the construction of affordable housing
more important the ruling known as the mount laurel doctrine asserted that all municipalities had an obligation to provide a fair share of affordable housing since the mid 1980s a total of more than 65000 units have been built across new jerseys 21 counties
professor silverman of suny buffalo said continued litigation of fair housing cases highlighted both the intractable nature of the problem and the robust enforcement now unfolding nationally
the fact that discrimination has been sustained over time despite a series of different court challenges has kept the issue salient he said people see the inequalities


portoviejo ecuador   even before the earthquake struck prospects were rough for this tiny andean nation
oil prices which once fueled a government spending bonanza aimed at the poor had collapsed the economy was contracting the only lifeline came from china whose loans included high interest rates and terms that the government here has not made public now after ecuadors largest earthquake since 1979 the countrys leftist leaders are turning to the kinds of measures they rose to power railing against
on wednesday president rafael correa delivered the news on television there would be an increase of two percentage points in the sales tax a one time garnishing of government wages for those earning more than 1000 a month and the possible sale of government assets he also announced a new personal wealth tax for millionaires
in recent days he has spoken about asking the international community for loans ones likely to come with their own difficult conditions and his opponents are talking about the possibility of approaching the international monetary fund long shunned here for its demands to cut government spending
the deficit the lack of savings and now an earthquake have made it clear that the old way of doing things simply cant continue in ecuador said jose hidalgo an economist who directs the corporation for development studies a research institute in quito the capital ecuador has become the latest country in the region where falling commodity prices have joined with other circumstances in pressuring leaders to renege on populist promises of the last decade
in oil producing venezuela this year president nicolas maduro ordered gas stations to begin charging a nominal rate for the first time mauricio macri argentinas new market oriented president has ordered his country to undergo an audit by the monetary fund for the first time in a decade which may signal austerity ahead
in ecuador a 78 magnitude earthquake a week ago helped set off what many say was a debate years in the making over the last decade the government made significant investments in infrastructure and education while depleting emergency funds set aside for disasters like earthquakes analysts say spending on government salaries also ballooned as the government grew
mr correa said the bill for reconstruction would be more than 3 billion a sum he said the government did not have
the government is using the earthquake as an excuse to introduce measures it had needed to introduce for a long time said francisco rodriguez the chief andean economist at bank of america merrill lynch
the news did not go over well in portoviejo the largest city hit by the earthquake where the death toll has passed 100 people more than 600 have died throughout the country
roberto rodriguez a former congressman who lives in the city said raising taxes after a natural disaster would only make the reconstruction effort more costly for residents
the price of everything will simply go up   concrete asphalt any construction material you can imagine he said there need to be incentives to build at a time like this
evelyn poggi the owner of a warehouse in portoviejo said taxes had already been too high for her business before the earthquake and ecuadors economic contractions felt even more profoundly in provincial cities like portoviejo had given her business a beating
we went from having an average of 1500 in sales a day to suddenly 800 she said then we went to 300 public institutions stopped paying their bills if theres no money we dont sell anything
yet while the new taxes are expected to cover the costs of the earthquake economists say larger economic problems still lie ahead for ecuador
its main challenge   one faced by the leftist oil dependent governments of venezuela and brazil   is petroleum prices which have collapsed in the last year more than half of ecuadors exports still come from oil
ecuador however failed to save much income from the high energy prices for rainy days like these
mr hidalgo the economist said that between 2010 and 2013 the price of oil exceeded the governments budget projections had it saved the surpluses from those years it would now have a 75 billion cushion according to his calculations
adding to the countrys woes is its use of the dollar a switch that took place in 2000 when a financial crisis caused the national currency the sucre to collapse now the dollar has appreciated against other currencies in the region and ecuadors exports have suffered as they have grown more expensive
because ecuador is unable to control its currency it faces recession and contraction of wages a process that mr rodriguez the economist said was already underway
with mr correa leaving office next year opponents say they see a chance to put their stamp on the countrys balance sheet
abdala bucaram jr a candidate for president from the ecuador force party said the country needed to follow the model of argentina which after years of conflict with the monetary fund is beginning the process to accept assistance
while mr correas public spending was popular in the previous decade mr bucaram said the consequences are becoming widely visible
poverty hasnt been eliminated in ecuador he said it has only gotten a coat of cement


pittsburgh   there would be no elimination game magic for henrik lundqvist and the rangers this year
after four consecutive postseasons in which they often played their best when their backs were against the wall the rangers 2015 16 season ended with a thud saturday
the rookie bryan rust had two goals and an assist as the pittsburgh penguins wrapped up their eastern conference quarterfinal series against the rangers with a 6 3 victory in game 5
pittsburgh won the series four games to one after losing to the rangers by the same series margin in the first round last year
we just got beat rangers defenseman marc staal said we got beat by the better team they were better than us all series
the rangers entered saturdays game hoping for a repeat performance of their 2014 second round series against the penguins in which they came back from a three games to one deficit to beat pittsburgh in seven games having won 15 of the past 19 games in which they faced elimination the rangers had reason to have confidence that they could do so again after all lundqvist had a 150 goals against average in those games
but these rangers are not the same rangers who reached the conference finals three times from 2012 to 2015 and this lundqvist is not the same lundqvist
he failed to finish a game for the third time in five outings this series which began with his being knocked out of game 1 after he was hit near the eye by a teammates stick the penguins bombarded lundqvist for 10 goals during his final four periods his backup antti raanta played the third period saturday after having played the final 33 plus minutes in game 4 on thursday
lundqvist allowed four goals on 12 shots in what proved his final period of the season
the second period it was a feeling of embarrassment to give up that many goals lundqvist said but also a sense of hopelessness
he allowed only eight goals in the entire series against pittsburgh last season and before thursdays 5 0 loss in game 4 he had given up just 16 goals to the penguins during his previous 11 playoff appearances against them winning eight of those games
but then lundqvist gave up 10 goals in 64 minutes 55 seconds   the equivalent of a 923 goals against average
theres been a lot of big opportunities right in front in this series and you need strong goaltending lundqvist said you need a goalie thats going to make a lot of big extra saves and i wasnt able to come up with that
while lundqvist was not sharp in game 5   four of the goals came on shots that were unscreened but well placed   the breakdowns by the remade defensive corps in front of him did not help
coach alain vigneault pulled out all the stops he brought back the veteran dan girardi who had been out since game 1 because of a whole body injury
vigneault also dressed seven defensemen turning to raphael diaz who had not played in an nhl game all season dan boyle 39 was a healthy scratch in what was most likely his final game he said in the fall that he planned to retire after the season
diaz and girardi rewarded those decisions as each assisted on a goal a girardi shot 62 seconds into the game was deflected in by rick nash chris kreider got a piece of a similar shot by diaz from the point during a power play in the third period for the rangers first goal in the series with a five on four advantage
dominic moore had made the score 2 1 just past the midway point of the first period the puck going into the net after ricocheting off several penguins
but the rangers final lead of the series lasted only 64 seconds until a phil kessel slap shot from the right circle smacked off the shaft of lundqvists stick and into the far top corner of the net
that made pittsburgh 8 for 20 on the power play in the series then came the four goal onslaught in the second period and the rangers were finished
the rangers who lost in the first round of the playoffs for the first time since 2011 had won eight playoff series over the previous four years including 2014 when they advanced to the finals
the way they play the game thats what we used to do to teams rangers forward derick brassard said noting that penguins coach mike sullivan had been an assistant with the rangers from 2009 to 2013 and they did it to us now
with many in the rangers core aging some will wonder if this is the end of an era nine rangers who played in this series are 30 or older two more will turn 30 before the start of next season
lundqvist posted the worst goals against average of his 11 season career and tied for his worst save percentage since the 2008 9 season nash who missed 20 games with a leg injury had his fewest goals in a season girardi had an uneven season eric staal and keith yandle trade acquisitions during the past 14 months are pending unrestricted free agents
after the game vigneault said it was too early to give a full scale evaluation of where his team would go from here
like any organization were going to go through all the steps from coaches to management he said
he added everybody wanted to end this way differently than it did


on a break during a business trip to washington last year david panton hailed a cab to take him to the capitol he told the driver he was going to see the texas senator and presidential candidate ted cruz
hes racist the cabdriver replied according to mr panton
mr panton taken aback informed his driver that mr cruz had a bust of the rev dr martin luther king jr on the right side of his desk that he was the only senator to attend the funeral of nelson mandela and that he had a black guy as a college roommate and best man at his wedding
i dont believe that the cabby said as mr panton tells it
well mr panton replied youre talking to him
everyone seems to have an opinion of mr cruz and usually it is not a good one he has repeatedly come under attack from donald j trump and other rivals as being eminently unlikable having antagonized even members of his own party hillary clinton joined that chorus this month when she described mr cruz as a meanspirited guy the new york primary last week in which he finished a distant third may have been the low point in his decades long struggle with popularity
but through it all he could depend on mr panton   his former roommate debate teammate business partner and political booster   as a source of unconditional support the guy who extends a hand when the whole world seems to offer a stiff arm
the media has caricatured ted as this one dimensional hard core guy mr panton 44 said with some irritation in an interview during his business trip to washington last fall ted is principled but he is actually a good guy and was a great friend to me
their friendship dates back to their freshman year at princeton indeed college contemporaries considered mr panton a native of jamaica to be the more likely of the two to run a nation but he become better known back home for ill fated romances with beauty queens than for his leadership qualities
at first mr cruzs freshman roommate at princeton was craig mazin a screenwriter who has provided a stream of often quoted insults about the candidates personality he wrote the hangover iii mr panton said archly of mr mazin
but midway through freshman year mr cruz and mr panton who enrolled in princeton at age 16 moved in together ted and i just hit it off mr panton said adding that his friend schooled him on conservative politics ted was very kind to me he took an interest in what i was doing in my life and in my background
they both picked subjects for their senior theses while still freshmen mr cruz wrote about the constitutions ninth and 10th amendments mr panton about a jamaican politician they were best known around campus and beyond as debate partners when mr cruz was elected president of the clio or conservative side of the american whig cliosophic society the umbrella group for all of the schools debating activities mr panton was his whip mr panton continued on to be a rhodes scholar at oxford and joined mr cruz at harvard law school where mr panton like barack obama before him became president of the harvard law review
former debate team members said mr panton used to duck out of pictures if he determined them to be potentially damaging to his chances of becoming prime minister of jamaica
born to a prominent businessman turned anglican priest in the jamaican town mandeville mr panton had connections to and a familiarity with the islands political elite including the former prime minister of the conservative jamaica labour party he returned to jamaica as a businessman after his studies and in 1998 co founded with mr cruz a fund that was created to draw investments for caribbean ventures mr cruz put 6000 into the firm and ultimately left with 25000 in cash and a 75000 promissory note from mr panton that mr cruz had never cashed in
in 2013 time magazine revealed the venture and noted that mr cruz had failed to disclose the profit on two years of senate ethics forms mr cruz called it an oversight
days before the iowa caucuses this year the washington post published an unflattering report on the ill fated caribbean investment fund mr panton founded with mr cruz mr panton was mortified that the article would do harm to his friend according to a person who discussed the matter with him but declined to be named because he was not authorized to speak for the campaign
a year after mr cruz and mr panton went into business mr panton married lisa hanna a former miss jamaica and miss world who is now a member of jamaicas parliament in a new york ceremony during which mr cruz gave the toast
mr panton soon made the move to politics leading a youth wing of the jamaica labour party which mr cruz addressed in 2001 and taking a seat in the countrys senate that year he and ms hanna had a child mr cruz was named godfather
but then things stopped going so well for mr panton in 2004 he and his wife moved to atlanta where they divorced months later touching off an international custody battle that became tabloid fodder in jamaica there was more sensational coverage to come in 2006 wendy fitzwilliam a former miss universe from trinidad caused a media storm when unmarried she announced her pregnancy by mr panton to an audience of teenage girls at corpus christi college a catholic school in trinidad the couple split up and in 2009 she published a tell all book letters to ailan   the name of her son with mr panton   that offered an at times unflattering portrait of mr panton
in 2012 she and others who had formed bq girls a beauty queen musical group sang and danced to their big song runway for mr trump who then owned the miss universe franchise in his trump tower office
he was tickled pink to see wendy said a t dunn the groups manager he asked her about trinidad and asked her about her son he knew about her son
by then mr panton had established himself in the private equity business in atlanta where he is the chairman of the jamaican chamber of commerce of atlanta
behind the scenes mr panton set up one of the first super pacs supporting mr cruzs campaign donating 100000 to it though it has been eclipsed by much larger ones
since disassociating himself from the super pac mr panton has aided his old debate partner by critiquing his performance at debate preparations according to the person who has spoken with him mr panton also urged mr cruz with whom he remains in regular contact to relate more emotional stories about his upbringing and his late half sisters battle with drugs
mr panton and mr cruz declined to speak in further depth last week about their friendship
but back in jamaica that friendship has at least created a reflected glory for mr panton that many once expected to shine directly onto him
now a major playmaker in his friends quest for the white house the jamaica observer wrote last year for mr panton the possibility now exists that one of jamaicas brightest sons could be a close friend to the most powerful human being on earth


houston   stephen curry packed light for his most recent business trip
in a move born of optimism or confidence or perhaps a mix of both he chose not to take a suit dress attire that the nba requires players to wear if they are injured or inactive and consigned to watch games from the bench curry the luminous star of the golden state warriors was not planning to watch from the bench
sure enough when the warriors renewed their first round western conference playoff series against the houston rockets with game 3 on thursday curry was nowhere near the bench unfortunately for him he was not on the court either he was tucked away in the recesses of toyota center his injured right ankle reducing him to the role of distant spectator for at least another night
there was still some healing to be done curry said
the rockets took advantage of currys absence escaping with a narrow win that reduced the warriors series lead to two games to one entering game 4 on sunday once again after spending recent days working to graduate to full pain free mobility curry expects to play   only this time he has the backing of his coaches and trainers
no pain no limping coach steve kerr said after watching curry scrimmage with teammates at saturdays practice the conditioning and the rhythm after being off that long its an issue but well continue to monitor that steph doesnt take too long to get his rhythm back generally so i think hell be fine
curry will be re evaluated sunday kerr said but his return would be good news for the warriors good news for television viewers and bad news for the rockets who stymied their dysfunction just long enough to steal a 97 96 victory against the curry less warriors in game 3
it has been a delicate balance for kerr who has clearly wanted to treat currys injury with exceeding caution the warriors in all likelihood do not need curry to play another minute to win this series but they do need curry if they hope to survive three more playoff rounds in their quest for another championship
curry has the most famous right ankle in sports in large part because of its ragged history his troubles began after his second season as he had surgery on a tendon in may 2011 after a second operation in 2012 his rehabilitation was accompanied by widespread concerns that his ankle could derail his career
instead curry has been resilient appearing in at least 78 games in each of the past four regular seasons despite absorbing punishing contact from defenders by comparison when curry sustained his injury in game 1 against the rockets   on a simple plant so he could turn to run upcourt   it seemed nondescript except for the hobble that followed
on tuesday a magnetic resonance imaging exam did not reveal anything of concern the warriors said in a statement but curry who had crammed 24 points into 20 minutes of game 1 missed games 2 and 3 he left everyone with the impression that he would have played had it been the finals he did not sound concerned
on friday curry participated in a game of three on three against a collection of teammates and the assistant coach luke walton curry was rusty a step out of sync his familiar explosion and rhythm were lacking he said not that he was surprised
awful he said its only been five days but when you miss that much time literally not doing anything its tough
nobody is pitying the warriors who have enviable depth and tend to recover from their rare missteps by constructing masterpieces not only did they go the entire regular season without losing consecutive games they rebounded from their nine losses by winning the following game by an average of 146 points
our guys are competitive kerr said they generally get angry when they lose and i think thatll be the feeling come sunday obviously most teams get angry but our guys have done a good job of responding with their heads as well as their hearts
the warriors were not exactly crisp without curry in game 3 after committing seven of the teams 14 turnovers and dribbling the ball off his foot in the closing seconds draymond green took responsibility for the loss   an assessment that kerr described as categorically false but kerr appreciated greens fire
oh draymond will be fine kerr said he always takes the blame if he doesnt play well i admire that about him
kerr cited precedent in expressing confidence that the warriors would clean up a lot of their mistakes and if there has been a benefit to currys two game absence consider the early round playoff experience gained by younger players like ian clark a third year guard who came off the bench to score 11 points in game 3
i think part of the objective when you play in the regular season is to give guys as much time as you can up and down the roster because you never know how things are going to work out kerr said obviously we didnt know that steph would get injured in game 1 but because he did ians getting his chance
it was a nice opportunity for clark an understudy who had prepared for his moment but the warriors are still eager for their star to return


london ontario   driving east along highway 401 from this handsome old city of 366000 tracing another thames upriver leads to toronto in about two hours head west through a landscape of flat featureless farmland and the detroit skyline appears in even less time
the remaining 28 nhl franchises scattered in cities across north america scarcely seem farther away for the teenagers playing here for the london knights a junior team in the ontario hockey league that is a leading incubator for pro prospects
its no secret what london does here said 18 year old max jones a rugged 6 foot 3 forward from rochester mich and one of three knights ranked among the top 15 north american skaters last week by nhl central scouting a department that rates prospects for the draft
theyre putting players on to the next level like its nothing jones said i needed to be a part of that
since 2000 the knights who are playing the erie otters of pennsylvania in the ohls western conference final series have produced three no 1 nhl picks more than any other program they were rick nash the rangers wing selected by the columbus blue jackets in 2002 patrick kane taken by the chicago blackhawks in 2007 and john tavares by the islanders in 2009
other notable alumni include max domi of the arizona coyotes olli maatta of the pittsburgh penguins nazem kadri of the toronto maple leafs and corey perry of the anaheim ducks who was the nhls most valuable player in 2010 11
hopefully i can be one of those guys one of those names thats come through here said matthew tkachuk 18 a wing from st louis who ranks second in goals 13 and points 26 in the ohl playoffs and is expected to be one of the first 10 players selected in the draft in june along with his teammate olli juolevi 17 a defenseman from helsinki finland
london was interested in me and i was like ok of course i was coming here said juolevi who had never visited before arriving this season i knew guys like olli maatta had come here and now they are playing in the nhl i knew these guys are doing something right here
ask players coaches scouts and managers and it becomes clear that what the brothers dale and mark hunter and their partner basil mcrae former hard nosed nhl players who bought the knights in 2000 have done is to foster an environment that mimics the pros
dale hunter 55 whose son dylan is an assistant has an ohl best career coaching winning percentage of 701 with him or his brother mark behind the bench london has won three ohl titles and the 2005 memorial cup awarded to the champion of canadas top junior leagues
he treated me how he knew i would be treated at the next level the maple leafs kadri said of dale hunter who played 19 feisty seasons for quebec washington and colorado and is the only player in nhl history to amass 1000 points and 3000 penalty minutes as far as mentorship goes he allowed me to be creative and have that offensive instinct but he treated me like a man
hunters philosophy
i really believe its a 200 foot game he said citing the length of a rink youve got to play both ends of the ice theyve got great skill and everybody wants to score but if you want to have a long career 
he did not finish the thought but across the nhl it is understood
theyre all about allowing players to express their offensive creativity said don maloney who was the general manager of the coyotes when the team drafted domi and the current london captain christian dvorak but they understand that at the pro level theres certain requirements you have to have defensively or else you dont play
finding examples to show their players requires that hunter and his staff watch hours of nhl game footage
right now we try to emulate chicago a lot said rob simpson the assistant general manager and an assistant coach we have a puck moving team and a possession team and we have some skill players who can make plays with some similarities a few years ago we had a different team where we more focused on bostons style of play and how they supported the puck and overloading in different zones
whichever style the knights are playing scouting minor hockey talent to mold was a task overseen by mark hunter
i saw mark hunter everywhere driving his pickup truck throughout the midwest all over ontario and in europe said dan marr director of nhl central scouting
although still a knights owner mark hunter left club operations in 2014 to work for the maple leafs as director of player personnel the director of scouting ken hornick mcrae and simpson team with others to locate a new crop of knights with the skills and sensibilities to succeed in the ohl and possibly beyond
tkachuk domi and jones were high profile youth players whose fathers had played in the nhl keith tkachuk scored 538 goals during an 18 year career and tie domi was a feared enforcer who ranks third in career penalty minutes behind only tiger williams and dale hunter
dvorak a 20 year old chicago native was a different story drafted by london in the eighth round in 2012 he did not sign with the team for more than a year then he spent most of the 2013 14 season in london injured since then dvorak has developed into a dominant two way center and he was the knights leading scorer during the regular season
they teach you how to play the game the right way he said they want you to play defense first and i was learning that my first year here
finding such sometimes raw overlooked talent requires traveling to remote rinks to view teenage prospects
you put a lot of miles on your car throughout the year and youre going to get a couple sets of tires for sure said simpson citing destinations like sioux falls sd waterloo iowa and thunder bay and sudbury ontario
if you can make it from there to london the road to the nhl does not seem so distant


the yankees and the tampa bay rays were tied 2 2 in the ninth inning on saturday when brett gardner stepped to the plate and began assessing ways to score a third run
in the seventh inning gardner had driven in the tying run for the yankees on a fluke single with two outs and the yankees best pitchers most likely finished for the afternoon gardner began thinking innovatively
facing reliever erasmo ramirez gardner wanted to surprise the defense and bunt for a hit steal second and let carlos beltran perhaps the yankees best hitter so far this season attempt to drive him in
but the infielders began creeping in soon the count was 3 1 and gardner guessed that ramirez would not want to walk him to face beltran so he envisioned a pitch near the plate coming his way
gardner guessed correctly and he crushed a home run over the right field wall sending the yankees to a 3 2 win at yankee stadium
yankees starter masahiro tanaka had perhaps his best outing so far this season throwing a season high 97 pitches striking out seven in seven innings and allowing two runs including the dependable bullpen duo of dellin betances and andrew miller the yankees arms carried the team before gardner registered his sixth career walk off hit and his second homer of the season
when you use miller and betances you want to win those games and gardy came up with a huge hit yankees catcher brian mccann said
betances struck out two of three batters in the eighth inning and miller pitched a scoreless ninth during the first eight games of the yankees current homestand betances and miller have struck out 22 of 33 batters betances has recorded 21 of his last 24 outs by strikeout
the back end of the bullpen has been one of the few high points this season for the yankees who continued to struggle against left handed pitching
on saturday the yankees faced a left handed starter for the fourth time in five games and they were largely stymied during the major league debut of blake snell the rays top prospect
snell 23 had shined at class aaa durham going 7 3 with a 199 era in 12 starts since joining the team in the 2015 season
in the first inning on saturday toeing the third base side of the rubber and inhaling deeply before each windup snell looked jittery after retiring the first two batters on fly balls he walked beltran on four pitches a single by mark teixeira moved beltran to third and with alex rodriguez at bat snell skipped a wild pitch past catcher hank conger allowing one run to score
more composed in the second inning snell struck out the side he finished with 90 pitches over five innings striking out six and allowing two hits and one run
you can see why theres so much buzz about him gardner said im not looking forward to having to continue to face him
the rays scratched out a run in the fourth on doubles by logan morrison and corey dickerson with two outs dickerson lifted an 0 2 pitch from tanaka to left field and gardner playing shallow could not recover in time as the ball sailed over his head
off the bat gardner thought he could make the catch but he said that he should have been playing deeper
in the fifth inning kevin kiermaiers high fly ball to right field smacked into the foul pole for a home run putting the rays ahead 2 1
gardner atoned for his defensive misjudgment in the seventh though when the yankees tied the score without getting a hit past the infield
mccann led off with a walk and chase headley also walked after starlin castro flied out to center field didi gregorius struck out swinging on a 3 2 pitch out of the zone but jacoby ellsbury was awarded first base on a catchers interference call to load the bases
saturday was the third time this month that ellsbury had reached base on catchers interference
that gave us an opportunity to set it up for gardy manager joe girardi said he waits a long time with two strikes and protects
gardner then hit a liner that deflected off pitcher xavier cedeno the ball pinballed toward second base but second baseman logan forsythe had already broken toward the hole all runners were safe and the yankees had tied the game
thats not how you would draw it up but at this point well take it any way we can get it said gardner who finished 3 for 5 with two rbi his first multiple rbi game of the season
inside pitch
aaron hicks has inflammation in his left shoulder and will be inactive for four to five days before the game reliever branden pinder was found to have a partial tear of the right ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow joe girardi said that pinder had not yet decided whether to rehabilitate the injury or undergo tommy john surgery earlier this month reliever nick rumbelow chose the procedure after incurring a similar injury


the boston celtics franchise record for regular season victories does not belong to a team featuring bill russell or one led by larry bird or by kevin garnett and perhaps most relevant especially in light of the 73 victory golden state warriors now having played two playoff games without their injured star stephen curry it did not come with a championship
it was the 1972 73 team which john havlicek and dave cowens led to 68 wins   tied for the second most regular season wins at that point and still the fifth most ever   before boston locked horns with the knicks in the eastern conference finals the teams split the first two games and in the third a celtics loss havlicek scored 29 points but injured his shoulder he missed the next game and the diminution of his performance the rest of the way contributed greatly to the celtics eventual elimination in seven games
curry who has battled ankle problems throughout his career injured his right ankle in game 1 against the houston rockets he insists he will be ready to play in game 4 on sunday with his team leading the series by two games to one but the experiences of that celtics team suggest that golden state may still have something to worry about even when curry returns
curry has shown a tenacious streak insisting that he was simply bowing to his coachs desire to make sure he is 100 percent before risking him in a series in which the warriors even after a game 3 loss should be able to win without him
if i was a betting man id be broke betting on me playing in game 2 and game 3 curry told espns marc spears so we will see what happens
havlicek made a similar statement to reporters after missing game 4 with a torn right trapezius muscle sustained in a collision with the knicks dave debusschere
i had my shoulder x rayed and there are no breaks just torn muscles havlicek said i have to be optimistic
havliceks prediction that he would return proved accurate and the initial returns were promising he came off the bench in game 5 and scored 18 points as the celtics rallied to pull to within 3 2
boston won game 6 with little help from havlicek who was still severely limited in movement in his right arm he finished with 9 points 2 assists and 2 rebounds in 27 minutes
it was during that game that the knicks figured out how to exploit the diminished version of havlicek in game 7 he scored just 4 points as the celtics lost 94 78
havlicek told reporters after the game that his shoulder had felt better than at any time since the injury pointing out that he had attempted one layup with his right hand but that he simply had lost too much strength in the arm to play up to his usual standards with the injury even affecting his ability to pass the ball
i couldnt get any force on the ball havlicek told reporters i saw guys open
perhaps the best description of the series and one that could haunt the warriors if curry comes back and appears limited came from don nelson the hall of fame coach of the warriors who was havliceks backup on the celtics
i think all along we were playing with the thought that john is going to be john if we can just keep it going  nelson said after the game 7 loss well john wasnt john
curry the dominant offensive force in the nba relies on quickness and agility nearly as much as he does his marksmanship so any reduction in mobility could be crippling to his style of play his history of ankle trouble also informs the teams cautious approach
luckily for the warriors they still have the edge over houston in their first round matchup but their future would be far less assured if curry were sidelined again or even limited in later rounds against stacked teams like the los angeles clippers the oklahoma city thunder and the san antonio spurs
after curry led golden state to its 73rd win of the season breaking the record of michael jordans 1995 96 chicago bulls team jordan congratulated the warriors but also issued a veiled challenge saying he was looking forward to seeing how they did in the playoffs to unseat jordans bulls as the presumed greatest team ever the warriors would have to end their season with their second consecutive nba title
the celtics found out in 1973 that they could not win it all when john wasnt john the warriors and everyone else will find out soon enough if curry can be curry


when the cleveland indians hosted the mets last weekend they saw the kind of team they want to be the mets reached the last world series with a group of young hard throwing right handed starters who have yet to reach free agency if the indians get there this fall it will be for the same reason
its going to be around our starting pitching general manager mike chernoff said i think when you look at the success the mets had last year you can see that that can be successful you read the fans reaction or the medias reaction to do you have to trade a starter to balance your team more what we saw last year with the mets was no you dont have to do that
the indians rotation pillars are corey kluber carlos carrasco and danny salazar last season they combined for 10 strikeouts per nine innings with a 352 era the mets top three   matt harvey jacob degrom and noah syndergaard   combined for 949 strikeouts per nine innings with a 280 era
chernoff 34 is more familiar with the mets than most he started his career in baseball as an intern for the mets baseball operations department when analytics was in its infancy
i was transcribing the numbers from the super register into an excel database so we could analyze them chernoff said referring to an annual baseball america reference book i was staying up every night until 4 in the morning doing that its embarrassing to think about it now but that was the state of analytics in 2002 there was no fangraphs there was no baseball reference there was none of that out there
chernoff is a princeton graduate like mark shapiro the former indians president and mike hazen a former indians official who is now general manager of the boston red sox the indians promoted chernoff to general manager last october when chris antonetti took over for shapiro who left for the toronto blue jays
one of the smartest human beings ive ever been around shapiro said of chernoff this spring good human being high character individual incredible intellect and ability to reason and understand where the opportunities are and where the leverage lies the intellectual muscle and firepower that mike has i just dont know many people who have that combined with an elite level of integrity
chernoff played baseball in college with the future major leaguers ross ohlendorf and will venable in 102 games across four seasons at princeton chernoff a middle infielder hit 242 with no homers but he set an example for others and served as a team captain as a senior
i would say his work ethic was great said ohlendorf who pitches for the cincinnati reds he really worked hard and he was a good leader he made sure other guys were in the weight room and working out
with the indians chernoff has helped build a team that won a wild card in 2013 and has had winning records in the two years since nobody on the indians current roster was brought in as a free agent on a multiyear deal the departed michael bourn and nick swisher were expensive disappointments but they have used every other source to find their core players
the draft brought them second baseman jason kipnis shortstop francisco lindor and closer cody allen they signed salazar as an amateur from the dominican republic and when the indians have traded veterans they have usually gotten high impact talent in return   c c sabathia brought outfielder michael brantley cliff lee brought carrasco jake westbrook brought kluber casey blake brought designated hitter carlos santana and esmil rogers brought catcher yan gomes
you have to hit on everything chernoff said you dont have the same margin for error that a large market team has we know who we are and how we have to make decisions like that and they can be really hard in the moment
there was a lot of backlash on some of those trades that we made but at the same time if you have a plan and you have an idea of how to build it you see the fruits of those decisions four or five years later
as successful as their trades have been the indians   who won their last world series title in 1948   still have not played in a playoff series since 2007 they have finished last or second to last in the american league in attendance in each of the last four seasons playing in the shadow of lebron jamess cavaliers but also of the citys lowly nfl team
people here love the browns they obviously have had tough times over the past decade or so and yet theres always this kind of eternal optimism in football that you can get yourself out of it chernoff said it can be challenging in a city like this where you have that compared to us where over the last three years weve been relatively good but theres still some of that pent up negativity you have to recognize that really its just passionate people who want a championship for the city
chernoff is quite familiar with intense fans his father mark is the vice president for programming at new yorks wfan chernoff is used to fans voicing their opinions a pastime that followed him to cleveland
five years ago my dad helped start one of the stations for cbs here chernoff said smiling so now they have sports talk radio all day   just in time for me to be in this role its perfect i can thank him for that
dominant beyond a no hitter
when jake arrieta pitched another no hitter on thursday for the chicago cubs in cincinnati it highlighted an overwhelming stretch of dominance
in his last 19 regular season starts arrieta is 16 1 with an 078 era he has not allowed an earned run in 13 of those starts and the only time he lost was when his opponent   cole hamels then with philadelphia   threw a no hitter arrieta has also won the cy young award tossed a shutout in the national league wild card game and no hit the los angeles dodgers in that span
as a cub he is 40 13 with a 217 era with his previous team the baltimore orioles he was 20 25 with a 546 era the orioles   who discouraged arrieta from throwing across his body as he prefers   may always regret trading him in july 2013 but there is at least a smaller victory hidden within that deal
the orioles made the trade to get scott feldman a veteran starter who could help them in a pennant race baltimore missed the postseason and feldman left as a free agent but the orioles   who also dealt pedro strop a useful reliever   also acquired a backup catcher steve clevenger from the cubs
clevenger played more games in the minors than in the majors for baltimore but last december when the seattle mariners wanted to move an expensive outfielder to the orioles they accepted clevenger in return
the outfielder mark trumbo who looks like a steal for the orioles through friday trumbo was hitting 362 with five homers helping the orioles to a surprising 10 5 start trumbo is not arrieta and this rate of production seems unlikely to last but at least the orioles have something to show for the ace who got away
a ball is a ball
after a run of six perfect games in four seasons from 2009 through 2012 baseball is into its fourth season in a row without one but that dry patch is short compared with the 1970s when there were no perfect games at all
the pitcher who came closest milt pappas died on tuesday at age 76 pitching for the chicago cubs on sept 2 1972 pappas lost a perfect game with two outs and two strikes in the ninth inning when the plate umpire bruce froemming called ball four to the san diego pinch hitter larry stahl
though pappas praised froemmings strike zone immediately after that game he later held that froemming should have given him the final strike but it was not froemmings job to get caught up in the moment in a 2010 interview with the new york times he maintained that the pitch was a ball
the pitch was outside froemming said i didnt miss the pitch pappas missed the pitch you can look at the tape pappas the next day said i know the pitch was outside but you could have given it to me that pitch has gotten better over the years that pitch is right down the middle now
pappas remains the only pitcher to issue a walk with two outs in the ninth inning and a perfect game on the line but a similar situation arose last june when washingtons max scherzer needed one more strike against pittsburghs jose tabata to finish off a perfect game scherzer hit tabata with an errant slider spoiling his bid   but like pappas he retired the next batter and settled for a no hitter


in build baby build april 17 conor dougherty wrote of a san francisco activist group the bay area renters association or barf and its founder sonja trauss as the citys tech boom clashes with tough development laws and resentment from established residents ms trausss group is pushing for more housing of all kinds to be built tactics have included speaking out at government meetings counterprotests against those fighting new development and a lawsuit against one suburb lafayette
the article drew 837 comments on nytimescom the following have been edited and condensed
i think they should close the bay area its full
robert woodcox california
the answer is to build obviously the progressives and environmentalists already have theirs their solution is to keep everybody else out if they want to stop development all they have to do is buy up all of the property at market rates and let it lie fallow while paying sky high property taxes
ebmem memphis
what a shamefully superficial article who is funding this gal the ceo of yelp the image of her writing her own petition to sue the city of lafayette sounds so charmingly grass roots go girl gumption y but reeks of koch brothers funding or the like new york times you need to follow the money and get back to us with a real article
americongrl san francisco bay area
ive lived here over 25 years and i think one of the primary issues of housing tension in san francisco is since world war ii a lot of the newer residents were cultural and humanities oriented drawn to arts music theater and dance scenes they were content to find affordable neighborhoods improve them and live modestly
the recent influx is largely businesspeople investors marketers and engineers who want to live in these same neighborhoods and often project the following attitude im here now move and get out of my way
steve san francisco
as a professional geologist i have to ask have you all gone mad attractive as it may be san francisco and surrounding areas is near the top of the list for american cities facing major natural disasters we know the region will suffer a globally significant earthquake in the next few decades and the human tragedy will only worsen as this expansion madness continues
bob krantz houston
has anyone ever heard of planned growth slapping up high rise buildings without improving public transportation will not solve any problems but will simply cause pollution and traffic gridlock and decrease quality of life
tony boston
barf has something right   people need to challenge san francisco and other municipalities whose planning department policies actively inhibit change and development a demolition permit in san francisco is guaranteed to take a minimum of one year   not for proper review or architectural merit but to actively discourage the idea
mike d noe valley
why dont the corporations move they have the money and resources to locate anywhere there are many cities in the country that need big companies lots of places would love to have that kind of growth
allison austin tex


brett yormark could not hide his glee as he spoke about the first stanley cup game ever played in brooklyn last sundays 4 3 overtime win by the islanders over the florida panthers
now yormark the chief executive of barclays center hopes there will be more opportunities beyond sundays game 6 to experience hockey hysteria in brooklyn this spring
it was a culmination yormark said of the victory secured by thomas hickeys goal 12 minutes 31 seconds into overtime giving the islanders a 2 1 series lead as good of an experience as it was for the fans organizationally we needed it we needed everyone to say boy that felt really good 
after an inaugural regular season in brooklyn spent ironing out problems that included players occasional complaints of subpar ice conditions yormark was buoyed by a frenzied orange towel waving celebration swirling throughout the arena a sellout crowd announced at 15795 cheered as boisterously as fans did at nassau coliseum the islanders former home which was renowned for its decibel levels
no matter the outcome of this opening round series which the islanders led by three games to two after fridays double overtime victory in sunrise fla yormark believes there is growing momentum for hockey in brooklyn
this gives us a huge lift for next year yormark said last week
yormark spends part of every game striding through the arenas concourses chatting and shaking hands with fans like a candidate for political office he invites their comments
yormark and his staff started the season facing myriad obstacles the departure from long island after 43 years they knew would be an adjustment   even though the buildup to the move had been three years in the making
now more than six months after opening night on oct 9 against the chicago blackhawks yormark said he was relieved that the first year had been mostly smooth a few hiccups notwithstanding the islanders averaged 13626 tickets sold for 41 regular season games playing to 862 percent of capacity with more saturday night games a fan favorite on long island scheduled for next season those numbers should improve
in any new relationship theres that period of adjustment said yormark who also oversaw the nets move to brooklyn from new jersey in 2012 we have to give people a reason to come back and i think we are
he acknowledged that at first he might have tried too hard to generate interest in hockey in a borough that had never hosted an nhl game
you cant force it he said it has to happen organically
yormark said one early season controversy had been resolved simply by listening to fans and staying attuned to elements that were popular for decades at nassau coliseum where the islanders won the stanley cup four straight times from 1980 to 1983
there was an outcry about fans going down to the ice to see warm ups he said and i finally said to my security team whats the problem lets try it and we tried it and we didnt have one issue im glad that the fans pushed because they were right it was their tradition it worked
the islanders went 25 11 5 at barclays surpassing by 3 their point total from the previous season on long island early in the season they practiced on game day mornings in brooklyn but they later began holding those skates on long island so home games would feel less like road games
problems with the ice cropped up early and late in the season a result of warmer weather but barclays began using dehumidifiers after a complaint filled game against columbus on march 31 and since then players have reported better ice
yormark said a full time ice engineer would be in place by next season
there have been a lot of adjustments and a lot of learning  yormark said what happened last sunday is the bar not just for the playoffs but for every game
gary bettman the nhls commissioner said the league had worked to help the islanders and barclays center get optimal ice
dan craig is there bettman said referring to the leagues senior director for facility operations who oversees ice making throughout the nhl he thinks the conditions are improving and the building is certainly cooperating to do it there are few people who have the expertise that he has in making ice and so hes lending his assistance to them in effect to teach them how to make ice and to make it better
yormark had been closely monitoring two of the other seven first round playoff series tampa bays five game elimination of detroit and the rangers pittsburgh series which the penguins won four games to one on saturday if the islanders advance they will play the lightning
given the competition between barclays center and madison square garden it is easy to understand what yormark craves next
id love to own the city he said id love to be the only hockey team playing because all eyes will be on the islanders


luis suarez continued his scoring splurge with four goals on saturday to help barcelona stay atop the spanish league while real madrid needed a stellar performance from gareth bale to remain in the title hunt
suarez scored his eighth goal in two games to fuel a 6 0 rout of sporting gijon following another four goal outing in an 8 0 destruction of deportivo la coruna on wednesday
while bale managed only two goals they were critical in a 3 2 fight back at rayo vallecano in a match madrid entered without cristiano ronaldo and finished without karim benzema because of leg injuries
barcelona stayed level on points with atletico madrid which beat malaga 1 0 madrid remained a point behind in third place with three rounds left barcelona holds tiebreakers against both challengers and will get more rest while atletico and madrid appear in the champions league semifinals
with back to back wins by a combined score of 14 0 barcelona has re established its command of a competition it had appeared set to win easily before its stunning run of four rounds without a win threw the race open
united in fa cup final anthony martials stoppage time goal sent manchester united into its first fa cup final in nine years with a 2 1 victory over everton
the fa cup could be only a consolation prize for united if it does not follow a top four finish in the premier league which would secure a route back into the champions league
with four games remaining united remains fifth 4 points behind arsenal manchester city is a further point ahead in third place after beating stoke 4 0 in one of four league games
newcastle remained in the relegation zone even after coming from behind to draw 2 2 at liverpool southampton preserved its outside shot at qualifying for the europa league by defeating already relegated aston villa 4 2 chelsea the deposed champion won 4 1 at bournemouth
the focus shifts to the title race in the coming days leicester which has a 5 point lead over tottenham hosts swansea on sunday tottenham faces west bromwich albion at white hart lane the following day
bayern nears title bayern munich ground past hertha berlin 2 0 and borussia dortmund kept the bundesliga title race alive for at least one more week with a 3 0 victory at stuttgart bayern would have won the title with a win and a dortmund loss
bayern can seal an unprecedented fourth title with a win at home against borussia monchengladbach next weekend but it first visits atletico madrid for the opening leg of their champions league semifinal on wednesday
its not easy to keep pushing every three or four days especially when everyone expects you to win bayerns thomas muller said
arturo vidal scored three minutes after the break and douglas costa sealed the win late to keep bayern 7 points clear of dortmund with three games left
henrikh mkhitaryan starred for dortmund setting up shinji kagawa then christian pulisic before the break and crowning his effort by scoring in the 56th pulisic an american scored for the second straight game and at 17 became the youngest player to score two goals for dortmund
psg on course for treble angel di maria scored with his side down to 10 men as paris st germain beat lille 2 1 to win the french league cup and remain on track to defend its domestic treble
psg the french champion can repeat the treble by beating its bitter rival marseille in the french cup final on may 21
lille dominated much of the second half only to be undone by di marias 75th minute goal
the win may ease some of the recent disappointment of psgs elimination from the quarterfinals of the champions league where it was knocked out by manchester city
inter keeps hopes alive stevan jovetic scored twice and inter milan beat udinese 3 1 in serie a to preserve its hopes of catching roma for the final champions league spot
with three matches remaining fourth place inter moved within 4 points of roma which hosts second place napoli on monday
the match was the first time in serie a history that neither squad had an italian in its starting lineup
juventus which visits fiorentina on sunday can clinch a fifth straight title if it gains more points than napoli in this round


typically given to fits of full ranged emotion on the subject of his beloved boston celtics tommy heinsohn after reading a recent article published under the byline of isaiah thomas said it made you want to cry
he meant himself of course heinsohn the teams tape measure homer of a television analyst was born in jersey city but has been boisterously bleeding celtics green since his playing days in the 1950s and 60s
thomas a mercurial 5 foot 9 point guard has become the most identifiable player among an otherwise star challenged but overachieving cast of celtics who won 48 regular season games under coach brad stevens and were the first of two teams late this season to defeat the record setting golden state warriors at oracle arena in oakland
but what made heinsohn joyfully weepy was thomass journalism debut   an unbridled declaration of love for boston still the nbas most championship credentialed city with 17 though seldom speculated about breathlessly as a potential place for the leagues most gifted and talented to take their talents
writing in the players tribune on the eve of the celtics first round playoff series which produced two deflating losses and key injuries in atlanta before thomas erupted for a career high 42 points in a 111 103 game 3 victory on friday night in boston he raved playing in boston is just one of those things you cant prepare yourself for you cant understand it until you experience it
interestingly enough he had been advised of that likelihood by his hall of fame point guard namesake
in his players tribune account he wrote that isiah thomas had texted him after last seasons trade from phoenix and wrote this is the best thing that will ever happen to your career
the younger thomas wasnt sure why that would be so he wrote i called him up and he broke it down for me isiah the elder told him now youre gonna experience what real basketball is like what real fans are like what a real organization is like and theyre gonna fall in love with you more than any place youve ever been
isiah thomas of course played for detroit through the 1980s   worshipfully known as the larry bird era in boston he facilitated one of the citys and the nbas classic did that just happen moments by floating an inbounds pass with five seconds left in game 5 of a fierce 1987 eastern conference finals playoff series with his pistons clinging to a 1 point lead
bird stole the pass and hit a cutting dennis johnson for a layup and the celtics won the series   more commemorative smoke from red auerbachs legendary victory cigar
but the celtics have won one championship in three decades   in 2008 powered by the organizationally nurtured paul pierce along with ray allen and kevin garnett the prize acquisitions of danny ainge the teams president for basketball operations
what was a splendid run to the 17th title and game 7 of the league finals against the lakers in los angeles two years later ended when allen left for miamis better playoff prospects in 2012 and the aging pierce and garnett were sent to the unnecessarily desperate nets a year later for a trove of draft picks that ainge is now squeezing like a key to fort knox
the championship banners hanging at td banknorth garden still represent pro basketballs most auspicious history curriculum twenty one retired jerseys   including heinsohns no 15   give the rafters the look of a team store
the great bill russell 82 would be happy to misremember the old days when black players were not exactly celebrated in boston and bearhug any worthy so called max player willing to bless boston as a free agent
right now weve got a good nucleus and a great young coach heinsohn said in a telephone interview obviously we could use a guy whos going to be an all star every year
i think what happened is that the celtics over the years always had winning teams but when free agency really started to be a big thing they didnt have winning teams and the best players went looking for greener pastures
not whiter which boston is known for during its snowbound winters in addition driving in boston reaching the garden at north station is not unlike getting to the rim against the very best nba defenses the arena itself futuristic compared with the suffocating hall of horrors that the old boston garden was to opponents is 21 years old not the leagues most glamorous
what was that excuse mr heinsohn
it still feels like a magical place he said its not just the banners the flags its the fans its like isaiah said in that story after they got swept in the playoffs by cleveland last year nobody booed the fans got up and started chanting lets go celtics
i dont know how many cities are as appreciative of a player who has a terrific career as boston is
agreeing with heinsohn was isiah thomas who said in a text message that the notion of boston as an unsexy or less appealing market had been changing
i have regular conversations with former and current players he said it absolutely is a free agent destination
that could be because ainge is possibly on the verge of his second inspiring remake within a decade when one such construction has been beyond the reach of many floundering franchises no less a competitive stud than kevin durant a 2016 free agent said upon visiting boston last month i like the city a lot its cold but they love sports here its a family atmosphere i feel when i walk around the city
heinsohn read that too and along with the rest of celtics nation immediately envisioned ainge using a package of picks and solid role players to trade for another all star caliber player with which to further entice durant
speculation is free and often worthless but as heinsohn said smart players should want to go where there is organization character and smart planning thats what the celtics already have
this cant yet be said about the lakers bostons most time honored and successful opponent
nor their closest rival geographically
look at the knicks heinsohn said they got carmelo anthony but traded away the nucleus of another team to get him and where has that left them
ok so the boston bombast in heinsohn couldnt finish up without wielding a new york needle its an old habit like believing in his adopted citys basketball pedigree in an eternal celtics magic memorably scripted once more friday night by the smallest player on the floor the no longer doubting thomas


london   president obama offered an indirect critique of the black lives matter movement during a town hall style event here on saturday encouraging activists to engage with the political process and cautioning them that social change can be a slow and incremental process
at a meeting with young people on the second day of his visit to europe during which he championed a new trade deal between the united states and the european union the president took questions on a variety of topics including northern ireland transgender rights and racial profiling
after responding to a questioner who suggested that his administration had not done enough to address racial profiling at airports   a practice that mr obama said he adamantly opposed   the president turned his attention to the black lives matter movement
he praised the movement as really effective in bringing attention to problems but said young activists should be more willing to work with political leaders to craft solutions instead of criticizing from outside the political process
once youve highlighted an issue and brought it to peoples attention and shined a spotlight and elected officials or people who are in a position to start bringing about change are ready to sit down with you then you cant just keep on yelling at them mr obama said
and you cant refuse to meet because that might compromise the purity of your position he continued the value of social movements and activism is to get you at the table get you in the room and then to start trying to figure out how is this problem going to be solved
mr obama began his career as a community organizer working on local initiatives in poor neighborhoods in chicago sometimes he said solving a problem means accepting a series of partial solutions
you then have a responsibility to prepare an agenda that is achievable that can institutionalize the changes you seek and to engage the other side and occasionally to take half a loaf that will advance the gains that you seek understanding that theres going to be more work to do but this is what is achievable at this moment he said
it was not the first time that he has cautioned black lives matter activists that social change cannot happen overnight in a private meeting at the white house in 2014 mr obama told a group of young black activists that change was hard and incremental one participant said at the time
when some activists at that meeting said they felt that their voices were not being heard mr obama replied you are sitting in the oval office talking to the president of the united states


whippany nj   nothing has changed visibly on the practice field the red bulls still show up at their pitch perfect facility for training still under the calm tutelage of coach jesse marsch still instructed by his staff in the art of systematic high press soccer
but then the games begin and they hardly resemble those during the 2015 season that earned the red bulls a tie for the best record in major league soccer heading into their home match on sunday against orlando the red bulls are 1 6 and they have scored a total of one goal in their last four games all losses bradley wright phillips who scored 49 goals during the 2014 and 2015 seasons has taken 25 shots this spring without scoring even once the central defense once anchored by matt miazga and damien perrinelle is an erratic patchwork quilt
matters have grown desperate in a hurry in order to reach 49 points in the standings a typical cutoff point for the playoffs the red bulls would have to average slightly more than 17 points in the standings from each match   a pace that only dallas and the red bulls managed in 2015
we did the math and we sort of reset our goals marsch said friday we basically said we have 27 games left here is what we think its going to take weve divided them by three into nine game increments
marsch added its an uphill battle we know that but this is where were at we think we have the players that can achieve that goal i told them when you look at the table now were only one win out of the playoffs theres still so much to play for
marsch certainly owns a reservoir of good will within the organization after being named the 2015 mls coach of the year in his first season with the club several red bull executives from salzburg austria visited the club recently   including oliver mintzlaff head of red bull global soccer   and each vowed his support of the coach
oliver the first thing he said to me is nobodys nervous in salzburg  marsch said everybodys really proud of this team they say we know you guys will get out of it 
it is no secret how opponents have troubled the red bulls starting late last year through the 2015 playoffs and then during the start of this season other teams adjusted to the red bulls attacking pressure with numbers in the back and then have taken advantage of defensive errors
wright phillipss inability to finish his chances has created more pressure on defenders who are already trying to make up for miazgas transfer to chelsea and injuries to center backs perrinelle and kemar lawrence likewise the offense could use the services of the injured midfielder and forward gonzalo veron
we just have to get the anxiety out of the team midfielder dax mccarty said if you look at the blueprint for how teams have beaten us its sit back absorb pressure let us have possession and then try to hit us on the break when we dont have many numbers in the back and capitalize on mistakes and weve been making a lot of mistakes
we have to make sure that when we attack we have the right balance the right number of players defending
that will be especially true in harrison nj on sunday when kaka the brazilian attacking midfielder can be expected to float all over the field to create scoring opportunities for orlando
last season the red bulls averaged 182 goals per game while giving up 126 so far this spring they average 071 of a goal while giving up 25 betraying shortcomings in both tactics and execution but marsch will not give up on the high press strategy which is as integral to his coaching philosophy as the triangle offense is to that of the knicks president phil jackson
marsch said he would continue to tweak his system without abandoning its main concepts
and wright phillips was convinced he would soon break out of his slump
its been a bit of everything bad luck not enough composure he said when you miss you start to think about it when the team is losing its magnified but i feel like the goal is going to come and when it does they all will come
poor starts for good soccer teams are not uncommon chelsea the reigning champion of the premier league began its season so terribly last summer that it flirted with the relegation zone as the season winds down the blues sit safely in the middle of the table marsch however would like to avoid the fate of jose mourinho the chelsea coach who was fired along the way
this sunday the red bulls will pass the 20th anniversary of the franchises first home game at giants stadium an infamous defeat for the then metrostars caused by an own goal by the lyrically named nicola caricola   an event cited for decades among fans as the onset of a curse
marsch said there had been times when that supposed hex had come to mind
for now the coach has taken out his frustration on his lawn instead of his players
when things arent doing as well i find myself doing a lot of yard work marsch said i might be the only one in princeton who does his own lawn and at the moment he added that lawn is immaculate hed much rather have a shoddy lawn he said and a lot of points in the table


two new ads from donald j trump running on television stations in pennsylvania and indiana show a more refined controlled message from a presidential candidate who has shown an aversion to staying on script
in one his son donald jr attests to mr trumps toughness as a father suggesting that as children he and his siblings had to know their stuff before bringing him any kind of proposal
in this ad mr trump himself addresses the camera for the entire length of the commercial   a first for his campaign and perhaps a sign that he is heeding new aides advice to adopt some of the conventions of politics then again the ad is not entirely conventional
message mr trump stands inside trump tower his back to a window that opens onto midtown manhattan and walks toward the camera washington is broken he says the truth is too many politicians are totally controlled by special interests and lobbyists thats going to change quickly
sounding much like an infomercial pitchman on late night television gesturing with both hands and practically shouting over a trumpet blaring soundtrack mr trump rattles off his promises nine to be exact
well cut taxes for the middle class negotiate new trade deals bring back jobs save social security and medicare without cuts end illegal immigration build the wall strengthen our military knock out isis and take care of our great veterans
and yes hell make america great again too
impact mr trumps willingness to run commercials in pennsylvania where he holds a wide lead in the polls and in indiana where the race is murkier reflects his desire to lock up the delegates he needs to avoid a contested convention
takeaway until now mr trumps commercials have featured ominous narrations shadowy images and attacks on his rivals here he turns decidedly upbeat it is a significant stride toward becoming the familiar sort of politician he likes to deride then again if the sound were off a viewer might well mistake the ad for the kind mr trump used to run for his mass market business ventures
the club for growth super pac trying to derail mr trumps march to the nomination is running an ad in indiana saying the math wont work to vote for gov john kasich as a way to defeat mr trump only a vote for senator ted cruz will do the trick but with mr cruzs wipeout in the new york primary he has been mathematically eliminated from clinching the nomination before the convention   putting him in the same boat as mr kasich
as the debate over the north carolina bathroom bill spilled into the presidential election mr cruz voiced his support for the measure which bars people from using bathrooms that do not correspond to their biological sex common sense grown men shouldnt be in bathrooms w little girls mr cruz tweeted and his campaign released a 20 second digital ad showing two closed bathroom stalls side by side with the legs of a grown man jeans at his ankles in one and the dangling legs of a little girl in mary janes in the other
the production values are nearly worthy of hbo the look alike actors good enough to draw double takes a new digital ad from the cruz campaign imagines the war room of hillary clintons campaign where the candidate is assured that the plan is coming together donald trump is paving the way for you to win the white house a sinister looking mrs clinton grows increasingly concerned however as her team warns her about the republican who cant be stopped mr cruz
12 million amount spent by republican candidates in new york
38 million amount spent by democratic candidates so far in pennsylvania


phoenix ap   prosecutors have decided   at least for now   to dismiss all charges against the man who the authorities have described as the phoenix freeway shooter who terrorized the city last year
jerry cobb a spokesman for the maricopa county attorney said that the office filed a motion to dismiss the charges which include carrying out a drive by shooting without prejudice against the suspect leslie merritt jr
we have identified additional forensic investigation that needs to be completed in order for the case to proceed mr cobb said friday
this action will give investigators the necessary time to refile charges mr cobb added he declined to comment further
jason lamm a defense lawyer for mr merritt did not return messages seeking comment on the development on twitter mr lamm said that a gag order imposed by a judge will remain in place until the charges are formally dismissed
the news comes amid questions about the evidence that the arizona department of public safety said links mr merritt to the crimes
mr merritt was released from jail on tuesday after a judge reduced his bond   once set at 1 million   to zero he was allowed to return home under electronic monitoring
judge warren granville imposed the gag order as a result lawyers said they could not discuss the evidence that prompted the shift in bond defense lawyers have said that ballistic tests cast doubt on the authorities claims that mr merritt was involved in four of the freeway shootings the investigation of the other shootings remains open
although nobody was seriously injured the shootings caused panic on phoenix area freeways where 11 vehicles were hit in august and september of 2015 the head of the department of public safety said the shootings were the work of a domestic terrorist and the authorities heightened patrols and surveillance in pursuit of a suspect
detectives took mr merritt into custody on sept 18 and gov doug ducey declared we got him on twitter minutes after the arrest
the governors office issued a statement on friday acknowledging only that the case was not over
this issue is working through the criminal justice system where it remains under investigation by state and county authorities we expect the case to be treated fairly said mr duceys spokesman daniel scarpinato
during a court appearance the day after his arrest mr merritt adamantly denied shooting any cars telling the judge im the wrong guy
he pleaded not guilty to drive by shooting aggravated assault and other charges
his lawyers immediately began raising questions about the evidence citing ballistics information and telephone records they say provided an alibi for their client
they also pointed to road rage shootings that happened on phoenix area freeways after mr merritt was arrested saying the cases were proof that the culprit was still out there


most triple plays happen so quickly that fans do not realize what they have witnessed until they see it on the scoreboard a hard liner to third base a step on the bag for a second out a quick throw to another base and suddenly a promising inning is over
on friday night the chicago white sox turned that notion on its head executing a triple play so long and convoluted that even fans who had been at the concession stands would have had time to catch up on the action
it started simply enough mitch moreland came to the plate with the bases loaded in the seventh inning and the rangers trailing 5 0 it looked as if it was soon to be 5 1 when moreland hit a soft liner to right field that adam eaton caught easily on a normal night the runners at first and second would have quickly retreated to their bases and the runner at third would have tagged up and headed for home but this was no normal night
ian desmond who had been on first misread the play and was caught well off the bag eatons initial attempt to double him off at first base went astray because of an off line throw to first baseman jose abreu but then desmond overran the bag giving abreu time to race toward him with the ball desmond tried to dance away from abreus glove but when a diving lunge paid off with a solid tag to the chest the second out was secured
through all this prince fielder the admittedly slow footed designated hitter and the runner at third still had not made his way home abreu threw to catcher dioner navarro from his knees keeping fielder on the base
in the confusion adrian beltre found himself stranded between second base and third beltre a 19 year veteran and four time all star said after the game that he had simply assumed fielder had scored earlier in the play
confident that fielder was not fleet enough to try to make things interesting navarro threw to shortstop tyler saladino who was near second base and he initially ran beltre toward third base before seeing fielder inexplicably ambling toward home saladino altered course giving chase to fielder before throwing back to navarro at home it briefly seemed as though a pickle could extend the play even further but navarro finished things off by throwing to third baseman todd frazier who tagged fielder out to end the inning
it was a 9 3 2 6 2 5 triple play in the score book the first on record it killed off the rangers best rally of the night and helped secure a 5 0 win for chicago
beltre was not shy in doling out the blame
it was a disaster by everybody he said all the runners screwed up awful base running by everybody


dublin   a century on from the 1916 easter rising a critical moment in irelands quest for independence from britain the event continues to polarize opinion in ireland and beyond some regard it as undemocratic treachery others as a heroic act of selflessness whose legacy remains unfulfilled
the armed revolt by the irish volunteers and the irish citizen army against british rule began on april 24 and lasted only five days before its ruthless suppression but it still casts a shadow over the politics of ireland and northern ireland the rebellion commanded little popular support at the time but the decision by the british authorities to execute the ringleaders would prove to be the catalyst for the partition of the island and the formation of an independent state in the south
it has been impossible to avoid the centenary commemorations in ireland over the past month every school has been presented with the national flag re enactments have taken place in the streets of the capital the state broadcaster rte has peppered its schedule with historical dramas and documentaries and on easter sunday there was a military parade past the center of the rebellion the general post office one of the key locations in dublin seized by the rebels
events like those are part of most such celebrations in many countries but here they have been arranged so as to minimize offense to northern ireland unionists whose forebears swore to resist a united ireland by force and to britain irelands former ruler and biggest trading partner many people in britain still regard the uprising as a stab in the back in the middle of world war i in which hundreds of thousands of irishmen fought and died
moreover unlike other nations that celebrate difficult birth pangs ireland retains a sense of unfinished business the echoes of three decades of conflict in northern ireland have receded far enough for the events of a century ago to be applauded but there is also concern that celebrating the actions of individuals who pursued their goals by military means is dangerous ground
despite the republics violent origins in the rising those living here have shown little appetite for unification by force in 1999 the electorate voted overwhelmingly to drop a constitutional claim   largely symbolic   to the entire island acknowledging that a united ireland can now come about only through the consent of the people of northern ireland
the authorities on both sides of the border have expressed concern that dissident republicans remain intent on marking the centenary with a bloody act of defiance last month stephen martin the assistant chief constable of the police service of northern ireland described the threat of a significant terrorist attack as at the upper end of severe
i believe there are people within dissident republican groupings who want to mark this centenary by killing police officers prison officers and soldiers he said
a new memorial in glasnevin cemetery in dublin epitomizes the contentious nature of the governments efforts to steer a middle course
the memorial the necrology wall lists the names of 488 people who were killed in the uprising the names of rebel combatants and executed leaders are juxtaposed on reflective black marble stones with the names of the british troops who died while putting down the rebellion and civilians who were caught up in the conflict
at the official unveiling of the monument this month john green the chairman of the glasnevin trust which administers the cemetery said the memorial was an appropriate way to remember all those who died
one hundred years on we believe this memorial reflects the time we live in with the overwhelming majority of the irish people wishing to live in peace and in reconciliation but it is for each visitor to take from the wall what they wish he said
robert ballagh a prominent artist and political activist is among those who would love to take it away altogether
i call it the wall of shame he said i find it unbelievable that the authorities would do it
if you walk the length of the vietnam memorial in washington dc you will fail to see a single vietcong soldier and in londons whitehall i see no move afoot to commemorate those unfortunate luftwaffe pilots who were shot down during the blitz
mr ballagh is one of the main organizers of reclaim the vision of 1916 a group formed two years ago to highlight what it sees as the failure of successive governments to realize the ambitions set out in the egalitarian proclamation issued by the rebels
the state commemorations were an exercise in exclusion   the people were reduced to the role of mere spectators as the military parade passed them by he said they were all about providing a photo op for political leaders rather than facing the reality that successive governments have failed to fulfill the aspirations of the proclamation
one of these unfulfilled aspirations was a united ireland after the partition catholic nationalists in northern ireland felt largely abandoned by their southern counterparts and endured decades of prejudice in an entity that regarded them with deep suspicion
nationalist voices from northern ireland have been largely absent from the state coverage of the commemorations that does not surprise patricia macbride a public affairs consultant and former head of the commission for victims and survivors a state body in northern ireland that deals with legacy issues arising from the conflict
the authorities do not want to deal with the fact that the point of 1916 was to free ireland from british rule she saidit is an uncomfortable truth
ms macbride whose brother anthony macbride was a member of the irish republican army who was shot dead by the british army in 1984 said the events of the uprising which her grandmother witnessed while a student in dublin had been central in the formation of her familys identity
my grandmother once wrote they failed but there was a defiant pride in the fact they tried  ms macbride said the rising undoubtedly gave our family its sense of what it is to be irish
some commentators including the dublin born singer and philanthropist bob geldof have criticized the lauding of the rebels
you dignify it by saying it was martyrdom he wrote in the mail on sunday a british publication if its grievous mortal sin to commit suicide why is it a lesser sin to hurl yourself upon a willing bayonet why is that a martyrdom so much rests on this myth how many murders have been sanctioned in its name
ruan odonnell a senior lecturer in history at the university of limerick argues that there is no basis to the argument that the rebels were intent on mass suicide or some form of blood sacrifice
the army of the republic did not go over the top in dublin unlike their unfortunate countrymen on the western front and there are no reports of any seeking death in battle he said the myth of so called blood sacrifice should be laid to rest once and for all
mr odonnell also said the insurgents had a legitimate right to insurrection
it was the rebel forces that promised equality to irishmen and irishwomen whom they intended to raise from the status of subjects to full citizens of a sovereign democracy he said the violence of the british military ensured that ireland was not permitted to become an american style democracy


dallas   amanda green knew precisely why she was having lunch thursday in a 17th floor restaurant accessible only to guests of the luxury hotel where she and the rest of the oklahoma city thunder organization were staying during their first round playoff series against the mavericks in a sense knowing why is part of her job
its in the collective bargaining agreement that you have to stay at a certain class   level of hotels green said over her vegetarian lunch
or to quote from page 266 each team agrees to use its best efforts to have players stay in first class hotels not surprisingly teams are also urged to find accommodations that have extra long beds available
green 31 who grew up in queens knows the 510 page agreement between the league and the players union pretty well as she nears the completion of her fourth season as the thunders basketball operations coordinator
her status makes her one of the few women in the nba with a prominent job in what is termed basketball operations unlike several women with important roles in business development marketing and other aspects of the multimillion dollar business that is a pro basketball team green in her job centers on the game in the most granular way   like mastering the current cba
in addition to some legal duties including handling the immigration status of foreign players green huddles with the general manager scouts and others before the draft and the trade deadline she keeps tabs on what other teams are doing she suggests trades she thinks strategically about the thunder who since arriving in oklahoma city in 2008 from seattle have been highly competitive but have not won an nba title
its very very noticeable that im an african american woman cant really hide that green said but for them to say she does her job well thats what i want people to know me for
green had long aspired to work in sports for four years in college she was a rare female manager for dukes mens basketball team
but years ago an acquaintance of greens mother who is a wall street executive told green that she would never make it in the front office of a professional team because the nba he said was an old boys club
some people do think those things green said i work hard to show that a woman can do this
if her mothers acquaintance was plainly wrong about green there is also evidence he was wrong about the league
the nba is the most gender diverse mens sports league in the united states according to richard lapchick who leads the sports business management program at the university of central florida he found that the nba had the highest percentage of women in executive positions at the league office and with individual teams grading significantly better than the nfl and major league baseball
in terms of working on basketball issues women hold positions as vice president for basketball operations for the toronto raptors and the utah jazz the executive director of the players union is michele roberts the former wnba star becky hammon was named an assistant coach for the san antonio spurs two years ago followed this season by nancy lieberman who is an assistant with the sacramento kings
just as relevant nba front offices reflect a diversity of backgrounds some nontraditional the knicks president phil jackson who won two titles as a player and 11 as a coach represents one paradigm for running a team bob myers who had been an agent and was an assistant general manager for a year before being named general manager of the record breaking golden state warriors represents another
much as when red auerbachs boston celtics fielded an all black starting five for the first time in a game in 1964 the impetus for these changes has seemingly been more selfish than altruistic
our teams are always looking for an edge said mark tatum the nba deputy commissioner and chief operating officer
he added if you have the same people in the room with the same experiences and they all speak the same language thats not as good as having a room full of people with different experiences different perspectives and applying it to the same task   how do we win a championship
duke coach mike krzyzewski who said there was not a tougher manager than green concurred
where the game is moving opens up the door even more for women on the mens side not just the womens side krzyzewski said
green excels at the talmudic cba which not only regulates everything from players 401k accounts to road hotels but also establishes the several esoteric salary cap quirks and devices that permit teams maximum flexibility bird rights sign and trades the non taxpayer midlevel salary exception
green played a crucial role according to thunder general manager sam presti identifying one of the right partners for the three team swap at the 2015 trade deadline that netted the thunder the big man enes kanter and forward kyle singler
shes like a quality control expert with our processes making sure were following them presti said of green shes strong and confident enough to articulate when she feels like we may be skipping a step
before the thunders 131 102 victory against dallas in game 3 on thursday night green sat courtside watching thunder players warm up she chatted with mark simpson oklahoma citys director of sports science whose experience before the thunder was largely in soccer and cycling other members of the staff   a coach a trainer a video analyst   sat nearby the thunders staff is markedly diverse not only in terms of gender and ethnicity but also in previous experience
presti looked on observing what he hoped was fruitful cross pollination in an organization that he said still strives to preserve the start up challenge or spirit of its relaunch in oklahoma city nearly a decade ago
we really believe that diversity of the people you work with make for some of the marginal gains you can achieve he said referring to the varied careers of several staffers including one who worked with the navy seals i hire people not positions i keep lists of people who i think are high potential individuals
green presti said was on that list for a very long time
they met in 2005 when presti who was working for the spurs helped hire green out of college for a season long internship
she started at georgetown university law center the following year after which she accepted a job at proskauer rose the corporate law firm known for its sports practice it placed her for a year with the nba league office where she worked on intellectual property and then with the firms mergers and acquisitions department where she worked on purchases of the cleveland browns and the san diego padres
all the while she kept in touch with presti via email saying hello in person if presti and she happened to attend a duke game
green enjoyed her work but experienced it she said as taking a step back from the team environment she told presti she was looking for a change and he created a position for her
now she plays recreation league basketball with several thunder staffers and their spouses over team breakfasts she discusses new duke recruits with singler a fellow blue devil home renovations with center nick collison and the television series empire with point guard russell westbrook
what she missed the most she said was being part of something thats greater than yourself
at certain points during practices she recalled duke managers were required to move a basketball from under their shoulders to the front of their bodies ready to pass it to krzyzewski at a moments notice
that might seem like something small she said but because youre ready with the ball coach can go seamlessly into teaching this play maybe its a play or scouting report or something the players might remember
she added its the smallest things that can have the largest impact


in a recent seminar i gave for over 100 business professionals i asked the participants to play a simple word association game with me i say mindfulness you say  the word that rang out in unison was of course meditation
mindfulness it seems has become a mainstream business practice and a kind of industry in its own right meditation instructors are the new management gurus and companies including google general electric ford motor and american express are sending their employees to classes that can run up to 50000 for a large audience many mindfulness apps exist nearly all of which focus on mindfulness meditation
the proliferation of meditation in the name of mindfulness and the combination of the two terms naturally lead people to equate the two mistakenly so
by most definitions mindfulness is a higher order attention that involves noticing changes around us and fully experiencing them in real time this puts us in the present aware and responsive making everything fresh and new again
meditation is simply one of several tools for achieving mindfulness and in the context of work it may not be the most suitable for many people for those who like me cant seem to get the hang of meditation there is good news you dont have to meditate to become more mindful
there are two approaches to mindfulness eastern and western the eastern view indeed positions meditation as an essential tool to achieving a mindful state but the eastern view is more about quieting the mind and suspending thought this philosophy is almost the complete opposite of the western view of mindfulness which centers on active thinking
i would argue that given the speed of change today it may not be realistic to suspend or stop thinking rather we need to actively think through problems in new ways to achieve innovative elegant solutions these will not rain from on high in a meditation session
both views share the same goal avoiding mindlessness when were mindless the past is riding herd over the present we get trapped in categories created in the past stuck in rigid perspectives oblivious to alternative views this gives us the illusion of certainty
for example imagine that the numbers in the incorrect roman numeral equation below are movable sticks leaving the plus and equals signs as they are what is the least number of sticks you would have to move to correct the equation
xi  i  x
most people react immediately with an answer of one but that is a mindless answer based on knowledge acquired long ago the optimal answer would be zero arrived at by looking at the problem from an alternative perspective by looking at the problem upside down you could read the equation literally right to left so that x 10  i one plus ix nine or you might recognize the visual symmetry and reflect it in a mirror by noticing different ways to view the problem you move from mindless to mindful
this kind of in the moment noticing mindfulness is similar to the concept of the impartial spectator first introduced in the 18th century by adam smith who wrote that we all have access to an impartial and well informed spectator this spectators form of attention puts us in the present and gives us a more unbiased perspective   much the way our attention is focused when we travel to a new place noticing details that the locals take for granted
the key to mindfulness is learning to look at the world in a more conditional way understanding that our perspective is merely one among alternative views requires us to embrace uncertainty when were uncertain and unsure our surroundings become interesting again like the peculiar little details we notice when we arrive in an unfamiliar place
the most effective technique ive found for moving from mindless to mindful without meditation involves a form of self distancing and talking to yourself as an objective adviser would it is achievable in a few simple steps
suppose youre facing a situation thats causing you stress   perhaps a change at work a tough problem or an important decision the first step is to realize that youve already made two unwarranted assumptions that something will happen and it will be bad next give yourself three reasons the issue youre worried about might not happen notice that it immediately becomes less stressful because you just went from its going to happen to maybe it will happen maybe it wont
now give yourself three reasons that if the situation does turn out bad good things will happen those reasons are easy to find once you ask the question now youve gone from thinking theres this terrible thing thats going to happen to thinking theres this thing that may or may not happen but if it does it could have both good and bad outcomes
its an easy method that leads us to become less reactive to the world   still responsive just not reactive in the end the entire key to eliminating mindlessness without meditation may simply be realizing that the issue looks different from a different perspective and then taking that perspective


it resembles a piece of farm equipment its cumbersome heavy and noisy its users must be partly nude its made of a web of tubes and funnels that could have been designed by rube goldberg its the breast pump
since it was created 60 years ago by a male swedish inventor the modern mechanical breast pump has kept more or less the same design the traditional pump uses air based suction to stimulate milk production   but for many women it doesnt come close to simulating breast feeding
indignation over the shortcomings of the breast pump inspired an article in the new york times calling for a better design and prompted a massachusetts institute of technology hackathon in 2014 called make the breast pump not suck for which more than a thousand new ideas were submitted the subtitle of a research paper written by the hackathons organizers read when i first saw a breast pump i was wondering if it was a joke
recently several new companies have put serious effort into designing more discreet efficient comfortable and technologically sophisticated breast pumps along with reimagining and re engineering them they have also created smartphone apps to help with related tasks like tracking milk production
among these newcomers are naya health based in silicon valley and babyation based in st louis both companies are led by husband and wife teams and the new designs have relied on input and feedback from breast feeding women including the companies own founders
naya healths hospital grade breast pump was designed by jeff alvarez a medical device engineer and his wife janica a clinical researcher in the pharmaceutical industry the couple have three children and they spent a few years thinking about how to make a better breast pump before mr alvarez had a creative breakthrough
one day while working on robotic ophthalmological surgical devices he realized that a fluid valve used in cataract surgery could be applied to breast pumps mr alvarez shared the idea with his wife that night and then promptly disappeared into his workshop
i built something out of washers a piece of plastic a latex glove some duct tape a syringe and a tube he said when he presented the contraption to ms alvarez they tested it out and found that it worked
he was able to kind of crank the syringe like a plunger and to extract milk said ms alvarez they went on to create more sophisticated prototypes using 3 d printers
their breast pump called the smart pump by naya health uses a water based suction system that they say is more efficient and more closely resembles the sensation of natural breast feeding
it feels more like youre nursing a baby versus nursing a machine ms alvarez says
the pump communicates with a smartphone app that measures milk output and that the alvarezes eventually plan to sync with a smart baby bottle they are developing that gauges a babys milk consumption
the pump was set to go on sale on friday the retail price is 599
samantha rudolph and jared miller have also devised their own new breast pump ms rudolph who previously worked in business development and strategic business planning for espn and mr miller an electrical engineer by training spent most of 2014 researching and developing designs
the breast pump flaws that they specifically focused on were the noisiness the lack of modern technology and the fact that the bottles hang off the breast so theres really no way for discretion ms rudolph said
their design includes a soft piece of silicon a breast shield that is held in place against the breast by a bra tubing runs under the womans clothing to milk bottles that can be stored in a purse or on a desk another tube connects to a case that contains a battery powered motor
this whole assembly is portable mr miller said you can be in a meeting you can be walking your dog you can be on the street you can be sitting on the couch you pump however you want to on your own terms
a year ago they founded babyation and last month they conducted a kickstarter campaign through which they received 140 preorders they plan to sell the babyation pump for 450 and to begin delivering pumps to customers in march 2017
some of the more established pump makers are also starting to make sleeker models several years ago the swiss company medela came out with a portable battery powered model called the freestyle that was designed to pump milk more efficiently and last year medela introduced a smartphone app that tracks pumping sessions and provides educational information on breast feeding
demand for breast pumps is on the rise said catherine dignazio one of the organizers of the mit hackathon and a research affiliate at the mit center for civic media according to the centers for disease control and preventions 2013 breastfeeding report card 77 percent of new mothers breast fed their babies a new study shows that the global market for breast pumps is expected to reach 12 billion by 2020
helping increase demand is health insurance coverage for breast pumps which began in 2013 under the affordable care act medela experienced a reported 34 percent increase in sales in the two years after the law went into effect the company which is privately held declined to confirm the figure
working mothers are partly responsible for the increase mothers of premature babies who cannot latch onto the breast for feeding and those who otherwise struggle to breast feed are also a huge and growing population of exclusive pumpers ms dignazio said
but new female centric products can be a difficult sell to prospective investors many of whom particularly in venture capital circles are male
its going to be very hard for that particular investor to put himself in the mind of a user said vincent ponzo director of the eugene lang entrepreneurship center at columbia business school
gaining traction for a product is one way to help woo investors a successful kickstarter campaign for example can turn the tide
being able to show that a product resonates with the market either through the money youve raised or the number of people who have engaged with it thats leverage thats proof of concept mr ponzo said of crowdfunding success stories
both naya health and babyation have received grant money and babyation raised 81000 through a kickstarter campaign naya health has attracted both male and female investors including angel and institutional investors and venture capitalists it has raised a total of 4 million
ms alvarez said she was very careful about pitching naya healths breast pump she tries to target potential investors with some sort of emotional connection to the technology and the story she said
as mr ponzo points out some financiers will automatically get it
among the ranks of potential angel investors for instance are plenty of women out there who have used breast pumps and can empathize with the need for a better one he said
it doesnt necessarily have to be venture capital or nothing theres a lot in between finding people who can see the vision and the potential is a really good place to start


high fees often hidden from view are still enriching many advisers and financial services companies at the expense of ordinary people who are struggling to salt away savings the problem has persisted year after year a new analysis of mutual fund data confirms its severity
thats why the labor department announcement early this month is so important for the first time all financial advisers dealing with retirement accounts will be required to act in their clients best interests the announcement is long overdue and a big step forward
but dont rejoice just yet it is only a step
first the labor departments new rules are not yet in place they are scheduled to take effect in 2017 and 2018 but are opposed by much of the financial services industry they could easily be changed weakened or blocked
for now even for retirement accounts that are to be covered by the rules many advisers are not required to act in their clients best interests this means that they are legally entitled to look out for themselves first and recommend investments with higher fees to the detriment of those who have asked for help
second if all goes according to plan after the new rules take effect they will deal only with saving and investing for retirement   and not for goals like a new home a childs education a wedding a car or a vacation the labor department doesnt have the authority to cover nonretirement investing and the securities and exchange commission which does have that authority under the dodd frank law has not issued its own rules the commission is not at full strength and is unlikely to act this year
third while the new rules are both lengthy and clear on fundamental principles they are short on crucial details on the positive side they say that the firm and adviser must provide advice that is in a clients best interest and must act with the care skill prudence and diligence that a prudent person would exercise furthermore companies and individual advisers must henceforth avoid misleading statements about fees and conflicts of interest the obama administration says it has embraced this fiduciary standard to save ordinary people scores of billions of dollars they have been receiving faulty and conflicted advice and have been pouring money into needlessly expensive investments
the rules say that with some exceptions advisers will be required to make reasonable recommendations based on an examination of industry norms and practices but the rules dont detail which specific investments or fee levels are acceptable
as a consequence ive been reviewing data on the performance and fees charged by mutual funds which are the primary investing vehicle for many americans
data provided last week by sp dow jones indices confirms that commissions and fees in actively managed mutual funds are depressing fund performance and hurting investors   while enriching fund managers and advisers these costs are an important factor in the failure of most actively managed funds to outperform the market consistently over long periods
fund performance records are of limited predictive value history does not guarantee future performance as the sec requires mutual fund companies to say in advertisements and fund documents
to the contrary even when fund managers succeed in outperforming their peers in one year they cannot easily repeat the feat in successive years as many studies have shown thats why low cost index funds which merely mirror the performance of the market and dont try to beat it make a great deal of sense as a core investment
but whether you choose an index fund or one that is actively managed commissions and fees provide important clues about future performance
low fees wont turn intrinsically bad investments into profitable ones of course but they make a big difference aye m soe senior director of index research and design for sp dow jones indices performed a custom analysis at my request using the data in her report on mutual fund performance the spiva scorecard spiva is an acronym for sp indices versus active she separated out the effects of fees and commissions this may seem to be dry stuff but bear with me some of ms soes new findings are important
mutual fund commissions also known as sales loads are a big drag on performance they are often difficult to justify if an adviser is truly working in an investors best interest ill turn to them in another column
for now lets briefly consider the range of fees contained in mutual fund expense ratios which include payments made to fund managers and distribution companies as well as many miscellaneous expenses these expenses are stated in fund prospectuses by requirement of the sec
with fees included the average actively managed fund in each of 29 asset categories   from those that invest in various sizes and styles of stocks to those that hold fixed income instruments like government or municipal bonds   underperformed its benchmark over the decade through december in other words index funds outperformed the average actively managed fund in every single category
but part of the problem for actively managed funds is their fees when ms soe eliminated the impact of fees more funds managed to beat their benchmarks for example in the real world more than 80 percent of large cap funds trailed their benchmarks but when ms soes calculations removed the negative effect of fees from fund returns only 69 percent underperformed thats still a poor record   and still argues for cheap index funds   but its much better
what was striking though was that in some categories fees were responsible for the actively managed funds mediocrity this was true for large cap value stock funds and international small cap stock funds as well as for global general municipal california municipal and new york municipal fixed income funds the average fund in these categories actually beat its benchmark when the impact of fees was removed from fund returns
in other words over the long run the odds that a talented manager will beat an index fund improve when fees are low   though those odds are still quite low and a low cost index fund remains a safer bet
one outcome of this analysis is very clear ms soe said fees matter a great deal she said high fees should be avoided and investors need to have enough information to understand that
what is a reasonable benchmark for fees note that according to morningstar the median expense ratio for actively managed mutual funds is 12 percent for index funds it is about 05 percent the data suggests that for the most part the less you pay the better off you will be
do it yourself investors can assemble a broad diversified low cost portfolio with help from websites like morningstar and services like the financial industry regulatory authoritys fund calculator which compares the expenses of individual mutual funds fee based advisers who are committed to upholding a fiduciary standard already exist and ought to explain all of this too it is possible that at least for retirement accounts all advisers will soon be required to do so advisers who have a history of running afoul of regulations can be identified through brokercheck which is also provided by finra the self regulatory organization of the financial services industry
investors who believe they have found honest and skillful advisers may still want to understand all of this not everyone truly has your best interest at heart


its a little easier to watch baseball online this year though no one would call it safe at home quite yet
major league baseball has broadcast games over the internet since 2002 but always with one huge catch a blackout on all local team games   home and away that protects the leagues lucrative television contracts but can be a significant disappointment for fans particularly since mlbs definition of local is fairly broad
to watch chicago cubs games live on the leagues online service for instance you need to be well outside the chicago metropolitan region even iowa is too close because the state doesnt have its own team in las vegas all five california teams and the arizona diamondbacks are blacked out
the league is lifting some of those restrictions this year provided you already subscribe to a traditional cable or satellite tv package   and dont mind announcers who are rooting against your home team a few cablelike tv packages online might offer another alternative
heres what the playing field looks like from your phone or computer these days
premium service if youre a die hard fan who wants to follow the pennant race you are best off with mlbs premium service which costs 110 for the season   20 less than last year   or 25 a month if the yankees and the red sox are vying for the divisions top spot for instance yankees fans will need the full package to root against the red sox
also for the first time you can follow a single team throughout the season for 85
either way you still cannot watch your hometown team unless you have a separate tv subscription   at least not live blackouts lift for on demand video about 90 minutes after a game ends
internet you might be able to get local team games by subscribing to sonys playstation vue or dishs sling tv these tv over the internet services offer dozens of channels including some regional sports networks but neither is comprehensive for instance neither offers sportsnet new york which carries mets games
sling tv is cheaper at 20 a month but it offers only fox regional networks including the yankees yes network be sure to sign up for the multistream version which launched as a test service this month sonys vue offers fox and comcast sports networks as part of core packages that cost 35 or 45 a month depending on the market vue requires a sony playstation console iphone or ipad or an amazon fire tv device
if you are already a cable customer you might be able to sign onto your local sports network with your cable password if that doesnt work mlbs new follow your team feature might do the trick when it starts later this year this gets you games for local teams free of blackouts   but you are stuck with feeds from the opposing teams market
following your team this way will cost you a total of 120 for the season and you will still need a cable password even then some teams might not be included
old school you can listen to your teams radio broadcasts online without blackout restrictions you need an at bat premium subscription which costs 20 for the season or 3 a month this is included with the full mlb tv package but not the single team option
at bat premium also offers gameday a graphic depiction of every pitch and every swing almost in real time you see where runners are on base how fast each pitch is thrown and where it crosses the plate its a great way to follow games without cloistering yourself under headphones or blasting the play by play at others nearby espn has a similar feature called gamecast
scores and more the free at bat phone app offers notifications on score changes and player trades its suitable for casual fans who just want to know results you can also set it up for rival teams in contention
voice assistants such as apples siri google now microsofts cortana and amazons alexa can also give you scores and standings on request teams also post regular updates on twitter
in the stadium mlbs ballpark app for iphones or android phones offers stadium maps showing concessions atms and perhaps most important restrooms some stadiums even let you order food from the seats
the minors there is a separate video package for minor leagues milbtv it costs 50 for the season or 13 a month not every minor league team is available and a few teams black out home games like the big leagues
voice assistants vary in their coverage of minor leagues siri just added scores and schedules for 28 minor and international leagues while google now sends you to websites if you ask for updates


jaime delanghe 29 is a senior product manager at etsy in brooklyn
q what do you do as a product manager
a i lead a team responsible for coming up with the best ways for shoppers to find items on our site and for sellers to advertise their items to potential buyers
did you start out in this position
i was promoted when i graduated from wesleyan university in 2008 with an english degree i thought id work in publishing or for a magazine but it was a tough job market after the financial crisis i worked at coffee shops and in 2010 i got a job at etsy in customer support answering emails from buyers and sellers about their accounts and taking part in live chats
how did you move into your present position
hard work many jobs here deal with technology and i didnt know anything about that or the internet culture im not happy if i dont understand something so i read books and took online classes i taught myself to program in python on my own time and etsys engineers helped me learn about website development i was promoted to a product development group and helped develop tools for managing buyers and sellers policy violations and eventually i was promoted to this role my official title is senior product manager of search and discovery and ads
do you also manage employees
yes i manage product managers in charge of search and discovery and ads i find it natural but when youre somebodys boss people seem to hear you differently and they take you more seriously i wasnt mentally prepared for that im very aware of it and am still getting used to it
how would you describe your career path at etsy so far
i feel lucky that i got into a company when it was relatively young etsy was founded in 2005 and i joined about six years ago we had about 100 people then and now there are over 800 my role expanded as the company grew
do you feel your rise was fairly rapid compared with other employees
no things happen quickly in companies that focus on technology ive worked hard but i was presented with several opportunities you have to take them and run with them


doha qatar   it was not yet 8 am but already a fierce sun was beating down as the taleb group soccer team arrived at the technical committee building of the qatar football association as had been the case on friday mornings for the past few weeks even at such an early hour the players who passed the white minaret at the centers entrance on their way toward its state of the art soccer fields were not the first to arrive
as they approached the fields the players were met by a crowd of about 50 young men some singing african folk songs others wearing counterfeit manchester united and real madrid jerseys or banging metal dinner trays with soup ladles not all of the fans were there to cheer for taleb however others carried placards bearing the name of larsen  toubro the opponent in friday mornings crucially important game a semifinal clash in the workers cup
this tournament will make people know that we are footballers and not just laborers said jerry ayitey a 22 year old construction worker from ghana who plays as a defender for taleb group
as he spoke another group of fans passed by as they circled the field banging makeshift drums and singing praise be to god in a ghanaian dialect we work 10 hours a day ayitey said but my dream is to have a team in france england spain russia
each team in the four year old workers cup represents a local company one of the dozens of firms at work in the countrys building boom medgulf construction nakheel landscapes byrne equipment rental gulf contracting the players   carpenters drivers and masons   are just a fraction of the thousands of migrant workers who are actively building qatar into a modern state they are the muscle and backbone of plans to develop the emirate into a global player in everything from finance and energy to sports and the arts
but the treatment of that army of migrant workers has been the simmering back story of the 2022 world cup ever since fifa awarded qatar the hosting rights in 2010 investigations by a variety of news organizations and labor and human rights groups   including one last month by amnesty international   have found forced labor squalid living conditions and alarming death rates among migrants
qatar under pressure from fifa and global opinion said it had taken steps to improve conditions and protect laborers working on construction projects and living in camps outside the capital doha and other cities the workers cup is co sponsored by qatars grandly named supreme committee for delivery and legacy the official body charged with the construction and infrastructure projects related to the world cup it created the tournament three years ago it said as part of its concurrent mission to encourage positive social change within qatar
twenty four teams started the fourth edition of the workers cup in mid march but by friday morning only four remained taleb group is a local construction firm that started in real estate larsen  toubro is an indian based engineering and construction conglomerate with danish roots
on his one day off each week ayitey joins dozens of other workers for matches in this fiercely contested competition some dream of playing professionally others claim to have already played top tier soccer in africa or asia but said they had decided to come to qatar to drive buses and build high rises instead because the paychecks were at least regular
tens of thousands of qatari rials are at stake for the workers cup winners as well as a camera or a phone for each player and the chance of playing in the final at the stadium of al ahli
but thousands of workers from the labor camps also attend the matches as spectators each friday often giving the games better attendance and a more colorful atmosphere than almost any game in the countrys top professional division the qatar stars league which sponsors the tournament
i joined the team as a player but my profession is engineer so i couldnt continue said mohamed saadeldin taleb groups 30 year old egyptian coach
it is a cup for labor so they fired me he added with a laugh but at least they made me the coach
before the match hundreds of fans began to fill the bleachers which stretched halfway along one edge of the field as saadeldin wrote out his lineup on a scrap of paper while his assistant a laborer read out the players names the crowd heavily favored larsen  toubro whose entire team was ghanaian moments before kickoff the team lined up in front of its fans to sing an impromptu version of ghanas national anthem then the dancing and the drums   fashioned from boxes and old food tins   restarted
despite the overwhelming support for its opponent taleb group took a 1 0 lead and still held it with 10 minutes to go when a fleet of sport utility vehicles arrived nearby in the wake of the damning amnesty international report into qatars slow pace of reform on workers rights fifas new president gianni infantino had arrived in the country for two days of meetings and inspections during his time there he met the 2022 world cup organizing committee and the countrys emir and visited a new city built to house migrant workers
but if infantino wanted to watch any soccer the workers cup was the only game in town so he stood alongside local officials on the touchline watching the final few minutes of the match as larsen  toubro pressed for an equalizer that never came
when the final whistle confirmed taleb groups 1 0 victory its players celebrated wildly on the pitch its opponents lay on the turf shattered many were in tears
we had one of our players down we lost concentration we thought their players would kick the ball out but they refused said yahaya mohammed a land surveyor who had helped press the failed larsen  toubro attack he could barely speak through his tears i feel really bad he said i was looking forward to getting to the finals
infantino meanwhile had retreated out of the sun and was holding a brief news conference he announced an independent body that he said would oversee qatars progress on safeguarding migrant workers rights fifa is not the world welfare agency infantino said nevertheless he said fifa should help with changes that go beyond football
in more than 40 interviews with fans and players at the tournament all said that their wages were now being paid on time only two said they had paid a recruitment agent to reach qatar
but several others raised a range of complaints from low pay to the persistent poor standard of accommodations in dohas vast network of labor camps which remain largely shut off from public scrutiny one worker said he had not seen his passport for months he said he had been told by his employer that the company was keeping it so that it does not get lost another likened his accommodations to a ghetto
even a slum is better than this he said of dwellings in which he claimed workers sometimes live 14 to a room this is like a rabbits house
after infantinos news conference his motorcade swept out toward the airport past a parking lot containing the porsches and maseratis of the local dignitaries who had hosted him while they had been inside dozens of ghanaian and kenyan supporters had taken the chance for selfies with the cars
mohammed his mood now soothed by a quick selfie with infantino stuck around after his teams loss for the second semifinal between mowasalat a government owned transport company whose players are mostly bus drivers and gulf contracting a construction company that itself was embroiled in a recent scandal over its treatment of workers
as kickoff approached the refilled stands heaved again with a crowd now in the thousands almost all of them supporting gulf contracting
i know we are underdogs said duncan gondi 28 a former bus driver who played for mowasalat a multinational team of kenyans eritreans moroccans egyptians and ghanaians
i know god will give us victory gondi added confidently one thing i know is that god rewards people that work hard
as the game wore on both coaches shouted instructions from the sidelines with greater urgency andy clayton gulf contractings 50 year old english coach prowled the technical area in front of his bench clayton played nonleague soccer in england when he was younger but later trained as a carpenter moved to the gulf and started coaching the team he set up a tryout three months ago picking his roster from a pool of 100 hopefuls
qatar is a transient country clayton said so from my team from last year we only had four players
when asked about the treatment of his own workers he said it was his belief that the situation was not as bad as people say at all
i would say that well see 500 to 600 of our workers today from the camps he added ninety nine percent will be happy
what he did not see was a goal the semifinal ended in a scoreless tie and went to penalties as the tension increased both teams missed spot kicks until gulf contractings jasper abbey a 24 year old mason from ghana scored the winner from the spot clinching a place in the final
fans streamed onto the field and ran to the bench to celebrate the victory hoisting abbey and clayton onto their shoulders and carrying them on a lap of honor amid a riot of music and dancing
i am too much happy said abbey who was out of breath look at the fans   2000 of them i could not let them down
clayton too was overwhelmed
in all my life in football he said that is the greatest thing to have happened to me
with no letup from the sun the victorious players and their fans piled into buses for the return trip to their labor camp in umm salal a half hour north of doha it is these camps that have brought the most scrutiny to qatars world cup preparations they are vital to the building boom and its preparations for the world cup   qatars tiny population could never complete the projects on its own   but they remain a land apart from the country they serve
security guards at the front gate at umm salal prevent unauthorized people from entering and also keep track of those leaving signs urging vigilance in health and safety cover nearly every wall the camps are tidy but isolated from any settlements it is nearly a mile walk to the nearest shop outside the gates but any journey by foot in the summer when temperatures can reach 120 degrees would be all but impossible
for the next few weeks though the summer heat is far away for the gulf contracting team all roads lead to the final of the workers cup against taleb group on may 6 and the prizes that a victory on the pristine turf of the al ahli stadium would bring
the reward for gulf contractings semifinal victory on friday was comparatively modest buckets of kfc chicken were brought in to a common dining room and the players devoured it grateful to have a break from their usual spicy south indian menu
every game we raise our game said abbey the hero of the penalty shootout and we give thanks to the almighty


he is the cleanup hitter of the english language the sultan of sonnet and song
william shakespeare died 400 years ago saturday an anniversary noted across the sceptered isle and across the pond and sports like much else are in shakespeares debt
games clearly were part of his works and of his age fencing and archery   still fixtures on the olympic roster   were popular in elizabethan england then again so was bear baiting an amusement of the day in which a bear was tethered to a stake and set upon by dogs to the delirious howls of spectators it was a big favorite of queen elizabeth i
four centuries down the road mixed martial artists enter the cage for combat and our elizabethan ancestors do not seem all that far away
shakespeares voice echoes across our games and with the kentucky derby coming up every entrants owner stands in league with king richard iii when he or she cries a horse a horse my kingdom for a horse
the bards words would find a home today in arenas and on the field in press boxes and online he might not have imagined the money besotted spectacle of the world cup but he surely knew better than anyone that all the worlds a stage
were he tapping on his laptop today shakespeare no doubt would look on the toxic mess that is fifa and proclaim as he does in measure for measure i have seen corruption boil and bubble till it oerrun the stew
shakespeare worked at the globe theater in the same city where chelsea now plays and tries to make sense of a soccer season gone all wrong in defense of its premier league title team management as the poet reminds in timon of athens would readily acknowledge we have seen better days
no one of course carries himself with the majesty of the bard maybe the closest is vin scully now 88 and witness to so many seasons and games scully might well look out on the tableau of mountains and blue sky that is dodger stadium and compare thee to a summers day or maybe from his broadcast booth he would watch a runner going from first to third and speak as shakespeare did in cymbeline of lads who like to run the country base
stoolball was played in shakespeares day and may have been a forerunner to baseball the poet never conjured the likes of yaz and big papi   although they sound like characters lifted from his rollicking comedies   but perhaps in othello he envisioned fenway park iago like many an american league pitcher was wary of the green eyed monster
shakespeare also spoke the language of football with a namesake of sorts   stanley shakespeare played one season as a receiver for the tampa bay buccaneers in 1987 blitzing linebackers everywhere can revel in a sack dance and think of osric who in hamlet declares a hit a very palpable hit
and maybe its time to reconsider cam newtons postgame super bowl news conference altogether sullen with his hoodie pulled low the defeated carolina panthers quarterback may well have been lost in the admonition from henry v men of few words are the best men
across basketball shakespeares advice holds michigan state beware the ides of march philadelphia 76ers nothing will come of nothing golden state warriors be not afraid of greatness
the olympics are less than four months away shakespeare though not a member of the international olympic committee understood the importance of keeping pace with preparations
the game is afoot he writes in king henry iv part 1
olympic organizers in rio de janeiro like a monarch of yore are beleaguered on all fronts befouled waters a viral pestilence a battered treasury a besieged leader an enraged populace
the games are afoot whats to be
that is the question


pripyat ukraine   the road through the forest abandoned is at times barely discernible covered with the debris of fallen tree limbs vines leaves and moss pushing up through cracks in the crumbling asphalt
the moss is best avoided says our guide artur n kalmykov a young ukrainian who has made a hobby of coming here to the exclusion zone surrounding the nuclear reactor at chernobyl set aside in perpetuity after the catastrophe in 1986 it can be radioactive having carried buried radiation to the surface as it grew
above all he says watch out for windblown dust which could well be laced with deadly plutonium
despite the dangers   which are actually minimal these days except when the wind is howling   and the risk of arrest mr kalmykov is at home here in kiev my head is full he said here i can relax i could hang out in kiev but this is more interesting
what mr kalmykov and fellow unofficial explorers of the chernobyl zone members of a peculiar subculture who are in their 20s and call themselves the stalkers have found is more interesting still vast tracts of clear cutting in the ostensibly protected forest
mr kalmykov a computer programmer who discovered the clear cut areas while exploring the zone on his weekends took his findings to stop corruption one of the civil society groups that popped up in ukraine after the maidan revolution two years ago events supposed to usher in a new era of clean government in ukraine
and yet on ukraines dirtiest patch of land stop corruption says based on the stalkers evidence the under the table dealings of the bureaucrats who manage the area are flourishing as always distracted by the 30th anniversary of the catastrophe on april 26 and the general turmoil in ukraine the group says the exclusion zone management agency has turned a blind eye to the chernobyl logging
the zone of alienation as it is also known is a rough circle with an 18 mile radius fenced off with barbed wire access is strictly controlled so that delegations and guided tours typically travel a few fixed routes outside those areas frequented by tourists stop corruption said under the guise of salvage logging of trees killed in wildfires healthy pines are being felled in great numbers for sale in ukraine and romania from where the timber may be resold throughout europe
we thought these incidents were isolated and unimportant but when we started to investigate it turned out the problem was gigantic and systemic said vadim v vnukov the groups head lawyer
lumber from chernobyl while not exactly glowing in the dark would pose risks to anybody living in a house made from it mr vnukov said
there is a clear health risk here he said we ran into a system worked out over the decades and under any government this system of corruption was preserved
today scientists say the average radiation level in the zone is about a quarter as harmful to human health as it was in the immediate aftermath of the explosion and fire a typical reading in the zone is about 100 microsieverts per hour or comparable to the exposure that an airplane passenger might receive on a trans atlantic flight
but harmful risks lurk placed near the moss for example a geiger counter hummed like an electric shaver
its not as dangerous as it seems mr kalmykov said with a shrug some people are just radiophobic
in an interview in his offices in kiev vitalii v petruk the head of the exclusion zone management agency denied that any illegal logging had taken place since he assumed the job in september but since the revolution he is the fifth director of the zone which like the rest of ukraine has been in a state of flux
loggers fell burned trees after forest fires to avoid pest outbreaks and cut firebreaks and routes for electrical wires he said since 2004 it has been legal in ukraine to sell timber from the zone if it passes radiological controls
mr petruk is an unabashed advocate of increased commercial activity in the zone including logging
how do we turn our shame into our advantage he said his answer is zone of change a proposal by his agency for increased logging to feed a chip fueled steam power plant at the site that he noted would reduce dependence on russian natural gas
into this landscape recently one careful step after another mr kalmykov pushed deeper into a thicket of vines and fallen branches
to show reporters sites where he suspected illegal logging activity mr kalmykov and all in his party obtained permits to visit the zone in contrast to his usual practice of slipping in to explore surreptitiously
at an abandoned house on the roadside with the rhythmic chirp of a geiger counter in the background and moldy childrens clothes lying about an eerie sense arose of a sneak preview of the end of the world
the concept of the exclusion zone an important experiment for the nuclear industry was to limit through isolation the lethality of an accident at the nuclear plant fewer than 200 people stayed here after the evacuation of more than 100000 radioactive elements degrade at predictable intervals called half lives that can vary enormously particles left in the soil while their half lives tick past harm nobody the average particle half life at chernobyl is about 30 years
but logging in a postapocalyptic forest would pose a number of health concerns trees like moss absorb radiation from the subsoil also clear cutting churns up soil stirring radioactive dust and accelerating erosion
at one point along the road the forest opens to a clear cut area of several acres sliced into healthy pine groves though near a burned patch look they didnt touch the dead trees mr kalmykov said pointing to the still standing blackened pines
during the change in government nobody was paying attention and people didnt miss this moment to make some money he said of the loggers everybody knows the necessary people get the necessary money
a logger his sweaty face flecked with dust and sawdust said he simply cut the trees marked by his bosses at the exclusion zone administration i dont decide said the man who declined to give his name they say we dont need the burned logs
asked if he worried about radiation he said he did not as by now the radiation had settled deep into the soil
we stamp it down so it does not come out he said patting the ground with his boot want to buy some wood


the yankees are most exciting when their best players go back in time they can still do it now and then jacoby ellsbury who stole home against the yankees in 2009 did it for them on friday night
when youre aggressive you have to take chances you know said brett gardner who went on to win saturdays game with a home run not everythings guaranteed you have to maintain that aggressiveness
bold headlong dives have been a staple of the yankees for more than 40 years ellsbury did it with a daring dash against the tampa bay rays and the steinbrenners have done it with dollars since the advent of free agency that is how ellsbury joined the team
aggressiveness taking a chance   every fan loves it in the winter when the yankees signed ellsbury in december 2013 he had just propelled the boston red sox to another championship batting 298 and leading the majors in stolen bases two years before that he had led the majors in total bases and was the best position player in the american league
now as he starts the third season of his seven year 153 million contract ellsbury 32 finds himself in a curious spot he is paid like a superstar but has not played like one for a year and a half since the all star break in 2014 through friday ellsburys on base percentage was 312
hes a good impact player said carlos beltran who arrived as a free agent with the yankees the same month as ellsbury hes a guy who can play defense hes a guy who can steal bases he has speed and when hes feeling good at the plate he can put himself in the base path too as a player youre going to go through ups and downs last year his knee injury limited him a little bit this year hes healthy
so he is which is why it is still somewhat odd to see ellsbury or gardner resting against left handers gardner like ellsbury is a 32 year old left handed hitting outfielder with speed and an all star past the lineup is designed for the veterans in the middle to take advantage of their everyday presence at the top
five years ago that would have been easier but while the yankees declined to give a 10 year deal to second baseman robinson cano in december 2013 they could not resist the allure of ellsbury beltran and catcher brian mccann players over 30 need rest to stay strong and integrating younger players is manager joe girardis annual challenge
general manager brian cashman traded mccanns young backup john ryan murphy to minnesota in the off season for outfielder aaron hicks who is 26 hicks hit 225 for the twins but he is a former first round draft pick who hit 307 against left handers last season girardi is determined to use him and weary of defending his rationale
before fridays game in which hicks started in center over ellsbury girardi explained the need to play hicks with the yankees facing left handed starters through the weekend
we feel that hes going to produce and produce at a high level girardi said of hicks who has two singles in 22 at bats not just singles a high level
after hicks hurt his shoulder diving for a hit on friday ellsbury replaced him and gave a virtuoso performance in the fifth inning he singled advanced to second on a hit took third on a balk and stole home   with two outs and two strikes   when matt moore ignored him and stayed in the windup later ellsbury drove in two runs with a double
perhaps he should just start all the time no matter who is pitching but the yankees   who sat ellsbury in the wild card game in october against the houston left hander dallas keuchel   planned for this sort of platoon
we could go over this all day girardi said rubbing his forehead and referring to his earlier comments on hickss skills everyone talked about everyone got tired last year everyone got tired last year so now when i sit a guy everyone wants to know why hes not playing its give and take its a long season its a process and ive got to make sure our guys are healthy the whole way through
gardner said he understood the philosophy of using hicks against left handers for parts of three seasons gardner said he watched ichiro suzuki prepare for every game as if he would start no matter what the lineup said
he was doing his everyday routine as if he had played 300 games in a row gardner said when you look at a guy like that whos accomplished what hes accomplished in his career   and you look at how little ive accomplished   it kind of makes you realize hey dont worry about tomorrow or next week or next month or september lets worry about today
ellsbury said he was not bothered either because he would still play a lot of games and would not sit against every left hander
it just means we have four good outfielders ellsbury said thats what it means you can give us rest weve seen that with the infield as well   give some guys a rest on a lefty
then he added as a somewhat pointed reminder of his resume and i mean over my career ive swung the bat against lefties well
ellsbury and gardner have essentially been the same hitters against lefties and righties in their careers before friday gardner had a 266 average against right handers 260 against left handers for ellsbury the numbers were 290 and 284
they are everyday players the hope for the yankees is that they will play every day in october with a losing record in april that seems like a distant mirage understanding the calendar is essential
theres a big balance that were trying to create here girardi said
it is the balance of what was and what is and how to maximize what remains


sabbath elevators
i live in a large co op complex with sabbath elevators on fridays saturdays and jewish holidays some elevators stop at every floor to accommodate observant jews but no one seems to use them when i suggested that the co op board phase them out i was told the building could get sued if it changed the rules is that true doesnt the board have the authority to make these kinds of decisions some of my neighbors and i feel that the demographics in the neighborhood have changed rendering the elevators anachronistic
lower east side manhattan
for jews who observe the sabbath and holidays like passover living in a high rise building poses a quandary how do you get to the 23rd floor without pressing the elevator button a task that would violate a prohibition against creating sparks and fires enter sabbath elevators a modern accommodation for an ancient restriction such elevators are programmed to stop diligently on every floor delivering residents to their apartments albeit very slowly
waiting for a pokey elevator can be frustrating waiting for one that stops on every floor could trigger an existential crisis it takes a little bit longer but i make that my moment of zen said jacob goldman the owner of loho realty on the lower east side a neighborhood with a high concentration of buildings with sabbath elevators
as you wait try to remember that these elevators are vital for observant jews particularly seniors and families with small children without that option it would be impossible for them to leave their apartments said rabbi aviad bodner of stanton street shul on the lower east side
in recent years some of the co ops have discovered a workaround programming the elevators to stop automatically only on the floors with residents who use the service this upgrade speeds up the ride at least a little bit if your co op has not implemented such a feature it might want to consider doing so
as for ending the practice altogether your board should think carefully about making any drastic changes to a policy that probably dates back decades perhaps even to the original co op conversion the decision of whether to phase out sabbath elevators should not be made hastily said slava hazin a manhattan real estate lawyer any missteps could result in a lawsuit against the co op for discrimination or violation of housing laws
the board should check its governing documents which might mandate sabbath elevators even if the rules say nothing about the issue residents might still have a reasonable expectation that a longstanding service like this one would continue indefinitely
the board could survey residents to see who still wants the elevators if they have fallen out of favor and residents unequivocally support a new policy it could consider phasing them out in the meantime take a deep breath and try to enjoy the ride
prying security cameras
my landlord just installed a weird and creepy camera in the hallway that looks directly into my apartment even though it appears to face the street when i open my apartment door the camera can see into my vestibule is that legal what should i do
east village manhattan
when you walk inside your apartment and close the door you have a reasonable expectation of privacy which is why it would be illegal for your landlord to install a camera in your bedroom without your knowledge or permission but when you open that door and step into the hallway you enter the public realm and relinquish that right to privacy so your landlord can place a camera in the hallway even one that stares you down when you open your door
it may be creepy but it does not violate the law said steven r wagner a manhattan real estate lawyer the vestibule inside your apartment is not considered private when your door is open making it fair game for the cameras lens
landlords sometimes employ these surveillance methods if they suspect a tenant is engaging in criminal activity like selling drugs out of the apartment or violating the terms of the lease like subletting the place illegally although rent regulated tenants are usually the target of aggressive surveillance a landlord might also have reason to spy on a market rate tenant whom he wants to evict
the behavior might rise to the level of harassment if your landlord engages in a repeated course of conduct that alarms or seriously annoys you and serves no legitimate purpose said jonathan i mann a manhattan real estate lawyer if you think this behavior crosses a line write the landlord a letter saying you feel harassed by the camera and you retain the right to file a civil or administrative complaint against him if he does not remove it at the very least the landlord might change the camera angle
creaking in the wind
i rent an apartment in a 1960s high rise condominium on windy days it creaks i assumed this was normal until a member of the buildings maintenance staff told me that structural columns were removed during the renovation of some apartments modifications he believes were structurally unsound i am shocked could this possibly be correct would a contractor do this sort of work possibly without permits should i report this   and if so to whom
upper west side manhattan
just because your neighbors remodeled their apartments and your building makes funny noises does not mean it is facing imminent collapse creaking could emanate from the building facade or perhaps things inside the walls said howard l zimmerman an architect it doesnt necessarily follow that the building is falling apart he added
a condo owner who wants to remodel must have the proposed alterations reviewed and approved by the condo associations board an architect or engineer for the building would review those plans any structural work would require building permits no one individual has the ability to remove supporting structures in a haphazard manner mr zimmerman said
if you want to set your mind at ease you could alert the managing agent to your concerns management could consult with the board and other professionals to determine whether further investigation is warranted said robert j braverman a manhattan real estate lawyer you could also visit the department of buildings website to search for records of any permits issued for your building which are available to the public


each saturday farhad manjoo and mike isaac technology reporters at the new york times review the weeks news offering analysis and maybe a joke or two about the most important developments in the tech industry
farhad hey mike hows it going ive been in africa for three weeks i bet you missed me a lot it must be difficult to try to decipher the weeks tech news without me to guide you along well dry your eyes im back
mike i started going to therapy to deal with your absence turns out you and i are fine but i have a whole lot of other issues i hope we have good insurance
farhad so on to the news remember the huge battle between the fbi and apple over the san bernardino calif terrorists phone it all sort of fizzled this week cbs news reported that after the fbi finally got into the phone without apples help it found nothing of significance on the device
mike lol after all that nothing its almost too perfect of an ending to the saga
farhad but nothing didnt come cheap the bureau spent at least 13 million to get into the phone james comey the fbis director told a security conference this week
has anyone spent so much for so little before i mean other than what our bosses pay you
mike i considered the free sandwiches left in the conference rooms at nyt hq to be part of my benefits package
farhad ok so there were a lot of corporate earnings this week lets run through them in a flash the first three tell a familiar story   the era of personal computers is well and truly over
ibm reported a huge decline in revenue and profit but the numbers were in line with what analysts were expecting intel on the other hand whiffed on its earnings numbers and it announced layoffs of 12000 workers around 11 percent of its work force and if intel didnt prove that surviving the crash of the pc business isnt easy microsoft came along to underscore the point announcing a dip in sales and profits
mike i still have no clue what these companies are going to do to like stop firing people i guess just become a lot smaller
oh also i started watching back episodes of halt and catch fire on netflix and man that show rules it deals with the rise of the pc and the era when ibm or big blue reigned supreme a different era entirely
farhad oh   i kind of hated it anyway newer tech companies arent faring any better google also missed analysts earnings expectations in part because of lower prices paid for internet ads and google was hit by another storm   european regulators announced the start of what looks to be a long running investigation into whether the company is using its android operating system to block competitors from users phones
finally there was yahoo the perennial basket case of the web industry its earnings report was also dismal revenue fell 11 percent since last year and the firm lost 99 million in the quarter but the report was essentially overshadowed by yahoos efforts to sell its internet businesses bids for those beleaguered assets were due this week among the contenders are verizon and a few private equity firms yahoos board will now have to look through the bids to figure out which if any could save this ailing patient wish them luck
mike poor yahoo executives will only have their tens of millions of dollars in prenegotiated severance packages to turn to for comfort after their company is sold for parts what a tragedy
meanwhile im literally buying cases of ramen on amazon to save money
farhad but lets leave todays tech giants   and your dinner plans   aside for a bit instead lets talk about tomorrows giant uber as you reported the ride sharing company settled a long battle in california and massachusetts this week over the legal status of its drivers so does this finally put to rest the controversy over ubers practice of keeping its drivers as contractors rather than employees
mike in short not really the settlement   which still is subject to the acceptance of the judge presiding over the case   applies only to california and massachusetts drivers there are still lawsuits in a bunch of other states including arizona florida pennsylvania im sure more will pop up over time since everyone loves to sue a company with deep pockets
heres what matters aside from the 100 million uber said it would pay drivers involved in the suit the company conceded to a bunch of new rules and policies that make things at least slightly better for drivers
for one drivers can ask for tips now something they werent able to do before unlike lyft where they can get tips inside the app uber will also create a union style drivers association in california and massachusetts   just dont call them unions   so that drivers can air their grievances and drivers wont automatically be deactivated for canceling too many trips over time
that seems like a list of ways uber can defend itself in other states in which it faces lawsuits essentially the further away uber gets from acting like actual employers with drivers   that is the less control it exerts over the work force   the more room it has to call its drivers partners and not employees
farhad those actually sound like pretty good reforms if uber does use this settlement as a template for other states it seems like it could be creating what some labor experts had been calling for when this contractor versus employee dispute first came along   a new third category of employment that sat somewhere between full time and independent contractor work
this settlement sounds a bit like that situation uber drivers get some perks of employment including people to complain to and some measure of job security even if its probably pretty weak but they dont get to be full employees   meaning the company does not have to pay them benefits and the drivers are free to work as much or as little as theyd like
am i wrong to see this as a pretty good middle of the road fix to a thorny problem that had been vexing lots of on demand companies
mike only partly as usual
the counterargument for some of this is that uber can still shut drivers out of the app for short periods of time if they make too many trip cancellations thats a level of control that one could argue should be reserved for an employer employee relationship
anyway the moral of the story is this seems to have been largely defused though not entirely over and done with watch other states and the subsequent litigation closely
good to have you back in town also thank you for the bag of biltong you brought back i ate every last bit and have yet to develop a stomach bug
farhad youre welcome i look forward to snacks from your next vacation actually more than that i look forward to your vacation


people who dont work in the news media might not have noticed the outbreak of angst that followed the recent financial stumbles at young publications like buzzfeed and mashable
it is true that the outlook is not great but there is a bright side the shakeout may end up taking all the air out of a little bubble that had inflated in the media world with less hype we may get to see which new ways of doing things actually work and which dont in fact everything suggests that news consumers are going to get a product that is much more attuned to how they now find read and discuss the news
so while mashable a website that recently announced cuts buzzfeed and others may not yet have found the secret sauce many of the ingredients are there those will now be used improved and added to new ingredients in the hope of building news operations that can reach millions of readers with strong journalism while generating reliable profits
this probably isnt going to happen soon and the news industry seems likely to continue to shrink over all in the near term but the future need not be grim for innovative publishers that produce well reported and engaging stories
one of the strengths of new publications was that they really understood that people found articles through social media sites like facebook where they are shared and used to start conversations last year for instance a survey by the pew research center found that 61 percent of millennials got their news about politics from facebook where the newer publications may have gone wrong is in producing too many stories that were designed primarily for sharing and quick clicks a trick that readers can grow tired of
the solution for this is not easy or cheap it requires producing articles that are likely to start conversations on social media but also dont overpromise and then underdeliver
there are no shortcuts to producing such articles but skilled social media editors with a nose for good stories that will also excel on facebook twitter reddit and other digital hangouts can make a big difference many already have
two years ago the mobile apps for large newspapers mostly presented readers with simple lists of stories with dull headlines now they are far livelier and play a role in driving readership and subscriptions higher
the new publications also understood that a media organization has to acknowledge the enormous reach of facebook or google and work with them to gain revenue an article this week from my colleague john herrman contained a chilling number in this years first quarter 85 cents of every new dollar spent on online advertising will go to google or facebook
the pessimistic interpretation is that this shows how advertisers are shunning news websites in favor of social networks and how publications will have to make painful compromises to gain a sliver of that advertising revenue some of that will happen but in some ways the figure was also helpful it showed that there is a huge amount of money flowing into the advertising media complex and the number should further persuade publications to accept reality and think harder about what they have to do   or in some cases stop doing   to gain more of that revenue
there are some reasons for optimism here news outlets that post quickly loading instant articles on facebook have said these pieces enjoyed higher traffic than if they were posted into users feeds as slower loading links and facebook has also been willing to make concessions to publishers on instant articles showing that the company grasps how thin the media companies margins are
being a successful news company in these times also requires something less fun stringent management of resources revenues may take time to grow so costs will have to be contained even as new things are attempted
new media companies like any other fresh entrants to a sector are prone to spending too much or underestimating the costs of expansion they may make the same mistakes again as they pile deeper into video older media companies because they enjoyed strong and dependable revenue for decades never really developed a management culture that could nimbly deploy newsroom resources
but that may be changing the washington posts series of articles on police killings that won a pulitzer this week was created with collaboration across the newsroom it eventually involved some 70 journalists from the papers national investigative metro video photo and graphics departments the post said
understanding exactly whats happening in the new media world is hampered by the lack of detailed data on how these companies are actually performing they are private companies that dont have to report regular financial data but the public stock market is flashing a signal that should give a little hope
the stock of news corporation the company that owns the wall street journal and other newspapers is trading at a multiple that is a substantially higher valuation   around 24 times expected earnings   than that of the wider market which trades at around 18 times future earnings the new york times company stock has an above market valuation too but its bad form to use ones own employer as an example of an encouraging trend there are reasons not to read too much into the valuations since they may be a temporary phenomenon that disappears as earnings catch up with investors expectations
but investors would not be paying through the nose for older media companies if they did not think they could adapt to the harsh new environment
the public is discussing news like never before the stock market thinks journalism has a future maybe those in the media will too someday


seoul south korea   north korea fired what was believed to be a submarine launched ballistic missile off its east coast on saturday according to the south korean military
the missile flew only 19 miles a flight too short to be called a successful launch south koreas office of joint chiefs of staff said in a statement still the test provided the latest evidence that north korea was building a submarine launched ballistic missile in defiance of a united nations ban on the country for developing such weapons
the united states north american aerospace defense command also confirmed the north korean missile launch from a submarine saying it did not pose a threat to north america
on sunday north korea claimed that it had successfully conducted the missile test the countrys official news agency said the test was to confirm the stability of a solid fuel ballistic missile launched from a submarine and the working accuracy of a nuclear detonating device of a warhead at a designated altitude
north korea is now capable of hitting the heads of south korean puppet forces and the us imperialists anytime as it pleases the north korean leader kim jong un was quoted as saying while watching the launch according to the state news agency
the test took place at 630 pm in waters northeast of the port city of sinpo south koreas statement said north koreas naval base at sinpo is a center for the isolated countrys efforts to develop a submarine launched ballistic missile which would add to the range secrecy and flexibility of its missile systems
in november the souths intelligence service said that north korea had conducted a test of a submarine launched ballistic missile that ended in failure on saturday the south korean military said that north korea tried the same test in december but again failed
on april 15 the north carried out what american and south korean officials said was a failed launch of an intermediate range ballistic missile the musudan


london   president obama urged a roomful of young people in london on saturday to support a new trade deal between the united states and the european union arguing that it can be written in a way that does not undercut the interests of unions workers and the environment
at a town hall style meeting during the second day of his visit to europe mr obama said the trade deal negotiated with asian nations last year should serve as proof that a freer flow of commerce could be achieved without the damage that opponents of trade deals often warn about
part of the argument im making in the united states is that the answer to globalization and income inequality and lack of wage growth is not to pull up the drawbridge and shut off trade mr obama said
he said trade deals like the transatlantic trade and investment partnership being negotiated between europe and the united states should embed values that help lift workers rights and help lift environmental standards
negotiators are working to complete the trade pact by the end of the year but it has largely stalled in the face of intense opposition particularly in germany where critics predict that it would favor the interests of large corporations and cause a loss of jobs
aides say mr obama will press his case for the trade deal during a visit to germany on sunday and monday but he eagerly seized on a question about the deal from a young woman in the forum on saturday
if we are able to get this deal done it is estimated that it will create millions of jobs and billions of dollars in benefits on both sides of the atlantic the president said
he also joked that it might finally mean that light sockets in all european nations and the united states would finally be the same
those light sockets are really irritating he said
the trade question was one of 10 that mr obama took from the audience at the royal horticultural halls the president has held similar events in most of the countries he has visited during trips abroad viewing them as a way to connect with a younger generation and an antidote to the cynicism he often confronts with his peers
on saturday mr obama took questions about northern ireland social justice campaigns his legacy somalia and transgender rights
the president appeared to take offense at one questioner who suggested that the united states   and mr obamas administration   had not taken seriously the issue of racial profiling especially at airports
before everybody starts applauding that question lets make sure we are on the same wavelength on facts mr obama said waving his hands for the clapping to stop as he answered the question he said he had been adamant in opposing racial profiling at airports
he also repeated an indirect critique about the black lives matter campaign suggesting that the activists in that movement should be more willing to sit down and work with politicians to solve problems rather than just criticize them from the outside
once youve highlighted an issue and brought it to peoples attention and shined a spotlight and elected officials and people who are in positions to start bringing about change are ready to sit down with you then you cant just keep on yelling at them the president said after mentioning the black lives matter movement
you cant refuse to meet because that might compromise the purity of your position he added the value of social movements and activism is to get you at the table to get you in the room
earlier in the day mr obama toured the globe theater which sits near where the original was built in 1599 to mark the 400th anniversary of william shakespeares death


dhaka bangladesh   a professor of english was hacked to death and nearly beheaded near his home in northwestern bangladesh on saturday in what the police said they suspected was the latest in a series of targeted killings by islamist militants
the professor rezaul karim siddiquee 61 was attacked by assailants about 60 yards from his home and died at the scene said mohammad shamsuddin the commissioner of the metropolitan police in the city of rajshahi neighbors said they had heard the victim screaming and alerted his family
mr shamsuddin said that our preliminary suspicion is that the murder was committed by an islamist militant group based on the attacks similarities to recent killings of secularist bloggers in bangladesh he said that mr siddiquee had three deep wounds to the neck and that his head had been nearly severed
later saturday the islamic state group claimed responsibility for the attack according to a message posted on twitter by the site intelligence group which monitors jihadist websites no further details were available
social media accounts linked to the islamic state have claimed responsibility for a number of attacks in recent months in bangladesh the government and the police have expressed skepticism about those claims denying that the organization has a presence inside the country
the murder on saturday echoed one that took place at rajshahi university where mr siddiquee taught in november 2014 when a sociology professor was hacked to death on his way home from the campus that professor had said students should not be allowed to wear burqas the traditional islamic covering during sociology examinations
killings of secular activists have become a grim commonplace in bangladesh over the past two years and intellectuals have become reluctant to publish views critical of fundamentalist islam about two weeks ago an atheist student blogger was killed by men with machetes at a crowded intersection in dhaka the bangladeshi capital
but mr siddiquee was not like most of the previous victims an avowed atheist or anti religious campaigner he was involved in some cultural activities in his department and was fascinated by traditional bangladeshi music and the poetry of literary figures like rabindranath tagore and kazi nazrul islam said prof mohammad shahidullah the head of the english department at rajshahi university
he was a purely academic person but he was a progressive and secular person professor shahidullah said he added that mr siddiquee had recently established a music school in his village
police officers who interviewed mr siddiquees family said he had never published any materials critical of islam and had never received threats


one morning in early march kyli ledesma a 20 year old barista from san diego woke up at 330 so she could drive to los angeles to secure a copy of cassandra clares newest book lady midnight which would be for sale at barnes  noble at the grove a high end mall when it opened at 9 yet she was not the first at the door
nor was lydia whitman 15 who pulled in at 5 am driven from agoura hills calif by her mother to earn the 12th place in line
sales of the book were capped at 400 but the urgency propelling ms ledesma ms whitman and the rest of ms clares fans was that the first 100 purchasers would get a seat that evening at a question and answer session with ms clare and the actors from shadowhunters the television show that has been made from her series
a tour for ms clare has more in common with that of a country music star than an author she travels on a bus emblazoned with her name and hundreds even thousands of fans may show up at her events
she writes fantasy for the young adult market which means shes an alternate world builder like j k rowling and stephenie meyer who sets her supernatural plots shadowhunters are humans teenagers mostly who are descended from angels and fight demons and such in urban settings like new york city and los angeles
ms clares characters are tougher and wittier than the lugubrious bella and edward of twilight fame and her female protagonists are smart and sassy their appeal besides the innate tension of teenagers on the verge is their contemporary milieus and sharp dialogue
the books give you wonder in everyday life said katherine mann 13 who had an armful of lady midnight copies she had bought for herself and family members she shows you that even if you live in a big city there can be the possibility of fantasy
that evening in los angeles there were fans from seattle argentina and sweden one of them fanny thorkildsen fernandes taught the crowd how to say shadowhunters in swedish its skuggjagare
sogol gharaei 15 said she celebrates the day she began reading city of bones   ms clares first book out in 2007   each year by baking a cake and drawing a big rune on her arm she said to keep the memory alive runes are part of the shadowhunters arsenal and appear mainly on body parts as sogols were the arms of many attendees at the barnes  noble event were embellished with sharpie drawn examples
the 300 fans who didnt score a seat at the talk waited patiently until ms clare began signing books at 8 pm she would remain there until after midnight when the last book wore her signature and she headed back to her tour bus to ice her hand and sleep while the bus drove all night to salt lake city where the same scene would play out in a high school auditorium at an event sponsored by an independent bookstore
this is the upside of ms clares fandom but theres a darker more complicated byproduct of her success twitter tumblr facebook and all manner of fan sites as well as antifan sites or hate blogs   yes thats a thing are sometimes fractious communities whose members she may engage with daily and not always happily
the place ms clare occupies in publishing   and the work she does to keep herself there   is emblematic of the burdens and boons fan culture bestows on so many fantasy authors deeply possessive of the characters ms clare has created the fans can turn on her for plot directions they dont approve of or for the ways in which the television show diverges from the books ms clare has no role in the tv series
fantitlement as this phenomenon is known has raised her fortunes while at times it has bedeviled her as it has so many of her peers laura miller a books and culture columnist at slate who has written about fan culture likened ms clares experiences to that of george r r martin the game of thrones author whose fans grew so angry at his publishing pace that some created a blog finish the book george
ms clares internet buffeting is intense and rampant there are numerous blogs devoted to pillorying her some of this emotion has its roots in her own start as a fan fiction author 16 years ago she wrote some harry potter fan fiction called the draco trilogy there were charges she lifted passages from the published though out of print work of a fantasy author named pamela dean without proper acknowledgment
fan fiction is a boisterous community of online writers many of them women who reimagine existing stories and characters often in the fantasy realm and often with erotic overtones spock paired with uhura say or spock with captain kirk are popular imaginings
harry potter fan fiction is an enormous subgenre with hundreds of thousands of examples online according to anne jamison an associate professor of english at the university of utah and the author of fic why fanfiction is taking over the world why is it taking over the world because its the first digitally native fiction dr jamison said
some work like ms clares is embedded with references direct quotes and even whole passages drawn from the fantasy canon like in jokes for the initiated some fans think this is part of the game but others see it as a violation of the rules
cassandra clare is the pen name of judith lewis though most people in her circle except her parents call her cassie in person ms clare 42 is more of a hermione than a bella
ms clare is the daughter of academics who spent her first two decades living in tehran london boston and los angeles she retains the confidence of a precocious only child who grew up with her nose in a book and largely in the company of adults her mother elizabeth rumelt said her first words i want were uttered in farsi
on any given day her hair might be blue or pink and shell be wearing a dress she designed herself from vintage patterns and in liberty prints because as a plus size woman she is often challenged to find clothing that matches her sensibility
she took her pen name from a terrible novel she wrote in eighth grade called the beautiful cassandra the title was a reference to a story jane austen wrote for her older sister cassandra in it cassandra meets a handsome young man and they fall in love and kiss ms clare said and i was 13 and didnt know what should happen next so i killed him
nearly a decade and a half later ms clare wrote her first piece of fan fiction she was 25 and an assistant editor at the hollywood reporter putting together a special section on the x files when she discovered the genre and tumbled down its rabbit hole perhaps unsurprisingly the x files have been catnip to fanfic folks
i printed it all out and read it one night at the gym she said i almost fell off the nordictrack that was when ms clare created her draco trilogy which begins with harry potter and draco malfoy switching identities and unspools toward a battle for hermiones affections
she was also writing as cassandra claire she dropped the i when another fan fiction author signed up all the cassandra claire domain names
in her book dr jamison devotes a chapter to the clare brouhaha as a case study of internet flaming and conflict this particular one she said keeps getting rechurned fan fiction looks like its a collaborative community playing by the same rules but it turns out that it isnt dr jamison said
sarah rees brennan an irish young adult fantasy writer who also came up from fan fiction has had her own online snipers charging her with plagiarism and for being a friend of ms clare ms miller of slate who said she was baffled by the depth of the animosity toward ms clare said she wondered if it had to do with her being one of the first writers to leave the bubble of fan fiction to become a published author as if the leaving were a betrayal
so does elizabeth minkel who writes about fan culture for new statesman among other publications and is a fan fiction author herself for whatever reason when some people leave the community there can be a legacy of negative feelings she said it gets passed down word of mouth and once people get mad on the internet theres no going back
ms clare would add one more variable gender
do i think the animosity toward me from fandom is about my thinking of fan fiction as illegal art and mashing up quotes from books and movies and plays into the fan fiction i wrote 16 years ago she said no a million people did that and still do i was nothing different or special except that i went on to be a successful author and public figure theyve always been very clear its about punishing me for the latter because its seen as being uppity its not an old grudge being held on to its the pattern of how women are treated on the internet every day
as rowdy as the fan fiction arena is there is just as much passion directed at ms clares published work there were fans who were angry that the television cast was not in the 2013 shadowhunters movie and ms clare was vilified for not advocating for them
these emotions have spilled out offline too bookstores have received death threats against her at a signing for clockwork princess the final book of her second trilogy set in victorian england a fan smashed a book down on her hand because the fan was enraged ms clare said that a character had died
people are deeply uncomfortable with the idea that the characters they love and regard as people real people were made up by someone especially if that someone is a woman she said
ms clare described a twitter comment about one of her characters that read if it were up to you alec would be dead
i pointed out that it is up to me ms clare said and they seemed shocked to have to confront that fact as if they couldnt remember that actually i made up alec his reality had trumped mine
and then there are the legal disputes
young adult and fantasy authors can earn millions even if they are not household names like ms rowling or ms meyer
lady midnight is ms clares 10th book and the first in a trilogy for which simon  schuster her longtime publisher paid her in the high seven figures there are 36 million shadowhunter books in print as compared to ms meyers 100 million for her twilight books and ms rowlings 450 plus million for her harry potter books published in 35 languages
lady midnight out since march 8 is already in its second printing with 600000 copies and it has landed at no 1 as her books tend to do on the new york times best seller list for her category
what you find with urban fantasy authors is the loyalty levels are intensely high compared to just about any other fiction category said peter hildick smith chief executive of the codex group which analyzes the book industry
according to a survey conducted by codex last week ms clares peak audience is women ages 18 to 24 among whom shes as popular as gwyneth paltrow and cameron diaz she may not be a household name but her fans are intensely loyal mr hildick smith said it really determines how consistently you can be a best seller
these high stakes may be why so many young adult and fantasy authors find themselves ensnared by lawsuits
in february ms clare was sued for copyright infringement among other charges by sherrilyn kenyon an american young adult author who writes an urban fantasy series about demon killers named dark hunters ms clares lawyer john r cahill said he expected the suit to be dismissed and issued a statement that read in part the lawsuit failed to identify a single instance of actual copying or plagiarism by cassie
but the dispute puts ms clare in good company ms meyer rick riordan another successful author who drew from greek mythology when he created his young adult series and ms rowling have all been sued for plagiarism often more than once
fantasy is a genre of tropes and i think a lot of people dont understand that ms clare said of the lawsuit fantasy is also an enormously profitable publishing space and franchises can extend indefinitely ms clare is on her third trilogy and as john sellers the childrens reviews editor at publishers weekly pointed out she has said she already has two more trilogies mapped out
she is not limiting herself to geography or even time he said the only limit i think is what shes willing to write its a sprawling world shes created and it seems its only going to become more so
on a recent thursday ms clare was briefly at home in amherst mass on the site of the new house the shadowhunters books have bought for her and her husband joshua lewis
for the last two years she and mr lewis have been renovating a mid 19th century former warehouse set beside a crashing waterfall they bought it for about 400000 and have put as much as 2 million into the renovation ms clare said we took everything apart and put it back together she said
its now an arts and crafts showpiece stairs are painted to look like bookshelves bathroom tiles are printed with quotes from their favorite authors like j m barrie and oscar wilde their bed is hand painted with quotes from verlaine and rimbaud and theres even a hidden passage thats for josh ms clare said
the two met online over a decade ago in a group for would be childrens book authors where they bonded over literary arcana mr lewis now 37 was at the time working on a phd in computer science at the university of massachusetts in amherst ms clare was living in brooklyn working nights as a freelance copy editor for american media which publishes national enquirer and star and writing city of bones during the day
mr lewis who also writes fiction and with whom ms clare has collaborated on the shadowhunters codex a manual for would be shadowhunters said he knew hed won ms clare over when he identified a line from catch 22 in one of her early emails their wedding rings are inscribed with this phrase are we not two volumes of the same book
they moved to amherst in 2009 when ms clares third book was published around that time her store events began to change my first book event my parents showed up and maybe 10 people she said for city of glass i went to toronto for an event and 1000 people appeared i thought my god did something happen
across the street from the house is a 1920s barn thats been reimagined as a writing studio by bruce and melanie rosenbaum architectural designers with a specialty in steampunk design they were so inspired by ms clares work they created a steampunk inflected interior from salvaged apothecary shelves and an old soda fountain a vintage english telephone booth will become a time machine knowing bruce ms clare said it will probably work
collaborating with a mechanical engineer the rosenbaums turned all the modern appliances into fantastical contraptions a tiny steam engine has been electrified and fashioned to look as if its powering the ceiling fan
theres an ipad in an apothecary scale and the gleaming soda fountain holds a tiny clockwork angel in homage to the title of one of ms clares books upon which play multicolored leds its inscribed with a passage in latin which i cant read because i cant read latin mr lewis said but its from milton and its something like if i cant reach heaven ill raise hell
actually its from virgil ms clare said mr lewis beamed at her
the microwave a wildly elaborate device has its own latin inscription an appropriate coda perhaps for ms clares career justice should be served hot


miami   behind a locked door aboard norwegian cruise lines newest ship is a world most of the vessels 4200 passengers will never see and that is exactly the point
in the haven as this ship within a ship is called about 275 elite guests enjoy not only a concierge and 24 hour butler service but also a private pool sun deck and restaurant creating an oasis free from the crowds elsewhere on the norwegian escape
if haven passengers venture out of their aerie to see a show a flash of their gold key card gets them the best seats in the house when the ship returns to port they disembark before everyone else
it was always the intention to make the haven somewhat obscure so it wasnt in the face of the masses said kevin sheehan norwegians former chief executive who helped design the escape with the hope of attracting a richer clientele that segment of the population wants to be surrounded by people with similar characteristics
with disparities in wealth greater than at any time since the gilded age the gap is widening between the highly affluent   who find themselves behind the velvet ropes of todays economy   and everyone else
it represents a degree of economic and social stratification unseen in america since the days of teddy roosevelt j p morgan and the rigidly separated classes on the titanic a century ago
what is different today though is that companies have become much more adept at identifying their top customers and knowing which psychological buttons to push the goal is to create extravagance and exclusivity for the select few even if it stirs up resentment elsewhere in fact research has shown a little envy can be good for the bottom line
when top dollar travelers switch planes in atlanta new york and other cities delta ferries them between terminals in a porsche what the airline calls a surprise and delight service last month walt disney world began offering after hours access to visitors who want to avoid the crowds in other words you basically get the magic kingdom to yourself
when royal caribbean ships call at labadee the cruise lines private resort in haiti elite guests get their own special beach club away from fellow travelers   an enclave within an enclave
we are living much more cloistered lives in terms of class said thomas sander who directs a project on civic engagement at the kennedy school at harvard we are doing a much worse job of living out the egalitarian dream that has been our hallmark
emmanuel saez a professor of economics at the university of california berkeley estimates that the top 1 percent of american households now controls 42 percent of the nations wealth up from less than 30 percent two decades ago the top 01 percent accounts for 22 percent nearly double the 1995 proportion
but even as income inequality and the wealth gap stoke the discontent that has emerged as a powerful force in this years presidential election for american business it represents something else entirely from cruise ship operators and casinos to amusement parks and airlines the rise of the 1 percent spells opportunity and profit
today ever greater resources are being invested in winning market share at the very top of the pyramid sometimes at the cost of diminished service for the rest of the public while middle class incomes are stagnating the period since the end of the great recession has been a boom time for the very rich and the businesses that cater to them
from 2010 to 2014 the number of american households with at least 1 million in financial assets jumped by nearly one third to just under seven million according to a study by the boston consulting group for the 1 million plus cohort estimated wealth grew by 72 percent annually from 2010 to 2014 eight times the pace of gains for families with less than 1 million
you go where the money is said steven fazzari a professor of economics at washington university in st louis this is where companies are innovating and where there is demand
in many ways the rise of the velvet rope reverses the great democratization of travel and leisure and other elements of american life in the post world war ii era as the jet set gave way to budget airlines in places like airports and theme parks even the wealthiest often rubbed shoulders with hoi polloi
these days whether the provider is a private company or a public agency special treatment for the very rich isnt personal its business late last year public officials in los angeles agreed to lease a separate facility at lax to a private firm that would serve celebrities or anyone else willing to pay 1800 to skip the traffic jams and lines at the main terminals
of course it could be more extreme and in the past it was
the titanic in the early 20th century separated the different classes of travelers with metal gates in the 19th century french railways refrained from putting roofs on third class wagons so that passengers who could afford more expensive second class seats would not hesitate to spend a few extra francs
what is new is just how far big american companies are now willing to go to pamper the biggest spenders
for example as luggage toting guests boarded norwegians breakaway ship in new york recently cramming into a handful of elevators there was ample room in one bank but it was off limits to anyone but haven guests going to the top decks not far away in the ships theater red velvet ropes cordoned off a section up front for haven passengers
at seaworld a family of four can jump to the front of the line and score the best seats for rides and shows for an extra 80 in addition to the basic 320 admission for people in the market for something more exclusive there is discovery cove next door to seaworlds traditional park in orlando
forget merely swimming with the dolphins today parents can relax at a cabana and beach of their own while their budding marine biologists spend the day with a trainer feed the parks birds otters nurse sharks and other creatures and of course frolic with the dolphins as well
there are no lines to cut here daily attendance is capped at 1300 a day at discovery cove can easily cost 1000 for a family of four
next year crystal cruises will begin an airborne version of one of its luxury ships a customized boeing 777 that ferries passengers on 14  or 28 day trips around the world
in theory according to steve tadelis a professor of economics at the haas school of business at berkeley when an industry is able to create a richer line of products for people looking to spend their money that makes everybody happier but getting it right in reality is very very hard
as companies separate their clientele a debate has developed over just how obvious the distinctions should be some experts like david clarke who works with leisure industry giants as a principal at pricewaterhousecoopers say that it is best to be open about what amounts to a money based caste system
its about transparency he said what customers hate is when youre trying to hide stuff and are not being honest with them
many companies though have discovered that offering ordinary customers just a whiff of the rarefied air can actually enhance the bottom line even if it stirs a certain amount of envy and resentment
as coach passengers pile into giant 747s and a380s for example a glimpse of a shower or private suite creates a marker in peoples minds said alex dichter a director at mckinsey who works with major airlines a lot of brands use products like these as an aspirational tool and class segregation can create something to which people can aspire
while choices for the rich are expanding poorer americans are benefiting less from product innovation according to new research by xavier jaravel a graduate student in economics at harvard whether they are selling fancy cookware natural cheeses or single malt scotch purveyors of goods aimed at the wealthy are competing more and offering new products downscale items like canned meat or tobacco arent drawing as many new entrants into the market
there is also increasing demand from the most affluent shoppers spending by the top 5 percent of earners rose nearly 35 percent from 2003 to 2012 after adjusting for inflation according to a study by mr fazzari and barry z cynamon of the federal reserve bank of st louis for everyone else spending grew less than 10 percent
and with the rise of the internet and big data companies can pinpoint and favor these wealthiest customers in ways unimaginable even a decade ago at the high end we can get into real psychographics and know who spends more time at the concierge or goes skiing in february said bjorn hanson who teaches courses on tourism and hospitality management at new york university
for companies trying to entice moneyed customers that means identifying and anticipating what they want the premium customer doesnt want to be asked questions said mr clarke of pricewaterhousecoopers they dont want friction they want things to happen through osmosis
but for people at the lower end of the market as well as in the middle plenty of friction remains the trade off is that the amount of hassle is precisely calibrated to just how much you are willing to pay
at the low end peoples expectations have fundamentally changed mr clarke said because its a fraction of the cost people say im willing to take some discomfort because my wallet is staying full
executives describe the virtues of elite segmentation with a directness that might well serve as fodder for supporters of occupy wall street or senator bernie sanders at its debut in 2006 the haven was swamped by tourists from regular quarters who paid 200 to upgrade to one of its 40 or so rooms mr sheehan recalled
so he ordered an immediate halt to the upgrades which undercut profit margins and undermined the havens main selling point exclusivity
we needed to fill the haven by getting the right people on the ship said mr sheehan who stepped down as chief executive last year when the masses overwhelmed the group in the haven they didnt have the experience they were looking for
mr sheehans focus on wealthier travelers proved prescient norwegians stock has surged and as the company designed new vessels in recent years the haven became more defined   with its own pool lounge bar and restaurant   and more isolated from the rest of the ship
with the launch of the 4100 passenger epic in 2010 a guest could enter the key card for access and never leave said andy stuart norwegians president
and by last year when the even newer escape sailed on its maiden voyage the havens 95 staterooms were located so high up in the forward part of the ship that even guests in comparatively expensive staterooms might remain unaware of its existence depending on the season a room in the haven might cost a couple 10000 for a weeklong cruise vs 3000 for an ordinary stateroom elsewhere on the ship
while the haven is hidden or at least camouflaged on norwegians cruise ships its archrival royal caribbean by contrast makes no secret of what is available to passengers who pay the most its royal suite class isnt a ship within a ship but it serves much the same function with one significant difference regular passengers can push their noses up against the glass literally
on royal caribbeans new ship anthem diners must first walk past the frosted glass windows of coastal kitchen reserved for suite occupants before they can crowd around the buffet tables of the open to everyone windjammer cafe
there are no chafing dishes in sight at the coastal kitchen where the order of the day is white table cloths and sit down service the atmosphere is as calm and leisurely as windjammer is hectic although suite guests are free to dine at the latter if they like
royal caribbeans business approach contrasts strikingly with norwegians
while norwegian executives decided to mostly hide the haven from view royal caribbean went with transparency its the american way said michael bayley president of royal caribbean i think society is prepared to accept that if you pay more for certain elements then you deserve them
mr bayley and royal caribbeans chairman richard fain say they ultimately decided against the ship within a ship concept after studying the haven
thats not the mojo or the culture of royal caribbean mr bayley said the idea of segregating people into a class system is un american but if you live on central park you are going to pay more thats how the system works
as has been the case elsewhere in the leisure industry in recent years royal caribbean has become more comfortable with heightening the contrast between the treatment meted out to ordinary passengers and the level of service reserved for the top tier royal caribbean has always considered the psychology of its guests when it designs new ships or introduces new amenities said adam goldstein the companys chief operating officer but there has been a shift in passenger expectations in recent years
for a long time there was an acceptance that outside the door of your room you were on an equal footing he said we didnt attempt to have any differentiation in how services were delivered
since the late 1990s however there has been a huge evolution maybe a revolution in attitudes mr goldstein said in addition to larger rooms or softer sheets big spenders want to be coddled nowadays they are looking for constant validation that they are a higher value customer he said for example room service requests from royal suite occupants are automatically routed to a number different from the one used by regular passengers who get slower less personalized service
with a week in a top royal suite costing upward of 30000 compared with 4000 for an ordinary cabin the focus is on very affluent travelers and we have no trouble filling these rooms mr bayley said
in may the company will roll out its royal genie program   essentially a personal servant for the highest spenders on board royal genies will research their guests preferences even before they come aboard and come up with surprises like in room drinks with their favorite vodka or scotch
even though this kind of pampering might be good for business and delight those on the right side of the velvet rope the gap between the privileged and the rest may ultimately leave everyone feeling uneasy said barry j nalebuff a professor of management at yale
if im in the back of the plane i want to hiss at the people in first class said mr nalebuff who has advised many fortune 100 companies if im up front i cringe as people walk by


london   lady elizabeth anson queen elizabeth iis cousin and her party planner for more than 50 years was raised in a downton abbey like home where servants ironed the newspapers and was married at westminster abbey
but on a recent friday lady elizabeth   the orchestrator of some of britains most aristocratic parties   was in her white azalea filled sitting room she was wearing a gray tomasz starzewski jacket bought on sale more than 40 years ago drinking tea from a purple flowered tankard an ebay find and discussing her recovery from her weekly lottery ticket buying addiction
i still do a lucky dip if its a huge amount of money said lady elizabeth who has also organized events for tom cruise and other celebrities seeking discretion
on her feet were what looked like roger vivier court shoes but when a reporter suggested she might like to remove whatever was stuck to the bottom of them before having her photograph taken lady elizabeth 75 handed the footwear to her liveried butler certainly my lady he said before getting rid of the price tags that revealed that the shoes cost PS25 about 35
marks  spencers best lady elizabeth said looking delighted at this evidence of her frugality
and really why shouldnt she be among her grander family as she calls them frugality is a trait to be celebrated the queen has been known to take public trains kate middleton the duchess of cambridge whom lady elizabeth refers to as catherine is applauded for wearing dresses more than once
let somebody else be the embarrassingly profligate relative that makes the monarchy look bad lady elizabeth   daughter of princess anne of denmark goddaughter of king george vi   is just another hard working entrepreneur albeit possibly the only one with the word lady in her email address
i do not know how to be a lady who lunches she said i love my work and my work pays for my home
she asked the butler to bring her her nicotine sweets she gave up smoking in the 60s picked it up after 17 years then quit with difficulty again 11 years ago
if she were to start again the sitting room would rebuke her every surface is crammed with decorative eggs   536 of them by her grandchildrens last count   that she began collecting after her stepfather presented her with an alabaster one as a worry bead for her right hand when she first put down the cigarettes
hers is a nerve racking business one of her projects is the queens 90th birthday this month the milestone is being marked with street parties pageants and ceremonies but lady elizabeth handled the private family celebration which like all of her events she was not prepared to discuss
still she is as unguarded as one can possibly be when bound by confidentiality agreements referring to one of ivana trumps post donald husbands as looking like a frog mrs trump is a former client things did not end well
of the overweight king of tonga whom she was looking after along with all the other foreign heads of state at the 2011 royal wedding she said he thought hed break the furniture in buckingham palace the chairs there are very low she said very wonderful louis quatorze it looks as if you sat on it it would break but it doesnt
during a discussion about the lost art of conversation because of cellphones she took her incessantly ringing land line off the hook letting the receiver dangle at her stockinged feet and leaned in saying i think i can tell this its a bit about the royal family
she described how the queen had had her grandchildren over for dinner and she said to me that she found it really difficult lady elizabeth said because they didnt really know how to talk each other and she said i suppose its because theyre always getting up and down and helping somebody and putting something in a dishwasher or whatever theyre doing because they dont have enough staff
on the subject of her majesty for the record the queen is a most meticulous hostess though she does not insist only on malvern water or yellow freesias as has been reported people love creating myths lady elizabeth said it makes them feel very self important in fact it was a gardener at windsor castle who decreed the yellow flowers
for the wedding of william and kate for which lady elizabeth was an adviser and planned the wedding eve family dinner the couple had very strong ideas that the queen was marvelous and listened to she said traditional royal weddings have no reception afterward   guests just depart after the service   but william and kate wanted one after seeing that was what their friends had had
and so the palace had to learn quite a lot about different canapes because they werent used to doing them lady elizabeth said
her code name around the office for the queen is or was until its been published shirley temple though lady elizabeth said she cant remember why referring to her staff of five she said we literally had the funniest names possible for everybody and the people who were the most aware of their celeb importance that ive ever had got names that were truly extraordinary
while looking at wedding sites with the actress isla fisher who was marrying sacha baron cohen lady elizabeth was amused that ms fisher code name sally dangletrot kept three different wigs in the car to disguise herself i wouldnt have known her if she was passing down the street she said i shouldnt say that because its quite rude
lady elizabeth started her business at age 18 in 1960 her inspiration was the stress of planning her own 1959 debutante party which prevented her from enjoying the evening
chasing down rsvps was a particular headache and she claims credit for inventing this ghastly thing called the reply card to solve the problem the first time she created one she forgot to leave a space for people to write their names and so she ended up with a bunch of yeses and nos but no clue who they were from
her first event for the queen was a disco at windsor castle for prince charles then 15 and princess anne then 13 my business started before the discotheque was invented she said so when this man told me he was going to charge me PS25 to put on records for the evening i thought is this man absolutely crazy anybody can put on a gramophone record she soon learned it was an art form
a party for the rolling stones ended with the police showing up as guests were drunkenly throwing unopened bottles of dom perignon into the thames but generally lady elizabeths events are known for their calm elegance and thoughtful touches
at a white themed dinner for 40 people last month hosted by royalty at the cavernous drafty victoria  albert museum lady elizabeth marched over to my little indian caftan man on the portobello road and bought a load of white pashminas to drape on each chair she hid hot water bottles underneath cushions she also suggested to guests that they wear heat tech from uniqlo
its that ghastly boring phrase the devils in the details she said the devil is in the detail and the detail doesnt need to cost very much
she can do strict protocol   working out what year various marquesses or earls were created to determine seniority and thus seating arrangements   but she is not afraid to break it along with convention
glynn woodin who has worked with her for 30 years as the managing director of mustard catering a society favorite recalled that recently she decided the damask tablecloth mr woodin described its color as eau de vie with a bit of olive would look better flipped upside down using the rougher textured side we were doing a party absolutely littered with royals he said you and i would be horrified to use a cloth on the wrong side but it was exactly right
she has never advertised instead she attributes her success in part to being terribly terribly shy   she still bemoans a party she never quite made it to years ago where dressed in a red velvet trouser suit and with her hair freshly done she stood by the elevator watching people go in unable to summon the nerve to do the same
and so she arranges party spaces with the timid in mind the downfall of any party in the countryside is to walk into a hall and be confronted by a dance floor she said and some young man has driven you down so hes got a girl on both arms and what do you do with yourself her solution a well lit bar which she calls a picking up and dumping ground
with multiple events a week she said she has little time for hobbies though she was an avid downton abbey watcher dismayed as she was by the dining room tablecloth   a well polished table was a butlers pride and joy she has a fondness for foraging especially for mushrooms theres a wonderful book called food for free and its quite amazing what you can eat from the hedgerows she said
she paused to contemplate what she would do if she retired but then quickly got back to work


hillary clintons advisers and allies have begun extensive discussions about who should be her running mate seeking to compile a list of 15 to 20 potential picks for her team to start vetting by late spring
mrs clintons team will grapple with complicated questions like whether the united states is ready for an all female ticket and whether her choice for vice president would be able to handle working in a white house in which former president bill clinton wielded significant influence on policy
while the nomination fight is still fluid mrs clinton is confident enough of victory that she has described a vision of a running mate and objectives for the search according to campaign advisers and more than a dozen democrats close to the campaign or the clintons
she does not have a front runner in mind they said but she is intrigued by several contenders and scenarios
among the names under discussion by mrs clinton mr clinton and campaign advisers senators tim kaine and mark warner former governors from the key state of virginia senator sherrod brown of ohio who represents both a more liberal wing of the party and a swing state former gov deval patrick of massachusetts a prominent african american democrat and thomas e perez president obamas labor secretary and a hispanic civil rights lawyer
but mrs clinton is also open to a woman campaign advisers said one obvious possibility is senator elizabeth warren of massachusetts who is hugely popular among progressive democrats though she has not been helpful to mrs clintons campaign declining to endorse the former secretary of state
still ms warren has not been ruled out according to the campaign advisers who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about the confidential search process
mrs clinton has offered general guidance as her team begins the search she cares less about ideological and personal compatibility than about picking a winner someone who can dominate the vice presidential debate and convince americans that mrs clinton is their best choice
she also wants a partner who is unquestionably qualified for the presidency and would help create the strongest contrast with the republican ticket which could be dogged by questions about donald j trumps fitness for the presidency or senator ted cruzs unbending conservatism according to those interviewed and she wants someone who could be an effective attack dog against either candidate
despite the passions stirred during the primary mrs clinton does not feel pressure to enthrall the supporters of senator bernie sanders of vermont since she thinks most of them would ultimately vote for her an assertion backed up by polling
the most unpredictable issue for the search at least at this early stage is the turmoil in the republican race which may not yield a nominee until the partys convention in mid july
mrs clinton is likely to make her pick soon after the republican ticket is known according to democrats close to the campaign and her political calculations in choosing a running mate may shift depending on whether the opposing nominee is mr trump mr cruz or someone unexpected and who the republican no 2 is
if gov john kasich of ohio or senator marco rubio of florida a cuban american end up on the republican ticket mrs clinton might be more inclined to pick mr brown to help her in ohio or mr perez to help excite hispanic voters
the vetting of top contenders will be led by james hamilton a longtime washington lawyer who did so for the 2008 obama campaign and other democratic nominees according to the clinton advisers and other democrats close to the campaign the overall search process is expected to be overseen by john podesta the campaign chairman cheryl mills who was mrs clintons chief of staff at the state department and deputy white house counsel for mr clinton is also likely to play a key role and mr clinton will have a major voice
mr hamilton reached by phone declined to comment and referred questions to mr podesta who declined an interview request a campaign spokesman also declined to comment and ms mills did not respond to an email request for comment
several democratic allies say that during the search the campaign will have to reckon with mrs clintons high unfavorability numbers which may create pressure to choose an inspiring figure like julian castro the federal housing secretary a rising star in the party but mrs clintons advisers expressed confidence that her favorability ratings would improve once a republican nominee is chosen
and they and other democrats say mrs clintons options may expand if mr trump is nominated given his unpopularity with large portions of the electorate
she will have a lot more flexibility in picking a running mate if the republican nominee is donald trump rather than ted cruz who appears a much closer contest for her said former senator evan bayh of indiana
most leading presidential campaigns start organizing their vice presidential searches at this point in the race when they have a sizable lead in delegates needed for the nomination the candidates themselves remain sharply focused on the remaining contests mr sanders insists he could still overtake mrs clinton despite her big lead and she is superstitious about getting too far ahead of herself as she sometimes did in her failed 2008 race
but given the methodical nature of mrs clintons advisers as well as the political passions of the clintons themselves the vice presidency is an increasing preoccupation at campaign headquarters and at the clintons home in chappaqua ny
theyre fielding ideas for a running mate and a lot of people are suggesting names said former representative barney frank of massachusetts a close ally of the clinton campaign ive made some recommendations but all ill say is that governing ability and winning the election are the fits that theyre looking for most
former gov jim hodges of south carolina a key ally of the clintons said he favored adding a woman to the ticket it would be formidable and create huge buzz with female voters he said suggesting ms warren or senator amy klobuchar of minnesota
advisers to mrs clinton said she was in the unique position of having firsthand expertise at the vetting and selection process she was deeply involved in mr clintons search in 1992 that resulted in the selection of al gore then a senator from tennessee with whom she later clashed at times she supported mr clinton putting another young southern moderate on the ticket which was seen as a bold choice at the time   and which her advisers point to as evidence that she may be unconventional if she is nominated
her experience with mr gore colors her perspective in two ways according to democrats who have spoken to her about the vice presidency
she knows that if she chooses a younger and ambitious vice president she will have someone by her side who may be making calculations with an eye toward running for the presidency in 2024 the past two vice presidents joseph r biden jr and dick cheney were widely seen as devoted to their jobs they appreciated and sought power but given their ages they were not determined to seek their bosses job in the future mrs clinton 68 likes that fact democrats say and has to decide if she wants a rising star or a seasoned hand who is not interested in the presidency like bill nelson 73 a senator from another key state florida
mrs clinton is also well aware of the inherent tensions between a vice president and a powerful first lady or first gentleman she and mr gore became rivals in the white house as she led the health care overhaul effort and he pursued his reinventing government initiative and both wanted their portfolios to be mr clintons top priority advisers said that in the current search mrs clinton wants a running mate who would accept and appreciate that mr clinton as a former president would offer expertise and guidance   and perhaps play a formal role on specific issues   if she were president
hillary understands how the vice presidency can work well and not work well far better than anyone running or anyone on her staff said richard w riley a friend of the clintons who was the education secretary under mr clinton and advises the campaign on education issues and she and bill clinton know hed have to be very careful about how he relates to the vice president hillary is the decision maker now
other democrats argue that the running mate should be african american or hispanic because those two demographic groups have been such strong supporters of mrs clinton   and their votes as well as those from women are the key blocs she would need in a general election in addition to mr patrick and mr perez democrats close to the campaign said her advisers were also discussing senator cory booker of new jersey who is black and mr castro who is hispanic mr kaine is also fluent in spanish
for all the vetting and strategizing however running mate selections do not always work out as well as intended especially with so many unconventional variables the first female nominee the republican upheaval and the angry anxious political crosscurrents in the electorate
its so easy to make a mistake in this said robert shrum a democratic strategist on several past campaigns including john kerrys bid in 2004 when john edwards and richard a gephardt were finalists for vice president
choosing edwards was a mistake because dick could have helped us in ohio in a way that edwards could not and dick would have done better in the vice presidential debate mr shrum said referring to mr kerrys narrow loss in that state but a lot of us wanted edwards at the time kerry was doubtful about him but was persuaded he added the most important thing for hillary in the end is to follow her own instincts on this one


the artist daniel arsham is one half of a design team called snarkitecture so it should come as no surprise that his work   which includes sculpture movies set design and collaboration on music videos   has a puckish sense of play walls seem to be melting ceiling forms appear to be dripping down stairways go nowhere in a collaboration with the musician and producer pharrell williams mr arsham 35 remade mr williamss first casio mt 500 keyboard in volcanic ash shattered glass crystal and steel on a recent morning he was just back from a trip to japan where he had worked on a film about kendo japanese fencing and mounted a gallery exhibition of his work im pretty good with jet lag he said preparing for a busy day in new york where he lives in battery park city with his wife stephanie 38 and their son casper 3 i just ignore it with the amount of travel i do if i get into that feeling of oh im tired all the time ill just be that the arshams are expecting their second child in july
slap happy typically my son will wake me up somewhere around 630 he comes into our bed and slaps me in the face he wants his breakfast he eats yogurt and bread with jam he loves madeleines my wife is french and japanese so hes addicted to certain things from both of those places
tea but no sympathy i make coffee i have an espresso machine at home thats one of the things i miss when im away surprisingly theres no good coffee in japan its weird you can find amazing tea everywhere but i was there for two weeks with no coffee
work it out i usually go to the gym in the morning theres a gym in the building its just general staying in shape especially after travel it helps get back into this time zone ill stay for an hour i just do some weights and running usually
munching before brunching before we go to brunch sometimes well go to brookfield place which is a giant mall and they have a bakery there that makes the madeleines that casper likes
oculus drift usually well walk through the tunnel to the world trade center the calatrava tunnel and then go to soho house or the standard   usually somewhere where we can walk afterwards either to galleries or a museum soho house has a brunch that starts at 11 so if we get there at 1030 or so its totally empty and we can just get a table wherever we want its good with my son he can have space i might have an omelet and a bagel coffee
artward ho usually well stay until 1 or 130 then we usually go to a museum or an exhibition my son knows if you ask him what we say about art he says touche pas which means dont touch in french theres art all over our house so he knows its something we look at but no touching i think he likes it i have a couple really nice kaws i have a sorayama sculpture i worked for many years with the choreographer merce cunningham and toward the end of his life he introduced me to robert rauschenberg so i have a really nice rauschenberg print
grown up time sometimes in the afternoon well have a babysitter come over so steph and i can hang out our building is right on the water so if its nice sometimes well just go outside and read
power down in the evening my son usually goes to bed quite early so well be watching whatever program i missed when i was away this weekend its probably going to be a house of cards marathon
international chow my wife cooks a lot so shell make something at home depends on the mood she cooks more in the french tradition than japanese although sometimes the fish shell make has a japanese preparation or shell make miso soup dinner is around 730 thats when he goes to bed
crash ill try to get to bed quite early like 1030 i just finished reading ready player one about virtual reality if its really good sometimes it keeps me up


all new yorkers think their neighborhoods have personalities but it takes the imagination of a comic book artist to give them feelings and a soul
what if brooklyn was sentient the cartoonist dean haspiel wondered and its heart was broken and physically seceded from america the result is new brooklyn a free weekly comic web series that chronicles life in the anthropomorphized borough appearing in its panels are new heroes and villains like the red hook benson hurst billy burg and the brooklynite
mr haspiel grew up in manhattan on the upper west side but moved to brooklyn in 1997 he has the borough pride of a new recruit he is the consummate brooklyn comic book artist he even served as the basis for a larger than life brooklyn comic book artist played by zach galifianakis in the hbo comedy series bored to death
new brooklyn which began appearing on the comics website line webtoon this month combines many of mr haspiels touchstones there is his adoration of the superheroes and creators of silver age comics like the fantastic four and jack kirby there are romantic notions of years of artistic pursuits finally paying off   in the fantasy barter system of new brooklyn art is practically gold wed rise to the cream of the crop mr haspiel said during an interview at his art studio in gowanus
and crucially there is the network of contributors that mr haspiel seems to inspire and move among his collaborators on new brooklyn include vito delsante the writer of the purple heart whom he met at a comic store and who later joined his studio and shamus beyale the cartoonist on the brooklynite who worked with his friend seth kushner a photographer and comic book writer who died last year
mr haspiel who lives in carroll gardens had the idea for the red hook the pulp hero who stars in the first 26 week installment in 2012 the initial conceit was a superthief that is forced to become a superhero he said its like the reverse of breaking bad breaking good is the corny way of describing it
but things didnt really jell until 2014 when two american flags on the brooklyn bridge were mysteriously replaced with white flags it turned out to be an art stunt about celebrating public spaces but it inspired mr haspiel to ponder why brooklyn had given up he decided the borough was tired of modern america and wanted to revert to the ways of old
that kind of thinking is not a surprise to anyone familiar with mr haspiel 48 who comes across like a comic book tough guy but is quickly unmasked as a soft touch a visit to his studio began with him introducing the other comic artists working in the subdivided warehouse though he founded the online comic collective act i vate hes still a firm believer in print and does his inking by hand a couple of his studio mates including christa cassano listened in on the interview and gently scoffed when he said things like you cant gift a gif while talking about the emotional value of books
mr haspiel has worked for marvel and dc comics and has illustrated autobiographical work for harvey pekar inverna lockpez and jonathan ames he won an emmy award in 2010 for his design of the title sequences for comedy bored to death
he pitched his red hook concept to line webtoon an online portal for free digital comics that was founded in south korea and last year started making a push into the american market the pitchs success may have been helped by the fact that the sites head of content tom akel is a third generation brooklynite who recently relocated to the west coast
webtoons comics are designed to be read on mobile devices readers scroll through each chapter one panel at a time its a striking departure from classic newsprint comics and even the original web versions of them there is a fixed width for the artwork that requires a different approach to creating a comic which typically allowed for panels of varying size and drawings as big as double page spreads there is no pinching or making things bigger or smaller mr haspiel said he and the other new brooklyn creators became their own support network to rethink everything from pacing to lettering
the brooklynite written and drawn by mr beyale expands on a character created by mr kushner who was a former studio mate of mr haspiels in gowanus seth wrote about two issues worth of script i expanded it to about six issues mr beyale said mr haspiel describes the brooklynite as having superman powers but peter parker problems
besides dealing with the brooklynites secret identity the story will introduce other characters including a gay superhero couple trying to make the characters more diverse and more progressive is important said mr beyale who is navajo and lives in bay ridge brooklyn itself is a big mishmash of backgrounds other heroes to be introduced are mexican chinese and navajo he is also keeping mr kushners wife terra kushner apprised of his progress with the story knowing that his family is still there and i can talk to them about seth is a good feeling he said
seth had this love and passion for brooklyn his whole life ms kushner said of her husband who was born at coney island hospital she is eager to see the final product and trusts that his creation is in good hands even if seth was here whatever he originally created would change she said thats naturally going to happen
rounding out new brooklyn is the purple heart written by mr delsante and drawn by ricardo venancio the only creative team that is not made up of local residents mr delsante is now based in pittsburgh mr venancio in portugal
the purple heart is basically the avatar of the heart of brooklyn mr delsante said his part of the story will focus on the origin of his hero and what led brooklyn to break away from the rest of the country
there is a certain sort of pride to being from brooklyn he said they dont want outsiders to come whatever caused the separation theyre glad
naturally where there are villains and superheroes there will be conflict
you have these small clans   these little neighborhoods   who are now trying to take political power its basically an exploration of politics and the needs and desires of an entire group of people mr delsante said it sounds so highbrow but its really not its just a comic


in the days leading up to the presidential primaries in new york both democratic candidates visited public developments operated by the new york city housing authority hillary clinton went to the corsi houses a complex for older people in east harlem and bernie sanders traveled to the howard houses in brownsville brooklyn where two years ago a 21 year old was shot to death his body found outside an early learning center on the ground floor senator sanders who had been shocked to learn that the housing authority the largest in the country was in need of 17 billion in capital repairs followed that visit with one to another complex twin parks west in the bronx where he observed an abandoned community center and lamented the general state of affairs that could lead to such decay
he saw a 10 story building with one elevator and asked what happens if this elevator breaks down eric l adams the brooklyn borough president who accompanied the senator to brownsville told me being on the ground and walking through gave him an opportunity to see three things one that the people who live in the projects are no different from anyone else two how much we have really divested from public housing and three just how much that divestment impacts peoples lives every day i live in a building where i press the elevator button and it comes
both mrs clinton and senator sanders made their visits only after local activist groups and politicians pressed them to do so which in itself suggests the extent to which even liberal candidates on the national stage view public housing as a malady from which it is safest to maintain a distance   a grim architecture of benighted and failed idealism neither nicholas bloom nor edward g goetz academics and leading historians of the countrys public housing system could recall the last time a presidential candidate made such an appearance it is really rare and its a politically risky thing to do mr bloom remarked to me the environment isnt controlled and if you go you become urban identified
it is in one obvious sense a striking paradox that in a country in which nearly two thirds of the population live in cities urbanism and particularly the problems of urban poverty receive so little attention during presidential election cycles catering to the urban underclass is hardly politically expedient on one level because the poor vote in far fewer numbers than the affluent and on another because poverty is not an obsession of people with money a study released last fall by the pew research center which surveyed 1504 people around the country found that the poor and needy ranked 10th as a public policy priority behind crime despite the fact that it is at historic lows the budget deficit and terrorism which held first place
both candidates used their visits to pledge more federal funding to the countrys ailing public housing system where more than one million people   approximately a third of them in new york city   reside this is a promise whose execution would of course rely on a compliant congress in terms of immediate impact though the visits demonstrated the power of attention to beget engagement in all three of the housing complexes visited by the two candidates voter turnout rates increased significantly over those recorded during the 2008 presidential primary even though residents then had the chance to cast a vote for the candidate who would be the first black president of the 466 registered democrats living in the howard houses 112 voted on tuesday   a lower turnout rate than the one for democrats citywide which was 37 percent but an increase over the 2008 figures when only 81 voted these figures calculated by the political consultancy prime new york also show hillary clinton having won all three housing developments
even franklin delano roosevelt under whose administration the federal public housing system was born had a certain hesitation about getting too close it wasnt until 1937 when liberals in new york pushed his administration to build by organizing mass rallies and housing exhibitions as mr bloom recounts in his book public housing that worked new york in the twentieth century that the president finally acquiesced having believed all along that americans should own their own homes however modest as he put it as early as 1963 gov nelson a rockefeller a committed urbanist who held on to utopian ideas about renewal began to back away from the idea of housing subsidies saying in a speech to the new york state womens legislative forum that he was trying to get taxpayer money out of housing and private capital into it to create an irrigation system as you do getting water to an arid area
no matter what sort of fiscal innovations public housing officials conceive the government spigot needs in effect to run now at least the conversation has been revived


before sunrise on weekdays minivans ferrying laborers from brooklyn to new jersey make a pit stop at don paco lopez panaderia a mexican bakery on fourth avenue near 47th street in sunset park
they come in get coffee and bread tortas and tamales then get back in the van miguel lopez said of his customers a nibble for breakfast something more substantial for lunch the morning rush lasts from 530 to 9
on weekends the rush never seems to end customers survey the rows of sweet buns   pan dulce   arrayed in the bountiful display case selecting their favorites with tongs and taking their trays to the counter at 1030 am on a recent sunday mr lopezs father francisco lopez known as paco the stores 83 year old owner counted and bagged the fresh baked rolls and pastries
all the bread my father taught me how to make it the elder mr lopez said in spanish as a child he apprenticed under his father at the family bakery in acatlan in the state of puebla his fathers recipes written on a poster size sheet of plastic wrapped cardboard are mounted above a wooden bakers table at the brooklyn store
each day the bakery turns out about 2000 rolls muffins doughnuts and so on the most popular items are conchas lightly sweetened buns topped with a sugar paste and stamped to look like seashells
for three kings day in january the bakery makes rosca de reyes a ring shaped pastry decorated with candied fruits figs orange peel and acitron a crystallized cactus thalia sodi a mexican pop star is a fan in a video posted on the bakerys facebook page she squeals with delight while showing off a box of the holiday bread which mr lopez says she orders every year
this summer the bakery has its 25th anniversary when it opened the lopez family sold just three things canned jalapenos tortillas and bread we had a pizza oven and a mixer thats all said mr lopez 48 four years later they bought the narrow barbershop next door and expanded the business to include prepared foods a second location opened in east harlem in 2000 offers a wider menu
it was on this side of the shop that mr lopez one of eight siblings who help run the enterprise took orders from a line that was 12 people deep by 11 am another dozen or so squeezed onto the stools along the marigold colored counter a romantic ballad by the mexican singer jose jose played as ticket numbers were called out in spanish and receipts were handed over the counter for food
oscar ramirez 34 and his wife alejandra 33 waited for a quesadilla their sons oscar jr 13 and brandon 11 had already set to work on their tortas mexican sandwiches layered with chicken cheese and avocado theyre good guys mr ramirez a construction worker said of the proprietors they talk to everybody as soon as you come in good morning what do you like
julio trujillo shared the sentiment every sunday i come here he said as usual he had ordered a huarache a crisp tortilla shell topped with beans red and green sauce and salty cotija cheese its done the same way my mom does when i was a kid said mr trujillo 42
to drink he ordered champurrado a steamy blend of blue corn brown sugar and cinnamon when i drink it mr trujillo said it brings my mind back to mexico


the sheer madness of fashion reflected new yorks reality during primary week around fifth avenue and 57th street secret service agents leaned out the windows of the trump motorcade and dozens of rvs formed a caravan for passover outside trump tower there was a circuslike atmosphere
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the typefaces seem to belong to a bygone era the words to a time before that leah singer was first drawn to the ubiquitous post no bills signs about a decade ago when she noticed one with squares for the os the crudeness of the handmade stencil and the anonymity of the artisan behind it seemed to wink at the message it was meant to convey it was more like an invitation than a warning ms singer 53 said
were so used to more official signs with scary warnings she said these were obviously cut on the fly by a worker on site i started to think who cut that it could have been a child ms singer whose work includes multimedia projects and collaborations with her husband the guitarist lee ranaldo of sonic youth was hooked she found signs with misspellings she found a plywood wall in brooklyn on which the messages were turned every which way one sign was obstructed so that the only visible letters read ills   very hip hop she thought i dont think i walk by a post no bills without taking a picture of it she said
of course posting bills   getting your message out making your statement as publicly as possible   is part of the civic lifeblood of new york but the beauty of the handmade signs ms singer said is that they are as aesthetically nuanced as the signs they prohibit theyre all different she said and yet theyre all the same what i really really want to do is show these on a massive super scale around a construction site its such a blank canvas those walls were always an offering to put up a poster or tag your name make your presence felt here the workers who made the stencils she said did just that and they had fun with it too


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in the new york times book review phillip lopate reviews michael kinsleys old age a beginners guide in which kinsley writes about living with parkinsons disease and about the hopes and worries of the baby boom generation lopate writes
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an effort in setauket to commemorate a once thriving mixed race community here is in its final stages however doing so reinvigorates a long simmering debate among friendly factions about the accuracy of local history
the bethel christian avenue laurel hill historic district is a historically mixed race neighborhood next to setaukets historic downtown area the half mile stretch is anchored by the bethel african methodist episcopal church which is over 150 years old and features seven homes a cemetery and an american legion post built for african  american and native american world war ii veterans
leading the effort to gain permanent federal recognition of the district is robert lewis a resident of christian avenue and the founder and president of the higher ground inter cultural and heritage association
timing of the effort to get state and federal recognition for the district is critical because of gentrification said christopher n matthews dr matthews is a historical anthropologist and a professor at montclair state university in new jersey who has done field research in setauket
many descendants of the original residents have taken advantage of rising property values to sell homes in what now is a high tax area he said urban development in the 1960s previously wiped out a larger mixed race enclave nearby chicken hill which was centered on main street and route 25a an exhibition commemorating the community chicken hill a community lost to time is at the three village historical society in east setauket
higher grounds pending application seeking inclusion of the bethel christian avenue sites on the national register for historic places will refer to some discoveries from several recent archaeological digs led by dr matthews that illustrate the economic hardship faced by some nonwhite residents specifically he cites stone tools used over an usually long period and a single button specimen suggesting that some residents took in laundry to earn extra income this activity is supported by census records and oral histories
setaukets published history is limited by its traditional focus dr matthews said this community is not represented in the local history he said in a telephone interview inattention is what causes something to be lost
the conversation about historical interpretation in and around this prosperous north shore community in suffolk county is one that could probably take place in a number of long island locations and elsewhere driving it are historians and archaeologists who have a broader more inclusive view of local history
mixed racial populations have different views said mr lewis whose family has deep roots here history is a prominent narrative and then you have another history that is not written by those who are the subjects people see history through their own person calling existing setauket history generic and processed he said it is just misleading it cant be all farmers workers laborers and servants
not everyone agrees that setaukets history has been so one sided beverly tyler former president of the three village historical society and its current historian said the roles of african americans and native americans had been included in the societys publications and exhibitions
and georgette grier key president of the association of suffolk county historical societies and curator of the eastville community historical society of sag harbor which documents the role of local african american european and native american settlers in the community said local history should not be contested but rather shared there is plenty of opportunity to move forward ms grier key said i am very optimistic because historical societies and cultural institutions are starting to get it
despite arguably different views of how to deal with the gaps in local history officials from both the three village historical society and higher ground stress that they support and assist the others efforts for example three village honored dr matthews in march for his work because of incomplete and even nonexistent historical records dr matthewss archaeological work is important mr tyler said
to gain greater and permanent recognition of the bethel christian avenue laurel hill historic district and other nearby sites higher ground hired historical new york research associates to draft and forward to state officials by june a detailed cultural resource survey documenting the significance of dozens of local neighborhood landmarks
it is a fascinating story we have to tell said judith wellman the director of new york research the projects principal investigator and a professor emeritus at the state university of new york oswego it will incorporate a whole view of people who lived there dr wellman has completed about 15 similar projects across the state that focus on the role of african americans the underground railroad and womens rights should the project meet dr wellmans ambitious timeline inclusion of setauket sites on the national register could be approved by years end


they hang from the ceiling of the katonah museum of art fibrous pouches reaching down approximately four feet mysterious and elegant woven from dried grasses and twigs they are shaped like elongated teardrops and spin slowly in the air
these basketlike sacks are not some kind of textural sculpture but birds nests built by crested oropendolas and collected in south america they are specimens of natural history not normally considered works of art
but why not this is one of the intriguing questions posed by the nest an exhibition of art in nature in which 33 pieces by 18 international contemporary artists are displayed alongside birds nests of sometimes surprising contours and materials in addition there are several pre columbian south american textiles made with tens of thousands of feathers the exhibition mines the activity of birds and the aesthetics of their nests for inspiration and metaphor
we are taking a close look at the actual nests said elizabeth rooklidge the museums associate curator and the organizer of the exhibition but we are also using this familiar form in the natural environment to think about larger things
larger things like ecological and socio political concerns the creative drive and notions of home john burtles nest alludes to the porous boundary between art and nature using a multicolored nest made from patches of dried acrylic paint peeled from palettes and paint cans in the artists studio ms rooklidge described the sculpture as probably the most literal in the show in its conflation of nest building and the human artistic practice
another exploration of this blurry divide is an installation by bjorn braun his untitled piece consists of three nests on wooden pedestals each festooned with unique touches a burst of orange from a torn plastic bag strands of gold and silver tinsel bits of artificial plants the nests were constructed by zebra finches using items provided by the artist a video playing beside the nests documents the exchange mr braun supplying fibers one by one a finch accepting or rejecting the offerings
ms rooklidge explained that mr braun had tried to make nests himself but realized that birds were far more adept so he raised a pair of zebra finches and he lets them build the nests she said he conceives of it as a collaboration
in a more symbolic collaboration some of the artists who range in age from their 30s to their 70s incorporated birds nests eggs feathers and sounds into their pieces to make baby ghettobird tunic sanford biggers covered a toddler size puffy jacket with thousands of feathers to create swirls of white spots streaks of red areas of fuzziness and a collar accented with blues and oranges the tunic an acerbic statement about race in the united states harks back to mr biggerss childhood in south central los angeles where police helicopters that patrolled the neighborhood were referred to as ghetto birds on the subject of the jackets small size the label text quotes mr biggers as saying you can never start running from the cops too soon
like a rare bird louise lawlers sound installation birdcalls can be heard only every so often   twice an hour to be exact then the gallery becomes an aural aviary a symphony of screeches and warbles that are on careful listening the names of well known male artists contemporaries of ms lawlers as ms lawler chirrups and squawks each name   art art ar ar artschwager schnaaaaabel richter richter ruscha ruscha   the piece becomes an amusing but biting condemnation of a male dominated art world
for other artists nests and birds served as muse in a process mirroring nest building judy pfaff entwined found cardboard foam plastics and a fluorescent light to create her very nest like sculptural assemblage time is another river
on an adjacent wall majestic eagles appear with wings outstretched in two pieces by kiki smith one is a bronze wall sculpture the other a jacquard tapestry ms rooklidge said the tapestry called guide represented not only a traditional art form but also a domestic good it gets at the fundamental question of what separates a work of art from something functional she said
the six pre columbian textiles in the show   a circular condor feather headdress ornament four loincloths and a tunic dating back 2000 years   were once functional objects but in the gallery they are striking for their boldly colored geometric designs along with the artistry involved in hand knotting multitudes of feathers onto strings that were then sewn onto cotton fabric
museumgoers might compare such artistry to the dexterity required to construct any of the 13 bird made nests on view on loan from the yale peabody museum of natural history these include a fluffy eiderdown nest a swifts nest of sticks held together with saliva a hummingbirds nest just an inch and a half in diameter and a common yellowthroats nest nestled in an old shoe additionally two monitors play live streaming video of the nests of great horned owls in savannah ga and bald eagles at the united states national arboretum in washington
an owl and a hummingbird are among the many breeds of numbered silhouetted birds hand painted by james prosek in the museums atrium and across one of the gallery walls the layout of the black and white murals mimics the endpapers of roger tory petersons iconic field guides missing however are the identification keys that provide the birds names
i want people to get frustrated when they are unable to satisfy their urge to know what the bird is called mr prosek said at the exhibition opening last month then they can go on to have another experience of just looking and enjoying the diversity of the creatures because knowing the name of something is not knowing the thing
for his mural tree of life mr prosek framed a three dimensional mock fireplace within the painted silhouetted trunk of a sprawling oak tree inside the fireplace is a bronze sculpture of a charred log the hearth is a place of warmth in our homes he said the place where we gather and nest
nearby four small black and white works by shiela hale suggesting glowing constellations in a night sky consist of tiny shards of eggshells glued onto black paper at the exhibitions opening ms hale said the collages part of a body of work called fragments had emerged from a longing to be able to repair what was damaged
it was a response to the dark sense that so much seems broken in the world these days she said how can you repair things that are smashed beyond repair what can you do with the pieces how do you put them back together
with these compositions she said what happened was not so much repair but transformation
ms rooklidge noted the parallel between the intuitive work of birds and the intuitive work of artists at the heart of nest building at the heart of art making is this impulse to transform materials she said to gather bits and pieces of things that through a kind of magical leap become these objects that speak to us in so many different ways


with the world premiere of his play lewiston at long wharf theater in new haven the playwright samuel d hunter demonstrates his growing mastery of narratives that slowly sometimes painfully and ultimately sympathetically peel back the layers of struggles that define the lives of people who drift below the middle class
then theres the restraint of mr hunter who was awarded a macarthur genius grant in 2014 it is that quality that best foreshadows the even greater fulfillment of the promise mr hunter has shown with plays like the obie award winning a bright new boise a meditation on modern faith in which the main character summons the rapture while working at a hobby lobby store and the drama desk award winner the whale
as he ignites the story of alice and her companion connor who run a roadside fireworks stand outside of lewiston idaho with the return of alices granddaughter marnie mr hunter manages to bring themes of isolation loss and the burden of family legacy to a point of perfect dramatic equilibrium
just enough is revealed to render the narrative cohesive and complete but any urge to preach or provide a neat punctuation mark is avoided
the plays director eric ting credits mr hunter with being in a vanguard of playwrights pursuing a new realism they recognize more often than not that whats unspoken is most profound he said they trust in the audience to fill those moments with meaning
the unavoidable meaning for the three characters in lewiston derives from the gravity of the past
when marnie arrives at the fireworks stand in early july she is initially unrecognized by alice what ensues balances on the fulcrum of audio recordings that marnies mother made while hiking along the route that lewis and clark took to the pacific ocean following the hike the mother drowned herself in the snake river
alice and connor sell their cheap disappointing fireworks as developers chew up adjacent land for new condos one of which is promised to alice as part of a property deal marnie proposes to buy alices remaining land in order to save the family legacy but alice reacts violently and commands her to leave and not come back the motivations of each are revealed over the course of the powerful 90 minute play
lewiston and a companion play by mr hunter entitled clarkston which had its premiere this year in dallas are haunted by the physical and psychological imprints of the american west and the 1804 lewis and clark expedition alice and marnie are distant descendants of meriwether lewis and a character in clarkston is a relative of william clark
the unusual challenge of lewiston is that so much of the play lives in the past said mr ting who recently became artistic director of the california shakespeare theater near san francisco sam has made a kind of herculean effort to make sure that the story that unfolds is only the necessary story for the audience hes counted on the actors to fill in the deep deep well of experience that simmers underneath the characters thats been a key to this production
gordon edelstein the artistic director of long wharf theater said i have been a fan of sams since i read bright new boise and read the whale before they were even produced so i had my eye on him as a writer
mr edelstein said he strives each season to complement interesting productions of classics with provocative contemporary plays like lewiston
mr hunters outlook grew out of his roots in idaho a landscape that fundamentally inspires him he writes about people we would not ordinarily see on stage mr edelstein said he writes about people he knows from his native idaho and he writes about them with tremendous compassion
the playwright is keenly aware of the contrast between his characters and the sophisticated affluent audiences that encounter them
hopefully the plays decrease that distance for some people mr hunter said
during a recent saturday evening performance the full house in the stage ii theater was nothing but warm and engaged laughing at the humor mr hunter employs to leaven a story that darkens as it builds and otherwise quietly reverential signaling a connection to the universal qualities the playwright evokes
while the rest of us may not stock shelves at a hobby lobby teach essay writing online while eating ourselves into obese oblivion the whale or peddle fireworks on the side of the road we have most likely suffered anguish over the sins of our forebears or have been driven to commit questionable acts out of fear for a family members future
mr hunter credits the cast with helping to shape revisions that took place throughout previews randy danson is a commanding alice arielle goldman brings an appropriately prickly angst to marnie and martin moran is a one man greek chorus heard but never seen lucy owen haunts the stage as the female voice
mr hunter is guiding lewiston and clarkston toward a joint production more likely in repertory than back to back i wanted to premiere them outside of new york and i wanted to premiere them separately mr hunter said
having seen both of them on stage im more excited than ever to put them both together he said
as he pursues staging a theatrical diptych mr hunter said he had a first draft of a new work bubbling to the surface and he has been working on a full length play called the healing for theater breaking through barriers an off broadway theater dedicated to advancing actors and writers with disabilities
its similar to lewiston in dealing with big themes like faith and doubt but also very different he said the landscape of lewiston is very very quiet everything is kind of under the surface
that everything includes the ultimate question for marnie and alice
is redemption forthcoming
and smaller questions as well will marnie stay in lewiston save what remains of the land owned by descendants of meriwether lewis avoid the demons that consumed her mother and find a state of grace with her grandmother and new baby will alice overcome guilt stemming from the impact on her daughter of once valuing preservation of family heritage above all else and overcome fears about marnies fate should she stay in lewiston
mr hunter is noncommittal but powerfully poetically so as the play quietly draws to a close marnie says she has figured out why her mother sounds so different in the tapes made on her journey its because she sounds happy
grandma we have to believe that something good is possible that it   right marnie says near the end
after alice declares god what a sad tiny little life ive led the play closes with the female voice framing the nature of lifes challenge in the last recorded tape the message summons both meaninglessness and hope the rest is up to the audience to decipher


cigar smokers dont get much respect in movies and television there is no prop so directly associated with villainy as the cigar from gordon gekko to tony montana to yosemite sam whenever a character fires up a stogie you can be pretty sure youve found your bad guy
there is also the smoking ban movement which achieved a law in new york state in 2003 that covers all enclosed workplaces including bars and restaurants then in 2011 a new york city ordinance banned smoking at public parks boardwalks beaches and pedestrian plazas
even at home men and their cigars are often shooed out the door to the patio or sometimes beyond i know one cigar smoker who is obligated to keep a distance of 20 feet from his house
long island cigar aficionados have a refuge from this ignominy matador cigars matador which started in 2008 with a store in roslyn heights has expanded to a mini empire with additional locations in massapequa park and more recently hauppauge the reason for its success in addition to having a comprehensive cigar selection it is also the most comfortable place to legally smoke on long island
the matador chain is owned and run by boris grossman a cigar enthusiast who acquired his taste for tobacco while working on wall street when the financial crisis hit in 2008 mr grossman believed that hed had enough of finance and decided to open a cigar shop initially he looked for space in manhattan he recalls riding around the city on a bicycle just after the crash looking at shuttered businesses but when he inquired everything was still too expensive shortly thereafter he found the space in roslyn heights
each of the matador shops which are open from morning through evening has an elaborate exhaust and circulation system so the plumes of smoke are quickly expelled with fresh air constantly pumped in
the layouts of the three stores follow a similar formula in the center is a large walk in humidor with over 1500 cigars it is anchored on either side by two comfortable smoking lounges these lounges include rows of handsome leather club chairs ottomans and ornate standing ashtrays no matter where you are sitting you will be facing at least one of the many flat screen televisions that line the wall so no sporting event need be missed there is no liquor license but a server can help customers cut and light their cigars and keep the ashtrays fresh need to use the restroom in this temple of tobacco even the toilets have ashtrays
with optional yearly memberships that include a personalized humidity controlled cigar locker matador can give the impression of a private mens club female guests are rare in other respects the environment is highly democratic guests do not need to be members to enjoy the lounges the purchase of a single cigar will do and the diverse crowd is a mix of both white  and blue collar the televisions tends to favor professional hockey and megyn kelly
male centric as it is the energy at the matador shops is also polite and comradely   there seems to be none of the posturing sometimes found with men at a bar or a live sporting event and despite all the screens conversation abounds the subjects including sports politics and a healthy dose of gossip like women at a nail salon is how mr grossman characterizes it it all amounts to a kind of impromptu social experiment the results of which you dont need a sociology degree to interpret remove alcohol and jockeying for womens attention and men actually get along well
what should you smoke at matador prices range from about 7 the padron 2000 a full bodied robusto from nicaragua is a good bargain at approximately 8 to 50 a stick for the zino platinum series a refined medium bodied brand from the dominican republic mr grossmans personal favorites include the complex medium  to full bodied don carlos 30th anniversary which costs around 35
though his days on wall street are behind him it is clear that mr grossman hasnt lost his entrepreneurial spirit asked if he would consider opening yet another matador shop he replied without hesitation sure in fact id like to see it franchised he added i could see the stores spreading all around the northeast you know


prince wasnt someone many people said no to the model naomi campbell was apparently one who did
i was 17 years old when i met him ms campbell said on thursday the day of princes death i was with azzedine alaia and jean baptiste mondino in paris and i remember prince said to me not to wear high heels and i wore the highest heels i could find because it went with azzedines outfit
but the two soon became fast friends and she was often a fixture at his concerts no matter where or more notably when prince decided to play
he used to call me every time he came to london or paris ms campbell said it would be 2 oclock in the morning and hed say im going to play and i would go out in my pajamas that was it he was impromptu the last time i saw amy winehouse was when she performed with prince they sang one of her songs and one of his they were a powerhouse the two of them he loved talent
for many in the fashion world the film and album purple rain became their gateway to a lifelong connection to prince as both a performer and role model
i saw it three times in three days said the photographer bruce weber it was just like wow only he could make this wonderful movie that was kind of about nothing and yet was about everything part of what i also loved was that not only did he do great music but he was smaller than the other musicians and he always got the girl you felt like the biggest tallest guy even though he wore high heels because he was so short
george cortina one of the industrys best known stylists said id just gotten out of rehab when i first heard purple rain i couldnt believe that album it was the most brilliant thing i ever heard
edward enninful the creative and fashion director of w can still remember what it was like when he found out about prince he was a gay kid in london when his older brother came home to their mothers flat and pulled out a copy of dirty mind the singers 1980 album that featured a black and white image of the minneapolis singer wearing an open studded trench coat that amply displayed his bare torsoed androgynous glory
id never seen anything like it in my life mr enninful said someone so blatantly challenging the ideas of race and gender and sexuality in a way it was comparable to david bowie except that prince brought that to the black community
thered been hints of that before with teddy pendergrass and rick james as well as sylvester and little richard but the remix seemed entirely new with prince and mr enninful worshiped at his altar loving his ruffled shirts with the edwardian collars and black matador outfits with the crazy crop tops
in time there were comparisons to another great superstar of his time michael jackson but prince was different adept not just as a singer guitarist keyboard player and dancer he was also virtually unmatched in his ability to destabilize people both privately and publicly
where mr jackson used songs like bad and billie jean to shed his androgyny and sexual ambiguity prince reveled in them singing am i black or whiteam i straight or gay
i always saw it like prince was the bad brother and michael was the good brother mr enninful said he was pop with clean lyrics prince was not scared the first time i heard someone sing about aids it was prince in france a skinny man died of a big disease with a little name he was not afraid of taboos
that fearlessness extended to his costumes which were further exercises in contradiction and gender ambiguity he rocked heavily embellished four inch heels but his shirts were open to the navel showing off his chest hair
he wore the most incredible opulent fabrics and the boots were always made to match said mary kay stolz who worked on the singers costumes for the tour of purple rain international silks and woolens the best fabric store in la would stay open late for me because i would fly in late from minneapolis just to get fabric and turn around
mystery was an essential component of his persona there was an aura of secrecy about him even among the people who wound up in close proximity to him
he didnt make a lot of eye contact and i did sign a 365 page nondisclosure before i left ms stolz said when i was there the bodyguards said to people dont talk to prince unless he talks to you it wasnt like hey prince its not like anything was really conveyed although he liked what he liked i would leave the clothes at night and he would try them and if he liked them they wouldnt be there anymore he was in his musical world and that was it
invariably the fashion world claimed him as one of their own
designers like donatella versace hired him to play at their shows including in 2011 when prince performed along with nicki minaj at an opening night party in new york for a collaboration between versace and h  m
by this point prince was not so much the sartorial maverick hed once been as the las vegas version of himself playing guitar in a pair of black ovular shades and decked out in a tight red suit
among those in attendance was the designer joseph altuzarra
i remember how epic the performance was he said i think more than anyone really prince felt like he was above it all   just such a legend a living legend
mr altuzarra recently channeled princes style for his fall 2015 collection of ruffled lace blouses one he said had been inspired in part by what he called the singers neo victorian period in the 1980s theres always something that he wore that i think is really fascinating and i tend to really love looking at musicians wardrobes for inspiration ive definitely looked at his style pictures
ms versace who did get to know prince over the years found a lack of pretension beneath the surface one of the last conversations i had with prince was about coming to my show she said in statement he said to me lets have no celebrities in the first row no vips lets have the smart and real people who do what they think is right and put all their energy to make our world better and dont get the attention they deserve
i am crying she added all my memories are coming back to me he was one of my closest friends


terrence mann met his future wife charlotte damboise in 1983 when both appeared in cats on broadway showmance is the preferred term on the great white way to describe such pairings
it was lust at first sight said the waggish mr mann 64 who plays the nefarious man in the yellow suit in the musical adaptation of the childrens book tuck everlasting it opens on broadway april 26
also in the cast of cats was lily lee wong a dancer and actress who subsequently ditched show business for the real estate business   shes now an associate broker at halstead property mr mann and ms damboise who married in 1996 stayed in touch with their former colleague sometimes getting together at ms wongs brownstone in harlem
ms damboise had long spoken of her own desire to live in harlem partly to give their daughters josephine now 13 and shelby now 12 the great sense of community shed felt growing up on the upper west side
i like neighborhoods said ms damboise 51 whose broadway credits include sweet charity a chorus line and chicago and who   talk about typecasting   played mr manns wife in the 2013 revival of pippin i think back to when nobody could afford air conditioning so everybody would be outside and youd see families together thats what i wanted for my kids
finally in 2002 with ms wong leading the charge the couple began looking at apartments in prewar buildings on and above west 112th street then disheartened by the meager square footage they expanded the quest to include brownstones but as mr mann said they were in such disrepair youd have to take them down to the studs and put in 200000 to 300000 i said do you have anything thats a little more ready to live in 
hope springs eternal for house hunters in time they came upon a multiunit five story brownstone for sale built in 1902 it had lots of original details it had also been renovated recently and had new mechanicals
i loved everything about it and i said we have to figure this out  ms damboise recalled we crunched the numbers and figured out that it was really possible
the strategy keep the top two floors for themselves and rent out the rest of the house and ms damboise continued i said were going for it 
to be entirely accurate it was ms damboise who went for it mr mann went along with it and this would be because hes a doting husband one who sweetly intoned whatever you want dear
thank you for putting it that way im going to go with that version mr mann said gratefully
i didnt see the house as alluring at all he confessed the only thing i saw was me becoming the super of the place which is exactly what happened i have a huge set of keys that i wear on my belt loop weve had floods in the basement and leaks in the ceiling and im not handy im handy at making calls to get things fixed
but in the dozen years the family has been in residence mr mann has come around to his wifes way of thinking its not fancy its not beautiful he said its not appointed very elegantly but its comfortable and its a great hang
the great hang is a light filled duplex created out of a former one bedroom apartment now a very inviting open kitchen living room and guest room and a pair of studios now two bedrooms yes mr mann said the honey colored wooden staircase leading to the familys bedrooms creaks on every tread but that will be good he added when our girls get old enough and start coming home late
mr mann was nominated for a 2013 tony award for his work in pippin that kind of thing is always a big honor of course but there were other very tangible reasons to be grateful to the stephen schwartz musical  pippin bought our living room ms damboise said nodding to the earth toned couch and figured rug both from restoration hardware and to the bench from abc carpet  home a chess set from morocco sits on the adjustable pedestal table that hails from a somewhat less exotic place pottery barn
charlotte taught me to play mr mann said and then i started beating her bad so we stopped
the duplexs emotional center is the refectory table ms damboise bought at the abc carpet outlet in the bronx soon after the death in 2009 of her mother carolyn george a new york city ballet soloist turned photographer
it was expensive but it reminded me of my mom ms damboise said quietly i grew up with a dining room table where everybody sat she added this table used to be a lot nicer weve worn it out but i like it worn out
the couples hirschfelds   hers from jerome robbins broadway his from les miserables   hang side by side over the raspberry love seat in the kitchen everybodys favorite perch for snuggling and napping and ms damboises top hat from a chorus line sits among the family photos in the living room hutch but plaques and trophies and show posters are by design not part of the decor
were just not showbizzy people mr mann said were not big on celebrating at home what we do at work
they are however big on big groups of people mr mann and ms damboise grew up in houses where the door was always open and the extra bedrooms always occupied the tradition continues we take in people all the time we have students stay here said ms damboise who with mr mann leads a musical theater workshop at the national dance institute a nonprofit arts group founded by her father jacques damboise a former principal dancer with new york city ballet
every summer theres a block party its all about dancing said ms damboise who suffice it to say knows a few steps theyre jamming the music until 3 in the morning and everyone comes out its so fun its a real neighborhood
which of course is what brought them there in the first place


it was just last summer that sunedison was a wall street darling the very air around the fast growing company seeming to shimmer with potential
sunedison was after all a red hot company in a red hot space   renewable energy its market capitalization reached nearly 10 billion putting it on a par with the likes of wynn resorts of las vegas among the believers betting on its stock was the hedge fund heavyweight david einhorn of greenlight capital with plans to buy vivint solar for 22 billion sunedison appeared unstoppable
and then the company went supernova its shares fell from around 32 last summer to 34 cents this week mr einhorn furiously tried to dump his stake in recent weeks in early march vivint said thanks but no thanks and exited the deal with sunedison
on thursday to the surprise of no one sunedison filed for bankruptcy   one of the largest in a series of recent green energy failures
there is a timeless element to sunedisons swift demise an executive with an icarus complex chasing a fast growing market embarks on an aggressive strategy fueled by cheap debt soar crash burn repeat
yet the collapse raises a bigger question can renewable energy companies be profitable can green make green
the answer of course is yes just as soon as they cross over a fundamental hurdle finding a strategy that actually works
we havent totally figured out exactly what the business models are going to look like for who wins and who loses said jason bordoff director of the center on global energy policy at columbia university
significantly though the sudden decline in oil prices isnt largely to blame the difficulties run much deeper echoing industrial collapses of earlier eras   the telecom industry boom and bust of the 1990s and early 2000s and disruptive cycles before that
on the surface the various green energy companies all seem to be pursuing different strategies but there is a unifying problem they have yet to overcome finding enough customers to support the costly infrastructure they must first build
sunedison is far from being the only troubled green energy business
abengoa which grew from a small electrical equipment company in seville spain to a multinational solar and biofuel giant is in restructuring proceedings in the united states and abroad solazyme a once promising maker of algae based biofuels has abandoned the energy markets and changed its name in favor of focusing on ingredients for personal care and food products for companies like unilever and hormel and nrg has pulled back from its headlong rush into alternative energy as it restructures to focus on its conventional operations after the ouster of its chief executive david crane
whats remarkable is that these leading energy companies are struggling at a time when regulatory public and investor support for the renewable energy industry has arguably never been greater
on friday world leaders are signing the paris agreement on climate change a sweeping commitment to lower carbon emissions that practically requires that renewable development be steeply ramped up at the end of last year american lawmakers extended important tax credits for green energy several more years while in recent days the senate approved a broad energy bill that would further promote clean power
moreover investors around the world sank hundreds of billions of dollars into clean energy technologies last year even as the prices of competing fossil fuels   oil and natural gas   tumbled
though development in renewable energy climbed in the last 15 years the industry is still widely considered to be in its early stages nonetheless there has been a race among companies to develop commercialize and eventually prosper from what many see as one of the largest tectonic economic shifts in decades
last year china started construction on a massive solar farm in the gobi desert that is expected to generate enough power to light up one million homes dong energy is developing a multibillion dollar wind farm off the yorkshire coast that could eventually power even more
and in the united states the federal government recently approved a major new transmission line to move wind generated electricity east from the great plains
but all good bubbles burst what is happening in renewable energy now has similarities to the telecommunications bubble of the 1990s led by hard charging executives seeking big paydays giants like worldcom global crossing and adelphia started far reaching acquisition and capital expenditure programs   burning through billions of dollars   to buy cable companies or bury long haul fiber optic cable under land and sea they were all chasing expected high demand and soaring revenues from the dawn of the internet
those revenues eventually materialized but they came too late for the first movers of the revolution after creating a broadband glut and buried under mountains of debt   lets not forget the various accounting scandals and frauds   the many companies collapsed into bankruptcy
but the infrastructure they created lived on last weekend when you binge watched the fourth season of house of cards or streamed your own cooking show on facebook live chances are better than not that your data zoomed through at least some of those networks
in that case it turned out that if you build it they will indeed come but as many renewable energy companies are learning building it costs dearly
even before sunedison the landscape of green energy companies was littered with failed strategies
dozens of solar focused companies around the globe have disappeared through bankruptcy insolvency or just shutting their doors since 2009 when prices for solar panels plunged as competition from china increased
among the high profile failures was that of solyndra a solar module manufacturer which became a symbol of green energy ambitions gone awry for the obama administration after it burned through 527 million in government loans
part of the conundrum for these companies is that the most effective way to cut costs has been to grow to take advantage of economies of scale certain forms of financing and generous subsidies that were set to expire
but with all that growth has come debt and an inability to show a profit even if the companies are creating value
clearly in a market that has had a lot of growth you are going to have some companies   and in this case many companies   that try to do too much too fast said shawn kravetz founder of esplanade capital which invests in solar power were going to continue to see a shakeout
the vulnerability to shifting conditions has been evident for industry leaders like solarcity and sunpower companies whose stock prices can swing wildly with energy markets and policy changes
but it is especially the case at sunedison where its chief executive ahmad r chatila set about expanding seemingly in all directions at once
with roots in making components for solar panels sunedison aimed to become the worlds largest renewable energy development company it bought ventures in wind and energy storage looked to increase manufacturing entered big new markets and created new subsidiaries known as yieldcos to help it raise cheaper financing by buying the projects it developed
that strategy was further complicated by questionable accounting and opaque financial reporting   sunedison has received an inquiry from the securities and exchange commission and a subpoena from the justice department   that confounded even experts in the field
this is going to be a big industry globally but were stumbling and bumbling to get there said erik gordon a clinical assistant professor at the ross school of business at the university of michigan if they werent trying to beat each other to the next rooftop they wouldnt be needing to do this financial engineering
still industry analysts and executives say that despite the fall of sunedison the future for renewable energy is bright
indeed there are a few stalwarts in the renewable energy race
take first solar the company which supplies solar panels and develops solar farms has had its share of troubles it has been the target of shareholder lawsuits claiming it hid big problems and misrepresented its prospects its stock at 62 a share is a far cry from its bubble peak of 311 in the spring of 2008
but by adopting a slower growth strategy and reducing debt first solar is a rarity in the green energy industry it is profitable last year the company made 546 million on 36 billion in revenue
for now first solar may be an anomaly particularly amid uncertainty around the presidential election and the policy stances of candidates like hillary clinton and donald j trump on renewable energy sources some warn that a lull could settle over the industry in the short term
the secretary clinton perspective on lots of distributed clean energy couldnt be more different than the trump view said daniel m kammen the director of the renewable and appropriate energy laboratory at the university of california berkeley that could mean hugely different things for the growth of the industry


companies if granted the leeway will surely present their financial results in the best possible light and of course they will try to persuade investors that the calculations they prefer in which certain costs are excluded best represent the reality in their operations
call it accentuating the positive accounting style
whats surprising though is how willing regulators have been to allow the proliferation of phony baloney financial reports and how keenly investors have embraced them as a result major public companies reporting results that are not based on generally accepted accounting principles or gaap has grown from a modest problem into a mammoth one
according to a recent study in the analysts accounting observer 90 percent of companies in the standard  poors 500 stock index reported non gaap results last year up from 72 percent in 2009
regulations still require corporations to report their financial results under accounting rules but companies often steer investors instead to massaged calculations that produce a better outcome
i know i know   eyes glaze over when the subject is accounting but the gulf between reality and make believe in these companies operations is so wide that it raises critical questions about whether investors truly understand the businesses they own
among 380 companies that were in existence both last year and in 2009 the study showed non gaap net income was up 66 percent in 2015 compared with the previous year
under generally accepted accounting principles net income at the same 380 companies in 2015 actually declined almost 11 percent from 2014
another striking fact thirty companies in the study generated losses under accounting rules in 2015 but magically produced profits when they did the math their own way most were in the energy sector which has been devastated by plummeting oil prices but health care companies and information technology businesses were also in this group
how can a company turn losses into profits by excluding some of its costs of doing business among the more common expenses that companies remove from their calculations are restructuring and acquisition costs stock based compensation and write downs of impaired assets
creativity abounds in todays freewheeling accounting world and the study found that almost 10 percent of the companies in the sp 500 that used made up figures took out expenses that fell into a category known as other these include expenses for a data breach home depot dividends on preferred stock frontier communications and severance hr block
but these are actual costs notes jack t ciesielski publisher of the analysts accounting observer selectively ignoring facts can lead to investor carelessness in evaluating a companys performance and lead to sloppy investment decisions he wrote more important he added when investors ignore costs related to acquisitions or stock based compensation they are giving managers a free pass on their effectiveness in managing all shareholder resources
it puzzles some accounting experts that the securities and exchange commission has not been more aggressive about reining in this practice
lynn e turner was the chief accountant of the sec during the late 1990s a period when pro forma figures really started to bloom new rules were put in place to combat the practice he said in an interview but the agency isnt enforcing them
for example mr turner said some companies appear to be violating the requirement that they present their non gaap numbers no more prominently in their filings than figures that follow accounting rules
they just need to go do an enforcement case mr turner said of the sec they are almost creating a culture where its better to beg forgiveness than to ask for permission and thats always really bad
as it happens the commission is in the midst of reviewing its corporate disclosure requirements and considering ways to improve its rules for the benefit of both companies and investors
this would seem to be a great opportunity to tackle the problem of fake figures but such work does not appear to rank high on the secs agenda
kara m stein an sec commissioner expressed concern about this in a public statement on april 13 among the questions the sec was not asking she said should there be changes to our rules to address abuses in the presentation of supplemental non gaap disclosure which may be misleading to investors
with the presidential election looming mr ciesielski said it was unlikely that any meaningful rule changes on these types of disclosures would emerge anytime soon that means investors will remain in the dark when companies dont disclose the specifics on what they are deducting from their earnings or cash flow calculations
consider restructuring costs the most common expense excluded by companies from their results nowadays
why shouldnt companies say this is a restructuring program that is going to take us four years to complete and here are the numbers mr ciesielski said in an interview restructuring programs cost cash why not face up to it and be real about what youre forecasting if everybody did that consistently that would be a dose of reality
mr turner the former sec chief accountant agreed what investors need he said is a clearer picture of all items   both costs and revenues   that companies consider unusual or nonrecurring in their operations these details should appear in a footnote to the financial statements he said
we need to require the disclosure of both the good and the bad mr turner said if you have a large nonrecurring revenue item you need to disclose that as well as a nonrecurring expense then you should require auditors to have some audit liability for these items
of course some of the fantasy figures highlighted by companies are worse than others excluding the impairment of an asset mr ciesielski said is not the worst crime being committed but when youre backing out litigation expenses that go on every quarter thats a low quality kind of adjustment and those are pretty abhorrent
the bottom line for investors according to mr ciesielski and mr turner is to ignore the allure of the make believe real world numbers may be less heartening but they are also less likely to generate those ugly surprises that can come from accentuating the positive


the financier bennett s lebow paid 4483340854 for a spacious aerie on the 64th floor of 432 park avenue the tallest residential tower in the western hemisphere reaching 1396 feet a transaction that was the most expensive closed sale of the week according to city records
on the other side of town at 137 riverside drive a century old apartment building on a far smaller scale   but some might say with comparable cachet for its time   was the next biggest sale a sprawling triplex penthouse that was once part of the publisher william randolph hearsts palatial home sold for 20 million
mr lebow who like mr hearst founded a business empire with numerous holdings   his company is the publicly traded vector group of miami   bought the sponsor unit 64a two thirds of the way up the 96 story 432 park paying around 5500 a square foot
the apartment has five bedrooms five full and two half bathrooms and a laundry room and is 8000 square feet according to jacqueline finkelstein lebow mr lebows wife there is an enormous master suite that includes two baths two large walk in closets and a sitting room
and like all the 104 residences at 432 park on billionaires row between 56th and 57th streets the apartment has 126 foot ceilings and 10 by 10 foot windows which provide an abundance of light and dizzying park river and cityscape views each apartment also has a private elevator landing
the building was designed by rafael vinoly architects and developed by macklowe properties and the cim group
mr lebow is the chairman of vector which has real estate and tobacco holdings vectors real estate investment subsidiary new valley realty is a majority owner of douglas elliman real estate douglas elliman development marketing is handling sales for 432 park
the weeks runner up the triplex at 137 riverside drive known as the clarendon between 85th and 86th streets was sold by the investor benedict silverman according to property records like hearst mr silverman and his wife jayne bentzen an actress are avid art collectors and they decorated the apartments 7000 square feet with some of their varied collection including art deco and german expressionist works
the apartment which has 10000 square feet of terraces that provide striking hudson river views has a monthly maintenance of 10098 it entered the market two years ago with a 38 million price tag its most recent price was 24 million joy handler and fabienne lecole of the corcoran group were the listing brokers adam d modlin of the modlin group represented the buyer the ah 2012 family trust
mr silverman and his wife moved into the apartment after the 12 story limestone and brick building with a copper mansard converted to a co op in the mid 1980s they commenced a top to bottom renovation of the space which had remained empty since the hearst family left in 1938 hearst took over the top three floors of the clarendon in 1907 just after the building opened and about six years later he bought the entire building
much of the apartments grandeur remains a private landing leads to a formal entrance hall with a sweeping staircase and a tiffany chandelier the walls are paneled in lacewood and the floors are embellished with inlaid marquetry designs the living room has 17 foot ceilings and curved windows as well as a carved art nouveau mantelpiece
there are seven bedrooms and six and a half baths the master suite has its own terrace along with a dressing room and walk in closets the glass enclosed solarium on the top floor has a 2000 square foot deck
big ticket includes closed sales from the previous week ending wednesday


the 19th century red brick buildings that define south street seaport are about to get a new neighbor a 60 story glassy condominium
currently called 1 seaport the 80 unit tower which is being developed by the fortis property group at maiden lane and south street is tall slender and swathed in windows for an icicle like look which also puts it at odds with the growing ranks of condos with more masonry in their facades
but 1 seaport which is not in a historic district seeks to make the most of its unusual site near the east river floor to ceiling windows occupy what seems like every wall in the building so no panorama goes to waste
when youve got views over the water said jonathan j landau the chief executive of fortis youre not going to block them up
the condos units which are mostly one  and two bedrooms will have marble counters gaggenau appliances and free standing tubs every apartment in the building which has the address of 161 maiden lane also has a private balcony
if the condo with exteriors by goldstein hill  west architects and interiors by russell groves is not a historical clone it does make an effort to be nautical
teak a wood often associated with boats was used in the master baths as a deck for the bathtubs in the lobby a long log type bench resembles a hunk of driftwood
while 1 seaport may represent the future the way there has hardly been smooth sailing last year the developer jack resnick  sons sued fortis over the name 1 seaport claiming it was a trademark violation
in 1984 resnick developed a 35 story granite office building known as one seaport plaza at 199 water street which is close to fortiss project the suit claimed that fortis acted in bad faith and with the willful intent to confuse customers and profit
in december the two sides settled with fortis agreeing to rename its condo after sales ended according to mr landau who added that he did not yet know what the new name would be though he said seaport residences was under consideration
sales prices at 1 seaport will start at 12 million for a one bedroom with overall prices averaging 2400 a square foot mr landau said the sales offices opened on april 19 and a day later contracts were out on about 20 percent of the units he said douglas elliman development marketing is handling sales for the condo which is scheduled to open in spring 2018
at the seaport which is often lumped in with the financial district new condos are unusual despite past efforts to build them a condo designed by santiago calatrava was supposed to rise at 80 south street a site about a half block from 1 seaport before the recession killed it
but now the developer china oceanwide holdings group which bought the mixed use site for 390 million from the howard hughes corporation has new plans for an apartment tower there
the seaport remains a busy commercial district and the condos that exist there tend to be conversions like 101 wall street a former art deco office building at front street which the claremont group is turning into a condo with 52 one  to four bedrooms it was initially planned as a rental but plans changed when the condo market began to pick up said john lari a claremont principal
as of april 18 it was 50 percent sold after 10 months of marketing mr lari said with prices averaging 1700 a square foot
theres been a bit of a stigma here about how the place shuts down at 5 oclock he added noting that the neighborhood is getting more of a residential vibe


robert a m stern may be best known in certain new york circles for the high end apartment houses that his firm robert a m stern architects has designed uptown in the manner of the citys grand and gracious prewar residences
but the firm is also making its mark downtown with buildings like abington house a rental building in chelsea and superior ink a condominium in the west village another condo it designed 30 park place an 82 story tower in the financial district is expected to begin welcoming residents in a few months
now comes 70 vestry in tribeca its still a hole in the ground   a big one stretching along west street between vestry and desbrosses streets with backhoes busily digging in the dirt but the site would be hard to beat   directly across from hudson river park offering unobstructed views of the water and the buildings developer the related companies has now opened a sales gallery a couple of blocks east at 50 vestry street that showcases the condos design and model rooms by the architect daniel romualdez who took charge of 70 vestrys interiors
for the exterior the architects found inspiration not in the low rise brick buildings in the immediate vicinity of the site   the sales gallery in fact is housed in a single story 1920 structure that was previously an auto repair shop   but from the handsome warehouses from the turn of the 20th century that mr stern and his team encountered as they wandered farther inland he described these buildings in a phone interview as both gutsy and refined
stepping back from a six story base 70 vestry will rise 13 stories smaller setbacks will provide terraces off many apartments on upper floors offering views up and down the hudson
like many of the firms new york buildings 70 vestry will be clad in limestone   in this case honey colored beaumaniere limestone quarried in france the buildings ample casement windows will be detailed with dark metal spandrels with decorative rivets evoking new yorks gritty industrial past
the building will wrap around a private courtyard with a cobblestone drive residents will enter the building from the courtyard after arriving via a portal on vestry street sheets of water coursing down a courtyard wall will create a calming hush an automated system will whisk cars down to a parking level under the building
mr romualdez a former member of mr sterns firm who is known for designing homes for tory burch and aerin lauder said he chose to panel the lobby in flat cut white oak threaded with bands of brushed brass to create a cozy cocoon
the 46 apartments will range from 1900 square feet to more than 7000 square feet with ceilings rising more than 12 feet in some units kitchens will feature four ovens steam convection traditional and speed most apartments will also have two washers and two dryers honed marble master baths will have nickel framed fluted glass doors and large side by side medicine cabinets prices will start at 625 million
according to related the building will top out by the beginning of next year and is expected to open in early 2018
mr stern 76 looks forward to it in the afternoon when the sun comes off the river youll get fabulous colors on this facade he said the building will cast a glow back
the architect will retire from the deanship at the yale school of architecture   a position he has held since 1998   at the end of the current term he said he would return to teaching at yale after taking a year off from academic life
in the meantime even though he had sworn he would never write another book about new york architecture   he and his collaborators have already produced five   he recently embarked on a sixth covering the citys buildings from 2000 where the last installment left off to 2020
of course 70 vestry is expected to appear in it


click on the slide show to see this weeks featured properties in new york city
 on the upper east side a one bedroom one and a half bath with a washerdryer and home automation system in trump palace a full service high rise
 in lincoln square a one bedroom one bath in a pet friendly full service prewar building
 park slope brooklyn a four bedroom two bath co op in a prewar landmark building


social security is designed to ensure that no workers go penniless in old age and also as an equalizer between rich and poor it is structured to give more generous retirement benefits to low income people given the taxes they pay during their working years
for example an american man who is consistently in the top 1 percent of earners   making 2 million last year   will if he starts taking social security benefits at age 66 and lives to be 87 end up with more money than he and his employers paid into the system in taxes during his lifetime in the language of finance he would receive an inflation adjusted internal rate of return of 107 percent
by contrast if a member of mr moneybagss household staff born the same year made about 30000 annually and also lived to be 87 he would receive a 257 percent return after inflation thats quite a decent return   a higher rate than any inflation adjusted united states treasury bonds pay for example
thats progressivity in action or rather it would be if mr moneybags and his gardener actually lived to the same age
but in reality a large body of research shows that the rich live longer   and that the life span gap between rich and poor is growing and that means that the progressive ideal built into the design of social security is gradually being thwarted in some circumstances the program can actually be regressive offering richer benefits to those who are already affluent
for example for american men in the top 1 percent like our mr moneybags 87 really is a typical life span according to research by the stanford economist raj chetty and seven colleagues that was published in the journal of the american medical association this month
alas a gardener earning 30000 a year is unlikely to live that long men in that income tier die on average at age 78 in this hypothetical case that nine year gap in expected life span radically shifts the relative financial return the two men would receive on their tax dollars
if the gardener died at the age mr chettys research suggests is typical for men at that income level he would lose about 115000 in benefits compared with what he would receive if he lived as long as the wealthy man and he would earn a 092 percent rate of return on his tax dollars   a bit lower than that earned by his much wealthier boss
the numbers on rate of return come from a model built by the new york times that is based on the social security administrations work sheet to help people calculate benefits the data is for people born in 1954 who began their peak earning years in 1980 and worked for 35 years at a constant inflation adjusted income at most levels poorer people still experience higher returns than the wealthy even adjusting for life span though that could change if the life span gap keeps widening
that result wasnt obvious when social security benefits were designed the benefits were intended to replace 90 percent of a persons first dollar of earnings but only 15 percent of their earnings over 5157 a month and nothing above the income cutoff of 9875 a month giving less affluent people a theoretical advantage
but social security has always been designed as a social insurance program not as an investment fund essentially the people who die unusually young subsidize those who live unusually long lives so if you look at the program on narrow return on investment grounds a person who lives to 110 is getting a far better deal than people who die a month after they first draw benefits
and because different groups of people have different life expectancies some groups receive more value from every dollar of payroll taxes they and their employers pay into the system over all women live longer than men and african americans die younger than whites
the idea that differing life spans between rich and poor would reduce the progressivity of social security isnt new the brookings institution economist henry j aaron identified the problem in a 1977 paper research published in 2000 found that with certain assumptions the social security retirement system as a whole is regressive or more favorable to the affluent than to the poor
what is new it is becoming overwhelmingly evident that the life span gap between rich and poor is widening a study published this year by barry bosworth gary burtless and kan zhang found that life expectancy for the bottom 10 percent of male wage earners turning 66 this year has risen 07 of a year compared with what was expected for their low income counterparts 30 years ago for the top 10 percent of male wage earners however life span rose 81 years in the same period
the research from mr chetty and his colleagues indicates that the richest 1 percent of americans gained three years of life expectancy from 2001 to 2014 alone while the poorest had almost no gain 03 of a year
for anyone who believes that its important for the social security program to remain progressive the life span shifts have big implications that are made more acute by the programs financial problems
money coming into the system each year isnt enough to pay benefits and the social security trust fund is forecast to be depleted in 2034 that implies benefit cuts tax increases or some combination or variation in the years ahead as lawmakers consider social securitys future the lessons from the latest research on inequality and life span are pressingly relevant
a popular idea among many fiscal centrists and conservatives is to fix the finances of social security by increasing the full retirement age it is currently 66 and on track to rise to 67 though retirees can take a reduced level of benefits at age 62 and higher levels up to age 70
but the life span differential suggests that such a change would fall heavily on the backs of the poor its true that on average americans are living longer than they were in 1983 when the last major overhaul to the finances of the program was made
the way its usually put is has the health status of people near retirement age improved across the board said mr burtless a senior fellow at the brookings institution but for many people it has not people who have done backbreaking work or physically demanding work were no more fit in 1984 than in 1964
by contrast he argued that raising the maximum annual income level on which social security taxes are paid currently 118500 would maintain long term solvency while not putting more of a burden on the poor that would effectively raise taxes for higher income people another alternative might be to make the benefits structure more progressive essentially reducing benefits for high paid workers only
that points to an important reality the battles over social security arent confined to merely technocratic questions they also concern core issues about government and social justice and in formulating answers the new body of research on income and life span really matters


nine new books recommended by the editors of the new york times book review this week
the north water by ian mcguire holt 27 in mcguires darkly brilliant novel the crew of a doomed whaling ship bound for the arctic circle must reckon with fierce weather pure evil and the shadows of melville and conrad
at the existentialist cafe freedom being and apricot cocktails by sarah bakewell other press 25 a lucid joint portrait of the writers and philosophers who embodied existentialism
the translation of love by lynne kutsukake doubleday 2595 the voices of postwar tokyo are conjured with graceful simplicity in this debut novel by a japanese canadian writer
the lady with the borzoi blanche knopf literary tastemaker extraordinaire by laura claridge farrar straus  giroux 30 claridge has written a deeply researched biography of an important but often unacknowledged publisher
ghetto the invention of a place the history of an idea by mitchell duneier farrar straus  giroux 28 duneier offers a stunningly detailed timely survey of scholarly work on the topic
the regional office is under attack by manuel gonzales riverhead 28 gonzaless entertaining satire sets female superheroes and their foes into a pop culture landscape
americas war for the greater middle east a military history by andrew j bacevich random house 30 an incisive call for americans to rethink our militarized regional policy
the stopped heart by julie myerson harper perennial paper 1599 gripping parallel narratives look at a suffolk cottages residents
a woman of property by robyn schiff penguin poets paper 20 schiffs intricate hyperintelligent poems swivel and leap from topic to topic


click on the slide show to see this weeks featured properties in the new york region
 in thornwood ny a four bedroom four and a half bath 1995 colonial on 143 acres with a multitiered stone patio an in ground pool a spa and a pergola and a room and full bath over the attached garage
 in edgewater nj a three bedroom four and a half bath 2007 townhouse at the edge of the hudson river with a solarium elevator radiant heated floors and an attached two car garage


i had asked my ex boyfriend if i could spend the night at the house he owned in his hometown while on my way to meet friends for a camping trip when he realized he would be late getting to town he told me to wait for him at his parents house i didnt ask about his new girlfriend and he didnt bring her up
a few months earlier his sister in law had told me he was seeing someone but at that point i didnt know anything about her
when i arrived at the house of my exs parents his father opened the door and bellowed delace before crushing me to his chest in a bear hug youre a sight for sore eyes
ushering me into the living room he shouted to his wife honey look who it is
back when their son and i were together i think they had hoped we would marry have children and settle down into a traditional life but it didnt work out that way
after we sat down he started talking about his sons new girlfriend as i smiled gamely not letting on that i knew nothing about her but when he referred to her by name i realized i knew exactly who she was
do you know much about her background his father asked
i swallowed started to speak then shook my head no
i thought back to the first time i saw her my boyfriend and i were having cocktails with a couple we knew in their tiny living room they were telling us about their friend who was thinking about buying a place nearby
you have to meet her bill said shes fabulous so glamorous shes a former model and just everything let me show you
he scurried into the other room and came back with a stack of pictures
here bill said scooting in next to me on the sofa holding one of the images out my boyfriend pressed close to see it was taken at our last halloween party
she was tall and striking with almond eyes and long dark hair dressed as a gypsy in green silk towering over the men on either side she was indeed fabulous smiling at the camera her head tilted to one side
i took the picture looked closer and asked has she always been a woman
bill looked at me with surprise how did you know
i may have correctly guessed that one detail about her history but i didnt know enough about her to satisfy the curiosity gnawing at my gut now that she was my exs new girlfriend
after returning from my camping trip i scoured the internet for everything i could find about her she was impossibly stylish one of those women who can walk into a store come out with an armful of clothes and jewelry i would have passed over and put them together in sophisticated elegantly accessorized combinations she was beautiful and hip in ways i was not i felt the knot in my stomach harden
this wasnt my first breakup i had struggled with jealousy and insecurity before when an ex moved on but this time i was starting to question myself in ways i hadnt expected this time the jealousy was about something more
three months after that visit with my ex and his family when i was between jobs and places to live i asked him if i could stay at his place again for a few nights when i showed up her things were everywhere
in the guest bedroom the closet had been given over to her dresses dolce  gabbana armani and designer names i didnt even recognize on garment bags i didnt dare touch them for fear of ruining them
a queasy wave washed over me as i wondered how could he choose someone so different from me i was prepared for him to date other people but i wasnt prepared for her
i didnt want her history to matter it didnt matter to my ex but standing in her closet i couldnt deny the fact that to me it did and the reason was this i assumed she felt a degree of certainty in her identity as a woman that i didnt feel
my assumption was presumptuous i admit i didnt consider that i was seeing only one aspect of who she was i didnt think about the stigma she must have suffered or the pain she may have endured just to be herself
instead surrounded by the kinds of feminine dresses i had felt so awkward in i was envious of the woman who could wear them so well all i could think was is this what it means to be a woman because if it is im not even in the ballpark i dont paint my nails or accessorize or wear dresses
as a child i preferred boys clothing and toys and while i didnt feel like i was in the wrong body i wanted to be a boy when i was 7 or 8 watching a comedy show about someone being unwittingly prepped for a sex change operation i asked my parents what a sex change was after they explained i asked if i could have one when i grew up
as i got older my wardrobe was packed with jeans flannel shirts and tube socks and rather than fantasizing about being the woman with james bond i fantasized about being james bond i saw myself as bigger and tougher than i was i didnt really want to be a boy but i still didnt really feel like a girl
as a teenager i still didnt feel feminine but i began to like the way it felt when men paid attention to me so i tried to figure out how to look and act more like a woman
my models were the big haired big breasted thigh high booted women of heavy metal videos and because what i wanted was the attention of men i confused sexy and feminine leading to disastrous fashion choices involving jeans and lingerie and suit jackets i got the attention i craved but i never fully inhabited the part
about a month before my boyfriend and i broke up i decided to try expressing my gender differently for a night
we were living in different cities and it was halloween and i had been invited to a couple of parties the last thing i felt like doing was competing to be the sexiest witch or something equally silly but then it occurred to me that i didnt have to compete i could go in drag not cute girl with a penciled on mustache drag more like see if i can pass as a man drag
all night long with my chest bound flat and a carefully constructed mustache and soul patch under a stoner dude knit cap i was thrilled to discover that i could pass as a man
men were more easily fooled than women but even when women werent fooled they looked at me differently like i wasnt a threat and when men looked at me they werent assessing their appetites for a few hours the rules were different
a friend even commented on the convincing masculinity of my mannerisms wow she said youve got the gestures down and everything
but i hadnt changed anything about my mannerisms and in that moment i felt like someone else was seeing what i had seen in myself that my inner sense of androgyny was reflected in ways i carried myself like a man
i didnt mention the costume to my boyfriend until the next day when i emailed him pictures what did you think i asked him on the phone that night its crazy right i totally look like a dude
yeah pretty weird he said
i laughed he didnt
i dont know why youre acting like this is a joke he said its obvious from those pictures you arent joking i dont know what youre doing but it isnt normal
i wanted to tell him what a relief it had been for me to stop trying so hard to be feminine or sexy but after his comment there was nothing to say
standing in the closet that day at my exs house surrounded by his new girlfriends dresses i wondered if he was already seeing her at that point and if my gender bending rankled because he was suddenly dealing with too many blurred boundaries
or maybe the contrast between a woman with an uncertain relationship with femininity and one who embraced it had clarified what he wanted
she had defied both convention and biology to reflect the truth of who she really was i had stumbled around the outskirts of femininity in a play for love and attention trying to find a dress that fit
in the end its no wonder she made the transition better than i did


the first poster i can remember tacking to my wall as a boy was of the actress kristy mcnichol i was 7 she was 18 in crush a collection of essays edited by cathy alter and dave singleton in which authors reflect on their earliest infatuations with celebrities i learned that the fiction writer dave housley shared my object of affection she resembles a very cute very good little league pitcher he writes of now looking back at mcnichol on the cover of dynamite in 1978 there is no denying it my first celebrity crush kind of looked like a boy
perhaps only stephen king would describe the actress kim novak as heavy eyed and feral sounds more like cujo than a heartthrob jodi picoult plotted running away from home at 6 and left a note i have gone to live with donny osmond dont try to come after me
osmond and david cassidy singletons daydream of choice seem the very definition of crushes the cartoon character speed racer less so but he set jamie brisicks heart revving kermit moyer fell for tarzan in part for the animal keenness of his senses well sure when you put it like that
others through some combination of luck taste and sophistication got things perfectly correct straight out of the gate paul newman barbara graham mikhail baryshnikov kimberly dawn neumann deborah harry david keplinger
quotable
i remember when i was a little kid after it snowed i would go around the yard and find the best clumps of ice and save them in a little pile icicles from the roof or deck or whatever memoir is a way for me to do that with experiences   augusten burroughs in an interview with vogue
guarding against bloat
david means has published short stories in every major literary journal has won several prizes for the form and has four collections of stories to his name starting with a quick kiss of redemption in 1991 for a long time it seemed that he would never publish a novel but now he has jay mcinerney reviews hystopia this week
the novels appearance casts a different light on a 2010 headline on the paris reviews blog why david means is not a novelist what did he say when asked about it back then when im down   and even alice munro admits that at times she feels guilty for not writing a novel   i just start a defensive mantra blake never wrote novels whitman never wrote novels carvers work is still around means said he left open the possibility of longer work but with caveats big and wide can mean expansive and comprehensive but it can also mean bloat he told the magazine a move from stories to novels for me would be partly a matter of not giving in to the temptation to abuse the form


the chinese wuxia martial arts film   marked by the clang of swordplay and the silent glide of wire aided leaps   has never had a more influential master than king hu who infused the genre with a lyrical sophistication and a meditative mysticism fans include ang lee crouching tiger hidden dragon and quentin tarantino kill bill
and hu never made a better wuxia adventure than a touch of zen 1971 the first chinese entry to receive an award at the cannes film festival an epic tale of a young woman fleeing a corrupt ming dynasty governor the movie was initially shown in two parts over hus objections now film forum presents the uncut three hour version in a print that features vividly green bamboo forests balletic fighting monks and hsu feng one of cinemas fiercest warrior women as an opening credit notes ms hsu who would act in numerous king hu movies before becoming a film producer herself paid for the digital restoration of her mentors greatest work through may 5 filmforumorg


midway through miles ahead miles davis anticipating a journalists question asks why dont you play like you used to he answers himself you have to play a long time to be able to play like yourself
comebacks however are not simply what haunt davis played here magnificently by don cheadle in his non recording years in the late 1970s when the movie is set chasing the ghost of ones first love whether it be the muse for the music or simply the music itself coincidentally is the main conceit for two other new jazz movies the chet baker inspired born to be blue and nina based on nina simone
as much as these movies resemble each other   with flashbacks and films within a film as well as plots driven by how effectively their aging characters master personal demons and professional demands   they are not so much about the life of jazz luminaries in an era past their prime instead these are films about our own genre expectations and the fate of a hollywood standard the jazz biopic itself
since 1927 when al jolson donned blackface in the jazz singer jazz movies perhaps more than any other genre have reflected and reproduced our nations deepest anxieties about race gender and musical genius
in his book jammin at the margins jazz and american cinema the cultural critic krin gabbard identified two stages of development for the jazz biopic the first focused on white musicians and became well established in 1946 with the success of the jolson story spurring copycats like the fabulous dorseys 1947 and the glenn miller story 1954
after 1960 the few jazz biopics that came to screen largely featured the stories of african american artists lady sings the blues 1972 about billie holiday and clint eastwoods bird 1988 about charlie parker
reflecting the politics of a post civil rights era america the recognition that african americans played a foundational role in creating and innovating in jazz was a sign of progress after their often marginal to nonexistent presence in the white jazz biopics but while lady sings the blues and bird were lauded for the performances by diana ross and forest whitaker the films were criticized for focusing more on their subjects tragic heroin addiction than their musical contributions for african american musicians in such movies mr gabbard wrote the only success is the kind that leads to self annihilation he concluded for white artists the conditions of success are much less dire
but as the threat of self annihilation hovers over miles ahead mr cheadle who also directed and wrote the film with steven baigelman actively pushes back against such a stereotype there are several davises here lover jazz experimenter wife abuser addict philanderer and racial provocateur
the film does not simply expand our notion of miles but also through his interracial friendship with david brill ewan mcgregor a fictional white rolling stone journalist that mr cheadle has said he had to add to get financing the film completely explodes the category of the jazz biopic itself unlike in bird the main white character here is not a savior but a source of slapstick humor less the filter through which we are supposed to understand miless genius and more a character who ultimately misreads miless silence as failure rather than creative process in this sense miles ahead is the quintessential anti jazz biopic   messy sprawling nonlinear and triumphant
and oddly feminist one trait that jazz biopics white or black have shared historically is the marginalization of black women as wives lovers and actual artists daviss first wife the dancer frances taylor played by emayatzy corinealdi is cast not simply as the muse of daviss best albums including kind of blue but also as the figure he uses to fill up his silence
likewise in born to be blue starring ethan hawke it is bakers relationship with jane azeku carmen ejogo a composite of his three wives that is the heart of the film that baker did not have an african american wife or had a reputation for dating african american women as implied by his mother in the movie matters little rather jane is both a stand in for and safeguard against bakers own racial anxiety as a white trumpeter best known for his looks his singing and his cool west coast sound his desire to be accepted by miles davis as a peer and not a white interloper might be a cause of his heroin use and subsequent physical and musical decline but that does not result in full self annihilation the films ultimate message about his drug abuse is much more ambivalent being high enables him as he says to walk through the spaces inside and between notes and ultimately make the best music of his career in his final decades in europe
but if baker finds freedom in getting high in cynthia morts nina simone zoe saldana has no such luck instead after pointing a gun in a scene quite similar to one in miles ahead at an executive who owes her money the 62 year old simone is hospitalized for psychological disorders and drug abuse in this sense the movie riffs on the opening of lady sings the blues in which a dazed and crazed holiday charged with possession of heroin goes through a tormenting withdrawal only to be saved by her soon to be husband louis mckay billy dee williams
even though it is simones nurse clifton henderson david oyelowo rather than her lover who saves her both films resort to the even more familiar device that female genius must be nurtured by rediscovered by and even dependent on men to be taken seriously the audience learns of simones singular contributions to american music through hendersons eyes as he discovers old interviews and recordings but we are simultaneously limited by his viewpoint as simones muse and our guide henderson simply updates the male gaze of mr williamss mckay
but   like the criticism that ms ross faced because she didnt resemble holiday physically or vocally as farah jasmine griffin explored in her book if you cant be free be a mystery   nina has been plagued by criticism most notably there was the decision to cast the light skinned dominican american ms saldana and dare i say it the offensive darkening of her face and eyes in the movie to approximate simones dark brown complexion to be fair by inhabiting simones most mercurial moments and performing simones music herself ms saldana does give her best performance to date
but it is the presentation of simone   the bad makeup unpicked afro wigs and the casting of ms saldana in the first place   that underscores hollywoods persistent resistance to showcasing the range of black womens beauty equally troubling is the fact that in the film simones best music is behind her and henderson must convince her to play again making her comeback more tragic and her genius less illuminated than that of her male biopic counterparts
clearly we are in a new phase of the jazz biopic one that self consciously tries to both glorify and demystify the golden age of jazz the 1950s and 1960s in order to explain its rarefied status in american culture and the price that artists paid for their cultural transgressions miles ahead and born to be blue self consciously play with genre by transforming daviss impressionistic style and bakers tender pathos from the stage to narrative structures but perhaps for simone whose genre breaking music never quite fit in the confines of jazz a new genre of the biopic needs to be invented altogether


ronald reagan was a movie star who became a politician john f kennedy was a politician who took on the glamour of a movie star
the process began before senator kennedys election to the presidency in 1960 when he gave robert drew a producer of news films for time inc permission to document his campaign during the wisconsin primary kennedys opponent senator hubert h humphrey of minnesota had no choice but to follow that lead
the result was the 53 minute film primary 1960 which mr drew 1924 2014 followed with two tv documentaries about the kennedy presidency adventures on the new frontier 1961 and crisis 1963 all three along with mr drews short faces of november 1964 a reflection on public grief in response to kennedys assassination have been reissued on disc as the kennedy films of robert drew  associates criterion
of the four primary has the most historical value   not just as a record of kennedy in campaign mode but also as a pioneering example of american cinema verite in 1961 film culture magazine awarded primary its third independent film award for heralding an era when a filmmaker can shoot his film with sound alone and by himself and unobtrusively almost the same way as a poet observing a scene
certainly primary helped change the nature of documentary filmmaking empowered by hand held cameras and portable sound equipment three members of mr drews team   richard leacock albert maysles and d a pennebaker   would soon be recognized as leading practitioners of the form
cinema verite supported the sense prevalent in the 1960s and again current with reality tv that life itself was a sort of movie anything captured on film was part of the spectacle anyone was potentially worth watching thus primary is mainly a study in personality types humphrey whose first conversation with a supporter includes an enthusiastic you betcha seems like a character out of fargo while kennedy a magnet for crowds already has the aura of a celebrity each campaign has its own theme song both adopted from soundtracks humphreys reworked the ballad of davy crockett from a disney television mini series while kennedys peppier anthem drew on high hopes from the 1959 frank sinatra film a hole in the head
although comparable to robert franks 1950s photographs in its feel for the american heartland primary has been criticized for a lack of analysis in his 1995 history of documentary film claiming the real brian winston criticizes it as one of the most significant media failures of our time writing that what looked like the opening of previously closed doors turned out to be no such thing
the door primary opened led to a hall of mirrors a photograph taken by garry winogrand at the 1960 democratic convention catches kennedy flanked by yet apart from four animated supporters his practiced smile and distant gaze suggest he is already a figure on a postage stamp documenting a similar preternatural poise primary is less an image of history unfolding than it is the history of an image
kennedy not surprisingly was pleased and once president facilitated a second drew documentary broadcast early in his administration adventures on the new frontier is basically a puff piece its most revealing scoop is the self portrait kennedy has up in the oval office crisis produced two and a half years later is more performative   although here kennedy is upstaged by alabamas new governor george c wallace
an inflammatory segregationist wallace flew the confederate flag over his statehouse and promised to defy federal law by personally turning away any black student who tried to integrate the university of alabama as with primary mr drew secured permission to document both sides of the conflict
wallace postures and invokes the civil war while kennedy his brother robert at the time the attorney general and nicholas katzenbach the deputy attorney general map their legal strategy the promised physical confrontation never occurs instead the movie ends with the president in a televised address to the nation taking a personal stand against segregation hours later the naacp leader medgar evers was assassinated in mississippi a political murder that the movie does not mention
shown at the first new york film festival on a program with robert bressons the trial of joan of arc and subsequently broadcast by abc crisis was not well received the new york times television critic jack gould called it a prime example of governmental surrender to the ceaseless and often thoughtless demands of the entertainment world if in some ways crisis remains current mr goulds criticism is even more so
panic in year zero a quintessential kennedy era movie was released to drive ins by american international in the summer of 1962 on a double bill with roger cormans tales of terror now on disc from kino lorber it anxiously ponders both the threat of nuclear war and the survival of the nuclear family
dad ray milland and mom jean hagen danny thomass wife in the 1950s sitcom make room for daddy and their teenage children the pop star frankie avalon and mary mitchel wally cleavers girlfriend on two episodes of leave it to beaver have set out on a camping trip when los angeles blows up behind them thereafter panic concerns survival in a lawless post apocalyptic world the problem is less radioactive fallout than the rapes and murders committed by feral teenagers abetted by les baxters strident ersatz jazz score
mr milland who also directed the film plays the paterfamilias with a dyspeptic bossiness appropriate to his dual capacity thanks to his unrelenting grouchiness panic is an occasionally risible nightmare version of father knows best but the temper of the times may be gauged by the tone of varietys reviewer the aftermath of a nuclear attack is the subject pursued by this serious sobering and engrossing film like a documentary waiting to happen
newly released
exodus a master of publicity the producer and director otto preminger made news when he announced that his 1960 adaptation of leon uriss best selling novel set amid the turmoil of israels creation and reissued on blu ray was written by the blacklisted screenwriter dalton trumbo it didnt hurt that paul newman was his star playing a character partly modeled on the young yitzhak rabin twilight time
jackie robinson ken burns sarah burns and david mcmahon divide their subjects career in two the first part shows how mr robinson came to integratemodern major league baseball the second details his life afterward reviewing the film in the new york times when it was televised earlier this month neil genzlinger described part 2 as completing a portrait of an eventful life that in the popular mind is often confined to the ball field available on blu ray and dvd pbs
the manchurian candidate directed in 1962 by john frankenheimer from richard condons political thriller hollywoods wittiest most resonant contribution to the kennedy era is an anthology of cold war concerns including red china mccarthyism brainwashing and assassination the presidents buddy frank sinatra plays the good guy reissued on blu ray and dvd criterion
the trip roger cormans deliciously cheesy drive in evocation of mind altered madness directed from a script by jack nicholson scored with psychedelic panache by the electric flag and released during the 1967 summer of love is more than a time capsule   its an acid flashback peter fonda stars as an intrepid tripster with bruce dern and dennis hopper as two sketchy gurus on blu ray dvd and amazon video olive
trumbo this biopic from jay roach takes trumbo from the top of the hollywood heap through the depths of the blacklist to ultimate vindication although bryan cranstons showy turn in the title role is regularly eclipsed by helen mirrens impersonation of the gossip columnist hedda hopper the film sometimes evokes an old looney tunes sendup of tinsel town though without the beauty wit visual style or economy manohla dargis wrote in the times in november 2015 on blu ray dvd and amazon video universal


in february during new york fashion week the audience at the hood by air show had a moment one of those rare shocks that jolt you out of your catwalk stupor and stick with you long after the lights have dimmed it came courtesy of a model named hirakish who careened down the runway in a patent leather suit and spiky high heeled bootees and who proceeded to go off piste and to spend the rest of the show running in and out of the stands interrupting other models struts and otherwise joyfully and challengingly sticking his stiletto shod feet in our faces
i thought of this on thursday when the news came that prince rogers nelson the diminutive musician with the oversize talent had died unlike david bowie another musical icon who recently passed away prince was not often name checked by designers as a collection reference
though fashion played a big part in his image as the many slide shows making their way around cyberspace attest and though he made a surprise guest appearance in 2007 at matthew williamsons 10th anniversary show serenading the attendees and grinding with dancers and models as one of the attendees i can tell you that was another moment he wasnt a go to aesthetic inspiration
prince refused to adhere to genres in clothing just as he refused to adhere to genres in music which meant he tended to ooze into the designer imagination instead of immediately leaping to mind but in the way he assumed the tropes of kitsch femininity   lace ruffles sequins peekaboo and high heels   and transformed them into the vehicles of an in your face masculine sex appeal prince had enormous influence
most of which can be summed up by the shoe
the high heel was the through line of his wardrobe for the four decades he was in the public eye the consistent base upon which he layered all sorts of style and character changes prince wore heels when he barely wore anything at all just bikini bottoms and a trench coat he wore them in purple rain and with baroque brocade he paired them with pastel suits laser cut bottom baring jumpsuits he wore them with white hippie tunics at coachella and slinky metallic gold at the grammys he wore them offstage out to dinner in sweden in 2013 and according to mike tysons memoir undisputed truth to play basketball
he wore them so much that there were rumors he needed hip surgery and he wore them he said not because he wanted to be taller but because women like em
he wore them as they were originally designed to be worn as demonstrated in standing tall an exhibition last year at the bata shoe museum in toronto about men in high heels as an expression of power and privilege reserved for male royalty and only later co opted by women in the 17th and 18th centuries it made some sense his name after all was prince
and in doing so   in wearing them so regularly unapologetically he did not hide behind the acceptably masculine heels of cowboy boots and effectively   he transformed the idea of men in heels to possibility from joke on women heels suggest sex prince showed they could function the same way for men
it is a meaningful part of the equation that has added up to the current trend toward gender fluidity in fashion which lets face it really means men in womens wear since women have been borrowing from mens wear for decades
put another way there was prince and then there was hedi slimanes fall 2015 mens wear show for saint laurent with its three inch heels the heels in the mens wear collections of rick owens and gareth pugh and hood by air and the black velvet midcalf heeled boots kanye west wore in paris last year to name just some examples
in the end his shoes were as prince once sang a sign o the times


big bend national park tex   there are places in the desert canyons of far west texas where the border between the united states and mexico amounts to an olive green ribbon of water so shallow that canoes scrape to a halt on the rocks here the rio grande   the border that has separated the two countries since 1848 with the signing of the treaty of guadalupe hidalgo   narrows to a pinch at times it is as wide as a school bus is long at other times it is not even that wide an owl can make the crossing with one or two flaps of its wings
in these remote places in big bend national park the rio grande seems void of any power to divide there are no boundary lines no signs no walls no border agents on either side to journey here to the vast empty canyons of west texas is to watch the border itself all but vanish as a physical and political space an extraordinary feat in these times when the notion of the border often seems more a political construct than a geographic one
consider los diablos and the cane burns of the rio grande that played out this month los diablos are a team of mexican firefighters who are part of a group of mexicans and americans including firefighters conservationists and park rangers they travel along the most desolate stretches of the river not to put out fires but to set them in a controlled burn meticulously planned to kill giant cane a tall bamboo style invasive grass that grows in dense patches on both sides of the river the cane chokes and helps narrow the flow of the rio grande which contributes to the frequency of flooding and to the burying of habitats for native plants and fish
and while the firefighters cleared the riverbanks it felt as if for a few days they cut through the political clutter surrounding border politics as well instead of the politics of immigration laws drug smuggling and donald j trumps wall the border became an elemental place of earth water and fire where americans and mexicans actually got things done together
i spent three days and two nights watching the cane burn on the rio grande where licks of flame stretching 10 stories shoot into the air in an otherworldly landscape of limestone canyons red tailed hawks and village dogs and donkeys i slept in a tent on a riverbank in mexico and no one asked for my passport as smoke filled the sky i stood behind an american firefighter on the mexican side who made sure a mexican firefighter on the american side across the river was safe borders blurred life went on
presidential politics aside it takes binational coordination a bilingual goat fed crew and a total of nearly 500000 spent over four years to weed the border i think when people often see things burn they think of destruction said mark briggs a senior program officer with the world wildlife fund the nonprofit conservation group that has helped coordinate the project in the setting where we are i think mostly of rejuvenation
los diablos came here to one of the biggest sections of giant cane on the american side of the river   a mile long thicket with many stems standing more than 15 feet tall   that has come to be called la milpa de diablo or roughly translated the devils cornfield
they are ranchers and construction workers from riverside mexican villages with names like san vicente who are trained in the united states by the national park service to help fight wildfires in texas and other states los diablos are a burly gregarious lot who wear biker bandannas under their helmets some are brothers and some are cousins none take themselves too seriously
about an hour before la milpa was ablaze on a whim and a bet they used their walkie talkies to order chivo   goat   for the next mornings breakfast two men on horseback accompanied by four dogs arrived on the mexican side and handed over just as casually as if they were delivering pizza a freshly killed goat carcass and a stack of tortillas
after breakfast the next day i asked a member of los diablos jesus galindo   a short but powerful man with a goatee whom i had watched rummage patiently through his canoe as he stood next to a wall of flame   what he thought of the chivo it had been chopped and left to simmer in a tomato sauce for hours at the campsite mr galindo shrugged and said he preferred it grilled
the cane lines the rivers edge beneath canyon cliffs in sections of big bend that are impossible to reach by vehicle the closest thing to a fire truck was the two seat canoes the firefighters used their firehouse was a campsite on the mexican side where they used satellite phones but set a map at their feet held down by stones to plot the days fire richie sinkovitz 35 the burn boss trainee with the national park service used a cane stalk as a pointer
the american and mexican fire crew   six members of los diablos and several americans from the park service the bureau of land management and the texas am forest service joined by an observer with mexicos national commission of natural protected areas   shared equipment bottles of hot sauce and tan lines on their sunburned faces marking the shape of their sunglasses
their after action meetings under the stars shifted between spanish and english led by the bilingual mr sinkovitz the name of the river itself lost its regional identity with some of the americans calling it rio bravo as mexicans do they wore the same white hard hats cargo pants and yellow flame resistant shirts speckled with dots of black ash it was hard to tell them apart at a distance just as it was hard to see along a bend in the river where texas ends and mexico begins
were all here for the same reason be it a prescribed fire or a wildfire its to keep each other safe and get the job done said ezra engleson 32 who works for the land management bureau in new mexico and served as the projects ignitions specialist were all firefighters its kind of that brotherhood of fire
our odyssey began with a bumpy van ride on an unpaved road down to the river in big bend we were a six hour drive from el paso and there was no cellphone service throughout our 14 mile journey on the river the only way to reach the cane patches and la milpa was by canoe or hiking in addition to mr briggs with the world wildlife fund one of our guides was jeff kelsch who works with rio grande scientific support services which provides logistical support on river restoration projects
mr kelsch wore golden elvis style sunglasses and a cowboy hat he is a west texas desert hippie who paddles a canoe and smokes a cigarette simultaneously we had life preservers in the canoes but we did not need them the joke is mr kelsch said if you fall off the boat you stand up and dust yourself off
but the main concern was fire not water cane here burns quickly and intensely but the fires simply die out on their own starved for fuel   vegetation   in the desert canyons the exploding air pockets in the canes hollow stalks pop and crackle like eerie applause
its more like youre at a machine gun range said ed waldron the park services burn boss who oversaw the operation
by the end of the trip the crew had burned 110 acres of giant cane in a week on the american side the fire only wounds the plants workers return a few weeks later to spray the blackened sites with a herbicide
for all the talk of devils and all the weaponry   the flare gun style coin launchers they pull from holsters   the firefighters were a playful environmentally focused bunch much of their work was spent protecting mesquite and willow trees from the flames
during a delay as the fire crew waited for the wind to subside a diablo sat at the rivers edge molding the figurine of a horse out of the mud he left it by his canoe a pottery trinket amid what would soon be ash


this interview with tobi lutke ceo of shopify an e commerce software company was conducted and condensed by adam bryant
q tell me about your early years
a i grew up in koblenz a small town in germany i got my first computer when i was 6 and i was part of that early generation of children who grew up with computers always being around i fell in love with them early on
i never cared a lot for school i categorized school as a history lesson because it was so obvious that computers were different my parents didnt understand them my teachers didnt you can imagine the authority problems that stem from a situation where the people you know dont know anything about the things you care about
this is probably why i had to start a company at some point because i dont think i could have worked for anyone else so i taught myself programming and picked up an apprenticeship when i was 16 as a programmer at siemens i never went to university
i also have a weird obsession with optimizing things even when i was walking to elementary school i counted the number of steps on different routes so i could figure out which one was shortest
im always trying to think of ways to make something more efficient if i have to do something once thats fine if i have to do it twice im kind of annoyed and if i have to do it three times im going to try to automate it
was becoming a ceo a natural transition for you
my co founder actually was the first ceo i was going to focus on the technology but he decided to leave when we had about eight employees i started looking for a ceo for the company then one of our early investors took me aside and said tobi you will never find anyone whos going to care as much about shopify as you do and thats what youre looking for so you need to stop looking sometimes the stars align and you hear the right sentences at the right time
what were some early leadership lessons for you
the hardest thing for me was to rewrite my own value system to be compatible with my new role i felt really good about being a computer programmer it took me years to realize that a day where i met with investors and spoke at a conference was actually not a wasted day intellectually i knew this but internally it just didnt feel like it
i had to systematically rebuild how i measured my own contribution once i did that i started realizing that its the team that matters and that the best way for me to spend any given day is to essentially figure out how to make my team a tiny bit better
because theres really only two kinds of days   ones when your team gets better and ones when your team gets worse and if you just spend time getting better then over a prolonged period of time you become essentially unbeatable
tell me about the culture of your company
were very honest about everyones strengths and weaknesses we even post them on our internal wiki everyone is invited to do it and they can explain how they like to work and what they value it takes a year of working together until you sort of understand people weve always been looking for ways to accelerate this
another concept we talk a lot about is something called a trust battery its charged at 50 percent when people are first hired and then every time you work with someone at the company the trust battery between the two of you is either charged or discharged based on things like whether you deliver on what you promise
humans already work like this its just that we decided to create a metaphor so that we can talk about this in performance reviews without people feeling like the criticisms are personal
ive never heard of that before
of the initial team of us that started the company none of us had any kind of experience of building a company or managing but we are all supercommitted learners ferocious readers and personal growth junkies so we really committed to giving each other feedback and were trying to expand that to the entire company
i work under the assumption that we have no idea how to build companies yet and that 50 years from now people will look back at the companies of today and they will seem like the black and white footage of the first hockey games we have no idea how to build the best companies yet to me thats the most interesting part trying to build a company that im going to be less embarrassed about in 50 years than all my peers is a great motivator for me
how do you hire
our hiring is almost completely built around just going through someones life story and we look for moments when they had to make important decisions and we go deep on those
i find the strongest predictor of people who do well at shopify is whether they see opportunity as something to compete for or do they see opportunity as essentially everywhere and unlimited its a rough proxy for pessimism and optimism
this is something we get from the life story without ever asking the question explicitly which is so much more powerful because people often know how theyre supposed to answer
what career and life advice do you give to new college grads
its pretty simple i just tell them to optimize their choices to be exposed to growth being part of something thats growing fast is better than being part of something that isnt growing fast because opportunities are essentially everywhere and youre not competing for something
and i tell people to not treat a career as a ladder thats really the most important thing at our company we talk about career being more like a jungle gym


re on sports
in his debut column jay caspian kang explored how baseballs treatment of black and latino players has diminished its place in american culture
jay caspian kang makes good points regarding the lack of minority participation in baseball both in college and professionally however there is another factor to be considered the lure of huge money in the last 20 years and immediate entrance into both the nba and nfl is something that is hard to resist for a youngster no matter what ethnicity
no matter how good a young baseball player is he is going to spend at least three to five years in the minor leagues there is no instant gratification in baseball if they do make it to the major leagues even the best of them wont realize big money for a number of years because of the way the collective bargaining agreement is structured it is a path that demands a whole lot of patience and faith for many people that is a quaint notion these days mike fernandez richardson tex
for the first time ever jay caspian kang writes all major league baseball teams are required to hire a full time spanish language translator this however only hinders a solution to the alleged problem of mlbs subpar promotion of its spanish speaking stars the reason spanish speaking players dont get more media exposure is quite simple they dont speak or speak very limited english
perhaps the fault lies with athletes who choose not to learn to communicate with fans in their native tongue two examples come to mind both cuban emigres who played for the chicago white sox minnie minoso a sox star of the 1950s spoke english poorly but did the best he could serving as a team ambassador for many years after his playing career ended the other alexei ramirez starting shortstop for about eight years prior to this season never to my knowledge tried to learn the language and probably isnt any better known now than he was before he joined the team another cause of the alleged underexposure may lie with the media which seems less inclined to interview non english speakers who rely on interpreters talk radio poses a special problem more translators or interpreters wont help john f hogan chicago
i am constantly amazed by the tortured lengths some authors go to find latent racism now it seems that anyone objecting to things like bat flipping which some consider taunting is racist kangs description of baseballs having a racially coded obsession with tradition is as shameful as it is sophomoric
i often wonder if uber liberals and the perennial victims get a list of words each day that other extremists have decided now mean not what theyve always meant why cant one put off by showboating simply be put off by showboating why does it have to take on other meanings further how would the author explain black and hispanic former players who are also offended by these displays vincent mooney poughkeepsie ny
re becoming european
james angelos traveled to a small german village to monitor how it struggled to resettle a small group of refugees as its country struggles with the challenge of transforming itself into a republic of shared ideals
where is the united states where is canada where is australia where is russia why should all the burden fall on western europe in general and germany in particular let there be no doubt it is a burden both economically and culturally yes we all wish to do what is right and humane but we ought to do this collectively and responsibly further there is a considerable challenge with this particular group of immigrantsrefugees most notably misogyny and homophobia
these people should be made aware that any attack on european lifestyle would not be tolerated   even at the risk of deportation to syriaafghanistan regardless of any risk to their own lives it is almost as if these people are trying to recreate the cultural environment that has led to their very own misfortunes in their countries of origin this is something we cannot and should not accept
its one thing to be humane in the editorial room of the new york times its a different story on the streets of germany kiefer d arends mannheim germany
as a german living abroad this article provides an impartial impression of the conundrum faced by my fellow citizens should we be glad to move out of the shadows of a horrible past by an unrestricted welcome of refugees or should we be afraid of losing prosperity and western values to an eastern culture im optimistic despite strong resistance from the political right the majority of germans will opt for helping those who need help american support of germanys resurrection after world war ii is not forgotten p bartelmus new york


one lazy sunday when i was younger i was with three friends playing cards just hanging out it was still morning but you could tell it was going to be hot and we began to gaze at the mountains longingly my hometown cali spreads out below the farallones mountains which are beautiful to look at and just as beautiful to explore an easy hike or ride in clean air away
lets go for a bike ride one of us suggested and the others immediately agreed
we hopped on our bikes and started across town toward the path that leads into the hills from la buitrera on our way we ran into some other friends who were also on their bikes and they enthusiastically joined our group now there were six of us we cycled for a while then took a break and sat down on the grass getting out our cards and some weed to smoke the air was crisp and smelled of green the sun was warm not hot on our faces
then out of nowhere a man in rubber boots appeared giving us a stern look youve seen the crosses along the path yes he asked in colombia there are lots of wooden crosses everywhere where theres a cross someone has died well youve seen them he said thats what happens to kids who behave the way you do up here get out
we were quick to wrap up our stuff and get on our bikes this guy had disturbed us not so much with what hed said but by his looks rubber boots like that in the countryside in the fields in colombia usually means guerrilla a bit shaken we gladly rode on
after a short while we passed a car heading in the other direction suddenly there was a huge boom and a cloud of smoke the car had blown up
i hit the pedals as hard as i could to get away before we could grasp what had happened it was a land mine i later understood the trail took a long sharp turn to the left and i had to stay focused when i came out of the curve i almost fell off my bike in front of us just a few meters ahead were a bunch of military police all lined up armed with machine guns and they were aiming them directly at us
or were they i turned around and saw that the path we had come from was now thick with armed guerrillas the guerrillas were behind us the cops in front both groups aiming at us   or rather at each other we were caught in the middle
i looked around in panic on the third side there was a cliff and on the other the wall of a residence with a gate  that was open i reached it just as a guard from the compound rushed to shut it i got my front wheel in but the man kept slamming the gate yelling i cant let you in or they will kill me now get out so i can take shelter i let go and he turned the lock
there was nothing to do but throw ourselves into the dirt pulling our bikes over us as bullets started to fly they whizzed through the air ricocheted got sucked up into the wall i remember the slurping sound all around was the tlin tlin tlin and ratatatata of bullets bouncing off things
of course it felt like eternity but it might have only been minutes then it stopped they were reloading their weapons guys im going i called to my friends im leaving i got up lifted my arms over my head and called out im a student dont shoot i am a student student student
i kept yelling as i jumped on my bike and headed toward the trail leading away my friends were right behind me i raced as if there were no tomorrow indeed was there feeling adrenaline all through my body we rode as fast as we could uphill for maybe a mile without ever looking back the shooting had started again and that sound of bullets was all around us again finally we reached a building belonging to a power plant our shouting was so frantic that they let us in
as soon as i was inside my legs started trembling so hard i couldnt stand i almost lost consciousness the people working there gave us water and we tried to calm down and make sense of things the shooting went on and on and through the windows we were now higher up from the scene we saw heavy armor coming up from the city after a while we decided to make a break for it from the power plant there was a path leading away from the fight straight downhill into town and we made it home
two days later it was dec 8 feast of the immaculate conception a big celebration in my city i was out with friends and family but around midnight when the fireworks started i had to go home i couldnt take any bam bam boom banging not even if it was meant to be festive


strike up a conversation first start with a neutral topic like the weather says edward geiselman an emeritus professor of psychology at the university of california los angeles disarm your interlocutor by being friendly even collegial toby keith wrote that country song i wanna talk about me  geiselman says keep that in mind people like to talk about themselves offer drink or food once while working a case with the los angeles police department the interviewee asked for a filet o fish geiselman bought her one and she relaxed slipping into chattiness as she ate that sandwich changed everything he says
geiselman is a chief architect of the cognitive interview an interrogation protocol used by the police internationally the aim is to get interviewees to divulge a full narrative by asking them to recount fine grain particulars you maximize the amount of mental energy they are expending on their story thereby ratcheting up what psychologists call their cognitive load as they try to reconstruct the circumstances leading up to the event in question you can employ so called extenders really tell me more about that many police departments use a more confession oriented method with a distinctly parental tone i know you did it now tell me why but researchers have begun asking if that approach leads to false confessions a cognitive interviewer takes a different more journalistic approach gathering as much information as possible
do this by posing open ended or what geiselman calls expansion queries a truthful person usually answers a follow up question with additional details a liar tends to stick with the same bare bones answers but dont give too much credence to body language studies have repeatedly shown that nonverbal behavior averted eyes folded arms lip biting fidgeting does not reliably indicate deception
instead request the unexpected geiselman recommends asking someone to illustrate events with a pencil and paper or to retell the story starting at the end a liars account will begin to break down spending the mental processing power needed to keep a story straight he says essentially puts them at the edge of their ability to function cognitively


drinkers probably love william shakespeare more than shakespeare loved drinkers in college i discovered the particular pleasure of exercising the liquor loosened tongue on shakespeares glorious language and reciting his sonnets was one of my favorite bar pastimes no 129 was always a hit with its adjectival litany of nastiness murderous bloody full of blamesavage extreme rude cruel april 23 marks the 400th anniversary of shakespeares death as good a reason as any to raise a glass   even if he could be tough on drink drink a porter tells macduff in macbeth is a great provoker of three things  nose painting sleep and urine
we know little about shakespeares drinking preferences even a recent cocktail book called shakespeare not stirred written by two shakespeare scholars skirts the issue if youre wondering what shakespeare ate and drank they write this isnt the book for you we do know that in his era ale cider and wine were popular alcoholic beverages so a toast to shakespeare can be as simple as hoisting a bottle of beer almost as easy a highball called the hamlet which in one version is just aquavit on ice fizzed up with bitter lemon soda
but if you feel as i do that shakespeare rates greater effort i have two suggestions i recently created a punch in honor of south brooklyn shakespeare the nonprofit theater company run by the owners of the bar where i work its next production is twelfth night   which happens to be a wonderfully boozy play in act 2 sir toby sir andrew and feste stay up late drinking sir toby is like falstaff immoderate all about revelry susan harlan who teaches shakespeare at wake forest university says olivia is in mourning so her drunken houseguests are too much given her mood her steward malvolio says angrily that they make an alehouse of my ladys house but these characters also bring festivity into her cloistered court and in a comedy thats a good thing
i call the punch what you will after the plays subtitle and even though i serve it in springtime i wanted to include flavors that evoke the winter holiday from which the play takes its name nutmeg and cinnamon do the trick the whiskey based punch contains the juice of blood oranges which i imagine grew in ancient illyria where twelfth night takes place my conjecture gets some encouragement from the title of john hawkess 1970 novel set in illyria the blood oranges
if youd rather just make a drink or two than a whole bowl of punch theres a fine vintage cocktail whose name appears in shakespeares greatest play i will never be persuaded by any argument in favor of another king lear the drink is called the serpents tooth a recipe for it appears in crosby gaiges 1941 charming odd cocktail guide and ladies companion whether it predates the book or is gaiges creation i cannot say how closely its contents were intended to reflect the tragic goings on in lear is also unknown   but its blend of whiskey vermouth lemon juice kummel a liqueur laced with caraway and other spices and bitters has appropriate gravitas given the provenance of its name it may be unsuitable for family gatherings how sharper than a serpents tooth it isto have a thankless child but its just right for celebrating shakespeares genius
recipes what you will punch  serpents tooth  blood orange oleo saccharum


benjamin kwon does not look like a gladiator but you should see him play the fried liver attack a wildly aggressive chess opening that wages an all out assault on the opposing players king the opening is not for the fainthearted
on a recent friday afternoon he beamed as he rattled off the first moves for both sides pawn to e4 pawn to e5 bishop to c4 and so on until he got to the real moment of attack knight to g5 this is where the fried liver attack gets hairy nothing can block it he said his face lighting up
benjamin kwon is 6 years old
we were sitting in small wooden chairs at public school 77 the lower lab school a school for gifted and talented students on the upper east side sitting might be an imprecise word for bens state of constant up and down motion
last month lower labs team of kindergartners and first graders finished first in the state chess tournament defeating elite private schools like dalton and avenues the world school earlier in the school year a lower lab team of first graders won the national championship for their grade the next national tournament is in may
for ben a first grader who did not go to the nationals the state tournament in saratoga was a weekend to remember
the team trophy was taller than me he said almost jumping out of his seat the dinner place was so yum   applebees the first thing you got was nachos
chess is enjoying a boom in new york and much of it is because of schools like lower lab which have brought the game to very young players often as part of the regular curriculum educators cite research showing that chess helps students develop analytical thinking set goals concentrate for extended periods and learn to delay gratification
it gives them a different way of using their brain said sandra miller the principal at lower lab where every student gets 10 weeks of chess in kindergarten its an amazing opportunity for them to challenge themselves with gifted and talented students sometimes kids get bored with classes because the work comes so easy for them
for ben kwon the appeal was simple i really got excited because all my friends were playing chess he said
for schools chess is also cheaper than sports that require outdoor fields or a lot of equipment
on a friday this month about 70 students from lower lab swarmed the weekly after school session taught by instructors from chessnyc a for profit company that runs programs in 40 new york schools
spring was beckoning outside but the children did not seem to notice logan brain 26 an instructor rehashed a game from a recent adult tournament and asked the students what moves each player should make
ian buchanan a third grader suggested an unorthodox move which mr brain questioned thats a karjakin move ian countered referring to sergey karjakin a russian player who at age 12 became the youngest grandmaster ever
the name drew respect in the room mr karjakin now 26 will play the current world champion magnus carlsen 25 in the world chess championship in new york city this november it is the first time the championship tournament will be played in new york since 1995
ian is one of the top players at lower lab but he was recently passed by his younger brother royal a first grader who fidgeted in front of him royal is among the best 6 year olds in the country the brothers success has surprised their mother li xiao a portfolio manager at citigroup
my husband and i dont know chess at all she said
the game has also been a window on their characters
you see their personality how they deal with the problems and the stress she said royal is fine with losing he doesnt cry i wonder at this age if they get nervous i havent seen it that much they dont realize the situation yet
royal sometimes gets restless in his classes but can sit for hours at a time over a chessboard his mother said its the only activity he can focus on ms xiao said he goes to tournaments and sometimes the game goes on for two hours im surprised he can sit but he does
during a break royal answered questions distractedly staring at his fingers as if contemplating future moves like his teammates he readily cited his chess rating a figure that changes each time a player wins or loses in a tournament players monitor their ratings and those of their friends on the website plycountcom at the start of a match the first question after they sit down at the board is often whats your rating
since kindergarten royal and another boy morgan mairaj have leapfrogged each other as the teams top player with ratings climbing above 1300 or twice as high as most of their teammates players raise their ratings by beating higher rated opponents but fall back if they lose to opponents with lower ratings at tournaments players are grouped according to their ratings royal said his goal was to top 1800 by the end of the year
magnus carlsen is 1500 higher than me he said it should be noted that mr carlsen is the highest rated chess player in history at 2863 bobby fischer never broke 2800
for parents the numbers are a mixed blessing the coaches and parents hate it but kids absolutely love it said peter marinis who has two sons playing on the team and a third coming up behind them theyre like dad whats my score i never knew they were so competitive
in a room across the hall reid segarra a kindergartner unwound the dilemma of the young chess player
chess helps you think better like which move should i do reid said if youre in a losing position then you have to make your brain think really hard because if your opponent makes a mistake you can come back also if youre in a winning position you just cant make mistakes so your brain has to think really really really hard so you dont make a mistake or he could come back if you do and if its an even position you have to get your brain to think really really hard harder than a winning position or a losing position because you want to get in a winning position
for competitive players and their families the game is demanding theres a tournament somewhere in the city every week or two typically lasting all day parents from lower lab drove to saratoga for the two day state championships and to nashville last year for the nationals mr brain assigns 50 chess puzzles weekly as homework then there are pickup games or saturday lessons at the chess forum a store on thompson street in greenwich village or at the tables in washington square park
these kids are very committed and if youre not committed it is very difficult to stay at the top echelon said ashar mairaj the father of morgan and an older daughter momoca who is also one of the schools top players you have your puzzle set every day you play with your sibling every day you have a tutor that comes once a week and teaches you strategy every day you have a regimen
the game can also be expensive at lower lab fees for the after school program top 500 a semester which helps pay for the teachers from chessnyc tournaments run about 40 per student travel costs are extra the school and pta pay for kindergarten instruction run by chessnyc and parent volunteers run a lunchtime chess club for girls formed to address the shortage of girls in the competitive ranks
its a really big commitment said amy gillston a child therapist whose first grade son noah attends lower lab some of these private schools they spend on private coaching with the best of the best all of us agree that were only doing this while its fun
on a recent afternoon pattie friedman and her son davin walked from the chess forum to washington square park in search of davins tutor a weathered character named abderrahim rajahi 55 who has been playing there since the late 1980s when he learned the game from the old time hustlers and later joined their ranks somewhere along the way he lost his upper front teeth
in the early days he said he worked as a bicycle messenger by day and played chess in various parks until dawn losing 40 a night
i didnt read no books he said of his training i played the same hustler every day for a year and a half i got whipped then one night he couldnt beat me
davin goofed through a game with mr rajahi then asked if he could run around when he returned mr rajahi grilled him on the ruy lopez opening one of the oldest and most venerated chess openings the fried liver mr rajahi said is for beginners dont be guessing mr rajahi told davin use your mind chess is a war of the mind
the teacher said he did not have a set fee for lessons at growing minds a company that runs the chess program at avenues private lessons cost 90 an hour chessnyc charges 75 to 95 for a one hour home lesson
mr rajahi said he was planning a summer day camp that might combine chess with lessons in math and foreign languages
i dont look at it just as a game he said its a way to make a beautiful mind of a kids mind with the experience i had i try to turn it into a good thing you teach a kid to think positively and to make a good plan for the future sometimes you make mistakes that cost you the game life is like that
a week later davin and 28 other lower lab players made their way to the avenues school for their first major tournament since winning the state championships in saratoga the tournament brought together students from 65 area schools and had to turn students away after filling its 250 slots boys outnumbered girls by about four to one pandemonium and sugar intake swelled the halls only slowly giving way to chess
peter marinis and his sons arrived at 930 am after 8 am baseball later they had a birthday party to attend
for parents the tournaments are an endurance test often lasting eight hours in contrast to sporting events or dance recitals junior chess tournaments typically do not allow parents into the rooms where the children play so they waited in a team room learning the results only when the children returned between rounds to go over their games with mr brain
its stomach churning said mr mairaj waiting for the results of his childrens games its never boring how can something that gives you anxiety be boring
the lower lab team got off to a rocky start with the first three players losing their first games
mr mariniss son rylan 6 slumped toward the paper score sheet and wrote a zero to announce his loss high five mr marinis said win or lose its always high fives
then ben kwon posted the teams first victory he played an opening similar to the fried liver but not exactly he said and beat an opponent rated higher than he was he sailed across the room to his mother michelle park
ms park said she had been surprised by how much there was to the chess subculture   how many tournaments how many players she mentioned several other tournaments going on at other schools the same weekend we didnt know this existed before she said
by midafternoon things were looking better for lower lab in the fifth floor library where students with ratings below 800 matched off noah gillston a quiet first grader with a mop of sandy hair stood up to move his knight across the board he was on a roll winning his first three games
just before 230 the beginner players marched into the team room carrying trophies more wins followed noah won all four games leading his group to victory mr brain comforted a father whose son had lost some winnable games those mistakes go away mr brain told the father before turning to the son im proud of you he said youre doing well
seven hours into the tournament families in the less advanced groups   whose games tend to be shorter   were making their way out into the late afternoon sunshine ms xiao awaited the return of her two sons whose games were still in progress nows the real work she said cooking dinner for five supervising sunday night homework and maybe stealing a quiet moment with her husband then i clean up and get to bed at 12 oclock basically
monday morning everything would start up again   the tutors the chess puzzles the competitive games between siblings and in less than a month some will go to the national championships in nashville
mr marinis who is planning to fly to nashville this year last year he and others drove was bound for ice cream and the birthday party his three sons in tow his older son pearce had won three of his four games raising his rating to a tantalizing 999
i use these as lessons for homework mr marinis said of the tournament i say if you can do what you did on sunday look this math is not going to be a problem


when donal burke and his wife monica goel decided to leave their rental and buy an apartment a few years ago they knew what they wanted a newly built condominium
we like modern design big windows and plenty of light and new buildings tend to have those and they mostly have better amenities said mr burke 54 a computer consultant
but after considering shiny new possibilities across manhattan and in brooklyn the couple grabbed a one bedroom co op at the carlton regency an apartment house on east 36th street that was built in 1966
major lures were the brand new bike room and brand new workout room which the couple deemed equal to fitness areas in many of the just born condos they had toured and the building had the bonus of having a roof deck mr burke said an even bigger bonus the apartment was more spacious than its condo counterparts and about 25 percent cheaper as co ops tend to be
score one for the old kid on the block
the carlton regency is one of many residential buildings in new york rethinking refurbishing or increasing their offerings in an effort to compete with the thousands of square feet in amenities indigenous to newly constructed buildings
for years co ops and a subset of older rentals were able to get by on their good looks old world charm pedigree and maybe a discreet gym or childrens playroom in the basement but the rich menu of amenities at the citys many freshly built condos and rentals   swimming pools game rooms massage rooms yoga rooms music rooms party rooms conference rooms and pet spas   has been a wake up call and a call to arms for limestone dowagers
according to the census bureau since 2014 almost 650 building permits have been issued in new york for privately owned residences of more than five units of course the new condos and rentals have their own rivals for best and brightest amenities every other new condo and rental
which explains why some co ops that want to hold their value and some rentals that want to hold on to their tenants are busy adding offerings or subtracting them as fads and changing demographics demand
everyone is trying to keep up said stan olan the president of the co op board at two east end avenue a century old factory converted into apartments in 1979 i drive around the city every day and im constantly seeing new buildings coming up with great amenities
sometimes mr olan doesnt have to drive far completing construction just up the street from him at 20 east end avenue is a condo designed by robert a m stern architects whose amenities will include a wine cellar a fitness center a sauna a childrens lounge a billiards room and a library
its probably no coincidence then that mr olan and his fellow board members are giving serious thought to updating the two fitness rooms in the basement at two east end   last refreshed in 2013   and adding a rooftop deck in order to take full advantage of the buildings water views residents will enjoy it mr olan said but the other consideration is that we understand about amenities and by spending some money well increase our value
when condos started going up in new york in the 1970s they werent the most upscale buildings and they werent in the most desirable locations said eva c talel a partner in the law firm stroock  stroock  lavan and the head of its co op and condominium practice they werent seen as threats to classic co ops
but the definition of desirable location has become quite elastic and at the same time many condos being built are top of the line   with anything you could ask for in terms of amenities ms talel said so wisely co ops are now doing what they can do to maintain value and to attract the right kind of purchasers
ms talel gave an example of an upper east side co op that bought a doctors office off the lobby to convert into a gym and of another co op that shrank a generously proportioned laundry room to accommodate floor to ceiling bike storage racks
at trump plaza a co op building on third avenue and 61st street that was built in 1984 the basement workout facility is being turned into a childrens playroom and the fitness room complete with new equipment will relocate to what was the supers duplex apartment on the first and second floor of the building
we thought about a wine cellar and more storage space said marc cooper the president of the buildings co op board and we thought about keeping the gym downstairs but at the end of the day we thought a gym with natural light would be value enhancing the budget he added is a healthy six figures
mr cooper said it was incumbent on the building to maintain its competitive standing with new construction the best it can
five years ago julie s perlin an associate broker at stribling  associates the real estate firm and a resident of the carlton regency advised her co op board that if the building had some amenities   at the time there were none   it could more effectively hold its own with new construction after a questionnaire revealed that a majority of the shareholders wanted a gym a package room a roof deck and a bike room a capital campaign raised the necessary funds between 4 million and 5 million included in the tab were a new roof and conversion from steam to gas the amenities portion of the project was completed last summer
before apartments in the building were selling for 800 a square foot ms perlin said now its about 1200 a square foot part of that is the rising market but the amenities are playing a major role in getting people to come and look at the building
granted the carlton regency is celebrating the big 5 0 this year but when it comes to new york real estate developments dont have to be old to be considered well old a residential building is an ingenue for maybe three years by the age of 8 or 9 some decide its time to have some work done
a case in point one morton square a west village condo completed in 2004 recently expanded and refreshed its ground floor fitness space and replaced all the equipment so its state of the art and beautiful said darren sukenik an associate broker at douglas elliman real estate and a resident of the building the childrens playroom was renovated at the same time the approximate cost of the upgrades 500000
we had to do it to keep up with 150 charles street and 160 leroy mr sukenik said referring to a pair of new high end condos in the neighborhood its definitely kept us competitive were fetching north of 2500 a square foot and new construction is just under 3000 a square foot
jonathan j miller the president of the real estate appraisal firm miller samuel agrees that amenities add value but precisely how much is hard to say the perception mr miller said is that its an a la carte thing if i have a gym and i add a community room it adds x percent to the value and if i add a sauna it adds y percent but it doesnt work that way its more of a package
but not all older buildings feel the need to play catch up mr miller said some think theyre plenty fine just the way they are thank you very much there are mid block prewar co ops on the upper west side and upper east side for example that have nothing more than the structural needs that make them a building he said they barely have a lobby let alone a gym and it may not be to their detriment layering on amenities like a wedding cake doesnt necessarily make any difference in how a building is received by the market
as for rental buildings some are feeling the same pressure and imperatives as older co ops and condos as much as people are looking for location and looking for a certain apartment layout and certain finishes they want to know what else a building has to offer said mitch gelberg a senior managing director of the real estate firm rose associates
until recently london terrace gardens in the west 20s a 1930 property in roses portfolio had little to offer on the amenities scale and all of our competition had amenities said amy rose a company president in response storage space and a warren of old offices were redeployed and are now a glass walled workout facility and a lounge with a joe coffee outpost
you can learn from all the newer buildings ms rose added we love to visit our colleagues buildings and see what theyre doing but sometimes youre limited by the space you have so you have to be creative for example at 21 west street a 1931 building converted to apartments from offices in 1998 the childrens playroom was created in an area previously given over to a staff locker room ms rose said
chelsea landmark on west 25th street another rose property is only nine years old but residents recently asked for   and received   an updated gym barbecues for the terrace and a room that can be rented for parties because few tenants showed interest in the sauna and whirlpool these were replaced by a full size kitchen for cooking classes and demonstrations
weve started putting fitness centers into our older buildings because people really do expect it said laurie zucker the vice chairwoman of manhattan skyline which owns and manages several thousand apartments the company was able to capture space for the upgrade when the conversion from oil to gas heating freed up rooms that had housed mechanicals
manhattan skyline is accepting no excuses for residents to be out of shape at its manhattan east a cluster of late 1920s buildings on east 66th street and two 1970s buildings the habitat on east 29th street and the left bank on west 15th street a workout room and a tenants lounge are in the planning stages at the murray hill an early 1980s building on east 34th street
manhattan skyline has also tweaked the offerings at west river house on west end avenue at 81st street a 1983 apartment house where the amenities floor included three racquetball courts and a fitness center both to address the changing demographics of the building   there has been an influx of families   and to compete with new properties two of the racquetball courts were sacrificed to expand the workout facility and to build a playroom for younger children as well as a multipurpose room with a ping pong table for teenagers
these days people are more flexible about location with rentals said clifford finn an executive vice president of new development at douglas elliman its much more about the product about the style of the building about the vibe and that includes the amenities thats why the amenities matter
they really matter mr finn said with buildings that are considered contemporary but might look dated like a structure from the 1980s
the design standards in those buildings were low he said so if you have a one bedroom in a yorkville building renting for 3000 without amenities a customer can go farther uptown and get the same product for less in a brand new building or go to long island city and pay just a little more for an amenities rich new building
in the end the to thine own self be true rule applies you have to look at it in the context of what your building is and maximize the assets you have mr miller said if your building is 10 stories high and people want a high view theyre not going to come to you even if you do have a gym
as kathy braddock a managing director of william raveis new york city put it the focus shouldnt be on competing with the new building across the street it should be on competing in your own market segment it should be about competing in your own weight class


while other new york city institutions have succumbed to the insatiable appetite of a hungry real estate market the 128 year old katzs delicatessen with 1995 pastrami sandwiches and a legion of fans found a way to hang on
last year the family owned deli at 205 east houston street sold two neighboring properties and its air rights for about 17 million paving the way for a developer to build an 11 story condominium next door the arrangement ensures that for at least another generation new yorkers will be able to get corned beef and brisket at the lower east side deli that was immortalized in the 1989 film when harry met sally
the sale was part of a 75 million acquisition of 12 single story commercial spaces that spared katzs but sealed the fates of all of the other mom and pop businesses on east houston street between orchard and ludlow streets they were all displaced to make way for the new condo sales are set to start by the end of the month at 196 orchard with prices for the 94 apartments starting at 1075 million for a 551 square foot studio
at a time when beloved destinations are closing at a disorienting pace the survival of a symbol of jewish culinary history comes as a relief to many so many people in the city have a story and a connection to this place said jake dell 28 sitting at a table in the back of katzs which his family bought in 1988 to me personally preserving it was the most important thing
katzs which opened in 1888 under a different name and at a different spot nearby on ludlow street is the oldest surviving jewish deli in north america according to david sax the author of save the deli mariner books 2010 its democratic   everyone goes to katzs mr sax said it retains that feeling of this new york that is for a large part disappearing
in the more than a century that katzs has been selling sandwiches and hot dogs on the lower east side the neighborhood ushered in generations of immigrants who took refuge in the areas tenements in the 1970s and 1980s like many parts of the city it suffered through an era of disinvestment marked by rising crime and drug use at one point this was a place where you came to buy drugs not pastrami said mr dell whose family hosted his bar mitzvah at the deli
now paradoxically small businesses that survived more trying times are succumbing to the era of feverish real estate development with its influx of wealth many longtime lower east side residents worry that the deal katzs made means the deli will survive in a vacuum with all the other neighboring businesses gone it could become a mere relic in a neighborhood of walk ups that are rapidly being replaced with glassy condos expensive boutiques and national chains like whole foods
its really a loss for the community when the mom and pop businesses disappear which they really are at a frightening pace said richard d moses the president of the lower east side preservation initiative when you lose too many what you end up with is an environment that doesnt feel urban doesnt feel local it feels more generic
on a block where a kebab could once be had at 2 am from bereket the 24 hour turkish restaurant that was forced to close in 2014 there will now be a 30000 square foot equinox gym and spa with a lounge and juice bar condo residents will be able to access the two story gym through a private entrance gone too are places like rays pizza and empanada mama while such spots and the unmemorable single story buildings that once housed them could not claim any historic significance they were popular haunts that gave the area its character
a lot of people grew up going to rays pizza on that block and its gone now said james rodriguez an organizer for the good old lower east side an affordable housing group and whats it being replaced with its an equinox a lot of people arent going to be able to afford an equinox
the developers of 196 orchard insist that the changes have not obliterated the retail that existed in the area only moved it since some of the shops are now in new locations like karaoke boho which reopened nearby other businesses including bereket are gone im sorry they went out of business but its part of evolution said ben h shaoul the founder and principal of the magnum real estate group which is developing 196 orchard with the real estate equities corporation
in fact the condos ground floor will include 20000 square feet of retail with one storefront reserved for a locally owned business likely a cafe or restaurant
you call it gentrification i call it cleaning it up  said mr shaoul who has been buying properties on the lower east side since 1998
katzs survival however was always part of the plan we were adamant in keeping them there he said sitting in dirty french a restaurant in the 20 story ludlow hotel that opened across from katzs in 2014 i love pastrami
the condos marketing materials show a young woman gazing off into the distance katzs neon sign behind her the building designed by ismael leyva architects will have a black and bronze brick facade with industrial casement windows and a 4100 square foot landscaped rooftop
apartments will feature concrete ceilings wide plank white oak floors and kitchens with charcoal lacquer cabinets marble backsplashes and black quartz countertops one bedrooms start at 1275 million for 657 square feet two bedrooms start at 2285 million for 970 square feet three bedrooms start at 42 million for 1555 square feet and four bedrooms start at 495 million for 1770 square feet
katzs is not the only historic institution cashing in on the lower east sides soaring real estate values demolition of the streits matzo factory could begin by the end of the month a year ago the family owned business sold the rivington street factory to developers for 305 million bringing 90 years of matzo production there to an end it will be replaced with a seven story glass condo 150 rivington street that will house 45 one  and two bedroom apartments sales begin in may with one bedrooms starting at around 975000
for the jewish community the loss of streits was profound signifying the end of an institution that had been producing the unleavened bread for passover for generations
it was part of the lower east side ethos   so its sad said laurie tobias cohen the executive director of the lower east side jewish conservancy its part and parcel with everything else thats been happening in terms of real estate
a year ago during the factorys final weeks customers filled the retail shop for one last visit according to michael levine whose documentary streits matzo and the american dream premiered at the film forum on april 20 people felt a loss deeply on an emotional level he said i think people thought they were losing a part of their family
the condos design with 13000 square feet of retail will be clad in glass a modern break from the brick buildings that stood there before developers plan to decorate the lobby with memorabilia from the original building other salvaged objects will be housed in a museum at the new streits factory which is being built in rockland county ny
you have to try to preserve at least some link to the past said arthur r stern the chief executive of cogswell lee development which is developing 150 rivington street with gluck which is also the architect for the project thats ultimately what made the city what it is
on an unseasonably warm afternoon last month about three dozen people mostly employees of the development team gathered on the factorys rooftop for a ceremony to commemorate a place where matzo had been made since 1925 a feng shui expert r d chin blessed the property with a bowl of vodka soaked rice orange peels and incense its very important to acknowledge the changing of the hands he said
the factory was empty the stairwells lit with lanterns rooms that once housed 75 foot ovens and dozens of workers now had plywood covering the windows aaron gross a fifth generation owner of the family business was reflective as he stood on the roof its eerie being back he said youre expecting to see the machines youre expecting to see the people


life on the campaign trail for support staff often involves long days that lead to lonely nights in scantly furnished short term rentals with no real life social network to engage in outside of colleagues
stephanie schweitzer a political operative had fallen victim to this routine when she relocated in january 2014 from new york to austin tex to work as deputy regional finance director on the gubernatorial run of wendy davis a texas senator known for her 11 hour filibuster against senate bill 5 an anti abortion measure ms schweitzer who said she had settled into a pretty pathetic apartment with only a bed found herself feeling a bit ungrounded and foreign
refusing to accept the fate of her peripatetic career ms schweitzer now 36 recalled how she joined a group called liberal ladies who lunch through which she was introduced to another single woman around her age when she mentioned to her new friend that she wanted to try two stepping even though she didnt yet own cowboy boots her friend suggested that together they check out the love leighs a roots band with two ukuleles who were playing the white horse a honky tonk on austins east side the friends interest in going waned as the time came closer because she was nursing a hangover but ms schweitzer insisted
i didnt want to show up alone because i was sick of just showing up places and not knowing people and feeling awkward and then being like forget it im leaving ms schweitzer said
there at the white horse known as the horse she met juan pablo garza or jp who grew up on the texas mexico border and for whom cowboy boots were a staple he gave her every reason to stay
the route into politics taken by ms schweitzer a wisconsin native with sheboygan county dairy farmers on both sides of the family was a byproduct of an acting career gone awry in 2002 after graduating with a musical theater degree from syracuse university she moved to new york to pursue her dreams of becoming an actor but ended up as a guide from 2004 to 2013 for on location tours she regularly hosted a sex and the city hotspots tour with destinations including the stoop of the perry street brownstone where the fictional carrie bradshaw lived and where tourists would constantly stop for selfies
i think i was that girl that like wanted to be carrie ms schweitzer said
as a way to build her acting reel ms schweitzer had produced a short video on eating disorders an affliction she had struggled with personally energized by the effort she took on lobbying stints in washington for the eating disorders coalition later in 2012 she volunteered on president obamas re election campaign from there she interned with senator kirsten gillibrand of new york and was a field organizer in new jersey for cory bookers successful senate campaign
with rick perry heading for the exits as governor of texas a colleague pitched her on considering a move to the lone star state where a shake up in the political landscape seemed to be brewing
the potential for change increased significantly when shortly after ms schweitzers friend had floated the idea wendy davis announced she was running for governor on the heels of her much publicized filibuster in pink mizuno running shoes
this was really interesting to me because not only was it like this woman that was super inspiring and an issue i cared deeply about ms schweitzer said but it wasnt just about that cycle there was something longer at stake and i just got this bee in my bonnet that i was going to work for wendy davis
mr garza was already at the white horse that sunday night in march dancing to the conjunto los pinkys band when ms schweitzer showed up with her friend whom mr garza happened to know
mr garza has never fully let go of his boyhood dream of playing major league baseball he learned the game as a child in the south texas border city of laredo and eventually worked his way up to join the cosme ordonez team an all star squad of high school kids who would pile in mr garzas toyota pickup truck and cross over the border to play men in their mid 20s who were vying for spots on mexican professional teams as reality began to set in that his shot with the majors had eluded him mr garza pursued a nursing degree from laredo community college he ultimately chose to focus on dialysis because it gave him sundays off to play in recreational adult baseball leagues
ive been doing what ive been doing since i was 8 years old mr garza now 47 said play baseball and be responsible for what ive got to get done i dont try to do too much because i might take away from playing on sundays   thats my outlet
he also got married and divorced prompting the reignition of his passion for dancing   something that was first stoked when as a child he would go with his family on friday nights to dance cumbias and waltzes to the live bands playing at the local hall in laredo
after the divorce i was feeling like id never find love again mr garza said i had my opportunities but it just didnt click not meant to happen then for a while i would play the because i love ill let you go if you want to go game it is what it is game i love you but im not in love with you game i guess this is how i would gauge their love for me or mine for them
by the time he and ms schweitzer met at the white horse mr garza had adopted a regular sunday routine of playing nine innings with his team the austin arch angels and then go dancing at the horse where hed become one of the regulars i hosed off kept my cup holder shorts on changed into jeans and a clean shirt he said
ms schweitzer liked what she saw on the dance floor as mr garza and her friend shuffled along at one point he was bringing her back over toward me she said and i just whacked him and i was like whens it my turn  so they danced first to songs by the love leighs and then the soul supporters
she too had a love of dance that stretched back to her childhood when i was younger my dad and i used to have these nights where he would get out all of his old 45s and we would dance until we were out of breath ms schweitzer said he used to pick me up in his arms during the theme from zeffirellis romeo  juliet ill never forget those memories
you become one when youre on the floor mr garza said you want to go this way she follows you she knows she anticipates where youre going to go its a pretty feeling   a feeling with no words its just all touch listen sense the nature of things
before that night at the horse was over mr garza dangled before ms schweitzer the possibility of more swings around the dance floor he didnt quite ask her on a date but he casually mentioned that he would be at the horse the next friday for the cajun band gumbo ce soir this time she arrived alone mr garza quickly spotted her and pulled her out onto the floor the next day they had a rendezvous at the continental club for redd volkaert who used to play in merle haggards band and then later that saturday night they hit gueros and the rattle inn
that was the night she started feeling something for him as they got back to their respective cars she asked him about the next spot he suggested still more dancing that sunday at the oasis on lake travis and also that he pick her up this time when he dropped her off at her apartment at the end of the night they had their first kiss
more whirlwind weekends were to follow for the tireless couple by june it was mr garzas turn to signal his seriousness to her   but he did it in a most curious way he asked ms schweitzer if sadie her cat might consider moving in with him the message confused ms schweitzer at first but then she realized mr garzas coy humor
one morning in october mr garza and ms schweitzer were lying in bed he began reading lyrics to the song if i were a carpenter the tim hardin folk tune later popularized by johnny and june carter cash
if i were a carpenter
and you were a lady
would you marry me anyway
would you have my baby
but when senator daviss bid for governor fell short ms schweitzer was suddenly faced with leaving austin for louisville ky where jack conway who was running for attorney general in kentucky wanted her on his campaigns finance staff
i wasnt really interested in the job but professionally this is what i had been working for said ms schweitzer who flew to louisville for a two day interview when she landed the job she said it was like a punch to the gut they wanted her to start right away but she and mr garza had a trip to new york planned this bought her   and him   a week to deliberate
he could have possibly tried to get a traveling assignment there ms schweitzer said but it just didnt seem fair to ask him to uproot his life so that i could launch back into a crazy schedule working long hours traveling all the time and living in a tiny temporary apartment
ms schweitzer added i felt if i was going to choose him i needed to choose him
so she did and backed out of the kentucky job before long she found a job with the texas civil rights project where she is now the fund raising director
she and mr garza were married april 2 at the red corral ranch in the hill country near wimberley tex where cellphone service is nonexistent and a collection of peacocks intermittently squawked providing comic relief
during the ceremony held outside on a peerless saturday afternoon under oak trees dotted with dream catchers and with about 150 guests looking on the couple performed an earth air fire water processional during which they combined soils from ms schweitzers two family farms and mr garzas little league baseball field
bill ogilvie a dancing acquaintance who is also a universal life minister talked about openness and humility as virtues that bring dancing partners together after the ceremony mr ogilvie revealed jp was a ladies man until he met stephanie he used to have four or five women lined up to dance with him
the reception was a re creation of the night they first met guests danced to live music by the love leighs and soul supporters and ate from a wedding cake depicting the white horses red and black tiled dance floor
the bridesmaids almost exclusively new yorkers expressed amazement over ms schweitzer one said she said shed never live more than five blocks from bergdorfs another said prada escada miu miu   she had it all
when it was time for ms schweitzers maid of honor staci jacobs to give a toast she brought it all back to sex and the city after all ms schweitzer still has a place on the upper west side and mr garza seems to increasingly like visiting the city quoting carrie bradshaw ms jacobs said i am someone who is looking for love real love ridiculous inconvenient consuming cant live without each other love and then she said and its here in this city on this ranch in this room


lampshades are not meant to be worn as head gear but when a contemporary fashion designer like katie eary creates for the home anything goes
and if youre searching for interesting wedding gifts or presents for mothers day you might find just the right thing at ikea
this week the swedish retailer is presenting a new collection of tableware and bedding called giltig created by ms eary the london based designer whose clothing is also very unusual
this collection is the first collaboration in a series planned between ikea and fashion designers


my husband and i have been married for 12 years it is the second marriage for both of us we have six grown children between us but none together my mother in law an otherwise pleasant woman has begun inviting my husband on trips for just the two of them while i am sitting right there its happened several times my husband doesnt take her up on these offers he tells me that his mother is just a little odd but i want these invitations to stop any advice for me
susan ridgewood nj
advice courses through my veins though you may not like it if i am doing the math correctly you and your husband are probably in your 50s and his mother is somewhere in her 70s with an average life expectancy of about 81 years it doesnt surprise me that such a woman or a man in the autumn of life would reach out to an adult child especially now that that childs parenting load has lightened to renew one of her primary and primal relationships remember how we used to long to climb into bed with them as kids
of course im not thrilled with the way these invitations are issued its never kind to exclude people publicly even if we think they dont want to be included still you say she is pleasant so maybe this is where her oddness comes in your husband can shut down these public overtures in two seconds by speaking with her privately mom it hurts susans feelings when you invite me on trips without her done
but this leaves the larger question the prospect of a brief vacation with an older parent and without our partners in my experience these getaways have been eye opening and surprisingly tender forcing us out of the workaday groove of parent and adult child handled correctly they neednt hurt anyones feelings now if your husband is not up for a one on one with his mom that too is easily addressed sounds fun lets invite susan but consider encouraging their trip its not about excluding you and who knows a brief absence may make the marital heart beat stronger
a new horror on the subway people clipping their fingernails in public is it just me or is this gross if its the latter how do we shut this down
samantha
forgive me for being blase but i just saw a very good movie called neon bull in which an exotic dancer gives herself a brazilian wax in the front seat of a truck nearly everything seems refined after that but i agree personal grooming like combing hair applying eyeliner or clipping nails is better done privately
still who wants to be the grump policing such behavior in public and possibly getting into scraps with strangers on subways thats the rub though a remark along the lines of id rather not lose an eye to one of your projectile fingernail shards seems reasonable and on sharp point
i recently moved to new york city and took over a room in an apartment with two roommates my birthday is coming up and i was thinking of inviting 20 friends over to celebrate but a roommate told me that the landlord who lives on the ground floor only allows two friends at a time i can understand that big parties may get loud but sometimes i like to invite four or five friends for brunch how should i handle this
anonymous
be guided by the spirit of the rule not its letter i bet your landlord would rather you invite five considerate brunch guests than the prescribed two who stomp up the stairs while screeching the lyrics to i took a pill in ibiza ask your guests in advance to be quiet and once youve established a sterling track record with your landlord in a few months ask about the great white whale a dance party produced by mark ronson exceptions to rules are more common than youd think
a dear friend has an annoying quirk in restaurants if a dish is misprepared   if the bacon is limp or the steak is overcooked   she will not eat the food or send it back to the kitchen the reason she is convinced that the kitchen staff will retaliate by spitting in her food she remains seated while the rest of us finish our meals but for her the meal is over it ruins our experience this happens often enough that i am not willing to let it slide any ideas
jan
the problem with irrational fears is that theyre well irrational you will probably not persuade your pal that she is being paranoid until she chooses to address her underlying phobia my advice stop eating out with her and explain why its unpleasant to go to restaurants with you we never know if youre going to go on one of your strange hunger strikes invite her on walks in the park or shopping instead not every social activity has to revolve around food though all of mine do


when the curtain goes up on mozarts die entfuhrung aus dem serail the abduction from the seraglio we are on the mediterranean coast in the ottoman empire at a palace where european captives are being held as slaves by a muslim pasha when the ottoman turkish overseer osmin enters and sings about his rage against the christian prisoners he fantasizes about hanging them impaling them on hot stakes and beheading them
mozart and his librettists wrote a comedy but it is hard to listen to osmins aria today and not think about contemporary nightmare scenarios of hostages and global conflict an evening with abduction from the seraglio   first presented in vienna in 1782 and opening friday april 22 at the metropolitan opera in a revival conducted by james levine   reminds us that in the 18th century when the vast ottoman empire was governed by the turkish sultans in istanbul mozart was one of many european composers fascinated by the relations encounters and conflicts between christians and muslims
it was an age of warfare against the turks full of the tensions between the muslim and western worlds but abduction may be an opera for our own times too an intriguing if disturbing model of how to understand   through the structure of music   the anger of an enemy and how to explore harmoniously the reconciliation of cultural difference
europeans being held captive in the muslim world was a common occurrence in mozarts time alongside the atlantic slave trade there was a mediterranean slave trade driven by the barbary pirates of north africa who operated within the domain of influence of the ottoman empire religious and philanthropic associations were active all over europe raising money for ransoms and publishers hawked both moving memoirs of female captivity and later pornographic fictions on the same theme
sex trafficking is of course not what one usually thinks about when listening to mozarts brilliant overture with its musical explosion of what would have been viewed in his time as characteristically turkish percussion   cymbals triangle bass drum   that the composer used to wake up the audience and compel attention but female slavery however evasively dramatized in this comedic presentation forms the back story of abduction in which konstanze a spanish lady and her english servant blonde have been kidnapped by pirates and sold to pasha selim many productions including the mets dont dwell on all this but the director calixto bieito shocked the opera world by emphasizing the brutality of trafficking in a harrowing violent 2004 berlin staging
at the same time that mediterranean piracy was an 18th century reality   delivering thousands of european captives into ottoman servitude and not to be forgotten numerous muslim captives into europe   operas about turks were a cultural phenomenon with hundreds of productions featuring turbaned sultans and pashas enslaving hundreds of sopranos in their harems in 1683 just shy of a century before the premiere of abduction the viennese withstood a turkish siege ottoman military bands played authentic turkish percussion to terrify the residents   the same percussion that mozart later imitated for its entertainment value in abduction
the siege was broken with the arrival of a polish army and the ensuing victories of the allied christian troops pushed back the borders of the ottoman empire this made the turkish military seem less fearsome than before and european opera houses rather suddenly began staging operas about turks
there was an almost instantaneous operatic treatment in hamburg in 1686 johann wolfgang francks the lucky grand vizier kara mustafa and the unlucky grand vizier kara mustafa composed for performance on successive evenings the grand vizier who led the ottoman troops was put to death after the failure of the siege most important however was the 1689 premiere in venice of marcantonio zianis il gran tamerlano this was the predecessor of handels tamerlano which was produced in london in 1724 and portrayed with deep sympathy the defeated ottoman sultan bajazet whose heroic sufferings as a captive of the conqueror tamerlane were a common operatic subject throughout the 18th century rameau included a section called the generous turk in his les indes galantes 1735 while gluck and haydn both composed operas on roughly the same libretto the unexpected encounter or the pilgrims to mecca glucks in french haydns in italian gretrys caravan of cairo was such a huge success in paris in the 1780s that the metropolitan museum of art preserves french fabric samples printed with scenes from the work
operas about turks could be serious or funny but curiously those that depicted europeans in ottoman captivity were almost always comedies that ended happily with the emancipation of the prisoners usually by an unexpected act of magnanimity from the turkish authority like pasha selim in abduction some actually reckoned with the brutal realities of trafficking and slavery if also in comic fashion the bass ludwig fischer who starred in georg joseph voglers merchant of smyrna as a gleefully evil slave dealer was also mozarts first osmin
osmin the pashas overseer and the guardian of the harem dominates abduction with extravagant musical rages that reach down to the depths of the bass vocal range mozart was thoroughly invested in exploring through this character the ways that music could express extreme emotions while still remaining musical a person who gets into such a violent rage oversteps all order measure and object he wrote in a 1781 letter he no longer knows himself in the same way the music must no longer know itself   but passions violent or not must never be expressed to the point of disgust and music must never offend the ear
while mozart lived in a century of intermittent european wars against the ottoman turks as well as a century of captivity and slave trade on the mediterranean he couldnt help being interested in exploring the ways in which the two sides were closer than they realized in the original libretto for abduction which had already been set by a different composer in berlin in 1781 the tenor hero belmonte was revealed to be the long lost son of the ottoman pasha and though this plot twist was eliminated in vienna mozart does allow a certain intimacy between the two cultures though the captive konstanze declares that she would rather submit to every kind of torture than surrender sexually to the pasha she also seems drawn to him admire you yes but love you never and her stunningly difficult ornamentation of her aria recalls osmins in its extremity later in his career mozart would use the same kind of soprano dazzle to portray the fury of the queen of the night in the magic flute
belmonte seeks to rescue or abduct konstanze from the pashas harem but when they are caught escaping the pasha turns out to be a generous turk in the 18th century tradition the lovers are neither beheaded nor hanged nor impaled but are set free to return to europe and love each other mozarts finale celebrates the magnanimity of the pasha as a way of flattering the austrian hapsburg emperor who was actually in the audience at the vienna premiere with an opera that offered a model of enlightened despotism relevant to muslim and christian rulers alike mozart acknowledged what the political scientist samuel p huntington called the clash of civilizations between the islamic world and the west but he also understood that that clash was qualified by numerous points of contact and familiarity in abduction when the european captive pedrillo offers alcoholic temptation and once the quranic prohibition has been considered and discarded osmin the angry overseer becomes entirely amiable joining pedrillo in a tribute to bacchus and a toast to all women blondes and brunettes alike
in the spirit of the enlightenment and within the genre of comic opera mozart really could imagine a brotherhood of christians and muslims after all even in an age of violent conflicts harmony was what he understood best


to mark the 400th anniversary of shakespeares death the new york times asked four contemporary writers to envision lost and rebooted scenes from some of the playwrights works
this is shakespeares deleted scene from romeo  juliet as discovered by john ofarrell in which he explored the second meeting of the young lovers
romeo oh blessed blessed night i am afeared being in night all this is but a dream too flattering sweet to be substantial
juliet thou said that yesterday...
romeo i know but thou seemd to like it...
juliet verily once twas romantic twice tis just annoying
romeo ok   uh juliet juliet ... thou art like the morning sun
juliet art thou saying i am fat
romeo nay nay thrice times nay i simply mean that like the sun um thou giveth life and bring lightness all around ...
juliet thou sayest im a big fat round sun is that what thou sayest
romeo look pray we just start again juliet oh juliet um how like the dawn are thee let songbirds herald my waking life when you kissed me
juliet youre doing it again
romeo doing what
juliet that annoying thing with thy mouth when thou thinks thou said something poetic
romeo soft speak not of human follies when cupids bow aims true
juliet there tis again
romeo i do that not anyway tis better than being a nag
juliet foresooth i naggeth not
romeo count thee the drinks i quoffed three goblets of wine romeo tis surely plenty
juliet thou hadst four actually
romeo see nag nag nag
juliet why must thy be like this is it because thy family liketh me not
romeo leave mine family out of this ...
juliet oh fair chance wouldst be a fine thing alas see how love fades tis but one day and now the red rose of love sheds petals brown and dry
romeo its always damn roses with you isnt it there are other flowers you know ...
juliet my fears have come to pass i must speaketh with thee of matters grave
romeo what monstrous news is this
juliet oh romeo romeo i wanteth not to lose thee as a friend ...
romeo no   it cannot be
juliet tis not you tis me
romeo thou art saying that i am dump ed
juliet like th albatross who sails oer the sea like the solitary moorland tree i juliet now alone must be
romeo so i am dump ed
juliet too young am i for thy marriage bed i mean i am supposed to be 13 tis actually a little creepy
romeo but were good together thy and i romeo and juliet - it just sounds right
juliet see how you put thyself first again why dost no man say juliet and romeo no i must myself discover i crave to travel study maybe stay on a kibbutz
romeo a what
juliet tis in the holy land thou rises at dawn to pick grapefruit and therein finds thyself
romeo youve got really weird is there someone else
juliet no anyway tybalt sayest that monogamy is a social construct
romeo i bloody knew it tybalt ill kill him or we could both kill ourselves   that would be a way to end it
juliet a little overdramatic thinketh thee not what say we give just back each others poetry books and call it a day
romeo farewell i shall never find love like this again ...
romeo exits then re enters
romeo just one last thought   does thy nurse have a boyfriend
john ofarrell is the book writer for the musical something rotten which is now playing on broadway
in the final moments of measure for measure duke vincentio proposes to isabella and she is given no lines with which to respond here is an alternate ending to her story courtesy of heidi schreck
dukedear isabel
i have a motion much imports your good
whereto if youll a willing ear incline
whats mine is yours and what is yours is mine
isabellamy lord ere we met i was a lost girl
prepard with trembling spirit to abjure
the company of men to the join the wisp
o women who live to contemplate
the bright face of god i wept to think that
never should i speak a dear husbands name
nor kiss his darling bushy bearded face
nor bury my nose in his rank t shirt
nor live by his side and die in his bed likely
at tender age in throes of childbirth
duke dear isabel  
isabellanot finished
duke sorry
isabella but after all that i have learned of men
during this exceptionally hard week
i weep no more for though you all have heard
me plead for mercy in famous speeches
not one of your gender has markd my voice
but demanded i go to his bed and
you duke think on all you have demanded
of me to trick a most innocent girl
into sleeping with the sociopath
you left for no good reason well in charge
of your city to ask forgiveness for
that selfsame sociopath even though
he ordered my brothers head be chopped off
and shipped to him by suitcase finally
you asked me to stand up in the town square
and name myself a whore and in return
shall i give up my life to be your helpmeet
you have shown me now the true face of man
and i tell you truly i would rather
sink my feet into the earth grow branches
for arms sprout buds from my fingers and live
within the silent grove of my sisters
like a myrtle tree than spend one minute
more with any of you upon my life
and with unmeasured joy i tell you no
end of play
heidi schrecks recent play is grand concourse she also writes for television including nurse jackie and billions
from teenage dick a reimagining of richard iii set in high school by mike lew
bare stage reveille music plays we see local news clips of youth football teams helping a disabled student to score a symbolic touchdown
richard roseland high school home of the roseland stallions
now that the winter formal gives way to glorious spring fling which i believe is the sadie hawkins dance im not sure because whos sadie hawkins and also nobodys asked me yet
now that our football season has ended and the warring stallions turn to more peaceable pastures we find our rocks for brains hero eddie   the quarterback   sleeping through his job as junior class president oh was i president i was too busy throwing sacks throwing sacks   is that what quarterbacks do im not sure because as you can see i am not one who is shaped for sports
i richard who am but junior class secretary third in line behind eddie the quarter brains and clarissa the goodie goodie vice president welllll maybe i cant play football but i can run a play the senior elections are upon us and from here i will vault past my current inglorious station not by a pity vote not by campaigning but by systematically destroying the competition ill take down clarissa and eddie and hold dominion over all of this school
but richard you whimper thats so so mean why would you wish for something so mean because they all hate me thats why i was stamped for their hatred from birth they see my unpleasant shape and like a magnet i must repulse whereas eddie he too like a magnet draws in their adoration like so many iron shavings eddie who is nothing more than a pleasing shell a faberge egg he all pretty surfaces hollowed of brains
well eddie dear egg i will crack thee i will be senior class president
i come to bury eddie not to praise him
is this a ballot i see before me
eddie the love i bear thee can afford no better term that this thou art a massive stupid jerk
school bell rings
aw im late for english no matter watch this 
light shift and were in english class richard approaches elizabeth
sorry im late ms york with my locker all the way across campus its so hard getting to class you know with my gait
mike lew has written bike america and other plays teenage dick is a commission from the apothetae which illuminates the disabled experience
in christina andersons riff on loves labours lost set in the early 1980s day laborers tired of surviving from moment to moment vow to devote their lives to building an economic empire
the parking lot of a run down strip mall
men are gathered in the hope of finding day labor they wear workmens clothing steel toe boots hoodies jean jackets skull caps etc
its usually a quiet morning filled with coffee sips and cigarette smoke but today a clump of men gather around lean and julian in the midst of a lively conversati  
lean i dont want anything youre dealing julian
julian lets start fresh lean ok ill try to appeal to your gut ok just listen to me until a job comes if its a job we can do me and my boys will take it ill be outta your face gone
lean considers
julian ok
lean all right
julian jumps right to it ok i write with this hand holds up dominant hand my mother wanted me to write with this one holds up non dominant hand my father wanted me to use whatever hand god decided for me he calls this hand my upper hand let him get acquainted with his upper hand thats the one that grabs the gold thats the one that fights for truth im 4 years old and kept reaching for things with my upper hand and my mother kept scolding me for it so what does she eventually do
she binds it
wraps it up when my father goes to work then takes it off when he comes home this goes on for months until my father comes home early one day unexpected he sees the rubber the plastic around my upper hand what the hell is this i start to cry my father got the scissors cuts it from my hand took me to the sink washed it dried it put lotion on it my father resurrected my truth my passion it was the nicest thing he ever did for me my upper was back in its rightful place my real self was brought back to life
julian raises his upper hand makes a fist the other men that surround him do the same
julian this hand holds honesty truth we make deals keep promises collect debts with the upper hand lean the soul sleeps in this hand you reach out to another brother with this hand and youre cradling his soul which hand holds your truth
slowly lean raises his upper hand the men breathe as they gaze into each others souls after a beat following julians cue the other men lower their hand lean is the last to lower his hand draped in vulnerability
julian ok lean i spoke to your gut i showed you my hand knowing what you know about me now ill ask you again will you work with us three years we study   no drugs no drink no women we acquire knowledge then we build our fortune
just as julians about to speak sound of a truck pulling into the parking then stops a dude enters
dude we need five guys to do some landscaping
julian turns to lean
christina anderson is author of the ashes under gait city and other plays she teaches playwriting at suny purchase and is a resident playwright at new dramatists


my mothers brain has been melting since she had a serious stroke a year and a half ago and if i had to map it id say the major territories now are pastrami kittens egg rolls and lately a man in her nursing home unit well call sam
sam as we say in my family is not from the big talkers actually hes almost a nontalker i have yet to see him excited or upset about anything romantically he is a tabula rasa project on him what you will and he has no complaints this makes him my mothers ideal man
wheel me over to sam i want to give him a kiss ma says
ma is in a wheelchair as is sam and a kiss is about all she can give him still one wants in these litigious and sexually correct times to establish consent
what if sam doesnt want to be kissed ma i say
ma snorts as if im asking what if somebody doesnt want to win the mega millions
hell want it all right ma says
is there an essential personality a bedrock you or is what remains after a massive stroke merely cranial geology before what her hospital records list as a right temporoparietal infarct ma was blunt unconventional and such a monument of self confidence you could have sold tickets
people find me fascinating shed say i dont know what it is about me they just do
now although ma does not understand distance or time the self confidence remains it doesnt matter that when i wheel her to sam for a kiss sam doesnt react ma who does not kiss him knows what shes got
there are starers here ma told me when she went into the nursing home these men just sit and stare at me why do they do that do you think
well you see ma some of these people are not in good health i explained theyve had medical problems that affect their brains its not that theyre staring at you theyre just staring
bzzzt wrong answer bring on the next contestant in the best adult child show my brother martin men are staring at your 89 year old mother mr wadler can you tell her why
face it ma my brother says youre a good looking woman men cant take their eyes off you youll just have to live with it
what do you do when your mother spends half her time on another planet a snowbird of dementia at first i thought i should keep her tethered to reality
no ma you wouldnt be in the pool if you were home in daytona think about it how would you get in and out you cant walk
friends whove had parents in this situation say its better to step into their reality and soothe or distract them but distracting my mother from her plans for her and sam is like distracting a mack truck its all she wants to talk about she and sam are thinking of getting a puppy she says sam can walk it
sam said he wants a puppy i say i never hear him talk
he talks to me ma says
id love it if my mother had a boyfriend real or imagined but i dont know how much sam is into this if at all and mas plans are way out of sync with their abilities she and sam are both in diapers ma cannot walk the aides need a hoyer lift to get her out of bed
know any cheap hotels in new york ma asks me say 77 a night
ma i say is this about sam do you want to spend the night with this guy which is fine with me
ma feigns nonchalance its remarkable hunks of her brain are gone and she is still trying to gaslight her daughter
not right away ma says well see what develops wed stay in separate rooms maybe one big room
i go home and call my friend herb
my mother is trying to get into some guys diapers i say
but who doesnt want her mother to be happy on my next visit i bring extra bagels and lox and invite sam to join ma and me for lunch he declines i get tea for ma and myself and we share a bagel and talk
know any cheap hotels in new york ma says
what do you want to do in new york ma i say
sam and i want to spend a few days and take in the sights ma says go to the statue of liberty take that boat around manhattan
step into her reality then soothe or distract her
that sounds really nice ma i say but it will take planning what about a picnic in the garden here you and sam make a list of your favorite foods and ill bring them and   
storm clouds start darkening the face of mount ma
what does sam say hed like to do in new york i ask
hed like to go to a ballgame ma says brightening i was thinking we could see that jewish ballplayer the one who didnt play on the holidays
sandy koufax i say im not even sure hes alive
i get my phone and look him up
sandy koufax is 80 years old ma i say hes not playing anymore
ma looks skeptical
its a young mans game ma i say but look im sure we can find another jewish player there are hundreds of them out there


in the room that would be the scene of lisa georges divorce in 2012 ms george now 59 was seated on the same side of the table as her about to be ex husband each of their divorce lawyers slid into seats across from them
between the lawyers sat carol hughes a divorce coach in orange county calif dr hughes placed two collages on small easels on the table one was pasted with photos and words from the couples daughter 25 at the time the second was of their son who was 28
in the middle of the negotiations even in the heat of disagreement there was an immediate realization that our kids were part of this ms george said it was the best possible reminder to stay grounded
the divorce rate among couples 50 and older has soared the number of individuals who are adults when their parents divorce is climbing with it yet the vast majority of recent research and subsequent counseling for divorcing couples is focused on young children
but for adult children of divorce specific therapy or even divorce coaches like dr hughes are difficult to find
when krista mischos parents divorced after 45 years of marriage she sought comfort from others in her situation i went to a divorce care group but it was a meeting for adults going through divorces said mrs mischo who lives in wisconsin and was 43 at the time the only group for children of divorce i could find was for young children
in 2012 she decided to create a group of her own and began writing a blog time for serenity acodtimeforserenityblogspotcom
in a short time she said the blog had attracted more than 20000 readers around the world mrs mischo who stopped writing the blog after two years said i think i really exhausted every possible topic i could think of and therapeutically i have worked through almost every aspect of this and i dont want this to define me
her need to connect resonated with others in the same situation
readers used the word devastated she said the wind is knocked out of you
the effect on adult children is undocumented said susan l brown a sociology professor at bowling green state university whose 2012 study with i fen lin the gray divorce revolution established that the divorce rate among people 50 and older had doubled in the previous 20 years
i dont know how it will play out dr brown said of her findings for most people getting a gray divorce the children are adult age but she said research actually applies to a past generation where is the research that will help this generation
jenny kutner 24 of manhattan a senior staff writer for the online news site miccom is still negotiating her way through her parents 2013 divorce soon after it was final ms kutners father told her and her college age sister that they needed to call him every day for about a month they did
my father told me i wasnt sad enough about it ms kutner said he would say i just got divorced and i would say to him my parents just got divorced i dont know what to tell you
then her mother wanted to share details of her dates ms kutner had had enough
i have said so many times over the past year that i felt as though i had two 50 something year old children ms kutner said and i have totally resented it
both parents want the children to understand their pain and confusion thats not ok therapists say parent up they say
in our work were seeing the trauma to adult children whose parents are going through divorce dr hughes said the parents say the children are adults now theyll be fine but they arent fine often the children can be pulled into the divorce process
adult children are already trying to figure out the logistics of their parents divorce where to spend holidays and birthdays if they need to visit more often to support the more emotionally struggling parent getting dragged into teary midnight phone calls or contentious conversations about whose fault the divorce was makes a difficult situation unbearable
worse many adult children begin to question whether they want children of their own or if they have the ability to maintain a healthy relationship
i really have no interest in the idea of getting married ms kutner said if my parents could end up not staying together to me it really indicates that we live too long and i have found a lot of peace in that some people really do outgrow each other and the relationship is as long as it is and that might not be a lifetime
most therapists treat adult children of divorce the way they treat those who are grieving from any other loss or who are depressed or anxious without a wealth of recent research on gray divorce and its impact gathering information is left to the therapists
dr hughes has created her own questionnaires for her clients generic questions i have developed from knowing the developmental stages the adult children are in she said
dr hughes recommends certain behavioral modifications for divorcing parents she knows for example that many of them break the news by telephone
that is what happened to ms george when her parents divorced when she was 36 as dr hughes coached ms george through her own divorce she told her that children of any age want to hear the news in person and with their siblings
she told us neither parent should deliver the entire message and that they need to hear that this isnt the result of anything they had or hadnt done ms george said at any age they need to hear that
so ms george and her husband waited until the whole family was together at thanksgiving and until others were out of the room then they spoke to their children afterward both children contacted dr hughes for further conversations about the divorce
such help wasnt available nine years ago when mrs mischos parents divorced
her mother was 66 at the time her father 71 my parents divorce definitely affected my own marriage mrs mischo said you live eat breathe and sleep with whats going on their marriage had always seemed intact and very committed i had to rethink everything
those thoughts include adult childrens questioning of their own perceptions adult children begin to question the reality of their own lives growing up dr hughes said some parents will say i wanted to divorce your mom or dad when you were little but we had you kids the adult child asks was it all a facade
dr hughes is part of a small but growing field of therapists working with lawyers to encourage divorcing parents to consider the needs of adult children her practice part of collaborative divorce solutions of orange county is very active on this topic she said i think were in denial as a nation as to how adult children are affected by divorce
as sad as she is about her divorce ms george said she had no regrets about the process she first heard of divorce coaching when she stopped at a tag sale in her newport beach calif neighborhood and chronically teary eyed from the difficulties of the divorce came away with a business card for a divorce coach eventually she met dr hughes
i wanted for my kids to have a better sense of this process for themselves as young adults as they are making their own coupling decisions and a place where they could feel safe with someone to talk to ms george said i didnt have anyone to talk to regarding my parents divorce i wanted someone there for them and that was carol


madrid   two giants of western literature william shakespeare and miguel de cervantes are being honored this weekend in their native countries on the 400th anniversaries of their deaths
but while britain has gone all out to fete shakespeare with a yearlong slate of high profile events readings concerts and stagings of his plays spanish officials have been accused of not doing enough to promote cervantes whose don quixote is considered to be a foundational text of modern fiction
as spain heads into its fifth month without an elected government after inconclusive elections in december the criticism has taken on a distinctly political flavor
a few weeks ago juan luis cebrian the chairman of prisa the spanish media group that owns the newspaper el pais paid tribute to cervantes at his shareholders general assembly but he took a swipe at the absence and anomia of the authorities of our country in terms of everything that relates to this event
in january socialist lawmakers presented a parliamentary proposal to push the acting conservative government to improve the commemoration plans jose andres torres mora a socialist lawmaker accused the government of crossing its arms
spanish officials insist that such criticism is misplaced saying the government never sought to take full control over how cervantes should be honored nor foot the entire bill for the celebration
jose maria lassalle the state secretary for culture said in a telephone interview that his aim was to break with the philosophy of the 1980s and 90s when spain was mostly under a socialist government during that time he argued huge cultural projects were heavily subsidized and organized from the top with a strict hierarchy
instead he said the cervantes commemoration should be more collaborative and democratic
the culture ministry recently added 129 projects to the official commemoration agenda raising the total to 329 the government said it had allocated a total of 4 million euros about 455 million to finance events linked to the anniversary regional authorities are spending about half that amount
in britain nearly every major cultural institution has planned a splashy shakespeare event on saturday   the date of his death   the royal shakespeare company hosted shakespeare live a performance broadcast by the bbc actors joining the event include helen mirren judi dench and benedict cumberbatch prince charles was also to be part of the festivities
the national theater the british library the royal festival hall and the victoria and albert museum among others scheduled events for this weekend
spains comparatively low key treatment of cervantes has rankled not a few of the countrys writers and intellectuals
arturo perez reverte one of spains best selling novelists said in his blog that while the british prime minister david cameron had written a widely published article about shakespeare and even rattled off a series of puns in parliament to demonstrate how the poet and playwright provides language for every moment it would be unthinkable for mariano rajoy spains acting prime minister to publicly pay tribute to cervantes
the governments handling of the commemoration mr perez reverte wrote amounted to the international embarrassment of the year of cervantes
still on wednesday mr rajoy gave a copy of don quixote to carles puigdemont the new separatist leader of catalonia   a gesture that was also politically charged as mr rajoy then warned against any catalan attempt to break away from spain
mr lassalle the state secretary said he regretted the negative reactions in some intellectual circles there is a typical spanish spirit to consider our things worse than what is done overseas he said that is of course something that anglo saxons never do
dario villanueva the director of the spanish royal academy the guardian of the language has expressed his concerns over the organization of the commemoration in january he highlighted preparation delays warning about time consuming the opportunity that we would have to commemorate cervantes
but in a recent phone interview mr villanueva said i was worried but now im a bit more relaxed because i think that things are functioning and coming into place
that spain is not fully united behind the cervantes events is perhaps in keeping with the writers tumultuous life
one of the main events which runs until may 22 is an exhibition at the national library on display are nine of the 11 known letters that cervantes wrote mostly while working as a tax collector the show also traces the writers footsteps around the mediterranean   not always of his own will since he spent five years in prison in algiers after pirates captured him
the last part of the exhibition dedicated to the myth of cervantes and his legacy highlights how english writers followed cervantess lead in fiction including henry fielding and his novel tom jones
on a recent visit a guide told his group that cervantes would have been better honored had he lived in london instead of madrid even though he lived in the same district of the city aptly known as the barrio de las letras the literary quarter as several other writers of the so called spanish golden age
developing the literary quarter as a cultural center is the big dream that madrid needs said jose manuel lucia megias a literature professor and the curator of the national library exhibition
last year investigators said they had found the remains of cervantes in the madrid convent where he was buried in 1616 despite the media frenzy that the discovery generated fernando de prado the historian who led the search said that absolutely nothing had been done since by madrids new city hall administration to promote the burial site
over all mr de prado said there has been no attempt to think about how cervantes and this special year could be beneficial for the longer term
politicians he added are now only interested in what will happen in the politics of spain so cervantes for them is just about wanting to appear on the event photo
mr villanueva of the royal academy who is also a professor of comparative literature said shakespeare and cervantes should be honored as two absolutely complementary authors cervantes mr villanueva said wrote theater and poetry but recognized he wasnt especially inspired in those fields while shakespeare didnt write narrative
nothing in the national librarys exhibition was translated into english something that the curator called an institutional mistake
it is a complete error not to think of the public beyond people who speak spanish mr lucia megias said i think that in this country we sometimes lack marketing vision
still mr lassalle the state secretary argued that madrids exhibition compared favorably with one in the british library about shakespeare he also cited a new choreography of the ballet don quixote from the spanish national dance company that has received favorable reviews and a summer theater festival in almagro that will be devoted almost exclusively to cervantes
some government funded efforts did not receive media and public attention but were major achievements in terms of promoting cervantes including a project to digitalize his works


anohni   the songwriter and singer formerly known as antony hegarty   decided a few years ago to utterly transform the sound and message of her music she had built an international career in the realm of art pop as the leader of antony and the johnsons singing sustained vulnerable imagistic chamber pop ballads to an audience that hung on every vulnerable word but in six years between studio albums she not only renamed herself with what she calls her spirit name but also set herself on a stark new artistic course
she decided to make a trojan horse of a pop album she said in an interview in a baronial wood paneled upstairs room at the park avenue armory the same venue where she will debut the album at two events on may 18 and 19 she would jettison the delicacy of chamber pop and seek a glossy plastic sound to pull in listeners while she sang bluntly about the dire state of the world she turned her gaze outward
artists have different responsibilities in different eras anohni said but at this point i really feel like its all hands on deck an artist thats fiddle faddling in opaque gossamer gestures   i mean its fine to do that totally fine but theres no time left we dont have the luxury of time any more oh you might be able to carve a little bit out in your life but youll be carving it out of the lives of the people in the future
the result is hopelessness secretly canadian due for release may 6 an album that makes the changes to anohnis mission quite clear she has switched her backup from acoustic to electronic and her lyrics from intimately poetically personal to starkly political surveillance drone warfare capital punishment and environmental disaster are among the subjects she addresses in songs that plunge into electronic maelstroms and quiver with urgency she comes at her topics from unexpected angles   sometimes identifying with forces of destruction sometimes mourning their ravages   but theres no mistaking the intensity of her conviction
what hasnt changed is her voice a liquid sustained tremulous androgynous croon that is simultaneously weighty and unearthly and immediately arresting anohni developed it she said by trying to copy favorite singers dance pop soul disciples like boy george marc almond of soft cell and alison moyet of yaz and their american role models like ray charles and nina simone people that were singing their heart out anohni said i was drawn to people that were expressing feeling because that was what was taboo in my family expressing feeling and that was what i was made of
in november   long before her label wanted her to   anohni released the first song from the album 4 degrees on the eve of the united nations climate change conference in paris over a brusque irregular beat and blaring hornlike synthesizers it exults in an impending catastrophe of global warming as she sings i want to see this world i want to see it boil
the perspective isnt a mocking one anohni said my idea with 4 degrees was to articulate for a minute not my ideal vision of how i wanted to perceive my relationship to nature but the reality she said if i could give a voice to my behavior what would that voice be taking planes enjoying first world fossil fuel an addict of first world comfort so its not entirely ironic theres actually something kind of desperate about it too
throughout the album she added i tried to keep a focus on myself in terms of addressing my complicity in so many of these issues   as a taxpayer as a consumer as a passive participant i got to thinking perhaps as an artist even as an artist with the best of intentions that i was kind of a microcosm of the brokenness of the whole system that within my body i contained the whole conflict
as antony hegarty anohni led antony and the johnsons which was named after marsha p johnson a drag queen and transgender rights activist her piano driven songs were reflections on love pain loneliness gender nature belonging and separation the groups studio albums from 2000 2010 earned ardent fans a mercury prize in britain for the 2005 i am a bird now and collaborators including bjork and lou reed antony and the johnsons toured europe and beyond performing with local orchestras and in 2012 the museum of modern art commissioned an elaborately staged concert with a 60 piece orchestra at radio city music hall by then the songs exploration of femininity and creative power held echoes of environmentalism thinking about mother earth
subjugation of women and of the earth are one and the same anohni said during the interview kill the mother and appropriate her power thats what i see   i see a boy child who so resents and is so frightened of her creative power that he seeks to destroy her agency enslave her body and appropriate her power
ecological themes moved upfront in manta ray a ballad that anohni sang and co wrote for the documentary racing extinction it was nominated for a 2016 academy award for best original song   and probably the only nominee ever in the category to mention biodiversity in its lyrics after the oscars telecast left anohni in limbo about whether she would perform eventually announcing that she wouldnt anohni decided not to go to the ceremony
the reason i didnt attend wasnt because i wasnt invited to perform she said thats completely their prerogative but she added they could have called me at the beginning of the process and said youre not going to be performing rather than leaving me for weeks wondering and they could have said well take care of the press so you wont be reflected on in a poor light as if youre being deprived of something when really were trying to honor you
in the six years since the last antony and the johnsons studio album anohni toured her own songs played a central role in the large scale performance piece the life and death of marina abramovic and worked on drawings paintings and sculptures   including a 2012 exhibition at the hammer museum and a coming one at the kunsthalle bielefeld in germany
she changed her name first among friends then as a public figure ive been talking about myself as transgender for as long as i can remember so its not so much an issue of transformation as it is just a slow shifting she said it was just about changing the lens a little bit to see slightly differently just to have a more feminine name it was incongruous for me to have a mans name because i dont identify as a man and i never have
she also decided to write openly political songs hopelessness was three years in the making she started it with daniel lopatin who as oneohtrix point never produces absorbingly disorienting electronic tracks they had initially thought about making music that anohni said was a kind of blade runner kitaro japanimation soundtrack
but as they squeezed album sessions between other projects anohni was also drawn to the opposite of those pastoral electronics the sharp brittle fits and starts of the chicago footwork records made by dj rashad who died in 2014 anohni approached the scottish producer hudson mohawke who has made hip hop tracks with kanye west and others to join the project i was looking for the right opportunity to do something that did have some teeth to it anohni said and the kind of relentless exuberant almost ecstatic positiveness of hudsons music was the perfect foil for more challenging lyrics than people would be used to hearing from me
none of them were entirely sure the concept would work you shouldnt have these sort of sugary sweet almost rb style mainstream instruments with quite heavy lyrics on them hudson mohawke recalled thinking at times this might turn out terrible
both producers worked on all the songs along with extensive painting over by anohni herself part of the magic of this record is the volleying of ideas back and forth in a haphazard way mr lopatin said the whole record was basically undergoing metamorphosis up until the 11th hour anohni is really a producer and shes not just writing these songs she loves getting in there and twisting stuff up in pro tools and chopping stuff up and editing and rearranging shes permanently finding all of these little magic things that wouldnt have occurred to us until i heard the final mixes i didnt realize this is how it goes
the proportions of haze and drive fluctuate throughout the album with anohnis voice at the center her range is crazy the ideas are nuts the movement is wild   you basically dont have to do that much mr lopatin said all you have to do is set up a staging area for an incredible performance
the album includes songs like watch me   with plush creepy 1980s style synthesizers as the singer addresses an all seeing daddy crooning i know you love me because youre always watching meprotecting me from evil protecting me from terrorism   and drone bomb me which envisions annihilation as a kind of all consuming love the indictments are nonpartisan a song called obama with slow dive synthesizer lines is a bitter threnody punctuated by the programmed sputters of trap drums for the hopes of 2008 now the news is you were spying executing without trial anohni sings
i was scared singing a lot of these songs anohni said the words arent necessarily that savory   theyre obviously unsavory and scary and that was also weird to appropriate my own voice which is something that people typically trust people trust me to bring them to a safe place this is the first record where ive not really done that im using my voice to express more conflicted multifaceted kinds of problems and perspectives that are less settled and less comforting
for anohni hopelessness defies its own album title a child thats hopeless doesnt speak out she said i really believe in raising spirits shaking the spirits out i wanted to find that up feeling a lot of the songs
my fantasy she added is that its kind of a dance record


buddy check on 22 where are my warriors that was how e michael davis a former army sergeant greeted his facebook friends one afternoon last month
one by one the men and women who had been deployed with him in iraq and afghanistan checked in many were executing the most mundane of lifes tasks but they were still alive working a long shift heading home for a beer exercising listening to music at the moment thanks
it was march 22 to many civilians just another tuesday but to thousands of veterans and active duty soldiers the 22nd of every month is a reminder to make a suicide prevention spot check on former comrades a department of veterans affairs study in 2012 said an estimated 22 veterans committed suicide every day in 2010 while other studies calculated a lower tally closer to one or two per day the number 22 has taken on potent symbolism on social media from roll calls to push up challenges
it is an acknowledgment that hey i am breathing i am out here mr davis said i am living life
robert bennett a retired member of the 82nd airborne division opened his facebook page in his california home that day and saw his sergeants call out the two men now thousands of miles apart had become closer than brothers in iraq serving shoulder to shoulder under mortar and rocket fire few words were needed
all okay top mr bennett wrote
in interviews many veterans said they turn primarily to social media sites for support where former units are at their fingertips and a lifeline is just a keystroke away
we have certainly tasted the same dust mr bennett said
for decades now american veterans have forged bonds on battlefields sleeping in sand blown tents swallowing fear in concrete bunkers or cramming into the bowels of tanks for a dozen hours when deployments end those ties are stretched as veterans fan out across the united states for mr bennett 50 the online buddy checks are as important as the conventional therapy that he has used to adapt to civilian life
its me letting everyone know that i am there for them and everyone letting me know they are there for me he said
not all online interventions end with success matthew i day a former tank driver helped form a facebook group called peter the ptsd awareness penguin to share infantry humor but it soon turned serious attracting veterans seeking support in 2014 an infantryman posted there saying he was done with this
we tried to convince him that there is absolutely nothing in the world that killing yourself can solve mr day said
but the man went out into the streets of palmdale calif with his pistol he committed what appeared to be suicide by cop by pointing his gun at deputies who opened fire killing him a sheriffs statement said
i think that ultimately the responsibility for us as a community is to be an open ear mr day said
facebook pages are often set up as tributes to fallen comrades or to encourage activities that show solidarity and spread awareness about suicides warning signs in the 22 push ups challenge veterans and military families post videos of themselves doing 22 push ups then tag others to keep the chain going
randall stevenson whose son served in the marines in afghanistans sangin district in 2010 made a video this month soon after his son who was 25 hanged himself with a belt
six days ago my son committed suicide after serving in afghanistan suffering from survivors guilt ptsd depression mr stevenson said in the video his voice breaking three days ago we buried him please i dont want this to be you
in the video the father says that he had surgery on his shoulder but would give the push ups his all after struggling through them he ended the video with save lives
in a telephone interview mr stevenson said his son had talked to him about combat in afghanistan i never felt so afraid in my life i never felt so alive in my life i want to go back he quoted his son as saying he missed his buddies
there are official and professional lifelines of course the department of veterans affairs crisis line has handled more than two million calls since it was started in 2007 and has dispatched emergency services more than 56000 times it also has online chat and text services but some veterans say they steer away from the veterans affairs system they are not sure a doctor who has never seen enemy fire can relate to their experiences some also distrust the system because of recent scandals and delays getting appointments
and so they take matters into their own hands members of the second battalion seventh marine regiment maintain a google document of contact information for emergencies
zachary ziegel a former marine who served in iraq and afghanistan started a buddy check 22 facebook group after he saw an illinois television stations buddy check 25 campaign promoting reminders for women to check themselves for breast cancer within months his group had five million participants he said
every time i don the uniform and drive in to my unit everything begins to fall apart a man wrote on the groups page recently i had to call in and not show last month i thought going reserves would be more manageable but it wasnt im wondering what a counselor would advise
a few hours later a stranger replied i am so grateful for what you do for us if you need to talk and your friends and family not close contact me
some social media sites organize interactive maps pinpointing emergency resources for veterans and people in unrelated units who are willing to talk
david woolery was in the marine corps in eastern afghanistan in 2004 when a bomb exploded under a convoy he was in injuring some of the men he got through that with the help of his fellow marines but the return to the united states was more unsettling
out here is every man for himself mr woolery said people back stabbing its all me me me
in 2015 mr woolery also started a buddy check 22 facebook group for his unit which was a big lifeline that later expanded to other veterans they shared stories of combat spoke the same language recently a member dropped a screen shot of a veterans suicidal remarks into the groups page and wrote lets find this guy
the man had said his goodbyes and was about to kill himself mr woolery said but word spread and eventually people tracked him down and sent help it was lifesaving through crowd sharing


tell me what to do cindy sherman said asking the photographer for guidance as she sat for her portrait her words seem almost comic since she is posing in her own new york studio staring out at her camera and the mirror she keeps perched beside it and the one thing she has proved across a career that turned 40 this year is that she has known what to do in this setting
she has used that camera and mirror to capture herself playing a vamp and a secretary a starlet and a matron a corpse and a clown and other iconic roles our culture has cast women in now after a sabbatical from the studio coming to terms with health issues and getting older ms sherman 62 has produced her first new photos in five years they are more explicitly about herself than ever before   images that confront what aging means to a woman in the series which starts may 5 at metro pictures gallery in new york she plays the veteran leading ladies of cinemas golden age turning herself into avatars of gloria swanson greta garbo and others in their twilight years i relate so much to these women she said they look like theyve been through a lot and theyre survivors and you can see some of the pain in there but theyre looking forward and moving on
ms shermans virtuosic acts of self presentation have won her nearly every reward an artist could want from a macarthur fellowship to shows at moma documenta and the venice biennale and her work has sold at auction for more than 6 million in addition to the show in may that inaugurates a remodeled metro pictures in june the new broad museum in los angeles will feature her lifetimes work as its first special exhibition eli broad its founder speaking from los angeles said he is especially excited to present his deep sherman holdings to the local audience because of her photos strong roots in hollywood
those roots are especially clear in her latest images where shes dolled up in jazz age furs and pearls and now as ms sherman revealed her love affair with hollywood looks set to deepen
i want to start playing with moving images and well see where i go she said jauntily dressed in plaid prada trousers and a blue short sleeve sweater with her hair in a ponytail so far she has no idea if that means directing feature films or coming up with video versions of her still photos
she simply knows that shes grown tired of the stills shes been making for so long when i first started this series i thought god this is the last time i do this im so sick of using myself how much more can i try to change myself the big surprise in her recent work is that she has made less of an effort to do so
seventeen years ago when ms sherman first explained her images to me she was adamant that they were not about her i use myself the way i would use a mannequin theyre not autobiographical theyre not fantasies of mine i like to work completely alone so instead of using models i use myself
on top of handling her own lights and cameras ms sherman has always done her own costumes and makeup and hair the interview in mid april took place at a studio table rimmed with 15 wig stands surrounding piles of false nails back in 1999 ms sherman insisted that im under so many layers of makeup that im trying to obliterate myself in the images im not revealing anything now she admits to a more personal aspect in her images of aging stars i as an older woman am struggling with the idea of being an older woman
ms sherman said that when she began this series she was afraid that people would say oh shes just gone back to the whole idea of the film stills again only these women are older and in color those untitled film stills were the 69 black and white photos seemingly of actresses in b movies that shot ms sherman to fame in the early 1980s   and that started out selling for all of 200 a risk of repetition has obviously been there with each series of images in which she has posed as other women with the latest photos however shes closer to representing something fresh other women standing in for her
ms sherman described a typical movie star from the photos as a woman who is now maybe in 1960 but she is still stuck in the 1920s so shes still dressed or coifed that way the work obviously tips its hat to sunset boulevard but without that movies condescension toward its mature star ms sherman said she was especially taken with the incongruity shes put into her images when you look at the real publicity shots or the images of the actresses from those days   her studio walls are papered with them   theyre all young of course and yet these women clearly arent
ms sherman said she feels solidarity with mary beard a classics scholar who has recently felt obliged to leave behind the battles of ancient rome to begin a campaign for a womans right to age today you are looking at a 59 year old woman is ms beards message to men that is what 59 year old women who have not had work done look like get it
ms sherman who described herself as single except for my bird a 25 year old macaw says that on the romantic front at least aging can have benefits after years of bouncing from relationship to relationship growing older has also left her more mature   in a really good place in being happy with being single
with her pictures of women her own age ms sherman seems to have returned to a tenderness that hasnt been seen in her work for the last several decades she describes the images as the most sincere things that ive done   that arent full of irony or caricature or cartooniness   since the film stills it could even be that her mature leading ladies should be thought of as the aspiring starlets of those film stills 40 years on after theyve achieved success and come out the other side
thanks to years of therapy said ms sherman she is now willing to see aspects of herself even in her early photos their ever changing self presentation has roots in her childhood when she was growing up in a family with four much older siblings and found herself desperate to please i felt like this straggler that was running after them saying hey remember me dont forget about me it was easy to erase myself and put on somebody elses face and say maybe now you guys will remember me or how about this face or that character
taken one by one the film stills confirm the reading that has made them famous that a womans identity is formed and limited by the images shes seen of other women that is a woman learned how to be a secretary from movies as much as from business school not many images could teach her about being a ceo
in the words of the scholar douglas crimp who gave the 25 year old artist her first coverage in the elite journal october the film stills are a hybrid of photography and performance art that reveals femininity to be an effect of representation
thats what attracted eli and edythe broad to ms shermans film stills back in october of 1982 when they came across them at metro pictures which has represented ms sherman for 36 years we were not photography collectors but we saw something there that went well beyond photography mr broad recalled
taken as a whole the shifting identity that runs across all 69 women in the film stills may also reflect the real predicament of a single person a youngest daughter trying to find her place in the world and then in an art world that didnt have an obvious role for her helene winer a founder of metro pictures said the artist has lost the shyness and hesitation that was once so clear ms sherman whose new photos sell for as much as 500000 is now established or ensnared in her role as star some of her images have become just about as iconic as the hollywood ones she once riffed on forming a new view of femininity in a postmodern age the deliberate shape shifting that goes on in an instagram selfie stream has roots in the infiltration of shermanalia into our culture
although ms sherman expresses contempt for the superficialities of social media it seems so vulgar to me her new images of old time film stars also hint at our digitized present ms sherman shot herself against a green screen then used a computer to insert the landscapes behind her many of which show off their digital origins in one image the branches of a tree reach out from the center in perfect symmetry as though tweaked with some photoshop mirror function in another clouds look like theyve been carved into relief with a chisel   or an instagram filter
if ms shermans works have returned to the cinematic themes of film stills maybe it shouldnt surprise us that she is considering a turn to film itself although she and her first peers the pictures generation mostly produced still photos and paintings film was the coin of the realm the painter david salle said in a recent phone interview the grammar of the filmic shot and its ability to encapsulate so much information was a pervasive influence
ms sherman named her broad survey the imitation of life after a 1959 melodrama by the director douglas sirk in the shows catalog ms sherman includes a conversation with the director sofia coppola in which she admits that she might even star in whatever movie she goes on to make next
a catalog essay by the curator philipp kaiser mentions six tiny films that ms sherman made in college as well as a much bigger effort that came halfway into her career in 1996 when she was invited to direct a horror feature called office killer when it came out the new york times art critic roberta smith described it as a fascinating if lumpish bit of shermaniana while ms smiths movie critic colleague stephen holden panned it as sadly inept
streamed today individual scenes come off as promisingly shermanesque but the whole gets bogged down in wooden acting and camp that feels dated ms sherman isnt ashamed of the effort   she still gets a kick out of its gore   but she recognizes that 20 years of working alone in the studio may not have been the best preparation for a movies team effort
ms winer blames the movies failure if it was that on who ms sherman was at the time as a director she wasnt comfortable telling people what to do two decades further on the artist said she cant guarantee that shell turn out to have more skills as a director but shes pretty sure shell be better at filling the role in some ways i am better equipped to understand what i want and to make other people understand what i want as well


every so often an idea comes along that mesmerizes silicon valley and convinces the most powerful people there that this innovation will irrevocably alter the course of humankind outsize proclamations are made lavish events are held and millions of dollars in venture money are funneled into young unproven companies right now that fixation has landed on chatbots little artificial intelligence programs that work like personalized assistants
in january sam lessin an entrepreneur and former facebook employee who is working on his own chatbot called fin wrote a blog post breathlessly declaring the trend a fundamental shift that is going to change the types of applications that get developed and the style of service development in the valley if prominent investors executives and entrepreneurs like lessin are to be believed the arrival of the chatbot heralds an entirely new phase of computing one with the potential to overwrite the current app centric model that smartphones rely on
in late march microsoft invited 5000 developers to san francisco for an annual conference called build a palpable sense of excitement surrounded the event microsoft intended to show off its latest achievement a software tool kit that would allow anyone to use its ai platform to create custom chatbots though the company is often viewed as a dinosaur it has introduced some surprisingly sleek products in recent years and its bot tool kit seemed interesting enough
over a live stream i watched satya nadella the chief executive pacing triumphantly as he talked about the companys advances in machine learning and language processing i nodded along as he described a personal digital assistant that knows you knows about your world a bot helping you with your everyday tasks a few minutes later an executive giddily showed off a chatbot that lets people order pizza via text message skype or slack the demonstration centered on what microsoft presumably found most dazzling about the bot it could be programmed to recognize slang you can send it a message like sup pizzabot send a cheese pizza to my crib asap and a cheese pizza will still arrive at your crib asap
weve long been promised a future augmented by intelligent helpers of the type depicted in movies like her benevolent digital beings who remove some of the chaos of modern existence by organizing our lives all the while offering emotional support through chipper encouragement and cute jokes sometimes these helpers turn on us as in 2001 a space odyssey either way artificial intelligence represents the manifestation of humanitys biggest hopes and fears for technology but for now it can help us order dominos in a different window on the same device we would normally use to order dominos
commerce seems to be the primary preoccupation of the booming chatbot universe theres operator an all around assistant bot created by a founder of uber assist which lets people reserve hotels and concert tickets by text and xai which books appointments in april facebook announced that it was introducing chatbots to its messenger app so that the companys 900 million users can order food and get the news simply by chatting with the bots on their contact list like facebooks most of these bots work right inside messaging apps its like texting with a concierge or if siri birthed a litter of smarter faster and nimbler offspring   ones you can issue orders to silently and who never get tired or creeped out by the nature of your requests
outsourcing work to bots sounds ideal to me my attitude toward technology is fueled by a desire for efficiency   and by laziness in college while my friends got into diy hobbies like woodworking and sewing i joked that i was ready for the difm   do it for me   revolution and yet for all the hype none of these bots seem to work that well yet over the last few weeks ive played with a handful and have struggled to make much use of them i recently needed to make a reservation for a work lunch i fired up operator to find me a table and it quickly sent back a pleasant but unhelpful reply   declining my request as it didnt yet have that capability
i also suspected that many chatbots depend on human workers to complete their requests mat honan the san francisco bureau chief for buzzfeed was able to uncover the logistics behind m   a chatbot concierge in development by facebook   by sending of all things a rental parrot to another bay area tech reporter it worked the parrot arrived but afterward honan made some phone calls and discovered that ms artificial intelligence was largely a front m processed the question and passed it along to a human counterpart to finish the job
similarly operator magic and fin all fall back on hybrid bot human models seen this way chatbots arent that different from hiring a worker through a service like taskrabbit or handy but without ever having to acknowledge theres another human at the other end as the sheen of ai fades you can see these chatbots for what they really are a convenient way to hide human labor it starts to resemble an update on a centuries old illusion called the mechanical turk a chess playing device that was said to be automated but was in fact powered by a person hidden inside the machinery itself
even when the services are truly automated their functions seem secondary to facebooks quest for domination bots developed in partnership with cnn and the wall street journal can deliver news headlines by facebook messenger operator and spring let people shop from within messenger for clothing and food disney built a bot based on the muppet miss piggy that users can talk to if they are bored and theres even a version of zork an early text based video game that works in there too eventually facebook users will be able to use bots to check movie times bid on ebay items browse for hotel deals on expedia place an order at burger king and check their bank balances   all without ever having to exit messenger
indeed its hard not to see that as the depressing point of it all these bots will simply help facebook and others rope users in as long as possible like fishermen trawling the open seas with gaping nets the current slate of chatbots on facebook look like innovation clipped for the sake of supremacy the company has been moving in this direction for some time now everything from facebook live its new real time streaming product to internetorg the nonprofit it oversees that seeks to provide internet access to the developing world has been accused of harboring the same goal keeping users on facebooks turf
bots which promise to make us more godlike are instead revealing our all too human shortcomings and pettiness this was on full display when microsoft tried to show off the prowess of its ai in march with a chatbot named tay a virtual buddy you could talk to on messaging services like groupme and twitter almost immediately the demonstration turned into a public relations nightmare as online pranksters taught tay to mimic hate speech eg hitler was right i hate the jews i expletive hate feminists and they should all die and burn in hell tays rants werent the intended work of microsoft obviously but the meltdown revealed an uncomfortable truth a bot like any other piece of software is only as good as its makers imagination technologies embody the values   and the biases and prejudices   of the society that incubates them and if we cant imagine the future we want then neither can our creations


london is a popular destination anytime but this year there is even more of a reason to visit the 90th birthday of queen elizabeth ii though her birth date is april 21 the city is celebrating the occasion with events starting in may
nicola butler who owns noteworthy a london travel company specializing in excursions such as watching the changing of the guard from inside the parade grounds has advice on how to take in the spectacle of the monarchs birthday and what else travelers should see while in town here are edited excerpts
q what does the queens 90th birthday mean for tourists to london
a tourists can partake in the festivities most of the celebrations are from may 12 to 15 in windsor castle where there will be performances highlighting the queens love of horses and her involvement with the navy army and air force
tickets are sold out but its fun to be in town when theyre going on because theyll be airing everywhere including on large screens throughout the city and at every pub and restaurant find a spot to watch and youll feel the excitement around you
what about events beyond may
the queens birthday parade is on june 11 and is the annual pomp and circumstance ceremony to officially mark her birthday it dates back to the 18th century and involves about 1400 soldiers 200 horses and 400 musicians you can get a glimpse of the pageantry from the street along with the crowds
then through jan 8 theres an exhibit of the queens outfits called fashioning a reign 90 years of style from the queens wardrobe that will rotate among her three official residences the palace of holyroodhouse in edinburgh buckingham palace and windsor castle
what sights do visitors miss
hampstead is an overlooked area its home to hampstead heath park where you can have lovely walks and picnics kenwood house a stately home from the 18th century is also in hampstead and has a wonderful collection of fine art including masterpieces by rembrandt and vermeer
slightly south of hampstead theres regents park also scenic and a must in june when there are thousands of roses in full bloom
the citys culinary scene has significantly improved what are the restaurants to check out
the array of indian places for sure the ever popular chutney mary just relocated near st jamess palace for more casual indian theres dishoom resembling a bombay cafe there are a few locations and they are inexpensive and lively order the masala chai and omelet with coriander and tomatoes for breakfast and the chile cheese toast and biriyanis anytime
then the english chef marcus wareings restaurants marcus and tredwells serve excellent and modern british food and sexy fish a seafood restaurant in berkeley square has crowds lining up outside
london is pricey what are some ways to save money
transportation can add up so skip taxis and walk the bonus is that london is full of nooks that can be discovered only on foot
food can be another big cost but doesnt have to be borough market for example has lots of stalls where you can buy a delicious lunch for less than 10 pounds another tip is to eat a big english breakfast either at your hotel or at a pub and then book a traditional afternoon tea at a luxury hotel that doubles as lunch and dinner because the spreads are lavish with scones sandwiches and tarts you get a sense of extravagance but save money overall
for travelers who have the time to take a day trip from london where do you recommend they go
oxford its about an hour by train or 90 minutes by car youll find architecture from different eras including medieval and baroque the famous namesake university and harry potter references such as bodleian library part of the university and where parts of the first few movies were filmed just outside of oxford theres blenheim palace where winston churchill was born and a string of excellent english pubs to have a nice lunch


on a lawn drawn long by sunset who is not intoxicated that cut grass scent cis 3 hexanol is called leaf alcohol you dont need to name it to know it the wooziness of air strewn by a mower still i love a lawn overgrown and skimmed by the wind liminal hours are the best to enjoy it dawn dusk a great green floor pinned by dandelion clocks
at the stadium i watch the field   forget the game   enthralled by the whole fragmented vegetable that creeping carpet all alive as wordsworth had it but heres the rub any greenskeeper knows the work of a living lawn is to self destruct in australia where i live especially through summer drought or no the government enforces water use restrictions in many cities the unirrigated grass contracts crackles underfoot and dots with bindii prickle then lawns turn to curated dust pits pocked with loose yellow tussocks resolute fertilizers drift underground you can hire guys and people do to spray paint the yard green such labor such expense toward a meager eden no what i long for is a lawn that can give you an electric shock a ground thats knitted
once i lived in a house surrounded by astroturf the landlord had scotched the real grass garden   a blessing for renters when i walked barefoot in the morning the artificial grass emitted a static charge that set your hair on end and made your fillings tingle against your gums the astroturf was soft and fibrillar and worn in it held the heat of yesterday luxe as a towel pulled down from the radiator you could rumple it with your toes we did dewy the fake lawn shimmered an arsenic green a term in our lease warned against spilling mustard butter blood and glue outside inside apparently such spills presented no problem
beyond the homes awnings the sun had bleached our synthetic turf which graded through to a deeper viridian under the trees at the end of the lot   a rothko flung outdoors we caressed it one way and then the other palming crop circles and cowlicks i was 25 and romantic this was a kind of yardwork i could get into not gardening but manicuring the lawn upkeep by fingertip in the hot months though we vacuumed the yard   extension cords daisy chained back indoors
once the rain swept in the mock lawn sprouted moss and weeds then it turned into a microfauna park for insects mushrooms and the odd frog that had wandered in as if out of a fable gold eyed and dark as a fig we plucked at the damp matting bored by the weather a few times we tried to mow the astroturf it was so clotted with clover we put one frog back over the fence several times or we put several frogs over the fence once
dried out in spring the faux grass was as good as new
originally known as chemgrass astroturf was invented in the mid 1960s by a subsidiary of monsanto chemgrass was designed for sports and predictable ricochet was its appeal consistent with the starry lunacy of the zeitgeist when the turf was installed in houstons astrodome men in spacesuits swept it between innings people wanted it for their homes this moon grass sod anticipating the space ages descent back down to earth savvy marketers renamed it astroturf then ordinary people too took daily walks on a bit of sky
yet astroturf remains an object strangely out of time by which i mean it feels like a souvenir from an era when the domestic aesthetic was all ersatz nostalgia those years when bakelite celluloid and laminate subbed in for tortoise shell crystal and marble then the fake product celebrated its fakeness as an industrial improvement on the shortcomings of the real thing when counterfeit was quality everything memorialized natures deficiencies how flaky how impermanent organic materials were how idiosyncratic that astroturf homogenized the lawn was not insidious it was optimistic now plastic everywhere is thought such gimcrack stuff ripe for landfill and this attitude is passed off as naive but things look different from a world thats populated by more plastic lawn flamingos than living flamingos
so many things that appear like nature perfected turn out to be nature depleted all lawns are a kind of plant taxidermy sculpture made from botany gutted and flattened even alive lawns occupy a state of eerie suspended animation bereft of seeding and grass flowers maybe this is why we like to bury our dead underneath lawns but astroturf is the kind of taxidermy that veers enthusiastically into kitsch the lurid wax museum of lawn in part attribute this to its persistence astroturf is fixed in gaudy youth that radiant peaking of the fantastical lawn   like a photograph of an ordinary lawn with the color dialed up and the imperfections smoothed out
when you watch television from the late 20th century all the lawns look like astroturf even if they werent im talking about that hyperreal grass in american grill advertisements and sitcoms video technology has so advanced that in contrast the lawns from the early years of color tv blur and saturate they achieve the melodrama of astroturf
what a pleasure that is watching the grass not grow astroturf is lawn not post mortem but persistently teetering on the edge of the downward slope toward it it cant get more green than it is astroturf is a surface that stays superficial a rootless splendor


hillary clinton sat in the hideaway study off her ceremonial office in the state department sipping tea and taking stock of her first year on the job the study was more like a den   cozy and wood paneled lined with bookshelves that displayed mementos from clintons three decades in the public eye a statue of her heroine eleanor roosevelt a baseball signed by the chicago cubs star ernie banks a carved wooden figure of a pregnant african woman the intimate setting lent itself to a less formal interview than the usual locale her imposing outer office with its marble fireplace heavy drapes crystal chandelier and ornate wall sconces on the morning of feb 26 2010 however clinton was talking about something more sensitive than mere foreign affairs her relationship with barack obama to say she chose her words carefully doesnt do justice to the delicacy of the exercise she was like a bomb squad technician deciding which color wire to snip without blowing up her relationship with the white house
weve developed i think a very good rapport really positive back and forth about everything you can imagine clinton said about the man she described during the 2008 campaign as naive irresponsible and hopelessly unprepared to be president and weve had some interesting and even unusual experiences along the way
she leaned forward as she spoke gesturing with her hands and laughing easily in talking with reporters clinton displays more warmth than obama does though theres less of an expectation that she might say something revealing
clinton singled out as she often would the united nations climate change meeting in copenhagen the previous december where she and obama worked together to save the meeting from collapse she brought up the middle east peace process a signature project of the presidents which she had been tasked with reviving but she was understandably wary of talking about areas in which she and obama split   namely on bedrock issues of war and peace where clintons more activist philosophy had already collided in unpredictable ways with her bosss instincts toward restraint she had backed gen stanley mcchrystals recommendation to send 40000 more troops to afghanistan before endorsing a fallback proposal of 30000 obama went along with that though he stipulated that the soldiers would begin to pull out again in july 2011 which she viewed as problematic she supported the pentagons plan to leave behind a residual force of 10000 to 20000 american troops in iraq obama balked at this largely because of his inability to win legal protections from the iraqis a failure that was to haunt him when the islamic state overran much of the country and she pressed for the united states to funnel arms to the rebels in syrias civil war an idea obama initially rebuffed before later halfheartedly coming around to it
that fundamental tension between clinton and the president would continue to be a defining feature of her four year tenure as secretary of state in the administrations first high level meeting on russia in february 2009 aides to obama proposed that the united states make some symbolic concessions to russia as a gesture of its good will in resetting the relationship clinton the last to speak brusquely rejected the idea saying im not giving up anything for nothing her hardheadedness made an impression on robert gates the defense secretary and george w bush holdover who was wary of a changed russia he decided there and then that she was someone he could do business with
i thought this is a tough lady he told me
a few months after my interview in her office another split emerged when obama picked up a secure phone for a weekend conference call with clinton gates and a handful of other advisers it was july 2010 four months after the north korean military torpedoed a south korean navy corvette sinking it and killing 46 sailors now after weeks of fierce debate between the pentagon and the state department the united states was gearing up to respond to this brazen provocation the tentative plan   developed by clintons deputy at state james steinberg   was to dispatch the aircraft carrier george washington into coastal waters to the east of north korea as an unusual show of force
but adm robert willard then the pacific commander wanted to send the carrier on a more aggressive course into the yellow sea between north korea and china the chinese foreign ministry had warned the united states against the move which for willard was all the more reason to press forward he pushed the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff mike mullen who in turn pushed his boss the defense secretary to reroute the george washington gates agreed but he needed the commander in chief to sign off on a decision that could have political as well as military repercussions
gates laid out the case for diverting the george washington to the yellow sea that the united states should not look as if it was yielding to china clinton strongly seconded it weve got to run it up the gut she had said to her aides a few days earlier the vince lombardi imitation drew giggles from her staff who even 18 months into her tenure still marveled at her pugnacity
obama though was not persuaded the george washington was already underway changing its course was not a decision to make on the fly
i dont call audibles with aircraft carriers he said   unwittingly one upping clinton on her football metaphor
it wasnt the last debate in which she would side with gates the two quickly discovered that they shared a midwestern upbringing a taste for a stiff drink after a long day of work and a deep seated skepticism about the intentions of americas foes bruce riedel a former intelligence analyst who conducted obamas initial review on the afghanistan war says i think one of the surprises for gates and the military was here they come in expecting a very left of center administration and they discover that they have a secretary of state whos a little bit right of them on these issues   a little more eager than they are to a certain extent particularly on afghanistan where i think gates knew more had to be done knew more troops needed to be sent in but had a lot of doubts about whether it would work
as hillary clinton makes another run for president it can be tempting to view her hard edged rhetoric about the world less as deeply felt core principle than as calculated political maneuver but clintons foreign policy instincts are bred in the bone   grounded in cold realism about human nature and what one aide calls a textbook view of american exceptionalism it set her apart from her rival turned boss barack obama who avoided military entanglements and tried to reconcile americans to a world in which the united states was no longer the undisputed hegemon and it will likely set her apart from the republican candidate she meets in the general election for all their bluster about bombing the islamic state into oblivion neither donald j trump nor senator ted cruz of texas has demonstrated anywhere near the appetite for military engagement abroad that clinton has
hillary is very much a member of the traditional american foreign policy establishment says vali nasr a foreign policy strategist who advised her on pakistan and afghanistan at the state department she believes like presidents going back to the reagan or kennedy years in the importance of the military   in solving terrorism in asserting american influence the shift with obama is that he went from reliance on the military to the intelligence agencies their position was all you need to deal with terrorism is nsa and cia drones and special ops so the cia gave obama an angle if you will to be simultaneously hawkish and shun using the military
unlike other recent presidents   obama george w bush or her husband bill clinton   hillary clinton would assume the office with a long record on national security there are many ways to examine that record but one of the most revealing is to explore her decades long cultivation of the military   not just civilian leaders like gates but also its high ranking commanders the men with the medals her affinity for the armed forces is rooted in a lifelong belief that the calculated use of military power is vital to defending national interests that american intervention does more good than harm and that the writ of the united states properly reaches as bush once put it into any dark corner of the world unexpectedly in the bombastic testosterone fueled presidential election of 2016 hillary clinton is the last true hawk left in the race
for those who know clintons biography her embrace of the military should come as no surprise she grew up in the buoyant aftermath of world war ii the daughter of a navy petty officer who trained young sailors before they shipped out to the pacific her father hugh rodham was a staunch republican and an anticommunist and she channeled his views she talks often about her girlhood dream of becoming an astronaut citing the rejection letter she got from nasa as the first time she encountered gender discrimination her real motive for volunteering she has written may have been because her father fretted that america was lagging behind russia
political conversion came later after vietnam and the 60s swept over wellesley college where she spoke out against the establishment at her graduation but even in the tumultuous year of 1968 she was still making her transition from republican to democrat managing to go to the conventions of both parties as a republican intern in washington that summer she questioned a wisconsin congressman melvin laird about the wisdom of lyndon b johnsons escalating involvement in southeast asia
it was after law school that she had her most curious encounter with the military in 1975 the year she married bill clinton she stopped in at a marine recruiting office in arkansas to inquire about joining the active forces or reserves she was a lawyer she explained maybe there was some way she could serve the recruiter she recalled two decades later was a young man of about 21 in prime physical condition clinton was then 27 freshly transplanted from washington teaching law at the university of arkansas in fayetteville and wearing coke bottle eyeglasses youre too old you cant see and youre a woman he told her maybe the dogs will take you he added in what she said was a pejorative reference to the army
it was not a very encouraging conversation clinton said at a lunch for military women on capitol hill in 1994 i decided maybe ill look for another way to serve my country
some reporters have cast doubt on the veracity of this story which she repeated in the fall of 2015 over breakfast with voters in new hampshire certainly theres no concrete evidence that it happened and bill gave a different account of it in 2008 substituting the army for the marines why would a professionally minded yale law graduate on the cusp of marriage suddenly want to put on a uniform its impossible to decipher her possible motives but ann henry an old friend who taught at the university after clinton moved to little rock offers a theory during those days she recalls female faculty members as an exercise would test the boundaries of careers that appeared closed to women i dont think its made up she says it was consistent with something she would have done
clintons next sustained exposure to the military did not come until she was first lady almost two decades later living in the white house is in many ways like living in a military compound a marine stands guard in front of the west wing when the president is in the oval office the military office operates the medical center and the telecommunications system the navy runs the cafeteria the marines transport the president by helicopter the air force by plane camp david is a naval facility the daily contact with men and women in uniform clintons friends say deepened her feelings for them
in march 1996 the first lady visited american troops stationed in bosnia the trip became notorious years later when she claimed during the 2008 campaign to have dodged sniper fire after her c 17 military plane landed at an american base in tuzla chris hill a diplomat who was onboard that day and later served as ambassador to iraq under clinton didnt remember snipers at all and indeed recalled children handing her bouquets of spring flowers but there was no faking the good vibes during her tour of the mess and rec halls with her teenage daughter at her side she bantered and joked with the young servicemen and women   an experience she wrote that left lasting impressions on chelsea and me
when clinton was elected to the senate she had strong political reasons to care about the military the pentagon was in the midst of a long politically charged process of closing military bases new york state had already been a victim when plattsburgh air force base was closed in 1995 a loss of 352 civilian jobs for that hard luck north country town new yorks delegation was determined to protect its remaining bases especially fort drum home of the armys 10th mountain division which sprawls over a hundred thousand acres in rural jefferson county in october 2001 a month after the 911 terrorist attacks clinton traveled to fort drum at the invitation of gen buster hagenbeck who had just been named the divisions commander and would be deployed to afghanistan a month later like many of the officers i spoke with he had preconceptions of clinton from her years as first lady the woman who showed up at his office around happy hour that afternoon did not fulfill them
she sat down he recalls took her shoes off put her feet up on the coffee table and said general do you know where a gal can get a cold beer around here 
it was the start of a dialogue that stretched over two wars in the spring of 2002 hagenbeck led operation anaconda a 16 day assault on taliban and al qaeda fighters in the shah i kot valley that was the largest combat engagement of the war to date when the general came back to washington to brief the joint chiefs of staff clinton took him out to dinner on capitol hill for her own briefing they also spoke about the bush administrations preparations for war in iraq something which hagenbeck was following anxiously the general it turned out was more of a dove than the senator he warned her about the risks of an invasion which was then being war gamed inside the pentagon it would be like kicking over a bees nest he said
hagenbeck excused clintons vote in 2002 to authorize military action in iraq she made a considered call he says and she was chagrined much after the fact for him what mattered more than clintons voting record was her unstinting public support of the military whether in protecting fort drum or backing him during a difficult first year in afghanistan
clintons education in military affairs began in earnest in 2002 after the democratic partys crushing defeat in midterm elections moved her up several rungs in senate seniority the partys congressional leaders offered her a seat on either the senate foreign relations committee or the senate armed services committee she chose armed services spurning a long tradition of new york senators like daniel patrick moynihan and jacob javits who coveted the prestige of foreign relations armed services deals with more earthbound issues like benefits for veterans and it had long been the preserve of republican hawks like john mccain but after 911 clinton saw armed services as better preparation for her future for a politician looking to hone hard power credentials   a woman who aspired to be commander in chief   it was the perfect training ground she dug in like a grunt at boot camp
andrew shapiro then senator clintons foreign policy adviser called upon 10 experts   including bill perry who was defense secretary under her husband and ashton carter who would eventually become president obamas fourth defense secretary   to tutor her on everything from grand strategy to defense procurement she met quietly with andrew marshall an octogenarian strategist at the pentagon who labored for decades in the blandly named office of net assessment earning the nickname yoda for his delphic insights she went to every committee meeting no matter how mundane aides recall her on c span3 sitting alone in the chamber patiently questioning a lieutenant colonel she visited the troops in afghanistan on thanksgiving day in 2003 and spoke at every significant military installation in new york state by then   30 years after she recalled being rejected by a marine recruiter in arkansas   hillary clinton had become a military wonk
jack keane is one of the intellectual architects of the iraq surge he is also perhaps the greatest single influence on the way hillary clinton thinks about military issues a bear of a man with a jowly careworn face and brylcreem slicked hair keane exudes the supreme self confidence you would expect of a retired four star general he speaks with a trace of a new york accent that gives his pronouncements a rat a tat urgency he is also a well compensated member of the military industrial complex sitting on the board of general dynamics and serving as a strategic adviser to academi the private security contractor once known as blackwater and he is the chairman of an aptly named think tank the institute for the study of war though he is one of a parade of cable tv generals keane is the resident hawk on fox news where he appears regularly to call for the united states to use greater military force in iraq syria and afghanistan he doesnt shrink from putting boots on the ground and has little use for civilian leaders like obama who do
keane first got to know clinton in the fall of 2001 when she was a freshman senator and he was the armys second in command with a distinguished combat and command record in vietnam somalia haiti bosnia and kosovo he had expected her to be intelligent hard working and politically astute but he was not prepared for the respect she showed for the army as an institution or her sympathy for the sacrifices made by soldiers and their families keane was confident he could smell a phony politician a mile away and he didnt get that whiff from her
i read people thats one of my strengths he told me its not that i cant be fooled but im not fooled often
clinton took an instant liking to keane too she loves that irish gruff thing says one of her senate aides kris balderston who was in the room that day when keane got up after 45 minutes to leave for a meeting back at the pentagon with a polish general she protested that she wasnt finished yet and asked for another appointment i said ok but it took me three months to get this one  keane told her dryly
clinton exploded into a raucous laugh ill take care of that problem she promised
she was true to her word the two would meet many times over the next decade discussing the wars in afghanistan and iraq the iranian nuclear threat and other flash points in the middle east sometimes he dropped by her senate office other times they met for dinner or drinks he escorted her on her first visit to fort drum and set up her first trip to iraq
they generally agreed to forgo talk of politics but at a meeting in clintons senate office in january 2007 keane tried to sell her on the logic of a troop surge in iraq the previous month he had met with president bush in the oval office to recommend that the united states deploy five to eight army and marine brigades to wage an urban counterinsurgency campaign only that he argued would stabilize a country being ripped apart by sectarian strife his presentation angered some of keanes fellow generals who feared that such a strategy would deepen iraqs dependency and prolong americas involvement but it had a big impact on the commander in chief who soon ordered more than 20000 additional troops to iraq
clinton was another story im convinced its not going to work jack she told him she predicted that the american soldiers patrolling in iraqi cities and towns would be blown up by sunni militias or al qaeda fighters she thought we would fail keane recalls and it was going to cause increased casualties
politics of course was also on her mind barack obama was laying the groundwork for his candidacy in mid january with a campaign that would emphasize his opposition to the iraq war and her vote in favor of it   a vote that still shadows her in this years democratic primaries obama was setting off on a fund raising drive that would net 25 million in three months sending tremors through clintons political camp and establishing him as a formidable rival although she disagreed with keane about iraq clinton asked him to become a formal adviser as much as i respect you he replied i cant do that keanes wife had health problems that had moved up his retirement from the army and he did not as a policy endorse candidates sometime during 2008   he doesnt remember exactly when   clinton told him she had erred in doubting the wisdom of the surge she said you were right this really did work  keane recalls on issues of national security he says i thought she was always intellectually honest with me
he and clinton continued to talk even after obama was elected and she became secretary of state more often than not they found themselves in sync keane like clinton favored more robust intervention in syria than obama did in april 2015 the week before she announced her candidacy clinton asked him for a briefing on military options for dealing with the fighters of the islamic state bringing along three young female analysts from the institute for the study of war keane gave her a 2 hour 20 minute presentation among other steps he advocated imposing a no fly zone over parts of syria that would neutralize the air power of the syrian president bashar al assad with a goal of forcing him into a political settlement with opposition groups six months later clinton publicly adopted this position further distancing herself from obama
im convinced this president no matter what the circumstances will never put any boots on the ground to do anything even when its compelling keane told me he was sitting in the library at his home in mclean va which is lined with books on military history and strategy his critique of obama was hardly new or original but much of it mirrors the thinking of clinton and her policy advisers one of the problems the president has which weakens his diplomatic efforts is that leaders dont believe he would use military power thats an issue that would separate the president from hillary clinton rather dramatically she would look at military force as another realistic option but only where there is no other option
befriending keane wasnt just about cultivating a single adviser it gave clinton instant entree to his informal network of active duty and retired generals the most interesting by far was david petraeus a cerebral commander who shared clintons jet fueled ambition and whose life stories would mix heady success with humbling setbacks both would be accused of mishandling classified information   clinton because of her use of a private server and email address to conduct sensitive government business a decision that erupted into a political scandal petraeus because he had given a diary containing classified information to his biographer and mistress he was eventually charged with a misdemeanor for mishandling classified information
on clintons first trip to iraq in november 2003 petraeus then a two star general commanding the 101st airborne division flew from his field headquarters in mosul to the relative safety of kirkuk to brief her congressional delegation she was full of questions he recalls it was the kind of gesture that means a lot to a battlefield commander on subsequent trips as he rose in rank petraeus walked her through his plans to train and equip iraqi army troops a forerunner of the counterinsurgency strategy in afghanistan it worked to their mutual benefit petraeus was building ties to a prominent democratic voice in the senate clinton was burnishing her image as a friend of the troops she did it the old fashioned way he says she did it by pursuing relationships when petraeus was sent back to iraq as the top commander in early 2007 he gave every member of the senate armed services committee a copy of the us armymarine corps counterinsurgency field manual which he edited during a tour at fort leavenworth clinton read hers from cover to cover
although clintons reservations about the surge were valid   the stability that the additional troops brought to iraq didnt last   her opposition to it like her vote for the war came back to haunt her this time it was her ally bob gates who summoned the ghost in his memoirs gates wrote that she confessed to him and the president that her position had been politically motivated because she was then facing obama in the iowa caucuses obama he wrote vaguely conceded that he too had opposed it for political reasons clinton pushed back telling diane sawyer of abc news that gates perhaps either missed the context or the meaning because i did oppose the surge her opposition she told sawyer was driven by the fact that at that time people were not going to accept any escalation of the war this is not politics in electoral political terms clinton said this is politics in the sense of the american public has to support commitments like this
the next time she found herself in a debate over sending troops into harms way she voiced no such reservations
we need maps hillary clinton told her aides
it was early october 2009 and she had just returned from a meeting in the situation room obamas war cabinet was debating how many additional troops to send to afghanistan where the united states preoccupied by iraq had allowed the taliban to regroup the pentagon she reported had used impressive color coded maps to show its plans to deploy troops around the country the attention to detail made gates and his commanders look crisp and well prepared the state department which was pushing a civilian surge to accompany the troops looked wan by comparison at the next meeting on oct 14 the team from state unfurled its own maps to show the deployment of an army of aid workers diplomats legal experts and crop specialists who were supposed to follow the soldiers into afghanistan
clintons fixation with maps was typical of her mind set in the first great war and peace debate of the obama presidency she wanted to be taken seriously even if her department was less central than the pentagon one way to do that was by promoting the civilian surge the pet project of her friend and special envoy to the region richard holbrooke she was determined that her briefing books would be just as thick and just as meticulous as those of the pentagon a senior adviser recalls she also didnt hesitate to get into the pentagons business asking detailed questions about the training of afghan troops and wading into the weeds of military planning
she resolved not to miss out on anything   a determination that may have been rooted in a deeper insecurity about her role in what was to become the most white house centric administration of the modern era on the morning of june 8 2009 she emailed two aides to say i heard on the radio that there is a cabinet mtg this am is there can i go if not who are we sending on feb 10 2010 she dialed the white house from her home but couldnt get past the switchboard operator who didnt believe she was really hillary clinton asked to provide her office number to prove her identity she said she didnt know it finally clinton hung up in frustration and placed the call again through the state department operations center   like a proper and properly dependent secretary of state as she later wrote to one aide in a mock chastened tone no independent dialing allowed
the afghan troop debate a three month drama of dueling egos leaked documents and endless deliberations is typically framed as a test of wills between the pentagons wily military commanders and an inexperienced young president with joe biden playing the role of devils advocate for obama while that portrait is accurate it neglects the role of clinton by siding with gates and the generals she gave political ballast to their proposals and provided a bullish counterpoint to bidens skepticism her role should not be overstated she did not turn the debate nor did she bring to it any distinctive point of view but her unstinting support of general mcchrystals maximalist recommendation made it harder for obama to choose a lesser option mcchrystal was later fired by obama after his aides made derogatory remarks about almost every member of his war cabinet to rolling stone magazine she was the exception hillary had stans back one of his aides told the reporter michael hastings
hillary was adamant in her support for what stan asked for gates says she made clear that she was ready to support his request for the full 40000 troops she then made clear that she was only willing to go with the 30000 number because i proposed it she was in a way tougher on the numbers in the surge than i was gates believed that if he could align clinton the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff mike mullen the commander of central command david petraeus and himself behind a common position it would be hard for obama to say no how could you ignore these four horsemen of national security says geoff morrell who served as the pentagon press secretary at the time
just as clinton benefited from her alliance with the military commanders she gave them political cover heres the dirty little secret says tom nides her former deputy secretary of state for management and resources they all knew they wanted her on their side they knew that if they walked into the situation room and they had her it made a huge difference in the dynamics when she opened her mouth she could change the momentum in the room
david axelrod recalls one meeting where clinton kicked the thing off and pretty much articulated their opinion im sure thats one that they remember theres no doubt that she wanted to give them every troop that mcchrystal was asking for still clinton didnt prevail on every argument after agreeing to send the troops obama added a condition of his own that the soldiers be deployed as quickly as possible and pulled out again starting in the summer of 2011   a deadline that proved more fateful in the long run than a difference of 10000 troops clinton opposed setting a public deadline for withdrawal arguing that it would tip americas hand to the taliban and encourage them to wait out the united states   which in fact was exactly what happened
in the final days of the debate clinton also found herself at odds with her own ambassador in kabul karl eikenberry he too held different views than she did on the wisdom of a surge which he put into writing on nov 6 2009 in a long cable addressed to clinton   and later leaked to the new york times   he made a trenchant convincing case for why the mcchrystal proposal which she endorsed two weeks earlier in a meeting with obama would saddle the united states with vastly increased costs and an indefinite large scale military role in afghanistan
much of eikenberrys analysis proved prescient particularly his warnings about the threadbare american partnership with the afghan president hamid karzai it carried an extra sting because he was a retired three star army general who was the commander in afghanistan from 2005 to 2007 clinton who had not asked for the cable was furious fearing it could upset a debate in which she and the pentagon were about to prevail
what the cable made clear was the degree to which the afghanistan debate was dominated by military considerations while clinton did raise the need to deal with afghanistans neighbor pakistan her reflexive support of gates petraeus and mcchrystal meant she was not a powerful voice for diplomatic alternatives she contributed to the overmilitarizing of the analysis of the problem says sarah chayes who was an adviser to mcchrystal and later to the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff mike mullen
in october 2015 the persistent violence in afghanistan and the legacy of karzais misrule forced obama to reverse his plan to withdraw the last american soldiers by the end of his presidency a few thousand troops will stay there indefinitely and for all of clintons talk about a civilian surge it never really materialized
for clinton the afghanistan episode laid bare a vexed relationship between her and eikenberry one of the few generals with whom she didnt hit it off a soldier scholar with graduate degrees from harvard and stanford eikenberry was brilliant but had a reputation among his colleagues for being imperious clinton had a similarly chilly relationship with douglas lute another army lieutenant general with a graduate degree from harvard who also fought with holbrooke she likes the nail eaters   mcchrystal petraeus keane one of her aides observes real military guys not these retired three stars who go into civilian jobs
theres no doubt that hillary clintons more muscular brand of american foreign policy is better matched to 2016 than it was to 2008 said jake sullivan her top policy adviser at the state department who plays the same role in her campaign
it was december 2015 53 days before the iowa caucuses and sullivan was sitting down with me in clintons sprawling brooklyn headquarters to explain how she was shaping her message for a campaign suddenly dominated by concerns about national security clintons strategy he said was twofold explain to voters that she had a clear plan for confronting the threat posed by islamic terrorism and expose her republican opponents as utterly lacking in experience or credibility on national security
there were good reasons for clinton to let her inner hawk fly after the attacks in paris and san bernardino calif americans concern about a major attack on the nation spiked a cnnorc poll taken after paris showed that a majority 53 percent favored sending ground troops to iraq or syria a remarkable shift from the war weary sentiment that prevailed during most of obamas presidency the republican candidates were reaching for apocalyptic metaphors to demonstrate their resolve ted cruz threatened to carpet bomb the islamic state to test whether desert sand can glow donald trump called for the united states to ban all muslims from entering the country until we are able to determine and understand this problem and the dangerous threat it poses
yet such spikes in the public appetite for military action tend to be transitory three weeks later the same poll showed an even split at 49 percent on whether to deploy troops neither trump nor cruz favors major new deployments of american soldiers to iraq and syria nor for that matter does clinton if anything both are more skeptical than clinton about intervention and more circumspect than she about maintaining the nations post world war ii military commitments trump loudly proclaims his opposition to the iraq war he wants the united states to spend less to underwrite nato and has talked about withdrawing the american security umbrella from asia even if that means japan and south korea would acquire nuclear weapons to defend themselves cruz unlike clinton opposed aiding the syrian rebels in 2014 he once supported pentagon budget constraints advocated by his isolationist colleague senator rand paul of kentucky thus might the general election present voters with an unfamiliar choice a democratic hawk versus a republican reluctant warrior
to thwart the progressive insurgency of senator bernie sanders of vermont clinton carefully calibrated her message during the democratic primaries to align herself closely with barack obama and his racially diverse coalition but as she pivots to the general election that balancing act with obama will become trickier theres going to be a huge amount of interest in the press to score keep sullivan says it just so easily can become a sport that distracts from her ability to make an affirmative case
in showing her stripes as a prospective commander in chief clinton will no doubt draw heavily upon her state department experience   filtering the lessons she learned in libya syria and iraq into the sinewy worldview she has held since childhood last fall in a series of policy speeches clinton began limning distinctions with the president on national security she said the united states should consider sending more special operations troops to iraq than obama had committed to help the iraqis and kurds fight the islamic state she came out in favor of a partial no fly zone over syria and she described the threat posed by isis to americans in starker terms than he did as is often the case with clinton and obama the differences were less about direction than degree she wasnt calling for ground troops in the middle east any more than he was clinton insisted her plan was not a break with his merely an intensification and acceleration of it
its an open question how well clintons hawkish instincts match the countrys mood americans are weary of war and remain suspicious of foreign entanglements and yet after the retrenchment of the obama years there is polling evidence that they are equally dissatisfied with a portrait of their country as a spent force managing its decline amid a world of rising powers like china resurgent empires like vladimir putins russia and lethal new forces like the islamic state if obamas minimalist approach was a necessary reaction to the maximalist style of his predecessor then perhaps what americans yearn for is something in between   the kind of steel belted pragmatism that clinton has spent a lifetime honing
the president has made some tough decisions says leon panetta who served as obamas defense secretary after bob gates and as director of the cia before david petraeus but its been a mixed record and the concern is the president defining what americas role in the world is in the 21st century hasnt happened
hopefully hell do it he added acknowledging the time obama has left certainly she would


five years ago when sara grace rimensnyder met dan cast she was living in a small one bedroom apartment on the fifth floor of a walk up building on the lower east side of manhattan
he was living in greenwood heights brooklyn in a shared two bedroom he traveled often for work and liked having a roommate i didnt have to worry about things back home he said such as returning to find a burst pipe
his apartment was also on the fifth floor your legs would shake like if you had to bring groceries up mr cast said
in time he moved into her apartment and the couple were married he is now 44 and the assistant director on the television show impractical jokers on trutv ms cast 38 is an editor and ghostwriter mostly of business books
wanting a monthly rent lower than the 2150 they were paying they relocated to prospect lefferts gardens in brooklyn their new rent for a two bedroom was 1500 a month they bought a subaru outback primarily for camping to avoid dealing with alternate side parking regulations they rented a garage from a neighbor for 250 a month
once their daughter mia arrived a year and a half ago buying a home seemed like a good idea if i knew how much work it was i honestly dont know if i would do it again ms cast said
last summer they checked out a few two bedroom co ops open houses were mobbed bidding wars ensued they felt they couldnt compete besides for a co op they would need a 20 percent down payment financially it would put a lot of stress on us when what we were looking to do was de stress ms cast said
for help with the hunt they contacted reginald salomon the broker owner of lions share realty who had been the listing agent for their two bedroom rental
i encouraged them to look for a house mr salomon said in part because they could purchase a house with 10 percent down rather than 20 percent he also suggested they buy a multifamily house with a unit for rental income you can always use a two family as a one family but its hard to do it the other way around he said
for a two  or three family house their budget was up to 750000 for a single family it was closer to 600000 they didnt find many options but they did find some
a brick barrel front two family rowhouse in flatbush brooklyn in need of renovation was listed at 599000 their offer of 580000 was accepted
then to everyones bewilderment they heard nothing from the sellers it was like they dropped off the face of the earth ms cast said
that was our first lesson in managing your emotional expectations mr cast said you can really get your hopes up i had to have sara promise no picking out curtains until we get that signed contract back 
another handsome two family on martense street in flatbush with an asking price of 580000 also needed renovating
maybe some corners were crumbling but the bones of it were awesome and it had a lot of nice details ms cast said we didnt have a chance the place sold quickly for the asking price
a short way from their rental a single family house on miami court one of several short streets in a 1920s development called coral gardens was listed for 499000
the house was adorable   and so small that we would immediately be bursting at the seams ms cast said it sold for 525000
they declined to pursue a 399000 two family house in flatbush on albemarle road with a fake stone facade and a warren of lived in smoky rooms ms cast said
at one point the couple wondered whether they should just stay put finding a house to buy seemed too hard and ms cast could not help but notice that all of a sudden there were three options for me to get an iced coffee within a three block radius she said our familiar neighborhood that we loved was now kind of popping she feared they had been priced out
but mr salomon called one day with a single family house for them to see in east flatbush the neighborhood was new to them but it felt like a stable safe unnoticed bit of brooklyn ms cast said the two story rowhouse listed at 459000 was across from holy cross cemetery
the house had three bedrooms and two bathrooms a backyard and a detached garage i had that feeling   we can live here ms cast said
mr cast liked the house too for the other places he said we were saying once we fix this place up it will be livable but this place was ready to go
at the inspection the inspector tells you every single thing thats wrong with the house and its intimidating ms cast said theres a million things on the list but everything wrong was fixable they bought the house for 449000 with a 10 percent down payment for repairs they budgeted around 20000
it is a super steep learning curve ms cast said chimney lining repointing the chimney these are things i have never heard of before i know a ton about plumbing now
mr cast is unhappy with the upstairs bathroom   poor workmanship he said   and with the drab beige carpet on the stairs now shredded by gus their cat the yard has an unattractive chain link fence the garage roof leaks
people tell you that babies are a lot of work and you dont really get it until the baby is there ms cast said thats exactly how i feel about our house we love our house she added but its like a transformative amount of work or at least it has been for us


paris   in dheepan the latest film by the french director jacques audiard a migrant from a war torn land borrows a passport and makes his way to france where he seeks asylum it is also loosely the story of the films star antonythasan jesuthasan a writer and former leftist militant from sri lanka who arrived in france in 1993 with a fake french passport eventually receiving refugee status
the film which opens in the united states on may 6 was awarded the top prize at last years cannes film festival by a jury led by joel and ethan coen when the film hit the festival circuit mr jesuthasan who is not a professional actor and has supported himself as a cook and cleaner traveled to canada for the toronto international film festival
first time business class in my life   i was really happy he said in an interview here speaking near fluent english
but there were hiccups with refugee status mr jesuthasan doesnt have a passport only a travel document on arrival in canada he was questioned about his past with the tamil tigers that insurgency sought an independent state for tamils an ethnic minority in sri lanka before being defeated by the army of the countrys sinhalese majority government at the end of a civil war in 2009
i thought what should i answer mr jesuthasan 49 said he told them his days as a teenage militant from a village without electricity were long long ago he was allowed to attend the festival but he said the authorities kept his travel document at the airport handing it back only when he left
promoting the film grew more difficult i went to the macedonia film festival i was not allowed into the country so all night i slept in the airport then i came back to paris mr jesuthasan said after that he told the publicist no more festivals dubai bangkok i didnt go enough he said
dheepan is all about questions of identity and belonging bonds of convenience and bonds of love and tribal divisions in the old country and in the new
the film begins in sri lanka during the civil war when dheepan burns his tamil tiger uniform and all traces of his past in the chaos of a burning village he finds a woman yalini the indian actress kalieaswari srinivasan and a young orphaned girl illayaal claudine vinasithamby the three pose as a family taking a dead familys passports and go to france
they seek asylum   dheepan fears reprisals from the sri lankan government   and wind up as the caretakers of a rough housing project in a french banlieue controlled by drug dealers of north african origin the film with dialogue mostly in tamil isnt didactic but touches on the most contentious issues in europe today   immigration and integration
one of frances best known directors whom critics have hailed for his dexterity with the camera mr audiard said he considered himself a genre filmmaker but in the united states his films being in french are relegated to the art house im at the intersection of two tectonic plates he said in an interview where he arrived wearing one of his customary porkpie hats
he said he considered dheepan a genre film that kept changing genres
at the start you can say look its a war movie he said and then later look its a social drama like a documentary inside the home and later we get to the banlieues and we think now its a genre film he continued and then it becomes a love story and after that it really becomes a film noir
the director is often pulled between high and low like the protagonist of the beat that my heart skipped his 2005 film about a man who wants to leave a life of thuggery to pursue classical piano mr audiard came to international prominence with a prophet his 2009 film about muslim and corsican gangsters in a french prison the film drew attention to frances troubled prisons a prescient subject considering how many homegrown french jihadists have been radicalized there a hollywood remake is in the works
when he started dheepan mr audiard said he set out to make a variation of sam peckinpahs 1971 thriller straw dogs but he wanted to set it in a community that no one in france knew much about he and his writing partner thomas bidegain settled on the tamils the story line evolved a casting director got in touch with mr jesuthasan who had been in two previous films
during filming mr jesuthasan sometimes made corrections for accuracy but he knew he was embodying mr audiards vision not his own there is nothing missing from audiards film because it is his creation he said it will be different if it is my own creation he added for example my dheepan wont cry
slight and brooding with flashes of wit and mischievousness mr jesuthasan has led a dickensian life he joined the tamil tigers as a teenager as he got older he grew disillusioned and left the movement eventually he went to thailand where he was jailed for not having papers he flew to czechoslovakia on a fake malaysian passport but was deported to bangkok in 1993 he bought a fake french passport and tried his luck in france
at passport control at charles de gaulle airport he scanned the agents looking for the one he thought would be most sympathetic i selected one black man i think ok black guy its good he said it didnt work nobody believed i lived in france he said like the character dheepan he sought asylum and lived for years in a rough banlieue of paris working odd jobs like cleaning a hotel at disneyland paris
with the equivalent of a 10th grade education mr jesuthasan doesnt read english or french he said that in tamil he learned from karl marx lenin engels trotsky gramsci althusser jean francois lyotard michel foucault and jean paul sartre
three of mr jesuthasans novels have been published in english including gorilla 2008 about a tamil tiger child soldier he writes under the pen name shobasakthi which means black power in tamil before the civil war ended he didnt want to write under his own name for fear of reprisals
dheepan has stirred conversation in france about whether the country is welcoming to migrants yalini dheepans wife of convenience dreams of leaving france for england that resonates today when many migrants trying to reach britain have been held in a camp in calais called the jungle
mr audiard said it was an artistic choice he doesnt have a dream   she has one   to go to england shes right to have a dream he said in general french critics praised the film though some questioned whether the depiction of the banlieue was realistic
mr jesuthasan seems happy in france where he lives with his sister and her family i think for the refugees that france is one of the best countries that is why i am here he said otherwise id go to london


as mathematicians go srinivasa ramanujan isnt exactly a household name but his genius   the ability to divine formulas seemingly from thin air that a century later are informing computer development economics and the study of black holes   has long captivated academics and artists alike
for matthew brown the writer director behind the man who knew infinity opening friday april 29 mathematics was merely the canvas for a tale of two beautiful minds mr ramanujan a south indian autodidact who believed that an equation held no meaning unless it expressed a thought of god and g h hardy a cambridge professor and atheist who refused to believe in what he could not prove
their collaboration   recreated here by dev patel and jeremy irons   was the one romantic incident in my life mr hardy would later recall
in 1913 mr ramanujan pronounced rah mah new jin an impoverished shipping clerk with little formal education wrote to mr hardy a lecturer at trinity college in the hope of having his work published the nine page letter filled with astonishing formulas that as mr hardy wrote seemed scarcely possible to believe prompted him to wonder if mr ramanujan were a fraud but after discussions with his colleague j e littlewood mr hardy declared the young mans brilliance on par with that of the renowned mathematicians leonhard euler and carl jacobi and invited mr ramanujan to cambridge in the hope of seeing proof of his assertions
the next year mr ramanujan a tamil brahmin lost caste leaving his family behind in madras now chennai as he sailed to england to pursue his lifes purpose he stayed for five years   enduring the hardships resulting from world war i as well as searing bigotry and a bout of tuberculosis   and in 1918 became the second indian to be elected a fellow of the royal society and the first indian fellow at trinity months later he returned to india in failing health and died in 1920 at the age of 32 leaving behind just three notebooks and several letters packed with formulas that still inspire awe
in a way he was some kind of prophet said ken ono a mathematics professor at emory university author with amir d aczel of my search for ramanujan how i learned to count and consultant on the film whatever inspired him to write down his formulas was magic because theyre precisely the things that weve discovered would be needed long after his death
mr ramanujan and mr hardys dance to infinity has been mined before in works like david leavitts novel the indian clerk and a disappearing number a play conceived by simon mcburney and his theater company complicite
the film is about the cost that comes when people wait out of fear to connect in their relationships said mr brown who drew on robert kanigels 1991 biography of the same name
still   despite the success of films like a beautiful mind about john nash and the imitation game about alan turing   mathematics is a hard sell in hollywood and mr brown encountered mockumentary like difficulties bringing his decade long project to the screen like the financier who insisted that mr ramanujan   who married a 10 year old girl when he was 21   fall in love with a white nurse at trinity to provide more casting options the film ultimately stuck to the facts though his brides age is never revealed
its about mathematics intrinsically and i dont think your run of the mill audience is attracted by mathematics mr irons said but what it turns out to be is the story of an extraordinary relationship with math as a background and a shared passion   a passion so evident when he read mr hardys essay a mathematicians apology that it initially overwhelmed him
the world of the unknown was waiting he said and it was up to a great mathematician to discover it
then there was the issue of casting mr ramanujan who in real life was not traditionally photogenic
lets face it he was probably on the autistic spectrum mr ono said try to imagine this chubby indian kid with a slate sitting on the thousand year old stone floors of this gigantic temple scribbling away and then writing formulas on a shabby notebook probably oblivious to everything going on around him
to bring authenticity mr patel worked with a dialect coach to create a more easily understandable hybrid of his british accent and the thicker one of south india
there was nothing i could do about my height or the tone of my skin he said so gestures indicating the physical sacrifices made by mr ramanujan   for instance his discomfort upon wearing shoes for the first time   were woven into the script
still the portrayal has drawn criticism particularly in india where the crew filmed around unannounced fireworks displays a strike and a mob of onlookers for nine days
he was a staunch brahmin in his mannerisms speech and views and if one were to alienate him from all these traits the very character may well suffer a critic wrote in the hindustan times when the film debuted in india in november he went on to criticize mr patels portrayal as an anglicized example of one so essentially indian nay tamil and compared the film unfavorably with ramanujan a 2014 biopic by gnana rajasekaran
mr patel wanted to imbue his ramanujan with an essence of nobility despite his humble beginnings he said he was a reserved man but incredibly enlightened as a human being
the actor was also determined that his onscreen math skills be watertight and mr ono not only monitored the accuracy of equations seen in papers and books but also helped the stars wrap their mouths and their fingers around them
they thought they were going to have to use some sort of trickery mr patel said of a scene that required him to write an especially elaborate equation on a chalkboard but i bashed it out and everyone was like   he gasped it felt quite satisfying
mr ramanujans importance doesnt reside with mr hardy but in the implications of his work that we are still beginning to only see glimpses of today mr ono said
its like he was writing down a bible for us but it was incomplete he added he gave us glimpses of what the future would be and our job is to figure it out


ballet is extreme thats exactly why the choreographer katy pyle loves it
but ms pyle has invented something new ballez it sums up her company her movement practice her teaching and the way she envisions the future of ballet she is showcasing stories of as she puts it lesbian queer and transgender people in the unlikely world of tutus and tiaras ballet is exclusive ballez made up of dancers who identify in myriad ways is not
i just dont believe in neutral ms pyle said in an interview after a recent rehearsal i want to use this form to show that people are still carrying these subconscious judgments and ideas about how we should behave in relation to each other how we should look and move and whats possible and whats allowed
ballez which is also the name of her company aims to nurture as well as empower a typical ballez class includes the usual exercises and combinations but begins with students sharing their names and a preferred gender pronoun ballet barres are placed in a triangle so the students are closer to one another and there are no mirrors
the emphasis isnt on technical perfection said madison krekel a member of the company which has some dozen dancers its about using what you have and most important using it to see each other in the room and to really receive each other
as the director ms pyle may be in charge but shes not interested in hierarchy her own history has led her to this point persuaded to quit ballet as a teenager   she was repeatedly told that she was too big and too strong   she has reimagined it on her own terms in ms pyles works female heroines may fall in love but theyre not weak timid or virginal they stand up for themselves theyre fighters and they can love whomever they want
i have been really angry about not being allowed into this world that i deeply committed myself to as a young person she said its been this knot inside of me but because ballet was cut off from me as a really young person its still a playful space in my memory
transgenderism may be in the public eye right now but ms pyle has been focused on the subject for some time her new sleeping beauty  the beast is to have its debut on friday april 29 in the la mama moves dance festival three years in the making the production is ms pyles second reimagining of a classical ballet her first was the firebird a ballez in 2013 nicky paraiso who programs the la mama festival recalled being impressed that ms pyle had found a way to tackle the ballet form with dancers of different shapes and sizes and sexualities he said it was completely beautiful
just as with the firebird there is a sense of whimsy in ms pyles sleeping beauty  the beast but theres history too in the ballet which explores two eras of activism on the lower east side the first act takes place in 1893 and is set in the garment industry the second comes 100 years later during the aids crisis
for ms pyle who is 35 and a lesbian 1993 was an important year for lesbians in the news media cindy crawford shaved k d langs face on the cover of vanity fair melissa etheridge had a hit record yes i am
it was the very fluffy stuff   thats what i was aware of as a 13 year old in texas she said it was this moment of oh this reality exists i had no idea i remember asking my mom what a lesbian was and not getting an answer shes cool now
in the classic ballet sleeping beauty the baby princess aurora is placed under a curse by the evil fairy carabosse when she pricks her finger with a needle shell die but the lilac fairy changes the spell so that aurora will only fall asleep a hundred years later a prince awakens her with a kiss in ms pyles version auroras father owns a lower east side garment factory and the three fairies   violet scarlet and azure   are played by men and are the factorys designers the second act in 1993 takes place in a lesbian club as ms pyle said it was time when activism and sex and death and club culture were also overlapping
ms krekel who plays aurora said the dancers in ms pyles group connect as the misfits of ballet when she was growing up she said she was the only black girl in her class weve been in love with the form in some way but never fit into that classical trajectory
she added that her aurora reminds her of how she was as a teenager angsty questioning her parents her desires trying so hard to find her truth in whatever way she can ms krekel explained katy always says in rehearsal i dont want you guys to ever feel like you need to embody this way of dancing like a ballet dancer she is always trying to make sure that were highlighting our personalities and what lives inside of us
then there is the beast played by jules skloot a union organizer in the first act and the beast in the second loosely based on leslie feinberg the american transgender activist and writer the beast is auroras prince but the character also refers to some of what ballez stands for shining a spotlight on societys outcasts
while not a parody in the vein of what the all male les ballets trockadero de monte carlo might create the production plays with ideas of femininity and masculinity
i feel like the feminist take on ballet has been more like lets do something thats gender neutral and lets take affectation out of ballet and that is where i have a problem ms pyle said theres a lot of fun and a lot of playfulness in having a gender its enlivening to me to play with that and to include sexuality it creates a wider scope of possibility and thats how i see the world


in new york at least the brooklyn museum has been a leader in the curatorial practice of juxtaposing art from disparate times places media and cultures its latest foray which opens friday april 29 is at once wide yet focused as its title attests disguise masks and global african art expands upon a show organized by the seattle art museum featuring more than 25 contemporary artists from africa and of african descent from around the world often representing them with several works each   photography installation drawing sculpture and video
their efforts will be contextualized by a selection of traditional masks headdresses and costumes most but not all from earlier periods altogether the show will trace the influence of masks and masquerade from the hearts of many african cultures and into the present it should provide a rich opportunity to see what is gained and sometimes lost in transit through sept 18 brooklyn museum brooklynmuseumorg


so many great poetic plays take place in bars that you could program an entire season of them and save money on the set a natural start would be the iceman cometh but my dream lineup would then include stephen adly guirgiss portrait of manhattan in transition in arabia wed all be kings which would provide a nice contrast with the rural irish pub in conor mcphersons the weir joining this genre packed with monologues of uncommon beauty and gradually escalating inebriation and conflict is daphnes dive a new work by quiara alegria hudes that takes place in a cheap corner bar in north philadelphia it centers on a relationship between the title character who tends bar and her adopted daughter ms hudes won a pulitzer prize for the drama water by the spoonful part of an acclaimed trilogy and wrote the book for lin manuel mirandas musical in the heights which was directed by thomas kail who also stages this new work vanessa aspillaga domesticated and daphne rubin vega rent fill out this ensemble begins tuesday april 26 at signature theater 212 244 7529 signaturetheatreorg


forty years have passed since the utah symphony last visited carnegie hall this concert celebrates a comeback in more than one way after sustaining an artistic slump and financial difficulties in the intervening decades the orchestra can take pride in how it has blossomed under its new music director thierry fischer   just in time for the current 75th anniversary season an ambitious overhaul of personnel and programming is bearing fruit as evidenced by an excellent new recording of commissioned works by nico muhly augusta read thomas and andrew norman
the carnegie hall concert represents the new york premiere of mr normans percussion concerto switch a zany high energy work that the soloist colin currie has likened to being trapped in a pinball machine also on the program are works by prokofiev and bartok and haydns symphony no 96   a deliberate choice surely given its nickname the miracle 8 pm friday april 29 stern auditorium carnegiehallorg


john eleuthere du pont was supposed to be the future of usa wrestling when he built in the 1980s a magnificent training center on his foxcatcher farm in newtown square pa and invited some of the countrys best wrestlers to live there but on jan 26 1996 he shot and killed dave schultz the seven time world and olympic medalist who coached the foxcatcher team its a story familiar to anyone who saw foxcatcher bennett millers 2014 fictionalized account mark ruffalo played schultz
mark schultz daves brother and training partner is nowhere to be found in team foxcatcher a new netflix documentary debuting friday april 29 instead the director jon greenhalgh combines home movies of dave with interviews of those he trained   and who witnessed du ponts menacing entitlement daves widow nancy acts as a guide this main drive is just so pretty she says as she enters the estate at the films beginning by its end she is walking through the house she shared with her husband and their children now in ruins


an architecture of desire is what heather kravas calls the duets among six women divided into three couples in her piece play thing but before this convergence takes place theyll evoke states of fear anxiety playfulness power and eroticism through symmetrical floor patterns rhythmic shifts and precise and repetitive dance steps and these movements based on quotidian activities will be combined with simple words
ms kravas who comes from seattle says her works grapple with inevitable disorder and has expressed a desire to reflect something vital about the brutal and beautiful condition of being alive it seems likely that the rigorously structured play thing will be something more than fun and games
8 pm wednesday april 27 through saturday chocolate factory theater long island city queens chocolatefactorytheaterorg


if you examine the signal moments of afro latin music in new york since the mid 1970s youll often find the trombonist papo vazquez in the picture brash and precise helping to drive the music giving it snap and ferocity when still a teenager he played on hector lavoes album de ti depende which included the bitter masterpiece periodico de ayer he worked with the fania all stars jerry gonzalezs fort apache band manny oquendos conjunto libre the great puerto rican band batacumbele he played in bands led by hector lavoe eddie palmieri tito puente and chico ofarrill he was a member of arturo ofarrills groundbreaking afro latin jazz orchestra in the aughts but mr vazquezs work as a bandleader pushing post coltrane jazz and puerto rican traditional rhythm to the front of a gnashing ensemble sound deserves all the recognition it gets on saturday april 30 a concert will recognize mr vazquezs 40 years on the scene with his band mighty pirates troubadours 730 pm hostos center for the arts and culture repertory theater 450 grand concourse bronx hostoscenterorg


there is cringe worthy humor and then there is the comedian and actor t j miller whose specialty might be called wince inducing on the hbo series silicon valley which returns on sunday april 24 hes erlich bachman the status obsessed invective flinging bong ripping ringleader of a start up crew in season 3 there is even more sad depth mr miller said to this poor guy who has really fallen from grace this season it gets bad and i dont know how it can get better
in his stand up mr miller has been known to steal audience members cocktails then riff onstage about morality and death pets are friend slaves begins one unlikely bit but mr miller 34 still aims for mass appeal he appeared in the action films transformers age of extinction and deadpool you might also know him as the talking phlegm ball in mucinex commercials
a denver native who toured with second city mr miller who lives in los angeles takes a dim view of some silicon valley mainstays tech bloggers he said would be like if a journalist got a lobotomy and then went to trade school for not being a journalist in an interview he alternated between teasing and thoughtful these are edited excerpts from the conversation
do you think of yourself as a satirist
the silicon valley creator mike judge is my jonathan swift and i say that because i dont know any other satirists but the problem with satire is that its so easily misinterpreted so many tech guys come up to me like in a bro voice hey dude youre so funny on that show and i gotta tell you its too real im you at a tech company and you know that he doesnt get the joke hes just like finally they made a show about me
how do you get into character
i gain about 20 to 30 pounds and i grow facial hair that is really odd and funny to the american public but not as funny to my wife
youve gotten to meet some of the titans of the industry
its been so bizarre i met elon musk and i didnt know who he was somebody asked to take a picture and he thought it was with him but they wanted him to take a picture of them with me elon is like im making space travel possible sure ill take a picture with you and theyre like ahem this is the mucinex guy
was it your dream to play a large ball of mucus in a commercial
mucinex were like would you like to be the mucinex man you sound like youre sick right now in each spot they give me a little bit of room to do something strange and in a world of fractured mediums where there is no zeitgeist and you get your comedy from your phone its all content
erlich is known for inspired florid put downs have you done that in real life
well you know staring pointedly at a reporters shoes ive never had an interview with a journalist who purported to be an intellectual when they had the worst effort at open toe footwear ive seen ever so no
youre an advocate for legalizing marijuana are you stoned right now
no god if i was stoned this would be such a more interesting article are you stoned
no
well then neither of us are having a very good time ironically i didnt start smoking marijuana until i was 23 or something i thought drinking was cooler i switched after i had a seizure i have a medical marijuana card if people are like i wish i could smoke weed but i cant i always am like well you need to practice think of how many times you threw up learning how to drink and people are like i got paranoid once so ive never smoked marijuana again its like no youve got to put some work into it put your back into it for gods sake


a four bedroom victorian near toronto
117 million 1499900 canadian dollars
this four bedroom victorian house built around 1876 in unionville a village in the toronto suburbs has served several purposes part of its ground floor was once a bank and later the building was used as a boardinghouse and a creamery
a wide veranda stretches across the front of the house which is about 3000 square feet and painted pale yellow the front door leads to an open foyer and a spacious living room with a fireplace to the left of the fireplace a doorway leads to the formal dining room which has walls of wedgwood blue
the kitchen with a granite island and countertops is past the dining room through double glass doors next to the kitchen is a sunroom with a heated stone floor which serves as the painting studio of the owner linda fearnley a family room added in the 1960s has a cast iron stove and doors that open onto the back deck the backyard has a large lawn chestnut and maple trees and landscaping with native perennials
stairs near the front door lead to the bedrooms theres a half bath under the stairs on the second floor the master bedroom has an en suite bath with a claw foot bathtub and a separate shower its cabinetry came from a church said alanna english a broker with remax all stars realty in unionville who has the listing the second upstairs bathroom serves the other three bedrooms including one in the converted attic
the home on a quarter acre lot was renovated around 12 years ago with upgrades to the kitchen bathrooms and roof the random width pine plank floors and some of the windows and light fixtures are original
the house is in unionville a village in the toronto suburbs within the city of markham which has about 350000 residents nearby are a pond which is sometimes used for skating in winter mrs english said and walking trails
the train station is about a five minute drive mrs english said the trip to union station in toronto train at rush hours bus at other times is about 45 minutes restaurants and boutiques are a short walk away and a large mall is a 10 minute drive ms fearnley said the village has annual festivals she added and its streets are sometimes used for filming downtown toronto is about 20 miles away the international airport about 25 miles
market overview
torontos real estate market is performing exceptionally well said mark mclean the president of the toronto real estate board a nonprofit group
in the first quarter of 2016 475 homes with prices starting at 2 million canadian dollars or about 156 million were sold compared with 259 in the same period last year mr mclean said
according to a report from his organization the number of sales over all was up 16 percent over the same period the average selling price for all home types combined was up 121 percent year over year in march
several factors are contributing to this strong market he and other real estate agents said growing traffic congestion and the rising appeal of downtown living have led to increased demand for the citys center and its near suburbs low interest rates have made borrowing attractive and international buyers are also creating demand partly because of a weak canadian dollar
according to andy taylor a senior vice president of sales with the toronto based sothebys international realty canada condominium prices per square foot start at 750 canadian dollars or around 585 and reach 2000 canadian dollars or 1560 for the top of the luxury market
in recent years the ceiling for torontos luxury home prices has increased prices above 10 million canadian dollars were almost nonexistent five or 10 years ago mr taylor said its not a huge market here but were starting to see a lot more properties listed and selling above the 10 million mark most of those buyers are foreign he added
mrs english said prospective home buyers were drawn to markham because it has a good job market and good schools train access to downtown toronto and lower corporate and industrial tax rates than toronto the average price of a single family home in markham in march was just under 13 million canadian dollars or about 101 million which was slightly higher than in toronto according to a report from the toronto real estate board
who buys in toronto
chinese buyers once focused on vancouver started spilling over to toronto about six or seven years ago in search of better values mr taylor said that interest has continued to grow more recently he added
large estates in the central bridle path area and in bayview village which is farther from the citys downtown are both highly sought after by chinese buyers he said quality schools are probably the number one factor that they look for mr taylor said
mr taylor estimated that 20 percent to 30 percent of luxury single family homes in the rosedale forest hill and lawrence park neighborhoods where prices cost between 3 million and 5 million canadian dollars 234 million and 39 million go to foreign buyers
buying basics
ontarios real estate laws are similar to those of the united states said jerry b udell a partner at the mctague law firm in windsor ontario who specializes in real estate
buyers and sellers hire their own real estate lawyers who function as notaries in canada mr udell said no additional notary is required he said
legal fees range from several hundred to several thousand dollars depending on the complexity of the transaction and the scope of the work required
denise lash the founder of lash condo law a toronto condominium law firm said the buyers closing costs include land transfer taxes for the province of ontario and the city of toronto both of which are calculated on a sliding scale based on the purchase price for newly constructed homes and condominiums there is a 13 percent harmonized sales tax also payable by the buyer unless it is included in the purchase price she said
both lawyers recommended getting title insurance which is not mandatory
it is relatively easy for foreign buyers with good credit to get financing in canada mr udell said legal fees are higher ms lash said if a buyer requires a mortgage
websites
city of markham markhamca
unionville business improvement area unionvilleinfocom
ontario tourism ontariotravelnet
unionville festival unionvillefestivalcom
markham jazz festival markhamjazzfestivalcom
languages and currency
english french canadian dollar 1 canadian dollar  078
taxes and fees
property taxes for this house in 2015 were approximately 5300 canadian dollars or about 4135
contact
alanna english remax all stars 416 566 9087 alannaenglishcom


there is no longer key  peele the razor sharp comedy central sketch series that ended in september there are only keegan michael key and jordan peele the comic actors and writers who used the five seasons of that show to shine a satirical spotlight on racial stereotypes and injustice not to mention the increasingly distinctive names of college football players and so the two men started pursuing their individual career paths
a few months later those paths have brought mr key and mr peele back together on their first movie keanu which warner bros will release on friday april 29 in this comedy they star as cousins in los angeles who take in an adorable kitten they name keanu it can mean cool breeze too you know but unaware that keanu once belonged to a notorious drug lord the strait laced pair must navigate the citys criminal underbelly to reclaim keanu when he is stolen from them
keanu which was written by mr peele and alex rubens a former key  peele writer and directed by peter atencio the key  peele director preserves the goofy but socially conscious sensibility of that series but it is also the comedy teams first effort at telling a feature length story and an important moment to show that they   as well as a wider range of black actors   can carry motion pictures of their own
mr peele and mr key came together in los angeles earlier this month to talk about keanu and in these edited excerpts from a skype interview they discussed the changing dynamics of their collaboration the challenges of making the movie and the superstar who participated in it   as well as one who remains just out of reach
you finished key  peele several months ago what does it feel like now when you work together on something
keegan michael key its special when we get together now part of the juggling act is to make sure that people understand that we are a team and at the same time we are our own artists   but get tantalized because were going to come back together
jordan peele its very exciting to see each others   i want to say side projects now that is attachment   but to see each others other projects were each others biggest cheerleaders
key we text each other frequently and just go hows that going
where did the idea for keanu come from
peele it came from a lot of discussions that keegan and i have had we love a style of movie that we dont see made very much anymore action comedies that have heart and are a certain amount grounded
key youre laughing but the bullets are real
peele we love raising arizona true romance midnight run thelma  louise well maybe thats not a comedy we love real guy ordinary incompetence in a heightened genre situation
were you cat people before you made the movie
key we actually have dogs were dog people
peele we thought about making keanu about a puppy at one point but kittens are just one notch more vulnerable and precious
was it the same cat who played keanu throughout the film
key a bunch of cats and different cats are trained differently this cat has an aptitude for jumping or running this cat has an aptitude for laying in your lap and purring a couple of the cats were getting older and theyd have to swap them out to keep them the same size you know how it is in hollywood if youre 14 weeks old youre out of the business
though youve each played supporting roles in other peoples movies were studios hesitant to make keanu because you had no starring film credits
peele youll hear a lot of hollywood execs talk about you know african american led movies dont do well overseas so youre not going to see a lot of chances being taken theres this excuse that people throw around it helps perpetuate this notion that if a black persons going to lead a movie it has to be will smith or denzel washington
key its a specious argument to say well our numbers say this if the movie is of quality and has some kind of universal appeal it should work in thailand and iceland and nigeria and israel
peele its an industry that hasnt taken the time to build stars of different types i hope that this movie helps show that there is an incredible market for movies with people of color
theres a running idea in keanu about black men who dont fit traditional stereotypes having to navigate a world of stereotypical characters is that drawn in any way from your real life experiences
peele part of it is a commentary on the lack of representation in movies certainly theres an overwhelming amount of stereotypes in movies weve placed ourselves in a more typical world of hollywood stereotypes
key african american cultures not a monolith you could take 56 pictures and theres one picture where you make this face contorts his features and thats the picture they pick he loves to make that face no dude you didnt look at the other 55 pictures if were black nerds we write from a point of view being black nerds but were still african american in my life its been frustrating when someone says youre not black enough and im going im black enough to not get that cab you also didnt get they didnt pick me up either
what if you get criticized that the drug dealers and gang members in the film are themselves cliches
peele thats kind of the point of the movie
key you have to be able to set up a stereotype to knock it down
peele we wouldnt have made it very far if we worried too much about how people would be offended
the music of george michael is a recurring motif in keanu why was this important to you
peele who doesnt like george michael the moment he said yes i put a down payment on a house i was like weve won hollywood we just got a george michael soundtrack to our kitten movie
key people are going to be having babies to this movie remember how good george michael was lets get it on
did you hope that liam neeson   or as he is known in your work liam neesons   might play a role
key you need to understand that liam neesons is such a legend in the fact that he just exists on the earth the mere mention of his name is enough production value for us
peele it cost us 2 million to say his name incorrectly
really
key no no no no no laughter it was 3 million
peele are you going to include that in the article that you actually thought hollywood might work that way
jordan you and your fiancee chelsea peretti are generally quiet about your relationship but you have started appearing together in a tv campaign for bookingcom   was it a good time to cash in
peele am i supposed to be getting paid does money usually change hands for this
key give me a second let me talk to my partner about commerce
peele im delighted to be able to do something with my beautiful love and confidant we havent gotten a chance to work together very much and lets just say its all feeding our real life wedding
keegan are you going to have a role in jordans wedding ceremony
peele the real life ceremony is a little bit of an elope situation chelsea and i were very private and sneaking away and just having something private is perfect for us
key i may have suggested this laughter its just rigmarole a wedding youre just better off what they did is the most efficient and the most logical way to have a union
have you decided what your next joint project will be
key we havent talked about it yet were just seeing what happens organically were on this kind of richard pryor gene wilder model right now which is go off and do your thing
peele i smoke crack
key and i may one day marry a jew we spend time together so something will come up we have discussed you directing me in a movie or writing and me producing me being in it and him not
peele what do you mean
key me starring in a big blockbuster action movie
peele i never said i wouldnt be in it
key maybe you play a small cameo in it like cheech marin as the bartender in desperado
peele we have some things to talk about obviously


arnold md
what a brick georgian with five bedrooms and three and a half bathrooms plus a two bedroom guest cottage
how much 899000
size 2560 square feet in the main house
price per square foot 351
setting arnold is a city of around 23000 people it is about five miles from annapolis md which is on the chesapeake bay about 25 miles from baltimore and 30 miles from washington set on a peninsula between the severn and magothy rivers the area has several marinas
the baltimore  annapolis trail built on a former rail line runs through town this house is on about four and a half acres buffered by gardens and woods
indoors the two story brick georgian was built in 1815 and most recently updated within the last 10 years it retains nearly all its original interior features including molding hardwood floors and seven mantels
the layout is symmetrical with a living room and dining room opposite each other across the entry hall followed by a kitchen and a family room at the back the living and dining rooms are framed by ornate arched entryways both have marble fireplaces and large six over six windows
the kitchen has been updated with granite countertops and stainless steel appliances that offset simple white wood cabinets a door off the kitchen leads to a back porch
four bedrooms are upstairs each with a fireplace and roughly equal in size two open to an upper porch
the fifth bedroom is in a finished lower level with wood beam ceilings an additional living area and a second kitchen at the top of the house is a small belvedere for viewing the countryside
the guest cottage is licensed to be rented it has a living room paneled in knotty pine with a fireplace a kitchen and two bedrooms also on the property is an old store now used as a workshop as well as a smokehouse a stone springhouse and a three car garage
outdoor space behind the house theres a pool the property is 46 acres cleared around the house with gardens and woods
taxes 6663 a year
contact alex tower sears the tower team coldwell banker residential brokerage 443 254 5661 thetowerteamcom

indian hill ohio
what a cedar contemporary with five bedrooms five full bathrooms and two half baths
how much 899000
size approximately 6461 square feet
price per square foot 139
setting indian hill is a quiet city of approximately 6000 people about 15 miles from downtown cincinnati the area is rural nearly a quarter of the citys land is under preservation while residential properties are usually three to five acres city zoning restricts retail development so shopping is in neighboring communities according to the listing agent many residents keep horses this house is on about three acres neighboring a 54 acre nature preserve with a walking trail and a stream
indoors the three story 1975 cedar contemporary was designed by larry norris a cincinnati architect it was updated in the late 1990s
an angular contemporary design the house has walls of glass facing woods the most heavily windowed parts of the house face southwest a view that is shaded in the summer but open to sun during the winter
the interior is open plan with wood floors and pitched wood paneled ceilings in most rooms the living and dining area are more than 625 square feet with walls of glass and ceilings that rise nearly 25 feet sliding glass doors open to a deck the living area has a fireplace
the kitchen is at the heart of the floor plan with a breakfast bar it adjoins a family room with built in bookcases and a fireplace in a rock wall theres also an office nook with built ins the family room opens to a deck theres also a study with a pitched ceiling a private deck and a picture window facing the driveway so that visitors can be seen as they arrive
three bedrooms including the master are upstairs the master is part of a suite measuring nearly 600 square feet with a high pitched ceiling a spiral staircase on this floor leads to a loft that could be used as a crafts studio or work space
the remaining two bedrooms are on a walkout lower level which also has an exercise room and a recreation room sliding glass doors open to a patio that stretches around to the three car garage
outdoor space the property is three rolling acres mostly wooded
taxes approximately 13440 a year
contact carol harris and kelly pear comey  shepherd realtors 513 703 1203 carolharriscom

boston
what a condominium with one bedroom and one bathroom
how much 899000
size 869 square feet
price per square foot 1035
setting this condo is in a former warehouse in back bay a neighborhood and historic district along the charles river in addition to its many victorian era brownstones the neighborhood is home to some notable public buildings including the boston public library trinity church and the john hancock tower
this building is on newbury street and surrounded by galleries cafes and shops ranging from local boutiques to national chains from gucci to marshalls the berklee college of music and boston university are within blocks as are the boston public garden and the theater district the massachusetts bay transportation authority has a stop underneath this building
indoors the 1918 brick building was designed by arthur bowditch who worked on several large scale commercial buildings and hotels in the city as well as the 1932 art deco paramount theater once used as a wurlitzer musical instrument store and later by tower records it was renovated by the architect frank gehry in 1989 the year mr gehry won the pritzker prize his renovation added diagonal metal struts and a striking contemporary top floor to the building and finished one side of the facade in lead coated copper the building was converted to condos in 2005
this unit is on the seventh of nine floors its great room has two broad cathedral windows running nearly floor to ceiling with west facing views of fenway park as well as the sunset ceilings are more than 12 feet tall floors are quarter sawn oak with a dark walnut stain
the kitchen has white cabinets with nickel handles granite countertops with carrara marble backsplashes and stainless steel appliances by sub zero and bosch with a vented hood over the range the kitchen design is by the italian company arclinea the bedroom has a clerestory window the bathroom is finished in carrara marble with a tub and a glass enclosed shower
among the apartments amenities are electric blinds an in unit laundry and extra storage in the basement the building has 247 concierge service and there is night security while no parking is included the seller rents space at a nearby hilton for 345 a month
outdoor space none
taxes taxes are approximately 6450 a year if the condo is used as a primary residence or 8370 if used as a secondary residence monthly condo fees are 652 which includes heat gas water sewer master insurance and refuse and snow removal
contact myrna rothman otis  ahearn real estate 617 828 9622 otisahearncom


its the rare hotel that doesnt engage in sustainable practices like encouraging guests to reuse towels but many hospitality companies and tour operators go much greener than that eco tourism companies which put a priority on sustainability as well as profit cover everything from conservation focused wildlife safaris to community sustaining lodges and properties that grow their own food descriptions of some of the new and improved eco lodges follow along with those of new tours offering emissions free bike trips carbon offset cruises and glimpses of rare wildlife
a 3000 acre on site farm produces more than 70 percent of the food served to guests of belcampo belize a 17 room eco lodge in a belizean rain forest that balances food sustainability and natural adventure the lodges many eco initiatives include snorkeling outings with the chef to spear lionfish an invasive species for later meals and fashioning furniture from fallen hardwood trees in addition to frequent farm to table cooking classes and jungle foraging outings the coming belcampo birding encounter jan 28 to feb 2 2017 features birding excursions on and off the property with h lee jones author of birds of belize nightly rates from 407 birding package rates from 2390 a person information at belcampobzcom
anticipating its 50th anniversary in 1966 the national park service hastened to build 400 cabins to entice visitors to stay in yellowstone national park more than 50 years later yellowstone national park lodges is replacing the cabins which had outlasted their life expectancy with canyon lodge  cabins three of five new lodge buildings designed for the united states green building councils leadership in energy and environmental design leed silver certification opened last summer with the balance slated for completion by september they feature recycled or renewable materials and hiking and biking paths for getting around the summer only lodge offers rooms from 140 from june 3 to sept 25 information at yellowstonenationalparklodgescom
owned by oberlin college and built to the highest leed standards the new hotel at oberlin 35 miles west of cleveland is expected to open in mid may the modern glass and concrete building rendering above will have 70 rooms in oberlins green arts district a continuing development modeled on environmental stewardship and community sustainability the design mixes new and old technology from solar and geothermal power to ceiling fans and windows that open local mennonite carpenters used a dismantled 19th century farm to create some of the woody interiors and a sculpture by the artist maya lin will be installed in the lobby this summer rooms from 109 information at thehotelatoberlincom
you dont just stay at los poblanos historic inn  organic farm you can volunteer to plant weed and harvest organically grown produce on the 25 acre property but all the action isnt outside the inn was designed in 1932 by john gaw meem considered the father of pueblo revival style architecture it is undergoing a 15 million expansion from 22 to 50 rooms to be completed in early 2017 the farm provides lavender and honey to a community supported agriculture co op and the inns green practices include donating restaurant cooking oil to a biodiesel converter special events include organic cooking classes demonstrations in distilling lavender oil and meet the farmer sessions rooms from 200 including breakfast information at lospoblanoscom
the solar powered sal salis camp resort sits on the beachfront of cape range national park in western australia the jumping off point for trips to the ningaloo reef it recently doubled its inventory of boardwalk raised tents to 16 but it still treads lightly the boardwalks which connect to the main lodge are designed to protect the flora and prevent erosion canvas walls keep guests close to nature while en suite bathrooms and beds with organic cotton sheets provide luxury in the wild the property has a new boat and plans to use it to take visitors on excursions to swim with humpback whales august through october in addition to its whale shark swims april through july rates start at 1500 australian dollars for two for a two night minimum stay information at salsaliscomau
abiding by the adage to take only pictures and leave only footprints discovery voyages explores prince william sound and its shores from the 65 foot working yacht mv discovery it carries just 12 passengers and the company encourages them to offset the carbon emissions associated with its trips for 4 a day many of its summer offerings are sold out spring and fall trips remain open including a five day classic discovery voyage departing may 21 whose proceeds will be donated to fund a book on conservation in the area the trip visits areas known for icebergs orcas and humpback whales glaciers and puffins and costs 4000 a person information at discoveryvoyagescom
before founding gondwana ecotours in 2013 jared sternberg was a perennial volunteer for projects that included building a school in africa and teaching english in the amazon now he gives back through his tour company whose mission is to sustain remote communities by supporting them with proceeds from visitors for example the 10 day ecuador andes to the amazon rainforest tour includes five days with the indigenous achuar people of the amazon in their kapawi lodge to experience wildlife tours and community rituals the first half of the trip explores quito and offers hikes in cotopaxi national park prices start at 3280 a person and a tenth of the proceeds go to the achuar information at gondwanaecotourscom
this summer trek travel the outfitter affiliated with trek bikes will introduce a six night trip through eco travel centric iceland riding bikes supplied by the outfitter travelers take backcountry routes to lava fields hot springs river valleys and glaciers en route they will stay in remote mountain huts some formerly used by sheep herders with varying access to conveniences like running water the payoff is proximity to stunning landscapes between july 3 and aug 5 the trip will run five times rates start at 4199 a person information at trektravelcom
in conjunction with the world wildlife fund natural habitat adventures plans to offer a new trip wild peru this summer focusing on conservation and scientific research the 12 day tour is a sampler of climates andean plateaus biodiverse ballestas islands amazon rain forest coastal desert and canyons this isnt just a geology tour wildlife watches include offshore sea lion penguin and seabird colonies macaws in tambopata national reserve and condors in the andes accommodations will include two eco lodges in the amazon amazonas and tambopata research center the trip leaves aug 30 rates from 7795 a person information at nathabcom
vancouver one of canadas most environmentally progressive cities will introduce 100 shareable electric scooters this summer and a 1000 bike fleet of shared bicycles use one green form of transit or another to take the new green building audio tour featuring local architects sustainability consultants and project managers telling stories of the citys most sustainable buildings including the olympic village and the marine building an art deco gem dating to 1930 the free tour is available through a podcast on itunes or simply by calling when you reach places with signs indicating that they are part of the audio tour information at greenbuildingaudiotourscom


our daughter just celebrated her 18th birthday and is excited about being able to vote she is active politically and has strong opinions about many social and political issues she is considering majoring in political science at the college she will attend later this year she believes her vote may be more valuable in the swing state where she will attend college than in her home state which is considered a lock for national and state elections is it ethical for her to register to vote at college kate h
in any election that involves multiple districts there are rules about how people who move regularly between one place and another may vote many students declare the place where they go to school to be their principal residence and are legally entitled to vote there as long as your daughter abides by the rules theres no ethical reason she shouldnt join the ranks of the swing state voters
but as a prospective political science major your daughter might want to interrogate her reasons for doing so while the vote may be closer where shes going to college the probability that the outcome will depend on her vote is close to zero a study done by a couple of chicago economists found that just one congressional race since the 1890s was decided by a single vote and that was in 1910 no presidential election has ever hung on one
that your vote alone almost certainly wont determine who wins doesnt mean that voting is irrational you can have reason to bet on a highly unlikely event if the payoff is big enough in one scenario   proposed by the statistician andrew gelman and colleagues   you might figure that your candidates winning would make the average american about 100 better off with about 320 million of us thats a 32 billion payout suppose the chance that your vote will make the difference is one in 10 million then if you care about your compatriots that one in 10 million chance of making a difference   the 32 billion payout   represents a lottery ticket for which it would be reasonable to pay more than 3000 unless you think your time is hugely valuable it might still be worth buying if you valued the payout at a tenth or even a hundredth of that amount but many voters   especially the undecideds   dont think that one candidate will create vastly more value than another they lack this rationale for voting
so try another argument proposed by the political theorist richard tuck elections really are decided by a single vote the one vote that takes a candidate to the threshold required to win in this view theres a healthy chance that your vote in combination with lots of others will be causally efficacious it will be one of those that lifts your candidate to that threshold granted there are plenty of superfluous votes the ones that took the candidate beyond the threshold but in a typical election odds are high that your ballot will belong to the efficacious set
yet more reasons have been floated it might be good to vote because it is a civic duty or because it asserts the importance of the electoral process or because win or lose the number of people on your side sends a message one reason that im drawn to is pretty simple and it starts with thinking of voting as something we did rather than merely something i did
imagine youre playing tug of war if you singular pull on your side and you plural win you are part of the winning team and you can truthfully say we won and thats so even if your team would have won without you this is how shared agency works if you lose you have to say we lost but you can also say that you were among the people who helped determine the outcome even when it isnt the one you favored you played a part
of course there are skeptics about all these arguments  as there are about most arguments in philosophy so finally your daughter might bear in mind that voting aside everything she can do to affect the outcome like campaigning which may make more of a difference she is entitled to do anyplace in the country   regardless of where she collects her mail
a co worker with stage 4 cancer needed to pay for a treatment not covered by insurance that might save or prolong his life his wife set up a gofundme campaign to raise money with just over half the required funds collected the drive slowed to a halt his wife soon announced that the treatment was no longer recommended because her husbands health had declined she added that she would use the funds to cover home hospice care her husband died the next day i later heard the funds will now be used for funeral expenses
i asked a couple of donors what they thought of this and their response was that the money was for the cancer victim and they didnt care what it was used for adding that there must be something wrong with anyone me who had a problem with this however the people i asked had donated roughly the price of a meal while i donated 10 times that amount
i am not going to ask for my donation back it was money i had already put aside for charity but this turn of events left a bad taste in my mouth the donors were put in an awkward position having to trust that the expensive treatment was approved by a doctor very little information was presented and i find myself wondering if the whole thing was arranged just to cover the usual costs associated with an illness and death
is this a no harm no foul situation should i file a complaint with gofundme or is publishing this account in your column the best move since it will embarrass no one while serving as a warning to readers about the potential for abuse in crowdfunding mechanisms name withheld
your story reflects difficulties in the way we deal with catastrophic health problems one is the possibility that insurance companies will deny patients treatments that would actually be helpful another though is that people are often talked into spending money on treatments that have no value so we start by not knowing whether the gofundme campaign was a good idea even if it was people are often asking for help as in this case without knowing what theyll actually need and people inevitably make gifts without a full picture of what theyre supporting it can be genuinely unclear what falls within the scope of the donors intentions
but unlike a deal in which you give someone money in return for something specific a gift is not hedged about with conditions your co workers illness imposed costs not covered by insurance and his wife is now using the money to pay the last and saddest of those was there an understanding perhaps implicit that the money was to be used for only the experimental treatment that was clearly your impression so it would certainly have been better once that option was off the table for the wife to have offered to return the money to anyone who asked for it you can see how she made the decisions she did though by small steps using the money for hospice care seemed like a reasonable extension of medical care and if hospice care was ok why not a funeral so while i understand your disquiet i would urge you to extend your generosity about your co workers medical problem to the needs of his grieving widow


i like lettuce cooked
that wasnt always extraordinary in the beginning any pot near an herb garden had a head of lettuce burbling in it in apicius from imperial rome we come by cook the lettuce leaves with onion in soda water squeeze the water out chop very fine in the mortar crush pepper lovage celery seed dry mint onion add stock oil and wine cooked lettuce appears in medieval platina as both physic and nutriment the divine augustus having fallen ill was saved by eating lettuce  put cooked lettuce with the water squeezed out in a dish when you have dressed it with salt and oil and vinegar and serve it to your guests
nearer in time and place there was lettuce a la creme downtown club 1900 lettuce a la reine new york athletic club 1900 lettuce demi glace st regis 1905 you might have eaten lettuce braised there or at the plaza the pierre or the yale club on any day in the 1930s cream of lettuce bostonienne streamed from a ladle at the hotel commodore in 1933 a veloute of lettuce from a larger one aboard the paquebot liberte during a trans atlantic voyage in 1959   after which you might have lunched on cream of lettuce at harrods and floated home buoyed by a veloute of lettuce sevigne the last braised evidence ive found is at the yale club in 1979
then what i cant say for certain basically i think with nutritionists and biochemists on our side   or us on theirs   we determined that lettuce was good for us we settled on that as its central quality such things becoming more black and white as time passes and decided that when transformed by heat lettuce was worse health food   less elixir more supper this matter like many in nutritional science is gray water soluble vitamins may degrade in heat fat soluble ones may not some vitaminic compounds are more digestible when heated less data exist for hot and cold lettuce than for carrots and broccoli because lettuce is less often cooked regardless any vegetable you eat is better for you than one you dont even if its vitamin c is diminished
the practical hurdle to lettuce cookery is finding good instruction the recipes are almost all old they are quaint  but useless cream of lettuce soup from the boston cooking school magazine 1904 5 produces a thick white substance sure to taste of flour butter milk cream and little else a year later the magazine offered a recipe for stewed lettuce that torments the poor vegetable for over an hour into pulp even julia childs braised lettuce comparatively recent 1961 overcooks lettuce to exhaustion demanding a boil an hourlong simmer and then a final saucing with reduced broth and more butter
i know only three or four good specimens the first is soup a la dauphine from alexandre dumas pere which calls for wilting lettuce spinach leek onions sorrel purslane and edible flowers in butter adding vegetable stock and serving over toast another honest approach   as found in elizabeth davids laitue au jus and in mfk fishers spoonful of this hot juice   involves pouring the buttery juice left in a pan of roasted meat into a bowl of lettuces there are serviceable recipes for petits pois a la francaise   spring peas onions bacon lettuce   though i usually change their details to match my habits
i love cooking lettuce because like most people i have lettuce and cooking gives it a different manner   making the predictable salad ingredient into an elegant hot soup or snack out of step with my era on this practice i follow a rule that makes sense to me i stay conscious of how quickly lettuce wilts and of how innately it shrinks in heat aiming to let warm fat make its changes while leaving lettuce its fresh crispness   even if the lettuce is long distance romaine from across the country fresh only from the crisper drawer
for lettuce soup i wilt onions in butter then add whatever soft herbs like parsley chervil savory tarragon mint i have   the more the merrier   then lettuce leaves and barely enough water to cover them i cook it just as long as it takes to really get hot then puree it with a little more butter or a drizzle of good olive oil the whole operation is quick and the result is simple and good and even better the next day
for braised lettuce   especially ambrosial if as suggested here a discreet anchovy or 10 are permitted   everything is fast and minimal i put thin wedges of lettuce to quickly and lightly wilt in warm butter and broth and spoon it over hot bread thats all
any buttery saute or even a short stay on a hot carefully oiled grill will underline the pleasures of hot lettuce which are so many so ancient so innocent and so plain that  oh but better just to try it for yourself and be so happy that you will toast your table with senecas old words when shall we live if not now
recipe braised lettuce on anchovy toast


on st patricks day in chicago in the auditorium of the citys public safety headquarters the members of the police board sat at tables at the front of the room beneath a framed genealogy chicago police generations   a proud family tradition officers lined the perimeter of the hall two dozen of them bulked up in body armor all eyes were trained on the young black protesters filling the rooms center who had commandeered the boards monthly meeting just 10 minutes after the call to order
we know that this board does not care about black women a woman with dreadlocks tinted copper yelled from atop a chair they dont care about black people she paused every couple of phrases allowing 50 others to repeat her words for amplification the board cared she said about protecting the police and making rahm look good when she had exhausted herself   we will be here until this expletive burns down   another woman took over and when she too was spent a young man with a reedy build followed ignoring the pleas from the board chair and the interim police superintendent to respect the rights of other speakers if you want to speak you can speak the protester cried his words echoed by the chorus of the human microphone but not to them he pointed an accusing finger at the members of the mayor appointed police board they are invalid they are illegitimate we are holding a forum
the activists werent the only ones declaring a crisis of confidence in chicago in november the city released a video that showed laquan mcdonald a black teenager being shot 16 times by jason van dyke a white cop the footage was gruesome but the routine way in which the october 2014 killing was covered up for more than a year exposed a deeper culture of secrecy and impunity in chicago that implicated the entire police force and much of the citys government
mayor rahm emanuel reacted by firing his police superintendent garry mccarthy last december in quick succession other officials stepped down and emanuel promised an overhaul of his police department but much of the outrage in chicago has remained concentrated on him people marching in the streets hoist fire rahm signs in polls nearly two thirds of african american voters in the city said they didnt trust him and half of all likely voters thought the mayor should resign
most of the young people disrupting the meeting wore yellow t shirts emblazoned with the name rekia boyd in 2012 an off duty chicago cop named dante servin shot boyd 22 in the back of the head from the seat of his car after arguing with her and her friends for making too much noise her family filed a wrongful death lawsuit eventually accepting a 45 million settlement but the activists were still waiting for the police board which rules on disciplinary decisions to take any punitive action against servin if you are not martinez sutton a demonstrator shouted as sutton boyds brother joined them his head bowed and his face wet with tears then shut the expletive up when the interim police superintendent told everyone to clear the room the throng of activists closed ranks in an instant like fingers curling into a fist protesters and police officers in chicago had clashed on several recent occasions and the department had been using plainclothes officers to monitor the groups events but tonight officers stalked the borders of this knot of bodies then gave up
we are abolitionist in our politics page may a 27 year old founder of the activist group assatas daughters told me we are fighting for a world in which the police are obsolete violent crime is again soaring in chicago with 151 homicides and 774 shootings over the first three months of 2016 alone nearly twice as many as in the same period last year yet the very communities most in need of public safety have come to see the criminal justice system as another deadly threat a scathing report issued on april 13 by a task force the mayor appointed confirmed that their distrust of the police was warranted   cpds own data gives validity to the widely held belief the police have no regard for the sanctity of life when it comes to people of color the task force found
chicago had it coming may said describing the blowup set off by the laquan mcdonald case its more a question of why it took so long
with chicago in this state of upheaval and reckoning it feels as if much has already changed but also very little that same week in march veronica morris moore 23 spoke at a small news conference outside the cook county criminal courthouse on the citys west side she seemed to be grieving the citys larger problems even as she celebrated the organizing that helped oust from office anita alvarez the cook county states attorney alvarez didnt charge van dyke until a judge nearly 400 days after the shooting forced the city to make the mcdonald video public alvarez had led in polls three weeks earlier but demonstrators shut down her public talks rallied at her fund raisers and started a social media campaign   byeanita   that laid out how she had failed in her duties as a prosecutor alvarez lost by 30 percentage points to a political novice but morris moore had little faith in whoever was states attorney   or in any public official the system as it exists is never going to give justice to young people like laquan mcdonald she said ultimately we are out to destroy that system she and the five other activists standing beside her began to recite a litany of those killed in chicago by the police pausing after each name to say that the cop had gone unpunished
chicago had more fatal shootings by the police than any other american city from 2010 to 2014 according to an analysis by the better government association yet members of the chicago police department have faced hardly any punishment of the 409 shootings by police officers investigated since 2007 by the independent police review authority ipra which is charged with looking into serious claims of misconduct only two of the shootings were found to be unjustified the people in power holding capacities are being put on notice timothy bradford wearing a t shirt with rekia boyds face printed on it announced from the courthouse steps when you dont make sure our communities are safe by ending mass incarceration and dealing with these killer cops   when you dont do this we are watching you and we will hold you accountable
that mcdonalds death shocked the city into action was a result in part of the video itself you can count in the footage recorded from a patrol cars dashboard camera exactly how long it takes van dyke to jump out of another cruiser gun already fully extended and open fire six seconds the first shots send the 17 year old spinning his arms airplaning out nearly a complete 360 as he topples then van dyke continues shooting into mcdonalds inert body thousands of pages of police reports and emails about the case slowly came to light document after damning document detailing the extent and everyday nature of the cover up it was like a biopsy of an entire institution revealing a consistent ugly thing said jamie kalven who runs the invisible institute a local independent news organization
last year the guardian broke the story of a police facility on chicagos west side being operated like a cia black site officers at the homan square station were detaining and interrogating thousands of suspects sometimes for days without filing charges or providing access to lawyers although the police department has denied the allegations internal department records and testimony from those detained suggest that the city may soon be forced to confront yet more cases of abuse even as cops have been absolved of blame in almost all instances the city has made a practice of settling claims before trial and chicago has paid more than 662 million to deal with police misconduct over the past 12 years in its report the mayors police accountability task force stated that every stage of investigations and discipline is plagued by serious structural and procedural flaws that make real accountability nearly impossible weeks before the reports release amy campanelli the cook county public defender described to me the effects of this loss of trust in the criminal justice system if the police kill lie about it and take the law into their own hands no one can be confident in calling for help during a crisis nor can we rely on them to testify credibly in court she said this is a systemic problem and is not merely a problem of individual bad actors
whatever apparatus is supposed to exist in the city to police the police has also operated in a way that insulates them from accountability jamie kalven and craig futterman the director of a civil rights and police misconduct legal aid clinic at the university of chicago were instrumental in the release of the mcdonald video they recently started a searchable online database of every citizen complaint against the police investigated by ipra and the polices internal affairs division between 2011 and 2015 of the 28588 cases documented there covering 7758 officers only 755 complaints had been sustained
last year a former ipra supervisor named lorenzo davis said his boss ordered him to reverse several findings he made against officers in police shootings a chicago cop himself for 23 years reaching the rank of commander davis was accused of a clear bias against the police and fired one incident that davis determined to be unjustified occurred in 2013 when an officer shot a fleeing 17 year old claiming the black teenager had turned on him holding a small black object which i believed to be a handgun it was an iphone case he trained his gun on him looked for an open shot and when he got it began to shoot davis said describing video of the shooting thats different than deadly force as a last resort that was a first resort the training has changed the police now use the phrase eliminate the threat the officer who shot the 17 year old just eliminated the threat 
when mayor emanuel won re election last year after being forced into a runoff against a relative unknown he said in his inaugural address that he would dedicate his second term to preventing another lost generation of our citys youth veronica morris moore quoted for me nearly verbatim the mayors words that speech she said came just four weeks after the city council voted unanimously to pay a 5 million settlement to the family of laquan mcdonald the video of the shooting was kept from the public for another seven months morris moore laughed a sad bitter laugh then said all the while him and his people were trying to stop the release of this tape of a young teenage boy who was shot 16 times by a police officer
on the night of oct 20 2014 two officers responding to reports of a break in at a parking lot came upon laquan mcdonald   black male six feet dark hoodie this guy uh kind of walking away one of them radioed calmly at 953 pm he has a knife in his hand they were eight miles southwest of downtown on what was little more than an industrial service road bordered by the stevenson expressway and beyond that the valley of a rail yard the cops treated the situation like the routine encounter that it was for a quarter mile they trailed mcdonald one in a squad car and the other on foot giving the suspect a wide berth so as not to provoke him even after the teenager spiked one of the patrol cars front tires with his three inch blade the officers did not fire their guns four additional cruisers arrived three of them hemming in mcdonald on his left and one from behind thats when jason van dyke emerged from one of these cars and shot mcdonald dead
the cover up began almost immediately he wasnt dropping the knife and he was coming at the officer a spokesman for the fraternal order of police told the reporters who soon converged on the scene describing mcdonald as crazed with a strange gaze about him the union representative said that the officer then shot mcdonald in the chest he leaves them no choice at that point but to defend themselves an official department statement was issued hours later officers confronted the armed offender who refused to comply with orders to drop the knife and continued to approach the officers as a result of this action the officer discharged his weapon striking the offender
craig futterman who was a public defender for juveniles on the citys west side before starting the university of chicago civil rights clinic read the story the following day my eyes glazed over he said like mcdonald a second generation ward of the state almost all the people shot by the chicago police are african american a castoff child wandering an urban back of beyond mcdonald seemed destined to be another unremarked addition to the statistics with little known about the circumstances of his death save what the police reported less than three weeks later however a whistle blower from inside law enforcement phoned futterman the caller had seen the dashcam video and insisted that it didnt corroborate the police narrative at all that officer shot him like a dog in the street futterman recalls the source telling him it was nothing short of an execution futterman says the caller feared that the shooting would be buried like so many others in chicago please craig the source implored look into it and let people know
futterman couldnt go public with news of the video that would compromise the identity of the caller but the whistle blower also told futterman about a man who had been driving his adult son to the hospital when the police cars swarming around mcdonald brought him to a halt before he could give a statement to a cop directing traffic the officer shooed him off with the wave of a flashlight jamie kalven tracked the driver down he told kalven that van dyke had fired not once or twice to the chest as the police reports suggested but until he was out of bullets at least a dozen times most of them as the teenager lay helpless on the ground van dyke the driver told kalven had paused to appraise the situation after the first shots whirled mcdonald to the ground and then he continued firing on the prone and lifeless teenager
that disturbing detail was something that the whistle blower looking at the soundless dashcam video couldnt have known chicago police cruisers are equipped with cameras and microphones but a police spokesman told the press in december that more than 80 percent of them dont record audio because of operator error or in some cases intentional destruction carol marin and don moseley of nbc5 in chicago found that in the car that captured the video of the shooting the microphones were in the glove compartment with the batteries installed upside down
three weeks after the shooting mcdonalds mother tina hunter asked a pair of attorneys jeff neslund and michael robbins to help her look into the circumstances of her sons death the lawyers who would eventually pursue a case put kalven in touch with a trucker they found who had been filling out paperwork in a nearby burger king parking lot when the incident unfolded before him he told officers that he had just watched what he called an execution according to kalven and hunters lawyers the police responded by taking the trucker and two other witnesses distressed by what theyd seen to a station house interrogating them for hours again and again the increasingly hostile officers responded that video evidence refuted what they claimed to have seen
three current witnesses to a fatal shooting not one is recorded videotaped or even asked to sign a written statement robbins told me it was a patently fraudulent investigation it was a calculated effort to avoid documenting what people saw and finding out what happened and thats not uncommon in chicago the full police report of the shooting completed months later would state that of the five witnesses who heard gunshots only one saw the shooting the report also included statements from van dyke and the nine other officers on the scene van dyke told a sergeant that mcdonald was swinging the knife in an aggressive exaggerated manner that the teenager continued to advance on him these statements were untrue in defense of his life van dyke said he backpedaled and fired his smith  wesson five of the other cops there claimed they saw the exact same thing the other four   including the two responding officers who had dutifully followed their training doing everything they could not to escalate tensions   said they didnt have their eyes on mcdonald in those vital moments
the dashcam footage from the patrol cars was uploaded and reviewed soon after the shooting but the report stated that the video showed the shooting in detail and supported the accounts of all the witnesses the report was signed off on by supervisors all the way up to a lieutenant
employees at the burger king told hunters lawyers that the police also entered the restaurant shortly after the shooting and demanded access to the surveillance video system a manager asleep at home had to provide a password internal cameras show officers typing away on the systems keyboard eighty six minutes of video covering the time of the shooting went missing
in january 2015 kalven obtained mcdonalds autopsy with a freedom of information request the autopsy performed with a representative from the independent police review authority present inventoried mcdonalds tattoos good son on his right hand and yolo for you only live once on his left the report documented the 16 times he was shot bullets striking his left scalp and right chest his left elbow his right upper leg and his right lower back fragments were lodged in his teeth ten of the 16 shots struck him from behind or the sides it was knowing absolutely definitively demonstrably that the city was lying kalven said
nearly three months after the shooting and amid emanuels contentious bid for a second term kalven published excerpts from the autopsy in an expose for slate writing that it was the mayors duty to release the dashcam video and begin to restore trust in the citys police van dyke hadnt been charged with a crime let alone fired or identified publicly the citys contract with the fraternal order of police includes prohibitions on disclosing names of officers under investigation to the media police officials prosecutors and ipra investigators all had copies of the video by then superintendent mccarthy later admitted to watching it the day after the shooting stephen patton the citys corporation counsel in charge of a department of 270 attorneys informed the mayors staff in december that they were on the lookout for a lawsuit over laquan mcdonalds death and yet the city took no steps to correct the blatantly false characterizations from the night of the shooting the fate of laquan mcdonald kalven wrote has thus become entwined with that of mayor emanuel it presents his administration with a defining moment
over the past 15 years futterman and kalven have worked with hundreds of people who were mistreated by the police in chicagos high rise public housing they saw firsthand what law enforcement can mean in marginalized high crime sections of the city there was nothing in terms of call 911 public safety kalven told me it was detainment and day to day patterns of police abuse   police teams taking drugs and guns and money and not making arrests through lawsuits brought against the city the two of them forced the release of tens of thousands of records of citizen complaints against the chicago police which formed the basis of their online database the city released the most recent trove of documents after fighting them for 10 years across two mayoral administrations contending that officer personnel information was not part of the public record even though cops were for many the primary face   and powerful arm   of government documents futterman acquired in 2006 showed that a relatively small number of officers in chicago were responsible for most of the misdeeds chicagos police force then had 13500 members it now has 12500 and only 662 cops racked up more than 10 citizen complaints most officers finished their careers with just a handful yet the department rarely disciplined or retrained even its 662 most maligned cops
i have a deep admiration for officers who serve us and do it for the right reasons futterman told me as a kid i wanted to be a cop but ive also seen how much harm abusive and racist policing can do to individuals and families and entire communities what he and kalven have demonstrated through their work is how easy it could be to identify the bad actors before the greater harm is done this information about problem officers is so knowable so predictable so clear futterman said before jason van dyke opened fire on laquan mcdonald at least 19 complaints had been logged against him 11 of them for excessive force in 2007 the city paid 350000 to a black motorist van dyke beat up during a traffic stop he faced no consequences
brandon smith a 29 year old freelance writer on chicagos north side was a student at the citys columbia college when he heard kalven speak about his work and decided that he too wanted to be a journalist activist stories of the man picking on the little guy he told me last year smith learned about the existence of the laquan mcdonald video from a 27 year old south sider named william calloway who took to activism after he happened to hear rekia boyds brother speak about his frustrated quest to bring the officer who shot boyd to justice it caught me off guard as a human being calloway said i decided id do whatever was in my power to help smith filed a freedom of information request for the mcdonald video in may 2015 the police denied his petition outright that august claiming that public dissemination of the footage would harm a continuing investigation
the police are ready and happy to furnish bits and pieces that support the official narrative futterman told me but they suppress anything that contradicts or shows it not to be true the public was told about mcdonalds arrest history and gang affiliation that he had pcp in his system and lunged at an officer with a knife while the privacy of the police is shielded at all costs the same is rarely afforded to their victims
several local and national media outlets also sent in requests for the dashcam video and received the same answer but only smith followed up by suing for its release he did so by turning to a lawyer he met named matt topic in 2014 topic joined loevy  loevy one of the citys leading civil rights firms and started a practice there dedicated solely to foia litigation in chicago he didnt lack for work if you care about democracy you need to know what government is up to topic said it made me mad to see government routinely deny people information topic with futterman as his partner won brandon smiths case on nov 19 2015 persuading the judge to deny the citys motion to stay the ruling
when i asked malcolm london a 23 year old spoken word poet and an organizer with black youth project 100 why laquan mcdonald shook up the city while so many other incidents failed to seize the public imagination he first wanted to set me straight for us the video didnt change what was already happening in chicago he said we were on the ground long before the cameras came london is right of course alongside the citys culture of police misconduct there has grown a counteracting network of activists attorneys community organizers journalists and retired black cops
london was among the leaders of chicagos young black activists who were turned on to organizing when their friend dominique franklin jr died after being tasered by a police officer on the north side in the spring of 2014 after trayvon but before mike brown page may told me a month after mcdonalds death eight of them traveled to the united nations committee against torture in geneva persuading members of the international body to include in the official record not only the misdeeds of the chicago police department but also the fate of franklin we needed his name to be known may a member of the delegation explained what things mean has as much to do with what happened as how we respond to it
in february mayor emanuel and i sat on couches in his wood paneled office at city hall for an hourlong conversation he was only a little combative im not arguing with you ben its not an argument he said at one point as if he were reminding himself he explained that he was concerned not with his falling approval numbers or calls for his head but with bringing change to the city im not going anywhere he assured me im going to finish the job i was elected to do the mayor ran through a laundry list of the police scandals that rattled previous chicago administrations every mayor has dealt with challenges from the police department not living up to the title of chicagos finest  he told me all the measures my predecessors took it never measured up to the full scope of the problem what they did was right just not right enough it wasnt sufficient
last year emanuel announced that the city would offer reparations to those harmed by the worst case of police misconduct in chicagos history from 1972 to 1991 officers tortured at least 125 african american suspects in station house interrogation rooms the assaults were carried out or supervised by jon burge who was promoted from detective to commander during the years that his midnight crew coerced false confessions from men by beating them with phone books suffocating them and shocking them with electrical devices on their genitals or in their rectums in 1989 a cop sent the civil rights attorney flint taylor a tip about an imprisoned burge victim writing that he would remain anonymous so as not to be shunned like officer frank laverty
laverty had revealed a few years earlier that it was common practice for the chicago police to withhold from defense attorneys what they called a street file a raft of evidence that all too often refuted whatever official account of events had been concocted laverty ended his career taking urine samples from recruits burge once demonstrated for a group of officers how the department dealt with snitches as laverty left the room they were in burge unholstered his gun pointed it toward the back of lavertys head and said bang in 2010 burge was convicted of perjury and obstruction of justice and was imprisoned he was released less than four years later and is now living in florida with a full police pension the revelations eroded much of whatever trust black communities still had in the police force and even prompted a republican governor to effectively end the death penalty in illinois
burge happened 30 years prior to me being mayor emanuel told me i wanted to close the chapter on this and bring the city whole but the mayor introduced the reparations agreement in the city council on april 15 2015   the same day aldermen voted to pay 5 million to the family of laquan mcdonald emanuel would soon be forced to admit that the same patterns of perjury and abuse had continued under his watch without any real impediments we cannot ask citizens in crime ravaged neighborhoods to break the code of silence if we continue to let a code of silence exist in our own police department the mayor said in a speech two weeks after the mcdonald video went viral lawyers suing the city had exhausted countless hours over decades trying to get a finding by a court just to admit that this code existed and here a sitting chicago mayor was stating it as fact
the furor over the mcdonald revelations led emanuel to usher in a change in leadership the removal of superintendent mccarthy and the swift departures of the chief of detectives and the head and his deputy at ipra it also heralded a flurry of police reforms the city would now add to the number of officers carrying tasers and other alternatives to guns it would expand the use of wearable body cameras the police would start to look at patterns in complaints against officers to pick out cops in need of retraining new mandates on when and how officers should use force read as if they could have been written by reformer activists there need to be fundamental changes because even when force may be legally justified it doesnt mean its necessary last december the justice department announced that its civil rights division would conduct a wide ranging pattern and practice investigation of the chicago police emanuel at first opposed the probe although he now supports it he hoped the police accountability task force he created would come up with homegrown solutions ahead of any federal mandates
craig futterman one of the 50 experts who served on the task forces working groups was relieved that the report released on april 13 confronted the hard realities of racism abuse and lack of oversight in the chicago police department it dealt in real truth telling he said the first step in fixing a problem is acknowledging it and getting the diagnosis right yet he also said there are reasons to remain skeptical that real change will come to a troubled police force and a city with enduring structures of racism and inequality he pointed to a report put together in 1972 by ralph metcalfe the olympic sprinter and former united states congressman from chicago that also demanded reforms of a racist and abusive police force we had this same conversation over 40 years ago futterman said
as the city suffers through one of its deadliest starts to a year black residents continue to feel as if they are under assault from both too much policing and too little last december an officer shot a mentally ill 19 year old wielding a bat also killing a downstairs neighbor a 55 year old mother of five the officer soon filed a 10 million lawsuit against the estate of the deceased young man claiming he deserved whatever wrongful death settlement the city paid out because he now suffered trauma from shooting them in march the fraternal order of police made sure jason van dyke was still taken care of hiring him as a janitor as he awaited trial
with chicago spending nearly 40 percent of its operating budget on policing activists are demanding that the force be defunded that resources go instead to rebuilding the neighborhoods depleted by crime and record unemployment and failing and shuttered schools this month teachers staged a one day strike a week after the first of three unpaid school furlough days meant to dent the school systems 11 billion deficit protesters against police brutality joined teachers in demonstrations on the streets on april 12 the night before the executive summary of the accountability task force report was released 100 demonstrators also gathered on chicagos west side alongside the fence where pierre loury 16 was shot less than 24 hours earlier by a police officer the police said loury was in a car suspected of being connected to an earlier shooting they claimed he ran and that an armed confrontation ensued witnesses said loury was trying to climb the fence when he was killed the incident is under investigation
seventy four police cadets in crisp dress blues their shoes polished to a glow stood at their graduation ceremony on april 8 barking replies in unison   good morning sir   to the dignitaries addressing them in navy piers mammoth ballroom bagpipes cawed as a heavy spring snow descended outside families joyously snapped photos the newly minted chicago police department officers had started their training in august their months in the academy spanning the release and aftermath of the laquan mcdonald video change has happened the mayor told them from the stage its a new world out there
it was a message that had been repeated to them countless times over the past months as they readied themselves to join a department now under scrutiny and regarded with suspicion a recruit named hayden villamercado in his graduation address stressed that the classs diversity would allow its members to better serve their communities he related how in the course of one shift his partner assisted a citizen in mandarin and he helped someone in spanish emanuel had named a new police chief eddie johnson two weeks earlier and johnson told the recruits that he would put on notice the 1000 individuals who he said were responsible for a vast majority of chicagos serious crime his warning came as part of a larger pitch for a new style of policing that put community first the new officers needed to recognize that neighborhoods were not war zones people want to be included   they want to be our partners johnson instructed and quite frankly we need them
johnson a 27 year african american veteran of the force hadnt applied for the superintendents job so he wasnt interviewed or vetted by the police board which as mandated by city law had conducted an extensive search and sent its shortlist of candidates to the mayor for his final selection but emanuel rejected the finalists picking johnson instead in effect reiterating the assertion made by protesters that the board was illegitimate a police board member told me that the emperor had made his declaration
at the ceremony after the mayor posed for portraits with the graduating class he and i spoke for a few minutes when i asked what went into his decision to go around his police board emanuel stopped me before i could finish the sentence your question is wrong your wording is wrong it has a mind frame and im going to cut you off there the mayor said there was precedent and grounds for him to reject candidates who didnt meet his goals most pressing he said was the spike in gun violence that was being met with a simultaneous decline in arrests theres a whole different narrative about policing the mayor said morale has taken a hit johnson who came from the patrol division and had no citizen complaints against him on record could lead by example emanuel said the mayor had made a calculated choice to win back cops on the street johnson he said is able to build trust with the rank and file which is essential to bring morale up
in one of his first public statements as chief johnson said that in his three decades on the force ive actually never encountered police misconduct because officers would know better than to commit an offense in front of someone who would hold them accountable the statement raised the question of whether a leader steeped in the culture could even see the ingrained institutional problems he was supposed to change
the mayor told me that the new body cameras were arriving that week he touted the technology as a way to empower citizens and liberate conscientious police officers   a cops word would no longer stand alone as the arbiter of truth emanuel said that johnson had volunteered to wear a body camera himself when in the field and he was requiring the same of his entire command staff
despite the citys deeps scars from racism and corruption emanuel had seemed practically buoyant when detailing his proposed police reforms i said i own the laquan mcdonald problem and i own the fixes he told me at the end of the day i will be measured by whether i took the moment and led the city in a comprehensive way to a better place were going to get there i will own that
the graduating recruits looked impossibly young all of them no doubt filled on this day with pride for the work to come they would report to their jobs on monday joining a force in which it has been customary for veterans to lie suppress evidence and silence witnesses could they also join other young chicagoans in demanding that the system they were now a part of provide justice for all in the city i will faithfully discharge the duties of the office of police officer according to the best of my abilities the cadets recited together echoing the phrases spoken by the departments first deputy superintendent as they took their oath of office


beverly hills calif   like many successful actors iwan rheon better known as the blithely malicious ramsay bolton on game of thrones arguably the most hated man on television admits hes concerned about being narrowly defined by an indelible character but ask a logical follow up question   what else are you working on   and the scale of his challenge becomes clear
im playing a young hitler he replied referring to the british television movie adolf the artist then realization took hold and his face crumpled in mock despair oh im typecast already
such is life for the man behind a character who over three seasons on game of thrones returning sunday on hbo has become the emblem of a disquieting shows darkest impulses since arriving as a one note sadist in season 3 this striving legitimized former bastard has expanded to both embody the storys dynastic obsession and inflict some of its most flagrant abuses that list includes the flaying and gelding of rivals the recreational hunting of a girl and most controversial last seasons wedding night rape of his hostage bride sansa stark sophie turner
that he does it all with schoolboy glee makes him that much more viscerally loathsome   mr rheon conceived ramsay as a mash up of heath ledgers unhinged joker and dennis the menace he said and added a bit of the swagger of liam gallagher the dyspeptic former oasis singer the resulting confection has landed on many most hated lists online in december readers of the atlantic voted ramsay the actual worst character on television over the likes of hannibal lecter and walter white as well as joffrey baratheon the sneering boy king ramsay replaced as the signature game of thrones villain
after we lost joffrey we had a psychopath shaped hole in the thrones world ms turner wrote in an email but iwan brings a terror and a creepiness that joffrey never had we needed someone to hate and we love to hate him
in the new season the shows sixth ramsay deepens further mr rheon suggested even approaching something like human emotion in mourning a girlfriend killed in the season 5 finale that surprised even me he said of course it also finds him seething over last seasons escape of his captives sansa and theon alfie allen   the young nobleman he castrated forced into servitude and renamed reek   and sets up who may be his most appalling victim yet an as yet unborn half sibling who could be a competing heir
 game of thrones has moved past its blueprint thats a good thing 
the shows creators david benioff and d b weiss so obsessed with secrecy this season theyve declined to offer critics advance screener copies will say only that ramsay will be up to very bad things
sometimes you just think oh god cant we just do something nice mr rheon said laughing on this show the heroes arent necessarily standard heroes so i guess your villains need to be even worse
mr rheon 30 wears the most hated mantle easily by all accounts a charming young welshman   his name is pronounced oo wan re ohn and he grew up in cardiff and now lives in london   he is amused by the notoriety and claims it is an honor to be considered the most despicable thing on a show full of despicable things apparently im scarier than a white walker and a giant and a dragon he said
in general fans dont hold ramsays actions against him and the technical realities of production keep the vile deeds from weighing too heavily on his soul flayings for example involve a piece of rubber and a prop knife he has to hold just so for the light to catch its malevolent angles making it hard to obsess over the moral dimensions
one exception was sansas rape last season which was very difficult to me i couldnt really sleep the night before he said like others on the show however he remains somewhat perplexed by the outrage it sparked less by the anger itself than by the scale and selective nature of it a few episodes later he noted the immolation of a little girl drew a comparatively muted response i dont want to compare these things and which is worse he said but burning a child at the stake thats pretty bad isnt it
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for a man known for onscreen villainy mr rheon could hardly be more off brand in conversation self deprecating and solicitous he is given to wisecracks and silly tangents   asked his own favorite screen scoundrels he listed stringer bell from the wire and the t rex from jurassic park perhaps most jarring for thrones fans he spends his spare time writing and recording folk pop tunes mostly on his own but occasionally with his brother aled last year he released his first album dinard
hes just a really nice fellow said mr allen the target of ramsays most gruesome depredations i couldnt put a finger on why he makes a good psychopath the actors friends off camera occasionally encounter incredulous fans who are stunned to see them spending time together its like do you believe in dragons too mate mr allen said
in person removed from the dank interiors he typically haunts on game of thrones mr rheons face is more cherubic than demonic with a rakish scruff and artfully tousled hair that gets more so as he runs his hands through it in conversation what defines him though are a pair of arresting pale blue eyes that tend to bulge maniacally on game of thrones alight with the delight that comes from some cruelty or another
he has this stare this wide eyed smiling gaze that pierces right through you ms turner said
born in carmarthen mr rheon and his family moved to cardiff when he was 5 and he grew up playing in punk bands and dreaming of rock stardom but participation in the eisteddfod a major culture festival in wales led to him being cast in a welsh soap opera and he went on to study at the london academy of music and dramatic art his breakthrough role came not long after he graduated as the suicidal moritz in a 2009 london production of the musical spring awakening
the role was one of the first of many troubled tormented or otherwise odd folks hed be hired to play he was an awkward juvenile delinquent in misfits a skewed superhero series in britain an erratic drug dealer in the film wild bill and a traumatized soldier in the bbc war drama our girl an exception his gig as the earnest neighbor to ian mckellen and derek jacobi on the british sitcom vicious
for game of thrones mr rheon originally auditioned for the role of the heroic and theoretically dead jon snow which instead went to kit harington but his talent and versatility kept him on our radar mr benioff and mr weiss wrote in a joint email he joined the show as ramsay in season 3 the spark of humanity that iwan occasionally provides makes all the other stuff that much more terrifying
ramsays season long torture of theon tested viewers patience but he acquired texture as it became clear that hes fueled by a toxic cocktail of adoration and resentment toward his father roose bolton michael mcelhatton the combination of the little boy and the psychopath makes ramsay more than a cardboard cutout evil baddie mr mcelhatton said it also situates him firmly within the brutal multigenerational cycle of legacy and revenge that makes game of thrones go   even if the actor still isnt sure why he fits in so well
ive been trying to figure out what it is but its so difficult to objectively look at why you get cast as all these strange people mr rheon said the big eyes maybe
but he added im not complaining


cole writes my roommate alex refuses to let his cat luna consume catnip even though luna clearly has a desire to experiment with it after over two years of adorably meowing and grooming alexs beard i believe that luna should at least be allowed to try catnip
look i dont know why alex is denying luna catnip any more than i understand the beard licking that said there are no adverse affects to occasional nip dosing lots of cats actually feel no intoxicating effect at all supporting my long held theory lots of cats are fakers but let me ask do you clean lunas litter box no then shut up ps how do you know luna wants to experiment unless youve offered her a hit or have done so much catnip yourself that you think you speak cat either way get clean dude


the sophisticated suburb of new canaan a lower fairfield county town about 45 miles from midtown manhattan tends to draw young families seeking schools brimming with overachievers and empty nesters wanting to downsize into fancy condominiums
rose and barry mcinerney are an anomaly in that regard they are buying a sprawling six bedroom home on four acres even as the last of their three daughters is finishing college they raised their children in north stamford which they preferred for its diversity ms mcinerney said and have been living more recently in chicago
while still engrossed in their work   he as the chief executive of an investment company and she as the creator of a website that will focus on the landscape of women   the couple decided they were ready for a home that would also serve as a relaxing retreat big enough to accommodate their large extended families
its still attractive to have all that space said ms mcinerney 52 and theres something very peaceful about having a window to look out of and not seeing another building
while the mcinerneys may not represent the typical new canaan buyer the details of their purchase are right in line with current buyer friendly market dynamics their 8000 square foot home was first listed in 2007 when it was new at nearly 74 million it didnt sell and was eventually rented it was relisted last october for closer to what the market would bear 42 million the mcinerneys who are scheduled to close on july 1 went to contract for nearly 368 million
jennifer moore 37 spent part of her childhood in new canaan and after living in boston new york and stamford moved back with her husband peter 43 to raise a family in 2010 we wanted the good schools a yard some privacy said ms moore a former high school science teacher she has since run into many of her high school classmates who have moved back for similar reasons
the moores bought a 1960s colonial in a neighborhood where their children who will turn 4 and 6 next month can easily find friends to play with and ms moores friendship with another stay at home former teacher who lives nearby inspired a business venture a preschool science program called rad lab which is now offered as an extracurricular activity in the towns elementary schools and as an intergenerational program that links children with seniors at a local assisted living community
buyers have a distinct upper hand in new canaan these days especially if they are looking in the multimillion dollar range over all inventory has spiked with more than 330 properties on the market earlier this month compared with around 240 a year ago according to data from william raveis real estate
properties priced from around 2 million to 4 million are particularly abundant and the market for super high end properties priced above 5 million has been extremely stagnant said rachel walsh an agent with william pitt sothebys international realty the usually busy spring market hasnt hit us yet she said
sellers of higher priced homes are losing money more often than not in this market said susan engel an agent with halstead property and buyers can be very choosy nobody wants to fix up she said even if the color is off you cant sell it
what youll find
new canaans hilly terrain covers 22 square miles generously adorned with ponds rivers and brooks north of metro north railroads new haven line it is connected to the commuter rail via a branch line with a population of 20000 the town has a median household income of around 180000
commercial development is centralized in the bustling downtown which caters to local tastes with upscale coffee shops trendy fitness facilities boutiques for adults and children alike and a variety of restaurants including elm sole and chef luis empty storefronts are few were less than 5 percent vacant said tucker murphy the executive director of the local chamber of commerce were feeling like things are fairly robust
properties close to town claim a half acre or less while those farthest out sit in the four acre zone in between two acre zoning predominates
while teardowns are common roughly 90 midcentury moderns have hung on from the days when well known modern architects including five from harvards graduate school of design began building the houses in town according to janet lindstrom the executive director of the new canaan historical society among them was philip johnson whose famous glass house is now a national trust historic site open seasonally for tours
last year a newer architectural phenomenon grace farms appeared run by a foundation and open to all the 80 acre site features a striking glass structure shaped like a winding river that houses gathering spaces a dining commons and a tearoom
what youll pay
the median sales price for the first quarter was 175 million up 23 percent from a year earlier according to william raveis real estate the bulk of sales over the last 12 months were between 1 million and 3 million
single family homes listed earlier this month ranged from 649000 for a three bedroom colonial to 14 million for an expanded midcentury modern originally designed by philip johnson on 63 acres
more than 40 new homes some still in the blueprint stage were listed earlier this month from just under 2 million up to 6 million according to ms engel of halstead
the condo complexes clustered around the downtown draw many buyers from surrounding towns about 40 units were listed earlier this month starting at 279000 for a small one bedroom and peaking at 2195 million for a three bedroom at jelliff mill falls a new complex overlooking the noroton river
what to do
the towns 250 acre waveny park a former estate has trails for jogging or walking ball fields an outdoor pool platform tennis and a dog park a family pool pass for 2016 is 450 for residents
the playgrounds and snack bar at mead memorial park are popular with young families
the bow tie playhouse downtown shows first run movies on two screens
a downtown pop up park at the intersection of south avenue and elm street will be installed from aug 5 to 28 the chamber sponsored park which has previously popped up for shorter spans serves as a town green of sorts with seating at tables live music and other programming
the 40 acre new canaan nature center has walking trails a marsh side boardwalk and summer programming for children
the schools
new canaan has three elementary schools a middle school and a high school new canaan high school with about 1250 students offers numerous honors and advanced placement classes in 2015 94 percent of graduates enrolled in a four year college
mean sat scores for the class of 2015 were among the highest in the state at 582 for reading 609 in math and 594 in writing state averages were 504 506 and 504
the commute
the peak time trip to grand central takes roughly 70 minutes from the downtown new canaan station off peak trains require a transfer at the stamford station
the ride from the talmadge hill station near the darien border generally takes around 65 minutes
a monthly pass is 30674 purchased online
the history
the new canaan historical society sponsors modern house tours every two years next on may 14 the houses were initially opened to the public in 1949 soon after they first appeared according to a 2006 book by william d earls the harvard five in new canaan about the architects who lived and worked there around 1000 people turned out then to walk through the flat roofed curiosities new canaan had only seven moderns at the time but the boxy open designs held enough appeal that just four years later there were four times as many


los angeles may feature an abundance of holistic arts yoga and macrobiotic diets but its probably not the first city that comes to mind when you hear the term eco friendly you can largely thank the 900 miles of freeways and highways in los angeles county for that few would dispute that the citys culture is a car dominated one with an obsessive focus on driving routes smog alerts and the best times of day to avoid traffic its an obsession that has been mocked on saturday night live captured in pop songs and recorded in academic essays
its possible though to escape the routines of the typical visitor in the name of environmental friendliness i set out to marry the citys organic cuisine and healthy active lifestyle with something that it isnt widely associated with   leaving a small carbon footprint   by ditching the car and creature comforts of regular hotels
i discovered that its possible to rely on the metro los angeless imperfect but quite functional public transportation system which includes buses a light rail system and yes even a subway i was able to find a comfortable yurt   thats right the traditional central asian round tent   in a quiet wooded part of the city accessible by light rail and just minutes from downtown and all while saving some money in the process
my girlfriend brette and i rode the long escalator into the bowels of the subway station at santa monica boulevard and vermont avenue wow she said i cant believe this exists it does feel strange to ride the subway in los angeles because it dispels the one huge stereotype nearly everyone subscribes to that you need a car to get around and its so quiet and clean she said touching her metro tap card to the turnstile subtracting the 175 fare and going through
the platform was mostly empty the limitations of the subway quickly become apparent in that there are only two lines purple and red which basically cover the same route the red line goes from downtown through koreatown into hollywood before terminating in north hollywood if you happen to live within walking distance of one of the 14 stations on the line and your destination is also on that line then the subway is supremely useful but most of the approximately 500 square miles of the city remain unserved by the lines bus and light rail lines are more comprehensive and help pick up the slack
pershing square in the heart of downtown is however one of the subway stops and it deposits you just a block or so from one of the citys major culinary destinations grand central market it was founded as a large open air arcade in 1917 and can still feel like a market at businesses like torres produce and chiles secos
but in recent years its morphed into its current incarnation a big vibrant food hall peppered with a selection of popular restaurants opening a place or holding an event at grand central is an immediate notch in the belt of any los angeles chef food prices have naturally skyrocketed but some good deals can be found
one of the best is the fast burger from belcampo 5 built in the in n out style american cheese lettuce tomato onion and a thousand island style sauce the quality of the grass fed beef is what makes this burger a bargain natural juices run immodestly from the freshly ground patty perfectly complementing the vegetables
the feel of downtown los angeles is unflinchingly urban   mere miles away though lies an entirely different world we made our way to union station the citys rail hub and the largest railroad terminal in the western united states a gorgeous soaring structure erected in the 1930s its architecture mixes bits and pieces of art deco and mission revival styles
we found the metro gold line also 175 on the same tap card one of the citys four light rail lines it was uncharacteristically drizzly and those of us waiting for the azusa bound line squeezed under the shelter on the outdoor platform the announcement board said the train would be arriving in four minutes four minutes passed then another four then another four the platform was becoming crowded finally it arrived about 15 minutes later we stepped out in the mount washington neighborhood and began the 10 minute walk to our lodgings
i found our yurt on airbnb for 98 a night its essentially a big round tent with a front and back door a latticelike structure braces the frame wooden ribs support the dome and at the top is a covered translucent wheel or crown that acts like a circular skylight its quite beautiful and the luxuries   a proper queen size bed for example as well as electricity   give the illusion of camping without any of the real down and dirty stuff it turns out that while i find saying the word glamping to be slightly nauseating the actual act is very pleasant
the yurt is set on a raised platform in a quiet hilly section of mount washington a neighborhood in northeast los angeles known for its steep and winding streets the owners left the keys and some lovely touches tea and coffee an electric kettle a french press even a bottle of inexpensive wine there were travel books in the night stand as well as a small portable heater the back door led to the outdoor bathroom and shower area with a dry composting toilet and instructions for how to use it as well as a sink and shower with a gray water system it runs off and feeds the plants in the garden the hosts provide all natural soap
using the outdoor shower was one of the highlights of the stay i was expecting to take a quick freezing shower and immediately towel off and run back inside but the water heater worked well and i was able to take a relaxing warm shower in the drizzly 50 degree weather right next to an enormous prickly pear cactus on the hillside
while the citys public transit system proved mostly reliable i decided to try other transportation options ciclavia is an initiative that creates daylong open streets events for biking skating and walking the aim is to get people to explore their neighborhoods by means other than cars by creating large open public spaces out of los angeless streets
la is mostly known for destination points   you go from point a to point b said romel pascual executive director of ciclavia you do that in a car and you miss everything in between this makes you slow down and appreciate the in between moments
my brother loren in town for a visit and i decided we would rent bikes and participate in the san fernando valley edition of ciclavia we met at retro xpress bicycles on victory boulevard and asked for two day rentals well the man behind the counter said pursing his lips we dont have many bikes left he stopped and pointed at two pink girls bikes that were way too small this is all we got left i couldnt tell if he was just trolling me or if he was serious
he was serious we walked out with the two bright pink bikes and two helmets for 1995 apiece the ride up to the corner of van nuys and roscoe where the event began was mostly uneventful   we did get a few honks hoots and hollers from passing cars once we were in the confines of the four mile stretch of ciclavia no one cared
the entire boulevard was closed to traffic and tents and food trucks were set up along the sidewalks it was a giant street fair there were lots of pets children and residents of all ages many were biking others conversing and getting to know one another mr pascual was right   it was enlightening to slow down and get an up close perspective on the neighborhood all while strengthening a sense of community
i had covered four of the five major alternatives to cars in los angeles foot bike subway light rail that left the bus brette and i embarked on an epic trip line 733 from downtown to venice one afternoon   it was a good 80 to 90 minutes to make the 145 mile haul and reach the big roundabout near main street and venice way just steps from the venice boardwalk
our destination was seed kitchen a restaurant opened in 2008 by eric lechasseur and sanae suzuki that specializes in vegan macrobiotic meals i ordered a saisai doniburi macro bowl 1295 which contained kale shiitake mushrooms beans and japanese pumpkin i was surprised by how flavorful it was   the balsamic miso dressing certainly helped
but why pay at all for your food when you can snack free on the plants and flowers that grow all around you thats the philosophy of pascal baudar a belgian born forager and wild food consultant he leads regular classes and excursions into los angeless forested areas in search of edible plants mushrooms and flowers
brette and i paid 20 each to join him one morning close to the tujunga wash near the angeles national forest in the far northern part of the city our group of six began a leisurely stroll through the forest and mr baudar stopped to point out dozens of plants that have culinary uses bright yellow mustard flowers elderberry curling dock and watercress
we spotted a couple of men carrying large bags of watercress theyd picked near the wash those guys mr baudar said they make mistakes i asked him what he meant he explained that we were at a horse crossing and where plants grow in water you want to pick plants upstream of any animal activity to avoid possible bacteria mr baudar had other useful tips including how to differentiate poison hemlock from edible hemlock look alikes cow parsley and queen annes lace for example have tiny hairs on their stems poison hemlock has smooth stems
later we sipped on a homemade soda he had made from elderflowers and munched on our trove of wild plants i was learning that los angeless sprawl and geographical diversity work for it in many ways they yield an impressive breadth of eco friendly activities which with a little work can take place without spending one minute in a car


on a rainy tuesday morning the actor john gallagher jr settled into a chair in a lounge above the american airlines theater and described a bleary night off which began with beers in a park slope bar and ended with margaritas in a clinton hill taqueria i had a lot of real booze last night he told his cast mates which im regretting now
these days mr gallagher and his fellow actors are already drinking plenty of the fake stuff on the job as part of the roundabout theater companys revival of eugene oneills long days journey into night which opens on wednesday april 27 written in the 1940s with the stipulation long since disregarded that it should never be performed the play is a singeing union of fiction and autobiography recording a single bourbon soaked day   from morning to past midnight   in the connecticut summer house of the tyrones an irish american clan closely based on oneills own family
in jonathan kents production jessica lange american horror story plays the mother mary tyrone a former convent girl now struggling with morphine addiction a role ms lange first took on in london 16 years ago gabriel byrne in treatment is her husband james a prosperous actor in melodrama who fears he has sacrificed his art for material success michael shannon boardwalk empire plays the older son jamie an alcoholic broadway loafer mr gallagher the newsroom is the younger son edmund the oneill stand in whose burgeoning career as a writer is threatened by tuberculosis
the production joins several recent high profile revivals of oneills late work   a moon for the misbegotten at the williamstown theater festival the iceman cometh at the brooklyn academy of music and most recently this seasons short lived revival of hughie on broadway
in street clothes and under ordinary lighting the long days performers may not look like much of a family but onstage they achieve the rhythms of people who have lived close together happily and unhappily offstage there are hints of kinship too they know how to rile and how to soothe how to tease and how to praise
before an afternoon rehearsal and an evening performance they spoke about playing haunted playing drunk and planning a tyrone family picnic these are edited excerpts from the conversation
what work did you have to do to feel like a family to become the tyrones
jessica lange its just honoring the play honoring the writing its all there you arrive at a deadly truth because of what oneill has written and the way hes written it
michael shannon its one of those plays where you read a page and it directs you to a story in your past so you tell that story the next thing you know you have this quilt of all these shared experiences more than anything its a matter of getting to know one another you do as much bonding in the tea breaks as you do running the scenes
gabriel byrne a genius of the play is that although its an extremely autobiographical piece it transcends his family and becomes kind of a universal family i dont know how that happens but people sit in the audience and relate to the characters
langewe had an experience at our first matinee we had close to 200 new york city schoolchildren in the audience they were so intent on listening to this play there was a moment where edmund says to mary its pretty hard at times having a dope fiend for a mother and there was this gasp audibly that came out of the audience you knew it was these children everybody connects to it for one reason or another
does this play make you think about your own families your own inheritance
shannon my dad really loved oneill he would go and see these plays in their original incarnations on broadway hes passed away but its still kind of a way of connecting to him it would blow his mind if he knew i was doing this but there were never any rehearsals where we were piled on the floor sobbing we all seem to be fairly pragmatic actors were not trying to beat up ourselves and each other we just want to tell the story
john gallagher jr even if you dont have such an extreme family dynamic theres still something in that three and a half hours that will feel really relevant
in his dedication oneill described the play as a reckoning with all the four haunted tyrones what haunts them
lange it is a bit of a ghost play
gallagher edmund talks a lot about ghosts by the end of the play i refer to mom as a ghost
lange each one of the characters has a past that they are still so profoundly connected to because life now has become so untenable being able to move almost like a ghost back and forth between times thats how mary survives
byrne they are incredibly sensitive people they are torn apart by the reality of living and try to escape from it either through memory or through drink or through drugs sometimes life can just be so appalling
lange i came upon a yeats quote which i think has a lot to do with this play i really see this so much as an irish play being irish he had an abiding sense of tragedy that sustained him through temporary periods of joy
byrne i hate to say it but i think thats a lot of bollocks it sounds great but actually when you examine it its a way of defining an entire people with an easy kind of aphorism we are a very complex multifaceted family of human beings
lange you dont think theres an abiding sense of tragedy in the irish come on
byrne no i think tragedy has been foisted on them just my own opinion but you and mr yeats   
lange no no no im not going to argue with a expletive irishman
is there any secret to playing drunk or doped up
shannon jonathan our director never really made a big thing about it its not like people get drunk and all act the same way
gallagher yeah its kind of specific when edmund enters in act iv hes had about 15 whiskeys from noon to midnight he just kind of gets angry he spends so much of the play trying to cover things up it takes 15 whiskeys to actually say its your fault youre to blame
lange as far as morphine i could do every scene on the nod which wouldnt do much for playing the scene its delicate there you really have to temper that drug of choice whether its alcohol or morphine with honoring the text and telling the story otherwise it would be a bit of a mess
gallagher you think the play is repetitive now if we were really drunk it would be one line over and over again
byrne if it werent for the alcohol in the play it would be over in 10 minutes its a brilliant dramatic device for allowing the characters to tell the truth to each other
lange endlessly
oneill sometimes doubted his abilities with language what does the language in this play give you
lange if he was writing it with the intention of its being read but never played what he achieved was pretty astonishing i dont think theres ever a moment where the language feels stilted or unnatural
shannon i think its some of the strongest dialogue ive ever said in my life maybe he was comparing it to what he read because he was so incredibly well read and was surrounded by beautiful poetry
byrne theres an incredible precision to the language   where he places the full stops and how he runs the rhythms in the speeches together you cant say that its naturalistic speech just as you cant say its a naturalistic play and yet it is but i found the dialogue hard to learn
shannon well there was definitely bellyaching about all the for gods sake for christs sake for petes sake
gallagher everybody has their own thing that just comes up again and again varied ever so slightly
lange it is like a piece of music theme and variation
shannon but family is repetitive my mother has told me the same 20 stories my whole life but every time its as if shes never told it to me before my sister just visited this weekend she saw the play saturday night same thing with her same stories same issues nothing is ever resolved
this play may not take a full day to perform but it is long and each character suffers a lot is it difficult to act
lange you wouldnt do this if you wanted to enter into something casually i found that mary tyrone demands more than any character ive ever played blanche comes close frances farmer comes close this part more than any and this play more than any its a real step off into the abyss we realized from the beginning that nobody could hold back
shannon to me it feels like a real privilege to do this play it feels like being admitted into some secret society or something theres a lot of good actors in the world but they dont all get to do this
byrne theres one thing you can never get away from its oneills ruthless honesty the bravery that he has what hes addressing perhaps is a kind of nihilism about life love does not save you family doesnt save you truth the expression of it doesnt save you you still push into night faith doesnt really mean anything in the face of darkness theres a kind of comfort in knowing that we are all headed that way
what do you do when the show finishes do you have a real drink together
shannon we mostly see each other onstage we kind of disappear afterward we had this notion of oh were going to have family dinners and bonding time none of it has happened
byrne its very true we meet on the stage and we meet in those moments weve developed this bond as characters not as people or am i wrong about that
shannon im looking forward to maybe eventually having a picnic
byrne in central park
lange a potluck
gallagher all the tyrones
byrne long nights journey into day


you want to be green you recycle you turn off the faucet when you brush your teeth but youre not going to forgo a flight to a tropical paradise and top notch accommodations even though planes emit greenhouse gases and routine hotel practices like washing the linens each day hurt the environment after all you love to travel   and well
theres still hope to help you sleep easier on those high thread count sheets here are 10 small ways to travel a little more responsibly even when taking that trip to hawaii
flying especially on short flights is among the least sustainable ways to travel according to groups such as the environmental defense fund some airlines allow you to try to compensate for the carbon footprint you create when flying however by buying what are known as carbon offsets or various ways to reduce greenhouse gases passengers on airlines like delta and united can calculate their carbon footprint on the airline websites which equate the size of a trips carbon footprint with a dollar figure they can then donate their money or miles to a carbon reduction project such as forest conservation or renewable energy airlines are not the only ones offering offsets though amtrak for instance has a rail calculator and allows you to offset your train trip through carbonfundorg
some environmental organizations have said that offset programs are problematic and a number of them have suggested that the carbon calculators on airline sites are not precise enough because they do not take into consideration factors like whether youre flying first class which results in a larger carbon footprint because youre taking up space that could otherwise have been used to transport more people still contributing to such programs is better than flying and doing nothing for a more precise calculator check out carbonfootprintcom
if you cant walk bike if you cant bike take a subway bus or train if you rent a car request a hybrid if you hire a driver try to car pool services such as lyft and uber offer car pooling though the notion that they are environmentally friendly is being studied researchers at nrdc urban solutions and the transportation sustainability research center at the university of california berkeley are analyzing whether such services are good for the environment or if they are merely congesting roads competing with public transportation and encouraging people to be driven instead of walking bottom line if you have the option walk
the greenest vacation is one in which you dont travel far impossible for those who wish to see the world airbnb has argued that home sharing is a greener option than hotels though its study published in 2014   which said that using airbnb results in a significant reduction in energy and water use greenhouse gas emissions and waste and relied mainly on guest and host survey responses from february to april of that year   was not scientific but if home sharing isnt for you you can still make any hotel stay greener by reusing your sheets and towels many hotels give guests the option to not change their linens each day taking short showers turning off the air conditioner or using a fan instead turning down the thermostat and using less electricity by forgoing the hair dryer and switching off the lights when youre not in the room you can also choose to stay in hotels that have sustainable practices like harvesting rainwater and not heating or air conditioning rooms or spaces that are unoccupied to find them check out a site like the green hotels association expediacom also has some tips for green travel not sure your desired hotel is green the nature conservancy has 10 questions you can ask to find out
millions of barrels of oil are needed to produce the plastic water bottles consumed by americans alone according to the pacific institute a sustainable water think tank in 2007 the group said that the amount of oil used in the production of plastic water bottles was enough energy to fuel more than a million cars and light trucks for a year you can do your part to curb emissions by always traveling with a reusable bottle and coffee and tea drinkers can help when it comes to saving paper by carrying reusable travel mugs instead of to go cups
the heavier your luggage the more fuel is needed even something as small as a cellphone multiplied across the number of passengers affects the weight of a plane besides its easier and more fun to travel when youre not loaded down with bags
by now we know not to print documents when we dont have to and recycle whatever paper we do use paper production and pulpwood harvesting contribute to climate change and threaten some of the last remaining natural forests and the people and wildlife that depend on them according to the wwf e tickets meanwhile have come a long way from their wonky early days having your smartphone scanned at airports and train stations is often seamless
eat locally sourced food and buy locally made souvenirs   and carry them back to your hotel in a reusable bag instead of plastic in addition to supporting local economies shopping locally generally means theres less packaging and items dont need to be flown or shipped in cutting down on waste and greenhouse gas emissions as the michigan state university extension has pointed out buying locally grown food can help maintain farmland and green space to cut emissions even more significantly reduce or eliminate red meat its production is carbon intensive
allow your computer and other devices to sleep when youre not using them its an energy saver thats good for their battery life and for the earth too
many environmentally minded groups including the nature conservancy the sierra club and the wwf offer eco trips and outings that strive not to harm natural resources wildlife or people backroads and rei adventures also offer tours that aim to be environmentally low impact
pass your green travel habits on to others youll multiply their effect   something youll need to do given all the trips you hope to take


on a frigid february day in reykjavik i stood bare chested and dripping wet just inside the dressing room at the vesturbaejar pool facing a long cold walk to the outdoor hot tubs my host was stoic strong a viking i was whining
i just dont want to go out there i said how do you make yourself do it
you must to swim in the pool valdimar hafstein said with a shrug he is a folklorist at the university of iceland who studies the countrys pools kids hate it too i have to haul my kids kicking and screaming i took a deep breath and tried to think of warm things wearing only a speedo bathing suit   i had packed three in honor of the islands reputation as one of the companys most avid markets   i stepped onto the deck it was a few degrees below freezing
imagine the feeling you get when you hold an ice cube tight that combination of sting and ache except imagine it all over your nearly nude body battling my long ingrained instincts never to run at a swimming pool i fell into a kind of brisk walk trot aiming for the large set of interconnected hot tubs in the center of the complex im sure i looked ridiculous the good news id never been less concerned about my appearance while wearing almost nothing in public
small snowflakes glittered in the sky which at 4 pm was already darkening toward dusk i reached the largest hot tub and sank to my chin for one glorious moment i felt my mind go blank there was just my body my big stupid body in its stupid bathing suit enveloped in warmth the cold wind on my ears only heightening my delight behind me valdimar ambled across the deck saying hello to a neighbor in another hot pot
every icelandic town no matter how small has its own pool there are ramshackle cement rectangles squatting under rain clouds in the sheep strewn boonies there are fancy aquatic complexes with multilevel hot tubs and awesomely dangerous water slides of the sort that litigious american culture would never allow all told there are more than 120 public pools   usually geothermally heated mostly outdoors open all year long   in iceland a country with a population just slightly larger than that of lexington ky if you dont have a swimming pool it seems you may as well not even be a town the mayor of reykjavik dagur eggertsson told me i interviewed him of course as we relaxed together in a downtown hot tub
these public pools or sundlaugs serve as the communal heart of iceland sacred places whose affordability and ubiquity are viewed as a kind of civil right families and teenagers and older people lounge and chat in sundlaugs every day summer or winter despite icelands cruel climate its remoteness and its winters of 19 hours of darkness per day the people there are among the most contented in the world the more local swimming pools i visited the more convinced i became that icelanders remarkable satisfaction is tied inextricably to the experience of escaping the fierce freezing air and sinking into warm water among their countrymen the pools are more than a humble municipal investment more than just a civic perquisite that emerged from an accident of icelands volcanic geology they seem to be in fact a key to icelandic well being
this past winter i visited iceland and swam in 14 pools all over the country i found them full of icelanders eager to discuss what role these underwater village greens played in their lives i met recent immigrants to the westfjords town bolungarvik as they mingled with their new neighbors their toddler carrying fresh handfuls of snow into the hot tub and delightedly watching them melt i saw icelandic parents splash with their kids to calm them before bedtime i talked to adults who remembered that ritual from childhood and could summon the memory of slipping their still warm bodies between cool sheets i heard stories of divorcing couples splitting their local pools along with their possessions and retired couples bonding by swimming together every day i watched four steaming septuagenarians swim laps in a northern iceland pool while the sunrise lit up the mountains behind them and an attendant brought out foam cups of coffee balanced on a kickboard i think the swimming pools are what make it possible to live here the young artist ragnheidur harpa leifsdottir said you have storms you have darkness but the swimming pool is a place for you to find yourself again
for centuries iceland was a nation of seamen who regularly drowned within sight of shore one local newspaper reported in 1887 that more than 100 icelanders had drowned that winter alone in 1931 a boat carrying four farmers capsized while they tried to row a panicking cow across kollafjordur fjord three of the men died one who had studied swimming survived
incidents like this fostered an enthusiasm for swimming education at the time the only place to learn was a muddy ditch downstream from the hot spring where the women of reykjavik did laundry inspired by that hot spring and using a heavily mortgaged drill that had been brought to iceland to search fruitlessly for gold the city soon tapped the underground hot water generated by icelands volcanic underbelly icelands first geothermal heat flowed into 70 homes and three civic buildings a school a hospital and a swimming pool the national energy authority offered no risk loans to villages across the country to encourage geothermal drilling and within a generation the ancient turf house had nearly disappeared from iceland replaced by modern apartment buildings and homes all of them so toasty warm that even on winter nights most icelanders leave a window open with hot water flowing through the country and a populace eager to take a dip   swimming education was made mandatory in all icelandic schools in 1943   pools soon popped up in every town
because of the weather we dont have proper plazas in the italian or french style the writer magnus sveinn helgason explained to me beer was banned in iceland until 1989 so we dont have the pub tradition of england or ireland the pool is icelands social space where families meet neighbors where newcomers first receive welcome where rivals cant avoid one another it can be hard for reserved icelanders who dont typically talk to their neighbors in the store or in the street to forge connections mayor dagur told me icelanders generally use patronymic and matronymic last names and refer to everyone even the mayor by first name in the hot tub you must interact mayor dagur continued theres nothing else to do
not only must you interact you must do so in a state of quite literal exposure most icelanders have a story about taking visitors often american to the pools and then seeing them balk in horror at the strict requirement to strip naked shower and scrub their bodies with soap from head to toe mens and womens locker rooms feature posters highlighting all the regions you must lather assiduously head armpits undercarriage feet icelanders are very serious about these rules which are necessary because the pools are only lightly chlorinated tourists and shy teenagers are often scolded by pool wardens for insufficient showering the practice was even the subject of a popular sketch on the comedy show fostbraedur in which a zealous warden scrubs down a reluctant pool visitor himself
that one of the buck naked bystanders in that viral video jon gnarr was later elected mayor of reykjavik demonstrates that icelanders are quite un self conscious about nudity in the service of pool cleanliness this was made most clear to me perhaps in a dressing room in the town isafjordur where a chatty liquor store manager named snorri grimsson told me a long story about the time a beautiful australian girl asked him to go to the pool but then revealed that she doesnt shower before swimming he mugged a look of comic horror then brought home the kicker it was a very difficult decision thankfully the pool was closed i could tell this bit killed with his fellow icelanders but my own appreciation of it was somewhat impeded by snorris delivery of it in the nude his left foot on the sink stretching like a ballet dancer at the barre
its wonderful an actress named salome gunnarsdottir told me in the pool one evening growing up here we see all kinds of real womens bodies sixty five year olds middle aged pregnant women not just people in magazines or on tv
her friends all in their 20s and pregaming for a saturday night out in the bars nodded enthusiastically especially pregnant women helga gunnhildursdottir agreed you can see oh yes she really got quite big
its so important salome said earnestly you get used to breasts and vaginas
as a journalist i will never forget the uniquely icelandic experience of shaking hands with handsome mayor dagur and then just minutes later interviewing him as we each bared all in the tradition of politician interviews everywhere an aide lurked nearby in a manner i would call unobtrusive but for the fact that he was also naked i admit i found this disconcerting at first but eventually there was something comforting about seeing all those other chests and butts and guts   which for the most part belonged to normal human being bodies not sculpted masterpieces and that comfort extends out into the pool proper where you might be covered   only a little in my case   but are still on display
but near nudity by encouraging a slight remove from others also allows the visitor to focus in a profound and unfamiliar way on his own body on its responses and needs despite its being a social hub the pool also cultivates inwardness results of a questionnaire distributed by valdimars research team suggested that women in particular go to the pool to seek solitude according to women i talked to most everyone respects the posture of aquatic reverie   head tilted back against the pool wall eyes closed mouth smiling a tiny smile of satisfaction   that you adopt when you come to the pool wanting to be left alone
sigurlaug dagsdottir a graduate student researching the pools speculated that the sundlaugs social utility in icelandic communities derives in part from the intimacy of the physical experience in the pool she said you can take off the five layers of clothing that usually separate you from everyone else as such the pools are a great leveler council members in reykjavik make a point to circulate among the citys sundlaugs where they often take good natured grief from their constituents the filmmaker jon karl helgason who is shooting a documentary about icelands pools said when people are in the swimming pool it doesnt matter if you are a doctor or a taxi driver his girlfriend fridgerdur gudmundsdottir added everyone is dressed the same
on the way from reykjavik to keflavik airport is the blue lagoon a luxurious hot water spa that is one of icelands most popular tourist destinations there for 40 euros you can shower in private stalls and float in mineral rich water   discharge from the nearby svartsengi power plant which uses turbines twice as tall as a man to generate 75 megawatts of electricity and 150 thermal megawatts of heat for the surrounding towns
my final day in iceland i turned off the highway just after the blue lagoon and instead drove into one of those towns the port rekjanesbaer the lobby of the towns pool is dotted fittingly by a series of porthole like windows the woman working at the desk charged me nine bucks and asked is this your first time in an iceland swimming pool
nope i said with some pleasure
the familiar signs in the showers were supplemented by notices in polish targeting the new wave of immigrants who have found work in rekjanesbaer i snapped on my speedo steeled my courage and exited the warm lodge into the chill the 36 to 38 degrees celsius hot pot was full of enormous men with bluto type physiques and also a small girl in a pink ruffled bathing suit the largest of the blutos rose from the water picked up the girl and carried her giggling to the family pool his biceps sported a tattoo of a roaring bear consumed by flames
this time i didnt approach anyone didnt ask any questions i didnt speak at all i concentrated on what i could feel the water pressing lightly on my skin the wind prickling my beard all around me was the soft white noise of a community the conversation the connection the freedom within that flurry of sociability to withdraw and simply be within yourself it called to mind something a phd student named katrin gudmundsdottir told me on my first day in iceland she was describing a certain ineffable emotional state to me a native icelanders sense of comfort while immersed in her neighborhood sundlaug when i thought of what she said a perfect g chord strummed inside me its not exactly like youre happy she had mused its that you know how to be in the swimming pool
the sun was low on the horizon bright but evanescent the only other thing in the crystal blue sky was the contrail of a jet pointed to the west i closed my eyes i was in the pool


as a child you played laura ingalls wilder in the tv adaptation of little house on the prairie now youre running to represent the eighth district of michigan in congress if you win will this be your first nonentertainment related job ive done volunteer work but ive never been paid for it so yes it will be my first there was no salary for the presidency of the screen actors guild
famously the sag presidency was the thing on ronald reagans resume that supporters pointed to when he first got into politics does it actually prepare you for political office like washington sag is a two party system theres a liberal and a conservative party the names change but when i was there my party was called the restore respect party and my opposition was the membership first party i reached across the aisle to a few people from my opponents party who i thought had really terrific ideas
are there any other entertainers turned politicians that you look at and see as role models because i am a woman doing this i dont know that there is anyone else out there like me
have you heard the expression that washington is hollywood for ugly people what a horrible thing to say
its far from the worst thing thats been said about dc and i think theres some truth to it both are full of very ambitious people who network all the time and who sometimes forget the reason they came in the first place so what is hollywood the washington for well the best way i can liken the two is the republican debates which are the single greatest reality program on television today
how does it feel to be an entertainer running in this cycle which has been unprecedented in its levels of theatricality there is no theatricality going down here in the eighth district of michigan
you used to have a blog and one post goes into great detail about your decision to do breast augmentation and then your decision to have the implants removed do you think that your habit of being so candid is an asset as a politician or do you think youll need to be a little more disciplined well im not a traditional politician i was not raised to be a politician i am a citizen i think leaders should be more candid frankly and less political
unlike most people you had a profession as a child did you ever go through a period in your youth when you thought about what you were going to be when you grow up i actually wanted to be a neurosurgeon specializing in pediatric oncology my mother practically told me you know that what youre doing is a career right i said is it really ive stayed in entertainment in various forms and its extraordinary that all those decisions led here   i never thought i would be running for office
if you could wave a magic wand and pass any bill through congress what would it be the first thing i would do is co sponsor the paycheck fairness act
in your 2009 memoirs you wrote that you were considering a second career as a nurse and on your blog youve said youre bad at follow through why should voters think that running for office is more than just a whim for you because this campaign is my primary focus i have the ability to focus when need be
youre in recovery   and in recovery its highly recommended that you develop a spiritual practice what does yours look like i have absolute belief in a higher power i believe that i can do nothing without a community of people around me
how do these beliefs inform your politics i have faith in people i have a faith that love will win out
but if you look at the headlines there doesnt seem to be a lot of love in politics these days im sorry that doesnt feel like a question


there is a strange little cultural feedback loop thats playing out again and again on social media it begins with say a white american man who becomes interested in taking an outspoken stand against racism or misogyny maybe he starts by attending a black lives matter demonstration or by reading the novels of elena ferrante at some point he might be asked to check his privilege to acknowledge the benefits that accrue to him as a white man at first its humiliating   theres no script for taking responsibility for advantages that he never asked for and that he cant actually revoke but soon his discomfort is followed by an urge to announce his newfound self awareness to the world he might even want some public recognition a social affirmation of the work he has done on himself
these days it has become almost fashionable for people to telegraph just how aware they have become and this uneasy performance has increasingly been advertised with one word woke think of woke as the inverse of politically correct if pc is a taunt from the right a way of calling out hypersensitivity in political discourse then woke is a back pat from the left a way of affirming the sensitive it means wanting to be considered correct and wanting everyone to know just how correct you are
in the 70s americans who styled themselves as radical chic communicated their social commitments by going to cocktail parties with black panthers now they photograph themselves reading the right books and tweet well tuned platitudes in an effort to cultivate an image of themselves as politically engaged matt mcgorry the actor who plays a sweetly doofy prison guard in orange is the new black is a helpful case study of this phenomenon mcgorrys instagram presence was once blithely bro ey   yacht shots tank tops a tribute to coconut water then he watched the actress emma watson brief the united nations on the importance of mens involvement in the feminist movement and he took it to heart now he presents his muscular selfies and butt jokes alongside iconography of feminism and anti racism in one snap he holds a copy of the new jim crow mass incarceration in the age of colorblindness in bed shirtless in december buzzfeed nodded at mcgorry with a listicle titled can we talk about how woke matt mcgorry was in 2015
earning the woke badge is a particularly tantalizing prospect because it implies that youre down with the historical fight against prejudice its a word that arose from a specific context of black struggle and has recently assumed a new sense of urgency among activists fighting against racial injustices in ferguson sanford baltimore and flint when black lives matter activists started a website to help recruit volunteers to the cause they called it staywokeorg woke denotes awareness but it also connotes blackness it suggests to white allies that if they walk the walk they get to talk the talk
the most prominent pop touchstone for stay woke is erykah badus 2008 track master teacher in which she sings the refrain i stay woke erykah brought it alive in popular culture says david stovall a professor of african american studies at the university of illinois at chicago she means not being placated not being anesthetized she brought out what her elders and my elders had been saying for hundreds of years in turn the track has helped shepherd the next generation into its own political consciousness in an interview with npr last year the rapper earl sweatshirt described listening to master teacher in the car with his mother as a teenager i was singing the hook like i stay woke  he said his mother turned down the music and she was like no youre not 
earl sweatshirts mom was cautioning her son against brandishing a word without understanding its history and power he got the message years later he said and called her up and announced im grown such reflectiveness is often absent from the promiscuous spread of woke online the word has now been recycled by people hoping to add splashes of drama to their own inconsequential obsessions tweeting raptors will win it all staywoke or new bio  staywoke the new iteration of radical chic is the guy on tinder who calls himself a feminist artist in brooklyn and then says hes looking for the you know what in the you know where   the performance of wokeness is so conspicuous that it breeds distrust
in a 2012 paper about race relations on twitter dr andre brock a university of michigan communications professor wrote about how the surfacing of popular hashtags and trending topics brought the activities of tech literate blacks to mainstream attention creating a space where the expressions of black identity are subject to intense monitoring by white people   a kind of accelerator for cultural appropriation when black activists used stay woke in their twitter campaigns against police violence the term appeared alongside a host of trending hashtags   icantbreathe iftheygunnedmedown   and was thus flagged for white people who have never listened to a badu album or joined the crowd at a rally
defanged of its political connotations stay woke is the new plugged in in january mtv announced woke as a trendy new slice of teen slang as brock said the original cultural meaning of stay woke gets lost in the shuffle
and so those who try to signal their wokeness by saying woke have revealed themselves to be very unwoke indeed now black cultural critics have retooled woke yet again adding a third layer that claps back at the appropriators woke now works as a dig against those who claim to be culturally aware and yet are sadly lacking in self awareness in a sharp essay for the awl maya binyam coined the term woke olympics a kind of contest in which white players compete to name racism when it appears or condemn fellow white folk who are lagging behind
the latest revolution of woke doesnt roll its eyes at white people who care about racial injustice but it does narrow them at those who seem overeager to identify with the emblems and vernacular of the struggle for black activists there is a certain practicality in publicly naming white allies being woke stovall says means being aware of the real issues and willing to speak of them in ways that are uncomfortable for other white folks but identifying allies poses risks too there are times when people have been given the black pass and it hasnt worked out so well stovall says like clinton in the 90s a white person who gains a kind of license to use power on behalf of black people can easily wield that power on behalf of themselves
woke feels a little bit like macklemore rapping in one of his latest tracks about how his whiteness makes his rap music more acceptable to other white people the conundrum is built in when white people aspire to get points for consciousness they walk right into the cross hairs between allyship and appropriation these two concepts seem at odds with each other but theyre inextricable being an ally means speaking up on behalf of others   but it often means amplifying the allys own voice or centering a white person in a movement created by black activists or celebrating a man who supports womens rights when feminists themselves are attacked as man haters wokeness has currency but its all too easy to spend it


fifteen minutes west of medellin we flew into a dense bank of clouds when the clouds broke briefly the deep green jungle appeared extending miles in all directions laced with brown rivers and the occasional riverside village this is the wild wet and mostly roadless choco region of northwest colombia not a high rise or highway in sight before long the 17 seat plane descended and the small town of nuqui came into view sitting at the tip of a long beach on the pacific coast
though it attracts far fewer tourists than the countrys caribbean coast this remote area is well known to vacationing colombians who visit on summer weekends to watch humpback whales breaching near shore ecologists come to study the unparalleled biodiversity and the coast is starting to attract american tourists looking for exotic wildlife uncrowded waves and a quiet patch of sand
nuqui is a friendly but impoverished community of about 3000 people mostly afro colombians living in houses clustered tightly along dirt roads next to a tidal river theres no bank or post office in nuqui which is accessible only by plane or boat the transportation fleet includes three moto taxis a handful of motorcycles and plenty of bikes mostly locals walk or they travel in dugout canoes always standing   paddling when going to sea to fish or poling when going upriver toward the villages of the indigenous embera people
from nuqui we took a motor launch down the coast past brown sand beaches and hills to el cantil which sits in a loose cluster of eco lodges and hostels el cantil has seven rooms in a string of cabanas facing the sea and an open air pavilion that serves as the dining room its a family operation run by guillermo gomez known as memo whose father designed and built the lodge mr gomez has an infectious enthusiasm for local wildlife a passion for surfing and a commitment to low impact tourism guests are encouraged to pack out any packaging they bring the cabins have kerosene lamps and a small hydro plant provides power for a couple of hours in the evening just enough to charge batteries
you wont see any infinity pools along this coast but on our first morning there we found something better we walked south to the miles long playa termales the beach is named for the small town of termales and the town is named for its thermal spring by the time our small group   three young german travelers my wife and i and a guide from el cantil   reached termales the sun had broken through the overcast that typically moderates the heat here and the day had turned sultry but we were ready for the hot spring after rinsing off in the cool water of the adjacent river
it turns out the spring is not boiling hot just a perfect bathing temperature the sulfurous water seeps up through the sandy bottom of a tree shaded concrete pool the effect is magical utterly relaxing we floated around until our skin was like prunes then after stopping in town for a snack   fresh coconut water chugged from the shell   we ambled back along the beach along the way we noticed that the waves choppy and disorganized when we arrived were improving
we had not come for the surfing but did want to catch some pacific waves so the next day we rented boards and walked over to sample the beach breaks the waves were steady but tiny still it was fun to surf in warm water on a beautiful empty beach
the meals at el cantil are built around fresh local fish plantains rice and fruit and provide a chance to catch up with the other guests that night over dinner a guest from california told us he had taken a 40 minute boat trip to surf a rocky point break and had found great waves it sounded like challenging surfing but after a few beers we agreed to join him the next morning
the coast looked surreal in the mist as we motored south with three boards stacked in the bow of the launch we passed little coastal towns strung out along the beaches   clusters of low houses with thatched palm roofs and a few canoes pulled up on the sand then a more austere coastline of wave lashed rocks finally we came to a wave that we didnt have to look for it stood up tall proud and cobalt blue and broke cleanly over a rock shelf perched beneath the verdant hills
it looked a bit ominous as we strapped on our leashes and hopped from the boat the swirls of barely submerged rocks clearly visible in the break zone but the californian was soon charging the steep heart of the wave while my wife and i cheated out onto the shoulder and caught some of the more forgiving waves   sweet lefts that rolled consistently along the edge of a channel
bobbing on the boards between sets pelicans passed silently very near just skimming the water occasionally we heard the cries of birds hidden in the trees barely audible over the roar of the surf looking at that steep wild hillside rising from the rocky shore the entire scene felt otherworldly primeval nuqui was more than 20 miles to the north buenaventura over 100 miles to the south and the undeveloped rain forest extended dozens of miles to the east i realized that in a lifetime afield id never been farther from a road
after we left the break under cloudy skies the sea was still glassy calm in early afternoon unlike the storm battered caribbean theres not much wind here this is just a few degrees north of the equator squarely in the doldrums sea stacks that would be wind scoured crags in the caribbean are seussian humps here covered in mats of vegetation sprouting trees at odd angles with frigate birds preening in the branches and blue footed boobies hunkered on the ledges
our last day brought rain no surprise the choco is among the wettest places on earth with some areas seeing more than 400 inches of rain annually still it was a fine day for frogs so i hiked into the jungle with an eagle eyed local guide and a french tourist toucans called in the distance as we climbed the steep path among tropical hardwoods walking palms giant ferns and lianas soon an eerier sound   cave dwelling toads singing nearby then the raucous shrieks of parrots high in the treetops and far away the low moans of howler monkeys
we soon glimpsed a spectacular orange and black frog clinging to a mossy tree trunk a poison dart frog before long we found another this one fingernail size black with yellow stripes idling in a pool in the leaves of a bromeliad then hopping in the leaf litter still another species of poison dart frog this one with green stripes and blue speckled legs the embera smear their blowgun darts with the toxic secretions of the frogs giving the frogs their name
the frogs are among the many species uniquely adapted to this rugged place   ranging from enormous leatherback turtles to tiny hummingbirds and endemic orchids although still mostly wild the chocos environment is threatened especially in inland areas by logging and mining much of it illegal and the steady incursion of roads
hiking out we glimpsed a red headed songbird perched on a branch waiting out the drizzle this is the red capped manakin famous on youtube as the michael jackson bird for its moonwalking courtship dance finally near the beach we came across another creature famous for its video appearances   a basilisk lizard also known as the jesus lizard for its ability to run on water
the next day we were back in a boat leaving for nuqui and the flight out to medellin halfway to town we spotted a dark slender fin slicing above the water in the near distance   the tip of a rays wing then it dropped from view a few seconds later a sailfish burst from the water its dark muscular flanks so unexpected in the placid pacific and then the fish was gone the sea calm again a pair of dolphins rolled in the distance
at the airport we saw a twin engine plane moldering by the runway ditched there years ago by drug traffickers one vestige of the regions troubled past in 2008 farc guerrillas kidnapped six tourists about 10 miles north of nuqui and released them months later but in this moment of relative political stability colombian tourism is thriving especially in bogota cartagena and medellin and nuqui like the bahia solano region just to the north is also counting on tourism being a big part of its future   it even boasts an eco tourism themed school
taking off in the plane we caught a last view of the little town and way off in the distance still another surf break   a long empty wave peeling perfectly onto a jungle cloaked sandy shore split by a brown river then the clouds swallowed it all up
satena airlines flies to nuqui five days a week from medellins enrique oyala herrera airport the older airport downtown not the new international airport for about 400000 pesos roughly 135 round trip pack light theres a 15 kilogram weight limit for luggage satenacom
el cantil is an eco lodge on the coast south of nuqui popular with international tourists rates are about 354000 pesos per person including three meals the lodge can arrange jungle hikes surf trips and whale watching elcantilcomenlodging hotel nuqui
pijiba lodge one of the oldest hotels in the area is just down the beach from el cantil a 40 minute boat ride south of nuqui rates are about 256000 pesos a night meals included pijibalodgecom
nuquimar hotel is a 15 minute walk from the airport in nuqui clean spartan rooms with private baths near the beach cost about 180000 pesos a night including breakfast nuquimarhotelcom
in addition to the many beaches and the hot springs at termales some tourists visit utria national park just north of nuqui parquesnacionalesgovcoportalesecoturismoregion pacificoparque nacional natural utria mano cambiada a community group in nuqui can organize tours of the park facebookcommanocambiada
the regions biggest draw by far are the humpback whales that visit between june and october though the whales are often visible from shore all of the hotels can arrange whale watching tours


most of what i know about writing comes from my experience as a card carrying chorus boy let me explain this month my third novel was published within days of my debut as a broadway book co writer for the uninitiated the book of a musical is the script aka the part where the audience checks their playbills to see when the next song is but i didnt go to college for creative writing let alone earn an mfa instead i played a fish in the little mermaid a polar bear in the radio city christmas spectacular and for a change of pace an actual human in the bernadette peters revival of gypsy those years spent standing in the wings taught me a great deal about where to find stories and how to tell them heres what i discovered along the way
everything that got me picked on in middle school gets me paid now
thirteen year old me was short sensitive and sat with the sopranos in choir i was prone to singing sunday in the park with george in the back of algebra class   not the most socially advantageous move for a midwestern seventh grade boy   and naturally was deeply unpopular with the lacrosse players i did coach their girlfriends on how to walk in heels though i couldnt throw a punch but i could throw a punch line which remains my most reliable resource as a writer now getting teased tends to either harden your shell or sharpen your wit and my sarcastic voice became a launchpad for my young adult fiction its tough to be the underdog in real life but everyone roots for him as a fictional hero
take the note
musicals are living organisms whose performances change from night to night along with the blessing of this most immediate art form comes its own curse over the course of a shows run actors begin taking long pauses during monologues dancers start straying from their onstage marks and shows tend to grow lethargic faster than you can say wednesday matinee audience i learned the hard way early on to just take the note   that if my dance captain tells me my energy is lagging in a production number or that im doing some new weird thing with my arms to just say thank you and not offer an excuse or explanation nobody cares not really theyve got 20 other dancers to monitor and give notes to on any given night the same principle applied when i began receiving editorial comments on my novels if your editor sees room for improvement in your work theyre usually on to something its their job to keep you in line and to cut your adverbs ruthlessly
confidence is overrated courage is underrated
everything ive accomplished that im actually proud of was born of initial terror when at age 20 i took the bus from pittsburgh to new york to crash an audition for a super bowl halftime show   wearing god help me a green polo shirt and black tights not all gay guys are born with a robust fashion gene   my knees shook like crazy but the one thing bigger than my fear was my desire same when i began writing books i was 8 when i was told i had a way with words which you develop when youre the last boy picked in gym in a town that favors soccer over sondheim if id waited till i actually felt ready to pursue my dreams id never have started
critics gotta critic
ive been in flops that got raves and hits that got panned my job as a dancer was to keep my head down and show up at work eight shows a week no matter the reviews my job as a writer is to keep my chin up and show up at the blank page no matter what people are saying in fact i sort of want to know what theyre saying the best outsider critiques can help you discover your own bad habits and ill still occasionally have a beer or six and scan my amazon page that said my skin is thin in places and so ive taken to bookmarking the one star reviews of various classic novels after a critic doesnt respond to my own best efforts its comforting to read that the catcher in the rye was called unequivocal trash by an internet citizen known as thanks nietzsche to be criticized is to join the club known as your heroes
everybody is always starting over
theres nothing like kicking off a brand new year unemployed which is what happened to the broadway cast of chitty chitty bang bang when we closed on dec 31 2005 a primary lesson of being a dancer is that if youre lucky enough to be employed youll soon be unlucky enough to be unemployed same goes for novelists hell hath no fury like a blinking cursor which might as well be your editors index finger jabbing your shoulder to inquire hows the new book coming i suppose the reason im somewhat comfortable with writing fast messy first drafts is that ive never had a job for longer than a couple of months when youre a gypsy bouncing from job to job starting things is your specialty its slogging it out to the end that separates the boys from the chorus boys


the hottest attraction at your hotel may be its farmers market properties around the country are increasingly hosting markets featuring local vendors most are open to the public but a few like the quarterly market at the rosewood cordevalle in san martin calif are exclusively for hotel guests
there six to eight food purveyors set up stands with cooking stations highlighting ways to use in season produce the owners of a local cherry farm for example might show guests how to use the fruit to bake a pie and make a martini local wines and beers are also served at the market and the day ends with a delivery of cheese fruit and chocolate to a guests room the fee 185 a person for unlimited small plates and drinks
guests and locals are invited to the year round market at the hyatt regency waikiki beach resort and spa in hawaii held on tuesdays and thursdays in its open air atrium the market has several dozen vendors selling goods like sugar cane juice and butter made with kona coffee beans
also open to all is the market held on fridays and sundays from mid may through november at the charles hotel in cambridge mass where organic produce cheeses and jams are among the foods for sale
the peninsula bangkok hosts the thiptara craft market on the last saturday of every month for its guests and the public in addition to selling handicrafts vendors offer sustainably produced coconut water as well as fruits and vegetables
and the ritz carlton charlotte has a stand set up daily in its lobby filled with vegetables and fruits from its rooftop garden as well as from 20 local farms guests and locals can stop by to stock up the free mini market is a way to engage nearby residents and give guests healthful food options said seamus gallagher the director sales and marketing for the property we welcome the surrounding community but also want guests to be able to grab an apple or pear picked that morning on their way in or out he said


on sunday april 24 westeros   or at least its frequent visitors   will be liberated with season 6 hbos fantasy saga game of thrones will move past the story line of a song of ice and fire the uncompleted series of george r r martin novels that it is based on
for those of you who havent read the books good news those of us who have will finally have to shut our smug pie holes no more can we tease wait until you see what happens as we did before the deadly red wedding or the deadly purple wedding any future murderous nuptials and their color schemes will surprise us too
will the boltons be driven from winterfell you tell us will daenerys and her dragons retake the iron throne for the targaryens shrugs is jon snow dead or at least permanently dead we dont think so either but we cant prove it
among readers the great catch up has caused angst its highly unusual for an adaptation to begin behind its literary source only to overtake it will we be spoiled will it be the same to read mr martins next books   when and if he ever finishes them   with images from tv already squatting in our imaginations
fear not for readers this is an opportunity to learn that a great novel is more than its plot for viewers this means that game of thrones   always an awe inspiring spectacle but sometimes plodding and frustrating   can become its own thing
to some readers the ideal screen adaptation is essentially a video illustration of the book the thing that was in our heads projected for us on a screen think of how some harry potter fans practically watched the movies with a checklist praising them for how much of the source material they retained
but book based series succeed best when they choose to   or have to   declare independence hbos the leftovers became one of tvs best shows in season 2 when it exhausted the tom perrotta book syfys the magicians took a scissors to the narrative of lev grossmans fantasy novels becoming nimble and funny in a screen friendly way starzs outlander took liberties with diana gabaldons narrative but kept its spirit
it has become common to compare complex serials like hbos the wire to novels   the implicationinsult is that tv should be flattered   but the analogy goes only so far tv is visual telegraphic and more linear above all its unforgivingly fast mr martin has written five novels in two decades a showrunner who promised hbo that pace would quickly be shown the moon door
game of thrones may have taken awhile to find its identity in part because the novels seemed so perfect for tv   for hbo in particular even though its first volume appeared three years before the sopranos
like the western deadwood it took a popular genre dirtied it up and added politics and psychology its ideas about power   for instance that leaders can be doomed by rigid purity   muddied the moral dichotomies of tolkienesque fantasy whacking its seeming protagonist the principled ned stark was a mission statement made for pay cable
but the early episodes of thrones were burdened with the books stature and vast story the changes that were made like daeneryss wedding night rape a warning sign that the series would use sexual violence clumsily and too much seemed to exist mainly for shock
thrones found its voice in the wolf and the lion the fifth episode of that first season the soon to be late king robert baratheon sits with his wife cersei lannister to share red wine   their only common interest   and assess the sorry state of their realm westeros is troubled by schemers and threatened by invasion and the only thing holding it together is their hateful marriage of convenience dont you get tired he asks her ruefully every day she says
its a masterly exchange in a few minutes it lays bare their bitter relationship it gives depth to the queen who might otherwise come across a simple fairy tale villain it establishes the series perspective on the personal toll of political gamesmanship and it appears nowhere in the novels
for all its stunning set pieces   the battles of the blackwater and hardhome the duel between oberyn martell and gregor the mountain clegane   thrones at heart is a series of conversations varys and littlefinger jaime and brienne tywin and arya cersei and lady olenna tyrion and ... well anyone in the season 5 finale the swordsman daario assessing tyrions suitability for a search party sums up his abilities so mainly you talk its true   and its why tyrion a disinherited dwarf is the series most dangerous character
mr martins anvil size books are more expansive they include vast downloads of westeros history and religion outlines of genealogy and toothsome descriptions of banquets which are vivid on the page   and should stay there thrones has lost some of the books majesty but it has given them a much needed edit a valyrian sword hacking through the expository clutter
its been a good marriage but its past time for a separation thrones slowed to a jog in season 5 and story lines like jaime and bronns road trip to dorne were advertisements for the fast forward button even if the rest of the series follows mr martins plans the showrunners david benioff and d b weiss have worked in consultation with him it may be better off for being tv first without the anxiety of a best sellers influence
which version will be authentic each will be authentically itself sometimes a story doesnt have a single definitive narrative artworks evolve be they the variants of shakespeares plays kanye wests revisions to the life of pablo or george lucass edits to star wars we grasp at canonicity   han shot first   to deal with uncertainty but while we can argue which version is better no one not even mr martin can end the argument a song of ice and fire is not the novelization of thrones and now thrones can be more than the serialization of the novels
ill watch the new game of thrones as soon as it airs hbo is not sharing it in advance with critics ill read mr martins final books whenever they come it doesnt matter which gets there first because there is no single there they share the same world but theyre two different continents separated by a narrow sea


peer review the geobiologist hope jahren   her memoir lab girl hits the hardcover nonfiction list at no 7   has found a larger audience than many scientists partly through her use of social media jahren is prolific on twitter and since 2013 has maintained a lively free range blog hope jahren sure can write that is nominally about interactions between men and women and academia but is more accurately and haphazardly about things as she puts it on her masthead what sorts of things a tribute to leonard nimoy for one nothing less than god himself    could take spock away from us for another a cheese recipe written in pitch perfect lolcat dialect ferst thing ur going store to buyz 1 gallun hole milk and yes theres plenty about sexism in science including a scathing reply jahren wrote after a male colleague challenged her work in an email he mistakenly sent to her instead of their department head why she asked are there any women in science at all i keep asking myself is the price that i paid and keep paying worth it i am sure that you believe that youve struggled during your career    did you ever spend a night in a turkish police station trying to explain the concept of rape no well i did it can really disrupt your field season boy howdy she ended you didnt ask for my advice but i am going to give you some anyway learn to use your email    but dont be discouraged youre way ahead of me youve already learned how to type out what you really think and send it out into the world i am just now learning how to do the same
epic the cnn anchor anderson cooper and his mother gloria vanderbilt top the hardcover nonfiction list with the rainbow comes and goes an extended conversation in which cooper asks vanderbilt about their extraordinary family history and the accrued wisdom of her 92 years dont let the soppy gnomic title scare you off vanderbilt is frank and sometimes salty as when she confides that she faked all her orgasms until she met howard hughes my mom wasnt the kind of parent you would go to for practical advice cooper says what she does know about are    the kind of things you discover only by living an epic life
leather vampires the beast the 14th title in jr wards black dagger brotherhood series enters the hardcover fiction list at no 2 heres how ward described the series to the website she knows warrior vampires in black leather pants falling for females who hand their butts to them on a plate ok then later in the interview though ward identified a more conventional story elizabeth lowells summer thunder 1983 as the most important romance novel shes ever read times have changed and so have heroes and heroines but the core of what makes readers happy has remained the same she said are you in love with the way they are in love


london   saracens have been to the semifinals of the european rugby champions cup before but this time the circumstances are subtly different
in fact when the london club faces wasps in reading saturday it will be in the tournaments final four for the fourth consecutive year but this time saracens are clearly the quartets heavyweights
the french duo of toulon and clermont auvergne has dominated the past three seasons but neither is there wasps and leicester which plays racing 92 in the other semifinal in nottingham on sunday are two time winners but neither has made the final four this decade racing 92 is making its first appearance in any decade
every semifinal is a one off said the veteran saracens back chris wyles captain of the united states team in the rugby world cup last fall but we hope that our experience of big occasions will mean that we can focus on ourselves and our performance and not get sucked into the pressure and the sheer size of the match
there is very little in the way of home advantage it would be hard for reading to be more neutral it is 46 miles from saracens home in the north london suburb of barnet and 37 from wasps weekday training base in west london
and there is a clear mutual respect between teams that are first saracens and second in the current standings of the english premiership where saracens are reigning champion
you have to take it to the saracens and physically impose yourselves wasps veteran english flanker james haskell told the guardian monday but sarries are very proud it is going to be some battle
wasps have played really well this season and are in terrific form added wyles theyve made some key signings who have worked out for them very well like george smith smith a 35 year old flanker who appeared in 111 test matches for australia is such a master of winning possession at the breakdown after a tackle that he was called in to advise the england team before the recent six nations tournament
saracens have won every champions cup match so far this season with 9 points as the smallest winning margin and are aiming to record the first perfect season in the tournaments 21 year history wyles has made no small contribution to that his five tries are second only to six by leicesters vereniki goneva while flyhalf owen farrell leads the tournament point scorers with 92
four saracens   farrell lock forwards maro itoje and george kruis and no8 billy vunipola   are on the 12 man short list for european player of the year wasps have three   smith center elliot daly and charles piutau a wing who has 16 new zealand all blacks appearances under his belt
we hope that experience of the previous semifinals will help us said wyles since we lost two of them it has been painful experience but we feel we have learned about what makes the difference between winning and losing and how you cope with the crucial moments which make that difference
wyles has been one of a stable core of players who have sustained saracens throughout those european cup runs but there has also been change with players like the 20 year old itoje adding fresh power and impetus
we always knew that he had a formidable rugby talent wyles said of itoje who went into the six nations as a rookie and ended it as a grand slam winner hailed as possibly already the finest lock forward in europe what we didnt foresee was the speed with which he would improve and become the player that he is now
at 32 wyles is unquestionably in the veteran class he quit international rugby after the world cup ending with 54 caps for the eagles im incredibly grateful for all the opportunities usa rugby gave me but i felt that it was the right time to move on and give the next generation its chance he said
but that does not mean he will not be seen again in us colors since he is bidding to become a member of the american sevens squad at the rio olympics
i know it will be very tough to win a place there is an established sevens squad which has had some great results wyles said but i know ill be given a fair shot and i think i can bring something extra to it
but thats on hold until the end of the european season where there is no doubt about his most cherished desire
you want to win every match and we really want to win the english championship again you dont get ahead of yourself and you need to stay humble and focused on the next match he said but after all those semifinals europe has a feeling of unfinished business


international dance festival birmingham 2016 various venues may 1 22
companies from around the world will be in birmingham for this festival a celebration of traditional and experimental dance cloud gate dance theater a spectacle heavy group from taiwan will appear as will ballet bc from canada and britains trendy hofesh shechter company sebastien ramirez and honji wang who make up the duo wang ramirez will perform their piece monchichi which blends classical elements with breakdance idfbcouk
paul klee lironie a loeuvre centre pompidou through aug 1
this exhibition examines the work of the swiss german artist paul klee 1879 1940 known for minimalist paintings that tinkered with the artistic conventions of the day and helped establish the tenets of modern art hundreds of his works are on view in the show which looks at his relationship with cubism his interest in the bauhaus movement and his use of parody in his work centrepompidoufr
eva international   irelands biennial various venues through july 17
this years edition of this art biennial is called still the barbarians curated by koyo kouoh an arts administrator from cameroon the festival looks at the legacy of colonialism especially british colonialism in ireland and abroad artists in the show hail from around the world and include tiffany chung theo eshetu liam gillick and carsten holler venues include city galleries and a medieval fortress known as king johns castle evaie
le french may festival various venues may 1 june 30
this annual celebration brings an array of top notch french art to hong kong some works are imported and some like a may 6 performance of french classical music featuring the cellist trey lee feature locals paying tribute to french traditions performances include a modern ballet take on cinderella by the malandain ballet biarritz and bliss a hip hop piece by the group compagnie revolution art exhibitions include shows dedicated to edgar degas claude monet and the lesser known painter auguste borget some of whose work focused on china 2016frenchmaycom
a day at the lake rudyard lake april 30 may 2
on a lake in the north of england this festival recreates the 19th century summer festivals that drew large crowds to the leafy region acts include a tightrope walk a juggling show and a performance by members of a local symphony orchestra ukelele playing mermaids will make an appearance visitors can take boats out on the lake dayatthelakeorguk
solidity and beauty miguel blay at the museo del prado prado museum through oct 2
the show explores the life and work of the spanish sculptor miguel blay who was born 150 years ago this year it includes some of his major sculptures as well as sketches engraved medallions and keepsakes a separate show dedicated to the french painter georges de la tour is showing at the museum through june 12 museodelpradoes
historias da infancia museu de arte de sao paulo through july 31
this wide ranging exhibition looks at depictions of children and childhood in art works on view come from around the world from little known artists and major names alike like renoir one section of the exhibition focuses on perhaps the best known artistic renderings of childhood of all pictures of the virgin mother and child playgrounds 2016 another show featuring interactive artworks by contemporary artists including ernesto neto and rasheed araeen is also running at the museum maspartbr
pixar 30 years of animation museum of contemporary art through may 29
this exhibition a version of which appeared at the museum of modern art in new york about a decade ago looks at the work of the computer animated movie studio pixar which has made films for children like toy story finding nemo and inside out the show includes models sketches and drafts of digital paintings it looks at how a team of artists working across several media create a final film product the show has been updated for its tokyo run as pixar marks its 30th anniversary wwwmot art museumjpeng
saint lucia jazz and arts festival pigeon island national park april 29 may 8
the dj and reggae singer shaggy the pop singer marc anthony and the classic funk band kool  the gang will appear at this outdoor event near the coast there also are theater performances an art show and a market where locals sell their work and clothing hot couture a catwalk show will showcase fashion from the region stluciajazzorg
utagawa hiroshige landscapes along the tokaido road and mt fuji ota memorial museum of art april 29 may 26
this is a showcase of the work of the japanese printmaker utagawa hiroshige 1797 1858 one of the most famous practitioners of the countrys ukiyo e tradition of painting and a major rival to the styles most famous practitioner hokusai the show focuses on two of hiroshiges series the early breakthrough works fifty three stations of the tokaido road which show people contending with the unruly natural world and thirty six views of mt fuji renderings of the famed mountain thirty six views were made after hokusai created his own celebrated depictions of the mountain ukiyoe ota musejp


here are the top 10 comments of the week on our digital platforms as selected by our readers and the journalists who moderate nearly every comment
1 all this current talk about putting a black woman on us currency is just another distraction from the socioeconomic consequences of wealth skewed by racism
literally black people were money before during slavery times when stolen from ourselves our bodies not only manufactured wealth for others they were as good as gold for all debts public and private
black faces on us currency for me the answer is no thank you at least until that fundamental truth is addressed and atoned
  jam in linden nj reacting to an article about harriet tubman the former slave turned abolitionist and union army spy replacing president andrew jackson on the 20 bill
2 harriet tubman is a great choice she used ingenuity and grit to fight an evil system and won most of the time thats what america is all about
  doug h in lithonia ga
3 purple rain was the first album my immigrant parents bought for me with their limited english neither they nor i knew that it was wholly inappropriate for an 8 yr old but thats a testament to how amazing the music was   you didnt need a grasp of the english language to understand it still one of my all time favorite albums
as a girl from minnesota i am so proud that his genius and influence is ours to claim
  leopeters in michigan reacting to an article about the musician princes death thursday
4 i was struck by the huge diversity of the prince fans ducking and dodging all around me young old black white asian latino all dressed to impress in a colorful array of princes own flamboyance theyd paid top dollar to experience prince alone with his piano flash his musical brilliance in ever changing hues
  shar in atlanta who wrote of her experience in a traffic jam outside what would be princes final concert at the fox theater there on april 14
this comment received more than 200 reader recommendations
5 apology is needed without question honoring every enslaved person   since their names are known   would be good endow the scholarships or buildings or rooms etc with their names scholarships for descendants are a great idea along with georgetown providing assistance to black early education and high school students to ensure they have a good start one which the enslaved never had
and georgetown must make this history part of its lessons and legacy   when all students join the institution and benefit from the education facilities history and prestige they understand upon whose backs it was built
  shaun in passaic nj reacting to an article about whether georgetown university owes a debt to the descendants of 272 slaves sold by the jesuit priests who ran the school in 1838 to pay off debt and secure the schools future
6 imagine a place so terrible so absolutely destructive that you have no better option than to put your child in a tiny boat and travel across an entire sea in an attempt at escape were so completely isolated from the true terror in this world that we cant even relate to that level of devastation
  summar kawas on the timess facebook page responding to an article about pulitzer prize winning photos of the migrant crisis in europe
7 when trump came on the scene finally i said a breath of fresh air a nationalistic american first republican who is also a moderate on the social issues so i re registered as a republican last summer and have been a vocal supporter of trump on social media
i dont know whats going to happen in the next few months in this crazy crazy election year but for today at least i was proud to be an american a citizen of ny who had a chance to vote for a candidate that i passionately believe in and support
and that hasnt happened for me in 30 years
  mathew wood in new york reacting to an article that detailed scenes from new york states presidential primary in the five boroughs of new york city
8 im an engineer and this happens all the time at work for example i often overhear conversations between one man and one woman in my office and he consistently interrupts her mansplains every idea she presents and talks endlessly about ideas that arent relevant i sometimes just want to yell across the room stop interrupting her
its awesome that i have a place at the table and that people mostly respect my ideas but my place at the table and my good ideas dont automatically give me a voice i have to actively work to make my voice heard
  bethany in chicago reacting to an op ed essay that sought a scientific reason for some mens tendency toward pedantic overexplanation
this comment received more than 760 reader recommendations
9 years ago when we flew my husband would throw a tantrum if he couldnt have the aisle seat even though i was taller and had longer legs i divorced him taken care of
  ellen d murphy on the timess facebook page responding to an article about travelers who avoid the middle seat on airplanes at all costs
this comment received 299 likes
10 i have been riding bicycles for over 60 years sometimes in challenging events and i am deeply saddened perhaps pro cycling could model itself after world wrestling entertainment so that there is no doubt of the charade being played upon its fans and other members of the public
  cj13 of california reacting to an article about tiny motors that some athletes have attached to their bicycles to gain an unfair advantage in cycling races


front page
because of an editing error an article on friday about david geffens 100 million gift to the museum of modern art and financial problems at the metropolitan museum of art referred incorrectly in some editions to a gift mr geffen gave last year to the former avery fisher hall though it was for 100 million it was not his last donation in that amount before the gift to moma he later gave 100 million to ucla to build a middle school and a high school on its campus
international
an answer in a qa article on march 11 about whether irans recent missile tests call into question its commitment to the landmark nuclear agreement reached last year with world powers misstated the official position of the islamic revolutionary guards corps concerning the agreement the corps endorsed the agreement but opposed any constraints on iranian missile tests it did not object to the agreement as an infringement on irans sovereignty another answer in the article reversed the location of iraq and afghanistan relative to iran iraq is to the west and afghanistan to the east while the errors were promptly corrected online editors failed to follow through on this print correction
new york
an article on friday about an agreement by newyork presbyterian hospital to pay 22 million to federal regulators for allowing television crews to film two patients without their consent misidentified the person who filed a complaint with federal regulators in 2013 that led to the 22 million penalty it was filed by mark chankos son kenneth   not by his widow anita
business day
because of an editing error an article on friday about volkswagens agreement to fix or buy back 500000 diesel cars in the united states that are equipped with illegal emissions software misstated the number of states in a coalition that is investigating volkswagen it is 45 not six also because of an editing error the article misstated the way the illegal software enabled cars to cheat on emissions tests it increased the pollution controls it did not reduce them
sports
an article last saturday about mets pitcher jacob degroms missing his scheduled start the following tuesday misstated in some copies the day that logan verrett previously pitched in degroms place it was wednesday april 13   not thursday april 14
weekend
an entry in the spare times for children listings in some editions on friday about the nitehawk cinemas little bookworm series which is presenting the film chitty chitty bang bang saturday and sunday misstated the cinemas address it is at 136 metropolitan avenue in williamsburg brooklyn not 36

a theater entry in the listings pages on friday about the book of mormon included outdated ticketing information the website and telephone number for tickets are now ticketmastercom and 800 745 3000
real estate
because of an editing error a caption this weekend for two pictures with a cover article about older apartment buildings in new york that are adding amenities to stay competitive omits the description of the top photograph it shows monica goel and her husband donal burke in the new bike room of the carlton regency a co op on east 36th street
obituaries
a correction in this space on friday for the obituary of the basketball player pearl washington referred incorrectly to his honor as consensus second team all american it was awarded in 1985 for his play in 1984 85 his next to last season at syracuse university it was not for his play in 1985 86
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sunrise fla   in a matchup featuring old school hockey and stellar goaltending on friday the islanders came out ahead in game 5 of their first round stanley cup playoff series against the florida panthers
while floridas roberto luongo and the islanders thomas greiss engaged in yet another epic goaltending battle alan quine scored the winning goal 16 minutes into the second overtime when on a power play he blasted a one timer past the outstretched glove of luongo to give the islanders a 2 1 victory at bbt center the game was the second longest in islanders history
game 6 will be sunday at barclays center
it was one of those games islanders coach jack capuano said we didnt have to juggle too much its about resiliency and playing the right way
marek zidlicky and thomas hickey got the assists on the goal quines first ever in a playoff game
i certainly havent played a game that long in my life quine said it was fun in the dog pile it was worth it
the teams combined for 90 shots with greiss stopping 47 and luongo turning back 40
its one of those game where the puck just finds you greiss said
it was the first game 5 win for the islanders since 1987 against the philadelphia flyers the previous series that year against washington ended on pat lafontaines goal in the fourth overtime of game 7 the clubs longest game
the panthers missed a chance to win in the first overtime when aleksander barkov was awarded a penalty shot at the 719 mark after islanders defenseman calvin de haan was called for covering the puck in the crease it was the third time in stanley cup playoff history that a penalty shot had been awarded in overtime
greiss foiled barkov making a kick save with his left pad on barkovs backhand attempt
every goalie is used to those situations greiss said
barkov said of the shot the goalie made a great save but i should have scored i was pretty confident i was nervous but sad that it didnt go in
the capitals joe juneau was stopped by the penguins ken wregget in 1996 and andy moog of the canadiens stopped aleksey morozov of the penguins in 1998 the panthers jaromir jagr the oldest player in the nhl at 44 was involved in all three games
frans nielsen put the islanders on the board by banging home the rebound of thomas hickeys wrist shot from the slot 1331 into the first period silencing the crowd
greiss withstood a second period flurry by the panthers who outshot the islanders 14 7
but 159 into the third period barkov tied the game with a one timer from the short side off a cross ice pass from alex petrovic jagr was also credited with an assist capuano used his challenge arguing that petrovic had been offside but the goal stood
both teams seemed to be running out of gas through the remainder of the period as luongo and greiss stood their ground in the crease luongo snuffed out a 2 on 1 rush with just over five minutes left in regulation when he secured a wrist shot by nick leddy from the right circle
florida called timeout at 1451 to regroup and when play resumed luongo smothered the puck again after a flurry in front of his net
to counter the islanders effective fourth line of cal clutterbuck matt martin and casey cizikas florida opened the game with derek mackenzie at center garrett wilson at left wing and logan shaw at right wing with aaron ekblad and michael matheson on defense
panthers center nick bjugstad was called for high sticking at 253 of the first period giving the islanders a power play the islanders had already jumped out to a 4 1 advantage in shots but floridas penalty kill was up to the task
as has been the case throughout the series the momentum swings were tangible with the panthers turning up the heat after the islanders came up empty on the power play and pulling even on shots at 5 5 by 1044
bjugstad came up with a steal at the blue line and had a clear path down the left wing with just over eight minutes left but greiss swallowed up his slap shot the line of jagr barkov and jonathan huberdeau kept the pressure on greiss but could not get off a quality shot
its a tough loss panthers coach gerard gallant said we played a great game again tonight the mood is a little bit down but by the time they get home and they get something to eat theyll be ready to go back and go to new york and have a great game
florida have now lost seven straight overtime playoff games including last sundays game 3
slap shots
panthers center vincent trocheck returned after missing almost a month with a foot injury and gave his teammates an emotional boost  the islanders rookie defenseman ryan pulock did not make the trip to florida because of an upper body injury and is likely to be out for the remainder of the series  marek zidlicky took pulocks place in the lineup


federal authorities are investigating the disappearance of hundreds of pounds of explosives in the form of commercial fireworks missing from a csx freight train a spokesman for the company said friday
the federal bureau of alcohol tobacco firearms and explosives is investigating the disappearance of the fireworks from a train that originated in chicago said the spokesman rob doolittle the explosives were determined to be missing on wednesday
csx reported the theft as soon as it was discovered upon the trains arrival in detroit mr doolittle said
no cars were detached from the train the material was unloaded mr doolittle said
an atf spokesman called the suspected theft a very serious case according to cbs news which reported on it on friday mr doolittle said a quantity of fireworks were stolen but did not elaborate cbs reported that at least 32 cases or more than 500 pounds were missing
the commercial fireworks are classified as explosives mr doolittle said cbs reported that the quantity of the fireworks made them extremely dangerous
mr doolittle referred additional comment to the atf because it was an active investigation a bureau spokesman could not be reached for additional details on friday night


a 51 year old man shot and killed five people in the unincorporated east georgia community of appling on friday night officials said before fatally turning a gun on himself in his garage
capt andy shedd of the columbia county sheriffs office said the suspect wayne hawes lived in the neighborhood about 25 miles west of augusta where he carried out the shootings at two houses killing three adults in one of them and two in the other
relatives said one of the victims reba dent was mr hawess mother in law and vernon collins the columbia county coroner said mr hawess wife was in protective custody on friday night
the shootings occurred about 35 minutes apart capt shedd said
the captain said the police were called to 3162 johnson drive about a shooting at 754 pm he said two victims were declared dead at the scene a third died at a hospital one man and two women were killed he said
mr collins said the man who was shot was also found with his throat slit
at 832 pm the police were called to a shooting at 5581 washington road about half a mile away from the scene of the first shooting
at that second site a woman and a man were found dead of gunshot wounds he said
mr collins and harriett garrison the countys deputy coroner identified the five victims ms dent 87 was found at the scene of the first shooting as were roosevelt burns 75 and trequila clark 31 ms clark was discovered alive but wounded and was taken to a hospital where she was pronounced dead
discovered at the second scene were the bodies of shelley williams 63 and his wife lizzie williams 60 each died from a single gunshot wound to the neck they were sitting on a sofa when they were killed ms garrison said
sheriffs deputies found mr hawess body in his house about midnight he died of what appeared to be a single gunshot wound to the head and had apparently tried and failed to set the house on fire capt shedd said
a resident of the neighborhood who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the gunman was still being sought at the time of the interview said she was home with her mother when they heard four gunshots in the first shooting
my mother was like thats a whole bunch of shooting  the resident said
at first she said they thought it was someone hunting in the woods
we just kind of peeked out she said adding that they saw a man leave from the victims home in a car after we saw him go off we were like thats not right 
then she said another resident   a relative of the victims   who had gone to the house to investigate started screaming call 911 call 911 she said
the resident said she entered the home with the relative and could see two people in chairs were already dead and another person was slumped over and bleeding profusely
she said the road late on friday was teeming with police officers some of them with assault rifles
the location where three of the victims were shot is set amid a cluster of small one  and two bedroom clapboard homes in a historically african american neighborhood called king villa
the other home where the second shooting occurred is on a high embankment
a woman named tonya dent was leaving the house on the embankment friday night she appeared sad but calm and offered scant detail though she did say a husband and wife were killed here
she also said that all five victims were members of her extended family
all i know is my familys gone she said
on friday night a group of about 30 people stood in the yard apparently gathered in prayer illuminated by a single streetlamp and the flickering blue lights from sheriffs cruisers


atlanta   matt harvey pitched five innings friday night against the braves in an outing that did little to silence the questions surrounding him
the right handed harvey nominally the mets ace entered his fourth start of the season with an 0 3 record and a 571 era those numbers concerned the mets as did a number of other things the number of innings he pitched last season his lack of work in spring training problems with his mechanics and his inability to get through six innings
right fielder curtis granderson helped out harvey with a grand slam a solo home run a single and five rbi in the mets rain delayed 6 3 win over the braves at turner field
harvey gave up two runs and seven hits to the braves although five of those hits were soft line drives including an opposite field run scoring double by the rookie mallex smith harvey threw 101 pitches 68 strikes 33 balls he walked one and struck out five in gaining his first victory of the season he had entered the game with just nine strikeouts in three starts
harvey did not allow any well hit balls that sailed into the gaps or over the heads of his outfielders but his 101 pitches were a reflection of his inability to put away hitters
still a work in progress harvey said after the game parts of the game obviously felt better and felt like i was releasing the ball the way i should be other times it was not that way theres more positives than negatives out of this game
meanwhile there was no debate over whether granderson had broken out of his own early season troubles he crushed a pitch over the right field fence off bud norris with the bases loaded in the second inning then homered off norris again in the fourth
granderson who came into the game hitting 175 with an on base percentage of 299 also singled as the games leadoff hitter his five rbi tied a career high and his blasts gave the mets 21 home runs in their last seven games the most in franchise history over such a span
ive felt all right from the start of the season until now granderson said obviously you want things to go a little differently statistically for you especially getting out of the gate
center fielder yoenis cespedes left the game just before the 56 minute rain delay in the eighth inning after aggravating a bruise on his right leg
harvey faced two important at bats in the game and the results were mixed
in the bottom of the second harvey faced the braves best hitter nick markakis there were runners on second and third and the braves had scored two runs on four hits although none of them had been hit particularly hard
harvey got ahead on a 1 2 count with a rising 96 mile per hour fastball that markakis swung at and missed for strike two after a foul ball harvey threw a 95 mph fastball inside that rode back over the edge of the plate for a called strike to end the inning
in the braves two run second inning harvey hit 94 mph throwing from the stretch then 96 then 95 the mets were worried that he had been losing his velocity especially out of the stretch and with runners in scoring position
in three games hitters were batting 538 against harvey with runners in scoring position with a runner on base the batting average against him was 464
hes having a tough time putting anybody away manager terry collins said he gets ahead of them hes pounding the zone and its foul ball foul ball foul ball
the other important at bat came in the bottom of the fifth harvey walked markakis and then with two out allowed a soft single to adonis garcia with runners on first and second a j pierzynski approached the plate and took ball one he then hit a sharp liner to center field but cespedes fielded it cleanly and threw it home on the fly travis darnaud tagged a sliding markakis for the third out
collins said before the game that harvey had worked on a mechanical flaw in his delivery while throwing out of the stretch with runners on base collins said that harvey had worked with the pitching coach dan warthen and that the pitchers first words to collins after the session had been im back
both starting pitchers may have been affected by a 10 minute delay at the start of the second inning when the home plate umpire jeff kellogg has left the game with an apparent injury after being hit by a foul ball he was replaced by alan porter who had been umpiring at first
you saw what happened when the umpire got hurt collins said it threw both pitchers a little bit out of whack
still he preferred to look on the bright side of harveys outing it was a step forward collins said hopefully he grows from it and gets better


washington   the justice department said friday night that it had gained access on its own to a locked iphone used by a brooklyn drug dealer the second time in less than a month that it had unlocked such a device after initially insisting it could do so only with apples help
in a short letter to a federal judge in the eastern district of new york prosecutors said that an unidentified person had given the phones passcode to investigators the brooklyn phone had become the latest battleground in the fight between apple and the justice department over issues of privacy and security
last month in a higher profile case that set off a national debate prosecutors dropped their demand that apple develop software to unlock an iphone used by one of the attackers in the san bernardino calif rampage in december the fbi unlocked that phone after paying an outside party to demonstrate how to do so
in the brooklyn case the drug dealers phone was running an older operating system that lacks the encryption features of the san bernardino phone so unlocking that device would involve much less technical sophistication even without the passcode
apple had voluntarily helped prosecutors unlock phones in some 70 earlier cases involving phones with the older operating systems but it changed its stance last fall and began challenging the justice departments legal authority to use a 1789 statute called the all writs act to force its technical assistance in such cases
prosecutors had said for months that they needed apple to provide what amounted to a technical passkey to the brooklyn phone because the owner a confessed methamphetamine dealer named jun feng claimed to have forgotten the passcode
that changed on thursday evening when someone gave the government the passcode prosecutors said in the letter to the court officials would not say whether it was mr feng or someone close to him who provided the passcode
because we now have access to the data we sought we notified the court of this recent development and have withdrawn our request for assistance said emily pierce a justice department spokeswoman this is an ongoing investigation and therefore we are not revealing the identity of the individual
a judge sided with apple in the brooklyn fight in february issuing a stinging 50 page ruling that said prosecutors had overstepped their legal authority the justice department had been seeking to overturn that ruling and force apples cooperation but that now becomes a moot issue
apple which declined to comment on friday has raised similar objections to unlocking iphones in a boston case and in at least several dozen others elsewhere most of which are under court seal
alex abdo a lawyer with the american civil liberties union which has supported apple in the recent encryption fights said that the latest development in brooklyn was very welcome news
this is a debate that should be had in congress before asking the courts to weigh in he said that will be better for everyones digital security
in the san bernardino case the fbi was able to get into the phone after a fierce court fight that stretched for two months and drew international attention the bureaus director james b comey indicated this week that the group that demonstrated how to unlock the phone was paid at least 13 million


kelly ripas standoff against abc will end next week
ms ripa informed the staff of her morning show live with kelly and michael on friday night that she would return tuesday according to an email obtained by the new york times
addressing the live staff she said sorry for this late friday night email i wanted to thank you all for giving me the time to process this new information your kindness support and love has overwhelmed me we are a family and i look forward to seeing you all on tuesday morning love kelly
ms ripa refused to appear on her show twice this week after the network announced that michael strahan would leave live for good morning america in september a person who spoke to ms ripa said she had felt blindsided since she was given almost no notice about the move she also felt that network executives were slighting her show in favor of good morning america
it turned into an enormous headache for abc as it dealt with the fallout of having angered one of its stars ana gasteyer replaced ms ripa on wednesday and erin andrews replaced ms ripa each of the last two days both of those episodes were taped thursday
mr strahan began appearing on good morning america two years ago and ms ripa expressed reservations at the time that his role on that show would be a distraction from his duties on live she was told that his role would be temporary
of interest for tuesdays broadcast   and for future weeks   will be how ms ripa and mr strahan address the controversy and whether their on air relationship will be affected
live has done well in the 9 am time slot while good morning america has had declines in both its overall viewership and in the 25 to 54 year old demographic important to advertisers still good morning america remains the most viewed morning show   it trails today in the demographic   and it is an enormous profit center for abc news
ms ripa will be off on monday she had previously scheduled a long weekend to celebrate her 20th wedding anniversary


an investigation by the new york state board of elections found evidence of flagrant violations of campaign finance law by a team of people that mayor bill de blasio created to raise money for democrats running for the state senate in 2014 according to a confidential board report
the board sent the report to cyrus r vance jr the manhattan district attorney three months ago prompting a criminal investigation into the fund raising
the mayors senate effort which failed in its goal to wrest the legislative body from republican control has proved damaging to him in multiple ways democrats remained in the minority in the senate the mayors relationship with senate republicans was severely strained hurting his ability to win support in albany for his agenda and now it has led to one of several investigations that are tarnishing his administration
the investigation by the state board was reported on friday by the daily news
the boards investigation and the subsequent continuing inquiry by manhattan prosecutors is looking at whether there was an effort to illegally circumvent limits on campaign contributions to individual candidates by directing money instead through democratic party county committees and a statewide party campaign committee
the county and statewide committees can receive contributions of up to 102300 which is much greater than the general election limit on contributions to candidates campaigns 11000 per donor
the evidence demonstrates that the de blasio team coordinated its fund raising activities with the campaigns of several candidates and routed contributions to them through the county and statewide committees in order to evade contribution limits and to disguise the true names of the contributors according to the report
risa s sugarman the boards chief enforcement counsel wrote in a memo to board commissioners i have determined that reasonable cause exists to believe a violation warranting criminal prosecution has taken place she added the violations discovered by this investigation can only be described as willful and flagrant the new york times obtained a copy of the report
the boards investigation was prompted by complaints from republican party officials in putnam and ulster counties where hundreds of thousands of dollars in contributions from union political action committees and others poured into the local democratic county committee in october 2014 shortly before the election large sums of money were then transferred to the local democratic candidates those candidates also received large transfers from the statewide democratic senate campaign committee
the investigation focused on the campaigns of cecilia f tkaczyk who was running in a district that includes part of ulster county and terry w gipson and justin wagner whose districts included part of putnam county
the boards report says that the fund raising effort was run out of mr de blasios city hall and involved emma wolfe his top political aide and ross offinger a fund raiser for the mayors election campaign as well as the campaign for one new york a nonprofit created by mr de blasio to support his agenda the report also names several union officials and political consulting firms including berlinrosen which has longstanding ties to the mayor
it says that those people worked closely with the candidates and their campaigns in arranging for large donations to be made through the county and statewide committees and then designated how the money would be spent some of the checks to the statewide committee included notations such as donation per mayor the report said
one of the potentially most damning pieces of evidence cited in the report was in an email from the treasurer for ms tkaczyks campaign matthew lerch to hayes clement the treasurer of the ulster county democratic committee has the check for 60k cleared the email from mr lerch said according to the report below is our banking info we need the 60 transferred over asap please
the email was sent on oct 16 2014 state campaign finance records show that the ulster county committee received a 60000 contribution from the political action committee of the new york state nurses association a union on oct 14 the records indicate that on oct 17 the county committee transferred the same amount to ms tkaczyks campaign
in all the ulster county committee transferred 330000 to ms tkaczyks campaign over a few days around the same time the putnam county committee transferred 367000 to mr wagners campaign and 273750 to mr gipsons in each case after taking in similar amounts from donors outside the county
reasonable cause exists to believe that all the contributions were made to the county committees simply as straw donors the report said therefore they should be considered contributions to the candidates and subject to the candidates contribution receipt limits
despite the flood of cash all three candidates lost their races
investigators said that similar patterns existed with candidates running in monroe and erie counties
ms tkaczyk did not return a call for comment on friday night an email message for mr clement was not returned and his voice mail was full efforts to reach mr lerch and mr gipson were also unsuccessful
the inquiry comes as mr de blasio is facing investigations by several different agencies including from federal prosecutors with the office of preet bharara the united states attorney for the southern district of new york into his donors and fund raising practices
we are confident that all of our efforts were appropriate and in accordance with the law at all times karen hinton a spokeswoman for mr de blasio said on friday we will cooperate fully with the investigations of ms wolfe the mayors aide who led the effort to capture the senate for democrats she said emma wolfe is a highly regarded public servant whose integrity should not be in question she followed the letter of the law
mike murphy a spokesman for the statewide democratic senate campaign committee said that it had followed all campaign finance regulations


between dunderheaded base running futile swings in the batters box and an exasperating string of losses the yankees had turned increasingly desperate to generate offense
so on friday they decided to steal a run
but this wasnt any heist this was rob the bank in broad daylight audacious
jacoby ellsbury after measuring the leisurely windup of the tampa bay left hander matt moore took off toward home on a two out full count pitch that was wide of the strike zone sparing brett gardner the decision of swinging at it and allowing ellsbury to slide safely headfirst his hand reaching the near corner of the plate before catcher curt casali could lunge forward and tag him
the daring play in the fifth inning not only tied the score it invigorated the crowd which came to life just as the yankees did rallying for a 6 3 victory on friday at yankee stadium
brian mccanns sixth inning single scored carlos beltran to put the yankees ahead in the sixth ellsbury added a two run double in the eighth and the bullpen did the rest with ivan nova dellin betances and andrew miller shutting down the rays
as rare as a yankees victory has been in recent days   they had lost seven of their previous eight games   ellsburys theft was rarer still
it was the first straight steal of home by a yankee since derek jeter did it on may 5 2001 ellsbury had accomplished the feat once before   as a red sox against the yankees on april 26 2009
this one though was remarkable for its brazenness
if the pitch had been close to the plate gardner would have been faced with a dilemma take the pitch for a strike ending the inning would have been over or take a swing and risk hitting ellsbury with the ball
i dont know what i would have done if its a strike gardner said
for ellsbury who entered the game as a replacement for center fielder aaron hicks who injured his left shoulder diving for a ball the over the top aggressiveness might have had its source in a frustrating start to this season ellsbury has made several blunders in the outfield has found himself benched occasionally against left handed pitchers and has increasingly drawn the ire of fans who expect more from a player who was awarded a 153 million contract
youve just got to be 100 percent committed if youre going to go ellsbury said of his decision to steal home if you have any doubt in your head youre not going to make it
ellsbury batting eighth instead of in his customary leadoff spot had singled to left with two out and nobody on in the fifth he advanced to second base on didi gregoriuss single and they both moved up on moores balk after gauging moores windup on the next pitch a called strike ellsbury took off on the next pitch a full count fastball to gardner
as both ellsbury and casali dove for the plate the umpire will little signaled safe casali immediately signaled to the rays dugout to challenge the call but they soon realized that ellsbury had beaten the tag
manager joe girardi said he was as surprised as anyone that ellsbury took off the yankees bench had tried to get the attention of the third base coach joe espada on the previous pitch alerting him that ellsbury might be able to steal home but once the count got to 3 2 it seemed far too risky
two strikes like that said mccann who broke out of a 1 for 18 slump by hitting a two run homer and driving in the three runs that were not brought in by ellsbury it caught everybody by surprise im still stunned about what happened i didnt think id ever see that happen with two strikes and he takes off for home
espada said that on the two pitches ellsbury was at third base they had a running dialogue espada told ellsbury he thought he could make it each time
i pushed him a little too hard espada said
ellsbury said he could not recall many of the details of their dialogue but he remembered espada telling him to watch moore in the windup
to me that means one thing ellsbury said he added im always looking to go i guess you give me the green to take a stab at it and im going to go for it as long as im confident in going every single time i get on third base im looking for something like that
though ellsbury had three hits against oaklands rich hill on thursday gardner and right fielder carlos beltran have been the yankees two best hitters in a lineup begging for offense if hickss injury is serious that will solve the outfield glut but it also could mean that alex rodriguez who is 4 for his last 37 could get some rest at designated hitter
its something i have to juggle said girardi whose team scored more than four runs for the first time since april 9 its not always the best situations when youre seeing six or seven out of nine left handers in a short period but its what youve got to deal with
but those vulnerabilities   like the yankees futility at the plate in this still young season   were at least forgotten for one night when thanks to ellsburys daring dash he was safe at home and safe at home


geneva   the united nations special envoy for syria on friday called for urgent intervention by the united states russia and other powers to save fragile peace talks threatened by escalating hostilities and stalled negotiations
the envoy staffan de mistura said a partial cease fire that came into effect at the end of february was still in effect but in great trouble if we dont act quickly he added that a meeting of the international syria support group led by russia and the united states which brokered the truce was urgently required
his comments came at the end of a week in which opposition negotiators pulled out of formal peace talks to protest mounting violations of the truce and the governments refusal to allow deliveries of humanitarian aid to civilians trapped by fighting
airstrikes on friday hit insurgent held areas in aleppo where residents counted at least 11 airstrikes in eight neighborhoods in addition to attacks by surface to surface missiles that left at least 16 people dead adnan hadad an antigovernment activist in the city said in an internet chat
rescue workers and residents called it the most intense day of bombing since a partial truce was announced at the end of february
despite a flurry of activity in the past two days that brought about the evacuation of 500 people in need of medical care from besieged towns in syria and delivery of aid to the town of rastan the situation on the ground remained dire the united nations acknowledged this week that since the start of the year it had reached fewer than half the people in towns mostly besieged by government forces and even fewer   barely seven percent   in so called hard to reach areas
the apparent impasse of the geneva talks has shifted diplomats attention to a proposed ministerial meeting of the 17 member group of global and regional powers most engaged in the syrian crisis this meeting could take place at the end of the month possibly in new york but diplomats said a date and location had yet to be agreed upon
united states officials have said that russia had moved artillery to support an offensive by syrian government forces on aleppo increasing their concerns about the level of moscows commitment to using its influence with the syrian president bashar al assad to make progress in the talks
mr de mistura said he would continue his meetings in geneva probably until wednesday but he acknowledged that both sides are extremely polarized diplomats monitoring the talks have said that they did not expect much in the coming days
the high negotiation committee representing a coalition of opposition groups withdrew most of its negotiators in geneva over the past two days and said there was little point in returning to formal talks until there was a clear commitment from the syrian government to talk about a political transition that does not include mr assad so far the government has offered only a government of national unity interpreted by opposition negotiators to mean they would be offered a few cabinet positions in a government still led by mr assad
mr de mistura said he would meet the syrian governments top negotiator bashar jaafari on monday to discuss the proposal for a government of national unity but he acknowledged that after five meetings he still did not understand what the government proposal entails
is this going to be cosmetic is this going to be real and if it is real what does it mean for the opposition he asked
as government warplanes stepped up attacks on the insurgent held suburbs of damascus one crashed southeast of the city according to antigovernment activists russias semiofficial interfax news agency confirmed the report and said the plane was a mig 23
islamic state   the extremist militant group which was never party to the partial cease fire   claimed in a news release issued on social media to have captured the planes pilot the group released video that showed its fighters around the wreckage of a plane but it did not show the pilot and there was no word from the russian or syrian governments on whether a pilot was missing


michal neuvirth made a playoff career high 44 saves and the visiting philadelphia flyers beat the washington capitals 2 0 in game 5 on friday night to stay alive in their first round eastern conference series
neuvirth was dominant blunting every charge by alex ovechkin and the capitals to cut the deficit in the best of seven series to three games to two and send the series back to philadelphia for game 6 on sunday
ryan white scored the lone goal for the flyers against braden holtby with the puck deflecting off washington defenseman taylor chorney and into the goal chris vandevelde added an empty netter late
holtby was barely tested in making 10 saves
the pressure is now on the presidents trophy winning capitals who won the first three games of the series against steve mason who was replaced in game 4 by neuvirth washington lost back to back games in regulation for the first time this season
sidelined by a lower body injury for three weeks neuvirth had played only two games since march 4 before making his flyers playoff debut in game 4 on wednesday stopping 31 of 32 shots against the team that drafted and developed him
neuvirth faced the capitals in relief while with the islanders in the 2015 playoffs but this was his big opportunity some of his former teammates made sure it was a busy one
the capitals hemmed the flyers in their zone almost all game and turned it into a shooting gallery neuvirth a 28 year old czech made a big glove save on daniel winniks short handed attempt early in the second period to keep the capitals off the board and philadelphia then gave him some support
three seconds after an unsuccessful power play white was credited with a goal when the puck banked off chorneys skate and in the flyers fell to 1 for 21 on the power play in the series
neuvirth was single handedly the reason the flyers stayed alive as he sprawled to stop karl alzner denied ovechkin and robbed marcus johansson in the second period in the third he denied dmitry orlov on a rush and smothered the puck
on a capitals power play midway through the third neuvirth made another stand and always looked in control while facing an onslaught vandevelde scored an empty netter with 308 seconds left to seal it
the 33 shot disparity 44 to 11 tied the second biggest margin by a losing playoff team since 1989 90 according to stats llc
sharks 6 kings 3 joonas donskoi broke a tie with his second goal early in the third period and san jose blew a three goal lead before rallying to wrap up its first round playoff series with a victory over at los angeles in game 5
chris tierney and matt nieto scored early goals and joe pavelski got another late score for the sharks who stared down the demons of their past playoff failures against los angeles and advanced to the second round for just the second time since 2011
san jose led by 3 0 early in the second period before the kings scored three goals in nine electric minutes but after donskoi broke the tie with the second playoff goal of his rookie season pavelski added his fifth goal of the series
wild 5 stars 4 mikko koivu redirected ryan suters shot from the left point 455 into overtime and minnesota won at dallas to stay alive in their first round series
koivu scored the last two goals for the wild who go home still down by three games to two in the best of seven series game 6 is sunday
jason spezza and alex goligoski scored 28 seconds apart almost midway through the third period giving the stars their first lead of the game
but the wild forced overtime when koivu scored the tying goal with 309 left in regulation koivu the wilds leading scorer in the regular season with 56 points had only one goal without an assist in the series until then
dallas fell behind 2 0 in the first five and a half minutes and did not lead until goligoskis goal with 1104 left in regulation that hit the back of defenseman marco scandella on the way into the net and made it 4 3
that came right after spezzas third goal of the series with a defender tugging along spezza sent a shot that slid in front of devan dubnyk and hit the far post before ricocheting past the line to tie it
dubnyk stopped 37 shots
canadians tune out the first round playoff series being shown on sportsnets cable channels in canada and on the broadcast network cbc drew an average of about 500000 canadian viewers from april 13 to 17 that is down from about 13 million over the same period last year when five of canadas seven teams were playing
the drop is happening two years into sportsnets 41 billion deal for the nhls english language broadcasting rights in canada scott moore the executive who committed toronto based sportsnet to a 12 year television rights agreement is not surprised that canadians are tuning out their national pastime because there are no home teams competing
but the ratings in canada are still outpacing those in the united states nbc announced that the first eight days of the playoffs had drawn an average of 484000 viewers that was up by about 30000 over the same period last year but it pales in comparison to the figures in canada with its population of 35 million
nordstrom gets extension joakim nordstrom and the carolina hurricanes have agreed to terms on a two year contract extension
nordstrom a forward had 10 goals and 14 assists in 71 games this season for the hurricanes who acquired him in september in a trade with chicago
he will earn 125 million this season and 13 million in 2017 18 he would have been a restricted free agent this summer


washington   president obama declined on friday to refer to the 1915 massacre of armenians as genocide breaking a campaign promise as his presidency nears its end
mr obama in a statement to mark armenian remembrance day on april 24 called the massacre the first mass atrocity of the 20th century and a tragedy that must not be repeated yet he stopped short of using the word genocide a term he applied to the killings before he became president in 2009
i have consistently stated my own view of what occurred in 1915 and my view has not changed mr obama said
armenian american leaders have urged mr obama each year to keep a pledge he made as a presidential candidate in 2008 when he said the united states government had a responsibility to recognize the attacks as genocide and vowed to do so if elected mr obamas failure to fulfill that pledge in his final annual statement on the massacre infuriated advocates and lawmakers who accused the president of outsourcing americas moral voice to turkey which staunchly opposes the genocide label
its a turkish government veto over us policy on the armenian genocide aram hamparian head of the armenian national committee of america said in an interview referring to president recep tayyip erdogan of turkey mr hamparian said its like erdogan imposing a gag rule very publicly and an american president enforcing that gag rule
historians estimate that as many as 15 million armenians were killed by ottoman turks in an episode widely viewed by scholars as genocide turkey a united states partner and nato ally denies that the killings constituted genocide and says the death toll has been inflated
though obama administration officials have debated using the genocide label in the past this years deliberations come as mr obama seeks turkeys assistance in fighting the islamic state   especially along turkeys border with syria the united states and its european partners are also counting on mr erdogan to help stem the influx of migrants to europe
if mr obama felt pressure not to offend turkey he was not alone among world leaders chancellor angela merkel of germany has faced intense criticism for allowing the possible prosecution of a television satirist for reciting an intentionally offensive poem about mr erdogan
mr hamparian said officials from the white houses national security council and the atrocities prevention board that mr obama established told him on thursday that labeling the killings as genocide would introduce uncertainty in the region during a time when turkey is playing an important role in a number of matters he said it was hypocritical for mr obama to call every year for a full frank and just acknowledgment of the facts while refusing to acknowledge them himself its like you should do this but i wont  mr hamparian said
mr obamas calls for transparency about the massacre played a prominent role in his presidential campaign held up by him as an example of the type of sorely needed straight talk about foreign affairs and historical events samantha power one of his campaign surrogates and now his united nations ambassador issued a roughly five minute video imploring armenian americans to vote for mr obama precisely because he would follow through on his promise
representative adam schiff of california the top democrat on the house intelligence committee said he was gravely disappointed that mr obama would leave office with the campaign pledge unfulfilled mr schiff has introduced legislation calling on the president to urge turkey to fully acknowledge the genocide
remaining silent in an effort to curry favor with turkey is as morally indefensible as it will be ineffectual mr schiff said
the white house issued mr obamas annual statement on the massacre while the president was in london but declined to comment on the matter


washington   the washington redskins signed cornerback josh norman on friday two days after the carolina panthers cut him loose
norman one of the nfls top cornerbacks became a free agent wednesday after the panthers rescinded the franchise tag which would have paid him 139 million this season norman 28 was holding out for a long term contract
norman had a career high four interceptions 16 passes defensed and 56 tackles last season for the nfc champion panthers he also scuffled with odell beckham jr which led to a one game suspension for the giants receiver
he posted the hashtag hail with several emoji on his twitter account to announce that he had picked the redskins over other suitors and several new teammates congratulated him and welcomed him to washington
let me be the first to say welcome to the family defensive back deangelo hall said in a tweet
earlier in the afternoon and thursday washington players used twitter to try to convince norman to sign it only took one visit to make that happen
norman visited the redskins complex in ashburn va on friday after signing he posed for pictures with family members and scot mccloughan the redskins general manager
normans signing fills a major need because redskins cornerback chris culliver is still recovering from a knee injury
joining the redskins was a much happier occasion for norman than being shown the door by the panthers who wished him well in a terse statement earlier in the week
after a number of conversations with joshs agent we realized that a long term deal was not attainable dave gettleman the panthers general manager said in a release we have decided to rescind the franchise tag freeing josh to immediately become an unrestricted free agent


a suspect who had been sought by investigators for nearly seven months was charged on friday in connection with the shooting deaths of three men last year at a public housing complex in brooklyn the authorities said
acting on an anonymous tip investigators traced the suspect allen cooper 32 to north carolina he faces three counts of murder and criminal possession of a weapon from a shooting in september at the ingersoll houses a new york city housing authority complex in the fort greene section of brooklyn that had once been considered one of the citys most violent
the ingersoll houses which include 20 low rise buildings with about 4500 residents had a substantial drop in crime in recent years as the city invested in anti crime measures there the complex had not seen a homicide since 2013
on sept 20 2015 at about 2 am a man approached two men on fleet walk and opened fire hitting lacount simmons 39 and calvin clinkscales 43 the police said both men were struck in the head and died at the scene a third man who was nearby herbert brown 76 was hit in the abdomen and was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead
the shooting was the deadliest in a string of homicides across the city that september weekend leaving at least seven people dead in separate episodes in brooklyn the bronx and east harlem in manhattan
using surveillance camera footage and witness accounts investigators identified mr cooper a resident of the ingersoll houses who was known as pike in january the authorities announced that he was wanted in connection with the shooting
this month the authorities received an anonymous tip that mr cooper had fled to fayetteville nc where he was found by the police he was taken into custody for violating the rules of a probation sentence the authorities said and brought back to new york
mr cooper was being held at rikers island awaiting an initial court hearing the authorities said no information about a lawyer was available


secretary of state john kerry said friday that russia had moved heavy artillery into position outside aleppo in northern syria raising new concerns that a partial cease fire will come undone
russias military buildup described by mr kerry in a meeting with the new york times editorial board came on the same day that talks in geneva aimed at finding a political resolution to the years of civil war began to break down
after the main opposition coalition walked out staffan de mistura the united nations special envoy for syria said the fragile truce was in great trouble if we dont act quickly
mr kerry who was in new york attending the signing of the paris agreement on climate change said that he was generally encouraged by russias participation in the diplomatic effort but he said he was not certain if russias president vladimir v putin was sincere in his stated aims for the buildup combating terrorism
we are not going to sit there and let him do his thing supporting the regime and hammer at the opposition and say this is working  mr kerry said obviously were not stupid about it
critics of the partial cease fire deal between the united states and russia argue that president bashar al assad of syria and his allies have been using the pause in fighting to retake territory and buttress his standing on friday the opposition coalition walked out over a lack of progress in the talks as warplanes bombed heavily in northern syria
if mr assad were to retake aleppo he would once again control what was before the war syrias largest city and economic center such a victory would give his government a psychological boost after more than five years of war
ever since mr putin injected military forces into the syrian civil war last fall promising to target extremist islamist groups the russian operation has been aimed more directly at shoring up the power of his regional ally mr assad
asked whether the latest russian intervention was truly aimed at fighting shared islamist enemies or rather a means of helping mr assad mr kerry said we have yet to discover whether they are bona fide
mr kerry said that the russians might be moving on aleppo because members of the al nusra front an affiliate of al qaeda were mixed throughout parts of the region and that they were terrorists not party to the cease fire at the same time he said the region is home to insurgent groups that oppose mr assad and have agreed to the cease fire
that has proven harder to separate them than we thought mr kerry said and theres a russian impatience and a regime impatience with the terrorists who are behaving like terrorists and laying siege to places on their side and killing people
he said that to try to head off renewed fighting they have agreed with the russians to a new 24 hour monitoring system weve even proposed drawing a line an absolute line and saying you dont go over there we dont go over here and anything in between is fair game and they are considering that and i think we will get there in the next week or so
mr kerry said that president obama on monday spoke directly to president putin about the buildup near aleppo adding that he planned to speak with his russian counterpart sergey v lavrov later on friday
we are not giving any benefit of the doubt mr kerry said we have challenged them very directly by this to show in effect that they are serious about this and if theyre not serious about it then it becomes very very difficult to hold on to a cessation of hostilities
mr kerry declined to discuss what options the obama administration might pursue analysts suggested that the options were few and perilous and that the obama administration had shown no appetite for wading deeper into a messy war
the united states has so far resisted giving increased lethal military aid to nonextremist opposition fighters including shoulder fired anti aircraft weapons that would render russian aircraft vulnerable but could fall into the hands of terrorists
the administration could potentially unleash covert special forces to take on the islamists but that would go against the grain of a pillar of the obama administrations policy to avoid further military involvement in the middle east
analysts said they viewed the latest american moves to pressure russia to avoid hostilities as no more credible than past threats
for this administration its always been about isis said andrew j tabler a senior fellow at the washington institute for near east policy referring to the islamic state group if the russians are there and they are propping up the regime well ok
mr tabler said the russians had never had the same objective as the united states when it came to the partial truce instead russia agreed to a pause in hostilities in february and then began pulling out some forces while preserving a large enough offensive force to continue to wage war on behalf of mr assad
aleppo is now divided roughly split between the government held west and rebel held east if the government can retake all of aleppo and maintain the capital damascus it effectively wins the war mr tabler said adding that this would banish the islamists and more moderate opposition groups to the desolation of sparsely populated areas to the east
for the obama administration intent on dispatching isis such an outcome might be the least unpalatable yet the course of the russian offensive poses risks that could intensify other problems
the administration can let the russians try to blast their way out of it but the russians blasting their way out it exacerbates the migrant crisis mr tabler said the russian activities are expelling people out of the country russia plays the role of arsonist and firefighter
mr kerry all but acknowledged that americas options were limited should it find itself at cross purposes with russian forces in syria
the problem is when you go down that other road youre talking about a lot more fighting and a lot more casualties and youre talking about a lot more refugees and that brings with it a whole different set of problems mr kerry said so are we bending over backwards to try to make it work yeah we are going to try to make it work


the mysterious loss of roughly 125000 democratic voters from the election rolls in brooklyn for one of the most hard fought presidential primaries in years seemed to have occurred during what should have been a routine removal of residents who were ineligible to vote
something went wrong in that purge according to multiple election law experts and others familiar with the winnowing process amid investigations into the new york city board of elections and widespread complaints about voters being turned away from the polls on tuesday it now seems likely that many legitimate voters were mistakenly disenfranchised
this happens every presidential election   the boards all over the state start purging voters said city councilman ben kallos chairman of the committee that oversees the board mr kallos noted that brooklyn had historically eliminated more voters than other boroughs during periodic sweeps
but this would be the largest number of democrats who were taken off the rolls in recent memory he said
after flagging voters who do not cast ballots in two consecutive federal elections the board of elections mails notices to determine whether voters still live at the address where they are registered if no confirmation comes back a voter can be deleted from the rolls board positions are equally split between republicans and democrats each voter removal must be approved by both a republican and a democratic employee according to the rules
it remained unclear at what point employees at the brooklyn office stumbled or who was at fault one possibility was that the notices to voters were mailed incorrectly or not at all another was that once the notices were returned the computerized database that held voter lists was mishandled
on thursday the board of elections announced that it had suspended a longtime employee diane haslett rudiano the chief clerk at the brooklyn office and a republican appointee ms haslett rudianos democratic counterpart betty ann canizio who would by the rules be required to sign off on any voter removals remained in her post board officials have declined to say why ms haslett rudiano was disciplined saying at the same time that no voters were disenfranchised
there was criticism that the voter rolls had people who were dead and so on said frank seddio the chairman of the brooklyn democratic party who said he had discussed the apparent mistake with board of elections officials that began a citywide review of whos on the voter rolls and who should be removed and theres a possibility that people were taken off the rolls that shouldnt have been taken off the rolls
it is only the latest trouble of many for the board a frequent target of elected officials government watchdog groups and election law experts who say blunders are inevitable when an organization is run from top to bottom by political patronage appointees and party members as the board is a 2013 report from the new york city investigation department found that the board was plagued by nepotism badly trained poll workers and error prone voter removal procedures
mr seddio a longtime friend of ms canizio who pushed her appointment to the deputy clerkship said this particular voter purge occurred before ms canizio arrived in 2014 but that contradicted the time frame supplied by michael j ryan the boards executive director who said in an interview this week that approximately 125000 voters were removed from the rolls since fall 2015 some 63000 were added in the same period he said
reached by phone ms canizio said she could not comment on what happened but added i didnt sign off on anything
ms haslett rudiano who had her own political sponsor for several years   state senator martin j golden brooklyns most powerful republican official   did not respond to messages on thursday or friday


with the prospect of an impeachment trial nipping at her heels president dilma rousseff of brazil appealed for international support friday during a visit to new york broadcasting her claims that the campaign to oust her from office was little more than a coup detat
just days after legislators in the brazilian capital voted to proceed with impeachment proceedings ms rousseff on friday joined leaders and diplomats from 175 countries who gathered at the united nations for a ceremony to mark the passage of the landmark agreement on climate change
citing the political crisis at home ms rousseff had initially said she would skip the united nations conference but abruptly reversed course on tuesday after wading into a throng of cheering supporters outside the presidential palace in brasilia
proclaiming that her soul had been cleansed she said she was newly determined to lead latin americas largest country and remain a key player in international efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
to the relief of her opponents ms rousseffs general assembly speech made only an oblique reference to her battle with brazilian lawmakers who are seeking to remove her from office over charges that she illegally used money from state owned banks to hide a looming deficit and improve her re election prospects in 2014
i cannot conclude my remarks without mentioning the grave moment brazil is undergoing she said despite this i must say that brazil is a great nation with a society that was able to defeat authoritarianism and build a vibrant democracy our people are hard working and have great esteem for freedom i have no doubt they will be able to prevent any setback
but in the afternoon ms rousseff went on the offensive making her case to a group of reporters she had invited to the brazilian ambassadors residence
she denounced her opponents whom she described as coup mongers and conspirators and said they would be judged harshly by history
in the past coups were carried out with machine guns tanks and weapons she said today all you need are hands that are willing to tear up the constitution
mainstream brazilian news outlets criticized her decision to seek international support in her fight against impeachment describing it as a move that would besmirch the nations image
from her palace bunker the president seems to feed the bizarre belief that the international press is prone to support her folha de s paulo one of the nations leading newspapers wrote in an editorial this is a bad step and dilma rousseff will only shake a little bit more with her diplomatic negligence the image of brazil as a dynamic and stable democracy
her opponents in congress began a parallel public relations campaign dispatching two deputies to new york and vice president michel temer who would temporarily replace ms rousseff during an impeachment trial gave a series of rare interviews to the foreign media to express his concern over her decision to travel to new york
throughout the day the president was shadowed by the two deputies who sought to counter her arguments that the impeachment proceedings are a threat to brazils young democracy
if this is a coup how is it that she left the country and allowed her vice president to fulfill her duties jose carlos aleluia a federal deputy from the opposition democrats party said in an interview the military is in the barracks and when she returns to brazil she will once again be president
in another sign of her sinking fortunes members of the nations highest court which has already rejected appeals to have the impeachment petition quashed added their voices to those criticizing her visit to new york suggesting that future appeals to the court have little chance of succeeding
the responsible response would be to make a defense that respects brazilian institutions and transmit a positive message about brazil to the world   that it is solid democracy that works and that its institutions are responsible jose antonio dias toffoli a supreme court justice told brazilian reporters on wednesday
his words carry weight justice antonio dias toffoli is a former lawyer for the governing workers party who was appointed to the court by ms rousseffs predecessor and political patron luiz inacio lula da silva
speaking to reporters in new york ms rousseff said that her critics back home were overreacting and that she had never intended to make brazils political crisis the focus of her united nations speech
in brasilia the nations capital impeachment proceedings are moving forward rapidly the senate which will decide by a simple majority whether to accept the case is expected to begin proceedings next month
ms rousseff would be suspended for up to six months during the trial most experts say she will most likely be convicted by a required two thirds majority making her the second brazilian president to be ousted since democracy was re established in 1985 after two decades of military rule a former marxist guerrilla who was imprisoned and tortured during the military dictatorship ms rousseff has vowed not to give up and a group of her supporters say they will take to the streets next week and shut down key roads across the country
i will fight with all my strength she said as the cheers of demonstrators outside on the street drifted into the room i am willing to fight to ensure that brazil does not become a country where democratic rule is broken
yet with brazil suffering its worst economic crisis in decades and the public furious over a corruption scandal involving the national oil company many brazilians are eager to see her go
melyvn levitsky a former united states ambassador to brazil said he thought ms rousseffs international public relations campaign would do little to help
congress is operating under its own laws so i would not consider this to be a political coup he said this is a crisis made in brazil by brazilians at this point i dont think international solidarity is going to help her at all


los angeles   when the veteran art dealer perry rubenstein moved his art gallery here from new york four years ago he boldly declared that los angeles had become the countrys most exciting art scene and he wanted to be part of it
instead mr rubensteins life quickly collapsed he was hit with a string of lawsuits for breach of contract he and his wife divorced in early 2014 and his gallery filed for bankruptcy protection soon after with prominent los angeles artists like shepard fairey and zoe crosher among his creditors
then late thursday night mr rubenstein 62 was arrested on charges that he had embezzled money from art collectors whose works he was supposed to be selling he pleaded not guilty at his arraignment a preliminary hearing was scheduled for may 11
the charges stem from the sale of three pieces
in 2012 mr rubenstein sold a scroll by the artist takashi murakami on behalf of michael salke a new york art collector but according to the criminal complaint mr rubenstein failed to turn over the entire profit from the sale to mr salke
mr rubenstein also contracted to sell several works by richard prince which were owned by michael ovitz a former hollywood mogul who was a founder of the talent group creative artists agency before going on to serve as president of the walt disney company
mr rubenstein sold two of mr princes paintings for more than 1 million mr ovitz said he never received any proceeds and sued in 2013 accusing the dealer of acting in bad faith the rubenstein gallery filed for bankruptcy protection a few months later
prosecutors with the los angeles county district attorneys office said that mr rubenstein kept the profits from the sales for himself
eric m george a lawyer for mr ovitz said mr rubenstein abused the trust of multiple clients defrauding them under the guise of selling their artworks
mr ovitz settled his lawsuit this year with mr rubenstein agreeing to return one of the paintings even though mr rubenstein said he had not been in possession of it since the sale a lawsuit brought by mr salke has also been settled
alexander rufus isaacs a lawyer for mr rubenstein said his client had done nothing criminal and questioned why charges were being brought now after the civil cases had been wrapped up
were astonished and dont understand why an indictment was filed mr rufus isaacs said adding that mr ovitz was not paid because assets were tied up in the bankruptcy perry has been completely wiped out as a result of the gallery failure he added that it was important to distinguish between mr rubenstein and the gallery which owes money to many people
mr rufus isaacs said the financial troubles stemmed from mr rubensteins move to the west coast which involved the sale of his gallery in manhattan the 2012 opening of his new 9500 square foot hollywood gallery was attended by entertainment luminaries but he was never able to get out from under the cost of opening that new space which was an expensive proposition mr rufus isaacs said
the bankruptcy proceedings revealed sizable debts to an array of artists mr rubenstein owed more than 150000 to mr faireys operation obey giant ms crosher was owed more than 100000 georg herold a sculptor was owed more than 360000


so you have a quarterback who played in the spread and never took a snap at the line of scrimmage and receivers who do not understand route trees
not to mention linebackers who rarely played in tight quarters and blockers who have not gotten into a three point stance since high school or junior high
now turn them loose in the nfl good luck
the way the spread offense has taken over college football has made the nfl draft even more of a crapshoot in the past pro scouts had seen college prospects perform in something similar to the nfl now other than rarities such as stanfords offense or alabamas defense few programs are using formations or styles similar to what the players will face in the nfl
at the core you want an athletic guy a smart guy a tough guy and a guy that can pick up what youre teaching him which is where the value of a personal workout is said jason licht the tampa bay buccaneers general manager he added some guys just cant pick it up some guys can some guys are playing without a playbook in college some guys dont know protections it makes it a little more challenging but it makes it a little more fun too
fun for whom surely not quarterbacks who have worked mostly from the pistol or the shotgun such as memphiss paxton lynch expected to be one of the top passers picked or for offensive linemen who have not done much traditional run blocking and have to learn it against nfl defenders much stronger than the ones they faced in college
rick spielman the vikings general manager noted how difficult it could be to teach them how to get into a three point stance how to run block because of the restrictions on practice time under the labor agreement
mike solari the giants offensive line coach said there was a tremendous learning curve as far as technique and fundamentals for young offensive linemen entering the league
there is always a sense of urgency to get them up to speed he said
one way of doing so even before they get to the combine or the draft   which starts thursday   is at all star games the senior bowl in mobile ala features two nfl coaching staffs working with invited players and using pro style schemes players get a weeks worth of practices in front of dozens of scouts
for some collegians it is the first opportunity to perform in a system akin to the nfl it can get them on the draft radar or improve their stock
being at the senior bowl can show not only if players have the ability to translate from a to b but also gives them a head start once they get to a minicamp said phil savage a former nfl general manager who is now executive director of the senior bowl
i always feel the 110 guys who come to mobile not only get the transition opportunity on the field but get some of those personal interviews under their belt he said and they at least have an idea what it is going to be like working with a pro coaching staff
as more college coaches have gone with the spread certain positions have morphed tight ends are either blockers or quasi wideouts rarely handling both duties as they may have to in the nfl fullbacks are almost nonexistent
arkansas tight end hunter henry is seen as a high pick because he blocked and ran routes in a pro system michigan state tackle jack conklin also showed that he could block for the run and the pass moving him ahead of some spread players
nick caserio the patriots player personnel director said that some teams throw the ball 75 times a game and theyve never run blocked in their entire life
but defensive backs have prospered from the proliferation of wide open offenses
the ball is in the air more they are learning to tackle out more in the open grass savage said it is a tough job for those college dbs playing against three and four receivers every snap colleges run two receivers deep on one side they exit the field and two fresh receivers are basically doing the same thing on the next play the db is the same guy hes learning from that
as for programs that use pro style schemes savage said he believed that was an edge   not for the 32 nfl teams as much as for the programs
i would say over all you cant grade schools you have to grade individual prospects savage said but when you go to iowa or alabama or stanford when scouts are watching the tapes they are at least seeing what the players will be asked to do at the nfl level
he added i have always theorized the prospects that come out of some of these nfl like programs are probably getting half a round of elevation of grade in the draft because when that scout walks out of that school he can better project what this player can do than for some other players who dont have that background


yola nigeria   when the boy next door joined boko haram mummy ibrahim knew she had to run
for the past few months her next door neighbor had been telling everyone in their village just outside of maiduguri that he was going to force mummy a soft spoken girl with large eyes to be his bride
and she said he had finally figured out the way to do it by pledging allegiance to boko haram and then taking by force the girl he had watched grow up into a gorgeous 15 year old
mummy fled in the middle of the night she and her family crept out of their house and ran it took two days to get to the village of wuba where friends hid them for two weeks and then another week to make it to this town where the united nations has set up a refugee camp populated primarily by the women and children boko haram has driven from their homes
on friday as samantha power the united states ambassador to the united nations toured the camp she was confronted by hundreds of those women and girls standing over coal pots sitting on mats playing with babies ms power who has been touring the region most affected by boko haram this week promised them that president obama had not forgotten them that the united states would not rest until all the thousands of women believed to have been kidnapped by boko haram have been freed
at the american university of nigeria in yola ms power donned basketball shorts and sneakers for a basketball game billed as peace through sports she met with eight of the chibok girls   part of the 276 schoolgirls whose mass kidnapping by boko haram two years ago brought worldwide attention to the terrorist group these chibok girls escaped shortly after their kidnapping more than 200 chibok girls have not been found
but what was stark about ms powers visit to yola was the sheer number of displaced women and girls there   by far the majority of the 15 million in and around yola in the camp most of them were kept at a distance from ms powers security surrounded entourage as proud officials showed off the clinic classroom and the outdoor kitchens with coal pots hanging over fire pits each one of them had a story that spoke to the devastation boko haram has wrought particularly on women and girls
there was another mummy mummy jabula 16 standing at the outdoor kitchen and looking curiously at the delegation of americans boko haram militants killed her parents four months ago in their village not far from maiduguri she said mummy jabula the oldest of her parents six children had grabbed her little sister and her four younger brothers and fled
i am the mother now she said asked about her parents she started to cry and said something in hausa a woman standing nearby translated it pains her heart she said she cant talk anymore
nearby fatimah hassan was sitting on a mat on the ground for four months last year her village was occupied by boko haram but i was not raped said ms hassan 51 i am an old woman they wanted the girls
a few miles down the road christiana joel 14 said she was at church for a childrens day in april 2015 when boko haram fighters attacked her village of lassa in borno state her father hustled her and her eight brothers and sisters back to their house told them to leave only when it started looking really bad grabbed his gun and took off to fight the boko haram militants when the children eventually bolted from their house christianas oldest brother levi disappeared in the melee she has not seen him since and seemed overcome when she spoke of him she said he was her favorite brother
maria saidi 26 kept prisoner by boko haram for more than a year outside maiduguri said she was whipped   20 lashes   the first time she tried to escape then four months ago after more than a year with boko haram she said she was forcibly married to a fighter coincidentally one with her same last name of saidi early the next day while her new husband was doing his morning prayers she bolted four months later she still feels the bruises from the whipping
but escape doesnt necessarily bring solace
hussaina jidda 26 ran away from her village of madagali in february when boko haram came she eventually made it with her baby to yola her four nieces were not so lucky they were all kidnapped three of them remain missing
one of them got away after two months with boko haram during which she said she was forcibly married raped and impregnated the woman bilkisu jidda 20 returned to madagali after running away into the bush at night her mother the wife of mrs jiddas brother accepted her back again
most of the rest of the village did not
they keep pointing at her saying she is the wife of boko haram when she comes out of the house mrs jidda said
eight months after her escape bilkisu jidda had her baby a boy she named him hamidu she is taking care of her son as best as she can but most of the time she keeps him in her mothers house away from the village her aunt said when mother and baby go out everyone calls him boko haram son mrs jidda said
she used to be a happy girl but now all her friends are kidnapped   she doesnt laugh anymore
mummy ibrahim still manages to laugh waiting for ms power to walk by as she sat on her mat mummy ibrahim who had fled her village before her next door neighbor turned boko fighter could get his hands on her was crocheting a hat out of a purple ball of yarn and discussing her plans for her future
when she first heard him announce that he intended to forcibly marry her i was so scared mummy ibrahim said but now shes making plans in preparation for the visit of the american delegation she had dressed up lilac eye shadow kohl rimmed eyes rose lipstick and three exquisite scarves around her head each one echoing colors in her conservatively cut gown
i will be a tailor she said around her smoke curled from a not quite damped fire temperatures climbed to 101 degrees members of the american delegation were mopping sweat from around their eyes as they trooped to the next stop on their tour
mummy ibrahim looked at their departing backs smiling then she corrected herself a businesswoman i mean i will be a businesswoman


the tennis integrity unit the anticorruption body that has come under increased scrutiny this year for perceived ineffectiveness and obfuscation shed a sliver of light on its work friday by publishing statistics about suspicious betting patterns over the first three months of the year
the unit reported that it had received alerts from betting companies concerning 48 matches which represents 02 percent of the 24110 matches played in the first quarter of the year
of the 48 matches one was at the australian open one was at a wta tour event 12 were at atp challenger events 24 were at the lowest level itf mens events known as futures and 10 were at itf womens events no alerts were generated on the atp world tour or team competitions including the hopman cup the davis cup or fed cup
the report did not name specific matches or the players involved
the integrity unit also said that the 48 matches were a significant increase from the 31 matches flagged for the same period last year a total of 246 match alerts were received in 2015
the unit which has been criticized for lacking transparency said fridays report reflected a commitment to providing quarterly updates on anticorruption efforts but not all were satisfied
stefano berlincioni a betting expert who has tracked suspicious odds patterns on the lowest level of professional tennis said the numbers published by the integrity unit reflect only a fraction of the suspicious patterns he has detected at itf events
according to tiu we could have had only one fixed match every three days at itf level when in fact it happens basically every day and often more than once per day berlincioni said
the integrity unit noted in its briefing that no industry standard of indicators for match alerts had been established
the burden of proof needed for the unit to discipline players involved in suspicious matches has rarely been met although fridays report included summaries on three previously announced cases against players
the integrity unit reiterated friday that an alert is not evidence of match fixing
there are many reasons other than corrupt activity that can explain unusual patterns such as incorrect odds setting player fitness fatigue and form playing conditions personal circumstances the tiu said
the effectiveness of anticorruption efforts in tennis faced renewed scrutiny before januarys australian open when a joint report by the bbc and buzzfeed had accused the integrity unit of failing to properly investigate suspicious matches during the tournament the new york times reported that a mixed doubles match had drawn suspicion for heavy lopsided betting
near the end of the tournament the integrity unit and other stakeholders announced the creation of an independent panel to review the anticorruption program tennis officials were subsequently brought before a british parliamentary committee to answer questions on their efforts
on friday the integrity unit announced that the new panel led by the london based lawyer adam lewis had begun preliminary meetings beth wilkinson a washington based litigator who has represented major league baseball and the nfl and marc henzelin a top swiss lawyer were added to it


washington   in their years together as top national security officials michael v hayden and michael chertoff were fierce advocates of using the governments spying powers to pry into sensitive intelligence data
mr hayden directed a secret domestic eavesdropping program at the national security agency that captured billions of phone records after the attacks of sept 11 2001 mr chertoff pushed for additional wiretapping and surveillance powers from congress both as a top prosecutor and as homeland security secretary
but today their jobs have changed and so apparently have their views on privacy both former officials now work with technology companies like apple at a corporate consulting firm that mr chertoff founded and both are now backing apple   and not the fbi with which they once worked   in its fight to keep its iphones encrypted and private
they are among more than a half dozen prominent former national security officials who to varying degrees have supported apple and the idea of impenetrable end to end encryption during a furious national debate over the balance between privacy and security in the digital age
in white papers op ed articles conferences newspaper and television interviews and elsewhere the former officials have made their support for apple clear while their former jobs in the government are always featured prominently in their public appearances their current business affiliations often go unmentioned
the barrage of support has given apple a public relations boost in a fight it once seemed destined to lose but it has surprised and angered some law enforcement officials
these officials question whether the business relationships that some of the former officials now have with apple and other silicon valley companies   jobs that usually pay far above their former government salaries   are behind their enthusiastic advocacy of privacy and encryption
among those who have voiced support for apples position are mike mcconnell a former director of national intelligence david h petraeus a former director of the central intelligence agency r james woolsey another former cia director and richard a clarke a former top white house counterterrorism official like mr chertoff and mr hayden they all now work with firms that have ties to the technology sector records show
it is unclear how much money apple and other technology firms involved in the fbi litigation have paid to the firms where the former officials now work most of the firms declined to discuss their private business dealings calling them irrelevant
mr mcconnell who served as national intelligence director under president obama and george w bush argues that keeping the united states computer systems safe from rival nations and rogue hackers should outweigh the fbis interests in unlocking smartphones in criminal cases
i believe ubiquitous encryption is something that the nation is going to have to embrace mr mcconnell who is now a senior executive adviser at the consulting giant booz allen hamilton said in a telephone interview apple has been leading the fight to go down that path google is right behind and microsoft will be there before too long
booz allens executive vice president thad w allen a former coast guard commandant has also voiced support for apples position on encryption because he said american technology firms need to stay competitive in the international market
booz allen has made a recent push to form strategic alliances with apple and other technology companies executives said
mr mcconnell and other former national security officials said that their work in the private sector had no impact on their public support for apple not everyone agrees
theyve followed the money and adopted pro privacy positions that they wouldnt have dreamed of taking while in government said tim shorrock a writer and foreign policy commentator who wrote a book on the business side of intelligence
some current law enforcement officials say they have been angered by the former officials sharp and sometimes personal criticism of the fbi mr hayden for instance said in an interview i think jim comeys wrong referring to the bureaus director
the justice department and the fbi declined to comment but stewart baker a former homeland security official who is one of the few former officials publicly backing the fbi in the encryption debate said it was frustrating to see old colleagues now echoing what he sees as erroneous assertions from apple about the threat to its customers privacy
still he conceded that the efforts had been effective what started as a dispute over a locked iphone used by a terrorist in san bernardino calif has instead become a broader one over privacy and computer security mr baker said and theyre getting a lot of people to side with apple
so strong is their support that apple has included comments from several of the former officials in its legal pleadings one filing included a comment from mr chertoff at a conference last month that if apple were forced to create a back door to get around its encryption it would be like creating a bacteriological weapon
another vote of support that apple has included in its legal filings came from mr hayden who is one of the top executives at mr chertoffs consulting firm the chertoff group america is more secure   america is more safe   with unbreakable end to end encryption mr hayden who led both the national security agency and the cia told a television interviewer a week after the apple fight broke out
mr chertoffs firm also produced a 28 page report this year on the value of encryption and its dealings with technology companies on security issues are extensive apple was also a corporate sponsor of a cybersecurity conference it hosted in october
mr hayden has acknowledged that he might have come down differently in the apple dispute when he was the head of the nsa if faced with an unbreakable device he might have gone straight to the budget office and said im going to need another 500 million because im going to kick my way in he told the american enterprise institute a conservative think tank
still mr hayden said in a telephone interview that his strong stance on encryption dated back years and was not influenced by his post government work at the chertoff group
it doesnt have any relevance to what i think about this he said i answered this on its merits
mr chertoff was traveling and unavailable for comment the chertoff group said the firm declined to discuss its financial dealings with apple
but mr chertoff acknowledged in a panel discussion last month that during his time inside the government there were situations in which i knew i had to move heaven and earth to find out where a threat was coming from his current focus on encryption he said is complementary to that previous stance on security and not contradictory
the encryption debate erupted in february after the fbi said it needed apples technical help to get into the iphone used by syed rizwan farook one of the san bernardino attackers
initially the fbi appeared poised to win the battle for public opinion the attack which killed 14 people was the worst terrorist strike on american soil since the sept 11 attacks mr farook was dead the phones owner   the county of san bernardino where he worked   had consented to the search and the justice department had a court order to do it
but apple has since gained public sympathy with polls giving it a small but growing edge over the fbi in support and the battle has essentially ended in a draw now that the fbi has managed to get into the phone by paying an outside group to help hack it
with the fbi still pushing to open other locked phones apples backers are preparing for a long fight
mr hayden the former nsa director warned listeners last month at the american enterprise institute that the flare up in the san bernardino case was not a one and done
encryption is at the root of internet communications mr hayden said and there is nothing we can do to stop that his advice to his onetime government colleagues on the other side of the fight was simple get over it he said


minneapolis   the 1988 dassault falcon 900 was about an hour into its flight from atlanta in the wee hours of friday april 15 when the pilot made a distress call to air traffic controllers in chicago
there was a medical emergency on board a male passenger was unresponsive
and so the chicago airport officials diverted the flight for an emergency landing in moline ill just 48 minutes from its intended destination of minneapolis
as it turned out the flight was carrying the musical genius prince who a week later would be found dead collapsed in an elevator on the first floor of his suburban minneapolis compound
we had an emergency unscheduled landing at 135 am on april 15 for a medical emergency for an unresponsive person said jo johnson the human resource manager for quad cities international airport in moline
it remains unclear what caused prince 57 to become unresponsive on the flight last week his publicist has attributed the crisis to the fact that the entertainer was fighting the flu
but officials investigating princes sudden death said friday that the planes emergency landing and what caused it would be part of their sweeping inquiry
prince spent only a few hours at a moline hospital before his private jet flew home here and the entertainer resumed life at his compound in nearby carver county just days before his death he attended a show at a local jazz club and playfully showed off his new piano and guitar at a party at his studio
as law enforcement officials await the complete results of an autopsy performed friday they said they would be reviewing local pharmaceutical records as part of a broad effort to understand princes full medical history they declined to comment on reports that prince had been taking pain medication saying the investigation was continuing
this is a tragedy for all of us said jim olson the sheriff of carver county where princes estate paisley park was located in the town of chanhassen to you prince rogers nelson was a celebrity to us he was a community member and a good neighbor
prince was last seen alive at about 8 pm on wednesday evening when someone dropped him off at his estate where he lived alone sheriff olson said during the afternoon news conference
unable to make contact with prince on thursday morning paisley park staff members went looking for him in the sprawling compound they found him unresponsive in an elevator and called 911 at 943 am sheriff olson said
the person is dead here a male caller told the dispatcher according to a transcript of the 911 call later the caller added and the people are just distraught
medics responding to the home could not resuscitate prince who was pronounced dead at 1007 am thursday sheriff olson said he was not sure he said how long prince dressed in a shirt and pants had been collapsed in the elevator
there were no obvious signs of injuries and sheriff olson said the death was not believed to be a murder or a suicide officials said the body had been released to princes family but that it may be weeks before any details from the autopsy are released before that further tests need to be completed and the medical history must be compiled
there remain many questions around princes health sheila e a friend who collaborated with prince said during an interview with abcs good morning america that the star did have hip problems from his performances onstage he has said in interviews that he struggled with epilepsy as a child
the mystery of the end of princes life has left his vast legion of supporters measuring their shock
as they wait for answers fans around the world grieved and celebrated his life with the frenetic energy with which prince lived it   with dance parties and widespread tributes from social media posts to impromptu broadway performances
here in his hometown the famed first avenue dance club held a free overnight dance party from thursday into friday with more scheduled through the weekend makeshift memorials popped up outside of the club and in front of paisley park
billboards encouraged residents to wear purple a major bridge was lit in the color and a purple orchid with a note that read rest in peace prince lay on the four seat table of the intimate dakota jazz club where prince sat when he attended a show there on tuesday
its a very somber moment here but his legacy will live on kinneva brown said as she visited paisley park on friday
those who knew him and saw him in his final days said the master showman betrayed no sign that he was near death
with his afro picked out prince hopped on stage before about 300 revelers last saturday   the night after his emergency landing in moline   at one of the pop up parties he was famous for throwing at paisley park he banged out a quick performance of chopsticks on his new purple piano scott lawrence who was in attendance with his son said
he then broke out a new purple and gold gus guitar placing it on the piano and then moving away
its too cool to open up prince joked according to mr lawrence
but the cross genre star also offered a few accidentally prescient words mr lawrence recalled
wait a few days before you waste your prayers he told the crowd referring to reports of his medical emergency from the previous day
close followers of prince find it hard to believe that anything sinister could have played into his death he was a jehovahs witness and obsessively healthy eater you couldnt drink smoke or even curse at his paisley parties
better eat your cheeseburger before you get to paisley van jones a political commentator and activist who was a friend of princes said he used to think before visiting prince
last saturday prince stopped by electric fetus a minneapolis record store and bought about half a dozen cds said bob fuchs the retail manager prince had been coming to the store for 30 years mr fuchs said and nothing on this visit seemed out of the ordinary
thanks for your support mr fuchs recalled telling prince referring to something the musician had been helping the store with he smiled and said hello and youre welcome
he looked very alert and well dressed mr fuchs added he seemed the same old i did not think anything about the way he looked nothing suggested to me anything different


florham park nj   jets general manager mike maccagnan tackled 29 questions friday at what had been billed as a predraft news conference all but 11 had something to do with the st louis rams seventh round draft pick from harvard in 2005
that player of course is quarterback ryan fitzpatrick who joined the jets last march in a trade with houston and surprisingly led them to a 10 6 record fitzpatrick 33 is a free agent and maccagnan was asked if fitzpatricks contract status would affect the jets draft plans next week
we like ryan very much maccagnan said we feel like we have a very good situation for ryan here hes a very good fit for us too so hopefully at some time we can work out some kind of an agreement on a contract
when asked when that might be though maccagnan said it may take some time
maccagnan said he felt no pressure to get a deal done even though he acknowledged that he had made an inquiry with the tennessee titans about acquiring the no 1 overall pick in the draft the titans have since traded the pick to the los angeles rams
maccagnan is also at a contract impasse with the pro bowl defensive end muhammad wilkerson who has not signed a 157 million franchise tender wilkerson who is seeking a long term deal may be maccagnans finest trade bait
maccagnan said he was not interested in following the lead of the carolina panthers who dropped the franchise tag from cornerback josh norman after becoming a free agent norman signed with the redskins on friday according to the associated press maccagnan said keeping the franchise tag on wilkerson leaves you with multiple options
were not actively shopping mo maccagnan said but he also said he would not rule out drafting a quarterback in the first round   or any other round for that matter
the nfl draft which begins thursday in chicago is likely to open with two quarterbacks being taken jared goff of california to the rams then carson wentz of north dakota state to the philadelphia eagles who acquired the no 2 pick from the cleveland browns this week
it is possible that quarterback paxton lynch of memphis could be available when the jets pick 20th in the first round   or that they might trade up to get him
its such an impactful position maccagnan said green bay when they drafted aaron rodgers had brett favre it was not as if they were sitting there thinking we really need one  
he said it was important to have quarterbacks in the pipeline and the jets already have two bryce petty of baylor who is entering his second season and geno smith the second round draft pick in 2013 who played one game last season
it would not be the worst thing in the world maccagnan said if fitzpatrick went unsigned even through three sets of organized team activities scheduled for late may and early june fitzpatrick only lightly took part in the otas last year when he was recovering from a broken leg
if we have the other quarterbacks who need more reps and more time it benefits them too with their development and that would be geno and bryce maccagnan said but no i dont feel any pressure to have one by a specified time
although he was joining his sixth nfl team and his fourth in four seasons fitzpatrick became an integral part of the jets success despite not having reached the playoffs he passed for 3905 yards and a franchise record 31 touchdowns both career highs
fitzpatrick was among several jets who attended tuesdays playoff game between the rangers and the pittsburgh penguins at madison square garden fitzpatrick wore the blue no 28 sweater of forward dominic moore who is also from harvard but did not taunt the penguins coaching staff as center nick mangold did
brian hoyer a 30 year old free agent quarterback visited the jets this week but left without a contract maccagnan said he was simply doing due diligence by looking at hoyer other teams have not shown much interest in fitzpatrick either
our focus is on ryan maccagnan said but hes a free agent and you never know what will happen in free agency our focus has always been ryan
fifteen months into the job maccagnan was asked how it felt to be dealing with the pressure of two critical contract negotiations while preparing for the draft he said wow then added that he had not really thought about that
its like playing chess he said later as long as you have moves left you feel comfortable to a degree it doesnt alleviate anything in terms of feeling stress but its just the way it works


mexico city   a former chief of the honduran national police says the government has mounted a crude setup by fabricating and leaking documents to implicate high ranking officers in the assassination of two top antidrug officials adding a new twist to a scandal that is peeling back the collusion between drug traffickers and the police
the former chief ramon sabillon pineda a police general has taken to television airwaves and appeared voluntarily before the prosecutor investigating the documents to assert that the plot   and the extent of corruption in the nations institutions   is even larger than the papers suggest
evidence has been planted which is common in institutions that are permeated by organized crime said mr sabillon who led the police for 11 months before being dismissed in november 2014
the controversy stems from the assassination of the nations antidrug czar as he drove to work in 2009 only months after the honduran president was ousted in a coup two years later the antidrug czars senior adviser was killed in the same way a grisly example of the tight grip traffickers hold over the country
though they happened years ago the assassinations rattled the country again this month after the documents surfaced they were first obtained by a honduran newspaper and then by the new york times
about two dozen police officers are named in the documents from the highest ranking officials to lower level officers who mounted the traffic stops that allowed motorcyclists to pull up alongside the antidrug officials cars and shoot
mr sabillon does not argue that the police are innocent it did happen but in another way and the implicated officers are not exactly the same ones who appear in the reports he said in a telephone interview there are civilians police and military implicated in this but fewer than the numbers that appear in the report they are alive they would kill even me if i would advance higher
but mr sabillon said that the documents failed to expose the broader involvement of political figures beyond the police force
by focusing only on the traffickers infiltration of the police mr sabillon argued the documents divert attention from the drug gangs collusion with the nations political elite
in honduras drug trafficking is politics mr sabillon said
i arrested eight drug traffickers and extradited them to the united states he said and then businessmen politicians and even the son of a president have fallen
mr sabillon said he had testified at the attorney generals office about the links between organized crime and politicians with all the formalities i handed over important documents to the prosecutor that involve political personalities in organized crime he said
the leaked documents do not suggest that mr sabillon had any role in the assassinations but they do indicate that he was aware of the documents and asked for them to be kept under guard
he argued that his signature was faked and that he did not have the authority at the time to make such a request he said the documents had been written later by someone in the police force
his reason for speaking out now he said is that he wants to end the work i began referring to the extradition of drug traffickers he said the fabrication and leak of the report were part of an effort to neutralize the honduran national police which is not in favor of the government
he accused the government of handing control of the security forces including the police to the military in an effort to shore up control as president juan orlando hernandez seeks re election
in response to the documents mr hernandez appointed a commission last week that he put in charge of purging the police late thursday the commission recommended that mr sabillon along with a police chief named as a chief conspirator in the documents ricardo ramirez del cid be suspended during the investigation ebal diaz an adviser to the president told honduran reporters that mr sabillon had been suspended for criticizing the government on television
mr hernandez said during his announcement that the prosecutor has no other option but to call all the ministers police directors and officers to testify and he asked for a new anticorruption mission backed by the organization of american states for its support in the case
the debate over whether the police should fall under civilian or military control emerged from the creation of a military police force by mr hernandez after he took office early this year fulfilling his main campaign promise the police are uncomfortable with my proposal mr hernandez said during a recent television interview
i only have two options the president said in the interview either we shut down the police or you show me that you have the willingness to make the changes i am demanding he said he had told the police leadership they say they can do the cleanup we will give them the benefit of the doubt
the rest of the police generals named in the reports including mr ramirez have also argued that the reports were fabricated for political ends
a series of arrests in recent years suggest just how high drug trafficking has reached inside the government
last year the son of mr hernandezs predecessor as president porfirio lobo was arrested with a drug shipment in haiti in a joint operation by the drug enforcement administration and the haitian police
a few months later jaime rosenthal a former vice president and his nephew yankel rosenthal who served as investment promotion minister in the current government were named in a united states indictment accusing them of laundering drug money through their banco continental for the rivera madariaga crime family
wilfredo mendez director of the honduras center for research and promotion of human rights said the release of the police papers indicated a power struggle
this is a fight among the corrupt and the criminals who eliminate each other in conflicts of control over territory for their activities he said it isnt the first time that these things are said in the country its cyclical


isaiah thomas scored a career high 42 points and the host boston celtics held on to beat the atlanta hawks 111 103 on friday night in game 3 of the eastern conference first round series
evan turner inserted into the starting lineup had 17 points and 7 assists amir johnson added 15 points and 7 rebounds as the celtics closed to two games to one in the best of seven series
playing by far their best first half of the series the celtics led by as many as 20 points before that margin was mostly erased by a 12 0 run by the hawks in the third quarter the celtics then survived a frenetic fourth quarter that included three ties and a pair of lead changes
jeff teague had 23 points for atlanta kent bazemore and dennis schroder each finished with 20
in an effort to find some early energy following lethargic opening quarters in games 1 and 2 celtics coach brad stevens started turner in place of marcus smart and jonas jerebko in place of jared sullinger
the increased boston quickness showed itself early with the first points of the game coming from jerebkos tip dunk off thomass missed layup boston went on to build a double digit first half lead the hawks whittled away at it but shot just 12 percent from the 3 point line in the half
along with the quickened offensive pace tempers were tweaked at times
thomas and schroder were issued double technical fouls following a brief face to face moment thomas had to be restrained by sullinger sullinger was called for a flagrant foul on schroder later in the period that was almost immediately followed by a flagrant foul on the other end by paul millsap on sullinger then early in the fourth quarter schroder was called for a flagrant foul on thomas
spurs 96 grizzlies 87 kawhi leonard scored 32 points and san antonio won at memphis to take a three games to none lead in their western conference first round series
the spurs are a win away from their ninth postseason series sweep and their third against memphis they finished the game on a 13 6 run in the final 3 minutes 41 seconds and leonard the two time defensive player of the year scored 13 points in the quarter as he shot 11 of 22 for the game and 6 of 9 from 3 point range
lamarcus aldridge added 16 points and 10 rebounds danny green and manu ginobili each added 11 points for san antonio
zach randolph led memphis with 20 points and 11 rebounds on 6 of 21 shooting matt barnes added 17 points and 11 rebounds while vince carter had 11 and jamychal green was 5 of 5 for 10 points
cleveland 101 detroit 91 lebron james had 20 points and 13 rebounds and kyrie irving made two 3 pointers down the stretch to help the cleveland cavaliers move a game away from a first round sweep of the host detroit pistons
irving scored 26 for cleveland andre drummond scored 17 points for the pistons who fell behind toward the end of the third quarter and whose late rally came up short the cavs lead the best of seven series by three games to none with game 4 coming up sunday night
down by 9 in the fourth quarter detroit went on an 8 0 run forcing the cavaliers to call a timeout irving responded with a 3 pointer and j r smith added another to make it 95 90 irving made it an 8 point game with a 3 pointer in the final minute
a raucous towel waving crowd tried to inspire detroit
the pistons have now lost 11 straight playoff games against cleveland and they have lost nine in a row over all in the postseason
missed call helped rockets the nba said that houstons james harden should have been given an offensive foul for pushing golden states andre iguodala before hardens winning shot thursday night in game 3 of the teams first round playoff series the basket with 27 seconds left gave houston a 97 96 win and cut the rockets deficit to two games to one in the best of seven series
the finding was announced in the nbas report on the final two minutes the report also found four other incorrect calls in that period game 4 is sunday and stephen curry of golden state said he would be very surprised if his sprained right ankle kept him out of it curry was injured in the series opener and missed the last two games he was on the bench for game 2 but watched game 3 from the locker room because he had not taken a suit to houston although he was still listed as questionable for the next game curry expressed confidence that he would play saying i will not be going to any suit store
mccollum honored portland guard c j mccollum won the nbas most improved player award in his first season as a starter for the trail blazers after improving his scoring average by more than 14 points over last season mccollum a third year player from lehigh averaged 208 points per game charlottes kemba walker was second in the voting by a panel of 130 writers and broadcasters giannis antetokounmpo of milwaukee was third and stephen curry last seasons mvp finished fourth
durant lauds brooks kevin durant said he was happy that scott brooks hired this week as coach of the washington wizards was back in the nba a year after brooks was let go by oklahoma city durant who played for brooks for seven seasons said brooks was a great coach someone that i really got to know and appreciate
asked about the theory that the wizards had hired brooks to lure him closer to his hometown in free agency this summer durant said i aint really into theories im focused on the mavericks oklahoma city plays dallas in game 4 of their first round series saturday night


it was an odd pilgrimage on friday afternoon
several brown robed franciscan friars showed up on a small bridge in brooklyn that crosses the gowanus canal just as the late afternoon rush was kicking into gear on the nearby gowanus expressway
they were followed by a group of blue robed nuns and then by students and faculty members of st francis college in brooklyn heights as well as longtime local residents
they gathered on friday   earth day   at what is widely considered the countrys dirtiest waterway and perhaps the most toxic spot in new york city for what they called the annual blessing of the gowanus
peering down from the carroll street bridge at the putrid waters of the gowanus they offered words of devotion for a miracle
maybe jesus is the only one who can clean up this canal said margaret vollaro who has lived in the neighborhood all of her 78 years nobody else is doing it none of the politicians are doing it
the friars from a nearby roman catholic church our lady of peace asked for gods help in cleaning up the canal and took a dig or two at the government officials in charge of the cleanup
the rev patrick boyle the pastor of our lady of peace asked the crowd to join him in prayer to invoke gods blessings upon the waters of the gowanus canal
father boyle said that blessing the canal sounded like as good an idea as any to solve a centurys worth of toxic sludge
people around here have been talking about the pollution in this canal as long as i can remember so we said can it hurt to pray who knows what can happen he said
he said a prayer to restore the waters to refresh the air
the nuns who are also based at our lady of peace led the group in song neighbors watched the blessing with a mixture of hope and skepticism noting the slow pace of the cleanup being undertaken by new york city agencies and overseen by the federal environmental protection agency
they say theyre cleaning it up now but not in our lifetime   im never going to see it rose castellvetre 80 said
in 2010 the government designated the 18 mile canal which juts into northwest brooklyn from new york harbor a federal superfund site paving the way for a 500 million cleanup project that would include dredging the contaminated sludge that has accumulated at the bottom of the canal from years of industrial and sewer discharges
the cleanup has been recently complicated by controversy over where to build the larger of two sewage retention tanks to reduce the amount of raw sewage flow from local neighborhoods into the canal
for the larger tank an eight million gallon sewage retention chamber the epa had favored a location under thomas greene playground a block from the canal calling it the least expensive and quickest option since the city already owns the property
but city officials preferred a nearby property which might involve a lengthy eminent domain acquisition of property the agency announced this month that the city could proceed with the purchase
katia kelly a longtime carroll gardens resident and a member of the gowanus superfund community advisory group said her group was at a loss for words upon hearing the decision because the acquisition could probably delay the cleanup further
but officials from the citys department of environmental protection said in a statement on friday that the decision was good news for the residents of gowanus as it allows for the preservation of one of the few playgrounds and pools in the neighborhood while ensuring the ambitious cleanup of the canal that the community has worked so hard to achieve
from the bridge bottles of holy water were poured down into the decidedly unholy waters of the gowanus some of the drops splattered onto its filmy surface and clumps of trash floating in the canal
despite the unpleasant backdrop parts of the neighborhood are rapidly gentrifying and the din of construction from nearby luxury buildings being erected could be heard as the blessings were offered
the rev brian jordan the chaplain of st francis college said that if people with money wanted to move to brooklyn then god bless them
and he added if they really want to live by the gowanus canal really god bless them


detroit   fiat chrysler said on friday that it was recalling 11 million vehicles that can roll away unexpectedly and cause injuries when the transmission is not used properly adding to a spate of recent safety actions by carmakers
safety recalls in the united states have continued to mount this year as automakers react to tougher enforcement efforts by regulators
this years total is unlikely to match the record of more than 60 million vehicles set in 2014 after general motors recalled millions of small cars with faulty ignitions that were ultimately linked to 124 deaths but over all the pace of recalls so far in 2016 exceeds the number in a typical year before the gm crisis
gm and other automakers including fiat chrysler have been subject to heavy fines by regulators for failing to promptly fix defective vehicles in addition automakers are being scrutinized by other government agencies including the justice department for their conduct related to recalls and safety defects
in recent weeks gm announced a major recall to fix seatbelts in its trucks and other companies have announced safety actions to repair faulty airbags
the recall blitz has even included the electric carmaker tesla motors which said last week that it would recall its new model x sport utility vehicle to prevent third row seats from folding forward in a collision
on friday fiat chrysler said it would recall 811586 cars and suvs in the united states after reports of 41 injuries linked to transmission problems the automaker also will recall more than 300000 vehicles for similar problems in various international markets including canada and mexico
the vehicles affected include 2014 15 jeep grand cherokee suv and 2012 14 dodge charger and chrysler 300 sedans
an investigation by the carmaker and the national highway traffic safety administration found that drivers were leaving their vehicles without shifting the transmission into the park position when the engine was running according to fiat chrysler the drivers were unaware of how to properly use electronically controlled shift levers
unlike conventional transmissions the levers do not change position when shifted instead the levers return to the same position after shifting and gear selection is indicated by lights
unless due care is taken drivers may draw erroneous conclusions about the status of their vehicles fiat chrysler said
according to documents from the auto safety regulator more than 300 incidents were reported in which vehicles rolled away after improper shifting resulting in more than 100 accidents among the injuries were a fractured pelvis broken ribs cuts sprains and severe bruising
regulators also found that shifters in the affected vehicles were unreasonably difficult to operate
the shifter is not intuitive and provides poor tactile and visual feedback to the driver increasing the potential for unintended gear selection regulators said
fiat chrysler said it would enhance the warning systems and otherwise modify the transmission systems in the recalled models the company said it had already updated the shifters in newer versions of the vehicles


phoenix   brian mueller zips across grand canyons campus in a golf cart waving to students who greet the universitys president by his first name
at nearly every turn he drives past a structure under construction a 170000 square foot engineering building a state of the art soccer stadium residence halls an office complex for 1500 employees
this was muellers vision when he arrived at the private university in the heart of phoenix eight years ago he has helped make it a reality by using the universitys for profit funding model to push the mens basketball program toward division i status with help from the iconic local basketball figures jerry colangelo and dan majerle
we had to come up with a plan to allow the university to first survive and then to thrive mueller said there were a number steps taken in that direction that were fortunately very successful
when mueller was hired in 2008 grand canyon was a private christian college with 900 students a mountain of debt and a mens basketball team that operated deep under the shadows of the states three division i programs
grand canyon turned for profit in 2004 but it was not until mueller arrived four years later that it became a publicly traded company which helped it raise 254 million to finance the current campus expansion over all the college has invested 800 million into its infrastructure and technology since 2008
after years of being a small private college that was hugely in debt it needed something that was going to be completely different mueller said we came with the intent to go get capital from public markets and use it to fund the university thats a very different way of doing it but its been very successful
since 2008 grand canyons campus has doubled to 200 acres enrollment has increased to nearly 16000 and new buildings have gone up all over including a basketball arena in 2011 grand canyon also recently collaborated with the city of phoenix on a 10 million renovation of the nearby maryvale golf course to give the golf team its own course and practice facility
but as the college pushed to go division i the for profit model became a target
many colleges criticized grand canyons funding model saying the emphasis would be on making money and appeasing shareholders instead of educating students
led by arizona states michael crow the pacific 12s university presidents sent a letter to the division i board of directors in 2013 questioning allowing for profit programs in division i several colleges canceled events or refused to schedule games with grand canyon
but the uproar has mostly died down
grand canyon has big name opponents like duke louisville illinois and san diego state on the mens basketball schedule next season the antelopes also will play arizona one of the colleges initially against their move to division i
grand canyon has also started the process of moving back to nonprofit status now that it is back on solid financial footing
i think people are getting very comfortable with who we are and the funding model has become immaterial to them mueller said
the money helped push one of muellers big initiatives make grand canyon a recognizable entity
because grand canyon does not have football mens basketball is its marquee program yet with arizona state in the area and both arizona and northern arizona in state the division ii antelopes were never able to gain traction
the only way to really elevate the program   and the rest of grand canyon athletics with it   would be a transition to division i
to get that ball rolling mueller had an ace up his sleeve colangelo the former phoenix suns owner and chairman of usa basketball he initially served on grand canyons board of directors then agreed to help establish its sports business program
colangelo helped build the business program   it is now called the colangelo college of business   and guide the antelopes transition to division i which becomes official in 2017 18
my attitude has always been when people tell me you cant get that done i kind of fight that and know in my heart of hearts that if you believe in your capacity to get things done you go ahead and do it colangelo said i was really pleased because i knew it would have great impact on the future of the university
one of colangelos biggest contributions was helping to lure majerle
colangelo had a belief in majerle when he drafted the go hard all the time forward in 1988 and he knew majerle would be a perfect fit for grand canyon
one of the most popular figures in phoenix sports history majerle became available in 2013 when he resigned as an assistant coach after the suns fired alvin gentry and failed to promote majerle
majerle jumped at the chance to coach at grand canyon and the antelopes have gotten steadily better in his three seasons finishing 27 7 over all and 11 3 to tie for second in the western athletic conference the excitement level has risen turning the 7000 seat arena into one of college basketballs rowdiest environments
hes done an incredible job in a short time colangelo said
grand canyons other sports programs are not bad either
the college hired the former big leaguer andy stankiewicz away from the seattle mariners   he was their minor league coordinator   and the antelopes won the wac baseball title in 2015 grand canyon also hired schellas hyndman a former coach for southern methodist and fc dallas of the major soccer league to lead the mens soccer program and a new stadium is going up on campus
the womens track team won its fourth straight wac indoor title and the men gave the antelopes an indoor sweep earlier this year the softball team won a wac title in its first division i season a year ago while the mens swim and beach volleyball teams have been ranked in the top 25 this season
our goal is to be in the top 25 in every program we have mueller said were moving in that direction


washington   after more than a century long wait women and african americans are finally going to be represented on the countrys paper currency but with the new bills years away how many people will even be carrying cash by the time they go into circulation
that question looms over the treasury secretary jacob j lews announcement this week of a sweeping makeover of paper money to add images honoring harriet tubman suffrage leaders and other historical figures new 10 20 and 5 notes will be issued in that order starting in the 2020s
although the long discussed cashless society is unlikely to have arrived by then the trend is clear americans are relying less on paper money and more on plastic for all manner of transactions
for many younger americans that lifestyle is virtually here with debit and credit cards covering their smallest purchases the intended answer to the tagline of a long running television commercial   whats in your wallet   was not dollars but a capital one credit card and bankratecom a personal finance website found in 2014 in its most recent survey that nearly one in 10 americans carried no money in their wallets
among them is matt bretzius 31 the president of fischtank marketing and pr in new york using cards he said makes it easier to manage his spending and record keeping and his employees most in their 20s use digital payment services like venmo or paypal even to reimburse each other for a coffee
i very rarely see cash exchanged he said even for just three bucks when he was forced this month to use cash for several days after his credit card number was stolen it was sort of a weird dirty feeling he said
mr bretzius acknowledged that the historical significance of putting harriet tubman on the bill obviously is fantastic but he continued in 20 or 30 years when the bills are circulating are we going to see a lot of people that have a bunch of 20 bills in their pockets or purses i dont think so personally i think were going to keep trending toward this digital way of spending especially as the older generations still carrying cash are dying out
to argue that there will still be a receptive public for the new notes treasury officials on friday pointed to federal reserve data that show a steady increase in the amount of currency in circulation the 20 bills will feature tubman the former slave abolitionist and suffragist instead of the slave owning president andrew jackson 10 bills will feature five suffragists on the back and 5 bills will honor on the back eleanor roosevelt the rev dr martin luther king jr and the african american classical singer marian anderson
from 1995 to 2015 the number of paper notes in circulation more than doubled to more than 38 billion from just over 17 billion much of that is used in transactions outside this country since the dollar is the international exchange currency
we may be a cashless society one day but not as soon as some imagine mark patterson a former treasury chief of staff wrote in an email
he added a lot of people dislike paying with a device even if its more convenient see the lines at non ezpass toll lanes many americans remain unbanked making electronic payments impossible and as long as there are babysitters bellhops doormen street vendors and christmas stockings there will be cash
but what do i know added mr patterson 54 i still use cash at starbucks
greg mcbride the chief financial analyst at bankrate echoed that skepticism about the speed of a transition to a cashless economy
greenbacks arent going to disappear simply because there are a lot of places on this planet that from the moment you step outside the airport people love us dollars mr mcbride said
he offered other reasons for the staying power of american cash the biggest the underground economy still runs on cash for legal and illegal purposes
also as the government continues to cut back on the number of larger bills smaller bills like the 20 note will increase cash will remain in demand for tips and should interest rates ever be negative as they have been in europe and japan more people would stash cash in safe deposit boxes
never say never mr mcbride said about a cashless future but in the next five 10 years nah i dont think so
still he added well continue to migrate that way and he said by 2030   when the mr lew hopes that all of the new bills will have gotten into americans wallets   a cashless society will be certainly getting closer


an uber driver accused of killing six people during mass shootings in kalamazoo is competent to understand the murder charges and assist his lawyer a judge said friday a major step to putting the criminal case back on track a mental exam of the driver jason dalton at a state hospital was not intended to determine whether he was insane at the time of the feb 20 shootings but rather whether he understands the charges and can assist his defense during a brief hearing judge tiffany ankley said mr dalton is competent mr dalton 45 is charged with murder and attempted murder the police said he shot people outside an apartment building a restaurant and a car dealership in between driving for uber two victims including a teenager survived ap
the florida supreme court suspended the states 24 hour waiting period for abortions on friday until justices can decide whether to hear a lawsuit claiming the law is unconstitutional the 5 2 decision comes two months after an appeals court allowed the law to go into effect fridays decision was immediately praised by the american civil liberties union of florida which is suing on behalf of a gainesville clinic to block the law women should not suffer this burden while there is an ongoing challenge to this unconstitutional law said nancy abudu legal director of the aclu of florida forcing women seeking an abortion to make multiple visits that are medically unnecessary especially burdens poor and working women and is potentially dangerous gov rick scott signed the waiting period into law last year at the time joining at least 26 other states with similar laws a spokeswoman for the governors office said friday that the administration would review the court decision ap
widespread flooding that has claimed eight lives and displaced thousands of people in the houston area has caused more than 14 million in damage and inundated more than 1700 homes   figures that the authorities said friday would rise significantly as floodwaters recede and inspectors get a closer look at ravaged neighborhoods houston and nearby counties have been hit with more than a foot of rain since sunday night straining reservoirs and pushing rivers over their banks southwest of houston the colorado river swelled to more than 48 feet well past the flood stage of 39 feet before slowly starting to recede ap


tributes to prince the singer and songwriter who died at 57 on thursday took on many forms
many featured buildings and bridges lit up in the color purple   a nod to his hit song and movie purple rain
here is a look at ways the performer was remembered
a portrait of prince was installed at the smithsonians national portrait gallerys in memoriam space
the national aeronautics and space administration paid its respects on twitter
the new yorker magazine offered a glimpse of the cover of its next edition
buildings across the country were bathed in purple light
bridges were similarly lit up
the search engine google posted a google doodle to depict purple rain
the los angeles county museum of art turned its rain room purple on friday
signs for the prince street subway station in new york city took on an impromptu look
the apollo theater in harlem honored prince
on broadway the cast of the color purple led the audience in a singalong of purple rain on thursday night
also on thursday night the cast of hamilton led the audience in a cheering dancing rendition of princes lets go crazy


hollywood fla   the head of the republican national committee implored leaders of his sharply divided party on friday to rally behind their eventual presidential nominee suggesting that they ignore donald j trumps assault on the nominating process
reince priebus the committees chairman did not mention mr trump by name when addressing the groups members at the partys spring meeting here but he devoted much of his speech to the tensions created by the republican front runner
now i know our candidates are going to say some things to attract attention mr priebus said in a barely veiled reference to mr trumps attacks on what he has called a rigged and corrupt nominating process
thats part of politics mr priebus said but we all need to get behind the nominee
mr trump is not the nominee yet but his considerable advantage in delegates and lead in overall votes has prompted some mainstream republicans to come to terms with the likelihood that he is the favorite however unthinkable it may once have been to become their standard bearer this fall
yet the lingering split between those republicans willing to accept mr trump however reluctantly and those ferociously opposed to his nomination was on vivid display at the beachside resort where the party gathered
while mr priebus was speaking to state chairmen and chairwomen and committee members in a second floor ballroom officials from the best funded anti trump group were briefing reporters a floor below about its efforts to deny mr trump delegates in the remaining contests and keep him from clinching a majority before the partys convention in cleveland in july
more to the point katie packer the chairwoman of the group our principles pac rejected mr priebuss implicit suggestion that mr trump was worthy of carrying the partys banner
were selling our soul as a party for what asked ms packer arguing that nominating mr trump could imperil republican control of congress to lose our majorities for a generation
ms packer added i think its very clear he doesnt live up to our standards as a party
to drive that point home she came to the meeting with reporters brandishing the groups latest mailing a pamphlet featuring an image of a buxom blonde a pug and a pig that read bimbo dog fat pig this is how donald trump publicly refers to women
whether the shock value of such language still has any resonance this deep into the nominating fight is an open question however mr trumps commanding victory in new york this week and his expected successes in a series of mid atlantic and northeastern states this tuesday has put a damper on the effort to stop him
it has also stoked concern among some that if mr trump falls just short of a delegate majority but comes close the small universe of unbound delegates wanting to end the partys long and ugly nomination fight will come his way to hand him the nomination on the first ballot
some of these political free agents were at the party meeting and our principles pac distributed a three and a half page memo to them and the rest of the committee members who are all delegates making the case against mr trump and arguing that it was not too late to stop him
we believe theyll follow their heart before they follow the herd and the pressure ms packer said adding that mr priebus should not make the decision well he got close so were going to go ahead and give him the touchdown 
but the party chairman while pleading with republicans to rally around whoever becomes our nominee made clear in his remarks that the rnc would be steadfast in not getting behind a candidate until they receive the needed 1237 delegates
we arent going to hand the nomination to anyone with a plurality no matter how close they are to 1237 mr priebus said you need a majority almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades
trying to put the best face on a campaign that some republicans say has been disastrous for the party mr priebus invoked abraham lincoln to note that lincolns intraparty opponents in the election of 1860 joined his administration they didnt just take their marbles and go home he said
but while some of mr trumps rivals for the nomination may endorse him with varying degrees of enthusiasm should he become the nominee many in the party most likely will not
many of the partys strategists and staff members as well as some its elected officials have said publicly that they will not support mr trump if he wins the nomination and it was difficult to stroll through the lobby here without encountering republicans who said privately that they were unlikely to vote for the candidate most likely to be their nominee
some but not all of these feelings could subside should republicans be faced with a choice between mr trump and hillary clinton the democratic front runner
but for now many of the committee members to whom mr priebus was preaching unity remain uneasy with a candidate who is waging war against the party and its nominating process
the proof will be in the pudding in the next couple of weeks said matt moore the south carolina republican chairman after meeting with mr trumps top campaign officials who offered assurances that the candidate is not running against the rnc
thus far trump is attacking the party and reince often mr moore said and id like to see that significantly decrease


paterson nj   the young national park in this once booming industrial city is unusual for its twin features   one natural the other historical
a mighty waterfall one of the largest by volume east of the mississippi river tumbles nearly 80 feet over basalt cliffs where the passaic river flows through a narrow chasm it is the river that spawned the countrys first planned industrial city founded by alexander hamilton in 1792 to end the reliance on britain for manufactured goods
the two attributes of paterson great falls national historical park   natural wonder and machine age crucible   are at the center of differing visions for the 52 acre site the national park service is now weighing alternative plans for paterson great falls which was established as a national park in 2011 after decades of lobbying by local politicians and advocates
one option would pour more resources into the natural landscape creating opportunities for recreation along the river and educational programs about the waterfall the habitat and the citys past
the other would give visitors a more in depth immersion in the citys industrial history
its really a matter of emphasis said darren boch the superintendent of the park as he strode along the rim of the falls where two billion gallons of water cascade each day
part of our job is to maintain and preserve the beautiful view of the waterfall he said but its also to let people understand the significance of the area around the falls why is patersons story integral to the history of the united states there are resources in need of investment and we need to prioritize those resources
over the next two years the park service has committed to restoring some of the parkland along the river near the bottom of the falls   much of it now scraggly forlorn and closed to the public
a two and a half acre stretch of shoreline to be called the great lawn will be constructed with 43 million in local and federal funds while another 15 million will go toward an adjacent space called overlook park where a stage and amphitheater will be built
representative bill pascrell jr of new jersey a former mayor of paterson worked for years to turn a patchwork of public lands in and around the falls into a national park he called the plans for the shoreline restoration a milestone for this city of 146000 adding that the outdoor space for performances and events would give visitors another reason to come to the park
this is patersons shot he said we have to make this city a destination just as it once was
but how future expenditures will shape the park over the next 20 years is the larger question with which park officials are now grappling earlier this year the federal agency released a draft general management plan and environmental assessment after a series of meetings the public was invited to weigh in
park officials say that the two options under consideration are not mutually exclusive while their capital investments differ there would be recreational amenities under both as well as historical signage and programs mr pascrell said he believed the end result would likely represent a hybrid of the two plans
for the national park the connection to hamilton the first secretary of the treasury is serendipitous hamilton is enjoying a resurgence of interest   largely thanks to the flattering depiction of the founding father in the stunningly popular broadway show hamilton
on july 10 1778 a young hamilton picnicked on cold ham tongue and biscuits here with general george washington and the french general the marquis de lafayette it was then that hamilton became acquainted with the setting of his future industrial city one that would be powered by water and churn out everything from textiles and paper to locomotives and guns
located 15 miles west of new york city paterson became hamiltons incubator for an economy rooted in industry rather than agriculture at the heart of his plan was a canal system which was created not for transporting goods but for powering the water wheels that turned the cam shafts that drove the industrial equipment inside scores of mills
while the mills produced sailcloth jute flax and hemp silk was dominant from the 1880s to the 1920s paterson became known as silk city with mills attracting workers from across europe the quality of the luxury fabric was such that president theodore roosevelts wife edith donned a robins egg blue gown made of paterson silk for his second inauguration
thousands of locomotives also were made here including the general the engine celebrated for its role in the civil wars great locomotive chase the chase was a military raid in 1862 in which union army volunteers hijacked a passenger locomotive in georgia in an effort to damage a rail line used by confederates colt too made its first repeating firearms or revolvers in a four story brownstone at the base of the falls
paterson had an outsize influence on american manufacturing for a very long period of time mr boch said most new yorkers in the 1800s would have known where paterson was and why it was important
under the proposal focusing on the citys industrial role a mile long raceway which channeled the powerful waters near the top of the falls to the mills would once again flow with water some of the derelict burned out mills would be preserved
under this scenario the national park would be turned into a destination for experiencing the continuum of industrial uses the draft plan says a newly landscaped raceway walk would lead visitors along the canal system it says the colt gun mill would be rehabilitated and some other mills and ruins would be stabilized with interpretive programs offered
both proposals would be expensive to execute however the draft management plan estimated the capital costs at 32 million for the natural landscape and recreation alternative and 46 million for the one focused on industrial history
the plan also seeks to dampen expectations about a quick or comprehensive turnaround saying that the approval of either does not guarantee that funding and staffing would be forthcoming
nonetheless the people who had long pined for a national park in paterson a multiethnic city where a quarter of the residents live in poverty say they are encouraged that the planning has come this far
leonard a zax a paterson native who is president of the nonprofit group hamilton partnership for paterson helped draft the legislation that authorized the parks creation its much too slow for me but this is a project for the long haul he said of the progress and whats striking is that its starting to take on the look and feel of a real national park


seattle   microsoft and google agreed on friday to withdraw complaints against each other with regulators around the world as the two american tech giants continued recent efforts to settle the once bitter conflicts between them
the two companies also said they would try to resolve future squabbles before complaining to regulators as they have in the past
microsoft has agreed to withdraw its regulatory complaints against google reflecting our changing legal priorities said jennifer crider a microsoft spokeswoman we will continue to focus on competing vigorously for business and for customers
in recent years microsoft battled on many fronts to draw greater scrutiny of googles dominance in internet search including complaining to european regulators that google used its position to stymie search competition
the armistice between the companies was no surprise after other moves by both in the last year in september the companies dropped about 20 patent lawsuits that they had filed against each other in the united states and germany microsoft later withdrew its financial support for two groups that have lobbied against google
our companies compete vigorously but we want to do so on the merits of our products not in legal proceedings said rob shilkin a google spokesman
the move away from legal and regulatory confrontations followed changes in the senior leadership of both companies since taking over as chief executive of microsoft in early 2014 satya nadella has shown a willingness to collaborate more closely with companies that were once bitter rivals
sundar pichai the chief executive of google was named to that position last august after a major reorganization that formed a new holding company alphabet to oversee google and other divisions
despite the detente between the tech giants google still faces powerful adversaries particularly in europe where local publishers and telecom operators among others remain wary of its powerful role in how people in the 28 member bloc gain access to digital services
some of those companies have filed complaints that have led to two formal documents of accusations against google from europes competition authorities
the latest charges published on wednesday claim that google used its sway over its android mobile operating system to favor its digital services like online search over those of rivals the previous charges relate to its dominant online search business google denies any wrongdoing
several american tech companies including oracle yelp and expedia also claim that google has broken antitrust rules in europe the united states and elsewhere
at microsoft the previous target of multiple european regulatory investigations the focus has shifted in the last 18 months from attacking google to lobbying over privacy regulation   important rules that underpin its fast growing cloud computing business
microsoft has been a vocal supporter of europes tough privacy rules   often positioning itself in contrast to google and facebook   repeatedly highlighting how it has complied with the regions strict stance on data protection to a greater degree than its rivals


mexico city   an international panel of experts brought to mexico to investigate the haunting disappearance of 43 students that ignited a global outcry say they cannot solve the case because of a sustained campaign of harassment stonewalling and intimidation against them
the investigators say they have endured carefully orchestrated attacks in the mexican news media a refusal by the government to turn over documents or grant interviews with essential figures and even a retaliatory criminal investigation into one of the officials who appointed them
for some the inevitable conclusion is that the government simply does not want the experts to solve the case
the conditions to conduct our work dont exist said claudia paz y paz a panel member who earned international recognition for prosecuting a former guatemalan dictator on charges of genocide and in mexico the proof is that the government opposed the extension of our mandate isnt it
the pressure on the investigators   described by four of the five panel members in interviews with the new york times   undermines promises by the mexican government to cooperate fully and uncover what happened to the students one of the worst human rights abuses in the countrys recent memory
hundreds of thousands flooded the streets to protest the disappearances sending president enrique pena nietos approval ratings plummeting and contradicting his effort to depict mexico as a progressive nation ready to assume its place on the world stage instead the case exposed the impunity tearing at the seams of the rule of law
the international investigators say that their job is far from complete but they will leave mexico in the coming days nonetheless   pushed out they say by a government many suspect of covering up what actually happened on the night in september 2014 when the 43 college students were abducted by the police and never seen or heard from again
by contrast the mexican government says that it has fully cooperated with the experts completing the vast majority of their information requests while it is still processing the rest
for the families of the missing young men training to be teachers in the impoverished stretches of rural mexico the experts departure is devastating all along they have refused to believe the governments version of events   that their children who were in the city of iguala as part of a protest were kidnapped by local police officers working for powerful criminal gangs then killed and incinerated in the garbage dump of a nearby town in its version of the story the government never gave a clear motive for the attack
but for many mexicans the case represents something far greater than 43 people it is a window onto the tens of thousands of others who have also disappeared during the nations decade long drug war and the anguish visited on their families caught between cartel violence and a government either unwilling or unable to help they are victims twice
the arrival of the international experts inspired hope and a shot at closure if only vicariously for those who suffer their losses quietly on the margins of mexican society in an exceptional gesture mexico was granting foreigners permission to conduct a true investigation now their departure is a bitter one
this is something that will probably haunt us for a long time said francisco cox a chilean human rights lawyer and another member of the group of experts but it didnt make sense to stay here because in a certain way its giving legitimacy to something deep inside you know isnt right
though the groups final report will be issued on sunday morning the case is far from solved the remains of only one of the 43 has been found and identified the rest are all still missing
another question is how high the collusion between the drug gangs and the government goes although the governments own investigation focused on the complicity of the local authorities the expert panel uncovered evidence that state and federal officials and even military personnel were present on the night of the students disappearance
it was clear in the governments investigation and the official account that there was an intention to keep this case at a municipal level in terms of responsibility said carlos beristain another expert in the investigation but we revealed the presence of state and federal agents at the crime scenes and furthermore that their participation implied responsibility
the government insists that the parting of ways with the international experts is amicable and has thanked them in public for their work the experts were not forced out according to the government they ran out of time
the government says it has played no part in a smear campaign there is a free press in mexico and the government cannot prevent certain outlets from writing what they want it says
in written responses to questions eber betanzos the deputy attorney general for human rights said that his office has worked closely with the experts the mexican state recognizes their work their efforts and the attention to the victims he said
but when asked to issue a joint statement denouncing the media campaign against the experts the government more than once declined to do so
when the experts arrived in mexico in march of last year they received a warm welcome from the government at first the experts said there was a willingness to share documents and respond to requests for information and a collegiality that seemed to match the governments public posture
that abruptly changed in september when the experts published a report that contradicted the governments version of events referred to by the former attorney general as the historic truth the governments investigation said that the students were killed and then burned in a garbage dump in the town of cocula neither this panel of experts nor another international team of forensics experts also working on the investigation have found any physical evidence at the dump site corroborating a fire of such dimensions
after our report it was pretty clear the relationship had changed mr cox said they still thought that we would sustain their version of what had happened
routine requests from the government took months the experts said suggestions for ways to streamline the investigation were ignored a media smear campaign began assaulting individuals in the group including accusations that they misspent money and had made statements supportive of terrorist acts in the past
for the investigators the message was clear there are sectors within the government that dont want certain things to be questioned and therefore there is an attempt to reinforce the historical truth without taking into account the new elements we have uncovered mr beristain said these sectors within the government looked at us as a threat and this hardened their view towards us which actually reinforces the impunity that stops things from changing in this country
the media attacks largely focused on ms paz and another female lawyer angela buitrago who earned broad recognition for prosecuting government and military malfeasance in colombia in addition to little known outlets some national newspapers like el financiero and milenio took part as well
in one instance in january ms buitrago was waiting in line at the mexico city airport when she noticed a story on the front page of a local newspaper   about her it began with a characterization of ms buitrago as someone known to fabricate testimony and pressure alleged witnesses in order to imprison military figures and politicians it also quoted a person she had prosecuted as saying that any investigation in her hands would lack all credibility
it was unimaginable she said the purpose of all this was just to delegitimize the investigation and to discredit and distract us
ms paz too said she became a target pro government organizations claimed that she had protected violent leftists and violated guatemalas peace accords by trying former military officers
though the government has repeatedly denied playing a role in the media campaign it wields an inordinate amount of control over the news media here the state spends hundreds of millions of dollars every year in advertising making it a highly influential voice in the market
we couldnt go out on the streets every day and read all the newspaper headlines insulting us ms paz said
perhaps the most direct example of government pressure came in the form of a criminal inquiry opened into emilio alvarez icaza the executive secretary of the inter american commission on human rights the international body that appointed the experts
the inquiry was opened after a pro government activist filed a complaint against mr icaza claiming fraudulent use of the money for the experts funds that had been furnished on agreement by the mexican government
for weeks the government sustained its investigation claiming it had a responsibility to follow up on every complaint but human rights experts in the region said the action sent a message warning those agitating against the governments narrative eventually the government dropped the case but not before it sent a chill
it is interesting that they would choose to investigate this patently baseless claim when there are thousands of families who are desperately seeking their loved ones without any assistance from the attorney general said james l cavallaro the president of the inter american commission on human rights that is profoundly disturbing


washington   when jameel harrison a suspected drug dealer attempted to escape from fbi agents trying to arrest him near a baltimore shopping center two years ago agents opened fire two bullets hit his infiniti fx37s left front tire six bullets struck him in the head and neck killing him
after investigating the case a state prosecutor and the justice departments civil rights division declined to prosecute the agents that left the fbis shooting incident review group a panel of officials who decide whether shootings comply with bureau policy on the use of lethal force and that rarely punishes agents in 2013 the new york times reported that of more than 150 episodes in which an agent shot another person dating back at least two decades the group deemed every one justified
in the case of the baltimore shooting however the bureau took the unusual step of deeming part of that case a bad shoot in agents parlance but the group did not fault the two agents who killed mr harrison instead it chastised only the agent who shot the tire recommending that the agent be suspended for a day without pay according to documents obtained by the times in a freedom of information act lawsuit
the review groups reasoning was that the bureaus policy on using lethal force forbids firing a gun to disable a vehicle and it concluded that this had been the agents motive in shooting the tire but the same policy permits firing a gun to protect people from danger and the panel decided that the two agents who shot mr harrison were trying to keep him from driving into bystanders
the fbi review group made its decision about the baltimore case in november 2014 in february of that year the group also termed an episode in which an off duty agent in queens ny shot and wounded a car burglar outside his house a bad shoot as documents disclosed by the fbi in august 2015 previously revealed
those two bad shoot findings ended a years long pattern in which the fbi had deemed proper every intentional shooting by its agents according to thousands of pages of bureau records obtained in freedom of information act litigation
before the baltimore incident the last time the fbi tried to discipline an agent for intentionally firing a gun was 2003 after an off duty agent fired a warning shot during an altercation with day laborers outside a home depot in los angeles before the queens shooting it is not clear when if ever the fbi tried to discipline an agent for intentionally shooting someone there are no records of any such episode in the documents obtained through the litigation which date to 1993
the disclosure of the two recent bad shoot findings comes at a time of heightened national scrutiny of shootings by law enforcement officials mr harrison was black as is adrian ricketts the victim of the shooting in queens who later admitted to investigators that he had helped burglarize the agents lexus before the agent shot him from the second story window of his house mr ricketts and that agent navin kalicharan agreed not to testify against each other and neither was charged
the fbi declined to comment on the shooting reviews
a month after his death the baltimore sun reported that a police report identified mr harrison as a member of the black guerrilla family gang and that he had been arrested many times he was unarmed when he was shot but the fbi documents said mr harrison had more than 1800 and two bags of heroin in his possession at the time of the shooting his killing attracted relatively little attention in contrast with the widespread protests rioting and arson that followed the death last spring of freddie gray while he was in police custody in baltimore
the review groups decisions to fault both the queens agent and the baltimore agent who shot the tire were unanimous in the baltimore case one member also voted to deem the other two agents shooting of mr harrison as unjustified but was outvoted by the other 10 the report did not specify the dissenters objections
the names of the four agents involved   the fourth did not shoot   were redacted but a baltimore county police report about the episode obtained by the baltimore sun in 2014 listed their last names as james lipsner nye and reagan the police report did not identify each agents role in the incident
lawrence berger a lawyer representing the agent who shot the tire said his client is appealing the sanction the review documents included a statement from that agent saying that he or she shot the tire in an attempt to immobilize the vehicle and neutralize the threat it posed to nearby people
mr berger the general counsel of the federal law enforcement officers association also represents the agent in the queens case mr kalicharan the times reported in august that the fbi was trying to fire mr kalicharan but he was fighting dismissal
additional documents newly disclosed by the bureau provide an update to the queens case they include a december 2015 letter to mr kalicharan from candace will the agencys assistant director for professional responsibility saying she was dismissing you from the rolls of the fbi
mr berger said mr kalicharan is appealing ms wills decision and maintained that the punishments the fbi is trying to impose in the queens and baltimore incidents will ultimately be rescinded
in both situations both individuals reacted appropriately to the overt threat that was presented to them mr berger said
the newly disclosed documents also include shooting review reports about the fbis killing of a chechen man ibragim todashev in orlando fla during an interrogation in may 2013 about the boston marathon bombing suspects other documents describing the investigation into that matter including those from a florida prosecutor and the civil rights division were already public


bamako mali   officials in mali said on friday that they had arrested a member of a group linked to al qaeda that has claimed responsibility for attacks that killed dozens in mali burkina faso and ivory coast
the suspect fawaz ould ahmed was captured by members of the security and intelligence services in bamako the capital of mali on thursday as he was preparing to carry out an attack said a security ministry spokesman amadou sangho
we found him with grenades and a small suitcase containing weapons mr sangho said he said mr ould ahmed was behind attacks on three hotels and a restaurant in mali
mr sangho said mr ould ahmed was a member of al mourabitoun a militant group allied with al qaeda in the islamic maghreb
beginning with an attack on a restaurant in bamako la terrasse in march 2015 that killed five people the two groups have teamed up to strike civilians at locations frequented by westerners
in august 17 people were killed in an attack on the hotel byblos in the town of sevare and 20 people were killed in a raid on the luxury hotel radisson blu in the capital in november
attacks on a restaurant in burkina fasos capital ouagadougou and a beach resort town in ivory coast in january and march of this year left dozens more dead
there were no casualties in last months attack on the hotel nord sud in bamako which serves as the headquarters of the european unions military training mission in mali
al mourabitoun and al qaeda in the islamic maghreb claimed responsibility for all the attacks but mr sangho linked mr ould ahmed only to attacks inside mali
islamist violence is on the rise across west africa despite a 2013 french led military intervention that sought to drive militants out of northern mali which they had seized a year earlier
before mr ould ahmeds capture malian officials had claimed to have arrested a number of people suspected of being militants over the past month who they say organized or carried out the assaults
some experts question the importance of the recent arrests five scholars who focus on islamist militant groups in the region said in interviews that they had never heard of mr ould ahmed


president obama said friday that new laws in north carolina and mississippi curbing the rights of gay and transgender people were wrong and should be overturned weighing in on measures that have prompted a backlash including calls to boycott the states
mr obama was asked about the laws at a news conference in london with prime minister david cameron after the united kingdoms foreign office advised travelers to those states about limitations the laws might impose
they are beautiful states and you are welcome and you should come and enjoy yourselves mr obama said and i think youll be treated with extraordinary hospitality
the laws are partly politically motivated he said and partly in response to some strong emotions that are generated by people some of whom are good people
i just disagree when it comes to respecting the equal rights of all people regardless of sexual orientation whether theyre transgender or gay or lesbian he said
mr cameron said that the british view on any of these things is that we believe that we should be trying to use law to end discrimination rather than to embed it or enhance it
josh ellis a spokesman for gov pat mccrory of north carolina said the governor agreed that everyone should expect extraordinary hospitality during a visit however the governor respectfully disagrees with the political lefts national agenda to mandate changes to basic common sense restroom norms mr ellis said


at work propped against a wall near piles of stuff stands an elvis presley cutout its made of cardboard pretty beat up taller than i am and not the greatest photo he looks drunk so does his lame suit but i pass that cutout almost every day and every day i have the same thought elvis was hot he was a musician but he didnt have to be playing music for you to feel this way cardboard would do
thats charisma and the only star who had more than elvis was prince his hotness differed of course it came from somewhere else cardboard wont cut it for him if elvis was sex prince was a sexual orientation his own and it was oriented toward you and you and you
name a pop act from the 1980s and amazingly androgyny was somewhere in the mix thompson twins the human league pick a hair metal act for boy george and jermaine stewart it was the whole mix most of these guys were vague on gender and passive on desire hold me now dont you want me guys if you have to ask ...
officially prince wasnt gay but was he straight did he blow out his hair love heels and platforms and own every look from flouncy romantic consumptive to bathhouse matador to easter sunday deacon he did on controversy he rhetorically poses the question am i straight or gay and yet it never seemed to matter even after he changed his name to the symbol of the male gender sign overlaid atop its female counterpart he was always only ever prince
and how not vague was he how not passive he always knew what he wanted and most of the time that was you he could plead the way he does on if i was your girlfriend from sign o the times a magnum opus from 1987 where prince tries seduction by hypothetical role play but he keeps hitting a wall and gets testy its a gorgeous conflation of sexual intensity and sex comedy prince as feminist and pepe le pew
he wasnt a breakup artist purple rain is a rare its over song he was both a build you up artist and a breakdown master the building up includes luscious ballads like adore still would stand all time and pink cashmere and a lot of what broke him down was lust at some black churches the high point of the service involves somebody catching the holy spirit the high point of some prince songs involves him catching the horny spirit kiss is basically a danceable personal ad u dont have to be beautiful to turn me on and when he loses it at the end screaming aint no particular sign im more compatible with its like hes been out on his 14th different date with a woman who wants to talk astrology he just wants to go home with the right lady and where is she
carnality was to prince what photosynthesis is to plants and in this metaphor as befits a man famous for playing all his own instruments hes also the bee pollinating pleasure on his records he could be artistically and sexually promiscuous but he was curious and studious of whomever he was with too and sometimes it could all make him seem ridiculous without equal take the continental its a jam in the middle of 1992s love symbol album the least properly rated of his underrated records its the one with sexy mf and 7 one of his vaguest but very best songs on it he makes an entreaty tell me how you want to be done and it conjures images of a man standing at the sex grill in a bleep the cook apron
this is to say that prince in his music wasnt shy the first song on the love symbol album announces my name is prince and i am funky some of that was the music the thump of a kick drum the way his drum programming could sound as if it was knocking on crates doors clouds the wizardly keyboard work his alchemical synthesis of james browns precision parliament funkadelics shape shifts the fraying blues of jimi hendrix and betty daviss grit
some of this was the songwriting he was a terrific poet and terrific poetry can be thrilling to recite even if it gets you sent to the principals office or slapped in the face for sheena easton he wrote a song that no 9 year old could resist it was called sugar walls take it from me sugar walls will land you in detention prince knew on that one he used the pseudonym alexander nevermind presumably so that when the song enraged tipper gore the head of the parents music resource center   and it did   he could restring his guitars in peace
obviously prince saved his best stuff for himself none of his peers had better randy songs about attraction no one had a better falsetto ad lib for lust either owah youd have to go back to the blues or forward to hip hop for rivals consider raspberry beret the first single from 1985s around the world in a day after the hard edges of the songs on purple rain here was something totally new melting strings finger cymbals and a melody that sails upward like a let go balloon lyrically its the first cousin of little red corvette a filthy one night stand song that should also get you in trouble but whose metaphors   and singing   are too virtuosic for condemnation
the story prince tells in raspberry beret is practically a short one a girl walks into the store where the narrators half working and he rides off to some idyllic place thats ideal for doing it
this is a song i favor at karaoke i like the complete sentences and the confident language makes me feel sexy but the bridge is the reason i like to sing it i havent found a better one rain sounds so coolwhen it hits the barn roofand the horses wonder who u arethunder drowns out what the lightning seesu feel like a movie star
for lots of other artists that would be enough but theres more because he was clearly on a roll they say the first time aint the greatestbut i tell youif i had the chance to do it all againi wouldnt change a stroke cause baby im the mostwith a girl as fine as she was then by the end hes caught the horny ghost
the story is so gorgeously worded that i can see whats happening prince was never a big fan of music videos   the ones he does appear in arent great but with lyrics this good they didnt have to be too many of princes sex songs are too perfect to assert that any one is better than the rest but if you made me pick the best composed conceived and executed of that class of songs id choose raspberry beret
at least i would today unsurprisingly the thing about prince and sex is that you have to be in the mood hes great enough to seduce you but sometimes you want to sweat sometimes you dont and for sweat im partial to the frustration jams like tambourine a song from around the world in a day that should have been released as a single its dirty but its no sugar walls tambourine has a tight funk that rattles and thrums and the screaming is ecstatic even better was the slinkier funk of hot thing which appears on 1987s sign o the times
its hard to overstate the importance of screaming to princes hotness it means something he madonna and michael jackson are the biggest and most important pop stars of the 1980s and early 90s and of the three its prince who could really embed different expressions of lust in his songwriting madonna embodied it jackson made it sound like a gospel emergency and had more control over that roaring register but i dont know that prince wanted control losing it was built into the songs
he never lost it more than on darling nikki a song from purple rain whose notoriety precedes it all that really happens is that some woman named nikki   i guess you could say she was a sex fiend   sleeps with the narrator and is leaving when he wakes up i was 9 when the album came out and the pmrc campaign against the song must have reached my mother because i was told i couldnt have a copy so i didnt spend much time with that song until i was an adult
it wasnt until i took a long drive with a friend that i actually heard darling nikki we listened to purple rain four times thats enough to catch new things we heard the screaming it wasnt from an orgasm but from pain hes wailing then we noticed that pain was tied to the frenzied beating of a kick drum and wondered if the pmrc heard that too
prince eventually expunged the song from his live repertoire hed become more conservative and more religious but speaking practically who can keep up that level of frustration theres something about the way prince hits bottom that makes me think that he never wanted to go back there to having sex alone raspberry berets for everybody his interest in partnership and flattery and pleasure were hot   to his partner but especially to him in his music he offers to dance naked ballets and catch the other persons germs he would brag about himself he would also spread the boasting around his name was prince and he was funky but the hot thing thats u


as silicon valley begins its third season on hbo on sunday night the genius of its central metaphor for the american condition   intellectual cultural economic   becomes ever more apparent the algorithm that drives pied piper the macguffinish string of computer code around which the series revolves has existed since the first episode yet this season it is no closer to existing in the real world the shows young code writing heroes are still running like gerbils from one white knight or black hat to another generating lively misadventures but no revenue everything happens and nothing happens
actually one major thing changes in season 3 and its effect on the shows messy casual vibe is an open question hbo made only three of 10 episodes available for review a curiously small number these days like other great comedies of stasis   barney miller with its squad room taxi with its garage cheers with cheers   silicon valley has been rooted in a place a slightly squalid palo alto house being illegally used as a tech incubator through a series of events that wont be spoiled here the pied piper programmers find themselves moving into new offices that are a parody of google style adolescent luxury snack machines made to order breakfasts their nights are still spent at the house though and by the third episode events point toward a possible return of operations to their palo alto garage
the season picks up where the previous one ended repeating the moment when richard hendricks thomas middleditch the chief brain and chief executive of pied piper tells his crew i just got fired the subsequent maneuvering in which everyone but richard   and his acolyte jared zach woods   acknowledges that hes better suited for a different role is a showcase for mr middleditchs delineation of the ubergeek personality strangled awkwardness that barely holds in check overpowering arrogance and rage it also allows for the introduction of the fine comic actor stephen tobolowsky as jack barker the fake folksy new executive with whom richard has to do battle for the soul of pied piper in a repeated gag richard tentatively gives his interpretations of how things are going and mr tobolowsky as barker responds with variations on his trademarked high pitched oh god no
the show continues to score points off the real silicon valleys culture of unapologetic excess   forced to track down jack richard finds him monitoring two of his thoroughbred horses engaging in some extremely graphic breeding   and to generate laughs from the interplay of the misanthropic gilfoyle martin starr and the miserable dinesh kumail nanjiani the shows norm and cliff it also continues to demonstrate a knack for making business and technology strategies a comprehensible and effective component of its storytelling as richard encounters a sales force that wants to turn pied piper into a faceless commodity sold to soulless corporations less admirably it continues to indulge in lazy stereotyping and easy unfunny jokes when it comes to asian characters like jimmy o yangs heavily accented jian yang and occasionally even dinesh
silicon valley is among other things a morality play with richard and his crew endlessly battling the forces that would strip away the democratizing world changing features of pied piper which are mostly obscure and swaddled in tech speak and that sniff at the notion of five adult friends living working and smoking together in a suburban ranch house that insistence can get a little tedious and its worth noting that the smartest funniest moments of season 2 involved the craven gavin belson wonderfully played by matt ross chief executive of the evil google esque behemoth hooli as he fought to stave off ruin that subplot is fainter but still present as gavin uses a loophole to dismiss an entire division and announces it is i who must remain and bear the heavy burden of their failure in comedy as in life the villains are usually the most fun


earlier this month the science staff published a series of short articles called misconceptions the idea to debunk some common misconceptions about health and science that many people accept as truth in their everyday lives
most of the stories got a lot of reaction from readers but the one i wrote headlined exercise is not the path to strong bones caused a small uproar in our inboxes
i wanted to try to clear up some misconceptions about this misconception
as a distance runner who has run five marathons   and someone who tries to work out almost every day   i would never want to leave the impression that people shouldnt exercise but i also want to be honest about what can really be accomplished as my article said exercise certainly has some established benefits   but strengthening adult bones enough to prevent fractures is not one of them
i wish i had made it clearer that my focus was on weight bearing exercise for adults only the many readers who wrote in are correct that exercise can help build strong bones in children and adolescents whose bones are still growing and developing although there is some uncertainty over how much and what sort of exercise is best
my intent was to address the many many middle aged or older readers who have read or heard or been told that all you have to do is walk regularly or do other modest weight bearing exercise and your aging bones will be strengthened and your risk of fractures reduced
i should have been clearer about the difference between bone density and bone strength increasing bone density does not necessarily mean increasing bone strength bone density can be misleading   fluoride for example increases density but does not prevent fractures calcium supplements increase density by 1 to 2 percent but they do not prevent fractures
the reason for mentioning density at all is in the context of whether exercise has any noticeable effect on bone architecture it turns out that if there is an effect it is extremely small and seeing it seems to require special scanners that look at microscopic bone architecture
the other point of the article is there are few large rigorous studies on this topic many exercise studies had very few subjects who were studied for short periods of time and that showed at best an effect on bone density that was extremely small and that did not determine whether the exercises effects on bone if any reduced fractures but an analysis that combined data from 43 randomized controlled clinical trials with a total of 4320 participants investigating exercise and fracture risk concluded that while exercise had a relatively small statistically significant effect on bone density there was no effect on numbers of fractures


washington   when calls for his removal from office reverberated through the capital a decade ago speaker j dennis hastert struggled to explain why he had not aggressively investigated allegations that a florida lawmaker had sent flirtatious messages to a teenage boy who had served as a house page
at that perilous moment an impassioned group of supporters stepped forward to speak up on mr hasterts behalf wrestling coaches
denny hastert is a good and honorable man   and one of wrestlings own leo kocher the wrestling coach at the university of chicago wrote in late 2006 in a letter distributed to high school and college coaches
the wrestling community must reach as many people as it can through calling talk radio letters to the editor and any other way in which public opinion can be moved he wrote denny hastert is one of the finest people to ever hold membership in the wrestling community
wrestling gave mr hastert stature in his hometown yorkville ill and propelled a political career that culminated in one of the most powerful jobs in washington but the sport he loved also gave him proximity and opportunity for what prosecutors say was a pattern of sexual abuse of boys while serving as their high school coach
now as a federal judge prepares to sentence mr hastert next week on charges that he illegally made secret payments to cover up the misconduct   a former wrestler who said mr hastert abused him decades ago is expected to speak at the hearing   the weight of his transgressions is falling hard on former colleagues and constituents but it is the close knit wrestling community that is struggling most to come to terms with its sense of betrayal
it is just hard to find the words it is just such an awful thing said mike moyer executive director of the national wrestling coaches association who has known mr hastert for nearly 20 years it runs so contrary to the dedicated support that denny gave to the wrestling community over so many years
on capitol hill mr hastert was known as coach and one republican aide attributed his rise to speaker in 1998 to an ability to bring the team together in the locker room and motivate them to get things done
mr hastert hired former wrestlers as top aides for more than a decade he used clout in congress to fight title ix the landmark federal law that requires equitable opportunities for men and women to participate in college sports arguing that it was hurting wrestling by forcing cutbacks he used campaign funds to support wrestling causes he intervened in a dozen cases to try to save college wrestling programs
who would have guessed that a wrestling coach from kendall county in illinois would be the longest serving republican speaker of the house of representatives in all our nations history mr hastert said announcing his retirement from congress in 2007 in front of the county courthouse in his hometown where three decades earlier he and his state championship wrestling team had been honored with a parade
mr hastert who is 74 and suffered a stroke in november has pleaded guilty to violating bank reporting requirements but was not charged with abuse for which statutes of limitation would have prohibited criminal charges
prosecutors for the first time this month provided details of the abuse of at least four wrestling team members one as young as 14 that they said occurred on training tables in a locker room and in a hotel room one of the wrestlers recalled how mr hastert put a reclining chair in view of the showers in the locker room where mr hastert sat while the boys showered the known acts the prosecutors said consisted of intentional touching of minors groin area and genitals or oral sex with a minor
his lawyer thomas green said mr hastert acknowledged committing transgressions decades ago for which the lawyer said mr hastert was profoundly sorry
mr hastert first took up wrestling in high school bulking up while carrying 100 pound feed bags from the farm supply business his father operated in rural illinois after graduating from wheaton college a nearby christian liberal arts school where he was on the wrestling team mr hastert became a teacher and wrestling coach at yorkville high school
he built the yorkville foxes into a powerhouse program that won 11 straight conference titles produced eight illinois state champion wrestlers and in 1976 the illinois team championship   an accomplishment mr hastert has described as among the finest moments of my life
i love this sport and the kids i coached mr hastert told a congressional committee years later
local power brokers saw political appeal in his coaching success encouraging him to run for the state legislature and then congress
sometime after his arrival in washington mr hastert named bryan l harbin one of his former wrestlers to his staff mr harbin who did not respond to multiple requests for comment continued to serve as an aide to hastert for most of his congressional tenure
as mr hastert rose through the house republican leadership he also amassed substantial campaign funds and he used some of that money to support the national wrestling hall of fame and the wrestling program at manchester college in indiana run by a longtime friend and fellow wrestler thomas s jarman whom mr hastert also later hired onto his congressional staff mr jarman did not respond to messages seeking comment
when the republicans took control of the house in 1994 mr hastert was named chief deputy whip from his new position of power he began a yearslong campaign against title ix
mr hastert wrote letters to the department of education called for an investigation by the government accountability office and repeatedly introduced legislation to curb cutbacks to wrestling
it really disturbs me when people claim that it is fine to cut opportunities for men to eradicate discrimination mr hastert testified in may 1995 at a house hearing that he had helped set up to examine the impact of the 1972 law
the national collegiate athletic association called mr hasterts 1998 legislative proposal an unparalleled federal intrusion into the decision making and budgetary process of the nations colleges and universities the provision which would have required colleges to report annually if they had any plans to cut funding for any athletic team was ultimately cut from the education bill
but mr hastert did not give up he joined an effort organized by the national wrestling coaches association to challenge universities or colleges that cut funding for the sport even appearing before the pennsylvania state legislature in 2007 to push for more funding for wrestling programs there by this point mr hastert a hero to the sport had been inducted into the national wrestling hall of fame
while in congress mr hastert also was an outspoken advocate for severe punishment of anyone convicted of abusing minors he helped push legislation in 2006 that required states to expand sex offender registers as he declared that protecting our children from internet predators and child exploitation enterprises are just as high a priority as securing our border from terrorists
the ties to wrestling continued even after mr hastert left congress two of his three staff members in the house office of the former speaker   an office he set up in yorkville funded by the federal government   were former wrestlers
wheaton college opened the j dennis hastert center for economics government and public policy its director starting in 2010 was seth norton the former head wrestling coach at wheaton college
mr hastert also set up a consulting firm working with an illinois businessman david john a former wheaton college wrestler who had worked with mr hastert to pressure the college president to reverse a plan to eliminate funding for the schools wrestling program
the former speaker frequently attended a wrestling tournament that mr john ran at wheaton college and mr john also saw him at the national collegiate wrestling championship every march
he absolutely loved being in that environment mr john said
in 2013 mr hastert returned to the state capitol in springfield delivering a valedictory on his career on the state house floor where he also urged legislators there to pass a resolution condemning the decision by international olympic committee to drop wrestling as an olympic sport after the 2016 games
i can only look at the opportunity i had when i was a young man mr hastert said just before the illinois house voted to pass the olympic resolution i had a coach and an opportunity to perform
since the allegations of abuse became public last year former wrestling champions coaches and parents of student wrestlers are still trying to reconcile the painful new images now associated with mr hasterts name
the denny hastert yorkville invitational annual wrestling tournament has already been renamed as has the center at wheaton college that was named after him a campaign has started to have mr hastert removed from the wrestling hall of fame
mr kocher the university of chicago coach declined to comment when asked about his letter defending mr hastert from a decade ago but other coaches said the turn of events had caused tremendous sadness and confusion
tony houle who was mr hasterts assistant wrestling coach at yorkville high from 1975 until mr hastert moved on to politics said the entire situation was mystifying to him in part because of how devoted to and focused on the sport mr hastert always seemed to be
larry kristoff a two time olympic wrestler and a former southern illinois university wrestling coach who worked closely with mr hastert for decades on wrestling causes said he was similarly confused and hurt by what had happened
i havent come to terms with it   i am not sure there is a way i ever can really said mr kristoff 73 wrestling can get over a lot of things one issue wont tumble it it is more the man himself   wrestling has been a part of his whole life
federal prosecutors had a somewhat different take on the matter saying that mr hasterts career is marred by stunning hypocrisy
while defendant achieved great success reaping all the benefits that went with it zachary t fardon the united states attorney for the northern district of illinois wrote in a court filing this month these boys struggled and all are still struggling now with what defendant did to them


ossining ny   in a setback for the state corrections agencys campaign to crack down on brutality in its prisons a sing sing guard whose repeated punching of an inmate was captured on a security video was found not guilty on friday of criminal assault
the guard lavar thomas had testified during the trial here in town court that the beating   which included five punches to the head and six thrown while the inmate daniel hyers was prone on the floor   was warranted because he feared mr hyers might spit on him
officer thomas was acquitted despite testimony from michael capra the sing sing superintendent who told the jury that the guards violent response was absolutely not justifiable we dont strike anybody in the face because we think hes going to spit said mr capra who had reported the may 6 2015 episode to the internal affairs unit of the new york state department of corrections and community supervision
the four day trial was the latest round in a battle that has been playing out mostly behind the scenes between the corrections department and the powerful 20000 member union that represents officers
the verdict which the jury rendered after deliberating for about two hours was a testament to the difficulty that prosecutors face in pursuing cases against prison guards accused of brutality even with strong evidence like security video
the union paid for officer thomass legal defense and two to three dozen officers many of them assigned to nearby sing sing filled the courtroom throughout the trial michael powers the union president had urged officers in a memorandum to attend the proceedings to show unity against a department that continues its blistering and full frontal attack on its own proud uniformed staff
the officers in the courtroom cheered when the verdict was announced
the ruling came a year and a day after another prisoner samuel harrell died during a violent encounter with nearly two dozen guards at fishkill correctional facility mr harrells case and the beating of an inmate at attica correctional facility by three officers were first reported by the new york times both are being investigated by federal prosecutors
the corrections department tried to fire officer thomas last summer but under the unions collective bargaining agreement an arbitrator not the commissioner has final say on disciplinary actions after losing in arbitration the internal affairs unit which has been expanded and reorganized over the last two years referred the case to the westchester county district attorneys office
mr capra the sing sing superintendent indicated during his testimony that brutality by guards was a persistent problem asked how often he had referred such cases to internal affairs during his four years running the prison he responded many times unfortunately many times
the cases typically come down to the word of officers versus that of inmates who tend to be viewed as unreliable witnesses but in the case of officer thomas a lengthy video showed him reacting violently without apparent resistance from mr hyers
neither officer thomas nor his lawyer joey jackson challenged the videos accuracy instead mr jackson focused on mr hyerss criminal history the dangers faced by guards in a maximum  security prison housing murderers rapists and pedophiles the unreliability of an inmate witness who kept changing his story and officer thomass fear of being spit on
officer thomas refused to be spit on by a killer mr jackson said during his opening statement
when mr jackson asked mr hyers about the murder that had led to his imprisonment mr hyers described getting into an argument with his stepfather and said that things went a little too far and that he had shot him three or four times in the head mr hyers in handcuffs and leg shackles during his testimony also said that at one point he had been a member of the aryan brotherhood gang
mr hyers testified that he was in a bad mood on the day of the encounter with the guard and that during recreation which officer thomas was supervising he kicked a ball over the fence
he said that when he and the other prisoners came back inside and lined up against a wall to be searched officer thomas was angry and asked mr hyers whether he had a problem mr hyers said he never threatened to spit but at that point officer thomas began punching him
when officer thomas testified he said that while bending down frisking mr hyers i hear a gurgling sound hes looking down
officer thomas explained that at the prison if an inmate spits in a guards eyes the guard must take a regimen of pills to prevent infection who wants to be put on a thing like that he said im fearful for my life
during cross examination an assistant district attorney berit huseby walked officer thomas through the video punch by punch asking him repeatedly to describe what he saw the first two punches came while mr hyers was facing the wall
one right hand one left hand to the face maam officer thomas said
ms huseby asked why if he was so worried about being spit on he had hit the inmate in the head risking cuts on his hand that could be infected with saliva thats the method i chose maam he answered
officer thomas said he had thrown three more punches just before mr hyers fell because the inmate was not complying with a command to put his hands behind his back for cuffing
as the video played in court the prosecutor and the officer together counted six punches thrown while the inmate was on the ground officer thomas explained that mr hyers had kept his hands under his body rather than behind his back for cuffing as instructed
as her final question the prosecutor asked why once mr hyers had been handcuffed officer thomas had not asked that a spit mask be placed over the inmates face he didnt actually spit the officer said there was no need for a spit mask
in a statement released on friday after the verdict anthony j annucci the corrections departments acting commissioner said that officer thomas remains suspended pending the outcome of litigation involving the department and his bargaining unit


gambella ethiopia   after four days of delays a deal has been reached to allow south sudans opposition leader former vice president riek machar to fly to the capital and be reinstated as deputy to president salva kiir
mr machars arrival is considered a major step toward carrying out a peace deal agreed to last year that calls for the formation of a transitional government in south sudan where more than two years of civil war have killed tens of thousands of people and displaced over two million more
mr machar was originally scheduled to travel on monday but disagreements over the number of soldiers and types of weapons that he would be allowed to take to the capital juba caused delays raising fears that the whole peace deal could collapse
but on friday both sides agreed to a compromise brokered by an international commission that is overseeing the transition
the commissions chairman former president festus mogae of botswana said thursday that he welcomed the governments decision to allow mr machar to travel with 195 soldiers each carrying their individual light arms as well as 20 rocket propelled grenade launchers and 20 machine guns no further delay is tolerable mr mogae added
speaking from juba south sudans minister of information michael makuei lueth said the government accepted the agreement though he did not preclude the possibility of logistical problems
ezekiel lol gatkuoth an opposition spokesman said friday that mr machar was scheduled to land in juba on saturday afternoon peace is finally here mr gatkuoth said
but after four days of tense negotiations between the parties doubts remain about whether mr machars trip will take place as scheduled
the 195 troops scheduled to travel to juba on saturday would join 1370 soldiers who arrived last week in accordance with the peace deal
juba is where the war erupted in december 2013 pitting members of the presidential guard and south sudanese troops   some loyal to mr kiir a member of the dinka ethnic group and others loyal to mr machar a nuer   against one another clashes broke out largely along ethnic lines and spread throughout the country
the oppositions chief of general staff gen simon gatwech dual said this week that he was still concerned about the strength of the governments troops and weaponry in juba
but if the deal is implemented he added peace will prevail


chris colabello the toronto blue jays first baseman whose rise from the independent leagues to the major leagues was an endearing story of perseverance was suspended for 80 games without pay friday after testing positive for performance enhancing drugs
colabello 32 tested positive for dehydrochlormethyltestosterone a steroid banned by major league baseball that had gained notoriety during the east german doping scandals it is the same drug that the philadelphia phillies pitcher daniel stumpf tested positive for earlier this month
in a statement colabello said he was informed on march 13 by mlb that he had tested positive players who test positive for performance enhancing drugs can request tests on a second sample and also appeal to an arbitrator
i have spent every waking hour since that day trying to find an answer as to why or how colabello said in the statement the only thing i know is that i would never compromise the integrity of the game of baseball i love this game too much
colabello who did not speak with reporters in toronto where the blue jays lost to the athletics 8 5 on friday night is one of the teams more popular players   fluent in spanish he mixed easily with the latin players as well as the teams star josh donaldson with whom they share the same private hitting coach
colabello who was called up from the minor leagues last may hit 321 with 15 home runs and 54 rbi to help the blue jays reach the playoffs for the first time in 22 years
it was an especially gratifying season for colabello who graduated magna cum laude from assumption college near his home in milford mass and spent seven years playing in independent leagues which are not affiliated with any of the 30 major league clubs at age 28 he finally landed a spot in the minnesota twins minor league system and two years later made his major league debut
this hurts me as much as it hurts him blue jays manager john gibbons told reporters in toronto
he added hes been a big part of our team there isnt a guy in that room that doesnt love him hes been through a lot to get here   ups and downs   and im sure hell fight this
athletics 8 blue jays 5 chris coghlan hit a three run home run stephen vogt had three hits and oakland won its sixth straight beating host toronto
the athletics ended a six game skid at rogers centre and set season highs in runs and hits 14 ap
white sox 5 rangers 0 chicago pulled off its first triple play in nearly 10 years to secure jose quintanas scoreless outing and beat visiting texas
mitch moreland drilled a ball down the right field line that adam eaton caught on the run as the runners took off eaton threw to first to get ian desmond and the white sox eventually got prince fielder in a rundown between third and home to finish the play ap
indians 2 tigers 1 carlos santana and marlon byrd homered off justin verlander lifting cleveland to a win over host detroit
verlander 1 2 gave up four hits but two were costly because they went over the fence in right field he walked two and struck out 10 ap
nationals 8 twins 4 jayson werth hit a home run and prevented one in left field gio gonzalez pitched six plus innings and washington defeated visiting minnesota gonzalez 1 0 enjoyed offensive support for the first time in three starts while allowing three runs   two earned   on six hits ap
cubs 8 reds 1 anthony rizzo homered for the third consecutive game and jon lester gave a fitting follow up to jake arrietas no hitter by going seven innings and leading visiting chicago to a victory over cincinnati
rizzo hit a solo shot   his team high sixth   off jon moscot 0 1 as the cubs pulled ahead 4 0 in the fourth inning they are 12 0 this season when scoring at least four runs ap
royals 4 orioles 2 chris young struck out 10 in six innings mike moustakas homered doubled twice and drove in three runs and kansas city beat visiting baltimore young 1 3 gave up two runs and four hits ap


he often brags that he is paying for his campaign saying i dont need anybodys money
but donald j trumps disregard for fund raising by email building lists of small dollar donors and assembling a modern campaign digital operation could hamstring him as a general election candidate and do lasting damage to the republican party strategists say
in 2013 and 2014 one of the most valuable assets for republican candidates at every level was mitt romneys email list containing the names and contact information for his donors volunteers and supporters   a trove that had been amassed culled and refined over 18 months of the 2012 campaign
that required painstaking work including frequent communications with supporters in hopes of conditioning them to donate repeatedly and it paved the way for candidates to send emails to a vast inherited universe of potential contributors who could easily make gifts with one click
mr trump however has emailed no mass requests for contributions or for petition style statements of support on various issues as many candidates do to collect names and email addresses aides confirmed rather he has passively harvested the contact information of people who choose to visit his website and donate or buy campaign themed merchandise
many of his supporters moreover are first time or infrequent voters or political independents who may not already show up in the email lists that mr romney and other republican list builders have previously gathered
to specialists in political data operations an enormous potential reservoir of money and information is being squandered
this primary is an unusually intense period of actions being taken by record amounts of people in our primary contests said brian stobie a partner at optimus a republican digital firm who helped run senator marco rubios data operation in this cycle unfortunately it looks like that activity is not being captured and archived by one of our major presidential campaigns and that represents a missed opportunity for the party
each day that goes by republican strategists say is a lost chance
time is one of the most important assets of building a small dollar donor program said chris georgia who led jeb bushs digital efforts in this race and the national republican congressional committees operation in 2014 and you cant make up for the 16 months up until now that there hasnt been any real development of that going on
mr georgia said the romney list was vital to the republican congressional committees small dollar donation program there are obviously other sources that you can prospect through and grow your list from he said but the size of that list and the quality of those donors can only happen from a presidential election and we dont have that this time around
mr trumps aides insist that his financial wherewithal frees him from having to fund raise and that even so partly by requiring supporters to request tickets to his rallies through an online form they have collected millions of email addresses they will be able to use should he become the nominee and opt to aid other candidates
what happens traditionally in a campaign is they will go out to their list once or twice a week to raise money from their fund raisers but when a candidate gets to a general election you get some donor fatigue because theyve already maxed out their campaign to give said corey lewandowski the trump campaign manager our list is exactly the opposite
mr lewandowski added that mr trumps social media following reduced the need for a cultivated email list and that his supporters were so motivated they would not need much coaxing if he did decide to ask them for money
mr trump has not completely ignored fund raising his website has two donate buttons and he has reaped 92 million in small dollar donations by comparison he has lent his campaign a total of 36 million his latest campaign finance reports show
but the credit card numbers used to make those gifts could be of enormous potential value to republicans if he worked at expanding the number of supporters who donate
mr trump is using software from targeted victory a leading republican digital firm to process credit card transactions if another candidate uses the same software later voters who previously created an account to give to mr trump would simply have to choose the amount they want to donate then click one button to process the transaction
zac moffat a co founder of targeted victory and former digital director for mr romney said he believed that the trump campaign had intentionally bypassed a full blown effort to raise money online   despite the fact that hundreds of millions of dollars would need to be spent on the general election
easily hes left tens of millions of dollars of fund raising potential on the table mr moffat said but that wasnt the campaign they wanted to execute these are strategic decisions its not like this is a surprise to them
mr moffat also said there was still time for mr trumps campaign to start a robust email program sixty to 70 percent of the growth is going to come in the last five months he said
and there are already some signs that mr trump may change course his newest lieutenants rick wiley and paul manafort have hinted at adopting more conventional campaign tactics a day after mr wiley was hired as political director the trump campaign emailed supporters offering new york values t shirts stickers and other campaign gear for sale and after mr trumps victory in the new york primary on tuesday his campaign texted supporters a message steering them to the campaigns online merchandise store
de emphasizing digital campaign work up till now has put mr trump out of step with key efforts of the three biggest republican umbrella organizations   the partys national committee and senate and house campaign arms   each of which made investing in digital and data operations central to its strategy after mr romneys loss to president obama in the 2012 election
the national committees email team alone is four times the size of the whole 2012 digital team and has been steadily adding to its email list and data to prepare for the 2016 general election a list it will have ready to turn over to the eventual nominee which could end up helping to jump start efforts in the future by mr trump should he choose to use it


rome   a former undercover cia agent will be handed over to italy where she was convicted of taking part in the 2003 kidnapping of an egyptian cleric in one of the renditions ordered by the george w bush administration after appellate courts in portugal where she lives turned down her appeal this week
in january a portuguese court ruled that the former agent sabrina de sousa should be handed over to italy but the order was stayed pending appeal on friday her italian lawyer dario bolognesi said in an interview that the appeal had been denied and that ms de sousa would be extradited after may 4
news that portugals constitutional court had turned down her appeal this week was also reported on friday by the washington post and by the portuguese newspapers diario de noticias and expresso her portuguese lawyer manuel de magalhaes e silva did not respond to requests for comment
ms de sousa who holds dual american and portuguese citizenship has denied any wrongdoing or involvement in the kidnapping which took place while she was working undercover for the cia as a diplomat in milan she resigned from the agency in 2009 and avoided trial by leaving europe but was convicted in absentia that year despite the risk of arrest she returned to portugal last year to be closer to her family
last october the portuguese authorities briefly detained her and confiscated her passport so that she could not leave the country though she was freed pending the court proceedings
ms de sousa has exhausted her appeals in the italian judicial system it is not clear that if she is sent to italy whether she will immediately begin serving her prison term which would last a minimum of four years
portuguese courts including the constitutional court have stated that ms de sousa upon being sent to italy should have the right to a new trial or at least the opportunity to present new evidence and witnesses in an appeal
but armando spataro one of the italian prosecutors who helped secure criminal convictions of around two dozen americans including ms de sousa in connection with the kidnapping said he saw no legal grounds for a new trial she would be sent straight to prison and thats that he said
mr bolognesi her defense lawyer said the situation was less certain he said he would soon meet with italian magistrates to discuss the possibility of a pardon from president sergio mattarella some of the other cia operatives convicted in the case got either full or partial pardons while others have asserted claims to diplomatic immunity ms de sousas attempt to do so was not successful and still others have simply stayed away from countries that might extradite them to italy as of yet none of the americans have been imprisoned in italy
the top italian agents involved in the kidnapping were acquitted after important testimony was ruled to be a state secret
because some of ms de sousas co defendants have been pardoned and some of the italian agents have been acquitted she should be pardoned too mr bolognesi said were going to insist on this point he said
the cleric osama moustafa hassan nasr also known as abu omar was seized in milan in february 2003 as part of the united states practice of rendition in which a terrorism suspect is captured and delivered to another country for interrogation
mr nasr was taken to a military base before being transferred to egypt where he claims he was tortured
the case riveted italy and became a major source of friction in relations between the united states and italy within the field of international law the prosecutions of the cia agents for their role in renditions were closely watched
in 2013 an italian court sentenced mr nasr in absentia to six years in prison for terrorism activities he remains in egypt


there was considerable fretting   or satisfaction   over gov terry mcauliffes decision friday to re enfranchise 200000 ex felons in virginia
the state will be one of the central battlegrounds this november and it is widely believed that ex felons will vote heavily for democrats more than half are african americans a big voting bloc for the party and the big number of newly enfranchised voters is actually larger than mr obamas 149298 vote margin of victory there in 2012
but the electoral effect of felon re enfranchisement is likely to be modest the best case scenario for democrats might be that they improve their popular vote margin by a half point thats a big deal but only in a close election
the reason is deceptively straightforward ex felons are less likely to vote than nonfelons even when ex felons are eligible to vote
part of it is demographics ex felons are disproportionately young and less educated the two most powerful demographic predictors of low voter turnout in the united states
if disenfranchised ex felons voted just like demographically similar nonfelons their turnout rate might only be around 35 percent in a presidential election   far below the 60 percent or so of eligible voters who usually vote based on statistical models
but theres strong evidence that even this 35 percent figure is too high over the last decade a string of studies have matched discharged ex felons to voter registration files in the states where theyre permitted to vote although the figures vary they usually find that around 20 percent of ex felons turn out even in presidential elections most of these studies were conducted with data from the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections when black and youth turnout was particularly high
perhaps the most telling evidence comes from north carolina a state demographically similar to virginia multiple studies there have matched discharged ex felons to the states voter registration file which includes both the race and the party registration of voters
one north carolina study   from marc meredith of the university of pennsylvania and michael morse of stanfords law school   looked at ex felons who were discharged between the 2004 and 2008 presidential elections a period when the obama campaigns vaunted ground operation mobilized hundreds of thousands of previously unregistered black voters
it was a time therefore when one would expect ex felons to have been particularly likely to register to vote either as a result of mobilization efforts or because of the prospect of supporting the first black president
the ex felons were indeed overwhelmingly likely to register as democrats in north carolina they registered as democrats by 55 percent to 10 percent the tallies were similar in two other states where the study was conducted new mexico at 52 percent to 19 percent for democrats and new york at 62 to 9
yet in the end just 33 percent of these newly eligible voters registered for the 2008 election in north carolina and just 21 percent voted the registration and turnout rate in new mexico and new york were far lower with 13 percent turnout in new mexico and 8 percent turnout in new york for 2012 that study counted discharges from 2008 to 2012
so what does that mean for virginia imagine for a moment that the same figures for north carolina played out in virginia 21 percent of the 200000 re enfranchised ex felons turn out and they vote democratic by an 85 to 15 margin the result would expand the democratic vote margin by 29400 votes in the 2012 election that would have increased mr obamas margin of victory to 46 percentage points from 39
again this represents something of a best case scenario for democrats the turnout rate among newly registered ex felons was high 69 percent among active registered voters
the obama campaigns effort in north carolina was aided by the states voter file which includes the race of registered voters that allowed the obama campaign to aggressively target newly registered black voters ahead of the election the campaign of the democratic nominee wont have that advantage in virginia where race is not listed in the voter registration file this is not a small matter
one thing that could help democrats is if theyre able to obtain records on ex felons in virginia they could send them voter registration forms or volunteers
the ultimate electoral consequence is as much a matter of perspective as it is math on the one hand a half point is fairly unlikely to decide an election no state was so close in the 2012 presidential election on the other hand virginia is the sort of state that could decide a close national election and half a point could be a big deal
there arent many things that can move the results of a presidential election by a half point the clinton or sanders campaign would undoubtedly spend millions of dollars to earn that kind of extra edge mr mcauliffe has given it to them


eight members of one family were found shot to death in rural ohio on friday including a mother killed while sleeping in the same room as her newborn baby and the killer or killers were thought to be at large law enforcement officials said
the bodies of seven members of the rhoden family were found before 8 am in three houses near each other in southwestern pike county the county sheriff charles reader said three children   ages 4 days 6 months and 3 years   were found in the houses unharmed the sheriff said
a few hours later another family member was found dead in another house a few miles away
officials said at a late afternoon news conference that they could not rule out the possibility that other members of the family might be in danger and that officers were checking on them throughout the region
we are advising the family members to be very careful and take particular precaution the ohio attorney general mike dewine said
the individual or individuals who committed this crime obviously are dangerous mr dewine said we believe they are still at large
county officials said some members of the extended family had gathered and were receiving counseling and protection
the dead included seven adults and a 16 year old boy officials had said earlier that two of the victims were juveniles
each one of the victims appears to have been executed mr dewine said each one appears to be shot in the head
asked if investigators had any indication of a motive he said none officials said it was also unclear when the killings took place
we have victims who were in bed when shot he said the one mom was killed in her bed with the 4 day old right there
at first officials said they could not rule out the possibility that the gunman was among the dead but later mr dewine said the preliminary determination has been made that none of the eight individuals committed suicide
officials declined to give the first names of any of the victims phil fulton the pastor of the nearby union hill church told local television stations that he knew the victims and they included a woman her children and her grandchildren
the state bureau of criminal investigation part of the attorney generals office took over the investigation and mr dewine said the bureau had sent more than 30 investigators to pike county
the killings took place in a hilly sparsely populated area of southern ohio about 70 miles east of cincinnati and a similar distance south of columbus
sheriff reader said the initial call to his office came in at 753 am reporting two people dead in a house when deputies arrived someone flagged them down and told them to check two other houses nearby the sheriff declined to say who called his office or how that person had discovered the killings


last summers east coast debut of kcon   a celebration of korean music tv and culture   filled prudential center in newark to capacity with about 10000 fans swarming in to see popular bands like girls generation and teen top and this inaugural event kcon new york was enough of a success to warrant a return
the festivals organizers announced that it will come back to prudential center and to accommodate demand it has expanded from one day to two june 24 and 25 its older bigger sibling kcon los angeles is also returning july 29 to 31 to the staples center where it attracts about 75000 visitors
in newark much of the programming will be similar to that at last years kcon event panel talks dance contests and food and beauty product demonstrations the highlight a concert with several performers will take place both nights bts a boy band whose members write their own music and lyrics is the headlining act other participating bands include the female group mamamoo the 13 member seventeen and the singer ailee
the headliner for kcon los angeles will be announced at a later date so far the nine member girl group twice which achieved popularity with the music video like ooh ahh has signed on as part of the festivals lineup


new comedies a german spy series a hacker thriller and an unsparing african war drama were among the television honorees in the 75th peabody awards the awards recognizing the best in electronic media are bestowed annually by the university of georgias grady college of journalism and mass communication the works below won awards in the entertainment and childrens programming category on friday
netflix won three peabodys including for beasts of no nation a movie about child soldiers in africa master of none aziz ansaris comedy about self obsessed young adults in new york and marvels jessica jones a moody superhero crime drama starring krysten ritter
black ish the abc sitcom with a socially conscious edge was also among the winners other honored comedies included unreal lifetimes reality tv satire that like master of none won for its inaugural season and transparent the acclaimed amazon series about a gender transitioning paterfamilias
mr robot a twisty usa network drama about hacker culture and corporate misbehavior and deutschland 83 a period german espionage thriller also won peabodys for their first seasons other drama winners included the leftovers the metaspiritual hbo series and wolf hall the pbs period mini series based on hilary mantels booker prize winning novel
rounding out the tv winners was katie morag the bbc adaptation of mairi hedderwicks popular childrens books
winners of news radiopodcast web and public service peabodys announced earlier this week included this american life npr news and real sports with bryant gumbel awards for documentary and education works will be announced april 26


al jazeera america may have shut down last week but that has not protected the network from further unwelcome news
the networks executive vice president of finance anand gupta filed a lawsuit on thursday in federal district court in manhattan asserting that he had not been given a promised promotion and salary raise because of racial discrimination
in the suit mr gupta also laid out specific details about how much the network suffered financially in its brief existence in the networks first year on the air in 2013 the suit asserts citing tax returns it had a net operating loss of 250 million and in 2014 it lost an additional 335 million
mr gupta who is indian said al jazeera americas chief executive al anstey had reneged on a promise made by his predecessor ehab al shihabi that would have elevated mr gupta to the position of chief financial officer
mr gupta also asserted that the network had tried to push him out of his job after he formally complained about mr anstey he is seeking lost wages and damages among other things
al jazeera america announced in january that it was shutting down saying it did not have a sustainable business model it is owned by the global news organization al jazeera which is facing its own challenges and recently eliminated 500 positions
in the suit mr gupta asserts that among other freewheeling spending habits the network continued to pay more than 11000 a month for an apartment intended for mr shihabi which went empty after he was ousted last year it also asserts that al jazeera america is responsible for more than 800 million in the process of winding down if it pays out its contracts to cable operators in full
we strongly disagree with the allegations made in mr guptas complaint which contains many factual inaccuracies and we intend to vigorously defend the companys position molly morse a spokeswoman for al jazeera america said in a statement on friday
she said the former network firmly believes it acted appropriately and properly in its interactions with mr gupta at all times and mr anstey has worked tirelessly to ensure that all employees were treated fairly during their employment since he came on board last year
al jazeera americas final broadcast was 10 days ago which seemed to put a bookend on its short and turbulent life mr shihabi was let go after employees spoke about a culture of fear within its newsroom the network was sued by two former employees last year who complained about al jazeeras work environment


in the restaurant business breakfast is fast becoming lunch and dinner too
on friday the mcdonalds corporation reported a 35 percent increase in profits in the quarter that ended march 31 an unexpectedly large gain propelled by its decision last fall to sell some breakfast items all day it was the third consecutive quarter of positive results for the company suggesting that it may have turned the corner after a painful slide
sales in its stores open at least a year grew 62 percent across the country and the important american market increased such sales at a better rate than wall street expected
revenue remained mostly flat falling 1 percent to 59 billion though revenue was up 3 percent when adjusted for currency swings profits grew to 11 billion from 8115 million in the period last year
steve easterbrook chief executive of mcdonalds said the companys decision to offer some of its most popular breakfast items like egg mcmuffins and hash browns throughout the day had paid off beyond its expectations
and promotional deals that the company offered this year like mcpick 2 also propelled sales he said in a conference call with investment analysts
but he also said operational changes such as retooling the companys organization to have better insight into individual markets and its decision to commit to sourcing cage free eggs were also helping draw customers back to the restaurants and in a way that would stick we have a restless energy here and weve just got going mr easterbrook said
other restaurant chains keenly watch mcdonalds and its actions have kicked off activity at wendys and taco bell and concern among less direct competitors like brinker international which runs the full service restaurants chilis and maggianos
in a conference call with investment analysts on tuesday wyman roberts chief executive of brinker said that chilis was re evaluating its 2 for 20 promotion which allows customers to choose one appetizer and two main meals from a menu
mcdonalds started the battle when it replaced its dollar menu with a limited time mcpick 2 for 2 menu in january consumers were excited by the three piece mozzarella sticks on that menu but franchisees were less wowed
so in late february the company changed the menu and terms of the deal offering a choice of two items for 5   and it took mozzarella sticks off the menu inciting a protest on social media
that started a proliferation of so called bundled deals burger king responded with a two for 5 deal that included a popular chocolate chip cookie and wendys introduced a 4 for 4 promotion
not to be outdone yum brands stepped up with a 5 flavor menu that at least temporarily has helped jolt its pizza hut restaurants out of the doldrums at kfc yum offered a 20 fill up dinner and taco bell has begun offering a 1 breakfast menu
these bundled meals seem to be resonating with these chains customers and drawing more traffic to their stores said mark kalinowski an investment analyst at nomura securities
mr kalinowski said mcdonalds breakfast program also contributed to its better than expected performance in the quarter consumers love it and its driving incremental sales for them he said the only challenge is operational but since its improving sales franchisees arent complaining about it
other restaurant chains with a big breakfast business say they also like what mcdonalds has done we welcome the attention its brought to breakfast all day which weve been doing for 50 years darren rebelez ihops chief executive said during an interview at the companys harlem restaurant on national pancake day in march some people would rather sit down and eat breakfast
ihops same store sales grew 45 percent last year but the pace of growth slowed in the fourth quarter after mcdonalds began selling breakfast throughout the day
taco bell tacked breakfast onto its menu a couple of years ago to better compete with mcdonalds which gets roughly a quarter of its sales from egg mcmuffins and other breakfast items
breakfast still accounts for only 6 percent of sales at taco bell in a conference call to announce yums first quarter earnings on tuesday greg creed its chief executive said he was pleased with growth in taco bells breakfast
im very happy with 8 percent transaction growth in breakfast with one of our competitors doing all day breakfast mr creed said to analysts so let me just say that


moscow   the russian parliament elected a retired police general trained in soviet times as the countrys human rights ombudsman on friday prompting widespread criticism from the opposition
the new ombudsman tatyana n moskalkova worked her way through the ranks of the soviet and russian police for more than two decades rising to become a major general of the interior ministry ms moskalkova retired in 2007 and won a seat in the parliament or duma as a member of just russia a left leaning pro government party
the post of human rights ombudsman was introduced in russia in 1993 and was first filled by sergei a kovalyov a prominent dissident who had been held in a soviet prison camp for his political views
unlike most of her predecessors in the post ms moskalkova lacks experience as a human rights activist this raised concerns not only among human rights advocates but also from a kremlin friendly populist politician vladimir v zhirinovsky who objected to her career path
tatyana nikolaevna is a very nice person but her work in the soviet police and in the police under yeltsin cannot make us believe that she is able and wants to defend human rights mr zhirinovsky said during debates in the duma referring to president boris n yeltsin this mocks the post of a human rights ombudsman nowhere and nobody will nominate a former policeman to this post
lev ponomaryov head of the for human rights movement was also critical of her election given her background i dont understand how we can communicate he told the newspaper kommersant
sergei m mironov leader of ms moskalkovas party rose to her defense saying that she was defending human rights during her tenure in the soviet and russian interior ministries
ms moskalkova herself did little to allay doubts about her qualifications
today human rights issues are actively exploited by western and american structures to manipulate blackmail and attempt to destabilize and pressure russia ms moskalkova told lawmakers in her speech before the vote we know how many lies there were about crimea and ukraine and it is very important that we defend not only every single person but the whole system of values in russia
to no ones surprise the kremlin endorsed ms moskalkovas election undoubtedly the kremlin supports this candidate and this decision dmitri s peskov the kremlins spokesman told reporters
ms moskalkova holds doctoral degrees in law and philosophy her dissertation was titled the culture of countering evil in the work of law enforcement agencies
in 2015 ms moskalkova suggested renaming russias interior ministry as the cheka the name of the first soviet state security organization and infamous for its central role in stalins purges
you wont be ashamed of me ms moskalkova told russian lawmakers after her election


companies that employ pregnant women women who are planning to become pregnant or even men whose wives or girlfriends are contemplating pregnancy should consider letting them work indoors if they are in areas with zika transmission federal health and safety officials said friday
if the virus reaches the american mainland this summer the recommendation could impose a major burden on industries such as construction agriculture transportation amusement parks and cafes which employ hundreds of thousands of outdoor workers
it was among a general set of guidelines jointly issued by the centers for disease control and prevention and the occupational safety and health administration to protect workers from occupational exposure to the zika virus
the greatest risk of infection is from mosquito bites although the new guidelines recognize that the virus can also be transmitted sexually
as interim guidelines they are not legally enforceable said jordan barab the deputy assistant secretary for osha at the labor department issuing advisory guidelines is common during emergencies like epidemics he said
the new guidelines also recommended that pregnant employees not travel to areas where the zika virus is circulating and that businesses consider allowing workers who are or may become pregnant delay traveling to those areas that recommendation also applies to the male partners of such women
the other recommendations made on friday are based on earlier guidelines issued to protect against west nile virus they urge employers to give outdoor workers clothing that covers exposed skin hats with mosquito netting insect repellents and to eliminate standing water near work sites where mosquitoes could lay eggs
other guidelines issued friday covered mosquito control workers who face biting insects and hazardous pesticides and laboratory and health care workers who could be in danger of acquiring the zika virus from patients blood and bodily fluids
mr barab said industries that employ outdoor workers had not been consulted before the guidelines were issued
jill m shugart an environmental health specialist in the cdcs national institute for occupational safety and health said her organization often consulted with unions and trade groups but in this case had discussed these occupational guidelines primarily with the airline and cruise ship industries
those industries were initially concerned with the travel guidelines for pregnant women that the cdc issued in january
asked if there had been any reaction from businesses with outdoor employees she said the guidelines were just posted today and we have not heard from every single sector
calls to the united states chamber of commerce which represents employers were not returned friday afternoon
it was not clear what constitutes an area with zika transmission for purposes of the workplace guidelines mr barab said his agency would defer to the cdc on that question
ms shugart suggested that her agencys travel guidelines might be used to define such an area but she added that those parameters are broad
the agency initially recommended that pregnant women avoid entire countries then amended that to include only areas below 6500 feet in elevation because the mosquitoes that carry zika do not survive at high altitudes
the only american territories with known zika transmission are puerto rico the united states virgin islands and american samoa if the virus reaches florida or the gulf coast this summer as the cdc has said it might employers across these regions may not know if their specific location is at risk
defining such areas by county or state may be required presumably an outbreak in key west would not affect a job site in minnesota mr barab said he assumed that the cdc would eventually come up with a narrower definition
in the new guidelines the advice about indoor work is phrased more cautiously than the other guidelines for example the new recommendations said that employers should consider reassigning employees if requested by a worker


berlin   the german government is negotiating with jewish representatives to ensure that the thousands of poorest and weakest holocaust survivors worldwide receive the intensive care they need to live out their final years at home
the german finance ministry and the conference on jewish material claims against germany continue to hold regular talks but the effort to reach an agreement has taken on a new sense of urgency because the youngest of those needing full time care are already in their 80s   and many others are over 100 years old
with an estimated 100000 holocaust victims living in the united states roughly a fifth of survivors worldwide their plight has raised concern in congress and on thursday representatives introduced a resolution calling on the german government to do more
representatives ted deutch a democrat and ileana ros lehtinen a republican both from florida submitted the resolution to the house asking germany to recognize the imperative of immediately and fully funding victims medical mental health and long term care needs and to do so with full transparency and accountability to ensure all funds for holocaust victims a companion resolution was introduced in the senate
the german finance ministry did not respond to repeated requests for comment
the claims conference cares for 55000 survivors in dozens of countries around the world through compensation and reparations programs financed by the german government that began more than 60 years ago
but as they age holocaust survivors face increasing special care needs linked to the persecution they suffered and the isolation resulting from the loss of family members in the holocaust
the current round of talks which opened in january and is scheduled to end by june is trying to find a way to meet those needs said greg schneider the executive vice president of the claims conference
the german government currently provides compensation for survivors to be cared for in their homes for up to 25 hours per week based on an assessment of an individuals need
in many cases however that is not enough leaving mentally and physically frail or forgetful survivors without anyone to look after them over the weekend or throughout the night
a central element of the negotiations is to move away from weekly caps on hours and to create a more flexible system
german officials have cautioned that for such a plan to be effective they need to assess what needs are not being met and to structure a program based on a budget that would pay for in home care of the neediest cases over the next five to seven years
among the most acute cases are those who suffer from a loss of memory compounded by the emotional triggers that affect many victims
as their memories fail they often recall their younger lives when they may have been forced from their homes crowded into cattle cars and ripped from their parents whom in most cases they would never see again
when you are a holocaust survivor and regress what you are going back to is darkest point of human history mr schneider said
he gave the example of a woman in the program with dementia who requires full time care although she still lives with her husband who also survived the holocaust every time he tries to leave their home she starts to scream dont go they will take you away they will get you
she is living in a world where the nazis are still there mr schneider said
in response to a congressional letter written to finance minister wolfgang schauble in december jens spahn a deputy minister who is leading the negotiations on behalf of the german government said his country recognized that current levels of care were insufficient for those in need of intensive long term care
some survivors require more extensive care in some cases full time care mr spahn wrote in the letter
germany has made payments worth more than 734 billion euros about 83 billion in reparations and compensation mostly to jewish victims of the nazis the assistance to aging survivors is only a small part of these contributions
many of my constituents are in their 80s 90s even 100 and our focus is ensuring that their needs can be provided for mr deutch said
ive been trying to help survivors since coming to congress six years ago he said while we acknowledge that what is being done by the germans is incredibly generous survivors needs are not being met


gary burton a multiple grammy winning jazz vibraphonist is the latest artist to cancel a performance in protest of state legislation that allows discrimination against gays lesbians and transgender people
his concert had been scheduled for next spring at alcorn state university in mississippi which recently passed into law a measure that allows those with religious objections to deny services to gay couples the measure has been criticized as widely discriminatory with implications beyond its stated focus on same sex marriage
beyond a show of principle the cancellation is personal for mr burton one of the most prominent openly gay musicians in jazz so far its been famous straight people taking a stand in these states he said i figure it falls even more importantly on me to speak up
the singer songwriter bryan adams and the comedian tracy morgan have also called off appearances in mississippi citing the new law they join a recent series of other high profile cancellations   by bruce springsteen ringo starr pearl jam and others   in north carolina over that states law regulating use of public bathrooms by transgender people
mr burton married his longtime partner jonathan chong in 2013 one day before their ceremony on cape cod mass he reflected on his life and career in an interview with the new york times i thought i might lose some of my foothold in the business he said then recalling his decision to come out publicly in the mid 90s but that didnt happen i always jokingly say im either really lucky or i have great taste in friends
a peerlessly influential force on the vibraphone   the burton grip a standard technique bears his name   mr burton is also an important figure in jazz education through a 33 year affiliation with the berklee college of music in boston
as a bandleader he was responsible for some of the earliest stirrings of jazz fusion in the 1960s and has since mentored artists including the guitarists pat metheny and julian lage he has a long collaborative history with the pianist chick corea all but one of mr burtons seven grammys have been for albums they made together
earlier this month mr burton was recognized as a national endowment for the arts jazz master the highest honor reserved for a jazz musician in a ceremony and concert at the kennedy center in washington he is the first openly gay inductee to the jazz masters program which started in 1982
speaking of the recent legislation in mississippi mr burton was blunt it is an attack on what is already settled law he said it opens the door to not only stopping gay marriage but stopping gay life the ability to rent a place to live or simply do business shop in certain stores its kind of amazing that it could go this far


bakersfield calif   dark chocolate is in so too is beef jerky and full fat ice cream you bet
driven by fast changing definitions of what is healthy to eat people are turning to foods they shunned just a couple of years ago studies now suggest that not all fat for example necessarily contributes to weight gain or heart problems that has left companies scrambling to push some foods that they thought had long passed their popularity peak   and health advocates wondering what went wrong
under the new thinking not all fat is bad and neither are all salty foods a stigma among the public remains for sugar substitutes but less so for cane sugar at least in moderation and all of those attributes are weighed against qualities like simplicity and taste
i think the risk reward equation has changed said steve french a managing partner at the natural marketing institute a research firm said
edys ice cream known as dreyers west of the rockies is a case in point edys sold 108 percent more of its edys grand ice cream a full fat ice cream in the 52 weeks that ended feb 21 compared with the year before according to iri a data and research firm other full fat ice creams also had sales gains
over the same period edys sold 48 percent less of its slow churned ice cream made with a process that lowers the fat content when the product was introduced in 2004 it was promoted as having less fat and fewer calories   and sales soared
now that sort of marketing is gone instead the company has retooled some of its slow churned products to make them with fewer ingredients and to include cane sugar rather than high fructose corn syrup which many consumers dont like labels on those ice creams will also tell consumers that they contain no genetically engineered ingredients
the devil of course is in the details of those new scientific findings none of the new studies for instance recommend eating as much bacon as you want
the new definition of modern health is very different from the traditional view which was to reduce fat sugar and sodium said robert kilmer president of nestle dreyers ice cream a division of nestle usa healthy now is about whats in my food and where did it come from
food companies have been working feverishly over the last several years to offer what consumers perceive as improved nutritional content and healthier food sales of products made from organic ingredients have risen sharply in recent years for example
mars food a division of the privately held mars candy company whose brands include uncle bens and dolmio reduced sodium by over 20 percent in many of its products and recently announced a plan to go even further and general mills is eliminating artificial colors and flavors from its cereals   no more neon hues in trix
but consumers are constantly recalculating the pros and cons of the foods they eat   leading to some unexpected foods rising in popularity
for example in 2015 americans checked the fat content on food labels less often than they did in 2006 according to research from the natural marketing institute theyre focusing more on the list of ingredients a products environmental impact and animal welfare   the famous farm episode in portlandia in which a waitress can tell diners the name of the chicken theyll be eating remains relevant five years after it was first shown
and dont forget about taste a majority of americans say they value taste more than how healthy a food is
this can be frustrating for food executives who spent years getting salt sugar and fat out of a wide variety of products paying high costs in development and marketing along the way michael sharp the research scientist at nestle who has presided over the reformulation of its slow churned ice creams noted that all of the ingredients he is working to eliminate today were originally added to the product for good reasons
the ingredients weve subtracted either had some functionality on their own or improved the functionality of other ingredients mr sharp said corn syrup adds a lot of body and bulk to a product   but the consumer doesnt want it today
nutrition experts are watching the shift warily margo wootan director of nutrition policy at the center for science in the public interest a research and advocacy group noted that companies have gone a long way toward reducing or eliminating saturated fats which raise cholesterol in the blood and increase the risk of heart disease
the american heart association and other health advocacy groups have long recommended limiting consumption of saturated fat but in recent years studies have suggested that maybe saturated fat is not as bad as once thought one analysis of research on saturated fats which generated some criticism blurred the link between it and heart disease another study concluded that skim milk did not appear to restrict weight gain among young children
that rethinking seems to have encouraged some consumers to return to full fat foods edys french vanilla grand ice cream for example has four grams of saturated fat in every half cup a half cup of the same flavor in its slow churned variety the recently less popular option has 15 grams of saturated fat
similarly the public appears to have been persuaded by some evidence that eating dark chocolate is good for the heart technavio a market research firm predicted that sales would increase an average of more than 8 percent a year through 2019
but the federal government also recommends a limit on total fat consumption   the combination of bad and good fats an eight ounce bar of ghirardelli 72 intense dark chocolate supplies more than the governments daily recommendation for saturated fat and more than three quarters of the recommendation for total fat
there are recommended limits on total fat that i think have sort of gotten lost in the marketing ms wootan said theres nothing in science that tells you its healthy to eat as much fat as you want just as long as its not saturated fat
another sore point among nutritionists is the rising sales of jerky once regarded as little more than a sodium delivery mechanism now as consumers clamor for foods high in protein jerky has become a popular option one ounce delivers about a quarter of the daily recommended amount of protein and costs roughly 250
sales of meat snacks like jerky shot up 469 percent from 2011 to 2015 to more than 26 billion according to nielsen a market research firm
jerky is manly jerky is kind of rednecky and jerky can even be kind of offensive if people dont know what it is said troy link chief executive of link snacks a family owned snack food business so we changed things up and began calling it a protein snack and now jerky is being eaten by higher end health eaters who havent been involved in the category before
link snacks most popular product jack links teriyaki beef jerky delivers 12 grams of protein and just 80 calories in a one ounce serving   and one fifth the daily recommended amount of sodium mr link said the company had worked to reduce the sodium in its products along with getting rid of monosodium glutamate and nitrites
for the most part sodium has become good again and i think certain fats have become good again too he said
at the end of the day he said people want something that tastes good


the executive formerly known as prince deserves as much acclaim as the artist while hits like little red corvette will be his lasting legacy his prominent battles against the music and technology establishment also presaged an era when the recording industry ceded power to musicians prince experimented as much with the business as he did in the studio
born prince rogers nelson he churned out nearly 40 albums before dying at age 57 on thursday since his 1978 debut for you prince has sold more than 100 million records
he owed his start to an industry recruiting and scouting system that nurtured up and coming talents throughout his career however prince fought to retain control over his compositions image and even his name the unusual pushback brought a greater balance to the business artist dynamic well before the digital era eroded the influence of the musical industrial complex
in 1985 after the success of his fifth studio record 1999 and the acclaimed follow up purple rain prince set up his own label paisley park records it was partly bankrolled by warner music the terms of that arrangement became the subject of a highly publicized spat during which prince painted the word slave on his face before he declared his emancipation and changed his name to a symbol
prince ultimately fulfilled his contract but he then worked through a variety of other recording partners retaining a level of independence enviable even among stars of his caliber with the rise of downloads and the corresponding crash of recorded music finances prince kept exploring new means of distribution
in 2007 he gave away two million copies of his planet earth cd to readers of britains mail on sunday newspaper to coincide with a 21 night concert stint in london prince would rail against apples itunes calling the internet completely over in 2010 and the unauthorized posting of his videos on websites like youtube he had similar disdain for modern streaming services pulling most of his music from all except one started by the rap impresario jay z
when last december he finally blessed the release of a video of his cover of radioheads creep from the 2008 coachella festival it became a web sensation among fans and fellow artists the freakish control prince wielded over his work made him something of a king


the forest service is so protective of its ancient gnarled star that it will not even share its picture
officials say they fear that an image might enable a particularly determined visitor to track down its precise location in central californias inyo national forest
at 4847 or so years old methuselah is the worlds oldest known living tree which makes it   in the mind of its human protectors   too old for guests
the tree did not make it through several thousand years of civilization only to be either harassed by a horde of instagrammers eager to carve their names in its bark or assassinated by a reckless researcher
it has happened before
the former oldest tree prometheus was cut down in 1964 in great basin national park in nevada by a graduate student researching the effects of climate change on receding glaciers by measuring their influence on the size of the rings of ancient pine trees there are a few accounts of what happened the student donald r currey said in a pbs documentary that the normal approach to coring a tree was not working so he cut it down with the help of some foresters members of the forest service said he got his drill bit stuck in the tree and he and the foresters cut it down to remove his tool only after the tree had been felled and he counted its rings did he realize that he had just slain the oldest known tree on earth which was then a wizened 4900 years old
methuselah was nearly 4790 by the time anyone realized just how exceptional it was edmund schulman a scientist with the university of arizonas laboratory of tree ring research calculated its age in 1957
of course its not possible to say that any given tree is definitely the oldest tree on earth because not all trees have been analyzed in this way but dendrochronologists   people who study the ages of trees   have examined at least tens of thousands of trees around the world since then and none have been confirmed to be as senior as methuselah
to pin down the date or era of methuselahs birth dr schulman took several samples from the tree using a tool called an increment borer and matched up the ring patterns from each sample to travel back in time said matthew salzer a research associate at the laboratory of tree ring research because bristlecone pines like methuselah do not have cylindrical trunks   they are twisted by the wind into natural sculptures   taking samples from different parts of the tree can give an estimate of the trees age dr salzer said
in the ancient bristlecone pine forest the part of inyo national forest where methuselah lives thats as specific as the forest service will get there are many ancient trees there is no way to know a trees age just by looking at it dr salzer said but it does usually have certain markers that can tip off researchers to its old age smooth bark thick branches or a spiked top where the tree has died in places
its possible that another tree could steal the crown from methuselah   possibly before it turns 4848 some organizations have suggested that there is a tree in the same forest that is 5065 years old but the existence of this tree and its age could not be confirmed by the forest service the laboratory of tree ring research or the archangel ancient tree archive
researchers are still investigating this other tree said debra schweizer a spokeswoman for inyo national forest who pointed out that bristlecone pines grow so slowly about one hundredth of an inch in a good year that it makes it difficult to accurately determine their age
she also cautioned visitors against fixating too much on ancient celebrities like methuselah
if you are so focused on seeing that tree you are literally missing the forest for the tree she said
even as safe as the tree may be from an onslaught of gawkers and vandals methuselah cannot ward off the inevitable the trunks of bristlecone pines begin to die around their 1000th birthday
but even if methuselah were to last only a few hundred more years it has been quite a life to put things in perspective methuselah named for the biblical figure who lived to be 969 years old had long since spread its roots in the soil when the egyptians began building the pyramids and democracy would not begin for another 2212 years


the coachella valley music and arts festival is entering its second weekend and is expected to draw tens of thousands of people to the california desert where they will spend a couple of days essentially living inside a glamorous instagram filter
at least thats the view from afar if youre not able to attend the festivities in indio calif its possible that you see coachella as the kim kardashian of the yearly festival circuit its flashy over the top and nearly impossible to avoid on social media
attendance figures for the first weekend havent been released but coachella sold 198000 tickets last year according to billboard its so crowded with acts so accessible online and so commercialized that the music critics of the new york times decided to sit things out this year
but theres still plenty to talk about and most of it has absolutely nothing to do with music heres what you can expect to hear about this weekend
people will still think its cute to mail packages from coachellas post office
last week officials noticed that last minute filers were rushing to mail tax returns from the post office which is designed to look like a log cabin its really just an intermediary between the campground and a real post office
someone dropped off wedding invitations last year that were already stamped megan hampton who works at the informal post office told the press enterprise in riverside calif they wanted it to say coachella on it
your friends will all be sharing snaps of themselves in flower crowns
the festivals boho chic aesthetic is so recognizable that fans can play along at home last weekend a flower crown snapchat filter delighted people who didnt have the real thing on hand naturally the filter was very flattering
there will probably be a lot of chokers
attention snapchat flower crowns are so 2015 taylor swift who was once so cutesy that she famously used her cat as a fashion accessory debuted an edgier black on black look last weekend and declared that coachella is now all about chokers
our fashion desk recommends the bucket bag openwork knit lace tops floral embroidered military shorts and practical straw hats for that instagram ready festival look while women are advised to spend their discretionary income on chokers and flower crowns men are encouraged to wear t shirts and shorts no pressure ladies
celebrities will be doing things that you will hear about whether you want to or not
the big news last week was that rihanna was photographed standing close to leonardo dicaprio and this set off a canoodling alert heard around the internet rihanna also performed but the mysteries of her love life drove entertainment journalists into a frenzy richard lawson over at vanity fair has so many questions why is dicaprio wearing a university of michigan hat where did rihanna get her bejeweled sunglasses who is the handsome blond man standing in front of rihanna whats his deal
by the end of the weekend its highly likely that a new celebrity couple will emerge from their playground in the desert and you wont be able to avoid it
maybe there will even be some music news
last weekend guns n roses brought out the acdc guitarist angus young then it was announced that the formers frontman axl rose would be joining acdc on tour and this year coachella was the setting for lcd soundsystems reunion after the band broke up in 2011 missed them in indio never fear theyre playing at least three other festivals this year


no part of the media and entertainment industry has seen a more substantial economic transformation than sports
in little more than a generation sports has gone from representing a marginal corner of the business to center stage today sports not only drives the existential battles between media content and distribution leaders but it is playing an increasing role in the struggle for dominance among the competing technology platforms earlier this month twitter beat out amazon and facebook for the digital streaming rights to national football league thursday night games
it is hard to believe that in 1990 when hearst bought 20 percent of espn for a song rjr nabisco had long been trying to unload the stake the remaining 80 percent share today represents the largest part of the largest media conglomerate in the world the walt disney company and sports plays an increasing role in more than just the corporate realm the seemingly perpetual growth of the price of sports rights has relegated a shocking percentage of american families to effective poverty once they have paid for the basic cable video bundle that incorporates these costs this phenomenon implicates public policy considerations as well
given this backdrop the subtitle of a new book by matthew futterman players the story of sports and money and the visionaries who fought to create a revolution simon  schuster could not be more timely mr futterman a sportswriter for the wall street journal takes us on a half century tour spanning a variety of widely recognized and lesser known sports figures and competitions that have played roles in the industrys development mr futterman is right that understanding the history is crucial to understanding the current state of sports and the possibility of change
as enjoyable as the journey sometimes is the problem with the book is reflected in the title itself of players mr futterman focuses on one level of a complex multilayered industry whose economics are not primarily driven by how individual athletes negotiate their salary and licensing deals
much more consequential is the structure of the games teams leagues and federations and their relationships with brands broadcasters cable channels and increasingly diverse potential distribution outlets it is simply not possible to tell the story of sports and money without broadening the narrative
unfortunately half of the book is taken up with tales of the players in golf tennis and baseball who fought pivotal battles to improve their respective sports compensation structures the topic of escalating rights fees is taken up only in the final chapter and then perfunctorily there is no mention at all for instance of the young fox networks unexpected decision to submit a huge pre emptive bid for nfl rights in 1993 that move upended a relationship between football and cbs that dated back to the 1950s and fundamentally altered the trajectory of the cost of all sports rights since
mr futtermans emphasis on the players has the virtue of lending itself to interesting personal histories but the frequent flashbacks are disorienting and the detailed descriptions of various sports matches are only sometimes relevant to the plot the success of a goofy show in the 1970s called the superstars in which famous athletes from diverse disciplines competed against each other in a series of haphazardly organized events makes a good story it demonstrated the increasing importance of the individual athletes celebrity relative to the games or teams themselves this point could be made however without a play by play of the relay races or tug of war competition
as a practical matter emphasizing the players at the expense of structural considerations makes it impossible for the reader to follow the money four of the five best compensated players in the world are from boxing and soccer   sports that mr futterman either ignores entirely or discusses briefly by contrast none of the top 10 salaries are found in either football or baseball two sports examined closely
players does not provide readers with the tools to understand why this might be there is also no mention of the overall size of the industry or the mix of revenues between gate media rights sponsorships and merchandising and the relative size of the various sports within the industry is not discussed and bears no relation to how much time mr futterman spends on each
mr futterman is as much a sports fan as he is a sportswriter and the narrow preoccupations of players reflect this perspective the early chapters champion the interests of the exploited players who dare to wrestle a fair share of the pie from the team owners and leagues mr futterman argues that empowering the players allowed them to transform modern sports by improving the quality of play and professionalism of the overall enterprises
the tone changes in the latter part of the book as the impact of excessive focus on individual celebrity comes at the expense of team performance and the broader values that sports should promote
in the end mr futterman is unable to reconcile these two conflicting considerations fully money in sports isnt on its own a bad thing he insists but when money becomes the motivating goal and purpose in sports that is a bad thing
in the absence of a fuller examination of the overarching industry structure mr futterman can only offer exhortations rather than any solutions fans who have sustained the industry ... dont want much - just the ability to enjoy the games they love and the athletes they admire without getting ripped off lied to or insulted either by the athletes who play sports or the people who run them
who could argue with such sentiments although it may not seem like much to ask for nothing in players suggests that it will be made available any time soon


the new york state attorney general said on friday that his office had opened an investigation into how toys with dangerously high levels of lead ended up for sale at retailers including target kmart and toys r us
the attorney general eric t schneiderman said that some jewelry making sets from the arts and crafts brand cra z art contained as much as 10 times the amount of lead permitted by federal child safety limits mr schneidermans office said that one or more of the products was also sold at other retailers including amazon and walmart and called on all the retailers to immediately remove them from their shelves
mr schneidermans office has asked the stores to provide more information about the safety testing and certification for the toys which it said were manufactured in china and sold throughout new york state
manufacturers importers distributors and retailers all have responsibility to ensure that products intended for use by children are safe mr schneiderman said in a statement my offices discovery of high lead products on store shelves in new york points to an alarming breach in the safety net that is supposed to protect our children from dangerous chemicals
charlie zakin the vice president for advertising at cra z art a division of larose industries in randolph nj said the company was unaware of the investigation
however the safety of our products is our highest priority mr zakin said adding that all of the items in question had passed rigorous safety testing and conform to all regulatory standards
in a statement walmart said that it required suppliers to meet all applicable safety standards
target and toys r us said they were looking into the matter and kmart said it would cooperate with any investigation target and kmart affirmed their commitment to safety and representatives for amazon could not be reached for comment
mr schneidermans office bought a number of products in october november and february as part of a broader test for toxic chemicals in childrens products the office tested 10 boxes of three cra z art jewelry making sets and found that the included wristbands contained lead that exceeded the federal safety limit of 100 parts per million some contained as much as 980 parts per million
mr schneiderman does not have the authority to order product recalls that power lies with the consumer product safety commission the federal agency that sets the standards for lead in childrens toys the safety commission usually works with companies to obtain voluntary recalls and in rare cases it can sue companies to block the sale of hazardous products in a statement the attorney general called on the commission to issue a nationwide recall for cra z art
just hours after receiving information about these jewelry making kits cpsc staff opened an investigation into the safety of these products elliot kaye the commission chairman said in a statement cpscs investigation will be thorough and swift and we will certainly take all warranted steps to protect the public
china is a not uncommon source of products that violate various american safety standards but in recent years more muscular federal laws have made it increasingly unusual for tainted toys to wind up at large national retailers which have the resources to ensure that their products follow the rules
the last time target issued a recall for a toy with excess lead was 2010 according to scott wolfson a spokesman for the consumer product safety commission walmart sold a childs bowling game that was recalled because of lead in 2011 mr wolfson said adding that other retailers go back even further in 2015 the safety commission announced three lead related toy recalls
i would say it is rare these days to find that kind of a problem at major retailers said charles margulis a spokesman for the center for environmental health a nonprofit group
this was not the case just a few years ago like in 2007 when mattel was forced to recall millions of chinese made toys with unsafe levels of lead a year later federal lawmakers passed the consumer product safety improvement act which gave the consumer product safety commission much broader testing and enforcement authority
most childrens manufacturers that ship products must get their products tested by an accredited laboratory before they reach the united states mr wolfson said these certificates of compliance must then be sent to stores mr schneidermans office has asked the retailers to provide copies of the certificates according to letters obtained by the new york times
the safety commission works with the authorities to screen products at the nations ports before they get to store shelves in recent years the number of recalls for lead toys has plummeted
but lead remains one of the most persistent problems and the agency has acknowledged that it lacks the resources to properly check the enormous stream of shipments that come through the nations ports every day


miami   cuba reversed a decades old policy on friday lifting a restriction that prevented cubans from entering or leaving the country by cruise ship or commercial vessel according to a statement in the countrys national newspaper granma
the decision another softening of cubas cold war stance toward the united states came after a furor in miami prompted carnival cruise line to announce that it would delay its inaugural may 1 cruise to cuba unless the country changed the policy carnival said friday that the cruise the first by an american cruise ship to cuba in 50 years would depart as scheduled
cuba risked losing millions of dollars in the next year if the cruise line had been forced to cancel its trips on the adonia a 704 passenger luxury ship according to an analysis by the us cuba trade and economic council the directive which will take effect on tuesday also marked a rare turn of events an american corporation persuading the castro government to alter a policy
last month carnival became the first american cruise company to obtain cuban approval to sail to the island european and canadian cruise lines have already been making the trip
we made history in march and we are a part of making history again today said arnold donald the president and chief executive of the carnival corporation adding we were very positive there would be this outcome and were proceeding in that fashion
mr donald said the companys negotiators underscored to cuban officials that cuban passengers have long been permitted to fly in and out of cuba and that the same policy should apply to sea travel cruises are crucial to cubas tourism sector because they allow for more visitors without pressuring the countrys already strained hotel capacity
starting on tuesday the government will also allow cubans aboard commercial vessels including cargo ships to enter or leave cuba
the mayor of miami dade county carlos a gimenez who at one point explored options for a lawsuit against carnival praised the resolution
this policy change was the right thing to do mr gimenez who is cuban born said in a statement
the cuban government on friday also hinted at its next move the possibility of allowing cuban born people to travel to the island aboard recreational boats that authorization the government said would come gradually and when circumstances are right
cuban americans in miami who support engagement with cuba have long envisioned the possibility of taking their own boats to the island which is 90 miles away from florida to visit family
fridays decision is significant because the cuban government has long been wary of sea travel between the united states and cuba for decades cubans have fled the island by raft and rustic boats something that continues today the government also feared that allowing cuban citizens to travel by sea would make it easier for hostile cuban americans to enter the country and to undermine the government
in 1980 after tensions in cuba escalated as the economy plummeted fidel castro allowed boats from the united states to pick up cubans in the port of mariel more than 125000 cubans left the island by boat most of them were picked up by relatives friends or recruits from miami
the cuban government stressed that all passengers and crew members entering or leaving cuba must have valid documents to do so it also needled the united states pointing out that american law continues to restrict american tourist travel to cuba although regulations have been eased
the uproar which carnival did not anticipate began this month when cubans in florida tried to buy tickets for the weeklong voyage carnival agents refused to book them on the cruise saying that because they were cuban born the cuban government barred them from entering the country by sea
in subsequent talks the company and the cuban government tried to find a resolution this week carnival which is based in a miami suburb and is well versed on local sensitivities about cuba faced a class action lawsuit by cuban americans and harsh words from political leaders who expressed outrage that an american company would discriminate against american citizens carnival initially delayed the trip but remained optimistic
carnival acted responsibly within the context of a horrific public relations environment said john kavulich the president of the trade council
pedro a freyre whose law firm akerman represents carnival and who was one of several lawyers to advise the company said carnival began working on getting the directive changed soon after its cruise was approved by the cuban government
mr freyre who is cuban born and supports closer ties to the island nation said even he was surprised by the fervor in miami over the cruise
i had been around my community long enough to know that emotions are very deep here he said at the beginning i said what why are people so upset   300000 travel every year to cuba but this one tugged at the heart strings
dr andy gomez a senior policy adviser for poblete tamargo a law and public policy firm said the face off served as a reminder that cubas thicket of laws and regulations remained far from business friendly
but mr freyre said the episode also shows that a more measured approach to cuba works best
what the cubans did today is reflect that its good to be engaged he said you can talk calmly about things instead of shouting at each other


jae rhim lee wants you to be less squeamish about death and she thinks a suit lined with flesh eating mushrooms might do the trick
wait dont click away ms lee 40 is an artist and entrepreneur who has long been intrigued by how people relate to their environment so to start the process of un freaking people out she created what she calls the infinity burial suit its a 1500 outfit that incorporates mushrooms meant to break down a human corpse cleanse it of toxins and distribute nutrients back into the soil no one has been buried in it yet but she said that a man who suffers from a chronic illness has agreed to be the first
i want to propose a different way of thinking about death that moves us toward death acceptance she said i think death acceptance is a critical aspect of protecting our environment
ms lee is among a growing group of entrepreneurs trying to disrupt death she offers her mushroom suit as an alternative to what she calls the death denial practices of the funeral industry   which is still embalming bodies then putting them in coffins entombed in concrete liners   and the cryonics field which aims to preserve dead people for later revival
her pitch why not just accept that were going to die and do less harm to the environment in the process happy earth day
the rise of the green burial
green burials were considered a niche alternative as recently as a decade ago but consumers and funeral professionals are warming to the idea of burying the dead without the use of embalming chemicals formaldehyde or cremations that release metals and gases back into the environment according to a 2015 survey by the funeral and memorial information council 64 percent of respondents indicated an interest in green funerals up from 43 percent in 2010
at western carolina university researchers with the urban death project are learning how best to turn corpses into compost in los angeles undertaking la operates a do your own death workshop to give people the tools to plan home funerals
edward bixby who operates the steelmantown cemetery green burial preserve in woodbine nj said that the typical motivation of a green burial customer has shifted over the past decade he says its now a 50 50 split between customers who are interested strictly in the environmental benefits and those who simply dont accept the conventions and costs associated with traditional funerals in 2014 national median figures put the costs around 8500 for a funeral with a viewing burial and vault and 6000 for a cremation funeral with a viewing according to statistics from the national funeral directors association eco friendly burials are not necessarily cheaper but consumers may save on coffins grave lining costs and funeral fees
the chance to customize the burial is often more important than the environmental concern mr bixby said its cathartic
when death designs go viral
the new death start ups are finding customers through word of mouth ms lee created an online group of people most of them still healthy who were paired off to discuss their personalities fears and plans for death david weaver an advertising executive who lives in rural vermont joined after being inspired by a 2011 ted talk ms lee gave about her suit the talk in which ms lee wore the death suit and discussed training mushrooms to eat her own nail clippings skin and hair has been viewed by more than 13 million people
mr weaver bought a death suit for himself and a cotton death pod for his two year old wire terrier beaker hes planning ahead both he and his pet are healthy
we as a society have had a hard time getting over this image of youre put in the ground in a cemetery or in an urn mr weaver 50 said in an interview its very untraditional but this is the only thing ive been able to see where my values while i was alive can be implemented as i die
a graduate of the massachusetts institute of technology ms lee has long been obsessed with how humans relate to their environment she used her body as a test subject once before adhering to a strict vegan diet to see if her urine could nourish plants she grew cabbage that she then made it into kimchi
i started to question why were so disgusted with our bodies she said adding i want to challenge those taboos where we dont think that were animals
in ms lees ted talk her suit gives her the appearance of a ninja but in person its nonthreatening when i tried it on the cotton suit created with a fashion designer daniel silverstein felt like a heavy pair of pajamas the jacket has wooden buttons and flaps that cover the face and hands it is lined with two different types of mushrooms that assist in breaking down human tissue and delivering nutrients back to the soil over a period of months on the outside the stitching mimics the dendritic patterns of mushroom mycelium
design and innovative technology seem to be an important component of these new death products roger moline the 24 year old co founder of bios urn began a kickstarter campaign after customers asked for better ways to monitor the health of the trees growing from biodegradable urns the company raised over 83000 to design an incubator that through a sensor embedded in the soil will send updates to a custom phone app around 60000 urns have been ordered and 200 incubators pre ordered
mr moline who operates the company in barcelona estimates that 90 percent of the orders have come from american customers
adding the sensors has appealed to consumers who want a more hands on approach he wrote in an email we felt that it was ok to bring death and the process of dying up to speed and match it to 21st century demands and requests
the future of human disposal
the mushroom suit and the bios urn are among the relatively few new products that people can actually order some that have caught a lot of attention are not in production the capsula mundi project created by two italian artists and first showcased in 2003 has gathered a large online following whose members are interested being buried in egg shaped pods underground the ideas and designs have generated countless headlines but no one has been buried this way the artists anna citelli and raoul bretzel confirmed in an email message the first step will be to design an egg shaped urn they said
theres actually an organization the green burial council that certifies whether products like this are earth friendly kate kalanick its executive director said that ms lees suit and the bios urn have not yet been approved by the council which lists about 30 products and vendors as certified
the designs may draw people who are curious and even imaginative about their deaths but not everyone is ready to embrace death suits tree growing urns or egg shaped pods ms lee has even received occasional angry messages i hope the mushrooms eat you faster a critic wrote in an email
given her goals she takes this as a compliment


brussels   this staid capital of europe suddenly has its own mini equivalent of frieze week in london the addition of independent the highly regarded new york fair to the citys perennial discovery event art brussels could potentially turn belgium in april into a serious destination for collectors of contemporary art
with the art trade facing challenging times   as are all luxury businesses that rely on international clients   and given the recent attacks in brussels and paris it would seem to be a less than ideal moment for brussels to crank up its reputation as a city for discovering and acquiring innovative new art
the inaugural european edition of independent offered a preview on wednesday 72 galleries showing in a stylish partition free space in a disused 1930s department store near the grand place
that evening more than 20 local dealers kept their doors open late for art brussels gallery night with free shuttle service available and on thursday poppositions an experimental fair now in its fifth year offered 25 international projects
art brussels itself opened on thursday for the first time in the sheds of the former customs warehouse tour  taxis having relocated from the less central brussels expo
given that lineup would the art world descend on brussels the way it does in london in october or basel switzerland in june
one of the few american visitors at the preview of independent brussels was the new jersey art adviser clayton press
americans are generally orientated to art basel and frieze and fiac mr press said referring to the fall paris fair they have a perception that most european art fairs are regional events theres just so much art available at the moment and theres a lot of confusion about price theyre comfortable with what they know
in fact nearly every nationality other than belgian was conspicuous by its absence among the knowledgeable crowd at the independent preview and yet belgiums pool of discriminating and discreet contemporary art collectors continues to be a draw for big name international dealers
there is a great tradition here of early committed collectors said gerard faggionato a partner at the megagallery david zwirner which was exhibiting on the ground floor of the brussels offshoot of independent the new york edition was founded in 2010 belgium needs a good fair but it was always going to be local particularly this year
to underline the point zwirner sold one from an edition of 10 of the 2010 photo inner city apple tree ii by wolfgang tillmans who will be featured in a solo survey at tate modern in 2017 for 8000 to a belgian collector another paid 150000 for a 2016 colored steel sculpture yellow chevrons by the american artist carol bove who has made artwork for the high line park in new york
gavin brown of new york maureen paley of london and chantal crousel of paris were also among the major international exhibitors having faith in independents decision to open in brussels rather than trying to crack the saturated markets of london or paris
mr brown was showing five new paintings by the young los angeles artist john seal that embedded psychedelic abstracts in wooden silhouettes of everyday objects two sold at the preview priced at 21000 each
this week was all about such discovery quality art the young belgian artist kasper bosmans 25 emerged at independent brussels as another name to watch the los angeles dealer marc foxx was showing three new works by mr bosmans two of which sold at the preview priced around 8000 euros about 9000
these included a series of six paintings on wood mysteriously combining brilliantly colored mandorlas with heraldic crests of italian towns
mr bosmans like many of brusselss artists works in molenbeek the district that was home to several of the suspects associated with the recent terrorist attacks
its affordable very convenient and its the beating heart of the brussels art scene said mr bosmans who is featured on the cover of the latest issue of belgiums h art magazine its the obvious place to have a studio he added that the artistic and muslim communities lived parallel lives in molenbeek
independent certainly might have the edge in cool over art brussels but the stalwart local fair attracted far more visitors at the preview on thursday
in an effort to raise the overall quality at its new venue art brussels which is part of the belgian based artexis easyfairs group reduced the total number of participating galleries to 141 from 191 while increasing the price of booth rentals by about 30 percent
the popular discovery section devoted to emerging galleries and artists was moved to the front of the fair and expanded to 30 booths there was also a new rediscovery element consisting of 14 booths with works by overlooked artists working from 1917 to 1987
the austrian feminist avant garde artist renate bertlmann   who has been using latex to make provocative performances photos and sculptures since the 1970s   was probably the most startling of these among the works presented by galerie steinek of vienna was one of ms bertlmanns washing lines of latex objects made in 2014 from a 1978 mould priced but not sold at EUR30000
the discovery section drew the biggest crowd with local collectors intrigued by the work of alastair mackie at the shared booth of the british dealers copperfield and division of labour mr mackie lives on a farm in cornwall and makes conceptual art out of found natural objects a pile of what looked like gray posters were in fact recycled wasp nests these were priced at PS10000 about 14000 and a black marble geometric relief filled with 474 cowrie shells was marked at PS8500 it was reserved by a collector on thursday
what happened a month ago hasnt affected the mood of belgian collectors said sebastien janssen the owner of a brussels gallery sorry were closed who counted three hyperrealistic painted bronze sculptures of weeds by the new york artist tony matelli priced at 14000 each among his early sales at art brussels
mr janssen said that the attacks last month in brussels were not unexpected at least among belgians
the americans havent come and the attacks have been terrible for tourism he said but its still been an exciting week brussels has become a new center for contemporary art
this may not be the year to judge brusselss nascent contemporary art week the sea of floral tributes outside the bourse and the equally noticeable emptiness of tourist restaurants showed that the belgian capital is still in shock after the march attacks
but at least independent brussels and art brussels proved that while business might not be back to normal life is still going on


baltimore   on capitol hill representative chris van hollen is literally and figuratively a democratic fair haired boy an american son of diplomats born while his parents served in pakistan he has used his fund raising savvy policy smarts and easy manner to position himself party elders assumed as a potential democratic speaker of the house
instead mr van hollen now running for the senate in his home state of maryland is fighting for his survival in an identity politics primary that raises an explosive question should a white man or a black woman inherit the seat held for 30 years by barbara a mikulski the longest serving female senator in american history
the contest between two members of congress   the low key mr van hollen who trumpets his legislative resume and representative donna edwards a onetime community activist and african american single mother   has exposed deep fissures among democrats as it traverses thorny issues of gender race and class
it has especially split women emilys list the political action committee that works to elect democratic women has spent more than 25 million on television ads for ms edwards drawing a backlash from female supporters of mr van hollen who say he is more effective than ms edwards and every bit her equal in championing womens rights on wednesday more than 1000 staunch democrats and feminists from maryland published an open letter saying just that
to ms edwards who worked as an activist to pass the 1994 violence against women act the effectiveness argument is insulting shaking hands and snapping selfies outside an early voting center here tuesday night she offered a succinct rationale for her candidacy the senate is 100 members   20 women theres nobody in the senate like me
as to the uproar over the push by emilys list ms edwards said she was mystified im a pro choice democratic woman and mr van hollen is not
mr van hollen who helped muscle president obamas health care legislation and other high priority bills through congress as the right hand man to the house democratic leader nancy pelosi the former speaker cannot exactly argue with that he is a 57 year old white man in a party that has a core coalition consisting of minorities single women and young people he has countered with a blitz of endorsements from 100 prominent african american women in maryland and from a string of female elected officials
analysts say black women will decide the race perhaps nowhere is the fight for their votes as fierce as here in baltimore a majority black city that is about to choose its next mayor next week   one day after tuesdays maryland primary   the city will mark the one year anniversary of the unrest over the death of freddie gray the memory of the 25 year old black man who died of injuries he sustained while in police custody hovers over both races
so as ms edwards was greeting voters tuesday night mr van hollen was at a restaurant across town mingling with an enthusiastic and racially mixed group of supporters over a dinner of chicken and mashed potatoes older black women cooed over him his host a baltimore county councilwoman cathy bevins who is white said she had just sent emilys list a nasty little email telling them take me off your list 
the congressman doing his best to avoid race and gender questions reminded the crowd that he has baltimore ties his father grew up here and of his attention to constituent service he stiffened slightly when asked if the senate needs a black womans voice
those who endorsed him he said can speak for themselves they want somebody with a track record of delivering real results
there has not been a black woman in the senate since carol moseley braun the nations first and only black female senator left in 1999 in california emilys list is also backing kamala harris who is black and asian american for a senate seat this year here in maryland a monmouth university poll released on thursday showed mr van hollen pulling ahead in what has been a tight race with voters especially women and starkly divided along racial lines
this is the state that harriet tubman ran away from twice and frederick douglass ran away from at least once and weve never had a black woman elected statewide said benjamin jealous the former president and chief executive of the naacp who supports ms edwards though he insisted it was for policy reasons not her race
maryland a heavily democratic state is no stranger to rough primary campaigns especially when there is a rare open seat ms mikulski a gruff former social worker from east baltimore ran one herself 30 years ago then a congresswoman she reached the senate by beating a seasoned colleague michael d barnes and a sitting governor harry hughes with the help of a new group emilys list
ms mikulski known on capitol hill as the dean of senate women is staying out of the fight over who should carry on her legacy she calls herself studiously neutral that has not stopped some of her admirers   high powered van hollen backers like jamie s gorelick a former deputy attorney general   from accusing emilys list of wasting its money by going after a rising democratic star with a good record on womens rights
i used to give money to emilys list ms gorelick said i never will again
stephanie schriock the president of emilys list said the group was doing what we have always done leveling the playing field for women who run against better funded men we have an opportunity here to change the face of power in the senate just as we did in 1986 she said
in some ways mr van hollen and ms edwards are mirror images of one another both are 57 years old both are lawyers both represent affluent districts in the suburbs of washington   his largely white hers largely black the race is being fought around the margins over slight differences in policy dueling endorsements and sharp contrasts in personal style
on the campaign trail there have been nasty ads insults and slights filtered through the delicate prism of gender and race when the maryland senate president thomas v mike miller jr who is white called mr van hollen a leader who has been born to the job a reference an aide said to his years in the maryland legislature and childhood growing up overseas it sounded to the congresswoman like talk from the old boys network
maybe the first generation to go to college whose parents lived the american dream ms edwards said referring to herself maybe that person is appropriate for the job still ms edwards has been disappointed that only four of 46 members of the congressional black caucus have publicly endorsed her though aides say 18 have donated to her campaign
with mr van hollen expected to win his district and ms edwards expected to win hers baltimore is a central battleground earlier this month the congressman in blue blazer and open collar shirt was in a poor neighborhood walking through a fruit and vegetable market trailed by a coterie of black women   members of a health care workers union that supports him
rena kenely 59 a volunteer at a community center that helps the poor had stopped in for coffee that day she said that she had never met mr van hollen but that she knew of him and liked his policies on education
people think we vote by color but we dont ms kenely said
yet as ms edwards was shaking hands outside the early voting center it was clear that for some african american women it is an agonizing choice sharon green middleton a member of the baltimore city council was there she knows ms mikulski well likes and respects mr van hollen and is struggling but leaning toward ms edwards
this is 2016 ms middleton finally said african american women need a voice


news of princes death stirred emotional responses across social media yesterday and many new york times readers took the chance to share reflections on his artistry personality and style you told us how his music provided a soundtrack for your lives and how his individuality influenced the way you see yourselves and the world
the comments below gathered since princes death have been edited for length and clarity
 read our obituary of prince 
purple rain was the first tape my immigrant parents bought for me new to the english language neither they nor i knew that it was wholly inappropriate music for an 8 year old but the music was that good   you didnt need to understand the words its still one of my all time favorite albums
 linh grand rapids mich
adore is the most beautiful love song ever written its soulful tender epic sweet towering gorgeous some of my lifes sweetest moments were spent slow dragging to this song with an amazing partner who knows what im talking about
 emily whetsel oak ridge tenn
prince played for 3 hours during his shows he still cried when the audience sang the end of purple rain to him he gave you all of him every time
 yolanda forrest detroit
ive only seen him perform once   it was a surprise concert during the montreal jazz festival in 2011 ill always remember what he said that night who here has to work on monday the crowd shouted in unison tell them youre not coming in till tuesday cause thats how many hits i got he played on for four hours
 tu tram pham montreal
i saw prince perform live earlier this year in melbourne australia the night i saw him he had just found out that his ex girlfriend vanity had passed away he bravely continued with his show and had us in awe with his stage presence he was a diminutive performer with charisma that could fill 10 stadiums
 carolyn burge melbourne australia
it was princes early sound that got me as a black woman to play rock guitar not only was his music the soundtrack of my early adulthood but it also gave me inspiration to be whomever i wanted without worrying about opinions to be creative in spite of the naysayers he was the first person i really felt personified the attitude of do you and it was liberating
 peggy goodwin new york city area
prince burst in to my white flight chicago suburban mtv world androgynous and oozing sex he made me want to run away to minneapolis even though the place he created there does not exist yet it exists everywhere flawed human and in constant struggle prince birthed a world that does not see color or income or barriers a struggle that works hard and plays even harder
 mary sharon washington dc
he was the musical embodiment of sex a bad boy with a dual goodbad message the music transcended age color creed and language
 jim floyd new york city
princes music communicated openness across races gender and genres a genius lyricist composer and arranger he was provocative but not for provokings sake his music was sexy and smart and made me feel sexy and smart
 adrienne lane cape town
princes music to me defined more than just a generation his music touched on the lives of many people who felt like they flew just under the radar of society who were just funky enough to feel the soul underlying the commonality we share and who had the guts enough to enjoy life by singing and dancing with joy and a bit of flamboyance
 kathy custren altoona penn
princes music opened my mind to the power of nonconformity it made me dance it made me think it seduced and entertained me to no end its the music of my life and parts of it are woven into the fabric of my being
 shauna brown washington dc
when i was younger i was on holiday in italy with my parents and my dad played me lets go crazy the way i thought about and listened to music changed forever i remember my dad looking at me smiling at my awe it was as if he was giving me that record as words of advice and assurance
 georgie broad southport england
i never grew out of my childhood hero worship of prince the world around me dimmed shining light only on prince when american idol released the fog to his surprise performance i jumped i screamed i teared up the effect was the same when he sat down for an interview with oprah when he played the super bowl halftime when he played on arsenio hall when he dropped by on the view his music his life his magic will not soon be forgotten by me or most
 rene pierce avon ind
many years ago when we were playing music but before oren and i had officially started our band elysian fields we would play in many different clubs around ny sometimes we would play at a club called nells on 14th street one night as we were starting the set prince perfectly coifed and attired walked in along with a small entourage and was seated at the corner booth not far from stage left i dont think i have ever been that nervous his energy was magical i summoned my courage and any gods that would listen to me to not abandon me and went into the musical trance that comes if you are lucky i couldnt look over until the end my hands trembled and my heart leaped to see he was still there   he stayed for the whole show we played for prince and what a thrill it was
 jennifer charles brooklyn
until i moved to minneapolis i didnt know how accessible prince was he was the mysterious dj in the corner he rode his bike down the street and he opened up his paisley park parties to regular people i never got to see him jam there it always seemed like a possibility his last party was last saturday it just seemed like he would be with us for years to come
 chris wogaman minneapolis
for the generation who suffered through the vacuous musical excesses of the 80s prince was our true artist he redeemed the entire decade i feel a little bit older today and more appreciative of the eccentric brilliant genius who luckily came my way as a kid growing up in the pre grunge pre internet era i was glad to have felt your music
 christopher dessert seattle


washington   gov terry mcauliffe of virginia used his executive power on friday to restore voting rights to more than 200000 convicted felons circumventing the republican run legislature the action effectively overturns a civil war era provision in the states constitution aimed he said at disenfranchising african americans
the sweeping order in a swing state that could play a role in deciding the november presidential election will enable all felons who have served their prison time and finished parole or probation to register to vote nearly half are african american a core constituency of democrats mr mcauliffes political party
amid intensifying national attention over harsh sentencing policies that have disproportionately affected african americans governors and legislatures around the nation have been debating   and often fighting over   moves to restore voting rights for convicted felons virginia imposes especially harsh restrictions barring felons from voting for life
in kentucky gov matt bevin a newly elected republican recently overturned an order enacted by his democratic predecessor that was similar to the one mr mcauliffe signed friday in maryland gov larry hogan a republican vetoed a measure to restore voting rights to convicted felons but democrats in the state legislature overrode him in february and an estimated 44000 former prisoners who are on probation can now register to vote
theres no question that weve had a horrible history in voting rights as relates to african americans   we should remedy it mr mcauliffe said in an interview thursday previewing the announcement he made on the steps of virginias capitol just yards from where president abraham lincoln once addressed freed slaves we should do it as soon as we possibly can
republicans in the virginia legislature have resisted measures to expand voting rights for convicted felons and mr mcauliffes action which he said was justified under an expansive legal interpretation of his executive clemency authority provoked an immediate backlash virginia republicans issued a statement friday accusing the governor of political opportunism and a transparent effort to win votes
those who have paid their debts to society should be allowed full participation in society said the statement from the party chairman john whitbeck but there are limits he said mr mcauliffe was wrong to issue a blanket restoration of rights even to those who committed heinous acts of violence
the order includes those convicted of violent crimes including murder and rape there is no way to know how many of the newly eligible voters in virginia will register my message is going to be that i have now done my part mr mcauliffe said
nationally an estimated 585 million americans are denied the right to vote because of felony convictions according to the sentencing project a washington research organizations which says one in five african americans in virginia cannot vote
only two states maine and vermont have no voting restrictions on felons virginia is among four - the others are kentucky florida and iowa - that have the harshest restrictions
fridays shift in virginia is part of a national trend toward restoring voter rights to felons based in part on the hope that it will aid former prisoners re entry into society over the last two decades about 20 states have acted to ease their restrictions according to the brennan center for justice at new york university
in kentucky mr bevin who took office in november promptly overturned an executive order issued by his predecessor steven l beshear just before he left office then last week mr bevin signed into law a less expansive measure allowing felons to petition judges to vacate their convictions which would enable them to vote
previous governors in florida and iowa took executive action to ease their lifetime bans but in each case a subsequent governor restored the tough rules
marc mauer executive director of the sentencing project said mr mcauliffes decision would have lasting consequences because it will remain in effect at least until january 2018 when the governor leaves office
this will be the single most significant action on disenfranchisement that weve ever seen from a governor mr mauer said and its noteworthy that its coming in the middle of this term not the day before he leaves office so there may be some political heat but clearly hes willing to take that on which is quite admirable
myrna perez director of a voting rights project at the brennan center said mr mcauliffes move was particularly important because virginia has had such restrictive laws on voting by felons still she saidcompared to the rest of the country this is a very middle of the road policy
ms perez said a number of states already had less restrictive policies than the one announced by mr mcauliffe fourteen states allow felons to vote after their prison terms are completed even while they remain on parole or probation
advocates who have been working with the virginia governor say they are planning to fan out into richmond communities friday to start registering people
experts say with the stroke of his pen mr mcauliffe has allowed convicted felons to begin registering to vote and that their voting rights cannot be revoked   even if a new governor rescinds the order for future released prisoners
but the move led to accusations that the governor was playing politics he is a longtime friend of   and fund raiser for   hillary clinton the likely democratic nominee for president and former president bill clinton
in the interview mr mcauliffe said that he was not acting for political reasons and that few people outside his immediate staff knew of his plan he said he did not consult with mrs clinton or her campaign before making the decision
the executive order builds on steps the governor had already taken to restore voting rights to 18000 virginians since the beginning of his term and he said he believed his authority to issue the decision was ironclad
prof a e dick howard of the university of virginia school of law the principal draftsman of a revised constitution adopted by virginia in 1971 agreed and said the governor had ample authority but professor howard who advised mr mcauliffe on the issue said the move might well be challenged in court the most likely argument he said is that the governor cannot restore voting rights to an entire class of people all at once
virginias constitution has prohibited felons from voting since the civil war the restrictions were expanded in 1902 as part of a package that included poll taxes and literacy tests
in researching the provisions advisers to the governor turned up a 1906 report that quoted carter glass a virginia state senator as saying they would eliminate the darkey as a political factor in this state in less than five years so that in no single county of the commonwealth will there be the least concern felt for the complete supremacy of the white race in the affairs of government
mr mcauliffe who took office in 2014 and campaigned to restore voting rights to felons said that he viewed disenfranchisement as a remnant of the poll tax and that he had been trying to figure out what more i can possibly do
the governors action friday will not apply to felons released in the future his aides say mr mcauliffe intends to issue similar orders on a monthly basis to cover people as they are released
people have served their time and done their probation mr mcauliffe said i want you back in society i want you feeling good about yourself i want you voting getting a job paying taxes


lausanne switzerland   the olympic rings decorate everything here from the train station to the police uniforms flaunting this citys identity as the capital of international sports
for more than a century lausanne has been home to the international olympic committee inspiring dozens of organizations overseeing sports as different as baseball and taekwondo to put down roots too
their world has been largely independent   lightly taxed exempt from swiss anticorruption laws and boasting its own arbitration court based in a chateau here it also generates serious money sports organizations bring more than a billion dollars to switzerland annually according to a six year study published in 2015
but city and state level government officials see room for growth in spite of the corruption scandal surrounding fifa soccers switzerland based governing body which has inspired federal lawmakers to impose stricter regulations that will take effect this summer
lausanne and the swiss canton or state of vaud are actively recruiting federations to move here   offering to pay their rent for two years to help employees house hunt and to coordinate visa applications   having committed to filling a new office building by 2018
were the silicon valley of sports said sabrina attias delegate for international sport for the city of lausanne for a long time we didnt have to do anything to attract them then we realized the opportunities and decided to be proactive
ten years ago the city together with the state and the ioc built an office complex called the maison du sport international a sort of corporate olympic village that houses dozens of governing bodies   archery boxing and weight lifting share a building   as well as other important organizations like the world anti doping agency
the venture has been so successful with a waiting list for office space that a four story fourth building is under construction with two years until it opens the government has promised developers that it will fill 80 percent of the new offices causing city workers like ms attias to hustle to woo more tenants
its a risk but were going to succeed she said pointing proudly to the complexs amenities colorful common areas evoking googles headquarters a gym and adjacent soccer fields and tennis courts and a carnotzet or traditional swiss french wine cellar with the air of a speakeasy
officials are confident that a new law criminalizing bribery and corruption in sports federations which were previously immune from investigation unless they requested it will not dull the appeal of switzerland once it takes effect in july
beyond the magnetism of the ioc sports organizations have long been attracted to switzerland for its political neutrality geographic centrality favorable tax structure and friendliness to private arbitration said lucien w valloni a sports lawyer in zurich
but lausanne and the canton government have sweetened the pot with more incentives yet any federation that relocates to the city as a tenant in the maison du sport or elsewhere receives two years of free rent permanent exemption from taxes and help from ms attias and her team with tasks like finding places for employees to live and securing permits to work in switzerland
those lures have attracted an array of newcomers over the years as the government has ramped up its recruitment and some sports have sought to improve their standing with the ioc the international hockey federation uprooted itself from brussels the judo federation from dublin the sambo federation from moscow last year the world bowling federation moved its headquarters from arlington tex
some organizations have followed the path of the sailing federation which in 2014 opened an office in lausanne while maintaining its headquarters in southampton england others like the international basketball federation moved to the region from other parts of switzerland
lausanne now a city of roughly 140000 people has seen its population grow along the way by about 10 percent in the last decade
a good 75 percent of all olympic sports dna is in lausanne said claude stricker chief executive of the international academy of sports science and technology in lausanne and author of a 2015 economic impact study on sports organizations in switzerland were lucky
more than a dozen other federations including cash flush fifa have their headquarters elsewhere in the country making for roughly 65 sports organizations in switzerland
the organizations are particularly beneficial to the swiss economy mr stricker said because they make the vast majority of their revenue outside switzerland while spending a significant amount within the country and inspiring further spending for every swiss franc a sports organization spends in switzerland mr strickers study found the local economy sees an impact of 155 francs
but recognizing that the number of federations to recruit is not limitless the swiss have also set their sights on regional associations   european sports confederations for instance   and other sports associations or businesses like the international world games association which opened an office last year
even after successfully attracting organizations to the region the government is increasingly focused on making sure they stay ms attias invoked a roster of events seminars ballet outings ski trips in the alps and an annual dinner for top sports federation officials and swiss government officials including the countrys president to socialize
roland rino buchel a member of the swiss parliament who spearheaded the recent legislation in switzerland called such coziness dangerous can you imagine if the same police raid that happened at fifa happened at the ioc he said a policeman with the ioc logo on his sleeve has to search the ioc
mr buchel said that before the new law passed he feared that sports organizations could damage the reputation of switzerland people think of fifa on the same level as the banks he said but come july this nice life will be over for federations
since last year the swiss authorities have heightened their scrutiny of nonprofit sports associations the office of switzerlands attorney general which had never previously investigated fifa opened criminal inquiries into the organizations top leaders after the united states announced a related case
switzerland has also newly classified sports officials as so called politically exposed persons recognizing them as prominent public figures at greater risk for bribery and corruption that new standing subjects sports officials and their friends and relatives to financial scrutiny and corruption investigations
even in the face of such new measures mr valloni the swiss lawyer said he thought it impossible for sports associations to operate so flexibly elsewhere swiss law is very very liberal he said theres no other place that would be so favorable
if such a place did exist mr buchel said good luck to the country that says to the sports federations leave switzerland because you cant be corrupt there anymore 


geneva   the united nations human rights chief urged thailands military rulers on friday to curtail dangerously sweeping powers that are set to be enshrined under a draft constitution he also criticized an escalating crackdown on public debate there including the arrest of critics
the united nations high commissioner for human rights zeid raad al hussein noted in a statement that in addition to the broad powers proposed in the draft constitution a series of orders announced on march 30 allow thai officers to conduct searches seize assets and detain suspects without warrants or judicial oversight he called for the thai military to as a matter of priority suspend the application of these dangerously sweeping laws and orders that have bestowed more powers on the military
mr al husseins statement released in advance of a referendum on the draft constitution scheduled for aug 7 joined mounting international concern that thailand once seen as a bastion of democracy in southeast asia is sliding toward an increasingly authoritarian government under the military junta that seized power in may 2014
army leaders said they had to intervene to end growing violence between rival political parties and to restore stability the draft charter unveiled at the end of march has drawn criticism from major thai political parties for extending and entrenching the role of the military in politics
the proposed constitution provides for the military to appoint members of a senate who would in turn choose the prime minister it also legalizes and prolongs search and seizure powers announced last month
rights groups say the draft charter falls well short of the militarys promise to restore a democratic government and they express concern that the military is instead tightening its grip at a time when king bhumibol adulyadejs poor health has deepened uncertainty over the countrys political future
extending the militarys powers is not the answer to rebuilding thailands political landscape mr al hussein said thailand has competent civilian institutions and should be looking to strengthen the rule of law and good governance not undermine it
he expressed concern that a crackdown on critics would intensify noting that a former government minister watana muangsook was arrested on monday for posting criticism of the proposed constitution on social media although the minister was released on thursday five members of a group that had staged a protest calling for his release were also briefly detained
at least 85 people have been summoned detained or sent to a camp for attitude adjustment since the start of the year ravina shamdasani a spokeswoman for the high commissioner said at a news briefing in geneva although many were released after hours or days she said the authorities actions have had a chilling effect on debate
thais had been told in no uncertain terms that any criticism of this constitution will not be tolerated ms shamdasani said this is not the way to adopt a new constitution


paris   najim laachraoui one of the two suicide bombers who attacked brussels airport last month has been identified by former islamic state hostages as one of their captors in syria a lawyer for several of the hostages said on friday
marie laure ingouf a lawyer for nicolas henin and pierre torres two of the four french journalists who were first detained in 2013 by the islamic state in syria said that the former hostages had identified one of their captors as mr laachraoui who used the name abu idris at the time
in the latest issue of the islamic states online magazine dabiq mr laachraoui was identified by the nom de guerre abu idris al baljiki
mr henin mr torres and two other french journalists didier francois and edouard elias were freed in april 2014 after 10 months of captivity in syria
ms ingouf declined to say whether the former hostages recognized mr laachraoui in photographs that were published after the attacks in brussels on march 22 that left 32 civilians dead and 340 wounded
mr laachraoui was one of the two suicide bombers at brussels airport a third detonated explosives at the maelbeek subway station later that same morning seven others believed to be involved in the attacks are in custody
investigators believe that mr laachraoui a 24 year old engineering student who dropped out of college manufactured explosives used not just in the brussels bombings but also in the november attacks in the paris area which left 130 dead
mr henin had previously revealed that one of their most brutal and sadistic captors was mehdi nemmouche a frenchman with links to the islamic state who had killed four people at the jewish museum in brussels


frankfurt   volkswagen reported a record loss for 2015 on friday as it set aside more than 18 billion to cover the cost of fines legal claims and recalls in the united states and other countries related to diesel emissions cheating
the figures show that the scandal will cost the company more than it previously acknowledged but the sum was also less than some estimates for the cost of the united states settlement which ranged as high as 30 billion
volkswagen said it lost 55 billion euros or more than 62 billion last year compared with a profit of EUR25 billion in 2014
the company increased the amount of money it was setting aside for the scandal to EUR162 billion that was up from EUR67 billion previously
the crisis is having a huge impact on volkswagens financial position matthias muller the chief executive said in a statement the company warned that sales this year could fall 5 percent from EUR213 billion in 2015 because of declining global demand for cars and the emissions scandal
there were also indications on friday that controversy about diesel engines was spreading to other carmakers
the german transport ministry said it was ordering the recall of 630000 diesel cars because they were programmed to turn down emissions controls in cold weather however the ministry said that except for volkswagen none of the companies had illegal software designed to produce artificially low emissions under test conditions the brands whose vehicles are subject to recall include mercedes benz general motors opel unit volkswagen audi and porsche
daimler the maker of mercedes vehicles disclosed early friday that it was under investigation by the united states justice department in connection with emissions testing on thursday french authorities investigating potential auto emissions anomalies gathered documents from the offices of the psa group the parent of peugeot and citroen psa said it was cooperating with the investigation
volkswagen after a meeting on friday of its supervisory board in wolfsburg germany where the company has its headquarters also said it would delay the publication of a widely anticipated internal investigation of how the diesel cheating came about instead of releasing the information in april as promised the company will wait at least until it works out a settlement with the justice department
volkswagen said it was acting on the advice of its lawyers a disclosure would significantly impair volkswagens cooperation with the department of justice and weaken volkswagens position in any remaining proceedings the company said in a statement
volkswagen has admitted that its employees programmed 11 million cars so that pollution controls operated at full capacity only when the vehicles were being tested but seven months after the illegal emissions manipulation came to light the company has not clarified who was responsible for the wrongdoing and whether top managers were involved
the law firm jones day has been poring through documents and computer files and interviewing employees but it has not issued its conclusions the law firm declined to comment
volkswagens financial disclosure on friday in a preliminary earnings report came a day after the company agreed on the outlines of a plan to settle some legal claims in the united states which would include giving owners of about 500000 affected vehicles the option of selling the cars back to the company or having them repaired
volkswagen is still negotiating the size of the fines it will pay to the united states government for violations of clean air laws as well as how much additional compensation it will provide to owners the money set aside by the company on friday provides an indication of what volkswagen expects the total global costs of the scandal to be although the figure could rise further
volkswagen had delayed reporting its annual earnings because of uncertainty about the size of the financial damage
the wrongdoing by volkswagen has also led to increased scrutiny of other carmakers
the recall announced on friday in berlin is one result of an investigation carried out by the german transportation ministry after american authorities found volkswagen to be cheating on emissions tests in the united states
alexander dobrindt germanys minister of transport said friday that the investigation did not reveal any vehicles equipped with illegal software other than some of the volkswagens in the group that were already known to have the ability to cheat on emissions tests
scaling back the emissions controls was allowed under certain conditions he said to protect for example the motor from damage but investigators were not convinced the switches in the cars being recalled met the legal requirements to be permissible mr dobrindt said the automakers will be required to improve the emissions performance of the vehicles
automakers have an incentive to avoid running the emissions equipment at full power to minimize wear or to minimize consumption of the urea solution used in some models to neutralize nitrogen oxides
daimler based in stuttgart disclosed early friday that it was conducting an internal investigation at the request of the united states justice department into the procedures it uses to certify exhaust emissions
jorg howe a spokesman for daimler said the company was cooperating with american authorities but declined to comment further
the potential for daimlers mercedes unit to become embroiled in a scandal of the same scope as volkswagen is probably limited because it sells relatively few diesel vehicles in the united states
cars with diesel engines accounted for less than 3 percent of the 340000 passenger vehicles that mercedes sold in the united states last year
volkswagen though promoted so called clean diesel heavily in an attempt to win environmentally conscious buyers vehicles with diesel engines accounted for more than 23 percent of the volkswagen brand cars sold in the united states in august 2015 a month before the emissions cheating came to light
until last year the biggest annual loss reported by volkswagen was 19 billion deutsche marks in 1993 or about 12 billion at the time a sales crisis caused by a recession in europe paved the way for ferdinand piech to become chief executive of volkswagen which was founded by his grandfather ferdinand porsche
mr piech who was chairman of the volkswagen supervisory board until last year revived the company and helped make it the dominant carmaker in europe but he has also been accused of creating a climate of fear that prevented subordinates from openly discussing problems which may have led them to cheat on emissions


london   president obama on friday bluntly urged britain to vote to remain inside the european union in a referendum scheduled for june 23 and warned that a britain outside the bloc could not count on maintaining its current economic relationship with the united states
taking an unusually direct position on another countrys internal politics mr obama asserted that britains membership in the bloc did not limit british influence but magnifies it
speaking alongside prime minister david cameron at a news conference he also directly addressed the potential consequences of a vote by britain to leave the president said that to do so would send britain to the back of the queue for a trade deal with the united states challenging those who have argued that britain could quickly replicate the same favorable terms it enjoys as a european union member
mr cameron is leading the campaign to remain part of europe but the issue has deeply divided his conservative party and polls suggest that the outcome could be close making the forcefulness of mr obamas statements especially striking
mr obama was stating his view of american national interests while also clearly trying to support mr cameron but the arguments here are fierce and increasingly bitter and mr obama was attacked as a hypocrite and worse by those who favor a british exit or brexit
mr obama defended the right of a close friend to give an opinion on a matter of mutual interest part of being friends is being honest and speaking honestly the outcome of that referendum is a matter of deep interest to the united states because it affects our interests as well he said
mr obama sidestepped a question on whether the special relationship between washington and london would be damaged if britain voted to leave the european union
nor did mr obama comment on a suggestion by mayor boris johnson of london a leader of the campaign to leave the bloc that the president was unfriendly to britain because of his ancestry mr johnson a conservative suggested on friday that mr obama removed a bust of winston churchill from the oval office because it was a symbol of the part kenyan presidents ancestral dislike of the british empire of which churchill had been such a fervent defender
mr obama said he saw another bust of churchill every day in the white house residence
i love the guy he said but as the first african american president he said he thought it appropriate to have a bust of the rev dr martin luther king jr in the oval office
mr cameron for his part smiled thinly and said that questions for boris are questions for boris and not questions for me
the prime minister praised mr obama for his friendship and sage advice and said that britain was made stronger through its continued membership in the european union and that the stronger we are the stronger that special relationship with the united states will be mr cameron noted that it was hard to find any country that wishes britain well that wants us to leave the eu and that britons should listen to their friends and then vote as they choose
strong historical emotional cultural and security ties with britain would continue no matter the vote mr obama said but the united states he said was convinced that britain made a shaky europe stronger and more stable by its membership and that the bloc enhances britains influence and power and economy
he argued that the united states accepted constraints on its sovereignty too in multilateral institutions like nato the united nations security council the group of 7 and group of 20 and did so for the common good which also was in americas interests
earlier on friday mr obama and his wife michelle traveled by helicopter to windsor castle for lunch with queen elizabeth ii who turned 90 on thursday and her husband prince philip 94
the obamas also had a private dinner friday night with prince william and his wife kate the duke and duchess of cambridge and prince harry at kensington palace in london
mr obamas comments at the news conference underlined his argument made in an op ed piece published on friday in the daily telegraph that britain is stronger and more influential inside the european union
the presidents decision to wade into the issue during his two day visit prompted objections from many supporters of the campaign to leave the european union nigel farage leader of the uk independence party said that mr obama should butt out
one of the most polarizing responses came from mr johnson who was born in manhattan and retains his american passport as a dual citizen mr johnson who is also a member of parliament and has ambitions to replace mr cameron as prime minister has argued that the united states is a traditional nation state that would never transfer some of its sovereignty to any european union like organization
for the united states to tell us in the uk that we must surrender control of so much of our democracy   it is a breathtaking example of the principle of do as i say but not as i do mr johnson wrote in the sun a newspaper that is influential among working class voters
it is incoherent it is inconsistent and yes it is downright hypocritical mr johnson said
on twitter nicholas soames a conservative member of parliament and a grandson of churchill condemned mr johnsons essay calling it an appalling article that is totally wrong on almost everything it was inconceivable mr soames said that his grandfather would not have welcomed the presidents views on britains role in europe
a former leader of the liberal democrats menzies campbell said that many people will find boris johnsons loaded attack on president obamas sincerity deeply offensive and diane abbott a labour party lawmaker said that boris dismissing president obama as half kenyan reflects the worst tea party rhetoric
american officials suggested that there was an internal debate about the wisdom of the straightforward opinion editorial mr obama wrote in the telegraph but decided that it was better to be upfront about the presidents views as he arrived in britain and not pretend to be coy
mr cameron clearly favored a strong message from the american president whose position is shared by the leaders of britains main european allies france and germany
britain and france are the two strongest military powers in europe and britain is the second largest economy in the european union and fifth largest in the world
the economic risks of britains exit from the union are important to british voters but so are immigration and the inability of britain to limit the number of european union citizens who want to live and work here while studies show that the immigrants contribute considerably more to the british budget in taxes than they receive in benefits there are worries that the immigrants are taking jobs away from britons
these arguments are likely to be more important than those about britains standing in the world or the countrys relationship with the united states


a rebound in the price of oil and natural gas helped drive sharp gains for energy and financial companies nudging stocks mostly higher friday
the increase offset a slide in the technology sector after disappointing earnings from microsoft and alphabet the parent of google
the dow jones industrial average managed a tiny gain and the standard  poors 500 stock index closed essentially flat both ended the week higher but the tech heavy nasdaq composite fell short on both counts
the nasdaq took a hit today said erik davidson chief investment officer at wells fargo private bank
the dow rose 2123 points or 01 percent to 1800375 the sp 500 index added 010 points to 2091 the nasdaq composite index lost 3966 points or 08 percent to 490623
trading was listless for much of the day with the dow and sp 500 wavering between small gains and losses as the nasdaq stayed in the red
as was the case much of the week investors were mostly focused on company earnings and energy prices the latter helped lift several oil and gas companies
southwestern energy notched the biggest gain in the sp 500 the stock surged 160 or 15 percent to 1227 range resources shares rose 258 or about 7 percent to 3975 while stock in chesapeake energy climbed 36 cents or 58 percent to 655
investors cheered earnings from norfolk southern whose shares rose 105 percent after the railroad operator slashed costs during its latest quarter the stock gained 870 on friday to 9133
quarterly results from several big name companies failed to impress traders however stock in the american airlines group fell 45 percent after the company said labor costs and weaker fares cut into its revenue in the first quarter its shares shed 180 to 3821
microsoft shares fell 72 percent making it the biggest decliner in the sp 500 the stock lost 4 to 5178 while alphabet shares slid 4037 or 53 percent to 71877 over all the technology sector was off about 2 percent
investors sold shares in starbucks after the coffee chain reported disappointing sales growth for the first three months of the year the stock lost 296 or about 5 percent to 5768
despite the declines investors seemed to conclude that the issues driving lackluster results at alphabet and microsoft were largely confined to those companies mr davidson said
the broader market doing better he said energy has to be part of that
bond prices fell the yield on the 10 year treasury note rose to 189 percent from 187 on thursday
major stock indexes in europe ended lower germanys dax fell 06 percent while frances cac 40 slipped 03 percent britains ftse 100 declined 11 percent
in asia the hang seng index in hong kong fell 07 percent the nikkei 225 in tokyo rose 12 percent the kospi in seoul slid 03 percent and the sp asx 200 in sydney lost 07 percent
benchmark united states crude oil rose 55 cents or 13 percent to settle at 4373 a barrel in new york brent crude used to price international oils gained 58 cents or 13 percent to settle at 4511 a barrel in london
natural gas gained 7 cents or 35 percent to close at 214 per 1000 cubic feet
in other energy futures trading wholesale gasoline added about a penny to 153 a gallon and heating oil also rose a penny to close at 131 a gallon
precious and industrial metals futures were mixed gold fell 2030 or 16 percent to 1230 an ounce silver slid 19 cents or 11 percent to 1690 an ounce and copper rose about a penny to 226 a pound
in currency markets the dollar gained to 11167 yen from 10953 yen on thursday the euro fell to 11245 from 11295


if you thought spelling scherenschnitte was a challenge wait until you watch this years scripps national spelling bee
scherenschnitte which means scissor cuts in german was one of the words to be spelled correctly in the final rounds of last years contest which ended in a tie with two co champions
but after two years in which the competition ended in a tie the organizers are making it more difficult for competitors in this years contest which takes place from may 22 to may 27
harder words and longer rounds will be introduced to raise the bar even higher in recognition of the competitors advanced skill the organization said on its website
no longer will the contest be limited to a list of 25 championship words the final rounds could have as many as 75 words with judges allowed to select harder ones if it appears the contestants are breezing through the words given to them the associated press reported
as difficult as those words offered those co champions were we had a more difficult section in our word list but we couldnt go to them because our rules bound us to stick to that 25 word championship word section paige kimble the bees executive director told the ap
vanya shivashankar 14 of olathe kan who was one of the co champions last year said the competition would be interesting to watch with the revised rules gokul venkatachalam of missouri was the other co champion
vanya who competed in the national bee five times said she had definitely seen the competition improve from one year to the next i want to see how that works out she said in an interview on thursday night viewers at home will love to see a show they want to see spellers spelling hard words
the bee televised in prime time by espn has exploded in popularity over the last two decades
vanya said it was difficult to predict whether the new rules might make the final rounds shorter
you never know she said the spelling bee is really unpredictable it takes hard work and a bit of luck it does create a level of suspense who will keep their endurance and keep fighting
also changing are the awards for the winners the first place cash prize is rising to 40000 from 30000 while the second place winner will now get 30000 and the third place one 20000 if there are co champions again each will get 40000
vanya who is now a high school freshman and no longer eligible to compete in the bee said jokingly that it would be great if the higher cash prize could be awarded retroactively


municipal bond issuers have been in the news in recent years for all the wrong reasons starting with places like jefferson county ala and stockton calif defaulting on their municipal bonds then detroit filed for bankruptcy with 18 billion in debt on its books
and theres puerto rico which is struggling to make its bond payments   or decide which of its 72 billion in municipal bonds to default on
still money has continued to flow into municipal bonds a market dominated by individual investors there have been 27 straight weeks of inflows into municipal bond funds according to dan heckman senior fixed income strategist with us bank wealth management
the main reason for municipal bonds continued strength is that the interest paid on municipal bonds is free of federal and state taxes which can exceed 50 percent for top earners in states like new york and california those savings give the bonds a substantial advantage over treasury bonds with similar yields and even higher yielding corporate bonds
still selecting municipal bonds is not as simple as it was before the spate of defaults changed what was generally a stodgy asset class
the municipal bond market has transformed from what used to be a rates market like treasuries to a true credit market like the corporate world said john bonnell a portfolio manager at usaa
it used to be a given that if the issuers had the ability to pay their debt they would he said now its their willingness to pay thats become more of a focus some of these issuers end up with budget situations where they have to pick and choose whos going to get paid what
before the financial crisis of 2008 and several high profile defaults municipal bond investors relied more on the rating of the bonds something that an issuer could improve by buying insurance on them
what mattered was underlying credit quality and the issuer but it got obscured for a long time by municipal bond insurance said john bussel chief investment officer of hewins financial advisors which manages 4 billion for wealthy investors
shakier issuers would buy municipal bond insurance to get them a aaa rating mr bussel said when people were buying muni bonds from a broker he would say theyre aaa insured
when the crisis came the solvency of municipal bond insurers was tested since they had also branched out into insuring the bonds created out of mortgages while about 55 percent of municipal bonds had insurance in 2008 that number is around 6 percent today and the number of insurers has dwindled to three from seven
mr bonnell at usaa said he would rather have no bond insurance because were doing the work adding id prefer the issuers didnt pay for the insurance and id have the extra yield
at the moment shorter duration municipal bonds are more in favor than longer duration bonds even when they pay a quarter of what the longer ones do because interest rates are expected to rise and the shorter term all but guarantees investors will be paid back
six months to one year munis have become a bigger part of the market said kimberly foss founder of empyrion wealth management today its about high quality municipalities that will be able to pay the duration of the bond and give people the income they need whats left in their pocket after taxes is the most important thing for them
with longer duration municipal bonds the concern is that an increase in interest rates will erode the value of the investment
the biggest risk is with long bonds said todd m morgan chairman of bel air investment advisors which manages 3 billion in municipal bonds interest rates are unpredictable they go up 100 basis points or 1 percentage point and you could lose 20 to 30 percent of your investment
as to determining which municipalities will not be able to make their payments for longer dated bonds investors can look to the recent past for a lesson   few of the problems cropped up overnight
you may get into fiscal difficulties like a detroit or a puerto rico but those things had a long tail and were running out mr heckman of us bank said it shouldnt have come as any surprise that detroit ran into financial problems
mr bonnell said that investors also needed to bear in mind political changes in the municipalities themselves
when it comes to the willingness to pay part the officials you bought that bond from might be totally different 10 years from now he said its hard to predict with a 30 year bond
he added if it looks like things are deteriorating and theyre going to have to prioritize hopefully if youve done your work correctly youll be out of it by then
the long time horizon shows the value of having someone watch the municipalities which is something that bond managers do but is also a role played by municipal bond insurers for individual investors
natalie r cohen the head of municipal research at wells fargo said that even though the remaining insurers are writing policies on a small number of new bonds they play a role in negotiations for existing issues with high powered legal help in distressed situations such as detroit helping to battle for bondholder recoveries
bill fallon chief executive of national public finance guarantee corporation a municipal bond insurer said his firm was doing just that on general obligation bonds from detroit he said the holders of the citys bonds continued to receive interest and principal payments
while these insurers still have a marketing problem from the financial crisis mr fallon said that their coverage continued to be needed by smaller municipalities or those that do not regularly sell municipal bonds
if a large a rated municipality is issuing 300 million institutional buyers will know the issuer and put the resources toward it mr fallon said put that against an iowa school issuance and its for 17 million its unlikely youll have a large institutional manager putting the staff behind it
brenda wenning who manages 22 million in fixed income for 30 clients said that if her clients bought municipal bonds with insurance it was generally for longer dated bonds and for municipalities where they lacked the time or knowledge to do the analysis
buying insured bonds removes having to understand each bonds creditworthiness and allows the client to sleep at night she said
for people buying municipal bonds on the secondary market the more general risk comes from the lack of transparency on what the dealers paid for a bond and what they are selling it for
most of the transactions in the secondary market are conducted through a broker or a discount broker and the individual investor doesnt have the horsepower or tools for price discovery mr heckman said
the municipal securities rulemaking board has started a website called electronic municipal market access to help investors track the buy and sell prices on municipal bonds
but in the end what matters now is understanding the bond issuers more deeply credit analysis is important said mr bussel at hewins financial advisors and its hard to do credit analysis on muni bonds


referees the saying goes do not want to be seen or heard it is not ideal then when referees are so much in focus that they are seen heard talked about pilloried and   in at least one instance   criticized for how they left the stadium after a game before enduring oddly a public discussion about their taste in music
this is the state of things however in englands premier league as leicester city motors toward perhaps the most unlikely championship in high level soccer history the spotlight seems to be as much on the officials as it is on the foxes who are 5 points ahead with four games to play close to clinching a magical turnaround from near relegation in 2015 to title winners this spring
in all likelihood leicester will finish the job but the question of whether the premier league   and the sport as a whole   is doing enough to help referees will linger if nothing else the events of the past week served as the latest call for soccer to integrate video replay as soon as possible
some problems are unavoidable jon moss the referee blistered publicly after sending off leicesters jamie vardy during a game against west ham united last week is a solid enough official but not one of the premier leagues elite unfortunately moss was almost surely working that match because the highest ranked english referees were at a workshop for officials who will be involved in this summers european championships scheduling is always an element of the game of course and even if mark clattenburg or martin atkinson two of englands best were available there is no guarantee they would not have come under fire as moss did nothing can account for an official having a bad day
video however can help avoid some of the situations that led moss into a fire pit several appeals for penalties that were not assessed a second yellow and subsequent red card to vardy for diving sumo style grappling in the penalty area and on set pieces with the sort of hand to hand combat in which the aggressor and the aggrieved are typically indistinguishable and then in the end a penalty shot for leicester these are among the most difficult situations for a referee to handle in real time but with proper restrictions they could be made significantly easier with video assistance
but that is obvious the more important consideration is that the use of video replay would give the officials a far greater base of credibility from the start players coaches and fans would know that the officials have replay backing them up or sometimes correcting them which would lessen the inherent mistrust of officials even if observers do not love a referees style they could at least trust that he has the tape behind him
that is the biggest reason all the top european leagues need to adopt replay sooner rather than later the discussion about mosss weekend was less about his actual decisions   the late penalty was dicey to be sure but the diving call on vardy was seen by many as courageous and correct   and more about what he wrote in his postmatch report when he detailed the over the top conduct by several players in protest of his calls
those reactions which included a vardy tirade that could lead to an additional suspension on top of the automatic one game ban were emblematic of a culture that perpetually treats referees as pinatas not important components of the game
piling on the referee is commonplace some critics shriek for stricter discipline while others shout that red cards ruin the game and that officials need simply to let the players play after the leicester game the criticisms of moss covered the entire referee ragging cliche spectrum the match was too much for him said the former player alan shearer while mark halsey a former referee turned commentator said moss lost the plot peter schmeichel the former goalkeeper and the father of leicester keeper kasper schmeichel simply wondered if moss was on drugs
it was all a bit hysterical as usual yes there may be the odd instance when a referee is given a game that is over his head but it happens far more rarely than angry fans might think a more common problem is that refereeing soccer is hard and having one person make the majority of the decisions over 90 plus minutes without any replay assistance is absurd
rugby which uses video replay demands that its players treat referees with respect a solitary harsh word to a referee can be and often is punished with immediate ejection much of the reason that works is simply the code of the sport part of it though is the presence of the screen it makes sense too in an age of progress technology   in refereeing and almost anything else   equals credibility
skill still matters and the top referees in the top soccer leagues are in many ways celebrities clattenburg certainly knows that as fans have clamored over the disappearance of his bald spot and clucked when he eschewed the typical postgame departure with his colleagues so he could make an ed sheeran concert he was disciplined for breaking protocol on that one yet a good reputation is not enough to make anyone immune
the governing body that oversees soccers rules recently voted to institute testing for video review systems and several national associations are eager to experiment weve raised our hand and waved it loudly that we want to be one of the test leagues the mls commissioner don garber said thursday
more should follow at this point video replay is the only way for the referees to get back to the place where they always want to be the background


in 1993 prince decided that hed had enough his longtime struggles with his record label warner bros had left him wanting to reassert control over his creative life the company might own his music he reasoned but it did not own him so he changed his name to an unpronounceable glyph a highly stylized overlay of the symbols for man and woman
prince as was made clear in that moment existed in a place beyond convention his glyph was sent out on 35 inch floppy disks to media organizations so that they could use it that way no one had an excuse to refer to him with any terms other than his own
prince who was found dead on thursday at 57 understood how technology spread ideas better than almost anyone else in popular music and so he became something of a hacker upending the systems that predated him and fighting mightily to pioneer new ones sometimes he hated technology sometimes he loved it but more than that at his best prince was technology a musician who realized that making music was not his only responsibility that his innovation had to extend to representation distribution transmission and pure system invention
many advances in music and technology over the last three decades   particularly in the realm of distribution   were tried early and often first by prince he released a cd rom in 1994 prince interactive which featured unreleased music and a gamelike adventure at his paisley park studios in 1997 he made the multidisc set crystal ball available for sale online and through an 800 number though there were fulfillment issues later in 2001 he began a monthly online subscription service the npg music club that lasted five years
these experiments were made possible largely because of princes career long emphasis on ownership at the time of his death he reportedly owned the master recordings of all his output with no major label to serve for most of the second half of his career and no constraints on distribution he was free to try new modes of connection
and so he became for much of the last two decades his own vertically integrated corporation he was already capable of that sort of wholeness in the music making   often he was the songwriter the arranger the producer and the musician all in one but he also understood that delivering the music was just as important as making it and not something he felt comfortable entrusting to others
from the mid 1990s to the mid 2000s prince took advantage of the relative seamlessness of the internet to remake how artists could commune with their fans he released music in erratic lumps at unexpected times   a soundcloud approach years before that service existed but like many innovators he moved quickly and unpredictably if he was the first to embrace something he could also be the first to renounce it
in recent years he moved aggressively to remove unauthorized clips of his music and performances from youtube and was a ferocious opponent of bootlegging throughout his career yet it is impossible to understand the totality of the prince catalog without taking the boatloads of unauthorized recordings into account   at concerts hed sometimes dip into material known only to the bootleg faithful a sly acknowledgment of things he couldnt control or perhaps didnt wish to and princes anxiety about ownership extended to interviews   he didnt believe in having his voice recorded even going so far as to conduct some interviews by fax
in 2010 he told an interviewer when asked how he wanted his music distributed the internets completely over what he meant was that online systems   itunes youtube and others   were financially insulting to artists and were beginning to replicate the ways of major labels he held in such low regard on thursday night his albums were available on just one streaming service the oft troubled tidal
and so one of musics most forward thinking technologists became in his final years something of a luddite   except not quite he was in spurts active on twitter and even replied to peoples questions though generally with witty evasion after he signed up for instagram last year his gallery was populated with prince memes the kind that made it clear that even if prince was an internet skeptic he kept a close eye on its evolving language
and most important he understood the value of technological literacy so deeply that he helped promote and financially support yeswecode an organization dedicated to teaching young people from low income communities how to code and to bridging the racial gap in the tech industry
this utopian belief in technologys importance ran through both princes embrace and his dismissal of its tools in many ways princes music and ideas moved faster than technology its quite possible that part of his reason for rejecting the digital options available to him was that they simply werent good enough
in the hours after word of his death spread princeorg an online message board used by prince loyalists to trade stories debate minutiae and post rabidly about their favorite bootlegs crashed   rendered unavailable because of a glut of traffic the site is a remnant of an earlier internet with an ancient design not built for the speed and density of the modern online world its collapse under the pain of fan emotion felt fitting   a cosmic rebuke and a reminder that the future moves faster than the past something prince never forgot


judging from the way the technology industry hypes itself tech has a bright future and always will this week is a different matter
on monday ibm reported a 21 percent profit decline intel came out with lower than expected earnings on tuesday along with word that it would lay off 12000 people that same day yahoo which is trying to sell core parts of itself reported declining revenue and cash flow
then on thursday microsoft said its most recent quarter resulted in slightly lower revenue and sharply lower net income alphabet the parent of google reported increased revenue and profit but still disappointed wall street by earning less than expected googles own transition to selling cloud services has moved slowly
it might seem ok to sneer at the companies that increasingly run much of our lives but a deeper reading of the reports shows an industry in transition and perhaps getting ready to get even bigger
of course each unhappy company is unhappy in its own way and yahoo has a very particular form of sadness for over a decade it has tried to figure out if it was a technology company or a media company succeeding in neither while holding a sizable audience
the others however are each coping with transitions all save google are dealing with a transition to cloud computing and the diminishing importance of personal computers at home and in the office
even ibm counted on its software being consumed in a world where people used pcs now the old services and hardware business are in trouble but it showed progress in selling cloud and artificial intelligence services the company also almost doubled its cash on hand to 14 billion in just one quarter
microsoft has to adjust to selling fewer pc operating systems and making money off its cloud and before thursdays slip saw its shares near a 16 year high it has 105 billion in cash up 9 billion in the last three quarters
google may not have made premium profits on some ads but as a recent report noted google and facebook together get 85 percent of online advertising dollars
wall street appears to be worried that google increased its head count over the last quarter but net income per employee was 65616 in the recent quarter up from 63426 a year ago earlier this week goldman sachs considered pretty good at making money had per employee net earnings of 31095 google also bumped the cash it has on hand by about 2 billion over the quarter to 75 billion
all these cash stockpiles look increasingly like war chests if its tough at the giants in tech its probably harder at some of the hopefuls on wednesday bill gurley a noted venture capitalist posted a long critique of the overvalued start ups   the unicorns with imputed values of 1 billion or more before going public or even making money
if the new hopefuls dont make it and have to sell at big markdowns compared with their once lofty valuations there are a few big tech companies that have gathered the cash to buy them


a huge installation planned to take over 23 wall street the onetime headquarters of jp morgan and co has been canceled after months of struggles with funding
the cost of following through at 23 wall street is too high and time is too short wrote simon birch the primary artist and organizer of the show called the 14th factory in a note to his team and advisory board and our investors have explained given these facts they will not support us this process has taken a toll on me and i need to step back and regroup
a spokeswoman for the project said mr birch was headed to london for medical purposes
the hong kong based artist had initially raised 3 million for the show which was to open on may 16 including 1 million of his own money all art was to be donated and auctioned off after the show with proceeds going to charity
unable to raise additional funds in new york mr birch turned to investors in hong kong and was able to raise an additional 18 million but that apparently was not enough despite a postponement and setting an abbreviated run getting the show in before the summer was an issue since the wall street space which sprawls over 150000 square feet is not air conditioned


london   steinhoff international holdings said on friday that it had increased its stake in its takeover target darty to just over 20 percent as a frantic bidding war heats up between its french unit and groupe fnac for the french electronics and appliance retailer
the announcement came a day after conforama steinhoffs french household goods retail unit and fnac made a series of escalating bids for darty
conforama has so far made the highest bid for darty offering to pay 860 million pounds or 12 billion
on friday conforama said that a steinhoff unit steinhoff finance holdings had acquired a further 481 million shares of darty and now owns about 204 percent of the retailer
fnac said on friday that it was currently considering its position and urged dartys shareholders to take no action fnac said on thursday that it had acquired just over 5 percent of darty
the fight for darty began in march when steinhoff of south africa swooped in and offered to buy the retailer at a price that exceeded the one in a previous merger agreement with fnac in november fnac had offered to pay PS558 million for darty
in march steinhoff abandoned its pursuit of the home retail group as it faced a separate and potentially lengthy battle with j sainsbury one of britains largest grocery store chains
it instead agreed to acquire darty with a cash offer of 125 pence a share or about PS673 million beating fnac at the time in a race to acquire the company
on wednesday conforama said it was sweetening its offer to 138 pence a share after steinhoff finance holdings took a 194 percent stake in darty
the next day conforama and fnac each tried to gain favor over their competitor by publicly announcing a series of escalating offers - four in total - for the company
fnac eventually settled on a price of 153 pence a share on its second offer of the day but was trumped by conforama which said it was willing to pay 160 pence a share or about PS860 million
the frantic bidding sent dartys shares up 23 percent for the day in london trading on thursday
dartys shares were up less than 1 percent in afternoon trading in london on friday
for its part darty said on thursday that its board of directors would carefully consider the offers and provide further advice to darty shareholders in due course
darty operates about 400 stores in france belgium and the netherlands it reported revenue of more than 35 billion euros or about 4 billion in its 2014 15 fiscal year


a 16 year old girl died after a fight with other students in a high school restroom in delaware spurring an outpouring of grief and soul searching on social media on thursday
the victim a 10th grader from new castle del who attended the howard high school of technology in wilmington was in a girls restroom on the main floor about 815 am just as classes began the school said in a statement
a few female students were involved in a physical altercation and the victim was seriously hurt the school said she was taken by helicopter to nemoursalfred i dupont hospital for children where she died no weapons were involved in the fight officials said
on friday the police identified the victim as amy joyner francis and said they were still investigating no additional details about what happened or why were available
kayla wilson a student said she was in a stall in the restroom when the fight began
she was fighting a girl and then thats when all these other girls started banking her   like jumping her   and she hit her head on the sink ms wilson told a philadelphia television station wpvi according to the associated press
city and school officials were visibly shaken at a news conference about the episode
this is a tragic time that we come before you dennis p williams the mayor of wilmington said his voice cracking my heart is broken
after pausing he continued i am so upset that a young lady lost her life today things like this shouldnt happen my heart bleeds for the family the kids who go to this school and the administrators and our city
although the authorities did not initially identify the victim her name and photos were widely disseminated on twitter and facebook where a memorial page was created by late thursday night more than 2700 people had liked it
on twitter a hashtag with rip and the girls first name spread with numerous comments many asking how something like this could happen
councilwoman sherry dorsey walker of wilmington said she had known the victim and her family for some time the associated press reported ms walker said the family was asking the public to be calm and pray for them
students were kept in their classrooms after the fight and classes were dismissed at 1015 am on thursday
this is not only an unspeakable tragedy for her family but also for the school and the entire community the schools statement said
we are shaken but stand ready to provide support and care to the family to howard students and staff and to all of those affected by this senseless act we ask that you do the same


detroit   many residents of high cost areas entertain the dream at least occasionally give up the rent or mortgage grind liquidate assets and start over someplace cheaper perhaps one that could use a few spirited new residents
amy haimerl and her husband karl kaebnick fell hard for detroit and thought they could make their own dream of financial freedom come true when they moved here in 2013 but this is what happened they put more than 400000 including all of their retirement savings into a 3000 square foot 102 year old home in the citys west village neighborhood that was most recently appraised at just 300000
they claim however to be 100 percent satisfied and genuinely happy which raises a question are they insane
ms haimerls book about their migration and renovation adventure detroit hustle will be out on may 3 its a love song sung to a house and a city but its also a money memoir one marked by ignorance at the outset and a triumph of feelings over financial facts it does not end in ruin but it does end in debt
so lets start with those facts ms haimerl who is 40 and mr kaebnick 44 had about 10000 in liquid assets when they decided to move they settled on a house on a block where only two homes were boarded up
they bought the smaller one a wreck with no wires or radiators or doors or pipes for 35000 liquidating ms haimerls retirement account to close without a mortgage there is essentially nothing left inside the walls she writes in her book what we have is a pile of bricks with character
for the renovation they were counting on the 110000 that would be left from mr kaebnicks accounts the previous owners had figured it would take 150000 or so to make it habitable what could go wrong
well the couple was missing two crucial bits of knowledge one about the detroit market and the other about themselves
first they realized only after they had bought the house that there were no construction loans available that was because there wasnt any evidence that after renovation homes like theirs would be worth more than what it would cost to fix them so whatever work the couple wanted to do they would have to pay for it themselves then they could try to get a mortgage after the work was done and take out cash to repay any other debts they incurred along the way
and it turned out that there were a lot of those debts in part because the couple misjudged the amount of work they would need and want to do they started by looking at options for doing just 100000 of work but that might have forced them to move in without any water the only contractor who made them feel comfortable figured it would take 300000
he went to work and they ended up spending 400000 total not including the purchase price youve heard versions of this story before but the specifics here involved a balcony from a crumbling church that made incredible wainscoting but begged for matching custom woodwork and installation that eventually cost 65000
so they borrowed 75000 from ms haimerls father and 40000 from her grandparents and aunt mr kaebnicks family chipped in with kitchen appliances in lieu of a wedding or a gift and the rest came from a 25000 lending club loan 50000 in usaa personal loans and some credit card debt
the result is by no means extravagant though it is a lot of space for two people with no designs on having children the interior trim is bare and the house still needs paint in many rooms its missing a porch and the garage out back is crumbling
on paper ms haimerl is about the last person you would expect to go all in like this she grew up poor and lost a house to a foreclosure in denver several years ago when a previous relationship disintegrated she has even worked as a personal finance editor
the money scold in me believes she should have known better but she believes she knows plenty as a contractors daughter i grew up with men who want to do it right she said you dont skimp on work now because you pay for it later so they shored up the roof and rebuilt the rear of the structure
then there is her take on retirement her father had 75000 to lend to her because he had been forced to liquidate a once thriving business that he built after the familys earlier lean years i never grew up with any idea that there would be retirement she said you were trying not to go to a payday lender my dads retirement was supposed to be the business
ms haimerl is a writer and mr kaebnick is a computer programmer and perhaps they can work well into their 70s or 80s in the meantime their net worth is negative they did get a mortgage after the work was done and the appraiser assigned the 300000 value to their home a triumph in their neighborhood at the time
they pulled most of that money out in a mortgage to repay many of their other debts and write a giant check to their contractor calvin garfield they still owe him about 80000 but aspiring detroit residents should not expect loose terms if they come to town
im confident other contractors would not have made the same call mr garfield said but i do think everyone we have done business with has become a friend and in that mix of things this seemed to be the right thing to do
the couple desperately wants to repay him and because their income is just over 100000 they expect to do so sooner rather than later ms haimerl freelances and they have an airbnb side business going using some of that 3000 square feet for just 65 a night aspiring detroit residents can soak up plenty of sober minded advice and bear witness to the kind of house that a lot of money and worry can buy
but how best to explain away their lack of retirement savings plenty of people who sank their life savings into real estate in less desirable parts of brooklyn or san francisco a decade or two ago are probably thrilled
so is that how they think about the money they have put into their detroit dream that they bet on a city instead of a bunch of stocks we have gotten gun shy about talking that way ms haimerl said people here say how dare you treat our city like an investment
mr kaebnick said he understood the sentiment so many people who stuck it out here for so long never had anything to show for it he said to them we might come across as privileged newcomers who are going to ride it to the bank
in fact they are true believers who love the city enough to go all in and then some others have found their own way of demonstrating their commitment to the city and at least one of them drew philp is writing his own book about the house he bought for 500 and fixed up without borrowing anything his buzzfeed story about the experience describes the two winters he had without much if any heat among many other unsettling experiences
families without the means for 400000 investments or the fortitude to see their breath indoors can buy houses that have electricity and running water for half that amount or less and a new program called detroit home mortgage aims to make it possible for people to get loans before they start their renovations
in the meantime ms haimerl and mr kaebnick have not found financial freedom in detroit though they insist that they are so much richer for having moved in a poignant moment early in her book ms haimerl describes gazing longingly into a window in a newly gentrified denver neighborhood before her dream of homeownership there turned into a nightmare the living room looked like luxury a place where the residents werent constantly hustling to hold things together
aspiring homeowners in detroit may well walk down her street someday soon see her through the window and wonder how she had it so good would they be jealous should they be
i thought maybe that once you were inside the window you didnt have to hustle she said but the truth is were all hustling


london   hours after president obama landed in london to urge britons to vote to remain in the european union mayor boris johnson arguably the most visible leader of the campaign for britain to leave the bloc hit back with an opinion essay that criticized the president but immediately raised hackles online
the essay published in the right leaning tabloid the sun on friday morning recycled a story about a bust of winston churchill that was removed from the oval office shortly after mr obama took office in 2009 it also mentioned a theory prominent among some right wing americans that mr obama is motivated by a radical anti imperialist agenda and that the part kenyan presidents ancestral dislike of the british empire motivated the removal of the bust
mr obama is in britain on friday to congratulate queen elizabeth ii who turned 90 on thursday and to advocate that britons vote in a june 23 referendum to remain in the european union mr obama laid out his argument in an opinion essay in the telegraph a conservative leaning newspaper published online late on thursday and he addressed the issue friday afternoon at an appearance with prime minister david cameron
mr obamas essay invoked the special relationship between the two countries their shared sacrifices during world war ii and their cooperation in developing the institutions of the postwar order   among them the united nations nato and the european union   and it was seen as a significant intervention in a debate that has sharply divided the british public and revealed deep fissures in the governing conservative party
mr johnsons essay firmly rejected mr obamas position it is incoherent the mayor wrote it is inconsistent and yes it is downright hypocritical the americans would never contemplate anything like the eu for themselves or for their neighbors in their own hemisphere why should they think it right for us
nonetheless by touching on themes that right wing critics of mr obama have used mr johnson may have drowned out his own message the opposition labour party leapt at the chance to attack mr johnson
boris part kenyan obama comment is yet another example of dog whistle racism from senior tories john mcdonnell a senior labour party leader wrote on twitter he should withdraw it another labour lawmaker chuka umunna said that johnson has shown why he is totally unfit to become prime minister
nicholas soames a conservative member of parliament and a grandson of churchill also condemned mr johnsons essay calling it an appalling article that is totally wrong on almost everything it was inconceivable mr soames said that his grandfather would not have welcomed the presidents views on britains role in europe
nick cohen a columnist for the conservative magazine the spectator which mr johnson once edited called him a man without principle or shame and compared him to donald j trump johnson lacked the common courtesy to acknowledge that obamas concerns were genuine if in his view misguided mr cohen wrote instead he sunk into the gutter and stayed there
and john gapper a financial times columnist wondered on twitter so is boris johnson against the european union because hes part turkish
some people came to mr johnsons defense   though in ways that might not have been helpful to the mayor nigel farage the leader of the populist uk independence party told the bbc i think obama because of his grandfather and kenya and colonization   i think obama bears a bit of a grudge against this country that remark also drew heavy criticism on social media
mr johnson who is also a member of parliament is stepping down from his post as mayor next month after two terms born in manhattan   he said last year that he was taking steps to renounce his united states citizenship for tax purposes   mr johnson is an accomplished author a gadfly and quite possibly a candidate to succeed mr cameron as leader of the conservative party and as prime minister he has become a thorn in mr camerons side fervently arguing that britain should leave the 28 nation bloc a position the prime minister opposes opinion polls show that the public is deeply divided on the issue which has been nicknamed brexit
the theory that mr obama was influenced by his father barack obama sr a harvard trained economist who returned to kenya in 1964 when the future president was a toddler was advanced most prominently in the roots of obamas rage a 2010 book by the conservative commentator dinesh dsouza the view has been likened to that of the so called birthers who do not believe that mr obama was born in the united states
in the essay mr johnson described the removal of the churchill bust as something mysterious but in fact the story has been explained many times it has so many twists that even the white house got part of it wrong and had to issue an apology
in 2001 the british government lent president george w bush a bust of churchill for the duration of his presidency and it was placed in the oval office but the white house already had a churchill bust
when mr obama took office in 2009 a redecoration occurred and the british owned churchill bust was returned to the british embassy in washington mr obama selected a bust of lincoln for the oval office
the american owned churchill bust remained in the white house outside the treaty room in the presidents family quarters in 2012 the white house communications director at the time dan pfeiffer who had denounced the bust removal story as a myth acknowledged that he had reacted too hastily not realizing that there had been two churchill busts including the one that was returned to the british
mr johnson in his essay said that no one was sure whether the president had himself been involved in the decision to return the british owned bust even though white house officials have insisted he was not mr johnson did not note that the american owned bust remains in the white house


after a career of working scrimping and saving many retirees are well prepared financially to stop earning a living but how do you find meaning identity and purpose in the remaining years of your life
john and kathryn gee both 57 recently engaged in this existential query they have worked hard at well paying technology related jobs invested diligently and are planning to retire soon having relocated to san antonio from phoenix in 2010 they have already reached a sweet spot where they have a bountiful nest egg yet they worry that something is missing
we thought wed be retired and would be fat dumb and happy at 55 mr gee said we only talked about money then we started asking some simple questions
embracing the guiding principles of life planning laid out by a financial planner george kinder the gees asked themselves what they would do if money wasnt an issue and they only had one day to a few years left to live the answers which they are still contemplating gave them a renewed focus on what was most important to them
what is it that can make me a better person ms gee asked herself after a re examination of their core values how can we give back family became more important
mr kinder who has been espousing and refining life planning programs with his clients and in seminars for several decades calls for a process that involves self family and community
who do i want to be is a question that mr kinder says his clients should ask what have i missed who did i not get to be what an incredible opportunity to have all of these things in front of you
as with financial preparation life planning evolves in stages mr kinder says he walks clients through exploration of positive outcomes and goal setting within a human setting of comfort and support
if the process unfolds in a positive way mr kinder says the ideal state is one of the hawaiian word aloha the term does not simply mean hello or goodbye he says but in the truest sense stands for the process of passing a blessing from one person to another
mitch anthony author of the new retirementality wiley 2008 says your self evaluation should start with the question what am i wired for which involves taking an inventory of who you are
mr anthonys principles are geared around ones aptitudes and having active pursuits that involve the mind body and spirit
translating that into concrete actions can be challenging retired professionals may be able to continue to do what they were doing but now as part timers or consultants others may be able to apply their analytic management or organizational skills in low stress time flexible settings still others may want to strike out in entirely new directions
its never an easy answer mr anthony says of self discernment in retirement you need to take stock of things that resound with you   that stir you up
through mr anthonys process of discovering engagement it is possible to isolate the activities that you are already doing   or could be doing   that make you feel most alive creative happy and connected to others
finding a balance between the myriad components of our lives certainly takes some adjustment
mary zimmerman a financial and life planner in the phoenix area who has worked with the gees said one of the most important goals she discussed with them was to find your humanity and sanity
theres often so much anxiety in retirement ms zimmerman says how do we allow ourselves to be at ease how can we be comfortable these questions lead into an exploration of what makes us tick and how we can find our best selves
by no means is this a seamless transition for most the rough patches may come early and often its hard to break the routine and inertia of a career you may have to become a lite version of your career focused self to bridge the gap
like many ms gee says that her self esteem and identification were intimately linked to her work a common problem with retirees seeking a new role some professionals find it unnervingly difficult not to be a banker doctor lawyer or engineer anymore
the myth of retirement is that you have to leave that all behind mr anthony said you dont once you shatter the conventions of a do nothing retirement mr anthony says its like breaking through the gravity barrier youre on the path to contentment
admittedly seeking what viktor frankl a holocaust survivor who was a renowned neurologist and psychiatrist called the will to meaning is one of the most challenging parts not just of retirement planning but of living your life to the fullest you dont have to do it alone though you can find a coach mentor or life planner
consider a certified life coach who like a planner works one on one to help you walk through a life plan mr kinders organization kinder institute also has a search engine to find life planners throughout the world
rates for this service vary from as little as 200 to as much as 10000 a month for high end executive coaches some retirees may have a clear idea of how they want to define their lives while others may take months to discern a path
certified financial planners may also provide this assistance in the course of comprehensive hourly or flat fee financial planning
the universe of financial planners who have had specific life planning or life coaching training though is small to date about 2000 planners have taken the kinder institutes training and 350 have qualified for the registered life planner designation thats out of an industry of more than 74000 professionals holding the certified financial planning certificate
even if you find the process emotionally nettlesome   most do   you can figure out life goals on your own and create your route for finding purpose and meaning one way to start is by asking if theres a need for your service within your family or community
you may spend time with relatives who need you in a caregiving or educational role another approach is to cherry pick some community activities that you feel most comfortable with and that provide social engagement as well others seek out social environmental or political causes or a nonprofit activity that revolves around doing good not just doing well
sometimes the quest for inner meaning may be right in front of you for mr gee it was family that called to him he wanted to help a niece and spend time with his mother who is 86 infirm and living alone in his native england she could not relocate to the united states
lets be honest those pursuing the life planning process tend to be financially secure already
you cant be nimble with life decisions if you are constantly worried that market volatility will blister your investments thats why its important to thoroughly vet your portfolio estate plan and cash needs
a certain level of comfort is almost a keystone for most people before embarking on an existential exploration
once you cross that barrier though almost anything is possible
its not about being busy mr anthony said its about being engaged


after disasters like the recent earthquakes in ecuador and japan people often want to help the victims but they should take steps to make sure their donations are going to legitimate aid groups
scammers follow the headlines said colleen tressler a consumer education specialist with the federal trade commission which this week reminded consumers that urgent appeals for disaster aid made in person by phone or online may not be on the up and up
the 78 magnitude earthquake that struck ecuador last weekend killed more than 400 people and injured more than 2000 the temblor also left thousands more homeless as it destroyed buildings and knocked out power two quakes that struck japan killed more than 40 people and forced thousands into temporary shelters
so how should consumers determine what organization deserves their cash research a charity on your own before making a donation said sandra miniutti vice president of marketing at charity navigator a website that ranks charities on their financial health and transparency
if you see something on social media that tugs at your heartstrings ms miniutti said go to the original website and check it out
dont respond to email solicitations she said and dont follow any links in the emails even if they appear legitimate its also best to avoid requests made by telephone she said they are usually made by a for profit company hired by the charity and the cost of their services reduces the proportion of your donation that the charity will actually receive charity navigator offers additional tips on its website
the group also urges donors to keep tabs on how charities use their gifts charity navigator has posted on its website a review of charities that solicited donations for the devastating nepal earthquakes last spring
while effective organizations spend more money on actual programs than on overhead donors should also be skeptical of any appeal that claims to spend every penny raised on direct aid said bennett weiner chief operating officer of the bbb wise giving alliance an affiliate of the council of better business bureaus which evaluates charities on 20 standards watch for 100 percent claims he said because they are probably exaggerated there are always some type of costs involved
mr weiner urged donors to consider a groups track record in helping with natural disasters especially those in foreign countries efforts commonly spring up to solicit donations of food or clothing but they lack the logistical infrastructure to deliver the items in a timely way often we see activities that are well meaning but not well planned he said without a distribution network to ship goods overseas he said its not very effective
other sites that offer research on charitable organizations include charitywatch andguidestar
here are some questions and answers about giving after disasters
# how can i find charities that are specifically helping in ecuador and japan
charity navigator lists three highly rated groups providing earthquake aid and will update as more groups provide information
charity navigators criteria include the ability of donors to designate their funds for a specific disaster ms miniutti said other legitimate charities may be providing disaster assistance in the earthquake zone she said but they are not listed because they may reserve the right to direct funds to other causes
bbb wise giving alliance directs donors to a list of groups helping in ecuador and charitywatch offers a list as well
the new york attorney generals office lists charities helping in japan and ecuador on its website
# is it faster to donate via text message
giving by text is convenient for donors but it can take up to 90 days for the organization to get the funds depending on the message service used by the charity according to the federal trade commission the charge will show up on your mobile phone bill the agency said in a notice about giving to help earthquake victims but be aware that text donations are not immediate the ftc advises confirming the phone number with the source before donating by text
# what if i suspect a charitable request isnt legitimate
you can file a complaint with the federal trade commission
you can also complain to the bbb wise giving alliance
report suspicious email solicitations or websites to the fbis internet crime complaint center
you also can contact the national center for disaster fraud an arm of the justice department at 866 720 5721


after being bombarded by the penguins after skating off the ice to boos after being pulled from a playoff game at home henrik lundqvist brooded at the end of the rangers bench he traded his goalie mask for a cap his stoicism for a scowl he was too enraged to even remove his blocker too detached to watch the two on one unspooling right in front of him
the rangers are supposed to hold the advantage in goal most nights when lundqvist plays but especially in this series with pittsburghs starter marc andre fleury sidelined by a concussion fleurys unavailability has indeed illuminated an edge at the position   for the penguins who lead the series three games to one
this has been an odd little playoffs so far
the goalies with pedigrees with their names engraved on the vezina trophy and the stanley cup are in danger of exiting soon while less accomplished netminders are preserving their teams survival
out west the two time cup winner jonathan quick of the kings is lagging behind the sharks martin jones who backed him up last season one more misstep by the blackhawks and the kings perennial favorites who have represented the western conference in the last four cup finals will send them careening out of the first round in the east as braden holtby dominates for the capitals and ben bishop for the lightning lundqvist is being outplayed by a 21 year old rookie who until tuesday had never appeared in the postseason
since then that rookie matt murray has saved 47 of 48 shots including all 31 in game 4 of their eastern conference quarterfinal thursday when he shoved the rangers toward the abyss in a 5 0 victory that was more lopsided than the score suggested
two days after winning his first playoff game murray recorded his first postseason shutout and afterward he was asked what its like to be him he chuckled
thats a weird question he said
to be murray means standing behind a lectern at a news conference in his socks with his cap backward and a towel draped around his neck it means radiating a preternatural calmness that permeates the locker room it means anticipating puck movement so astutely surveying the play so precisely that he always squares up the shooter
he has a quiet confidence coach mike sullivan said he knows hes good
in fleury murray and the third stringer jeff zatkoff who started the first two games of this series while murray recovered from a concussion sustained in the regular season finale sullivan has three viable options he has three goalies he trusts
it is a luxury an indulgence but also a necessity whether compelled by injury or ineffectiveness more coaches seem willing in these playoffs to make changes in goal and their teams are enduring or thriving as a result
antti niemi made his 2016 postseason debut for the stars in game 4 swiping an away victory to send the wild to the brink of elimination
since replacing steve mason with michael neuvirth after losing the first three games against washington the flyers have won two straight to climb back into the series
the ducks after losing their first two games to the predators with john gibson in net switched to frederik andersen who responded by saving 57 of 58 shots to help anaheim even the series at two games apiece
come playoff time teams goalie situations are usually set the entrenched starter starts and the backup backs up and rarely are the roles reversed already this postseason six teams have used more than one goalie and the penguins could wind up deploying more than two fleurys health permitting
the penguins have not announced their plans for game 5 on saturday in pittsburgh but murray factors into them expecting to face more than the 17 shots he saw in game 3 murray blocked that many through two periods thursday   including an excellent opportunity a one timed rebound by eric staal a fellow native of thunder bay ontario   before completing his masterpiece
hes been thrown into a lot of new situations at a young age with a lot of pressure center sidney crosby said and i think even the way he plays it almost looks like its part of his game
murray called it a conscious effort to maintain his equanimity a process he has been refining since pittsburgh drafted him in the third round in 2012 the 10th goalie chosen he dominated the american hockey league compiling the longest shutout streak in league history   304 minutes 11 seconds   before earning a promotion this season supplanting zatkoff as fleurys backup
eventually murray could become fleurys successor though that topic is too hypothetical too distant for him to wonder about he permitted himself to acknowledge that the past few days have been exciting obviously and pretty cool and pretty emotional but said he was able to recalibrate his focus within minutes of the game ending
one more victory and he will dismiss lundqvist the rangers and the notion of their perceived superiority in goal
with fleury the penguins were contenders without him not a thing has changed


secureworks is the first initial public stock offering of the technology industry this year that may be the extent of the victory lap for the tech ipo market at least for now
in its first day of trading on friday shares of secureworks a digital security company have been hovering near the 14 price it set the night before the stock opened on the nasdaq market at 1389
secureworks raised 112 million selling eight million shares it had been marketing nine million shares within the range of 1550 to 1750 indicating that demand was weaker than expected
the lackluster demand is not that surprising
for one thing secureworks has little in common with so called unicorns   those private venture backed start ups with valuations above 1 billion that have been avoiding the public markets secureworks is 17 years old based in georgia and owned by dell
and the ways in which secureworks does resemble some unicorns   top line revenue growth a history of losses and an enterprise software business model   are not the most encouraging for investors
recent trading among already public security stocks did not help secureworks deal
shares of fireeye and rapid7 declined in recent weeks as secureworks was meeting with potential buyers of its stock investors look to companies similar to the one going public when trying to determine what price they might be willing to pay for the ipo when the so called comparables slip it can be a bad sign for the debutant
for dell pricing below the range was not necessarily bad news the computer maker which has agreed to acquire emc in the largest technology deal ever is not selling shares in the offering
dell will own 86 percent of secureworks after the offering and it is hoping the share price will rise in the public market dell will also control more than 98 percent of the voting power through a separate class of shares
the ipo price yields a valuation of 11 billion which is almost double the roughly 600 million dell paid for the company in 2011 according to triton research which provides information on private companies
secureworks said it might use the proceeds from the offering to develop new solutions or enhance current ones and fund capital expenditures those funds may be necessary as competition in the security world increases
the company said in the filing that it expected pricing pressures within the information security market to intensify as a result of action by our larger competitors to reduce the prices of their security monitoring detection and prevention products and managed security services
still the company has drawn quite a bit of revenue from its 4200 customers secureworks reported 3395 million in total revenue for the year through jan 29 a 30 percent increase from the same period last year secureworks had 724 million in losses for the year almost twice as much as the same period in 2015
bank of america morgan stanley goldman sachs and jpmorgan chase are managing the offering


berlin   printers at several universities across germany produced anti semitic leaflets on or before hitlers birthday this week after hackers appeared to break into their computer systems according to university officials
universities in hamburg luneburg and tubingen confirmed that printers connected to their computer networks had suddenly started churning out the leaflets most of them on wednesday the anniversary of hitlers birth in braunau austria in 1889
at least six other universities in germany reported similar episodes according to the german news agency dpa
the leaflet produced at the university of hamburg carried the slogan europe awake and alluded to the mass migration that brought more than one million people many from the middle east to the continent last year europe is being flooded by enemy strangers it read in part
without naming hitler the leaflet referred to the words of a former european fuhrer who blamed the jews for bringing non europeans to the rhineland
christian matheis a spokesman for the university of hamburg and karl g rijkhoek a spokesman for the university of tubingen said their institutions had filed formal complaints with the police and the judicial authorities after learning that their computer networks appeared to have been breached
about 190 leaflets were printed on the tubingen campus mr rijkhoek said but fewer than 10 were printed at the university of luneburg said a spokesman henning zuhlsdorff
in the united states several colleges reported similar breaches in march according to the star ledger a newspaper in new jersey which reported an episode at princeton and to the washington post which said several universities across the country had been affected
the leaflet that was printed out in hamburg included the twitter hashtag dailystormer a term also used on a website referred to in the leaflets in the united states mr matheis said the term is an allusion to a nazi publication


madrid   a moroccan restaurant cook who was arrested this week on the island of majorca had been preparing a terrorist attack in spain according to a judge who ordered him imprisoned without bail on thursday
the cook mohamed harrak 26 was arrested on tuesday and questioned by judge carmen lamela diaz of the audiencia nacional or national court in madrid on thursday in a report after her video conference with mr harrak the judge stated several reasons to keep him in prison including his involvement in a plan to carry out a terrorist attack in spain that was aborted for reasons beyond his control
judge lamela diaz did not provide any details about the alleged plot
mr harrak was also preparing to travel to syria to join islamic state fighters there according to the judges 13 page report he had gathered military documentation undergone training and taken part in a european competition of so called airsoft a form of combat simulation she wrote
judge lamela diaz also found that mr harrak had actively sought to recruit islamic fighters online and helped organize clandestine travel routes to the war zone from europe with the help of islamic state members in syria
mr harrak is also accused of spreading violent messages and propaganda from the islamic state as far back as 2014 including publishing an online video showing the execution of a british hostage after the attacks in and around paris on nov 13 the judge wrote mr harrak posted another message online calling it an excellent day that left europe shaking in january he downloaded an arabic language manual that the islamic state has used to help prepare terrorists
mr harrak was arrested after being put under surveillance for two months the police also found 22 grams of cocaine in his apartment as well as scales traces of cocaine and another scale were found in the hotel restaurant where he worked
mr harrak had been sentenced in 2010 for hitting his sister who was then 12 a local newspaper diario de mallorca reported on friday that sentence then prevented him from gaining spanish citizenship according to the newspaper
since mr harraks arrest on tuesday the newspaper has published articles about his activities largely based on interviews with friends and neighbors mr harrak was described as a basketball referee and an introvert he was arrested in son gotleu a poor neighborhood of palma the islands capital where he lived with his parents and two siblings


hong kong   forty five fraud suspects from taiwan who are suspected of cheating mainland chinese by telephone from a base in kenya have admitted guilt and will soon face trial according to the chinese police the state news media reported on friday
the suspects were deported from kenya to china this month stirring concern in taiwan that beijing was using its international clout to control the fate of the accused
officials from taiwan visited the beijing detention center where the suspects were being held on thursday and they met with chinese officials to discuss visitation rights and treatment of the detainees only some of the suspects have seen a lawyer according to xinhua chinas state run news service
some of the suspects had been tried for fraud in kenya and acquitted while the others had not yet faced trial when they were deported because the victims of the purported telephone hoaxes were overwhelmingly from the mainland chinese officials demanded that the suspects be sent there along with chinese citizens also accused of involvement in the alleged fraud ring
the case prompted protest from taiwan particularly after some suspects were filmed barricading themselves in a cell in kenya to prevent their deportation to china taiwan is self governed but china claims the island as part of its territory
xinhua accused the suspects of impersonating police officers in telephone calls to people in china who were then tricked into transferring money into accounts controlled by the callers organization abroad victims in china have complained of losing huge sums with little chance of getting the money back
the case has highlighted the differences in law enforcement in authoritarian china and democratic taiwan china arguing its case for bringing the suspects to the mainland has complained that conviction rates for telecommunications fraud are low in taiwan officials from taiwan have responded that producing sufficient evidence to ensure conviction can be difficult in such cross border investigations
last week malaysia sent 20 suspects in a similar case of telecommunications fraud to taiwan where they were initially released prompting complaints from china eighteen of the group were later detained taiwans central news agency reported on thursday
among the group of suspects sent to china two were shown confessing on state television last week days after their arrival in beijing


london   atmosphere is where its at on the london stage these days which is another way of saying that its difficult to imagine lorraine hansberrys play les blancs divorced from the spine tingling production now at the olivier auditorium at the national theater
unfinished at the time of its authors death from cancer in 1965 at age 34 les blancs remains mightily ambitious in its attempt to refract colonialism revolution and misrule through life in and around a fragile looking mission hospital in an unnamed african country
but well before a single word has been spoken the south african director yael farber conjures up a sequence that transports the audience directly into the otherness of the piece to one side of the stage a trio of singers set a compellingly eerie mood while a sinuous figure billed only as the woman sheila atim threads her way through the action   a shape shifting emblem perhaps of africa itself
as the white inhabitants of this outpost enter through the auditorium to get into position for the opening scene the tableau speaks volumes about the tenuous rapport between cultures or between the outsiders and the indigenous people of a community that we eventually realize is imploding from within the countdown to conflagration has begun
ms farber made her london name two summers ago with a very long old vic production of the crucible but les blancs represents the kind of summary achievement one can only imagine happening at a playhouse like the national
the buildings entire resources   from the dramaturgical department through to adam corks ravishing soundscape and a stage crew there to ensure that soutra gilmours set revolves   work in concert to remind us that hansberry was not just a one play wonder immortalized for having written a raisin in the sun
the writing itself in les blancs is compelling moment by moment but it becomes clear just how thesis mongering the play might seem in lesser hands there is an american photographer on hand the english actor elliot cowan to act as our guide to this alternately brave and brutal new world
i really do care about the place he insists rather clunkily midway through and when others urge him later on to write the truth it sounds a bit like hansberrys memo to herself to do justice to a continent worlds apart from her own upbringing in chicago
the play is on more fertile ground in its depiction of how the mission dwellers and the africans coexist   at least up until a cataclysmic ending that places ms atim tellingly at center stage
sian phillips the veteran british actress who turns 83 next month has a surpassingly moving moment near the end in which she recalls how her first glimpse of africa at age 28 prompted her to make this foreign land the place where she would spend her life
among the younger generation the ever lovely anna madeley turns the role of a seemingly saintly expatriate surgeon alive to the terror in her midst into something quietly complex
notably less humane though every bit as vivid is the english major whom clive francis presents as a scarily compelling psychopath his every disclaimer im not a racist followed by an action to suggest the opposite
and in the plays defining role of the itinerant tshembe who has returned home following his fathers death to greet what he says are new times danny sapani deftly navigates this rhetoric heavy play to evoke the difficulties of straddling competing impulses toward quietude and peace on the one hand and arms taking and action on the other
equal measures hamlet and odysseus tshembe stands at the anxious heart of a beautiful and haunting production in which a rarely seen slice of the american repertoire crosses the decades to speak to our globes ever expanding tribalism
across town at the royal court theater the director vicky featherstone has achieved an unusual double with two simultaneous plays at that address   and why not since she is the courts artistic director
her main stage entry x is a puzzle play from the fast rising young writer alistair mcdowall set   wait for it   on a space station on pluto the not quite planet that figures infrequently on stage or screen the martian this is not
within the gray confines of merle hensels angled set a british crew face the limbo into which they have landed with increasing frustration and internecine sniping not least from the team leader gilda whom jessica raine plays with an initially relentless bark that threatens to grate
stick with it and you may be as surprised as the characters surely are by the jagged shifts of a fractured plot that rewrites itself as it goes along so much so that the second act demands a rethinking of virtually every detail of the first including the specifics of gildas circumstances
the title itself acquires multiple meanings whether as an affectionate shorthand for kisses a mathematical symbol or simply a signifier of the unknowable
ms featherstone navigates the plays alien   make that alien given the implicit nods in the direction of ridley scotts film   terrain with impressive ease what is more in an age when many a new play ties itself into a neat bow at the end x has the opposite and galvanic effect of leaving spectators to debate what on earth or pluto they have just seen
in many ways the less said the better about ms featherstones concurrent entry in the courts studio sized upstairs theater the blistering cyprus avenue from the belfast born writer david ireland a co production with dublins abbey theater where it premiered in february
as genuinely shocking a play as ive come across in many a year cyprus avenue takes its title from a middle class belfast street that finds room for the fearsome bigotry of the central character of eric stephen rea an ordinary seeming man whose actions by plays end are extraordinarily gasp inducing
dont worry if youre not up on the language of fenians and loyalists that connects this play to the troubles in which mr irelands take no prisoners writing is steeped though the action takes place in the present
it is clear within minutes that eric is seriously mentally adrift as the playwright folds bitterly dark humor into the gatheringly forbidding mix an exchange between eric and a leather jacketed paramilitary by the name of slim the priceless chris corrigan surpasses even the court alumnus martin mcdonagh in its reckless comic bravura
there is nothing remotely funny though about the concluding passages of a play unafraid   as mr mcdonagh has done   to posit terrorism itself as a form of psychosis and though the astonishing mr rea in one of the defining performances of his career is required to laugh softly as the lights fade the abiding chill cast by the play even now is hard to shake
les blancs directed by yael farber national theater olivier through june 2
x directed by vicky featherstone royal court jerwood theater downstairs through may 7
cyprus avenue directed by vicky featherstone royal court jerwood theater upstairs through may 7


elton john and his longtime boyfriend david furnish entered a civil partnership on dec 21 2005 in england under a law the country had just enacted granting recognition to same sex couples the congratulations poured in as the two men appeared at a joyous ceremony at windsor guildhall amid a crush of paparazzi donald j trump who had known the couple for years took to his blog to express his excitement
i know both of them and they get along wonderfully its a marriage thats going to work mr trump wrote adding im very happy for them if two people dig each other they dig each other
mr trump is now the leading candidate for president in the republican primary which has traditionally been dominated by hopefuls eager to show how deeply conservative they are on social issues like gay rights and marriage
but mr trump is far more accepting of sexual minorities than his partys leaders have been on thursday he startled some republicans by saying on nbcs today show that he opposed a recently passed north carolina law that prohibits people from using public bathrooms that do not correspond to the gender they were born with striking down a charlotte ordinance
transgender people should use the bathroom they feel is appropriate mr trump said putting him at odds with a majority of republicans in north carolina
but it is his views on gay rights and gay people that most distinguish mr trump from previous republican standard bearers he has nurtured long friendships with gay people employed gay workers in prominent positions and moved with ease in industries where gays have long exerted influence like entertainment
he will be the most gay friendly republican nominee for president ever said gregory t angelo the president of the log cabin republicans a group that supports gay rights
of course mr trump is not as embracing of gay rights as the democratic candidates are he said during this campaign that he believes that marriage is between a man and a woman a position he has held since at least 2000 when he briefly flirted with a bid for the presidency but he does not emphasize marriage as an issue and he makes no mention of it for example on his campaign website which focuses on issues like immigration and trade
and mr trump who has inflamed tensions with almost every group from hispanics to women to african americans has avoided attacking or offending gay men and lesbians during the campaign
his history with the gay community is a long one he donated to charities focused on the aids crisis in the late 1980s and early 90s in 2000 when he briefly considered running for president he gave an interview to the advocate a gay magazine in which he supported amending the 1964 civil rights act to include a ban of discrimination based on sexual orientation
it would be simple it would be straightforward mr trump said in the interview adding its only fair
sixteen years later gay rights advocates are still trying to persuade congress to pass a similar measure but they have struggled to win support especially from republicans the last republican nominee mitt romney opposed similar legislation in 2012
mr trump declined to be interviewed for this article
his ease with gay people does not seem to be the result of deep soul searching but rather the product of the manhattan social and political world he has inhabited the past five decades
i live in new york i know many many gay people tremendous people mr trump said in an interview in 2011
he has been playful at times such as in 2000 when he and mayor rudolph w giuliani appeared in a skit for a political roast during which mr trump nuzzled and caressed the mayor who was dressed in drag
friends say he also views gay rights through the lens of a bottom line minded businessman
his key concern is are you capable and able to do the job i hired you for and if you are very little else matters said abe wallach an openly gay executive at the trump organization in the 1990s very little on a social level will make donald excited   if it was money or something else he might get excited
mr trump was believed to be the first private club owner in palm beach fla to admit an openly gay couple according to laurence leamer the author of madness under the royal palms a book about palm beach society mr trump made his club mar a lago more open partly out of disdain for the restrictions that barred jews and african americans from joining exclusive clubs in palm beach
its one of the best things hes done in my view in his life mr leamer said he really changed the nature of palm beach
rand hoch a gay activist who founded the palm beach county human rights council in 1988 recalled bringing dates to mar a lago on two occasions both times he said mr trump who loves to play the role of greeter as guests arrive at his club was pleasant and approached the two for chitchat
he treated us no differently than everyone else who was going through that door mr hoch said adding that it was not possible that mr trump was unaware they were gay hes perceptive so im pretty sure he didnt think we were brothers
mr wallach said that he and his husband would fly on mr trumps jet to florida or atlantic city on weekends i found him to be very friendly to my spouse he said he would often ask about my spouse how his dental practice was doing
mr trumps foundation has given over the years to groups like the aids service center and the elton john aids foundation some of those donations came more recently in connection with his reality television show the celebrity apprentice whose winners got to select the recipient charities but as early as 1987 mr trump made a 25000 contribution to the gay mens health crisis from profits generated by his companys operation of the wollman memorial rink in central park and in 1992 the trump taj mahal held an event that raised 60000 for aids research
mr trumps recent alliances with social conservatives such as jerry falwell jr and pat robertson have alarmed people like mr angelo whose group the log cabin republicans is eager to meet with the real estate mogul to discuss his positions in detail
and some gay acquaintances of mr trump find it puzzling that he cannot support same sex marriage given his comfort with gay relationships
in 2012 mr trump attended the wedding of jordan roth a broadway producer and richie jackson in a ceremony at the al hirschfeld theater
months later mr trump went to lunch with the actor george takei who is openly gay and was fired by mr trump from the celebrity apprentice mr takei approached mr trump at a news conference for the show saying he would like to try to change his views on letting gay people marry he said george maybe i could learn something from you  mr takei said in a telephone interview this week from his home in california
the lunch at trump tower opened with mr trump mentioning the wedding he had attended which mr takei later learned was that of mr roth and mr jackson
mr takei walked mr trump through the benefits of supporting same sex marriage particularly for a business owner gay couples would celebrate in his hotels and their guests would dine in his restaurants mr takei said mr trump agreed with that view mr takei said but he would not budge saying he supported traditional marriage
i was tempted to say marrying multiple times is not traditional marriage mr takei said of mr trump who has been married three times


just as he was hitting his stride as a television writer in 2002 joshua safran had to move to los angeles to work on a network show that was all about his hometown new york city now he is moving a different hit show with a new york theme to new york
mr safran the executive producer of quantico on abc said the shows relocation for its second season was the latest evidence that hollywood is no longer the irresistible magnet it had long been for the entertainment industrys talent new york is playing an increasingly important role as a home base for television shows at a time when the demand for video content is soaring
theres a resurgence here mr safran said from his office in the greenpoint section of brooklyn more production brings more jobs brings more money brings more happiness
gov andrew m cuomo announced on friday that quantico which had been written and produced in brooklyn but shot on location in montreal will cross the border and bring more than 200 jobs with it when it begins filming in new york in july quantico will be able to take full advantage of the tax credit that the state offers to film and tv productions
new york state knows no creative bounds and provides an unrivaled opportunity to work with the very best in the industry he said
mr safran said the credit of up to 30 percent of many of the costs incurred in production including salaries paid to crew members was not the deciding factor in the decision to relocate the reason was largely creative but he said the move would help to offset the higher cost of shooting in new york
officials said 46 episodic shows were now being produced in the city up from 29 just over a year ago but they are not all on traditional networks shows in the marvel defenders series that can be viewed on netflix are being produced in brooklyn the netflix sitcom unbreakable kimmy schmidt and amazons mozart in the jungle series which won a golden globe are also filmed in the city
julie menin commissioner of the mayors office of media and entertainment said the growth of tv production in the city had been explosive and had created thousands of high paying jobs that support small businesses
as an example she cited cafe grumpy a coffeehouse across the street from the broadway stages studios in greenpoint which has added five locations ms menin in her second month as commissioner said she had been encouraging producers to shoot in more locations in boroughs other than manhattan and to patronize local businesses when they do
in all ms menin said film and tv production contributes nearly 9 billion annually to the citys economy and accounts for about 104000 full time jobs up from 94000 in 2011 those numbers came from a study conducted last year for the mayors office by boston consulting group
you can actually be a person who works in the film community in new york and not have to take a waiting job said tim nolan a partner at the consulting firm who oversaw the study thats different today than it was 16 years ago
mr nolan said he had no doubt that the state tax credit paid for itself in jobs and spending but some economic analysts would disagree
donald j boyd a senior fellow at the rockefeller institute of government co wrote a report in 2013 that concluded the credit amounted to an overly generous subsidy to entertainment producers
its hard to justify distorting a tax system so that it favors one industry over another mr boyd said you dont know what youre not getting when you do that
whether or not the tax credit is good policy there is no dispute about its popularity since mr cuomo became governor the state has received nearly 1200 applications for credits for production and postproduction spending postproduction includes the editing and scoring of a film or video after it is recorded the state projects that the applications will yield almost 28 billion in credits
the credit for postproduction costs had been just 10 percent but in 2012 it was raised to match the production credit of 30 percent for postproduction work done upstate the credit is higher at 35 percent
the credits are intended to apply only to local spending and wages they exclude the salaries of many of the highest paid members of a production team including actors directors and writers
the programs consistent growth has brought substantial benefits to local economies in both spending and employment said mr cuomo a democrat given the impact it is having i am proud to be part of the industrys resurgence in new york
defending the wisdom of the credits state and city officials point to the expansion of the citys studios steiner studios has added to its presence in the brooklyn navy yard silvercup studios said last summer that it would build a new studio in the bronx and broadway stages said it would add a location on staten island
we want neighborhoods that have not seen a lot of production to benefit economically from this industry as well ms menin said
she added that warner brothers spent 45 million filming the movie the intern across 17 neighborhoods in brooklyn and that she would encourage other production companies to follow a less beaten path
ms menin also noted the shift from the days when companies saved money by shooting films and shows in other cities even though they were set in new york these days she said several shows including the good wife madam secretary and the americans are being produced in new york even though they are set elsewhere
when it came to the second season of quantico mr safran said he did not want to take that tack the first season depicted a group of fledgling agents of the federal bureau of investigation with sites in montreal passing for virginia
but the next set of episodes will focus much more on new york and mr safran who grew up in manhattan and attended film school at new york university said we didnt need to fake new york
he recalled that when he was hired as a writer and consulting producer on gossip girl   a show about manhattan society   he had to relocate to los angeles where the producers were based now he said he would not leave new york again
he said the pilot for quantico revolved around a terrorist attack at grand central terminal in season 1 we sort of destroyed new york locations he said season 2 is going to be very much more a new york story


london   for kevin nakache the breaking point came last year first one of his friends was gunned down in the attack on a kosher supermarket in paris a few days after the charlie hebdo massacre then in october mr nakaches former hebrew teacher barely escaped a knife attack in marseille his hometown in southern france where violence against jews is on the rise
fed up mr nakache decided last fall to follow many other french jews and leave the country but rather than going to israel an increasingly popular destination for those choosing to leave france after the charlie hebdo attacks or the united states mr nakache chose to emigrate to london in so doing he joined a growing stream of french jews who see the british capital as a convenient and less threatening option as france grapples with the radicalization of young muslims and a rise in anti semitism
when people around you get attacked its frightening he said you start thinking youre next
watching the terrorist attacks on charlie hebdo unfold i just knew that the next victims would be jews he said he was right four jews including his friend died in the kosher supermarket in paris after being taken hostage with 25 other shoppers by a militant claiming allegiance to the islamic state more recently after mr nakache left a rabbi in marseille was nearly hacked to death by a supporter of the islamic state
for goodness sake he said why do they have to kill us just because were jews
about 5000 french jews are thought to have moved to britain over the past two years according to the conference of european rabbis britain is now a leading destination for french jews after israel which welcomed 7800 french jews last year said avi mayer a spokesman for the jewish agency the number moving to israel has more than doubled in just two years he said a trend that started in 2012 when mohammed merah who called himself a qaeda jihadist shot french soldiers and jewish schoolchildren in southwestern france
even though britain has its own problems with anti semitism london has emerged as a prime destination for french jews primarily because there are better job opportunities in britain than in france and it is easy to move it is a train ride away from paris and visas are not required for citizens of the european union to live and work in britain
since two large scale terrorist attacks in paris last year the influx has been substantial enough that a number of synagogues in london have started offering services that cater to the growing french jewish population
the western marble arch synagogue has begun offering services to sephardic jews many of whom are french sephardic jews are descendants of jews from spain portugal the middle east and north africa like mr nakache who is of tunisian and algerian origin most british jews are ashkenazi whose ancestors were mainly german and eastern european although prayer services are done in hebrew for either group there are differences
we want to provide a service the french are familiar with said the synagogues chief rabbi sam taylor adding that their numbers have grown significantly about 20 percent of the synagogues 700 member congregation is french he said and they now make up the largest minority group his synagogue also recently began offering bible classes in french
the anshei shalom synagogue in st johns wood a sephardic synagogue opened 13 years ago with few french jews today 70 percent of the 160 member congregation is french said chief rabbi mordechai fhima who is also french mr fhima now gives several lectures in french during the week and invites rabbis from france to speak to the congregation
at the nearby st johns wood synagogue chief rabbi dayan ivan binstock said that social events were now increasingly a mix of ashkenazi and sephardic jews because of the growing french crowd
im increasingly starting my sermons in french he said
france is forbidden by law to collect statistics based on race or ethnic origin so the exact number of french jews in britain is unknown but marc meyer the director of the conference of european rabbis estimates that about 25000 of them live in london out of about 500000 french citizens in some jewish schools he said the number of french children has risen by as much as 60 percent over the past year
french jews are also moving to israel the united states canada australia and elsewhere in europe like belgium and luxembourg mr nakaches sister lives in new york he said and at least 20 of his jewish friends have also left marseille
an official at the paris based jewish consistory of france a body that oversees all jewish congregations in the country said that at least 4000 families left france in 2015 alone we are deluged with calls said the employee who asked not to be named because the issue is sensitive these families are afraid for their children she added
global jihadists the rise of far right groups the israeli palestinian conflict and conspiracy theories found on the internet have all made french jews choice targets the level of violence committed against jews in france is increasingly deadly said michel wieviorka the director of frances school for advanced studies in the social sciences
a more virulent strain of anti semitism is emerging in some areas of french society that are often poor and have large muslim populations mr wieviorka said the blurring of lines between islam and palestine has become the heart of anti semitism others however emphasize that to be pro palestinian does not mean to be anti semitic
then there is the rise of far right groups like the national front whose former leader jean marie le pen minimized the holocaust although the current leader his daughter has rejected those views french jews say they are unconvinced
in london french jews who were interviewed said they felt safe even though the number of anti semitic attacks in britain is slightly higher than in france for one they are harassed less for wearing skullcaps they said
ilan tall who left marseille in july said that wearing a skullcap there is dangerous adding that he wore his under a baseball cap for years after the machete attack on a rabbi by an islamic state supporter in january the main jewish leader in marseille advised jews to stop wearing skullcaps
olivier gozlan said he was taken aback when colleagues in london encouraged him to wear a skullcap at work something that is rare in france minorities appear to be better integrated in britain he said because britain emphasizes multiculturalism unlike assimilation in france britain also has a more diverse muslim population than france where most muslims are from north africa
thousands of surveillance cameras placed in almost every nook and cranny of britain also help if you get attacked at least everythings recorded mr nakache said
simon tobelem a french venture capitalist in london said he appreciated the french governments efforts to protect jews including posting soldiers outside schools in the wake of the terrorist attacks still in spite of everything there is a pervasive feeling that were no longer welcome in france he said
french jews from paris say they miss the lifestyle there   there are far more kosher restaurants there than in london at least two jewish radio stations and lots of synagogues
but most of them said they do not plan to return home they will either settle in britain or move elsewhere just not france my culture is french and ill defend it to my death mr tobelem said but is france my homeland anymore no
mr nakache agreed too bad if france loses all of its jews


hong kong   all the radar systems lighthouses barracks ports and airfields that china has set up on its newly built island chain in the south china sea require tremendous amounts of electricity which is hard to come by in a place hundreds of miles from the countrys power grid
beijing may have come up with a solution floating nuclear power plants
a state owned company china shipbuilding industry corporation is planning to build a fleet of the vessels to provide electricity to remote locations including offshore oil platforms and the contentious man made islands the state run newspaper global times reported on friday
the paper quoted an executive at the company liu zhengguo as saying that demand is pretty strong for the floating power stations which would be built by one of its subsidiaries
in january xu dazhe the director of the china atomic energy authority told reporters in beijing that china was planning to develop offshore floating nuclear energy plants saying they must undergo a rigorous scientific evaluation but also linking these to chinas desire to become a maritime power
mr xu said at the time that developing chinas nuclear power generating capacity was part of the countrys five year economic development plan which runs through 2020 china has more civilian nuclear power stations under construction than any other country
china would not be the first country to employ floating nuclear power plants in the 1960s the united states army installed a nuclear reactor inside the hull of a world war ii freighter to provide electricity for the panama canal zone and nuclear power has been on vessels since 1955 when the commanding officer of the nautilus an american submarine sent word that the craft was underway on nuclear power since then nuclear reactors have provided propulsion   and electrical power   for ships like american aircraft carriers and russian icebreakers
typhoons regularly cross the south china sea and ships and submarines that run on nuclear power generally have the means to quickly sail away from a storm it is unclear how mobile or seaworthy these reactor ships will be safety regulations for the seaborne reactors are being drawn up and reviewed global times said quoting tang bo an official at chinas national nuclear safety administration
david lochbaum a nuclear engineer and the director of the nuclear safety project for the union of concerned scientists said that in the event of a major nuclear accident at a floating barge like a meltdown of the reactor core winds could carry radioactivity to large population centers
the floating nuke accident scenario also carries with it the potential for molten parts of the reactor core burning through the bottom of the barge to reach the water below mr lochbaum wrote in an email the water is good for cooling but not good for containment
in the 1970s an industry consortium called offshore power systems also had plans for floating nuclear power plants in the united states an electric utility had ordered a plant that would have been moored outside atlantic city the facility which would have been built in florida was canceled mr lochbaum said
the armys floating nuclear reactor in the panama canal zone provided power during the late 1960s and into the 1970s to the grid in what was then united states territory but china would be placing floating atomic power stations at islands that until recently did not exist in seas claimed by several nations
the artificial islands built by the chinese in the past two years in disputed waters of the south china sea have stoked tensions with neighbors especially the philippines and vietnam and prompted the united states to assert its right to transit the area freely by sailing navy ships close to the islands often shadowed by chinese vessels
in february the center for strategic and international studies in washington reported that the chinese were probably building radar facilities on several of the islands that is in addition to airstrips capable of handling large jets like one on fiery cross reef harbors to berth seagoing vessels lighthouses and large buildings such as barracks
all that requires electricity provided now by generators and augmented by limited solar and wind power said gregory b poling director of the asia maritime transparency initiative at csis
mr poling said it was too soon to tell how a possible deployment of the floating nuclear power stations would play out in the complicated politics of the south china sea though he said it was potentially worrisome
but it appears that the idea hasnt gotten any farther than conceptualization yet so we seem to have years to wait before we find out mr poling wrote in an email
a rendering of a possible chinese floating nuclear power station was published on the english language website of global timess parent company the communist partys flagship newspaper peoples daily the image showed the small ship or barge next to a pier surrounded by what looked like floating ice


vancouver british columbia   dave napio started doing heroin over four decades ago at 11 years old like many addicts these days he heads to vancouvers gritty downtown eastside neighborhood when he needs a fix
but instead of seeking out a dealer in a dark alley mr napio 55 gets his three daily doses from a nurse at the crosstown clinic the only medical facility in north america permitted to prescribe the narcotic at the center of an epidemic raging across the continent
and instead of robbing banks and jewelry stores to support his habit mr napio is spending time making gold and silver jewelry hoping to soon turn his hobby into a profession
my whole life is straightening out mr napio who spent 22 of his 55 years in prison said during a recent interview in the clinics mirror lined injection room im becoming the guy next door
mr napio is one of 110 chronic addicts with prescriptions for diacetylmorphine hydrochloride the active ingredient in heroin which he injects three times a day at crosstown as part of a treatment known as heroin maintenance the program has been so successful at keeping addicts out of jail and away from emergency rooms that its supporters are seeking to expand it across canada but they have been hindered by a tangle of red tape and a yearslong court battle reflecting a conflict between medicine and politics on how to address drug addiction
the clinics prescription program began as a clinical trial more than a decade ago but it has garnered more interest recently as a plague of illicit heroin use and fatal overdoses of legal painkillers has swept across the united states fueling frustration over ideological and legal obstacles to forms of treatment that studies show halt the spread of disease through needles and prevent deaths
canada and some european countries have long permitted needle exchanges and monitored injection sites prescription programs like crosstowns for addicts whom replacement drugs like methadone do not seem to help have been available for years in britain denmark germany the netherlands and switzerland all these countries have reported significant decreases in drug abuse crime and disease
but such programs have been stymied in the united states where overdoses have lately led to 125 deaths per day by concerns that they would encourage illicit drug use in february the mayor of ithaca ny was criticized by some republican officials rehabilitation professionals and police officers after he proposed to establish the countrys first supervised injection facility
the authorities in vancouver a bustling metropolis on the coast of british columbia say they turned to such programs after more traditional criminal justice approaches failed to stop rampant illegal drug use and sales on the downtown eastside a poor neighborhood notorious for addiction and crime we tried to arrest our way out of it and that didnt work sgt randy fincham of the vancouver police department said clogging up our courts and jails was not the solution
the city started in 2003 with north americas first legal injection facility insite which currently serves around 800 people each day the addicts bring their own drugs and insite provides clean needles and medical supervision the organization has recorded no fatal overdoses on its premises and said overdoses near the facility have decreased by 35 percent since 2003 compared with a 9 percent decrease throughout vancouver
more broadly a study by the british columbia center for excellence in hivaids found that people who use safe injection sites are 30 percent more likely to enter detox programs and 70 percent less likely to share needles
legal injection sites do not however address the thefts prostitution and other criminal behavior that participants often rely on to finance their addiction and heroin sold on the street is often combined with   or surreptitiously replaced by   fentanyl an opioid up to 50 times as potent that was a cause or contributing factor in 655 deaths across canada from 2009 to 2014 according to the canadian center on substance abuse
participants in the crosstown prescription program do not have to worry about the purity of their drugs
to get a diacetylmorphine prescription from the clinic patients must have participated in two earlier clinical trials on heroin maintenance whose eligibility requirements included more than five years of injecting opioids and at least two failed attempts at replacement therapy one of which with a treatment such as methadone
the first trial known as the north american opiate medication initiative followed users from 2005 to 2008 and found that prescribing diacetylmorphine could save an average of 40000 in lifetime societal costs per person compared with methadone treatment the second trial whose results were published this month in the journal of the american medical association psychiatry found that injectable hydromorphone a licensed pain medication can be as successful as diacetylmorphine in treating a chronic opioid addiction
but advocates say that some addicts cannot tolerate the side effects of hydromorphone and worry that anything but heroin itself would send them back to the streets
the diacetylmorphine prescription program is one of several addiction treatment services at crosstown a squat gray clinic that opened in 2005 the publicly funded program costs about 27000 canadian dollars or 21000 per addict per year the canadian medical association journal published a study in 2012 that estimated that an untreated severe opioid user costs taxpayers at least 35000 a year in medical care jail and other expenses
patients can visit the clinic up to three times a day from 830 am to 4 pm they enter through a security door and fill a white walled waiting area before taking seats in the injection room where nurses give them a needle and an average dose of 200 milligrams of diacetylmorphine the process takes a few minutes but the effect is profound
weve seen people make dramatic changes in their lives said dr scott macdonald the clinics lead physician they dont have to hustle or do sex work anymore and some are now able to go to school or work its very rewarding
larry love 65 a gray haired jovial former oil rig worker said he started using heroin at 13 decades of addiction destroyed his marriage and relationships with his children a 350000 inheritance he received in the 1990s vanished in less than four years
diacetylmorphine he said has opened up a path back to normalcy he compared it to the insulin injected daily by diabetics just a drug he needs to stay alive
its 100 percent about stability he said now i have money in my savings account and can get a haircut whenever i want ive even started investing
advocates have long wanted to extend heroin maintenance beyond the small group of patients at crosstown but they face formidable bureaucratic hurdles and a continuing court fight
in 2013 canadas health minister a member of the conservative party sought to put in place regulations that would ban the prescription of heroin and other illegal drugs outside of a clinical trial reflecting the partys broad opposition to harm reduction policies
five crosstown patients and the providence health care society which runs the clinic filed a case with the supreme court of british columbia to block the move arguing that the federal regulations violated a constitutional right to lifesaving treatment a supreme court justice granted an injunction in 2014 that allowed current patients to continue receiving prescription heroin until the constitutional challenge could be heard a court date is set for october
at crosstown patients continue to try to repair their fractured lives
liane gladue 48 was a seventh grade teacher and a married mother before she started shooting heroin two decades ago she said she could not quit and spent her waking hours shoplifting and committing other crimes but since joining the clinical trials and crosstowns program she said she has reconnected with her grown children
when i wake up and think about what id have to do for heroin i feel so lucky to be in this program she said now i can do some healing


shanghai   when han feng returned to her homeland a decade ago she moved into one of shanghais most historically significant buildings almost by accident
days after landing in the city the financial capital of mainland china after 20 years spent making a name for herself as a fashion designer in new york ms han ran into an old friend at a flea market
she suggested i come and be her neighbor at the jin jiang hotel ms han said i signed the lease the next day then left town to go back to new york for three months
after moving to new york in 1985 with little english ms han began her professional career as a sales assistant at bloomingdales she soon started making and selling scarves out of her home and then introduced her own ready to wear line becoming a staple at new york fashion week by the mid 1990s
as her fashion reputation grew ms han was also called upon to design costumes for opulent productions of madame butterfly one of them was performed at the metropolitan opera in new york in 2006 as well as movies such as the film interpretation of amy tans novel the bonesetters daughter and a remake of the karate kid in 2010
ms han still has a loft in new york but she moved her atelier to shanghai in 2005 and now works exclusively on a made to measure basis with a list of loyal clients many of whom have been wearing her designs for decades
her workspace is located downstairs from her apartment in grosvenor house a grand old apartment building and one of the two main buildings in the jin jiang hotel complex
the jin jiang hotel has been one of shanghais premier residential addresses since it opened in 1929 as cathay mansions the grosvenor house building followed in 1934
owned by victor sassoon one of the most colorful characters of shanghais early 20th century jazz age the first cathay mansions building was the tallest in the city when it was constructed in its heyday a raft of playboys diplomats journalists and businesspeople lived there
after the communist revolution in 1949 cathay mansions was renamed jin jiang hotel and became a government guesthouse in mao zedongs china this was the hotel du jour for dignitaries visiting shanghai
its high point came in 1972 when president richard nixon and premier zhou enlai of china signed the shanghai communique in the jin jiangs grand hall the first step in normalizing relations between the united states and the peoples republic of china
its such a well known building for chinese people ms han said actually my parents like to tell their friends that their daughter stays in the jin jiang hotel she added that her parents were still surprised that she is allowed to live at the famous address
ms hans one bedroom apartment on the eighth floor of grosvenor house measures 140 square meters or about 1500 square feet and is a colorful expression of ms hans personality with each room painted a different shade and much of the furniture custom made or picked up from local bric a brac stores
i really love it here she said its given me the opportunity to experiment with color and decor what i really love about china is that its so easy to custom make everything
these days with a one bedroom apartment in the grosvenor house building renting for about 30000 renminbi or 4560 a month depending on the floor journalists have largely been priced out
the buildings residents now are more likely to be consuls general and businesspeople
celebrities such as the cosmetics entrepreneur yue sai kan have also called grosvenor house home and the transgender dance star jin xing lives there with her family
born in nanjing on the cusp of maos cultural revolution a young ms han moved to hangzhou a little over 100 miles southwest of shanghai to attend the china academy of fine art just after deng xiaopings economic policies opened china to the world in the early 1980s
her art school education led her to become a collector of chinese contemporary art and many of the pieces hanging in her apartment are the creations of her classmates
i bought their art mainly because i wanted to support them she said maybe these pieces i bought for one thousand or two thousand dollars but now everyone is so famous
the openness of the living and dining room a rarity in older shanghai apartments and the result of ms hans decision to remove archways between the rooms is immediately apparent on entering the apartment
natural light floods the south facing living room with one wall dominated by two of the immersive oceanic oil paintings by the chinese artist shi zhiying
the dining room with a large table fashioned from a former staircase and an art deco influenced molded ceiling has been the scene of many dinner parties where ms han enjoys bringing people together for good food wine and conversation
at night i see friends i like to put people together she said i like to know more creative people i enjoy that
just off the bedroom is ms hans private retreat a fuchsia walled reading room where books and magazines piled high around an armchair and a low ceiling combine to make the space a veritable cocoon a fireplace and a hot plate   for making tea   complete the cozy feel
in winter i sit in here a lot ms han said it makes me feel very comfortable i can sit here with friends and exchange ideas or be by myself and i am very happy here


sydney australia   tucked away at the end of a quiet road with sydney harbor national park for a next door neighbor is a home unlike any other in its residential neighborhood
located in balgowlah heights a harborside suburb of sydney the architect designed house is in many respects a classic sandstone manor with the style of one built in the late 1800s yet because it is less than 15 years old it includes many modern features
the house sits on a 1180 square  meter or 12700 square foot parcel of land and has five bedrooms two studies and five bathrooms it has 810 square meters of floor space with an additional 185 square meters of deck area
the house has views that stretch over sydneys north harbor to the seaside town of manly and its renowned harbor and beyond to the tasman sea
balgowlah heights is in the northern beaches region of sydney about 12 kilometers north of the citys central business district the area has a median house price of 227 million australian dollars or 175 million according to a leading australian property website realestatecomau but the distinctive character of this house pushes its suggested price to between 14 million and 15 million dollars
the current owner a sydney based lawyer had been eager to purchase the land which then held a small brick home for some time until in 1996 the opportunity finally arose a year later a four year project began to create a home which would never date and would blend into the surrounding bushland landscape to do this 800 tons of gosford sandstone was used in the construction of the house and gardens while the gardens are well maintained it is the proliferation of sandstone that is most notable as you wind down a short sloping driveway or adjacent path to enter the house on its midlevel the owner who asked not to be identified chose penrhyn slate roofing to complement it
the architect john brogan came up with a design that not only allows the views of bushland and harbor to be taken in from most of the bedrooms and living areas but also ensures privacy
stepping in to the midlevel vestibule   whether through the front door or the adjacent double garage   you are immediately drawn to the view beyond the main living area the rich tones of the brazilian mahogany joinery that was milled on site as the home was being built are also attention grabbing as is a large schonbek chandelier that hangs from the upper level ceiling into the midlevel of the house
the main living area includes a sandstone fireplace and flows to a large balcony that overlooks the swimming pool
the midlevel of the house also features a study formal dining area a granite kitchen and a smaller dining area as well as a laundry room with granite countertops
the chandelier which can be lowered for cleaning is a centerpiece of the upper level the master bedroom is on this level and includes a full bathroom en suite and a walk in closet the bedroom not only has the scenic view but also opens to an upper balcony that extends across the breadth of the house
also on this level is what might be referred to as a childrens wing three single bedrooms each with built in wardrobes fan off a common playroom the upper level features another full bathroom a powder room and another study that could serve as a bedroom
the lower level of the home is largely for recreation there is a cinema room a gym a playroom and a sauna the large billiards room has a bar area that includes one of the more novel features of the home a viewing window into the swimming pool
another bedroom could serve as a guest quarters and there is a 3000 bottle wine cellar and a large storage room as well as a bathroom
the owner said it was a wonderful home in which to raise a family it is a peaceful location ideal for a growing family with a large backyard and beautiful gardens
the property is for sale as the owners children have grown and he and his wife intend to return to a rural lifestyle
we will miss the spectacular views over the harbor and out to the ocean and the resort style facilities he said we will also miss the ferries and lights at night


one of the more impressive artifacts making the internet rounds in the last 24 hours is a video recorded at the 2004 rock and roll hall of fame induction ceremony of an all star band playing the beatles while my guitar gently weeps the performance is a tribute to george harrison a posthumous honoree that evening by a group that includes his son dhani along with old bandmates and collaborators like tom petty jeff lynne and steve winwood then theres another person on stage too standing a bit apart from the rest bent over an electric guitar hes a small man in a dark pinstriped suit a scarlet red shirt and matching derby hat   a look that splits the difference between toreador and pimp for a while the guy hangs back in the shadows strumming and looking a bit bored but three and a half minutes in he saunters into the spotlight to take a guitar solo
the guitarist is prince and what ensues is something like a cyclone a huge sound comes roaring out of his telecaster an onslaught of notes and riffs and block chords that continues rippling and lashing for nearly three minutes its an attack that seems intended not just to extinguish all memory of eric claptons famous solo on the original recording but to vanquish george harrison and the beatles for good measure its a brazen hijacking of an in memoriam tribute a breach of etiquette   and a wondrous exhibition of pure showmanship and ego when the song ends prince whips off his guitar flings it in the air and peacocks off stage left
to mount a proscenium in the company of prince who died thursday at age 57 was to bask in greatness and to risk humiliation on occasions like this one princes performances had a way of shifting from show business as usual   a stars prerogative to entertain and strut his stuff   into the realm of pure blood sport he aimed not only to put on a great show but also to show others up to singe lesser mortals with pyrotechnic displays of musicianship and charisma his competitive instincts could overwhelm his gentler courtlier ones a month before the rock hall gig he appeared on the grammy awards charging through a medley of his hits alongside beyonce you could see him straining to be courteous to cede the spotlight a bit but after a few minutes he appeared to lose patience and cranked up the virtuosity   dancing shredding on guitar sliding from the depth sounder bottom end of his vocal register into an otherworldly falsetto the spectacle concluded with another guitar toss and beyonce one of the worlds more unflappable performers was left looking rather windblown teetering on her high heels
antagonism has always been one of musics animating forces it runs through history the cutting contests of storyville jazz musicians bronx street corner battle rap showdowns mozart versus salieri beatles versus stones whitney versus mariah but prince may have been the most tenacious musical competitor of them all his ambition was outrageous with every song every note he aimed to be the best the baddest the most wizardly the most unimpeachable he seemed to have swallowed an encyclopedia of music history and developed world historical ambition to go with it he was a one man band extraordinaire the worlds best rhythm section and the worlds best background vocal choir he could sing like al green or if the mood struck john lennon he could work a bandstand as fearsomely as james brown and play a guitar as well as jimi hendrix his death came as a shock because he had strode into his sixth decade in apparently undiminished form with the waistline and hairline of a man half his age and the stamina of a man even younger than that his hitmaking days were behind him and his pop culture profile waxed and waned but whenever he resurfaced he served notice that he was indomitable he could still sing dance play instruments write songs and produce records better than everyone else
rivalry defined his career from the beginning on his first major concert tour in the winter and spring of 1979 80 prince was the warm up act for rick james another rising star who was scrambling racial and musical categories tension flared between the two singers james complained to journalists about the sensationalism of princes act with its eye popping clothes and obscene lyrics james was right of course prince played the weird card and not just because it came naturally to him weird was good business prince knew he could trump the competition by standing out an elfin black man in lingerie belting out a jittery new wave song about a 32 year old nymphomaniac who keeps her 16 year old brother as a sex slave   the shtick was hard to ignore
but the real strangeness of prince was in his sound jagged pop funk that hit the 1980s with an electric jolt musicians in the early 80s found themselves surrounded by any number of new high tech toys instruments they hadnt quite learned how to use prince figured them out devising a new brand of dance music based on a heretofore unheard of idea that synthesizer and drum machines could carry a sweaty funk groove as forcefully as guitars and drums and brass sections had princes music was a triumph of minimalism of addition by subtraction the power of his best singles lies in what is not there as much as what is you hear it in the eerily clattering when doves cry which jettisons bass altogether and in the throb of sign o the times which tilts in the opposite direction pushing a pulsing bass way out front
those and other catchy sonically visionary songs made prince a superstar today its striking how much more adventurous princes records were than those of fellow 80s titans   including his chief friendly nemesis michael jackson some of his singles even took dead aim at those rivals raspberry beret played like a funky libidinous sendup of bruce springsteens heartland road songs i put her on the back of my bikeand we went ridingdown by old man johnsons farm the astounding guitar work on the purple rain soundtrack seemed directed at jackson who had muscled up his music on hits like beat it the point was unmistakable if michael jackson wanted a rip roaring guitar solo he had to corral eddie van halen and pay him a generous day rate prince could peel off the solo himself presumably in between orgies
a pop psychologist might diagnose a napoleon complex in prince who stood just 5 feet 2   5 feet 6 in purple platforms as he aged his digs at competitors sometimes turned shrill as late as 2004 he was still taking swipes at michael jackson my voice is getting higherand eye aint never had my nose done    thats the other guy he sang on life o the party that song was on musicology a comeback album that found prince playing the fuddy duddy scorning hip hop take your pickturntable or a band he sniffed it was a weirdly reactionary move for a guy who had always kept moving toward the new and the next
but prince was also a more charming earthier funnier guy than many realized his sense of humor shines through in dozens of songs including those that revel in surreal nonsense lets go crazylets go nutslets look for the purple bananatil they put us in the truck he was least convincing when he turned to weightier spiritual matters as he often did gospel testimonies such as the cross and the ladder are bogged down by moralism and cliches and albums like the 2001 jehovahs witness manifesto the rainbow children are close to unlistenable
the true subject of princes grandest songs is the grandeur of princes songs im still not sure what purple rain is no one is i do know that purple rain is a tour de force princes audacious attempt to write the ultimate rock power ballad just as adore is the ultimate falsetto soul ballad and kiss is the ultimate bare bones funk jam and 1999 is the ultimate apocalyptic party anthem and so on princes records induce awe   not at gods grace or the majesty of the universe but at a more local wonder the fact that one human person one mind and body could contain so much music his religious views were esoteric and ever shifting and frankly not so interesting but his faith in music and his own paranormal gift for it never wavered his most persuasive theological pronouncement came in my name is prince in the beginning god made the sea he sings but on the seventh day he made me amen


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1 in the days before he died on thursday prince was spotted riding his bike hosting a party and visiting a record store but there were hints of health troubles in recent weeks mourning continued friday for a tech savvy musician sex symbol and style icon who took high heels to new heights a cause of death has not yet been identified

2 virginias democratic governor is restoring the voting rights of 200000 convicted felons reversing a civil war era law he said was intended to disenfranchise african americans terry mcauliffe circumvented the swing states republican run legislature a move likely to provoke a gop backlash though most of the felons are african americans a core democratic constituency their electoral effect is likely to be modest

3 donald j trump has been more accepting of sexual minorities than his rivals for the gop nomination if two people dig each other they dig each other he wrote in 2005 to congratulate elton john on his marriage meanwhile his new campaign chief told republican leaders that mr trump knew he needed to reshape his image and suggested that the candidates bombastic style has largely been an act

4 while the museum of modern art is expanding with the help of a 100 million donation from the california billionaire david geffen the metropolitan museum of art is in peril the institutions diverging circumstances speak to the booming audience for modern and contemporary art and the mets struggle to keep up with it the met is facing deficits and possible staff cuts and development of a new wing is stalled

5 president obama and the first lady michelle obama dined with queen elizabeth ii and her husband prince philip in london the lunch kicked off a two day british visit for president obama during which he is encouraging british people to vote against leaving the european union londons mayor boris johnson published a provocative essay alluding to views that mr obama is motivated by a radical anti imperialist agenda

6 an international group of experts investigating the disappearance of 43 students in 2014 described running into harassment stonewalling and intimidation far from uncovering the answers the mexican authorities promised the investigators said a lack of government cooperation had left them unable to solve the case

7 welcome back to westeros hbos game of thrones returns for its sixth season on sunday leaving its legions of fans straining to remember where the show left off in june catch up on where 11 main characters were last seen were sorry to say we know nothing about the status of jon snow

8 the suicide rate in the us is at its highest level in nearly 30 years with women and middle aged americans hit especially hard federal data analysis found the overall rate rose by 24 percent from 1999 to 2014 increasing to 13 deaths per 100000 people its really stunning to see such a large increase in suicide rates affecting virtually every age group a health care adviser said

9 republicans have gotten what they seemed to want a depleted defanged internal revenue service the target of anti tax sentiments that in recent years have grown in intensity the irs is fighting back arguing that budget cuts have forced the agency to collect less money and pursue fewer fraudsters you really shouldnt be able to reduce the amount you spend on irs decrease their performance ability and then complain about their performance an analyst said

10 finally some bad news if youre a single woman in china that handsome exotic foreigner who wants to take you out on a date might actually be a spy chinese officials are warning though a 16 panel cartoon was posted in subway stations streets and living areas residents seemed unconvinced they were being used for state secrets
hope that you have an excellent weekend and that your love life remains espionage free
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prince who died on thursday at 57 was the human embodiment of synthesis   he wedded the body to the mind the sacred to the profane and blurred lines between male and female black and white straight and gay he was a prolific musician and performer but also prolific with ideas about how to shake up moribund approaches to pop
princes catalog was huge and defied neat summation   he was outrageously good at so many things we touched on several of them on this weeks popcast i spoke with the chief pop music critic jon pareles the music critic ben ratliff and the critic at large wesley morris about princes relationship to the body to the music business and to his fans but mostly about how what prince wanted prince got
related articles
prince an artist who defied genre is dead at 57
how prince rebelled against the music industry
an ode to the purple one princes most memorable albums


welcome to social capital a series devoted to analyzing the social media presences of celebrities
curt schilling the legendary pitcher who found a second career as an espn baseball analyst is also known for about three other things he bled through a tube sock on national television while playing against the yankees he defaulted on a guaranteed 75 million loan from the state of rhode island in a failed video game start up and hes incredibly active on social media on monday it was the last of those that garnered the most attention schilling shared a transphobic meme on his facebook page one conveying the perceived danger of allowing trans people to use bathrooms that correspond with their gender identity implying that trans people are sexual predators who hunt women and children by disguising themselves and lying in wait in the seclusion of public restrooms
of course there are no recorded instances of trans people attacking anyone in public bathrooms nevertheless north carolina passed a bill last month requiring residents to use the bathroom aligning with the sex on their birth certificates critics all over the nation denounced the bill as simple bigotry earlier this week schillings facebook post took off and links to it were sent around twitter he defended himself on his personal blog but the near unanimous outrage had already forced his employer into action on wednesday espn fired him
over the years schilling has used facebook to curate a safe public community where friends and like minded followers can follow what hes up to post well wishes and contribute to an ever growing wall of hatred nestled between corny jokes boasts of semi successful dadding videos of his dogs photos of his chickens and evidence of his legitimately dope fish tank are the thoughts and paranoia of what i would describe as a racist sexist islamophobic xenophobic homophobic transphobic conspiracy theorist who believes deeply in the christian god and much less so in the humanity of people who are unlike him
a few weeks ago schilling posted a free beacon article aggregating a department of homeland security report that assessed the likelihood of someone hacking into the countrys electrical grid that likelihood the report found is low but still schilling wrote this is how wwiii is going to open he has raved on his wall about microchips embedded in peoples hands that allow them to open doors and pay for coffee which he considers the mark of the beast predicted in the book of revelations over 2000 years ago he has surmised that president obama is the antichrist sent to destroy the united states when posting a video foretelling islams destruction of the country he wrote i would honestly say this is the most important 14 minutes of information ive heard in the last 15 years by a mile and of course theres benghazi
taking in the sum of what schilling shares   all the links to breitbart drudge fox news right wing news and lesser known facebook groups often peddling apocryphal or otherwise odious memes   is a jarring experience but examined individually none of schillings opinions qualify as particularly novel in the current political climate its hard to even call them extreme theres nothing surprising about schilling reacting just as incredulously to the idea of police brutality as to the idea of climate change you can probably guess that he believes in denying women the right to abortion but does support torture these are the ordinary everyday musings of a certain type of conservative christian middle aged jingoistic white male   the type that like schilling holds to a specific vision of america that is being rendered obsolete hes a bigot yes but more than that he seems scared
schilling is only 49 but his facebook page drips with synthetic nostalgia for a time he has never known and figures was probably better than this one in a january post he shared a photo of jacklyn lucas   a man who at 17 years old fought for the marines in the second world war and survived diving on two grenades at iwo jima   and contemplated lucass sacrifice in awe this generation makes that one seem centuries old mythological almost he wrote schilling also made news last year when drowning in the debt of his failed video game company he took to selling off nazi memorabilia via a facebook photo album a week later schilling shared a post from conservative comedian steven crowder titled is liberalism killing the manly man unsurprisingly schilling thinks it is
when his fear of a changing america manifests in an ornery disdain for millennials pathological laziness unabashed admiration of walmarts marketing ploys or public displays of affection for carly fiorina ben carson and donald trumps kids schillings retrograde beliefs are almost quaint hes the cliched right wing uncle ive never known but my white friends all claim to have more often though schillings fear is expressed in other more hostile ways   like when he shares a video of an american soldier playing the star spangled banner on his electric guitar in an effort to drown out muslim prayer services or celebrates sheriff joe arpaios harsh treatment of prisoners in his tent city prison in maricopa county ariz he sees humans rights and freedoms as extinguishable transferable resources reserved mainly for straight white middle aged christian conservative american males   people like him
still if schilling feels blindsided by his firing hes justified however espn may wish to appear the company has never been a paragon of bravery or morality schilling is an outspoken bigot undoubtedly one of the worst acting as an outward face of a reputable company but hes the same bigot espn hired 2010 hes the same bigot they merely suspended last year when he claimed there were as many as 160 million radical muslims in the world and then compared them to nazis the meme that led to his termination wasnt even the first transphobic post he has shared on facebook this week schillings worst crime then isnt bigotry but picking the wrong week to be himself


few people in the english speaking world could have been happier on april 23 1916 than the readers of the new york times
that was the day our 10 part william shakespeare supplement marking the 300th anniversary of his death finally came to an end it had begun in february and taken up 43 large pages of the sunday paper with 75000 words give or take a few thousand and nearly 200 illustrations
this was one of the most exhaustive retrospectives the times could ever hope to accomplish on a single subject and accounted for some gorgeous pages said ryan murphy who works in the timess photo archive
beautiful as it was could anyone possibly have consumed it all
even the times   in the magisterial voice of its drama critic alexander woollcott   conceded that the popular appeal of shakespeare was shrinking fast the naturalistic school had taken hold this was the year eugene oneills bound east for cardiff was first performed
the great elizabethan is now speaking to a polite but alien house mr woollcott wrote you realize that now as never before in the three centuries since his death great inherent difficulties beset in the theater the message from his heart to ours
yet its not difficult to understand why the times decided to lavish so much effort on the series we gave our strategy away in an advertisement for the supplements
in practically every large city of the country there are to be during this year community plays masques festivals pageants tableaux and other forms of celebration the copy read the new york times shakespeare series is planned to be not only of interest to the average cultured individual but of great help to the groups participating in these celebrations and particularly to university college and high school classes studying shakespeare
that was a huge audience whose money we were not going to leave on the table
reaching around the pay wall the times offered this accommodation persons not regular subscribers to the new york times may procure all of the installments to the series by subscribing for the 10 sunday issues containing this series at the regular price of the complete sunday times at 5 cents the issue or 50 cents for the 10 issues post paid
for their half dollars subscribers received sumptuous supplements led by these essays
 the world today commemorates the great life that ended 300 years ago feb 20
 shakespeare the great creator of tragedy by richard le gallienne feb 27
 shakespeares heroines as human beings by charlotte perkins gilman march 5
 odds against shakespeare on stage today by mr woollcott march 12
 shakespeare and the sea by alfred noyes march 19
 how each age finds new flaws in shakespeare by john palmer march 26
 the english theater in shakespeares time by ashley h thorndike april 2
 he divined life he did not merely copy it by sir sidney lee april 9
 he conquered france but slowly by joseph l borgerhoff april 16
 shakespeares comedy a growth by martin w sampson april 23
nothing remotely equivalent has been planned for the 400th anniversary a fact that mr woollcott could have predicted a century ago
every development in the modern theater not only in the drama but in the structure of the buildings and the mechanism of the world behind the scenes gives aid to the will and power to pretend he wrote the imagination is subvened in the playhouse today it has been pampered and shakespeare is a strain upon it there is the heart of the matter
sir he hath never fed of the dainties that are bred in a book he hath not eat paper as it were he hath not drunk ink his intellect is not replenished he is only an animal only sensible in the duller parts   sir nathaniel loves labours lost


listen to this weeks podcast  subscribe itunes  rss  stitcher audioboom
on this weeks popcast caetano veloso the great brazilian singer and songwriter talks about 50 years of music history and politics he is currently on the united states leg of a world tour with gilberto gil the musician with whom his career has been most entwined a recording from earlier in the tour dois amigos um seculo de musica multishow live has just been released in the united states by nonesuch
meanwhile his country appears to be unraveling we spoke on a tuesday three days earlier the lower house of congress in brazil voted to impeach their president dilma rousseff in a move that ms rousseff has described as a coup
we are living hard times in brazil mr veloso said i never saw brazilians so split as different groups you know so divided
this may be difficult for non brazilians to understand mr veloso lived through a military takeover in brazil in 1964 one supported by the united states to suppress the perceived threat of communism during the next four years he and mr gil started their careers joining with poets and artists and playwrights to create the tropicalismo or tropicalia movement in an uneasy semi suppressive atmosphere in 1968 after a decree that suspended constitutional guarantees both of them were arrested jailed and eventually sent out of the country they lived in london for two and a half years before returning to brazil
in this interview mr veloso discusses among other subjects whether or not he understands sundays events as a coup the visible differences in brazilian society between this time and 1964 what happened on mr gils trip to pernambuco in 1966 that helped generate the tropicalismo movement the relationship between the sound of the portuguese language and samba the idea of a second abolition and his frank estimation of mr gils talent in relation to his own
related article
review caetano veloso and gilberto gil harmonic and political still


welcome to watching the new york timess what to watch guide we comb through releases big and small famous and esoteric to email readers twice a week with our timely recommendations our most recent suggestions also appear below to receive our guide straight to your inbox sign up here
lets get out of here lets travel the world well be judges and priests and hoteliers and well plan for global crises and teenage heartache and figure out how to lead the lives we were meant to in other words lets watch some foreign language tv shows you cant have a second screen experience when you have to read subtitles at least i cant so i tend to get even more absorbed in these series than i do in my english language favorites
thanks to all of you whove written in so far i loved hearing about what youre enjoying so now im especially curious about what show you find yourself watching out of habit but not necessarily delight for me its shark tank why oh why do i keep watching this show when every episodes stilted presentations make me uncomfortable email me at watchingnytimescom or tweet watching
see you monday
 a gripping political thriller watch the norwegian series occupied on netflix the show is set in a very near future where energy crises have dramatically affected international relations the united states has pulled out of nato and now russia is stealthily invading norway to try to maintain the nations oil production which the new prime minister has tried to ban theres a 24 vibe to some of the action in a good way netflix one 10 episode season
 a serious and thoughtful ensemble show watch the french drama the churchmen on hulu it centers on five young men in the early stages of becoming catholic priests and the higher ups within the parish and diocese who are engaged in their own power struggles the show isnt er preachy and does not require much knowledge about catholicism in particular it does a beautiful job of blending the personal and the political and the spiritual as its characters wrestle with questions about where power comes from and ought to come from and under what circumstances the needs of individuals outweigh the needs of the group hulu two eight episode seasons
 something on a beach but not beachy watch the swedish drama 30 degrees in february on netflix the show follows three unrelated swedes   each somewhere between a vacationer and an expat and each in a state of profound despair   on their respective trips to thailand theres a refreshing straightforwardness to 30 degrees no twists no mysterious back story no kooky theories necessary to keep things interesting netflix one 10 episode season
short of a mass purification in the waters of lake minnetonka the only thing that might help us all this weekend after princes death is watching as much prince as possible here are some movies tv moments and other clips for you
purple rain obviously but if you havent watched this movie since the 80s or have never seen it at all get your friends together and rent it at itunes amazon or google play its also playing on vh1 half a dozen times over the weekend parts of it are quite silly but the musical performances are tremendous look at this gif and say youre not convinced
2007 super bowl halftime show most any other semi legacy acts from the early to mid 80s would have been derided in some corners as fusty in the two years before paul mccartney and the rolling stones performed the halftime show in the two years after tom petty and bruce springsteen but prince existed out of time his set was one of the best ever
new girl in its third season this fox sitcom which is available on netflix devoted an entire episode to the anxiety and weirdness that comes with being invited to a party at princes house which is something we can all relate to right
questlove vs prince prince was great but he could often be bizarre and mysterious and unfathomable questlove the drummer for the roots narrated a story   animated in this video   in which he is asked to throw prince a post concert party prince really liked parties theres also the 2004 rock and roll hall of fame induction ceremony in which he plays a magnificent solo on while my guitar gently weeps and a young prince on american bandstand which you can watch at deadspin   gilbert cruz
watch a hologram for the king
based on dave eggerss novel of the same name hologram tells the story of an american consultant visiting saudi arabia to sell a holographic teleconferencing system to the saudi government while that may all sound a little fanciful writes stephen holden its grounded by the tom hanks whose performance elevates an ominous downbeat reflection on american decline and runaway technology into a subdued absurdist farce read the full review
skip the huntsman winters war
both a sequel and a prequel to 2012s snow white and the huntsman this movie takes a great set of actors   charlize theron jessica chastain emily blunt chris hemsworth   and stuffs them into an empty container its badness is not extreme but exemplary writes ao scott its everything wrong with hollywood today stuffed into a little less than two hours read the full review
hbos mega two hour programming block returns sunday night with game of thrones at 9 pm silicon valley at 10 and veep at 1030
to prepare you can read our profile of the actor who plays ramsay bolton the worst man on tv our q and a with tj miller who plays erlich bachman on silicon and james poniewoziks look at the upcoming season of veep


carnival corporation will begin offering a seven day cruise to three cuban cities starting may 1 after cuban authorities lifted a longstanding restriction that barred people born in cuba from traveling to the island by sea
the prospect of carnival operating a cruise that excluded cuban born passengers had drawn fierce protests from the cuban community in the united states and from american officials and prompted carnival to say it would delay its trips until the problem was resolved
however cuba announced in a statement on friday that cubans could now travel to and from the island by commercial vessel
carnival will be the first company to offer cruises or ferry service on an american vessel between the united states and cuba in half a century
the adonia of carnivals fathom brand which can host 704 travelers will set sail from miami and dock in the bay of havana for two nights then it will round the western tip of cuba and spend one night at cienfuegos a french influenced former sugar trading hub on the islands southern coast the ship will make a final stop at santiago de cuba at the far eastern tip of the island before returning to miami
passengers on the ship have to travel under one of 12 categories of licensed travel to cuba which include so called people to people trips that involve a full time schedule of engagement with cuban people and culture arnold w donald chief executive of carnival corporation told reporters on a conference call on friday that fathom will offer talks concerts and workshops to allow deep immersion in cuba the company would take care of visas and of retaining documentation required by the treasury department about how passengers spent their time
the rules for cubans are different they are allowed under treasury department regulations to visit cuba from the united states cuban authorities demand that they do so with their cuban passport
mr donald said that there had been few inquiries so far from prospective cuban passengers but that he expected to receive more now that cuban authorities had said they could travel to the island by sea
royal caribbean international and norwegian cruise line both based in miami have expressed interest in operating cruises to cuba but need authorization from the cuban government
american travelers are also allowed to join cruises sailing to cuba from non american ports so long as they are licensed to travel to the island and are not simply tourists
the cuban governments decision to allow cubans to travel to the island by sea may unblock months of delays in getting cuban authorization for american ferry operators who wish to sail between florida and havana said robert muse an expert in cuba related law ferry service could significantly reduce the cost of reaching cuba from the united states which is currently only possible on expensive charter flights
several ferry companies including havana ferry partners of fort lauderdale fla and baja ferries a florida based company that operates routes in mexico were granted licenses from the treasury department to operate routes from the united states to cuba almost a year ago but mr muse who handled baja ferries license application said the company - and other prospective ferry operators   had yet to receive authorization from the cuban government
with the latest change in cuban rules for travel by sea he hoped negotiations can move swiftly he said


game of thrones returns for its sixth season on hbo on sunday and with a cast of thousands and nearly as many subplots you could be forgiven for being a little fuzzy on the details
were here to help below is a primer on where we left off in season 5 with most of the shows major characters other significant active characters are marked in bold
please check back sunday night at 10 pm for a recap of the season premiere for a deeper dive into season 5 and earlier please feel free to check out past episode recaps
last seen full of dagger holes bleeding out at castle black
if you hadnt heard snow appeared to die in a mutiny in the season 5 finale and trailers photos and everyone associated with the show suggest that he is actually dead that said approximately 0 percent of thrones fans think he will stay that way the question of how he comes back   whether its melisandre the red witch currently at castle black who revives him some other sorcerer or some other mechanism altogether   will hang over the show until its resolved
last seen in charge in meereen
season 5 was a rough one for tyrion who arrived in pentos in a box was kidnapped by ser jorah in volantis dodged stone men in valyria and finally landed in meereen just in time for a violent insurrection by a gold masked group known as the sons of the harpy the good news he survived and is back in a leadership position after spending nearly two seasons either imprisoned for the trumped up joffrey murder charge or on the road better news he has varys the cagey adviser back at his side a fun pairing that briefly happened last year but was quickly torn asunder bad news that perhaps undercuts everything else harpys still presumably lurk in the shadows
last seen exiled in dothrakiville
live by the dragon die by the dragon or end up far from home with no gps by the dragon at least the mercurial drogon deposited dany in dothraki parts unknown at the end of season 5 and while most of us were probably glad to see her finally leave meereen the circumstances dont seem much better wherever she is now youll recall that shes the widow of a dothraki warlord khal drogo so perhaps that will smooth the way for her she dropped a bread crumb in the form of a ring and is currently being tracked by a duo consisting of her boy toy daario and her lovelorn greyscale ridden admirer ser jorah so maybe theyll find her or maybe theyll come to blows either way it should be more fun than meereen
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last seen shamed cradled by a reanimated super soldier in kings landing
contemptuous and nasty throughout the early seasons cersei had been heading for a fall and last season she took it not long after she empowered a religious sect the sparrows in order to persecute margaery she herself was locked up for once seducing her twit of a cousin lancel everything culminated in her agonizing walk of shame in the season 5 finale she now has the resurrected mountain at her disposal which could be useful   i choose violence she says in a trailer the slithery qyburn stands ready to help as well but cersei is also presumably about to learn that her daughter myrcella is dead which would also seem to bode poorly for the feckless tommen her remaining child who is paradoxically both the king and the least powerful person in this story a witch once predicted cersei would lose three children gold will be their crowns gold their shrouds ...
last seen in a boat holding his dying daughterniece in his arms
jaime and bronn took an extended vacation in dorne that didnt work out well for anyone except for perhaps the viperous ellaria sand who poisoned myrcella as retribution for her lover oberyn martells death in season 4 but for the rest of us it was a bummer   jaime lost his daughter bronn got locked up and the whole thing was a bit of a dud from an entertainment standpoint now jaime gets to tell cersei who already thinks hes a kind of a deadbeat and is presumably still smarting from her walk of shame that her daughter is dead theres still time to turn the boat around kingslayer
last seen in jail in kings landing
margaery thought she had it all figured out going from one king joffrey to another tommen before the first ones body was even cold but she too ran afoul of the high sparrowsepton and his followers thanks to her perjury during the trial of her brother loras he is gay and the sparrows fundamentalist spin on the faith of the seven is intolerant the whole thing was orchestrated by cersei who later ended up being persecuted herself but that is probably of little comfort to margaery who remains in her cell at least until her grandmother the wealthy lady olenna figures out how to spring her
last seen leaping from a high wall at winterfell
at the beginning of season 5 the long suffering sansa had the look of a young woman ready to leave her bad luck and bad marriages behind and move on to better things but no petyr littlefinger baelish married her off to ramsay bolton the worst person on the show she spent most of last year as a hostage in her own childhood home winterfell and her wedding night rape was probably the most notorious scene of season 5 targeted by ramsays jilted girlfriend myranda she was saved when her former adopted brother theonreek rediscovered his inner nobility throwing myranda to her death and helping sansa escape some wondered if they would survive the jump but the pillowy snow of the north remembers apparently because new scenes show them fleeing into the countryside theon greyjoy by the way could be leaving reekdom behind just in time his people the ironborn will be more heavily involved this year you might remember his rugged sister yara and loathsome father balon from previous episodes and additional greyjoys will show up in season 6
last seen blind in braavos
arya seemed destined for ninja hood at the beginning of season 5 joining a mysterious group of assassins called the faceless men but instead she ended up in an extended karate kid training phase at their house of black and white doing menial labor for jaqen hghar and taking regular abuse from an unpleasant girl called the waif then things got dark when arya reverted to vengeful form blinding and executing the awful meryn trant one of her kill list targets she paid the price with her own eyes at least for now
last seen vanquishing stannis in battle
ramsay has become a major figure in this story mostly through treachery but his villainy caught up to him at the end of season 5 driving sansa to escape winterfell rather than endure his abuse as a stark she conferred a veneer of legitimacy upon house bolton which is otherwise despised in the north and probably most other places too further complicating things for ramsay is that his coldly calculating father roose bolton has sired another child and the maesters say its a boy this is 1 bad for the former bastard ramsay because it threatens his position within the family and 2 really bad for the unborn child and his mother because well see reason 1
last seen killing stannis missing sansa
brienne is a loyal and fearsome warrior who has nevertheless elevated mission bungling to an art form she and her faithful squire podrick on a quest to protect and serve the stark girls since season 4 are so far batting 000 theyve encountered each of them and have nothing to show for it and the girls have since been blinded and brutalized sansa even sent a signal at the end of season 5 that brienne who had been waiting for said signal for days missed because she went after stannis that said shes still in the vicinity of a fleeing sansa and did finally kill stannis who shed been targeting since season 2 so the long game is kind of her thing
last seen in a magical cave in season 4
bran took a gap year to focus on his studies with the three eyed raven who will be played by max von sydow this season perhaps youve been puzzled by photos and trailers from the new season that show the paraplegic bran standing the explanation is that he is able to walk in his visions which weve previously seen in bits and pieces but will be more substantial this year as bran comes into his own as metaphysical force hodors back too go ahead and say it you know you want to ...


beloved dearly
prince who eluded   and didnt need   descriptors died thursday at age 57 heres a look at his style through the years from unbuttoned backstage at the greenwich village bottom line nightclub in 1980 to front and center at the 2015 american music awards in his 3rd eye glasses
ck none
on tuesday calvin klein inc announced a double whammy the departures of francisco costa the womens creative director for calvin klein collection and italo zucchelli the mens creative director   meaning theres now plenty of room for potentially one raf simons we also rounded up costas and zucchellis greatest hits
the athleisure class
athleisure noun casual clothing designed to be worn both for exercising and for general use has been added to merriam webster unabridged
made in la
made fashion week is coming to california for a weekend june 10 and 11 thatll include the debut of moschinos mens spring and resort 2017 collections and a pop up marketplace
male enciaga
wwd reported that balenciaga will hold its first ever mens wear runway show in paris this summer
the exultation of mimi
from page six mariah carey threw a party where all the guests dressed as her and ugh my invite was lost in the mail had the bedazzled cast ready and everything
blend it like beckham
victoria beckham and estee lauder are partnering on a limited edition makeup line to be released this fall
un clutch your pearls
in response to chatter that karl lagerfeld is leaving chanel a spokesperson for the fashion house told british vogue the rumors about mr lagerfeld discontinuing the collections and the cruise collection show in cuba being the last are unsubstantiated
instagram of the week


for his bookshop and website one grand books the editor aaron hicklin asked people to name the 10 books theyd take with them if they were marooned on a desert island the next in the series is the singer eleanor friedberger whose latest album new view is out now she shares her list exclusively with t
world within world stephen spender
for those thinking about writing a memoir take a lesson from mr spender and read this
the house book 1974 edition terence conran
the bible for home interior design and a little soft porn to boot
the sea the sea iris murdoch
murdochs beautiful writing is endlessly entertaining and this novel about obsession is a perfect read while traveling alone
jerusalem a cookbook yotam ottolenghi
my go to cookbook where you cant go wrong
women poets of japan edited by kenneth rexroth  ikuko atsumi
for when youre feeling moody or need a quick line to woo someone with
a life in movies an autobiography michael powell
a true master take your time reading this in between watching a matter of life and death the red shoes and i know where im going
the greek islands lawrence durrell
a memoir travel history and photo book rolled into one durrell is a perfect companion
popism the warhol 60s andy warhol  pat hackett
totally hilarious and a great sneak peek into 60s new york
the songs of bob dylan from 1966 through 1977 bob dylan
grab a guitar and play some songs
division street america studs terkel
particular affinity to this since i grew up one block north of division street the greatest listener shares the voices of the people of chicago


good morning passover starts this evening for some of us and you probably have a menu planned already but in the event that you dont or youre looking for sweets to bring to a seder take a look at our extensive collection of passover recipes for inspiration matzo toffee with candied ginger we could knock that out before sunset for sure see what you think prince is our soundtrack of course breakfast can wait
as for gentiles you know what could be a nice thing to make this weekend grilled pizza the cooking works as well on a gas grill as on a charcoal one which is to say pretty well and if the results are more flatbread y than with traditional oven baked pies they come with a delightful char on them and in the case of a charcoal fire a delicious smokiness that heralds the coming long summer of cooking outside
martha rose shulman waded into the subject of grilling pizza a few years ago for the times she has a recipe for one with cherry tomatoes mozzarella and arugula another for grilled red onions and feta a third for grilled eggplant also with cherry tomatoes those are all great
me i tweaked our classic recipe for the pizza dough made at robertas pizzeria in brooklyn replacing half of the all purpose flour with whole wheat so that the dough would have a little more structure when it was ready i formed a pie grilled one side flipped the dough and topped it with a scant handful of shredded mozzarella some dots of ricotta and a healthy shower of grated parmesan to finish it i topped the grill let it all get a little melty and removed the pie to a cutting board put a few handfuls of fresh arugula dressed in olive oil and lemon juice on top of that two or three of those make a nice family meal
another good thing to cook this weekend asparagus heres how to cook it well we may make amanda hessers recipe for asparagus alla fontina or mark bittmans recipe for asparagus in miso butter did you run into some white asparagus try elaine sciolinos recipe for white asparagus with a cashew cream sauce an adaptation of one the french chef akrame benallal served at his restaurant akrame in paris
also always chicken we may keep at the grill and make a big platter of barbecued chicken thighs or make marks recipe for chicken negimaki we could stay inside and make melissa clarks recipe for salt and pepper roast chicken its never a bad idea on the weekend to make chicken liver pate especially if you accompany it with bacon onion jam
you can find other recipes to cook this weekend on cooking save the ones youre interested in to your recipe box and then when youre done tell us what you think by affixing a rating or a note to the recipe and if you run into problems do let us know were standing by at cookingcarenytimescom
finally we close today with wise words from jacques pepin who was on pbs recently to declaim a truth about recipes which is that it is far more important to understand what it is the instructions are telling you than to follow the recipe exactly of course you should follow a recipe closely the first time you make it after that however let experience rather than fealty be your guide make each recipe your own have a great weekend


times insider delivers behind the scenes insights from the new york times below are highlights from television and radio interviews featuring times reporters and columnists
alexander burns a political reporter for the times joined sky tv to discuss the new york state presidential primary and the potential for a contested republican convention in july
rachel swarns a metro columnist for the times joined the diane rehm show on wamu radio to discuss her feature on georgetown universitys ties to slavery and the slave trade
eric schmitt a senior writer for the times covering terrorism and national security issues joined kcrw radios to the point to discuss his coverage of defense secretary ashton b carters announcement that the united states will deploy as many as 200 more troops to the fight against militants in iraq and syria
john koblin a television reporter for the times joined new hampshire public radios word of mouth to discuss his recent piece on the tricky tasks for the staff of the television show naked and afraid


front page
because of an editing error an article on tuesday about the death of a cameroonian boy who was struck by a vehicle in a convoy carrying samantha power the united states ambassador to the united nations to meetings with west african victims of the islamist extremist group boko haram referred incorrectly to mokolo one of the cities she visited it is a departmental capital in cameroon not the national capital that is yaounde
international
an article on april 12 about a vote by a congressional panel in brazil to impeach president dilma rousseff referred incompletely in some editions to the steps toward impeachment her suspension from office would only follow a senate vote to put her on trial a vote for impeachment by the chamber of deputies the lower house of congress does not result in her immediate suspension the chamber voted for impeachment on sunday

the kashgar journal article on feb 16 about the passion for pigeon collecting among the uighurs of kashgar china referred imprecisely to chinese control of xinjiang the autonomous region that is the uighurs traditional homeland and to the use of the name xinjiang to refer to the territory the peoples republic of china took over the area in 1949 but it had been under the control of imperial china off and on since the mid 1750s the peoples republic named it the xinjiang uighur autonomous region in 1955 but the chinese have called the area xinjiang since the 1750s while the imprecise references were promptly corrected online editors failed to follow through on this print correction
national
an article on tuesday about gov rick snyders plan to drink flint tap water for a month referred incorrectly to the dismissal of michigan state employees as a result of lead contamination one state employee   not several   has been fired
new york
an article on thursday about the arrest of a suspect in a series of burglaries on staten island misstated part of the name of the city in new york where a detective provided information that led investigators from the new york police department to the suspect it is saratoga springs not sarasota springs
business day
an article on thursday about the purchase of lexmark the american printing and software company by a chinese consortium misstated the period of time during which chinese companies negotiated 106 billion worth of outbound deals it was all of 2015 not just the first quarter of that year
sports
an article last friday about an apology from the city of philadelphia for the manner in which the phillies treated jackie robinson when he began his baseball career misidentified a philadelphia based team that went to the little league world series in 2014 it was the taney dragons not the anderson monarchs the two teams had several players in common including mone davis
the arts
a review in the new music column on thursday about the album always strive and prosper by asap ferg on which he celebrates one of his grandmothers in a song misidentified his relative who is heard on another song beautiful people she is his other grandmother not his mother another review in the column about the band the strumbellas referred incorrectly to the release of the groups album hope it is coming out this week it was not released last year in canada
obituaries
an obituary on thursday about the basketball player pearl washington referred incorrectly in some copies to the year he was named a consensus second team all american it was 1985 for his play in 1984 85 his next to last season at syracuse university not for 1985 86
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houston   james harden scored 35 points including the game winner with 27 seconds left and the houston rockets took advantage of stephen currys absence to secure a 97 96 victory over the golden state warriors in game 3 of their first round playoff series on thursday night
the victory cuts houstons deficit to two games to one in the best of seven series game 4 is set for sunday in houston
shaun livingston stole a pass from trevor ariza and ian clarks layup put golden state up by 1 point with 106 seconds left harden then took the ball to the other end and stepped back for the jump shot to win the game
golden state had a chance to win after that but draymond green dribbled the inbounds pass off his foot and out of bounds
marreese speights came off the bench to lead the warriors with 22 points and klay thompson had 17
the warriors blew out houston in the series opener with curry on the court and pulled away late in game 2 to go up two games to none even with curry last years most valuable player watching from the bench with a sprained right ankle curry was not on the bench with the team for thursdays game and it was unclear where he was during the game
after coach j b bickerstaff pleaded with his team to be nastier the rockets were much more aggressive and scrappy than they had been in the first two games and they led by as many as 17 points in the first half
dwight howard added 13 points 13 rebounds and 2 blocks for houston and michael beasley finished with 12 points
andre iguodala made a 3 pointer to cut the lead to 93 92 with about 2 minutes 45 seconds remaining and clark gave golden state its first lead since 2 0 on a jumper that made the score 94 93
beasley gave houston a 95 94 lead with two free throws with 41 seconds left
golden state which set the nba record for wins in a regular season with 73 had won 14 of 15 and six straight over houston before thursday nights loss
golden state used an 8 1 run led by 6 points from livingston to cut the lead to 81 80 with nine minutes remaining harden scored the next 5 points to power a 7 0 run that pushed the lead to 88 80 midway through the quarter
curry was feeling better on thursday and wanted to play but the warriors decided that the possibility that he would reinjure his ankle before it was fully healed was not worth the risk coach steve kerr said the team would have a better feel for currys availability for sunday after seeing how he responds to the next two days of practice
houston led by 12 points in the third quarter before a 10 2 spurt by golden state with 6 points from speights cut the deficit to 78 72 entering the fourth quarter
the rockets led by 31 18 at the end of the first quarter thanks to 14 points from harden howard was active early moving from several feet away to leap and block a shot by festus ezeli that caused howard to crash to the court in the first quarter
houston was up by 16 with about two and a half minutes left in the first half before golden state scored the last 9 points of the second quarter to cut the lead to 55 48
things became testy in that span after howard picked up his third foul tangling with andrew bogut while fighting for a rebound howard received a technical when he threw the ball into the stands in frustration after being called for the foul


dallas   although a two games to one deficit in a best of seven series is far from insurmountable the oklahoma city thunder entered thursday nights game knowing that their huge advantage over their first round opponent   they won 13 more games in the regular season than the dallas mavericks and were 4 0 against them   would mean nothing if it was not converted to wins
the thunder lost 85 84 on monday in game 2 with the star forward kevin durant missing 26 of 33 shots from the field russell westbrook the robin to durants batman was barely better finishing 8 of 22 for 19 points
it really doesnt matter if you start games well westbrook said earlier thursday it depends how you finish
on thursday durant was better   11 of 25 for a game high 34 points   and it was all the difference as the thunder shattered the mavericks 131 102 to take a two games to one series lead game 4 is scheduled for saturday in dallas
the winner of the series will play the winner of the series between the memphis grizzlies and the san antonio spurs the spurs longtime rivals of the thunder are up by two games to none and would surprise nobody by easily winning the next two
when kevin got the ball he made good decisions thunder coach billy donovan said after the game
this time donovan added the shots simply happened to go in at a rate closer to ordinary as opposed to mondays dismal performance when guys are taking good shots donovan said youre going to live with them
after the game dallas coach rick carlisle made essentially the same point about durant one of the most talented scorers in nba history
i dont know if hes ever missed 26 shots in a game in his life carlisle said hes going to make some more shots the question is did we make it as hard on him as we could
durant often attempted his shots off balance with one leg flared out though sometimes listed as short as 6 feet 9 inches he is generally thought to be closer to 7 feet with an even longer wingspan and incredible shooting ability the thunder seemed largely comfortable feeding him the ball in the post   particularly as he failed to draw double teams
and durant felt comfortable scoring   sometimes with fadeaways sometimes with drives with a reverse dunk finish and sometimes just by squaring up and shooting over his inevitably more diminutive defender
the teams began by trading punches with durant amassing several quick baskets after missing his first and the mavericks star dirk nowitzki in his 18th season beginning 3 for 4 from the field each had 9 points in the first quarter
nowitzki finished with 16 points and 6 rebounds wesley matthews had 22 points and raymond felton added 18
in the first half durant had 20 points on 14 shots while westbrook compiled nine assists he finished with 15 to go with 26 points
still at the half the thunder led by only 10 and after making hay early in the third quarter the mavericks went on a 17 8 run to cut the lead back to 10 the thunders steven adams and the mavericks felton got chippy committing double technical fouls the home crowd which enjoyed a title five years ago grew loud


caracas venezuela   venezuelas government says it will turn off electricity nationwide for four hours each day formalizing the blackouts that people have already been experiencing during a worsening energy crisis
the electricity minister luis motta said on thursday that the rationing will start next week and he called on venezuelans to buckle down and show their patriotism he said the rolling blackouts would last for 40 days or until water levels stabilize at the guri dam which provides most of the south american countrys electricity
the daily power cut is just the latest in a long list of energy saving measures announced in recent weeks
president nicolas maduro has also given public workers fridays off declared new national holidays and said he would shift the countrys time zone to ease the crisis he has also suggested that women stop blow drying their hair and that everyone stop ironing their clothes
mr maduros socialist administration blames the crisis on a drought caused by the el nino weather phenomenon and acts of sabotage by its opponents experts say a lack of investment in infrastructure is more to blame
venezuela has grappled with blackouts for years including one that took mr maduro by surprise as he delivered a national address on live television
the power outages have compounded other problems of daily life the country is already among the most violent in the world and the streets become less safe when dark power outages also knock out service from the water tanks with electric pumps that many venezuelans use to deal with chronic cuts to running water
the country has seen a little rain in recent days but not enough to signal the end of the dry season


washington   suicide in the united states has surged to the highest levels in nearly 30 years a federal data analysis has found with increases in every age group except older adults the rise was particularly steep for women it was also substantial among middle aged americans sending a signal of deep anguish from a group whose suicide rates had been stable or falling since the 1950s
the suicide rate for middle aged women ages 45 to 64 jumped by 63 percent over the period of the study while it rose by 43 percent for men in that age range the sharpest increase for males of any age the overall suicide rate rose by 24 percent from 1999 to 2014 according to the national center for health statistics which released the study on friday
the increases were so widespread that they lifted the nations suicide rate to 13 per 100000 people the highest since 1986 the rate rose by 2 percent a year starting in 2006 double the annual rise in the earlier period of the study in all 42773 people died from suicide in 2014 compared with 29199 in 1999
its really stunning to see such a large increase in suicide rates affecting virtually every age group said katherine hempstead senior adviser for health care at the robert wood johnson foundation who has identified a link between suicides in middle age and rising rates of distress about jobs and personal finances
researchers also found an alarming increase among girls 10 to 14 whose suicide rate while still very low had tripled the number of girls who killed themselves rose to 150 in 2014 from 50 in 1999 this one certainly jumped out said sally curtin a statistician at the center and an author of the report
american indians had the sharpest rise of all racial and ethnic groups with rates rising by 89 percent for women and 38 percent for men white middle aged women had an increase of 80 percent
the rate declined for just one racial group black men and it declined for only one age group men and women over 75
the data analysis provided fresh evidence of suffering among white americans recent research has highlighted the plight of less educated whites showing surges in deaths from drug overdoses suicides liver disease and alcohol poisoning particularly among those with a high school education or less the new report did not break down suicide rates by education but researchers who reviewed the analysis said the patterns in age and race were consistent with that recent research and painted a picture of desperation for many in american society
this is part of the larger emerging pattern of evidence of the links between poverty hopelessness and health said robert d putnam a professor of public policy at harvard and the author of our kids an investigation of new class divisions in america
the rise in suicide rates has happened slowly over many years federal health researchers said they chose 1999 as the start of the period they studied because it was a low point in the national suicide rate and they wanted to cover the full period of its recent sustained rise
the federal health agencys last major report on suicide released in 2013 noted a sharp increase in suicide among 35  to 64 year olds but the rates have risen even more since then   up by 7 percent for the entire population since 2010 the end of the last study period   and federal researchers said they issued the new report to draw attention to the issue
policy makers say efforts to prevent suicide across the country are spotty while some hospitals and health systems screen for suicidal thinking and operate good treatment programs many do not
we have more and more effective treatments but we have to figure out how to bake them into health care systems so they are used more automatically said dr jane pearson chairwoman of the national institute of mental healths suicide research consortium which oversees the national institutes of health funding for suicide prevention research weve got bits and pieces but we havent really put them all together yet
she noted that while nih funding for suicide prevention projects had been relatively flat   rising to 25 million in 2016 from 22 million in 2012   it was a small fraction of funding for research of mental illnesses including mood disorders like depression
the new federal analysis noted that the methods of suicide were changing about one in four suicides in 2014 involved suffocation which includes hanging and strangulation compared with fewer than one in five in 1999 suffocation deaths are harder to prevent because nearly anyone has access to the means ms hempstead said and while the share of suicides involving guns declined   guns went from being involved in 37 percent of female suicides to 31 percent and from 62 percent to 55 percent for men   the total number of gun suicides increased
the question of what has driven the increases is unresolved leaving experts to muse on the reasons
julie phillips a professor of sociology at rutgers who has studied suicide among middle aged americans said social changes could be raising the risks marriage rates have declined particularly among less educated americans while divorce rates have risen leading to increased social isolation she said she calculated that in 2005 unmarried middle aged men were 35 times more likely than married men to die from suicide and their female counterparts were as much as 28 times more likely to kill themselves the divorce rate has doubled for middle aged and older adults since the 1990s she said
disappointed expectations of social and economic well being among less educated white men from the baby boom generation may also be playing a role she said they grew up in an era that valued masculinity and self reliance   characteristics that could get in the way of asking for help
it appears this group isnt seeking help but rather turning to self destructive means of dealing with their despair professor phillips said
another possible explanation an economy that has eaten away at the prospects of families on the lower rungs of the income ladder
dr alex crosby an epidemiologist at the centers for disease control and prevention said he had studied the association between economic downturns and suicide going back to the 1920s and found that suicide was highest when the economy was weak one of the highest rates in the countrys modern history he said was in 1932 during the great depression when the rate was 221 per 100000 about 70 percent higher than in 2014
there was a consistent pattern he said which held for all ages between 25 and 64 when the economy got worse suicides went up and when it got better they went down
but other experts pointed out that the unemployment rate had been declining in the latter period of the study and questioned how important the economy was to suicide
the gap in suicide rates for men and women has narrowed because womens rates are increasing faster than mens but men still kill themselves at a rate 36 times that of women though suicide rates for older adults fell over the period of the study men over 75 still have the highest suicide rate of any age group   388 per 100000 in 2014 compared with just four per 100000 for their female counterparts


chasen shreve had been almost flawless in his first six relief appearances for the yankees allowing only three hits and no runs while providing a formidable bridge to dellin betances and andrew miller in the eighth and ninth innings even with their offensive malaise of late getting to shreve in the seventh has been a crucial marker in the yankees few victories this season
with the score tied at 2 2 heading into the seventh inning of thursdays game against the oakland athletics yankees manager joe girardi saw a win in sight he once again summoned shreve from the bullpen looking to stay afloat with the hope that the lineup could squeeze out one more run as the yankees tried to win for just the second time in their last eight games
but instead of the precision the yankees have come to expect from shreve he gave up home runs on his first two pitches sending the yankees toward a 7 3 loss after the game shreve described the outcome of his performance as shocking
girardi said our bullpens been so good and they had a tough night tonight
the back to back homers by khris davis and coco crisp dampened a solid start from luis severino and the best all around game so far from the off season acquisition aaron hicks
shortly after girardi inserted hicks into the starting lineup on thursday hicks moved his clubhouse chair over to carlos beltrans locker and listened to beltran an eight time all star talk about hitting
a white sheet of paper was laid on the ground to demarcate home plate beltran occasionally grabbed a bat and positioned his feet as if in the batters box to instruct hicks on his approach
the yankees traded for hicks to help in games specifically like thursdays when they faced a left handed starter   in this case oaklands rich hill a former yankees reliever but hicks had proven ineffective in that role going 0 for 13 against lefties this season and 1 for 20 over all entering the game
in his first at bat using beltrans advice hicks ended an 0 for 17 streak by blooping a single to center field that scored mark teixeira and gave the yankees a 1 0 lead
right there i was just trying to stay up the middle hicks said thats pretty much all we talked about staying up the middle and thats what i did today
riding the momentum of his rbi hicks began to charge the yankees with his defense
in the fourth inning with runners on first and second chris coghlan lifted a fly to left field but hicks made a leaping catch into the wall running parallel to the third base line
severino then struck out the next two batters and escaped the inning having allowed only one run which tied the score at 1 1
the yankees then pieced together another run in the bottom of the fourth with help from a botched throw
after alex rodriguez walked with one out hill tried to pick him off first base during the next at bat rodriguez appeared to have been caught leaning but hills throw sailed wide allowing rodriguez to scamper to third
austin romine drove in rodriguez dribbling a ground ball through the no mans land between the pitchers mound and third base for a 2 1 yankees lead
a solo home run by mark canha tied the score in the fifth but hicks again came to the rescue in the sixth
severino allowed a leadoff single to jed lowrie who tried to leg out a double only to have hicks throw him out at second base severino slapped his hands together and pointed toward hicks in left field he then quickly retired the next two batters and left the game after six innings having given up two runs on seven hits with four strikeouts
hicks was starting for brett gardner who missed wednesdays game with a stiff neck girardi said gardner was better and would have started thursday if not for hills presence on the mound
gardner replaced hicks in the seventh with hill out of the game and scored a run on a single by starlin castro it was the yankees third hit in eight attempts with runners in scoring position another positive sign after they had entered the day having collected only two hits in their previous 46 attempts in such situations but with runners on first and third and two outs old habits resurfaced and beltran grounded out weakly to end the inning with the yankees trailing 4 3
its just kind of the way its going right now girardi said later adding we get the hits with runners on today and its not enough
coghlan hit a two run homer in the eighth and canha added a sacrifice fly in the ninth providing enough insurance for the athletics to complete a three game sweep of the yankees who fell to 5 9


a new york city board of elections official in brooklyn was suspended on thursday as city and state officials investigate whether tens of thousands of democratic voters were improperly removed from voter rolls ahead of the new york presidential primary on tuesday
diane haslett rudiano the boards chief clerk in brooklyn has been suspended without pay pending the outcome of an internal investigation into the handling of voter rolls the board said in a statement on thursday her suspension was reported on thursday by the daily news
the board performance during the presidential primaries on tuesday was the subject of complaints by voters who said they faced difficulties trying to cast ballots mayor bill de blasio said tuesday that voters and voting rights monitors had reported the purging of entire buildings and blocks of voters from the voting lists
more than 125000 democratic voters in brooklyn were dropped from the rolls between november 2015 and this month while about 63000 others were added officials said
michael j ryan executive director of the elections board has said that each year thousands of names are added and removed from voting rolls and that he believed that no voters were disenfranchised
the reports of irregularities have nonetheless prompted eric t schneiderman the new york state attorney general and scott m stringer the city comptroller to open separate inquiries
in a statement on thursday mr schneiderman said that the administration of the voter rolls in brooklyn is of major concern to our office and is a focus of our investigation
the elections board said it would cooperate with the investigations
efforts to reach ms haslett rudiano on thursday were unsuccessful


gambella ethiopia   a long awaited peace deal to end the civil war in south sudan that has killed tens of thousands is being imperiled again this time mainly by squabbles over how many weapons and soldiers the opposition can bring with it to the capital
the opposition leader riek machar was scheduled to fly to the capital juba on monday this week to be reinstated as vice president and form a transitional government with his rival president salva kiir his return is seen as crucial to ending the war that has torn apart the young country
although both sides continue to promise to adhere to the peace process that began with direct talks in january 2014 analysts say the delays this week make clear how difficult the attempts to end the war remain
south sudan won its independence from its northern neighbor sudan with a referendum in 2011 and amid much jubilation
but the thrill did not last long mr machar has not set foot in juba since he fled the city after violent clashes there in december 2013 since then fighting has raged across the country largely along ethnic lines pitting supporters of mr machar a nuer against troops loyal to mr kiir a dinka
about 50000 people have died in the violence and more than two million people have been displaced the wars horrors have included mass rape civilian massacres and killings at hospitals
the plan to reinstate mr machar ran into trouble early this week when opposition representatives first said they had not received the needed permits to fly to the capital there were also disagreements over the number of troops allowed to travel with opposition leaders the two sides settled on 195 soldiers on wednesday
since then the two sides have remained at odds over the number and types of weapons the soldiers can take with them among their arsenal are 20 rocket propelled grenade launchers
international partners set a deadline of saturday for mr machar to travel to juba an opposition spokesman nyarji roman said so basically we have tonight and tomorrow to reach an agreement on the issue of the weapons
both sides have been pressured to adhere to the schedule the united nations secretary general ban ki moon made phone calls to mr kiir and mr machar over the weekend urging both to work quickly to form a transitional government
opposition representatives say they still hope to arrange for machars trip to juba this week as the talks over mr machars return dragged on his security contingent of more than 200 soldiers remained in an airport parking lot in ethiopia waiting for a flight to their country
the troops have been sleeping under open skies by night and enduring the blazing heat by day jockeying for places to sit in the shade and for some biscuits and water bottles
our soldiers have been hungry since they left their base said an opposition military spokesman col william gatjiath deng we dont have food but well manage
the man they were supposed to be accompanying to juba mr machar remained in the opposition headquarters in pagak in eastern south sudan
if this thing is not resolved its likely that we are not going at all the colonel said not even machar


the german automaker daimler ag said late thursday that it was conducting an internal investigation of its certification process for diesel exhaust emissions in the united states at the request of the justice department
last year volkswagen admitted to installing software in diesel vehicles sold since 2009 that let them emit up to 40 times the allowed amount of nitrous oxide a pollutant the environmental protection agency said it would review all light duty diesel vehicles in the united states
daimler is cooperating fully with the authorities daimler will consequently investigate possible indications of irregularities and of course take all necessary actions daimler said in a statement the companys experience with the us authorities has clearly shown that a conservative communication supports the constructive dialogue with the authorities
the environmental protection agency said in february that it had requested information from daimler in light of a lawsuit filed by mercedes benz owners in the united states but that it had not opened an official investigation
earlier this month owners of mercedes diesel cars in the united states filed a new class action saying the vehicles most likely contained a defeat device used to cheat emissions testing an accusation that daimler which owns the carmaker denied
daimler said thursday that the lawsuits are considered to be without merit and daimler will defend itself against them with all available legal means


ben bishop stopped 34 shots and alex killorn scored with less than two minutes remaining thursday night as the tampa bay lightning advanced to the second round of the stanley cup playoffs with a 1 0 victory at home over the detroit red wings
killorns second winning goal of the series was set up by ryan callahan who retrieved goalie petr mrazeks bad pass behind the detroit net and centered the puck in the crease for killorns backhander 18 minutes 17 seconds into the third period
the lightning eliminated the red wings in the first round for the second straight year detroit pushed tampa bay the defending eastern conference champions to seven games a year ago but could beat them only once in five attempts this time with killorn tyler johnson and nikita kucherov picking up the offensive slack for tampa bay with the star steven stamkos injured
detroit scored only eight goals in the series though not because of a lack of opportunities
the red wings finished 1 for 25 on the power play and their futility was never more evident than thursday night when they failed to even get a shot on goal during a 5 on 3 advantage early in the opening period
blackhawks 4 blues 3 patrick kanes first goal of the playoffs saved the defending stanley cup champions season
kane scored on a backhander early in the second overtime and chicago avoided first round elimination with a victory in st louis blues
it was kanes fifth career overtime playoff goal tied for third on the career list kane who led the nhl in scoring with 106 points circled the net to corral his own shot that slowly slid wide and poked it past brian elliott at 307 to send a standing room crowd of 19956 home unhappy
elliotts stick got tangled up with defenseman jay bouwmeesters skate on the play so he was late crossing the crease
jonathan toews still has no goals in the series for the blackhawks but kane and toews assisted on artemi panarins goal in the final second of the second period for a 3 1 lead
but the blues rallied in the third with goals from robby fabbri and david backes who tied the score at 3 3 on a deflection that slipped past corey crawford with 510 to play
crawford made 43 saves and marian hossa and artem anisimov also scored for chicago which takes the series back home for game 6 saturday night
the blues are trying to end a string of three consecutive first round playoff exits in 2014 they had a 2 0 lead on chicago and then lost four straight
chicago played without andrew shaw suspended for one game for making an anti gay slur during game 4
ducks 4 predators 1 nate thompson and jamie mcginn scored about two minutes apart late in the second period and anaheim won at nashville to even their first round western conference series at two games each
ryan getzlaf and andrew cogliano also scored and frederik andersen made 30 saves to pick up his second straight win
mike fisher scored for nashville
the ducks will host game 5 of the best of seven series on saturday in anaheim the road team has one each game so far


rangers coach alain vigneault had only one move left   and it was a huge one   after he glanced at the replay of another pittsburgh goal and chomped on his gum he pulled henrik lundqvist the franchises winningest goaltender just 26 minutes into a playoff game gone haywire
having allowed four goals on 18 shots to the ravenous penguins lundqvist retreated to the bench pulled on a cap spat on the ice and watched antti raanta mop up in an ignominious 5 0 loss thursday at madison square garden that put the rangers on the brink of elimination
we werent ourselves out there the rangers captain ryan mcdonagh said spreading the blame around the dressing room
the penguins won two games this week at the garden to lead the first round series three games to one game 5 is saturday in pittsburgh and the penguins will get a chance to knock out the rangers   as the rangers did to them the last two years
lundqvist and the rangers faced a 3 1 deficit when they played game 5 in pittsburgh in the second round in 2014 but they won that game 5 1 after learning of the death of forward martin st louiss mother the rangers ousted the penguins and montreal to make the finals
we found a way back then and we plan on doing our best to go into pittsburgh and try to win a game rangers defenseman marc staal said
the rangers seem to have been doomed from the start of this series lundqvist was poked near his right eye late in the first period of game 1 and was replaced by raanta lundqvist returned for a 4 2 victory in game 2 but he has surrendered seven goals on 49 shots in his last two games
im not going to analyze it too much im just going to say i was not good enough lundqvist said almost inaudibly as he sat at his locker it was just a really bad game i need to be better simple as that i dont need to say more than that
matt murray pittsburghs 21 year old backup goaltender turned aside all 31 shots for his first career playoff shutout in his second game murray replacing the injured marc andre fleury stopped 47 of 48 shots in two victories at the garden
its definitely out of character for this group to come up with this type of performance vigneault said i dont think it was a lack of will we just picked a very bad night to have a very bad game
later vigneault said this is definitely a team loss i am not going to single out one individual
a day after vigneault grumbled about his teams lack of desire in a 3 1 loss tuesday in game 3 he scratched the lackluster forward kevin hayes replacing him with oscar lindberg and juggled his forward lines and defense pairings
a lot of good the maneuvering did the penguins scored 69 seconds into the game defenseman ben lovejoy sped over the rangers blue line with no resistance his long slap shot caromed off lundqvists pads and dribbled into the low slot penguins forward eric fehr beat j t miller to the rebound and he pounded the puck past lundqvist
after rangers forward rick nash received an interference penalty at 6 minutes 42 seconds for blindsiding defenseman trevor daley in front of the penguins goal pittsburgh scored 29 seconds into its first power play it was pittsburghs fifth power play goal of the series
evgeni malkin collected a pass from kris letang and let a shot fly from the point sidney crosby tipped the puck with his stick in the high slot and forward patric hornqvist deflected it again past lundqvist at 711 it was the fourth goal of the series for hornqvist
the power play it gets better and more confident malkin said
the rangers entered the game with one power play goal in 12 opportunities so it was not much of a surprise when they failed to take a shot on their first power play they took only one shot on their second and murray stopped it
the rookie pittsburgh forward conor sheary made the score 3 0 with his first playoff goal at 1612 he blocked a pass at the right point by kevin klein then beat the flat footed klein to the loose puck and steamed toward the goal chased by marc staal sheary blasted a shot to the stick side that beat lundqvist cleanly
when you play a team with a lot of confidence and really skilled players you have to be on top of things lundqvist said otherwise theyre going to take advantage of mistakes
but the penguins stayed on a mighty roll dominic moore tackled malkin behind the rangers goal and pittsburgh laid siege on lundqvist after he stopped a long shot by malkin crosby fished out a loose puck at the goal and fed it back to malkin he scored
the goal four minutes into the second period was malkins first of the series lundqvist was gone two minutes later
malkin added another power play goal at 328 of the third period to polish off a big night for him
we feel like we have a good enough team to be in a better spot than we are rangers forward eric staal said but we need to respond accordingly


evan longoria and curt casali homered off david price and the tampa bay rays chased price an ex teammate in the fourth inning to beat the red sox 12 8 on thursday in boston
the rays gave up five runs in the first inning but scored six in the fourth to take a three run lead the score was tied at 8 8 in the eighth when steven souza jr doubled home the go ahead run
the rays who entered the game with the fewest runs scored in baseball topped their previous season high of seven
erasmo ramirez 4 0 struck out mookie betts with the bases loaded in the seventh then pitched out of a two on one out jam in the eighth alex colome got two outs for his third save
william cuevas making his major league debut pitched two and a third innings and allowed two runs on three hits and two walks for boston
diamondbacks 6 giants 2 yasmani tomas hit a go ahead home run in the fourth paul goldschmidt drove in two runs and visiting arizona beat san francisco for a four game sweep
tyler wagner 1 0 allowed two hits in five relief innings of shelby miller as arizona wrapped up a 7 3 road trip with its fifth straight win and the first four game sweep ever in the giants 17th year ballpark
johnny cueto 3 1 was tagged for his first loss since joining the giants on a 130 million six year contract
dodgers 2 braves 1 yasmani grandal doubled in the go ahead run in the 10th inning and los angeles overcame clayton kershaw beating host atlanta
enrique hernandez singled with one out against alexi ogando 1 1 and scored on grandals shot off the center field wall chris hatcher 2 1 worked a scoreless ninth before kenley jansen earned his seventh save
kershaw entered the game with a 164 era the braves got to the three time cy young winner for 10 hits in eight innings only the fourth time in 246 career starts that he had given up double figures he struck out 10
marlins 5 nationals 1 ichiro suzuki had two hits scored twice and made two sliding catches in right field for host miami which used a makeshift lineup to beat max scherzer and washington
suzuki 42 batted leadoff for the first time this season and started in right field for the slumping giancarlo stanton who was given the day off
also sitting out for the marlins at the start of the series finale were dee gordon and j t realmuto but the lineup shake up produced four runs in the first two innings against scherzer 2 1
mariners 10 indians 7 robinson cano hit a three run homer in the 10th inning off cody allen lifting visiting seattle over cleveland
cano had an early single and then a run scoring double in the sixth before connecting with two outs for his sixth home run this season he had been hitless in seven previous at bats against allen 0 1
tony zych 1 0 pitched the ninth for his first major league win steve cishek worked the 10th for his second save in two days
twins 8 brewers 1 ricky nolasco struck out seven and allowed five hits over six plus innings and visiting minnesota ended a season opening seven game road losing streak by beating milwaukee
nolasco 1 0 allowed a run scoring double to ryan braun in the first before settling down and retiring 16 of the next 18 brewers hitters
angels 3 white sox 2 mike trout hit a two run homer and reached base four times helping back jered weaver as los angeles beat chicago to close a 10 game trip
melky cabreras solo homer in the seventh was the lone run off weaver 1 1 who allowed three hits in seven innings despite velocity that topped out at 85 miles an hour


during most election cycles putnam county ny is a sleepy backwater with few donations of more than 1000 coming into the local democratic committee in the decade beginning in 2004
but 2014 was different amid an aggressive push by mayor bill de blasio of new york city to wrangle donors to help secure democratic control of the state senate a flood of large contributions started pouring into the putnam committee and at least two other county committees
over two weeks in october that year the putnam committee received 16 donations totaling 547300 from labor unions real estate interests and individuals including the grocery store magnate john a catsimatidis the money then went to two democratic candidates in tight senate races terry gipson and justin wagner who would have been barred by state election law from collecting such large sums directly
now those donations solicited in part by the mayors campaign apparatus are under scrutiny as part of a multipronged criminal investigation being conducted by federal and state authorities several people briefed on the matter have said
the inquiry into the 2014 donations is based on a state ban on contributions to a party committee if they are given or solicited for a particular candidate with an intent to evade individual contribution limits party committees can receive contributions of up to 102300 far more than the 11000 general election maximum from individuals directly to for state senate candidates and the committees are not restricted in how much they can transfer to candidates
it appears that prosecutors have never made a criminal case under this section of state election law a violation of which would be a felony records going back to 1999 show no arrests or arraignments on the charge according to the state division of criminal justice services
nonetheless what prosecutors investigating the state senate fund raising effort appear to be seeking in subpoenas issued this week by the manhattan district attorneys office is evidence of a scheme to use the county committees to illegally redistribute contributions to candidates favored by mr de blasio
there seemed to be little question where the money sent to county committees should ultimately end up officials with the committees said
we were told before we got it how it was going to be used said louis epstein the first vice chairman of the democratic committee in putnam county a far northern suburb of new york city a similar message was received in monroe county where an incumbent state senator ted obrien faced a tough re election in rochester
generally what happened was somebody said we have a donor who would like to help ted said dave garretson chairman of the monroe county democratic committee at the time they would like to make a contribution to the county committee where the contribution limit is higher
mr garretson said that he had made it clear he could not promise how the money would be spent and that there were never any conversations with donors where there was a wink wink arrangement he and mr epstein also said that their committees sought advice to ensure that their handling of the money was proper adding that they did not deal directly with donors
neither the county officials nor mr de blasio who held fund raisers in september and october of 2014 in new york city on behalf of upstate senate democrats has been accused of any wrongdoing
money has always played an outsize role in political races but its influence increased in 2014 when an aggregate limit of 150000 on individual donors was struck down in a court paving the way for a single donor to give the 102300 maximum to more party committees and ultimately embattled candidates
the process of soliciting donations for the county committees which political campaign veterans characterized as commonplace and legal appeared to be a central part of the state prosecutors investigation into the fund raising for the senate races
mr de blasios efforts to raise money on behalf of senate democrats began early in his administration on sept 10 2014 he convened roughly 160 potential donors many of whom had contributed to his mayoral campaign at a breakfast meeting at the midtown manhattan offices of a law firm kramer levin making the case for why his liberal agenda would falter in albany unless the democrats gained control of the capitol
at the meeting the mayors top political aide emma wolfe outlined which of the swing races that year could tip the balance in favor of democrats in the state senate while politicians are not usually shy about asking for money for their campaigns mr de blasio left the meeting before his campaign finance director ross a offinger made the pitch for donations according to two people who were present the mayor returned to the room soon after mr offinger has come under scrutiny in two different aspects of the sprawling federal investigation
the use of local committees stemmed in part from a belief among some political consultants and de blasio administration officials that gov andrew m cuomo had not pressed forcefully for a democratic takeover of the senate several people with knowledge of the strategy said the state democratic party committee is closely allied with mr cuomo
you cant give money to the state committee forget it bill samuels the founder of effectiveny a nonprofit group devoted to government reform who is a supporter of mr de blasios said in an interview this week total arm of the governor
several of those who gave to the county committees in 2014 were also major donors to campaign for one new york a nonprofit organization created to support mr de blasios agenda the groups fund raising has become a focus of a sprawling investigation by the united states attorney in manhattan preet bharara and the federal bureau of investigation that has ensnared top police department officials and extended into the political sphere mr bhararas office as well as state prosecutors have now also issued subpoenas to nyclass a group that donated to the mayors campaign and had spearheaded an effort to ban horse carriages in the city according to michael mckeon a spokesman for the group
the main federal investigation which covers fund raising by mr de blasio and his staff since his 2013 election campaign is examining whether donors were promised or received favorable municipal treatment in exchange for their contributionsthe nonprofit is in the process of closing down the mayor said last month explaining that its work advocating universal prekindergarten and affordable housing was finished i hold myself and my administration to the highest ethical standards he has said repeatedly when asked of the federal investigation
a review of state campaign records and voluntary disclosures by mr de blasios nonprofit show an interlocking web of donors with interests before the city beyond the labor unions which give lavishly to democratic campaigns in any election there are men with little prior experience as major donors in new york politics on the rolls of local and state campaign committees
jona s rechnitz a young real estate developer from los angeles who is under scrutiny by the federal authorities gave 102000 to the statewide democratic senate campaign committee and 50000 to the mayors nonprofit and bundled more than 44000 for mr de blasios 2013 election
a company linked to michael kohn a businessman with real estate interests in brooklyn gave 100000 to the ulster county democratic committee in october 2014 in early 2015 another company associated with him gave 50000 to the nonprofit
others donors like mr catsimatidis the grocery chain owner and a former republican mayoral candidate were first time contributors to the mayors causes
i saw him at the al smith dinner and he said can you do me a favor and send it to them said mr catsimatidis recalling a conversation with mr de blasio i never got anything in return later on i found out they sent it to the state democrats the senate you know how i found out i found out because someone told me thank you
an assistant of mr catsimatidiss who handles some of his political donations said that mr offinger who was also the treasurer of the campaign for one new york instructed him on the details of where to send the check i take hundreds of these guys phone calls every day the assistant matthew wanning said ross was one in the mix
in all the democratic committees in putnam ulster and monroe counties raised at least 12 million in large donations from union political action committees private companies and individual donors state records show and sent money to four senate candidates in close races
cecilia tkaczyk who received money in october 2014 from the ulster county committee during her unsuccessful re election campaign said the state partys efforts which included fliers attacking her opponent ended up working against her she declined to comment on whether she had gotten a subpoena from state prosecutors which people familiar with the investigation said had gone to some candidates in tight races that year
mr obrien who received money from the monroe county committee said he had not received a subpoena i have not been contacted by a soul about it he said
mr obrien said he was not privy to the conversations about how the money ended up in his campaign coffers i didnt have any conversations with anybody that i recall he said i was so busy trying to run the day to day campaign stuff
despite the push by mr de blasio to alter the balance of power in the capitol that year the effort failed mr obrien and other democrats who got the influx of donations lost and republicans maintained control of the senate


surveillance video shows more than a dozen people doing nothing to help a chicago bartender as he is attacked left unconscious on the street and accidentally run over by a taxi the family of the bartender marques gaines 32 has filed a wrongful death and negligence lawsuit against several businesses and taxi companies in his feb 7 death the video shows him talking with other people outside a store before getting into a confrontation with a man who shoves him mr gaines is punched and falls to the ground several people are then seen approaching him the chicago tribune reported that mr gainess family said his cellphone and debit card were stolen police said they could not confirm he was robbed several other people ignore mr gaines before a taxi turning onto the street runs over his body relatives said they hoped witnesses would help identify the attacker ap
gov asa hutchinson on thursday saved arkansass medicaid expansion by voiding part of a budget bill that would have ended the subsidized insurance for more than 250000 poor people mr hutchinson a republican vetoed a provision that ordered a dec 31 end to the program which uses federal funds to purchase private insurance for the poor arkansas was the first state to win approval for its hybrid medicaid program created three years ago as an alternative to expanding medicaid under the affordable care act some republicans had tried to block the program by refusing to approve a medicaid budget bill that funded it to get around them the governor and legislative leaders devised a parliamentary move that required supporters of the program to back a provision ending it then mr hutchinson used his veto to strike the end date for the program which keeps it alive opponents are unlikely to be able to override the veto ap


cincinnati   jake arrieta of the chicago cubs pitched his second no hitter in a span of 11 regular season starts shutting down the reds in a 16 0 rout thursday night in cincinnati
arrieta the reigning national league cy young winner threw the first no hitter of the major league baseball season
arrieta 4 0 struck out six walked four and allowed only six balls hit out of the infield he threw 119 pitches retiring eugenio suarez on a routine fly ball to right field to end the game
arrieta also had a no hitter against the dodgers a 2 0 victory last aug 30 part of one of the best pitching stretches in club history
it feels different the second time said arrieta who did his best pitching in the last few innings with the no hitter in reach i was a little more relaxed as the game progressed
the reds had not been held hitless in a regular season game since 1971 when rick wise did it for philadelphia at riverfront stadium in the 2010 nl playoffs roy halladay of the phillies pitched a no hitter against cincinnati
arrieta is the first cubs pitcher to win his first four starts in a season since greg maddux went 5 0 in 2006 ken holtzman is the only other cubs pitcher to throw more than one no hitter in the modern era doing it in 1969 and 1971
kris bryant homered twice including a grand slam and drove in six runs arrieta contributed two of singles and a walk as the cubs pulled away
the 16 run margin approached the most lopsided victory in major league history in 1884 pud galvin and buffalo beat the detroit wolverines 18 0 according to the research firm stats
by arrietas standards it was a bit of a struggle he walked three batters   he had allowed only two walks in his first three starts combined   and needed 85 pitches to get through six innings then he dug in and made quick work of the reds lineup
the thousands of cubs fans in the crowd of 16497 were on their feet cheering as arrieta walked scott schebler to open the ninth got pinch hitter tucker barnhart on a pop up zack cozart on a fly to center and suarez on a fly to jason heyward
arrieta and catcher david ross embraced halfway between home plate and the mound as the rest of the cubs circled around him
the offense made the outcome a moot point while extending the cubs best start since 1970
bryant hit a two run shot in the first off brandon finnegan 1 1 and his third career grand slam in the seventh off drew hayes made the score 13 0 ben zobrist and david ross added solo shots and anthony rizzo had a three run homer
as the cubs made it a romp there was only one question left how far could arrieta go
he gave himself a chance by getting through the seventh and eighth innings on only 18 pitches bearing down against an overmatched lineup
the cubs are off to their best start since they also went 12 4 in 1970 according to stats
finnegan a left hander started at wrigley field on april 11 and did not allow a hit until ross singled with two outs in the seventh the cubs were ready for him this time dexter fowler doubled off the wall in center on finnegans first pitch of the game and bryants homer made it 2 0
zobrist homered in the second inning as the cubs made the score 4 0 they are unbeaten this season when scoring at least four times going 11 0


demar derozan and kyle lowry each scored 21 points to help the visiting toronto raptors beat the indiana pacers 101 85 on thursday night
the raptors have won two in a row after losing the opener of the best of seven series
paul george led the pacers with 25 points 10 rebounds and 6 assists the rookie myles turner added 17 points
derozan scored 12 points in the first quarter to break out of a postseason shooting slump he was just 10 of 37 from the field through the first two games
the pacers will host game 4 on saturday
wizards said to hire brooks the washington wizards have hired scott brooks as their coach according to multiple news media reports brooks led the thunder for seven seasons


san francisco   uber has long been embroiled in a debate over the status of its drivers should they be independent contractors or full time employees
uber says that as independent contractors its drivers get flexibility their freelancer status also lets the company sidestep the costs of full time employees including paying minimum wage and the employers share of social security but labor groups and lawyers have argued that uber drivers should be classified as employees to receive worker protections
on thursday uber moved a step closer to getting its way the company reached a settlement in a pair of class action lawsuits in california and massachusetts that will let it continue to categorize drivers in those states as independent contractors   a landmark agreement that could have lasting implications for the long term viability of the ride hailing service
under the settlement filed in the united states district court in the northern district of california uber will pay as much as 100 million to the roughly 385000 drivers represented in the cases the company also agreed to several concessions to appease driver concerns including giving more information on how and why drivers are barred from using the app as well as aiding in creating new drivers associations in both states
importantly the case is being settled   not decided shannon liss riordan the attorney representing the drivers in the suit said in a statement
this case however with this significant payment of money and attention that has been drawn to this issue stands as a stern warning to companies who play fast and loose with classifying their work force as independent contractors ms liss riordan said
the settlement is a significant victory for uber on the matter of its drivers status by keeping its drivers as contractors the san francisco based company can keep its costs low and while the settlement applies only to two states and is nonbinding elsewhere the agreement and the changes that uber is adopting may influence regulators in other places where the issue has surfaced
drivers value their independence   the freedom to push a button rather than punch a clock to use uber and lyft simultaneously to drive most of the week or for just a few hours travis kalanick chief executive of uber said in a company blog post announcing the settlement
that said as uber has grown   over 450000 drivers use the app each month here in the us   we havent always done a good job working with drivers he wrote its time to change
the agreement which is subject to approval by judge edward m chen who is presiding over the cases says uber must pay 84 million to the plaintiffs represented in the case uber will dispense an additional 16 million if the company holds an initial public offering and the average valuation of uber increases to one and a half times that of its last financing round in december 2015 uber was valued at 625 billion making it the most valuable private technology company in the world
the class actions that are being settled were originally filed in 2013 and became the biggest suits in terms of the number of drivers represented uber still faces litigation about driver status in other states including similar lawsuits in florida arizona and pennsylvania last june the california labor commissioners office said barbara ann berwick a former driver for uber should have been classified as an employee not an independent contractor that case which does not apply to drivers other than ms berwick is being appealed by uber
the settlements changes are aimed at reducing points of contention for drivers in the past uber has been able to boot drivers from its platform with little explanation something that uber said it would no longer be able to do the company published a lengthy document detailing all the reasons a driver may be deactivated from unsafe driving and carrying a firearm   which is prohibited   to using drugs and alcohol
uber said it would also provide drivers with more information about their ratings system   a measurement based upon individual scores from passengers   and how ratings were calculated the company is exploring creating an appeals process for uber drivers who have been deactivated because of a low rating
uber also agreed not to deactivate drivers who regularly decline to accept requests for rides from passengers a practice that previously would contribute negatively to a drivers overall standing with the company instead drivers may be temporarily logged out of the app and unable to accept new requests if they are consistently not accepting trip requests
we know that sometimes things come up that prevent you from accepting every trip request but not accepting dispatches causes delays and degrades the reliability of the system the company said in its newly published driver deactivation policy
uber penalizes drivers who accept trips from riders and then cancel them shortly thereafter each city will have a maximum cancellation rate based on the average cancellation rate of the drivers in the area the company said it could eventually deactivate those who persistently exceed the rate
uber said many of the changes were a part of its overall maturation process as it has grown from a small start up to a global organization in roughly six years
yet many of the policy changes uber announced as part of its settlement   particularly changes to its protocol on deactivating drivers over their cancellation and acceptance rates   appear designed to defuse the plaintiffs arguments that uber drivers should be classified as employees rather than independent contractors as the company maintains
this is uber relinquishing a small amount of control in two areas where critics have argued that the uber driver relationship looks like hiring and firing said seth harris a former deputy labor secretary in the obama administration and co author of a recent paper arguing that uber drivers occupy an ambiguous middle ground between contractor and employee
its a tweaking of the relationship to move the classification closer to the factors that define independent contractor and a little bit further away from factors that define employee
other legal experts said that uber drivers would appear to retain many of the characteristics of employees even under the companys proposed changes
for example the fact that drivers whose acceptance rates are too low could be shut out of the app for short periods of time and that those with unacceptably high cancellation rates could eventually be deactivated from the platform may suggest a level of control that is normally reserved for employees rather than contractors
ultimately this is a deterrent to drivers actually refusing to accept trips said rachel bien an employment lawyer at outten  golden llp who has litigated similar cases if its the kind of business that needs a driver to be at a certain place at a certain time regularly its not a business thats suitable for independent contractors who should have the freedom to choose which jobs they want to do and when they want to do them
ms bien also points out that unlike what is frequently the case with true contractors uber drivers will not be able to negotiate the price of the service they provide customers they will also continue to be deactivated if their ratings from customers are low and dont improve
the proposal to create an association of drivers in california and massachusetts that would meet with company officials quarterly to discuss issues of importance to drivers also raised eyebrows in some quarters
if uber is going to be genuine about this i think its a very very good move forward said joesph sandoval dewolf president of the california app based drivers association an organization that claims to represent more than 2500 ride sharing drivers in southern california
but he expressed skepticism that this would be the case saying that whenever the association has asked to meet with uber to discuss drivers concerns in recent years it has been told that uber will only meet with individual drivers not any association representing them which he said was not effective


uptown on thursday morning one major museum owned up to serious financial problems farther downtown on thursday afternoon another celebrated serious financial progress
the bad news at the metropolitan museum of art   ballooning deficits possible staff cuts and a hold on the planning of a new wing dedicated to modern and contemporary art   stood in sharp contrast to the jubilant word from the museum of modern art that the entertainment mogul david geffen had donated 100 million toward an expansion and renovation
but both developments spoke volumes about the current state of the art world where modern and contemporary art dominate the action these days   in auction houses and galleries as well as museums everyone wants in including a revered institution like the met which is striving to play catch up even as it is struggling to pay the bills
the audience for contemporary art has grown exponentially in the last decade said tom eccles the executive director of the center for curatorial studies at bard adding that the sectors attendant money and glamour make it a honey pot and the hollywood of the art world
the met has stiff competition in the modern and contemporary realm especially at home moma is expanding and renovating the whitney last year opened a widely acclaimed new home downtown the guggenheim has multiplied around the world and the new museum has helped lead an art surge in lower manhattan in addition the new broad museum in los angeles is drawing lines around the block since it opened last fall and the san francisco museum of modern art is about to open its new building next month
the met has been notoriously weak in modern and contemporary art   the art critic holland cotter of the new york times once called the collection an institutional embarrassment   and is seen as falling short of its encyclopedic mandate in part because its longtime former director philippe de montebello was wary of following trends
his successor thomas p campbell has made improving that area a priority which led him to take on the breuer building the whitneys former home its a significant commitment he said but we believe its an important one for the programmatic health of this institution
the mets current restructuring suggests that this emphasis may have contributed to the institutions current shortfall which the museum says is due largely to a decline in admissions and retail revenue and an 85 million annual debt service on 250 million in bonds issued for infrastructure work to the main building and the cloisters the museum has also significantly increased its digital staff
but the focus on building its modern and contemporary capacity has also siphoned energy and resources away from the mets fifth avenue flagship the museum has had to be concerned with fund raising for met breuer to cover that locations 17 million annual operating expenses over the course of an eight year lease as well as an estimated 15 million renovation of the building the met has also rebranded its entire operation at a cost of about 3 million and trained 110 staff members at the breuer including some new employees
in addition the met has spent an undisclosed amount on the redesign of its modern and contemporary galleries on fifth avenue which calls for demolishing the existing lila acheson wallace wing in the museums southwest corner increasing exhibition space and doubling the size of the roof garden
the met which has a budget of 300 million and has carried modest shortfalls for years is now facing a 10 million deficit
if we do nothing   if we just carry on   18 months from now at the beginning of fiscal year 2018 the deficit would be four times bigger said daniel h weiss the mets president thats not ok so were going to take action to control that
the museum will undergo a 24 month financial overhaul that it said was likely to include staff reductions reduced programming and a concerted effort to increase revenue in its restaurants and retail operations
weve had increasing pressure on the budget and knew that we were going to have to take actions to get it back in balance mr campbell said
the museum said it would also suspend the design work on the new wing until money had been raised for the project
since salaries account for 70 percent of the mets expenses mr weiss said the museum would reduce its head count by dozens over the next 12 months the met will also freeze hiring and request voluntary buyouts after which it may resort to layoffs
will the met have to give up on its modern and contemporary aspirations and settle for sticking to its core skill set can it hope to raise money for the new wing when the project is in limbo and the museum is in the middle of cutting staff
in a perfect world these two events wouldnt be coinciding mr weiss said but well get through these challenges
meanwhile moma is capitalizing on its strengths having attracted the largess of mr geffen a leading art collector with an estimated worth of 68 billion who has long supported the museum with art donations most recently a mark grotjahn sculpture and loans as he did for a 1996 jasper johns retrospective
when i worked in the mailroom at the william morris agency i used to brown bag it at the sculpture garden of the museum of modern art he said its where i developed my interest in post world war ii art
mr geffens donation will go toward momas fund raising campaign which includes 440 million for new construction and renovation
these are the kind of gifts you only dream about said glenn d lowry momas director
moma will feature a david geffen wing three floors of new galleries in a residential tower designed by jean nouvel to the west of the museum on west 53rd street currently under construction and sometime this spring the museums existing fourth floor exhibition space will be called the david geffen galleries
that means mr geffens name will now adorn another major new york arts building in perpetuity as it does the former avery fisher hall which received a 100 million gift from him a year ago and which generated concerns because it covered only a fifth of the projected renovation cost in exchange for perpetual naming rights
the gift was discussed over the past six months mr lowry said and was helped along by mr geffens friendship with momas president marie josee kravis
mr geffen a california resident who established the geffen contemporary at the museum of contemporary art in los angeles dismissed the idea that he was shifting his philanthropy from one coast to another i spend time in both california and new york he said and i have a great affection for both places
moma has raised 650 million including mr geffens gift which is unrestricted meaning it can be directed at the museums discretion through davids generosity mr lowry said were in incredible shape
in addition moma continues to raise funds to increase its endowment and to cover operations during construction when revenue is expected to decline because some galleries will be closed
the expansion and renovation designed by diller scofidio  renfro will add 50000 square feet of galleries giving the museum more space to present its collection and exhibitions and allowing it to improve circulation particularly in the museums congested entrance
mr geffen has also donated to the los angeles county museum of art the spelman and morehouse college arts education programs the university of california at los angeles school of theater film and television the university of southern california school of cinematic arts and the geffen playhouse
in 2013 he contributed to the academy of motion picture arts and sciences for the creation of the academy museum of motion pictures his total philanthropic support to ucla exceeds 400 million
mr geffen who has no dependents will ultimately leave his art collection valued at more than 2 billion to his foundation which will give the pieces to institutions or sell them and donate the proceeds to his main causes culture medicine and education
as for future substantial donations mr geffen suggested there may be more in store i intend to give away as much of my money as possible while im alive to things that i think are valuable he said so far its a considerable amount of money


berea ohio   the browns blew it again of course they did   theyre the browns
thats one of many opinions floating around after cleveland traded the no 2 overall pick in this years nfl draft a move that likely prevents them from taking a top rated quarterback with the hope of ending decades of futility the lack of a star quarterback has hamstrung the franchise leading to lost games coaches front office members and a generation of fans
hue jackson clevelands first year coach knows the history but does not care about the criticism
we will get this right he said i promise you
jackson made his guarantee thursday as the browns presented their reasons for trading down in the first round on wednesday they gave the no 2 pick and a fourth round pick in 2017 to the philadelphia eagles in exchange for the no 8 selection a third round pick no 77 a fourth round pick no 100 a first round pick in 2017 and a second round pick in 2018
the blockbuster swap essentially ends an opportunity for the browns to select either californias jared goff or north dakota states carson wentz considered the best quarterbacks in this years class
sashi brown the teams vice president for football operations said the decision was based on having multiple needs
we understand that risk in moving back that we may have passed on a quarterback that is going to go on to certainly have a great career in this league brown said but we felt like for the other additional picks that we were able to acquire that we were in a much better position to build our roster moving forward
the browns who have gone through 24 starting quarterbacks since 1999 did their homework on goff and wentz jackson attended pro day workouts for both quarterbacks and the team hosted the players for visits but when it came time to consider making one of them the face of their franchise the browns punted instead they head into the draft with 12 picks tied for the most in the nfl
while goff and wentz are the consensus first tier quarterbacks jackson suggested the browns might think differently
everybody keeps talking about two of the best quarterbacks in the draft he said no one knows that right no one really knows that we will see how it all unfolds here in two or three years and see if we were right or wrong but i feel very good about where we are and what we are doing
perhaps the first sign the browns were not interested in goff or wentz was when they signed the free agent quarterback robert griffin iii in late march now that theyre not picking second it appears griffin has the inside track to start this season
brown though said griffin isnt guaranteed anything other than a chance the other quarterbacks on the roster are josh mccown austin davis and connor shaw the browns released johnny manziel one of their first round draft picks in 2014 two weeks before signing griffin
robert isnt even our starting quarterback yet brown said he has to earn that spot in terms of bringing robert to cleveland we are excited about the potential for him to earn that starting job on its merits of no 2 versus what we were able to acquire this was the right choice for building our roster and where we sit now
griffin said the trade did not have any bearing on his future
everybody is here to earn a job he said after the browns concluded a three day minicamp the only person that really doesnt have to earn it is joe thomas and hes got nine pro bowls to speak to that referring to the teams stalwart left tackle
jackson too said griffins arrival did not affect the browns predraft thinking
i know everybody feels that because hes here he said as an organization we had an opportunity to make a trade we made it and that had nothing to do with the quarterback


philadelphia   ed snider once kicked donald j trump out of a suite during a playoff game
no not because snider a noted ayn rand disciple may have had differing political views from trump
the offense   trump would not stop talking
snider never wanted an interruption when he watched his beloved philadelphia flyers the team he founded and owned until his death last week he was remembered thursday for his love of the flyers the fans and family at a public tribute at the wells fargo center
bobby clarke the hall of famer center and perhaps the greatest flyer had one wish for when he died i really hope i get one more chance to play a game in the orange and black for mr sniders philadelphia flyers he said
snider would cringe when he was called mr snider he told everybody he knew   employees the news media players   to simply call him ed
they rarely complied
he had earned immense respect as perhaps the most influential executive in philadelphia sports history stanley cup championship banners from 1974 and 1975 flanked the stage the flyers kept center ice cold and the logo shone bright on the floor inside the darkened arena ems   the initials for edward malcolm snider   was painted on a banner and enveloped by a wreath
snider died april 11 after a two year battle with bladder cancer he was 83
it really hurt and its going to hurt us for a long time clarke said at the memorial which was open to the public
the current and former philadelphia sports executives billy king dave montgomery scott oneil and peter luukko were among the mourners
sniders children remembered him as a father who warned them not to feed stray cats at the old spectrum theyre here to catch the rats michael milken the junk bond king of the 1980s credited snider for his commitment and willingness to explore new medical treatments
commissioner gary bettman said snider was a friend and confidant who helped shape the nhl
bettman made a final visit in january to sniders california home for lunch bettman said snider was in considerable pain but he felt worse that a gloomy day had left them unable to see the mountains and the gorgeous view
snider told bettman that he loved him
i love him too bettman said we all do his impact on all of us is permanent the fire in his eyes is now an eternal flame
bettman noted that snider had many homes but wells fargo center is the center of where ed snider lived
snider developed the arena which opened as the new home of the flyers and the 76ers in 1996 he was chairman of the 76ers was once a part owner of the eagles and had a hand in founding both comcasts local sports channel and the citys largest sports talk radio station
snider chairman of the flyers parent company comcast spectacor was elected to the hockey hall of fame in 1988
he founded the flyers in 1966 and in the 1970s when they were known as the broad street bullies they became the first expansion team to win the stanley cup
but it was a 1972 postseason series defeat that would shape the bullies and sniders locker room pep talk still resonated with clarke
 boys dont worry about it  clarke recalled him saying  were going to be stronger because of it two years later we won the stanley cup
snider always wanted to be remembered for more than hockey he started the ed snider youth hockey foundation in 2005 the foundation promotes life skills and hockey through after school recreational and other educational activities snider hockey programs are provided at no cost and focus on underserved philadelphia boys and girls who otherwise would not have the opportunity to play
children wrote letters and drew pictures about sniders impact on them and they were stationed around the arenas concourse
to me mr snider meant a new opportunity a new opportunity to do something great one child wrote if i could say anything to him it would be thanks for letting me play a game i now love
for all that snider meant to the city he was always full of gratitude for what philadelphia and the flyers gave to him
the last full sentence he ever spoke to me and this is what he said not just for me or the family his son jay snider said choking on his words he told me so i would tell you and i quote i cant thank the flyers enough for everything theyve given to me and my family thank you 


hollywood fla   donald j trumps newly installed campaign chief sought to assure members of the republican national committee on thursday night that mr trump recognized the need to reshape his persona and that his campaign would begin working with the political establishment that he has scorned to great effect
addressing about 100 committee members at the spring meeting here many of them deeply skeptical about mr trumps candidacy the campaign chief paul manafort bluntly suggested the candidates incendiary style amounted to an act
thats whats important for you to understand that he gets it and that the part hes been playing is evolving mr manafort said suggesting that mr trump was about to begin a more professional phase of his campaign
the negatives are going to come down the image is going to change but clinton is still going to be crooked hillary he added
mr manaforts comments which included a powerpoint presentation came during a happy hour reception at the beachside hotel resort here they were made behind closed doors which were guarded by security but a person in attendance taped the speech and shared the recording with the new york times
mr manafort a longtime republican strategist and lobbyist who in recent weeks has taken over control of much of the organization from mr trumps campaign manager offered an olive branch to the party officials at the start of his remarks
is donald trump running against the republican national committee asked mr manafort referring to the candidates unrelenting assault on what he calls the crooked nominating process the answer is he is not
but mr manafort went further than simply placating committee members he also openly said that mr trump wanted to coordinate with the very forces he has spent much of his campaign attacking
he gave us the mandate to bring together a team of professionals that could finish the job for him but could also then begin to link in with the establishment institutions that are part of our party what you represent what the state parties represent he said also alluding to think tanks and members of congress weve started all those conversations said manafort adding of mr trump he cares about the united team
the remarks suggest mr trump is conducting something of an inside outside campaign simultaneously railing against what he calls a corrupt process in public to win over anti establishment republicans while sending mr manafort to assure party stalwarts of his true intentions
mr manafort largely ignored senator ted cruz of texas mr trumps most formidable remaining republican opponent alluding to him only to echo remarks he made earlier this week about how a contested convention might leave the party fractured
mr manafort said he agreed with mr cruz i dont want a fractured convention we want this thing to bed early he said adding we dont want to be in cleveland fighting for a nomination thats already been decided
as for mr trumps continual attacks on the nomination process mr manafort said he was largely focused on transparency and had no genuine desire to undermine the delegate selection rules he is winning hes not interested in changing the rules he said
mr manafort acknowledged mr trumps deep unpopularity   his negatives he called them   but invoked ronald reagans initial polling deficit in 1980 to claim mr trumps deficiencies were not permanent mr reagans unfavorability in 1980 however was never as high as that of mr trump now
fixing personality negatives is a lot easier than fixing character negatives said mr manafort claiming that hillary clinton suffered from negative you cant change somebodys character but you can change the way somebody presents themselves
and that mr manafort said was in the works
mr trump intends to deliver a foreign policy address at the national press club in washington next week mr manafort said and that he would also hold similar events to address his gender gap
youll start to see more depth to the person the real person mr manafort continued referring to more trump appearances in formal settings
looking ahead to the fall mr manafort was joined by rick wiley the campaigns new political director to help lay out an audacious case for how mr trump could defeat mrs clinton
mr manafort citing the unique magic of trump said the candidate could be in a very competitive situation in states that by the end of september you say goodbye to the presidential candidate he singled out pennsylvania maryland and delaware the three states last voted for a republican presidential nominee in 1988
as the republicans ate oysters in a dim stuffy conference room overlooking the atlantic ocean mr wiley walked them through a slide show that predicted victory for mr trump not just in swing states with large hispanic populations like nevada colorado and florida but in states that republicans have not captured since the 1980s pennsylvania michigan minnesota wisconsin and connecticut
and in other solidly democratic states like illinois and new jersey he said mr trump could force mrs clinton to spend money defending herself can we win illinois mr manafort asked i dont know but what we can do is make hillary clinton go to illinois make her spend money there make her spend money in the northeast


detroit   since going bankrupt in 2009 and needing a government bailout to survive general motors has methodically rebuilt itself as a profitable automaker that has capitalized on surging sales in the united states market
but despite reporting on thursday that its first quarter earnings had more than doubled from a year ago gm still apparently has a lot to prove to investors
the companys stock price hardly budged from its recent level of 32 on the news that gm earned 195 billion in the quarter compared to 945 million in the same period in 2015
industry analysts have been generally impressed by gms comeback from its financial problems and its recent safety crisis over faulty ignition switches linked to 124 deaths
yet much of the credit for the healthy earnings is attributed to the strong market in the united states for new cars rather than gms improving balance sheet and new models
now gm with its domestic rivals ford motor and fiat chrysler is pushing hard to be a major player in the industrys high technology revolution centered on autonomous vehicles and electric cars
and rather than try to develop all the technology itself gm is spending freely to acquire and work with silicon valley companies that can accelerate its transformation from an old line automaker into a leader in all aspects of personal mobility
they are investing in companies that are further along than they are in new technology said karl brauer an analyst with kelley blue book and thats something gm would never have done back before its bankruptcy
investing in companies like the lyft ride hailing service is part of an effort by gm to shed its reputation as a plodding bureaucracy that is slow to keep up with the newest trends in the industry
the motivation to take more risks can be directly attributed to the emergence of apple and google as potential automakers and the stunning success of tesla motors in electric cars
the forces of change like google and tesla have motivated gm and other older automakers to defend their turf mr brauer said
mary t barra gms chief said on thursday that the company intended to be a leader in autonomous cars and electric vehicles even if that meant spending big for companies like cruise automation a tiny software business that customizes cars with self driving equipment
we see a significant opportunity and thats why we are moving so aggressively on all fronts ms barra said in a conference call with analysts
the company is also preparing to go head to head in competition with tesla for customers for the first midpriced electric cars with a driving range of 200 miles
tesla has garnered more than 325000 orders for its model 3 which will not be available until at least 2017 gm is set to begin production late this year on its chevrolet bolt which has a comparable price and driving range as the new tesla
still tesla has a high tech cachet from the success of its luxury cars and gm is committed to selling the bolt in chevrolet showrooms that cater to mass market consumers
the electric car is integrated into the portfolio ms barra said
that strategy is counter to what some other big automakers are doing honda on thursday said it would offer vehicles powered by fuel cells or batteries
establishing a product line dedicated to advanced low emission models will help create a new volume pillar for electrified vehicle sales said john w mendel of hondas american division
as gm tries to carve out a larger business in electric cars it is also acting to improve profit margins in its core north american business
the company is pulling back on less profitable sales of vehicles to rental fleets and taking advantage of consumer demand for trucks by introducing variants such as its midsize pickup and a chinese built small sport utility vehicle
in the first quarter gm increased its pretax profit in north america by 5 percent from a year ago to nearly 23 billion
it also improved in other regions particularly in europe where it reduced losses to 6 million in the quarter compared to a loss of 239 million in the same period in 2015
still analysts remain mixed on gms outlook
some are praising the company for its postbankruptcy restructuring that has left it in far better position to weather a slowing of domestic sales
the great story about gm is that even if a sales slowdown occurs the company is in position to still remain profitable due to an improved balance sheet flexible production and disciplined decision making said david kudla chief executive of the investment firm mainstay capital management
other analysts said gm was vulnerable if the market began slipping below last years record sales of 175 million vehicles in the united states
in a research note on thursday a morgan stanley analyst adam jonas warned that big profits in the american market were unsustainable in the long term because of an inevitable slowdown in consumer demand
yet with another strong quarter behind it gm may be starting to change some of the negative perceptions that have dogged it since its bankruptcy
a strong start to the year once again shows why gm is a fundamentally different company than it once was the citibank analyst itay michaeli said in a research note


mexico city   an explosion killed at least 13 people and injured dozens at a petrochemical plant on mexicos southern gulf coast forcing evacuations and sending a toxin filled cloud into the air officials said on thursday eighteen workers were reported missing
the head of mexicos civil defense agency luis felipe puente wrote on his twitter account that emergency personnel had been able to enter the burned out plant and found 10 bodies three other workers had been reported dead immediately after the blast wednesday afternoon
jose antonio gonzalez anaya the director of the state oil company petroleos mexicanos or pemex said family members had reported that 18 workers at the plant were still missing one area of the plant was still too hot to enter and mr gonzalez anaya said the death toll could rise
pemex said 136 workers were injured in the blast in the industrial port city of coatzacoalcos twenty four of the injured remained hospitalized
mr gonzalez anaya told radio formula that 13 of the injured were in serious condition
he said the blast was caused by a leak he added we dont know how that leak occurred
the governor of veracruz javier duarte earlier had told radio formula that the blast was felt as far as six miles away he said more than 2000 people were evacuated from the area as a precaution and classes were canceled on thursday at area schools
pemex reported that the fire was under control late wednesday but initially urged people to stay away as a precaution
it said the explosion hit the clorados 3 plant of petroquimica mexicana de vinilo which produces vinyl chloride a hazardous industrial chemical that is used to make pvc pipes and for other purposes
pemex said it operated the plant in partnership with another company mexichem
there have been a number of accidents in recent years at facilities owned by pemex or where it operates in early february a fire killed a worker at the same plant also in february two people were killed and eight injured in a fire on an offshore pemex platform in the gulf of mexico


andover mass   on a clear sunday in mid march onaje x o woodbine sat down to an elegant brunch at the andover inn the hotel adjacent to the famous prep school in this northern massachusetts town he was eager to talk about his new book but there was another question first what did he think about the yale basketball team which had just made the ncaa tournament for the first time since 1962 even as its captain had been expelled amid accusations of sexual assault
in 2000 as a yale sophomore woodbine had been the basketball teams leading scorer and greatest hope but this march he did not even know that his old team had won the ivy league title i dont follow that stuff anymore said woodbine a yoruba shaman who teaches philosophy and religious studies at phillips academy or andover as it is known
last week columbia university press published black gods of the asphalt religion hip hop and street basketball based on woodbines doctoral dissertation at boston university the work draws on scholars like pierre bourdieu clifford geertz and henry louis gates jr to describe how street basketball functions as an outlet for mourning and healing for urban youths but while the book speaks of basketball with love and reverence it came about only because woodbine who is black once quit basketball in disgust
woodbine 36 grew up 30 miles from andover in the poor boston neighborhood of roxbury where he showed basketball promise at a young age a high school standout at newton south high school where he was bused as part of the regions racial integration program he arrived at yale with dreams of nba stardom
he was a terrific player said james jones yales coach whose first year was woodbines sophomore season he could get to 15 feet and score with best of them he talked a lot about wanting to be allen iverson when he was here
but while woodbine excelled on the court he was miserable on the team he felt that his teammates resented his tougher more passionate style of play the white players also belonged to a fraternity that none of the black players had joined woodbine said he was also disturbed by a locker room culture that encouraged misogyny reveling in the sexual conquest and denigration of women as he wrote in a recent essay for the chronicle of higher education
above all woodbine said he felt valued only for his basketball skills jones who is also black didnt build any relationship with me whatsoever throughout the entire year woodbine said none of the coaches did and my teammates were the same way and thats why it was easy to leave
when woodbine told jones that he was leaving the team the coach was in tears woodbine said woodbine said a white assistant coach had told him in an email that his leaving the team could negatively affect the admission chances of future minority recruits
still woodbine carried through with his promise to leave and he wrote an opinion column for the yale daily news about his decision saying he was leaving sports to focus on the life of the mind his father who did not raise him but with whom he had reconnected when he was 15 is a buddhist tai chi instructor and an acupuncturist and in long conversations he had given his son an interest in spirituality
when i look two years down the road woodbine wrote do i want to say i played basketball for yale but did not get to meet with my teachers did not get to read all of my class materials he said he felt called to study philosophy and religion to expose the contradictions that people of african descent face in america every day to give my life to humanity
the column was reprinted by the yale alumni magazine where it was read by the wife of robert neville then the dean of boston universitys school of theology she showed it to her husband who was so impressed that he drove to yale to ask woodbine to apply to boston university for graduate school he did
in 2001 woodbine went to africa for the first time to ghana in 2004 he traveled to nigeria the nigerian trip changed my life he said i sat on the ground with some shamans and they read me like a book and they debated about me and my life and my philosophy
in nigeria he began studying to be initiated as a yoruba shaman a process he completed in 2012 on his second trip to nigeria in 2005 he had met his wife folasade whom he married the next year they are expecting their second child in october
back at graduate school at boston university he came full circle with his dissertation back to basketball back to the courts that had shaped him now a short trip from campus back to his old neighborhood it occurred to him as he read deeply in theories of religion that there was something profoundly religious about what he and his friends had experienced playing basketball the courts were sacred spaces separating sacred time from profane allowing them to enact rites of jubilation transition or mourning
the overall thesis woodbine said is that on the one hand african american men are pushed toward basketball by poverty by predominantly white institutions by racism but on the other hand once they get on the basketball court itself the experience of playing becomes a mode of resistance to their dehumanization and this happens on the level of the religious consciousness
in black gods of the asphalt woodbine pays particular attention to urban street ball tournaments which he attended regularly from 2010 to 2014 doing field research the tournaments are often named for players who have been killed and thus function like yoruba rituals
in yoruba tradition woodbine said there are perennial human problems   death loss disease   and there are things that are good in life vitality energy relationships children i saw these tournaments were expressing the same idea they were about death loss fighting but the goal was to transform those things death to vitality a loss to grieve to reconnect with that individual
a play based on black gods of the asphalt written by woodbine will be performed at andover in may and at the oprah winfrey leadership academy for girls in south africa in june
in the meantime he keeps busy teaching at andover where he coaches the girls junior varsity basketball team
woodbine still plays pickup games with some old friends and when he finds time to think he thinks back to how important the game was to him as a youth in roxbury
there were a few times when people came onto the court and somebody had just been shot and they would play basketball as if they were playing for that person woodbine recalled and they couldnt miss every shot would go in at the end of the game they would just fall out crying it became this other place this place outside the violence of the ghetto i always kept that with me


late night pharmacy runs bulky pads periods have simply long been an uncomfortable experience
but now it has become an economic issue too businesses lawmakers and advertisers prodded in large part by a frank online discussion of menstrual cycles and backed by calls for gender equality have sought ways to make menstrual cycles a little less agonizing
eight states and the district of columbia have moved to eliminate sales tax on pads and tampons and bills have recently passed in the new york and mississippi state senates in new york gov andrew cuomo is expected to sign the measure into law in the coming weeks
new companies are pursuing products to make women more comfortable during their period including underwear that its manufacturer says will not leak and tampons made from 100 percent cotton
even advertisers are taking a bolder approach to menstruation instead of displaying blue liquids squirting out of pipettes and women in white dresses frolicking on the beach they are showing real women doing real activities like working at a computer
theres a sense that this really goes to the heart of womens opportunity to participate fully in school in the economy in society and we need to do something about it said jennifer weiss wolf a vice president at the brennan center for justice at the new york university law school
menstrual products are expensive and its absolutely debilitating if you dont have access to them she said
businesses and politicians are taking their cue from a growing effort to talk more openly about periods with much of it happening online
under pressure from online critics instagram the photo sharing site restored a photography series featuring blood from a womans period after removing the series twice an online petition calling out the states that tax menstrual products garnered over 60000 signatures
and when donald trump complained about the tough questions of the fox news moderator megyn kelly at a republican debate in august saying that she had blood coming out of her wherever hundreds of women and some men responded in force on twitter using the hashtag periodsarenotaninsult
that to me felt like a watershed moment said chris bobel an associate professor of womens studies at the university of massachusetts boston and president of the society for menstrual cycle research
there was a reframe she added which was hey that insult doesnt stick because theres nothing shameful about periods and by the way lets fix that
since the start of the 2016 state legislative calendar bills to exempt tampons and pads from sales tax have been introduced or resurrected in california connecticut illinois michigan ohio rhode island virginia the district of columbia and wisconsin and have passed in mississippi and new york largely with bipartisan support similar legislation is being discussed in committees in south carolina and tennessee last month chicago passed an ordinance to eliminate the citys portion of the tax in utah an all male committee of lawmakers shut down a proposal to get rid of the states tampon tax
on march 3 five women filed a class action against the new york taxation and finance department claiming that the state should classify period pads and tampons as necessities the suit points out that new york classifies mens products like viagra rogaine and dandruff shampoo as necessities failing to protect men and women equally through the tax system the suit says violates state tax laws as well as state and united states constitutions
if the suit is successful women in new york could receive rebates for the last two years of taxes paid on menstrual products an amount that most likely adds up to about 28 million over all according to the plaintiffs lawyers the women would continue to push for the refunds even after governor cuomo repealed the tax they said
tampons and sanitary pads are a necessity for women not a luxury said zoe salzman a lawyer for the women there is no way these products would be taxed if men had to use them
james gazzale a spokesman for the new york state taxation and finance department said he could not comment on continuing litigation
american women spent 3 billion on sanitary protection in 2014 up 2 percent from 2013 according to the market research company euromonitor international but it is a slow growing industry dominated by a handful of giants like procter  gamble
johnson  johnson which long produced feminine care products sold its stayfree pad carefree liner and ob tampon brands in 2013 to shed businesses that were not growing
energizer paid 185 million for the brands but spun them off less than two years later
in terms of growth youre basically just looking at population growth said jabel parayil an analyst at euromonitor these manufacturers are trying to drive added value through advertising rather than true technological value the new trends are really coming from the smaller companies
yet a variety of start ups think there is a window of opportunity apps like clue and period tracker help women keep track of their menstruation cycles in june cvs started carrying a silicone menstrual cup made by divacup last month whoopi goldberg announced that she was joining with a california based producer of edible marijuana products to form a company that would offer products designed to ease menstrual pain
thinx a company that makes absorbent period proof panties meant to be worn without tampons or pads has pushed the boundaries of period engineering and advertising using images of a runny egg yolk or the insides of a grapefruit to evoke menstruation or the female anatomy
miki agrawal a co founder of thinx said conventional period products and marketing make women uncomfortable not sexy not like themselves and not in their full power
its awful
the flurry of start up activity has come as fresh competition for the big name pad and tampon makers kanchan patkar brand director for kimberly clarks kotex brand which logged global sales of more than 1 billion last year said the traditional brands had not ignored feminine care
in an interview ms patkar listed a string of kotex innovations over the years panty liners for light days compact tampon applicators 3 d modeling of pads for a better fit and ultrathin pads that she says have reduced the bulkiness of period pads by 67 percent
ms patkar says that kotex also overhauled how it talks about periods its u by kotex tampons and liners have abandoned their medicinal pale packaging for bold colors and designs
and the brand has moved away from what ms patkar said was frivolous advertising of women with periods frolicking in white dresses some of its most recent ads feature women in a college dorm room at a computer and skyping with friends
we decided to call out the truth she said you have cramps you have bloating you dont feel like jumping around in a field or doing extreme sports and thats ok
still as some of the start ups have found the topic is still not always easy to discuss
when alexandra friedman and jordana kier pitched their idea for a tampon delivery service to a potential investor last year they found him wary of discussing the intimate product so ms friedman grabbed his glass of water dunked one of her prototype tampons in it and forced him to look
they have since raised 42 million for their start up lola
i told him this is what its doing in a womans body its absorbing liquid and its becoming bigger ms friedman said then we left it in the middle of the table and we finished eating


millions of fans will remember prince as a master of funk a sex symbol and the creator of indelible hits like 1999 and when doves cry
but within the music business prince   who died on thursday at 57   was also a trailblazing and sometimes controversial champion for his rights as an artist in the 1990s he was in open conflict with the music industry protesting the major label system by writing the word slave on his cheek and changing his name to an unpronounceable glyph
later as the music world moved online prince made sometimes mystifying pronouncements about the internet and policed his music rights so carefully that most of his songs were unavailable not only on jukebox streaming services like spotify but also on pandora and youtube
his moves were sometimes mocked as mere eccentricity but he is now seen as an early advocate of the kind of experimentation and artistic control that has become an essential tool of the most forward thinking pop stars
if you want to see his influence all you have to do is look at whats happening today where you have kanye west releasing an album on different platforms and adding to it as he goes along or drake saying you know what ive got a new record and im just going to drop it said jimmy jam the producer who was a longtime associate of prince and a former chairman of the recording academy the organization that presents the grammy awards
those types of things what the music business turned into jimmy jam added a lot of that is directly related to the artistic freedoms that prince was looking for
for prince the key was always control his battles in the early 1990s with warner bros the record company that had signed him at the beginning of his career were primarily over the labels demands that he release no more than one album a year a pace that matched the industrys marketing patterns
the restrictions rankled prince who publicly rebelled and eventually started his own label npg records in 1996 he released a triple album emancipation through a deal with emi that allowed him to put out albums when he wished
the music for me doesnt come on a schedule prince told the new york times in 1996 the main idea is not supposed to be how many different ways can we sell it thats so far away from the true spirit of what music is
princes last top 10 hit was the most beautiful girl in the world which went to no 3 in 1994 and critics complained that he released too much music of too little quality but he continued to break ground
in 2004 he gave away copies of his cd musicology with tickets to his concerts a strategy that helped him move 632000 copies of the album in five weeks but also led billboard to change its chart rules in 2007 copies of his album planet earth were given away in the british newspaper the mail on sunday that year he also gave an electrifying performance at the super bowl halftime show
around the same time prince who had experimented with the online world in the 1990s was emerging as an apparent enemy of the internet in 2010 he told the mirror a british newspaper that the internets completely over for which he was ridiculed online he later clarified that his comment was about money that artists can earn online what i meant was that the internet was over for anyone who wants to get paid and i was right about that he told the guardian last year
in recent years he took full control of his music rights that included ownership of his music publishing   the copyrights for songwriting   and his recordings which led to a new deal with warner bros in 2014 he told the associated press that there were no hard feelings i dont deal in history nor should they that control let him withdraw his music from most streaming services although he left his catalog on tidal the subscription service bought last year by jay z and like drake and mr west he made use of platforms like soundcloud to post new tracks and remove them as he saw fit
for fans one of the biggest questions is what will happen to his fabled vault of unreleased recordings according to jimmy jam that material was already building by the time of the early 1980s albums controversy and 1999
if you ever gave him an answer that had anything to do with because thats the way we have always done it that was absolutely the wrong answer to give to prince jimmy jam said it was why cant we do it a different way why cant we do it better


ndjamena chad   president idriss deby of chad won a fifth term in office the national election commission announced late thursday soundly defeating more than a dozen challengers to remain leader of a country that is central to africas fight against islamic militants
mr deby earned 615 percent of the votes cast on election day april 10 according to provisional results that need to be ratified by the constitutional council he needed more than 50 percent to avoid a runoff
the announcement came one day after a visit by samantha power the united states ambassador to the united nations and by top american military officials that highlighted chads prominence in the fight against islamic extremist groups like boko haram
the country serves as the headquarters for a five nation regional force intended to defeat the nigeria based group which has carried out multiple attacks on chads territory including suicide bombings in the capital ndjamena
chad is also the base for frances military operations in africa
mr deby appeared before hundreds of supporters in the capital just after the commissions announcement thanking them for the win while urging them to wait for the constitutional councils ratification its your victory he said
this week the opposition withdrew from the electoral commission citing doubts that the vote would be credible
during her visit on wednesday ms power expressed displeasure with a crackdown on freedom of protest and a government decision to shut down the internet and text messaging throughout chad for several days around the time of the vote
in a rare appearance before foreign journalists at his presidential palace mr deby denied opposition claims that about 60 members of the security forces who had voted against him have disappeared


for years there has been a limit to the success of american technology companies in china capture too much market share or wield too much influence and beijing will push back
apple has largely been an exception to that trend yet the silicon valley company is now facing a regulatory push against its services in china that could signal its good relations in the country may be turning
last week apples ibooks store and itunes movies were shut down in china just six months after they were started there initially apple apparently had the governments approval to introduce the services but then a regulator the state administration of press publication radio film and television asserted its authority and demanded the closings according to two people who spoke on the condition of anonymity
we hope to make books and movies available again to our customers in china as soon as possible an apple spokeswoman said in a statement
the about face is startling given apples record in china unlike many other american tech companies apple has succeeded in introducing several new products   like its mobile payments system apple pay   in china recently new resistance from the chinese government to that expansion could potentially hurt the cupertino calif company
to a degree more than many tech companies apple relies on the smooth operation of its software   including its app store and services like itunes which are tightly integrated with the iphone and ipad   to keep customers coming back to its devices apple which is facing a slowdown in sales of its iphones is also reliant on china for growth so further moves by beijing to curtail services could crimp sales
the company counts china as its second largest market after the united states its china numbers will be dissected on tuesday when it reports quarterly earnings
chinas pushback against apple shows that the company may finally be vulnerable to the heightened scrutiny that other american tech companies have faced in recent years that scrutiny was spurred by revelations from the former united states national security agency contractor edward j snowden in 2013 of the use of american companies to conduct cyberespionage for washington
china has sweeping goals in its move against apple said daniel h rosen founding partner of rhodium group a new york based advisory firm specializing in the chinese economy
they are interested in protecting the content that the chinese people see policing its national security and favoring indigenous giants such as huawei alibaba and tencent mr rosen said in this new era he added china is strongly disinclined to accept the dominance of foreign players on the internet not least those from the united states
after the shutdown of apples services president xi jinping of china who has led a crackdown on western ideology conducted a meeting on tuesday in beijing on chinas restrictive internet policies chinas top tech leaders including jack ma chairman of the e commerce company alibaba and ren zhengfei head of huawei were present at the meeting
china must improve management of cyberspace and work to ensure high quality content with positive voices creating a healthy positive culture that is a force for good a report by the state run news service xinhua quoted mr xi as saying
since the snowden leaks chinas state media identified eight american companies that it has labeled guardian warriors and that it has said were too deeply established in the countrys core industries such as energy communications education and military
sales in china for those companies including cisco ibm microsoft and qualcomm have slid as government oversight has increased some have grappled with raids investigations and fines some have also been pressured to sell off holdings hand over technology and work with local partners to expand their china businesses
though apple is one of the eight it has had a much easier time
in 2013 apple signed an agreement with chinas largest wireless carrier china mobile to sell the iphone in the country after six years of wooing the carrier chinese consumers spent 59 billion on apples products in the companys last fiscal year timothy d cook apples chief executive has made multiple visits to china and while the company has faced occasional opposition   most notably an attack by state and communist party media against its customer support   it has largely been left alone
there have been some signs of trouble ahead mr xi has presided over a deep freeze on the internet increasing censorship and taking aim at online tools used to circumvent chinas system of online filters known as the great firewall he has also added new policy tools to keep tabs on electronic communications mr xi heads a committee of top leaders set up to streamline tech and internet policy and turn the country into a cyberpower
in addition the chinese government proposed an antiterrorism law two years ago that would require foreign companies to turn over encryption keys   the codes that enable otherwise scrambled information to be viewed   for security reasons though the language was ultimately dropped analysts said the government wants to have access to all communications within china
apples recent battle with the fbi over unlocking an iphone for a terrorism investigation is unlikely to help it in china chinese lawyers have pointed out that the countrys antiterrorism law requires companies to help with decryption when the police or state security agents demand it for investigating or preventing terrorist acts
on tuesday at a congressional hearing apples general counsel bruce sewell said that the chinese government had asked the company to share source code in the last two years but that it had refused
the two apple services that chinese regulators shut down itunes movies and the ibooks store compete directly with chinese internet companies products beijing has recently added initiatives to support a sputtering economy with new emphasis on industries that require higher skills and command better profit margins like the internet
that push may eventually trickle down to other apple services apple pay for example competes with mobile payments systems from some of chinas largest internet companies alibaba and tencent
in the longer term chinas tough line on foreign tech companies like apple could have heavy consequences for the chinese economy mr rosen said
as surely as the tremendous welfare gains for china and its people from deepening links to global tech production disassembling those connections is likely to entail a heavy economic loss he said


ottawa   after a politically charged trial a conservative member of canadas senate was vindicated on thursday of 31 charges of fraud breach of trust and bribery among other things the senator mike duffy had been accused of improperly using senate expense money to travel to a dog show to discuss kerry blue terrier puppies
the case against mr duffy a former television reporter attracted a high degree of news media attention and fueled criticism of the senate whose members are appointed and which has long been one of the countrys least admired institutions
this was a resounding not guilty donald bayne mr duffys lawyer said outside court he added that mr duffy had endured more public humiliation than probably any canadian in history
by international standards the amount of money involved was less than dazzling
at the center of the case was a charge that mr duffy had solicited a bribe from nigel wright the wealthy chief of staff to stephen harper the former prime minister mr duffy owed more than 70000 for expenses that had been ruled improper and in 2013 mr wright covered the amount from his personal funds
some of the charges related to mr duffys declaration that his primary residence was a cottage on prince edward island the province where he was born and which he represents that allowed mr duffy to collect a variety of secondary residence expenses for his house in ottawa the place where he has actually lived for decades it was those expenses that mr wright who was never accused of wrongdoing repaid
the prosecutors presented several witnesses including terrier breeders in a bid to show that mr duffy and his wife had spent 698 canadian dollars about 550 of senate money to attend a dog show in peterborough ontario
the case along with accusations against other senators embarrassed mr harper who crusaded against corruption in the rival liberal party and whose government projected an image of fiscal probity critics noted that it was mr harper who had appointed mr duffy to the senate according to testimony during the trial he was chosen chiefly for his ability to attract crowds at fund raising events
justice charles h vaillancourt of the ontario court of justice found that mr duffys expense account problems were not criminal acts and he dismissed 27 charges and found mr duffy not guilty of the remaining four
in a 308 page decision that took hours to present justice vaillancourt said mr duffy was a credible witness whose actions had no hint of criminality
he also concluded that mr duffy who has been on a paid leave of absence had been open and honest with senate administrators on how to deal with expenses in a system that was confusing and short on definitions of what was legitimate
the judge said testimony showed that it was the general practice of senators to mix personal and partisan business with senate work when claiming expenses
there is widespread agreement in canada that the senate is in need of reform but any substantive changes would require a constitutional amendment
prime minister justin trudeau a liberal who replaced mr harper in october moved in january 2014 to limit partisanship in the senate by cutting his partys ties to liberal senators


andrew shaw and curt schilling insulted the gay and transgender community in recent days but how they responded afterward suggests that one of them shaw comprehends the ramifications of what he did and the other schilling does not
shaw a chicago blackhawks forward was suspended for game 5 of his teams playoff series against st louis on thursday night for shouting an anti gay slur after being sent to the penalty box during tuesdays game
i get it he said after being disciplined by the nhl its 2016 now its time that everyone is treated equally
schilling did not choose the road to contrition after he shared a post on facebook that was an apparent response to the north carolina law that bars transgender people from using bathrooms and locker rooms that do not correspond with their birth genders on his blog he snarled at all of you out there who are just dying to be offended so you can create some sort of faux cause to rally behind
when he shared the message on social media earlier this week he did not seem to grasp that he had implicitly endorsed it especially after he added a comment about which public restrooms are appropriate for men and which are not he is a public figure with a well developed online profile as a political conservative and second amendment supporter who by the way was a terrific pitcher over a 20 season career his propensity for living on the third rail of social media was at odds with espns internal policy that cautions its workers to be prudent
but by wednesday espn had had enough of him and fired him from his job as an analyst on monday night baseball he had been sent there from his previous more prestigious position on sunday night games for retweeting a message last summer about extreme muslims and nazis which earned him a monthlong suspension
in firing him espn shed itself of a nuisance who did not or could not follow corporate policy and could not grasp that passing around an anti transgender message digitally might affect people who are finding their way to new gender identities crass words and visuals hurt
we are in a moment when tolerance exists side by side with intolerance same sex marriage is widely accepted but north carolina enacts its bathroom law advocacy groups like the you can play project and athlete ally fight homophobia in sports yet players still utter anti gay slurs in the heat of the moment   and after the sweat dries they say their spontaneous exhortations do not represent who they are
its not just athletic language but in the continued images we see from hollywood said cyd zeigler the co founder of outsportscom a website focused on the intersection of sports and issues for lesbian gay bisexual and transgender people the openly gay characters singing on glee and in the real oneals the one gay kid who doesnt know what a basketball is hollywood pushes those images as stereotypes so   big shocker   our youth coaches use anti gay language to motivate kids
leagues have been disciplining players for using anti gay slurs that not too long ago were acceptable language in 2011 kobe bryant was fined 100000 for using a familiar slur against a referee rajon rondo got a one game suspension for directing the same word at a referee who subsequently outed himself
in a most peculiar manifestation of the use of the slur toronto blue jays shortstop yunel escobar took the field with the word written in spanish in his eyeblack his explanation underscored how widespread the slur had become it was now part of everyday clubhouse chatter thats a word used often within teams its a word without meaning the way we use it
but of course the language of bias is as hurtful as it is unnecessary
so for jamie neal a transgender sports blogger in las vegas the punishments of schilling and shaw made for a satisfying wednesday
i was proud of espn she told me by telephone thursday ive watched espn since i was a kid i was proud that they stood on the right side of history and she said about the nhl if they had let shaw off without a penalty or fine then having joined up with the you can play project would have all been lip service you can play has been working with the nhl and its players union since 2013
neal has been dealing with insults from schillings allies on twitter since she criticized the anti transgender message he shared which featured an overweight man in a wig and womens clothing with his top cut out to show his breasts schilling answered her writing all you clowns just dying to be offended thats not my post find another fake grievance to be offended by neal said that his response jolted her
he called our entire group clowns she said but im part of this group and you can call me a clown and tell me that i should or shouldnt be offended but he doesnt know my struggles and i dont know anything about him
she added it was frustrating to see from a personal perspective that someone ive rooted for in the past had such a vile disposition about me and people like me without knowing anything about me other than that ive transitioned


washington   for five years congressional republicans have taken out their anti tax wrath on the internal revenue service cutting its budget by nearly 1 billion reducing its staff by about 17000 and even threatening to impeach its chief
now they say no one at the agency receives a bonus until customer service improves and that measure which the republican controlled house easily passed thursday was just one of six anti irs measures that it approved this week mostly by party line votes to mark the annual tax filing deadline
to supporters of the agency   and there are some   years of such attacks have yielded exactly what republicans seemed to want a depleted defanged tax collector
im appalled thats all i can say said lawrence b gibbs a tax lawyer at miller  chevalier who joined the irs during the nixon administration and was president ronald reagans choice for commissioner in 1986 its fine to demonize the irs it has always been a target listen that goes with the job
but he added given the nations challenges the one thing people ought to agree on is that we should have a revenue system that works and works well
and if were going to create a disrespect for our tax revenue system he continued i look at it and say i just dont think its in our countrys best interest
house republicans even gave this week a name irs week though the lines of attack began last week and were many in debate multiple hearings the irs commissioner john koskinen testified four times over eight days news conferences and commentary in the news media the agency even got the blame for the hated tax code which congress writes and republicans have promised for five years to rewrite and simplify
right now we have a tax code that no one can understand being enforced by an agency that no one trusts said speaker paul d ryan republican of wisconsin who was the chairman of the tax writing ways and means committee before taking the houses top job last fall
as certain as death and taxes tax season political attacks on the irs go back decades but in recent years the intensity has grown and the agencys funding in turn shrank more than any other time in memory the campaign gained strength in 2013 when republicans seized on management failures to allege that irs employees had singled out conservative groups for greater scrutiny and delays in reviewing their applications for tax exempt status as social welfare organizations though liberal leaning groups were examined as well investigations showed
the assaults and especially the funding cuts have reached a point that the agencys defenders are speaking out
the congress on one hand adds complexity to the tax system by the tax laws they enact but will not recognize the costs and administrative burdens placed on the agency to carry out the laws it passes said g william hoagland who was a senior budget adviser to senate republican leaders for more a quarter century
through the 1980s and 1990s mr hoagland said congress approved deficit reduction measures that routinely included increases for the irs as a way to raise revenue analyses show that the agency collects at least 4 for every 1 it spends for tax compliance
late last year congress grudgingly gave the irs an increase though still far less than it sought in advance of that action seven former irs commissioners including mr gibbs   representing three republican and three democratic administrations   wrote to congressional leaders of their concern
over the last 50 years none of us has ever witnessed anything like what has happened to the irs appropriations over the last five years and the impact these appropriations are having on our tax system they wrote
federal reports document the impact tax audits are at the lowest level in a decade affecting fewer than 1 percent of taxpayers reduced efforts to enforce compliance cost an estimated 6 billion in uncollected revenues in 2014 and 8 billion in 2015 the irs has a backlog of almost a million pieces of correspondence from taxpayers
yet the challenges deepen cases of identity theft to fraudulently get refunds quadrupled from 2010 to 2014 to 730000 there are an estimated one million malicious attempts to access irs databases every day as many as 20000 alleged phone schemes are reported a week mostly targeting older adults the poor and recent immigrants with callers pretending to be irs agents demanding money
mr koskinen testified that fraud had transformed from random individuals trying to pilfer refunds to organized crime syndicates here and internationally requiring more sophisticated   and costly   enforcement efforts yet the irs has 5000 fewer revenue agents officers and criminal investigators than five years ago
we know the cases that we cant deal the audits that we cant complete because we just dont have enough people mr koskinen said in an interview if we had more resources wed collect more money but wed also pursue more of the fraudsters
in a hearing this week representative george holding republican of north carolina complained to mr koskinen that the irs was not putting enough priority on trying to catch criminals saying you cant deter crime unless you prosecute crime
the commissioner pointed to his reduced budget down 17 percent from five years ago and replied its a point ive been making for two and a half years
before he took over in late 2013 mr koskinen had a longstanding reputation as a top government manager as well as an executive at troubled corporations two presidents bill clinton and george w bush had enlisted him for troublesome assignments before president obama picked him for the irs to try to give it a fresh start amid the furor over conservative groups
but by mid 2014 he had so infuriated republicans over the loss of emails related to the matter that by last fall when the justice department decided against pressing any charges some house republicans filed a resolution to impeach mr koskinen   an action that has not been taken against a federal executive in 140 years
the resolution has not advanced this week instead the house acted on the various relatively minor measures to slap the irs one would prohibit the agency from rehiring employees fired for misconduct something mr koskinen acknowledged happened in the past when the irs had to hire thousands of experienced temporary workers at tax time
five house republicans summed up their partys attitude toward the irs in a column on a conservative website on tax filing day clean up your act because this is only the beginning
stan collender a longtime federal budget analyst now executive vice president at qorvis mslgroup has criticized such threats before and this week was no different
you really shouldnt be able to reduce the amount you spend on irs decrease their performance ability and then complain about their performance he said


halfmoon ny   maggie kuebler fought through pain as she wielded heavy power tools to free victims trapped in a mock vehicle accident one of the many tests she underwent to become a volunteer firefighter
her 5 foot 7 150 pound frame shook with exhaustion but she refused to quit she knew that some day she could face real life or death situations just as her father a former port authority of new york and new jersey police officer whose life of service she wanted to emulate had
ms kuebler 20 is among a growing number of women climbing tall aerial ladders or rescuing people from smoky rooms as members of new york states volunteer fire companies which serve millions of residents in small towns and suburban communities that cannot afford paid professional departments
you just keep telling yourself i have to get this person out i have to get the job done  said ms kuebler a volunteer with the walton fire department in rural delaware county
increasingly fire officials believe they can
this weekend about 500 of the states 1583 volunteer fire companies are hosting recruitment open houses one of the main goals is to attract more women
i would go without hesitation into a burning building with any one of these women said john dalessandro secretary of the firemens association of the state of new york a nonprofit group that provides information education training and advocacy for the states volunteer emergency services the standards the expectations are the same for everyone all i want to know is youve got my back and ive got your back
mr dalessandros daughter caitlin 21 a college student studying to become a paramedic has also answered the call for years she watched her father and older brother evan both volunteer firefighters run out the door when alarms sounded then she decided why not me
its an incredibly tough job man or woman said ms dalessandro a volunteer with the halfmoon fire department in saratoga county but i love the feeling you get when you help somebody the relief on their face when they know someones there who knows what theyre doing in an emergency
people who call 911 are not concerned about the gender of the person who responds said noreen jenkins a member of the south schodack fire department in rensselaer county
at the time theyre thinking that youre there to help she said not whether youre a man or woman
women still account for less than 5 percent of the 102000 volunteer firefighters in the state according to a survey conducted in 2015 by the firemens association but the estimated 5000 women who are currently volunteers is double the number of a decade ago at a time when departments are having difficultly finding new recruits the number of volunteers peaked at more than 120000 in the 1980s
the biggest challenge is time particularly in areas still struggling to recover from the recession where people have multiple jobs or both spouses work officials said another obstacle is the increased training required to become a firefighter
a federal grant financed a four year recruiting drive that ended last year and helped attract a larger number of volunteer firefighters but as the population in many communities rises and the types and complexity of fire calls increases more volunteers are needed mr dalessandro said
though safer modern construction techniques and stricter building codes have made building fires less common firefighters stay busy responding to motor vehicle accidents calls for medical help natural disasters and other emergencies such as pumping out flooded basements to meet this demand fire companies would like to exceed the volunteer rates reached in the 80s
carol trifano 45 who served in the navy said a message posted outside a local firehouse challenged her to join the clifton park fire department in saratoga county the sign said if your neighbors house was on fire would you know what to do
ms trifano knew her answer and it kept nagging at her so she decided to walk into the firehouse and offer to help after the navy i missed doing something service oriented so it was great to give back to my community she said we are responding to peoples most trying times in their entire lives
ms jenkins recalled one emergency when she and her husband peter a fellow volunteer kept a kitchen fire from consuming an entire house when we went into that building it was good to know she was right there behind me mr jenkins said she knows how to do everything
despite the serious responsibilities that come with the job ms jenkins said she had had some lighter encounters people just dont know what to call you she said smiling they want to say fireman but they dont the funniest i had onetime was somebody called me a fire lady call me anything you want just recognize me for what i am
when handling the same difficult and dangerous calls as men women may sometimes have an advantage said chief william bryans of the west crescent fire department in saratoga county if theres an accident involving a female just that comfort level of having another female there makes the situation a little bit easier he said and most of the women here at this firehouse are moms so they know how to deal with children it does help out
for some women the path to becoming volunteer firefighters was created by a four year old group called the fire service women of new york state which holds a weeklong camp every summer for women interested in joining a department the group exposes women to various issues they may encounter from certain physically demanding firefighting tasks to the resistance they can encounter from men
women have to prove themselves at every turn said megan collins the organizations president theres a lot of the older generation that dont want women in the fire service
but such biases are giving way to a growing recognition and appreciation among many fire chiefs who welcome women at a time when their ranks may be thin
mr bryans said he had little patience for those who felt otherwise
women go through the same identical training as a male does he said theres no difference they do not get special treatment i have not detected any discrimination in my department but i tell you i will not tolerate it its not acceptable especially in a volunteer service if people are willing to volunteer their time   these days its so hard because people are so busy   we owe it to them to give them the respect they deserve


 read our latest report on princes final days 
wait a few days before you waste any prayers
that was princes reassurance to fans gathered for a dance party on saturday night at his paisley park complex in chanhassen minn after reports that he had suffered a health scare during a flight on friday
this famously private performer warned the hometown crowd not to always trust the media a representative had insisted for weeks that it was only the flu
days later prince was dead at 57 discovered not breathing after an emergency call at 943 am on thursday in an elevator at paisley park which houses his estate and studio while no cause of death has been given jason kamerud the chief deputy for the carver county sheriffs office said the local medical examiner would conduct an autopsy results are typically not available for a few days he said
his death has shocked not only the legions of fans who had thought him to be otherworldly and invincible but also those who had spotted him out and about in recent days prince was seen riding his bike hosting a party and visiting a local record store and jazz club despite his enigmatic reputation he was a familiar presence around minneapolis
a week ago prince was healthy enough to give what would be his final public performance he played two sets in one night at the fox theater in atlanta making up for shows canceled earlier this month addressing the crowd that evening prince said he had been a little under the weather on april 7 when the shows were originally scheduled but added were here now
nicholas wolaver a fan who attended the early performance said you would not believe that he was singing ill he sounded true to his talents and it was an amazing performance and although he was performing with only a piano prince got up and danced mr wolaver said adding that even after three encores he left people wanting a little more
but by the following day tmz reported that princes plane had made an emergency landing in moline ill en route to minnesota after what was reportedly a brief hospital visit prince tweeted i am transformed
on saturday there seemed no cause for concern as prince announced the party at paisley park which also served as a community gathering place 2 give thanx 4 the good weather and 4 all the love and support prince tweeted attaching a flyer for the nights festivities the cover charge was 10
scott gregoria was among the few hundred fans to show up prince looked a little more weak a little more pale than when i had seen him before mr gregoria said outside paisley park on thursday but he noted that prince was also in a gregarious mood joking around with the crowd and showing off a new guitar in his trademark shade of purple in lieu of a performance he played a recording of the atlanta show over the speaker system
prince had been out and about earlier on saturday as well kaitlyn powell 17 saw him riding bikes with a companion around a strip mall as she waited for her 3 pm shift to start at the local office max
i saw this person biking pretty quickly around the parking lot but it wasnt until he got close to my car and i made eye contact with him that i realized it was actually prince she said i kind of second guessed myself because he wasnt wearing purple
but when she left her car there he was just sitting on the sidewalk i got my phone out to take a picture and he asked me not to ms powell said i said ok i respect that put my phone away and went to work
that morning prince had also noted that it was record store day please support ur local record store 2day throat clears 2 attract attention electric fetus he tweeted referring to the south minneapolis shop he was known to frequent sure enough he stopped in that evening to make a purchase according to the star tribune
on tuesday night he was spotted again this time at the dakota jazz club in downtown minneapolis still walking the line even in his final days between unknowable cipher and local fixture
for the residents of minneapolis the loss of prince is too large to describe wrote the citys mayor betsy hodges in a statement prince never left us and we never left him


tehran   with the completion of the nuclear deal with iran and the opening of its market european businesses expected a trade bonanza
but three months after the lifting of many sanctions against iran there is growing frustration among european politicians diplomats and businesspeople over the inability to complete dozens of energy aviation and construction deals with the iranians
the main obstacle the europeans say is their ally and the driving force behind the historic nuclear agreement the united states wary of running afoul of new sanctions imposed by washington over irans missile program and accusations that iran sponsors terrorism european banks are refusing to finance any of the deals effectively perpetuating irans isolation from the global financial system
europeans also point to new american visa regulations that make it more difficult for them to enter the united states if they have traveled to iran those financial and travel restrictions they say make it nearly impossible to reach agreements with their iranian counterparts
the hurdles set up by the united states europeans say are also infuriating the iranian leadership and undermining what they understood to be one of the main goals of the nuclear deal which was to draw iran out of its international isolation
europe is being taken hostage by american policy said marietje schaake the vice president of the european parliaments delegation for relations with the united states we negotiated the nuclear deal together but now the us is obstructing its execution
from the iranian perspective the american obstacles are jeopardizing the fulfillment of the nuclear agreement and empowering the countrys hard liners the question is now that the nuclear sanctions are lifted what status quo will emerge when it comes to doing business with iran said cyrus razzaghi the chief executive officer of ara enterprise a tehran based consultancy now everything is ambiguous if the situation doesnt change for the better   banking more deals   for iran this will be a growing risk for the deal
during a recent meeting with prime minister matteo renzi of italy irans supreme leader ayatollah ali khamenei complained that there had been no tangible results from the nuclear agreement the americans the ayatollah said according to his website are frightening other countries from cooperating with iran
irans foreign minister mohammad javad zarif who negotiated the nuclear deal said this week that iran was not seeking access to the united states financial system but expected help from washington with the european banks what we asked was to implement the nuclear deal which requires the united states to allow european financial institutions to have peace of mind for dealing with iran he told the new york times editorial board on wednesday
the financial obstacles are bad news for irans moderate president hassan rouhani who ran for office on promises of an economic revival fueled by the nuclear deal and the lifting of sanctions hard liners have pointed to the financial complications as evidence that the united states can never be trusted and that mr rouhani has been deceived into making unreciprocated concessions
indeed american officials have discounted talk of an iranian windfall on monday secretary of state john kerry told the jewish lobbying group j street in washington that iran had so far received only 3 billion after the nuclear deal far less than what some republican critics of the deal claimed were 150 billion in frozen assets we thought it would be 55 billion but guess what mr kerry said holding up three fingers
united states officials say   and most european experts agree   that it is not only the sanctions that are blocking irans access to the american financial system but also irans failure during its years of isolation to update laws governing money laundering and prohibitions against the financing of terrorism
european oil companies whose capital and expertise iran desperately needs to revitalize its flagging oil industry are not making any deals until the treasury provides clarity over the use of dollars for sales of iranian oil diplomats and industry insiders say
the european unions foreign policy chief federica mogherini flew to tehran last week to try to convince iranian officials that the bloc is doing all it can to reassure major european financial institutions that it is safe to work with iran
but european banks will still have to contend with american regulatory requirements according to a financial disclosure law all banks worldwide have to disclose whether their customers are american citizens to prevent tax evasion if they fail to do so the banks assets can be seized
several million people hold dual iranian and american citizenship because the iranian government is reluctant to allow information about its citizens to be shared with the united states experts say it is unlikely that it will comply with the act   another complication for european banks
the united states first imposed sanctions against iran during the 1979 hostage crisis focusing over the years primarily on disrupting its ability to connect to international financing networks as a result no foreign credit or debit cards work in iran forcing visitors to carry large amounts of cash selected european banks were once allowed by the treasury to use dollars in their dealings with iran that ended with the nuclear sanctions
europe never imposed any trade restrictions on iran until 2006 germany was its biggest trading partner and there were dozens of flights between europe and iran iranian oil was refined in the dutch port of rotterdam the european oil giants royal dutch shell and total were engaged in huge oil projects
when the european union joined the american effort to press iran to halt its nuclear program the blocs main action was to impose a boycott on iranian crude european banks oil companies and producers subsequently abandoned the country after increasingly tough sanctions imposed by the obama administration
despite the obstacles european officials say they are determined to clear a path for restored commercial relations we used to be irans first partner in the field of economy trade investment ms mogherini told the tasnim news agency on tuesday we want to return to those days


chicago   mayor rahm emanuel called on thursday for better training speedier misconduct investigations and other immediate changes for the troubled chicago police department his plan came in response to a scathing report published last week that blamed racism and a broken discipline process for the frayed trust between officers and many residents validating complaints made for years by african americans in the city
but mr emanuels plan did not address about 70 percent of the recommendations from the police accountability task force which he appointed in december after demonstrators demanded his resignation he said in a statement on thursday that city officials would release progress reports as more changes took effect
lori lightfoot the chairwoman of the task force said that it was important that the mayor has taken initiative to start making changes but that all of the recommendations were meant to eventually be adopted
thursdays announcement came at a time of continuing turmoil for the police department the justice department is reviewing its practices the city council confirmed a new police superintendent last week and violent crime has spiked
here are findings by the task force and changes announced by mr emanuel
task forces finding the communitys lack of trust in cpd is justified there is substantial evidence that people of color   particularly african americans   have had disproportionately negative experiences with the police over an extended period of time
protesters marched repeatedly after the release in november of video showing a white police officer firing 16 shots into a black teenager laquan mcdonald
citys plan eddie johnson the new police superintendent has held bridge meetings with residents in recent days and has pledged to continue those the chicago police have also started using restorative justice to connect officers with young people of different cultures to discuss race bias and other issues trust is at the heart of good policing safe communities and is the central challenge facing chicago today mr johnson said in the mayors statement these reforms are a down payment on restoring that trust
task forces finding there have increasingly been situations in which police response to calls involving persons experiencing mental health crises ended with devastating results
philip coleman a 38 year old college graduate died at a hospital in 2012 after being arrested shocked by a taser and dragged from his cell in handcuffs while undergoing what his family has described as a mental health crisis this month the city council approved a 495 million settlement in his case
citys plan more officers will have crisis intervention training to respond to mentally ill people as the task force recommended dispatchers and 911 operators will be trained in properly dispatching officers to scenes where mental illness is suspected
alexa james a licensed clinical social worker who served on the task force said that she was encouraged by thursdays announcement and that the more tools officers have to support anybody in crisis the better but ms james the executive director of the national alliance on mental illness said she hoped that the mayor would soon create a response unit suggested by the task force that would work with community groups and expand and coordinate the police departments training
task forces finding statistics give real credibility to the widespread perception that there is a deeply entrenched code of silence supported not just by individual officers but by the very institution itself
the city council agreed last year to pay 55 million to victims of jon burge a former police commander who tortured suspects and coerced confessions in the 1970s and 80s some men who said they had been wrongfully convicted spent years in prison before the city publicly acknowledged the abuses and agreed to pay reparations
citys plan mr emanuel called for an early intervention system to identify and help problem officers a hotline for officers to report colleagues who are breaking the rules and a set of fixed penalties for misconduct
but the mayor largely steered clear of issues the task force had raised about police union contracts the task force found that some provisions in those contracts provided too much protection to officers who committed misconduct dean angelo sr the president of the union that represents rank and file officers said thursday that the report was not fair at all and that he did not understand why mr emanuel was carrying out task force recommendations while the justice department was still investigating mr angelo said that his members were frustrated and angry with what he considered finger pointing and that claims that officers were racist were especially unfair
task forces finding explaining why the independent police review authority which investigates police shootings and severe misconduct should be replaced cases go uninvestigated the agency lacks resources and ipras findings raise troubling concerns about whether it is biased in favor of police officers
a former investigator for the police review authority lorenzo davis said he had been overruled and fired when he wanted to fault officers in some shootings in one case he said he sought to find wrongdoing in the 2013 shooting death of cedrick chatman who was running away from officers and carrying an iphone box the police said they had mistaken the box for a gun
citys plan mr emanuel did not immediately call for doing away with the review authority but city officials indicated willingness to consider options for structural reform mr emanuel endorsed plans to audit past investigations increase outreach and work on a system to release video and other evidence after police shootings
ms lightfoot the task forces chairwoman said she hoped a new agency would eventually be created to take over those investigations people are expecting that there are going to be some dramatic changes done and that a new organization is going to be stood up she said that hasnt been addressed but were a week into this


rio de janeiro   one recent poll found that only 2 percent of brazilians would vote for him he is under scrutiny over testimony linking him to a colossal graft scandal and a high court justice ruled that congress should consider impeachment proceedings against him
michel temer brazils vice president is preparing to take the helm of brazil next month if the senate decides to put president dilma rousseff on trial a simple majority would suspend her for six months while she battles claims that she illegally covered budget shortfalls with money from state banks
that would leave mr temer in charge of latin americas biggest country as it grapples with its worst economic crisis in decades a zika epidemic seething political discord and the 2016 summer olympics   all at the same time
i dont want it to seem like im conspiring to take over mr temer said in an interview on thursday insisting that he was not plotting a coup as ms rousseff has called the campaign to oust her
until recently mr temer 75 strayed so rarely into the national spotlight that many brazilians knew him best for his 32 year old wife marcela a former beauty pageant contestant with his name tattooed on the nape of her neck
but brazilians are getting to know mr temer better as the impeachment battle shifts to the senate compared by rivals to a butler in a horror movie because of his formal bearing and cryptic demeanor mr temer is trying to make his case to the nation much more forcefully now
he seems particularly worried that ms rousseff who has been denouncing the campaign to oust her as illegal will be heading to the united nations on friday where she will be able to broadcast her claims to the world
ms rousseff has condemned her vice president as a traitor but mr temer whose political party was part of her governing coalition said he was treated terribly by the president during his time in her cabinet
they were never friends merely greeting each other ceremoniously he said the last time they even spoke was in late january he said
i spent four years being absolutely ostracized said mr temer a former lecturer on constitutional law we were not friends because she did not consider herself my friend
scrambling to assemble a cabinet in the event he takes over mr temer is facing an array of challenges including testimony implicating him and top allies in a graft scandal around petrobras the national oil company surging unemployment during a grinding economic crisis and growing criticism that the campaign to impeach ms rousseff   which is being led by legislators under the cloud of their own corruption scandals   is illegitimate
im very worried about the presidents intention to say that brazil is some minor republic where coups are carried out said mr temer expressing concern about ms rousseffs trip to the united nations on friday
rejecting calls to resign ms rousseff faces claims in the impeachment proceedings of budgetary manipulation while she is also battling separate accusations that her campaigns received illegal financing and that she tried to obstruct the petrobras investigation ms rousseff contends that her impeachment is the equivalent of political fraud
in the 30 minute telephone interview from his office in sao paulo mr temer rebutted such claims arguing that impeachment is allowed under brazils constitution he also said he would not seek to quash corruption inquiries into the petrobras scandal unsettling his own centrist brazilian democratic movement party if he takes office
mr temer defended himself and top allies who are under a cloud of accusations in the scheme he expressed support for eduardo cunha the scandal plagued speaker of the lower house who is leading the impeachment effort in congress saying he would not ask mr cunha to resign mr cunha will be the next in line for the presidency if mr temer takes over
thats a matter for the supreme federal tribunal to decide mr temer said referring to mr cunhas trial at brazils highest court on charges of pocketing as much as 40 million in bribes in the scheme around petrobras
mr temer also acknowledged that he faced his own legal challenges delcidio do amaral a senator whose plea bargaining testimony has rattled brazils political elite recently testified that mr temer had been instrumental in obtaining executive posts at petrobras for business figures who had since been sentenced to prison on charges including bribery money laundering and fraud
one of these executives joao augusto henriques oversaw an ethanol purchasing scheme that investigators claim benefited legislators from mr temers party
in the interview the vice president said he was innocent of any wrongdoing contending that his connections to the disgraced former petrobras executives involved his bureaucratic responsibilities as the head of the brazilian democratic movement party the party served as an anchor for the coalition that enabled ms rousseffs workers party to govern for more than a decade
tainted as he and his party are by the petrobras scandal mr temer is struggling with the seething resentment many brazilians express about their countrys politicians while 61 percent of brazilians express support for ms rousseffs impeachment 58 percent also want mr temer impeached according to a public opinion survey this month by datafolha
making matters worse for mr temer only 2 percent of brazilians would vote for him in the 2018 election datafolha said placing him well behind potential candidates like luiz inacio lula da silva the former president who backed ms rousseffs rise and jair bolsonaro an ultraconservative congressman from rio de janeiro
the datafolha poll conducted on april 7 and 8 in interviews with 2779 people had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus two percentage points in addition to the vice presidents low approval ratings a justice on the supreme federal tribunal ruled that congress must consider a request for mr temers own impeachment
putting together a government has been challenging for mr temer arminio fraga a respected former central bank president has made it clear that he does not want a cabinet post in mr temers government the opposition social democrats have also held back from forging a coalition even as they hope to oust ms rousseff
pessimistic views of michel temer and his possible government among the winners are growing with surprising velocity wrote janio de freitas a columnist for the newspaper folha de s paulo
mr temer the youngest of eight children in a family of maronite christians who immigrated from lebanon to sao paulo in the 1920s said he remained hopeful that he could promote a catharsis of sorts by assembling a government of national unity
citing as inspiration juscelino kubitschek the president who ordered the construction of the futuristic capital brasilia in the late 1950s mr temer said he wanted to create a government of optimism he also mentioned his admiration for american presidents like theodore roosevelt and franklin d roosevelt emphasizing that he planned to improve ties with the united states
its necessary to give birth to hope again he said adding that brazils most urgent problem is unemployment which is above 10 percent up from 65 percent at the end of 2014 then mr temer listed corruption which he said is being fought as it should


muaz mahmuds wife and 2 month old son barely had time to scream as the cold waters of the mediterranean surged over their heads
minutes earlier they had been forced by smugglers to abandon the boat they had chartered in libya last week for a larger boat already packed with 300 migrants heading toward italy
as the bigger boat took on more passengers it began to list mr mahmud said thursday when it capsized hundreds of panicked people   many of whom could not swim   were thrown into the sea
mr mahmud and another survivor of last weeks shipwreck recounted grim details of the sinking in which 500 passengers may have died making it the deadliest episode for asylum seekers trying to reach europe since more than 800 drowned last april in a boat trying to reach italy
at a news conference in athens the men described how smugglers had promised to help them flee poverty and conflict in africa for the safety of europe only to install them in floating death traps and abandon them when the journey became too dangerous
the authorities in the region have not yet verified the disaster and no national coast guards have located the sunken boat but the latest tragedy if confirmed would bring the number of migrants who have died on the mediterranean between north africa and europe this year to nearly 800 the international organization for migration said
on thursday the secretary general of nato jens stoltenberg said that a deal agreed to in february between the european union and turkey had helped reduce the number of migrants making the dangerous journey from turkey across the aegean sea to greece   until recently the preferred route for asylum seekers trying to reach europe
but smugglers have continued to ferry people across the mediterranean from north africa he said and more must be done to stop them
mr mahmud a 25 year old from ethiopia said that he his wife and their infant son had boarded a boat late last week in tobruk in eastern libya with around 200 other migrants mostly from somalia sudan eritrea and ethiopia they paid the smugglers 1800 per passenger to take them to italy where they hoped to apply for asylum
after sailing for about 15 hours the smugglers told the passengers in mr mahmuds boat that everyone would be moved to a larger ship that was waiting in the middle of the sea
as their boat approached the new ship the passengers grew nervous when they realized the other vessel was already packed with people mr mahmud said that when he and others tried to resist the smugglers forced them to disembark
as mr mahmud and his family were being transferred to the other ship he recalled it began to capsize flung into the water mr mahmud said he saw his wife and child who were out of his reach drown along with hundreds of others who were traveling with them
my wife and baby they were dead he said they drank the water of the ocean when the boat went down
mr mahmud one of the few people aboard who could swim said he made his way toward a boat that still had about 30 people on board those onboard threw him a rope saving him and about 10 other people who had also scrambled to get to safety he said
the survivors pleaded with the smuggler to help them rescue people who were still flailing in the sea
we said please help us take them mr mahmud told the french radio station rfi on wednesday but the boats pilot refused brandishing a knife and threatening to kill him the smuggler said that if they took on more people their boat would sink too he started the motor mr mahmud said he left all those people in the water
according to mr mahmud and mowlid ismad 28 who also survived the wreck the smuggler called for another boat to come retrieve him
when the boat arrived he abandoned the survivors and left them with a cellphone which they later used to call the italian coast guard
the boat drifted until a cargo ship from the philippines spotted it and took the survivors to kalamata a city on the greek mainland they were taken to athens where aid groups were helping them sort out their future


bethlehem west bank   israeli officials named on thursday the palestinian who they say carried out a bus bombing in jerusalem on monday that rattled a country on edge after months of violence
even as the israeli domestic intelligence agency identified abdul hamid abu srour 19 his family praised him for the act and relatives distributed posters of the clean shaven young man praising him as a hero
the bombing in which nuts and bolts were packed into an explosive device wounded more than a dozen people including mr abu srour who died of his injuries in an israeli hospital on wednesday said his parents one girl 15 was badly burned
the shattered charred frame of the bus the wailing sirens and the television interviews with survivors revived for many israelis the memory of the second palestinian uprising that erupted in 2000 then suicide bombers blew up buses in jerusalem and other israeli cities killing scores attacks on buses have been rare in recent years
it also reminded many palestinians of the same era
some lauded mr abu srour as a young man who had taken a current waning uprising dominated by stabbings to a new level of violence
im proud that aboud did this said his mother azhar abu srour referring to her son by his nickname aboud used to say either do something thats worth it or nothing at all she said at her sons wake where women sat on plastic chairs in a leafy courtyard
we are a people who have been abandoned and nobody is defending us she said defending her sons act and ticking off a list of attacks against palestinians including a july arson attack by jewish extremists that killed a baby and later his parents in duma a west bank village they have left us no other way
videos uploaded to youtube showed loud demonstrations of palestinian youths in bethlehem cheering mr abu srour
the bombings came as a six month wave of stabbings shootings and vehicle attacks by palestinians appeared to have abated but not before it had killed about 30 israelis israeli forces killed more than 200 palestinians during that period according to the palestinian health ministry
most of the palestinians were killed while carrying out or attempting attacks while individuals undertook most of the attacks senior israeli military officials have said in recent weeks that small cells of palestinians are trying to undertake more organized deadly assaults including by making homemade bombs and guns
mr abu srour apparently idolized a notorious hamas bomb maker yahya ayyash who was assassinated by israel in 1996 the teenager frequently posted images of mr ayyash on facebook alongside other assassinated hamas leaders said his uncle humam abu srour
suggesting that mr abu srour was not acting alone the israeli domestic intelligence agency known as the shin bet said in a statement that other hamas activists had been arrested a day after the attack
they are suspected of involvement and participation in the planning and execution of the attack said the statement
hamas issued a terse news release on wednesday after mr abu srour was confirmed dead acknowledging he had been a member of the militant islamic group
at the mens section of the wake the family sought to connect mr abu srour to his extended clan famed for its militant activities against israel
one of the banners showed mr abu srours grandfather he was also killed in 1981 in lebanon during an israeli bombing the family said
the banner showed their photographs side by side one in black and white and the other in color


london   president obama has called on the british people not to vote for an exit from the european union writing in an opinion article published upon his arrival in london late thursday night that the european union doesnt moderate british influence   it magnifies it
in the article in the telegraph mr obama making a case he has made numerous times before in washington wrote that the united states would prefer britain to remain a full member of the european union britons will vote on june 23 in a referendum on whether to remain in or leave the bloc the last such referendum was in 1975 and britons voted by nearly two to one to stay
but the vote is expected to be closer in june and some prominent british advocates of quitting the european union have criticized mr obamas intervention londons mayor boris johnson one of the public leaders of the campaign for britains exit has accused mr obama of hypocrisy because the united states does not share sovereignty with its neighbors the way britain now does with the european union
in the article mr obama responded directly to that criticism asserting that the challenges facing europe are not different from the ones facing the united states
and in todays world even as we all cherish our sovereignty the nations who wield their influence most effectively are the nations that do it through the collective action that todays challenges demand the president wrote
mr obama starts the first of four days in europe on friday by paying homage to one of its most enduring institutions making his first visit to windsor castle to attend a royal lunch with queen elizabeth ii a day after her 90th birthday
but he arrives with a grim warning that he will deliver in a series of meetings with several political leaders europe is in danger of being pulled apart by threats to its security and economy that can be overcome only by greater cooperation and a unity that appears increasingly elusive
in the article mr obama praised the creation of what he called international institutions and initiatives to promote peace and democracy including the european union and nato
today we face tests to this order   terrorism and aggression migration and economic headwinds   challenges that can only be met if the united states and the united kingdom can rely on one another on our special relationship and on the partnerships that lead to progress mr obama wrote
terrorist attacks like the ones in brussels and paris have exposed shortcomings in the gathering and sharing of intelligence that have left europe vulnerable and scared war in syria where the most recent cease fire appears to be failing has produced a flood of migrants that is causing political and economic turmoil in europe
the russian backed aggression in ukraine has raised new questions about the effectiveness of the nato alliance and the vote in june threatens to cleave britain from the european union potentially stalling one of the worlds most successful economic powerhouses
because of a host of issues   from migration to sluggish economic growth to the terrorist threat   the european union today faces challenges from populism and other threats to its well being said charles kupchan a senior adviser to mr obama for european issues the eu is one of the great accomplishments of the post world war ii era it has succeeded in helping remove war from europe and we are concerned about the health and vitality of that experiment
mr obama traveled to britain after a series of meetings in saudi arabia where he said thursday that the united states would continue to enhance security cooperation with its allies in the persian gulf while encouraging them to carry out domestic reforms and bolster their ability to defend themselves
during those meetings he discussed a variety of issues with the members of the gulf cooperation council   saudi arabia the united arab emirates bahrain qatar kuwait and oman   including the civil wars in yemen syria and libya military and economic cooperation and the fight against terrorist groups like the islamic state but mr obama left without announcing any concrete plans or initiatives on any of those matters
in a meeting planned for friday afternoon with prime minister david cameron of britain mr obama will urge his counterpart to increase intelligence sharing and cooperation among european countries so that they can better counter terrorist threats including attacks by the islamic state and al qaeda aides to the president said
on sunday mr obama will discuss the syrian migration crisis with chancellor angela merkel of germany benjamin j rhodes the presidents deputy national security adviser said mr obama would applaud ms merkel for her efforts to absorb syrian refugees even at great political cost and he will pledge united states support for the recent deal that the european union made with turkey to accept syrian migrants
then on monday the president will meet with the leaders of britain france germany and italy among the messages for the group will be his contention that they must take more responsibility for their own security
that will be a familiar refrain to mr obamas colleagues who will recall that he made a similar   if more blunt   observation in a recent article in the atlantic in which he accused some european allies of being free riders who rely on help from the united states instead of investing in their own militaries
theres this greater sense of unraveling if you will of the european project said heather conley a former state department official and the senior vice president at the center for strategic and international studies in washington
that concern is likely to be set aside during mr obamas visit with the queen and during his dinner on friday night with the duke and duchess of cambridge at kensington palace


washington   the director of the fbi suggested thursday that his agency paid at least 13 million to an undisclosed group to help hack into the encrypted iphone used by an attacker in the mass shooting in san bernardino calif
at a conference on global security in london a moderator asked james b comey jr the fbi chief how much bureau officials had to pay the undisclosed outside group to demonstrate how to bypass the phones encryption
a lot mr comey said as audience members at the aspen institute event laughed
he continued lets see more than i will make in the remainder of this job which is seven years and four months for sure
the fbi had been unwilling to say anything at all until thursday about how much it paid for what has become one of the worlds most publicized hacking jobs so mr comeys cryptic comments about his own wages and the bounty quickly sent listeners scurrying in search of their calculators
the fbi director makes about 185100 a year   so mr comey stands to earn at least 135 million at that base rate of pay for the remainder of his 10 year term
the fbi declined to confirm or deny thursday whether the bureau had in fact paid at least 13 million for the hacking and it declined to elaborate on mr comeys suggestive remarks
but that price tag if confirmed appears in line with what other companies have offered for identifying ios vulnerabilities
zerodium a security firm in washington that collects and then sells such bugs said last fall that it would pay 1 million for weaknesses in apples ios 9 operating system hackers eventually claimed that bounty the iphone used by the san bernardino gunman ran ios 9
a number of factors go into pricing these bounties said alex rice the co founder of the security start up hackerone cto who also started facebooks bug bounty program mr rice said that the highest premiums were paid when the buyer didnt intend to disclose the flaw to a party that could fix it
the cost of keeping a flaw secret is high mr rice said he added that buyers like zerodiums customers and the government might not work to fix problems
when companies run bug bounty programs they may pay about 100000 to hackers that show them system vulnerabilities that must be fixed when you sell at a high price you have to be ok with the possibility that the person you sold the flaw to could do something bad with it mr rice said
while mr comeys remarks appeared to address the lingering mystery of how much the fbi paid to get into the san bernardino phone he said nothing that would indicate the actual identity of the outside group behind the hacking some media reports have named an israeli software company that might have helped the fbi but numerous law enforcement officials have said that company was not involved
after an intense courtroom fight in southern california the fbi disclosed three weeks ago that it had managed to get access to the data inside an iphone 5c used by syed farook one of the attackers in the san bernardino rampage which killed 14 people by paying the outside group
the justice department had gone to court to try to force apple to develop a new operating system to allow access into the encrypted phone setting off an intense national debate about privacy versus national security but it withdrew its case after the outside party came to the fbi and demonstrated a way around the phones internal defenses which would have destroyed the data inside after 10 failed password attempts and would have meant longer and longer intervals in between guesses
with those mechanisms disabled the fbi was able to use what is called a brute force attack   using computers to guess vast numbers of password combinations at once   in order to get inside the phone
but the justice department is still trying to force apple in court to help unlock encrypted phones in brooklyn boston and elsewhere


donald j trump says the abstruse republican delegate system distorts the will of the people
senator ted cruz says the partys nominating rules have been in place from the beginning
mr cruz is right and he may be losing the public argument anyway
with polls showing a strong preference for nominating the candidate with the most popular votes   even if he fails to secure a majority of delegates before the convention in july   mr cruz has brushed up this week against an uncomfortable reality his only road to victory is a messy one
as he slogs through a merciless stretch of the primary calendar straining to pick off delegates from northeastern voters who seem disinclined to embrace his hard line conservatism mr cruz of texas has appeared increasingly frustrated amid questions about his path
he has lashed out at sean hannity of fox news a onetime friend in conservative news media whom cruz allies have accused of cozying up to mr trump
i cannot help that the donald trump campaign does not seem capable of running a lemonade stand mr cruz said in a radio interview tuesday after telling an angered mr hannity that his questions about the delegate system were a concern only to hard core donald trump supporters
mr cruz has struggled to formulate a concise argument rebutting mr trumps claim that the top vote getter deserves the nomination alternately citing the number of former republican presidential hopefuls now supporting him general election polls and mr trumps hard ceiling of support
on wednesday mr cruz told reporters at the republican national committees spring meeting in florida that only mr trumps loyalists believed that the candidate with the most votes should be awarded the nomination when it was pointed out that a majority of republican voters seemed to agree   62 percent according to an nbc newswall street journal poll last week   mr cruz largely ignored that fact
we want to win republicans want to win he said before turning to a new talking point even abraham lincoln the greatest republican of them all lagged in delegates at the outset of the partys 1860 convention
mr cruz and his aides have also chafed recently at what they view as insufficient news media attention to his success in state delegate elections   feats of organizational strength that have heightened his chances of beating mr trump at a contested convention if no candidate wins 1237 delegates on the first convention ballot which largely reflects the primary and caucus votes many delegates will be unbound and able to switch on subsequent ballots
at a rally in maryland on thursday mr cruz knocked the breathless coverage of mr trumps blowout victory in new york
goodness gracious he said impersonating television networks donald trump won his home state
for the most part the cruz campaign has dismissed concerns about the publics perception of the nominating process with aides questioning whether the wording of the nbc newswall street journal survey truly captured voter sentiment
bob vander plaats an iowa religious leader and a national chairman for mr cruz said mr trumps complaints had heightened doubts about his managerial acumen
theyre just completely irrelevant theyre a waste of time and money mr vander plaats said of the polls it is not being stolen every state has their own rules if anything i think its an admission on trumps part that he went into a presidential campaign without understanding the rules
stuart stevens the chief strategist for mitt romney in 2012 said that many aspects of the primary process   holding the first contests in iowa and new hampshire for instance   would appear widely unpopular if posed to voters in a poll
none of this tests well he said its like a bowling league do the rules of bowling make sense
but other republicans even those disinclined to support mr trump initially have worried about the appearance of denying mr trump the nomination on technical grounds
anthony scaramucci a member of mr romneys new york finance team in 2012 said his party remained in denial about its voters preferences
theres the spirit of something and then theres the letter of something he said i was a scott walker supporter and then i was a jeb bush supporter so i feel like i have some level of credibility donald trump may not have been my first choice but if he is in fact the peoples choice i think my establishment friends are making a very big mistake by not acknowledging that
mr cruz who had argued for months that he could win a majority of delegates before the summer has bowed to the math this week acknowledging that a convention is his only option as he seeks to keep mr trump from clinching the nomination
mr cruz has targeted maryland and pennsylvania two of the five states that vote on tuesday as potential sources of delegates and is holding rallies in both states but his campaign views two other contests as more critical indiana which votes on may 3 and california   the big enchilada mr cruz said   which votes on june 7 the last day of primaries
in a sign of indianas importance mr cruz campaigned there thursday ordering a pastrami sandwich at an indianapolis deli and quoting the movie hoosiers at a state party dinner he also met with gov mike pence
the senator has warned reporters against underestimating him
at every stage in this primary folks in the press have reported that we couldnt win he said in florida and then we won over and over and over again


new york citys grand gallery mosaic keeps expanding and pieces keep moving around veteran chelsea spaces decamp to an already gallery dense lower east side or open franchises there new arrivals refresh the stately upper east side and artist run start ups create vibrant if fragile art neighborhoods in brooklyn
for an art lover this means a confusion of riches not just of places but of things in galleries right now youll find   along with lots of painting   miniature theaters an indoor pool a chairlift poetry writing clocks feature length films telepathic emails and an entire library of books that should have been written but werent keeping track of such variety takes work
a gallery sweep that a single critic for the new york times might once have managed over a long weekend now requires several writers fanning out in different directions and a lot more time what follows here is the result of such a group mission one that still covers only a bare fraction of whats out there demonstrating that the so called art world isnt a planet its a constellation
here are our critics choices in chelsea brooklyn the lower east side the upper east side soho and tribeca


this article is part of our spring gallery guide
a time traveler from the early 1990s would be astounded to behold the gleaming new city of high rise condo buildings thats grown up in the formerly industrial neighborhood of chelsea where once the only place to see art was the old dia headquarters on west 22nd street he or she would be astonished as well by the whitney museum of american arts shiny new edifice in the meatpacking district just below west 14th street and by the hundreds of galleries populating the chelsea art districts core   from around west 17th to west 29th streets and mostly between 10th and 11th avenues things are still in flux here as rising rents have been squeezing out some galleries and will continue to do so as leases come due for renegotiation on the other hand hauser  wirth now on west 18th street is constructing its own new building on west 22nd street even if chelsea has passed its peak of three or so years ago for viewers who want to see a lot of art in every conceivable contemporary mode and at every level of quality in a short time its still the place to go
andrew kreps this gallery is showing the work of the detroit native michael e smith except for a video showing someone modeling sneakers underwater from the ankles down the works in this enjoyably mystifying show have a decidedly scruffy appearance but the installations pared down elegance focuses attention on for example a pair of basketball size spheres coated in black tarry material and adjacent a dirty red garden hose swooping in two long arcs from end to end of one wall the 52 foot long white plastic tube stuffed with shoe soles titled cake the back of a circular light fixture with wads of tissue attached what do such objects mean if you like having your mind teased you should see this show
anton kern anne collier produces large sumptuous photographs of photographic imagery found on old record album covers post cards posters and advertisements with a gimlet eye for representations of female beauty and sex appeal the program sounds academic but in ms colliers hands it has a personal and mournful albeit restrained tenor in the rear gallery hangs a seven and one half foot tall black and white photograph of a naked woman seen from behind standing in shin deep ocean waves   its called positive california on an adjacent wall a framed photograph shows a diary open to a page bearing a simple form titled things i want to accomplish with blanks to fill in at six months five years and 20 years its a poignant meditation on existential anxiety and spiritual aspiration
david zwirner the secret agent by stan douglas on view at the west 19th street branch of this gallery is a riveting six screen film installation a nonlinear postmodernist adaptation of joseph conrads novel the secret agent about a terrorist bomber operating in england in 1886 mr douglas sets his version in mid 1970s portugal in a time of political upheaval featuring scenes played by professional actors episodes are projected onto one or another screen at different times creating a continuous feeling of tension and paranoia during the overall 54 minute duration a conspiracy to bomb the marconi installation near lisbon an international telephone exchange comes to light mr douglass play with the conventions of the cinematic espionage thriller is heady and gripping zwirners gallery at 537 west 20th street is presenting a survey of mr douglass photography from the late 90s to the present including recent mural scale works envisioning his hometown vancouver in the late 1940s
michael rosenfeld theodore roszak 1907 1981 is best known as a modernist sculptor of futuristic constructions and expressionistic welded steel works an amazing exhibition here theodore roszak propulsive transfiguration a survey of drawings from 1928 to 1980 reveals him to have been one of the 20th centurys great draftsmen in large mostly black and white works from the 1950s on mr roszak channeled bosch dali and pulp science fiction to create visions of terrific spiritual turbulence weirdness horror and ecstasy
elizabeth harris by turns hedonistic and severely formal thornton willis step up offers boldly frontal paintings of squares and rectangles rendered with a sensuous touch that recall geometric abstractions of the mid 20th century like those of hans hofmann mr willis who will be 80 next month breathes fresh life into euclidean modernism
james cohan three intense movies by omer fast an internationally celebrated video artist mix documentary fact and surrealistic fiction with formal ingenuity and political urgency one 5000 feet is the best 2011 intersperses segments from an interview with a drone pilot suffering from post traumatic stress disorder and dreamlike sequences featuring an imaginary drone pilot in therapy continuity 2012 is an unnerving disjunctively told tale of a young troubled soldier welcomed home from war duty in afghanistan by his strange excessively loving parents a sequel to continuity spring 2016 is a single projection divided into five rectangles of different dimensions sometimes showing one scene altogether sometimes different images simultaneously this complicates what is already a freudian tangle of incestuous intrigue itself a metaphor for a world of social pathology
luhring augustine janet cardiff and george bures miller are presenting the most entertaining and technically impressive show in chelsea right now the first of two installations is the marionette maker a tour de force of mechanically animated puppetry inhabiting a travel trailer a diminutive theater built into the caravans exterior presents a little man playing the piano and a tiny diva who sings an aria from tchaikovskys opera none but the lonely heart inside along with dozens of moving puppets a life size woman cast from ms cardiffs body dozes like sleeping beauty it is altogether magical experiment in f minor 2013 consists of 72 old speakers of many different makes and sizes on a plywood table out of them pours music sounding like part of a rock opera filling the gallery with physically palpable sound and transporting symphonic harmonies
flag art foundation betty tompkins is known for the monumental photorealist paintings and drawings that she began making in the 1970s copying from pornographic imagery in 2000 and 2013 she circulated an email asking people to send her slang words and phrases describing women she selected 1000 submissions and memorialized each in the form of a small painting of block lettered words in many cases on abstract backgrounds simulating abstractions by famous male painters like jackson pollock and barnett newman by turns comically vulgar and hatefully sexist all are presented in this raw and incendiary show women words phrases and stories
cara gallery agostino arrivabenes hierogamy through saturday is a weird outlier in an expert imitation of an old masters manner this italian artist paints bizarre images suggesting mushroom induced visions of a 19th century alchemist
barbara krugers rueful mural untitled blind idealism is ... appears on a wall facing west and overlooking the high line at west 22nd street in giant white block letters on a black ground it proclaims blind idealism is reactionary scary deadly with the words reactionary and scary overlaid by red crosses its a modification of words by the writer frantz fanon who originally declared blind idealism is reactionary either way its a thought that fanatics should take to heart
milk  hops this small shop with limited counter space and a handful of tableslists its craft beer offerings on a chalkboard above the bar who wouldnt want to try bronx brewerys get rich or dunkelweizen and pipeworks da fuzz cheese the other star here is incorporated into most sandwiches consider picking up goods for a picnic at the nearby hudson river greenway 166 ninth avenue at west 20th street 212 989 1999
lupulo the u shaped bar at the center of this portuguese restaurant on the eastern edge of chelsea beckons guests as do the aromas wafting from the kitchen an eclectic mix of international and national breweries yields the 16 beers on tap and the 30 featured bottles 835 avenue of the americas at west 29th street 212 290 7600   nicole herrington


nature and art meet in many places around new york city next week in the bronx at least one of their favorite rendezvous will be in the branches of a tree
i was thinking about how we use trees and their parts and how we could make them something interesting to learn about and something that would be fun to create with said olivia kalin an educator at wave hill the 28 acre garden taking advantage of the citys public school spring break the garden is offering arbor week with a series of 90 minute programs ms kalin created for children ages 5 through 10
the first tuesday at 1 pm will involve making hiking staffs from fallen tree branches including hemlock birch sassafras and black cherry children will use parachute cords to devise handles and decorate the staffs with feathers beads and ribbon
those eager to use their creations can also register for a 230 pm hike to explore trees life cycles theyre not just working with parts of the tree but looking at the trees and the buds and the bark and how they grow   things that urban people tend to take for granted said debra epstein wave hills director of education after the expedition each child will pot a dawn redwood seedling to take home note to amateur foresters the trees will eventually require a transfer redwoods dimensions are not compatible with apartment interiors
on wednesday at 1 pm young visitors will be introduced to tree cookies   but dont expect to eat them these so called cookies are round slices of tree trunk whose surfaces reveal a pattern of rings each ring represents a season of growth ms epstein said and not each ring is even after painting the striations different colors children will create pine tree ring prints
another workshop on thursday at 1 pm will focus on mobiles participants will make impressions of leaves in modeling clay once dry the clay leaves along with seed pods and other decorations will be attached to an embroidery hoop for hanging to give you an impression of a little forest right above you ms kalin said
arbor week continues into the following weekend with more art projects and the chance on april 30 to climb a tree with the aid of safety harnesses hard hats and professional arborists many city children can say theyve viewed new york from 20 stories how many can say theyve seen it from 20 feet up a sugar maple
tuesday through may 1 at 249th street and independence avenue riverdale 718 549 3200 wavehillorg workshop space is limited and registration is required


this article is part of our spring gallery guide
not long ago new yorks art galleries followed a certain geographic logic chelsea was for the big players downtown was for the young guns and uptown was a place for galleries of a more genteel more historically minded sort but with rents in high line inflamed chelsea approaching tropospheric heights and with even the lower east side beyond the reach of many dealers are rediscovering the leafy appeal of new yorks oldest art district recently a clutch of fledgling experimental spaces has opened on the upper east side   some have even traversed the cordon sanitaire of lexington avenue   while several newly arrived european dealers have foregone the power play of a chelsea address for a 10021 zip code two of new yorks major operators barbara gladstone and friedrich petzel have also established new uptown branches of greater architectural interest than chelseas converted garages
all of which has conspired to remake the upper east side long seen as dowdy into the most diverse of all of new yorks gallery neighborhoods best of all whereas at the end of a downtown or brooklyn tour you may have to endure the indignities of cocktail hipsterdom up here you can always swan into the surrey or the carlyle and get a proper martini
this tour omits the many galleries along 57th street which deserve a visit of their own and later this year the art world continues its northern campaign with three significant galleries   elizabeth dee aiming for later this spring broadway 1602 on may 6 and gavin browns enterprise opening date still to be announced   set to open in harlem here are a few of the most interesting shows open now
galerie buchholz the most significant opening uptown of the last 12 months is this met adjacent outpost 17 east 82nd street of one of germanys best galleries currently hosting a brainy banger of a show by lucy mckenzie the scottish artist based in brussels revives a long tradition of trompe loeil painting through exacting depictions of bureaucratic safety regulations on billboards and the trickery continues in nonfunctional painted furniture   a bed a vanity a grand desk   whose faux marble surfaces seem to support illusory objects ms mckenzie enrolled at brusselss old school ecole van der kelen to master these decorative skills and her art is a marvel of both conceptual sophistication and painterly execution the show is only on view through saturday next up is the wily welsh conceptualist cerith wyn evans
ubu hard by the queensboro bridge and across from a tragically shuttered guastavino tiled food emporium is this quietly estimable two decades old gallery which concentrates on dada and surrealist works on paper its current exhibition features 30 drawings by hans bellmer an influential but still underappreciated surrealist if you know him its surely for his photographs of sutured doll parts the drawings   whose whispering densely packed lines cohere into ectoplasmic spills or brittle invertebrate humanoids   have all the psychological disquiet of bellmers photos but their delicacy rewards the kind of up close viewing that a small gallery like this permits
czech centerbohemian national hall of the many national cultural institutes uptown this may be the most unsung one anchored at 321 east 73rd street with a year round contemporary art agenda as well as film dance and music programs and theres a bar on the roof bego the third in an interlocking series of exhibitions includes both czech artists and others who gravitate to spare low finish sculpture and video best in show is the young canadian artist ben schumacher whose provisional somehow sorrowing arrangement of prefab metal parts recalls his training as an architect
castelli gallery an unprepossessing walk up on the corner of madison and 80th street houses a new second space for castelli the longtime gallery of the sculptor robert morris his untitled ring with light dating to 1965-1966 is a matte gray circle sitting on the floor at calf height which has been bisected and slightly shifted to reveal a soft light glowing within in art and objecthood his still debated 1967 denunciation of minimalism the art historian michael fried singled out this very work as a modernist betrayal
this early sculpture preceding mr morriss better known hangings and heaps of felt is a rare thing to see though its so serene that it may be hard to discern what all the fuss was about
the artists institute this innovative nonprofit devotes seasons to a single artist   recent participants have included pierre huyghe carolee schneemann and ms mckenzie   that can include any variety of exhibitions talks and publications for five years they made do on tumbledown eldridge street but theyve now migrated to 132 east 65th street the current show has been organized by the critic and occasional artist hilton als and like many artists institute programs its a plural affair mr als evokes the lives and memories of transgender performers not only through his own screen projections but through lent photographs by richard avedon and diane arbus
dominique levy the swiss powerhouse is the bluest of blue chip dealers but since opening her new gallery in 2012 ms levy has discreetly made room for young artists too on the top floor of this sturdy townhouse on madison at east 73rd street which she shares with another dealer the puckish frenchman emmanuel perrotin is an exhibition by the young german artist hans christian lotz its a nature versus culture duel in which wall mounted vitrines stuffed with wood shavings face off with a low fi computer hookup which the artist has programmed to scrape headlines and transcripts from national public radio a ponderous handout essay   yes philosophy hipsters object oriented ontology has made it to madison avenue   contrasts sharply with the straight talk of the npr feed airstrikes hurricanes protest disease trump
meyohas the young artist sarah meyohas has brought the venerable tradition of the apartment gallery up to carnegie hill and created a project space in her philip johnson condo at 181 east 90th street for future remnants of a missing word two recent grads from yales mfa program   constanza alarcon tennen of chile and shahrzad changalvaee of iran   have strung ms meyohass living room with black netting and the art underneath mines the upheavals of both their native countries in the 1970s before they were born one video an alternate history of music and resistance muses that a chilean protest singers voice could seep into the ground waft through the earth and erupt through a persian volcano
blum  poe two years ago these los angeles machers opened a new york outpost at 19 east 66th street which has hosted several important shows of postwar japanese art theyve also got a spot in tokyo lately blum  poe has taken a shine to korea and the exhibition dansaekhwa and minimalism presents the hushed spectral paintings of lee ufan park seo bo and others alongside similarly terse art by agnes martin and robert ryman its not a very scholarly exercise   the galleries are curated by color with white works downstairs and black ones above   but the show offers a welcome reintroduction to koreas own minimal art above all the thickly striped monochromes of ha chonghyun
acquavella galleries jean dubuffet anticultural positions on display at 18 east 79th street is a show devoted to the early work of the french artist who coined the term art brut is the sort of in depth big ticket exhibition that only a few galleries can pull off and even fewer are inclined to mount in the years after world war ii before turning to his graffiti like hourloupes dubuffet produced anxious bracing paintings of demented personages which he further defiled by scoring their surfaces and embedding the impastoed pigment with sand and pebbles especially important are dubuffets underappreciated early sculptures men of sorrows crafted from driftwood
higher pictures 980 madison is the heart of the gagosian imperium   always worth a check   but the building also houses some fine smaller galleries this thoughtful photography gallery is showing aspen mays an artist based in oakland calif whose astral compositions of dots and diamonds are in fact photograms pictures produced without a camera on light sensitive paper their patterns derive from bandannas   one belonged to ms mayss great grandmother another to georgia okeeffe   whose decorative forms are reproduced via pinpricks in the obscurity of the darkroom
on 60th street and fifth avenue standing behind saint gaudenss gilded statue of general sherman are two towering but seemingly fragile orchids the taller reaching 34 feet made of stainless steel they are by the german sculptor isa genzken who was invited by the public art fund to install these false beautiful flowers at the entrance to our false beautiful park ms genzken titled one of her books i love new york crazy city and her soaring scale scrambling blossoms may have you saying the same
paris theater after a gallery trek the metropolitan museum of art might be the last place youd want to end up no walking is required for the first monday in may a documentary about the mets costume institute benefit and its hit 2015 show china through the looking glass just steps from the plaza hotel and central park this cinema is the only single screen theater in manhattan 4 west 58th street manhattan 212 593 4872
the jeffrey craft beer at the foot of the queensboro bridge is part of the allure of this no frills bar if you get a seat by the window   and seats can be hard to come by especially during happy hour   youll see the comings and goings of the roosevelt island tram with about 30 different beers on tap a flight of four beers is one way to sample the offerings snacks include red beet deviled eggs sriracha peas and house made potato chips 311 east 60th street manhattan 212 355 2337   nicole herrington


new york city has agreed to pay 40 million to settle civil rights lawsuits filed by five people who claimed they were wrongfully convicted of murder in the bronx and who each spent more than 17 years in prison according to a court filing plaintiffs lawyers and a spokesman for the law department
three of the plaintiffs   devon ayers michael cosme and carlos perez   were convicted in the 1995 murders of baithe diop a livery cab driver who was fatally shot in his car and denise raymond a federal express executive who was shot execution style in her apartment the bronx district attorneys office had said the killings were linked
the two other plaintiffs eric glisson and cathy watkins were each convicted only in mr diops killing
in a letter to judge jesse m furman of federal district court in manhattan on thursday the law department said that it had completed settlements with mr ayers mr cosme and mr perez and that it had agreements in principle to settle the cases of mr glisson and ms watkins
the plaintiffs are to receive 8 million each to resolve their lawsuits which accused two police detectives of misconduct in the way the murders were investigated
the law department in a statement said these suits were brought by people who together spent nearly 100 years in prison whose convictions were vacated by the court after reviews by federal and local prosecutors
the parties have agreed to resolve these longstanding and complex cases through settlements we believe are fair and in the best interests of the city
the settlements continue a pattern in which new york city has been resolving civil rights lawsuits some stemming from cases that date back years and in which the city faced the risk of potentially high damages
in settling the suits stemming from the bronx murders the city said it was admitting no fault or any violation of the plaintiffs rights
if the settlements in the bronx case are all completed the total value for the five plaintiffs would be just below the 407 million deal that the city reached in 2014 to settle lawsuits by five men whose convictions were vacated in the central park jogger case
earl s ward and julia p kuan lawyers for mr cosme and mr perez said in a statement that their clients had lost the prime years of their lives and are forever damaged
it is their hope that this settlement will shed light on the flawed police practices which resulted in their wrongful convictions and the wrongful convictions of so many others the statement said
mr glissons lawyer peter a cross said he expected his client to make the settlement final within 24 hours he feels relieved and vindicated that this matter is now concluded and he looks forward to getting on with his life mr cross said
a lawyer for mr ayers glenn a garber declined to comment ms watkinss lawyer could not immediately be reached for comment
in 2012 the convictions in the diop killing were called into question after mr glisson then being held at sing sing prison in ossining ny sent a letter to the office of preet bharara the united states attorney for the southern district of new york which set in motion a chain of events that ultimately led to the convictions being vacated
mr glisson claimed in the letter that he had been wrongfully imprisoned for the 1995 murder of a cabdriver in the bronx and that he had heard that the killing was carried out by members of a narcotics gang called sex money and murder or smm
the letter was reviewed by john omalley an investigator in the violent crimes unit who began digging into the matter he ultimately discovered that two former smm members who years earlier became government cooperators in a separate case had admitted to fatally shooting a livery cab driver in a case that matched mr diops murder
in december 2012 bronx prosecutors moved to vacate the convictions of all five in the diop case and in january 2013 the office moved to vacate the convictions of mr ayers mr cosme and mr perez in the raymond murder as well


this article is part of our spring gallery guide
over the past 18 months or so the lower east side has become gallery central for new york city you cant throw a cellphone without hitting a gallery and quite a few are moving targets biggish chelsea galleries are opening outposts here freshman dealers are setting up starter spaces sometimes while still learning the trade at established galleries and starters have graduated to larger or more accessible places and as always artists continue to take the initiative opening exhibition spaces of their own a few art dealers have joined forces to make ends meet
the neighborhood is like a busy petri dish displaying many stages of the gallery life cycle building one of these things and making it last is consuming and risky it is impressive and also moving to walk the streets of this neighborhood and realize how many people want to take that risk
among the new arrivals are smaller chelsea galleries like foxy production which relocated to a sunny space on chatham square and opened with a show of gallery artists another transplant andrew edlin specializing in outsider art is now ensconced on the bowery and has mounted an impressive survey of the multi mediums genius eugene von bruenchenhein chelseas derek eller will open on broome street on may 6 with the artist peter linde busk the artist run essex flowers has graduated from the basement of a flower shop to ground floor quarters on ludlow street and now has saturday as well as sunday hours and a few local galleries already have annexes here most notably miguel abreu among the most esoteric brands in the neighborhood starting on sunday that gallerys large eldridge street space will show the videos film stills and annotated scripts of the uncompromising french independent filmmakers jean marie straub and daniele huillet coinciding with their retrospective at the museum of modern art
here are several standout shows
pierogi less than three weeks ago pierogi a williamsburg stalwart made a solid landing on suffolk street with the felicific calculus the manhattan debut of ward shelley whom it has shown since 2001 mr shelley is best known for offsetting his dystopian worldview with exuberant amounts of information true and invented on this occasion he has kitted out pierogis fresh lovely space as a bookshop or library hanging his chartlike paintings on paper among 20 fake bookshelves filled with hundreds of fake books that have a realistic ring the charts sometimes focus on art but mostly track the end of the world by cars shopping climate change and so on one of the most colorful is work spend forget the history of consumer desire told as the dissection of a frog the bookshelves and books together form the last library a continuing collaboration with the artist douglas paulson the titles by authors fictional and real have a certain bite as in master a fearful rhetoric by newt gingrich all this may invite extended browsing in those whose interests include art literature history politics humor or science note the varieties of fonts mr shelley and mr paulson have digitally devised for the book spines
mitchell algus this veteran of chelsea and soho opened on delancey and norfolk in january continuing his revisionist project now in its third decade of bringing overlooked artists and patches of art history to light the latest effort and one of his best is concept performance documentation language an assembly of over 100 works mostly from the early 1970s it tracks second wave conceptualists as they bent the relatively mandarin approaches of the first toward real life encompassing the body and feminism the environment and popular culture while putting photographs and texts to new uses the show resurrects work by artists like james collins roger welch neke carson and eunice golden shines a light on story art conceptual arts second cousin and includes little seen early pieces by betty tompkins and jaime davidovich this is a signal curatorial achievement
bridget donahue another strong show is jessi reavess debut at the gallery established on the bowery last year by bridget donahue formerly a director at gavin browns enterprise which also now has a space in the neighborhood ms reaves makes sculpture that is also furniture not so much by blurring their shared border as by laying waste to it endowed with an aggressive and unsettling wit her mutant chairs tables and cabinets take bricolage to a new level cobbling together found materials objects large and small and furniture scraps and innards a sawdustlike glue is big as are exposed foam hand carved woods creative upholstering and startling contrasts of materials homages abound noguchis classic 1947 coffee table is redone using sliced car doors for the mirroring forms of its base conjuring richard prince a butterfly chair is rendered in lavender suede and heavy wood not canvas and tensile metal im not sure how genuinely comfortable some of these pieces are but they speak in tongues design wise turning the language inside out and making a wonderful noise
canada this 14 year veteran of these parts added the adjacent storefront to its broome street space in january enabling a double bill of two vociferous solo shows that channel aspects of the art of the 1980s in skin game in the main space the maverick performance artist and erstwhile sculptor michael mahalchick riffs on appropriation and popular culture his cheek to jowl hang of moldering collages inflicted on vintage rock posters is often darkly visionary the chiropractors table at the center of the room serves mr mahalchick in his performances which will occur friday evening and on may 1
in the new adjunct space alicia gibson is making her new york solo debut with purgatory emporium a crowd of paintings that bedevil neo expressionism and graffiti art with multitudes of words brushwork and color some work better than others with the emptier quieter ones making the strongest impression but there is no questioning the talent ms gibson intends to make her presence felt and so far is not ruling out ranting
mulherin new york sonia dutton and katharine mulherin whose main base is toronto have teamed up in a space on forsyth street where they are taking turns mounting shows theyre in the former home of callicoon fine arts now around the corner ms mulherin is taking her at bat with a display of new paintings by matt kleberg who complicates the parallel stripes of modernism with light and shadow wilder colors and warped spaces that conjure abstract prosceniums and archways the endearing results pay homage to frank stella but take visionary liberties hankerings the title here suits the paintings allure there is a concurrent hankerings show at morgan lehman in chelsea
romeo aurel schmidt is another young artist who has turned proactive where galleries are concerned she is known for a somewhat refined surrealistic figurative style especially in large drawings in recent months she has mostly on her own wrested into existence an exhibition space that will concentrate on works on paper naming it romeo the inaugural exhibition features drawings prints and related works by about 40 artists known and not from several generations especially excellent is swinburnes pasiphae a video by mary reid kelley replete with her signature hand drawn style and stagy recitation other familiar names include stanya kahn anton van dalen whose solo show is next at romeo gina beavers rita ackermann and kinke kooi outdoing herself in a mostly green hyper real fantasy mix of entrailslike plants and interiors the artists unfamiliar to me include jacques louis vidal and stefanie popp christopher milic a 24 year old skateboarder alexander nolan nate antolik and maria calandra who specializes in graphite drawings of other artists studios and contributes a view of the romeo show being installed pleasantly theres not much glass between you and the art here its mostly pinned directly to the wall
james cohan the neighborhood has acquired its first gallery building a four story four gallery structure at 291 grand street if the address has an art historical ring thats because alfred stieglitz named his first gallery founded in 1907 291 its number on fifth avenue on the ground floor the james cohan gallery of chelsea has opened an outpost that is showing the living need light the dead need music a magical new video by the propeller group an artists collective with members based in ho chi minh city vietnam and los angeles set in vietnam the video follows a brass band and its charismatic bandmaster often in concert with snake swallowers and fire eaters through rituals and adventures   a funeral a street festival and a muddy march into the sea the camera returns repeatedly to a transgender youth whose fluid sexuality and shifting persona feel like the heart of the matter mr browns space is in this building as is 47 canal both will open shows in early may
nathalie karg on the top floor of 291 grand street nathalie karg who recently relocated from the east village is showing abstract paintings by nathlie provosty in her commercial gallery debut ms provosty approaches the modernist monochrome as a convention of unlimited possibility especially in the large blue black canvases that contrast matte and glossy atmospheric and geometric she effectively complicates the perceptual mysteries of ad reinhardts black paintings with her own sense of scale atmosphere and material punch this is no mean feat
james fuentes a lower east side original now in his second space has a show through sunday of the american south african photographer roger ballen who has continued his gray on gray collaborations with people on the margins these carefully staged photographs portray the extralegal inhabitants of an abandoned house outside johannesburg often against walls decorated with their artwork shades of beckett miro and dubuffet drift about in the ether harsh reality and elegant artifice keep each other at bay
metrograph a fine art pairing lower east side galleries and the documentary hockney the british artist david hockney and his technicolor canvases are the subjects of this randall wright film screening at metrograph and other theaters stephen holdens review appears on page 7 this new kid on the art house block will be opening its bar and restaurant soon but savory and sweet snacks are available 7 ludlow street near canal street 212 660 0312
top hops beer shopdont let the name fool you this is a friendly spot for craft beer connoisseurs and novices alike and the awe factor is pretty high about 20 brews are on tap and hundreds of bottles   whose colorful labels create a sort of kaleidoscopic display   are available for purchase 94 orchard street lower eastside 212 254 4677   nicole herrington


when william shakespeare left this earth on april 23 1616 he was definitely dead but he wasnt quite shakespeare   yet
the process of turning a successful london playwright into an icon of englishness then a universal writer and the very inventor of the human to paraphrase harold bloom took centuries and exuberant public celebrations of him like the commemorations of the 400th anniversary of his death that will erupt around the world on saturday have played an outsize role
not that our periodic eruptions of bard o mania have always gone as planned the first big shakespeare party the 200th birthday jubilee organized in stratford upon avon in 1769 by the actor and theater manager david garrick actually took place five years late shakespeare was born in 1564 the three day event   including an elaborate parade of 170 actors dressed as shakespeare characters   was disrupted by torrential rain
oddly no actual words of shakespeare were declaimed instead the climax came when garrick stood up in a nearly flooded pavilion by the avon to sing an ode hed written to shakespeare tis he tis he the god of our idolatry while the jubilee put stratford on the tourist map an effort 100 years later to build a permanent national monument to shakespeare there collapsed amidst a pile of debt
shakespeare celebrations have gone a bit more smoothly in the united states which by the time his 300th birthday rolled around in 1864 was in the middle of a shakespeare boom that would sweep through every frontier town on april 23 1864 dignitaries laid a cornerstone for a monument to the playwright in central park that evening the theaters were packed and barnums was also crowded to its capacity the new york times reported
by the time of the 300th anniversary of shakespeares death in 1916 things went well past barnum britains celebrations were muted by wartime austerity but the united states pulled out all the stops with events across the country organized by shakespeare clubs and other groups
the times ran 10 lavishly illustrated sunday supplements dedicated to shakespeare in the weeks running up to april 23 with articles by actors scholars philosophers and novelists paying homage to the great life that ended 300 years ago
the shakespeare epidemic in new york as one newspaper put it hit its high point with caliban by the yellow sands an elaborate masque by percy mackaye that featured some 1500 actors a large orchestra and elaborate light displays in what the times called the biggest dramatic entertainment in the citys history
some 15000 people per night packed lewisohn stadium at city college coming from all social strata of the city from the grandees j p morgan andrew carnegie louis comfort tiffany who reserved boxes on opening night to the immigrants from the lower east side who filled the cheap seats the spectacle featured a pageant representing the history of theater itself from the day before sophocles to the day before yesterday followed by the central drama inspired by the tempest which showed the half savage caliban   a stand in for americas immigrant hordes   kneeling before the figure of shakespeare the civilizing genius
the times declared it overlong and a bit too slow in pace but an unforgettable thing to see especially in a time darkened by world war the epilogue is an expression of our undying hope the paper declared the captains and the kings depart and the spirit of time wondrous healer calls all the artists to the yellow sands summons to the task of restoration all the workers in the art that builds the beauty of the world
a century later shakespeare has become a fully global phenomenon his words translated into languages like mandarin turkish and even klingon and his plots popping up in hollywood bollywood and beyond if all the worlds a stage shakespeare seems to be rarely off it these days to the extent that some may be less tempted to celebrate his deathiversary than to say him again still london where thousands are expected to gather this weekend for a two and a half mile shakespeare street party along the river thames may be throwing a bigger bash this time around but heres a small sampling of ways new yorkers can celebrate
shakespeare died 400 years ago on april 23   supposedly 52 years to the day after he was born here are some mostly free ways to celebrate him coming and going
shakespeares birthday sonnet slam friday 1 4 pm naumburg bandshell central park register at shakespearesonnetslamcom to participate free
drunk shakespeare actor drinks five shots of whiskey then performs a play friday and saturday 8 pm and 10 pm the lounge at roy arias stages 300 west 43rd streetmanhattan drunkshakespearecom 55 and up
shakespeare birthday bash and jazz funeral readings and music friday 1230 2 pm jazz funeral and selected shakespeare death scenes friday 630 830 pm bryant park nyc artsorg free
helen mirren on shakespeare conversation with paul holdengraber wednesday 7 9 pm new york public library fifth avenue and 42nd street nyplorg 40 36 seniors
wonder of will live live streamed performances and storytelling at the folger shakespeare library with justice steven g breyer ellen stofan nasas chief scientist the reduced shakespeare company and others saturday noon 130 pm information and livestream at folgeredu free
shakespeare birthday party performances swordfighting insult battle and other events sunday noon 4 pm folger shakespeare library free


the spanish language broadcaster univision announced thursday that it had acquired full control of fusion the joint venture it started with the walt disney company in 2013
fusion is an english language digital news service and cable channel that aims at millennial audiences the company will anchor univisions new fusion media group to be distributed on a mix of digital and traditional media the group includes univisions stake in the el rey cable network as well as the digital properties the root the onion av club clickhole starwipe and flama
terms of disneys exit were not disclosed starting immediately univision will take over distribution advertising sales and editorial control of fusion
fully integrating fusion into our portfolio closely aligns with our desire to engage with our growing audience wherever they are whenever they want and in their language of preference said randy falco chief executive of univision communications fmg is extremely well positioned to reach this young diverse audience at scale and with passion irreverence and authenticity
univision was expected to conduct an initial public offering late last summer and that is still paused since then the share prices for major media companies have been hit hard because of broader concerns about the future of the television business making it a tough time to take a company public
since its start almost three years ago fusion has struggled to define its identity and deliver large audiences the cable channel started while television networks are battling sharp ratings declines especially among younger viewers
the distribution for fusions cable networks was nearly 40 million households according to a note to staff sent in october by isaac lee fusions chief news and digital officer in december news organizations reported that disney was in talks to sell its stake to univision
the website meanwhile was originally aimed at young latinos who spoke english but over time it shifted to target young viewers of all ethnicities while it had a hard time finding its niche the site has been expanding its audience of late
univision says that fusion now reaches a total of 27 million people each month across all platforms and that its website fusionnet grew more than threefold in 2015 to now attracting about 10 million monthly unique visitors
after reporting losses during the first full year of operations fusion had projected that its television network would be profitable in 2016 and that its digital operations would be ahead of business plans
the face of america is changing and we are focused on serving a new majority whose influence is rapidly growing   affecting everything from politics and the economy to our culture mr lee said in a statement


this article is part of our spring gallery guide
art has always been used to sugarcoat economic power moves in manhattan the arrival of galleries can help make real estate hot and for a while art gains from the cachet in brooklyn gentrification seems to have the opposite effect it kills off the art that helped inspire it not long ago a wave of start up art spaces was building in dumbo and williamsburg only to die down once property values rose a dynamic that may now be underway in bushwick whatever the case there in a once rent friendly borough galleries and artists alike are scrambling a reality that tends to promote resourcefulness in exhibition options and to give at least some art being shown and produced a political edge
brooklyn museum ill start with a museum exhibition that has the fluid improvisatory sprawl of a giant gallery group show its an international survey called agitprop in which politics is loud clear and polyphonic the show opened in december at a third its present size then unfolded in three stages with earlier artists nominating others for inclusion a process that has brought outstanding figures like jelili atiku from nigeria beatriz santiago munoz from puerto rico and inder salim from india into the picture
much of the work is ephemeral preserved as documentation but there are some large scale objects and installations two of local relevance one is the four foot high bust of the national security agency whistle blower edward j snowden made by doyle trankina and illicitly placed by two other artists jeff greenspan and andrew tider in fort greene park a year ago the police quickly removed it but an activist collective called the illuminator just as quickly replaced it with a photographic projection
in november the illuminator working with the crown heights tenant union made projections specifically to address gentrification and to protest the meeting of the annual borough real estate summit which rented space at the brooklyn museum the museum after taking heat for accommodating the summit added to agitprop a multimedia piece assembled by community advocates and artists called a peoples monument to anti displacement organizing it includes basic information on the city housing crisis updated news on mayor bill de blasios plans for creating affordable units through brooklyn rezoning and an artfully rousing video   by noah fischer betty yu and alicia boyd of the crown heights and flatbush based movement to protect the people   showing resistance in action
bric house the activist spirit is alive in this borough sponsored contemporary space now in good looking new quarters near the brooklyn academy of music among its current attractions is a group exhibition called whisper or shout artists in the social sphere organized by elizabeth ferrer
some work has taken the form of single performances recently alicia grullon re enacted former state senator wendy daviss 11 hour filibuster in the texas legislature to block a restrictive abortion bill most of whats in the gallery also has a theatrical or interactive dimension kameelah janan rasheeds reconstruction of a childhood living room is as precisely detailed and surreal as a stage set kenneth pietrobonos t shirts with their jenny holzer like slogans   profit be my guide propensity to consume the sum of my debts   are meant for street performances a wall display of 52 album covers for vintage recordings of protest songs comes with a listening station the piece is by interference archive an ambitious collective that also contributes to agitprop and has its own exhibition and listening space at 131 eighth street no 4 in the gowanus section of brooklyn
transmittertsa new york one option for getting around the rent crunch is the old cooperative gallery model in which a bunch of artists chip in on basic expenses for a space organize shows sometimes of their own work and sometimes sit at the front desk air gallery in dumbo is a classic example this is the route taken by two bushwick galleries transmitter and tsa new york tiger strikes asteroid new york they share a two room space so small that its easy to mistake it for a single gallery though the sensibilities suggested by their current exhibitions are distinctive
the work in the two person show at tsa organized by vincent como is fairly conventional in format even if its use of materials is not joy curtis cuts and shapes abstract sculptures from cotton duck fabric of a kind that many artists paint on and terence hannum makes something like abstract painting from audio cassette tape
the seven artists in publish or perish a collaboration with arts and sciences projects at transmitter which refers to itself as an artist run curatorial project sidestep the notion of art as precious object by focusing on unconventional means of delivery sessa englund offers key chains carrying images from her instagram account antoine lefebvre invites you to download books from the internet in the news release the artist david horvitz proposes a telepathic version of mail art for 1 usd i will think about you for one minute i will email you the time i start thinking and the time i stop
microscope in the same building as transmitter and tsa this gallery has work of a similarly conceptualist bent in takahiko iimura seeing double mr iimura born in tokyo in 1937 and living in the united states since 1981 has been making film and video installations for more than half a century the title of an early piece dada 62 speaks of at least one inspiration for his art microscope is showing a handful of pieces from this past which in different ways float the notion of filmmaking as an absurdist looping endeavor two video cameras film each other two televisions watch each other the artist films himself reciting personal pronouns as if trying to figure out which one fits
southfirst another veteran japanese conceptualist akio suzuki now 75 has a solo show at southfirst and its a startling beauty in the center of the gallery sits what looks like a pile of street found junk but if as instructed you place a small metal ball at a certain place on the pile the whole thing turns into a fine tuned musical instrument as the ball rolls down inclines and across textured surfaces striking bits of glass wood and metal as it goes the whole show organized by the sound artist aki onda is based on the pinball like japanese game called pachinko which is often used for gambling here all gambles   will the ball stick to a path and what path will it take   pay off in delighted listening
real fine arts at this gallery almost under the brooklyn queens expressway the young artist maggie lee is having her first new york city solo show ms lee is best known for her feature length 2015 video mommy made after her mothers death and about her own childhood in a sense the shows nine small sculptural environments several encased in glass fish tanks extend the films autobiographical cast advancing it to a coming of age narrative the protagonist is a type of doll that ms lee once played with and that in tableaus represents adolescent encounters with fashion drugs angst and rock n roll the stories are old whats new are the millennial pop cultural details that go into their telling
fivemyles fantasy has a different far subtler flavor in a modest career survey of work by the artist hanne tierney ms tierney carved fivemyles out of an abandoned garage in 1999 and named it in memory of her son myles an associated press photographer killed in sierra leone she has used the front of the space for exhibitions often of neighborhood artists and reserved the back to develop her own performance work based on puppetlike abstract forms which she manipulates through a complex system of hand operated pulleys
in a new 15 minute long piece which she calls an experiment in self performing theater she for the first time calls on computer technology to move her forms the resulting piece based on texts by gertrude stein and with an operating system designed by oskar strautmanis is brilliantly done and very moving with characters gently interacting objects suddenly springing to life and music   by erik satie   sweetening the air
ms tierney has watched crown heights change from a neighborhood in which longtime residents could just scrape by to one theyre being pushed out of little wonder that a fair share of what she has done at fivemyles has been topically driven as is a small powerful concurrent show there by the photographer janet goldner on immigration
social issues also impel the work of certain younger brooklyn artists jennifer dalton and william powhida will be collaborating on an interactive political project that probably comes under the art category of social practice beginning in early may month2month a programming series produced by more art will entail inviting people to make short term stays in examples of luxury and affordable housing and to join in talks with developers policy experts local residents artists journalists and activists about gentrification which is so drastically shaping the possibilities for life in this city
will month2month work whatever that may mean who knows but anyone interested in the intersection of class race money and life and in experiencing a rare meeting of art world and real world might want to give it a shot
the sampler pick a beer from the glass cases or try one of the craft brews on tap from the likes of threes brewing and stillwater what this bar about 20 seats lacks in size it more than makes up for in its convivial atmosphere freshly popped popcorn is a bonus other snacks are also available 234 starr street bushwick 718 484 3560
building on bond this rustic chic cafes design   salvaged fixtures colorfully painted pipes one retrofitted for beer taps and repurposed tabletops some from shuffleboards   are aesthetically pleasing the food kale salad pat lafrieda burgers and craft beer options other half finback brewery will whet the appetite 112 bond street boerum hill 347 853 8687
nitehawk cinema here you can grab a seat a drink and a bite all while taking in a big screen feature nitehawks monthly art scene series will present jean cocteaus testament of orpheus on may 21 and 22 136 metropolitan avenue williamsburg nitehawkcinemacom you can also take a load off around the corner at videology where movie trivia bingo and comedy are standard fare308 bedford avenue williamsburg   nicole herrington


before hbo canceled that show about the gay friends in san francisco   it was called looking   people complained gay people complained   sighed really its so   boring where was the sex the crazy sex where were the social issues and politics one guy works at a video game company somebody else wants to open a restaurant snooze
boring was probably the reason that ratings werent great and the ratings were obviously the reason the show was canceled but its alleged dullness   its normalcy   was a kind of achievement here was often excellent television that wanted to recast gay life in a 21st century light in one of the worlds gayest cities
looking went away last year and the reason to bring it up now is that the film society of lincoln center is mounting a major weeklong film series about the bad old days called an early clue to the new direction queer cinema before stonewall its an unapologetic unmitigated mesmerizingly diverse assembly of 23 feature length movies and 25 shorts that constitutes a kaleidoscopic portrait of self discovery and shame
this gamut covers a lot of ground too the winking mannerism of alfred hitchcock rope the dimensional experimentalism of gregory markopoulos twice a man with a young olympia dukakis the serene classicism of vincente minnelli tea and sympathy the icebox psycho expressionism of ingmar bergman persona theres also the mere fact that the german hungarian theater director leontine sagan had a little film career and that her madchen in uniform from 1931 about girls at a boarding school is the film that most moved me
the series has camp melodrama andy warhol and the heart attack inducing fantasia of jack smith whose flaming creatures is often the mountaintop of any series or festival thats smart and bold enough to include this once indecent avant garde masterpiece thats still the case even under these circumstances
and the circumstances matter when it comes to art time and context are almost chemical properties a good film series can change the way you watch a movie this one does you bring your ideas of say how transsexuality might have gone in 1953
this series programmer thomas beard gives you ed woods glen or glenda the film doesnt quite know how to talk about being born into a body that isnt yours not by current standards anyway but the quest for its protagonist to live as glenda   in 1953   generates its own suspense will he tell his fiancee and what do those creature feature interludes with bela lugosi have to do with it the movie delivers on woods famous mediocrity but astounds you with its sincerity even when its clumsy which for most of its hour plus running time it is
the movie opens with a title card that pleads for sympathy many of the smaller parts are portrayed by persons who actually are in real life the character they portray on the screen this is a picture of stark realism   taking no sides   but giving you the facts   all the facts   as they are today ... you are society   judge ye not wood doesnt get drawn into the same queer circles as warhol and mr markopoulos and andrew meyer whose 1966 short gives the series its title but wood did himself believe he was what his movie calls a transvestite
mr beards series allows you to observe how identity played out the least punishing least cruel most fun fanciful sensual adventurous films   the queerest   tend to be the work of the practicing queers even something loosely coherent like jean genets un chant damour from 1950 and set yes in a mens prison opts for eroticism before tragedy
mr beard and his pre stonewall designation in the subtitle frames the way the films operate on their own yes but also as part of a family this is work made before the 1969 riots that erupted after patrons of greenwich villages stonewall inn had enough of the cops harassing them the uprising marked a political watershed the series reminds you of the struggles of sin and propriety afoot before things turned here that turning point feels also like a breaking point
anthropology appears to be the primary lens of this series mr beard has collected the different ways in which filmmakers and the society saw both homosexuality as an orientation and queerness as a culture this isnt a series that judges its one that takes in both judgment and the hunger to live beyond its shadow
western social culture has surpassed its popular cultures queerness is more normal than it was in say 1953 things arent particularly robust for gay films and movies post stonewall quality and quantity have moved in blips blocs and waves but nothing feels permanent or arrived at the appeal of an early clue comes from its presentation of worlds so different from ours the ache in some of the films is real some of the men and women the closeted lawyer dirk bogarde played in 1961s victim say would probably have killed for a show like looking
he would have killed to be boring


this article is part of our spring gallery guide
soho and tribeca are among contemporary arts storied neighborhoods but their recent histories are full of microshifts if not seismic disruptions the nonprofit artists space was forced to close for several months this past year because of construction in its building while jeffrey deitch the gallery impresario and former director of the los angeles museum of contemporary art has announced hes returning to the soho space where he mounted some epic events displacing the swiss institute at 18 wooster street at the end of the summer mr deitch will mount a survey of tom sachss work on may 5 in his gallery at 76 grand street soho remains a shopping mecca nestled among the flagship stores and designer boutiques however are fantastic opportunities for viewing art in little museums alternative spaces and galleries   or touring the only single occupancy building left in soho the judd foundation
swiss institute the swiss institute has accomplished extraordinary programming during its run at 18 wooster street the current exhibition   its penultimate one before handing the space back over to mr deitch   is fade in int art gallery   day the exhibition includes works by amie siegel christian marclay carissa rodriguez allan mccollum and others who make connections between art and film and show how the two worlds depict   and often comically misrepresent   each other
drawing center artists often make the best collectors and gallerists and sol lewitt was no exception drawing dialogues selections from the sol lewitt collection reveals that artists restless eye with drawings ranging from a devil man from around 1980 by old tutuma tjapangati an aboriginal artist to more predictable but engrossing works by peers like lawrence weiner alice aycock william anastasi charles gaines lee lozano and nancy graves
team the gallery will vacate 47 wooster street at the end of this month for the usual reason   an exorbitant rent increase however cory arcangel has a project up in the wooster street space   an audio work that recreates and revises run dmcs sucker mcs using the oberheim dmx drum machine team will continue to mount shows at its 83 grand street address where ross knights new sculptures through sunday combine mundane industrial materials to create objects that look like uncanny fetishes
recessthe artist marie lorenz is best known for her works on new yorks waterways like her tide and current taxi a rowboat that transports people around the region here she touches down in a gallery with flow pool an elliptical enclosure you can float in that is a centerpiece for projects and events involving writers musicians and scientists   and for drop in pool parties
postmastersfor more than three decades postmasters has championed new media art the two shows at the gallerys tribeca location include zach gages custom made digital clocks along with a poem generated by a google search query and jen catron and paul outlaws delirious exhibition of interactive works as part of the installation they included a chairlift up to an immersive hd video presentation another video accessible via a boat in a tunnel created with fake foliage and a giant canvas with a tanning bed and relaxation chair attached to its surface
peter freemansince opening its ground floor space at 140 grand street in 2012 freeman has continued to mount a mix of historical and contemporary shows the current two include a presentation of the italian modernist medardo rossos expressive sculptures   focusing on his bronzes   and an excellent small survey of mangelos the pseudonym of the croatian artist dimitrije basicevic 1921 1987 whose funny philosophical work is like a balkan version of marcel broodthaerss conceptual institutional critique
leslie lohman museum of gay and lesbian artdrawn entirely from the museums collection the 1970s the blossoming of a queer enlightenment looks at the decade between the stonewall riots in 1969 to the emergence of aids in 1980 a 70s pastel study by paul cadmus an early touchstone of gay art hangs alongside photographs documenting groups dedicated to womens consciousness raising sex on the new yorks piers and political activism
new release in chinatown just on the edge of tribeca this new gallery is showcasing duncan hannahs retro inspired paintings of emerging midcentury movie starlets some made it some didnt next to vintage radios restored by the gallery owners uncle
clifton benevento occupying an old school sixth floor loft gallery space clifton benevento offers a show of zarouhie abdalian that artists first solo venture in new york is a bit hit or miss some of the sculptures like a large chunk of lava from california or a tarp suspended from the ceiling grasp for significance better is a photograph of a view out the gallery window printed on a screen and hung in the same window
queer thoughts a new gallery transplanted from chicago queer thoughts aims according its website to promote a post identity agenda within artistic practice work that explores the world of strippers by chelsea culprit a young chicagoan is on view among the works are a painting with a concrete frame of a serpent wielding dancer and a greenish glass slipper cast in lead crystal
the nonprofit apex art mounts shows proposed by young and emerging curators the current one space between the skies a virtual reality experience lives up to its title oculus headsets hanging from the ceiling offer an opportunity to experience the technology and consider representations of space and landscape created especially for video or virtual reality on the western edge of soho kate werble will open a show on saturday of lui shtinis paintings which merge vague surrealist shapes with the idea of painting as a skin
terroir tribeca this wine bar with a homey neighborhood feel also caters to craft beer enthusiasts featuring other half bells and lost nation on its menu as well as ciders austin eastciders original a daily happy hour oyster deal 4 to 6 pmadds to the appeal of this bar a short walk south from the wooster street galleries and a couple of blocks from the hudson river 24 harrison street tribeca 212 625 9463 wineisterroircom   nicole herrington


washington   the obama administration is proposing a series of changes to the rules for military commission trials at guantanamo bay   including allowing judges to conduct pretrial hearings by videoconference sparing some participants the flight to the remote base in cuba   in an effort to make the process more efficient and less costly
the administration is also seeking to allow civilian government lawyers instead of uniformed ones to represent defendants enable the primary judge to appoint a second judge to hear certain motions and make it easier for the pentagon to convert a death penalty case into one that could result in imprisonment for life
the pentagon sent the proposal   which was first reported by the miami herald   last week to the house and senate armed services committees the administration wants to add the changes to the annual defense authorization bill which it is preparing
in february when president obama sent congress his plan for closing the prison he mentioned concerns about the expense and effectiveness of the military commission system and foreshadowed his move to make changes among the long delayed cases is one against five detainees accused of aiding in the terrorist attacks of sept 11 2001
i have to say with respect to these commissions they are very costly they have resulted in years of litigation without a resolution mr obama said then were therefore outlining additional changes to improve these commissions which would require congressional action and we will be consulting with them in the near future on that issue
on thursday brig gen john baker the chief defense lawyer in the military commissions system criticized the proposed overhaul calling it an unfair and unconstitutional attempt to change the rules in the middle of the game
here we are in the midst of perhaps the most important criminal trial in american history and the government wants to change rules midstream to deny these individuals the right to be present in the courtroom in violation of the constitution he said
but cmdr gary ross a pentagon spokesman said the government was committed to ensuring that the military commissions system remains fair and impartial adding that the proposals were narrowly tailored to allow for better management flexibility and accountability
we believe they will provide ways to ease burdens on the litigants and the judges to facilitate a more efficient process he said
the draft legislation included rationales for the various changes it would permit the judge to convene certain hearings via videoconference   largely pretrial motions in which the commission or jurylike panel of military officers is not required to be present unlike trial testimony about the guilt or innocence of the defendant reducing the need for all necessary participants to travel to cuba every time an issue was addressed would provide flexibility
it also said that allowing civilian government lawyers to represent detainees could reduce the problem of turnover caused by periodic mandatory redeployments of military officers
the administration also submitted a second piece of guantanamo related draft legislation to congress last week it would revoke restrictions on transferring detainees including a ban on bringing them to the united states mr obamas plan for closing the prison calls for bringing detainees facing charges or otherwise not recommended for transfer to a replacement prison on domestic soil the republican controlled congress opposes the idea
when he took office in 2009 mr obama ordered the prison closed within a year and weighed abandoning the bush administrations military commissions but he decided instead to keep and overhaul the tribunals system as an available tool for dealing with a narrow band of detainees especially those who could receive a trial only under the military systems more flexible rules concerning the admissibility of evidence
but the tribunals ended up being more important than he expected after congress forced the administration to abandon its plan to move the sept 11 case to civilian court by banning transfers to domestic soil   even for prosecution   which left the commissions system as the only option but since the arraignment of khalid shaikh mohammed and four other men four years ago it has been bogged down in pretrial hearings and no actual trial is in sight


the tribeca film festival announced its winners thursday with movies from first time feature directors and seasoned veterans taking prizes
the founders award for best narrative feature went to the comedy dean the directorial debut of demetri martin who also wrote and stars in the movie the best international feature prize went to junction 48 an israeli film with a palestinian rapper at its center craig atkinsons do not resist about the militarization of police forces in the united states won the prize for best documentary feature all three awards come with 20000 prizes
priscilla anany won the prize for best new narrative director for her ghanaian film children of the mountain about a woman who faces scrutiny when her child is born with birth defects
the albert maysles new documentary director prize went to david feige for untouchable which looks at the effect of strict sex offender laws in the united states
the nora ephron prize awarded to a female director or screenwriter was given to rachel tunnard for her dark comedy adult life skills about a young woman who moves back to her hometown and into a shed in her mothers backyard
the festival continues through april 24 with additional screenings of some of the prizewinning films to be held this weekend the festivals audience awards will be announced april 23


did the big bang blow bubbles
a look at this glistening blue blob floating through the cosmos could give that impression but what looks like a celestial mix of soap and water is actually something much dirtier a colossal cloud of dust and gas
an image taken by the hubble space telescope shows the aptly named bubble nebula which is some 8000 light years away astronomers at nasa and the european space agency released the photo on thursday to celebrate the 26th anniversary of the telescopes launch which is sunday
last year dennis overbye wrote about why its quite astounding that hubble ever reached its twenties at all
this isnt the first time researchers have photographed the nebula however previous images could only capture bits of its bubbly bulk it stretches more than 10 light years across and it is constantly growing its star sao 20575 spews stellar winds that inflate the cloud as it travels at a rate of 62000 miles per hour
for hubbles birthday picture the researchers used an updated camera to snap four separate images that they later stitched together the final image provides a clear view of the entire dirty bubble


tattered pages from 19th century ledger books which american indians used to record tribal history in picture form have been dispersed on the market with the loose pages no longer in their intended sequences the graphic narratives of battles courtships disease outbreaks ceremonies and imprisonments have become unintelligible the artists identities and the tribes depicted have also been obscured
in the last few years dealers collectors and academics have been trying to restore order to ledger drawing sets by reassembling book pages
when an intact ledger surfaces for sale said ross h frank an associate professor of ethnic studies at the university of california san diego market forces will break it up unless theres active intervention from an institution or a collector to keep it whole the colorful sheets can sell for tens of thousands of dollars each
mr frank runs a website plainsledgerartorg that has posted dozens of digitized books and has dozens more in the works the website lists provenances for the sketches which were made by cheyenne arapaho lakota and kiowa tribespeople
a private collector now owns a ledger that sold in 2013 for 185000 at sothebys in new york a cheyenne chief had given it in 1864 to a white boy named ambrose asher the library at the university of california san diego has acquired an album of lakota drawings assembled in the 1880s with indian autographs embossed on its cover it originally belonged to a dakota territory mining heiress and sold for 34365 at skinner auction house in boston in 2009
mr frank said ledgers keep turning up in the hands of families typically descendants of 19th century soldiers merchants missionaries settlers and tourists who acquired the drawings from the artists as gifts or souvenirs
unbound narrative art of the plains an exhibition at the manhattan location of the national museum of the american indian contains versions of ledger art drawn on animal hides tepees clothing and fabric as well as intact books the cheyenne warrior bears heart produced one of the volumes in the 1870s while imprisoned at fort marion in st augustine fla he portrayed fellow captives including women and children as they marched in uniform sat through sermons and posed for photographs he also sketched the trains that had taken them to florida and the passing scenery of bridges hotels and churches
during a tour of unbound the curator emil her many horses pointed out details on sketches of shields headgear and banners as well as horse branding marks that help scholars identify artists and subjects he noted the dynamic elements of the art bullets spray cannons fire buildings burn and warriors smoke pipes while praying for battle success
the exhibition also includes works by contemporary artists who use antique ledger paper on their tableaus of hunters lovers dancers and tourists ghosts of printed and handwritten words record voter registrations railroad company expenses real estate deeds and waitress salaries
donald ellis a tribal art dealer in manhattan is taking about 70 ledger drawings to an exhibition opening on june 3 at the gisela capitain gallery in cologne germany mr ellis said that he and his clients have set out to save intact books they are also tracking down pages long separated including cheyenne ledger drawings that belonged to the actor vincent price part of that collection has been posted on mr franks website
the metropolitan museum of art and dartmouths hood museum of art among other institutions have been acquiring the works yales extensive holdings include a set of kiowa drawings from around 1880 that sold in 2009 for 20315 at heritage auctions in dallas a ledger book at harvard with six artists depictions of battlefield scenes is the subject of a recent study a lakota war book from the little bighorn the pictographic autobiography of half moon the peabody museum of archaeology  ethnology at harvard is displaying drawings from the book and through may 9 the cantor arts center at stanford university is exhibiting the lakota warrior red horses drawings of carnage that he witnessed at little bighorn
on may 6 in a tribal art auction skinner will offer a photograph of a prominent 19th century ledger artist rain in the face a lakota chief with an estimate of 250 to 350
the married artists ralph and martha cahoon worked side by side in cape cod from the 1940s to the 70s painting furniture and masonite panels with sometimes surreal scenes of early new england coastlines they showed mermaids riding whales running stores pedaling bicycles and helping out at construction sites under harbor skies full of hot air balloons the couples 18th century home in cotuit mass has become the cahoon museum of american art and on may 8 a new re creation of their studio will open to the public
the museum is borrowing about 40 of the cahoons paintings and a dozen pieces of furniture from private collectors to display alongside the couples easels paintbrushes and stencils
the mellons the kennedys the folk art collector maxim karolik and the fashion designer lilly pulitzer were among their clients mrs cahoon managed to be only slightly less prolific than her husband as she pointed out on occasion the housekeeping and care of their son franz were all assigned to her
the museum owns the cahoons journals letters and sales records sarah johnson the museums director said the paperwork has not been fully cataloged and mined for insights into how the artists and patrons interacted
the cahoons paintings typically sell for tens of thousands of dollars each at the exhibition the museum will display mr cahoons tableau of mermaids tattooing sailors while perched on a whale the artwork sold for 25000 in 2007 at eldreds auction house in east dennis mass
a few other artists quarters in this area have become museums including the writer and illustrator edward goreys house in yarmouth port and a barn in harwich where the woodcarver elmer crowell sculpted bird decoys


islamabad pakistan   the pakistani armys top commander has dismissed six senior officers including a three star and a two star general for what pakistani news accounts described on thursday as smuggling and other corrupt acts
the dismissals which were confirmed by two military officials added to the pressure on prime minister nawaz sharif whose familys hidden wealth has escalated into a political crisis
the military officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the dismissals had not been formally announced described them as forced retirements carried out by the countrys military commander gen raheel sharif
they did not go into detail about the reasons but pakistani news media said the dismissed officers   a lieutenant general major general three brigadiers and a colonel   had been implicated in corruption including smuggling
it is not the first time that purges of senior army officials have been disclosed in this way but the timing was striking given the prime ministers problems which have flared over disclosures in the so called panama papers of hidden wealth in offshore accounts
opposition politicians have demanded that mr sharif resign or step aside until an investigation into possible financial misconduct is completed the prime minister has denied wrongdoing and expressed a willingness to form a commission of inquiry but how it will be conducted remains in dispute
mr sharif visited london last week spawning rumors that he had fled the country but he returned this week
political and military analysts said the dismissals in the military had weakened mr sharif indirectly
the signal to the civilians is very clear said ikram sehgal a pakistani security expert who served in the military the military is saying that we can take action against our own now its your turn the sword of damocles is hanging over you
cyril almeida an editor at dawn a leading pakistani newspaper said if the civilians arent going to raise the bar themselves then general sharif has signaled that hell help do it for everyone
he added the corruption issue has tapped into a vein of wide disgruntlement in pakistan
word of the dismissals has further burnished the public image of general sharif who already enjoyed enormous popularity because of his counterstrikes on militants in regions where his predecessors feared to go
general sharif carried out an operation in north waziristan a longtime haven of taliban militants in 2014 this month troops took action against militants in southern parts of punjab province paramilitary troops are also taking part in an operation against politically powerful criminal gangs in the southern port city of karachi
military officials identified two of the dismissed senior officers as lt gen obaidullah khan khattak and maj gen ejaz shahid both had served as inspector generals of the frontier corps a paramilitary force in restive southwestern baluchistan province
one official who was part of the inquiry speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss it publicly said its origins dated from 2014 when general shahid took possession of a sports car that had been impounded because of nonpayment of customs duty
according to the officials account a colonel and a major died when they crashed the car during a test drive taken at the request of the general who tried to cover up the accident the colonels widow wrote to the army chief who ordered an investigation that uncovered corruption by military officials in baluchistan
khawaja muhammad asif the minister of defense and of water and power said in an interview on geo tv that he welcomed the dismissals but that opposition political parties had twisted the news to target mr sharif all demands have political objectives he said they dont want impartial accountability
mr sharif reiterated in a statement on thursday that he was determined to overcome the political challenge with gods grace our hands are clean he said we have faced ruthless accountability in the past too with success
nonetheless political analysts say mr sharif is in an increasingly tough situation opposition political parties are threatening street protests if he does not justify his wealth retired military officials have also urged mr sharif to provide more explanations
the ball has started rolling said naeem khalid lodhi a retired lieutenant general if the judiciary also follows suit there will be tremendous pressure on the political setup


damien hirst has a knack for arresting attention as he did by encrusting the platinum cast of a human skull in 2007 by pulling off a 200 million all hirst auction at sothebys in 2008 and by leaving the gagosian gallery in 2012 after he had been represented there for 17 years
now mr hirst has done it again announcing that he is returning to larry gagosian who is welcoming him back
hes a great artist and its exciting to reboot the relationship mr gagosian said it feels very fresh to me i know a lot of collectors remain very very interested in damien and are extremely curious to see what hes doing
precisely why the two parted in the first place remains unclear   sometimes a relationship runs its course mr gagosian said i think he wanted to think about the work and not think so much about the market and galleries
mr gagosian added when he started feeling that he wanted to re emerge in new york he looked around and he realized that we were the best option
mr hirst who declined through the gallery to be interviewed said in a statement i share a long history with larry and am pleased we are working together once again
the gallery will devote its booth at frieze new york next month to mr hirsts past work and feature it simultaneously in an installation at the gallerys madison avenue location it will be a classical presentation   an early shark piece instrument cabinet medicine cabinet butterfly painting said millicent wilner a director at gagosian in london who is the gallerys hirst liaison we wanted to present him in the way most people think of damien
while mr hirst has been criticized as a showman whose work may not merit his level of fame mr gagosian said the cult of the quiet artist has been overly romanticized
the market seems to love artists who make very little work and dont seem to have a life and never go out he said warhol and picasso are arguably the two giants of the 20th century   they were both commercially successful and both had colorful lifestyles
take damien hirst out of contemporary art history and theres an incredible void he added great artists like great people have second acts
duke ellington composed many of his best known jazz standards on a white baby grand piano   sophisticated lady in a sentimental mood and it dont mean a thing if it aint got that swing
that piano ended up at the home of his sister ruth ellington boatwright in the late 1940s mr ellingtons nephew stephen james used to play underneath and eventually took lessons on it
now mr james has consigned the piano   expected to sell for anywhere between 50000 to 1 million   along with about 300 other items that belonged to the jazz legend to guernseys ellingtons personal belongings will come up for auction on may 18 at the national jazz museum in harlem
this is a collection of things ive had for most of my life mr james said i thought it would be good to have it out into the world instead of sitting in a storage facility
because mr james was young when his own father left ellington loomed large in his life the young stephen spent school vacations at his uncles house and accompanied him out on the road eventually becoming a member of his staff i was close to duke growing up mr james said he was like a father to me
the cache includes silk jackets ellington performed in contracts he signed and musical manuscripts scribbled by hand were selling the real mccoy   the originals arlan ettinger guernseys president said of the sheet music songs like mood indigo lush life flamingo
the auction   also online   includes ellingtons paintings like satin doll and a study for a painting of billy strayhorn his frequent collaborator
and there are gold dinner plates a luggage tag a monogrammed handkerchief and copyright renewals for pieces like harmony in harlem and i got it bad and that aint good
these are part of the american songbook mr ettinger said the definition of classics
the painting itself offers a compelling glimpse into 17th century mores   a dog fleeing the scene which signified infidelity a foot warmer heat or passion
but it is the back of the 1600s oil on canvas   an officer paying court to a young woman by the dutch painter gabriel metsu   coming up for auction on may 26 at sothebys for an estimated 6 million to 8 million that makes it especially remarkable
original labels chronicle the paintings harrowing history there is a mark indicating when the metsu was inventoried in baron alphonse mayer von rothschilds palace collection in 1934 another when it came into the custody of hitlers kunsthistorisches museum in 1938 another when that museums director hans posse selected it to hang and another when it was stored in the abbey at kremsmunster
threatened by allied bombing the painting was ultimately transferred for safekeeping to the salt mines in altaussee along with jan and hubert van eycks ghent altarpiece and johannes vermeers the astronomer
and just before the nazis were about to destroy the mines to prevent the artwork from falling into enemy hands local miners removed the large bombs and the monuments men came to the rescue
ultimately the painting was returned to the rothschild family   and displayed at the kunsthistorisches museum in vienna   and sold to a private collector in 1999
we can literally trace its movement across europe during the war years   and before and after   through the marks on the back of the canvas said david pollack a sothebys specialist in old master paintings thats an incredibly rare thing


this article is part of our spring gallery guide
the propeller group is an artist collective that addresses the mingled destinies of the united states and vietnam its three members   phunam thuc ha 41 and tuan andrew nguyen 40 both born in saigon and matt lucero 40 born in southern california   are children of the war that raged there until 1975
mr luceros father was a mechanic and helicopter gunman in the united states army who found himself doing grisly cleanup in the aftermath of the 1968 tet offensive mr has father a cameraman for the cbs news correspondent morley safer got himself and his family out as the war was ending mr nguyens family left vietnam in 1978 and settled in oklahoma sponsored by a church there
the propeller group had its genesis not quite three decades later when mr nguyen and mr ha having both moved back to vietnam formed a video production partnership there one of their first jobs was a collaboration with the artist dinh q le on a 2006 work the farmers and the helicopters which involved a farmer and a mechanic who had become so obsessed with helicopters after the war that they cobbled one together out of agricultural equipment parts mr lucero who had attended the california institute of the arts with mr nguyen went to ho chi minh city the former saigon to work with them on a later project and decided to stay
with backgrounds like these its not entirely surprising that when the three were invited to contribute to the 2015 venice biennale it was to show what would happen if you aimed a pair of assault rifles   one soviet the other american   at each other and fired them simultaneously into a gelatinous block between them that matches the texture of human flesh their inspiration was the story perhaps apocryphal that two bullets fired by opposite sides in the american civil war had been found fused together on a battlefield given the odds against such a thing happening mr nguyen said we thought that was extremely magical
we thought he continued what if we took this moment and applied it to the guns that came out of the cold war   what would that look like and what would that mean
the result was ak 47 vs m16 made with the support of grand arts in kansas city mo and currently on view in the back room of the james cohan gallery on the lower east side a video shot at 20000 frames per second shows the two bullets colliding in extreme slow motion looking almost as if they were captured in an ultrasound a sculpture in the center of the room consists of a gel block and the bullet fragments it encases but because bullets travel so much faster today than they did in the 1860s fusion proved difficult mostly they got splinters
in the front room at cohan is the living need light the dead need music a 21 minute film that takes as its point of departure the fantastical funeral rites of the mekong delta in vietnam these public observances which go on for days feature nattily uniformed brass bands and street performers   snake charmers sword swallowers fire breathers and transgender dancers   who are all represented in the film
lush bizarre hallucinatory and phantasmagorical the video deals with issues of transition and fluidity life and death myth and reincarnation spirits and demons a struggle for the soul the film itself transitions about midway through from actual funeral celebrations shot on the streets of ho chi minh city to a surreal dreamscape in which the marching band tromps through swamps along a beach and out into the water
in place of the ordinary instruments they had before the band members are sporting drums and horns that have mutated and multiplied in freakish ways sam the transgender dancer reappears in an allee of trees her face hidden behind a water buffalo skull the snake reappears as a carving mounted atop a canoe
created for prospect new orleans that citys biennial art festival the film struck a nerve in a city known for watery landscapes musical parades and extravagant rituals it suggests an eerie consonance between life near the mouth of the mississippi and life near the mouth of the mekong 9500 miles away
we thought this would be a perfect piece to show in new orleans mr nguyen said we saw something there   i dont know what it is cultural overlap   some very strange continuity that we wanted to explore so we started to document some of these funerals and it became this film


this article is part of our spring gallery guide
duncan hannahs timing has always been a little off he graduated in 1975 from parsons school of design in new york steeped in the figurative traditions of his heroes edward hopper and winslow homer and excited to follow their career footsteps meanwhile painting is dead mr hannah groaned playfully when recalling the eras reigning artistic spirit i thought my god ive devoted myself to an obsolete medium
photos of mr hannah from the late 70s reveal a sartorial stance no less anachronistic as he hit the punk scene at cbgb in a bogart style trench coat and tightly knotted tie amid a sea of torn t shirts and safety pinned leather jackets still the vintage look helped get him noticed turned him into an underground film star in his own right and most crucially led to him being invited in 1980 to join the times square show a seminal group exhibition organized by collaborative projects inc or colab where his work hung alongside that of tyros like jean michel basquiat and keith haring suddenly being a young painter was a great thing to be mr hannah recalls thinking especially after he was subsequently offered a solo debut at an uptown manhattan gallery
while painting may have returned to new york with a vengeance at the start of the new decade mr hannahs earnest enthusiasm for poignant scenes of england between the wars and portraits of old hollywood luminaries was as suspect as ever
arto lindsay was there at my solo shows opening mr hannah remembered of the no wave guitarist and singer famed for his bands room clearing abilities we were old friends from years spent in the nightclubs but hed never really had a chance to see my work aside from an album cover illustration arto turned to me and said   here mr hannah mimicked mr lindsays raised eyebrow and suspicious tone   is this what you do these are like real paintings his message was clear i thought you were cool well i love painting to me whistler is cool vuillard is really cool i dont think oh thats fusty and dead when somebodys good nobody betters them ive never seen art history as this replacing that
more than three decades later mr hannah 63 still seems like a man unmoored from time albeit happily so despite enduring resistance from some critical corners his work has sold steadily allowing him to further indulge his period fantasies leading the way inside his mid 19th century cottage in rural west cornwall conn clad in a purple suede blazer he now appears more of a gentleman farmer than an artist with a solo show at new release in chinatown a new gallery better known for showcasing hot emerging talent half mr hannahs age
but in a larger contemporary milieu clogged with by the numbers abstract painters and purposely crude figurativists mr hannahs latest erotically charged portraits of obscure film starlets and celebrities miss teen italy 1974 anyone come across as absolutely invigorating
mr hannah says his process has remained basically unchanged over the years often while hunting down long forgotten foreign movies he said theres a certain kind of flared nostril that always gets to me ill think whos that and then go to work
so is this finally mr hannahs hip to be square art world moment ive never been terribly ironic about what my passions are   ive never put things in quotes   but the pendulum is always swinging around he said with a triumphant smile


this article is part of our spring gallery guide
this is a heady moment for omer fast his short videos have long been a mainstay on the international art circuit featured in the venice biennale and multiple whitney biennials as well as in solo shows at institutions from the moderna museet in stockholm to the cleveland museum of art the coming theatrical release of his first feature length film remainder an adaptation of tom mccarthys 2005 novel promises to catapult him beyond the rarefied terrain of the gallery hopping set after screenings at the bfi london and berlin film festivals as well as at the new directorsnew films festival in new york the hollywood trade journal variety christened mr fast one of its ten euros to watch
speaking by telephone from his home in berlin mr fast 43 who was born in israel and graduated from american art schools seemed more wary than excited by the buzz im not really interested in crossing over into an art house or a mainstream viewership
rather than seeing remainder as a break with his past efforts mr fast regards the film   about a man brain damaged by a freakish accident who tries to reassemble his memory amid mysterious circumstances   as an extension of the formal experimentation running through his more recent shorts these include the three now on view at the james cohan gallery in chelsea 5000 feet is the best 2011 continuity 2012 and spring 2016 crisply composed and starkly cool in their visual palette the shorts draw their strength as much from their pictorialism as from their conceptual rigor its easy to imagine stills from any of them being blown up and framed on a gallery wall
mr fast said the biggest challenge in creating a 90 minute movie was how to structure time itself none of my work follows a linear notion of a whodunit but rather reflects what a disrupted relationship to the outside world might be like he added repeating scenes and varying them to reveal new details have become staples of his aesthetic   for practical reasons as much as for creative ones because his videos are usually shown on an endless loop in galleries that led to the cyclical structures which play with temporality and causality so people can come in at any point and get submerged in the storytelling he said
they might have different conclusions about what theyve seen than somebody who came in 10 minutes earlier or later he added but i like that
his producers on remainder were less enthusiastic about such an elliptical approach in a cinema setting leading to some tense discussions over mr fasts script its a luxury to have a bigger budget and a longer time to immerse oneself in a story to create a little world he said so i wont say never again but doing the work i do in an art context means i dont have to argue with anybody over whether my protagonist is sympathetic enough i get these little art budgets without any strings attached thats extremely seductive
he continued its a beautiful system that allows you to be able to work like that   the phone was suddenly filled with the sound of a child giddily laughing and kitchen pots clattering   especially at this point in the middle of my life


senator ted cruz of texas in a contentious battle with donald j trump for the republican presidential nomination released a new ad on thursday that will be broadcast in pennsylvania ahead of tuesdays primary it calls mr trump a rich elite and links him with hillary clinton
a well worn video clip of mrs clinton saying we came out of the white house not only dead broke but in debt fills a translucent flat screen television with a sweeping vista of new york city swirling in the background it was not easy mrs clinton says in the interview
it has not been easy for me mr trump continues as the camera cuts to a campaign event featuring the republican front runner before skipping ahead to mr trump recalling how his father gave him a small loan of a million dollars
a narrator proclaims they just dont get it as a photograph of the trumps and the clintons smiling at mr trumps wedding fills the screen ted cruz does the narrator continues rapidly listing major lines of mr cruzs platform like cut taxes roll back regulation and repeal obamacare
the advertisement concludes with a new campaign slogan for a change ted cruz
a multilayered criticism of mr trump and mrs clinton painting them as out of touch rich elites who do not understand working class families while also linking the two which neither candidate would welcome
the statements from mrs clinton and mr trump are accurate as portrayed mrs clinton explained her comments in a subsequent interview with abc
pennsylvania
after being shut out of delegates in new york mr cruz is angling to take advantage of pennsylvanias complex delegate rules and peel some away from mr trump to slow his march to the nomination portraying mr trump as an elitist could resonate in a rust belt state like pennsylvania likening him to mrs clinton also helps


this article is part of our spring gallery guide
when the artist leslie hewitt was growing up in st albans queens she worked at a branch of the public library the extra money was nice but she was particularly taken by the way libraries embodied history in tangible objects towers of paper ink and buckram that rose almost surreally into the air i think i was drawn to the physicality of the stacks she said recently i wanted to be among books
ms hewitt has become highly regarded for spare photo based artworks that operate in the widening 21st century gulf between images and objects where history can behave in strange and unexpected ways beginning may 1 at sculpturecenter in long island city queens she is bringing to new york for the first time one of the most ambitious pieces of her career untitled structures which revolves around one of the most photographed and contentious eras in american history the civil rights movement
the work a two channel film made with the cinematographer bradford young was begun not long after the menil collection in houston in 2010 received a major archive of civil rights era photographs put together by the anthropologist edmund carpenter and his wife adelaide de menil a photographer and daughter of the collector and philanthropist dominique de menil michelle white a menil curator started to think about how the archive   with works by important photographers like elliott erwitt danny lyon and bruce davidson and images of many movement leaders and pivotal moments   could be used in ways other than just exhibiting the prints and she invited ms hewitt to come to houston to look through the photographs
ms hewitt did and later brought along mr young known for his work on the movies selma and a most violent year the deep dive they took into the archive resulted in their plan to try to step into the images conceptually as if onto a stage   a stage whose curtains were drawn before ms hewitt or mr young both 38 were born
with a movie camera they revisited several places shown in the images   memphis chicago and the arkansas delta   and reimagined them recreating some of the pictures contours with the help of locals and acquaintances but zooming in on details barely noticeable in the original images or using the camera to create new perspectives that float somewhere between fiction and documentation the results lingering shots for example of the worn pews of the clayborn temple in memphis headquarters of a 1968 sanitation strike by african american workers are often difficult to trace back to their sources which serve as something like fertile seeds
our generation thinks about what our responsibility is to that era and how weve come to understand that era said ms hewitt who is african american as is mr young so part of my thinking was how do we make a visible trace connecting us to that past
she spoke recently while on a break from working on new projects in her modest two room studio on west 138th street in manhattan not far from where her grandfather worked as a police captain in the 1950s amid a growing force of black officers many of whom had been born in the south her paternal grandmother left macon ga in the great migration arriving in new york in the 30s the images in untitled structures   which at times seem like projected still photos except that the people in them breathe and blink and the camera sometimes moves   in a sense follow that migration in which more than six million black americans left the rural south for the urban north midwest and west
ms hewitts work is often made by photographing photographs arranged in layers and presenting the images in large frames so that they appear sculptural she said that she and mr young talked a lot about the creators of the images in the archive all of them white men who went south to document and sometimes to participate in the civil rights struggle she stressed that race and gender did not play a large part in her thinking about the photographs   the images in the archive are breathtaking in all accounts she said   but such considerations did give her room to move around as an artist how would a photograph have been different if a black man or a black woman had taken it what wasnt pictured would certain images have been as beautiful and formally poised if they had been taken by someone else
to aestheticize the freedom riders can kind of feel sacrilegious if you look at it one way she said it makes you think hey julian bond looks so slick here like a movie star how could that have been different and how could it have shaped the way we think about these images now
mr young who has collaborated with ms hewitt before added in a telephone interview once we entered a space when we were filming it was like trying to inoculate ourselves from the pull of the original image
the experience of visiting some of the sites immortalized in the civil rights photographs was its own kind of recalibration often a jarring one he said you would think that a lot of those places would be memorialized but theyre not theyre dilapidated and falling apart and it makes you think wheres the historical residue of these images in the world in architecture is most of it going to be gone
at sculpturecenter untitled structures   originally commissioned by the menil collection the des moines art center and the museum of contemporary art chicago   joins another previous work of ms hewitts untitled where paths meet turn away then align again from 2012 and a new work by her and mr young based on their shooting in the south and chicago
mary ceruti sculpturecenters executive director said she was drawn to ms hewitt partly because of the way she has inherited the spirit of the pictures generation   artists like richard prince cindy sherman and sarah charlesworth who began rummaging in the great american image bank in the 1970s and 80s   but has made their strategies her own
i think the stakes are high for leslie with this kind of work said ms ceruti the curator of the show which runs through aug 1 its not just an intellectual musing and its not really about media culture its a personal   and personally political   pursuit for her
ms hewitt who also has work in the group show signal to noise closing on sunday at the simon preston gallery said i think theres so much more that people could do with this archive each image had a kind of strong sonic register and there could be so many more ways to make them echo


european regulators brought the hammer down on google this week and investors barely blinked but when the companys first quarter numbers came in a little light on thursday afternoon its stock immediately plummeted
both revenue and profit rose sharply from 2015 but missed analysts forecasts revenue at 2026 billion was about 120 million less than expected earnings per share excluding certain items were 750 when the consensus estimate was 796
the result the stock fell about 46 or about 6 percent in after hours trading
shares of google were priced for perfection and the first quarter was a little less than perfect whether that means anything substantive is more doubtful
theres nothing wrong with this company said colin gillis of bgc partners they spent a bit more and took in a bit less than we thought so mr market is having a mood swing but it was a fine quarter
the silicon valley company which reorganized itself into a holding company called alphabet last year gets nearly all of its revenue and all its profits from the core google search and advertising business
google is in the middle of a multiyear transition from desktop ads to the harder game of mobile ads in the latest quarter aggregate cost per click fell 9 percent from a year ago
revenue from what the company calls other bets   including its fiber business and the nest thermostat   was 166 million more than double what it was in the first quarter of 2015 losses for other bets rose to 802 million from 633 million
the number of employees jumped to 64000 from 55000 last year the vast majority of them the company stressed were engineers and product managers
aside from the troubles in europe   antitrust authorities there said this week that the company was unfairly using its android mobile software to promote its products over those of rivals   the last year has been generally sweet for google fans
the company brought in ruth porat from morgan stanley as chief financial officer a sign it wanted to rein in spending the results for the second quarter of 2015 offered evidence that the core advertising business was succeeding on mobile igniting one of the largest one day jumps in capitalization for a nasdaq stock ever a reorganization in the fall that separated the core business from the ambitious moonshots was met with approval by investors and analysts
in a conference call with analysts on thursday ms porat seemed to indicate that if there ever was an anything goes era at google it is now over
in some areas she said investments will be increasing only if teams meet milestones we set as part of our 2016 budgeting process in other areas where google has had multiple teams developing different approaches to a similar technology she said we have been evaluating how to rationalize these approaches
some of that attempt at rationalization has spilled over into stories in the media with tensions and corporate infighting on display at nest as well as at the robotics subsidiary boston dynamics
but google will still invest in unlikely things for one thing it can afford to its cash on hand is now 75 billion up 10 billion in a year
what seemed like a moonshot a decade ago has grown into a booming community of engaged users creators and brands unlike any other video platform said sundar pichai the chief executive he was referring to youtube of course he noted that on mobile alone youtube now reaches more 18  to 34 year olds in the united states than any broadcast or cable network
a question hanging over google is its ventures in cloud computing this is the growth market where amazon is far ahead of everyone amazon web services is more exciting to investors than the retailers core business microsoft meanwhile is mounting an aggressive challenge
google is far behind at no 3 or perhaps even no 4 after ibm said john r rymer an analyst at forrester research last fall google hired diane greene an industry veteran to run all of its cloud businesses
this is their third try to really become a cloud powerhouse mr rymer said they certainly seem more serious this time but well have to see if they move beyond digital natives to airlines utilities trucking companies governments   the enterprises where the real money is
as for europe no mention was made of it by either ms porat or mr pichai and not a single analyst asked about it


seattle   cloud computing is seen by many investors as microsofts salvation the growing business that has convinced many theres a bright future for the company beyond the troubled pc market
but microsofts cloud business didnt grow quite fast enough during its last quarter to keep investors happy the company missed wall street estimates though microsoft executives said it would have beaten them without the impact of unexpectedly high taxes
for its fiscal third quarter which ended march 31 microsoft reported net income of 376 billion or 47 cents a share down from 499 billion or 61 cents a share a year ago revenue fell to 2053 billion from 2173 billion
microsofts traditional profit engines like windows have weakened considerably as sales in the pc market have remained in a multiyear slump last week the research firm gartner reported that worldwide pc shipments in the first quarter fell 96 percent from a year ago
weak pc sales are affecting many large tech companies on tuesday intel the chip maker that for many years was microsofts inseparable partner in the pc business reported disappointing earnings and said it would cut about 11 percent of its work force roughly 12000 people
the revenue microsoft gets from licensing windows to pc makers did better than the market over all but it still fell 2 percent excluding the impact of foreign currency fluctuations
yet microsoft has convinced many investors that it has found a way to adapt to technology changes in part by vigorously embracing cloud computing shares of microsoft which is based in redmond wash are still trading near their price in 1999 their high even with a 5 percent drop in value thursday evening
the optimism stems from its success in transitioning legacy software businesses like office to a cloud business model in which customers subscribe to the applications there are now 222 million subscribers to office 365 the subscription version of its office business up from 124 million a year ago
microsoft has become a credible no 2 to amazon in the business of renting computing infrastructure to other companies in microsoft owned data centers a business it calls azure it remains clear were one of two leaders in this market satya nadella microsofts chief executive said in a call with investors on thursday
one of the brightest spots at microsoft during the last quarter was its intelligent cloud business which includes azure revenue in that group increased 8 percent excluding the impact of foreign currency to 61 billion
brad reback an analyst at stifel nicolaus said that the company didnt do quite as well as he had forecast in its cloud business but that he believed that area was still performing well
i think theyre doing a good job of focusing on areas where they can make healthy returns mr reback said
to some extent microsofts success in the cloud has overshadowed its struggles in the mobile market the company tried for a time to compete in handset sales against apple and others by acquiring the mobile business of nokia but it has greatly scaled back the number of phones it sells and laid off many of the employees in that business after weak sales
microsoft said its phone revenue fell 46 percent in the quarter excluding the impact of foreign currency on the positive side revenue from surface the companys family of mobile computers increased 61 percent
microsofts results reflected a 15 billion deferral of revenue related to its windows 10 operating system without the impact of that deferral the companys earnings were 62 cents a share and revenue was 221 billion
microsofts quarterly results were slightly shy of the 64 cents a share that was the average earnings estimate of wall street analysts compiled by thomson reuters the average revenue estimate was 2209 billion
in an interview amy hood the chief financial officer said microsoft would have exceeded analysts estimates without a 4 cent a share negative impact from changes in its tax rate
ms hood said the tax rate stemmed from an unexpected shift in microsoft sales to countries with higher tax rates along with a shift to revenue from cloud computing which is taxed at a higher rate than traditional software licenses


with more than 50 women having flown in space over the last 50 years and the ranks of women astronauts growing one might assume that a basic physiological question has been answered whats the best approach to manage menstrual cycles in space
an analysis published thursday in the journal npj microgravity reports that many women astronauts might choose to pause their periods while in space especially as missions get longer and discusses ways to do that using long acting contraceptive methods like implants or intrauterine devices may be best the authors say   not only for the women but for reasons of convenience and cargo
the authors dr varsha jain at kings college london who has been described as a space gynecologist and virginia e wotring at baylor college of medicine who might be considered a space pharmacologist write that menstruating in space is safe the old myth that zero gravity would cause retrograde menstrual flow causing blood to accumulate in the abdomen and cause infections has been shown to be baseless
in a nasa oral history dr rhea seddon an astronaut who flew on three space shuttle missions in the 1980s and 1990s said im not totally sure who had the first period in space but they came back and said period in space just like period on the ground dont worry about it
sally ride who in 1983 became the first american woman in space said in another oral history that engineers were trying to decide how many tampons should fly on a one week flight they asked is 100 the right number she replied no that would not be the right number when the engineers told her well we want to be safe she said she answered well you can cut that in half with no problem at all
but having a period in space can be a logistical challenge
the waste disposal systems onboard the us side of the international space station that reclaim water from urine were not designed to handle menstrual blood thus idealizing the minimization of breakthrough bleeding during menstrual suppression write the authors whose review included discussions with the astronauts dr ellen baker and serena aunon among others also the practicalities of personal hygiene while menstruating during spaceflight could be challenging eg limited wash water supply or the task of changing hygiene products in microgravity
the authors write that birth control pills that terrestrially are taken for 21 days followed by seven days of placebo have long been adapted by women in space who skip the placebo week and take the real pills continuously in order to halt menstruation but as spaceflights get longer there are things to consider including that taking a pill every day on say a three year mission would require about 1100 pills the authors wrote
drug stability has not been tested for hormonal medications over such a long time in space or with the impact of deep space radiation the analysis says plus think of all the blister packs they increase upmass the weight of stuff carted along from earth and they add to waste disposal
the authors also suggest areas for further investigation with long term birth control with injections which last three months some studies have found a reduction in bone mineral density and it is unclear how space travel would affect that
the researchers examined hormonal iuds which are currently licensed for five years and implants which last up to three years both they wrote look like a pretty good bet they write but they flag one potential issue with implantsr might the tiny match stick inserted under the skin of the upper arm rub or catch on specialist equipment or attire such as the neutral buoyancy laboratory diving suit or the extra vehicular activity suit terrestrial women dont typically have such wardrobe issues
also the authors include this fun fact because women these days start menstruating sooner give birth later have fewer pregnancies and live longer modern women living in an industrialized country have more menstrual cycles compared with women of prehistoric times how many more nearly three times as many there are an estimated 450 ovulations per lifetime now compared with 160 ovulations for prehistoric women thats a lot more periods period


in sundays season premiere of hbos veep selina meyer julia louis dreyfus is locked in a cliffhanger electoral college tie girding for a recount in nevada and facing the possibility that congress may give the presidency to her running mate and frenemy tom james hugh laurie but her more immediate problem is appearing in public with an enormous stress pimple on her face
richard nixon had a cancer on the presidency veep has a zit on the president
over four seasons veep created by armando iannucci the bbcs the thick of it has been american politics most obscenely funny satire developing a feel for the war of appearances and the exquisite humiliations of washington by focusing on the vice presidency the spare tire of democracy it rendered the government small enough to drown in an acid bathtub
its fifth season is in fine familiar form but something funny has happened to its context amid the threats apocalypticism and ugly passions of the 2016 election its bloodless cynicism and petty stakes are almost reassuring like president bartlets idealism was after the clinton impeachment
this is what weve come to america veep is now our west wing
as expressed through ms louis dreyfuss electric hunger veep is about the sisyphean tease of being this close to power and never quite grasping it even when selina became president last season after a surprise resignation she was already mid campaign empowered but not elected sworn in but not ratified
in the premiere selina addresses the public passive aggressively   it falls to the people to choose their president and that is what you attempted to do last night   and assembles a team to litigate the recount off camera she snaps i forgot to thank the voters for making our country look like a high school spanish club
the tie puts the new season in the zone of uncertainty where veep thrives a schrodingers oval office in which selina is simultaneously president and not president her toadies and allies of convenience are unsure where the power lies now who best to suck up to
mr iannucci left the show after season 4 but while his caustic language is indispensable it is fortunately not inimitable the new episodes are just as amorally hilarious when selina needs to keep a conversation from going public she tells her aide amy anna chlumsky this meeting cannot make it past the schoolbook depository amy answers im loading my gun im going to the sixth floor
right amys back you remember her quitting in exasperation last year on veep fits of principle are seasonal like allergies if a character wants something   a job a bill a policy   you can bet that thing will soon become undesirable and the character will switch positions on a dime at the nevada recount meyer staffers organize a protest when they realize that the decision theyre arguing for would go against them they change the chant midrally
thats democracy but veep is only nominally about politics its about careerists workaholics who marry their jobs and sleep with their phones the closest thing to love here is the creepy filial devotion of selinas body man gary tony hale the more likely a character is to have actual feeling   say selinas daughter catherine sarah sutherland   the more ridiculous she is everyone else is just a resume with a pulse
weve seen joyless ambition on another show about a veep turned potus house of cards veep even has a similar story line about using a family medical crisis for a political bump but veep makes the point more universal by making it less histrionic few of us can be monsters like the underwoods but we all have it in us to be as pathetic as the meyer staff
its tempting to say that life has caught up to veep its true this election shares the seriess below the belt linguistic fixation though veep doesnt bother with small hands euphemisms a subplot in which selina hires a grizzled recount expert martin mull echoes todays candidates enlisting old timers who remember the arcane game of contested conventions
but theres a piece missing the fury resentment and zealotry driving the real election they may exist in veep but theyre somewhere offscreen out in regular people land that none of the beltway lifers in veep believe in anything is not exactly unrealistic but its also oddly comforting they may be the worst but at least they lack all conviction
for the dangers of passionate intensity watch game of thrones which returns for its sixth season an hour and a half earlier on sunday beyond its derrieres and dragons thrones has been an astute study of power politics and flexible alliances give littlefinger 30 minutes on the convention floor in cleveland and hed be picking out the white house drapes
a story line from last season feels especially prescient today hbo has kept the new episodes locked in its own iron bank after years of war a populist fundamentalist religious movement has emerged in westeros led by the high sparrow jonathan pryce the queen mother cersei lannister lena headey in need of allies raises him to high septon of the faith of the seven restoring the churchs private military in hope that he will use it against her enemies
he does   but then his puritans turn on the corrupt ruling class including cersei not unlike certain party establishments cersei believed the high sparrows angry activist base could be useful as long as she harnessed its rage for her purposes she ended the season its prisoner paraded nude before a jeering misogynist crowd by a holy woman chanting shame her final hope for vengeance lies in the brawny form of a mysterious unspeaking knight whose face is hidden by armor paul ryan is that you
all analogies break down of course donald j trump may be a populist insurgent yet he shares the establishment lannisters taste for gold but between these two series you can assemble something like a full sense of our political moment come to game of thrones for the shame stay through veep for the shamelessness


stratford upon avon england   george bernard shaw once mocked what he called bardolatry but worship of william shakespeare is in full swing here as well it should be since this pretty town pretty much exists on the shakespeare industry
as britons ponder exit from the european union in a referendum a debate full of sound and fury and so far signifying little they are celebrating one figure undeniably great indelibly their own and universally admired even more than queen elizabeth ii who is only 90
shakespeare will be celebrated here on saturday with parties a jazz procession in the new orleans style and of course plays it will be the 400th anniversary of his death at 52 after what was said to be a night of merriment with ben jonson
saturdays festivities will follow a more highbrow evening on friday at the holy trinity church where he was baptized and is buried near the altar under a dusty bust of himself a commemorative concert is to feature a reconstruction of the actor david garricks ode to shakespeare celebrated in the rain in 1769 plus a new ode a shakespeare masque by the poet laureate carol ann duffy and composed by sally beamish
yet the anniversary is being marked by other improvements to the visitor experience in this small medieval market town of about 28000 people which normally gets five million tourists a year
for this anniversary the renovated 15th century guildhall and schoolroom upstairs where young william had lessons will be opened and the land on which his lavish house once stood is being turned into a commemorative garden the royal shakespeare company will open a new exhibit to display some of the 30000 costumes it has produced over the years for his 37 though some say 38 plays
holy trinity has been getting lots of visitors and fending off questions about his supposedly missing skull according to paul harris the head verger who said that shakespeare who returned here a rich man has the best grave in the church that money can buy
shakespeare must have been concerned about body snatching mr harris said since he arranged for his body to be entombed in the building not in the churchyard and under heavy stone as extra insurance of course shakespeare put a curse on anyone who moves my bones still scientists continue to try to discover whether his skull is missing lately through ground penetrating radar mr harris said that requests to uncover the grave are regularly denied
we believe hes buried there mr harris said with a disarming honesty since so much is really unknown about the bard including his actual birthday although the first decent collection of his plays the first folio was not published until seven years after his death his genius was recognized early he rose to the ranks of the gentry being granted his own coat of arms   not without controversy   featuring a quill pen
shakespeare owning 125 percent of the london theater company that put on his increasingly popular plays made enough money to return to stratford to buy what was in 1597 considered the largest or some say the second largest house in town known as the new place where he spent the last 19 years of his life and wrote works like the tempest
the house in which he was born still stands preserved and open to visitors who are invited by guides to admire the wall hangings that kept out the chill and the various beds   a great luxury at the time it was bought for the nation in 1847 by a subscription campaign led by charles dickens when the american showman pt barnum wanted to buy it and bring it to the vulgar new world
the new place was demolished in 1759 but the site was preserved in the 1860s as a victorian garden now the shakespeare birthplace trust the inheritor of the group that outfoxed barnums is opening a new commemorative garden on the spot after further years of archaeological exploration
the garden will feature art and sculpture related to shakespeare and his work including a depiction of his desk and chair a ship to represent the tempest and a five yard high bronze tree supposedly according to the wordsmiths of the trust bent under the force of shakespeares power of imagination
ben jonson his fellow playwright and drinking pal famously called him the sweet swan of avon giving rise to the name of the best pub in town   once called the black swan but now known to locals and the actors of the royal shakespeare company who are working through the entire cycle of his plays as the dirty duck
shakespeare is said to have introduced about 1700 words into the english language according to the british library whose exhibit on shakespeare is fascinating for its choices
it features for example the first woman who ever played a female role in a shakespeare play as desdemona in december 1660 but as tanya kirk a co curator points out the actress was featured as a novelty and her name has been lost to time
the exhibit also features the first black man to play othello in london a freeborn american ira aldridge in 1825 at the age of 17 he was known in the british press as the african roscius after a famous roman actor born a slave his performance though praised by a few critics was lambasted by others in crude racial terms the play closed after a few days under pressure from the pro slavery lobby
though mr aldridges appearance would seem to have been a landmark no other black man played othello on a british stage for more than 100 years according to the british library until paul robeson did so in 1930 he received 20 curtain calls he was killing two birds with one stone mr robeson said then im acting and im talking for the negroes in the way only shakespeare can


prince released music steadily from 1978 on making for one of the most daring radical and inventive catalogs in all of pop here are five of his finest albums released at turning point moments in his career that show the artist who was found dead at 57 on thursday in his fullness a cunning vocalist a fiery musician and a peerless songwriter and producer
this was princes third album but the first on which his lusty funk pop experimentalism was operating at full sweat levels playing and producing almost the whole album himself he created a universe of unbridled id from the hunger of when you were mine to the taboo busting incestual drive of sister while also creating a genre moving hybrid of new wave flashy rock and heavy breathing soul
here is prince at his orchestral best purple rain is the first album he released with his backing band the revolution and the one that cemented him as one of pop musics essential stars purple rain is glorious ecstatic piercing with anthems of quiet desperation when doves cry boundless energy lets go crazy or both i would die 4 u though the album was designed as a soundtrack for the film of the same name it stands as one of the most important records in pop history
here is prince collecting material recorded over several years showing off how his flamboyant daring skill could tackle almost any sound or attitude of the day the title track addressed a litany of societal ills and if i was your girlfriend represented prince at his carnal best but those were only two extremes on an album full of them one that showed the full scale of his ambition
by this stage of his career prince wasnt as loose as hed been in his early days but he found ways of laser targeting his erotic impulses which werent weakened at all on this album   his first billed with the new power generation then his backing band   he made sticky sheen pop cream sly gospel rock on willing and able and clangorous funk rock on gett off
late career prince could be a hodgepodge   after he split with his record label warner bros in the mid 1990s he pinballed among styles releasing music at an idiosyncratic clip musicology an album that is jubilant and grounded in princes golden era sonics marked his return to the major label system and also to controlled form he also gave away copies of the album to people who bought tickets to his tour showing that his skepticism of typical music industry practices remained high


newyork presbyterian hospital has agreed to pay a 22 million penalty to federal regulators for allowing television crews to film two patients without their consent   one who was dying the other in significant distress regulators said on thursday that the hospital allowed filming to continue even after a medical professional asked that it stop
at the same time regulators clarified the rules regarding the filming of patients prohibiting health providers from inviting crews into treatment areas without permission from all patients who are present that could end popular television shows that capture emergencies and traumas in progress getting permission from patients only afterward
it is not sufficient for a health care provider to request or require media personnel to mask the identities of patients using techniques such as blurring pixelation or voice alteration software for whom an authorization was not obtained the office for civil rights with the federal department of health and human services said in an online post
the office for civil rights oversees the health insurance portability and accountability act a federal patient privacy law known as hipaa privacy rules for enforcing the law do not allow media access to patients health information without authorization the post said
dr joel geiderman co chairman of the emergency medicine department at cedars sinai medical center in los angeles and chairman of the ethics committee of the american college of emergency physicians said the decision could end real life shows taped in hospitals
i think this will have a chilling effect on hospitals going forward dr geiderman said any hospital legal counsel worth his salt or any pr director would be committing malpractice in order to allow it to occur its now embodied in a federal directive
the federal fine involves the case of mark chanko who was hit by a garbage truck in 2011 and taken to newyork presbyterian hospitalweill cornell medical center a crew from the abc program ny med a reality series featuring dr mehmet oz filmed as doctors unsuccessfully sought to save his life mr chankos widow anita recognized her husband while watching the show the next year though his face was blurred and his voice was muffled
the familys story was chronicled last year by propublica in collaboration with the new york times mr chankos son kenneth filed a complaint in january 2013 but it took more than three years to resolve
the office for civil rights called the disclosures egregious it did not identify the patients by name
this case sends an important message that ocr will not permit covered entities to compromise their patients privacy by allowing news or television crews to film the patients without their authorization jocelyn samuels the offices director said in a statement
kenneth chanko said the family was very grateful happy relieved by the news im almost at a loss of words because were just so grateful that action was taken and this will have a national impact on hospitals he said
in resolving the case newyork presbyterian did not admit wrongdoing or that it violated hipaa in addition to paying the fine it agreed to update its privacy policies and provide additional training to staff the government will monitor its compliance for the next two years
in a statement the hospital said it did not believe it had violated hipaas privacy rules
the hospital said its participation in the program was intended to educate the public and provide insight into the complexities of medical care and the daily challenges faced by our dedicated and compassionate medical professionals
this program and the others that preceded it the hospital continued garnered critical acclaim and raised the publics consciousness of important public health issues including organ transplantation and donation it also vividly depicted how our emergency department medical team works tirelessly every day to save patients lives
earlier this month new yorks highest court revived a lawsuit filed by the chanko family
in a unanimous decision with one judge not taking part the state court of appeals allowed the suit to proceed against newyork presbyterian hospital and its former chief surgical resident sebastian schubl the suit alleges breach of the doctor patient confidentiality owed to mr chanko
but the court did not allow the family to pursue its claim of intentional infliction of emotional distress against the hospital doctor and abc the conduct alleged while offensive the judges found was not outrageous enough to justify damages on that count
legislation has been proposed by new york lawmakers that would make it a crime to film patients without consent with certain exceptions and last summer the trade group representing hospitals in new york city said its members would voluntarily agree to allow filming of their patients only with prior consent


hillary clinton has burned through tens of millions of dollars to counter senator bernie sanders of vermont in states that are unlikely to be general election battlegrounds delaying any pivot to the general election and shrinking her potential financial advantage over the eventual republican nominee
while mrs clinton has built a significant advantage in pledged delegates over mr sanders in the democratic nominating contest her lead has come at a significant cost she spent more than she raised in each of the first three months of the year according to federal election commission data including more than 12 million on ads in march alone
according to the campaign media analysis group mrs clinton has spent at least 20 million on advertising in states like new york illinois and massachusetts money that could otherwise have been saved for the general election
even as mrs clintons campaign begins preparing for the general election in november it has been forced to respond to an advertising blitz by mr sanders financed by a seemingly unending gusher of small donations mr sanders spent 46 million in march alone according to campaign finance records released on wednesday mr sanders poured more than 5 million into the expensive new york media market according to media buyers hoping to replicate his upset victory in michigan
mr sanderss spending   and his ability to keep raising huge amounts of money even while slipping behind in delegates   is likely to intensify criticism from democratic party officials and leading donors who now see mr sanders as waging a costly and quixotic crusade at mrs clintons expense
he is making hillary clinton spend money that should be spent defeating the republicans said john morgan a florida trial lawyer who will host a clinton fund raiser at his lake mary home next week bernie sanders has the real possibility of being the modern day ralph nader all hes doing now is hurting hillary
the lengthening primary poses potential problems not just on the spending side of the ledger but also has delayed a shift to raising money for the general election where mrs clinton lags well behind the pace set by president obama during his 2012 campaign according to data from the commission
aides to mrs clinton say they had always planned for an extended and cash hungry primary hoping to avoid a repeat of her 2008 blunder when she had to lend her campaign millions of dollars to stay afloat after running short of primary cash much of mrs clintons spending has gone to build long term capabilities with data in the field and prospecting for small donors that will pay continuing dividends through an increasingly likely fall campaign they said and mrs clinton remained on budget for the primary race her campaign had 308 million on hand
we head into the homestretch of the primary in strong financial shape with the resources we need to continue to run a competitive race through the end of the primary and the road ahead said robby mook mrs clintons campaign manager
but as the clinton campaign and its allies see the challenge from mr sanders fading and have grown more comfortable with their delegate lead they are shifting some of their attention away from the primary and looking toward the general election mapping out fund raising plans and sharpening their message
the campaign has begun discussions with senior bundlers   donors who volunteer to collect checks from dozens of other donors   to step up contributions to the hillary victory committee a joint fund raising effort with the democratic national committee and many state democratic organizations
by directing her largest donors to give more to party organizations mrs clinton can sock away tens of millions of dollars that would benefit her campaign during a general election effort while avoiding the appearance of presumption that might come with raising general election money while mr sanders remains in the race
the victory committee had raised 61 million through the end of march according to commission filings with most of the money ending up back in mrs clintons campaign or at the democratic national committee much as mr obama did in 2012 mrs clintons team has used party contributions to the joint committee to subsidize some costs of her presidential campaign including prospecting for small donors mr sanders attacked the arrangement this week as unethical though campaign lawyers said it was legal
on wednesday fresh off a victory in the new york primary the campaign hosted hundreds of bundlers for a conference at a sheraton hotel in manhattan where some of mrs clintons top advisers urged donors to focus on bolstering her fund raising for the contest against mr sanders advisers to mrs clintons campaign said it was remaining focused on primary dollars in part because that money   up to 2700 from each supporter   could be used during the general election too while general election contributions could not be spent until after the partys convention in july
the shift in focus has been apparent in mrs clintons messaging in her advertisements particularly in new york mrs clinton has started to turn her attention toward donald j trump who is leading the republican field in delegates her first ad in the state took unsubtle jabs at the republican front runner and a week later she ran her first ad directly targeting mr trump explicitly criticizing his statements
the clinton campaign also created and ran a spanish language ad titled una bandera which recalled that mr trump called immigrants criminals and rapists the ad made no mention or allusion to mr sanders or a democratic primary until the end when it asked people to vote on april 19
a super pac backing mrs clinton is preparing for the worst priorities usa action raised 118 million dollars in march and had 447 million in cash on hand at the start of april far ahead of the groups pace during mr obamas re election campaign
some of the largest contributions in march came from the family of haim saban an entertainment mogul and james h simons a billionaire investor who gave 35 million and the group has spent relatively little in the fight against mr sanders meaning it will enter the general election contest with a sizable campaign war chest
banking on mrs clintons increasingly likely victory in the democratic primary contest and those pledges the group has begun reserving 125 million in television and digital advertising for the general election campaign   a significant sum this early in the race
priorities will be ready to fight back against the billion dollar onslaught republicans are readying against hillary clinton said justin barasky a spokesman for priorities usa


hollywood fla   the republican national committee is scaling back its financial commitments to some of the most hotly contested states because of flagging fund raising the most concrete evidence yet of how the partys divisive and protracted presidential race is threatening the partys entire ticket in november
committee officials outlined detailed plans in written playbooks distributed this year in the most competitive states about how they intended to assist republican campaigns up and down the ballot with money and manpower by july 1 florida was to have 256 field organizers and ohio another 176 for example according to a state party chairman in possession of the strategy books who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal matters
but sean spicer the committees chief strategist acknowledged this week that the committee had begun informing state parties and statewide campaigns that fulfilling such plans would now be slower he said the pledges had been made with the assumption that republicans would have a presumptive presidential nominee by now
just as revealing the party is also taking steps to create a separate fund raising entity dedicated to senate races an acknowledgment that many of the wealthiest contributors are increasingly focused on protecting republican control of congress rather than on a presidential campaign they fear is lost
taken together the partys financial difficulties illustrate the considerable fallout republicans are facing from a nominating contest that could last through mid july and that features two leading candidates donald j trump and senator ted cruz who are deeply troublesome to many leading republican donors
i think everything is up in the air said matt borges the chairman of the republican party in ohio which in addition to being a perennial and perhaps the pre eminent swing state is also home to a competitive senate race this year
that sense of uncertainty along with ample apprehension loomed this week over the partys spring meeting here what is typically an organizational gathering and convivial reunion for republican state chairmen and chairwomen and other committee members has been subsumed by an explosive presidential race in which the front runner is waging open war against the party and its longstanding nomination rules
more worrisome to many veteran republicans than mr trumps complaints about the delegate selection process though is what his nomination could mean for the partys prospects across the board this fall mr trump has no high dollar donor network and has given little indication that he is willing to tap into his fortune to give the party the hundreds of millions of dollars it will require to finance its campaigns in the fall
in remarks to committee members here thursday night mr trumps new top strategist paul manafort sought to allay these fears without being overly specific he is prepared to work with the rnc and the committees to raise the money necessary so that we will be well funded mr manafort said
in the 2012 elections the rnc raised more than 409 million the party has raised 135 million this election but what is deeply concerning to many republican candidates contributors and strategists is that it only had a little more than 16 million on hand along with nearly 2 million in debt at the end of march mr spicer stressed that this was partly because the committee had already begun paying to send staff members to battleground states well ahead of the same time four years ago
but the partys modest cash availability underscores how much hangs in the balance with its nominee
the minute trump gets the nomination the party is going to have to raise another three or four hundred million said al hoffman a florida based republican donor trump should pay for it himself
mr hoffman a former rnc finance chairman is the sort of contributor who illustrates the partys predicament he said he had little appetite to raise money for a trump led party and would probably focus his efforts this year on helping a local house candidate and assisting the re election of his friend senator john mccain of arizona and he emphasized that he was not alone
all the donors ive talked to have said they want to sit out the presidential and just focus on the senate and house mr hoffman said
ray washburne a republican fund raiser from dallas who also previously served as a national committee finance chairman said theres a big switch to doing the senate races and trying to hold onto the senate
mr washburne said mr trump who has relied on mostly small dollar contributors in addition to about 36 million of his own money showed no sign of being prepared for the fund raising demands of a presidential general election
the trump group has done nothing about putting together a finance team at all he said
and mr washburne would know a former finance chairman of gov chris christies presidential campaign mr washburne was brought backstage to meet mr trump in february when mr christie of new jersey endorsed mr trump mr washburne said mr trump lavished him with praise   he makes you feel like a million dollars   but did not ask him for any help raising money or to connect him with other top fund raisers
in the months since mr washburne said he has not heard from mr trump even as donors have asked him because of his ties to mr christie how they could help mr trump i dont even know who the hell to tell them to call mr washburne said
this sort of unease about mr trump along with the dislike many of the partys business oriented donors have for the hard line mr cruz has prompted the rnc to begin privately assuring donors that it will create a so called senate trust fund money earmarked for that fund will go entirely to initiatives aimed at retaining the senate   including hiring field operatives and opposition researchers and bolstering digital efforts
we want to be able to look a donor in the eye and say yes your dollars are going to help maintain the senate  said mr spicer who confirmed the programs creation
the idea rankled top officials at the national republican senatorial committee the partys senate campaign arm who said they had not been informed of the rncs senate plan
the money cannot come soon enough to strategists and campaign officials in the most contested states many of which feature a competitive presidential race and hard fought campaigns for senate and governor
the situation is particularly urgent in florida the largest of the traditional presidential swing states which this year is holding a wide open contest for senator marco rubios seat the outcome of which could determine control of the senate
the usually well funded florida republican party has encountered financial difficulties since gov rick scotts preferred candidate for state party chairman was rejected last year making it more reliant on national assistance what is more the sort of get out the vote efforts that are typically funded by the parties are especially crucial in florida because many of its voters cast absentee ballots or take advantage of early voting
weve never not had a robust absentee and early voting program in florida said david johnson a longtime republican strategist here
there is similar concern in north carolina where what may be the countrys most competitive governors race is being fought and where republicans who have seen private polling say mr trump is trailing hillary clinton
but as in other battleground states that appears to be delayed until the national party has more clarity about its finances
the unspoken concern said mr borges the ohio chairman is that if mr trump secures the nomination he no 1 wont participate in fund raising for the party and no 2 donors wont want to help the party if hes the nominee
so that would put a real damper on fund raising in a number of ways


beirut lebanon   amid renewed fighting across syria on thursday clashes broke out between kurdish militias and syrian government forces potentially opening a new front in the already complex conflict
the skirmishes   in syrias northeastern tip where the government controls just a small enclave within a de facto kurdish autonomous region   disrupted qamishli one of syrias calmer safer cities
before this kurdish and government forces had largely avoided clashes as kurdish militias largely focused on holding off islamic state militants with help from the united states and russia but tensions have been brewing since the kurds formally declared their autonomous zone this year
the new fighting added to a sense that syria risked slipping back into all out war as a partial truce and an effort at political talks collapsed in tandem the opposition negotiators walked out of talks in geneva this week saying they refused to continue while the government was committing massacres and the warring parties showed signs of preparing for new battles
two major humanitarian successes provided the lone bright spots in the darkening landscape in one of the largest evacuations from besieged areas 515 sick and wounded people were extricated from four blockaded areas   two opposition held towns madaya and zabadani and two government held towns fouaa and kfarya those towns have had more luck in negotiations because they have been treated as a group in talks often involving the governments ally iran and the insurgents turkish backers
and a united nations convoy was reported to be on the way to rastan in homs province which has not received aid since 2012
even so the united nations special envoy for the syrian conflict staffan de mistura said on thursday that aid was reaching only about 560000 people out of the 41 million believed to be in need in besieged and hard to reach areas united nations officials say the syrian government is not allowing medicines or medical equipment to be included in the aid deliveries this is not only worrisome but unacceptable according to international law mr de mistura said
american officials expressed concern over reports that russia was moving artillery into place around the divided city of aleppo to help its ally the syrian government begin a new attempt to retake rebel held areas there there are growing fears about an offensive unleashing a new wave of refugees toward the turkish border they would join the tens of thousands already marooned on the syrian side
those refugees set off a debate thursday in brussels over turkeys request for visa free travel for its people across most of the region by early summer allowing up to 80 million turks to visit most countries of the european union is one of the most divisive parts of a deal the bloc signed last month with ankara for now the agreement has stanched the blocs worst migration crisis since world war ii by keeping the refugees in turkey
but critics complain that the deal has forced europe into far reaching concessions to turkey just as it takes an authoritarian turn under president recep tayyip erdogan
mr erdogan has angered some european officials by pushing the issue while hinting at his power to unleash another flood of migrants toward the continent
in the fighting in qamishli kurdish activists and news sites reported as many as a dozen pro government militia fighters had been killed along with at least two kurdish fighters members of the autonomous regions security forces the reports showed video of a tattered government flag at the alayia prison in the area which they said had been taken over by kurdish fighters
pro government websites said kurds had started the battle by attacking army positions kurdish activists said in accounts posted online that the tensions began when government forces sought to prevent one of them from filming in the government held security zone in the city
syrias most powerful kurdish party the democratic union party and its militias known as the peoples protection units or ypg have largely maintained an implicit cease fire with government forces in exchange for local autonomy since the outset of the syrian uprising which began with political protests and security crackdowns in 2011
they have been a powerful player that does not fit neatly into the anti government camp in part because of their secular socialist ideology and in part because of arab concerns over kurdish territorial aspirations in a region that has a significant arab minority nor do they fit well in the government fold because of historic tensions between kurds and the syrian state
the kurds have been the most consistently effective local ground force against the islamic state drawing competing support from russia and the united states yet they have also sometimes clashed with opposition groups   drawing rebel accusations that they are collaborating with the government
in an interview with a saudi newspaper on monday the leader of the democratic union party saleh muslim sought to dispel suspicions of collusion with the government of president bashar al assad he said that the kurdish forces were ready to fight assad under a secular democratic and civilian umbrella and that assad is falling no matter how long it takes
but he said he did not want to carry out the fight in such a way that syria would fall into the hands of the islamic state or other jihadists


david geffen has again reached into his ample coffers to bestow 100 million on a cultural institution   this time the museum of modern art for its 440 million expansion and renovation project   in a gift announced on thursday
these are the kind of gifts you only dream about said glenn d lowry momas director
mr geffens name will adorn another major new york arts building in perpetuity as it does the former avery fisher hall which received his last 100 million gift a year ago
moma will now have a david geffen wing three floors of new galleries in a residential tower designed by jean nouvel to the west of the museum on west 53rd street currently under construction and as of this spring the museums existing fourth floor exhibition space will be called the david geffen galleries
the avery fisher gift generated concerns because it covered only a fifth of the projected renovation cost in exchange for perpetual naming rights
mr geffen a leading art collector with an estimated worth of 68 billion said in an interview that moma has long played an important role in his life when i worked in the mailroom at the william morris agency i used to brown bag it at the sculpture garden of the museum of modern art he said its where i developed my interest in post world war ii art
having made his fortune in pop music art and movies mr geffen has been a longtime supporter of the museum donating substantial artworks over the years most recently a mark grotjahn sculpture and lending pieces from his collection for important exhibitions as he did for a 1996 jasper johns retrospective
hes a friend of the institution mr lowry said he comes here all the time
the gift was discussed over the past six months mr lowry said and was helped along by mr geffens friendship with momas president marie josee kravis
mr geffen who established the geffen contemporary at the museum of contemporary art in los angeles dismissed the idea that he is choosing one coast over another i spend time in both california and new york he said and i have a great affection for both places
at a time that many cultural organizations are struggling to raise funds for their expansions   the metropolitan museum of art announced on thursday that it was suspending the design of its new modern and contemporary wing to cope with a growing deficit   the geffen gift gets moma to the finish line on a building project that has barely broken ground
moma has raised 650 million including mr geffens gift which is unrestricted meaning it can be directed at the museums discretion through davids generosity mr lowry said were in incredible shape
the museums costs include 400 million for new construction and about 40 million for renovations in addition moma continues to raise funds to increase its endowment and to cover operations during construction when revenue is expected to decline because some galleries will be closed
the expansion and renovation designed by diller scofidio  renfro will add 50000 square feet of galleries giving the museum more space to present its collection and exhibitions and allowing it to improve circulation particularly in the museums congested entrance
mr geffen has donated to the los angeles county museum of art the spelman and morehouse college arts education programs the university of california at los angeles school of theater film and television the university of southern california school of cinematic arts and the geffen playhouse
in early 2013 he contributed to the academy of motion picture arts and sciences for the creation of the academy museum of motion pictures
his total philanthropic support to ucla exceeds 400 million
mr geffen who has no dependents suggested that there may be future substantial donations in store i intend to give away as much of my money as possible while im alive to things that i think are valuable he said so far its a considerable amount of money
mr geffen will ultimately leave his art collection valued at more than 2 billion to his foundation which will give the pieces to institutions or sell them and donate the proceeds to his main causes culture medicine and education


washington   the number of americans filing for unemployment benefits fell unexpectedly last week hitting its lowest level since 1973 the labor department said on thursday while another report showed a mild weakening in factory activity in the mid atlantic region in april manufacturers were fairly upbeat about business prospects in the next six months
initial claims for state unemployment benefits declined 6000 to a seasonally adjusted 247000 for the week ended april 16 the lowest reading since november 1973 the labor department said
jobless claims have now been below 300000 a threshold associated with healthy labor market conditions for 59 weeks the longest stretch since 1973 that labor market strength comes despite signs that growth stumbled in the first quarter
the economy has been hurt by a strong dollar and weak global demand which have eroded exports lower oil prices are also a constraint as they have undercut the profits of energy companies leading them to cut spending on capital projects
in a separate report on thursday the federal reserve bank of philadelphia said that its business conditions index fell to minus 16 this month from a reading of 124 in march but the surveys indicators of future activity showed continued improvement with rising expectations for increases in orders shipments and factory jobs
the four week moving average of claims considered a better measure of labor market trends because it irons out week to week volatility fell 4500 to 260500 last week
the claims report covered the survey week for april nonfarm payrolls the four week average of claims rose 1000 between the march and april survey periods implying another strong month of employment gains payrolls increased 215000 in march
this continued strength in the labor market supports our forecast for a modest rebound in consumer spending growth in the second quarter but it also suggests that wage and inflation pressures will continue to build said jesse edgerton an economist at jpmorgan in new york
the claims report also showed that the number of people still receiving benefits after an initial week of aid dropped 39000 to 214 million in the week ended april 9 the lowest level since november 2000 the four week average of the so called continuing claims was also the lowest since november 2000


nearly two weeks after new jersey transit named a new executive director state officials said on thursday that the appointee a former amtrak official had decided not to take the job
william crosbie who had worked as chief operating officer for amtrak was appointed to the agency post this month state officials said he withdrew over concerns about relocating his family from virginia
the agencys chairman richard t hammer said he was disappointed by the news
the decision came as a surprise to us because of the level of mutual enthusiasm we both shared when he accepted the offer mr hammer said in a statement
mr crosbie 51 who was expected to start on monday had not previously disclosed his reservations about moving his family said stephen schapiro a spokesman for the state transportation department mr crosbie has residences in montclair nj and virginia mr schapiro said
mr crosbies decision which was first reported by the wall street journal on wednesday night is a setback for the agency which has been plagued by financial problems and complaints from riders about unreliable service last year the agencys executive director veronique hakim left to become president of new york city transit which runs the citys subways and buses
the state will now restart its search for an executive director mr hammer said dennis j martin who has served as the agencys interim leader will continue in that role
in announcing mr crosbies appointment earlier this month mr hammer had said he was perfectly suited to address the needs facing the agency at this important time
mr crosbie did not respond to a request for comment on thursday
gov chris christie said it was better to learn mr crosbie had a change of heart now rather than after he started the job
when you say you accept a job and you look somebody in the eye i think its important to keep your word mr christie told reporters so im very disappointed in that
new jersey transit narrowly avoided a strike by its rail workers last month after a tense dispute over wages and benefits at the same time the agency has taken a lead role on a huge project to build a new rail tunnel under the hudson river


miami   over the past five years jeremy lin has felt multiple disparate identities foisted upon him undrafted underdog franchise savior overpaid mercenary none quite fit
but over these past six months a fresh calibration seems to have occurred a half step away from the spotlight lin has nurtured an existence that now comfortably rests somewhere between the short burst ecstasy of his time with the knicks and the protracted bewilderment of his stints with the houston rockets and the los angeles lakers
meet jeremy lin solid basketball player
as a reserve this season for the charlotte hornets lin contributed steadily to a group that enjoyed an exciting run to the playoffs he reasserted himself as a deft scorer capable of catching fire in the right conditions after finishing seventh in the nbas sixth man of the year voting he reset his value as an attractive target for teams this summer should he as expected decide to become a free agent
in an interview this week lin said that he felt liberated by a firmer sense of who he is
i think im just in a different place mentally spiritually where im able to enjoy this job more and more lin said the lows dont affect me the way they used to anymore
at the risk of speaking too soon it seems as though lin has broken out of the grating cycle of hype and backlash that shadowed him after a sudden emergence with the knicks in 2011 12 catapulted him to the national stage
the most provocative thing about lin this season might have been his changing hairstyles lin has been trying to grow his hair out to some unspecified length and the process led him to improvise various coiffures mohawks side parts ponytails he laughed this week about the way fans on social media and interviewers had tried to use his hair as a window to his inner life to find some symbolism in the hairdos to attach some special meaning to styling gel
its taken on a life of its own which i never expected lin said im just trying to have fun with it
fun was missing at times over the last few years he languished on the rockets from 2012 to 2014 often watching from the corner as james harden handled the teams creative responsibilities with the lakers last season he seemed miscast in the teams ponderous offensive system
lin was a free agent after the lakers 21 win season and suitors were not quite knocking down his door but the hornets envisioned a role for him and coach steve clifford pitched him a system that would emphasize fast play and pick and rolls   the lively conditions in which lin thrives the hornets who had missed the playoffs in 2015 had ambitions to re establish themselves as postseason contenders it was an intriguing opportunity
going through what he went through last year and then coming here and having a chance to do something special he was down for it charlotte center al jefferson said in this league you want a winning situation and normally everything else will take care of itself
lin signed a modest contract two years for 437 million with a player option on the second year it has been a mutually beneficial agreement at jeffersons request lin helped to revive and organize the hornets road trip bible study group which had gone dormant last season jefferson said the entire team had attended the final session of the regular season
on the court lin averaged 161 points per 36 minutes during the regular season his highest single season average since his days in new york in five games he notched 25 points or more including a 35 point performance against the toronto raptors in january and a 29 point game in a surprise win over the san antonio spurs in march
as the season wound down clifford praised lin for a terrific year he said there were facets of his game that seemed to have gone underappreciated
hes a much much better defender than people realize clifford said he competes hard every night and hes a very serious player
lin kept a low profile all season his name re entered the national conversation this month however when a fan named hsiu chen kuei from san jose calif uploaded a homemade video to youtube that showed multiple instances in which lin had drawn hard contact from opponents kuei questioned why flagrant fouls had not been called the video was widely viewed
an article in the new york times about kuei and the video prompted the nba to issue a statement saying essentially that lins common and flagrant foul numbers were in line with league norms
lin shrugged this week when asked what he thought about the nbas response he seemed to find it a bit perplexing
that doesnt address the issue lin said to me not everybody drives the same way not everybody goes to the basket the same way not everybody takes contact the same way i mean it is what it is they made their statement all i know is youve just got to watch the film
but lin did not want to criticize the officiating he said that it was out of his control and that he had other matters to worry about the hornets fell behind in their series against the miami heat two games to none with a loss on wednesday night he scored 9 points in game 1 and 11 points in game 2 and is among the many hornets players who will need to improve in game 3 on saturday to make the series competitive
lin demurred too when asked whether he might opt out of his contract this summer and what he might seek he said that it would be disrespectful to the hornets organization and to his teammates to discuss personal business during this postseason run
several teams could use his services the nets hiring of kenny atkinson an atlanta hawks assistant who had been an assistant with the knicks during the linsanity days to lead their team next season prompted some media outlets to speculate whether brooklyn would be an attractive destination for lin lin did not entertain any notion that there was significance to the connection but he was more than happy to heap praise on his former coach
ive kind of been saying it was just a matter of time for him because i know how good he is i know how much he was there for me in new york lin said when youre around him you kind of understand theres something different about him his energy his passion the juice he approaches his work with
lin added he doesnt leave any stone unturned hes always the first one in and im saying first one in by like hours
clifford offered similar praise for lins work ethic he called him a serious player who puts in extra work every day since last summer lins focus has been on altering his jump shot   still a weak point in his game   with help from a shooting coach clifford predicted lins 3 point shooting percentage would rise starting next season
i think hes got another big jump in his game clifford said
and then maybe another label in a short career full of them


montecristi ecuador   the earth shook and the steeple fell taking most of the bell tower with it a white facade gave way leaving the pews open to the street
but amid the wreckage at the basilica one object remained untouched our mother of monserrate the statue of the virgin mary for which the church was named
dressed in gold robes and wearing a tiny crown she is only about three feet tall but the statue which landed on these shores from spain in the 16th century has long played an outsize role in the history of montecristi
she survived bombardment by pirates and became a rallying point for catholics when a secular government expelled priests generations later every november hundreds of thousands of pilgrims trek from across ecuador for nine days of festivities in her honor
now after a 78 magnitude earthquake upended the nation last weekend the survival of our mother of monserrate has become a symbol of the persistence of this hillside town
she is the mother who has taken care of us through this earthquake said the rev angel toaquiza the priest who looks after the broken church and i think a sign of this is that she suffered no damage that day
that she stands at all he said was no less than a miracle
eight people from montecristi were among the more than 570 who have died throughout ecuador since the earthquake struck gabriela rocio mero 36 a teacher from this town had gone with her daughter 8 and her niece 9 on saturday evening to buy school supplies in the port town of manta when a building collapsed and killed all three
the body of the mother was found on monday on tuesday night after the remains of the two children were discovered and buried neighbors from an alley beside the church gathered for a nightlong vigil
she was very religious very sincere said adriana palma a friend since childhood
the vigil was being held under the rubble of the bell tower with the church closed the only place for the memorial was outside ms palma said
that night the damage of the church seemed to weigh on people at the vigil almost as much as the deaths in montecristi
the cross at the top of the bell tower used to be the first thing people would see when they approached the town from the road said ms palmas mother even sailors could spot the white church against the mountains when they came from sea
it is the pride of this town said fabricio quijije a neighbor
times like these were precisely when montecristi would turn to our mother of monserrate for solace and guidance
according to local legend the statue was sent to south america by king charles v of spain as part of a pair with a statue called the virgin of mercy the king intended the second statute to remain in ecuador while monserrate was supposed to make its way to the viceroy in lima
but the statue had other plans when the boat set sail for peru it was mysteriously unable leave the port according to the tale the captain took it as a sign that our mother of monserrate should stay in ecuador
since then residents say the statue has intervened repeatedly for them over the generations nearly everyone has a story
father toaquiza remembered a terminal cancer patient from guayaquil who was cured after visiting the church luzmila morales a catechism teacher said that just this month even before the quake struck she and other parishioners had escaped when a hillside collapsed leaving her bus under an avalanche
we began to pray she said she covered us with her shroud
the statues survival of saturdays earthquake has especially captured the imaginations of those of montecristi a sign of hope in a week with little good news
dalinda bravo a 28 year old from nearby portoviejo in training to become a nun recalled sitting in the church on saturday evening as she had countless times before praying and singing songs to the virgin mary
suddenly a roar echoed through the church cracks began to tear across the walls a statue of st peter fell and broke in two
it felt like we were in a blender she said
father toaquiza was having coffee across the street preparing for 730 mass when the tremors began
thank god we hadnt started mass when the bell tower fell he said that was the miracle
four days later he gathered with a group of about 200 to celebrate the evening mass which has been moved outdoors
the sun set after a hot afternoon behind him sparrows flew in and out of a crack in the basilica walls
i have been asked by people how we have been affected by this earthquake he began do we still believe in our mother
yes said the crowd
but the question of what would become of the church worried those who attended could it be repaired or would money need to be found to tear it down and build anew
please let someone rebuild our temple let us build it with even more love said a woman who took the microphone
others like silvia quijije whose sister gabriela died with the two children saturday saw hope even in the broken church
we believe the virgin saved us she said she sacrificed her house to save our lives like how jesus died for our sins
she pointed to the collapsed bell tower near her home and said the tower fell into the church it didnt fall into our house


iran reacted furiously on thursday to a united states supreme court ruling that irans central bank must pay nearly 2 billion to american victims of terrorist attacks calling the ruling thievery and a new threat to any improvement in relations
a spokesman for the iranian foreign ministry hossein jaberi ansari said in a statement quoted by state media that the courts ruling on wednesday was a mockery of international law and amounts to appropriation of the islamic republic of irans property
congress enacted a law in 2012 to make it easier for families of americans killed in terrorist attacks like the 1983 truck bombing of a marine corps barracks in beirut lebanon to recover damages from iran investigators have concluded that iran was responsible for that attack something iran has long denied
the court ruled 6 to 2 that congress did not exceed its constitutional role in enacting the law the ruling will at least theoretically allow the families to obtain compensation from iranian central bank assets that have been impounded
press tv an iranian government news website reported mr ansari warning that the ruling increases the distrust between tehran and washington
the ruling came at a time when iran and the united states are engaged in a new dispute over fulfilling the commitments of the international agreement on irans nuclear program that agreement calls for sanctions to be eased and for certain impounded assets to be released in exchange for guarantees that irans nuclear activities remain peaceful
iran has complained that nonnuclear related american sanctions on iran have dissuaded many international companies from investing or trading in the country out of fear that they could still run afoul of american law


regulators released long awaited rules on thursday morning that aim to restrict how big financial institutions can pay their top executives
the new limits on banker bonuses would make the highest paid employees at the biggest banks wait at least four years to receive parts of their annual pay if the proposals are completed in the coming months banks would also have to reclaim bonuses from bankers who take risks that lead to big financial losses
the regulators are responding to an uproar of criticism over wall streets pay practices after the biggest american banks had to take government bailout money during the 2008 financial crisis that public anger has been rekindled during the 2016 presidential campaign season putting pressure on regulators to tighten their oversight of wall street
the new rules on executive pay grew out of the 2010 dodd frank financial overhaul but it has taken years to put them into practice even though president obama has pushed regulators to complete them the administration is running out of time to get rules approved before a new president is elected
rick metsger the vice chairman at the national credit union administration   one of six agencies responsible for drafting the rules   said on thursday that politicians and the public want senior executives at large financial institutions held accountable if their desire for personal enrichment leads to decision making that results in material losses
the structure of executive pay packages before the financial crisis was blamed for encouraging bankers to take unnecessary risks in some cases pay was set up in ways that motivated bankers to seek short term gains even if their actions led to losses over the longer term
the new rules will force many banks to withhold pay for longer than they have in the past to ensure that top employees can be held accountable for the longer term consequences of their risk taking
the proposals leave many financial firms including large asset managers and hedge funds shielded from the new restrictions because of the way the regulators have defined which institutions are subject to them young wall street workers and potential recruits who might once have aspired to jobs in the industry are already decamping for less regulated corners of finance and corporate america including silicon valley
for those institutions subject to the rules the new restrictions are broadly in line with changes that many banks have already been making since the financial crisis
for instance it is already an industry standard to wait three years to release stock based bonuses the new rules aim to push that to four years
there has been less consistency in how banks have approached seizing pay from employees if their actions lead to losses the new proposal makes bankers pay vulnerable to so called clawbacks for seven years after the pay is received if they are found to have engaged in misconduct or taken actions that led to big losses
steven eckhaus an expert on executive compensation at cadwalader wickersham  taft said he did not see the new rules having a big impact except around the margins
this largely codifies the practices that have evolved over the last eight years he said
the regulators were supposed to propose the new rules within 90 days of dodd franks passage instead the regulatory agencies delivered a first draft of the rules in 2011 but that draft was widely panned as being too weak
in the previous draft the largest banks had to hold back at least 50 percent of all incentive based pay for three years under the new proposals the same banks will have to withhold 60 percent of that pay for four years
the new draft also applies the limits to a broader set of material risk takers at big banks not just top executives
marcus stanley the policy director at the advocacy organization americans for financial reform said the new version was stronger than the 2011 proposal but did not push the banks to go far enough beyond already accepted practices
he said for instance that he had hoped that banks would have to hold back pay for more than four years because big losses on bank investments can often take longer than that to materialize
in britain by contrast banks are now forced to hold back some pay for at least seven years european countries have generally imposed stronger restrictions on executive compensation since the financial crisis including some hard caps on salary and bonuses
the new american rules would apply only to incentive based compensation   generally bonuses   which varies according to the performance of the bank and the individual executive
even without the rules banks have faced steady pressure from regulators and shareholders since the financial crisis to change the way they pay their employees and tie more compensation to a firms long term rather than short term success
jpmorgan chase for instance recently announced that it was altering the pay package of its chief executive jamie dimon so that he is compensated primarily with stock that he will receive only if the firm achieves certain levels of future profitability mr dimon will get the stock after five years which is longer than the new rules propose
banks and other financial institutions have generally been cutting pay in recent years because of their lagging performance and other parts of the dodd frank legislation have limited their ability to take big risks and earn the big profits that were common before the financial crisis
this week goldman sachs said that the pool of money it had put aside so far this year for employee compensation is 40 percent smaller than it was at the same time last year
the new rules were debated and described for the first time at a meeting on thursday of the national credit union administration the first of the six agencies to take up the proposal
the public will have until july to comment on the new rules and it will likely be months after that before they go into effect


for all the talk about a wall between the united states and mexico the problem with border security continues to be as much below ground as above on wednesday officials in san diego announced the discovery of another cross border tunnel built by drug smugglers   the longest one found yet at about half a mile
the tunnel had rails lighting ventilation and even a large elevator leading to a closet in a modest house in tijuana united states attorney laura e duffy said on the san diego side where the tunnel emerged in an industrial park in the otay mesa neighborhood the authorities arrested and charged six people last week and confiscated more than a ton of cocaine and seven tons of marijuana that they said had been smuggled through the passage   the largest drug seizure associated with a tunnel
despite the superlatives cited by officials the cat and mole game between law enforcement and drug cartels shows no sign of abating in the last five years the authorities said they have found more than 75 cross border tunnels mostly in areas of california and arizona where there are enough buildings to disguise illicit activity and the soil is conducive to digging in tijuana in particular the tunnels are considered an intractable fact of life
specialists on border control say no one has a clear idea how many tunnels are operating or how much of a role they play in the drug trade but they will be a factor for the foreseeable future in just the last month another long tunnel was found linking calexico to mexicali and a shorter one near calexico
they keep finding tunnels they keep getting bigger and longer and more sophisticated said david a shirk associate professor of political science and international relations at the university of san diego it just seems like we havent reduced the capacity of people to make tunnels i think this is a problem we have to manage not a problem we can actually solve
law enforcement agencies have explored high tech ways to detect tunnels using vibrations or magnetic fields but those have not been effective most often experts say tunnels are found through old fashioned police work acting on tips or putting suspected traffickers under surveillance
the tunnels demonstrate the persistence and resources of the cartels joaquin guzman loera the sinaloa cartel boss known as el chapo famously used tunnels to escape twice from prison and to flee a hide out shortly before his most recent capture
some experts say the tunnels are also a testament to the improved effectiveness of drug interdiction traffickers would not resort to digging which is slow and expensive unless they thought it was necessary said jayson ahern a former acting commissioner of united states customs and border protection who is now a principal at the chertoff group a security firm
you still are dealing with a very adaptable adversary who will try to get their drugs into the us by any means necessary mr ahern said every time you go ahead and displace a smuggling route you make it more difficult for yourself to detect the next route
the tunnels have not been known to be used for large scale smuggling of people which would increase the number of people who could be caught and disclose a tunnels location and despite fears raised in congress experts say there is no evidence that the cartels are helping terrorists enter the country
a package of cocaine or heroin is much easier to move and hide than a person and the profit it represents is far greater said christopher wilson deputy director of the mexico institute at the woodrow wilson international center for scholars a policy research group working with terrorists would bring a huge amount heat on the cartels and thats bad for business
the latest tunnel discovered in an investigation involving several federal agencies was almost 900 yards long at about 10 feet deep and three feet wide it was narrower and shallower than some others that have been found the northern opening was in a fenced commercial lot with stacks of wooden pallets
i think it fair to say that few would suspect that traffickers were moving multiton quantities of cocaine and marijuana in this very unassuming way in full view of the world around them ms duffy said


thinking about buying a sport utility vehicle or crossover get in line according to ihs automotive the segment outsold sedans in the united states last year now you could buy a station wagon they handle more like sports sedans because of their lower center of gravity or a minivan but buyers have voted for crossovers with their checkbooks cheap gas helps
but which one performs the best with that question in mind members of the northwest automotive press association started a competition called mudfest in 1994 the name gives you the idea over two days this year 26 journalists evaluated 27 vehicles including crossovers suvs and pickups in six categories pitting a mitsubishi outlander sport against a lexus lx 570 or chevrolet colorado pickup is like comparing apples to oranges
but even the categories are getting harder to differentiate this years field included two hybrids toyota rav4 and bmw x5 xdrive40e plug in and a diesel mazdas cx 3 could be considered a diminutive all wheel drive hatchback the fastback style mercedes benz gle450 amg looks and performs like a sports coupe whats next a convertible range rover evoque wait thats a real thing also the only pickup without a diesel engine is the toyota tacoma
for on road testing we pushed the vehicles on the go kart course at the ridge motorsports park in shelton wash theres nothing more wrong   or joyous   than throttling a full size nissan titan pickup on a track designed for vehicles that can nestle in its bed the idea is to discover acceleration handling and braking prowess
the vehicles were also tested on a moderate off road course whose dips and potholes would damage many cars but nearly all of the competitors including kia sportage fiat 500x acura rdx and ford explorer slogged through the mud ruts and grades without breaking a sweat or more important suspension arms the lesson dont overbuy when it comes to capability vehicles like the jeep wrangler range rover sport and lexus lx 570 as well as the pickups   nissan titan ram toyota tacoma and chevrolet colorado   tackled a more extreme course which in some places was difficult to traverse by foot
the writers did more than just driving they sampled interiors specialty features and technology if you have not bought a car in 10 years youre missing auto braking with pedestrian detection heated steering wheels and around view camera systems that make it seem as if a helicopter is hovering above the vehicle
the manufacturers provided the vehicles they felt best suited for this competition but not all automakers participated i was surprised that the 2016 volvo xc90 was not there and disappointed that the tesla model x was a no show in the end the association chose the following vehicles for their combination of value capability and features though i still suggest checking out station wagons and minivans
best compact 2016 mazda cx 3 grand touring
best premium compact 2016 volvo v60 cross country t5 awd
best family 2016 jeep grand cherokee ecodiesel
best premium 2016 volvo xc60 t6 drive e awd
best extreme capability 2016 jeep wrangler 75th anniversary edition
best pickup 2016 ram rebel
best overall 2016 jeep grand cherokee ecodiesel


dish network wanted its mtv after all
on thursday morning dish the satellite tv provider and viacom announced that they had struck a multiyear agreement for dish to continue to carry viacoms bundle of television networks averting a threatened blackout
dishs 14 million customers will have uninterrupted access to 18 viacom channels including mtv nickelodeon and comedy central
in addition select viacom content will be added to dishs sling tv streaming serviceswhich offer a slimmer bundle of networks starting at 20 a month add on packages for specific genres of programming also are available for an additional monthly fee
specific terms of the deal were not disclosed
striking the agreement was especially crucial for viacom which has faced several business woes in recent months the company has reported persistently weak earnings and faced questions over its management the looming threat that dish could drop viacom channels from its service added to the uncertainty about the companys fate
the announcement that dish and viacom had reached an agreement reassured investors as more than 80 percent of the companys distribution is now locked up with long term deals
in the last year viacom has closed long term domestic distribution agreements with a series of satellite and cable companies including att charter frontier mediacom and others that represent more than 44 million total subscribers
viacoms stock surged with the news by midday thursday viacom shares were up nearly 10 percent shares in dish network were about flat
todays renewal together with several additional affiliate agreements announced over the past year will enable viacom to drive growth and deliver better more engaging viewer experiences for years to come philippe p dauman viacoms chief executive said in a statement
viacom said that the various distribution deals would fuel growth in the companys affiliate revenue   the money it receives from cable satellite and other digital distributors   in the solid mid single digit rates in 2017 and beyond
in february viacom set off investor concern when it cut expectations for affiliate revenue growth to the low mid single digit range for the 2016 fiscal year after previously stating that it would be in the high single digits
charles w ergen chief executive of dish said in a statement that the deal extended a nearly 20 year relationship between the companies
we appreciate viacoms willingness to continue with us on our journey as we work to deliver the best most innovative television services available he said


a public feud between whole foods and a customer who accused the store of scrawling an anti gay slur on his cake escalated this week with dueling lawsuits inspiring hundreds of online sleuths to debate the clues in security footage and in the hand lettered icing
the trouble began on april 14 when jordan brown an openly gay pastor bought a pre frosted chocolate cake from a whole foods in austin tex and asked an employee to write the words love wins in icing on top it was to be a gift for a member of his congregation
accounts diverge from there
according to mr brown 31 as he was driving away from the store he looked down through the clear top of the cake box and was horrified to see a slur scrawled beneath the love wins he called the store and received an apology he said but a short time later an employee called back and denied that the offensive word was written by anyone at whole foods
on monday mr brown and his lawyer announced a lawsuit against whole foods at a news conference during which the pastor choked back tears as he described the humiliation of the experience
at the same time the lawyer austin kaplan posted a youtube video showing mr brown fuming over his treatment by whole foods and presenting evidence that he said implicated the grocery chain he held the cake box up to the camera to show an unbroken label along an edge of the box where the lid meets the bottom
i have not opened the box he said in the video
a day later whole foods publicly denounced the episode as a fraud
the company released video surveillance footage from the store located on north lamar boulevard that it said showed mr brown holding the cake at the checkout line in it a label can be seen affixed to the top of the box the store said not on a bottom edge as it appeared in mr browns video
this is evident as the cashier scans the upc code on top of the box the store said in its counter lawsuit
whole foods is seeking 100000 contending mr brown acted with malice to damage its reputation
questions about mr browns accusations have enthralled the texas capital where whole foods is based as hundreds of online detectives have debated the case on social media and in the comment threads of the austin american statesman their fascination is driven in part by the unlikely adversaries a gay african american man and a grocery chain that promotes itself as a steward of social and environmental responsibility
some have expressed disbelief that the pastor didnt notice the slur while in the store mr brown noted in his lawsuit that he rushed out of the whole foods after his purchase others have pointed out what looks like a possible discrepancy in the cakes lettering
lisa mansour a cake decorating instructor in new york city concluded that the love wins and the slur were not written at the same time the colors of each word written in blue icing seem to match she said but not the lettering
the love wins is thicker and the second word its much finer she said its not consistent
asked if a disgruntled employee could have written the slur without being detected robin kelly a spokeswoman for whole foods said in an interview that the company stood by the bakery teams version of events that mr brown exited the store with an unadulterated cake
ms kelly added that whole foods bakery sections follow a general practice of having customers look at their cakes to be sure they are satisfied thats the reason for the clear top design of the boxes she said
mr kaplan the pastors lawyer said in an emailed statement on wednesday that he was continuing to investigate the lawsuit and called on whole foods to provide any evidence it had connected to the case
he did not respond to a request for further comment through his spokeswoman messages left with mr brown were not returned
pastor brown never asked for this to happen mr kaplan said in a statement when his lawsuit was filed on monday he continues to be overwhelmed by the feelings of pain anguish and humiliation because of this incident


volkswagen agreed on thursday to fix or buy back nearly 500000 diesel cars in the united states that are equipped with illegal emissions software
but a settlement announced in federal court in san francisco left open numerous legal and financial issues stemming from the carmakers admission that it rigged diesel vehicles to cheat on pollution tests
lawyers in the case are still negotiating the fines that volkswagen must pay as well as the compensation that owners will receive judge charles r breyer set june 21 as the deadline for volkswagen to settle those questions with the federal government as well as lawyers for vehicle owners
there is still a lot of work to be done judge breyer said
it is already clear though that volkswagen will have to increase the amount it has set aside to cover costs of the emissions scandal which will easily run into billions of dollars
kelley blue book a research firm has estimated the cost of buying back all the cars in the united states at 7 billion the company is certain to face additional billions in fines and compensation paid to owners beyond the costs of repairs or buybacks in the united states and there are many more faulty cars in europe and elsewhere in the world still to be dealt with
volkswagen has set aside only 67 billion euros or 76 billion against the eventual global costs from the scandal
if they agree to buy back the cars the costs will be higher than the current provisions said matthias hellstern managing director for corporate finance at moodys investors service in frankfurt
kevin helmich owner of a 2010 audi a3 with a diesel engine said on thursday that he would lean toward having the company buy his car back rather than get it repaired volkswagen is making a real effort to do right by customers said mr helmich who lives in ann arbor mich but he added i probably wouldnt buy another car from them
volkswagen faces a theoretical maximum government fine of 18 billion in the united states legal experts expect the legal penalties to be much lower but still in the billions judge breyer said that owners would also receive substantial compensation
and the company could still be hit with criminal charges by the justice department which is investigating volkswagens cheating
under the agreement announced thursday the company will offset some of the environmental damage caused by the cars by investing in clean technologies the judge did not give details about the form the investment might take
in a statement volkswagen said it intends to compensate its customers fully and to remediate any impact on the environment from excess diesel emissions
while many questions remain unanswered the court hearing on thursday suggested that volkswagen and those with claims against it had made substantial progress toward a settlement that would clear up some of the companys financial uncertainty it should also help volkswagen restore some good will with owners of 480000 volkswagens and audi a3 models with the affected 2 liter diesel engines
the models with the cheating software in the united states include volkswagen audi and porsche cars with 2 liter or 3 liter diesel engines from the model years 2008 15
owners will have the option either to get their cars fixed so they are compliant with clean air laws or sell them back to the company people who have leased vehicles will be able to cancel their contracts without penalty but a solution for about 100000 cars with 3 liter diesel engines including audi and porsche models has not yet been agreed to the judge indicated
i wish we had more details and i wish we could get back to the business of selling diesel models said alan brown owner of a volkswagen dealership in lewisville tex but its great to see weve got movement without customers none of us dealers has a business
many more european cars over 10 million are also affected by the volkswagen cheating but the companys financial fines and any consumer liabilities in europe are not expected to be nearly as high because of differences in air quality regulations and consumer protection laws
given the uncertainties over the potential costs of the united states settlement volkswagen has delayed earnings reports for the last two quarters that has impaired the companys ability to raise money on debt markets because it could not provide financial information demanded by investors
and even when the details of thursdays announced settlement emerge the companys troubles will be far from over it faces official investigations and possible criminal proceedings in other countries including britain france germany and south korea and owners of its models in europe who account for a vast majority of the 11 million diesel vehicles with the cheating software are angry that they are not receiving any compensation
volkswagen is recalling the cars in europe to reprogram the engine software and in some cases to install a plastic part that is supposed to help lower emissions but it has balked at offering european owners money
analysts at the investment bank ubs had estimated the total cost of the scandal for volkswagen at 38 billion euros or about 431 billion of which EUR14 billion was for expenses outside the united states
judge breyer had given volkswagen until thursday to reach a settlement with the federal government and with vehicle owners in the united states the judge had expressed dissatisfaction that the cars were still on the road emitting illegal levels of pollution seven months after the cheating became public
the defeat device allowed volkswagen to cheat on the emissions tests in the united states by recognizing when cars were being monitored and changing the exhaust settings in testing the cars increased pollution controls
but on the road pollution controls were scaled back to enhance performance and fuel mileage and to protect emissions equipment from wear when that happened the cars spewed as much as 40 times the allowed amounts of nitrogen oxides a pollutant that poses health hazards
judge breyer is overseeing almost all of the litigation in the united states including claims filed by federal and state governments as well as volkswagen owners the company still faces separate suits by volkswagen dealers and by dealers of competing brands who say the cheating gave volkswagen an unfair advantage in the market
eric t schneiderman the new york attorney general said thursdays announcement does not in any way resolve claims being pursued by a 45 state coalition which he said would continue its investigation and pursuit of penalties the states have not yet filed a suit against volkswagen
volkswagens legal troubles were focused in the united states because limits on nitrogen oxides are more stringent and the penalties more severe than in europe in addition united states law gives owners significant scope to seek redress in court
rob martens a retired musician in boulder colo said he was eager to have volkswagen buy back his 2015 passat diesel while he likes the cars roominess and ride hes not happy to be driving a car that emits more pollutants than it should on top of that the cars electronics have given him headaches   its infotainment system often freezes up and its rearview camera sometimes goes out
this is not what they call german engineering mr martens said i cant wait to dump it


bankers should be punching the air saudi arabia is close to agreeing to terms on a 10 billion loan with a syndicate of banks including jpmorgan hsbc and bank of tokyo mitsubishi normally getting the nod to lend to saudi arabia the middle easts largest holder of crude oil reserves for the first time in 25 years would be easy money but banks may be ignoring the risks
despite running up a 15 percent budget deficit last year which is expected to grow further in 2016 the saudi government has found it easy to borrow money it will probably borrow at 120 basis points over the london interbank offered rate or libor a rate far below the risk implied by its credit default swaps according to a reuters report on april 20 the terms may be in line with recent debt deals secured by its neighbors qatar and oman but the risks associated with the kingdom could be much bigger
pushed on by its energetic but inexperienced deputy crown prince mohammed bin salman the kingdom is fighting on four fronts the prince wants to win a global oil price war that is stretching the kingdoms finances to their breaking point while opposing iran in proxy conflicts in syria and yemen
at the same time he aims to restructure the kingdoms inefficient economy by cutting state subsidies and selling government assets simultaneously suppressing internal dissent although prince mohammeds al saud dynasty is secure these problems could pose a threat to its future moodys has placed saudis aa3 issuer rating on downgrade review as the challenges facing the kingdom stack up
there are external risks too not least its changing relationship with the united states which appears uninterested in guaranteeing riyadhs security in the region despite president obamas recent visit
sovereign defaults are rare in the region but not inconceivable iran renounced its 15 billion of foreign borrowing racked up by the shahs regime after the revolution in 1979 which led to the seizure of its assets in the united states
bankers dismiss the possibility that the same nightmare situation could one day unfold in riyadh they do so at their peril


harrisburg pa   in any other election year it would be a lot of trouble for very little payoff
but lynne ryan a topsoil farmer who lives near the ohio border wants to be a delegate to the republican national convention so badly she spray painted a 450 foot long trump logo on one of her fields it is so big she said a passenger jet can see it from 35000 feet
then there is mike mcmullen a college soccer referee outside pittsburgh who is paying for his own robocalls for a penny apiece 35000 voters in his district are hearing 15 second messages with his catchphrase i like mike vote mm
becoming a republican delegate from pennsylvania this year is not the ticket to obscurity it has usually been with the party facing its first contested convention in four decades the 54 unbound pennsylvania delegates could well end up casting the votes that decide the partys presidential nominee
their power lies in the unusual way the state selects its delegates when pennsylvania republicans vote in their primary on tuesday their most important decision may not be which of the three nationally recognized names on the ballot they support   donald j trump senator ted cruz of texas or gov john kasich of ohio the winner of the statewide vote will receive only 17 delegates
but pennsylvania will send 54 other delegates to the convention three from each of the states 18 congressional districts they will be unbound   free if they want to disregard the results of the primary and that fact could turn them into some of the most important people in the republican party
complicating matters further even if a candidate for delegate has aligned with a particular presidential contender which some are those affiliations will not appear on the ballot
many voters waking up to the opacity of the process expressed displeasure with it alan love an engineer from lebanon pa who plans to vote for mr kasich on tuesday had not heard that most of the states convention delegates would be able to ignore the presidential preferences of the voters who elected them
if i want a delegate whos going to vote for kasich then how would i know he said the other day as he left a wegmans supermarket outside harrisburg thats not right im a fairly educated person but i didnt know this
on wednesday mr cruzs campaign tried to clear up some of the confusion handing supporters at a rally in hershey a list of 26 delegate aspirants across the state who had promised to stick by him no matter what after you vote for ted please vote for the delegates in your congressional district that are pledged to support him at the convention the handbill urged
jodi ferris a home school parent said she would rely on the list on tuesday if i havent committed it to memory ill bring it in she said
with criticism growing that the partys nominating process is unrepresentative and impenetrable pennsylvanias system of awarding delegates on the republican side only stands out as perhaps the most confusing
no other state will send as many unbound free agents to the republican national convention in cleveland on july 18 21 and while pennsylvania has elected delegates this way for years only now with the possibility of the republicans first contested convention in 40 years is it suddenly relevant again
pennsylvania republicans have not played much of a role in the nominating process since 1980 when george bush defeated ronald reagan a victory that allowed mr bush to stay in the race getting that spot on the convention floor has seldom been such a coveted ticket but this year the delegates race has attracted 162 candidates who are treating it with an uncommon degree of seriousness
the process of gathering the necessary signatures and getting on the ballot would appear to favor those with knowledge of the system and its players   something that supporters of an outsider candidate like mr trump would seem to lack but interviews with party officials lawmakers and a dozen aspiring delegates show that the group of 162 includes plenty of newcomers
among them are people like ms ryan a trump supporter who would be attending her first convention in an interview she called the nominating process disenfranchising and distasteful but said she thought she had to play the game to beat it
i do believe the process is kind of disgusting the way were unbound delegates she said im sick of the few telling the many of us what to do
wanting to get involved for mr trump ms ryan said she researched the process and applied to be a delegate before the feb 16 deadline with no assistance from the trump campaign her campaign has consisted mainly of the giant trump logo across her topsoil field the length of one and a half football fields
i mean its huge she said channeling her candidates favorite adjective but not his sense of hyperbole
ms ryan added im not going to all those dinners and shaking hands
other delegate candidates who favor mr trump said they were essentially lone wolves too
after mr trump spoke in pittsburgh last week matthew jansen and gabriel keller thrust their way to the rope line to get a message to him they will share a ballot with mr trump on april 26 but told him they had been unable to contact his pennsylvania staff members mr trump urged them to contact his campaign manager they said
and what did they hear back crickets mr keller a software developer said weve had zero support from the campaign
the pennsylvania republican party is one of the strongest and most organized in any state and for campaigns with the knowledge and infrastructure to tap into its top down leadership structure there can be a considerable advantage
the campaign of senator marco rubio of florida for example though it is now defunct got three supporters on the ballot in each of the 18 congressional districts if enough of them are elected it could spell trouble not just for mr trump but also for mr cruz if the convention goes to multiple ballots
phil english a former congressman who represented the northwestern corner of the state and is now running as an uncommitted delegate said voters want a pragmatic nominee to emerge from cleveland
i want to see a slate that can win he said explaining how he tells voters why he has not yet committed to any candidate i can tell you when i talk to people on the phone and i present it that way they dont disagree
in a sign of how intense the delegate fight has become a local newspaper published mr englishs cellphone number causing him to be deluged with calls from voters wanting to know which candidate he backed
still pennsylvania seems fertile ground for mr trump who leads in most statewide polls so far and a strong delegate haul could answer those who are skeptical of his chances of sewing up the nomination before the convention he is likely to do well in many individual congressional districts and the pressure for delegates to vote in cleveland according to the wishes of voters in their districts will be immense
mr mcmullen the soccer referee insisted he would do just that no party elite is going to tell me how to vote take me in a back room and bribe me said mr mcmullen who has been elected as an alternate to the republican national convention three times and is vigorously campaigning to reach the main stage this year
he even created a website with a homemade video featuring photographs of him with prominent republicans it is set to the theme from rudy
but voting the will of his district he said leaves him with only one real choice trump is going to win pennsylvania mr mcmullen said and trump is going to win the 12th congressional district


many boldface names enabled the stratospheric rise of the blood testing start up theranos two former secretaries of state a former secretary of defense two former senators a retired admiral venture capitalists scientific luminaries and a prestigious clinic
none has been more important to theranos than walgreens
the sprawling drugstore chain now a part of walgreens boots alliance was theranoss first   and thus far only   direct to consumer retail partner promising to eventually make theranoss wellness centers an integral part of its more than 8000 stores nationwide
when it announced the deal in 2013 walgreens hoped to drive traffic to its stores and bask in the reflected glow from one of silicon valleys hottest unicorns and its youthful founder and glamorous chief executive elizabeth holmes
for unproved theranos the walgreens endorsement was akin to the good housekeeping seal of approval theranoss valuation vaulted to 9 billion and put ms holmes on the forbes list of billionaires
nearly three years later with theranos under siege on multiple regulatory fronts and its reputation in tatters its clear that the relationship has been a disaster for walgreens the company has been trying to distance itself halting expansion of theranos testing in its stores and in january threatening to end the partnership if theranos did not meet regulatory standards within 30 days
but that deadline has come and gone with this weeks news that theranos is under criminal investigation for among other things possibly defrauding walgreens and other investors the question is what will it take for walgreens to end its troubled relationship
while the legal agreement between theranos and walgreens isnt public legal experts said nearly all such contracts have a termination clause that anticipates something can go wrong if this one doesnt walgreens would have a good case for suing its lawyers for malpractice
and any contract can be voided if it was induced by a material misrepresentation   such as theranoss overstating the capabilities of its nanotechnology   even if it was an innocent mistake
id be shocked if walgreens doesnt have a contractual right to terminate the contract right now said george triantis an expert on contract design and dispute resolution at stanford law school
walgreens declined to comment
its easy to see why walgreens would have been so infatuated with theranos and its revolutionary scientific promises when the deal was announced a news release trumpeted theranoss claim that its kind minimally invasive collection technology using blood drawn from a tiny finger stick or microsample would revolutionize blood testing and empower consumers not to mention attract them to walgreens stores
the wall street journal reported that walgreens was so eager to cement the relationship that it lent theranos money acquired warrants to buy theranos stock and skipped its usual due diligence when evaluating a pharmacy partner the report was confirmed by a person involved in the relationship who spoke on the condition that he not be named because of continuing investigations and the likelihood of litigation
not that walgreens would have learned much theranos was as secretive about its technology with walgreens as it was with everyone else
walgreens eventually opened 40 theranos wellness centers in arizona in a pilot program and one in palo alto calif close to theranoss headquarters
the companies sealed their relationship in november 2013 with a ribbon cutting ceremony at the opening of a theranos wellness center in scottsdale ariz attended by ms holmes gregory wasson chief executive of walgreens at the time and mayor greg stanton of phoenix mr stanton too jumped on the too good to check bandwagon hailing theranoss revolutionary lab testing program that makes diagnosis of illnesses fast inexpensive and convenient
theranoss claim that it could run the full gamut of blood tests on a microsample from a finger prick using its own breakthrough technology proved to be grossly exaggerated if not entirely false at most theranos performed a few tests using such technology and recently has been using tiny samples for only one out of every 240 tests the accuracy of even those few tests has been questioned
last year walgreens said it would halt any expansion of theranos wellness centers in its stores after federal regulators warned theranos in january that practices at its california lab pose immediate jeopardy to patient health and safety walgreens stopped theranos testing at its location in palo alto and said no patient samples collected in arizona could be sent to the california lab
earlier this month federal regulators said they planned to revoke the license for theranoss california lab for failing to meet minimum standards and proposed banning ms holmes from owning or running any lab for two years this week brought news of the criminal investigation into whether theranos misled investors
in every case walgreens was blindsided the insider told me learning the bad news from media reports or from regulators rather than theranos itself this has hardly endeared theranos to its ostensible partners directors and executives
theranos declined to comment
walgreens hasnt disclosed the amount of its investment in theranos saying only that it isnt material but the reputational damage especially for a drugstore chain trying to reposition itself as a champion of consumer health and well being has been considerable
its obvious theyd love to get out of this said ross muken a senior managing director at evercore an investment bank and head of its health care research team its an unwanted distraction for a company that otherwise seems to be on the mend
the walgreens executives responsible for the theranos deal including mr wasson as well as the chief financial officer and the president of the companys pharmacy unit have all been replaced forced out in 2014 by activist investors after walgreens acquired the european drugstore chain alliance boots but their departures had little to do with the ill fated partnership with theranos whose troubles became public after they left
i dont know that you can really blame them given how secretive theranos has been mr muken said theyre not molecular biologists nonetheless he added this is another black mark on what was already a checkered record of delivering for shareholders now the new team has to get out of this
theranoss lawyers have taken a hard line insisting that walgreens is contractually bound by their agreement so far the approach has worked walgreens appears to have taken a cautious approach toward terminating the relationship perhaps preferring to wait until federal regulators impose penalties or the criminal investigation yields formal charges either of which would strengthen walgreenss hand
but that could take years theranos can appeal any penalties and a grand jury investigation could be a protracted process and theranos is likely to sue walgreens in any event if it terminates their agreement
in the meantime walgreens risks being dragged into nearly every negative story about theranos
a host of things can go wrong in these kinds of partnerships professor triantis said there are two general ways to deal with the risks one is to sue for damages if this happens but the much better way is to terminate the contract and the relationship rather than risk even more damage to reputation


actually conor mcgregor has not retired
mcgregor who had sent out a twitter message on tuesday saying that he was stepping away from a lucrative mixed martial arts career took it back on thursday in a statement he explained that he had been upset with the promotional demands being made on him by the ultimate fighting championship
i am just trying to do my job and fight here he wrote i am paid to fight i am not yet paid to promote
mcgregor seemed to blame the promotional load for his recent upset loss to nate diaz writing 50 world tours 200 press conferences 1 million interviews 2 million photo shoots and at the end of it all im left looking down the barrel of a lens staring defeat in the face thinking of nothing but my incorrect fight preparation and the many distractions that led to this
with the right adjustments and the right focus i will finish what i started in that last fight i will not do this if i am back on the road handing out fliers again
mcgregor said a request to lighten his promotional load had been denied just for this one where i am coming off a loss i asked for some leeway where i can just train and focus he wrote i did not shut down all media requests i simply wanted a slight adjustment but it was denied
after mcgregors retirement message dana white the ufc president said that mcgregor had been removed from the ufc 200 card in july when he was to have had a rematch with diaz conor did not want to come to las vegas and film the commercial or be a part of any of the marketing white told espn
mcgregor said that he was still willing to fight on that card
i am still ready to go for ufc 200 he wrote i will offer like i already did to fly to new york for the big press conference that was scheduled and then i will go back into training with no distractions if this is not enough or they feel i have not deserved to sit this promotion run out this one time well then i dont know what to say
mcgregor has taken the ufc by storm with his fists and his mouth earning him popularity especially among irish and irish american fans before his loss to diaz he had beaten the longtime featherweight champion jose aldo   at the time ranked as the best pound for pound fighter in the ufc   in just 13 seconds
mcgregors statement ended with a declaration to his fight promoter his business partners and the united states anti doping agency
for the record also   for usada and for the ufc and my contract stipulations   i am not retired


sunedison which started out making chemicals and components for solar modules but grew into a giant of renewable energy has filed for bankruptcy protection the company said on thursday the filing under chapter 11 in the southern district of new york brings to an end the companys ambition to become the worlds leading renewable energy development business
although some of its subsidiaries were included in the filing it said terraform power and terraform global its publicly traded units known as yieldcos were not
our decision to initiate a court supervised restructuring was a difficult but important step to address our immediate liquidity issues ahmad r chatila the companys chief executive said in a statement the court process will allow us to right size our balance sheet and reduce our debt providing the opportunity to support the business going forward while focusing on our core strengths
mr chatila who had overseen a series of acquisitions that racked up 11 billion in debt by the end of the third quarter of last year said that the company would shed assets in an effort to become more streamlined and efficient the company also announced that it had secured up to 300 million in financing to pay for day to day operations as it goes through the restructuring
sunedisons troubles stemmed from its rapid growth across several areas analysts say it expanded its financing options with the formation of the yieldcos it bought several companies as it moved into different kinds of energy projects including forays into wind energy storage and residential solar while at the same time looking to expand its manufacturing operations in large markets like brazil china and india
the companys situation became precarious last summer as investors lost confidence in the alternative energy sector and as sunedison decided to move into the residential rooftop solar business by trying to acquire vivint solar a deal that drew resistance from the start and ultimately fell apart
at the same time its relationship to its yieldco subsidiaries frayed the yieldcos public companies that exist to help raise cheaper capital by buying the power plants their parents develop collect the electricity payments and then pay out the bulk to investors as dividends
but as sunedisons fortunes tumbled investors complained that it was improperly using their cash and striking deals that were more favorable to the parent company
after sunedison was unable to meet its financial reporting deadlines this year   which hurt it with creditors   the situation worsened and terraform global raised the possibility of a sunedison bankruptcy in a public filing
its legal troubles also mounted sunedison recently acknowledged that it was under investigation by the securities and exchange commission and the justice department in several areas and it faces lawsuits from vivint over the failed acquisition investors creditors and terraform global
in the end sunedison was a case of its ambitions outpacing the reality
you take things that would make any company start to look more and more risky to investors and you cross that with an alternative energy story   which still carries a risk label   and you get this big amplifier effect said erik gordon a clinical assistant professor at the ross school of business at the university of michigan one of these days well have a crop of companies with business models that arent fragile business models with piles of debt are fragile and boy thats the last thing you want when youre going through a technology change and a market paradigm change


the last couple of years have been ambitious ones for the metropolitan museum of art perhaps too ambitious
now the museum is acknowledging that it may have overreached and is facing a deficit of 10 million this year which officials said would almost certainly balloon to as much as 40 million if the met does not change course and scale back
the museum opened its new met breuer space in the whitneys former building on madison avenue which will cost 17 million each year to run it selected an architect david chipperfield to design its new 600 million wing for modern and contemporary art and it reached a settlement in part of a long running legal challenge to its admissions policy agreeing to call its 25 full admission charge suggested instead of recommended
so the museum is changing course on thursday it announced a 24 month financial restructuring that it said was likely to include staff reductions slower construction of its new wing and reduced programming
weve had increasing pressure on the budget and knew that we were going to have to take actions to get it back in balance said thomas p campbell the museums director and chief executive
daniel h weiss the mets president said what were seeking here is ensuring financial stability for core programs and investing in the future thats the whole point of this plan to make sure we can do both
the met decided it was important to announce the plan rather than allow news to dribble out through staff members who were informed on thursday morning in march just before the met breuer opening the museum took a hit for shifting to its new logo without giving the public notice
mr campbell played down the severity of the restructuring saying that such belt tightening was cyclical   the museum has been through it before including layoffs most recently in 2009 he added that nonprofits often grapple with the gap that results when cost increases outstrip revenue growth
in 2008 9 the met had a significant deficit as did many other institutions for the past few years it has been on the order of 4 million to 8 million not including debt service
since salaries account for 70 percent of the mets expenses the museum plans to reduce its head count over the next 12 months mr weiss said he declined to specify a target number of cuts except to say its not hundreds its dozens
the met will also freeze hiring and request voluntary buyouts after which it may resort to layoffs
if we do nothing   if we just carry on   18 months from now at the beginning of fiscal year 2018 the deficit would be four times bigger mr weiss said thats not ok so were going to take action to control that
the financial straits stem from several factors the met said retail revenue has declined by 3 million to 4 million over the last year salaries have increased and the museum has to pay 85 million a year in debt service on 250 million in bonds issued for capital infrastructure work
in addition the mets growing population of younger visitors are paying less at the door as are tourists though the met has a hefty annual operating budget of 300 million with annual attendance of 63 million a decline of 30 to 40 cents per person is material mr weiss said
the met also spent about 3 million on its recent branding effort as well as millions beefing up its digital staff over the last few years
as to whether the met breuer is a leading cause of its difficulties museum officials said that the madison avenue buildings operating and renovation funds came from philanthropic dollars which will cover the duration of the mets eight year custody of the site whether the met wants   and can afford   to retain breuer after that remains uncertain
the driver of this deficit is not related to breuer mr weiss said
at the same time the met did incur some indirect costs at breuer mr weiss said namely training 110 staff members some of whom were new hires
in addition to cutting expenses the met will seek to build revenue by drawing new visitors including groups and increasing restaurant proceeds every revenue source we have to fight for mr weiss said its a matter of optimizing the returns
while the museums exhibition program is part of the dna of this institution mr campbell said were looking at whether we can slim down and spread out some of the program that could mean longer exhibition periods and fewer loans which require high insurance costs
the chipperfield project   which calls for demolishing the existing lila acheson wallace wing in the museums southwest corner increasing the gallery space and doubling the size of the roof garden   will be quiet for a while mr weiss said
having completed the schematic design phase the met will call a halt to the architectural process and concentrate on raising funds for the new wing he added
in terms of appearances it will undoubtedly be difficult for the met to raise money for a new building even as it is struggling to pay its own bills and to continue producing ambitious programs for the met breuer as it prepares to downsize the staff at its fifth avenue flagship
but met officials said that they believed these efforts at broadening its operations were important and sustainable in a perfect world these two events wouldnt be coinciding mr weiss said but well get through these challenges


if youre looking for a project with tom hiddleston in it at the moment you dont have to look far currently on the big screen hes playing hank williams in the biopic i saw the light currently on the small screen he plays the hotel manager jonathan pine in the mini series adaptation of john le carres the night manager and coming to screens both big and small hes playing dr robert laing in the film adaptation of the satirical j g ballard novel high rise that film which imagines an apartment building where the wealthy get the best views and services and the poor are relegated to lower floors is at the tribeca film festival now and will be on demand april 28 and in theaters may 13
in an interview this week in new york during the festival mr hiddleston discussed his work on high rise the critical response to i saw the light and the social media response to a particularly steamy scene in the night manager here are edited excerpts from that conversation
q how did you end up everywhere all of a sudden
a i apologize unreservedly first of all for being everywhere im sure its deeply tiresome and nobody wants to ever see my face again theres a strange coincidence in that the work of the last 18 months of my life has all been released at the same time and for me each piece of work has such integrity and focus but it must seem different to be in the audience i do feel very lucky that im allowed to do so many different things
how did you get cast in high rise
i knew jeremy thomas the producer who is a legend in independent filmmaking he and i made the jim jarmusch picture only lovers left alive together oddly enough the director ben wheatley and his screenwriter amy jump who happen to be married told me that when they were conceiving of the cast for high rise they had a picture of me on their fridge which i found initially disconcerting but actually is a huge compliment i think ben and amy had always imagined me in the role of laing
what made you want to do it
im a huge fan of ben wheatleys work as a british filmmaker he has a singular vision and voice the combination of bens taste with ballards sensibility was a thrilling prospect they share a very sophisticated kind of rebelliousness theyre not afraid of being provocative or asking quite challenging questions in their work and high rise seemed to present that it is an exploration of human nature in extremis i think the best drama puts human beings in extreme situations and challenges them
when did you become familiar with ballards work
my first introduction came when i was at college and my best friend at the time was a huge fan he was reading concrete island and cocaine nights he was always very vocal about ballards prescience as a science fiction writer ballard saw where the world was going he was fascinated by technology and our obsession with it high rise was written in 1975 but if you read it it feels like today
how much time was there between shooting high rise and shooting i saw the light
i shot them back to back so i had a week off in between
what was it like to go so quickly from this stylized 1970s high rise building world of the movie to the southern environs of country music
it was very strange im happy i had the week off i finished high rise on the 25th of august 2014 and i landed in nashville on the 2nd of september and i think it took me a while to shake high rise in a way when youve been immersed in one particular environment it casts a shadow for a time it was mad thinking about it thank god i went straight to tennessee because otherwise i would never have been able to get my head in the game
with i saw the light the critical response to the film was relatively poor im curious what you thought about that
well id be a fool if i didnt admit its not the best news in the world but the experience of making that film was so pleasurable that ill always have it the people ive met whove seen the film have been very generous and have somehow caught a sense of the passion with which it was made it was a huge labor of love i spent over five months of my life making it thinking about it every minute of every day thats what its like making films you commit a huge amount of time and energy to make things and it only takes two hours for anyone in the audience whether they like it or not but everyone is entitled to their opinion and the only thing i can control is my commitment to the work
when the night manager played in britain one of your sex scenes caused a sensation on social media how did you feel about that
it was probably very good that i was away in vietnam making kong skull island when that happened when we shot the scene i didnt see it as being any more or less significant than any other scene in the night manager the response is surprising but it is what it is i guess the thing about any love scene i think the representation is always quite different from the actual experience of making it


libby lewis is a journalist who has written about the private equity industry for the edmond j safra center for ethics at harvard
it did not receive much notice but a decision by a federal judge in massachusetts has reverberated loudly through the private equity industry
late last month judge douglas p woodlock of the united states district court in massachusetts found that two private equity funds were jointly liable for the pension fund debt of one of the companies they acquired
the private equity world is all over this said paul secunda a labor law and employee benefits expert at marquette university law school for everybody else its like whats the big deal
to answer that it helps to go back to the beginning of the story
it started with a rhode island company scott brass which makes brass and copper for all sorts of industries in 2007 an affiliate of the private equity firm sun capital partners bought scott brass splitting the ownership between two separate sun capital funds
a year later scott brass went bankrupt and stopped contributing to its pension fund run by the new england teamsters and trucking industry pension fund
federal law imposes pension liability on any trade or business that is under common control with scott brass the pension fund argued that sun capitals funds met that definition   and should be liable for the 45 million pension fund debt
in 2013 the united states court of appeals for the first circuit found that one of suns funds did constitute a trade or business   the first time a private equity fund was classified as such the appeals court sent the case back to a lower court to decide whether suns other fund was a trade or business as well
on march 28 judge woodlock found not only that the other funds activities met the test of being a trade or business he also found that the two funds served as a partnership in fact   one that was under common control with scott brass that made the funds liable for the pension debt
what will it mean if the ruling is upheld on appeal
two years ago the appeals courts opinion drew a flurry of attention over whether the sun capital case would challenge the foundation of the private equity business model by changing how it is taxed thats because the appeals court relied on federal income tax principles to conclude that suns private equity fund was a trade or business for the purposes of employee benefits law
in theory if the irs were to adopt the same reasoning in a tax context it could kill the goose that lays the golden eggs of the private equity industry its huge tax breaks it could do it in a way that would turn the investing world upside down
and thats why it probably will not happen said gregg d polsky a tax law professor at the university of north carolina school of law who has written critically about the industrys practices
it could create all sorts of potential headaches and uncertainties for investors professor polsky said including foreign investors and tax exempt investors like university endowments i dont think the irs is interested in doing that
until now private equity firms have looked at companies with underfunded pension plans as undervalued targets because the private equity firms were not responsible for funding those plans once they took over the company now they know they might be if judge woodlocks ruling is upheld on appeal and if other courts adopt it
so for instance take the case of friendlys which sun capital bought and whose employee pension plan it abandoned in bankruptcy four years later
had judge woodlocks ruling been on the books and upheld then friendlys would have had a different fate professor secunda of marquette university said
with friendlys sun would have been responsible for the pension payments themselves   which would have made it not worth doing in the first place i would argue he said
this changes the calculus as far as the people who are looking at this as a potential lucrative deal
and in this particular world thats big news


the governor of utah signed two pieces of legislation in recent weeks in an effort to portray pornography as a public health crisis akin to alcohol and tobacco
one is a nonbinding legislative cri de coeur that says adult entertainment has created a sexually toxic environment the other a house bill signed into law by gov gary r herbert a republican requires computer technicians to alert the authorities to any child pornography they find while repairing clients computers
this is a fight i believe that we can win and its certainly a fight we ought to have the governor said during a ceremonial signing of the measures on tuesday and certainly the intent here is to raise awareness and understanding about the addictive nature of pornography and the harmful effects it has on individuals families and society generally
opponents of pornography in the state appeared ready to take the fight to businesses and public spaces
on tuesday state senator todd weiler a republican who is a chief sponsor of the legislation said public libraries and fast food restaurants that offer free internet were part of the problem he also issued a plea to the adult entertainment industry help us protect our children from your evil degrading addictive harmful substances
if a library or a mcdonalds or anyone else was giving out cigarettes to our children we would be picketing them he said at the ceremonial signing and yet our children are accessing porn on their tablets at these sites and we seem to be ok with that it is not ok
the governors approval of the legislation was celebrated by the utah coalition against pornography an activist group which hailed the signings as a historic moment in a statement on facebook
the nonbinding measure scr 9 attributes a wide range of social ills to what it called the pornography epidemic including objectification of and violence against women the hypersexualization of teens and children and the development of emotional and medical illnesses and deviant sexual arousal in those who view it
those concerns may have added salience in utah a state that is home to the conservative church of jesus christ of latter day saints and is also a leading consumer of internet pornography according to a 2009 harvard study
erick janssen a researcher at the kinsey institute at indiana university and a professor of neuroscience at the university of leuven in belgium said the concerns about pornography expressed in the utah measures have always been there
if porn was really that bad and if youd look at the number of people viewing it there would be rapes at every street corner he said in an email he added that debates over the issue tend to rely more on attitudes than science
many of the studies used to support claims about the harmful effects of pornography were done in the 1980s when it was not as widespread according to ana j bridges a professor of psychology at the university of arkansas she said the studies should be viewed with a degree of skepticism because they gauged correlation not causation more recent studies have not been conclusive
a lot of the claims in the utah bill especially those that center around the notion of addiction like a drug or around erectile dysfunction or brain stuff   the research is entirely too nascent to be able to make those claims at this point she said at this point the science is a question mark
the nonbinding senate resolution said one of the dangers of pornography was that it often served as a stand in for young peoples sex education dr bridges argued that claim highlighted a larger problem a lack of comprehensive sex education in utah public schools where abstinence only is the only approved curriculum
you have a void you refuse to fill that void with proper sex education and then you provide hours and hours of screen time she said referring to online pornography so the cocktail is one that might actually be a public health crisis but it is one of our own making in many ways


a steep slide in traditional safe play stocks like phone companies and utilities weighed on wall street on thursday bringing to a close a three day rally
the broad decline came as investors pored over company earnings for clues about the trajectory of the economy
oil prices also fell extending losses for the battered energy sector
today might be a little bit of profit taking after such a big run here said jeff kravetz regional investment strategist at us banks private client reserve we did have a few companies that reported weaker than expected earnings
the standard  poors 500 stock index shed 1092 points or 05 percent to 209148 the nasdaq composite index lost 224 points or 01 percent to 494589
the dow jones industrial average fell 11375 points or 06 percent to 1798252
more companies are due to post their quarterly results in coming weeks so far traders have been quick to make buy or sell depending on whether the companies lived up to the markets expectations
were still seeing a lot of companies struggling to meet that top line of revenue and thats the bigger story said jj kinahan td ameritrades chief strategist
mattel fell 58 percent after the toy maker reported a larger than anticipated quarterly loss and disappointing sales of barbie dolls the stock shed 191 to 3113
alliance data systems  which manages loyalty and rewards programs for retailers and other companies slumped 7 percent after the company issued a disappointing outlook for the current quarter the stock lost 1532 at 20260
casino operator las vegas sands also failed to match wall streets expectations that sent the stock down 479 or 92 percent to 4739
under armour surged 68 percent after the athletic apparel company reported strong quarterly sales it also increased its outlook for the year the stock climbed 298 to 4693
general motors rose 15 percent after the automaker said its profit more than doubled thanks partly to strong demand in north america the stock gained 47 cents to 3266
citrix systems climbed 44 percent a day after the company reported earnings that topped wall street expectations the stock added 351 to 8403
beyond earnings traders sent shares in viacom sharply higher on news that the company reached a new deal to have dish network continue to broadcast viacom programming shares in viacom added 518 or 139 percent to 4256
american airlines general electric and mcdonalds are among the companies reporting earnings on friday
earlier in asia japans benchmark nikkei 225 ended 27 percent higher hong kongs hang seng climbed 18 percent australias spasx 200 rose 11 percent south koreas kospi added 08 percent
benchmark us crude oil fell 1 or 23 percent to close at 4318 a barrel in new york after brent crude the international standard dropped 127 or 28 percent to close at 4453 a barrel in london
in other energy trading wholesale gasoline rose about a penny to close at 152 a gallon heating oil fell 3 cents or 24 percent close at 130 a gallon natural gas was little changed at 207 per 1000 cubic feet
precious and industrial metals futures were mixed gold fell 410 to 125030 an ounce silver slid 5 cents to 1709 an ounce and copper rose about a penny to 225 a pound
bond prices fell the yield on the 10 year treasury note rose to 186 percent from 184 percent late wednesday
in currency markets the dollar slipped to 10953 yen from 10980 yen on wednesday the euro fell to 11295 from 11302


automating friendship may be a laudable goal but that doesnt mean its going to be pretty
as vindu goel writes a pair of stanford graduates have developed an app called down to lunch or dtl that has been a huge hit with high school and college students the idea is relatively simple bring a network of friends together and one can signal to the rest interest in having lunch or going to the gym or going to church   probably not all three at once friends now signaled are free to join in if they want to
it seems like an innocent piece of software if limited to people of an age with fairly open schedules but as the app has grown in popularity it has hit problems very much of our time
most troubling were a series of messages on twitter that falsely accused dtl of engaging in human trafficking there has been no evidence of that on the dtl website the founders say they are victims of a smear campaign that someone paid thousands of dollars to create twitter has apparently blocked some of the originating accounts but the founders still hope fans will support the app by using a supportive hashtag good luck with that between posting the request on april 16 and late on april 20 it was used fewer than a dozen times
another problem for the app is of its own making earlier this month dtl added a feature that enabled the app to raid a users contacts leading to lots of complaints about spam it was discontinued after a couple of days but again twitter is full of complaints
that kind of unthinking irritation is a common enough problem in the consumer web facebook once introduced a feature that announced what people had purchased amazon deleted from its kindle readers copies of novels it had improperly sold them in both cases the founders of the companies apologized
the charitable view is that much of online life is still new territory and sometimes its only possible to learn where the boundaries are by overstepping them its also possible to see these kinds of things as a function of living in a viral business   the hunger to catch millions of users can obscure the facts that customers are having individual experiences
well see in time if the kids are still down to dtl


having passed on the 2016 presidential race vice president joseph r biden jr watches the fight for the democratic nomination with a mixture of longing and restlessness
he remains neutral in the battle between bernie sanders and hillary clinton but not between their campaign styles hell take mr sanderss aspirational approach over mrs clintons caution any day
i like the idea of saying we can do much more because we can mr biden said in an interview on the washington to wilmington del amtrak train he has ridden throughout four decades in national politics
i dont think any democrats ever won saying we cant think that big   we ought to really downsize here because its not realistic  he said in a mocking tone cmon man this is the democratic party im not part of the party that says well we cant do it 
thats easy for the vice president to say now he no longer needs to contemplate the burden as mrs clintons front running campaign must of defending ambitious goals in a race against republican opposition
president obama who has done that twice recently explained the contrast in democratic candidates by noting that mr sanders enjoys the luxury of being a complete long shot and just letting loose
but its also consistent with the soaring if sometimes overexuberant rhetorical style that mr biden has preferred throughout a career in elected office that will draw to a close in january
the clarion call for our generation is not its our turn  mr biden said in announcing his first presidential bid in 1987 disdaining smooth antiseptic and passionless leadership he insisted then we must rekindle the fire of idealism in this country
he reflects on the extraordinary span of his career with satisfaction asked about the accomplishments of his political generation he cites the end of the vietnam war the animating issue in his first senate race in 1972 the healing of social and cultural wounds opened up by the 1960s and measures to widen opportunities for women and increase washingtons emphasis on improving education
yet his career also coincides with the stagnation in middle class incomes especially for americans without college degrees which both parties have failed to durably remedy
that is a failure mr biden acknowledged
unsurprisingly he does not fault the administration he has served the past seven years he rejects suggestions by the democratic left that mr obama has aimed too low on wall street regulation the minimum wage tax policy and spending programs
pointing to the financial crisis the great recession and fierce battles with republicans over health care and government funding mr biden said we had about eight atom bombs dropped on our desk
yet he likes the idea that mr sanders is aiming high regardless of whether the large steps he envisions to narrow income inequality and broaden economic opportunity become realized in the next presidential term the philosophy mr biden has advocated within the obama white house push for a lot and persevere over the long run
presidents have always been told by really smart people dont push something that you cant succeed in   it diminishes your power  he said i completely disagree with that proposition
everything ive ever cared about   with the exception of the presidents brilliant passage of the affordable care act   takes time he added the only way to get these big things done is talk about them
in his long climb up the political ladder the big thing he never got done was winning the presidency he considered making one more try this year at age 73 family concerns after he lost his son beau to brain cancer foreclosed the possibility
but he never lost his confidence
if you notice i beat every republican in every poll when they thought i was running mr biden said you notice that my favorability was higher than anybody thats running for office in either party


paris   paris has never quite gotten over the destruction of les halles
in a morbid spasm of 1970s urban renewal the soaring 19th century liberty style glass and steel food market   once the pulsating heart of the city   gave way to a claustrophobic underground shopping mall and flimsy street level pavilions
the citys planners were never forgiven for a mistake that almost instantly took its place in the pantheon of the great architectural blunders smack alongside the destruction of new yorks old penn station
since then pariss every attempt to heal the undisguisable wound seemed only to call further attention to the original sin
now comes the latest salve   what is called la canopee   a gigantic curving metallic umbrella rising 72 feet over what was once the essence of not only pariss heart but also its soul and belly it too has already provoked laments over what is no longer there
but maybe   just maybe after more than four decades of trying and failing dismally   la canopee can provide something else at central pariss most abused site
three weeks after the anxious official unveiling   we had to fix this broken place mayor anne hidalgo of paris said   and five years after construction began the appraisal of skeptical parisians it seems is like the face the city presents to the world reserved and critical but not unwelcoming
at least they are learning to live with it if only because it is going nowhere
hmm not bad mused francois jouslin de noray who was strolling with his wife a retired couple enjoying a recent sunny if damp afternoon i dont like the color whats interesting is that it is partly open not totally though yet the color ...
but the form i like it he concluded
as much as anything the gazers seemed stunned by the structures grandiose scale at a time of diminishing public budgets   7000 tons of steel and 18000 sheets of glass at 238 million euros or about 269 million for the structure and 450000 a year for maintenance
at 75000 square feet it is the size of the historic place des vosges in the nearby marais
yet that ambition was a measure of all the massacres that have taken place at the site as the ex mayor bertrand delanoe under whom the project was conceived put it
the first was in august 1971 when president georges pompidou took advantage of parisians summer break to begin demolishing the halls by the famed architect victor baltard on the site of what had been the citys storied market for eight centuries
it is impossible to console oneself over the stupid death of this site wrote the historian eric hazan in his book the invention of paris
relief that nothing worse had now been inflicted predominated on a recent afternoon
it doesnt displease me more interesting than what was there before said serge aubignat a retired banker peering at la canopee from an observation deck in any case we are going to make do with it
thousands already were an immense rainbow hued crowd the tributary of multiple suburban train lines converging in the underground transit center cum shopping mall beneath la canopee poured under it on a recent afternoon
doubts about frances ability to entertain a multicultural future are momentarily quelled in one of the capitals most racially mixed spaces
some 750000 people pass through the transit center every day the multiethnic crowd appeared unoppressed by a structure already panned in the european and french press suspicious of any venture with commercial overtones
indeed the glass fronted facing wings of la canopee house a number of new high end restaurants   the chef alain ducasse has been mentioned   and the stores nike lego and sephora
the municipality is throwing in a music conservatory a hip hop center a library rehearsal spaces and other public facilities to mitigate doubts about la canopees commercial vocation
but the local neighborhood association is unconvinced an inauguration with a bitter taste was the headline on its newsletter
the whole thing is on a pharaonic scale gilles pourbaix one of the associations leaders said with disapproval its a temple of commerce a monstrous cover of steel it would have been ok next to a superhighway but in the middle of paris
yet a feeling of openness under la canopee helped mitigate the density of the crowded area the structure gapes wide open on two ends
one side faces a panorama of sky the soaring 16th century st eustache church and the circular bourse de commerce   a planned garden between them is still under construction the other side looks out at the old stone of residential and commercial buildings on the rue pierre lescot
la canopees 15 leaves sheaths of translucent glass are open letting in light and sun its combination of undulating curved lines and verticals humanizes the massive structure as does the irregular wavy shape
the thick steel beams do not recall baltards airy ironwork in the original les halles
yet in a city where architectural beauty and uniformity have rendered a catalog of doubtful or disgraceful modern additions   the intrusive tour montparnasse skyscraper the formless bastille opera house or the frigid la defense business district   the gently swerving la canopee appeared at least to be finding muted favor
even if there were snickers for the official description   like an immense leaf undulating at the level of the tree tops a fluid light and translucid envelope   approval outweighed disapproval at least among its inexpert visitors
it isnt ugly said alain urbain who was there to have a look with his wife caroline the curves are agreeable and it isnt too aggressive
sunlight sets off the mysterious off yellow color to the best advantage but when the clouds hide the sun the structure looks touched by paris pollution the color not the form is the most contentious aspect its not frank this color said one visitor andree gasco
piss like said her husband bernard a retired lawyer
mr gasco knew the old halles and could not help lament we went to the last flower market when les halles was abandoned nearly 50 years ago he said everybody was crying


the first bus was to depart barclays center in 20 minutes late wednesday night but jaromir jagr lingered at his locker the florida panthers were not leaving without him and besides he had something else he wanted to say
ive scored enough goals said jagr who has not scored in his last 35 postseason games if i dont score any ever ill be happy with my hockey career
he went on
i dont worry about it to be honest with you do you remember who scored goals 10 years ago i dont i dont even remember who won the cup to be honest with you so its everything about a cup who cares who scored i want to help of course but nobody remembers next year who scored only the champions
jagr 44 has spent more than half his life chasing a third stanley cup he won his second at 20 the age of the center on his line aleksander barkov and the panthers best defenseman aaron ekblad
jagrs other linemate winger jonathan huberdeau is 22 while center nick bjugstad is 23 and defenseman alex petrovic whose third period goal wednesday propelled florida to a 2 1 victory against the islanders that evened their eastern conference quarterfinal at two games apiece is 24
when the best of seven series resumes friday night in florida jagr will dress for the 207th playoff game of his career his aforementioned teammates who with the injured 25 goal scorer vincent trocheck 22 make up the panthers dynamic nucleus will prepare for their fifth
some of them hardly played nhl games let alone playoff games said florida coach gerard gallant we tell them go play your game we like what you do go play your game it doesnt matter what the situation is
among the situations florida encountered while splitting its two games in brooklyn blowing a two goal lead losing in overtime having one goal disallowed by a coachs challenge and another dismissed   twice   by video review and watching huberdeau hobble off the ice with what at the time wednesday seemed a troubling leg injury
it can change quickly bjugstad said summing up his impressions from his first playoff week from shift to shift period to period anything can happen
from game to game there is no momentum   just the ebb of confidence the persistence of belief despite losing twice gallant sensed enough positive developments across the first three games not to worry and the panthers overall performance wednesday   controlling possession denying passage into their zone generating a heavy forecheck   befit a roster loaded with size speed and skill they have scored the first goal in all four games and have dominated the islanders at even strength since game 2 outscoring them by 7 3
thats what its all about gallant said when your older guys can work hard and show the kids the way weve been doing that for two years with our club its a lot of fun when you see your young kids the way theyre playing
the panthers are an ascending team carving a similar path as the islanders three years ago   returning to the postseason after a lengthy absence rich with talent positioned to become a league force but the islanders have since lost twice in the playoffs each time after the series was tied at 2 2 last year they lost game 4 at home by 2 1   just as they did wednesday
the islanders have always had a strong connection to their past their alumni float around the building the team is introduced as four time stanley cup champions and players are asked about trying to win the organizations first playoff series since 1993
even though the panthers have not advanced to a conference semifinal since reaching the cup finals in 1996 a stretch of futility that included 13 defeats in 14 games the islanders struggles feel weightier more pronounced
their core   john taveras kyle okposo casey cizikas and josh bailey among them   has yet to have its moment together the panthers group does not know postseason failure yet
they are unaffected by circumstance blissfully oblivious to   or unconcerned with   their forebears after all only three current players represented the team ousted by the devils in 2012
the following year huberdeau petrovic and bjugstad debuted for florida soon came barkov and then ekblad and a team celebrated for its quirks   a 44 year old leading scorer rubber rats tossed at home the post victory prize of undisclosed provenance a hooded sweatshirt embossed with kevin spaceys disembodied head   wound up winning the atlantic division and setting franchise records for victories 47 and points 103
we know what we can do huberdeau said and though the panthers may be ready to do it they do not want to be late


london   the british artist damien hirst shot to fame in part through works that displayed sharks and other animals suspended in formaldehyde now a report from a british scientific journal has found that some of those works may have leaked formaldehyde fumes at levels much higher than allowed
the report published this month in analytical methods a peer reviewed journal of the royal society of chemistry is based on tests done at a hirst solo exhibition at tate modern in london in 2012 as well as more recently at the summer palace in beijing the article in which the findings were published focuses on the efficacy of a new sensor developed to test for formaldehyde fumes
one of hirsts main subjects is the setting up of giant fish tanks filled by thousands of liters of fa in which intact biological specimens are immersed such as zebras cows calves even sharks the abstract of the article said referring to formaldehyde fumes it has been found that the tanks are surrounded by fa fumes constantly exuded in the atmosphere likely via the sealant reaching levels of 5 ppm one order of magnitude higher than the 05 ppm limit set up by legislation
formaldehyde is classified as a carcinogen in the united states and the european union the effects of short term exposure can include sore throats nosebleeds and coughing according to the centers for disease control and prevention in atlanta
tate always puts the safety of its staff and visitors first and we take all necessary precautions when installing and displaying our exhibitions the museum said in a emailed statement on thursday these works contained a very dilute formaldehyde solution that was contained within sealed tanks
the museum also provided a statement from pier giorgio righetti a professor at politecnico di milano university in italy and an author of the paper saying that the research was intended to test the uses of a new sensor for measuring formaldehyde fumes and we do not believe that our findings suggest any risk for visitors at tate modern
reached by telephone on thursday professor righetti affirmed that he felt that visitors to the exhibition would not have been exposed to harmful levels of the chemicals but he said that given the length of time that staff members may have been present at the exhibition he was unable to make a similar statement on the health effects the formaldehyde levels might have had on them
a statement posted on mr hirsts website on thursday and attributed to his company science ltd said we do regular testing and our experts tell us that at the levels reported by this journal your eyes would be streaming and you would be in serious physical discomfort no such complaints were made to us during the show   or at any other shows featuring the formaldehyde works we dont believe any risk was posed to the public


last years record in mergers and acquisitions may not yet be trickling into the coffers of advisory shops
lazard   which is often seen as a bellwether for the deals industry - reported on thursday that first quarter revenue from its financial advisory business fell 12 percent to 266 million
the firm said the decline was because of a lower level of transaction closings compared with a year ago bankers typically get paid the bulk of their advisory fees only after a deal has been completed
the ma cycle is never a straight line kenneth m jacobs the chairman and chief executive of lazard said in a phone interview its not surprising to see a bit of a blip here
the firm was paid for a handful of multibillion dollar deals that were completed in the quarter including advising shell on its 79 billion acquisition of bg but other large transactions   including dells 67 billion purchase of emc and anheuser busch inbevs 106 billion deal with sabmiller - had yet to receive their necessary approvals
the quarterly numbers are somewhat surprising after a record year for deal making with nearly 5 trillion worth of deals announced lazard was a major player in the year ranking sixth worldwide behind goldman sachs morgan stanley jpmorgan chase bank of america and citigroup according to data compiled by thomson reuters
lazards financial advisory revenue also included a bump from restructuring work which generated 43 million in the first quarter almost double the amount from the same period last year the activity has picked up as plummeting commodity prices have strained energy companies
including fees generated from both advisory and asset management lazard generated 506 million in revenue in the quarter a decrease of 13 percent the firm cut costs in areas like compensation but not enough to offset the decline in revenue
over all adjusted net income declined 35 percent to 67 million or 50 cents a share analysts had expected earnings of 65 cents a share according to thomson reuters
lazard made several prominent hires over the course of the quarter including peter r orszag who previously served as the director of the office of management and budget in the obama administration mr orszag was also at citigroup where he was the vice chairman of corporate and investment banking he will join lazard on may 16 as vice chairman of investment banking
the firm also hired ken ziman from skadden arps slate meagher  flom as a managing director in restructuring as well as david burlison from kpmg to lead the restructuring team in london
lazard announced that it had increased its quarterly dividend by 9 percent to 38 cents a share and buyback authorization to 300 million its stock dipped about 5 percent over the course of the quarter
still mr jacobs is optimistic about what the rest of the year might bring the firm advised on four of the 10 largest transactions announced in the first quarter he believes that the drivers from mergers and acquisitions have not changed such as an economic environment that has been encouraging companies to come together to find growth
what were seeing here now is a pause because of the volatility in the markets mr jacobs said as long as people stay constructive about the macro cycle and we have this catalyst in place i think well see a decent level of activity


ted cruzs campaign was wrong last week in saying that new york city murders were up 10 percent but it wasnt the first time and surely wont be the last that crime statistics for the city and elsewhere are misunderstood and misrepresented
in the first few months of 2015 murders did increase and the citys tabloids wouldnt let anybody forget it
# the daily news the murder rate in new york city has spiked an alarming 20 percent in the first two months of the year
# the new york post youre 45 percent more likely to be murdered in de blasios manhattan
# in september usa today wrote a bloody weekend in new york that saw eight shooting deaths could signal that out of control gun violence may return to the city if the trend continues new york city may see its first uptick in the homicide rate after 25 years of decline
that last part was not true in the decades of declining murders in the city   from 2245 killings in 1990 to 328 in 2014   murders rose in some years only to resume falling
heres how the murder numbers actually played out in the city last year after the 20 percent increase in march noted by the daily news
# in may a commentary in the wall street journal on the new nationwide crime wave noted that murders were up in the city by nearly 13 percent
# in september the new york times reported on a sharp rise in murders in big cities and included new york by that point the increase was 9 percent
# at the end of the year the increase was a mere 45 percent although the new york post still described it as a murder plagued year
two weeks ago the city announced a big drop in major crimes in the first quarter of 2016 with the fewest murders in that period since records were kept we are the safest big city in america mayor bill de blasio said this quarters statistics prove it once again
from april 1 of last year to april 1 of this year the murder numbers were essentially flat as they have been since mr de blasio took office in 2014
the left leaning brennan center of justice pointing to evidence that claims of rising crime nationally were overblown wrote since murder rates vary widely from year to year one years increase is not evidence of a coming wave of violent crime on wednesday it released its final analysis for 2015 and found that overall crime rates in americas 30 largest cities were nearly identical from 2014 to 2015
of course some mini trends cant be ignored but small sample sizes often lead to corrections regression to the mean is the same principle by which most baseball fans know not to get excited when a player is hitting 480 this time of year he probably wont be the first batter to surpass 400 since ted williams in 1941
that also means that you cant get too excited about the numbers that the city promoted two weeks ago theyre not predictive in fact they could merely set up people for further panic if the numbers spike in the summer with regression to the mean possibly flowing in the other direction
another reason for misunderstanding crime statistics is surprise politics as a presidential candidate in january well before mr cruzs false claim chris christie said murders were up 11 percent in new york city blaming liberals like president obama and mr de blasio
new york is one of the more liberal cities in the country but republicans controlled the mayoralty for 20 years starting with rudolph giuliani in 1994 in part because of the potency of crime as an issue even before mr de blasio took office some republicans predicted that with liberals back in charge new york would return to the lawlessness of old any increase in crime could be used as a cudgel but what constitutes an increase in crime can be open to interpretation
add a layer of personal rivalry on top of the politics the former police commissioner raymond kelly questioned the accuracy of statistics under william brattons watch and that led to thunderbolts being slung both ways the times reported
but its harder to manipulate murder statistics and its hard to argue against taking the longer view as jarrett murphy of city limits wrote
the most egregious misunderstanding of all is that the public doesnt seem to know that crime has dropped significantly in the long term nationally we have 8000 fewer murders per year than we did a little over 20 years ago 8000 killings is equivalent to having a san bernardino terrorism massacre every day for a year combined with sept 11 fatalities
try telling people at a dinner party about the great news and you might get quizzical looks that two minute segment on the local news about a grisly murder the previous night probably carries a lot more weight justin wolfers wrote for the upshot in 2014 that perceptions havent caught up to one of the most striking trends over recent decades a gallup poll just two weeks ago said americans concern about crime and violence was at its highest point in 15 years
charles w cooke of national review wrote last year
a country that doesnt understand that crime has declined is a country that will probably be less likely to accept criminal justice reform although there has been rare bipartisan support for that reform not everyone is on board
it seems safe to predict that politicians will play on peoples fears if they can gain from it the sample sizes for forecasting that type of opportunism are large and go back a long way


the blackstone group the private equity giant suffered a sharp 77 percent decline in its net income for the first quarter as volatile market conditions kept the firm from unloading assets and cashing in rich performance fees
the results that were announced on thursday did not come as a surprise last year was one of the most profitable years in blackstones history driven in large part by bountiful performance fees so investors had expected the companys results in 2016 to offer a poor annual comparison
economic net income for the first quarter came in at 3707 million down from 162 billion a year earlier
still the precipitous profit drop is a reminder why blackstones share price continues to trade at a noticeable discount   despite the loud efforts of its chief executive stephen a schwarzman   to asset management companies like blackrock and t rowe price which do not see such sharp profit swings
the uncertain market environment did not keep the firm from raking in money though assets under management the most crucial gauge for an investment manager rose 11 percent in the first quarter compared with the quarter a year earlier to 3437 billion by far the most under management of any alternative investment company blackstone attracted 17 billion for the quarter and an impressive 80 billion over the last year
global investors continue to turn to the alternatives asset class and blackstone in particular to provide superior long term investment performance in a challenging and uncertain environment mr schwarzman said in a statement
the persistent increase in assets under management highlight blackstones most crucial competitive advantage its ability to keep attracting new funds and lock in the money it does have for as long as 10 years most other asset management firms have suffered outflows as skittish investors have withdrawn funds
over time blackstone has been able to invest these funds in lucrative private equity and real estate deals and when the company sells these stakes in the markets it can collect some of the highest performance fees in the industry
the firm reported profit declines in all its market segments with private equity dropping 89 percent and real estate down 64 percent hedge fund profits fell by 59 percent and credit profits fell 65 percent the units are smaller profit contributors


london   a frantic bidding war for the french electronics and appliance retailer darty erupted on thursday as the french unit of steinhoff international holdings and the french retailer groupe fnac both announced a series of sweetened offers for the company
the rush to acquire darty began in march when steinhoff of south africa offered to buy the retailer at a price that exceeded the one in a previous merger agreement with fnac in november fnac had offered to pay 558 million pounds or about 802 million for darty
in march steinhoff abandoned its pursuit of the home retail group as it faced a separate and potentially lengthy battle with j sainsbury one of britains largest grocery store chains it instead agreed to acquire darty with a cash offer of 125 pence a share or about PS673 million beating fnac at the time in a race to acquire the company
steinhoff wants to combine darty with conforama a french household goods retailer that it bought five years ago
but on thursday fnac and conforama each made a series of escalating offers for darty as the day progressed
darty did not indicate on thursday whether it was leaning toward either suitor
the board will carefully consider these two announcements and will provide further advice to darty shareholders in due course darty said in a news release on thursday
shares of darty closed up 23 percent in trading in london after the flurry of announcements
a day earlier conforama announced that steinhoff finance holdings a unit of its parent steinhoff had acquired 195 percent of darty at a price of 138 pence a share and that conforma would sweeten its offer to investors together conforma and its associated companies own or have agreements to buy about 197 percent of darty
fnac responded on thursday morning by offering to buy darty for 145 pence a share in cash or about PS779 million
a few hours later conforama announced its second sweetened offer worth about PS806 million in cash
then fnac said thursday afternoon that it had acquired just over 5 percent of the company and sweetened its offer to 153 pence a share in cash investors also could choose to accept four shares in the combined company for every 119 shares of darty they own fnac said
conforama responded with a third sweetened offer saying it was now willing to pay 160 pence a share or about PS860 million
darty operates about 400 stores in france belgium and the netherlands and reported revenue of more than 35 billion euros or about 4 billion in the 2014 15 fiscal year


plaintiffs suing ashley madison a popular online dating service over a computer hacking attack that stole the personal data of millions of users will have to be publicly identified to proceed with the case a federal judge ruled
forty two plaintiffs seeking to represent a class of users of the website which markets itself to people seeking sexual affairs outside of their marriages or committed relationships sought to pursue litigation anonymously as john does to reduce the risk of potentially catastrophic personal and professional consequences that could befall them and their families according to court papers
hackers gained access to the companys computer systems in july 2015 and later leaked personal information related to more than 30 million accounts
the plaintiffs said avid dating life inc which owns and operates the website failed to safeguard their personal and financial information marketed a full delete removal service that did not purge user account information from its database and populated its accounts with fake female users to lure male customers
the ruling by judge john a ross of the united states district court in the eastern district of missouri noted that plaintiffs in cases involving accusations of rape child sexual abuse and other sensitive matters have been allowed to use pseudonyms other court cases though have found that mere embarrassment was insufficient to outweigh the presumption of openness and public scrutiny in judicial proceedings
moreover the personal and financial information plaintiffs seek to protect has already been released on the internet and made available to the public he wrote in the ruling which was dated april 6 and was brought to light earlier this week in ars technica
avid argued that the sexual preferences and habits of the plaintiffs do not constitute information of the utmost intimacy that would require withholding their names the judge wrote
the judge ruled that those who want to proceed as class representatives who have a fiduciary obligation to represent the entire class of plaintiffs and who generally receive an incentive award as compensation for work done on behalf of the class must disclose their identities
they could dismiss their complaints and proceed without publicly disclosing their names as class members if and when a class is certified class members will not need to be identified by name the judge ruled
in similar class action lawsuits against avid eight plaintiffs have sued using their names and a ninth voluntarily dismissed her lawsuit


the core fact is not in dispute the players on the world cup winning united states womens national soccer team earn less money than their counterparts on the mens national team after that truth things are muddier how much less how can that be fair and most important what is being done about it
us soccer and the union representing the players on the womens team have traded court filings and accusations   in a lawsuit filed by us soccer over the validity of the teams collective bargaining agreement and in a wage discrimination complaint filed by five top players last month amid all of this we gave both sides the opportunity to make their case using us soccers public and private financial data what we found suggests a complicated battlefield
in a wage discrimination complaint filed with the equal employment opportunity commission in march five top players on the womens team accused us soccer of paying them and their teammates about a quarter of what their counterparts on the mens national team receive wielding the federations own financial reports as evidence the women excoriated a compensation and bonus structure that they said tilted heavily in favor of the men and pointed out that their teams on field success had produced millions of dollars in revenue for us soccer in 2015 and was projected to do the same this year
in most years yes over the long term the more established mens game brings in consistently higher game revenue year over year sponsorships and television revenue are not counted in game revenue calculations nike fox sports and espn for example are buying the crest in us soccer vernacular not the rights to a single team
but in 2015 the womens team won the world cup and then embarked on a scheduled 10 city victory tour that yielded an eight figure bump to us soccers bottom line
as a result the women brought in more than 23 million in game revenue about 16 million more than the federation had projected an anomaly yes and a welcome one if you are us soccer
after expenses the women turned a profit of 66 million last year the men their profit was just under 2 million looking ahead us soccers 2017 budget predicts that trend will be repeated expecting another olympic gold medal and another victory tour the federation has forecast a profit of more than 5 million for the womens team in the next fiscal year on 175 million in revenue
the men us soccer figures they will lose about 1 million this year on only 9 million in revenue
yes and no according to figures provided by us soccer since 2008 it has paid 12 players at least 1 million six of those players were men and six were women and the women hold their own near the top of the pay scale the best paid woman made about 12 million from 2008 to 2015 while the top man made 14 million in the same period some women in the top 10 even made more than their male counterparts over those years but the numbers diverge down the list at no 25 the female player made just under 341000 and the corresponding male player supplemented his salary by about 580000 at no 50 the male player made 10 times as much as his female counterpart
part of that is structural a bigger player pool a more fluid roster and higher game bonuses have given more men a chance to take money out of us soccers cash drawer but there is also another important distinction about the womens pay said rich nichols the general counsel for the united states womens national soccer team players association seventy five percent of that compensation both last year and over those eight years is directly related to winning championships he said in other words nichols said the women have to perform at a world beating level just to keep pace financially and that victory tour money the women had to play the extra games to get it the men nichols said get paid just for showing up what he and his players want they say is equal pay for equal work
not exactly to qualify for the womens world cup for example the united states womens team plays five games in a single two week tournament
the mens qualifying road is a two year 16 game slog across north and central america and the caribbean us soccer argues that the roster bonuses for successful qualification   15000 for the women in 2015 55000 for the men in 2014   reflect that
and while us soccer also counts the womens biweekly salaries compensation that the male players do not receive as a mitigating factor in its favor in the pay equity dispute the women play more games on a year to year basis and must win them to claim their bonuses effectively requiring them to work harder and perform better just to keep pace
the pay plans differ for the mens and womens national teams who have their own players associations and negotiate their own collective bargaining agreements the womens teams pay is a mix of a base salary   72000 for the majority of players on the regular roster   plus a modest game bonus 1350 for each game won the women do not receive game bonuses if they tie or lose matches us soccer also pays the salaries of the national team players who compete in the nwsl the nascent american womens professional league as well as providing some health insurance benefits severance pay for players cut from the team and maternity leave at half pay if they become pregnant
the men meanwhile operate on a pay for play system those players who are called in for matches are eligible for roster and game bonuses considerably higher than those paid to the women but a player must be called into camp to receive anything so when tim howard took a year off after the 2014 world cup he earned no pay from us soccer for the games he missed any player who is injured or one who is on the fringes of the national team player pool and is not called in for months or years receives nothing until he returns to camp the security net is that every male player in the pool unlike the women has the advantage of falling back on a lucrative salary from his professional club
it is important to view the dispute between us soccer and the womens national team in a larger context in the wake of its womens world cup triumph the popularity and profitability of the team are at record levels at the same time the womens national team players association is in the middle of negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement with us soccer   one that is likely to determine the players pay and working conditions through the next world cup or two the battle over artificial turf lurks right behind the pay fight the players contend that their big year in 2015 is a sign of a bright future and that their visibility and on field success have made them the driving economic force of us soccer the federation counters using figures like those in the charts above that the women have received comparable pay and that mens team still consistently produces a larger share of us soccers revenue year to year
sunil gulati us soccers president and a lecturer in economics at columbia university contends that revenue has to be a big part of any discussion about compensation a lot of different things go into the compensation for the womens players he said last month citing revenue and performance as the most prominent examples we want to compensate them fairly gulati also said that television ratings were another factor while the womens team broke viewing records during the womens world cup ratings for mens games have been more than double those for womens games on average since 2012 according to nielsen calculations excluding world cup games the mens teams ratings are almost four times as high
the new fifa president gianni infantino seems to agree with gulatis point of view he told sports illustrated last week that the prize money today is linked with the revenues that are generated but infantino has also expressed a desire to create a new womens division in fifa focused solely on promoting womens soccer globally and everyone can agree that fifas putting its shoulder behind improving opportunity and compensation in womens soccer which remains an afterthought   or nonexistent   in many countries would be a huge step forward
the ones in which us soccer pays the women 60 a day for expenses and the men 75 or 3000 for a sponsor appearance while the men receive 3750 these are probably the most embarrassing numbers in the pay equity debate for us soccer because they are indefensible carli lloyd mocked them acidly in her recent new york times essay writing that maybe they think women are smaller and thus eat less in truth those payments were equal before 2015 when an adjustment negotiated into the mens cba increased them for the men the problem was that there was no clause in the womens cba that would ensure that the payments remained equal in the event that the men   whose cba comes up for renewal in different years   received a bump
it will and possibly very soon us soccer officials have had discussions in recent weeks about moving to make the per diem and appearance payments match immediately even before a new cba is negotiated there even has been talk of making up the difference going back to the date in 2015 when they diverged the per diems will be returned to the same amount as the men in the upcoming negotiating cycle neil buethe a us soccer spokesman said tuesday adding that the federation would include language in future cbas to prevent this kind of discrepancy
us soccer received 9 million when the mens team advanced to the second round of the 2014 world cup in brazil but only about 2 million when the women won the 2015 world cup in canada that is because fifa pays out far more to participants in the mens world cup a financial juggernaut than it does to womens world cup teams could us soccer choose to allocate that revenue differently or to pool it to ensure that it was at least equal yes but the mens team would surely object
the eeoc complaint will take a minimum of six months to investigate according to labor experts familiar with the process meaning that its resolution might not come until after a new collective bargaining agreement is in place the sides continue to trade filings in us soccers suit over the validity of the current cba in federal court in chicago a decision is not expected until early june if the court rules for the players and throws out the cba they will have enormous leverage on the eve of the olympics including the ability to strike if us soccer wins there will be little to do but continue negotiations on a new agreement before the existing one expires on dec 31 in either case the players will probably emerge with an improved deal   but only if serious discussions resume
the sides who last met face to face in march agreed on wednesday to sit down again   in mid may


seoul south korea   north korea proposed on thursday to send family members to meet with 13 north korean restaurant workers who arrived in south korea this month in what was described by the south as a rare group defection
the south immediately dismissed the offer as propaganda and reiterated that the north koreans had defected of their own free will
north korea which has demanded their return claims that the south kidnapped the workers   12 waitresses and a male manager   from a restaurant run by the north korean government in the chinese city of ningbo
on thursday the norths red cross society suggested that the south allow the workers to meet with relatives at panmunjom a village on the border between the two koreas that serves as a contact point
if necessary we are willing to send family members to seoul the south korean capital the north said in a statement carried by its official korean central news agency
the 13 north koreans are undergoing a government debriefing and resettlement program that could take several months during which they are not permitted to speak to journalists
they decided to defect to the south after learning about the life there through south korean television dramas and movies they watched in china south korean officials said
many other details of their trip remain unknown
seven north korean waitresses at the restaurant returned to the north
they told a cnn reporter in the north korean capital pyongyang that the 12 female workers had been deceived by the male manager who they said held their passports and conspired with a south korean businessman and the authorities in the south to take them to seoul
the manager told the workers that they were being relocated to another restaurant in southeast asia one of the seven women told cnn in the interview broadcast on thursday
north korea runs restaurants in china and elsewhere abroad to earn badly needed foreign currency


an airport hangar outside paris shook with cheers toasts and foot stomping in december as diplomats ushered a landmark climate agreement into existence on friday morning world leaders will gather again at the united nations for a grand ceremony to sign the document
but can they deliver on their promises to fight global warming
after a quarter century of failed diplomatic efforts signs are growing that nations have turned a corner in their political willingness to tackle climate change many leaders are pushing to make the paris agreement legally binding years earlier than originally expected the falling cost of clean energy is providing a powerful tailwind for their efforts
for all the signs of progress and political will however new challenges to implementing the accord have arisen just since december outside experts also say the countries bare bones plans are still far from enough to keep global warming to tolerable levels no country has shared a detailed credible strategy to achieve what scientists think is necessary ending the era of fossil fuel emissions and converting entirely to clean energy no later than the middle of this century
unless countries develop more ambitious plans the experts say the world could ultimately suffer profound consequences including debilitating heat waves food shortages and fast rising seas
i think the train has left the station and the clean energy transition is going to happen said guido schmidt traub managing director of a group in paris and new york the sustainable development solutions network that is analyzing the needed steps whether it will happen in time to head off dangerous climate change is really the question
big uncertainties hung over the climate deal even as the wording was being finalized in paris and in some ways they have only grown since december
president obamas domestic climate program was essential in helping him lobby other countries to reach a deal but it was thrown into turmoil in february when the supreme court temporarily shelved his clean power plan
in developing countries hundreds of coal burning power plants are still on the drawing board and oil and gas companies continue to invest billions of dollars a year searching for new reserves of fossil fuels
all those factors mean that a goal established by the governments of the world in 2009   limiting the warming of the planet to 36 degrees fahrenheit or 2 degrees celsius above the preindustrial level   remains far out of reach
the temperature has risen half that much already the climate appears to be destabilizing and the great ice sheets in greenland and antarctica are starting to melt
the plans that countries offered in paris would even if faithfully carried out fall far short of cutting emissions enough to meet the goal moreover jeffrey d sachs director of the earth institute at columbia university noted this week that most of those plans run only to 2030 with countries still offering no hint of how they might eradicate greenhouse emissions by the 2050s
the signing ceremony the unprecedented number of countries that are going to sign is creating a momentum said alden meyer director of strategy and policy for the union of concerned scientists a washington advocacy group but there is still a lot of work to do not just in the us but around the world to nail down these domestic actions
looming large over the climate push is the american presidential election the democratic candidates hillary clinton and senator bernie sanders of vermont have promised to build on mr obamas legacy and to pursue strong climate policies but the two leading republicans donald j trump and senator ted cruz of texas have questioned the science of climate change and sharply criticized the paris agreement
the fight over a nominee to the supreme court is in part a fight over the fate of the clean power plan which is intended to limit emissions from power plants in the united states
the supreme court voted 5 to 4 in february to stall the plan justice antonin scalia who voted in the majority died four days later
the plan still has to move through a june hearing in a federal circuit court and the deciding vote when it gets to the supreme court for a final ruling could well be cast by justice scalias replacement
moreover even if the plan is upheld some experts have concluded that mr obama is likely to leave office without establishing policies sufficient to ensure the country will meet the pledge he offered in paris to reduce american emissions by 26 percent to 28 percent in 2025 compared with their level in 2005
the rhodium group an economic consulting firm has calculated that mr obamas plans may reduce emissions by only 23 percent or so
the white house contends that it is still on track to meet those targets and brian deese the white house climate change advisor said he and his staff are now preparing models and plans to lay the groundwork for the next president to strengthen the current policies
the signing ceremony on friday is only an intermediate step after countries will still have to present formal ratification documents and the paris agreement will not take effect until 55 countries representing 55 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions have done so
that was originally expected to take at least a couple of years but some countries are talking about rushing through the final steps possibly even bringing the agreement into force by the end of this year before mr obama leaves office on jan 20
the french minister of environment and energy segolene royal alluded to the importance of the american presidential election during a meeting on monday with reporters at the united nations saying the agreement might be signed and ratified by the time anybody is elected
at that moment the french ambassador to the united nations francois delattre uttered a stage whisper within the earshot of several reporters on espere he said or one hopes
for all the lingering political uncertainty however the economics of clean energy appear to be improving so rapidly that a radical acceleration of the energy transition may become possible if governments push it along with new policies
for instance some analyses suggest that keeping climate change to a tolerable level will require mass adoption of electric cars by the 2030s coupled with a transition to a cleaner electricity grid to power the cars
sales of electric cars are now growing at 60 percent a year albeit from a tiny base according to a recent report from bloomberg new energy finance
moreover car companies are promising a wave of electric models with improved range over the next couple of years including the tesla model 3 that inspired more than 300000 people to put down deposits over the last three weeks
even more significant perhaps is that most of the capital being spent in the world to build new power plants is being spent on renewables twice as much in 2015 as on fossil fired power plants bloomberg new energy finance found
most of the existing power plants still run on nonrenewable energy however and because the plants last for decades that is likely to change only slowly wind turbines and solar panels are now supplying about 10 percent of the worlds electricity a figure that has doubled in the last decade the pace of adoption would need to rise sharply to meet the broad climate goals
as the market for clean power technology has grown the cost has plummeted and countries are scrambling to adapt their plans india has promised a 20 fold increase in solar power and bids for giant solar farms there have been coming in so low that many analysts are increasingly convinced that the country can pull it off
the promises rich countries made to secure the paris agreement included mobilizing billions in financing for poor countries like india
indias needs are going to be astronomical if we are going to succeed said dipak dasgupta an indian economist and a former board member of a united nations fund intended to channel some of the climate money
whether the money will materialize is one of the great uncertainties about the paris deal mr obama has had trouble persuading republican lawmakers to provide even small sums to advance his international climate agenda though congress did approve tax measures in december that would give a big push to wind and solar power in the united states over the next few years
but if the money promised by rich countries is not forthcoming the poor countries that pledged strong climate action in paris could easily decide to walk away one of the many ways the progress reflected in the deal remains fragile   and easily reversible


beijing   clutching a bouquet of red roses from the auburn haired foreigner who has also showered her with wine and compliments ms li thinks to herself having a handsome romantic talented foreign boyfriend is pretty nice
what ms li a state employee does not know is that her foreign romeo has an ulterior motive espionage but the devastating truth is revealed toward the end of a 16 panel cartoon that the beijing authorities posted in subway stations streets and residential compounds for chinas first national security education day last friday caught by security officers after handing her boyfriend a disc of work secrets at his request ms li sits before two stern officers handcuffed and sobbing i didnt know he was a spy i was used by him
it was unclear why the authorities chose to cast foreign men as possible spies and young chinese women as their targets in this first public education drive
a person answering the telephone at the propaganda office of the beijing municipal party committee requested questions by fax a fax including a question about the poster went unanswered
despite the emphatic warnings of the tale titled dangerous love a morning on the streets of beijing suggests it may not be having quite the impact the government hopes
how could ordinary people know anything about state secrets asked mr liu a resident of wudaoying lane in central beijing where one of the posters hangs on the wall of a construction site
if even young girls know secrets what kind of secrets are they asked mr liu who gave only his surname and put his age at about 50 after answering a knock at his door late on a warm morning
what asked a woman strolling along the lane who identified herself only as ms yang no one who was asked about the potentially delicate topic of national security would disclose a full name she looked unfazed when questioned about national security education day
i run a restaurant called chi mian   mandarin for eat noodles   just down the lane and we get lots of foreigners she said english french japanese theyre very nice and never cause trouble even after theyve been drinking
teriza 25 a czech tourist who was with her parents said the idea of a public campaign warning against foreign spies in peacetime was not a big deal to her family since their own country had a communist past
we had this 20 years ago so its very normal she said but i dont think my brother who is studying in beijing is at all aware of this and he is in those student circles
a young couple who gave their names as ms cheng and mr zhang had not noticed the poster until reporters pointed it out
after glancing it over mr zhang said the cartoon is quite realistic because you do see foreign men hitting on chinese women more often than foreign women hitting on chinese men
his girlfriend said i studied in sydney i never dated a foreigner in australia because im pretty conventional
i never saw a poster like that in australia she added
in the dongdan subway station the poster adorns two orange pillars on the busy platform for the no 5 line over 15 minutes none of the people rushing by or waiting for a train read the sign except for a woman who identified herself as ms chen she said she had stopped in front of one because reporters were photographing it
ms chen 26 a saleswoman said she thought the warning was a good idea
its necessary for the government to have these kinds of warnings because some chinese women are naive she said i dont come into contact with foreigners at work but if there was a foreigner making advances i would definitely ask what kind of job he did before dating him id be alert
one possible explanation for the low key public reaction could be the profusion of such morally themed messages on billboards and walls across beijing above and below ground
three in or near the dongdan station read harmony in 10000 families you me and them be civilized enhance the spirit of lei feng a reference to the communist hero of selflessness elsewhere rejuvenate the nation be a volunteer and serve the people are common
riding the subway is itself an exercise in security requiring airport style checks of bags and bodies of passengers even drinking from water bottles to prove the contents are potable
national security education day on april 15 was established after china passed a national security law in july outlining greater security efforts in 11 areas including political territorial military cultural and technological
the chinese state news media reported on tuesday that a former computer technician huang yu 41 who worked at a cryptographic institute in chengdu had been sentenced to death for selling 150000 classified documents to foreign spies from 2002 to 2011 his chinese wife and brother in law were imprisoned for negligent disclosure of state secrets the reports said


riyadh saudi arabia   president obama said on thursday that the united states would continue to enhance security cooperation with its allies in the persian gulf while encouraging them to carry out domestic reforms and bolster their ability to defend themselves
the comments came at the end of a two day summit meeting here with the leaders of six persian gulf nations that was intended to reassure them that the united states remains committed to their security even as it pursues rapprochement with iran
the meeting came amid growing concerns among saudi arabia and its closest allies that the united states is limiting its engagement in the middle east at a time when iran has taken advantage of regional turmoil to spread its influence for their part american officials have said they would like greater commitment from gulf states in fighting terrorist groups an effort that has become secondary to their campaign against iranian backed militants in yemen
in a series of closed door sessions mr obama and his counterparts discussed a range of issues the civil wars in yemen syria and libya and the struggling efforts to end them military and economic cooperation and the fight against terrorist groups like the islamic state
yet mr obama left the saudi capital on thursday without announcing any concrete new plans or initiatives he spoke to the news media alone before his departure unaccompanied by any of the other leaders
throughout the visit mr obama did not back away from his recent comments referring to some united states allies as free riders and said they should improve their own military capabilities
given the ongoing trends in the region the united states will continue to increase our secure cooperation with our partners in the region including increasing their own ability to defend themselves he said
he said the united states had serious concerns about irans destabilizing activities in the region but warned against confrontation
none of our nations have an interest in conflict with iran he said
before the trip american officials said they hoped the summit meeting would build on discussions with top persian gulf officials that took place when mr obama hosted a similar group at camp david a year ago
on thursday benjamin j rhodes the presidents deputy national security adviser said the meetings took place during a moment of opportunity when fragile cease fire agreements in syria and yemen might help persuade the gulf states to refocus their attention on the terrorist threat in the region and the diplomatic efforts for a political transition in syria
there is broad agreement about where we are trying to go in the region mr rhodes said in riyadh what this summit allows us to do is to make sure we align our approaches and strategies
mr rhodes acknowledged that several of the gulf nations continue to be eager to buy modern weapons systems like fighter jets to augment their armed forces he said the united states would continue to review further sales of those weapons
but he said the obama administration was eager to shift the focus of assistance away from big equipment and toward the development of special forces and technology to thwart the threat of cyberattacks from the islamic state and from iran
the large scale weapons that the united states has sold in the past are not necessarily the capabilities that are best designed to deal with the threats that we face mr rhodes added
but more broadly for mr obama the meeting offered an opportunity to reassure allies in the region that the united states government remained steadfast in its pledge to defend against regional threats
mr obamas nuclear accord with iran has unnerved gulf countries some of which view the agreement as evidence of a shift in american interests away from them
the summit meeting included the members of the gulf cooperation council   saudi arabia the united arab emirates bahrain qatar kuwait and oman   all of which are led by hereditary rulers presiding over largely closed political systems mr obama took the opportunity to call for economic reforms that would benefit all of their citizens as well as for human rights
the meeting took place at diriyah palace which mr obama entered thursday morning walking down a chandelier filled hallway and past a phalanx of saudi soldiers holding golden swords
the president posed for a photograph with the arab leaders before taking his place at a small round table where he chatted with sheikh mohammed bin zayed al nahyan the crown prince of abu dhabi
later on thursday mr obama left saudi arabia for london where he was to have lunch with queen elizabeth ii dinner with prince william and the duchess of cambridge and meet with prime minister david cameron


hong kong   a camouflage clad president xi jinping appeared on wednesday at the joint battle command center of chinas central military commission where he urged officers to build a command system that was capable of winning wars according to state news reports
mr xi who is general secretary of the chinese communist party is also chairman of the central military commission which runs the countrys armed forces after his visit on wednesday a new title was unveiled in the state and party news media commander in chief of the joint battle command center
although predecessors like president hu jintao delegated operational responsibilities to professional soldiers the new title reflects mr xis desire to have a more direct role said you ji who oversees the department of government and public administration at the university of macau
quite simply its a symbol of ultimate command and control of the armed forces professor you said
mr xi was shown speaking to officers and seated at a central dais with other members of the military commission flanking him
the current situation requires battle command to be highly strategic coordinated timely professional and accurate he said according to xinhua the state news agency all must be done with the ultimate goal of improving battle command capacities and measured by the standards of being able to fight and win wars
the chinese military has traditionally suffered from weak coordination of its various forces something mr xi hopes to change said michael raska assistant professor in the military transformations program at nanyang technological universitys s rajaratnam school of international studies in singapore
this long funky title is part of accelerating reforms at the operational level mr raska said
like his predecessors mr xi generally wears an olive green mao suit when carrying out his central military commission duties but on occasion he has also worn camouflage fatigues when meeting peoples liberation army troops as he did on wednesday along with the rest of the staff of the joint battle command center
its very carefully crafted mr raska said of mr xis appearance it shows hes part of the pla and the convergence of policy and the military
mr xi became chairman of the central military commission in 2012 mr hu had been expected to stay in that position for a few more years and mr xis rise as leader of the commission was an early sign of his rapid accumulation of power at the top of the chinese government


seattle   amazons new urban headquarters   more than 30 office buildings and three towers that once completed will dominate a low slung section of the city   are a gleaming symbol of boom times here the tech giant has added 20000 new jobs in seattle and attracted other tech companies that want to rub elbows google plans to expand here as well with four new buildings and perhaps 4000 workers smaller start ups dot old brick neighborhoods like pioneer square and newer developments like south lake union where amazon is building
but the surging growth has also driven up rents and home prices fueling a homeless crisis so severe that last fall the mayor declared a state of emergency and amazons focus on its business interests and growth has made it a target of some residents and politicians who have criticized it as an insular corporate giant uninterested in addressing the problems of its home city
but this week amazon stepped into a new place of civic engagement and raised hopes city leaders said of much more to come
the company in partnership with a nonprofit group called marys place threw open the doors of an unused building near the heart of its corporate empire creating one of the largest homeless shelters in seattle the 200 bed shelter is taking shape in a former travelodge that amazon bought in 2014 a structure that many of the companys employees walk by every day on their way to or from work the first handful of families who will sleep there started arriving monday
the solution is temporary the building will be demolished next year to make way for several more company office buildings but advocates for the homeless and seattles mayor ed murray said the real significance of the project which will be managed by marys place could not be measured in beds or in the number of months that the shelter will be open
rather it is measured in the new relationships that amazon appears to be forging with the city it calls home
new companies struggle to figure out how they can be corporate good neighbors mr murray said in an interview the fact that amazon has chosen to participate in what is among west coast cities the most difficult and the most controversial issue we face sends to me a positive signal about what kind of corporate neighbor they could grow into
i think its a very interesting place for them to take a risk he added
amazons director of global real estate and facilities john schoettler said the path to turning the old hotel into a shelter was rather serendipitous the hotel closed years ago he said and the building was being used as college dormitory space when amazon bought it but when the mayor declared a state of emergency last fall mr schoettler said bells went off
we were thinking about different things that we could do with it and we didnt want it to just sit idle he said so we reached out to the mayors office
the area around the shelter is a building maelstrom with five major commercial office projects and 10 residential developments with 4657 housing units in planning or construction within a quarter mile of the property according to figures from the city
but low budget hotels still stake out part of the area too as do automotive shops the elephant super car wash with its revolving pink sign dating from an earlier era is only a few blocks away
support for amazons new role has been enthusiastic especially in the realm of homeless advocacy
its an incredible collaboration said the executive director of marys place marty hartman she called the companys donation huge first because of the offer to make the hotel available earlier this year and then by refitting it for its new use over the last few months with such things as a community room and a childrens center
marys place will also get 400000 from the city from a fund opened up by the mayors emergency declaration to help with operating expenses ms hartman said the new shelter doubled in one day how many people her group can help
a wish list created by amazon where online shoppers can donate items to marys place went up last month as well tapping into a well of generosity far beyond amazons home base
so far customers have donated items that include 37 room lamps 49 twin mattresses 145 boxes of diapers 26 shower curtains and 1080 hand and bath towels
isela espinoza 35 a medical assistant and one of the first shelter residents said the relief it had already begun providing was immediate she could actually sleep
i was sleeping in my car before that she said and with her two children there with her ages 12 and 15 she was ever on alert i never felt i could fall asleep because i felt like i needed to protect my children she said
it changed my way of thinking about the company she said about amazon you hardly hear of big companies making millions and billions of dollars looking down to see who needs help
some economists and politicians said tech companies hadbeen unfairly blamed for negative social and housing effects on cities mr murray for one said the breakdown of government funding for housing and mental health treatment was driving much of the problem here as well as in rural and suburban areas
a housing expert at the urban land institute a research group based in washington dc said growth is always disruptive and right now tech is simply the visible engine of that growth in many places
without question any american city that has seen recent significant economic growth is grappling with a housing affordability problem said the expert stockton williams who studies demographics and housing trends for the research group i cant think of a city that is fully meeting the housing needs of all its citizens
mr schoettler said he hoped amazons commitment would extend beyond the one year life of the shelter he said that another property nearby could be available next spring but that it was too soon for promises
i can see this going on for several years but again thats all dependent on our need for space he said


as akai gurley left his girlfriends apartment in a brooklyn housing project one november night two years ago he tried to take an elevator to the street but found that it was broken had it been working mr gurley might never have set foot into the stairwell where he died
it was the kind of freakish detail that pervaded the case of his killer the former new york city police officer peter liang not only was the elevator broken but the lights in the stairwell were out and mr liang was a rookie not even a year out of the police academy moreover the shot he fired glanced off a wall caromed randomly and struck mr gurley in the heart
the accidental nature of the killing was noted by many on tuesday when mr liang was sentenced to probation in state supreme court in brooklyn avoiding a prison term in one of the most divisive police misconduct cases in recent city history paul shechtman a lawyer for mr liang argued in court that there had never been a manslaughter case in new york in which the allegations were less egregious and the conduct less blameworthy ruling that the shooting had been unintentional justice danny k chun who presided over the case went so far as to reduce the jurys verdict from manslaughter   based on recklessness   to the less severe criminally negligent homicide
but if the killing of mr gurley was a kind of crime of chance what of the conditions that preceded and permitted it would a private building on the upper east side have had an elevator persistently out of service as was the case at the louis h pink houses in east new york would the stairwell lights in such a building have been broken would armed officers   one of them with his gun drawn   have been on patrol inside
now that the case has ended barring an appeal a larger question has emerged if the fatal shooting of mr gurley was indeed an accident embedded in a web of troubling circumstance what can the city do to prevent something similar from happening again
in past police misconduct cases measures have been taken after abner louima was attacked by police officers with a broomstick in a brooklyn station house in 1997   an act that the police then tried to cover up   his lawyers successfully sued to end the so called 48 hour rule which gave officers two full days before they had to speak with investigators a few years later after amadou diallo was fatally shot outside his bronx building the police disbanded the street crime unit the aggressive plainclothes troop whose officers committed the killing
in an article published on wednesday in the daily news ken thompson the brooklyn district attorney whose office prosecuted mr liang wrote that he embraced the nations urgent conversation about the criminal justice system that mr gurleys death had helped to spur the city mr thompson added should strengthen police community relations and examine how offenders were brought into the system to begin with
some police reform advocates had more specific suggestions
robert gangi director of the police reform organizing project said that searches of housing project stairwells known as vertical patrols should be ended or restricted absent actual suspicion that a crime was being committed mr gangi also said that a prison sentence for mr liang would have sent a message that the city considers these incidents to be serious and unacceptable
alex s vitale a professor of sociology at brooklyn college said that he would take a literal approach to the broken windows theory of policing a favorite strategy of the police commissioner william j bratton
for too long the departments emphasis has been on making communities safer through zero tolerance policing mr vitale said but they dont actually fix any broken windows the physical dynamic in the pink houses was a major contributing factor to what happened and if the city was really focused on making the place better it wouldnt just criminalize behavior it would fix elevators and lights and think of ways to empower people to better manage their environments
there has been one corrective step in the wake of the gurley case after mr liang and his partner officer shaun landau testified that they failed to help mr gurley because they had been poorly trained in cpr the department stripped their academy instructor of her badge and though it preceded mr liangs indictment a federal lawsuit filed in manhattan in 2010 is slowly forcing changes in the way that police officers interact with housing project residents during the vertical patrols
but a frustrating truth about the gurley case is that many of its underlying problems are problems of inequity and race that are difficult to solve with city policy while the shooting was not a racial crime per se   mr liang did not confront or even see his victim   it was racially inflected if only because black new yorkers are much more likely than white ones to live in rundown buildings patrolled by police officers in heightened states of anxiety and fear
its on the government to build trust when there have been constant incidents like this said johnetta elzie a founder of campaign zero an advocacy group that focuses on ending police violence there needs to be accountability but i dont know what accountability looks like when police are getting probation for killing people its a mess   its definitely a mess


tokyo   in most of the world few consumers even know microcars exist but in japan the tiny vehicles whose fuel consumption is as small as their price tags are a crucial battleground for domestic automakers
and for years mitsubishi motors has been losing to its heavyweight competitors
a day after the company admitted it had cheated on fuel economy tests for a line of kei or ultralight cars in the latest scandal to grip the global automobile industry attention focused on the companys struggles in the brutally competitive japanese microcar market
rivals like suzuki and daihatsu an affiliate of toyota produce vehicles with significantly better mileage a crucial selling point for cars designed to appeal to the most budget conscious buyers that specialists said may have tempted mitsubishi to cheat although the company said it was retesting the affected vehicles to determine their true fuel economy mitsubishis president tetsuro aikawa estimated on wednesday that improper tests had inflated their ratings 5 percent to 10 percent
keis are more than a niche in japan about 40 percent of new cars sold belong to the category which is subject to lower taxes that increase their price advantage over full size vehicles with engines limited by law to smaller than 066 liters   smaller than those of many motorcycles   some sell for the equivalent of less than 10000
the competition in keis is all about fuel consumption its extremely fierce said koichi hatamura a former mazda engineer who now runs an independent technology firm hatamura engine research office mitsubishi has no technology for improving fuel efficiency but has no money to spend either its development people were given an impossible task to cut costs and improve mileage
on thursday officials from the japanese ministry of land infrastructure transport and tourism removed documents from a mitsubishi technical center in central japan the ministry said it had begun searching for evidence at mitsubishi facilities on wednesday
the companys share price plunged about 20 percent on thursday   the daily limit in yen terms   compounding a 15 percent drop a day earlier
mitsubishi is one of the smaller players in the crowded japanese car industry selling one vehicle for every eight shipped globally by toyota the worlds largest producer in the race to develop more fuel efficient vehicles mitsubishi has focused its scarce resources on new technology the company was one of the first to produce an all electric vehicle the imiev
but perhaps as a result experts said it has fallen behind in the crucial task of making its traditional gasoline powered engines more efficient
even with an exaggerated mileage rating the most fuel efficient version of mitsubishis microcar the ek ranked 10th among kei models sold in japan according to car sensor a website that tracks automobile data
the now discredited rating of 304 kilometers per liter or about 715 miles per gallon compared with a rating of 37 kilometers per liter for the top ranked suzuki alto not coincidentally mitsubishi also lagged in sales
competition has increased among kei producers but its really been a fight between suzuki daihatsu and honda said koji endo an automotive analyst at advanced research japan mitsubishi has been left out
japans government increased new vehicle taxes on keis last year a policy shift intended to narrow the price gap between them and full size cars that has added pressure on kei manufacturers whose profit margins were already narrow
mitsubishi started supplying versions of the ek to nissan several years ago under a joint venture agreement a deal that may have further increased the temptation to exaggerate the cars performance the first nissan branded eks   sold by nissan as the dayz   went on sale in 2013 the same year mitsubishi says its cheating began
nissan let mitsubishi take the lead in developing minicars but mitsubishis own level of tech was not that high mr endo said they had a lot of incentives to cheat
nissan engineers were the ones who spotted the mileage rating discrepancy mitsubishi said
there are fears that other models besides the ek may be caught up in the scandal mr aikawa mitsubishis president said the company had used unapproved testing methods on an unspecified number of other lines over the years and was currently reviewing their mileage ratings
mitsubishi had spent years trying to rebuild its reputation after another scandal in 2000 the company admitted that it had been hiding reports on vehicle defects for more than two decades sales plunged top executives were arrested and the carmaker came close to collapse it was saved only by an injection of capital from other companies in the loosely allied mitsubishi group of companies
mitsubishis latest admission is the latest in a series of cheating revelations to hit the automobile industry carmakers reporting of fuel economy and pollution ratings is under especially close scrutiny after volkswagen admitted last year that it had installed software in 11 million diesel vehicles to cheat on emissions tests the japanese transportation ministry said it had sent a letter on wednesday to other carmakers asking them to check their fuel economy test data but it did not specify how the companies could prove they had not cheated like mitsubishi which has until april 27 to report back on the affair the other carmakers have until may 18
this is an extremely serious matter yoshihide suga the governments chief cabinet secretary said at a daily news briefing i hope all the details of this improper conduct will be revealed as soon as possible and stringent measures to ensure vehicle safety


frankfurt   the european central bank left its main interest rates and stimulus tools unchanged at its meeting on thursday with its president forcefully arguing that the banks aggressive monetary policy moves had bolstered economic growth and warded off negative inflation in the eurozone
the decision by the central banks governing council its main policy board to stand pat was expected by analysts as the bank measures the impact of a wide ranging set of aggressive moves it took last month to stimulate the eurozones moribund economy to pump money into the economy encourage lending by banks and raise inflation from levels considered dangerously low
our policies are the necessary policies for the return of the inflation rate to our objective mario draghi the european central banks president said at a news conference in frankfurt after the interest rate decision
he added that the policies had provided the necessary conditions for the return of growth to a higher level and the necessary conditions for the return of interest rates to a higher level
our monetary policies have been supporting growth he said
mr draghi reacted with vehemence when asked about criticism of central bank policy last week by wolfgang schauble the german finance minister mr schauble was quoted blaming low interest rates which he said hurt german savers as a factor in the rise of right wing populist parties in the country he later said that was not what he meant
criticisms of a certain type could be viewed as endangering the independence of the ecb mr draghi said such criticism would only undercut the effectiveness of central bank policy and force it to do even more he said
mr draghi faulted political leaders for not doing enough to improve their economies if there were also structural reforms the effect of these policies would be quicker he said
arguing that countries had to do more to overhaul their economies and provide fiscal stimulus he added our monetary policy has been the only policy in the last four years to support growth
mr draghi said that an internal central bank study indicated that economic growth from 2016 to 2018 would have been lower if it had not put in place the measures over the past two years and that inflation would have been negative this year
at its last monetary policy meeting on march 10 the central bank surprised economists and investors with an array of moves that in some cases had never been deployed by a major central bank those included a program that allows banks to draw central bank money for free and then to receive a bonus if they lend the money to businesses and individuals banks have to meet certain benchmarks to qualify for the bonus
at the march meeting the central bank cut its benchmark rate to zero from 005 percent it also increased the penalty it charges banks to park money in its vaults   a so called negative interest rate   to 04 percent from 03 percent
mr draghi said on thursday that a program to buy corporate bonds in addition to existing purchases of government debt had been expanded as announced by the bank last month with the european central bank now buying 80 billion euros or about 90 billion of bonds each month known as quantitative easing the purchases are made with newly created money and are intended as a way to lower market interest rates and increase the amount of money circulating in the economy
some analysts have expressed concern that the central bank could run short of bonds to buy because the market supply is finite
but mr draghi dismissed those concerns saying the bank did not see risks of scarcity
despite the array of measures inflation in the eurozone has been stubbornly low it has not exceeded 05 percent in two years and has fallen below zero on several occasions
the fear is that the eurozone could become trapped in deflation a vicious downward cycle of falling prices that leads people to delay purchases in hopes of even lower prices the result could be a rise in unemployment as corporations cut costs in the face of falling sales
in the current context it is crucial to ensure that the very low inflation environment does not become entrenched mr draghi said
the central banks policies he said had the effect of avoiding the second round effects of low inflation filtering into wage negotiations and the determination of prices
economists have even begun to debate the wisdom of so called helicopter money which would be printed by the central bank and handed out to citizens or used to finance public works once considered a radical idea helicopter money has become a more mainstream proposal the longer inflation has resisted central bank remedies
but members of the central banks executive board have ruled out helicopter money a position that mr draghi highlighted on thursday
the concept is fraught with operational legal and institutional difficulties he said but the bottom line is we have never discussed it
it would become very difficult after that to control expectations analysts at bank of america merrill lynch said in a note to clients on wednesday we would also be very surprised if draghi had the governing councils majority backing to explore this publicly


six years ago when the chef jesse schenker opened his tasting menu restaurant recette in a west village shoe box such places were not the rage they have become now he is closing recette and carrying its approach to the gander the restaurant he opened two years ago in a larger space in the flatiron district
recette will live on in the ganders dining room he said many of our customers wanted the recette experience
the restaurant was awarded two stars in a 2010 review in the new york times by sam sifton who called the cooking smart and imaginative and the food that results from it elegant and full of flavor
mr schenker said the decision to close recette was prompted by its small size and escalating rent the restaurant could not even serve lunch he said because the cooks used the dining room for prep during the day
in march he revamped the ganders menus offering an all day menu in the bar and adding tasting menu options in the dining room beyond preparing for this eventual development now i can do both a la carte and tastings he said im bringing my entire recette staff over here
recette was not a failure mr schenker said it was a steppingstone to where i am today he also hinted that he may have some new projects in the works
recettes final dinner will be served saturday
recette 328 west 12th street 212 414 3000 recettenyccom the gander 15 west 18th street 212 229 9500 thegandernyccom


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good evening heres the latest
1 the world lost another revered musician prince died at his home in minnesota he was 57 no cause of death has been given but his publicist said last week that he was fighting the flu after reports that his plane made an emergency landing because of a health scare his death comes just months after david bowie also lauded across the musical spectrum died at age 69

2 the most important decision republican voters make in pennsylvania next week may not be choosing a candidate but choosing delegates the unusual way the state selects them means the 54 unbound delegates sent to the national convention could well end up casting decisive votes for a nominee who is not donald trump meanwhile the divisive republican nomination fight is forcing the party to scale back its spending

3 on the democratic side bernie sanders is under intense pressure to win the pennsylvania primary on tuesday a loss for the senator would mean watching hillary clinton   who has burned through tens of millions of dollars   add to her already sizable delegate lead and potentially hamper his fund raising efforts if mrs clinton secures the nomination her embrace of military engagements abroad will most likely set her apart from any republican rival

4 president obamas trip to saudi arabia wrapped up after a series of closed door sessions about regional security with the leaders of six persian gulf nations hes headed to london where hell offer birthday wishes to queen elizabeth ii she is 90 today also happening friday world leaders will sign the landmark paris agreement to tackle climate change although experts say the plan doesnt go far enough

5 the owners of nearly 500000 diesel volkswagen cars in the united states that are outfitted with illegal emissions software will be able to sell the cars back to the company or get them fixed under an agreement reached today theyll get additional compensation too but how much hasnt been determined other details of the settlement including what the automaker will pay in fines are also still to be negotiated

6 there are shake ups in the television world espn fired the analyst curt schilling above over offensive remarks he made on social media and at abc kelly ripa has been absent from the show live with kelly and michael since being told at the last minute that her co host michael strahan would move to good morning america for mr schilling comments about transgender people this week were just the latest to have led to controversy

7 uber can keep categorizing drivers in california and massachusetts as independent contractors the landmark agreement reached through a settlement in a pair of class action lawsuits is a significant victory for the ride hailing service which agreed to pay as much as 100 million to about 385000 drivers

8 an already flooded houston got even more rain but forecasters are hopeful that the skies will stay dry for a couple of days after the latest storm system moves out at least eight deaths have been blamed on the weather which has dumped more than a foot of rain on the city and surrounding counties since sunday

9 in vancouver 110 addicts have prescriptions to receive three daily doses of heroin   injected by a nurse in a clinic its the only medical facility in north america permitted to prescribe the drugs active ingredient and its supporters say it has helped addicts repair their fractured lives but in the united states proposals for similar programs have been criticized over concerns that they would encourage more drug use

10 meet the island fox it is small and adorable and nearly every member of the species is literally identical the animals smaller than a house cat live on islands off the coast of southern california scientists are trying to figure out how their lack of genetic variation hasnt seriously threatened their survival

11 finally heres our wine critics list of 20 bottles that cost less than 20 happy spring dont fret if you cant find these particular ones our critic says the greatest opportunity to find values is in the range of 15 to 25
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when the designer gabriela hearst first went to tokyo in 2007 she says she felt immediately at home since then shes returned to the city multiple times   especially since she launched her eponymous label last year my collection is about the construction and the quality of materials says hearst who was born in uruguay and currently lives in new york its more than a flat image the garments are beautifully made and this idea of educated and edited consuming is something that the japanese appreciate she and stephanie de lavalette her best friend and the brands director of operations recently spent four days in tokyo celebrating the spring 2016 lines arrival at barneys japan eating their fill of fish and indulging hearsts paper obsession here she shares photos from their adventures around town


the photographer pete voelker has a widely diverse portfolio hes shot everything from portraits of musicians to still lifes to reportage and his most recent work has taken him all over the country documenting political rallies and the presidential campaign trail photography acts as a vessel for me voelker says when i was younger it was the only excuse i had to pack up and drive across the country or go on any sort of aimless adventure to see something new taking photographs is always the objective but the journey to create photographs and the conversations with people along the way are what drive me as a photographer
voelker raised in southern maryland first went to rallies during his frequent trips to washington dc while still in high school it wasnt until over a decade later though after attending marches for trayvon martin and michael brown in 2014 that he was inspired to shoot political events for both his personal and professional work voelkers photographs focus on small human moments rather than the grand narrative sweep of an election or social movement   he elegantly highlights the off kilter details as well as the human spirit that can easily get lost in the madness i try to look for both the outspoken and the observers voelker explains of his process there is a lot that goes on at political rallies marches and demonstrations from the literal production of the event to the organizing of ideas there are many spinning wheels i honestly obsessively try to cover everything when im at an event but im most often drawn to the quieter more ambivalent images in the end


times insider delivers behind the scenes insights into how news features and opinion come together at the new york times in this article elias e lopez editorial director of the new york times en espanol explains how his team in mexico city translates united states politics for a latin american and spanish audience
mexico city   how do you say caucus in spanish
the question came up while albinson linares an editor at the new york times en espanol was translating an article about the united states primaries earlier this year
the answer given the context was simple caucus
but that soon led to more questions about the primaries and the american presidential campaign in general why is iowa so important when its such a small state whats the difference between a primary and a caucus how does the delegate system work keep in mind that these are questions that also confound many americans
when the new york times en espanol began in early february the task before us was to present the best of the times   around 10 or so of our 300 plus daily articles   to a new spanish speaking audience but where to begin
elections seemed like a good place
elections in the united states have always generated a lot of interest worldwide but the insurgent candidacy of donald j trump has unsurprisingly caught the attention of readers in mexico and across latin america in part because of his comments about immigrants
people in latin america and spain contrary to what most people might assume have varied opinions about his candidacy most see it as hostile toward hispanic immigrants and by extension hostile to them but others see him as a self made man who can take his business acumen to the white house
he dislikes politicians and thats refreshing wrote a facebook commenter from argentina recently and i agree with him on immigration i dont invite strangers to my house
beyond mr trumps candidacy our readers also care about the united states foreign and environmental policies the intersection of money and politics in the campaign and the impact latinos will have on the election
many of our readers are decision makers in latin america mr linares notes for good or bad the governments in the region set the tone of relations with the united states based on who gets elected president
on feb 6 we took our first step and published an article with the headline ?por que iowa guia para entender la primera parada hacia la casa blanca why iowa a guide to understanding the first stop in the race to the white house it resonated with many of our readers it even had an informative gif done by our partners at pictoline
we quickly followed up with an explainer about new hampshire our coverage of super tuesday or supermartes had a high number of followers   as did our coverage of tuesday nights new york primaries
i think theres a lot of interest because in many countries in latin america democracy is still a work in progress observes dulce ramos the editor in charge of audience development for the new york times en espanol and theres no democratic system in the region like the american system so people are genuinely curious


president petro o poroshenko of ukraine was not the first political leader to briefly persuade the new york times that he was who he wasnt in 2008 for instance mayor bertrand delanoe of paris had a letter published in the times
the hoaxes were quickly revealed
but the times has never acknowledged being taken in   twice   by the independent presidential campaign of yetta bronstein of the bronx who led the best party ticket in 1964 and 1968
mrs bronstein was a fiction she was the work of jeanne abel and her husband alan abel a serial hoaxer whose premature obituary ran in the times in 1980
in 1964 when mr abel was the host of a live radio call in show table talk broadcast from the playboy club in chicago mrs abel would call the show and identify herself as yetta bronstein a housewife who was campaigning independently for the presidency
mr abel told the story in his 1970 memoir the confessions of a hoaxer
mr abel then decided to find out if america was ready for a jewish mother in the white house
he distributed leaflets sent out press releases and painted national headquarters for the best party on the door of a third floor storage closet at 507 fifth avenue that was always locked reporters left their cards under the door and mrs abel called them back in character
one of the reporters who called was ben a franklin of the times
pause here to consider what would happen when mr franklin whose beat was the mid atlantic states stayed overnight in philadelphia news clerks in our washington bureau were compelled to telephone the benjamin franklin hotel and say in all earnestness this is the new york times trying to reach ben franklin just imagine the response
mr franklins take was droll but sincere there appears to be no national consensus for bingo and mrs bronstein a new york city housewife may fail to carry a single precinct
prescient enough she was not on any ballot anywhere
four years later william h honan a freelance writer who later became the timess culture editor seemed to fall a good deal harder for mrs bronsteins candidacy so did the sunday magazine which ran his article under the headline if you dont like hubert dick or george how about lar yetta or eldridge
mrs yetta bronstein a bronx housewife is aiming to do her housekeeping at 1600 pennsylvania avenue mr honan wrote the candidate he said rattled on in a rich bronx accent
the abels were very pleased she gave him one of her best performances mr abel wrote in his memoir his story ran with a photograph of jeanne passing out literature in new yorks bryant park times photographer sam falk had taken the picture on assignment without being aware that mrs bronstein was a spoof
there was a deadly serious plank in the best party platform however mrs bronstein told mr honan that she was opposed to the vietnam war
i would withdraw she said it wont get any better even if we win you know


he came he lost but his rhetoric continues
i am speaking of course of senator bernie sanders who may have ceded the democratic primary in new york to hillary clinton on tuesday but who has made a very visible part of the city into the punching bag of the presidential campaign put simply bankers are having a tough time in the public discourse these days
mr sanders has built a platform on their villainy over the weekend at a block party in brooklyn mrs clinton called out the greed and recklessness of wall street and declared i take a back seat to no one in taking them on senator ted cruz the republican candidate who used a hefty loan from his wifes former employer goldman sachs to finance his 2012 senate race has labeled the institution a hotbed of crony capitalism and so on
you would think it would be enough to have them   whomever this mythic them may be   don sackcloth and ashes and sneak around in the shadows so no one could identify them by the uniform of their profession which if you accept the premise that we use our wardrobe to signal our allegiance to a group personal political or professional raises the question what does it mean to look like a banker in the age of bernie
after all the last time the financial world was so loudly derided   during the recession of 2008 and 2009   there was a knock on effect in the mens wear world and certain obvious totems of wall street style the broad structured shoulders the patterned ties the ferragamo shoes fell out of favor according to a banker at goldman sachs the idea was to play down any signifiers of employment lest they invite negative repercussions
this was around the same time the luxury shopping site net a porter started offering deliveries in brown paper bags so those still able to indulge their consumer urges could not be identified there was a sense that it was unseemly and sometimes in the occupy wall street days maybe dangerous to represent the 1 percent
yet this time around no such camouflage has seemed necessary
that may be however less a gesture of defiance or the result of the fact that mr sanders and mr cruz had pretty poor primary showings in new york they are still preaching their bad banker gospel after all and their competitors are being notably circumspect about their ties to the financial sector than a reflection of a certain reality the stereotype of the banker that is currently being kicked around no longer exists   or doesnt exist in any overarching sense it may make an easy target but its a straw man
the image was created in 1987 by the perfect storm of tom wolfes novel bonfire of the vanities and oliver stones film wall street and proved astonishingly durable and though it has been perpetrated to a certain extent in popular culture it bears less and less resemblance to actual fact
indeed in conversations with several financial professionals the consistent reaction was no one dresses that way anymore rather the adjectives most used to describe their clothing were rumpled and understated
its no accident that in the big short the adam mckay film based on michael lewiss book about the financial crisis the bad bankers   the ones who created the problem in the first place   wear slick suits and ties and the outsider traders and hedge fund managers   the ones who recognized that everything was teetering on a precipice and tried to call foul and even fraud   wear jeans shorts t shirts and jackets the exception being ryan goslings character an outlier at deutsche bank the first represent the before the second the after
the stereotype style has been eroded by the global financial crisis sure but also casual fridays the rise of the entrepreneurial class especially in technology and the growth of a shadow banking sector   the venture capitalists and hedge funds and private equity firms that have their own less identifiable uniform much of which can be characterized by what it is not the banker clothing of yore
it is the difference between the clothing featured in the wolf of wall street the 2013 film tale of overblown early 1990s excess all contrast spread collar shirts pinstriped suits and paisley ties and that in the showtime series billions andrew ross sorkin of the new york times is one of the creators which takes place in the current day and features a corrupt competitive and charismatic hedge fund chieftain with a gigantic mansion and a wardrobe that consists almost entirely of gray t shirts jeans and hoodies
he is aggressively not a suit guy said eric daman the shows costume designer who is now prepping for the second season the hoodies may be cashmere the jeans rag  bone the sneakers limited edition but to the untutored eye the character may look like nothing so much as a rogue facebook employee and he would not look out of place at a sanders rally
which is not an accident as the tech world has risen in the global pecking order in the words of john studzinski a partner at the asset management firm blackstone its determinedly dress down uniform has infiltrated the world of those who would finance it the theory being at least for some if you cant beat em dress like em
for others its less show me the money than subtle mr studzinski said people are going out of their way to be more understated materialism is less valued than ownership at a recent friday lunch i was looking around and it was all brunello cucinelli and loro piana i dont even know if those brands make suits
then there is the fleece now ubiquitous but not old navy fleece sun valleyherb allen fleece which tends to be associated with the private equity world indeed one founder of his namesake private equity firm is famous for wearing a fleece vest every day to work and referred to it in an interview as his signifier it is he said the new cashmere a slightly more mature relative of the hoodie it also he pointed out had useful associations with work and a no frills approach to the world values likewise associated with the shinola watches red wing boots and bracelets that are now often seen throughout the financial world ditto the facial hair
there are exceptions of course the hedge fund manager william ackman occasionally known as the george clooney of banking is famous for his perfectly tailored suits coincidentally mr clooney has also made a movie about the financial crisis money monster which is to debut in cannes next month almost everyone i spoke to agreed that financial services guys still look like what you think of when you think of bankers see for example jamie dimon chief executive of jpmorgan chase and lloyd blankfein chairman and chief executive of goldman or see their employees   though even they tend to disaggregate their suits when in the office and keep their ties hung on the back of their door
but that in your face power suit image mr studzinski said that image is long gone this election year however its ghost lingers on


after a forceful win in new york donald trump has a narrow but real path to 1237 delegates the number required to avoid a contested convention
he needs about 390 more delegates to become the republican presidential nominee heres one way he could get them
pick up 185 in the industrial east
mr trump is a big favorite in the remaining states of the industrial east from west virginia to rhode island so he could garner a commanding haul here mr trump will probably fall a bit short in places   perhaps yield a district or two in maryland or lose ground because of the complicated rules in west virginia but he might still come away with around 185 of these delegates covering nearly half of the remaining distance to 1237
gather 34 in the west and midwest
mr trump is not particularly popular out in the mountain west and plains ted cruz is favored in winner take all contests in south dakota montana and nebraska but mr trump might still emerge with delegates from washington oregon and new mexico which award their delegates proportionally he might win 34 of these delegates even if he loses
win 130 in california
to cover most of the rest of the distance to 1237 mr trump will need a big win in the nations largest prize california worth 172 delegates its not out of the question the polls show mr trump with a consistent but modest lead of around seven percentage points and he fared well in neighboring nevada and arizona even a narrow win could be enough to give mr trump a huge haul of around 130 delegates since the state awards its delegates on a winner take all basis by congressional district it would leave him just short of the nomination
get over the top
the final few delegates arent easy for mr trump he has a few options
# win indiana it would probably be worth at least 42 delegates and as many as 57 enough to put him over the top if everything went his way theres reason to think indiana is promising for mr cruz but the state is something of a mystery there hasnt been a single poll there this year
# squeeze out every delegate he can from the coasts mr trump could claim additional delegates from california or the northeast beyond what was assumed above a near sweep of the northeast and california could get him over the top even without any help from indiana
# an upset mr trump could squeak out a win in a state where hes thought to be an underdog like montana its not likely   thats why hes an underdog but its not impossible
# win pennsylvanias unpledged delegates if all else fails mr trump could still win it at the convention with the unbound delegates from pennsylvania here voters directly elect 54 of the 71 delegates but they arent bound to any candidate
some of these delegates have pledged to support the winner either statewide or by district other delegates have pledged to support specific candidates
polls suggest the states voters are poised to vote for mr trump if they elect delegates who follow their lead mr trump would probably clear 1237


front page
because of an editing error a picture caption on sunday with the continuation of an article about the role donald j trumps daughter ivanka is playing in his campaign misidentified one of mr trumps sons eric   not donald jr   was shown seated next to ivanka donald jr was at the far left partly obscured

an article on wednesday about the broadening of a federal investigation into mayor bill de blasios campaign fund raising apparatus to focus on efforts to raise money for democratic candidates for the state senate in 2014 using information from the new york police department misstated the number of police officials who have been transferred or placed on administrative leave it is nine not eight
national
an article on tuesday about the 2016 pulitzer prize winners misstated the surname of one of the finalists in the explanatory journalism category he is colin woodard of the portland press heraldmaine sunday telegram not colin woodar
business day
a reuters article on friday about an offer from the federal housing finance agency to reduce the loan balances of some borrowers who owe more than their homes are worth misstated one of the criteria to qualify for the reduction the principal balance must be 250000 or less not more than 250000

the mediator column on monday about traditional medias difficulties in competing for attention with social media stunts including wild videos misidentified the country in which a train was shown on video going through a narrow alleyway it is thailand not india
the arts
a critics notebook article on tuesday about the season finale of the television show girls referred incorrectly to the basket hannah leaves as a peace offering for adam and jessa it is a fruit basket not a flower basket the article also misidentified the bed where hannah and tally smoke a joint it is hannahs bed not tallys

a film review on wednesday about the documentary streits matzo and the american dream misspelled the surname of the filmmaker at two points in some editions as the review correctly noted elsewhere he is michael levine not levin

a picture caption on wednesday with an article about bret easton ellis and the broadway musical based on his novel american psycho misspelled the name of the theater where the show is playing as the article correctly noted it is the schoenfeld theater not the shoenfeld
the times welcomes comments and suggestions or complaints about errors that warrant correction messages on news coverage can be e mailed tonytnewsnytimescom or left toll free at 1 844 nyt news 1 844 698 6397 comments on editorials may be e mailed to lettersnytimescom or faxed to 212 556 3622
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tom thibodeau who spent the past season on a basketball sabbatical agreed wednesday to become the coach and president of basketball operations of the minnesota timberwolves a team with one of the nbas more intriguing and precocious cores
thibodeau who most recently coached the chicago bulls and has a reputation as one of the games best defensive tacticians will be in charge of a roster led by young stars like karl anthony towns andrew wiggins and zach lavine but the team still has a lot of growing to do
this season the timberwolves went 29 53 and failed to advance to the playoffs but they improved over the course of the season and won four of their final five games sam mitchell who served as the teams interim coach after flip saunderss death in october was passed over for the full time job
through this process we quickly identified tom as the best leader to shape our talented team and help them realize their full potential glen taylor the timberwolves owner said in a statement toms resume speaks for itself he is a proven winner leader and one of the most well respected nba coaches over the last decade
the timberwolves did not disclose the terms of thibodeaus deal
a former coach of the year thibodeau led the bulls to a 255 139 record in his five seasons with the team which reached the playoffs each year but he appeared to clash with general manager gar forman toward the end of his tenure and was fired in may 2015 after the bulls lost in the eastern conference semifinals
this season under coach fred hoiberg the bulls went 42 40 and fell short of a playoff berth
thibodeau spent much of the past season visiting with nba and college teams while also doing part time television work as an analyst for espn
a former assistant with the knicks thibodeau was not considered for that teams coaching vacancy
thibodeau will be joined in minnesota by scott layden whom the timberwolves named their general manager layden a former general manager of the knicks spent the past four seasons with the san antonio spurs as their assistant general manager
layden according to the statement released by the timberwolves will assist thibodeau in his evaluation and acquisition of players and in the overall management of basketball operations


it took 14 games for the mets to encounter extra innings this season and when they did on wednesday night the result was not a happy one they lost 5 4 in philadelphia with reliever hansel robles surrendering the winning run in the bottom of the 11th on a two out infield hit by peter bourjos
with runners on second and third bourjos hit a hard grounder down the third base line that david wright made a fine play to grab but he then had to spin and throw off balance to first on a bounce and bourjos was clearly safe earlier in the same at bat bourjos hit a foul pop behind third base that wright chased hard and just missed grabbing as it fell into the first row of seats given another chance bourjos came through
the frustrating defeat evened the mets early season record at 7 7 and prevented them from pulling off a three game sweep of the phillies a team they treated like a punching bag in 2015 as they stormed to their first division title in nine years not so this season so far the two national league east rivals   well at least geographically   have split six games last season the phillies did not win their third game of the season against the mets until late september
for a while wednesday it looked as if the mets would use their new weapon   the home run   to keep rolling along they had hit 17 in their previous five games four of which they had won and when yoenis cespedes and lucas duda went back to back in the top of the fifth inning to put the mets ahead 4 3 that made it 19 in six
those are pretty heady numbers for a team that is expected to lean on its starting rotation as it tries to get back to the postseason for the second year in a row and on wednesday the starter bartolo colon was his old reliable self pitching six competent innings and handing over a 4 3 lead to the bullpen which could not hold it
jerry blevins and addison reed combined to surrender the tying run in the bottom of the seventh antonio bastardo a former phillie pitched well in the eighth and ninth innings and jim henderson followed with a scoreless 10th but in the 11th robles gave up a one out double to freddy galvis who had earlier hit a two run homer an intentional walk followed by a wild pitch put runners on second and third with one out and with the infield in pinch hitter emmanuel burriss fouled off a suicide squeeze attempt before popping up to short center field with the runner on third holding
it looked at that point as if the mets might escape but they did not
white sox 2 angels 1 chris sale became the major leagues first four game winner allowing two hits in seven innings to lead chicago over visiting los angeles
sale 4 0 allowed two singles by mike trout and an unearned run
david robertson got four outs for his sixth save in six attempts
the white sox are now 10 5 last year they did not record 10 victories until may 26 ap
reds 6 rockies 5 cincinnati took advantage of two base running blunders to beat visiting colorado
dustin garneau had apparently scored to tie the game in the seventh but he missed third base he was called out on appeal and the call was upheld after a video review
colorado tied the score in the eighth but that inning ended when mark reynolds was caught off third by tucker barnhart the reds catcher after barnhart quickly retrieved a pitch that bounced off the bricks behind home plate and caromed back
barnhart drove in the game winning run in the ninth ap
red sox 7 rays 3 mookie betts hit a two run homer david ortiz drove in three runs with two doubles and host boston beat tampa bay to end a three game losing streak
xander bogaerts and chris young had run scoring singles for the red sox
rick porcello 3 0 allowed three runs and six hits in seven innings striking out nine and walking one ap
orioles 4 blue jays 3 caleb joseph doubled with two outs in the 10th inning and scored on a passed ball by josh thole to give the baltimore a win at home over toronto
after joseph reached against rookie joe biagini 0 1 joey rickard got an infield hit and manny machado walked with adam jones at the plate a pitch from biagini got past thole and joseph sprinted home
nationals 3 marlins 1 bryce harper doubled in a run and yusmeiro petit pitched four innings of relief to help washington win at miami
petit 1 0 allowed one run after washington starter joe ross departed in the third inning because of a blister on the middle finger of his pitching hand
five washington pitchers combined on a five hitter and jonathan papelbon pitched around a two out single in the ninth for his sixth save ap
cardinals 5 cubs 3 matt holliday homered carlos martinez threw seven strong innings and st louis beat visiting chicago to avoid a three game sweep
martinez 3 0 allowed a run on three hits he struck out five walked three and also drove in a run with a bloop hit in the second
trevor rosenthal struck out the side in the ninth for his fourth save of the season and the 100th of his career ap
mariners 2 indians 1 taijuan walker allowed just an unearned run over six innings norichika aoki had a two run triple and seattle beat host cleveland
aoki hit a hard grounder past cleveland first baseman mike napoli and into the corner to score adam lind and chris iannetta in the second inning
walker 1 0 held cleveland to three hits and struck out six
tigers 3 royals 2 jordan zimmermann made his third straight scoreless start victor martinez drove in the 1000th run of his career and detroit held on to win at kansas city
detroit closer francisco rodriguez gave up back to back homers to alex gordon and salvador perez in the ninth before striking out mike moustakas to end the game with runners on first and second it was his fourth save of the season and 390th over all matching dennis eckersley for sixth on baseballs career list ap
dodgers 5 braves 3 justin turner gave visiting los angeles the lead with a 10th inning double to end atlantas four game winning streak
the braves rookie center fielder mallex smith charging toward left field made a diving attempt for turners sinking drive off jason grilli 1 1 but the ball bounced off his glove


pedernales ecuador   president rafael correa of ecuador said wednesday that the government would temporarily increase some taxes and might issue new bonds on the international market to help fund the multibillion dollar reconstruction of homes roads and buildings destroyed by a powerful earthquake
its hard to imagine the magnitude of the tragedy mr correa said
another quake with a magnitude of 62 shook the coast before dawn on wednesday it terrified inhabitants and briefly hindered rescuers searching for the dwindling number of survivors from saturdays bigger 78 magnitude quake which killed at least 525 people according to a central government tally
mr correa said the disaster had inflicted 2 billion to 3 billion of damage and could knock two to three percentage points off the nations economic growth
were looking at the possibility of issuing bonds on the international market but other measures have been planned a tax reform is being discussed mr correa said
ecuador had been saying before the quake that current high yields would make it too expensive to issue debt yields on its bonds are close to 11 percentage points higher than comparable united states treasury debt according to data from jpmorgan
mr correas leftist government in 2008 defaulted on debt with a similar yield calling bondholders monsters and the value unfair his government has since returned to work with wall street 
mr correa on wednesday also announced several short term tax changes to help ecuador recover
he decreed a 2 point increase in the valued added tax for a year as well as a one off 3 percent additional contribution on profits although the fine print was not immediately clear
four days after the quake some communities struggled without water power or transportation although aid was trickling in
im waiting for medicines diapers for my grandson were lacking everything said ruth quiroz 49 as she waited in a long line in front of a makeshift pharmacy in the town of pedernales
on a highway outside the town some children sat holding placards reading food please


the islanders came into game 4 with a chance to go up by three games to one on the florida panthers a postseason situation the franchise has not experienced since 1993
the score was tied 1 1 in a taut game at the end of two periods and the fans at barclays center tried their best to coax a second straight home win for the islanders in the second stanley cup playoff game ever contested in brooklyn
but florida defenseman alex petrovic scored the only goal of the final period and the panthers held on to win 2 1 and tie the best of seven series at two games apiece
game 5 will be friday night in sunrise fla
petrovics goal at 9 minutes 25 seconds came on a slap shot from the right circle that went through a maze of bodies to elude islanders goaltender thomas greiss
i saw it too late and it just went in said greiss who made 27 saves but could not block petrovics first playoff goal
petrovic 24 had only two goals in his career both this season
im not used to scoring those kinds of goals he said or scoring a lot of goals
the islanders had a power play opportunity when floridas jonathan huberdeau was sent off for hooking at 1627 of the third period but they could not muster enough against roberto luongo the former islander who finished with 26 saves for the victory
youre not going to win many games scoring one goal islanders coach jack capuano said we need secondary scoring if not it will be tough we have to create more
coming off their overtime victory in game 3 the islanders spoke before the game about the importance of scoring first which they have yet to do in this series but once again they came out without enough resolve to break through against luongo
for the third straight playoff series the islanders will be on the road for a game 5 with the series tied they encountered the same situation against washington last year and against pittsburgh in 2013 they lost both times
we lose this one but we get right back at it islanders defenseman travis hamonic said were really confident in our group
after both teams had goals disallowed in the second florida forward teddy purcell broke through at 1518 with a power play goal set up by the 44 year old jaromir jagr who notched his first point of the series and the 200th of a playoff career dating to 1991
john tavares the islanders captain continued his torrid play scoring his third goal of the series on the power play at 1944 of the second to ignite an outburst from the capacity crowd of 15795
greiss who made 36 saves in sundays 4 3 win in game 3 was solid against many quality opportunities from a panthers team that seemed focused on getting the series back home tied
 i thought our desperation was real good from the puck drop panthers coach gerard gallant said we talked about making it hard for them to score
greiss turned away 10 shots in the first denying purcell point blank after a giveaway in front of the net in the second greiss denied nick bjugstad with a pad stop and stopped reilly smith with a kick save
luongo was tested rarely in the early going facing only five shots in the opening period his best stop came on kyle okposo early in the second after shane prince forced a turnover and luongo made a pad stop
then controversy stirred panthers forward jonathan huberdeau appeared to score at 1045 of the second greiss made the initial save before huberdeau pushed him across the goal line together with the puck huberdeau was also tangled with islanders defenseman ryan pulock on the play
after the review the goal was waved off gallant had a lengthy and animated conversation with the officials but the no goal ruling stayed
less than two minutes later the islanders appeared to score after a scrum in front of luongo but the officials ruled that they had whistled the play dead before the puck crossed the goal line
 the chances kept coming for the islanders luongo gave up a rebound on a thomas hickey slap shot but okposo could not handle the puck for a clean shot
then matt martin was whistled for tripping at 1403 and purcell broke through with his second goal of the series
the islanders had their best opportunity with less than a minute left in the second period after floridas aleksander barkov was penalized at 1743 and dmitri kulikov was assessed another at 1904
tavares scored a second after the penalty to barkov expired with a high shot that eluded luongo ryan pulock and brock nelson assisted on the tying goal
but that was all the islanders could manage against luongo and the panthers who head back to the florida with home ice advantage back on their side
give florida credit they played a good smart road game capuano added they grind you down and wear you down we just have to respond go down to florida and play better than we did tonight


nathan eovaldi witnessed a series of unlikely events wednesday at yankee stadium during his third start of the season but one increasingly common occurrence   the yankees failing to produce with runners in scoring position   left him on the wrong side of a 5 2 loss to the oakland athletics
the yankees who had gone 2 for 42 with runners in scoring position over their previous four games went 0 for 4 in those situations on wednesday their recent ineptitude was embodied by a seventh inning base running blunder by didi gregorius that had manager joe girardi fuming after the game
trailing by 3 1 the yankees had runners on second and third with one out when aaron hicks hit a grounder to third base gregorius broke from second and was ruled to have been tagged out on his way to third and hicks was out at first on the throw the yankees challenged the play saying that gregorius had avoided the tag but the call was upheld
its bad base running girardi said youve got to understand what your run means you cant run into an out he turns it into a double play   we dont get any runs
girardi added that he thought the call stood because the replays were inconclusive
i think if he originally calls him safe i think we probably win girardi said
gregorius asked if the base running gaffe was a result of the players pressing because of the yankees dearth of runs lately said were in a bad funk right now were trying to do too much
the night began positively for the yankees as jacoby ellsbury led off with a double quickly putting pressure on athletics starter kendall graveman it was an encouraging sign that ellsbury might be ready to break out of a slump of his own he had one hit in his last 17 at bats and was hitting 213 for the season
two walks helped the yankees load the bases but continuing the teams recent trend alex rodriguez followed by striking out looking to end the inning
gregorius helped compensate for that missed opportunity hitting a solo home run to right in the second inning for a 1 0 lead and eovaldi kept the yankees in front as he breezed through the first three innings allowing only a leadoff single to billy burns whom he picked off first base
at the start of the fourth though eovaldi allowed four consecutive hits
burns and chris coghlan doubled to tie the score at 1 1 josh reddick followed with a single to left field and coghlan beat out an off target throw home by hicks danny valencia then singled to move reddick to third and stephen vogt drove in reddick with a sacrifice fly
he left some pitches up girardi said of eovaldi adding i didnt think his stuff was as sharp this time as his last outing
the yankees defense almost compounded their deficit with valencia on first base with one out jed lowrie hit a potential double play grounder to chase headley who bobbled the ball headley regrouped and tossed it to second only to see gregorius drop the throw
eovaldi then watched khris davis hit a grounder off the third base bag with the ball ricocheting high into the air and providing enough of a delay for davis to beat out headleys throw to first and load the bases
in an act of redemption hicks caught a fly ball from yonder alonso for the second out and threw out valencia who had tried to tag up and score from third
the damage was done though oakland led 3 1
we gave them some extra outs is what we did girardi said of the inning and that usually leads to trouble
frustrated by those unusual bounces of the ball eovaldi never recaptured his form from early in the game and was pulled after the sixth inning having allowed eight hits
the fifth inning featured another odd twist as eovaldi faced graveman who became the first starting pitcher to bat at the current yankee stadium after the athletics had to move lowrie the designated hitter into the field because of an injury to valencia
graveman struck out but he was cruising on the mound by then after gregoriuss homer in the second the yankees managed only one more hit off graveman before he left in the seventh
the yankees were missing one of their few steady presences this season hicks was a late addition to the starting lineup in place of brett gardner who was experiencing neck stiffness after the game gardner said he was feeling a lot better and was prepared to enter the game in the late innings if needed
hicks acquired in the off season from the minnesota twins went 0 for 3 and is 1 for 20 on the year and his missed opportunity in the seventh   the grounder that led to gregoriuss base running error   proved fateful as the athletics scored two runs in the eighth off reliever branden pinder sending the yankees to their sixth loss in seven games
despite holding leads in 11 of their 13 games the yankees are now 5 8
reflecting on his teams scuffling start girardi said theres too much experience in that room and im somewhat surprised


mexico city   an explosion ripped through a petrochemical plant on the southern coast of the gulf of mexico on wednesday killing three people injuring dozens and sending flames and a toxin filled cloud into the air officials said
the state oil company petroleos mexicanos or pemex said 58 people had been hurt in the midafternoon blast in the industrial port city of coatzacoalcos gov javier duarte of veracruz state told radio formula that three people had lost their lives
the blast was felt as far as six miles away mr duarte said adding that more than 2000 people were evacuated from the area as a precaution
by early evening the fire was reported to be under control but pemex still urged people to stay away from the area officials canceled thursdays classes at area schools
the cloud that emanated from the pmv plant in coatzacoalcos is dissipating rapidly which means it is losing its toxic effects the company said on its twitter account
the plant produces vinyl chloride a hazardous industrial chemical that is used to make pvc pipes and for other purposes
in early february a fire killed a worker at the same plant
pemex said in a statement that the explosion happened at 315 pm at the clorados 3 plant of petroquimica mexicana de vinilo it said the plant was operated by another company mexichem in partnership with pemex
pemex said that 20 of the injured were treated in a company clinic in coatzacoalcos and that 38 were taken to nearby hospitals
there have been a number of accidents in recent years at facilities owned by pemex or where it operates also in february the company reported that two people were killed and eight injured in a fire on an offshore platform in the gulf of mexico


lebron james scored 27 points j r smith made seven of clevelands 20 3 pointers and the cavaliers opened a 2 0 lead in their playoff series with a 107 90 victory over the visiting detroit pistons on wednesday night
the top seeded cavaliers put away the pistons in the third quarter outscoring them by 27 15 to protect home court advantage the best of seven series resumes on friday night at detroit
kyrie irving added 22 points for cleveland which went 20 of 38 on 3 pointers and tied the postseason record shared by golden state 2015 dallas 2011 and seattle 1996
andre drummond scored 20 points for the pistons
heat 115 hornets 103 dwyane wade had 28 points and 8 assists hassan whiteside made all eight of his shots and finished with 17 points and the heat beat charlotte in miami to take a 2 0 lead in their first round series
goran dragic scored 18 points for miami and whiteside grabbed 13 rebounds
kemba walker scored 29 points for charlotte needing 29 shots to get there al jefferson scored 25 points on 12 for 17 shooting off the bench
game 3 of the best of seven series is saturday in charlotte
clippers 102 trail blazers 81 chris paul scored 25 points j j redick added 17 and host los angeles pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat portland and take a 2 0 lead in their first round playoff series
damian lillard and mason plumlee led the blazers with 17 points each c j mccollum added 16 after being held to 9 in portlands 20 point loss in the series opener plumlee and al farouq aminu had 10 rebounds each portland shot a season worst 341 percent
game 3 of the best of seven series is scheduled for saturday in portland
blake griffin had 12 points and 9 rebounds and deandre jordan had 18 rebounds for the clippers who shot 46 percent and topped 100 points for a second straight game


only thunderous cheers not flying objects came from the fans as the flyers michal neuvirth skated off the ice with how neuvirth had played he might have stopped those objects anyway
after fans pelted the ice with souvenir wristbands in the previous game neuvirth had 31 saves and helped philadelphia stave off a sweep with a 2 1 win over the washington capitals on wednesday night
we talked about it lets have some fun and enjoy the moment neuvirth said we did
the capitals still lead the series 3 1 headed into game 5 on friday night in washington
shayne gostisbehere and andrew macdonald scored for the flyers in a distraction free game following game 3s embarrassing end
the fans were a little bit better than last game the flyers captain claude giroux said its good to have them on our side again
outstanding play in the net helped the flyers even more
the flyers rookie coach dave hakstol shuffled his lineup for the win or else game he benched the starting goalie steve mason for neuvirth and moved brayden schenn to the top line in place of jake voracek
mason had allowed five power play goals including four in the third period in a 6 1 loss in game 3 in game 2 his gaffe allowed jason chimeras 101 foot tip in goal a mistake that has been endlessly replayed on blooper reels
enter neuvirth who had played parts of six seasons in washington and who went 18 8 4 with a 227 goal against and a 924 save percentage in 32 games for the flyers this season
his only misstep came when t j oshie backhanded in a rebound 2 minutes 38 seconds into the third to make it 2 1
that was it for the capitals
the flyers seemed like a new team in the first period neuvirth stopped all 10 shots he faced and the teams formerly punchless top line finally broke through
giroux and wayne simmonds   nos 1 and 2 in team points this season   were held without a goal or assist through the first three games they both assisted on gostisbeheres blast from the point for the 1 0 lead
gostisbeheres goal came on the power play snapping the flyers 0 for 13 postseason skid
were not too worried about digging out of a 3 0 hole hakstol said we came here today to win a hockey game
the game was marred by a scary hit that resulted in flyers center scott laughton leaving on a stretcher
he was taken off the ice after he crashed into the boards late in the first he went down in a heap face first and was immobile for several minutes there was no penalty on the play
laughton talked to medical personnel as they strapped him on the board the flyers said he was taken to a hospital as a precaution the flyers said he would remain there overnight and all tests had been negative
stars 3 wild 2 jason spezza scored the go ahead goal with his skate ales hemsky and patrick eaves each scored on a second period power play to give dallass lagging special teams a lift and the stars won at minnesota to push their series lead to 3 1
antti niemi took over the net from kari lehtonen who started the first three games and made 28 saves for the stars they will host game 5 in dallas on friday
jason pominville and charlie coyle both scored go ahead goals in the second period but the wild were not able to sustain the momentum from a spirited comeback in game 3 for the entire night
the wild finished the game 6 on 4 after a high stick penalty on antoine roussel and with goalie devan dubnyk pulled but the stars tightened up and allowed only one shot on target over the 84 second two man advantage
sharks 3 kings 2 brent burns and joe pavelski scored power play goals in the second period and host san jose again moved to the brink of eliminating los angeles from the playoffs with a victory in game 4 of their first round series
patrick marleau added a power play goal in the third period as the sharks scored three times with the man advantage two nights after an 0 for 5 performance in a 2 1 overtime loss
martin jones made 26 saves against his former team to put san jose up by three games to one heading into game 5 on friday night in los angeles
but knocking the kings out is never easy the sharks blew a 3 0 series lead to los angeles in the first round two years ago becoming the fourth nhl team ever to lose a best of seven series after winning the first three games
gretzky takes in game the nhl great wayne gretzky was at the game along with scores of former flyers stars such as chris pronger simon gagne and kimmo timonen they are in philadelphia for the ed snider celebration on thursday snider founded the flyers and was their owner until his death on april 11


we think of the opt out clause as an escape hatch a way for a free agent to break one lucrative contract and seek another at class aaa though the opt out clause is a ticket to opportunity   a lottery ticket really a gamble with uncertain odds
rich hill will start for the oakland athletics at yankee stadium on thursday that fact would have sounded implausible at the end of the 2014 season when hill was a side arming yankees reliever summoned twice in september to strike out david ortiz
now he is an over the top starter it never would have happened if hill had not left the washington nationals organization   without a job   in june
its a really difficult decision hill said wednesday youre sitting there saying ok i have a job right now i know its in triple a but at least im pitching with an opportunity to possibly get called up to the big leagues but if i take this theres 29 other options out there   and possibly out of those 29 there could be five or six so do you take it or do you not take it
hill a left hander could have stayed with the nationals affiliate in syracuse it was a stable job just one step below the majors but with a 291 era in 25 appearances and more than a strikeout per inning pitched hill had reason to believe other teams would want him
he took the opt out clause as he had done five years earlier when he left the st louis cardinals memphis affiliate and found work in the boston red sox system within four days
this time nobody bit for more than a month   from late june to late july   hill had no team at least there was a nibble a visit from jared porter then the pro scouting director for the red sox
hill now 36 went back to his old high school in milton mass for a throwing session and porter suggested he move to the third base side of the rubber porter liked what he saw but with no job available he suggested that hill try independent ball
the red sox had been interested in hill as a situational left hander but hill made a deal with himself if he was going to join an independent team he would do so as a starter throwing over the top which would give him more of a downhill plane on his fastball more depth on his breaking balls and more chances to use his changeup
he made two starts for the long island ducks and fired 11 scoreless innings on aug 14 the red sox signed him as a starter and sent him to class aaa pawtucket within a month hill was in the majors he became the first pitcher since 1900 to make his season debut in september and strike out at least 10 in each of his first three starts
when he got back to starting he just kind of relaxed and trusted his stuff said larry rothschild the yankees pitching coach who saw hill pitch six strong innings in new york on oct 1 he looked almost like he was just going to have fun and enjoy starting a lot of things fell into place for him
rothschild had been hills first major league pitching coach with the chicago cubs from 2005 to 2008 hill was good enough to start for the cubs in the 2007 playoffs and rothschild said we knew his breaking ball was something that was different and special
but the success did not last injuries plagued hill who wound through three more organizations before needing tommy john surgery in 2011 he pitched for boston the next year cleveland in 2013 and the los angeles angels and the yankees in 2014   after enduring personal tragedy that spring when his infant son brooks died of an undisclosed medical problem
adversity steeled hills resolve on and off the field
i think thats life right he said youre going to be thrown a lot of different curveballs so to speak its not just here it is this is what youre going to do this is your path how are you going to handle failure how do you handle injury and were just talking about baseball here not life issues
he continued to me the locker room is just a mirror image of everything that goes on outside of the clubhouse because you have different nationalities everybody has a story everybody has a journey to get to this point its important to understand that we are playing baseball and its not anything more than that you put it in context   although to get to this level this is what ive always wanted to do
hill got back partly with help from brian bannister a former major leaguer who works closely with red sox pitchers bannister helped hill understand that some of baseballs most dominant pitchers like felix hernandez and clayton kershaw throw a high percentage of off speed pitches hill would have the freedom to emphasize his strengths
as well as his four boston starts went last season   a 155 era with 36 strikeouts in 29 innings   the red sox sought a proven ace to upgrade their rotation they guaranteed 217 million in free agency to david price the as who always look for bargains signed hill for one year and 6 million
that salary would be incidental to several of the yankees who will face hill on thursday for hill though this is the first season in 15 as a professional that he has earned more than 1 million
maybe for some guys it is the driving factor to make lots of money but its not for me said hill who has a 415 era for oakland with 19 strikeouts in 13 innings other things will fall into place but pitching at this level is where you want to be theres no other place
hill smiled he worked for this job to be sure but it was not the one he wanted last spring luck shined on him at last
if i was in the majors relieving i dont think i would have said you know what im going to go to leave to go to independent ball and try to come back as a starter  hill said i dont think that would have been the most savvy move


irans foreign minister on wednesday disputed suggestions that iran now wanted access to the american financial system as part of the nuclear accord which has not yet yielded the economic infusion that iranians foresaw after the deal took effect in january
but the foreign minister mohammad javad zarif also said american officials must be much more proactive in assuring other countries that they could do business in iran without risking penalties from the united states
we never asked to have access to your financial system mr zarif said what we asked was to implement the nuclear deal which requires the united states to allow european financial institutions to have peace of mind for dealing with iran
mr zarif spoke in an interview with members of the new york times editorial board one day after he met with secretary of state john kerry at the united nations to discuss the financial complications that have now become an issue in ensuring that the nuclear accords intentions are fulfilled
the agreement reached by iran and six world powers including the united states eased or ended many sanctions imposed on iran in exchange for reductions in iranian nuclear work and verifiable guarantees that irans nuclear program remains peaceful
despite the optimism generated by the accord a variety of united states sanctions on iran remain in force over other issues in the countries prolonged estrangement those sanctions include prohibitions on relationships between iranian and american banks and severe limits on irans use of the dollar
because many international financial transactions are conducted in dollars or converted to dollars foreign companies interested in doing business with iran remain wary of inadvertently violating the american rules this reluctance has frustrated iran and led to accusations by iranian officials that the united states has subverted the nuclear agreement
at the same time critics of iran in the united states say irans accusations are an excuse for seeking additional concessions   most notably access to the american financial system that would enable iranians to conduct transactions in dollars some critics contend that under such an outcome the united states would lose all economic leverage with iran
while officials in the state department and treasury have repeatedly said that iran will not get access to the american financial system they have implicitly acknowledged that a problem exists
after the meeting with mr zarif on tuesday mr kerry told reporters at the united nations that both sides were working to ensure that the nuclear agreement is implemented in exactly the way that it was meant to be and that all the parties to that agreement get the benefits that they are supposed to get out of the agreement
mr kerry said the two sides intended to meet again friday
mr zarif acknowledged that the treasury which oversees the complex rules of american financial sanctions had taken steps to carry out the nuclear agreement but i dont think its enough
they need a much more proactive approach to just letting people know that they wont be punished for dealing with iran mr zarif said
during the interview held at the residence of the iranian ambassador to the united nations mr zarif also touched on other issues including the tensions between iran and saudi arabia
president obama raised some of those same issues on wednesday when he met with king salman of saudi arabia in riyadh the saudi capital
the iranians and saudis back opposite sides in the conflicts in syria and yemen iran remains furious over the deaths of many iranian pilgrims last september during a stampede near mecca that the saudis have yet to fully explain the saudis historically suspicious of iran broke diplomatic ties in january after iranian protesters stormed the saudi embassy in tehran in response to the saudis execution of a prominent shiite cleric
mr zarif held out little hope for an improvement in relations accusing the saudis of fabricating issues with iran because they saw such a strategy as in their interest


the new york state attorney general eric t schneiderman announced on wednesday that his office was opening an investigation into potential voting irregularities during the presidential primary on tuesday when new york citys board of elections found itself besieged by complaints that it had dropped thousands of democratic voters from the rolls in brooklyn among other issues
mr schneidermans office said it had received more than 1000 complaints from voters across the state dwarfing the roughly 150 reports it received for the 2012 general election many people said they had tried to vote only to be told that they were not registered   the most common complaint according to mr schneidermans office among complaints from new york city the largest chunk sprang from brooklyn where there were reports that the voter information books in some polling places were missing multiple pages
by most accounts voters cast their ballots smoothly and successfully mr schneiderman said in a statement however i am deeply troubled by the volume and consistency of voting irregularities
the boards much maligned primary day performance is also being audited by the office of scott m stringer the city comptroller who on wednesday released an online form for voters to submit information about their experiences
were not shrinking from the investigations said michael j ryan executive director of the board of elections who promised to cooperate with both inquiries and get to the bottom of the allegations that voters were dropped from the rolls
still mr ryan said unless and until a full throated investigation reveals otherwise ill stand by the statement i made yesterday that no voters were disenfranchised


the metropolitan transportation authoritys board approved a new version of its long delayed capital plan on wednesday allocating money for system upgrades and expansion projects and restoring funding for the next phase of the second avenue subway line
the 295 billion spending plan calls for hundreds of new train cars and buses and a new fare payment system to replace the metrocard with ridership booming on new york citys aging subway system the authority also devoted funding for station improvements and updated signal systems to allow more trains to operate
the agency promised 1 billion for plans to extend the second avenue subway to east harlem   about 500 million more than an earlier proposal set aside about 25 billion would be devoted to the east side access project which would connect the long island rail road to grand central terminal
thomas f prendergast the authoritys chairman said he was confident that a state review board would approve the revised proposal in the next month the capital plan will modernize the regions vast transportation network and make sure that it is safe and reliable he said
this is a monumental win for the people of new york mr prendergast said at a board meeting in lower manhattan
but even as board members praised the proposal they questioned how the state and city would pay their share last year gov andrew m cuomo and mayor bill de blasio both democrats reached a funding deal only after months of quarreling over whether the city should pay more
the state agreed to pay 83 billion toward the capital plan over five years and the city agreed to pay 25 billion over the same period the rest is expected to be paid for by the federal government and other sources
state and city officials have not specified where most of their funding will come from transit advocates have repeatedly criticized mr cuomo arguing that his commitment amounted to an iou for the state run agency
on wednesday lawrence s schwartz a board member and a former top aide to the governor urged the board not to question mr cuomos promise
the money will be there mr schwartz said
the plan had been delayed in recent months by budget negotiations in albany with republicans in the state senate pushing for extra money for roads and bridges and other legislators opposing cuts for the second avenue subway
the first phase of the second avenue project which will extend the q line to 96th street is scheduled to begin service at the end of the year the second phase will expand the line to 125th street
when the authority cut the projects funding last year incensed leaders in east harlem claimed their community was being neglected robert j rodriguez a state assemblyman said wednesday he was pleased that some funding was restored and that more was pledged for the next five year capital plan
weve gotten to a place where were happy that well be able to substantially begin the work on phase 2 mr rodriguez a democrat said
the authority said it would apply for a federal grant program new starts to pay for the additional 500 million for the project
as part of the budget agreement the authoritys debt limit was raised to 55 billion from 41 billion spurring concerns that the agency would take on debt to pay the states funding share robert e foran the authoritys chief financial officer told board members on wednesday that if the agency financed debt on the states behalf the state would pay for the debt service the move would not prompt a fare increase he said
the plan must be approved by the states capital program review board which includes representatives of the governor the mayor the assembly speaker and the senate majority leader the review boards blessing would end a period of uncertainty at the authority which first introduced the spending proposal more than a year and a half ago
gene russianoff the longtime leader of the straphangers campaign a rider advocacy group complained that the process took too long and that the governors funding plan was not concrete enough
its a good thing for the riding public that its moving ahead he said but they didnt set any indoor speed records


santa clara calif   trent baalke is not ruling out the possibility of striking a trade for quarterback colin kaepernick although baalke san franciscos general manager is adamant that he still hopes to see kaepernick working in the system of chip kelly the 49ers new coach
while baalke has been in touch with kaepernick he said wednesday that they had not spoken in person even though both are at team headquarters kaepernick is rehabilitating from three operations and attending team meetings during the voluntary portion of the off season program
kaepernick was granted permission to meet with the denver broncos after his agents requested a trade during the off season
i think you have to know all the circumstances that go into it and im not going to get into all the hypotheticals or the circumstances surrounding it baalke said at levis stadium ive maintained from day 1 as has the head coach we would love to get him out there and work within this system with this coaching staff thats not changed i said that in february and here we are today still saying the same things
kaepernick met with john elway the broncos general manager late last month at elways denver home and the super bowl champion broncos could be a fit still kaepernick is due a guaranteed 119 million this season and he might not want to restructure his deal for any less
baalke said he was not sure if kaepernick wanted to leave the 49ers kaepernick has not spoken to the news media
i cant get into what his feelings are baalke said ive not addressed them directly with colin thats just not something that weve done at this point
kaepernick is recovering from operations on his right thumb his left knee and his nonthrowing left shoulder the last to repair a torn labrum which landed him on season ending injured reserve after he lost his job to blaine gabbert a first round draft pick in 2011
gabbert took over in november for kaepernick who completed 59 percent of his passes with six touchdowns five interceptions and a 785 rating before losing his job when the teams 5 11 season ended gabbert said that he expected to be the starter in 2016
kaepernick went 2 6 in eight starts last season raising questions about whether the quarterback who guided the 49ers to a runner up super bowl finish after the 2012 season was still the teams best option under center
baalke and kelly are eager to see if he is   provided that he sticks around
hes still here baalke said right now hes out there hes practicing hes doing good in his rehab   that seems to be progressing well hes going to all the meetings hes very into it hes very attentive hes working hard the coaches are excited about it just as they are about getting a chance to work with all these guys and theres really nothing else to report
also wednesday baalke said that the retired 49ers right tackle anthony davis would not show up to join the team until he has been reinstated to the nfl
davis who walked away from football last june at age 25 after a head injury has said he plans to file for reinstatement
davis out of rutgers was the 49ers first round draft choice   the 11th overall pick   in the 2010 draft he was affected by a concussion late in the 2014 season
on april 1 davis posted on twitter dealing with trent is giving me a headache
gave him a headache baalke said during a meeting with reporters its like me speaking to you it gives me a headache
im not going to get into our conversations within the media baalke added weve had several text messages back and forth and thats the extent of the conversation theres nothing more to add to it than that you have to ask him
noting that the off season program was voluntary and that davis was not a member of the nfl baalke pointed out that he cant show up until he gets reinstated


albany   democrats awoke on wednesday tantalizingly close to having a numerical majority in the state senate claiming victory in the long island district vacated by dean g skelos the former republican majority leader convicted of federal corruption charges in december
but because nothing is ever simple in new york state politics the coronation of a new ruling party in the senate was delayed as election officials on long island had not yet certified the results
even if the democrat todd d kaminsky is declared the winner of the special election to succeed mr skelos officials on both sides of the aisle in albany said little if anything would change between now and november when the full senate will be in play
the margin in favor of mr kaminsky an assemblyman and former federal prosecutor over republican christopher t mcgrath a personal injury lawyer stood at 780 votes out of some 68000 cast by nassau county residents on the south shore
but there were still votes outstanding as of wednesday the county had received 2917 absentee ballots 1568 more had been requested but not returned the final deadline for such ballots is april 26 almost half of the absentee ballots submitted were from democrats 1225 were from republicans and the rest were from independent voters or those belonging to other parties
there were signs that republicans were girding for a loss newsday reported wednesday that the nassau county party chairman joseph n mondello had conceded that mr kaminsky had probably won
mr kaminsky was confident enough in the results tuesday night to declare victory he vowed to reform albany and finally end the corrupt status quo having run a race that put mr skeloss misdeeds front and center while attacking mr mcgraths apparent unwillingness to discredit the shamed former senator late tuesday mr mcgraths campaign had put out a statement saying the race was too close to call
if mr kaminskys victory holds up the basic math in the 63 seat senate would be clear 32 democrats 31 republicans but democrats are effectively split into three groups about two dozen traditional members led by andrea stewart cousins of westchester county five independent democrats led by jeffrey d klein of the bronx and westchester and simcha felder of brooklyn who caucuses with republicans to help form their slim majority
mr felder said wednesday that he would continue to caucus with republicans and expected to do so for the foreseeable future
i dont have party loyalty or allegiance to any of the parties he said in a phone interview he said he wanted to try to get the best services and resources for my constituents including a large bloc who like him are orthodox jews the political parties are not a religion he added
mr felder said he disagreed with republicans on some social issues but agreed with them on economic policy if i really hated everything i wouldnt be with them he said adding that he did not expect them to lose enough seats in the fall to alter his stance
then there is mr kleins group which has pushed for liberal policies like paid family leave and the 15 minimum wage but has worked with republicans for several years mr klein has repeatedly defended the alliance saying the independent democratic conference is unified and productive and born out of past dysfunction and infighting among democrats
on wednesday mr klein congratulated mr kaminsky in a brief statement that did not refer to the senates balance of power saying merely that his group looks forward to working with him to build on our outstanding victories
senate republicans noted that under the chambers rules the current majority leader john j flanagan a long island republican would keep that role any action to replace him would require a suspension of the rules approved by 60 percent of members   a virtual impossibility despite mr mcgraths apparent loss republicans continued to sound bullish about their chances in the fall
we strongly believe we are going to maintain the majority in november said scott reif a spokesman for senate republicans
the so called traditional democrats also seemed ready to wait for the fall elections though senator michael gianaris their political guru said a win for mr kaminsky would be significant even if it did not give democrats clear control in the bigger picture he said it means the republican grip in the senate continues to slip away


washington   the senate may be nearing an agreement on emergency funding to respond to the growing threat from the zika virus marking a potential reversal by republicans who had been reluctant to approve more aid
the financing which is being considered by some members of the senate appropriations committee would supplement the 510 million the obama administration recently redirected from fighting ebola toward zika as congressional republicans had urged
so far congressional republicans have said they wanted to address the problem of combating zika through appropriations and needed more information from administration officials some republicans insisted that the money left over from the ebola fight would be sufficient
senator patty murray of washington the top democrat on the health and human services appropriations subcommittee who has been involved in the discussions said lawmakers were working to reach an agreement that would address zika which has been linked to serious birth defects
protecting women and families from the serious risks the zika virus poses should not be a partisan issue so im glad that republicans are now working with us to put much needed resources into this effort she said in a statement negotiations are continuing and im very hopeful well be able to reach a final agreement
senator barbara a mikulski of maryland the top democrat on the senate appropriations committee added were happy a zika supplemental is finally in play weve been calling on republicans to act on this urgent issue for months were in ongoing talks with republicans and it looks promising
the committee has been talks with administration officials and experts to come up with a timely and responsible response said chris gallegos a spokesman for senator thad cochran republican of mississippi and the committees chairman
the committee continues to scrub the administration request and assemble a responsible recommendation but no final determination has been made mr gallegos said in an email
senate aides declined to confirm details of a potential deal saying talks are continuing the senate appropriations committee is in the midst of annual markups with its next meeting scheduled for thursday
president obama requested more than 18 billion in february to combat the disease
at the white house officials expressed cautious optimism about the glimmers of a potential deal to provide funding to combat zika after months of refusals by republicans to consider doing so but it was not clear whether the package would materialize and if it did whether it would be acceptable to the administration
while we are reassured that there appear to be initial steps to rectifying congresss failure to act to date any proposal that does not provide needed assistance in this fiscal year and does not protect or replenish the funding critical to our ongoing ebola response will be insufficient to the risks facing the country said peter c boogaard a white house spokesman


the professional sports locker room is a sanctuary a place that is supposed to be free of outside distractions at halftime of an nba game for instance players sit attentively absorbing the coachs instructions they rehydrate and maybe even change into a fresh uniform their focus for those 15 minutes rests entirely on what must be done in the second half to win the game
except when theyre flicking through their smartphone notifications on the sly
the habit of monitoring mobile devices officially now has no bounds not even at the locker room door in a league populated by athletes who have grown up with a ball in one hand and a mobile device in the other players are increasingly returning to the court only after taking a few quick swipes through some messages
i dont think you should necessarily be coming in at halftime and start going through your mentions but its just become habitual said spencer hawes of the charlotte hornets who are playing the miami heat in the first round of the nba postseason what do you do when youve been away from your phone in any situation you come in check it check if anyone texted you i think halftime is kind of no different
the ritual has challenged the popularly held perception of the professional sports locker room as a scene of intense focus on the task ahead it may not affect performance on the court but it nonetheless signals a significant cultural shift for the veteran players who remember older times and a place the locker room that was free of digital distractions
hawes said reggie theus his coach during his rookie season eight years ago with the sacramento kings banned phones from the locker room altogether and even outlawed them on the team bus al jefferson hawess teammate on the hornets recalled being cursed out by doc rivers 11 years ago in his own rookie season with the boston celtics for daring to check his messages before tipoff
im still not a big fan of people checking their phones at halftime jefferson said as he sat with his feet in a bucket of ice fiddling with his phone after a recent game but times change cellphones are peoples life now
a gallup poll last year found that 73 percent of americans ages 18 to 29 checked their devices a few times an hour   including 22 percent every few minutes fifty nine percent of respondents ages 30 to 49 said they looked at their phones a few times an hour
the knicks kevin seraphin 26 said friends asked him to turn off his phone at restaurants because he could not control himself otherwise he maintains active accounts on instagram snapchat twitter and periscope and likes interacting online with fans he said he was even developing his own social media app
im not perfect seraphin said i love social networks
like anyone else though the players are hardly immune from phone related social media embarrassments its just that theirs get more attention
the los angeles lakers rookie dangelo russell last month apologized after a cellphone video he took of a teammate nick young who appeared to be discussing an affair ended up on social media two years ago young in street clothes sitting out a game was caught on camera checking his phone on the bench
hawes said that for his pregame nap   a customary routine in the league   he has needed to put his phone farther and farther from his bed so if i get the itch i cant just roll over and throw away an hour scrolling and going down that rabbit hole he said
players these days are practically tied to their devices before the game listening to music arranging tickets for friends and family watching game video
the minutes after the final buzzer when the players return to the locker room can resemble the moment when a plane lands or a subway car emerges above ground a mob of silent people heads hovering over glowing screens reading texts emails and social media notifications
you see everyone looking like zombies getting to their phones trying to see whats going on and if they missed anything caron butler of the sacramento kings said of the postgame scene
halftime phone use tends to be more discreet for some players theres still guilt attached to it frank kaminsky a hornets rookie said his college coach at wisconsin bo ryan had made players turn off their phones at the arena kaminsky said he still does not look at his phone for the duration of a game
it still feels like im doing something wrong if i do he said
richard jefferson 35 of the cleveland cavaliers   who joked about being old enough to remember when not every player had a phone   said halftime phone use should be limited to quickly checking on family members
some policing still occurs today but it tends to be less formal it also tends not to work
the former denver coach brian shaw who has admitted to having difficulty relating to millennials for a time confiscated his players phones and put them in a box before games during the nuggets dismal 2014 15 season complaining that the players lacked focus
phil jackson the knicks president told players this season that he preferred they not take their phones out at halftime seraphin said phils really old school seraphin said he doesnt want players to touch their phones i mean you can take your own risk but he doesnt really like it
jose calderon of the knicks practically winced when asked if he took out his phone at halftime oh no not halftime he said well i dont youre thinking about the game
still several knicks admitted to peeking at their phones and acknowledged seeing their teammates do the same
aaron brooks of the chicago bulls recalled how dikembe mutombo used to yell at teammates to put away their phones when the two played together years ago on the houston rockets brooks said some bulls players tried to institute a policy limiting phone use inside the locker room this season
but that didnt really last too long he said laughing
major league baseball and the nfl prohibit players from using any portable electronic devices during games the nba allows players to use mobile devices but prohibits them from posting to social media during games
at least one nba player has actively tried to fight the trend lou amundson of the knicks said he was limiting his phone use these days owing to his metaphysical perspective on the growing prominence of electronic devices in modern life at a recent game he was dismayed to see the ball boys looking at their phones between rebounds and passes
youre on the court at the garden he said recalling the scene be in the moment man
amundson who studied philosophy at nevada las vegas said societys collective phone addiction hindered pure interaction and intention filled relationships he thought texting and social media divided a persons energy in negative ways he rued how the dopamine loop associated with devices obliterated a persons attention span
it takes us as a society someplace i dont think we need to be going amundson said i really feel strongly that theres going to be some kind of countercultural revolution where people start to reject this idea that you need to be connected and you need to have access to everything and you need a phone in front of your face the whole day
any revolution though seems unlikely to originate in nba locker rooms


elmer anderson got the news early wednesday morning his former high school teammate soul mate and friend dwayne washington   known far and wide as pearl   had died
it was not a surprise yet it still came as a shock
washington had been fighting cancer successfully for the most part for the past two decades but his health had worsened over the last year anderson who was washingtons backcourt mate at boys and girls high school in brooklyn for two seasons had been bracing himself for the end
we understood that the time was coming anderson said wednesday morning but sometimes theres a reality check and when you get checked you understand that this is truly the reality of life
over the next few days there will be tributes to washington 52 one of the most celebrated guards to come out of brooklyn his freewheeling game put him on the list of legends like roger brown and connie hawkins as one of the most transformational high school players new york city has ever produced
more than brown and more than hawkins whose college careers were cut short by scandal washington was a high school star whose fame and celebrity actually grew in college at syracuse he not only became the face of the program he became the charismatic force who ushered in a dominant era of big east basketball and the star of dozens of showcase nights at syracuses new carrier dome
we had just opened and we were getting 18000 a game syracuse coach jim boeheim said wednesday it got to 25000 when pearl came here because he was exciting he never thought and i never thought he was the best point guard but he was the most exciting guard ive ever seen
boeheim added i was very lucky to have a guy like pearl he made our program he helped make the big east conference and he helped make jim boeheim
i covered anderson and washington for the two seasons they played together at boys and girls high washington was the most electric high school player in the country and the king in a crop of sensational new york city guards that included kenny smith and mark jackson smith and jackson were more traditional guards and they went on to long and successful college and nba careers but washington oozed something else he was able to do his job while maintaining an exciting playground style of play that resisted the conformity of so called organized ball
he did things that nobody could understand but yet everyone enjoyed said anderson who played in college at st bonaventure hes out on the court just flat out having fun and making everyone else have fun as well
washington was important on other levels too his decision to attend syracuse announced to the college basketball world that the big east had arrived and that it had the prestige and the muscle to attract the nations top high school stars boeheim once told me that washington was the most important player he had ever recruited
he still stands as that today boeheim said wednesday
it was the start of the league the start of syracuse being a big time program he added he was the no 1 player in high school that year his coming here just changed the face of our program the face of the league
washington was the 13th player taken in the 1986 nba draft plagued by injuries and poor supporting casts he played three nba seasons
while he left syracuse early washington returned to earn his degree and later returned a second time to begin work on a masters degree
he also was as humble and selfless a person as he was flamboyant as a player entering their senior year of high school anderson and washington were invited to the fabled five star summer camp where they competed against the best players in the nation anderson was having an extraordinary camp yet was overlooked for the all star team
crestfallen anderson returned to his cabin im in tears he said and who comes to my cabin at the foot of my bed and taps me and goes elmer here  it was washington handing anderson his all star jersey
washington had told the top camp official howard garfinkel that he was injured and that anderson would take his place
he loved five star he loved howie garfinkel and those guys but he also loved me because i was going to be the one sweating with him for a whole year and not for a momentary existence for a week in camp anderson said
in january as washingtons health deteriorated members of the syracuse basketball team wore warm up shirts with his nickname pearl on the front boeheim whose orange reached the final four said the tribute was the players idea
he also said the news of washingtons death was an emotional body blow ive been here 40 years so to me these are my family guys and as a father you dont want to see your sons go before you go he said thats what its like its like losing a son ive cried on and off all day today you knew it was coming but im a little shocked
two weeks ago anderson gathered about 500 of washingtons friends former teammates and opponents and fans who had never met washington but had enjoyed watching him play in a speech he praised washington as the rare player who united fans on both sides because it was such a joy to watch him perform
he could make the opponents fans stand up in anticipation of his next move anderson said you knew something was coming next you just didnt know what it would be


washington   for almost two years the family of glen doherty a cia contractor and former navy seal who was among four americans killed in the 2012 terrorist attack in benghazi libya has fought to claim the government death benefits they believe mr doherty deserved
on monday the cia informed the doherty family and others like them that their wait would end
the agency has secured funds to begin paying out death benefits of up to 400000 each to families like the dohertys who are survivors of unmarried and childless federal employees or contractors killed in acts of terrorism overseas
the measure circumvents a 1941 law that requires overseas contractors   including those working for the cia   to carry disability and life insurance but pays out death benefits only to those with surviving spouses or children
kate quigley mr dohertys sister who led the familys lobbying efforts said her brother who had no spouse or children did not know that his life insurance package would not pay any death benefits
it is really a nice recognition and closure and it will certainly help bring things to an end mrs quigley said in a phone interview
the cia first told the family that it would grant the benefits in december 2014 mrs quigley said but disagreements over funding led to a series of delays on capitol hill
this has been a long process mrs quigley said what we learned is that when it comes to washington things take a long time
the benefits will be available to families of victims dating back as far as april 18 1983 when suicide bombers killed dozens of people at the american embassy in beirut according to ryan trapani a spokesman for the cia
the agency has not released the specific number of families who qualify for the enhanced benefits but representative stephen f lynch democrat of massachusetts who helped lead the effort here said the change would probably affect several dozen families
mr lynch introduced legislation to change the 1941 law which he called outdated in november 2014 but his efforts have not gained traction


plans to build a 33 billion natural gas pipeline from new york into new england through western massachusetts and southern new hampshire have been suspended kinder morgan inc of houston announced wednesday it had decided to stop work on the project citing a lack of contracts with gas distribution companies it also said new england states have not established needed regulatory procedures to allow it to move forward the company said that given the market conditions continuing to develop the pipeline is an unacceptable use of its shareholder funds the project has been met with skepticism and opposition both from residents along the proposed path of the pipeline and from environmental groups that welcomed wednesdays decision to halt work ap
the state will allow thousands of immigrants brought to the united states illegally as children to work in at least 170 professions that require state licenses including health care and education after lawmakers overrode gov pete rickettss veto of the measure on wednesday senators voted 31 to 13 on the last day of their legislative session five days after mr ricketts a republican called it unfair to immigrants who followed the legal pathway the law applies to immigrants who received lawful status under president obamas executive action in 2012 that allowed them to stay ap
a move to override gov bill haslams veto of a bill making the bible the states official book fell seven votes short of the 50 needed in the house on wednesday only 43 members voted in favor of the bill after two hours of spirited   and spiritual   debate the republican governor last week turned back the bill over constitutional concerns and because of concerns the measure trivializes what he considers a sacred text by adding it to a list of official symbols including a turtle and a catfish supporters argued that the measure seeks to honor the economic and historical impact of the bible in tennessee history ap
the authorities said wednesday that they had discovered a cross border tunnel that ran a half mile from a tijuana house equipped with a large elevator to a lot in san diego that was advertised as a wooden pallet business resulting in seizures of more than a ton of cocaine and seven tons of marijuana and the arrests of six people it was the 13th sophisticated secret passage found along californias border with mexico since 2006 including three on the same short street in san diego that runs parallel to a border fence with a densely populated residential area on the mexican side ap


washington   a prominent obama administration nominee was extended a courtesy wednesday that has become increasingly rare this election year a senate hearing
carla d hayden the head of baltimores public library whom president obama nominated in february to lead the library of congress testified before the senate rules committee and after a little more than an hour of questioning all signs pointed to a nomination process proceeding as well normal
i think this nomination is on a separate track senator roy blunt of missouri the committees chairman said after the hearing acknowledging that dr hayden was receiving different treatment than another prominent nominee judge merrick b garland
today will be no day to reach conclusions except i think that her background makes her well suited for coming up with a vision for the library mr blunt said
if confirmed dr hayden 63 would be the first woman and the first african american to hold the position the committee is expected to vote on the nomination in the coming weeks should the committee recommend dr haydens nomination to the full senate the body would likely vote before its summer recess
dr hayden would be the first new librarian of congress since the reagan administration inheriting a library whose digital collections and technological capabilities have been outstripped by its peers and raised concerns among its overseers in congress
that reality provided the backdrop for a hearing that largely centered on dr haydens experience and concerns overa issues like the librarys technological infrastructure and the status of the united states copyright office it oversees
the next librarian of congress will lead an organization that has really had significant physical and technological limitations and is struggling really to adapt to a new century mr blunt said in his introductory remarks
in her testimony dr hayden said she was mindful of those concerns and would champion efforts to restore its technological infrastructure along the way she also gave hints of what the library one of the worlds leading repositories of information and culture might look like under her leadership calling for continued private and public partnerships and increased outreach to smaller libraries around the country
as i envision the future of this venerable institution i see it growing its stature as a leader not only in librarianship but in how people view libraries in general dr hayden said in her opening remarks as more of its resources are readily available to view online users will not need to be in washington dc
the hearings most pointed questioning centered on the copyright office which has had its own technological failings in recent months prompting some to suggest that it should be made into its own agency
dr hayden said she was well aware of its needed improvements and the importance of a responsive copyright office but did not commit to a stance on separating the office
senator shelley moore capito republican of west virginia pressed dr hayden to take a stance on granting the public access to reports conducted by the congressional research service which provides policy and legal analysis to congress the nominee said that while she was supportive of making nonconfidential portions of such reports accessible it would require further discussion
the library has a staff of about 3100 employees an annual budget of almost 600 million and a collection of 160 million items the majority of which have not yet been digitized it has been without a permanent leader since september when james h billington a prominent scholar who oversaw a dramatic expansion in the librarys collection resigned amid accusations of growing mismanagement
dr hayden who has held high ranking positions at some of the nations largest libraries as well as the american library association is thought to have been nominated in part because of her administrative experience and formal training in library science   two qualities dr billington lacked
i have no doubt about your qualifications or your ability to lead the library of congress senator chuck schumer of new york the committees ranking democrat told dr hayden
senator thad cochran republican of mississippi likewise congratulated dr hayden on being considered for the post and he suggested it was a good fit
i think this is a great day for the library of congress it is a great day for the united states senate he said without questioning the nominee
dr haydens nomination has also received widespread support among the countrys librarians in a letter on tuesday the american library association and dozens of organizations urged the committee to quickly approve the nomination based on the unique combination of professional skills and sensibilities that dr hayden will bring to the post


volkswagen is close to completing a deal to resolve claims in the united states over its admission that it rigged vehicles to cheat on pollution tests according to three people involved in the case
a deal if completed is expected to include fines from regulators and compensation to owners that could collectively cost volkswagen billions of dollars the three people spoke on the condition of anonymity citing the continuing legal matter
even at a high price a settlement would be a major relief to the car company the uncertainty over the financial impact of the deception has delayed its earnings reports and impaired its ability to raise money on the markets
judge charles breyer of the united states district court in san francisco had given volkswagen until thursday to reach a settlement with the federal government and with vehicle owners in the united states the judge has scheduled a hearing in the case for thursday morning
the people said that the talks had been delicate and complex and that terms could change or the parties might need more time to seal an agreement
the final cost to volkswagen could be significant
on the regulatory side volkswagen faces a theoretical maximum penalty of 18 billion in the united states while lawyers in the case predict the actual fine imposed on volkswagen to be much less it would still set a record for an automaker accused of clean air violations the largest comparable fine was 100 million imposed on the hyundai kia group in 2014 for violating standards on greenhouse gas emissions
any settlement would also include provisions to fix nearly 600000 cars in the united states that are still on the road seven months after volkswagen admitted cheating on emissions tests additionally it will most likely include financial incentives to ensure that owners bring the cars back to dealers to be repaired
in some cases volkswagen will not be able to fix the cars and will have to buy them back from owners kelley blue book a research firm estimated the cost of buying back the cars in the united states at 7 billion
volkswagen may face other expenses too this settlement would apply only to the 600000 affected cars in the united states volkswagen has admitted that it installed the so called defeat device on more than 11 million cars worldwide
the defeat device allowed volkswagen to cheat on the emissions tests in the united states by recognizing when cars were being monitored and changing the exhaust settings in testing the cars dialed up pollution controls
but on the road pollution controls were dialed back to enhance performance and fuel mileage and to protect emissions equipment from wear when that happened the cars spewed as much as 40 times the allowed amounts of nitrogen oxides a pollutant that poses health hazards
judge breyer is overseeing all of the litigation in the united states including claims filed by federal and state governments as well as volkswagen owners separate suits by volkswagen dealers and by dealers of competing brands who say the cheating gave volkswagen an unfair advantage in the market would probably not be part of the initial settlement
of 11 million volkswagen vehicles with illegal software an overwhelming majority are in europe but volkswagens legal troubles are focused in the united states where limits on nitrogen oxides are more stringent and the penalties more severe
in addition united states law gives owners significant scope to seek redress in court the american owners are seeking compensation for the declines in the resale value of their cars the models with the cheating software include volkswagen as well as audi and porsche cars with 2 liter or 3 liter diesel engines from the model years 2008 to 2015
germany and most other european countries do not allow class action suits like those filed by volkswagen owners in the united states in germany volkswagen shareholders have sued the company claiming that top executives violated their duty to report information that could affect the share price
in court filings volkswagen has admitted that martin winterkorn the former chief executive was informed in 2014 that the company faced questions from regulators about possible emissions cheating but the company did not say anything publicly about the issue until after it was disclosed in the united states by the environmental protection agency on sept 18 2015 mr winterkorn resigned less than a week later


the booming concert industry already dominated by two corporate powers is getting even more consolidated
aeg live the second largest company in the global concert business is close to completing a deal to acquire a majority of the bowery presents an independent promoter in new york according to two people with direct knowledge of the negotiations who spoke on the condition of anonymity
if completed the deal would give aeg   whose portfolio already includes the coachella festival and major arenas like staples center in los angeles   a powerful foothold on the east coast the bowery presents puts on dozens of shows each month in clubs such as terminal 5 and the music hall of williamsburg in new york as well as at major sites such as madison square garden where in september it will present six concerts by adele
concert industry executives said that the deal would effectively turn the new york market into a battleground between aeg and live nation entertainment the industrys biggest power the two companies have long dominated the global touring business but have had somewhat limited roles in new york aeg controls the playstation theater near times square and live nation has clubs including irving plaza and the gramercy theater along with amphitheaters like jones beach
this month live nation also bought the promoters behind the governors ball festival an annual event on randalls island this summer aeg   which is privately owned and is controlled by the billionaire investor philip f anschutz   will put on a competing festival panorama at the same location
aeg and the bowery presents declined to comment news of an imminent deal between the companies was first reported by billboard
in recent years bowery has also become a force with satellites and partnerships in new england philadelphia upstate new york and in southern cities such as new orleans and atlanta a highly influential player on the concert circuit bowery has forged close associations with artists and championed a model of booking acts through successively larger sites in the companys network
it was not clear how the deal might affect the bowery organization and its venues but the company is expected to remain relatively autonomous and retain its name according to the people with knowledge of the negotiations
the bowery presents was founded in 2004 but traces its beginnings to the opening of the tiny mercury lounge a decade earlier next in 1998 was the bowery ballroom which rolling stone has called the best music club in the country and by the 2000s the bowery presents began to expand rapidly last year the bowery presents sold nearly 13 million tickets according to pollstar a concert industry trade publication
while aeg is gaining a majority stake in the bowery presents it is unclear whether the deal will include the bowery ballroom or the mercury lounge those are owned by michael swier who founded those clubs and began the bowery enterprise his partners jim glancy and john moore bought him out in 2010 but the bowery ballroom and mercury lounge remain associated with the bowery presents through a complex working relationship
mr swier who also owns the teragram ballroom in los angeles declined to comment on wednesday
as news of the deal reverberated among fans and throughout the concert business some bemoaned the encroaching power of major corporations and the influence that live nation and aeg have had on issues like ticket prices which have gone up steadily since the mid 1990s
the advent of both of those companies has pushed everything   from ticket prices to artist fees   upward and upward said john scher a veteran concert promoter in the new york region i dont think thats generally very healthy for the business


senator bernie sanders of vermont grappled with tough and narrowing choices about campaign strategy and fund raising on wednesday after his crushing loss in the new york primary and with a series of difficult contests ahead
while hillary clintons campaign carefully avoided any suggestion that he quit the democratic presidential race many of her prominent supporters argued that the moment had come for mr sanders to ease off attacks for the good of democrats in the november election
mr sanders who took the day off to rest and regroup with his advisers is under intense pressure to win the pennsylvania primary on tuesday or fall even further behind mrs clintons sizable lead in pledged delegates needed to capture the nomination a new pennsylvania poll put mr sanders 13 percentage points behind mrs clinton despite heavy spending by the sanders campaign on television advertisements another loss could hamper his formidable fund raising which sanders advisers described as steady but not as strong as it could have been with a new york victory
in addition to pennsylvania four other states hold primaries on tuesday and sanders advisers say that all of the contests will be tough for them while mr sanders has a strong shot at winning the indiana primary on may 3 given his popularity with white voters and independents there he has limited opportunities to pick up many more delegates than mrs clinton according to several sanders advisers
if we get to a position in a week or two where our path to victory with pledged delegates doesnt look credible i think well need to stand up and say that in public and then assess how we can get that lead in delegates said tad devine a senior adviser to mr sanders but i dont want to speculate about what may happen
given mrs clintons lead several of her allies contended that he should shift his focus from criticizing mrs clinton to championing democratic policies that might help the party beat donald j trump senator ted cruz of texas or another republican nominee and also win back control of the house and the senate
there does come a point when democrats and those who believe we cant afford a trump or cruz presidency should recognize that we need to start thinking about whats best for the presumptive nominee going forward said gov jack markell of delaware a clinton supporter whose state holds its primary on tuesday the good news is that bernie sanders will remain in the senate where he can continue to speak out and continue to inspire new people into the process
gov dannel p malloy of connecticut which also has a primary tuesday said he was concerned that the fight between mr sanders and mrs clinton could hurt the partys congressional candidates and candidates for governor if the democratic contest comes to be seen as fractious and divided as the republican presidential race
i think we all need to back up and take a breath because this shouldnt be a personal battle that damages the party said mr malloy also a clinton supporter referring to some recent attacks by mr sanders he said you dont get votes by saying someone is not qualified to be president
sanders advisers and supporters reacted to the clinton pleas with varying degrees of incredulity noting that mrs clinton and her advisers have been criticizing the senator daily on issues like gun control the clinton campaign on wednesday released a new ad in connecticut that features the daughter of the principal who died in the sandy hook shootings an indirect attack on mr sanderss record on guns
mayor bao nguyen of garden grove calif a sanders supporter said the senator should continue in the race through the delegate rich california primary in june and further sharpen his focus on policy issues that matter most to americans
fighting for the people   not the millionaire and billionaire class   is what helped him win eight primaries in a row defy pundits predictions of a hillary coronation and pull even in national polls mr nguyen said
with the democratic race at a potential crossroads as mr sanders weighs his next steps mrs clinton and her advisers walked their own careful line on wednesday the clinton camp described her delegate lead as all but insurmountable   more than twice as large as barack obamas lead over her in 2008   but also took pains to avoid appearing overly antagonistic toward mr sanders mrs clinton has roughly 1450 pledged delegates and mr sanders has about 1200 2383 are needed to win the nomination
instead her allies pleaded with mr sanders to stop doing anything that could be used by mr trump or mr cruz in the fall and cease running advertisements like one now in pennsylvania that question mrs clintons toughness against big banks like goldman sachs
the republican will take every one of his most negative statements and use them as ads in the general election said rosalind wyman a longtime democratic national committeewoman from california and a clinton supporter
not all major clinton supporters were pushing mr sanders to shift gears though senator sherrod brown of ohio a longtime liberal like mr sanders said its not up to me or anyone else to tell him what to do with his race
michael briggs a spokesman for mr sanders said the campaign planned to continue to ask questions about mrs clintons ties to wall street her speeches at commercial banks and her changing stances on policy issues he also shot back sarcastically when asked whether mr sanders might change the tone of the campaign that in recent weeks has become more contentious
ive seen their im sure heartfelt concerns about the tone of the campaign mr briggs said of the clinton campaign all i would ask them to do is look in the mirror
mr devine the senators senior adviser said mr sanderss focus was likely to be on policy issues crucial to pennsylvania connecticut and other states voting in the coming days
i have no doubt that judgment issues will come up but i dont think it will come up the way it did in new york which is a fundamentally different media environment than in other states mr devine said he added that there had been no direct conversations between the two campaigns about the future of the race or either candidacy
jeff weaver the sanders campaign manager said that the senator would continue to vigorously defend his record and that advisers were confident that he would win the vast majority of the states remaining based on the campaigns internal polling and mr sanderss past ability to close gaps in places like michigan and iowa
the sanders campaign signaled on wednesday that it was still fighting hard mr weaver sent a fund raising email noting that an unnamed clinton campaign aide had hurled a swear word at mr sanders in a politico story its outrageous mr weaver wrote before asking for donations to send our own message back to the clinton campaign in a language theyre certain to understand
the sanders campaign says it raised almost 46 million in march outpacing the clinton campaign which raised 293 million the sanders campaign reported more than 17 million cash on hand while the clinton campaign says it began april with about 29 million cash on hand
while supporters of mr sanders have been exceptionally loyal donors with the campaign breaking online fund raising records some clinton supporters questioned the sanders solicitations when his ability to overtake mrs clinton in delegates is so slim
sanders has run a stunningly strong campaign fueled by passionate supporters david plouffe mr obamas former campaign manager wrote on twitter on wednesday but raising  stating you have path to nomination is fraud
mr devine of the sanders campaign responded fraud is a hard word to put out there i respect david but i dont believe were lying or being fraudulent in saying we think we still have a path to the nomination


it seemed like an innocent enough announcement michael strahan the former football player turned television personality was shifting assignments on abcs morning lineup the network said tuesday he would leave live with kelly and michael in september to become a co anchor on good morning america
but there was rancor behind the scenes mr strahans co host kelly ripa was told of the move just minutes before the announcement and felt blindsided said a person who has spoken to her about abcs decision and she made little attempt to conceal her displeasure skipping wednesdays edition on live abc said she would not appear on the show for the rest of the week and would be replaced by erin andrews
ms ripas absence wednesday forced mr strahan into the awkward position of addressing the news of his departure with a guest host ana gasteyer a former saturday night live cast member
after mr strahan and ms gasteyer danced their way to the hosts desk on the live set mr strahan said ive been in the news lately before formally announcing that he was leaving
for abc what was supposed to be a boost to its morning lineup is instead developing into a giant headache with one of its most prominent stars ms ripa who joined the show in 2001 replacing kathy lee gifford has developed a loyal following of her own
in addition to ms ripas apparent displeasure good morning america is also presenting the network with cause for concern though it remains the most watched morning show its down 10 percent in total viewers and 18 percent in the 25 to 54 year old demographic important to advertisers it is second in that age bracket to nbcs today a show that experienced its own ratings difficulties four years ago when it botched ann currys departure
when mr strahan does join good morning america in a full time role in september he will be accustomed to the surroundings he began as an on air correspondent for good morning america two years ago a decision that ms ripa expressed concerns about at the time according to the person ms ripa was worried it would distract him from live but was reassured it would only be a temporary position
mr strahan continued to appear on the morning show and abc executives recently decided that bringing him into the good morning america lineup could help stem the ratings drop
after live ended on tuesday morning ms ripa was called to a meeting along with the shows longtime producer michael gelman and the wabc general manager dave davis the show is produced by wabc and it is distributed by abc and disneys syndication group she did not know the purpose of the meeting
after a 20 minute wait mr strahan entered the room and broke the news that he was leaving it wasnt long before tensions flared
didnt i tell you this was going to happen ms ripa said to mr davis at the meeting according to the person i told you two years ago this was going to happen
a few minutes after the meeting ended abc publicly announced mr strahans departure ms ripa later let the network know she would not appear on wednesday
ms ripa was angry this person said because she perceived that good morning america was being given priority over live ms ripa declined to comment
ms ripa was similarly caught off guard in 2011 when regis philbin informed her 20 minutes before show time that he was going to announce his departure on that edition of live
after mr philbin left the show live began an open casting call to replace him cycling in more than a dozen potential co hosts to sit beside ms ripa after 10 months abc selected mr strahan who is also a commentator on foxs nfl pregame show
in a statement an abc spokeswoman said live continues to be a vibrant and enduring franchise under our lead host the extraordinarily talented kelly ripa live has successfully transitioned co hosts twice before and will do so again together with kelly abc and the live team will begin a new search to find a replacement for michael
it appears that ms ripas absence will be an extended one live is not scheduled to shoot on friday and she had already arranged to take monday off for a long weekend to celebrate her 20thwedding anniversary the person said
fridays show will be taped on thursday so ms andrews will appear for the next two editions of live ms ripa will be replaced by the pretty little liars actress shay mitchell on monday an abc spokeswoman said


carl hagelin was apparently too focused on carrying the puck up the ice for the pittsburgh penguins in the opening minutes of tuesdays playoff game at madison square garden to notice that he was being booed   as if he were a villain
theyre allowed to do whatever they want hagelin said wednesday after practice
it was only a year ago on april 24 that hagelin had ended the penguins season with an overtime goal at the garden that moved the rangers into the second round afterward hagelin stood in the rangers dressing room and said it was one of the happiest moments of his life
ive been through a lot this year hagelin said wednesday ive been all over the world ive been on the west coast the east side   it definitely feels like a long time ago
hagelin a 27 year old forward who played his first four nhl seasons in new york has helped the penguins to a two games to one lead in this best of seven series by doing many of the same things that had made him so valuable to the rangers   foremost killing penalties
the rangers were 0 for 4 on the power play in a 3 1 loss tuesday and are 1 for 12 in the series the penguins scored a critical power play goal at the end of the second period on tuesday and are 4 for 13 in the series
i would say to you that specialty teams are going in their favor rangers coach alain vigneault said wednesday
hagelin helped the rangers advance to the stanley cup finals two years ago and the eastern conference finals last year with his speed and savvy on the penalty kill unit now he is on the penguins top penalty killing unit
he does not have a point in the series but by persistently buzzing the goal hagelin drew the hooking penalty on rangers defenseman marc staal that led to pittsburghs crucial power play goal on tuesday
hes fast hes smart hes a good two way player pittsburgh forward phil kessel said of hagelin his linemate i think when hes out there he creates space and makes plays whenever you can add a piece like haggy its important hes been a good fit for our team and obviously hes a great person a great guy
his rangers teammates had said the same things about hagelin but he became a restricted free agent at the end of last season and the rangers could not keep him and stay under the salary cap so they traded him to anaheim
hagelin signed a four year 16 million contract flipped his sweater number from 62 to 26 and played 43 games for the ducks including a 3 2 overtime loss to the rangers on dec 22 at the garden he scored only four goals and the ducks traded him on jan 16 to pittsburgh
he flipped his sweater number back to 62 and scored 10 goals in 37 games the penguins had made a coaching change in december promoting mike sullivan from their wilkes barrescranton farm club sullivan had coached hagelin as a rangers assistant under john tortorella
thats sports rangers center derick brassard said everybody has a different contract situation guys are leaving left and right all of the time
but brassard acknowledged that the penguins were a different team under sullivan and it was not a surprise to him that hagelin had benefited
i think theyve changed the way they play brassard said now they have guys who can move and make plays
before a game against the devils last month sullivan said of hagelin he understands what his strengths are how to play to those strengths i think everyone benefits from experience and hes not different and i think hes a better player for it
brassards line which included j t miller and rick nash for most of tuesdays game was often matched against the penguins line of hagelin nick bonino and kessel he fit in seamlessly when he got here bonino said of hagelin he brings a lot of speed hes good on the pk hes good chasing down pucks hes good with the puck and hes fun to play with
hagelin attempted to play down his teams success especially killing penalties
for us its important to stay humble stay aggressive he said all it takes for them is one good power play shift and they score a goal i try not to think about it too much but i think aggressiveness is the key
game 4 on thursday will be hagelins fifth at the garden since he left the rangers the visitors dressing room which trainers have festooned with dozens of penguins logos and motivational sayings has become a familiar place to him
obviously playing at madison square garden in a playoff game was a different experience for sure hagelin said but i think tomorrow will feel like a normal game again
slap shots
pittsburgh defenseman kris letang will not face punishment from the nhl for clipping rangers forward viktor stalberg in the face with his stick late in tuesdays game the hit was not penalized and stalberg lost three teeth letang said after practice wednesday that it was an accident rangers coach alain vigneault said we might feel that it seems deliberate but the nhl doesnt see it that way and the referees on the ice didnt see it that way so youve just got to deal with it and focus on the next game


he became known as the ninja burglar an elusive figure who stoked fears in some of staten islands most affluent neighborhoods by sneaking into homes usually with his entire body covered except for his eyes he would grab jewelry money and the occasional designer handbag the authorities said often while residents were still at home
in that spree around 2007 about 20 homes were broken into years went by and there was no arrest on wednesday however the authorities said they had found the man who was responsible not only for that string of burglaries but also for scores of others on staten island elsewhere in new york and in new jersey and connecticut
the suspect robert costanzo a convicted rapist has been charged on staten island with three counts of second degree burglary prosecutors said but he has admitted to investigators that he was responsible for more than 100 burglaries in which the authorities say he stole more than 4 million worth of property
we got our guy michael e mcmahon the staten island district attorney told reporters on wednesday residents of the neighborhoods targeted by mr costanzo he added could rest assured knowing that the ninja burglar case has finally been solved and that his reign of terror is officially over
officials said that mr costanzo a resident of the tompkinsville section of staten island had reached a plea agreement with the authorities in new york new jersey and connecticut and as part of that he was expected to plead guilty in a court appearance on thursday mr costanzo 46 also pleaded guilty to charges in connecticut this week stemming from a 2014 burglary in farmington the authorities declined to discuss how much time he was expected to serve under the agreement
his lawyer did not return messages seeking comment
investigators in new york city were led to mr costanzo after talking to a detective from saratoga springs ny who was looking into a similar burglary pattern and considered mr costanzo to be the prime suspect investigators noticed striking similarities between the two strings of cases
in february mr costanzo began negotiating an agreement with the authorities in three states he has been charged on staten island for burglaries in 2011 2013 and 2015 officials said he had been active from 2005 until last year but the statute of limitations had expired in many of the cases
over two days this month officials said mr constanzo gave a statement recorded on video in which he described how he operated
the authorities said mr costanzo who has been a registered sex offender since a rape conviction in 1992 went to work after nightfall he would dress in black cover his face and use a ladder to climb up to balconies and head for master bedrooms he would look for cash jewelry and watches sometimes if he saw a safe he would come back and half the time the authorities said he entered while residents were home
he pursued these crimes the authorities said while living what appeared to be a relatively normal life sharing a modest home with his family he tended to work alone the authorities said pawning most of what he stole
in talking with investigators mr mcmahon said it appeared mr costanzo took pride in being known as a ninja the burglar had received the moniker from local newspapers because of how he dressed and in at least one instance because a witness saw the burglar had nunchucks
in 2007 and 2008 as the burglar targeted wealthy staten island enclaves like todt hill grymes hill and grasmere residents were alarmed by the string of crimes and their brazen nature some neighborhoods hired private security to supplement police patrols
mr costanzos arrest has brought relief
john m carlo 73 remembered his wife mary ann screaming the ninja the ninja when the burglar broke into their home then the burglar ran past him and fled the house taking jewelry with him
she came face to face with him mr carlo said of his wife who died several years ago this has been on my mind for years


two new york city police detectives have been charged with beating a uniformed postal service employee in queens in october according to an indictment released on wednesday the mail carrier has said that the police have harassed him since 2014 when he gave street directions to a stranger who then killed two police officers
the indictment was handed up by a grand jury that watched surveillance video of the stop and heard a 911 call that appears to contradict the detectives account and shows them kicking beating and dragging the mail carrier karim baker 26 who recently testified about his ordeal his lawyer and law enforcement officials said
the detectives   angelo j pampena 31 and robert a carbone 29   were charged with felony and misdemeanor assault in an indictment announced on wednesday by the queens district attorney richard a brown and the police commissioner william j bratton detective pampena a nine year veteran was also charged with perjury offering a false instrument and official misconduct detective carbone has been with the department for eight years
the detectives pleaded not guilty on wednesday and were released the district attorneys office said their next court appearance was set for june 27 a spokeswoman for the district attorney said if convicted both men face up to seven years in prison
the police department said the detectives who were assigned to the patrol boro queens north gang unit had been suspended without pay stephen p davis the police departments chief spokesman declined to discuss the investigation but he said the detectives would be automatically fired if they are convicted of a felony
james moschella detective pampenas lawyer said he believed the video showed the officers had acted with reasonable force its completely reasonable under the circumstances of mr bakers resistance to the officers lawful inquiry he said
however mr bakers lawyer eric subin said the stop was part of a campaign of harassment by the police department that started when mr baker told ismaaiyl brinsley how to get to the marcy houses on dec 20 2014 mr brinsley then ambushed officers wenjian liu and rafael ramos before killing himself
after mr baker was questioned by the police he was stopped approximately 20 times over 10 months mr subin said
mr baker initiated a lawsuit in november naming the city the police department and the individual officers the city was recently served with a summons and complaint and has 30 days to answer mr subin said
he said that he still felt as terrified as the night i met him mr subin said mr baker told him after learning of the detectives indictment but he didnt feel quite as defenseless
mr brown and mr subin said the detectives approached mr baker as he left work on oct 21 2015 in corona queens mr subin said the encounter was captured on surveillance video from a building across the street and had been paired with audio from a 911 call from mr bakers cellphone that recorded what occurred
mr subin said the officers had asked to see his clients identification and when he asked why he was being stopped the officers told him he was parked too close to a fire hydrant mr baker then called 911 to ask for help but he dropped the phone when the officers began pummeling him mr subin said
the district attorney said mr baker was seated in his car when the detectives punched and kicked him multiple times in the face and body and dragged him from the vehicle mr baker sustained spinal fractures and a knee injury and has not been able to return to work mr subin said
detective pampena in the complaint filed against mr baker claimed that mr baker had been stopped for parking too close to the hydrant mr brown said but the video showed that mr bakers car was parked more than 15 feet from the hydrant mr brown said
mr baker had been charged with resisting arrest disorderly conduct and criminal possession of a controlled substance before the video came to light mr subin said the case was dismissed mr brown said
the indictment was announced as the police department is investigating officers conduct in the march 17 arrest of an on duty uniformed mail carrier in crown heights brooklyn


curt schilling a former all star pitcher and one of the highest profile baseball analysts on espn was fired from the network wednesday a day after he drew intense criticism for promoting offensive commentary on social media
schilling who had worked for the network since 2010 and most recently offered analysis on monday night baseball was dismissed after sharing a facebook post this week that appeared to respond to the north carolina law that bars transgender people from using bathrooms and locker rooms that do not correspond with their birth genders
the post showed an overweight man wearing a wig and womens clothing with parts of the t shirt cut out to expose his breasts it says let him in to the restroom with your daughter or else youre a narrow minded judgmental unloving racist bigot who needs to die
to that schilling added a man is a man no matter what they call themselves i dont care what they are who they sleep with mens room was designed for the penis womens not so much now you need laws telling us differently pathetic
espn is an inclusive company espn said in a statement curt schilling has been advised that his conduct was unacceptable and his employment with espn has been terminated
schilling through a spokeswoman declined to comment
it was the latest in a number of commentaries by schilling on social media that have drawn controversy he was suspended for a month after he posted a comment on twitter in august that compared radical muslims to nazis
earlier wednesday schilling appeared on a show on weei radio in boston and defended himself against accusations of intolerance and racism
to be in a place where people actually believe im a racist or im transphobic says to me that something has gone horribly askew somewhere he told the hosts on weei sounding weary and bewildered by his latest social media furor
schilling told weei i replied to the post i didnt post that
but a screen image captured by outsportscom showed that schilling had shared it and added his own comment
on his personal blog on tuesday schilling did not back down even as advocates in the transgender community called for his dismissal
lets make one thing clear right upfront he wrote if you get offended by anything in this post thats your fault all yours he added this latest brew ha ha is beyond hilarious i didnt post that ugly picture i made a comment about the basic functionality of mens and womens restrooms period
schillings son grant defended his father tuesday on facebook saying and while i will say hes not the most well informed in the modern lgbt culture i can assure you hes made great strides to understand people today if he were a bigot he wouldnt have allowed my trans friends to stay over hes respected pronouns and name changes  never once have i heard him say something to me that i thought he should keep quiet about
after his suspension last season jessica mendoza replaced schilling on espns marquee sunday night baseball broadcasts he was subsequently reassigned to the networks games on monday nights
last month he waded into politics on a kansas city radio station when he suggested that hillary clinton should be buried under a jail somewhere if she gave classified information on hundreds if not thousands of emails on a public server after what happened to general petraeus
last year david h petraeus a former cia director and a top general in the conflicts in iraq and afghanistan was sentenced to two years probation by a federal judge for providing classified information to a woman with whom he was having an affair
analysts said espn was left with little choice after schillings repeated offenses
if youre taking a paycheck from espn you have to be extra careful about how you communicate publicly and always err on the side of caution and responsibility said james andrew miller a co author of those guys have all the fun inside the world of espn
its not an unfair or impractical position for espn to hold he added if you want to express your own opinions in a provocative way on social media then espn and a lot of other media organizations are probably not where you should be working
schilling describes himself on his facebook account as a conservative pro life pro 2nd amendment american who wants to help those that cannot help themselves
schilling a six time all star was one of baseballs top pitchers over a 20 year career and compiled a record of 216 146 while pitching for the baltimore orioles the houston astros the philadelphia phillies the arizona diamondbacks and the boston red sox he was even better in the postseason with an 11 2 record and a 223 era
he is perhaps best known for pitching in the 2004 american league championship series against the yankees with his right sock bloody from a procedure that had been used to secure a dislocated tendon in his right ankle schilling pitched seven innings and the red sox won 4 2 boston went on to win game 7 and then the world series


on one level the dispute between dish network and viacom that brought the companies to the brink of a television blackout on wednesday resembles others that have become relatively routine in the industry and a common annoyance for customers
while such negotiations between tv companies and their cable and satellite distributors used to take place behind closed doors they have erupted into messy public battles in recent years as the television industry has come under more pressure both sides are trying to secure their positions and profit against the backdrop of a rapidly changing television landscape where ratings are in steep decline and cable and satellite companies are battling against a tide of so called cord cutters
yet this specific clash is particularly crucial for viacom
already the company is facing significant turbulence there are major concerns over its leadership accentuated by a legal battle over the mental competency of its controlling shareholder sumner m redstone at the same time viacom has reported persistently weak earnings
the threat that dish could drop viacom channels from its service has been hanging over viacom for the last several months in 2014 more than 60 small cable operators which account for about two million pay television subscribers in the united states dropped viacoms channels a longtime anchor of cable tv offerings that stoked fears that larger cable and satellite companies like dish might follow their lead
people that have taken viacom down in the past have done just fine charles w ergen chief executive of dish said in a conference call on wednesday hours before dishs contract to carry viacoms bundle was set to expire at midnight best i can tell they dont regret the decision
should the two sides fail to reach an agreement about 14 million dish customers would experience a blackout of 18 viacom channels including mtv nickelodeon and comedy central
the dispute stems from viacoms wanting dish to pay increases which dish argues are not justified given deteriorating ratings at the networks as well as the wide availability of viacom programming on streaming services like hulu and netflix the two companies have been operating under a short term extension of a deal that expired in january
mr ergen said on wednesday that the company was prepared to drop viacom channels from its lineup especially after negotiations between the two companies hit a standstill last week he said that discussions had been more productive this week
there actually probably is a path to continue carriage but its not done yet he added and obviously the devils in the details
in a statement wednesday afternoon a viacom spokesman jeremy zweig said the company was hopeful a deal could be reached noting that its networks represented about a fifth of cable viewership on dish viacom highlighted spongebob squarepants lip sync battle the daily show and inside amy schumer as shows that customers would miss
benjamin swinburne an analyst with morgan stanley research said dishs comments that it would replace viacom channels with other content suggested that it may not intend to pick those networks back up at a later date
analysts estimate that if dish dropped viacom networks permanently viacom could be forced to make large cost cuts and could experience significant profit declines todd juenger an analyst with sanford c bernstein  company predicted that viacom stock would be worth about 28   down from about 37 on wednesday
even if dish and viacom ultimately reach a distribution renewal we believe the terms will be onerous for viacom mr juenger said in a research note which bodes poorly for future viacom renewals
dish also has much at stake the smaller cable companies that dropped viacom networks experienced significant subscriber declines when the rival satellite television provider directv faced a similar dispute that led to a 10 day blackout of viacom networks in 2012 the company reported an 80 percent decline in subscriber additions that quarter


jahmal lightfoots suffering did not end with a brutal beating at the hands of rikers island correction officers who wanted to teach him a lesson
he was falsely accused of going at the officers with a weapon he had stashed in his waistband and disregarding their orders to drop it according to bronx prosecutors as punishment he was sent to the box   a section of the jail where inmates were confined to their cells for 23 hours a day   for nearly four months
so you were placed for 110 days in lockdown for something you didnt do lawrence piergrossi a prosecutor asked mr lightfoot on wednesday in state supreme court in the bronx
yes mr lightfoot 31 replied
he was testifying for a third day in the criminal trial of nine current and former correction officers who have been charged in what prosecutors have described as an orchestrated beating of mr lightfoot and attempted cover up in july 2012 a tenth officer who has medical problems will be tried separately
the most serious charge against the officers is attempted gang assault in the first degree which carries a sentence of up to 15 years in prison other charges include attempted assault tampering with physical evidence falsifying business records and official misconduct
prosecutors argue that mr lightfoot was unarmed and did nothing to provoke being beaten in a small cell by five members of an elite correction squad instead prosecutors said the beating was ordered by eliseo perez jr an assistant chief for security and gerald vaughn a correction captain after mr perez reportedly decided that mr lightfoot thinks hes tough
defense lawyers countered that mr lightfoot was restrained by officers who were simply doing their job as cross examination of mr lightfoot began on wednesday raymond aab a lawyer for mr perez picked through mr lightfoots earlier testimony in a bid to undermine his credibility
mr aab suggested that mr lightfoot hoped to benefit financially from a pending lawsuit against new york city this is what this case is about to make a lot of money mr aab said
mr lightfoot testified that he was incarcerated in 2010 for robbery after stealing a womans pocketbook he acknowledged in court that he had been involved with the bloods gang from 1999 to 2005 and had been arrested for possession of marijuana and crack cocaine criminal trespass and other minor offenses
at rikers he continued to get into trouble racking up five infractions in 22 months including being caught with a weapon that he fashioned out of a battery mr lightfoot said there were people in the jail that he knew from his days on the street just in case i ran into them i could protect myself he said
nonetheless mr lightfoot insisted that he did not have a weapon the night he was beaten and prosecutors pointed out that he had been strip searched and had passed through two metal detectors
at an internal disciplinary hearing shortly after the beating mr lightfoot said he had been shown a picture of a crude u shaped piece of metal that was said to be his weapon he was told he was being charged with assault on staff and refusal of a direct order he was found guilty and sentenced to time in the box
mr lightfoot who sustained fractures to both of his eye sockets in the beating testified earlier that he suffered for months afterward his eyes hurt and his vision was blurry when he tried to read and he got headaches and spit up blood he said he was released from state prison on parole in 2014 and is unemployed
mr perez retired in 2013 and mr vaughn in 2014 the seven others on trial   officers harmon frierson dwayne maynard tobias parker jose parra jeffrey richard alfred rivera and david rodriguez   were suspended in june 2013 but recently returned to work on modified duty with no contact with inmates


this polished sphere was fashioned from a meteorite that crash landed into a dry riverbed in russia on wednesday it soared again not through space but at an auction house snagging 130000   nine times its asking price
the meteorite was a part of a cosmic collection put up for sale at christies in london but it was one of only a few space rocks to take off the meteorite encrusted in extraterrestrial gemstones given a high valuation of 11 million did not sell
neither did some of the other heavy hitters such as the 639000 martian meteorite a 426600 chunk of the chelyabinsk fireball that exploded over russia in 2013 nor the 355500 rock that looks like a metallic screaming face
james hyslop christies specialist in science and natural history said in a video accompanying the auction that he priced meteorites based on their size where they came from their scientific importance and the story behind their discovery fragments that were once part of the moon or mars are of particular value he said
in an email after the auction mr hyslop offered his reasons for why some items sold and some didnt we saw in the sale that lots with lower estimates sparked particularly competitive bidding and sold well he said he added that the size and weight of the more expensive meteorites might have made them somewhat less accessible than the smaller less expensive lots which may be why many did not find buyers
but before you go hunting for the next million dollar meteorite know that its rare to unearth a space rock
in fact most of the things that people think are meteorites are not meteorites at all many are meteorwrongs chunks of rock and metal that masquerade as meteorites
just ask randy korotev a lunar geochemist from washington university in st louis who has come across countless cases of mistaken identity while studying moon rocks
or better yet dont ask dr korotev as his email has been clogged with meteorite identification requests for more than a decade since 2006 he has received nearly 18000 emails from people asking him whether they have found a space rock including more than 1280 requests so far in 2016
its becoming overwhelming dr korotev said i spend several hours every week answering email
only about one in every 1000 finds turns out to be an actual meteorite he said most of the meteorwrongs are actually masses of iron glassy byproducts from smelting ore called slags or igneous rocks with small cavities called vesicular rocks but he has also come across musket balls grinding balls and bowling balls
dr korotevs personal website now carries a disclaimer for people who think they have found a meteorite that could make them rich his advice turn to his self test checklist and meteorite realities list before pressing send on that email


phoenix   at the audiology now convention here last week visitors stood next to blowing electric fans to experience how a new hearing aid could screen out wind noise they donned goggles to attend a virtual reality dinner party to learn how new technology made it easier to hear conversations around them
but the elephant in the room as it were was what was happening outside the convention hall
the consumer electronics industry is encroaching on the hearing aid business offering products that are far less expensive and available without the involvement of audiologists or other professionals that is forcing a re examination of the entire system for providing hearing aids which critics say is too costly and cumbersome hindering access to devices vital for the growing legions of older americans
the audiology profession is obviously scared for good reason right now said abram bailey an audiologist and chief executive of hearing tracker a consumer website
whether regulations on hearing aids should be relaxed in an effort to lower costs will be the topic of a daylong public workshop being held thursday by the food and drug administration a white house advisory group has already recommended that they should be the national academies of science engineering and medicine is expected to issue its own report in june
we are willing to evolve and change if that is appropriate dr william h maisel acting director of the office of device evaluation at the fda said in an interview
hearing aid manufacturers say that diagnosing and treating hearing loss are too complex for consumers to do using consumer devices without the aid of a professional
hearing is just one realm in which new technology is clashing with traditional medical practice and regulations there have been debates over genetic tests ordered by consumers rather than doctors and over medical diagnoses using smartphone apps
just this month the american optometric association complained to the fda about opternative a start up that offers eyeglass prescriptions based on a self administered online test without the need to visit an eye doctor
but the opportunity in hearing aids appears particularly striking nearly 30 million americans including two thirds of those over 70 are said to have hearing loss but only 15 to 30 percent of those who could benefit from hearing aids use them
the archaic service delivery is one of the reasons the adoption rate hasnt increased said amyn m amlani associate professor of audiology at the university of north texas
hearing aids are regulated as medical devices by the fda under federal and state rules they generally must be provided by an audiologist a licensed dispenser or a doctor consumers are supposed to get a medical evaluation first to make sure they do not have a serious ear disease though most consumers waive this requirement
hearing aids cost an average of nearly 2400 each or close to 5000 a pair according to the white house advisory group medicare does not pay for them nor do most insurers by contrast the consumer devices are not regulated and sell for a few hundred dollars apiece at most
about 31 million hearing aids were sold in the united states in 2014 with a wholesale value of 17 billion and a retail value of 52 billion according to estimates by lisa bedell clive an analyst at sanford c bernstein  company more than 90 percent of the business is controlled by six large manufacturers sonova sivantos william demant gn store nord widex and the lone american company starkey hearing technologies
pressures are already lowering costs costco sells hearing aids at a far lower price than most audiologists charge hearing aids are being sold online or through the mail despite efforts by some states to block that the academy of doctors of audiology a trade association has contracted with a manufacturer for basic hearing aids that its members can sell for only a few hundred dollars apiece
still the white house advisory group the presidents council of advisors on science and technology said in a blistering report last october that industry concentration and overregulation meant that hearing aids had not experienced the dramatic reductions in price and increases in features that have been routinely seen across consumer electronics
when compared in complexity to todays smartphones costing a few hundred dollars each the report said even premium model hearing aids are simple devices but can cost several thousand dollars
it recommended that some hearing aids for mild to moderate age related hearing loss be available over the counter just as reading glasses are
that is where the consumer products are trying to step in some sound amplifiers have been around for years but they are growing in sophistication taking advantage of signal processing chips developed for phones bluetooth headsets and computers
the devices include the smart listening system from soundhawk which sells at 400 for a single ear the bean from etymotic research at 300 the cs50 from sound world solutions at 350 and the crystal ear from neutronicear at 545
others like the phone giant samsung are rumored to be entering the field in some cases hearing assistance will be added to multipurpose products sometimes called hearables that consumers already wear on their ears to listen to music talk on the phone and even track physical activity
the consumer devices are not regulated because they are not strictly speaking hearing aids but instead are personal sound amplification products or psaps pronounced pee saps
what sets them apart legally is their intended use they cannot be marketed for hearing loss a medical condition rather according to draft guidance issued by the fda in 2013 psaps are for people with normal hearing who need an extra boost in certain situations like bird watching hunting or listening to a lecture from a distant speaker
but it is almost farcical to pretend that psaps are being used only by bird watchers the fda is now re evaluating the guidance
ira dolich 81 said that when he started having trouble hearing students in the college marketing classes he taught he did not consider the problem serious enough to spend several thousand dollars for hearing aids especially after hearing unfavorable reviews from friends and relatives who had done so
so mr dolich who has since retired and lives in georgetown tex bought the soundhawk device which he can adjust by himself using his smartphone
to me it was a reasonable investment to experiment with he said adding that he used the device only occasionally such as to hear his wife better when they are in their car
ive been pretty pleased with it he said
hearing aid manufacturers and many audiologists say consumers lack the ability to diagnose and treat hearing loss themselves and might miss serious diseases they say that hearing aids are tailored for an individual amplifying different frequencies by different amounts a precision not typically available in psaps
amplifying sound is not correcting hearing loss said jeffrey geigel president of the american division of widex mr geigel whose father and grandfather had profound hearing loss said of psaps dont call yourself a hearing aid and trick the consumer
scott davis chairman of the hearing industries association which represents hearing aid manufacturers said that two thirds of the price of hearing aids was for service including hearing evaluation counseling and adjustments over the life of the product
dr frank lin associate professor of otolaryngology at johns hopkins university who has evaluated some psaps said some cheaper ones can overamplify sound some can be frankly dangerous he said but some he said are being created by people from the hearing aid industry and are very good
a committee of consumer electronics companies is now trying to develop minimum standards for psaps and some audiologists like lynn firestone in farmington conn are starting to offer psaps to customers who do not want to pay for hearing aids
i think we have to change and be willing to have additional options for patients she said


the united states is adding a few new faces to its currency harriet tubman will appear on the front of a new 20 bill to be unveiled in 2020 and a pair of civil rights scenes one featuring suffragist leaders will appear on the backs of redesigned 5 and 10 bills the treasury department said on wednesday
the old faces will remain alexander hamilton stays on the front of the 10 and andrew jackson moves to the back of the 20 but there will be women in american wallets for the first time in more than a century when martha washington appeared and african americans for the first time in the nations history
wesley morris a critic at large jennifer schuessler a culture reporter and binyamin appelbaum who covers the economy talk about what the monetary makeover all means
schuessler for all the debate over the past year about the fate of hamilton the top news here is really that harriet tubman will replace andrew jackson on the 20 becoming the first african american to appear on the front of a united states bank note the treasury wont release the design until 2020 but people are already sharing photoshopped tubman twenties online and they feel wonderfully jolting and radical
what do you think does having her on the bill make a real difference   either to how we think about our history or how we think about our money
appelbaum i think it does make a difference there were more than 85 billion 20 bills in circulation last year our money is right up there with the golden arches as an instantly and globally recognizable emblem of america and our bills are stale the seven white men on the seven notes in general circulation were all dead by 1885 ulysses s grant is the only one who lived past the end of the civil war more than half of american history has happened since
countries historically have used their currency to make sure everyone knows whos in charge the united kingdom still puts the queen on every single bill although she always has company putting tubman on the 20 strikes me as a powerful and necessary realignment of our symbols and our professed values
i guess one question on my mind is this do these changes go far enough tubman isnt exactly a modern figure she died in 1913 and amazingly theres still a masonic pyramid on the back of the 1 bill
morris oooo binyamin you mess with that pyramid and the illuminati will hunt you down stand down man and by illuminati i mean in 100 years we might be talking about beyonce on all currency just kidding those meetings started happening last week
harriet tubman died in 1913 two paragraph new york times obituary right here two paragraphs but her legacy endures her legacy is typing a third of this conversation but ought there be a degree of catching up for instance elizabeth cady stanton who died in 1902 is deserving of more than the possible avengers treatment treasury apparently has planned for suffragists
having tubman on cash is not simply reparative although the idea of seeing her face and hearing her name during the months of the year that arent february becomes nourishment in itself having her on cash is to me an uncontroversial no brainer
but generally yes lets get some more modern candidates on our moola
schuessler speaking of the avengers treatment does anyone else find the plans for the new 10 a little awkward hamilton will stay on the front while the picture of the treasury department building on the back will be replaced with an image of a 1913 womens suffrage march that ended at that building along with portraits of five suffrage leaders theres currently only one bill that features a group scene the 2 bill introduced in 1976 which shows jefferson on the front and the presentation of a draft of the declaration of independence on the back this makes sense as   in a more indirect way   does the just announced plan to add images of eleanor roosevelt marian anderson and martin luther king jr to the back of the 5 which has abraham lincoln on the front the treasury building connection aside does pairing of hamilton with suffragists make any sense or does it simply reflect the strange currency politics of our moment
appelbaum oh its clearly a political marriage jack lew the secretary of the treasury did something fairly unusual at least by washington standards he changed his mind mr lew announced last year to great fanfare that the government would put a woman on the 10 he apparently had susan b anthony in mind there are lots of great women in american history but somehow anthony is the one the government always wants to put on money
well it turned out this was the wrong moment to mess with alexander hamilton who as you may have heard is currently starring on broadway lew also was stung by his own peer group ben bernanke the former federal reserve chairman said publicly that he was appalled which is pretty much the strongest language ive ever heard him use about anything
so treasury needed another bill andrew jackson actually thought the united states shouldnt print paper money he was also a bad president so he gets shunted to the back of the 20 and hamilton stays on the front of the 10 and women get the balance of the real estate
morris its awkward its also fascinating the conceptual coups of the show reside in its placing the stress on hamiltons being an outsider and having that status align with the modern conversation about who belongs in this country in the show that line immigrants we get the job done simultaneously brings down the house and electrifies it its exhilaratingly punctual this is to say that an amazing thing has happened to hamilton thanks to the success of the show hes the subject of ron chernows book but now hes also lin manuel miranda so to mr mirandas fans and to hamiltons late arriving partisans removing him from the 10 bill might feel like apostasy confirming not only how cool this guy suddenly is but how he has been recast as nonwhite   and consequently how protected he is by our current identity politics
schuessler exactly am i crazy to think that the show has effectively turned hamilton   a white man born in the british west indies   into our nonwhite founder or our least white founder in a bill clinton first black president kind of way it has certainly made hamilton an unabashed elitist into a populist hero embraced by people who like me probably didnt quite notice until the last year that he was even on our currency but is it important that the people on our money and in our history books are likable and relatable to use two good 18th century words
appelbaum id like to admire the people on our currency but its unlikely that we in the sense of all americans are going to agree about any given historical figure the eurozone has skirted this problem by putting bridges on its bank notes and theyre not even actual bridges just archetypes of different styles classical on the five euro note romanesque on the 10 euro note and so forth putting presidents on currency is also a kind of safe harbor those are the 43 people who have actually won a national popularity contest
tubman now joins the shorter list of nonpresidents who have been selected as representative americans alongside hamilton and benjamin franklin
morris jenny i can tell you a story thats worse than never looking at my money on saturdays i go to the same atm to withdraw cash for the week i prefer that particular set of machines because it gives out 10s and 50s and getting them feels i dont know special well last weekend it gave me a 100 bill that in the shallow pockets of my sweats might have as well have been a one since the money was quickly gone thats a little story about why i hate athleisure its also a story about why i hate cash
but this harriet tubman news will make me reconsider for one thing shes super representative for another 20 bills are the favorite denomination of most atms and i predict ill feel scrupulous in spending it how do i pay for a family pack of toilet paper with a tubman who knows my savings game might go through the roof
and even if whos on what money doesnt matter to most people it definitely matters to rebellious rappers wholl have to adjust their rhymes to take in what it means to have a great black woman stacked among what dead presidents are still standing sorry mr jackson
schuessler speaking of national popularity contests its interesting   if surely coincidental   that hamilton mania has helped delay putting a woman on the front of a bill just at the moment when we may elect an actual woman president the tubman bill wont circulate until after 2020 if hillary clinton wins the white house how many decades will it be before shes on the money and dont you want to still be alive for those arguments
appelbaum so theres a legal hurdle to quote hamilton you have to be super dead before youre eligible to be portrayed on american currency
theres also the mount rushmore problem the bar is always lower for initial membership once the lineup is full each decision is doubled every addition also requires a subtraction
which raises an important question does hamilton deserve to keep his spot
schuessler oh man im wary of answering that before i take a course in self defense and ill leave responding to your sick burn of jackson as a bad president to professional historians and political scientists who have often ranked him in the top 10   well ahead of ulysses s grant our man on the 50 sticking just to the founders id venture that hamilton has as good a claim as anyone after washington and jefferson especially as played by daveed diggs but the changes also raise another question should we introduce lots more people on currency
appelbaum the united kingdom rotates the faces on its currency every few years so it can honor a range of great britains jane austen is due for a turn on the 10 pound note starting next year the british chancellor god save him tweeted that the choice showed sense and sensibility bad jokes aside theyre on to something rotating the honor would allow recognition for a broader group of notable americans and it would take the pressure off each decision
morris thats been my whole problem with the stress of this conversation ever since it heated up last summer the pressure just flip these suckers that would temper the pernicious exasperation of white male threat you can depict white guys and everybody else opening our currency to a galaxy of history as opposed to this limiting rushmore approach weve got now   sorry no space for you yes eleanor roosevelt and marian anderson will be on the back of the 5 bill but im interested in fronts why not have stints for folks like ida b wells clara barton charles r drew marian anderson jackie cochran cesar chavez paul robeson frederick douglass sojourner truth shirley chisholm nelly bly august wilson amelia earhart richard pryor and james wong howe americans who helped make america great before it was deemed in need of being made great again
schuessler id personally like to see some writers on our currency just sticking to the 18th  and 19th century lit major classics what about phillis wheatley or emily dickinson or walt whitman who after all wrote a lot about the color green
appelbaum youll love the new austen note which features the pride and prejudice line i declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading
schuessler so true my dear jane after of course the enjoyment of listening to the hamilton album


on thursday night head to times square for a nature takeover from 1130 pm to midnight the electronic billboards will display jungle ized a multisensory art installation directed by stephan crasneanscki of soundwalk collective and co produced by the eco adventurer david de rothschild that promises to transform the concrete jungle into the heart of the amazon mr de rothschild also has some nifty limited edition items on the lost explorer website including a palm print market bag 145 made from a world war ii royal air force tool bag reworked with end of line vintage fabrics at thelostexplorerco
on saturday shen beauty is hosting an all day play day featuring an immunocologie mask party come in barefaced and receive a free clay mask then try out new colors and scents from the handmade lip care line kosas and the natural fragrance line lurk at 315 court street brooklyn
31 phillip lim teamed up with the artist and environmentalist maya lin who designed the earth mound set for his spring 2016 10 year anniversary show on a collection of t shirts featuring life size footprints of the african elephant siberian crane tiger and rhinoceros 125 one hundred percent of profits will benefit ms lins foundation what is missing which aims to raise awareness of endangered species and habitat loss at 48 great jones street
amour vert and amanda heartss ethical fashion site maison de modecom have teamed up on a capsule collection that includes a classic navy t shirt dress 128 and a long sleeve top in amour verts signature stripes 88 made of dead stock from the sustainable fashion brands archives at maison de modecom
and melissa joy manning is offering a 20 percent discount on her sustainably made gold tanzanite hug earrings 200 originally 250 through sunday with 20 percent of profits going to the clean water fund at melissajoymanningcom
giorgio armani beauty will open a spa at bergdorf goodman on thursday with a full menu of services including classic european facials and vip red carpet prep featuring crema nera products spa rituals are free with any purchase of 350 or more   like say crema nera extrema cream 390 for 16 ounces
sleepy jones is having its first ever sample sale through sunday with discounts up to 70 percent on cozy bits like liberty print pajamas 75 originally 168 for the top 69 originally 118 for the bottom at 108 wooster street


the crisis roiling the ballet company of the bucharest national opera in recent weeks rippled not only through the international dance world but through romanian politics as well and ultimately it was a government brokered plan that paved the way for the return on wednesday of the companys two biggest stars its artistic director johan kobborg and the dancer alina cojocaru who both resigned this month after clashing with management over the direction of the company
hes back in the office and im in the studio finally ms cojocaru said in a telephone interview from bucharest
the ballet companys profile had risen since mr kobborg a dane who is a former principal at the royal danish ballet and the royal ballet in london became its artistic director two years ago and his fiancee ms cojocaru a star who is a principal at the english national ballet returned to her native bucharest as a permanent guest artist both worked to improve the companys reputation bringing new dancers and repertoire to bucharest
but they resigned on april 12 after new management took over the opera house and removed mr kobborgs title of artistic director from the companys website saying it did not technically exist in the official hierarchy his name was placed among the ballet companys artists a low rank comparable to the corps de ballet in other companies
the move prompted an outcry from international dance fans and raised questions about how ambitious or international the company wanted to be while bringing nationalist tensions to the surface after a protester denounced foreigners at a rally outside the opera house
a gala for april 28 was canceled bitter accusations were traded including questions raised about a gala for the company held last year in new york ms cojocaru said that its finances had been handled correctly and that contracts which she posted on social media support that
romanias prime minister dacian ciolos met with ms cojocaru and this week the countrys culture minister vlad alexandrescu brokered a deal to bring a new interim manager to the opera house for three months and for the return of mr kobborg and ms cojocaru
now the company will have to turn to the business of healing   and dancing we are very happy ms cojocaru said to be supported in this journey ahead


los angeles   lawsuits by artists and collectors seeking the return of consigned works demanding profits or both have never stopped douglas chrismas the founder of ace gallery from doing business an early champion of trailblazers like robert irwin richard serra and michael heizer mr chrismas has spent nearly 50 years helping to start or jump start the careers of artists here even as he was scrutinized for sometimes failing to pay when works sold
but on april 6 mr chrismas lost the keys to his gallery after failing to make a 175 million court ordered payment to settle his debts in a long running chapter 11 bankruptcy case sam leslie a bankruptcy trustee took over as what he calls a de facto ceo of the reorganized business which includes a 30000 square foot mega gallery in a historic art deco building in the mid wilshire district and a space in beverly hills
its a new world for ace said mr leslie who is trained in forensic accounting douglas is no longer involved in finances mr leslies big challenge is tracing ownership of thousands of artworks held by ace he plans to sell what he can to satisfy the gallerys creditors
dozens of artists could be affected by his decisions said christine steiner a lawyer who has worked with some of the gallerys artists so many important artists have showed with ace and deposited works with the gallery she said but under mr chrismas she added the gallery has made it very difficult for some artists to pick up their art i think the fact that an accountant is taking over is going to be seismic
de wain valentine is one of a handful of artists who filed claims during the bankruptcy case seeking back payments or return of artwork bringing to light the sort of artist dealer disputes that often remain behind closed doors
he is seeking the return of eight early experimental sculptures made in resin or acrylic consigned to ace in 2010 to 2012 the group includes a study for his monumental gray column sculpture once featured at the getty museum his claim placed their value at around 145 million
the artworks are not on display at the gallery said mr valentines lawyer gregory salvato so we dont even know for sure whether theyve been sold or if theyre in storage
asked in an interview last week why he had not returned the eight artworks mr chrismas said its complex because we believe de wain owes the gallery a large chunk of money
mr salvato responded we have absolutely no idea what he is talking about mr valentine said hes never advanced me any money
mary corse one of the few women associated with the southern california light and space movement of the 60s makes highly reflective paintings that have been gaining in value she too has filed a motion seeking the return of her early pre 1980 artwork she is not however attempting to recover recent work or to cancel her contract with ace which grants the gallery exclusive international representation in exchange for advances now at 60000 per month
ms corses lawyer jerome s cohen said mary corse has enjoyed a good working relationship with ace gallery and ace has been responsive to her requests
mr leslie is now keeping both branches of the gallery open and beefing up sales staff he is also planning to engage mr chrismas to help with exhibitions and sales
founded in los angeles in 1967 ace has shown a wide range of art with a strength in post minimal sculpture known for his adventurousness mr chrismas let artists like mr irwin and mr heizer radically remake his gallery architecture mr chrismas since helped put tim hawkinson and tara donovan on the map with big shows in his cavernous spaces in los angeles as well as in a new york branch thats now defunct
he also organized early solo shows of bruce nauman sol lewitt andy warhol sam francis and ed ruscha but complaints of late checks began early too in a 1979 entry from the book the andy warhol diaries warhol said that mr chrismas gave him the runaround hes so awful ... if hed just say i cant pay you youd know where you stood as kristine mckenna reported in a 2003 article in la weekly mr chrismas had been sued more than 55 times under nine different business names   by artists dealers collectors private investors service industries landlords and former friends
ms mckennas article begins one of the great mysteries of the art world is how doug chrismas keeps on doing what he does
looking relaxed at the gallery after a meeting with mr leslie mr chrismas put a positive spin on the new situation which will allow ace to continue for the time being   nobody will say how long im so thrilled these gentlemen are here he said adding that it relieved him from replacing light bulbs and paying bills i can now focus on what everyone says i do best which is curatorial and sales
he said that he filed for bankruptcy in 2013 because his landlord was seeking to terminate his mid wilshire lease over one months late rent payment the real incentive he said was the leases valuable purchase option
coldwell banker valued the property at 50 million my option to buy is 20 million thats 30 million at stake thats why all of this is happening   the real estate mr chrismas said
but at this stage mr leslie said art assets are also in play our priority is to protect the value of the artwork he said thats what the artists want and thats what we want
the legal claims by ms corse and mr valentine both cited a california law that says that consignments by artists of their own work should be held in trust and not be subject to claim by a creditor of the consignee in other words there is a difference in california between gallery owned inventory and artist consignments
the challenge for mr leslie is telling those two groups apart after getting an initial estimate of 750 artworks in aces inventory from mr chrismas he found many more pieces on a gallery visit in march with robert suiter a director at the appraisal firm winston art group
this is a massive collection estimated to be about 2750 individual works mr suiter wrote in his report to contextualize the size the broad collection is understood to have just over 2000 works
moreover there appears to be no computerized inventory   hard to believe given the proliferation of art management software providers in recent years the report continued
mr leslie said he was now building a proper inventory of all gallery held artworks to track ownership location and sales
gary lang who had made a claim for the return of numerous eye catching circular paintings has opted to leave work with the reorganized gallery under a renegotiated sales contract his bankruptcy lawyer j scott bovitz sounded optimistic about the new more professional management i think you will see an upsurge in sales of gallery inventory under mr leslie
ms steiner the art lawyer predicts that other artists who have had a hard time retrieving their work will use this opportunity to do so
i hope those artists now line up at the door with their consignment sheets and demand their work back she said so they can get on with their lives and careers


i cant quite believe im involved in this said charles finch standing before a shelf of imported olive oils at dean  deluca in soho on a recent evening he had the beaming face of a kid in a candy store or rather a kid who runs the candy store
its such a joyous thing to walk in here because it feels happy he said
as grocery stores go the flagship of the fine food chain was undeniably festive on this night several hundred people many of them movers and shakers in the food world had been invited by mr finch to eat and drink among the cheese and pastry counters and aisles of expensive and colorfully packaged gourmet foods
there was a five piece jazz band playing and a tower made of madeleines in the center of the store and white smocked chefs whipping up snacks like seared scallops with ramp puree
the reason for the party was ostensibly the introduction of prince street a new food themed podcast produced by dean  deluca but more broadly it was part of mr finchs effort to reinvigorate and re energize a foodie institution that was once a place where chefs came to get new ideas but has lost some of its prestige and market share to upstarts like eataly
when the chain was bought two years ago by a thai investor mr finch became the vice chairman and a shareholder its the latest endeavor for the british born businessman and bon vivant in a long and varied career
im learning how to precis my background better so it doesnt become a quagmire mr finch said with typical self deprecating humor
the son of the oscar winning actor peter finch mr finch 53 followed in his fathers footsteps to hollywood working as an actor screenwriter director and producer he was moderately successful but decided he was better suited to advancing others careers and in the mid 90s he became an agent at william morris
after several years there he opened his own firm representing luxury brands leveraging his celebrity friendships to become a bridge between hollywood and the brand world indeed mr finch is one of those funny inquisitive globally traveled people who seems to know everyone and who is impossible not to like
he spotted giorgio deluca one of the original founders among the partygoers and went over to him
the first thing i said is we have to find giorgio and get him back mr finch said to the older man who delighted in the flattery
mr finch produced from his pocket what he called a lucky nut that he found on the beach during a recent trip to the bahamas
you polish them up with your hand or a little olive oil mr finch explained they get luckier and luckier then he added i feel good tonight
are you ill mr deluca asked
no only emotionally mr finch said maybe ill meet a fantastic girl
mr deluca eyed the small smooth brown nut like a seasoned retailer
my mind hasnt shut down he said we could have hundreds of lucky nuts we could sell them
for his part mr finch is new to the grocery business and a spotty cook he admitted he recently tried to replicate the famous roast chicken served at chez lami louis in paris based on a recipe given to him by francis ford coppola
i cooked it really really hot for an hour just like francis said mr finch said the whole thing was raw on the inside
still a party inside a supermarket made sense given mr finchs legend as a host for many years he has organized a popular party in london the night before the british academy of film and television arts awards the event was celebrated in a book the night before bafta published in march
mr finch also gives a party in hollywood the night of the oscars a more intimate laid back counter to graydon carters vanity fair bash
as the store began to fill up mr finch shuffled down the aisles to meet and greet a man in constant motion
griffin this is the cakemaker extraordinaire mr finch said introducing the actor griffin dunne to a bespectacled elderly woman named sylvia weinstock who is famous for her wedding cakes and whom hed just met himself moments before
mr finch has brought in mr dunne to contribute to the podcast along with the novelist jay mcinerney the food journalist howie kahn and others true to form he also enlisted celebrities like mr coppola and scarlett johansson to reveal their food memories or madeleine moment
mr finch hopes the podcast and events like the party will return dean  deluca to its former standing in the food world especially in new york he is already quite smitten with his role as supermarketeer
while talking at the party to ben leventhal a founder of the influential blog eater mr finch heard the younger man call dean  deluca an institution before going on to say its been stagnant in recent years
mr finch winced as though his child had just been insulted then reached his hands to mr leventhals neck in a mock stranglehold
focus on institution mr finch stressed to laughs from both men


washington   the treasury department announced wednesday that women will be incorporated into new designs for the 5 10 and 20 bills here is a look at the new lineup
araminta ross known as minty was born into slavery on the eastern shore of maryland around 1822 when she was about 26 and married to john tubman she escaped to philadelphia and took her mothers given name harriet she later returned to rescue family members and was asked by slaves not related to her to help them escape as well she took great risks traveling at night from the south to the free north via a network of secret routes and safe houses on the underground railroad when the civil war began tubman became a spy for the union

susan b anthony was born in 1820 to a quaker family in massachusetts and became an antislavery activist as a teenager with elizabeth cady stanton she founded and led several womens groups and suffrage organizations and played a central role in pressing for what would become the 19th amendment granting womens suffrage in 1872 she was arrested on charges of voting in her hometown rochester convicted and ordered to pay a fine six years later she and stanton presented congress with an amendment giving women the right to vote she died in 1906 14 years before it was ratified
elizabeth cady stanton born in 1815 was a pioneer of the womens rights movement who played a central role in the drive for womens suffrage in 1848 at seneca falls ny she presented the declaration of sentiments that echoed the language of the declaration of independence but stantons version signed by 68 women and 32 men denounced the long train of abuses inflicted by men on women such has been the patient sufferance of the women under this government and such is now the necessity which constrains them to demand the equal station to which they are entitled stanton wrote
lucretia coffin mott born in 1793 was a quaker who devoted herself to abolitionist and womens causes she played a key role in organizing the seneca falls convention and producing the declaration of sentiments that called for womens equality but she was stunned by stantons call at the convention for women to be allowed to vote oh lizzie if thee demands that thee will make us ridiculous mott protested but she remained a central player in both the antislavery and womens suffrage movement
alice paul a quaker born in 1885 who was taken to womens suffrage meetings as a teenager founded the national womens party in 1916 she organized protests for suffrage in front of the white house many of them resulting in beatings by the police the effort led to the 19th amendment paul who had a phd in economics from the university of pennsylvania established a headquarters for the womens party in a house near the capitol which president obama has designated as the belmont paul womens equality national monument mr obama has called her a brilliant community organizer and political strategist
isabella baumfree   a dutch speaking slave born in 1797 in rural new york   changed her name to sojourner truth after she walked off an upstate farm in 1826 with her infant daughter she became a christian preacher and grew increasingly political in pressing for abolition womens suffrage and prison reform she delivered her most famous address aint i a woman in 1851 in ohio where she said i could work as much and eat as much as a man   when i could get it   and bear the lash as well and aint i a woman

marian anderson a coal sellers daughter was born in 1897 and had become one of the worlds most accomplished contraltos by 1939 the year the daughters of the american revolution refused to allow her to perform at constitution hall because of a white artists only clause in its contracts eleanor roosevelt the first lady resigned from the dar in protest and encouraged the interior department to find a place for ms anderson to perform the result was an easter concert at the lincoln memorial that drew 75000 people with millions more tuning in on the radio
eleanor roosevelt born in new york city in 1884 was the first lady from 1933 to 1945 and redefined the role shortly after arriving at the white house she held the first news conference by a presidents wife and continually surprised the country with her outspokenness and activism after the death of president franklin d roosevelt in 1945 she was named a delegate to the united nations general assembly she traveled the world as a human rights advocate lecturer and writer until her death in 1962 her intervention on behalf of marian anderson remains among her best known moments
the 1963 march on washington for jobs and freedom was not the first time the rev dr martin luther king jr uttered the now famous phrase i have a dream he had said it before in speeches in detroit and north carolina but it did not become a national refrain until the day the baptist preacher who became the voice of the civil rights movement used it before 250000 people on the steps of the lincoln memorial the phrase was part of a broader speech about racial justice and equality but the four words has endured as one of the most powerful pivotal moments in american history


dude wheres my pulitzer
when brian gleason heard this week that his old employer sun newspapers of charlotte harbor fla had won its first pulitzer prize he was elated then he asked his former editor jim gouvellis what the award was for
he said the prisoner death editorials mr gleason recalled i said jim i wrote some of those
it turned out that mr gleason who left the paper in august had written three of the eight unsigned pieces recognized by the pulitzer committee as the finest newspaper editorial writing of last year the problem nobody on the current staff remembered
it was not hard for me to remember mr gleason now the communications manager for the local county said in an interview
on wednesday after a polite if somewhat awkward exchange between the newspaper and prize administrators at columbia university mr gleason was officially added as a co winner in the category it is apparently only the second time in the 100 year history of the pulitzers that such a change has been made
it was definitely a headache mike pride the pulitzer administrator said with a laugh
mr gleason 51 the former editorial page editor was quick to rule out foul play he described his departure from the sun circulation about 40000 as amicable asked if he believed the oversight could have been intentional he replied absolutely not
i wasnt forced out i didnt quit in a huff i didnt send a nastygram to everybody in the paper mr gleason said he described john hackworth the editor of the sun papers who was initially cited as the sole winner as beside himself over the mistake
im going to go over to the sun later mr gleason said im hoping that john is there so i can give him a big hug
the prizewinning editorials which topped entries from two other finalists the baltimore sun and the new york times concerned the beating death of an inmate by corrections officers at a state prison in southern florida the coverage led to the dismissals or resignations of several officers involved and to a change in the prisons administration
mr hackworth reached in the sun newsroom on wednesday said the last few days had been a roller coaster the founder of the sun papers derek dunn rankin died over the weekend at 88 missing out on the pulitzer win the charlotte sun the papers flagship was a pulitzer finalist in 2005 for its breaking news coverage of hurricane charley
then came word of the prize we had the great news monday and then a couple hours later discovered the error we made mr hackworth 68 said everybody was sick about it
the co winners had worked together for about 20 years brian was very gracious mr hackworth said before confirming that as promised mr gleason had indeed stopped by for a hug
its been quite a week mr hackworth added


one of three teenagers who slipped out of a group home and raped a woman in a manhattan stairwell was sentenced to 14 years in prison on wednesday after he gave a short apology in court
justice maxwell wiley said that while he accepted a defense lawyers argument that teenagers should be treated more leniently than adults because their brains are not fully developed he thought the brutality of the crime still warranted a long prison term for the defendant eric pek who is 17
the conduct in this case went beyond rash went beyond dangerous went beyond reprehensible justice wiley said in state supreme court in manhattan it was borderline sadistic
mr pek had pleaded guilty to rape robbery and burglary as had his two co defendants sanat asliev and emanuel burrowes putting themselves at the mercy of the court all three were 16 years old and were living at a home for juvenile offenders in brooklyn when they were arrested in june mr pek had been sent to the home after being found guilty of trespassing and possession of stolen property
the three teenagers admitted in their pleas they had accosted the woman 33 inside an internet cafe at 75 eldridge street in chinatown at 330 am on june 1 groping her repeatedly
then they took the woman to the stairwell of a nearby apartment building where they beat her and raped her for an hour leaving her bruised bloodied and dazed prosecutors said after the assault they stole her cellphone credit cards and keys and entered her apartment in chelsea walking in on her male roommate a prosecutor amanda goun said
the home in park slope where the teenagers had been living which was operated by boys town was closed down shortly after the attack city investigators later found severe lapses in security and staff shortages at the home where employees had not only failed to monitor their charges through the night but had also doctored records to cover up mistakes this month three boys town employees were arraigned on charges of falsifying records


six nights and two afternoons a week the synthesizers blare the lights flash and the strains of tears for fears are heard over broadway
in los angeles both the los angeles county museum of art and the getty are hosting major exhibitions of the work of robert mapplethorpe the ur provocateur who shook the art world some three decades ago
crisscrossing the country donald trump whose towering ambition and penchant for hyperbole marked him as an icon of 1980s excess is homing in on the republican presidential nomination thumping a business book like a combination bible and policy manual   one that was published in 1987
that same year richard nixon wrote to him that whenever you decide to run for office you will be a winner the prediction was actually mrs nixons but as you can imagine president nixon wrote she is an expert on politics
what year is it anyway
the 1980s the more is more era has never left us its been a touchstone for fashion music and popular culture remembered fondly but with a shudder as the butt of jokes and youthful indiscretions with hairstyles and shoulder heights
but then a strange thing has been happening the formerly irredeemable 1980s it seems are creeping back to the fore
i do see that coming around again said duncan sheik who wrote the music and lyrics for american psycho an 80s set broadway musical that opens thursday one that includes both original 80s style compositions written and scored using 80s synthesizers and equipment and adaptations of decade hits by tears for fears new order and phil collins it is likely the first broadway musical in history whose bloody climax takes place to huey lewis and the news hip to be square
i think for a long time people made fun of the 80s aesthetic and it was something that was derided in adam sandler movies mr sheik said but in fact a lot of really cool stuff happened in the 80s in some way hopefully american psycho does justice to the aesthetic of the era
in the theater world the arrival of american psycho on broadway has been much anticipated and long in coming after a well received run in london but its ripples have been felt outside of it too
the mens fashion e tailer mr porter signed up as the mens wardrobe partner for the broadway production and 80s period piece or not provided clothing from its stock to costume the cast and complement the vintage and custom 80s suits   an easier task circa 2016 than may be initially imagined
there is a slight 80s movement sort of sifting into fashion at the moment said jeremy langmead mr porters brand and content director double breasted jackets are very fashionable at the moment mr langmead said and even though the fits slimmer and the shoulder is less terrifying than in the 80s pinstripes are fashionable again the site is promoting its partnership with a special section online inviting you to dress like mr patrick bateman the shows titular psycho
in womens fashion too the 80s are making a return when at paris fashion week this march shoulders began climbing up and out it was an early warning sign of sorts
hedi slimane among the most imitated designers in fashion at the moment swerved dramatically from the scruffy nonchalance of his recent best selling saint laurent collections into a high gloss high drama register that screamed 1980s it would be his final collection for saint laurent the house announced his departure a month later
the change was noticed not always with pleasure
writing in womens wear daily bridget foley imagined the move as a rude gesture the ultimate in provocation hey she imagined hedi slimane saying in her review you who didnt love my indie druggie grungy disaffected la youth routine these past four years how bout eighties camp couture
mr slimane was not alone eighties styles bubbled up throughout paris fashion week in new direction looks from lanvin kenzo and isabel marant to name a few
for ms marant whose name is nearly synonymous with parisian bohemians the move toward oversize pin cinched coats screaming prints and new wave mash up styling seemed especially pronounced   even if ms marant didnt see the shift as seismic as her audience did
things that i love i will always love them she said by phone from paris describing how the collection came about as a reaction to the death of david bowie and the horror of the paris terror attacks a way to return to an earlier more innocent time of club hopping and flea marketing
she keeps a large archive she said not only of her collections but also of her own clothes which she visited regularly while designing the fall looks she used to pin her own huge harris tweed overcoat bought for a song from a kilo shop where vintage clothes were sold by weight just as she did for the show
she disputed the notion that there was one 80s style for her she said the joy of the 80s was the freedom to dabble in many rockabilly one day new wave the next think of 1980s icons who piled on vintage and secondhand looks with reckless abandon women like cyndi lauper who by the way is still touring the nation with boy george in tow
i think that there are very strong different points of view like we had in the 80s she said i feel that something of this spirit is coming back
echt 1980s boutique giorgio beverly hills may be no more   nor its impresario fred hayman who died last week   but barneys new york took a step back toward its 1980s moment its 17th street womens store opened in 1986 connected to its formerly coed seventh avenue brother was a destination for 80s fashion plates looking for alaia montana and gaultier and the site of a charity fashion show and auction of denim jackets in 1986 to raise funds for aids research
the chelsea store closed in 1997 replaced by a madison avenue outpost the madison shop remains but barneys is back on seventh avenue a charity fashion show and auction of leather jackets a callback to the 1986 original was planned for the march opening this time supporting white columns gallery and the lesbian gay bisexual  transgender community center when the fashion show was scuppered because of space constraints the auction was held online instead
look around and the spirit crops up everywhere you can take your 80s at the movies whether sporting as in richard linklaters everybody wants some or swooning as in once director john carneys sing street about would be dubliner rockers agog over duran duran
you can take it on tv or whatever streaming device has replaced your tv on cnn a seven part documentary series the eighties began on march 31 on netflix winona ryder breakout star of beetlejuice in 1988 stars in stranger things a thriller billed as a love letter to the 80s classics that captivated a generation which will debut july 15
in mr trump the 21st century may have its first ascendant politician who seems beamed in from the decade
everything that drives his candidacy is in the art of the deal said mike berland of berland strategy  analytics who is a political strategist and pollster referring to mr trumps 1987 book
while still at the strategy firm penn schoen berland mr berland advised mr trump on various 80s vintage projects including the fabled trump shuttle airline when he writes i never get too attached to one deal or one approach mr berland said and about the presss hunger for a good story the more controversial the better those inform his core beliefs and way he operates thats what i see in my social media conversation data   he has dominated coverage with so many ideas and controversial comments some good some not as effective that mentality i think comes from the 80s a little bit more of a selfish self involved era
many now riding the 80s wave have dim memories of the decade if at all according to spotify streams of 1980s music have tripled over the last three years a trend that cant be fully accounted for by spotifys own growth over that period the death of prince 57 on thursday   whose career spanned both sides of the decade and who toured up until his death but nevertheless was closely associated with his 80s work including purple rain   is likely to keep them climbing at least in the short term
whats more the second highest demographic of 80s listeners on the platform are men from 18 to 24 according to the company   90s babies who missed the decade entirely even some in the highest demographic of listeners men 25 to 34 would have missed the 80s or enjoyed it in their infancy
that was the case for molly prentiss 32 whose debut novel tuesday nights in 1980 a period piece set in the budding soho art world of the era with fictional cameo appearances by jean michel basquiat and keith haring had incited a bidding war among publishers and came out earlier this month to strong reviews
i was just a baby in the 80s said ms prentiss whose book contains portions set in 1980 i didnt really know much about it apart from kids incorporated
she had not initially expected to focus on the decade it ended up being an 80s book even though it wasnt intended to be she said its interesting that its sort of trending now the late 70s early 80s i started the book seven years ago i feel like its lucky people are interested in that right now
fenton bailey who with his collaborator randy barbato directed mapplethorpe look at the pictures which premiered this month on hbo agreed
mr bailey and mr barbato who lived in mapplethorpes new york of the 1980s noticed the pervasive interest in this period while putting together their film released in conjunction with the lacma and getty retrospectives the whitney ran a career defining retrospective on mr mapplethorpe in 1988 shortly before his death and a show that included some of his most explicit images which was planned for the corcoran gallery in washington and partly funded by an nea grant was canceled for fear of a congressional outcry and eventually held at the washington project for the arts in 1989 later that year senator jesse helms introduced an amendment to ban federal funding for art considered obscene citing mapplethorpe in particular
you could say on the one hand its nostalgia mr bailey said in an interview what is nostalgia other than a sufficient amount of time has passed that you can forget the reality of what it was like and romanticize it he cautioned against undue romance his east village he said was shabby chic without the chic bit
i think theres something more happening he said you really need a generation before you can look back and put something in its proper context
the generations have passed though todays generation google weaned can quickly make a fetish of whatever decade the moment happens to favor the 70s are never far from the popular imagination the 90s are enjoying their own durable revival too the o j simpson case is once again a water cooler obsession
then there are those classics that bridge the blurry 80s and 90s divide like the treacle classic full house 1987 95 reborn as fuller house or hulk hogan the wrestler enjoying a very strange third act
but the 80s arrived again not for the first nor surely the last time with their own special victory given the low esteem in which they are sometimes held
its a decade that gets harsh press said mr langmead of mr porter who looked back not entirely fondly on the styles of his own 1980s youth as a fashion student at central saint martins in london
nevertheless theres a generation growing up looking back at it and theyll think its very cool and retro he said theyll be able to look on it with rosy tinted spectacles which will help it be picked up again


the music box theater on broadway has been packing in the crowds for weeks with theatergoers eager to see a starry but unfamiliar musical shuffle along even as that jazz and tap show is still being revised in previews
but now comes the moment of judgment is it any good
and another very important question is it new
the lead producer of shuffle along scott rudin is planning to argue that the musical is a revival according to a spokesman that would allow it to sidestep a head to head competition with hamilton the show that is presumed to have a lock on the tony award for best new musical
the issue might sound arcane but it has significant financial implications because tony awards can drive ticket sales
if youre a producer and you want to win an award this year you want to be a revival said john breglio an entertainment lawyer and the author of a new book i wanna be a producer
but the question is complicated because this production of shuffle along a show that first opened in 1921 as one of broadways earliest all black musicals features songs from the original but an almost entirely new book it is arguably as much a production about shuffle along as it is a production of shuffle along
the issue is being closely watched within the theater industry because the show involves broadways most prolific producer some of its most virtuosic performers and a much honored creative team the musical capitalized at up to 12 million will be the last opening of a packed broadway season when its curtain rises next thursday
ive never known a case quite like this said the veteran broadway producer elizabeth i mccann the descriptions make it sound like a new musical but that wouldnt make the producer very happy because hed be up against hamilton and that would be it
but there is some precedent to support mr rudins view in several recent instances awards administrators have deemed heavily reworked shows with new books to be revivals   a possible outcome in this situation
if its a title weve seen before that tends to go toward the revival notion even if its substantially rewritten said theodore s chapin the president of rodgers  hammerstein mr chapin is no stranger to this issue he has represented the rights holders on three productions that were declared revivals despite substantial revisions including flower drum song cinderella and annie get your gun mr chapin is also a member of the tony awards committee that will decide whether shuffle along is a new musical or a revival
shuffle along has been revived twice before in 1933 and 1952 the current production is an unusual version with an expanded title   shuffle along or the making of the musical sensation of 1921 and all that followed   that tries to explain its larger ambitions the show stars audra mcdonald a six time tony winner as well as brian stokes mitchell billy porter brandon victor dixon and joshua henry
the production is still being altered through the previews process but many of the songs in the version onstage this week including not only the title number but also love will find a way honeysuckle time and im just wild about harry were in the original score by noble sissle and eubie blake
the movement choreographed by savion glover pays homage to dance styles of the era the current playbill includes an insert with information and advertising from the shows original program and two of the actors wear blackface at points in the show as in the original
but whereas the original shuffle along had a loosely structured plot about a race for a mayor in the fictional jimtown written by f e miller and aubrey lyles the current version with a book by the shows director george c wolfe barely touches on that story instead it offers a theatrical history lesson tracing the roots of shuffle along in the black vaudeville circuit its financially troubled pre broadway tour the offstage drama during the successful broadway run and then the struggles of the shows creative team and stars after the show closed at least one song that was not in the original memories of you a 1930 composition by eubie blake is featured
the is it or isnt it a revival question which has loomed over shuffle along since the show was first announced last year has implications for this seasons strong musical revivals including the color purple fiddler on the roof she loves me and spring awakening which could be shut out of a nomination or defeated if shuffle along is deemed to be a revival
the decision is to be made on april 29 the morning after the show opens by the tony awards administration committee a group that includes 10 members of the broadway league which represents producers 10 from the american theater wing a theater advocacy organization and one person each representing associations of writers actors designers and directors
mr rudin will make his case in a letter to the committee his spokesman philip rinaldi declined to discuss the matter further saying the administration committee had asked for confidentiality on these issues and that the producers feel its inappropriate to discuss in which categories shuffle along might be eligible
several members of the administration committee declined to talk about their decision making process but one longtime member the producer emanuel azenberg said the committee would try to weigh the issue on its merits if its a reasonable argument presented by the producer theyll go along with it if its one that is political theyll smell that one out too he said


chris murillo 36 was a corporate lawyer and a cocktail connoisseur when four years ago on new years eve he got the kind of idea that comes only after midnight and a few drinks i decided to start the first craft distillery in queens he said after sitting in an office for nine years i finally needed to do something where i worked with my hands and got out and interacted with people
so he began making his own blend of old tom gin called queens courage which is distilled in pennsylvania bottled in brooklyn and sold in his new bar proof  gauge in long island city queens
the place
the bar is in the commercial courtyard of the falchi building a revamped industrial warehouse on the eastern edge of long island city follow the old rail tracks embedded in the asphalt and its just inside the glass lobby in a white sliver of a space that seats 12 at a copper top bar
the crowd
local and friendly currently its a mix of female creatives in their 20s and 30s stopping in after work and folks who live in nearby sunnyside dropping by for happy hour children are welcome and not out of place in the neighborly nonbar atmosphere on a recent visit one toddler watched netflix on his mommys iphone while snacking on kids tapas aka cheerios
the playlist
the spotify player is kept at a low volume for conversation a recent friday featured a reggaeton mix
getting in
the main barrier the limited hours there is no bouncer and no door just a folding glass partition that opens onto the airy indoor promenade where another 26 chairs can be set up at busy times
drinks
gts 10 are the specialty made with the house gin and habers tonic syrup made in queens if you like yours with a twist try the hibiscus version or there are gin cocktails like the doc brown with cold brewed coffee lemon coconut and espresso shavings there is also a selection of new york brewed beers from 5 wines 10 and other local liquors and if you like the house made gin you can get your own bottle of queens courage 40 to go


a former washington law firm and one of its top partners did not violate floridas lobbying laws when appealing to the state attorney general pam bondi and her staff on behalf of corporate clients the florida commission on ethics has concluded after a 16 month investigation
the finding came even though an outside lawyer who assisted in the inquiry concluded that the distinction between lobbying and legal work is a delicate area and the lawyer targeted in the complaint bernard nash would probably have been better off if he had registered as a lobbyist and then freely advocated for his client
ms bondi the ethics commission investigators said declined to answer any questions about the matter as her staff advised that due to her busy schedule and heavy workload she would be unavailable for an interview
the investigation began in january 2015 in response to a series of articles in the new york times that examined the increasing efforts by a wide range of corporations to influence state attorneys general whose offices have in recent decades collected billions of dollars in settlements from corporations targeted for legal action
corporations are hiring lawyers like mr nash to intervene with attorneys general to try to prevent them from taking action or to shut down investigations
lawyers who handle this kind of business rarely register as lobbyists even though in many cases they also work on general policy matters like urging state attorneys general to intervene with the federal government on environmental regulations that their corporate clients oppose the times found
a florida resident filed the complaint alleging that mr nash and his former firm dickstein shapiro which is now defunct had violated florida lobbying laws by trying to influence ms bondi
the firms clients at the time under potential attorney general scrutiny included accretive health a chicago based health care company bridgeport education a for profit college and herbalife a nutritional beverage company the florida investigation confirmed ethics investigators also documented instances in which mr nash and lawyers at his firm contacted ms bondi or others at her office on behalf of a client even before any investigation by the state had been undertaken
the investigators confirmed that mr nash had repeatedly invited ms bondi and her top aides in the attorney generals office to dinners his firm organized at various national conferences that attorneys general attend and that he and other lawyers at his firm had contributed money to her political campaign accounts
the times separately detailed efforts by mr nash and his colleagues at dickstein to raise the national political profile of ms bondi a rising star in the republican party even as the firm was representing companies being investigated by her office
mr nash during an interview with the state investigators disputed any suggestion that he had violated the state ethics rules arguing that he and his colleagues provided proactive counsel to its clients not lobbying meaning his firm often contacted attorneys general across the country even if only one state was investigating a client to tell the entire story before any other states joined in the investigation
the commission based on an initial investigation by its staff and then the recommendation by george t reeves the outside lawyer it retained concluded that the work mr nash did could not be formally defined as lobbying
the conclusion was based in part on the fact that it could not prove that ms bondi had accepted free dinners or other personal benefits directly from mr nash or his firm which made contributions to the republican attorneys general association the group then covered ms bondis costs for the gatherings at resort hotels other money it donated went to her political accounts not to benefit her personally
mr nash who has taken his state attorney general practice to the philadelphia based law firm cozen oconnor did not respond to a request for comment
dickstein shapiro in march ceased to operate as a law firm after its remaining lawyers moved to blank rome also a philadelphia based firm


were all whores chloe sevigny said monday night standing in balthazar at a dinner monday night for the tribeca film festival as she discussed her outfit
it wasnt that ms sevignys heavily embellished black leather dress made her look like a streetwalker rather it was because her outfit was provided by chanel the dinners sponsor
borrowed she said
fashion long ago infiltrated the movie business and now were at the point where the biggest parties for the 15 year old festival are no longer about the movies per se but about dressing up and being photographed
at this dinner there were no speeches by organizers no actors or directors being celebrated and little talk of the movies themselves in fact many of the guests conceded that they hadnt even seen a film this week
im embarrassed to say i havent made it out of red hook the artist dustin yellin said
ive been busy the art world maven yvonne force villareal said shaking her head
their loss the offerings of the festival have improved steadily in recent years particularly in the documentary and world cinema categories
junction 48 a film about a would be palestinian rapper is being shown after winning the audience award at the berlin international film festival so is life animated a documentary about an autistic childs route out of isolation through the discovery of disney movies that one is already emerging as a major award season favorite
still it was a pretty good party with enough glamour to rival some of the years biggest social events
near the front was tory burch who arrived with her fiance pierre yves roussel the chief executive of lvmh fashion group to their right was the model jamie bochert and the artistfilmmaker julian schnabel in the back robert de niro huddled with harvey keitel
around 830 guests sat down at their tables where instead of a goody bag there was a famous artists coffee table book after all the dinner was ostensibly in honor of artists waiters approached offering a choice of roast chicken or steak frites
and many discussed the next days presidential primary
im deciding in the polling booth whether to vote for hillary or bernie said the actor alessandro nivola who was next to his wife emily mortimer
im voting for bernie ms mortimer said
around 1030 profiteroles and apple tarts were passed out for dessert
derek blasberg was in front with ms sevigny and the producer jane rosenthal was in a banquette in the back with the actress katie holmes who made her directorial debut at the festival with the film all we had naturally she was dressed in black chanel
as guests began to make their way out of the restaurant and into the night tavi gevinson also in chanel walked around the room scavenging the seats for free books many of which had been left unclaimed
so far i have three she said


beijing   during the early morning tumult of getting the children ready for school my gaze falls for a split second on a photograph on the refrigerator of three middle aged chinese women who have all helped raise my children over the last 13 years
yao ayi shi ayi and wang ayi are paid helpers sure but so much more   the allomothers or other mothers who make it possible for me to continue in a profession that is tough on parents especially mothers who may feel the competing demands of work and family most acutely journalism is riven with deadlines and demands 24 hour attention a bit like children
women like these ayis meaning auntie its used for relatives and helpers alike are everywhere in the world and everywhere they can be wonderful child care is a global issue yet in china their ability to educate as well as care is striking even those from poor rural provinces are the beneficiaries of chinas nine years of compulsory schooling the beijing natives among them are as sophisticated as any new yorker
they know so much drawing on folk wisdom embedded in their culture even shi ayi the most hapless of the three was invariably right about the weather bring an umbrella shed say its going to rain
many are self taught health experts a standard cold yao ayi would say when one of my children was feverish as i for several gut wrenching minutes wondered if they had sars bird flu even meningitis motherly anxiety is a deep well and it was good to have her experienced voice
and her encouraging words after the fever comes the intelligence there is a chinese saying that after a fever a child takes a developmental step forward Fa Shao Yi Ci , Cong Ming Yi Ci  or fashao yici congming yici western science teaches us that illness strengthens a growing childs immune system so perhaps its true
leaving for a reporting trip some years ago my 2 year old son threw up on me as i said goodbye moments like this haunt working mothers was it a protest at my departure
yao ayi helped me clean up the curdled milk i caught my flight feeling guilty but knowing that between my husband and her he was in safe hands
in the photograph yao ayi and shi ayi joined by wang ayi a neighbors helper who was part of the intimate network sit behind my son and daughter and a friend in my daughters bedroom grinning broadly
mothers themselves they had one child each in the 1980s the years of the one child policy
i know some of their joys and troubles yao ayis mother died recently nursed by her daughter through a long illness shi ayis nephew was arrested on suspicion of murder but later released wang ayis daughter is chronically ill
dong ayi is missing from the photograph she quit suddenly one day suffering from depression
i asked why and she said when her son was small her in laws declined to care for him because her husband was their second son and in keeping with patriarchal and hierarchical tradition they would only care for their elder sons child
she worked at a mattress factory in beijing with no access to state child care her husband worked a day shift at the same factory so she took a night shift returning home at 6 am to care for their son until her husband came home
when did you sleep i asked staggered
when the baby slept she shrugged as a mother i knew what that meant   in patches no wonder she was depressed even years later
in a series of talks recently in beijing to chinese and international groups feminist or general ive discussed family marriage work life balance journalism and each time young chinese and foreign women approach afterward to ask how do you combine journalism and motherhood
i say its really hard you have to be tough tougher than anyone knows   unless she is also a working mother
they often look disappointed its not what they want to hear and i understand i wish it werent so but for now at least it is and we all need allomothers it really does take a village to raise a child and china is a great village


the list includes ramshackle old stadiums scented and scarred with century old reminders of english soccers storied past but also the gleaming cathedrals that testify to the premier leagues rich new present
the city ground nottingham forest and the county ground swindon town elland road and white hart lane but also villa park and craven cottage turf moor and deepdale and ashton gate
and when the final whistle blows at saturdays match between manchester city and stoke city martin weiler a 61 year old soccer fan with no affiliation to either team will leave the etihad stadium having seen a match in every one of them in doing so he also will become eligible for membership in one of soccers most distinctive supporters groups the 92 club a small and exclusive fellowship made up of individuals who have watched a competitive league or cup match at the stadium of each of the 92 clubs in englands top four divisions which includes some teams from wales
saturdays trip to manchester will mark the end of a journey that has taken weiler more than a half century to complete it started unknown to him when he attended his first soccer match between brentford and shrewsbury town on the cold stone terraces of londons griffin park as a 10 year old in 1964
since that game soccer has taken weiler to 213 stadiums at home and abroad anfield and old trafford but also the valley and the hive and the hawthorns st marys stadium and st james park twice since theres one in newcastle and another in exeter that he has visited hundreds of times as a fan of exeter city fc the etihad   officially the city of manchester stadium   is the last empty box on his list and seeing this weekends game will allow him to say that he has seen a match at every place soccer is played in the premier league and the three tiers below it known as the football league
i think the journey is definitely the most important part said weiler who estimated that he has been to almost 2000 matches one of the things i love about going to football grounds is that often its taken me to places i would have never gone otherwise
though the number 92 is set in stone the chameleonic nature of the premier league and football leagues stadium list makes doing the 92 as the challenge is known extremely difficult since the 92 club was founded by a bristol rovers fan gordon pearce and 38 other members in 1978 only 1240 individuals have been accepted   a microscopic subset of the millions of fans who attend soccer matches every season in england and wales
one difficulty is that unlike american sports englands soccer pyramid features a promotion and relegation system a structure in which teams move between divisions and two new teams join the football leagues lowest tier league 2 every season that means that a fan trying to do the 92 might have checked off the lowest finishers in league 2 long ago only to be faced with new arrivals from the national league as they approach the magic number
the rules for membership in the 92 club have some quirks if a fan has been to the stadium of a team that has been relegated but then returns to league 2 that team can be counted on an application but friendly matches and testimonials cannot the rules state that applicants must have visited every clubs current home meaning that a fan who watched arsenal decades ago at its longtime home highbury must return for a match at its new arena the shiny new emirates stadium before being eligible to join
steve wilson a blackpool fan who said he once attended close to 70 matches a season claims visits to more than 300 stadiums at home and abroad he said that he had completed the 92 eight times wilson though includes preseason friendlies from his summer vacations in his counts which meant that he has never been eligible for the club
whether i am counted as being in the club or not is irrelevant said wilson 65 i know ive been to the grounds ive seen the game and thats all that matters you know what the rules are and its up to you if you want to abide by them
as well as abiding by such rules doing the 92 requires the sheer willingness to travel long distances and appreciate the game at a range of levels as a result many members complete the challenge alone
ultimately it doesnt matter to anybody that youve been to all these grounds except you mike kimberley the clubs secretary said
kimberley 56 estimated that since 1967 he had seen his club crystal palace play at more than 50 stadiums before deciding to complete the 92 in the mid 1990s weiler through spells living in london and exeter on englands southwest coast built up a base following brentford tottenham hotspur and exeter city he decided after his retirement in 2014 to visit the 16 stadiums he had remaining to complete his 92
some people tend to run out of steam around the 50s mark and think you know what its taken me 10 years to get here   its going to be a concerted effort to do the rest said pat bristow 55 a charlton athletic fan who has visited more than 80 of the current 92 but has never completed the list i think thats why so few people manage it you have to be quite dedicated to get around all 92
bristow runs a website doingthe92com which caters to fans looking to complete the challenge whether on their own terms like wilson or by following the 92 club rules doingthe92com currently has 9337 member profiles of those 129 have completed the current 92 42 have completed the 92 at some point and 19 including weiler stand on 91
to be accepted into the club fans must submit a form detailing one match at each current stadium date opponent competition score and attendance the club relies heavily on the honor system since there is little to gain by cheating if verified that fan receives a package of items that includes a tie a lapel pin a membership card and a list of other members membership is for life meaning that once accepted a fan remains in the club even as the list of 92 stadiums evolves visiting new stadiums season after season is not compulsory but it is encouraged
chris wathen a bristol rovers supporter who watched his first game in 1976 used to keep notes on the stadiums he visited in a high school textbook he completed the 92 in 1990 but said he has visited over 50 more in the years since just to keep current
i just like watching football said wathen 49 so if i have to accommodate a new situation   like for instance coventry playing at northampton a few seasons ago   i will take the night off from the rovers and watch that game
next season offers at least one guaranteed new venue west ham is moving from the boleyn ground its home in londons east end since 1904 to the nearby olympic stadium this summer
weiler will add it to his list as soon as he can there are also the possibilities of trips to braintree and dover who are in contention for promotion from the national league
its not that the 92 will last that long weiler said as soon as the season ends it all starts changing and therell be some new ones to do i dont think i can stop now


berlin   at a time when europe fears more terrorist attacks and the united states is urging european intelligence services to cooperate more closely germanys highest court on wednesday ruled that critical antiterrorism laws were partly unconstitutional and demanded tighter control over surveillance
the ruling in a 6 to 2 vote by the federal constitutional court reflected a familiar desire to balance public safety against violations of privacy and the safeguarding of intelligence data   a characteristically german concern forged by the experience of nazi and communist rule
but the ruling also clashed with mounting public fear of a spreading scourge of jihadist terrorist attacks in europe where countries like france and belgium are moving in the opposite direction and giving intelligence services greater latitude for surveillance
the ruling may inhibit further the sharing of intelligence which has already proved deeply inadequate in europe and has been exploited by terrorist networks
interior minister thomas de maiziere of germany who has been among the most vocal advocates of closer european intelligence cooperation said the verdict does not make it easier to fight international terrorism
how real the threat has become in germany and europe is shown by the dreadful attacks of recent times particularly in paris brussels and istanbul mr de maiziere told reporters referring to assaults that killed more than 140 people in the french capital last year left 32 dead in brussels last month and killed 12 germans in turkey in january
the law examined by the constitutional court was enacted seven years ago mr de maiziere noted since then the overall situation has gotten sharper he said
he said the interior ministry would examine the ruling in detail before announcing further plans the court gave the government until june 30 2018 to make the law conform with germanys constitution known as the basic law until then the law will stay in place as written
when it was first passed in 2009 the law was viewed as breaking important ground in giving the federal police the authority to prevent terrorism by conducting surveillance through wiretaps recorded conversations photographs and remote searches of computers the preventive power had previously rested with germanys 16 states
the constitutional court was ruling on suits brought by a former interior minister gerhart baum members of the greens party lawyers a journalist and a doctor
they had voiced concerns that covert surveillance particularly in private homes and in the intimacy of bedrooms or bathrooms could entangle innocent third parties there were also worries that surveillance could violate professional confidence through the monitoring for example of conversations by suspects with their doctors or lawyers or with members of parliament
in some respects the courts ruling said the current design of the investigative powers does not satisfy the principle of proportionality as a result the provisions governing covert surveillance are in part too vague and too broad it said
it called for the creation of an unspecified independent body that would examine data before it was passed to the federal police or to foreign institutions
ruling for the first time on the transfer of intelligence data to third countries the court said that such transfers outside the 28 nation european union must conform to the german constitution
what is required is the guarantee of an appropriate substantive level of data protection for the handling of the transferred data in the receiving state the ruling said
the two judges who dissented from the majority decision said that the court had gone too far in trying to regulate surveillance and intelligence data and that it should leave this to lawmakers
the senate should not have set up such detailed requirements justice michael eichberger wrote in weighing the latent threat posed by covert surveillance and investigative measures it must be kept in mind that most of the challenged norms do not authorize a general collection of data affecting a wide range of persons
justice wilhelm schluckebier wrote that the application of the proportionality principle was constitutionally misguided in several respects in particular channeling data through an independent body would most likely delay the relaying of information needed to prevent terrorism he wrote
konstantin von notz a greens legislator in federal parliament and an intelligence expert called the ruling a blessing for the protection of our private sphere and a blessing for the rule of law
mr de maiziere the interior minister said the government would decide whether to leave the law in place for more than two years or to move within the current legislative term which expires in fall 2017 to amend it
it is not easy to formulate laws which both observe the constitution and allow security services to work said michael bauer a terrorism expert at ludwig maximilian university in munich
he noted that germanys exceptional regard for privacy and data protection had led to previous clashes with the european union most recently over data storage it was too early to say he added whether the ruling on wednesday restricted cross border cooperation on terrorism
united states officials have called on europeans to examine their many intelligence bodies and devise more effective streamlined structures that many hope will close cracks that allowed several suspects in the paris and brussels attacks to pass unnoticed even when security checks were in place on some of europes largely open and porous borders
on wednesday it was announced that security would be among the topics discussed when president obama meets the leaders of germany france britain and italy next week in hanover germany


naples italy   russian attack submarines the most in two decades are prowling the coastlines of scandinavia and scotland the mediterranean sea and the north atlantic in what western military officials say is a significantly increased presence aimed at contesting american and nato undersea dominance
adm mark ferguson the united states navys top commander in europe said last fall that the intensity of russian submarine patrols had risen by almost 50 percent over the past year citing public remarks by the russian navy chief adm viktor chirkov analysts say that tempo has not changed since then
the patrols are the most visible sign of a renewed interest in submarine warfare by president vladimir v putin whose government has spent billions of dollars for new classes of diesel and nuclear powered attack submarines that are quieter better armed and operated by more proficient crews than in the past
the tensions are part of an expanding rivalry and military buildup with echoes of the cold war between the united states and russia moscow is projecting force not only in the north atlantic but also in syria and ukraine and building up its nuclear arsenal and cyberwarfare capacities in what american military officials say is an attempt to prove its relevance after years of economic decline and retrenchment
independent american military analysts see the increased russian submarine patrols as a legitimate challenge to the united states and nato even short of tensions there is the possibility of accidents and miscalculations but whatever the threat the pentagon is also using the stepped up russian patrols as another argument for bigger budgets for submarines and anti submarine warfare
american naval officials say that in the short term the growing number of russian submarines with their ability to shadow western vessels and european coastlines will require more ships planes and subs to monitor them in the long term the defense department has proposed 81 billion over the next five years for undersea capabilities including nine new virginia class attack submarines that can carry up to 40 tomahawk cruise missiles more than triple the capacity now
were back to the great powers competition adm john m richardson the chief of naval operations said in an interview
last week unarmed russian warplanes repeatedly buzzed a navy destroyer in the baltic sea and at one point came within 30 feet of the warship american officials said last year some of russias new diesel submarines launched four cruise missiles at targets in syria
mr putins military modernization program also includes new intercontinental ballistic missiles as well as aircraft tanks and air defense systems
to be sure there is hardly parity between the russian and american submarine fleets russia has about 45 attack submarines   about two dozen are nuclear powered and 20 are diesel   which are designed to sink other submarines or ships collect intelligence and conduct patrols but western naval analysts say that only about half of those are able to deploy at any given time most stay closer to home and maintain an operational tempo far below a cold war peak
the united states has 53 attack submarines all nuclear powered as well as four other nuclear powered submarines that carry cruise missiles and special operations forces at any given time roughly a third of americas attack submarines are at sea either on patrols or training with the others undergoing maintenance american navy officials and western analysts say that american attack submarines which are made for speed endurance and stealth to deploy far from american shores remain superior to their russian counterparts
the pentagon is also developing sophisticated technology to monitor encrypted communications from russian submarines and new kinds of remotely controlled or autonomous vessels members of the nato alliance including britain germany and norway are at the same time buying or considering buying new submarines in response to the kremlins projection of force in the baltic and arctic
but moscows recently revised national security and maritime strategies emphasize the need for russian maritime forces to project power and to have access to the broader atlantic ocean as well as the arctic
russian submarines and spy ships now operate near the vital undersea cables that carry almost all global internet communications raising concerns among some american military and intelligence officials that the russians could attack those lines in times of tension or conflict russia is also building an undersea unmanned drone capable of carrying a small tactical nuclear weapon to use against harbors or coastal areas american military and intelligence analysts said
and like the united states russia operates larger nuclear powered submarines that carry long range nuclear missiles and spend months at a time hiding in the depths of the ocean those submarines although lethal do not patrol like the attack submarines do and do not pose the same degree of concern to american naval officials
analysts say that moscows continued investment in attack submarines is in contrast to the quality of many of russias land and air forces that frayed in the post cold war era
in the russian naval structure submarines are the crown jewels for naval combat power said magnus nordenman director of the atlantic councils trans atlantic security initiative in washington the us and nato havent focused on anti submarine operations lately and theyve let that skill deteriorate
that has allowed for a rapid russian resurgence western and american officials say partly in response to what they say is russias fear of being hemmed in
i dont think many people understand the visceral way russia views nato and the european union as an existential threat admiral ferguson said in an interview
in naples at the headquarters of the united states navys european operations including the sixth fleet commanders for the first time in decades are having to closely monitor russian submarine movements through the maritime choke points separating greenland iceland and the united kingdom the giuk gap which during the cold war were crucial to the defense of europe
that stretch of ocean hundreds of miles wide represented the line that soviet naval forces would have had to cross to reach the atlantic and to stop united states forces heading across the sea to reinforce americas european allies in time of conflict
american anti submarine aircraft were stationed for decades at the naval air station keflavik in iceland   in the middle of the gap   but they withdrew in 2006 years after the cold war the navy after that relied on p 3 sub hunter planes rotating periodically through the base
now the navy is poised to spend about 20 million to upgrade hangars and support sites at keflavik to handle its new more advanced p 8a poseidon maritime patrol aircraft that money is part of the pentagons new 34 billion european reassurance initiative a quadrupling of funds from last year to deploy heavy weapons armored vehicles and other equipment to nato countries in central and eastern europe to deter russian aggression
navy officials express concern that more russian submarine patrols will push out beyond the atlantic into the mediterranean and the black sea russia has one mediterranean port now in tartus syria but navy officials here say moscow wants to establish others perhaps in cyprus egypt or even libya
if you have a russian nuclear attack submarine wandering around the med you want to track it said dmitry gorenburg a russian military specialist at the center for naval analyses in washington
this month the defense advanced research projects agency christened a 132 foot prototype drone sea craft packed with sensors the sea hunter which is made with the intention of hunting autonomously for submarines and mines for up to three months at a time
the allies are also holding half a dozen anti submarine exercises this year including a large drill scheduled later this spring called dynamic mongoose in the north sea the exercise is to include warships and submarines from britain france germany the netherlands norway poland and the united states
we are not quite back in a cold war said james g stavridis a retired admiral and the former supreme allied commander of nato who is now dean of the fletcher school of law and diplomacy at tufts university but i sure can see one from where we are standing


ndjamena chad   american military officials say that two of the worlds most feared terrorist groups   the islamic state and boko haram   have begun to collaborate more closely raising alarm that they are working together to attack american allies in north and central africa
on wednesday brig gen donald c bolduc the commander of the united states militarys special operations in africa cited a weapons convoy believed to be from islamic state fighters in libya that was headed for the lake chad region an area devastated by boko haram
military officials described the convoy as one of the first concrete examples of a direct link between the two extremist groups since boko haram pledged allegiance to the islamic state last year the shipment seized near the chadian border with libya on april 7 was carrying small caliber weapons machine guns and rifles officials said
the disclosure came during a tense series of meetings here in the capital of chad between samantha power the united states ambassador to the united nations and top officials like president idriss deby who is expected to announce soon that he won recent elections and will begin his fifth term in office he seized power in a coup and has governed chad with a firm hand for 26 years
mr deby said ms power had pressed him during their meetings about reports that dozens of chadian soldiers who had voted for opposition candidates had suddenly disappeared
no one has disappeared mr deby told reporters standing next to ms power after their meeting and responding to a query from a reporter they will be presented to the world on television
the exchange highlighted a central quandary of president obamas efforts to rein in the spread of islamic extremism in africa in recent years the continent has increasingly become a battleground in the wests war against militant islam administration officials insist that the increased influence of groups like boko haram and now the islamic state has some of its roots in the economic disparities and human suffering often brought on by authoritarian governments in which strongmen cling to power
but at the same time the united states is supporting such governments as they battle boko haram and other extremist groups in the lake chad area which includes countries like nigeria niger chad and cameroon american special operations forces are training and advising african militaries in the fight against boko haram al qaeda in the islamic maghreb and now the islamic state
the lake chad basin is ground zero in the fight against militant islam in africa general bolduc said
he said that beyond boko harams pledge of allegiance to the islamic state last year the two groups were sharing tactics techniques and procedures his comments amplify concerns expressed recently by other american officials that the islamic states branch in libya is deepening its reach across a wide area of africa attracting recruits from countries as far away as senegal that had been largely immune to the jihadist propaganda
mr deby the chadian president called the islamic state a monster that recruited chadians just as it had recruits from europe the middle east and other parts of africa at times he sounded like he was speaking from an obama administration set of talking points
we cannot eradicate terrorism by military action alone he said we need to look to our youths and to work not to be a platform for terrorist groups
mr deby led a rebellion to take power in 1990 his government abolished term limits more than a decade ago he has pledged to reintroduce them but that has not happened results of the latest elections held earlier this month are expected to be released in the next several days
chad has one of the most able armies in the region and mr deby has played a central role in efforts backed by the united states to combat boko haram and other militants
gen lamidi oyebayo adeosun the nigerian commander of the regional group of african countries fighting boko haram in the lake chad area said military officials were still trying to learn more about relations between boko haram and the islamic state he said boko haram had increased its attacks on soft targets like markets and mosques in recent months and moved away from attacks on military bases
general adeosun showed reporters photos of what he said were the latest improvised explosive devices being used by boko haram including a photo of a bird wrapped in explosives boko haram he said is increasingly using children   especially girls   to deliver its explosive packages to markets the group often drugged young girls wrapped them in explosives and sent them into crowds he said they are appealing to the natural care you feel for a girl child he said when you see a girl child you will not feel that she could be carrying a bomb they achieve maximum effect that way
the rising threat from the islamic state in libya comes as mr obama is being asked by some of his top military and intelligence advisers to approve the broader use of american military force in libya and nigeria mr obama administration officials said is mulling how large a military campaign to order for libya and whether to approve sending additional special operations advisers and trainers to nigeria
the pentagon has proposed spending 200 million this year to help train and equip the armies and security forces of north central and west african countries the united states is also constructing a 50 million drone base in agadez niger that will allow reaper surveillance aircraft to fly over the lake chad area


beijing   after more than a decade as the worlds great hope for classical music china is suffering growing pains
audiences in many cities remain enthusiastic virtuosos continue to multiply and conservatories and concert halls keep mushrooming the new york philharmonic and the philadelphia orchestra have both forged long term partnerships here and the juilliard school announced plans last year to open a branch in 2018 in tianjin just outside beijing
but stubborn roadblocks have drawn the concern of many in the field observers point to weak management at performing arts institutions and insufficient efforts to educate audiences who then prove indifferent to adventurous fare
according to long yu whose posts include artistic director and chief conductor of the china philharmonic orchestra and music director of the shanghai symphony the question for china now is how do we cultivate passion for music and not just stars
the biggest hurdle appears to be institutional
it is true that chinas major cities namely beijing shanghai and guangzhou are hives of classical activity in the early 1990s beijing had only a few dedicated concert halls and concerts a year now residents of the capital and of shanghai can choose from hundreds of classical music performances annually
at the same time many second  and third tier cities like wuhan and xian are struggling to fill their gleaming new theaters and concert halls with quality musicians and audiences most of these cities lack regular concert seasons and the funding to bring in distinguished foreign orchestras in some once grand halls are falling apart because of poor upkeep
the orchestras in these second tier cities are very thirsty and looking for help said cai jindong a professor at stanford and a frequent guest conductor in china they need soft skills development from the very top leadership down to the musicians the maintenance of the concert hall education everything
in many places a lack of quality programming has led to weak ticket sales a situation that some managers say has worsened because of the slowing chinese economy and the culture of philanthropy in china is relatively undeveloped with few tax incentives to encourage individuals to support performing arts institutions
what china lacks is a unified cultural policy said ren xiaolong deputy director of programming at the national center for the performing arts in beijing
throughout the country the arts are still largely seen as a part of the revolutionary machine   the government runs the machine and the people passively receive mr ren said drawing a contrast to europe where he said many governments aim to help rather than control the development of culture
then there is the issue of chinese concertgoers appetite for music outside the mainstream
wu jiatong general manager of wu promotion a beijing performing arts agency and events organizer recalled bringing the bruckner orchestra linz from austria to perform brucknerfor one of the first times in china in 1996
at the time people said its too long no one will buy tickets said mr wu so we played bruckners overture in g minor which is very short and then we played strauss of course because back then the blue danube waltz was what chinese thought of as classical music
program managers say there is now a demand to hear not only brahms and beethoven but also bruckner mahler even prokofiev but all of those composers are considered part of the standard canon by european and american standards and not adventurous
many halls are struggling just to get the attention of a public increasingly drawn into the orbit of films and online television
in china its not like in russia where even if the economy is really bad people still have the tradition of getting dressed up and going to performances said lin hongming general manager of the shanghai oriental art center
as a result educational programs at leading halls are often designed to cultivate an appreciation for the performing arts in general not just western classical music
mr long the conductor said music education needs to be more complex
still more halls are beginning to offer discounted student tickets and annual memberships
since our main target audience is the middle class we try to price a bulk of our tickets to be competitive with the cost of a movie ticket mr lin said
many observers say that perhaps the biggest challenge for concert halls in china is finding strong managers who have both the musical knowledge and the patience to persuade local governments that supporting culture is about more than just building the halls
china is so big and we have so many grand theaters and opera houses but if you asked me to give you the names of five general managers who are running their halls professionally i wouldnt be able to mr wu said
even some managers who are succeeding acknowledge they faced a steep learning curve
before joining the national center for the performing arts in 2008 the year after it opened mr ren said he had no idea about classical music
we were learning about programing at that time and wondering who is mahler he said but our knowledge of the music and of the music fans has increased over the last seven years
that willingness to learn is especially important at places like the national center which depend on ticket sales for at least 50 percent of their revenues compared with about 30 to 40 percent for many top american orchestras
but once you get the general managers in the halls china will take off mr wu said
such optimism remains widespread
tens of millions of young chinese are studying instruments believed to be one of the top drivers of audience growth at the shanghai oriental art center for example over half the patrons for classical music are under 40 according to mr lin the general manager
the change over six years has been extraordinary said rory jeffes managing director of the sydney symphony orchestra which has toured china four times mr jeffes like others said that not so long ago people would cough loudly and spit during performances or talk on the phone while their children ran around it was also not uncommon to see blocks of empty seats because of problems with ticketing systems
audiences now he said have really come to grips with the music and want to understand and engage with it in a real way


name lil freckles
age 28
hometown eastchester ny
now lives in a four bedroom apartment in bushwick brooklyn with her three best friends
claim to fame lil freckles her real name is emma carroll is a pixie faced rapper whose unapologetic and raunchy lyrics betray the high low melodrama of millennial life she has performed at the cake shop on the lower east side the closing party for tandem in bushwick the woodstock comedy festival in brooklyn and the fun fun fun fest of music and comedy in austin tex
big break ms carroll graduated from marymount manhattan college in 2010 and was a production assistant on girls when she began to take rap more seriously everyone was very cool about the music and lena wrote me into a scene she said referring to lena dunham the shows creator lil freckles made her debut tv performance in the shows third season as the musical act that preceded marnie and desi in a scene filmed at glasslands in brooklyn
latest project her second mixtape sleep on it written in collaboration with the hip hop artist kyle rapps real name kyle sutton was released in december i wrote one song at a time for about a year about things that were going on in my life she said the music is funny but its not a joke she hopes the lyrics which deal with friendship family and feminism as in the song feminist kings will resonate with all sorts of listeners the tracks are also peppered with tongue in cheek samples of random cultural moments our mothers begins with a few bars from i dreamed a dream from les miserables midway through classic case there is an audio clip from the 1994 attack on the figure skater nancy kerrigan when she wails why why why
next thing ms carroll is working on her next album which she began writing on a recent trip to mexico city the vibe is triumphant she said of the new music in may she will headline a spring concert at hollins university a small private womens college in roanoke va
whitegirlproblems ms carroll is very much aware of how she may be perceived artistically i think a lot about being a white person participating in a black art form she said how can i be helpful how can i use whatever voice i have to help


san francisco   nikil viswanathan and joseph lau have built the hottest new social app in america now the young men have to keep it from getting crushed by an anonymous slander campaign overwhelmed servers and their urge to personally respond to thousands of messages from users
the app called down to lunch is shockingly old fashioned its all about meeting up with your friends in person you send a message to some or all of your buddies saying that you have free time and are looking for company for a meal a gym workout even a church service whoever is interested responds and you arrange to meet
were trying to make it feel like you live with your friends again in your freshman dorm said mr viswanathan a texas native who graduated from stanford university in 2012 with a masters in computer science
the concept is so simple that the first version was built in a day last spring by last week down to lunch also known as dtl was the no 1 free social networking app for the iphone and the no 2 free iphone app over all it doesnt rank quite as high on android
but keeping a prime position on crowded smartphone screens isnt easy just ask foursquare which debuted with a splash in 2009 but has drifted into near irrelevance or yo an app that lets you send the word yo to your friends which momentarily topped the charts in 2014
mr viswanathan a mile a minute talker and mr lau who is more laid back meet one fundamental requirement for success a stubborn belief that they have a great idea mr viswanathan worked on five previous services that tried to connect people three of them with mr lau but down to lunch was the first to catch on
the san francisco start up has needed little capital so far and the founders have turned away dozens of potential investors however the men both stanford alumni have not been shy about seeking advice from their array of silicon valley connections including senior tech executives venture capitalists and other company founders
as thousands of app developers have discovered attention spans are short especially among the college and high school students that down to lunch is targeting dozens of competitors are vying to help people organize spontaneous gatherings including hangster shortnotice down to hang and a google app called whos down
and a lot of things can go wrong on the road to becoming the next snapchat
down to lunchs servers went down last week after hitting limits imposed by their cloud computing provider forcing the start up to devise a work around a human error derailed sign ups for six hours on monday
in addition to typical start up problems   lack of sleep inadequate staffing technical malfunctions   mr viswanathan and mr lau have also been battling an anonymous social media campaign claiming that down to lunch is used for sex trafficking
the assertions some describing encounters with suspicious strangers are dubious down to lunch is designed to allow communications only between people who know each other and have each others phone number
kirsta melton who heads the human trafficking division of the texas attorney generals office said that she looked into the app and found no evidence supporting the allegations
unless you have random strangers in your address book or someone stole your phone its unlikely that this app could be used for human trafficking she said
its not clear who is behind the smear campaign although mr viswanathan and mr lau believe it might be a competitor they traced the accusations back to several twitter accounts twitter temporarily suspended one account and appears to have blocked offending tweets from others apple and google have also removed app store reviews that mention the trafficking allegations
but that has not stopped worried users from contacting mr viswanathan or mr lau or simply deleting the app mr viswanathan said one school administrator even called him about it
despite the damage the trafficking accusations have caused there is no question that down to lunch has struck a chord with young people after the app appeared on the university of notre dames campus for example 15 percent of the student body downloaded it within 12 hours mr viswanathan said
aakash malhotra a freshman at the university of georgia who downloaded the app last september said it helped him build friendships on campus we have enough apps on our phone that give us information or entertain us he said wed rather have an app to help us connect in person
until february mr viswanathan and mr lau were the only employees the six person company still operates from the loft style apartment that the founders share in san franciscos south of market neighborhood
whiteboards cover one wall laying out the top tasks for the day and week mash notes from fans are posted as inspiration leaky takeout containers have colonized the kitchen and mr lau often stashes mcdonalds breakfast burritos in the refrigerator to fuel marathon coding sessions
mr viswanathan 28 interned at microsoft google and facebook where he sat right outside the glass walled office of mark zuckerberg the co founder and chief executive and occasionally played chess with him
mr lau 26 was an engineering intern at linkedin when the job wound down linkedins chairman and co founder reid hoffman personally implored him to stay mr lau declined and later went to pinterest
while the pair has not been shy about tapping their networks for help they have eschewed most of the usual marketing tactics for a start up
they have avoided publicity refusing most interview requests when product hunt a service that highlights new apps opened a discussion about down to lunch two months ago mr viswanathan quickly posted a note saying haha what how is this on product hunt   can we take this down
and in an industry where an investment from a top venture capitalist confers immediate credibility theyve been pushing everyone away even the whos who of investing said cameron teitelman the chief executive of startx a nonprofit for stanford entrepreneurs that has helped the company
mr lau explained if we take time out to raise money thats time were not working on the product thats time that users cant talk to us thats time that were not keeping servers up
the founders and their small team have instead focused on improving the app when they have a new version to test they drive across the bay bridge to the university of california berkeley to get feedback from students
they try to respond personally to the thousands of messages they get from users every week at one point mr viswanathan was getting so many texts that his iphones messaging app froze the problem stumped even apples vip support team which got involved after mr viswanathan emailed apples chief executive timothy d cook for help
the founders are also wrestling with a question faced by developers everywhere how hard do you push your users to recruit friends to download your app
last week they added a button that allowed people to invite all of their contacts with one click but many people consider such requests to be spam and twitter was already filled with complaints from people who received unwanted down to lunch invitations
after a couple of days the pair decided to disable the mass invitation feature
although their lives are stressful the founders say they are having a blast
we know we can build something that improves the lives for every single person on the planet mr viswanathan said it sounds kind of crazy but were going to do it


united nations   the leader of a western backed rescue organization that searches for survivors of bombings in syria was denied entry into the united states this week where he was to receive an award recognizing his contributions to humanitarian relief
raed saleh the head of the syria civil defense was to accept the award from interaction an alliance of aid agencies at its gala dinner tuesday night in washington the dinners keynote speaker was gayle smith the administrator of the united states agency for international development
but when mr saleh who works in syria and turkey arrived monday at washingtons dulles international airport on a flight from istanbul the authorities said he could not enter the united states he was told his visa had been canceled
it was unclear whether mr salehs name might have shown up on a database fed by a variety of intelligence and security agencies and intended to guard against the prospect of terrorism suspects slipping into the country
the state department declined to give specifics but a spokesman john kirby said that the us governments system of continual vetting means that traveler records are screened against available information in real time
while we cant confirm any possible specific actions in this case we do have the ability to immediately coordinate with our interagency partners when new information becomes available he added
mr saleh was put on the next flight back to istanbul in a telephone interview from istanbul on wednesday mr saleh sought to turn the focus to the experience of millions of syrians who find the worlds borders closed to them
in any airport the treatment we get as syrians is different he said the way they look at us we are suspected in his case he pointed out he had no intention of staying longer than 16 hours
his group is widely known as the white helmets for the headgear its members wear as they rush to bomb sites to rescue survivors and dig out the dead from the rubble government supporters have criticized the group for working in some areas held by the nusra front a terrorist organization linked to al qaeda but like many internal aid groups it says it is neutral and seeks to help civilians no matter whose territory they live in
joshua landis a syria expert at the university of oklahoma at norman called the denial of entry a scandal
the white helmets are one of the few organizations in syria that have been above reproach he said they have tried to observe strict neutrality in order to facilitate their humanitarian work and save lives to do this they have worked along side all sorts of militias in order to get to victims of the fighting
at the dinner on tuesday night interaction staff members wore white helmets in solidarity   and posted a photo on twitter
i really was moved by this moment mr saleh said it was a stance of the unity of humanity   and i dont mean the international community i mean humanity
mr saleh who once made a living buying and selling electronics became a search and rescue volunteer after the syrian civil war began in 2011 he has traveled to the united states several times he was in manhattan in september 2014 during the united nations general assemblys annual conclave where he pressed diplomats to come to the assistance of areas controlled by rebels fighting the government of bashar al assad syrias president
last june he testified before the united nations security council on the syrian governments use of barrel bombs the assad government continues to strongly deny using the explosives
ms smith the usaid administrator praised the work of mr salehs organization at the dinner without elaborating on why he had been denied entry
these are people who once led ordinary lives with ordinary jobs she said they were teachers bakers and drivers but there is no ordinary in syria anymore but raed and his colleagues dont run away they run toward the bombs protected only by their white helmets and driven by a simple belief inspired by the quran   to save one life is to save humanity
interaction staff members said they planned to honor mr saleh next month at the world humanitarian summit in istanbul


donald j trumps cessna jet has been grounded
the aircraft which records show has been used to shuttle mr trump to dozens of campaign events in recent months has been flying with an expired registration since feb 1 on wednesday a federal aviation administration official informed the planes pilot that the cessna cannot fly until it has been reregistered
faa inspectors have contacted the chief pilot of n725dt about the aircrafts expired registration laura j brown a spokeswoman for the faa said in a statement referring to the planes tail number the aircraft owner is currently working with the faas aircraft registry and will reregister the aircraft before further flight
the failure of djt operations cx the limited liability company controlled by mr trump that owns the 1997 cessna 750 citation x to renew the planes registration was the subject of a recent article in the new york times
ms brown would not comment on whether the faa plans to take any action against the cessnas owner the operator or both though it is unlikely that the agency will seek the maximum penalty flying with no registration could result in a civil penalty of up to 27500 a criminal fine of up to 250000 and imprisonment for up to three years fines are often assessed
once the cessnas registration is resubmitted mr trumps jet could be flying in a matter of days though it has been known to take much longer depending on the circumstances
it costs 5 to register an aircraft and it is valid for three years
djt operations cx was warned that the cessnas registration was set to expire the warning notices though were sent to the delaware address of national registered agents the company that registered djt operations cx
when asked on wednesday to comment on the status of the cessnas registration hope hicks a spokeswoman for mr trump reiterated her comment from the day before the standard renewal process is just about complete she said
mr trump the front runner for the republican presidential nomination had campaign events scheduled on wednesday in indianapolis and berlin md ms hicks would not say how mr trump was getting to and from those events


washington   the supreme court on wednesday unanimously upheld an arizona state legislative map drawn by an independent redistricting commission rejecting a challenge from republicans who said the map was too favorable to democrats
the court last year upheld the commissions role in drawing congressional maps ruling that arizonas voters were entitled to try to make the process of drawing district lines less partisan by creating an independent redistricting commission
wednesdays decision in harris v arizona independent redistricting commission no 14 232 concerned a challenge from voters who said the state map the commission drew after the 2010 census violated the principle of one person one vote and was infected by unconstitutional partisanship
the challengers noted that there were variations in the districts populations but justice stephen g breyer writing for the court said the contested deviations were less than the 10 percent that the supreme court has said is generally constitutionally tolerable
given the inherent difficulty of measuring and comparing factors that may legitimately account for small deviations from strict mathematical equality we believe that attacks on deviations under 10 percent will succeed only rarely in unusual cases justice breyer wrote
he added that factors other than partisanship appeared to explain the disparities in arizona the commission had he said considered compactness contiguity respect for communities of interest geography local boundaries political competitiveness and compliance with the voting rights act
a divided three judge trial court upheld the commissions map saying the population deviations were primarily a result of good faith efforts to comply with the voting rights act but that partisanship played some role
justice breyer said the challengers had failed to rebut the trial courts conclusion that the main reason for the disparities was an effort to make sure that minority voters were protected
he acknowledged that it was likely true that the map left republican voters worse off but that fact may well reflect the tendency of minority populations in arizona in 2010 to vote disproportionately for democrats justice breyer wrote
the challengers had also argued that arizonas attempt to comply with the voting rights act was not legitimate because the supreme court had in 2013 in shelby county v holder struck down a key part of the law
justice breyer said the law was still in place when it mattered arizona created the plan at issue here in 2010 he wrote at the time arizona was subject to the voting rights act and we have never suggested the contrary


as the primary calendar turns to connecticut the clinton campaign has enlisted a powerful new surrogate who has cut both a 30 second and 60 second ad for the campaign a daughter of dawn hochsprung the principal killed at sandy hook elementary school
on screen
slides of a wedding day scroll past   a bride in her white dress smiling as she poses for a picture in sneakers but the joyous day is quickly shrouded somber piano chords ringing in the background my wedding was one of the last things i planned with my mom says erica smegielski ms hochsprungs daughter
the camera travels back for a brief moment to the scene outside sandy hook school ambulances waiting outside the text from a new york daily news article detailing ms hochsprungs heroic efforts overlays an image of a vigil held outside the school as her daughter says no one is fighting harder to reform our gun laws than hillary clinton
scenes of mrs clinton speaking from the campaign trail including her gun violence town hall in october 2015 and a headline from the wall street journal   hillary clinton challenges the gun lobby   give evidence to ms smegielskis statements
the ad closes with mrs clinton and ms smegielski sharing an extended embrace she reminds me of my mother ms smegielskis voice says over the footage she isnt scared of anything
the message
the battle over gun control has been a frequent topic on the campaign trail for mrs clinton and she said her positions on the issue are one of my biggest contrasts with senator sanders she has been especially critical of his statements to the daily news in which he said that he would not hold gun manufacturers accountable or liable in the sandy hook shooting
fact check
mr sanders has defended his positions on guns pointing to his d minus rating from the national rifle association he also said i dont believe it is appropriate that that gun shop owner who just sold a legal weapon should be held accountable and be sued
where
the campaign says the ads are airing in connecticut and rhode island which hold primaries next tuesday
takeaway
after the 2012 massacre connecticut enacted some of the toughest gun control laws in the country passing them with bipartisan support it is a state where after the tragedy 93 percent of citizens supported background checks for all gun buyers and mrs clintons positioning on the issue should resonate there


the news that the blood testing company theranos is being investigated by the justice department and the securities and exchange commission brings to mind the adage that if something sounds too good to be true it probably is
the company which seemed to epitomize a silicon valley unicorn by shooting to a valuation of 9 billion on the promise of revolutionary technology making a billionaire of its founder elizabeth holmes could find itself swamped as it deals with the investigations and problems in its laboratory
theranos says it is cooperating fully with all investigations
the question is what potential violations might be the subject of the investigations
like most private companies theranos shares have not been made available to the general investing public but that does not exempt the company from the anti fraud provisions of the federal securities laws a misstatement or omission of material fact in connection with the sale of its securities to venture capital firms could constitute a violation
one might expect that the sophisticated investors in silicon valley would not be duped by the projections and market predictions made by a start up like theranos but the issue could be one about the viability of the companys claims about its scientific methodology and results an area where most investors would have little ability to scrutinize
in a speech on march 31 mary jo white the chairwoman of the sec raised questions about the rocketing valuations of start ups pointing out how these companies may succumb to the same pressure as corporations whose shares are publicly traded to push their valuation as high as possible
the concern is whether the prestige associated with reaching a sky high valuation fast drives companies to try to appear more valuable than they actually are she said
that may well signal one area of concern about theranos
the company undoubtedly had hefty disclosures about the risks and potentials of its technology when it sought venture capital funds and it may well be that ms holmess technology works - we just dont know yet
securities violations can be the subject of both a civil enforcement action by the sec and criminal prosecution by the justice department companies have to handle inquiries carefully because of the risk of a hefty criminal fine on top of disgorgement of funds raised through misleading solicitations of investments
a potential area of inquiry for federal prosecutors is the relationship between theranos and the drugstore chain walgreens which agreed to make the companys equipment available in some of its stores any deception regarding the efficacy of its testing especially if consumers were misled could lead to charges under the federal mail and wire fraud statutes
another avenue for possible scrutiny by criminal investigators is the filings that theranos made with the food and drug administration to obtain approval for use of its blood testing equipment an incomplete or misleading disclosure in an application to the agency could be prosecuted under the law that makes it a crime to submit any materially false fictitious or fraudulent statement or representation to a federal agency
as the investigations delve into the company an important issue will be whether any individuals are singled out for possible prosecution and civil penalties the center for medicare and medicaid services threatened to close theranoss laboratory in california and bar ms holmes and the companys president ramesh balwani from owning or operating its labs for two years
the justice department has emphasized that a company must identify individuals responsible for wrongdoing to receive any credit for its cooperation that will put a premium on information that can help the government pursue charges against people inside theranos
as the company deals with the investigations by the justice department and the sec the question arises about who will undertake any internal inquiry the companys defense has been led in recent months by david boies a founder and the chairman of boies schiller  flexner and most recently its newest director
as the deal professor noted in february this puts mr boies in a ticklish situation because of the potential conflict of interest between his role as counsel to the company and as one of its directors
prosecutors and regulators rely heavily on companies to conduct an initial investigation and report the results but if it looks as if the lawyers conducting the inquiry have a conflict of interest any credibility the investigation might have can be undermined by questions about its independence that can lead investigators to dig into an organization on their own rummaging through corporate records and demanding to speak with employees and executives rather than allowing the company to control at least the preliminary stages of an investigation
an interesting sign of how theranos will respond to the justice department and sec investigations will be who is chosen to oversee the internal inquiry an expected step in any effort to demonstrate cooperation
the federal investigations prompt another question why arent the venture capital firms that invested in theranos suing after all if theranos were a public company there would be a slew of lawsuits claiming that shareholders were defrauded one reason may be that there is no basis to make such a claim investors either still believe in theranoss blood testing devices or they received truthful disclosure about the state of that technology and the risk of investing in the company
another explanation may simply be that theranoss investors are too embarrassed to make such a claim in the feeding frenzy that led to theranoss 9 billion valuation some venture capitalists may not have done their due diligence and they may not want to admit to their own investors that they were either foolish or duped this is probably going to be a more common problem in silicon valley as sky high valuations start to fall back to earth


washington   at a luxurious hilltop estate with sweeping vistas of the hudson river an adviser to president obama began meeting on wednesday with aides to the candidates vying to replace him to make the first early preparations for the day when mr obama leaves office
during a two day gathering on the grounds of kykuit the manor built by john d rockefeller they will attend breakout sessions working lunches and dinners and white board assisted discussions on how to execute a seamless transfer of power in an age when the threat of a terrorist attack like the one on sept 11 2001 requires a fully functioning white house at all times
that need was brought home forcefully to president george w bush after 911 and his concern that his successor lose no time in taking the reins of power led to what is regarded as a model transition when it was time for him to leave office
now in an acknowledgment that its time is running out the obama white house has begun planning for the next transition a task akin to a giant corporate merger but one that involves the federal governments 4000 senior executives and a 4 trillion budget and it will all be compressed into the 72 days between the election on nov 8 and the jan 20 2017 inauguration
it is the most complex most difficult takeover on the planet today and probably in history said max stier the founder and president of the partnership for public service the nonprofit group that is hosting the retreat and has established a center for presidential transition to guide the process from the outside
mr stier declined to discuss the details of the meeting including its participants saying it was designed to provide a safe space for frank and confidential discussions about the transition process but he said it was vital that the preparations begin now removed from the chaos and rancor of the presidential campaign and the pressures of a white house bent on pressing mr obamas agenda while there is still time
campaigns were always loath to do early or aggressive pre transition planning for fear that they will be accused of measuring the drapes or being presumptuous so they ended up doing it at the last minute said mr stier and the white house doesnt want to be viewed as lame duck but they also as stewards of our government really need to ensure that the handoff is as thorough and clean as possible
mr obama began pressing his senior advisers to begin planning for the transition late last fall telling them he wanted to take the process seriously and match or exceed the job done by mr bush to whom he and his team give high marks for a well executed handover in january 2009
he indicated that he wanted this to be a serious process anita decker breckenridge mr obamas deputy chief of staff for operations and the point person on the process said in an interview
ms decker breckenridge was herself the beneficiary of memorandums briefing books and other materials prepared by mr bushs departing staff members that she called invaluable when she began work on mr obamas first day in office as the chief of staff at the national endowment for the arts
the president wants to do the same if not better for the next administration ms decker breckenridge said he told her this is just at its core good democracy good government and its critical
denis mcdonough mr obamas chief of staff convened a meeting of the cabinet last month to begin thinking through plans for the transition and ms decker breckenridge has begun meeting weekly with andrew mayock a senior adviser at the office of management and budget to compare notes and go through task lists mr mayock will attend this weeks meetings in new york
it was fear that drove mr bush to plan early and carefully for an effective transition after terrorist attacks disrupted his presidency less than eight months after he took office according to the former senior officials who executed the transition plan
we talked about 911 and thank goodness it was sept 11 and not feb 11 because we would have been completely incapable of dealing with it then  said clay johnson iii a top office of management and budget official in mr bushs white house who was a central player in his 2000 transition into office and his 2008 handover to mr obama there are just so many more things that a new president has to be prepared for and say grace over now its just the nature of our world
in its 2004 report the independent 911 commission noted that mr bush did not have his full complement of senior officials in place until six months after he took office creating a dangerous situation that could be exploited in the future
mr bush took the issue to heart telling his top advisers as early as 2007 that they were to begin planning for the handover
he told me this is the first transition in modern american history when the homeland has been under threat and we need to make sure that its as good as it can possibly be said joshua b bolten his chief of staff at the time
mr bolten who had been a low level aide to the elder president george bush recalled how his transition out of office in 1993   like those of his predecessors   had been relatively thin and poorly planned
its different now because were vulnerable and we are essentially under attack here at home from terrorist elements mr bolten said the younger mr bush indicated theres a particular moment of vulnerability as we switch over that terrorists may want to try to take advantage of
mr bushs advisers handed mr obamas aides detailed memorandums on policy issues and agency work plans after the election they also collaborated on a tabletop exercise one week before mr obamas inauguration in which they postulated several simultaneous explosive attacks on american cities and sat side by side in the situation room gaming out how the government would respond
since then congress has enacted legislation to codify some elements of the bush obama transition process mr obama signed the most recent revisions into law without fanfare last month and they are guiding ms decker breckenridges lengthy to do list
the measure sets an early may deadline   six months before election day   for the president to create a transition coordinating council at the white house and a transition directors council for federal agencies each of which must appoint a senior career employee to manage the handoff
well before those dates the national archives and records administration   which by law must take custody of all the departing presidents records by 1201 pm on jan 20   has to begin copying a vast amount of digital material to its servers the job has grown exponentially larger in recent years as the white house has become increasingly wired and data driven when mr obama took office there were fewer than a dozen laptops in use at the white house now nearly every employee has one
while the clinton administration produced roughly three terabytes   or trillions of bytes   of records including 20 million emails the bush administration eight years later had to transfer about 80 terabytes including 200 million emails the archives administration projects that this president will turn over two and a half times as much 200 terabytes recognizing the magnitude of the job the white house resolved to begin the process which involves copying the large files of email records photographs and videos that have become a staple of white house communications during mr obamas term several months earlier than in the past it is expected to commence this month
a smooth transition has not always been a priority and there are cautionary tales in 2002 the general accounting office reported that damage theft vandalism and pranks had occurred at the white house during the transition from bill clinton to mr bush including several instances of computer keyboards missing their ws
but presidents and candidates have a powerful interest in an effective transition
you want to protect the presidency as an institution and you also want to use transition as part of your legacy   you want to go out well said martha joynt kumar whose 2015 book before the oath dissects the 2008 transition for the campaigns the impetus comes from wanting to be able to govern on day 1 the beginning of an administration is when you have the greatest opportunity to bring about change but the least capacity to figure out how to do it
it is not yet clear however how much the presidential campaigns are prioritizing the transition
hillary clinton who has not yet selected anyone to lead transition planning sent a midlevel policy staffer to this weeks meetings bernie sanders tapped michaeleen crowell his senate chief of staff among others to participate gov john kasich of ohio dispatched kerry knott who served as chief of staff to dick armey a former house majority leader to attend and serve as the point person for transition preparations
michael glassner donald j trumps national political director was also planning to attend officials for senator ted cruzs campaign did not respond to repeated requests for comment
ted kaufman a former senator of delaware who introduced legislation enacted in 2010 governing presidential transitions and who helped design the 2016 law said savvy candidates would take the issue seriously
it was clear to me that you couldnt wait until election day and leave yourself with basically two months to do this   you had to plan way in advance he said anybody who is running knows that your first term is when youre going to get done 90 percent of what youre going to get done   second terms are to be survived   and the first 100 days is when you are going to accomplish most of it so you have to be ready


london   white flowers fill the design gallery with commemorative portraits placed amid undulating furniture of burnished polyurethane and marble a condolence book rests on a stand a construction of memories in the main studios nearly 400 employees labor away deadlines pressing
the people work quietly still in shock the woman who brought them here the remarkable architect zaha hadid born in baghdad and famous worldwide died suddenly on march 31 in miami at the age of 65
the sadness is strong the star is gone in a celebrity driven culture what happens to the corporation built around the star even in essentially collaborative work like architecture
at the hadid firm it is falling to patrik schumacher the thoughtful german who worked alongside ms hadid for 28 years and was her senior partner to pick up the pieces keep the staff together the work flow strong and the clients happy in a recent interview he said the firm was moving forward with existing projects including a stadium for the 2022 world cup in qatar a tower in new york a bridge in taipei taiwan and the iraqi parliament
even more he must step forward to give the firm zaha hadid architects a new identity while honoring and maintaining ms hadids sinuous legacy
its tough mr schumacher said describing the loss of the ferocious frank ms hadid but any star in architecture has been born in the discipline itself and emerges through schools competitions and colleagues
speaking in the victorian school building in the clerkenwell district of london where the studio was founded in 1979 mr schumacher said we want to tell the world that were still a viable vibrant address for major work of cultural importance
mr schumacher 54 was the project architect on ms hadids first important building the extraordinary angular fire station completed in 1993 for vitra a furniture company in weil am rhein germany we struggled with the design he said but we didnt want to let go of it the building put her on the map and philip johnson the renowned american architect and one of her champions came to the opening
mr schumacher has been the co author of almost all of ms hadids famous designs and also has a significant reputation as a teacher lecturer and author he is a theorist for what he has called parametricism which he sees as a successor to postmodernism shaping architecture with algorithms computer design and new materials
but the company will need more he said my ambition is to become more visible as a leader of the field to clients he said while pushing internal research programs to keep moving forward
mr schumacher was wearing a white t shirt and a black neoprene sport jacket of his own design an indication of how much he and the studio see architecture as a language of communication within spaces involving furnishings and even clothing he said and not just shapely physical shelter
clients have been sympathetic understanding and encouraging since ms hadids death mr schumacher said and the company has years of work in hand on 36 projects that are already under construction or have design contracts
the firm has just opened an office in new york and is looking to continue to do major projects in key cities while keeping offices here in beijing and in hong kong it plans offices in dubai and mexico city mr schumacher said
zaha hadid architects also hopes to push further into aviation having won a contract for a new airport in beijing
the track record for firms surviving the death of signature architects or starchitects is mixed well known are the brands that died with them le corbusier oscar niemeyer eero saarinen mies van der rohe
asked if there were examples of firms thriving after the deaths of their celebrated founders mr schumacher said it was difficult to draw conclusions this star signature is a relatively new phenomenon he said pointing out that the main examples of celebrity architects are still around if aging like frank gehry rem koolhaas renzo piano and norman foster mr schumacher mentioned enric miralles a famous spanish architect who designed the scottish parliament building and died in 2000 at 45 but whose firm he said is still doing good work the firm of michael graves who died last year is continuing to do projects he was working on
after the shock of ms hadids sudden death there was a week of grieving in accordance with muslim traditions mr schumacher said in the condolence book people poured out their hearts zaha you changed our lives our industry and the world one wrote we will miss you another wrote dear zaha thank you for showing us what the future looks like
mr foster a close friend said on his website it was zahas triumph to go beyond the beautiful graphic visions of her sculptural approach to architecture and turn them into reality that so upset some of her critics she was an individual of great courage conviction and tenacity it is rare to find these qualities tied to a free creative spirit
mouzhan majidi acknowledges that the company has a lot at stake and so does he he joined ms hadid just 18 months ago as chief executive after 27 years with mr foster and his firm fosterpartners the last seven as chief executive
born in tehran mr majidi now 51 came to britain with his parents in 1976 at the age of 12 and became a distinguished architect in his own right
what has helped the staff since ms hadids death is the crush of work he said she left us at the busiest time ever mr majidi said adding that there was a high level of determination in the firm to see its projects through we feel very confident that we will carry on and go forward with her vision and her legacy and the experimental research she established in the office
everyone there came through the school of zaha he said but as you examine her legacy he said its not the master architect who dictates and says go and deliver it its a collective its a team still he conceded she leaves an enormous hole we have to prove ourselves he said that we can go forward and have our own future


on a bright warm day 50 years ago this week three young men went out to have a drink that they hoped would make history
the men members of the early gay rights group the mattachine society aimed to challenge bars that refused service to gay people a common practice at the time though one unsupported by any specific law such refusals fell under a vague regulation that banned taverns from serving patrons deemed disorderly
at the time being homosexual was in itself seen as disorderly said dick leitsch 81 reminiscing the other day in his apartment on the upper west side of manhattan
mr leitsch then the head of mattachines new york chapter and his cohorts called their action a sip in a tipsy tip of the hat to the civil rights lunch counter sit ins then being held at places that segregated black patrons the sip in was a pivotal moment for the gay rights movement predating the stonewall uprising by more than three years that it is largely forgotten says a lot about how the gay political conversation has shifted over the past five decades
this history will be invoked on thursday when a key site   julius a bar in the west village   marks the sip ins golden anniversary largely because of the bars connection to the mattachines actions on april 21 1966 the directors of the greenwich village society for historic preservation are trying to have julius declared a landmark on wednesday the bar was entered into the national register of historic places
on the day of the sip in the activists invited four newspaper reporters including thomas a johnson of the new york times the plan was to convene at noon at the ukrainian american village hall a bar on st marks place but we were 10 minutes late mr leitsch said with a laugh
the times reporter arrived on time tipping off the owners who shut the place a sign in the window made the managements attitude clear if you are gay please stay away
so the men moved across the street to the dom a club that by night hosted concerts by the velvet underground it had a sign just as unwelcoming as the one at the ukrainian hall the dom too was closed
next stop a place that never closed howard johnsons at eighth street and avenue of the americas gay people used to go there after hours and in the mens room downstairs theyd have a little sex mr leitsch said
slipping into a corner booth the activists handed the waitress a statement that announced we are homosexuals we believe that a place of public accommodation has an obligation to serve an orderly person and that we are entitled to service so long as we are orderly
the flustered waitress called over the manager who according to one newspaper report said to the press why shouldnt they be served a drink they look like perfect gentlemen to me
i dont think the government has any right to question a mans sex life he continued
the manager ordered the waitress to bring the men drinks   on the house we thought what do we do now mr leitsch said what if no one refuses us
the men then advanced to a mafia owned tiki bar the waikiki its amused manager told them how do i know youre homosexuals give these guys a drink on us
at that point another participant john timmons told the other men im starting to feel drunk we better get this done already mr leitsch recounted
in desperation the group trudged over to julius on west 10th street it was a rather dull neighborhood place which was about three quarters gay said randy wicker 78 who joined the action there i called it a closet queen bar
the activists knew julius had to refuse them because the night before a man who had been served there had later been entrapped by an officer for gay activity meaning the bar was in jeopardy of having its liquor license revoked as they entered the men spied a sign that read patrons must face the bar while drinking an instruction used to thwart cruising
as soon as mr leitsch approached the bartender put a glass in front of him when the men announced they were gay the bartender put his hand over the glass it was captured in a photograph by fred mcdarrah for the village voice
according to mr wicker and mr leitsch their battle to be served was a subset of a larger issue the ritualized police entrapment of gay men for intent to have sex with this action we were entrapping them into obeying the law mr wicker said
the next days new york times featured an article about the event with the headline 3 deviates invite exclusion by bars two weeks later a far more sympathetic piece appeared in the voice the publicity prompted a response from the chairman of the state liquor authority donald s hostetter who denied that his organization ever threatened the liquor licenses of bars that served gays the decision to serve was up to individual bartenders he said
at that point the commission on human rights got involved its chairman william h booth told the times in a later article we have jurisdiction over discrimination based on sex denial of bar service to a homosexual solely for that reason would come within those bounds
in new jersey mattachine decided to sue bars that refused service to gay people in 1967 the states supreme court ruled that well behaved homosexuals could not be denied service in our culture homosexuals are indeed unfortunates the ruling added but their status does not make them criminals or outlaws
mattachine founded in 1950 in los angeles was named for a fictional jester who told truths to the king no one else dared to members appeared on radio and television representing the homosexual point of view they also advised gay men on how to navigate arrests in sex sting operations the members presented themselves as model citizens in suits and ties it was our responsibility to make gay people look as respectable as possible mr wicker said
the mattachines assimilationist stance seemed weak once the stonewall inn exploded in june 1969 and mr wicker spoke out against the uprising which he later called political suicide
mr leitsch said he felt instantly overshadowed by a younger louder generation his pioneering efforts which included showing his full face to tv cameras instead of cloaking his identity in shadow a common practice at the time became old news overnight the day before stonewall i was the only gay person mr leitsch said the day after everybody was gay
today as the rights of transgender people represent the cutting edge of the lesbian gay bisexual and transgender conversation the voices of the men who made up the mattachine society can seem antique yet some are working to improve the image of both the group and julius john cameron mitchell an actor writer and director has been hosting monthly mattachine parties for eight years at the bar
mr mitchell acknowledges that the bar has a frumpy image its the oldest gay bar in the city   with some of the oldest gays he said
yet his mattachine parties have generated offshoot events as far afield as berlin
the building that houses julius which dates from 1826 has been a bar since 1864 and has had a gay clientele since the 1950s it has been a setting for films including the boys in the band and the normal heart
the sip in was key to its prominence by all accounts this was one of the first if not the very first planned act of civil disobedience for lgbt rights said andrew berman executive director of the greenwich village society for historic preservation it set a lot of incredibly important changes in motion


new orleans   a legal journey that was set off more than a decade ago with the shooting of unarmed citizens by police officers in the desperate days after hurricane katrina wound toward a close on wednesday when five former officers pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiracy obstruction of justice and civil rights charges
the plea agreements drew prison terms from three to 12 years those sentences were significantly shorter than those handed down when the men were convicted five years ago in verdicts that were later thrown out
but the agreements were supported by the families of the victims and brought some degree of conclusion to a nearly 11 year endeavor that in ways presaged the current struggles over police and accountability in places like baltimore cleveland and ferguson mo
today is the first day of the rest of my life sherrel johnson the mother of 17 year old james brisette one of the two people who were killed in the shootings told reporters after the hearing someone confessed i did it i did it and that did my heart all the good in the world
the officers   sgt kenneth bowen sgt robert gisevius officer anthony villavaso and officer robert faulcon as well as a detective arthur kaufman who was assigned to investigate the shooting   were initially indicted on state charges in 2007 but from there the case would be undergo years of troubles and reversals eventually becoming drawn into a scandal in the federal prosecutors office here that took down the local united states attorney
the danziger case was one of several federal prosecutions of police officers for killings in the immediate aftermath of hurricane katrina with 18 current and former officers facing charges at one point these cases did not find an easy path in the courts the prosecution of another high profile police shooting that of henry glover ended mostly in acquittals
but the cases did prompt the united states justice department to examine the citys police force as a whole and in 2012 the force was brought under a federally mandated consent decree a court administered blueprint for an overhaul of the departments practices that consent decree remains in place
serving as an officer is one of the most complex and difficult jobs in our society kenneth a polite jr the current united states attorney for the eastern district of louisiana said at a news conference after the hearing at the same time when individuals ignore their oath of office and instead violate the civil rights of the public they are sworn to serve they will be held accountable
the case began on sept 4 2005 in a city still without order and drowning in floodwaters two groups of families and friends all of them black were crossing the danziger bridge in search of food and relatives when police officers rushed to the scene in a budget rental truck the officers responding to a distress call opened fire with shotguns and ak 47s sending those on the bridge all of whom were unarmed diving and running for cover
four people were severely injured   one woman lost part of her arm   and two were killed james brisette and ronald madison a 40 year old developmentally disabled man who took a shotgun blast in the back
the state indicted seven officers but that indictment was dismissed for improprieties involving the grand jury six were then charged by federal prosecutors in 2010 and the next year five of them went to trial together the case of a retired sergeant gerard dugue was severed from the others he is still waiting for a new trial after an earlier mistrial
at the federal trial of the five officers defense lawyers emphasized that the men were rushing to the bridge under the belief   mistaken as it turned out   that a policeman had been shot and that under the extreme circumstances of the time they should not be harshly judged but prosecution witnesses including other officers at the scene who had pleaded guilty said officers had fired without warning and immediately after the shootings began to construct what would become an elaborate cover up
all of the men were found guilty and faced sentences of six to 65 years at their sentencing however judge kurt d engelhardt of federal district court delivered a lengthy speech condemning the prosecution for its plea deals and its use of problematic witnesses and deploring the mandatory minimum sentences he was forced to impose
two years later he threw out the convictions citing a scandal that had been unfolding in the local united states attorneys office involving senior prosecutors who had anonymously commented under online articles in the local media about cases on trial describing his own investigation into the scandal and his frustration with the justice departments internal investigation judge engelhardt insisted that the danziger case be retried
his disdain for the justice department at the 2011 trial that was still on stark display on wednesday when the judge said that the danziger case might most be remembered by the jiggery pokery of the prosecutors
a panel of appeals court judges upheld judge engelhardts order for a new trial last year in recent weeks the lawyers from the justice department withdrew which judge engelhardt deemed necessary for the case to move forward
under the terms of wednesdays deal the four officers involved in the shooting received sentences ranging from seven to 12 years with credit for time served the fifth man mr kaufman who was accused in the cover up got three years
this has been a terrible ordeal for our family our friends and our community said lance madison who was arrested   under false pretenses   by officers on the bridge just minutes after one of them shot and killed his younger brother ronald im thankful that our mother is still with us and is able to see justice being served and for these officers to finally be held accountable for their crimes i hope and pray that no other family ever has to go through what we have gone through


jerusalem   israel said wednesday that it had uncovered a new network of jewish extremists in the west bank that was responsible for several recent attacks against palestinians including the attempted arson of at least one home as people slept inside
the announcement by the police and shin bet the countrys domestic security agency came amid heightened tensions after a july arson attack in the west bank village of duma that killed a palestinian boy and his parents that attack enraged palestinians and alarmed israels security services which have been trying to maintain stability in the west bank two young israeli jews were charged in january in connection with the attack
describing the newly identified group as a jewish terrorist network the authorities said in a statement that six members had been arrested in recent weeks five of them residents of nahliel an established settlement northwest of ramallah in the west bank
two of the suspects are minors and a third is a soldier the statement said the others range in age from about 19 to about 22 the authorities said they expected to file charges against all six in the coming days
a lawyer representing the two minors and two adult detainees from nahliel said he had been allowed to meet with the minors only on tuesday after many many days
the lawyer aharon roza of honenu a right wing legal aid organization told israel radio that the reason for the delay was not to prevent any damage to state security but only to deny my clients their rights so that they do not know that they have the right to not incriminate themselves the right to silence
he added this led them to confessing but these confessions are not necessarily genuine
the authorities named three of the suspects as itamar ben aharon and michael kaplan from nahliel and pinchas shandorfi from the settlement of kiryat arba near hebron the two minors and the soldier all residents of nahliel were not identified
members of the group are accused of throwing a firebomb at a palestinian home in the village of mazraa qibliya south of nahliel one night in november as the family slept inside the firebomb bounced off the window keeping the flames away from the house hebrew graffiti sprayed on the walls outside read revenge death to arabs and jews wake up
on a night in december the statement said members of the cell threw military smoke grenades into the home of a palestinian family in the village of beitilu west of nahliel the father woke up and had difficulty breathing but managed to escape with his wife and infant son hebrew graffiti at the scene read revenge and regards the detainees of zion an apparent reference to the arrests after the duma attack
the group was also believed to be behind an attack on a palestinian farmer with sticks and tear gas as well as the burning of several cars belonging to palestinians
despite the crackdown after the duma attack which included the rare measure of placing israeli suspects in administrative detention without formal charges or a trial the authorities said that the nahliel group had not been deterred
the re enactments and confessions of those interrogated revealed an extreme and violent organization that systematically harmed palestinians and their property with the full knowledge that lives could be at risk the statement said adding that the group had been inspired by the duma episode
the israeli authorities determined early on that jewish extremists were behind the attack in duma in which ali dawabsheh 18 months old burned to death his parents and older brother ahmad who was 4 at the time sustained critical burns over much of their bodies the father died after a week and the mother after five weeks
in the course of investigating the duma case and some earlier acts of arson the authorities came across another jewish extremist network known as the revolt for the title of its manifesto which advocates an anarchic vision of redemption
members of the shadowy far right group mostly lived in unauthorized settlement outposts in the occupied west bank and called for fomenting unrest to bring about the collapse of the democratic system in israel and replacing it with a jewish kingdom based on the torah
the police and shin bet said there appeared to be links between the nahliel group and some members of the revolt like the members of the revolt the nahliel group acted out of extreme ideology and out of a readiness to harm palestinians to the point of murdering them the statement said


karachi pakistan   seven police officers keeping watch over a polio vaccination campaign were gunned down in two separate attacks in a suburb of pakistans southern port city of karachi on wednesday government officials said
the attacks occurred in a poor neighborhood of orangi town where health workers have been administering vaccinations
there was no immediate claim of responsibility and police officials said they were investigating whether the attacks were connected to the immunization campaign
taliban militants have repeatedly targeted health workers in the past accusing them of being spies and the violence has seriously hindered immunization campaigns in pakistan which is one of three countries in the world where polio remains endemic but karachi itself has a long history of political and sectarian violence and criminal gangs have also been known to kill police officers
feroze shah a senior karachi police official said eight gunmen riding on four motorcycles had carried out the killings
in the first attack militants killed three policemen escorting a polio team in streets of the locality mr shah said in the second attack the same men killed four policemen in a police van a few streets away
the officers were rushed to the nearby abbasi shaheed hospital but all seven were dead on arrival the hospital said
no health workers were harmed in the attacks
the four day polio vaccination drive started on monday with the goal of immunizing 22 million children in and around karachi according to city government officials the campaign involves 6200 health workers and teams of police officers to protect them
commissioner syed asif haider shah a city official vowed that the polio eradication campaign would continue on thursday its last day
the police chief of sindh province ad khawaja announced a reward of 5 million rupees or about 47000 for information leading to the arrest of the gunmen he said that the families of the police officers would receive 19000 each in compensation
although the taliban have long accused health officials in pakistans northwestern and southern provinces of spying the hostility toward polio vaccinations escalated after the united states killed osama bin laden in a raid on his compound in may 2011 it later emerged that the cia had used a pakistani doctor shakil afridi operating under the cover of a vaccination campaign to help find bin laden in abbottabad
in january a suicide bomber killed 15 people including police officers outside a polio vaccination center in quetta the capital of baluchistan province in the southwest
but officials cautioned that it was too early to say who might be behind wednesdays attacks near karachi
a campaign to stamp out political violence has been in operation there for some time and various political and criminal factions as well as the taliban have lashed out at the police and security forces in retaliation
we have been investigating whether todays attack is part of the trend said raja umar khitab a senior police official overseeing counterterrorism operations at least 95 officers have been killed in the last 16 months in the city police statistics show
taliban groups in the city have been weakened because of the ongoing operation mr khitab said however they still have ability to carry out hit and run attacks
we did not suspend the vaccination drive said faiza bibi a polio worker in gulshen e buner a karachi neighborhood because the campaigns officials said the police killing today has nothing to do with the polio drive
in a statement prime minister nawaz sharif who recently returned to the country after a trip to london condemned the attack and praised the police officers they laid down their lives to secure the countrys future he said


younger adults are among those hardest hit by bank overdraft fees a new report from the pew charitable trusts that was released on wednesday said
more than a third of heavy overdraft users   those who pay 100 or more in bank fees in a year for overdrawing their bank accounts   are in their late teens through early 30s pew found
one reason younger consumers may be more affected is that they are more likely to use debit cards and debits make up the majority of transactions resulting in overdraft fees said joy hackenbracht a research officer with pew
frequent overdrafts are a financial burden she said
many banks let customers overspend their checking accounts when they do not have enough money to cover a purchase but then charge a fee   typically 35   known as an overdraft fee
a small proportion of customers pay the majority of overdraft fees pew found and they pay more than three such fees a year the typical debit transaction amount that results in an overdraft fee is 24
these customers are essentially using the overdraft option not just as an occasional courtesy but as an expensive form of short term credit pew found its also riskier credit pew said because unlike with other loans banks do not have to verify if a consumer has the financial ability to repay the debt and consumers do not have to be given a reasonable time to repay it
even if some consumers knowingly use overdrafts as a form of credit the practice should come with the protections that go with other types of loans said susan k weinstock director of consumer banking at pew
for instance she said banks should have to disclose the effective annual percentage rate on the overdraft protection which can be quite high
the findings come from a pew commissioned telephone survey of 304 heavy overdraft users in late 2014 social science research solutions screened more than 8400 people to find the participants the margin of sampling error is plus or minus 7 percentage points
in 2015 628 large banks that are required to report overdraft and insufficient fund fees said the charges totaled 1116 billion in revenue or almost two thirds of all the reporting banks fee revenue from consumer deposit accounts the consumer financial protection bureau said
younger consumers including those on college campuses may be more vulnerable to overdraft fees because many are managing their finances independently for the first time said christine lindstrom director of the higher education program of the united states public interest research group an advocacy organization
college students often open new accounts to receive their financial aid refunds   money left over after the institution deducts tuition and other costs   and may be caught off guard when the accounts charge overdraft fees she said
colleges often hire outside companies to distribute student financial aid and the companies promote their own debit cards as a convenient way for students to receive money
the department of education last year adopted rules banning the charging of overdraft fees on accounts used for student aid the rules take effect in july so they will be in place for the academic year starting in the fall
the rules however do not apply to other campus affiliated bank accounts that are not directly involved in the distribution of student financial aid students should shop around for banking services rather than just using those promoted by their schools said deborah goldstein executive vice president at the center for responsible lending
there might be better accounts available she said
the consumer financial protection bureau has been scrutinizing bank overdraft practices pews report urges the agency to adopt rules to make sure overdraft programs are used for infrequent and accidental occurrences
pews suggestions include a requirement that penalties be in proportion to the amount that caused the overdraft or to the banks costs in covering the transaction pew also suggested capping the number of overdraft fees to six small fees a year any fees over the cap should be covered by rules that govern other types of credit
here are some questions and answers about overdraft fees
# am i required to have overdraft protection on my checking account
no customers must opt in to receive overdraft coverage if you are getting overdraft fees and do not want to pay them contact your bank to stop the service be aware that any debit transactions that exceed your balance will be declined
while having overdraft coverage is voluntary consumers often misunderstand their options said ms weinstock at pew this is in part because banks do not always explain the choices clearly theres a lot of confusion she said
pews previous research found that many people who were charged overdraft fees did not recall choosing coverage
# is there a way to keep some overdraft protection yet minimize fees
you can often choose an overdraft transfer option which will move money from a linked savings account into a checking account when needed to cover a debit transaction there may still be a transfer fee but it is often much less than a typical overdraft fee
# how can i avoid overdraft fees
consumers should make use of an accounts automatic notification options which send text or email alerts when the balance falls below a certain level its very important to pay attention to your balance said ms goldstein at the center for responsible lending
she also suggested looking for a bank or credit union that offers accounts without overdraft services bank of america offers a safebalance account which does not charge overdraft fees transactions that would overdraw the account are declined


pennsylvania which holds its primary next tuesday uses a nonbinding loophole primary   and that could cost donald trump the republican nomination
if the state adopted the delegate rules of any other primary he would probably be an even money favorite or better to amass the 1237 delegates needed before the convention
instead his chances may come down to the whims of 54 unpledged pennsylvania delegates
no other state leaves so many of its delegates unbound   allowed to vote for whomever they please at the convention thats because it conducts its loophole primary in two parts first is the beauty contest which is a presidential primary preference vote the winner of the beauty contest gets all of pennsylvanias 17 at large and bonus delegates
but the remaining 54   the three delegates awarded to each congressional district   are unbound and elected in the delegate selection primary in this part voters directly elect delegates to the national convention what makes pennsylvanias gop delegate selection primary so distinctive is that the ballot includes no guidance on whom a delegate will support at the national convention the prospective democratic delegates commit to a candidate a voter will just see a list of names   some of whom might be recognizable but others might as well be joe schmo
its called a loophole primary because it could circumvent the delegate allocation rules voters could in theory elect a slate of delegates who unanimously support one candidate even in cases where a winner take all contest was prohibited
the result is that pennsylvania with the seventh most gop delegates of any state ranks 49th in pledged delegates its behind even puerto rico and the district of columbia
the other two states with loophole primaries   west virginia and illinois   take a somewhat different approach the delegates pledge whom theyll support and their preferences are listed alongside their names on the ballot
when you read articles about whether mr trump can reach 1237 pledged delegates by the convention these 54 delegates are held out of the analysis
mr trump would be favored to win a majority of pennsylvanias 71 delegates under any other primary system he leads by at least nine percentage points in every survey in the state and is ahead of ted cruz by an average of 44 percent to 28 percent according to the huffington post pollster hes up by a similar margin of 46 percent to 30 percent in the upshots demographic based model our model gives him an edge in 15 of the states 18 congressional districts
in a standard proportional allocation mr trump would probably be on track to win at least 40 of the states delegates in a winner take most system like indianas or californias mr trump would be favored to win at least 60 delegates
the difference matters a lot because mr trumps prize of 1237 hangs on a thread he is probably on track to finish a bit short of 1237 our model puts his projected delegate deficit as slightly less than the number of delegates left unpledged 54 in pennsylvania meaning he would be projected to win if they were bound delegates
although facing a challenge in pennsylvania mr trump has benefited from other quirks in the republican primary rules compared with the democrats rules the republican ones are far more favorable to a candidate who wins with a plurality of the vote and with the race as close as it is any number of tweaks in the rules could make mr trump a clear favorite   or an overwhelming underdog


to new yorkers greater mulberry street is typically considered nolita unless its northern chinatown or to those old enough to remember sinatra at the paramount little italy
maybe now its time to scrap those distinctions and give it a new nickname nopho for no phones
want to call and check if han kjobenhavn the euro chic boutique has that electric blue strangle knit sweater in a medium youre out of luck see how long the wait is going to be at the aussie chic cafe two hands no chance find out what color of hoodies are in stock at the flagship of skater influenced fashion label noah better wander on over lazy boy
i dont need it so i dont have it said brendon babenzien noahs owner referring to a landline phone in the store during a call that took several days to arrange i dont have a landline at home either
it is no secret that tweens and millennials long ago decided that person to person phone calls were decidedly retro and not in that fashionable old dylan vinyl albums way
and cellphones have made landlines at home redundant for many as of last year only about half of american households had a landline compared with about 90 percent in 2004 according to government data compiled by statista a statistics database
its different for businesses which presumably want to keep as many channels of potential customer interaction open as possible even online behemoths like zappos have made their live call centers a cornerstone of their business their parent company amazon less so
but in an era of google maps yelp and opentable restaurant telephones these days in particular often seem almost atavistic functioning as little more than life support systems for voice mail sinkholes that no one ever seems to check as countless diners can attest
at least some forward thinking proprietors prefer the online algorithms to handle the busywork   reservations directions   so they can carve out time to run a restaurant
our restaurants are chef owned and operated so we do more cooking shopping and cleaning than phone answering said jody williams a partner at the critically lauded and phone free west village restaurant via carota if you want to know if you left your umbrella behind email please
but efficiency is only part of the equation for moody manhattan cocktail lounges like the raines law room dear irving and the bennett going phoneless seems to bestow a certain cachet an aura of under the radar cool
if you call ahead and ask is it busy whats going on hows the wait that takes some of the surprise out of it said meaghan dorman a partner in those lounges in an interview that also took multiple days to arrange going without a phone conversely helps keep up the mystique she said you can only get so much information
this shift from the phone to the internet dovetails with a speakeasy chic ethos that has long been a part of new york night life over the last decade or so there was milk  honey a temple of mixology hidden behind a lower east side storefront milk  honey was almost impossible to find and even harder to book with its unlisted phone number exchanged like a secret handshake among in the know types
even before that in the 90s keith mcnallys balthazar   then a white hot nexus of the celebrity class and the media elite   was known to have a secret insiders only reservations number which could actually help power brokers secure a table
nowadays withholding a phone altogether can still help foster in some small way a sense of clubby exclusivity
at two hands the cafe on mulberry street that emphasizes its community focus on its website the lack of a phone functions as a velvet rope allowing management to make sure it can accommodate neighborhood regulars before day trippers looking to call ahead for reservations
we have a lot of locals we know their names they say hi we have a conversation said nick duckworth a surfer ish young manager during a recent visit as diners sampled dishes like ricotta toast with coconut and chia amid hanging lamps modeled after puffy clouds and walls covered with framed art
everyones welcome and no one deserves to call ahead and reserve he said it all comes back to community
and at noah in a space as coolly minimalist as a west chelsea art gallery shoppers never need fear a phone call violating their discerning appreciation of the earth uber alles t shirts and shoes trimmed with pony fur
people come in they like the music were playing they have a nice conversation mr babenzien said a ringing phone is really disruptive to the vibe
besides patrons have other options to connect many options in addition to email which itself seems old fashioned these days many restaurants for example now interact with customers continuously through instagram and twitter say exchanging snapshots of the latest specials
unlike a phone or email those channels give people a feel of a persons presence said jason wang who tweets and grams with the fervor of a kardashian in support of his buzzed about regional chinese restaurant chain xian famous foods
this is not to say that dumping the phone always makes life easier there are after all times when shoppers actually want to get someone on the phone quickly say to check if a certain item is in stock instead of sending an email and praying for a response that may or may not come
unplugging can add labor on one end even as it saves labor on the other at fifty paces a phone free wine bar in the east village management is forced to convey time sensitive messages by actual humans walking yes 50 paces from hearth its sister restaurant down the block said christine wright a manager   shades of the inca couriers
if nothing else though getting rid of the phone can actually help proprietors do what they should be doing in the first place serving the customers in front of them said joseph marazzo who owns virgola an intimate wine and oyster bar with locations in both the west and east village
mr marazzo decided to go phone free at virgola based on his experiences as a headwaiter at a prominent new york restaurant
everyone calls with these crazy requests im coming with a group im coming with a celebrity he said fifty percent of the time they dont show up but youre not worrying about the person who is in your space because youre paying attention to the people who might show up


washington   irans central bank must pay nearly 2 billion to victims of terrorist attacks the supreme court ruled on wednesday
in a 6 to 2 decision the court said congress had not exceeded its constitutional role in enacting a statute to make it easier for the plaintiffs to recover damages that had been awarded to them in a series of lawsuits
the cases were brought by the families of americans killed in terrorist attacks found to have been sponsored by iran including relatives of those who died in the 1983 marine corps barracks bombing in lebanon that attack killed 241 servicemen
the plaintiffs sought to collect frozen funds from bank markazi irans central bank relying on a 2012 federal law the iran threat reduction and syria human rights act that made the task easier by specifying assets of the bank that could satisfy the plaintiffs judgments the law was quite specific naming a single pending consolidated case by caption and docket number
as a trial judge put it the law sweeps away any federal or state law impediments that might otherwise exist to letting the plaintiffs obtain the money
the bank responded that the law violated the constitution because it was focused on a single case and compelled courts to reach a predetermined result
justice ruth bader ginsburg rejected the argument saying congress has the power to alter legal standards in existing cases
in dissent chief justice john g roberts jr said there has never been anything like the 2012 law
hereafter he wrote with this courts seal of approval congress can unabashedly pick the winners and losers in particular pending cases
but justice ginsburg said the law was fairly routine listing earlier ones that applied to given railroads a single bridge a specific settlement agreement and one oil tanker
congress may indeed direct courts to apply newly enacted outcome altering legislation in pending civil cases she wrote adding that a statute does not impinge on judicial power when it directs courts to apply a new legal standard to undisputed facts
the 2012 law she wrote provides a new standard clarifying that if iran owns certain assets the victims of iran sponsored terrorist attacks will be permitted to execute against those assets
applying laws implementing congress policy judgments with fidelity to those judgments is commonplace for the judiciary justice ginsburg wrote
in any event justice ginsburg wrote the 2012 law still left courts with work to do as it did not define key terms courts were required to sort out questions over the ownership and location of assets she added
the decision in bank markazi v peterson no 14 770 came as the united states and iran have taken steps to ease tensions justice ginsburg said the court should be wary of intruding on judgments made by congress and the president in the conduct of foreign affairs
congress passed and the president signed the 2012 law justice ginsburg wrote in furtherance of their stance on a matter of foreign policy action in that realm warrants respectful review by courts
the obama administration supported the plaintiffs in the supreme court when the case was argued in january a lawyer for the administration drew a distinction between laws intended solely to pick a winner in a pending case and ones that changed the applicable law even if only for a pending case
chief justice roberts said that was a distinction without a difference youre saying congress has to be cute about it he said
justices anthony m kennedy stephen g breyer samuel a alito jr and elena kagan joined all of justice ginsburgs opinion justice clarence thomas joined most of it but he noted without explanation that he did not accept the part of the opinion concerning the deference due the other branches in matters of foreign affairs
in dissent chief justice roberts joined by justice sonia sotomayor said the majority had yielded too much power to congress
no less than if it had passed a law saying respondents win the chief justice wrote congress has decided this case by enacting a bespoke statute tailored to this case that resolves the parties specific legal disputes to guarantee respondents victory
the 2012 law he wrote allowed congress to assume a role that the constitution had committed to the judiciary changing the law   for these proceedings alone   simply to guarantee that respondents win
at issue here is a basic principle not a technical rule chief justice roberts wrote one that he said quoting a 1988 dissent from justice antonin scalia may effect important change in the equilibrium of power


it has been a rough few weeks for donald j trump and his team a bruising loss in wisconsin a public campaign shake up and some high profile missteps and gaffes including his reference to the attacks on the world trade center as occurring on 7 11
in a lengthy interview in his office on the 26th floor of trump tower on tuesday shortly after casting a ballot for himself and hours before the polls closed the usually boastful mr trump seemed a bit more humbled as he reflected on his evolving campaign and looked to the challenges ahead
alongside his oldest son donald j trump jr and his spokeswoman hope hicks mr trump spoke freely talking about whether to court delegates with lavish perks like visits to his mansions
below are some condensed excerpts from the conversation
on what it was like to vote for himself in new york on tuesday i got over to the booth a lot of people on the street obviously they saw somebody was coming and when i got out it was all cheers and then i went in and i got the voter slip and i saw my name and i said oh thats very interesting im voting for myself as president of the united states and it does sort of hit you a little bit differently than when youre thinking of it in a different context you see your name and it says president of the united states on a quite nicely printed form and check the box and its very big for not very many names so its a great honor honestly its a great honor
on the recent shake up he ordered which diminished the role of corey lewandowski his campaign manager well now we are evolving im very happy with my people   the people that both got me here and the people that will take it to the next level i think that corey and my whole group im just very happy with them weve become something thats a very big thing
on jeb bush i think jeb would have been the nominee had i not gotten in but i was able to define jeb early
on what he sees as his unique ability to bring fresh thinking to old issues dont forget im the one that when jeb would say the country was safe when my brother was president i said excuse me the world trade center came down do you know nobody thought of that its like the paper clip nobody thought about the paper clip except for the guy that thought of it and he became rich and everyone else said why didnt i think of that idea
on the race for delegates its a rigged system its a disgraceful disgusting rigged system in the republican party worse than the democratic party because in the democratic case its obvious with superdelegates look at bernie he wins every week and everyone says he cant win in the democrat party its obvious because they have a superdelegate thats like throwing it in your face the republican party is worse the republican party has a system where you can buy the delegates if you want and you can do anything you want with a delegate except give them cash i can play the game better   i can fly them on a 757 to mar a lago i can fly them to california where i own a place thats unbelievable on the pacific ocean but its a bad system youre buying the election its really wrong and im looking into it legally
on whether he will emphasize the economy and trade in the pennsylvania and indiana primaries i think my message is so incredible for those two places because theyve been decimated theyve been decimated there are some places where it wouldnt work as well
on ted cruz possibly beating him in the delegate race look other than the fact that hes using a corrupt system and rigged system to get delegates hed be out of it already he cant win but how do you pick a guy whos down millions of votes and many hundreds of delegates im already over 200 delegates up so how do you do that do you understand thats pretty hard i won the voters voted for me i think youd have bedlam in the party on top of it cruz is not a popular guy hes not liked
on senator marco rubio of floridas attempts to wage a war of insults with him he played don rickles and then i played don rickles times five and then he stopped they had to try something all right
on not wanting to woo delegates i dont like the process of it   youre buying the election im not ruling anything out but ill tell you what   i think that theres a serious legal challenge to all of this and it starts with the super pacs this is a very serious dilemma for the republican party
on whether he actually wants the job of president or simply wants to win look theres no greater honor but im not doing it for the honor im doing it because i really believe that with substance intelligence and having the proper decision making ability which i have we can make this country so successful so fast we can bring it back you know make america great again which is also a great slogan
on how the past year has turned out for him a couple of people who know me actually said be careful what you wish for it was very interesting it was a compliment well they understand that i win my life is winning i win i know how to win most people dont know how to win in golf in sports in life   i win always better knock on wood knocks on his desk


kara lacey 33 does it after a long day of work sometimes accompanied by a glass of wine its super relaxing fun and nostalgic said ms lacey a publicist who lives in hoboken nj
alex bender 29 a real estate executive in soho did it during a recent jaunt to montauk ny its nice to concentrate on something thats lighthearted fun and simple which i dont often get to do he said
nikki marsh 35 a stay at home mother in woodcliff lake nj does it with fellow moms when they need to relax its a special time when were not allowed to talk about school or kids ms marsh said
the newest device to promote mindfulness and inspire 20  and 30 somethings to put down their phones for hours it isnt a new swipe left app and doesnt involve overpriced stretchy pants
its coloring books for adults which have been gaining traction booksellers say enthusiasts claim that coloring is therapeutic fosters creativity and reaps benefits associated with meditation
as adults we need a chance to escape from our everyday life and do something thats totally meditative said kelsey montague an artist in denver who recently released an adult coloring book titled what lifts you once you start coloring all you have to worry about is staying in the lines and which color to use its an amazing escape
celebrities have also gotten into the craze victoria beckham recently posted a photograph of herself on instagram with a copy of the vogue colouring book peeking out of her handbag
the book released in november features designs inspired by the fashion pages of the british edition of the magazine during the 1950s including ready to wear by christian dior givenchy and chanel
kate hudson posted a snapchat video of her coloring aboard a plane en route to a kung fu panda 3 premiere
the trend is having an impact in stores as much as on social media at words a popular bookstore in maplewood nj coloring took off after a group of monks visited the town last summer and taught residents how to create mandala drawings with rice
after the monks left people came in looking for books on coloring said lisa matalon a saleswoman at the store i guess it all stems from the same process of mindfulness and relaxation
words is now stocked with an array of adult coloring books and accouterments like colored pencils and markers the most popular books ms matalon said are enchanted forest and secret garden both by johanna basford who is considered the godmother of the movement with her best selling coloring books
customers are also requesting coloring books based on popular books like the harry potter series and game of thrones
ms lacey said she discovered adult coloring last october when one of her clients the australian apparel label cotton on hosted a party for its new lifestyle brand typo and featured a crafts table with coloring books
the books came in handy for ms lacey who underwent foot surgery in january and had to stay off her feet for two weeks i was told that i shouldnt be doing normal activities like going out or working out so to counteract the netflix hole i was falling into i took some coloring books home she said i was able to put the phone aside for a few hours and really unwind
now back on her feet ms lacey continues to color at home after work
melissa rappaport the founder of the public relations firm rapparound in los angeles received a coloring book in december as a gift from an employee over the holidays she and her husband drank wine and sat around coloring
while ms rappaport found the activity soothing it didnt quite replace her unlimited data usage id love to say it made me put down my phone she said but i had to snapchat my progress so my followers could see the whole thing happen


when the women in the sistahs on the reading edge book club were thrown off a train touring napa valley wineries last august after they were laughing loudly accusations of racial bias a hashtag and headlines soon followed so did a lawsuit claiming millions in damages now the matter has been settled in mediation and the women want to move on
one of the women lisa johnson of antioch calif said wednesday that she could not discuss financial details of the settlement that was reached through private mediation last thursday with the company the napa valley wine train the matter was resolved on terms acceptable to all parties last week ms johnson said
the group of 11 women 10 of them black and one white filed the lawsuit two months after the episode in august when the group was escorted off the train for laughing and talking too loudly then met by police officers at the station where they disembarked the confrontation went viral and inspired the hashtag laughingwhileblack where people shared stories of racial bias particularly that encountered while traveling the group sought 11 million in damages from the company after two of the women claimed they had lost their jobs as a result of the fallout the san jose mercury news reported
since the news of the settlement ms johnson an author and life coach said that people have been supportive on social media and that the book club has seen more requests to join than usual but she has also noticed an uptick in racially charged comments directed at the group on social media in an email she shared an example of some of the posts left on her public facebook page good old ghetto behavior   have you no shame cant you control yourselves the post read
we all have biases ms johnson said adding that finding the courage to behave differently is the conversation many americans should be having
the napa valley wine train which did not immediately return a request for comment on wednesday claimed last august that it was not racial bias but acute insensitivity that motivated staff members to remove the women from the train a spokesman for the company sam singer said then that passengers are removed around once a month the wine train company found itself backtracking after a facebook post that accused the women of physical and verbal abuse turned out to be wrong and was deleted
ms johnson said that the book club was looking forward to returning to normal she said the group meets on the fourth sunday of every month and plans a yearly visit to napa valley another jaunt on the wine train is not in the works however
i think were going to stick to limousines as our designated driver ms johnson said


sheldon silver the former state assembly speaker offered an emotional apology to the judge who will sentence him next month saying in a letter filed on wednesday that he had failed the people of new york
what i have done he wrote has hurt the assembly and new york and my constituents terribly and i regret that more than i can possibly express
mr silvers expression of contrition came the same day that federal prosecutors filed court papers suggesting that he be sentenced to more than 14 years in prison for his conviction on corruption charges
the government did not propose a specific sentence but asked for a prison term substantially in excess of the 10 years that the courts probation office had recommended for mr silver prosecutors also said the sentence should be greater than any sentence imposed on other new york state legislators convicted of public corruption offenses
the longest such sentence in recent years appears to be the one imposed on william f boyland jr a former assemblyman who was convicted in a bribery case in federal district court in brooklyn and was sentenced last year to 14 years in prison
mr silver is scheduled to be sentenced on may 3 in federal district court in manhattan in a short letter to the judge valerie e caproni he said he had been advised by his lawyers not to comment on the facts of the case or on the verdict given a possible appeal but that he wanted to apologize i failed the people of new york he wrote there is no question about it other than my family serving my constituents was the most important thing to me
mr silver in what appeared to be his first substantive public comment on the case since his conviction said that because of his actions new yorks ethics rules were and continue to be analyzed evaluated and criticized everywhere
he said he had worked for years to make sure the assembly and its members were respected as a legislative body because of me the government has been ridiculed he wrote i let my peers down i let the people of the state down and i let down my constituents   the people of lower manhattan that i live among and fought for they deserve better
in mr silvers case the federal sentencing guidelines which are only advisory suggest a sentence between roughly 22 and 27 years prosecutors said in a memorandum filed with the judge while the government said a sentence in that range would not be unreasonable or unjust it did not specifically request one
any sentence surpassing mr boylands 14 years would mean that mr silver 72 might well spend the rest of his life in prison the government also asked that he forfeit more than 5 million in proceeds from his crimes and be fined at least 1 million more
the sentence imposed on silver should reflect the unprecedented magnitude duration and scope of his abuse of power prosecutors in the office of preet bharara the united states attorney for the southern district of new york wrote to the judge
while mr silvers lawyers in their own sentencing memo did not specify a term in years they suggested that a long one was unnecessary and that mr silver should be allowed to continue to employ his unique talents to benefit others
a sentence that incorporates extensive community service and little   if any   incarceration could do that they said
mr silver a manhattan democrat was one of the most powerful politicians in state government until he was forced to step down as speaker after his arrest last year he was convicted after a five week trial of all seven counts against him including honest services fraud extortion and money laundering six of the seven counts carry maximum prison terms of 20 years apiece
the government showed that mr silver had obtained nearly 4 million in illegal payments in return for taking official actions that benefited a cancer expert at columbia university and two real estate developers in new york
mr bhararas office also cited evidence beyond the crimes for which mr silver had been convicted like allegations that he misused his office for personal benefit as prosecutors put it to help two women with whom he had extramarital relationships that evidence was cited in documents unsealed by the judge last week
mr silver forfeited his seat upon his conviction in a special election on tuesday for the seat he formerly held alice cancel a democrat defeated yuh line niou a working families party candidate the seat will be up for election again in november


name your price thats the proposition that fans of the walking dead comic book were facing on wednesday as a new digital only issue of the series was released visitors to panel syndicate will be able to decide how much if anything they want to spend on the comic the walking dead the alien
influencing their decision may be that the regular team of robert kirkman who began the series in 2003 and charlie adlard who has drawn it since 2004 has been replaced but they may be assuaged by who has taken over the walking dead the alien is by brian k vaughan and marcos martin the critically acclaimed team behind panel syndicate the pay what you will site that offers digital comics directly to readers
but lets cut to the relatively spoiler free chase the 28 page story does not disappoint while the regular comic has explored life in a world where zombies have overrun the united states the alien is more global the story begins in barcelona spain where mr martin the artist was born and raised which gives his detailed cityscapes added authenticity he decided to work in black and white to complement the format of the continuing the walking dead series and makes bold use of light and shadow along with unexpectedly powerful splashes of color
mr martin said that the locale was in line with panel syndicates international reach it also meshes well with barrier his and mr vaughans new series about illegal immigration there may have been a third reason too probably that brian would like my brain eaten by a zombie mr martin said thats my only influence in the actual plot of the story
speaking of mr vaughan the alien has his signature style snappy dialogue excellent pacing and a confounding of readers expectations im a walking dead fan boy he said he bought his local comics stores last copy of issue no 1 back in 2003 i knew there were some deep questions that robert has hinted at over the course of the years he added and this was his chance to explore one
this idea for the comic started as a lark last year when mr vaughan took over panel syndicates twitter account and encouraged questions mr kirkman and eric stephenson the publisher of image comics had already been after him and mr martin to consider a print edition of the private eye the syndicates first project
mr kirkman sensed an opportunity that day ill antagonize him a little more and ask him in public he said in a tweet he said can image print a collect of the private eye yet cmon mr vaughans response after panel syndicate gets our walking dead one shot
i responded deal mr kirkman recalled i wasnt 100 percent serious but i wasnt going to let him respond like that and win
eventually all the creators involved realized that no one was joking mr vaughan and mr martin allowed a hardcover edition of the private eye which was published by image in december and they were given the green light to produce a walking dead story
its such a crazy thing mr kirkman said even if someone was a friend with someone at marvel you could never do that with the avengers because this series is creator owned the circumstances were different i dont answer to anyone mr kirkman said im supposed to do cool stuff like this to show what can be done
there was some red tape but it was relatively painless while mr vaughan and mr martin will enjoy the proceeds from the digital sales of the alien mr kirkman will have the right to print the issue and will own the characters i may do an action figure at some point and you have to be ok with that he said
comic book fans typically want more so questions about a sequel are inevitable if they ever have an itch to come back and explore this world im open to it mr kirkman said unless people start talking about how much better their issue is than the ones i do with charlie adlard then ill have it pulled offline and never be seen again i am prepared for that


the ultimate fighting championship is suddenly and unexpectedly in danger of losing one of its biggest stars conor mcgregor if he really is leaving the sport the return of jon jones on saturday after 15 months away from the octagon becomes more and more important to the organization
mcgregor has been the ufcs headliner since ronda rouseys defeat in november he is devastating in the ring and funny and flamboyant outside it even after an unexpected loss to nate diaz in march he was considered the biggest star in the organization because of his strong pay per view numbers and the mainstream media attention he receives
then came this bizarre message on his twitter account on tuesday
i have decided to retire young thanks for the cheese catch yas later
reaction was fast confused and voluminous by wednesday morning the message had been reposted 150000 times
many fans first response was that it must be a joke mcgregor is a huge star and just breaking into the really big money he was scheduled for a rematch against diaz in july at ufc 200 in las vegas a fight that would have made him millions win or lose
was the message an effort to hype the fight or was it the result of a dispute over money with the ufc some speculated that mcgregor was shaken because he had attended a fight on april 9 in dublin that resulted in a fighter joao carvalho dying of injuries he had suffered in the ring but the flip nature of mcgregors post made that seem unlikely
diaz responded lightheartedly in a post of his own i guess my work here is done im retiring too
the next move belonged to the ufc which announced that mcgregor would be removed from its ufc 200 card dashing hopes that the whole thing was a joke
but dana white the ufc president said mcgregor had been scratched only because he had declined to do promotional work conor did not want to come to las vegas and film the commercial or be a part of any of the marketing white t old espn is conor mcgregor retiring only he can answer that question i dont know but hes not fighting at ufc 200
white said that he would add more fights to the card including one for diaz he also said he was open to mcgregors continuing his ufc career if he does not retire
mcgregor has been silent on twitter since his bombshell
in december mcgregor known as the notorious cemented his place at the top of the sport by beating the longtime featherweight champion jose aldo who was at the time ranked as the best pound for pound fighter in the ufc mcgregor knocked him out in just 13 seconds
next mcgregor moved up two weight classes to welterweight only to lose by choke in the second round to diaz their rematch and the rest of mcgregors career were highly anticipated by his fans and detractors alike
jones once held the mantle of the ufcs biggest star though seems like a long time ago he won the light heavyweight championship in 2011 at age 23 and defended it eight times often with insouciant ease
joness problems came outside the ring he was involved in a hit and run accident in albuquerque a year ago and was stripped of his title he pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident and was sentenced to probation
he will return saturday at ufc 197 still only 28 and still possessing a sterling career record of 21 1 the championship he once held is now in the hands of daniel cormier whom jones beat in his last bout but cormier is injured so jones will fight for the interim title against ovince st preux most people think the old jon jones will return he is a 5 to 1 favorite in the bout
rousey will also return perhaps in november at the first ufc card in new york city
with mcgregor in limbo the ufc may need both rousey and jones to keep its place in the sports conversation


the united nations refugee agency said on wednesday that 500 people may have died in the choppy waters of the mediterranean last week when a large boat packed with migrants from africa and the middle east capsized in an unknown location between libya and italy
if confirmed it would be the worst humanitarian calamity in europes migrant crisis since more than 800 people died last april near libyan shores as they tried to reach italy
the agency based its findings on interviews with 41 survivors of the shipwreck although it was not able to verify the episode independently the migrants   23 somalis 11 ethiopians six egyptians and a sudanese   were picked up by a merchant ship near greece on april 16 after days of drifting at sea they were transferred to a migrant camp in kalamata a city on the greek mainland
their stories helped lift a cloud of confusion about the episode ever since rumors of the sinking emerged over the weekend but they did not resolve the questions of where the ship went down or what the ultimate death toll may be no national coast guards have reported finding the boat
if accurate however the testimonies suggest that human smugglers are operating as aggressively as ever on the mediterranean route even as a recent european union deal with turkey has stemmed the flow across the aegean sea
and while there is no indication that syrians and others who had been trying to reach greece are now employing different routes it is clear that africans and others remain willing to risk everything to flee repression poverty and war
a deal that went into effect on march 20 to deport migrants reaching greece from turkey has reduced the number of people coming over the aegean a perilous voyage that killed around 800 last year but the policy appears to have prompted smugglers to return to previously abandoned dangerous routes through libya to italy   the same path used by the 800 migrants who drowned in an overloaded boat a year ago
according to the survivors in kalamata a similar situation unfolded late last week although the exact date was not clear said william spindler a spokesman for the united nations high commissioner for refugees smugglers had arranged for a so called mother ship to leave the libyan coast and head toward italy loaded with hundreds of people in terribly overcrowded conditions
soon afterward a second boat about 30 yards long set off from near tobruk libya with between 100 and 200 people aboard after several hours it neared the larger ship which was waiting somewhere off shore
the smugglers began unloading migrants from the smaller boat onto the larger ship the survivors told united nations workers as people boarded the big boat it began to list then it capsized spilling passengers into the sea where most of them drowned amid a panicked frenzy the survivors included people who had not yet left the smaller vessel and a handful who managed to swim to it as the larger ship went down
i could see the bigger boat sinking liban qadar jama a native of somaliland was quoted as telling the voice of americas somali service this week we ran with the small boat we were in as some migrants from the sunk boat desperately swam toward us we could only save four of them he told the voa
in a statement the refugee agency called for increased regular pathways for the admission of refugees and asylum seekers to europe to reduce the demand for people smuggling and dangerous irregular sea journeys
reports of the sinking emerged over the weekend on facebook and social media from somalia somalias ambassador to egypt then told bbc arabic based on the social media reports that more than 400 migrants were thought to have drowned
yet as the stories began to circulate no one seemed to be able to confirm what had happened and conflicting narratives have emerged about whether the mass sinking had occurred at all social media posts referred to migrant boats running from egypt to italy as being caught up in the disaster although the united nations said survivors did not confirm that in their accounts
the somali government issued a statement on monday stating that 200 to 300 somalis including numerous teenagers appeared to have drowned but the greek coast guard and the italian and maltese rescue authorities denied knowledge of the episode
the international organization for migration said on monday that it could not confirm any news of any deaths or shipwrecks and the egyptian coast guard and interior ministry which is in charge of the police said they had heard the news from the media and had no knowledge of any boats leaving alexandria recently
there is so much pressure you have a boat rescuing people in libya a boat arriving elsewhere and another sinking in greece said muhammad al kashef an egyptian activist working with refugees and migrants in alexandria it just makes it very hard to document things
in fact after nearly 13 hours of calls to somali activists and community leaders in and out of egypt mr kashef said what he was able to ascertain was only that an unspecified number of people have drowned somewhere near greece having left from egypt monday morning
they told me they received calls from the survivors of mondays shipwreck in greece saying their relatives died he added
as the rumors spread european officials rushed to make statements president sergio mattarella of italy said in rome on monday that europe was looking at yet another tragedy in the mediterranean in which it seems several hundred people have died


last month the stand up comedian margaret cho had a bad set at the stress factory in new jersey it happens ok it was worse than usual since a clip of ms cho being booed by the crowd showed up on tmz but for a comic bombing is part of the job whats less common is getting a second chance with the same audience
thats the goal for an unusual show on thursday engineered by jerry seinfeld after ms cho told him of the bad set during a taping of an episode of his web series comedians in cars getting coffee
in an invitation sent to all the ticketbuyers from her late night show in new brunswick on march 26 mr seinfeld wrote at most workplaces if theres a problem on the job theres a conversation and usually some sort of outcome but when a stand up show doesnt go well the audience and the comedian both go home unhappy sometimes not really sure what went wrong
then mr seinfeld made a proposal so as i was talking with margaret about this show last week during the taping in la we started wondering wouldnt it be something if we could go back to new jersey back to that club with the same audience and try to make things right have a discussion where both sides   comedian and audience   could talk about what happened and then both of us could do a show   a sort of redo for the audience
at the club mr seinfeld will moderate a discussion between the comic and the audience and then perform a stand up set followed by one by ms cho the whole show will be taped for comedians in cars the club owner has offered to give the patrons who attended the previous show free tickets
in the same invitation ms cho conceded that her original set didnt go well but made a pitch that this follow up could be a rare opportunity this show is the first time anything like this has happened in this industry she wrote and i am proud to stand up for this club and give us another chance together


yahoos first quarter is the last straw an 11 percent drop in revenue for the first three months of the year puts an exclamation point on the lack of progress in almost four years with marissa mayer as chief executive google and facebook are cleaning up in digital advertising especially mobile its time to offload yahoos core business before bidders like verizon lose interest
ms mayers enthusiasm is unflagging even after the poor showing reported on tuesday which included an operating loss of 167 million she keeps talking about her ability to kick start growth while considering other alternatives its hard to see what options are left
yahoos so called mavens are moving at an analog pace this mayer named collection of mobile social native and video ads represent a little more than a third of yahoos top line and grew only 7 percent in the first quarter by comparison facebooks mobile ad revenue increased 81 percent in the fourth quarter from a year earlier and accounted for nearly the entire 58 billion generated
most companies put a gloss on themselves when they are up for sale to woo suitors yahoo a 35 billion company that has lurched from strategy to strategy is struggling to manage even that ms mayer is making potential bidders listen to prerecorded messages while providing little financial detail according to media reports it suggests that there may be something messy inside or that the chief executive isnt especially keen to sell
despite having to press for the pitch book suitors are showing interest nonetheless the telecom titan verizon communications signaled it would bid in an attempt to marry yahoo with aol which it acquired last year for 4 billion the private equity firm tpg capital and the digital advertising remains of the phone book publisher yellow pages also may be in the mix
some potential bidders have already hung up on yahoo comcast att time and barry dillers internet hodgepodge iac are among those that media reports say considered making offers but did not
yahoo expects the second quarter to be even worse with at least a 12 percent decline in sales from a year ago given that outlook ms mayer has only one last job to do at yahoo she may be running short on time however to get this one right


earth day which takes place on friday has become an increasingly well known event as politicians billionaires and others take part in building awareness about the environment you too can participate in earth day with apps that remind you how to add a touch of green to your life
goodguide is particularly helpful in that regard the idea behind the app is that instead of being a slave to advertising while shopping people can make informed choices goodguide has a database of more than 200000 products sold in the united states including food and skin care products it details how much particular goods affect the environment and your health and whether the products are energy efficient
goodguides clear graphics and simple interface make it easy to search for a particular product there is even a built in bar code scanner to find data on various items which can be handy in a supermarket the app is free on ios and android
its sometimes easy to forget that we share our planet with other animals many of whom are threatened by humankinds changes to their habitats and lives this is something the world wildlife funds wwf together can tell you about
using photos animations and interactive graphics the app lays out the stories of endangered animals around the globe the beautiful images speak for themselves in many cases but the program also has plenty of data   for example it points out that efforts to protect the endangered giant panda in china have helped increase the number of wild pandas over the last decade wwf together also has 360 degree photos of habitats as well as educational games
a lot of the content is free but unlocking all the available material costs 2 wwf together is available on ios and android
climate is a different sort of environmental awareness app that lets you take part in activism from the comfort of your sofa or office desk you can customize the apps settings to be told about the kind of environmental issues that matter to you be they topic specific regional or global it then pulls together relevant actions promoted by hundreds of different environmental groups
tapping on one of the actions reveals more information and you can sign up for alerts on news that interests you the app makes it easy to share information on social media aiming to educate more people climate is free on ios
to get an amazing scientific and pictorial view of whats happening to our planet look no further than earth now from nasa which is free on ios and android this app is built around a stunning interactive 3 d model of earth that shows graphics of sea level changes and other detailed information like carbon dioxide levels
the app is designed to be a hands on way to discover information about our planet nasa updates the data regularly adding up to the minute content like satellite images of large storms and other major events its fascinating to dial through the content and the visuals are striking
lastly check out tinybops the earth this is a simplified version of the earth now app aimed at teaching children about environmental matters including volcanos and erosion it has a gamelike interface that uses simple but eye catching graphics the app does not delve into man made environmental problems but helps to give users a fundamental understanding of how our planet works its free on ios
the point of many of these apps is to help spur action so dont forget to put down your phone too
dials calendar offers a surprising new way to view coming calendar events   as a clock face display which is very different from the traditional listlike view or week to a page display i found this sort of visualization of calendar events really helped me get a grip on what i have planned and how much time each event will take up the app is free on ios


has kansas state university given fraternity members a free pass when it comes to accusations of rape
that is the question posed in two lawsuits filed wednesday which say the university refused to investigate accusations of rapes at greek organizations because their houses are not on the universitys campus
two kansas state students sara weckhorst and tessa farmer say they ran up against that policy after they reported having been raped at two separate fraternity houses in 2014 and 2015
the women say they now fear running into the men they say raped them when they are on the manhattan kan campus because the university would not take action according to the lawsuits filed wednesday in federal court in kansas
a lawyer for the two women cari simon of washington dc said their cases were also under investigation by the united states department of education their lawsuits say the university violated title ix a civil rights statute prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex by failing to respond to their complaints of rape title ix generally governs gender equity in education
the women are seeking both monetary damages and orders that the university investigate their accusations
a kansas state spokeswoman cindy hollingsworth said in an emailed statement kansas state university does not discuss litigation matters in the media nor do we publicly discuss individual reports of discrimination including sexual violence
the university has a strong policy prohibiting discrimination including sexual violence and provides a multitude of resources and assistance to students and employees the statement said the universitys anti discrimination policy can be found at httpwwwk stateedupoliciesppm30003010html the policy addresses off campus conduct in compliance with title ix
it was the second case involving alleged sexual assault filed against a kansas university in two days on tuesday a member of the womens rowing team at the university of kansas in lawrence filed suit saying the university had mishandled her complaint of sexual assault by a football player
the education department has advised universities that they are required under title ix to investigate accusations of off campus rapes of students specifically citing off campus fraternity houses kansas state recognizes 25 fraternities all their houses are off campus
the fact that the alleged misconduct took place off campus does not relieve the school of its obligation to investigate the complaint the department said in a document in 2014 that explains the responsibility of universities to investigate sexual violence a similar directive was contained in a 2011 letter to universities
adele p kimmel a lawyer with the public interest law group public justice said the universitys decision not to investigate complaints of rape at off campus fraternity houses appeared to directly contravene the department of education guidance and also sent a poor message to those off campus fraternities its basically saying to fraternities just make sure you commit rape at the fraternities and not on campus  ms kimmel said
a consultant who advises universities on title ix issues steven j healy of margolis healy said if the incident involves two students its very likely to create a hostile environment on campus therefore the institution would be required to investigate if it knew or should have known
neither ms weckhorst nor ms farmer would agree to be interviewed in their legal complaints they express frustration at the universitys unwillingness to investigate their accusations as well as fear of running into the men on campus police complaints were filed in both cases
ms weckhorst 21 of doylestown pa said in her complaint that she became incapacitated from drinking too much alcohol at a fraternity party in april 2014 while a freshman at kansas state the fraternity was not named in the complaint but the new york times has learned it was allegedly sigma nu
a fraternity member took her to his truck and raped her the complaint says while fellow students observed taking video and photographs he again assaulted ms weckhorst in a fraternity sleep room the complaint says
several hours later ms weckhorsts complaint says she awoke at the fraternity house while another man was raping her
it was only then that she learned she had been raped earlier the complaint says when her second assailant informed her that she had been penetrated by two fraternity brothers on the same day
an oklahoma city based lawyer for sigma nu arthur hoge said the fraternitys own investigation found that no member of sigma nu was the alleged assailant and no off campus chapter event or party occurred on the day of the event
ms weckhorst sought medical treatment the following day and filed a complaint with the university meantime references to the alleged rape circulated on yik yak and other social media sites
according to the lawsuit even as the university refused to investigate the accusation of rape it sanctioned sigma nu for serving alcohol
how is it that a fraternity house is off campus but ksu can charge them with drinking violations but not raping me ms weckhorst asked in a note to university officials
since the events ms weckhorsts grades have suffered and she lost an academic scholarship the complaint says this will continue to affect our daughter for the rest of her life ms weckhorsts mother wrote to the university
ms farmer 21 of overland park kans tells a similar story in her complaint after drinking too much at a fraternity party she says she blacked out on a bed in the fraternity house she awoke as an unknown man was raping her her complaint says the times learned that the fraternity is phi delta theta but it was not named in the complaint
after seeking medical treatment and undergoing a rape test ms farmers complaint says she made her accusations to a university office she says she was told the university would not investigate because its policy specifies that it covers behaviors that happen on campus and at university sponsored events which does not cover fraternity houses
fearful that the man she says raped her whose identity she did not know might be sitting beside her in class ms farmer became depressed and ultimately slit her wrist her complaint says
sean s wagner chief operating officer of phi delta thetas national office said in a statement that his office became aware of the allegations in february of this year an investigation occurred determining it was an isolated incident and the person responsible was removed from membership mr wagner said from march 2015 when the rape is said to have occurred and february 2016 neither the university the local police nor the department of education notified the fraternity of the allegations mr wagner said
a consultant hired by kansas state to review the climate of its campus rankin and associates consulting found last year that some students and staff members felt the university had been unresponsive to complaints after unwanted sexual conduct
according to the consultant report one student wrote k state did absolutely nothing to help me


in yet another twist to an already tangled case a judge on wednesday rejected a petition by the granddaughter of the media mogul sumner m redstone to join his former companion in the legal battle over his mental competency
the petition was made by keryn redstone the 34 year old daughter of brent redstone sumners son and it essentially puts her in conflict with her aunt shari redstone who after public disagreements with her father over the years has said that she has reconciled with him
keryn redstone could still act as a witness in the case
shari redstone has spent the last several months challenging the suit which was filed in november by manuela herzer the former companion and onetime romantic partner of the elder mr redstone ms herzer asserts that mr redstone 92 was not mentally competent in october when he removed her from a directive that would have put her in charge of his health care
a deposition of ms herzer was scheduled for thursday but was delayed until next week because her lawyer said she had strep throat
the development comes after settlement talks between the two sides fell apart in recent weeks
ms herzer says she is concerned with mr redstones well being his lawyers state that she is motivated by greed on the same day that mr redstone changed his health care plan he also removed ms herzer from his personal estate in which he had planned to leave her 50 million and his 20 million los angeles mansion
in court documents lawyers for mr redstone called keryn redstones effort to join the proceeding disappointing but not altogether surprising because ms herzer and keryn redstone are the two individuals with a financial interest in setting aside mr redstones october 2015 estate plan
like his sister shari brent redstone has had an uneven relationship with his father he sued mr redstone in 2006 saying that his father favored his sister and froze him out of the family business they settled in 2007 when brent redstones share of the business was bought out
in a declaration to the court keryn redstone who lives in los angeles described her grandfather as a prisoner in his own home and said that she had been restricted from visiting him since february she described her relationship with her grandfather whom she called grumpy as close and affectionate and recalled childhood memories of playing the piano and tennis together
in contrast keryn redstone called the relationship between mr redstone and shari redstone very tempestuous and difficult and said that shari redstone had consistently expressed hostility toward me my father and grumpy in sometimes dark threatening ways she described several fights with her aunt over the years about the care of her aunt cecelie and seating arrangements at mr redstones 91st birthday party
in the declaration keryn redstone described distressing changes in her grandfathers behavior shortly before and after ms herzer was thrown out of his home including extreme mood shifts disorientation blank expressions and crying for no apparent reason
in a statement shari redstone said this is not the first time that keryn has sued an elderly relative for her own financial gain
i am sad and disappointed that keryn has chosen to align herself with herzer against my father she added i will not dignify the absurdity of keryns false claims with any further response
a trial is scheduled for may 6


an art student hung six nooses each a different color of the rainbow from a tree at a university in tennessee on monday as part of a class project the school said provoking an uproar among students and staff members who saw them as a symbol of racism and homophobia evocative of the ku klux klan
passers by found the colorful nooses hanging in a row   purple blue green yellow orange and red   from a tree branch high above the sidewalk in front of a fine arts building at austin peay state university in clarksville tenn at around 5 pm on monday the university said
they were quickly removed by campus police but it was not until tuesday that the administration said in a statement that the nooses had been part of an art project the school declined to name the student who put them up
this is a lesson for everyone about sensitivity and respect for all people and how inclusive and understanding we need to be as a campus community said alisa white the university president in a statement on tuesday while we support the freedom of expression on our campus we also have to keep in mind that there are symbols that have very specific and negative meanings to everyone especially if context is not provided
the university said in a statement on tuesday that the student did not intend for the project to have anything to do with race or sexuality it said she had been sincerely concerned about the perception of and reaction to the display and supported the decision to remove them as did her professor
barry jones the chairman of the universitys department of art and design said the student made the nooses for an introductory class on outdoor crochet sculpture she wanted to do a project about cycles of life and death and in particular how that relates to the arrival of spring he said
she used rainbow colored yarn because it was bright and spring like mr jones said and she wove them into nooses which were covered in crocheted flowers because she thought it symbolized death
i understand the outrage completely and it was obviously a huge mistake by the student to not recognize how a symbol so associated with hate and racism cannot be co opted to talk about other things he said in the end it was a really tone deaf student
the nooses were hung without any explanation that they were an art project and without any statement about their meaning the university said that omission deepened the confusion and anguish around their sudden appearance re opening longstanding racial wounds and inflaming anxieties about prejudice exclusion and violence
these ropes might not have a malicious meaning but it still sent the wrong message alexis fuller a student at austin peay wrote as part of an online debate on the schools facebook page we all know what ropes hanging from a tree mean
students and staff members met on tuesday in a campus ballroom to discuss the incident in a statement the administration said the students professor had not been aware of what she was doing but mr jones described that assertion as not 100 percent accurate he said the student had proposed the project to her professor and was cautioned against doing it
the professor explained that it would be kind of a charged image and the student went ahead anyway mr jones said they talked about the noose as a symbol
a picture of the nooses was posted to instagram on monday by the universitys chapter of the national association for the advancement of colored people attempts to reach the state regional and university chapters of the group on tuesday were unsuccessful
chris sanders the executive director of the tennessee equality project an lgbt rights group said it would not surprise him if the nooses had been meant as a threat to the local lgbt community but he said his primary concern was the effect on african american students and staff members
it wasnt that long ago in our countrys history where african americans were lynched so this is a troubling signal of danger and unacceptance whenever it appears he said
some people forget and thats why teaching history especially the hard parts of history is so important he added people can unintentionally use these images and not realize all the horror terrorism and pain they include


michelle slatalla the editor in chief of the blog gardenista has called it the houseplant equivalent of a newborn
brad sherman an interior designer in new york thinks they have a prehistoric dr seuss feel
summer thornton a designer in chicago who often uses them in projects to make a space feel younger and fresher said they are not your mothers ficus
and daniel kanter who writes the blog manhattan nest said they read as a statement plant
what are they talking about ficus lyrata a species native to western africa where it grows in lowland rainforests but more commonly its known as the fiddle leaf fig   the it potted plant of the moment
every era has its trendy houseplant in the 1950s and 60s it was the african violet in the 70s it was spider plants trailing out of macrame hangers in the 80s and early 90s it was the potted ficus the aughts gave rise to mossy plants in terrariums and glass jars
this decade belongs undeniably to the fiddle leaf fig
open the latest issue of elle decor or architectural digest and you will likely spot a fiddle leaf fig often potted in white lacquer boxes in minimally furnished white walled rooms go into any celine boutique and you will find one there too for the fiddle leaf has become the unofficial official plant of the french luxury brand
marimekko installed huge fiddle leafs which can grow to 10 feet tall in its headquarters in finland so did the online mattress retailer casper when the company furnished its first office
mr sherman who designed the casper offices said he first noticed the fiddle leaf fig five years ago on interior design blogs he was struck by its sculptural quality thin trunk big lush leaves the perfect balance of volume and negative space structure and whimsy he began using the plants for every project
sourcing good looking plants for interiors was always challenging mr sherman said some of them are too waxy theres not a lot of character the fiddle leaf broke the mold
indeed designers love them because they have scale work with a range of styles from modern to granny chic and seem to magically transform any room
you can plop it in a dead corner and suddenly everything comes to life said miles redd who dressed up the solarium of a california home he designed that was featured in architectural digest with six foot tall flanking fiddle leafs
said ms thornton i think that sets them apart from a palm or a ficus those plants dont have the same pop or dramatic impact as a fiddle leaf fig
fiddle leaf figs have been around for years but the plants current stardom may best be explained by something mr kanter discovered after seeing them online and in social media he took to his blog in 2012 to proclaim i wanted desperately to get in on the fiddle club
mr kanter did buy a fiddle leaf fig spending 100 for a five foot tall plant at a high end nursery in brooklyn he brought it to his home in kingston ny he soon realized why bloggers and instagrammers and pinterest users are so enamored with fiddle leafs they are organic matter ideally suited for digital sharing
they look really good in a picture mr kanter said adding that he encounters fiddle leafs way more on the internet than in real life
for ms slatalla the gardening editor the appeal of a fiddle leaf fig is more primal the large glossy leaves as she once wrote in a post on gardenista are similar to the big round eyes of a baby
it makes you want to take care of it ms slatalla said people tend to anthropomorphize this plant in ways they dont with others
and just like a newborn the fiddle leaf fig is a finicky delicate organism while some would have you believe they are hardy and easy to care for many owners including ms slatalla have found the opposite to be true
its funny that a plant that is so hard to keep alive has become so popular she said explaining that her fiddle leaf fig never found the right spot in her home and died of neglect
at the casper offices the fiddle leaf mr sherman installed died within weeks replaced by 11 more before a winning care regimen was found indirect light away from the radiators
if you move them they dont respond well mr sherman said if theyre in direct sunlight the leaves will burn and shed theyre very emotional plants
hadley peterson a landscape designer has kept the fiddle leaf fig in her new jersey home alive for 10 years and has seen it grow lush and tall but she almost lost it after a move and she knows avid gardeners who couldnt keep them alive
i think it has a lot to do with the air in the room ms peterson said i keep my house at 68 degrees but also its the light it gets indirect covered light coming from a sun porch
she added as if describing a temperamental child it doesnt do well if you let it sit in water youve got to let it drain
ms thornton tells her clients that even if their fiddle leaf lasts a year or less its still cheaper and more dynamic than having weekly floral arrangements brought in and with its newfound popularity prices in many areas have gone down while availability has increased
so much so that mr kanter has noticed fiddle leaf figs being sold at a grocery store chain near his upstate new york home for 30 its evidence that the plant may have hit peak popularity and be in for a backlash
mr kanter doesnt care i still love them i think theyre really versatile style wise
he has since bought two more


advocating for equal pay in hollywood takes its toll as the actress patricia arquette said she learned the hard way ms arquette who made her 2015 oscar speech an impassioned plea for income equality said she lost jobs as a result of her comments
but im ok with that she said at a recent panel for female filmmakers sponsored by the tribeca film festival and the actuallyshecan campaign sometimes when youre in a position to make a difference - to be a part of that story is a great thing gender inequality she added doesnt just affect hollywood a recent study by the world economic forum found that in all industries except health care women are still underrepresented and paid less overall
ms arquette who won the supporting actress oscar for her role in boyhood drew cheers from meryl streep and jennifer lopez in the audience when she said its our time to have wage equality once and for all and equal rights for women in the united states of america
now the actress has become a de facto spokeswoman for wage equality especially in california which in january enacted some of the strongest fair pay protections in the country - partly thanks to her comments state senator hannah beth jackson a democrat from southern california referenced ms arquettes speech when she introduced the legislation just a few days after the oscars her rallying cry senator jackson said has energized a movement that has long been calling for this and she credited the news media attention with helping to raise momentum to pass the bill which she had long been working on as part of the california legislative womens caucus
in an interview after the tribeca panel which highlighted the documentary shorts of the filmmakers erin sanger emily harrold ricki stern and annie sundberg whose films have their premieres at the festival on thursday and will be online at actuallyshecancom the following day ms arquette detailed the realities of financial inequality in hollywood and why she decided to fight it
i always knew i was paid less than men she said they would be very clear about that sometimes when they would make offers to you well theyre paying the guy so they dont have any money - they would say things like that
after the 2014 hack of sony pictures made explicit the disparities in pay and profit sharing deals for women in the industry ms arquette said she felt galvanized i had just seen a lot of people struggle to make a living and i just didnt think it was fair she said she knew her oscar speech would ruffle feathers and she said she knew she lost roles because producers or executives were dumb enough to say something that made it clear
ms arquette was prepared to take a financial hit i thought i could sell my house i can downsize i can live a different kind of way she said thats ok its ok if i dont work anymore i would be sad because i want to make art but if thats what it takes i guess thats what it takes
she added at my age its a time in my life where i want to do things that make the world a better place for everyone to live in the 48 year old actress hasnt had to downsize she said yet
but ms arquette still has to walk the walk she recently turned down a role in an indie film because she said though she agreed to lower pay than a male co star who had a larger role the profit sharing or back end participation was not equitable in low budget filmmaking because youre basically donating your whole normal salary and your name value and your everything if it does succeed you should participate in the success of that she said the back end participation was not the same as the mans so i did walk away from that job
she still has several film offers lined up and said she felt hopeful because of initiatives like tribecas and actuallyshecan which sponsored the female documentarians projects
the california fair pay act which passed with unanimous bipartisan support is an example of the power of attention on the issue when we bring all of our energy together and were all bringing what we can to the table we can have rapid evolution and thats what we need to do ms arquette said they talk about the gender pay gap not closing for another 40 years i mean whos got 40 years i dont have patience


washington   treasury secretary jacob j lew on wednesday announced the most sweeping and historically symbolic makeover of american currency in a century proposing to replace the slaveholding andrew jackson on the 20 bill with harriet tubman the former slave and abolitionist and to add women and civil rights leaders to the 5 and 10 notes
mr lew may have reneged on a commitment he made last year to make a woman the face of the 10 bill opting instead to keep alexander hamilton to the delight of a fan base swollen with enthusiasm over a broadway rap musical based on the life of the first treasury secretary
but the broader remaking of the nations paper currency which president obama welcomed on wednesday may well have captured a historical moment for a multicultural multiethnic and multiracial nation moving contentiously through the early years of a new century
tubman an african american and a union spy during the civil war would bump jackson   a white man known as much for his persecution of native americans as for his war heroics and advocacy for the common man   to the back of the 20 in some reduced image along with the white house tubman would be the first woman so honored on paper currency since martha washingtons portrait briefly graced the 1 silver certificate in the late 19th century
while hamilton would remain on the 10 and abraham lincoln on the 5 images of women would be added to the back of both   in keeping with mr lews intent to bring to life the national monuments depicted there
the picture of the treasury building on the back of the 10 bill would be replaced with a depiction of a 1913 march in support of womens right to vote that ended at the building along with portraits of five suffrage leaders lucretia mott sojourner truth elizabeth cady stanton alice paul and susan b anthony who in more recent years was on an unpopular 1 coin until minting ceased
on the flip side of the 5 bill the lincoln memorial would remain but as the backdrop for the 1939 performance there of marian anderson the african american classical singer after she was barred from singing at the segregated constitution hall nearby sharing space on the rear would be images of eleanor roosevelt who arranged andersons lincoln memorial performance and the rev dr martin luther king jr who in 1963 delivered his i have a dream speech from its steps
the final redesigns will be unveiled in 2020 the centennial of the 19th amendment establishing womens suffrage and will not go into wide circulation until later in the decade starting with the new 10 note the unexpectedly ambitious proposals reflect mr lews tortuous attempt to expedite the process and win over critics who have lodged conflicting demands pitting mainly womens advocates against hamiltonians newly empowered by the unlikely success of their heros story on broadway
mr lews design proposals are the culmination of 10 months of often heated public commentary that began almost immediately after he invited americans last june to help him decide which woman from history to honor on the 10 bill that feel good initiative proved to be hardly as simple as he first imagined
immediately an online group called women on 20s insisted that the woman to be honored   tubman was its choice   had to go on the more common 20 note displacing not the popular hamilton but jackson whose place in history has suffered lately with attention to his record of forcibly relocating native americans supporting slavery and   despite his prominence on currency   opposing a national banking system and paper money but the 10 was next in line for redesign based on federal officials assessment of counterfeiting threats
yet other women mobilized by the girls lounge a networking organization for female corporate leaders demanded that a woman go on the 10 note as mr lew first proposed because they did not want to wait years for a new 20 bill within the administration rosie rios who as treasurer of the united states oversees the bureau of engraving and printing was also pushing for a woman on the 10 bill
but nothing so roiled the debate as the phenomenon of the musical hamilton
weighing in for his place on the 10 bill were well to do theater patrons and teenagers rapping to the soundtrack as well as the shows creator and star lin manuel miranda when mr lew and his wife caught a performance last august the treasury secretary hinted to mr miranda that hamilton would stay just this week the show won the pulitzer prize for drama
by july in fact mr lew already had decided to keep his long ago predecessor on the 10 note and put a vignette of suffragists on the back with tubman scheduled for the 20 bill and changes to the 5 note as well
i had a kind of aha moment where i said were thinking too small mr lew said on wednesday
he decided to redesign all three notes to accommodate the various views and sooner as for the choice of tubman he said that in the public comments he reviewed each night the pattern became clear that harriet tubman struck a chord with people in all parts of the country of all ages
this is a good solution said senator susan collins republican of maine who wrote to the secretary strongly suggesting he not remove hamilton from the bill
mr lew directed the bureau of engraving and printing to hasten the redesign of the 20 and 5 notes at the same time subsequent production of the 10 bill would take precedence though mr lew said all three notes could be in wallets before 2030 the final decision on release is up to the fed
one wild card is that mr lew and president obama have just months left in office but mr lew expressed confidence that his successors would not veto the currency makeovers
i dont think somebodys going to probably want to do that   to take the image of harriet tubman off of our money to take the image of the suffragists off he said
not since 1929 has american currency undergone such a far reaching change that year all paper money changed with more standard designs and smaller size to save costs
in advance of mr lews decision the emotion that the treasury initiative had prompted was reflected in a letter to the treasury secretary on tuesday evening more than three dozen women including actors feminists corporate executives and journalists objected to preliminary news reports that he was planning to renege on putting a woman on the 10 face calling it if true a major blow to the advancement of women
they admonished the treasury secretary saying  could there be a better metaphor for second class status that continues to limit our girls
the signers included the actresses ellen degeneres geena davis and jane lynch the former soccer star abby wambach former representative gabrielle giffords the news media figures katie couric and arianna huffington the feminist leader gloria steinem and the photographer annie leibovitz
mr lews compromise did not satisfy the letter writers since the new note the 10 bill will picture women on the back but women on 20s released a statement celebrating the decision despite mr lews inability to say how quickly the government can accelerate a new 20 note given technological and production complexities
yet as mr lew said wednesday i said we were going to listen we really did listen


oslo   anders behring breivik the norwegian extremist who killed 77 people in a bomb and gun rampage in 2011 lives in conditions that would seem luxurious by american incarceration standards a three room suite with windows that includes a treadmill a fridge a television with dvd player and even a sony playstation
but on wednesday a norwegian court found that the government had violated his human rights concluding that his long term solitary confinement posed a threat to his mental health mr breivik has virtually no contact with other inmates and is subjected to frequent strip searches and searches of his cell at a trial in march he argued that his isolation amounted to torture
judge helen andenaes sekulic of the oslo district court who oversaw the trial which was held at the prison for security reasons found on wednesday that prison officials had violated an article of the european convention of human rights that prohibits inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment she directed the government to reduce the extent of mr breiviks isolation   though she did not specify how   and ordered the government to pay mr breiviks legal fees of 331000 kroner or about 40600
however she dismissed a related complaint that the prison officials had also violated the conventions guarantee of respect for private and family life and rejected mr breiviks demand for fewer restrictions on receiving visitors and sending and receiving phone calls and letters the government has said that it restricts and censors his communications to prevent him from encouraging violent extremism
a government lawyer adele matheson mestad said that officials disagreed with the courts conclusions and were evaluating whether to appeal
the decision outraged many norwegians what a pathetic verdict silje grytten a political adviser to the labor party in the norwegian parliament wrote on twitter
on july 22 2011 mr breivik killed eight people with a bomb at a government building in central oslo and then fatally shot 69 people at a summer camp on the island of utoya dozens of others were wounded
mr breivik claimed that he had been on a martyr operation to stop a muslim invasion of europe leaving behind a manifesto depicting himself as a modern day crusader against jihadists and part of a larger organization
at his trial in 2012 the court found that he was instead a lone wolf a computer game obsessive who had prepared his rants and plotted the killings from a bedroom in his mothers house
he was sentenced to 21 years in prison the maximum though he could serve longer if he is deemed a threat to society
mr breivik sued prison officials last year asserting that the government was slowly killing him
his lawyer oystein storrvik said that mr breivik had already shown signs of emotional damage though the psychiatric reports he submitted did not appear to definitively support the claim
mr storrvik pleaded that the court see beyond the popular cry of the masses and stick to strict legal rules he compared mr breiviks condition with that of the terrorist known as the jackal who had been allowed to see several lawyers had married one of them and had published a book from his cell
mr breiviks behavior during the trial made headlines and renewed public outrage he complained about his microwave dinners and cold coffee
he gave a nazi style salute and said he had renounced his faith in christ in favor of the norse god odin
he demanded the right to publish a political tract every third year in print or online and said he had written two books already the breivik diaries and the nordic state but was not allowed to seek publication of them
government lawyers defended the strict confinement   noteworthy in a country known for a justice system that emphasizes rehabilitation over retribution   and said mr breivik was still a very dangerous man they noted that mr breivik has daily access to fresh air and health care
ms mestad one of the government lawyers noted that mr breivik had attempted to communicate with extremists in the united states and europe and noted that a variety of extremists   in poland the czech republic and britain   had claimed to be inspired by mr breivik
ms mestad called his ideology a poisonous mix of dehumanization anti islamism xenophobia and deep hatred
lars erik berntzen a guest researcher at the center for research on extremism in oslo who has studied messages written by mr breivik from prison and posted online said in a telephone interview that mr breiviks fans were initially those with an interest in mass killings as well as women who wrote him love letters but that he now mostly tries to communicate with like minded ideological extremists
cato hemmingby a scholar at the norwegian police university college and co author of a book on mr breivik said in an interview that it was especially the lack of access to the internet and the communication control that had angered mr breivik
randi rosenqvist a court appointed psychiatrist who interviewed mr breivik in 2011 told the court during the trial that mr breivik seemed rational and purposeful and would resume dramatic measures if released
since 2012 mr breivik has refused to talk to psychiatrists saying they are a part of the plot against him
ulrik fredrik malt a psychiatrist and professor emeritus at oslo university hospital who testified in mr breiviks 2012 trial has long claimed that mr breivik has aspergers syndrome
the case has divided public opinion norway is a famously liberal society and some argue that mr breivik even if a monster deserves to be treated humanely
it is important that society answers breivik with the means at the disposal of the very democracy he attacked harald stanghelle political editor of aftenposten a daily newspaper in oslo said in an interview that is what norway displayed in 2012 and that is the same now
he added if there is anything we can be sure of now it is that he will most likely be locked up for life


the senate on wednesday passed the first broad energy bill since the george w bush administration a bipartisan measure to better align the nations oil gas and electricity systems with the changing ways that power is produced in the united states
the bill approved 85 to 12 united republicans and democrats around a traditionally divisive issue   energy policy   largely by avoiding the hot button topics of climate change and oil and gas exploration that have thwarted other measures
its authors senators lisa murkowski of alaska chairwoman of the senate energy committee and maria cantwell of washington the panels ranking democrat purposely stepped away from any sweeping efforts to solve or fundamentally change the nations core energy challenges
still the measure known as the energy policy modernization act would respond to the rapidly transforming energy landscape it includes provisions to promote renewable energy improve the energy efficiency of buildings and to cut some planet warming greenhouse gas pollution
it would also speed the export of domestically produced natural gas
house and senate negotiators will now try to forge a compromise between the senate bill and a similar measure that passed the house last year
passage would represent the first time since 2007 that a significant energy bill reached the white house for the presidents signature
what well be moving now is what was achievable in the senate ms murkowski said in an interview most people thought we couldnt achieve anything but we have demonstrated that we can legislate   and we can even legislate oh my gosh in an election year
since passage of the last major energy law the united states has gone from fearing oil and gas shortages to becoming the worlds leading producer of both fuels the use of wind and solar power is accelerating as those sources become cheaper than fossil fuels in some parts of the country and president obamas environmental regulations are reshaping power systems as electric utilities close coal fired power plants and replace them with alternative sources
but the nations energy infrastructure has not kept pace with those changes
the bill would promote renewable energy by requiring operators of electricity lines transformers and other elements of the electrical grid to upgrade the system with a focus on large scale storage systems for electricity to better accommodate the expanding production of wind and solar power the bill would create and strengthen several programs devoted to improving energy efficiency in buildings
it would also deliver a long sought victory to conservationists by permanently authorizing the national land and water conservation fund a program for protecting and maintaining national parks and wilderness sites
it would give a victory to fossil fuel producers by requiring the energy department to accelerate approval of permits to build coastal terminals for shipping american natural gas abroad
and it includes provisions to address the threat of cyberattacks on the nations electrical grid
theres so much change going on in the energy sector now we need to have an energy bill every year ms cantwell said the speed of the transition in energy now is like telecom in the 90s
the bill has drawn support from a wide range of business and environmental groups including the united states chamber of commerce the alliance of automobile manufacturers the alliance to save energy and the pew charitable trusts
but some environmental groups offered only grudging responses to the measure
this bill is the vhs tape of climate policy tolerable in the 80s or 90s but not in tune with the scientific realities of 2016 said jason kowalski the policy director for 350org an environmental advocacy group that led protests against the proposed keystone xl oil pipeline between canada and the united states
we need congress to get with the times and stop writing bills that prop up the fossil fuel industry thats wrecking our climate he added
ms murkowski acknowledged that almost no one is completely happy with the measure
to have a bill that everybody likes is not only unusual its just not going to happen she said
the measure came to the senate floor in january but it stalled for three months after senator debbie stabenow democrat of michigan sought an amendment to provide 600 million to aid the victims of lead poisoning in flint mich and deal with the ongoing water crisis there republicans opposed her
last week ms stabenow and a handful of other senators relented and lifted their blockade of the energy bill
ms stabenow said that she would continue to push for a vote on the flint aid


vincent lai was working at a recycling facility in new york and sorting through a bin of used cellphones a few years ago when he dug up a palm treo a smartphone that was discontinued last decade
mr lai 49 tested the treo and found it still worked so he took the device home and made it his everyday mobile companion much as one would adopt an abandoned animal on its way to being euthanized
thats how i think about a lot of my tech stuff candidates for 11th hour pet rescue said mr lai adding that he was fired from the recycling facility in 2010 after continuing to take home unwanted gadgets against the wishes of his boss now he works for the fixers collective a social club in new york that repairs aging devices to extend their lives
many tech companies are trying to train people to constantly upgrade their gadgets   part ways with a device the argument goes as soon as something newer and faster comes along companies like apple att and t mobile usa now offer early upgrade plans that allow consumers to buy a new cellphone every year philip w schiller apples senior vice president for worldwide marketing said at a product event last month that it was really sad that more than 600 million computers in use today are more than five years old
mr lais behavior might be extreme but his experience with the palm treo illustrates there is another way if you simply put some maintenance into electronics as you would a car you can stay happy with your gadgets for years
it is part of a movement of anti consumerism or the notion of cherishing what you have rather than incessantly buying new stuff signs of this philosophy are spreading industry data suggests that consumers are waiting longer to upgrade to new phones than they have in the past
so in observation of earth day on friday mr lai and kyle wiens the chief executive of ifixit a company that provides instruction manuals and components for repairing devices offered their advice on getting the most mileage out of a smartphone tablet and computer
when smartphones and tablets were fairly sluggish and limited in abilities compared with computers there was a compelling reason to buy a new mobile device every few years but now the mobile gadgets have become so fast and capable that you can easily keep them much longer
a five year old computer is still completely fine now mr wiens said were starting to hit that same plateau with phones now
maintaining smartphones and tablets is fairly easy just two critical features require attention data storage and battery capacity if a device is close to running out of storage the operating system may slow to a crawl and if the battery is near the end of its life cycle the device will run out of juice more quickly than it once did
so how do you free space for android phones and tablets mr lai recommends storing personal data like photos movies and downloaded files on a removable memory card that will open up room on the devices internal storage allowing the android system to run more quickly
on apples iphones and ipads which lack support for removable memory cards managing storage can take more sleuthing one clever tip recommended recently by a user on redditcom was to rent a movie on itunes that exceeds the amount of space you have left when the device detects it lacks room for the movie file it rejects the download and clears out cached data lingering in apps i tested this method by downloading the new star wars movie on a three year old ipad that was nearly out of space it freed two gigabytes and sped the tablet significantly
if you have tried those tips and are still struggling with storage consider deleting apps you rarely use or backing up all your data reinstalling the phones operating system and installing as few apps as possible mr wiens said
then there is the battery every mobile battery has a maximum number of cycles or number of times it can be depleted and recharged before it can no longer hold a charge on an iphone or ipad you can check the number of used cycles by plugging the device into a mac and running the free app coconutbattery which reveals battery statistics
in my test the coconutbattery app revealed that my 18 month old iphone battery had gone through 610 charge cycles apples website says the battery loses about 20 percent of its original capacity after 500 charge cycles in other words in about six months i should consider replacing the battery
for android devices the free app battery by macropinch can tell you the general health of your battery
a rule of thumb is to replace your smartphone battery every two years and to upgrade your tablet battery every four or five years mr wiens said a new battery will cost 20 to 40 depending on the phone many android smartphones have removable batteries that can be changed by removing the back cover steps for replacing iphone batteries can be found on repair sites like ifixit
in general pcs have become so fast and robust that even a five  to seven year old computer today can feel modern with a bit of maintenance and as a bonus it is easier to remove and upgrade computer parts than mobile device parts
mr wiens and mr lai strongly encouraged people to swap traditional hard disk drives for a newer storage technology called solid state solid state drives generally have less storage capacity than spinning hard disk drives but they load applications faster and are more durable because they lack moving parts
another computer component that can be upgraded easily is memory commonly called ram for random access memory the more ram you have the more programs you can open and the more quickly your computer can juggle multiple applications mr wiens and mr lai recommended installing the maximum amount of memory that your computer supports to speed things up
for top maintenance beware of a culprit that surrounds all of us dust the dust that collects in a machine generates heat which will accelerate a pcs aging process you would do your computer a big favor by spending a few dollars on a can of dust removing spray and blowing out dust from its air vents and fan every few months
for laptops note the amount of storage and battery capacity that remain apples website shows information about the maximum number of battery cycles for each macbook battery you can see the number of cycles the battery has completed with coconutbattery for windows computers the app battery infoview will show the health of the battery
ifixit offers instructions for replacing batteries installing drives or adding memory to apple windows and android devices   but you wouldnt be alone if you froze in fear after reading all the steps you could always use company support services like apples battery replacement programs or the best buy geek squad or hire an independent fixer
fixers are generally easy to find on sites like yelp just make sure you pick a reputable one who uses good parts j d biersdorfer a consumer tech writer for the new york times profiled several repair services last year including nyc ipod doctor which offers a mail in program for repairing laptops and apple devices
a phone can last for a very very long time if your needs arent extraordinary and if you take care of it mr lai said recently some of the keys on his treo keyboard gave out so he put tiny pieces of electrical tape over them now he just presses them a little harder to get them to work


googles regulatory issues in europe have gotten more complicated
as expected european officials on wednesday charged the giant search company with breaking the regions competition rules this time the charges were aimed at googles mobile business specifically that the company unfairly promotes some of its own services   like its mobile search   on its widely used android mobile software over those of its competitors mark scott writes
it is the second set of antitrust charges by european regulators against google in consecutive years last year the regions antitrust authorities accused the company of favoring some of its search services over those of rivals a decision on those charges is expected in the coming months
the new statement of objections on wednesday highlights once again how europe has far and away become the most aggressive region in using regulation to try to rein in google
the efforts do not always work in the area of privacy for instance europe passed a law nearly two years ago called right to be forgotten that lets individuals petition companies like google to have search links about themselves removed in a strange twist that law has now enabled google to become the regions most active adjudicator of privacy cases


curt schilling a baseball analyst for espn whose outspoken social media presence has led to his suspension from the network before is defending himself again after making comments on facebook about transgender people
according to outsports a website focused on the intersection of sports and lgbt issues schilling shared an image that appeared to be a response to a recent north carolina law that bars transgender people from using bathrooms and locker rooms that do not correspond with the gender on their birth certificates
a man is a man no matter what they call themselves schilling a former major league baseball star wrote in a comment on the photo according to a screen capture gathered by outsports i dont care what they are who they sleep with mens room was designed for the penis womens not so much now you need laws telling us differently pathetic
in a statement late tuesday espn said we are taking this matter very seriously and are in the process of reviewing it
also on tuesday night schilling wrote an 841 word response on his blog that shooed away those dying to be offended so you can create some sort of faux cause to rally behind though he did not defend the content of the facebook post
this latest brew ha ha is beyond hilarious he wrote of the brouhaha i didnt post that ugly looking picture i made a comment about the basic functionality of mens and womens restrooms period
it was not clear if schilling was denying that he had shared the photo or was referring to the fact that the image was originally posted by someone else schilling focused more on criticizing those who were offended as the story spread on tuesday
there are things i have deeply held beliefs in things i have that are core to who i am things i am passionate about he wrote if you ask me about them its likely ill give you a passionate answer whether you like that answer or not is completely up to you i am not going to give you answers to make sure you like what i say let the rest of the insecure world do that
he added i dont represent anyone but myself here on facebook on twitter anywhere
but espn has not seen it that way in the past in august the network suspended him after he shared a twitter post that compared extremist muslims to nazi era germans the network called the tweet completely unacceptable and said it in no way represents our companys perspective
he deleted the post and apologized on twitter writing i understand and accept my suspension 100 my fault bad choices have bad consequences and this was a bad decision in every way on my part
that ban was extended through the baseball postseason after schilling wrote an angry letter to a writer from the website awful announcing about its coverage espn said his actions have not been consistent with his contractual obligations nor have they been professionally handled they have not reflected well on the company
schillings co workers include christina kahrl an espn baseball writer and editor who is a transgender woman in 2014 she wrote a critical examination of an article that outed a transgender woman on the website grantland an espn owned property
before his broadcasting career schilling pitched for 20 years in the majors perhaps best known for his bloody sock performance in the american league championship series for the boston red sox during their world series run in 2004


actually to say that drinking juice detoxifies the body isnt quite the same as claiming leeches suck out poisons but its fairly close
the practice of cleansing has become as ubiquitous as the use of hand sanitizer celebrities do it spas offer it fancy food stores sell pricey bottles of juice to accomplish it and a 700 juicer will soon facilitate the process for those who are not satisfied with the current diy options but what is it that everybody is trying to remove from their bodies is there any science behind it
people are interested in this so called detoxification but when i ask them what they are trying to get rid of they arent really sure said dr james h grendell the chief of the division of gastroenterology hepatology and nutrition at winthrop university hospital in mineola ny ive yet to find someone who has specified a toxin they were hoping to be spared
toxins exist doctors typically define them as something that enters the body that has a damaging effect on its own   like pesticides lead or antifreeze   or in large quantities like alcohol or medications such as acetaminophen the active ingredient in tylenol
but for the most part the body handles toxins just fine on its own
the human body is well designed to eliminate wastes and toxins and a number of organs play a role dr grendell said
the kidneys and the liver do the main removal work they draw substances out of the bloodstream and process them for the body to excrete as feces and urine
when asked what about this process would be helped by juice dr grendell seemed at a loss
its hard to understand because there is no good scientific evidence that a juice cleanse or any other food for that matter is particularly relevant to removing toxins he said
this isnt to say that drinking vitamin rich antioxidant filled vegetable juice cant be beneficial for ones health he added or function as an effective tool for weight loss or resetting ones habits its the vague talk of toxins that reminds doctors of leeches
dr antoinette saddler a gastroenterologist at the george washington university school of medicine  health sciences agreed to read through one of many blog posts available online about cleansing she said she was perplexed from the beginning
a juice diet rests the stomach it claimed
why does the stomach need resting she asked
she read further juices require less of the stomachs digestive processing it said
who said that was beneficial she said
and then she got to the inevitable detox claim juicing allows the body to have more of the resources it needs to support the phases of detoxification and even to begin to help remove the cumulative toxins stored in the body
what does that even mean she said exasperated she stopped reading
the blog post was actually written by a doctor dr woodson merrell the author of the book the detox prescription reached by phone in his manhattan office dr merrell who practices a mix of western medicine and indigenous traditions such as chinese medicine seemed resigned to dismissive attitudes from gastroenterologists
dr merrell said what it comes down to for him is that americans need to eat more vegetables period if juicing is the path to that great
the whole thing about juice is it makes that easier to get and its easily digestible and absorbable he said
as for resting the stomach he believes well chewed food is as good as juice but most people dont chew well
im a fanatic about chewing he said
for dr merrell juice   like any healthful food   provides nutrients that help the liver process toxins much like grease on a gearshaft he warned that juice should be thick and contain all parts of the fruit or vegetable including fiber
im not talking about some thin watery juice he said
but he also acknowledged that cleansing has been so overly hyped lots of people making wild claims of things
similar confusion enters the realm of the colon cleanse another planet in the detox galaxy but colon cleanses which can come as herbal remedies in the form of pills or teas or blended drinks and sometimes as enemas dont push out toxins any more than juice
i understand the intuitive appeal of using these colon cleanses   get the toxins out make your abdomen feel better dr saddler said
but that intuition leads one down the wrong road scientifically
stool is actually beneficial to the lining of the colon increasingly doctors are even tapping into its benefits she said for example transplanting stool from healthy people into the guts of sick people
the idea that stool is somehow poisonous and toxic is very misguided thinking she said


the nhl suspended chicago blackhawks forward andrew shaw for one game for shouting an anti gay slur while in the penalty box during his teams game 4 playoff loss to the st louis blues on tuesday night
shaw was also fined 5000 for directing an inappropriate gesture at the officials and will be required to take sensitivity training he will miss game 5 on thursday in st louis with the defending champion blackhawks trailing by three games to one
the incidents occurred late in the third period after shaw was penalized for interference with chicago down by 4 3 he gestured at the officials while skating to the penalty box video of shaw in the penalty box seemed to show him shouting the slur though it was not clear to whom his remarks were directed
after the game shaw told the chicago tribune i mean emotions are high i really dont know whats said i was obviously upset with the call being that late in the game
but on wednesday he apologized in a statement i am sincerely sorry for the insensitive remarks that i made last night while in the penalty box he said when i got home and saw the video it was evident that what i did was wrong no matter the circumstances
speaking to reporters later shaw said ill never use that word again thats for sure
i get it he added its a hurtful word its 2016 now its time that everyone is treated equally
the blackhawks said in a statement we are extremely disappointed in andrew shaws actions last night his comments do not reflect what we stand for as an organization
colin campbell the nhl vice president for hockey operations said that while shaw was remorseful he had to be held accountable
the emotion of the moment cannot and will not be a mitigating factor for the conduct that is expected of an nhl player campbell said
in december the nba suspended rajon rondo for one game for using a similar slur directed at a referee bill kennedy who subsequently revealed that he was gay five years ago kobe bryant yelled the same slur at an official and was fined 100000 in 2012 the toronto blue jays suspended shortstop yunel escobar for writing a homophobic word in spanish onto his eye black
the slur and the rude gestures combined with several fights and disputed calls to add another chapter to the bitter rivalry between the blues and the blackhawks on tuesday night
it hardly seemed fair that st louis had to play chicago in the opening round of the playoffs this season the teams had the third  and fourth best records in the nhl but because both play in the strong central division they found themselves facing off early
though the blues had the better record and home ice advantage history seemed to be on the side of the blackhawks chicago has won three of the last six stanley cups the blues have lost in the first round for three straight years have not made the cup final since 1970 and have never won the cup in their history which dates to 1967
tuesdays game will be remembered for ugly incidents
in the second period the blues rookie robby fabbri was pushed into blackhawks goalie corey crawford leading to a rare skater versus goalie fight crawford left his crease to shove fabbri and get the melee started but the blues wound up with three penalties to the blackhawks two
chicago soon scored to take a 2 1 lead but vladimir tarasenko got his second goal of the game late in the second period to tie the score and the blues scored twice early in the third
on the brink of elimination chicago will feel the loss of shaw he has two goals and two assists in the playoffs and is tied for the team lead in points
his importance is magnified because the teams three top scorers   patrick kane artemi panarin and jonathan toews   have only one goal among them so far
more fights including one between shaw and alex steen took place after the final horn leading to 14 penalties being assessed after the game was over
every game in the closely fought series has been decided by one goal but chicago now must win three straight games two in st louis to advance


financial and energy companies led a modest increase in united states stocks on wednesday giving the market its third gain in a row
it was helped by a pickup in the price of oil which climbed about 4 percent a rise in oil prices tends to favor battered energy stocks and financial companies like banks which have been in the doldrums because investors worry that loans to struggling oil companies could go bad
after several weeks of moving in different directions the stock market appears to be getting more closely tied to the fluctuations in oil prices
utilities and consumer staples stocks were among the biggest decliners
the standard  poors 500 stock index added 160 points or 01 percent to 210240 the nasdaq composite index gained 780 points or 02 percent to 494813 the dow jones industrial average rose 4267 points or 02 percent to 1809627
the dow is up almost 4 percent for the year while the sp 500 is up about 3 percent the nasdaq narrowed its loss to 12 percent
trading got off to a flat start major stocks perked up by midmorning as oil prices moved higher but the rally lost some steam by the end of the day
united states crude rose 155 or 38 percent to settle at 4263 a barrel brent crude the international benchmark climbed 177 or 4 percent at 4580 a barrel in london heating oil was up 55 percent after adding 7 cents to close at 133 a gallon
that helped lift shares in several energy companies chesapeake energy gained 30 cents or 49 percent to 642 while williams rose 82 cents or 46 percent at 1883
the market got some encouraging data on housing with the national association of realtors reporting that sales of previously occupied homes bounced back in march after a february slump as the spring selling season began
the association said that sales of existing homes rose 51 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 533 million that followed a 73 percent decline in february sales to 507 million
investors also had their eye on the latest batch of company earnings optimism is not high for corporate profits but with about 15 percent of companies having reported many have turned in better than expected results so far were actually seeing companies surprising to the upside said jason pride director of investment strategy at glenmede
discover financial services led gainers in the sp 500 after it reported better than anticipated quarterly profit and sales as loan volume improved the stock climbed 429 or 82 percent to 5684 vmware also delivered strong results which vaulted the cloud computing company 707 or nearly 14 percent to 5853
some companies results were disappointing coca cola shares slid 48 percent after the company reported a lower profit for the first quarter it was the biggest decliner in the sp 500 losing 223 to 4437
markets in europe also closed higher germanys dax rose 07 percent while the cac 40 of france gained 06 percent the ftse 100 of leading british shares added 01 percent
in other energy trading wholesale gasoline rose about 3 cents or 18 percent to 151 a gallon and natural gas fell 2 cents to 2069 per 1000 cubic feet


london   she has been served by 12 prime ministers starting with churchill navigated the decline of the british empire braved the tragedies of her family and the nation and on sept 9 edged out queen victoria as the longest reigning monarch in british history 64 years now and she is lauded for having the stiffest upper lip in the realm
on thursday queen elizabeth ii celebrates her 90th birthday and a grateful britain is honoring a woman her biographer douglas hurd a former foreign minister has called the steadfast
through seven decades she has remained gloriously and relentlessly enigmatic in one of her signature pastel outfits and colorful hats chosen royal experts say so onlookers can spot her in a crowd
this being britain the occasion will be celebrated with pageantry warm beer longer pub hours equestrian displays and an appearance by the actress helen mirren who won an oscar for portraying the queen
but befitting a workhorse who carried out 341 engagements last year elizabeth kicked off birthday celebrations on wednesday in a dutiful display at a royal mail delivery center where she and her husband the duke of edinburgh watched workers sort mail and were serenaded by a choir of postal employees on thursday she is to light the first of more than 900 celebratory beacons on friday president obama will offer the queen birthday wishes at windsor castle
and the frenzy will not end this week
pub opening times in england and wales will be extended by two hours until 1 am on june 10 and 11 her birthday is officially celebrated in june for ceremonial purposes a british artist has also paid tribute to her service as an army mechanic during world war ii by using 800 car parts to create a giant sculpture of the queens head including a crown made with spark plugs there is a new set of stamps to honor the birthday featuring four generations of royals including little prince george they will be first class of course
retailers and canny subjects are cashing in those who cannot afford the bespoke 22 karat gold god save the queen music box retailing for 1425 can buy a souvenir waistcoat emblazoned with the queens image 50 on ebay
in a reflection of how multicultural britain has become during her reign nadiya hussain a head scarf wearing muslim baker who won the bbcs wildly popular great british bake off will prepare an orange drizzle birthday cake with orange curd and orange buttercream for the queen a 68 year old slice of the queens wedding cake fetched 719 at a september auction
the queen could be forgiven for showing emotion when she blows out her candles but it is unlikely
vernon bogdanor an eminent constitutional scholar at kings college london commended the queen for her self restraint and for keeping her views to herself arguing that the enigma of her persona has been essential to her success at symbolizing and unifying the nation
she grew up during the war when people had to show emotional restraint he said not like today when you have to let everything out
professor bogdanor said he could recall only two gaffes by the queen the first came on a trip to st petersburg russia in 1994 when she evidently told a young russian biologist who had studied in manchester england that the city was not such a nice place buckingham palace denied it at the time more memorably in 1997 the queen misread the public mood after princess diana died in a car crash in paris and initially remained in balmoral scotland with her grandsons rather than returning to london to emote before a grieving nation
retaining the sparkle of a creaking institution is not easy britons also recently got a rare glimpse inside the royal household in an itv documentary our queen at 90 in which her subjects learned that her 2 year old great grandson prince george calls her gan gan his father prince william second in line to the throne noted that some people are so overwhelmed when they meet his grandmother that they faint
born on april 21 1926 elizabeth was initially third in line to the throne in 1947 she defied her parents to marry prince philip who is part danish and greek she was smitten when she saw him at age 13 she acceded to the throne in 1952 after the death of her father king george vi his older brother king edward viii had abdicated in 1936 to marry wallis simpson an american
though the monarchy is associated with the class system wealth and privilege peter york a leading cultural commentator argued that the queens unbridled blandness was a form of human bondage britons he said relished reports of her legendary thriftiness including stories apocryphal or not that she roams buckingham palace turning off lights enjoys soap operas and eats nonbanquet dinners out of tupperware containers in private she is said to have a keen sense of humor
she should be congratulated for living this long mr york said the certainty of her life reminds britons of the continuity of their own
mr york said the queen could also display barely decipherable piques of annoyance as when she asked in 2008 during a visit to the london school of economics why no one had foreseen the financial crisis which had dented her wealth
every so often you see a little lip tightening that suggests what fresh hell is this when she is forced to endure something hideous or idiotic mr york said
the queens mother lived to 101 and elizabeth shows little sign of slowing down but stephen bates the author of royalty inc britains best known brand said that in buckingham palace uttering the word abdication was akin to swearing in a church
he also expressed concerns that the queens line of presumed successors   charles prince of wales prince william duke of cambridge and prince george   may lack her luster william has become just another middle aged bald bloke in a suit he said
whatever the challenges the queen appears to have kept the promise she made on her 21st birthday i declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service


cowgirl creamery a small food producer in marin county calif was elated when whole foods came calling to buy cowgirls organic triple cream cheese for 45 of its stores after five years of selling shop to shop the entrepreneurs behind the company finally had their first big order to meet the new production demands they borrowed 200000 to build new aging rooms for the cheese
but the first batch they delivered to whole foods grew mold not the white fluffy mold that gives cheese its essence   it was the nonedible possibly reputation destroying black mold
it was awful said sue conley who started the company with her partner peggy smith we hadnt primed our new aging rooms so other bacteria were competing with the fluffy white mold it was a big mess
but whole foods was patient ms conley said and the next batch sold so well that it jump started demand a decade later cowgirl employs 100 people produces 800 pounds of cheese a day and is looking to expand by building a new creamery
other companies too have learned that the excitement of the whole foods effect can quickly turn to fear as they face producing and distributing their recipes at larger volumes while maintaining quality and consistency and most critically they have to find the money to pay for the expansions
its an opportunity   and challenge   that more entrepreneurs are confronting as retailers turn to start ups and small businesses to fulfill consumer demand for locally grown food
the percentage of customers buying these products rose to 25 percent in 2013 from 13 percent in 2007 according to a recent report from the food marketing institute in arlington va
we are seeing a shift of the tectonic plates of food retailing as well as in food suppliers and processing and manufacturing said mark baum senior vice president at the institute its all being driven by consumers
local food sales could hit 20 billion by 2019 up from 5 billion in 2008 the research firm packaged facts predicts the success of the local food movement has drawn backing from tom vilsack the secretary of agriculture as well as from environmental groups and food enthusiasts even traditionally commoditized food products like milk are burnishing local bona fides
whole foods has driven much of the demand for such products at the national level the company employs local foragers tasked with finding new products it also offers a loan fund to help vendors cover the costs of growth since 2007 it has lent nearly 20 million to 247 recipients with an average interest rate of 5 percent
we are often the launchpad for a new local product and we are really proud of that said jenna gelgand the senior administrator of the whole foods loan program now investment in these types of products is really high but that was not the case around the recession and the years following we can really see the need
but as demand has grown so has the number of major retailers seeking such products for their shelves kroger has created partnerships with several state buy local programs and costco recently started a loan program for organic farmers who need capital to meet growth targets
shannon byrne is currently trying to scale up to meet an order to supply 88 kroger stores with her slow jams spreads the turnaround time just two months
ms byrne started the company in 2011 out of her community garden in grosse pointe park mich and has been slowly expanding in 2013 her products landed on the shelves of whole foods stores in metro detroit
last year she moved her production to hopeful harvest a food incubator in southfield mich to accommodate accelerating growth
the incubator was started two years ago by the local food pantry forgotten harvest when it noticed increased demand for commercial kitchen space and food processing facilities it invested more than 200000 to build out an empty warehouse with everything needed to manufacture food in bulk including bottling lines giant mixers and deep freezers
hopeful harvest was soon handling three shifts seven days a week it works with 35 companies has a waiting list and plans to build a new facility by years end
the program has been so successful that hopeful harvest now works with entrepreneurs on a line of co branded food items that sell at large retailers like kroger with a portion of the sales supporting the food pantry
its been absolutely meteoric said chris nemeth the president of hopeful harvest
when mr nemeth decided he wanted to create a co branded line of jams he turned to ms byrne because of her unusual flavors such as raspberry lemon verbena she agreed immediately   never suspecting that when he pitched kroger it would agree to carry five of her jams and need them on shelves in a few short months
the biggest thing is figuring out the logistics ms byrne said the best part of this process is there is a great network of entrepreneurs who have already gone down this road you call them up and they are happy to give their time and expertise
some start ups however have turned down offers to ramp up
charma dompreh a retired elementary schoolteacher in flint mich makes healthy snacks out of dehydrated collard greens her charmas green chips are sold in four whole foods stores but she could not foresee how she could expand to supply kroger as well
they wanted me to do a pallet of greens she said i cant do a pallet those greens have to be dehydrated for 17 hours
finding good suppliers is also an issue i need to find farmers i can depend on ms dompreh said sometimes they have the collards sometimes they dont
instead ms dompreh hopes to open a production space and retail shop in detroit
she wants to ensure that the quality of her chips does not change as she grows that conundrum   how to stay true to what made you great while producing larger and larger batches   is the top concern small business owners face as they look to expand
there is a ton of interest out there but passion for a product doesnt make for a good business said ally dearman the director of the food craft institute in oakland calif what we were seeing was businesses poised to succeed if they had the right resources or fail if they didnt we wanted to cut that off at the pass and give people the resources they need
lindsey ott too declined the opportunity to supply whole foods with mama tong soups ms ott bought the business from the companys founder in 2013 for monthly installment payments of 200
my dream is to create a kitchen that can be home for a few like minded high integrity food businesses ms ott said i want to be more of a community kitchen space i just want to make enough money to live in the bay area and chip away at the debt ive accrued


london   credit suisse has hired henrik aslaksen a former top banker at deutsche bank as the swiss bank continues to reshape its investment banking business
mr aslaksen the former global head of mergers and acquisitions at deutsche bank will join the swiss bank on monday in a new position as a managing director and head of strategic client coverage in the banks investment banking and capital markets division for europe the middle east and africa according to an internal memorandum reviewed
he will focus on the banks largest global clients and be based in london the memo said
since joining the bank as chief executive in july tidjane thiam the former chief executive of the british insurer prudential has announced that credit suisse will raise billions of dollars in new capital reduce the size of its investment bank and slash costs
credit suisse which is based in zurich and has large operations in new york and london is placing greater emphasis on its wealth management business particularly in asia and other emerging markets
in march mr thiam said that executives had been caught off guard by the size of large risky positions taken in its trading business forcing them to accelerate the banks cost cutting drive and to further shrink the investment bank
the swiss bank is seeking to cut costs by billions of dollars by the end of 2018 including eliminating 6000 positions held by employees and contractors the lender employed about 48000 people worldwide at the end of last year
credit suisse reported a loss of 583 billion swiss francs or about 606 billion in the fourth quarter the loss was driven primarily a write down of 38 billion francs after credit suisse reassessed the value of its investment bank as part of the continuing overhaul
mr thiam the credit suisses chief executive has said that the investment bank in a smaller form remains a crucial part of the banks strategy going forward
mr aslaksen is the latest in a series of strategic hires that credit suisse has made in its investment bank as it moves to reshape the business
james peterkin a former barclays banker joined the bank in march as head of oil and gas for europe the middle east and africa and patrick porritt a former bank of america merrill lynch banker joined credit suisse this month as vice chairman of its financial institutions group
mr aslaksen has more than 20 years experience in investment banking including stints at deutsche bank and bank of america merrill lynch


beijing   inside a shopping mall near financial street past the home decor stores and mannequins dressed in hot pink lingerie the two friends sipped lattes and debated whether women should shave their armpits
it was a thursday afternoon at lady book salon one of the few bookstores in mainland china geared toward women and wang lu 32 and emily zhou 29 both investment bankers were discussing what it meant to be a feminist
ms wang insisted the term was too radical and had become associated with dissidents who wanted sweeping social change in china ms zhou disagreed
why should women have to do all these unnatural things like shaving their armpits for the sake of men she said we have to stand up for ourselves
since opening two years ago lady book salon has become a refuge for working women seeking spiritual fulfillment and a place to trade advice on managing families and careers bankers artists government workers and students come each day in search of books on mindfulness negotiation philosophy and womens rights
like an earlier wave of feminist bookstores that sprung up in the united states and canada in the 1970s bookstores designed for women have gained traction in mainland china in recent years with female oriented stores opening in beijing shanghai and chengdu
the stores cater to a generation of women who are seeking not only career success amid chinas economic boom but also spiritual enrichment and as more women take on more powerful positions many are looking for help overcoming the chauvinism that is rampant in chinese workplaces
the founder of lady book salon xu chunyu described herself as a mild feminist saying women should focus on empowering themselves and improving their own lives rather than striving to change the patriarchy embedded in chinese culture
ms xu 41 opened her first female oriented store in beijing a decade ago in hopes of giving women a forum for expanding their knowledge of culture history feminine identity and relationships she now operates nine stores in mainland china each with the slogan be a literary lady
ms xu said many chinese women especially those between the ages of 20 and 45 led a volatile life overwhelmed by the demands of work family and love
i wanted to establish a place for women to express themselves and to show their independence ms xu said together they can overcome obstacles and broaden their horizons
during a lunch break at lady book salon recently philly ma 35 sat with a friend at a corner table and cried ms ma said the stress of working at a government financial agency and raising children was overpowering we long for some place to rest the soul she said this is an oasis in such a chaotic city
ms ma said she sometimes struggled to assert herself at work drowned out by the din of male voices and that managers often assigned women less work assuming they wanted to spend more time at home with their families we have to be brave and speak up she said
su qing 33 a manager at a financial services company started coming to lady book salon last year to read books on business chinese history and buddhism ms su who struggled with postpartum depression said that studying buddhism helped her understand that happiness came not from material wealth but spiritual peace
after coming here i found the direction of my life ms su said being here has shown i have something beyond my family life that i have my own interests and activities
at another table zhang yuan yuan 31 a financial services manager said she was distraught by the lack of outrage over domestic violence in china earlier this month a video showing a woman being attacked by a stranger in the hallway of a four star hotel in beijing went viral the hotel staff stood idle
its not an isolated incident ms zhang said theres not enough respect for women
in recent years the communist party has pushed back against some forms of feminist advocacy   last year it detained five activists who were planning a campaign against sexual harassment   even as the government has portrayed itself as a champion of gender equality
the chinese state media regularly publish stories promoting traditional roles for women emphasizing the need to marry before age 27 for instance or to give up personal dreams for the sake of a happy family
the women who frequent these stores generally do not call themselves feminists while they speak passionately about the need to raise salaries for women and reduce domestic violence some shirk from a term that is still controversial in segments of chinese society
the sensibility of lady book salon where gentle flute music plays in the background and pillows shaped like pandas greet customers is not for everyone
vickey chen 22 a senior at beijing foreign studies university said she did not think it helped the cause of feminism to have a bookstore tailored to women
you cant say that we females can only read one kind of book said ms chen as she picked up a childrens story and perused a book by albert camus we should be exposed to all kinds of books
lady book salon has tried to please women with both progressive and traditional interests
alongside copies of simone de beauvoirs the second sex and the chinese sociologist li yinhes feminism are cake baking cookbooks and how to guides on finding husbands the store hosts talks with female writers and discussions on family and workplace issues but it also offers classes on making jewelry and applying makeup
ms xu wearing buddhist prayer beads on one wrist and a xiaomi fitness band on the other said it was important to provide women with both spiritual and practical guidance
we have to pay attention to the development of their thoughts and ideas and also help them deal with the realities of their daily lives she said
customers who visit the store do not have to go far to find reminders of the stereotypes of women that persist in chinese society
lady book salon sits directly across from a womens underwear store a few feet from its front door is a large advertisement showing a model in black lingerie surrounded by hearts next to the woman are two words perfect lover


paris   the french government will seek a two month extension of the state of emergency it declared after the attacks in and around paris that left 130 people dead in november prime minister manuel valls said on wednesday
the move which is expected to get the required parliamentary approval comes as france prepares for the european championship soccer tournament and the tour de france this summer
the two high profile well attended events will pose a serious security challenge as the government tries to guarantee safety amid the increasing threat posed by islamist extremists
the attacks in november included three suicide bombers who struck outside a soccer match at the stade de france a stadium in the northern paris suburb of st denis that will be the site of the final game of the soccer tournament
seven million people are expected to attend events related to the soccer tournament either by attending the 51 matches that will be played in 10 stadiums or by watching the games at fan zones that can accommodate 10000 to 100000
mr valls speaking on the radio network france info said the government had to ensure full security at stadiums and fan zones in cities across the country for the european championship which will run from june 10 to july 10
uefa the governing body for european soccer is expected to hire 10000 private agents to help with security inside and outside the stadiums they will be deployed in addition to a sizable police presence
the fan zones have prompted concerns about security which were heightened after the attacks in brussels last month in which 32 people were killed
a joint steering committee that includes representatives from uefa the french soccer federation the government and host cities approved security measures on march 5 for the fan zones that include searches for explosives pat downs for people attending the events metal detectors at entrances and the use of video surveillance
the state of emergency which has already been extended twice was scheduled to end on may 26 it expands the powers of the french authorities allowing them to carry out police raids and put people under house arrest without the prior authorization of a judge
the office of president francois hollande said in a statement after a weekly cabinet meeting on wednesday that the police had conducted 3549 raids since the november attacks and that 69 people were still under house arrest
the security forces have been on red alert since the attacks in and around paris with large scale exercises to test their response to terrorist attacks
a drill held on march 17 simulated a chemical attack among a crowd of 1200 soccer fans in an open air area on tuesday three elite police units were involved in a simulated attack inside one of pariss railway stations
in brussels a 23 year old swede accused of involvement in the bombing at the maelbeek subway station has also been charged in connection with the paris attacks belgian media reported on tuesday citing prosecutors
a flemish television station vrt said that the fingerprints of the man   osama krayem also known as naim al ahmed   were found at several hide outs used in preparation for the attacks claude moniquet a former french intelligence officer who lives in belgium was quoted as saying that mr krayem had been identified in security camera footage talking to the second subway bomber khalid el bakraoui moments before the bomb went off
a lawyer for mr krayem vincent lurquin said last week that his client turned back and gave up his suicide mission


hong kong   a top editor at one of hong kongs most prestigious newspapers was fired on wednesday after the publication of a front page devoted to a single story the offshore holdings uncovered by the panama papers of some of the citys tycoons celebrities and politicians
the chinese language paper ming pao said in a statement with no mention of the editor by name that it was cutting staff because of a difficult business environment
but employees reacted angrily and many in hong kong joined them in drawing a link between the publication of the panama papers story and the dismissal of keung kwok yuen the no 2 editor in the newsroom
ming pao is one of a number of newspapers around the world that have worked with the washington based international consortium of investigative journalists which this month began releasing a trove of millions of documents linking some of the worlds wealthiest and most powerful people to secretive offshore companies
the papers employees represented by the ming pao staff association confronted the chief editor chong tien siong in a tense meeting on wednesday afternoon asking for a more thorough explanation of why mr keung lost his job phyllis tsang the chairwoman of the association and a participant in the meeting said by phone
mr keungs firing also set off a round of condemnations from political leaders in hong kong many say the citys press freedoms are being steadily eroded by what they see as the growing influence of mainland china hong kong was promised a high degree of autonomy over its affairs as part of an agreement that led to its return to chinese control in 1997 after more than a century and a half under british rule
cost cutting is unacceptable as a reason for dismissing mr keung alan leong the leader of the pro democracy civic party told reporters it shows how media owners and editors do not even bother to come up with better excuses anymore   no one would believe such an excuse
the dismissal was especially sensitive because mr chongs predecessor as chief editor kevin lau chun to was removed from the post in january 2014 that led to protests by journalists expressing fear that the chinese communist party was encroaching on one of the citys most venerable and independent minded newspapers
mr laus removal   he has continued to work for ming paos parent company   coincided with ming paos cooperation with the international consortium of investigative journalists on a previous leak of offshore documents
in february 2014 mr lau was attacked on a hong kong street and left with severe cuts on his back and legs after being hacked by a cleaver last year two men who said they had been offered 100000 hong kong dollars or about 12900 to assault him were sentenced to 19 years in prison the men were arrested in mainland china and sent to hong kong to be prosecuted who may have hired the men or why has never been disclosed
mr chong a malaysian was expected by many journalists and political observers to toe an editorial line closer to beijing but ming pao continued to publish stories that gave a voice to people at the fringes of hong kong society and to question those in power the paper won awards for its coverage of the pro democracy street protests that swept hong kong in late 2014
yuen chan a senior lecturer in journalism at the chinese university of hong kong pointed to mr keung as one of the reasons ming pao was able to maintain a large degree of editorial independence
a lot of people inside the newspaper do credit keung kwok yuen with that ms chan said by phone they credit him as the person who would take the pressure and show the leadership so the reporters and editors who worked under him could go ahead and do their work
ms chan and the ming pao employees association did not assert that mr keungs firing was because of the publication of the panama papers story
nobody has been able to give one smoking gun reason she said
the south china morning post hong kongs leading english language daily also published an article on wednesday about the offshore holdings of noted residents that were revealed in the recent leak and had been obtained from a panamanian law firm mossack fonseca
the law firms hong kong office in an upscale shopping district is its busiest one internationally known figure from the city tied to offshore holdings and featured in the ming pao report was jackie chan the movie star and martial artist
other prominent hong kong figures named by both newspapers include li ka shing a property magnate who is hong kongs richest individual and henry tang the former chief secretary for hong kong the no 2 post in the city government


beirut lebanon   the australian mother and television crew accused of snatching two young children on a beirut street amid a custody dispute were released from prison by a lebanese court on wednesday the lebanese news media reported
the childrens mother sally faulkner and the four person crew including the prominent australian journalist tara brown had been charged with kidnapping at gunpoint and threatening the lives of children
but four others charged in the attempt   two britons including a man who ran a so called child recovery agency and two lebanese   remained in prison under what was said to be a deal on custody arrangements and other matters struck with ali al amin the childrens father
we are still waiting to confirm details but yes reports out of beirut are that the team and sally faulkner are being released to return home a spokeswoman for channel nine victoria buchan wrote in an email on wednesday
quoting a judicial source the daily star of lebanon said that ms faulkner had agreed to give up custody rights and not claim them in the future but that she would be allowed to see the children in lebanon in their fathers presence
the case and what appeared to be the australian channels plan to film the kidnapping and portray it as a rescue has prompted some commentators in the arab world and elsewhere to highlight what they say is a double standard what would the reaction be they ask if an arab parent and television crew did the same in australia europe or the united states
ms faulkner had accused her husband of seizing the children by taking them on what he said was a vacation to lebanon and telling her they would never return
the seizure of the children was captured on cctv footage and was later broadcast by the lebanese news media it appeared to show people jumping out of a car and grabbing them from their grandmother on a busy street
in interviews with the news media the grandmother said that both she and a domestic helper had been hit or pushed to the ground
channel nine has said it had no connection to the people who snatched the children denying reports that they had paid a six figure fee to the child recovery agency that essentially abducts children on behalf of one parent from estranged spouses accused of abducting the youngsters
women seeking to retrieve children in lebanese custody cases are at a disadvantage lebanese courts reflexively give custody to fathers in a system where family law is governed by the religion of the family involved lebanon has not signed the hague abduction convention which calls for children to be returned to their country of residence if taken by a family member
the children lahela 5 and noah 3 were returned to their father after their mother was arrested last week


new delhi   the indian government has begun a campaign for the return of a historic 1056 carat diamond that was either a gift to queen victoria from the maharajah of punjab in 1849 or stolen by the british depending on some widely divergent perspectives
after some indecision the indian culture ministry said on tuesday evening that it would make all possible efforts to arrange the return of the diamond the koh i noor now residing in the tower of london where it is a centerpiece of the british royal familys crown jewels
as with the elgin marbles the parthenon sculptures and other artifacts that greece has long tried to reclaim from britain the ownership of the diamond has been a contentious issue for decades
for many indians the koh i noor   or mountain of light   is a symbol of colonial subjugation and three centuries of exploitation that began with the east india company in the early 17th century culminated in the absorption of india as a colony after a major uprising in 1857 and ended with the independence and partition of india in 1947
whether it was a gift or not britain says the diamond came into its possession after the defeat of punjab in the anglo sikh wars of the 1840s and was moved to britain in 1850 as recently as 2010 prime minister david cameron said the diamond would stay put
but critics in india say the british version of the story has been sanitized
the diamond originated in the golconda mines in what is now the state of andhra pradesh it passed through the hands of mughal persian and afghan rulers before landing with maharajah ranjit singh the ruler of the sikh kingdom in punjab who died in 1839
his death led to a struggle and in 1843 the installation of his 5 year old son in the power vacuum the east india company rapidly extended its control over the once powerful kingdom annexing it in 1849 after its victory in the second anglo sikh war said anita anand a journalist and a co author of a forthcoming book on the diamond the jewel was then surrendered she said as part of an agreement ending the war and signed by the boy king
it was a cynical exploitation at a time of flux in the sikh kingdom ms anand said by telephone
the controversy may even extend beyond india in pakistan a lawyer filed a petition in the lahore high court in february arguing that the diamond belonged to territory that is now part of pakistan and that the pakistani government should seek its return
the issue was raised this week by a private group that was seeking a court order requiring the indian government to request the diamonds return the indian solicitor general ranjit kumar at first argued against the suit saying that the gem was a gift and that the government had no reason to seek its return this ignited a firestorm on social media and did not appear to sit well with some of the judges
we have not colonized any other country and taken out their artifacts chief justice t s thakur said according to the kolkata newspaper the telegraph what are you worried about after that the government seems to have had a change of heart
some indian commentators said the issue was a political distraction let it remain where it is a shining example of our selflessness pritish nandy a politician and writer wrote on twitter on monday calling the claim not worth pursuing
shekhar gupta a columnist for the newspaper the business standard wrote on twitter that the case was a reminder to higher courts to be selective with what deserves attention
most analysts say there is little chance that britain will part with the koh i noor which is embedded in a crown crafted in 1937 that was most recently used by the queen mother who died in 2002 at 101 mr cameron said during a 2010 visit to india that if one request was yielded to you suddenly find the british museum would be empty
nevertheless the indian culture ministry said it hoped for an amicable outcome whereby india gets back a valued piece of art


it caused a social media firestorm worthy of coverage by a new york city tabloid but in this case it was a tabloid itself that was in the spotlight
the firing of an editor at the daily news on tuesday capped a day that saw plagiarism accusations and sharp criticism on twitter aimed at the newspaper and one of its writers shaun king
the newspapers editor in chief jim rich said in a statement forwarded to mr king that the editor who was not identified had been dismissed after a series of egregious and inexplicable errors over the past few months
specifically mr rich said the editor deleted attribution in mr kings articles in at least three instances leaving parts of his work without proper credit to sources
mr rich added that because of the recurring nature of this editors specific mistakes all of the work he had edited was being reviewed it was unclear whether the review also applied to the work of other writers
despite this inexcusable set of mistakes the daily news commitment to quality journalism is as strong as ever mr richs statement said
news of the dismissal emerged on tuesday after an article by mr king was published online within hours he was being accused on twitter of plagiarizing parts of an article from the daily beast that was published earlier on tuesday both articles addressed the same subject an army veteran who died while in custody at the tulsa county jail in oklahoma
some twitter users noted that two paragraphs from the daily beasts article written by kate briquelet appeared word for word in mr kings article without any attribution
others pointed out that a passage in an article that mr king wrote last week about gun violence in chicago contained verbatim language from an article on the website fivethirtyeight
mr king 36 who was hired by the daily news last fall as a senior justice writer covering topics including racism and issues affecting the gay lesbian and transgender community said he at first did not pay attention to what was being said on twitter
he was confident that the plagiarism accusations were false because he said he had not been told by editors at the daily news that his article had been altered he added that he has a verbal agreement with the tabloid that any changes to his work beyond grammar or punctuation require his approval and that his writing customarily gets a light edit
i didnt see these changes mr king said i wasnt told hey we deleted this attribution line and made you look like you said it 
he said he does not usually read his stories once they have been published every blue moon ill go back and ill read it and yeah it was just the way i left it he said
in a series of posts on twitter he vehemently defended himself
mr king who lives in atlanta and sends his articles via email made available copies of his unedited work that he sent to the daily news the copies appear to show that he set off the quoted passages in block text and included attribution that was later cut he said
my thought in both of those was i wanted to acknowledge that my thinking was inspired by the works of those folks he said referring to the writers at the daily beast and fivethirtyeight
in a telephone interview on tuesday mr king said he was shellshocked by what happened he said he still believed in the system for filing and editing his articles and said its failure was the work of one isolated person
normally when i click submit i feel good he said now when i click submit ill add an extra step or something
by tuesday evening an editors note had been added to two of mr kings articles stating that an editing error mistakenly removed attribution and that the item had been corrected
the news regrets the error the note said
it was unclear where the third instance of deleted attribution had occurred mr king said he did not know mr rich did not respond to a call or email on tuesday evening
noah shachtman the executive editor of the daily beast said his organization modeled itself after the golden era daily news which was known for its strong reporting and fearlessness in taking stands
i guess the larger issue is what is this great newspaper doing he said i used to really admire the daily news to see them wading into these algae filled waters of aggregation is just kind of sad to me
jessica pucci a professor who teaches journalism ethics at the walter cronkite school of journalism and mass communication at arizona state university in phoenix found fault with the internal handling of mr kings articles citing the practice of light editing as well as the writers failure to read his published work
i take issue with that she said in this instance it speaks to a larger systemic failure of a newsroom workflow
beyond that she said the episode illuminates a larger issue confronting news organizations that are shrinking in resources and struggling for survival
the hyper fast news cycle often places too great an emphasis on our newsroom loyalty   the mentality that if i get this very interesting story out now itll be good for our website and our brand she said in an email but prioritizing speed and exclusivity often causes us to be disloyal to the public and that actually has a more significant negative outcome on our newsrooms the journalism profession and ourselves


american fashion may be about to experience its biggest redefinition in decades
on tuesday in yet another example of the upheaval in the fashion world hedi out at ysl dior still without a designer mens wear in turmoil calvin klein announced that its mens and womens wear creative directors of more than a decade italo zucchelli and francisco costa were leaving the company to facilitate a new global creative strategy
both lines as well as all the other categories of the business   presumably including jeans underwear fragrance and others   would be united under one vision with said visionary to be named in due course
the company declined to say what that course would be though it did say that the mens collection in june and the womens in september would be done by the in house creative team and that they would not be shown on the runway
the calvin reorganization had been rumored since the end of last year along with the now much repeated as fact speculation that raf simons the former artistic director of dior was in line for the job
mr simons not surprisingly did not return emails for comment he was traveling and in any case he has a noncompete with dior that extends through the summer
whether or not he gets the job however the news creates the potential for calvin klein a brand that has largely stepped back from the fashion conversation since its founder sold the company to the current owner pvh in 2003 and retired to start shaping the industry again indeed its not exaggerating to say that if the fashion house picks the right person for the job and mr simons is a good idea and supports that person it could radically redesign new york fashion
someone needs to
after all since the 1980s advent of the big three calvin klein ralph lauren and donna karan the designers that burst onto the international stage and made sportswear a global phenomenon american fashion has stayed pretty much the same
as those brands have matured and gradually lost their stranglehold on the national aesthetic however whether through retirement ms karan or simple repetition other names have not risen to take their place the next generation   marc jacobs narciso rodriguez michael kors   got distracted by jobs in europe and then globalization the group after that proenza schouler rodarte altuzarra though artistically adventurous is still too small to have much global impact
but with sales of 82 billion in 2015 calvin klein could
that it has not thus far is a function largely of the fact that pvh which also owns brands such as tommy hilfiger izod warners and speedo has clearly been more focused on the broad appeal and financial possibilities of the accessible end of the market even though mr costa and mr zucchelli were generally applauded for their collections with mr costa twice winning the cfda womens wear designer of the year award and mr zucchellis winning mens wear once they were siloed and had little impact on the broader calvin business
there was the sense that the clothes appeared on the catwalk and were rarely seen again the red carpet business   and mr costa usually snagged one to two big names per awards show the most recent being saoirse ronan at the oscars in a bottle green sequined slip dress   seemed to have little relation to the more intriguing runway
indeed sales of mens and womens collections combined accounted for less than 5 percent of the labels total business three years ago i did a video interview with tom murry then chief executive for the financial times and he told me on camera that the collection lines were classified as a marketing expense on the balance sheet the better to sell perfume you know
ask anyone what calvin klein ads they remembered and odds are they would name the justin bieberkendall jenner jeans campaign collection huh whats that
opportunity to fill the hole in new york fashion and make an aesthetic statement strong enough coherent enough and loud enough to echo not only through the city but also beyond
if calvin klein does so it will signal a real break not only from the last 12 years but from anything pvh has done
its probably not an accident that this decision to change the creative structure of the company coincided with the advent of a new chief executive in 2014 steve shiffman the former president of the brand took the helm from mr murry new leadership is a chance for new beginnings especially if mr shiffman finds a design partner whose ambitions go beyond simply the stated desire to increase global retail sales to 10 billion to making a broader aesthetic statement about how we live now
for all of our sakes i hope he does
in the meantime the talented mr costa and mr zucchelli are back on the job market someone should snap them up soon


united continental settled a fight on wednesday over its board and named a new chairman striking a compromise with two significant investors who sought to shake up the embattled airline
in reaching an accord with the two investment firms par capital management and altimeter capital management united will avoid prolonging a potentially distracting fight as it continues to try to revive its fortunes
under the terms of the agreement announced on wednesday par and altimeter will choose two new directors barney harford formerly of the travel booking company orbitz and edward l shapiro an executive at par the two sides will jointly appoint a third new board member in the coming months
perhaps more important for the two investors united will replace its nonexecutive chairman henry l meyer iii with robert milton a former chief executive of air canada
mr meyer and two other directors john h walker and charles a yamarone agreed to step down come the airlines next annual shareholder meeting oscar munoz uniteds chief executive who had been scheduled to become chairman next year will instead take that post in 2018
the campaign by par and altimeter who together own just over 7 percent of uniteds stock came as mr munoz planned to return to his post after heart transplant surgery
behind the push by the hedge funds   the two are longtime investors in travel companies but are not known for shareholder activism   was a belief that the airlines board was ineffective and entrenched last month par and altimeter unveiled a campaign to take six seats on the companys board with candidates including gordon m bethune a former chief executive of the old continental
since the merger of united and continental in 2010 the combined airline has lagged behind its rivals in the industry the carrier has been hit by computer and technical problems and it has the worst operational and on time performance among big american carriers differences in corporate cultures and labor disagreements have thwarted a unified approach in the companys operations
though par and altimeter did not claim the total number of board seats that they had sought they appeared to be satisfied with the change in uniteds directors and in the additional airline experience that many of those new directors bring
three of the directors added before wednesday including mr milton were appointed by united the day before par and altimeter began their campaign
despite only returning to work weeks ago mr munoz led the negotiations with par and altimeter hoping to avert a protracted and potentially bitter public fight


shenzhen china   dji is the chinese company that took drone technology   long the purview of major military forces   and made it cheap and accessible enough for ordinary people
but as the technology is put into the hands of consumers it raises new questions for dji and others in the industry what should be done with the information those drones gather the little pilotless flying machines typically carry cameras gps sensors and other devices that can tell interested parties where they have been and what they have seen how much of that information should be shared with local governments
that question is especially important in china where regulators have looked askance at drones while tightening their hold over civil society
in a briefing for chinese and foreign journalists at djis headquarters in shenzhen on wednesday zhang fanxi a spokesman for the company said it was still working out how to deal with the data it collects in china but for now he said dji is complying with requests from the chinese government to hand over data
adam najberg another dji spokesman said dji evaluated each request and complied if it decided that request was legitimate
dji could also give the government data from flights in hong kong mr zhang said that could raise eyebrows among drone users in the city a semiautonomous chinese territory with its own laws that guarantee freedom of expression and its own independent judicial system protests in hong kong that shut down parts of the city in late 2014 were prompted in part by concerns that beijing was interfering in local affairs
for the moment mr zhang said dji was uncertain what the industry would decide to do with the data this data exactly how we use it when we use it and which government departments we give it to is a continuing discussion he said
dji also sells drones in the united states mr najberg said dji did not have a way to see video or images from drones beyond those that users upload themselves via a company social media app he also said that the companys phone app uploads flight data to its servers though consumers can use third party apps that do not
dji is not alone in cooperating with chinese authorities when they request data which is required of all companies doing business there in its most recent report on government requests for information apple said it received about 1000 requests for data in the second half of last year from chinese authorities and supplied data about two thirds of the time apple said this week that it had never handed encryption keys over to the chinese authorities which would give beijing direct and broad access to communications on apples products
over the same period apple received about 4000 requests from the united states authorities and handed over data four fifths of the time according to its report access to encrypted communications on apple devices has become the subject of a fierce american political debate
but china has been seeking more ways to tap into electronic communications two years ago it proposed a law that would require foreign companies to turn over encryption keys for security reasons though the final version dropped that language officials have cited rising online crime in china worries about terrorist attacks and disclosures by edward j snowden the former united states government contractor who revealed that american intelligence agencies sometimes used american technology products to gather information
mr zhang said dji did not give chinese authorities direct access to drones unless requested if the government says it wants this data we will tell the user he said we communicate all of this
still china has not formalized rules over drones so the industrys obligations are unclear
already djis user agreement flags the possibility that whoever flies a drone may not be flying it alone it reads please note that if you conduct your flight in certain countries your flight data might be monitored and provided to the government authorities according to local regulatory laws
in other areas relations with beijing remain untested the company has had numerous requests from local governments in china to work with and train the military police and other security forces to use its drones for surveillance and to track criminals mr zhang said
still drones face a skeptical audience here in 2013 chinese forces shot down a drone over a beijing suburb several months later a foreigner who took breathtaking shots of central beijing with a dji drone earned a brief detention and a stern talking to
drones have raised security concerns in the united states as well after one crashed on the white house lawn last year at the briefing dji said that it continued to expand a system that ensured the drones could not fly in sensitive areas an arrangement known as geofencing


tokyo   in the latest scandal to hit the automobile industry mitsubishi motors said on wednesday that it had cheated on fuel economy tests for an ultrasmall car it produces in japan the company acknowledged that its engineers had intentionally manipulated evaluations
the cheating affected about 620000 cars sold in the japanese market starting in 2013 tetsuro aikawa mitsubishis president said at a news conference
but the problem could stretch beyond that make of car mr aikawa said that the same testing method which was in violation of japanese standards was used on other models in the country and that mitsubishi was investigating whether fuel economy ratings for other lines had been exaggerated as a result
it has become clear that improper testing methods were used to improve the appearance of fuel efficiency mr aikawa said before he and other company leaders bowed in apology company executives called the manipulation of tests on the microcar called the ek intentional
automakers reports of fuel economy and pollution ratings have come under especially close scrutiny after a scandal at volkswagen last year the german automaker was found to have manipulated software in 11 million diesel vehicles to cheat on emissions tests
mitsubishis reputation has been battered by scandal before in 2000 the company admitted that it had been hiding reports on vehicle defects for more than two decades the news contributed to a sales plunge of nearly 50 percent and nearly pushed the automaker into bankruptcy
the revelation of cheating put the fuel ratings of other mitsubishi vehicles under scrutiny its shares fell 15 percent on wednesday after the company released a brief statement saying it had engaged in improper fuel economy reporting it disclosed the details after the market closed
the cheating at mitsubishi appears to have been exposed by an unexpected source another japanese carmaker nissan motor
mitsubishi manufactures the ek and sells it at dealerships in japan but it also supplies versions of the car to nissan which markets them under a different name the dayz nissan a larger company with a more extensive dealer network actually sells more of the vehicles than mitsubishi does
such arrangements are increasingly common in the global auto industry as manufacturers pursue greater scale in an effort to lower costs and for smaller manufacturers like mitsubishi whose sales of 12 million vehicles a year make it only the sixth biggest carmaker in japan they can be financially indispensable
nissan took over development and design work on the ek and dayz last year it was then mr aikawa said that nissans engineers noticed the discrepancy in the published fuel rating   ostensibly an impressive 25 to 30 kilometers per liter or 60 to 70 miles per gallon depending on the version   and confronted mitsubishi he said the company would pay compensation to nissan the amount is subject to negotiation
mr aikawa said he and other top executives were unaware of the manipulation until it was pointed out by nissan at which point mitsubishi began an internal investigation it remained unclear who ordered the cheating he said but mitsubishi plans to ask an independent commission of experts to conduct a more thorough inquiry
we had problems in the past and we thought that we had overcome them as an organization but that wasnt the case said ryugo nakao a mitsubishi executive vice president in charge of product development
the car is a kei a category of tiny vehicles with engines under 660 cubic centimeters   smaller and less powerful than many motorcycles   that is specific to japan subject to lower taxes than full size cars keis were introduced in the lean years after world war ii to promote car ownership and they remain popular with budget conscious buyers
the manipulation of the eks fuel rating involved the way mitsubishi calculated the effect of wind and tire resistance during simulations resistance fluctuates depending on a cars speed and other conditions and makers are supposed to operate test vehicles in a way that produces an average over the course of a test that presumably gives a result closer to real world conditions
but mitsubishi said it had secretly used a test method that can produce lower resistance and can make the vehicle appear to travel farther on less fuel it said that it had used the same method on an unspecified number of other models and that it was examining test results dating to 2002 to determine if they were faulty
the ministry of land infrastructure transport and tourism which regulates the automobile industry said the method mitsubishi used differed from japans nationally mandated standard
many countries including the united states set their own detailed rules for fuel economy testing and mr nakao said mitsubishi like other carmakers tested the cars it makes for export with methods different from those used on cars it sells in japan but he said mitsubishi would also review the fuel economy standards it had reported overseas for possible discrepancies
mr nakao said the method that mitsubishi used to calculate resistance was similar to the standard used in the united states the united states and japan both conduct their fuel economy tests in a laboratory setting using a device called a dynamometer in which the cars wheels rest on large rollers that can simulate driving uphill or other road conditions
the united states test involves driving at higher speeds and with harder acceleration to mimic interstate driving said ryan harty an environmental project manager at american honda in torrance calif as a result official gas mileage ratings in japan are usually higher than those determined by the environmental protection agency he said
the results in japan come out quite high and customers know that and accept it mr harty said us customers want to get the same mileage as the number on the window sticker
mitsubishis admission is the latest blow to the credibility of automakers said michelle krebs a senior analyst at autotrader
this has left a cloud over the auto industry that suggests it isnt honest ms krebs said it leads consumers and regulators to be suspicious
volkswagen is still reeling after its acknowledgment in september that it had equipped millions of cars worldwide with software intended to cheat on tailpipe emissions tests the vehicles spewed far more pollutants than allowed under federal standards
since 2012 hyundai kia ford and the mini division of bmw have all been forced by united states regulators to lower their fuel economy ratings for various lines hyundai and kia were ordered to pay a combined 300 million in penalties related to fuel economy claims ford paid up to 1050 each to about 200000 owners of six different models most of them hybrids that had been sold with inflated mileage ratings
ms krebs said the willingness to take shortcuts reflected difficulties that automakers face as they strive to meet new standards for emissions and fuel economy that regulators in europe the united states and elsewhere have set
theres intense pressure to reach these standards she said and some are doing it by not actually having the performance to back it up


paris   in discussing her work the theater director yael farber often invokes the concept of a reckoning   a potent word from someone who was raised in apartheid south africa and whose latest production a reworking of lorraine hansberrys unfinished play les blancs dramatizes the effects of african colonialism
les blancs which had a brief run on broadway in 1970 but had languished since then opened last month at the national theater in london to impressive reviews with the guardian calling it a near perfect production of an imperfect play
lorraine hansberry speaks about colonialism and how that system has never had its day of reckoning ms farber said over coffee on a recent spring morning in paris at a bistro near the theatre des bouffes du nord where mies julie her 2012 adaptation of strindbergs miss julie was enjoying a two week run she brings everything together in this tiny little mission station and questions everything about how the rape of a continent has occurred its extraordinary
hansberry whose raisin in the sun was a sensation when it appeared in 1959 had completed several drafts of les blancs when she died of pancreatic cancer in 1965 at age 34
i felt that i was given something that was like a child being born at the moment of its mothers death ms farber said
hansberry felt that raisin in the sun was an exercise with herself she said she was desperate to explore a much more radical thread you see in les blancs that she is reaching for something more expressionistic something that engages with something that perhaps europe was having a reckoning with in its theater at the time
the national theater approached ms farber to direct les blancs last year after the success of her production of the crucible at the old vic in 2014 and after nirbhaya a testimonial piece she wrote about the fatal gang rape of a young indian woman on a bus in 2012 that generated international outrage
ms farber said she was excited to work with an ensemble cast and with the resources available at the national theater but she felt that les blancs needed work in the play a black intellectual returns to a fictional african country from europe for the funeral of his father who had founded a resistance movement
i had an immediate and very visceral reaction to the text she said but i also saw that there were many dramaturgical issues
hansberrys estate gave ms farber and the dramaturge drew lichtenberg access to her manuscripts as well as those from her widower robert nemiroff who adapted the 1970 production
over the course of several days in montreal where ms farber lives to be near her 8 year old daughter she mr lichtenberg and joi gresham mr nemiroffs daughter from a subsequent marriage reworked les blancs deleting some long passages of dialogue restoring some of hansberrys original material and adding live african music
i just felt that the material needed to have a deep understanding of what its like to grow up in a society that is racially obsessed ms farber said i wanted to make sure that the play was represented in a way with all the incredible nuances that move beneath a society like that
ben power the deputy artistic director at the national theater said of the resulting work what she captures in the production is the fact that it feels like two plays a great naturalistic american drama of the mid 20th century but at the same time there is this huge political sweep
ms farber said the issues of colonialism and racism that les blancs explores felt as urgent today as when hansberry began writing the play more than 50 years ago
les blancs is on its surface about colonialism and its reckoning with the middle passage she said but here we are at the national theater where you cant take your bags in because of the terrorist attacks in europe and then there is the word terrorist spoken onstage
there is no simplifying the stories of where armed struggle and violence come from she said for us not to engage in the dialogue beyond we must eradicate that evil   being terrorism   and not to engage in the very deep dialogue of where everything originates from is to continue to perpetrate an idea of the simplistic good bad binary that can make matters worse
for ms farber 45 who grew up in johannesburg and studied dramatic art at the university of witwatersrand there exposure to such weighty issues started early
she recalled seeing a musical at age 5 or 6 and coming out of the theater and seeing smoke on the horizon which turned out to be the soweto uprising of 1976
then as a teenager nobody was telling the truth she said all the news was state controlled that stayed with me not as a romantic idea of what theater can be but an urgent mandate of what it should be
that background informs her decision to stage such classics as the crucible and miss julie
mies julie began at the baxter theater in cape town where ms farber will return in june to adapt the bacchae and has traveled the world for nearly four years including a stint at st anns warehouse in new york in 2012 in ms farbers version miss julie is the daughter of a boer farmer and her valet is black
it also fuels her commitment to testimonial theater such as nirbhaya she said
my approach to testimonial theater the crucible and les blancs is almost identical she said its about telling the truth which is slippery and highly subjective how do you make theater that for a brief period of time opens that portal and says listen in a new way to something so old
were extraordinarily adaptive creatures she added and what is extraordinary quickly becomes ordinary


chicago   the puffiness along carol aschers left leg seemed like normal swelling probably from the high dose of chemotherapy dr karl bilimoria had injected the previous day but it could have been a blood clot he quickly ordered an ultrasound
we were just being abundantly cautious he said
such vigilance is a point of pride at northwestern memorial hospital but the hospitals tests have identified so many infections and serious blood clots that the federal government is cutting the institutions medicare payments for a year by about 16 million
nearly half of the nations academic medical centers are being punished similarly through one of the federal governments sternest attempts to promote patient safety medicare is reducing a years worth of payments to 758 hospitals including some of the most prestigious teaching hospitals in the country with the highest rates of infections and other potentially avoidable complications including blood clots after surgery bed sores hip fractures and sepsis
the penalties created by the federal affordable care act have incited a vehement debate about quality at many academic medical centers often revered for cutting edge treatments and top specialists are these vaunted hospitals really more dangerous than local unsung hospitals
or as northwestern and some other academic medical centers argue are these hospitals being perversely penalized because they are so aggressive in screening patients for problems at northwestern the penchant for ordering lab tests is so prevalent that physicians often refer to a culture of culturing that they credit for helping to keep the death rate there lower than at most hospitals
if you dont look for infections youre never going to find them said dr gary noskin northwesterns chief medical officer
since 2008 medicare has refused to reimburse hospitals for treating complications they created but studies have found that the change has not resulted in substantial decreases in harm nationwide infections and other avoidable hospital complications remain a threat to patients occurring during 12 of every 100 stays according to a federal estimate patients were hurt in some way more than four million times when hospitalized in 2014
the new medicare penalties which reduce payments by 1 percent for a year were begun in october 2014 last december medicare announced its second round of penalized facilities which include stanford hospital in california the cleveland clinic and brigham and womens hospital in boston which trains residents from harvard medical school intermountain medical center in utah and geisinger medical center in pennsylvania both of which president obama has singled out for excellence also are being penalized
the average penalty is estimated at about 480000 but most academic centers will lose more since they have higher revenues medicare says the punishments are effective and notes that teaching hospitals as a group are improving more rapidly than other hospitals
dr kate goodrich medicares quality director said in a statement that the scores and penalties show an improvement among large teaching hospitals since the first year of the fines in some areas including catheter associated infections the rate of injuries at teaching hospitals decreased faster than at other hospitals she said
its not only the magnitude of the penalty but the publicity that comes out of being penalized said dr kevin kavanagh a patient safety advocate from kentucky
even hospitals that are improving can be disciplined because congress required medicare to fine a quarter of hospitals each year excluding some special categories such as those serving veterans most teaching hospitals penalized this time including northwestern were also fined the previous year
dr atul grover chief public policy officer at the association of american medical colleges said the fines hurt hospitals such as academic centers that have the sickest patients medicare is punishing hospitals for taking on cases that nobody else wants he said
the centers for disease control and prevention has been collecting infection reports from hospitals for decades to help experts identify problems and measure progress in combating dangerous germs kristen metzger an infection prevention specialist at northwestern said that since medicare now uses the cdc reports in determining penalties physicians sometimes get into disputes with her team about whether a case meets the criteria to be reported
every week at our meetings it almost always turns into an argument about what northwestern is calling an infection and whether the hospital is being too strict ms metzger said
federal officials are concerned that not all facilities may be diligently reporting infections in october the government informed hospitals that it had heard that some employees were discouraging tests that might identify one of the infections the cdc tracks the government also said it had been told that in some places employees unnecessarily tested patients upon admission to document infections they arrived with while saying there was no evidence of widespread fraud the government invited whistle blowers to report misconduct
northwestern identifies an unusually high rate of infections around the sites of colon surgeries about one in every 19 operations according to medicares most recent public data its rates of blood clots after surgeries are also high the hospital reports one urinary tract infection for every 260 days that patients in the intensive care unit had catheters in place   a rate that is still higher than at most hospitals even after taking into consideration the fact that teaching hospitals tend to have patients with more infections medicare is expected to release updated infection rates this week and a new round of penalties will begin in october
the most reliable way to reduce urinary infections is to avoid using catheters or to take them out as soon as possible infection experts say but rob bailey a northwestern nurse said that was not possible for particularly ill patients
one of his patients comatose and obese arrived with bed sores that would have been aggravated by movement i dont think theres anything we could have done differently mr bailey said
during the first three months the patient was at northwestern the hospital reported three infections in that patient to the cdc
in some instances northwestern officials say they have room for improvement the hospital requires nursing supervisors and their teams to audit nurses at least 20 times each month by watching them as they insert and maintain catheters
hand hygiene as easy as it sounds that takes a lot andrea stone a nurse manager said people get busy and its a teaching hospital and if youre in a group and the doctor or the attending is talking with the entire team people might not be as focused
dr richard wunderink medical director of the intensive care unit said northwesterns focus on the conditions that determine medicare penalties has detracted from more prevalent medical challenges such as how to reduce pneumonias in patients on ventilators he said
theres no penalty right now for pneumonias dr wunderink said we are spending time on things that are maybe less important from a patient care perspective but more important from a financial perspective
not every expert believes teaching hospitals are inherently more meticulous in screening patients i see transfers from community hospitals and they tend to do just as many cultures as we do said dr jennifer meddings an assistant professor at the university of michigan medical school whose research focuses on infections
ms ascher dr bilimorias patient with the swollen leg praised northwestern for its thoroughness she has had four surgeries for melanoma on her left leg during her treatment doctors inadvertently discovered a brain aneurysm which she said they found only because they were so thorough because of the testing they did on me
one of the cancer surgeries led to an infection which dr bilimoria said was not unusual for the rare procedure he performed a type that usually takes place only at academic medical centers
it was caught soon enough that i didnt have any real problems with it ms ascher 74 said as far as im concerned im at the best hospital there is and we have lots of hospitals to choose from in this city


even if you lack health insurance youll probably be able to get treatment at a hospital in the event of a catastrophe   if youre struck by a car say but having insurance can mean the difference between financial security and financial ruin
a new study is showing that by giving health insurance to low income people obamacare seems to have cut down on their debt substantially it estimates that medical debt held by people newly covered by medicaid since 2014 has been reduced by about 600 to 1000 each year
the study published monday as a working paper by the national bureau of economic research builds on earlier evidence from oregon and massachusetts that offering health insurance to low income americans can help them avoid debt and financial shocks
ive written before about the big benchmarks im watching to evaluate the success of the health law its impact on peoples financial security is an important one
robert kaestner one of the authors of the new study said he and his co authors think the financial impacts of medicaid could have cascading effects for the programs beneficiaries previous research has linked hospitalizations among the uninsured to higher risk of bankruptcy unpaid bills and a lowered credit score
financial distress has many subsequent consequences said mr kaestner a professor of health economics at the university of illinois if people are skipping bills and going into debt then it can have other repercussions   for example you lose your car you fall behind on rent
this year we heard from thousands of readers about how medical bills can alter finances and daily life
i just turned 26 and i cant even get a new contract with att without a 750 security deposit let alone finance a new used vehicle wrote richard barnes a reader who was uninsured when he was struck with appendicitis three years ago when i was moving in may 2015 i had extreme trouble finding somebody who would rent to me
a survey that the upshot conducted with the kaiser family foundation found that about one in five americans still struggle to pay a medical bill even after the affordable care act but several studies show that the number has declined as insurance coverage has expanded
the new study homed in on the impacts for the lowest income americans the researchers examined credit reports on a sample of americans across the country they compared debt incurred by people in two very different sets of states those that expanded medicaid to provide free insurance to all individuals earning under about 16000 and those that either chose not to cover that popuation or had expanded their programs earlier
by focusing on the 25 percent of zip codes with the highest percentage of low income uninsured people before 2014 the researchers were able to compare debt incurred by people in the unchanged states with the debt of residents of states that offered new insurance options
over two years they didnt find major changes in every measure of financial distress but medicaid expansion did move the needle on the number of bills sent to collections and the amount of debt sent to collections thats important because thats the pattern of debt stressed people after an expensive health crisis mr kaestner said
the researchers estimate of 600 to 1000 involved some back of the envelope math but the money is substantial in the context of a population earning less than 16000 a year medical debt also isnt spread out evenly across the population about 20 percent of low income medicaid beneficiaries end up hospitalized in a given year that means that a smaller group of people was protected against huge bills
the study had some limitations it could look only at people who had a credit report government research has found that about 30 percent of people with very low income arent tracked by the credit agencies
the research also couldnt tell whether any particular individual got medicaid instead it tracked everyone in the places where researchers anticipated the biggest changes in medicaid enrollment but the differences were clear enough that the researchers are confident that they represent a real change in the financial circumstances of people who signed up for new medicaid plans
the authors pointed out that the lower debt burden for the newly insured indirectly helps other people the credit reports also track debt and unpaid bills outside of health care the insurance coverage means more bills are paid to doctors and hospitals   but also to banks utility companies and landlords
those financial ripples often receive less attention than the health laws more obvious effects on peoples access to health care but they are also an important effect of the law


kabul afghanistan   seven minutes after a truck bomb went off in the afghan capital on tuesday the first teams from kabul ambulance service reached the scene of devastation
right away they knew the attack was bad but not that it would turn out to be the deadliest in the afghan capital in 15 years of war
the teams radioed in the extent of the carnage activating the small departments contingency plan all of its 15 vehicles and staff from across the city were dispatched to the bomb scene behind the compound of an elite security force along the kabul river
mechanics got behind the wheel and clerks took on nursing duties ferrying the wounded to the citys hospitals for hours
the doors of two ambulances came off the hinges because they were packed with too many wounded said dr alem asem the ambulance services director
on wednesday the afghan government confirmed that the death toll was double what was initially reported sediq sediqqi a spokesman for the interior ministry said that 64 people had been killed and 347 were wounded
the afghan intelligence agency blamed the haqqani network a lethal arm of the taliban behind some of the most complex urban attacks for the bombing
but questions have been raised about how the insurgents managed to take large amounts of explosives into the city detonating a bomb behind the walls of an elite force that is supposed to protect the governments top officials
on wednesday the police had cordoned off the site of the bombing which destroyed a large parking lot and the windows of kabuls largest mosque as well as homes and shops not even military personnel were allowed through
the assault has put more pressure on the dysfunctional coalition government brokered by the united states after the 2014 election ended in a stalemate the infighting between two former rivals president ashraf ghani and abdullah abdullah the chief executive has created stagnation on almost every front even as insurgents have increased their attacks the government still doesnt have a confirmed intelligence chief and minister of defense because mr ghani and mr abdullah cannot agree
this attack isnt the first and it wont be the last one either said mohammad omar azizi the kabul provincial head for the afghan spy agency the national directorate of security
to the 108 people who work for kabul ambulance service that is a warning to be prepared for the worst
the department created by the norwegian red cross in 2003 was transferred to the afghan government a few years ago it runs a 24 hour call center coordinating with five small substations across the crowded capital on tuesday the entire kabul ambulance service staff that was present rushed to the scene of the explosion which occurred before 9 am except for dr asem the director as well as two guards and two workers who staffed the call center
even as the firefight between the security forces and militants holed up in the compound continued after the explosion the service rushed victims   as many as 12 in a vehicle meant for one or two   to city hospitals
i swear bullets were landing and we had to duck and rush a body to the ambulance said muhammed farooq who has been a mechanic with the service for eight years the cars were full of blood
altogether kabul ambulance service made 83 trips police ambulances also arrived at the scene underscoring the gravity of the situation the last of the wounded was taken to a hospital at 2 pm but several ambulances remained at the site until 4 pm in case more victims were pulled from the rubble
for most of the day routine callers from across the city were told no ambulances were available dr asem said
by 4 pm all 15 ambulances were back at headquarters and staff members were able to eat lunch a humble bowl of rice topped with potato and chickpea curry the ambulances were scrubbed down the first aid kits restocked the fuel tanks refilled
by 730 pm the vehicles returned to their substations across the city ready for another day


youve probably been cleaning your hands all wrong they must be filthy
scientists have found that a common technique for applying hand sanitizer one that is even recommended by the centers for disease control and prevention is inferior to an alternative method with twice as many steps
the cdc way
step one apply the sanitizer to one palm
step two rub both palms together
step three rub product over your hands until dry
in a study published in the journal of the society for healthcare epidemiology of america scientists in scotland found that an alternative technique recommended by the world health organization was significantly more effective in reducing the median bacteria count on participants hands
it was also more time consuming the cdc method takes 35 seconds on average to complete the alternative 425 seconds
you may notice that while the three step instructions include applying the sanitizer and allowing your hands to dry the six step technique ignores both actions the diagramed who method actually contains 11 intensive steps the study only counted steps 2 through 7
heres how you do it the much more laborious who way
step one rub palms together
step two rub each palm front to back over the back of the other hand interlacing fingers
step three twist palms with fingers interlaced and rub between fingers
step four interlock your fingers thumbs should be on opposite sides and twist again this time backs of fingers against palms
step five clasp your left thumb in your right hand and move thumb in circular motion   then switch thumbs
step six still with us press your right fingers together and rub them in a circular motion on your left palm then switch youre done
jacqui reilly of the glasgow caledonian university the lead author of the study which focused on health care workers stressed that the way the steps were counted emphasized the precision of the superior who technique the difference between them is that the who guidance gives you six maneuvers to do instead of just saying apply it all over your hands  she said
hand hygiene she added remained the single most important intervention that you can do to prevent health care associated infection but also to protect yourself and your family from infections and viruses
certain antibacterial soaps may do more harm than good experts say some have come under scrutiny for using chemicals like triclosan the food and drug administration has recommended using hand sanitizers that contain at least 60 percent alcohol if soap and water is unavailable
dr reilly said that while her study focused only on alcohol based hand sanitizer the technique applied equally well to hand washing with soap and water
ok so maybe you have been persuaded but are reluctant to memorize and do all those new steps youre not alone according to the study even the health care professionals who participated had trouble with all the steps nearly a third of them were unable to complete the entire process despite having instructions on the technique in front of them and having their technique observed


london   barclays announced on wednesday that a veteran of its barclaycard business would be the permanent head of its credit card and payment operations
amer sajed who joined barclays from citigroup in 2006 becomes chief executive of the barclaycard business immediately the british bank said
ive been impressed by amers deep understanding of the global payments landscape james e staley the barclays chief executive said in a news release barclaycard enjoyed its most successful year in 2015 and i am confident that under amers leadership the business will continue to go from strength to strength
since joining the bank mr sajed has been as chief executive of the barclaycard business in britain and the united states he has also served as interim chief executive of the overall barclaycard business since may 2015
mr sajed is the latest addition to the management team under mr staley who joined barclays as chief executive in december
under mr staleys leadership barclays is looking to reshape itself by selling underperforming businesses and focusing on what it considers its core operations such as barclaycard
the banks new strategy is focused around two divisions the british consumer bank and the corporate and investment bank as part of that shift barclays has said that it planned to scale back the size of its business in asia and to focus on its home markets in britain and the united states
barclays previously announced that it would bring in two jpmorgan veterans to join its management team this year
in january the bank said that c s venkatakrishnan the head of operational risk at jpmorgan would join barclays in may as its chief risk officer in february the bank said that paul h compton who most recently served as jpmorgans chief administrative officer would come aboard in may as chief operating officer
mr staley who is known as jes spent more than 30 years at jpmorgan including as the top executive in its investment banking and asset management units mr staley left jpmorgan in 2013 to join the hedge fund bluemountain capital management


riyadh saudi arabia   president obama and king salman of saudi arabia spent more than two hours in a closed door meeting that american officials said was cordial but underscored deep differences with the kingdom over iran human rights and the best way to fight terror
the two leaders met in riyadh on wednesday against the backdrop of a public debate in the united states congress about a bill that would allow the saudi government to be held legally responsible for the sept 11 2001 attacks if it is established that any officials played a role   a charge saudi officials have long denied
administration officials said the issue of the sept 11 attacks did not come up during the meeting with the king at erga palace an opulent compound lined with palm trees and well manicured royal grounds
american officials said mr obama pressed king salman to be more open to engaging in diplomacy with iran and to find alternatives to direct confrontation with iranian leaders and other rivals in the region they described the king as highly skeptical of efforts to work with iran the saudis chief rival in the region and the backer of rebels in yemen that the saudis are fighting
mr obama also reiterated his view that saudi arabia and other persian gulf nations needed to rely less on the united states for their security officials said similar comments by mr obama in a recent article in the magazine the atlantic had increased the friction between the two governments but american officials who attended the meeting with the king said the president did not apologize for them
in a statement released after the meeting the white house stressed the areas of agreement between mr obama and the king saying that they reaffirmed the historic friendship and deep strategic partnership between their two nations but the statement also noted that the two leaders merely exchanged views on several topics suggesting a lack of agreement in those areas
the meeting exposed what one senior administration official at the meeting said were tactical differences even as the two nations broadly have similar goals on fighting terror and maintaining stability in the middle east the official said the saudis preferred to confront terror threats only with force while the united states was seeking an approach that also included diplomatic efforts in the region the sharpest exchange the official said came when mr obama criticized the kingdoms human rights record raising the issues of harsh sentences and beheadings the king repeatedly defended the saudi justice system
mr obama also met separately with sheikh mohammed bin zayed al nahyan the crown prince of abu dhabi before thursdays summit meeting of several persian gulf nations a statement from white house officials said the two men discussed the war in yemen the islamic state irans destabilizing activities in the region and the volatile political situation in libya the united arab emirates has taken an aggressive military role in the middle east sending troops and fighter aircraft for the war in yemen and joining the coalition striking the islamic state in syria and iraq
saudis on social media were quick to note that while state television had closely covered the arrival of persian gulf heads of state who were welcomed on the tarmac with embraces and kisses by king salman mr obama had been received by a much smaller delegation headed by the governor of riyadh the saudi capital his arrival was not shown on state television american officials said they did not perceive the reception at the airport as a snub of mr obama noting that the saudis had offered to host a grand lunch buffet for the president   complete with much more royal pomp and circumstance   but mr obamas schedule required him to arrive too late for that
mr obama arrived in the kingdom barely a day after publicly expressing support for releasing the sept 11 documents those documents   28 pages of intelligence from a congressional report   have fueled suspicions for years that some saudi officials played a role in the attack
just before leaving for his six day trip to the middle east and europe mr obama told cbs news that he hoped that the confidential section of the congressional report would be released soon though he cautioned that the information it contained might not be conclusive
before mr obamas trip white house officials repeatedly acknowledged tensions between the two governments the obama administrations deal with iran to limit that countrys nuclear program has unnerved the kingdom the presidents decision not to order airstrikes against the forces of president bashar al assad of syria in 2013 was viewed in the kingdom as hesitation in the face of an implacable foe
aides had said they hoped that the common cause of combating terrorism and regional instability would be enough to ensure a productive meeting with the king
for their part saudi officials used the meeting to gauge the extent of change in their decades old alliance with the united states while also knowing that mr obamas days in the white house are counting down
the saudis enjoyed a good strategic relationship that kept the region stable and allowed them to benefit from their wealth so when this changed there was a psychological response said awadh al badi a scholar at the king faisal center for research and islamic studies in riyadh this is the defining moment is it the country or is it obama if it is the country then things here need to change
after the gulf summit meeting on thursday mr obama will head to london where he will also try to mend fences after he suggested in the atlantic article that europeans were free riders in securing the continent and he specifically criticized the british prime minister david cameron as being distracted during the 2011 military campaign that led to the ouster and killing of col muammar el qaddafi of libya
the president is also likely to weigh in on the fate of the european union as british voters prepare to decide in a referendum whether the country will leave the bloc mr obama has said he opposes a british exit
mr obama will conclude his trip with a visit to germany where he plans to tour the countrys largest industrial trade show and deliver a speech about the broad challenges still facing europe
benjamin j rhodes the presidents deputy national security adviser said the speech presented an opportunity for mr obama to step back and talk about the future of europe even as it faces terrorism a refugee crisis a continued tug of war with russia over ukraine and economic slowdowns


google has long stressed that android its popular mobile software is open for anyone to use including its rivals
but the companys claims are now under threat after europes antitrust authorities on wednesday charged the company with unfairly using android to promote its own services   like mobile search   over those of its rivals in doing so regulators brought particular scrutiny to googles relationships with some of the worlds biggest cellphone makers which have helped expand the reach of android
margrethe vestager the european unions antitrust chief said google had required some of the cellphone manufacturers to preinstall the companys services including its google play smartphone application store and had given them unfair financial incentives to favor googles services on their mobile devices those practices undermined competition and consumer choice she said
google has abused its dominant position ms vestager said on wednesday the companys behavior has harmed consumers by restricting innovation in the wider mobile space
the company denies it has broken european competition rules and the charges may not lead to financial or other penalties against google which now has three months to respond to the accusations
we take these concerns seriously kent walker googles general counsel said in a blog post but we also believe that our business model keeps manufacturers costs low and their flexibility high while giving consumers unprecedented control of their mobile devices
by taking aim at android   the mobile software that holds more than 80 percent of the worldwide market share for smartphone operating systems   europe has opened the latest chapter in its continuing battle with american technology companies
these players including amazon and facebook dominate how europes 500 million people use digital services including social media online movies and e commerce google is facing separate charges filed last year in europe over whether it unfairly favored some of its search services over those of rivals
europes antitrust claims highlight googles increasingly thorny relationships with smartphone manufacturers such as htc and samsung among others ms vestager said androids prominent role in the mobile market was not in question but that she was concerned the contracts the company signed with smartphone manufacturers had made it difficult if not impossible for rival search engines and smartphone app stores to compete in the european union
if a company is dominant thats fine ms vestager told reporters but if that dominance is abused then we have an issue she declined to name which cellphone manufacturers might be affected citing their right to privacy
the device makers already struggling against cutthroat competition have become reliant on googles digital services available on android even as they have tried to persuade consumers to try their own mobile services or those of googles competitors some including samsung have backed rival operating systems to loosen androids grip but such efforts have so far proved unsuccessful
and while global cellphone manufacturers once profited from using android to expand rapidly particularly in emerging markets their growth has since slowed
analysts say these cellphone makers inability to wean consumers off googles popular mobile mapping email and other services has potentially shut them out of billions of dollars in extra revenue as peoples digital habits   including online search and e commerce purchases   shift to mobile devices
their attempts at beating googles services havent worked said neil mawston a mobile analyst at the technology research group strategy analytics for most companies that want to operate in the smartphone market there isnt another option but to use google
representatives from the leading smartphone manufacturers declined to comment on their relationship with google
the dominance of android at least in europe and the united states is almost absolute
the basic android software can be downloaded for free and modified by device makers and telecom operators
but they must sign contracts that place a selection of googles services in prime spots on smartphone screens and link to the companys app store from which google takes a cut of each application sold the search giant also generates income from advertising from mobile search queries though manufacturers are free to include their own applications as part of the mobile software
in total googles version of android powers more than 98 percent of the android based smartphones in europe and the united states according to ian fogg a senior director at ihs a technology consultancy in london
only in china where google is banned and russia where the local search engine yandex holds a significant market share does google not dominate in mobile
if someone buys an android device in europe or the us its almost certainly googles version said david mcqueen research director at abi research in london
google says its relationships with cellphone manufacturers are voluntary and that rival mobile services including those from the likes of amazon and facebook are readily available on its android software which does not restrict people from downloading competitors applications
the search giant has also pointed to smartphones from amazon and nokia that are based on the free version of android and that do not come packaged with googles mobile services as signs of healthy competition those devices particularly amazons fire smartphone have not proved popular with consumers
kirt mcmaster the chief executive of cyanogen an american start up that makes a mobile operating system based on android said he was cautiously optimistic that the regulatory intervention could improve innovation on the operating system
there are ways to enable next generation services on top of android today even within the confines of the existing relationships he said but there are scenarios that will be beneficial for the ecosystem if android was even more open
if google is found to have broken european rules the company may face fines of as much as 10 percent of its annual revenue given the companys recent annual revenue that could be roughly 7 billion such a high financial penalty is unlikely however according to legal experts
the company could also be forced to alter its android software to give competitors a greater position in its mobile software or to change its existing contracts with cellphone makers
that would potentially provide europeans with a wider choice of mobile services than would be available to their american counterparts most people in the 28 member states of the european union though still rely primarily on google services for many daily activities
such remedies if eventually imposed on google would be reminiscent of similar steps taken by microsoft which in 2009 agreed to offer consumers a choice of rival web browsers to end a european antitrust investigation into its dominance of internet browsers at that time
paulo trezentos chief executive of aptoide a rival portuguese android app store that is one of the complainants in the european competition case against google said his company would welcome greater access to android users
google makes it difficult for people to install applications from rivals mr trezentos said its actively making it harder to compete
in the united states some lawmakers on wednesday called on the federal trade commission to more closely scrutinize google after europes charges in 2013 the ftc closed a two year antitrust investigation into googles search business citing a lack of evidence for pursuing a case the ftc said it did not comment on or confirm investigations
senator richard blumenthal democrat of connecticut who is a member of the judiciary committee said regulations and laws differed in europe and the united states but the spirit and goal of our laws is very similar
there is now clearly a need for exacting and penetrating scrutiny mr blumenthal said in an interview perhaps it is overdue but it is now clearly necessary


maroua cameroon   the american and african forces sent to cameroon to fight boko haram have on several occasions located clusters of the schoolgirls kidnapped by the militant group two years ago united states officials say
rescue operations have not been carried out the officials said because of fears that any ensuing battle with boko haram fighters would put the captives at risk or incite retaliation against hostages still being held in other areas
american officials said a combination of local intelligence intercepted communications and drone footage had been used to locate groups of the 276 girls abducted from the government girls secondary school in the nigerian town of chibok two years ago this month some of the girls have since been tracked to nigerias sprawling sambisa forest
officials insist that efforts to free the girls have not been abandoned they say that a major concern is the hundreds of other women and girls who are also held by boko haram captives who are often sexually assaulted forced into marriages with their tormentors and sometimes killed
youre not just looking for 200 girls said gen carter f ham the retired head of the united states militarys africa command there are many many others who have been taken hostage and more thousands killed and two and a half million people displaced
senior american military officials joined samantha power the united states ambassador to the united nations in cameroon this week to speak with the countrys military and civilian leaders about the fight against boko haram and information gleaned by american intelligence
the talks took place not far from where american special operations forces and hundreds of surveillance drone operators are based despite the proximity of the troops boko harams attacks continued
on monday night three cameroonian soldiers were killed and five were wounded after boko haram fighters ambushed a military convoy near dabanga a town in the countrys north cameroonian military officials said the ambush followed intense fighting on the nigerian side of the border where boko militants attacked an army base wounding 22 soldiers
united states military officials said that intelligence reports show that the girls have been divided into smaller groups gen david m rodriguez the head of the militarys africa command told reporters at the pentagon this month that the chibok girls have been moved to some very isolated places general rodriguez added that locating them is not an exact science
because the girls have been dispersed military forces from chad nigeria and cameroon might need to mount simultaneous rescues to make sure that boko haram fighters do not retaliate for the rescue of one group such a multipronged coordinated operation would be difficult even for highly trained american troops with combat experience in afghanistan and iraq to pull off
so the challenge is how do you find lots of people held hostage in different places general ham said thats really complex and it stretches the capability of local forces
about 100 miles south of maroua the city where brig gen donald c bolduc top united states special operations commander for africa met on monday with cameroonian military officials about 200 american drone operators and special operations forces worked with local troops to gather intelligence on boko haram and the whereabouts of its many hostages
general bolduc has recommended that the pentagon send dozens of additional special operations advisers to the front lines of nigerias fight against boko haram such a move would push american troops hundreds of miles closer to the battle against an extremist group that has killed thousands of civilians in nigerias northeast and in neighboring niger chad and cameroon the additional advisers would serve in noncombat advisory roles military officials said
even if the african forces continue to push back the militants as they have managed to do in recent months the hostage issue is not going away
there has been concern that boko haram perhaps because it is on the retreat is increasingly using its hostages as suicide bombers few observers appear to put much stock in the assertion by nigerias president muhammadu buhari that the militant group is technically defeated
col badjeck didier a spokesman for cameroons defense ministry said tuesday that he worried that some of the chibok girls may have been turned into suicide bombers
when we see the kamikaze bombers they have the same age   14 15 years   as the chibok girls colonel didier said he said a recent video released by boko haram that purported to show proof of life of a number of the chibok girls   something the nigerian government had demanded as a condition of negotiations   was a sign that the group wants to negotiate
tom m sanderson director of the transnational threats project at the center for strategic and international studies said that the length of the girls time in captivity may have contributed to the difficulty in rescuing them
these women did not chose to become suicide bombers but after two years of incarceration and bearing children of these men some of them had to buy in out of personal survival mr sanderson said i do think that boko haram has considered using these girls to kill their rescuers and that would cause people to have spasms over what that symbolism meant
no united states official has yet made a public assertion that the chibok girls have been turned into suicide bombers ms power at a news conference on tuesday in the capital yaounde said that the special operations forces sent by president obama were doing surveillance intelligence and reconnaissance and would continue their efforts to locate the chibok girls
i want to assure the parents of the chibok girls and the parents of any children gone missing that indeed the united states is in this for the long haul ms power said


structural scars can still be seen from the destruction of the world trade center on sept 11 2001
they are subtle they are small once noticed they cannot be forgotten soon they will be gone
dents dings holes and gashes pockmark the silvery liberty street pedestrian bridge that leads over west street to brookfield place in battery park city they were most likely caused when the south tower collapsed though there is no saying for sure what caused what during that maelstrom
they resemble the divots in the limestone walls of the former j p morgan  company headquarters at 23 wall street created when a bomb went off in 1920 killing 38 people and injuring hundreds
while morgan deliberately left the wall street facade unrepaired the damaged aluminum panels at liberty street are about to be replaced brookfield property partners the owner of brookfield place is rebuilding the bridge as a link to liberty park now under construction south of the trade center site
the pockmarks will not be lost to history however
brookfield executives are talking with the national september 11 memorial museum and the new york fire department about salvaging at least some of the five by five foot panels
if they can be preserved we would be honored to have them said jan seidler ramirez the chief curator of the museum and the senior vice president for collections it is so important to remind people that it wasnt just seven buildings that were destroyed and contaminated
the panels are another kind of reminder here we are 14 and a half years later and were still slowly getting around to repairing the damage from that single morning ms ramirez said
the fire department might install panels from the liberty street bridge at the new york city fire museum or as memorials in firehouses or other quarters said francis x gribbon the deputy commissioner for public information
the official death toll from the world trade center attack currently stands at 2753 people including 343 members of the fire department brookfield said it was honored to participate in preserving history by donating the panels as a tribute to those lost
when the panels are taken down this spring however the trade center site will lose one more strand connecting it to the events of 2001
michael burke who has tried for years to persuade officials to move the damaged sphere sculpture back to the trade center from the battery said he wished the damaged panels could be kept where they are when he learned they would be salvaged instead he said a shame but at least theyre being saved
most visitors to the trade center and brookfield place do not know about the signs of damage to the bridge
those who do have a feeling of attachment i always loved looking at those holes said christopher gray an architectural historian whose streetscapes column ran in the new york times until 2014 he noted appreciatively that these historical artifacts had apparently been preserved only by poetry or sloth
actually construction logistics spared them melissa coley a brookfield vice president said the bridge facade replacement had awaited the design and construction of an underground vehicle security center and of liberty park directly over the street level entrance to the security center
the new cladding is intended to match the original panels as closely as possible she said
the donation plan was endorsed by the new york landmarks conservancy a leading preservation group the damaged panels are a reminder of that terrible day and are part of history peg breen the president said it would be appropriate to have them displayed and explained in the 911 memorial museum
even after the liberty street bridge gets its new facade this summer more haunting discoveries will almost surely follow
only two years ago ms ramirez said an onboard defibrillator from american airlines flight 11 which was flown by mohammed atta into the north tower emerged during roadwork in the area
shivers went down our spines she said its omnipresent in a way even if its not always conspicuous it takes very little to rip the band aid off and have this bubble to the surface again


as the frenzied college application season draws to a close and students across the country mull their choices many colleges are trumpeting that it was the most selective year ever
but high school guidance counselors and admissions experts say the heightened competition has turned the process into a anxiety ridden numbers game
except for those that offer rolling admission colleges generally mailed out the last of their acceptances for the class of 2020 by april 1 students must respond by may 1 though since that date falls on a sunday this year some institutions may give a grace period until may 2 it will be weeks or more before final data is in but admissions officers and experts say they see some preliminary trends
for one the competition is ever more heated colleges report receiving record numbers of applications that push up their selectivity numbers and their rankings on lists of top colleges   and increase the anxiety for students though this years data is still largely anecdotal applications at more than 70 percent of colleges have increased for 10 of the past 15 years
the number of students using the common application   an online application that can be submitted to multiple colleges with a single keystroke   rose to 920000 through mid april compared with 847000 at the same time last year said aba blankson a spokeswoman for the common application
students continue to apply to multiple colleges the overall average is 44 applications though many students apply to many more ms blankson said as of 2013 32 percent of students applied to seven or more schools according to the national association for college admission counseling
charter school students in new england submitted the most applications at nearly seven per student followed closely by private school students in new england and the middle states a category including washington dc delaware maryland new jersey new york pennsylvania puerto rico and the virgin islands with more than six applications each ms blankson said home schoolers and public school students in the south and southwest submitted the fewest about three each
while colleges celebrate their record setting applicant pools high school guidance counselors take a dimmer view bruce poch the dean of admission and executive director of college counseling at chadwick school in palos verdes peninsula calif said admissions had turned into more of a lottery as students express their fears of rejection by applying to more institutions
it is seen by them as more and more something they cant control a crapshoot so they pile them up mr poch said the multiples are at the quote most selective places
mr poch said he had been disillusioned by a sense that colleges have become driven more by data points   sat scores maximizing tuition revenue and maximizing enrollment   than by the individual characteristics of students who apply
but david hawkins the executive director for educational content and policy at the national association for college admission counseling said that to some degree both colleges and students were overreacting colleges do so by engaging in what he called an arms race toward higher selectivity in an effort to improve their rankings and students by applying to so many colleges
in the end he said the average acceptance rate at four year colleges has remained stable at about 65 percent nationwide
essentially whats happening is that students are sort of swirling around and then eventually settling into an institution mr hawkins said the fact of the matter is that there does seem to be a place for any student who wants to go to a four year college
as admissions officials compose a class campus conflicts over racial issues   like whether princeton should keep woodrow wilsons name on buildings and programs it has or whether harvard law school should drop a shield commemorating a slave owning family it did   have become part of the conversation experts said as a result admission offers to black and hispanic students and other minorities are inching up at some colleges
as the leading edge of college interface with students and families the admissions office is keenly sensitive to those pressures mr hawkins said
at harvard admissions of african american students rose to 14 percent from 12 percent last year officials said at columbia the percentage of students who identified as persons of color   which includes multiple backgrounds   rose to 64 percent from 63 percent and at yale where a controversy over halloween costumes erupted last fall officials said there was an increase in the proportion of admitted students who identify as a member of a minority group though they did not specify by how much
at the college of william and mary in williamsburg va 35 percent of those offered admission are students of color including african american latino asian native american and mixed race up from 32 percent last year
theyre not seismic changes said tim wolfe associate provost for enrollment and dean of admission at william and mary but it certainly makes a difference
mr hawkins the admissions researcher said that a legal challenge to race conscious admissions fisher v university of texas now awaiting a decision before the supreme court might also have influenced admissions behavior at colleges concerned about their ability to shape future classes
many colleges are preparing for the possibility that they would essentially be flying blind when it comes to recruiting a diverse student body mr hawkins said
rick clark director of undergraduate admissions at georgia institute of technology said that the black alumni organization had been intensely involved in recruitment and that minority students had received calls and invitations to visit the campus in an effort to entice them to apply and enroll
i think all schools this year had these issues in their minds mr clark said
at georgia tech applications this year hit a record high of 30520 up 12 percent from last year reflecting the popularity of science majors mr clark said the chance of getting in dropped to 25 percent from 32 percent last year
at the most elite institutions the rate of acceptance grew even more restricted harvard reported more than 39000 applicants this year compared with more than 37300 last year it admitted a record low 52 percent compared with 53 percent last year accepting 2037 students yale said it had its largest ever applicant pool 31455 and offered admission to 1972 students or 63 percent
stanford university offered admission to 2063 students out of 43997 candidates a selectivity rate of 47 percent
the competition is also hard on colleges trying to predict who will ultimately attend so as insurance waiting lists have grown for example yale put 1095 students on its waiting list more than half the number it admitted


in new york on tuesday hillary clinton and donald j trump proved they are front runners for good reason
the state was always going to be friendly turf for them mrs clinton won two senate races in new york and mr trumps political sensibilities are acutely attuned to the states small and dwindling republican minority
but the scale of their victories reflects more than a home field advantage and it exposes some important limitations in their opponents campaigns some of the key takeaways
mrs clinton defeated senator bernie sanders of vermont by crushing him in new york city and its suburbs easily winning black and hispanic voters and holding down his margins in friendlier upstate areas her political coalition simply looks more like the national democratic base than his does in a big state like new york that is more closely reflective of national demographics that is a decisive advantage
even in upstate cities where mr sanders might have been a more natural fit like syracuse and buffalo mrs clinton won or fought him to an effective tie
it may be that mrs clintons position here was unassailable all along in 2008 she handily defeated barack obama in new yorks democratic primary taking 57 percent of the vote on tuesday she was on track to beat mr sanders with almost the same level of support
mr sanders managed to hold on to the slice of voters who agree most strongly with his message of economic populism exit polls show that he won by double digits among voters who said wall street mainly hurts the economy and among those who want the next president to be more liberal than mr obama and that he won by a narrower margin with those who said foreign trade destroys jobs
but in as urban and diverse a state as new york that assemblage of voters goes only so far mr sanders got wiped out on issues of sharper local resonance mrs clinton made her more liberal record on gun control a major campaign theme and beat him on the issue by 22 percentage points
he needed a big win to reverse nearly a month of setbacks in the delegate race and to quiet stories about disorder in his campaign and new york delivered mr trump captured the state by his largest victory margin of the campaign and left senator ted cruz of texas his closest rival in the delegate race in a distant third place
if mr trumps opponents hoped for even scattered signs of voters recoiling from his candidacy there were none to be seen he won voters of every age race and income level and he prevailed with two groups   college educated voters and women   who have often rejected him that adds up to a considerable show of strength for a candidate who still faces a narrow path to clinching the republican nomination even after a sweep or near sweep of his home states 95 delegates
mr cruz appeared to enter the republican primary in new york with the wind at his back having beaten mr trump convincingly in wisconsin and in a string of smaller contests but he got demolished in new york coming in third over all and failing to win a single county he even placed behind gov john r kasich of ohio upstate where mr cruz had once hoped to generate interest among rural conservatives and peel away a few delegates
mr cruz plainly paid a price for his derisive comments in the past about new york values and those remarks may have made the state a fools errand for him from the start
but mr cruz may have a deeper cultural problem in the northeastern and mid atlantic states that have voted so far he has performed well only in maine where he won a surprise caucus victory if his brand of religion inflected texas conservatism cannot connect with a blue state republican audience next weeks primaries in connecticut delaware maryland pennsylvania and rhode island may be just as painful
it has been more than a month since mr kasich won ohio his home state and still his only victory but on tuesday he claimed a modest symbolic prize snatching mr trumps home borough manhattan from beneath the front runners nose
mr kasich always the softest edged candidate in the race has positioned himself in increasingly explicit terms as the standard bearer for republican moderates that is a diminishing group but it was enough to win him the only county in the state that mr trump lost and it could help him collect delegates in the blue state primaries on april 26


london   in a major victory for the russian government a dutch court on wednesday overturned an award of more than 50 billion to former shareholders of the defunct oil company yukos that moscow was ordered to pay in 2014
the court in the hague said the panel of arbiters that had made the award the largest ever in international arbitration had lacked jurisdiction to do so
while the court ruling is a blow to the former yukos shareholders it is unlikely to end the dispute that began when the russian authorities arrested yukoss chairman mikhail b khodorkovsky in 2003 and sold off his company over the next several years former yukos assets are an important component of rosneft the state controlled entity that is now the worlds largest publicly traded oil producer
the yukos shareholders have been trying to recover damages from russia in various courts around the world claiming that moscow expropriated yukoss assets for political reasons
we are quite taken aback by this tim osborne a british tax lawyer and the director of gml a company that controlled a majority of yukos shares said in an interview mr osborne said that gml would appeal the case in the hague
paying out 50 billion would be a strain for russia which has fallen into recession because of low oil prices and western sanctions russia had revenue of 130 billion from oil exports last year but the plunge in prices since mid 2014 means the country might make even less from petroleum this year
the russian government voiced pleasure over the ruling on wednesday
if these men continue to try to exploit the international courts to take money from the russian people we will show yukos engaged in massive tax fraud throughout its existence and fight them in every court and every jurisdiction said andrey kondakov director general of the international center for legal protection which the russian government set up to fight the case
the arbitration panel that ruled against russia in 2014 had met in the hague and had been chosen jointly by yukos and the russian federation that is why the appeal was heard by the dutch district court that ruled on wednesday its decision in turn could be appealed to higher dutch courts
gml is pursuing legal efforts to collect the russian money in a half dozen other countries belgium britain france germany india and the united states there have not yet been rulings in those cases and it was not immediately clear on wednesday how the decision in the hague might affect them
the arbitration tribunal was composed of three international law experts of the highest caliber who were unanimous in their reasoning emmanuel gaillard who leads the international arbitration practice at the law firm shearman  sterling in paris and is the lead counsel for the yukos shareholders in the proceedings said in a statement on wednesday i am confident that todays decision will be reversed on appeal
but jeff sullivan a partner and expert on energy arbitration at the law firm allen  overy in london said wednesdays ruling was a significant victory for russia
certainly the decision of the dutch court will impact on the ability of yukos shareholders to enforce the arbitration award in various countries around the world mr sullivan said
gml won the 2014 ruling under the energy charter treaty an international agreement intended to protect investors but on wednesday the dutch court said that although russia had signed the treaty it had not ratified it and so was not bound by it
in the early years after the breakup of the soviet union in the 1990s yukos under mr khodorkovskys leadership helped revive the flagging russian oil industry adopting western technologies like water injection and fracking
but mr khodorkovsky eventually fell out of favor with president vladimir v putin who is said to have bridled at his rumored political ambitions mr khodorkovsky was arrested in 2003 at a siberian airport and served 10 years in jail on charges of tax fraud and embezzlement before being pardoned by mr putin and released in 2013
mr khodorkovsky is not a direct party to the legal dispute having relinquished his shares but his former partners including leonid b nevzlin as well as a pension fund for former yukos employees would be beneficiaries if any awards are collected


hong kong   lexmark the printing and software company agreed wednesday to be sold to a consortium led by apex technology of china and pag asia capital a private equity firm for 36 billion including debt
lexmark had been looking into strategic alternatives for a while the consortium buying it which also includes legend capital management a venture capital firm will pay 4050 a share in an all cash transaction lexmark said the deal represented a 30 percent premium to its closing price on oct 21 when it became known that the company was looking into its options
lexmark said the deal would allow it to expand in asia
with the consortiums resources we will be able to continue to invest in and grow the business to more fully penetrate the asia pacific market for hardware software and managed print services paul rooke lexmarks chairman and chief executive said in a news release
jackson wang the chairman of apex added that the two businesses were likely to be complementary as apex manufactures parts for ink cartridges apex has traditionally been successful in emerging markets and in cost effective production mr wang said in a news release we are excited to work alongside lexmark as they continue to invest in advanced technologies and solutions to best serve their customers and business partners while simultaneously pursuing untapped opportunities in emerging markets particularly in asia for future growth
lexmark said that it intended to keep its company headquarters in lexington ky and that mr rooke would remain in his current role shares rose about 11 percent in after hours trading
the deal continues a stream of prolific deal making among chinese companies including the sale of the technology distributor ingram micro for 6 billion to tianjin tianhai a chinese shipping group some deals like the attempts to buy fairchild semiconductor and starwood hotels have fallen apart but china has still been racking up acquisitions outbound deals from china were worth 922 billion in the first quarter of this year compared with 106 billion in all of 2015 according to dealogic
lexmarks board has approved the transaction but it is still subject to shareholder and regulatory approval from agencies including the committee on foreign investment in the united states the deal is expected to close in the second half of 2016
moelis  company acted as financial adviser for the consortium while skadden arps slate meagher  flom acted as legal counsel lexmark was advised by goldman sachs and wachtell lipton rosen  katz


fresh from china they came ashore in the san francisco bay area they stormed seattle they descended on portland ore
now they are sweeping across manhattan with sightings near washington square park midtown and columbia university
resistance is futile
jianbing a street food crepe from northern china made with eggs chili and sweet sauce cilantro scallions and a crunchy deep fried dough wafer is beijings latest culinary flexing of soft power
made in the ubiquitous street carts that dot beijing tianjin and other northern chinese cities jianbing can be eaten on the go doubling as a hand warmer on those frigid days when the wind invades from siberia the going price in the more upscale sections of the chinese capital now is about 5 renminbi or 77 cents
despite its humble origins making jianbing is an art mess up the secret sauce   generally some combination of sweet sauce and bean paste   and it could overpower the crepe dominating the chili humbling the cilantro running roughshod over the scallions
that is why yolanda lee and dolkar tsering friends from pace university in new york spent months in northern china in late 2014 going from city to city they sampled more than 100 kinds of jianbing learning from the street side masters who more often than not were happy to offer advice
we both gained 20 pounds after that ms lee said no joke
ms lee 25 a beijing native who studied marketing and art history and ms tsering 26 an ethnic tibetan from sichuan province who studied finance wanted to recreate the classic jianbing in new york with a few modifications
in october their bright yellow food truck the flying pig jianbing hit manhattans streets serving students near new york universitys business school capturing some of the midtown lunch crowd and on monday and tuesday afternoons setting up on broadway outside columbia the truck came jianbing ready ms lee says having served as a french crepe maker in an earlier incarnation
we initially wanted a very very small restaurant but obviously the rent in new york city is outrageous ms lee said but then i realized that a truck was a better idea because jianbing was supposed to be sold on the street
the trucks beijing original jianbing now costs 8   about 10 times the price in beijing
the travels of ms lee and ms tsering in northern china appear to have paid off their jianbing captures most of the flavors of their native land and the crispy fritter shell known as bao cui is superior to many found in beijing its crispier
the flying pig variety adds elements rarely found in china for one my two egg version came with fresh lettuce it takes a brave soul in beijing to countenance having a food vendor on a dusty alleyway slip a raw vegetable of unknown origins inside a breakfast jianbing regardless of intestinal fortitude though that option is available from longtime beijing jianbing makers like guo xueping who draws a crowd of regulars to her bike powered cart in the dongzhimen neighborhood
and this being america the flying pig jianbing is supersize forget eating this monster on the go this is the suv of jianbing it comes in a small box you are even given a knife and fork eat one for lunch and give your stomach a rest for the remainder of the day you wont be hungry come sundown
for this ms lee and ms tsering say they are prisoners of the french crepe the skillets that came with their truck were designed to make much bigger wrappings than the beijing variety such as those made by ms guo though for an additional cost she can throw in another egg or two
ms lee and ms tsering have also included a few specialty items on their menu if the beijing original does not satisfy you add pork belly their specialty a tuna melt variety is 950 they even have a gluten free jianbing
business they say has been a success with around 150 jianbing sold on an average workday the two entrepreneurs are also not the first to offer the chinese crepe in the united states for a time a street cart called bing of fire sold jianbing in seattle there is jian bing johnnys in the bay area whose owner adds a layer of authenticity by cooking his crepes from a pedal powered cart portland has bing mi
others are serving up jianbing to new yorkers the local grub street blog reported last month the jianbing has also landed in europe in london and manchester there is mei meis street cart
in a sign of the times ms lee said that she and ms tsering had attracted chinese investment they plan to expand in the homeland with the flying pigs version in jianbing ground zero beijing they will be able to market a crepe that has passed the rigors of new york citys health department that is a selling point in china where customers can never be sure of a street foods provenance
were focusing on food safety making the entire production line transparent ms lee said


if you had told me one year ago that bernie sanders would manage to survive in the democratic primary race all the way until new york i would have been surprised and impressed
but if you judge mr sanders by the standard his campaign now wants him to be judged by   as a serious candidate with a shot at the nomination   the result tuesday night was terrible
new york like every contest at this stage was a state he needed to win the result confirms that he is on track to lose the pledged delegate race and therefore the nomination
he entered the night with a deficit of around 200 pledged delegates   the delegates awarded based on the results of primaries and caucuses not the superdelegates he needed 57 percent of the remaining pledged delegates to emerge with a majority by the convention
that might not seem like so much but its a huge number because democrats award their delegates proportionally in each primary mr sanders therefore needed to win the rest of the race by a margin of roughly 57 to 43   a big problem for a candidate who had been losing by around 57 to 43 heres one way to think about how big his deficit is if all of the 17 contests mr sanders won got to vote again which is to say counted twice he would still trail hillary clinton in the pledged delegate count
mr sanders seems on track to win 43 percent of the vote again tonight by falling short his burden in the remaining states grows even greater he might now need 58 or 59 percent of the remaining delegates depending on how the results finish
mrs clintons strength in new york a state mr sanderss advisers contended they could win confirms that he is not on a pace to win the remaining states by such a clear margin
to the extent that mr sanderss supporters envisioned a path to a majority of delegates it hinged on the assumption that he would prove strongest in the most heavily democratic states like new york and california
the assumption was not consistent with the results leading to today mr sanders lost the states most similar to new york or california like illinois and florida even massachusetts in truth there has been no relationship between mr sanderss strength and the democratic leanings of a county the stronger predictors of mrs clintons strength were diversity and affluence   which augured well for her in new york
in the end mrs clinton won new york thanks to big support from nonwhite and affluent voters in new york city and its suburbs
she swept the upper west side chelsea brooklyn heights and park slope these places voted strongly for past liberal challengers like zephyr teachout in the 2014 primary for governor but not for mr sanders
she also swept majority black and hispanic precincts as she has for most of the cycle
and she fared well in the suburbs winning by nearly a two to one margin in westchester county where she lives
mrs clintons affluent and diverse coalition sets her up for a string of wins next tuesday along the eastern seaboard and later in new jersey after next tuesday mr sanders could need 63 or 64 percent of the remaining delegates
he will be hard pressed to make up this deficit he has thrived in caucus states but there is only one of those left north dakota mr sanders could win 64 percent of the vote in a couple of mostly white western primaries like oregon or montana but hes unlikely to win by much more he could win in indiana kentucky and west virginia but is not likely to do so by 64 percent
mr sanders could be competitive in california where there are fewer black voters but the affluence of the bay area and los angeles will hurt him there just as it did in new york citys liberal bastions it is hard to imagine a two to one victory
it is more likely that mr sanders has reached the stage of the campaign where even feel good victories   like repeats of his genuinely impressive win in michigan   will leave him too far behind


apparently its no longer enough to simply book a spa massage when youre on vacation for a new wave of wellness seeking millennials only the latest and often personalized forms of treatments will do
fifteen years ago we used to do sugar scrubs and chocolate facials   it was only about indulgence said kristi dickinson the director of spa and fitness at rancho valencia in rancho santa fe calif today people are looking to the spa as a lifestyle resource
that means that along with a massage a guest may sign up for the hotels neuroplasty program which creates a specialized regimen often a combination of meditation exercise and yoga to boost brain function
and if you suspect its only millennials who are interested in the new and new age you would be wrong ms dickinsons clients are often in the 40 to 60 age range now their friend at the golf club is doing the latest meditation too she said
below a selection of new age y hotel spa services worth noting this season
a slick new hotel seems to sprout in miami beach every season but the faena hotel aims to stand out
its spa exotically named the tierra santa healing house isnt content with meditation gurus the wellness director vivianne garcia tunon enlisted a well known mexican shaman carlos gomez to headline its shaman purification ritual
mr gomez has since trained the tierra santa staff he is in residence at the hotel once a quarter if you want to book him in person on the art of copaleada which is about cleansing and purifying the body before healing
we use copal which is a resin and is similar to an incense ms garcia tunon said and the shaman salutes the earth the heavens the sun north south east and west and as the client journeys through this the shaman is invoking all these different spirits from the heaven
the ritual can be paired with a unique healing arts treatment like the spas sound bowl therapy which is said to heal through vibrations be prepared to spend about two hours and 400
everybody is extremely stressed ms garcia tunon said maybe vacationers dont want to spend their time drinking by the pool every day theyll go home tired and the vacation will defeat the purpose they want to feel and look rejuvenated
faena hotel miami beach 3201 collins avenue miami beach 305 534 8800 faenacom
besides the neuroplasty regimens ms dickinson will be incorporating a somatotype program into the rancho valencia spa menu next month clients will be categorized as one of three body types ecto endo or meso based on their body shape and other characteristics according to rules laid down by the somatotype founder william h sheldon who died in 1977 with specific products recommended for each
the idea is to replenish the nutrients and minerals you need specifically for your body type ms dickinson explained that means that plenty of algae and essential oils are deployed in treatments like the vitality ritual 90 minutes 275 which begins with dry skin brushing and is followed by a body cleanse mineral heavy body wrap head massage and breathing meditation
rancho valencia 5921 valencia circle rancho santa fe calif 858 759 6490 ranchovalenciacom
in need of a holistic bump coca leaves the raw material from which cocaine comes is the star ingredient in the signature inkaterra therapy treatment three hours 190 at the inkaterra machu picchu pueblo hotels unu spa
along with a detox session in an andean sauna the service features a lymphatic drainage massage with coca oil followed by a body mask of coca leaf sandra masias the product and service manager of inkaterra hotels says that coca leaf contains alkaloids that activate skin cells circulation and in turn the lymphatic system helping the body eliminate waste
to complete the buzz building experience your limbs will be slathered with coca cream before you exit the treatment room
inkaterra machu picchu pueblo hotel aguas calientes peru 51 1 610 0400 inkaterracom


london   for some clubs that lead the way the hardest thing seems to be closing out a long seasons worth of work
in spain barcelona has blown a 9 point lead and now is tied with atletico madrid and a point ahead of real madrid it travels to deportivo la coruna on wednesday night in what has become a desperate search to regain the joy of being the best soccer team on earth
in england leicester city is still on top after its fairy tale season but the foxes are being chased down by a vibrant tottenham hotspur team whose young players on monday night scored four goals at stoke city and could have scored seven
leicester were coming to get you the spurs fans sang tottenhams two young british players harry kane and dele alli both scored twice tuesday and they should each have had a hat trick
were on their tails kane said on television we always seem to be playing on monday nights a day and a half after watching leicester but we think we can catch them were itching to play
hard work and desire to win the chase are energizing spurs while fear of failure is weighing on leicester
leicester is still the romantic tale the underdog that never before has won englands top league and might never be this close again now just four games to the finish line leicester is leading by five points and needs to hold its nerve and hang on to the principles of spirit and opportunism that have gotten the club this far
the foxes should still win it but spurs striving for the clubs first title since 1961 are running with gusto with youth leading the charge and playing with the fearlessness of having no great expectations placed upon them until now
the title is leicesters to lose and spurs to snatch and with 10 wins in its last 13 games tottenham has the momentum
public opinion is switching too leicester was accused of trying to cheat at both ends of the field during its 2 2 draw with west ham on sunday the defenders robert huth and wes morgan came up against a referee who was determined to stop them from grappling with their opponents like wrestlers
this referee warned leicesters he men and subsequently gave a penalty to their opponents jamie vardy the player whose sudden rise from obscurity to fame is the subject of a hollywood script was red carded by the same referee in the same game
vardy fell too easily and too theatrically in the penalty area and was sent off for simulation which is fifas word for blatant diving to gain a penalty kick the referee jonathan moss was right but vardy made his situation worse by walking up to the official and jabbing a finger at him
that gesture will likely double his punishment and turn an automatic one game ban into at least two the striker who has not missed a single league match all season could now miss half the remaining games
a phrase about a self wounding gesture comes to mind
all of this seems a world away from barcelona the club   which won every trophy possible a year ago and which went unbeaten in 39 straight games this season   has ground to a standstill
four losses in five games have wiped the joy out of the most enjoyable team around lionel messi neymar and luis suarez were scoring for fun before now they appear to have hit the wall with fatigue andres iniesta one of the most meticulous passers in his sport has lately sprayed them a fraction too short or long
the defense long barcelonas achilles heel has perhaps tightened up but the club now looks less jubilant less able to ignore its weakness at the rear
barcelonas hierarchy knew the team was tiring its president josep bartomeu told me last month that the board knew the team had reached saturation and that it would not embark on a long haul tour to either america or asia this summer
barcelona has some of the best players in the world maybe some of the best of all time but even messi and company have a breaking point they are flying too many miles and playing too much soccer   and the legal problems some of them face over taxes is not helping either
the coach luis enrique told reporters over the weekend that he has stats that tell him that this barcelona team is nowhere near as tired as it was last season
but is that fatigue physical or might it be mental
neymar and messi carry double the normal weight of expectations because they are the captains of their national teams brazil and argentina neymar finds it difficult to avoid yellow cards while playing for brazil while messi has to face up to the expectation that he should be messianic for his country
there are the trans atlantic flights taking them to games in different hemispheres in different climates and in different time zones flying first class may ease the transition but it doesnt eliminate it as they are asked to play with different colleagues in a different style from their club
even messi looks drained bemused and overrun no matter whether saturation is the explanation or the excuse his coach along with leicesters knows that the title is still theirs to lose
win their remaining games and they are champions lose and the pursuers will overtake them
football luis enrique told reporters on sunday is capricious we just have to get back up handle adversity and depend upon ourselves


this season bridal designers plucked many of their most arresting ideas from the recent ready to wear runways the spring 2017 collections shown last week mirrored a diversity of trends that first made a splash on the catwalks of new york london paris and milan
unveiled ahem in settings as romantic as a wisteria hung garden monique lhuillier or as slick as a glamorous penthouse elie saab the most eye catching looks bowed to tradition while reaching for freshness and relevance
in keeping with a spirit of tireless reinvention last seasons brazenly transparent gowns gave way to airy but discrete variations in lace or tulle trouser suits stepped in for the conventional floor sweeping gown bared shoulders emerged as bridal wears latest erogenous zone and a flurry of boudoir inspirations were sexy without crossing into outright decadence
even a number of skin baring looks were countered by covered up styles that echoed ready to wears on again off again romance with victoriana starchy high collars chaste necklines slender arm sheathing sleeves virginal capelets and cascading ruffles suggested that even for some stubbornly progressive brides this year prim is in


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1 definitive wins in new york on tuesday send hillary clinton and donald j trump into next weeks primary contests with the wind in their sails voters in connecticut delaware maryland rhode island and pennsylvania will head to the polls on tuesday

2 shortly after casting a ballot for himself on tuesday mr trump sat down with times journalists for a lengthy interview presenting a softer and seemingly humbler side regarding the past year he said my life is winning i win i know how to win most people dont know how to win in golf in sports in life   i win always better knock on wood and then he did he knocked on his desk

3 american money is getting a makeover harriet tubman an african american who ferried thousands of slaves to freedom will replace the slaveholding andrew jackson on the center of a new 20 note and while a woman was also expected to front the 10 bill the rap musical hamilton seems to have protected alexander hamiltons place on it women will be represented on the back instead and on the back of the 5 bill

4 as many as 500 people may have died when a boat carrying migrants capsized in the mediterranean last week the united nations refugee agency said after interviews with 41 survivors that would constitute the worst humanitarian calamity in europes migrant crisis since last april when more than 800 people died off the coast of libya

5 the first criminal charges over lead contamination in flints water were filed against three government employees in michigan two of them state officials are accused of misleading the federal environmental protection agency about how the city was treating lead levels after switching its water supply to save money above is michael glasgow the citys utilities manager who faces a mix of felony and misdemeanor charges

6 five former police officers involved in the shooting deaths of two unarmed people after hurricane katrina pleaded guilty in federal court ending a wrenching 10 year saga that shocked and sickened people long before ferguson and baltimore became bywords in national debates on the use of force by the police they each received significantly less prison time than they originally faced

7 president obama arrived in saudi arabia barely a day after publicly supporting the release of documents that could implicate saudi officials in the attacks of sept 11 2001 but administration officials said that wasnt mentioned during his meeting with king salmanthe two leaders met amid deepening tensions over delicate issues like the iran nuclear deal and the fight against terrorism

8 its been two years since the militant group boko haram abducted 276 nigerian schoolgirls and while us officials say they have located clusters of the hostages rescue operations have not been carried out fear of putting the captives at risk or inciting retaliation against hostages in other areas is holding up the efforts but officials insist that plans to free the girls have not been abandoned

9 surprise college applications arent getting less stressful with the admissions season just about wrapped up many colleges are saying it was their most selective year yet the heightened competition or at least the perception of it is driving students to apply to more institutions but all the anxiety may be an overreaction the average acceptance rate has remained stable

10 happy birthday to queen elizabeth ii who turns 90 years old on thursday in britain the bars excuse us pubs will be open longer and celebrations will extend beyond this week but the indian government wants something back from the british royal family a 1056 carat diamond that some say was a gift and others say was stolen above the coronation of queen elizabeth ii in 1953

11 the market for meteorites is tough right now several space rocks   including one that kind of looks like a piece of pizza above   were up for auction on wednesday but many didnt sell perhaps the prices were a bit out of this world

12 lastly go wash your hands differently a recent study of two techniques   a simple three step method recommended by the cdc versus a more complicated method recommended by the world health organization   found the more complicated one to be better and both methods involved sanitizer not soap

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when the photographer louise dahl wolfe was hired at harpers bazaar in 1936 fashion photography as we think of it today hardly existed as she recalled years later at the beginning of her career there werent really fashion photographers just artists like steichen who just happened to do fashion photography dahl wolfe worked as a principal photographer at bazaar   alongside its editor in chief carmel snow the art director alexey brodovich and fashion editor diana vreeland   for 22 years and played a large role in redefining the form pioneering a shift away from stiff society portraits to a more natural and relaxed style of photography
a new book out this month from aperture provides a comprehensive look at the influential photographers work the daughter of norwegian immigrants dahl wolfe grew up in san francisco initially she hoped to become a painter she studied design composition and art history at the san francisco institute of art though she abandoned painting after an instructor reportedly called her work the essence of superficiality she wrote in her 1984 autobiography the photographers scrapbook that much of her success as a photographer was thanks to her training in particular her studies in color theory served her well dahl wolfe distinguished herself as one of the first photographers at ease working with color film from the moment i saw her first color photograph i knew that the bazaar was at last going to look the way i had instinctively wanted my magazine to look snow later wrote
dahl wolfe took up photography after meeting anne w brigman an early member of the photo secession group she worked as an interior designer for a few years in new york before setting off on a trip across europe and north africa   where she met her future husband the american painter and sculptor mike wolfe in 1933 the couple moved to new york where dahl wolfe worked briefly as a food photographer for womans home companion before she started shooting for saks fifth avenue and bonwit teller
during her tenure at harpers bazaar dahl wolfe shot 86 covers for the magazine   including in 1943 the 17 year old model betty bacall who was subsequently discovered by the film director howard hawks who changed her name to lauren and cast her in to have and have not alongside humphrey bogart but as ginia bellafante wrote on the occasion of a museum of the fashion institute of technology retrospective in 2000 it was the sense of languorous sexuality that set dahl wolfes images apart with women becoming increasingly more independent and active styles were more casual and comfortable too and dahl wolfes images   often shot in far flung locations including tunisia cuba spain and the california desert featuring women reclining and relaxing   captured the new sensibility independent witty and self aware allowing herself one outfit a year from the paris fashion shows john p jacob a curator at the smithsonian american art museum writes of the photographer in louise dahl wolfe she did not so much discover the new american style as she embodied it


in this weeks episode of the modern love podcast the actor joshua jackson the affair dawsons creek reads joshua fattals 2014 essay reaching out between the bars mr fattal was one of three americans along with shane bauer and sarah shourd who were detained in iran for 26 months after unknowingly crossing over an unmarked border of iraqi kurdistan into iranian kurdistan during a hiking trip in 2009
you can also hear the episode on itunes and stitcher
upon returning home mr fattal reunited with his middle school girlfriend jenny this is the story of their relationship
afterward mr fattal will talk about life since the column was published
follow joshua fattal on twitter


earlier this month julie mathieu and muriel tallandier opened a physical extension of their bimonthly french pastry magazine fou de patisserie a new namesake sliver of a shop on the pedestrian rue montorgueil where nothing is made on site   the duo has tapped leading chefs all around the city to deliver their best sweets daily as inconceivable as it may seem that a pastry dense city like paris wouldnt already have its own concept store fou de patisserie boutique is effectively an industry first
these chefs are used to having their pastries distributed in their own boutiques at stands or in some cases delivered to restaurants but none are distributed by a third party explains tallandier getting them to lend their artistic image and give up control wasnt easy
tallandier and mathieu have brought on board six resident chefs   cyril lignac christophe adam of leclair de genie philippe conticini hugues pouget of hugo  victor jonathon blot of acide and olivier haustraete of boulangerie bo   and a handful of guest stars like jacques genin gilles marchal and the inimitable pierre herme that they deliver fresh pastries cakes chocolates and candies daily is a testament to the impact tallandier and mathieu have made on the industry and the close relationships theyve built with the countrys top chefs since launching the magazine in 2013
for some of the participating chefs the shop is an opportunity to broaden their reach haustraetes pastries for example have until now only been available at his 12th arrondissement bakery   practically a fringe neighborhood for the left bank contingent which means his grapefruit pistachio tartelette available at fou de patisserie at the moment has been elusive for most few parisians will cross town or make multiple stops to pick up pastries our shop is central and makes the good stuff easier to access mathieu says
the current selection features a signature recipe and a limited edition creation from each chef which may vary from a slight tweak like christophe adams salted caramel eclair with different toppings to an entirely new concoction theres philippe conticinis philgout a decadent puffed rice chocolate cake with a hazelnut crust and a mixed milk  and dark chocolate top layer and weekend only goodies like gilles marchals celebre madeleines pop up events with a narrow focus like japanese chefs in paris will be part of the shops programming in the coming months   to regularly represent the latest and greatest in the world of pastry


the photographer paulette tavormina began her professional career working with antiques food styling and photographing works of art for an auction house shes also spent many years collecting bits and pieces   the insects objects and flowers that fill her studio   from markets and little shops her new book seizing beauty out next week took six years to photograph and brings together all these experiences it features 65 sumptuous color images inspired by old master still lifes the books release coincides with a show at the academy art museum in easton md which opens april 23
at first glance you might easily mistake one of tavorminas images for a zurbaran or a work from the dutch golden age of painting   many of the books photographs are built up with flowers fruit insects objects jewelry butterflies and broken bits of porcelain others are inspired by the symbolic vanitas paintings of the 16th and 17th centuries with skulls and the reminder of death and the passing of all worldly goods
im in love with the old masters totally fascinated with them tavormina says but i create my own personal story within each work the themes are so universal   love loss death   so it is all pretty simple each image takes several months to produce several weeks to conceive research and gather the props from flower and farmers markets followed by sketching the image out in pencil staging it and then setting it all up the process of getting the lighting and composition just right takes days   sometimes so long that the flowers wilt the fruit changes color and she has to start over
the artist also includes a third series of works botanicals which are much more contemporary in feel shot from above on black backgrounds and inspired by flowers from her mothers garden they too are deliberately constructed and instagram friendly


we used to drink mezcal and beer but now were really into cocktails says mafer tejada a bartender at mexico citys licoreria limantour of the trend sweeping her hometown following in the footsteps of boundary pushing chefs like enrique olvera of pujol the mexican haute cuisine restaurant that currently occupies the 16th position on the list of the worlds 50 best mixologists across mexico city are also making their mark through artful presentations unusual ingredients and unique bar design here a shortlist of the citys most exceptional places to imbibe
many credit the acclaimed licoreria which opened in the stylish neighborhood of roma in 2011 with leading the local craft cocktail movement a second location in polanco opened in 2013 the current menu   it changes twice a year   spotlights the flavors of latin america and fittingly sources ingredients from the region tejada the first female to win the title of mexicos world class bartender of the year in 2015 recommends the margarita al pastor which mixes silver tequila with bright cilantro sweet pineapple and smoky chile   flavors found in the beloved taco
a quick jaunt through lenox   a lively spot in the trendy neighborhood of la juarez specializing in american comforts think meatloaf onion rings and grilled cheese   reveals parker a cozy dimly lit cocktail den that also offers live jazz on most nights while the drinks menu is comprised of nearly 30 cocktails the bartenders are renowned for their faultless execution of the classics including frosty mint juleps and silky smooth negronis
classic gone contemporary is the specialty of the head bartender mica rousseau at this lounge in the four seasons hotel in the refined yet approachable space   filled with custom wood furniture a long marble bar and distressed leather chairs   guests flip for rousseaus photogenic house specialty the inside manhattan after balancing a specially made ice sphere of bourbon vermouth and angostura bitters on top of a glass the bartender cracks the sphere releasing the liquid and broken ice into the vessel below
inspired by the hanky panky cocktail created by the celebrated bartender ada coleman for londons savoy hotel in the 1930s this speakeasy opened in la juarez late last year cryptically the bar doesnt list an address and the only way to visit is by securing a reservation over the phone using the number listed on its facebook page but once inside the sleek space the drinks and conversation flow freely thanks to a lineup of guest bartenders that changes every night
below is the recipe for a white chocolate and rose petal garnished cocktail called la aurora named after the baby daughter of one of hanky pankys guest bartenders philippe zaigue
la aurora
1 ounce beefeater 24 gin infused with pink peppercorn recipe below 1 ounce campari 1 ounce cinzano 5 dashes rose water 1 small piece of white chocolate with pistachio and pink pepper recipe below 1 fresh red rose petal to garnish
1 place two large cubes of ice in a rocks glass
2 in another glass combine the gin campari cinzano and rose water
3 stir until chilled
4 strain into a rocks glass place the white chocolate on the rim then a rose petal on top of the chocolate
5 enjoy by alternating sips of the cocktail and nibbles of the chocolate
beefeater 24 gin infused with pink peppercorn
2 tablespoons ground pink peppercorn 1 tablespoon whole pink peppercorn 1 25 ounce bottle beefeater 24 gin
1 pour the ground pink peppercorn and whole pink peppercorn into the bottle of gin let sit three days before straining out the peppercorn
white chocolate with pistachio and pink pepper
2  1/2  ounces whole pistachios 5  1/4  ounces white chocolate 1 teaspoon ground pink peppercorn
1 remove the shells from the whole pistachios and chop the nuts into small pieces set aside
2 melt the white chocolate in a double boiler then pour it into a 9 inchx9 inch pan
3 before the chocolate cools evenly sprinkle it with the ground pink peppercorn and reserved chopped pistachios
4 cool the chocolate in the fridge then cut the chocolate into small pieces with a knife


europe for memorial day
in a bid to attract travelers still considering getaway options for the late may holiday hotels around the continent are offering attractive packages these deals tied to the fast approaching three day weekend are part of a growing trend of last minute european vacations according to misty belles the director of global public relations for the luxury travel network virtuoso
our research shows that travelers are planning in advance when it comes to far flung places such as asia but are increasingly looking at europe as an opportunity to partake in spur of the moment quick trips she said hotels are catching on to this and creating incentives to get people to book
here are 10 deals
 room mate hotels has a 15 percent discount on all 16 of its european properties over memorial day weekend the price includes early check in late checkout and free wi fi examples are a starting rate of 262 at room mate giulia in milan 137 at room mate aitana in amsterdam and 83 at room mate kerem in istanbul reservations can be made online or via phone using the code memorialmate offer valid for travel dates between may 27 and may 30 reservations must be booked between april 12 and may 27
 the hospitality company paris perfect has a deal for memorial day weekend at the newly opened 25 place dauphine on ile de la cite an island on the seine it includes three nights in a one bedroom apartment a refrigerator stocked with french cheeses wine meats and dips a welcome basket of fresh cookies and baguettes coffees and teas a tour of the ile de la cite and a cruise on the seine the price is 1335
 the conservatorium in amsterdam offers the memorial day in amsterdam package it includes a three night stay in a deluxe room daily breakfast for two one spa treatment per person and a four course dinner for two with wine at the in house asian inspired restaurant taiko the price is 2500 must be booked by may 20
  the langham london has a join the club promotion on memorial day weekend in which guests get a free upgrade to a club room or club suite access to the new club lounge comes with a stay in these rooms and amenities included in the lounge include breakfast cocktail hour and afternoon tea prices from 288 pounds about 410 a night
 also in london cafe royal has a three night package for two guests available from may 27 to may 30 that includes breakfast a bottle of champagne high tea and a three course dinner at its restaurant ten room prices from 1549 pounds
 lakes in switzerland and italy are on the agenda with hotel eden rocs memorial day lake getaway package guests stay two nights at the hotel eden roc on lake maggiore in southern switzerland and another two nights at its partner resort casta diva resort on lake como in italy daily breakfast is included in both in switzerland guests get two 50 minute massages at the propertys spa and dinner for two at one of its five restaurants and in italy they get a six course dinner at the hotels two michelin starred restaurant orangerie and two 50 minute facials prices from 2254 a person for four nights
 baur au lac in zurich has a memorial day escape offer it includes three nights accommodation daily buffet breakfast a three course meal at the in house restaurant rive gauche a five course meal at the in house michelin starred restaurant pavillon and a free minibar prices from 3629 swiss francs about 3777
 the jumeirah in frankfurt has the stay 3 pay 2 deal over memorial day weekend guests who book three nights in any category of room get the third night free the package also includes breakfast and an 80 euro about 91 credit for the propertys restaurant max on one or at its ember bar  lounge prices from 288 a night before the discount
 the pousada de lisboa in the heart of lisbon has a three night offer over memorial day weekend that includes accommodations a half day walking tour of the city a wine tasting and a class on tile painting prices from 1500 euros about 1700
 also in portugal martinhal cascais on the coast west of lisbon has the early summer celebration for memorial day deal of a five night stay with breakfast prices from 175 euros a night


times insider delivers behind the scenes insights into how news features and opinion come together at the new york times in this post laurie goodstein the national religion correspondent for the new york times provides personal insight into her recent article about a pennsylvania grand jury report that the diocese of altoona johnstown engaged in an extensive cover up of sex abuse by as many as 50 priests and church officials
in a connected podcast ms goodstein talks about what has   and hasnt changed   since she started writing about sex abuse and the church 22 years ago
i have interviewed many survivors of child sexual abuse over many years but this was the first time i had ever interviewed a survivor who was also a politician state representative mark rozzi sat behind his office desk at the state capitol in harrisburg pa as he spoke he fidgeted with a small figurine he kept on his desk   a little dog with four heads all snarling   a gift from a fellow survivor we were discussing his long fight trying to pass legislation to make it easier for survivors to press charges and file lawsuits against their abusers
well into the interview i asked him to tell me what had happened to him as a child the abridged version i said i had read his story elsewhere but needed to hear it directly from him even though i knew it would not play a big part in the article i planned to write i figured that as a politician he would have a well practiced pithy rendition
twenty five minutes of unrelenting trauma later we had still gotten only as far as high school then just as mr rozzi was saying im going to tell you something i have never talked about to a reporter   at that very moment   there was a knock at the door and his executive assistant came in to tell us that another legislator was waiting in the vestibule interview over
as i rushed to gather up my notebook laptop and recorder i realized i had no idea what he was about to reveal but i had just gotten the answer to another question i am often asked why does the sexual abuse scandal in the catholic church never seem to go away why is it still a story it has been 31 years since national catholic reporter an independent catholic publication broke the first story about a serial abuser in louisiana it has been 22 years since i reported my first article about abusive priests out on an indian pueblo in new mexico for the washington post why is the news media still covering this
the answer lies with the victims many like mr rozzi are resilient and accomplished he is a businessman a husband and a father as well as a legislator some are utterly destroyed unable to hold down a job or romantic relationship but no matter where they are on this spectrum the abuse they suffered is often so searing that it is the formative experience of their lives even if they have supportive family and friends a financial cushion and plenty of time in therapy   all big ifs   they never entirely leave it behind
i have met survivors who would prefer never to speak of it but many more find salvation in telling their stories this is not simply catharsis they want to be assured that their abusers are known to the world and can never hurt another child they want to know if their abusers had other victims they want other victims to know that they were not alone and that it was not their fault they want to put their trauma to some use only then can they rest
but they often wait years before they are ready to speak they are too ashamed or confused or afraid of not being believed but eventually they tell someone and once they start speaking some cannot stop thats why the sexual abuse story has emerged so slowly over years in waves abuse victims are like combat veterans the war is long over but the coping is not years after the vietnam war ended people are still writing memoirs and making movies still processing what happened
of course child sexual abuse is an issue everywhere not just in the catholic church the times has written about it in schools scouting organizations camps united nations missions and other faiths my colleagues on the metro desk wrote a disturbing series on the cover up of child abusers in the orthodox jewish community in new york i have covered cases of sexual abuse in such a wide variety of religions that i have trouble keeping track protestant jewish hindu jehovahs witnesses and the most bizarre story of all   an international christian cult called the children of god
but the scandal in the catholic church has proved far more extensive and experts i have spoken with over the years have had a few theories why one is sheer numbers   catholics make up about a quarter of the american population and are the largest single religious denomination the catholic church is also a hierarchical organization that keeps extensive records so abuse usually leaves a paper trail there was a long document trail leading to the pope in an article i wrote about a wisconsin priest who abused as many as 200 deaf boys another factor too is the exalted position of priests acting in persona christi   in the person of christ many catholics survivors included have told me they had found it unthinkable that a priest could be capable of crimes against children
and then there is the churchs requirement of celibacy for priests while many live by and value it for others it has led to covert sexual relationships with adults double lives and deep secrets some also theorize that the all male priesthood is a factor while its quite possible that having women in the clergy would have instilled more accountability and sensitivity child sexual abuse also happens in faiths with married clergy it also happens in families
nearly every time i write about child sexual abuse more people with more allegations come out of the woodwork i get phone calls and emails urging me to dig deeper telling me i have seen only the tip of the iceberg i have heard from victims in their 20s and in their 80s and every age in between when the movie spotlight came out about the boston globes investigation of a vast cover up that led all the way to the citys cardinal the phone calls and emails started again a former altar boy from upstate new york asked me to investigate whether the priest he said molested him was still in ministry a woman shared memories of nuns in a childrens home hurling buckets of cold water at her as punishment
i try to respond to each one but i cant pursue most allegations there are too many   and the bar for doing more articles on this is now very high we do them only when it tells us something new
the pennsylvania story had a wrinkle id never seen before a grand jury report found that in the diocese of altoona johnstown police officers district attorneys and judges colluded with two former bishops to cover up allegations against priests they wanted to avoid giving scandal to the church church files revealed that a judge even secured a job at the county courthouse for a priest who had been accused by multiple families of molesting their young boys but a district attorney wrote the bishop an apologetic note explaining that the job offer had to be rescinded after the priest boasted about it and devout catholics objected it was all there in the files
pennsylvanians were shocked by the report which found evidence that more than 50 priests and religious leaders in this one small diocese had abused children over more than four decades among those reading were state legislators in harrisburg i interviewed nearly a dozen in the capital all but one catholics i was struck by how so many felt personally betrayed to read that bishops had despite promises kept accused priests in ministry until recent years
pennsylvania shows how the sexual abuse story in the catholic church has evolved the reporting now is often about accountability are bishops abiding by the reforms they agreed to in 2002 in response to the eruption of cases set off by the scandal in boston the american bishops agreed to report allegations to the authorities and to remove all credibly accused priests from ministry they agreed to establish prevention programs in parishes and schools teach children and adults about warning signs and conduct background checks on employees
have they the biggest church abuse related stories in the united states in very recent years have been about bishops in kansas city missouri and minnesota who failed and eventually lost their positions
some bishops have told me off the record that they are stewing that colleagues who have failed to protect children make them all look bad   but then news is never about the planes that land safely
the revelations in the pennsylvania grand jury report proved to be a tipping point that revived mr rozzis cause in the legislature and prompted lawmakers to act after years of stalemate the pennsylvania house passed a bill on april 12 that would drop the statute of limitations for filing criminal charges in child abuser cases and extend the statute for filing civil cases to age 50 in many states including new york the statutes of limitations are so tight that survivors who dont speak up while still young cannot file civil or criminal cases against their abusers the bill in pennsylvania would apply not just to cases against clergy members but also schoolteachers and others in government positions its fate in the senate is unclear the pennsylvania catholic conference and the insurance industry are set to lobby hard against it
the day after my interrupted interview with mr rozzi i returned to his office to follow up i was not actually eager to hear the rest of his story because what i had already heard had been horrifying the priest gradually gained his confidence by teaching him how to gamble on horses plied him with beers in the rectory showed him pornographic magazines took pictures of him naked and eventually raped him the same priest mr rozzi later learned had also victimized his friends three have committed suicide
when i asked mr rozzi what he had been on the verge of disclosing the day before he fished out an envelope he had brought from home it had the return address of a recruiter with the cleveland indians baseball team lou gehrig was on the stamp and it was postmarked july 1 1989 inside was a letter from a recruiter inviting mr rozzi then a senior in high school to a tryout
i put it away and i knew i had saved it but i have never opened this since that day he said waving the envelope at me
mr rozzi said he had never made it to the tryout because the night before he had had another bout of violent sick nightmares he hadnt slept he sat on the edge of his bed bawling too exhausted to face the recruiter it had been five years since the priest had abused him on the outside mr rozzi said he appeared to be a star high school jock but inside he was going to pieces he did not speak publicly about his abuse until he was 39
he told me that people sometimes ask him what do you think they took from you
he held up the envelope and said here you go


times insider delivers behind the scenes insights from new york times staff in this podcast laurie goodstein the national religion correspondent discusses her work covering sex abouse in the catholic church
laurie goodstein is the national religion correspondent for the new york times since 1994 ms goodstein has written stories about sex abuse in the catholic church long before spotlight
earlier this month ms goodstein wrote about revelations of a scandal   involving an extensive cover up and as many as 50 priests and church officials in a diocese in pennsylvania
in this podcast she talks about whats new and how the stories about abuse in the church have   and havent   changed in the 22 years shes been covering the scandal
susan lehman is host


san francisco   think of it as the consumer buying guide of the future
on wednesday phylos bioscience an oregon biotechnology start up will begin offering an online interactive guide that visually portrays the genetic relationships of almost 1000 types of cannabis otherwise known as marijuana
the resulting visualization will offer anyone the ability to easily travel in cyberspace through a three dimensional projection of the genetic information drawn from sequencing samples of the plant which is increasingly being legalized for medical and recreational use in states throughout the country
known as galaxy and described as a tool for the visualization of genetic data the cannabis evolution project is a joint venture between the oregon company and the american museum of natural history in new york mowgli holmes phyloss chief science officer was a student of rob desalle a phylogeneticist at the museum
the evolution of the plant was an intriguing subject said dr holmes who is a molecular and evolutionary biologist in addition to being a co founder of phylos bioscience he said that dr desalle was obsessed with the way that domestication pressure changes the patterns of evolution
phylos has created a colorful 3 d map that visually represents the statistical relationships between different breeds of the plant the company hopes that having genetic information easily available will help bring order to a business that began underground and is now making a commercial transition
over time the scientists believe this sort of visual map can be applied to other types of plants or even to animals
weve collected samples from all over the world and cataloged the genetic information encoded in their dna dr holmes said he likened the dna sequence to a bar code that uniquely identifies the samples and how they interrelate
currently there are a variety of services such as leafly weedmaps verdabase and cannabis reports that catalog different strains of the plant however the field has lacked the accuracy offered by actual sequencing
given the history of the marijuana business it is not surprising that samples represented in the phylos visualization have colorful names like dj shorts blueberry sweet island skunk humboldt og bright moments sour diesel and cherry cheesecake to name a few
one family known as girl scout cookies may present particular problems for the new industry according to nishan karassik phyloss co founder and chief executive because of its potential legal conflict with the girl scouts of america
the homegrown roots of the marijuana business have led to a proliferation of local names mr karassik said that has created a very localized market because of that access to the product when it was underground he said all other plants and animals have clear pedigrees we need to create a pedigreed system to clarify this
he said that as marijuana has become a commercial product people increasingly want to find the products they like or want to avoid be they for medical or recreational use
the initial version of galaxy is largely a framework that visually plots the location of different samples in relationship to one another in the future the company plans to overlay the visual information with additional data that will include a variety of detail attributes such as the amount of particular compounds called cannabinoids that are characteristics of the plants two of these are cannabidiol cbd and tetrahydrocannabinol thc which give the plant medicinal and psychoactive qualities
mr karassik said that phylos did not plan to breed plants but is hoping to charge a small fee for adding detailed information about the samples that are produced by commercial breeders
each sample is represented in a view that resembles a star field broken into clusters that can be thought of as families or tribes the distance between the samples is indicative of how much genetic material they share
the company has been aided by the collapsing cost of genetic sequencing dr holmes said that the researchers had initially intended to build upon existing science but he added that he was hopeful that galaxy could be used as a more general tool for scientific understanding of a variety of plants and animals the obvious possibility would be to offer similar visualization tools for grapes wines and even coffee
as we get further and further into cannabinoid biochemistry he said there will be a lot of new science


front page
an article on monday about the affordable care act referred imprecisely to the eligibility rules under the law for legal immigrants while legal immigrants must typically wait for five years before they can qualify for medicaid the health insurance program for the poor there is no waiting period for legal immigrants to qualify for subsidies in the health insurance exchanges where policies are purchased
new york
an article in some editions on monday about a budget crisis in connecticut that has included layoffs of state employees misidentified the group that started the one connecticut television campaign which was meant to put a face on state workers it was a union representing health care workers not a consortium of 16 unions the article also referred incorrectly to the people featured in one of the campaigns commercials only one of the people featured was a client of a social services agency not all three

the side street column in some editions on monday about st anns corner of harm reduction a needle exchange program in the bronx misidentified the officials who helped the founder joyce a rivera with the program they were new york state health officials not new york city health officials

an article on tuesday about campaign appearances for hillary clinton by gov andrew m cuomo and mayor bill de blasio referred incorrectly in some editions to mr de blasios appearances on behalf of her campaign on sunday he spoke at two churches in brooklyn and appeared with mrs clinton at a get out the vote event he did not appear at the churches with mrs clinton

an article on tuesday about the 2016 pulitzer prizes misstated the number of photography prizes that the new york times has won in the last three years it has won four not three
sports
an article in some editions on friday about the yankees 4 2 loss to the toronto blue jays misstated the given name of the detroit tigers pitcher who gave up alex rodriguezs home run on april 9 he is mike pelfrey not john

an article last wednesday about the role justin williams has played on the washington capitals since signing as a free agent from the los angeles kings misstated the circumstances of the kings comeback against the chicago blackhawks in the 2014 playoffs they trailed in the third period of game 7 they did not face a 3 2 series deficit
obituaries
because of an editing error an obituary on sunday about the basketball star nera white referred incorrectly to lusia harris stuart who was inducted into the naismith memorial basketball hall of fame along with white in 1992 she played basketball about two decades after white did she was not a player of whites era
food
the wines of the times column last wednesday about cru beaujolais from fleurie and morgon misstated the location of petit poissussex wines the importer of domaine de robertpatrick brunet fleurie 2014 it is moorestown nj not morristown

an article last wednesday about the growing number of small dairies that sell directly to consumers misstated the role of dairy management incorporated a national trade group in the got milk advertising campaign it helped promote the effort it did not start the campaign which was created by the california milk processor board
opinion
an editorial on tuesday misstated in some copies the length of the term dilma rousseff of brazil won in 2014 and when it is set to end it is four years not five ending in 2018 not 2019
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the special elections on tuesday for the seats formerly held by dean g skelos and sheldon silver the two state legislative leaders who were forced to depart albany after being convicted on corruption charges last year were supposed to be a test of how long a shadow corruption could cast on a race
in the end voters seemed to return a mixed verdict todd d kaminsky a democratic assemblyman and former federal corruption prosecutor who billed his campaign as a mission to clean up albany from the inside had a slight edge in the race for mr skeloss former state senate seat on the south shore of long island his win could help democrats wrest control of the senate from republicans
but in mr silvers old assembly district in lower manhattan voters chose alice cancel a democrat who eked out a win over yuh line niou a working families party candidate who had pegged ms cancel as a creature of mr silvers machine
if mr kaminskys small lead over christopher t mcgrath the republican holds up the democrats would take a numerical majority in the state senate which republicans currently hold by the leanest of margins but true democratic control of the chamber depends on several other factors including whether a group of five breakaway democrats who have often aligned with republicans in recent years will agree to rejoin the fold
mr kaminskys campaign weapons included robocalls on election day from president obama and earlier from mel brooks a great uncle but he seemed to be faltering with the most recent poll showing him eight points behind
and while gov andrew m cuomo a democrat who has at times seemed to prefer working with a republican senate said he supported mr kaminsky following up with the maximum 11000 donation from his re election coffers he did not campaign for him
saying little about ethics reforms or mr skelos mr mcgrath focused instead on local issues and gained a long list of union endorsements he announced that he planned to keep his job as a lawyer after taking office drawing a contrast with mr kaminsky who said banning outside income for legislators was crucial to stamping out corruption
mr mcgraths campaign said late tuesday night that the race was too close to call but mr kaminsky declared victory he had 50 percent to mr mcgraths 49 percent with all precincts reporting only 780 votes separated the two
this election was about bringing new leadership to albany mr kaminsky said in a statement i promise to work nonstop to reform albany and finally end the corrupt status quo
in the deep blue district mr silver ruled for decades spanning a shrinking jewish domain on the lower east side the growing sprawl of chinatown a burgeoning hispanic constituency and the educated professional precincts of battery park city ms cancels victory seemed assured after a group of local democrats chose her as their nominee yet she was under pressure from the start refusing to disavow mr silver even as observers of the nominating process noted that several of the ex assembly speakers allies had helped her win the nomination
against that backdrop ms niou gained attention by dropping out of contention for the democratic nomination to protest the process though some local democrats accused her of withdrawing only after it became clear she could not win running instead as the candidate of the left leaning working families party ms niou positioned herself as a reformer who would break with mr silvers brand of politics earning the bulk of the endorsements and donations in the race
but it was not enough to overtake ms cancel a longtime resident of the area who has been active in tenant issues who won 39 percent to 34 percent with the rest of the vote split among other candidates
all the mailings all the negative things that went out i think that none of that worked because the community knew who i was ms cancel said in an interview on tuesday evening the community spoke their voices were heard today
both seats   along with every other seat in the state legislature   will be up for grabs again in the fall granting democrats a shot at more senate seats the assembly which is dominated by democrats has little chance of flipping to republicans ms niou and several of the other hopefuls for the democratic nomination in the lower manhattan seat have said that they will run again in the fall
two other assembly contests were also decided tuesday evening with jaime williams a democrat prevailing over jeffrey ferretti a republican in south brooklyn ronald castorina jr a republican ran unopposed for a staten island assembly seat


washington   life expectancy declined slightly for white americans in 2014 according to new federal data a troubling sign that distress among younger and middle age whites who are dying at ever higher rates from drug overdoses is lowering average life spans for the white population as a whole
the new federal data drawn from all deaths recorded in the country in 2014 showed that life expectancy for whites dropped to 788 years in 2014 from 789 in 2013 men and women had declines but because of statistical rounding the decline did not appear as sharp among men
life expectancy for women fell to 811 in 2014 from 812 in 2013 the average life span for men also fell but not enough to sink below 765 years their life expectancy in 2013
the increase in death in this segment of the population was great enough to affect life expectancy at birth for the whole group said elizabeth arias the statistician at the national center for health statistics who analyzed the data referring to whites from their mid 20s to their mid 50s that is very unusual
dr arias who is preparing a larger study of mortality trends over the past 15 years said drug overdoses liver disease and suicide were the main drivers of the gloomy trends among whites in recent years a pattern also found by other researchers
life expectancy for whites had been rising for decades but it has stagnated in recent years it inched up in 2010 and 2011 and was flat in 2012 and 2013
recent research has documented surprising increases in death rates among less educated whites last year a paper by anne case and angus deaton documented rising death rates among middle age white americans particularly those with no more than a high school education other research has found rising rates among younger whites
the pattern had puzzled demographers but the recent analyses have pointed to suffering and anxiety among working class whites
in contrast life expectancy for blacks rose to 756 in 2014 from 755 in the previous year blacks have gained more than a year of life expectancy since 2008 black men had the biggest increase of all the groups in 2014 rising to 722 from 718
for hispanics life expectancy jumped to 818 in 2014 from 816 in 2013 hispanic women had even more pronounced gains with life expectancy rising to 84 years from 838 in 2013 overall hispanics like blacks have gained one year of life expectancy since 2008
the overall life expectancy for americans 788 remained unchanged
the last time life expectancy for whites dropped was in 2005 around the time of a particularly severe flu season though it is not clear that flu caused the decline
the most recent dip before that was in 1993 around the time of the aids epidemic when there was a decline in life expectancy for the entire united states population the drop was steepest among blacks whose life expectancy dropped to 692 from 696 in one year
typically most of the deaths in the country occur among people in their 60s or older deaths in people who are younger or middle age are relatively rare and do not usually affect overall life expectancy a surge in death rates at those ages is sometimes analogous to a generation of men going to war or a wave of mothers deaths in childbirth
there is the expectation that life expectancy will go up every year and that has been realized just about every year over the past century said samuel preston a demographer at the university of pennsylvania


payday loans are well known for their high interest rates and fees but for many borrowers they have a second less obvious cost the bank fees incurred when automatic loan repayments fall short
bank overdraft and insufficient fund fees often add hundreds of dollars to the cost of a loan according to a study released wednesday by the consumer financial protection bureau which is preparing to propose new rules for the payday loan industry
the agency said it analyzed 18 months of transaction data from nearly 20000 accounts showing payments to internet based payday lenders such lenders typically deposit short term borrowed money directly into a customers checking account then use the same automated system to regularly deduct payments for loans that often have interest rates of 400 percent or more
about half of the accounts that the agency examined had one or more automated loan payment requests fail incurring an average of 185 in bank fees over the duration of the study banks closed the checking accounts of more than a third of the people who had a failed payment request
many customers rely on automated bank withdrawals to cover recurring bills like mortgage or car payments and the overwhelming majority of payday loan payment requests the bureau studied   94 percent   went through without a problem
but once a single payment request fails it can set off a domino effect of fees and other repercussions payday lenders often submit multiple requests on one day and some intentionally break them into chunks   submitting three 100 requests for example instead of one 300 request   in hopes that at least one will be fulfilled the bureau found
lenders that are owed money are entitled to get paid back but we do not want lenders to be abusing their preferential access to peoples accounts said richard cordray director of the bureau borrowers should not have to bear the unexpected burdens of being hit repeatedly with steep hidden penalty fees that are tacked on to the costs of their existing loans
the new study is the latest in a series of payday lending research reports that the bureau says it hopes will bolster its case for increased regulation of the industry a preliminary set of proposals that the agency is considering released a year ago drew broad fierce criticism the payday loan industry said the proposed rules could deprive low income americans of a vital source of credit while consumer advocates said the rules did not go far enough
republican lawmakers on the house financial services committee sharply criticized the bureaus recommendations in a hearing last month but mr cordray said he still intended to propose more complete rules within a few months
one rule the bureau is considering would prevent creditors from repeatedly returning to a dry well by cutting them off after two consecutive unsuccessful attempts to deduct a loan payment from a borrowers bank account the lender would not be allowed to make any further attempts unless the borrower provided the bank with a new authorization
few federal rules govern overdraft and insufficient funds fees which run around 35 per transaction at large banks the bureau has expressed concern about the issue but has stopped short of saying it intends to draft new rules about those fees
some banks say they have already acted to rein in their fees bank of america citigroup and wells fargo limit overdraft charges to four per account per business day bank representatives said
jpmorgan chase pledged two years ago to change how it handles automatic withdrawals for payday loan payments after a front page article in the new york times drew attention to the high fees some of its customers incurred
the bank now levies only one insufficient funds fee per account per month for charges from each merchant preventing customers from being hit with multiple payment requests from the same creditor said michael fusco a jpmorgan spokesman


summerstage announced its full 2016 lineup including performances by trevor noah the indigo girls and public enemy the lineup organized by the city parks foundation includes more than 100 free shows of music comedy dance and theater in parks across new york citys five boroughs
as previously announced the season will place an emphasis on jazz and kick off with a tribute to mccoy tyner with sets by mr tyner ron carter and roy haynes in central park on june 4 the saxophonist kamasi washington will perform june 18 and the charlie parker jazz festival will take place in various locations aug 26 28
a large chunk of the season will happen in central park trevor noah will perform standup there along with others from the daily show on june 26 a ballerinas tale a documentary about misty copeland of american ballet theater will be screened in tandem with a ballet premiere from jeremy mcqueen on june 29 the indigo girls will perform on june 27 and brasil summerfest will bring monobloco boogarins and more on aug 6 the musical chicago will celebrate its 20th year on aug 31 with appearances from the current broadway cast
performances elsewhere around the city include public enemy at betsy head park in brooklyn on june 21 chairlift in red hook park also in brooklyn on june 14 and the metropolitan opera summer recital series with concerts in all five boroughs more information is at summerstageorg


a state lawmaker who represents the queens district where an armed man was fatally shot by the police over the weekend asked on tuesday for the governor to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the episode officials said
state senator james sanders jr whose district includes the south ozone park neighborhood where the man george tillman 32 was killed by plainclothes officers on sunday said he had submitted a written request to gov andrew m cuomo
rich azzopardi a spokesman for the governor confirmed that his office had received the request and said it would be forwarded to the attorney general for consideration
eric soufer a spokesman for the attorney general said his office was aware of the senators letter investigators from a special unit created to look into police involved civilian deaths have been in touch with the queens district attorney and are reviewing the case he said
mr sanders a democrat said he was prompted by complaints from about six residents who said the police had barged into their homes after the shooting and demanded to see their video recordings of the events
i think that anytime that you have a shooting of this nature you need fresh eyes people who are not connected to the local officers to give a free and fair and impartial investigation mr sanders said
the police have said that the officers approached mr tillman because he was holding an open container of alcohol and that four officers shot him after he ignored their verbal commands and reached for a handgun in his waistband but friends and relatives have questioned that account
the police initially said mr tillman was shot several times in the torso the medical examiner said on tuesday that he was shot 11 times the cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head
police officials have not yet released additional details about the shooting including the officers names what they said to mr tillman and how many bullets were fired they said they were waiting for a report from the departments force investigation division which reviews all instances in which officers use deadly force
mr tillman was visiting from maryland where he worked as an electrician and was raising five children with his wife
mr sanders has planned a community gathering for mr tillman on thursday and relatives are expected to speak


look out brooklyn here comes your first 1000 foot tower
on tuesday the new york city landmarks preservation commission approved a proposal for 9 dekalb avenue a 73 story apartment building set to rise this year on flatbush avenue next door to juniors restaurant though dozens of towers have been built in downtown brooklyn over the past decade the new building at 1066 feet will be almost twice as tall as anything else in the neighborhood
until two years ago only four buildings in new york city surpassed the 1000 foot mark now there are twice as many with more than two dozen others under construction or in planning
the brooklyn tower is being built by jds development group and the chetrit group and will have around 500 units the project designed by shop architects will rise in a tapering hexagonal shape clad in bronze and black metal fins
the design was inspired in part by the neighboring dime savings bank of brooklyn a city landmark on which a portion of the tower will be built the inclusion of the 1908 bank also affords the project roughly 300000 square feet of air rights
because of this integration the developers needed city approval to alter the bank which will house new shops the commission approved the addition unanimously though it raised some minor concerns about removing historic teller booths from the bank
to me this project is enlightened urbanism at its best where old and new are combined where short and tall are combined in juxtaposition frederick bland a landmarks commissioner said during a hearing at the municipal building


before starting to recap tonights episode i feel compelled to confess im not a john le carre expert im no stranger to his work of course ive spent long car rides in the company of george smiley ive admired alec guinness in tinker tailor soldier spy but these experiences date back almost to the end of the cold war   and le carre is the sort of author who often inspires lifelong devotion in his readers like the creators of homeland for example who are conversant enough with his books to nimbly sprinkle bits and pieces of quotes into their scripts
and so ive worried would i be able to write for viewers who might know passages of the night manager by heart
after viewing tonights episode im relieved to say that coming to amcs new series with fresh eyes may not be so bad after all
le carre purists may well be frustrated by liberties taken with this reinvention of the 1993 novel but as a contemporary spy tale taken on its own merits the show is deeply appealing and in substance and style for this viewer at least moved the book forward in a number of fortuitous ways
we fast forward in time from the period of the first persian gulf war to the arab spring before settling in 2015 we swap a man for a woman in the role of angela burr a high ranking agent with the mysterious quasi renegade international enforcement agency in london
but on a deeper level we also move from a 20th century spy narrative whose female characters exist as refractions of the ebb and flow of male desire   two beautiful mistresses of powerful men share a jeweled brilliance and a kind of dressed nakedness the older woman working at the reception desk of a hotel turns pink like a menopausal groupie   to something that feels a great deal more contemporary
in the show we get in our night manager jonathan pine tom hiddleston a handsome former soldier who would be somewhat bond like were he not constantly fighting for his authority and erotic edge he moves stylishly and fearlessly through the chaos of cairo in hosni mubaraks final hours of rule adrenaline keeping him calm as he tells a frightened colleague ive seen worse and deadpans into the phone i have several guests extremely keen to leave
and yet however self assuredly sexy he is by day he turns into a picture of obsequiousness by night a changing of the guards remarked upon by his soon to be lover sophie alekan the mistress of the powerful corrupt and bratty freddie hamid
sophie ill venture somewhat timorously to say ups her game a bit in her new screen incarnation in the novel she is purely a distillation of male disgust and desire before freddie came along she had belonged to a rich armenian jonathan remembered and before that an alexandrian greek mr le carre writes on screen she names that role herself   the hamid family owns half the city and freddie hamid owns me   and has at least some measure of erotic agency
she owns her choice of jonathan as her confidant and would be savior for reasons that go beyond his proximity to the british government you look fine by daylight
she pushes to establish some status for herself before inviting him into her bed make me a coffee would you mr pine she challenges him in the book a waiter does the work pine tries and fails onscreen to resist  sit with me she orders do it for me please she requests by the copier turning an intelligence share into a hotel clerks chore jonathan plays along with considerable pleasure stroking the phone before picking up for her later call for a cocktail referring her to the in room minibar pushing her to say i want you before showing up with a tray
in the end sophie does to put it mildly get the short end of the stick but along the way we get a far more entertaining cat and mouse game with far more female interiority and male vulnerability than this type of spy story has traditionally delivered
the screenwriter david farr and the director susanne biers richard roper feels like a man of our time as well a venal businessman who dabbles in global good works and has a keen appreciation of brand management as roper hugh lauries predatory gaze is perfect a problem however is that the actor is also instantly likable   a challenge that may complicate establishing and sustaining roper as the worst man in the world over the coming five episodes
even the otherwise vengeful jonathan seems to look at roper with fascinated attraction their push pull power game under the alpine stars recapitulates some of the back and forth with madame sophie in cairo you know a lot of people would have tossed that cigarette away when the paying customer turned up roper tells jonathan after an evening of searching looks at the fussy and yet not quite devoted night manager good for you
jonathan keeps smoking lets hope theres a good bit more of this to come
unfortunately im already tired of ropers mistress jed marshall the feral american with equine legs and a determined need to strip and shock as often as possible theres bound to be more of her to come lets hope she learns to use her words
i hope theres more coming too from lord sandy langbourne and his wife lady caroline the former ski champion now dragging around with ropers band of nasty men knees gone poor old thing completely worn out i find them promising
im curious to know if others agree


for much of tuesday night as he ranged right and glided left didi gregorius looked so smooth gobbling up whistling grounders that it was easy to forget how tentative and harried he had looked at the start of last season when he had the unenviable task of replacing derek jeter at shortstop for the yankees
but those plays and that growth were not what was on gregoriuss mind at the end of the night instead he was thinking about the crucial play he could not make   on an 11th inning single by mark canha that ticked off the edge of his outstretched glove and scored the winning run   and two little ones that loomed large in the yankees 3 2 loss to the oakland athletics at yankee stadium
the loss was the yankees fifth in six games and carried a familiar hallmark for their early season slump an inability to drive in base runners and do the little things that often make the difference between winning and losing
the yankees squandered chances to blow open the game early and then were left to scramble for crumbs against the athletics bullpen which held the yankees to one hit and no other base runners over the final five and a third innings
once the athletics survived the vaunted part of the yankees bullpen   chasen shreve dellin betances and andrew miller who have not allowed an earned run in 18 13 combined innings   they broke through in the 11th against johnny barbato
jed lowrie looped a one out double to right took third on a groundout and headed home when canha scorched a one hopper past gregorius who dived to his right it was the second hit of the season for canha who struck out looking as a pinch hitter facing miller
as long as it wasnt miller i was ok with anybody canha a rule 5 acquisition said of his at bat against barbato
as soon as the ball was hit barbato said he was kicking himself over the location of the pitch which cut over the heart of the plate then he allowed himself to think that gregorius who had five assists and a putout might be able to produce one more defensive gem
if i made that play that would have saved the game gregorius said so thats the most important play right there and i couldnt make it
if gregorius had been able to get canha it might have erased a couple of blunders one on the basepaths and the other in the batters box after leading off the fifth with a single gregorius was caught taking off early on a 3 2 pitch to brett gardner and was picked off by the left hander eric surkamp
the mistake did not prevent the yankees from taking a 2 1 lead   after gardner walked starlin castro doubled and carlos beltran hit a sacrifice fly to score gardner   but it may have short circuited a big inning
its a 3 2 count gregorius said i should have held and make sure he goes to the plate first and then go it was my mistake
after chase headley singled to lead off the ninth against the right hander fernando rodriguez gregorius was called on to bunt he fouled off two attempts and then flied out jacoby ellsbury pinch running for headley was then thrown out stealing
gregorius said rodriguez had quick pitched him on the initial bunt attempt as for the second he said he asked the home plate umpire laz diaz for time   several times   but diaz later told him that he had not heard him
my mistake for not getting the bunt down gregorius said but on the second one if you want to check back at it i asked the umpire like four or five times   time time time   so the second one i wasnt ready at all i just tried to put the ball in play and it didnt happen so i didnt move the runner over
it was one of many opportunities the yankees could not seize
a throwing error by athletics third baseman danny valencia kept alive the sixth but gardner ended the inning by lining out to first baseman yonder alonso beltran had given the yankees the lead in the fifth but alex rodriguez left two runners on base that inning when he popped up and gardners leadoff double in the third was wasted when the next three batters went down in order
the yankees left eight runners on base and were 1 for 7 with runners in scoring position they are 2 for 42 with runners in scoring position in their last four games
its going to happen a lot   a lot more times said beltran who doubled with two outs in the first and scored on a rodriguez single you want to come through in situations like that but at the same time this is a game of a lot of failures right now were not getting the hits with runners in scoring positions but theres going to be a time where were able to do it
although the yankees did not lose to surkamp they have not beaten a left hander in three starts this season aaron hicks who started in place of ellsbury   as he had in place of gardner   is 0 for 11 this season against left handers
when the yankees scored in the first inning it looked as if their luck might be turning manager joe girardi even allowed himself to think so in the dugout
maybe tonight is the night he said it wasnt so lets hope for tomorrow


ondrej palat scored with 2 minutes 59 seconds left in the third period lifting the tampa bay lightning to a 3 2 win over the host detroit red wings on tuesday night and a three games to one lead in the teams nhl eastern conference first round playoff series
game 5 in the best of seven series is thursday at tampa bay
ben bishop stopped 26 shots for the lightning and petr mrazek made 30 saves for the red wings
palat was in a perfect position in front of the net to make the most of jonathan drouins pass on the game winning goal drouin had three assists
nikita kucherov had power play goals in the first and second periods to give tampa bay a 2 0 lead late in the second but detroits darren helm and gustav nyquist scored late in the period to tie the score
the lightning struck first by scoring at 541 of the first on a power play brian boyle won a face off sending the puck back to victor hedman and he skated toward the front of the net hedman carried the puck from left to right and passed it to drouin who pushed the puck through the left circle to tyler johnson whose diagonal pass perfectly set up kucherov for a one timer nine seconds into the power play
tampa bay took advantage of another power play for its second goal when jonathan ericsson failed to clear the puck and it ended up in the net on kucherovs shot from the slot off a slick pass from drouin
the lightning the defending eastern conference champions scored three times on the power play and they prevented detroit from scoring with a man advantage over the first three games of the series the lightning were 1 of 14 on the power play and detroit was 1 of 17 with at least one extra skater
detroit rallied from two goals down when helm stuffed a shot into the net from the right side off a pass from luke glendening with 507 left in the second
the red wings seemed to skate faster and hit harder after pulling to one goal down and nyquist went charging up the ice to get to a puck chipped ahead by justin abdelkader
his pressure led to the puck getting turned over to riley sheahan who flipped it to nyquist for the goal
ericsson was called for cross checking with 442 to go giving the lighting a chance to score their third power play goal of the game and they took advantage to move a step closer toward eliminating detroit in the first round for the second straight year
ducks 3 predators 0 frederik andersen made 27 saves as anaheim cut host nashvilles lead to two games to one in a first round series
the ducks have not lost three straight to open a postseason series since the 2006 western conference finals and they did not come close to dropping a third straight this year
andersen who started in net after john gibson took the first two losses in anaheim posted his second postseason shutout despite taking shea webers slap shot off his head
chris stewart had a goal and an assist and jamie mcginn and rickard rakell each scored their first goals of the series
game 4 is thursday night in nashville
blues 4 blackhawks 3 vladimir tarasenko scored on two impressive wrist shots brian elliott made 39 saves and st louis won in chicago to take a three games to one lead in their first round series
jaden schwartz scored a tiebreaking power play goal in the third period for the second straight game as the blues moved to the verge of their first appearance in the western conference semifinals since 2012 the blues were eliminated in the opening round in each of the past three years
game 5 is thursday night in st louis
duncan keith had two goals for chicago which has lost consecutive home playoff games for the first time since 2012
andrew shaw had a goal and two assists and corey crawford finished with 16 saves after getting into a fight with the blues rookie robby fabbri in the second period
flyers criticize fans the flyers condemned disgruntled fans who threw promotional light up bracelets on the ice during a playoff game against the washington capitals on monday night
the wristbands were used as part of a pregame light show fans started tossing them onto the ice in the third period as washington turned the game into a rout eventually winning 6 1 to take a 3 0 series lead
fans have the right to voice their displeasure vocally or by not watching or attending games but when displeasure is expressed in a way that embarrasses or endangers others it cannot be condoned or tolerated the team said
coyotes suns arena sought phoenix mayor greg stanton is pushing for a downtown arena shared by the nhls arizona coyotes and the nbas phoenix suns
stanton called for the shared arena during his state of the city address adding that funding for it would come from maricopa countys existing sports facilities fund and not new taxes


 jorge de la rosa lost command of his pitches and his attention to base runners waned that added up to a bad inning that the colorado rockies could not overcome
jay bruce had two of the reds five steals in the second   their biggest inning on the bases in roughly a century   and the host cincinnati reds held on for a 4 3 victory on tuesday night
brandon phillips had four hits and billy hamilton doubled home two runs during the reds four run second inning which included the five steals
de la rosa was having trouble placing his fastball so he threw more changeups and ignored the runners who took off at every opportunity
i have to do a better job than that de la rosa said
the reds had not stolen that many bases in an inning since at least the 1920s according to elias sports bureau
rays 3 red sox 0 drew smyly and tampa bays bullpen held boston to one hit kevin kiermaier hit a solo home run in the 10th and the rays prevailed at fenway park for their third straight victory
smyly allowed one hit over eight innings and struck out 11
blue jays 4 orioles 3 marcus stroman allowed three runs in seven innings troy tulowitzki drove in two runs and toronto won in baltimore
jose bautista had two hits and an rbi for the blue jays
braves 8 dodgers 1 tyler flowers went 4 for 4 and drove in three runs mallex smith had three rbi and host atlanta trounced los angeles
sloppy defense and a poor start by alex wood doomed the dodgers who had three fielding errors two hit batters a wild pitch and a passed ball
royals 8 tigers 6 salvador perez hit a three run homer and had a career high five rbi yordano ventura twice escaped bases loaded jams and host kansas city held on against detroit
nationals 7 marlins 0 bryce harper hit a grand slam one of four home runs in a seven run seventh inning for washington and the nationals won in miami
the four homers in an inning were a washington record as well as a record for marlins pitchers
white sox 5 angels 0 mat latos did not allow a hit until the fifth inning todd frazier and jose abreu hit solo home runs and host chicago defeated los angeles to halt a three game skid
latos allowed two hits in six and a third innings lowering his era to 049 in three starts
indians 3 mariners 2 francisco lindor had three hits carlos carrasco allowed a run in six and a third innings and host cleveland survived seattle
mike napoli scored lindor with a go ahead double in the third inning and the indians took advantage of mariners starter wade mileys wildness to score twice in the fourth
brewers 6 twins 5 scooter gennett hit a tiebreaking single in the ninth inning and milwaukee beat minnesota in minneapolis ending the twins four game winning streak


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the federal investigation of mayor bill de blasios campaign fund raising apparatus has expanded to focus on efforts to raise money for democratic candidates for the state senate in 2014 when the party was battling to retake the chamber according to people with knowledge of grand jury subpoenas issued in the inquiry
earlier this week federal agents and local investigators served state grand jury subpoenas for records related to fund raising on behalf of democratic candidates who were in the midst of half a dozen hotly contested races that year two of the people said in the end the senate remained in republican control
several of the democratic candidates themselves were among those contacted by federal bureau of investigation agents and investigators working with prosecutors from the office of the manhattan district attorney the agents and investigators contacted some of the candidates to serve the subpoenas and in some cases conduct interviews the people said
mr de blasio made retaking the chamber a priority in 2014 and personally solicited contributions for his fellow democrats in senate races as part of that effort there is no indication that mr de blasio is a target of the inquiry spokesmen for his re election campaign and the citys law department declined to say whether they had received subpoenas
prosecutors are focused on whether there was an effort to evade campaign contribution limits they are trying to determine whether contributions solicited by the mayor went to smaller county committees with the intention that they then be passed on to candidates in the contested races the two people said those county committees have no limits on campaign contributions from individuals groups or companies but candidates committees do
in addition to the focus on the senate campaign federal authorities are continuing their investigation of the fund raising of mr de blasios mayoral campaign on monday fbi agents and state investigators made an early morning visit to the brooklyn home of mr de blasios former finance director ross a offinger two other people said
mr offinger was not home and it was unclear whether the agents had intended to serve him with a subpoena he declined to comment through a spokesman
the corruption investigation came to light two weeks ago initially a largely federal effort it has centered on the activities of two businessmen jona rechnitz and jeremy reichberg mr rechnitz raised money for the mayors election in 2013 and he and his wife also made personal donations that inquiry is being conducted by federal prosecutors in manhattan the fbi and the citys investigation department those agencies and the manhattan district attorneys office all declined to comment
the subpoenas issued this week the people said sought all communications with the mayors office and documents regarding solicitations donors and donations to the campaign for one new york a nonprofit group that supported the mayors agenda mr offinger had served as the groups finance director
the group which mr de blasio shut down last month has drawn the ire of government watchdog groups which said it created a shadow government of lobbyists and businesses with interests before city government mr rechnitz donated 50000 to the group through a company he controls and mr reichberg held a fund raiser for the group a spokesman for the campaign for one new york also declined to say whether it had received a subpoena
investigators were initially focused on whether mr rechnitz and mr reichberg received some favorable city action   or a promise of some action   in exchange for their financial support people briefed on that case have said but it was not immediately clear what that action might be
as part of the investigation into mr rechnitz and mr reichberg fbi agents and internal affairs investigators in the new york police department have questioned roughly two dozen police officials who were suspected of taking gifts and trips from the men people briefed on the matter have said nine mostly senior police officials have been transferred or placed on administrative duty as a result of the inquiry as part of the investigation a member of a volunteer security patrol in borough park brooklyn was charged with bribery on monday after being accused of offering cash to police officials in exchange for handgun licenses
mr de blasio fresh off his 2013 mayoral election became involved in the 2014 state senate battle when he saw an opportunity for democrats to take control of the chamber which had been in the hands of republicans a democrat controlled senate the logic went would be more sympathetic to the citys financial needs
mr de blasio a political operative by training personally cold called major donors seeking large donations and contributed some of his top strategists to help out on races around new york state
mr de blasio was stepping into a vacuum left by gov andrew m cuomo who had agreed to help fellow democrats regain control of the chamber   as opposed to standing on the sidelines as he had in 2012   but ended up doing little to help democratic candidates still in the end the republicans held on to their majority


philadelphia   a night after the mets watched noah syndergaard shut down the phillies striking out eight batters in seven innings they were prepared for a little taste of their own medicine when the phillies own flamethrower vince velasquez took the mound
velasquez was looking to build on his first two starts in which he struck out 25 batters and gave up no runs in 15 innings   six of those against the mets at citi field
with a fastball that reaches 96 miles per hour and a mix of off speed pitches that can be almost 20 miles an hour slower velasquez surprised the national league after being acquired by the phillies as part of the deal that sent closer ken giles to the houston astros
but the mets had the benefit of having seen velasquez and they took advantage of that experience from the outset knocking him out in the fifth inning as they cruised to an 11 1 win for their fifth victory in their past six games
in the first inning david wright roped a double into the left field corner then michael conforto who has been on a tear since being moved to the third spot in the order golfed an 0 2 curveball into the right field stands to give the mets a 2 0 lead
they were the first runs velasquez surrendered this season
the home run was also the 12th that the mets had hit in the last five games and it was a portent the mets hit six home runs in the game two short of the club record barrage of eight that they managed in a game here last august the 17 home runs they have hit in the last five games have set a club record
the home run tally rose in the third inning starting pitcher logan verrett reached first on a throwing error by first baseman ryan howard and advanced to second on a single by conforto yoenis cespedes then hit a line drive into the left field bleachers putting the mets up 5 0
while velasquez looked shaky verrett settled in he scattered six singles over six innings striking out four and walking one he also induced phillies catcher cameron rupp to ground into a double play
i didnt feel as sharp as i did in my last game so i had to work for it verrett said im just happy to help the team win some ballgames
even verrett seemed to solve velasquez in the fifth inning verrett sliced a double into the right field corner for his first major league hit
i just closed my eyes and swung as hard as i could verrett said
curtis granderson was then hit by a pitch wright struck out looking but with conforto coming up phillies manager pete mackanin pulled velasquez after only 74 pitches and replaced him with elvis araujo who finished the inning
in a game when velasquez got bounced verrett shined but it is unclear how long he will have these opportunities before the game manager terry collins said that jacob degrom who had been sidelined with a stiff back would return to the team this weekend and start in the series against the braves that begins on friday in atlanta
the mets will have to make room on their roster for degrom but verrett has pitched well in two starts filling his spot in the rotation and is unlikely to be sent back to the minors pitcher rafael montero or infielder eric campbell might be shipped down
if the mets keep hitting home runs they wont miss either of those players neil walker hit solo home runs in sixth and seventh innings and lucas duda hit his second home run in as many games also in the seventh the next inning granderson hit his second home run of the season into the second deck
hitting is contagious just like anything else walker said theres a calmness about this group on the offensive side of things even when things arent going well
verrett nearly gave up a home run of his own when howard hit a towering fly ball to left field but with the wind blowing in conforto caught the ball at the warning track the mets it seems have the wind at their backs these days
inside pitch
jacob degrom threw well in a simulated game in port st lucie fla clearing the way for him to start against the braves in atlanta on sunday degrom has been sidelined with a stiff back since his only start of the season on april 8 when he gave up one run in six innings against the phillies compounding matters degrom and his wife have been dealing with a medical issue with their first child a son who was born last week although the baby has since been sent home terry collins said monday that he wanted to see how degrom performed in the simulated game before deciding when he would rejoin the team degrom threw 71 pitches at the mets spring training facility and appeared to have no problem with his back or with handling the workload


talk about a short memory kyle korver came out shooting and this time he couldnt miss
the boston celtics they couldnt make anything
shaking off a dismal performance in the playoff opener korver swished four 3 pointers in the opening minutes to propel atlanta to a stunning 21 point lead before many fans had settled into their seats tuesday night there wasnt much doubt after that the host hawks cruising to an 89 72 victory and a 2 0 lead in the eastern conference series
we all have pride right said korver who went 1 of 10 on saturday and missed all seven of his 3 point attempts i wanted to come out and play better the second game
as good as korver and the hawks were in the early going this one will be remembered more for the celtics grisly start they scored just 7 points over the first 12 minutes the lowest scoring opening quarter in a playoff game since the nba went to a shot clock in 1954
i dont know what it is said bostons jae crowder looking a bit shellshocked after scoring just 2 points on 1 of 9 shooting but weve got to change something
crowder had plenty of company in his shooting misery
the boston star isaiah thomas was held to 16 points on 4 of 15 shooting going 1 of 6 beyond the arc marcus smart stepped in for the injured avery bradley and went 1 of 11 also making just 1 of 6 from 3 point range the celtics finished at 32 percent over all 28 of 88 5 of 28 from long range
the first quarter was off the charts bad boston made just 3 of 23 shots and missed all six of its 3 point attempts the hawks blocked six boston shots
according to stats llc the previous record for fewest points in an opening playoff quarter during the shot clock era was 8 set by utah in 1988 against the los angeles lakers and matched by dallas in 2010 at san antonio
it was also bostons lowest scoring playoff quarter since the nba was founded in 1949
spurs 94 grizzlies 68 patty mills had 16 points kawhi leonard added 13 and host san antonio never trailed in routing memphis for a 2 0 lead in their first round western conference series
lamarcus aldridge had 10 points and 8 rebounds in 26 minutes aldridge sat out the entire fourth quarter along with leonard and tony parker while tim duncan and danny green made brief appearances
if history and memphiss current state are any indication the grizzlies prospects do not look good heading into a home game friday night
san antonios suffocating defense held memphis to franchise lows in total points and points in a quarter   11 in the first
tony allen led memphis with 12 points and zach randolph had 11 points and 12 rebounds
crawford wins again jamal crawford a 36 year old los angeles clippers guard won the nbas sixth man award becoming the first three time winner as the leagues best reserve two years ago he was the oldest to receive the honor
crawford received 51 first place votes and 341 points from a panel of 130 sportswriters and broadcasters in the united states and canada andre iguodala of golden state finished second with 288 points 33 first place votes and oklahoma citys enes kanter was third with 182 points 19 first place votes
crawford averaged 142 points in 79 games coming off the bench in 74 of them he ranked second in the nba in free throw shooting at 90 percent
crawford a 16 year veteran added his latest trophy to his awards in 2009 10 with the atlanta hawks and 2013 14 with the clippers
nowitzki hurts knee add dirk nowitzki to the long injury list for dallas in the playoffs
coach rick carlisle said that nowitzki bruised his right knee when he fell early in the mavericks 85 84 game 2 win over oklahoma city in a first round playoff series that is tied 1 1
nowitzki joins a list of players who might miss game 3 on thursday including the starting guards deron williams and j j barea and the backup forward david lee
suns keep coach the phoenix suns are retaining earl watson as head coach for next season
watson was named interim coach after jeff hornacek was fired on feb 1 the team went 9 24 under watson


two veteran rangers defensemen dan boyle and keith yandle converged on a loose puck in their zone and barely avoided a head on collision leaving the puck behind for a 39 year old pittsburgh forward named matt cullen he knew what to do with it
cullen skated through the slot and flicked a breakaway wrist shot past goaltender henrik lundqvist for a go ahead goal at 4 minutes 16 seconds of the third period and the penguins held on for a 3 1 victory tuesday at madison square garden that gave them a two games to one lead in the first round of the stanley cup playoffs
the rangers will have to muster a lot more offense to tie the series in game 4 on thursday they managed only 17 shots scoring on a short handed goal by rick nash
the biggest thing i think we need to learn from tonight more so than anything is that we did a terrible job of getting through the neutral zone rangers center derek stepan said
a first period goal by rangers forward chris kreider was waved off after pittsburgh coach mike sullivan immediately claimed the rangers were offsides a replay showed that he was correct and rangers coach alain vigneault said that the right call had been made
the third string goaltender jeff zatkoff had started the first two games for pittsburgh but with the top goaltender marc andre fleury still unavailable the penguins started matt murray who had not played since he was injured april 9 murray was hardly challenged
both teams can check well vigneault said they checked better than we did we have to find a way to make plays with the puck we didnt make any
ryan mcdonagh the rangers top defenseman and team captain returned after missing two weeks with a broken bone in his right hand but the puck slipped past him when the pittsburgh captain sidney crosby tapped in a critical power play goal
crosbys goal came with just 42 seconds left in the second period and tied the score 1 1 before kris letang scored an empty net goal with 12 seconds left in regulation the penguins had clamped down on the rangers giving up only four third period shots
we know what makes us successful and what works against this team mcdonagh said we just werent able to spend a lot of time in their zone there
after a scoreless first period that seemed to get more contentious by the shift the rangers took a 1 0 lead while killing a penalty on kreider who had thumped forward patric hornqvist into the boards 22 seconds into the second period
nash collided with forward evgeni malkin at the right wing boards inside the rangers blue line in a scramble for the puck with nash knocking it back into the middle of the zone   right at rangers defenseman kevin klein nash immediately took off toward the pittsburgh goal leaving malkin in his skate tracks
klein then flipped a long pass to nash nash caught up to it and even with stepan trailing behind fired the puck from the left face off circle beating murray with a shot that sizzled over his left shoulder into the far side of the net it was nashs first playoff goal
but that was it for the rangers
for some reason it was hard for us to create the big chances lundqvist said we were hoping to come home and get the building energized and to get ourselves energized they just played very well defensively they didnt give up much i dont know what to say
with one minute left in the second period rangers defenseman marc staal took his second penalty of the game when he hooked forward carl hagelin a ranger just a year ago the penguins prolific power play took all of 18 seconds to score
pittsburgh worked the puck around the perimeter with malkin sliding it to phil kessel he whisked the puck to crosby who had stationed himself to the right of lundqvist crosby neatly deflected it into the goal
the garden fell stonily silent after cullens go ahead score as if the fans knew the rangers were in big trouble
and they were after cullen scored the rangers took only two shots   by klein and yandle both defensemen
i thought that down the stretch we had a chance to be aggressive and not sit back crosby said we didnt get caught out there for lengthy shifts where we could get burned
lundqvist was among several rangers who said the series would be won by the first team to win four games not just two
yandle said the rangers had not lost any confidence
everyone in here wished the game is tomorrow and we can get back out there and play yandle said its one of those things with our group we know we can be better
slap shots
ryan mcdonagh had practiced with the team monday participated in the morning skate tuesday and taken part in the pregame warm up but he got a big cheer when a camera caught him striding onto the ice minutes before the game  the third string pittsburgh goaltender jeff zatkoff had started games 1 and 2 posting a 308 goals against average with marc andre fleury still working his way back from a concussion however the penguins started matt murray who was injured april 9


attorney general bill schuette of michigan said he would make a significant announcement on wednesday in the states investigation into the water contamination crisis in flint
mr schuette who announced in january that he was opening an inquiry into the failed water system that exposed residents to elevated levels of lead has scheduled a news conference on wednesday in flint he is expected to appear there with top investigators and prosecutors in the case a spokeswoman for mr schuette a republican declined to say what he would announce or whether the investigation was complete
ari adler a spokesman for gov rick snyder who has faced intense criticism over his handling of the water crisis said his office had not been given any information from the attorney generals office
the state has faced scrutiny for months after flint switched its water supply and failed to use protective chemicals that prevent leaching of lead from pipes
a state task force appointed by the governor blamed state officials including the department of environmental quality saying they took a lax approach to enforcement and responded to concerns about the water by belittling people who complained
the environmental protection agency and the department of justice have also announced investigations into possible violations
separately a class action lawsuit over flints water was dismissed on tuesday a federal judge found that constitutional claims made by residents who brought the suit were banned by the federal safe drinking water act


she danced the merengue in washington heights she slammed down a mean game of dominoes in east harlem
and in the east village the day before the new york primary hillary clinton broke her long held rule of not eating in front of the news media by digging into an ice cream concoction named the victory
mrs clinton seemed for the first time in a rocky and unpredictable democratic race relaxed thats whats so great about being back here now for this primary she said at mikey likes it ice cream where the owner had named the dessert in her honor i get to go to a lot of the places that i love i get to meet new people and see people ive known for a long time
mrs clinton has had dramatic highs and crushing lows in her political career and in this campaign but since she first ran for office 16 years ago new york has always been the state that loved her back and on tuesday it delivered one of her biggest boosts yet toward becoming the first woman to capture the democratic partys nomination for president
today today you proved once again theres no place like home she told a jubilant crowd of more than 2500 at the sheraton new york hotel in midtown after taking the stage to the song empire state of mind by alicia keys and jay z
in this campaign weve won in every region of the country from the north to the south to the east to the west mrs clinton added but this one is personal
her new york triumph was an echo of her victory in 2008 when she defeated barack obama by 17 points but this year the new york primary came later and after a string of victories by senator bernie sanders in smaller states had far more bearing on the direction of the race with two thirds of the delegates now pledged mrs clinton leads mr sanders by more than 200
on monday when asked whether a significant win in new york would mean that she had effectively locked up the nomination mrs clinton over a bubble tea in flushing queens said cautiously you know i never count any chickens before they hatch
but a few hours later surrounded by an adoring downtown crowd she was counting her chickens im hoping to do really well mrs clinton said at an lgbt community center in greenwich village im hoping to wrap up the democratic nomination
the crowd erupted in chants of hillary hillary
realizing that she may have slipped and assumed the air of inevitability that has let mr sanders play the part of goliath slayer mrs clinton quieted the raucous supporters but but but im not taking anything for granted she added before listing a bevy of forthcoming primaries she said she would work hard to win
but none of the remaining states hold the psychological weight of new york where in 1999 mrs clinton first dipped her toe into making the transition from presidential spouse to political force
overcoming the inconvenient facts that she was born in a chicago suburb and spent most of her adult life in little rock ark and washington mrs clinton dived into retail politics and listening tours with voters working to prove that she was not a carpetbagger the clintons vacationed upstate in skaneateles in 1999 and that fall they bought a 17 million five bedroom dutch colonial in chappaqua
she made new york her home and has been a real workhorse here said peter romanoff 49 an advertising executive in briarcliff manor who voted for mrs clinton on tuesday
in the two weeks since her april 5 loss in wisconsin mrs clinton ran a classic street level campaign to win new york as mr sanders stuck largely to a strategy of holding large rallies drawing tens of thousands to washington square park and prospect park mrs clinton echoed her first senate campaign and kept many of her appearances targeted and intimate
and for a candidate sometimes criticized as aloof and wooden mrs clinton in new york seemed carefree or as carefree as a cautious presidential candidate can be
on friday as mr sanders visited vatican city mrs clinton toured an apartment in the edward corsi houses an affordable housing complex for older adults in east harlem
she wiggled her shoulders and threw up her arms when she bested a trio of men playing dominoes at the complexs recreation center you play good oh my god one of the men exclaimed im taking dominoes to the white house a swaggering mrs clinton replied
mrs clinton has performed especially strongly with african american voters a demographic that was largely missing from the recent contests that mr sanders won but is a force in new york
mrs clinton spoke at three black churches in brooklyn one sunday beginning her remarks with the same refrain this is the day the lord has made let us rejoice and be glad in it
she squeezed in among bangladeshi and pakistani voters at the jackson diner in queens met with mexican carwash employees who had recently gone on strike and eyed a heaping slice of strawberry cheesecake at juniors in brooklyn i learned early on not to eat in front of all of you she told reporters im sitting here just pining pining for a bite
by monday mrs clinton sensing that her lead in the polls had solidified exuded the confidence to risk an unflattering food photo and ate
i was going to take it to go but it was like in front of me and i had to start eating it she said as she dug into the victory sundae
aides say new york and mrs clintons record relationship and ease with voters here can serve as a blueprint for what they hope to show the rest of the country in subsequent primaries and the general election the campaign ran a dozen ads in new york more than in any state since new hampshire many of them celebrated the citys diversity and took aim at the leading republican candidate donald j trump for his comments about immigrants muslims and women
there have been mishaps in mrs clintons coming home tour it took five swipes of a metrocard before she got through a turnstile to get the no 4 train in the bronx and she took part in a racially tinged skit with mayor bill de blasio
but after mrs clinton voted on tuesday at douglas g grafflin elementary school in chappaqua where she first saw her name on the ballot in 2000 the scattered rain that had been falling just minutes before had stopped the clouds had parted
i love new york mrs clinton said squinting in the bright primary day sun


conor mcgregor one of the ultimate fighting championships top draws created a stir on social media on tuesday when he wrote on twitter that retirement was on the horizon
i have decided to retire young mcgregor 27 wrote thanks for the cheese catch yas later
some observers were skeptical that mcgregor was leaving the sport in part because he had been scheduled for a rematch against nate diaz at the main event of ufc 200 on july 9 diaz himself made light of mcgregors announcement playfully writing on twitter i guess my work here is done im retiring too
later on tuesday the ufc wrote on twitter that mcgregor had been pulled from ufc 200
the ufcs president dana white told espn that he had removed mcgregor from the card because mcgregor had decided not to attend prefight promotional appearances in las vegas   not because he had announced his retirement
is conor mcgregor retiring only he can answer that question white told espn i dont know but he will not be a part of ufc 200
mcgregors coach john kavanagh seemed to lend credence to mcgregors farewell by writing on twitter well was fun while it lasted
mcgregor a brash fighter from ireland claimed the undisputed featherweight title in december knocking out jose aldo in 13 seconds the bout was the fastest title fight in ufc history and improved mcgregors ufc record to 7 0 with five straight knockouts
last month however mcgregor lost a welterweight bout against diaz a short notice replacement
mcgregor was a spectator this month at a fight in dublin two days after which the loser joao carvalho died on tuesday fans speculated that might have prompted mcgregors retirement post


cairo   the united states on tuesday imposed sanctions on a prominent libyan politician as part of a broader western effort to force libyas warring factions to accept the authority of a unity government backed by the united nations
the treasury department said it was adding the politician khalifa al ghweil the leader of a self declared government in the capital tripoli to its sanctions list and would freeze any assets he might have in the united states
the sanctions are a boost to the new unity government which was formed under the auspices of the united nations in december has strong support from western countries that are desperate to end years of turmoil in libya it also enjoys the allegiance of libyas national oil company the central bank and some of the militias that guard the countrys oil fields
its arrival leaves libya in the unusual position of having three rival governments   two in tripoli and one in the east   and the unity administration has struggled to impose its authority since its leaders landed in tripoli three weeks ago now other libyan officials who like mr ghweil oppose it could face similar penalties
an executive order signed by president obama on tuesday empowered american officials to take action against any libyan deemed to have threatened the peace obstructed the unity government or illegally exploited the countrys oil resources
western countries hope that the new government led by prime minister fayez serraj can become a unifying force that will help combat the islamic state which now controls a 150 mile stretch of coastline and stop the boats of migrants that are using libya as a launching point to cross the mediterranean to europe
our goal with sanctions on spoilers is to secure strongest possible unity government in libya said jonathan winer the united states special envoy for libya on twitter the country needs unity not infighting
special operations forces units from the united states britain and france have been sighted in various parts of libya in recent months they are ostensibly there to prepare for a possible military drive against the islamic state for now the west is trying to create a political anchor for any action
mr serraj landed in tripoli by boat on march 30 in a bid to set up his new administration but he has been prevented from occupying critical ministries in the capital because of opposition from mr ghweil whose administration is backed by a number of islamist militias and groups from the nearby city of misurata
in an indication of the tense security situation a gunfight between rival factions erupted on the streets of tripoli last week just hours after a visit by three western ambassadors to the city
western diplomats fled tripoli in 2014 during the broader turmoil that followed the ouster of col muammar el qaddafi in 2011 and which spawned a multi faceted conflict with a bewildering array of competing factions and governments
if only it were so simple as there being two sides the british foreign secretary philip hammond told the british parliament on tuesday one day after he visited tripoli in a show of support for the unity government there are about 120 sides
the american sanctions against mr ghweil complemented similar penalties imposed by the european union on april 1
but even beyond tripoli the unity government faces several stiff hurdles in eastern libya where it has uncertain support the countrys internationally recognized parliament based in the eastern town of tobruk failed to take a vote on monday that was meant to recognize the unity government amid scenes of tumultuous discord among lawmakers
there is also uncertainty about the position of gen khalifa hifter a strongman who dominates the east and whose forces have pushed through benghazi in recent days
general hifter now controls most of the city except for a pocket held by the islamic state and a few outlying districts


samuel wilson meet isaac mayo now will the real uncle sam please stand up
a history professor in nebraska tracing the origin of the popular personification of the united states government has fleshed out a reference to uncle sam that predates the traditional wisdom that the nickname was derived from wilson an upstate new york butcher who would stamp the meat he delivered to the military with the initials us during the war of 1812
that notion was popularized in 1830 in the new york gazette and daily advertiser wilsons claim to the name was recently buttressed by christopher k philippo who is researching a book on cemeteries in troy ny he discovered a letter from the rev robert russell booth who presided over wilsons funeral and wrote that he often talked with him about the circumstances which led to the singular transfer of his popular name to the united states
but other historians suggest that uncle sam predated samuel wilson barry popik an etymologist has pointed out that in 1813 the upstate troy post without mentioning wilson explained the derivation this way the letters us on the government waggons c are supposed to have given rise to it
mr popik noted earlier that a broadside published in new york during the winter of 1812 13 referring to the war against britain included this doggerel if uncle sam needs id be glad to assist him and in 2013 the uss constitution museum discovered an even earlier reference
now donald r hickey a professor of history at wayne state college in nebraska and an expert on the war of 1812 has elaborated on that uss constitution museum citation bringing the origin of uncle sam even closer to the nations original capital   new york city   by invoking navy slang of the day
writing in the new england quarterly professor hickey says the first reference to the term has now been traced to isaac mayo a 16 year old midshipman on the uss wasp who reported for duty at the brooklyn navy yard on march 1 1810
mayo spent the next three weeks helping to prepare the wasp a sloop of war armed with 18 guns for coastal patrol to guard against british seizure of american cargo and impressment of american seamen he was initially assigned to watch duty
the first night on board was put in for rather more than four hours of the mid watch through a snowstorm those 24 hours seemed longer to me that all my previous life he wrote according to a transcription by matthew brenckle a museum historian life for mayo got worse during the civil war as a marylander he resigned his commission but president lincoln rejected his resignation and dismissed him from the navy mayo shot himself the same day
the wasp left port on march 24 for the first two days mayo wrote that he was most deadly seasick he added oh could i have got on shore in the height of it i swear that uncle sam as they call him would certainly forever have lost the services of at least one sailor
professor hickey therefore concluded the term originated more than two years before the war of 1812 that finding appears to discredit the role traditionally claimed for sam wilson as the original uncle sam although he may still have had something to do with spreading the monikers use


washington   a federal judge has rejected a legal challenge to rules permitting fbi agents when working on domestic criminal cases to search emails written by americans that the government has intercepted without a warrant in the name of gathering foreign intelligence
in an 80 page opinion that was issued in november and remained classified until being made public on tuesday judge thomas f hogan the chief judge of the foreign intelligence surveillance court ruled that what critics call backdoor searches of messages by the fbi comply with both the constitution and the fisa amendments act that 2008 statute legalized a form of the governments once secret warrantless surveillance program
under the program which the bush administration started in 2001 to hunt for terrorists the government may collect on domestic soil and without a warrant international emails and phone calls of noncitizens abroad even when they communicate with americans
judge hogans ruling is notable because some lawmakers want to require government agencies to get a warrant before searching the raw repository of emails for an americans name or email address bipartisan majorities in the house have twice passed such a proposal in the last two years and it is expected to be a central feature of a fight over legislation to renew the fisa amendments act which is set to expire at the end of 2017
the ruling was also the first time that the intelligence court has reviewed the surveillance program with contributions from an outside friend of the court rather than hearing arguments from the government alone the usa freedom act enacted by congress in june encouraged the appointment of such a person to raise civil liberties concerns in novel or significant cases
to perform that role judge hogan appointed amy jeffress who was a national security aide to former attorney general eric h holder jr and is now a lawyer at the firm arnold  porter she raised both statutory and constitutional concerns about fbi searches for ordinary criminal cases
she wrote that this practice went far beyond the purpose for which the emails had been gathered under the fisa amendments act which congress justified as meeting the governments need to acquire foreign intelligence information
judge hogan disagreed he noted that congress also included a provision in the main part of the fisa amendments act   sometimes called section 702   that permits the government to retain information from the warrantless surveillance program if it is evidence of a crime
it would be a strained reading of the statute he wrote to permit fbi personnel to retain and disseminate section 702 information constituting evidence of a crime implicating a united states person for law enforcement purposes but to prohibit them from querying section 702 data in a matter designed to identify such evidence
ms jeffress also argued that fbi queries intended to pull up private emails of americans for ordinary criminal purposes do not comply with the fourth amendment which bars unreasonable searches she noted that agents are permitted to routinely look for emails by americans that were incidentally collected without a warrant even when the agents have only vague suspicions about someone and lack sufficient evidence to get a wiretap warrant
judge hogan disagreed with that argument as well he cited several rationales for permitting such queries including the idea that a search for criminal evidence might bring up information that also proved useful for national security purposes
the judge wrote that the justice department had told him that fbi queries intended to bring up messages that might be evidence of ordinary crimes rarely if ever return useful information so the court is not prepared to find a constitutional deficiency based upon a hypothetical problem
however he ordered the government to begin reporting to the court every time an fbi agent working on an ordinary criminal matter searched the database for an american suspects private messages and ended up reading some of them
judge hogan also approved several modifications to the rules for the program that the privacy and civil liberties oversight board an independent watchdog agency had suggested after reviewing the program
they include requiring officials who search for americans emails for a national security purpose   including analysts at the national security agency and the central intelligence agency   to document in writing why they believed they were likely to find information related to foreign intelligence ms jeffress did not quarrel with permitting searches of americans emails for that purpose
a separate part of the judges opinion which was heavily redacted in places scolded the nsa and the fbi for instances in which they violated court imposed rules for the program the violations appeared to involve a failure to purge cellphone calls collected without a warrant after a foreign target had roamed onto domestic soil as well as a failure to set up special teams to review the communications of foreign targets who had been indicted in order to screen out any information protected by attorney client privilege
but while judge hogan wrote that he was surprised and extremely concerned about the problems   which the government said it was fixing   he said they were not a reason for him to withhold approval of the program for another year
in another previously classified opinion made public tuesday judge hogan in a ruling issued late last year approved the first querying of a newly created system for analyzing links between callers in search of hidden associates of a suspect in a national security case
that new system which was also established by the usa freedom act searches bulk data held by the telephone companies it replaced a once secret program in which the nsa had systematically collected americans domestic calling records in bulk


el matal ecuador   the narrow six mile road that connected this fishing village to the main highway disintegrated from the earths violent heaves severing it from all outside contact
it would be days before anyone arrived
residents took to the rubble with shovels and sticks to little avail some used their hands to push away debris from a sandy cliff that had collapsed smothering all the homes below
there was no water no electricity and with all phone lines severed there would be no calling for help
on tuesday a military helicopter made the 40 minute flight from the provincial capital portoviejo ferrying supplies and a new york times reporter and photographer
you ask what buildings fell the question is what building didnt fall said eduardo alciva dominguez 59 a fisherman who had been heading out to cast nets when the 78 magnitude earthquake struck on saturday evening
the earthquake the largest to hit ecuador in decades has killed over 500 people the attorney generals office said late tuesday
but in some ways the scarier number was for the missing   roughly 1700 according to the deputy interior minister diego fuentes who added that 2500 were injured
if confirmed that means the total number of deaths could multiply in the days ahead as rescuers reach remote fishing villages like this one
the quake basically split the northern plains of this impoverished andean nation in two
on one side are towns like portoviejo that are connected by the main highway while these towns are battered and broken emergency workers have descended from around the world to rescue survivors and bury the dead which have numbered more than 100
on the other side are dozens of towns and villages where roads were blocked or obliterated by the quake and where no rescue workers initially came fewer may be trapped there but fewer are believed to have survived
in el matal where firefighters arrived on monday only two of the missing have been found so far and both were dead no one has an overall figure for the missing
on tuesday morning a forklift plowed the remains of a landslide overlooking the sea it was impossible to tell that there had even been a home there which survivors said had belonged to a middle aged man and his wife
scanning equipment had revealed what all assumed was a body a crowd had gathered the forklift stopped its work as a team of dogs entered where the dirt had been cleared sniffing for scents of death
this isnt the kind of village where were expecting to find anyone alive said enrique anguasha a fireman who had arrived in el matal on tuesday morning
dread also was felt in towns like portoviejo where the window for finding survivors appeared to be closing
at the remains of el gato hotel once a five story complex in the citys damaged center scores of police and firefighters dug into the rubble for a fourth day to find guests and workers who had been buried there
on monday a receptionist pablo cordova was found alive in the rubble on tuesday gloria caiche mendez looked on with desperation hoping the rescue workers could repeat the miracle for her husband angel figueroa who had stayed there the night of the earthquake
mr figueroa a 63 year old executive who sold thread had come from the city of guayaquil to the south for a monthly visit with clients ten minutes before the earthquake struck he called his wife to tell her about the events of the day then went to bed
he was a good man with lots of faith in god and he prayed every day to thank god for his life ms caiche said in three heart stopping moments in the last few days she said rescue workers thought they had found her husband
it was a different scene in jama a remote town of 2000 where some rescue workers had arrived only an hour before a reporter did we dont even know what this place was called said maj eduardo mera who was leading a squad of firefighters to begin taking apart the remains
the hotel in jama was called don nestor according to the owner eugenia cevallos who stood in front of a pile of rebar and rubble while rescue workers asked her about possible survivors buried beneath
no one she said
who was it then that was heard screaming yesterday from the rubble asked one of the rescue workers
another witness mentioned that a pastor leading a group of jehovahs witnesses had been inside praying when the earthquake struck others said they had already left there was only confusion as the forklift worked
in el matal the arriving military helicopter brought some of the first supplies the town had seen since the disaster water bananas yucca and cereal among other supplies it also carried two empty coffins
for whoever needs them a soldier said
isabel pico el matals mayor came in a pickup truck to collect the food while crowds gathered to receive it the food will keep us alive but our village is destroyed and i am not sure how we will recover she said
down the road jose luis rodriguez a fisherman recalled the two days of waiting as his daughter keyla 5 lay under what had been his home when the earthquake hit he had been on the beach and rushed back to find the three story building where he had rented the bottom floor flattened
realizing no rescue was coming soon he gathered every friend and relative he could find and the group of around 40 took to removing the rebar and concrete with their hands by 7 am the next day mr rodriguez could hear his daughter
she was screaming to me and we couldnt reach her he said
on monday morning the first firefighters arrived and helped pull keyla from the rubble alive
what future is there for her here said mr rodriguez we may need to find a different town


brasilia   as she fights for her political life president dilma rousseff has been tirelessly describing the drive to remove her from office as nothing less than a coup
in a country with bitter memories of military dictatorship   the most recent one having given way to civilian rule in 1985   the word is especially fraught and it has become a rallying cry that has energized supporters who are battling to stave off an impeachment trial in the senate that could begin as early as next month
i am the victim of a process that is rooted in injustice and legal and political fraud she said during a news conference on tuesday two days after the lower house of congress voted by a wide margin to approve an impeachment measure
the debate about removing her from office which is convulsing a polarized nation centers on a crucial question did she commit an impeachable offense
there is broad agreement that ms rousseffs administration employed budgetary tricks to conceal a looming deficit and enhance her prospects during a bitterly fought re election campaign in 2014
experts say ms rousseffs administration effectively borrowed some 11 billion from state banks an amount equal to almost 1 percent of the economy to fund popular social programs that have been a hallmark of the workers partys 13 years in power these programs included payments to brazils poorest residents credits to small farmers and the financing of homeownership for low income families
but legal experts and constitutional scholars are divided over whether that action rises to the level of an offense that merits removal from office
the government lied about the messy state of their house by putting up a pretty window said carlos pereira a political scientist at fundacao getulio vargas a leading brazilian university the government betrayed the people and for this they must be punished
but the presidents defenders say such fiscal irregularities do not qualify as a crime the constitutional requirement that would allow the senate to remove her from office if she is convicted after trial by a two thirds majority
pedro serrano a constitutional law scholar at pontificia universidade catolica de sao paulo said ms rousseffs enemies were using an overly broad interpretation of the law a move that will harm the nations young democracy
in any civilized country in the world that has legal democratic institutions such a punishment must be very narrowly interpreted he said referring to removal from office
oscar vilhena vieira a professor of constitutional law at fundacao getulio vargas said the law required that congress approve changes to the annual budget and prohibited the president from borrowing money from state owned banks
the nature of these crimes are administrative crimes he said they are not penal crimes so you cannot be put in prison because of them but you can lose your mandate
he added is it politically desirable for her to be impeached for that it is up to congress to decide it is a political decision
the practice used by ms rousseffs administration known as pedaladas fiscais or pedaling fiscal obligations into the future is illegal under a 16 year old law that was designed to end the budgetary practices that had led to devastating bouts of hyperinflation in the 1980s
in the years since the tactic of using money from state owned banks to temporarily fund the government has been used by numerous elected officials though no president has faced punishment for it until now
andre rehbein sathler an economist who works for the lower house said ms rousseffs administration broke the law by failing to reimburse the banks for these expenditures a move he likened to printing money with abandon the government did reimburse the banks after the election
dilma claims that other presidents did the same thing but just because other people commit a crime doesnt justify your own crimes he said
ms rousseffs defenders say her opponents in congress are cynically using the law to depose an unpopular president brazil is suffering through the worst recession since the 1930s and an unfolding corruption scandal involving the national oil company petrobras has infuriated the public with revelations that billions of dollars in kickbacks were funneled into the campaign coffers of powerful political parties
the scandal has implicated numerous political figures including leading members of her own party but so far ms rousseff has not been accused of any wrongdoing in the case although she was the chairwoman of petrobras at the time the kickbacks were said to have taken place
on tuesday ms rousseff sought to plead her case to an international audience summoning members of the foreign news media to the palacio do planalto the building that houses her offices for more than an hour she defended her fiscal policies and denied that she had broken the law im not a person who gets desperate and will fight for my convictions she said i have fought for them my whole life
jose murilo de carvalho a prominent historian expressed sympathy for ms rousseffs predicament but said it was inaccurate to refer to the impeachment initiative as a coup until now he said the process has followed the law and has been subject to oversight by the nations highest court
impeachment is a very poor instrument for getting rid of a president because its political the professor said if you dont have control of congress you can be impeached even if the arguments are not so strong


camille o cosby gave deposition testimony a second time on tuesday in a civil case filed against her husband bill cosby by seven women in massachusetts who say he defamed them after they came forward with accusations of sexual assault
mrs cosby who has been married to the entertainer for 52 years was questioned for five and a half hours at the offices of her lawyers in boston
mrs cosby had already answered questions under oath in february her lawyers had tried to cancel or at the very least limit the second session of her deposition contending that a lawyer for the seven women joseph cammarata had asked a litany of improper and offensive questions during her first day of testimony
magistrate judge david h hennessy denied mrs cosbys request earlier this month but told mr cammarata not to ask mrs cosby questions about her opinions
in a statement released after the testimony was completed on tuesday lawyers for mrs cosby said despite the improper purpose of the deposition and because of the courts limiting of the worst abuses by plaintiffs counsel mrs cosby was able to persevere and cooperate in todays proceedings to the best of her abilities
mr cammarata said in an interview the questioning of mrs cosby was consistent with the rules and orders of the court and permitted us to obtain information probative of the liability and damages issues in the case
none of the substance of what mrs cosby spoke about during her testimony was discussed by either side the court in the massachusetts case has ruled that while lawyers for the women could ask mrs cosby some questions they were not allowed to seek information that she only learned through private conversations with her husband
mr cosby 78 has denied the allegations against him and has countersued the seven women he also faces several other civil cases including another defamation case in massachusetts separately he faces criminal sexual assault charges in pennsylvania where he has also denied any wrongdoing


the bidding price for a bribe to get a gun permit in new york city was quoted at 6000 this week in a federal criminal complaint a regular visitor to the police departments licensing bureau claimed that he had gotten licenses 150 times over the last year waving the prospect of 900000 in future cash under the nose of a police officer wearing a tape recorder
in one instance the visitor had gotten a gun license for a man who had been the subject of four domestic violence complaints and a forgery arrest and involved in multiple car accidents
with political campaigns sweeping in billions with major banks tricking their customers out of vast fortunes a 6000 bribe seems quaint but the human scale of graft through history helps us understand the synergy of greed and appetite hassle and necessity
that said past results of course are no indication of future performance
drivers licenses and car titles
clerks at a bronx office of the department of motor vehicles once sold a license for driving heavy trucks to a man with no legs they also sold two licenses to another man one in which he was photographed wearing a wig and the other without it car titles and registrations handy for thieves ran 1500 drivers licenses could go for 100 more or less depending on the desperation of the customer during a 1991 case the entire bronx office was shut down for employee arrests
things have tightened up over the years moreover a visit to the motor vehicles office while not a trip to the ice cream parlor no longer involves hours of torment aggravation a leading economic driver of bribery
building inspections
construction rules in new york are supposed to keep people safe inside and around buildings they are of course a hassle for all this there is the job of expediter at its most legitimate this role is played by a person who stands in line and files the right paperwork saving time but with a real estate boom one expediter in brooklyn greased a buildings department supervisor according to a report last year by the citys investigation department and the manhattan district attorney the expediter the report said paid a 200000 mortgage for the city official bought him and his wife two sport utility vehicles and sent them on an 8000 royal caribbean cruise
how risky is this a crooked inspector who was part of the scheme let a borough park synagogue add two floors without proper support the authorities said the existing roof jutted through a new floor the facade cracked
issuing fake building permits is like giving a gun license to a person with a history of domestic violence
an article in the new york times in 1871 declared disgraceful corruption in the department of buildings nearly a century later in 1966 the buildings commissioner proposed that inspectors wear uniforms without pockets the inspectors union fought it the city council was against it and the buildings commissioner quit
karaoke bar protection
a police officer in flushing queens was accused in december of collecting 2000 a month from the jjny karoke club for tipoffs on police raids and to quash drug arrests
bootleg cream
back in the 1920s a health department boss seized 56 cans of cream shipped into the city from newark by a wholesale dealer on the grounds that bringing them from out of state amounted to bootlegging the wholesaler testified that he had to bring 2000 to a bagman in the lobby of the hotel pennsylvania to get the cream back even though it was worth only 1500 he said he worried that if he didnt pay he would lose his license
food inspections
restaurant owners dreaded seeing health inspectors drive up in cadillacs and wearing rolex watches the head of the fbi in new york said in 1988 the inspectors charged 50 to 1400   sometimes to overlook violations in the kitchen but also to not hit restaurants with phony ones restaurants paid so that their names would not run in the city newspapers on the weekly rat list a rundown of places that been cited for violations real or fake
now restaurant inspectors wear baseball caps and shirts from the health department and are shifted around the city to avoid falling into a rut
in the gun permit case the authorities said the man offering the bribes actually frisked the police officer but missed the tape recorder as a result this exchange was taped
i want to repeat myself im not bribing you the man said
of course youre bribing me the officer said
think of it as an offering to the gods of official paperwork


washington   if saudi arabia follows through on its recent threat to sell off its investments in the united states the financial maneuver could be painful   mostly for saudi arabia
the kingdom has pumped some of its oil profits into the united states acquiring billions of dollars in treasury securities and investments that include a giant oil refinery in port arthur tex and a 10 million stake in an arkansas company that makes industrial lubricants
all of that could be sold off if congress passes a bill allowing saudi arabia to be held responsible in american courts for any role in the sept 11 2001 attacks the saudi government warned last week
such a fire sale might roil financial markets or cause problems for companies that lost funding but experts say it is hard to imagine a significant or lasting impact on the american economy global investors continue to shovel money into the united states if the saudis go the experts say others will take their place
the world is desperate to lend money to anybody thats credible at very low rates so i dont see this as an issue at all said michael pettis a finance professor at peking university who says that foreign divestment   by china or other nations   poses little threat to the american economy
however a sell off could be self defeating for saudi arabia the port arthur refinery highlights the cost of pulling back
the refinery is owned by motiva enterprises a joint venture between royal dutch shell and saudi aramco the state owned oil giant aramco has a long history of investing in the united states in part to facilitate the sale of saudi oil to american consumers last month aramco announced a deal to take full ownership of the refinery along with a network of 26 distribution terminals and the rights to sell fuel under the shell brand name across a large swath of the united states including texas
the saudis might be able to sell the refinery but they would lose a strategic investment
for a producer that big you have to be in every market in the world to place your oil said elizabeth rosenberg director of the energy economics and security program at the center for a new american security
aramco also invests in technologies including the 10 million stake in nanomech in arkansas announced last week and part ownership of at least eight other small american companies
there is no comprehensive public accounting of the saudi governments investments in the united states although american officials say 750 billion is a plausible figure
and the single largest chunk of that money is probably invested in treasury securities
the treasury department says a group of 15 oil exporting nations including saudi arabia held a total of 281 billion in treasuries in february deposited either in the united states or in one of the 15 countries that number may actually understate the saudi governments holdings however because it does not include treasury debt the kingdom may have deposited in other countries like switzerland
regardless it is clear that saudi arabias holdings are only a small share of the roughly 14 trillion in treasury securities not held by the federal government theres little doubt the saudis could sell all of it gradually without causing a ripple in the market experts say
foreign central banks last year reduced total holdings of treasuries by 225 billion and the markets didnt even burp about 502 billion in treasuries changed hands on the average trading day in march according to the securities industry and financial markets association
i would guess that any reserve manager would be able to find a way to sell this amount in under a year without much of a ripple said stephen g cecchetti a professor of international economics at brandeis university
the saudis could roil markets by offering discounts and selling quickly but again they would suffer most from such a sale
their departure from the treasury market would tend to put upward pressure on interest rates fewer buyers for the same pool of assets makes sellers try harder and rates on treasuries serve as a benchmark for a wide range of other borrowing costs but the federal reserve could calibrate its management of interest rates to take account of those effects essentially insulating the domestic economy
louis crandall chief economist at the research firm wrightson icap described the likely consequences as lots of short term technical impacts depending on how fast they did it rather than fundamental problems he noted that large movements in foreign treasury holdings had become a fact of life for the treasury market
saudi arabia already is selling foreign assets the saudi arabian monetary authority has sharply reduced its foreign holdings to help offset declining oil revenues the authority reported holdings of foreign securities worth 395 billion as of february the most recent data available that reflects a sharp decline from the end of 2014 when the holdings were valued at 533 billion
the share of treasuries held by foreign investors has climbed sharply over the last few decades leading some experts to caution that any flagging of foreign appetites could increase borrowing costs both for the federal government and for american consumers and businesses
there is little danger from treasury sales by a specific country so long as foreign demand in aggregate remains strong a broader sell off could be more dangerous but those worries have ebbed the demand for treasuries has seemed insatiable in recent years
still francis e warnock a professor at the university of virginia and an expert on international economics said there was a still a long term risk
if the saudis do it others might do it as well mr warnock said to me thats the bigger issue if were in a world where foreign governments think more carefully about holding us assets then were in a very different world


washington   a bill opposed by the obama administration that would expose saudi arabia to legal jeopardy for any role in the sept 11 attacks appeared to gain momentum on tuesday when the senator holding it up said he would be open to supporting it
senator lindsey graham republican of south carolina said in an interview on tuesday that he would drop his opposition to the bill   predicting it could pass the senate next week   if the sponsors of the legislation agreed to changes that he believed were important to protect american interests abroad he did not specify what changes he was requesting
the goal is to bring people to justice who have been involved in terrorism mr graham said but he added i dont want americans to be held liable because of one bad actor in some embassy somewhere
mr graham was an original co sponsor of the bill but has tried to block the legislation in recent days as his concerns grew about possible unintended consequences
obama administration officials have been vigorously lobbying against the sept 11 bill which has broad bipartisan support arguing that americans overseas could be put in legal jeopardy if other nations were to retaliate and strip them of immunity in foreign courts but the measure is gaining support in congress at a time when many lawmakers are demanding greater scrutiny of washingtons alliance with the kingdom which for decades has been a cornerstone of american foreign policy in the middle east and once the subject of little examination on capitol hill
very bluntly they no longer have us in an energy straight jacket said senator richard blumenthal democrat of connecticut referring to growing domestic oil production that has made the united states less reliant on the saudis he added that the american government now knows more about saudi arabias historical funding of extremist groups and that americans are also increasingly concerned about saudi arabias human rights record
president obama arrives in riyadh on wednesday for meetings with king salman and other top saudi officials it is not known whether the legislation will be discussed during those talks the president has said he will veto the bill in its current form
in an interview with cbs news on monday he said if we open up the possibility that individuals and the united states can routinely start suing other governments then we are also opening up the united states to being continually sued by individuals in other countries
in an unusual alliance some republicans even those fiercely critical of the administrations policies in the middle east seemed to agree with the white house on the legislation on tuesday senator mitch mcconnell of kentucky the majority leader declined to give his full support of the bill saying he would need to study the measure more carefully
the pushback on that is coming from the republicans said senator harry reid of nevada the minority leader
but support from other republicans and many democrats seems to be giving the bill momentum
certainly they have been a partner in many ways and that has been longstanding said senator bob corker republican of tennessee and the chairman of the senate foreign relations committee on the other hand we understand that the whole wahhabi effort emanated from there and that alone is an issue he said referring to the radical strain of islam practiced in the kingdom
but prospects for the bill are more uncertain in the house in a news conference on tuesday speaker paul d ryan who recently visited saudi arabia said he would review the bill but needed to make sure were not making mistakes with our allies
the saudi government which has long denied any involvement in the sept 11 attacks has warned that it might liquidate hundreds of billions of dollars worth of american assets if the bill becomes law adel al jubeir the saudi foreign minister told lawmakers and obama administration officials during a visit to washington last month that such a move could be necessary to avoid the assets being frozen in court cases brought by families of sept 11 victims
those cases some of which have tried to hold members of the saudi royal family and saudi charities liable for what the plaintiffs allege was financial support for terrorism have been largely stymied because of a 1976 law that gives foreign nations broad immunity from american lawsuits the current legislation would amend the law allowing for nations to be sued in american courts if they are found to have played any role in terrorist attacks that killed americans on home soil
there is little question that relations with saudi arabia have frayed in recent years in part because of a perception in riyadh that the obama administration has abandoned its traditional allies in the middle east but some experts said that the irony of the growing anti saudi sentiment in congress is that the saudi government in recent years has scaled back its support for extremist groups in the middle east
ilan goldenberg a fellow at the center for new american security and a former state department official said that in syria in particular the saudis have been more disciplined than other nations   most notably qatar and turkey   about giving arms to militant rebel groups like the qaeda linked nusra front
still mr goldenberg said wahhabism is a bedrock of saudi society and the kingdom is never likely to abandon it
its like trying to get pakistan to change its position on india he said no amount of american scrutiny is going to change that


mexico city   fidel castro bade farewell to cubas communist party on tuesday telling party members that he would soon die and urging them to fulfill his communist vision
soon i will be 90 said mr castro 89 who spoke in a strong but rasping voice at the close of a four day party congress in havana according to official press reports mr castros birthday is on aug 13
our turn comes to us all added mr castro who made his longest public address in years clad in a blue track jacket but the ideas of cuban communism will endure
while mr castro seemed to take his leave on tuesday others in his cohort signaled their intentions to stay put the communist party announced that mr castros brother president raul castro 84 and the presidents hard line second in command jose ramon machado ventura 85 would continue to lead the party for at least part of another five year term
their re election indicates that despite a dramatic shift in relations with the united states and tentative economic changes the leaders of the castros generation are in no hurry to make room for new blood it is a blow to younger cubans who are eager for a more pluralistic system led by people closer to their own ages and unencumbered by socialist orthodoxies
cubans are leaving the island in record numbers tired of waiting for change and worried that better relations with the united states while creating new economic opportunities will end the privileges that make it easier to migrate
even among those who support the socialist system there is a sense that younger leaders like miguel mario diaz canel bermudez the countrys first vice president who turns 56 on wednesday are being passed over
we need deep change in the party said harold cardenas lema founder of the blog la joven cuba over the weekend
president castro has for years talked of the need to prepare younger people to take the helm but mr cardenas who spoke by skype from havana said that young leaders already existed but just had no public profile
its not a question of preparing people or creating them he said its a question of making them visible
carlos alberto perez who writes under the name la chiringa de cuba said on tuesday also by skype that he was not surprised by the partys decision to keep president castro and mr machado in place
the transition is planned for 2018 when raul steps down said mr perez referring to president castros pledge to give up the presidency although he is likely to remain in charge of the communist party a position just as powerful
anyone who thought there would be a change now was dreaming he said
fidel castros speech capped the party congress during which the communist leadership railed against the threat of introducing other political parties acknowledged the need for nimbler economic management and accused the united states of using the private sector as a trojan horse intended to undermine cubas government
in a speech on saturday raul castro warned that a multiparty system would be the beginning of the end and blamed unscrupulous middlemen for the high prices of basic goods
but the cuban president also noted with approval that the state sector employed 70 percent of the countrys work force in 2015 down from 81 percent five years earlier and the party agreed to expand pilot projects to further liberalize the economy
and while the party leadership remained the same some proteges of mr diaz canel were appointed to senior communist party positions
the tone of the congress   with the party clinging to the political status quo but accepting more economic liberalization   was a sign that changes would continue but were unlikely to gather speed said arturo lopez levy a lecturer at the university of texas who worked for the cuban interior ministry in the 1990s
they are going to remain with one foot on the accelerator and one foot on the brake he said


syosset ny   with a chance to take a commanding lead against the florida panthers in their opening round playoff series the islanders are relying on a dynamic top line centered by their captain john tavares
the recently formed unit of tavares kyle okposo and frans nielsen has proved to be a dominant force against the panthers heading into wednesdays game 4 at barclays center the islanders lead the best of seven series two games to one
coach jack capuano created the line late in the season moving nielsen to the left wing from center with okposo on the right wing the fresh formation has energized tavares who has played with a series of linemates since general manager garth snow traded tavaress close friend and steady left wing matt moulson in october 2013
tavares has led the islanders in scoring in six of the seven seasons since the franchise selected him first over all in 2009
its been great tavares said assessing the overhauled line they are world class players not just offensively but in all areas of the game
tavares who had 33 goals and 70 points this season has two goals and four assists against the panthers while okposo has a goal and four assists and nielsen has chipped in two goals and an assist
in game 3 sunday florida took a 2 0 lead and a third panthers goal was negated by an offside call after a coachs challenge by capuano in the second period okposo and tavares helped set up defenseman ryan pulocks power play goal to get the islanders on the board nielsen using a slick backhand on the power play scored a goal late in the period to tie the game at 3 3 off assists by tavares and okposo
the islanders turned the momentum shift in their favor ultimately winning in overtime on a goal by defenseman thomas hickey
they now have a chance to go up by 3 1 in a postseason series for the first time since 1993 which was also the last time they advanced past the opening round the islanders won two series that spring
nielsen 31 is the longest tenured member of the team and has provided a steady kind of leadership by example he shifted to wing on the new line without missing a beat
im adjusting well he said
capuano was confident throughout the season with nielsen centering okposo and nikolay kulemin but he said he thought that separating the unit would give the team a scoring lift
the nielsen okposo kulemin line was terrific for us all year so it was tough for me for us to break those up capuano said we needed some goal scoring and we just kind of loaded up the one line
okposo who endured a seven game series against the washington capitals last spring and a grueling six game loss to the pittsburgh penguins in 2013 said that he and his current linemates had an unspoken bond that translated smoothly on the ice they had already played together on the power play
theres a lot of trust between the three of us knowing that were going to make plays said okposo second on the team during the regular season with 64 points its pretty apparent we have a lot of chemistry with each other
okposo and nielsen will be unrestricted free agents this summer like tavares they have been islanders their entire careers skating together may have additional symbolic meaning for a group striving for a signature playoff moment
a question for the islanders against the panthers is what they can generate from their remaining lines the gritty line of casey cizikas cal clutterbuck and matt martin brings such high energy to every shift that capuano started them in game 3
capuano now has kulemin skating with brock nelson and josh bailey and the rookie alan quine centering ryan strome and shane prince an islander since the feb 29 trade deadline
capuano pointedly mentioned nelson bailey and strome in a late season challenge to his team to play better the coach hopes observing the tavares line at work will help all of his less experienced skaters
our younger players can see what those guys are doing in key situations how they manage the puck capuano said
okposo said instant synchronicity with tavares and nielsen did not surprise him seven years together means they have probably seen just about everything as islanders   except a playoff series victory
theres no surprises anymore when it comes to the three of us said okposo 28 a 2006 first round pick those two guys are doing a great job theyve adjusted well its all about trusting each other


a federal judge on tuesday approved an agreement between ferguson mo and the justice department that calls for sweeping changes in the city where the fatal shooting of an 18 year old black man by a white police officer set off racial unrest in 2014 judge catherine perry of united states district court ruled after a hearing in st louis where more than two dozen people spoke and many others had submitted written comments judge perry said the settlement avoided years of court battles it calls for the hiring of a monitor diversity training for the police the purchasing of software and the hiring of staff to analyze records on arrests use of force and other issues and the outfitting of all officers and jail workers with body cameras ap
a class action lawsuit over the contaminated water in flint mich was dismissed tuesday with the judge saying constitutional claims by residents are banned by the federal safe drinking water act judge john corbett omeara of united states district court said he was not making a decision on the merits of the lawsuit which is one of dozens filed over lead in flints drinking water but he said residents could not pursue a remedy for civil rights violations in the matter because of federal law and rulings by higher courts residents accused flint and state officials of violating their rights by providing contaminated water and requiring payment ap
gov robert bentleys former law enforcement secretary sued him tuesday saying mr bentley wrongly fired him the former official spencer collier who has accused the governor of having an affair with an adviser says in the lawsuit that mr bentley and the adviser rebekah mason lied to the news media to try to discredit him their lies have hurt me financially have severely damaged my reputation and they have made it their mission to permanently end my career in law enforcement mr collier said mr bentley has said that mr collier was fired after a review found a misuse of funds at the alabama law enforcement agency the lawsuit accuses the governor of firing him because the two disagreed over a request to file an affidavit saying investigators found no evidence of misconduct by prosecutors in the ethics case against speaker mike hubbard of the state house mr collier said the governor did not want him to file the affidavit he says the governor wanted him to lie to prosecutors ap
the state on tuesday declared pornography a public health hazard and mandated that computer technicians who find child pornography report it to the law authorities a resolution declaring pornography an epidemic that normalizes violence against women and children and makes men less likely to want to marry was signed by gov gary r herbert a republican it was passed by the republican led legislature with the support of the utah coalition against pornography backed by the church of jesus christ of latter day saints the resolution calls on the legislature to research the effect of pornography and invest in education and efforts to prevent its production and use the free speech coalition an industry association representing adult entertainment producers called the public health hazard designation an old fashioned morals bill that was not grounded in science reuters
the navy said tuesday that it had scrapped a national recruiting mailer that promised women that they could enlist while staying in touch with your feminine side and pursue careers that most girls arent even aware of navy officials said they had made the decision amid criticism that the wording was condescending and perpetuated stereotypes a navy spokesman said officials were reviewing all their mailer templates after the associated press asked about the brochure which had been sent to nearly 203000 people in the last few years ap


newcastle continued to show some late determination to avoid relegation from the top tier playing to a 1 1 tie with visiting manchester city on tuesday after sergio aguero became the second fastest player to score 100 goals in the premier league
with its title dream effectively over city was seeking to strengthen its grip on third place and automatic champions league qualification it moved to a point ahead of arsenal and 5 ahead of manchester united with both teams having a game in hand
leicester leads the premier league with 73 points 12 more than city with four games left
newcastle drew encouragement from its recovery despite remaining only 2 points from relegation the magpies rallied after agueros 14th minute disputed goal gave city a 1 0 lead vurnon anita scored the equalizer in the 31st minute
celta vigo ties in spain celta vigo missed a chance to move closer to the top in the spanish league by drawing with host espanyol 1 1 striker iago aspas opened for celta with an acrobatic touch from inside the area in the 28th minute before espanyol equalized with a long range shot by forward marco asensio in the 39th celta needed a win to move to within 4 points of fourth place villarreal the fourth place team earns a spot in a qualifying round for next seasons champions league
bayern in german final bayern munich needed a disputed penalty to secure a 2 0 win at home over werder bremen and a place in the final of the german cup thomas muller scored both goals the second coming from a 71st minute contested penalty
napoli romps napoli regained its winning ways as dries mertens scored a hat trick to help the team to a 6 0 victory at home over bologna in italys serie a napolis title hopes had faded after two defeats in its previous three matches
psg reaches french final zlatan ibrahimovic scored the winner as paris st germain reached the french cup final with a scrappy 1 0 win over host lorient ibrahimovic slotted home his 42nd goal this season in all competitions with 15 minutes left after psg had struggled to create chances
world cup replay possible video replays could be used at the 2018 world cup said gianni infantino fifas new president
the international football association board which sets soccers rules approved trials of video assistance last month
calling the technology something that everyone was waiting for infantino said it could be used in the world cup almost as soon as those experiments come to an end
this test period will start now will take two years infantino said this will mean that by march 2018 we will see if it works or not
the use of video will be restricted to referees rulings on whether a goal has been scored a penalty should be awarded and a player should be sent off as well as cases of mistaken identity


from fish markets in williamsburg brooklyn to coffee shops in chappaqua new yorkers made tuesdays election like so many other things all about themselves   their personal idiosyncrasies their campaigns for social justice their immigrant journeys and their settling of old political scores
eager to expound on a contest with opinions that until now nobody had really asked for they described their preferences at the ballot box with a combination of new york know it allism emotion and parochialism
a manhattan actor was eager to punish bill clinton for the sin of mocking barack obama eight years ago in south carolina his choice bernie sanders a retiree wanted to align herself with ted cruz because they shared so much im hispanic she explained im voting for ted an immigrant from britain tried to single handedly tug the republican party to the left with a vote for john kasich
im not really a republican the man a 35 year old screenwriter named mayuran tiruchelvam confided as he explained his electoral calculations outside a polling site on west 101st street i want to ensure that the least socially conservative candidate is the nominee
across the state on a balmy april day conducive to higher voter turnout millions of voters showed up for presidential primaries that bestowed an unfamiliar role on new york potential kingmaker at a point when party nominations have usually been sewn up
i cant remember the last time the new york primary actually mattered said bill weeden 75 a manhattan democrat who has voted religiously and with little impact on the primary process for decades this time we count
the reality produced an unusually intensive campaign in which candidates from both parties lavished their time and attention on frequently overlooked upstate towns like scotia and syracuse
but much of the action on tuesday unfolded in the southern half of the state where the vast majority of new yorkers live and where new york city streets were filled with crisscrossing caravans of candidates and their armies of volunteers the five boroughs became a colorful canvass of campaign fliers and placards as supporters competed like sharp elbowed real estate agents to festoon lampposts and subway stairwells with their candidates name in manhattan broadway was a sea of baby blue bernie signs in the bronx car mounted megaphones echoed with hillary clintons name
for many dozens of interviews show this is an oddly intimate campaign the leading contenders are not the distant out of state figures of the past they are recognizable new york characters who were born and raised here in the case of mr sanders and donald j trump or now call it home as with mrs clinton
for laurie matthews 50 a lawyer in chappaqua a wealthy suburb to the citys north the political was very personal mrs clinton is a neighborhood fixture whom she bumps into at starbucks some say shes very cold ms matthews said but in this environment shes very warm
across the state voters expressed anger and confusion over rules that forbade independents to vote in tuesdays primaries foiling plans to cast ballots for the popular candidacies of mr sanders and mr trump
in a small fish market on lee avenue a commercial artery of the orthodox jewish neighborhood in williamsburg emerich tauber 69 said he wanted to vote for mr trump the problem he is a registered democrat
hes crazy but we need change mr tauber said as he stood beside tubs of live carp he can do it
he dismissively waved off the democrats the old guy   surely not he said reducing mr sanders a senator to a demographic
self interest and self identification with a candidate guided many the vasconi family on staten island drove to the polls together and voted for mr trump together danny vasconi 57 is a retired police officer and his son nicholas is a current member of the force what bound them to mr trump they said was his unflinching support for police officers firefighters and military personnel
i think having a president who supports our police is a major thing said nicholas vasconi 24
throughout new york city individual voters kept finding ways to defy this years conventional wisdoms that jewish neighborhoods would uniformly vote democratic that republicans would find little support in boroughs like the bronx and that black communities were widely skeptical of mr sanders
bernie supports black people plain and simple said corey smith 30 a black hotel worker in the midst of a shave at the gabaron barber shop on 116th street in harlem mr smith has an 8 year old son and he said mr sanderss plan for free college tuition appealed to him besides he added he couldnt get past mrs clintons support of the 1994 crime bill
outside the mitchell community center in the bronx edda reyes 74 a pastors daughter who moved to new york from puerto rico when she was 10 explained why she was voting for mr cruz a shared heritage and a disgust for his republican rival mr trump
she grew agitated at the mere mention of the new york businessmans name he a racist she said pointing to his plans to build a wall at the border between mexico and the united states
during choir practice at her nearby church that consensus is unmistakable she said in the choir nobody likes trump
of course this being new york consensus was elusive on tuesday and voluble arguments were inevitable
so it was that on west 72nd street on tuesday two close friends retirees and democrats who had met through a jewish mens group made the mistake of discussing how they had voted
mark fleischer 79 favored mrs clinton abraham hershow 88 backed mr sanders
sanders said mr fleischer i cant stand how he talks and we dont need a socialist that leaves me with hillary i guess shes experienced and i like her husband
mr hershow shook his head emphatically i cant stand someone who takes hundreds of thousands of dollars for speeches he said referring to mrs clinton
mr fleischer cut him off how come he pressed his friend good for her
look look the issue here is money and power mr hershow shot back just read paul krugman
mr fleischer rolled his eyes
you know what said mr hershow we should avoid talking politics if were going to remain friends
on that they could agree allowing mr fleischer to move on to the next order of business oh shut up he yelled at a man who sped by on a motorcycle


donald j trump wrested back control of the republican presidential race on tuesday with a commanding victory in the new york primary while hillary clinton dealt a severe blow to senator bernie sanders with an unexpectedly strong win that led her to declare that the democratic nomination was in sight
the queens born manhattan made mr trump was poised to take most of the 95 republican delegates at stake substantially adding to his current lead over senator ted cruz of texas and significantly improving his chances of winning the republican nomination mr cruz came away with no delegates a major setback while gov john kasich of ohio had a shot at picking up some in manhattan and the capital region
mrs clintons decisive victory ended a string of wins by mr sanders and gave her more delegates than her advisers expected her base of support was long island the five boroughs and upstate cities with female and black and hispanic voters turning out for her in especially strong numbers
the two hometown winners beamed throughout their victory speeches but it was mr trump who particularly seemed like a different candidate as he spoke in the lobby of trump tower there were no freewheeling presentations of steaks and bottled water as in the past there was no reference to lyin ted or crooked hillary he called his opponent senator cruz instead and made no mention of mrs clinton he also took no questions from the news media
and his speech sounded more presidential than any other he has given on an election night   a focused tightened message about trade and the economy as he prepares to campaign in states hit hard by manufacturing industry losses the speech reflected the growing influence of paul manafort whom mr trump empowered to help him win the nomination and who has taken on a greater purview including messaging
our jobs are being sucked out of our states mr trump said one of the big problems is economy and jobs and that is my wheelhouse he said twice that he was going to get up and go back to work for the nomination on wednesday morning a clear message about the intensity he is bringing to the fight
in the democratic race mrs clinton was set to win roughly 30 more delegates than mr sanders out of 247 at stake she already had a lead of more than 200 delegates in the race
smiling broadly throughout her victory speech mrs clinton drew cheers as she thanked her adopted home state and then boomed today you proved once again theres no place like home
the race for the democratic nomination is in the home stretch and victory is in sight mrs clinton added reflecting the overwhelming mathematical advantage she has in delegates
sanders advisers had said that beating mrs clinton in her adopted home state represented one of their campaigns best opportunities to damage her candidacy and sow doubts about her strength as a general election nominee on tuesday however mrs clinton drew deep support among women and blacks   two groups that have been essential for her in many states   while mr sanders was outpacing her among white men and people under 45 according to exit polls
bernie sanders got very negative attacking hillary clinton and dividing the party in new york and i think he now has to ask himself if he wants to keep going down that path said jay jacobs a clinton supporter who is the democratic chairman in nassau county on long island after new york were moving into a phase of the campaign where we have to start uniting the party
mr sanders and his team spent tuesday looking past new york mr sanders held a rally at pennsylvania state university in state college on tuesday night then flew home to burlington vt and spoke to reporters just after the race was called
there are five primaries next week and we think we are going to do well and we think we have a path toward victory mr sanders said
he also expressed concern about the closed primary system in new york and said he hoped it would change in the future some three million new yorkers were unable to vote today because they were registered as independents mr sanders said that makes no sense to me
the sanders campaign spent roughly 2 million more than the clinton campaign on television ads in new york the magnitude of the loss   both in the popular vote and in delegates   was steep for mr sanders who said he intended to get recharged and take a day off
the senators advisers were optimistic that he would perform strongly in next tuesdays primaries in pennsylvania as well as in rhode island and connecticut the other two states voting next week delaware and maryland are widely seen as clinton strongholds the sanders campaign is already running television ads in those five states and indiana which votes may 3
bernie is in good shape going forward no matter who wins new york said tad devine a senior adviser on the sanders campaign we could win enough delegates in pennsylvania and indiana to catch up further to her and we have good opportunities all the way through california which votes june 7 still mr devine acknowledged were going to have to have some big wins at the end of the primary and caucus season
mrs clinton a former senator from new york received support from roughly six in 10 democrats on long island and she overwhelmed mr sanders in manhattan queens and the bronx mr sanders won many upstate rural counties where few votes were cast and he also did well in the hudson valley given the enclaves of liberals and college students
on a major issue in their campaign nearly two thirds of democratic primary voters said that wall street does more to hurt the american economy than to help it and a majority of those voters backed mr sanders but mrs clinton received even stronger support from those who said wall street helps the economy
by a slim margin republican primary voters also said that wall street does more to hurt the economy than help it
within the trump campaign on tuesday night euphoria mixed with eagerness to move onto a number of states that are likely to be friendly to mr trump there have been other pivotal points in the trump campaign moments when he was described as becoming newly serious it never stuck with the famously shoot from the lip candidate but mr manafort is someone whom mr trump views as something of a peer
no matter the margin of victory new york republicans gave mr trump a restorative psychic boost after weeks when mr cruz scored a big victory in the wisconsin primary and outmaneuvered the trump campaign in colorado wyoming and elsewhere in winning and electing delegates backing his candidacy
mr trump now has clear momentum heading into the next weeks primaries   so much so that he evinced fresh optimism on tuesday about ultimately getting to the 1237 delegates needed to capture the nomination
i think ill get there mr trump said in an interview before the polls closed
new york has not been home to leading presidential candidates in both parties since the 1944 campaigns of franklin d roosevelt and thomas e dewey so the voting by mrs clinton and mr trump merited unusual news media coverage on tuesday morning as a light mist fell mrs clinton and former president bill clinton cast their votes at an elementary school in their adopted town of chappaqua
as news photographers and cameramen kept encroaching on her while she tried to vote mrs clinton finally shooed them away guys its a private ballot she said
the democratic vote was marred by major irregularities at polling places across brooklyn the city comptrollers office announced that the board of elections had confirmed that more than 125000 democratic voters in brooklyn were dropped between november and this month while about 63000 were added   a net loss that was not explained
mayor bill de blasio described the purging of entire buildings and blocks of voters while the comptroller scott stringer said his office would audit the board of elections
mr trump voted for himself midmorning in new york city which he called a great honor as he entered his apartment building in the interview later mr trump described the experience of seeing his name on the ballot saying he was moved by the enormity of what it means it does sort of hit you he said
mr trump won majorities in all regions except for rural upstate areas some republicans questioned why mr cruz spent so little time in upstate new york where mr trumps support two weeks ago was softer than it appeared instead mr cruz devoted his time mostly to the city and to fundraising
the primary was a seminal moment for mr trump both tactically in terms of delegates needed to clinch the nomination and mentally as he tries to right the ship after a rough couple of weeks that prompted him to reshuffle his small team of advisers adding the seasoned campaign hand mr manafort
the coming weeks will test whether mr trump can temper his message and his style for a new phase of the race one where running a traditional campaign matters more than his ability to rally crowds indeed mr trumps tone throughout the day was focused on what he repeatedly called in interviews a corrupt and rigged nominating process
alfonse m damato the former united states senator and a backer of mr kasich said the new york results would be critical for mr trump to rebound in his fight with mr cruz
this will give him momentum that he needs after his setbacks mr damato said


much like machiavellis the prince with which it shares a name the small hotel that has stood on a corner in bay ridge brooklyn for four decades is valued by some and loathed by many more for what appears to be a longstanding disregard for rules of any kind
now the prince hotel is set to be auctioned off by the city following a raid on the building in february the culmination of what for some in the neighborhood has been a 40 year campaign against the budget hotel in particular neighbors have been rankled by what they say are unsavory characters and behaviors   prostitution fights and drugs   that the hotels low prices and loose policies draw to their sleepy neighborhood
prince hotel has long been a notorious hot spot for drug dealing and prostitution made worse by a slew of building code violations and zoning related problems austin finan a spokesman for mayor bill de blasio said in an email for too long the property has impinged on local residents quality of life
according to the city the hotel has amassed hundreds of thousands of dollars in unpaid fines for various code violations
the prince was originally a 20 unit apartment building according to the new york city buildings department over the years it has been sliced into ever smaller compartments and rented out by the day or month there are now over 40 rooms but the entire building has had no certificate of occupancy since a temporary one expired in the 1980s it has still managed to keep operating while piling up fines
the owner of the prince moses fried did not respond to several phone calls to the princes offices seeking comment for this article mr fried 87 has owned other royally named hotels according to the brooklyn daily eagle including the princess in downtown brooklyn and a second prince in clinton hill both were shut down at times over prostitution complaints and building violations
in past interviews regarding troubles at his hotels over the years including prostitution at the prince in clinton hill mr fried who is jewish has repeatedly said that his faith would not allow him to condone such activities and that he was not responsible when they occurred instead he blamed nefarious staff members or bad residents
vincent j gentile the city councilman who represents bay ridge dismissed such explanations pointing to similar problems at all of mr frieds properties we are the victims of moses fried mr gentile said this community is the victim
but the prince in bay ridge has its loyalists about a half dozen people call it their permanent home said one resident who declined to give her name citing neighbors revulsion at the building and its occupants she has lived there 37 years she said in a one bedroom unit without a kitchen and with a bathroom across the hall she said she paid less than 200 a month
the fate of the few residents should the prince close is unclear
any hotel is going to have something sometimes she said but you dont go off the deep end with it oh we have to close it down where do we go from here where do we go with high rents
in the past two years there have been 70 calls to 911 involving the address according to the new york police department for complaints that included fights and disorderly persons every iteration of the neighborhood for the past couple of decades has had a problem with this place said justin brannan 37 a lifelong resident who like many has called for the hotel to shape up or close
the prince drew renewed attention when the city announced plans for a new prekindergarten on 93rd street just a few steps from the prince leading to fears of small children mingling with the people that the hotel supposedly draws
in february mayor de blasio held a town hall style session in bay ridge during the meeting a resident asked what steps the mayor was taking about the prince   the hotel had been under investigation for months following a concerted push by community board 10 which for years has compiled a dossier of the princes problems a day after the session deputies from the brooklyn sheriffs office raided the building for which nearly 400000 is owed for code violations according to the citys finance department
the auction scheduled for june 8 is intended to ensure that the city is paid what it is owed and possibly to lead to the replacement of the prince
for now the hotel with its pretty lobby of chandeliers and ceiling fresco of the zodiac in gold is still operating advertising rates of 75 to 95 a night and receiving a polarized mix of pleased and disgusted reviews from customers on rating sites like yelp
you may see people who look shady said a man in the lobby recently who gave his name as vinny borgese 40 and said he had been coming to the prince every month for over 15 years but refused to say what his profession was or why he was in the neighborhood so regularly
but its clean he said theres nothing bad to say going on here its a good hotel he grabbed a towel from the concierge and headed to his room


161 million
916 920  926 southern boulevard between barretto street and hunts point avenue
longwood bronx
a brooklyn investor has bought these two contiguous six story elevator buildings built in 1911 the buildings totaling 100704 square feet have a combined 66 apartments and nine vacant commercial units there are 14 one bedrooms 13 two bedrooms 20 three bedrooms 11 four bedrooms and eight five bedrooms one of the buildings which was delivered vacant is to undergo a gut renovation the other with 15 tenants is to be partially renovated
buyer a1 equities
seller 922 southern llc
brokers aaron jungreis and jonathan brody rosewood realty group
373sq ft
167850 approximate annual rent
729 eighth avenue between west 45th and 46th streets
manhattan
an informal japanese restaurant has signed a 10 year lease for this 450 square foot ground floor space with a storage basement in this five story building in hells kitchen the owner who received four months rent free for the build out has five japanese restaurants in brooklyn the former tenant of the manhattan location was a pie face bakery and cafe
tenantmakoto suzuki
tenants brokers victor nezu and hiroko onishi nezu properties
landlord clinton housing development company
landlords brokers howard s aaron aaron gavios and margaret royer square foot realty
112 million
89 66 through 89 78 165th street between jamaica and 89th avenues
jamaica queens
built in 1951 this 11000 square foot single story fully occupied retail building with five stores has 100 feet of frontage along the 165th street pedestrian mall in downtown jamaica it also offers 58830 square feet of unused air rights for possible development
owner chira tawil llc
broker jack a cohen besen  associates


philadelphia   the mets received good news tuesday when the starting pitcher jacob degrom threw well in a simulated game in port st lucie fla clearing the way for him to start against the braves in atlanta on sunday
degrom has been sidelined with a stiff back since his only start of the season on april 8 when he gave up one run in six innings against the philadelphia phillies
compounding matters degrom and his wife have been dealing with a medical issue with their first child a son who was born last week he has since been sent home
mets manager terry collins said monday he wanted to see how degrom performed in the simulated game before deciding when degrom would rejoin the team degrom threw 71 pitches at the mets spring training facility and appeared to have no issues with his back or handling the workload
collins said degrom would start sunday in place of logan verrett who has pitched in two games while degrom has been out verrett will make his second start of the season against the phillies on tuesday
degrom will probably join the team saturday forcing the mets to drop one player from their squad pitcher rafael montero or infielder eric campbell are the most likely candidates to be sent to the mets class aaa affiliate in las vegas


no one it seems knows quite what to expect from showgasm xxl ars novas supersize fund raiser on thursday at the chelsea nightclub marquee not even the shows host the comedian john early who says only that the night will be a wild experiment
a few things are certain mr early along with his sidekick and dj the drag queen hamm samwich is hosting some recognizable performers ana gasteyer who will portray one of her saturday night live characters the comedian and actress chelsea peretti brooklyn nine nine the drag star sweetie the actor and model nico tortorella younger and the actor josh charles of the good wife
over a recent dinner in brooklyn mr early said that he was working with mr charles on whether hes going to do an act or if hamm and i will just relentlessly flirt with him for five minutes
ready to perform later that night at a bar show in clinton hill mr early was energetic and excitable dipping into different voices for emphasis and imitating the gestures of family members and friends dressed casually in jeans and a button down shirt he has a clean cut look and real life sweetness   he describes himself as a southern people pleaser   that contrast with the melodramatic nature of many of his characters and the sometime smuttiness of stand up fans of streaming comedies may recognize him from his scene stealing turn as logan on last years netflix series wet hot american summer first day of camp or his episode of the sketch anthology netflix presents the characters released last month
since 2013 hes also been hosting the long running variety series showgasm at ars nova the off broadway theater dedicated to emerging artists
theres so much momentum behind the show and behind john that it felt really exciting to do a blown out version jason eagan ars novas founding artistic director said of the decision to use the monthly show for the theaters spring fund raiser last years event was a roast of the cabaret comedian bridget everett
mr early 28 became involved with ars nova through its annual talent showcase ant fest it was completely unforgettable mr eagan said when youre out scouting new talent youre really hoping to see someone like john
in his subsequent meetings with mr eagan mr early recalled i was speaking very florally about my ambitions in comedy and the whitewashing of comedy and wanting to host a show that was more diverse and gayer than i was used to mr eagan asked him to take over ars novas showgasm series a place for artists to experiment with short form pieces and encouraged him to bring in more comedians
among the showgasm regulars in the xxl event are the absurdist stand up comic kate berlant the downtown character comedian cole escola the humorist isaac oliver and the comedy dance act cocoon central dance team
though mr early is deeply entrenched in the alternative comedy scene in new york his stand up has always had a theatrical flair he often sings britney spears songs in his sets he began doing stand up five years ago and quickly gravitated to the downtown variety scene which incorporates a rich history of drag burlesque music and off broadway theater and produces more character driven less caustic comedy than the traditional stand up world
his style is open and warm incorporating pop culture references of the alt scene into a showier act while his topics are standard for almost any comic   politics dating sex hipsters   his point of view is distinct take his riff on the glamorously exhausting pace of the city i love being in new york or i love the drag of being in new york or i love to be in the west village with a pashmina and a coffee just like late to something
hamm samwich one of mr earlys longtime friends said his particular constellation of talents is so explosive adding that no one else was operating at such a high level at all times
its kind of gross how good it is she said
mr early whose parents are ministers grew up in nashville he says in a very liberal very accessible form of presbyterianism and he suspects that visiting churches in the south influenced his performance style youre hyper aware of the job element to it he said its less mystical when youre behind the scenes with your parents who do it for a living i think i was always very distrustful of a certain kind of sincerity
characters trying too hard to make a strong sincere impression are a consistent theme in his work in his episode of the characters his overly controlling uber john character is trying to host a perfect shabby chic wedding rehearsal dinner but cant help making it all about himself new york is my home he begins a toast and sometimes you know la i go back and forth for business he adds with a wink
indeed mr early is developing a series with ms berlant that is likely to be shot in los angeles and he is amassing film and television gigs including a role in the pilot for the tbs series search party mr early is hesitant to make the move westward   im trying to hold out as long as possible   but he admits that his spell as showgasm host is likely to wind down as his schedule fills
but mr early is clearly devoted to ars nova crediting his time there with helping him develop his type of comedy its my favorite thing i do in new york he said emphatically it gets the wildest of anything i do it just always takes a mind of its own


a group of democratic senators led by chuck schumer of new york appears to be sacrificing its own regulators as it holds up confirmation of two nominees to the securities and exchange commission over mandated political spending disclosures
that senators would hold up a nomination is no surprise but this time it is an act rich with irony the two nominees hester peirce and lisa m fairfax were cleared by these same democratic senators after a revolt over the white houses first proposed nominee keir d gumbs a partner at the law firm covington  burling
mr gumbss previous experience included six years at the sec in part as counsel to an sec commissioner unfortunately mr gumbss sin was that he was from corporate america because he represented such clients as the american petroleum institute senator elizabeth warren of massachusetts reportedly quashed his appointment on those grounds protesting that it was time to put more independent minded regulators on the commission never mind that there is an important distinction between lawyers representing clients and lawyers representing causes and that a lawyer is ethically obligated to represent a client regardless of personal opinion
into this morass came ms peirce and ms fairfax the sec has five commissioners who are appointed by the president but no more than three can belong to the same party ms peirce was a republican nominee she served on senator richard shelbys staff at the senate committee on banking housing and urban affairs which he heads and which oversees the sec for the last few years ms peirce has been an academic fellow at the mercatus center a conservative leaning institute at george mason university needless to say she is not from the corporate world
the second nominee ms fairfax was presumably vetted by senator warren and reportedly pushed forward by senator sherrod brown democrat of ohio ms fairfax is a professor at the george washington university school of law and before that the university of maryland school of law she is viewed by many as a perceptive and knowledgeable observer of our capital markets full disclosure - as a law professor i have regularly interacted with her
so two academics without experience in the corporate world check
lets just stop here and agree that senator warren has a point our regulators should not be captive to the companies and industries they regulate we should be wary of the encroachment of industry on regulator independence but this does not mean that all people from the corporate world are the devil clearly a careful mix would seem to be the best approach there is value in having knowledge of the real world
washingtons revolving door is a problem and this applies equally to those who come from academia and those who come from industry senator warren for example is a former academic and used her political positions as a springboard to the senate - a sort of revolving door some sensible moderation is likely to be the best tonic to this problem
with two nominees vetted through senator warren and a balanced ticket of republican and democrat one would have thought the confirmation hearings last month would go smoothly most of it was pretty routine in which senators asked about the academics writing from years ago
then things went off the rails
senator schumer asked about disclosure of political donations this has been a hot button issue since the 2010 supreme court decision in the citizens united case upheld the right of corporations as associations of individuals to make political donations freely
that ruling inspired shareholder advocates to press for mandates that corporations disclose their political spending so the shareholders could assess it and perhaps limit this activity
disclosure mandates have sometimes involved pushing other agendas like income inequality compensation ratio disclosure or foreign policy conflict minerals onto public companies but a disclosure mandate on political donations appears to make more sense in a post citizens united world after all if companies are acting on behalf of their stockholders in making these donations they should let shareholders know about it
in an interview on tuesday senator schumer said if one feels that undisclosed special interest money cascading into our politics is one of the worst problems american faces then this approach is very logical this is not a judge but a regulator and the public has a right to know whether they would support moving forward with a rule thats fundamental to our democracy
like all things though it is a bit more complicated the sec ostensibly has been barred by congress for a year from mandating this disclosure there is also a real question about whether such personal donations would even be material the requirement for the sec to mandate disclosure without congressional action
looming in the background are the federal courts which have repeatedly struck down sec rules that have been imposed without an adequate basis if the sec adopts a political donations disclosure rule they are likely to ask about materiality and remember this rule will apply only to public companies encouraging nonpublic ones to stay private
still 11 million people have petitioned the sec to adopt this rule which means there is some popular support
during the confirmation hearing senator schumer wanted to get the sec nominees to commit to adopting a rule requiring this disclosure and he said that if they did not commit he would hold up their nominations
both nominees said they would take it under advisement which is what they should have said although with her background ms fairfax is likely to be a supporter of the rule
four democratic senators including senators schumer and warren are protesting these nominees the republicans are no doubt fine with this state of affairs because with only three sitting commissioners at the sec the republican representative can just abstain from voting leaving the agency in stasis
the four senators cannot push through legislation to accomplish a political disclosure rule so they are doing the only thing they can they are holding up the sec nominees as leverage to get some progress on the rule this is a direct message to mary jo white chairwoman of the sec who has been holding off on acting on this rule
nevertheless the sec is left short handed and deadlocked no other nominee will make the pledge senator schumer wants because it would mean that any vote on the issue would be tainted
when i asked senator schumer about whether he would ultimately hold up the nominees over this issue he responded well cross that bridge if we come to it
one the one hand this is just regular politics senator schumer and his cohort are trying to counter citizens united through some regular old senate obstructionism but on the other it is hard to see any sec nominee committing to more at least publicly and given professor fairfaxs writings it is difficult to see her not supporting this rule so we await for a logjam that should and must break to actually break
meanwhile the sec with all of its work to do regulating and policing our capital markets will wait as it gets caught up in a meaningless and opaque political battle


bret easton ellis looked uneasy he was sitting in the schoenfeld theater waiting to see the broadway musical based on his controversial novel american psycho for the first time he shifted in his seat and looked around at the crowd then leaned back and sighed
this is just another surreal aspect of my life he said it feels like the weirdest dream i dont know he continued wearily his voice trailing off
mr ellis who had recently flown in from los angeles seemed to be having doubts about the whole endeavor before heading to the performance he had a panicked conversation with his boyfriend i said god what the hell are they going to do with this
its a fair question how do you turn a wildly transgressive experimental novel about a slick wall street investment banker turned serial killer into a mainstream broadway musical
mr ellis found out soon enough the theater lights went down and the ominous drone like music playing in the background got louder building up to a piercing scream as the stage filled with smoke benjamin walker who plays the novels unhinged narrator patrick bateman a young banker whose hobbies include murdering and dismembering young women rose up out of an opening in the stage floor buff and wearing nothing but tighty whities mr walker preened and strutted and described his elaborate grooming rituals drawing bursts of laughter
mr ellis chuckled quietly a couple of times rubbing his knuckles over his lips as bateman and his sidekicks sang a raucous opening number that telegraphed the storys central themes about the corrosive effects of unchecked narcissism greed and materialism
his apprehension seemed to evaporate fully after the first musical number he laughed loudly during a dinner party scene when bateman reaches into his blazer and pulls out a sharp butcher knife to aggressively cut his birthday cake later mr ellis cracked up when bateman parading around a gym locker room with his friends praised donald trumps book the art of the deal
pretty soon mr ellis was reveling in the punch lines most of them lifted straight out of the book and silently congratulating himself thinking thats mine thats mine he said later
by intermission mr elliss mood had shifted from deep ambivalence to giddy enthusiasm about the production which opens on thursday the show features music by duncan sheik and a punchy book by roberto aguirre sacasa that captures the novels over the top satire and its slick stylish sendup of late 80s wall street hedonism
its still relevant and its dark mr ellis said its not for the tourist he paused looked around the theater and seemed to reconsider his assessment but maybe it is for the tourist
he gushed about mr walker who brings an edgy coiled energy and an unpredictable quality to the charming psychopath patrick bateman
its not how i pictured the character but christian bale wasnt how i pictured the character either he said referring to the 2000 feature film adaptation starring mr bale
during the second act the violence and chaos escalates as bateman goes on a killing spree acting out after an oppressively boring vacation in the hamptons
after the final scene the crowd rose for a standing ovation and a press agent arrived to escort mr ellis backstage to meet the cast mr ellis who was wearing jeans sneakers a black shirt and blazer and thick black glasses had gone unnoticed in the theater and the actors didnt seem to recognize him until he was introduced
one of the actors jokingly asked mr ellis if he was familiar with the material
this must be so weird for you another actor said to him
thanks for letting us do this mr walker said with an air of formality
the group was ushered into a cramped hallway where they paused briefly to snap a photo with the actor bradley cooper who had come backstage to congratulate the cast
after the show mr ellis sat down at a nearby restaurant and struggled for a couple of minutes to collect his thoughts about the novels legacy and its unlikely reincarnation as musical theater
my first impression is that its strange that something i wrote 30 years ago is a musical on broadway he finally said to witness its tortured history from this thing that was a quasi victim of censorship to a mainstream broadway musical makes me feel very very old
mr ellis who has a round boyish face at 52 said he was surprised by how well the story held up and seemed to reflect the current political and cultural climate
its such a prescient commentary on where we are now he said i thought there should have been more trump jokes at least for this run
he said he first came up with the idea for american psycho in 1984 when he was just starting out as a writer and before the publication of his successful debut novel less than zero he wanted to create a character that symbolized the selfishness of the era
its such a big symbol wall street greed serial killer he said at 23 it seemed pretty original pretty like amazing
not everyone got the joke his original publisher simon  schuster canceled his contract once it became clear how controversial the book would be it was immediately picked up by vintage and published three months later in the spring of 1991 critics savaged it as a misogynistic celebration of violence mr ellis got death threats
everyone said my career was over he said i knew everybody was wrong i knew the book would survive it somehow and live on as what i intended it to be
not only did the novel survive but its ultra creepy narrator patrick bateman became a pop culture icon mr ellis went on to publish four other novels including glamorama and lunar park but none have resonated as powerfully as american psycho
the musical may be the ultimate rebuke to mr elliss early critics as bateman dances around in his underwear or in a dapper pinstriped suit theres little doubt that the story works best as a hallucinatory pitch black comedy
mr ellis doesnt feel entirely vindicated by the reappraisal of the novel as a sharp satire vindicated is too strong a word because that would mean that i care too much he said i would say im mildly surprised
he had little to do with the musical beyond agreeing to it years ago the producers sent him the script to gauge his thoughts i didnt really read it he admitted he didnt see the show during its sold out run in london
seeing the musical for the first time last saturday he felt relieved that the producers didnt sanitize the storys darkness and violence although he could have done without the hints of batemans transformation and redemption in the final scenes he said
im not so into that kind of quote unquote redemption though i understand the impulse for the artist to go there he said to me thats not so fun
after an hour at the restaurant mr ellis had to get back to his hotel room to finish a script for a web tv series hes working on he plans to see the musical again on opening night and hes no longer filled with dread at the prospect of seeing bateman the incarnation of pure evil sing and dance with abandon
theres not really anything that i can complain about he said of the show and i like to complain


citing concerns about potential voting irregularities during the most consequential presidential primary in years the new york city comptroller scott m stringer said on tuesday that his office would audit the citys board of elections in part to determine if tens of thousands of democratic voters were improperly removed from voter rolls
mr stringer said in a statement that the board of elections had confirmed that more than 125000 democratic voters in brooklyn were dropped between november 2015 and this month he said the decline occurred without any adequate explanation furnished by the board of elections
there is nothing more sacred in our nation than the right to vote yet election after election reports come in of people who were inexplicably purged from the polls told to vote at the wrong location or unable to get in to their polling site mr stringer a democrat said
on tuesday mayor bill de blasio also a democrat echoed mr stringer noting that voters and voting rights monitors had reported the purging of entire buildings and blocks of voters from the voting lists
the perception that numerous voters may have been disenfranchised undermines the integrity of the entire electoral process and must be fixed the mayor said in a statement
michael j ryan the executive director of the elections board said that while approximately 125000 were removed from voter rolls in brooklyn since the fall some 63000 people were added he said the decline did not shock my conscience because there were 800000 registered democrats in brooklyn and thousands of people were added and removed from the list every year
there was a report a couple years ago that said there were people on the lists who didnt belong there mr ryan said on tuesday
now we take people off the list who dont belong there he continued and theres some blowback criticism that weve done it inaccurately
the drop in registered democrats was first reported by wnyc
other issues also surfaced that blocked new yorkers from voting when karishma desai a graduate student arrived at her polling place around 730 am she found it closed an hour and a half after the polls were scheduled to open
i was already late to work she said so she left without casting a ballot
mr ryan said the polling site coordinator failed to show up at ms desais polling place the atlantic terminal senior citizens center in brooklyn additional staff members were called in he said and it was open and functioning smoothly by midmorning
he also said an army of technicians was dispatched around the city to address technical problems with some voting machines
he said that the issues on tuesday were typical for an election day but that the importance of this primary made the spotlight more intense
were not seeing anything that is so wildly out of the ordinary as to cause me to be tremendously concerned that there are widespread problems because there certainly are not mr ryan said we understand that the eyes and ears of the world are truly on new york city today and its understandable
ms desai a democrat returned to her polling place on tuesday afternoon and was able to vote she said she voted for senator bernie sanders


customers and retailers may have one less reason to dislike new chip enabled debit and credit cards   if only by a little bit
visa said on tuesday that it would begin providing software to reduce the time people spend using new chip cards which have small metallic squares on the front
the changes address one of the widespread complaints about the cards that they take too long to process the cards now have to be inserted into a slot for an extended period irritating many shoppers used to swiping their cards and quickly putting them away
weve definitely been talking to merchants about how we can speed things up said stephanie ericksen the vice president for risk products at visa the upgrade will apply only to visa cards for now
visa said that the new software would allow customers to dip and remove their cards from payment terminals in two seconds or less customers will also be able to dip their cards before a cashier finishes ringing up all their items
dipping a card versus swiping it has generated seemingly endless complaints about longer wait times many customers continue to swipe out of habit
the new security chips contain different data from the information on a magnetic stripe and they are intended to make it harder for thieves to create counterfeit cards the new technology known as emv stands for europay mastercard and visa
the retail industry has fought emv adoption saying that it helps only the banks at an unjustified cost to merchants on oct 1 visa and mastercard two of the worlds largest payment networks shifted much of the liability for counterfeit cards from banks to merchants who cannot accept emv
merchants who wished to upgrade were also required to get their new systems certified by the payment processors which act as digital couriers between card issuers and merchants processors help a merchants payment terminal communicate with a bank for example by sending signals over electronic highways like visa or mastercard
visa said the new software would not require merchants to get recertified the company also said it was making the update available free to payment intermediaries like processors terminal manufacturers and other technology partners visa said those intermediaries would be in charge of determining whether merchants pay for the upgrade
many merchants have reported delays in getting their payment systems certified that has cost some retailers thousands of dollars in fraudulent charges under the new liability rules
avi kaner a co owner of the morton williams grocery chain in new york said in an email that he was still waiting to get his systems certified by payment processors
if we cannot accept emv it doesnt matter he said about the new software
some retailers have already taken steps to reduce transaction times walmart the nations largest retailer shaved 11 seconds off its processing time by removing a prompt for customers to confirm a purchase amount among other steps according to a spokesman randy hargrove
the new chip technology takes an average of eight to 12 seconds to process according to one study by jda software group a retail software provider martin reynolds jdas vice president of retail solutions said that the study was commissioned by a retailer but declined to say which one citing client confidentiality
the study compared two different payment machines and it accounted only for dipping and processing times not any time spent fumbling with the correct payment method
merchants can download the new software onto their existing payment hardware the software is compatible with all existing payment devices ms ericksen said


zaube latvia   with her niqab a face covering islamic veil that reveals just the wearers eyes liga legzdina stands out amid pine trees grasslands and wood paneled cottages in the latvian hamlet of zaube
villagers stare ms legzdina is one of a tiny handful of women   generally estimated at three   to wear the niqab in this baltic nation whose population of less than two million people includes about 1000 practicing muslims according to government estimates
but for latvias ministry of justice that is three niqabs too many citing a desire to protect latvian culture and to address security concerns at a time of rising migration to europe the government is working on proposed legislation inspired partly by similar restrictions on head coverings in france that would ban face covering veils from public spaces the proposal would not ban the wearing of head scarves that do not cover the face like hijabs the coverings most commonly worn by muslim women
a legislators task is to adopt preventive measures said justice minister dzintars rasnacs a member of the anti immigration national alliance party who predicted that the law would win overwhelming backing in parliament and would be in place at the start of 2017
the legislation in latvia is one expression of a broader concern about immigration in general and muslims in particular across central and eastern europe as migrants flock to the continent from afghanistan the middle east and africa hungary slovakia and poland have been among the countries most strongly opposed to taking in large numbers of migrants reflecting anti immigrant and anti muslim strains in their societies even in remote latvia   hardly a top destination for migrants given its frosty winters and threadbare welfare system   a darkening swirl of fear has emanated from politicians the news media and the wider population
take the case of ms legzdina 27 who is not a migrant but a native latvian who converted to islam after a trip to egypt as a teenager
now a medical student at a university in riga the capital ms legzdina who goes by fatima comes to zaube each spring and summer on vacation with her two young children her husband viesturs kanders followed her into the islamic faith on their wedding day
other than her clothing prayers and regular fasting her life in zaube matches latvian country life almost to the point of cliche including picking flowers or mushrooms depending on the season a strong latvian tradition
i love my country she said with pride yet she said she felt threatened by the way people responded to her appearance
people have become much more aggressive than before she said when she is not vacationing in zaube she lives in a suburb of riga where her daily commute she said is becoming littered with verbal abuse interactions on buses and trams she said often involve her being told to go back to where you come from and tend to end with awkward moments when she replies to the person confronting her in perfect latvian
if they are so afraid she said it shows they are not strong and they dont believe in their own culture
mr rasnacs the justice minister said the law was not about the number of people covering their faces in latvia but had more to do with ensuring that prospective immigrants respect the norms of this small and homogeneous country
sitting by the crimson and white of a latvian flag during an interview in riga mr rasnacs added we do not only protect latvian cultural historical values but the cultural historical values of europe
like other countries in the region latvia has been reluctant to take in sizable numbers of the migrants who have arrived on the continent over the last year with more than a million ending up in germany after protracted negotiations latvia agreed to accept up to 776 refugees over the next two years under the european unions faltering effort to resettle refugees among all of its 28 member states
so far just six of the 776 have arrived but practical policy questions of housing and integrating the rest remain submerged by increasingly fearful discussions of islam   propelled by regular news coverage associating the religion with terrorist attacks sexual assaults and civil wars   and by an absence of historical experience with muslims among the population combined with traumatic memories of the countrys past under soviet rule for nearly 50 years the country had no control over its migration policy leading to a large russian speaking minority
with a tiny minority of muslims to join the dialogue the public debate has splayed outward to the extremes
leons taivans a religious studies professor at the university of latvia in riga has reflected the broader fears in the region about the influx of muslims especially on the far right by predicting islamic invasions
at the same time a spokesman for the latvian islamic center roberts klimovics has provoked consternation by drawing parallels between the latvian nato troops who are fighting in afghanistan and mali and europeans who have traveled to syria to fight for the islamic state he even predicted that shariah law could be established in latvia
in an interview at his farmhouse outside riga mr klimovics who is also a filmmaker and a former dating show host on latvian television said that his views had left him ostracized and that the plight of muslims in latvia was becoming similar to that of jews in germany before world war ii
now i dont feel like a local here mr klimovics said i feel like a stranger now it is much easier for me to leave
this sense of alienation he said is the reason that one of his friends the former chairman of the latvian islamic center oleg petrov who now goes by imran has gone to syria to fight for the islamic state
mr klimovics said he was disappointed by this decision i told him you were for me one of the best people in the world he said adding that he now viewed mr petrov as being like all those people who kill other people because they think they should control the world
although worshipers at the riga mosque say that volunteers for the islamic state represent a minuscule minority within an already small minority   and that any radicalization is strongly discouraged by most of the mosques few hundred active worshipers   local news outlets have played up the news and have set nerves on edge
those who have traveled to syria though exceptions are enough to convince many of latvias politicians that the arrival of muslim immigrants could present new security threats
i think that covering ones face in public at a time of terrorism presents a danger to society said vaira vike freiberga a former president of latvia whose family fled the country when it was taken over by the soviet union during world war ii its as simple as that
anybody could be under a veil or under a burqa she said you could carry a rocket launcher under your veil its not funny


yahoo said on tuesday that its business continued to deteriorate in the first quarter putting more pressure on the company to find a buyer quickly for its internet operations
marissa mayer yahoos chief executive said during a webcast to discuss the financial results that a review of potential suitors was proceeding at the fastest responsible pace but she declined to be more specific
she also disputed news reports that the company was dragging its feet on a potential sale and refusing to share information with bidders
let me be unequivocal our board our management team and i have made the strategic alternative process a top priority ms mayer said weve been responsive and engaging having personally answered hundreds of questions and requests for information
the first bids for yahoos core internet business were due monday verizon communications the mobile phone carrier that owns aol was widely viewed as the leading contender
bain capital and vista equity partners have submitted a joint bid with ross levinsohn yahoos former interim chief executive playing a major role according to a person involved in the bidding process who spoke on condition of anonymity because the bids were confidential other bidders included the private equity firm tpg
a special committee of yahoos board is now expected to sort through the preliminary offers to decide which to pursue the company did disclose that it paid its outside advisers 9 million during the quarter
ms mayer hinted that yahoo would prefer a buyer like verizon that could achieve strategic synergies as opposed to a purely financial buyer like a private equity firm
yahoo based in sunnyvale calif said revenue fell 11 percent to 109 billion and its net loss was 99 million or 10 cents a share in contrast to revenue of 123 billion and net income of 21 million or 2 cents a share in the same quarter a year ago
after deducting payments yahoo made to advertising partners for traffic its revenue exceeded wall streets expectations profits after adjusting for certain items also narrowly beat projections although shareholders are much more focused on the potential sale of the company than quarterly financial results
yahoo shares were up slightly in early after hours trading
analysts were unimpressed with the results but said that the companys exact financial results did not matter
as brian wieser an analyst at pivotal research put it in a note to clients there was relatively little commentary on the transaction news that so many are waiting on and relatively more commentary on the current state of the business and managements plans which likely wont matter for very long
in february the company offered a gloomy financial outlook for the year as it restructured its operations and began exploring a sale yahoo did not update those projections in announcing its results tuesday
yahoo a leading content portal in the early days of the web missed the shift to mobile devices and has been struggling to compete against google facebook and specialty apps for advertising dollars and user loyalty
ms mayer yahoos chief executive since 2012 has failed to turn around the company restive shareholders are pressing the board to sell the internet businesses and unlock yahoos large stakes in alibaba a chinese e commerce company and yahoo japan an independently traded company
together those two investments have a face value of about 40 billion   more than the 35 billion stock market value of all of yahoo based on tuesdays stock prices
while the sales process has advanced yahoos management team led by ms mayer has continued to run the business as if nothing were going to change yahoo said it again increased mobile revenue in the quarter but declines in search and display advertising revenue more than offset that growth
yahoo noted that it ended the quarter with 9400 employees down 21 percent from the previous year as it eliminated many of its digital magazines closed overseas offices and made cuts in other parts of the business
kenneth goldman yahoos chief financial officer said the company was continuing to explore the sale of real estate
mark mahaney an analyst at rbc capital markets said this was same old same old at yahoo adding the overall trends remained relatively soft
jeffrey smith the chief executive of the starboard value hedge fund said on tuesday that he intended to keep the pressure on yahoo starboard has proposed an alternative slate of nine directors to replace yahoos entire board at the companys next annual shareholder meeting expected in june or july
in an interview with cnbc mr smith who has pressed for a sale of yahoos assets for months said he expected the board to move forward and negotiate a deal with a buyer
if we get to the end and they havent been successful as it relates to getting the company sold   the core business sold   well were going to need to pick up the pieces he said


forbidden love jealousy and betrayal are some of the most common components of operatic librettos a much more prosaic list of ingredients went into the making of this new chamber work on show at here in soho through sunday baking soda vinegar 70 percent rubbing alcohol
science fair an opera with experiments is an entertaining sometimes poetic and unapologetically didactic concoction made up of song science lectures and demonstrations the work was conceived by the mezzo soprano hai ting chinn who developed the libretto using texts by physicists astronomers and neurologists and invited four composers   matthew schickele renee favand see stefan weisman and conrad cummings   to write the music in a handsome production directed by lisa rothe with the precise and lucid erika switzer at the piano ms chinn creates volcanic eruptions mixes glow in the dark liquids and extracts dna from a strawberry
wrapped in gray tulle ms chinn embodies a nascent solar system bunching up fistfuls of her shawl while singing of particles that collide collect and gather before revealing a skirt made of concentric hoops studded with planets the elegant costumes are her creation the accessible but never ingratiating music echoes the sense of wonder and wit that infuses ms chinns performance with spacious chords and swirling arpeggios underpinning her dark hued mezzo
in her texts ms chinn finds passions worthy of opera in unexpected places whether in the size blind proton electron attraction or within a single detergent molecule torn between its hydrophilic head in love with water and a hydrophobic tail that quakes in fear at h2o corinna da fonseca wollheim
on paper the program the pianist jeremy denk presented on sunday afternoon at carnegie hall may have looked slightly unusual or possibly insane as he told the audience before starting the first half offered two dance suites one by bach the other a sort of ipod shuffle as mr denk put it
he began with a rhapsodic fresh account of bachs english suite no 3 in g minor then he played a wildly imaginative grouping of 20th century pieces inspired by satirizing or paying homage to ragtime
this journey began with a tender account of sunflower slow drag by scott hayden and scott joplin then segued into stravinskys flinty discombobulating piano rag music william byrds the passinge mesures the nynthe pavian written more than 400 years ago and mr denk suggested a precursor to rag is a series of increasingly elaborate variations on a sprightly melody and came across as a spiraling rhythmic fantasy in mr denks compelling performance from hindemiths percussive ragtime from the suite 1922 mr denk turned to william bolcoms wistful graceful ghost rag then to conlon nancarrows audacious canon no 1 ending with the jazz musician donald lamberts 1941 take on the pilgrims chorus from wagners tannhauser which with due respect turns this stirring music into a stride bass jazzy romp
after intermission mr denk gave an elegant account of schuberts sublime late sonata in b flat d960 teasing out the musics dancing character especially in the fleet scherzo anthony tommasini
since his debut with the emerson string quartet in 2013 when he replaced the cellist david finckel paul watkins has proved a valuable addition to that eminent ensemble on sunday at alice tully hall it was his gorgeous tone and elegant phrasing in the adagio of beethovens string quartet in f op 18 no1 that provided some of the most alluring moments in an otherwise mostly unmemorable afternoon
mr watkins played his soaring operatic lines in the adagio   the sketches for which beethoven inscribed with the words les derniers soupirs the last sighs   with burnished glowing tone the ensemble infused the opening movement with fiery propulsion and detailed nuance
the program was the groups second of three concerts at alice tully hall this spring juxtaposing haydns opus 76 quartets with beethovens opus 18 works exploring the stylistic similarities between them the final show is on may 12
the emerson players opened with haydns string quartet in d op 76 no 2 nicknamed fifths because of the motif of descending fifths woven through the opening movement the violinists eugene drucker and philip setzer share duties as first violinist mr setzer led during the fifths and switched to the second chair for beethovens string quartet in a op 18 no 5 which came next
the few pitch inconsistencies on the first half of the program were less bothersome than the indifferent playing but the concert concluded on a lively note with a gracious reading of haydns string quartet in d op 76 no 5 vivien schweitzer


san francisco   intel the worlds largest maker of semiconductors said on tuesday that it was laying off 12000 people about 11 percent of its work force as it continues to reel from a long downturn in global demand for personal computers
the companys chief executive brian krzanich announced the layoffs as part of a larger corporate restructuring which will result in a 12 billion charge intel also reported lower than expected first quarter earnings and reduced its projected revenue for the year
intel has been known as the pc company mr krzanich said in an earnings call with wall street analysts its time to make this transition and push the company all the way over to supplying chips for things like smartphones cloud computing sensors and other devices
intels restructuring is the latest evidence of how onetime tech bellwethers have had to navigate a rapid shift into the more flexible and dispersed tech world created by the combination of mobile computing devices connected to cloud computing systems on monday for example ibm reported lower profit and revenue including a 22 percent drop in sales of computing hardware
microsoft which will report its financial results on thursday has over the last several years changed its strategy from software in pcs toward computer servers a mix that involves much more software rented over its giant cloud system dell a big pc maker took itself private in 2013 hewlett packard divided into two companies last year one focused on corporate computing and one that makes pcs and printers last september hp announced about 30000 layoffs
at intel mr krzanich became chief almost three years ago and over much of that time he has talked about moving the company into new areas more recently top executives have left the company and mr krzanich has brought in executives from other companies the new restructuring is intended to help intel invest more heavily in its new segments such as chips to power connected devices
yet intel still gets 60 percent of its revenue from chips supplied to pcs and its profit margins there are not as good as in data center chips its other major business the companys other businesses have small profits or else lose money
that means pcs are still core to what intel does most of the layoffs along with things like consolidating facilities and cut projects are expected to be inside the pc business employees who are affected by the restructuring will be notified in the next 60 days the company said the layoffs are the largest since 2006 when the company let go 10500 employees
last week gartner reported that worldwide pc shipments in the first quarter were 648 million units down 96 percent from a year ago
the hope was that pc demand which has fallen for years would be flat and other segments would start filling in said mark hung an analyst with gartner this threw a monkey wrench into that
for the first quarter intel had net income of 2 billion or 42 cents a share and revenue of 137 billion wall street analysts had projected that intel would earn 47 cents a share on revenue of 138 billion according to a survey by thomson reuters
revenue at the pc group fell 14 percent from the previous quarter indicating intel had to cut prices as demand fell
intel faces other potential stumbling blocks the company is unique as much of the tech industry counts on it continually delivering chips with more transistors for the same money the process known as moores law after intel co founder gordon moore has generally happened in two year intervals the next generation of chips however is likely to arrive in two and a half years or more leading to fears that moores law is slowing
mr krzanich who previously had played down the significance of his production schedule took pains on tuesday to say that intel wanted to pick up its pace we are continuously striving to get back to two years he said
intel had better do so mr hung said its competitors dont seem to be slowing down he said they may get to the next generation of chips at the same time as intel that would be unheard of
besides cutting its operating expenses by 700 million this year through the restructuring intel may be seeking to sell different types of chips in combined ways for better efficiency and profit
were moving from a company that was at the center of the pc market to being a company at the center of cloud computing said stacy smith intels chief financial officer
on tuesday mr smith was named to run intels sales manufacturing and operations another indication of how intel needs to tighten its relationship with a few big cloud companies like amazon and microsoft
this would involve integrating the production and sale of things like chips for computer memory along with computer processors the company also wants to build a business in connecting things like automobiles to cloud computing and needs to build faster wireless computing technologies for that intel added that it would begin a search for a new chief financial officer


philadelphia   the nfl and retired players passed a major milestone on monday when the united states court of appeals for the third circuit here unambiguously upheld a district courts approval of a settlement that could give players with severe neurological conditions as much as 5 million each
the decision will make it much harder for the several dozen players who objected to the deal to continue appealing the case
even so several steps must be cleared before retired players receive any money and the case is concluded here are a few questions that remain
q will the appeals continue
a perhaps steven molo a lawyer representing several players who objected to the deal has not said whether he will ask a higher court to hear his appeals he and other lawyers representing objectors could ask the entire third circuit not just a three judge panel to hear the case or he could appeal to the supreme court though legal experts say it is unlikely either court will hear the case even asking for an appeal can be time consuming
the losing side in the appeals court generally has 90 days to ask for the supreme court to review its case the winning side then has 30 days to respond but can ask for an extension the justices can act as soon as about three weeks after that second brief is filed but there is no deadline on their end
no money can be distributed in the case until all appeals are exhausted
q what happens to the players more than 100 of them who opted out of the settlement and still have the right to sue the nfl
a the appeals court ruling does not help the cases of those players judge anita b brody of united states district court who has overseen the settlement since the hundreds of individual cases against the nfl were consolidated in philadelphia more than three years ago can urge the players and the league to settle perhaps for more than the players might have received if they had joined the settlement the nfl has an incentive to settle with those players because the judge has the discretion to send their cases back to the courts where they were first filed forcing the league to spend a lot of time and money fighting them one by one the nfl could also wait for judge brody to rule on the question of whether the players cases should be governed by the leagues collective bargaining agreement which could disqualify many of the claims
q could the deal be altered
a in theory the nfl could voluntarily enhance the settlement to make it more appealing to the players who opted out for instance in the current deal the families of players who died and were found to have chronic traumatic encephalopathy or cte a degenerative brain disease linked to repeated head trauma are compensated only if the player died between 2006 and the date the settlement was approved last april the nfl could expand that window to include players like the former oakland raiders quarterback kenny stabler who died after the april 2015 deadline
q once all appeals are exhausted what happens
a judge brody has appointed two administrators to oversee the disbursement of cash payments and medical monitoring that the nfl has agreed to provide the plaintiffs lawyers have said it would take about three months to set up the infrastructure to allow retired players to apply for benefits payments could take longer to be disbursed because the players will need doctors to give them an acceptable diagnosis
q how much will players receive
a players who are found to have alzheimers als parkinsons disease or other serious conditions covered in the settlement are eligible for up to 5 million but there are deductions for the number of years a player was in the nfl and his age at the time a condition was diagnosed so the amounts could be far less settlements are also subject to medicare liens in essence the federal government wants back any money it paid to care for players with these conditions the plaintiffs lawyers could reach a deal with the government that for instance deducts 10 cents for every dollar that medicare spent on a player
q when do the lawyers get paid
a the plaintiffs lawyers asked for 1125 million in legal fees which would be paid by the nfl not by the players judge brody will rule on their request lawyers who represented some of the 5000 players who originally sued the league may take a cut of any cash settlements that their clients receive
q what happened to riddell
a when the cases were first filed starting in 2011 players sued the nfl and riddell the helmet manufacturer that has worked with the league for many years riddell has argued that it be excluded from the case because it had nothing to do with the leagues handling of head trauma judge brody must rule on its request


weeks after a new north carolina law put transgender bathroom access at the heart of the nations culture wars a federal appeals court in richmond va ruled on tuesday in favor of a transgender student who was born female and wishes to use the boys restroom at his rural virginia high school
advocates for lesbian gay bisexual and transgender people note that the ruling from the united states court of appeals for the fourth circuit applies to north carolina where the controversial law approved last month limits transgender people to bathrooms in government buildings including public schools that correspond with the gender listed on their birth certificates
as a result of the ruling those advocates say that portion of the north carolina law that applies to public schools now clearly violates title ix   the federal law that prohibits gender discrimination in schools
our expectation is that the north carolina schools reverse course immediately as in tomorrow sarah warbelow the legal director for the human rights campaign an lgbt rights group said tuesday night
the ruling in favor of gavin grimm a junior at gloucester high school in southeastern virginia does not immediately grant him the right to use the boys restrooms rather it directs a lower court that had ruled against him to re evaluate mr grimms request for a preliminary injunction to be able to use those restrooms
but it is the first time that a federal appellate court has ruled that title ix protects the rights of such students to use the bathroom that corresponds with their gender identity
the ruling also comes as some school districts and state governments around the country are grappling with the question of whether transgender people should be allowed to go to the public facilities that correspond with their gender identity or whether as many conservatives believe such access would infringe on the privacy rights of others
boycotts and protests have followed the passage of the north carolina law but gov pat mccrory has essentially stood by it on tuesday joshua block a lawyer with the american civil liberties union which brought the case on mr grimms behalf argued that such state and local legislation violated federal law
with this decision we hope that schools and legislators will finally get the message that excluding transgender kids from the restrooms is unlawful sex discrimination he said in a statement
the north carolina law has prompted the obama administration to consider whether the state would be ineligible for billions of dollars in federal funding for schools housing and highways
mr mccrory a republican who is seeking re election in november and other supporters of the law have played down suggestions that the obama administration would rescind those billions mr mccrorys democratic opponent roy cooper the states attorney general has said in the past that the law may put the federal funding at risk and has refused to defend the state in a lawsuit challenging it
in a statement tuesday mr mccrory said he strongly disagreed with president obama and mr coopers objective to force our high schools to allow boys in girls restrooms locker rooms or shower facilities but would evaluate the effect of tuesdays ruling on north carolina law and policy
the aclu brought the case on behalf of mr grimm who was born female but identifies as a male in june seeking a preliminary injunction so that mr grimm could use the boys restrooms at his school
the school administration initially allowed him to do so but the local school board later approved a policy that barred him from the boys restrooms according to court documents the policy also required students with gender identity issues to use an alternative private facility to go to the bathroom
judge robert g doumar of federal district court ruled against mr grimm in september dismissing his claim that the school board had violated title ix although the judge did allow his case to go forward under the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment
the ruling by a three judge panel on tuesday reversed the lower courts dismissal of the title ix claim stating that the district court did not accord appropriate deference to regulations issued by the department of education the departments current guidelines dictate that schools generally must treat transgender students consistent with their gender identity
roger gannam a lawyer with the conservative liberty counsel which filed an amicus brief in the case on behalf of the defendant the gloucester county school board said tuesday that the court had engaged in blatant judicial legislation
its very disappointing and its frightening in a sense he said
mr block of the aclu in a phone interview said he was confident that the district court would rule in mr grimms favor and allow him to use the restroom and he noted that the five states covered by the fourth circuit   virginia north carolina maryland west virginia and south carolina   must now follow the federal department of educations interpretation of title ix on this issue
the obama administration has been aggressive in its efforts to ensure that transgender students can use the bathrooms in public schools that correspond with their gender identities some federal agencies have threatened to rescind funding to pressure some municipal governments in california and illinois to change their policies and allow transgender students to do so in june the justice department filed a statement of interest in mr grimms case
we are pleased with the fourth circuits decision which agreed with the position that the united states advocated in its brief the justice department said in a statement tuesday night
in an email a clerk for the gloucester school system said the superintendent walter clemons has no comment at this time
in a statement released through the aclu mr grimm said i feel so relieved and vindicated by the courts ruling todays decision gives me hope that my fight will help other kids avoid discriminatory treatment at school


beirut lebanon   for 38 straight days the streets of the northwestern syrian town of maarat al noaman had been the scene of protests against the government and the islamic extremists of the nusra front on tuesday they became a scene of carnage as government warplanes attacked the towns marketplace killing dozens of people according to residents and rescue workers
the attack confirmed the apparent unraveling of a fragile cease fire agreement between syrian government forces and some armed opposition groups the attack in maarat al noaman and a similar one in the nearby town of kafr nabl came several days after the start of a new insurgent offensive in a neighboring province and a day after the main syrian opposition group said it would no longer participate in diplomatic discussions in geneva
the opposition has accused the government of repeatedly violating the partial cease fire and tuesdays attacks were seen as a violent end to the relative respite from airstrikes that had lasted nearly two months
some residents in maarat al noaman 68 miles north of homs and in other towns in syria that had been afforded a modicum of free space had resumed the street protests that began the uprising against president bashar al assad more than five years ago the recent protests have signaled residents opposition to the government that has been bombing them and their distaste for extremists fighting among the rebel groups
as syrians at home have again raised their voices in protest insurgent groups have been pressing representatives of the opposition to take a harder line in talks in geneva which have produced little progress the bombings tuesday were for many in syria the last straw
we consider it the end of the truce but we will keep demonstrating anas al maarawi an antigovernment activist said by phone from maarat al noaman
as the partial cease fire and the political talks crumbled the goals set out by the united nations mediator staffan de mistura and the chief international sponsors of the talks the united states and russia have dissipated
aid workers have managed to visit some long isolated areas of syria but most of the besieged areas have received little of the help they desperately need the government has continued to remove medical supplies including nutrition kits to help save people from starvation from shipments to areas it has under siege aid officials said
hopes for an exchange of prisoners have gone unfulfilled the government has not agreed to discuss a political transition while the opposition has refused any resolution that would allow mr assad to remain in office citing the protocols governing the geneva talks which call for the establishment of a transitional governing body with full executive powers
riad hijab the head of the high negotiations committee representing syrian opposition groups in geneva said tuesday that his delegation would not participate in a political process which prolongs the life of this regime
the oppositions decision to pull out of talks in geneva could be viewed as a win for russia mr assads chief international backer which can blame the rebels for the collapse of the talks while continuing the parallel talks it has organized on its own military base in syria with officially tolerated opposition figures
the breakdown of political negotiations could also be awkward for saudi arabia the main sponsor of the syrian opposition as president obama prepares to visit the saudi capital this week
negotiators said the bombings underscored their view that the government was not interested in seeing the talks succeed
our decision to postpone our participation in the geneva talks was taken to highlight the cynicism of the regime in pretending to negotiate while escalating the violence salem al meslet the spokesman for the negotiations committee said in a statement this attack is assads response the world must not ignore this challenge
stephane dujarric the united nations spokesman in new york said tuesday that there had been an uptick in violence and that aid agencies had not had satisfactory access to civilians trapped in besieged areas weve seen an increase in our ability to deliver humanitarian aid he said adding that access was insufficient obviously we need to see less violence and more humanitarian access
videos and photographs that were posted online by residents and rescue workers in maarat al noaman and kafr nabl showed bodies including some children strewn about the twisted metal and spilled vegetables of marketplaces more than 40 people were killed in maarat al noaman and several more in kafr nabl a town known for its witty protest banners and cartoons
the partial cease fire that appears all but finished did not cover the qaeda allied nusra front or militants of the islamic state and the government has reserved the right to attack insurgent groups that cooperate with them in maarat al noaman american backed rebels had recently clashed with nusra front fighters igniting the protests


montpelier vt   first came colorado and washington then alaska oregon and washington dc now advocates for legal marijuana are looking to new england hoping this part of the country will open a new front in their efforts to expand legalization nationwide
but this largely liberal region is struggling with the devastating effect of opiate abuse which is disrupting families taxing law enforcement agencies and taking lives and many lawmakers and public officials are balking at the idea of legalizing a banned substance citing potential social costs
the shadow of the heroin epidemic is something that people think about when they think about the legalization and they ask themselves are we sending the right message about legalization  said shap smith the speaker of the house in vermont who is open to legalizing marijuana i think in the publics mind its making passage of this bill more difficult
a vermont bill supported by gov peter shumlin a democrat and approved by the state senate in february would create a regulated market for recreational marijuana in this deeply progressive state   the cradle of phish and new englands proud hippie haven
but the bill is hobbling through the house where it was stripped this month of the parts that would allow legalization as of friday it contains only a cautious provision to allow home growing and legalized possession of small amounts of marijuana   well short of the regulated market that mr shumlin has called for
lawmakers largest concerns are those that have emerged in state after state as the legalization movement has taken off use and abuse by young people impaired driving and commercialization
but the opiate crisis in which heroin fentanyl and other drugs have killed more than 2000 people in new england in the last year is a substantial stumbling block complicating efforts throughout the region and figuring into anti legalization political alliances
at a time when we are trying and working so desperately hard to get help to those who need it telling young people to not do drugs trying to eliminate some of the barriers to treatment and to promote recovery this effort at legalization seems to be directly at odds with those efforts said maura healey the attorney general in massachusetts and a democrat who opposes an initiative that is expected to land on the ballot in november it would allow adults to possess up to 10 ounces of marijuana at home permit edibles and create a regulated market
advocates are using the heroin crisis as an argument in favor of legalization saying that it would move the substance out of the hands of traffickers and that it would reduce the amount of interaction with hard drug dealers period said matt simon the new england political director of the marijuana policy project a national organization working on legalization
national advocates of legalization hope that with new england they can find success in a new part of the country
one part of it is demonstrating quite powerfully that marijuana reform is not just a west coast phenomenon its also an east coast one said ethan nadelmann the executive director of the drug policy alliance
but the future of the vermont bill is unclear a bid to place a proposal on the ballot in massachusetts is opposed by the states most powerful politicians a ballot question in maine was held up by the secretary of state although it may have new life and officials in rhode island are moving slowly partly to see what happens with their fellow new englanders
i think if there was any motion in any state in the northeast rhode island would take it up very quickly said state senator joshua miller a sponsor of a bill there that would legalize marijuana
the heroin epidemic was at the center of debate in massachusetts last week when a coalition of state leaders   including gov charlie baker a republican and speaker robert a deleo of the house a democrat   announced a campaign against the initiative
an analysis last month by wbur a public radio station in boston noted that all 85 marijuana related ballot questions in massachusettss history had passed and public opinion could well favor legalization this time around too
but in a statement mr baker argued that legalization would threaten to reverse progress combating the growing opioid epidemic so this industry can rake in millions in profits
the coalition also has the support of mayor martin j walsh of boston a recovering alcoholic who is widely admired for his outspokenness about substance abuse
its definitely a personal issue mr walsh said in an interview i have too many people that i know that started their addiction road by smoking marijuana
the campaign to regulate marijuana like alcohol responded on friday by highlighting mr bakers and mr walshs support of policies that would loosen liquor regulations   although a graphic of the men with a speech bubble saying drink more alcohol was criticized as insensitive to mr walsh
the groups said opponents of legalization were unfairly conflating heroin and marijuana
there is no more evidence that using marijuana leads to heroin than there is that riding a tricycle leads to joining the hells angels jim borghesani the campaigns communications director said in a statement
in states that have legalized marijuana voters not lawmakers made the decision that could become the case in maine which has a libertarian streak and began decriminalizing marijuana decades ago a proposed ballot initiative there was halted when the secretary of state invalidated thousands of signatures but it was recently granted a new review
if that initiative makes the ballot i think theyve probably got a relatively good chance of passage said mark brewer a political scientist at the university of maine
health officials in that state are considering whether to make opiate addiction a qualifying condition for the use of medical marijuana on tuesday maines department of health and human services heard testimony from advocates who said marijuana could help treat opiate withdrawal and from experts who disagreed
vermont does not have a referendum process and that has made the state a test case for legislative approval
mr shumlin who is in his final term said a carefully constructed bill legalizing marijuana could raise tax dollars that could be used to combat substance abuse and improve public safety
if vermont really is the first state that writes a cautious sensible bill thats adopted through a legislative process and signed by a governor that would be a big deal mr shumlin said in an interview it would be a big step forward for legalization
many law enforcement officials are opposed
all assets   whether it be rehabilitation medical law enforcement   we should be focusing our assets on opiate addiction said george merkel the police chief in vergennes and the president of the vermont police association thats a reason not to legalize marijuana because its going to make things even worse
the bill advanced on friday by the house ways and means committee in vermont would create permits for residents to grow marijuana for personal use but it would not legalize the sale of the drug
in a statement mr shumlin welcomed the development the committees action today takes a step towards addressing the nonsensical system that asks the one in eight vermonters who admit to using marijuana on a monthly basis to buy it from a drug dealer he said


goofing around at his home over the weekend in philadelphia maurice phillips committed an act of unimaginable carelessness with a gun police officials said accidentally killing his 4 year old daughter with a shot to the head
mr phillipss reaction then set in motion a series of events that led to wild confusion a desperate search and widespread news reports that the girl had been killed by her 5 year old sister
the shooting unfolded saturday afternoon at a home that mr phillips 30 shared with his fiancee and seven children the police said
his daughter tahirah phillips had been watching television and playing with her siblings when her father entered the room and started waving a gun around like a toy according to his eventual confession
during this time the gun discharged one time striking his daughter in the back of the head killing her instantly capt james clark of the philadelphia police department said during a news conference on monday
it was a stupid idiotic act he added
the other children screamed and at some point a 911 call was placed but rather than wait the police said mr phillips walked over to his 5 year old daughter struck her with a closed fist and wiped blood from his hand onto her shirt
the police have depicted those actions as a bid to frame the child
he went as far as to punish the 5 year old to show how much he felt that she did this captain clark told the associated press
mr phillips then called his fiancee tera riddick who arrived to find tahirah lying dead in a rear bedroom the police said he then changed his clothes and fled
the apparent deflection seemed to work for a time
law enforcement sources told reporters saturday that the 5 year old sibling was probably holding the gun when it went off news organizations went with that account in television broadcasts and articles that received widespread attention
as family friends and neighbors were absorbing the tragedy the police were also engaged in an intense search for the father at the time captain clark told the philadelphia inquirer we desperately need to find the father who for whatever reason fled the scene
several hours after the shooting mr phillips turned himself in
he just showed up said officer tanya little a police spokeswoman he obviously knew that we would be after him
speaking to investigators mr phillips denied responsibility at first the police said but he eventually confessed a gun was found at the house the police said
mr phillips was charged monday with third degree homicide reckless endangerment and related counts
a preliminary hearing is scheduled for may 4
a family friend crystal dougherty said on tuesday that it was difficult for her to believe the police account of the shooting
maurice was a caring and helpful person she wrote in an online interview he was a good dad his children were his world
i just wish this was all a nightmare she added
on monday night a small group held a vigil outside the familys home on a run down block of rowhouses in the kensington neighborhood candles and colorful stuffed animals were placed beneath a window and pink and white balloons were released into a cloudless sky
the girls mother ms riddick is emotionally broken a close friend sheena coles said tuesday
tahirah was a sweet little girl ms coles said an innocent beautiful little girl


arlington va   next to ronald reagan washington national airport and directly across the potomac river from washington the crystal city neighborhood which because of federal cuts had become a virtual ghost town is quietly and persistently reinventing itself
at first glance there appears to be nothing new among the high rise offices and apartments lining crystal drive and its bisecting streets in this arlington county enclave in fact there is little new construction instead buildings from the 1960s to 1980s are being retrofitted some converted from offices to apartments others welcoming new commercial tenants including tech start ups co working spaces and restaurants
the area which suffered with the departure of military agencies and contractors under the federal defense base closure and realignment commission process is attracting residents and younger workers with competitive rents and convenient transportation options as well as with its proximity to the pentagon a fashion mall in neighboring pentagon city and of course the nations capital
think brooklyn and manhattan said mitchell n schear president of vornadocharles e smith the dominant property owner and landlord here youre close enough but youre not paying higher taxes and utilities here we are a slightly geekier crowd and we are embracing it
the seed fund incubator 1776 is among those that have returned the embrace occupying 27000 square feet since october in a building on crystal drive built in 1990 one of the firms 130 members is hans miller chief executive of airside mobile which developed the mobile passport app to speed up the customs process he and a partner each live nearby and had formerly worked out of mr millers attic
there is a lot of value in being where the energy is in the start up scene mr miller said here its a community of people working with different companies different projects but passing on tips about investors
once composed of junkyards budget motels and industrial sites crystal city   named for an elaborate crystal chandelier in a still standing 1965 apartment building   was washingtons prototypical suburban office center housing agencies like the federal patent and trademark office and the navy a local developer charles e smith made crystal city the linchpin of his real estate empire
but the naval air systems command left in 2000 and the patent office in 2002 the base realignment announcement came in 2005 over all crystal city lost 17000 jobs the move of the office of the inspector general of the army alone amounted to 6400 jobs lost in total 42 million square feet of office space became vacant
the recession and further military budget cuts also worsened the situation all that hit at same time said victor l hoskins arlingtons economic development director it was a disaster
yet angela fox president and chief executive of the crystal city business improvement district said the foundation was sound nobodys moving the pentagon she said
with each project the neighborhood improves she added now i hear millennials and people of all ages saying crystal city is so cool ms fox said
even when the offices were full the crystal city shops a mall that opened in 1976 that allows patrons to move among its buildings without going outside gave the misperception by the outside market that no one was there said harmar thompson senior vice president for lcor a real estate investment and development company
lcor is demolishing a 230000 square foot building that formerly held the army inspector generals office and in its place is building two 20 story towers to total 500000 square feet of 450 residential rental units to be called the altaire
vornado hoped to create a sense of place in crystal city   formerly seen as just a daytime destination for government workers   in conjunction with the county and the newly formed business improvement district which is a loose association of crystal city business owners that aims to build the community and create excitement through year round events
this is not the crystal city people once knew said mr schear of vornado
bringing in new restaurants that appeal to millennials is part of the vornado strategy concentrated along crystal drive are restaurants like highline rxr which has a long list of draft beers and the spanish tapas restaurant jaleo led by the chef jose andres there is also good stuff eatery a chain focused on fresh ingredients surprisingly said david greenberg an owner dinner now draws more customers than lunch a testament to crystal citys after work life
when mr greenberg first looked at the location in 2011 every real estate broker was so skittish he recalled now everyones clamoring to be here he said its blown away our expectations
the company techshop which caters to entrepreneurs interested in building marketable prototypes moved into a ground floor 22000 square foot space in june 2014 members pay a monthly fee of 150 for access to its equipment and software said stephen lee who works with prospective members the outlet in crystal city one of nine nationwide has more than 1 million worth of equipment and technology including industrial sewing machines a t shirt printing press and 3 d printers
bringing new kinds of businesses to the area is another sign for ms fox that the revitalization is succeeding our goal is to really make crystal city a living laboratory for innovation ms fox said not just companies coming up with ideas but a place where they can really test them
ms fox lived in a charles e smith apartment near crystal city when she first came to washington in 1991 after college over the years she has moved around arlington but recently moved to crystal city her new residence is one of the 216 welive furnished apartments above wework two floors of co working spaces in a retrofitted building
wework has 92 locations worldwide 71 in the united states and is expanding into housing with welive the first welive location in lower manhattan opened in january and has 45 apartments above four co working floors crystal city is its second location providing residents with flexible leases communal areas for cooking and yoga and housewares like bed linens and televisions
across jefferson davis highway near a crystal city border development edges closer from the pentagon city mall eventually planners say the two markets will merge on the pentagon city side a whole foods a short walk from crystal city is scheduled to open in july on the ground floor of the bartlett a 23 story 699 unit apartment building constructed by vornado
those businesses are like a magnet for millennials and also stimulate activity all around them mr hoskins said
from 2010 until recently vacancy rates were higher than in surrounding markets while the rates still hover around 20 percent economists predict robust leasing of vacant space in the combined crystal city pentagon city market this year than leaving a better absorption rate than in other northern virginia submarkets with a total inventory of 126 million square feet   about 90 percent in crystal city absorption rates have steadily climbed since 2013
in the first quarter of 2016 122952 square feet had been filled compared with 194638 in all of 2015 according to newmark grubb knight frank a real estate services firm
but challenges remain you cant transform a city overnight mr schear said though wed like to arlington countys decision in 2014 to kill a long planned streetcar line to crystal city eliminated one hoped for attraction more venture capital firms and educational institutions are on mr schears wish list
we feel very strongly that crystal city has been a sleeper in that it has been a federal enclave people always assumed would perform because its across the street from the pentagon mr thompson said now its becoming a very diversified environment


a brush fire that billowed giant plumes of black smoke into the sky halted train service between new jersey and new york on tuesday afternoon
both new jersey transit and amtrak reported that train travel between newark and new yorks pennsylvania station had been temporarily suspended
amtrak said at 3 pm that northeast corridor service had been restored but that passengers could expect delays new jersey transit also said train service had resumed with delays of up to 60 minutes
the police in secaucus said the fire began near railroad tracks in the vicinity of penhorn avenue and secaucus road
an additional brush fire in kearny nj started in the area of 1800 harrison avenue shortly after noon the kearny fire department said it was deemed under control at 208 pm
path trains are honoring new jersey transit tickets and passes at the newark penn hoboken and new york 33rd street stations new jersey transit said on twitter midtown direct trains were being diverted to hoboken
at secaucus junction nadine ruiz saw black smoke rising above the tracks on tuesday afternoon as she was heading to class at montclair state university
to see that much smoke was a little alarming said ms ruiz who lives in jersey city
trains had stopped running ms ruiz messaged her professor to say she would miss class
the smoke got bigger and you could see flames from the station she said
photos began emerging on social media around 1230 pm with the dark smoke visible from brooklyn


former officer peter liang will not serve any time in prison for fatally shooting an unarmed man in a brooklyn housing project stairwell two years ago but was instead sentenced on tuesday to probation and community service
the sentence   in one of the most divisive police misconduct cases in recent new york city history   came just moments after the judge took the unusual steps of ruling that the shooting was essentially an accident and reducing the jurys verdict on manslaughter charges to the less severe criminally negligent homicide
though the brooklyn district attorneys office promised to appeal the ruling the sentencing was a decisive move in the politically contentious case that highlighted concerns over police accountability especially in black neighborhoods but never neatly fit the narrative of other killings by law enforcement officers around the country it is rare for police officers even to be charged and brought to court in shooting cases while this one resulted in a guilty verdict at a three week trial this winter the sentencing was deeply disappointing to the family of the victim akai gurley
as justice danny k chun of state supreme court in brooklyn imposed five years of probation and 800 hours of community service mr liang sat still at the defendants table showing little emotion behind him the benches were packed with mr gurleys loved ones when the hourlong hearing came to an end and it was clear that mr liang would not serve time in prison hertencia petersen mr gurleys aunt stepped into a hallway shouting there is no justice akai gurleys life didnt matter
mr gurley died on nov 20 2014 when his heart was pierced by a ricocheting bullet that mr liang had fired while on a night patrol in a dark stairwell in the louis h pink houses in the east new york neighborhood in february a jury convicted him of manslaughter and official misconduct rejecting his testimony that the gun had simply gone off in his hand and finding that he had failed to help mr gurley as he lay dying on a fifth floor landing
before the sentence was issued mr gurleys girlfriend melissa butler who was with him when he died told mr liang that even today she was still in pain and needed the solace of justice you took a piece of me she said you took a piece of my heart
moments later mr liang himself stood and turned toward ms butler and the others apologizing for having killed a man they loved the shot was accidental he said my life has forever changed
it was at that point that justice chun announced that he was going to reduce the manslaughter verdict saying there was no evidence that mr liang was even aware of mr gurleys presence in the stairwell this was not an intentional act the judge said this was a criminally negligent act as such i find incarceration not necessary
just minutes earlier paul shechtman the former officers lawyer had said much the same thing telling justice chun that while other police officers in recent years had maliciously hurt and killed young black men mr liang is not them
after the hearing district attorney ken thompson released a statement saying he planned to appeal justice chuns decision to reduce the jurys verdict   an unusual move from a man who all along has taken a solomonic approach to the complicated case
from the start mr thompson faced enormous pressure to pursue an indictment against mr liang who killed mr gurley the same year that eric garner died during a police arrest on staten island as brooklyns first black district attorney mr thompson had vowed to bring a heightened sense of social justice to the boroughs communities of color
but after the conviction mr thompson issued a letter recommending that mr liang should not serve time in prison the letter referred to mr gurley as a completely innocent man who lost his life for no reason but also said mr liang had no prior criminal history and posed no threat to public safety
in court on tuesday justice chun said that mr thompsons recommendation was entirely and completely appropriate he added that on that november night two years ago shooting mr gurley was probably the last thing on mr liangs mind
speaking after the hearing mr shechtman said he was pleased with the sentence and understood the disappointment of mr gurleys family we have very mixed emotions mr shechtman said but this is a good day for peter liang in a year and a half when there havent been many good days
as word of the sentence made its way onto the street dueling groups of protesters erupted into chants and debate about 60 people waving signs and shouting gathered around ms petersen mr gurleys aunt
another black man has been murdered by the hands of the police department and the officer is not being held accountable she said this right here is not the end were going to continue to fight until we get justice
across the street another crowd massed in support of mr liang who is of chinese heritage accident does not mean crime helen zhu said chinese are no more silent we just want justice   justice for all all peoples lives matter


kentuckys republican governor on tuesday ordered an investigation into what he described as wrongdoing under his democratic predecessor charging that state employees were coerced into contributing to political campaigns and that a contract was improperly steered to a politically connected company
gov matt bevins allegation of greed and oftentimes corruption escalates the feud between the new governor who took office in december and the beshear family former gov steven l beshear and his son andy the state attorney general on april 11 andy beshear sued mr bevin saying the governor acted illegally in cutting higher education spending without approval by the legislature steven beshear is leading a public relations campaign against his successors moves to roll back the states expansion of health coverage under the affordable care act
a former state official close to the beshears timothy m longmeyer pleaded guilty on tuesday to a federal bribery charge a case mr bevin referred to in calling for a new investigation as a member of steve beshears cabinet mr longmeyer steered contracts related to the health plan for state employees to a company that paid him kickbacks mr longmeyer briefly served this year as a deputy attorney general under andy beshear before resigning
in a brief statement mr bevin said that in his months in office his administration had found evidence that state workers were forced to contribute last year to the campaigns of andy beshear and jack conway the previous attorney general who was mr bevins democratic opponent in the race for governor and he charged that the state had awarded a 3 million no bid contract to a company with ties to steve beshears administration
mr bevin said he had directed an official in his cabinet to hire an outside law firm to investigate the matters a thorough independent investigation like this can expose and cast light upon prior unsavory   and perhaps illegal   practices he said
andy beshear released a statement saying that the appropriate agency however for investigating the governors allegations is the kentucky executive branch ethics commission an independent agency and not a cabinet that answers to the governor he accused mr bevin of overstepping his authority and wasting public money
as governor steven beshear made kentucky a national model for extending government funded health insurance to more people through the affordable care act by creating a state run insurance marketplace kynect and expanding medicaid eligibility
mr beshear and his health policies were popular but voters last year chose mr bevin a conservative newcomer who vowed to undo much of his predecessors efforts which he said were too costly to sustain he has set about dismantling kynect which would put consumers into an insurance exchange run by the federal government and he has said he will pare the medicaid expansion


beijing   in a sign of chinas increasingly aggressive efforts to combat espionage and other security threats the government said it had sentenced a former computer technician to death for selling 150000 classified documents to foreign spies according to state media reports on tuesday
the man huang yu 41 worked for a research institute specializing in cryptography in chengdu a city in southwestern china he sold the materials which included military codes from 2002 to 2011 making about 700000 the state run broadcaster china central television reported the government did not specify which spy agencies he had assisted
mr huangs death sentence was the first known case of a chinese citizens receiving the death penalty for espionage since 2008 when the government executed a biomedical researcher and a distant relative of his accusing them of passing secrets to taiwan
the trove of information mr huang is accused of selling including 90 top secret documents is one of the largest known leaks in china in recent years national security experts said
under president xi jinping china has sought to rally the public behind the cause of catching foreign and domestic spies last week china celebrated its first national security education day and security officials have established an anti spying hotline
in 2014 mr xi signed a counterespionage law to more extensively track foreign spies and chinese citizens who assist them last year the government approved a sweeping national security law broadening the definition of what constituted a violation
the publicity given to mr huangs case reflected mr xis determination to highlight the threats posed by foreign entities and the governments tough approach to issues of national security analysts said
the authorities are in this way advertising the fact that there is severe punishment available for crimes against national security said eva pils a legal scholar at kings college london i would read this as intending to produce a kind of warning effect
cases of espionage have received wide attention in china recently in january officials announced that they were prosecuting a canadian man who ran a cafe near the border with north korea on charges of spying and stealing state secrets last year china detained four japanese citizens on suspicion of espionage
as part of national security education day on friday beijing officials hung posters at government offices warning about the risks of romantic relationships with foreigners according to the associated press the posters titled dangerous love told the story of how a spy named david posing as a visiting scholar seduced a young propaganda worker and persuaded her to give him secret documents
the details of mr huangs case were revealed in a 15 minute special report on cctv which portrayed him as a disgruntled employee who contacted foreign spy agencies online in hopes of getting rich
mimicking the style of several recent televised confessions that the ruling communist party has used as a propaganda tool the report showed mr huang in shackles and an orange vest shuffling down a dark hallway in an interview with cctv he recounted how he arranged meetings in southeast asia with foreign spy agencies and stole materials from his wife and brother in law who also handled classified information in their work
if there are other people who see me and they are doing similar things   betraying their country   i hope theyll report themselves to the national security people he said in the interview thats good for their family and themselves and it will lead to a better outcome
mr huang was arrested in 2011 and it was unclear why the authorities waited until now to publicize the case his wife was sentenced to five years in prison and his brother in law was sentenced to three years in prison the state media reports said they were both accused of negligent disclosure of state secrets
the governments decision to sentence mr huang to death drew criticism from human rights groups china is believed to execute more people each year than the rest of the world combined though the government does not release official statistics
after china pursued the death penalty for two citizens in 2008 accusing them of spying for taiwan the bush administration and european diplomats forcefully denounced the decision
on wednesday the american embassy in beijing said it was aware of mr huangs case but referred a reporter to the chinese authorities for comment officials at the european union and the united nations did not respond to requests for comment
while china has sought to gradually reduce its use of capital punishment in recent years advocates have criticized officials for resorting to it even in cases of nonviolent crime like corruption and drug trafficking
william nee a researcher for amnesty international in hong kong called the decision to execute mr huang a deplorable reversal of the general trend
in an email mr nee said the governments campaign against spying would fuel distrust in chinese society
this idea of spies being everywhere common to china in the mao era to some extent is now helping to increase paranoia and suspicion in society and even greater xenophobia he said


good morning david tanis heralds the arrival of the spring seasons first asparagus today you can read and browse his fantastic new how to cook asparagus guide on cooking and you can read his column on the subject in the food section of the times as well which has three terrific new recipes to accompany it
perhaps you could follow davids lead and make his butter braised asparagus tonight as a side dish to accompany a simple roast chicken or try his assertive wok fried asparagus with walnuts as a main dish alongside a mound of white rice alternatively you could set up the batter for his buckwheat crepes stuffed with asparagus ham and gruyere and then finish the dish tomorrow night perhaps accompanied by a few fried eggs for a more substantial repast
but if the asparagus in your market still comes from too far away to satisfy your cook local credo or even if it doesnt read melissa clarks dispatch from the vibrant persian community in los angeles and see if you dont want to cook the recipes she brought back along with her article right away her recipes for a frittata like fresh herb kuku for tamarind glazed fish and for persian herbed rice should bring you great joy
some come to cooking on wednesdays for recipes that dont fit the strict form of recipe writing with their lists of ingredients and enumerated steps we call these recipes narrative ones todays is dead simple and we hope youll give it a try
its for glazed scallops mix together a few tablespoons of white miso and mirin so that you like the taste brush that mixture on scallops youve either threaded onto a skewer and grilled or run for a few minutes under the broiler so that theyre just beginning to brown top with sliced scallions and some sesame seeds and serve with steamed greens and some rice its excellent
you can find real recipes to cook tonight and in coming days on cooking go browse them a while and when youve cooked one tell us what you think of it by affixing a rating or a note to the recipe so that others may benefit from your experience if you run into problems were standing by at cookingcarenytimescom
but if you like what you see please dont forget to vote for cooking in this years peoples voice contest part of the 20th annual webby awards itd be a nice win for the team
finally a reading list for your lunch hour try this report on the nations hunt for wild morel mushrooms got some yourself try mark bittmans recipe for asparagus and morels then take a look at kelefa sannehs great portrait of erykah badu in the new yorker the godmother of soul and finish up with a very good series thats unfolding at the tampa bay times right now farm to fable about the lies restaurants farmers markets and others tell us about the provenance of our food its pretty distressing


olma caviar boutique  lounge this company which runs a plush little nook in the plaza food hall has added this dressy upper west side bar and restaurant in front a display case is chockablock with tins of caviar and serving accessories plates of fish roe start at 5 for salmon and climb from there salads sandwiches foie gras fresh seafood and smoked fish are served with a nice choice of bubblies still wines and cocktails 420 amsterdam avenue 80th street 212 390 0708 olmacaviarcom
barano on the brooklyn waterfront steps from the williamsburg bridge albert di meglio who has worked at le cirque osteria del circo and rubirosa is set to turn out robust italian fare including wood fired pizzas meatballs bucatini with rabbit ragu and spit roasted lamb theres an open kitchen mozzarella is made in several styles at a station in the dining room the chef named the place for his grandmothers village on ischia 26 broadway kent avenue south williamsburg brooklyn 347 987 4500 baranobkcom
emmy squared emily and matt hyland who serve neapolitan style pizzas at emily offer detroit inspired square pizzas here red or white and some small plate starters and sandwiches opens wednesday 364 grand street marcy avenue williamsburg brooklyn 718 360 4535 pizzalovesemilycom
midnights with the chef marcellus coleman in charge the restaurant goes beyond its slightly asian accented dinner fare to provide an appealing late night menu with items like spring pea fritters crab stuffed beignets and dirty fried rice 149 north sixth street bedford avenue williamsburg brooklyn 718 384 6961 midnightsbkcom
mekong restaurant and bar this popular vietnamese spot will close next week because of a rent increase ending food service after dinner on monday then serving drinks only through april 28 16 18 king street avenue of the americas 212 343 8169 mekongbarcom
wylie dufresne who had planned to open a restaurant in the aka wall street hotel in the financial district will not go ahead with the project it was a mutual decision between the chef and the hotel a publicist for mr dufresne said
michael madrigale the head sommelier at bar boulud boulud sud and epicerie boulud is leaving at the end of the week he started at bar boulud eight years ago and is known for pouring wines by the glass from oversize bottles he plans to become associated with a wine company that sells directly to consumers
masanobu matsushiro is now at kosaka in the west village preparing the cooked food courses on the tasting menu that precede the sushi course
empellon alex stupak is planning a midtown flagship for his restaurant group which includes empellon cocina empellon taqueria and empellon al pastor the location is in a sleek glass office tower a 5000 square foot space with a mezzanine that was to have been the french chef anne sophie pics new york outpost mr stupak said that unlike his other restaurants in places that had previous restaurant tenants here he will be dealing with raw space ill be able to do what i want and have to make fewer compromises he said the food will be mexican inspired he said as for the move to midtown by the end of the year he said he couldnt find a space like this downtown and felt he was ready for a new audience thats exactly what marc forgione said about his uptown version of american cut which opened recently 510 madison avenue 53rd street
grey lady there will be sightings of lionfish a predatory invasive species from the caribbean this summer in montauk ny ryan chadwick will serve it at this seafood restaurant to open memorial day weekend he owns the flagship on delancey street in manhattan and branches in aspen colo and nantucket mass he also distributes lionfish as part of a campaign to get rid of it by consuming it 440 west lake drive montauk ny 631 210 6249 greyladymtkcom


brett weber drafted by the yankees in the 14th round in 1998 never rose above class a in the minor leagues now he watches their home games from a windowless room in the ballpark
weber 39 stares at two flat panel screens that carry up to 15 camera angles of the game keeping an eye out for an umpires mistake that might prompt him to pick up the red phone that is a direct line to the yankees dugout
most fans have never seen weber and few realize that in any one game he might exert as much influence on the outcome as a player on the field as the yankees video replay monitor it is his job to alert the coaching staff in the dugout if he believes the team should challenge an umpires call
video replay   which has been expanded this year its third season in major league baseball   is affecting games like never before with wins and losses hinging on reviews of everything from potential home runs to foul balls and collisions at home plate nobody has been more proficient at using it than weber
the yankees have had the highest success rate in baseball since replay was instituted winning 776 percent of their challenges far above the rate of the miami marlins who are next at 655 percent the rate for the majors is 522 percent
the whole purpose of replay is just to get it right and make it fair for everybody yankees reliever andrew miller said but the reality is some teams are better than others i think our guy is better and quicker than the other guys out there so thats an advantage for us
video replay carries even greater weight this year because of new rules open to review including those for slides into second base in the opening week of the season a video challenge ended a game between tampa bay and toronto when an apparent forceout that would have scored two runs and put toronto ahead was overturned because of an illegal slide resulting in a game ending double play
unlike in the nfl in which all scoring plays and turnovers are automatically reviewed and the nba in which reviews are initiated by referees a vast majority of replay reviews in baseball are initiated by managers and because managers are allowed one challenge per game   they maintain the challenge if their appeal is successful   there can be rewards for diligently using the system
the yankees have also been judicious their 58 challenges since 2014 are tied for the fewest in the majors and they had not challenged any plays through the first 11 games of this season the rays had made the most challenges 109 through sundays games one more than the chicago cubs who had won the most overturned calls 54
before the first pitch is thrown wednesday night at yankee stadium weber will grab a cup of coffee or tea walk past a sign that reads do your job and settle into a swivel chair in front of the two screens he is not sure how he ended up with this job it just sort of landed in his lap   pretty much like all of his other varied duties
webers title major league coaching assistant is rather amorphous i like it like that he said with a smile
he throws batting practice most days stands in as a first baseman during infield drills assists with video preparation charts pitches helps convey analytical data to players and is available if players want extra work in the winter he shifts to the front office preparing scouting reports in the quantitative analysis department
such a pliable skill set is what one might expect from somebody who studied finance and psychology while playing baseball at the university of illinois a year after he was drafted by the yankees he seemed to be developing into a pitching prospect with an 8 4 record 23 saves and a 197 era at class a greensboro but he then had the first of two elbow operations missed two seasons and was released
he pitched for two years in an independent league but at the end of 2004 weber was 28 and was not getting phone calls from any major league organizations
it was just time to move on said weber who landed a job as a stock analyst in chicago while he appreciated learning about the corporate environment and passed his exam to become a licensed broker that competitiveness never went away and my passion for baseball never went away he said
five years later knowing that his background in finance might be seen as an asset in baseball weber reached out to yankees general manager brian cashman two weeks before the start of spring training in 2009 cashman offered him a job
when i was hired initially i wanted to make sure it would be ok if i worked in the off season weber said im very interested in understanding the analytics side of baseball   it certainly piqued my interest in how the game is changing
when weber was asked to handle replay reviews he approached it in the same manner he did stock reports or scouting reports he dived into research he studied success rates of nfl challenges and spoke with teams at both ends of the spectrum as well as someone at the nfl offices in that first season seemingly everyone in baseball had a different approach the oakland as used color coded numbered cards from 1 to 5 to signal to manager bob melvin whether to appeal a red 1 meant no appeal a green 5 meant absolutely and a yellow 3 was a coin flip
from the seventh inning on the umpires can initiate a replay review on their own
there are some philosophies that say challenge everything if you lose you lose it weber said i go back to its either right or wrong i think our process works but we continue to tweak it
manager joe girardi added its not like you get as many as you want so if you call for a replay you better be right webby is usually right on i dont even run back and look and i could run back and look in our clubhouse i trust him with anything
that trust was reinforced last july 3 when tampa bays evan longoria hit a ball into the left field corner in the 11th inning and slid into second base ahead of the tag by jose pirela umpire c b bucknor signaled safe
but weber recognized on the slow motion replay what was not recognizable to the naked eye when longoria popped up from his slide he lost contact with the base for an instant while pirela kept the tag on him
he called and im like what is he calling for  girardi said
upon review longoria was out
its hard to know how the game would have otherwise turned out but the path to victory was easier for the yankees who won on brian mccanns 12th inning home run consider that in the american league the houston astros edged the los angeles angels for the final playoff spot by one game and the yankees were only one game ahead of the astros
home teams and visiting teams are supplied the same equipment a pair of flat screen computer monitors that are about 2  1/2  feet wide by 1  1/2  feet tall though the monitors have access to 15 camera angles they can vary by ballpark and by which tv network is broadcasting the game those 15 shots can be configured in numerous positions and sizes on the monitors weber communicates with rob thomson the bench coach on the dedicated phone line that goes directly to the dugout much like the one from the bullpen
a couple times ive gotten a call telling me to get one of the pitchers up said weber whose report is relayed by thomson to girardi
when the yankees are on the road the monitors are set up in different places   in toronto where they played last week they are in a shack adjacent to the clubhouse the setup at yankee stadium is in the video room which can be a hive of activity during games pitchers hitters and coaches duck in and out looking at one of the four tv screens or seven computer monitors to pick up clues from the previous inning that will help them outwit the opponent the audio feed from a yankees tv or radio broadcast is piped through four speakers
when a controversial play occurs there is no shortage of back seat drivers
ive had quite a few   i guess id call them replay assistants weber said hiroki kuroda id always do the opposite but hed always have an opinion everybody has opinions
kuroda a pitcher left after 2014 but of the current players miller and outfielder brett gardner are the voices most frequently in his ear   often voting with their heart more than their head alex rodriguez is also a regular presence in the room
its got to be an overwhelming position to be in   youre never out there youre never seen but potentially a game could hinge on a decision you make from down in the dungeon miller said there is usually three or four guys looking over his shoulder   is that ball fair or foul he handles us being around pretty well
weber said his focus attuned by an ever present cup of coffee or tea was on the monitors he charts pitches   cataloging location velocity and pitch type   and leaves only if he needs to take a bathroom break between innings if weber spots a play that might be worth reviewing he typically has about 10 seconds to look at the replays and make an assessment
im pretty locked in during the game he said its kind of just background noise
weber deflects any credit for overturning calls he says the satisfaction he gets is in helping players if for example the catcher mccann throws out a runner then he deserves to get credit for it if gardner beats a throw to first base he should be rewarded with a hit
there is however one underrated perk of the job
its the only time that im able to tell the manager what to do weber said


san francisco   the home sharing app airbnb is pushing into local reviews and recommendations putting it increasingly into competition with services like lonely planet yelp and local tourism websites
the company based in san francisco on tuesday began offering guidebooks a feature that lets those who rent out their homes on airbnb share information about their neighborhoods best restaurants bars and attractions including local spots that might not be found on travel websites or guides all in the airbnb app
guidebooks aim is to let people live like a local brian chesky the chief executive of airbnb said in an interview
people who use airbnb previously had to leave the app to find local event and dining information using search engines travel websites and local review services but airbnbs new feature means people can now eschew yelp facebook google and other sites that have all longed to control the connection between consumers and local businesses
guidebooks also helps airbnb address one of its biggest puzzles   how best to match hosts and guests so that both want to continue using the home sharing service that puzzle is increasingly something airbnb wants to solve especially as it tries to appeal to business travelers and families who have vastly different needs from the younger travelers who slept on sofas and in spare rooms when the start up began
personalization and matching are important because the internet gives customers an overwhelming amount of information the importance of matching is even more specific to the travel industry where people traveling to an entirely new destination are making particularly uninformed choices mr chesky said
the app clusters listings by neighborhood and guidebooks will characterize each area for people who may prefer a family friendly neighborhood or one near a central business district to one that is filled with late night revelers
airbnb which is privately held has been valued at more than 24 billion by investors that valuation is predicated on the idea that many more people will use the service which lists more than two million homes in more than 190 countries more than 80 million people worldwide have stayed with an airbnb host
some airbnb hosts like paul schirmer in suburban cincinnati say they already provide guests with a binder that includes basics like the wi fi password of their home along with information on popular local restaurants parks and shops
mr schirmer said having that sort of information in the airbnb app could make his listing more attractive because many people like to stay in an airbnb to live in a neighborhood relax make dinner and not feel pressure to eat out every night


washington   the fbi defended its hiring of a third party to break into an iphone used by a gunman in last years san bernardino calif mass shooting telling some skeptical lawmakers on tuesday that it needed to join with partners in the rarefied world of for profit hackers as technology companies increasingly resist their demands for consumer information
amy hess the federal bureau of investigations executive assistant director for science and technology made the comments at a hearing by members of congress who are debating potential legislation on encryption the lawmakers gathered law enforcement authorities and silicon valley company executives to discuss the issue which has divided technology companies and officials in recent months and spurred a debate over privacy and security
the hearing follows a recent standoff between the fbi and apple over a court order to force the company to help unlock an iphone used by one of the san bernardino attackers apple opposed the order citing harm to the privacy of its users the fbi later dropped its demand for apples help when it found a third party alternative to hack the device
yet that has done little to quell the controversy the encryption debate has continued with new hearings proposed legislation and other cases that involve locked iphones and law enforcement demands that the devices be opened to aid investigations
in tuesdays hearing ms hess did not provide details on how the fbi ultimately gained access to the san bernardino iphone but said the agency had come to rely on private sector partners to keep up with changes in technology she said that there was no one stop solution and that the agency generally should not use third parties to hack into systems but lacks the expertise to break past encryption
these types of solutions that we may employ require a lot of highly skilled specialized resources that we may not have immediately available to us ms hess said
the focus on third parties at the hearing illustrates a growing discomfort by some in congress and in the tech industry with the use of gray hat hackers who are hackers who may push the boundaries of the law and anger companies but whose intentions are not malicious
i dont think relying on a third party is a good model said representative diana degette a democrat from colorado she questioned if the use of third party hackers was ethical and whether it could open up greater security risks because sensitive and valuable data could be accessible to outside groups
ms hess did not answer directly when asked about whether there were ethical issues in using third party hackers but said the bureau needed to review its operation to make sure that we identify the risks and benefits the fbi has been unwilling to say whom it paid to demonstrate a way around the iphones internal defenses or how much and it has not shown apple the technique
apples general counsel bruce sewell said at the hearing that encryption did not prevent the authorities from solving crimes
as you heard from our colleagues in law enforcement they have the perception that encryption walls off information to them mr sewell said but technologists and national security experts dont see the world that way we see a data rich world that seems to be full of information information that law enforcement can use to solve   and prevent   crimes
mr sewell also defended apples security practices saying the company always aimed to keep its devices safe from prying eyes within the last two years he said the chinese government has requested apples source code but the company has refused to hand it over in a public report on monday the company said american law enforcement officials made 4000 requests for customer data covering more than 16000 devices in the second half of last year
law enforcement officials testifying before the committee on tuesday expressed frustration over their inability to run a number of cases to ground   particularly sex abuse and child pornography cases   because of encrypted phones they said the recent publicity over the issue could end up helping criminals
make no mistake   criminals are listening to this testimony and learning from it said charles cohen commander of the indiana internet crimes against children task force
the fbi said there has been an increase in the number of devices it has acquired through investigations but was unable to gain access to because of encryption ms hess said that since october 13 percent of the devices obtained by the fbi were impenetrable by the agency when asked at tuesdays hearing if the relationship between the tech industry and law enforcement had become adversarial ms hess responded i hope not
the encryption debate is continuing in other quarters apple is fighting an order in a federal court in new york to provide access to a phone involved in a criminal drug investigation and last week senator richard burr the chairman of the senate intelligence committee and a republican and dianne feinstein the ranking democrat on the committee released a draft version of a bill that would require tech companies to decrypt data if requested by a court
tech companies which have largely banded together in support of apples pro encryption position are lobbying against the draft bill
timed to the tuesday hearing trade groups representing top technology companies including apple facebook google and microsoft sent a letter to senators burr and feinstein opposing their bill
we believe it is critical to the safety of the nations and the worlds information technology infrastructure for us all to avoid actions that will create government mandated security vulnerabilities in our encryption systems the groups which include the reform government surveillance and computer and communications industry association said any mandatory decryption requirement such as that included in the discussion draft of the bill that you authored will to lead to unintended consequences
michael petricone senior vice president for government affairs at the consumer technology association added this is urgent because the one thing you dont want is congress coming in a knee jerk fashion and doing something with all sorts of negative consequences which is what we may be seeing happen now
city and state law enforcement officials support the senate draft bill but it faces strong opposition from many in congress
president obama has done little to assuage concerns by the tech industry in a speech in march the president warned against fetishizing encryption and urged more compromise between tech companies and the fbi


moscow   ukraines president petro o poroshenko said tuesday that he and president vladimir v putin of russia seemed to have agreed on a high profile prisoner exchange that would bring home a ukrainian officer now in russian custody
at a news conference in kiev mr poroshenko said he had called mr putin to discuss the matter and that it seemed to me that we succeeded in agreeing on the swap which would repatriate two russian soldiers that ukraine recently convicted on terrorism charges
analysts cautioned that the deal could still hit a snag over perhaps the most critical issue of the war in ukraine russias insistence that its regular army has never been involved in the fighting there
given that stance the trade poses a dilemma for mr putin accepting a swap for a ukrainian officer would get the pair home but might also amount to a tacit admission of the russians status as soldiers
throughout the war that had the worst bloodshed in europe since the balkan conflicts of the 1990s russia insisted the well armed masked men who were showing up on the battlefield in unmarked uniforms were not its soldiers when the bodies of russian men were returned from ukraine the kremlin said they were patriotic volunteers fighting on their vacation time
it is a delicate topic a russian opposition leader boris y nemtsov was assassinated in moscow in february 2015 midway through compiling a report saying that about 220 russian soldiers known as the little green men had died in ukraine
ukrainian officials nevertheless say they are in talks to trade lt nadiya v savchenko for the two russian men whom they say are russian soldiers captured last year the russian ministry of defense has refused to acknowledge any ties to the two capt yevgeny yerofeyev and sgt aleksandr aleksandrov a ukrainian court on monday sentenced them to serve 14 years each in prison
the ukrainian lieutenants sister vera savchenko said in a telephone interview that a deal seemed far from settled for now given the russian sensitivities
putin changes his mind every day she said


los angeles   the scents of nowruz hit me from the moment i walked in the door of naz deravians house in inglewood calif wafts of floral hyacinth pungent vinegar earthy wheatgrass and perfumey rose water   its a particular mingling that comes together every spring during the persian new year
as i stopped to take it all in ms deravian an iranian canadian actor and food blogger who has lived in the los angeles area for the last 20 years ushered me into the kitchen where new aromas were waiting browning butter musky saffron sharp herbs and smoked fish all in various stages of preparation for the feast she was cooking
food is at the center of persian culture its integral to everything she said as she lifted the lid on a pot of rice fragrant with herbs
at the bottom of the rice pot were thin pieces of lavash that would ms deravian hoped crisp into tahdig   the golden crunchy and buttery crust prized at persian meals getting a perfect tahdig which can also be made from yogurt thinly sliced onions or potatoes or the rice itself is one of the most challenging techniques in all of persian cooking ms deravian was fretting over hers worried that the flatbread would burn or the rice turn mushy
persian cuisine is one of the worlds great gastronomies flourishing for centuries across an area that at the height of the ancient persian empire circa 550 to 330 bc included modern day iran along with parts of iraq macedonia lebanon jordan syria saudi arabia afghanistan pakistan and central asia
the repertoire of dishes is fragrant diverse and highly refined based on complex culinary techniques they are imbued with fresh flowers and herbs like rose petals fenugreek and mint spices like saffron sumac and cardamom fruits like pomegranate and barberry all kinds of citrus and nuts including pistachios and almonds
if this roster of ingredients sounds familiar its because persian cooking influenced middle eastern moroccan northern indian and turkish cuisines yet itself remains somewhat below the radar
part of the recognition problem in the united states ms deravian said is that even with a robust iranian american population estimated to be one million to two million theres a stunning lack of persian restaurants southern california   home to the vast majority of iranian americans and the groceries bakeries and ice cream shops that cater to them   has a handful but for the most part theyre not making the exalted intricate dishes for which the culture is famous
even in los angeles most peoples persian food experience starts and ends with kebabs she said the real persian cooking happens in peoples houses
luckily hospitality is another hallmark of persian culture in late march ms deravian invited me into her home for nowruz which signifies the beginning of the 13 day persian new year celebration the holiday with its menu of classic and symbolic persian dishes is an excellent lens through which to explore the rarefied cuisine
an ancient zoroastrian festival of the spring equinox nowruz has been celebrated continuously for at least 3000 years more than a thousand years before the regions muslim conquest it predates most of the holidays americans celebrate today yet shares many of the same traditions
this is particularly the case with easter and passover which fall around the same time in early spring during nowruz a celebration of rebirth and renewal people color eggs scrub their houses from top to bottom and eat copious amounts of fresh herbs
unlike easter and passover though nowruz is not a religious holiday persian muslims jews christians and zoroastrians   in the global diaspora and in iran   all celebrate it
pouria abbassi a board member of public affairs alliance of iranian americans which has sponsored nowruz celebrations on capitol hill said that the ancient customs of nowruz are an important link to persian heritage
since it is a nonreligious nonpolitical celebration it is the single most important event that brings all iranians together with great pride he said in our culture nowruz is the only powerful common denominator
nilou motamed the editor of food  wine magazine who is iranian described it as a time when families gather to feast and bond over an overabundant meal
nowruz is like thanksgiving in that everyone celebrates it and everyone cooks the same foods though with their own family spin on it she said
the traditions and meaning of nowruz run deep in the iranian psyche ms motamed added
iran has had a complicated political relationship with the west for the last 40 years she said for us emigres nowruz is a great way for us to share some of the richness of our culture through food
like thanksgiving having too much food at a nowruz meal is part of the deal
we are a culture that likes to overfeed she said we would never have just one main course excess is essential to our dna it provides a sense of welcoming bounty and joy
evidence of such excess was certainly found in ms deravians kitchen there were the symbolic dishes crucial for any nowruz dinner there was the sabzi polo mahi an herbed rice with smoked fish that represents life fish renewal and rebirth fresh green herbs and prosperity rice there was the kuku sabzi a brilliant green herb stuffed frittata meant to represent fertility eggs
fresh spring herbs which can also represent the earth made another appearance with feta and a homemade paneer cheese along with juicy radishes from the farmers market and tart fuzzy skinned fresh green almonds that ms deravian picked up at a persian shop on westwood boulevard the day before
and for dessert there was toot rose water flavored almond paste representing a life full of sweetness and a heart full of love ms deravians daughters luna 9 and soleil 6 formed the almond paste into both the traditional white mulberry shapes and into cute little bunnies
persians are always looking for meaning in everything we eat ms deravian said its never just food theres mythology and tradition that goes back thousands of years behind every bite
she turned her attention back to the herbed rice which was ready to serve first she scooped the green flecked grains onto a platter next she mixed saffron butter into a portion of the rice to stain it bright orange
then the moment of truth it was time to lift the tahdig   that crispy bottom crust   out of the pan if it were a rice tahdig they might have turned it out but with a lavash tahdig lifting is easier if it burned or stuck not only would all the guests be disappointed but it could also cast a symbolic pall over the year to come whereas a perfect tahdig indicates good things ahead
ms deravian nudged it nervously with her spoon to loosen it then let out a whoop the guests cheered as the burnished crust of tahdig slipped out of the pan and onto the rice it was a perfect golden disk
theres an art to making tahdig ms deravian said as she and her father hooked arms to do a little dance of joy but theres also a little bit of magic
recipes fresh herb kuku  persian tamarind fish  persian herbed rice


a brooklyn man who beat a transgender woman to death after he had started flirting with her was sentenced to 12 years in prison on tuesday a penalty the victims family said was too light
the man james dixon 25 pleaded guilty to manslaughter this month in state supreme court in manhattan admitting he attacked the woman islan nettles on a street in harlem just after midnight on aug 17 2013 knocking her to the pavement with a punch then hitting her again as she lay on the sidewalk
ms nettles 21 an assistant at a fashion company died five days later of head injuries prompting vigils and protests by transgender people who said her death was emblematic of the violence they often face because of their sexual identity
while ms nettles was still in a coma mr dixon turned himself in to the police in written and videotaped statements he told detectives that he had started flirting with ms nettles unaware she was transgender after meeting her and her two friends on the street he said he became enraged and attacked her when his friends began mocking him for trying to pick up a transgender woman i just didnt want to be fooled he said in a videotaped statement
the victims mother delores nettles told the court she believed 12 years was too light a sentence given the brutal beating her daughter took he can go home after those 12 years and see his family she said in tears its not fair turning to mr dixon she said how can you sleep at night how can you rest i cant rest
mr dixon showed no emotion he declined to make a statement before justice daniel p conviser pronounced the sentence which had been negotiated with the judge on the eve of the trial in return for a guilty plea prosecutors objected to the deal they had sought a sentence of at least 17 years


over the past several months donald j trump has crisscrossed the country making dozens of campaign stops in places like sioux city iowa and jackson miss often in his sleek cessna jet there is just one hitch the planes registration is expired
records kept with the federal aviation administration show the aircrafts registration lapsed on jan 31 laura j brown a spokeswoman for the federal aviation administration confirmed that the planes registration was not in good standing and said the owner had not renewed it
with few exceptions aircraft must be registered in order to fly mr trumps plane could be grounded for days or even months while the issue is sorted out in the event of an accident the company that insures the jet could cite the lapsed registration to decline any claims
the faa could also fine or assess other penalties against the owner the operator or both mr trump owns the plane through a limited liability company though it is unlikely that the agency would seek the maximum penalty flying with no registration could result in a civil penalty of up to 27500 a criminal fine of up to 250000 and imprisonment for up to three years it said
hope hicks a spokeswoman for the trump campaign declined to answer several questions about the planes registration or use saying only that the renewal process is just about complete as of late tuesday the faa had not received a registration renewal application for the cessna according to ms brown the agency spokeswoman she declined to comment on any action the faa might take
although mr trump has a sizable delegate lead in the republican presidential primary race his campaign has often had organizational issues at times losing ground against better organized opponents chiefly senator ted cruz of texas as mr trump has struggled to master the complicated rules governing the selection of delegates
mr trump can still fly most candidates typically charter a private plane he also has four other registered aircraft a boeing 757 and three sikorsky helicopters a fleet that has become a critical part of the billionaires image he has sought to project on the campaign trail the boeing which has mr trumps surname emblazoned in big letters on the outside and gold plated fixtures inside has been used as a backdrop at a number of his rallies
but the aircraft weighs more than 100000 pounds and that creates limitations it cannot land at many smaller airports
as a result mr trump often presses the 1997 cessna 750 citation x which was designed to seat eight people into action it has made hundreds of flights since he announced his plan to seek the republican nomination in june 2015 according to faa records reviewed by the new york times
dozens of those flights were made after jan 31 when the registration expired the plane flew as recently as monday when it was used to transport team trump between la guardia airport and buffalo for a campaign event on the eve of the new york primary on friday it flew to plattsburgh ny and to hartford for rallies in those cities according to radio transmissions broadcast by the plane that were archived on a flight data website and reviewed by the times
the faa warned mr trump that the cessnas registration was set to expire records show on dec 1 djt operations cx llc the limited liability company owned by mr trump that operates the cessna received a final notice from the faa according to records reviewed by the times
then on march 1 djt operations cx was notified that the registration had expired
the aircrafts registration and airworthiness certificates no longer support the aircrafts operation the agency wrote
these notices records show were sent to national registered agents it is not a company mr trump owns it is the delaware firm that was listed as the registered agent when djt operations cx was incorporated in 2012 the year mr trump bought the jet
in an faa filing in 2012 titled aircraft registration application national registered agents its address and its phone number were listed as the contact information for djt operations cx the filing is one page largely filled out by hand and is signed by mr trump his title initially listed as president was crossed out and replaced with sole member
the registration for mr trumps four other aircraft are current records show
flying privately is not cheap the trump campaign has paid a company that mr trump owns more than 3 million for campaign related travel since he announced his candidacy
registering an aircraft however is cheap it costs only 5 and the registration is valid for three years


talking shops should do more than simply gloomily prognosticate or ardently cheer even for financial technology the bank of englands andy haldane and deutsche banks boss john cryan are among 53 luminaries backing a new forum to debate financial technology
data abuse is a concern as they note in a paper published by the world economic forum they also want new standards to stay ahead of the game but the biggest risk is how fast and obscurely money can move monitoring that should be the new forums main task
technological advances since 2008 rebut a comment made by paul volcker the former federal reserve chairman that the only successful financial innovation is the atm recent inventions offer greater financial inclusion and a potential check on inequality mobile phone credits now give remote rural households access to virtual bank accounts online automation has brought down the cost of wealth management services that only the rich could afford
small and medium size businesses in spain can now get access to financing in as little as 10 minutes from the peer to peer lender kabbage says ralph hamers the boss of its partner in the country the dutch bank ing
but while fintech promises much it also poses systemic risks regardless of the innovative technology behind it lending is always likely to carry the danger that borrowers wont be able to pay even if many peer to peer lenders now have banklike capital requirements insufficient regulatory oversight could allow mountains of bad debts to pile up the risk could be compounded given that the vast majority of these start ups began during a period of historically low default rates
the threat posed by payment operators is of a different hue take the chinese mobile payments firm alipay which now provides almost half a billion users with access to 50000 stores in asia the failure of a firm with that scope potentially could cripple trade and commerce
this new fintech initiative has some of the worlds best financial minds behind it yet so does the bank for international settlements which warned of the impending financial crisis at the start of the last decade to no avail the challenge for fintechs talking shop will be to translate similar insights into careful scrutiny and action


googles antitrust problems in europe are about to get a whole lot bigger
the company is expected to be charged with breaking the european unions competition rules by unfairly favoring google services like its search engine and google maps on its android smartphone operating system over those of rivals according to three people the three who work in either government or the private sector spoke on the condition of anonymity
the charges known formally as a statement of objections may be announced in brussels as soon as wednesday though the announcement could still be postponed until later this month according to one of the people
the expected charges against google are the latest in a raft of regulatory problems that american tech giants have faced as the european union has cracked down on these companies perceived dominance over how people in the 28 member bloc get access to digital services
that ranges from privacy complaints over how facebook uses peoples online information to questions about apples tax affairs from its headquarters in low tax ireland these cases come after previous antitrust investigations into how the likes of microsoft and intel operated across regions
google denies that it has breached the regions tough competition laws and it will have several months to respond to the charges from the european commission the executive arm of the european union
anyone can use android with or without google applications mark jansen a google spokesman said in a statement when asked about the companys mobile software hardware manufacturers and carriers can decide how to use android and consumers have the last word about which apps they want to use on their devices
a spokesman for the european commission declined to comment
despite the companys denials the expected charges linked to android which powers 77 percent of european smartphones would represent a major setback for the silicon valley company as it grapples with a growing number of global competition investigations into googles vast operations
the case against android also comes as google is trying to strengthen its position on mobile   increasingly the primary way that people go online   as its traditional desktop business has started to show some signs of fatigue
europes antitrust officials have already accused google of unfairly abusing its dominant market position across the 28 member bloc to favor some of its own search services a conclusion into those separate charges is expected within months and it could lead to a fine exceeding 7 billion equivalent to about 10 percent of googles most recent annual revenue the maximum allowable fine
the federal trade commission in washington is also looking into whether google broke american antitrust laws by using its android operating system to bolster the companys products american officials previously investigated claims that googles search services violated federal competition rules though they eventually decided not to bring charges
other countries including india and russia have similarly either accused the company of breaking antitrust rules or opened antitrust investigations into googles activities
canadian authorities though said on tuesday that they had closed their investigation into claims that google had misused its dominant position in online search they added they would continue monitoring the companys activities
apple continues to generate the largest share of revenue from global smartphone sales the company also bundles its own services including digital maps into its mobile software but has yet to face similar questions over whether it has broken europes antitrust rules
google does not make money from licensing its basic android software to cellphone manufacturers but instead earns revenue through digital services like advertising from search among other mobile services it holds more than 80 percent of the smartphone operating system market worldwide according to the technology research company gartner
if european officials demand that the company provide rivals greater access to the android universe   a possibility if google is found to have broken the regions laws   the search giant may find it more difficult to promote its own mobile services to users worldwide as well as to smartphone makers
as part of the charges to be announced as soon as wednesday margrethe vestager europes antitrust chief is expected to focus on googles deals with cellphone manufacturers that include bundles of google services included in android
speaking in amsterdam on monday ms vestager said that these deals may have hindered competition by forcing cellphone manufacturers to rely on googles mobile services that come preinstalled on certain versions of the android software
our concern is that by requiring phone makers and operators to preload a set of google apps rather than letting them decide for themselves which apps to load google might have cut off one of the main ways that new apps can reach customers ms vestager said ahead of the charges being announced
the case related to googles android operating system has been long expected
in 2013 europe said it had received an official complaint from fairsearch europe a group of googles competitors including oracle and nokia among others aptoide a portuguese android online marketplace also filed a complaint against google in 2014
these companies say that they have been financially hurt by google practices that they call unfair an accusation the company rejects
in response to these complaints the european commission announced last year that it would investigate googles dominant role in the android operating system and whether rivals had been treated unfairly
consumers deserve more choice and innovation in mobile devices and applications said thomas vinje a lawyer for fairsearch a statement of objections in the android case would be an important step forward for competition and consumers
google says that its partnerships with cellphone makers that rely on its operating system are voluntary and that these relationships offer benefits to consumers as well as manufacturers
europes latest antitrust charges represent one of the first major challenges for sundar pichai who took over as googles chief executive after a reorganization last year google is now owned by a holding company called alphabet which reports its quarterly earnings on thursday
in february mr pichai traveled to brussels to meet with ms vestager and other european politicians including gunther oettinger a german politician in charge of the digital economy in the bloc eric e schmidt alphabets executive chairman has also been a regular visitor to europe meeting often with regional officials in part to discuss the companys continuing antitrust problems
mr pichai is no stranger to competition struggles in 2009 he wrote to european officials explaining why they should take a hard line against microsoft on charges that the company had abused its then dominant position in web browsers microsoft eventually paid more than 3 billion in fines for breaking the regions antitrust rules
now google faces mounting pressure over accusations it abused its position in everything from online search to its android operating system and it is the turn of mr pichai along with other google executives to respond


berlin   the german authorities moved against right wing groups on two fronts on tuesday with an early morning raid that led to the arrest of five people suspected of attacks on refugee shelters and the opening of a trial of the leader of an anti immigrant group
the raid in the eastern state of saxony led to the detention of four men and one woman who are under investigation in connection with the attacks on refugee shelters in and around dresden where weekly demonstrations against immigrants have been held since late 2014
two hundred police officers including members of elite anti terrorist units conducted searches at several homes and unidentified properties in the state federal prosecutors said
later in the morning lutz bachmann a co leader of the movement that organized the demonstrations pegida went on trial in dresden the capital of saxony he faces charges of incitement for calling refugees cattle brutes and trash
the influx of migrants in germany has been accompanied by a rise in the popularity of the far right notably in saxony
with todays operation the security authorities have dealt a powerful blow to a regional right wing terrorist group interior minister thomas de maiziere said in a statement this shows that the state is moving decisively and early against far right terrorist structures and criminals
residents of freital a town of about 40000 that is also near mr bachmanns home have been among those often seen carrying signs with the names of their villages or towns at pegida demonstrations freital just outside dresden was also the site of weeks of anti migrant demonstrations and clashes between pro  and anti refugee activists outside a shelter for the new arrivals last summer
the five people detained on tuesday were said by prosecutors to have formed an organization known as group freital last july along with three other men detained earlier at an unspecified date
the announcement by the authorities that at least these eight people were involved was the first in which they had publicly linked a particular organization with some of the hundreds of attacks on refugee shelters over the past year
of the people now in custody   seven men ages 18 to 39 and one 27 year old woman   two were said to be the ringleaders of the group the pair identified only as timo s 27 and patrick f 27 in keeping with german privacy laws are also suspected of attempted murder the prosecutors said
four others are also suspected of other crimes including attempted murder causing grievous bodily harm and causing explosions and damage
prosecutors linked the group to the purchase of pyrotechnic explosives which are banned in germany from the neighboring czech republic the explosives were mounted on the windows of at least two refugee shelters in freital in attacks in september and november
in the second attack one refugee suffered facial wounds from glass splinters in both cases fatal injuries were avoided only because refugees either were not in the rooms or had fled in time the prosecutors said
in a third case group freital attacked an alternative housing project in dresden prosecutors said causing damage but no reported injuries
mr bachmann 43 has been previously convicted on charges including theft drug dealing and failing to provide child support and he could face up to five years in prison if found guilty he arrived for the opening of his trial wearing sunglasses with a black bar attached to them to obscure his face which is well known from his near weekly appearances at pegida rallies pegida is the german acronym for patriotic europeans against the islamization of the west
mr bachmann made the comments over which he is facing trial in a post on facebook in 2014 several weeks before he began calling on germans unhappy with the leadership of chancellor angela merkel to march through the streets of dresden
at first hundreds heeded the call then the numbers swelled to 25000 at the demonstrations height in january 2015 and spawned similar movements elsewhere in germany and across europe
mr bachmann was forced to step down as a leader of the movement after he posted a picture of himself dressed as hitler on social media he returned to his position several months later after the uproar died down and amid a resurgence of fears about the huge migrant influx
on monday night several hundred people marched through dresden and some of them turned up outside the courtroom on tuesday the sachsische zeitung reported
prosecutors charge that mr bachmanns remarks in which he referred to asylum seekers as inhuman and called them cattle attacked the human dignity of refugees incited hate against a minority group and posed a threat to public peace
several dozen of his supporters waved signs outside of the courtroom as his trial opened calling for resistance the police were also present but declined to comment on their exact security measures


los angeles   in a letter sent to members governors of the academy of motion picture arts and sciences made one thing perfectly clear about their plan to cull inactive members from the groups voting rolls the new rules governing inactivity still arent clear
in our initial resolution we tried but failed to come up with a one size fits all definition of activity the governors told members in the letter which was sent on monday
so the governors said the executive committee of the each of the academys 17 branches which cover various filmmaking crafts will use the next two months to come up with its own way of defining what sort of work qualifies a member for active status each will also define precisely what will become the starting point for a 10 year period during which a member must work to keep active status for another 10 years
members will be advised of their voting statuses by the end of july the governors said
producers writers and others the governors noted often work for long periods without receiving a screen credit that might dictate a standard different than one covering actors who are usually credited even for small roles
in their letter the governors acknowledged that this membership move which came amid controversy over the academys announcement of an all white slate of oscar acting nominees in january had resulted in some anger and frustration among members in fact said the governors few of the academys more than 6000 voters would actually be cut and the benefit of the doubt goes to the member in making activity judgments
in announcing their intention both to trim inactive voters and to add more women and ethnically diverse members the governors on jan 22 called the steps a historic action to increase diversity
but mondays letter took pains to separate the inactivity rules from any judgments about race and gender despite what you may have heard and despite the timing of our announcement this proposal is actually not about diversity the letter said


the unitedhealth group one of the nations largest health insurers told investors on tuesday that it continued to lose hundreds of millions of dollars selling individual policies under the federal health care law the company said it planned to pull out of a majority of states where it offered coverage and would offer policies on the public exchanges in only a handful of states for 2017
unitedhealth which was a late and seemingly reluctant participant in the public exchanges surprised investors last year when it announced its sizable losses now estimated at more than a combined 1 billion for 2015 and 2016 because of its poor performance in the public exchanges policy analysts have been watching unitedhealth closely as an indicator of whether the new individual market developed under the affordable care act is sustainable
addressing investors stephen j hemsley the companys chief executive continued to offer a pessimistic view the smaller overall market size and shorter term higher risk profile within this market segment continue to suggest we cannot broadly serve it on an effective and sustainable basis he said unitedhealth estimated its losses from the exchanges would be 650 million this year
unitedhealth reported overall earnings from operations of 3 billion on revenue of 445 billion for the first quarter of 2016 compared with earnings of 26 billion on revenue of 358 billion for the 2015 quarter
the company would not specify which states it planned to exit it appears to be staying in virginia and nevada next year but it is not known what other states remain attractive a small unit of unitedhealth which offers exchange plans that feature a primary care clinic is being tested in some states including georgia where united says it is pulling out
despite the concerns over uniteds decision just how much of its struggles are because of a lackluster embrace of the market and small presence is unclear the company has 795000 people in its plans a small fraction of the roughly 13 million people who have signed up for 2016 without large numbers of customers insurers are unable to demand low prices from hospitals and doctors they also cannot balance the high cost of very sick patients with the low expense of more healthy customers
the number of insurance carriers for every state has increased every year ben wakana a spokesman for the health and human services department which oversees the exchanges said in a statement with millions of americans insured through the marketplaces its clear that this is a growing business for insurers he said
while united is not alone in finding the new market challenging some insurers especially those that have traditionally served low income customers in medicaid programs appear to be more successful this is still a new market and both entrants and exits come with the territory cynthia cox one of the authors of a recent analysis from the kaiser family foundation said of the impact if unitedhealth were to leave all of its markets
while the analysis found the overall impact to be modest if unitedhealth left all the markets and was not replaced by another carrier the kaiser analysis found the effect on insurer competition could be significant in some markets   particularly in rural areas and southern states


michael strahan is trading one morning show for another hes leaving abcs live with kelly and michael for good morning america
mr strahan starts in september and will serve as co anchor on gma the network announced on tuesday
the former football star replaced regis philbin in 2012 to co host live with kelly ripa and represented a stabilizing force for a valuable abc programming asset
now he may be tasked with helping to stabilize good morning america the abc morning show still outpaces today by an average of 240000 viewers it averages nearly five million viewers but the nbc show is winning for the season in the 25 to 54 year old demographic that is important to advertisers
mr strahan has served as a correspondent on good morning america for the last two years he will continue to serve as an analyst on foxs pregame show for pro football
the president of abc news james goldston said in a statement over the past two years on gma michaels proven to be a tireless and versatile broadcaster with an incredible ability to connect with people from veterans and all kinds of newsmakers to a host of modern american cultural icons
mr goldston added he will help us drive forward into a very exciting future
the network also said it would search for mr strahans successor on live beginning in the fall after he departs


newly inducted rock and roll hall of fame member ice cube will headline the 2016 afropunk festival coming to brooklyn on aug 27 28 janelle monae tyler the creator ceelo green and george clinton are also scheduled to perform at the event which has announced its theme this year will be power to the party
the afropunk festival now in its 12th year is a celebration of the many facets of black culture and in recent years has turned into something of a fashion show this year the festival will stay true to its punk roots with a superjam that features members from bad brains fishbone and living colour other performers include the rappers earl sweatshirt young fathers and angel haze the bands tv on the radio and the internet and the producers flying lotus and sango
the festival will take place at commodore barry park in fort greene more information and a full lineup can be found at afropunkcom


unlike professional athletes actors gene hackman and some novelists philip roth visual artists dont usually retire or if they do they dont announce it
but in 2011 maurizio cattelan   one of the most expensive living artists then at the peak of his career and the subject of an uproarious retrospective at the guggenheim museum   told the world that he was finished fatigued both creatively and by the velocity of the money fueled art world during the last couple of years though mr cattelan found himself itching to make things in three dimensions again actually its even more of a torture not to work than to work he said in an interview and so he is coming out of retirement with a new sculpture that seems designed to proclaim his return with an exclamation point though the piece is of modest size and will not be on view in a public gallery
it will instead be installed in early may just off one of the ramps of the guggenheim museum in manhattan in a small humble room where visitors often feel the urge to spend some time alone the room has tiles a sink a mirror and a lock on the door and now instead of its standard kohler toilet it will have a solid 18 karat gold working replica of one a preposterously scatological apotheosis of wealth whose form is completed in its function you could go into the restroom just to bask in its glow mr cattelan said but it becomes an artwork only with someone sitting on it or standing over it answering natures call
theres the risk that people will think of it as a joke maybe but i dont see it as a joke he added on a recent trip from his home in milan to new york where he lived for many years mr cattelan who grew up poor in padua italy the son of a truck driver and a cleaning woman was asked if economic inequality figured into his thinking about the piece i was born in a condition where i was   how do you say   forced to think about that its not my job to tell people what a work means but i think people might see meaning in this piece
in one sense the sculpture is a punning extension of his work on the ribald picture magazine he founded in 2010 with pierpaolo ferrari called toilet paper the toilet also has obvious 20th century art historical precedents marcel duchamps fountain the urinal he unsuccessfully submitted to an exhibition in new york 99 years ago this month and piero manzonis merda dartista metal cans with the contents labeled as the artists feces each can priced according to its weight in gold though mr cattelan began thinking about the piece before the united states presidential campaign was in full swing the conspicuous gaudiness of the solid gold facility will surely evoke donald j trumps taste for gold plated bathroom fixtures and the sculptures title maurizio cattelan america inspired by kafkas novel amerika will engender some heavy duty interpretations
nancy spector the longtime chief curator at the guggenheim said the occupy movement and growing concerns over the concentration of wealth immediately came to mind when mr cattelan approached her to see if the museum was interested in hosting the toilet i think this is going to enter into that discourse and we have to be prepared for the reactions that people are going to have to it said ms spector who recently left the guggenheim to become chief curator and deputy director at the brooklyn museum she added that when she presented richard armstrong the guggenheims director with mr cattelans idea within two seconds he said do it it made so much sense neither mr cattelan nor museum officials would reveal the sculptures cost but they said it was being paid for with private funds and would remain at the guggenheim for the foreseeable future
guggenheim officials said that they anticipated lines for the cattelan bathroom and added that a guard or attendant might be placed near the door to ensure orderly waiting   and also to make certain that no one tries to abscond with a piece of the toilet
they added that 18 karat gold was chosen for its solidity though they acknowledged the possibility that the sculpture still could be scratched or damaged
mr cattelan is known as both a public jester and an intensely private figure and he said that the decision to retire at 51 was agonizing the debut of the piece comes as he is emerging into public view in a way he never quite has before in his career maurizio cattelan be right back a documentary that the filmmaker maura axelrod has spent more than a decade making will debut on sunday at the guggenheim as part of the tribeca film festival i didnt know he was planning to announce his retirement when i started making the movie said ms axelrod who came to the project after a career as a journalist covering wars and regions in crisis and then as i was finishing it he decided he was going to come back so be right back really ended up being the appropriate title
mr cattelan cooperated only reluctantly with ms axelrod but through interviews with family friends and art world associates a picture emerges of a fairly dark soul afflicted with deep self doubt and pessimism about humanity   a take mr cattelan has parodied in his own work raising the possibility that this worldview might be a bit of an act after so many years delving into his persona ms axelrod said i dont think i got very close to figuring out what hes really like as to whether he should be seen as a significant artist or more a phenomenon of the star making art market she added i hope that that question is still on the table and ive just put more information into the debate
in the recent interview mr cattelan said the art markets emergence over the last dozen years as a kind of hedge fund for billionaires was not his primary motivation for retiring but the way it felt was like driving a car and someone else was controlling the speed he said adding that his retirement angered many of his collectors who feared it would cause the value of his work to decline that seems not to be the case a 2001 work him a jarringly realistic boy size hitler on his knees is expected to sell at a christies auction in may for between 10 million and 15 million which would break an auction record for mr cattelans work set in 2010 of almost 8 million
creating the toilet mr cattelan said gave him a way to get around the wall i had hit and he said coming out of retirement could give him more say in how his older work is exhibited
as for new work he said he has come up with only one other idea which he is keeping to himself with a smile and a shrug he said i have limited vision


san francisco   as volkswagen faced a court mandated deadline to reach an agreement with regulators on a plan to fix its polluting diesel cars last month one lawyer for the german automaker mentioned that he had probably never worked harder in his career
im optimistic that youll be able to break your record in the next month charles r breyer the federal judge presiding over the hearing in san francisco replied thats my goal
judge breyer who is overseeing the class action lawsuits brought by american car owners then gave volkswagen until april 21 to present a proposal as the first step in the litigation the company admitted in september to installing software on diesel vehicles to cheat on emissions tests but hundreds of thousands of its cars remain on american roads spewing excess pollution
if volkswagen does not present a plan that is approved by regulators by thursday it could conceivably face a trial before judge breyer this summer
hes put the hammer down and hes said i want to know what volkswagens answer is  said erik gordon a professor at the ross school of business at the university of michigan who studies federal multidistrict litigation the judge he added is not in the mood for stalling thats for sure
widely described by lawyers in california as fair pragmatic and creative the judge the younger brother of justice stephen g breyer holds sway over whether and how volkswagen fixes the cars and how vehicle owners will be compensated
judge breyer 74 who says he has no ambitions to be appointed to a higher court is presiding over complex litigation involving hundreds of thousands of car owners who want the company to fix their cars or buy them back as well as civil suits brought by car dealers and by the department of justice
it is a career highlight for someone who had long aspired to be center stage just not always in the courtroom
while his brother followed their father a longtime counsel to the san francisco school board into law judge breyer initially hoped to pursue a career in acting after graduating from harvard university with an economics degree he spent the summer auditioning including on broadway
i never got a callback he said wryly in an interview last week
instead he went to law school at the university of california berkeley and found that trial law was theatrics by another name
he cut his teeth as an assistant district attorney in san francisco often prosecuting homicide cases then in a forerunner to the watergate scandal burglars broke into a psychiatrists office in california in search of records that could damage daniel ellsberg who had leaked the pentagon papers and antagonized the nixon administration he prosecuted several nixon aides who became central figures in the watergate case for that break in
it was fascinating he recalled you did have a sense that you were engaged in a significant inquiry you had no sense whatsoever of whether you were going to be successful none
judge breyer later became a trial lawyer in san francisco with clients ranging from the american cigar company to the estate of elvis presley he remained mostly in private practice until bill clinton appointed him to the federal bench in 1997
he still has a passion for performance judge breyer has been known to quote shakespeare in his courtroom and like his brother he regularly draws chuckles in court
last month when a lawyer for volkswagen robert j giuffra jr mentioned that his son disliked the case because his father was never home judge breyer responded in a months time we will reintroduce you to your family they can all come to san francisco for an environmentally correct holiday
last year judge breyer presided over a long running case between hewlett packard and its shareholders over an acquisition the technology company filed several motions to seal already heavily redacted documents which he denied   with his own reasoning redacted
that was pretty breyerish said josh a cohen a former clerk for judge breyer who now works for the law firm clarence dyer  cohen in san francisco a settlement in the hewlett packard case was reached last year
judge breyer is just very very effective at cutting straight to the core of an issue and wading through the marginal peripheral atmospherics mr cohen said the judge he added likes to move things along quickly and naturally and toward a settlement if possible
as a senior district judge for the northern district of california judge breyer has presided over a long line of complex litigation that has often ended in settlements last year he approved settlements in a major class action case involving accusations of price fixing in the airline industry in another major case involving liability claims regarding two painkillers made by pfizer a settlement was announced in 2008
while he rarely gets automotive cases in 2014 judge breyer dismissed a complaint by shareholders of tesla motors claiming that the electric carmaker had made false statements about the fire risks of the car batteries in dismissing it judge breyer said he was at a total loss for understanding the basis for this lawsuit the case is being appealed
a multidistrict panel of judges assigned the volkswagen case to judge breyer in part because california has a higher number of affected cars than other states perhaps more important he is thoroughly familiar with the nuances of complex multidistrict litigation the panel stated
judge breyer known for his bow ties and a love of baseball declined to comment on the volkswagen case during the interview in his spacious 17th floor chambers which overlook downtown san francisco the office contains a host of figurines and knickknacks a wall of legal books and a small aquarium
asked whether his deadline of thursday would be met he replied simply i hope so
if it is not a summer trial could be an uncomfortably rapid timeline for volkswagen which is already under immense pressure to find an engineering fix for its cars   if one exists
jeannine ginivan a spokeswoman for the volkswagen group of america wrote in an email that the company is committed to resolving the us regulatory investigation as quickly as possible and to working to earn back the trust of its customers and dealers
many legal observers expect the case to eventually settle rather than go to trial
soon after he began presiding over the litigation judge breyer appointed the former fbi director and longtime lawyer robert s mueller iii to help the various sides come together
in his january order appointing him the judge said that mr mueller had the authority to schedule settlement discussions and to determine the location and other details of those talks mr mueller is providing regular progress reports to judge breyer
appointing mueller so early and putting him to work   it just shows you youve got a judge who has a plan said alan schulman a professor in residence at the university of san diego school of law hes going to move this case forward rather than let it languish in his court for a decade


sydney australia   prime minister malcolm turnbull said on tuesday that he would call for national elections to be held on july 2 meaning that he will test his popularity with the australian public just seven months after taking office
the announcement was not a surprise the conservative prime minister had previously said that he planned to call a so called double dissolution election under which all seats in both houses of parliament are open in most national elections all of the lower house but only half the senate is up for election
the result of the voting in july analysts said could be a more cooperative senate and a smoother path through parliament for mr turnbulls initiatives   assuming that he wins
a double dissolution election is about giving the people their say mr turnbull said on tuesday it is an occasion when the house and senate cant agree persistently and so then everyone goes to the polls and the australian people have their say
mr turnbulls governing coalition controls the house of representatives but minority parties and independent lawmakers hold the balance of power in the senate and working with the opposition labor party have sometimes blocked his initiatives in the senate the conservative coalition is six seats short of a majority
in a normal election most of those independent senators would not have had to face the voters this year but because they will   and because of recent changes to senate rules that make it harder for independents to gain seats   the voting in july could give mr turnbull a more compliant parliament if all goes his way
it is a decisive move said the political analyst david alexander from the canberra based lobbying firm barton deakin
without a double dissolution he faced another three years of a deeply hostile senate mr alexander said
but that assumes that he wins mr turnbull a wealthy former investment banker has slipped in the polls since ousting tony abbott his predecessor as prime minister and leader of the conservative liberal party in september
mr turnbull has been criticized for indecisiveness sometimes introducing proposals including tax overhaul and funding for schools and backing away from them
john wanna a professor of political science at the australian national university in canberra the capital said that the parties senior figures were roughly evenly matched as campaigners but that mr turnbull over a long campaign could prove a more charismatic communicator than the labor leader bill shorten
it was the senates resistance to mr turnbulls initiatives that gave him the power to call a double dissolution election the constitution allows for one if the senate consistently blocks legislation that has passed through the house of representatives on monday senators again rejected bills concerning the building and construction industry
malcolm turnbull is taking the bull by the horns and has gone ahead with it mr alexander said it illustrates the level of frustration with the crossbench and the prospect of another three years with a crossbench thwarting key legislation of the government
crossbenchers are independent senators who may vote for or against laws proposed by either major party
the election campaign is likely to be a long one by australian standards and it risks alienating voters who have tired of politics in a country that has had four prime ministers since 2010 three of whom have been deposed by their party voting is compulsory for australian citizens 18 or older


this year is off to a record breaking start for global temperatures
it has been the hottest year to date with january february and march each passing marks set in 2015 according to new data from the national oceanic and atmospheric administration
march was also the 11th consecutive month to set a record high for temperatures which agencies started tracking in the 1800s
with the release on tuesday of its global climate report noaa is the third independent agency   along with nasa and the japan meteorological association   to reach similar findings each using slightly different methods
the reports add a sense of urgency at the united nations where world diplomats are gathered this week to sign the climate accord reached late last year in paris when 195 nations committed to lower greenhouse gas emissions and to stave off the worst effects of climate change
since the initial agreement was reached other global anomalies have been reported that punctuate the threat of climate change including troubling trends on arctic sea ice floods drought and carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere
some of these   warm temperatures and heavy rains in particular   can be explained in part by this years el nino phenomenon which scientists predicted would release large amounts of heat from the pacific ocean into the atmosphere causing irregular weather patterns across the globe
but the effects of the current el nino have been exacerbated by global warming a result of emissions of greenhouse gases by humans said jessica blunden a climate scientist with noaa and lead author of the report
el nino is on its way out and ocean temperatures in the tropical pacific peaked in november said kevin trenberth a senior scientist at the national center for atmospheric research
but the heat the ocean had stored had to go somewhere its come out and been distributed around the world which helps explain record warm temperatures and wildfires in the southern hemisphere mr trenberth said
to get an idea of how much of the record heat is caused by el nino and how much by global warming dr blunden said that scientists at noaa compared this el nino to the last strong one in 1997 98 which was also record setting for its warmth this one has pushed past those records by raising global temperatures an additional 08 degree or so dr blunden said
the high temperatures in march probably signaled the last gasp of el nino and surface temperatures across the globe are likely to begin to fall this year often el ninos are followed by la nina storm systems which can usher in cooler periods dr blunden said
but after more than two record setting hot years   2014 and 2015 and an extremely warm few months in 2016   many of the devastating effects of the one two punch of global warming and el nino may be inescapable setting the world on a course for an extended period of rapid global warming after a period of relatively slow warming that began in 1998 and lasted for about a decade
dr blunden said that the arctic was seeing some of the most abnormal weather on earth with temperatures about 6 degrees warmer than the average over all these highs could lead to record melting of arctic sea ice this summer the ice cover is at its lowest since measurements began to be taken in the late 1970s
dr trenberth said that these conditions did not represent a new normal and that it was difficult to determine the long term consequences of this el nino on both global temperatures and arctic sea ice cover
he is not sure if 2016 will prove to be as warm as 2015   im betting its a tossup he said   but added that its not the record heat that comes as a shock
the magnitude of the jump is indeed surprising dr trenberth said
a central feature of the paris climate agreement was to hold the increase in the global average temperature to less than 2 degrees celsius 36 degrees fahrenheit warmer than preindustrial levels and to try to limit the increase to about 15 degrees celsius
as global temperatures are already nearing the 15 degree threshold and some months have been about 1 degree or more above average this goal might be difficult to achieve dr trenberth said
i dont see at all how were going to not go through the 15 degree number in the next decade or so dr trenberth added


london   a landmark roman arch that was destroyed by islamic state fighters in palmyra syria stood proudly once again on tuesday this time as a replica built from digital models that was installed in trafalgar square in london
to create the roughly 20 foot tall marble replica which weighs around 11 tons researchers built a 3 d computer model of the arch by compiling dozens of photographs taken by archaeologists and tourists in palmyra before the islamic state moved in robots in italy then used the computer model to carve the marble replica
mayor boris johnson of london unveiled the piece on tuesday as crowds gathered in the square and on the steps leading to the national gallery
syrias future depends on the conservation and protection of syrias past mr johnson said calling the islamic states actions in the middle east savage and nihilistic he said that the celebration was in solidarity with the people of syria and in defiance of the barbarians who destroyed the original arch
after the unveiling a trio of musicians played traditional mesopotamian music on replicas of ancient instruments
the replica arch was built as part of a project by the institute for digital archaeology a joint initiative that works with oxford harvard and the museum of the future in dubai the united arab emirates to draw attention to the destruction of cultural artifacts across the world and to rebuild some pieces
islamic state fighters who occupied palmyra for nearly a year beginning in may 2015 ransacked landmarks across the city a unesco world heritage site late last month the syrian army announced that it had recaptured the city from islamic state fighters
crews pieced together the replica arch on monday and it will be displayed in front of the national gallery through thursday it will appear in new york city in september and will also travel to dubai a spokeswoman for the archaeology institute said


it is hard to dispute that the best team in the nhl this season was the washington capitals they racked up 120 points 16 more than their nearest rival
not every elite regular season team in the nhl has steamrollered through the playoffs just two of the last 10 winners of the presidents trophy which goes to the team with the most points also won the stanley cup and several including the capitals in 2010 lost in the first round
but this years caps are unlikely to meet that fate they are crushing the flyers in round 1 so far going up three games to none on monday night in a contentious game
the capitals and the flyers are not big fans of each other and mondays game turned ugly a hard hit by the flyers ryan white that left brooks orpik dazed in the second period set the tone in the third period pierre edouard bellemare belted caps defenseman dmitry orlov headfirst into the boards bellemare was ejected and a brawl started with seven minutes left leading to more ejections
dozens of giveaway glow in the dark wristbands were hurled to the ice by angry fans stirred up by the fracas despite an admonishment from the public address announcer in philadelphia lou nolan more wristbands hit the ice when the caps went ahead 5 1 minutes later the flyers earned a penalty for the fans actions leading nolan to sarcastically say way to go
not every flyer was embarrassed though
the capitals have outscored the flyers 12 2 in the series a key has been power plays which have given the capitals eight goals and the flyers none
nothing much has gone right for philadelphia in game 2 jason chimera of washington tried to knock a long pass toward the goal so that the capitals could make a line change but the puck squeezed through philadelphia goalie steve masons pads instead
the caps this season were as usual led by alex ovechkin who led the league in goals for the fourth straight season with 50 evgeny kuznetsov had a breakthrough season at age 23 with 57 assists nicklas backstrom had 50 and leads all players in the playoffs with five and braden holtby was excellent in the net the team scored the second most goals in the league and gave up the second fewest
the capitals franchise dates to 1974 but the team has never won the stanley cup and made the finals only once when it was swept by the red wings in 1998
with an eye of the playoffs the team added some reliable veterans in the off season tj oshie and justin williams who is known as a playoff game 7 specialist the two have combined for five assists in the three playoff games
game 4 is wednesday in philadelphia bellemare had a hearing tuesday with nhls department of player safety about his hit on orlov and may be suspended
the flyers said that there were no plans to give away more wristbands wednesday
lets hope it isnt free puck night


manila   rodrigo duterte had the crowd with him the philippine presidential candidate was telling a recent rally about a prison riot in 1989 in the southern city where he is mayor and was mayor at the time
speaking with the cadences of a stand up comic he recalled how a 36 year old australian missionary was taken hostage raped and murdered and how he reacted when he saw her body
she looks like a beautiful american actress he said what a waste they lined up and raped her i was angry because she was raped thats one thing but she was so beautiful the mayor should have been first
the crowd erupted with laughter
it was the candidate in characteristic mode speaking bluntly and breaking the rules of politics and polite society but many others are not laughing
mr duterte who has advocated vigilante killings of suspected criminals boasted about his sexual conquests and insulted pope francis is the front runner in opinion polls among dozens of candidates to succeed president benigno s aquino iii
mr duterte who apologized on tuesday for his comment about rape is emphasizing his law and order views and positioning himself as a political outsider who is going to shake up the establishment
mr aquino has overseen nearly six years of strong economic growth and a good governance agenda that ratings agencies and international organizations say has made the philippines less corrupt than in decades
but the leading candidates before the voting on may 9 have put the fate of mr aquinos legacy in question analysts note that many voters have grown tired of what they perceive as an indecisive and ineffective administration on matters that directly affect peoples lives
the climate of voter dissatisfaction has buoyed candidates like mr duterte and ferdinand r marcos jr the leading candidate for vice president in the philippines the vice president is elected separately from the president and often the two are political opponents
mr marcoss father the countrys former dictator was accused of plundering billions from its coffers the son speaks nostalgically on the campaign trail of his fathers era when he says the philippines was more successful and orderly both he and mr duterte promise strong decisive leadership that some say sounds like a return to dictatorship according to richard heydarian a political science professor at de la salle university in manila
what is at stake here mr heydarian said isnt aquinos legacy only but the whole democratic system that supplanted the marcos dictatorship
critics of mr aquino note that ordinary people do not feel the benefit of a ratings upgrade or a steady growth in gross domestic product despite six years of relative prosperity thousands of filipinos still leave the country every month to work in often dangerous and degrading jobs in the middle east because they cannot find jobs at home workers who do have jobs at home often find themselves commuting four or five hours a day because of the crippling traffic in manila and other large cities
mr aquino has received accolades from the world bank and others for increasing tax collections but critics of his administration say the greater revenue has not translated into improved infrastructure
the countrys main commuter train in manila often breaks down forcing people to exit on dangerous elevated tracks and it has been known to catch fire while moving or have its doors fly open the countrys main airport where sections of the roof have fallen on passengers and which has been rated one of the worlds worst recently endured a nearly six hour power outage that left travelers sweltering in the dark because officials had failed to maintain backup generators
running a close second to mr duterte is grace poe a senator and the daughter of one of the countrys most popular movie stars who had to renounce her united states citizenship in order to seek office she has cast herself as a populist but also as a young fresh face in politics not tainted by scandal
jejomar binay the current vice president is another contender for more than a decade he was mayor of makati where many of the countrys major corporations are based and he is credited with bringing prosperity to the city but he has also been the subject of multiple corruption allegations that he says were fabricated by the aquino government which his pro business campaign habitually denigrates
mr aquinos handpicked successor the former interior secretary mar roxas is running on a platform of replicating the current administrations policies and he is trailing in the polls mr roxas is a graduate of the wharton school of the university of pennsylvania and worked as an investment banker in new york before returning to the philippines in 1993 he has served as trade secretary senator and congressman he is the grandson of the first president of the independent philippines manuel roxas but he is seen by some voters as disconnected from the countrys poor
among supporters of mr aquinos comparatively soft spoken approach to governance mr dutertes divisive statements have created the most alarm but one analyst noted that his comments are unreliable as indicators of what his policies as president would be
what you hear during the campaign shouldnt be take that seriously said ramon c casiple executive director of the institute for political and electoral reform based in manila these comments are designed to get votes
mr casiple said that although mr dutertes comments could be outrageous many of the policies he put in place in davao city where he is mayor had made it easier to do business there and had improved peoples lives the candidate has also engaged expert advisers and could be expected to do the same as president mr casiple said
all four of the leading candidates recognize the importance of the economic resurgence of the philippines and none of them have put forward proposals to dismantle the policies of the aquino administration that relate to governance and economy policy he said the candidates are also promising to do a better job of spreading economic benefits to the poor he said
i am confident no matter who is elected the basic economic policies will not be touched particularly those that have led to steady economic growth he said when it comes to those policies i dont think anyone wants to rock the boat
yet there remains widespread outrage over mr dutertes rape remark although it is not clear if his supporters will abandon him on election day many say the comment proved he was unfit for office
mayor duterte it is not ok to disrespect women said aurora javate de dios executive director of the women and gender institute at miriam college in quezon city even if they disagree with you it is not ok to violate a womans dignity whatever their situation in life is it is not ok to make jokes about rape victims you victimize them over and over with every joke you make about their tragedy


united states stocks closed mostly higher on tuesday led by gains in energy mining and financial companies
the dow jones industrial average and the standard  poors 500 stock index eked out small gains the tech heavy nasdaq composite index closed modestly lower reflecting a slump in technology stocks which were dragged down by netflix and ibm
the gains in energy and mining companies came as prices for oil copper and other basic materials rose
investors were focused mostly on the latest batch of corporate earnings reports and on what company managers had to say about their prospects for profits this year this week about 100 of the companies in the sp 500 are due to report quarterly results
the market is focused on where we are going to be three months from now five months from now said quincy krosby a market strategist at prudential financial its all about the guidance
the sp 500 gained 646 points or 03 percent to 210080 the nasdaq fell 1969 points or 04 percent to 494033
the dow rose 4944 points or 03 percent to 1805360
expectations for earnings over all are low this quarter but several companies delivered results that put investors in a buying mood on tuesday
johnson  johnson gained 16 percent after its first quarter earnings beat wall streets expectations higher sales of new prescription drugs and other medicines nearly offset a big hit from the strong dollar the stock added 175 to close at 11268
the health insurer unitedhealth group added 21 percent after it reported strong results for the first quarter and raised its guidance for the year the company also said it would cut back on participating in affordable care act health care exchanges in an effort to stem losses related to the program the stock rose 269 to 13050
goldman sachss latest results gave its shares a lift the investment banks earnings beat wall streets estimates even though its profit sank 56 percent from a year earlier the stock rose 363 or 23 percent to 16265
the railroad operator kansas city southern gained 46 percent after it posted larger than expected quarterly earnings the stock climbed 455 to 9602
some companies quarterly snapshots and outlooks failed to impress traders the streaming video company netflix slumped 13 percent a day after it offered a disappointing forecast for subscriber additions and reported first quarter revenue that fell short of financial analysts forecasts the stock lost 1406 closing at 9434
ibm delivered improved first quarter earnings thanks to a big tax refund but also had lower revenue from weak software sales the stock slid 853 or 56 percent to 144
illumina which makes genetic testing tools sank 232 percent after it predicted that sales in the first quarter would be far lower than analysts had expected its shares were down 4125 to 13688
beyond earnings the market pushed up prices for shares of mining and energy companies as the price of oil natural gas metals and other materials rose freeport mcmoran gained 99 cents or 9 percent to 1201 while newmont mining rose 145 or 49 percent to 3091
williams was among the energy and drilling services companies that got a lift it jumped 133 or 8 percent to 1801 and oneok climbed 223 or 69 percent to 3439 diamond offshore drilling rose 141 or 63 percent to 2376
benchmark united states crude rose 130 or 33 percent to settle at 4108 a barrel in new york brent crude the international benchmark gained 112 or 26 percent to 4403 a barrel in london natural gas jumped 15 cents or 76 percent to 209 per 1000 cubic feet
the german dax was up 23 percent while the cac 40 in france was up 13 percent the british ftse 100 was up 08 percent
in asia the japanese nikkei 225 rallied 37 percent after a sharp loss on monday the south korean kospi rose 01 percent while the hang seng index in hong kong gained 13 percent
in other energy trading wholesale gasoline rose about 4 cents or 3 percent to close at 148 a gallon heating oil added 2 cents or about 2 percent to close at 126 a gallon
precious and industrial metals futures ended sharply higher gold rose 1930 or 16 percent to 125430 an ounce silver gained 72 cents or 44 percent to 1697 an ounce and copper rose 6 cents or 28 percent to 222 a pound
in the bond markets the price of the 10 year united states treasury note fell by 4/32 to 9818/32 the yield rose to 179 percent from 177 percent
in currency markets the japanese yen resumed its slide with the dollar strengthening to 10913 yen from 10882 yen the euro rose to 11377 from 11314


brussels   around the world this city of great if often ramshackle charm has become exhibit a in the case against immigration particularly when it involves large numbers of muslims
donald j trump called the belgian capital a hellhole while lubomir zaoralek the foreign minister of the czech republic recently cited the city to explain why his and other eastern european countries had steadfastly resisted a plan by the european union to spread syrian and other muslim refugees around the continent under a quota system
all the people in the czech republic and in other countries see what happened in molenbeek he told a security conference in slovakia over the weekend referring to the brussels borough where many of those involved in the attacks in paris on nov 13 and in brussels on march 22 grew up
a closer look at what has happened in molenbeek and other heavily immigrant parts of brussels however provides a far more nuanced picture than just a generation of badly integrated young muslim immigrants running amok in some ways it debunks the view that islam is a one size fits all faith that fuels terrorism
it is true that all those so far identified in connection with the paris and brussels carnage were young muslims from immigrant families but a more significant marker than their faith was their shared origin in north africa especially morocco none was from brussels large community of turks who share the same religion and the same discrimination as well as other hardships that are often cited as a root cause of jihadist rage against the west
brussels first became a magnet for muslim immigrants in the 1960s when the belgian government eagerly invited workers from morocco and turkey to move to belgium to take jobs in factories and mines the two countries were regarded as generally pro western and full of poor and hard working people eager for jobs in europe unlike many developing nations that at the time were frothing with rage at european colonialism and racked by conflict
you wish to come and work in belgium we belgians are happy that you are coming to bring to our country the support of your strength and your intelligence read a message from the minister of labor posted at belgiums embassy and consulates in morocco in 1964 similar notices went up a year later in turkey
together belgians of moroccan and turkish origin today account for the vast majority of the capital citys muslim population and both groups are heir to a fairly relaxed form of islam that has none of the reactionary dogmatism of saudi arabia and some other arab states
so how was it that some moroccans became so angry alienated and in some cases radicalized there is a malaise within the community of moroccan origin the mayor of molenbeek francoise schepmans said dismissing arguments that terrorism is a byproduct of religious faith
left wing politicians and community leaders she said had missed and amplified the trouble brewing in molenbeek by treating young belgian moroccans as victims who had no chance of succeeding there is a strong sentiment of victimhood she said noting that turks have also endured discrimination but there is a force in their community
much of this force comes from the turkish state which controls many of the mosques attended by belgian turks and keeps a close eye on potentially wayward elements in the community through a well established network of local leaders and imams who are trained in turkey and then sent to belgium at the governments expense
at a turkish mosque in molenbeek run by diyanet turkeys state controlled religious affairs agency the imam who speaks only turkish expressed revulsion at the march attacks in brussels and said that he and his worshipers never tolerate extremist views he stressed that his congregants respect and follow the law
worshipers at a nearby moroccan mosque angrily shooed away reporters accusing them of fanning islamophobia and stigmatizing their neighborhood as a haven of jihadists
in contrast to belgiums turks the moroccan community is far more divided and resistant to authority in part because many of the early immigrants came from the rif a rebellious berber speaking region often at odds with the ruling monarchy in morocco when emigration to europe started the king was happy to get rid of these people said bachir mrabet a youth worker of moroccan descent in molenbeek
another source of anger in his community he added is that many turks often speak poor french and no dutch belgiums two main languages and cling to their turkish identity while most moroccans speak fluent french and aspire to be accepted fully as belgians this he said means that many moroccans feel discrimination more acutely and at least in the case of young men on the margins tend to view even minor slights as proof that the entire system is against them
philippe moureaux who served for two decades as molenbeeks mayor described this as the paradox of integration a less integrated turkish community has resisted the promise of redemption through jihad offered by radical zealots yet a moroccan community that is more at home in french speaking brussels has seen some of its young fall prey to recruiters like khalid zerkani a moroccan born petty criminal who became the islamic states point man in molenbeek
the turks suffer much less from an identity crisis mr moureaux said they are proud to be turks and are much less tempted by extremism
suspicion of and hostility toward authority particularly the police force run so deep among some north african immigrants in molenbeek that when the police mobilized in the area this month to prevent a group of anti immigrant right wing hooligans from staging a rally local youths mostly young men of moroccan descent began hurling abuse and objects at the police
molenbeek immigrants of turkish or other backgrounds generally have a less hostile view of the police a turkish shopkeeper who runs a general store near the police station said he feared not the police but aggressive north african youths who accuse him of being a bad muslim because he sells alcohol he noted that the youths steal which is also forbidden
emir kir the belgian turkish mayor of saint josse ten noode a heavily immigrant brussels borough that is worse off economically than molenbeek said the only turk he knew about who had tried to go to syria was a young man who had fallen in love with a girl of moroccan descent he got as far as istanbul before being sent back this was a love affair not an act of extremism he said


while we were worrying about banks that are too big to fail lest they endanger the rest of the financial system something similar may have happened with google
its not that should google fail the internet would vanish but as a story from mark scott shows the search giant does have powers that few seem able to replicate
marks story is about how the european unions so called right to be forgotten law has worked out in practice for almost two years european union citizens have been able to apply to have links to certain web search results taken down as over 90 percent of europes search market belongs to google this is primarily a law about what google can track and link the public to
so who is deciding the merits of applications to be forgotten more than anyone else google how do they decide whether the application is warranted google wont say
it appears to involve a team of 50 legal types in googles dublin offices who have granted fewer than half of 418000 requests   a percentage roughly consistent with the number granted in the laws first months less than 1 percent of the decisions are appealed to government regulators who usually side with google
european union officials appear to think google is acting fairly but that doesnt answer the question of why google should be policing itself the answer to that appears to be that no one else has the money and know how to effectively do the job
as the internet gets to be a bigger part of everyones lives it may increasingly be that only the biggest internet companies can do internet scale tasks google already appears to have the worlds largest commercial network of computers
to some extent its the same for amazon microsoft and facebook it would be interesting to see whether alibaba and baidu have more computational and data power than the chinese government
another reminder of this strange new power was mondays decision by the us supreme court to let stand a ruling that google could offer access to the millions of books it has digitized the authors guild which has been fighting google has maintained that the search giant is violating copyright protection in a commercial venture of making other peoples work searchable the courts however have held that providing access to information about a text is fair use not stealing
much the way it curates much of what happens on the internet google has spent years scanning books to create its searchable corpus for better or worse few people would want those things destroyed or made inaccessible the price we are paying however is a near essential private entity that has done things no government seems able to do


goldman sachs has been betting that it will again see around the next corner better than its competitors
as other large banks have been cutting back the trading and investing businesses that have long defined wall street goldman has fearlessly stuck to its guns
but after goldman on tuesday delivered the worst first quarter results of any major bank   the latest of many challenging quarters   the firm faced some tough questions about whether a raft of changes in regulations and financial markets might be making its focus on wall street businesses the wrong bet
when does goldman say the time has come for transformational change   that we must do something radically different because were getting nowhere the banking analyst richard x bove asked goldman executives on a conference call after the company announced its financial results for the first three months of the year
goldman has already taken several steps to recalibrate its mixture of businesses most significantly it has been looking at offering banking services to ordinary americans moving beyond its traditional business serving big companies
just this week goldman opened gs bank which offers online savings accounts and certificates of deposit a product of goldmans purchase last year of ge capital bank
none of the new businesses however have come close to outweighing the old revenues that goldman has lost
the first quarter financial results from all the big banks have underscored the challenges facing the financial industry as it grapples with volatile markets and a wide array of new regulations that raise the cost of doing business
goldman is in a particularly difficult situation it has again become a target during this election season with the democratic presidential candidate bernie sanders using the bank as a symbol of wall street greed
at the same time its reliance on trading and underwriting has made it more vulnerable than other big american banks to the new regulations and volatile markets on tuesday the bank reported the lowest first quarter profit and revenue since 2004 with declines across almost all of the banks major business lines
the firm earned 11 billion or 268 a share down 55 percent from the same period a year earlier analysts polled by thomson reuters had been expecting earnings of 245 a share some analysts said that including certain one time items goldman did worse than they expected
goldmans chief financial officer harvey schwartz defended the companys approach   and suggested that analysts not focus too much on one quarter particularly with the slide in the price of oil and the unstable outlook for interest rates
but mr schwartz also argued that the bank had been cutting employees and expenses to deal with the difficult environment
this has been   and i admit it - this has been a tough period mr schwartz said on tuesday but we have a long history of managing our business across the cycle
investors appeared to give goldman the benefit of the doubt on tuesday the banks stock ended the day up 23 percent but it is still down 25 percent from a high reached last summer and is far from the peaks reached before the financial crisis
goldman has developed a reputation for making smart moves ahead of its competitors after the financial crisis for instance when bond trading was hot goldman made cuts to its operation correctly anticipating that the good times would not last
more recently though goldman has been betting that there would be a revival in the fixed income markets where bonds are traded even as rivals have cut back
so far the situation in the fixed income markets has only grown worse for goldman in the latest quarter revenue from fixed income trading fell 48 percent from the same quarter a year earlier
the companys equities trading desks where stocks are traded have been a bright spot over the last year but revenue there also fell 58 percent in the first quarter
goldman has now bowed to the challenging environment later than most of its rivals by making significant cuts to its fixed income unit
goldman is also laying the groundwork to cut salaries and bonuses across the firm in 2016 the firm slashed the amount put aside for compensation and by 40 percent in the first quarter
mr schwartz hailed the banks success in cutting costs which has helped the bank remain profitable but lowering salaries could ultimately make it hard to continue competing for the smartest young recruits from top american colleges and graduate schools   perhaps the most frequently cited factor behind goldmans success
this week analysts and investors expressed an even more basic concern that the business lines where goldman is focused are likely to be much less profitable moving forward because of the array of new regulations phased in since the passage of the dodd frank financial overhaul legislation
have you considered the fact that there might not be any relief on the regulatory side in the context of your longer term strategy for the business steven chubak a bank analyst with nomura securities asked mr schwartz on tuesday
mike mayo an analyst at clsa put it even more bluntly you danced pretty well the last three to four years without revenue growth but it seems like youre getting to the end of what you can do
in response mr schwartz cautioned that the worst problems in the first quarter came in the first two months of the year and that the outlook had improved since then which could improve results in the rest of the year and he pointed to the moves to expand its retail business
still mr bove chastised goldman for not doing more
when do you get control of your destiny as opposed to sitting here for nine years letting the world control who you are and what youre doing he said on tuesday morning
i certainly wouldnt agree with your statement that were sitting here waiting for the world to do what it does mr schwartz countered
if we felt there was a client segment or a transaction we could do that would benefit our shareholders and we could deliver to those clients we would do it he added were open minded


ever since kate middleton was married in a gown festooned with lace from sophie hallette a traditional family run company in the north of france and amal clooney followed suit with her oscar de la renta confection the french lace industry has been having something of moment its on the runways   at brands like valentino dior and celine   and in the headlines
behind the scenes however a battle of sorts has been going on as desseilles and codentel two of the oldest lace companies in the french towns of caudry and calais squeezed by competition from asia and unable to comply with french labor laws declared bankruptcy this year
holesco the group that is the parent company of sophie hallette bid to acquire desseilles but late last month it lost out to the chinese company yongsheng holdings so when it came time to make an offer for codentel the group brought in backup
last week chanel which has made a sort of a sideline out of identifying and preserving classic french artisanship for the future took a minority stake in holesco and on monday the judge of the commercial court in boulogne sur mer named holesco the new owner of codentel the company guaranteed the jobs of all 36 employees and it will make a total strategic investment of 103 million euros or 116 million
it was a french solution to a french problem the need to protect our savoir faire romain lescroart president of sophie hallette said by phone from france mr lescroarts is the third generation of his family to run the lacemaker which was founded in 1887 and bought by his grandfather sophie hallette has 300 employees and annual revenues of EUR30 million and it supplies brands such as yves saint laurent dolce  gabbana la perla and ralph lauren
after the decision bruno pavlovsky president of chanels fashion activities said in a statement for chanel acquiring shares in the companys capital means the opportunity to accompany sophie hallette as it develops and perpetuates the lace industry in france the courts decision in favor of sophie hallette is positively inscribed in this approach
hallette will not be part of the chanel metiers dart program the group of small businesses such as the embroiderer lesage the milliner michel the maker of silk flowers guillet and the scottish cashmere house barrie they are fully owned by a chanel subsidiary called paraffection and the chanel designer karl lagerfeld holds a special show featuring their work once a year
mr lescroart characterized chanels investment as less than 25 percent of the company however the relationship with holesco is fully in line with chanels strategy of keeping local skill in place though the house tends to frame such investment as a selfless gesture it is not an entirely disinterested party indeed it is one of sophie hallettes top five clients
chanels statement said the goal of this collaboration is to preserve the historic lace sector the pride and rich heritage of the calais and caudry region it also intends to ensure that this exceptional expertise and the invaluable leavers these 200 year old machines that are key to creating extremely fine lace with its own certification dentelle de calais caudry(r) essential for the demands of haute couture and creative design remain in france
it also ensures of course that the chanel supply chain remains healthy and in france


media and entertainment companies want to help shape the next entertainment platform virtual reality
over the last several months companies including conde nast and vice media have delved into the technology as a new frontier for storytelling and a potential outlet for selling ads they have forged partnerships with companies that make virtual reality headsets and software makers that broadcast events in virtual reality and are trying to figure out how best to create virtual reality content
some media and entertainment companies are also starting to invest in virtual reality companies themselves
hbo was recently the lead investor in an addition to a funding round for otoy a los angeles based special effects start up otoy whose lightstage facial rendering technology used in films like the curious case of benjamin button has won an academy award has also gotten into virtual reality discovery communications and liberty media participated in the funding which raised as much as 37 million and was an extension of financing that took place in 2014 according to vc experts a venture capital research firm
not a single media company isnt thinking about what happens when the rectangle goes away said jules urbach 41 the founder of otoy referring to a future when videos are experienced in virtual reality rather than watched on screens everyone needs a strategy
otoy whose name is short for online toy lets people capture virtual reality video process it and then distribute it to viewers with its technology otoy also makes a virtual reality player that is free to download the company wants to become the open standard for virtual reality distribution
think of them as the cloud system similar to what pixar would use to create incredible graphics said matt miesnieks whose firm super ventures invests in virtual and augmented reality start ups otoy could eventually become a platform like an amazon web services for graphics he said
michael lombardo hbos president for programming said most video created for virtual reality currently leans toward marketing stunts or promotional opportunities but that could change when companies like otoy become more integrated into the process of creating programming
with the additional funding otoys valuation of more than 300 million did not change from 2014 according to vc experts which added that the start up had raised a total of 101 million
otoy founded in 2009 as a company whose software is used to make 3 d graphics declined to comment on financial details its previous investors include ari emanuel co chief executive of william morris endeavor and the enterprise software company autodesk
the investment in otoy is just one of several financing deals that media companies have participated in with virtual reality companies in september disney led a 65 million investment in jaunt a virtual reality camera maker that also has software for editing and distributing the video comcast and time warner participated in a 305 million funding round in november for nextvr which uses virtual reality to broadcast live events in january legendary entertainment invested an undisclosed amount in 3blackdot a social media platform for virtual reality
of the 133 virtual and augmented reality investments made in 2015 media companies participated in six according to the venture capital research firm cb insights
other media companies are diving into virtual reality in other ways vice worked with the director chris milk to create a virtual reality journalism project about protests in new york and a refugee camp in jordan conde nast is developing a virtual reality series about a dynastic family with a special gene that gives them the power to become invisible the new york times company has created short documentary content in virtual reality and worked with google to distribute its vr device google cardboard to subscribers
discovery communications introduced a service last august called discovery vr which is available via apple and android apps as well as through other outlets discovery vr has more than 75 virtual reality experiences about such topics as sharks gold mining and surfing the app has been downloaded nearly 600000 times and has been viewed more than 23 million times according to the company
suzanne kolb executive vice president of discovery digital networks said the deal with otoy should give discovery a front row seat to new technological developments and ways to tell stories it is an evolving space she said


jerusalem   an israeli court convicted a 31 year old man on tuesday of abducting and murdering a palestinian teenager in 2014 rejecting his late hour insanity plea and bringing to a close a case that has convulsed israelis and palestinians
the jerusalem district court ruled that the man yosef haim ben david had been fully responsible for his actions when he and two teenage nephews snatched muhammad abu khdeir 16 off a street near his east jerusalem home drove him to a forest on the outskirts of the city choked him beat him unconscious and burned him to death in the early hours of july 2 2014
mr ben david told investigators during a recorded re enactment of the crime that he had urged his young relatives who struggled with their captive in the back of the car to finish him off prosecutors are demanding a life sentence
one of the teenage defendants was sentenced in february to life in prison and the other to 21 years after the judges determined that he had played a lesser role in the murder their names have not been made public because they were 16 at the time of the crime
the murder took place at a particularly traumatic period in israels recent history   a few hours after israelis buried three teenagers who had been hitchhiking home from their yeshivas in the occupied west bank when they were abducted shot and killed by palestinians their bodies were found in a shallow grave on a west bank hillside after a wrenching 18 day search
the israeli authorities determined that mr ben david and his nephews intended to carry out a revenge attack leading to muhammads death the kidnappings and killings roiled israeli and palestinian emotions touched off riots in east jerusalem and contributed to a spiral of tensions and violence culminating in the 50 day gaza war that ended in august 2014
hussein abu khdeir muhammads father who has closely followed the trial attended dozens of court hearings and accused mr ben david of having faked an act of insanity said he mistrusted the israeli justice system because it judges arabs one way and jews another
after the ruling on tuesday mr abu khdeir said he wanted justice all the way meaning a life sentence no prospect of a presidential pardon and the demolition of mr ben davids family home exactly like they do to arabs so that there is democracy
we are tired of this he added dont ask how we feel for the past year and nine months we havent gone to parties my cousin got married two weeks ago and we didnt go we cant go
waves of violence have shaken jerusalem in the years since muhammads death tensions over a contested holy site revered by jews as the temple mount and muslims as the al aqsa mosque compound reignited rioting in palestinian neighborhoods of east jerusalem and contributed to a surge of stabbing and vehicular attacks by palestinians against israelis that spread from jerusalem to the west bank and cities around israel over the past six months on monday more than 20 people were wounded when a bomb exploded on a bus in jerusalem   the first bus bombing in years
mr ben david a resident of a west bank settlement who ran a glasses store in jerusalem did not testify during his trial asher ohayon the public defender representing him said during the trial that his client was in a state of denial and unable to remember his actions or to communicate
mr ben david who had received psychiatric treatment in the past including for obsessive compulsive disorder submitted a late opinion by an american psychiatrist after the main court proceedings were over the psychiatrist told the court that while mr ben david understood what he was doing at the time of the crime the manic and psychotic symptoms he displayed in the past might have affected his ability to control his actions
the prosecution argued that mr ben david had worked up until the time of the killing including that evening and had acted normally and rationally during and after the episode he made sure to destroy evidence of his crime   showing that he understood that his actions were unacceptable   and later gave a coherent account of the events of that night during the re enactment prosecutors said
a government appointed israeli psychiatrist found that mr ben david was aware of his actions and was not psychotic at the time of the crime and the court agreed
in addition to murder the court convicted mr ben david of abduction for the purpose of murder assault attempted arson and attempted kidnapping mr ben david and one of his nephews had tried to kidnap an 8 year old palestinian boy in the same area of east jerusalem the night before muhammad was killed but the boys mother shouted and struggled with the kidnappers and the boy got away
the acts the accused carried out are of the cruelest imaginable a state prosecutor uri korb said after the ruling he burned the victim while he was alive all motivated by crazed revenge
the jerusalem district court also convicted on tuesday an israeli man yishai schlissel of premeditated murder and six counts of attempted murder for his deadly stabbing rampage at the citys gay pride parade in july when he killed shira banki a 16 year old jewish girl mr schlissel an ultra orthodox jew was released from prison shortly before the march after having served 10 years for stabbing participants in the gay pride parade in 2005


are liberals impairing our ability to combat climate change
that may sound like a strange question particularly to readers of the new york times today conservatives are the ones decidedly blocking any effort by the united states to curb its emissions of greenhouse gases
and yet even as progressive environmentalists wring their hands at the gops climate change denial there are biases on the left that stray just as far from the scientific consensus
the left is turning anti science marc andreessen the creator of netscape who as a venture capitalist has become one of the most prominent thinkers of silicon valley told me not long ago
he was reflecting broadly about science and technology his concerns ranged from liberals fear of genetically modified organisms to their mistrust of technologys displacement of workers in some industries san francisco is an interesting case he noted the left has become reactionary
still liberal biases may be most dangerous in the context of climate change the most significant scientific and technological challenge of our time for starters they stand against the only technology with an established track record of generating electricity at scale while emitting virtually no greenhouse gases nuclear power
only 35 percent of democrats compared with 60 percent of republicans favor building more nuclear power plants according to a poll by the pew research center
it is the gop that is closer to the scientific consensus according to a separate pew poll of members of the american association for the advancement of science 65 percent of scientists want more nuclear power too
ted cruzs argument that climate change is a hoax to justify a government takeover of the world is absurd but bernie sanderss argument that toxic waste byproducts of nuclear plants are not worth the risks of the technologys benefit might also be damaging
highlighting the lefts biases may seem like a pointless effort to apportion equal blame along ideological lines but it is critical to understand how they have come into being it suggests how difficult it will be to overcome our scientific and technological taboos
research suggests that better scientific knowledge will not be sufficient on its own to overcome our biases neither will it be mostly about improving education in stem fields to defeat our scientific phobias and taboos will require understanding how the findings of science and their consequences fit into the cultural makeup of both liberals and conservatives
joel mokyr at northwestern university an expert on the history of science and technology notes that the ease with which people accept scientific knowledge depends on how straightforward the proof is
einsteins theory of relativity was readily accepted despite the fact that few people understood it because there were a couple of experimental results no other theory could explain natural selection is trickier
it is awfully hard to find a smoking gun to prove evolution professor mokyr told me this is by definition because the process is so slow
the evolution of scientific knowledge is messy too it does not neatly converge on truth along a smooth line but rather jumps around as new knowledge disproves old certainties scientists understanding of the speed intensity and implications of climate change is substantially different from what it was only a couple of decades ago
but perhaps the most important snag to the diffusion of scientific knowledge is motivation the average american has little at stake riding on whether the general theory of relativity is right or not evolution by contrast is a body blow to evangelical christians worldview
only 48 percent of respondents agree with the proposition that humans evolved from other beings according to the general social survey a broad survey of american attitudes and beliefs but when the question is prefaced with the qualifier according to the theory of evolution agreement with the proposition rises to 72 percent
responses arent necessarily driven by ignorance where there is a sacred value that empirical science contradicts science will have trouble making headway notes jonathan haidt a social psychologist at the stern school of business at new york university
and the value doesnt even have to be sacred
a few years back dan kahan of yale law school hank jenkins smith of the university of oklahoma and donald braman of george washington university law school performed experiments testing how values affected peoples agreement with scientists about climate change the disposal of nuclear waste and allowing concealed possession of handguns
the problem it seems is not that members of the public are unexposed or indifferent to what scientists say they concluded they disagree about what scientists are telling them
people identified as more egalitarian and more open to government interventions to address social ills   the left as it were   were much more likely to say that most scientists agree global warming is happening and that it is caused by human activity most also said scientists either disagreed or were divided on the safety of storing nuclear waste
on the right people identified as individualistic and wary of big government responded differently in their view the scientific consensus said the opposite how could they think that they manufactured the expert consensus they wanted by defining as experts only those who agreed with their ideological position
it is not hard to figure out the biases people on the right tend to like private businesses which they see as productive job creators they mistrust government its not surprising they will play down climate change when it seems to imply a package of policies that curb the actions of the former and give a bigger role to the latter
on the left by contrast people tend to mistrust corporations   especially big ones   as corrupt and destructive these are the institutions bringing us both nuclear power and genetically modified agriculture
when science is aligned with big corporations the left immediately intuitively perceives the technology as not benefiting the greater good but only benefiting the corporation said matthew nisbet an expert on the communication of science at northeastern university
so when assessing the risks of different technological options the left finds the risk of nuclear energy looming the highest regardless of contrary evidence
this doesnt affect only beliefs about climate change and energy policy the research identified similar distortions in peoples beliefs about the scientific consensus on the consequences of allowing concealed handguns biases also color beliefs in what science says and means across a range of other issues
in the context of climate change this heuristic presents an odd problem it suggests that attitudes about climate change have little to do with education and peoples understanding of science
fixing it wont require just better science eliminating the roadblocks against taking substantive action against climate change may require somehow dissociating the scientific facts from deeply rooted preferences about the world we want to live in on both sides of the ideological divide


taxpayers will file for 20 billion in tax credits for college expenses they paid in 2015 but while those who get them will no doubt be happy new evidence shows they have no effect on encouraging people to attend college
the federal government provides over 30 billion annually in tax benefits for college in addition to the two tax credits   the american opportunity tax credit and the lifetime learning credit   benefits include a deduction for interest paid on student loans a recently defunct deduction for tuition expenses and the 529 and coverdell tax advantaged savings accounts
that is a lot of money its about half of what the federal government spends on elementary and secondary education and two thirds of what it spends on pell grants which subsidize costs for low income college students
the tax benefits were created to get more people into and through college but researchers at stanford and the university of california santa cruz have now shown that the largest tax benefit the tax credits have no effect on increasing education
the economists george bulman and caroline hoxby scoured hundred of millions of tax returns searching for an effect of the tax credits and tuition deduction they inspected detailed individual level administrative data from the irs the irs has developed secure mechanisms that allow these data to be analyzed without compromising the privacy of taxpayers
these tax data have already generated a series of high profile studies including two that exposed enormous variation across the united states in life spans and intergenerational income mobility
dozens of data sets including the irs data show that college enrollment rises with income if the tax credits help to increase college attendance we should see this positive relationship between income and college attendance weaken where the tax credits phase out
the tax credits phase out within certain income ranges with their value dropping with each additional dollar of income the american opportunity tax credit is worth up to 2500 per student but above an adjusted gross income of 160000 for a married couple the credit drops steadily until it reaches zero at 180000
the intuition is that in the phaseout region rising income is offset by the decreasing credit blunting the positive correlation between income and attendance statistical analysts call this method regression kink design because it relies on a change in the relationship between two variables
mr bulman and ms hoxby found the predicted relationship between adjusted gross income and the receipt of tax credits in the phaseout region credits drop as income rises but they found no corresponding relationship between income and college attendance college attendance rises unabated with adjusted gross income with no change when the credits phase out
why no effect one explanation is that the credits primarily go to middle  and upper income families whose decision on whether to send their children to college is unlikely to be affected by 2500 another compatible explanation is that the credits are delivered too late to affect enrollment families get them after tuition is due a family that pays tuition in september wont get a tax credit until at least the following january at that point the credit is a nice windfall but has arrived too late to help pay the bursar
the complexity of the tax benefits also most likely undermines their effect i discuss this in greater detail in a recent paper i wrote with judith scott clayton which provides a comprehensive overview of the tax benefits for education
if the billions spent on the tax credits are to have any effect on college attendance you would want them delivered when tuition bills are due one proposal suggested by ms hoxby and mr bulman is to compute eligibility for the credits automatically using income tax information when a dependent approaches college age families could then be notified of their eligibility the authors also suggest that colleges file to receive the benefits directly from the department of education so that a student need only present evidence of eligibility to have an account credited immediately
an even more comprehensive approach would be to consolidate the tax credits with the pell grant creating a single grant program that pays college costs at the time of enrollment eligibility could automatically be calculated using tax data with money delivered by the department of education families could apply by checking off a box on their tax forms
this approach would cut back substantially on paperwork a relief for the millions of students who complete both the 1040 and the dreaded free application for federal student aid in order to get federal grants loans and tax credits for college with a simplified application and dollars delivered at the right time the 30 billion now spent on tax credits could open college to many more students


london   banca popolare di vicenza said on tuesday that it had set a price range for its initial public offering in which the italian lender hopes to raise as much as 18 billion euros or about 2 billion
the bank is seeking to sell shares by early may to meet capital requirements set by the european central bank
in a news release banca popolare di vicenza said the price range for its offering was EUR010 to EUR3 a share
founded in vicenza in 1866 the lender has total assets of EUR40 billion and employs 5500 people through a network of 627 branches and other locations it posted a loss of EUR14 billion in 2015
unicredit italys largest lender is acting as the sole underwriter on the offering and had agreed to buy a big chunk of banca popolare di vicenzas shares if they went unsold
the guarantee to buy up to EUR15 billion of unsold shares had worried some unicredit shareholders as investor interest in italian banks soured over concerns about bad loans in recent weeks
on monday unicredit said fondo atlante a new fund set up to assist troubled italian lenders would guarantee unicredits commitment and buy any unsold shares up to EUR15 billion


maggie haberman a new york times political correspondent has devoted her journalistic career to two irresistible subjects politics and new york city at age 7 she had her first byline in the daily news it has now appeared in all three new york dailies
a native of the upper west side who lives in the crown heights section of brooklyn she has covered 10 election cycles from mayoral contests to presidential campaigns including the 2016 race which turns to new york on tuesday for its primary join us for live primary updates
hello from crown heights where the trees are finally green enough to canopy over eastern parkway and where the new york primary has officially arrived
donald j trump and hillary clinton are the heavy favorites to win in their home state where both have been known presences for many years but there are some tantalizing subplots that could help direct the remaining acts of this political theater
voting began at 6 am in parts of the state and lasts until 9 pm everywhere some things to watch for
its a recurring question in new york though the answer has been mostly yes since 2009 when the state switched to optimum scan machines
still on a day with two competitive primaries a recent rarity in the state there will be a particular focus on whether people are able to cast ballots without disruption
in 2008 the turnout in the state democratic primary was at a high with more than 189 million people voting for either mrs clinton then a senator from new york or her rival barack obama then a senator from illinois
and more than 670000 republicans voted in a primary that by then was clearly leaning toward senator john mccain of arizona the new yorker in the race rudolph w giuliani had dropped out long before then
the likelihood of the democratic turnout reaching the 2008 level is slim but the republicans could certainly exceed their 2008 numbers given the enthusiasm that mr trump has set off in pockets of the state including staten island
large sections of heavily african american areas in the city particularly in brooklyn propelled mr obama to victory in 2008 the votes were a shift not just away from mrs clinton but also within the black power structure of a city where harlem had long been the epicenter
representative hakeem jeffries a democrat from central brooklyn was a key obama backer in 2008 he now supports mrs clinton with gusto and black voters have bolstered mrs clintons campaign in a series of midwestern contests with large urban centers as well as in the south
senator bernie sanders of vermont mrs clintons rival spoke derisively during their debate in brooklyn last week of her previous wins in the south comments in which voters could hear a thinly veiled jab at primaries with lots of black voters
but mrs clinton has struggled to energize her supporters in the state as younger voters college students and disaffected working class white voters have turned toward mr sanders she will need a large black vote to buoy her here once again however most of the democratic primary vote comes from the city and southern portions of the state
mr trump heads into tuesdays vote with a double digit lead in the polls the chances of his not winning new york are remote to say the least
but mr trumps rivals gov john kasich of ohio and senator ted cruz of texas are trying as hard as possible to keep his share of the vote below 50 percent in the state to limit the number of delegates he can accrue
the geography of victory for mr trump who barely campaigned in new york city is also significant can he capture congressional districts in manhattan where republicans are far from plentiful and are aligned more with say george pataki the former governor than with mr trump if he can it suggests that he may still be able to increase his support in the coming months if he tightens his message and becomes more disciplined
other questions can mr kasich capture the suburbs north of new york city where his message should play best and did mr cruz repair any of the damage from his criticisms this year of new york values or are northern parts of the state with heavier evangelical bases less troubled by that particular salvo
mr sanderss message is very close to that of zephyr teachout who ran an insurgent campaign against the sitting governor andrew m cuomo in the democratic primary in 2014
ms teachout did not come close to winning but she exceeded expectations performing particularly well in the hudson valley region north of new york city
mr sanders in theory should be able to do similarly well if he does not it will raise questions once again about the durability of his campaign
no no no no said omarosa manigault perhaps the most famous former apprentice hopeful who is now an almost full time advocate and friend of donald on cable television shows
she was standing near him in the lower lobby of trump tower on monday afternoon talking to members of the trump diversity coalition a group formed by mr trumps longtime counselor michael cohen to in part rebut claims that the candidate is racially insensitive two of the members were trying to wedge between the tables separating mr trump from the group ms manigault put a stop to it
mr trump was grateful for the support you look at the other folks running they couldnt care less about new york we care about new york a lot mr trump said
it was part of a busy day for the candidates as they held their final campaign events before the primary
several hours later mr sanders held a rally at the open field at hunters point south park in long island city queens
you all look beautiful mr sanders his voice hoarse at times called out to the hundreds of people who attended he drew 28000 people in prospect park in brooklyn on sunday
the montage was indeed beautiful with state and american flags adorning the stage attendees lounged as the gauzy strains of the simon and garfunkel hit america played on the sound system before mr sanders arrived children played tag with an adult a little girl turned cartwheels but the park was not close to full by 8 pm
no matter mr sanders spoke to the crowd with his trademark conviction people are standing up and saying sorry the big money interests will not continue to dominate american politics 
only the new york residents mr trump and mrs clinton will hang around the state on tuesday both will vote most likely with reporters in tow and then will hold election night parties mr trumps will be at trump tower while mrs clintons will be at the sheraton new york


bowling green ky   hurry up the online posting said spot admissions to western kentucky university scholarships of up to 17000 were available it added letter in one day the offer by a college recruiter based in india was part of a campaign so enticing that more than 300 students swiftly applied to a college that many had probably never heard of
more than 8000 miles away at western kentucky professors were taken by surprise when they learned last fall of the aggressive recruitment effort sponsored by their international enrollment office word began to spread here on campus that a potential flood of graduate students would arrive in the spring 2016 semester
the problem   or one of them   was that many of the students did not meet the universitys standards faculty members said and administrators acknowledged
western kentuckys deal with the recruiting company global tree overseas education consultants is a type of arrangement that is becoming more common as a thriving international educational consultancy industry casts a wide net in india and other countries luring international students to united states colleges struggling to fill seats the university agreed to pay global tree a commission of 15 percent of the first years tuition of students who enrolled or about 2000 per student
but as colleges increasingly rely on these international recruiters educators worry that students may be victimized by high pressure sales tactics and that universities are trading away academic standards by recruiting less qualified students who pay higher tuition
there are some incentives for not delivering complete clunkers but the underlying motivation for both the university and the agent is to get warm bodies in the door said philip g altbach the founding director of the center for international higher education at boston college
at western kentucky 106 of 132 students admitted through the recruitment effort scored below the universitys requirement on an english skills test according to a resolution adopted last fall by the graduate faculty council which raised questions about the program the vast majority either didnt have any scores or there wasnt documentation of their language skills said barbara burch a faculty member of the universitys board of regents
the university senate and the student government association also expressed concerns it is ethically wrong to bring students to the university and let them believe they can be successful when we have nothing in place to make sure theyre successful the student association president jay todd richey said
with about 1400 international students and a little more than 20000 students over all western kentucky the states third largest public university has been at the forefront of efforts by universities across the country to increase foreign enrollment its slogan is a leading american university with international reach
administrators say the india pilot project as the recruitment effort is known here is an experiment to increase enrollment and to diversify the international student body and fits in with a previously announced plan to double international enrollment
they also say the students   57 of whom enrolled in january   were admitted conditionally and have been placed in remedial classes to help them adjust
international is good but its not always easy gary ransdell the universitys president said in an interview it cant be business as usual were learning that there are growing pains
global trees director subhakar alapati also acknowledged that the program had glitches saying in a telephone interview a problem with the students has arisen because the education system in india is more theoretical than practical
dr ransdell said the university had decided to recruit international students years ago to expose local students to global cultures but recently he said the effort has become more of an economic necessity partly because of drastic state funding cuts for higher education   a pattern seen across the country
to combat these cuts colleges began to look at foreign students who pay full tuition as their financial salvation and although federal law prohibits them from using recruiters in the united states who are paid based on the number of students they enroll the law does not ban the use of such recruiters abroad
concerned about the potential for recruiting abuses the national association for college admission counseling or nacac put out a draft policy in 2011 imposing a similar ban abroad
the use of agents who are compensated in the form of bonus commission or other incentive payment on the basis of the number of students recruited or enrolled creates an environment in which misrepresentation and conflicts of interests are unavoidable the draft said
but the organization never imposed the policy because of pressure from its members since that decision in 2013 the use of international recruiters has increased said eddie west the director of international initiatives for the organization anecdotally and through surveys we can tell theres been an uptick in that type of recruitment mr west said
a major criticism of the recruiters is that their sales tactics can pressure students by creating a sense of urgency
other international recruiting companies are also offering so called spot admission or spot assessment to a variety of united states universities one is study metro in bangalore india which posted notices on facebook offering quick admission seemingly to the university of oklahoma along with fast turnarounds on a document called the i 20 required to obtain a visa
dear students study metro invites you with open arms to make avail of the spot admission and i20 program on 31st jan 2016 it adds dont miss the opportunity to fulfill your aspiring dream of studying in usa call now for free registration first comes first served
abhishek bajaj the managing director of study metro said his companys reference to the university of oklahoma was an error its client he said is the university of central oklahoma
he defended the urgent tone of the posting saying that university representatives were in his office that day the urgency is to tell them this is a golden opportunity to meet mr bajaj said
global tree the company working with western kentucky also recently offered on facebook spot assessment to world top purdue university with a notice saying low scores dont worry the smaller print reveals that the ad is for purdue university calumet in hammond ind about 100 miles from the flagship campus in west lafayette
after being notified about the facebook posting a spokesman for purdue calumet said the university was reviewing its relationship with global tree calling the message unfortunate and disconcerting
we do not lower the requirements for our international students the spokesman wes lukoshus said
global trees director mr alapati said in the telephone interview that purdue calumet had approved its marketing materials in advance
recruiting students who are not qualified or encouraging students to attend campuses that are not the right fit could undermine the perceived value of being educated in the united states said dale gough the international education services director for the american association of collegiate registrars and admissions officers
the families are going to pay to have their students flown here but theyre going to flunk out because they dont have the academic preparation and then go home mr gough said thats not good
the state department and its program educationusa which promotes international study in the united states also because of potential conflicts prohibit arrangements with recruiters paid based on student enrollment as it explains in a statement on the educationusa website
mr alapati said that global tree had dealt with western kentucky for years but that the recent india project was the first time the university had sent its own employees on site in india doing evaluations on the spot the idea of spot admission was to eliminate long waiting times he said
he recently visited western kentuckys computer science department where most of the students enrolled a professor told him that the students knowledge was below that of second year undergraduates the dean said the department is going to give extra help mr alapati said
eric s reed the interim dean of the graduate school said that nearly all the conditionally admitted students were required to take language remediation classes and that some were required to take deficiency classes to teach them a necessary skill
in addition to recruiting international students western kentucky has promoted programs for studying abroad received federal money for a chinese language flagship program and become host to a confucius institute financed by hanban a chinese government agency
one of the newer buildings on campus is the honors collegeinternational center a three story 22 million structure that houses the universitys 17 member international staff
a large bronze globe dominates the atrium style lobby underneath the globe the woodwork is etched with the phrase gateway to the world
the university is always striving to diversify our international population said raza tiwana the schools chief international officer who first arrived on campus as a student from pakistan
james gary the computer science chairman said his department had approved the students admitted this spring
from my perspective it has not been a disaster dr gary said but he acknowledged concerns about whether some of them can be successful
we really wont be able to tell anything about that until the end of the semester he said


dummies the candidate shouted at black protesters after they interrupted his speech in brooklyn
you stand between us and the murderers and the rapists and the assaulters he told members of new yorks largest police union at another point after it endorsed him
the candidate was not donald j trump it was edward i koch   a democrat not a republican and at the time he was a candidate for mayor not president but as the tumultuous republican race came to new york ahead of its presidential primaries on tuesday mr trumps pugnacious style and often divisive messages brought back memories of the politician who in his day similarly personified new york citys sometimes assertive sometimes obstreperous id
hectoring his hecklers clamoring for affirmation from his crowds and playing on the resentments of white working class voters mr trump has impressed millions of republicans who see him as refreshingly uninhibited   an unfamiliar quality in a national politician
but to new yorkers old enough to remember mr trump is not merely familiar he is a throwback to the era that delivered mr koch who led the crime ravaged financially beleaguered city through 12 turbulent years in the 1970s and 80s
were now talking about 2016 and trump is like a cartoon character out of the most reactionary white view of new york of that era said ken sunshine the former chief of staff to david n dinkins whose 1989 election as the citys first black mayor sent mr koch into retirement mr koch died in 2013
the echoes can be striking send him home to mommy mr trump bellowed when a protester interrupted him on saturday in syracuse the next day on staten island he dismissed a demonstrator as a professional agitator then told a group of retired police officers who had endorsed him that you dont get the kind of acclaim or respect that you should be getting
on monday afternoon mr trump surrounded himself with black and muslim supporters at trump tower to deflect continued accusations of racial insensitivity it was similar to the way mr koch sought to brandish endorsements from black leaders to insulate himself from the outcry over his decision to close a city hospital in harlem in 1980 one of the rare decisions that he later said he regretted
still the nightstick to the knees brand of urban politics famously parodied in tom wolfes 1987 novel the bonfire of the vanities is sharply at odds with what most republicans believe is needed to win a general election in an increasingly diverse country
former koch aides also bristled at the comparison mr koch they said may have been a reformed liberal as mayor but he was a liberal with a long record of public service
the similarity is that they are both loudmouthed new yorkers who insult people but otherwise they are not that similar said jerry skurnik who said he was the first paid employee on mr kochs 1977 campaign for mayor
mr koch was once faulted for calling some community advocates poverty pimps after they were accused of abusing public funding yet he also ably brought leading black officials including state senator h carl mccall to his side
mr trump is far more blunt he has called for barring muslims from entering the country and has described some mexican immigrants as rapists in an era in which such language has largely been drummed out of the political discourse even his more subtle invocations of race can land jarringly such as when he said during a protest at one of his rallies that the country has a terrible president who happens to be african american
in fact when mr trump now refers to the hispanics the blacks or the evangelicals it is as if he is reviving a dead language
such language was very much the vernacular during his political upbringing new york in the 1970s was symbolized in popular culture by archie bunker graffiti laden subways and the warriors the cult film about rampaging gangs political campaigns at the time were largely tribal citywide candidates often tried to win over a coalition of so called white ethnic voters who identified with the three is   ireland israel and italy
the rev al sharpton who largely made his name as an opponent to mr koch said mr trump was using scare tactics to capitalize on white economic anxieties the way mr koch did after the citys near bankruptcy in the 1970s
mr sharpton said that mr trump in many ways nationalized this whole exploiting of fears and anxiety among people that koch did in the late 70s in new york successfully
mr trump points to immigrants as a threat to security whether it be terrorism crime or losses of american jobs mr koch in the view of his detractors exploited fears of black on white crime such as when he spoke up in defense of the vigilante bernhard h goetz who shot four black teenagers two of them in the back when they accosted him on a subway in 1984
mr kochs stylistic influence is manifest in mr trumps presidential bid
mr koch liked to say he did not get ulcers he gave them mr trump boasts that when he is hit he hits back 10 times harder
when mr trump drew comparisons to adolf hitler for asking voters to raise their right hands and pledge him their support mr skurnik pointed out on twitter that mr koch did this all the time
and while mr trump begins his rallies by trumpeting his poll numbers it was mr koch who all but trademarked his needy catchphrase howm i doing   delivered with a smile
most striking is the approach to news coverage trump saw how the loudest voices got the cameras and became political players said william t cunningham a veteran democratic operative
it was most likely a lesson he learned from the former mayor
i decided early on you have to get the attention of the public youve got to get them to follow you mr koch said in koch neil barskys 2012 documentary and you can only do that by being bigger than life its theatrics everybody has a role
mr koch was more than a political forebear of mr trumps he even had a hand in his ascension to pre eminence in manhattan real estate
reviving the city from its fiscal hole mr koch handed out lucrative tax cuts to developers including one that mr trump used to turn the shuttered commodore hotel into what became the grand hyatt on east 42nd street   a crucial step in the rise of the trump brand
even so the mayor and the developer did not remain allies after mr trump rebuilt the decrepit ice skating rink in central park long a symbol of government inefficiency mr koch felt shown up his former aides said the two soon clashed over another project and before long the mayor was making mr trump a frequent target for his abuse
mr kochs ridicule of mr trump   he memorably called him greedy greedy greedy and piggy piggy piggy   might sound familiar to those on the receiving end of mr trumps mockery in this campaign
if mr trump was squealing like a stuck pig as the former mayor said at one point i must have done something right


anheuser busch inbev said on tuesday that it had accepted an offer by asahi group holdings of japan to buy the beer brands peroni and grolsch as well as certain european operations of sabmiller for 255 billion euros or about 29 billion
the companies first announced that asahi had made a binding offer for the brands in february
it is part of a push by anheuser busch inbev to sell some assets as it seeks to ease regulatory concerns about its over 100 billion merger with sabmiller which owns the peroni and grolsch brands the combination of sabmiller and anheuser busch would create a beer industry giant that would have annual revenue of about 64 billion and would account for about 30 percent of global beer sales
in november anheuser busch agreed to sell sabmillers 59 percent stake in millercoors in the united states to sabmillers joint venture partner molson coors brewing for about 12 billion that deal includes the global rights to the miller brand and would make molson coors the second largest brewer in the united states behind anheuser busch
in march china resources beer a state owned brewer agreed to buy sabmillers 49 percent stake in the maker of snow the worlds best selling beer the deal would value sabmillers stake in cr snow at about 16 billion
the molson coors asahi and snow transactions are contingent on the anheuser busch sabmiller merger closing
last week anheuser busch also agreed to create a 68 million investment fund as well as job guarantees and other commitments to win approval from south african regulators
for asahi the transaction would expand its presence globally and give it a broader distribution network for its domestic brands namely asahi super dry
asahi and its japanese rivals have moved in recent years to expand beyond their home market as sales have stagnated there
the offer includes the brands and operations of royal dutch grolsch birra peroni miller brands uk the meantime brewing company and sabmillers sales and marketing office in france sabmiller bought meantime in may 2015


hong kong   at first the collision of the two front end loaders on the dusty street in northern china seems like it could be a work site accident then as one witness murmurs in disbelief the violent intent becomes clear with their buckets held high like the horns of battling beetles the two machines repeatedly slam into each other another joins the fray toppling one of the first combatants yet another arrives trying to right its fallen comrade and then even more arrive to do battle
some participants in the sunday street battle in xingtang county in the hebei provincial capital of shijiazhuang carried knives and pellet guns according to one report but the most surprising weapon was the construction equipment at least two people filmed the clash with cellphones and the video was widely viewed on chinese websites on monday
some commenters on weibo the chinese microblogging platform called it a clash of homegrown transformers the actual explanation is far more prosaic a dispute between two concrete plants escalated to the front end loader fight according a statement from the xingtang county propaganda office
workers in front end loaders and sport utility vehicles from one company the jianwen concrete plant had shown up at the xinghua concrete plant intending to take over the work on a new development project one xinghua worker told beijing youth daily
two xinghua employees were injured including one driver who was in serious condition after being shot in the chest with a pellet gun the local propaganda office said six front end loaders were damaged and two were toppled in the street the government statement said the case is still under investigation it said on monday and no arrests have been announced
violence has flared before over construction projects in china but almost always the disputes were between residents and builders who want to redevelop their property land sales are key revenue stream for local governments which has fueled such conflicts residents often accuse local officials of colluding with developers to drive them out of their homes at compensation far below the actual value of the land
clashes among builders and related companies themselves are far less common the dispute on the xingtang county street raised questions that chinas slowing growth may be putting intense pressure on the construction industry in some parts of the countryleading at least these two companies to take their fight to the street


kabul afghanistan   even in a year when violence across afghanistan did not relent over the winter months the taliban marked the official start of the spring fighting season with a huge truck bomb in the heart of kabul on tuesday
beyond the all too familiar carnage   at least 30 dead and more than 300 wounded   it also sent a message the taliban can attack the capital at will and they have no intention of engaging in peace talks despite reports of internal rifts
the location of the bombing near the compound of an elite force that provides protection to senior afghan officials also demonstrated how vulnerable the government remains
the taliban have stretched afghan security forces thin throughout the country with fighting raging across multiple provinces but complex urban attacks remain crucial to the insurgency because they bring what even major battlefield gains in remote areas of the country cannot headlines and a disruption of daily life that increases pressure on a coalition government already struggling with infighting and stagnation
security forces in kabul have been on high alert since the taliban announced their annual spring offensive last week amid reports that suicide bombers had entered the city and were planning attacks
as is often the case most of the casualties in tuesdays assault were civilians afghan officials said the united nations which recently said civilians had continued to suffer at record levels in the first quarter of this year issued a strong denunciation of the attack
the use of high explosives in civilian populated areas in circumstances almost certain to cause immense suffering to civilians may amount to war crimes said tadamichi yamamoto the secretary generals deputy special representative for afghanistan
the talibans urban attacks follow a similar pattern after a vehicle borne explosion creates chaos militants with weapons and suicide vests storm their target and engage the police or special forces
sediq sediqqi a spokesman for the afghan interior ministry said that on tuesday a truck full of probably hundreds of kilograms of explosives had been detonated in a parking lot behind the compound of the directorate of security for dignitaries mr sediqqi described the area destroyed as vast the explosion was so strong that it rattled windows across the city including those at the presidential palace
police officials said that a number of militants then entered the compound engaging the guards and the police special forces who arrived to clear the area but gen abdul rahman rahimi kabuls police chief said that just one militant had entered the compound and that he had been gunned down in less than half an hour
mr sediqqi said that 30 people mostly civilians were killed in the explosion while health officials reported that 327 wounded had arrived at city hospitals the number of casualties was expected to rise mr sediqqi said
a spokesman for the taliban zabihullah mujahid issued a statement claiming responsibility for the attack
president ashraf ghani who visited the wounded in hospitals on tuesday accused the taliban of working for the enemies of his country afghanistan remembers the day you had whips in your hands killing people he said we will avenge every drop of the afghan blood that is shed
eyewitnesses described the mayhem after the attack which took place during the early morning rush one of the wounded sadiqullah 25 said more than a dozen vehicles near him had been badly damaged and their drivers and passengers injured or killed
i saw people lying on the road hopelessly   some screaming others silently giving out their last breath and some already dead he said
mr sadiqullah who runs a tea shop and who like many afghans goes by one name said the blast was so strong that i felt it struck me or my shop personally
on a visit to the site of the attack abdullah abdullah the chief executive of the afghan government said it showed the depth of barbarity and terror of afghanistans enemies he said the countrys defense and security forces had remained on alert because the taliban had clearly rejected our calls for peace
for much of the winter the struggling coalition government tried to get the taliban to participate in peace talks in the hopes of avoiding another bloody year at the heart of the effort was reaching out to the government and powerful military of pakistan elements of which are believed to be aiding the taliban and providing its leadership with sanctuaries on pakistani soil
the outreach which also involved the united states and china created early optimism a date for face to face talks was set for early march with pakistan promising to deliver taliban leaders to the table
but the taliban rejected the talks instead starting the spring offensive and intensifying attacks across the country it became clear that the new leader of the insurgent movement mullah akhtar muhammad mansour had no interest in discussions he had used the winter months to consolidate his ranks through a mix of brutal crackdowns on dissent and doling out new posts to discontented members of the group
to protest tuesdays attack mr abdullahs office said he would postpone a trip to pakistan believing that the attack was planned on its soil


yoox net a porter an e commerce group that calls itself the worlds biggest luxury fashion store is setting its sights on the middle east selling a 100 million euro stake to alabbar enterprises the dubai united arab emirates based owner of emaar properties which includes the dubai mall the worlds most visited luxury shopping mall
the worlds biggest online retailer is joining forces with the worlds biggest brick and mortar retailer federico marchetti chief executive of yoox net a porter said in a call from milan
in a deal announced on tuesday in milan alabbar which is controlled by mohamed alabbar will pay EUR28 a share a premium of 57 percent on the closing share price of yoox net a porter on monday the deal values the company at EUR37 billion or about 42 billion richemont the former parent of net a porter will remain the groups largest shareholder alabbar will have 4 percent of ordinary shares
it is the biggest move mr marchetti has made since yoox merged with net a porter in march 2015 natalie massenet the founder of net a porter who was expected to be executive chairwoman resigned from the group a few months later
shares in they company rose as much as 74 percent tuesday morning in milan before paring their gains and closing at EUR2780 a 5 percent increase
yoox net a porter is a business that promises continuing gross revenues as more and more brands convert to digital said luca solca an analyst for exane bnp paribas it is understandable why a long term investor may be attracted to it
the investment reflects mr marchettis ambitions for yoox net a porter which also includes the e commerce sites mr porter and the outnet and which manages and powers the websites of brands like giorgio armani and lanvin
it is also a vote of confidence in the future of yoox net a porter without ms massenet who was widely seen as having the trust of the luxury world and with mr marchetti who founded yoox as an off season sale site cast in the role of corporate manager
in december it was revealed that carmen busquets one of the original shareholders of net a porter had questioned the decision by richemont to approve the merger as well as the valuation of the business
since that time however moncler brunello cucinelli and others have joined the stable of elite fashion brands sold on net a porter
mr marchetti said the money would be used to develop an integrated platform across the groups brands as well as to fund increased localization of websites especially in middle eastern countries
though they deliver to over 180 countries neither yoox nor net a porter has a website in arabic despite the fact that the middle east represents 5 percent of the luxury market the company said the region was a marginal contributor to net revenue which reached EUR17 billion over all in 2015
despite a report from the consulting firm bain that said sales of luxury goods in the middle east flattened in 2015 in part because of reduced russian tourism and unstable oil prices mr marchetti said we are not seeing any deceleration in demand we have big plans for the region
the region also it seems has big plans for luxury in 2012 for example investcorp based in bahrain bought the danish silver brand georg jensen for 140 million the next year mayhoola for investments based in qatar bought the valentino fashion brand for 850 million it also has a stake in the british leather goods brand anya hindmarch and a majority stake in the italian mens wear brand pal zileri
the qatar investment authority has a stake in the luxury behemoth lvmh moet hennessy louis vuitton as well as tiffany  company and in 2013 formed a joint venture with the italian state investment fund called iq made in italy in which they pledged to invest up to EUR1 billion in italian luxury goods and lifestyle companies
bank of america merrill lynch was the adviser for the deal


oakland calif   most of the announced crowd of 19596 fans attending game 2 of the playoff series between the golden state warriors and the houston rockets wore golden colored t shirts reading strength in numbers but the motto written on the warriors latest marketing giveaway carried deeper meaning monday night
the positive message did not account for the subtraction of stephen curry the 301 fewer points per game the lost 402 3 pointers this season the missing 34 minutes on average of must watch playing time
curry the most valuable player on the nbas best team missed game 2 with an ankle injury sustained in game 1 golden state still won 115 106 but currys absence reminded the warriors and their fans just how much their success and their hopes rest on currys lower extremities
it was a few seasons ago before curry became the leagues most exciting player and the warriors became its best team that curry was as well known for his tender ankles as for his rainbow jumpers
it remains unclear how serious the injury is and how much it hobbles golden states expectations of a repeat championship if at all the postgame mood was light and curry walked out of the arena in dress shoes with no obvious discomfort but there was an undertone of concern sure to linger to thursdays game 3 in houston if not beyond
he tried to see how itd feel coach steve kerr said of currys aborted pregame warm up he tried to push off on it and it was tender
the exact injury is vague team officials described it as a tweak or a sprain kerr said he was not sure
its the back of the foot its underneath his ankle he said its something back there
a magnetic resonance imaging exam conducted on tuesday did not reveal anything of concern the warriors said in a statement curry would continue receiving daily treatment for the ankle the team added and he was listed as questionable for game 3
curry appeared to twist his right ankle late in the second quarter of game 1 he returned after halftime and played less than three minutes before kerr pulled him from the court
i didnt like the way he was moving when he went back out there kerr explained besides the warriors were on their way to blowing away the rockets 104 78 curry was not needed
but when he did not practice on sunday and did not participate in the morning shootaround on monday the suggestion that curry had left the game merely as a precautionary measure took a more serious tone bay area news reports and talk radio conversations centered on the one piece of kryptonite that could stop the warriors championship aspirations   the loss of curry to injury
it was a bit of a flashback for the warriors and their fans currys ankle problems began in his second season five years ago curry had surgery on a tendon in his right ankle in may 2011 and another operation in 2012 missing all but 26 games in the season between more problems came in the 2012 preseason
in december 2012 the warriors extended currys contract gingerly   a four year deal worth 44 million that made him just the fifth highest paid player on the team some considered the deal risky for the warriors but they and curry both knew that the team got a deep discount because of currys ankles
there have been few problems since curry has played at least 78 of each regular seasons 82 games and never missed a playoff game
then the ankle
he understands that we have first of all his best interest at heart   his career kerr said before the game we know that he had surgery on that ankle four years ago hes got a lot of basketball ahead of him and theres plenty of cases in the past where people played through stuff and it didnt turn out so well
kerr mentioned grant hill who retired in 2013 after 18 enviable seasons his full potential limited by chronic ankle problems
whether thats the same type of thing as this i dont really know kerr said but i do know that we have to look after his health because the competitor he is hes going to want to play
about an hour before game 2 curry took the court for his usual pregame warm up dribbling two balls shooting from all angles but he cut short the workout shook his head as he left the court and was trailed to the training room by general manager bob myers and the team owner joe lacob within minutes the team announced that curry would not play
perhaps the warriors 73 9 in the regular season do not need curry to beat the rockets a 41 41 team and the eighth seed in the conference but the warriors are much less and less exciting without him
theres a smaller margin for error kerr said before the game were not going to get stephs four pull up 3s from 29 feet that are back breakers
the warriors played three games without curry during the regular season   two of them in back to back road games in texas the warriors lost badly to dallas on dec 30 then beat the rockets in houston on dec 31 114 110
in both cases brandon rush started for curry and shot a combined 2 of 13 including 1 of 9 from 3 point territory klay thompson led the warriors past the rockets with 38 points andre iguodala had 20 points off the bench and draymond green had 10 points 11 rebounds and 16 assists
kerr and the warriors studied that game before this series began they studied it harder on sunday and monday when they realized that curry might not play in game 2
this time curry was replaced in the lineup by shaun livingston whose highest scoring game this season was 17 points curry scored fewer than 17 points only six times
but the warriors displayed their admirable depth using 11 players in the first half and they followed the dec 31 formula thompson scored 34 points iguodala 18 and livingston 16 green had 12 points 14 rebounds and 8 assists the warriors led most of the game but struggled to comfortably dispatch the rockets until the final minutes
curry wore a dark suit not the white home jersey of his teammates he sat on a folding chair among the army of assistant coaches and sometimes stood alongside kerr shouting encouragements in the first quarter he spent most of the rest of the game sitting quietly in the second row behind a row of courtside fans
before the playoffs the biggest worry was whether the warriors had expended so much energy to break the regular season victory record previously held by the 1995 96 chicago bulls that they would not have enough health and drive to win 16 more games in the playoffs to claim a championship
the rockets were not expected to be much of a hurdle in the first round but there was a hint of intrigue in currys matchup with houston guard patrick beverley a well known defensive pest in 2013 when oklahoma city was the defending conference champion and was seeded first beverley bumped into the all star russell westbrook just after a timeout whistle
the collision tore westbrooks meniscus and while oklahoma city was good enough to get past the rockets in the first round the thunder could not overcome westbrooks absence in the second a title favorite was knocked out championship hopes hang on fragile hinges
midway through the first quarter of game 1 on saturday beverley and curry got their arms tangled and curry responded with a shove both players were assessed technical fouls beverley laughed it looked as if it might be a tough physical series for curry a slender 6 feet 3 and 190 pounds
it was the next quarter though when curry twisted his ankle without contact while guarding james harden it did not look like much but a seasons work can come undone in little more than a moment
the warriors hope that between now and thursday currys ankle will show that such a moment has passed their playoff hopes rest with his presence their biggest strength is in his numbers


ask daniel rose a question and hell respond with a question of his own
well he said the other day in the gleaming kitchen of le coucou the restaurant he plans to open in may in the 11 howard hotel in soho
what is a steak frites he pondered that he cocked his head his gaze drifted off he looked a little like dustin hoffman playing lenny bruce trying to tease out a joke in his head
a little bit of that fresh bloody thing he finally said i like that he mused on crispness   the water in the lettuce as a necessary element in a good salad and frites whose perfection arises from nothing but potatoes oil and salt
thats the genius of the french tradition he said
as one can tell from his socratic method mr rose likes to puzzle out his food at 38 hes a bit of a puzzle himself a student philosopher turned chef and a chicago native who climbed to the top of the parisian food world 10 years ago with a tiny ingredient obsessed right bank restaurant called spring
the contradictions continue now this champion of fastidious french tradition is returning to the united states in a partnership with stephen starr the protean philadelphia based restaurateur who has the reputation fair or not of being more a blockbuster crowd pleaser than a mentor to culinary brainiacs
for the debut of le coucou which will be the first time this american in paris has cooked in an american restaurant mr rose and his family have rented an apartment in brooklyn hes not sure how hell juggle cooking on two continents but he expects to be dug in at le coucou at least through the first cycle of reviews
eventually he said wryly ill get a lot of frequent flier miles i guess
in fact it was the process of inquiry along with a desire to meet frenchwomen one of whom the chef marie aude rose he wound up marrying that lured him there to begin with
france was a place   is a place   with a tradition of thinking and in this case a history of thinking about food he said it sounds kind of weird but im interested in life
he arrived in paris in the late 1990s after plunging into philosophy and greek literature at st johns college in new mexico and he got into cooking after a failed attempt to join the french foreign legion the way i approach a lot of this stuff which is to ask a question he said what is a french restaurant what is a restaurant i spend too much time thinking about stuff like that the antidote to that was the doing
so what is a cerebral purist like him doing with mr starr a guy who oversees at press time 34 restaurants the auteur in mr rose finds it appealing and reassuring that le coucou will be supported by a well oiled engine of commerce
mr starr for his part takes issue with those who characterize him as resolutely middlebrow i dispute that he said in the kitchen with mr rose i was a populist and im a populist now in order to make money and survive
in hollywood summer superhero movies can subsidize the oscar worthy character studies in a similar way mr starr said mass appeal magnets like buddakan help finance chef driven labors of love like upland the clocktower serpico in philadelphia and now le coucou
i will never make a lot of money here in this restaurant mr starr said thats not the point my heart is in these types of restaurants but youve got to pay for the things
when he proposed creating a showcase for mr roses cooking in new york the chef flew in from paris and installed himself temporarily in the kitchen at buddakan for mr starr he prepared poulet en vessie a luxe gallic hat trick in which chicken is cooked inside a ballooned up pigs bladder
i brought a pigs bladder in my bag mr rose recalled
how did you get that through customs mr starr asked
i didnt say anything mr rose said deadpan
if that seems a deeply french gesture mr roses response is apt to be mais oui his success in paris is attributable not only to his skill in the kitchen but also to his complete immersion in frenchness
his cooking betrays little interest in giving the classics a 21st century tuneup he says he has never cooked a cheeseburger or pasta outside of meals he may whip up for his two children ages 2 and 4
if anything his dishes stand as reverent personal tributes to the tradition that produced them
his love for french cuisine and french culture made him accepted by the french by the parisians said his friend gregory marchand the chef behind another popular spot called frenchie
mr rose did break from custom in at least one notable way restaurants in france and particularly in paris were never known for their glowing warm service   though there are certainly standout exceptions said the paris based journalist lindsey tramuta whose book the new paris about cultural change in the city will appear next year
mr roses approach to hospitality stood out so here comes daniel with his enthusiasm natural warmth and a genuine passion for interacting with diners ms tramuta said in the first version of spring he was cooking entirely alone and had close contact to each and every diner delivering the dishes to the tables in many instances dining in his restaurants feels very much what i would imagine it would be like to dine in his home and thats extremely rare
the target of mr roses intense attention at le coucou the name he said refers to someone who is sweetly crazy will be the same thing that preoccupies him at his two restaurants in paris spring which opened in the ninth arrondissement but later expanded and moved to the first and la bourse et la vie the second arrondissement bistro where he pursues the idee fixe of steak frites and serves a veal pot au feu that has achieved legendary status
his obsession ingredients that moment of tasting veal that really tastes like veal is a very powerful thing he said
nearly all chefs these days rhapsodize about the quality of their carrots but mr rose is known for applying a fanatical focus to finding the best chicken the best oyster the most exquisite onion no matter how much it costs mr marchand said hes really crazy about the quality of the products
his madness was on display on a recent tuesday afternoon as he huddled around the stove with members of his crew at le coucou to test the ingredients he had hunted down
we put it in a hot pan and cook it he said thats how we learn about it from the sound in the pan he said he could divine the quality of certain ingredients   not that i have x men powers or something
in the oven simmered a rich alsatian style stew called a baeckeoffe layered with sliced potatoes and the melting fat of short ribs lamb shoulder and pork cheeks
mr rose saw it as a tribute to andre soltner the great french chef whose restaurant lutece dazzled new yorkers for decades mr rose envisions le coucou as something of a lutece reboot even though he never ate there crazy right he said im talking about what my idea of lutece is
but most of his work this day was radically simple he poached a chicken he watched as sea bream was sauteed in a pan he breathed in the scent of oysters
mr rose is particularly serious about chicken he had at least a dozen varieties to test over the course of a few days most disappointed him
he sliced off a knob of meat and nibbled on it his eyes revealed a man lost in thought same problem he said bitter is that just my tongue or is that for real i got that funky bitterness again
tim lu le coucous executive sous chef tried it too oh yeah he said
an almost hidden wave of disgust and frustration passed over mr roses face now im getting kind of grumpy he said it doesnt taste very good at all you know where the best chicken weve had was from chinatown
mr roses cooking depends on the delicious integrity of these core ingredients he is averse to frills and adornments that may interfere with ones communion with the essence of hen or oyster
he needed his kitchen team to understand what he wants but there was another part of that too theyre already learning to anticipate what it is that i dont want he said
and what did he not want he didnt need to think about that answer more than it needs he said


there are certain criteria for guests invited to dinner at alice feirings railroad one bedroom fourth floor walk up in a former tenement on elizabeth street in manhattan
they must be comfortable dining next to the bathtub which sits in the kitchen adept at extemporizing poetic toasts and ready to down in one gulp all the wine that can fit inside a rams horn
like a shot of vodka said ms feiring a champion of natural wines who writes a blog and a subscription only newsletter called the feiring line
the horn or khantsi as it is called in the former soviet republic of georgia has a lip cuffed in silver and a finely wrought ravens head at the tip a slender chain joins the two for hanging on the kitchen wall   or from your sword belt ms feiring said georgians are very fierce about their wines
in 2011 she made her first trip to georgia where traces of wine residue have been found dating back to 6000 bc she was struck by the number of vintners who despite decades of soviet industrialization still make wine in buried qvevri giant earthen vessels sealed with beeswax
they shun sulfites which are often added to wine in part because of sulfurs tinge of the devil its religious for them she said are you saying that god hasnt given the grape everything it needs to make wine naturally
her khantsi was a gift from john wurdeman an american who alongside an eighth generation georgian winemaker runs the vineyard pheasants tears in sighnaghi in georgias east he made no concessions to her drinking habits which are slightly less lusty than demanded at georgian feasts the horn is deep and daunting to drain couldnt you have got me a smaller one she asked him
she keeps it on her kitchen wall until guests arrive you dont drink from it on your own she said its only for company
her first wine was likely manischewitz which her mother used to caramelize onions for chopped liver her family lived in brooklyn then long island and ms feiring hasnt strayed far she moved into her nolita rental in 1989 a short walk from the store on the bowery where her mother has sold jewelry for more than 40 years
she chose the apartment because she wanted to be able to host 10 people for dinner thats possible if quite intimate at her dining table which is equidistant from the bathtub and the apartments one sink
the tub has housed wine bottles watermelons impromptu go go dancers and one evening two carp bought in chinatown they did not survive these days her parties culminate in the passing of the horn and ritual toasts in the georgian style which at their best mix philosophy wit gratitude and memory
the wine in the khantsi is always georgian as is often true of the accompanying food like lobio a kidney bean stew steeped with blue fenugreek and marigolds ms feiring an occasional contributor to the new york times includes recipes in her new book for the love of wine my odyssey through the worlds most ancient wine culture 
she doesnt make her guests lock arms as they drink another georgian custom but all must press lips to the same horn one by one she said people have balked but nobodys said no


more than 90000 commuters a day pass through the columbus circle subway station as of april 19 those who have a few moments to linger or are even just looking for lunch can buy dumplings minidoughnuts vegan cookies grilled cheese a bottle of wine or a bolivian turnover like the saltena made just for this location more than 30 shops and kiosks about half of them offering something to eat or drink fill the 325 foot long concourse on the stations mezzanine level just south of the turnstiles above right food from ellarys greens susan fine the developer made a point to seek out local entrepreneurs a lot of them are taking a big risk she said greyston the social service organization that makes baked goods in yonkers will have its first store in the mall turnstyle columbus circle station turn stylecom


its no surprise that organic produce artisanal cheeses and grass fed meats are infiltrating the brooklyn neighborhoods of bedford stuyvesant and bushwick the latest is chickys established by tara oxley who owns the restaurant eugene  company just down the block products and ingredients come from murrays cheese debragga meats and greenpoint fish  lobster company prepared food to take home is made by jeff shields the chef at eugene  company chickys 406 tompkins avenue hancock street bedford stuyvesant brooklyn 718 975 7646


a little piece of new york is thriving in new orleans mani dawes below right an owner of tia pol in chelsea and her husband sean josephs below left who owns maysville in the flatiron district have relocated their family to the big easy easier indeed ms dawess mother is there to help with babysitting in a neighborhood west of the garden district i thought it was somewhat remote but locals say not they have opened a handsome sibling for maysville also with a bourbon focus and named for the founder of maysville ky a port town on the ohio river burnished wood marble and cast iron arches that could evoke new york as much as new orleans set the stage for a menu of oysters raw grilled fried and served on vintage oyster plates red snapper tartare smoked trout and grilled pork kentons 5757 magazine street new orleans 504 891 1177 kentonsrestaurantcom


i have to love a cookbook that starts with recipes for mayonnaise and alexandra raij and her husband eder montero go well beyond mayonnaise to explain basque cuisine he is the basque side of the equation txangurro the deviled crab meat gratin that is served everywhere in the region but is often disappointing was a winner here despite the demanding preparation of a couple of ingredients you can work around them there was nothing demanding though about the excellent rice studded with cockles the butterflied trout slipcovered in ham and given a splash of garlic and parsley oil and the springtime lamb meatballs tucked among peas for dessert the notion of marinating fresh pineapple in sherry is a keeper the basque book alexandra raij with eder montero and rebecca flint marx ten speed press 2999


la caravelle one of new yorks classic haute cuisine restaurants closed in 2004 but for two days in may it will live again as rita and andre jammet below who owned it for almost half of its 44 year history recreate the dining experience though not quite the setting and maybe not the boldface clientele at chefs club by food  wine the event was suggested by dana cowin the former editor in chief of food  wine magazine who is now the creative director of chefs club the three course menu prepared by the caravelle alumni tadashi ono cyril renaud and laurent richard along with chefs club chefs will include la caravelles crab salad quenelles de brochet chicken in champagne cream sauce and creme brulee with raspberries may 10 and 11 110 not including beverages tax or tip la caravelle at chefs club by food  wine 275 mulberry street houston street 212 941 1100 chefsclubcom prepaid reservations from chefsclubnyctocktixcom


wholesome wave a nonprofit organization founded by the chef michel nischan to make healthful affordable food available to underserved neighborhoods is selling wine as a fund raiser mr nischan had his friend the chef jacques pepin paint the label for the wine which is being produced by one hope a winery in the edna valley of california the 2012 pinot noir with scents of blueberry and lilac is complex and robust it is making its debut at a benefit for the organization honoring mr pepin on wednesday in new york one hope 2012 edna valley reserve pinot noir 75 onehopewinecomshop2012 jacques pepin


if you believe as many do that asparagus should be celebrated as a sure sign of spring and is best eaten only during its relatively short season you know something about the joy of anticipation
farmers and gardeners who grow asparagus certainly understand this concept it can take up to three years for an asparagus plant to yield more than a few stalks
once established though an asparagus bed will continue to produce for 20 years or more when the tips start poking through the ground youll need to be vigilant expect to be picking every day for several weeks a three inch shoot can rapidly grow a foot long while your back is turned
cooks and diners worldwide have long been happy to await the years new crop knowing that their patience will be rewarded in europe restaurants advertise springtime asparagus just the way soft shell crabs are peddled here during their fleeting season theyre back get em while they last
now that peruvian asparagus is available in the supermarket all winter long it is tempting to buy it year round but wheres the fun in that it gives no more pleasure than eating so so subpar green beans flown in from another hemisphere they may be fresh but vegetables suffer from jet lag too they come off the plane tired and somewhat worse for wear why not wait
does this mean people on the east coast should shun the early asparagus from mexico and california if youve suffered through a long cold winter its no sin to indulge but realize that freshly picked asparagus from new jersey or michigan will taste that much better
the fact is truly fresh asparagus doesnt stay truly fresh for very long some advocate standing the spears upright in an inch of water in the fridge but like good summer corn its best to buy it right off the truck
signs of freshness include smooth glossy spears tightly closed tips and bottom ends that look freshly cut this means the asparagus is sweet dont settle for less
now do you want your asparagus pencil thin medium or jumbo its really a matter of personal preference skinny asparagus cut in two inch lengths is best sauteed or stir fried larger thick spears left whole are the ones to steam simmer roast or grill you can find everything you need to know about these different methods in our new guide to cooking asparagus
peeling asparagus may seem highfalutin but fatter stalks need it for cooking evenly and for a better silkier texture for medium or thin asparagus its not necessary white asparagus always needs peeling though cut off the tough bottom ends or snap them off but if you snap hold your hands toward the very bottom end of the stalk or you risk discarding too much a stalk will snap in the middle too if youre not careful
the main thing no matter the size or the cooking method is to make sure the spears are properly cooked keep them bright green and firm aim for just done its better to veer toward underdone residual heat will cause them to continue cooking when they are removed from the pot like pasta its a disappointing shame when overcooked even by a minute
i offer three dishes here but for the first asparagus of the year keep it simple with this elemental recipe simmer spears in well salted water and bring a steaming platterful to the table for a celebratory first course offer nice extra virgin olive oil melted butter vinaigrette or homemade mayonnaise for dipping
tuck a napkin under your chin and eat them with your fingers
recipes buckwheat crepes with asparagus ham and gruyere  butter braised asparagus  wok fried asparagus with walnuts  how to cook asparagus
and to drink 
nothing will go better with savory breton style crepes than a dry cider especially with the classic fillings of asparagus ham and cheese brittany and normandy are a paradise for ciders offering a wide range of choices many of which sadly are not available in the united states nonetheless the selection of dry american ciders has never been better if you prefer wine you could pick a sparkling wine not necessarily a champagne but others from the various french wine regions like alsace jura or the loire the united states is also producing more good dry sparkling wines look for those labeled petillant naturel an ancient method that is a sparkling equivalent of cider or try a good dry white like a pinot blanc riesling or fiano eric asimov


miami beach   plenty of chefs have burns on their forearms but bun lais battle scars did not come from hot oven racks his were a result of an inadvertent brush with fire coral while scuba diving for ingredients off the florida coast
the payoff was a tub filled with pointy little whelks mottled periwinkles a few bright orange crabs and some chitons   oval mollusks that look like fossils with shells of interlocking plates these would go on the menu at prey the pop up restaurant he has been running for the last two months on the rooftop of the 1 hotel south beach here in miami beach
mr lai 46 is a chef with a mission to create sustainable menus that make good use of ingredients usually discarded or ignored and when possible to exploit destructive invasive species like lionfish asian carp chesapeake bay blue catfish wild everglades seaweeds and feral pigs its a concept he honed at his home base miyas sushi in new haven
at a dinner last month mr lai served small bowls filled with citrus broth and those whelks periwinkles and chitons tucked into a tangle of seaweed invasive to the everglades alongside he poured sake infused with white pine needles at once tart and sweet
he tucked knots of pickled mugwort into sushi and shingled other ovals of rice with raw antelope invasive to texas with his sous chef luis alamos mr lai layered fried blue catfish into sushi rolls fanned slivers of raw lionfish on plates and slathered the moist flesh clinging to cartilaginous asian carp ribs from kentucky with a guava based barbecue sauce he used vegan cashew cheese plantains wild grape leaves and garlic mustard his menu also includes wild noninvasive fish like pacific salmon and sustainable line caught albacore tuna
the south beach project came about thanks to james sternlicht a son of barry sternlicht the chairman of starwood capital group which owns the hotel the group is not connected to starwood hotels  resorts which has been in the news lately james sternlicht became a regular at miyas sushi when he was a student at choate rosemary hall near new haven and finally persuaded his father to try the restaurant
i had an amazing dinner there last year barry sternlicht said mr lai served me stuff id never order and it was all delicious he said adding he lives and breathes sustainability the hotel too takes a green approach
mr lai was born in hong kong and moved to japan and then to new haven as a young child when his father a doctor had an opportunity to do research at yale mr lais mother who is japanese started the restaurant in new haven
mr lai thought about becoming a wrestler or an artist then began helping his mother in the restaurant i always painted and cooking was just a change of medium he said
at one point he tried to find work in other sushi bars but well trained japanese chefs would not give him a chance he said
so he kept working in the family restaurant eventually his family acquired a 10 acre farm in woodbridge conn to grow ingredients leaving some of the acreage untilled to permit wild herbs to flourish he also leased an area of long island sound so he could forage undersea his sister and brother now work at miyas sushi too
at first barry sternlicht tried to bring mr lais restaurant to the 1 hotel in miami beach in time for art basel but that was not possible so the opening coincided with the south beach wine  food festival it had to be a pop up on the roof since tom colicchios beachcraft already occupied the hotels restaurant space
the downside of the open air location is that it can only operate in good weather mr sternlicht is hoping to make prey a fixture as it is it will remain open until april 30


richmond va   you see raw oysters everywhere these days as well as roasted ones and fried ones and rockefeller ones what you dont encounter as often at least not in american restaurants are oysters that have been steamed
take a trip to this food forward southern city though and you may come away convinced that oyster lovers are missing out on a magnificent and simple mode of bivalve expression
at rapp session a shellfish fixated saloon here that was opened by the people behind the rappahannock oyster company steamed oysters arrive hot and plump and almost fluffy with an airy gossamer texture that calls to mind a souffle
dylan fultineer the chef at rapp session and its companion restaurant rappahannock splashes them with butter that has been deepened with dry vermouth and reddened with pimenton the smoky paprika from spain prepared this way the oysters are so good that you find yourself downing a dozen of them with the sort of speed usually applied to pie eating contests
mr fultineer likes to use fat oysters that wont wisp away in the heat the dampness of steam delivers the magic
the steamed oysters just seem to keep the moisture intact said travis croxton an owner of the rappahannock oyster company grilling can sometimes lead to dryness and uneven textures instead of cooking them so long that they start to shrivel and toughen we want to just get them a nice bubbly hot very quickly and pull them off mr croxton said
steaming oysters at home easy heres mr croxtons advice grab a pot get your water boiling and place your oysters on a tray in the steam for about three to five minutes when a few of the shells start to open youre ready
at that point theyre all cooked even if they arent open mr croxton said and in this capacity anyone can become an expert shucker because theyll pop very easily even with a butter knife


rutherford calif   when philippe bascaules arrived here in 2011 to take over as general manager of inglenook vineyard one of the first things he did was to present the owners francis ford coppola and his wife eleanor a plan for managing and renewing the grapevines the plan covered the next 50 years
such long range thinking is rare to see in california where continuity rarely triumphs over fad even in napa valley where cabernet sauvignon has long been established as the dominant grape visionary thinking may encompass a decade
my first reaction was well i guess i wont be around to see the upshot of this plan said mr coppola 77 the film director and writer but i was happy because i know this was something planned in the long term and i am hopeful that my kids and the kids of my kids will be living at one of the treasures of the earth
such a sense of stability comes naturally to mr bascaules who had spent the previous 20 years in bordeaux at chateau margaux the great first growth with an illustrious past stretching 500 years
inglenook too has a storied history though recent decades had been less than kind it had once been one of the most heralded names in california wine history dating to the 1870s when gustave niebaum a wealthy finnish sea captain acquired roughly 500 acres of farmland including vines
inglenooks first vintage was in 1882 and its mid 20th century cabernet sauvignons produced under john daniel jr a niebaum grandnephew are some of the greatest wines california has ever produced
but by 1975 when the coppolas purchased part of the estate with profits from the godfather films the greatness was well in the past the inglenook brand had long since been sold and over the years it had passed through various corporate hands entire generations had grown up associating inglenook with cheap supermarket wines rather than exquisite long lived napa cabernets
on his arrival in napa mr coppola christened his estate niebaum coppola later changing it to rubicon before regaining the inglenook trademark in 2011 along the way he also acquired the remaining pieces of the original inglenook property including the historic niebaum chateau the hiring of mr bascaules was his last step in setting inglenook on a path toward resurrection
along with the long term future of the vineyard mr bascaules addressed himself to the immediate future of rubicon inglenooks flagship wine since its first vintage in 1978 rubicon had been a good wine but had rarely fulfilled the potential of the inglenook terroir it tended to be dense and rustic with firm chewy tannins that rarely evolved
in order to improve the wine mr bascaules methodically began to study every element of the process of growing the grapes and making the wine in his mind he said he envisioned the 1959 inglenook cabernet sauvignon a wine that had made a profound impression on him and helped to persuade him to take the job
even in bordeaux its not easy to find a 59 so good he said as we toured the vineyard and tasted wines during a recent visit to inglenook i thought i want to make these types of wines i liked the freshness and the soft tannins and the balance was amazing
a sense of freshness mr bascaules said was of primary importance to his vision of rubicon as was elegance and balance qualities that had diminished in napa valley in the 20 years before he arrived but which may now be coming back
i think maybe we went too far in the ripening he said one of the first decisions i took was to pick earlier
with the 2011 mr bascaules did not have much choice it was a cool rainy vintage and the grapes had already been picked when he arrived though he oversaw the aging and blending
the 11 rubicon is indeed fresh and aromatic with an herbal touch that lends complexity to the fruit flavors but the tannins tend to stick out a bit the wine is not completely balanced
with the 2012 a powerful vintage that was mr bascauless first to oversee from start to finish rubicon began to take shape the aromas and flavors of red fruit show a peppery edge and the tannins are softer and more integrated but its the 2013 which wont be released until later this year in which mr bascauless efforts really take hold
the 13 is dense but fresh and vibrant pure napa in the sense that red fruit flavors dominate but with complex earthy spicy accents great finesse and lovely balance earlier rubicons show the effort of extracting as much fruit substance and tannic power as possible from the grapes but the 2013 seems more fluent and graceful
between 12 and 13 we picked earlier we lowered the extraction and it was a better vintage mr bascaules said im very happy with 2013
the 13 was also an anomaly in that it is 100 percent cabernet sauvignon ordinarily rubicon is dominated by cabernet but depending on the vintage also has small percentages of petit verdot cabernet franc and merlot
in changing the style of rubicon mr bascaules is in accord with mr coppola who said he preferred a wine that was fresher more elegant with less alcohol the 2013 is 138 percent alcohol as compared with 2012s 145
i pretty much only drink wine with food mr coppola said so i like wines that are fragrant and soft yet complex and demonstrate the area where they are grown
mr bascaules has also streamlined the line of inglenook wines the second wine which used to be called cask after a daniel era wine and was made in a different style than rubicon will now simply be called cabernet sauvignon and will be made in a similar style as will a new third cabernet called 1882 inglenook also makes an excellent zinfandel along with a syrah and two whites
in the vineyard mr bascaules has taken some steps that may seem counterintuitive in napa valley he observed that in napa valley even in the best years it was difficult to ripen grapes fully that he said was why so many producers delay picking their grapes because they were waiting for all the elements of the grape to ripen
when you wait you lose freshness and flavors become heavy he said i came here and thought the problem was the grapes got too ripe but i was wrong you have the same problem as in bordeaux getting them to ripen and getting each part to ripen at the same time
he also observed that planting grapes more densely in napa as is customary in france was causing too much water stress required more irrigation and resulted in grapes that were less balanced copying bordeaux and burgundy here in california can be a mistake he said
one solution he said was to prune the vines earlier after the growing season in december weeks earlier than is typical in napa this he said compels the vines to enter the growth stage earlier resulting in grapes that are theoretically completely ripe sooner though it is risky if early frosts occur
mr bascaules runs counter to other bits of conventional napa wisdom he believes growers have gone too far in seeking absurdly low yields which he believes increases the power and concentration of a wine
its not because the yield is low that a wine is good he said i increased the yield when i came here you can have less sugar and more acidity
he also does not believe the shibboleth that the alcohol content of a wine is not important if the wine is balanced he said that too much alcohol makes it hard to make a balanced wine
i would like not to be over 145 percent mr bascaules said when the wine approaches 15 percent you lose control of the extraction and you have no choice but to make a big wine
in the vineyard mr bascaules plans to experiment with head pruning cabernet sauvignon an older system of training vines most often seen in california with zinfandel mr bascaules said that paul pontallier his mentor and the longtime director at chateau margaux who died recently had advocated head training
mr bascaules said that he thought mr pontallier was correct and that he had set aside four acres to test various vine training methods
maybe well have the answer in 20 years he said
that leaves plenty of time in the 50 year plan


wellington new zealand   los jaguares coach raul perez is quickly finding out about the need to rest and rotate players as his argentine team circles the globe in its first super rugby season
the jaguares the only team in super rugby based in the western hemisphere started the season with two matches in south africa after a bye week they played two games in buenos aires before traveling to new zealand for matches against the blues the hurricanes and the crusaders after that came a long flight north for saturdays approaching game against the japanese expansion franchise the sunwolves in tokyo
then there is a flight back to argentina and a match against the leagues third expansion team the southern kings of south africa
by their second bye in week 11 in early may los jaguares will have clocked more than 35000 miles in the air
were not used to traveling so much so we are a bit tired admitted scrumhalf martin landajo after his team lost to the hurricanes 40 22 here on april 9
to keep some of his players fresh perez opted to leave 10 of them in argentina taking 26 for the first two matches of the new zealand and japan trip
those left behind included the captain agustin creevy who also leads the argentine national team and veteran international players like juan martin hernandez and lucas gonzalez amorosino
it is difficult said landajo who was captain in creevys absence some of maybe our best players stayed in buenos aires
those 10 players arrived in new zealand just before the match against the crusaders with nine others returning to argentina to rest and prepare for the week 10 match against the kings
it is a balancing act for perez who wants to get results while ensuring his players do not burn out many of his players will also play test rugby for the national team the pumas in the june international window and again in the rugby championship
managing player workloads is something super rugby coaches in new zealand australia and south africa have grappled with for a long time while travel works both ways   teams have to fly to argentina and deal with the jet lag   los jaguares spend more time traveling than nearly every other super rugby club the sunwolves who play some home games in singapore will rack up frequent flier miles jetting between japan singapore australia and south africa
while teams regularly rotate players it is rare to see what los jaguares have done resting many front line players at once
it was part of our strategy to have a balance perez said after the game against the hurricanes we are going to arrive in buenos aires after the next two games on a tuesday and we have to play against the kings on saturday
in addition the fledgling franchise is trying to develop the younger and less experienced players on its roster   many of whom are playing professional rugby for the first time   so it can build the depth that is needed before becoming a title contender
after seven games los jaguares are sixth in the eight team south african group with one win and six losses including an early 4 point loss to the sharks and a 5 point loss to the stormers
but their most recent defeats when they were without many of their senior players have been rougher 24 16 against the blues and 40 22 against the hurricanes then 32 15 on friday against the crusaders
we have 19  and 20 year old boys who have never played in the national team they have never played against professional players landajo said they are playing in their first professional tournament
its good for argentina we are growing them up these losses hurt of course but i think they will make us better
los jaguares are certainly playing with plenty of ambition looking to counterattack and take advantage of their speed but their skills do not always match their ambitions
while formidable in the scrums in the driving maul and at the breakdown los jaguares still turn the ball over too much
landajo believes improvement and victories will come
its going to take experience and to be mature in some parts of the game he said we have the players but we have to adjust a bit
hurricanes coach chris boyd cautioned against taking los jaguares lightly
anybody who disrespects that side will pay for it he said
the hurricanes captain dane cole added they were definitely like the pumas team referring to the argentine national team they play with the same intent they probably werent at the tempo that the pumas have but they definitely do have major trends like throwing the ball around


calvin klein inc announced on tuesday that francisco costa the womens creative director for calvin klein collection and italo zucchelli the mens creative director would leave the brand heres what to know about the latest jolt in a series of fashion shake ups
the brazil born and fashion institute of technology educated costa came to calvin klein in 2001 after designing for oscar de la renta and gucci under tom ford he assumed the womens wear mantle in 2003 and won the cfdas womenswear designer of the year award in 2006 and 2008 he also won the 2009 cooper hewitt national fashion design award which meant face time with the first lady michelle obama
zucchelli a graduate of polimoda fashion school in florence arrived at calvin klein in 2000 after a stint at jil sander and became the mens creative director in 2004 his accolades include the 2009 cfda menswear designer of the year award how costas and zucchellis industry praise translated into sales isnt public knowledge as business of fashions lauren sherman writes its unclear whether the companys ready to wear collections   particularly the womens line   were successful financially citing calvin kleins former president and ceo tom murry he previously told the site its not a business that contributes to the bottom line and it probably never will be
of his debut collection in september 2003 cathy horyn said that costa accomplished two essential things at calvin klein he gave more credence to the trouser suit in womens lives than to the giddy ruffle   a story of the 2004 spring collections   and he brought forward the notion that freedom in dress begins with female underpinnings as chanel knew when she popped women out of their corsets her description can be applied to costas streamlined offerings from the past 12 years though his fall 2016 ready to wear in particular pushed the envelope   prints plush furs stones sewn into circular cutouts and a pantsuit as the closing look   but still read as calvin
dozens of celebrities have worn costas designs of note emma stone in peach short sleeves at the 2011 golden globes jennifer lawrences simple red oscars dress from the same year and   of course   lupita nyongos pearl encrusted academy awards gown that was stolen from her hollywood hotel room
womens wear daily started tracking raf to calvin rumors months ago and any commentary since from simons has been closely studied speaking to alexander fury about the possibility of raf simons womens wear the designer said sometimes in a lot of the mens i dont even find fashion i find wardrobe elegant and beautiful and modern sometimes beautifully executed does it impress me not really with the evolution of our society its not the biggest challenge i think to have it perfectly executed calvin klein plans to put womens and mens wear in the hands of one person according to the announcement


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1 donald j trump trounced his republican rivals in the new york primary according to the associated press and extended his delegate lead the victory was a crucial one for mr trump and again demonstrated the broad appeal of his populist message with republican voters

2 hillary clinton was expected to do well in her adopted home state and despite facing a strong challenge from senator bernie sanders she did her win puts mr sanders on the defensive facing an even larger deficit as he scrambles for delegates

3 a taliban truck bombing in afghanistans capital claimed at least 30 lives and wounded more than 300 people it was the deadliest attack in kabul since 2011 boosting fears about the militants ability and willingness to infiltrate cities as part of their annual spring offensive which was announced last week

4 a federal appeals court ruled that title ix the federal law that bars gender discrimination in schools protected the right of a transgender student in virginia to use the restroom of his choice the ruling comes amid a nationwide debate on that issue the student said the decision gives me hope that my fight will help other kids avoid discriminatory treatment at school

5 president obama will pay a visit to a jittery saudi arabia on wednesday the countrys leaders reeling from low oil prices and competition with iran count the white house as another source of discomfort because they doubt that the president shares their vision for the middle east their worry was compounded last month when he criticized the saudis as free riders

6 hillary clinton isnt the only new yorker with a distaste for metrocards the metropolitan transportation authority outlined plans on monday to replace the flimsy yellow cards which were introduced in the new york city subways in 1993 but dont throw out your extras just yet the changes wont go into effect until at least 2018

7 google could face charges in europe as soon as this week that it unfairly used its android phone software to promote its own services including maps and search over competitors although the company denies it breached any laws the long expected charges would represent a major setback as it tries to strengthen its position in the global mobile market

8 peter liang who was a new york city police officer when he fatally shot a 28 year old unarmed black man akai gurley in a brooklyn housing project stairwell in 2014 avoided a prison term he was instead sentenced in state supreme court to five years probation in the divisive police misconduct case the exact punishment sought by the prosecutor leaving the courtroom mr gurleys aunt cried out there is no justice akai gurleys life didnt matter

9 to marijuana advocates largely liberal new england is the natural next front for legalization but given an epidemic of opiate abuse the regions authorities may be less than open to the idea of expanding access to any illicit substance the massachusetts attorney general a democrat said the effort at legalization seems to be directly at odds with efforts to help addicts

10 brett weber is neither a player nor a coach for the yankees but he can have as much influence on the outcome of a game as anyone else in pinstripes the teams video replay monitor mr weber alerts the coaching staff to umpire calls he thinks should be challenged since replay began in 2014 the yankees have had baseballs highest success rate at overturning calls

11 it took the spy novelist john le carre legal name david cornwell a while to come around to this so called golden age of television the night manager a mini series based on his 1993 book is the first small screen adaptation of his work in 25 years starring tom hiddleston and hugh laurie it premieres tonight at 10 oclock eastern on amc because of a transcription error mr cornwells last name was misspelled earlier

12 beyonces coming projects are held as close as state secrets details about her lemonade broadcast airing saturday night on hbo have been scarce and usa today resorted to anonymous sourcing just to report that it would be a docu style special fans mindful of the music videos that accompanied beyonces last proper album release hope the show offers a new one

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in san franciscos chinatown brandon jew the former chef of somas hip biodynamic tavern bar agricole has just opened a contemporary chinese restaurant called mister jius   in a two story space that formerly housed one of the oldest and most opulent chinese restaurants in the city his organic and locally driven banquet menu the first of its kind in the neighborhood is rooted in memories of growing up as a chinese american boy in the mostly asian suburb of outer sunset and visiting chinatown with his parents we want to eat the way we believe in now but we also want ties to our family and memories of grandma cooking he says guests dine family style choosing between northern california ish versions of traditional chinese fare like cheong fun a rice noodle roll typically served as dim sum dressed with plump fillets of mendocino uni and organic sprouts or a steamed clam and ramp egg custard the house specialty is a tea smoked peking duck shuttled in from a sonoma county farm just an hour north of the city and instead of fortune cookies dessert options include frozen soy milk sprinkled with jasmine granita and rhubarb
what kept me motivated was getting this space back to its glory days jew says i really want this to be my home and i wanted to make it nice at the restaurants friends and family event earlier this month jews longtime friend the celebrity chef danny bowien of mission chinese showed up with champagne a pound of caviar and three buckets of popeyes chicken the guy knows how to party jew says and then after a beat when it comes down to it i just want people to come back to chinatown and have fun again in the same spirit mister jius bar director danny louie shares below the recipe for the restaurants happiness cocktail exclusively with t
1  1/2  ounces jasmine infused anchor junipero gin  3/4  ounce leopolds sour apple  3/4  ounce lime  1/4  ounce honey  1/4  ounce lo fi gentian amaro
1 add all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously
2 fine strain into a coupe glass garnish with an edible flower optional and serve
jasmine infused gin
750 ml anchor junipero gin  1/4  cup jasmine tea  1/2  cup jasmine rice make sure to wash the rice to eliminate the starch
1 add the jasmine tea and rice to the gin and infuse for 12 hours
2 strain out and discard the tea and rice


perhaps the first time that the minimalist pioneer donald judd and james rosenquist occupied the same space was in a 1964 issue of art in america in judds august survey of gallery goings on including blurbs on roy lichtenstein robert rauschenberg and ellsworth kelly the then part time critic refers to rosenquist as one of the patriarchs of pop art and to his billboard technique rosenquist did paint large scale advertisements for a living in the late 50s there is never any possibility of rosenquists paintings being mistaken for billboards however as lichtensteins paintings are mistaken for comics judd writes the conspicuous fragmentation of the various subjects is immediately recognizable as art
half a century later the pair meets again   at the judd foundations soho branch where donalds son flavin is installing five of rosenquists pieces on the ground floor of his deceased fathers former home and studio joining judds untitled 1975 stainless steel and blue acrylic box will be rosenquists 35 feet long time dust   black hole 1992 which he calls a parking lot in space for junk i did it in black and white because space is dark   literally and figuratively the mechanized sliding panels yellow applause 1966 that rosenquist says could intrinsically mean anything   applause usually signifies approval but one never knows the 1961 shadows and the 1972 prints horse blinders east and horse blinders west flavin and his sister rainer also pulled an inspired selection of books like naked lunch by william burroughs theory of colours by johann wolfgang von goethe catch 22 by joseph heller and powers of ten by philip morrison
for all of the planning involved flavin refuses to overthink the relationship between minimalism and pop art theres this myth that the two movements were against each other somehow and its complete nonsense he says pinpointing an intersection don and james were good artists and i think thats the only required commonality


front page
an article on saturday about a split on social issues between urban and rural parts of the south misstated the number of times that houston has elected an openly gay mayor it is three times not two
national
an associated press report in the national briefing column on friday about a recommendation that leslie van houten a former charles manson follower be paroled omitted in some editions a step in the parole process and misstated the number of times she has appeared before a parole board the recommendation goes to gov jerry brown if it is upheld after administrative review by the parole board it does not immediately go to mr brown and ms van houten has had 20 parole hearings not 21

an article on sunday about david gowan the speaker of the arizona house referred incorrectly in some editions to the location of pinal county where paul babeu a rival of mr gowans for the united states house is sheriff it is near   not along   the mexican border the article also misstated the year in which representative ann kirkpatrick who is vacating her united states house seat defeated andy tobin a former arizona house speaker it was 2014 not 2012
new york
an article in some editions on april 8 about a supporter of mayor bill de blasio who began a 15 day jail sentence misstated the charges on which he was convicted the supporter ari noe was found guilty of third degree sexual abuse and attempted forcible touching not forcible touching
business day
an article on the dealbook page on april 6 about an activist campaign by the american asset manager blackrock against the g resources group a hong kong company misstated the timing of a recommendation by the proxy advisory firm glass lewis against a proposal by g resources to sell a gold mine glass lewis issued its recommendation before   not after   blackrock campaigned against the deal

the your money column on saturday about the difficulty in getting a refund of the airline baggage check fee when the luggage goes missing misstated the rate of mishandled bags in 1990 it was 684 per 1000 pieces of checked luggage not 624
sports
an article in some editions on sunday about the yankees 3 2 loss to the seattle mariners misidentified the yankees player who made a heady defensive play in the fifth inning by throwing out luis sardinas at third base after he rounded the bag the play was made by shortstop didi gregorius not by second baseman starlin castro
weekend
an art review on friday about pergamon and the hellenistic kingdoms of the ancient world at the metropolitan museum of art misidentified the institution from which the dying gaul sculpture is on loan it is from the national archaeological museum in naples not the capitoline museums in rome the review also misstated part of the title of another sculpture of a child pulling a thorn from his foot it is lo spinario not il spinario
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in past decades when faced with plebiscites on whether to embrace further european integration voters across the continent had a habit of slamming on the brakes   though in several instances they later changed their minds
so britains vote on june 23 on whether to exit the european union a process often referred to as brexit could have huge ramifications
those who favor leaving say that britain would have stronger control over its borders if it left the union and that it could negotiate trade deals on its own their opponents warn that leaving the worlds largest trading bloc will have dire economic consequences
most economists say that leaving the european union will have a negative impact in the short term but that the longer term consequences are less clear
simon tilford deputy director of the center for european reform a research organization in london noted that referendums in europe had often fallen prey to oversimplification base appeals to emotions and scaremongering on both sides lots of people will not consider the issues carefully but will instead allow their frustrations with immigration and globalization or fears over loss of sovereignty to influence how they vote he said
britain joined the european economic community a forerunner of the european union in 1973 during the conservative government of prime minister edward heath
the labour party which took power the next year submitted the matter to a public vote
the yes camp won a resounding victory   67 percent   with the backing of prime minister harold wilson
the differences between then and now are striking at the time it was the labour party that was deeply divided over europe the partys left flank feared that west german fiscal reticence would push down british wages
the conservatives led by margaret thatcher supported british membership in the community saying that it would buttress market oriented economic policies but it was not an easy call today the conservatives are the most deeply torn over europe with their right flank   led by mayor boris johnson of london and justice secretary michael gove   helping to lead the camp that favors leaving
but the european economic community back then was a far more modest endeavor than todays european union and britain was economically downcast in 1975   the sick man of europe an economic laggard behind west germany and france   while today it is flourishing relative to other european countries
the bloc had nine members then compared with 28 today while the british news media broadly supported remaining in europe in 1975 today it is divided and in many cases downright hostile
in february 1992 12 european nations signed a treaty in the medieval dutch city of maastricht forging common foreign and defense policies and paving the way for a single currency the euro
those aspirations were thrown into disarray four months later when danish voters narrowly rejected the treaty which needed all member states to approve it opponents of the treaty preyed on fears that denmarks economy would be subsumed by germanys and would be captive to a remote bureaucracy in brussels
after the danish government secured the ability to opt out of several aspects of the treaty   including the single currency   a second referendum was held on may 18 1993 that time about 57 percent voted in favor the european community breathed a sigh of relief
given frances role as a founding member of what became the european union the continent was shaken when only 51 percent of french voters said yes to the maastricht treaty the thin margin laid bare the deep unpopularity at the time of president francois mitterrand who had called the referendum french economic stagnation and by concerns that greater unity could lead to a new wave of immigration for some advocates of european integration the vote highlighted the perils of direct democracy
ireland was expected to be the european unions model student generous european subsidies transformed the small country in the 1990s into an economic powerhouse
nevertheless irish voters rejected the nice treaty which intended to clear the way for 12 new members mostly from the former communist countries of eastern and central europe turnout was low opponents of the treaty feared the loss of sovereignty warned that expansion of the european union could draw ireland which has a tradition of military neutrality into world conflicts and stoked fears of poor migrants from eastern europe flooding the country
but voters overwhelmingly approved the nice treaty in a second vote on oct 19 2002 swayed among other things by a european union guarantee that ireland could opt out of military operations
swedes overwhelmingly rejected membership in the european single currency in a big blow to prime minister goran persson who had called the vote on the assumption that his citizens were ready to abandon their currency the krona the outcome highlighted anxiety about european integration in a country that had joined the bloc only eight years earlier
the assassination of foreign minister anna lindh a proponent of the euro days before the vote rattled sweden but it did not change the outcome
denmark the other scandinavian member of the european union also kept its own currency and finland has been part of the eurozone since its inception in 1999 iceland and norway are not members of the european union
a former president of france valery giscard destaing helped draft a constitution of the european union a 300 page document that sought to pave the way for a common bill of rights and to reduce the ability of member states to veto decisions in areas like asylum and immigration
but the french decisively rejected the proposed constitution dealing a fatal blow to the charter as unanimous approval of member states was needed for it to go into effect the french rejection was spurred among other factors by a revolt against president jacques chirac and his stewardship of a faltering economy and concerns that the vaunted french social model was under threat
just days after the french rejected the european constitution the dutch did the same like france the netherlands was one of the six founding nations of what became the european union but dutch voters were angered that their country was at the time the largest net contributor per capita to the european unions budget even though it was not the richest country in the bloc
the netherlands was also ambivalent about losing power under proposed changes in voting rules opponents of the constitution also stoked fears by equating ratification of the document with the acceptance of turkey a longtime candidate for membership into the european union
the lisbon treaty was a blueprint intended to rein in the blocs cumbersome bureaucracy and to enact some of the changes in governance that voters had rejected in the proposed constitution
yet voters rejected the treaty after opponents adroitly played on fears particularly acute in smaller countries like ireland that even the watered down changes would undermine national self determination it did not help that the treaty   which would give the european council a decision making body made up of the member states leaders a full time president and would change the voting system so that fewer decisions would require simple majority votes   was seen as opaque even impenetrable
the vote shook the government and the business leaders which had campaigned for the treaty
but 16 months later the irish reversed themselves and voted in favor of the treaty as an economic crisis helped tame resistance to the european project the flip flop echoed irelands flip flop on european union expansion
supporters of european integration suffered their most recent blow when dutch voters overwhelmingly rejected a trade and cooperation agreement between the european union and ukraine
coming less than three months before the british referendum on european union membership the dutch vote was a painful reminder of the fragility of popular support for the european union the bloc has been buffeted by slowing or zero economic growth a spiraling migrant crisis and worries about terrorism
the dutch parliament had already given its assent to a proposed economic deal between ukraine and the european union but critics forced a direct popular vote under a recent law that compels the government to submit a question directly to voters if proponents secure at least 300000 signatures for an online petition
the vote was officially nonbinding but the government had said it would not disregard the results if turnout exceeded 30 percent   a threshold that was narrowly achieved negotiations over the accord are continuing


two people were killed in fires in brooklyn and queens on monday the authorities said
a 52 year old man died when a fire burned through a home at 205 16 113th road in the st albans neighborhood of queens around 9 am the police department said in a statement
firefighters found the man unconscious and unresponsive inside the building and paramedics transported him to a queens hospital where he was pronounced dead the police said
the second fire began around 6 pm and burned through the second and third floors of a 20 foot by 50 foot building at 203 fenimore street in the prospect lefferts gardens neighborhood of brooklyn francis x gribbon a fire department spokesman said
the person killed in the second fire was an occupant of the building whose body was found inside more than two hours after firefighters arrived on the scene officials said one of the injured was a neighbor who had minor smoke inhalation the department said the other eight were firefighters who sustained minor bumps burns and bruises
the authorities declined to release the names of either victim on monday pending the notification of their families the cause of both fires was under investigation they said


red sox manager john farrells top two relievers were wild in the same inning
russell martins two run single against craig kimbrel capped a four run eighth on monday and the blue jays held on to beat the red sox 4 3 in bostons annual patriots day game
we missed the strike zone a little bit in that eighth inning farrell said id say thats maybe an understatement
koji uehara was charged with four runs after he gave up two walks while getting just one out kimbrel also gave up a walk
when youre facing uehara and those guys at the end its tough to do toronto manager john gibbons said you see the end result it was big
clay buchholz who had allowed five runs in each of his first two starts allowed none in six and two thirds scoreless innings monday he was helped by four double plays by his infield and a diving catch by center fielder jackie bradley jr
drew storen got three outs for his first save despite allowing two runs earning toronto a split of the four game series
with toronto trailing by 1 0 in the eighth kevin pillar reached second against uehara after josh rutledges throwing error on his infield hit pillar advanced on a passed ball and scored on michael saunderss groundout
kimbrel entered with one out and the bases loaded and struck out edwin encarnacion he walked troy tulowitzki on a 3 2 pitch forcing in the go ahead run and martin singled
cubs 5 cardinals 0 john lackey struck out 11 in seven innings of four hit ball against his former team and had a run scoring single in st louis
dexter fowler homered for the second time in three days for the cubs who are a major league best 10 3
rockies 5 reds 1 trevor storys solo homer broke a tie in the eighth inning in cincinnati and jordan lyles got his first victory in nearly a year
story added to his incredible rookie start connecting on the first pitch from ross ohlendorf for his national league leading eighth homer in 13 games ben paulsen finished the rally with a three run homer off jumbo diaz
angels 7 white sox 0 hector santiago matched a career high with 10 strikeouts over seven crisp innings in chicago
kole calhoun andrelton simmons and geovany soto hit consecutive run scoring singles during a five run first carlos rodon got only one out before he was replaced by jake petricka
marlins 6 nationals 1 jose fernandez overcame early wildness in miami throwing 54 pitches in the first two innings but not allowing a hit until the fifth
he improved to 18 1 at marlins park and his victory was the first this season for a marlins starter
giancarlo stanton hit his third homer of the season while bryce harper who had homered in his previous four games went 0 for 2 with a sacrifice fly
cardinals activate tejada cardinals shortstop ruben tejada was activated from the 15 day disabled list he had strained his left quadriceps in spring training
st louis signed tejada 26 on march 19 after he was released by the mets he figured to start in place of jhonny peralta who is recovering from surgery to repair a torn thumb ligament
gardenhire rejoins twins the minnesota twins hired the former manager ron gardenhire as a special assistant to general manager terry ryan his responsibilities include traveling to all minor league affiliates as an instructor and evaluator
the twins fired gardenhire their manager for 13 years in 2014 after finishing 70 92


alex ovechkin scored twice braden holtby had 31 saves and the washington capitals moved one game closer to a sweep in their first round playoff series with a 6 1 win over the host philadelphia flyers on monday night
the capitals lead a series by three games to none for the first time in team history game 4 will be wednesday night in philadelphia
ovechkin broke a tie with his 38th postseason goal and holtby made the lead stand with his third straight sensational effort in the series the capitals scored five power play goals four in the third period
the flyers lost in their first home game since their co founder ed sniders death last week michael raffl scored 57 seconds into the game and sent a crowd already rocking after an emotional pregame tribute into a frenzy
the flyers dedicated their postseason run to snider who died after a two year battle with cancer
raffl knocked in the first shot of the game off brandon mannings attempt from the point
the flyers had motivation home ice and a bit of history on their side   washington had been 0 7 in game 3s in best of seven playoff series when leading 2 0
but this seasons capitals had the best record in the nhl and had outplayed the flyers in the first two games once the crowd and the flyers settled down the capitals got going and looked every bit as dominant as they had all season
marcus johansson tied the game 1 1 in the first beating steve mason for his first career postseason goal on a power play
mason gave up two easy goals that hushed the home crowd
ovechkin bounced over the boards and snapped a long distance wrist shot from above the circle past mason that gave ovechkin 38 goals and 34 assists to match dale hunter for first place on washingtons career playoff points list with 72
on a third period power play justin williamss shot off the boards settled near mason who pawed at the puck and watched it trickle away evgeny kuznetsov pounced and pounded it into the net for a 3 1 lead on just 18 shots
john carlson ovechkin and jay beagle made it 6 1 also scoring power play goals in the third the capitals have eight in the series
there were reminders of snider all around wells fargo center
the flyers hung a banner outside the arena with sniders picture and the words a flyer forever his silhouette was inside the flyers logo for a playoff t shirt giveaway and some fans left flowers and cards at a temporary memorial next to the team flag
wild 5 stars 3 given a pair of quick goals by patrick sharp dallas pushed the cruise control button
jason pominville and minnesota raced past them and surged back into the series
pominville scored twice and had an assist for the host wild and minnesota roared back from an early two goal deficit for a victory that sliced the stars advantage in the western conference quarterfinals to 2 1
pominville scored with 47 seconds left in the second period to give the wild their first postseason lead in seven games a span of nearly 400 minutes and added an empty netter in the closing minutes
chris porter put the wild on the board in the final minute of the first period for their first even strength goal of the series erik haula added a goal and an assist mikko koivu scored on a power play in the third period and the wild stopped a seven game losing streak that started on march 31
we threw the kitchen sink at them haula said
game 4 is in minnesota on wednesday night
kings 2 sharks 1 tanner pearson scored 347 into overtime and los angeles bounced back from a pair of series opening losses at home to beat san jose in game 3 in the first round
anze kopitar added a power play goal jonathan quick made 29 saves and los angeles killed two third period penalties to cut san joses lead in the series to 2 1 the kings rallied from a 3 0 series deficit to beat the sharks in the first round two years ago on the way to their second stanley cup title
game 4 is wednesday night in san jose
joe thornton scored 30 seconds into the game for the sharks but san jose could not get anything else by quick as their regular season pattern of road dominance and home struggles extended to the playoffs the sharks led the nhl with 28 road wins in the regular season and added two to start this series but san jose has lost 24 of 42 home games for the worst record on home ice of any playoff team


a putback at the buzzer by oklahoma citys steven adams that would have won the game was disallowed upon review and the dallas mavericks defeated the thunder 85 84 in oklahoma city on monday night to even their western conference playoff series at one win apiece
dallas had been embarrassed in its 108 70 loss in the opener on saturday but the mavericks bounced back in game 2 holding oklahoma city to 337 percent shooting
raymond felton had 21 points and dirk nowitzki 17 for the mavericks deron williams declared doubtful on sunday with an abdominal strain scored 13 points 11 in the games first five minutes
kevin durant scored 21 points for oklahoma city but he made just 7 of 33 shots in one of the worst postseason shooting performances of his career
raptors 98 pacers 87 jonas valanciunas had 23 points and 15 rebounds kyle lowry had 18 points 9 assists and 7 rebounds and toronto beat visiting indiana ending a postseason losing streak at seven games
the raptors had not won a playoff game since a 115 113 home victory over the nets on april 30 2014
cory joseph scored 16 points patrick patterson 14 and demar derozan had 10 as the raptors tied the first round series at 1 1
paul george scored 28 points and monta ellis 15 for the pacers who host game 3 on thursday
lowry and derozan both struggled with their shooting in their teams game 1 loss saturday combining to make eight of 32 attempts neither was particularly sharp in this one with lowry making 4 of 13 and derozan making 5 of 18
lowry still found a way to make an impact providing five assists in the first quarter
derozan however never seemed to find his rhythm and spent the fourth quarter on the bench as lowry and torontos reserves pulled away from the pacers
terrence ross was held out of the second half for precautionary reasons after being knocked down during an inbounds play late in the second quarter tests at halftime revealed no clear sign of a concussion but ross had a headache
leonard is honored kawhi leonard tends to shrug off all the accolades for his defensive prowess he almost always credits his teammates and coach for any praise he receives
it was no different monday as leonard won his second consecutive nba defensive player of the year award after helping san antonio have the leagues best defense
of his teammates leonard said they give me the confidence to pressure my man and get into the ballhandler the bigs are there on the help side if the guy goes by me and im able to switch to other offensive players and all the other guards on my team to guard the best offensive player
spurs coach gregg popovich was not so sure about all of that
hes a team oriented individual for sure popovich said but ive got to tell you i dont think he knows when those guys are back there or not he just goes and does what he does he just plays hes giving credit to everyone as he should hes a wonderful young man but the things he does amaze me night after night and the fact he does it at both ends really is something and then he rebounds on top of it so hes a pretty special guy
leonard beat out draymond green of the golden state warriors to become the first non center to win the award in consecutive seasons since dennis rodman won in the 1989 90 and 1990 91 seasons
the 6 foot 7 leonard received 84 first place votes and 547 points from a panel of 130 sportswriters and broadcasters from the united states and canada green an all star forward was runner up for the second straight year with 44 first place votes and 421 points miami center hassan whiteside was third with 83 points and two first place votes
the spurs were a franchise record 67 15 this season and allowed 929 points per game the lowest in the nba leonard was 12th in the league in steals and averaged a career best 10 blocks he was just as smothering in the 106 74 win over the grizzlies to open the playoffs over the weekend


across new york citys 520 mile shoreline shimmering towers are replacing docklands and warehouses and factories in barely a decade on the waterfront has given way to miami vice but as these areas foster much needed housing and a renewed connection to the water much of their character traditions and jobs are lost
what if the city did not have to choose imagine a 21st century factory floating above shops and promenades with a tower of apartments for the working class and well off cascading dozens of stories above   vertical integration of a very different sort
it used to be that people lived over the shop now as more crowd into new york the de blasio administration wants to marry housing and manufacturing once again and while developers are typically the ones tearing down old plants for new apartments a number of the citys top builders are lining up for the chance to combine them on an almost five acre site on the waterfront in long island city queens
if successful these projects along with a novel set of design guidelines created by the city could shape new developments in old industrial neighborhoods from the south bronx to sunset park brooklyn and staten islands north shore
i think were all drawn to interesting industrial buildings with interesting things going on inside alicia glen the deputy mayor for housing and economic development said last week outside a hulking rust splotched warehouse on 44th road in long island city she glanced a few blocks east past more tumbledown buildings to the citigroup tower a sentinel for decades now one among many in the other direction the view toward the waterfront was filled with those fort lauderdale familiars sleek towers studded with balconies stuffed with yoga studios and wine shops
it could be anywhere ms glen said its not whats cool about this neighborhood its not what built this neighborhood what built new york
as oil refineries and brickworks have been replaced by less noxious artists artisans and entrepreneurs property values have jumped residential rents in long island city now cost an average of 53 per square foot according to streeteasycom that is three to six times higher than what industrial tenants pay giving landlords an incentive to push them out
city hall is juggling the oft conflicting agendas of promoting employment and encouraging thousands of new housing units over the past decade nearly 9000 apartments have been built in long island city with twice as many in the works and while overall employment has risen in recent years manufacturing jobs have remained stagnant according to the long island city partnership a local business group
and even if landlords wanted to mingle apartments and businesses zoning tends to forbid it
efforts to accommodate both have worked elsewhere barcelona and stockholm have had considerable success in repurposing industrial areas for both new housing and renewed manufacturing san francisco seattle and chicago are testing similar approaches
no one has tried anything on the scale of new york however where such lofty towers could surpass 60 stories
its bigger than anywhere else but it has to be because this is new york adam friedman director of the pratt center for community development a research and advocacy organization said in an interview i dont mean that as a boast the land is just too valuable not to maximize everything
in february the city released a request for proposals for 45 acres of property adjacent to anable basin a shipping inlet on the east river the initiative calls for 14 million square feet of development more space than the chrysler building
in place of a parking lot a pier and transportation department facility developers could build two to three towers between 350 and 500 feet tall if bidders include additional commercial and manufacturing space they could add an extra 150 feet to the new buildings
this could create about 1000 new apartments some of which would be set aside as affordable and at least 300000 square feet of commercial space a third of that would be required to be productive including food or furniture makers not computer programmers or architects who often compete with manufacturers for space developers would also be permitted to build bigger if they include cultural tenants like galleries clubs breweries and bookstores
to help ensure compatible spaces   and make this look more like new york harbor than south beach   the city is proposing to revive the wedding cake style buildings of the prewar era these are not only a better fit aesthetically but by requiring boxy layouts on the lower floors they would also be less suited for apartments and thus harder to convert into lofts
kenny greenberg who has been making neon signs in the neighborhood since 1981 welcomes such a plan even though he is wary of it its kind of weird to bulldoze a whole way of life and then replace it with this fake facade and declare oh we love industry mr greenberg said the spaces have to work for everyone and does a loading dock work next to a cafe
still he added it would be nice not to have to leave the neighborhood
brian staresnick an architect who has lived in one of the waterfront towers for two years worried that some of the new businesses might not be industrious enough is a guy from williamsburg making pickles in my building really that authentic he said while sipping a beer at the rockaway brewing company
already the citys plan has attracted some of the biggest players in the industry many of whom were at an april informational session according to a copy of the attendance records forest city ratner builder of atlantic yards tf cornerstone developers of much of the neighboring waterfront rose associates among the citys largest residential landlords and the durst organization co owners of one world trade center
responses are due may 26 though with rezoning and remediation work to be done construction is years away still city hall hopes its plan could provide a guide for other industrial properties and officials are urging developers to get creative in williamsburg a new office complex near bushwick inlet that would include dedicated space for manufacturers is under review
the city is growing and getting bigger ms glen said which we want so we have to think about new ways we can make all the messy pieces of the city fit together
alan suna who founded silvercup studios in long island city in 1983 with his brother has already embraced a similar mixed use idea for a six acre site next to the queensboro bridge there apartment towers would rise above film studios and offices environmental cleanup work is scheduled to begin later this year
much as mr suna is a fan of the citys plan he thinks it could be bigger or rather smaller i see no reason you couldnt do the same thing where you demolish an old two story warehouse or you build on top of it and you get a five  or eight story building and on the first few floors theyre still making stuff
there are still limits to such visions just ask harvey heffner
his family has run empire city iron works in the neighborhood since 1911 to lean on a railing at yankee stadium or the metropolitan opera is to admire their work a condominium building opened opposite the heffners factory in 2009 work at the factory starts at 6 am and often someone stops by not long after to complain
weve been doing this 105 years mr heffner said im not about to change that


philadelphia   david wright has made a living hitting in citizens bank park
wright has nearly a 300 batting average in the stadium which opened in 2004 the same year wright made his major league debut he also has 22 home runs there the most of any visiting ballplayer in the stadiums history and the most wright has hit on the road against any team during his 12 year career
one of his most thrilling shots against the phillies came in august in his first at bat after he returned from four months on the disabled list
wright continued his hot hand here monday when he launched a no doubt shot to deep right field in the first inning for his first home run and rbi this season for good measure he hit another shot in the ninth to notch his first multi homer game in three years
wrights home runs set the tone for the game which the mets won 5 2 it was their fourth victory in five games after they lost five of seven to start the season
its a good place to hit certainly but maybe i just play here a lot wright said after the game
the barrage was an affirmation of manager terry collinss faith in wright the teams captain collins said he planned to start wright in all three games this week in philadelphia as a way of seeing how wrights balky back reacts to the workload
a year ago wright was found to have spinal stenosis a narrowing of the canal in the spinal cord that can lead to chronic stiffness and pain the condition is unpredictable so wright often does not know whether he can play until the morning of a game
he has lengthened his pregame warm up routine to compensate and collins plans to sit him on day games after night games
wright did not play sunday so collins was comfortable returning him to the lineup wright also made a nifty play in the field in the fourth when a slow roller got past pitcher noah syndergaard wright scooped up the ball in front of shortstop asdrubal cabrera and threw out phillies left fielder david lough
for the first five innings syndergaard had nothing but wrights home run as a cushion
but as in his first two starts this season syndergaard effectively mixed his slider with his fastball to keep batters off balance on monday he added a curve ball
entering the day syndergaards average fastball velocity of 981 miles per hour led the majors according to fangraphs against the phillies several of syndergaards fastballs topped 100 mph
the mets have welcomed syndergaards emergence matt harvey has pitched unevenly and jacob degrom has been dealing with back stiffness and attending to the birth of his first child steven matz was hit hard in his first start
for much of the game syndergaard looked like the teams ace after striking out nine and 12 in his first two starts he kept the tally going against the phillies fanning eight in seven innings
the phillies scored their only run off syndergaard in the third inning on a double by freddy galvis who stole third base and scored on a single by odubel herrera
the mets bats reawoke in the sixth when yoenis cespedes hit a line drive down the right field line for a triple off phillies starter jerad eickoff cespedes scored when lucas duda hit a double that tailed away from lough in left
syndergaard seemed energized by the run support in the bottom of the sixth he struck out galvis and herrera after giving up a single to maikel franco who advanced on a wild pitch syndergaard walked ryan howard but syndergaard struck out cameron rupp on a 100 mph fastball to end the threat
what i felt good about tonight was the ability to go out there and be quick toward home plate and also deliver a quality pitch syndergaard said
with a low pitch count   79 pitches through six innings   collins let syndergaard bat in the top of the seventh he walked but right fielder curtis granderson and wright struck out to end the inning
in the eighth inning though duda hit his first home run of the season to push the lead to 3 1 neil walker followed with another solo homer leading the many mets fans along the third base line to stand and cheer some of the phillies fans among them headed for the exit


as jahmal lightfoot tells it rikers island correction officers pummeled him without any words   or any mercy   as he curled up into a fetal position inside a cell to shield himself from their repeated blows
basically it was open season for them to do what they wanted mr lightfoot testified on monday in state supreme court in the bronx
mr lightfoot 31 returned to the witness stand for the second day and continued a harrowing first person account of the savage beating that he received in july 2012 when bronx prosecutors contend the officers decided to teach him a lesson he recalled that when he tried to cover his face with his hands he was kicked in the groin and then officers pinned down his arms and legs
nine current and former correction officers are on trial in the beating of mr lightfoot and an attempted cover up the most serious charge is attempted gang assault in the first degree which carries a sentence of up to 15 years in prison other charges include attempted assault tampering with physical evidence falsifying business records and official misconduct
bronx prosecutors have said that mr lightfoot was unarmed and in a line of inmates being marched to a search area for weapons when he caught the eye of eliseo perez jr a former assistant chief for security prosecutors have said that the officers wanted to set a tone after another inmate was slashed in a separate fight that day
mr perez and gerald vaughn a former correction captain ordered five members of an elite squad to beat mr lightfoot in a cell that was covered by a drapery away from video cameras while three other officers stood outside according to prosecutors
defense lawyers have countered that mr lightfoot had a weapon ignored warnings to drop it and instead came at the officers they argue that mr lightfoot was injured while he was being restrained by the officers who were simply doing their job
in testimony on monday mr lightfoot showed no hesitation in picking out mr perez in video footage of the moments leading up to the beating in contrast to last week when mr lightfoot was unable to pick out mr perez in the courtroom
mr lightfoot spoke matter of factly about being punched and then kicked and stomped on including on his head by boots that felt like a brick under questioning from a prosecutor lawrence piergrossi mr lightfoot repeatedly denied that he had a weapon or that he had failed to comply with any orders from the officers
he said that after the beating he could barely move and had to be helped to the prison clinic by correction officers mr lightfoot who had fractures on both his eye sockets said that for months afterward his eyes would hurt and his vision would blur when he tried to read and that he would get headaches and spit up blood
the high profile trial has cast rikers island new york citys main jail complex as a violent place where weapons are regularly recovered from inmates despite frequent searches it comes amid calls by critics to close rikers
mr lightfoot was released from state prison in 2014 after being convicted of robbery
mr perez retired in 2013 and mr vaughn in 2014 the seven others on trial   officers tobias parker jose parra alfred rivera david rodriguez jeffrey richard harmon frierson and dwayne maynard   were suspended in june 2013 but were recently allowed to return to work on modified duty with no contact with inmates


new york city announced plans on monday to combat the spread of zika virus a largely mosquito borne disease that has spread rapidly in the western hemisphere and raised concern that it may cause birth defects in infants if their mothers are infected during pregnancy
the citys plans are based on a health department program to combat the spread of west nile virus a relative of zika that is also spread by mosquitoes the office of mayor bill de blasio said in a statement
we will spare no effort to protect pregnant new yorkers from the devastating consequences of zika and we ask new yorkers to help us by taking simple steps to get rid of standing water where mosquitoes can breed mr de blasio said in the statement we also ask pregnant women who may have been exposed to zika to talk to their doctors about getting tested
the citys plans include a campaign to spread testing and prevention information in the five boroughs an expansion of mosquito surveillance programs to go after insects that may carry the disease and testing services for pregnant new yorkers and local mosquitoes
the city and state will invest 21 million in the anti zika effort over the next three years which will include doubling the number of mosquito traps in the city and hiring 51 new employees including inspectors exterminators disease inspectors and lab analysts
zika virus is spread through mosquito bites as well as through sexual contact most people experience no symptoms and no lasting harm but research suggests it may cause microcephaly   unusually small heads and often damaged brains   in babies whose mothers were infected during pregnancy


after a three day search the police on monday arrested a 53 year old man who is suspected of fatally stabbing a fellow resident at a manhattan homeless shelter and then slashing a cabdriver in the neck the next day
investigators found the man william smith who has an arrest history stretching back to the 1980s on the street in astoria queens around 11 am the police said charges were pending
the killing on friday at the 30th street mens shelter in kips bay reignited concerns about violence in new york citys overcrowded shelter system the site of a string of deadly attacks this year the police said mr smith stabbed marcus guerreiro a 56 year old shelter resident in the right side of his neck and choked him with a wire
other residents saw mr smith washing blood off his hands
on saturday around 1230 am mr smith hailed a cab in queens and asked to be taken to a holiday inn in the corona neighborhood the police said when the cab arrived mr smith pulled out a sharp object demanded money and after the driver refused slashed him in the neck before running away mr smith left behind a cellphone and wallet with his id
the attack fit a recurring pattern the police said around 2 pm on april 11 mr smith got into a taxi by a brooklyn hotel and asked to go to queens he exited the car without paying and came back 15 minutes later with a sharp object
give me all your money he said according to the police he ran off with 225
mr smith served time in state prison in 2014 on a burglary conviction


harry kane and dele alli both scored twice monday as tottenham crushed stoke 4 0 with a devastating attacking display closing the gap on premier league leader leicester to 5 points with four games left
tottenhams performance was an emphatic response to leicester dropping points in sundays 2 2 draw with west ham
either team winning the league would shake up the established order leicester has never won the top flight in its 132 year history and tottenhams only titles came in 1951 and 1961
were not going anywhere   we are on their tails kane said of leicester after taking his league leading tally to 24 goals
the striker curled in the opener in the ninth minute but tottenham only burst into life in the second half
the 20 year old alli dinked the ball over the 39 year old goalkeeper shay given to double tottenhams lead in the 67th but then missed an open goal
kane did succeed in putting the ball into an unguarded net in the 71st and alli arrowed a powerful volley into the net to complete the worst loss of the season for ninth place stoke
this end to the season could not have been anticipated in august when tottenham opened its campaign by failing to win any of its first four games
but tottenhams young team has steadily grown in confidence under mauricio pochettino during the managers second season
we show hunger and passion pochettino said they are fantastic to work with every day
no team has scored more than tottenham and no team has conceded fewer goals
vardys ban may grow leicester striker jamie vardys mandatory one match ban may be lengthened after he was charged by the english football association over his angry reaction to a red card
vardy the premier leagues second leading scorer was sent off in the second half of sundays draw with west ham after being booked twice the second time for diving in the penalty area after tangling with angelo ogbonna
vardy confronted the referee jon moss jabbing a finger at him after receiving his first red card of the season


fluctuations inside a huge tank of radioactive waste raised concerns on the hanford nuclear reservation and workers prepared monday to pump out the area of the leak a federal contractor said the amount of waste that has been leaking between the two walls of the underground tank for several years grew substantially over the weekend none of the waste appears to have escaped into the environment the contractor washington river protection solutions said but workers were trying monday to determine why the waste that leaked between the tank walls rose by about eight inches on sunday then dropped by half an inch hanford near richland for decades made plutonium for nuclear weapons including the atomic bomb dropped on nagasaki japan workers are preparing to pump the waste back inside the tank it is hanfords oldest double shell tank and since march was being emptied of its 750000 gallons of radioactive waste because of the leak less than 100 gallons of waste was estimated to have leaked into the gap between the walls in recent years drying in three separate patches but hanford officials said that on sunday an alarm sounded after the waste level rose ap
a bill that would have required students in public schools and universities to use bathrooms and locker rooms that match their sex at birth has failed after a sponsor pulled the measure monday until next year the move came after intense opposition from businesses and gay lesbian and transgender rights organizations that called the measure discriminatory and amid questions of whether the state would lose more than 1 billion in federal education funds the proposal is part of a wave of such legislation across the country supporters maintained they were trying only to protect privacy ap
the nevada attorney general on monday charged a former prison guard trainee with manslaughter in the shooting death of a handcuffed inmate in 2015 the guard raynaldo john ramos is accused of firing shotgun blasts that killed carlos perez jr while he and another inmate brawled in a hallway at high desert state prison outside las vegas two other guards who have resigned were not charged a lawyer for mr perezs family says the guards staged a gladiator like scenario to let two handcuffed inmates fight before mr ramos shot them the second prisoner was wounded mr ramos was fired ap


mokolo cameroon   as the convoy barreled through a village in northern cameroon on monday a 7 year old boy darted to the road excited to see the chain of white suvs carrying samantha power the first cabinet level american official to visit the country since 1991
distracted by a thundering noise the boy glanced up at the helicopter providing security from above suddenly he was struck dead   killed by the same convoy that had brought officials to showcase american efforts to help protect west africas women and children
after hitting the boy one suv carrying state department employees pulled to the side of the road the rest of the motorcade continued on its way
oh my god ms power said later after she was informed of the tragedy according to her spokesman kurtis cooper i want to go see his family she added and later she did
the episode highlighted one of the enduring quandaries of american power in some remote parts of the world the only interaction people have with the united states is from afar whether from the movies produced by hollywood or the drones overhead that can strike at will
in this case ms power the united states ambassador to the united nations had come to west africa to help raise awareness and win people over it was planned as part of an effort to convince residents who are terrorized by the islamist extremist group boko haram   but who are also disenchanted by the heavy handed tactics of their governments   that their paths lie with the american backed state not with the militants
the united states stands with you ms power told local reporters on monday at the countrys maroua airport
instead ms power grimly made her way through a day haunted by the boys death it was a tragedy that often seems on the verge of happening when high ranking dignitaries drive through the streets in motorcades escorted by local police and security
the convoys at times hurtle through cities villages and towns at hair raising speeds villagers especially children rush to the side of the road to watch often running alongside the moving cars as long as they can shouting and waving
as ms powerss convoy left the scene of accident on monday an older man ran to the fallen boy who lay spread eagled and bleeding on the road then the convoy disappeared around a curve and continued on to mokolo and points beyond where ms power had appointments with women and children victimized by boko haram
the convoy had been driving at more than 40 miles per hour when the vehicle hit the boy one of the ambulances that was part of ms powers motorcade was dispatched to transfer the boy to a nearby hospital
officials in ms powers group said later that the convoy continued on its way because the security situation in the area was tense   there had been two boko haram attacks nearby just two days before ms power was not informed of the accident until after she arrived in mokolo for her first meeting with a local official
there was a distinct pall over the rest of the days agenda which was distressing on its own
in mokolo hulatu usman 28 told a harrowing story of running through the bush with her five children with boko haram fighters in pursuit ms usman somehow managed to get all of her children over the border from nigeria
at the minawao camp on monday afternoon ms power sat on a mat in a dark room with a 15 year old girl who told her of being forced to choose between death or marrying a boko haram fighter
as the teenager recounted her tale she held her baby in her lap along with a drawing of flowers she had made all the while she looked downward seemingly unable to meet ms powers eyes
the quadruply sad part is that she thinks she made a choice ms power who was visibly upset told reporters traveling with her that was no choice
during ms powers visit hundreds of children standing at the side of the roads waved and smiled at her
a short while after the meeting the motorcade was heading south again the same russian built attack helicopter hovered above carrying cameroonian security officials and guarding ms power
mr cooper said her security officials had balked at returning to the village but ms power had insisted saying im going
this time when the convoy arrived in the village there were no laughing and waving children running on the side of the road instead hundreds of villagers surrounded by dozens of black clad cameroonian soldiers stood near the road staring stone faced at the motorcade
the vehicles engines idling sat on the road for 30 minutes as ms power went in to pay her respects to the boys parents
when she got back in her car the convoy resumed its journey for the rest of the way it continued at a speed of about 25 miles per hour


miami   when two cuban americans here recently tried to book a trip on carnival cruise lines maiden voyage to cuba   the first american cruise ship to visit in at least 50 years   the result was not what they had in mind it turns out cuban law prohibits people born on the island from traveling there by ship and carnival rejected their reservation
the two amparo sanchez and francisco marty responded in the most american of ways they filed a federal lawsuit accusing carnival of violating civil rights laws by discriminating against united states citizens on monday with the cruise ship tentatively scheduled to sail from miami to cuba on may 1 lawyers for the two filed a request in federal court for a preliminary injunction seeking to bar the company from refusing to sell cruise bookings based on a persons national origin
as legal and political pressure has continued to mount carnival softened its stance on monday the company announced that it would begin accepting bookings from cuban born people in the hopes that the castro government will overturn its cold war era directive by may 1 the directive prohibits cubans from traveling to and from cuba by sea if cuba does not rescind the directive   carnival is trying to persuade the government to do so   the company said it would delay the may 1 voyage
we remain confident that we will reach a positive outcome and we continue to work full speed ahead in preparing for our every other week sailings from portmiami to cuba arnold donald carnivals president and chief executive officer told employees in a letter monday
in miami which is particularly sensitive to changes in the united states cuba relationship carnivals initial decision to move forward with the cruise despite prohibitions on cuban born people sparked a furor among cuban americans the first one to highlight the issue was fabiola santiago a miami herald columnist who tried to book a trip on the cruise and was told she could not because she was born in cuba she wrote a column about it this month
democrats and republicans alike have criticized the cruise lines decisions to bar american citizens based on their nationality saying the company which is headquartered in nearby doral and is one of the countys largest employers was prioritizing profit over the rights of citizens many demanded that carnival which became the first american cruise company to obtain cuban approval to sail to the island in late march cancel all cruises to cuba until the government lifts the regulation
i think they wanted to be the first ones to go there said mayor tomas regalado of miami who is cuban born this backfired on them its really a public relations nightmare for carnival this is going to haunt them for the future if they dont take a very strong position
american companies cannot discriminate for any reason including nationality mr regalado said they have been good neighbors mr regalado said of carnival but this is one huge mistake where they valued more the dollar than the moral issue and a legal issue you cannot discriminate against american citizens
last week secretary of state john kerry weighed in on the issue telling the miami herald that the cuban government needs to change its directive we should not be in a situation where the cuban government is forcing its discrimination policy on us he said
in his letter to employees mr donald expressed optimism that the companys discussions with the cuban government would lead to a resolution the weeklong cruises on the adonia a 704 passenger luxury ship are scheduled to call in three cities mr donald stressed that carnival simply wanted the same treatment that airlines receive cuban born citizens are allowed to travel to cuba by air and more than 400000 do so regularly
the cuban government issued the directive decades ago to thwart cubans from fleeing the island by boat and to prevent exiles from retuning to create trouble
this is not the first time a cruise company has faced a similar problem in 2014 norwegian cruise line learned that around 20 israeli citizens could not disembark in tunisia soon after the cruise line stopped going to tunisia
tucker ronzetti a lawyer for one of the plaintiffs said hundreds of cuban born citizens have contacted his law office to inquire about the carnival policy
the laws of some other nations that promote discrimination dont trump the laws of the united states that forbid discrimination mr ronzetti said
ric herrero the executive director of cuba now a group that favors engagement with cuba said the showdown should also serve as a cautionary tale to the united states which until recently limited american travel to cuba
we need to be consistent he said we should stand against all travel restriction for cubans or americans


brasilia   to those unfamiliar with the cacophonous tenor of brazilian politics the legislative session on sunday night that approved the impeachment of president dilma rousseff could have been mistaken for a soccer match
as the outcome of the vote became clear deputies in the lower house of congress hooted pumped their fists and hoisted onto their shoulders the man who had cast the pivotal vote
one lawmaker wearing a flag as a cape fired a gun that shot confetti
the unrestrained merriment was mirrored on the streets of cities across brazil where thousands of people celebrated what they hope will be the ouster of ms rousseff on charges that she illegally used money from state owned banks to hide a catastrophic budget deficit and bolster her chances of re election
but on monday brazilians awoke to the sobering reality that the political and economic turmoil that has consumed their country latin americas largest for the past two years is far from over
inflation is running at 10 percent unemployment is at a seven year high and the economy is expected to contract by as much as 38 percent for a second year in a row
a zika epidemic is coursing through the northeast and a cash strapped local government in rio de janeiro is racing to prepare for the summer olympics if the impeachment process moves forward as many experts predict brazilian televisions this august are likely to feature a split screen spectacle of sporting events and their president on trial
we may be witnessing the end of dilma but not the end of the brazilian crisis sylvio costa the founder of congresso em foco an anticorruption watchdog group
and the political paralysis that has hobbled the government is not likely to ease anytime soon ms rousseff will have to step down temporarily next month if the senate votes by a simple majority to take on her impeachment trial an outcome that many analysts say is all but assured
ms rousseff whose resume includes a stint as a marxist guerrilla has vowed to fight on despite much sadness i have sufficient spirit strength and courage to confront this injustice she said in a televised news conference on monday i wont be taken down
the man who is expected to replace her vice president michel temer is not exactly a knight in shining armor mr temer 75 a career politician whose brazilian democratic movement party has been ensnared in the nations ever expanding corruption scandal is almost as unpopular as ms rousseff
a survey released on monday by the polling firm datafolha found that 68 percent of those who supported ms rousseffs impeachment think mr temer should not be president more than half thought that he too should be impeached
writing in the newspaper folha de s paulo the columnist bernardo mello franco took stock of the troubling state of affairs among them legislative gridlock and at least five leaderless ministries
in the next weeks brazil will be in an exotic predicament he wrote on monday dilma is almost an ex president and temer is almost a future president and because their relationship is broken the sum of the two cannot give the country one head of government
though a large majority of deputies voted for ms rousseffs impeachment this nation of 200 million remains deeply divided
many of her supporters have promised to take to the streets in an effort to stave off her removal from office
in recent days a growing number of officials have been calling for new elections a process that would require the consent of congress and the nations highest court it is clear to society that the party of vice president temer is as responsible for the political ethical and economic crisis as is the party of president dilma said marina silva a former minister and outspoken critic of ms rousseff
the vast majority of brazilians also have little faith left in their leaders
a third of the deputies in the lower house have been charged or are being investigated for corruption including its speaker eduardo cunha the man who orchestrated ms rousseffs impeachment mr cunha who faces charges that he accepted 40 million in bribes is especially disliked with nearly 90 percent of brazilians calling for him to step down according to datafolha
senate president renan calheiros has his own ethical challenges he is under investigation on accusations of receiving bribes evading taxes and allowing a lobbyist to pay child support for a daughter of his born from an extramarital affair
we have two thieves leading our congress and they should both be in prison said mr costa the anticorruption activist
as he watched the balloting on sunday night on television julio barboza 33 an environmental scientist from sao paulo grew despondent as a stream of deputies cited god clean government and democracy as they cast their votes against the president
he noted that just a handful used their brief speeches to mention the accusations ms rousseff is facing it made me realize that the impeachment process has little to do with fiscal crimes mr barboza said
for the moment all eyes are on mr temer the vice president a taciturn man who has long preferred operating behind the scenes although he is also the subject of an impeachment petition most experts believe the matter will be dropped in the interest of national stability
despite his dismal popularity on the street many business leaders believe mr temer a centrist is the best hope for righting the brazilian economy expectations that mr temer would replace ms rousseff have had one tangible effect on the nations financial outlook as the impeachment process moved forward in recent months brazilian stocks rallied 35 percent though they lost two points on monday
a former speaker of the lower house and an adroit deal maker mr temer will need to build a coalition to enact the economic reforms tax increases and painful austerity required to contain a ballooning deficit
the road will be steep mr temers party enjoys scant public support and members of ms rousseffs workers party angry over his defection to the opposition last month are likely to stymie his work in congress and any effort to pare back social spending and trim bloated public pensions will stir up fierce resistance from labor unions and left leaning activists
the economy is in disarray and most brazilians are hopeless about the current political class said carlos eduardo lins da silva a senior consultant at the sao paulo research foundation temer is the personification of the old political class so he will have a big challenge


after a week of canvassing matzo factories cheesecake bakeries hot dog stands and pizza shops the presidential candidates put local delicacies aside on monday and told new yorkers what they were really hungry for votes
the five remaining contenders sought to leave nothing to chance the day before new yorks primary dashing across the city and state to make their final pitches while assailing their rivals as unelectable and incompetent with the republican and democratic races becoming extended delegate battles the spotlight on the state is unusually intense with hillary clinton and donald j trump both desperate to avoid disappointing performances in a place where they have deep roots
polls show mrs clinton and mr trump holding wide leads in new york but that did not mean the pressure was off senator ted cruz continues to peel republican delegates away from mr trump at state conventions across the country and senator bernie sanders the democratic socialist who has sharpened his tone against mrs clinton has defied the odds before
mrs clintons campaign events took her to a veritable united nations of voters around new york city where her campaign has left hardly any ethnic group unturned ahead of the primary
you know i never count any chickens before they hatch mrs clinton told reporters after stopping in for a bubble tea at kung fu tea at the queens crossings food court in flushing when asked if a big victory on tuesday would mean that she had locked up the nomination im not taking anybody or anything for granted
and mr sanders showed no signs of easing up either the vermont senator spent most of the sunny monday face to face campaigning an unexpected shift for a candidate who has spent most of his days holding mega rallies before thousands of supporters mr sanders shook hands on sidewalks across the city visited a public housing complex in the bronx hosted a round table with local community leaders and stopped to eat a blt sandwich in queens he also hit the streets walking 14 blocks through midtown and speaking to striking verizon workers
i just want to say a word to thank all of you for the courage to stand up for justice and against corporate greed mr sanders said through a megaphone as the strikers chanted his name we will not tolerate large profitable corporations sending jobs to low wage countries throwing american workers out on the street cutting back on health care benefits and then paying their ceo 18 million a year
as mr sanders courted union workers mr trump was across town trying to improve his standing with members of minority groups
at trump tower he gathered with select members of a recently formed diversity coalition the brainchild of his company adviser michael cohen who drew on longstanding relationships with some black pastors to form an umbrella group meant to rebut questions about mr trumps attitude about race and criticism that he appeals only to white voters
there was confusion around the meeting which was expected to draw about 40 people but mushroomed into a crowd of more than 100 mr trumps guests all entered by the trump bar on the ground floor of the building then were shepherded downstairs by the secret service and screened for weapons before they went down the escalators reporters and attendees jostled for position
mr trump eventually descended from his office and offered brief remarks expressing cautious optimism about the tuesday election results and hitting his republican opponents as new york pretenders
we love the city   you look at the other folks running they couldnt care less about new york he said we care about new york a lot
mr trump then went to buffalo for a campaign rally
although they appeared to be long shots in new york mr cruz and gov john kasich of ohio continued to pound the republican front runner from afar mr kasich who has won only his home state held town hall events near syracuse and in schenectady pressing his positive message and lamenting mr trumps tone
he feeds into their anxieties and their fears mr kasich said does he have any solutions for how hes going to deal with it i dont think so
mr cruz who squeezed in a campaign stop in maryland between two private events in new york city and national television appearances also hammered mr trump for offering empty solutions on the economy and foreign policy on abcs good morning america the texas senator warned that mr trump would be crushed by mrs clinton in a general election and suggested that he was nothing more than a vapid celebrity candidate
hes always interesting to watch mr cruz said hes a fun entertainer but donald has no real solutions


the last time stuart spencer courted delegates at a republican national convention in 1976 he kept a roll of quarters in his pocket for when he had to run to the pay phones and call in reports to president gerald r fords campaign headquarters
this year there will be no running two hip replacements later the closest mr spencer plans to get to the convention floor in cleveland is the deck of his palm desert calif home where he calls in advice to gov john kasichs campaign almost every day
im 89 man im lucky to be here said mr spencer who last worked in politics 25 years ago
political campaigns are often viewed as a young persons game especially in an era in which digitally savvy data fixated strategists track the behavior of millions of voters nationwide and target them with increasing sophistication and precision
but this year as republicans face the prospect of a contested convention the party is turning to its oldest hands who learned how to fight over delegates using walkie talkies loose leaf notebooks and quick footed young pages
the graying delegate wranglers like mr spencer have a rare and suddenly sought after skill they understand the arcane rules and complicated interpersonal dynamics that can persuade often unpredictable state delegates to back a candidate for president
many of them were foot soldiers in the 1976 battle between president ford and ronald reagan and find themselves unexpectedly pulled back into the game
paul manafort 67 all but disappeared from american politics in recent decades to advise international leaders including strongmen like ferdinand e marcos the former dictator of the philippines and viktor f yanukovych the deposed former president of ukraine now though mr manafort who worked for the ford campaign 40 years ago is the lead convention strategist for donald j trump i wanted to do one more he said
charlie black 68 who is better known today as the chairman of a washington lobbying firm that represents clients like airbus and google is helping the convention operation for john kasich the ohio governor i thought i would sit in the bleachers said mr black who worked on reagans behalf at the 1976 convention
as it happens the cleveland convention in july will be a reunion of sorts for mr black one of mr blacks field lieutenants in the reagan delegate operation was a 24 year old mr kasich
many republican officials believe that a contested convention one that begins without delegates knowing who the nominee will be is all but certain this july though mr trump has a lead of 744 delegates to 559 for senator ted cruz of texas neither man seems likely to secure an outright majority of 1237 by the convention and without a majority the convention votes again   on second third and subsequent ballots if necessary   until one candidate attains the 50 percent plus one that will make him the nominee most delegates are not required to support whomever their states primary  or caucusgoers did after the initial ballots
unlike the typical campaign effort which involves trying to win over states or congressional districts or large blocs of voters the convention involves a relatively tiny universe of people who will decide the candidates fate   2472 in all
when the ford and reagan campaigns were engaged in a delegate by delegate fight for the nomination they mainly relied on thick paper dossiers stuffed with every knowable fact about their targets from whom they married to whether they liked to play bridge or do needlepoint in their spare time
its literally in the trenches one person at a time said mr black who was just 28 at the 1976 convention were going to have to do it the old fashioned way he added which is to make friends with people
in many ways the first contested convention of the 21st century could hark back to the 19th and early 20th centuries when nominees were often picked after many rounds of balloting assets like money and media exposure will matter less than a candidate and his teams ability to connect on a human level with a few thousand delegates in a hall
youve got to know who they are where theyre from what they eat what their hobbies are where they went to college and on and on and on mr spencer said in an interview by phone from palm desert that was true then its true now
in an example of how small the elder strategists circle is mr manafort and mr black are also former business partners in a consulting firm they ran with roger stone another 1976 alumnus who is also advising mr trump this year though in an informal capacity
mr stone who was a reagan delegate wrangler at the time said he especially admired how mr manafort and the ford team understood how to leverage the power and prestige of the white house in that battle a state dinner with queen elizabeth cocktails in the east room a personal visit from vice president nelson a rockefeller   the ford campaign threw all the perks of the presidency it could at delegates
these guys were masters at this mr stone recalled reagan a former governor of california and hollywood actor tried to impress with his star power he persuaded john wayne and jimmy stewart to join him for dinners with delegates but as he and his team learned it was not the same as a call from the president
james a baker iii 85 who ran the ford delegate operation and is staying neutral in this nomination fight summed up the strategy of any effective delegate operation as acquire delegates protect your delegates and steal other delegates
mr ford he said was uniquely advantaged because of something we called the maison blanche
you bring an uncommitted delegate to a dinner for the queen of england and its a fairly persuasive argument mr baker added while the ford campaign had to be extremely sensitive to questions of corruption because scars from watergate were still so fresh then he said there are not a lot of rules about what you can and cannot do
a popular joke at the time about the patronage and favors dispensed by the white house was that when ford stepped off air force one the band did not know whether to play hail to the chief or santa claus is coming to town
mr manafort who has known mr trump for 30 years is keeping his counsel as to what perks of the trump world he might dole out lunches at his mar a lago club rides on the trump 757 perhaps those and the celebrity allure of mr trump are definitely assets mr manafort said
who would you want to sit in a room with if you were an undecided delegate do you want to sit with ted cruz or with donald trump he said
mr cruzs campaign in keeping with its desire to seem as distant from washington and the political establishment as possible has hired mostly people with experience in internecine state convention battles
mr spencer who has been retired since 1993 said he was happy to be playing a role even if at a distance
although he cannot be in cleveland   he had to give up campaign travel just like golf and tennis when moving around got too difficult   he said he could not resist the allure of one more race
ill give it one last shot he said


one of the messiest mergers in recent memory reached new levels of messiness late monday
energy transfer equity   after several attempts in the last few months to sever its pending deal to merge with the williams companies   said that its law firm latham  watkins would not render a certain tax opinion if the transaction were closed today williams after consulting with its own legal advisers disagreed with that position according to mondays filing
that disclosure sent energy transfers stock 10 percent higher monday while williamss shares declined 5 percent a sign that investors have become more skeptical that the once 38 billion deal to merge the two pipeline companies will be completed
according to the filing latham  watkins told energy transfer that it would no longer be able to deliver a so called 721 opinion without providing a reason section 721 is a rudimentary provision for transferring assets into a partnership and something that typically does not create any issues in a transaction according to robert willens an independent tax consultant
as part of the merger agreement the two companies are required to have a tax opinion from each sides lawyers for the deal to close
i wish they would say what their hangup is because its very mysterious mr willens said by phone ive never heard of a deal floundering because of section 721
a representative from energy transfer declined to comment beyond mondays filing representatives from williams and latham  watkins did not respond to a request seeking comment after business hours
energy transfer and its chairman kelcy warren have tried many tactics that might scuttle the deal with williams energy transfer which is based in dallas drastically reduced its estimates for how much the merger would affect earnings it also threatened layoffs at williamss headquarters in tulsa okla to find additional means for cutting costs
perhaps most upsetting to williamss shareholders though was a private placement that gave certain energy transfer unit holders notably mr warren preferential treatment in case the companys distributions which are similar to dividends were cut that transaction led w illiams to file lawsuits this month   against energy transfer in delaware court of chancery and mr warren in the district court in dallas   arguing that they breached the merger agreement
at the time williams said it was committed to the deal it does have a way out a 15 billion breakup fee williams said in the filing on monday that it had not changed its recommendation in favor of the merger


join us for new york primary live updates
albany   gov andrew m cuomo is hardly known as a prolific or potent retail politician his reluctance to campaign heavily for fellow democrats has invited criticism from those who wished he would do more
but during new yorks run as the center ring in the presidential primary circus mr cuomo has readily played the mc for hillary clinton a fellow democrat and his preferred candidate promoting her bona fides at splashy campaign events on cable television and in post debate spin rooms
perhaps mr cuomos prominent role in the campaign should not be surprising given his personal and professional connections to the clintons which date back more than two decades to the governors previous life as a federal official   first as assistant secretary of the department of housing and urban development and later as that agencys leader
his placement in both jobs was president bill clintons doing and helped lift mr cuomo from being best known as a son of gov mario m cuomo to a fully formed political identity with a national purview
mr cuomos political relationship with the clintons is also complicated however mr cuomo who is rumored to have presidential ambitions could conceivably have run in 2016 but may have deferred because of mrs clintons looming campaign likewise mr cuomo decided against a run for senate in 1999 clearing the way for mrs clinton to run   and win   the following year
mrs clinton also enjoys the backing of another prominent democrat in new york mayor bill de blasio this relationship too is complicated
mr de blasio who served as mrs clintons campaign manager in 2000 was a late endorser of mrs clintons presidential ambitions he was initially rebuffed in his efforts to help in iowa in january nor was he front and center after attention turned to new york in early april an embarrassing interlude at the inner circle dinner   involving a racially insensitive joke as part of a skit   was an unwanted distraction to mrs clinton mr de blasio said the skit was satire while mrs clinton basically said the remark was his idea
but as the state churned toward its most competitive primary in years on tuesday both men continued to stump hard for mrs clinton though in distinct ways with the governor taking advantage of the statewide scope of his office and the mayor working the streets and airwaves of the city
that upstate downstate dynamic continued in last days of the campaign as mr cuomo barnstormed around two upstate cities on monday with mr clinton while mr de blasio went small with a pair of local radio and television appearances in the city after a sunday afternoon spent speaking at churches in brooklyn for mrs clinton and with the candidate at a get out the vote event
for me this is like the old days mr cuomo said in a phone interview between stops on monday in buffalo and rochester noting that he had worked and traveled extensively with the president and his wife during the 1990s so now its just me and him and its a lot of fun
mrs clintons campaign has not had occasion in the past primaries to lean so heavily on the combination of a democratic governor and a big city democratic mayor part of that is demographics mrs clinton has won only three states with democratic governors though one of those governors   terry mcauliffe of virginia   is an old friend and the power and peril of that one two punch is evident both mens words and actions   especially the racially insensitive joke   continued to provide fodder for conservative groups that sought to tarnish mrs clinton by linking her to perceived missteps by the governor and mayor
the furor over the joke did not result in exile after a pair of stops at prominent african american churches in brooklyn mr de blasio advocated for mrs clinton on monday appearing on ebro in the morning on the hip hop station hot 97 calling the candidate the get things done lady
chris lehane a longtime democratic political operative and clinton aide said each man offered a different set of skills to the clinton campaign as she faces a last minute surge from senator bernie sanders of vermont
mr cuomo acted as an effective amplifier of her message of pragmatism   my sense is that there is a real mutual respect based on the fact they both share this toughness gene mr lehane said   while mr de blasio offered a surrogate who can credibly communicate to those white liberals and millennials that are sanders base voters while also retaining ties into the african american and latino communities that are already in mrs clintons corner
and while mr cuomo and mr de blasio have repeatedly clashed in the past for a moment at least both men appeared to be on the same team with the same talking points
she is a results orientated official the governor said and thats what i believe in


riyadh saudi arabia   the images of the past year have been deeply unsettling for the people of saudi arabia long accustomed to oil fueled prosperity and regional clout militants firing at communities along the countrys southern border protesters storming the saudi embassy in tehran civil wars raging in three nearby states
the view from riyadh has become increasingly bleak as stubbornly low oil prices constrain the governments ability to respond to crises and as the kingdoms regional rival iran moves aggressively to expand its influence at saudi arabias expense
under huge stress the saudis have responded in unpredictable ways often at odds with washingtons interests they have launched a costly military offensive in neighboring yemen that has failed to defeat the houthi rebels and has empowered the qaeda affiliate there they have executed dozens of men on terrorism charges including a prominent dissident shiite cleric and they have largely walked away from lebanon suspending billions of dollars in promised aid as iranian influence there grows
this is the saudi arabia that will greet president obama who is scheduled to arrive in riyadh on wednesday and who is the source of no small share of this nations anxiety policy makers across the kingdom have long said that they feel mr obama does not share the countrys regional interests and after he criticized the saudis as free riders last month those suspicions have hardened into fears that he may be actively undermining them
mr obama may try to use his visit to mend relations but it remains unclear how badly the ties that have long bound the united states and the saudi monarchy have weakened and whether the damage can be repaired
it is a concerning factor for us if america pulls back said prince turki al faisal an outspoken member of the saudi royal family a former head of intelligence and a former ambassador to the united states america has changed we have changed and definitely we need to realign and readjust our understandings of each other
the moment is a perilous one for the saudis as they face economic and demographic challenges as well as strategic and security concerns domestically a growing cohort of young saudis is entering the job market as low oil prices constrain economic opportunities and undermine the welfare system regionally iran has outflanked and outmaneuvered saudi arabia in crucial countries as the arab spring and the war in syria have upset the local order globally the drift of the united states away from the monarchys side has made the saudis realize how much they have relied on the worlds most powerful nation
a large number of factors have come together both in the region and at home to create a very challenging threat environment for the saudis said lori plotkin boghardt a fellow at the washington institute for near east policy the saudis feel under siege
for decades the kings and princes who rule saudi arabia wielded their oil wealth and religious clout as the controllers of islams holiest sites to pull strings and fund proxies across the arab world and beyond
since the kingdom has never had the military might to protect itself its alliance with the united states has been essential and hugely beneficial to both sides saudi arabia knew that in exchange for a steady flow of oil and billions of dollars for the american arms industry the united states would come to the rescue if its ally faced an external threat   and that it would never speak out too loudly about the kingdoms closed political system or its poor human rights record
that relationship was unsettled by the arab uprisings of 2011 when saudi officials saw the united states cut loose another arab ally president hosni mubarak of egypt amid popular protests since then frustration among saudi officials has grown as mr obama limited american engagement in later crises in libya syria and elsewhere and as he made a deal with iran to lift sanctions in exchange for the reining in of its nuclear program
in syria the saudis saw the uprising against president bashar al assad as an opportunity to replace an iranian ally who was killing his own people the hope was that a government more amenable to riyadhs influence and less to irans would come to power but that hope dwindled when the united states backed away from military action after mr assad crossed mr obamas red line against the use of chemical weapons
over time it became clear that mr obama had prioritized combating the islamic state over ousting mr assad this infuriated riyadh which wanted to marry the two causes privately saudi officials blame mr obama for prolonging the war by barring saudi arabia and other countries from giving syrian rebels more powerful arms like antiaircraft missiles which mr obama feared could be used outside syria by terrorists
the mounting frustration has led saudi arabia under a new monarch king salman to abandon its quiet checkbook diplomacy and lash out in january it executed 47 men on terrorism charges including qaeda militants and the shiite cleric   sending what it thought was a message to deter jihadists and iran from trying to destabilize the kingdom
analysts have begun speaking of a salman doctrine although it is mostly associated with the kings son mohammed bin salman 30 who is the defense minister and is second in line to the throne the doctrine calls for increased self reliance and more assertiveness in regional affairs
last month saudi arabia suspended 4 billion in aid promised to the lebanese army and security forces saying that hezbollah the iranian backed shiite militant organization in lebanon had become too powerful the saudis and their gulf allies also issued travel warnings depriving lebanon of gulf tourism dollars
those moves surprised american officials who have reported no change in the security situation in lebanon and who continue to support the lebanese army as a counterbalance to hezbollah
saudi arabia has also shown a growing willingness to use direct force last year its military spending grew to 872 billion as the country passed russia to become the worlds third highest military spender last month it opened a new arms factory and it has proposed building a military base in djibouti on the horn of africa to project power abroad prince mohammed has also spearheaded the creation of an international alliance of muslim countries to combat terrorism although it is unclear when   if ever   it will begin operations
diplomats who track the kingdom question whether saudi arabia has the strategic capabilities to match its new ambitions one test case is yemen where the kingdom and its allies have carried out a bombing campaign for more than a year trying to oust the houthi shiite militant group from the capital and restore the government   at tremendous cost to the people of yemen an estimated 6400 people have been killed more than half of them civilians nearly half the countrys provinces are on the verge of famine and al qaeda has expanded its control in the south
the saudis defend the war as essential to their national security it is a war of necessity said abdulaziz sager a saudi political scientist and the chairman of the gulf research center you cant let a failing state with a violent nonstate actor be your neighbor
domestically the fall in oil prices has echoed through the saudi economy forcing the government to run a large deficit impose spending limits and ponder steps that were once unthinkable like imposing taxes on citizens and privatizing parts of saudi aramco the state oil giant
fitch ratings and standard  poors have downgraded the countrys credit rating this year and companies that depend on government contracts have struggled to pay workers creating problems for citizens and for the kingdoms many foreign workers
these are really uncharted waters said ms plotkin boghardt the washington institute fellow the oil income has been like the superglue between the saudi government and the saudi citizens with this glue beginning to melt away it opens up a whole situation that weve never seen before and theyve never been in before
it is not all dire news for the kingdom saudi arabia still has the worlds largest reported reserves of oil which remains essential to the global economy the country also has low debt and large cash reserves
and although iran has increased its influence in lebanon syria and iraq it has done so at great cost financially and militarily the saudis took the region for granted while iran put a strategy in place back in the 80s and has been implementing it year by year and dollar by dollar said randa slim an analyst at the middle east institute
but the kingdom maintains strong ties with many other countries   including egypt britain and pakistan   and as a leading sunni nation it has the demographic upper hand against shiite iran the score is still in their favor because it is a majority sunni arab region ms slim said
officials involved in the saudi united states relationship acknowledge the chill but say that it has not filtered down to the operational level and that cooperation remains robust on issues like security counterterrorism and business and many saudis realize that mr obamas days in the white house are almost over and that his successor may engage differently with the kingdom
ive read so many accounts over the years predicting the demise of the house of saud and each time theyve managed to survive said robert w jordan a former united states ambassador to saudi arabia they have an enormous survival instinct


gov rick snyder of michigan facing persistent criticism of his handling of the water crisis in flint on monday took home five jugs of filtered tap water from the city and said he planned to drink it and cook with it for at least the next month
mr snyder said he would restock on flint water during regular trips to the city which is reeling from elevated levels of lead and other contaminants after a state approved switch of drinking water sources in 2014 he said he hoped his decision to drink tap water would alleviate some of the skepticism and mistrust that has left many residents scared to drink or even shower
flint residents made it clear that they would like to see me personally drink the water so today i am fulfilling that request mr snyder said in a statement
mr snyder a republican is following a familiar playbook for elected officials seeking to make a point gov hugh l carey of new york once offered to drink a glass of pcbs amid concern about pollution in hudson river water mayor jane m byrne of chicago briefly moved into the cabrini green public housing project in the 1980s during a wave of gun violence there and more recently according to the denver post gov john hickenlooper of colorado boasted in 2013 of having once ingested fracking fluid as he argued for state regulation of natural gas production
for his foray into experiential politics mr snyder picked up his first batch of filtered flint water on monday from a home where tests of untreated water once far exceeded the federal action for lead
michigan officials who have distributed lead removing filters to residents in recent months have insisted that those who have received them can safely drink filtered tap water but many residents have resisted using any tap water filtered or not and experts warn that a drop in water use may slow flints recovery
state senator jim ananich who represents flint and has criticized the governors response to the water problems said he was happy to hear mr snyder would be drinking the water and hoped it would give him a little taste of what people in flint have been living with
but mr ananich said the governors efforts would be better spent securing more funding from congress to aid the citys recovery
were very quick to do press releases and press events and very slow after that to get the resources mr ananich said
mr snyder has apologized repeatedly for his administrations assurances that flints water was safe in the months before elevated lead levels in children were reported he has resisted calls to resign and said he was misled by state scientists a state worker has been fired federal and state investigations are proceeding and some voters have sought to recall mr snyder
ari adler a spokesman for mr snyder said the governor would use water from different locations around flint at his home in ann arbor and his offices in lansing mr adler said we need to get people to understand that the filters are making the water safe but he added there is a hesitancy there and i understand that


five bills will be introduced in the new york city council on wednesday that aim to tackle the problem of unregulated flophouses catering to addicts people with mental illnesses and others who are trying to avoid homeless shelters
the flophouses known as three quarter houses because they are seen as somewhere between regulated halfway houses and actual homes have spread across the city in recent years and were the subject of an investigation by the new york times last year
the proposed legislation seeks to make obtaining stable housing easier for three quarter house residents and curb many of the problems in the industry
the times profiled one landlord yury baumblit who forced his tenants to go to certain providers of substance abuse treatment and a medical clinic that then paid him medicaid kickbacks according to current and former residents and employees the homes were crammed with bunk beds that blocked fire exits bedbugs mice and mold flourished inside
to have 10 people cooped up in half a room is an abomination and it doesnt say that we care about these people said councilman donovan richards jr a democrat who is the lead sponsor of one bill requiring more public information on the homes and a co sponsor of the other bills the state and the city have not taken responsibility for this
after the initial article the city formed an emergency task force to inspect the homes and move tenants out of dangerous dwellings but dozens if not hundreds of homes still operate unregulated throughout the city housing advocates say
last week mr baumblit and his wife were charged with medicaid fraud and money laundering by the new york state attorney generals medicaid fraud control unit the baumblits face up to 15 years in prison on the felony charges
the package of bills in the city council also sponsored by the democrats ritchie torres corey johnson and jumaane d williams aims to prohibit unscrupulous landlords from interfering with tenants medical treatment which in theory would prevent landlords from requiring tenants to attend substance abuse programs by specific providers or get physicals from certain doctors
the bills would also try to improve tenants access to emergency relocation services making it easier for them to obtain stable housing and the legislation would require the agencies in the citys task force to compile and report information publicly every three months about inspections of identified three quarter homes including the number of tenants and violations issued and where any tenants are relocated


theranos the embattled blood testing laboratory said on monday that federal officials were conducting a criminal investigation into the company adding to a series of questions from officials about its inner workings
in a note to outside partners the company said that the justice department had requested documents and that the investigation was active the note also said that the securities and exchange commission was investigating the company
the note detailed a growing list of inquiries from federal and state officials many of which have looked into the companys claims about its technology the united states attorneys office in san francisco which theranos said was conducting an investigation declined to comment as did the sec theranos would not elaborate about the exact nature of its investigation
the company said the investigations began after the wall street journal published articles about theranos
the company continues to work closely with regulators and is cooperating fully with all investigations brooke buchanan a spokeswoman for theranos said in an email
the company is not facing any formal accusations investigations into companies often do not lead to any charges
theranos founded by elizabeth holmes a stanford university dropout became a symbol of how technology could revolutionize health care after it said it had discovered a way of performing blood tests from a single finger prick at a fraction of the cost of a conventional laboratory the company earned a valuation of 9 billion and ms holmes who continued to have a majority stake seemingly became a self made billionaire
a scathing article in the wall street journal called into question whether theranoss technology actually worked and the company came under the scrutiny of its two main regulators the food and drug administration and the centers for medicare and medicaid services
in the letter theranos said some of the investigations have been closed including the fdas but medicare officials are continuing to look into theranos and deciding whether to revoke certification of its prime laboratory in california if lab operations are closed as part of government sanctions ms holmes and theranoss chief operating officer could be barred from the industry for two years
examiners from medicare inspected the lab in newark calif last fall and found numerous deficiencies one of which they said posed immediate jeopardy to patient health and safety
that deficiency involved theranoss test for the clotting ability of blood a measurement used to help determine the correct dose of the blood thinning drug warfarin too much warfarin can cause internal bleeding while too little can leave a patient vulnerable to a stroke
after receiving the regulators findings in january theranos submitted a plan to correct the problems in february but in proposing sanctions the new letter from regulators said that the companys response does not constitute a credible allegation of compliance and acceptable evidence of correction for the deficiencies cited
theranos said that investigations by two state health departments in arizona and pennsylvania had been closed
ms buchanan said that the company was not facing any private lawsuits
on the today show monday morning ms holmes said she was alarmed by the quality problems at theranoss flagship laboratory in california
i feel devastated that we did not catch and fix these issues faster she told her interviewer maria shriver a special correspondent for nbc
ms holmes said theranos had stopped testing in that laboratory and took the approach of saying lets rebuild this entire laboratory from scratch so that we can ensure it never happens again
the discussion was about testing quality deficiencies found by federal regulators nothing was said on the today show about federal criminal investigations
the investigations by the justice department and the sec were reported earlier by bloomberg and the wall street journal
ms holmes drew the news medias attention when she first began publicizing her vision of bringing laboratory testing to the masses including allowing customers to order tests without going through a doctor but it was always unclear exactly how and whether theranoss technology worked
after doubts about the tests emerged the companys fall from grace came to symbolize the hype that surrounds unproven technology
when asked whether theranos would survive ms holmes replied absolutely she added i know what weve built and i know what weve created and i know what it means to people and it is a change that needs to happen in the world


greenburgh ny   much to coach alain vigneaults surprise the rangers captain ryan mcdonagh practiced fully on monday wearing a white jersey that meant he was not off limits and gripping a stick with a right hand that was broken two weeks ago
mcdonagh the stalwart defenseman was not available to reporters after a 45 minute practice and vigneault said that mcdonagh was doubtful for game 3 of the rangers opening round playoff series tied at a game apiece tuesday at madison square garden against pittsburgh
but stranger things have happened before vigneault added with a twinkle in his eye
mcdonagh has not played since april 4 when he blocked a power play shot by columbus forward brandon dubinsky with his right hand mcdonagh practiced last week but wore a red noncontact jersey vigneault watched him skate on his own sunday
i did not expect him to skate with the group today vigneault said monday but after discussing with our medical staff today they thought it would be a good idea for him to get a practice in and well see how he responds
a minute later vigneault said of mcdonaghs injury but in the last little while its been getting better so who knows
mcdonaghs return would certainly buoy a defensive corps that is also missing dan girardi mcdonaghs longtime defensive partner who did not practice monday nevertheless the rangers split the first two games of the series last week in pittsburgh
mac obviously plays a big part on this team as the captain said goaltender henrik lundqvist who returned from an eye injury to make 29 saves in a 4 2 victory saturday he plays really hard out there he has the experience in the playoffs as well well see when he plays but its a good sign
the rangers mostly used the veteran defensemen marc staal and kevin klein against the potent line centered by sidney crosby in game 2 and could do so again even if mcdonagh is fit to return mcdonagh practiced monday with raphael diaz called up from hartford
klein was credited with a game high eight hits in saturdays game leading a rambunctious lineup that pummeled the penguins 57 times the most hits by the rangers in a regulation playoff game since 1998 when the statistic was first kept
he plays a game where you can depend on him what hes going to do and where hes going to be staal said he consistently plays hard on guys and is in their faces that creates room for other guys on the ice
the rangers also got contributions from two rookie defensemen dylan mcilrath and brady skjei the teams first round draft choice in 2012 a left hander who saw some time on the right side skjei 22 had three hits and three blocked shots in more than 19 minutes of ice time
he does look like a young trucker out there klein said of skjei referring to mcdonagh by his nickname hes built the same way skates really well can play in every situation and hes going to be a good player hes already showing that right now
skjei said of playing in game 3 i dont look into that too much i just try to get better every day
the rangers took eight penalties saturday two when klein scrapped with forward chris kunitz receiving a fighting major and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty the penguins scored on two of five power plays vigneault wants his team to show more restraint
vigneault guessed that the rangers were more physical saturday because they had to be
i dont think going down two games to nothing would have been a good idea so that sort of raised the level of urgency and emotion he said
there are a couple of penalties that we have taken that i think have been unnecessary vigneault said i want our guys to play whistle to whistle and play the right way and when we have the opportunity to be physical to be physical
it will be the rangers first playoff game at the garden since last may 29 when they played listlessly and lost to the tampa bay lightning in game 7 of the eastern conference finals mcdonagh played on a broken right foot
every time you go out there its goose bumps lundqvist said of playing at the garden youre excited nervous every time you go out there you just want to try to win winning at home is the best feeling especially in the playoffs


henry threadgill who on monday was awarded this years pulitzer prize for music is a composer and bandleader of intense unyielding originality nobodys idea of a compromise an alto saxophonist and flutist with a distinguished career in the post 1960s american avant garde he has amassed a body of work with its own functional metabolism perpetually humming in a state of flux he has certain affinities with but no particular allegiance to the jazz tradition
in for a penny in for a pound mr threadgills award winning album is a suite like composition released on two discs by pi recordings last year its an intricate and thoroughly enigmatic piece of music but above all it stands as a showcase for his longtime flagship zooid the group takes its name from a biological term for a cell that is capable of movement independent of its parent organism from the first moments of the title track which opens the album you experience a distinctively slanted feeling the byproduct of an unstable but carefully coordinated form of counterpoint the music has formal rigor and forward pull but it doesnt provide an orienting framework or any clear distinctions between composition and improvisation
when mr threadgill got the call on monday that he had been awarded a pulitzer he was beyond surprised
i was speechless mr threadgill 72 said in a telephone interview i said what for
asked how he categorized his music or where it falls on the jazz avant garde continuum he demurred
i create what i create he said when im fortunate enough to create a work thats the end of it in my mind where its placed where it goes what people say about it that is really not my department im in lingerie im not in hardware you know
if you do call him a jazz composer he is the third to be awarded a pulitzer in the history of the awards wynton marsalis was awarded for his oratorio blood on the fields in 1997 and ornette coleman was awarded for his album sound grammar in 2007
mr threadgill is a longtime resident of the east village he has been a musician of multidimensional interests since his youth in chicago he had formative experience in marching bands and with a traveling church of god evangelist before joining the first wave of the association for the advancement of creative musicians in the mid 1970s he formed a trio air that was one of the most celebrated groups to emerge from that cohort his other groups have included the henry threadgill sextet and very very circus
last year in addition to releasing his own album he took part in a 50th anniversary celebration for the association presenting a new chamber piece and appearing on made in chicago an ecm album featuring his fellow members muhal richard abrams on piano roscoe mitchell on saxophones and jack dejohnette on drums
thats a council of elders with longstanding bonds between them in for a penny in for a pound puts mr threadgill more in a position of authority though he wields it lightly the album features the extravagantly sensitive interplay among his band mates liberty ellman on acoustic guitar jose davila on trombone and tuba christopher hoffman on cello and elliot humberto kavee on drums zooid has been a working unit for more than 15 years its rapport honed through extensive workshopping and rehearsals
during a series of conversations in 2009 members of the ensemble described mr threadgills methodology as intimidatingly complex but also deeply intuitive he explained it as a serial intervallic language ruled partly by mathematical principles and inspired obliquely by the 20th century composer edgard varese but part of the magic in the music is that its predetermined structures give way unpredictably to various sorts of spontaneous digression
for people who listen to jazz music in the traditional sense its easier to follow the form if you know the piece mr ellman said but henry isnt really concerned with that formality in this music we have a lot of through composed things and we might play one section in a piece and there might be room for a solo in that particular section or there might be two or three solos before we go back to the written material every piece has a completely different form
mr threadgill wrote four concerto like movements for in for a penny in for a pound each designed to spotlight a member of zooid mr ellmans is unoepic for guitar but each piece and the albums two other tracks is as likely to feature digressions from someone other than the featured improviser mr threadgill is a voluble commentator even when he isnt out front
he happens to have another album out as of this month old locks and irregular verbs featuring the new group he calls ensemble double up whose members include mr hoffman and mr davila divided into four parts its another statement of grave but wriggling purpose just as easy to picture in pulitzer contention what that illustrates among other things is the abundance of mr threadgills restless creative energy becoming a pulitzer winner should be welcome validation for him but it seems unlikely that hell be resting on any laurels


al mukalla yemen   peace talks aimed at ending yemens civil war that were set to begin on monday faltered before they could start when delegates representing yemens houthi rebels refused to attend
the setback followed several aborted cease fires and a previous round of failed negotiations to end yemens 14 month conflict the latest talks in the persian gulf state of kuwait were supposed to bring together the houthis and delegates from yemens government which was driven from power by the houthis last year
there is growing international alarm at the civilian toll from the hostilities as well as frustration at the continuation of a conflict effectively locked in a stalemate since last summer more than 6200 people have been killed and most of the population in yemen the arab worlds poorest state requires some form of humanitarian assistance
the war has shaken the middle east aggravating regional rivalries while drawing foreign troops to yemen including persian gulf soldiers who are part of a saudi arabia led military coalition fighting on the side of the yemeni government a power vacuum has empowered the countrys powerful affiliate of al qaeda allowing it to seize territory money and arms
the houthis said they did not attend the talks because of what they described as violations of a shaky truce that was supposed to begin last week but never fully took hold abdurahman alahnomi a spokesman for the houthis said that the delegation will travel after it ensures that the other party commits to the cease fires
ismail ould cheikh ahmed the united nations special envoy to yemen who has been shuttling between the combatants for months said in a statement that the talks were delayed he scolded the houthis and their allies saying he hoped they would not miss this opportunity that could save yemen the loss of more lives
there had been optimism about the talks both sides had made conciliatory statements and there was a feeling that the combatants were beginning to see diminishing returns from the war yet no breakthrough was expected the negotiations were designed to ease the violence and confront manageable issues like prisoner exchanges in hopes of creating a climate for a broader political dialogue
even that limited agenda was contested a houthi delegate said the group was opposed to a proposal that would allow the government led by president abdu rabbu mansour hadi to return to the capital sana the houthis favored a consensus government with a new prime minister with mr hadi remaining as a figurehead until a new president could be elected according to the delegate who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on behalf of the rebels
a sense of urgency surrounded the negotiations in kuwait because of the hair trigger nature of the violence and because neither the houthis nor the government fully controlled the constellation of armed groups on the ground
april longley alley who researches yemen for the international crisis group said that several powerful political figures on both sides of the conflict could scuttle the diplomacy
most prominent among them is former president ali abdullah saleh who stepped down in 2012 but has retained his influence   malign his critics say mr saleh and his loyalists have been allied with the houthis throughout the war but his exclusion from the talks that led to the cease fire last week as well as doubts about his political future in yemen meant that he has the incentive to be a spoiler   a dangerous one ms alley wrote in a blog post on the crisis groups website
on monday both sides reported fresh violations of the tentative truce including airstrikes and clashes in marib province east of sana
beyond the negotiations in kuwait tangled questions about yemens political future are looming including the demand by a southern yemeni movement for an independent state
north yemen and south yemen were separate countries until 1990 after unification southerners complained that they were being marginalized by the countrys northern leaders leading to a movement calling openly for secession
the current war has hardened those demands southerners with backing from the saudi led coalition successfully routed the houthis and mr salehs forces from much of the south making them less willing to relinquish control to any central authority
the secessionists held huge rallies in the southern port city of aden for a second consecutive day on monday   to ensure that the delegates in kuwait understood they would not yield said nasser al yazidi a leading figure in the southern movement
if the government ignores their demands the southerners will confront them like we did with saleh and the houthis he said


united nations   canada has promised to legalize marijuana mexicos highest court has allowed some citizens to grow cannabis for personal use colombia has reversed its decades long policy of aerial spraying against coca the raw ingredient in cocaine
even in the united states once the chief architect of the global war on drugs four states permit recreational marijuana sales other states have pro legalization ballot measures pending and a heroin epidemic has prompted the mayor of at least one city to propose establishing a supervised injection clinic
it is not as if the united nations snack bar is going to start selling pot laced gummy bears anytime soon still a growing worldwide insurgency is confronting the war on drugs with public health workers the police and lawmakers questioning the wisdom of decades old global conventions meant to eradicate illegal substances and punish those who produce and consume them
that fight will preoccupy the united nations general assembly this week as world leaders debate whether punitive international drug laws should be eased to reflect the times it is the first time in nearly two decades that countries will debate longstanding drug laws
that debate comes at a time when countries large and small are rethinking their approaches to the drug issue adopting policies that experts say breach current global conventions against drugs by legalizing some substances in some places   and lessening punishment for offenders in others
we are on the cusp of the collapse of the regime said vanda felbab brown an analyst at the brookings institution
the conflict pits two equally improbable alliances against each other on one side are the insurgents led largely by several countries in latin america that have begun to challenge conventional antidrug strategies or to legalize some drugs in hopes of blunting the violence that the drug wars have wrought canadas health minister will make her countrys pitch to legalize marijuana along with the presidents of bolivia and colombia critics of the existing treaties
on the other side are the staunch defenders of those conventions
they are led by russia and china and they are joined by smaller countries with some of the strictest drug laws including those that impose the death penalty such as singapore iran and saudi arabia a push to prohibit the death penalty in drug cases is expected to be one of the most contentious items in the discussions this week
the united states once the worlds principal drug law enforcer is in the most awkward spot it opposes overturning the relevant global treaties there are three the first dating to 1961 but it has also been put on notice for violating those treaties with initiatives that legalized recreational cannabis use in four states that makes it hard for american officials to scold other countries for taking a less than prohibitionist stance against drugs
william r brownfield the top state department official in charge of combating drug trafficking sought to strike a balance when he told reporters last month that the united states would in effect not oppose how other governments choose to deal with drug laws within their own borders american officials have also argued that because federal law continues to prohibit recreational use of marijuana it is therefore not afoul of the global drug treaties
my view   my governments view   is lets establish some basic pillars defend the integrity of the conventions accept the inherent discretion within those conventions tolerance for governments exploring their own national policies and a commitment to combating the transnational criminal organizations mr brownfield said
for years international drug laws have been geared toward eliminating illegal substances   in 1998 the last time the united nations took up the subject a declaration stressed that the consumption of illicit drugs must not become accepted as a way of life   and to punish those who produce and use them
that approach has since come under sharp scrutiny not just in public health and human rights quarters but increasingly from law enforcement authorities and politicians who suggest it may have done more harm than good
in the united states the obama administration has taken steps toward addressing what it considers unduly harsh prison sentences for nonviolent drug offenses such sentences have also become an issue in this years american presidential race
the three day review of drug laws at the united nations this week is expected to yield much less than reformers hope
the drug treaties are not likely to be abrogated or renegotiated largely because of the influence of countries like russia one of whose career diplomats runs the united nations drugs office and egypt one of whose envoys will lead this weeks general assembly special session
the meeting does however highlight how divided the world has become over the right approach to drug laws
inside the general assembly hall countries are expected to endorse a document completed after weeks of negotiations that reaffirms the commitment to promote a society free of drug abuse but also acknowledges public health concerns and recognizes alternative or additional measures to punishment the document makes no mention of decriminalization
bernie sanders campaigning for the democratic presidential nomination was moved to weigh in on the topic last week he was among hundreds of people and one of six senators who signed an open letter to the united nations secretary general ban ki moon the war on drugs had proved disastrous for global health security and human rights stated the letter which expressed support for state and national governments around the world that had legalized marijuana
the letter was endorsed by an unlikely alliance of politicians business leaders and activists including the billionaire investor warren buffett the founder of the black lives matter movement alicia garza ernesto zedillo a former president of mexico and the musician sting


amid growing concern about a lengthy closing of the l train tunnel between manhattan and brooklyn the metropolitan transportation authority said on monday that a shutdown would not start until early 2019
officials at the authority have not said whether they will shut down the entire tunnel or close one tube at a time and continue to run some trains while they repair damage from hurricane sandy but residents who live along the booming l train route are worried about the effect of a closing that could last more than a year
at an authority board committee meeting on monday transit officials outlined reconstruction plans for the tunnel which has two tubes under the east river and is known as the canarsie tunnel they announced that the first public meeting on the project was scheduled for may 5 in brooklyn
the authoritys chairman thomas f prendergast said the meeting was the start of a robust community engagement effort to receive feedback about the different options for construction work
the heavy damage that the canarsie tunnel sustained during the hurricane he said in a statement requires that we undertake a full reconstruction in order to ensure the integrity of the tunnel and the safety of our riders for generations to come
a second meeting will take place in manhattan later in may officials said the canarsie tunnel one of several tunnels damaged in the 2012 storm has more than 300000 riders each weekday
a presentation to the board featured photos of the flood damage including crumbling walls and exposed cables workers must reconstruct 27 miles of track replace more than 50 miles of cables and repair a pump room among other fixes officials said they planned to award a contract for the work by the end of this year


was it a stunning diva moment or an innocent mishap
angela gheorghiu the romanian soprano was singing the title role in puccinis tosca in a starry production at the vienna state opera on saturday when she very conspicuously missed her entrance in the third act that left her co star jonas kaufmann perhaps the most sought after tenor in the world awkwardly alone onstage as minutes ticked by
non abbiamo il soprano or we dont have a soprano mr kaufmann sang in puccini like strains before the opera ground to halt and he broke character and asked the audience to excuse them in german the opera began again and ms gheorghiu entered
but the back story was intriguing mr kaufmann had gotten such rapturous applause at an earlier performance in the run that he sang a rare encore of the aria e lucevan le stelle something ms gheorghiu has indicated in the past that she disapproves of it was right after mr kaufmann sang another encore of the aria on saturday that she left him alone onstage
andre comploi a spokesman for the opera house said in an email that it did not appear to be an intentional slight he said that when ms gheorghiu realized that mr kaufmann would be repeating the aria she returned to her dressing room the confusion he said stemmed from the fact that there was no pause for applause after the encore as there had been at the previous performance and that apparently made ms gheorghiu late for her entrance
representatives for ms gheorghiu did not respond to an email seeking comment
ms gheorghiu has been accused of prima donna behavior in the past she once balked at wearing a blond wig while singing the part of micaela in franco zeffirellis production of bizets carmen during a metropolitan opera tour of japan that led joseph volpe who was then the companys general manager to tell her that the wig goes on with or without you
in the next performance the wig went on without her but for the following performances she and the wig both appeared


philadelphia   mets starting pitcher jacob degrom moved closer to returning to the team when his newborn son was released from the hospital
degrom left the team to be with his wife who gave birth last week to a baby boy who developed an undisclosed illness
manager terry collins said monday that degrom will pitch a simulated game in florida on tuesday depending on how he performs degrom could start one of the mets games in atlanta later this week
degrom has appeared in only one game this season giving up one run in six innings during the mets home opener against the philadelphia phillies on april 8
however he left the game after throwing only 76 pitches because of tightness in his back collins said he wanted to know what kind of stamina degrom had before deciding whether to allow him to start against the braves
if degrom is not ready the mets can continue to rely on logan verrett who has given up only one run in seven innings
every team looks for a guy like verrett who can pitch well in a spot start or out of the bullpen collins said verrett will make his second start of the season on tuesday against the phillies


washington   president obama had an intense conversation with president vladimir v putin of russia on monday in which he expressed concern on the eve of his visit to the middle east and europe about the fragile syrian peace talks and increased violence in ukraine white house officials said
in a strongly worded statement the white house said that mr obama had urged mr putin to use his influence with president bashar al assad of syria to press him to stop attacks against opposition forces and abide by his commitment to a partial cease fire
the so called cessation of hostilities brokered by russia and the united states in february has shown signs of crumbling in recent days with increasing ground clashes and airstrikes syrian government forces have been mounting an offensive near the northern city of aleppo while rebel groups have reportedly made advances against government positions in the areas of latakia in the north and hama in the center of the country
a statement released by the office of mr putin said he had stressed the need for moderate opposition leaders in syria to distance themselves from the islamic state and other extremist groups
on monday efforts to negotiate a political settlement to the five year conflict grew more difficult when opposition representatives pulled out of formal talks in geneva the united nations special envoy for syria staffan de mistura said that the opposition high negotiating committee had told him that it was suspending its participation because of the surge in fighting and a decline in deliveries of humanitarian aid
since these talks began in geneva the assad regime has worsened the situation on the ground salem al meslet a spokesman for the opposition coalition said in a statement the progress in geneva is directly connected to the realities faced by our people in syria if the ground situation is not improved it will affect the advancement of the political process
josh earnest the white house press secretary said that while the call between mr obama and mr putin was intense there was not an impasse between them over syria
its an opportunity for the president to once again make the case to president putin that he should use his influence with the assad regime to live up to the commitments that theyve made in the context of the cessation of hostilities mr earnest told reporters
for mr obama the phone call with mr putin offered a chance before his arrival in saudi arabia on wednesday to demonstrate his resolve in moving toward a political solution in syria mr obama is expected to urge saudi arabia and other persian gulf nations to renew their focus on helping to end the syria conflict and fight the islamic state
last week rob malley the presidents top middle east adviser said in a briefing for reporters that the cease fire has held so far adding that were far from having achieved the goals that we set but the trend line is positive
mr obamas call with mr putin appears to have been less optimistic in describing the exchange mr earnest cast blame on mr assad saying that unfortunately weve seen that the cessation of hostilities continues to be fragile and increasingly threatened due to continued violations by the regime
the statement from the kremlin said that the two leaders had reiterated their commitment to strengthening the cease fire and that additional measures will be put in place for rapid response to violations of the cease fire
the latest round of indirect talks in geneva the third so far began last week and had been focused on a political transition extremist groups like the islamic state and the qaeda linked nusra front are not included
mr de mistura the united nations special envoy told journalists that the peace process would continue and that opposition negotiators would stay in geneva for technical discussions he said that on friday he would take stock of the prospects for continuing the talks adding that ups and downs in the peace process were to be expected
mr de mistura said there was hope that aid convoys would be able to head for besieged areas in the political talks though the gap is clearly wide he said
opposition negotiators flatly rejected an idea floated by mr de mistura on friday that would allow mr assad to remain as president with three vice presidents nominated by the opposition the coalition representatives have insisted that any transitional government exclude mr assad
during the phone call on monday mr obama and mr putin also discussed the situation in ukraine where fighting has continued between government troops and russian backed separatists a cease fire in ukraine has reduced the violence but a political resolution known as the minsk agreement has yet to be fully put in place
mr obama is also traveling this week to britain and germany where the situation in ukraine is expected to top a list of european challenges he will discuss
the president urged mr putin to end what the white house called a significant uptick in fighting in eastern ukraine along the border with russia
the kremlin said that mr putin had told mr obama that he hoped the ukrainian government would finally start taking concrete steps towards implementing the minsk agreements of feb 12 2015


netflix is now available in most countries around the world putting more pressure on the company to continue its fast paced growth abroad as well as at home
on monday netflix announced that it expected to add just two million members outside the united states in the second quarter this year   less than the 35 million analysts had expected the figure also represents a decrease from the 24 million members the streaming service added internationally in the same period the previous year
that cloudy forecast sent shares down more than 10 percent in after hours trading as netflix has tied its future to its bold global push the company has been pouring resources into its expanding international footprint telling investors that it would run at break even profitability until the end of 2016 as it continued to roll out the service abroad and increased its investment in content
in january netflix announced that it had added 130 countries to its service map bringing the total number of countries where netflix is available to 190
as the company experienced slowing growth in the united states over the past year executives pointed to the rest of the world as the next frontier for streaming television to hundreds of millions more potential customers while the united states counts about 100 million broadband households for instance there are about 730 million broadband households worldwide according to analyst estimates
on monday netflix executives said that they had just skimmed the surface of that growth potential and that there was still a big opportunity ahead the executives attributed the soft international forecast for the second quarter this year to a tough comparison from the previous year when netflix started the service in australia and new zealand
reed hastings chief executive of netflix said the company had yet to reach its full potential in many countries because the service in most regions is only in english and available only via international credit cards
we cannot wait to break through 100 million subscribers sometime next year mr hastings said during an earnings call
at the same time netflix said that it expected to add just 500000 members in the united states in the second quarter because of what it described as a modest impact from price increases the company characterized the forecast as in line with previous years it added 900000 members in the united states during the same period in 2015
the development came in what was already a rough start to the week for the streaming service on sunday amazon created a more direct competitor to netflix with the introduction of a new 9 monthly subscription for its prime movie and television streaming service
on the fast changing competitive landscape mr hastings said in a letter to investors that the market for relaxation time and disposable income is huge and we are but a little boat in a vast sea
he added we earn a tiny fraction of consumers time and money and have lots of opportunity ahead to win more of your evenings away from all those other activities if we can keep improving
that uncertainty over the competitive landscape as well as fears about growth prospects both inside and outside the united states overshadowed the generally positive first quarter financial results that netflix announced on monday
the company beat expectations for profit and revenue growth during the first quarter profits totaled 28 million up 16 percent from the same period last year and total revenues increased 24 percent to nearly 2 billion
netflix added a record 67 million total streaming members during the first quarter bringing its total to 815 million with about 42 percent outside the united states netflix had forecast that it would reach nearly 809 million total paid members in the quarter
in the united states netflix surpassed its forecasts for subscriber growth during a period in which price increases went into effect for some customers the company added 223 million subscribers in america during the quarter bringing its paid membership in the country to 457 million
outside the united states netflix also beat its expectations for growth adding 45 million international streaming subscribers
the company said it was planning to spend more than 6 billion on programming in 2017 up from 5 billion this year


the ford foundation other philanthropic groups and some private donors have given nearly 20 million to united states artists an organization that makes grants to artists
artists can drive social change by inspiring our imaginations and challenging us all to work toward a better world the ford foundations president darren walker said in a statement on monday
the money will serve as an operational endowment to support united states artists staffing conferences and the cultivation of nominators and the administration of grants among other things it will cover everything except the grants to the artists themselves which are financed separately
the administrative process of managing the awards is extremely rigorous which is why this operations endowment allows us to be more nimble and innovative said carolina garcia jayaram the chief executive of united states artists
the group said that it would use this latest endowment to continue awarding unrestricted 50000 fellowships to accomplished artists in disciplines like architecture and design dance literature music theater and visual arts
united states artists said a 10 million gift is coming from the ford foundation plus 1 million grants from the rockefeller foundation the doris duke charitable foundation and the john s and james l knight foundation additional contributions are coming in from individual donors
united states artists established 11 years ago has given out more than 21 million to support nearly 450 artists


at the headquarters of the mccann agency in manhattan the battle for the future of the advertising industry is being waged with piped in electronic music and employee brewed beer
young professionals balancing apple laptops on their knees drape themselves over space age chairs near a cafe that sells fresh juice and subsidized snacks on one floor plants cover walls making the office look like a jungle elsewhere is a ping pong table
the young and the creative have been the engine that drove the advertising industry for decades but those who once flocked to the business with dreams of making the next standout television commercial are no longer drawn to the industry in the same way some view advertising as stodgy   who wants to make a 30 second tv commercial when everyone they know is cutting the cord   and some are lured by the riches and prestige of the technology industry
the result is that even storied agencies like mccann which has produced campaigns such as the 1971 hilltop ad for coca cola now find themselves desperate for young people at the moment when the traditional advertising industry is struggling as never before to adapt to a changing media landscape that these same young people are shaping
the biggest threat   and one of the biggest things that we talk a lot about   is not only attracting but retaining young talent because there are so many more options said david droga the creative chairman and founder of the agency droga5 weve lost people to facebook weve lost people to google weve lost people to apple
to enhance their appeal many agencies are trying to make themselves look less like madison avenue and more like the start ups and tech companies that are now dipping into the same talent pool cue the employee happy hours table tennis and free snacks but the advertising industry faces much deeper issues that cannot be fixed with cosmetic changes
cool new technologies like virtual reality have imperiled the art of the television commercial which is still in many ways the bread and butter of advertising agencies the proliferation of online ads has made advertising anathema and money provides little incentive last year the average salary for entry level employees at agencies was about 35500 according to the 4as an industry trade group about 25 percent of the industry makes less than 50400 a year
beanbags and softball matches and a cool twitter handle doesnt make young people want to work at your office mr droga said to attract young people he added advertising agencies need to produce exciting work again which many have stopped doing
perhaps just as important the advertising industry seems unable to shake the perception that it is stuck in the past in a recent lawsuit that has shaken up the business a woman accused the chief executive of j walter thompson one of the oldest agencies in the world of rampant racist and sexist behavior describing comments and scenes that seemed straight out of the 1960s mad men era the lawsuit has raised questions about gender and racial diversity and has prompted the industry to acknowledge longstanding problems with its culture
even as many agency executives insist that their companies are still the best place for creative minds to shine they are finding it more difficult to maintain their ranks turnover at advertising agencies is higher than in competitive industries like technology and management consulting and the gap increased 10 percent in the last year according to a study from linkedin and the 4as
a lot is at stake if agencies cannot recruit and retain top young talent the craft of traditional advertising   an important part of culture for better or worse   could disappear
we have to fill the pipeline with young talent said tony weisman chief executive in north america for the agency digitaslbi if agencies fail to recruit and keep top young employees he said were going to become archaic
losing young talent is a problem other industries face as well established news organizations are losing people to relatively new outfits like vice and buzzfeed investment banks like goldman sachs and bank of america have made sweeping changes to their junior banker programs in part because ambitious college graduates were turning to silicon valley
but while wall street can match the pay at places like google and facebook advertising agencies cannot so instead they are trying to match some of the perks
the creative agency deutsch offers free snacks and a barista at its new york office and free lunch at its los angeles office moves that mike sheldon the agencys chief executive in north america said were modeled after google the agency also provides yoga classes boot camp workout classes and wine tastings the agency ogilvy  mather has beers on the first friday of every month mccann allows employees to brew their own beer that is then named after clients one named for the military contractor lockheed martin is called stealth stout
some agencies are also revamping their offices to look more like start ups with open seating plans and plush chairs the agency bbdo has created a separate space in its new york office called xlab where restless minds can experiment with virtual reality and drones in a bit of a twist bbdo also happens to be behind the general electric campaign aimed at getting young people to work for the company
to reinforce that advertising is an actual career rather than a consolation prize or a steppingstone to something better agencies like ogilvy  mather deutsch droga5 and digitaslbi are also bolstering their training and mentorship programs
the changes are geared toward attracting and retaining people like allan holmes 29 who joined the agency leo burnett in chicago after graduating from the savannah college of art and design in 2011 but now works at facebooks creative shop the companys in house agency he said he was attracted to facebook which he joined roughly two years ago because it had the same sort of energy as a start up and what got him most excited initially he said was his personal connection to the company   he met his girlfriend and best friend on social media the platforms mean everything he said theyre extremely important
in the end perks may do little to combat the advertising industrys loss of cachet
people no longer have that innate desire and that instinctive desire to be in our business said jay haines a founder of grace blue a search firm that works with the advertising industry
but that does not mean the advertising agencies are going to stop trying
at ipg mediabrands   like mccann a part of interpublic group one of the biggest ad holding companies   the pop hits were already cranked way up on a recent morning young employees waited at a coffee bar for lattes and gluten free pastries a sign indicated a beer garden another in blue tiles spelled out initiative
weve gone out of our way to make it really comfortable really cool said henry tajer the agencys global chief executive as he considered the scene from a conference room its a day club
the advertising industry can only hope it is not too late to the party


normally youd be confused why would hbo lower the curtain on season 5 of girls with two episodes on sunday rather than the usual one at a time why not give the shows 10 episodes a full 10 weeks but there are the mysteries then there are the realities
and the presumable reality is that decks needed clearing and hatches needed battening for next weekends simultaneous resumption of game of thrones veep and silicon valley   and the saturday unveiling of whatever this ultra top secret beyonce lemonade thing is supposed to be
so sundays economy size girls finale points to the national indifference thats accrued around a show whose fealty to discomfort poor choices and social cannibalism which felt new in 2012 are now just part of televisions oxygen in the last two seasons the shows senses of satire and pathos are stronger and more pungent than everbut its true funny narcissists are indeed easy to come by even on hbo perhaps instead youre watching unbreakable kimmy schmidt veep transparent togetherness crazy ex girlfriend and youre the worst
and girls didnt invent them there they were for instance on the golden girls will  grace sex and the city and 30 rock
but girls keeps finding ways of dramatizing its satire so that it doesnt always seem satirical few shows better explore the complications of personality and behavior even if it doesnt appear as robust refined and specific an achievement as say transparent the show still has the confidence to jump along a tightrope of displeasure
 has girls gotten better read our discussion 
the shows self obsessives ringmastered by its chief protagonist hannah horvath lena dunham pinball off one another going from friends to lovers to frenemies what set the show apart this year   from both its previous seasons and most of its peers   is the use of the space place framing allusion and mood to house that narcissism bad manners are met with mannerism shoshannas first adult job landed her in tokyo and for a few episodes the show went with her her intoxication with the culture   without her japanese pals losing sight of her foreignness   felt like a gentle rebuke of the incurious insularity of a movie like lost in translation she wasnt a citizen nor was she a tourist
this seasons seventh episode was particularly handsome written by sarah heyward and directed by richard shepard it turned the 1964 murder of kitty genovese into a piece of immersive theater staged inside and around a stately apartment complex which was meant to evoke the building near where genovese was killed while her neighbors went about their business
the killing inspired decades of social science research the show used the case as an ideal test for the characters own emotional nearsightedness hello kitty is the episodes title hannah enters the building lobby mid argument with her current boyfriend fran jake lacy and leaves devastated that her ex adam adam driver might be sleeping with one of her best friends jessa jemima kirke
as usual the comedy comes in part from hannahs obnoxious rebellion against propriety which tends to be represented by poor ray alex karpovsky his morality civic engagement loyalty and earnestness culturally hes a generation older are constantly disrupted compromised and exploited by everyone else this time he just wants to lose himself in some theater and no one will let him
the small silences in this episode are rich and absorptive theyre too much though for hannah who keeps breaking them to muse about the artifice of it all when her friend marnie allison williams enters one apartment newly single and almost radioactively aglow she doubles the obliviousness its unclear she even knows shes at a play
theyre there to see adam perform as half of a squabbling married couple but by the time the play reaches its grisly climax none of these people are really paying attention adam looked across the courtyard at jessa whos vamping at him on a fire escape while hannah watches them both in disbelief they ignore the screams and barely notice the amateurish plaster statues that stand in for the victim and her killer theres just brenda lee misting up the soundtrack
basically a re enacted crime loses out to a figurative one its one of the shows most sophisticated and most intricately filmed gags about selfishness the camera glides toward windows it cranes downs at the plaster stand ins it oscillates from jessa to adam to hannah perhaps you think about rear window monsieur hire stakeout or any other movie involving voyeurism danger and a little melodrama and the atmosphere is so rich you can practically feel the balm of warm spring air but hannah and marnie peel off to commiserate and by the time you see these two spread out on somebodys bed theyve cast themselves in their own sitcom the sorrow and the self pity
but the show manages to maintain the gravity of both transgressions an ambitious if seemingly dumb take on real tragedy and the tragedy that hannah thinks is her life its a kicky poignant half hour of television   half of which is spent elsewhere at a manhattan party featuring hannahs roommate elijah andrew rannells who is trying to hold his own among greasy gay celebrities each plot warranted its own episode but that was girls this year so many good ideas so little space to unfurl them
there were moments during the series underrated fourth season when between hannahs damningly indulgent stint at the iowa writers workshop and the invention of a carnivorous art monster named mimi rose gillian jacobs the show looked as if it had found its groove as a creative class farce this fifth season ended on a not dissimilar note after hannah runs into tally jenny slate a college classmate with a dark cloud of hair who has become a literary star shes like bizzaro hannah her narcissism doesnt repel success it vacuums it up
tally encourages hannah to steal a guys unlocked bike its a sign tally says and through two montages   set first to vanity fare then to nicki minaj and beyonce   they take a ride smoke a joint on hannahs bed and dance in her apartment and for half an episode as tally and hannah pedal and puff girls is no longer girls its broad city
on that show ilana glazer and abbi jacobson mount a perfectly calibrated celebration of millennial obnoxiousness while also nailing the ridiculousness of 21st century consumer culture the two shows have unruly young women and brooklyn in common thats about it but the way ms slate is made to look resembles   passingly cartoonishly   ms glazer these scenes between ms slate and ms dunham suggest a lunatic road not taken girls has some great slapstick but its bending toward maturity that broad city doesnt care about
when it started girls was received as an anthem for entitled white women detractors had a field day with ms dunham who created this show and has written and directed much of it for privileging privilege as if she couldnt be aspiring to the withering heights of luis bunuel or carrie fisher
through 52 episodes of television   some of them like that kitty genovese episode marvelous   girls has never stopped looking for the grander harsher psychological picture its never stopped looking for tough laughs it fights real life american absurdity with its own version of it as it does in the final episode of the season in which shoshanna zosia mamet a crayon turning at last into a scalpel rebrands rays coffee shop as a hipster free haven for people who actually work   that is for adults in other words
but in its highest gear the show peerlessly vanishes the line between sociocultural satire and mental instability between send up and crack up
that business with hannah adam and jessa closes the season with an unnerving cliffhanger hannah performs her pain for the storytellers radio hour the moth which obviously she takes to like a you know what to a flame the nights theme is jealousy in her tale she proves shes overcome it by delivering a peace offering in the form of a fruit basket but the story deepens and darkens a deranged argument that took place a few minutes earlier suddenly hannahs narcissism seems terroristic her personality disorder has the power to disorder other peoples personalities maybe shes the disorder
one of the last shots hovers about a demolished living room but its not exactly a cliffhanger for the shows next and final season its a cliff edged view of the wreckage in the canyon plus theres something about the way the camera lingers on the basket outside the door that makes hannahs offering seem more than a gift it looks like a bomb


michael friedman the composer and lyricist behind bloody bloody andrew jackson will be the next artistic director of encores off center a city center program that every summer presents concert performances of musicals previously staged off broadway and beyond
mr friedman will succeed jeanine tesori the founding director of the program who announced this year that she would step down after this summers productions of runaways and kurt vonneguts god bless you mr rosewater ms tesori who won a tony award as the composer of fun home will remain affiliated with city center as an artistic adviser
mr friedman a 40 year old native of philadelphia said in a telephone interview that he would seek to continue programming work by the fullest spectrum of all the different people who have made musicals in america
it is very important to me that we look at people who have been overlooked or forgotten or whose place in the canon could be stronger he said and im going to be excited by work that has something to say to todays audience
mr friedman has been a frequent collaborator with the civilians and has written music for many shows including the fortress of solitude he is currently collaborating with the new yorker and wnyc on songs about the 2016 election


washington   an influential federal advisory panel is calling for congress to force private insurers to rein in rapid increases in prescription drug costs   by cutting some medicare payments to insurance companies while shielding older americans from higher out of pocket expenses
the recommendations by the nonpartisan medicare payment advisory commission would squeeze private insurers and drug makers alike creating strong new incentives for insurance companies to manage the use of prescription medicines by beneficiaries and negotiate larger price discounts with pharmaceutical manufacturers the obama administration agrees with the reasoning
since its start a decade ago the medicare drug program known as part d of medicare has been hailed as a success a benefit delivered entirely by private insurance companies and subsidized by the government at a cost far below expectations
but with drug prices increasing medicare beneficiaries now find that they may have thousands of dollars in out of pocket costs even with prescription coverage and the government is subsidizing more of the benefit than originally intended
federal spending on prescription drugs under part d rose 166 percent last year to 75 billion in part because of new drugs to treat hepatitis c the congressional budget office expects similar growth this year
beneficiaries are feeling the pinch barbara n dalponte 67 who lives in a suburb of salem ore takes six drugs including one for chronic lung problems and another nexium for excess stomach acid she was in a humana plan last year but when she learned that the costs to her would total 7400 this year she switched to one offered by another company   envisionrx a unit of rite aid   with out of pocket costs of 3400
the costs are distressing she said but the drugs are effective they work for me and i dont know what i would do if i did not have coverage for them
the government currently reimburses insurers for 80 percent of a medicare beneficiarys drug costs exceeding a certain catastrophic level   roughly 7500 this year the medicare payment advisory commission voted this month to recommend that congress cut the federal share of catastrophic drug costs to 20 percent
at the same time the panel said congress should eliminate medicare beneficiaries 5 percent share of drug costs above the threshold
john f hoadley a research professor at georgetown university and a commission member said this change would be a huge benefit for people with very high drug costs
the recommendations will be included in a june report to congress which often heeds the panels advice
more than 40 million of the 56 million medicare beneficiaries have drug coverage through part d and national surveys indicate that most are satisfied with the coverage but out of pocket costs for some beneficiaries have increased in recent years as insurers require them to pay 25 percent or more of the cost for expensive specialty drugs to treat chronic or complex illnesses including cancer rheumatoid arthritis multiple sclerosis and hepatitis c
out of pocket costs can exceed thousands of dollars for beneficiaries who take just one specialty drug or a large number of less costly brands and generics the kaiser family foundation which tracks the health insurance market said in a recent report
dr rita f redberg a commission member and cardiologist at the university of california san francisco noted that many of the medicines approved recently by the food and drug administration were costly specialty drugs
pharmaceutical companies and advocates for beneficiaries said some of the panels recommendations could harm patients access to certain medicines and raise costs for some low income people
from the inception of the drug benefit in 2006 to 2014 the basic premium for medicare drug coverage rose by less than a dollar but in their annual report last july medicare trustees including top administration officials predicted the monthly premium would double from 2014 to 2024 reaching 64
opinion polls show that a majority of americans of both political parties support government action to keep down drug costs those costs have become an issue in the presidential campaign with donald j trump hillary clinton and senator bernie sanders all saying medicare should directly negotiate prices with drug manufacturers a practice now forbidden in part d
senator ron wyden of oregon the senior democrat on the finance committee said he was drafting legislation to cap certain drug costs in part d most types of health insurance other than the traditional fee for service medicare program have limits on out of pocket costs he noted
it defies common sense that a similar protection has not been put in place for seniors especially with the rise of high cost prescription drugs he said
the commission would give insurers new tools to manage medicare drug benefits it would for example grant insurers more discretion in covering antidepressants and immunosuppressants used in transplants medicare now requires insurers to cover all or substantially all drugs in those protected classes
it would also require some beneficiaries to pay more for brand name drugs before qualifying for so called catastrophic coverage and it would create financial incentives for greater use of generics by low income people who the commission says account for about 70 percent of part d spending
these recommendations will significantly harm beneficiaries by eroding coverage and protections for some of the most vulnerable enrollees said allyson funk a spokeswoman for the pharmaceutical research and manufacturers of america a trade group
andrew sperling a lobbyist at the national alliance on mental illness said the proposals could adversely affect people with serious mental illness who are below the poverty level
clare krusing a spokeswoman for americas health insurance plans a trade group criticized the proposed cut in medicare payments saying this change could lead to higher premiums for beneficiaries
medicare beneficiaries with incomes less than 150 percent of the poverty level   under 17820 a year for an individual   can often obtain extra help with drug costs through medicare part d but jocelyne watrous who works with clients at the nonprofit center for medicare advocacy in willimantic conn said that for people with somewhat higher incomes the out of pocket costs could be unmanageable
as a result she said people are still skipping doses cutting pills in two or taking them every other day just to get by


boston   hours before the first runners crossed the finish line of the boston marathon on monday a uniformed police officer ambled near the blue and yellow marker across boylston street he seemed at first glance unremarkable barely distinguishable from the legions of law enforcement officers keeping watch over new englands biggest sporting event
but the officer in the navy blue uniform and bright vest was mark wahlberg the actor here to film patriots day the forthcoming movie about the 2013 boston marathon bombing and its aftermath
debbie gilligan 49 a postal worker from lowell mass stopped to watch mr wahlberg standing on boylston street flanked by crew members and extras who were playing race officials and wore badges that read 2013 official staff it was oddly like looking into the past
i dont think theres a need for this said ms gilligan who ran the marathon in 2013 and was just a mile shy of completing the grueling 262 mile course when the bombs exploded i just look at it as publicizing the terrorists she said of the film they took away that whole day
movies about the marathon bombing have seemed inevitable and now there are two in the making in addition to patriots day there is stronger in which jake gyllenhaal plays jeff bauman who lost both legs in the bombing and was rescued by carlos arredondo now known as the man in the cowboy hat
many bostonians have been bracing for the films after the lengthy trial last year in which dzhokhar tsarnaev the surviving bomber was sentenced to death they had hoped they were done with the ordeal when the patriots day crew wanted to recreate a violent shootout scene in suburban watertown earlier this year with gunfire into the night the town said no so did officials at the university of massachusetts dartmouth which mr tsarnaev attended
some of the scenes for patriots day including explosions will be filmed on sets but the real marathon provided a rare opportunity for verisimilitude even the sunny weather and blue skies looked like those in 2013
and so on monday art was imitating life and life was reflected back in art as the finish line became a film set
were collaborating with them david mcgillivray the race director said adding that he was withholding his judgment about the movie until he knew more about it we just want to make sure from the operational side that were able to conduct the race without a lot of imposition on the runner
but some in this city where the lives of those most grievously wounded have been changed forever said the scars were still too fresh
it still sits in everybodys mind who were here that day said joe fallon an employee of a nearby hotel who paused to watch the film crew work while walking a dog
its too soon he said
joyce cadena hannon 40 a graphic designer who was working in a nearby office building when the blasts went off passes the finish line on her way to work im still a little traumatized she said before the race i was here so i dont need to see the movie version
to others the filming added a thrill to a resplendent celebratory day spectators craned to catch a glimpse of mr wahlberg sticking their phones in the air to take video and cheering when on a few occasions he waved in their direction
i find it exciting said erin carroll a registered nurse from nashua nh who ran the marathon last year and was here to watch on monday the marathon is just such a staple of boston and he is too ms carroll said referring to mr wahlberg who was born in dorchester
kevin brown 61 the boston carpenter who tended a makeshift memorial in the weeks after the bombing said on monday that the film could be a fitting way to remember the events of that day
standing next to the crosses he had tied to a tree near the finish line mr brown watched the filmmakers work and observed theyre trying to get as close as they can to the real thing


mark bradford the highly regarded abstract painter has been chosen as the united states representative to the next venice biennale opening in may 2017 the united states pavilion with mr bradfords work will be organized by christopher bedford director of the rose art museum at brandeis university which was chosen by the department of states bureau of educational and cultural affairs to be the commissioning institution for the exhibition
mr bradford has recently used his influence to help found an arts based social services center in the south los angeles neighborhood where he grew up he said in a telephone interview on monday that he could not yet discuss details of his plans for the pavilion but that the work would certainly touch on the political and social context in which he as an african american artist has always worked
the black body is always a heavy politicized body in america in particular and so carrying that burden is kind of a birthright for me he said adding im thinking a lot about what matters to me right now and i think this is a time to put that on the table mr bradford is not the first african american artist to represent the united states in venice but there have not been many over more than seven decades sam gilliam in a group show in 1972 robert colescott in 1997 fred wilson in 2003
mr bedford who will be the shows curator along with katy siegel the rose art museums curator at large said in a telephone interview that a collision of various events led to his championing of mr bradford for the honor one of them being the social upheaval in recent years regarding issues like race gay marriage immigration and social justice
all of that seemed to me to make mark particularly topical right now mr bedford said adding what he has managed to decouple in a pretty radical way is his work as a studio painter and his work as an activist and advocate if we were successful in venice i think something like that would happen there too
the selection of mr bradford is a coup for the small but admired rose museum in 2009 the roses very existence was threatened when in the depths of the recession brandeis universitys trustees voted to transition the museum   which was founded in 1961 and houses works by de kooning warhol lichtenstein and other 20th century luminaries   into a teaching center and gallery and to conduct an orderly sale of its works to raise money the university later backed off its plans to sell works and after settling a lawsuit brought by the museums supporters pledged to keep the rose a university art museum open to the public


in a classical music comedy market yes there is one buoyed by social media the german female quartet salut salon has developed a loyal following the groups performance style mixes the virtuosic silliness perfected by the duo igudesman  joo with the high octane performance style of the rock cover specialists two cellos but adds lavish doses of whimsy and sex appeal a video clip of the violinists angelika bachmann and iris siegfried the cellist sonja lena schmid and the pianist anne monika von twardowski engaged in competitive instrumental acrobatics during a medley of vivaldi mozart and weill has drawn over 20 million clicks on youtube
on sunday the ensemble made its new york debut at the schimmel center at pace university with the violinist meta huper replacing ms siegfried who is on maternity leave the performance cemented salut salon as something like the charlies angels of comedy chamber music but the show a carnival of the animals and other fantasies also highlighted some of the difficulties inherent in translation   from one culture or language to another and from the quick gratification medium of video clips to an evening long live performance
the musicians technical chops are unassailable all four moved freely between classical showpieces like saint saenss fossils or rimsky korsakovs flight of the bumblebee and arrangements like their own clever mash up of the jaws theme with weills  mack the knife they show breathtaking versatility in their ability to sing to switch over to instruments like the xylophone accordion or musical saw as needed and to bow strings to comic effect
but however finely honed the ensembles physical comedy some of the spoken introductions linking this loose collection of animal theme music fell flat it seems churlish to find fault with the womens english when they recently completed a tour of france with a french version of the same program and when their lineup includes songs in swahili and finnish even so linguistic stumbles and slips were a distraction
some of the humor too threatened to go under in an american context a sketch purporting to show the work of a chinese mardi gras planning committee named bling bling   if i correctly understood the garbled introduction   earned just awkward giggles so did attempts to point out individual audience members for their resemblance to pachyderms and possums that sort of cabaret style tease works best in a clublike setting an intimate space like the hamburg salon that gave birth to the group in 2002 a byproduct of youtube fame may be the temptation to perform in spaces that are ultimately too large to allow salut salons goofy charm to resonate without strain
still the four womens self deprecating humor and vivacious performance style is hard to resist and the bow to bow combat of their vivaldi contest   here offered as an encore   is a masterpiece of classical comedy


during two hours in the virtual arcade at the tribeca film festival you can swim with whales ride a dragon become a rabbit fly by pluto and dodge spurts of blood unleashed by a machete attack more exciting than any of those individual experiences however is the sense that youre in a room full of possibilities and of creative people still in the early stages of figuring out what those possibilities are
the arcade is where the festival is showcasing virtual reality films the still nascent art form made more accessible by a new generation of viewing devices that turn a movie into a 360 degree experience rather than something watched on a rectangular screen eighteen projects are gathered in a space at the festival hub downtown and the sheer diversity is impressive especially if youve never watched a film in this format its rather mind blowing but you may need a neck massage afterward from looking up down and all around
two animated films allumette from penrose studios and invasion from baobab studios are the crowd pleasers each a brief but delightful toe dip into immersive viewing
allumette is a bittersweet wordless story about a young girl in a multilevel city in the clouds as with the other offerings you don a headset to experience it and when the city appears you are inside it you can walk paths look up at the sky peer down at other levels of the city below the film is viewed standing up and you may find yourself ducking so as not to hit your head on that virtual bridge or stepping awkwardly to avoid treading on the vagabond sleeping under the bridge when the ship carrying the young girl to the new land docks if you walk over to it and stick your head through the side youre suddenly looking at the interior rooms of the vessel
invasion goes a step further when hostile extraterrestrials land on earth only an intrepid bunny can save the planet or actually two bunnies look down toward your feet and you will see that you have acquired a rabbit body the story doesnt last long but the sense that you have fur lingers awhile
other projects are essentially documentaries with a 360 degree perspective like my mothers wing gabo arora and ari palitz from vrseworks about one gaza familys painful loss and the click effect sandy smolan and james nestor about divers researching the communication systems of dolphins and whales full disclosure the new york times has a project here seeking plutos frigid heart about the new horizons spacecraft the click effect has been released on the timess nyt vr app
a few explore the possibilities of interactivity giving the viewer a role in the experience dragonflight blackthorn media allows you to climb on a dragons back for a fly about hand controllers let you scorch the landscape with fireballs if you feel the need the crystal reef from the virtual reality lab at stanford university has two films   one is a standard look at the problem of ocean acidification but the other lets you deep sea dive yourself and collect samples from the ocean floor yes you make a swimming motion with your arms to make this happen which might make you look a little ridiculous to anyone nearby whos not encased in a viewing helmet but the swim will be far more dignified than the shaking and shimmying you may find yourself doing while watching old friend tyler hurdwevr a sort of music video in which youre surrounded by dancing creatures
overall the room invites you to contemplate the implications of this radical shift in how movies might be made and watched its all so new that everything on display is essentially an experiment in one thing or another eugene chung who created allumette said part of the purpose was to see whether an animated character in this format could evoke sympathy
in vr he said the easiest emotion to evoke is fear ive been able to evoke laughter in vr but id yet to find emotion in vr he certainly finds it in allumette a touching story with loss at its center
the sheer experimentalism in the room is exhilarating you can feel the various content creators exploring what can be done in the medium whether educationally artistically ashes a dance film by jessica kantor is an example or in terms of storytelling what kinds of tales can be told and from what perspectives with the potential to now pull viewers inside of the film will there be pressure to turn the story over to the viewer entirely so that vr becomes just a more sophisticated selfie
the headsets that make all this possible are just hitting the market and of course they also have creators wondering about the delivery system for virtual reality content its easy to see this further depersonalizing us   weve already retreated from real life into our cellphone and tablet screens will we next disappear into our helmets but perhaps the effect will be the opposite is there something akin to multiplayer gaming to be developed in virtual reality filmmaking so a movie becomes a shared participation in a story
yes the 360 degree viewing might not be the only thing that has your head spinning when you leave the virtual arcade but maybe the future of moviegoing wont be as radically altered as it might seem the project getting the most visceral response at mondays opening was killer deal a mini horror movie starring ian ziering of the sharknado films as a machete salesman who checks into a creepy motel room it was not uncommon to hear screams from the helmet wearing people viewing this bloody little yarn theres nothing like a good old fashioned scare whatever the format


ibm delivered a quarterly performance that shows the steady headway it is making in new businesses led by cloud computing and data analysis software like its watson artificial intelligence technology
but the companys transformation remains very much a work in progress the erosion of some of its hardware and software products continues to be a drag on growth and profits overshadowing the gains in the new fields
ibm on monday reported a 21 percent decline in net profit from continuing operations to 23 billion in the first quarter that ended march 31 its operating earnings per share fell 19 percent to 235 a share though that was above the average estimate of wall street analysts of 209 a share as complied by thomson reuters
the companys first quarter revenue declined 5 percent to 187 billion but that was ahead of analysts consensus forecast of 1829 billion after adjusting for the impact of currency translation revenue was down 2 percent
until ibm turns the corner with the new businesses growing faster than older lines decline the outcome of the companys renewal campaign remains in doubt
they may be doing the right things but the jury is still out on whether the transformation is afoot said a m sacconaghi an analyst at sanford c bernstein  company
ibm shares fell about 5 percent in after hours trading a retreat from a recent uptrend for the stock in the first three months of this year ibms stock price had increased 17 percent
the report for the quarter was cluttered with special gains and charges the gains included a 1 billion rebate from the japanese tax authorities for a previous overpayment ibms revenue was helped somewhat as the businesses of recently acquired companies were counted including the data and computing assets of the weather company
ibm took a 1 billion charge in the quarter for severance and other payments for workers who are being laid off analysts have estimated the number of affected workers at 14000 or more worldwide
for the last decade ibm has taken yearly charges of 500 million to 15 billion for these cutback programs which it calls work force rebalancing as it is laying off workers in some parts of the business it is typically hiring elsewhere yet in the last two years ibms total employment has declined 12 percent to 377757 workers at the end of last year
martin schroeter ibms chief financial officer characterized the big restructuring charge as a step to accelerate ibms moves into new fields he said there were many thousands of open positions at ibm and that by the end of the year the companys total employment could be as high as it was at the end of last year
this is part of the shift into new growth areas that require different skills said mr schroeter who added that 90 percent of the layoffs in this round were outside the united states
ibm has also changed the way it reports its financial results starting with the first quarter the company is breaking out its data analytics business   cognitive solutions in ibms phrase   as a separately reported division and adding another group that includes its cloud computing business hardware and software are no longer reported as individual businesses but are blended into the other divisions
ibm says it made the reporting change to more accurately reflect its recast collection of businesses like watson which is part of its cognitive unit
but analysts say the new reporting structure complicates the task of tracking some effects of ibms strategy for example it is not easy to tell if its overall software business   new products and old   is growing or shrinking
the businesses ibm has targeted for growth and investment like watson and cloud grew by 14 percent in the quarter still these so called strategic initiatives while showing encouraging gains are not yet large enough to turn around the fortunes of the company as a whole


a foreign correspondent for about 15 years alissa rubin is known for descending deep into some of the worlds scariest conflicts and returning with rare often poignant glimpses into the plights of soldiers survivors and victims
on monday the pulitzer prize board gave ms rubin its international reporting award for her 2015 work in afghanistan where it said she delivered deeply reported moving articles about the struggle to improve the lives of women
since joining the los angeles times in 1997 ms rubin has spent much of her career covering iraq afghanistan and the balkans
after assignments for the newspaper in iraq and france she was hired by the new york times in 2007 as a correspondent in the baghdad bureau where she went on to serve as its chief in 2009 she became chief of the timess bureau in kabul afghanistan
the work was sometimes harrowing in august 2014 ms rubin was in a helicopter that crashed while delivering aid to yazidi refugees in iraqi kurdistan she suffered severely broken wrists and a fractured skull later as she narrated the experience from a hospital bed in baghdad her concerns focused on the refugees and the pilot
over her career ms rubin has earned recognition from the industry as a reporter of unique courage and fierce intellect
she has picked up a number of awards among them the 2015 john chancellor award which honors lifetime achievement in journalism
a pulitzer was not the only recognition she received on monday earlier in the day atlantic media announced that it was bestowing its 2016 michael kelly award on ms rubin for her series of articles on women in afghanistan a news release said she risked her life to capture the struggles of the women in illuminating and sensitive detail
earlier in her career ms rubin worked at the congressional quarterly the wichita eagle and the american lawyer magazine she is a graduate of brown university and earned a masters degree in history from columbia university
ms rubin now serves as the timess bureau chief in paris
below are some highlights from ms rubins work
dec 26 2015 the new york times
 at first the trial and convictions in the death of farkhunda malikzada seemed a victory in the long struggle to give afghan women their due in court but a deeper look suggests otherwise
march 2 2015 the new york times
 womens shelters are one of the most provocative legacies of the western presence in afghanistan
march 1 2015 the new york times
 in a clash between western ideals and afghan realities an effort to elevate the status of women by recruiting them to the police force has often backfired
june 27 2012 the new york times
 a young womans accusation of rape and abduction against a local police unit highlights the persistence of tribal custom the fragility of newly legislated protections for women and the power of armed men
aug 12 2009 the new york times magazine
 an encounter in iraq with a would be female suicide bomber
jan 25 2009 the new york times
 prime minister nuri kamal al maliki of iraq is trying to reassure iraqis that he will respect local interests
aug 26 2005 the los angeles times
 after hearing about a suicide bombing my interpreter and i often went to yarmouk hospital which has one of the largest refrigerated morgues in the city that is where i first met abu imad


one of the first groups of hiv patients in a poor country to get free aids drugs has about the same survival rate as their closest counterparts in the united states according to scientists at weill cornell medical college
ten years after a free treatment program was introduced in haitis capital port au prince two thirds of the first 910 patients enrolled were still alive the researchers said in a brief report published in the new england journal of medicine
that is roughly the same 10 year mortality rate found among gay men in this country who started antiretroviral triple therapy when it was first started in the late 1990s said dr margaret l mcnairy an internist at weill cornell and a report co author
like americans with hiv then many of the patients had blood counts of cd4 cells   a measure of immune system strength   below 100 and were super sick nearly on their deathbeds when they started treatment she said the death rates were highest in the studys first six months because we just got to those patients too late
all of the patients were recruited at a port au prince clinic run jointly by weill cornell and gheskio the french acronym for haitian group for the study of kaposis sarcoma and opportunistic infections
the clinic does not have the word aids in its name because it was founded in 1983 before the mysterious disease then killing haitians homosexuals heroin users and hemophiliacs had even been described as acquired immune deficiency syndrome
by counting all the study participants still coming to the clinic or known to be in treatment elsewhere and using three statistical models to estimate how many of the 111 missing patients were likely to be alive the researchers calculated that between 63 percent and 71 percent of the original 910 had survived 10 years
the clinic supported primarily by american taxpayer dollars through the national institutes of health and the presidents emergency plan for aids relief achieved this success despite haitis political instability and grinding poverty and sustained it through the 2010 earthquake and an ongoing cholera epidemic dr mcnairy said
this proves the long term sustainability of efforts to provide aids treatment in developing nations she added


friday harbor wash   here in the san juan islands of northwest washington state where a severe shortage of affordable housing threatens the economy and the community a small nonprofit group has found an unlikely way to help anchor families that are struggling to stay   by lifting up unloved houses in canada hoisting them onto barges and hauling them to where they are needed
the houses are small by modern standards and old built in the early to mid 20th century in a booming suburb of victoria british columbia where eager buyers are now clearing the land to make way for new construction but the structures had what builders call good bones and the group the san juan community hometrust discovered that the cost of transporting them across the haro strait from canada and restoring them here was comparable to the cost of building from scratch
the project met a rapidly growing need a surge of tourism and vacation home buyers in san juan county   an archipelago of islands about 70 miles from seattle reachable only by air boat or ferry   has gone hand in hand in recent years with a decline in fishing shipping and agriculture jobs that once supported a middle class island life the number of people living in poverty in the county has risen about 17 percent since the end of the recession in 2009 according to census figures even as the economic recovery in washington and around the nation gained steam
its kind life or death to keep our working families here said peter kilpatrick the project manager in refitting the houses to be imported by the san juan community hometrust when the rewiring painting and structural repairs are finished in june buyers who have already met income and residency requirements can take possession
through a combination of donated land government and foundation grants and local fund raising the homes will cost the buyers   a hospital worker several teachers and a massage therapist among them   from 160000 to 210000 the median market price here was almost 500000 at the end of last year nearly the same as in seattle which made san juan the least affordable county in the state for first time buyers according to the runstad center for real estate studies at the university of washington
national housing experts said the house relocation project here and another on a nearby island might be the first of their kind but examples of the innovation that inspired the effort they said are easy to find   fueled in many spots around the nation by desperation as homelessness has risen and working class families have struggled with rising prices and rents or an inability to find homes at all
things are getting crazy said carlos martin a senior fellow at the urban institute a research group in washington dc and when people have got to the point when they have no alternative but to be completely creative that is when these things happen
housing advocates in honolulu for example are trying to bring back traditional hawaiian frond woven homes as a less costly alternative to wood and concrete in many other cities believers in the tiny house movement are preaching the virtues and lower costs of simplified stripped down housing portland ore and berkeley calif recently passed ordinances making it easier for a homeowner to build an apartment in the basement or a cottage for rent in the backyard
stricter environmental rules now in effect in british columbia are also making imported homes more appealing and affordable
you used to be able to take an excavator crunch a house and take it to the landfill said jim connelly the sales manager for southern vancouver island at nickel brothers which moves about 100 homes a year on the commercial market and has transported seven so far for the friday harbor project and plans to move five more
now mr connelly said the province requires hazardous material reports and abatement and the sorting of materials from metal to drywall for possible reuse that has driven up the cost of tearing down an old house he said from 3000 or so canadian dollars in the 1990s to upward of 40000 now about 31200 in american dollars
the older houses which will stand within a development of 14 new homes all suffered varying degrees of trauma in transit basements were left behind when the houses were shaved off their foundations chimneys were abandoned as well because old masonry was too fragile and risky to move in some cases roofs or exterior walls had to be carved away to allow a building to fit under or around obstacles like underpasses or trees
for the moment the homes sit on steel i beams and wooden blocks while concrete foundations are poured in the way of all old houses they are imperfect and uneven with parts that have settled and sagged or were never built to exact specifications placing them on a level platform mr kilpatrick said has exposed all of their quirks
the house wasnt level where it came from he said pointing to a door that probably opened and closed easily on the old foundation but now hangs askew and is in need of repair
housing experts and board members at the san juan community hometrust said that beyond cost effectiveness another appeal of the project was more subtle but no less crucial the trusts financial donors have responded well to the idea that old houses of character are being rescued along with local families a pacific northwest environmental ethos to reuse and recycle has become part of the fund raising appeal they said
you have to create a buzz said sam buck the boards vice president and this has gotten people here excited more than we ever anticipated
few people could be more excited than kat sherman 36 and her fiance adam derrico 37 who qualified to buy one of the houses both work at a hardware store she in accounting while he manages the paint department to make ends meet both have second jobs stocking shelves at a grocery store
the saying here is that you either own three homes or you have three jobs ms sherman said
the hard work will continue she and mr derrico said in an interview at the hardware store but a home of their own will provide stability and permanence in a place they love
this program is great in allowing people   the worker bees of the island   to be able to afford a home to able to stay ms sherman said


a grueling cycling race is somewhat less grueling if your bike is a motorcycle understanding this some cunning cyclists may be turning the sport into nascar on two wheels by surreptitiously giving their bikes a motorized boost
the first confirmed case of mechanical doping surfaced this year when a tiny motor and battery were found inside a belgian cyclists bike but that involved cyclocross a comparatively minor branch of the sport the latest accusations emerged sunday on stade 2 a sports program on the french television network that is also the host broadcaster of the tour de france the report suggested that motor doping is also at the highest levels of the sport
suggestions that top riders are rigging their bikes have escalated in the past several years as was the case in the early 1990s with more conventional doping riders who are the targets of such accusations have dismissed them
but several current and retired professional riders including the american greg lemond are among those who have said it is a real problem brian cookson the president of the international cycling union has made the search for technology based cheating a priority
suspicions stem from two factors the technology exists and there is an ever growing library of videos that show suspicious performances and actions by riders as well as teams
anyone can buy systems that hide small motors and batteries inside bikes marketed as a way to help older or infirm people keep cycling most of the systems power the axle that joins the two crank arms of the bike and are outwardly invisible with on off switches hidden under handlebar tape newer even smaller motor systems can slip into the rear hub to boost the bike from there
for its report stade 2 positioned a thermal imaging camera along the route of the strade bianche an italian professional mens race in march held mostly on unpaved roads and featuring many steep climbs the rear hub of one bicycle glowed with almost the same vivid orange yellow thermal imprint of the riders legs engineers and antidoping experts interviewed by the tv program said the pattern could be explained only by heat generated by a motor the rider was not named by the program and could not be identified from the thermal image
the program also used the camera at a gran fondo an amateur and semiprofessional event in italy at least one bike showed a suspicious heat pattern around its cranks
corriere della sera an italian newspaper that collaborated with the french program reported that the thermal camera found signs of motors in seven bikes used in the strade bianche and at the coppi and bartali another italian race
cyclings equivalents of the zapruder film are online videos that show unusual patterns of bike changes that precede or follow exceptional bursts of speed by riders other videos analyze riders hand movements for signs of switching on motors still other online analysts pore over crashes looking for bikes on which the cranks keep turning after separation from the rider
unlike the thermal images however the videos have only implied that a motor was present
in a statement the cycling union which commonly goes by its french initials uci said it had tested and rejected thermal imaging
the uci has been testing for technological fraud for many years and with the objective of increasing the efficiency of these tests we have been trialling new methods of detection over the last year the governing body said we have looked at thermal imaging x ray and ultrasonic testing but by far the most cost effective reliable and accurate method has proved to be magnetic resonance testing using software we have created in partnership with a company of specialist developers
its system uses a device attached to a tablet computer that sends out a magnetic field bikes that create unusual disruptions of that field are then pulled for physical inspection
about 2000 bikes have been scanned this year although no inspection took place at the strade bianche
the magnetic resonance device was responsible for the worlds first confirmed mechanical doping case at the under 23 womens event at the world cyclocross championships in late january it showed a suspicious pattern in a bike belonging to femke van den driessche a subsequent physical inspection found a motor and battery
after initially claiming that the bike no longer belonged to her van den driessche 19 abandoned her defense just before a disciplinary hearing opened and quit cycling
earlier in the decade it was widely believed that motorized cheaters used a system from austria now called viv a x assist but because that systems device is comparatively heavy and noisy the general assumption now is that cyclists turn to stefano varjas a hungarian who demonstrated his products to stade 2
in an interview on monday varjas said that his crank assist devices could produce more than 250 watts the amount of power a professional rider might typically average during a four hour race the smaller hub assist motors which he makes only for custom orders typically produce only about 25 watts he said and require the rider to be able to maintain a high pedaling rate as is the case with all professionals even a 25 watt boost would be significant during a professional race
varjas said his system was nearly silent and light enough to keep a bike at the cycling unions minimum weight
if you have this system you can stay with the group but nobody hears it nobody sees it nobody knows about it he said of the devices which cost 10000 to 25000 euros about 11300 to about 28200 depending on features
while varjas said that some professionals and teams used the motors for training   sometimes as a substitute for pacing at high speeds behind a motorcycle   he said that he did not know if the motors were also used in races for cheating but he added that he believed that some kinds of carbon fiber the material used to make pro bikes could render the technology invisible to the cycling unions new screening devices
varjas said that many of his customers who merely relied on the device to keep cycling were reluctant to offer endorsements
its a very strange market varjas said no one will say they have this kind of bike


the associated press won the pulitzer prize for public service on monday for a series that exposed slavery and vicious abuse in the southeast asia fishing trade leading to the release of 2000 captives and broad reforms in the united states and overseas
the series seafood from slaves involved a sprawling reportorial effort across several countries that discovered scores of fishermen in captivity   and sometimes locked in cages   in an industry that supplies seafood to american restaurants pet food brands and big retailers like walmart the aps reporting prompted arrests ship seizures and action by the federal government
one year after magazines became eligible in some pulitzer categories the new yorker received two prizes for emily nussbaums television criticism and for the really big one kathryn schulzs ominous article about the potential for a major earthquake in the pacific northwest which won for feature writing william finnegan a new yorker staff writer won the biography award for his memoir barbarian days a surfing life
in an honor that was widely predicted the musical hamilton a hip hop retelling of the founding fathers story received the prize for drama the musicals creator and star lin manuel miranda reacted joyfully on twitter writing pulitzer
alissa j rubin the paris bureau chief of the new york times won the prize for international reporting for a deep examination of the abuse and injustice faced by women in afghanistan i always am curious what people who are usually invisible are thinking and how they see the world ms rubin said in the times newsroom on monday
the times also won the award for breaking news photography its fourth photography prize in three years four times photographers   tyler hicks mauricio lima sergey ponomarev and daniel etter   won for a searing collection of images of migrants seeking asylum in europe sharing the prize with the news agency reuters it was mr hickss second pulitzer he won in 2014 in the same category for his photos of the terrorist attack at the westgate mall in kenya
the times had 10 finalists over all the newspapers most since 2002 when it was recognized for coverage of the sept 11 terrorist attacks
the pulitzers are now in their centennial year and the winners announced by columbia university on monday reflected some of the changes sweeping the media landscape among the winners was the marshall project an online outlet founded 17 months ago the washington post took the national reporting prize for a project that used data graphics and other tools of digital journalism to chronicle every killing by a police officer in 2015 unearthing fresh insights into a subject that has dominated the national political debate
ken armstrong of the marshall project and t christian miller of the online investigative news site propublica won the explanatory reporting prize for their harrowing account of a botched rape investigation the article an unbelievable story of rape revealed how the police dismissed a claim of rape by an 18 year old woman and even prosecuted her for an ostensibly false report   a decision that delayed for years the capture of her actual attacker a serial rapist the piece is now being cited in training programs for law enforcement
two other newspapers besides the times won two prizes apiece farah stockman of the boston globe who recently joined the times staff won the commentary prize for columns examining the legacy of busing and segregation in boston jessica rinaldi of the globe won in the feature photography category for her photos of a young boy struggling after a history of abuse
the tampa bay times won for local reporting for its look at the stunning failure rates among black students in a florida county school system that abandoned racial integration the newspaper also shared the investigative reporting prize with the sarasota herald tribune for a joint expose on abuse and neglect in florida mental hospitals
the los angeles times won in the breaking news category for its coverage of the shootings in san bernardino calif in december jack ohman of the sacramento bee received the award for editorial cartooning and john hackworth of sun newspapers of charlotte harbor fla won for editorial writing
the award for fiction went to viet thanh nguyen for his debut novel the sympathizer which opens in 1975 in saigon and centers on a communist sympathizer who escapes to los angeles and spies on a south vietnamese group he has infiltrated the novel was hailed by critics for blending espionage satire and historical fiction
black flags the rise of isis by joby warrick a reporter for the washington post won the nonfiction prize the book explores the rise of the islamic state in part through a detailed portrait of abu musab al zarqawi the groups founder who was killed in an american airstrike in 2006
t j stiles a biographer who won a pulitzer in 2010 for his portrayal of cornelius vanderbilt won this years prize in history for custers trials a life on the frontier of a new america mr stiless book is a biography of george armstrong custer the civil war general who died in the battle of little bighorn in montana in 1876


bees find nectar and tell their hive mates flies evade the swatter and cockroaches seem to do whatever they like wherever they like but who would believe that insects are conscious that they are aware of whats going on not just little biobots
neuroscientists and philosophers apparently as scientists lean increasingly toward recognizing that nonhuman animals are conscious in one way or another the question becomes where does consciousness end
andrew b barron a cognitive scientist and colin klein a philosopher at macquarie university in sydney australia propose in proceedings of the national academy of sciences that insects have the capacity for consciousness
this does not mean that a honeybee thinks why am i not the queen or even oh i like that nectar but dr barron and dr klein wrote in a scientific essay the honeybee has the capacity to feel something
their claim stops short of some others christof koch the president and chief scientific officer of the allen institute for brain science in seattle and giulio tononi a neuroscientist and psychiatrist at the university of wisconsin have proposed that consciousness is nearly ubiquitous in different degrees and can be present even in nonliving arrangements of matter to varying degrees
they say that rather than wonder how consciousness arises one should look at where we know it exists and go from there to where else it might exist
they conclude that it is an inherent property of physical systems in which information moves around in a certain way   and that could include some kinds of artificial intelligence and even naturally occurring nonliving matter
at the most basic level consciousness is awareness dr barron and dr klein say a robot vacuum moves around and responds to information from the external world   when it is stopped by a wall for instance but the vacuum doesnt have any experience dr klein says   it doesnt feel like anything to be a roomba
he and dr barron propose that it may well feel like something to be a honeybee or another insect although what that feeling is no one knows
they make their case this way
# other scientists have argued that a part of the human brain called the midbrain can on its own give a person lacking more advanced parts of the brain simple awareness
# the insect brain does something similar to the midbrain in absorbing information from the environment from memory and from the body to organize its activity
# if the insect brain does the same job as the vertebrate midbrain then the insect has the capacity for awareness
if this line of reasoning is correct dr barron and dr klein say a robot built with artificial intelligence that could integrate sensory data memory and body awareness would have the capacity for the minimal level of consciousness they describe
by the same token plants do not have any structures that would allow for awareness says dr barron nor does a simple animal like c elegans the roundworm used in so many experiments it has 302 neurons a honeybee by contrast has almost a million
dr koch said in an email that he thought dr barron and dr klein were making a reasonable argument the brains of bees and flies he wrote possess intricate circuitry an order of magnitude denser than the circuits of the celebrated neocortex which is central to human thinking
peter godfrey smith a philosopher at the city university of new york who writes about consciousness said in an email that he found the argument by dr barron and dr klein plausible but he said there could be many different kinds of awareness and insects might be aware of motion for example but were not good candidates for feeling pain unlike octopuses and crabs
insects might have subjective experience he wrote but not of a kind that has a lot of ethical consequences
dr barron emphasized that the article was intended simply to propose a hypothesis rather than offer a proven conclusion we put it forward because we think we should have this debate he said


the couple wanted a baby boy but the male embryo they had chosen   the only one available after an expensive round of in vitro fertilization   received a troubling test result
a handful of cells from the five day old embryo were deemed abnormal apparently missing chromosome 21 an absence that can lead to developmental defects
many couples having ivf would have reconsidered their choices but the two women aged 48 and 45 had the embryo implanted anyway and despite the initial test findings their baby was born healthy in 2014
the whole pregnancy was an emotional roller coaster said one of the mothers the women were granted anonymity because no one knows the child is not biologically related to either one and they would like to explain it to him once he is older
even when the baby was born it took me a good five to 10 minutes to even look at him she said finally i peeked over and he looked normal
the test used on their embryo is called preimplantation genetic screening or pgs a biopsy performed by plucking a few cells from the developing embryo just a few years ago pgs was precise enough only to ascertain whether an embryo was normal or abnormal
now high resolution next generation sequencing has sharpened the view and researchers are finding something surprising about 20 percent of embryos have both normal and abnormal cells and the percentage increases with maternal age these so called mosaic embryos have long been known but they have been detectable during an active ivf cycle only in the last year
at least some of these embryos seem to mature into healthy children the womens son is one of 10 healthy infants recently born from mosaic embryos as reported by separate research groups in new york and italy representing a success rate of roughly 40 percent
the births are now provoking controversy among fertility experts about what to do if mosaics are the only viable embryos a couple has left after ivf should would be parents discard them because they contain abnormalities or transfer them in the hopes of achieving a normal pregnancy
every research program is fearful of throwing away a healthy embryo but on the other hand mosaicism is not always a benign thing said richard scott founder and laboratory director at reproductive medicine associates of new jersey now we are paying attention to these mosaics but we dont know exactly what to do with them
as an embryo rapidly divides after fertilization mistakes in cell division sometimes produce abnormal cell lines if those cells die off and the embryo manages to self correct or if the abnormal cells wind up segregated in the placenta the embryo may develop into a normal baby
but if abnormal cells proliferate in the embryo it will probably fail to implant result in a miscarriage or more rarely the birth of a child with serious defects
dr norbert gleicher the director of the center for human reproduction in new york decided to transfer seemingly abnormal embryos in an experiment after growing doubtful about pgs he questioned whether a biopsy that examines five to 10 random cells from the outer shell of a 200 cell embryo can reliably represent the inner cell mass the crucial core from which the fetus develops
i think the biological hypothesis that you can from a single biopsy determine whether an embryo is normal or chromosomally abnormal   that is flawed he said
during last falls annual meeting of the american society for reproductive medicine dr gleicher reported three normal births after the transfer of embryos with both normal and abnormal cells he has since reported one more normal birth and a normal current pregnancy
but many ivf doctors are reluctant to implant these embryos and stand by the reliability of pgs a study from the new york university school of medicine yet to be released has found that the error rate in detecting normal embryos is just 1 percent
and at least three randomized controlled studies have concluded that pgs is an effective way to improve pregnancy rates and reduce the frequency of miscarriages
i can tell you i have not seen a medical test that has had more of an impact on clinical outcomes in reproductive medicine than this said mark hughes a clinical scientist who has performed pioneering research on the genetics of embryonic development
what experts do not yet know is where in the embryo abnormal cells may end up there is no way to track them as they proliferate until more data emerges many fertility doctors remain unwilling to transfer mosaics
we are not reassured that a small subset of normal as characterized in babies   not children not adults   warrants a complete change in policy and standard of practice said dr mark sauer the chief of reproductive endocrinology and infertility at columbia university medical center
others like dr james grifo the director of the langone fertility center at new york university and an author of the new study on pgss accuracy are cautiously willing to transfer mosaic embryos if a patient has no normal embryos and has genetic counseling first
a mosaic embryo does have potential for reproduction he said but it could be anywhere on the spectrum from a healthy to a damaged baby and we dont know where
dr santiago munne director of reprogenetics a pgs lab applauded the advanced technology for discerning mosaicism even as it raises clinical quandaries
i think its a good thing we know now there is a third category so were not going to discard any embryo that has even a little chance of implanting he said
for the couple who took a chance on an abnormal embryo a healthy boy is a joyous   if sobering   reminder of the complexities of early human development
now 17 months old he is happy healthy outgoing constantly laughing said one of his mothers had we not used that embryo it either would have been discarded or donated to science the boy we have now wouldnt have been


buenos aires   argentina returned to global bond markets on monday after a 15 year hiatus unveiling the biggest sovereign issuance by an emerging market nation in two decades as the government ends a prolonged feud with hedge funds in new york
the country was receiving offers from investors for its sale of 10 billion to 15 billion of bonds most of the cash raised will go toward paying off a small number creditors including the hedge fund billionaire paul e singer who had rejected restructuring offers and took argentina to court seeking full payment after it defaulted in 2001
officials at the economy ministry have been courting investors in the united states and london over the last week and alfonso prat gay the finance minister described demand for the bonds as awesome the bond sale is one of the largest by a so called emerging market nation since mexico raised 181 billion across several issuances in 1996 according to dealogic a finacial date provider
although some investors remain cautious the bonds are expected to attract broad interest it wont be very problematic for the government to get the 15 billion miguel kiguel an economist and former deputy finance secretary wrote in el cronista a local business newspaper
the final hurdle to the issuance which was limited by lawmakers who have grown wary of argentinas cycles of debt and default was cleared last week with a decision by the united states court of appeals for the second circuit
creditors accepted 70 to 75 percent of their claims in agreements earlier this year the bond sale was expected to close on tuesday with the creditors receiving their money by friday
payment to the creditors is expected to total about 105 billion ending a decade of mudslinging after the new government of president mauricio macri sought to reignite a sluggish economy with policies intended to lure foreign investors
the issuance of external debt is likely to have a significant impact on the economy over the medium term edward glossop an economist who tracks argentina for capital economics an economic analysis firm in london said in a research note
still domestic critics and international experts have questioned the ethics of ceding to the litigating creditors saying it paves the way for them to extort other countries
argentina has included clauses in the new bonds intended to protect it from similar lawsuits in the future in the case of another default if a majority of creditors agree to a restructuring in theory everybody must conform
even though investors look favorably on mr macris administration argentina is still viewed as risky it therefore needs to pay higher rates on the bonds   about 7 to 9 percent   than some of its neighbors in latin america have done in recent years


moscow   a ukrainian court sentenced two russian men to 14 years in prison on monday for fighting against ukraine as active duty soldiers in the russian military a central issue in the separatist war in southeast ukraine
the russian government denies any role in the fighting and the russian defense ministry refuses to acknowledge any ties to the two men the two were wounded and captured on a battlefield last summer the government of ukraine and those of western nations insist that russia is actively supporting the pro russian separatists
in the course of the trial ukraine claimed to have finally captured   and put in a glass cage in the courtroom in kiev   two living examples of the suspected thousands of little green men or russian soldiers fighting on the separatist side in uniforms without insignia
as such the pair   capt yevgeny yerofeyev and sgt aleksandr aleksandrov   had taken on immense symbolic importance for ukrainians the ranks date from their time in the russian military the russian government said both had resigned from the military before leaving the country to fight in ukraine
initially they confessed in a video to serving in the russian military intelligence service known by its abbreviation gru and to belonging to a unit based in the volga river town of togliatti almost 500 miles southeast of moscow they later backpedaled in a court hearing saying they were soldiers with a separatist group
still their ukrainian lawyers one of whom was kidnapped and murdered under mysterious circumstances during the trial had continued to insist the two be treated as prisoners of war rather than criminal suspects
all the while the russian government denied any ties to the men or obligation to help with their defense
at mondays hearing both were convicted of various terrorism related charges for taking part in a firefight that killed a ukrainian soldier and wounded three other ukrainians the two fighters were apprehended after that battle
nobody disputes that the two are russian citizens at issue was whether the pair who stood impassively as defendants in the glass cage during the two hour reading of the verdict were active duty russian soldiers who infiltrated ukraine in unmarked uniforms
the conviction seemed likely to open the door for a prisoner exchange for lt nadiya savchenko a ukrainian military pilot sentenced in russia to 22 years in prison on charges of calling in an artillery strike that killed a journalist also during fighting in southeastern ukraine
ukrainian officials the lawyer for mr yerofeyev oksana sokolovskaya and russian lawyers representing ms savchanko say a trade now seems imminent


geneva   burundis security services are torturing and illegally detaining increasing numbers of people the united nations said on monday reinforcing international alarm over the governments ferocious crackdown on political opponents
united nations investigators had documented at least 345 cases of torture and ill treatment since the start of the year and met detainees with fresh wounds including some who had been beaten or burned so severely they could not walk unaided zeid raad al hussein the agencys high commissioner for human rights said in a statement
these shocking figures are a clear indicator of the widespread and growing use of torture and ill treatment by government security forces mr al hussein said
he added that he was also deeply concerned over reports emerging of the existence of secret detention facilities across the country
his statement follows mounting international pressure on president pierre nkurunziza to defuse a political crisis characterized by escalating violence since he decided in april last year to run for a third term
the united nations secretary general ban ki moon and a number of african leaders among them south africas president jacob zuma have visited burundi in recent weeks to try to persuade mr nkurunziza to negotiate with political opponents and avert a civil war that could ignite wider regional violence their efforts have had little visible result so far
the united nations has documented the deaths of about 500 people in the past year but human rights groups believe many more have died at the hands of the presidents security services and imbonerakure a militia of the ruling partys youth wing
thousands have also been detained and more than a quarter of a million burundians have fled to neighboring countries to escape the violence the united nations has reported
overt violence had shown signs of subsiding but covert violence was rising christof heyns the united nations expert monitoring the crisis told the human rights council in geneva last month he cited a growing number of disappearances and underscored the fear that the political crisis could open up old wounds between burundis ethnic hutu and tutsi communities more than 300000 people are estimated to have died in a 12 year civil war that ended in 2005
mr al hussein on monday drew attention to reports that some government security agencies were involved in arrests killings and disappearances of members of the army and the police these abductions appear to have singled out mostly tutsi members of a group known as ex fab made up of veterans who served in the armed forces before the end of the civil war


a member of a volunteer security force in borough park brooklyn was charged on monday with offering bribes to new york police department officials to obtain handgun permits   the first arrest directly linked to the widening federal investigation into police corruption and mayor bill de blasios fund raising efforts
the man alex lichtenstein 44 was arrested on sunday at his home in pomona ny by agents with the federal bureau of investigation and detectives from the police departments internal affairs bureau officials said a criminal complaint unsealed on monday in united states district court in manhattan charged him with bribery and conspiracy to commit bribery
deputy inspector michael t endall who heads the police departments license division was one of three men transferred from that division on monday a statement from the department said inspector endall was reassigned to an administrative position pending further review sgt david villanueva and officer richard ochetal were placed on modified assignment and have also been transferred
mr lichtenstein tried to bribe an officer to help him obtain pistol licenses offering him 6000 per license and telling him he had already obtained an estimated 150 permits over the last year through his connections at the license division a claim the officer secretly recorded the complaint said
the allegations that the handgun licenses particularly full  and limited carry permits which are difficult to obtain in new york city were being sold as part of a corruption scheme has prompted a top to bottom review of the license division the police said
in one instance a man whose license application fee was paid for with mr lichtensteins credit card was approved for a full carry permit in july 2013 despite a forgery arrest four domestic violence complaints three car accidents and 10 moving violations they were all red flags that could have barred him from obtaining a permit months later a complaint was made to the police that mr lichtenstein used his connections to get the man a license despite his history of domestic violence but it apparently was not investigated the criminal complaint said
the broader federal corruption investigation focusing on fund raising by mr de blasios campaign has centered on two businessmen with ties to him jona rechnitz and jeremy reichberg the two men donated and raised money for his election campaign and for a nonprofit connected to his causes people briefed on the matter have said the inquiry has led federal agents to interview roughly 20 senior police department officials several people briefed on the matter said
the case against mr lichtenstein is being prosecuted by the same three assistant united states attorneys assigned to the fund raising inquiry russell capone martin bell and kan nawaday all are assigned to the public corruption unit in the office of preet bharara the united states attorney for the southern district of new york
mr lichtenstein came under scrutiny this month after he approached a police officer he knew and offered him cash to help him obtain gun licenses the complaint said the officer contacted the internal affairs bureau and recorded a subsequent meeting with mr lichtenstein who was so nervous he patted the officer down looking for a recording device and telling him he would rather meet him in your underpants and undershirt
after offering the officer 6000 per permit and estimating he had obtained 150 permits over the course of a year mr lichtenstein took out his calculator and multiplied 6000 by 150 showing the officer that he stood to make 900000 a year the complaint said
the complaint said that mr lichtenstein had previously dealt with the sergeant who was not identified in the complaint and that he told the officer he needed a new contact because the commander of the license division got upset after hearing that mr lichtenstein was being paid so much money a person briefed on the matter said the sergeant was sgt villanueva the commander mr lichtenstein said was concerned people would think he had his hand in the cookie pot
roy richter the head of the police union that represents captains deputy inspectors inspectors and chiefs defended inspector endall saying he is an honest cop who is sickened by what he reads in the federal complaint
mr lichtenstein a member of the shomrim a volunteer orthodox jewish patrol society in borough park was released on a personal recognizance bond of 500000 during his arrest two licensed firearms were taken away from mr lichtenstein on monday a magistrate judge henry pitman of federal district court in manhattan ordered mr lichtenstein to surrender all firearms including a shotgun that was still in his possession
the mayor was asked about the arrest at the end of an unrelated news conference on monday mr de blasio did not acknowledge the inquiry before that he said that any person accused of wrongdoing should suffer the consequences
i believe that anyone who does something wrong should suffer the consequences as some of our police individual chiefs are at this point he said


google is a top target for european regulators and privacy watchdogs who openly fear and distrust its dominance the american tech giants search engine alone gobbles up roughly 90 percent of the european market
but a landmark court ruling intended to rein in google has instead put it at the forefront of europes enforcement of internet privacy that has upended conventional wisdom about the company and raised questions about the role of commercial interests in protecting peoples privacy often with little or no transparency
in the almost two years since europeans gained the right to be forgotten on the internet google has passed judgment in over 418000 cases   roughly 572 a day   from people wanting links of certain search results to be removed according to the companys records it has approved fewer than half of those requests all behind closed doors
googles total number of privacy related judgments is double those of most of europes biggest individual national authorities over the same period even though these public agencies address a wider range of data protection complaints
despite a history of animosity toward the company national regulators have handed over the review powers to google with few complaints saying they are merely following europes complex data protection rules other search companies including microsoft have been given the same authority though their number of judgments pales by comparison
some consumer groups and privacy experts are not satisfied with that arrangement they have sounded alarm bells over a for profit company   one that relies on tapping into peoples digital lives to make billions of dollars and that is the subject of multiple privacy and antitrust investigations   playing such a central role in protecting individuals data and doing so in such a secretive manner
google has not responded to requests including an open letter last year from primarily european and american academics to explain how its review process works and since 2014 when right to be forgotten was enshrined the company has declined to give any journalists access to its team of fewer than 50 employees   mostly lawyers and paralegals based at its dublin offices   who review the demands google also did not respond to questions for this article about the decision process
its a half baked solution said luciano floridi a university of oxford professor who previously sat on an advisory council to help google handle its role as a de facto privacy regulator if europe really wanted to regain control over personal data giving google this type of power is an odd outcome
less than 1 percent of googles decisions are appealed to europes privacy authorities according to the regulators statistics and those authorities said they generally ruled in the companys favor
but several individuals who sent requests to google told the new york times that the lack of detail over how these decisions were made left them frustrated and in some cases angry that a company adjudicated on such delicate matters these people spoke on the condition of anonymity because they did not want to publicize their own privacy cases
if governments were handling right to be forgotten they would have to publish data said martin husovec a professor at the tilburg institute for law technology and society in the netherlands and a signatory of the open letter to google but with google we cant see whats happening behind the companys closed doors
after europes highest court ruled in may 2014 that people with connections to the continent could ask search engines like google and microsofts bing to remove links about themselves from online search results the companies were handed the power to decide which of these requests were legitimate citing european privacy rules the european court of justice mandated that search engines and not a public body should be the first port of call for the decisions europes top court did not require that companies make their decision making process open to public scrutiny
peoples privacy requests must relate to online information like personal circumstances or a past criminal conviction that is no longer relevant or not in the public interest definitions that privacy lawyers say are inherently fuzzy
thus far that has mostly involved people demanding mundane information like phone numbers or addresses be removed from links to online directories the largest collective group of sites affected individuals have also requested that links to references about themselves on social media including facebook be taken down
in some cases however newspaper articles including one in the times covering somewhat questionable business practices have been removed from european search results elsewhere a romanian website that publishes court proceedings has been hit with complaints
people requesting the removal of links must submit an online form attaching an official id
though google would not comment publicly about the review process two company executives gave some detail on how decisions were made they spoke to the times on the condition they not be named
typically requests are sent to googles legal team straightforward rulings like those that involve a public figure who cannot legally apply for links to be removed are handled by junior staff members tougher decisions are referred to senior lawyers who must weigh an individuals privacy against the publics right to information the company officials said
when googles team accepts a request it informs an individual that the privacy demand has been successful while also notifying the website that links to certain european search results have been removed the website cannot appeal the decision if google refuses the request the company must tell an individual that the decision can be appealed but does not specifically explain why the submission failed
some european officials remain wary of handing google the power to make privacy decisions though they declined to comment publicly on the court mandated privacy process but regulators acknowledge that the companys system   which has so far dealt with removal requests for 14 million links   has proved surprisingly straightforward some officials also remain satisfied that google makes these initial privacy rulings despite a lack of openness over how decisions are made
when it comes to appeals we agree with google most of the time said mathias moulin a deputy director at the commission national de linformatique et des libertes the french privacy authority
this muted official response   from both european regulators and politicians   is partly because agencies lack the financial technical and human resources to handle the substantial influx of right to be forgotten requests according to regulatory officials and legal experts
still for privacy campaigners and some regulators googles regulatory track record remains outweighed by europes effectively handing the policing of one of its fundamental rights to a for profit company
is google the right entity to have such power over these decisions said johannes caspar supervisor at the hamburg data protection authority the primary regulator in germany that oversees american tech companies such as alphabet the parent company of google and facebook we have to live by european law and that says google must decide


in 1959 the british writer cp snow complained that scientists and artists lived in two cultures and that the gulf between them was one of mutual incomprehension
the painter alexis rockman has built a successful career out of bridging that divide his paintings and murals on scientific themes   climate change species extinction evolutionary theory geology   have hung at the whitney museum of american art the los angeles county museum of art and the smithsonian american art museum
we spoke for two hours at the 53 year old artists studio in the tribeca district of new york a condensed and edited version of the conversation follows
q where did you grow up
a here in new york the upper east side my mother is an urban archaeologist my father   he died in 1992   was a jazz musician
there couldnt have been a lot of nature in your childhood
actually there was a lot of nature urban nature central park isnt natural but to a child it appeared to be it has man made ponds full of wildlife   sunfish largemouth bass frogs there must have been five different turtle species in there
across the park was the american museum of natural history i spent many hours there entranced by the dioramas of akeley hall i was taken with how at the beginning of the last century theyd used painting lighting and taxidermy to create an immersive theatrical experience set in nature afterward id go home and paint backgrounds on the tropical fish tanks my mother let me keep
did you always want to be a painter
i wanted to be some kind of artist as a kid i was interested in science and science fiction history drawing sketching none of this came together in a defined way
in the early 1980s i enrolled at the rhode island school of design thinking i might study film after a year and a half i took a break to figure out another path eventually i enrolled at the school of visual arts here in manhattan with vague ambitions to learn scientific illustration there i encountered a very kind teacher who suggested i consider fine art for her class she had me copy an 1853 painting by gustav courbet that was so much fun i was 22 and i had never made an oil painting before i immediately switched majors and never looked back
once i was onto that path i got excellent advice from someone who knew the art world he asked what are you bringing thats unique
i realized i had all these childhood interests in natural history it struck me that if i took ideas from conceptual art and pop art and applied them to my childhood interests i could create a hybrid language to this day thats how i frame what i do im a pop artist who uses natural history and its history as the basis of my work
your paintings are often rooted in scientific issues   climate change extinction invasive species how do you go about researching your projects
i start like a journalist i ask questions and i figure out what is the interesting thing going on then i find out who knows about it and then i try to talk to them before i begin ill go out to see things firsthand i never start off with an idea of what i want it to look like
for instance right now im working on a series of drawings about the natural history of life in new york city this is for an exhibit that opens at salon 94 on april 18 the show will be a kind of unofficial census of the citys flora and fauna for it i went on a scouting trip to coney island creek where theres a wreck of a submarine and many abandoned cars at low tide you could see an amazing almost postapocalyptic scene dozens of wading birds   egrets herons ibises   looking for food among abandoned cars and shipwrecks
on another day carl mehling a paleontologist at the american museum of natural history gave me a tour of local places where fossils have been discovered we went around to clay pits in staten island and the palisades in new jersey i even found a marine fossil that i gave to my wife dorothy that day i collected 20 bags of soil and organic material from the different sites wed visited
why did you do that
ill use it as pigment in drawings of creatures who once lived in those places i first started doing that in 1994 when my friend mark dion and i took a trip to guyana we were traveling in the rain forest he was collecting specimens and i was making these meticulous drawings of insects one day while in this really isolated place my pencil disappeared what to do now i ended up grabbing a bunch of mud and used it to make art i came back with a whole body of work made of guyanese mud
is the natural world a reliable source for art supplies
not always once i was making this series of pieces about the history of the la brea tar pits in los angeles i asked the director of the museum there to send me a canister of tar if i could make the tar fluid enough i thought i could use it draw the creatures of the tar pits
well to do that i had to find the right solvent as i experimented all i got was a congealed mess that ate the paper through a lot of trial and error i discovered that benzene could thin the tar out to an appropriate consistency
do you take notes while doing your field research
i do i make little thumbnail diagrams with arrows and words later in my studio i look for pictures on how this subject been shown scientifically in the past ill also talk to experts in a given scientific area
in 1999 in starting this 24 foot long painting for the 2004 reopening of the brooklyn museum i took on the issue of climate change the piece manifest destiny has since been bought by the smithsonian museum of american art in washington where it currently hangs the idea was to ask what will the brooklyn waterfront look several centuries from now after the glaciers have melted
so i asked myself whos one of the most interesting people working on climate change its james hansen i got an introduction and went up to his office near columbia i also talked to cynthia rosenzweig she models the effects of climate change on cities i constructed the painting by projecting some of what they told me could happen brooklyn is in ruins the relics of humanity are on the bottom of the east river the brooklyn bridge is rusted away afterward i thought im glad i wont be around


more people are likely to have reached the summit of mount everest than have been to the top of an old growth redwood tree which helps explain why we know little about the biodiversity these giants harbor
now scientists are conducting a top to bottom inventory of all the plants mosses lichens and more living in and on the trees to their surprise they found branches leaves and trunks teeming with life in some cases tallying more than 100 species for a single redwood
it is of course extremely awesome that redwoods themselves are so enormous and old but the fact that they support entire miniature communities of so many other species is mind boggling said rikke reese naesborg a lichenologist associated with the university of california berkeley there are many many more species up there than people originally thought
coast redwoods are not the worlds largest trees   that title belongs to their inland cousin the giant sequoia   but they are the tallest reaching up to 379 feet high were such a redwood to sprout on liberty island it might eventually reach higher than the statue of libertys extended torch but growing that tall also takes time   the oldest coast redwood is an estimated 2200 years old
despite these impressive statistics the fact that redwoods are home to so many additional species intrigued dr naesborg and her husband cameron williams a doctoral candidate at the university of california berkeley who met dr naesborg over a decade ago at a lichen conference in estonia the researchers had suspected that the redwoods rosy colored namesake tannins would deter communities from forming in the trees because many organisms do find those chemicals unpalatable
mr williams was the first to try to identify all the players involved in those communities he focused on epiphytes literally on plant or species that grow on trees without harming them like mosses lichens and other vegetation ascending redwoods in northwestern california he found trunks wrapped in blankets of fuzzy grass green moss twigs covered by whimsical chartreuse lichen wisps and in places where they could eke out a precarious roothold a variety of saplings and bushes   currant huckleberry hemlock and more   some of which had epiphytic communities of their own all told the survey found that redwoods contain more diversity   282 epiphytes in and directly beneath the trees   than other tree species that researchers had previously sampled including the douglas fir and the sitka spruce this study also uncovered a species new to science   a lichen as diminutive as its redwood host is towering sprouting from the tree bark like a minuscule hair mr williams bestowed it with a fitting name redwood stubble
the research would most likely have ended there if not for save the redwoods league a nonprofit group that promotes protection of redwoods the league asked the researchers to conduct an epiphyte survey of redwood communities at the southern end of the tree range preliminary results of that study reveal patterns of diversity   237 species so far   similar to those found in the north
in both the north and south from jedediah smith redwoods state park to pfeiffer big sur state park lichens   science fiction like organisms that exist as symbiotic assemblies of fungi and algae or cyanobacteria   make up most of the species identified about 17000 lichen species are known worldwide although much about them remains unknown   for example the potential uses for the more than 600 unique compounds that lichens are known to produce some of them are already being used today as antibiotics in soaps and deodorants and others as ingredients in traditional treatments for constipation arthritis and kidney diseases others still are being investigated as cancer fighting agents
potentially we could find some compounds that could be beneficial to humans dr naesborg said we really dont know what wed be missing if we dont climb the trees
indeed climbing was crucial for the researchers discoveries just 33 percent of the lichen diversity they found was on the ground but viewing the vibrant communities firsthand involves more than getting there almost all old growth redwoods are in parks and reserves where climbing the trees is prohibited even scientists can have trouble obtaining the necessary permits
in mr williamss case that involved submitting a detailed proposal to california state park authorities who sent it to other canopy researchers to assess its validity and also ask about his ability to climb safely and gently as well as undergoing long interviews both by phone and in the field
once a year over a few weekends in march an exception is made allowing nonscientists to experience what its like at the top of a roughly 800 year old redwood known as grandfather on private property near los gatos calif the annual event is organized by tim kovar a master instructor who regularly arranges excursions
i love educating people getting them interested in science and whats going on in the treetops   a place right above our heads but usually out of reach mr kovar said he also assists canopy scientists around the world with data collection and tree climbing techniques the knowledge that comes from hanging with scientists is a gift mr kovar said
on easter sunday mr kovar mr williams and dr naesborg outfitted four novice climbers including me with saddles fashioned a bit like diapers they would support us as we made our way up and down the tree using two pieces of gear an ascender and a descender after a brief demonstration and a practice run we clipped onto ropes hanging from grandfathers branches which mr kovar had rigged using a crossbow
while there are several methods for ascending we used the so called texas style a sit stand sit stand technique often employed by researchers slowly we began inch worming our way up passing bird nests and woodpecker holes splotches of lichen and scars of long ago lightning strikes although no data were being collected mr williams schooled us on the history of redwoods as the ground slowly receded his words grew a bit distant as i felt my chest constrict and mouth go dry although mr kovar had never had an accident we were dizzyingly high the experts cool demeanor kept me grounded however as mr kovar said enjoy this tree time
an hour and a half later we finally broke through the shadows into the canopy stopping just shy of grandfathers 200 foot summit gazing out at a haze of treetops bathed in the late afternoon sun i was reminded of bilbo bagginss view of mirkwood forest in the hobbit   a tiny figure lost among giants still the forest was nothing like it used to be before the 1700s redwoods covered around two million acres from southwestern oregon to big sur calif logging and development have reduced the old growth trees to just 120000 acres
mr williams finally broke our contemplative silence
i think the best outcome of these guided climbs is that most participants are humbled he said if more people were able to climb among the branches of such an immense living organism i believe wed have better conservation values as a whole


baghdad   president obama will send american military advisers closer to the front lines of the conflict against the islamic state in iraq part of a series of measures that will escalate the united states military campaign to defeat the extremist group
the advisers   who up until now had been assisting iraqi military divisions which have about 10000 troops   will extend that assistance to units of about 2000 soldiers who are more directly involved in day to day combat defense department officials said on monday
american and iraqi commanders want the advisers who the officials say will not be on the actual front lines to move closer to the fighting so they can provide timely tactical guidance to the iraqis as they prepare for the long awaited assault on mosul iraqs second largest city which was seized by the islamic state in 2014
defense secretary ashton b carter who made the announcement in a speech to dozens of american troops at the airport in baghdad said the pentagon would also deploy several apache attack helicopters and long range artillery to aid in the fight the apaches known for their withering   and accurate   fire can quickly provide powerful air support to ground forces he said that the pentagon would also increase its logistical support for the iraqi military
the announcement of an enhanced american presence in iraq comes as the administration has said that the campaign against the islamic state is gaining momentum in recent days the iraqis reclaimed the city of hit where commanders estimated there were several hundred islamic state fighters the administration says that the iraqis with american advisers and air and logistical support are now poised to move toward larger cities
yet it is not clear how seriously to take those claims it has been two years since the administration began operations against the islamic state and the military estimates that the organization still has 10000 fighters in iraq the group controls large sections of the country including mosul defense department officials had said that the iraqis would recapture mosul last year now they say that the earliest that could happen is later this year
mr obama said in an interview with cbs news that aired on monday that it was his expectation that by the end of the year we will have created the conditions whereby mosul will eventually fall
as we see the iraqis willing to fight and gaining ground we must make sure that we are providing them more support he said
mr carters visit to baghdad on monday was not announced he flew from abu dhabi united arab emirates then took a helicopter to the green zone where he met with the iraqi prime minister haider al abadi who has been contending with shiite leaders backed by iran who oppose an expanded american role in the country in december mr abadi declined to take up the pentagons offer of apache helicopters and advisers to work with smaller units
mr carter did not say why mr abadi was now in favor of the measures but said that he had discussed the use of the helicopters with him on monday
he understands this capability perfectly well and he understood it would be necessary for just these cases and agreed with me that we would provide it mr carter said referring to how the helicopters would be used when forces on the ground needed quick air support
the package of military aid will involve dispatching more army special forces or green berets who specialize in advising and training foreign military forces mr obama will increase the number of american forces that commanders can use in iraq by 217 to 4087 that number however is largely symbolic because the pentagon uses a system that has exceptions for soldiers who are supposed to be in the country less than four months and commandos defense department officials have said that there are more than 5000 service members in iraq
mr carter said that sending more american forces into iraq would also enable the pentagon to increase its logistical support of the iraqi military which he said would become even more important as the iraqis move toward mosul
its particularly important now as iraqi forces relocate from where we have trained and equipped them northward importantly to mosul and their moving around mr carter said
the provision has to be made for them to be supplied and for their equipment to be repaired as they go into action he said so we want more action by iraqi forces towards victory here and more action will require more logistics and that will be an important part of this gathering momentum and gathering effort to strengthen our enablers
the kurds are an important part of the anti islamic state campaign in the north and mr carter said the united states would give the kurdish regional government more than 415 million a significant portion of that money is expected to be used to pay and feed kurdish soldiers
capt jeff davis a pentagon spokesman said that the money would be paid in monthly installments to cover their expenses the kurds like the iraqi government have seen their revenues decline with the price of oil
pulling american forces out of iraq was a crucial plank of mr obamas campaign platform when he ran for president in 2008 since the rise of the islamic state in syria and iraq he has pledged that there will be no combat troops deployed in those countries leading senior administration and defense department officials to sometimes offer conflicting accounts as they have tried to explain the militarys role in the campaign
another example of that arose on monday
mr carter acknowledged that the advisers would be closer to the front lines but the top american general in iraq sean macfarland said not necessarily closer to the fight in response to a reporters question about the new policy
general macfarland said the american troops would be closer to the commanders who are making the critical decisions on the ground


at first glance the maker of cheerios and cocoa puffs might not fit the image of a cutting edge venture capital investor
but with the food business moving to healthier offerings and online distribution general mills has created a venture capital unit that recently led a 3 million investment in rhythm superfoods a specialty start up that makes kale chips and broccoli crisps
general mills based in minneapolis is part of an increasing number of old economy companies including the convenience chain 7 eleven and the campbell soup company that have joined a crowd of technology companies to create venture capital funds through them they scout for new products or services and promising potential business partners
their moves have accompanied a surge and recent crest in the valuations of many venture capital backed start ups critics say the corporate run funds have contributed to inflated valuations for start ups and some funds have begun selling stakes even as they face reduced valuations on some holdings
reports recently surfaced that intels fund the largest of its kind might sell up to 1 billion of its holdings as it narrows its strategy under its chief executive brian m krzanich
with valuations of many young private companies faltering as interest in initial public offerings of stock has waned corporate venture investing faces a test
i think some of the corporate vc will get a little less enamored as the venture market goes from euphoria into a little more normal period said j sanford miller a general partner at institutional venture partners in menlo park calif
since 2011 the number of companies making venture capital investments has risen 79 percent to 801 globally according to global corporate venturing a data provider the ranks include verizon ventures volvo group venture capital chevron venture capital pfizer venture investments and blue cross blue shield venture partners
even as total venture capital investment more than doubled from 2011 to 2015 to 588 billion the amount invested by corporate venture funds quadrupled to 76 billion in the same period according to the national venture capital association corporate funds make up 129 percent share of the total the highest since 2000
as a sign of how start up valuations have waxed and waned the size of the median late stage fund raising roughly tripled from 2012 to 2015 but it has fallen by 23 percent so far this year according to global corporate venturing
for many company funds financial gain is less important than finding the next big idea
arvind sodhani who led intels venture unit for 10 years until mid 2015 said corporate venture investing has grown partly because of interest by chief executives ceos who are worried theyre going to get disrupted want to have an outpost in silicon valley to discern where the disruption is coming from he said
such corporate funds have clearly been driving up valuations he added
for general mills which has also invested in the plant based food maker beyond meat and two other start ups the venture capital fund is a way to keep pace with the growing number of small food brands that have found consumer success especially online
the traditional consumer packaged goods model of big advertising budgets trade leverage and scale   a lot of those factors have been neutralized by these small brands said john haugen who heads the general mills venture fund after managing brands such as nature valley yoplait and hamburger helper emerging brands he added have alternative pathways to market online
technology companies pioneered corporate venture funds 30 years ago followed by media finance and health care companies the two giants of the field are intel with stakes estimated by outsiders of more than 5 billion in more than 400 companies and google now alphabet which has a 24 billion venture fund called gv with more than 300 investments
comcast ventures invests in companies it can later introduce to its cable and broadcast television customers in 2009 and 2011 it took stakes in icontrol networks a broadband home security and energy management service and it later offered it to its customers through xfinity home
comcasts portfolio also includes stakes in docusign birchbox and tivo as well as fanduel the fantasy sports betting site comcast introduced fanduel to its nbc broadcast tv unit and its large customer base of sports fans
other corporate venture funds acknowledge that their growing ranks have pushed up private company valuations in the last few years there has been more and more corporate vc money coming in and i do think thats had an impact on valuations said rob salvagno head of corporate development at cisco investments which has 2 billion of stakes in 100 companies and 40 venture funds
some funds have had bubble style returns   as well as bubble style losses qualcomm a maker of chips for mobile phones participated in a 25 million early stage funding round for waze a crowd sourced traffic application in 2010 when waze was acquired by google for about 1 billion in 2013 qualcomms return was 10 times its investment
but some of qualcomms investments have struggled too it invested 5 million in the fitness device maker fitbit in 2013 and had a paper profit of about 20 times its cost after fitbits initial public offering in mid 2015 however fitbit shares have since come back to earth falling 67 percent from their post ipo peak in august
qualcomm is prepared to invest through downturns because such stakes offer a ringside seat for the next generation of disruptive innovation around our mobile core said brian modoff who oversees strategy mergers and acquisitions and ventures for the company
microsoft is renewing a venture investing push hiring nagraj kashyap the former head of qualcomm ventures in january the software giant was a big investor in tech and telecommunications companies in 1999 and 2000 but after losing about 5 billion from such investments in the three years that ended in mid 2003 it curtailed the effort in favor of more acquisitions
venture investments have mushroomed recently at salesforce a maker of customer relations software which began investing in 2009 since 2011 salesforce has increased its investments to 505 million from 27 million five of its 150 companies have had ipos and another seven or eight are waiting in the wings
salesforce was one of five named participants in a 350 million investment in the cloud storage start up dropbox in january 2014 that valued the company at 10 billion recently however one mutual fund investor that was part of the same investor group cut its valuation of dropbox to less than 5 billion
john somorjai executive vice president of corporate development and salesforce ventures at salesforce said that he did not agree that corporate venture funds have helped inflate valuations prices for most investments are set by the traditional venture capital firms that lead the deals not by the corporate participants he said
as for dropbox mr somorjai called it a very small investment salesforce does try to reflect such fluctuations in valuing its holdings but no single investment is going to move the needle he added
sue siegel the chief executive general electrics ge ventures said the company got into venture investing in 2013 to identify up and coming entrepreneurs in the health care and energy industries she added that ge planned to stick with venture investing in the current valuation downturn when you have these down cycles its a wonderful time for us to look


morgan stanley is already waiting for this years godot
the wall street firm earned 11 billion in the first three months of the year that beat estimates but it amounts to an annualized return on equity of just 62 percent its well short of the 10 percent target that the banks chief executive james p gorman set long ago but still has not managed to hit with any full years earnings given the first quarter showing hes unlikely to get there in 2016 either
the three months through march are usually the best of the year for investment banks morgan stanley for example made almost a third of its net income in the same period last year its usually when fixed income trading performs well too the less that capital intensive business brings in the harder it is likely be to make up returns over the following nine months mr gormans traders pulled in just 839 million in the first quarter a 59 percent drop from the same period a year earlier - and the weakest performance so far for any of the big banks
one lever mr gorman hopes to pull is the return of more capital to shareholders morgan stanley has on paper a surfeit of capital its tier 1 common equity ratio of 145 percent is way above the 10 percent minimum it needs to hold by 2019
even if the federal reserve were to let mr gorman hand all the excess back to investors - and its that highly unlikely he would even ask - the banks annualized return on equity last quarter at 84 percent would have still fallen short of his goal
cutting costs would help but alone could not bridge the gap morgan stanley let 1200 employees go in december yet results remain subpar
that puts the onus on growing the top line mr gorman sensibly expects the wealth management division to do the heavy lifting it requires less capital than trading so can deliver a bigger bang for the buck its pretax margin is decent and its banking unit offers a way to lift income especially as interest rates rise
the trouble is the fed is taking its time raising rates and tricky markets hurt wealth management as well as underwriting and trading and the firms low and volatile trading results often more than offset any gains all in that leaves growth a long way off


jerusalem   the israeli military said on monday that it had discovered and neutralized a tunnel running from the gaza strip into israeli territory for the first time since a cease fire ended 50 days of fighting in the palestinian coastal territory in the summer of 2014
prime minister benjamin netanyahu hailed the discovery saying the state of israel has achieved a global breakthrough in the ability to locate tunnels
describing the breakthrough as unique but without providing any details of the technology involved mr netanyahu added the government is investing considerable capital in countering the tunnel threat this is an ongoing effort that will not end overnight
lt col peter lerner a spokesman for the israeli military refused to elaborate on the technological means but said that the incomplete tunnel that was recently discovered did not have an exit coming up to the surface suggesting that it was detected deep underground
colonel lerner said that the tunnel was new had been built by hamas the islamic militant group that controls gaza and could have been used for terrorist attacks against israeli border communities
he added that it was 100 to 130 feet underground equipped with electricity communications lines and a rail line to allow its builders to clear rubble its discovery he said resulted from technology intelligence engineering and troops on the ground
israeli forces neutralized the tunnel in israeli territory decommissioning it and rendering it unusable he said
israel said it had destroyed 32 tunnels by the end of the 2014 war which left more than 2100 palestinians and 70 israelis dead those tunnels included nearly a dozen that ran beneath its border some of which were used to carry out ambushes against israeli forces locating them was a painstaking process that relied on finding entry and exit points
israels decision to send ground forces into gaza during the 2014 conflict came after 13 hamas gunmen were intercepted as they emerged from the mouth of a tunnel in israeli territory about a mile away from sufa a small kibbutz near the border with southern gaza
military officials did not provide the exact location of this latest tunnel but said that it was found close to the border fence and ran from southern gaza into southern israel
israeli officials have said in recent months that hamas has most likely rebuilt much of the tunnel network that was damaged during the war the officials also said hamas was trying to restock its rocket supplies
the threat of the tunnels continues to sow fear in israeli communities along the border some residents have reported hearing the sounds of digging underground about a dozen palestinians have been killed in recent months israeli officials have said after several tunnels collapsed
israeli officials have accused hamas of spending millions of dollars to rebuild the tunnels diverting building materials and money from reconstructing gaza after the devastation caused by the 50 day war
since 2008 israel has carried out three offensives against gaza all after rocket attacks by militants although the border has remained relatively quiet recently many israelis and palestinians consider the next round of violence to be only a matter of time
hamas is in operational distress but for some reason its actually here in israel that a panic about war has commenced alex fishman a military affairs analyst wrote in sundays edition of the yediot aharonot newspaper
it is true that while the palestinian media have been reporting for several days about the idfs use of heavy equipment within palestinian territory in the southern gaza strip not a single shot has been fired in that sector he added referring to the israeli military
the military wing of hamas said in a statement that the tunnel is only a drop in the ocean of resistance preparations meant to defend the palestinian people their holy sites their land and their prisoners the hamas military wing added that while israel had refused to divulge details about the tunnel it would publish all the details hidden by the zionist enemy at the right time
also on monday israeli military prosecutors filed a manslaughter charge against a soldier who fatally shot a palestinian assailant in the west bank city of hebron last month as he lay on the ground wounded and subdued the military court lifted an order banning the publication of the name of the soldier sgt elor azaria from ramle in central israel and said his trial in a military court would begin on may 9


dozens of water rescues played out in the houston area overnight sunday after a powerful line of thunderstorms unleashed as much as two feet of rain forcing much of the city to tread water
by monday the rain had paralyzed vehicle traffic and transit forced the closures of schools and colleges across southeast texas and cut off power to about 110000 customers a number of businesses and government buildings were also closed
at its most intense the downpour was falling at about four inches an hour said andrew orrison a meteorologist at the national weather service
that is a lot of rain in one hour that will cause a flash flood almost instantly he said
the suburbs northwest of houston were hit hardest and the citys emergency services deployed high water vehicles and boats to rescue trapped residents the city of houston has also opened a number of shelters
for several hours overnight sunday between five and 15 water rescues were underway at any given time said jay evans a spokesman for the houston fire department
its been extremely dangerous here he said we got most everybody out that we could get out
in a tense scene that played out on a local news broadcast a reporter waded into a flooded road microphone in hand to help pull a man to safety after he was trapped by fast rising water moments later ktrk tv reported the water swallowed the mans vehicle
no deaths have been reported mr evans said the number of injuries if any was unknown
mr evans noted that houston part of the gulf coast region and the surrounding area are crisscrossed by a number of creeks and bayous
all of those are flooded this morning he said other cities in texas including san antonio have reported high waters on monday
houstons george bush intercontinental airport reported more than 400 flight cancellations and at 7 am grounded all departing and arriving planes
mr orrison said the rain was expected to gradually taper off across southeast texas over the next two days as the storms move east 


at the 15 mile mark of the womens race at the 120th boston marathon on monday the pack had dwindled to four runners atsede baysa of ethiopia was not one of them at 22 miles she was 37 seconds behind
but when the race was over baysa 29 had stormed past the leaders for an unlikely victory
her 21 year old countryman lemi berhanu hayle won the mens race it was the first time ethiopians won the mens and womens races in the same year
the womens race initially followed the familiar pattern of a large pack that gradually dwindles at 15 miles it seemed as if the winner would be one of the four leaders the kenyans valentine kipketer flomena cheyech daniel and joyce chepkirui and tirfi tsegaye of ethiopia
daniel was the first to fall away followed by kipketer tsegaye and chepkirui ran side by side until baysa unexpectedly came into the picture with a fierce rally passing both with two miles to go tsegaye finished second and chepkirui third
baysa is a veteran marathoner with wins in paris istanbul and chicago she won on monday in 2 hours 29 minutes 19 seconds
the womens favorite the defending champion caroline rotich of kenya dropped out after five miles
the race this year celebrated the 50th anniversary of the first woman to finish roberta gibb
on the mens side a two time champion lelisa desisa of ethiopia pushed the pace at the hills at 15 miles and only berhanu hayle went with him the two pulled away from the field and ran together almost the rest of the way until berhanu hayle pulled away to finish in 21244
berhanu hayle had won lesser marathons in zurich dubai and warsaw but mondays victory was by far his biggest
desisa is a well liked figure in boston who formed a bond with the city after winning in 2013 the year of the terrorist bombing at the race and again last year he donated his winning medal from 2013 to the city
the american racing contingents were small as most of the big names were focused on the rio olympics the top americans were zachary hine in 10th and neely spence gracey who finished ninth among the women
the elite ethiopian and kenyan entrants were hoping to impress their national selectors for the olympics
the mens wheelchair race was won by the defending champion marcel hug of switzerland in a close three way finish he edged the 10 time winner ernst van dyk and kurt fearnley in 12401
the womens wheelchair race was won for the fourth straight year by tatyana mcfadden of the united states she won by more than a minute in 14215


the tony winning actors janet mcteer and liev schreiber will be the latest scheming aristocrats sparring over love and revenge when a british production of les liaisons dangereuses transfers to broadway
producers announced on monday that a revival of christopher hamptons play will begin performances oct 8 and open oct 30 at the booth theater it is scheduled to run for 15 weeks
ms mcteer will reprise the role of la marquise de merteuil which she played in the production at the donmar warehouse in london mr schreiber will join the cast as le vicomte de valmont a role that was played by dominic west in london
les liaisons dangereuses has been staged on broadway twice before in 1987 and 2008 the revival this fall will be directed by josie rourke donmars artistic director the play is an adaptation of a french 18th century novel by choderlos de laclos the story was also adapted into a 1988 film dangerous liaisons starring glenn close and john malkovich
ms mcteer won a tony for her broadway debut in a revival of a dolls house in 1997 she has since appeared in god of carnage and mary stuart mr schreiber won a tony award for a revival of glengarry glen ross in 2005 he has also appeared on broadway in betrayal talk radio and a view from the bridge


now that more financial professionals are going to have to act in their customers best interest where can you actually find someone who will really truly for sure do that
it seems like a simple question but its not ive been around the financial planning industry for 20 years and one of the hardest and most common questions im asked is how do i find an adviser who i can trust
ive tried making a list of questions you can ask that focuses on objective measures things like where someone works what experience they have how they are paid and how they are regulated these things can all be clues but the frustrating reality is that every checklist ive made has one flaw
there is no checklist that leads to honest
rules like the ones recently released by the labor department requiring certain advisers in certain situations involving peoples retirement savings to put their clients interests ahead of their own help for sure but as john bogle the founder of vanguard said years ago there are few regulations that smart motivated targets cannot evade
all of this confusion leads me to joke about what i call the secret society of real financial advisers but every time i mention this secret society investors ask me where they can find them advisers ask how they can join
the problem is that its a secret society   emphasis on the secret part there are no meetings no annual dues and no t shirts there is no place to find a list of members this tongue in cheek society does exist but its hard to find members because there is no real standard of training or care like we see in other professions when you go to doctors you can be reasonably sure they went to years of medical school when you go to someone using the title financial adviser you have no idea what youre getting
the bummer about this entire conversation is that youll end up frustrated because i still dont have a perfect checklist for finding a real financial adviser
sorry
i wish i did
i wish i could tell you with confidence that if you just google real financial adviser then voila there will be your list but i just tried it and it didnt help at all this problem has gotten so bad that when i mention the existence of real financial advisers to some of my friends in the media they react like im referring to fictional characters in a quaint fairy tale like the butcher the baker or the candlestick maker
but i want to assure you that just because real advisers are hard to find doesnt mean they dont exist there are indeed financial advisers who are real professionals they do amazing work that absolutely changes peoples lives for the better i have seen it
so dont give up your search
start by getting names from people you trust who do they work with and how do they know they are not being fooled themselves meet with those people ask them many questions including how they get paid what training they have what type of clients they work with then ask them to please outline specifically what you will pay for the advice they give
dont be bashful about these questions real advisers like them this is not the time for you to worry about being rude or nosy remember this person is going to be all up in your business when it comes to your money its fine to ask about how advisers make theirs
interview more than one compare notes pay attention to how you feel about their answers the most important thing you are looking for by far is total and honest disclosure if you get the sense someone is hiding things or avoiding your questions move on
some professionals are registered investment advisers you can look them up on the securities and exchange commissions public online database if youre considering working with broker dealers make sure you check their record on brokercheck a site provided by the financial industry regulatory authority to make it easy for you to verify whether an adviser has past complaints
after all of that remember to take your time there is no hurry real advisers will respect this in fact they will be doing the same thing it should feel like this is a mutual process with both of you trying to determine if this relationship is a good fit you are trying to find a place to get financial advice for the rest of your life hopefully and they are trying to make sure they can meet your expectations it shouldnt feel like a trip to a car dealership
i hope at least some of this helps in your journey to find these mythical creatures that belong to the secret society of real financial advisers once you find one you will understand why the search was worth it


portoviejo ecuador   the rumbling had ended and the rubble had settled and manuel zambrano 21 took stock of his situation somehow he was alive
moments earlier he had been at his job in a pharmacy on the ground floor of a three story building suddenly the building began to shake and finally collapsed around him he found himself trapped in a pocket within the debris
it was dark he heard sirens shouts crying
i thought it was the end he recalled standing near a mound of concrete and plaster that had once been the building but i remembered the 33 trapped miners in the mine in chile and thought that if they could survive so many days i could do it too
at least 410 people were reported killed and more than 2000 were injured in the 78 magnitude earthquake that struck ecuador this weekend the biggest to hit the country in decades leaving a stretch of ruin through provinces bordering the pacific coast the tremors flattened buildings fractured highways and knocked out electricity to much of the region
on monday residents were still digging through the rubble for survivors and victims the government was scrambling to find shelter for thousands of people left homeless and rescue crews from around the world had begun arriving in this andean nation to help
this city of nearly 300000 the provincial capital of manabi province was hit particularly hard with officials reporting more than 100 deaths and at least 370 buildings destroyed survivors described how the earthquake from one moment to the next turned a normal placid saturday night into a disaster zone
mr zambrano said that when the earthquake began he and a friend diana suarez pressed themselves against a pillar for safety
he described it as a scene that i could only imagine but never ever saw
but two hours after the collapse they heard knocks on the walls and people shouting
a person i now consider my hero was searching for people to help and he found us mr zambrano recalled he opened a hole and went to find help to get us out mr zambrano managed to escape with only scrapes on his arms face and legs
i am 21 years old but beginning today im counting from 1 because i was reborn he said tears in his eyes believe me i was reborn
not everyone in the building was so fortunate four other occupants died in the collapse including another pharmacy employee vicky chavez 31 her father carlos chavez and a group of neighbors were still removing the rubble piece by piece on monday morning to free her body by early afternoon they had taken her corpse away
the other three victims were a couple and their young son who had stopped by the pharmacy to buy some medicine witnesses said rescuers who dug out their bodies from under the debris found the child and mother still holding each other
the office of president rafael correa reported that rescue crews were flying in from around latin america as well as from europe hundreds of aid workers from abroad were already in the disaster zone by monday morning with the largest contingents so far including 120 from mexico 80 from spain and 49 from chile officials said
in some of the worst hit areas like sections of portoviejo the ecuadorean military set up cordons to restrict traffic and to allow rescue personnel to work more easily the authorities were also concerned about further collapses in the event of aftershocks indeed at 130 pm local time monday a 46 magnitude tremor registered here sowing panic including among the rescue workers who feared that the vibrations might topple structures that had already been compromised by saturdays earthquake
on monday evening a colombian rescue team pulled a man from the wreckage of the hotel el gato here the man pablo cordoba 38 the administrator of the hotel told the rescuers that there may be another person alive in the wreckage
mr cordoba said that for more than half a day after the earthquake he carried on a conversation with another person who was trapped elsewhere in the wreckage the two could hear but not see each other
the other victim had gone silent around noon on monday mr cordoba said the colombian rescue team   using tools hands and an excavator and working in near total darkness   started pushing deeper into the debris hoping to find another survivor
fabiola carreno 35 her clothes covered in dust and her face wrought with anxiety spent monday searching likely locations for her cousin jenny carreno 24 and for jennys 6 year old daughter kiara villafuerte at one point on monday afternoon ms carreno was unsuccessfully trying to convince soldiers at a blockade to let her pass so that she could search for her relatives in the wreckage of a collapsed building
she held a photo of her cousin in her hand
we have to look for them she insisted we have to identify them but they arent letting us the soldiers were unmoved
we know that we arent going to find them alive she said of her relatives but we want to bury their bodies
meanwhile the ecuadorean military began distributing food rations around the affected region of the country including water and cooking oil
fausto ortega 58 rode for more than an hour on his bicycle around portoviejo and into the citys suburbs looking for some bread for his familys breakfast on monday
the situation is very anxious because we have to look for ways to survive during these next few days he said my wife is scared to enter the house and prefers to sleep in the street because the house can fall
we are poor and need help but nobody has come to bring us even a glass of water or a grain of rice he continued weve been told to go to the shelter but were not going to leave the little that we have unguarded
the spanish red cross which is helping its counterpart in ecuador estimated that between 3000 and 5000 people were left homeless by the earthquake and would need temporary shelter the group said in a statement
the united nations refugee agency announced monday that it was preparing an airlift to help those displaced by the earthquake the first supply plane was being loaded in copenhagen the agencys global logistics hub with 900 tents 15000 sleeping mats kitchen sets and mindful of the zika virus threat 18000 repellent soaked mosquito nets
the aim is to rapidly provide essential shelter and other aid material over the next days for some 40000 people   refugees asylum seekers and locals alike   in earthquake affected communities the agency said in a statement adding that it had already sent emergency supplies by truck from its ecuadorean warehouses to the worst affected areas
ecuador has the largest refugee population of any country in latin america the agency said having welcomed over 200000 colombian migrants and others many of whom live where the earthquake hit hardest
for one group of people living in manabi province however the earthquake turned out to be a fortuitous event amid the tremors on saturday a wall at the el rodeo state prison fell down giving prisoners an escape route according to local news reports about 180 inmates fled through the hole and into the night though by monday about 30 had been recaptured


jerusalem   a bomb exploded on a bus in jerusalem on monday wounding about 21 people and feeding a sense of vulnerability among many israelis after months of simmering violence
the sights and sounds were familiar television images of a burned out hulk of a bus and wailing sirens immediately reminding many israelis of the second palestinian uprising which erupted in 2000 when suicide bombers blew up buses in jerusalem and other israeli cities killing scores attacks on buses have been rare in recent years
describing the blast as a terrorist attack prime minister benjamin netanyahu whose image as israels security czar has been dented in recent months vowed to track down those responsible
we will find whoever prepared that explosive device we will get to those who sent it and we will also get to those who stand behind them he said adding we will settle accounts with those terrorists
the bombing came as many israelis were already on edge after a six month wave of stabbings shootings and vehicle attacks by palestinians that have killed about 30 people more than 200 palestinians have been killed by israeli forces during that period according to the palestinian health ministry israeli officials say that most of the palestinians were killed while carrying out or attempting attacks and that others were killed in clashes with israeli security forces
unlike the major assaults of the second uprising which were engineered by the main palestinian groups most of the recent attacks appear to be the almost spontaneous work of by individuals
we are in an ongoing battle against terrorism mr netanyahu said terrorism of knives terrorism of shootings of bombs of rockets and even of tunnels
he was referring to a tunnel that the israeli military said on monday it had discovered and neutralized running from the gaza strip into israeli territory it was the first such tunnel found since a cease fire ended 50 days of fighting in the palestinian coastal territory in summer 2014
mr netanyahu hailed the discovery saying the state of israel has achieved a global breakthrough in the ability to locate tunnels he described the breakthrough as unique but did not provide any details about the technology involved the military said the tunnel had been built 100 to 130 feet underground by hamas the islamic militant group that controls gaza that it could have been used for terrorist attacks against israeli border communities and that it was equipped with electricity and communications lines
israeli officials have said in recent months that hamas had most likely rebuilt much of the tunnel network that was damaged by israel during the 50 day war the officials also said hamas was trying to restock its rocket supplies
the threat of the tunnels continues to sow fear in israeli communities along the border some residents have reported hearing digging underground
feeding those anxieties hamass military wing said in a statement that the recently discovered tunnel is only a drop in the ocean of resistance preparations meant to defend the palestinians
hamas also praised the jerusalem bus bombing on monday without claiming responsibility for it we bless the al quds operation the organization wrote on its twitter account using the arabic name for jerusalem
the details of the bus explosion on monday emerged slowly the blast came shortly before 6 pm in moshe baram street by the talpiot industrial zone in southeast jerusalem a fire caused by the explosion spread quickly to a second bus but the police said it was not immediately clear whether the blaze was the result of a bomb or caused by a mechanical flaw
more than two hours later yoram halevy the jerusalem district police chief said in a televised statement that a bomb had caused the blast but the police were cautious about determining if it involved terrorism or crime
mr halevy said the police were still investigating the circumstances surrounding the blast including whether one of the people who was wounded had brought the bomb onto the bus two victims were in serious condition the identity of at least one of the wounded was still unknown hours after the blast micky rosenfeld a police spokesman said
mr rosenfeld said the police were investigating how the bomb got onto the bus and if it was meant to go off there or was intended for another location
racheli dadon a jerusalem resident described from her hospital bed how she had boarded the no 12 bus with her daughter eden 15 i had not even sat down when i heard a huge blast and all the glass fell on us she told the israelie news site ynet she said she searched for her daughter amid smoke and darkness finding her with burns all over her body
the driver of the no 12 bus moshe levy said he had inspected the vehicle twice before setting out on his route the whole way was fine he said i got to baram street in talpiot and stopped in a traffic jam i heard a blast in the back portion of the bus and i opened the doors and told people to exit the bus
prof avraham rivkind head of the trauma unit at the hadassah medical center in ein kerem on the southwestern edge of jerusalem said the hospital received several of the wounded who had suffered burns as well as injuries from nails and bolts   wounds he said that are familiar to us from past events in our city
also on monday israeli military prosecutors filed a manslaughter charge against a soldier who fatally shot a palestinian assailant in the west bank city of hebron last month as he lay on the ground wounded and subdued the military court lifted an order banning the publication of the name of the soldier sgt elor azaria from ramle in central israel and said his trial in a military court would begin on may 9


paris   journalists have done their job again with another enormous leak of documents outing a global list of rich and powerful people who hid their wealth in offshore companies
this time prompted by the panama papers several european governments have followed up with new measures intended to rip away the veil of secrecy that is costing them billions of dollars in tax revenues
populist outrage doesnt by itself collect a single extra pound or dollar in tax or put a single criminal in jail said george osborne the chancellor of the exchequer in britain at a news conference on thursday in washington
to that end the biggest economies in the european union   britain france germany italy and spain   announced a plan to automatically share information about the true or beneficial owners of shell companies and overseas trusts
this is good news for the global campaign to expose the ill gotten gains of the corrupt and the secretly held wealth of tax evaders who benefit from a system that rewards anonymity
but there is one major player that is coming up short and that is the united states which in 2015 ranked third behind switzerland and hong kong in a financial secrecy index published by the tax justice network a nonprofit organization based in washington
the obama administration has recently taken steps to require banks to check the identities of clients setting up companies and to track the ownership of expensive real estate
resistance to greater corporate transparency is still strong at the state level however where companies and corporations are registered
attention has focused on delaware wyoming and nevada which aggressively market tax advantages for offshore companies but in fact full disclosure of ownership is not required in any of the 50 states
this has created an enormous black hole not only for tax inspectors but also for law enforcement officials who cant follow the money said tom cardamone managing director of global financial integrity a research and advocacy group based in washington what we have in place is compete secrecy and it is secrecy that is the problem he said
a bipartisan bill to make the states require disclosure of ownership is now before congress but it has stalled
opposition comes from the american bar association the us chamber of commerce and a less known but powerful lobby the national association of secretaries of state that final group fears a loss of revenue for state budgets if more transparency is required said robert palmer campaign director at global witness an anticorruption organization
passing legislation in the us is challenging he said
failure to respond to the worldwide clamor for financial accountability looks hypocritical from afar considering the united states aggressive extraterritorial pursuit of foreign companies that violate its foreign corrupt practices law and its demands that foreign banks provide information about accounts held by american citizens
though the us has been a pioneer in defending itself from foreign secrecy jurisdictions it provides little information in return to other countries making it a formidable harmful and irresponsible secrecy jurisdiction according to a tax justice network report
though legislation in the united states has faltered other countries began moving ahead with the creation of registries of corporate beneficial owners even before the panama papers came to light such a registry will be available to the public in britain on june 30 while national registries required by the european union will be ready by 2017 although access to their information will be more restricted
pressure is now growing on britain to force its overseas territories   like the british virgin islands which is home on paper to more than half of the companies revealed by the panama leak   to follow suit a subject sure to dominate an anticorruption summit meeting in london next month
transparency advocates hope similar pressure will build in the united states to shine a light on what mr osborne called those hiding spaces those dark corners of the global financial system right in its own backyard
as mr palmer says i dont think we should have to rely on journalists


madelyn rubinstein moved to new york city from long island in 1985 with big dreams of making it as a professional pianist
she had a head start a very cheap rent controlled apartment recently vacated by her grandmother on central park south when ms rubinstein took possession of it her rent was 9308 a month   the same price that her grandmother had been paying since 1967
several months later ms rubinstein came home one evening to find an eviction notice on her door
the buildings new owner donald j trump wanted her out
mr trumps plan was to knock down the building and the one next door which he also owned and replace them with a luxury high rise condominium complex facing central park
what he got instead was a new york brawl with a group of tenants fighting to save their homes and clinging with white knuckles to some of the citys legendary rent deals the battle played out for years in courtrooms and the new york news media becoming a kind of parable of the limits of 1980s capitalist ambition in the social democratic city
looking back on the fight on the eve of tuesdays new york republican primary one can see mr trump waging a much different sort of campaign but with many of the same tactics   the threats the theatrics the penchant for hyperbole   that he has deployed in his quest for the republican presidential nomination
as far as the tenants are concerned mr trump lost that contest
oh absolutely we won said ms rubinstein sitting in the one bedroom apartment where she still lives he wanted this whole corner to be one big trump building
but mr trump refuses to admit defeat
a great deal he said without hesitation when describing 100 central park south   now known as trump parc east   during a phone interview last week it was a long battle but it was a successful battle as usual i came out on top
mr trump paid just 13 million for 100 central park south and the building adjoining it the barbizon plaza hotel in 1981 at the time he was 35 and making bold strides to emerge from his fathers shadow in recent years he had built the 68 story trump tower and overhauled the building near grand central terminal that became the grand hyatt new york
this would be a no less audacious project and on one of the citys most desirable blocks
to realize his dream he had to first clear out the residents of the building a 15 story tower with 80 apartments some overlooking central park nearly all inhabited by tenants paying well below market rates
rent controlled and rent stabilized apartments occupy a kind of mythic place in new york city history rent protections were created to guard families from the whims of landlords and the market they still cover about one million apartments in the city state laws limit their rent increases and guarantee tenants and often their children and grandchildren the right to stay
but in expensive neighborhoods the deals can become skewed at 100 central park south for instance there were three room apartments overlooking the park with rents as low as 436 per month
mr trump wanted all of the tenants out but rather than buying them out a common tactic he and the management company he hired tried to get the job done free
so the battle   captured in numerous lawsuits court documents and news media accounts from that time   began leaks went unfixed tenants alleged and broken appliances went unrepaired aluminum foil was placed over windows in empty apartments giving the building a run down appearance mr trump defended the action as standard procedure for vacant units
more dramatic were the eviction notices from mr trumps lawyers on a variety of grounds one tenant was told that he had not paid his rent on time he presented a canceled check in court to prove that he had
others who had done construction on their apartments with the approval of prior landlords were told that they had 10 days to restore them to their original conditions
suzanne blackmer a b movie actress and one of the original rockettes was ordered to vacate her two bedroom unit for which she paid 20359 a month because it was not her primary residence meaning she was not entitled to rent protections ms blackmer insisted that it was after a legal battle that lasted more than a decade she prevailed
mr trump made his opponents out to be millionaire plutocrats people of great wealth
and also whiners
let me tell you something about the rich he said in one interview in the midst of the battle they have a very low threshold for pain
recounting the story later in his memoir the art of the deal mr trump acknowledged that he had deliberately tried to drive out tenants but he said that most of them were exploiting an undeserved government subsidy he recalled getting rid of a free telephone in the buildings lobby that he claimed tenants were using to call their friends in gstaad and st moritz
ms rubinstein and two other residents from the time said they remembered only a pay phone in the building and while its roll of renters included a successful fashion designer and an architect it also included a number of older people living on fixed incomes
as mr trumps frustration with the tenants grew he offered the buildings dozen or so empty units as shelters for the homeless promising free apartments with beautiful views
the city declined questioning the wisdom of moving people into a building headed for demolition
i actually thought it was a very generous offer mr trump said last week i dont want to see people out on the streets
the tenants eventually hired a lawyer david rozenholc to represent them now a familiar nemesis to new york city developers   last year he negotiated a 25 million total payout for three clients whom tishman speyer was trying to eject from a small apartment building in hudson yards   mr rozenholc took advantage of a legal flaw in mr trumps plans to block his application to begin construction
he also sued mr trump accusing him of harassing mr rozenholcs clients the lawsuit claimed among other things that the buildings superintendent had been instructed by the management to spy on tenants
mr trump brought his own action against mr rozenholc a federal racketeering suit that sought 105 million in damages and found its way to the new york post before it was filed
mr rozenholc said the suit which was dismissed was entirely frivolous but he offered some words for mr trump that were relatively kind given the mens contentious history
he knows how to negotiate he knows how to use leverage and hes very perceptive about his opponents vulnerabilities mr rozenholc said it didnt work against me but when you deal with putin and iran these could be useful qualities
the tenants were waging their own campaign in the news media casting mr trump as a slumlord and a bully
in 1986 after five years of fighting mr trump abandoned his plans to knock down the building the tenants could stay in their apartments paying their existing rents
mr trump would never realize his vision for the project but in a sense his defeat had been a victory as he claimed even as the tenants were refusing to budge preventing any demolition or construction the value of the property was soaring along with the rest of new york citys real estate market in the 1980s
in the late 1990s mr trump finally converted the building into condominiums but renters were allowed to remain today some continue to rent one bedroom units for under 1000 a month less than a third of what similar apartments cost
ms rubinstein who was guaranteed below market rent for life chose instead to buy at a steep discount paying just 150000 for an apartment that is now worth at least 700000 she is also a member of the condo board along with one of her more noteworthy neighbors who lives on the buildings 13th floor mr trumps son eric


philadelphia   nearly three years ago the nfl and lawyers for thousands of retired football players agreed on a deal to compensate all former players who had neurological diseases linked to repeated hits to the head helping the league to move on from one of the most contentious issues facing the nations most popular sport
but it took an appellate court ruling monday to affirm the deal which potentially provides retirees up to 5 million each and all but closed the door on future challenges by players in the matter
as much as the debate continues in the court of public opinion on whether football is safe and whether the league has done enough to make it so the court of law has decided that the league can be on the hook for damages only in a limited way
in a 69 page ruling the united states court of appeals for the third circuit here unambiguously upheld a district courts approval of the deal over the objections of some players who had argued that the terms were too restrictive and would not take care of many players who developed serious neurological problems over time
the appellate judges sitting in philadelphia acknowledged the objectors points but turned them aside because they found that the settlement benefited the greater good among players
they risk making the perfect the enemy of the good the court said of the players who objected that the settlement was too restrictive this settlement will provide nearly 1 billion in value to the class of retired players it is a testament to the players researchers and advocates who have worked to expose the true human costs of a sport so many love though not perfect it is fair
the appellants can still ask a larger panel of judges at the third circuit to hear their appeal or they can solicit the supreme court but both challenges appear to be long shots because the appeals court ruled overwhelmingly to affirm legal experts say
in almost every major question before the appeals court the three judge panel sided with judge anita b brody of united states district court who has overseen the settlement since the hundreds of individual cases against the nfl were consolidated in philadelphia more than three years ago
the appeals court judges interpreted their role as having not been to determine if the settlement was good or bad but if it was fair and reasonable under the conditions of the deal in that regard they left little doubt that judge brody had acted within her bounds
they didnt say this was a good settlement they said it was a reasonable settlement that was reached said michael kaplen a plaintiffs lawyer who specializes in cases of head trauma and a frequent critic of the settlement they dont care that large numbers of players werent compensated only that this was the best deal that their lawyers could make
in backing judge brodys decision to approve the settlement the appeals court judges noted that only a small number of players had objected or opted out
more than 98 percent of retired players approved the deal which was originally struck in 2013 revised in 2014 to remove the cap on how much the nfl might have to pay players over the 65 year life of the settlement and revised again in 2015
steven molo lead counsel for the players who appealed said we are disappointed in the courts decision and we are reviewing the opinion and considering our options
mr molo and the handful of players who did appeal the decision argued among other things that players who were found to have chronic traumatic encephalopathy or cte a degenerative brain disease linked to repeated head trauma should be covered through the life of the deal not just if they were found to have the condition before the settlement was approved in 2015 as the deal currently states
the appeals court though said that judge brodys ruling on cte and the treatment of the symptoms of the disease was reasonable
the appeals court also said that the admission last month by a high ranking nfl executive of a link between cte and football related head trauma was not a ground for reversal of the settlements approval
the emphatic decision by the appeals court on monday moved the nfl a step closer to ending one of its most contentious embarrassing and expensive legal challenges the spectacle of thousands of former players suing the league for lying to them and the prospect that some players might have testified in court about the harm they suffered led the league to promise to pay potentially hundreds of millions of dollars to former players in dire straits
in the deal the nfl admitted no fault and critically insisted that all retired players be included in the settlement not only the 5000 or so who originally sued the league this has largely removed the threat of a string of endless challenges in the future
in the settlement players can receive cash payments of up to 5 million if they find out they have alzheimers als parkinsons or severe dementia or were found to have cte before the settlement was approved last year though the ceiling is 5 million the amount players are paid is based on their age and number of years in the league and therefore is likely to be far less
the number of players with these conditions may end up being a minority of the pool of retired players all of them though can receive medical tests paid for by the league to monitor their conditions
the lawyers for the retired players who have asked the league to pay 112 million for their legal fees applauded the appeals court ruling and urged the objectors not to pursue their case further judge brody will rule on those fees
we are pleased with the third circuits decision to completely uphold the district courts approval of the settlement christopher seeger co lead counsel for the retired nfl players said this extraordinary settlements implementation has been delayed enough by this small group of objectors whose arguments have been exhaustively examined and overruled by both the district court and third circuit
seeger said that more than 8000 retired players have tried to register for benefits even though the claims process has not opened yet
only the 150 or so players who opted out of the settlement can continue to sue the league in the matter
winning individual cases against the nfl may be difficult though the league and plaintiffs lawyers have noted that the science surrounding cte is still in its infancy and therefore should not be treated with the same certainly as parkinsons disease alzheimers disease and other conditions covered in the settlement
the nfl and the plaintiffs lawyers argued that the conditions associated with cte like memory loss are covered under the deal cte is diagnosed only posthumously some of the players who appealed the settlement said the deal should leave open the possibility that a test will be developed to diagnose the disease in the living
the nfl and lawyers for the retired players added a provision that would allow the players and the league in several years to review the way that cte is treated in the settlement mr kaplen the critic of the deal said he did not expect the league to willingly broaden the boundaries of who would be eligible for an award
its foolhardy he said do you think the nfl is going to open their wallet in 10 years experience tells you its not going to happen
players who opted out of the settlement and sue the league face other hurdles among them the issue of whether their case is governed by the collective bargaining agreement between the league and the players an issue that the district court judge in the case did not rule on


london   the british government outlined the central argument on monday it hopes will persuade voters to stay in the european union publishing a detailed economic analysis finding that britons will be poorer if they quit
the release of the publication by the treasury complete with complex algebraic calculations is an important moment before a referendum to take place june 23 on whether britain should end more than four decades of integration and quit the 28 nation bloc
those who oppose a british withdrawal from the european union known as brexit say that it would inevitably lead to economic uncertainty and deter investment and that it could complicate ties with the bloc the countrys biggest trade partner
on monday the government put a number on that claim asserting that under one midrange situation annual economic output would be 4300 pounds around 6100 lower per household if britain left than if it stayed in the bloc
some critics quickly attacked the government for trumpeting the PS4300 figure as a net annual cost per household noting that domestic product divided by the number of households is not the same as household income
in any event the chancellor of the exchequer george osborne said at a speech in bristol england that the country would be permanently poorer if it left the european union because wed trade less do less business and receive less investment
mr osborne who with prime minister david cameron is campaigning for britons to vote to remain added the price would be paid by british families wages would be lower and prices would be higher
those advocating an exit including dissenters in the governing conservative party quickly dismissed the analysis andrea leadsom a government minister who used to work in the treasury called it extraordinarily biased
the release of the document highlights the quickening tempo of the referendum campaign which officially began last week
and it precedes a visit to britain this week by president obama who is expected if asked to endorse continued british membership in the bloc but to note that it is a decision for british voters
advocates of remaining in the bloc say they believe the economic warnings will prove decisive the treasury document outlines the impact on britain under three main situations depending on the terms of trade britain would negotiate after leaving the european common market
in the first of those britain would participate in the european economic area like norway which is not a member of the european union but which pays for access to europes single market and accepts the free movement of labor and capital under this situation average annual output per household would be PS2600 lower after 15 years the report says
under a bilateral trade agreement   like the ones the european union has with canada switzerland and turkey   the reduction would be PS4300 the treasury found
in the worst case if britain relied solely on the trading rules laid down by the world trade organization as russia or brazil do the amount would be PS5200 according to the report
its a complete fantasy to claim we could negotiate some other deal where we have access to the eus single market but dont have to accept the costs and obligations of eu membership mr osborne said in his speech other member states have made it very clear in recent weeks thats not on offer   and how could it be how could other european countries give us a better deal than they have given themselves
ms leadsom told the bbc that the treasury analysis ignored the benefits of increased trade with non european nations which she argued would be possible outside the european union she also added that it had failed to take into account the economic advantages of being free of burdensome regulations from brussels
paul johnson director of the institute for fiscal studies a nonpartisan research group said precise figures were difficult to come by for several reasons however he added that compared with other estimates the treasury document was broadly in that range arguing that it is not out of line with what many independent forecasters are suggesting
the publication follows warnings that were britain to leave the bloc its negotiations with continental partners may not be smooth
speaking on sunday the french economy minister emmanuel macron said if britain voted to leave the european union would have to take a tough stance in the negotiations that followed to set an example
we have to be very clear that brexit will have consequences otherwise that is the beginning of the dismantling he told the bbc everybody who disagrees on one or two points will decide to do the same


in custody which had its premiere sunday at the tribeca film festival the children of a young colombian american mother catalina sandino moreno are put into protective custody after one child arrives at school with cuts and bruises viola davis plays the judge who hears the case in family court but the film written and directed by james lapine the stage veteran whose credits include sunday in the park with george doesnt leave the drama in the courtroom it also explores the home lives of both the mother and the judge telling their stories from complex perspectives
in an interview during the festival ms davis and ms moreno discussed the movie the kinds of roles they enjoy playing and the kinds they prefer to avoid here are edited excerpts from that conversation
viola what was it that interested you in the judge martha
viola davis i like any movie that explores social services but i like the fact that martha was being humanized in the past ive played a lot of authoritative characters youve seen that character the black bus driver with an attitude the black lawyer with a nice suit whos screaming at someone or cussing some man out the judge ive played a lot of judges whos up there banging the gavel and saying order in the court order in the court and the scene is over right after that who is she when she goes home is she married does she make love to her husband does she hate being there by the time youve asked all those questions of course shes gone so i thought it was interesting to explore that characters personal life in this movie but the thing that frightens me about what i just said is that i dont think most people notice when those details are missing in movies especially when its women of color i think that people are happy with us just being a device to move along the story to the caucasian lead thats not what happens here
catalina what was interesting to you about playing sara
catalina sandino moreno it was beautifully written ive been a fan of james lapine and seen his musicals ive been a big fan of violas too also i became a mother seven years ago so when i read it i thought what would i do if my kid was taken away from me
the courtroom scenes are impassioned but have a down to earth authenticity to them how did you achieve that
moreno one of the things was that we shot in a real courtroom here in new york the space helped it to feel very real but when you have great actors doing a scene with you its easy
what kind of role do you most like to play what are you seeking out
davis you just want something thats good and youre not always seeking it out sometimes it comes to you depending on whats out there its not like i have 20 scripts in front of me and i think ok do you want to work with baz luhrmann or steven spielberg but i have had great opportunities right now im working with denzel washington doing fences the film adaptation of august wilsons play in pittsburgh its fantastic what i love about fences and what i love about custody is that it makes a larger statement but it doesnt sacrifice the humanity of the characters
youve been outspoken about opportunities or the lack thereof for women of color in entertainment do you see things getting better for you and how do you see the issue shifting over all
davis things are definitely getting better for me i started out making 120 a week as an understudy at the public theater and was happy that i had that job i loved it but the whole diversity issue something becomes a hashtag so all of a sudden it becomes important its always been important when have people of color and different nationalities when have we ever not been here youre just catching up to it now its different because people of color in front of the camera and behind it are fighting for it now they are not afraid of their voices and they are not satisfied with being superfluous but my hope for the future is that hollywood doesnt just greenlight all the films dealing with diversity even if theyre bad because now its popular
moreno i agree with viola i think its part of our responsibility as actors not to just stay with stereotypes i dont want to be just a drug dealer in a movie because im latin or the chola character because im latin if its a movie that i like and the character is like that i will do my best to change those crazy stereotypes so when i get roles like this one in custody its so refreshing because these are real people i look at some scripts and say oh no now im going to have to fight to change this and this and hopefully theyll hear me because if not i cannot do this its in my dna i cannot be the person who keeps doing the roles that i hate i think its all our responsibilities as latin actors to say no if we all say no to stereotypical roles then i think they will do something but theres always people for that role
davis yes because we are in a business of deprivation and they bank on that deprivation to get an actor to do things that are absolutely humiliating and a lot that they cant come back from a lot of people doing stereotypical roles are actually really good actors
viola thats a fun how to get away with murder hoodie youre wearing what have you enjoyed about working on that show
davis im doing the show because of the role im working with fabulous actors i love the executive producer pete nowalk i love shonda rhimes but im doing it for the role its a role i havent seen any black actress play of my shade of my age and in that way i understood the value and the potency of it being pioneering its been liberating for me to show that women of color can be multifaceted and dont have to be a size 0 to be sexual and that you cant always put a finger on us and when you sit down to abc on thursday nights you have to agree to come into my world im not going to shrink myself to come into yours
you also have suicide squad coming up this summer what was it like to work on a big budget comic book film
davis fun that movie is just about fun although i must say you comic book fans scare me just a little bit but i appreciate you because it makes me feel like a rock star i had forgotten what it feels like to have fun with what i do a lot of times im just complaining about how tired i am and i forget about the fact that when i first started it was about pretend suicide squad made me feel how i felt when i was a kid and first fell in love with acting


washington   the other day senator charles e grassley of iowa the chairman of the senate judiciary committee decided to lecture chief justice john g roberts jr
senate republicans mr grassley said were not to blame for the partisan deadlock over president obamas supreme court nominee the real culprits the chief justice and his colleagues
mr grassleys tongue lashing delivered on the senate floor was in response to an analysis in this column last month of the chief justices stance as senate republicans refuse to consider the nomination chief justice roberts has said for instance that partisan confirmation hearings feed a false public perception that justices cast their votes as democrats and republicans rather than as neutral arbiters of the law
mr grassley offered a different take
the chief justice has it exactly backwards he said the confirmation process doesnt make the justices appear political the confirmation process has gotten political precisely because the court has drifted from the constitutional text and rendered decisions based instead on policy preferences
physician heal thyself mr grassley told the chief justice
mr grassley did not list the decisions that troubled him but he did say that only two members of the court presumably justices clarence thomas and samuel a alito jr stick to the constitutional text and vote in a consistently conservative way
mr grassleys logic if that is the right word was that conservative decisions are apolitical but that liberal ones are partisan
as for chief justice roberts mr grassley said a number of his votes have reflected political considerations not legal ones again the senator did not say which votes he was talking about but they probably included ones rejecting challenges to the affordable care act
chief justice roberts has said that the presidents two previous nominees justices sonia sotomayor and elena kagan were extremely well qualified for the court yet they were confirmed almost strictly along party lines he said in remarks in boston 10 days before justice antonin scalia died on feb 13
that doesnt make any sense chief justice roberts said that suggests to me that the process is being used for something other than ensuring the qualifications of the nominees
there is truth on both sides said lee epstein a law professor and political scientist at washington university in st louis
i think grassley may be right she said to blame the court for the increasing role of ideology as opposed to qualifications and other factors in senate confirmation proceedings she added that politics had played a significant role in supreme court decisions since at least the 1950s
but chief justice roberts is also right professor epstein said political science research shows that americans are less likely to support the court when it is portrayed as a political body   as it is during confirmation proceedings   and not a legal body
chief justice roberts has said nothing in public about the confirmation process since justice scalia died he has been silent on the nomination of judge merrick b garland mr grassleys remarks made on april 5 seemed calculated to make sure that chief justice roberts stays quiet notwithstanding exhortations from constitutional scholars that he speak up
thats a political temptation that the chief justice should resist mr grassley said
but there is precedent for measured intervention by a chief justice in a clash over the nature and future of the supreme court consider another chief justices response to president franklin d roosevelts court packing plan
in 1937 unhappy with supreme court decisions striking down new deal programs roosevelt announced a plan to add justices saying the current ones were overworked
the plan was defeated after a letter from chief justice charles evans hughes to the senate rebutted roosevelts charges in mild language backed by detailed figures
the present number of justices chief justice hughes wrote is thought to be large enough so far as the prompt adequate and efficient conduct of the work of the court is concerned
chief justice roberts may also have views about whether the present number of justices on his court   eight   is adequate he certainly admires chief justice hughes as he made plain in remarks in november at new york universitys law school
one of the greatest crises facing the supreme court since marbury v madison was fdrs court packing plan chief justice roberts said and it fell to hughes to guide a very unpopular supreme court through that high noon showdown against americas most popular president since george washington
there are things to learn from it chief justice roberts said
james f simon the author of fdr and chief justice hughes said he saw parallels between the two historical moments
i think hughes would have been frustrated and annoyed by the present senate republicans vow to ignore their constitutional obligation to consider garlands nomination mr simon said i suspect that roberts shares those feelings both hughes and roberts put great value in protecting the courts integrity
the key difference mr simon said is that senators had asked for chief justice hughess views
should the senate judiciary committee make a similar request to roberts i think he would probably respond giving a carefully worded nudge to the committee to consider garland mr simon said but i dont see grassley reaching out to the chief justice


after one game was in the books in each of the nba first round playoff series there were few surprises seven of the eight home teams won many by comfortable margins
the exception was the toronto raptors again
this season was supposed to be different for toronto behind big seasons from kyle lowry and demar derozan the raptors won 56 games a franchise record by seven games they threatened the mighty cleveland cavaliers for the top seed in the east falling short by just one game
but in game 1 of their series with the seventh seeded indiana pacers the raptors were bulldozed by 33 points from paul george and lost 100 90 on saturday lowry was 3 of 13 and derozan 5 of 19
it was the third year in a row that the raptors had lost their playoff opener at home last season they were also the only home team to lose game 1 falling to the wizards
they wound up losing that series in an ugly sweep in 2014 they lost their opener to the nets and eventually the series blowing a 3 2 lead to lose in seven games
the raptors fan drake was on hand for the game for those who believe in curses that may not have been a good thing shortly after he started spending time with serena williams she lost the united states open ending her bid for a grand slam
drake has also been blamed over the years for the struggles of kentucky mens basketball the liverpool soccer club and johnny manziel
you have to go back a ways to find any playoff glory for toronto in 2001 the raptors beat the knicks three games to two in a first round playoff series vince carter averaged 23 points a game for toronto while the knicks were led by allan houston and latrell sprewell
that is still the only series the raptors have won the raptors are 1 7 in playoff series and 14 29 in games
it has not been a golden age for toronto sports in general
the blue jays returned to the baseball playoffs last year for the first time since 1993 at the time it was the longest playoff drought in the major north american leagues
the maple leafs have made the nhl playoffs just once since 2004 a one round cameo in 2013 their last title was in 1967 this season they had the worst record in the league
toronto fc finally made its first mls playoffs last season in its ninth year of existence but lost ignominiously 3 0 to the rival montreal impact
the most glory in recent years has come from the argonauts of canadian football league champions in 2012 and 2004
the raptors tried to start burying that history on monday night in game 2


energy companies led a broad rally in united states stocks on monday as investors shrugged off another slide in crude oil prices
the gain nudged the dow jones industrial average above the 18000 point mark for the first time since last summer while the standard  poors 500 stock index rose to the highest level in a year
the market headed lower early on after news that representatives from several major oil producing nations meeting over the weekend in doha qatar had failed to reach a deal to cut output that sent the price of united states oil down 7 percent at one point before recouping much of its losses it ended down 14 percent
beyond the volatile oil market investors had their eye on the latest company earnings which have been mostly encouraging so far said sean lynch co head of global equity strategy at wells fargo investment institute
were seeing broad based gains across all the sectors mr lynch said the market is maybe finding some resilience here and maybe looking back on the fundamentals of the earnings season and seeing its not so bad
the dow climbed 10670 points or 06 percent to 1800416 the last time the average was above 18000 points was on july 20
the sp 500 index added 1361 points or 07 percent to 209434
the nasdaq composite index gained 2180 points or 04 percent to 496002
for the year the dow is up 34 percent while the sp 500 is up 24 percent the nasdaq is down about 1 percent
several energy and drilling services companies rebounded after an early morning sell off
hess shares rose 267 or 47 percent to 5984 while stock in marathon oil added 35 cents or 27 percent to 1336 baker hughes shares gained 190 or 43 percent to 4570
energy companies had the biggest gain among the sectors in the sp 500 rising 16 percent the sector is up 77 percent this year
all told domestic crude fell 58 cents or 14 percent to settle at 3978 a barrel in new york brent crude the international benchmark lost 19 cents or 04 percent to 4291 a barrel in london
stocks in the health care and consumer discretionary sectors also posted big gains stock in hasbro jumped 58 percent after the company reported results that topped forecasts the toy company benefited from strong sales of star wars frozen and disney princess products
the toy company earned 488 million or 38 cents a share for the period that ended march 27 that compares with a profit of 267 million or 21 cents a share a year earlier hasbro shares added 477 to 8718
endo international led a surge among several pharmaceutical companies the stock also posted the biggest gain in the sp 500 vaulting 216 or 82 percent to 2849 regeneron pharmaceuticals climbed 1565 or 39 percent to 42238
morgan stanleys first quarter profit fell 54 percent from a year ago hurt by weak performance at its trading and investment banking units but its results still beat wall street expectations shares of morgan stanley slipped 3 cents to close at 2573
pepsicos chief indra nooyi said on monday that the company was reshaping its product lineup to better reflect the growing interest in healthy eating the company gets less than 25 percent of its global sales from soda ms nooyi said shares of pepsi slipped 005 percent
major stock indexes in europe also closed higher germanys dax rose 07 percent while the cac 40 in france edged up 03 percent britains ftse 100 index was up 02 percent
in asia japans nikkei 225 index dropped 34 percent as a rising yen and earthquake related production halts added to investor worries hong kongs hang seng index lost 07 percent
in other energy trading wholesale gasoline fell about 2 cents to 144 a gallon heating oil was little changed at 124 a gallon natural gas rose 38 cents or 2 percent to 194 per 1000 cubic feet
precious and industrial metals futures ended narrowly mixed gold edged up 40 cents to 1235 an ounce silver slipped six cents to 1625 an ounce and copper edged up a penny to 216 a pound
the yield on the 10 year treasury note rose to 177 percent from 175 late friday the dollar rose to 10879 yen from 10870 yen the euro rose to 11306 from 11283


washington   the supreme court on monday refused to revive a challenge to googles digital library of millions of books turning down an appeal from authors who said the project amounted to copyright infringement on a mass scale
the supreme courts brief order left in place an appeals court decision that the project was a fair use of the authors work ending a legal saga that had lasted more than a decade
in 2004 google started building a vast digital library scanning and digitizing more than 20 million books from the collections of major research libraries readers can search the resulting database google books for keywords or phrases and read some snippets of text
the authors guild and several writers sued google in 2005 saying the digital library was a commercial venture that drove down sales of their work in their petition seeking supreme court review they said this case represents an unprecedented judicial expansion of the fair use doctrine that threatens copyright protection in the digital age
the petition to the supreme court also included a brief signed by a group of prominent authors including the playwright tony kushner the historian taylor branch and the novelists margaret atwood j m coetzee peter carey and ursula k le guin
fair use is not easy and never has been the brief stated the unprecedented scale of the google library book project by itself warrants a reconsideration of fair use in this case
in a statement released on monday the authors guild said that the supreme courts decision to not hear the case would leave writers vulnerable to copyright infringement it also suggested the case would have broader impact beyond the book industry
the denial of review is further proof that were witnessing a vast redistribution of wealth from the creative sector to the tech sector not only with books but across the spectrum of the arts the guilds president the novelist roxana robinson said in the statement
in its own supreme court brief google said both readers and writers were better off thanks to its efforts google books gives readers a dramatically new way to find books of interest the brief said by formulating their own text queries and reviewing search results users can identify determine the relevance of and locate books they might otherwise never have found
on monday google said in a statement we are grateful that the court has agreed to uphold the decision of the second circuit which concluded that google books is transformative and consistent with copyright law
as is their custom the justices gave no reasons for declining to hear the case authors guild v google inc no 15 849
last year a unanimous three judge panel of the united states court of appeals for the second circuit said that googles project was lawful and beneficial
the purpose of the copying is highly transformative the public display of text is limited and the revelations do not provide a significant market substitute for the protected aspects of the originals judge pierre n leval an authority on copyright law wrote for the panel


the french philosopher rene descartes wrote that all deception or fraud involves some imperfection how much imperfection is required to be convicted of the federal crimes of mail and wire fraud has been clarified at least a little bit by recent appeals court decisions recognizing that some lying is acceptable and even expected in the business world
the united states court of appeals for the seventh circuit in chicago overturned the conviction of david weimert a former vice president of anchorbank in wisconsin he was charged with wire fraud for his role in the sale of the banks share of a commercial real estate development in texas in which he took a minority position in the deal along with the buyers
it turns out that mr weimert misled both sides about his role in the deal he told the buyers that anchorbank wanted him to take a piece of the transaction while informing the bank that the buyers insisted he come in as a partner in the deal when the sale closed the bank got about a third more than it expected to make
thats a pretty nice outcome but once the bank learned about mr weimerts deception it fired him to make matters worse anchorbank had received federal bailout funds during the financial crisis so the justice department pursued the case because of the potential misuse of taxpayer money
he was convicted of five counts of wire fraud at trial and sentenced to 18 months in prison but the appeals court concluded there was not enough evidence to show any fraud despite his not telling the truth to either side taking the rare step of ordering that mr weimert be acquitted of the charges
the appeals court focused on the fact that there were ongoing negotiations between the bank and the buyers so that it is not unusual for parties to conceal from others their true goals values priorities or reserve prices in a proposed transaction in other words no one tells the truth when they are negotiating a deal
indeed the opinion went even further in analyzing what can amount to a fraud during negotiations
to state the obvious they will often try to mislead the other party about the prices and terms they are willing to accept such deceptions are not criminal the court found
to violate the wire fraud statute any deception must be material which means a reasonable person would consider it important in the transaction statements like this is my final offer or i cant go any lower than this are not something on which the other side is likely to rely the appeals court asserted that negotiating parties and certainly the sophisticated businessmen in this case do not expect complete candor about negotiating positions
can it really be that lies are acceptable in a negotiation no less than professor james j white a renowned commercial law scholar once wrote that to conceal ones true position to mislead an opponent about ones true settling point is the essence of negotiation you cannot lie about whether you will pay the amount promised or mislead about the condition of property but telling the truth about what it will take to get the deal done appears to be acceptable
mr weimert lied to his employer but that was not enough to turn this into a successful wire fraud case because anchorbank had been informed that he was acting on both sides of the deal even if it was misled about how he came to be an investor in the transaction
this type of breach of an employees duty of candor was once prosecuted under the right of honest services form of fraud which let prosecutors reach dishonesty in business dealings but the supreme court limited that type of prosecution to only those involving a bribe or kickback in 2010 in skilling v united states something that was missing in mr weimerts case
the finding that there was no fraud despite the deception is consistent with two decisions issued last december in other federal appeals courts that considered what rises to the level of fraud
the united states court of appeals for the second circuit in manhattan overturned the securities fraud conviction of jesse c litvak a former jefferies  company trader over lying to buyers about the prices the firm paid for residential mortgage backed securities he sold
the appeals court found that the trial judge improperly excluded evidence to support the defense that institutional investors like those mr litvak dealt with did not care about what jefferies paid for the securities
a jury could reasonably have found that misrepresentations by a dealer as to the price paid for certain rmbs would be immaterial to a counterparty that relies not on a market price or the price at which prior trades took place but instead on its own sophisticated valuation methods and computer model the judges explained
unlike mr weimarts case however the appeals court ordered a retrial of the charges because the buyers might have considered what he said to be important the second trial is scheduled to begin in july so mr litvak will get another chance to convince the jury that not telling the truth was immaterial to sophisticated buyers
the united states court of appeals for the first circuit in boston overturned a finding by the securities and exchange commission that one statement in a presentation with 20 slides made to investors that described a typical portfolio rather than the actual holdings of a bond fund was fraudulent
even if it were misleading the statement was hardly material in a detailed discussion with sophisticated institutions that could inquire further about the funds holdings if they were interested context makes a difference the appeals court pointed out so what might appear to be misleading may in fact not be of much consequence
do these decisions give a judicial imprimatur to lying no judge will ever take a position against telling the truth but in a criminal fraud prosecution the government must do more than just show a deception even one that helps make money
fraud is a type of larceny so there must be a victim who has been improperly deprived of something of value if one side should expect to be lied to then the message is to take any representations with a large dollop of salt and not complain too much about somehow being deceived when trying to make a deal


kuala lumpur malaysia   malaysias billion dollar political scandal claimed another casualty on monday when the prominent banker nazir razak announced that he would temporarily step aside while his bank examined his handling of nearly 7 million he received from his brother prime minister najib razak
mr nazir said he would take a leave of absence from his positions as chairman and director of cimb group holdings after acknowledging that he took the money from his brother and distributed it as he was instructed to governing party figures before national elections in 2013
these events took place three years ago mr nazir said at a news conference my brother asked for some help and i agreed
i acted based on what i knew at that time he said
mr nazirs decision to step aside voluntarily while the bank conducted an internal review is likely to focus attention on the refusal of mr najib to step down over more serious allegations including that he deposited more than 1 billion in questionable funds into his personal bank accounts
this is definitely the right move and it will certainly put more pressure on najib said wan saiful wan jan chief executive of the institute for democracy and economic affairs a malaysian research institute people will say your brother is being internally investigated for just 7 million while you are accused of being involved with a much bigger sum of money 
news reports have charged that much of the money the prime minister deposited came from a government investment fund that he oversees the 1malaysia development berhad commonly known as 1mdb
mr najib denies any wrongdoing and has resisted all calls to give up his post the prime minister has however removed officials who were critical of his actions including an attorney general abdul gani patail and a deputy prime minister muhyiddin yassin
the prime ministers office has sought to explain the deposits by saying that mr najib received 681 million from the saudi royal family as a gift with no strings attached and later returned 620 million of the donation this version of events received backing last week when the saudi foreign minister adel al jubeir told reporters in istanbul that the money was a genuine donation
mr najibs office declined to comment on monday about mr nazirs decision to take a leave of absence saying it was a matter for cimb
mr nazir who at times has been critical of the 1mdb fund which was created under his brother was drawn into the scandal last month after the wall street journal reported that he had received the 7 million from the prime minister and distributed it to governing party leaders
mr nazir said on monday that he accepted the money after determining that the transactions would not violate any law and that he would not be abusing his position at cimb
but once the unusual transfers became public he said he recognized that it was a cause of concern and that he should step aside to safeguard the banks integrity
the reputation and well being of this banking group has always been my utmost priority he said unless i am completely absent from the company during this period this institution would not be practicing the highest standards of corporate governance that we want to stand for and i would be undermining what i have described as my utmost career priority
cimb which began the review on april 5 expects it to be completed in a few weeks according to a statement issued by the bank the multinational audit firm ernst  young will assist
mr wan saiful the analyst said that mr nazirs willingness to step aside while he was being investigated was a rare step for a public figure in malaysia and showed his confidence that he would be exonerated of any banking violations
mr wan saiful also said it was clear mr nazir had not broken campaign finance laws because malaysia did not regulate such funding


tech companies may have to take stock of giving stock
as katie benner reports wall street is increasingly wary of the amount of equity that publicly traded technology companies award their employees every year particularly the stock they give when those companies stumble
linkedin the popular careers site has projected lower growth for this year but for the last two years has awarded an increasing amount of stock to its employees in 2014 it gave them an amount equal to 14 percent of its revenue last year that figure rose to 17 percent of revenue
it is not known how much linkedin will award this year though the question may come up when the company reports its earnings next week
linkedin is hardly alone twitter yahoo and workday all appear to be particularly generous with stock to workers even in cases where revenue is sliding
it is a knotty problem in silicon valley where the value of a company is so often tied up in the intellectual firepower that walks through the door each morning it has become increasingly important too as tech companies primarily make online software subject to continual change and upgrades
lose your people and youll lose your future this is the common fear giving them stock is thought to be a particularly useful way to get them to hang around and make more and better products
presumably most investors in these companies know what is going on and buy shares with their eyes open but the issue could do with revisiting particularly when the stocks of many of these companies have fallen compared with the average us company tech companies award about 80 percent more restricted stock to employees
tech companies may feel like this is simply the cost of doing business in this industry but its a price they do not fully pay
the cost of stock grants to executives and employees which are after all something the company owns and is giving away are frequently excluded from earnings many tech companies billboard using nonstandard accounting
in one notable example salesforcecom reported a 574 million operating profit in fiscal 2015 which excluded 565 million of stock grants
how long this continues is of course up to the company shareholders who can vote to force management to stop these large awards which tend to go especially to top management that usually happens when times get really tough and stock prices are under significant pressure
perhaps by that time however the employees will have so many grants that theyll be the chief shareholders too


stepanakert azerbaijan   on a crystalline spring morning iosif adamyan sipped coffee on the veranda of his guesthouse overlooking a pear orchard in bloom and in the distance a range of snowy mountains
in this picturesque spot he entertains guests from england france and russia in fact people from the whole world wind up here he said with the peculiarity that many of them speak armenian
at the stately hotel armenia which caters to the diaspora visiting the capital of the disputed mountain enclave of nagorno karabakh dear to the hearts of armenians everywhere the dining room clings to the traditional starched tablecloths and of course aged armenian cognac
karabakh is the cradle of armenia said lyudmila a oganyesyan the director of school no 3 beautifully restored in a facade of tan locally quarried stone and paid for naturally by a wealthy armenian benefactor in this case an insurance executive from moscow
for being the capital of a war afflicted former soviet splinter region a category of places better known for mud and misery stepanakert with a population of 50000 or so is surprisingly livable
throughout the city which went onto a war footing this month during three days of fighting with azerbaijans military signs of the careful attention and largess of a wealthy diaspora are everywhere a new hospital rising on a hillside smooth new asphalt on the road into town
this support from the broader world of armenian emigres not least from the large community in southern california adds an improbable metropolitan flair to the tiny republic of karabakh and its capital
the city still has some rough edges beginning with the six hour drive to get there on endless switchbacks that take you past a parade of burned and abandoned villages of the armenians enemies the azerbaijanis and terrifying thousand foot cliffs in its mountain perch the region is surrounded marooned in azerbaijan with this road the only supply route no airport functions
the sustenance from the diaspora makes all the difference funds flowed in from the late kirk kerkorian the california financier a swiss armenian built a sturgeon farm called the golden fish california and six other american states have recognized the splinter republic though the federal government and in fact no other country have
in the former soviet unions other low intensity wars known as the frozen conflicts of which there are at least six russian foreign policy is the pivotal element
for russia the frozen conflicts in the neighboring states of georgia moldova and most recently ukraine serve the purpose of weakening independent governments discrediting democracy and preventing inroads by the north atlantic treaty organization and the european union
nagorno karabakh is the oldest of these smoldering conflicts distinguished from the others by the deep ethnic hatreds involved and the diasporas support which means that karabakh known in armenian as the artsakh republic is not wholly a puppet of moscow
in 1988 ethnic armenians voted to secede from azerbaijan and fighting broke out between the mostly muslim azerbaijanis and christian armenians massacres and ethnic cleansing on both sides ensued killing more than 20000 people and displacing about a million mostly azerbaijanis before a cease fire took hold in 1994
russia tends to lean toward armenia in the conflict though moscow sells weapons to both sides a russian brokered cease fire ended the flare up after several dozen soldiers died on both sides
during the fighting stepanakerts main square   immaculately paved with stunning views of an alpine valley   became a hub of excitement for young and old alike
jeeps wheeled about screeched to a stop for soldiers to hop in an old veteran from the 1991 94 war stood nearby to see them off the empty right sleeve of his jacket carefully ironed and tucked into a pocket
david agamalyan 14 stood with two friends gaping at the armed men and bustle in this city any boy on the street has two numbers on the tip of his tongue his age and his best time for disassembling and reassembling a kalashnikov rifle a skill that is taught in schools from age 13
davids best time is 27 seconds certainly a feat considering all the springs and rods and sheet metal parts involved girls are taught first aid both boys and girls are taught to march and stand at attention
at school no 3 childrens drawings adorning the walls show in crayon and colored pencil the smoldering fight that is all they have ever known a tank in a mountain landscape men marching with rifles
all boys join the army asked whom he would fight in four years when he signs up david shrugged at the ridiculous question our neighbor of course he said


when an ohio teenager witnessed her 17 year old friend being raped according to officials she not only failed to help the victim she pointed her phone and streamed a live video of it on the periscope app
the teenager marina lonina 18 faces a spate of charges as severe as those facing raymond gates 29 the man accused in the attack both have been charged with kidnapping rape sexual battery and pandering sexual matter involving a minor
i have never seen a case such as this where you would actually live stream a sexual assault ron obrien the franklin county prosecutor said in remarks to the local news media
the prosecutors office said ms lonina and the victim friends from the same high school outside columbus met mr gates for the first time while hanging out at a shopping mall in the city the day before the alleged assault he proposed meeting the next day
on the evening of feb 27 all three were gathered at a residence in columbus where mr gates pinned the 17 year old down and raped her as ms lonina used periscope an app owned by twitter to live stream the attack the authorities said
a friend of ms loninas in another state saw the video and contacted the authorities
both defendants pleaded not guilty on friday
mr obrien the prosecutor said ms lonina had apparently hoped that live streaming the attack would help to stop it but that she became enthralled by positive feedback online
she got caught up in the likes he said
ms loninas lawyer sam shamansky has portrayed his client as the victim of a much older man who bought the teenagers a bottle of vodka
you dont want to lose track of the fact that shes a high school student and she and her friend were clearly taken advantage of he said
ms lonina told the police that she filmed the encounter to gather evidence of a crime mr shamansky who has viewed the periscope video said ms lonina made substantial efforts to thwart the attack though he declined to specify them
she was swept up by the gravity of the situation mr shamansky said and as she immediately told the police she was filming in order to preserve not to embarrass or to shame or to titillate anybody
in an interview on monday mr obrien acknowledged that for roughly 10 seconds during the 10 minute video ms lonina pulled the leg of the victim who he said cried out during the attack saying no stop and help me it was not clear though that she intended to help the victim he said
for the most part she is just streaming it on the periscope app and giggling and laughing mr obrien said
ms lonina did not call 911 he added
court records showed no attorney listed for mr gates
the authorities also charged ms lonina with an additional felony for photographing her friend in the nude on feb 26 the night before the assault mr obrien said
the defendants each face more than 40 years in prison if convicted mr obrien said court records show ms lonina was released friday on a bond of 125000 while mr gates remained incarcerated after his bond was set at 300000
since twitter introduced periscope last spring it has been used for more than 100 million broadcasts perhaps inevitably people have also deployed it to showcase themselves breaking the law the platforms guidelines ban explicit graphic content


the seven day british royal tour of india and bhutan which ended on saturday was an opportunity for many things including benign national outreach and a show of good will between countries with a complicated history as well as multiple photos featuring prince william and catherine duchess of cambridge the former kate middleton on safari and at the taj mahal
but it also raised the bar when it came to the modern art known as diplomatic fashion tradecraft aka the use of a ceremonial political event to promote a specific national industry
michelle obama may have elevated the role of clothes in political life to strategic tool consciously choosing to wear pieces from emerging american designers the better to use her position to raise their global profiles and businesses samantha cameron the wife of prime minister david cameron of britain may likewise have chosen to support her countrys fashion talent even going so far as to become an ambassador for the british fashion council and sophie gregoire trudeau wife of prime minister justin trudeau of canada may have given canadian designers a push during her recent state visit to washington but in india the duchess took the approach to a whole new level
an observer could have been forgiven for thinking practically all of sloane street had migrated to her suitcase
consider the list in no particular order of british brands she wore on the tour alexander mcqueen emilia wickstead jenny packham topshop paul  joe glamorouscom l k bennett mulberry rupert sanderson accessorizemonsoon russell  bromley cassandra goad temperley london kiki mcdonough beulah pickett london jaeger really wild and penelope chilvers
the clothes encompassed the very expensive mcqueen packham temperley fast fashion topshop glamorous and the already worn one mcqueen outfit and they included shoes bags and jewelry   all chronicled obsessively and daily in the british and fashion news media many pieces sold out not long after the first pictures appeared
the duchess also dipped a toe into cross border sartorial diplomacy wearing one dress by the indian designer anita dongre and one by the indian american naeem khan as well as looks from anna sui and tory burch but a vast majority of her clothes were by british designers
i could not believe the local and global attention ms dongre said on the phone from mumbai and her words were echoed by mr sanderson in britain
the word windfall comes to mind
compared with william and catherines tour of the east coast of the united states in 2014 remember that the india trip stands out as a much more powerful piece of sartorial messaging in part because it so consciously embraced british fashion as broadly as possible leveraging the duchesss influence to benefit the elite and the mass ends of the market   big names and those on the rise
put another way she may have gone on a tour of india but in doing so she also took everyone who was watching on a tour of the british clothing industry thats quite a trip


on the day twitter named kathy chen as its new chief for china she turned to the service to introduce herself to its vast and voluble user base
thank you very much for your support said ms chen twitters new managing director for greater china and a veteran of the chinese operations of microsoft and cisco in a short video posted on twitter late last week by the companys official greater china account
but for some of twitters chinese speaking users that support will not be arriving anytime soon the reason is her resume nearly 30 years before she worked for foreign companies in china ms chen served a stint in the chinese military after that she was involved in a joint venture that was partly owned by the countrys powerful domestic security ministry
like many foreign owned internet services twitter has long been blocked in china but ms chens appointment   and the stir it has caused   shows the complicated relationship between twitter the technology industry and china the country has some of the worlds strictest limits on online expression and it requires internet companies to place servers in the mainland it has shown little compunction about blocking or banning companies that will not play along
even with those limits china offers a vast and potentially lucrative market many companies that are blocked in china such as facebook and google still do business there catering to chinese companies looking to find an audience abroad or to the growing numbers of affluent chinese travelers
the contradictions are especially acute for twitter while the founder of facebook mark zuckerberg has made a public effort of courting the chinese leadership twitter has shown few indications that it was willing to submit to the restrictions that coming to china would require emphasizing that stance jim prosser a twitter spokesman said on monday that the service was not trying to become unblocked in china
twitter has become an online home to a number of chinese political activists abroad who use it to communicate with one another and to share their views of current events in china with the world some of them reacted with condemnation over the weekend to ms chens appointment
chinese tweeps   though not just chinese tweeps   sneered out of disappointment and concern wrote yaxue cao a writer born in china and based in the united states who frequently weighs in on human rights issues in china
some were incensed that ms chen posted on friday a message of cooperation to china central television the state run broadcaster the language resembled president xi jinpings call to the chinese media to tell the china story well
in a statement dickson seow a twitter spokesman said that after college in the late 1980s ms chen was assigned by the chinese government to become a junior engineer in the peoples liberation army she left in 1994 when the opening of the chinese economy provided a chance the statement said
she then was hired by computer associates an american company to lead its joint venture in china the chinese ministry of public security owned a 20 percent stake in that venture through a local company the statement said and ms chen focused on selling antivirus products and never worked for the ministry itself according to her linkedin biography she worked for microsoft from 2005 to 2009 and for cisco from 2009 to 2013 before returning to microsoft
at twitter ms chen will focus on building its advertising business in china and working with developers and others who interact with the platform adding to the complicated relationship between twitter and china working with advertisers also includes dealing with chinese outlets such as xinhua the state news agency and peoples daily the ruling communist partys newspaper   outlets that have increased their presence on twitter in recent years


boston   with the top american marathoners resting for the rio olympics neely spence gracey could be the best american hope for a podium finish in boston on monday
the top women start racing at 930 eastern and the men at 10
gracey 26 of superior colo is an eight time ncaa division ii national champion who will be making her marathon debut but in a way she has been a marathoner all her life
gracey is the daughter of 1991 world championship bronze medalist steve spence her father finished 19th   the no 2 american overall   in the 1989 boston marathon and gracey was born on patriots day in 1990 while her father was running the race
i grew up hearing all about that story she said
gracey was planning to run in the olympic trials in february but a problem with her left foot convinced her she wasnt ready instead she was on track for boston
i always knew once i started running competitively that i was going to be running boston she said but i didnt know it would be this soon
defending champions lelisa desisa and caroline rotich will lead the field of more than 30000 runners across the start in hopkinton on monday morning for the 262 mile trek to bostons back bay defending wheelchair champions marcel hug and tatyana mcfadden will also return
but most of the top americans will sit out the race having run in the us olympic trials in los angeles in february
here are some other things to look for in mondays race
after losing her left leg in the 2013 finish line explosions adrianne haslet decided that she would return to the course   this time as a runner she will be one of 31 members of the one fund community   survivors of the attacks their families and supporters   in the field
a lot of people think about the finish line she said i think about the start line
patrick downes a boston college graduate who had his left leg amputated after the bombings is also entered downes 32 was a runner before the bombing having completed the race in 2005 with his wife who lost both legs in the attacks
haslet 35 was a professional ballroom dancer who received a prosthetic blade to do the quickstep and the jive and only then decided to take up running
haslet overcame a hip flexor injury while training running with the blade also requires extra energy because one leg is slightly longer than the other she will run with a team of four people on behalf of the oklahoma city based limbs for life foundation which provides prosthetics for those who cant afford them
it was about finding another challenge and finding a new day she said there was a point in my life i wasnt a ballroom dancer either
the boston athletic association is commemorating the 50th anniversary of the first woman to complete the boston marathon
bobbi gibb sneaked onto the course in 1966 to break the races gender barrier she also ran the race in 1967 68 and has been recognized as a three time winner in the unofficial era race organizers said last week they would now acknowledge her accomplishments as part of the pioneer era
organizers also took time in race week to recognize the 80th anniversary of ellison tarzan browns 1936 victory
a member of the narragansett tribe in rhode island browns 1936 victory is best remembered for the coining of the term heartbreak hill defending champion johnny kelley tapped brown on the back as he prepared to pass him but brown responded by accelerating into the newton hills on his way to victory he also won in 1939
at the time native americans were widely perceived as lazy according to mikki wosencroft who will serve as an honor runner for brown this year
he broke a lot of barriers in the way native americans were perceived wosencroft said and he did it with ease


beijing   chinese families were in an uproar on monday after a report in the state news media revealed that nearly 500 students at a school in eastern china had developed illnesses a few as severe as leukemia possibly because of pollution at a nearby field
students and parents at the changzhou foreign languages school had complained since december about pollution in the area after dozens of children came down with rashes and nosebleeds and a foul stench surrounded the school but local officials dismissed their concerns saying that the air soil and groundwater met national standards
on sunday the governments powerful national broadcaster china central television aired a scathing report documenting the illnesses and finding that toxins in the soil and water far exceeded national limits the broadcast of the report suggested that chinas leaders were taking a more aggressive stance toward chemical companies at a time when public anger over environmental pollution is mounting especially in the aftermath of a chemical disaster last year that killed 165 people in the port city of tianjin
but the episode also underscored the large gaps that exist in chinas oversight of hazardous materials while china has made strides in publicizing air and groundwater pollution data in recent years it still does not provide data on local soil pollution or require companies to publicly list which substances they discharge as waste a departure from international standards
ma jun an environmentalist said the governments effort to investigate egregious cases of pollution was a promising step but he said china still had much more to do to rein in the chemical industry
its very important for the central government to weigh in on this case mr ma said i just hope that we wont stop at these individual cases we need a comprehensive review
in a statement greenpeace said the episode showed that chinas management of hazardous chemicals was dangerously lax
the changzhou foreign languages school disputed the cctv report saying in an open letter that claims of mass illnesses at the school were exaggerated according to chinese news media reports on tuesday even our foreign teachers who have always been sensitive to environmental problems are having a hard time understanding why the media are playing up this issue as such a serious problem the letter said
on social media and in coffee shops on monday chinese people expressed deep concern about the case on weibo chinas equivalent of twitter a page related to the case had drawn more than 30 million views by monday evening
some people drew comparisons to the mismanagement that had led to the blasts in tianjin last year others said they were planning to press their childrens schools to conduct tests of soil and water just to be safe
in beijing the central government promised an inquiry and the ministry of environmental protection said it attached great importance to the matter
the changzhou city government said in a statement it had zero tolerance for pollution and was taking prompt action
the case of the changzhou foreign languages school received an unusual amount of attention from the chinese news media given tight government controls on what can be reported chemical companies which are major drivers of economic growth and contribute heavily to local government revenues are often shielded from criticism
in a series of investigative reports published over the past few months caixin a magazine and the paper a chinese news site took aim at officials at the changzhou foreign languages school one of the most prestigious schools in the area and the companies that appeared to have caused the pollution
the school which has about 2400 students opened a 153 acre campus last fall near the site of several former pesticide plants including jiangsu changlong chemicals company a subsidiary of one of chinas largest pesticide makers shenzhen noposion agrochemicals company
the reports by caixin documented how environmental officials had initially deemed the area near the school unfit for construction still the school went forward with the project and later played down the concerns of parents and students who complained about coughs headaches and rashes
the caixin report also quoted former employees of jiangsu changlong chemicals who said the company had buried toxic waste at the site before it relocated in 2010 groundwater samples showed that the amount of chlorobenzene which is used to make herbicides and can damage the nervous system liver and kidneys exceeded the national standard by more than 94000 times according to chinese news reports
on sunday the case gained national prominence when china central television aired a report on pollution at the school of the 641 students who were examined by doctors 493 were determined to have illnesses cctv said the illnesses included dermatitis bronchitis and white blood cell deficiencies as well as a few cases of lymphoma and leukemia
the report quoted parents and students who described contaminated water and a smell in the air like rotten duck eggs
the water is strange and tastes a bit sour a mother of a student said in the report
i have leg cramps pimples and the skin on my hand is flaky a 12 year old student said
mr ma said the fierce public reaction was a sign of increasing awareness among chinese people about the hazards of environmental pollution largely because of the growing popularity of social media he said it would become increasingly difficult for polluters to escape scrutiny
the old days of being sheltered from public hate have passed he said its time for the industry especially the chemical industry to really recognize the fundamental change that is happening


jakarta indonesia   indonesias security minister said on monday at a symposium devoted to the mass atrocities committed half a century ago during anti communist purges in the country that the government had ruled out a criminal investigation of the period but would consider an unprecedented expression of regret to victims and their families
luhut b pandjaitan the coordinating minister for political legal and security affairs who delivered the opening remarks at the symposium said the government would over time try to answer definitively how hundreds of thousands were killed in state sponsored violence from 1965 to 1966
well see what happens after this mr luhut said after the two day symposium began in jakarta the capital well study further on what we should do
but the spirit of the government of indonesia   were basically going to solve the whole thing he said
mr luhut a retired army general ruled out an apology by the present government to hundreds of thousands of purge survivors who were imprisoned for years without trial or to the descendants of victims whom the state ostracized but he said the government would be open to official complaints
perhaps its wording would be remorse for past events which were a dark history for this nation and which we hope will not ever happen again  he said of a possible response were still looking for the exact wording
an acknowledgment would confirm what historians have called one of the worst mass atrocities of the 20th century
the purges were carried out by soldiers and military backed civilian paramilitary and religious groups half a million people or more many of whom had no connection to communism are estimated to have been killed and hundreds of thousands of others were held in detention for years
the violence occurring as the cold war was escalating in southeast asia was set off by a failed uprising within the indonesian armed forces an officer led group kidnapped and killed six army generals beginning on the night of sept 30 1965
within days top commanders had quashed the uprising which they called an attempted coup orchestrated by the then powerful indonesian communist party in collaboration with rogue military personnel in the purges that followed the victims included intellectuals ethnic chinese indonesians and countless others
the symposium this week is the first time that a public discussion of the atrocities has been endorsed by the government which for decades maintained that the bloodshed was justified to save indonesia from a communist takeover and which violently suppressed challenges to that narrative
in 2012 the national commission on human rights which is independent of the government and organized the current symposium released a report declaring the purges a gross violation of human rights and demanding a criminal investigation but neither the government at the time nor that of president joko widodo who assumed office in 2014 has followed up
although the main military and civilian architects of the violence are probably all dead the purges which led to the removal in 1967 of the countrys founding president sukarno remain a highly delicate issue
hundreds of police officers backed by armored personnel carriers were on standby outside the hotel in central jakarta where the symposium opened in anticipation of possible protests by islamic groups and paramilitary units that took part in the massacres no protesters appeared however
the 1965 66 events have been extensively researched and documented in reports that contravene the official government narrative that the violence was justified and that those who took part were national heroes
sintong panjaitan a retired army general who was a young officer during the massacres also spoke at the symposium and added fuel to the debate by challenging claims that 500000 or more people were killed he suggested the number was as low as 80000
where is the evidence mr sintong asked
joshua oppenheimer an american film director has produced two documentaries about the period that were both nominated for academy awards
the fear of reprisals for the films has been strong enough that his indonesian co director and crew have remained anonymous out of concerns for their safety
mr oppenheimer said by phone from europe on monday that he supported the symposiums aims but he warned that indonesia could not achieve national reconciliation without a truthful accounting of what happened whether that occurred this week or years from now
it would be sort of a tragedy if the government went from one grotesque lie to some slightly less misleading lie by dismissing the number of victims and saying we should all move forward mr oppenheimer said i think that would deny people any sort of closure and undermine the value of those victims lives
some indonesian human rights groups declined to participate in the symposium for fear that it would give the government a quick way to end debate rather than lead to a genuine truth and reconciliation process
one of the silent protesters is effendy saleh 78 who spent 15 years in prison beginning in 1965 because he was a labor union activist whose group the military claimed was affiliated with the indonesian communist party he was never put on trial and denies any wrongdoing
reconciliation means the 1965 survivors can be accepted and viewed as ordinary citizens he said if people know you as being a 1965 person you have nothing


things sometimes go wrong with airbags food and drugs prompting recalls it can also happen with medical devices though youd think lifesaving devices like heart defibrillators or artificial hips would be closely monitored
but the data needed to systematically and rapidly identify dangerous medical devices are not routinely collected in the united states
it wouldnt be that hard to do
problems with medical devices are not infrequent defibrillators implanted in nearly 200000 patients were recalled in 2011 because of a faulty part more recently the essure birth control device implanted in womens fallopian tubes has been associated with pain and deaths improper handling of duodenoscopes   used by doctors to examine the small intestine   was linked to hundreds of cases of antibiotic resistant infections in 2013 and 2014
according to a report from the brookings institution medical device problems that we know about contribute to about 3000 deaths per year in the united states there may be many more we do not know about because we do not track medical device use the way we track prescription drugs for quality and safety codes that uniquely identify prescribed drugs are routinely included in medical claims data   such as those made public by the medicare program these can be mined for signals of problems
instead for medical devices we rely on a passive system thats not up to the task hospitals nursing homes and medical device manufacturers and importers are required to notify the food and drug administration of device safety problems doctors nurses and other health care professionals are not the fda has characterized the data collected through these channels as potentially incomplete inaccurate untimely unverified or biased
reflecting this haphazard approach a senate report released this year accused olympus a japanese manufacturer of contaminated duodenoscopes of delayed reporting of known problems and chided the fda for its lethargic investigation of them the report also found that none of the hospitals where problems surfaced properly documented them experts convened by the fda excoriated the manufacturer of the essure birth control device for not collecting data that could have detected its risks
the solution seems simple do for devices what we do for drugs the fda has established the sentinel initiative to mine medical data to confirm or clear suspected problematic drugs for example one inquiry confirmed reports of intestinal problems associated with an antihypertensive drug another investigated whether a new anticoagulant drug was associated with a higher risk of bleeding than others
we cant have a sentinel initiative for medical devices in the united states because unique device identifiers are not required to be included in standardized medical claims data though claims reveal what procedure is performed on which patient they do not indicate what exact devices were used   like which of the dozens of makes and models of artificial hip was implanted in a hip replacement there are plans to make it easier for hospitals to use their electronic records to track which devices are used in which patients but those records are not standardized   as claims data are   and do not fully integrate with those from other systems severely limiting their use for surveillance and patient safety
other nations have detected issues with such monitoring systems before american doctors and patients were probably aware of them for instance systems in australia and england and wales led to the discovery of problems with metal on metal artificial hip joints before the fda called for a review of them and they were recalled in the united states a swedish system associated early drug coated stents with increased risk of death compared with conventional bare metal stents
high risk medical devices already include unique identifiers and bar codes similar to those on drug packaging and suitable for tracking in the coming years other devices will include them as well some members of congress favor including device identifiers in medical claims and fda commissioner robert califf supports the approach peter orszag the former director of the office of management and budget reported in a bloomberg view column last year that many medical societies insurers and health care providers support it as well
not everyone agrees the american hospital association and marilyn tavenner while she was administrator for the centers for medicare and medicaid services expressed concerns citing higher costs
the price tag for a medical device surveillance system that relies on such data is about 50 million a year this does not include the one time costs hospitals would have to pay to adapt to the system even at a multiple of the price however if it saved only a few tens of lives   and chances are it would save many more than that   it would be considered cost effective the defective defibrillators cost medicare an estimated 287 million the inspector general of the department of health and human services daniel levinson says that faulty medical devices have cost taxpayers billions of dollars
a significant limitation of medical surveillance systems is that their findings rely on correlations that may not be indicative of causation however as i and steven pizer a northeastern university health economist noted in the american journal of managed care the point of such surveillance is to use a large amount of data to detect problems missed by more rigorous but necessarily smaller randomized trials statistical techniques can increase confidence that correlations from surveillance systems imply a causal relationship when they really do or cast doubt when they dont
medical devices are intended to cure but some may cause harm were not collecting the data that would help us know the difference


hong kong   chinas slowdown which has cast a shadow over the global economy and worried investors around the world stems in part from a deep slump in its crucial property market
now that slump appears to be easing as construction cranes return in some cities and real estate offices in some of the best neighborhoods fill up again with buying customers
prices for new homes in the countrys biggest cities are rising sharply led by the southern boomtown of shenzhen where prices jumped a staggering 62 percent in march compared with the same period a year earlier according to official data released on monday
the real estate resurgence comes as growth across the rest of the economy is slowing providing a welcome and significant boost some economists estimate property accounts for as much as a quarter of chinas gross domestic product
but the figures also provide more evidence that china is increasingly a two track economy something premier li keqiang himself has nodded to as the gap between winning and losing industries and regions has become increasingly pronounced
that raises the risk that the rebound is too narrow to be sustainable   it is concentrated in chinas biggest and richest cities   and that it will not outgrow the huge oversupply of unsold homes that haunts chinas smaller and farther flung metropolises
the sharp price increases make it difficult for policy makers to justify further economic stimulus they also raise the risk that the government could face complaints from urbanites getting priced out of the housing market
people living in major cities increasingly find property prices unaffordable said raymond yeung china economist at the australia and new zealand banking group
although the pickup of the property sector helps stabilize economic growth it will also restrain the central banks appetite for further monetary policy easing mr yeung added
analysts noted that the current uptick in prices had been helped by illegal financing in which sales agents or other third parties provide loans to cover down payments that practice recently prompted a crackdown by the authorities
according to data released on saturday real estate is now the fastest growing component of chinas economy in the first three months of the year the sectors contribution to gross domestic product rose 91 percent from the level of a year earlier financial services by contrast grew 81 percent   only half as fast as during the peak of the stock market boom last year
the rebound has meant brisk business for people like wu chao a manager at a branch office of maitian a popular beijing real estate agency
in an interview on monday at his sales office shuangjing an affluent area in central beijing with a nice view of the main business district and a short walk to an international school mr wu explained some of the main reasons for the property price rally
nearly all of the factors cited by mr wu involved changes in or market reactions to government policy those included restrictions on home purchases in beijing by nonresidents the annual meeting last month of the national legislature the official end of the one child policy and recent central bank actions
most wealthy chinese prefer not to borrow for home purchases settling the deals in cash instead but mr wu said a round of interest rate cuts had made mortgages increasingly attractive
even very rich people sometimes would not pay the full amount he said of this trend they will take advantage of loans to buy homes
still some economists doubt the recent rally can be sustained for much longer
zhao yang the chief china economist at nomura in hong kong pointed to the huge supply of homes either still under construction or completed but unsold he calculates that floor space under construction is enough to supply more than six years worth of sales
the sector still faces long term destocking pressures mr zhao wrote on monday in an email
a turnaround in the governments policy stance is also a factor as it seeks to limit the risk that the market could deflate in a messy fashion
during this round of price surge there are signs of bubble factors mr zhao wrote the government has started to roll out policies to rein in the increase of housing prices


the election of a president of the united states isnt just democracy in circuslike action it also may be at its core the most elaborate and expensive recruitment and hiring process that mankind has ever created
you can think of a presidential election as being like a particularly large companys search for a chief executive in this case the search costs a couple of billion dollars the amount that will be expended on campaigns has a hiring committee of 127 million people the number of voters last cycle and is covered at every turn by virtually every media organization on earth
what then can the latest evidence about best hiring practices tell us about the election in which hiring the best employee has particularly high stakes good news the answers might just make you feel a little better about american democracy
in the last several years there has been a lot of evidence both from academic work and from companies that approach recruitment analytically that traditional job interviews arent particularly good tools for identifying the best employees
one conclusion its a bad idea to hire someone primarily based on a job interview or on a managers gut instinct some people perform better when being interviewed but that seems to be a self contained skill it doesnt tell you much about whether a person would be a good software engineer or accountant
interviewers are likely to feel they are getting useful information from unstructured interviews even when they are useless concluded a 2013 article in the academic journal judgment and decision making our simple recommendation for those who make screening decisions is not to use them wrote jason dana robyn dawes and nathanial peterson
major companies have come to the same conclusion google long had a reputation for putting job candidates through multiple interviews and asking potential employees brain teaser type questions to see how they responded not anymore
we looked at tens of thousands of interviews and everyone who had done the interviews and what they scored the candidate and how that person ultimately performed in their job googles chief human resources executive laszlo bock told the new york times in 2013 we found zero relationship its a complete random mess
maybe the search committee for the next president   that is every american voter   shouldnt put too much weight on what they see in unstructured press interviews with candidates i argue that speeches and debate performances fit the same pattern in that they are performances that dont tell you a ton about how a person would perform in the vast portion of the presidency that takes place off camera
so what does work google found that structured interviews in which applicants are asked uniform concrete questions were helpful
and a large body of work suggests that tests and simulations can give particularly useful information about how a person will perform on the job
economists looked at data from firms employing low skill workers in which some managers had the discretion to hire the employees they thought were the best fit while others relied on a performance test those hired with tests alone stayed in the jobs 15 percent longer than those chosen by managers a sign they were a better match and in an experiment with british doctors a daylong series of simulations such as interaction with an actor playing a sick patient more accurately predicted their future performance than a 90 minute test
plenty of companies in a wide range of fields have embraced the idea consulting firms like mckinsey have long hired bright young mbas in part by giving them a case study of a business challenge and asking them a series of questions about how they would approach the problem
if tests and simulations are the way to go in picking an employee what does that mean for picking a president
perhaps the ideal scenario would be to put ted cruz and donald trump and hillary clinton and bernie sanders through a simulation in which they must jump between persuading a member of congress to vote for a highway bill and conducting an arms control negotiation
that wont happen anytime soon but in a weird way we might be seeing a version of exactly that simulation
what are the qualities it takes to be a successful president he or she needs to be good at hiring and trusting the right people making constant big decisions with limited information and often while exhausted setting the right big picture strategy and knowing when to stick with it as circumstances change and when to make tactical adjustments
if you look at it that way running a presidential campaign starts to look like exactly the kind of simulation of being president that our search committee needs to pick a president
the leading candidates in this campaign come from very different backgrounds two senators a former secretary of state and a businessman which makes it hard to judge them against one another but right now were seeing an apples to apples comparison in how they run a campaign
is the campaign disciplined and well run displaying the aforementioned mix of smart big picture strategy and clever tactical choices does the candidate hire skilled employees and put trust in people who are competent does the candidate have the kind of stamina to put in the long hours of campaigning or does that person get tired and say the wrong thing or make bad decisions
its easy to criticize the length of american campaigns and the complexity of the system by which delegates are selected to choose each partys nominee but in a weird way the duration and complexity of the task make campaigns an even better hiring test just as a daylong simulation was a better way to judge the competence of british doctors than a 90 minute test a long campaign gives more time for a person to flunk the simulation by making bad strategic decisions listening to bad advice or saying something stupid
in early 2008 a person would have had plenty of reason to be skeptical about whether barack obama who had served in the senate for about three years and had never run anything larger than his senate office had the leadership chops to run the entire federal government the fact that he ran his primary campaign more effectively than mrs clinton was one piece of evidence that he did
the american campaign system has evolved over the years without any master plan but whenever you groan about yet another state primary or long debate look at it this way if you were on the search committee to hire a ceo you would want the longest hardest simulation you could get and in your role on this very large search committee thats exactly what youre getting


hong kong   an american labor union is pushing the united states to impose broad steep tariffs on aluminum imports using a little used but wide ranging trade law that has riled the countrys trading partners in the past
the effort by the united steelworkers union comes with trade increasingly an election year issue in the united states and elsewhere more than three quarters of the united states aluminum smelting industry that existed five years ago will have been idled or shut down by this summer as imports have surged according to the unions legal petition
the union blames chinas rising exports though if successful its effort would also affect american imports from canada and many other countries
the unions law firm on monday filed a petition covering raw aluminum imports with an american trade panel the petition invokes section 201 of the 1974 trade act the section was last invoked by president george w bush in 2001 to start a legal process that led to american tariffs on steel imports the following year
a section 201 case covers essentially all imports of a product from all over the world that makes it more substantial than anti subsidy and anti dumping cases against imports from a single country the european union objected to president bushs use of section 201 which resulted in american tariffs on a wide range of steel products until the administration dropped them in late 2003
but section 201 cases are also harder to win they require proof that a domestic industry has been seriously injured by imports a harder test than the mere proof of injury from imports that is required for other trade cases
terence p stewart the managing partner of the law firm stewart and stewart and the lead lawyer on the aluminum case contended that raw aluminum could meet the test the domestic industry is disappearing before our eyes he said quick relief and addressing the underlying imbalance between global supply and demand are essential if we are going to have any industry left
the union also argues that aluminum is important to national defense because it is widely used in military equipment
section 201 cases are reviewed by the united states international trade commission a bipartisan quasi judicial group of trade experts in washington the commission then makes a recommendation within two to six months to the president who makes the final decision on whether to impose tariffs the law allows government officials industries or unions to file claims
presidents have almost always followed the commissions advice although president carter turned down a recommendation for tariffs on stainless steel flatware in 1978 and president george hw bush rejected a recommendation for tariffs on extruded rubber threads in 1992 the office of the united states trade representative declined to comment on the unions contentions
china which already produces more than half the worlds aluminum is expanding capacity even as its economy decelerates the result has been a surge in exports and falling prices for aluminum
chinese exports of aluminum jumped more than 27 percent in the past two years chinese customs figures show
a spokesman for the government affiliated china aluminum association who gave his family name as zeng said aluminums increasing use in high speed railway equipment aerospace and electronics justified chinas expanding production capacity and rising exports
smelters in canada and elsewhere having been displaced in their traditional international markets have stepped up shipments of raw aluminum to the united states american imports of raw aluminum from canada the biggest supplier jumped 10 percent by tonnage last year united states customs data shows
other factors are influencing the aluminum trade alcoa the main aluminum smelting company in the united states has announced the closing of a series of smelting operations in the united states while relying more on production in canada iceland and saudi arabia as part of what it describes as an effort to improve overall efficiency in a statement it said alcoa has a long history of cooperation with the us government we havent seen the petition and look forward to reviewing it
exports to the united states are an important source of employment in china and chinese officials have been increasingly concerned about donald j trumps populist appeals for a tougher trade policy including a steep tariff on goods from china finance minister lou jiwei of china told the wall street journal during a visit to washington in the past week that imposing such a tariff would violate world trade organization rules


montague mass   think of all the dogs out there labradors and poodles and labradoodles huskies and westies and dogues de bordeaux pit bulls and spaniels and lovable mutts that go to doggy day care
add them up all the pet dogs on the planet and you get about 250 million
but there are about a billion dogs on earth according to some estimates the other 750 million dont have flea collars and they certainly dont have humans who take them for walks and pick up their feces they are called village dogs street dogs and free breeding dogs among other things and they haunt the garbage dumps and neighborhoods of most of the world
in their new book what is a dog raymond and lorna coppinger argue that if you really want to understand the nature of dogs you need to know these other animals the vast majority are not strays or lost pets the coppingers say but rather superbly adapted scavengers   the closest living things to the dogs that first emerged thousands of years ago
other scientists disagree about the genetics of the dogs but acknowledge that three quarters of a billion dogs are well worth studying
the coppingers have been major figures in canine science for decades raymond coppinger was one of the founding professors at hampshire college in amherst and he and lorna a biologist and science writer have done groundbreaking work on sled dogs herding dogs sheep guarding dogs and the origin and evolution of dogs
weve done everything together he said recently as they sat on the porch of the house they built set on about 100 acres of land and talked at length about dogs village and otherwise and the roots of their deep interest in the animals
both had dogs as children lorna had several kinds an uncle brought ray his first dog a pup from a female that hung around a loading ramp at a chemical plant in cambridge mass he lived to be 17   he looked like any other village dog in the world he said after they graduated from boston university where they were both undergraduates in the late 1950s they continued to keep them
i gave her a dog for a graduation present he said it was reputedly a collie shepherd mix
after they both graduated they moved to the amherst area where lorna taught russian and received a masters degree in wildlife biology and ray pursued a phd in zoology both at the university of massachusetts they did field studies together but on different subjects and then dove deeply into the canine world
a neighbor raced sled dogs and one thing led to another until dr coppinger started racing them himself and they had a hundred dogs housed in cement dens on a hill behind his house in 1969 he joined hampshire college as part of the founding faculty and continued researching energy expenditure in the dogs he also developed a winning strain by hybridizing alaskan village dogs with border collies
for the first time in their lives together the coppingers are now without any dogs at home and they talk with some nostalgia more about the bad dogs than the good like jane
worst dog i ever had dr coppinger said i could tell you a thousand bad stories about jane
but he said put her on a mountain pass behind 3000 sheep and shed worry them all the way up the mountain and pick up the strays and everything
they dont miss having dogs by the score but ms coppinger said i miss the pet dogs the last who died in 2013 was poppyseed shackleton a jack russell terrier who belonged to their grandchildren but lived with them
one benefit however is that they are enjoying observing a flood of wildlife that avoided their land when so many dogs were around   vultures foxes deer and other animals
in the early 1970s they began studying sheep guarding dogs and traveled around the world finding dogs that sheep herders used they brought some home and helped develop the anatolian shepherd breed in the united states and started a livestock guarding dog project at hampshire to study how effective dogs were in protecting sheep and other livestock
in 2001 their book dogs a startling new understanding of canine origin behavior  evolution challenged the way scientists thought about the beginnings of dogs
they argued against the widely held view that one day a hunter gatherer grabbed a wolf pup from a den and started a breeding program instead they argued dogs domesticated themselves
some wild canines started hanging around humans for their leftovers and gradually evolved into scavengers dependent on humans not everyone in canine science shares that view today but many researchers think it is the most plausible route to domestication
during their travels over the years   to look for sheepdogs to introduce them to sheep farmers who hadnt used dogs to attend conferences   they noticed dogs in the street wherever they went and after a while they began to think about the dogs lives
they were so much more interesting than what wed ever done before dr coppinger said here were animals that had their own unique kind of social behaviors so we started to study them
that was in the early 1990s he worked with luigi boitani of la sapienza university of rome who was studying urban dogs that lived off garbage i taught classes in the mexico city dump dr coppinger said and the coppingers continued to observe village dogs around the world
they argue in their new book that these dogs are not mongrels or strays as is often assumed some lost pets do wander into groups of village dogs but by and large these dogs are much the same around the world whether in africa mongolia china or the americas
dr coppinger said he was once told by a navajo sheep herder that a good herding dog was not too big and not too small which perfectly describes village dogs too they are larger in colder climates but in the tropics he said a 30 pound lion colored dog is the norm
they are completely polygamous there can be as many fathers to a litter of puppies as there are puppies to a litter dr coppinger said and after about 10 weeks the puppies fend for themselves most of the pups dont survive as is the case with many wild animals
they have remarkably varied connections to human beings some live completely on their own at dumps some are neighborhood dogs recognized and perhaps given handouts by people who live in a certain area others may feed and breed on their own but spend nights at the homes of people sometimes they are adopted by people but really dr coppinger says it is the dogs who adopt humans
the number of dogs that can survive in a city or a neighborhood or at a dump is determined by the available garbage the coppingers calculated that in the tropics it takes about 100 people to produce enough garbage to support seven free living dogs
there is precious little funding for studying these dogs except in the context of preventing rabies which is an enormous problem with close to 60000 human deaths a year mostly from dog bites but some scientists have tracked their behavior sunil k pal in india has studied them and written a number of papers on their social lives and behavior
the coppingers were joined for the recent conversation at their home by kathryn lord a former student of dr coppinger and now a researcher at hampshire college who studies the development and reproductive behavior of dogs including village dogs she shared her insights on what makes a dog a dog and not a wolf for example wolf puppies depend on their parents and other adults regurgitating partly digested food
this is all but lost in dogs she said it does happen but reports suggest that in village dogs it may occur several times a week
among wolves in the wild she said its seven times a day and it is an uncontrollable reflex in one experiment she tried testing adult wolves by putting them into a pen with unrelated pups after a big steak meal
theyd actually run around with their heads in the air to avoid the puppies she said eventually theyd lose their lunch at which point they would run off and let the youngsters have at it
the point the coppingers and dr lord make about these behaviors is not that dogs are somehow less caring or noble than wolves but how perfectly adapted they are to the lives they lead
they dont need to be big and strong to bring down prey they dont need the kind of parental care and hunting instruction that wolf pups get as dr lord said dog pups dont need to catch and kill anything they need to walk up to a rotten melon and eat it which they can do at 10 weeks
puppies after they are weaned cannot compete with adults so unless disease or dogcatchers have put a dent in the adult population most of them starve they have a true superpower in reserve however that can help them escape their fate they can convince a human to feed them
dr coppinger recalled a woman in south africa who had many dogs in and around her house he asked her how it happened that she had so many dogs i dont know he recalled the woman saying they just keep coming
but what are village dogs are they a breed or a superbreed apart or are they just a mixture of many breeds with origins too messy to trace
adam boyko a biologist at the cornell university college of veterinary medicine who was inspired to pursue canine science by the coppingers 2001 book has also compiled dna from village dogs around the world one of his research papers concluded that village dogs in mongolia are at the center of dog diversity that suggests that they are geographically nearest to the place where dogs first evolved
other evidence has suggested that dogs originated in europe or china however and dr boyko is one of a number of participants in a major study being led by greger larson at oxford to use ancient dna and fossils to clear up some of the confusion about the origins of dogs
and other village dogs seem to have different genetic makeup for example dr boyko and his colleagues analyzed dna samples from village dogs on remote islands in fiji and french polynesia that he hoped would show a historical pattern of migration as people and their dogs moved from place to place
almost without exception the dogs were 99 percent european he said meaning their ancestors were dogs on european ships that came to pacific islands ages ago dogs in other places like borneo he said show almost no trace of european breeds
in a study published last fall wieslaw bogdanowicz at the polish academy of sciences in warsaw led an international team of scientists in analyzing the dna of free breeding dogs in eurasia he concluded that these dogs were different from purebreds and mixed breeds
i would like to call them a superbreed he said
he also found that modern european street dogs trace their ancestry to east asian dogs that migrated with humans to europe earlier studies place that migration sometime between 4000 and 11000 years ago
beyond that however lies the ultimate origin of dogs which is still clouded in mystery the consensus among scientists is that dogs evolved from ancient wolves perhaps ones not found in the fossil record 15000 or more years ago
dr coppinger has suggested that dogs evolved after the invention of agriculture perhaps around 8000 years ago and that todays village dogs are the closest to these first dogs but this idea has little support from other scientists
the coppingers main goal is to draw attention to the worlds vast majority of dogs that are hidden in plain sight they represent a treasure trove of scientific information
although the coppingers recognize the social cost of animals that are unvaccinated and running free they argue that killing the dogs as some countries do during rabies epidemics does not help its impossible to kill them all and because they breed rapidly the population quickly rebounds
nor do the coppingers have any sympathy for rescue groups that as dr coppinger puts it kidnap and mutilate street dogs from the caribbean and elsewhere to bring them to american shelters to live as pets where they are made totally dependent and entirely restricted this is supposed to benefit the dogs but dr coppinger argues that they are taken from a rich social environment with many dogs to lives of relative isolation
what to do the coppingers suggest a simple answer one way or another village dogs depend on garbage if society wants fewer dogs in the street theres a surefire solution
less garbage


sydney australia   the actress amber heard avoided jail time after a court appearance on monday over allegations that she had illegally brought two dogs into australia last year violating the countrys quarantine laws while visiting her husband the actor johnny depp
ms heard pleaded guilty in southport magistrates court in queensland to providing false information on her incoming passenger card after she and the dogs had landed on the gold coast on april 21 2015 to visit mr depp he was there filming the fifth movie in the pirates of the caribbean series
prosecutors dropped more serious charges against ms heard that claimed that she had illegally imported the dogs yorkshire terriers named pistol and boo which could have resulted in a two year jail term and a fine of 20000 australian dollars or about 15350 the couple also produced a video acknowledging their transgression and urging others to obey the law which is intended to prevent the spread of rabies and other diseases
ms heard acknowledged that she had disembarked from her private jet without declaring the dogs which arrived with her
her lawyer jeremy kirk said ms heard 29 thought that mr depps staff had handled the paperwork for the pets she was sleep deprived and exhausted he said
mr depp and ms heard appeared in the local courthouse where hers was just one of more than 200 cases listed for the day fans some with dogs dressed for the occasion lined the sidewalk hoping to see the celebrities
in court the couple handed over their video australia is a wonderful island with a treasure trove of unique animals plants and people ms heard said
the dogs came to the attention of the authorities after a groomer posted photographs of them on social media in may by then they had been in the country for around three weeks the agriculture minister barnaby joyce told mr depp that unless the dogs were taken out of the country within 72 hours they would be euthanized
like many countries australia requires that animals be placed in quarantine upon arrival
if we start letting movie stars   even though they have been the sexiest man alive twice   to come into our nation with pets said mr joyce now the deputy prime minister then why dont we just break the laws for everybody the dogs he said should return to the united states
the couple returned to california but publicly criticized the australian government as being overly zealous setting off a controversy that the local news media called the war on terrier


maggie haberman a new york times political correspondent has devoted her journalistic career to two irresistible subjects politics and new york city at age 7 her first byline appeared in the daily news it has now been published in all three new york dailies
a native of the upper west side who lives in the crown heights section of brooklyn she has covered 10 election cycles from mayoral contests to presidential campaigns including the 2016 race which turns to new york on tuesday for its primary join us for live primary updates
there have been pickles and pizzas jeering crowds and pushy selfie seekers and dashes out to coney island for hot dogs alongside scruffy bearded rock stars
campaigns in new york feel at times like a movable feast with candidates gorging on local specialties as they move along city sidewalks shaking hands and trying to avoid dripping grease on their shirts
and this presidential race which once seemed so distant has taken on a distinctly new york character in the prelude to tuesdays primary and not just in its greasy diet the campaign has captivated world weary new yorkers drawing tens of thousands out of their homes from the south bronx to staten island to take in what this city relishes a big show
do women like trump donald j trump asked two female fans wearing make america great again ball caps on sunday as he posed for a picture with them on staten island
mr trump who is heavily favored here in tuesdays primary was holding one of his few official campaign events in the city and the two trump fans who said they could not reveal their names because it would imperil their jobs were ready for the occasion
mr trump smiled as he stood for the snapshot with them quietly murmuring that the giddy women and another man who pushed himself into the photograph needed to pipe down a bit
no matter they were very happy to have met the leading republican candidate he let us know that he loves us too one of the women gushed
mr trump was greeted like a hometown hero on staten island outside the hilton garden inn where he was to give a speech the line to get in snaked for over 50 yards in the parking lot about 1000 people made it inside
mr trump seemed thrilled to be in the borough if a little fuzzy on its charms asked by a reporter to identify his favorite local pizza place he responded that there are a lot of them he had worked on staten island as a youngster for four summers he told the assembled press corps   although ever the salesman he increased it to probably five summers by the time he spoke to the staten island crowd in the next room his lowly job collecting coins from laundry machines at one of his fathers buildings
watching mr trump take the stage in that ballroom with people standing on chairs to hear him was a reminder of why he is doing so well in the republican primary the borough is an enclave of working class voters police officers and firefighters
and setting aside his gilded towers and gold plated airplane belt buckles mr trump talks and sounds more like his working class fans than the citys last republican mayor michael r bloomberg i once watched mr bloomberg draw cringes from a staten island crowd when he joked that he was the only politician present not to have a vowel at the end of his name
the battle for brooklyn between hillary clinton and senator bernie sanders of vermont is intense and mrs clinton is counting on her deep support in the boroughs african american neighborhoods to offset mr sanderss popularity among white liberals at a block party in the bedford stuyvesant section on sunday she was praised by representative james e clyburn a civil rights leader who traveled from his home state south carolina for the occasion
there has not been an election in his lifetime mr clyburn told the crowd of about 200 people waiting in the hot sun thats going to be more consequential than this one
finally mrs clinton arrived and climbed the steps up to the bed of a red pickup truck that was being used as a stage hello brooklyn in the house and on the street mrs clinton called out to the crowd
the former secretary of state is comfortably ahead in the polls here and she seems to be enjoying hopscotching around the state she represented for eight years in the senate
but for all the warmhearted reminiscences mrs clinton has something to fear from mr sanders on tuesday around the time she visited bedford stuyvesant thousands gathered for a rally for mr sanders in prospect park the pristine patch of green wedged between lower income crown heights and upscale park slope the actor danny devito led the cheerful crowd in chants of bernie bernie and someone handed out copies of a fake newspaper with a banner headline reading a vote for hillary clinton is a vote for donald trump
the sanders campaign said the crowd reached 28300 a record for its rallies
if you live here and have yet to see a candidate you still have time while the republicans hold events on monday in maryland western new york and upstate gov john r kasich of ohio will visit schenectady the city most likely to be misspelled by reporters the democrats are around
mr sanders will hold a rally at hunters point south park in queens on monday evening for which doors open at 5 pm and mrs clinton will address one of her core constituencies   women   at the new york hilton midtown doors open at noon


as flying goes the only thing more uncomfortable than sitting next to a couple having a spat on an airplane maury rogoff learned is sitting between that couple   especially when one partner prefers bare feet
ms rogoff who owns a public relations firm with offices in new york and florida and travels frequently discovered what a growing number of travelers now know the middle seat has become the third rail of flying   and it is getting harder to avoid
as planes fly at record capacity and new cabin configurations squeeze in ever more passengers airlines are intentionally or not nudging fliers into paying extra to avoid drawing the proverbial short straw
i was literally in the middle of their argument ms rogoff said it was just that awful her discomfort was magnified when the husband kicked off his shoes and crossed his legs thrusting a bare foot into ms rogoffs space
her entreaties with his wife to swap seats fell on deaf ears of course she had no interest because it was middle and because it was a smelly foot ms rogoff said
for travelers like ms rogoff airlines are making it harder than ever to avoid the middle seat based on luck alone
southwest which does not assign seats raised the price of an early boarding pass to 15 from 1250 last month for those who do not pay up it is a mad rush when online check in opens 24 hours before the flight
delta air lines basic economy fare introduced last year does not allow seat assignments to be made until after check in   when higher paying customers have had a chance to claim window and aisle seats
american airlines and united airlines plan to introduce similar fares this year neither would confirm whether selecting a seat would be one of the perks eliminated but one airline analyst said it was likely given the competition legacy airlines face from low fare carriers
its a way to compete said max rayner a partner at hudson crossing a consulting firm in new york if you want to go at premium times there will be far fewer seats available at the lower end of prices
mr rayner suggested that this shift in pricing models wasnt necessarily a bad thing saying it could be a boon for the most price sensitive customers you can think of it actually as opening up choice he said you just want basic transportation   sure here it is
but the crunch has left some travelers taking extreme measures to avoid getting stuck in the middle
fliers said they have offered fellow travelers money or drinks to switch seats paid the fee to upgrade to a premium or exit row feigned illness or switched flights some travelers even report buying two seats just to have an empty one next to them
dr sachin shridharani a plastic surgeon in new york found himself on an overbooked flight back from san diego and a middle seat was the only one available
i told them id be willing to take another flight he said ill pretty much do just about anything to avoid sitting in that notorious infamous middle seat
the trade off was to wait in the airport for four hours but dr shridharani said it was worth it so he could work on the way home you cant have someone looking over your shoulder he said
in the end analysts say airlines are selling a form of real estate but they are trading in square inches not square feet
people buy work space thats really what they buy on board said robert w mann jr an airline industry consultant some of those configurations may not give you enough room for example to take out a laptop and use it productively
one carrier though has tried to address the issue frontier airlines recently installed new seats on its airbus a319 and a320 planes with the middle seats about an inch wider than the window and aisle seats
but for most passengers the tight squeeze continues and business travelers say counting on their frequent flier status to avoid the middle seat is no longer a sure thing
you cant show up at the airport hoping to talk your way into an upgrade said mark jeffries a corporate speaker and author you dont see free seats anymore
mr jeffries said he sometimes buys two seats   a window or aisle and a middle its cheaper than buying a business  or first class ticket on a legacy carrier he said
we find that people will pay for premium economy or any kind of seat assignment if theyre traveling solo to avoid the middle seat said julia douglas owner and president of jet set world travel in chicago some travelers will spend hundreds of dollars more she added
another approach is to appeal to another traveler there have been instances where ive bought someone an upgrade said michael winston who used to travel once or twice a week while working in management consulting at times he said he had resorted to bargaining with seatmates to avoid the middle seat
it is not an uncommon transaction frequent travelers say with cash upgrades and cocktails all serving as forms of currency but that is assuming that the seats are available
last year airline capacity again hit a record high just shy of 85 percent meaning that a lot of flights are full
and that leaves flight attendants and travel agents acting as de facto referees for games of midair musical chairs the excuses passengers use to avoid the middle seat are many they say
long legs is always one ms douglas said she then listed the most common complaints claustrophobia a need for frequent trips to the bathroom flight induced panic attacks and a penchant for airsickness
i dont know if any of them are truly medically founded she said i just think its anxiety about being in that middle seat
of all the excuses genuine or exaggerated the one that seems most effective is the threat of gastrointestinal distress
william bauer who travels frequently as an executive at a manufacturer of leather goods said that hinting at a medical need for quick access to the bathroom usually prompted either gate agents or fellow passengers to make the switch for him
make it clear that you need that aisle seat really convey a compelling sense of urgency he said thus far ive never been rejected
on one recent flight though the tables were turned when mr bauer found himself on the receiving end of a plea to swap seats on a cross country red eye flight
there was a woman i gave up my aisle seat for because she cried he said if you cry you win


wilson silva said he knew the homeless situation at pennsylvania station had grown out of hand when he found a man in raggedy clothing sleeping on a couch inside the shop he manages drago shoe repair in the rail terminals upper level
theres more homeless in the station than ever before   every day we get new faces mr silva 59 said as he watched his staff polish and buff the shoes on a row of well dressed commuters
i try to help them but they harass the customers and the police cant do anything said mr silva whose shop looks out on dozens of homeless men and women who live in a waiting area for new jersey transit passengers
at new york citys major transit hubs   its two railroad stations the main bus terminal and its two airports   the persistence of homeless people seeking shelter among the blur of travelers has become a familiar sight while the concentration of homeless people is uneven   relatively small numbers at la guardia and kennedy airports and larger populations at penn station grand central terminal and the port authority bus terminal   they are a manifestation of an intractable homelessness problem in the city
for us the terminal is a default shelter said phil mellor 55 who said he had largely relied on grand central for shelter since he lost his job as a security guard several years ago and his life began spiraling downward now he said he survives on what the tourists throw out and spends nights sleeping on the no 6 train when the terminal is closed the stations dining concourse on the lower level with its popular food kiosks and ample seating attracts diners as well as several dozen homeless people
at penn station the busiest public transportation center in north america serving more than 600000 passengers a day some homeless people panhandle from amtrak customers waiting for high speed trains to washington and boston others sell loosies individual cigarettes to one another outside an entrance on seventh avenue and others try to nap on benches alongside waiting passengers at the port authority bus terminal homeless people fan out seeking corners and little used corridors to sleep without being rousted by police officers
this ad hoc shelter system has endured for decades with homeless people staying months or even years against the waves of purposeful travelers and suburban commuters they sprawl on floors of cold tile lit by the glare of fluorescent lights with a constant soundtrack of final call departures they tote all they own in inelegant bags and pass the hours in cavernous passages between track gates or bus bays many seem to be grappling with mental health issues
their presence in some of the countrys busiest transit hubs recalls a far grittier time in the city when violent crime was rampant and transportation stations were crowded with many more homeless people
like many who live on the streets the people in these hubs are what advocates describe as chronically resistant to offers of services especially beds in shelters which many homeless people say have too many rules and are rife with danger indeed the citys shelter system has been rocked by several episodes of violence recently including the murders of six residents this year
new york city officials say about 58000 people are living in shelters and that an estimated 3000 sleep on the streets or in the subways every night the city does not have jurisdiction over the transit hubs but officials from the department of homeless services participate in monthly meetings to discuss the issue with the transportation agencies that run the terminals their law enforcement officials and homeless advocates
mayor bill de blasio has made tackling homelessness a top priority improving security at shelters expanding outreach to those living on the street and moving to increase transitional housing
michael polenberg vice president for government affairs at safe horizon a group that works with homeless youths said the citys transit terminals have become shelters out of necessity
there arent a whole lot of options available mr polenberg said adding that the plan to open more supportive housing could help ease the problem
its all going to help but its not going to help tonight or tomorrow he said these things take time to get up and running
nightly counts of the homeless people at penn station tally about 70 people rising to 90 on particularly cold nights said muzzy rosenblatt the executive director of the bowery residents committee which is contracted by the metropolitan transportation authority to offer shelter placements and other services to homeless people at penn station and grand central no census is taken at grand central he said
though mr rosenblatt said his group was limited by the number of available beds the number of homeless people in transit terminals who have been placed in shelters or rehabilitation psychiatric and other programs has increased over the last two years
last year 357 people were placed out of grand central mr rosenblatt said compared with 292 in 2014 and 742 were placed last year from penn station compared with 579 in 2014 he said
but given how widespread homelessness has become mr rosenblatt said as soon as someone leaves the terminal somebody else is going to take their place
port authority officials said they do not conduct a homeless census at the bus terminal but instead monitor the interactions of outreach teams from urban pathways a group contracted to address homeless issues that offers shelter and other services the number of daily interactions has declined by more than 20 percent over the past year officials at the authority said
the situation at the two airports in queens is somewhat different because they are not as easy to reach and they have tended to attract fewer homeless people
the news media including the new york post described several dozen homeless people staying in la guardia in december but in january the port authority which runs the airports started limiting the main terminal to passengers with tickets between midnight and 4 am and now far fewer people remain
one is christine a woman in her 60s who said she had been waiting at the airport for several months to save enough money to buy a plane ticket so she could move to florida mike 38 a california native said he had been living in the airport for five years passing the days walking constantly through the main terminal mike and christine refused to give their surnames
in the past officials were often able to push homeless people out by setting strict rules and finding reasons to remove them but over the years advocates and civil rights groups have successfully challenged attempts to oust or block homeless people calling those efforts discriminatory and selective law enforcement
today all parties accept that transit terminals are public spaces that homeless people have as much right to occupy as anyone else provided they follow regulations
restrictions must be enforced for all terminal users not just for people who some members of the public dont want to interact with said tina luongo a lawyer with the legal aid society
as mr rosenblatt put it we dont segregate public space by wealth
homeless people must leave grand central and the bus terminal around midnight when the stations close for several hours penn station is open 24 hours but many homeless people there said they were not allowed to sleep on the floor or on benches overnight
the solution for many is to hop on a subway train said caryll corlear 48 a homeless man who called penn station the nicest pit stop in the city he has spent most of his time at the station ever since arriving there by train from florida four years ago
its clean and safe you have bathrooms food stores and people who give you money said mr corlear who tows two large wheeled suitcases and often dresses in a t shirt and shorts since he rarely has to step outside
ive never been in a shelter but ive heard the horror stories he said
several blocks north at the port authority bus terminal a homeless man who would provide only his given name mike said he had learned to nap standing against the wall   part of his strategy to avoid ejection by port authority police officers
mike 51 who said he had stayed in the bus station for much of the eight years he has been homeless wears a dark wool overcoat and carries a suitcase which almost allows him to blend in
if they see you laying down they tell you to get the next bus out he said referring to the police
ramkarran moteelall is part of a small group of scruffy men who spend days and nights lolling on the vents at the base of a huge glass facade inside terminal 4 of kennedy airport
if you dont do nothing wrong they dont mess with you said mr moteelall 48 a guyanese immigrant who has been living at the airport since december but who walks about two miles to his old queens neighborhood to buy inexpensive meals
at grand central in a cluster of tables in the stations dining concourse one of every three or four tables on a recent weekday was taken by people who appeared to be homeless sharing the cavernous space with lunchtime office workers passengers and tourists
the homeless people foraged through trash cans including mr mellor who pulled discarded food from the garbage and ate it as he sat next to a table of teenage girls who were visiting new york to sing with their school choir at carnegie hall his meal consisted of two slices of pizza and half of a 15 strip steak from the nearby tri tip grill he washed down his scavenged meal with swigs of cheap vodka
its a survival skill   you take a sip of vodka to kill any bacteria mr mellor said
nearby a man was panhandling while holding a sign that read give me a dollar or ill vote for trump he settled into a table and starting napping next to a man in a business suit who surveyed the tables of tourists interspersed with shabbily dressed homeless people
the fact that they stay all day in a dining area i guess is not ideal but i dont see them bothering anyone said the man carlo valladares 22 of long island
another school group on a class trip from odenville ala noticed the homeless people at the food court tables
lisa mayhew a chaperone gave leftover food to some homeless people near her table
we were surprised to see so many homeless here with all the tourists and nice food places she said but i told the kids this is part of new york city


washington   the supreme court on monday seemed sharply divided during an extended argument over a challenge to president obamas plan that would shield millions of undocumented immigrants from deportation and allow them to work in the country legally
a 4 4 deadlock seemed a real possibility one that would leave in place an appeals court ruling that blocks the plan and deny mr obama the chance to revive it while he remains in office a tie vote would set no supreme court precedent and therefore would allow a renewed challenge to the plan once the court is back at full strength
chief justice john g roberts jrs questions were deeply skeptical of the administrations position they appeared to signal that he would not join the courts four more liberal members in dismissing the case on the ground that the challengers had not suffered injuries giving them standing to sue a ruling based on standing would be a victory for the administration
the case brought by texas and 25 other states could still produce a significant ruling on presidential power and immigration policy in the midst of an election campaign in which both issues have been prominent
a loss for mr obama would vindicate republican accusations that he has acted lawlessly in exceeding the limits of presidential power and has not done enough to secure the nations borders a victory for him would uphold one of the central legacies of his presidency and affect the lives of countless immigrants
solicitor general donald b verrilli jr the governments top appellate lawyer opened the arguments with a vigorous defense of mr obamas authority to set priorities for immigration enforcement
he was quickly challenged by chief justice roberts could the president grant deferred removal to every unlawfully present alien in the united states right now the chief justice asked skeptically mr verrilli said there were statutory constraints that would prevent the president from doing so
mr verrilli also argued that texas had not suffered the sort of direct and concrete injury that gave it standing to sue
the chief justice said the administration had given texas an impossible choice a real catch 22
texas says it has standing to sue because it would be costly for the state to give drivers licenses to immigrants affected by the federal policy mr verrilli said the state could simply change its law to deny drivers licenses to the immigrants
you would sue them instantly chief justice roberts responded meaning that the federal government would file a lawsuit challenging texas unequal treatment of immigrants affected by the program mr verrilli said that was probably so but that such a suit might not succeed
the answer did not seem to satisfy chief justice roberts who suggested that the choice between incurring a budget shortfall and facing a lawsuit from the federal government was enough to establish standing
justice anthony m kennedy on the other hand twice suggested that texas could have filed a different kind of lawsuit one in which its standing would not be in question
justice sonia sotomayor said that nearly 11 million unauthorized aliens are here in the shadows
theyre here whether we want them or not she said
but justice kennedy questioned whether the president can defer deportations for millions of people without specific congressional authorization
its as if the president is defining the policy and the congress is executing it justice kennedy said thats just upside down
the case united states v texas no 15 674 concerns a program intended to allow more than four million unauthorized immigrants who are the parents of citizens or of lawful permanent residents to apply for a program sparing them from deportation and providing them work permits the program announced in november 2014 was called deferred action for parents of americans and lawful permanent residents or dapa
mr verrilli told the justices that it addressed a pressing humanitarian concern in avoiding the breakup of families that contain us citizen children
justice samuel a alito jr asked if the president could simply open the nations borders mr verrilli said that was a million miles from where we are now
that comment prompted justice kennedy to jump in well its four million people from where we are now he said referring to the number of immigrants affected by mr obamas plan
what were doing is defining the limits of discretion justice kennedy said of the courts role in determining the lawfulness of the plan and it seems to me that that is a legislative not an executive act
scott a keller texas solicitor general said mr obamas plan was unprecedented and unlawful he faced skeptical questions from the courts more liberal members about whether his state had standing
justice sotomayor wondered why it would cost more to issue more drivers licenses why cant you just let people wait on line she asked
a different line for one of the coveted red tickets that allow members of the public into the supreme court for the oral arguments stretched around the block on monday some people had been camping in front of the court since friday night eager for a chance to witness history
groups of young people walked up and down the sidewalk holding banners and chanting mantras like si se puede spanish for yes we can
thomas pittman a retired firefighter and a deacon at shiloh baptist church in trenton said he was interested in the effects the case might have on the presidential race i think its going to have a major impact on the election due to the fact that trump wants to deport people and close our borders down he said referring to the republican front runner donald j trump
mr obama has said he took action after years of frustration with republicans in congress who had repeatedly refused to support bipartisan senate legislation to update immigration laws a coalition of 26 states led by texas promptly challenged the plan accusing the president of ignoring administrative procedures for changing rules and of abusing the power of his office by sidestepping congress
if the supreme court upholds mr obamas actions the white house has vowed to move quickly to set up the program and begin enrolling immigrants before his successor takes over early next year democratic presidential candidates have said they would continue the program but most of the republicans in the race have vowed to dismantle it and redouble immigration enforcement
mr keller texas lawyer acknowledged that the president has wide authority over whom to deport in this case he said given that they are removing 400000 people a year we admit that they could do forbearance from removal but what they cant do is grant authorization to be in the country
he said the states quarrel was with what he called a blanket grant of lawful presence to millions of immigrants entitling them to various benefits
mr verrilli the administrations lawyer said the term lawful presence had been misunderstood chief justice roberts asked him whether he was slicing things a little too fine
lawfully present does not mean youre legally present the chief justice asked
correct mr verrilli responded
justice alito said that response was mystifying im just talking about the english language he said i just dont understand it
but justice elena kagan said the term lawful presence was a red herring suggesting that the administration could have done the exact same thing without using that phrase


heze china   first the news rippled across china that millions of compromised vaccines had been given to children around the country then came grim rumors and angry complaints from parents that the government had kept them in the dark about the risks since last year
now the countrys immunization program faces a backlash of public distrust that critics say has been magnified by the governments ingrained secrecy
song zhendong like many parents here said he was reluctant to risk further vaccinations for his 10 month old son
if he can avoid them in the future we will not get them said mr song a businessman why didnt we learn about this sooner if theres a problem with vaccines for our kids we should be told as soon as the police knew arent our children the future of the nation
the faulty vaccines have become the latest lightning rod for widespread often visceral distrust of chinas medical system and a rebuff to what many chinese critics see as president xi jinpings bulldozing top down rule
the scandal is just the latest crisis to shake public faith in chinas food and medicine supplies but it is the first big scare under mr xi who had vowed to be different he came into office promising to make protecting the peoples right to health a priority
if our party cant even handle food safety properly while governing china and this keeps up some will wonder whether were up to the job mr xi said in 2013 the year he became president
the anger here in heze the city in the eastern province of shandong where the scandal has its roots is evident
about two million improperly stored vaccines were sold around the country from an overheated dilapidated storeroom the main suspect in the case is a hospital pharmacist from heze who had been convicted of trading in illegal vaccines in 2009 and was doing it again two years later
many parents said they were especially alarmed that nearly a year had elapsed from the time the police uncovered the illicit trade and the time the public first learned about it in february
withholding information doesnt maintain public credibility said li shuqing a lawyer in jinan the capital of shandong province who is one of about 90 attorneys who have volunteered to represent possible victims in the case in the end it makes people more distrustful
to many here the combination of lax regulation and the secrecy surrounding a potential public health crisis seems like deja vu
in the sars crisis of 2003 349 people died across mainland china and hundreds more died elsewhere after officials hid the extent of its spread in a scandal that came to light in 2008 at least six children died and 300000 fell ill with kidney stones and other problems from infant formula adulterated with melamine an industrial chemical
the customers worry about fake milk powder fake medicine fake vaccines fake everything said ma guohui the owner of a shop on the rural fringe of heze that sells baby products this is certainly going to affect peoples thinking my boy got all his vaccination shots if he were born now id worry
despite such fears the tainted vaccines are more likely to be ineffective than harmful
the world health organization has said that outdated or poorly stored vaccines rarely if ever trigger illness or toxic reactions chinese government investigators said last week that they had not found any cases of adverse reactions or spikes in infections linked to ineffective vaccines
the greater danger may be more insidious the erosion of public trust could damage chinas immunization program which has been credited with significant declines in measles and other communicable diseases
confidence is easy to shake and thats happened across the world and has happened here said lance rodewald a doctor with the world health organizations immunization program in beijing we hear through social media that parents are worried and we know that when theyre worried theres a very good chance that they may think its safer not to vaccinate than to vaccinate thats when trouble can start
after unfounded reports of deaths caused by a hepatitis b vaccine in 2013 such vaccinations across 10 provinces fell by 30 percent in the days afterward and the administration of other mandatory vaccines fell by 15 percent according to chinese health officials
the illicit vaccines in the current case were not part of chinas compulsory state financed vaccination program which inoculates children against illnesses such as polio and measles at no charge
the illegal trade dealt in so called second tier vaccines   including those for rabies influenza and hepatitis b   which patients pay for from their own pockets
the pharmacist named in the investigation pang hongwei bought cheap vaccines from drug companies and traders   apparently batches close to their expiration dates   and sold them in 23 provinces and cities according to drug safety investigators
she began the business in 2011 just two years after she had been convicted on charges of illegally trading in vaccines and sentenced to three years in prison which was reduced to five years probation officials have not explained how she was able to avoid prison and resume her business
ms pang in her late 40s and her daughter who has been identified only by her surname sun kept the vaccines in a rented storeroom of a disused factory in jinan the storeroom lacked refrigeration which may have damaged the vaccines potency the police have detained them but not announced specific charges and neither suspect has had a chance to respond publicly to the accusations
lax regulation in the second tier commercial system allowed ms pangs business to grow several medical experts said local government medical agencies and clinics were able to increase their profits by turning to cheap illegal suppliers peoples daily the official party paper reported on tuesday
police investigators discovered ms pangs storehouse last april but word did not get out to the public until a shandong news website reported on the case in february of this year most chinese had still heard nothing about it until another website the paper published a report that drew national attention a month later
it was the governments intolerance of public criticism critics said that kept the scandal under wraps a delay that now makes it harder to track those who received the suspect injections
weve seen with these problem vaccines that without the right to know without press freedom the publics right to health cant be assured said wang shengsheng one of the lawyers pressing the government for more answers and redress over the case
in the last few weeks official reticence has been supplanted by daily announcements of arrests checks and assurances as the central government has scrambled to dampen public anger and alarm
premier li keqiang ordered central ministries and agencies in march to investigate what had gone wrong
last week the investigators reported that 202 people had been detained over the scandal and 357 officials dismissed demoted or otherwise punished health and drug officials promised to tighten vaccine purchase rules to stamp out under the counter trade
how could this trafficking in vaccines outside the rules spread to so many places and go on for so long mr li said according to an official account without decisive action he said ordinary people will vote with their feet and go and buy the products they trust
mr xi has so far not publicly commented on the scandal
dr rodewald the world health organization expert said the proposed changes were promising and would mean clinics would not have to rely on selling patient paid vaccines for their upkeep
xu huijin a doctor in heze said that the concern over the scandal   and unfounded rumors of deaths   had depressed the number of parents bringing children to her clinic for inoculations
this was badly handled she said there was a lack of coordination not enough information we should have found out about this long ago doctors are taught to tell patients the full facts


its back to square 1 for the oil markets
the failure of major producers to agree on an output freeze at a highly anticipated meeting in doha qatar this weekend underscored the still long and painful road to stabilize energy markets
the news pushed down oil prices as traders were caught flat footed by the lack of agreement the markets had assumed that a deal was close when energy ministers from members of the organization of the petroleum exporting countries as well as russia met on sunday
but the last minute absence of iran one of opecs biggest producers helped scuttle any deal after saudi arabia insisted that the entire group participate in an agreement eager to increase oil output to its pre sanction levels iran had ruled out a production freeze and on the eve of the meeting decided not attend the doha gathering
while the doha meeting might have helped set the stage for a smooth recovery in energy markets the road ahead promises to be much more bumpy given the glut of oil in the system energy analysts now expect oil markets to take longer to rebalance as production ebbs more slowly and demand growth eventually catches up
without a deal uncertainty weighed on the markets on monday
crude oil futures in new york fell 14 percent to 3978 a barrel in london brent crude futures fell almost 7 percent in early trading but recovered most of their losses by the end of the day mondays declines were limited because of an oil workers strike in kuwait that significantly crimped production there
the failure of the doha meeting highlighted once again that energy markets - and particularly oil - remained largely hostage to the rivalry between saudi arabia and iran for leadership and influence in the middle east
in what might be seen as a warning shot the saudi deputy crown prince mohammed bin salman said ahead of the meeting on friday that saudi arabia could raise its crude output by more than a million barrels a day immediately
if this is the starting shot of a new price war then we will not get the inventory draw we were projecting this summer and we will have building inventory in the fall instead and then that will invite the risk of new price lows said jan stuart global energy economist at credit suisse
oil prices collapsed over the last year after major producers led by saudi arabia decided to flood the market and pump flat out to secure more market share ostensibly the policy was aimed at pushing high cost producers in the united states out of the market
but by producing full out saudi arabia was also hurting other oil producers within opec including iran and also russia which is not an opec member both need higher prices to balance their budgets
but the strategy backfired and it led to a glut in the oil markets that has pushed prices to their lowest levels in years
the idea of a freeze in production came up in february as prices fell below 30 a barrel and initially helped provoke a rebound in the market at the time saudi arabia russia qatar and venezuela had agreed in principle on a freeze but made it contingent on participation by other major producers
after the meeting officials from oil producing countries said they would work on a new agreement for the next opec meeting to be held in vienna in june
at the same time lower prices are beginning to bite last week the international energy agency said that global oil markets would move close to balance in the second half of the year as lower prices hurt producers outside of opec
the global oil glut is expected to drop to 200000 barrels a day in the last six months of the year from 15 million in the first half the agency said in its monthly oil report released on thursday the group found that outside of opec output will decline by the most since 1992 as the american shale oil boom falters
there is no doubt as to the direction of travel for the supply demand balance according to the energy adviser to industrialized nations there are signs that the much anticipated slide in production of light tight oil in the us is gathering pace
for that reason the outcome of the doha meeting might be moot according to a report by hsbc titled much a doha about nothing
the agreement would only have been of symbolic significance in our view and would not have altered the supply fundamentals according to the report we continue to see clear evidence that the market rebalancing is drawing near and expect prices to trend higher as the market tightens in the second half of the year
still much uncertainty remains particularly what happens with saudi arabia and iran prince mohammeds comments on friday suggested that the current standoff between saudi arabia and iran could last for several more months posing renewed uncertainty on the direction of energy markets
i dont suggest that we should produce more but we can produce more prince mohammed  who is the countrys defense minister and chairman of the supreme council of the saudi arabian oil company which sets the countrys oil policy said in an interview with bloomberg news
saudi arabia produced about 10 million barrels a day in the first three months of the year analysts doubt how long the kingdom could be able to ramp up production in a sustainable manner and pump 11 million barrels a day something it has never done before
the weekend headlines will further support the already high level of price volatility analysts with goldman sachs wrote in a report


seoul south korea   president park geun hye of south korea reported unspecified signs on monday that north korea may be preparing for another underground nuclear test in defiance of united nations sanctions
although ms park did not say what those signs were the south korean news media citing anonymous government sources reported over the weekend that increased activity had been detected at the norths main underground nuclear test site at punggye ri in the northeast of the country four such tests have been conducted at the site since 2006 the latest on jan 6
ms park warned that north korea may try provocations like a nuclear test to help consolidate internal unity in the face of international sanctions in early march the united nations security council imposed a new round of harsher sanctions on the country as punishment for its latest nuclear test as well as its launching of a long range rocket on feb 7
ms parks warning issued during a meeting with senior presidential aides was among her first public remarks since her party saenuri suffered a crushing defeat in parliamentary elections on wednesday in that voting widely billed as a referendum on ms parks government saenuri became the first governing party in south korea to win fewer seats than the opposition in 16 years
some analysts have said that ms park may try to highlight the threats from north korea after the elections using them as leverage in domestic politics to avoid becoming an early lame duck
fears of another north korean nuclear test have risen in recent weeks on march 15 north koreas state run news media reported that its leader kim jong un ordered his country to conduct a nuclear warhead explosion test soon as well as tests of ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads
on monday moon sang gyun a spokesman at the south korean defense ministry said that since mr kims order was reported various movements have suggested that the north may be preparing another nuclear test
he also did not elaborate but he said that the north was ready to conduct a nuclear test anytime it wants to
in recent weeks north korea has claimed a series of successes in testing various technologies needed to make a nuclear warhead small enough to be mounted on a ballistic missile as well as a long range missile to deliver such a warhead
north korea is scheduled to hold its first full fledged ruling workers party congress since 1980 next month to help cement and glorify mr kims leadership with no big improvements in the lives of his people north korea has been promoting its nuclear program as a key achievement of the kim family which has ruled the country for over seven decades


london   enter any clothing store these days and you are likely to find yourself faced with the glr the great lingerie resurgence white paneled silk slips trimmed with whispers of black lace at celine scallop edged organza shorts and chemise tops at dior and a seductive mishmash of boudoir and boardroom in the form of peek a boo bralets and power suiting at givenchy and balenciaga   we are in an underwear as outerwear moment
and the theme is not limited to the runways this month the luxury department store selfridges unveiled its body studio a 37000 square foot space dedicated to off duty dressing and an exhibition described as the largest ever devoted to the subject opened saturday at the victoria and albert museum
undressed a brief history of underwear examines the big role that undergarments have played in shaping cultural attitudes gender tensions and shifting style trends and it helps to explain our endless fascination with what lies beneath
from corsets caged crinolines and whalebone stays to bras briefs and padded boxer shorts more than 250 objects along with film images packaging and advertisements depict the history of underwear from the mid 18th century to the present
it is serendipitous that we are opening right at a moment where underwear and its ongoing transition from a deeply private to provocatively public garment continues to be a major creative and commercial trend said edwina ehrman curator of both the exhibit and the textiles and fashion sections at the museum noting the surging popularity of athleisure clothes pajamas as daytime garments and luxury loungewear
a show must always include contemporary pointers as well as the historical ones if visitors are to successfully make sense of it she continued and we are currently in an ever more informal era that embraces the gap between dress and undress
the exhibit however demonstrates that underwear as outerwear is nothing new and devotes an entire floor to its historical antecedents showstoppers include a simple 1911 silk evening slip by paul poiret that could have gone down a runway last season and 1920s pajama playsuits for the cocktail hour contemporary selections include a white chiffon alexander mcqueen bustier dress plated with gold and padded at the hips and an empire style embroidered muslin gown with matching lace panties by john galliano for givenchy both of which took cues from the allure of 18th and 19th century bedroom attire
on another floor and in a break from convention the layout turns thematic rather than chronological deconstructing the shared sociological underpinnings of fabric scraps spanning centuries nationalities and classes section titles include fashion health and hygiene volume and performance underwear   and include some unexpected revelations
for example panties are a relatively recent innovation drawers didnt make an appearance until the early 1800s and many of the most progressive and enlightened underwear designers of the 19th century were women harnessing new technologies and materials in the design of corsets and bustiers to allow women greater ease of movement and less physical strain
though ms ehrman was at pains to stress that corsetry should not be seen purely as an instrument of paternalistic and physical oppression   cut fit fabric and visibility continue to play a powerful role in the way a wearer of an undergarment is able to present themselves to the outside world sculpting their sense of dignity and self confidence she said   the brutal beauty of a cerise satin corset alongside x rays revealing its impact on internal organs is startling
and a spanx style waist trainer the kind of slimming tool endorsed by celebrities such as kim kardashian posed stretchy neutral toned questions on how much 21st century underwear continues to subjugate rather than empower or celebrate the female physique
but sarah shotton creative director at the lingerie retailer agent provocateur an exhibit sponsor said that today more women were buying such items for themselves rather than for male delectation
there are more styles in the market than ever before incorporating more body shapes and sizes and that scope and scale allows women to find an expression of femininity confidence and her desires that suits her best she said
as attitudes and boundaries continue to shift more women are finding what works for their bodies and thats beautiful to see


shanghai   while the reigning world champion lewis hamilton had another discouraging result early in the formula one season his mercedes teammate nico rosberg extended his dream start with a third victory in a row
rosberg led from pole position to checkered flag at the chinese grand prix on sunday dropping the lead only briefly at the start as he captured his sixth consecutive victory over all dating to last season
the victory was rosbergs second in china his first here in 2012 was also the first of his 17 career wins
it was a great weekend for me in china   i got my first pole here my first win here he said it was a really good car today so im feeling great
in a chaotic race for just about everyone behind rosberg his german compatriot sebastian vettel finished second for ferrari while daniil kvyat finished third for red bull
but much of the focus was on hamilton who has won the drivers title the last two years even racing at his favorite track   hamilton has won a series best four times at the shanghai international circuit including the last two seasons   he had his third disappointing race in three races this season
hamilton of england started in last because of a penalty for changing his gearbox early and a bad qualifying session he then drove one of the most difficult races of his career making five pit stops for tire changes and other problems including a change of his front wing after a collision on the first lap most drivers made two or three stops
thats racing said hamilton who finished seventh it happens sometimes and at least i still managed to get a few points on the board ill just have to do what i can to make it up over the next few races
the event used formula ones previous system for qualifying after the new elimination style format drew criticism and failed to mix up the grid order at the seasons first two races the qualifying order for sundays race was basically normal with the exception of hamiltons being at the back of the grid and daniel ricciardos starting in second for red bull ahead of the ferraris of kimi raikkonen third and vettel fourth
still the race provided the excitement that series organizers had sought
with the exception of rosbergs nearly perfect drive all the leading contenders ran into problems that forced them to the back of the pack giving spectators the opportunity to see the fastest cars battle their way back to the front
ricciardo who jumped into an early lead blew out his left rear tire after two laps and dropped to 18th the two ferraris collided at the first corner after kvyat made a risky pass between them with vettel swerving to avoid him and hitting raikkonen
raikkonen dropped to 20th and vettel to 15th after a pit stop on lap 4 to replace his damaged front wing
kvyat came like a torpedo and there was nothing i could do vettel said i had to react
vettel apologized to his team saying that kvyats move was suicidal
kvyat though defended his move saying you see the gap and you go for it
he added it was a risky move but we are both here on the podium
rosberg waltzed into the lead and stayed there from lap 3 onward but after him the race was a mad tangle of the ferraris ricciardos red bull car and hamiltons mercedes as they sought to move up it was precisely the recipe that formula one had been unable to create with devices specifically intended to spice up the show
vettel finally reached second place by lap 37 of the 56 lap race he finished in that position but a huge margin   378 seconds   behind rosberg
ricciardo ended up fourth and raikkonen fifth
rosberg now leads the series with 75 points hamilton who started from pole position in the seasons first two races but dropped to seventh at the start each time is second but 36 points behind rosberg
the question remains whether hamilton can close that gap
with 21 races its the longest season in history rosberg said declining to display much optimism about his chances to win the title lewis is not far behind and he never gives up


london   rejection can be the spur that prompts gifted men to show just how good they can be
on saturday kevin de bruyne returned to chelsea which discarded him two years ago without giving him a fair chance to play and he was the energetic force behind manchester citys 3 0 win
de bruyne ran miles and miles covering every blade of grass at stamford bridge his surging runs turned defense into attack covering distances of 70 yards or more his awareness of his colleagues and his ability to find them with subtle passes allowed sergio aguero to score three goals
and for once the man who enabled the hat trick deserves to be credited just as much as the man who scored the goals
de bruyne is coming back into peak form after missing more than two months from a knee injury suffered in late january
how important is he to the team city has won 22 of the 36 games that de bruyne has played this season but lost eight of the 16 games he missed
during that time aguero and others also found it a lot harder to score when de bruyne has played city has amassed 79 goals but the club scored only 26 when he was out
de bruyne is far from a one man team in fact he may not be the best player on the squad manchester citys coach manuel pellegrini rates aguero the best striker in the premier league by far
but de bruyne scores goals too his fine goals both home and away were instrumental in citys beating paris st germain in the champions league quarterfinals
if there is a manager who understands how the feeling of being unwanted can be turned into a positive force it is pellegrini
the 62 year old chilean has known since the turn of the year that manchester city has hired pep guardiola to replace him after this season pellegrini suffered the same indignity when he was coach at real madrid when madrid gave his job to jose mourinho despite the teams racking up a record number of wins and points under pellegrini
there is a perception among club owners and presidents that winning   even winning stylishly as pellegrinis teams generally do   is not enough madrid went for mourinho and city now is going for guardiola as it looks for that extra dimension
it has to do with making good players play it also has to do with charisma guardiola and mourinho are as good in front of the tv cameras as they are in the locker room
in mourinhos case that is in question right now because it was chelsea   coached by mourinho   that imploded this season after winning the premier league last year and it was mourinho who discarded de bruyne
in two years as a chelsea player de bruyne made only three starts in the league mourinho had an embarrassment of riches a surfeit of midfield talents and the coach said at the time if you have a player knocking on your door and crying every day that he wants to leave you have to make a decision
de bruyne corrected that version of the story before saturdays game he told reporters that mourinho had called in all the attacking midfield players showed them the statistics and said that de bruyne was last in assists goals passing percentage and dribbles
i said that wasnt logical id played less games than the others how could you compare me to them
within a month chelsea had sold de bruyne to wolfsburg in the german league he was 22 at the time and chelsea received more than double the fee it had paid two years earlier to get de bruyne from genk a club in his home country of belgium
after a spectacular season in which de bruyne was voted the bundesligas top player the fee for him tripled with manchester city spending about 78 million to acquire him
the returns on the field are still coming de bruyne is more of a player and more of an adult than he was in his chelsea days he recently became a father and he certainly doesnt cry in the managers office
but he makes others cry at least metaphorically it was breathtaking to see him on saturday when after a corner kick against city he burst with the ball past one two three of the chelsea players who were preferred over him during his time in london
the run kept on going until de bruyne spotted samir nasri another city player who has just come back from injury de bruyne slipped the ball to nasri who almost instantly passed it between the two remaining chelsea defenders
and there making space with his movement as he so often does was aguero the dynamic play of de bruyne the sharp stiletto pass of nasri and the cool chip past the goalkeeper unraveled whatever defense chelsea possessed
they outplayed us on 60  to 70 yard counters said guus hiddink filling in as chelsea coach until the italian antonio conte arrives to rebuild the team in july
agueros economy defines him as a born striker the argentine had four attempts on goal and scored on three of them in 492 games for his three clubs   independiente in argentina atletico madrid and manchester city   he has scored 257 goals
if aguero stays sharp de bruyne stays strong and david silva is fit manchester city will be quite a test for real madrid in the champions league this month


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1 presidential candidates mostly concentrated on new york a day before the states primary donald j trump is well ahead in polls there and hillary clinton has a smaller edge mrs clinton campaigned in manhattan and bernie sanders in queens on the republican side mr trump and john kasich focused their attention upstate but ted cruz chose to avoid new yorkers and their values he campaigned in maryland and pennsylvania

2 on sunday night brazil responded to the impeachment of president dilma rousseff as if it were a party one lawmaker fired a confetti gun and in cities across the nation thousands took to the streets to celebrate monday brought a more sobering appraisal as the countrys political and economic crises remain as vexing as ever the senate will now vote on whether to try ms rousseff on charges of using money from state owned banks to hide a budget deficit

3 the supreme court appeared sharply divided over a challenge to president obamas plan to allow millions of undocumented immigrants to stay in the country though the case may result in a significant ruling on presidential power and immigration policy much of the argument was highly technical even so two of the justices took time to acknowledge the rulings implications including sonia sotomayor who nodded to the millions of immigrants who live in the shadows

4 the death toll from the earthquake that hit ecuador on saturday night rose to 350 as residents and rescue crews continued to unearth victims more than 2000 people were injured by the magnitude 78 quake the strongest to hit the country in decades its incredible what has happened to us   that our city is destroyed and were experiencing such anguish and pain one resident said

5 last month the elite phillips exeter academy disclosed that it had removed a teacher in 2011 over sexual misconduct in the 1970s and 80s the announcement shook loose allegations against other employees and a second teacher was fired wednesday exeter is the latest in a string of american prep schools that have been rocked by similar accusations and experts say the publicity has started to yield changes schools are re evaluating their methods for preventing sexual abuse and are becoming more receptive to students who report it

6 a federal appeals court affirmed a legal settlement between the nfl and the potentially thousands of retired players who were injured during their careers by repeated hits to the head some players objected to the deal originally struck in 2013 and amended in 2014 believing the settlement of up to 5 million per player was not adequate but the court said that those criticisms risk making the perfect the enemy of the good

7 houston woke up to find its lower areas underwater monday after thunderstorms drenched the city with as much as two feet of rain schools and colleges closed across southeastern texas traffic was paralyzed by the flooding and about 110000 customers were left without power

8 a european court ruling has made google the final authority on individual europeans requests that web pages referring to them be removed from its searches more than 417000 people have asked that google forget them but the company working behind closed doors has approved fewer than half of those requests leaving critics dissatisfied its a half baked solution one said

9 a nonprofit group in washington state has come up with a novel solution to a shortage of affordable housing hoisting unwanted houses from canada onto barges and transporting them to where they are needed in the state the idea while unusual has proved to be less expensive than building new houses

10 the recipients of this years batch of pulitzer prizes were announced on monday the associated press won the award for public service for a series on slavery in the southeast asia fishing trade broadways hamilton picked up the prize for drama and the times won prizes for international reporting and breaking news photography including the above picture

11 on sunday night hbo dusted its hands of the fifth season of girls running two episodes including the season finale back to back our critic writes that the sudden disposal points to the national indifference thats accrued around the show as well as a heap of higher profile offerings coming from the network but he also praises girls for remaining ambitious writing that its never stopped looking for the grander harsher psychological picture

12 what is a dog a new book argues that the loving lovable creatures that many of us consider our best animal friends are not perfectly representative of the species an estimated three quarters of the dogs on earth are not pets instead living their lives as semi  or undomesticated scavengers the books authors argue that those dogs hold the key to canine nature

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on a recent night at new yorks soho house dj speakerfoxxx and bosco performed a handful of tracks off their new fools gold mixtape girls in the yard the songs are vivacious and fun it is impossible not to bounce and body roll while they play but equally infectious is their pure unadulterated affection for one another as collaborators and close friends throughout the performance the duo grinned at each other as they tossed out lyrics and danced
bosco whose first name is brittany sings most of their songs while speakerfoxxx born christen nilan mixes music alongside her they have been friends since 2010 when their mutual friend chilly o a visual artist and designer from atlanta invited them both to work with him on a photo shoot they bonded instantly within 24 hours we were quick friends says bosco we hung out for three weeks straight the duo had always wanted to work on a project together but were too busy touring or putting out their own records to make the time but last christmas both found themselves in atlanta for an extended stretch of time suddenly the waves parted and we both had wide open schedules says nilan we were like lets just do it
as musical artists bosco and nilan have distinctly different sounds bosco is known for her ambient electro rb and i am known for southern trap music says nilan they are very different types of music but we both love reggae and house bosco chalks their collaboration up to a mutual aesthetic they loved the high speed vivacity of songs like supersonic by jj fad and wanted to make something that echoed their friendship lively energetic a series of hyphy tracks to throw on while driving in the car getting ready for a party hanging out in their bedroom at home girls in the yard achieves just that   including run around a peppy technotronic sampling jam that premieres here they recorded the entire tape at stankonia studios the famous record haunt in atlanta where outkast did much of their earliest work they spent four months living together and working on the mixtape before releasing it in early april we made the project from top to bottom said nilan we lived in girls in the yard


times insider delivers behind the scenes insights into how news features and opinion come together at the new york times in this piece glenn kramon a former assistant managing editor at the times demystifies the pulitzer nomination process
were thrilled for our two pulitzer winners and eight finalists but were already thinking about next year i have overseen the timess pulitzer entries for more than a decade and my team and i are already working the newsroom   asking our journalists for recommendations for the 2017 pulitzers and for other prestigious contests like the george polk awards and gerald loeb awards
the pulitzer prizes allow us three nominees in each of 14 categories from public service and investigative reporting to commentary and editorial writing to photography
how do we choose them
1 first and foremost we ask how much impact did this work have
our two winners this year are fine examples alissa rubins horrifying account of a young afghan woman beaten to death and burned by a mob and daniel etters photograph of an iraqi migrant weeping as he emerged with his children from a treacherous open water crossing both went viral online and called world attention to huge problems
that said as happens every year some of our projects with the most impact did not win a pulitzer for example jessica silver greenberg michael corkery and robert gebeloff wrote a series still in progress on the arbitration clauses added to millions of consumer and employee contracts that favor businesses after the articles appeared lawmakers proposed measures to stop forcing americans into arbitration and justice ruth bader ginsburg quoted the first article in the series in a dissent to a court ruling
ian urbina in a series called the outlaw ocean went to sea to reveal wretched conditions on fishing ships workers who were beaten lost fingers to cuts or infections and were fed amphetamines so they could work punishing hours   all to catch food for americas pets ians reporting led to the passage of two new united states laws to protect workers and spurred class action suits against a half dozen major pet food and seafood companies the series also prompted crackdowns in other countries and a promise by secretary of state john kerry to focus on labor abuses on fishing boats
alan schwarzs years of work on the dangers of sports concussions which has helped change the sport of football never won a pulitzer keith bradshers work on the safety and environmental dangers of sport utility vehicles and pickups which helped inspire a redesign of millions of vehicles on the road today didnt either
all four of the above works won george polk awards which are to the pulitzers what the golden globes are to the oscars
2 we also look for a compelling story about our journalists for the nominating letter that accompanies each entry
for example the iraqi migrant weeping in daniel etters photo said in an interview later that he was crying because he was thinking why did i put my family through this the man then gestured to daniel and added you should ask daniel because when he saw us he was crying too we mentioned that in our letter
and alissa rubin barely survived a helicopter crash that occurred as she was returning from a mountain in iraq where refugees were trapped in the hospital alissa said you know i am going back and she did to afghanistan to risk her life again to tell amazing stories about the mistreatment of women there we emphasized that in our letter
3 finally innovative online work matters more each year
in alissas case videographers adam b ellick and john woo working with an assistant in kabul solicited and meticulously combined cellphone videos of the attack on the woman for an unnerving user generated report that we included in the entry
each autumn i sit down with the executive editor dean baquet and his team to add and subtract from the list and discuss the best angles for the nominating letters which summarize the work its impact and the talents of the journalists
then our production team   including a coordinator adam kepler a designer leah phillips and two editors fred andrews and merrill perlman   spin what we think are elegant entries which are submitted online in late january further into winter the pulitzer jurors select three finalists for each category
last week the pulitzer board chose the winners
weve done better in recent history in the past 15 years the times has won 37 pulitzers as many as it won in the first 55 years of this contest which celebrates its centennial this year
some might ask why make such a big deal of pulitzers readers care advertisers care shareholders care our colleagues on the business side care members of the ochs sulzberger family who have controlled the times for 120 years care pulitzer prizes are a proxy for work that enlightens and improves society and no one cares more about that than dean baquet i often receive after midnight texts from him with ideas for the kind of work that ends up being nominated for pulitzers
pulitzers are how we distinguish ourselves how we try to prove to you our commitment to important and often expensive journalism and how we justify charging you our sacred readers for a times subscription


welcome to social capital a series devoted to analyzing the social media presences of celebrities
i first noticed brett ratner   not brett ratner the director of music videos and big budget movies like the rush hour franchise but brett ratner the personality   in 2005 i was at a chelsea gallery watching the artist sarah morriss los angeles a 26 minute video that documented with amused detachment las entertainment industry players during the week leading up to the 2004 academy awards
ratner appeared about halfway through shot in the back of a town car he was speaking on his cellphone while simultaneously changing with the help of what appeared to be a manservant from street clothes into a dark shirt and pants the undeniable punctum of the brief scene was the moment at which ratner still soundlessly talking a mile a minute on the phone shucked off his jeans revealing his bare buttocks and scrotum
watching this i was dismayed but also fascinated ratners flaunting of the butlers obsequiousness the brazen sharing of his fleshy nakedness with the viewer the implication that his business concerns were so pressing that he couldnt stop their flow for anything not even in order to dress himself   the scene was no question a gross power move but the bluster also seemed marked by vulnerability the frantic over the topness ratner was displaying had an edge of performance anxiety to it it seemed almost as if he were acting out a fantasy scenario for the viewer a regular guy in an nyu sweatshirt turning clark kent like into a hollywood player the embodiment of a particular kind of masculinity
every time ratners name came up over the decade that has passed since morriss video   as the man rumored to have been fought over by jessica simpson and lindsay lohan at an la bar in 2006 as the would be producer of the 2012 academy awards a position from which he resigned after being pilloried for making homophobic and sexist comments as more recently and much less controversially an executive producer of the revenant   i thought with some fondness of that scene in the limo and the ways in which ratner worked overtime to create his own mythology
its something of a given to say that instagram is where we now build our personal mythologies the stories we tell ourselves in order to gram so when a friend began tagging me on ratners instagram posts i identified in them the same mythology of hollywood masculinity that appeared in the video brimming with braggadocio but also surprisingly touching almost beautiful in its guilelessness
many of ratners posts highlight his adventures while filming having dinner with dwayne the rock johnson in budapest while directing hercules or his large camera crew on set pictures of family especially his cute life loving cuban jewish grandma fanita who has her own instagram feed princessfanita and photos of ratner at parties and events with famous friends   contemporaries like salma hayek edward norton and maybe most frequently mariah carey whos now engaged to ratners production partner james packer these posts are slightly swaggery but mostly matter of fact they suggest a fabulous life lived but dont feel reverent or especially staged
ratners feed becomes really compelling though when it serves as a moodboard of his idols film directors producers and actors from hollywoods 60s and 70s heyday the images of these masters of american film beatty and nicholson polanski and robert evans pacino and de niro are interspersed with many many present day pictures of ratner himself posing with some of these same legends and others like them i live for wise older men goes the caption of a picture in which ratner is seen communing with kirk douglas mentors are so important for success i love you alvinmalnik he writes under a picture of himself with the miami businessman and rat pack associate with a photo of himself hugging the director peter bogdanovich and the screenwriter robert towne no one cooler than bobtowne and peterbogdanovich and under a post of francis ford coppola chopping mushrooms one of my favorite directors    in my kitchen hilhavenlodge preparing to cook me the best meal of my life ratners instagram adulations are endearing in their nakedness theyre suggestions that all he wants is to emulate the lives the careers the confidence of these men and if he cant hell be satisfied to just bask in their presence to just be followed back
women do appear on ratners instagram strong personalities all of them   fanita miley cyrus carey courtney love   but on the whole the feed mostly features men hanging out and doing quintessential man things they smoke cigars drink whiskey ratners own brand named for his beverly hills house hilhaven lodge hobnob on sets travel on private planes at a time where the dearth of women in hollywoods positions of power is increasingly discussed but nowhere near being resolved theres an obvious argument to be made that the masculinist attitude that was par for the course among the generation of 70s male auteurs ratner deifies   the type of men whose past trespasses are often excused by saying it was a different time then   has contributed to that gender imbalance its easy to see why ratner would want to model himself on these titans of american cinema   powerful talented hard as nails but that ease may be part of the reason things in the entertainment industry havent changed nearly as much as they should have
still theres something so ingenuous so little brotherish about the way ratner positions himself vis a vis these older men something so poignant about his fandom his excitement at sitting at their table to smoke and drink and talk shop with them something so honest about his awareness of his own relative goofiness hes no superman hes superrat a self deprecating play on his surname and something so exposed in its desire to be included among their ranks as i scroll through picture after picture i find myself   maybe against my better judgment   disarmed of my critical faculties all i want is for brett to be included and really isnt that what we all want
correction april 19 2016 an earlier version of this article misspelled the name of brett ratners home and whiskey brand it is hilhaven lodge not hillhaven


amidst the overwhelming sea of design installations at salone del mobile how do you get people to pause long enough to appreciate anything during this extravaganza invite them to eat
design week in milan has become all about the quick fix said the designer tom dixon at his latest installation but italy for me is all about slowing down dixons exhibit for milans furniture fair in collaboration with the luxury countertop maker caesarstone took over the rotonda della besana   a cross shaped hospital from the medieval era   and transformed each of the four wings into its own cozy and welcoming dining hall based on the four elements each quarter is distinct in its design and menu
inspired by fire one wing was filled with soot colored tables and copper treated flamelike glass orb lights diners munched on black coal flatbreads silver globules hung above the water inspired wing where hot soup with blast chilled spring vegetables combined water in all three states of matter   ice liquid and steam   for guests to contemplate while sitting at a cafeteria style tom dixon table his interpretations of the elements all around dixon who operates a restaurant in london where he puts in a monthly shift as chef was enamored with the idea of creating a place to entertain amidst his designs reclining in a furry armchair fresh bread coming out of the oven just behind him dixon said i always wanted to tell everyone come over to my house
this salone he wasnt the only one trying to make people feel at home and stay a while airbnb rented out rossana orlandis snug restaurant marta where ambra medda invited designers to fill the space with pieces visitors could use with paper cutouts spelling out share the love on the wall the restaurant was transformed into a crafty informal gathering space guests sat down together for lunch or aperitivo at a shaker style communal table from the woodworking designer giacomo moor and enjoyed specially commissioned products from 25 designers   including the design studio dossofioritos suspended water carafes   over a panino and a glass of wine
max lamb introduced a splatter painted stool for the british design brand hem with an infallible crowd pleaser an ice cream social tucked into a brera courtyard the exhibit space was fronted by a pushcart serving gelato in color schemes to match the four editions of the stool and flavors custom created by the local gelateria rigoletto and carwan a beirut based gallery welcomed guests into its curators milan home for a lebanese meal served from new glazed porcelain pieces by the designer mary lynn massoud who prepared the lunch with her brother and fellow designer carlo massoud
were launching a home collection so it made sense to show it at home said the curator nicolas bellavance lecompte setting down a bowl of kebbeh pastries on his dining table and i think everyone needs a break from the rush of design week


times insider shares historic insights from the new york times
journalists pretty much never agree with one another on anything   especially what constitutes prizeworthy news but few would have denied the new york times a pulitzer prize for printing the pentagon papers
except the trustees of columbia university and they had the power to do so
in 1971 the times started to publish a series about a secret history of united states involvement in indochina prepared by the pentagon it laid bare the steps by which americas presence had escalated under four presidents into the vietnam war the timess presentation written by a team of reporters led by neil sheehan included substantial excerpts from the documents
the history ended in 1968 before richard m nixon had become president still it was a profound embarrassment to the government in the name of national security the nixon administration tried to stop the times and the washington post which had begun to publish its own copy of the study from printing further installments the justice department was granted a temporary restraining order in federal court
the case came quickly before the supreme court which ruled 6 to 3 that the government had failed to justify its attempt through prior restraint to suppress constitutionally protected expression both newspapers resumed their series
next spring the pulitzers public service jury unanimously recommended a gold medal for the times and mr sheehan for the remarkable journalistic feat which has come to be known as the pentagon papers at the next step in the process an advisory board agreed unanimously however because gold medals are given to newspapers not individuals mr sheehan was effectively eliminated from consideration
the recommendations went next to the trustees of columbia university who administer the prizes by this time questions were being raised as to whether columbia ought to grant awards to the times and another nominee the investigative columnist jack anderson for reporting based on secret government documents
this was such a charged question that the trustees convened a special sunday meeting just to take it up two board members recused themselves arthur ochs sulzberger the publisher of the times and judge frederick van pelt bryan of federal court
from 8 to 1115 pm they argued the case for and against the two major recommended awards and twice voted them down john hohenberg wrote in the pulitzer prizes a history of the awards in books drama music and journalism based on the private files over six decades
william j mcgill the president of columbia was put in an excruciating spot
two months earlier he had assured pulitzer jurors that he would support the decisions upon which they and the advisory board agreed and see that they were enacted by the trustees mr hohenberg wrote
and now the trustees were balking at giving a pulitzer for one of the most important newspaper stories of the latter 20th century
persuaded by dr mcgill to reconsider the trustees agreed to permit the awarding of pulitzer prizes to the times and mr anderson with this distancing language
no one had to ask who those certain recipients were
three years later the columbia trustees got out of the prize judging business
today our 1972 award enjoys pride of place in the pulitzer prize gallery on the 15th floor of the timess headquarters
we take it for granted that a story whose publication was halted by the white house and upheld by the supreme court would naturally have won
few of us know it was such a close call


clemence von mueffling 37 is a third generation beauty editor born in paris she was introduced to body creams toners and fragrances at an early age   both her mother and grandmother served as beauty editors at vogue paris from the late 50s through the early 90s i remember them telling me that there was a code among the women who worked there   they were all incredibly elegant and polished says von mueffling still she didnt immediately pursue the same career path instead she spent nearly five years on the marketing and communications side at brands like clarins and dior before moving to new york in 2007 and assuming the beauty editor role at casas  gente an interiors and lifestyle magazine thats since folded but her six year stint there sparked the idea to start a magazine like website beauty and well being which von mueffling launched in 2014
with a deep appreciation for all things non toxic and natural holistic views on fitness and motherhood von mueffling has 5 year old twins lucas and anais and profiles of influencers and the products they love the site is a bit like a french version of goop meets into the gloss its become cultishly popular and recently caught the attention of lili chopra the artistic director of the french institute alliance francaise who invited von mueffling to speak about her parisian take on springs beauty trends earlier this month here von mueffling shares her best advice from the seminar along with some time honored tips passed down in her family
get ready for athleisure beauty
women now want beauty products that go with their active lifestyle a cc cream like erborians is good for women on the run you put a drop on and its white but when you rub it in it becomes tinted and it has a good spf i also like lip color and moisturizer in one product tata harper has a great one called be adored that i keep in my handbag its a tinted lip treatment thats a very light pink
clean up your nail game
i like to have my nails done i find that its such a finishing touch you can wear blue jeans flat shoes a shirt and have your nails done and be ready for work i only use one brand kure bazaar its a non toxic nail polish that has 85 percent natural ingredients in it my favorite shade for spring is clean its completely transparent so its like you have nothing on but your nails look polished
mind your legs
my grandmother taught me how to keep beautiful legs a lot of french women use compression stockings and do lymphatic drainage massage as an exercise to increase circulation my grandmother also takes advantage of any relaxing moment on holiday to put her feet up i always see her doing this when reading
recharge your skin
i see carmel at the renew spa she does like a light micro current to tone the skin thats great for firmness after you do two or three treatments you see the results and then depending on your age you dont have to do it so often when my mother comes to new york she will see her once or twice a week but i only see her once a month i also go to caudalie in the plaza for a facial massage im a strong believer in massage as a natural way to keep your skin toned and improve elasticity and circulation
start grooming habits early
when i was 13 or 14 i went away to summer camp in the us and my mother put inside my bag estee by estee lauder fragrance a lierac stretch mark cream and a clarins eau dynamisante body moisturizer that had a very strong smell i remember arriving and realizing that my things were not the same as everyone elses but its important to have a good routine
leave your eyebrows alone
my mother also taught me never to touch the lines of your eyebrows or your brows will never grow back the same way french girls around me growing up would only remove something in the middle of their brows if it didnt look feminine or was very obvious and still today i see that my french friends have more to their brows in new york a lot of women shape theirs which can be very feminine and help open up your face but if there is one thing i will tell my daughter its not to touch your brows for as long as possible
embrace natural deodorant
i recently interviewed the model carol alt and she convinced me to start using natural deodorant you put it so close to your lymph nodes that you should prefer something very clean there we tried all the ones on the market for a piece on being and well being and my two favorites are soapwallas deodorant cream and lavanilas the healthy deodorant i have busy days taking care of the children rushing to work exercising and trust me these work
consider more plant based cuisine
reducing the amount of animal protein we eat is not a fad or something only for vegetarian restaurants at alain ducasses new restaurant in the plaza anthenee he redid his menu with absolutely no meat it was a big statement and he still got multiple michelin stars changing the proportion of how much meat to vegetables we put on our plates is good for our bodies and the planet
work out your body   and your mind
i do cardio dance with katherine greiner   shes very inspiring she doesnt only know about cardio dance she knows about sleep diet yoga stretching when i train we end up exercising but also asking each other did you read that book gut did you hear about that cook who does those amazing roux dishes i like training with someone who has a very wide range of health knowledge and when time permits i take my bicycle to central park its a leisure tour im not trying to be the fastest i like enjoying the moment its a good time to be present and a great way to enjoy the city
let your skin glow but not too much
i love self tanners from clarins my recipe is to mix self tanner with my body moisturizer so that tanning effect is a little subtler and if i make a mistake its not that noticeable
ease into a greener beauty regime
im not for drastic 200 percent changes to your routine unless its because of a health condition instead i think its about balancing and making smart choices maybe youre not into organic makeup but you can buy a natural body moisturizer i want people to feel good about any change they make no matter how small its good to do things little by little if you just make one or two changes and you feel great then you want to add more


sam sifton emails readers of cooking five days a week to talk about food and suggest recipes that email also appears here to receive it in your inbox register here
good morning one of the great lies of preparing food in a slow cooker is that you can just set the thing up in the morning before work and receive a great meal at night when you get home
maybe if you work at home or part time or at any rate not in big cities where the traffic home stalls at the precise moment when your meat turns from luscious to cardboard leave a slow cooker going for more than 8 or 9 hours and your results will vary   most often from insipid to awful
weve taken to using the slow cooker for overnight preparations loading up the insert with ingredients right before bed then taking it off in the morning before even the coffee has dripped no eight hour snoozes for us
so maybe give that a try this evening with a mississippi roast or with mark bittmans recipe for slow cooker cassoulet or mine for vaguely vietnamese pulled pork theres some shopping to be done for sure in advance of the cooking but the prep is simple and the morning scents ambrosial you can order in a pizza tonight for dinner and slap a salad on top of it and all will be right with the world come tuesday night youll be eating in clover
and perhaps again later in the week did you know you can save recipes from websites other than our own to your cooking recipe box heres how to do that were in love right now with jonathan miless riff on instant ramen in field  stream itself a take on a recipe from the incomparable cree lefavour which adds pulled pork and fillets of largemouth bass to the protean dish we can use some of the shredded remains of the vaguely vietnamese pork in ours and pair it with fillets of black sea bass because thats whats around so great
or go simple if there are chanterelles in the market we like martha rose shulmans recipe for cod with chanterelles and parsley sauce or melissa clarks recipe for scaloppine with any meat kim severson has a fine recipe for salt baked shrimp that is a beautiful dinner at the top of the week with rice and a salad and you can never go wrong with ian fishers recipe for spaghetti carbonara
then maybe later on in the week you can bake everyone at work or school loves a home baked cookie after all and sometimes its good just to make something sweet if only to indicate your place in our community of cooks have you tried julia moskins recipe for salted tahini chocolate chip cookies yet or melissas recipe for oatmeal sandwich cookies or marian burross take on laura bushs cowboy cookies i know its the top of the week thats no reason to deny sweets to yourself or your friends
you can find many more recipes to cook in coming days on cooking tell us what you think of them by affixing a rating or a note to the ones youve cooked   and of course share them with friends if you run into problems please reach out were standing by at cookingcarenytimescom
finally have you read eric asimov on the wines of beaujolais thatll get you buying and sipping we like a good morgon with our better call saul have a great week


in march natalie angier reported some of the latest findings about parrots natures most colorful birds in more ways than one along with the article we asked readers to submit videos of their feathered friends showing what makes them unique
we received hundreds of replies many of the videos demonstrated a longstanding fascination with the capabilities and intellects of these amazing birds
as it turns out that fascination has a long history in the times a tour of our archives shows that journalists here have been reporting on what parrots can do since the mid 19th century
in 1859 a look at a book called an illustrated history of the animal kingdom noted the capabilities of parrots some birds could recite the lords prayer and the apostles creed the times reported
in 1876 an article headlined anecdotes of parrots recounted the tale of a parrot who died in britain in 1802 after years spent impressing her owner with her musical ability she beat time with all the appearance of science
youll see these capabilities echoed in the videos submitted by readers as birds warble tunes theyve heard people sing and keep beats as steadily as that celebrated musical prodigy
but it wasnt always the case that parrots were thought of favorably in the times an article on the editorial page in 1877 attacked parrots the way the birds themselves tear into food
the polemic was prompted by a philadelphia mans proposal to gather the most intelligent parrots and to breed them in a program that sounds a bit like avian eugenics
there are few persons or things that are more objectionable than the parrot the article began
the editorial continued that offensive style of bird is either kept by misanthropic old ladies or by malignant persons with a special grudge against their neighbors
after watching the videos submitted by readers its hard to believe such charming birds could belong to people so terrible consider our opinion of parrot owners to be fully reformed


vipers were thought to have the fastest strike of all snakes until researchers at the university of louisiana at lafayette decided to test two different kinds of vipers along with the nonvenomous rat snake
they were all equally and impressively fast the researchers reported in biology letters in march
the project began with a rat snake according to david a penning who is a doctoral candidate at the university and the first author of the study another author baxter sawvel an undergraduate at the time was helping research how a snakes body size affects the way it strikes
they had recorded video of rat snakes which can grow from eight inches as babies to six feet when grown offering a wide range of sizes mr sawvel was comparing the speed of rat snake strikes on video with known speeds for vipers just to make sure the software was working properly
the rat snakes were just as fast as the known times for vipers which did not seem correct given the prevailing view of viper speed mr penning said
i said do it again  then he repeated the analysis himself after going through 10 or 15 more videos he realized there was no mistake and set about designing a new experiment to do controlled tests of snake strikes
he and his adviser brad r moon and mr sawvel tested 14 texas rat snakes six western cottonmouths and 12 western diamondback rattlesnakes cottonmouths and rattlers are vipers and rat snakes are not
the rat snakes strike at their prey to catch it but kill it by constriction wrapping their body around the rat or other animal and squeezing the life out of it
the researchers used a stuffed glove on the end of an extendable pole to provoke defensive strikes all of the snakes were impressive but the vipers were no better than the rat snakes
mr penning said it made sense in evolutionary terms for nonvenomous snakes to strike just as quickly all of them need to get the jump on prey
the snake strikes they recorded took 48 to 84 milliseconds by comparison the blink of an eye   a human eye   takes about 200 milliseconds more important it takes mammals 60 to 395 milliseconds to get their muscles moving when they are startled
that means that the snakes often have the advantage on the rodents and other animals they eat   but not always which is what might be expected when both sides are always evolving
mr penning said that the study just scratched the surface in terms of how fast snakes struck the black mamba for example is supposed to be very fast in moving across the ground how fast does it strike
im not sure he said we have quantified striking behavior from less than 1 percent of the snakes
id love to be able to answer whos the fastest he added theres just so much left to do


more than 2700 years ago chinese astronomers observed a night in which stars fell like rain today we call this celestial display the lyrid meteor shower the annual light show began saturday peaks this friday and ends april 25
the lyrid meteors streak through space at about 107000 miles per hour and explode about 55 miles in the sky but even during its peak well barely see a drizzle
this years not a good viewing time for lyrids said bill cooke an astronomer with nasas meteoroid environment office the moonlight is going to wash out many of the meteors
the moon is waxing and on friday it will be full most years you can see 15 to 20 meteors blaze across the sky every hour but this time we will likely see only one or two an hour dr cooke said
compared with other annual showers the lyrids puts on a moderate show thats because its source comet thatcher typically leaves behind less debris than other comets do as it orbits the sun
comets are often described as dirty snowballs as they voyage through the solar system they spew specks of ice and rock the dusty trails linger in space long after the comet leaves only to burn ephemerally when earth passes through the stream creating a meteor shower
comet thatcher makes its journey around the sun roughly every 415 years its last trip was in 1861 and it will make its next rendezvous in 2276 according to dr cooke when we see a lyrid shower we are seeing debris that fell from the comet not during its 1861 orbit but from its previous one around 1446 or even an earlier one because the comets orbit does not intersect earths he said the debris must have time to drift away in order for us to run into it
some of the sparks we see during a shower come from cosmic crumbs no bigger than a pebble its not the size that determines how bright it will be dr cooke said rather its the speed at which its particles pierces the sky but again dont expect to catch many shooting stars this week
as a consolation prize the perseids shower in august will be extra strong according to dr cooke sending out 200 to 250 flares an hour   a meteor monsoon


this morning the united states supreme court will hear arguments in united states v texas a challenge to president obamas attempts to grand relief from mass deportation to undocumented immigrants emily bazelon a staff writer for the magazine and eric posner a professor at the university of chicago law school have been exchanging emails about whats at stake in the case and how the court might approach its decision
hi eric
as its name suggests united states v texas the blockbuster immigration case that the supreme court will hear this morning pits federal executive power against state authority the case also pits the obama administrations view   that its time to grant relief from deportation to a substantial fraction of the countrys 11 million undocumented immigrants   against conservative opposition to any reform that smacks of amnesty if you like donald trumps wall you probably wont like obamas program the doubts about it arent confined to the border joining texas in challenging the president are 25 other republican governed states
the case is obviously drenched in politics back in his first term when immigration reform appeared to have a shot in congress president obama said with respect to the notion that i can just suspend deportations through executive order thats just not the case but after congress failed to pass the dream act which would have provided a path to permanent residency for undocumented immigrants who came to the united states as children in the summer of 2012 obama found the executive power he previously denied having and signed an order called deferred action for childhood arrival modeled on the dream act more than a million people qualified in 2014 the department of homeland security expanded daca and added dapa deferred action for parents of americans and lawful permanent residents making as many as four million more people eligible to stay here and work if they met certain requirements including having no criminal record
theres a no big deal view of these orders which youve expressed in the past the government chooses how to enforce laws and whom to deport all the time its called prosecutorial discretion obamas orders merely formalized one form of that allowing millions of people to breathe easier and to plan while allowing the government to retain the power to make case by case determinations and exceptions by announcing a new route to permanent residency the obama administration didnt write a new law or even substantially change an old one the presidents order merely led to a kind of news bulletin from the department of homeland security or a general statement of policy in the language of administrative law to let the public know that its enforcement priorities had changed
theres also a less sanguine view of daca and dapa when obama signed these orders after failing to get his plan through congress he acted dictatorially   or at the very least expanded his executive authority at the expense of congress a bad habit in a democracy that depends on the separation of powers obamas critics also accuse him of wielding his magic pen for partisan gain in 2008 and 2012 latinos voted for him in high numbers with high hopes only to watch him preside over a record number of deportations mass deportation relief is obamas bid to spruce up his legacy with a key voting bloc one that democrats need to win in november
this political debate intersects with some of the legal arguments before the supreme court texas says the president has failed to fulfill his constitutional obligation to faithfully execute federal immigration law this obligation comes from the charmingly named take care clause in article ii am i right that the supreme court hasnt often laid out what it means for the president to faithfully execute a dense body of law like the statutes that set immigration policy its the kind of open ended concept that could become a bottomless pit if the court jumps in where does prosecutorial discretion end and unfaithful execution begin i wonder if the court included this question for review in part at least at the urging of justice antonin scalia and whether his death leaves his colleagues with a diminished appetite for answering it what do you think
emily
hi emily
its hard to make sense of this case the idea that the president can refrain from enforcing the law is baked into the constitution that is what the separation of powers means to protect us from the might of the federal government the founders agreed that any coercive action must be authorized both by congress which passes a law and the executive which enforces it anything else is tyranny thomas jefferson himself called off prosecutors who were enforcing the sedition act a law that prohibited criticism of the federal government
moreover both dapa and daca largely codified the longstanding practice of democratic and republican presidents because congress has never given immigration authorities enough money to catch and deport all undocumented immigrants presidents have sensibly chosen to direct or allow agencies to focus resources on criminals and other dangerous people   not on children the elderly and others who stay out of trouble it is true that dapa and daca also entitle beneficiaries to work permits welfare benefits and the like but the immigration law itself authorizes the executive branch to confer those benefits on anyone whom it decides not to deport for whatever reason
many critics have cited the take care clause of the constitution which as you say directs the president to faithfully execute the laws but if congress deprives the president of the resources necessary to deport everyone then the president faithfully executes the laws by executing the ones he can afford to execute in law as in ethics ought implies can
but this case does reflect deep and understandable anxieties about our constitutional system in an age of political polarization republicans have woken up to the alarming powers of the president to make policy by choosing which laws to enforce and how much the founders did not anticipate the growth of the federal bureaucracy which enables the president to make policy by emphasizing some programs and neglecting others republicans are right that the question of who gets to stay in the country is traditionally a policy matter for congress   and when millions of people are affected by a unilateral decision by the president we might be troubled about the magnitude of the presidents power the administrations response   that congress has authorized dapa and daca by giving the president so much discretion in the first place   is a legalistic argument that avoids rather than addresses the problem
the democrats by contrast have woken up to the weakness of congress the rules and traditions of that august body give small groups of representatives acting on behalf of a tiny segment of the population the power to block reform that nearly everyone agrees is needed here too we detect the fingerprints of the founders who feared tyranny by legislative majorities but the founders expected state governments to do most of the governing in the modern era vast swaths of policy have been given over to the feds
for most of our history majorities in congress bought off the minority with logrolling pork and the like but in recent decades complex demographic and institutional changes have yielded a polarized congress in which payoffs are hard to arrange in the face of congressional paralysis the public   most of it   looks to the president to solve its problems enabling the president to call upon his latent legal powers with full force this naturally enhances support for the president among his constituency and magnifies the distrust of his opponents causing further polarization
can the supreme court clean up this mess definitely not the judges on the lower courts   a republican appointed dstrict court judge and two republican appointed circuit court judges who outvoted a democratic appointed colleague   held that the president should have gone through the administrative procedure called notice and comment rule making if the supreme court upholds this ruling it wont shift the balance of the power back to congress it will simply make it somewhat more time consuming for the president to exert his or her will
only if the supreme court announces broad and unprecedented restrictions on the presidents discretion to enforce the law could the ruling impose a meaningful constraint on future presidents   and the court wont do that the liberal justices can block a ruling with precedential effect by ensuring a 4 4 tie that would uphold the lower courts decision but not create new constitutional restrictions on the president we could even see a 5 3 vote in favor of the president with chief justice roberts joining the liberals in an opinion that reverses the lower court and leaves our creaky system of governance intact he may think that a powerful president   even a powerful liberal president   is not as big of a problem as a government that doesnt work
eric
hi eric
i suspect the courts four liberal moderates justices ruth bader ginsburg stephen breyer sonia sotomayor and elena kagan will reject texass challenge as you predict they were a remarkably disciplined voting bloc last term and they must be emboldened by the courts new composition which evens the ideological sides
i wouldnt count robertss vote yet though youre right that he cares about the courts institutional reputation and he has become a whipping boy of the right for his two votes to uphold obamacare but the idea that roberts is a traitor to the conservative movement is hugely unfair to him his votes for obamacare served the interests of the republican party even if many of its leaders cant admit it by preventing another hugely divisive fight over how to replace obamacare the gop is much better at calling for its demise than at explaining what would come next
roberts has also come through for the right in cases with a clearer payoff for republicans like his decision to strike down a crucial element of the voting rights act if he can deny a prize to latinos that they fought for and that president obama promised them he could do more than hand the democrats a short term defeat he could disillusion a crucial voting group that historically has low rates of voter registration and turnout roberts could do this with a one line decision that affirms the fifth circuits decision 4 to 4 a tie would set no national precedent but it would avoid handing the democrats a victory
i suppose its possible that a split along party lines at the court with the effect of killing daca and dapa could fuel the naturalization and voter registration drives among latinos that have already begun hillary clinton or bernie sanders could use it as one more argument against electing donald trump or ted cruz dont put filling the next supreme court vacancy or the current one in their hands but im skeptical fairly or unfairly i think this will resonate more deeply as obamas unfulfilled promise if the supreme court says obama blew it the majority will write an opinion that makes it look as if hes to blame
its also possible that the justices could decide this case in obamas favor by deciding that texas and the other states lack standing to sue because the presidents immigration policy doesnt cause them harm that argument has a certain appeal the real power struggle as weve discussed is between the president and congress so why give the states center stage in the fight texas argues that it has standing because it will suffer the harm of paying for drivers licenses for the people entitled to them because of the presidents order the united states court of appeals for the fifth circuit agreed
but immigration is an arena in which courts generally give the feds far more latitude than the states for the sake of national sovereignty and coherent unified policy making what do you think
emily
hi emily
standing doctrine is a famously incoherent area of the law the doctrine started off innocently enough as a means of making sure that the right people brought disputes to a court if i run over your dog then you can bring a suit against me your neighbor cant even if he loves your dog or belongs to the aspca in the laws view i havent injured him you have standing to sue me but if you dont bother he doesnt have standing to sue in your place nor does your dog for what its worth
when the government acts however things become more complicated if a police officer runs over your dog you have standing to sue and your neighbor still doesnt but what if the government refuses to deport undocumented immigrants who loiter in your neighborhood and you think the president has violated the take care clause or some other law can you sue now no says the courts you havent suffered an injury maybe you feel injured but the injury isnt individualized because its shared by others it doesnt count for standing with a bunch of exceptions not relevant here citizens cant sue the government for doing things they dont like or not doing the things they want to see done   and this is true even if it turns out that the governments actions or inactions violate the law
the injury analysis becomes more complicated for governments is texas injured if the federal government refuses to deport undocumented immigrants on texas soil even though no specific texan is is an injury that is general to all texans individualized to texas maybe or maybe not
in the 2007 case massachusetts v epa the supreme court tried to clear this up the court held that massachusetts had standing to sue the environmental protection agency in order to compel it to issue greenhouse gas regulations but not unlike in our case to actually enforce the law against violators what was the injury that gave massachusetts standing rising sea levels which will erode massachusetts territory said the court citing this case the fifth circuit majority in our current case argued that the cost of supplying drivers licenses would erode texass budget the dissenting judge argued that in the massachusetts case the supreme court relied on a special provision of the clean air act that authorizes lawsuits there is nothing similar in immigration law nor did she think that shuffling around items in the state budget is the sort of injury that the supreme court had in mind for standing
whomever the supreme court sides with the interesting thing here is the way in which the usual ideological lines have been scrambled by this case conservatives normally want to limit standing to keep busybody liberal public interest groups from using lawsuits to compel agencies to regulate liberals usually go in the other direction the texas case is a rare one in which an effort is made to stop the government from conferring a benefit now its the conservatives who want to bring suit not surprisingly in the fifth circuit it was the liberal dissenter who argued that texas lacked standing and the conservative majority that argued that texas possessed standing did i mention that commentators are skeptical about how courts use standing doctrine
justice roberts who dissented in massachusetts v epa argued in his opinion that massachusetts lacked standing because it couldnt really connect the dots from epas failure to regulate and the disappearance of another chunk of cape cod into the atlantic ocean he complained bitterly about the majoritys statement that massachusetts quasi sovereign interests entitled it to special solicitude in standing analysis the constitutional role of the courts he thundered is to decide concrete cases   not to serve as a convenient forum for policy debates the texas case which puts the court in a difficult position if it wants to avoid being embroiled in a serious political fight gives him an opportunity to tell his colleagues i told you so some people think justice roberts plays the long game accepting short term losses for republicans in order to establish principles that will advance conservative goals in the long term if so he could offer the liberals a fifth vote for the president in return for an opinion that shrinks standing doctrine back to its pre massachusetts size this tempting bit of legal jujitsu might just do the trick
eric


rufus farmer 33 was tired of all the ways he saw black men being mistreated by the nations law enforcement system   from the police officer who once berated him for crossing the street to the mandatory prison sentences that sent so many of his peers away
so when former president bill clinton appeared on april 7 in philadelphia at a rally for his wife hillary mr farmer protested carrying a sign denouncing mr clintons 1994 crime bill which set lengthy prison sentences and flooded the streets with police officers
a fiery exchange broke out between the activists and the former president as mr clinton forcefully defended the legislation but it was not just mr clinton who criticized the young protesters afterward some older african americans did too
i think it is crazy to protest the crime bill said caryl brock 53 a social worker from the bronx who scolded the protesters on social media should it be amended maybe but a lot of people really wanted it i really wanted it
young and energized african americans this election cycle are aggressively challenging longstanding ideas and policies especially those carried out during the clinton administration in areas like crime and welfare but the activism is also laying bare a striking generation gap between younger and older african americans whose experience views of the former president and notions of how they should push for change diverge dramatically
the parents and grandparents of todays young black protesters largely waged the battle for civil rights in courtrooms and churches they carefully chose people who were viewed as upstanding citizens like rosa parks to be the face of their movement and dressed in their sunday best as they sought to gain broader acceptance mr clinton endeared himself to these generations by campaigning in black churches and appointing more blacks to the cabinet than any previous president had
but many of todays activists   whose political consciousness has been shaped by the high profile killings of black people by the police   do not believe that acting respectfully will protect them from being harassed or shot they aspire not to become a part of the political system but to upend it
you do have older generations of church folk who believe that marching and singing is the best way to bring about change mr farmer said well march too but well do what we need to do to communicate our message if it happens to be yelling or blocking an intersection and we dont care if people   particularly white people   believe it is respectable
the gulf between young black people and their elders surfaced repeatedly in more than two dozen interviews conducted in the days after mr clintons clash with the protesters
to young activists like mr farmer mr clintons legacy on crime is paternalistic and damaging but many older black voters who raised families during the crack epidemic   an era many young people do not remember   remain steadfastly loyal to the clintons
ms brock said she had been a social worker in charge of the removal of children from dangerous homes in the south bronx and spanish harlem in the late 1980s and early 1990s when crack tore a path of destruction through those neighborhoods
i saw it all ms brock said moms would give birth and leave the hospital to get a hit my car got broken into every week people were scared to walk down to the bodega afraid theyd be followed and robbed
she said she was relieved when the crime bill passed in addition to providing more money for prisons and the police the law banned assault weapons and offered funding for drug courts and rehabilitation
because of the crime bill she said anybody that wanted rehabilitation we could process them and get them a detox bed in a hospital
ms brocks comments underscore a sometimes overlooked reality in todays re examination of the crime bill the legislation was broadly embraced by nonwhite voters more enthusiastically even than by white voters about 58 percent of nonwhites supported it in 1994 according to a gallup poll compared with 49 percent of white voters
mr clinton has seemed rattled at times as he tries to defend the measure to younger african americans in an era in which concerns about mistreatment by the police and mass incarceration have eclipsed the fear of crime in many black communities
and among these younger voters the clintons lack the deep admiration that they enjoy from previous generations of african americans in the democratic primary contests so far 92 percent of black voters 65 and older cast ballots for mrs clinton compared with 45 percent of black voters under age 25 according to exit polls conducted by edison research
some middle aged and older african americans found themselves siding with mr clinton after his confrontation with the protesters in philadelphia which was widely broadcast on television and social media during the exchange mr clinton said that the legislation targeted gang leaders who got 13 year old children hopped up on crack and sent them out the street to murder other african american children
he then lectured the activists who support the black lives matter movement you are defending the people who kill the lives you say matter
roz rodgers 55 a community engagement worker from east st louis ill said she understood what mr clinton was trying to get across
all black lives should always matter   that is what bill clinton was saying ms rodgers said it bothered me the reaction he got
about the activists she said this younger generation is more vocal they are not accepting the rules regulations and expectations that exist
todays angry demonstrations over clinton era policies make it easy to forget how the former president was hailed two decades ago for taking a stand against gun violence in black communities
an emotional unscripted speech mr clinton gave in 1993 about the toll of violence on black youth has been called one the best of his presidency he delivered it from the pulpit of the church in memphis where the rev dr martin luther king jr preached his last sermon
the other day on the front page of the washington post was a story about an 11 year old child planning her funeral mr clinton told the congregation that day 10 months before he signed the crime bill
the freedom to die before youre a teenager is not what martin luther king lived and died for
black churchgoers gave him sustained applause and named him an honorary member of their congregation a columnist in the washington post said the speech embodied what has always been the promise of clintonism only clinton could say it and only now read a column in the st louis post dispatch
willie w herenton the first african american mayor of memphis was in the church that day
its easy for people to lose the connection of where we were in 1994 and where we are today mr herenton said
the national murder rate hit a high in the early 1990s disproportionately affecting african american neighborhoods in major cities today violent crime is down and mistreatment by the police and excessive incarceration have taken center stage in the minds of many younger voters
in 2013 nearly one quarter of black men 18 to 34 reported being treated unfairly by the police in the previous 30 days according to a gallup survey that has stirred anger among some young black people which has crystallized in resentment of the clintons in this election cycle
charli cleland 24 a third year student at brooklyn law school said he planned to vote for senator bernie sanders even though his family has always admired the clintons
growing up there was always this idea that bill clinton was a man for people of color he said then this political year comes around and there is so much being exposed as to what they have said in the past and what kind of bills they have approved in the past im realizing that its actually against everything that i initially thought about the clintons
when he watched the exchange in philadelphia mr cleland said he viewed mr clinton and his remarks as paternalistic and implicitly racist
the interviews with the younger voters reveal a pattern not only are they distrustful of the clintons but they also appear disillusioned with politics and institutions in a way their parents are not and they are less interested in gaining approval especially from white people
we do not believe that freedom for black americans will come through politicians said erica mines an activist in philadelphia who demonstrated at mr clintons speech alongside mr farmer we can no longer rely on the ballot box for our freedom
older generations fought for civil rights to be accepted into mainstream society she said but younger folks are saying im not going to fit into that box anymore or allow society to tell me what i need to be
mr farmer said his mother who put her faith in the ballot box the church pulpit and the clintons initially found it hard to understand his brand of activism
she just thinks in a way that is popular of a generation go in peace march sing a hymn or two dont do any fighting dont do too much yelling said mr farmer a former marine
mr farmer and ms mines joined a group called the philly coalition for real justice which believes that only disruptive direct action can bring about change on thursday members of the group blocked an intersection to push for a 15 minimum wage and other measures both he and ms mines were arrested
mr farmer says his mothers views are changing as she watches his experience
i was locked up for about 27 hours he said she was at the precinct when i came out she gave the police an earful
and in perhaps a more surprising shift after hearing what mr clinton said in philadelphia his mother has decided not to vote for mrs clinton for president mr farmer said
she was a clinton fan he said she would have voted clinton automatically


national
an article on thursday about a confirmation by federal health officials that the zika virus damages infant brains misstated the surname of the deputy director of the centers for disease control and prevention she is dr anne schuchat not schucat
new york
an article in some editions on friday about a fire started by incense that killed two young sisters in a bronx public housing complex misstated the surname of a spokeswoman for the new york city housing authority she is jean weinberg not weisberg or weisman

an article in some editions on friday about a decision by a nanny charged with murdering two children under her care to reject a plea deal that would have given her a sentence of 30 years to life in prison omitted the given name of the mother of the slain children she is marina krim
sports
because of an editing error an article on march 19 about the cheltenham festival a steeplechase event in horse racing referred incorrectly to a nickname for the former barclays executive rich ricci the owner of the mare annie power he earned the nickname fat cat in the hat before barclays paid a fine in 2012 for rigging interest rates and cheating its clients the moniker did not arise after that the article also misstated the amount that barclays was fined it was about 450 million not 700 million

the on baseball column on wednesday about the los angeles dodgers honoring their longtime announcer vin scully at their home opener misidentified in some copies the location in brooklyn where the dodgers used to play home games while the team played in what was then the flatbush neighborhood its stadium was at 55 sullivan place not on flatbush avenue

an article last monday about jordan spieths collapse in the final round of the masters misstated in some editions the spot from which he hit a wedge after his tee shot at the 12th hole went into a water hazard he chose to drop his ball 80 yards from the hole he was not in the designated drop area

a report in the golf roundup on april 8 about arnold palmers not participating in the ceremonial first tee shot at the masters misidentified in some copies one of the golfers who appeared in the interview room after the ceremony along with jack nicklaus gary player was there   not palmer

an article in some editions on thursday about the success of the usa hockey national team development program misstated in some copies the age of jack eichel a program alumnus who led the nhls buffalo sabres in goals this season he is 19 not 18
weekend
a picture in the listings pages on friday with an entry about a performance by the trio jf3 at the harlem stage gatehouse in hamilton heights was published in error it showed the vibraphonist joel ross who has performed with jf3s leader the pianist james francies the picture was not of mr francies

an art review on friday about a show of photograph dealers in the park avenue armory described incorrectly the shows participants it is an international   not american   group of dealers
science times
a picture caption on tuesday with an article about a new tree of life published by scientists referred incorrectly to methanosarcina the organism shown it belongs to the domain archaea not bacteria
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there was another first at barclays center on sunday night an nhl playoff game
the islanders hosted the florida panthers in the first postseason matchup in brooklyn a chance for the islanders to inch closer to winning a playoff series for the first time since 1993
after a wild second period in which the islanders scored three times after trailing by 2 0 defenseman thomas hickey scored at 12 minutes 31 seconds of overtime to lift the islanders to a rousing 4 3 victory and a 2 1 lead in the teams best of seven first round eastern conference series
game 4 is scheduled for wednesday night in brooklyn
hickey picked the perfect time for his first playoff goal taking a pass from brock nelson and beating roberto luongo to send the home crowd into a frenzy a celebration that rivaled the cacophony at nassau coliseum the islanders home on long island for 43 years
there was an unbelievable pass and i saw an opening said hickey who also scored in overtime at washington to clinch a playoff spot for the islanders on april 5 just shoot the puck in overtime   thats the key
the islanders began the game with the line of casey cizikas matt martin and cal clutterbuck and they took the opening face off which raised the decibel levels from the capacity crowd that much higher
but florida forward reilly smith dampened the crowds spirit when he scored his fourth goal in three games at 225 of the first period in which the panthers outshot the islanders by 12 8
the second period took on a topsy turvy feeling similar to the islanders 5 4 win in game 1 the teams combined for five goals and a dose of controversy
smiths shot early in the middle period ricocheted off the boards behind islanders goalie thomas greiss to aleksander barkov at the doorstep barkovs easy tap in at 111 made it 2 0
the panthers appeared to go ahead by 3 0 at 408 when aaron ekblad shot the puck past greiss but the goal was negated after a coachs challenge won by the islanders jonathan huberdeau was offside
the islanders then gained a two man advantage when alex petrovic was called for boarding matt martin at 443 and jussi jokinen was sent off for holding at 508
the islanders rookie defenseman ryan pulock cashed in quickly rifling a blast past luongo from the left point at 521 the crowd swirled orange towels and chanted yes yes yes
its not over until its over and we knew we had a lot of hockey left said pulock 21 who had just 15 games of regular season experience before his playoff debut our leaders stepped up for us they were vocal on the bench
nick bjugstad restored the two goal margin for the panthers when he tapped in a rebound at 723 smith who had assisted on barkovs goal added another assist for his fourth of the series and his eighth point
but forward shane prince   acquired by the islanders in a deadline deal with ottawa   scored off a pretty pass from pulock at 1148 to narrow the deficit to 3 2
after florida defenseman dmitry kulikov was penalized for clipping frans nielsen scored another power play goal with a backhand past luongo at 1655 to knot the score at 3 3
after his teams morning skate islanders forward kyle okposo spoke of the expected atmosphere for brooklyns first playoff game
aware of the definite lift that the crowd at nassau coliseum had provided during taut opening round series against pittsburgh in 2013 and washington in 2015 okposo played down comparisons
its a hockey game it doesnt matter where we are playing he said were at game 3 of the series and were focusing on getting a win i think everyone will be pretty charged up
okposo proved correct the atmosphere surely rivaled the energy at nassau hickey supported his teammates earlier assertion about the value of the home crowd in brooklyn
our fans were great i had goose bumps after the anthem he said still toweling off after the postgame celebration they stuck with us and they helped out a lot
outside the arena before the game was a much smaller but spirited version of the festive scene that always surrounded nassau coliseum on sunny game days sparky the dragon posed for photos with fans and the former islanders star clark gillies signed autographs
inside the black seats of barclays center were draped with orange towels fans started chanting lets go islanders as the team skated out for warm ups wearing traditional blue and orange sweaters
four large white banners were unfurled over center ice during a pregame show as the stanley cups won by the islanders from 1980 to 1983 were honored drawing a roar from the crowd
the panthers who won the atlantic division with 103 points have their own postseason bugaboos they have not won a series since 1996 when they reached the stanley cup finals in their third season of existence


kyrie irving scored 31 points and kevin love added 28 leading the cleveland cavaliers over the detroit pistons 106 101 in the opener of their first round playoff series on sunday
both players starred in their returns to the postseason after they had been knocked out of the playoffs with injuries last year love sustained a shoulder injury in the first round and irving fractured a kneecap in the nba finals
these guys have been working hard kyrie on his knee kevin on his shoulder just to get back to this moment lebron james said it was great to be out on the floor with them and for them to put together the performance that they did
james had 22 points and 11 assists for the top seeded cavaliers who got all they could handle from the pistons
kentavious caldwell pope scored 21 and marcus morris 20 for the pistons who are in the playoffs for the first time since 2009
cleveland showed its experience in the final minutes love hit consecutive 3 pointers after the pistons had tied the game 88 88 and then james made a driving layup and irving hit two free throws after detroit had cut the lead to 4 with less than 3 minutes to go
game 2 will be wednesday night in cleveland
heat 123 hornets 91 luol deng scored 31 points hassan whiteside added 21 points and 11 rebounds and miami routed visiting charlotte to open a first round series
deng made 11 of 13 shots and dwyane wade scored 16 points in 26 minutes for the heat who made their first playoff appearance since the 2014 nba finals
deng made all five of his shots in the first quarter as miami built a 19 point lead
he wants to make winning plays heat coach erik spoelstra said
nic batum scored 24 points for the hornets and kemba walker added 19
hornets coach steve clifford said his frontcourt got manhandled
and if deng and whiteside are going to combine for that kind of numbers its going to be hard for us to win clifford said
miami hosts game 2 on wednesday
spurs 106 grizzlies 74 kawhi leonard had 20 points and host san antonio gave memphis its worst postseason loss in franchise history
lamarcus aldridge added 17 points and tony parker had 15 points and 6 assists for san antonio in the series opener the spurs rested their starters in the fourth quarter in preparation for game 2 on tuesday in san antonio
the spurs outscored memphis by 33 14 in the third quarter to break open what had been a relatively close game against the short handed grizzlies
vince carter had 16 points to lead memphis while zach randolph was held to 6 points
curry questionable stephen curry is listed as questionable with an ankle injury for game 2 of golden states playoff series against houston though he has insisted to his coach that it will be hard to keep him off the court
curry did not practice after hurting his right ankle during saturdays 104 78 victory he called the injury a tweak after the game
coach steve kerr said curry the leagues reigning most valuable player had campaigned to play
hes doing a little better than yesterday kerr said
if curry is unable to play monday shaun livingston will start in his place
i think steph missed three or four games this year kerr said we did fine


hbo aired the final two episodes of the fifth season of girls on sunday which found hannah lena dunham bonding with her college classmate and frenemy tally jenny slate marnie allison williams trying to understand her romantic impulses toward ray alex karpovsky shoshanna zosia mamet embracing her role as a marketer and jessa jemima kirke and adam adam driver trying to make sense of their budding relationship amanda hess a staff writer margaret lyons the tv critic for watching the times newsletter and jenna wortham a staff writer for the new york times magazine discuss the entire season and where the show might be headed in its sixth and final season
this conversation contains spoilers
jenna wortham i havent cried this much watching television since rewatching the second season of greys anatomy even hannah horvath who at one point felt like a monstrous caricature of a millennial has been cracking me up this season and the look on her face when she realized adam and jessa were together ... whew everyone is growing in a way that feels so painful and honest and real
girls has suffered a little as its become less of a unicorn in the last few years there are so many new and interesting television shows and story lines about women and by them and for them on television so the show hasnt been as special or as singular since its debut in 2012 but having a little breathing room has gone a long way i started watching this season when a few friends mentioned how good its gotten and i agree the writing is stronger than ever and episodes especially the ones directed by jesse peretz have beautifully poignant arcs im so glad this isnt the final season that we get a few more episodes before the end end how did the show get so good what do we think changed since last season
 you dont like the girls in girls thats its genius 
margaret lyons i liked last season i liked this season too though im in the minority because i absolutely hated the panic in central park where charlie re emerges and turns out to be a heroin addict and i did not love homeward bound last weeks episode where hannah dumps fran jumps on ray and eventually hitchhikes back to new york but i wanted hello kitty the kitty genovese episode to last for nine hours i was riveted and the closing moments when hannah realizes that jessa and adam are together just knocked me out i would have called it the best acting moment of the girls season but elijahs slow crumple as he realizes his not quite boyfriend dill is rejecting him might best it
jw margaret that scene with elijah walking toward the window in dills apartment with the glittery new york scape spilling out below right as it by christine and the queens swells behind him   it slayed me it was absolutely devastating a sign of how much the show is pushing its characters to confront their desires   and ask themselves if the shiniest things are necessarily the best things it wrenched my heart right open   and showed off lena dunhams creation at its best this season also really brought home how good girls is at capturing the spirit of new york and its power to transform everyone that lives here it is so good at filling that sex and the city shaped hole in my heart
amanda hess im feeling it you guys as the series had marched on something had become unbelievable about this foursome staying glued together as a friend unit they aligned in college or just after but many of these relationships tend to unstick by the time women reach 30 unlike sex and the city   where the regular brunch date served as a kind of otherworldly purgatory for staging boozy debates about feminism and sex   girls is not timeless these girls change and so it was satisfying to see them head off on their own this season   shoshanna in japan hannah at her moms midlife crisis moon goddess retreat marnie on her heroin fueled lark with charlie even jessa kicking around with adam on coney island and to see them hang out with new girls too watching tally and abigail played by jenny slate and aidy bryant step in as emergency contacts for hannah and shosh was a highlight of the show for me also finally giving honorary girl elijah the romantic subplot he deserves
jw was it just me or does shoshanna in japan feel a little like when don draper went to california similar draper dream vibes when marnie put on the red dress...
ah japan has been working double time this year as the go to destination for white indie girls who need a life change in master of none devs girlfriend rachel torpedoes their relationship by announcing her exit to tokyo she even dyes her hair too but there was something really appropriate about seeing shosh in harajuku a place that in all of its aesthetics so perfectly reflects shoshannas intense girlie drive i agree with her ex boss abigail id watch the shosh and yoshi show any day of the week
jw yes we seriously need a yoshanna spin off side note   gracesimon dunhams micro cameos as a salty coffee barista have been so great
ml girls really benefited from the change of scene id loop hannahs time in iowa in with that too ive never been a big shosh person but seeing her bob around in tokyo gave her new context what would shosh be like if being the weird one wasnt what defined her shed be more confident maybe and more grounded
the big question of this season posed to each character in a different way was how do you know you are growing up for shosh that answer was professional success her little victory dance with colin quinn at rays coffee bar was as happy as weve ever seen her
for marnie her answer was getting married she turned out to be wrong of course marriage is almost always a bad answer but that doesnt mean people dont think its the answer i think her ultimate grown up move might be getting divorced for jessa its being in a real   and sober   relationship i wish we saw more of her schooling i bet shes an interesting classmate for elijah its being vulnerable for hannahs dad tad its being out out out for her mom loreen maybe its being on her own after all
so what is it for hannah i think she declared it for herself in her story for the moth its being free even just for a little bit free of her own bad behavior not flashing anyone not sneaking off to have sex at the spa not throwing herself at   or on   ray not scolding her parents just chill for 10 minutes whether any of these characters actually wants to grow up is a different story...
ah but hannahs behavior was so bad this season it kind of felt like she was going to end up in a jail cell or else in the neurologists office you have 10 episodes to live the basic instinct flash the lesbian gymnastics the ray ... thing   it all went beyond the edge of delicious discomfort for me to the point where i had to fight the urge to fast forward through her scenes desis dopey yet magnetic narcissist was more my speed   ebon moss bachrach is so good at dancing right on the edge of comedy and tragedy the moth bit was a much needed refresher that hannah can actually be quite charming in those precious moments when she chooses to reflect and the ending where we freeze on her leaping to action felt like such a psychic correction from the season 2 finale when adam raced to sweep hannah off her feet to the tune of fun   my personal least favorite girls moment what do we think hannah is running toward in season 6
jw earlier this week i made the joke that the lena with hannah and kanye his bars in the life of pablo are the worst things about their current creations i hated hannah in the first two episodes and i warmed up to her as the season progressed girls has always excelled at illustrating the diverse taxonomy of uncomfortable youthful sexual encounters and hannahs encounter with the lesbian yoga teacher at the retreat was so perfect for that   plus i loved her flash scene it was hilarious i could not stop laughing the nude photo shoot was as excellent just so classic hannah horvath and even though i loved jenny slates cameo the dance scene felt a little gratuitous but maybe im just holding it up to the instant classic robyn scene from season 1 but i let out a little whoop when she and tally went into hysterics at seeing jessa and adam whose union feels so satisfying in the apartment hallway on their way outside
maybe hannahs biggest revelation will be that the world doesnt revolve around her that friendships fade and that we survive life does go on and isnt that enough it could be the more i think about it the more i love how grotesque hannah has become jessas passionate speech in the second to last episode really cut to the quick for me   maybe theres something redemptive in the hot mess that is hannah horvath even if we cant see it yet maybe there wont be a payoff maybe there doesnt need to be a grand revelation if there is it might be inauthentic to who hannah has been this entire time i think i want to root for terrible narcissistic women to take up as much space as terrible narcissistic men
ml i would be so sad if hannah suddenly became an ordinary or healthy person at the end of next season and i cant picture that happening   thats just not what the show has ever been about what i liked most about hannahs interaction with her former nemesis tally was her gentle realization that she didnt have to stay friends with her friends
like amanda i too feel like our main four characters wouldnt really be a crew anymore and while jessa marnie and shosh have seemingly decided the direction they want their adult lives to take hannah hasnt   and doesnt seem like she wants to she still wants to be impulsive steal a bike or unreliable im not going on this road trip after all if her current friends dont want to do those things anymore well she can find new friends and maybe she should find new friends at this point   given that she has shared sexual partners with all of them
the final scene of hannah running   complete with freeze frame   was not a new hannah she was just her giving into her lizard brain do this thing right now reflex hannah doesnt want to plan she doesnt want to lock things down and she doesnt want social responsibilities though she wants others to be responsive to her own needs shes flaky and she has no stick to it ness whatsoever she didnt even research the moth story slam enough to know you cant use notes
but unlike lots of other girls viewers i dont hate hannah i love the character and i want hannah to have a life she wants but in the last two seasons what became clearer was that her path toward happiness wasnt going to come from the cessation of bad behavior it was going to come from accepting it and not trying to change anymore you want to be a demanding inappropriate narcissist forever embrace it
ah i somewhat hate all of these people except for maybe shosh who is annoying but strikes me as a fundamentally good person one of my favorite moments of this season was when the thrift store shopgirl in the panic in central park episode played by the wonderful lane moore openly judges marnies life choices and marnie is too self centered to even notice i salute you shopgirl you are me watching girls and part of the deranged joy of marnies arc has been witnessing the garbage fire that is her personality ignite her nascent music career
my biggest laugh of the season came right on the heels of marnies breakup with desi when they got news that their faux country indie song had been selected for a death montage on greys anatomy and the pair mirthfully united in the name of their shared cause fame similarly it was fun watching hannah get and then squander her book deal get a gig at gq as a native advertiser and then enroll and implode at iowa
but this season she bottomed out by teaching at a private school and squabbling with her square as a wheaties box boyfriend this is hannahs nightmare scenario doing normal person stuff in the next and final season of girls im ready for her to get back in the game if shes going to be a narcissistic monster i want her to try to eat new york


like some other states connecticut is facing a budget shortfall and in part because of its shrinking finance sector and dependence on personal income taxes for revenue state lawmakers a majority of whom are democrats are finding themselves in a fiscal pickle
forced to rely heavily on its highest earners to fill the states coffers and fearful of alienating more of the highest earning residents after a tax increase last year legislators are not entertaining additional taxes on the rich
wed price ourselves out of the market said gov dannel p malloy a democrat if the state tried to make up for its 922 million shortfall with a millionaires tax the revised budget mr malloy proposed on tuesday covers the shortfall incorporating cuts to expenses and jobs   as many as 2500 state positions could be eliminated   but no tax increases
connecticut faces a new economic reality mr malloy said in an interview on saturday high paying finance jobs which helped the states budget are not expected to return to pre recession levels
last monday 165 state employees were laid off from social service agencies among the total 262 workers last week with more layoffs expected this week we wouldnt be doing this if we werent seeing a shortfall in revenue mr malloy said
one of those laid off was gail demarco of east lyme a supervising psychologist who has a college student and a high school freshman
ms demarco said she was aware of the states fiscal crisis but because mr malloy had emphasized the importance of mental health services she did not expect layoffs to include jobs like hers   therapists working with traumatized children and at risk teens
but last monday after arriving for work at the connecticut juvenile training school ms demarco a union member was let go from her 91600 a year job
she said she worries about the kids who have already had significant trauma in their lives and they are then re traumatized by this sudden loss of people they have relationships with who are advocating for them
mr malloy said during a budget address in february that connecticut needed to align state employee benefits with our present economic reality his current budget proposal asks nonunion employees to pay a greater share of their health care costs
a union representing health care workers launched a television advertising campaign in early february called one connecticut
it is designed to put a face on state workers said jennifer schneider a spokeswoman for the health care workers union that represents the largest group of state employees the third commercial in a series was released last week and features a mother a military veteran and a visually impaired client of a social service agency saying they stand with state workers
there are other ways to close these deficit holes instead of coming back to middle class workers ms schneider said if we lose 2500 jobs in the state thats only going to harm our economy more
with deficits also expected in the coming years mr malloy and members of the states general assembly increasingly find themselves on a tightrope
states typically generate just over one third of their revenues from personal income taxes and another third from sales taxes according to the national conference of state legislatures connecticut by comparison relies on personal income taxes for more than half of its revenue
while the number of jobs in connecticut has returned to pre recession levels lower wage positions in finance have taken the place of high paying jobs according to a report by the standard  poors credit ratings agency that shift translates to lower personal income tax revenues in a state that relies so heavily on income taxes that makes or breaks connecticut said arturo perez a fiscal research analyst at the national conference of state legislatures
in the long term connecticut faces a grim balance sheet for decades the state did not fully finance its pension plans and connecticut now carries more than 26 billion in unfunded pension liabilities
the fiscal challenges in connecticut have spurred some of its wealthiest residents to leave said one republican lawmaker according to published reports they include the billionaire entrepreneur thomas peterffy and the hedge fund manager edward lampert both of whom moved to florida florida does not have a state income tax some studies dispute the claim that higher state taxes cause wealthy residents to leave
the lawmaker l scott frantz a state senator from greenwich said the legislature cant balance a budget to save its life and with other shortfalls going forward it does not look pretty for the state of connecticut unless we as a general assembly get our act together
mr frantz said he thinks mr malloy has a deeper understanding of the states tax base today than when he entered the governors office in 2011
he knows that he cant afford to lose one more taxpayer mr frantz said if he wants a halfway decent legacy hes going to have to make sure this fiscal house is dramatically improved


andreas athanasiou and henrik zetterberg scored petr mrazek made 16 saves and the detroit red wings beat the tampa bay lightning 2 0 in detroit on sunday night
detroit cut its deficit to 2 1 in the teams first round playoff series game 4 is scheduled for tuesday night in detroit game 5 will be at tampa bay
gloves were dropped fists flew and there were piles of players on the ice when the game ended
ben bishop made 28 saves for the lightning whose top line of tyler johnson nikita kucherov and alex killorn was shut down after the three players had combined for 6 points in the first two games of the series
kucherov had scored first in each of the first two games while killorn and johnson had scored the tiebreaking goals in the third periods
detroits rookie coach jeff blashill benched goaltender jimmy howard on sunday and put mrazek in net the move seemed to work as the red wings swarming defense and backchecking forwards limited tampa bays shots on net
at the other end the red wings kept bishop much busier
athanasiou a rookie scored his first career playoff goal midway through the second period on a one timer from the left circle that fluttered past bishops stick on the short side
zetterberg in his 13th postseason crashed the net late in the second period and was credited with a goal that appeared to go off his left skate the goal stood after a video review and a challenge from lightning coach jon cooper
blashill made another decision that paid off by putting brendan smith who had been a healthy scratch since march 26 in the lineup instead of kyle quincey smith used his right shoulder to put cedric paquette on his back early in the game smith an agitating player also drew another penalty late in the game
tampa bay went on the power play for the first time late in the second period and got another opportunity to have an extra skater early in the third but the lightning failed to take advantage
detroits pavel datsyuk who said he planned to retire from the nhl after the playoffs was called for tripping with 5 minutes 40 seconds left his teammates prevented tampa bay from making the most of the opportunity
the lightning pulled bishop to add an extra skater with 228 left but had to put him back in 11 seconds later because braydon coburn was called for interference for hitting smith
mrazek did not have to make many saves but he made enough to shut out the high scoring lightning he had two shutouts against them last year pushing their first round series to a game 7 before the red wings were eliminated with a 2 0 loss
blues 3 blackhawks 2 jaden schwartz scored late in the third period with patrick kane in the penalty box for high sticking and st louis won at chicago to take a 2 1 lead in their first round playoff series
patrik berglund also scored in the third as st louis rallied for the win after a difficult 3 2 loss in game 2 which included two coachs challenges that were decided against the blues brian elliott made 44 saves on sunday keeping st louis alive during a strong second period by chicago
kane the nhls leading scorer this season and a favorite for the leagues most valuable player drew a four minute penalty for a high stick on defenseman alex pietrangelo and st louis made the most of the chance to go in front
vladimir tarasenko passed down low to david backes who sent it right to schwartz in the slot schwartz beat corey crawford low on the glove side for his third career playoff goal and a 3 2 lead with 638 left
crawford finished with 33 saves the blackhawks pulled him for an extra attacker with 110 remaining but elliott and the blues held on game 4 is scheduled for tuesday night in chicago
brent seabrook and artem anisimov scored for the blackhawks who dropped to 28 7 in home playoff games since the 2013 postseason it was their first home playoff game since they hoisted the stanley cup at united center last june


seattle   amazon is introducing new options to subscribe to its prime membership service on a monthly basis a change that could make the companys video service a tougher competitor to netflix
on sunday evening the company notified visitors to its website that it now offers two new prime price plans the first of which costs customers 899 a month to stream movies and television shows from a new video only version of its prime service a second new plan priced at 1099 a month will provide access to the full benefits of the prime service including video streaming free two day shipping on amazon orders music streaming and other services
amazon prime by most accounts has been a huge success for the company but one of the biggest hurdles for anyone thinking about joining the service is that it has required customers to pay 99 up front for an annual membership the new options do away with the need for an annual commitment to prime widening its appeal to people who are more comfortable joining it on a short term basis
the new monthly options will not save people money though customers who subscribe month to month for the full prime service will pay 3288 more a year than if they subscribe on an annual basis while subscribers to the video service will pay 888 more a year while getting substantially fewer benefits like free two day shipping than annual prime members
amazon began to tinker with the pricing of its prime service last month when it introduced a new 1099 monthly membership option for the full prime service by allowing customers of sprint to tack the amazon service onto their monthly cellular bills
now by broadening the monthly options for prime to anyone and introducing a video only service the company is making it easier for people to compare the price of prime to that of netflix the dominant subscription streaming provider with more than 75 million subscribers globally
netflix has long been available on a monthly basis without an annual commitment offering several plans ranging from 799 to 1199 a month depending on video quality and the number of screens to which customers can stream video at the same time
amazon says there are tens of millions of customers for prime piper jaffray recently estimated there are between 57 million and 61 million prime subscribers
the companys decision to offer a video only version of prime reflects a growing confidence at the company in the quality of the service amazon got started in video streaming much later than netflix and its catalog of movies and television shows was initially anemic by comparison
for a time amazons video service seemed like little more than a nice additional benefit to the main attraction of the prime service two day free shipping
but amazon has steadily chipped away at skepticism of its seriousness in video by expanding the amount of content available for streaming
it has nabbed rights to popular series like downton abbey and mr robot which are not available to stream on netflix like netflix amazon has poured money into producing original content including award winning shows like transparent and mozart in the jungle


when seventh generation began selling environmentally sustainable products almost three decades ago it was dedicated to the relatively few consumers who were interested in recycled toilet paper and paper towels these days green is mainstream and companies like walmart and clorox promote their natural lines
so this month seventh generation which is based in vermont began a 15 million advertising campaign   the biggest in its history and only the second time it has used television   to introduce itself to potential customers and reclaim those who may have strayed
there was a time seventh generation owned this market and little by little competitors chipped away at it said joel makower chairman of greenbiz a media company that tracks corporate sustainability and green marketing the holy grail of green products is to break into the mainstream and not many make a run for it   it looks like thats what seventh generation is doing
the ads star maya rudolph of saturday night live and bridesmaids fame who is appealing and slightly goofy when promoting the products there are three versions of the ad   not blue goo weird dyes and common scents   and each features the tagline comeclean the campaign by the ad agency 72andsunny will also appear online and in print and it is expected to run for about two years
in one commercial ms rudolph notes that she is a mother actor and surprise i do my own laundry sometimes the focus is on how pure and natural seventh generation products are compared with regular detergents and cleaners how well they clean is also emphasized addressing one reason that consumers are hesitant to buy environmentally friendly products
the perception people have of these kinds of products is that they dont work as well and that the prices are a little higher said norm borin a professor of marketing at california polytechnic state university who has written about consumer reaction to green marketing
seventh generation is often more expensive than its nongreen counterparts but that depends on the product and usually its no more than a 10 percent premium said joey bergstein seventh generations chief marketing officer
and what about the effectiveness of green laundry detergents seventh generation and about 15 other green detergents landed in the middle of a list of about 75 tested according to consumer reports current ratings
green cleaners have always been niche goods accounting for just 3 percent of the overall market seventh generation was the biggest single green marketer in 2014 with 227 percent of sales edging out the mainstream offshoot purex natural elements and way ahead of other established green brands like method caldrea and earth friendly products according to a 2015 report by packaged facts a market research company
the green market expanded more quickly from 2007 through the beginning of 2010 as mainstream mass marketers introduced products like clorox green works arm  hammer essentials and purex natural elements so seventh generation and other environmentally friendly companies like method answered by introducing new products and increasing the places where consumers could buy their goods
the recession hurt however and consumers bought these products less frequently often choosing cheaper options
but the market has revived since then especially with walmart introducing its own green label great value naturals three years ago
seventh generation has experienced growth every year since its inception except for fiscal year 2009 mr bergstein said and total company growth has nearly doubled in the last six years
much of the impetus for the campaign is that consumers who want to buy seventh generation items can now actually find them not just at places like whole foods where they have traditionally been but through amazon and at target
the availability is so much more than it was five to 10 years ago mr bergstein said
the ads take aim at conventional detergents   blue goo as ms rudolph calls it in one commercial   and are intended especially for consumers who already buy organic food and maybe want their deodorant body wash and toothpaste to be organic as well
people are first concerned about what they eat then the products they put on their skin and then the products they use around the house mr bergstein said
they are also concerned that when they are told something is chemical free or natural that it actually is demonstrated by anger over the actress jessica albas honest personal care products such as sunscreen this year users charged in a lawsuit that the products did not work and that they contained synthetic chemicals contrary to the labeling
seventh generation however has been around a lot longer than most green goods and has built trust the trick now is to get its name out there as well as convince people that buying green does not imply a drop in performance mr makower said
at one point the perceptions were true he said their toilet paper was not as friendly as charmin but theyre saying its now time to take another look


washington   executives of the international monetary fund mutter darkly about greeks tapping their phones in athens greek government officials accuse the fund of torpedoing their economy via tough austerity measures
and both the greeks and the fund moan about the refusal of germany to consider any form of debt relief for greece
signs of the growing tensions over greece and its debt were evident at meetings of the imf in washington last week but nothing exemplifies the growing discord more than a simple chart on a draft memorandum drawn up by the fund that has been making the rounds at meetings here
the chart depicts just how wide the gap is between europe and the imf in terms of assessing greeces ability to pay down its growing debt burden   currently close to 180 percent of its gross domestic product   in the coming decades
and it highlights the danger that just as it was last summer greece may be pushed to the edge of bankruptcy as a result of an inability if not an unwillingness of the fund europe and greece to reach a compromise
ever skeptical of greeces capacity to keep a lid on spending and to increase taxes over the years the funds economists project that the debt will approach 300 percent of gdp by 2060   an outcome depicted vividly on the chart as a line sloping sharply upward
the stance of europe which is on the hook for a much larger chunk of the debt than the imf is represented by a line trending defiantly downward
in the view of finance ministers in the euro area greece will meet the demands of the toughest austerity program ever imposed upon a nation and will generate enough cash to bring the debt below 100 percent of gdp
the implication of the chart and the accompanying memorandum   neither of which has been made public   is that the imf as things stand will not be able to support the next bailout agreement that greece and europe reach
late last week the managing director of the imf christine lagarde said publicly what many senior fund officials have said quietly for months europes assumption that greece in the decades ahead can annually achieve a budget surplus minus interest payments of 35 percent of gdp and pay down its debt is highly unrealistic and would require a heroic sacrifice from an austerity battered populace
that assessment is hardly a surprise since the spring of 2010 the time of the first greek bailout imf economists have been saying that greece would never be able to pay back such a tremendous amount of debt
three economists pierre olivier gourinchas thomas philippon and dimitri vayanos examined the history of greeces debt boom and bust in a new paper
they contend that in terms of money borrowed and economic output lost the greek crisis has far exceeded even the classic emerging market busts in latin america and asia   many of which were resolved via various forms of debt restructuring
as a result they conclude the very thought that greece can pay its way out of this mess without having its debt reduced in some way is fantasy
there is no exit for greece without debt relief mr gourinchas said
part of the problem is that the funds role now is highly unorthodox while the fund is owed 12 billion it is not promising to lend any new money this year which at least in the view of the greeks reduces its credibility isnt it hypocritical of the fund some greek officials say in private to push us so hard when it is not willing to lend new money at least the europeans are promising to put more money on the table they point out
fund officials have responded how can we be your enemy if we are the ones pressuring europe to give you a break on your debt
matters have not been improved by the recent leak of a private exchange between the funds lead negotiator delia velculescu and the head of the funds european department in washington poul thomsen
in the phone transcript published by wikileaks it was suggested that the only way to get an agreement would be to push greece once again to the precipice of default
i brought this up with my greek colleagues said jeroen dijsselbloem the finance minister from the netherlands who is leading europe in the talks with greece its an issue of trust   how can the imf do its work if they have to worry all the time about having their phones tapped
as to the matter of greeces debt mr dijsselbloem remained adamant it is not being discussed
while it remains most unlikely that the imf would walk away from the talks that such a step is even being suggested underscores how uncertain the negotiations have become
that is because germany has frequently said that it requires the imf to be an active participant in the process so if the fund does not bless an agreement germany will be very unlikely to embrace it
despite all the tensions negotiations are continuing greece unlike in past years sent its full team of negotiators to washington last thursday to resume talks that had been temporarily suspended
they include the finance minister euclid tsakalotos the debt expert stelios papadopoulos the economy minister giorgos stathakis and the greek governments longstanding financial adviser glenn kim an independent investment banker who previously worked for moelis and lehman brothers
the crux of the talks has long been greeces bloated pension program which still pays out about 10 percent of gdp annually fund officials have always said that without significant pension cuts they could not approve any new deal
greece has argued that in depression like economic conditions greeks cannot afford pension cuts especially when pensioners are now the only breadwinners in many families
under the labor minister georgios katrougalos the greek government is now pushing a plan that would freeze current payouts and cut future ones and that would increase contributions from employers
whether that will be enough to win over the imf and ultimately europe regarding the debt question remains to be seen
no amount of pension reforms will make greeces debt sustainable without debt relief mr thomsen the funds european head and overseer of the greek talks wrote in a recent blog post and no amount of debt relief will make greeces pension system sustainable without pension reforms


earlier this month a couple of inventive young go getters at buzzfeed tied enough rubber bands around the center of a watermelon to make it explode nearly a million people watched the giant berry burst on facebook live it racked up more than 10 million views in the days that followed
traditional journalists everywhere saw themselves as the seeds flying out of the frame how do we compete with that and if thats the future of news and information whats next for our democracy president kardashian
grandkids it was not so long ago   oh say five maybe six years   that traditional news organizations like this one could laugh at buzzfeeds gag along with everyone else smugly secure an exploding watermelon was just an exploding watermelon
these days however news articles   be they about war voting rights the arts or immigration policy   increasingly inhabit social media feeds like the frighteningly dominant one that facebook runs they are competing for attention against zany kitchen experiments your friends daughters bat mitzvah and that wild video of a train whipping through a ridiculously narrow alleyway in thailand
after watching the fruiticide i noticed a twitter post by the freelance journalist erik malinowski that read the watermelon ... is us and sighed seemed about right
the sense of dread was compounded a few hours later when the website mashable which first came to prominence covering internet businesses and culture appeared to pare back an ambitious effort to prove that serious world and political news could thrive alongside grumpy cat
mashable announced that as part of a reorganization it was shedding several highly regarded journalists including its executive editor jim roberts a former assistant managing editor at the new york times look out white house i thought here comes kimye
then sweet relief or was it the financial times reported that buzzfeed   which is best known for hits like the watermelon video though its news team wins awards   missed its financial targets last year and was revising this years projections downward buzzfeed which does not disclose its finances denied the report saying this year will meet expectations but traditional newsrooms everywhere were reveling in the schadenfreude just the same aha perhaps random snapshots of callipygian corgis do not a business model make news as we know it is safe
well not really we may not yet be the watermelon but executives who run news organizations almost universally say that wed all better find our own watermelons   and find them yesterday
it means big changes are coming fast in the way major news institutions present their journalism what that journalism includes and how decisions are made about what to include the goal to draw big addicted audiences
a lot of it is being done in the rushed panic that comes with the demands of quarterly earnings and yet given the highest calling of the news industry   hold politicians to account unearth corruption   the importance to our political and civic life could not be greater
a good way to understand the fast evolving thinking is to check in on people who are trying to build a news and information business from scratch i did that last week over breakfast with jim vandehei a co founder of politico and mike allen one of the sites best known journalists both are also veterans of the washington post
mr vandehei who stepped down last week as politicos chief executive and roy schwartz the companys departing chief revenue officer have been seeking potential investors and video and television partners mr allen is for the time being continuing to write his vital morning tip sheet at politico playbook seven days a week
when i met with mr vandehei and mr allen they were tight lipped about their next venture they would only describe it in the broadest terms as a media company that will focus on news and information exist largely on mobile devices and social media and not directly compete against politico
but that was ok for my purposes i was more interested in hearing what this venture wouldnt be doing their answers may require a trigger warning for the proudly ink stained set
it starts with mr vandeheis admittedly provocative proposition that journalists are killing journalism theyre doing this he says by stubbornly clinging to the old ways thats defined as producing 50 competing but nearly identical stories about a presidential candidates latest speech or 700 word updates on the transportation budget negotiations
survival mr vandehei says depends on giving readers what they really want how they want it when they want it and on not spending too much money producing what they dont want
its not only about creating big audiences for advertisers he and mr allen said its about convincing already inundated audiences that they want what youre producing and they want it so badly that they will pay for it through subscriptions thats essential as advertising revenue drops to levels that will not support robust news gathering
hooking people on your news product is a lot harder than say hooking them on heroin or even coffee but news organizations have ways they never had before to figure it out
through real time analytics reporters and editors know how many people are reading their work and through which devices and sites how long those readers are sticking with it and what theyre ignoring screens featuring these analytics are increasingly showing up prominently in american newsrooms including those of the new york times and the washington post
this is the biggest and least talked about development in traditional print media as it converts to digital it now has ratings just as television does
the findings from these ratings have been fairly consistent videos podcasts short items of interest that can be read easily on smartphones and almost anything with the words donald trump rate well perhaps counterintuitively deeply reported features and investigative pieces like the timess coverage of isis brutality or its nearly 8000 word article about one mans lonely death in queens can draw readership levels that were never possible in the print only era
thats a big deal and in mr vandeheis and mr allens view   as well as those of the bosses at the times the post and elsewhere   it shows that big important work will prove more valuable than fun stunts that may or may not draw big online audiences
what do not necessarily rate well however are the often important if sometimes unsexy articles about yesterdays doings   or nondoings   at the federal election commission or the latest federal budget fight
we didnt know if in a newspaper people were reading our 600 word piece on the transportation markup on a10   now we do mr vandehei said im not saying you let the audience dictate everything but a smart aggressive forward leaning media company is going to write what it thinks is important and its audience thinks is important
this is talk you hear in newsrooms across the country and its where there is some cause for concern
those drier articles may not score in the ratings but they can lead to the bigger ones watergate started as a story about a burglary the wide ranging sex abuse scandal in the catholic church that the boston globe exposed   captured in the movie spotlight   began as a 700 word column about a single priest
once ratings come into the picture will reporters still want to pursue those smaller stories and will their editors who once called these stories spinach want to publish them
the answer from mr vandehei and like minded news executives is yes but its incumbent upon news organizations to do a better job with them   make them shorter and more distinctive with data and striking visual presentation
understood all im asking is that we be careful not to lose too many core values on our way to the future otherwise its watermelon flambe at the kardashian inauguration and yes were the watermelon


the business of online news has never been forgiving but in recent weeks what had been a simmering worry among publishers has turned into borderline panic
this month mashable a site that had just raised 15 million laid off 30 people salon a web publishing pioneer announced a new round of budget cuts and layoffs and buzzfeed which has been held up as a success story was forced to bat back questions about its revenue   but not before founders at other start up media companies received calls from anxious investors
it is a very dangerous time said om malik an investor at true ventures whose tech news site gigaom collapsed suddenly in 2015 portending the flurry of contractions
the trouble the publishers say is twofold the web advertising business always unpredictable became more treacherous and website traffic plateaued at many large sites in some cases falling   a new and troubling experience after a decade of exuberant growth
online publishers have faced numerous financial challenges in recent years including automated advertising and ad blocking tools but now there is a realization that something more profound has happened the transition from an internet of websites to an internet of mobile apps and social platforms and facebook in particular is no longer coming   it is here
it is a systemic change that is leaving many publishers unsure of how they will make money
with each turn of the screw people began to realize viscerally that this is what it feels like to not be in control of your destiny said scott rosenberg a co founder of salon who left the company in 2007
audiences drove the change preferring to refresh their social feeds and apps instead of visiting website home pages as social networks grew visits to websites in some ways became unnecessary detours leading to the weakened traffic numbers for news sites sales staffs at media companies struggled to explain to clients why they should buy ads for a fragmented audience rather than go to robust social networks instead
advertisers adjusted spending accordingly in the first quarter of 2016 85 cents of every new dollar spent in online advertising will go to google or facebook said brian nowak a morgan stanley analyst
the power shift was made clear last week as the facebook chief executive mark zuckerberg took the stage for the companys annual developer conference he stood in front of a diagram outlining an audacious 10 year expansion plan which included several features to help keep people inside facebooks world instead of following links out
mr zuckerberg also spoke about his companys ambitions to host tv style live video an initiative that some media companies including the new york times are investing in seriously despite uncertainty about the rates at which videos will be monetized
facebook also announced that it would open up instant articles   which encourage publishers to post their content directly to facebook   to any publisher the company demonstrated chat bots through which users can interact directly with media companies including publishers through facebooks messenger app
messenger is going to be the next big platform for sharing privately and for helping you connect with services in all kinds of new ways mr zuckerberg said after demonstrating a cnn chat bot on stage
at the same time publishers pored over a report from the analytics firm parsely detailing how important facebook had become to their business among sites tracked by the firm more than 40 percent of web traffic came from the social network
facebooks users seem to be following mr zuckerbergs lead newswhip which tracks how publishers are performing across major internet platforms says the rate at which links to outside websites are shared on facebook compared with videos and instant articles has declined
liam corcoran newswhips communications director says that in recent months a wide range of publishers have called him to ask whether sudden drops in facebook reach are widespread and asking how they might be remedied   as if they were asking how to cure a disease
its a doctors office he said
so far publishers are responding in a variety of ways with the help of venture capital funding companies like buzzfeed and vox are investing heavily in video production with a focus on tv and film others like mashable are diverting resources to increasing their audience on facebook hoping that enough money   through revenue sharing arrangements with the company   will follow
we invest in a number of strategies then figure out which strategies are most effective pete cashmore mashables founder said in an interview
others are planning to do less with less we talk about our business as though were in a shrinking market and plan accordingly said alex magnin chief revenue officer at thought catalog an essay site
online news sites have watched the rise of social platforms closely publishers have started in recent years to obsessively monitor the ways in which their readers arrived at their sites the sheer speed with which facebook twitter google and snapchat have come to dominate the landscape has taken publishers by surprise
in 2014 gawker medias founder nick denton wrote a memo to his staff that admonished them for giving in too fully to the influence of platforms which drove many of his companys most popular stories we   the freest journalists on the planet   were slaves to the facebook algorithm he wrote
looking back at 2015 however mr denton once known for harsh assessments of the media business struck a conciliatory tone
the instant articles deal seems great he said in an interview last week users get relevant stories and relevant ads its the realization of that particular internet dream
mr denton said he was hopeful like many publishers that deep niche brands have something to offer advertisers e commerce partnerships in which publishers are paid commissions by retailers for products recommended or mentioned on their sites now cover the companys editorial spending the arrangement largely sidesteps social networks but relies on agreements with another huge partner amazon
other companies are looking to focus more on branded content like videos sponsored stories and full fledged campaigns but publishers have quickly learned that those efforts are labor intensive and put them in direct competition with advertising agencies
a broad slowdown in venture capital funding leaves even newer media companies with hard choices to make even those built with social media in mind have been forced to fundamentally reconsider their plans
mr malik of gigaom whose site employed 85 people at its peak said if he were to start the business today it would probably be a facebook page there is an opportunity clearly to reach people there
money thats another matter
how do i monetize he asked still not clear


when angela collins and her partner wanted to have a child they reached out to a sperm bank in georgia to look for potential donors they thought they had found the perfect match in donor 9623 described as a man with an iq of 160 who was healthy and working toward his phd
but in 2014 about seven years after ms collins gave birth to their son she and her partner elizabeth hanson made an upsetting discovery after learning the mans identity through a donor sibling group the donor had a history of mental illness and a criminal record and had exaggerated his educational accomplishments they say
it was like a lead ball went to the bottom of our stomach for both my partner and i ms collins said in a radio interview last week with as it happens on the canadian network cbc
she added we know nobody is perfect but we didnt sign up to choose knowingly that our donor had schizophrenia
ms collins and ms hanson who live in port hope ontario about 70 miles east of toronto were among three families who filed lawsuits in ontario superior court this month accusing the sperm bank xytex corp in augusta ga of misleading them about the donor the suit says the company failed to describe him accurately or disclose that he had a mental illness and a criminal record
the three lawsuits are the first in an expanding group of cases that go to the heart of privacy and health issues as more would be parents   many of them single or in same sex partnerships   seek donors to help them conceive said nancy hersh a lawyer in san francisco who is representing ms collins and the other families
this is a huge problem ms hersh said in a telephone interview lots of people will avail themselves of sperm banks and it is important that the public will be educated about the risks it is a public health issue
ms hersh said at least a dozen other american canadian and british families were planning lawsuits related to donor 9623 the 15 families she represents have conceived 23 children using the donors sperm all with a genetic predisposition to schizophrenia which nobody knew at the time they purchased his sperm
the three lawsuits are each seeking more than 4 million canadian dollars about 3 million in united states currency in damages partly to provide support and pre emptive care for children the families fear will be affected by mental illness
a lawyer for xytex ted lavender said he would not comment on the case but he noted that in october a county judge in georgia tossed out a similar claim by ms collins and her partner
making unfounded allegations in the court of public opinion requires no actual proof at all but merely the word of the very lawyers and litigants who already failed in a court of law he said in an email
in 2015 xytexs president kevin m obrien defended the companys procedures
in this case the donor underwent a standard medical exam and provided extensive personal and health information he said in a statement he reported a good health history and stated in his application that he had no physical or medical impairments this information was passed on to the couple who were clearly informed the representations were reported by the donor and were not verified by xytex
the lawsuits filed in canada also name as defendants outreach health services a canadian fertility clinic and unnamed xytex employees they quote the donor as saying in interviews that he had never been asked for medical records or for information about his mental health or criminal history he said he had lied about having college degrees
the lawsuits said the donor committed a burglary in 2005 and spent eight months in custody a statement from cobb county superior court said the conviction was cleared in 2014 under the states first offender act
ms collins told cbc that she had found out about the mans background when xytex included his name and contact information in an email sent around as part of a donor sibling registry and parents on the list started digging for information about him out of curiosity ms collins said that by searching public records and other verified information about him she had disproved some of the companys advertised claims
had they done that we wouldnt be here today she said there needs to be measures in place by these companies to make sure that the people that are coming through the door are safe options for donor conceived children
but ms collins told cbc that she would not object if her son wanted to meet the man
he is not a bad man he is a person who has an illness she said he helped to create the love of my life


the mckathan brothers knew their horses they might as well have been foaled in a stall themselves seeing as how they spent the better part of their lives with runners in their backyards their father luke trained horses at the long gone seminole downs in central florida before deciding to chase bigger purses at racetracks from florida to california he did all right on the grits and hard toast tracks of west virginia and later at tampa bay downs
luke mckathan eventually returned to florida and became a pinhooker buying horses as weanlings or yearlings raising and training them himself and then selling them at auction or privately long before they hit the racetrack if horses were automobiles luke mckathan would have earned a reputation as an ace mechanic who could take apart and put back together a fast machine in the course of a weekend
no one was surprised that his sons j b and kevin ended their formal education after high school to go into the family business they had already been home schooled by a master in the only subject they truly cared about they had learned their lessons well enough to strike out on their own in their mid 20s owning and operating a 200 acre training boarding and breaking center in citra fla
while central kentucky had its bluegrass and its history dating to before the revolutionary war central florida was an upstart thoroughbred incubator the vision of a post world war ii highway builder named carl rose he believed horses would thrive in the regions eternal sunshine and would build strong bones from consuming its calcium  and phosphorus enriched grass and water which seeped through more than 70000 acres of lush farmland
in 1956 needles became the first florida bred horse to win the kentucky derby twenty two years later in 1978 another colt by the name of affirmed born and bred on harbor view farm swept americas three classic races to become the 11th triple crown champ the wait had been on for another one ever since
this was as good a place as any for the mckathan brothers to put their name on the gate of a farm and training center and they did just that in 1988 they worked the horse sales and backside of racetracks to solicit clients there was nothing they could not do with a horse they prepped them for sales getting them fit and buffed up they rehabilitated injured racehorses transforming their shedrow into a hospital they got yearlings ready for the racetrack putting first a saddle and then the weight of a rider on them giving them the first taste of their new career on a five eighths of a mile training track
the breaking and training of horses kept the place afloat but the real money was in the pinhooking and bloodstock agent work it was what vaulted you into the circle of deep pocketed owners who could afford to roll the dice on six figure plus horses
before you landed a real big money owner however you had to find someone as hungry as yourself
a perfect match
in the early 1990s the mckathans found their soul mate in a california based trainer named bob baffert who was trying to transition from quarter horses to thoroughbreds the way their father had decades ago baffert sported pressed jeans snap button shirts and a cowboy hat atop a full head of snow white hair he was in his late 30s not much older than the mckathans and traveled with not exactly an entourage but a good time crew of small time by thoroughbred standards owners
he didnt have any rich patrons either   at least not yet his main client mike pegram was a former college bookie turned mcdonalds franchise mogul it was pegram after a spontaneous trip to las vegas who had persuaded him to graduate from quarter horses to the more lucrative thoroughbred circuit such sage advice should be heeded from a man you just watched sign a voucher for 50000 from a croupier as pegram had especially when come morning you will be sharing a jacuzzi with him and two young women with your cowboy hat and boots on as baffert did
in the mckathans baffert recognized hands on horsemen and he appreciated them for their youth and hustle they had met in lexington ky at the keeneland september sale after j b became irritated that baffert had outbid them on nearly every horse the brothers had tried to buy
if you just leave ill upgrade your ticket to first class j b mckathan said
im already flying first class buddy baffert said
it was the beginning of a warm and lucrative friendship baffert sent them his babies to break he already knew they had a similar eye for horses putting a premium on the way they moved and looked rather than fixating on their pedigree or flaws the mckathans were his forward guard he sent them to sales to weed out the unaffordable or not good enough and relied on the half dozen or so horses they put on a list for him that fit his taste they had done pretty well together but all were still looking for their breakout horse
in april 1996 baffert was at churchill downs in louisville ky preparing a gelding named cavonnier for the kentucky derby it was bafferts first starter in americas greatest race and he was eager because cavonnier had just won the santa anita derby and definitely had a shot to capture the blanket of roses
baffert was hardly an overnight success it had taken him 12 lean years as a quarter horse trainer to surpass 1 million in earnings in fact he almost quit after his father bill took a horse away from him to train it himself
since baffert had switched over to thoroughbreds his barn had climbed steadily up the national trainer standings his stable had earned nearly 3 million the previous year a solid figure but he had yet to achieve national prominence as a top tier trainer being at the derby for the first time with a contender like cavonnier helped but he needed to keep coming back
so he was looking to buy a horse for a client at the ocala 2 year old in training sale one that would return him to the hallowed ground beneath churchills twin spires j b mckathan had one in mind a gray son of silver buck mckathan had watched him work a quarter mile before the sale and was impressed his front legs were turned out a bit but at 80000 the colt was within bafferts price range
he sent a video of the colt to the trainer in louisville but one two three days went by without a word when he finally got to it baffert told the mckathans to buy the gray colt privately and promised them a 5000 fee
they ran into a problem almost immediately bafferts client did not want the horse j b and baffert thought about keeping the horse themselves but neither of them felt financially secure enough to take that kind of risk baffert however had one big spending owner in his barn bob lewis who owned one of the nations largest budweiser distributorships
there were still two problems baffert was lewiss second string trainer and lately he hadnt been winning any races for the owner
d wayne lukas got to spend the big money for the stable of lewis and his wife beverly and lewis had already put baffert on notice with the two phrases that precede a vans arrival at a stable to spirit a horse to a rival trainer you are winning for other people but not me weve had no luck together
a phone call was about to change all that baffert picked up the phone and told lewis that he was stuck with what he believed was a pretty nice horse his name was silver charm would lewis be willing to buy him for 85000
finding a natural
when silver charm ran off with the derby and the preakness before getting caught at the wire by a head in the belmont stakes it looked like a bargain by the time silver charm retired he had won the eclipse award the sports year end honor as the 1997 champion 3 year old colt and captured 11 stakes   including one of the richest the dubai world cup he had also banked 6944369 it would be a while before people would take a horse away from baffert or turn their back on the mckathans especially when the next year the 17000 screw and wire job real quiet another of their joint ventures came within a nostril of winning the belmont stakes and sweeping the triple crown
still neither j b nor kevin had seen a horse as talented as the one they were about to unveil on a steamy march morning this son of pioneerof the nile had given both the brothers goose bumps ever since arriving from saratoga along with more than a dozen other horses from zayat stables they had worked with a number of the sires young horses in all shapes and sizes and had recognized they all shared a common trait desire they all wanted to win whether playing out in the field or carrying a rider around the training track
when the brothers first got a look at the big rugged bay colt j b turned to kevin and asked how did this guy get through the ring without anyone buying him
with 125 horses on their farm it was easy for one brown one to blur into another even for the most astute professional horseman inevitably however a handful of horses make an impression simply with the way they carry themselves especially in the early weeks and months when not much is asked of them
teaching horses to race is a painstaking step by step process they must learn how to accept a bridle or a saddle and girth they are skittish anxious or just plain slow to figure out what to do this pioneerof the nile colt was another story altogether when they put the tack on him the big bay stood upright like a medieval knight awaiting his armor from his valet when he walked the shedrow he high stepped and looked as if he were ready to bolt out the door and sail clear into the fields the first time a rider belly upped or lay on his back to give him the sensation of weight he looked bored with a rider on his back for the first time he responded to his cues as if he had done it all before
his mind was just so far advanced than anything i had ever seen kevin mckathan said it was like he was in a hurry to learn his lessons it was clear early he was the best horse on the farm
the first time the mckathans let the colt sample what an open gallop felt like it was at once breathtaking and terrifying he burst into a stride that had him skipping over the ground like a hovercraft he went way too fast and way too far when the rider finally pulled him up j b mckathan told him if you let that horse run again im going to break your arm
soon the mckathan brothers realized that this long tall powerful colt possessed something horsemen dream about and can in no way teach speed freaky speed in fact the first time the brothers put him on the track and asked the rider to push a button or two he just ran off from the other horses he had so much natural ability that the brothers did everything in their power not to tax the colt he was still growing still getting fit and they were afraid he would get hurt
none of his riders were allowed to use a whip on him j b changed bits   the small piece of equipment put in a horses mouth to help a rider communicate with him   repeatedly looking for a safe and effective way to slow him down
it was speed speed speed speed kevin mckathan said he had plenty of it
a dazzling premier
on the morning of march 23 2014 it was time for the mckathans to let some folks namely ahmed zayat and some of his trainers see exactly how fast this colt was they were staging a breeze show for zayat stable 2 year olds an annual rite of spring during which the owner could size up his next group of contenders and place them with the trainer and circuit that best fit their talents zayat ran his horses everywhere   from florida to new york and from kentucky to california even postbankruptcy he had a lot of them
mr z was a slow payer and sometimes a no payer and farms and small businesses like the mckathans paid for it the horse business is tough and the mckathans were always hustling to make ends meet still everyone doing business with zayat agreed on three things he plays the game hard kevin mckathan said he buys good horses to give himself every opportunity its fun to be a part of
the mckathans could not have asked for a more perfect setting for a magical horses premier the trees had trapped the mist low to the ground and transformed the farm into an enchanted stage the sun dappled the horses and training track with light as birds sang noisily the mckathans treated events like these as an open house   the farm was manicured to postcard quality perfection and the horses looked ready for a models runway
as soon as they started timed workouts put the brothers horsemanship skills on display spirits were high among the contingent on the clockers stand the kentucky based trainer dale romans and his partner tammy fox were there as was the delaware based anthony dutrow all were giving justin zayat the fifth degree about dating justin a junior at new york university was easing his way into the stable as its racing manager
there were a couple of dozen people on the clockers stand the small gazebo style house with a wraparound porch on the rail near the center of the track the stock of zayat stables did not disappoint as one well bred horse after another took its turn blazing either a quarter or three eighths of a mile around the track there were colts and fillies from eskendereya and zensational and maimonides and pioneerof the nile each one bounding around the track more impressive than the last
the mckathans were saving the best for last though the pioneerof the nile colt out of littleprincessemma was going to send people home with something to think about there was no bigger fan of the colt on the farm than chris alexander the brothers farm manager he told anyone who would listen that this unraced 2 year old was the best horse he had ever been around
he decided to put susan montanye on the colts back for the breeze even though she had never been on him she was lighter than his regular riders and although the colt was hard to handle alexander believed he would relax under her light touch
on the clockers stand racetrackers have a talent for carrying on multiple raucous conversations while still meticulously following the flight of the horse around the racetrack its a hand eye mouth coordination necessary to make four hours on your feet each day clocking hundreds of horses seem like a breakfast meeting rather than hard labor there was no pause in conversation or lowering of the voices when montanye galloped the colt by the stand the first time he had his neck bowed and his head hanging low and rocked back and forth in a lullaby rhythm looking every bit like a childs rocking horse
montanye let him lift his head a bit heading into the turn and the power was apparent immediately he was barrel chested and sturdy almost like one of those horses from an old hollywood western that thundered toward the sunset and certain glory it got awful quiet when she shook her reins ever so slightly and backed into a crouch and he just took off like a drag racing car
j b tell me the time please mr z said
eleven and three j b mckathan replied confirming the colt was moving fast 1160 seconds for the first eighth of a mile
mr z was stunned
thatll do someone offered reverently
no one spoke as the colt hugged the rail and then rolled around the turn   smooth effortless without a single wasted motion
twenty two point one j b called out by then though nobody needed a time to understand what they were watching   a fast beautifully put together machine
thats what im talking about j b said thirty six and three
he added im scared of this horse figure out who you want to send him to and get him out of here
montanye came by the stand and smiled when she saw every gaze fixed on her mount every jaw dropped she had just sat on the colt she had not asked him to do anything
that was him she said
j b mckathan wanted to put a fine point on what they had all just witnessed
you just dont see horses work like that he said
dale i want that one tammy fox said
whos getting him someone else asked
it has to be a trainer in attendance romans said to laughter you cant send him to baffert he didnt show up
everyone knew that was exactly where he was going though
whats his name someone asked
american pharoah justin zayat said


this is what to expect from the week ahead
for fans of tech stocks this week is a cornucopia of earnings information ibm kicks things off on monday followed by intel and yahoo on tuesday google and microsoft on thursday and other companies throughout the week that is a pretty diverse bunch of giants but they share a common theme how are they coping ibm has suffered multiple tough quarters as people move from its high priced services while intel is hoping its cloud computing data centers will make up for missing the smartphone boom google is starting to play catch up in cloud services against amazon microsoft another cloud provider has to move its old software businesses to the new computing system yahoo which lost out to google and others is coping with something else entirely on monday bids to buy all or part of the company are due quentin hardy
the last of the big banks will report their first quarter earnings this week with morgan stanley announcing its results on monday and goldman sachs tuesday both banks have set low expectations in line with the lackluster profits and revenues that the other big banks declared last week the other banks reported particularly weak results in their wall street divisions that does not bode well for morgan stanley and goldman given that they are the most wall street focused firms in the industry analysts will seek more information about the cost cuts that morgan stanley announced last quarter similar cuts may be in store at goldman nathaniel popper
on tuesday the commerce department will report the latest data on new housing starts in march after a 52 percent jump in february the biggest monthly increase since september construction growth is expected to have moderated but still rise slightly for the month buoyed by low interest rates and steady jobs growth the real estate market has been fairly strong which is helping the economy even as other sectors like manufacturing soften nelson d schwartz
a battle over encryption is heading again to capitol hill as apple and fbi officials appear before house members to defend their positions in a hearing on tuesday before a house energy and commerce subcommittee apples general counsel bruce sewell and the fbis executive assistant director for science and technology amy hess will testify on separate panels the issue has pitted the technology sector against law enforcement in a broader debate over privacy and security the fbi has pushed for access to encrypted data in terrorist and other criminal investigations apple has fought back saying some of the fbis demands to decrypt technology would weaken its products security and infringe on users privacy the companys court battle with the fbi over a phone used by a shooter in the san bernardino attack was recently resolved but the two parties continue to fight over the unlocking of an iphone used in a new york drug case cecilia kang
unitedhealth group one of the nations largest health insurers will be reporting its first quarter earnings on tuesday last years profits suffered because the company said it had lost hundreds of millions of dollars selling individual policies under the federal health care law unitedhealths chief executive said the company would leave the exchange if it could not make money investors will be watching for signs that the company has turned the business around   or has plans to make good on its promise to exit the exchange reed abelson
the european central bank will meet on thursday in frankfurt but is not expected to make any changes to policy at its last meeting in march the banks governing council announced a battery of stimulus measures aimed at raising inflation which is near zero back to the official target of below 2 percent mario draghi the president of the central bank is expected to argue on thursday that the measures which include paying banks to make loans will be enough to avert a downward spiral of consumer prices that could be disastrous for growth and jobs jack ewing
general motors on thursday will report first quarter earnings that are expected to improve primarily because of continued strong sales of its pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles in its core north american market its performance in international divisions is expected to be uneven with modest gains forecast in europe and possibly weaker results in china on friday gm the nations largest automaker will release compensation figures for 2015 for its senior executives including mary t barra its chief executive and chairwoman bill vlasic
volkswagen faces a thursday court deadline to present a plan to fix nearly 600000 diesel cars in the united states that are polluting more than allowed some lawyers in the case were optimistic there would be a broad agreement to compensate volkswagen owners and settle enforcement actions brought by state and federal governments other lawyers were more cautious saying the settlement talks remained difficult last month judge charles r breyer for the federal district court in san francisco said he would hold a trial this summer if volkswagen is not able to reach a settlement
the companys supervisory board on friday may also disclose some of the findings of an internal investigation on who was responsible for programming 11 million diesel cars mostly in europe and the united states to evade emissions limits the investigation is being conducted by the law firm jones day on behalf of the supervisory board the damage to volkswagens reputation has been elevated by the companys failure seven months after the fraud came to light to explain the circumstances behind it jack ewing
eurozone and european union finance ministers will hold two days of meetings in amsterdam starting on friday the blocs 19 eurozone ministers are expected to seek an agreement with greece on reforms in exchange for more bailout aid so that greece can pay back debt that matures in july among the numerous issues that have held up agreement is the push by the international monetary fund to ease the repayment burden on greece as a condition for helping to finance last years 86 billion euro bailout the nations third in five years the blocs 28 finance ministers are also scheduled to discuss proposals requiring companies to disclose more data about their offshore arrangements the proposals were announced in the wake of the panama papers which exposed ways the rich and powerful use tax havens james kanter
the big moves for general electric are in the rearview mirror its post financial crisis campaign of returning to its industrial roots and shedding much of its once bloated finance arm is complete on friday when ge reports its quarterly results analysts will scout for signs of health in the industrial economy expect a mixed picture with strong sales of jet engines and power generators strong and weak oil field equipment sales even if ge does well the stock price may not respond its price earnings ratio is high wall street figures big moves stir excitement in a way steady execution does not steve lohr


when news of the worst earthquake to strike ecuador in four decades reached corona queens on saturday night the house of assemblyman francisco p moya there turned into a de facto ecuadorean embassy
by sunday morning mr moyas parents maria and edgar immigrants from that country were serving coffee to neighbors in the heart of new yorks ecuadorean community
we were talking about how devastating this is and can we rebuild mr moya said adding that his cousins aunts and uncles in quito the capital were rattled but all right how bad is it he continued what is the infrastructural damage done and the ramifications throughout the whole country
the answers were scarce even as the death toll soared above 245 on sunday with thousands of people injured mr moya a queens born democrat elected to the state assembly in 2010 spent sunday coordinating a local response with civic organizations and the consulate in manhattan
ecuadoreans represent the citys sixth largest immigrant group numbering more than 137000 according to the most recent newest new yorkers report in 2013 mr moya said the ecuadorean population in queens alone including first generation americans like himself seemed closer to 300000 people
inevitably the 78 magnitude earthquake affected some queens residents more directly martha gualotuna was trying to suppress the panic nobody in the family could find her brother cesar augustus gualotuna 37 who lives in el carmen about 100 miles southeast of the epicenter
we are trying to figure out how to reach him because its a disaster ms gualotuna 57 a mechanic said she stood with her daughter tana quillupangui 19 at a rally in corona plaza for hillary clinton in advance of the states democratic primary on tuesday
we are scared it was the strongest earthquake and those provinces are very poor ms gualotuna said theyre going to need money and medicine theyre going to need a lot of help
victoria aria 39 brought her children to the rally just to let her husband continue making calls to biblian about 400 miles south of the epicenter her husbands brothers and mother were not responding and they are not on facebook she said that had been the prime source of news for many in the ecuadorean community in queens
hes worried because it was so strong hes very sad because he doesnt know where his mother is ms aria said
even former president bill clinton understood the concerns of the crowd in queens where he was campaigning for his wife on sunday our hearts go out to ecuador he said to start his remarks at the rally
at el pequeno coffee shop a well known ecuadorean restaurant on roosevelt avenue in jackson heights the buzz was muted as soccer flashed on the television screens
i was nervous jorge matute 57 said i called my family in azogues immediately they told me they felt the quake very strongly there
even though none of his relatives in azogues about 400 miles south of the epicenter was injured he said people in the country were frightened
to help new york residents with ecuadorean connections mr moyas office and that of state senator jose peralta a democrat planned to provide resources for contacting relatives and information on where to direct donations
right now were still gathering information mr peralta said
the consulate general of ecuador scheduled a public meeting at 7 pm on monday for community organizations and individuals wanting to hear how they could best help
in ecuador according to linda machuca the consul general in new york the most pressing need now is finding equipment and professionals to assist in rescue operations
she acknowledged the enthusiasm of several new york area organizations who had already expressed their desire to help but requested patience one of the best qualities that ecuadoreans have is solidarity especially in this difficult moment ms machuca said


los angeles   the first full year of the affordable care act brought historic increases in coverage for low wage workers and others who have long been left out of the health care system a new york times analysis has found immigrants of all backgrounds   including more than a million legal residents who are not citizens   had the sharpest rise in coverage rates
hispanics a coveted group of voters this election year accounted for nearly a third of the increase in adults with insurance that was the single largest share of any racial or ethnic group far greater than their 17 percent share of the population low wage workers who did not have enough clout in the labor market to demand insurance saw sharp increases coverage rates jumped for cooks dishwashers waiters as well as for hairdressers and cashiers minorities who disproportionately worked in low wage jobs had large gains
the health care law was one of the most bitterly contested pieces of legislation in the countrys history it remains controversial because of its costs to both taxpayers and insurance customers the high premiums and high deductibles of many plans still make coverage a crushing financial burden for some families
and the law is not close to achieving the goal of universal coverage in part because 19 states have declined to expand their medicaid programs for the poor an option the supreme court granted them in a landmark 2012 case nevertheless the timess analysis shows that by the end of that first full year 2014 so many low income people gained coverage that it halted the decades long expansion of the gap between the haves and the have nots in the american health insurance system a striking change at a time when disparities between rich and poor are growing in many areas
the law has clearly reduced broad measures of inequality said david cutler an economics professor at harvard who served in the clinton administration and advised the 2008 obama campaign on health issues these are people who blend into the background of the economy they are cleaning your hotel room making your sandwich the law has helped this population enormously
until now the impact of the law has been measured mostly in broad numbers of newly insured people   about 20 million by the administrations most recent account but the timess analysis of census data from 2014 the first year the heart of the law was in full effect provides a finely detailed look at who the newly insured actually are   by race education occupation immigration status and family structure
the analysis shows how the law lifted some of the most vulnerable citizens part time workers gained insurance at a higher rate than full time workers and people with high school degrees gained it at double the rate of college graduates adults living in households headed by relatives such as siblings or cousins   often a marker of economic distress   gained insurance at double the rate of those in traditional households
the laws passage without a single republican vote capped decades of efforts to enact a broader health insurance system medicaid and medicare passed in the 1960s but did little to help workers who did not receive insurance through their jobs presidents nixon carter and clinton all tried and failed to win approval for expanded coverage and the number of uninsured americans grew to nearly a fifth of adults under the age of 65 by 2010 the year the affordable care act passed
the findings from the census data could inform the national dialogue especially in this election year hispanics are a powerful voting force and the law is viewed favorably in hispanic neighborhoods but whether the sharp increase in coverage rates for hispanics will translate into votes for democrats who supported the law or whether some republicans might temper their vows to repeal it is not clear and the fact that so many who benefited under the law were not citizens or voters   12 million out of the total 87 million who got health insurance in 2014   could set off a new round of debate in a year when immigration has become a deeply polarizing issue
about 60 percent of those noncitizens were hispanic mostly natives of mexico and central america who had been living in the united states for decades another third were asian mostly newer arrivals living in states like california new york and texas illegal immigrants are not eligible for insurance under the law but legal immigrants can qualify for subsidies in the insurance exchanges and those who have been in the country for more than five years can qualify for medicaid
the vast majority of the countrys 11 million illegal immigrants about 70 percent of whom are hispanic still lack coverage said mark hugo lopez director of hispanic research at the pew research center
though the law has withstood two supreme court rulings that would have undermined its central elements it continues to face challenges
it requires most americans to have health insurance and gives subsidies to those who cannot afford it even so many still cannot afford policies while it expanded medicaid to cover more of the countrys poor the supreme court allowed states to opt out and 19 have leaving millions of people still uncovered
but in low income neighborhoods like this one in south los angeles a historically poor patch of the city dotted with palm trees small ranch houses and home to a growing hispanic population the law is having a big effect
from the vantage point of the poor and working poor obamacare has been profound said jim mangia president of the st johns well child and family center a federally funded health clinic in south los angeles that has enrolled 18000 new patients under the law nearly all of them hispanic or black and the vast majority in medicaid the clinic reported a 44 percent increase in cervical cancer screenings a 25 percent increase in tobacco cessation therapy and a 22 percent increase in the share of patients with controlled hypertension since 2014 the result he said of more patients having insurance
one new patient angela cruz 60 is a typical example of a winner under the law a legal immigrant who is not a citizen she came to this country from el salvador in 1990 she had never had health insurance in her 25 years of working in the united states most recently as a nanny she stitched together medical care through emergency rooms free clinics and home remedies when she needed to pay for medicine for a painful bout of kidney stones she stopped buying meat
then she got coverage under the health laws expansion of medicaid in california
now she said i dont have the stress of wondering   can i pay this   when sometimes i didnt have anything to pay it with
hispanics remain the least insured americans with only 67 percent having coverage in 2014 in part because so many illegal immigrants are uninsured
gains for blacks were muted because they disproportionately live in states that chose not to expand medicaid about 60 percent of poor blacks live in states that did not expand medicaid while the share of poor blacks covered by medicaid did rise by two percentage points in those states the rate rose by six points in states that expanded the program
in all minorities gained more than whites making up two thirds of the increase in insured adults across the country and 70 percent of the increase in private insurance minority men who work as groundskeepers and janitors saw substantial gains rising to 59 percent insured up from 51 percent in 2013 hispanic male construction workers rose to 43 percent insured from 36 percent in 2013
one such worker sergio ortega 51 a legal immigrant from mexico who had never been insured before getting covered by medicaid in 2014 said making a doctors appointment seemed unthinkable without insurance so he often simply ignored his health problems
several years ago he started feeling tired a condition that eventually drove him to quit his job demolishing buildings and start selling fruit from a street cart by the time he sought treatment through his new coverage and discovered he had diabetes his lower leg had to be amputated
i realized it was getting really bad because my foot started turning purple said mr ortega who is a patient at st johns
perhaps the biggest unmet promise of the law is that many it was supposed to help still cannot afford insurance alberto torres 50 a driver for a garment company in los angeles who could not afford insurance before the law had signed up for a plan in 2014 for 41 a month but this year his monthly premium jumped to 106   too much he said for his meager salary
im feeling not so good he said recently waiting in line for help to look for a less expensive plan
high deductibles are another big obstacle if you are living paycheck to paycheck and have nothing in the bank insurance with a 3000 deductible might feel like no insurance at all said larry levitt a senior vice president of the kaiser family foundation
having insurance does not necessarily mean better health but experts hope it could start to ease some of the worst disparities that have kept the united states close to the bottom of health rankings of rich countries
mr ortega has been fitted for a prosthetic leg he is still learning how to use it
now i dont worry he said its a security a comfort that i feel


aaron sanchez allowed two hits in seven innings of one run ball on sunday and jose bautista drove in two runs with a homer and a double to lead the toronto blue jays over the host boston red sox 5 3
sanchez allowed no hits until marco hernandezs broken bat single with two outs in the fifth
edwin encarnacion added two singles and an rbi for the blue jays who had lost two straight kevin pillar had three singles and made two nice catches in center after being dropped from leadoff to eighth in the lineup
travis shaw hit a two run homer off closer roberto osuna for boston which had won three straight
phillies 3 nationals 2 freddy galvis hit an rbi double off jonathan papelbon with two outs in the 10th inning to lift the host phillies ending the nationals seven game winning streak
bryce harper set a career high by homering in his fourth straight game hitting a solo shot against jeanmar gomez for a 2 1 lead in the 10th the phillies then rallied off papelbon their former closer
pinch hitter andres blanco hit an rbi single with two outs to tie it he scored when galvis drove a ball over left fielder jayson werth
rays 3 white sox 2 matt moore struck out 10 over six and one third innings allowing two runs and five hits and brandon guyer tied a career high with four hits in st petersburg fla
alex colome got five outs for the rays first save this season
dodgers 3 giants 1 kenta maeda pitched seven strong innings for the host dodgers and joc pederson drove in the tying and go ahead runs with a fifth inning homer
maeda extended his shutout streak to 1423 innings before joe panik ended it with a third inning homer
braves 6 marlins 5 the rookie mallex smith hit an rbi single against edwin jackson with two outs in the 10th inning as atlanta completed a three game sweep after having arrived in miami 0 9
atlanta blew a 5 0 lead and ichiro suzukis rbi single on an 0 2 pitch from jason grilli with two outs in the ninth tied the game for miami
twins 3 angels 2 oswaldo arcias single down the left field line scored byron buxton in the 12th as minnesota completed a three game sweep in minneapolis
kyle gibson gave up two runs on four hits in seven innings for the twins who have won three straight after starting 0 9
pirates 9 brewers 3 andrew mccutchen homered for the second straight day and matt joyce and gregory polanco each had three of host pittsburghs 17 hits
juan nicasio allowed three runs over six innings for pittsburgh giving up all the milwaukee offense in the fourth
zach davies was pounded by the pirates for the third time in seven career starts
astros 5 tigers 4 jose altuve led off houstons first inning with a home run and had three rbi and george springer also hit a solo homer as host houston won its first series this season
mike fiers gave up four runs and seven hits in five and two thirds innings with five strikeouts anibal sanchez was tagged for five runs   four earned   and eight hits in five innings with eight strikeouts
cardinals 4 reds 3 eric fryer had three hits including a go ahead double with two outs in the eighth off ross ohlendorf in st louis a backup to the all star catcher yadier molina fryer got his first start this season and is 6 for 6 at the plate
matt carpenter and jedd gyorko homered for st louis which has won three of its last four
trevor rosenthal struck out his last two batters in a perfect ninth for his third save
rockies 2 cubs 0 nolan arenado homered twice off jon lester and tyler chatwood pitched seven innings in combining with miguel castro and jake mcgee on a three hitter in chicago
jason heyward doubled with one out in the ninth and anthony rizzo was hit by a pitch with two outs before mcgee struck out kris bryant for his third save
diamondbacks 7 padres 3 arizonas yasmany tomas homered twice drove in three runs and scored three times in san diego
brandon drury had a two run homer and a triple and scored twice for the diamondbacks


join us for new york primary live updates
insisting that the delegate selection process is corrupt and crooked donald j trump offered a vivid example on sunday to prove his point
imagine being wooed by mr trump
look nobody has better toys than i do he told reporters at a hotel on staten island where he pressed his case that the system was rigged against him i can put them in the best planes and bring them to the best resorts anywhere in the world
but mr trump said that was unseemly
youre basically buying these people he added youre basically saying delegate listen were going to send you to mar a lago on a boeing 757 youre going to use the spa youre going to this youre going to that we want your vote thats a corrupt system
mr trumps comments were the latest salvo in an escalating war against the republican national committee over how delegates were being selected in the presidential race
on sunday two days before new yorks primaries mr trump was the only republican presidential candidate to campaign in the state where polls showed him with a wide lead
during his visit to staten island a stronghold of his support he accepted an award from the new york veteran police association and spoke at a party brunch at a rally in poughkeepsie he berated party officials once again
still speaking to reporters on staten island mr trump said he hoped that the july convention doesnt involve violence
and i dont think it will he said but i will say this its a rigged system its a crooked system its 100 percent crooked
on the democratic side where the primary is expected to be closer hillary clinton and senator bernie sanders spent the day trying to drum up support
polls have shown mrs clinton with an edge over mr sanders but mr sanders is hoping for an unexpectedly strong performance that would embarrass mrs clinton on her adopted turf
both candidates were knocked off balance this weekend when questioned about an issue with particular relevance in new york a bill that would allow foreign governments to be held responsible in american courts for having a role in terrorist attacks such as the sept 11 2001 attacks
the new york times reported on friday that saudi arabia had told the obama administration and members of congress that it would sell off hundreds of billions of dollars worth of american assets held by the kingdom if congress passed the bill the obama administration has lobbied congress to block the bills passage the times reported
in television interviews broadcast on sunday mr sanders and mrs clinton said they needed more information to say where they stood on the bill
but after mrs clintons interview aired her campaign released a statement breaking with the obama administration the statement said mrs clinton supported efforts to secure the ability of 911 families and other victims of terrorist acts to hold accountable those responsible
later in the day mr sanderss campaign also issued a statement in support of the legislation
mrs clinton made several stops in new york on sunday in mount vernon she spoke at a baptist church saying she was the candidate most willing to take stands in favor of gun control while in upper manhattan she danced at a block party in washington heights she also held a rally on staten island
at a block party in the bedford stuyvesant section of brooklyn mayor bill de blasio urged new yorkers to help turn out votes for her and mrs clinton greeted him with a hug and a kiss on the cheek
anybody see the debate she asked addressing the crowd from the bed of a ford pickup truck and referring to the democratic debate on thursday in brooklyn we talked about the greed and recklessness of wall street i take a back seat to no one in taking them on
after hosting packed rallies around the state mr sanders turned his attention on sunday to courting black voters in new york city visiting a predominantly black church in harlem and a brownsville housing project
mr sanders also had a rally in prospect park in brooklyn which his campaign said drew more than 28000 people the largest crowd of his presidential bid
in brownsville mr sanders toured the howard houses along with some local elected officials and his campaign later released a plan for affordable housing
this is the wealthiest country in the history of the world mr sanders said people should not be forced to live in dilapidated housing
as mr sanders walked across the complex several residents happily shouted at him but others pointedly criticized him for using the apartments for what they viewed as a photo opportunity
anthony portis 34 a construction worker called the senators visit a political stunt to gain all the black votes in the neighborhood
this area always feels like we are left out he said
mr sanders said that he understood that some would be apprehensive about his visit but that he wanted to call attention to the issues faced by people in housing projects
believe me i can understand the cynicism he said but my understanding is that not too many presidential candidates have come to brownsville housing projects


washington   for much of his time in the white house president obama has labored to pull the united states out of the middle east so he could pivot to more promising horizons in asia now as he winds down his presidency it is europe another place where americans have deep ties and a long history that is exerting an unwelcome pull
as mr obama prepares for a six day trip this week that will include stops in britain and germany his administration is worried about a cascade of events that is destabilizing and could even potentially unravel the european union britain and germany are both reeling from political tempests and fear of a new wave of immigrants raising the risk that the british might vote to leave the union in a referendum in june
white house officials said last week that mr obama would deliver a message of solidarity when he visited prime minister david cameron in britain and chancellor angela merkel in germany yet the presidents own well publicized statements and foreign policy priorities could complicate his efforts to be a trans atlantic cheerleader
some critics in europe viewed mr obamas asia pivot as a realignment of priorities away from the continent and the president struck a nerve when he suggested in a recent interview in the atlantic that britain and france had been free riders in natos air campaign in libya leaving the united states to bear most of the military burden
obama has been a good friend to europe in many ways said r nicholas burns a former united states ambassador to nato who is now a professor at harvard but theres no question that the language of the pivot gave the impression that he was not focused as viscerally on europe
mr burns said the presidents treatment of europe   from his support of the european union during its debt crisis to his compromises over the climate change agreement   was better than his critics suggested mr obama he said was handicapped by the impossibly high expectations europeans had for him when he was a presidential candidate in 2008
with this weeks trip and a nato summit meeting scheduled to be held in warsaw in july the president has a chance to leave office with a strong display of support for europe the us and europe need to draw a bright line around poland and the baltic states and tell putin that he wont be allowed to destabilize them mr burns said referring to the russian president vladimir v putin
administration officials note that mr obama has already taken a step in that direction requesting 34 billion in additional military spending in 2017 to deploy heavy weapons armored vehicles and other equipment to nato countries in central and eastern europe in part to deter russia from further aggression in the region
these officials dispute the argument that the trans atlantic alliance has not been a priority for mr obama they say he has held more than 70 conversations with european leaders since the beginning of 2015 this will be his fifth visit each to britain and germany as president
mr cameron and ms merkel are among mr obamas closer friends in the rarefied club of foreign leaders but both are in perilous situations facing perhaps the most difficult days of their time in office   all of which add to the diplomatic challenge facing the president
mr cameron has staked his government on winning the referendum vote on whether to stay in the european union but the campaign to avert a so called brexit took a hit after disclosures that mr cameron   its chief spokesman   profited from offshore investments set up by his father
white house officials suggested that mr obama would express his hope that british voters would decide to stay in the european union but that he would do so diplomatically if hes asked his view as a friend he will offer it but hell make very clear that this is a matter that the british people themselves will decide when they head to the polls in june said benjamin j rhodes the deputy national security adviser
mr obamas aides were quick to backtrack on his criticism of mr cameron on the libya operation after those comments drew an angry response from british politicians and in british newspapers
ms merkel is facing a different kind of pressure after she agreed to allow a legal case to proceed against a popular comedian who had crudely satirized the president of turkey recep tayyip erdogan the chancellors decision has been widely condemned analysts said it reflected her desperation not to offend turkey with which europe has a fragile deal to stem the flood of migrants from the middle east and north africa
still mr obama believes ms merkel demonstrated bold leadership in responding to the refugee crisis and the president wants to provide political support to her for doing so said charles kupchan senior director for european affairs at the national security council the white house has not commented on the case against the comic while the state department noted that ms merkel had indicated her government planned to amend the 1871 law under which he may be tried
the presidents itinerary includes stops that will showcase the sunnier side of the trans atlantic relationship on friday he will have lunch with queen elizabeth ii at windsor castle to celebrate her 90th birthday which is thursday on sunday in germany he will tour the hannover messe the worlds largest industrial technology trade fair where he will promote his ambitious european trade deal the trans atlantic trade and investment partnership
strains within the trans atlantic alliance are neither new nor unique to the obama administration complaints about mr obama are mild compared with the anger europeans expressed after donald h rumsfeld then serving as george w bushs defense secretary referred to germany and france as old europe when they refused to support the iraq war
we never get it right with the europeans said john c kornblum a former american ambassador to germany were either getting too involved in their affairs and sermonizing them or were doing a shift to asia and abandoning them


the voice on the phone had a reminder for the voters of the south shore
hello this is mel brooks yes it really is mel brooks it told voters in new york states ninth senate district which sits in nassau county in a recent robocall april 19 is a special election youre liable to forget do me a favor do yourself a favor vote for todd kaminsky dont forget
considering the vigorous warm up to april 19s other political event   the sports arena rallies the debate the debate over the debate the rumpus over what constitutes new york values a pizza gaffe two subway gaffes   it would be understandable if other contests might be overlooked
natural even after voting in the presidential primary voters in districts with special elections must ask for a second ballot to participate
yet the special elections on long island and in lower manhattan offer voters a chance to do the unprecedented to replace in the space of one day two former members of new york states ruling triumvirate both of whom are scheduled to be sentenced in the coming weeks after being convicted on corruption charges and the two contests if less chaotic than their presidential counterpart have afforded their own measures of intrigue and incivility
there is the south shore election to replace dean g skelos the former state senate majority leader in which mr kaminsky a freshman democratic state assemblyman and former federal prosecutor faces christopher mcgrath a republican personal injury lawyer who polls show holds an edge in the contest mr kaminsky has staked his campaign on cleaning up the albany muck that he says mr skelos a republican has come to represent mr mcgrath has profitably made the election about everything but mr skelos
there is the lower manhattan race to replace sheldon silver the former assembly speaker in which the democrat alice cancel would be a lock for the solid blue district were it not for an unexpectedly well organized challenge from a third party candidate yuh line niou who has accused ms cancel of owing the democratic nomination to mr silvers hidden hand
a win for mr kaminsky on long island could help flip control of the state senate which republicans currently dominate only by dint of caucusing with one democrat who is not on friendly terms with his own party and informally aligning with five more but its real significance may be for the fall elections in which all seats will be in play
both ms niou and mr kaminsky are road testing the urgent need to reform albany   the message democrats are counting on to propel them to senate control in the fall   as a central electoral concern their opponents they say are too close to the men who brought a new level of shame to albany and too uncommitted to ethics reform
mr kaminsky   who is mel brookss great nephew   may be finding that a relentless focus on corruption despite its consistent ranking in the polls as a top voter concern can go only so far
the senate district has slightly more registered democrats than republicans but has been in republican hands for decades a siena college poll released on saturday found that mr mcgrath had opened up an eight point lead
democrats were confident that mr kaminskys background as a federal corruption prosecutor   he brought down another former state senate majority leader pedro espada jr   would make him the right man for this moment as bill lipton the executive director of the left leaning working families party which has contributed get out the vote efforts to mr kaminskys campaign put it
mr mcgrath by contrast was a political unknown a partner at the law firm sullivan papain block mcgrath  cannavo who pledged to focus on bread and butter issues like education and warned that with the senate controlled by democrats long island would be in danger of losing school financing to new york city
the focus on education has set the stage for a line of attack that the kaminsky campaign hopes will appeal to members of the hyper engaged anti testing parents movement which is deeply suspicious of the education reform movement
after an education reform group paid for more than 1 million in television advertisements criticizing mr kaminsky   a rare level of investment in such a race   mr kaminsky suggested that senate republicans were increasing funding to charter schools in exchange for the pro charter school groups support
it remains to be seen whether mr kaminskys assertions of an under the table deal would be enough to counter the impact of the advertisements scott reif a spokesman for the senate republicans who regularly support charter school groups denied that any such bargain was made calling the allegation slanderous
as mr kaminsky has flayed mr mcgrath for his reticence on ethics issues and his unwillingness to disavow mr skelos mr mcgraths campaign has gleefully recorded mr kaminskys every absence from assembly sessions break out the missing milk carton one news release read mr mcgrath has said that he supports some ethics reforms like term limits for legislators and stripping pensions from lawmakers convicted of a felony mr kaminskys spokesman evan thies defended his attendance record as excellent noting that he had sponsored 16 bills that eventually passed a freshman record
theres two schools of thought here said steve greenberg a siena college pollster who oversaw the survey one is oh my god corruptions going to resonate here more than anywhere else because theyve just seen their state senator thrown into jail for corruption the other school of thought is voters think we got rid of the guy were going to have an election for a new person what is that new person going to do for me
with both parties locked in competitive presidential primaries it is unclear whether more republicans or democrats will show up to the polls bill clinton stumping for hillary clinton on long island endorsed mr kaminsky this month
but perhaps more important in a race that will depend heavily on turnout mr mcgrath has won the endorsements of many local unions including some representing law enforcement civil servants health care workers and firefighters
in the lower manhattan race ms niou the chief of staff to assemblyman ron kim of queens is counting on the working families partys support to help her overcome voters historical indifference to special elections and the baked in disadvantage of running as a third party candidate in a reliably democratic district
most local democratic elected officials have endorsed her and her promise to break with mr silvers brand of politics which depended on a loyal and tight knit network of lower east side allies who helped propel ms cancel a longtime district leader to the democratic nomination
ms cancel who has praised mr silvers work in the area has sought to sow doubt about her opponents commitment to reform by pointing out that ms niou too sought the backing of mr silvers associates before declaring the process corrupt when she was not chosen for the nomination ms niou moved to the district two years ago and she has also been flustered by questions about her previous voting record
the republican candidate lester chang a businessman has also branded ms cancel as a creature of mr silvers political organization
ms cancel who works in the office of the city comptroller scott m stringer has picked up endorsements from two local democratic city councilwomen margaret chin and rosie mendez who have praised her deep roots in the district and her work on tenants rights issues in public housing
ms cancel is the best one that can represent the district cause she knows the district ms chin said in an interview
still the overwhelming majority of the endorsements money and door to door organizing efforts in the contest have gone to ms niou whose focus on reform and asian heritage may help draw out the well educated professionals and chinatown residents who make up two key constituencies in the district among her supporters is mr stringer who employs ms cancel
if were going to clean up albany were going to have to do it one district at a time he said adding that there was no comparison between ms niou and ms cancel as candidates thats what this elections about and its appropriate that it starts in this election


i still have the baseball that bob watson then the yankees general manager signed for me in october 1996 after the yankees had defeated the atlanta braves to win the world series ending an 18 year world series drought
that world series victory was the beginning of another yankees championship cycle
the yankees won the title again in 1998 1999 and 2000 they lost the world series in 2001 and 2003 and won their most recent championship in 2009
i thought about watson this weekend as the yankees lost two of three games to the seattle mariners
this year is the 20th anniversary of watsons world series title and it feels as if the yankees may be entering another championship less cycle
youre as good as your pitching watson said saturday during a telephone interview in the 1996 season the yankees received a nearly miraculous contribution from pitcher david cone who had to recover from an aneurysm they also got a surprise performance from a revitalized dwight gooden
these yankees have a great bullpen now they need to score runs watson said in the american league east you have to score more than three or four runs a game to win
im intrigued by franchises like the yankees the los angeles lakers and to a lesser extent the san antonio spurs and the new england patriots their history suggests that titles are inevitable they come in cycles
there was the minneapolis lakers cycle with george mikan then the los angeles lakers cycle with jerry west and elgin baylor and then with wilt chamberlain then the kareem abdul jabbar and magic johnson cycle the kobe bryant and shaquille oneal cycle then the cycle bryant led
the yankees championship cycles which began in 1923 have run even longer
the straw that stirs the drink may not always be known but the best franchises always have a way of putting change in motion at the right time this means making tough decisions
in 1996 under watsons direction the yankees parted ways with the popular utility player randy velarde and the popular catcher mike stanley watson did not re sign the beloved first baseman don mattingly
during that 1996 season watson said that the bottom line was winning and winning was not a popularity contest it involved bold usually unpopular moves
go back and look at every team that was successful watson said youll find somewhere along the line they took some risks
the question i ask is what are the tough but necessary decisions the yankees have to make in 2016 to begin another championship cycle and how long will it take before fans begin calling for heads
new york is not an easy place to play in watson said the fans the media   no one is going to let a great franchise get away with playing mediocre ball
however the new economics no longer mandate that the biggest stars go to the biggest markets
watson became the general manager at a time when big market big money teams could offer prospective players blank checks and players more often than not had to go to places like new york boston and los angeles to receive astronomical compensation
no more
the minnesota twins were able to keep joe mauer seattle signed the yankees robinson cano and giancarlo stanton signed a 13 year 325 million contract with the miami marlins
the yankees have been to the playoffs but the yankees brand is championships and six full seasons have gone by since they won one
teams now have to build their way back and the yankees seem to be doing that they have replaced cano with starlin castro and didi gregorius has played solidly at shortstop the yankees bullpen is strong once again but the bats and the starting pitching which leads to the bullpen are aging and erratic
watson recalled his first spring training as general manager under the yankees owner george m steinbrenner
when i came to new york the budget was 39 million watson said before i left spring training it was 60 million he wanted to win
at one point in the season steinbrenner asked watson what he needed watson said he needed a bat cecil fielder he told me go make the deal fielders acquisition was crucial to the yankees championship run
one guy i tip my cap to is brian cashman watson said referring to the man who replaced him in 1998 hes closing in on 20 years of being there for many a times he was called a clerk   all you are is a clerk   i tip my cap for him hanging in there
watson resigned before the 98 season began he had helped set the table for a remarkable yankees run but health problems aggravated by tension with steinbrenner became too much
i had gotten tired of being threatened with being fired he said i just couldnt take the stress every day that i was going to get fired   the yelling and screaming
watson said the tipping point was a trade that the boss wanted him to make
he wanted me to trade andy pettitte and bernie williams for chuck knoblauch watson said i told him i wouldnt do that
watson recalled that steinbrenner pulled rank saying that it was his team and he wanted knoblauch
i said well youre going to have to do it because i quit 
watson 70 and his wife carole now live in houston watson still works with usa baseballs youth initiative
there is so much focus now on winning watson said i want to get back to basics learning to play the game
and yet every time i look at that world series baseball watson signed in october 1996 i am reminded that in this city with this particular franchise winning still is the name of the game


boston   phillips exeter academy an elite new hampshire boarding school whose prominent graduates include daniel webster and mark zuckerberg disclosed last month that it had forced out a popular teacher in 2011 because of sexual misconduct in the 1970s and 80s
the schools delayed announcement   officials said they had been protecting the victims privacy   brought forth allegations against other employees and on wednesday exeter announced that it had fired a second teacher who had admitted to sexual encounters with a student more than two decades ago
the revelations at exeter are the latest to rock the insular privileged world of american prep schools in the past decade sex abuse allegations have tarnished a litany of top private schools including horace mann in the bronx deerfield academy in western massachusetts and the hotchkiss school in connecticut since december more than 40 alumni of st georges school an elite boarding school in rhode island have reported several cases of molestation and rape mostly in the 1970s and 80s
sexual misconduct is of course not limited to select private schools educators say that it occurs with alarming frequency across all types of educational institutions
but because boarding schools are usually high profile institutions with powerful alumni they receive intense public scrutiny when misconduct occurs on their manicured campuses the rash of recent allegations and bad publicity has started to yield changes some experts said with some schools doing more now to try to prevent sexual abuse and be more receptive to students who report it
a 2004 analysis of the scant research on sex abuse estimated that 96 percent of students in public schools experience some form of educator sexual misconduct ranging from offensive comments to rape between kindergarten and 12th grade
there appears to be no comparable data available about boarding schools said peter w upham executive director of the association of boarding schools who calls sexual abuse by educators a national scourge
some researchers and lawyers involved with abuse cases say that while very few teachers take sexual advantage of students some aspects of boarding school life can be conducive to abuse
boarding schools are fertile ground for predatory behavior mostly because youre with the kids all the time said eric macleish a lawyer representing several alumni who say they were sexually abused at st georges
it is accepted that teachers will get very very close to students as they become mentors he said they work out together eat together take trips together go to europe together with the school choir many live on campus and are dorm parents
hawk cramer 48 an elementary school principal in seattle who said he was molested by a faculty member at st georges when he was a student there in the early 1980s agreed that the unfettered access to students at boarding schools can allow a pedophile to groom victims
you can call kids into your home you can be alone with them and kids think you have control over their future he said
and students are loath to report the abuse at least in real time students are embarrassed and under huge pressure to perform mr cramer said they dont want anyone to think they arent measuring up or that theyre a victim
dr eli newberger a boston pediatrician and specialist in child protection said these were places where for the most part children are treated extremely well with very high expectations for career accomplishment as such he said abuse in such rarefied settings may take decades to overcome
until recently he and others said the schools were reluctant to acknowledge bad behavior and victims had little confidence that their complaints would be taken seriously
now with so many cases coming to light educators and analysts said that the schools are making greater efforts both to try to prevent misconduct from occurring and to be more transparent in their reporting when it did
i do think a lot of schools are grappling now in a way they havent before with what are the best practices in terms of providing safety and enough prevention training and education said david finkelhor director of the crimes against children research center at the university of new hampshire
he noted that by many measures reports of current child sexual abuse at least in public schools were going down for example the minnesota student survey conducted every three years said that in 2013 fewer than six percent of ninth graders reported being touched or forced to touch an adult sexually this was a new low down from 13 percent in 1992 the first year of the study
as for the boarding schools many are conducting more rigorous background checks when hiring staff and are proactively training employees to recognize grooming behaviors among adults they are also teaching students to identify when other students seem stressed and when adults might be crossing a boundary
a number of schools have developed anonymous tip lines and set aside confidential areas where students can air their concerns
now we have schools sending out pre emptive letters even without any allegations saying if you are ever harmed or abused were here for you mr upham said
he and others attributed the changes in part to liability concerns stemming from the explosive jerry sandusky sex abuse scandal at penn state in 2011 mr sandusky a coach who was convicted of abusing 10 boys over 15 years has cost the university more than 92 million in settlement costs
more recently the oscar winning movie spotlight an account of the boston globes expose of sexual abuse of children by roman catholic priests and the subsequent cover up may be spurring a new round of reporting
 spotlight has given survivors the permission to come forward now because they see people siding with them and they see institutions being held accountable said robert m hoatson a former catholic priest based in livingston nj and co founder of road to recovery an organization for survivors of sexual abuse
the sandusky revelations appear to have been a motivating factor behind the report of sexual abuse at exeter according to police documents obtained by the associated press through a records request an exeter teacher cited the sandusky case when she reported in 2011 that rick schubart a popular history teacher had been sexually involved with a student in the 1970s
the teacher who had also been a student at exeter at that time said that a classmate had told her she had had sex with mr schubart according to the ap the classmate confirmed to the school that she had had a relationship with mr schubart during her senior year in 1977 when she was 18 but said it was consensual mr schubart was forced to resign and the school said at the time that he left for personal reasons
in 2015 a 1982 graduate reported that mr schubart had sexually abused her when she was 17 mr schubart told police it was consensual the ap said but the womans lawyer told the school she had to have extensive therapy and was seeking financial compensation
that second report prompted the school to strip mr schubart of his emeritus status last year and bar him from campus mr schubart did not immediately respond to a request for comment
on march 30 school officials disclosed the situation to students parents and alumni saying mr schubart had been forced out after admitting to sexual misconduct
the revelations shook the exeter community and unleashed additional charges of sexual misconduct which led to the firing last week of a second teacher steve lewis who admitted recently to abuse that happened decades ago the school said the police said this was the only report they received against a current teacher attempts to reach mr lewis on sunday were unsuccessful
still the charges set off an anguished debate in conversations and online among the close knit alumni many of whom had admired mr schubart and were trying to reconcile the revelations with their own positive experiences a few said they knew of the relationship at the time and were now wrestling with whether they should have reported it and whether their view that it had appeared to be consensual made any difference
we have entered a period of sincere reflection about our schools history and culture lisa macfarlane exeters new principal who has been on the job less than a year and eunice panetta the president of the board of trustees wrote in a letter on saturday to the school community
the letter announced that exeter had retained a law firm to investigate additional allegations and review school policies it also said outside experts would review how exeter had handled the schubart matter which occurred during the tenure of the previous principal tom hassan who stepped down last year
mr hassan who has been censured by the association of boarding schools has apologized for what he called his inadequate response he said he was trying to protect student privacy
it remains to be seen whether the episode will affect his wife gov maggie hassan of new hampshire a democrat who is challenging senator kelly ayotte ms hassan who had received campaign contributions from mr schubart was living on the exeter campus with her husband when mr schubart resigned but has said she did not know why he left


voorhees nj   with arms crossed and a black baseball cap propped backward on his head philadelphia flyers goaltender steve mason wearily took a few more questions sunday about how he could have been beaten by a measly tip in from yes 101 feet away
all washington forward jason chimera was trying to accomplish saturday night was to knock a long pass from karl alzner toward the goal so that the capitals could make a line change but the puck squirted through masons pads instead for a killer goal in a 4 1 washington victory
you put it behind you quickly and move on to the next thing mason said sunday
he seemed to be trying hard to do that but at one point during a brief interview he frowned and said im just tired of talking about it right now
chimeras second period goal gave the heavily favored capitals a 2 0 lead in a game they won to take a 2 0 series lead dave hakstol the flyers first year coach was even asked if he might change goalies for game 3 on monday in philadelphia
hakstol made no announcement but he did say i like mases play hes been at a high level for six seven weeks now hes been a real integral part of everything weve done here down the stretch
later hakstol said its one mistake in a game it draws a lot of attention because of the nature of the position but both steve as well as our team handled it real well
the capitals were going to be an extreme challenge for the flyers anyway but philadelphia can hardly afford any mistakes if it hopes to win one game in this series let alone four
washington goaltender braden holtby has stopped 60 of 61 shots in the series and the capitals vaunted power play has scored three goals two of them saturday on just two shots a strong series from mason was essential for the flyers to have any chance
now comes what will surely be the most emotional moment of the series the first hockey game in philadelphia since ed snider the flyers co founder and their owner for their entire 50 year history died april 11 at age 83 of cancer at his home in montecito calif
win it for ed t shirts are for sale at 1995 and the public has been invited to a memorial service at wells fargo center on thursday afternoon players and coaches are planning to attend   but the flyers season could very well be over by then
weve got to control our emotions a little bit but weve got to follow the game plan said center claude giroux the flyers captain weve played two good games weve got to make the third one great
before the flyers last regular season home game on april 9 lauren hart sang god bless america for the sellout crowd   and for snider on her cellphone via facetime pregame activities monday are expected to be more celebratory than sentimental
the flyers challenge will be to set a hard hitting tone against the bigger capitals philadelphia is 0 for 8 on power plays in the series washington is 3 for 8
just because snider oversaw the formation of the flyers roughneck broad street bullies image in the 1970s   when the flyers won their only two stanley cup championships   does not mean the current team would want to stage a retrospective
weve got to be physical and use the home crowd to our advantage but play under control flyers forward brayden schenn said we dont want to be sitting in the penalty box all night
when michal neuvirth sustained a knee injury mason played in 12 straight games over 22 days including three consecutive games mason went 6 4 2 with a 221 goals against average and a 926 save percentage and the flyers surged past staggering boston for a playoff berth
even in the playoff series opener a 2 0 washington victory on thursday mason played well giving up two goals on 31 shots his teammates are not abandoning him
mase is the reason why were here the rookie defenseman shayne gostisbehere said sunday goals like that are going to happen you saw two minutes before he almost tore his groin making a save hes the reason why were here right now and were going to pick him up we have 100 percent confidence in him
hakstol pointed out that the flyers did trim the deficit saturday to 2 1 with forward ryan white ringing a shot off the crossbar behind holtby with more than seven minutes to play in the second period
obviously hed like to have that one back schenn said of mason but the way he bounced back   he made lots of good saves after that that just shows how mentally strong he is
mason said sunday that he was trying to put the bad goal behind him less than a stellar effort monday   especially monday   will not be good enough for philadelphia fans who are weathering a cup drought going on 41 years without the teams beloved owner


washington   over the last seven decades photographs of american presidents side by side with the kings of saudi arabia have provided visual evidence of an enduring strategic alliance between the united states and the oil rich kingdom in the middle east
on wednesday president obama will add one more photo to the scrapbook when he arrives in riyadh the saudi capital for a private meeting with king salman saudi arabias 80 year old monarch
but the expected image of the two leaders will fail to convey the depth of the strain on the relationship between saudi arabia and the united states during mr obamas tenure there has been distrust and disagreement over how to contain iran the fight against the islamic state the future of syria and clashes in yemen blunt comments about the saudis by mr obama in a recent interview have deepened the ill will
the relationship is troubled its rocky said frederic wehrey a senior associate in the middle east program at the carnegie endowment for international peace but he added its not headed for an impending collapse
that is because the two nations still need each other the united states provides military and intelligence support to the kingdom for its regional security and is expected to announce additional support this week saudi arabia helps fight terror groups like al qaeda and remains the second largest provider of oil imports to the united states selling about one million barrels per day
now with mr obama in the twilight of his presidency saudi leaders are looking past him to the winner of novembers presidential election
for them the obama ship sailed a long time ago said danielle pletka the senior vice president for foreign and defense policy studies at the american enterprise institute a conservative think tank they like the rest of us dont have a clue whats coming next
in the 70 years since president franklin d roosevelt initiated the alliance at the end of world war ii the saudis have primarily looked to the united states to help ensure its security in an often unstable region they want the united states to have their back especially in a potential conflict with iran their longstanding regional rival
that has meant for the most part military equipment the united states has helped saudi arabia a sunni dominated state to obtain weapons to deter iran a mostly shiite country more recently the saudis have sought intelligence assistance and training and the united states has given the saudis targeting and logistical support for their war in yemen
this week the united states is expected to announce that it will bolster ballistic missile defenses in the region and provide new support for saudi efforts to counter cyberattacks from iran and elsewhere
saudi arabia has become more and more dependent on the us military for any really serious contingency said anthony h cordesman who holds the arleigh a burke chair in strategy at the center for strategic and international studies
the united states has looked to saudi arabia as a source of stability in the middle east an ally whose oil reserves have only recently begun to diminish in importance for american interests
american presidents want to have a decent relationship with the country that exports more oil than any other in the rest of the world said fgregory gause iii a professor at the bush school of government and public service at texas am university
saudi arabia has worked with the united states in a campaign against al qaeda   and more recently against the islamic state a group seen as a regional danger and a direct threat to american security the united states has sought the kingdoms help in efforts to end the syrian civil war
the obama administration also wants changes inside saudi arabia where religious minorities and women often face marginalization officials said mr obama would raise the issue of human rights but few expect the subject to overshadow security concerns
white house officials say the alliance remains strong even so rob malley a middle east adviser to the president conceded last week that our views and those of some of our partners in the region and saudi arabia in particular have not always been perfectly aligned
from the saudi perspective confidence in united states support was undermined in 2011 by what they perceived as mr obamas failure to support hosni mubarak the ousted president of egypt during the arab spring it was further rattled when mr obama drew a red line against the syrian governments use of chemical weapons then stopped short of taking military action to enforce it mr obama has said he is proud of his last minute restraint but the 2013 episode made the saudis question the commitment of the united states to defending its allies in the region
in the years since those questions have turned to deep concern notably as mr obama engaged with iran   once a diplomatic pariah   in an effort to reach a deal to end the countrys nuclear weapons program american officials have hailed the agreement completed last year calling it successful in keeping iran from becoming a nuclear power
inside saudi arabia though the thaw between the americans and the iranians is seen as a dangerous shift in the regions balance of power the saudis fear conventional and terrorist attacks from iran and they worry that the united states is backing away from the defense commitment it has maintained for decades
for saudi arabia this is always existential mr cordesman said for us its another regional problem
another simmering problem is the longstanding suspicion among some in the united states that the saudi government or some of its officials participated in the plotting for the sept 11 2001 attacks in recent days saudi officials warned american lawmakers that they might sell off hundreds of billions of dollars worth of american assets if congress passes a bill that would allow the saudi government to be held responsible in united states courts for any role it may have had in the attacks
still a senior state department official said the relationship is better now the day before mr obamas trip than it was two years ago after the syria red line incident efforts to mend relations by secretary of state john kerry and john o brennan the cia director have led to saudi help in brokering a cease fire in syria and cooperation from the united states in the saudis fight against iranian backed forces in yemen
if the relationship is getting better it is doing so despite blunt and revealing comments that mr obama made about saudi arabia during a series of interviews for a recent magazine article
mr obama told jeffrey goldberg a correspondent for the atlantic that saudi arabia would have to find a way to coexist with iran by learning to share the neighborhood and institute some sort of cold peace he referred to the saudis and other american allies in europe as free riders who accept security help from the united states without sharing the burden the article related a conversation between mr obama and malcolm turnbull the prime minister of australia
arent the saudis your friends mr turnbull asked according to mr goldberg its complicated the president responded
white house officials play down the impact of mr obamas comments noting that the administration has long pressed its allies to do their part but people familiar with the saudi reaction to the presidents comments say it was intense and seen as a confirmation of the saudis suspicions about mr obamas lack of commitment to their interests
i imagine it will just infuse the meeting with a coldness that didnt need to be there ms pletka said
if the saudis are ready to turn the page on the obama presidency they are also anxious about what comes next especially if donald j trump or senator ted cruz of texas becomes the next president
mr trump has railed against saudi arabia telling the new york times last month that he might halt all purchases of oil unless the saudis show more effort in the fight against the islamic state if saudi arabia was without the cloak of american protection mr trump has said i dont think it would be around
mr cruz said during a presidential debate in february that the united states should hold our friends to account that friends do not fund jihadists that are seeking to murder us and when it comes to saudi arabia we need to have real scrutiny and real pressure
from the saudi perspective hillary rodham clinton might represent a return to the kind of foreign policy they remember when her husband was president but nothing is certain in this political season and senator bernie sanders of vermont the other candidate for the democratic nomination is an unknown to the saudis
like everybody they have no idea what to think about trump professor gause said who knows what to make of senator cruz on this the saudis dont know him he added i think they would be perfectly comfortable with hillary


behsud afghanistan   the first time noor ul haq died his afghan army outpost was completely cut off by the taliban on a bleak southern battleground hundreds of insurgent fighters swept in and all that was left for the government to do was ship the corpses home
his wife and their 10 children buried the body piling rocks into a mound over the grave in a cemetery rapidly filling with other war dead here in behsud district in eastern afghanistan like others they were handed a 2300 government payout   roughly a years salary for a soldier   to pay for the burial and see them through for a short while
no one knows whom they put in that grave but it was not mr haq he and another member of his unit imamuddin ibrahimkhel were among a very few soldiers who were taken prisoner by the taliban last august and eventually freed by the afghan special forces
their families went through the trauma of the death notification the sadness of burying bodies too damaged to be identifiable then the sudden high of hearing their men had somehow lived
then came another blow the government wanted the compensation money back the men were told that they could always take another stint in the army to help they said
they put us through doomsday mr ibrahimkhel said my heart is crying because of what is going on here   what we went through where we served and all they care about is the funeral money
the families of mr haq a 39 year old enlistee on a three year contract and mr ibrahimkhel a 31 year old with three children are among the thousands who have been caught up in the dire turn the afghan war took last year the mens survival was first reported by the afghan channel 1tv
in helmand province alone where both men were stationed at least 3000 members of the afghan army and national police have been killed in the past 11 months afghan officials say   nearly the total american toll through the entire war
mr haqs eldest son zia ul haq 23 was working as a day laborer in jalalabad in eastern afghanistan last summer when he got the call saying his father had been killed accompanied by two older relatives zia rode a bus to kabul the capital and picked up the body from a military hospital
on the coffin were the official details of mr haqs life noor ul haq son of said amir jan artillery company second battalion third regiment 215th maiwand corps
date of martyrdom aug 28 2015
the elder relatives opened the drab green bag within to check the body which they said had been badly damaged with little of the head remaining   in too bad shape even to be washed and dressed in a white shroud as is the tradition here they would not let zia see afraid that the young man might collapse
the body was loaded onto a van paid for by the government and a crowd of mourners was waiting as it arrived at the familys three room adobe home in behsud district of nangarhar province the body was laid down for just a few minutes at the packed womens quarter the coffin reeked and it was swiftly transferred to the cemetery more than 300 mourners offered the final prayer and the man was laid to rest
we were afraid that we would lose our mother also zia said it took her six or seven days to start eating again
the family of the other soldier mr ibrahimkhel was not so lucky a day after the body arrived in the familys home district of charbolak in northern balkh province mr ibrahimkhels mother died of a heart attack three of her four sons had served in the army all largely in helmand province and now the family thought she would join one of them in the family cemetery
in the days after the funeral for mr haq his son zia returned to kabul to pick up the government compensation payment in cash   162000 afghanis the equivalent of 2300 one third of the money was parceled out in small bills 10 bundles of them some of the larger bills were so worn out that the bank refused to deposit them the bank also refused the small bills saying it had too much petty cash already
the first twist came one morning three months after the burial zia received a phone call from a man with a southern accent asking if he was noor ul haqs son at first zia thought it was a prank but the man had real information noor ul haq was not dead he said but in a taliban prison in the now zad district of helmand
my mother was baking bread in the oven and i said dad is found  he recalled everyone all of a sudden started crying again from happiness
when zia shared the development with male relatives and told them that he wanted to go to now zad to find his father they were not convinced someone is trying to fool you to get the death payment they told him or what if it is a taliban trap
but he had to find out both he and his younger brother abdul had been haunted by dreams in which their father visited them still alive
zias 15 day journey to find his father took him deep into taliban territory in the opium poppy belt in the south he had to wait outside a taliban court in a mosque in now zad as land disputes and robberies were settled by a portly insurgent leader before he could get his visit approved
after pleading zia was allowed to briefly visit his father at the old school building the taliban had turned into a prison noor ul haq was stooped and barely able to walk but hundreds of miles away from his grave in the behsud cemetery there he was breathing talking to his son
the taliban would not let him go and zia went home alone
after the soldiers base was overrun in the musa qala district of helmand mr haq and his comrade mr ibrahimkhel were among 10 soldiers who were taken captive by the taliban mr ibrahimkhel said in a phone interview
the new captives joined other prisoners from the security forces 87 in all mr ibrahimkhel said every month they would be moved to a different prison sometimes in a different district out of fear of a government raid
after four months in captivity when the world believed them dead mr ibrahimkhel gave a phone number to a visitor who had come to see a civilian prisoner the visitor wrote the number on his leg under the cuff of his pants and later used it to call mr ibrahimkhels family to let it know that he was alive one of mr ibrahimkhels brothers made a trip and finally found the prison in now zad
they didnt let us meet up close   just from 20 meters to show that i was held by them and alive mr ibrahimkhel said
when the afghan special forces raided the prison in now zad in december zia held out hope that his father had been freed he made calls but the news was not good his father was not among the rescued he was told that mr haq may have been shot dead by the taliban before the raid
noor ul haq was lost to his family again but this time his relatives did not have to wait as long for the twist
a month later another afghan special forces raid in an adjacent district freed mr haq mr ibrahimkhel and about 60 others the two men would later learn the details of the ordeal their families had been put through
the army demanded that the two men return the death money both were insulted and crushed
army officials say no one is to blame really the embattled outposts are remote and sometimes it takes months before bodies can finally be shipped back badly damaged and decomposed it can be impossible to sort out who died who deserted and who might have been taken alive
gen dawlat waziri a spokesman for the afghan ministry of defense described the cases of mr haq and mr ibrahimkhel as the misery of the ongoing war he insisted that mr haq and mr ibrahimkhel would meet the minister of defense soon so the minister could praise their bravery and provide assistance
they dont have to pay anything general waziri said
but now both men are back in helmand province trying to recover the back salary that was seized to repay the death compensation in phone interviews both said they saw no signs that their debt had been erased
its been 17 months that i have not gone home mr ibrahimkhel said my youngest child was 7 or 8 months old when i left now he probably wont recognize me
mr haqs family had already spent most of the compensation payment on a painful cycle of wakes and celebrations
guests were coming and coming   at first when we heard that he was killed and the body arrived zia said then again when we heard he was alive people came to celebrate then when we heard that he may have died again people came again and when he finally arrived such big crowds came that i didnt even know most of them
every time they all had to be fed
on his third day home mr haq walked to the cemetery with the help of one of his sons the strip was crowded with graves of soldiers and policemen many of whom had died in helmand the afghan flag hoisted on their graves he crouched by the headstone of what was supposed to be his own grave offering a prayer for the unknown man buried there
but two months later mr haq was back in helmand trying to get his remaining salary released and perhaps to sign up for another three years in the army
trying to explain his fathers new absence mr haqs 4 year old son helal put it this way my father went to bring rice


washington   chief justice john g roberts jr twice voted to save president obamas health care law infuriating his usual allies on the right now conservatives are nervous that the chief justice will disappoint them again in a challenge to another major obama initiative this one on immigration
the case to be argued on monday at the supreme court presents fundamental questions about executive power against the backdrop of a wrenching national debate over mr obamas plan to spare millions of immigrants from deportation but chief justice robertss record suggests that he may avoid taking a position on such a divisive and partisan issue focusing instead on the more technical question of whether the states challenging the obama administrations immigration plan have suffered the sort of direct and concrete injury that gives them standing to sue
that jurisprudential off ramp would avoid a deadlock or a grand pronouncement from a short handed court on a politically charged issue in a presidential election year and that may prove attractive to a chief justice who has said he does not want the supreme court to be viewed as a forum where partisan matters would be worked out
a narrow ruling would in some ways echo chief justice robertss 2012 opinion sustaining the central feature of the health care law on grounds so carefully calibrated that no other justice joined all of his opinion and it would be consistent with his stated preference for achieving consensus by defining the legal question at issue in a case as narrowly as possible
chief justice roberts 61 is a patient man and a canny strategist sometimes to the frustration of his conservative colleagues in 2007 three years before the citizens united decision justice antonin scalia who died in february urged him to move faster in deregulating campaign finance law
in 2009 chief justice roberts persuaded seven of his colleagues to duck a challenge to the voting rights act on technical grounds and then used language from that opinion in 2013 to justify striking down the heart of the law in shelby county v holder
david a strauss a law professor at the university of chicago said an incremental step will appeal to chief justice roberts all the more in the current political climate
the chief justice who has spoken recently about how the confirmation process might affect the courts stature may be especially troubled by a 4 4 split in this case professor strauss said a ruling based on standing he said would wipe the slate clean so the program could be considered in the future by a full supreme court
mr obamas plan would allow more than four million unauthorized immigrants who are parents of citizens or lawful permanent residents to apply for a program shielding them from deportation and allowing them to work legally in the short term a ruling to dismiss the case on standing grounds would at least temporarily save the plan
a tie vote on the other hand would leave in place an injunction blocking the plan and probably deny mr obama any chance of resurrecting it
the case united states v texas no 15 674 was brought by texas and 25 other states which say the plan went beyond what congress had authorized lower courts have sided with texas
the trial judge ruled that the obama administration should have given notice of the plan and sought public comments on its new program the appeals court affirmed that ruling and added a broader one the program it said also exceeded mr obamas statutory authority
the supreme court asked the parties to address the even broader question of whether mr obama had violated his constitutional obligations to enforce the nations laws but the court must first address whether texas has suffered the sort of direct and concrete injury that gave it standing to sue in the first place
chief justice roberts will be very skeptical of texass standing claims said tara leigh grove a professor of law at william  mary and the author of an article on lawsuits by states against the federal government to be published next month in the cornell law review
ken paxton the attorney general of texas said his state had brought the case to settle fundamental questions about presidential power
our goal really was pretty basic defend the constitution and stop president obamas lawlessness he said
a white house spokeswoman declined to comment in court papers the administration has defended its plan as lawful humane and valuable
a ruling based on standing would sidestep all of those issues even lawyers who believe that texas has demonstrated that it has standing say they are not sure how the chief justice will vote
its no secret that the chief justice is not a fan of expansive standing doctrine said jonathan h adler a law professor at case western reserve university who filed a brief supporting texas on the standing issue
professor adler who was an architect of a challenge to the affordable care acts nationwide tax subsidies that the supreme court rejected last year in a majority opinion from chief justice roberts added that there was a second reason to worry about the chief justices vote in the texas case
ways of disposing of cases without addressing the merits do become more attractive on an eight member court he said
texas says it has standing to sue based on the budget shortfalls it would sustain if many unauthorized immigrants applied for drivers licenses the state sets fees for drivers licenses below what they cost and ties eligibility for them to federal determinations about who is lawfully present in the country
our standing argument is based on the cost of drivers licenses which is obviously not part of our budget at this point said mr paxton the legislature meets only every other year and they put together a budget and all of the drivers licenses come out of the budget and theres no money for it so our standing is based on that cost
experts on standing law have sharply differing views about whether the cost of drivers licenses a consequence of the states own choices about fees and eligibility can confer standing such self imposed injury has never provided a ticket to federal court walter dellinger a former acting united states solicitor general in the clinton administration wrote in a supporting brief chief justice roberts cited mr dellingers views on standing in an opinion in an earlier case
ernest a young a law professor at duke who filed a supporting brief for texas said the state has plainly been injured all one has to accept for texas to have standing he said is that governments have interests in administering their own legal regimes and that because these legal regimes are intertwined with federal law in various ways federal actions often do affect state public administration in a cognizable way
chief justice roberts wrote a sharp dissent in massachusetts v environmental protection agency a 5 to 4 decision in 2007 that said massachusetts had standing to challenge the bush administrations decision not to regulate greenhouse gas emissions relaxing standing requirements because asserted injuries are pressed by a state the chief justice wrote has no basis in our jurisprudence
the true goal for this litigation may be more symbolic than anything else he wrote the constitutional role of the courts however is to decide concrete cases   not to serve as a convenient forum for policy debates
standing is a neutral legal principle that applies to the right and left alike he wrote in an influential 1993 law review article
it restricts the right of conservative public interest groups to challenge liberal agency action or inaction he wrote just as it restricts the right of liberal public interest groups to challenge conservative agency action or inaction
mr dellinger said a rigorous approach to standing was consistent with chief justice robertss statement at his confirmation hearings that judges should aspire to be umpires whose only job is to call balls and strikes
before any judge begins calling balls and strikes mr dellinger said he must first make sure the batter at the plate is an actual player and not just a fan who ran on the field


gambela ethiopia   in a bright green hospital room buzzing with flies an older mans eyes glazed over with pain his hand was pressed to his collarbone where blood seeped through a white bandage
he needs treatment now pleaded a young man at his bedside the bullet is still inside
after cattle raiders from south sudan unleashed a spate of grisly attacks on friday in western gambela a region in western ethiopia the main hospital is filled beyond capacity othow okoth a security affairs officer with the regional government estimates that 182 ethiopians were killed in the attacks and that 104 children were kidnapped
in this part of africa hundreds of people have been killed in large scale ethnic and tribal fighting in recent years
dr changkuoth thuok gambela hospitals medical director worries that there is not enough time in the day for him and his staff to tend to all of the wounded
on friday and saturday we received 80 people and nearly all of them had bullet wounds dr thuok said the hospital was overrun with patients which is why you see some of them lying in the corridors
the attacks began just before dawn about 15 victims from different villages in the gambela districts of jikaw and lare described strikingly similar scenes there were enough attackers to surround each village and most of the men wore green uniforms with no insignia the attackers carried kalashnikov rifles of good quality which they fired indiscriminately on men and women and they kidnapped both livestock and children the victims said
they identified most of the attackers as members of the murle a south sudanese ethnic group encompassing several factions but generally known for raiding cattle but several victims expressing surprise said a few members of the dinka ethnic group south sudans largest had accompanied the murle
dinka is also the ethnicity of the south sudanese president salva kiir whose troops have been at war with opposition forces led by former vice president riek machar since december 2013 the victims of fridays attacks were mostly of mr machars nuer ethnic group and some of them wondered whether south sudans government had sanctioned the killings
if they had come just to take our livestock why all the killing asked bol chuol 26 who added that the attackers had kidnapped his child they kept following people and killing them even after they had all the cattle
some victims estimated several dozen deaths in their own villages adding that as many as 20 villages had been targeted no one suggested retaliation against the murle instead pinning their hopes on the idea of moving somewhere safer
these kinds of raids have happened before but never in so many villages like this said gatbel guek 26 who suffered a fracture when a bullet hit his left arm this was a very deadly attack
on monday mr machar is scheduled to travel back to south sudans capital juba for the first time since 2013 as part of a fragile peace plan agreed to last year which has not put an end to violent clashes he is expected to be sworn in again as vice president mr okoth said there was no evidence the attacks had anything to do with the juba visit


easton ny   gerry barnhart named his new winery victory view vineyard because when he looks west from the top of a slope on his property he can see the site where in 1777 the battles of saratoga were fought
and one of his wines is named revolution because it is made from one of several new cold hardy grape varieties that have flourished in parts of northern new york once considered inhospitable to winemaking from washington and saratoga counties just above albany to lake champlain and the thousand islands
about two dozen new vineyards have started up in the last seven or eight years because of the availability of these new grapes mr barnhart said before you couldnt even think about growing wine grapes here
red and white wines from grapes developed in minnesota wisconsin and at cornell university have allowed the north country region to join more well established new york wine producing areas such as the finger lakes and the north fork of long island
in 2008 mr barnhart and his wife mary planted 180 vines of marquette grapes a variety first released in 2006 by the university of minnesota in 2010 before going into business he harvested nearly a ton of grapes and gave away most of his first batch of 160 gallons of wine to family and friends who all gave it favorable reviews
so we said lets keep going mr barnhart said
they expanded their operation to three and a half acres from a quarter of an acre by adding marechal foch a cold hardy red grape developed more than a century ago along with white cultivars like la crescent lacrosse and melody
like any variety of grape they have their own essential character whether its mouth feel or different kinds of flavors mr barnhart said these northern grapes are different than some of the traditional european wine grapes like a cabernet sauvignon chardonnay or riesling they have different flavor profiles for example marquette has a real abundance of color and what people would characterize as red fruit flavors such as black cherry raspberry strawberry or cherry
still ms barnhart added people will come in and ask do you have merlot
we say no we cant grow those grapes here because theyre wimps when it comes to winter mr barnhart said but we do have this this and this
tim e martinson is a senior extension associate at cornell and the director of the northern grapes project which helps producers grow cold hardy grapes and then teaches them how to make and market wines some of the new plants created through the project can withstand temperatures as low as minus 30 fahrenheit
will they ever become a new merlot thats beyond the point mr martinson said the point is that people have created a viable business making new wines and selling them out of their own tasting rooms
connoisseurs might not be ready to rank these cold weather wines among european classics but cold hardy varieties are quickly gaining recognition at a recent international wine competition in rochester that included 3824 wines from 913 producers one of mr barnharts wines earned a double gold medal and about a half dozen more northern new york wineries earned gold medals
if youre winning medals against the best vineyards in the world from 26 countries youre making some pretty good wine peter parts the founder of the competition said the key now is for producers to educate consumers about these wines and pairings
ms barnhart said consumers in their 20s to early 30s were providing most of the support for their wines baby boomers and older people stick with wines they know she said the younger generation is more global in their desires theyre more adventurous they actually like to try something new
joseph messina owns amorici vineyard about five miles from the barnharts operation marquette is going to change the way the world sees new york as a wine region he said this grape loves the soil loves the climate loves everything that is going on here
mr messina said he picked 25 pounds of marquette grapes per vine last fall almost double the 13 to 15 pounds from a typical harvest
i had so many grapes i had to sell some he said i couldnt produce wine from all the grapes we grew i didnt have enough room
the nascent wine regions have also benefited from cornells highly regarded agricultural research program mr barnhart said they transfer what they learn and know to people like us who are relative rookies in this business he said
recent state initiatives including changes within the new york state liquor authority have also made a difference mr barnhart said it used to take months and months to get a winery license he said it no longer does when we first applied in 2012 we got a temporary license in two weeks and a permanent license within 90 days that was light years faster than what the track record had been in the past
a 2014 state regulation increased the production limit for farm based wineries to 200000 gallons per year from 150000 gallons and allowed the sale of wines at farm stands vineyards could also open satellite stores   two wineries in the finger lakes for example have opened stores in saratoga springs
but to expand its customer base this young sector of new yorks wine industry still needs more vineyards producing more wine and a better product mr barnhart said
true its competition but it also lets the area offer a greater variety of wines which helps to make it a destination he said weve shown we can do it now weve just got to drill into the marketplace and become better known


barcelona fell at home to valencia 2 1 on sunday losing its third straight game to allow atletico madrid to draw even on points atop the spanish league with five rounds to go
atletico erased barcelonas lead by beating granada 3 0 earlier sunday real madrid is only 1 point behind after winning on saturday atletico was trailing by 9 points three rounds ago and real madrid was 12 points back four games ago
lionel messi scored his 500th career goal in the 63rd minute against valencia to end a five game scoring slump that was his worst with barcelona in five years
leicester manages tie down to 10 men after jamie vardy its top scorer was given a red card in the 56th minute leicester allowed visiting west ham to score twice and trailed 2 1
but in the fifth minute of stoppage time leicesters substitute striker leonardo ulloa displayed coolness from the penalty spot to tie the game
despite dropping points with the 2 2 draw leicester extended its lead to 8 points over tottenham which plays monday
arsenal dropped to fourth after being held to a 1 1 tie by visiting crystal palace
liverpool which is eighth in the premier league followed up its midweek quarterfinal win over borussia dortmund by winning at bournemouth 2 1
goal for young american the american teenager christian pulisic scored his first bundesliga goal to help borussia dortmund win at home 3 0 against nine man hamburger s v at 17 years 212 days pulisic became the fourth youngest player to score in the bundesliga
juve builds lead juventus continued its march toward a fifth successive serie a title as it beat visiting palermo 4 0 to move 9 points ahead of napoli third place roma missed the chance to close the gap with napoli to 3 points as it drew 3 3 at atalanta
scottish rivalry renewed rangers the fallen scottish power marked the latest stage in its recovery by winning on the road against its glasgow rival celtic by 5 4 on penalties to reach the scottish cup final tax debt forced rangers into liquidation in 2012 and the re formed club had to start over in the fourth tier


when gustavo kuerten the three time french open champion refers to a one in a hundred million chance of making it in professional tennis he is not referring to novak djokovic or serena williams who have combined for 32 grand slam titles
those enormous odds more accurately describe teliana pereira a brazilian compatriot of kuertens who has a 2 8 record at majors
but wins and losses the usual formula with which to assess success in sports are only part of the equation for kuerten the path to becoming a tennis professional was littered with obstacles for pereira 27 which makes her winning two clay court singles titles on the wta tour and reaching the top 50 in the rankings particularly astounding
the highest ranked brazilian woman by a significant margin pereira is expected to represent her country at the rio de janeiro olympics in august
im really impressed about her ability to overcome challenges in her life an extraordinary effort for surviving kuerten said in an email
djokovic a serbian grew up in a country ravaged by war and williams had to avoid gangs while practicing as a youngster in compton calif pereira faced her own obstacles as she and her family lacked what many would consider household basics when they lived in pernambuco a state in northeastern brazil
their toilet was in the backyard for breakfast bread was a rare treat pereira who has three brothers and three sisters said another sister died as a baby because of dehydration no hospital was in the vicinity she said
she did not attend school until the age of 8 after the family moved to curitiba in the southern state of parana
that is also where she began playing tennis at 9 a late start for a pro her father jose worked as a custodian at a tennis academy
in the morning i went to school and after that i had nothing to do so i went to help my dad clean the courts and also just to stay at the tennis club pereira said
she started as a ball girl at the club to make some money and eventually took up a racket her brother jose 25 also became a pro tennis player
didier rayon who ran the academy became a mentor to teliana he said he did not think anyone in the upper echelons of tennis ever started as poor as teliana
rayon recalled a junior tournament in peru in 2006 when he said pereira went without food for an entire day
she didnt have any money or a credit card so she didnt eat for a day until she received the money i sent to her said rayon who left france for brazil 30 years ago you can imagine the conditions
to fund pereiras travels in the juniors people who frequented the academy would chip in 10 euros here and there on one occasion someone bought her a plane ticket rayon said
pereira moved up the tennis ladder despite the dearth of cash but then she had to contend with a knee injury that required two operations in 2009 once she was fit again friends donated money for tennis travel
the knee injury slowed pereira but in 2013 she achieved a significant milestone becoming the first brazilian woman since 1990 to appear in the top 100
last april in bogota colombia pereira became the first brazilian woman to claim a top level title since neige dias in 1988 along the way pereira ousted the 2010 french open winner francesca schiavone
three and a half months later with most of her family and kuerten watching from the stands pereira won her second title in florianopolis brazil about 190 miles south of curitiba
in the final i was really sick pereira said but i was thinking i have to play my second final my family is here a lot of people came from curitiba to watch me i had to play my best i couldnt give up
in the aftermath of her triumph in bogota her schedule meant there was little time to celebrate but after the victory in florianopolis pereira said she spent two weeks with family and friends and held a big big party
at the end of her season pereira returned to pernambuco to remind herself of how life used to be the visit was documented by brazilian television
i told my mom we have to go back i have to go back because i have to see where i came from and cant forget this  pereira said so i went to see my city and where i came from because i can feel everything again and start the year stronger
so far though pereira is struggling to replicate her 2015 success earning only one victory outside fed cup competition her ranking is set to tumble from 55th after she lost in the first round in bogota last week
competing on clay her preferred surface through the french open should raise her win total over the next two months the olympic tournament which will be played on hardcourts also figures to be a highlight of pereiras season
but if her career ended now she said she would be ok
she reveled in being able to buy her mother maria a house last year mostly a result of amassing 319000 in prize money in 2015
now my mom has a big house   well not a big house   but for us its a perfect house pereira said now we have everything


as the head of goldman sachss mortgage department daniel sparks helped make the bank more than a billion dollars betting against the market as housing prices began to crash in 2007
today he is betting on home buyers who no longer qualify for mortgages in the fallout of that housing crisis
shelter growth capital partners an investment firm mr sparks founded in 2014 with two other former goldman sachs executives has been buying homes that were foreclosed on during the financial crisis and later resold to buyers under long term installment contracts
the firm has bought just over 200 homes from harbour portfolio advisors a dallas investment firm that has specialized in selling homes to lower income buyers through what is known as a contract for deed in these deals a seller provides the buyer with a long term high interest loan with the promise of actually owning the home at the end of it
these contracts a form of seller financing have ballooned in recent years as low income families unable to get traditional mortgages have turned to alternate ways to buy homes
the homes are often sold as is in need of costly repairs and renovations and many of the transactions end in eviction when buyers fall behind on payments
the market is growing in part because so many would be home buyers with damaged credit histories cannot get loans banks are unwilling to write mortgages to riskier clients after being fined billions of dollars for pushing borrowers into unaffordable subprime mortgages before the crisis
last year the number of new mortgages worth 100000 or less for homes in the largest metropolitan areas in the united states was at its lowest point in a decade according to corelogic a financial services research firm
theres a whole underbelly of real estate thats not through traditional sale said robert doggett general counsel for texas riogrande legal aid and a critic of contracts for deeds its not a problem of yesteryear its coming back
other wall street veterans have entered the scene nationally too
battery point financial founded by jeremy healey in 2013 is focusing exclusively on buying homes in smaller cities to sell them to buyers through contracts for deeds mr healey a former mortgage trader at goldman sachs has 40 million in backing from kohlberg kravis roberts  company the private equity giant
one reason the contract for deed market has become popular among investment firms is that under many contracts buyers can be evicted if they default on their loans that is very different from traditional mortgages under which the foreclosure process can be lengthy and costly
shelter growth based in stamford conn has about 500 million under management the firm says on its website that it is creating investments to capitalize on the next phase of the us mortgage market
most of the homes shelter growth bought from harbour appear to have been purchased in a bundled transaction in december by the firms sg capital partners llc affiliate according to an analysis by the research firm realtytrac but shelter growth has also bought a number of other homes from harbour this year with some purchases recorded as recently as last month
shelter growth paid an average of 22000 for the homes it bought from harbour according to public filings and realtytrac harbour for its part bought most of the homes in its portfolio for an average of 8000 through bulk sales by fannie mae
the homes harbour sold to mr sparkss firm are in two dozen states but most are clustered in michigan ohio georgia missouri and alabama according to realtytrac
one such sale for 25500 was for a house in elyria ohio
in april 2011 harbour sold a contract for deed on the house for 36300 according to public filings under the terms of that deal the 24 year old woman who now lives in the house is required to pay 10 percent interest or a monthly base payment of 314   a sum that does not include property taxes insurance or any outlays for repairs or renovations
under a contract for deed a buyer gets the legal title to the home either at the end of the contract which can run anywhere from 20 to 40 years or if the buyer is able to pay off the balance owed all in one go
after the financial crisis harbour emerged as one of the larger national players in the contract for deed market the firm bought more than 6700 single family homes most of them from fannie mae
but in recent months harbour has sold more than 600 homes to investment firms like shelter growth and individual investors according to public filings
a review of some of the homes sold to sg capital found that the contracts used by harbour have drawn criticism from some housing lawyers because the documents do not provide buyers with a specified time period to remedy a default give harbour the right to immediately convert the agreement to a month to month tenancy upon a default and include an arbitration clause for settling some disputes
through his lawyer jacqueline mallett the founder of harbour charles a vose iii declined to comment for this article
it is unclear whether mr sparkss firm plans to change the contracts or abide by the terms mr sparks declined to comment
another buyer of harbour homes with contracts for deeds in place is new york mortgage trust a publicly traded mortgage real estate investment trust or reit the firm has bought at least 130 homes from harbour through one its asset managers headlands asset management adding to the mortgage reits relatively small portfolio of contracts for deeds
steven mumma chairman and chief executive of new york mortgage trust says the company which has a portfolio of roughly 763 million worth of performing and reperforming mortgages is not in the business of foreclosing on people he says that the contracts acquired from harbour were signed two or three years ago and that most of the buyers have kept up with their payments
we look at it as a loan not as an opportunity to repossess mr mumma said with respect to contracts for deeds and homes bought from harbour
he says the company now uses its own loan servicing firm to manage the homes and contracts it bought from harbour which has partnered with national asset advisors a firm that operates out of a partly empty strip mall on the outskirts of columbia sc
sg capital the affiliate of shelter growth that has bought homes from harbour is licensed as either a mortgage servicer or a lender in 21 states the firms investments typically have focused on so called jumbo mortgages which cannot be sold to either fannie mae or freddie mac because they are larger than the underwriting guidelines of the two government backed mortgage finance companies
mr sparks is much less in the spotlight now than he was six years ago when he became a target for lawmakers angered over wall streets role in the 2008 financial crisis
at a 2010 senate hearing that focused on goldman sachss sale of securities backed mainly by subprime mortgages mr sparks was questioned by carl levin then a democratic senator from michigan during the proceedings mr levin pressed mr sparks on why a goldman colleague had used profanity in an email describing the quality of one such mortgage security that the firm was selling to institutional investors
a somewhat uncomfortable looking mr sparks responded at the time that he interpreted the email to mean that my performance on that deal was not good


it is new yorks own version of hitchhiking asking for a swipe of a strangers metrocard
and just like the hitchhikers thumb it has its own distinctive hand signal which if all goes well results in a free subway ride if all does not it often leads to handcuffs
the defendant moved his hand in a back and forth motion which based on my training and experience is typical of asking to be swiped into the subway system officer kentrevo mills of a transit counterterrorism unit in the new york police department stated in an arrest affidavit for a man beseeching swipes in february in the station at lexington avenue and 125th street
for years the police have been arresting people for asking for swipes in front of the turnstiles that changed last month when the police decided to try a more lenient approach against swipe beggars and other low level rule breakers at least in manhattan now officers are supposed to issue a ticket or court summons rather than make an arrest
but new statistics and a review of court records show for the first time the lengths the police had previously gone to try to stamp out the practice of swipe begging even counterterrorism officers had arrested violators
since 2013 the police have made more than 10000 arrests of people for asking for swipes and therefore impeding the flow of subway passengers according to statistics from the police there were 800 arrests this year alone before the policy change
in explaining the more lenient approach last month to the rank and file the police departments internal order said the new policy was the result of a decision by the manhattan district attorneys office to no longer prosecute people arrested for minor infractions such as swipe begging smoking in the subway or taking up two seats on a subway car
in a statement announcing the change cyrus r vance jr the manhattan district attorney cited a desire to free the police prosecutors and courts from processing the most minor cases and by reducing unnecessary incarceration we make our criminal justice system fairer for all new yorkers he said in the statement
in interviews swipe beggars said they are more orderly than the police give them credit for they are after all asking for admittance to the subway system rather than hopping the turnstile a misdemeanor
they dont want you to hop and they dont want you to ask for a swipe james green 22 said as he begged for a swipe in the station at st nicholas avenue and 125th street this month what exactly are you supposed to do
and with a single subway ride costing 275 they see themselves not as scofflaws but as people who simply cannot afford public transportation some people dont have money on them mr green said but they have places to get to they might even have an emergency you feel me
once i have a job ill never do this again william rios 50 said on a recent afternoon as he asked passers by for a swipe in the station at 42nd street and eighth avenue ive been job hunting since 1030 am and i got tired and now i want to go home he said
mr rios said he had been arrested for swipe begging in the past   a common complaint among men interviewed as they stood outside the turnstiles beseeching exiting passengers with can i get a swipe some forlornly flicked their wrists others with more gusto shot their hands far forward elbows fully extended and flicked an imaginary metrocard through the worlds longest card reader some stood politely to the side of the turnstiles others blocked the way between trains a few scoured the ground for discarded metrocards
from the polices perspective asking for swipes violates two rules one against begging and another against blocking free movement in a station the new york city transit authority says that though it is deprived of a fare it has no problem with people using unlimited metrocards to swipe in strangers
enforcement of these rules is integral to maintaining the civility for each of our millions of riders joseph fox the chief of the police departments transit bureau said in a statement riders have come to expect as they rightly should to travel without harassment without interruption and without being subject to overt acts of criminality and disorder
police commissioner william j bratton has long regarded the subway system as the front line in the citys struggle with criminals in the early 1990s mr bratton then chief of the subway police force began cracking down on turnstile jumping with great success turnstile jumpers the police discovered were sometimes armed and often wanted on warrants for more serious crimes it turned out to be a very effective way to arrest criminals and in mr brattons telling was the start of a policing strategy that has succeeded in beating back crime for more than 20 years
when mr bratton became commissioner in 2014 he vowed to rid the subways of all kinds of low level rule breakers from panhandlers to acrobats as he called the subway dancers swipe beggars were put on notice the police say that a full two thirds of those arrested for asking for swipes are known as transit recidivists a review of arrests of dozens of swipe beggars revealed a few names matching those of registered sex offenders
but some who have been arrested for swipe begging describe themselves as law abiding new yorkers with little more than a few hopped turnstiles in their past
they consider this panhandling but this is just people getting home chaazaq washington 20 said this month after his court appearance for a february arrest for soliciting a swipe its so petty   just because you make a hand gesture or ask for a swipe they say this is breaking the law
swipe beggars now face a ticket with a fine of at least 25 and as much as 50 or a notice to appear in court in lower manhattan at a later date
they are given a ticket because they cant afford a swipe and now they have to get to a courthouse mused stephen pokart a legal aid lawyer who has been defending the poor in court for 42 years now theyll have to ask for a swipe both ways


working quickly to establish a new foundation the nets hired kenny atkinson an assistant coach with the atlanta hawks as their head coach on sunday terms of the deal were not released
atkinson 48 a native of huntington ny was an assistant coach with the knicks from 2008 to 2012 and he was the director of player development for the houston rockets in 2007 and 2008 he has spent the last four seasons with the hawks
id like to extend a personal welcome to kenny and wish all of us success as we begin a new era at the brooklyn nets the nets owner mikhail d prokhorov said in a statement aside from his tremendous skills and experience he has the mind set we need to build a winning team day by day step by step together we can do great things
atkinson will remain with the hawks until the end of their postseason run atlanta leads its first round series against boston 1 0 with game 2 on tuesday
atkinson will replace lionel hollins who was fired on jan 10 tony brown coached the team through the end of the season and the nets finished 21 61
the team hired sean marks as general manager on feb 18 and marks has stressed the need to reshape the culture of the organization
kennys years of nba coaching experience working under successful head coaches such as mike budenholzer and mike dantoni have provided him with the foundation and experience we were looking for in a head coach marks said in a statement we believe that kennys core principles leadership communication skills and exceptional background in player development make him an ideal fit for the culture we are building in brooklyn
atlanta has made the playoffs in each of atkinsons four seasons under budenholzer
after attending college at richmond where he helped the spiders to the round of 16 in the ncaa tournament in 1988 atkinson played professionally for 14 years in six countries
together with sean and his staff we look forward to building a winning tradition here in brooklyn atkinson said in a statement


london   the geraniums grew in an oblong stone vessel and no one ever thought much about it but when luke irwin a rug designer in the county of wiltshire england hired workmen to lay electric cables under his yard so that his son could have light in a barn when the family played table tennis they uncovered an intricate mosaic floor of red blue and white tiles only 18 inches down
mr irwin called the local council which sent archaeologists who discovered the remains of a lavish roman villa under his extensive yard and told him that the flowers were growing in what had been a childs coffin
i sent a photograph to the council and within 24 hours they were here with archaeologists to see what wed found mr irwin said experts from salisbury museum in wiltshire and historic england a government body carefully began excavating the site and understood that the mosaic was part of the floor of a large building which they believe to be one of the largest roman villas discovered in england
news of the find which occurred last summer was reported by the press association the british news agency and filled the sunday papers here
in an eight day dig in the property near tisbury archaeologists also found coins jewelry pottery a well under floor heating pipes and the shells of hundreds of oysters and whelks which had apparently been farmed harvested and then carried 45 miles into the countryside in barrels of salt water indicating that the roman owners were people of some standing and wealth
historic england called the find unparalleled in recent years in part because the remains of the villa with its outbuildings were so undisturbed and it is hoping to get more funds for a more complete dig it estimates that the villa had 20 to 25 rooms on the ground floor alone
dating from between ad 175 and 220 the home is thought to have been three stories high and survived the collapse of the roman empire and the rise of the saxons
david roberts an archaeologist from historic england said the artifacts showed the villa had belonged to an elite family who lived a luxurious life its clearly not your run of the mill domestic settlement he said
the site has not been touched since its collapse 1400 years ago and so its of extreme importance mr roberts said only a few test pits have been dug but he said it was clear the walls of the villa were probably still more than a yard high although they are buried under alluvial sediment from a nearby river
the discovery has been compared to a roman villa at chedworth found in 1864 and then put on display and acquired by the national trust in 1924 chedworth was built as a dwelling around three sides of a courtyard with a fine mosaic floor as well as two separate bathing suites
some of the artifacts from the irwin find have been taken to the salisbury museum and the rest of the dig has been covered up for now to protect it
as for mr irwin who visited pompeii as a child the find was moving and he found a comparison between the mosaic floor and the luxury carpets he designs for what he called the roman aristocrats of today


kabul afghanistan   with nearly 2000 civilians killed or wounded and more than 80000 people displaced this year already the afghan conflict continues to affect lives in record numbers the united nations said on sunday
the report came as fighting raged across several provinces for a third day government forces repelled taliban attacks across several districts of kunduz and were trying to prevent the insurgents from taking the provincial capital as they did in the fall
the united nations mission in afghanistan documented 600 civilian deaths and 1343 wounded in the first three months of 2016 which by most accounts is expected to be a bloody year as the taliban rejected the latest efforts to bring them to peace talks while the death toll fell 13 percent from the same period last year the number of wounded increased 11 percent the report said with a high rise among children
in the first quarter of 2016 almost one third of civilian casualties were children said danielle bell the united nations human rights director in afghanistan if the fighting persists near schools playgrounds homes and clinics and parties continue to use explosive weapons in those areas   particularly mortars and ied tactics   these appalling numbers of children killed and maimed will continue
the report blamed the insurgents for 60 percent of the casualties and forces on the government side for 19 percent
though the taliban were still at fault more often the report noted that deaths caused by pro government forces were up sharply from last year   roughly 70 percent higher over the same period the deaths caused by government forces put at 127 over the first three months of this year were mostly caused by explosive weapons including mortars rockets and grenades the report said
the united nations also expressed concern at the increase of civilian casualties in airstrikes by the afghan government and the united states led nato coalition
the spread of fighting also continues to displace people at record levels with 81445 individuals forced from their homes in the first three months of the year according to figures from the office of the united nations high commissioner for refugees
the agency recorded internal displacement caused by violence across 23 of afghanistans 34 provinces in the first quarter of 2016 the northeastern province of baghlan where taliban attacks have increased was at the top of the chart with 25000 people displaced a combined total of more than 20000 people were displaced in the southern provinces of oruzgan and helmand
in kunduz where over 6000 people have been displaced this year officials on sunday reported continued fighting across at least four districts surrounding the provincial capital kunduz city six dead bodies and 109 people who were wounded almost all of them civilians had been taken to kunduz hospitals in the past two days said sayed mukhtar the provinces director of health
after initial panic on friday that the insurgents were at the city gates again the threat now seemed contained officials said
gen qasim jangalbagh the provinces police chief said the citys eastern gate had not seen any attacks since the insurgent commander there and six fighters were killed saturday night


jakarta indonesia   when putu oka sukanta was awakened by knocking on his door late one night in october 1966 he says he instinctively knew who was there
indonesian soldiers police officers and plainclothes intelligence agents took mr sukanta then a 27 year old high school teacher and poet to a military barracks in the capital jakarta where he was beaten and tortured during three months of interrogation about leftist activities
they asked questions that i did not understand he said recently they forced me to say yes to things i did not know about
mr sukanta would spend a decade imprisoned without trial emerging only in 1976   as thin as a matchstick he said
he was one of hundreds of thousands of victims of what has been called one of the worst mass atrocities of the 20th century the state sponsored purges of those suspected of being communists and their sympathizers in indonesia in 1965 66 half a million people or more many of whom had no connection to communism are estimated to have been killed and hundreds of thousands of others were held in detention centers for years
survivors like mr sukanta now 76 have long demanded that the government give a full accounting of that dark period to no avail but some of them hope that a two day symposium on the killings starting monday in jakarta will be a first step toward an official acknowledgment of what happened
it will be the first time that a public discussion of the atrocities has been endorsed by the government which for decades maintained that the bloodshed was justified to save indonesia from a communist takeover while violently suppressing challenges to that official narrative
the government is not organizing the symposium but it has made its approval clear indonesias security minister luhut b pandjaitan will deliver the opening remarks such official backing is rekindling hope among survivors and activists that a truth and reconciliation commission might be established to finally explain what happened half a century ago and why
we hope this is the start to revealing everything that happened during those days said atmadji sumarkidjo a special assistant to mr luhut
at least its a good beginning he said
the massacres carried out by soldiers and by military backed civilian paramilitary and religious groups came on the heels of a failed uprising within the indonesian armed forces an officer led group kidnapped and executed six army generals beginning on the night of sept 30 1965
within days top commanders had quashed the uprising which they called an attempted coup orchestrated by the then powerful indonesian communist party working with rogue military personnel in the purges that followed the victims were branded as communists but they also included intellectuals like mr sukanta ethnic chinese indonesians and countless others the killings were overseen by suharto an army general who went on to become the countrys president and who presided over an authoritarian military backed government for 32 years
suharto was forced to resign in 1998 after mass pro democracy demonstrations and he died in 2008
although the main architects of the killings are probably all dead the purges remain an extremely delicate issue because the military political and religious groups implicated in the violence remain at the core of indonesias political elite
the subject remains so taboo that last year after the 50th anniversary of the start of the massacres military and police personnel cracked down across indonesia on events publications and book launches related to the 1965 66 period they included a threat to shut down southeast asias largest writers festival held annually on the resort island of bali the festival was held but several events related to the massacres were shut down including a screening of the look of silence a 2014 documentary about the purges that was nominated for an academy award
in 2012 indonesias national commission on human rights which is independent of the government and is organizing the symposium released an 850 page investigative report that declared the purges a gross human rights violation and demanded a criminal investigation but neither the government at the time nor that of president joko widodo who took office in 2014 has followed up
mr joko indonesias first president from outside the countrys traditional political elite or the military has yet to honor a campaign promise to resolve past human rights abuses including the 1965 66 killings and he has refused to apologize to the victims of the purges asked whether mr joko favored forming a commission to investigate the massacres teten masduki his chief of staff said in a text message that he would have to confer with the president
last year attorney general h m prasetyo ruled out criminal investigations of suspected perpetrators of the killings saying the government favored a reconciliation process but he has not addressed the issue since
such official reluctance has some survivors and rights advocates worried that the coming symposium will be used as an excuse to quickly discuss the massacres and move on rather than face a truth commission that could spend years revealing unpleasant facts
i think that the current military wants to be sure that mondays conference will be an opportunity to settle once and for all the controversy over the 1965 66 events said juwono sudarsono a former defense minister who in the late 1990s became the first civilian to hold that position
the commission for missing persons and victims of violence a prominent indonesian nongovernmental organization that documents rights abuses by the military and the police will not participate in the symposium for precisely that reason said haris azhar the groups coordinator
this has to be the first footstep to address the past to discover the truth he said i have no doubt the symposium could be used as a justification to say lets let bygones be bygones 
some researchers have long suspected american complicity in the massacres accusing the united states government of providing the indonesian military with material support and the names of those suspected of being communist agents through its embassy in jakarta last month the human rights commission wrote to president obama asking him to make public all classified united states government documents related to the mass killings the white house has not yet responded according to the commission
we want to learn more about the working level involvement between the us government and the killers in 1965 kenneth roth the executive director of the new york based human rights watch said at a news briefing in jakarta on wednesday
who knew what and what were the channels of communication he asked were names conveyed by the us government and if so what happened to those people
mr sukanta one of a handful of survivors who have been invited to address the symposium said he would use the opportunity to call for a full accounting of the massacres by the indonesian government   and for the government to apologize to the entire nation for covering up the purges
a draft copy of mr sukantas speech makes no mention of his own torture or imprisonment
this is and remains a national problem not my personal problem mr sukanta said i am just a grain of sand on a beach


going back at least to the 1690s when the elders of colonial salem mass executed 20 women and men for supposedly practicing witchcraft there have been americans who find the devils hand in all manner of human activity
satanic messages have been ascribed to the corporate symbols of major companies like starbucks and procter  gamble some religious fundamentalists are certain that 666 the number of the beast in the book of revelation lurks in swirls that are central to the logos of the olympic games google chrome and the walt disney company the harry potter series with its incantations and wizardry has also come under fire and brimstone for ostensibly promoting occultism
then there is dungeons  dragons introduced in 1974 as the first role playing game made commercially available dd players working collaboratively can let their minds roam free through stories about brave warriors locked in combat with trolls orcs dragons and other evildoers the games millions of players include prominent writers like junot diaz and cory doctorow who have described it as their apprenticeship to storytelling a gateway to the essence of fantasy and narrative
but not everyone has smiled benignly upon dd that is reflected in this offering from retro report a series of video documentaries examining major news stories of the past and their reverberations
the 1980s were prime years for accusations that the game fostered demon worship and a belief in witchcraft and magic some religious figures cast it as corrupting enough to steer impressionable young players toward suicide and murder as retro report recalls fears began to be stirred in 1979 with the disappearance of james dallas egbert iii a gifted 16 year old student at michigan state university and a devoted dd player the game warped his thinking and drove him to behave erratically   or so some insisted in reality the boy was already troubled after a months absence he was found but in 1980 he ended up taking his own life
a nationwide focus on his plight propelled interest in dd sales soared with the numbers of players leaping from the thousands into the millions condemnation rose as well usually after bad things happened to dd gamers when irving lee pulling ii a high school student in virginia killed himself in 1982 his mother patricia a pulling blamed the game and formed a group called bothered about dungeons and dragons dd was also attacked after a few murders like the 1984 strangulation of a missouri teenager mary c towey by two young men ronald g adcox and darren lee molitor
a moral panic as cultural critics labeled it set in it was not unlike 1950s fears over gory comic books and 1980s worries over sex laced rock music but researchers including those with the centers for disease control established no causal link between the game and violence much of the finger pointing seemed rooted in a classic fallacy in logic mr adcox and mr molitor played dd mr adcox and mr molitor became killers people who play dd become killers
agitation over the game has subsided so has general interest dd is classically low tech played with pens paper dice and figurines its influence however abides notably among creative types who acknowledge that they qualified as full blown nerds in their teens
the game redirected teenage miseries and energies that might have been put to more destructive uses jon michaud wrote in the new yorker two years ago mr diaz told retro report that he learned an enormous amount about what it meant to be courageous and what it meant to be compassionate and the kind of moral   hard moral   choices that one needs to make in real life
its just nice he said to spend a lot of time thinking imagining in a group collaborating
today parental anxieties have turned to videos notably those dripping with gore can it be mere coincidence some ask that the mass killers in colorado at columbine high school and the aurora movie theater and at the grade school in newtown conn all played violent electronic games
it may be worth noting that video games of any kind held scant appeal for gary gygax who created dd with dave arneson mr gygax who died in 2008 a year before mr arneson felt that computer graphics dulled the imagination electronic versions of dd that came along were no exception there is no intimacy its not live he said in a 2006 interview its being translated through a computer and your imagination is not there the same way it is when youre actually together with a group of people it reminds me of one time where i saw some children talking about whether they liked radio or television and i asked one little boy why he preferred radio and he said because the pictures are so much better 
judging the consequences of mayhem filled videos has proved elusive although researchers detect short term increases in aggressive behavior by some habitual gamers they say the long range impact is harder to discern many factors social scientists say go into the making of a mass murderer perhaps including media violence but almost certainly not limited to it
complicating matters is this the explosion of video games over the last few decades has been accompanied not by an increase in youth violence but rather by a sharp decline justice department statistics show that in 1994 there were 497 arrests for violent crimes for every 100000 americans ages 10 to 17 since then the arrest rate has fallen almost without interruption year by year in 2014 it stood at 158 not even one third what it was 20 years earlier
determining cause and effect is often not simple and that has been the case throughout the history of games
a century ago h g wells the english titan of science fiction invented a tabletop game called little wars with a friend jerome k jerome though a pacifist wells was intrigued by war games he wrote a handbook for his creation filled with clear rules of combat for opposing infantry cavalry and artillery that was in 1913 a year later world war i broke out
you see the connection dont you


as miami city ballet   both heroic and sweet   went on dancing last week at the david h koch theater the extraordinary achievements of this company founded 30 years ago became newly clear of all the ballet troupes who have visited the koch in recent years none looks so truly and completely a company none feels so effortlessly right for new york none seems so satisfying a continuation of several trains of choreographic thought already known in this city none gives us such warmth and energy
above all the season firmly placed this troupe at the forefront of all those dancing choreography by george balanchine today the weeks performances of his serenade 1934 bourree fantasque 1949 and symphony in three movements 1972 were superb balanchine used to ask his dancers what are you saving it for these miami dancers dont need to be asked the effortlessly spacious way they eat up space   fearlessly again and again stepping over the brink as if into the unknown   is a thrill to the senses so is their sparkling musicality catching multiple facets of the music and like mirrors beaming them out into the auditorium
the exhilarating production of bourree fantasque staged by susan pilarre is a special triumph despite being choreographed here for new york city ballet and despite brief lived stagings by that company american ballet theater and school of american ballet in the last 35 years this has become one of the balanchine classics least known in this city set to three dance filled scores by emmanuel chabrier 1841 94 it moves from comic absurdity via coolly ceremonious romance to dazzling ebullience theres a dash of crazy intoxication to the whole ballet thats entirely insidious
even if you think you know how exciting a balanchine massed ranks finale can be the one that ends bourree proves yet more intense than others with astounding shifts of geometric formations theres one ultra ebullient sequence where no fewer than four concentric rings of dancers are all moving to fro in and out and around while a ballerina at the center the fabulously fearless nathalia arja is bursting into the air in lifts like a champagne cork a moment later theyre all arrayed in vertical lines moving with no less energy
three of the seasons works were created for the miami troupe and enjoying new york premieres the greatest and strangest of these is alexei ratmanskys symphonic dances 2012 although i reviewed this earlier in the week i cant resist noting here how another viewing enhanced its drama its central ballroom scene has an extraordinary doubling quality with two doppelganger ballerinas moving through alternately similar and opposite experiences in a through the looking glass world
heatscape 2015 proves one of justin pecks most poetic and engaging creations several repeated motifs stand out   not least the exciting opening and ending when the company of dancers in simple summer clothes designed by reid bartelme and harriet jung rush to the front of the stage against the red sunburst of the patterned backdrop designed by shepard faireyobeygiantcom in the first movement a man and woman renan cerdeiro and emily bromberg come together amid imagery that suggests the mirages of heat they find their hands meeting and their feet pointing together as if by chance but after this happens three times in succession it looks like destiny theres also a mime gesture that says sleep they dont sleep but the desire is part of the intimacy
in the second movement a different woman tricia albertson dances with a different man kleber rebello several times she rises through a hoop made by his arms then falls gently to the floor the merrily dance packed third movement is led by three other dancers andrei chagas and shimon ito with either jeanette delgado friday evening or jennifer lauren saturday evening
at times its hard to follow the way in which mr peck tracks his music bohuslav martinus piano concerto no 1 and yet the mystery is part of the fun from that eager opening we always know were in safe hands in the third movement mr peck too makes a dramatic effect from concentric group circles   just two but unlike in balanchines bourree these move slowly in and out of each other with a strange tension that catches both the stage worlds shifting hazelike perceptions and the pressure of the musics harmony
liam scarletts slick viscera which i reviewed at its 2012 miami premiere is made to another piano concerto no 1 lowell liebermanns mr scarlett is choreographer in residence at the royal ballet this was his american debut as a choreographer this season the royal broadcast internationally its own performance of viscera although the miamians dance it better that helps little we see mr scarletts virtuoso control of groups and acrobatic partnering as well as the effects of smart timing but this remains a glossy lengthily slight piece of nothing much
its very good to again see twyla tharps sweet fields 1996 set to taped hymns by the choral composer william billings and others drawn from the shaker tradition and the sacred harp images of shaker worship community funerals and tenderness fluently succeed one another here with a grave beauty the style is informal elegant ceremonious
the stunning effect of the symphony in three movements production arises above all from the sharp dynamic contrasts of the outer sections the miamians naturally outgoing attack   led by ms arja with mr rebello patricia delgado jeanettes sister with mr cerdeiro ashley knox with jovani furlan   here is fully released although the central pas de deux has been beautifully danced by some casts at new york city ballet in recent seasons its fascinating to see the tellingly different inflections it receives from patricia delgado and mr cerdeiro
all the dancers i have named are superb as are simone messmer jennifer carlynn kronenberg and others the season was presented by the enterprising joyce theater which has also brought the national ballet of canada and the royal ballet to the koch in previous years heres hoping the joyce can now build a larger audience for these and other visiting troupes these miamians above all deserve the same kind of packed houses that are often to be found for troupes visiting the brooklyn academy of music


paris   the clown known as chocolat a former afro cuban slave was a fixture of belle epoque paris toulouse lautrec painted him   often in ugly caricature as a monkey   the lumiere brothers filmed him and jean cocteau and colette wrote about him the first black performer to become a major popular hit in france and a key figure in its awakening as a multicultural nation he died in poverty in 1917 and his memory faded
a new french film has helped restore his legacy called chocolat it stars omar sy the most prominent black actor in france as the title character who was named rafael padilla after his death but whose birth name is unknown the film co stars the experimental circus artist james thierree a grandson of charlie chaplin as george foottit an english clown and the other half of a duo that made both famous
a box office success the film operates on many levels as a family friendly conversation starter about racism in france as an exploration of the history of taste and cultural appropriation as a vehicle for mr sy to flex his comic muscles and as a story about the hazards of success padilla escaped slavery in cuba came to europe and found fame making white people laugh only to lose his fortune to drink and gambling
its a film that talks about a subject that french cinema has almost never broached racism said thomas sotinel who writes on film for le monde because of omar sy young people go he said the film addresses a subject that is rarely addressed in school or the media
with an impressive 19 million tickets sold in france since it opened in february the film has not been picked up for distribution in the united states but will open the colcoa french film festival in los angeles on monday ahead of the films opening in france the mayor of paris put a plaque commemorating the clown on a building where he used to perform
the film has put a rare focus on french people of african origin in a country where minority actors rarely headline films and where most debates about identity center on muslims from north africa but chocolat also has a strong story line
its the story of a rock star said the films director roschdy zem a french director and actor of moroccan origin whose films have often addressed questions of french identity he comes from a very poor milieu he finds glory grandeur and then decadence and decline into hell he added also mr zem said hed been completely forgotten and i was interested in rehabilitating him
padilla who escaped slavery in cuba came to france via spain in the film he and foottit meet at a dingy circus in the french provinces where his act was to play a cannibal wearing a loincloth and baring his teeth while the audience gasps the act evolves but a central idea white fear of black people remains
a few years later on a fancy paris stage chocolat circles foottit who pretends to be terrified the elegant audience is convulsed with laughter but are they laughing with or at the black clown those are the ambiguities at play in the film eventually chocolat grows frustrated with his act and with earning less than his white co star he changes tack and performs othello tastes change josephine baker and other african american dance acts come to france and the clown act becomes outdated
we talk about the past which is real and of course there are echoes with the present said mr sy speaking by telephone from los angeles where he moved in 2013 to pursue an acting career in hollywood i hope people who see it will be aware of this history and ask themselves the question how we can improve things today
mr sy said he tries to transcend debates about race in the us or france i always worked as an actor not a black actor he said in the throes of the oscarssowhite controversy mr sy appeared on the cover of telerama an influential french weekly beneath the headline in hollywood they see me as french not black
mr sy is best known for co starring in the intouchables a french comedy about a grumpy white paraplegic and his black caretaker it opened in france in 2011 breaking box office records there and earning mr sy a cesar award frances equivalent of the oscars but also generated controversy about its depiction of race some american critics saw it as racist mr sy has said that in the french context it resonates differently
chocolat may face some of the same challenges to audiences in the united states the films title   and the poster of a grinning mr sy dressed nattily as chocolat the clown   might seem tone deaf
but gerard noiriel a french historian who was a writer on the film and is the author of the book chocolat the real history of a nameless man said the movies title was self aware people should understand that its the nickname given him by the french and that reveals the prejudices of the era mr noiriel said
after the clowns death foottits son named him rafael padilla the surname of the wife of the spanish master who had bought him in cuba
in france the film has been more of a popular than critical success some highbrow critics saw it as a more mainstream answer to abdellatif kechiches black venus 2010 a more complex film about a south african woman who was exhibited in europe in the late 19th century as the hottentot venus
chocolat was the idea of the french film producer nicolas altmayer who read a newspaper report on a traveling theater performance about chocolat that mr noiriel had organized it took years to put together the financing and he needed mr sy to headline in france there are few black actors and no bankable actors mr altmayer said this is a 19 million euro film theres no choice if omar had said no i would have stopped the project
mr thierree spent an intense month with mr sy developing their clown act while padilla was short and energetic mr sy is tall with a loping gait they inverted the dynamic with foottit becoming the more energetic we tried to have this kind of tightrope act between historical faithfulness and trying to do something original mr thierree said french critics have raved about his performance and noted the strong family resemblance to his grandfather
with comic touches the film comes at a serious time today with the political climate in france and the rise of the far right we have a responsibility to reach different publics mr noiriel said we live in a france that is a diverse and multicultural society but collective memory is still too franco centric


if manager joe girardis temperament is a weather vane for the yankees fortunes then his recent testiness   with a few dashes of sarcasm   may explain how the first two weeks of the season have unfolded
a 4 3 victory on sunday over the seattle mariners provided plenty of reasons to exhale beginning with the four game losing streak it ended
there was alex rodriguez answering his demotion in the batting order and breaking a 0 for 19 slump by slugging a two run home run there was masahiro tanaka looking like the pitcher the yankees handed 155 million and outfielder brett gardner resembling a catalytic pest and the back end of the bullpen was not bad either dellin betances and andrew miller combined to strike out all six batters they faced
but girardi who has become increasingly agitated in recent days over the persistent questions about rodriguez was not pleased when asked if he considered rodriguezs slump to be over or with three other hitless at bats was he still a work in progress
you know what girardi said at his postgame news conference i went and saw a shrink and had him analyze what i should analyze and went from there thats what i did
several days earlier girardi protested that he was not god when he was asked why rodriguez had slumped at the end of last season then earlier sunday girardi explained why he had ducked a question saturday about whether he would move rodriguez who batted sixth sunday for the first time since last april from his customary third spot in the batting order
well i dont make decisions on a whim said girardi who last year was occasionally miffed when questioned about tanaka and the state of his fragile elbow theres a lot of times ill sit at this table and have an idea of what i want to do but i havent had a chance to communicate with the players so its not going to be given to you first sorry
if the victory did not seem to loosen girardi it did others rodriguez even tried to make a sly joke about not getting credit for driving in a runner in scoring position   the yankees were 1 for 34 in the series when there were only quizzical looks rodriguez shook his head and asked of news media members gathered around his locker where are all the ivy leaguers
on a more weighty matter rodriguez said he had no problem with the move down in the batting order sometimes youve got to do that youve got to shuffle the deck a little bit he said whatever it takes to win im willing to do
the home run may quiet some of the concern about rodriguez but the rest of the day did little to suggest that he had solved his problems he struck out twice and popped up in his other at bats though he did raise his batting average to 118
i wish i was hitting 300 instead of 3 for 30 rodriguez said of his statistics entering sunday of his home run he added it feels good its a work in progress you have to chip away its a long season i thought my rhythm was better all day i only got one hit but i felt my swings over all were better
there was little debate about tanakas effort it was his best in three starts this season he allowed six hits three runs and no walks and struck out six in seven innings but the numbers did little to describe his misfortune three of the hits bunched together in the first inning when the mariners took a 1 0 lead came in holes in the yankees infield shift   including robinson canos dribbler toward third base
the other runs came with the aid of kyle seagers hard grounder that went through first baseman mark teixeiras legs and nori aokis liner that jacoby ellsbury misplayed into a triple aoki scored when seth smiths grounder just eluded the drawn in second baseman starlin castro it tied the score at 3 3 and led to the last base runner the mariners had
the yankees regained the lead when gardner singled   his third hit of the day   and raced to third on a single by carlos beltran who had swapped spots in the lineup with rodriguez gardner scored when hisashi iwakumas pitch skittered away from catcher steve clevenger
rodriguezs home run usurped a story line that was of keen interest in japan the matchup between the starting pitchers tanaka and iwakuma former teammates with the tohoku rakuten golden eagles
it was hard not to notice the similarities between the two pitchers on sunday both come set in the stretch with the ball held away from their chest and make use of the same leg kick both rely heavily on a split fingered fastball and sharp control iwakuma makes more frequent use of a hesitation in his delivery
the two had an interesting dynamic although iwakuma was the ace of that pitching staff tanaka was the more celebrated pitcher owing in large part to his star turn during japans high school tournament the events popularity in japan is akin to that of the ncaa mens basketball tournament in the united states
while tanaka said in an interview friday that he was excited for the matchup his first against a japanese pitcher in the major leagues he added that it would be improper in japanese culture to give his opinion of iwakuma who at 35 is eight years older than tanaka
i think if it was ichiro who was evaluating or commenting on iwakuma it would be totally fine tanaka said referring to ichiro suzuki the 42 year old japanese star playing for the miami marlins but if its me commenting on someone who is older than i am its a little bit awkward


san francisco   for the last few years linkedin the professional social networking company has doled out increasingly large amounts of stock to pay its workers
in 2014 linkedin paid employees 319 million in stock or 14 percent of revenue in 2015 that rose to 510 million or 17 percent of revenue at the time those figures were largely met with shrugs from wall street
now that attitude may be changing
as linkedin prepares to report its latest quarterly earnings next week wall street is increasingly scrutinizing the number of stock grants that the company pays employees   especially after linkedin projected lower growth for this year and its stock price has fallen
the silicon valley companys stock based compensation provides additional reason to remain cautious on linkedin mark may an internet analyst at citigroup wrote in a research note
the issue is not limited to linkedin with tech earnings season kicking off on monday investors are paying more attention to stock based compensation at many tech companies
paying employees with stock is largely unquestioned when times are good since the move theoretically aligns the interests of the workers with company performance the practice is technically a corporate expense but during boom periods wall street typically focuses on a companys operating results that exclude that expense
yet public tech companies have had a rockier time in the stock market this year that has led investors to begin looking more closely at the quality of the companies financial results the scrutiny means examining earnings with stock based compensation expenses included   and certain financial measures like earnings and margins invariably look worse when that expense is factored in
tech companies stand out as some of the most generous givers of shares to employees while the median number of restricted shares granted at standard  poors 1500 companies to executives and employees in 2014 equaled 450198 shares tech companies granted a median 798000 shares of restricted stock to workers according to data from equilar a research firm that provides data on executives boards and compensation
as a result there has been a heightened investor focus on the level of stock based compensation among the internet companies mark mahaney an analyst at rbc capital markets wrote in a recent note
in an interview mr mahaney said stock based compensation could distort the quality of a companys earnings and make them look stronger than they are
mr mahaney has identified twitter linkedin yahoo and alibaba as among the tech companies that are highly dependent on stock to pay their employees in a report he wrote that twitters stock based compensation over the last two years accounted for 39 percent of the companys revenue on average the highest percentage of any internet company
linkedin whose share price is down about 48 percent this year did not respond to requests for comment twitter whose stock is down more than 20 percent this year also did not respond to a request for comment
another tech company that wall street analysts are examining for its stock based compensation expenses is workday which sells human resources and financial management software the company is expected to increase its stock compensation about 48 percent in its 2017 fiscal year which is faster than its revenue is projected to grow according to sarah hindlian an analyst at macquarie group
in an illustration of how stock based compensation expenses can affect a companys results ms hindlian says workdays margins are projected to be around negative 25 percent for fiscal year 2017 but when the companys 370 million in stock based compensation is excluded from results its operating margins are much better coming in around zero
workdays heavy reliance on stock based compensation has been a factor in ms hindlians projections for the companys share price last month she forecast that workdays stock would trade at 49 down from its current price of about 77 she has a sell recommendation on the stock
ms hindlian says that while it can be reasonable for companies to pay workers a lot in stock the practice can become scary when the stock starts to fall particularly with software companies you run the risk of losing your leading salespeople engineers and developers when the stock falls because employees feel like theyre getting a pay cut said ms hindlian who also rang the alarm on linkedins use of stock based compensation over a year ago
somewhere along the way a management team may feel pressure to increase their share price to avoid loss of employees ms hindlian said which can ultimately mean management goals and shareholder interests become misaligned
workday declined to comment
when companies authorize additional shares to pay employees and management that also creates dilution or a decrease in how much of the company a shareholder owns when new stock is issued that effect is starting to push others on wall street to lower their price projections for tech company stocks mr may of citigroup lowered his price targets this month on google facebook amazon netflix ebay yahoo and twitter to fully capture the likely ongoing dilution from future share grants as part of employee compensation he said
the increased scrutiny of tech companies that rely heavily on stock to pay employees is just one of many places where investors are taking a harder look as markets soften said john roe a managing director at iss corporate solutions a group that advises shareholders on corporate governance issues
he noted that some shareholders had also submitted proposals asking companies to consider the impact of share buybacks on earnings to figure out whether executives delivered better earnings by improving performance or by reducing the number of shares outstanding
you see a brighter focus on certain practices when there is more volatility and markets are going down said mr roe the reliance on equity compensation is one of those things that you might always worry about but recent events have amplified that concern


cleveland   the mets arrived here with no series victories a slumbering offense and a rookie starter steven matz with a 3780 earned run average they left with two wins in three games a new no 3 hitter and the dazzling version of matz on display
matz followed his worst major league start with his best on sunday spinning curves sliders and changeups just the way manager terry collins wanted matz struck out nine a career high over seven sparkling innings to beat the cleveland indians 6 0 with help from two doubles by michael conforto
collins inserted conforto into the no 3 spot in the lineup on friday hoping to jolt an offense that hit 194 in the seasons first eight games it worked conforto went 5 for 12 in the series with three doubles and a homer and collins said he would remain the no 3 hitter against right handed pitchers
anytime youre in the heart of the lineup where you can do some damage and drive in some runs its exciting conforto said ive never had any nervousness about it its felt natural
conforto a first round pick in 2014 arrived in the majors last summer with the disciplined plate approach the mets emphasize throughout the organization he is hitting 313 with a 421 on base percentage as the mets head for philadelphia and atlanta where they will face only right handed starters
i thought when we went on the road we were going to start playing a little bit better swinging the bats a little bit better and we have collins said weve just got to continue were going in our division now and thats what made the difference for us last year   how we played in our division
the mets surge in the national league east late last season received a boost from matz who finished strong and earned a spot in the postseason rotation but he started this season with a ghastly performance against miami seven runs in fewer than two innings and a reluctance to use his off speed pitches
after the first inning sunday the pitching coach dan warthen stressed the need for matz to mix in those pitches with his fastballs matz   who was back on a regular routine after a long wait before his season debut   said he had felt fine in both starts but believed in himself more this time
just going after hitters and not trying to nitpick he said explaining the difference just trusting that i can miss with a pitch and theyll still be able to get themselves out
matz pitched with a lead all game after the mets blitzed corey kluber for three runs in the first inning with conforto and lucas duda driving in the runs
the mets added three more in the second though the sun was mostly responsible
with two outs and nobody on in the second indians center fielder rajai davis retreated for curtis grandersons fly ball and held his glove high above his head daviss sunglasses did not help and neither did his glove the ball fell to the warning track as granderson hustled for a triple
asdrubal cabrera followed with a bunt single perfectly placed on the grass between the mound and the third base line as granderson scampered home another conforto double just inside the first base line made it 5 0 before davis lost another ball in the sun that went for a run scoring double by yoenis cespedes
the mets who had scored only 20 runs in their first eight games scored 17 in three games here matz did not really need the outburst stifling a cleveland lineup that had rocked matt harvey in the middle innings saturday
just one runner made it to third off matz who retired 12 of his final 13 hitters   and managed to allow no catchable fly balls into the center field glare
we were able to keep their hitters off balance thats what were trying to do every day catcher kevin plawecki said
when youve got a guy like him that had all four pitches working and was able to spot up like he did today it makes for a really fun day plawecki said of matz
inside pitch
the infant son of starter jacob degrom is improving degrom told terry collins theyre hoping that they can take the baby home tomorrow which would be a huge step forward collins said degrom who is on family medical emergency leave threw a bullpen session on sunday and will throw a simulated game tuesday as he builds up his pitch count after having strained a back muscle in his first start  catcher travis darnaud who bruised his left elbow when he was hit by a pitch on saturday could miss the opener of the mets series in philadelphia on monday i might give him one more day just to make sure collins said he said he feels a lot better but he was pretty sore last night  the mets will face the phillies vince velasquez on tuesday velasquez who fired six shutout innings with nine strikeouts at citi field on april 9 followed up by striking out 16 san diego padres in a three hit shutout last week


brasilia   brazilian legislators voted on sunday night to approve impeachment of dilma rousseff the nations first female president whose tenure has been buffeted by a dizzying corruption scandal a shrinking economy and spreading disillusionment
after three days of impassioned debate the lower house of congress the chamber of deputies voted to send the case against ms rousseff to the senate its 81 members will vote by a simple majority on whether to hold a trial on charges that the president illegally used money from state owned banks to conceal a yawning budget deficit in an effort to bolster her re election prospects that vote is expected to take place next month
those pressing for impeachment had to win the support of two thirds of the 513 deputies in the lower house the decisive 342nd vote for impeachment happened at about 1010 pm eastern time the final vote was 367 for impeachment 137 against and 7 abstaining two deputies did not vote
if the senate accepts the case ms rousseff will step down temporarily while it deliberates her fate vice president michel temer a constitutional law scholar and seasoned politician will assume the presidency
given the larger than expected margin of deputies voting for impeachment some political analysts said the senate was likely to remove ms rousseff from office a ruling that would require a two thirds majority
politicians know how to read society pretty well and they can sense that the people want her out said paulo sotero the director of the brazil institute at the woodrow wilson international center for scholars in washington
ms rousseff can still appeal to the supreme federal tribunal brazils highest court though it has rejected previous motions to have the impeachment measure dismissed
the chambers decision to impeach ms rousseff less than halfway through her second term provoked shouts of joy among the thousands of protesters who had gathered in the capital and in cities across the country but also cries of treachery from her supporters
weeping as she stood amid the throngs rallying in support of the president gabriela correia 22 a customer service representative said she was disgusted that so many deputies some of them notoriously corrupt had voted against ms rousseff i want to make clear that im not here to defend a politician but to protect our democratic political system she said my heart is aching
some political analysts said they worried that the move to impeach ms rousseff would cause lasting damage to brazils young democracy re established in 1985 after two decades of military dictatorship
this is a coup a traumatic injury to brazils presidential system said pedro arruda a political analyst at the pontifical catholic university in sao paulo this is just pretext to take down a president who was elected by 54 million people she doesnt have foreign bank accounts and she hasnt been accused of corruption unlike those who are trying to impeach her
although legal experts and political analysts are divided many have expressed concern over the basis of the impeachment drive they note that the budgetary sleight of hand that ms rousseff is accused of employing to address the deficit has been used by many elected officials though not on so large a scale
its putting a very large bullet in brazilian democracy said lincoln secco a professor of history at the university of sao paulo this will set a very dangerous precedent for democracy in brazil because from now on any moment that we have a highly unpopular president there will be pressure to start an impeachment process
the vote to impeach is a crushing defeat for ms rousseff and her workers party a former band of leftist agitators who battled the nations military rulers in the 1980s and who swept to power in 2002 with the election of one of the groups founders luiz inacio lula da silva to the presidency
mr da silva a skillful politician who endeared himself to both rich and poor presided over heady economic growth and a generous expansion of social welfare benefits that helped lift millions of brazilians out of abject poverty
he also moved to strengthen the governments control of key industries like petroleum that set the stage for abuses at petrobras the state owned oil company that would later ensnare scores of the nations political and business elite in a scheme that funneled kickbacks into campaign coffers
barred by the constitution from running for a third term he anointed ms rouseff as his successor and she easily won election in 2010
a former marxist guerrilla ms rousseff had never before held elected office and critics say her lack of political skills hampered her ability to work with opposition members in congress as well as key figures in her governing coalition
in 2014 she was re elected by a thin margin after an especially divisive campaign
as the economy went into a tailspin and a huge corruption scandal took down once untouchable political figures ms rousseff was abandoned by many of her allies giving momentum to an impeachment initiative conceived by her rivals
when things started going wrong she was unable to get the situation under control and her lack of flexibility and stubbornness made things worse said mathieu turgeon a political scientist at the university of brasilia all of this has now caught up with her
the impeachment drive has been polarizing spurring raucous street protests sundering friendships and provoking widespread anxiety over the potential impact to brazils democracy
ms rousseff and her supporters have likened the impeachment drive to a slow rolling coup by her political rivals among them mr temer her vice president who last month joined those calling for her impeachment
the recent fortunes of brazil once an economic powerhouse of the developing world have gone from bad to worse with the economy expected to contract at least 35 percent for a second year in a row millions of brazilians have lost their jobs since the days of double digit growth fueled in part by chinas hunger for commodities
in recent months her once favorable approval ratings have dipped below 8 percent
this is a government that has lost legitimacy credibility and the ability to govern said monica de bolle a senior fellow at the peterson institute for international economics a research group in washington its a terrible situation
although ms rousseff is not accused of corruption the petrobras scandal has implicated important members of her party including mr da silva he is being investigated over allegations that he and his foundation received the equivalent of 78 million in services and lecture fees from construction companies seeking government contracts
the unfolding scandal known as operacao lava jato or operation car wash has riveted brazilians as prosecutors have released details of how petrobras funneled millions of dollars into the political campaigns of workers party politicians and their allies
the impeachment is on relatively weak constitutional grounds but at the end of the day this is a vote on the massive corruption probe deep recession and a series of other issues that have plagued this administration said christopher garman a brazil analyst at the eurasia group a political risk consulting firm
ms rousseff is the second brazilian leader to be impeached since 1992 when fernando collor de mello facing huge protests over an influence peddling scandal resigned moments before the senate was to vote on his ouster
ms rousseffs predicament is somewhat different unlike mr collor de mello she has not been accused of self enrichment and despite her sagging popularity only 61 percent of brazilians support impeachment down from 68 percent last month according to a survey by the polling firm datafolha
then there is the question of who and what comes next vice president temer a senior member of the brazilian democratic movement party will have to grapple with political and economic challenges
he also faces possible impeachment over the same allegations lodged against ms rousseff as well as accusations that he was involved in an illegal ethanol buying scheme
next in line for the presidency after mr temer is eduardo cunha the powerful leader of the lower house who has been a driving force behind ms rousseffs impeachment an evangelical christian who is fond of using his twitter account to spread biblical verse mr cunha is accused of using a swiss bank account to conceal 40 million in bribes
people are fed up with the mismanagement and economic mistakes of dilma and the corruption and arrogance of the workers party but no one feels any optimism for what might come next said raul juste lores the editor at large for folha de spaulo a leading brazilian newspaper
as tens of thousands of people gathered outside the national congress on sunday to express their support for or against impeachment some celebrated by setting off fireworks while others said there were no winners in the days vote
among them was stephany machado 22 a portuguese teacher who had made the 16 hour trip by bus from sao paulo although she said she was not a supporter of the workers party she worries about the long term damage that impeachment could inflict on democracy in brazil
dilma is president through the power of our votes and what they are trying to do is remove her from power in an anticonstitutional way she said we cant give this up without a fight


on perhaps the defining issue of the 2016 republican primary senator ted cruz falls well to the right of ronald reagan who supported granting legal status to millions of undocumented immigrants
he opposes abortion even in cases of rape and incest and has called for a federal amendment that would allow states to avoid performing or recognizing same sex marriages
he wants to return to the gold standard abolish the internal revenue service and create a tax structure simple enough for americans to file on postcards
he has criticized donald j trump on deportation policy from the right
throughout his senate career republican opponents have cast mr cruz as a master of the ill considered   a wacko bird as senator john mccain of arizona once called him   whose seemingly reckless pursuits were thought to place him well outside the mainstream
yet a close reading of mr cruzs policy prescriptions influences and writings over two decades combined with interviews with conservative intellectual leaders and cruz allies suggest two powerful truths about the man who might yet assume the mantle of modern conservatism
he would be the most conservative presidential nominee in at least a half century perhaps to the right of barry goldwater testing the electoral limits of a personal ideology he has forged meticulously since adolescence
and he has more effectively than almost any politician of his generation anticipated the rightward tilt of the republican party of today grasping its conservatism even as colleagues dismissed him as a fringe figure
now even mr cruzs staunchest republican enemies tend to criticize him most forcefully on tactics   lamenting his leading role in the 2013 government shutdown for instance   but not on substance where they have generally arrived at equivalent positions
nobody has been more assiduous than cruz at staying on the same page as the conservative base of the republican party said ramesh ponnuru a conservative author and senior editor of national review who first met mr cruz when they were students at princeton university that said it was also the man meeting the moment he was always a constitutionalist conservative and then constitutionalism became cool among conservatives
there have at times been perceptible shifts from mr cruz during the campaign in both tone and substance coaxed by the resonance of mr trumps populist anger and hard line positions on trade and immigration
but at its core mr cruzs brand of conservatism is the product of decades of careful study and manifest intellectual firepower fusing a host of historical strands into what he has called opportunity conservatism
as a teenager growing up in houston he earned money delivering speeches on friedrich a hayek and ludwig von mises expounding on free market principles at rotary and kiwanis clubs
the epigraph for his senior thesis at princeton which focused on states rights and the ninth and 10th amendments quoted james madison you must first enable the government to control the governed and in the next place oblige it to control itself
when he captured the republican nomination in his 2012 senate race mr cruz said he was walking in uncle miltons footsteps to honor the 100th birthday of the economist milton friedman
he is fond of invoking mr reagans cold war dictum we win they lose margaret thatchers dismissal of socialism the problem with socialism is eventually you run out of other peoples money and even at times president john f kennedy
i intend to have in the office of president what jfk used to refer to as vigaaaahhh in defending the constitution mr cruz now 45 told voters in iowa in january
some citations are more familiar to conservative audiences than others
on economic policy he has at moments turned to ayn rand the libertarian heroine lionized by the right and john rawls the liberal political philosopher who argued for a compact protecting the least advantaged
references to mr rawls have dwindled since mr cruz began his presidential candidacy last year i dont think rawls focus groups in iowa mr ponnuru joked
it is clear that mr cruz whose campaign did not make him available for an interview is most animated by constitutional fights over what he views as overreach by the federal government particularly on matters of religion he speaks often of his triumphs as solicitor general of texas which included the successful defense of the states right to display a ten commandments monument at the capitol
he is a creature of the supreme court counting chief justice william h rehnquist as a former boss and justice antonin scalia as a friend whose strict constructionist views helped shape his own
and arguing last year against a federal ban on marijuana   despite his personal opposition to marijuana legalization at the state level   mr cruz recited justice louis d brandeiss belief in the states role as laboratories of democracy
indeed conservative thinkers have sensed in mr cruz an array of less likely forebears the faith focused morality of jimmy carter or george w bush president obamas disdain for beltway think tank consensus the fictional exploits of frank capra and jimmy stewart
theres a little bit of mr smith goes to washington said peter d feaver a national security strategist under mr bush and a political science professor at duke university the im going to pursue this even if everyone else is mad at me because this is right
mr cruz seems to take uncommon pride in communicating uncomfortable policy positions to potentially hostile audiences mr ponnuru likened mr cruzs opposition to ethanol subsidies in iowa   once considered heretical in a presidential primary   to mr goldwaters unpopular suggestion in 1964 while campaigning in tennessee that the tennessee valley authority should be sold
on matters of foreign policy mr cruz is viewed much more warily by mainstream republicans his pre senate career dealt little with international affairs many say and his first term has contained some notable shifts
mr cruz entered the senate in 2013 as part of the tea party wave brandishing a libertarian streak that became more pronounced after revelations of government surveillance tactics courtesy of edward j snowden
but in the years since as the national dialogue has grown more consumed by security threats like the islamic state mr cruz has recalibrated considerably leaving an impression among some conservative thinkers that he is merely groping for the median position of the base
most notable during the campaign has been his pledge to carpet bomb isis into oblivion which has earned a rebuke from military leaders who define the term specifically as the blanket bombing of even civilian areas mr cruz has argued his iteration can be more targeted
he means an overwhelming air campaign his longtime national security adviser victoria coates clarified in an interview
peter wehner a senior fellow at the ethics and public policy center who served under mr reagan and presidents george bush and george w bush said mr cruz had been a little hard to find on the spectrum of conservative foreign policy
the latest incarnation for him is a sort of realist school of overwhelming military force but hes constantly criticizing nation building mr wehner said i have a feeling hes more of an amateur in that area
the introduction of a national security team last month failed to inspire universal confidence while the list included some well respected members of the reagan and bush administrations it also had frank gaffney jr viewed by many as a fringe conspiracy theorist who has suggested that president obama is muslim
being critical of frank is a cottage industry said ms coates whose own resume   she is better known as an art historian   has been questioned the fact of the matter is he has been one of the few fearless voices speaking out against the problems of radical islam
other concerns are more semantic mr cruz has been criticized for appearing to use neo con as a pejorative and for characterizing his foreign policy views as falling somewhere in between two polar extremes the libertarianism of senator rand paul of kentucky and the hawkishness of mr mccain or senator lindsey graham of south carolina
he speaks often of reagan style peace through strength reminding crowds that the largest country mr reagan invaded was grenada
but some conservative foreign policy experts see a crucial difference implicit in a february speech outlining his military plans in south carolina
cruzs defense speech was couched as being reaganite with plans to increase military spending substantially said gary j schmitt a resident scholar at the american enterprise institute but the caveat was getting the economy fixed first reagan increased defense spending even while deficits soared
mr wehner worried generally that mr cruz had displayed an intellectual rigidity that afforded him little latitude to adapt
mr cruz has long trumpeted his consistent conservative credentials as a strength proudly recalling his teenage days as part of a team of students who toured event spaces in texas and wrote out the constitution on easels
robert p george his mentor and thesis adviser at princeton said that he was most struck by the consistency from the time when he was a student to now many conservatives cite madison and tocqueville he said but ted has actually read them
mr georges most memorable lesson was in humility in his book mr cruz writes of receiving a graded paper from mr george seeing a c on a folded corner of the first page and panicking with white knuckles i folded the corner over he wrote and on the front was written just kidding a
mr georges goal was simple i thought he should at least have a few moments experience he said of not being the smartest guy in the class


top contenders for the 142nd running of the kentucky derby are listed in order of preference with comments provided by joe drape and melissa hoppert of the new york times churchill downs has adopted a points system to determine the derby field with points being earned by the top four finishers in designated prep races the odds are from the churchill downs futures pool and the records are starts win place show
1 nyquist
trainer doug oneill jockey mario gutierrez
record 7 7 0 0 points 130 odds 3 1
jd the 2 year old champion is the one to beat he is also undefeated is he bred for a mile and a quarter no but few are
mh saturdays arkansas derby just reinforced this fact theres nyquist the florida derby winner and then theres everyone else
next up kentucky derby on may 7
2 lani
trainer mikio matsunaga jockey yutaka take
record 6 3 1 0 points 100 odds 25 1
jd this kentucky bred japan based colt stood out in the uae derby none of the american horses look anywhere close to nyquist why not take a flier with this grandson of sunday silence
mh this tapit colt has three wins in his last four races and is already at churchill downs training but i think exaggerator is more talented
next up kentucky derby
3 exaggerator
trainer keith desormeaux jockey kent desormeaux
record 9 4 2 1 points 126 odds 27 1
jd he rose seemingly from the dead running away with the santa anita derby on april 9 after a disappointing third place finish in his previous race this colt has some back class
mh this curlin colt turned in a dominating performance at santa anita and has more races under his belt than any other horse on our list that experience could help come derby day
next up kentucky derby
4 mohaymen
trainer kiaran mclaughlin jockey junior alvarado
record 6 5 0 0 points 80 odds 8 1
jd this colt went from wonder horse to what the heck happened with an awful performance in the florida derby early this month do you draw a line through it nope
mh he had a tough trip on a wet track in the florida derby going wide throughout can he regain his form in the derby and show that that was just an off day or will he continue to regress im leaning toward the former
next up kentucky derby
5 mor spirit
trainer bob baffert jockey gary stevens
record 7 3 4 0 points 84 odds 11 1
jd this pennsylvania bred colt is as steady as they come but he looked ordinary clunking up for second in the santa anita derby
mh this speedy colt has been high on bafferts list since day 1 and with a clunker of a performance in arkansas by his stablemate cupid we can see why my money is on mor spirit to finish second on the first saturday in may
next up kentucky derby
6 destin
trainer todd pletcher jockey javier castellano
record 5 3 1 0 points 51 odds 16 1
jd he won the sam f davis stakes and the tampa bay derby but against whom exactly
mh he set a track record for a mile and a sixteenth while outdueling his stablemate outwork in the tampa bay derby last month did he do too much too soon
next up kentucky derby
7 gun runner
trainer steve asmussen jockey florent geroux
record 5 4 0 0 points 151 odds 13 1
jd meet your west virginia derby winner
mh he swept the two big derby prep races at the fair grounds in new orleans but he hardly seems fast enough to win the derby his stablemate creator rallied to win the arkansas derby and is getting hot at the right time
next up kentucky derby
8 outwork
trainer todd pletcher jockey john velazquez
record 4 3 1 0 points 120 odds 30 1
jd he won the wood memorial last weekend   albeit by a head in the slowest winning time in the history of the race he is lightly raced though and getting better
mh he could eventually be formidable but not in time to don roses at the derby
next up kentucky derby
9 mo tom
trainer tom amoss jockey corey lanerie
record 7 3 0 3 points 32 odds 17 1
jd this talented colt has been buried by terrible rides in his last two races so look for a rider switch now that mike smith and a couple of others appear available he is a live long shot
mh the saints owners tom and gayle benson have two derby contenders in mo tom and toms ready both are already at churchill downs which is a bonus
next up kentucky derby
10 brodys cause
trainer dale romans jockey luis saez
record 6 3 0 1 points 114 odds na
jd this grinder needs a perfect trip and a grueling pace ahead of him thats asking a lot
mh this blue grass stakes winner rebounded from a seventh place finish in the tampa bay derby but he will still have to improve on his performance at keeneland to have a shot at churchill downs
next up kentucky derby




doha qatar   officials from 18 oil producing nations failed on sunday to reach a deal to freeze oil production at current levels
the meeting of officials representing most of the organization of the petroleum exporting countries as well as russia had been intended to calm the markets and convince them that the two leading oil exporters russia and saudi arabia were cooperating but with officials coming up short on sunday the meeting may end up being a blow to confidence that could send oil prices tumbling
a sharp fall in oil prices could also feed into equity prices which have recently tended to rise and fall along with oil prices
oil fell sharply in early trading on monday in asia at one point dropping nearly 6 percent to fall below 38 a barrel asian stock markets were mixed japanese shares were down nearly 3 percent in morning trading but stocks across the rest of asia saw more modest declines markets in shanghai and hong kong opened around 1 percent lower
there will be a lot of people who they have disappointed said bill farren price chief executive of petroleum policy intelligence a british firm that advises hedge funds and other businesses on the oil markets the oil exporters he said raised expectations
a major stumbling block in the talks appears to have been pressure from saudi arabia for iran to participate in the freeze a measure to address the current global oversupply of oil the iranians who are rapidly increasing production after the end of most sanctions over their nuclear program have refused to cap production at current low levels
the oil producers seemed to head into the meeting full of confidence that a deal to stabilize oil markets could be reached in fact a draft agreement calling for a freeze at january levels through october was circulated saturday
talk of a potential freeze had already helped lift the oil markets from their january lows below 30 per barrel to about 43 per barrel for brent crude i think at least the discussion and expectations around the doha meeting have contributed to higher prices eric lascelles chief economist at rbc global asset management said in an interview before the meeting
a deal was unlikely to quickly change the amount of oil on the market because most participants in the freeze were pumping at high levels and the failure is unlikely to have much of an impact on supply and demand balances
what might limit the reaction is a strike on sunday by kuwaiti oil workers that has cut into the countrys oil production by what appears to be a substantial amount you would expect the market to sell off but the downside might be limited  said mr farren price who was observing the doha meeting
analysts on sunday also raised the question of how saudi arabia and the other countries could have scheduled the meeting if they knew it was doomed to failure after all the idea was to calm the markets not roil them
this implies really poor communication by the lead members of the group particularly saudi arabia and russia said richard mallinson an oil analyst at energy aspects a london based market research firm why even schedule this meeting if you did not have a compromise agreed over iran
the idea of a freeze in production emerged in february after oil prices plunged below 30 per barrel opec members had been unable to agree on production cuts to manage the market instead most members pumped oil at full capacity trying to maximize revenues in the face of falling prices
saudi arabia russia qatar and venezuela agreed in principle on a freeze at a meeting in february but made it contingent on participation by other major producers the idea of a freeze gained favor because it would involve little or no sacrifice for anyone
analysts and some opec officials thought that a way could be found to accommodate irans desire to make up ground lost under sanctions
either they misread the saudis or the kingdoms leadership hardened its position saudi arabia and iran are bitter rivals in the middle east clashing over yemen and syria the competition increasingly extends to oil where a resurgent iran is vying with the saudis for market share among customers in asia and europe
in the days before this meeting a mixed message emerged from saudi arabia its oil officials led by ali al naimi an 80 year old veteran oil minister evidently sought accommodation with other big producers including iran while the deputy crown prince mohammed bin salman who has become the kingdoms chief policy maker indicated that saudi arabia might not go along with a freeze if iran did not also comply
if all major producers dont freeze production we will not freeze production prince mohammed told bloomberg news recently
the deal was scuppered by saudi arabias insistence that language requiring that all opec members participate in the freeze be inserted in the draft there was little question that iran which was not represented at the meeting would agree after lengthy negotiations among saudi arabia russia venezuela and qatar which convened the meeting the talks broke up on sunday
the meeting concluded that we all need time for further consultation qatars energy minister mohammed al sada said at a news conference he said that participating countries would consult among themselves and with others until the next opec meeting which is scheduled for june in vienna
saudi tactics on the freeze appear to be a part of a shift in the kingdoms oil policy analysts say
the saudis analysts say increasingly seem to accept that they can no longer control oil prices through opec in part because the huge increases in supply from the united states in recent years have undercut opecs leverage
this is the new world of oil said jim burkhard head of oil markets and scenarios research at ihs who was also observing the meeting the oil market is a reflection of the world power is more decentralized
the saudis are shifting instead toward producing whatever oil they need to supply their growing network of domestic refineries and petrochemical plants and their expanding body of overseas customers
prince mohammed who has authority over the saudi oil industry warned that the kingdom could increase production by a million barrels per day in the coming months if it chose
with low production costs estimated at 350 to 5 per barrel saudi arabia can compete on price with any producer so can russia which can produce oil for about 4 per barrel according to ihs while saudi arabia and its persian gulf allies kuwait and the united arab emirates are feeling the pinch of lower revenues they are in far less immediate trouble than opec members like venezuela and algeria analysts say
some of the less well off oil producers clearly wanted a deal in hopes that it would raise prices and revenues this is something that affects the whole oil industry whether you are in opec or not ecuadors oil minister carlos pareja yannuzzelli told reporters on sunday
while plans are far from fully delineated prince mohammed appears to be charting a more independent course for the saudi oil industry for instance he has said he plans a public listing of the national oil company saudi aramco the worlds largest oil producing company a public listing might require the company to pay more attention to the requirements of outside investors than to other opec members
prince mohammed increasingly seems to see oil as a potential political instrument   an approach that mr naimi eschewed
there is a lot of change happening in riyadh mr mallinson said oil policy is becoming less insulated from politics
some analysts speculate that mr naimi   who has long been skeptical that other producers including russia would honor production ceilings   is going along with the idea of a freeze to help insulate saudi arabia from criticism
the saudis might have been covering their backs said paul stevens an analyst at chatham house a london based research firm they can say we tried
russia had reason to go along with a freeze russias economy which depends heavily on oil revenues is in recession the kremlins desperation for higher prices is palpable the country is committed to two wars in ukraine and syria at home wages are being cut bringing signs of social unrest ahead of a parliamentary election in september
russias energy minister alexander novak who attended the doha meeting has been a crucial supporter of a freeze a role assigned to mr novak was to bring in iran but he has failed so far
russia and saudi arabia trade places for the top spot among oil producers russia has been in the lead of late pumping 109 million barrels of oil a day in january compared with saudi arabias 102 million but because of russias larger population and industrial base it consumes more oil at home leaving saudi arabia the leader in exports
since the soviet period opec has looked on russia as a freeloader on price boosting production cuts russia benefited but never joined in
analysts say that opecs efforts to involve russia and other outsiders underlines its diminished clout joining with russia is what is left for an organization that has lost its core reason for being at least for now and possibly for the longer term said bhushan bahree an opec analyst at the market research firm ihs who was observing the meeting


john kanders newest musical kid victory will make its new york debut in september as part of the vineyard theaters 2016 7 season
mr kander 89 who composed the music for cabaret and chicago wrote kid victory with gregory pierce after their previous 2013 collaboration the landing which also ran at the vineyard theater kid victory will be directed by liesl tommy and follows a teenager returning to his kansas hometown
nicky silvers this day forward will receive its world premiere at the vineyard sometime next winter mark brokaw will direct the pair previously collaborated on the lyons which ran at the vineyard before transferring to broadway in 2012
the season will be rounded out next spring by gina gionfriddos can you forgive her which will be directed by peter dubois the play is set on halloween night
more information can be found at wwwvineyardtheatreorg


mashiki japan   people here said they had known that a network of fault lines ran under their town like veins but no major earthquake had struck in anyones lifetime even in japan the most seismically unstable country in the world that fact had apparently created a false sense of security
that was before two earthquakes struck within just over a day last week
on sunday some braved the seemingly endless aftershocks to sift through their shattered homes looking for valuables   a bankbook medication needed by an elderly relative others sheltered in their cars as even the sturdiest buildings suddenly felt fragile
there were stories from hundreds of years ago but nobody thought it would happen right under them said tadashi uchida 77 the head of a neighborhood association in a section of mashiki with about 500 households
dozens of the areas mostly wooden homes including mr uchidas crumbled in the twin quakes which struck late thursday and early saturday with magnitudes of 62 and 7 according to the united states geological survey they left at least 42 people dead
water electricity and gas remained cut off in most of mashiki and surrounding towns and villages on the island of kyushu in japans far southwest more than 100000 people were in temporary shelters the authorities said
mr uchida has been sleeping in his small hatchback together with his wife and an ailing 82 year old neighbor the car sat on sunday alongside about 20 others in a local park where the ground was split by a long gash several feet wide and several deep
at a cluster of picnic tables at one end of the park several women in their 70s and 80s cooked rice on camp stoves laughing to buoy their spirits they were interrupted by a dark robed priest from a nearby buddhist temple who had stopped by to deliver water and news about the conditions in shelters the women and mr uchida said they preferred to stay in the park because it was more private and closer to their homes
one of the women taeko uchiyama 80 said evacuating her home had reminded her of fleeing american bombing raids on the nearby city of kumamoto toward the end of world war ii
i was 9 years old then and now im having another experience at 80 she said
before the quake mashiki had escaped the worst of the demographic and economic decline that grips much of rural japan the towns population of 33000 was even growing residents said after the quakes that they expected mashiki to recover but worried that could take years
yoshitaka ozeki 35 who works in road construction said he had moved from kumamoto with his wife kiyomi 31 to raise a family they have seven children   already unusual in a country with a low birthrate   and kiyomi is eight months pregnant their two story apartment building was damaged but remained standing and they too have been sleeping in two family cars
mr ozeki said he made quick runs into the apartment between aftershocks   there have been more than 400 many strong enough to cause new damage   to find warm clothes and blankets
i tell the kids its ok but then it shakes again and they start crying again he said
he added that he expected there would be plenty of work on the way for him repairing cracked roads but expressed worry that he would not be able to find another place to live
a 10 minute walk away more than 1000 people young and old were crammed into a sports complex that had been turned into an evacuation center the survivors rested on blankets and pieces of cardboard filling every room and hallway many had brought their dogs
generator trucks made the gym complex one of few places in mashiki with electricity the most coveted spots were in a large room covered in soft mats normally used for judo
for the first two or three days were just focused on how to get them inside and feed them said kazuki yamane a director of the ymca which manages the facility who had come from tokyo to help organize the effort
he said that many evacuees were likely to return home once the aftershocks subsided and water and power were restored but that some would probably need shelter for weeks or months
in one small but intensively damaged neighborhood imayoshi virtually all of the 20 or 30 wooden homes were destroyed   cracked and leaning over at contorted angles caved in at the centers or knocked over almost intact like dominoes
the area was deserted except for hideaki and tetsuko yoshino both 73 who said their home had survived because it was relatively new they had it rebuilt to stronger standards 15 years ago after a typhoon damaged it
the first quake shifted the piano by a meter or so mrs yoshino said the second one flipped it right over
the yoshinos said they farmed rice and melons   the latter a mashiki specialty   and were trying to salvage a few bright yellow melons from their crop to distribute in town mr yoshino said their neighbors were attached to the land and would probably want to rebuild but many are in their 70s and 80s and few if any had earthquake insurance which is costly and covers only a small portion of losses in any case
realistically i dont know what theyre going to do mr yoshino said


monroeville ala   the play unfolded here friday at the old monroe county courthouse pretty much as it has for the past 27 years atticus finch defended tom robinson the gospel choir sang scout used a slingshot to keep the boys in line and her curiosity to pose tough questions
but much about this stage production of to kill a mockingbird and life in this small town where it has long been an economic and civic anchor is a bit different this year
harper lee the author who first gave life to the story and became this towns most famous resident died in february the play which is an adaptation of her novel is being produced this spring for the first time by a nonprofit she created not the local museum that had relied on it for revenue
a few actors from the all volunteer cast have quit in part they say because the monroe county heritage museum is no longer the chief beneficiary of the production
i dont have drama in my personal life said one actor alan smith who took part in the production for three years and i dont want it in my relationship with the community
ms lee never attended the play and her decision to take back control of the production is viewed by many here as residue from a trademark fight she had with the museum several years ago she sued the museum in 2013 because among other things she thought some items it sold such as mockingbird mugs traded on the reputation of her novel the museum fought back but in a settlement agreed to pay royalties and to regular audits of its gift shop it later sent a letter of apology
ms lees lawyer tonja carter has denied that the author had any role in stripping the museum of the play in an email last year to the museums board president she said that decision had rested with the company that licenses the stage adaptation   and she did not think she could stop it
but christopher sergel iii the president of that company dramatic publishing said in an interview last week that he only pulled the license as a courtesy to ms lee he said one of ms lees representatives had called him a few years back and told him she did not like the museums production
i was told harper lee was involved in forming a nonprofit in town to handle the play using the same actors as before he said absent the desire from the harper lee camp i would not have terminated the contract if harper lee wanted to produce this herself in her hometown how could i have argued with that
none of the twists and turns in the back story of the play hurt its reception friday where the sold out crowd stood and applauded at its conclusion when atticus shares a final reflection with his daughter scout
its business as usual for the play said george landegger an industrialist and philanthropist who has been active in monroevilles affairs nothing has changed it is essentially the same cast and of course the public remains excited about it
the play has already sold out 8 of its 12 performances though jane busby the director said the pace of sales over the past six weeks has been slower than in recent memory perhaps because of the new method of selling online last year the performances sold out in five days owing in part to the excitement over publication of ms lees second book go set a watchman
the play has long been an economic boon to this town of about 6300 drawing thousands of visitors during the five weeks each spring that it is performed as the producer each year the museum took in as much as 200000 in revenues from ticket sales nearly half of its former annual budget
this year the museum will receive just the rent for the continued use of its headquarters the old courthouse to stage the play ms lees nonprofit mockingbird company is paying 48000 in rent down from the 63000 that the museum said it needed to cover expenses without the full proceeds from the ticket sales and a drop in money from the county the museum had to cut two positions and increasingly relies on volunteers to assist in the gift shop and to lead tours
ms carter who runs the nonprofit said friday that the plan is to donate proceeds from the play to local charities including the monroe county public library which she said needed an infusion of funds
ms carter remains something of a polarizing figure in this town where many respect the dutiful care she provided for the author and others complain that she is spiteful and has used her power as ms lees representative to settle scores
stephanie rogers who was the executive director of the museum said she believes her firing last summer by the monroe county commission the local government panel was influenced by ms carter ms rogers also thinks ms carter resented that the museum had fought the trademark suit
ms carter has denied any role in the firing the commissions chairman greg norris and tom lomenick the museums board president at the time have said she played no role
but in emails to mr norris last year obtained through a public record request mr lomenick cited several reasons he thought ms rogers should be fired she was among other things he wrote going out of her way to antagonize the new nonprofit producers of the play by he said doing things like hiding props you and the commissioners have got to step up for the good of the county and city mr lomenick told mr norris we could lose the play all together if tonja gets mad enough
ms rogers in an interview denied hiding the props
earlier this year scott rudin the producer announced that he is bringing a second stage adaptation of the play written by aaron sorkin to broadway next year mr sergel said dramatics mockingbird adaptation which his grandfather wrote and which has been performed all over the world will continue to be widely produced in amateur and regional theaters
ms carter said friday that she hopes to take the sergel adaptation on the road to england next year but wherever it travels she said she envisions it at the museum as well
it will always be here as far as i can see she said
that was good news to cast members some of whom had said they feared the nonprofit might ultimately decide that the play should take up residence in say montgomery at the alabama shakespeare festival there ms carter said it would be wonderful if the play eventually was performed there too
residents said the play retains a special authenticity when it is performed in the old courthouse   the sense that the audience is breathing the very same air as atticus and scout as they confronted the racism of alabama in the 1930s
ive seen productions in hong kong and pell city ala said tim mckenzie the new president of the museum who has acted in the play for eight years nothing is like it is here


when joyce a rivera decided in 1990 to confront the aids epidemic that had claimed her brothers life she teamed up with unlikely allies two drug dealers in the south bronx first she educated them on how dirty needles and unprotected sex spread hiv which causes aids then she wound up distributing clean syringes to their customers in mott haven
i put my time and effort into seeing the drug dealers as real persons who had access to so many users that i could make a dent in the epidemic if i won them over she said i never said they were nice guys but they were educable
back then her needle exchange program   st anns corner of harm reduction   operated on the fringes of an impoverished minority community the public saw her efforts as enabling drug users who would be better off behind bars today her methods are viewed as part of an effective public health strategy that prevents the spread of disease and offers addicts help
she suspects that her once unorthodox approach has gained acceptance now that opioid and heroin addiction has exploded in white suburban communities almost 90 percent of new users are white according to one national study compassion rather than criminalization is the keyword with some police departments and politicians reassessing strategies developed during the war on drugs which one former aide to president richard m nixon was reported to have said had been mounted in part to target african americans
it had been a really big problem for years but nobody cared because people had a very specific idea of what a drug user looked like said dr chinazo o cunningham a professor at the albert einstein college of medicine in the bronx who has worked extensively on harm reduction its about time to see the shift from incarceration to treatment but its bittersweet because its clear the reason its happening now is that its affecting communities that are white and affluent
the number of hiv infections and aids deaths was already staggering by the time ms rivera started her needle exchange it had been enough to divert her from pursuing a doctorate in political science and devote herself to public health at the grass roots level her decision was reinforced by more family tragedies when she lost two more close relatives to aids
still she hit resistance politicians were wary of her work as were the police who were racking up arrests of low level dealers and users while residents whose neighborhoods were plagued by drugs saw her as enabling criminals
when my brother died the policies against drug users were shocking ms rivera said the opposition to giving out syringes was such that they preferred to see drug users die when you challenge the status quo with a more humane way of dealing with the problem there are many constituencies invested in preventing change it was about scapegoating the traditional bad guys
she stuck with her approach helped by new york state health officials and other allies who saw needle sharing as a public health emergency
she said she welcomed the changing attitudes among white suburbanites and looked forward to the special session of the united nations general assembly this week on the global drug problem where advocates for harm reduction hope their experiences will influence policy makers from around the world
change has to include coalitions among many people and many groups ms rivera said without that majority youre only going to be making change at the margins
not that her work is marginal at its regular sidewalk locations her group distributes clean syringes paraphernalia condoms and naloxone a drug that counters the effects of an opioid overdose inside its offices on westchester avenue st anns corner offers social and medical services and clients come in for not only meals and showers but also acupuncture and a quiet space to mediate the organizations goal she said is to let people get help get stable and sort out their challenges
camille lipscomb was still using heroin when she arrived at st anns corner almost two years ago a decades long addict she had lost her freedom after several arrests it had even cost her her home landing her in a shelter but the hardest part for ms lipscomb who was raised by parents who were professionals was losing her grandsons respect
he said his grandma was thugged out and bugged out she recalled to hear him say that i knew i had to do something
she stopped using heroin seven months ago she has received a housing voucher and looks forward to having her own apartment once again she still goes to st anns corner eager to help others as she was rather than judged
this was a place for me to be still and gather my thoughts ms lipscomb said what i really liked here was the camaraderie people dont look down at you here


earthquakes of magnitudes exceeding 70 struck japan and ecuador just hours apart on saturday are the two somehow related
no the two quakes occurred about 9000 miles apart thats far too distant for there to be any connection between them
large earthquakes can and usually do lead to more quakes   but only in the same region along or near the same fault these are called aftershocks sometimes a large quake can be linked to a smaller quake that occurred earlier called a foreshock in the case of the japanese quake seismologists believe that several magnitude 6 quakes in the same region on the previous day were foreshocks to the saturday event
but the two earthquakes are similar in some ways arent they
not really the magnitude 78 quake in ecuador was what would be considered a classic megathrust event a type that was first identified through the work of george plafker a united states geological survey geologist on the great alaskan earthquake of 1964 a megathrust quake occurs in the boundary zone where one of the planets tectonic plates is sliding under another a process called subduction
in the case of the ecuadorean quake the nazca a heavy oceanic plate is sliding under the south american a lighter continental plate at a rate of about two inches a year strain builds up at the boundary which is then released suddenly in the form of an earthquake because the boundary area is usually large megathrust quakes are the most powerful and include the two strongest quakes ever measured by instruments the magnitude 92 1964 alaskan quake and one in coastal chile in 1960 of magnitude 95
although there have been plenty of megathrust earthquakes in japan   including the 2011 tohoku quake which led to the fukushima nuclear disaster   the earthquake on saturday on the island of kyushu in southwest japan was not the megathrust type rather according to the geological survey the earthquake occurred at shallow depth along a different kind of fault   called a strike slip   in the top of the eurasia plate above any subduction zone
ok but two 70 plus quakes in the same day   does that mean earthquake activity is increasing
no the geological survey which monitors earthquakes around the world says the average number of quakes per year is remarkably consistent for earthquakes between magnitude 70 and 79 there have been some years with more than 20 and others with fewer than 10 but the average according to the survey is about 15 that means that there is more than one per month on average and by chance sometimes two quakes occur on the same day also by chance the world sometimes goes a month or longer without a 70 plus quake as it did between july 27 and sept 16 last year
sometimes it seems that earthquakes are increasing in frequency because as instrumentation improves and more people occupy more parts of the world more quakes make the news the two earthquakes on saturday both occurred in heavily populated areas with media and communication networks so word got out quickly and easily if one had occurred in the middle of the ocean few people would have noticed


mowgli lit a box office wildfire over the weekend
the jungle book directed by jon favreau and costing a hefty 175 million to make took in about 1036 million at north american multiplexes or roughly 40 percent more than analysts had predicted before release it was one of the largest openings on record for a pg rated film according to the database box office mojo
about 42 percent of ticket sales came from 3 d and other premium showings which cost an extra 3 to 5 per ticket disney said on sunday that surveys showed that crowds were almost evenly split between male and female attendees about 70 percent of the initial audience was 17 or older
the jungle book took in an additional 1874 million overseas
the turnout powered by widespread critical applause adds to a hot streak for disney   zootopia has now taken in nearly 900 million worldwide   and validates the studios decision to focus its signature label on remakes of animated classics audience support for the jungle book bodes well in other words for bill condons upcoming take on beauty and the beast and tim burtons planned dumbo
the strength of this jungle book meanwhile will likely make life more difficult for a competing project warner bros has been working on its own expensive version of the rudyard kipling story earlier this month warner pushed the release of its jungle book back by a year to october 2018
for the weekend the warner distributed barbershop the next cut was a soft second taking in about 202 million according to comscore this comedy sequel from metro goldwyn mayer and warners new line only cost 20 million to make but expectations were higher barbershop 2 back in business took in 305 million in its opening weekend in 2004 after accounting for inflation
the melissa mccarthy vehicle the boss universal fell 57 percent in its second weekend   by far the biggest post opening drop of her career   to place third with about 102 million in ticket sales and a new total of 404 million
also of note lionsgates dismal box office run continued with criminal which cost a reported 30 million to make and collected just 59 million fortunately for lionsgates production team this letdown was mostly the handiwork of a partner millennium films


jerusalem   prime minister benjamin netanyahu of israel led a cabinet meeting in the israeli controlled portion of the golan heights on sunday calling on the world to recognize israeli sovereignty over the conquered territory and vowing that israel would never give it back to syria
mr netanyahu made his remarks at what his office described as a festive meeting of the cabinet in one of the jewish settlements on the strategic plateau that israel captured in the 1967 middle east war israel later effectively annexed the golan heights in a move that was never internationally recognized
officially the occasion for holding the first formal cabinet meeting in the territory was to mark a year since the formation of mr netanyahus current right leaning government yet the timing according to experts was more likely dictated by israeli concerns arising from the recently resumed talks in geneva over syrias future   or hopes that the talks might present an opportunity for israel
the golan heights have been an integral part of the land of israel since ancient times the dozens of ancient synagogues in the area around us attest to that mr netanyahu said at the start of the meeting and the golan is an integral part of the state of israel in the new era
mr netanyahu said he had spoken with secretary of state john kerry on saturday night and told him that israel would not oppose a diplomatic settlement in syria on the condition that it not come at the expense of his countrys security
i told him that i doubt that syria will ever return to what it was mr netanyahu said referring to the five year civil war there he added that any settlement should involve the removal of the forces of iran the lebanese hezbollah organization and the islamic state from syrian soil
mr netanyahu referred to the years between 1948 and 1967 when syria held the territory and when much of northern israel was subjected to sporadic shelling as a syrian occupation
the time has come for the international community to recognize reality especially two basic facts he added one whatever is beyond the border the boundary itself will not change two after 50 years the time has come for the international community to finally recognize that the golan heights will remain under israels sovereignty permanently
the golan heights became part of syria when the french mandate in the region ended in the 1940s and the israeli held portion is viewed internationally as occupied syrian territory about 22000 syrian druse residents live in the portion controlled by israel they have been offered israeli citizenship but most have not applied for it more than 20000 jewish residents now live in about 30 settlements
although israeli leaders including mr netanyahu have in the past held direct or indirect negotiations with syria over a peace deal involving a withdrawal from the golan heights the civil war in syria and the presence of jihadist forces along the frontier have given many israelis pause and given mr netanyahu arguments to justify holding the territory some politicians have been promoting new development plans there
there is a feeling that things are coming to a close one way or another regarding syria said prof eyal zisser of tel aviv university netanyahu wants to use the moment to have israels interests taken into account including recognition of the israeli presence in the golan heights
professor zisser added that while there was little chance that the world powers would recognize israeli sovereignty in the area mr netanyahu might also be raising the issue out of domestic considerations
israels channel 10 tv station reported last week that mr netanyahu was concerned about indications that plans for a negotiated arrangement in syria with backing from the united states russia and other world powers might include language specifying that the entire area of the golan heights was syrian
mr netanyahu raised the question of american recognition of israeli sovereignty with president obama in washington in november but the administration said that the united states position remained unchanged the haaretz newspaper reported
a spokesman for mr netanyahu had no comment on those reports
zvi hauser mr netanyahus former cabinet secretary called last year for an american pledge to ensure israeli rule in the golan heights as partial compensation for the international nuclear agreement with iran which israel rejected
itamar rabinovich a former israeli ambassador to washington and former chief negotiator with syria in the 1990s said he thought mr netanyahu was making a mistake by holding a high profile cabinet meeting in the golan heights and by raising the issue of israeli sovereignty
in recent years israel has gained a great diplomatic advantage in that the claim that the source of all troubles in the middle east is the israeli arab conflict has been disproved by developments such as the developments in syria iraq and libya that have no connection to israel mr rabinovich told israel radio adding im not necessarily coming out against the stand but against this demonstrative act that returns us to the heart of the argument
the cabinet meeting came a week after mr netanyahu made another unusual declaration acknowledging that israel had carried out dozens of strikes across the syrian frontier in recent years to prevent hezbollah from obtaining advanced weapons while israel has generally hewed to a policy of nonintervention in the internal fighting in syria it has acted to prevent weapons shipments from syria to lebanon but has rarely admitted responsibility for the strikes in part to avoid pushing the other side to retaliate


a college student who came to the united states as an iraqi refugee was removed from a southwest airlines flight in california earlier this month after another passenger became alarmed when she heard him speaking arabic
the student khairuldeen makhzoomi a senior at the university of california berkeley was taken off a flight from los angeles international airport to oakland on april 6 after he called an uncle in baghdad to tell him about an event he attended that included a speech by united nations secretary general ban ki moon
i was very excited about the event so i called my uncle to tell him about it he said
he told his uncle about the chicken dinner they were served and the moment when he got to stand up and ask the secretary general a question about the islamic state he said but the conversation seemed troubling to a nearby passenger who told the crew she overheard him making potentially threatening comments the airline said in a statement
mr makhzoomi 26 knew something was wrong as soon as he finished his phone call and saw that a woman sitting in front of him had turned around in her seat to stare at him he said she headed for the airplane door soon after he told his uncle that he would call again when he landed and qualified it with a common phrase in arabic inshallah meaning god willing
that is when i thought oh i hope she is not reporting me because it was so weird mr makhzoomi said
that is exactly what happened an arabic speaking southwest airlines employee of middle eastern or south asian descent came to his seat and escorted him off the plane a few minutes after his call ended he said the man introduced himself in arabic and then switched to english to ask why were you speaking arabic in the plane
mr makhzoomi said he was afraid and that the employee spoke to him like i was an animal
i said to him this is what islamophobia got this country into and that made him so angry that is when he told me i could not go back on the plane
zahra billoo the executive director of the san francisco bay area office of the council on american islamic relations said there had been at least six cases of muslims being pulled off flights so far this year the conduct of southwest airlines was of particular concern she said after another muslim passenger was removed from a flight in chicago last week
we are concerned that muslims are facing more and more scrutiny and baseless harassment when they are attempting to travel ms billoo said
brandy king a spokeswoman for southwest airlines said the company was unable to comment on the conduct of individual employees efforts on saturday to contact the employee in los angeles whose name was provided by mr makhzoomi were unsuccessful
we regret any less than positive experience a customer has onboard our aircraft the company said in a statement southwest neither condones nor tolerates discrimination of any kind
law enforcement officials arrived shortly after mr makhzoomi accused the airline employee of anti muslim bias he said he was brought into the terminal and searched in front of a crowd of onlookers while half a dozen police officers including one with a dog stood watch
three agents from the federal bureau of investigation arrived and brought him into a private room where they questioned him he said they asked about his mother who lives with him and his younger brother in oakland they also asked about his father khalid makhzoomi a former iraqi diplomat who was jailed in abu ghraib prison by saddam hussein and later killed by the dictators regime according to mr makhzoomi his family came to the united states in 2010
mr makhzoomi said an fbi agent told him the southwest airlines employee who was upset by the allegation of anti muslim bias said a passenger reported hearing him talk about martyrdom in arabic using a phrase often associated with jihadists he denied the charge and was allowed to return to the terminal he said where the same arabic speaking employee refunded his ticket
a spokeswoman for the fbi in los angeles ari dekofsky confirmed that agents responded to the airport that day but had found there to be no threat we determined that no further action was necessary she said on saturday
mr makhzoomi was able to book a new flight on delta air lines and arrived in oakland eight hours after he originally planned he said he has no plans to pursue legal action against southwest airlines but he does want the company to apologize for the way its employees treated him
my family and i have been through a lot and this is just another one of the experiences i have had he said human dignity is the most valuable thing in the world not money if they apologized maybe it would teach them to treat people equally


all of this honestly is one big magic trick
those words spoken by the director jon favreau were meant to sum up the technological wizardry on display in his hyperrealistic remake of the jungle book which was largely created with computers but mr favreau could also have been describing the way walt disney studios used marketing sleight of hand to fill seats on opening weekend the jungle book took in an astounding 1036 million in north america according to disney
studios hate to discuss their marketing for fear of coming across as corporate versions of kaa the slippery jungle book python who hypnotizes prey trusssst in me but movies   especially ones as tricky as the jungle book a stylized film based on a cartoon musical based on a classic book   do not sell themselves here are some of the tricks that disney which declined to comment used to move the masses
in august mr favreau bounded onto a 7800 seat arena at a disney fan convention in anaheim calif and showed sneak peek footage from his film he hobnobbed with three jungle book stars on stage including neel sethi who plays the man cub mowgli thousands of movie posters were handed out
this was the first marketing stunt for the jungle book which cost roughly 175 million to make by going to happy peppy disneyphiles first disney ensured that the movies initial blast on social media would be a positive one
when animals talk in a movie unless its a comedy older moviegoers tend to skip it most of mr favreaus animals are not cartoonish and cuddly not by a long shot but disney could not rely on trailers and tv spots to convey that message
so disney used bloggers and entertainment news sites to hammer home a point mr favreau used sophisticated filmmaking techniques to create the animal characters
in part to make the jungle book appeal to a finicky high school crowd   older siblings tend to influence younger brothers and sisters   disney packed the first trailer with scary moments pouncing panther snarling tiger stampeding buffalo while hiding the musical numbers and keeping baloos goofier moments to a minimum
stars are another way to make adults pay attention to elevate the jungle book in the minds of grown ups disney in march circulated dramatic photographs that paired voice actors with their onscreen characters   idris elba with the tiger shere khan ben kingsley with the panther bagheera lupita nyongo with the wolf raksha
generally speaking women and girls see disneys magic castle logo on a trailer and are pulled closer the opposite can be true with guys so disney aggressively and repeatedly pitched the jungle book to male audiences
commercials on espn portrayed the movie as coming not from the studio that made cinderella but from the studio that brought you pirates of the caribbean an extended 3 d trailer for the jungle book was attached to star wars the force awakens which had an audience that was 58 percent male
and disney rolled out an action oriented trailer during the super bowl
studio marketers have learned that hispanic moviegoers tend to buy tickets in particularly large groups if you hook one family member you can get an exponential result to achieve that goal disney teamed with univision for a five week stunt that brought jungle book characters and clips to telenovelas talk shows and sports coverage disney even built a tool to allow univision personalities to appear in scenes
if moviegoers believe that they are more likely to spend 3 to 5 more a ticket to see the jungle book in 3 d which can lift opening weekend sales considerably to emphasize the scope and scale of this movie disney introduced a mazelike law of the jungle website in partnership with the female leaning tumblr ran special promos at imax theaters focusing on the snake kaa and created a touring virtual reality experience and 360 degree facebook video emphasizing the avatar like world of its jungle
various corners of the disney empire pitched in to promote the jungle book a new years day stunt on the disney channel for instance was used to portray the film as one of the years first blockbuster offerings for families and children
but the synergistic heavy lifting was done by disney theme parks during the jam packed spring break weeks park theaters in florida and california offered sneak peek footage of the movie with mr favreau providing introductions
the many many theme park stores that sell disney merchandise had jungle book sections and disney built photogenic jungle book sand sculptures at its animal kingdom and epcot parks in florida


on saturday night guns n roses brought out the acdc guitarist angus young at coachella soon the exchange will be reversed axl rose the guns n roses lead singer will take up frontman duties for acdc on its world tour next month
he will take the place of brian johnson who stopped touring after being advised by doctors that he could lose his hearing completely if he continued as much as we want this tour to end as it started we understand respect and support brians decision to stop touring and save his hearing the band wrote in a statement on saturday the tour will begin on may 7 in lisbon and end in june in denmark ten acdc shows that were postponed in the united states are also slated to be rescheduled with mr rose singing lead
mr rose will return for a three month reunion tour with guns n roses in a lineup that features two of the groups other founding members slash and duff mckagan there is more self preservation in his performance he allows himself some clear voiced high crooning and saves his most throat tearing howls for peak moments jon pareles wrote about mr rose in his recent review in the new york times


quito ecuador   the strongest earthquake to strike ecuador in decades left the andean nation traumatized on sunday with collapsed buildings in a swath of destruction stretching hundreds of miles
at least 272 people were killed and 2527 injured mostly in the northwestern coastal area of manabi the government said
president rafael correa cut short a visit to europe and declared a national emergency after the 78 magnitude earthquake struck on saturday night shaking the central coast the effects could be felt in the capital quito and into parts of peru and colombia
portoviejo the provincial capital of manabi and pedernales a resort town appeared to have sustained the most damage with about 370 buildings destroyed
viviana baquezea 34 a florist was driving back to her home in portoviejo accompanied by her parents and an employee when the earthquake struck they were met by a scene of destruction
it looks like a war zone ms baquezea said by telephone from portoviejo its incredible what was happened to us   that our city is destroyed and were experiencing such anguish and pain
we dont have food or water there are no supermarkets and were surviving with what we had in our homes she added
jose vaca a television producer for oromartv said the seconds in which the earth refused to stay still seemed to last forever
we were preparing to transmit a local football game when everything started to shake and the people fled in panic he said of a game in portoviejo i had to to avoid being crushed by the people i have some scrapes but what i see around me is really terrible startling and very sad
ecuador has a history of destructive earthquakes but the one on saturday which by some accounts lasted more than a minute is believed to have been one of the most powerful since the 1970s some geologists said its force was 20 times greater than the deadly earthquake that struck southern japan early saturday
the quake had a depth of nearly 12 miles several aftershocks some as strong as magnitude 56 followed the earthquakes center was 16 miles southeast of muisne ecuador the united states geological survey said
about 4600 members of the national police and 10400 members of the armed forces were mobilized as part of the emergency response hundreds of doctors health professionals and rescue workers were heading toward the hardest hit areas
the presidents emergency decree gives the government expanded authority and a state of emergency in six of the countrys 24 provinces deaths were reported in the northern provinces of esmeraldas manabi and guayas
among the dead were a youngster who fell down the stairs in a mall in the southern port city of guayaquil and another who died after the collapse of a bridge in the city according to reports from the television station teleamazonas
adriana villacis 40 a nurse said she was with her husband and her 4 year old son at a supermarket about 30 minutes from quito when groceries began to fall to the floor
the first thing i did was protect my son and look for the exit but a part of the roof fell and i was frozen she said thank god we werent physically harmed but the shock caused my child to vomit
in the pedernales district near the epicenter a number of homes fell damaging parked cars
on avenue mariscal sucre in northern quito signposts fell causing panic among drivers jorge espinel said he had parked his car to avoid an accident
it was terrible such a shock he said i dont have words for what i felt
in quito where the shaking was felt for about 40 seconds and residents took to the streets in fear the quake appeared to have knocked out electricity and cellphone coverage in several neighborhoods
the mayor of quito mauricio rodas said there had been rockslides on roads leading to the capital and reports that the walls of houses had fallen but he said that no fatalities or injuries had been reported in the city
christian rivera a municipal official in quito said a group of 40 children with disabilities from the capital who had been on an outing were found near pedernales and were rescued
in guayaquil an overpass collapsed on a car and the roof of a shopping center buckled in manta the airport was closed after the control tower was severely damaged fundacion esperanza canina an organization in manta that cares for stray animals said on facebook that its shelter had been destroyed and that several dogs had been crushed by the debris
president correa urged people to show strength while he and the authorities monitored events
carlos hernandez a representative of save the children international in quito said his organization was sending a team of disaster response specialists from panama to manabi and putting together supply kits to distribute there
his organization and other civil society groups met with government officials to plan their response on sunday were trying to see what they need most and where he said


new york city officers shot and killed a 32 year old man in queens in the early hours of sunday after the police said he reached for a gun in his waistband during a chase
two plainclothes officers approached the man george tillman around 130 am as he stood beside his double parked sport utility vehicle after a family party in the south ozone park neighborhood the police and witnesses said his wife and a friend were inside the car they were making plans to go out
the police said mr tillman was holding an open bottle of alcohol and as the officers moved closer they saw a firearm in his waistband
mr tillman ran and the officers briefly pursued him on foot as they gave him verbal commands the police said not far away near the corner of 135th street and 116th avenue three more officers in an unmarked car came upon him
mr tillman reached for his gun the police said and four officers fired he was hit several times in his torso the authorities said
the police said they could not yet answer questions about what exactly the officers told mr tillman who was visiting from maryland or the precise number of times he was shot
the friend of mr tillman who was in the suv disputed the police account saying mr tillman had not been holding an open bottle of alcohol the friend declined to give his name because he was dealing with an unrelated police matter
i saw him run the friend said did he try to pull the weapon out no he didnt attempt to grab his weapon
the friend said that about 30 seconds passed between the polices approaching mr tillman and the shooting he said he did not hear officers give mr tillman any warnings before they fired at him from about 10 feet away the friend had ducked behind a car door
i felt like i was in a movie he said it was unreal and it happened so fast
then he heard a gut wrenching yell from mr tillmans wife he said she ran toward her husband who was lying in the street officers held her back
she was screaming oh no please please god no the friend said
mr tillman was pronounced dead at jamaica hospital medical center the officers were not hurt but they were taken to long island jewish medical center for evaluation the police did not release their names they were all assigned to the 106th precinct
officers recovered a hi point 40 caliber firearm at the scene the police said
neighbors poured out of their homes many of them puzzled by the chaos in what they described as a typically quiet neighborhood one woman screamed about having video cameras that captured the shooting said a neighbor eric machicote
evidence markers dotted the pavement on 135th street just behind mr tillmans suv a gray ford sedan appeared to have stopped mid drive
anthony seegobin 26 who lives near 135th street and 116th avenue said he initially thought the gunshots had come from an action movie he was watching and then possibly from cars backfiring outside only when ambulances arrived and he saw shell casings was he sure that someone had been shot   a sign he said of how safe people feel in the area
mr seegobins sister and her husband who were in the basement told him they heard an officer yell get down and then after a couple of seconds three or four gunshots
mr tillman had recently married and was helping raise five children   three of his own and two of his wifes said another friend who identified himself as j washington he said mr tillman was a licensed electrician
life was just starting to go good for him mr washington said
mr washington said he was coming back from the corner store when he heard gunshots
he was trying to run through the block mr washington said i hear boom boom im thinking whos shooting i just hear the echoes shucka shucka shucka shucka
around 1045 am a woman who identified herself as mr tillmans aunt was stopped by the police as she tried to cross the crime scene tape she and another woman said they were trying to get to a house down the block to visit with relatives including mr tillmans wife
we just want answers the aunt said
the women eventually made a call and then drove off
they wont let us through the aunt said shaking her head unbelievable


there is a second critical contest in americas 2016 elections the battle for control of the senate
republicans pessimistic about their presidential prospects feel an urgency to hold on to the senate where they now effectively have a 54 to 46 advantage democrats would have to score a net gain of 30 seats to win a majority in the house a highly unlikely prospect both parties acknowledge that the senate is a tossup that will be affected by the presidential election but there are two other perhaps more important factors the outcome of a number of remaining primaries and the question of whether congressional republicans especially the speaker of the house paul d ryan can fashion an agenda that if necessary creates a distance from the debates of the presidential race
strategists on both sides suggest that there are two republican held seats that lean democratic along with several tossups there is only one democratic held seat that of the partys senate leader harry reid of nevada who is retiring that seems competitive but there are three or four other republican held seats that may be vulnerable if the presidential race proves a landslide for the democrats
democrats however say that a couple of primaries will be critical in pennsylvania party leaders believe that if katie mcginty an environmentalist can emerge the winner in her close contest next week she has a chance to unseat senator patrick j toomey the incumbent republican in november later if representative patrick murphy a florida democrat is able to defeat a challenger from the left who faces ethics charges he will be the favorite to take the seat vacated by senator marco rubio a republican
on the republican side the issue is the extent of the damage that a few challengers from the right will be able to inflict on more mainstream candidates an example the party has felt confident about nevada since it settled on joe heck a popular house member as its candidate this month however sharron angle a prominent tea party activist jumped into the race ms angle won a multicandidate primary in 2010 but lost to mr reid after asserting that shariah was spreading as well as making other claims that voters appeared to find dubious she is not likely to win this time but could damage mr heck
democrats believe that the refusal of the senate majority leader mitch mcconnell to allow a hearing on president obamas supreme court nominee judge merrick b garland will hurt republican incumbents in states such as new hampshire pennsylvania and ohio they try to stress their independence notes j b poersch a top democratic political strategist but theyre carrying mcconnells baggage republicans counter that these races are local contests and that their stronger incumbents will prevail in ohio and elsewhere ironically one of the republicans models is a democrat heidi heitkamp of north dakota who was elected to the senate in 2012 despite mr obamas losing her state by almost 20 points
mr ryan who again took himself out of consideration for a presidential run last week has a different take however he thinks that it is important for congressional republicans to frame a message   and policy prescriptions   that could separate them from an unpopular presidential candidate
that approach has appeal but it has problems too for one the speaker a jack kemp protege is out of sync with the angry republican rank and file this year on issues like immigration and trade
also separation is not easy former representative tom davis of virginia a leading republican strategist who used to oversee the house campaign committee knows what it is like to be saddled with a liability in 1994 he won election to a suburban washington district while oliver north a right leaning former marine who had been embroiled in the iran contra scandal was blowing a race for the senate
but mr davis worries that republican candidates will find it tougher to overcome such liabilities this time particularly if donald j trump leads the ticket he just has offended too many people not to affect other races


on april 1 police officers from the 108th precinct were called to an address in woodside queens by a man named august watkins he reported that his car had been stolen the timing of his call would become an issue in the days that followed
that precinct was one of five in queens and another in brooklyn that were in the midst of a wave of commercial robberies the crimes had begun six days earlier on march 26 when someone robbed the nk smart mart on northern boulevard in jackson heights queens at 640 am the police said
the man who robbed the store said he had a gun under his jacket give me money he demanded leaving with 800 the police said
similar scenes played out in gas stations bodegas dollar stores subway restaurants a dunkin donuts and a smoke shop sometimes as often as three times a day
one day two robberies several blocks apart took place in a span of seven minutes in sunnyside queens another day a robber struck the same bp gas station twice the police said
he came in and came around an employee who gave only his first name onur said recalling the robbery and pointing to the register it was 158 am on march 28 the robber walked out with 200 onur said
almost 12 hours later at 125 pm after a shift change the robber returned its the same story onur said same guy he did better the second time around stealing 400 onur said
the number of robberies rose to 16 over 10 days then on april 7 the police announced that the crimes were linked they had all been committed by the same man the police said identifying mr watkins who had reported his car stolen six days earlier as the robber
last week a woman who identified herself as mr watkinss former fiancee answered the door at her apartment in woodside his last known address and where he had reported his car stolen speaking through tears and on the condition that her name not be used she said he had fallen on hard times some of which he had brought on himself
they had met at a bar in astoria queens the woman said when the friends she was with left to use the bathroom mr watkins 42 approached and the two hit it off he was a truck driver who worked for companies that held big events transporting supplies she said he played handball with friends and took her to movies and dinners in manhattan and to the queens waterfront he had spent time in prison for robbery and attempted robbery but she and her family were convinced that life was behind him and the couple were engaged to be married
then something changed
heroin the woman said he started using a year ago he told her a friend gave him some and he had gotten hooked
it hurts she said id see him in pain here hed say i need it
six months after he slipped into addiction she kicked him out it was like tough love she said he had to leave
mr watkins still came around from time to time to take a shower or to get a change of clothes he was living out of his car she said
that was the car he had reported stolen he sat on the front stoop of the building in woodside and answered the officers questions his former fiancee said it was around 1 pm she said explaining why that was important that very day the crime wave had hit two gas stations in queens one nearby at 605 am and the other miles away at 1235 pm the officers visit it is believed was meant to provide mr watkins with an alibi for at least the second crime on the day
mr watkins was arrested on april 8 in the williamsburg section of brooklyn his lawyer lowell j sidney said last week that his client had been charged in only one robbery at a subway shop on april 3 the police said their investigation was continuing
mr watkinss former fiancee also said she found it unlikely if not impossible that on april 2 the day after he reported his car stolen he had robbed two stores within seven minutes as the police stated but it was not impossible last week maintaining a brisk pace and jaywalking a reporter went from one location a dollar store to the other a liquor store in five minutes and 48 seconds
even mr watkinss supposed alibi has been cast in doubt a reporter asked the police about the stolen car and a spokesman for the department located the report the time it was taken was recorded as 6 pm not 1


khilad india   the cattle camp on a dusty back road lined with thorny babul trees that seem to thrive no matter how weak the rains is just about impossible to miss
on a recent day nearly 3000 impassive animals took shelter from the midday heat under makeshift tents they munched the 30 pounds or so of hacked up sugar cane and sorghum stalks they are allotted and lapped up all the water they wanted a precious gift in this drought stricken part of the country
after a third consecutive deficient monsoon season the government of the beed district has established as a temporary measure 264 of these camps   long a fixture of drought relief efforts in maharashtra state   after surveys predicted a shortage of fodder for the animals but the camps set up to handle thousands of cattle have run into an unanticipated problem the owners of the livestock who were supposed to drop them off have instead moved in   cooking utensils spare cots water drums and all
the hundreds of farmers packed into the camp do not always enjoy the same comforts as their cattle which are considered sacred in hinduism slaughtering cows is outlawed in most states and preserving them is considered essential to avoiding a large scale catastrophe
the farmers are forced to fend for themselves cooking their own meals and living in tents surrounded by mounds of fodder the ground nearby covered with fresh droppings nevertheless they swore they would not return home until the rains came whenever that might be
it gets very cold in the winters and in the mornings and evenings said bhimabai garje 65 who moved three months ago from her home in khilad its very hot during the day inside the tent mosquitoes bite us all night but we have no choice
the local authorities are aware of the squalid conditions but say there is not much they can do
it was not our expectation said naval kishore ram the senior administrator for the beed district we run the camp for the animals if you start providing food for the human beings the camp will take another form this will be a camp for human beings the basic objective will be disturbed
last year in beed 45 waterless days stretched out grimly in the middle of what was supposed to be its prime rainy season as drought was widespread in india in marathwada a region in central maharashtra state that includes beed and seven other districts rainfall was 40 percent below the norm
wells and hand pumps have run dry and rumors of mass migrations swirl politicians clash over how to address the crisis and experts worry that the emergency relief including the cattle camps and the tankers that deliver drinking water to villages will never stem its root causes
the crisis extends well beyond the beed district in nearby latur the government sent drinking water by train to meet a surging need last month thousands of farmers in nashik in maharashtra took to the streets to demand among other things compensation for lost crops and on wednesday the bombay high court banned indian premier league cricket matches in the parched state starting in may in the hope of conserving water
ajay dandekar a professor at shiv nadar university near new delhi who has studied the drought said the conditions in marathwada had resulted from dual calamities a chronically arid landscape ravaged further by rising temperatures and el nino as well as the diversion of water to western maharashtra where most of its industry and thirsty sugar cane crops lie
the situation is very grave   its hopeless he said of the arid countryside
ms garje felt the gravity of the situation last winter in khilad the cotton and sorghum monsoon crops had failed and the village well was nearly dry tankers brought drinking water but she worried about her three cattle three buffalo and an ox that the family had bought one by one beginning 25 years ago when crop yields were bountiful
i saw the cattle of other villages dying she said
so at one january dawn she and her husband set out for the cattle camp nearly two miles away walking across a bridge over a rocky ravine that was once a river past the sorghum and cotton fields that had yielded so little last year they foraged for wood to build their tents and took dried cow dung from the neighbors for their roofs
she now cooks vegetables over an open fire and returns home twice a month to check in on her son who looks over their fields but she does not contemplate going back for good
i love my cattle more than my children she said i want to stay with them the life of a farmer all depends on cattle
it is a sentiment echoed by many residents of the camp mostly men who have shifted with their animals and are visited occasionally by their small children and wives
babasaheb garje 30 also of khilad but no immediate relation to ms garje said that at the camp at least there was drinking water his wife comes in the morning helping him feed their cows and bringing food from home then leaves in the evening
after she goes i sit and think what will happen to the animals he said i think about the rainfall and whether it will come this year
not all cattle camps are bare bones a sprawling establishment in the beed district village of palwan supplies meals for the farmers staying there and is trying to address one symptom of their distress   their inability to pay for their childrens weddings the camp organizers are planning a joint marriage ceremony this month for 50 couples of drought affected farmers including 14 couples whose families stay in the camp
the program is being financed by the nongovernmental organization that runs the camp rajendra maske its secretary is also a member of the shiv sangram party which stood for state elections with prime minister narendra modis bharatiya janata party camp residents say the government has awarded the contracts for many of the camps to ngos run by political workers
in a starched cotton shirt and crisp trousers mr maske surveyed the camp with evident satisfaction he said he hoped the chief minister of maharashtra would come for the marriage ceremony and that at 30000 for the whole affair the ngo was sparing no expense
people have an emotional connection to the camp mr maske said
in february with some postmonsoon crops showing promise mr ram the beed administrative official recommended closing the camps for a month or two the government agreed but the outcry from farmers and politicians was swift and officials relented
sanjay malani the executive editor of a small daily newspaper in beed said that the government was caving to political pressure and that the camps were being used as vote banks for political parties
its a moneymaking and image making business mr malani said
the relative lavishness of the palwan camp is atypical however the khalid camp which is run by the ngo of vijay golhar a bharatiya janata party member and a former member of the district assembly appeared more austere
my father has always been working for the betterment and development of the farmers said his daughter ratnaprabha golhar she said that the ngo was providing for all the farmers needs and that any critique of the camp might have come from some opposition
but suresh wanve 34 who tends 20 cows and buffalo with his brother at the camp in khilad said he would prefer that farmers receive the money the government is spending on the animals fodder in cash so they could buy fodder themselves and stay in their homes
still he felt compelled to stay with the animals whom he likened to the goddess lakshmi or the hindu goddess of wealth he worries about thieves now that his wife stays alone with their children
we know all these things he said but we dont have any other options


the director jj abrams dropped a possible hint friday evening about the next star wars and who the protagonist reys parents might be   and who they werent
played by daisy ridley rey whose storyline formed the backbone of the force awakens is revealed to be strong with the force causing widespread speculation that luke skywalker whom she meets at the films end might be her father
asked by a tribeca audience member who reys parents were j j abrams responded reys parents are not in episode vii which could be interpreted to mean that luke skywalker is not reys father as many suspected
mr abramss response was part of a wide ranging conversation with chris rock but he revealed nothing else on friday night adding only it is something that rey thinks about too
mr abrams later backtracked somewhat to entertainment weekly saying what i meant was that she doesnt discover them in episode vii not that they may not already be in her world he said
a spokesman for disney which plans to release episode viii in 2017 had no comment
clarification april 16 2016
this article has been updated to reflect jj abramss later statement that reys parents may already be in her world


palos verdes estates calif   from high atop the oceanside cliffs the shimmering blue green water of lunada bay appears to be a surfers dream
but by the time surfers put on their wet suits some may be having second thoughts there are the taunts and the peltings of dirt and rocks they may face as they climb down the hill
and if they make it into the water they risk confrontation with a band of residents known widely as the bay boys who have long been accused of zealously   and sometimes violently   claiming the epic waves here as their exclusive territory
the last time i surfed out there these guys tried to really hurt me said chris taloa 42 who for years lived in nearby redondo beach a guy tried to ram a board into my ribs
but after intimidation that has kept outsiders like mr taloa away for generations a group of surfers is fighting to open up the beach to all comers a class action lawsuit filed last month by the coastal protection rangers and two surfers seeks to bar the bay boys from congregating at lunada bay   similar to the way injunctions have been used against members of criminal street gangs
the alleged members hail from one of the most exclusive communities in southern california many of them are middle aged some live in multimillion dollar homes so close to the coastline here that the morning fog rolling off the ocean leaves their lawns damp
still vic otten one of the lawyers for those bringing the lawsuit said the group represented a threat to the public only eight members have been named in the lawsuit so far but he said he expected to add dozens more
theyve taken a public asset the ocean and stolen it through violence and intimidation he said in california the ocean belongs to the public not to a bunch of trust fund babies
outside his auto shop where surfboards were leaning against the wall angelo ferrara who along with several of his family members was named in the lawsuit said that his family was not part of any gang and that the territorialism here was no worse than anywhere else
surfing is overcrowded mr ferrara 58 said you have beginners intermediate and advanced and they dont get along
frank ponce a palos verdes resident and surfer scoffed at the idea of an organized gang saying the problem was merely a couple bad apples and visitors who were not experienced enough to surf a wave as powerful as those at lunada bay
you get all these people from out of town who think theyre big wave surfers and then they cut people off mr ponce said of course theyre going to get yelled at   theyre endangering lives
surfing localism with a hierarchy in the water based on skill and seniority is hardly exclusive to this beach it can be found at choice breaks from here to australia and many surfers see its benefits especially in spots with big waves that are dangerous for beginners
as surfings popularity has exploded in recent years localism has faded as more people have charged the waves
but not at lunada bay which offers not only some of the most powerful waves in southern california but also an easily defensible location at the edge of the palos verdes peninsula south of los angeles it is a long drive from most population centers the steep path down from the cliffs to the ocean is treacherous even when nothing is being thrown at you and the police department in this town   where the median family income is more than 170000 and porsches are a common sight   has long been accused of tacitly supporting the bay boys local only ethos as a strategy for keeping away crowds
mr taloa grew up surfing on the north shore of oahu in hawaii an area famous for its huge waves   and for locals who will use their fists to enforce their hierarchy in the water but mr taloa said he had never faced anything like what goes on in lunada bay where the harassment began before he even reached the water
in most places if you come out in the lineup wait your turn give respect theyll give you a chance but these guys dont even do that he said in lunada he said ive been threatened with jail and rape racial language
diana milena reed an aspiring big wave surfer who lives in malibu said she was sexually harassed in february while watching a friend surf from a stone patio that local surfers constructed decades ago on the nearby rocks   without approval from the state she said a middle aged man sprayed beer on her made an array of sexual comments and briefly exposed himself all while several others looked on
there arent usually a lot of women out there ms reed 29 said thats intimidating enough without having men harass you
ms reed is a plaintiff in the lawsuit which also seeks to compel the city to crack down past pledges to stamp out the group were quickly abandoned little changed here after a brawl on the beach in 1995 surfers said and in 2002 when the police chief installed a camera to record lunada bay full time the city council soon ordered it removed after residents complained that it would draw untold masses to the area after they got a peek at palos verdess natural splendor
palos verdes would like nothing better than to have gates at either end of the peninsula and not let any of us up there said matt warshaw who edits the encyclopedia of surfing website even growing up in nearby manhattan beach in the 1970s he said he knew that going to palos verdes would mean trouble
after the release of an undercover video last summer   which was produced by the guardian and showed middle aged men harassing would be surfers and the police doing little in response to a complaint   the police chief jeff kepley vowed to end localism
in a brief telephone interview chief kepley said he could not discuss the issue because of the lawsuit but added weve done a lot all anyone says is that we dont do anything
still reports of harassment have continued and most outsiders continue to stay away on a recent day with a big swell only three men were in the water at lunada bay catching wave after majestic wave a few others watched from the stone porch where beer snacks and surf equipment were stashed
nobody goes there because the reputation is so well known throughout the surf world said steve hawk a southern california native and the former editor of surfer magazine theyve kind of succeeded